Big day and some pics

My typical Saturday did not used to involve so much stress. But that was before Kristen and I became parents of triplets. Today, after way too much time spent on the island and everyone (including the babies) starting to get island fever, we decided it was time to get off the island. So with a ton of coordination, we set out for the afternoon so Kristen and my mom could do some shopping.

WOW! What an experience. Landing on a boat at night in a storm can be less stressful than the feeling I had with Kristen and my mom heading into a store, leaving me alone and unafraid with 6 beady little eyes looking at me (laughing...judging). They actually were pretty good. The only crazy part was when we had to feed and change them. That was insane, with the peak of that being me with Luke, him lying in the back of the Yukon, back gate up and his little naked poop covered baby booty thrashing all over the place. Good stuff. I'm lucky the cops weren't called on me, as crazy as he was being.

Once I got in the car to feed him, all I could do was laugh. There was Jack, eating away in Kristen's arms, head resting on the steering wheel in the driver's seat. Chloe is being her normal, loud Chloe self in the front passenger seat on my mom's lap. And Luke and I are in the back seat eating, with baby car seats stacked up next to us. THIS LIFE IS CRAZY! But it does put a smile on my face as I prepare for my night time nap before I help with the early morning feeds.

Here are some pics of today, and also a link to many more pics (sorry it has been so long; going back to work has severely hampered my ability to have any free time at all). Check out how much the three have changed. Enjoy. (And no, we have no idea what the babies find so interesting to their right....we are still confused about it). Also, try to see which picture of them that Luke goes straight Three Stooges!

http://www2.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=4052102007/a=31735688_31735688/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

A beer and a bath

Sitting here drinking a cold beer after another "calm" evening. I see now where parents say that no two days are the same; it's true. It's almost like life is now a bunch of snow flakes - all are different.

Today, Jack decided to have his way with clothes and destroy 9 outfits. It was unbelievable. Whenever you heard Jack crying, you knew that he had peed through yet another outfit. Jack is now the Ninja Whizzer. We have tried everything from different, bigger diapers to the famed "double wrap," using two diapers on the little fella. I went and bought a different brand of diaper tonight to combat him so we'll see how that works (yes, I got the idea from going on line and reading a mom's forum....NO BIG DEAL!). Regardless, he has now waged a complete war on my diaper wall all by himself and is obviously winning. Aside from all that, I need to post another picture of him soon. Over the past week, he has changed DRAMATICALLY! His face is completely full and he is big (okay, big for Jack). Kristen and I came back from the hospital and couldn't believe how different our little boy was. Unreal how fast they grow.

So tonight was bath night. This takes three people: Kristen on point doing the washing and putting a new diaper on, my mom then taking the newly fresh and screaming baby and putting clothes on him/her, and me in a completely defensive posture, laying out new clothes, getting a baby naked to take the bath, and soothing a still screaming clean baby who is probably now in bouncer somewhere on the floor. Basically, I am just trying to maintain myself without being overrun by midgets, and losing the battle. How do I look? Remember the movie RUSH HOUR, where Chris Tucker is looking straight ahead and gets kicked in the side of the head. He then points in either direction (crossing his arms), and says, "I know someone kicked me. Which one of y'all kicked me?!" That is how I feel. I get jacked up by them, and don't always know which one got me!

I will now retreat to lick my wounds and get ready for the savages' next feeding in.....one hour! NOOOOOOOOOO!

Home craziness - Take 2

Tonight's post is coming to you live from my kitchen, having just fed the trio, put Jackson and Luke down to bed and listening to Chloe fight the hiccups. We are all back home now. And Luke is doing GREAT!

As of yesterday morning, Luke was still throwing everything up. The docs switched his formula, and combined with the time that had taken place since the surgery, the little man started doing great. By mid afternoon yesterday, they were talking about when he would be able to go home. And by 6pm, we were starting the process of getting him out of there!

We pulled into our driveway around 11pm last night, mentally and physically exhausted, but with everyone together again. It was a very long night, but at least it was a long night in our own house. Luke continues to do very well with his new formula and is acting like his old self again.

Thank you very much for the thoughts and prayers during the last 4 days. There were moments that were very upsetting, but through it all our little man did great and we know a great deal of that had to do with everyone's prayers. Thanks.

Still shooting for a "normal" weekend this weekend (okay, not normal, but our new normal) so we'll keep you posted.

Mr. Lucas

As I write this post, I am watching Kristen feed Lucas - at Children's Hospital. Little Lucas has had a rough past 5 days. I haven't posted anything about this yet, but a bunch of you have been praying about this and we REALLY appreciate it.

So, what happened? As the week we had Lucas home progressed, his reflux got a little worse and a little worse. On Friday, he started vomiting, and by Sunday, he kept nothing down at all and was vomiting very violently. We took him into the ER, and they saw something on an ultrasound that said he needed surgery. After transferring him down to Children's getting some fluids by IV (baby IVs are never fun to see put in, or just see period :( ) on Sunday night to battle a little dehydration, he went in for stomach surgery yesterday. The surgery went well, although it wasn't as major as they thought.

We are hoping and praying that the problem has been fixed/helped out a great deal by the surgery. Doctors think Lucas does have a good case of reflux, as many babies do, but that it was further complicated by what developed in his stomach.

Lucas just threw up everything again. No fun. Square one.

Hopefully, we will get this figured out, be able to take him home soon and put yet another crazy chapter behind us. While I know there are children with other things worse than Lucas, this is so scary to Kristen and I and very stressful. So this is what it is like to love a little person like this and be a parent, eh?! Holy cow. Not only is my hair going to be completely gray, but it is going to fall out! Thanks for the prayers. Please keep 'em coming.

One month

Kristen and I look at the babies now, a month old, and still can't believe they are here. Tomorrow will mark the first week that all three of them have been in the house together. It has been quite a week: from feedings, to changings (Jack usually requires at least 3 outfits a day, plus jammies) to the craziness of trying to remember to sleep and eat. I don't think it has registered with us that we have three babies. One makes sense. My brain just isn't comprehending the trio.

I would be remiss if I didn't, at some point, mention the AMAZING care that all three babies and Kristen received at Providence hospital. Kristen's nurses (Kathleen, Barb, Rebecca, Lynn, Kelly and others) and the babies' nurses (Jennie, Heather, Cassandra, Annie, Ivey, and others) were second to none in taking care of my family (sorry if you were not mentioned and you read this. I am very sleep deprived and am surprised I remember my wife's name, let alone all of yours!). I know it is your job to take care of people, however you all went above and beyond and really loved on all of them. Thank you very much. I wish I could say more than that.

Kristen was able to get her wound VAC today (basically a vacuum cleaner for her open incision that will significantly hasten the healing process) so hopefully she is feeling better quickly.

Here are a couple of one month pics. And if you feel bad because Jack didn't get a close up in this post, check out the last post. HE OWNED IT! Enjoy.

Crazy SHANK-O-POTOMUS!

Jack watching a little TV, surfing for a new ETRADE commercial (he told us that he, too, is a milkaholic).

The Madness of the Insanity

The triplets are now a day shy of one month old, and we are nearing having all three of them home for a week. And oh how the insanity has escalated ("...this has really escalated a lot quicker than I thought it would...- Will Ferrell"). I am now sitting here in between feedings, having just gotten Jack down. During the day, we use 3 people if possible for the feedings so they go "quickly." By quickly, I mean around 45 minutes when all is said and done (change, feed, maybe change again, new outfit, etc, down for nap). When it is all said and done, we usually have about 2 hours until the next feeding. And just when you start getting something accomplished....it is time to feed again!

At night, we try to do it with just 2 people, with the third getting to sleep through one shift, giving everyone about 4 hours of sleep at some point. Unfortunately, that means that one person has to feed two babies, making for a very long feeding period.

Remember when I had my "theories" on how much stuff the babies would be going through? Well, the reality doesn't quite match the theory (I know, crazy, right?!) The picture here is what happens every morning: bottle making. Right now, we make about 63 oz of formula for the day, and then count on Kristen feeding the babies with some pumping action for the eighth feeding (I know what you are thinking: why can't Kristen just take care of all 70 oz for the day? It just makes sense, and one I wonder myself. She really needs to get on the bus with this one! HAHA!). The babies all take different amounts, and honestly, we were thinking they would be taking only about 2 oz at most right now per feeding. WRONG! They are taking roughly 3 oz each! Pocket book be warned. In that picture, you will note the large canisters of formula. We are going through one of those every 5 days currently, and will up that as they get older. YOWZAS! And you can see that we color code everything so we can keep track of stuff, as well as the line up of bottles about to be filled by the pitcher of formula.

As for the diaper wall, it is under siege! The babies are using a few more diapers than I thought they would at this point. The wall is still intact, but it is taking a beating. And we now have 2 diaper genies (one upstairs and one downstairs), which fill up in about a day and a half. I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried. Oh, and I have been pooped on. Basically, I am under siege from the littlest people I have ever seen. (By the way, last weight check: Lucas - 6lbs9oz, Chloe-6lbs4oz, Jack-5lbs12oz).

The bottom line: Naval Aviators need to have SERE school switched from Maine and San Diego to my house! SERE has nothing on having three babies at home!

A 3 Hour tour turned 2 Day Excursion (i.e. The Homecoming of Lucas)

Saturday was finally the day we had prayed about (and many of you had prayed about) for a long time: we were going to be able to bring Lucas home. Unfortunately, the day did not go as planned! Lucas was good; in fact, better than good. The little guy was waiting at the NICU with his bags packed ready to roll.

Due to some complications from Kristen's surgery, she was readmitted to the hospital and had to have another surgery. There was a blood clot that developed from the initial surgery, and it needed to be removed. This was (and is) no fun for Kristen, and has caused a big set back.

Thankfully, though, Lucas was good to go. He spent the night with us in Kristen's hospital room and did great. Speaking of Kristen's hospital room, we were actually able to stay in the old section where Kristen "lived" for so long, and where she was taken care of very well by the great nursing staff there.

We thought we would have to stay through today (Monday) but were actually pleasantly surprised with the news that we would be able to leave yesterday, and Kristen would be able to see all three kiddos for Mother's Day! It was a great treat. We were both exhausted by the time we got home, but seeing all three kids was worth it. And I would not be right if I didn't note the GREAT work and help of our friends Lori, Tamara, and Angie, and my mom. They stayed up with Jack and Chloe while we were gone, and even helped to take care of them last night when we returned. Thanks again.

Please continue to pray for Kristen, as this healing process continues to take longer and longer turns. Hopefully we will be able to get something in the next couple of days (a wound vac) that may significantly speed up the healing and let Kristen get back to doing what she wants to do: take full time care of these babies!

Here are a few pics from Lucas coming home, and all three kids. Pretty cool. I still look at all three in our house and can't believe there are three of them. Very crazy!

Good day/SAD Day....

In case you skipped over it, I posted some pictures of Miss Chloe at home on the post before this. I have been getting some heat for not posting lately. You people are impatient! Just kidding. Things have been a little crazy, so I am trying to make up for lost time tonight.

So today, we were able to take Mr. Jackson home. After a little debate about whether it should be today or tomorrow, the NICU conceded and let us take him home tonight as planned. It was extremely bitter sweet: on the one hand, we were taking another one of our babes home. On the other hand, it was very hard to leave Mr. Lucas there by himself. He is in great care there with all the nurses that love on those kids, but it is still hard as a parent to leave our last little one there. Not that we have yet to realize what is actually happening here. In fact, it feels more like Kristen and I have ordered something from a department store in Seattle (Macy's NICU department) and are just making a day trip to go get the "package." 2 down, one to go.

Today's package: a cute little boy named Jackson. Pretty cool getting to take the little Minnie Might home today. Here are some pics, both of his arrival and of him with his sister. Those are the first pics I have of them two of them together since the night of their birth as they were getting ready to head down to the NICU! Where did the last 3 weeks go?! Enjoy. And please continue to pray for Lucas, as we are just not complete here without him. Yes, the driving is getting to be a bit much, but more importantly, we just need to get him home so we can really start life as a "family." Thanks.

Miss Chloe Comes Home

Okay, so this post is a little late in coming, but here on some pics of Chloe coming home and at home. Good stuff. And, yes, that is her at the day spa with the pink washcloth on her! That girl is going to cost me some money someday...