August 28

August 28.

The triplets' due date.  Not sure I'll ever forget that date.  I think most preemie mamas can relate.

In a perfect world, that's when (or around this date) they should have been born.  But instead, they arrived 3 1/2 months early.  In my eyes, they are finally and officially two years old! They've come so far!  

They are walking, running, talking, eating, growing and keeping this mama extremely busy.

Happy Homecoming day Marcos, Sofia, (August 23, 2011) and Carlos (August 27, 2011)!! But most importantly...

Happy Due Date birthday!!!!

I often wonder if these dates will always be a part of me, I'm sure others do too.
 You look at my kiddos, and unless you know what we have been through, you would never know.  They are thriving and look perfectly healthy and normal (for lack of a better word).  And then, I come across articles like this ONE and I'm reminded that they truly are miracles and our lives could have been completely different.  So I'll say it again...

Happy Homecoming days!! Happy Due Date Birthday!!

One day you will understand why these dates are so important to us!

Picture Time...

Marcos

Sofia

The trio...Carlitos in the middle.

Sofia, always so serious, just like Isabella at this age.  She really is having fun! 

Brothers!! Sitting is a challenge for these two, they prefer standing and climbing on chairs. 

We celebrated with some frozen yogurt yesterday after picking up Big Sis from school, 2nd grade! Can't hardly believe it...and so happy the school routine has quickly fallen into place!

The trio is napping, and I'm enjoying the silence, plus trying to make dinner, fold laundry and working on invites for  Isabella's birthday party that is quickly approaching.

Hope to post again soon!

High Risk Visit

February 27, 2013 was a big day! Finally we made it to our 2nd follow up visit with the high risk nursery clinic. The first time it was scheduled we had to cancel the morning of because one of the three kept us up all night with a fever/cold.... The 2nd time, it was the stomach flu... Again we canceled the morning of due to no sleep and lots and lots of throw up but last week... We made it!

The six of us were out of the house by 7:45 a.m.! That in itself is a major accomplishment! And...can I just say that the clinic is soo far! About an hour or so away from us...How, really, how did that I make that commute almost every single day for 3 1/2 months?!

So what is the high risk nursery follow up? Well let's face it, when a baby is born at 25 weeks gestation, there are no guarantees that everything is going to be okay. None whatsoever. When we brought the trio home, I knew in some ways our journey was just beginning.  Many things could have interfered with their growth and development, and still can.  The high risk clinic is made up of a team of specialists that assesses their progress.  And if necessary will track them for FIVE years.

Most importantly they have experience working with preemies and know that most likely a 25 weeker will not be caught up entirely by the age of two. They do not stop adjusting age until the kiddos are three.  And another cool thing, one of the doctors we saw that day was in our delivery room and the first to hold Sofia.  He saved Sofia's life. And today she is right on track. At 21 months she is exceeding some milestones for her adjusted age of 17 months.  She refused to do almost everything that was asked of her because she was too busy saying hi and interacting with everyone. Sofia's speech has really taken off this month. She is now saying 2 word phrases like bye milk, night mama, bye dada, more peas, and bye poo poo, and yes Dr. G sees potty training in our near future! She is almost running, and the only concern her physical therapist has is her inability to sometimes stop.

Preemies (and some full term babies) don't always follow the order of things, it's called sprinting. In her case, she walked before she learned to stand still in one place and now has a hard time stopping especially when she is moving too fast.  She works on this everyday and our therapist is predicting she will be released from PT when she turns two in May!

They boys are not too far behind and actually performed quite well.  They scribbled, said a couple of words, pointed to some body parts and were quite social.  There are a couple of minor gross motor concerns we need to keep our eyes on:
Carlos favors his left side and tilts his head to the left while Marcos prefers his right side.  Marcos has some stability issues but he has not been walking as long as his siblings.  He'll get it figured out.  This may allow the boys to get PT for an additional six months, we hope.

High risk is not too concerned with their speech delay.  Though the speech evaluation Marcos had in early February gave him the diagnosis as severely delayed.  The doctors are certain our trio will catch up, it will just take a long time.  For now Marcos will start getting more services (speech therapy) and his hearing loss is the main concern.   He is scheduled to get his 2nd set of tubes on March 19, immediately followed by yet another hearing test that same week.  Now if this doesn't work, we will start  looking at other options like a hearing aid.  As always we are praying and leaving it in God's hands.

For now all lungs are clear and we will continue daily pulmacort and albuterol on an as needed basis.  We hope to take a break again this summer but compared to all the drugs they had in the NICU, it's really no biggie.  They were very happy with their weight and especially their height!  They are still small (Carlos, 21 lb 4 oz, Marcos, 22 lb 1 oz and Sofia, 21 lb. 6 oz); but, as long as they each follow their own growth curve, and continue to stay healthy, I have to be ok with the fact that they may not be on the "regular" chart for awhile.

What else has happened this month?  The trio has said good bye to their bottles!! That's right!  The boys had no trouble, while Sofie kept her morning bottle for a couple more weeks but she hasn't had her morning bottle since last Friday! Finally this house is bottle free!!!!!!! My babies are full blown toddlers!

Scribbles!

Our coloring is still lasting a whole five minutes before they start eating the crayons or markers!

We are trying so hard to make it part of our everyday routine but frustration sometimes gets the best of me.

You see the babies are going to be TWO in May! And though they are doing great, they still are lagging behind in some areas.  It could be the preemie thing...(25 weekers) lacking interest and fine motor skills...or the triplet thing...lacking one on one time, or also knows as only ONE mommy and four kids.  

Maybe their personality ...who knows!?!

But look at these scribbles! (The pink ones!)

Marcos did those all by himself!!

And this mama is proud!  

One of the four might just follow in daddy's footsteps!

Phone calls galore!!

This morning has been a bit crazier than usual, that included lots of important phone calls. 

We first had a call from the director of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program (DHH).  

Very informative. Marcos qualifies for the program.  I just need to get one of our doctors or audiologist to make the referral.  

Then we got a call from scheduling....Marcos's tube surgery is tentatively set for March 19.  

This is requiring lots of coordination because since he is going under general anesthesia, we are requesting that his clogged tear duct be repaired.  Again something that we've been dealing with for awhile, that he has not outgrown.  Our pediatric opthamologist explained it like this:

"Basically once asleep I use a thin silver polished wire called a probe and pass it down thru the tear duct drain system to open up any partial clogs"

This will help Marcos not get teary every time he goes outdoors.  No matter what the weather is like outside, he often looks like he has been crying, when he hasn't been.  I've kind of been avoiding this because it's not causing any harm but if we can get it done at the same time, we will be very happy so we can enjoy the outdoors more.  Our doctors have advised to have the procedure done if it had not resolved itself at 18 months. The time has come.

We've also had to reschedule his speech evaluation a couple of times due to lack of childcare for the other 2 but its now back on our calendar again for February.  Another advantage of the DHH program is that they provide a home visit vs. the clinic appointment through our insurance.  So we will wait and see what happens with that referral. 

Though hearing tubes, speech delay, and clogged tear ducts can also be common in full term babies, its really hard for me not to think that this is a result of being born at 25 weeks.

But in reality, there are way more serious things we could be dealing with so I move on and continue to advocate and get things done.  

In between all this important business I was able to capture some sweet moments....Sofia and Carlos kissing.

 With both her brothers!

Somehow all these calls are helping ease the frustration I feel when I can't get anything done....besides taking care of all the kids. 

Yay for nap time...wait...did I just hear Sofia say "hiiiii" through the monitor?!

Marcos, can you hear me?

We have been healthy for a few days now and hoping we stay that way.
Marcos was able to make his appointment with the ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat) doctor last Friday and I was not thrilled with the outcome.  One of the tubes seems to be clogged with either fluid or ear wax, while the other one is not in place.  We've been dealing with hearing issues since the beginning. He did not pass his newborn hearing screening when he was discharged from the NICU.  He has been retested several times with very little change.  I have been told that the hearing loss is in the middle part of the ear, therefore not permanent, also known as conductive hearing loss.  Up until now, the doctors have assured me it was fluid in the ears.  In June of 2012, Marcos had his ear tubes put in to see if they would help.  The test (tympanometry) afterwards did not show much difference.  The doctor was a little bit puzzled and decided to wait and retest.  I've lost count of how many times we have visited the audiologist.  In December, he was tested again with no significant change.  So now, the doctor would like to put him under general anesthesia again so he can see what is going on and insert new tubes if necessary.  We were also given another explanation as to what could be going on.  He may have an abnormality in one of his ear bones resulting in hearing loss due to lack of contact between the conduction bones in the middle ear.  This type of hearing loss is easily fixed with a hearing aid.

This will be the fifth time that Marcos undergoes general anesthesia.  Though I am glad it is not permanent hearing loss, I was a little bit shocked because this has not been mentioned before. 

But here are the positives.  The bone abnormality will only be explored if the 2nd set of tubes have no significant impact on the next hearing test.  He is scheduled to have a speech evaluation that will hopefully give the doctor valuable information to help solve this puzzle.  Lastly, I know he hears me.  He loves "Old McDonald had a Farm..." and tries to say E-I-E-I-O at the right time!  He also says bye, ball, wa-wa for water, ca ker for cracker, car and a few other words/sounds.  

And so this journey continues....Please pray for us and our doctors to help figure this out.

I'll share a couple of pictures taken during the doctors visit.   Look how big he is!!

With my assistant Isabella

I can't believe my tiny little boy who weighed 1 lb and 4.8 oz and measured ONLY 11 1/2 inches (the length of a barbie doll) is a full blown walking toddler!!! 

Hosted by Krystyn at Really, Are You Serious?

Crayons!

 I've been wanting to do this for a few weeks now.  Thankfully last weekend while Daddy was home, I remembered. and put the crayons in front of them.  Our activity lasted, uuummm, maybe a whole 5 minutes, definitely no more than 10.  Baby steps, baby steps...
The trio is about to turn 18 months old but we are not quite ready for coloring yet.  Opportunity alone and scribbles plus cause and effect will continue to be our focus.

Every six months, the three go through a developmental evaluation to see where they are at in all areas.  Marcos had his last Thursday and here's what is written on his report:

Cognitive & Fine Motor: 12-14 months
Receptive Language: 12-14 months
Expressive Language: 11-13 months
Gross Motor 9-11 months
Fine Motor 10-12 months

At the time of the assessment, his actual age was 17 months (adjusted age = 14 months) so he is doing great in a couple of areas.  His biggest challenges are gross motor (he is not walking yet) and language.  He has always been the least vocal out of the three.  Colds (runny noses) have gotten in the way each time a hearing test is scheduled.  The test after he got ear tubes put in did not show a significant improvement, and the doctor really didn't have an explanation.  The good thing is that usually gross motor usually takes over the brain so once he figures that out, we are hoping for a language explosion.  This is the trend that Sofia (our walker) followed and we are praying that the boys will get there soon.

I would be lying if I said that these numbers don't get to to me.  But only because all this stuff is a reminder of what they have all been through.  I allow myself moments of sadness, worry and concern but then I move on knowing that these three beat the odds.   In the mean time, the waiting game continues. Patience, patience, patience...and everything on their own time.

Did you know that early intervention and medical professionals stop adjusting age at TWO?
That's in six months! I'm thinking it may take much longer for my little ones to catch up and hopefully they will qualify for more services to speed this process up.
And so the journey continues....

Hosted by Krystyn at Really, Are You Serious?

Flashback Friday~our identical boys

Here is a special Flashback! 

I haven't posted one in awhile...this doesn't mean that we don't have them.  

Everyday I think of just how tiny our three once were.    

Carlos and Marcos are identical twins, they shared a placenta, while Ms. Sofie had her very own and an individual sac.

Sharing a placenta put them at a very high risk for Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome.

Very early in the pregnancy, I underwent a procedure called Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS) to rule out chromosomal abnormalities.  At the time, ultrasounds showed a concern for Baby B's (Marcos) bladder, it was enlarged.  We were so worried at the time and had no idea that the test will also confirm their sex.

I remember being asked on the phone if I wanted to know their sex and of course I said yes!

...my first thought? What will I do if there is three boys?!

So here they are...

First of many pics together...

The pics were taken by a special someone who wanted to make mama smile once she got home from the NICU.

What do I see in these pictures?
The NG-tube...Carlos's (left) thru his mouth and Marcos's thru his nose.
This allowed them to drink mama's milk every 3 hours.  Carlitos was our sickest of the three and was on TPN (Total Parenteral Nutrition) the longest.  He took what seemed forever to work his way up to full feeds. He patiently waited to receive breast milk, nurse and drink from a bottle. Perhaps that is why our identical boys have always had a weight difference.

What else do I see? Nothing on their face!! Our wonderful nurses were allowing them a little break from oxygen support.  This photo shoot took about 20 seconds and required a team of four, including RT (respiratory therapist)
And they are wearing clothes! A huge NICU milestone...

The pictures were taken on July 22, 2011.

They came home about a month later.

Happy Friday!
And Happy 10 years to us!
TEN years ago I married the most wonderful man, husband and father.
We just wanted one more...
and God blessed us with three and after getting through a high risk pregnancy, an almost 3 1/2 month NICU stay, sleep deprivation and exhaustion, we are stronger than ever!

Hiiiii, Bye-Bye, Clap and Arms Up!

Yesterday we went to story time! Our 3rd time! Huge accomplishment.  Not too long ago I would have never thought this to be possible with the three.

Now that we are out and about a bit more, we often get asked how old they are.

I think this month, we have gotten...

Are they 6 months? 9 months?  Last week, someone asked if they were 4 months!!

We've gotten quite a few looks of confusion when people are surprised by my answer.

The trio is 16 months.  And no they are not walking yet.

During introductions at the library, I went back and forth a bit...

Do I say their actual age? their adjusted age?

I went with the actual age but it's still a struggle within me.  I'm surrounded by babies who are half their age and sometimes bigger than them.  Kiddos who are their age and are twice as big as them.  It's hard not to wonder what people think.  Strangers don't know our story or what they have been through.  It's natural to wonder.  I am sure if I had not walked this micro-preemie journey, I would do the same.

I don't mind sharing their history but one big disadvantage of being out with three is that there is no down time, no breathing time and little room for conversation with others.  They are left wondering.  Instead of allowing myself to worry about what others think, we'll focus on the positive...

We've had huge development and growth these past few weeks.

 I really do wish I could write down every little thing!

The kids are playing, I mean really playing with toys, with each other, it's wonderful.  

They are curious about everything around them.  They are figuring out how toys work and playing with them correctly.  They are taking in the world.  What I am enjoying the most is their level of understanding, language development is slowly picking up.

All three are waving at the right times, when we (or strangers) say hi and hello, and of course bye-bye.

Marcos is the most social while we are out.  I think he waves at everyone in sight.  Then Carlos does not let his brother show off, he often follows.  Sofie is her own person and glares at strangers with her serious look. If she really likes you and finds you good enough to smile at, then her smile is huge.
She may even say a quick "Hiiii"!  

They are all clapping when we say "clap", kissing mama (or doll) often when we say "kiss" and lifting their arms up when we say "arms up!".  This week my heart melted when Sofia kissed her brothers after I said "kiss your brother", then she proudly smiled and giggled.

Sofia is (as always) showing off her verbal skills these days.  She repeats many sounds.  I am not sure if I am making it up or my ears are playing tricks on me but I believe I have heard her attempt and say a few words such as "hi, bye, book, hat, cup, sleep, ball, up, peas, cake, duck, and car" in a very cute way.  Of course she often yells our "ELLA" for Bella.  The boys are repeating A LOT especially up, cup, ball, car and bye, and a lot more sounds that my brain can't remember at the moment.  Sofie pants has mastered pointing to her nose when asked and all three are working on touching their head when mama asks.  All of my singing is also paying off.  They are bouncing and dancing and recognizing songs.  They are starting to mimic some motions of Itsy Bitsy Spider and Open Shut Them and they all clap for me when the song is over as if asking for more.  

Every parent celebrates milestones.  We know we celebrated plenty with Isabella but with these three, all of this is big! Big can't even describe it.  It's a bit different this time around and times three.  Things are happening, they are slowly catching up and we are so thankful and blessed. 

The day they all raised their little hands up in the air, I almost shed some tears!

Now since we are talking about development and growth...I must share that we are quite proud that Isabella has found herself in the highest reading level of first grade.  I guess all those hours of reading for six years has really paid off!  She is enjoying the popular Junie B. Jones series and scoring 100% on math and spelling tests! She is also enjoying her siblings a lot more and celebrating their milestones with us.

What milestones are your celebrating this week?  

Picture time!

Let's eat!

I sometimes feel like the triplets live in their table.  They are getting the hang of table foods and their menu today included ricotta pancakes, blueberries, yogurt, aidell's chicken hot dogs, peas, bananas, pasta wheels, carrots, watermelon and lots and lots of cherrios and puffs. We are still dealing with some texture issues but overall they have made a lot of progress.

 Less baby food (purees), more food, more mess!!!

Marcos after dinner making his new funny face!

Marcos loves food!  I think he will try anything and is quite fast at feeding himself when he is hungry.

And now pictures of Carlitos...notice the clip, he won't keep his bib on!!  

Carlos is still working on his pincer grasp, but it does not slow him down.  The advantage...he lets mama feed him more than the other two.

 Sofia was already in the tub. So far she has been the pickiest with foods, textures and new tastes.  

Maybe a little bit of big sis in her.  She likes to be in control and is very observant as to what goes in her mouth.  They all eat very differently which is fun to watch.
Most of the time its fun feeding three and a lot easier than feeding Isabella at this age and even now!

The trio is also eating:

ground turkey and beef, some chicken, carrots, peas, corn, beans, tofu, potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, edemame, egg yolk, toast, 

pears, peaches, grapes, cherries, 

mum mums, crackers

Suggestions on what else to try?