It was an interesting feeling I had going to work today and I’m sure one that many fathers may feel at different times. I knew (and felt) that my time at work would be significantly less stressful than the previous nine days were. Not that work isn’t stressful, but it definitely is a very different kind of stress than I have had watching my entire family of four sick and struggling in the hospital.Â
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/I can assume that there will be many mornings in the future where this same feeling may surface as I leave my wife to deal with the more difficult job of parenting three children. I’m just glad I married a woman who is up for the job. Many times people have said to us upon discovering we were expecting triplets: “I’m glad it is you and not me.” Well, we are glad it is us and not you and I’m especially glad that it is April and not someone else.
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/As I have now returned to work, I anticipate that my postings may be somewhat shorter on some days and that I may even skip some days. I am just thankful that the report for today is all positive (as relayed by April to me via phone).
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/Kimball is now a 3 lb. 4 oz. behemoth, the first to pass up his birth weight. He was not interested today during his first chance to breastfeed but this is not atypical. He continues to do well on his feeds and the nurses now believe that some or all of his and Brinlee’s apnea may be caused by receiving the large amount of food (all five teaspoons worth!) within a short amount of time (potentially causing some reflux). As such, they are both going to be fed continuously around the clock. Typically, they receive their food through the tube over a thirty minute period. It will now be given to them over the entire three hour period between touch times to see if this lessons the apnea/reflux.
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/Brinlee also continues to grow and is very close to her birth weight of 3 lbs. 6 oz. with a weigh-in today of 3 lbs. 5 oz. She went to full feed today for her weight of 26 cc’s of food and the IV will be coming out tomorrow (it was left in one more day as a just-in-case-we-need-an-IV in the next 24 hours) although it is basically turned off. Brinlee was very interested and successful in her first breastfeeding experience.
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/Sawyer has now basically caught up with the other two except for in his feedings, although they are advancing quickly. He is completely off any oxygen support and doing well and having significantly less apneic moments. As stated yesterday, he will be moving next to bro and sis as soon as there is room. We are going to work hard tonight to get the nurses to give us an accurate weight for Sawyer as he is now free of so many of his wires.
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/They all received a mountain of new clothes and blankets today from various people (mostly grandparents). We can take them clothes and blankets to be used and then we are lucky enough to take them home dirty, wash them, and take them back.
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/Many of you have questioned where the names we have chosen came from. Hopefully this is because you like them. All the first names were names we just liked. All the middles names (Robert, Ruth, and Anderson) were family names. I had the opportunity of choosing which boys received which names as April was still drugged the first time I saw them. If you want a longer explanation, that’s more April’s territory.
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/We do not, as of yet, have a due date for when any of them will be able to leave the hospital. We expect that at least one or more will be home for Thanksgiving.