Waiting for FUN in the SUN

Oh yes, they make baby sun glasses!! I love these little stink pots!!

update

It has been a while since I posted. Things are going really good. The kids are responding very well to therapy. Brody has made the most progress which is very exciting since he is the most behind. He is able to hold his head up while on his tummy and is working to have more control when sitting assisted. Feeds are up and down depending on the day but I must admit, he has been doing very well the past couple of days. We are giving him 5 ounces but that volume has the same calories as 8 ounces. We went to the Pedi on Friday and he has gained 1 pound since his last visit on the 4th. This is very good news because we were all very concerned with his weight. Our little guy is making us so proud.
Gracie is doing good. She is getting louder and louder every day and her new squeaks are the cutest! Her neck and head are getting so much better and her body alignment too. She is so sweet, she smiles all day long. She is such a girlie girl, so fragile but full of life. Her feelings get hurt very easily but she quickly forgives and tells you so with that light bulb gummy smile.
Madilynn will be crawling soon. She gets up on her knees but can't figure out what to do next. It is very entertaining to watch. Her teeth are shifting, getting ready for teething so she loves to chew on her pointer finger. She loves to stand and for you to help her pull up on to sit or stand.

The babies will be 8 months old on the 1st. They are getting very big and are almost out of the 3 month clothes.

I'll update soon.

Krista

"Those are MY Triplets"

Madi discovered her feet and toes today. She liked them so much but couldn't get them in her mouth so she decided to put Gracie's toes in her mouth and Gracie thought it was a great idea. So funny!! Madi is also trying to pull herself into a sitting position when she takes your hands.
Gracie is discovering more squeaks. She is so cute!!
Brody is doing ok. Not doing good with feeds at all. He actually won't take a bottle (he makes himself throw up) but a special someone was able to feed him baby food two days in a row!!
We are looking at therapy: OT, PT and Speech on Tuesday and Thursday and I sure hope that is it this week!! I better double check the calendar.

Have a great week.

Krista

Quote by cousin Kelsey

double therapy = 3 exhausted babies

The triplets had their first day of double therapy. PT joined OT and will continue going forward. Speech therapy will also start next week during the same time. This was Madi's first day of any type of therapy. She did really good but by the time PT was done and our OT therapist started she was exhausted.
They were here a total of 2 hours and 15 minutes. When they left, I feed them all at 12 and to sleep they went... until... 6 pm. WOW! We woke them up to feed them dinner and back to sleep they went. So crazy and to think Brody and Gracie will get speech too. But, it is all for the best. Brody has made HUGE progress with strengthening his core and Gracie with her neck. I know that two days every week the babies will be worn out. I will make sure not to schedule any afternoon appointments.
Speaking of appointments, I've really got to get back on schedule with all of the specialist. Its really been crazy around here lately.
We are still struggling with Brody's feeds. Since he is not gaining like he should, I've been working with our Nutritionist to increase Brody's calories but decrease the volume. So far so good. I will see on Friday if he is putting on weight.

Today the babies are 7.5 months old. The days go by so quickly. By the time I look up it is the weekend and we start another week. It really forces us to stop and realize what is important. It is not jobs, things, and money. My, my the things you learn when you have kids. Let me not get too crazy a great job, money, and things do make life much easier but there are far more important thing to this thing called life.

Love your God, family, and life. I'll update soon with pictures :)

Krista

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope you all have a WONDERFUL heart day!! Our hearts are full of love 3x over!!!

Krista

I'm in the process of locking all photos so they can't be printed or copied. With this being open to the world, I worry about people being able to print or copy the pictures.
If you ever want a photo you see on the blog, feel free to email us at pattonfamily3@gmail.com

Thanks!

Krista

Brody talking. Look at those pretty blue eyes!!

Gracie sounds asleep. Finally given in and decided to get some rest.

Madi sitting up for the first time yesterday morning. Look at those pretty blue eyes!

little loves

Madi is sitting unassisted! OT came out to do her evaluation and will start her OT program next week along with Brody and Gracie. They feel that she will be able to strengthen her fine motor skills very quickly. We went to the Pedi on Wednesday Madi's current weight is 13.5 pounds and her length is 23 inches. The doctor does not need to see her back until she is 9 months old! Gracie is 11.3 pounds and her length is 22 1/2 inches long. Brody's weight is 13.12 and his length is 25 inches. No need to be alarmed with Gracie's weight, since she is shorter her weight is just fine. Brody's weight is not good. He is not gaining the way he should due to his unwillingness to eat consistantly. If he does not get better with feeds, he will have to be tubed again. Brody and Gracie will start having speech therapy added to the mix. Speech therapy will focus on Brody's feeding issues and adversions. Speech will help Gracie with her paraylzed vocal cord.
Helmet update: we will go back in 6 weeks for Gracie's helmet and she will get a collar for her neck issues. Brody will probably get a helmet then too.
We've got a really big week ahead (like every week isn't crazy busy). Tuesday all three will be seen by Orthopedic and Gracie and Madi will be seen by Dermatology and on Friday Gracie and Brody will have their OCRG to see if they can get rid of oxygen... fingers crossed!! Of course we will have OT and PT on Tuesday and Thursday. I'm waiting for Cardiology to call me about scheduling Madi's appointment. She needs to have a follow up and Brody needs another head ultrasound to check his brain bleed but we may wait until his Neurology appointment in May. I think that sums up the appointment and health checks.

Happy Birthday Ricky!

Ricky,

I could not have been given a better husband, best friend and father for our children. You are such a strong faithful person. Your faith and hope inspires me. You have been my rock since day one and I will never forget it. I am so proud of who you are and all your accomplishments. I am so excited for your next 30 years!

I Love you,

Krista

my late night party animal....

take a wild guess at who it is..........did you guess Madi?..........well if you did, your WRONG! its Gracie! My little love does not like to sleep. Not that she won't sleep but she would rather be with the action or just hanging out. She does not cry or anything. Anyway, she hung out with me last night and for her late night snack she ate a jar of squash followed by 7 OUNCES of formula. She is so tiny and to see her pack away that much food is so crazy!
Brody bear has taken his bottles a lot better than before but still not a pro. He LOVES to sleep on his tummy. I roll him over all night but every time I check on him, he is on his tummy again. I worry more about him being on his tummy because he isn't good at lifting his head yet. The Pedi said when a baby figures out how to roll over, the days of sleeping peacefully on the baby's back is over with... you can forget about it.
Madi Faith has a rash on her face. We think its a reaction to food but not sure. We will be taking her into the Pedi on Monday to find out for sure.
I'm super excited about this week. We've got Ricky's birthday along with very important appointments. Time to get things rolling around here!

Please keep us in your prayers. I will post pictures ASAP. We will also be getting pictures taken this month :)

Krista

Change of plans...

Well, I've canceled all the appointments for the week due to the extreme weather. I've also started to have anxiety with the thought of having people over on Sunday so that will be canceled too.

I've worked so hard to keep these kids healthy and I can't bring myself to jeopardize it. Plus, Ricky would rather just hang out with the just us anyway.

I think this year so far has been the year of plans changing. Whatever, as long as we are all happy and healthy.

Stay warm!

Krista

Kickin' off the BiRtHDaY week!

We celebrate birthdays for a week around this casa. I've got the entire kitchen decorated. I'm sure Ricky will be just thrilled when he wakes up in a couple of hours. Birthdays are a big deal and 30 is a really big deal! He wants to learn how to play the guitar so I'm searching for learning kits. If there were enough hours in a day/ week, I would send him for private lessons but since we are both sleep deprived that is not possible.
I'm super excited for the Super Bowl/ Birthday party on Sunday. I'm going to fix all the "tailgating" foods and a strawberry cake with cream cheese icing... his favorite. I've invited a few people over which is a rare occasion for us since having the babies home.

In triplet news, ECI came out today. ECI is tied in with the school districts. The program follows preemie babies until the age of 3. They provide a list of services including OT, PT, Speech Therapy, nutrition help, etc. We have private OT, PT and I'm working on getting private Speech because ECI can only come out 1x per week and private can do 2x per week. Once they turn 3, they can enroll in school which is a very early Pre K which they would repeat until they were old enough to actually start school. You have to qualify for ECI so with that, Pre K would help get the triplets as ready as can be for school.
Here is the scary thing about having so many people involved with your kids, everyone has an opinion and diagnosis. We've been told so many things that have scared us so bad but have turned out to be false information. Today I was told to be aware of Cerebral Palsy with Brody. I will mention this to the Pediatrician on Friday. I'm not putting a lot of weight on this comment because I've learned it is usually not worth worrying about.
Now something that totally caught me off guard: Madi needs OT to help her fine motor skills. She excels in everything else but can not grasp toys or if she does, she does not realize that she has something in her hand. She also tends to have her arms wide open which is a true sign of a preemie but not a good thing. I was wanting OT and PT services to help with sitting up, crawling and walking but I thought it would be a supplement not a necessity.
I wish we could see Genetics sooner than April for Gracie. I feel like there are some additional issues that have not been addressed. We have an appointment to see a PM&R doctor as well but it isn't until April too. We are under a time crunch on a lot of things in order to see best results.
One of the hardest thing with having multiples is being able to commit specific time to each baby. People that do not have more than one baby do not understand this. We exercise and work on strengthening daily but I have to set it up in stations. If I didn't do stations, two babies would be laying there doing nothing while I worked with one.
Brody is rolling over more and more everyday and he is also starting to lift his head a lot better. He is still very weak but we continue to work on strength everyday. His body extension is so severe he even does it with his tongue. To give a visual, when he tries to move his head while on his tummy, instead of using his core, he extends his legs and arms out. This gives a false strength. With his tongue, he sticks it out while trying to eat. How in the world do you teach someone not to do that? Its not like he understands me saying "don't stick out your tongue".
In a couple of hours, the triplets have their hearing screen. We are praying that all 3 pass with no issues. Gracie also has an appointment to have her brace adjusted because she comes out of the new one too. I hope her club foot does not turn back in.
Today the triplets are 7 months old! Where does the time go? Seriously, they are growing up too fast. I am so thankful and happy they are growing and are healthy and even though they are only 4 months old, I really miss that newborn stage. They are big and getting bigger everyday, what a blessing. Some days and nights we worried if we would have this opportunity, thankfully we do :)
Please continue to pray for all of us. Thank you so much for your continued love and support.
Krista