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!

The bullet~Flashback Friday

Remember this?

This is how it all began...

Breast milk in a bullet

It's been almost 14 months of pumping.  When they were born, it was every 2 hours during the day, every 3 at night.  During the first 2 weeks, not once did I miss a pumping session.  I was one dedicated mama.  After that, I started sleeping through the alarm but during the day, I was a pumping queen.
  
One of the nice things about the NICU is having a super supportive staff.  Nurses that reminded me it was time, nurses that brought me food and snacks, no way could I have done this without them.  It's getting tougher and tougher with three mobile kiddos.  Yes, they are all over the place.  So this week I made the decision to only pump twice a day.  Lots of mixed emotions, I know its coming to an end soon...Around their birthday in May, I went down to three times a day.  I can no longer keep up with that, big sis and mostly the house and the laundry.  It will be a bitter sweet moment when that pump is put away.  Part of me will be doing cartwheels for sure.  My goal is their due date...August 28, 2012.


The trio is still on breast milk and formula.  I tried to make their foods with whole milk and it resulted in lots of spit up.  We are trying again in August.  Only about six more weeks until the anticipated due date.  I'll have to start thinking of how we will celebrate the big due date (adjusted birthday) and those homecoming dates! 
A little late...but hope you Friday the 13th was great.

Sofia meets Tita~Flashback Friday

~Flashback Friday~

My mother-in-law and sister-in-law are visiting from AZ for the weekend.  

In Tita's honor, here are some pics of Tita holding Sofia for the first time.  

Pictures taken on July 14, 2011

I have recently found the little notebook that I took with me every morning to rounds.  

Things must have been looking up for Sofia because there are very little notes around this time.

On July 17, 2011, Sofia weighed 1310 grams or 2 lbs. 14 oz!!!!

This was huge, not bad for the ex-25 weeker.

She was getting 26 mls of breast milk every 3 hours.

And was on nasal canula, 2 liters, oxygen between 25-35%.....

Oh NICU memories!

What is in your fridge?

The trio is taking 5 or 6 bottles a day, averaging between 4 to 6 oz.  I am still pumping about 40 oz of breast milk.  It sure is getting more challenging now that I am alone with the three.  I'm already starting to see a drop in supply.  Pumping sessions have gone from eight to six to five times a day.  On really busy days, it's more like four times a day.   Each morning I fill all their bottles with 2 oz of breast milk, the rest is formula.  Sometimes we have a little bit left for the next day or to make their baby cereal or food.  I am really hoping to keep this up until they are one (adjusted), but some days, I am not sure if that will happen.

My Saturday morning

I love it when one of the babies wakes up before the other two and before Big Sis.

Today it was Carlitos.  He started waking while I was pumping. I had the hubby go in and get him before he woke up the others.  He hung out next to daddy for quite awhile.  Daddy went back to sleep. Carlitos played by himself. I kept pumping. The first am pumping session is a long one, we're talking like 40 min for about 16 oz of breast milk. When I was done, I got back in bed and chatted with my lil guy, even cuddled with daddy for only a few seconds before he started fussing.

I was about to get a bottle ready when thankfully I thought, let's nurse, not sure how much he will get but it's worth a try.  It doesn't happen very often, they mostly get expressed milk in a bottle.  He had a hard time latching on, he was mad and squirmy and I'm pretty sure I was more on the empty side; but, I just kept switching from side to side until he drifted away to dreamland.  My camera was nearby and managed to get these shots.

Carlitos was my sickest one in the NICU.  He was on a ventilator for about 2 1/2 months, maybe even longer.  He was the last one to receive breast milk through a feeding tube due to medications.  The last to nurse.  He didn't get as much mommy time so I'm always amazed at the fact that he can do it.  He is quite good at it when he wants to be.

This morning we got some good cuddling time.  There is not enough of that around here.  One of the downfalls of having multiples.  I always feel like we gotta rush through it all.  Awake, diaper change, feed, burp, and pray they go back to sleep.  Then it starts back up again.  After awhile I put Carlitos in the swing.  I knew chaos was about to begin.  It is getting a bit easier as they get older.  We are noticing a lot more awake time, and happy awake time is the best.  Lots of smiles, and cooing.  We love it.  Great way to start the weekend.

Wordless Wednesday

Milk?? About 40 oz of breastmilk and still not enough for the trio! Thankfully, we still have frozen milk.

Finally an update

Today the triplets are 96 days old. How I wish I could have had the time and energy to blog about everything they have been through...but since we cannot turn back time, I will start with today.

They will soon be home! We can see the end to the NICU journey, and we are getting things ready.
We have 3 cribs, 2 swings, 2 car seats (yes, we need one more) a new mini van! lots and lots of clothes, diapers, blankets, hats, bibs and so much more. Mom and dad are working on the room, putting curtains up and washing and cleaning as much as we can. We still cannot believe how generous people have been. We are so thankful for every gift, whether its new or used. We are grateful for everything that has been given to us!

This past week:
Tuesday: Lemonade party for Big Sister's Kinder class
Wednesday: First day of Kinder!!

 
Thursday: Sofia's eye laser surgery
Friday: The boys' hernia surgery. The surgeries kept getting pushed back and the boys were starving. It was so hard, the IV fluids started around 6am and the surgeries were not until early evening. They could not eat all day long. Thankfully, our nurses did a great job in holding and trying to comfort them.

All the surgeries went well. Sofia recovered very quickly, while the boys are still a bit sleepy.

On this 96th day, I am missing my babies. I stayed home from the hospital to finish organizing their room. I think we are ready! No nursing today but lots of pumping. Mama's pumping about 45 oz of breast milk a day!!! and I need more!!