Big Weekend

Will got two teeth over the weekend.





Well, kinda. The official tooth count:

Lila: 6
Addie: 7
Will: 0

Happy Thanksgiving

On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving last year, I received a surprising phone call...Addie and Will were ready to come home. I quickly abandoned the grad school final I was working on (I worked on that thing 10 minutes at a time for weeks!), and Derek and I went to get our babies! We didn't think that we would have babies home for Thanksgiving, so we were delighted and scared. They were so small. That night as they cried and cried, we wondered, "are these the same babies that slept to peacefully in the NICU?" As happy as we were to have Addie and Will home, our hearts were still not whole. Our little Lila was alone in the hospital. The next day, I rushed to the hospital (apparently too fast for the heartless state trooper who wrote my spending ticket) to be with my little girl. The Sunday after Thanksgiving, little Lila did get to come home. Our family was complete.

A year after their miraculous entrance into this world, I am no less thankful. Late last night, I just stood in the nursery, listening to them breathe. What a beautiful sound. The Lord has blessed us.

Earlier this month, we had our one-year wellness exam. The kids had the following stats:

Lila: 16 lbs 8 oz. (<3rd percentile) 28"
Addie: 17 lbs 7 oz. (3rd percentile) 28.5" (25th percentile)
Will: 17 lbs 7 oz. (<3rd percentile) 29" (25th percentile)

No one walks yet. Will has the best balance, but has decided it's effective to just bear crawl with only his hands and feet touching the ground. Addie takes a few steps before launching herself into your arms. And, Miss Lila is great at crawling, and I think that will work for her for a while longer. I will keep you all posted.

Happy Thanksgiving!

1st Birthday Recovery

We had a great time at the Holtlets' First Birthday Party. We followed it up with our one-year wellness appointment on Monday. Details forthcoming. In the meantime, see Flickr link for birthday pictures.

Mr. Will

Our surprise baby boy! I was just sure that we had three girls growing in there but was elated to learn that he was on his way. But, poor Mr. Will had to reside within my rib cage. Not much room for him...or for my lungs! I was left winded just when I thought about moving.

Mr. Will chose delivery day for us. He had not grown over the previous two weeks. He weighed in as a 3 pound 1 ounce bouncing baby boy, much smaller than the doctors had anticipated. Had I delivered at 28 weeks with the onset of my preterm labor, he might not be here.

Will was small but mighty. He had a lot to say after delivery. In the NICU, he as full of angry cries, and he quite frequently set off his monitors with a heart rate well over 200. The little guy just wanted out of there. And, he did everything he could to get dismissed. He pulled out his feeding tube; he pulled out his IV. Both stayed out. He even tried to escape, working himself out of the bed in the isolette. Will was quick to accept bottles. He has been eating ever since.

Will has grown into such a sweet little boy. I love his big blue eyes and bashful grin. Will is very independent. He loves to explore the house and cares little if mom or dad is nearby. His adventures often lead him to trouble. When he hears "no," I love his "ah shucks" reaction.

Nicknames: Mr. Will, Mr. Man, Willy, Little Dude, Bubby

Likes: Food, long naps, bouncing in the jumperoo, screaming, exploring, the remote control

Dislikes: Car rides, shopping

I am so thankful for you, Will.

Big Mamma

Here's the last picture (with my brother) before delivery, taken November 5, 2007.

Addie Pants

Adilenne Grace, the poor middle child, went nameless until about two weeks before delivery. I pushed for Charlotte, Violet, Olivia, Hazel... The list goes on. But, Derek knew better and found the name Adilenne, which allowed for the nickname Addie. As I look into her round, pink face, I am so glad that Derek kept pressing for the right name.

Miss Addie Pants was "Baby B" and enjoyed the most spacious accomodations in the middle of my tummy. She was an active gal, doing lots of flips and turns. Miss Addie, at no fault of her own, seemed to steal all of the nutrition at the expense of her siblings. She chunked to a massive birthweight of 4 pounds 4 ounces, earning her the nickname of Chunky Monkey.

At delivery, Addie gave us a scare. I could tell that the doctors and nurses were working more vigorously on her than Lila and Will. After a quick kiss from mom, they whisked her away to put her on the ventilator. She fought hard for us, though, and the ventilator was removed less than a day later.

Addie pants has been such a great joy over the past year. She is quite personable, making friends wherever she goes. She loves to smile, laugh, and play. She goes after what she wants, even if its the pacifier in her brother's mouth!

Nicknames: Chunky Monkey, Addie Pants, Addie G, Adikan Skywalker

Likes: People, riding her little buggy, pacifiers, food, clapping, television, being held

Dislikes: Not being held, naps, help brushing her teeth

Addie, your goofy laughs and grins just melt the day's worries away. I love ya babe!

Miss Lila

Over the past year, we have enjoyed watching the kids' individual personalities develop. They are so very different. To celebrate their uniqueness, I thought that I would dedicate a post to each of them this week.

Miss Lila, the eldest by one minute, was the first Baby named. As soon as we saw images of our "Baby Girl A" on the ultrasound screen, we knew that we were seeing Lila. In my belly, Lila passed the time by thrashing her legs around (into my bladder). To this day, she loves to lie on her back and pound her legs on the floor. Soon after her arrival, she quickly earned the nickname "Cranky Pants" with the NICU nurses, as she was quick to express displeasure. But now, she is the easiest to please of the bunch. She enjoys playing independently, often examining every detail of her world. She is shy and does not just give a way smiles. But, when you win her over, you realize that it was worth the wait! And, finally, Lila is extremely determined. She does not abandon challenges. We have watched her physically make great progress over the last few weeks.

Nicknames: Lila Bear, Lila P, Li, Lillee

Likes: Patty-Cake, cottage cheese, playing with the wheels of the choo-choo wagon, cramming Cheerios into her mouth (much to my dismay), smiling at puppies, playing peek-a-boo, sucking her thumb

Dislikes: Diaper changes, formula, naps, pacifiers

Miss Lila, momma loves you!

A Walk Down Memory Lane...

As we count down to the babies' birthday, I thought it would be fun to re-visit the events of that week. The following post dated November 1, 2007, is from my old blog...


Week 34
November 01, 2007

Wow! I cannot believe that I am writing about Week 34. What a blessing! I now have doctor visits twice weekly. The doctors want to make sure that the babies are not becoming stressed in their ever-crowding environment. At each appointment, another biophysical profile is performed via ultrasound. On Tuesday, the babies received perfect scores, as they demonstrated movement of hands/feet, arched their backs, had appropriate heart rates, and practiced breathing. The technician also looked to see that the placentas were functioning properly at this later stage of pregnancy. At the last visit, the technician indicated that the placentas had calcifications. They appear to be functioning properly but are preparing to break from the uterus. (Note: I write this as a reminder of this experience to myself, not to horrify the male gender) I have another appointment later today.

The pregnancy has progressed to the point that doctors would not attempt to stop labor if it begins. If this happens before 36 weeks, I will win myself a trip on a helicopter to Champaign. In the case that I reach 36 weeks, the doctors will schedule a C-section (on or around Nov 20). I believe that the babies will make their debut before that time, but who knows! On average, triplets deliver at 33 weeks. I am inclined to believe that mothers who go much beyond that have to be about 6' tall with spacious abdominal cavities. Clearly, not me!

I feel and move around well, all things considered. I have read many stories on the internet about mothers on hospital bedrest, on oxygen, etc. My biggest battle is with heartburn. The babies have left little room for anything but them. So, the joy of eating has been diminshed. Not fair. I thought that this was my time to eat. I do not see many people, just neighbors and strangers at the doctor's office. I have gotten so large that people can no longer resist comment. I like the attention.

Well, I will keep you all posted...