Perfect.

Welcome, Emma Grace, Julie Catherine, and Rebecca Caroline!

I had a c section on the 20th (inauguration day, and my great aunt's birthday) and the girls were born at 8:35, 8:36, and 8:37 am. The OR was organized chaos! Surprisingly, we did hear the babies all cry (or at least whimper) when they were born. The NICU staff whisked them away pretty quickly - we got to see 2 of them on their way out the door.

I was in recovery for an hour or so. The actual c section, while overwhelming, wasn't bad. On my way back to the room, they took us through the NICU where we saw all of the babies, and despite all of our (and doctor's) expectations, none of the girls were doing as well as they should have been doing. It broke my heart right there. 2 were on ventilators, one was on CPAP. Rebecca, our smallest and single umbilical artery baby, was in the worst shape. Her blood pressure was frighteningly low, and the doctors suspected I had some sort of infection based on Rebecca's blood work and respiratory status. They started all 3 on antibiotics.

Everything in between now and then is a blur. They have all made dramatic progress. Rebecca had about 2 days of blood pressure medicine, and now her bp issues are resolved. She will still get a full course (10 days) of antibiotics, but Emma and Julie were taken off antibiotics after a day or two. There's really no explanation for why they had such a rough start. But everyone is now off of any breathing assistance, and we're working on starting bottle feedings with all of them.

I am still trying to recover from the surgery, and am finding myself just exhausted between the pain, breast pumping, and trips back and forth to the hospital.

There's really no way to guess yet how long they'll be in the NICU, or when they will come home.

Some pictures from when they were 5 days old...

My new home

I've been in the hospital since Wednesday, with early signs of preeclampsia, and it looks like I will be here for the foreseeable future. I'm definitely uncomfortable, and ready whenever these girls are. Poor Greg (poor Greg? Wait a minute, isn't this partly his fault?) has been running laps between work, home, the hospital, and Moe's to get me nachos. My mom came down this week, though, and that has definitely been a help.

So thankful

... for the thoughtfulness and generosity of our friends and family!




Our friends threw us a baby shower over the weekend, and it was just perfect. For me, it was SO NICE to see people again, and have people to talk to. (Talking to the cats isn't quite the same.)





So, we're happy, healthy, and ready for these girls to make their arrival any day now, whenever they are ready. (Of course, I am hoping that they are taking to heart the conversation we had about waiting for inauguration day...)

Signs of a big, happy pregnant belly

Went to 2 doctors' appointments today. Everything looked good, girls are growing well. But twice in the course of an hour I was reminded of how big my belly is.

The scale in the office is digital, with just the base on the floor, and then a read out at about eye level. Well, I got on like I always do... but then started to feel wobbly, as I realized I couldn't stand straight up without my belly touching the wall, and there wasn't much room for me to move my feet backwards.

The parking garage is a bit of a mess - the spaces are angled, and fairly small. Trucks and SUVs don't really fit. So we come outside, and a big truck had pulled in next to me at a horrid angle. And I couldn't open the door far enough to get in. Luckily Greg was there, and was able to get in and back it out for me. But seriously, what would I have done if I were there for myself? Ask a stranger to back my car out for me?

Why am I always the last to know?

Greg called me from work this morning and said, "Word at Such-and-such daycare is that the triplets were born." This came from two people, the two who had recommended the daycare. (We'd love to be able to go there, but their infant room only has five babies ... and we'd need three slots ... Plus, it's in a church, so we'd be last in line to get in. And it would require getting in line in the middle of the night to try to get spots. Maybe when they're older and classes are bigger.)

Huh. Guess I better go check on them. Looks like we're already failing at this parenting thing.

Me and my little buddy

Hanging out on the couch.

Whoa, belly!

From New Year's Day:

Welcome, 2009...

Ready or not, the new year is here. So much to look forward to ... and worry about.

It's been quiet around here, just the two of us trying to get things done. Greg's done more of the "get things done" and I do more of the "trying." These girls have really started to restrict my ability to move around much, especially in the last week or so. Walking has gotten painful with every step. Standing has been hard for a while. The contractions had quieted down a bit, but started back again last night. I've already had a couple this afternoon, too. But they're growing well, and our ultrasound yesterday showed all of them "practice breathing," which is a good sign for preemies. They're all squirmy and squiggly in there, and I just love feeling them move around.

Still working on those resolutions... I need a few more days to think about them.