Hut 2,3,4.. Hut 2,3,4

Yes, sometimes it feels like an army around here and we love it and are so grateful for it! Except it isn't 2,3 and 4 it is 3, 7 and 11. I'm talking about feeding times. These babies (or maybe it's us actually)are so strict with their eating schedule. They eat 6 times a day at 3am, 7am, 11am and then again at 3pm, 7pm and 11pm. We are so fortunate for that too! Only one early morning feeding is amazing to me. Thank you NICU once again.

I've said before that Austin is the best eater - he sits in his boppy and eats and eats...

How cute is that? He is such a good boy.

We went to the doctor this week again too and they are all gaining weight so well. Last week Austin was 5.1 and now he is 5.9. Rio was 4.6 and she is now 4.14 and Jax was 4.2 and he is now 4.8. Their doctor was quite impressed with them and we are too! Good job babies - keep it up!

I also needed to say HAPPY 4 WEEKS OLD to the babies! I can't believe it has been 4 weeks since they were born! Wow - how quickly time flies. Every moment is so precious isn't it? What a lesson to learn in life - never take any moment for granted because in an instant, it will be gone. Deep thoughts by Summer.... :)

I also just wanted to send out a huge thank you for all our family that is helping us with this feeding schedule right now. We couldn't do it without you!

Jax update

Just a quick note to let everyone know that blessings and miracles constantly exist all around us! I mentioned before about Jax's single cord and the 4 complications that can happen because of that: low birth weight, spinal issues, kidney issues and heart issues.

Well, his weight is increasing all the time. We went to the doctor last week and he was up to 4 lbs. 2 oz now! The spinal x-ray in the NICU was negative for any concern. His murmur is still there but his pediatrician said last week that it already sounded like it was going away :) and lastly, I mentioned a few weeks ago how he had to do a renal usound and urinalysis to rule out any kidney issues particularly - reflux. His urinalysis looked fine and so did the usound but his pediatrician, Dr. C wanted to make sure of any other complications so last week, he ordered a VCUG or Voiding Cysto-ure-thro-gram. What that is is a test where he had to have a catheter and then they shot dye up to see whether or not there was any reflux into his kidneys. Urine shouldn't go back up into the kidneys after it is released obviously so he wanted to check for that and guess what? No reflux! Yeah! That means that he won't have to struggle with UTI's all his life. The radiologist said that it should just go away over time and he didn't see anything to be alarmed about.

I seriously can't thank our Heavenly Father enough and all the thoughts from all of you for helping Jaxon with these things. He is such an amazing little boy already and I'm so thankful that he won't have to struggle with these things during his life. What a miracle! Never doubt that they constantly exist all around us everyday - my children are living proof of that :)

Our little baby-sitter

So I've had so many people ask us how Lennox is handling the transition and hopefully these pics will show you. He is the sweetest thing ever! The first night with Austin was a total nightmare but not because he was jealous but more because he had to see him. If he didn't, he would whine and beg at the crib. It was cute but kind of annoying at 2am in the morning. Austin was great - it was Lennox that was the issue.

However... now that it has been a few days, things are great! He still needs to check each one as they come in and out of the crib and sit by one of them as they eat but he is really relaxed now. We are just trying to keep the licking tongue inside of the mouth now :)

Everyone is doing great! The four hour NICU feeding schedule is going great and they eat like champs! We are so lucky actually. It is trying to get Jax and Rio to eat fast like Austin now. He is the best eater ever! I'll post some pics another day of him eating like a big boy!

Here is our four children below :)

Homeward Bound

Well, here is the news that everyone including ourselves have been waiting for. Drumroll... Austin made it home on Friday night. We heard the news on Thursday night that he was ready to come home. He was eating like a champ and so they wanted him to come home. We were so excited! But it was sort of bitter sweet since we still have to leave our other two at the hospital and then leave Austin at home to go see them. That has probably been the hardest part of this to be honest. Although my parents and Spence's mom were kind enough to help us with that - thank you very much. So here is cute Austin below ready to go in his car seat. We got home around 10:30pm and he was ready to eat at 11pm so we got going right away with him. He eats every 4 hours and we do the routine we did at the hospital with him. We need to keep it the same for him and for us :) "Routine and schedule" are our new favorite words and will be until they move out of the house years from now I think. He did great! He was so sweet and didn't cry at all - just fussed a little to let us know he was awake and ready to eat.


We had a great day and night with him. It was interesting to have one come home before the others - I'm sure he was a little lonely in his big boy crib. Then, Saturday morning I went to see Jax and Rio while Spence stayed with Austin and the nurses told me that they too had a great night and were looking like they could come home too! I was so shocked! I seriously think my chin fell to the floor at that moment. I can't thank the nurses enough for helping us get them ready to come home so quickly. It was so fast - everyone said it would be that way and sure enough! So we waiting all day to see if they continued to do well and to hear the news about their ability to leave.

Saturday night was the same news from the nurses when we went to see the other two. Jax and Rio had eaten well and gained weight so if they continued to eat well through the night and all day Sunday, they could come home too and as you've seen below... that is exactly what happened! They were discharged last night - we got them home and the feeding frenzy began. Luckily, Spence's mom was here with Austin and so it was actually quite manageable - surprisingly.

Here they are ready to come home too! Seriously? I love all these car seat pics - they are so tiny in them. So cute!

Last night wasn't too bad with Spence and I. We managed to do quite well with all 3 - it takes about and hour and 15 min to get them all fed and changed and put back to bed. They are so sweet. It would be much quicker if these two ate like Austin but they are a little slower and still get sleepy but eventually they get it done too. They'll get quicker soon just like Austin did.
Anyway, there is the much anticipated news! They all made it home! Only 2 1/2 weeks in the NICU - not bad I think. They surprised us and the nursing staff too!

For now, we are just having family help us until we get a good system going and then we'll ask for other kinds of help. I appreciate all of you that have volunteered and we will ask for the help at some point. But for now, we will have family help us and go from there. Also, we got the fear put in us about RSV and preemies so obviously we are going to be anal about who comes anyway and we hope you will all understand that. We do not want to end back up in the NICU!

Thanks so much again for all your support, love and prayers! We love you all so much and appreciate all your comments. We made it! Wow! What a difference these last 6 weeks have made - from surprise hospital bed rest to a month hospital stay and then babies born and in the NICU and now home! Finally...

Wait! Me Too!

Apparently, Jax heard the word about Rio's feeding tube and decided he wanted his out too! He is doing great with eating now. We are so grateful for his nurse that challenged him to eat without his tube - she is great! Sometimes (and understandably so) the nurses get so busy that I think it is easier for them to tube feed them but this sweet nurse challenged Jax and he was able to do it! Yeah! I'm not surprised! He is so strong and proves everyone wrong all the time! We have exciting news coming up so stay tuned....

Look at Me - No Feeding Tube!

Austin and Rio are now moving on to a new feeding schedule! Yeah! Austin is on his way home ASAP - in the next day probably if things went well last night and continue to go well this morning. It is so exciting - we can't even believe it! Rio is on the way next! And cute little Jax will soon follow! He's doing better with eating but keeps getting sleepy - so we're hoping he'll be more awake soon and keep eating!

Rio's little cheek is red and looks like lips on it but that is from the tape on her cheek from her feeding tube that she decided to pull out and since she was eating so well, the nurses thought it would be okay to leave it out. Hopefully it will stay out! She is so funny - she constantly is pulling out her tube - apparently, she wants it to stay out - let's see if she cooperates :)

All is well though - I wish they could all come home at the same time but it doesn't look like that will happen but perhaps that will give Spence and I a little time to adjust slowly rather than all at once!

Moving Right Along!

Well, we are all moving right along. The babies are doing so well! We are feeling very, very blessed and happy. Thank you all again for your support and love for us! Since the last update, they have all gained a bit more weight and are working on their last & final hurdle before they can come home - eating all their meals by their mouths and not their feeding tube. They are all doing a ton better on eating but apparently at week 35, babies sort of forget how to eat for some unknown reason. The nurses and doctors say it just happens so they are having to work back up to their previous progress - more patience required. Fortunately, we are very good at that by now!

Austin is doing the best on picking it back up and has even moved up an eating level! If he perfects this, he'll be home in no time. Jax & Rio aren't too far behind - their problem is that they either get a little too sleepy or a little too distracted. It's actually quite cute! Rio is so funny - she plays and smiles and then will do great for a minute and then she goes back to smiling and playing. She is so dang cute! Jax just gets a little too sleepy - he tries so hard and has done great in the last few days. They are all so miraculous to me! Such strong little babies in such small bodies.

Weight update - Jax: 3.12, Austin: 4.6, Rio 4
Yeah! They are now all above their birth weights and staying there hopefully. Jax had a chest x-ray and renal usound today to just make sure that he won't have any issues because he had the single artery cord. Sometimes, these kids can have kidney, heart or spine issues. But... all the tests were negative and he is just great - no issues! His little, bitty body never ceases to amaze me!

Here are some recent pics of all of them. We can now take them off their wires that track their heart and breathing and hold all of them. We love it! It is the cutest thing to see all of them together again.

Keep growing babies and keep eating!

Big Surprise!

I'm sure there will be tons of back & forth that we can't even anticipate but yesterday after I posted, Spence & I went to the hospital and walked in and saw this:

I can't tell you how excited we were to see them all out of the isolettes! We knew it would be soon but we didn't think the next day! They also got their IV's out too! It was so great holding each of them without having to worry about pulling out something and being so careful with all their tubes. They all still have their feeding tubes but those are tiny so they don't get in the way very easily.

Yah babies! Go! They are all still working on feeding at this point which is our last criteria to master before they are released. They are doing okay but they're still getting half their feedings by their NG feeding tube. This may take some time but the nurses say that once they pick it up, it will be very quick to move along. I sure hope so - I'm so anxious to get them home - so is Spence. He's so cute with them - what a great dad already! The nurses always comment to me how sweet he is and what a good dad he is.

We also heard back about Jaxon's murmur - they were quick and did the echo cardiogram yesterday too. It is called a PFO or patent foramen ovale. It shouldn't cause any issues for him as a child or teen but as an adult, he may be more prone to migraines but unless there are other signs of heart issues, it shouldn't be an issue at all. However, it still scares us and we continue to pray that it will still close which his doctors are hoping for as well. His pediatrician will just monitor it for his first year and then we'll go from there. Sweet little boy! He amazes us everyday with his strong little body. We really hope it will just close ASAP.

They're already 1 week old!

Crazy to think that it has already been a week! I cannot tell you how fast it has gone by. The few days at the hospital following went so quick because I was so distracted by my feeling better and how the babies were doing. Since I've been home, our life is back & forth and more back & forth. It is amazing how between that and getting everything completely ready in their room (since I had to suddenly leave unexpectedly) how fast the time goes during the day. I can only imagine how much faster time will fly when the babies come home.

They are doing so great! Everyday they progress and continue to amaze the nursing staff and doctors there. Even our little Jaxon is moving right along. He is the best little eater and is so strong! Rio & Austin are neck and neck for moving ahead in terms of who is doing the best and who would be able to come home first. All babies lose weight the first week of life and with preemies, it usually is longer than that but each of these 3 have already lost and gained right back - they are all above their birth weights again. Still, no specific date - they will never give us a specific date so we aren't disappointed at all if they are wrong but needless to say, they are all doing incredibly well. Here's a specific update on each one:

Jaxon:

latest weight: 3 lbs 12 oz

eating: best eater out of the 3 - may be able to lose the NG feeding tube in the next day or two. He gets down to business and gets started right away - he doesn't mess around at all!

health: he was our little guy at the bottom that had the single artery in his cord and possibly as a result, he has a little heart murmur that they are keeping an eye on but doesn't seem to be a big deal to his doctor. He doesn't show any signs of it becoming an issue. It just needs to close up and hopefully that will be soon so please, please pray for our "atlas" Jaxon. He's doing great though, we just want it to close quickly so it won't prevent him from coming home more. He's maintaining his temperature on his own and will soon be out of the isolette. His IV may also come out in the next day or two - he just needs one more dose of his antibiotic and then it can come out as well.

Austin:

latest weight: 4 lbs 4 oz

eating: does great - catching up with Jaxon - he is actually waking himself up because he's hungry which is a good sign. NG feeding tube also coming out ASAP. He is pretty social and likes to be talked to before he starts - so cute!

health: doing great - also ready to be out of the isolette in the next day or two - he's maintained his temp almost from the day he was put in it. He is growing quickly and his IV will also be out soon.

Rio:

latest weight: 4 lbs 1.5 oz

eating: does great too! She had to try and catch up with her brothers since she started trying later than they did because of her IV in her belly. But since she got that out and we've been able to hold her, she picked up quick on eating but she is a little more social too like Austin and gets distracted easily so she takes awhile. So funny!

health: She is doing amazingly well considering her start. No issue at all with her - she will get her IV out soon as well and is also maintaining her temp well.

They are the sweetest things ever! I can't tell you how much we love them and love to see them and we can't wait for them to come home - whenever that may be.

Baby Update

I'm sorry I'm a little slow on the update - I know you are all interested in how the babies are doing. I will give you a quick update on their days and progress.

First of all, I noticed I didn't post their official weights - so here you go. Thanks for reminding me Natalie :) They were way off on their weights from the usound a few days ago but that's okay - they're still good sizes.

JAXON: 3 lbs 10 oz

AUSTIN: 4 lbs 2 oz

RIO: 4 lbs

CARES: Each day they have what the NICU calls "cares" which entails changing them, taking their temperature and cleaning out their mouths with a yummy peppermint flavored swab so their mouths aren't dry and we keep them clean. They do these "cares" every time they eat which is every 3 hours.

EATING: Like I said, every 3 hours for now. Each day, the nurses increase their feeding amounts and they are doing well. They all have feeding tubes in since they aren't quite nursing yet but we are learning how - all of us :) They eat a type of formula for now through their nose tubes. They are so sweet and are trying so hard but they tire out pretty easily.

*I am pumping like crazy trying to get the ball started and it is slowly but surely moving along. I'm so glad - I really want them to be able to have all they need to bring them home ASAP whether that is formula or other.

MEDICATIONS: Not much - they are all taking a 7 day dose of antibiotics since we never did know who may have had a leak in their sac and they want to make sure that is treated. No other major medication is needed for any of them.

NO BABY RELEASE DATE YET: I am leaving tomorrow for sure - can't wait to be at my house after a full month as of today. I can't believe how long I've been here but I cannot tell you how sad I am to leave my babies here. I hate being so far from them but we are so lucky to only live a short distance away and not far, far away. We can come back as often as possible and probably will too.

*We aren't sure what the "specific requirements" are for the babies to come home but we do know they are progressing. Here's some key points:

*they were put in isolettes to see if they could maintain their body temps and Austin and Rio have done great and will be out in a few days :) Yeah! I was thinking that was a step backward but actually is just confirms what is going right so I was okay with that after a long cry in the NICU.

*(Rio got her IV tube out of her belly today! Woo-hoo! We were so excited because that meant that we could finally hold her and feed her. She is so sweet! It was so cute to watch Spence hold her - he is so sweet to her.

*They all continue to breathe great on their own and so that is awesome - we couldn't be happier about that.

That is it for now. I'll keep updating even if sometimes it takes me a few days.