"Day One"

One of the things that I've been caught saying when people ask "how are things" - is "I'm still standing"... Well, as you know, today was our first full day of having all of the girls home. I think I need to change the saying slightly to...."I'm barely standing". 

Granted, today was a busy day (not unlike many of our days lately)...

Our day starts early at 7:30 for Emily's first breakfast followed quickly by Caitlyn at 8:00 and Heather at 8:30. Now of course there is Jennifer as well who often wakes between 7:30 and 8:00 - thankfully, she is a happy waker, if you will, and often can be heard reading to her dolls in the morning. I'm usually getting her up before Caitlyn gets her breakfast during which time we can read books all together. So, once all the babies are fed, it is usually about 9:15...time for the little and big people to eat. 

This morning was particularly notable as we had both a community health nurse coming in at 10am and, Papa had arranged for a prospective buyer of the CRV to meet him at 10am as well. Cheerios were consumed, and clothes donned ready to greet our respective guests. The nurse was quite quick in her visit and assessed Heather and weighed both Heather and Caitlyn. Heather gained a whopping 85grams in 2 days and Caitlyn has averaged about 26 grams per day (very respectable)...so the nurse gone, Mama and Jennifer headed out for a quick play....ooops...cancel that as it was already 10:40 and time to start round two of baby feedings...I think you can see how this goes....

Sadly, we had to say goodbye to Aunty Stephy today - what a wonderful support she has been over the past few days...thank you does not capture how grateful we are. We also welcomed Aunty Cindy today who will stay with us for a week - we are so blessed to have such wonderful and willing family! 

Papa was busy for the better part of the day trying hard to sell our CRV -- with great success I might add!! He landed a fair price and we were both delighted to have one more item off the "to do" list. 

So...the remainder of the evening plodded along with more feeding of babies and big mouths, preparing milk for the next feeding, reading books with and then putting Jennifer to bed...The time goes by so quickly. 

Please don't read this as a complaint - it's not. We're so happy to have all four of our girls under one roof - their chorus of voices raised all at once (albeit stressful sometimes) is quite a relief. We are all healthy, happy and, yes, tired.

And with that, good night!

Jan

And then there were four!

Heather is home!

Closer....closer....closer....

Well....thank you all for your patience in waiting for the blog postings. As you might imagine, things have been busy at the Calgary Fraser's.

Emily has settled in to home life quite well. She is a delightful little girl, full of wonderful facial expressions, beautiful vocals (unfortunately she practices this often at 2 am), and curious eyes. She loves to cuddle, both with big and little people. We are so happy to have her home and look forward to getting to know her even more.

Caitlyn continues to thrive at home, and in fact has revelled in her sister's arrival. I was quite concerned that she was having difficulty with reflux (spit-ups) and was on the verge at the beginning of the week to call the pediatrician to ask for some antacid medicine for her. No sooner had Emily's head been placed next to Caitlyn, and it seems the reflux has almost disappeared! She is so content and at peace with her sister's presence - it's quite remarkable. I don't think I understand the significance and the power of these girls relationships together.

We've had a busy week this week. With the arrival of Emily home, life has become that much more busy. It was really helpful to have Caitlyn home first as it allowed Jer and I to establish the beginnings of a routine. Of course this has changed slightly with Emily's arrival and, again will change with Heather's. It has however been manageable. So....our day starts early - the girls are fed, Jennifer is awoken and then we all eat breakfast. The babies are fed again and then Mama packs up and loads the babies into the van to venture to the hospital. As soon as we get to the hospital, it's only a short time before the feeding starts again. Three mouths!! The visits have been great for all three girls but particularly Heather.

It was a sad day last Friday when we took Emily home leaving Heather all alone. I admit that a few tears were shed. Heather has been known to "search" the crib for her bed-mates and can often be found lying perpendicular in hopes to bump into another little body. Overall, Heather has been doing well. She has had no further bradycardic (low heart rate) episodes since Friday. There has been some concern with how little weight she has gained and the fact that she still has struggled to complete her bottles. (As a reminder, the benchmark to discharge home is that the babies can sustain themselves through feeding - ie: by bottle or breastfeeding). So she has not been able to do that to date. We were given the option yesterday to bring her home with a "gavage tube" - the tube that goes in her nose. We've had long conversations with the staff, and have decided to get trained in how to put in the tube if needed. The upswing is that she may not need this and, she will grow out of this in a matter of weeks (likely). I spoke with the nurse this morning and Heather has finished all her milk for the past 24 hours -- Yippee!! If she continues, she can come home TOMORROW!! (Maybe with no need for the tube).

It will be so great to have her home - the trips to the hospital and back are definitely taking their toll on all of us. It's been a long time and we are very ready to have all of our girls home.

We are so fortunate to have Aunty Steffy with us this week - she has been an industrious Aunty and has gotten us back in the pink and looking pretty ship-shape here. We are humbled by her support and never ending efforts. We will also welcome Aunty Cindy this weekend - we look forward to seeing her soon!

So....for all of your patience...here are some pictures for you...enjoy.

Emily and Caitlyn

Caitlyn

Emily

Jennifer taking care of the sisters....

Love to all....

Jan

Oh Happy Day!

Before I really get rolling here, let me just say that Janet and I have both realized that, with the arrival home of Emily, and the anticipated arrival of Heather next week, we will have less and less time to blog. For those of you who have been faithfully and regularly following along by the blog, we beg your forgiveness and patience! We will do our very best to post updates to the blog whenever we have time and there is news fit to print.


Those of you who know me well know that I am a reflective and sometimes (!!!) sentimental fellow, and I am feeling in just such a mood this morning, despite the two lattes I have consumed already. 


Yesterday was a lovely, but busy day, highlighted by a visit from my colleague and dear friend Jill, who brought an enormous bag and box of frozen meals that she and some of my co-workers had cooked up for us. They look amazing and are really heavy. I had to prevail on our good neighbours for extra freezer space. We are drowning in the fruits of generosity! Many many thanks to my co-workers and all contributors -- this food will be treasured and enjoyed like no other, let me assure you! And here's to neighbours with big freezers!


The rest of the day was obliterated from my memory when I saw this picture of Jennifer enjoying an ice cream on the front step with Janet and I after dinner last night...

I have to confess that I started today -- FATHER'S DAY -- by not performing very well as a father -- I slept through my 4:30AM feeding alarm. My wife came dashing into the bedroom this morning at 5:15AM, wondering if I had already fed the girls, which of course I had not. We both dashed up and got a couple of bottles of milk ready and fed them, then returned to bed. I slept fitfully until about 8:00AM, when I heard Jennifer having a chat with herself in her crib, so I decided to get up.


At that point, my darling wife had already commenced cooking up a batch of jam from rhubarb picked in our back yard, and baking up a round of breakfast scones! Coffee had already been brewed. Yum! What a great way to start a special day. It goes without saying of course but, for the record, my wife is amazing.


The table was set and I felt the gravitational pull on our constellation to sit and eat warm scones together, just when we got a call from the Community Health Nurse. Could she come over in 25 minutes and assess Emily? Suuuuurrrre. Scramble into the shower, get dressed, change a few diapers, dress Jennifer, open the windows on the cars (it's gonna be a hot one), sit Jennifer down with a scone, and just start to cut into my scone when... Ding dong!


Anyways, as the bulk of the assessment got underway, I sat with Jennifer at the table. She had coloured up a beautiful placemat for me (completely objective assessment here, of course) on behalf of her and her sisters, with Happy Father's Day wishes! 

Every minute or so, she would lean conspiratorily towards me, raise her eyebrows and whisper, "I love you Daddy!" Let me tell you, it just doesn't get much better than that.


--


The rest of the day puttered along: Jennifer didn't nap (sigh), but we did enjoy a nice jaunt to the store on my bike (her in her bike trailer), to pick up supplies for dinner. I got the front lawn mowed, but not the back (sigh). Dinner was a father's favourite: hamburgers (with my homemade guacamole)!


I cuddled Emily over a bottle (hers, regrettably, not mine) and looked outside at our wonderful neighbourhood as the evening light bathed our little street with a golden glory. The only slightly melancholy note was that for reasons too complicated to explain here I was not able to get into the hospital to visit Heather today, and so missed her dearly. Janet, Caitlyn and Emily did have a nice long visit with Heather this afternoon, however, and reported her well. 


Jennifer and I played a wonderful game during her bath tonight, where a facecloth played the part of a hungry, toe-nibbling purple fish. Jennifer found the toe-nibbling quite tickley, and was especially delighted when the fish breached the surface in its numerous attempts to nibble her nose. Later, we had a wonderful read, including her favourite of the moment (a marvelous find from the library), While Mama Had a Quick Little Chat, which has inspired some hilarious parroting from our little mischief maker. Heartily recommended to all, but especially the children amongst us. You know who you are.


I want to acknowledge the love and support of my wonderful father, Ross Fraser. He's a heck of a great guy any day of the week and I love him dearly, even when he's foolishly trying to give me advice (will you stop it already!). It's hard to admit, but I still learn a thing or two from the old codger. Please don't tell him.


I also want to acknowledge my great father-in-law, Bill Carr, who has been so incredibly supportive as Jan and I have expanded our clan; and not only that, think of the patience he has to summon to put up with the erratic crank of a son-in-law he got stuck with. Thanks Bill!


It was a day for feeling blessed, and how blessed from every quarter I am feeling! 


I am.


Cheers,
Jeremy

Correction

Emily IS home!

-----------------------------------------------------------

Quiz time: Which one is Emily, and which one is Caitlyn?

Griffin the cat is elated with the arrival of another baby

Two girls in their PJs

Three's company!

Jennifer's on-demand smile shines through again

Bosom buddies

A study in sisterhood

Caitlyn is about to be caught...

...throwing Emily a right jab. Hey, get that camera out of my face PAPARAZZI!

Oh, sorry... Did I hurt your nose?

How close can we all get?

Bliss...

Goodnight Heather - we miss you!

JEJCJ

Fraser "B"

Emily is coming home!!

Tomorrow is here?

All this time, we've been waiting to hear "they can come home tomorrow" -- well, today we heard this from the team!


Actually, Jer and I have been anticipating that Emily would be next out of the gate and in fact that may be how it plays out in the end. We all arrived at the hospital this morning, Jennifer as well to learn that the girls would both likely be able to come home tomorrow - Friday. This still is dependant on what the girls do over the next 12 + hours. They need to gain weight and be able to complete the major part of their bottle. No longer are they being held to the standard of finishing a full bottle but they need to show they can continue to gain weight regardless.


Emily has been doing quite well on her bottles; however, her weight dropped ever so slightly, so we'll see what the team decides tomorrow. Heather is a bit slow with her bottles and, in fact, I just spoke with the nurse looking after the girls and she required some tube feeding today. So, sadly she will not be making the journey home tomorrow - but maybe early next week - fingers crossed.


So -- Tomorrow could actually be real this time but we'll just have to see what is to unfold for us all....


Until then...
Jan

Gavage Free?

Today started out to be relaxed and, Caitlyn and I were about to head out on our usual venture.....Jer and I realised however that in the hub-bub of the day-to-day, we neglected to remember that Caitlyn had a doctor's appointment. At the time of this realisation, Caitlyn was overdue there by 15 minutes! Oops. Well, not all was lost, we managed to contact the clinic and they welcomed us anyway - Phew! So, Caitlyn and I raced off to the Children's Hospital for yet another eye exam. These appointments are very long but, ironically, the actual exam is extremely short, about one minute in fact. With her eyes checked again (after great bleating cries and tears from little C) we were told that her eyes look fine - despite this, she will still need to be checked again in another 3 weeks. These eye specialists are very cautious, but this is good for all in the long game. 

Jer and Jennifer headed off to the hospital -- but I'll let him tell you about that: 

When we arrived, I hoisted Jennifer up so she could see her sisters. She had no difficulty identifying them without any assistance from yours truly. We had arrived late, and did not have much time to stay, but Jennifer gave each of her sisters a brief belly rub. As we were leaving, we spotted their nurse and so stopped to check out the news (which is in line with Jan's info, below, about their new feeding regimen). As we said goodbye, Jennifer said that she did not want to leave yet! We stayed and watched the nurse who was caring for them start to bottle Emily. Emily waved at her big sister and gave up a big smile: Jennifer was delighted! Jennifer was quite captivated and stood very still (well, for a two-and-a-half year old!), watching Emily take her bottle famously. We departed shortly thereafter and ran home for a late, drawn out lunch, followed by the reading of too many books that we took out from the library yesterday. I wasn't predicting a nap from Jennifer, but... Hallelujah, she knocked herself out! If only I had following her example...

We all seemed to gather back at the house for a late lunch and then headed for naps. Well, Mama and Papa at least planned on napping...but didn't get there -  and Jennifer - well I'm not sure she had planned to nap, but actually did - Yay! Jer had a head of steam to get the car ready for selling and Mama headed off to the babies room to get some last minute organization completed.

What of Emily and Heather you ask? Well they seem to be doing great. Once again the game plan seems to have changed slightly. The team is letting the girls dictate how much milk they want to finish each feeding period and, for the next 24 hours at least, will not be tube fed. I think this is an effort to see what volumes they can manage on their own, and to see if they will continue gaining adequate weight with this change. So far it seems fine... both girls gained 50 gms tonight. It was nice to see that both girls seem to be taking a reasonable amount of milk so we'll see what tomorrow brings. Let's hope it brings the thought of car seat tests and potential for coming home this weekend or early next week!!

So until tomorrow - goodnight....

Jan

Flashback

I can remember only too well the anxious drama of the night that our girls were born. We had been drawing out, over the course of two or three days, the hope that, despite clear signs that the pregnancy was progressing into labour, we might yet forestall the girls' arrival for days or even weeks. 


In the early days of Jan's pregnancy, when we had feared it might be in jeopardy, we went to the doctor's one day and he sat there doing the ultrasound on Janet and calmly declared: "no, we're fine here. Here's the heartbeat... oh, and another... and one more." You could have knocked me over with a P-sized Pamper. Later, when we were coming to grips with the reality that there were three babies in Jan's womb, we met with a neonatologist to get a sense of the relative risks of a triplet pregnancy. I recall his calm and happy demeanour and the lengthy period of time he spent talking to us. I recall him telling us that he was himself the father of twins. I thought: if he can do twins, why can't we do triplets? The risks of triplet pregnancy, he told us, were mostly those related to the high risk of prematurity in multiple pregnancies. Twins presented higher risks of premature delivery than singletons and triplets with risks multiple times that of twins.


As the evening of April 12th evolved slowly and inexorably into the morning of April 13th, an increasingly steady stream of visitors entered the labour room we were in. There were conversations in hushed tones at the back of the rooms: medical students talking to residents speaking to "Attendings." Nurses there at every moment, giving medication, an empathetic ear and experienced tips for comfort and rest. All I could do was run back and forth to the ice chip machine, and try to catch a few winks, with a growing sense of dread that it would be a long night, followed by an even longer day.


Finally, at about 3:00AM, the attending obstetrician spoke to us. The best case "stalling" scenario, involving more medication and pretty much hanging Janet from the ceiling by her feet, would gain us a day or two at most, maybe a week at the absolute outside. It was a risky approach: Janet's membranes could break and that scenario presented a dire risk of  umbilical cord(s) getting caught and depriving one or more of the babies of vital oxygen -- a true obstetrical emergency.... OR, we could decide to proceed with delivery now, in a controlled, deliberate and safe manner. The teams of nurses and other medical professionals needed to care for the girls could be made available and they could be attended to in a fashion that was organized and cautious. It was a difficult decision, because we wanted to give the girls every opportunity to mature as much as possible in Jan's womb, but we ultimately decided that we had to put their safe delivery ahead of all other considerations. I remember feeling a tremendous sense of relief once we made the decision to proceed with delivery. I felt strongly that these girls wanted to be out in the world, to sense the air and the light and to feel the warmth of their parents' touch.


My memory gets a bit blurry here, because my sense is that everything sped up tremendously at that point. There was no more waiting. Once we agreed to proceed with delivery, it was as though everybody had just been waiting for us to agree to it. We were ushered into the delivery room and there were three baby warmers waiting with a horde of nurses diligently prepping and testing equipment. It struck me then: these babies are coming, and they are coming now... and yes, they came!


Cheers,
Jer

One ounce at a time...

Once again, our apologies to those of you who were looking for yesterday's "daily" - Mama crashed and Papa thought Mama had reported already. This is going to be a trend in our future communication style I'm sure!

What to take away from this, however, is that no news is good news, or at least not bad news. Yesterday and today were (are) busy days. You've likely figured out the daily routine already and can probably imagine the day's start without me even writing...but that would be no fun! So...once again Caitlyn, Mama and Grandma (yesterday) headed to visit Emily and Heather. We were in time for rounds however there was nothing of significance to report other than "maybe they'll come home this week - time will tell"...but then we've heard that quite a bit. So it really is just a matter of waiting this out.

Papa, Jennifer and Caitlyn had an afternoon nap yesterday... and today? - well, let's just be thankful that yesterday was a nap day!

Today, Emily and Heather were in great form. Emily was wide awake and eager to get busy. When I put Caitlyn in the crib for her daily cuddle and "best sleep of the day", Emily (I'm not kidding) looked at her and gave the biggest grin and reached out to welcome her long lost sister. Caitlyn followed step and fell peacefully to sleep. Both Emily and Heather's feeds have been decreased in total volume over the past 24 hours. This was in part due to some concern that the girls are gaining a bit too much weight too quickly (Heather particularly, who has been gaining on average 70 grams / day) and to assist them to, perhaps, actually finish their bottles. Again, the benchmark for discharge is 48 hours without needing any tube feeds.

The change seems to be somewhat helpful: Emily was much more alert for her 12 o'clock lunch and was eagerly rooting for the bottle. She has rarely done this in the past. Emily finished all but about 10 mls. Heather put in a similar performance and although she did not look up to it at the start, completed all but 6 mls! A terrific effort that buoyed our hope that they might actually come home together!!

Caitlyn had her 3rd doctor's appointment today and was given a very clear bill of health. She was then "kidnapped" and introduced to all of the staff in the office by her doctor! Of note, she gained a very respectable 36 grams per day on average over the past week. This is up from 22 grams per day last week - great work Caitlyn!!

So we have chubby-cheeked, fatty-thighed, cushy-bummed babies! How blessed we are that the girls are all doing so well and are so healthy.

We are eager, as you know, to bring them home and continue the "weight gain" program!

Happiness is.....

Love to all....

Jan

Big Van...Bigger stroller!

Today we really explored our new van. Okay - most of you are saying - didn't you check it out BEFORE you bought it? Well, yes "we" did - okay well, Jer checked it out thoroughly and, might I add did a fantastic job in his spotting, negotiating and eventual securing of the van. Because these vans are quite a hot item - seen today, sold tomorrow - we jumped on it. It is the biggest mini-van on the market (or so we are to believe). Anyway - we tried to fit the "triplet" stroller in the van today....guess what....it's bigger! 

So, we have a great van. We have a great stroller. Unfortunately neither will fit inside the other. Correction - the stroller will fit but we'd have to leave a child behind. Hmmm - hardly an option. Would it have changed our decision on the van? Not likely. I'm not sure any van would fit this "limousine" stroller (did I mention it has a steering wheel) apart from a 20 passenger panel van with the last two row of seats removed. The stroller will make for a great walk-about unit while the girls get "Chariot" ready. Thankfully, we have the stroller on loan vs having bought it ourselves.

Enough about the van you say! So, the girls had another quiet but great day. Caitlyn and Mama slept in until 8:30 am this morning (ooops...I mean ahhh) and were therefore a little late getting off to the hospital. We had only a very brief visit and time to catch the team's rounds (no significant news...status quo) before we had to head back home. I am ecstatic to report that Heather completed a full bottle on her own!! Further I've learned that Emily too has championed a number of her bottles and completed them as well! At this rate, we could actually be bringing two girls home instead of one at a time - how great would that be!

We rushed home so that Papa could go on a bike ride for 12 noon - he had a great ride and was better for it. Everyone else caught a brief but important nap in the afternoon and then headed outside for some more fun in the sun (27 degree high). So, now that the evening has arrived again, I sit here typing at 9:30 pm and listen to the coos of Caitlyn and the stories being told to "Zoe" the doll by Jennifer (yes, she is still awake). 

It's a beautiful night and I am forced to reflect on just how blessed we are as a family. Thank you all for being a part of it. 

Jan

Flashbacks.....for your enjoyment

Caitlyn then (1 day old).....

....and now

Emily then.... 1 week old

.....and now

Heather then.....1 week old

(arm the size of Jer's finger)

and now!

A Good Day at the "Office"...

Well, today brought us one step closer to the girls coming home: everyday is one step closer.


Emily is showing great promise to be the next one out the door. She managed to complete at least three full bottles in the past 24 hours - and that was even before Papa showed up to try his skills with her! She has once again secured her spot for second place in the light weight division coming in at a solid 2805 gms or 6lbs 3 oz. We're all very proud of her and continue to encourage her advances!


Heather showed less enthusiasm over the bottles and in fact could be heard whispering to Emily "what's the rush?" - she has, however, continued to hold her top spot in the light weight division and is verging on advancing to the welter weight category coming in at 3040gms or 6lbs 11oz. For those of you keeping track, Heather is approaching her doubled birth weight (3100gms) shortly - you go girl!


Caitlyn, although leading the division up until 3 weeks ago, has settled in and is at a very comfortable third place in the light weight category. She ended the day at a respectable 2775 gms or 6lbs 2 oz.


All the girls had a good day. Mama experienced, yet again, a little window into the near future when both Emily and Heather were due to be fed lunch at 12 noon. This, of course, was exactly the time that the nurse chose to go on break....hmmm. Regardless, we made it through and all survived - quite well in fact. Grandma Marg was instrumental in providing cuddles and upright time for Emily and Heather.


For Jennifer - well, the day was too fabulous to let get by so it was, sadly for Mama, a no nap day :-(    Despite this, we ventured out with Caitlyn in the stroller, with the intent to go to the park. Instead, we were enticed by a popcicle, some shade and good company where Jennifer enjoyed some great fun with her neighbour friend....

 Jennifer showing her stroller skills...

and popsicle skills...

At the end of our afternoon, Papa showed up with what Jennifer has now coined as "my new car" -- a beautiful blue van able to get us all where we need to go! Note to self -- no popsicles in van!


So...add it all up....It was a good day at the "office".


Cheers...


Jan

Beautiful Day...

What a great day all round.

The day started with French Toast - and it's not even Saturday! Naturally it was devoured by all (thanks Papa) and we moved on. Papa got busy building another crib which will live in the living room for now. Mama and Caitlyn headed off to an appointment.

We congregated later once again around the lunch table and enjoyed some cheesy pasta (thanks Papa) only to part again - Mama, Caitlyn and Grandma off to the hospital and Papa and Jennifer into beds for naps.

Emily and Heather were in fine form today - both were splayed all over the crib and needing readjustment in order to accommodate their visiting sister. As you may have come to appreciate by now, there is not much time to sit around and loiter here, so things got busy fast. Mama started with Caitlyn and fed her, then it was Heather's turn - she gave a good showing on the bottle but alas, pooped out nearing the end. She was delightful and full of wakeful moments though and we both sat and admired each others eyes for quite a while.

With Heather successfully fed she was given over to Grandma Marg to hold upright for 30 minutes to prevent the regurg. Emily was up next for her lunch. Mama is looking towards getting all three girls (eventually) breastfeeding so decided to see if Emily was up for the challenge - she was!! She did great and both of us had a good, albeit brief, experience. Unfortunately, she was so spent by the challenge that she couldn't manage her bottle :-(  -- this is a fine balance right now. The focus will be on getting both E and H fully "bottle able" and then we can master the breastfeeding once they are home. As Emily was successfully fed and cuddled, it was almost time to start again with Caitlyn....whew...you see how this is going to go now!

Away we went from the hospital back home to, once again, congregate around the dinner table for a fantastic dinner (thanks Papa). The day culminated with a rousing neighbourhood gathering of kids and parents alike for a quick play and energy burn outside before hitting the beds/cribs. Ahhhh!

What is a day without some pictures you ask....

Jennifer showing her green thumb(s)

Jennifer showing her displeasure over having a baby sister or three...

As we sat together admiring our daughter(s), I could hear Jennifer quietly saying to Caitlyn - "it's okay Caitlyn it's Jennifer...."

A beautiful ending to a beautiful day.

Jan

--

Two for one...

Apologies for the lack of a post yesterday - Jer was busy with a high priority task on the computer and I needed to go into the hospital for the evening run. After all was said and done, we were both out of gas at the end of the day.


A quick update from yesterday....


Grandma Marg is visiting here and was able to come in to see all the girls again. She was happy to be reunited with all the girls and quickly had Emily in her arms.


The girls had a reasonable day yesterday. Unfortunately, Heather had too much loose change in her pocket and decided to buy 5 more days in hospital - she had another significant regurgitation of milk and desaturated with it. Luckily, both Mama and the nurse were right there and quickly helped her out so she recovered pretty quickly. They are both diligently working on their bottles and trying to master the technique. The staff have changed the girls feeding times a bit to allow them to "demand" feed between 3 and 4 hours. If they don't wake up before the 4 hour mark, they are wakened and fed. This seems reasonable; however, the increased time between feeds also demands more volume of milk for them to finish each time. It may be too much for both to handle right now....we'll see.


Today started early - Caitlyn and Mama were at the hospital by 8am for another meeting with the Occupational Therapist. Unfortunately, neither Emily or Heather were too interested in performing today and, rather, preferred to sleep. Heather needed her feed fully gavaged (fed through the tube) and Emily gave a concerted effort completing about 40 of 70 mls. The OT agreed with everyone that they are doing much better with bottling; however, she had some concerns with the volumes that the girls were getting in light of Heather's reflux (spit ups), even with tube feeding. She recommended going back to a 3 hour feeding schedule with lower volumes.


Both girls also had bloodwork today -- Emily's hemaglobin is in the 80's and her bone marrow is showing that she's producing more red cells (this is good); however, the process is slow. Heather's hemaglobin dropped again into the high 70's but her bone marrow is doing what it should and continues to produce the necessary cells. It's just a waiting game now....the doctor does not want to offer a blood transfusion as this will shut down the body's own recovery system.


In other news....


It's been very wet here in Calgary -- West Coast style wet!! Mama has been delighted and feels like she's right at home! Jennifer and Mama had a great time "worm hunting" in the rain yesterday, fully outfitted in rain gear - it was great fun! In fact, it was so fun that Papa and Grandma took Jennifer out again today for another "hunt". Great fun....
So -- prospects for possible discharge(s) next week?? Perhaps...we'll see.


Goodnight from all of us...

Cheers,

Jan

Picture Day...

Two's company but.....

Three's more snuggly!

Emily, Heather and Caitlyn....together again!

Emily - or EE as Aunty Cindy has named her!

Heather enjoying some rest after a workout trying to finish a full bottle...whew!

Caitlyn is trying to glean intel on how to put on the weight so quickly...

Another good day. Tiring day.

Happy Viewing...

Jan

Happy Day. Quiet Day. Happy Night. Good Night.

A quiet day today. Happily, there is nothing of significance to report.

Heather had a good day - tired but otherwise fine and there is no indication that she aspirated during her upsetting event yesterday. She is delightful and curious and focussed towards coming home now.

Emily and I had some time together - brief but good. She is doing so well with her bottling that Papa is predicting she will be home next week. Hopefully Heather will follow suit and not "buy" any more days in the hospital. Emily decided she was not to be outdone, and has officially passed Caitlyn is weight (after putting on a total of 100gms last night!) showing at a solid 5 lbs 12 oz. Her once narrow-long face has begun to fill out and more and more is resembling Heather.

Caitlyn weighed in today at 5 lbs 11oz -- Mama is very happy as there was some concern that she was not gaining enough weight. She continues to accompany me to the hospital and is better for it I think. She and Emily had a lovely cuddle today as Emily quickly reached out and planted her fist on Caitlyn's head and left it there, much to Caitlyn's delight.

Jennifer and Papa had a treat out and went to White Spot for lunch after doing some errands. One of the errands was buying a new (to us) van to carry all of the off-spring. Thanks to Papa's patient persistence we have secured a great vehicle which will be able to take places we need (and want) to go! Thanks Papa!!!

Happy Day. Quiet Day. Happy Night. Good Night.

Jan

How much is a day worth?

The day started famously with pancakes and yogurt - a standard weekend treat, although we ran out of blueberries :-(  ... Following breakfast, Papa and Jennifer did a quick turn-around and headed out to the zoo, Papa biking and Jennifer sight seeing from behind the bike in her Chariot. By all reports they had a fabulous time and all the animals were out playing.

Caitlyn and Mama did their usual morning visit to see Heather and Emily. All seemed well when we arrived however, it was not long before I learned that there had been a minor setback. Unfortunately, Heather had a significant bradycardic (low heart rate) , desat (low oxygen) and apneic spell (poor breathing). It was significant enough that poor Heather could not recover on her own and needed some help with resuscitation by using a bag-mask and oxygen to bring her back into the pink. The staff feel that this was brought on by a large spit up she had and wonder if she has some reflux. After the ordeal, Heather was quite alert and looking like nothing had occurred. The biggest concern was/is whether she might have aspirated some of the milk into her lungs...she was thoroughly examined both right after and again at least 2 times after the episode (1 hour after and again about 8 hours after). So far, she's not showing any indication of problems with aspiration but they will continue to keep a close eye on her. So - all of this has bought Heather at least 5 more days in hospital.

Emily seemed oblivious to all the goings on and was quite content that regardless of where they are (home or hospital), she can continue to suck on Heather's head, or nose or put her fist in Heather's eye. Emily was very alert today during our visit and upon hearing my voice and getting placed in my arms her eyes went the size of  saucers. She is a lovely girl, has the sweetest face and, I think, a rather mischievous demeanor...time will tell.

Caitlyn enjoyed her visit and once again, resumed her "best sleep of the day" pose. She gained some great weight and is now showing at a hefty 5 lbs 11oz!! I had all three girls on my lap today and I actually felt like these girls are getting heavy!! Anyway, Caitlyn also enjoyed another great walk, with her big sister steering the stroller...Jennifer, upon arriving at the park, announced to me that Caitlyn could stay "right here" (while we played on the slides etc.)and that "no one will take her Mommy". It's great to know that someone is looking out for these babies - I guess I can relax now!

Once again, I find myself apologizing for the lack of photos...I will endeavour to take some tomorrow!
So, sleep well -- goodnight

Jan

Drive through day....

Feeding three hungry, growing babies is no small feat. To date, the babies have been fed exclusively on their Mama's milk and have been doing well on it. Of course, with such great nutrition, they are all growing. Did I mention that Heather is over 6 lbs now - and requiring more and more milk?

With each day I have watched my supply of milk (stored in the freezer from early days after the girls were born) dwindle as the nurses have needed to use it to satisfy the ever increasing appetites. Despite my attempts to keep up, I knew there might come a day that I just couldn't. The lactation consultant(s) in the hospital are quite good and I've had numerous opportunities to speak to them about how to make my body do, as some would say -- the impossible -- and produce even more milk. We discussed different options, one being formula. Of course, there is nothing really wrong with formula: many parents choose it and their babies do just great. For me, it has been a bit of a mental hurdle getting used to the idea that these babes might need formula so early in their lives. The consultant offered that perhaps I can consider the formula as equivalent to "drive through" -- she said that it's not as if they will need the "drive through" all the time, just once in a while, trying to ease my guilt. 

Well, today was the day that I took all three kids to the "drive through". I'm not sure using this metaphor is actually helpful. We took Jennifer to McDonald's for the first time not too long ago, I felt quite guilty about it, however, she has never looked back - she knows exactly where "Donald's" is and that she can get fries there! Is any fast food actually good for you? DON'T ANSWER THAT. Anyways, I digress... The girls continue to thrive and do well with both their Mama's milk and the occasional (daily) need for "drive through" to make ends meet. 

All three girls gained good weight today. Both Emily and Heather continue to work steadfastly on mastering their bottles and Caitlyn continues to roll with Mama's back-and-forth routine. Jennifer too takes everything in stride. Today was again a "no nap" day for her, but she continues to be happy and cheerful in spite of this. We watched her on "Jennifer TV" (my dad gave us a wireless video camera setup so we can watch Jennifer in her bed) and, immediately after having been given a stern talking to by her father about the need to close her eyes and go to sleep, she resorted to an Olympic calibre handstand routine in her crib. It was quite impressive really, when you consider that she didn't have any musical accompaniment. Anyways, we had a fabulous time going for our first walk with Caitlyn - Big sister pushed the stroller proudly the whole way and was eager to show off her new sister to neighbourhood on-lookers. 

That's what the day brought today...so, until tomorrow

Jan

Wishing it was tomorrow...

Each day that passes it gets more and more frustrating to have half of our children in the hospital and half at home. Frustrating is not really what I mean - I think I'm just getting impatient and greedy to want all my children at home together. We've contemplated, planned, organized, re-organized, waited and watched in anticipation for our 3 girls to arrive home and now, we wait....until tomorrow. It's one of those tomorrows that never seems to arrive. 

Heather and Emily are doing great - I think that is part of the frustration. Granted, they are still having significant problems managing to drink a "full" bottle of milk (50-60 mls) so, in a practical sense, they are not ready to come home, but they are perfect in every other way. Some days I just want to steal them away from the hospital and pretend all is just fine!

Speaking of just fine - Heather has cracked the 6 lb mark!! She has really taken off! Emily too has gained well and in fact has caught up to Caitlyn - both at about 5 lbs 9 oz. 

We all went into the hospital this morning. Jennifer was more interested in the playroom than her newest playmates. This was quite reassuring for me, as I won't feel badly about not taking her to the hospital all of the time. Jennifer and I left Jer at the hospital feeding E and H while we zipped off to Ikea and Lee Valley with a quick stop for a lunch break. We're finding it really valuable to spend some good one-on-one time with Jennifer right now - (Okay, I know shopping at Ikea is hardly ideal quality time, but it is geared towards kids!) and we try to fit it in any way we can. 

So once again our day is winding to a close. I just returned from a final hospital run to bid goodnight to the two girls and drop off some precious milk. Holding each of them in my arms and looking into their great big eyes, I found myself wishing it was tomorrow...the one in which I get to bring them home. 

Goodnight, 

Jan