38 Weeks

The triplets are getting so old now (7 weeks this coming Friday) that it seems crazy to refer to them by their gestational age, but it's more just a reminder that they are just now considered full term.  This is a good reminder as even though Jack came home this past Friday and Alexis came home on Sunday, Faith is still in the NICU due to spells.  In fact, her most recent one was last night, which means her five day countdown restarted. From the beginning the doctors and nurses told us to expect them home around their due date, which means Faith is not really behind schedule yet, she is just taking more time than her siblings.

Because we now have two of the three babies at home and Faith's homecoming date keeps moving farther and farther away, this week has been a mix of joy and sorrow.  We have had so much fun finally having two babies at home, but then feel guilty that we are having fun without Faith as she is now spending more time alone at the hospital. Micah and I have been going to the hospital separately for one feeding time each so that one of us can stay home and take care of Jack and Alexis, and Faith has more time with us if we go separately.

Although the transition to taking care of two babies has not been 100% smooth, I really don't think we could expect anything smoother than what we've experienced. Jack and Alexis have pretty much stuck to their feeding schedule from the NICU (every three hours) so we just keep track of the time and feed them the same times they were fed in the hospital.  Sometimes they do wake up earlier and want to be fed, but usually only like 15-30 minutes earlier which isn't a big deal.  I'm sure this will change as they get bigger, but so far the predictability of their hunger has been very helpful!


Our current plan during the night is to have Micah wake up for the 1:30-2:30 feeding and I wake up for the 4:30-5:30 feeding (plus 30 more minutes for pumping after feeding the bottles, which is how I have time to write this blog).  This is great as we both get a big chunk of sleep.  Micah has been sleeping near the babies, either on the floor in their room or on the couch in the living room, so that I can sleep well until I get up at 4:30. Although I do feel guilty as I think this role usually falls on the mom or the baby sleeps in the parents' room, I am so thankful as I function much better with sleep.  Of course, when Faith comes home the feeding times will take 30 minutes longer which means less sleep, but the babies should also become more efficient in their eating so the time period should (hopefully!) decrease.
Although I wouldn't ever wish that one of our triplets had to stay at the hospital longer, and it's not fun still having to go to the NICU when we have two babies at home, it has been helpful in transitioning to life with babies outside the NICU. It means we get more sleep right now and more rest during the day, and it is helping us establish our routine (although I know it will change).  We are figuring out how we will handle this all with one extra baby, though, and we absolutely cannot wait for Faith's discharge.  Please pray for her to grow stronger so that she can stop having spells and join Jack and Alexis at home.

Here are some pics from the last week:

Our last dinner out at Elephant Bar before Jack came home (with my fav drink as I hadn't had it since before I was pregnant)

Last view of Jack's monitor before turning it off

Jack getting his leads taken off

Ready to go home!

Jack's car ride home (yes, I was riding in the back as we were paranoid...but when we brought Alexis home two days later I was alone in the car since Micah was home with Jack)

First diaper change on our changing table

Jack's first bottle at home

Alexis ready to go home!

Alexis's first bottle at home

Alexis and Jack in the pack n play

Alexis and Jack reunited

Jack enjoying his rock n play sleeper

Alexis playing on the floor

Jack in his crib

Alexis in her rock n play sleeper

Alexis relaxing with Daddy at home

Faith - at the NICU 

First walk - Alexis

First walk - Jack

double stroller

Faith at the NICU - enjoying one on one time with her mom

After a 4:30-5:00 a.m. feeding. These rock n play sleepers are a lifesaver.

Jack at his first doctor appointment

Alexis at her first doctor appointment

telling secrets

Alexis

Enjoying some tummy sleep (don't worry, I was watching this is just a very comfy position for a fussy baby)

interacting in the pack n play

Alexis getting frustrated when she couldn't roll onto her tummy.  Yes, she is 6.5 weeks old and most babies are still in utero at this point.  Determined? I think we might have our hands full...