Happy Halloween!

Gracie was so awake and alert for her pictures. Ricky and I both took a bunch. It was so funny because I had my camera and iPhone and Ricky had his iPhone too.

I went to visit Brody on Saturday night and gave him a bath and put him in his little outfit a couple of hours early.  

This picture explains Madi. The girl sleeps all day and night. She is awake about 2 hours total per day!  Anyway, she really didn't care how we wanted to take her picture.

We had a lot of fun. Cousins came over and trick or treated on our street. Our street had a grill out with chili dogs and frito pie. This was the first time everyone got to meet the girls (from a distance). The night was great except we were really missing Brody. Next year will be awesome!

Speaking of Brody, they lowered his pressure support to 3!  This is great news. They are planning to wean this down to 0 and lower the peep down to 4 before they extubate him. I hope that we can make great progress this week. They finally lowered his calories in 22 (the girls are on the same). Really happy about this because he has gained too much weight too fast. His head ultrasound showed no new brain bleeds and that it is resolving still. Great news on that! I really feel that he is mentally all there. He interacts just like Madi and Gracie do. He will have his follow up eye exam on Tuesday and I am still waiting for the results from his renal (kidneys) ultrasound.

We have an extremely busy week here. Monday I have a TON of phone calls to make. The most important phone call will be to the health insurance company. I read somewhere that babies at home on oxygen get a home nurse standard across the board but health insurance companies don't volunteer a nurse, you have to ask for one. Guess what I will be asking for??? Tuesday the girls have their 4 month shots... YUCK! I hate it. Wednesday we will be recovering from shots. Thursday ECI (Early Childhood Intervention) is coming out to evaluate Gracie to see what services she qualifies for. Friday Gracie has an Orthopedic and Dermatology appointment. On top of all of this stuff, Ricky is on call all week which means very long hours during the week and having to work on the weekend. I might have a HUGE meltdown on Friday so check back on Saturday.

Goals for this week:

Brody vent changes

Home nurse for Gracie

Gracie's foot cast

Make it thru the week

Keep us in your prayers... we sure need them.

Krista

Hi AJ & UD thanks for emailing and checking in on us. I wish y'all lived closer. 

Never give up on something that you can't go a day without thinking about

I had this quote on my desk when I worked. Everyday for 3 years this quote meant never give up on being a mom. Conclusion: Surround yourself with goals and encouragement.

My lil man and I had a date last night. I held all 9 pounds 5 ounces of him in my arms. I gave him a kiss on his head and he turned his face towards me to snuggle. He is so awesome and such a Mommy's boy. I love it! He actually does not like people. People have done mean things that have hurt him for his 17 weeks of life so everyone has been trying to work with him by holding him and talking to him so he is more acceptable to people. I don't have that problem with him though :) He is so stinking cute! Seriously he is and I'm not the only one that thinks that... his nurses are pretty smitten over him too!
His crib is adorned with his "Home by Christmas" and our cheer for him Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." and they are actually facing him!
So some bad news... they couldn't make any vent changes Monday because his lung capacity was small so they repeated the x ray today to see if they could make changes but they can't. His lungs are "wet" very hazy. This could be all the extra fluid, he gained 6 ounces in one night. They are going to monitor it and see if they need to give him an extra dose of diuretic. This is a disappointment. One entire week with no changes = one extra week in the hospital. So, I'm asking everyone to cheer on Brody and start begging God to please heal his lungs and get him home so him and his mom can snuggle every. single. day!
The girls are doing good. Madi sleeps all. day. long and Gracie is W.I.D.E. awake. all. day. long! So funny how they are so opposite.

Keep praying for the babes because why? Prayer is the MIRACLE GROW for the babies!!

Krista
(quote: author unknown)

Always kiss your children goodnight - even if they're already asleep

The girls had their ROP follow up today. Thank God for Meme again because she went with us and helped a lot. Gracie finished her bottle for her Meme and even burped a couple of times!! Guess Meme is now a pro ;) Gracie's eyes are getting better but not totally out of the woods yet. We aren't worried but can't totally relax yet. Madi's eyes are getting better too but again not out of the woods yet. The BEST news is Brody's laser eye surgery has done great and all the things they hope the surgery would help has!
Random: They should make parking garages and spaces bigger for Suburbans.
Ricky went to see Brody tonight. I sent a new sign: Home by Christmas! I also insisted that the sign face him. The first one (Home by Thanksgiving) I put up facing him but someone turned it to face the nurses... Hello??? Brody needs to see what his goal is daily. I have so many awesome ideas for Christmas photos. I can't wait! If we can't get the Christmas cards done and out before Christmas then we will do  Happy New Year cards. I think I'm going to get the girls pictures made soon while they are still newborn size. I feel kind of bad leaving Brody out but I can't do anything about it.
The girls have been really upset tonight both of them. I think with the eye exam and travel, it wears them out and makes them not feel well. I hope tomorrow is much better and the good thing is we don't have any other appointments this week so we can all recover. I think Ricky will like if I can do some laundry so he can stop wearing my socks. Thank goodness he has a ton of underwear because I asked him if those were next. By the way, he said No, no matter what he won't do that. LOL (laugh out loud) I'm sure he really wants me sharing that on our blog.
There are so many first coming up, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc. and I'm so excited but I feel like we shouldn't celebrate these events until we have Brody with us. I just don't want to leave him out. It is a really hard situation and no one will understand because you don't have two at home and one in the hospital. So, we will have the girls in a little Halloween shirt but I think the first official holidays will be next year. I'm very big on things being equal and fair and this is the only way I know to do that.
I love this blog because a year from now I can look back and see the things I was struggling with or that was bothering me and they won't matter then. Luckily, I know there is an end to a lot of these struggles but I know we will always be facing something. That is just life :)
I was thinking today about this time last year. I was in New York for work and fun. It was such an amazing trip. What a difference a year makes. Wouldn't trade last year and wouldn't trade today. I'm one lucky person.
I never really update on Ricky. I don't mean to not, just don't. He is doing good. very tired and working a lot. They are  short on help at work so that makes days even longer. Looking at some options within the company will know more by end of year. He loves coming home to his girls. Madi knows him and just stares at him. Gracie is still getting to know us at home but she loves when he holds her. The routine is suppose to be as soon as he hits the door, go to the shower but he always has to look at them first. He can't stand to have them upset and does not think a baby should cry. Is he crazy? We are blessed to have him and the girls and Brody are so loved by him.
Well time for 2 am feed. Will post again soon.

Krista
(quote from H. Jackson Brown, Jr)

Sanctus Real - Lead Me

I look around and see my wonderful life

Almost perfect from the outside

In picture frames I see my beautiful wife

Always smiling

But on the inside, I can hear her saying...


“Lead me with strong hands

Stand up when I can't

Don't leave me hungry for love

Chasing dreams, what about us?


Show me you're willing to fight

That I'm still the love of your life

I know we call this our home

But I still feel alone”


I see their faces, look in their innocent eyes

They're just children from the outside

I'm working hard, I tell myself they'll be fine

They're independent

But on the inside, I can hear them saying...


“Lead me with strong hands

Stand up when I can't

Don't leave me hungry for love

Chasing dreams, but what about us?


Show me you're willing to fight

That I'm still the love of your life

I know we call this our home

But I still feel alone”


So Father, give me the strength

To be everything I'm called to be

Oh, Father, show me the way

To lead them

Won't You lead me?


To lead them with strong hands

To stand up when they can't

Don't want to leave them hungry for love,

Chasing things that I could give up


I'll show them I'm willing to fight

And give them the best of my life

So we can call this our home

Lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone


Father, lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone

'While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about."

This is the sweetest thing ever and really shows who Gracie is. Any time we lay the girls next to each other, Gracie snuggles up to Madi and holds her just like in the picture. It is so sweet. (Gracie is not that much shorter just the way she is laying) Life at home with the girls is hard. I'm not going to lie. It is a real challenge right now. It is very rewarding though for moments just like in the picture.

Friday Meme spent the day with us and helped me take the girls to the doctor. Thank God for Meme because I wouldn't have made it through the trip without her. Gracie weighs 8 pounds 1 ounce and Madi is 7 pounds 8 ounces. Madi got her RSV shot and Gracie met the doctor. We will go back to the Pedi November 2 for 4 month shots. Can you believe they will already be 4 months old on November 1?? They are growing up too fast for this momma.

Brody is doing great. I was able to visit him tonight. He is so much longer than the girls. He is weighing 8 pounds 13 ounces. His eyes are grey and his hair is brownish blond. Such a little cutie. They weaned his vent today and he is doing great with the changes. Can't wait until we get rid of the vent for good.

Time for our 2 am feed. Gotta go!

Krista

(quote anonymous)

Welcome HOME Gracie Ann!

Gracie Ann today was your day! We didn't think you were going to be able to come home today due to bottle feeds but you proved everyone just how strong you are. We didn't get home until 10 tonight and by the time mommy and daddy finally ate for the first time and got unpacked it was 11. Bottles, diaper changes, and medication followed. All that could matter less because  you are home.
I've been staring at you in amazement tonight. You have beat all odds that were set way early in your life. I never thought this day would come because I didn't think we had a chance of meeting you. I love that we were all wrong. I went through a lot of sadness and shed a lot of tears during my pregnancy because I had to plan some really bad things but God lead the way and I'm so thankful He allowed me to have you here with us. You have amazed me with your strength and determination to be here. You have had a lot of bad things happen in your short life but it has never stopped you. Gracie I think God gave me you so you could teach me how to be a better stronger person. You are the definition of a miracle. We have a lot of hurdles to over come but out of the trio I know you can handle it. We did our therapy today, stretching out your little body. You pointed your toes just like a little ballerina. Gracie be a ballerina if you want, be anything you want to be and whatever it is, I know you will be great at it. I love you and I am so blessed to have you teaching me life lessons.

Love,

Mommy

Amazing Pedi

I'm so happy with our Pediatrician. He is truly amazing and is on top of stuff. He personally calls me, unheard of I know, to check on how Madi is doing, how meds are doing, test needing to be done, test results, etc. He has her file on his desk that he reviews every so many days. This is just great! I'm so excited to have him for the babes.
We are still planning on Gracie coming home tomorrow but she has to either stay the same weight or gain tonight in order for them to release her. Since she can only take 70-75 mls of formula they increased the calories to 24 (it was 22). "Normal" term  babies are on 20 calorie formula Brody is at 26. Anyway, tomorrow looks to be very busy. I'm so excited! Can't wait because she will be home and I can spend time with her all day but I can also spend more quality time with Brody too. It is hard getting there so late at night and having to see both of them. I can't hold them a lot because of the unit hours and if they are sleeping so this will be good.
We have moved Brody's  goal back to HOME BY CHRISTMAS! This is very hard for me. THE BOY HAS TO BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS! He is almost 9 pounds. I hate the fact that he is growing up at the hospital. Breaks my heart for him. I know he needs to be there until he is ready but he also needs to be home. Not because of me but for him. It is not normal to live in the hospital away from your family. Sometimes I feel like he doesn't even know who I am. Why would he really? I can only go every other day, it is always late at night, he is usually not awake, so why would he know me? Really makes me sad.
Moving on..... Still waiting to find out about where Ricky's job will lead us.......... Really ready to know :o)

Krista

Thursday should be the day!

Gracie should be home on Thursday unless something crazy happens. They delivered her oxygen and apnea monitor today. In other oxygen news, Madi no longer requires oxygen! They also discontinued one medication, Caffeine and if we are doing every other day on one for one week. If she does well, we will dc it along with 2 more! WHOO HOO! This is great timing since Gracie will be on a lot of medications. It makes things very manageable. I'm confident I can take care of these babies without help ;o)
I got the girls really cute Halloween outfits and Brody too. I can't wait for them to wear them. I haven't got any updates on Brody yet but tonight is my turn to go to the hospital so I will be updated then.
Tomorrow Madi has her ROP appointment. I'm so thankful to have a great medical center close by but it is really a long drive with a small baby. It throws her feeding schedule and our day off track. Oh well, I hope this will be our last visit. Fingers crossed!

Krista

“Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.”

I've been trying to get Madi to understand she is not an only child all day today. Has not gone over so well. She has to learn how to sleep on her back and in her bassinet or crib. Have I ever mentioned the child only sleeps on mine or Ricky's chest? We are the only ones to blame, we know so you don't have to say it. She also is not use to crying. If she makes a sound she is picked up again, we know. So today she has learned how to calm herself. It has been noisy here :o)
Gracie is  coming home!! The OCRG (sleep study) test will be done tonight, she had her Echo, and will have her car seat test after the OCRG. Looks like Wednesday or Thursday for her homecoming. She is on continuous 1/8 of oxygen. They will know if she can stay at that rate or need to go up for feeds. Oh and she can hear. I already knew that but we have the test to prove it. I'm keeping all of the proof for all the babies to use to my advantage in several years ;o) I'm so excited!! but it is very bittersweet because of Mr. Brody.
Talked to the doctor regarding moving Brody to TCH. She totally understood our concerns about careless errors. She would love for him to stay there because the group has a history with him but understands if we want to move him. She suggested that if anything is out of sorts when we are there to address it immediately instead of letting it build up then it being too late. I don't really have a problem with that. Every time I see something off I call it right away, you just have to in this situation. I'm not sure what we will decide to do. Now that Gracie is moving, the only ties we will have is Brody's primary nurses. This doctor seems to think we have another week and a half at least with him on the vent. I don't understand this since he is getting very little support but I'm no doctor. She only had him today and one of our favs will have him for the remainder of the week starting tomorrow. We shall see what he thinks. They did order him a bounce chair to help with development. I'm excited and scared since he is still intubaited.
It is going to be a crazy busy week.
We have to: train with OT regarding Gracie's range of motion, bottle feed, have home oxygen and apnea monitor delivered, have car seat installed, have medications filled and pick up (down town, bummer), Madi's ROP apt on Wednesday, Gracie's Pedi apt on Friday, and Madi's RSV shot on Friday too.  Has anyone figured out how to clone us yet??? Oh and I forgot... Ricky's on call this week :o(    BOOOOOOO!

Krista

(quote from Ashley Smith)

Oh, YES we do!

 Brody is now 8 pounds!                
I celebrate each ounce these babies gain. It is so amazing where they
are now and where they started. I will find out tomorrow if we are transferring him to Texas Children's Hospital. We have had some careless errors that have caused some set backs for him. Someone (no one knows who) let his tape come off and his vent tube went to far in his chest, this caused one lung to get too much oxygen (the other one could have collapsed) and when they finally realized it, the damage was done. They had to increase his oxygen from the upper 20s to mid 40s. This is a huge increase. It has taken him 48 hours to recover from something that was 100% preventable. It is extremely difficult for me to accept these errors. Our insurance has paid out over $7 million dollars to the hospital so the least they can do is make sure my babies are 100% safe at all times. We feel that since they have been there so long, they are not getting the best treatment/ not top priority. It is aggravating especially when Brody is working so hard to get better. He deserves better. Wish us luck because I'm sure the conversation isn't going to go over well.... just a feeling I have.
Gracie is on her way out the door. I took her car seat to the hospital today so when they order the car seat test its there. She has changed so much! Her hair is at least 2 inches long all over! She is just precious. Bottle feeding is going so well. She is finishing feeds within 15-20 minutes! That is awesome considering her paralyzed vocal cord. The other amazing news is her voice is starting to come back. It is a very soft voice but if you listen closely you can hear it. She is having an echocardiogram tomorrow and as far as I know, she will just need the sleep study and car seat test in order for her to come home.
Madi is having a lot of issues with reflux. I've had to suction her a couple of times. She hates it and so do I. Her apnea monitor has been going off a lot. She is breathing but not deep enough. Also, it seems to be worse when she is on her tummy because she gets to comfortable.
I know its really weird but I can't wait to get Gracie's car seat base installed next to Madi's Then we will just have Brody to bring home. The NICU is actually going to accommodate us (first time ever) and allow us to bring Madi for Gracie's discharge since we don't have anyone to watch Madi. Not that no one would but we aren't comfortable and others wouldn't be either with Madi's monitor and choking issues. Plus, we are a family and it should be a family event. This means Madi and Gracie will come along to bring Brody home too! Madi has her ROP appointment this week. I'm hoping this is the last one... fingers crossed.

I looked at some pictures of my dad today. I wish he were here. I can't imagine what he would think of these babies. It has been over 6 years and I still think about him daily and miss him so much. He always had crazy nick names for people. I wonder what he would call Brody, Gracie, and Madi ???

Hope everyone has a great week. It looks like this will be a wonderful week for us. It would be the sprinkles on the cake if we find out about Ricky's job ;o)

Krista

Some people dream of miracles, I hold them in my arms

We have had a very eventful week. First things first, we now have three 7 pounders. Gracie is 7.3, Madi 7.5, Brody 7.10!  Brody should be off the vent early next week. They have been able to wean settings all week. Gracie is on 6 bottles. We were expecting her home by the end of next week but not sure now. Madi had her sleep study today. We will know on Monday if we can get rid of oxygen.

Madi is now screaming (I'm not giving her 100% attention) Gotta go!

Have a great weekend!

Krista

PS. Madi, you are not an only child love :)

Early morning photo shoot

If she wasn't so stinkin cute we wouldn't have to have early morning photo shoots but she is so there.

“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.”

I've had a lot of thinking time and I've come up with several conclusions. One: STOP TRYING to make things/ relationships work with people who don't give a damn. Two: LET IT GO and don't look back. Now the work for me will be FORGIVENESS which is my biggest weakness. The conclusion is I'm grown, I'm an adult so is Ricky and we should never try to please others or stop our lives when people decide they want to be in our lives.  Every year I've dreaded the holidays well, every year for the past 7 years. Not anymore. We are in a new chapter in life and it is all about our family; me, Ricky, Brody, Gracie, Madilynn and whoever is full of love and support. So there you have it.

Life is crazy folks but I couldn't imagine it any other way.

Our babies are great, growing more everyday. They amaze me more everyday and they make me stop and look at the BIG picture everyday. What is important today and what is the best choice I can make for them today. The reality is Brody will most likely not be ready to come home for Thanksgiving. I do have choices. I can either have him home on tube feeds or keep him in the hospital until he is on full feeds. I can either be selfish or give him time. Anyone close to me knows how bad I want these babies home, together for the holidays. Being a mother means putting babies' needs before my wants. Who knows, I might not be faced with this, we have 7 weeks but the doctor had that conversation with me today. Gracie will be home within two weeks, I got the official word today.

Krista
Quote from Dr. Seuss

HAPPY TUESDAY TO US!

Gracie will be home no latter than two weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

She is now up to 5 bottles per day! Her swallow function was a lot better than the first one so they were able to decrease the thickener. Once she is on full feeds (8 bottles), they will do her sleep study and car seat test. I'm certain she will come home on the apnea monitor and oxygen.

No huge changes with Brody. We are waiting for the vent changes tomorrow. No huge changes with Madi other than she has thrown a tantrum most of today and is now in HER bed asleep.

I'm am selling everything in our house except the babies' stuff and our bed. We have wwwaaaayyyy tooooo much STUFF and not enough room for it. So, if you are looking for anything for your house, ask me because I probably have it for sale  :o)   Oh and to top that off, Ricky's truck is 4 sale too!! Too much stuff too many cars = story of our lives.

Krista

HAPPY MONDAY TO US!

Our AC is FIXED! WHOO HOO!!! And the best part.... it didn't cost much at all!

Gracie is now up to 4 bottles per day! They are doing her swallow function tomorrow to see if they can increase again and if they can decrease the thickener they are adding to her formula. The other wonderful news is OT has been coming in to work with her, stretching her hips, legs, neck, and feet. Today, OT was able to stretch her clubbed foot to the correct position! THIS IS MAJOR! THIS IS AWESOME! What this mean is when they go to cast it, they will be able to start much more ahead of the game. Gracie never stops amazing me. Oh my goodness and her hair. She has so much hair and it is wild child hair. She is so perfect.
Brody got his PIC line out today! WHOO HOO no more IVs! This means he is now on full feeds. They did his blood gas and x ray today. His levels look great and his lungs are looking better. They did not wean his pressure support only because they changed his diuretic from IV to PO (which means by mouth) they want to give him a couple of days to adjust to that. They plan to wean his pressure support to 6 on Wednesday.
Madi was pretty miserable all day today because it was HOT in the house. It actually got to 86 degrees in here. Yuck. Anyway, the Pedi called and weaned her off one of her medications! We are now down to 6! That is awesome!

Goals I would love to see this week:
Gracie on full feeds by Sunday.... it could happen
Brody weaned off the vent
Madi to get her appointment with the Pulmonologist (gggrrrrrr on that, they still have not called us)

I promise to post pictures soon. We take pictures every day but I've been to lazy to email them and upload them to the blog.

Krista

This week

Our AC at home is broken... BOO! Madi is sleeping in just a diaper tonight and she is pretty miserable as are we.

Today was my actual 40 week due date. Even if my body wouldn't have failed me, I wouldn't have been able to carry triplets to term but this due date is important when gauging the trips development.

This week will be busy like every week. ECI is coming out today to work with Madi. She has recently decided to stare in amazement at her toys. I can't wait until she is reaching for them.
Brody is interacting more and staying awake more. He did great when I held him Sunday. One of his favorite nurses, Jessica played with him most of the Sunday. I think Jessica is going to be Aunt Jessica to Brody. He loves her and she loves him. He has such long hair! He is doing so well with his breathing and lung issues. I really think that he will be off the vent this week. Fingers crossed everyone.
Gracie is now 6 pounds 14.1 ounces! WOW! That was a huge weight gain. She finished all three of her bottles today with none needing to be tubed! Go Gracie GO! She wants to come home.

Hope everyone has a great week. This week brings us mid October, already! I wish this month would drag by so Brody has more time to get well and come home for Thanksgiving. I think I'm going to share my wish with the doctors... maybe there is some magic potion they can give him :o)

Krista

We are 100 DAYS OLD today!!!

Madi is talking in this picture... "Do I look cute or what"

My BIG man!

Gracie is this alert all the time!

Great news for Gracie!

I spoke to her Orthopedic doctor regarding her scoliosis, and hip/leg/foot issues. The great news is as soon as she is discharged from the hospital, he will start casting her foot. The technique is called Ponseti. He told me to look up all the details of the procedure which I have done. I'm so excited for her to start treatments because, like he said, it will totally fix the issue! WHOO HOO! He also said the infant scoliosis almost always goes away!!
She is also getting a pedi crib which she needs. Now we just need to work on her bottle feeding. The doctor will speak with OT tomorrow regarding a repeat swallow function, increasing her bottles, and giving her longer time with the bottle. Right now, she only has 15 minutes to finish her bottle and whatever is left has to be tubed. I do not agree with this because as great as Madi was with her bottle, sometimes it took her 30 minutes to finish.
The only concerning news is regarding the bump on her head. All this time I've been told not to worry about the bump and it will go away. They also have always told me it was not caused by an IV. Well, the bump isn't going away and it actually looks to be bigger. They did another head ultrasound to make sure it was not an issue with her skull; luckily it isn't. Dr. Bloss (wonderful surgeon) took a look and said it may be a "fat" tumor caused from scare tissue from a head IV. He would like to see her when she is out of the hospital to fix it. The fix would be cutting her head open and it should pop out. The issue I have with this situation is this, I've always asked about it, I've always been told its "no big deal" and I've always been promised it had nothing to do with an IV. This is strike TWO! One with her vocal cord being damaged by them and now this. I understand both procedures had to be done to save her life but I also know that they could have been more careful.
Come HOME SOON Gracie so we don't have to go through this stuff anymore my love!

Brody is doing great! He pooped by himself for the first time in 10 weeks! This is a HUGE accomplishment and I'm so proud of him. It is a good thing these babies aren't older because I would be in trouble with buying them rewards for their accomplishments :) Since he is pooping, they have increased his feeds. We hope to have him on full feeds by the end of the weekend so we can get the PIC line out. Once the PIC line is out, his nutrition will be at the right stage and we can aggressively start getting him off the vent! By the way, he is requiring the least amount of oxygen he as ever needed in his life, an awesome 27%! You go my BOY! The biggest change with his little personality is..... he is a big baby and SPOILED by all his primary nurses. He now has mastered a tantrum. The nurses "fix" it by patting his butt until he goes to sleep.... I'm in big trouble! :) I need to start growing that third arm. Brody had his ROP follow up and the BEST news is it is regressing and they will check him in ONE MONTH! This is WONDERFUL news!!!

Madilynn had her ROP exam this week. She is now stage one all over in both eyes. This is great because it is getting better. Early Childhood Intervention came out to the house on Wednesday. She does qualify for services; I'm really happy about it. We will start off having a therapist come out once a month and increase it as she matures. She is 3 months old but really she shouldn't even be born yet so they think she is on track for a newborn but can strengthen some areas. In other Madi news, I had to take her to get her blood drawn on Monday. Lets just say even though its only a heal stick, I hate it! It is just horrible. I'm not sure how far I'm going to get having her ears pierced if I can't handle a heal stick. Ricky already said he won't take her so we will need to argue about that one :) We use to argue who was going to drive, now it will be who will take the babies to get stabbed. (Yes, its dramatic to say stabbed but it is a dramatic experience). She is becoming more alert and 100% knows who her daddy is. Her eyes get really big when he comes home from work. Its really awesome. Madi gives a big SMACK when she is finished with her bottle which cracks us up. :o)

I'm getting nervous about our Thanksgiving deadline. I really need all the babies home by then but I realize that we have a lot to accomplish in a very short time.  Brody for one has to be extubated and on cannula as well as bottle feeding. I'm confident Gracie will be home by then but I'm not sure about my boy. It has been a long road and I'm so thankful where we are now. I can't wait to have us all together and mainly have the babies meet each other again.

Thank you all for the prayers. I always say prayers are the Miracle Grow for the babies for good reason, It is so TRUE.    GROW BABIES GROW!

Krista

Getting a burp out of your little thing is probably the greatest satisfaction I've come across. It's truly one of life's most satisfying moments.

I say a burp and poop!

We had a really great day today. I slept until 1:30! It was great!  I got in really late last night from the hospital. Madi and daddy were watching some car show or something... I made a great lunch/ dinner, we went for a walk, and cleaned the house.
Ricky went to visit the babies tonight. Brody is doing great. Ricky couldn't believe how heavy he is. Gracie is 5lbs 10oz now!

Grow Babies Grow!

Krista

(quote from Brad Pitt)

The family you come from isn't as important as the family you're going to have.

Enough said with that quote.

The babies are having a wonderful week!
We hope to try to have Brody off the vent next week. He is now in his big boy crib and loves it. He is extremely spoiled by all his primary nurses. He has to have his bottom patted to calm him down. The only problem with that is sometimes the nurse just pats his butt for 20 minutes at a time... Guess I should start growing that third arm now :) I held him on Thursday and oh my goodness at how big he is. It is really weird to hold a baby so big and heavy.
Gracie is doing really well. She is so tiny but is gaining the weight she should. She is going to be my itty bitty girl. She is still so alert and likes to hold her hands together. I love spending time with her because she looks into your eyes and stares at your soul. There is something very unexplainable about her.
Madi is trucking right along. She is my little mini me. She even stretches like me. We have her follow up ROP appointment and ECI appointment next week. I'm going to take her to Texas Children's by myself... wish me luck.
Ricky is off call this weekend but he is working tomorrow. For the first time, we don't have a million and one things to do so maybe he can catch up on some sleep. He and Madi love to take naps.

Have a great weekend!

Krista
By the way, where in the world is the year going? It is already October!

(quote from Ring Lardner)