It’s been 43 days since Tobias, Eleanor and Callista were born. It’s been 43 days since the four of us have shared one small space. Tonight, the wait finally ended.
From left to right: Callista, Eleanor, Tobias
I wish I had more time. It’s the mantra of every mother, right?
Right now, I wish I had more time to blog. Our lives are changing so much every day, and I’m missing so many thoughts and feelings that my head is spinning. There are many I’d rather forget: the fear that comes when I hear one of our neonatologists say, “I need to talk with you about something,” and the relief that floods through me when they follow with, “It’s nothing serious;” the pride I feel when we reach yet another huge yet tiny milestone (Tobias and Callista both weigh over 4 lb. now, and Eleanor is getting so close); how good it feels to laugh when we find Eleanor sleeping in a comma shape or when Callista makes her signature heh-heh-heh noise or when Toby “responds” with a huge grin (have I mentioned we’re seeing a hint of a dimple in his cheek? I die!).
Tobias, Eleanor and Callista are growing and changing each day, and I have no time to do much but enjoy each change and step forward as it happens.
Ah, ç’est la vie, right?
So far, what I have made time for is breastfeeding. I’m in the NICU each day by 8:30 a.m., getting ready to nurse Callista at 9. Once she’s done and has been weighed to guesstimate how much milk she took (they’re weighed before and after), she goes back into bed and I pump. I have a few minutes for getting a drink and using the bathroom, then it’s Toby’s turn to nurse at 11. We snuggle for a while after, then he goes back into bed while I pump and run out for a quick lunch (and bathroom break!). Eleanor’s turn then comes at 2:30. We snuggle when she’s done, then she goes back into bed at 4 – just in time for me to pump again and have a quick snack and bathroom break before Callista’s second attempt of the day (she’s been able to add a second – Toby and Eleanor are still working up to that point). Callista gets her snuggle time in after that, then it’s time to pump again and get some dinner. This is about the time Rob gets to our second home after work, so we hang out as a family for a while, sometimes getting extra snuggle time with the babies, before we head home for the night, where – that’s right, folks – I pump again and either do a few things around the house or crash on the couch for a quick snooze before it’s time to pump again.
Yes, I just wrote a huge paragraph about how much my boobs are doing.
You’re welcome.
It’s about time for me to run out the door, so I’ll leave you with a photo of each baby (because I also have no time to prepare several photos) from last night’s bath.
They’re 6 weeks old today!
Toby
Eleanor (with a bit of a sticky-eye situation)
Callista (is not amused)
Proud Daddy Rob put together a sweet little video of Tobias, Eleanor and Callista showing off their adorable Christmas hats (made by Twitter friend Kara) and wishing you all a very merry Christmas.
We have big ideas and dreams for future Christmases and the traditions we’ll begin for our family. For this year, in the NICU, we’re keeping our Christmas Eve low key by reading “Twas The Night Before Christmas” at each baby’s isolette and just simply being together. We have plenty of time for all the traditions in the world.
We hope you all have a safe holiday (if you’re celebrating) that’s full of happiness – even if that happiness is small and simple.
A whole calendar month has gone by (plus 10 minutes as I write this!) since PB&J became Tobias, Eleanor and Callista.
You read that correctly. There was a transformation of sorts that day. Since they were born and officially named (their names were still up for debate until we heard we’d meet them in an hour or two), I’ve not once thought of them as PB&J, the nickname Rob came up with the day we learned we were expecting triplets.
People questioned through my pregnancy if their names would start with a P, a B and a J (which, interesting enough, I do call Eleanor – Baby A in utero – Peanut, and I call Tobias – Baby B in utero – Buddy; Callista just needs a that starts with J). Eleanor’s name was pretty much set from the start, so our answer all along was, “No,” but we did think the nickname would stick.
There’s still time, of course, for it to return. Especially when I am yelling at all three at once and trying to quickly spit out names.
I was a little sad when I realized the group name hadn’t crossed my mouth since their birth. Then I realized why I hadn’t used it.
PB&J was the name we used when referring to our trio as a group. Individually, they were Baby A, Baby B and Baby C. At the time, the idea of three people joining our family at once still seemed somewhat mythical. I could begin to wrap my brain around it if I separated each baby as A, B and C, but PB&J was the title to a hard-to-believe fairy tale.
Tobias, Eleanor and Callista are the names of dreams that came true one month ago.
Our trio are celebrating their one-month birthdays in big ways. We were given the all-clear yesterday by the neonatologist to let them try nursing once a day every day.
HUGE news.
I can’t remember if I’ve talked about it in any detail – probably not – but we have been limited on our contact with the babies for a while now. We were able to start Kangaroo Care with them at 4 days old. Either Rob or I held a baby, and all three were being held each day. It wasn’t long after that that their nurses conferred and suggested we pull back on the stimulation, starting a rotation in which only one baby was held each day. Too much stimulation at such a young gestational age was just too difficult on them, and all three showed a decrease in apnea episodes and bradycardia events once we began the rotation.
It was just a few days ago that we decided to start an every-other-day (rather than every-third-day) rotation.
Yesterday’s news tells us just how much they’ve grown in their first month and how strong they are. Not only did the doctor said they’d do just fine being held each day (he called them all feisty), but they’re showing enough maturity to begin nursing attempts.
Let’s remember that they’re still two months premature and that that doesn’t just mean they’re early. Babies cook for 40ish weeks because their bodies need that time to develop both physical traits and skills. Nursing requires a difficult ballet of sucking, swallowing and breathing.
Callista, in Ninja Baby (unlike PB&J, that nickname has stuck – she is marked) fashion, took the lead and tried first.
You guys. My 32 week, 1 day gestational-age baby nursed on and off for TWENTY MINUTES last night. She latched. She sucked. She didn’t quit breathing. She showed off and acted like a total rockstar. I had just pumped, and the session was nothing close to being able to even barely give her enough nutrition for a full feeding, BUT SHE DID IT.
Today, Tobias and Eleanor will join in the new daily routine, and all three babies will start nursing attempts daily.
Happy one-month birthday, babies. We couldn’t be more proud of you.
We’re celebrating four weeks of life in the NICU today. Celebrating time in the hospital seems pretty odd, but we wouldn’t be a thriving family of five if it weren’t for all that’s happened in these 28 amazing days.
I don’t have a ton of time to write today, but my journalism degree and years of experience as an editor have taught me to be concise.
Everyone had a great fourth week in the NICU. The babies are all gaining weight fairly steadily and are doing well with their oxygen. They’re also working hard at regulating their body temperatures and have been getting their bed temperatures bumped down nearly every day.
Each baby is starting to get more awake and fussy right around the time they’re scheduled to eat. They’re all becoming so much more aware of their surroundings, especially that tummy clock.
Like Rob and I say each day when the neonatologist on duty tells us he or she has nothing really to report on the babies, “No news is good news.”
Thankfully, that’s pretty much where I stand for reports on this last week. It’s been uneventful as far as hospital life goes.
Tobias and Eleanor, snuggled in for Kangaroo Care at 26 days old
A bright-eyed Callista after a bath at 26 days old
We’re hoping this week is the same uneventful story, especially considering the babies have several tests scheduled. I hate tests. I loathe them. There’s enough potential for heart-stopping action in a normal day. Tests provide so much more opportunity for heart-stopping news. I’m doing my best to think as little about the what-ifs as possible, but those damn what-ifs are EVIL.
The tests aren’t because of anything the babies are showing – it’s just time for these to be administered. Bah.
Thankfully, there’s a great end to this week. We’ll be getting to the hospital as early as we can on Christmas morning to spend the day with our trio. A quick break for dinner at our house with family is the only thing that will pull us away, then we’ll be back for the rest of the holiday.
No one wants to spend Christmas in the hospital, but we’re determined to make the most of it. After all, we have our fulfilled dreams there, feeding, growing and just waiting for the day they can come home with us.
