30 Fingers, 30 Toes

Success! We are proud to welcome 3 beautiful babies into this world. It was an eventful day, though we were delayed in getting started. After being bumped from the OR twice, the triplets were finally delivered shortly after 9 AM. In respective order of arrival:

Matthew Wade
4 lbs 6 oz
18" long


Paige Naomi
5 lbs 2 oz
18 1/2" long

William Braden
4 lbs 14 oz
18 1/2" long

Mom is doing well. Currently the boys are in the NICU, for monitoring purposes, and Paige is in the regular nursery. All are doing well, and we've been able to spend a lot of time with Paige and we also got to hold Matthew in the NICU. It's been quite a day and we'll post more soon. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers.

Reflections

We made it. 35 weeks. This is the goal we set way back in November when we first learned of the triplets’ existence. However, when the triplets are born tomorrow at 35 weeks, 1 day, we recognize it is the end of the easy part of raising triplets (and a singleton!) and the beginning of a whole new journey.

We’ve had so many people ask us if we’re ready. That is such a difficult question to answer. In some ways, absolutely, in some ways not even close.

Am I physically ready? Yes! Yes! Yes! There is simply no more room. Plus, remember the post from weeks back when I complained about only sleeping 4-5 hours a night? What I would give for 4 hours of solid sleep. At this point if I sleep for an entire hour straight it is a miracle. And that’s after I’ve been up for a few hours in between. I want to be able to walk again, I want to throw away the Zantac forever, and I want to be able to wear my wedding ring again. So, yes, I am physically ready.

Are we logistically ready? The nursery is done. The changing tables are stocked with diapers/wipes/creams. The clothes are washed, organized and put away. The bottles have been sterilized and are lined up in the newly christened triplet feeding cabinet in the approximate order we will need them. The care spreadsheets are done, printed, and assembled in their own notebook. The car seats are in the mini-van. The diaper bag is packed. Presents for Joshua from the triplets are purchased and wrapped. Stuffed animals from Joshua to the triplets are purchased. I’m sure we’ve forgotten something, but I can’t think of what it could be. Thus, logistically, I’d say we’re ready.

Are we emotionally ready? Ahh, isn’t that the $64,000 question. Can anyone ever be ready for the influx of 3 babies at once? I remember talking to a good friend when we were contemplating having a second baby. I told him that it is a really hard decision. On the one hand, by the time you start thinking about having a second baby you are in such a routine with your first child that you’re not sure you want to upset what has become very comfortable. On the other hand, you see all the mistakes that you made with the first one, all the small stuff you sweated unnecessarily, and you want to give yourself a second chance to just sit back and enjoy what you now know goes so quickly.

For us that “comfortable” pregnancy and newborn time was not to be. The triplets threw a whole new set of joys into the mix but I would be less than honest if I didn’t say that they also threw lots of new and different concerns into the mix too. But, you play the hand you’re dealt. And, in the end, I am sure that, for us, 4 children will be nothing less than 4 Aces.

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers these past months. Tune in tomorrow for all the details – including the long awaited names!

Damn it Jim, I'm a lawyer not a engineer!

We’ve been thinking about car seats and how to arrange them in the minivan. Here are the variables to consider:

• 2 parents

• 4 children

• 4 car seats

• 1 convertible car seat

• 2 identical infant bucket seats

• 1 unique infant bucket seat

• 1 mini-van with five latchpoints

• 5 * 4! / 2 = 60 unique ways to place said car seats

• And don’t forget the yellow lab

• And don’t forget the need to hand the older child Cheerios, books, Spiderman action figures, water, etc.

• And don’t forget the need to monitor infants for spit-up, floppy heads, yellow lab licks, etc.

• And don’t forget the gear that goes along with three infants and a three year old

Maybe we should buy a second mini-van, hire a driver for the children and Carl and I can ride in peace in the first mini-van. That’s it!!! I’ll have Carl get right on that. :-)

By the way, a big thank you to CB, our math man on retainer, for the factorial equation above. Because, as you all know, we’re lawyers – not mathematicians. :-)

The Final Countdown

Come on, you know that Europe's classic synth vibe is going through your head right now! If it's not, see here:



We had our last pre-natal appointment with the perinatologist on Thursday, May 21. Babies B and C scored 8 out of 8 on their BPPs. Baby A only scored 6 out of 8. His lower score wasn't really a result of anything "wrong" but with B & C's positions (essentially on top of A) and how much they all had grown, the sonographer could not measure A's amniotic fluid. However, we did see A practice breathing and we saw his heartbeat. Thus the doctor said he was OK going forward with the original plan of delivery on Thursday, May 28th.

So, as I sit here writing this on Sunday afternoon, we are literally four days away from being the parents of four children! I'm not sure what else there is to say. :)

Everyone enjoy the long weekend!

My Beloved Little Petrie Dish

I had the most amazing blog post rolling around in my head this week.

We were going to provide the info on the last detailed growth scans and then show you the pictures of the nursery. The nursery pictures were going to be accompanied by some pithy commentary on the Daycare Chez Gausman. I mean, come on, when you walk in to a room with three cribs, a changing table, a rocking chair and a dresser one can't help but think day care. We were all going to have little bios as the "day care workers" and provide a tounge in cheek schedule for the babies. I'm telling you, it was going to bring on quite a few chuckles.

But then, my beloved little petrie dish (aka Joshua) brought home a cold that has knocked me flat. If it is possible, I feel like my head is going to explode before my stomach. Thus, tonight is just a bare bones update and some really cute pictures. Enjoy! :)

The doctor's appointment on May 14 went very well. All babies again scored 8 out of 8 on their BPPs. We got detailed growth scans as well. Baby A weighed in at 4 lbs. 13 oz., Baby B was 4 lbs. 9 oz., and Baby C was 4 lbs. 5 oz. We'll go back for one more set of BPPs on the 21st and then it is to the hospital on May 28. The C-Section is scheduled bright and early at 7:30 a.m. which means we have to be at the hospital at 5:30 a.m. No big deal for me since I'm awake 3/4 of the night anyway, but Carl might be a little worse for wear!

It crossed my mind last week that I did not mention we had passed the 32 week milestone. I'm not sure how I forgot to mention it since it is so huge. We were 32 weeks on May 6. 32 weeks is such a big number because it means that if the babies were born now there is a very good chance they would be able to breathe on their own with minimal assistance but would not have to be put on ventilators. So YEA for 32 weeks and thank you to everyone for the thoughts and prayers that got us this far. Here are the pics from last week. Baby C wasn't posing well, but here are A and B.





And finally, here are some pictures of the nursery. We're all very happy with the way it turned out. A special thank you to Carl's parents for lending their talents. We, literally, could not have put the nursery together without them.

Rest for the Weary

And now, without further ado - the update.

We had our weekly appointment with the perinatologist on Thursday, May 7. All babies again scored 8 out of 8 on their BPPs. We actually got a few good pics this time which I will try to post later tonight.

Babies A and C were head down with Baby C in a "pike" position with her arms and legs in front of her head. Baby B was breech. Frankly, I'm amazed they can still move at all. We'll have detailed growth scans (with new weights) next week.

As for me, I think I was more tired and run down than I realized. Since stopping work last Tuesday basically all I've done is sleep. Granted, it is only for 2 hours at a time, but it is sleep nonetheless! I'm still tired, but the level of exhaustion seems a bit less.

We're in the final days & are busy with final preparations. We are praying for take home babies so we need to make sure everything is ready before we head to the hospital!

In other medical, but non-triplet news, Joshua had his final check with the ENT on Friday. His ears were pronounced perfect & we no longer have to go back for follow up visits. YEA!!!

Of course, there are three more waiting to follow in his stead so I'm under no illusions that we will not be seeing the ENT at some point within the next 12-18 months. :-)

Everyone have a great week! 17 days until triplets!

Perfection, the cavalry arrives & a birthday!

If I'm ever going to be considered a true blogger I'm going to have to do a better job of posting, huh? Sorry for the delay, but here, at long last, is the update!

We had our first set of BPPs for the babies on April 23. All babies scored perfect 8 out of 8s!!! There was no detailed growth scan that day as they only perform growth scans every 2 weeks.

So, it was back to the doctor on April 30 for BPPs and a growth scan. Once again, all babies scored 8 out of 8! They also performed a detailed growth scan. At 31 weeks 1 day:

Baby A (boy) weighed 4 lbs. 0 oz.
Baby B (boy) weighed 3 lbs. 9 oz.
Baby C (girl) weighed 3 lbs. 10 0z.

And yes, that is 11 lbs. 3 oz. of baby. :-)

They gave us the percentages for what that growth would be if the babies were singletons. Baby A would be in the 64th percentile, Baby B would be in the 46th percentile and Baby C would be in the 48th percentile. The doctors were really pleased with this growth rate, as were we.

It is so crowded in there. It is hard to distinguish anything when looking at the ultrasound - I am amazed at what the sonographers can see. Pictures at this point are pretty futile because unless you're a trained sonographer it just looks like white noise. :-)

In related, yes there really are three babies in there news, the doctor has indicated that if we truly want to make our goal of 35 weeks, the time has come to stop working. I'm working this coming Monday and Tuesday wrapping things up but will then be at home full time. It is a good thing that Carl's Mom arrived this week to stay for the duration. She has already been a great help with Joshua. And I know that both Carl and I truly appreciate having her here. Since I haven't been able to, oh, load the dishwasher, do laundry, bathe Joshua or do any sort of normal household work for a good two months now, the man deserves a break!

But, perhaps the most exciting news is....WE HAVE A SCHEDULED BIRTHDAY!!! That's right, assuming all continues to go well the babies are scheduled to be born on May 28th at 35 weeks 1 day. At that gestation, they may have to spend some time in the NICU, but their lungs should be well developed and the NICU stay will hopefully not be extensive.

We have been truly blessed with a complication free pregnancy thus far. We are just continuing to pray that it remains so. Thank you to all of you out there for the thoughts, prayers, support, texts, calls, e-mails and well-wishes. It has made all the difference.

27 days until birthdays!!!