Onesies!

Friday, October 9th marked the first day the girls were dressed in onesies! Despite how tiny the preemie onesies were that they put on the triplets, the triplets managed to make them look huge:) Gracie and Ruthie sporting onesies
You two are adorable!

We love the stretching

Is that too many pictures? Hard to resist taking the photos!

The lights on their feet are the O2 sensors to check the oxygen level in their blood. The nurses like to see it between 84 and 94. For an adult, blood oxygen levels should be above 90, but for premies they need it lower as too high of oxygen in the blood can actually inhibit the retina development in the eye. Later on the nurses will want to see a higher blood oxygen level.

An alarm goes off if the level drops to 84 or raises to 94. Despite the nurses wanting it in that range, all 3 girls continously have those alarms going off because their bodies aren't developed enough to keep it constant. The nurses will increase or decrease the amount of oxygen as needed to try and keep it in that range.

Notice how relaxed Annie is even when her temperature is being checked? I don't know how she does it, but she is just calm and relaxed most of the time.

Our comfy little Annie

Annie

Gracie (purple) and Ruthie (pink)

Gracie and Ruthie

Ann-Marie, Gracie, Ruthie, and Grandma Krueger

Grandma and Papa Krueger helping take care of the girls

Ruthie recognizing her Grandma? I think so!

We had a great class from an occupational therapist that has over 30 years experience at the NICU. She taught us that the sense of touch is developed by babies at 8 weeks (after conception). We found this unbelievable, but it helped us see that we communicate with these little preemie's initially through touch. Annie, the nurse, taught us to talk to the girls first, wait 15 or 20 seconds, and then hold them firmly in the same place (a hand on the head, waist, or arm) and they learn to recognize the voice and touch and they know when you are there. She said not to rub them as that tickles them and makes them feel uncomfortable. She said that after being in the uterus where pressure is normally felt all around them, they like the firm hold, it makes them feel more secure.