The Bott Family Triplets

Our family loves the swings!

2011-09-22T22:12:00.001-06:00

Ellis the Fisherman

2011-09-22T22:09:00.001-06:00

Swing Time at the Park!

2011-09-22T22:07:00.001-06:00

Labor Day Breakfast up the canyon

2011-09-22T22:04:00.001-06:00

Watermelon Outfits!

2011-09-22T22:00:00.001-06:00

Ellis without his two front teeth and a sword he made

2011-09-22T21:57:00.001-06:00

Nothing like being out in the rain!

2011-09-22T21:53:00.001-06:00

Clasped in the arms of Jesus

2011-04-18T11:11:00.004-06:00

My thoughts are with my dear friend, Sarah Hill Sanchez, and her wonderful husband, Sergio and their family. Their beautiful, 14-month-old, baby girl, Sophie, passed from their arms to the arms of Jesus a short while ago. My heart goes out to them and I have cried many tears. I found this Easter reminder that I thought I would share with everyone. I know that because of Jesus Christ, we will all live again. I am so grateful for Jesus Christ and for what He did for each one of us.

No More Cereal!

2011-02-17T23:20:00.001-07:00

No More, No More!

2011-02-17T22:34:00.004-07:00

Fall Fun

2010-11-21T22:45:00.004-07:00

Our lives are still moving along, though our blog might not be as quickly!

Here are a few of our latest happenings.....

Daddy with the girls

Grandma and Papa with Annie, Ellis, Gracie, and Ruthie. We're so thankful for all of their help, love, and support!

The dynamic trio having great conversations and laughs after their naps. They melt our hearts when we get them out of their cribs.

One lucky Mom!

Partners in crime
(Annie, Gracie, Ruthie)

Annie, Ruthie, Gracie

Ellis just had his Thanksgiving feast at his school. He got to make his own pumpkin pie and had a great time. What a turkey!

This is one of many pictures of the kids enjoying the Fall leaves. I think the girls each got their fair share in their mouth.

Grandma took us to the pumpkin patch in October. Gracie is enjoying Grandma's spider bracelet.

Ellis is hiding in the corn maze, but we found him!

Ellis on Halloween as a Storm Trooper! He had fun even in the rain!

Here are our little 3 peas in a pod! We sure love them and they were super cute... meant for the part! Gracie, Ruthie, and Annie

Ruthie, Annie, and Gracie... we had fun with our 3 peas in a pod!

Annie

Family Pictures at the Bott Family Reunion!

2010-09-16T14:22:00.006-06:00

At the end of August, we ventured up to Bear Lake with the girls for a Bott Family Reunion. We were so grateful that after a four-hour car ride, unpacking, and a meal the girls and Ellis were still able to be in good spirits for a family picture. The girls turn 1 on September 24th, and so in these pictures the girls were just about 11 months old.

From Left to Right: Annie, Daddy, Gracie, Ellis, Mommy, and Ruthie

Annie was happier standing

My four siblings each had a baby within 9 months of the girls being born, so at our family reunion we had 7 children under the age of one.

The Dangers of Three Babies in the Same Crib

2010-02-02T16:10:00.005-07:00

After feeding the girls one afternoon, Annie kept crying. I went down to check on her and when I reached in to pick her up and try burping her again she let out a huge spit up all over Gracie. Gracie was sound asleep, but by the time I got the picture she was really crying. Annie had soaked Gracie's face, ear, onesie, blanket, and burp cloth we put under her head for any spit ups. A little of the spit up reached past Gracie and on to Ruthie.

Annie feeling much better after letting the spit up fly! Poor Gracie got soaked.

Here you can see where a little got on Ruthie and Ruthie's burp cloth under her head.

Telling the Identical Triplets Apart

2010-02-02T15:42:00.007-07:00

We've found a couple of ways to tell the girls apart. We've learned to look at their right eyes and their right ears to tell them apart. Below are some pictures demonstrating the slight differences.

Ruthie on the left doesn't have any "stork bites" or the little red marks that came at birth above her right eye. Gracie has some stork bites above her left eye. Annie has some stork bites just below her right eye brow and when her eyes are closed, her right eye lid is red with stork bites.

Annie's fold of skin in her right ear just above the ear drum looks like it was pressed down with a finger in the middle.

Gracie's fold of skin in her right ear just above the ear drum doesn't look like it's been pressed down at all.

Ruthie's fold of skin in her right ear just above the ear drum looks like it's all been pressed down and is smooth against the back of her ear.

Their left ears all look the same.

This picture doesn't show this very well, but we attempted to show another way that we tell the girls apart. We have Gracie's toe nails painted purple, Ruthie's toe nails painted pink, and Annie's toe nails painted yellow.

Fun Pictures!

2010-02-02T15:12:00.016-07:00

The past month has been so much fun!! Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie are growing well. Today we learned from our nurse that Annie and Ruthie measure in the 95th percentile of their gestational age of two months and Gracie is at 80% of her gestational age (gestational age is measured from their due date which was Dec. 8th). The girls are over four months old now from their actual birth date of Sep 24th and measure about in the 35th percentile from that date. Gracie weighs just over 12 lbs now and Annie and Ruthie are over 13 lbs.

The past week Gracie came down with a little cold and Annie and Ruthie sound a little stuffy as well, but we have the humidifier going in their room and the congestion has slowed and they all appear to be getting better.

The girls are eating so much now! They each eat about five ounces every four hours, but at the 8p feeding they eat about 10 ounces and then sometimes skip the 12a and 4a feeding. However, with triplets their is usually at least one that is hungry at the 4a (which really varies from 2a to 6a), so the girls sleeping through the night doesn't always happen. Thanks to Grandma and Papa who usually take the 4a feeding, Mom and Dad are getting some sleep to handle the day.

Ruthie, Annie, and Gracie. When Gracie has her oxygen off and they are in the same clothes, it's very difficult to tell them apart.

The swings (and vibrator on the right) are getting lots of use!

Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie during nap time

Ruthie and Annie getting ready to eat

Ruthie, Gracie, and Annie

Ruthie, Gracie, and Annie. So happy together!!

Ruthie, Gracie, and Annie

Ann-Marie's cousin Jeni came to help one morning with the feedings. We are so grateful for her and others' help, we just hope the girls don't wear them out!! Also, Colleen Skaines helped us a lot while she was here. Thanks, Colleen!

Sweet Baby Gracie

Annie, Ruthie, and Gracie in purple

How could a Daddy be happier?!

A familiar sight. Sometimes it feels like Ground hog day since we keep the girls on a pretty structured routine.

Synagis Shot and Girls Growing!!

2010-01-07T18:23:00.008-07:00

We went to the doctor's office today for the girls to get a synagis shot. Very few people we've talked to have even heard of this shot, so if you're interested go to http://www.synagis.com/faq.aspx. This shot gives them antibodies to help them through the RSV season (through April). They each get a shot once a month and each shot costs $1,700 (thank goodness for insurance!) Insurance companies don't usually cover the cost of this shot, but because the girls were born so early, studies have shown the cost of the shot is cost effective as the girls will likely be in the hospital if they get RSV. RSV stands for Respiratory Syncytial Virus and is passed like a common cold, but it can be deadly to babies.

The fun news at the doctors office was their weight gain. We were pleased to see that Annie weighed 11 pounds 3 ounces, Ruthie 11 pounds 4 ounces, and Gracie 10 pounds 3 ounces!! We were surprised as that was a full pound more than we thought they would weigh. The doctor asked with a smile on his face, "What are you feeding those girls?!"

As for length gain, Annie measured 22 inches, Ruthie 22.25 inches, and Gracie 20.5 inches.

Their growth charts are amazing to see. They start out obviously much lower than babies born in September since they were so early, but they growth line looks almost vertical as they are quickly catching up to common growth patterns.

Gracie is on oxygen, but she is needing it less and less. Annie and Ruthie have been off of oxygen for about three weeks. All three girls are on the monitors as they need to show consistent breathing (no breaks as was common when they were in the hospital) and consistent heart rate (no drops as was also common in the hospital) for two months.

Gracie, Ruthie, Annie

Family Photo Shoot

2010-01-04T18:49:00.011-07:00

On December 20, 2009 we had a family photo shoot (thanks to Grandma, Papa, David and Karen who helped handle the logistics of doing so with triplets).

Ellis with Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie

Mommy with Gracie and Annie

Daddy with Ruthie, Mommy with Gracie and Annie, and Ellis with a great smile!

Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie

Annie, Gracie, Ruthie, and Ellis in their Christmas stockings

Ellis

Ellis with his gift for Mommy

Daddy with Ruthie, Annie, and Gracie

Mommy with Ruthie, Gracie, and Annie

Babies' First Christmas

2010-01-04T18:16:00.006-07:00

Here are the girls on Christmas Morning. We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and we thank you all (including those we don't know who acted anonymously) for the kind gifts, thoughts, and prayers. We love and appreciate you!!

Second Week at Home!

2009-12-06T21:44:00.013-07:00

Tomorrow, Monday, Dec 7th, marks the two week mark to when the triplets came home. Can I just say these sweet girls are little champs! The first week they did great on a 3-hour eating schedule, meaning they ate in about an hour or an hour-and-a-half, and then slept well for for the remaining two hours or one-and-a-half hours respectively. The second week they are doing pretty good on a 4-hour schedule which is giving Mom and Dad a little more sleep. Sometimes one of the girls will wake up before the others, and that gets interesting. All things considering, we feel like things are going really well.

The top questions we get are 1) How is Ann-Marie doing? 2) Are you getting any sleep? and 3) What can we do to help?

To answer these FAQ's, 1) Ann-Marie is doing extremely well in my opinion for being a Mom of triplets. I call her Super Mom, a term that was coined in the NICU by the nurses. She is of course tired and hungry, and each day she has to decide whether she is more tired than hungry or more hungry than tired. To all of her friends out there that may be feeling bad that she hasn't talked to them in a while, thank you for understanding that she hasn't talked to hardly anyone and has spent her energy on the family. She still loves you and appreciates you deeply.

2) We each get about four hours of sleep total at night now that the girls are on a 4-hour eating schedule. Both of us participate in the feedings as it's nearly impossible for one person to feed all three in any reasonable amount of time. Ann-Marie feeds two and I (or someone else in the family) feeds the other with a bottle. After they eat and we clean-up from one feeding there is usually two hours where we can get some sleep. Then the cycle continues...

3) Friends and neighbors have been absolutely amazing in helping out. They've been extremely respectful of our request to keep the girls in "quarantine" until their immune systems are stronger. Furthermore, despite our neighbors being so busy with their own family matters, they have brought meals which has been a tremendous help. Meals at this point have been the most helpful.

Ellis with Ruthie

Gracie and Ruthie

Ruthie, Gracie, and Annie

Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie being so cute for the camera!

Annie didn't move, but Gracie and Ruthie kept doing fun poses

So fun!

Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie in their comfy jammies

Tummy time after feedings during the day!

Mommy and Ellis making gingerbread houses

Making gingerbread houses is a family tradition (thanks to a ton of work from Grandma). Ellis thought of the candy cane hearts himself. What a cutie!

Bath time is quite the effort with three little ones

The girls are still on oxygen, so it goes with them wherever they go:)

Thanksgiving...I'm Stuffed!!

2009-12-06T21:08:00.015-07:00

Having the girls home for Thanksgiving was such a wonderful blessing. We enjoyed expressing gratitude to our God, the pilgrims, our ancestors, and the many others that helped make this great country in which we live. We also expressed gratitude for the NICU nurses, doctors, and hospital facilities that helped our girls be healthy enough to come home.

The day before Thanksgiving Ellis had a school program. He was a great pilgrim!

Ellis saying his part at his Thanksgiving program

Lots of singing and dancing

Hello there Pilgrim Ellis!

Ellis enjoyed helping get the pumpkin seeds separated for baking

What a fun mess!

Ellis thoroughly enjoying himself

Uncle David, Aunt Erica, and Uncle Chad holding the girls on Thanksgiving Day

Uncle Ken holding Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie

Aunt Heather holding Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie

I'm Stuffed! Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie

Ruthie, Gracie, and Annie stuffed after a fine Thanksgiving dinner at home!

The family has grown!

Welcome Home!

2009-11-29T17:53:00.035-07:00

Ellis, Papa, and Grandma Krueger gave Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie a wonderful welcome home. They did all the finishing touches to get their nursery ready and the girls love their room.

Our "new normal" with Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie home is wonderfully busy. The spirit they bring into the home is truly a piece of heaven. We are so grateful for all the miracles that have taken place in anticipation of their arrival.

We are so grateful for family! Grandma and Papa Krueger are absolutely amazing and help take care of every detail. Ann-Marie and I are so appreciative for all their help.

Ellis and Papa bought a pink, purple, and yellow balloon as well as a Welcome Home balloon for the arrival of Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie.

Ellis made this welcome home note for his sisters

Ellis's first chance to see his sisters since they were born. Here he is looking at Annie.

Ellis and Ruthie

Ellis's first chance to see Gracie

One happy big brother!

Ellis often is asked "So how does it feel to have three sisters?!"

Ellis and Ruthie

Daddy catching his breath from bringing the girls in from the van as well as their monitors and oxygen tanks. Annie is in the car seat with the green cover, Gracie with the orange cover, and Ruthie in the pink cover.

Ellis holding Ruthie

Ellis and Ruthie

Annie and Gracie

Ellis and Gracie

Ann-Marie's cousin made these cute cookies that we gave to the nurses at the NICU to say thank you for all their help. Thanks, Kim!

Papa with Ruthie

Mommy, Annie, Gracie, and Ellis

Ellis received a lego set as a gift from his sisters

Annie and Gracie

Mommy and Annie

Grandma and Papa Krueger with Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie

Thanks to Grandma Krueger the girls had their toenails painted to help in remembering which one is which.

David and Karen's chance to see and hold the girls

Ruthie with her nails painted

Pink for Ruthie, yellow for Annie, and purple for Gracie

Ruthie, Gracie, and Annie in their new crib. Aunt Erica made them these fun blankets with their colors on one side and matching fabric on the other.

Ellis and Annie the following day

Ellis's first chance to feed Annie

Daddy burping Ruthie

Grandpa and Grandma Bott came up and filled their arms full of their granddaughters!

Ellis, Mommy, Grandpa Bott, Ruthie, Gracie, Daddy, and Grandma Bott

We had to use duct tape to make the little halos for the girls' heads in an effort to maintain round heads. Grandma Krueger made name tags in helping remember where the girls are in the crib (we've had to rotate them in the crib so they don't keep sleeping on the same side of their heads).

Leaving the NICU!

2009-11-24T22:35:00.018-07:00

Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie passed all the hurdles to get out of the NICU like little champions, so we packed up from the NICU (our second home for the last two months) and headed home!

On Monday, November 23rd we were able to leave, but it took until 6p to have everything ready. We had to get oxygen tanks exchanged and see the eye doctor before we could leave. The eye doctor has to check for ROP development in the eyes of preemies to see if there is any irregular growth that can lead to blindness. This was their third check-up and this time the doctor said their eyes had developed properly and gave them the OK to not need additional check-ups. We also had to take lots of pictures of course!

Two of our primary nurses, Vicki (left) and Mary (right). We wheeled the crib down to the eye doctor's office as it was much easier than carrying the car seats, oxygen, and monitors.

Vicki, Annie, Gracie, Ruthie, and Ann-Marie

Vicki with Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie. For the last two months Vicki has watched our girls everytime she's worked except for 2 or 3 days.

Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie getting excited to come home!

Ruthie, Gracie, and Annie ready to ride!

Let's go!

By policy the nurses are required to carry the patients to the door and into the car; and we were sure grateful for their help!

Alene (another primary nurse), Ann-Marie, and Vicki saying farewell

Happy to leave the NICU, sad to say good-bye to the many friends made while being there.

Ann-Marie's brother and his wife, David and Karen, let us borrow their van to bring the girls home in one vehicle (we still just have a four door sedan). Despite the roominess of the van, the car seats, oxygen equipment, and monitors still managed to fill up the available space.

Let the Wild Rumpus Start!

2009-11-22T16:15:00.015-07:00

The day after Ann-Marie's birthday, Annie ate from Mommy about 125% of her regular feeding. The next day Ruthie did the same thing. Gracie that day ate 100% of her feeding. With this great news the nurses started talking to us about what we had left to accomplish before we could leave the NICU.

So the last few days we have been going through all the hurdles needed to pass to leave the NICU. We first went from 3-a-day feedings to 4-a-day feedings, which meant we were at the hospital almost the entire day. Then we had to do two back-to-back feedings in one day. Following that we had to do 12-hour on demand feeding (basically four back-to-back feedings). And finally we had to pass the "Rooming In" test where it's just Mom, Dad, Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie for 24 hours in our own private room at the hospital.

We are currently doing the 24-hour "Rooming In" step and so far the girls have done great. If all goes well today we will be bringing the girls home tomorrow!!!!!! If there are any issues we will bring them home in the next few days.

Being so close to coming home and the imminent craziness that will ensue with triplets, Ann-Marie and me have often felt like saying, "Let the Wild Rumpus Start" (from Where the Wild Things Are).

We have made some friends with the parents of other preemie babies and they have really helped make our long stays at the NICU more bearable. A few of their pictures are included below.

With the girls possibly coming home on Monday, the NICU doctors have asked us to please request no visitors at the house until H1N1, regular flu, and RSV season have passed. Due to the fact they are preemies, their immune system is not as strong as it would be if they were born full term and if they get sick during this winter, they will likely need to be hospitalized again. We look forward to when they are strong enough so others can come and visit. Thank you in advance for your understanding!!

We have witnessed so many miracles as we have made this journey through the NICU. Every day we can count them. Today's miracle is that all three are likely to go home the same day. The nurses and Neonatologists have commented multiple times how rare it is for triplets to all go home the same day.

We are so excited for them coming home. They will be coming home on oxygen and heart monitors. Hopefully they won't have to have them too long, it is based on the pediatrician's decision.

We are so thankful for Grandma and Papa Krueger for getting the nursery ready. The time for the girls to see their room is quickly approaching!

November 18th, the day Annie (on the left) ate 125% of her feeding.

This is Lily, the daughter of friend we made while in the NICU, Chely. She is exactly one day gestational age earlier than our girls and was born one day before our girls. We are scheduled to go home the same day from the NICU.

Tim (father), Amy (mother), and Ezra are other friends we made in the NICU.

We sure got a lot of comments when parents and nurses saw our three car seats stacked up in the nursery at the NICU:)

Gracie (left) and Ruthie (right)

Kandis (one of our primary nurses) came by to see our girls before they left the NICU. She's holding Annie.

Tawny, our nurse practitioner has watched over our girls for the entire two months we've been in the NICU.

Ann-Marie with Gracie on bath night which was Saturday night

Ann-Marie and Gracie with Kristy and Ruthie getting ready to bathe the two girls at the same time.

Ruthie (left) and Gracie (right) loved every minute of their nice warm bath

Nice and relaxed:)

This is Annie Miller, an Occupational Therapist at the NICU that was incredibly helpful in getting the ball rolling for us to come home.

Annie (left), Gracie (middle), and Ruthie (right) on Sunday

The girls' crib with oxygen tanks in the "Rooming In" room

Ann-Marie's Birthday!

2009-11-18T01:26:00.013-07:00

Ann-Marie celebrated most of her birthday today at the hospital with the triplets as she is doing "3-a-day" feedings where she feeds the girls at 10a, 4p, and 10p. The 7a, 1p, and 7p feedings are all done by the nurses through the feeding tube.

Ellis was excited to give Mom a party. He led her on a treasure hunt to find the card that he had written to her for her birthday.

Ann-Marie sends out a thank you to everyone for the many birthday wishes that came via text messages, facebook, email, phone calls, voice messages, regular mail, etc. etc. She felt very loved and appreciated!

Ellis's birthday card to Mommy

Taking pictures right after we start waking them for feeding time results in a lot of fun stretching pictures.

Happy Birthday Ann-Marie!

Hi Mom!

The nurse helping us this evening didn't know the girls' bow colors. So now's your chance to guess which one is which since the colors aren't coordinated.

Annie (left), Gracie (middle), and Ruthie (right)

Mommy celebrating her birthday with her daughters

Annie took her first bottle today and did great! She ate 55 ml and 61 ml is a full feeding for her today.

That facial expression is how they look after feeding them and they get sooo relaxed!

Daddy burping Annie

Daddy's Little Angels

2009-11-15T22:46:00.011-07:00

Ann-Marie told me how much fun it was to hold three at once so on Saturday I had my chance. I obviously loved every minute of it!

Breastfeeding is going really well. The nurses are all amazed that Ann-Marie still has enough milk to feed all three babies; we feel it is such a huge blessing and an answer to many prayers. Tonight all three girls were able to eat over 75% of their meal on their own, the remaining amount is given to them through their feeding tube.

On Tuesday, the 37-week gestation mark, Ann-Marie will start 3-a-day feedings.

Measurements of the girls are approximately 17.5 inches long for Gracie, 17.75 inches for Annie, and 18 inches for Ruthie.

Weights of the girls are 2739 g (6 lbs) for Gracie, 2950 g (6 lbs 8 oz) for Annie, and 2964 g (6 lbs 8.5 oz) for Ruthie.

I can't help but grin from ear to ear! Annie on the left, Ruthie in the middle, and Gracie on the right.

I love holding the girls after they eat, they are soooo relaxed.

Photo from the top. Gracie on the left, Ruthie in the middle, and Annie on the right.

So much fun!

Ann-Marie with Ruthie (left), Gracie (middle), and Annie (right).

Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie all snuggled

Ruthie with another cute pose!

Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie

Mom and Her Girls

2009-11-12T22:35:00.010-07:00

The girls had a great day today with their feedings. To see how much each of the girls eat while breast feeding, each one is weighed immediately before and after eating; and the difference in grams is the amount of mL eaten. Today Ruthie was able to get a full feeding and Annie and Gracie did good as well and received the remainder of their milk via the tube that goes through the nose and into the stomach.

Currently they are all on 2-a-day breast feeding schedules and the other 6 feedings are through the tube. With the girls starting to eat more and more they will go to 3-a-day feedings soon.

Last night the girls weighed in at the following: Annie 6 lbs 6 oz, Gracie 5 lbs 13 oz, and Ruthie 6 lbs 6 oz.

Many people have asked if we know when the girls will come home. The nurses tell us to plan on their due date which was December 8th. With them gaining weight and doing so well there is a chance they may come home sometime around Thanksgiving, but rather than get our hopes up too early we plan on December 8th.

Mom and her girls (her first time to hold all three at once - outside of her tummy)

Momma's little love bugs (that's 18 lbs of baby you're looking at!)

Ruthie, Annie, Gracie

"Hands full today, hearts full tomorrow."

We love our girls!

Annie, Gracie, Ruthie wearing their newborn onesies (yes they've already outgrown their preemie clothes).

So cute!

Happy Birthday, Grandma Bott!

Our little angels

They still love being close together

Our Little Pink Queens!

2009-11-08T23:51:00.009-07:00

We did another photo shoot of sorts when our nurse, Mary, helped us add a pink onesie to two pink onesies we had that we put on our girls. The NICU's onesie was "future miss america" which we put on Ruthie, and our onesies' were "Mommy's little love bug" which was put on Annie and "I love my mommy" which was put on Gracie.

To help with keeping their heads round as the girls can now turn their heads, we moved their bed and put Ruthie on the left, Annie in the middle, and Gracie on the right.

Other big news involves weights. Last night Annie and Ruthie weighed 6 lbs and Gracie weighed 5 lbs 7 oz.

Tonight Ruthie was able to have her canula removed from her nose as she passed the test of breathing on her own without any additional oxygen! Annie and Gracie still need some oxygen help from the canula.

The girls are learning how to feed and so Ann-Marie is spending lots more time at the hospital. It's amazing how long it takes to feed three girls!

The nurses continually remind us how great the girls are doing. We smile and know it's due to the Lord answering your many prayers offered in their (and our) behalf.

Ruthie, Annie, and Gracie

Ruthie with another one of her cute poses!

Annie's so good at keeping those eyes open!

Annie and Gracie being twinners with their arms

Halloween

2009-11-03T22:27:00.011-07:00

Halloween was a happy time! The girls were little ghosts to go along with our Indian, Ellis. We dressed up as cowboys to join our little munchkins.

We were able to spend a lot of time with Ellis. We had a fun Halloween party and Ellis went trick-or-treating.

The girls keep growing and eating. After Halloween, we entered the stage where Ann-Marie is at the hospital for long periods of time and I help out as much as possible while trying to be with Ellis as well.

Our little ghosts! Boo!

Here we are!

Clone Trooper Jackson and Indian Ellis

Our cute little Indian ready to trick-or-treat!

Ellis and Daddy trick-or-treating

Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie all bundled up

They gave us more space ("the suite")

Our nurse, Mary, holding Ruthie

Halloween Festivities

2009-10-30T23:53:00.016-06:00

Ellis and his class had a Halloween program for all of the parents. As you can see they all dressed up in their costumes and sang songs to their parents. They did such a good job and we were such proud parents.

Indian Chief Ellis getting ready to sing

Hi, Ellis!

What a cute group of singers!

We love you, Ellis!

When we visited the girls yesterday we saw this sign hanging by the girls' bed. The nurses made it in celebration of the girls' being one month old.

Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to...

Happy to be together

Mommy and Gracie

Annie covering up Gracie and Ruthie in the back

Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie

Growing Time!

2009-10-30T00:52:00.004-06:00

Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie all had their baths tonight and were weighed again. We are happy to announce that all are gaining weight! Annie weighs 5 lbs 1 oz (2298 g), Gracie weighs 4 lbs 10 oz (2087 g), and Ruthie weighs 5 lbs 2 oz (2319 g).

They continue to maintain their temperatures as well! We are so happy for their continued progress. Thank you so much for your love, support, and prayers.

Chubbier Cheeks!

2009-10-29T17:09:00.006-06:00

The girls continue to improve. They are getting chubbier cheeks, their oxygen saturation is staying more constant, and they are doing a good job learning how to eat! The optometrist checked their eyes and said everything looks normal for premature babies and that he would check in again in two weeks.

Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie

Annie, Gracie and Ruthie

Annie

Gracie and Ruthie

Four Pounds and Growing!

2009-10-27T23:48:00.004-06:00

Gracie reached the four pound mark on Monday! Annie and Ruthie were about 4 pounds 6 ounces.

Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie

Angie the Occupational Therapist came today and taught Ann-Marie how to do bone density massages. These massages are supposed to help with their growth. The girls liked the massages.

Tonight Ellis went to a Halloween Party. He dressed up as an Indian Chief and had a great time with his bow and arrow.

Notice the pumpkin in the back. We carved the pumpkin together on Monday and used it as a centerpiece at the Halloween party.

Another Milestone!

2009-10-25T21:54:00.011-06:00

On Friday the nurses turned off the warmer in their deluxe bed, put each one in a onesie, wrapped each one in a blanket, and put a hat on each one to see if they could maintain 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees F). They maintained their temperature so they moved on to a regular bed with no heating on Saturday!

We are so glad that they can maintain their own body temperatures. And we're also glad that they can be in the same crib. Their new crib gives them the closeness of being together with still some wiggle room so that they're not bugging each other. The change from one bed to another made them all quite tired. All day today (Sunday) they were still tired, so we didn't hold them much and let them sleep.

The test was done in their cadillac bed with the heat turned off. (Ruthie is on the left, then Gracie and Annie). The triplets passed the milestone of maintaining their own body temperature! Yeah!

The triplets' new bed! (the biggest crib the NICU has)

Annie (left), Gracie (middle), and Ruthie (right). Gracie's hand in front of her face is actually a common sign from preemie's that means "Please leave me alone now, I'm tired".

No bows to see with their little hats on, but the nurse wanted Annie on the left, Gracie in the middle and Ruthie on the right.

Name tags. The bed is much bigger than their other bed so getting close-up pictures of all three didn't work very well.

The closest picture I could get with all three.

Way to go Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie! We are so thankful you keep on growing!

Extra Extra, Read All About It!

2009-10-23T08:23:00.005-06:00

This morning there is a great article in the Daily Herald about Steve Minton, the head neonatologist of the NICU at the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center. This October marked 30 years since he started the NICU.

A photographer for the newspaper came in while we were there holding our babies and asked if he could take a picture. We let him and the article included a picture of them!

Click on http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/article_00e86671-ccec-5904-b806-6e3489bddc65.html to read the article. Two pictures are published with the article, click on the second picture to see the triplets.

Four Weeks Old!

2009-10-22T21:58:00.003-06:00

Today marked four weeks from when Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie were born. We are so grateful for their continued growth and development and appreciate everyone's prayers. We really feel the love and support from each of you. Thank you for making a difference in our lives!

Today the girls are doing great. The culture test on Annie's "stuff" from yesterday came back negative (no virus was present). Annie and Gracie's blood transfusion appears to be successful and their hemoglobin counts were up. Ruthie is also doing well and has not yet needed a blood transfusion. The oxygen saturation level continues to swing back and forth on all the girls, but the doctors aren't too worried as it appears to be a normal occurrence with many preemie babies.

Grandma and Papa Krueger helped give each of the girls a bath tonight. The girls love being fresh and clean!

Ellis was so sweet to draw a picture for Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie. He drew the three of them and him with hearts all around and we put it by their bed. Ellis loves his sisters and thinks about them often even when he can't see them.

A Little TLC

2009-10-21T21:58:00.002-06:00

At 5:30 this morning, Ann-Marie called the hospital to see the results of the hemoglobin test (the protein molecule in red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to the tissues in the body and returns carbon dioxide from the tissues to the lungs). The nurse said the results were low and that the neonatologist recommended Annie and Gracie get a blood transfusion. The transfusion quickly gets the hemoglobin levels where they should be and usually helps the babies with their oxygen saturation (all three bounce high and low throughout the day with their oxygen saturation). So we gave our permission and they went ahead. Tomorrow they will draw blood from the girls and test the levels. Tonight when we saw them they looked fine.

In time the babies will be able to make more of their own hemoglobin and they won't have their blood drawn as much so the need of transfusions will be less.

The last couple of days Annie has seemed a little congested. Normally the nurse uses a BBG (baby booger grabber) and that clears out the nose just fine. Well tonight Annie was really working hard to breathe and I talked to the nurse about it. She tried the BBG, but nothing came out. The nurse then went to a respiratory specialist (available 24/7 at the NICU thank goodness) and he came over with a special tool for the BBG and reached way back into the nose. He pulled out a lot of "stuff" and Annie started breathing much better. Because the "stuff" was quite thick he asked to have a culture taken to see if Annie may have a virus. Tomorrow we'll find out the results of the culture, but for now we're glad that Annie isn't showing any other signs of a virus (no fever at all). The thickness may be related to several days worth of congestion that was not removed.

Tonight Ann-Marie met with an Occupational Therapist named Annie (what a great name!) that helped her get started on non-nutritive breast feeding. Ruthie and Gracie both tried and showed some interest, but they were tired and that was completely expected. I held Annie and she didn't try the non-nutritive breast feeding after all she went through earlier in just trying to breathe.

So our experience goes in the NICU, some days are up and some days are down. We've been told to expect that by many people so we just try to keep a smile on our face and plug onward.

Ruthie (left), Gracie (middle), and Annie (right)

Ruthie, Gracie, and Annie

Poco a poco

2009-10-20T23:58:00.008-06:00

Every day we see a little improvement. The girls are filling out more and more and we notice a difference in their size.

At tonight's bath and weigh time, Annie past the 4 lb mark at 4 lb 2 oz, Gracie at 3 lb 11 oz, and Ruthie at 4 lb 3 oz.

Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie
Gracie (left) and Ruthie (right) carrying on a conversation with Daddy

Mommy with Gracie

Annie (left), Gracie (middle), and Ruthie (right)

Annie communicating with Gracie

Gracie and her sisters stretching

All clean and Annie (right) out for the count

Bath Time and Weigh Time!

2009-10-18T22:08:00.023-06:00

Ann-Marie and I did our best at giving our girls a bath today. It was our first time to see them get a bath in a baby tub.

Just before bathing them tonight at 6:30 p.m., our nurse, Jody, weighed them. Annie weighed in at 1775 g (about 3 lbs 15 oz), Gracie at 1605 g (3 lbs 8 oz), and Ruthie at 1817 g (4 lbs).

We were so happy to see Ruthie reach 4 lbs and have Annie and Gracie coming right along. Before they move to a new bed that is not heated they are supposed to weigh 1800 grams. As parents we would like to see them move to a new bed together, but with Gracie being about a 1/2 lb less than the other two we're not sure what will happen.

Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie on Sat, Oct 17
Ruthie, Gracie, and Annie

Ruthie, Gracie, and Annie. This is the girls preferred head positions, looking at each other. On Saturday, Annie was on the left and Ruthie on the right. On Sunday, the nurse switched Annie and Ruthie because they're strong enough to turn their heads and they like to look at each other. To keep a balanced amount of time on each side of the head (to have round heads), the nurse resorted to switching the girls on the end.

Aunt Carissa came for a visit today. Here she is with Ruthie, Gracie, and Annie.

Time to wake up...it's bath time!

Stretching after a nice long nap

A little more stretching and yawn

It never ceases to amaze us how the girls like to be right next to each other

OK, we're done stretching and we're ready for the bath now!

Ruthie weighing in at almost exactly four lbs (after you take off the weight of the blanket and diaper)

Mommy and Daddy getting Ruthie and Gracie ready for the bath

Our nurse, Jody, who's going to have watched our girls through the night for six days in a row!

Ruthie on the left and Gracie on the right

Mommy's a pro at giving baths!

We put their blankets right in with the girls for their bath. They both like to be covered up and it helps keep them warm.

Ruthie (left) and Gracie (right)

Ruthie getting her head scrubbed by Jody

Daddy switched from being camera man to give Annie a bath

Our wonderful nurse, Jody, getting our girls comfortable back in their bed

Our three little China Dolls!

All three are sucking on their pacifiers longer now! We put in their binkies for practice and muscle development while the feeding goes in through a tube.

The head rests were made and color coded by Jody to keep the girls heads straight so they get some time on the back of their head as well.

Test Results are Back: Identical Triplets Confirmed!

2009-10-16T15:48:00.009-06:00

What we've suspected since the beginning of the pregnancy was confirmed today with the test lab results, identical triplets. Our perinatologist, Dr. Gainer, came by today and showed us. The technical term for identical triplets is monochorionic triamniotic (meaning one chorion - which is the outer layer of the placenta - and three amniotic sacs - which holds each baby and is attached to the chorion). Ruthie (top), Annie (bottom)

Ruthie holding Annie's hand

Annie (left) looking around, Ruthie (right)

Annie (left) Ruthie (right)

This is the order the triplets were in the womb. Annie at the bottom, Ruthie in the middle, and Gracie on top.

From bottom to top: Annie, Ruthie, and Gracie

Babies' First Photo Shoot for Big Brother Ellis

2009-10-14T18:48:00.013-06:00

The nurses made Ellis a little book from the girls with their pictures and copies of their footprints in it. He absolutely loves it. They gave us a CD of the pictures they took. They turned out so cute! Gracie with her present from Ellis

Darling Gracie

Ruthie with her present from Ellis

Adorable Ruthie

Annie with her present from Ellis

Precious Annie

Three peas in a pod!

Their first time to be together! I think they like it!

We love our little angels!

This is Ellis's favorite... so happy together!

Togetherness is Happiness!

2009-10-14T17:53:00.018-06:00

Today when we visited our girls, we had another wonderful surprise. The nurse, Mary, who was caring for our girls, was the first nurse we ever met at the NICU. When Ann-Marie was pregnant at 18 weeks, she gave us our first tour of the facilities. We've since been good friends, even though she's never been over our girls before, since she is also a charge nurse and has other responsibilities. Well, today she was with our girls, and she decided that Annie needed to be with her sisters. So, she made it happen. "Where there's a will, there's a way!"

Hence, the historic day has arrived, with Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie all in the same bed!
Each of the girls seem happier than ever (we know Mommy and Daddy are!). We've been waiting for this day for a long time!

Mary got everything ready while we held the girls. I was able to hold Gracie and Ruthie while Ann-Marie held Annie.

Daddy's first time to hold two girls at a time, Ruthie (left) and Gracie (right)

Our sweethearts!

Happy parents, happy girls!

Mary, our nurse, making everyone happy by putting Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie all in one bed

Annie wants to announce that she likes being with her sisters, even when they are being silly or sleeping :)

Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie

The three amigas sticking close together!

Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie (with a smile:)

Everything included on one bed

Mommy's beaming! Last night she kept feeling so bad for Annie being in a separate bed, now that they're all together she is much happier.

Mommy loves her girls!

We wanted a picture showing all three monitors

Mary's hands after getting the triplets comfortable

Night Night!

Putting on Weight!

2009-10-13T22:06:00.015-06:00

Today Annie and Ruthie weighed just over 3 1/2 pounds! Gracie weighed in just above 3 pounds.

Ellis was really enjoying the pictures of his sisters today that we have on the computer and excitedly said, "They look like dolls, but they're real!"

On Monday I went to change Gracie's diaper. First task is to put the new diaper underneath the old one for safety reasons. So I put the new diaper underneath, pulled out the old diaper, and wiped her bum. Well, wiping her bum triggered a powerful reaction and Gracie decided to let loose and poop went everywhere. This is where I got nervous because I was holding Gracie's legs up and I didn't want any poo to get on her. So I removed the "new" soiled diaper and wiped her bum again and then put her legs down. As I was trying to find a place to put the soiled diaper, she let loose again and so then I had poo on her linens. At this point Ann-Marie and the nurse were having a good laugh. Finally, Gracie was finished, and my third attempt at a new diaper stayed clean. I am glad that we don't have to do laundry yet:)

Ann-Marie changed Ruthie's diaper, smooth process as normal.

However, it was my turn again to change Annie's diaper. I didn't think a similar thing would happen, but just in case I wiped her bum BEFORE I removed the old diaper and that was a good thing, because then Annie let loose. What can I say, it was my lucky day!

The nurses needed the $40,000 Giraffe Omni bed that Annie was using for a more premature baby, so now she is in a different isolette bed.
Gracie and Ruthie are still in their Giraffe Omnibed. Gracie and Ruthie both seem to be feeling better, are more relaxed, and are getting more deep sleep.

Gracie (back to her purple bow) and Ruthie with her pink bow. Notice Ann-Marie's hand on the left which spans both heads.

Gracie and Ruthie. Ruthie often seems to have some fancy pose!

Annie. Can you tell that she is growing? When I held her today I noticed a difference

Hi Annie!

Gracie and Ruthie protesting time for cares

Daddy holding Annie with Ellis's beanie baby gift to the side

Gracie with her beanie baby

Mommy with Ruthie

Ruthie says "High five Mom!"

I love you Mom! Thanks for taking such good care of me.

More Holding and Growing

2009-10-11T18:47:00.021-06:00

The nurses are now letting Ann-Marie and I hold our daughters for an hour to an hour and a half at a time!! We are loving every minute of it and we are so grateful the triplets are growing so well.

Possibly this week or maybe next week the girls will start "non-nutritive" feeding. This is where Ann-Marie pumps before holding the girls and then letting the girls start the motions of breast feeding. They are still not strong enough to suck and they have not developed the suck, swallow, and breathe reflexes, but practicing in this way helps them to learn the process of feeding once they are able.

Annie and Ruthie are now being fed 32 mL every three hours and Gracie is at 26 mL.

Annie and Ruthie both weigh 3 lbs 5 oz now, and Gracie is 2 lbs 15 oz. Gracie will likely hit 3 lbs by the end of Sunday.

The girls will be 32 weeks gestation (since the triplets were born early, we still track development by gestational age) this Tuesday (we've always used Monday in the past, but the nurses are using Tuesday to mark the weeks). Also as an FYI, we were told by the nurses to track milestones of holding their heads up, walking, talking, etc. from their Dec 8th due date. Even though they were born early, there's no shortcuts to the developmental process they must go through.

We see answers to your many prayers every day. Each day we look forward to the miracles of that day. We often hear the nurses say, "Do you know really how well your girls are doing?!" Thank you so much for all your prayers and support that help them and us! Ann-Marie and Erica with Annie
Annie

Erica and Ann-Marie helping take care of Annie

The nurses found two matching outfits for Gracie and Ruthie!

Erica showing the size of the onesie

Gracie's bear and onesie

Daddy with Ruthie and Mommy with Gracie

Annie's time for temperature check

Gracie waves hi. Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie are all trying to develop the muscles to suck on their binkies. They can do it for about ten seconds or so.

Annie

Cute hands Annie!

OK, now this is confusing, Gracie got a pink bow put on her head by a nurse that didn't know their colors.

Annie

We love to catch your smile on camera, Annie!

Don't be tricked by the bow, this is Gracie

Gracie and Ruthie

Close up of Ruthie

Daddy with Annie

This nurse, Alene, is fantastic. She would take the feeding tube and disconnect it for a brief time and let a drop of the breast milk go into each of the triplets' mouths. She said this helps the girls get used to the taste of breast milk and helps start the digestion process. Then she reconnects the tube and the feeding continues as normally (through a tube inserted into the nose that goes directly into the stomach).

Onesies!

2009-10-11T18:17:00.012-06:00

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.

Sisterly Love

2009-10-08T23:05:00.006-06:00

Gracie and Ruthie are having quite the comfortable time in the same bed. Ann-Marie held Gracie first while Ruthie was still sleeping. When Ruthie woke up, Ann-Marie saw Ruthie's little foot move over to the direction of where Gracie should have been. It appeared as though Ruthie was looking for her sister. Ruthie tried kicking around with her foot, and then she started flailing her arms over at the direction where Gracie usually was. When it was Ann-Marie's turn to hold Ruthie, Gracie did a similar thing, where she tried feeling around for Ruthie with her foot. Then, Gracie let out a long cry. It took a minute for Gracie to be calmed down. I guess that's good news that they enjoy being together! We also noticed that Ruthie didn't even flinch when her sister poked her in the eye, and Gracie didn't mind when her sister sneezed on her. "Togetherness is happiness!"

Annie also seems very content with life, though we're sure she'll be glad (and we will too) when she can be in the same bed as her sisters.

Gracie (closest to the camera) and Ruthie

Ruthie in the back waving Hi!

Gracie sleeping and Ruthie stretching

Annie awakening from her sleep

Daddy resting with Annie (I held her for about 45 minutes)

Annie now back to sleeping

Continued Progress!

2009-10-07T22:28:00.005-06:00

The nurses let us know today that they are going to start weening the girls off of the oxygen coming through the cannula. They also told us that no labs (where they draw blood and run tests) will be done on Annie or Ruthie because they are at or close to 1500 grams (about 3.3 lbs). Gracie will probably still get one, but she is not far behind in weight.

Annie
Gracie and Ruthie (although Ruthie may look like Gracie's reflection if a mirror were placed between the two, there is no mirror in between).

Ruthie (face towards picture) and Gracie

Ruthie with Daddy

Annie and Mommy

Surprise! Surprise!

2009-10-06T15:54:00.027-06:00

Today was a day full of surprises. Ellis wanted to surprise his sisters by giving them each a beanie baby from him. Last night we went to the store and Ellis chose for Annie a yellow chicken, for Gracie a purple bear, and for Ruthie a pink flamingo. Ellis got a turtle from his sisters (and a velcro pencil box, markers, and crayons). We took the beanie babies to the hospital for Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie. The nurse put them in plastic bags as they came from outside to protect the babies in the NICU. Ellis is so excited to give his sisters something so they know he loves them.

When we arrived at the hospital the nurses greeted us with another pleasant surprise, they moved Gracie into the same bed as Ruthie! We considered that the next best thing to having them all in the same crib! Since the cribs are too small to fit all three, Gracie will need to alternate with Annie or Ruthie until they are big enough to maintain their own temperature. At that point they will all be put in the same bigger crib.

I'll never forget our first reaction seeing two of the girls side by side. Even though we know they are identical we looked at each other in disbelief and started laughing. Although Gracie is smaller, Gracie and Ruthie looked just alike to us. Gracie yawned and then Ruthie yawned. Gracie stretched and then Ruthie stretched. They seemed happy to be together and didn't seem annoyed when one was moving around or crying. These girls are such miracles!

Ellis just before delivering his gifts to his sisters

Ellis's gift to Annie

Ellis's gift to Gracie

Ellis's gift to Ruthie

Ellis's way of saying "surprise" to his sisters since he can't see them now that they're in the hospital

One of our favorite nurses, Vickie, getting Gracie all ready to move from her bed to be in the same bed as Ruthie

Anticipation!!!!!

Ta Da! Gracie on the left with Ruthie on the right! This is when Ann-Marie and I started laughing, it was SO much fun to watch them.

You two look so alike!

Gracie doesn't mind glamour girl Ruthie stretching by her

Today was another happy day for Mommy!

Cuties!

What a treat for Daddy to see two of his girls together for the first time

Gracie with her eyes open, happy to be together again with Ruthie (in the womb Gracie was on top of Ruthie)

Vickie (one of our primary nurses) holding Ruthie. She was instrumental in getting Gracie in the same bed as Ruthie and I think it will help them both grow better.

Annie with her gift from Ellis

Hi Annie!

Mommy with Annie

Gracie says "Thank you" to Ellis for his kind gift. Did she mention that she loves purple? (At least we hope!!)

Ruthie says, "I love the pink flamingo, thank you so much Ellis!"

Gracie and Ruthie make beanie babies look huge!

Gracie, you look good with purple:)

Annie continues to smile away, what a happy child!

We love to see you yawning, Annie!

I can't wait for when Gracie gets to share a bed with me!

OK, enough of all the activity for one day, back to sleep

Girls are doing great!

2009-10-05T21:58:00.026-06:00

The girls are all doing well. They are getting stronger and starting to fill out even more. They are crying now when they have messy diapers, that didn't take long! Annie
Mommy holding Annie's hand

Gracie

Mommy holding Annie

Wide-eyed Annie

Well hello there cutie!

Ruthie relaxing

Glamour girl Ruthie

Ruthie's starting to fill out!

On Sunday the nurse put Ruthie on her tummy with her head facing one direction. When the nurse came back a few minutes later she had turned her head to the other side! We love to see the muscles getting stronger.

She's now 3 lbs 5 oz (birth weight was 2 lb 15 oz)

Vicki (in the black) is such a fantastic nurse, we just love her. She's been caring for our girls for five days straight (12-hour shifts). She's wonderful.

You'll also notice the three beds are all in a row now. One nurse now takes care of all three.

The other person in the picture is a neonatologist doing an echo (ultrasound) for Annie. The doctors had heard a "swishing" sound and the echo revealed it is a normal narrowing in the vein and when the blood passes through there it increases in velocity causing the sound.

Annie takes the cake on the pictures for the last two days (Oct 4th and 5th)

We love those eyes!

Mommy comforting Annie

Wow Annie, you are getting long!

Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie all love to hold things with their hands

All the girls love to smile, but we caught Annie's beautiful smile this time

Daddy with Annie today (Oct 5)

Precious bonding time

Mommy bonding with Gracie

Gracie was out, sleeping so peacefully on Mommy. What a sweet little angel!

Ruthie relaxed as can be

Is it time for cares already?!

First picture with two of the girls together. Daddy holding Ruthie and Mommy holding Gracie. We love our little girls!

Nine days old!

2009-10-03T21:09:00.022-06:00

The skin color of the triplets has gradually changed over the past week from a fairly dark red to a normal pinkish color. I don't know all the details behind why their skin was so red, but their skin has now adjusted to the air around it.

All three have reached or exceeded their birth weight now. Full-term newborns sleep around 19 hours a day and preemies and our girls sleep even longer than that.

Gracie in the burrito wrap

Annie acted sooo relaxed all day

Mommy with Gracie

Gracie slept soundly being with Mommy

Gracie being put back in bed after being with Mommy

Ruthie about to be awakened for her every three hour "cares" (diaper change, temperature check, feeding)

Hello Ruthie! Good to see those eyes

Wow Mom, what a big hand you have!

The better to hold you with my dear!

Ruthie (Gracie as well) likes to keep her legs stretched out and her hands up

Mommy got to hold Ruthie for over an hour today! (Daddy held Annie for over an hour, but no pictures to show)

Ruthie with a mighty stretch

Ruthie with her canula (softly blows regular air into the lungs, this makes breathing a little easier)

Gracie on her stomach (all three digest their food better when being on their stomach, and since the nurses have monitors and know immediately if anything goes wrong, they aren't concerned about putting them on their stomach). When they come home we are supposed to have them sleep on their back.

Annie with a "Zaky" (a cloth hand filled with little beads that helps them feel secure).

Annie with Mommy's loving touch

When we first arrived at the hospital Ann-Marie went to look at Annie and she was sleeping peacefully with her hands above her head. At the same time, Gracie and Ruthie's nurse said to Ann-Marie, "Isn't it cute how she likes to sleep with her hands above her head?" Ann-Marie thought she was talking about Annie, but then realized when she went to look at Gracie that the nurse was talking about Gracie. Then Ann-Marie went to look at Ruthie and she had her arms the same way. They must be sisters!

Ann-Marie changing Annie's diaper

Little booties to keep Annie's feet warm. They practically go to her knees!

Annie holding on to her canula (arms up of course!)

Sleep and Grow Time

2009-10-03T13:42:00.015-06:00

Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie are all being really good sleepers. The next four weeks are really sleep and grow times for them. Not until about 34 weeks (they are at 31 weeks this Monday) or so they will likely develop the suck, swallow, and breathe abilities so they can eat on their own. For now, though, they all have a feeding tube that is going through their nose down to their stomach. Annie is on about 20 mL of breast milk, Gracie 17 mL or so, and Ruthie 22 mL every three hours. This changes quickly each day as they grow because the amount of milk they get depends on their weight.

Gracie giving the hand signals of "no pictures please, I'm resting:)"

Mommy looking at Gracie

Gracie getting her temperature checked. For us to hold the babies the nurses like them to be 36.5 degrees celsius (37 degrees is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit) or more.

Gracie with her eyes open

Mommy takes every opportunity to hold their hands and let them know she is close by

Daddy got to hold Gracie on Friday, Oct 2nd

Gracie knows how to melt her Daddy's heart, her little hand resting on me sure made me happy!

Mommy holding Ruthie

Ruthie likes to keep her hands by her face as well when she sleeps

Ellis was able to come on Friday to the hospital and we are sure glad he did, because the next day the hospital put into force a restriction on anyone under 16 visiting the 4th or 5th floor of the hospital (4th is Mother and Baby and 5th is Labor and Delivery as well as the NICU). He picked this locker for Mommy and Daddy to use because it was number 6 and now we have 6 in our family.

Ellis, we love your smile!

Ellis can sure rattle off his sister's names and he's even practiced writing them.

This is the Ronald McDonald Room where parents (and kids before the restriction was put into place) can get some crackers, drinks, and watch a movie or TV while their children are in the NICU.

Our neighbors (when we lived in Sandy) stopped by for a visit.

Pretty soon our precious daughters can join us for a family picture

Bonding and Feeding Times!

2009-10-01T21:16:00.047-06:00

On Wednesday, September 30th the doctors encouraged bonding time ("skin to skin") for me and Ann-Marie with our daughters. The time really helps the babies and the parents grow closer together, but it's limited to once a day as the triplets are still so small they mainly need time to sleep and grow with as few distractions as possible.

Also on Sep 30, Erica and Grandma and Papa Krueger helped with the feeding the triplets. Every three hours the babies are awakened to check their temperature (should be 37 degrees celsius), change their diaper, and be fed; Erica came at 4p to help and Grandma and Papa Krueger came at 7p to help.

Today, October 1st at 6:41 Annie was exactly one week old, at 6:42 Gracie was one week old, and at 6:43 Ruthie turned one week old. All three seemed very relaxed and adjusted to their new environment. Today Annie was consuming 12 mL every three hours, and Gracie and Ruthie were at 10 mL every three hours (a nice increase from 2 mL where they each started).

Mommy bonding with Annie

Although (unfortunately) a very obviously tired Daddy was so grateful for a chance to bond with Gracie

Cute little Gracie managed to get somewhat comfortable with the CPAP on her face (later in the day it came off).

Mommy with Ruthie (Ruthie is in a darker corner of the NICU and a lot of her pictures aren't quite as clear-flash is not allowed in the NICU)

Gracie got an X-ray to check the IV that was put directly into her belly button where the umbilical cord was removed. The results showed the IV was getting close to the liver, so the IV was removed from the belly button and inserted into her arm. (As a reminder, the IV is for lipids and vitamins and minerals that are pumped directly into the blood stream - not for feeding. A tube going in the mouth (if a CPAP is being used) or in the nose (no CPAP) is where Ann-Marie's breast milk is fed to the babies.)

Gracie just before the CPAP is removed on Wednesday night

Poor Gracie's nose was pretty sore after having the CPAP on for almost a week (nearly continously). Now that the CPAP is off, she is more relaxed and sleeps better. She is shown here with an oxygen tube that puts a tiny bit of air into the nose and helps her breathe.

Another angle of Gracie after having the CPAP removed

Ruthie's nose was equally as sore looking after having the CPAP removed (an hour or so after Gracie)

Erica's first time to check Ruthie's temperature. To check the temperature a thermometer is placed in the armpit and held there for almost a minute.

The thermometer made Ruthie open her eyes

Erica changing Ruthie's diaper (not easy with so many probes used for checking heart beat, respirations, oxygen level, and temperature)

Erica feeding Ruthie

Another angle of Erica feeding Ruthie (pushing the syringe gradually)

Now that Ruthie is fed and has her diaper changed everyone is happy!

Annie resting comfortably (she is not wrapped up in a burrito wrap because she still has the IV line through the belly button). On Friday the doctors are planning on removing it and making a new IV through the arm or leg or even head. Depending if everything goes as planned, in 5 days or so each of the triplets will be up to full feedings and won't need an IV because the breast milk will be in sufficient quantities to provide everything the babies need.

Annie just as relaxed as can be!

Ann-Marie, Grandma, and Papa getting ready to change Annie's diaper and feed her

Another angle with Ann-Marie, Grandma, Papa, and Annie

Lots of love for these little girls!

We decided we didn't love green as the color for Annie, and we found the nurses had a stash of yellow bows, so we are now using yellow as the color for Annie

Grandma weighing Gracie. After picking up Gracie, the bed zeros out the weight of the bed and so when Gracie is placed back on the bed her weight is measured.

Grandma Krueger feeding Gracie

What a good eater Gracie is!

Papa Krueger taking Ruthie's temperature

Ruthie with one hand on Papa Krueger and one hand on the oxygen line

Ruthie received a bath on Wednesday night!

Cotton balls and warm water for the face and a mild soapy pad to clean Ruthie's body

Ruthie just before her head is scrubbed. The head is done last as so much heat is lost through the head.

A soft bristled brush is used to scrub all around Ruthie's head

Now Ruthie's linens are all wet after the bath so Grandma lifted her and the nurse put down nice clean sheets

A chance for Grandma to gaze at her granddaughter

A strong friendship and love is taking form!

After the bath we forgot to weigh Ruthie so Papa helped out. Ruthie is gaining weight and is almost back to her birth weight!

Ruthie is now very comfortable on Wednesday night. Today, Thursday, we found that she indeed slept very well and seems much more content!

Papa feeding Ruthie

Ann-Marie's poor feet and legs were so swelled that they were hard to the touch and they hurt her like crazy

Grandma and Grandpa Bott watched Ellis since Friday night (Sep 25th) and brought him back this morning (Oct 1). Thank you Grandma and Grandpa Bott for your help!

Ellis is getting really good at tying his shoelaces.

After special permission the NICU doctor allowed Grandma and Grandpa Bott a visit even though they were not on the list of four visitors (as explained before it is difficult for them to come on a regular basis, so we asked Erica Groneman and Carissa Briggs who live closer to be the other visitors along with Grandma and Papa Krueger). We were so excited for their visit and they were so excited for their first sight of their new granddaughters!

Grandpa Bott with Annie

Kandis, one of our nurses, is such a great help. She requested to be a primary nurse on the triplets, which means if the schedule works out she is given preference to watch our babies.

Grandma Bott watches on as Ann-Marie changes Gracie's diaper.

Grandpa Bott, Ruthie, Daddy, and Grandma Bott

Thanks for coming Grandma and Grandpa Bott! Annie is resting peacefully.

Progress!

2009-10-01T10:27:00.004-06:00

Yesterday Gracie and Ruthie got off the CPAP (Annie was already off of it). We're so thankful! It means their lungs are getting stronger and stronger. All three are also off of the lights to treat the jaundice, so they are very happy to be able to be swaddled now.

Anthony and Ann-Marie have been loving their skin to skin time each day with each of their daughters. And of course Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie love it too!

Ellis gets back from Grandma and Grandpa Botts' house today. Ann-Marie and Anthony are grateful they were able to spend some time with him these past several days and are now excited to spend some time with Ellis too. It will add a whole new element to juggle, but thankfully the babies keep progressing well. It's just a matter of time so their little bodies develop more. So far there are no infections, which is a wonderful blessing.

Thank you again, each of you, for your support and prayers.

Holding the babies!

2009-09-29T15:52:00.023-06:00

On Monday the 28th the doctor allowed one of us to hold each of our little babies! Ann-Marie first held Gracie and I held Ruthie and then Ann-Marie held Annie.

Gracie and Ruthie still had the CPAP on, so it's difficult to see what they look like. However, Annie was off the CPAP so we got some good pictures of her face (she did have a little positioning tape on her nose for the CPAP-that was left on because it's a little painful to remove-which you will see in the picture).

Near the end of the day, the respiratory therapist decided to take Gracie off the CPAP for a little while and he took the positioning tape off her nose so you get a good look at her face. Her head, however, being so soft is a little flat on one side which is very common with babies this early. All the nurses need to do to avoid round out the head is rotate the babies.

On some of the pictures we included colored tape to help remind us which baby, this one is pink for Ruthie. Annie's color is Green and Gracie's is purple.
One happy daddy with his three wrist bands, one for each daughter

Ann-Marie anxiously awaiting the opportunity to hold Gracie, her first time!

Gracie in mommy's arms (CPAP is covering face)

A mother's heart

Gracie learning about her big brother Ellis from a mommy who's waited a long time to hold her and tell her how happy she is to have her in the family.

Mommy with Gracie (you'll notice AM's three pink wristbands as well)

Yeah!!! Gracie was so happy in her Mommy's arms

Daddy gets to hold Ruthie (Ruthie also is wearing the CPAP)

Ruthie is so much fun to hold!

Ruthie next to Daddy's Blackberry

Ruthie didn't make a peep the whole time I held her

Just measuring the foot (Ann-Marie's hand)

Annie (notice no CPAP, but she does have the positioning tape) is getting ready to be held

Annie often opens her eyes, to the surprise of us and the nurses, most 29 weekers are not opening their eyes; but Annie has done this from day 1.

Annie all bundled up comfortably!

Mommy and Daddy with Annie

Annie gets her turn with the sign as well. She opened up both eyes for the occasion and even appeared to be looking at Ann-Marie

Gracie even opened an eye to keep an eye on things!

Gracie's head is not quite round in this picture. The nurses just keep rotating her (and all the premie babies) and in the end they have nice round heads.

Everyone is doing well!

2009-09-29T05:57:00.005-06:00

This is Erica, Ann-Marie's sister. I thought I would do a little update, since Ann-Marie and Anthony have been too busy or too tired to post. But we want to keep everyone informed of progress and what is going on. First of all, we appreciate so much everyone's prayers. We know it is because of your prayers and faith that so many miracles have occurred in the lives of Annie, Gracie, Ruthie, Ann-Marie, Anthony, Ellis, and others.

Ann-Marie was discharged from the hospital last night. She is doing very, very well. She walks around and has been able to spend more and more time up on her feet. I am absolutely impressed. So far she has been able to provide enough breast milk for all three girls. What a wonderful blessing! We pray that the milk supply continues to increase as the babies grow. This is a big sacrifice--but worth it--as she has to pump every 2-3 hours, night and day. So between going up to the NICU as often as they can and pumping, we can see how exhausting each day already is.

Ann-Marie and Anthony have been going up to the NICU for every (or at least almost every) feeding (even in the middle of the night). The nurses try to keep the girls on a schedule, because we want the babies to have as much deep, uninterrupted sleep as possible since that is when they grow. They feed them every three hours, starting at 7:00 am (7:00, 10:00, 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, etc). During the feedings they get diaper changes, mouths swabbed out if needed, and are able to be touched. They get baths once a day, I believe in the evening feeding. To give the babies a bath, they use one cotton ball per body part (so they go through lots of cotton balls) and use water only. If it is not a feeding time and if they baby is asleep, no one should touch the baby.

Because the babies' nervous systems are still immature, we are careful how we touch the babies. No rubbing, but rather firm presses. It helps them feel secure. Their ears also haven't completely matured, so they don't filter out the noise like we do. They hear everything in the room the same (like for us, we can filter out background noise). So we try not to talk too loud and are sensitive to that. Their eyelids are also very thin, so they have a little cover for their eyes and also the nurses often cover their beds with a blanket or two when they're sleeping to keep the light out.

One thing I have learned is that these babies may be identical in their genetic makeup, but they are anything but identical. They are each so unique, and their personalities are already coming through. Amazing to see! I realized yesterday that I will never again compare them to each other. They are as unique and individual as Ann-Marie and I are, but they just happened to be born one minute apart from each other. They are fighters! Each has her own challenges right now. It is hard to watch their little bodies working so hard to grow and develop. But they're doing it! And we are so proud of them. Their bodies may be tiny, but their spirits are giants. We pray for them, each of them, and for Ann-Marie and Anthony and Ellis. They still need our prayers. We have seen miracles with these babies and with Ann-Marie. They are thriving. And we attribute it to the many prayers and faith of each of you. Thank you! We are grateful for the fantastic medical care they are receiving from very competent and well-qualified and prepared professionals. We will try to keep you updated (with pictures too) as often as we can, hopefully at least daily. On behalf of the Botts, we say thank you and we love you!

Days 2 and 3 in the NICU (Sep 26 and 27)

2009-09-27T17:06:00.043-06:00

With the flu season coming and H1N1 looming near the NICU has buckled down on visitors. The NICU only allows me and Ann-Marie and four visitors to see the triplets. We asked family that was close and able to visit the babies regularly to be our four visitors (Ann-Marie’s parents, Carissa Bott Briggs and Erica Krueger Groneman). So we are grateful for this blog that allows everyone to see pictures of the triplets since they will probably be in the NICU for two months and then in “quarantine care” at home until the flu season is over.

We're having a great time talking to the nurses about these special girls. The nurses are so surprised how the lab results on the triplets' blood samples are nearly identical. All three were slightly low in the same areas and slightly high in others (all three were slightly high in potassium for example). The nurses are now getting used to what happens to one usually happens to the other two. On Sunday, for example, the doctors checked for jaundice. Sure enough, all three showed small signs of jaundice at the same time and so now they are all under the light to help remove the jaundice.

We enjoy getting to tell the story to the nurses and others that we’ve shared on this blog of how these little angels came to be. When we tell people who have teenage children we often hear “Wait tell they’re sixteen and all wanting to drive”, or “Hopefully they all get asked to the Prom so one doesn’t get left out” etc. Who knows how it will be, but it’s fun to think about how their lives will be; we are sure excited to see them grow up and interact with our family and all of you. Thanks for sharing in with us and these little miracles!

Grandma and Papa Krueger visiting their three granddaughters on their birth day
Ellis in Ann-Marie's hospital room shortly after seeing his sisters for the first time

Ultrasound checking for Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA) which is a condition for premies where blood is getting in the lungs. Ruthie had this so they put the CPAP on her. Annie and Gracie already had the CPAP on and didn't show any signs of it.

The machine used to check for Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA)

Ann-Marie rotating the little one

Ruthie and Mommy

Mommy comforting Gracie

Ruthie's new name tag and cute foot!

Gracie's new name tag

Annie's new name tag

Ultrasound

Aunt Erica seeing her new nieces

Aunt Carissa seeing her new nieces

Way to go Ruthie! Bowel systems on all three are working just fine

Ann-Marie checking Gracie's temperature with a thermometer placed in Gracie's armpit (temperature is checked every 6 hours)

Carissa and Ann-Marie held Ruthie a lot on Saturday to comfort her

Ann-Marie helping reposition Ruthie

Carissa with Annie

Carissa changing Annie's diaper

Carissa with Annie

Annie

Ruthie getting an X-ray to check for positioning of PICC line

Annie measured by Carissa's arm and hand

Carissa comforting Annie

Carissa and Annie

Mommy, Carissa, and Ruthie

Mommy and Ruthie

Mommy and Gracie

Gracie (eyes covered to help eye development and CPAP puffing air into Gracie's lungs)

Mommy and Ruthie

Mommy and Annie

Mommy with her three wrist bands for her three daughers. Hand placed on Annie

Annie under spot light (helps to remove jaundice)

Annie

Checking temperature

Diaper change (every three hours)

Sep 25, 2009 Slidshow of Triplets in NICU

2009-09-25T22:42:00.003-06:00

Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie doing great in the NICU

2009-09-25T21:03:00.006-06:00

The nurse in the NICU let us know that the triplets are doing great. They haven't needed a ventilator yet at this point, all the nurses have given them for breathing is a CPAP (coninuous positive airway pressure). All this machine does is use the normal air around us and blow little puffs of air into the lungs that helps the babies breathe a little easier. Annie hasn't hardly used the CPAP at all, Gracie is still using the CPAP, and Ruthie was off the CPAP the last half of today.

The nurses started today to feed them. Yesterday they only received vitamins, minerals, and liquids via an IV. The nurses give a 1/3 teaspoon of milk every three hours via a tube that goes right into their stomachs. At 34 weeks their brains develop to the point that they can suck, swallow, and breathe; so for now the feeding goes through a tube.

When the babies are sleeping the nurses put a cloth over the eyes as premie babies' eyelids aren't thick enough to keep light out and the retinas develop better when it is dark.

We couldn't be more pleased and we are so grateful for the help of the nurses. Ann-Marie is able to rest now and is slowly recovering.

Announcing Names!

2009-09-25T10:42:00.002-06:00

We have decided on names for our daughters!

Baby A is Annie Reva Bott (Annie after Ann-Marie, Reva after Ann-Marie's Grandma Nelson whose first name is Reva).

Baby B is Gracie Annette Bott (Gracie because of the Grace of God sending us these babies, Annette after Ann-Marie's Mom).

Baby C is Ruthie Marie Bott (Ruthie after Anthony's Grandma Bott whose name was Ruth, and Marie after both Ann-Marie's Grandma Krueger whose name was Marie and of course Ann-Marie's name).

We are planning on calling them just by their first names, Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie; but we wanted to add middle names as a reminder to them of their ancestry.

Pictures of Ann-Marie's visit to the NICU on Sep 24

2009-09-25T09:17:00.014-06:00

Baby A
Baby A

Baby A

Baby B

Baby C

More Pictures of Delivery Day!

2009-09-24T23:02:00.013-06:00

Ann-Marie about 1/2 hour before delivery.

Anthony in white clothes to watch C-section

Baby A - Leading the charge!

Baby B - our littlest one!

Baby C - Last but not least!

Check out this team of doctors (Babies B and C)!

Ellis is now a big brother!

We're all smiles after the delivery!

Happy Birthday Triplets!

2009-09-24T22:23:00.002-06:00

Around 4 p.m. Ann-Marie turned to me and said, "I'm starting to feel the contractions stronger now". So I went and told the nurse. The nurse checked Ann-Marie's cervix and she had dilated to a 4. By 4:30 p.m. Dr. Jacob came in and checked her cervix and she had dilated to a 6. Dr. Jacob had the anesthesiologist come right in and give Ann-Marie the epidural. By 6 p.m. the epidural was in and Dr. Jacob checked the cervix one more time and Ann-Marie had dilated to an 8. So they immediately wheeled Ann-Marie into the operating room and by 6:30 our little angels were born and took their first breaths!!

Utah Valley Regional Hospital is incredibly well prepared for babies (one of the best in the world). There were two doctors and 18 nurses all standing by to handle the delivery of the triplets and they did a fabulous job. From the delivery room they went right into the NICU and there were four nurses to every baby and they were working furiously to get them all ready. The head neonatologist said the babies were doing better than he thought they would. They do have little breathing machines to make breathing a little easier and incubator type machines are keeping them nice and warm. They also inserted a tube through each of their belly buttons to use as a feeding tube for the short term. The doctors estimate the babies will be in the NICU for two to three months.

What a miracle. I won't ever forget seeing three babies being pulled from Ann-Marie's uterus. Ann-Marie is doing amazingly well and is focusing now on recovery.

How can we thank everyone enough for their many prayers? You have all played a vital role in the amazing delivery and health of these babies.

I now have length measurements as well.

Baby A 15.5 inches (Weight was 2 lb 13 oz)
Baby B 14 inches (Weight was 2 lb 8 oz)
Baby C 15 inches (Weight was 2 lb 15 oz)

2009-09-24T20:22:00.007-06:00

Announcing Baby A, Baby B, and Baby C (born around 6:30 pm)! All are healthy and well. More pictures/details to follow

Baby A ^

Baby B^

Baby C^

Weights:

Baby A: 2 lbs. 13 oz.

Baby B: 2 lbs 8 oz.

Baby C: 2 lbs. 15 oz.

They came out breathing on their own and crying. We are so grateful. Thank you to everyone for your prayers!!

Day 6 in Hospital (Wednesday)

2009-09-23T20:17:00.002-06:00

Thankfully not a lot to report for today. The "mag" level is at 1.5 grams per hour and will probably stay that way for awhile. The doctor now approved that Ann-Marie can get out of bed to use the restroom. The doctor also approved to move Ann-Marie from an all liquid diet to a regular diet. Contractions continued throughout the day and Ann-Marie feels them, but they are not extremely painful for her.

We are just grateful that Ann-Marie is still pregnant for another day. Hopefully I'll have many days to report like this!

Day 5 in Hospital (Tuesday)

2009-09-22T22:35:00.005-06:00

First another thank you to all of you for your love and support, we are SO appreciative. Thank you for the nice comments you make, I read them to Ann-Marie and they cheer us up. These comments and your prayers are wonderful. Please don't feel any pressure or obligation to call or visit. With Ann-Marie on complete bed rest (not even allowed out of bed to go to the bathroom-the nurses have their ways to still accomodate for this while she's on the bed) we both keep busy just trying to get Ann-Marie comfortable, fed, etc. and we're really not able to take many phone calls or visits.

Until noon Ann-Marie was on 3 grams per hour of "mag" which is A LOT. At noon the doctor reduced it to 2, and after dinner reduced it to 1.5. At 3 grams per hour she was very hot and her muscles were so relaxed throughout her body that she could hardly move or talk. By tonight at 1.5 grams per hour she was doing better. (The "mag" makes Ann-Marie so hot that we keep the room very cold and I have to keep a blanket around me.)

Contractions are still irregular, although they are more frequent now. They came about every 4 to 6 minutes. However, they have not been really painful. When they are painful, then the doctors will check her cervix again, and if it's reached a five the doctors will likely begin the C-section. As for now they see no need to check the cervix. When Ann-Marie is sleeping the contractions space out a little more, about once every 8 to 10 minutes.

We've really had some spiritual experiences through all this. The biggest thing made clear to us is these babies will come in the Lord's timing. We've done our best and now we turn to Him for guidance and help.

Day 4 in Hospital (29 Weeks!)

2009-09-22T07:24:00.002-06:00

Day 4 in the hospital (Monday, Sep 21) started out great, Ann-Marie was only on nifedipine, but the evening was another night of contractions.

I left late morning for a job interview in Salt Lake City, and Ann-Marie called me in the early afternoon telling me the contractions had started again. I raced back to the hospital and Ann-Marie was having contractions about every two minutes and they were as powerful as ever. So the doctors hooked her back up to the IV and put in an increased dosage of magnesium sulfate ("mag" as they refer to it here in the hospital). The doctor that day was Dr. Jacobs and he checked her cervix and she had dilated from a 1 on Friday to a 3 (they didn't check on Saturday or Sunday because contractions were so few and everytime they check Ann-Marie it stirs things up). The increase in dilation and contractions confirm that Ann-Marie will be in the hospital from now until delivery.

By 8 or 9 p.m. last night we thought the babies may very well come. If the uterus has done all it can, it doesn't matter the medication, the babies must be delivered. Also, if the cervix dilates to a 5 the babies must be delivered because they are so small at 29 weeks they could even fit through the cervix. The doctors obviously don't want this as they need a very orderly and under control C-section for the health of the babies.

However, the babies so far have not come and it's Tuesday morning. The contractions are irregular and come about 3 or 4 every hour. Ann-Marie is very drugged up with all the "mag" and is just trying to rest. She has not slept very well as she is thinking about how the babies are doing and the nurses have done continous monitoring all night long.

From the monitoring the babies don't look like they are under any stress at all. They appear to be very healthy.

Day 3 in the Hospital

2009-09-20T19:24:00.002-06:00

Day 3 (Sunday) so far has been a great day. Contractions are now irregular and only show up once or twice an hour and Ann-Marie doesn't even feel them. In the morning the doctor gave the instruction to reduce in half the amount of magnesium sulfate (goes into Ann-Marie via IV). The result was Ann-Marie became more and more alert throughout the day. Around 8 p.m. the nurses will remove the magnesium sulfate - YEAH!

After that the nurses will give Ann-Marie nifedipine every four hours (an oral medication that helps the uterus relax). If the contractions stay under control with the nifedipine, she will continue to take it until her body is ready to deliver.

We'll watch Ann-Marie through the night to see if the contractions start up again. Hopefully not, and the doctors and nurses will just continue to monitor for any changes. As for long term we don't know if Ann-Marie will come home or stay in the hospital. The doctors will make that decision based on how everything goes from here.

We sure are grateful for everyone's prayers! We feel them and know that they are being answered. Thank you for your love and support.

Spirits are High!

2009-09-19T21:10:00.003-06:00

We just wanted to add a quick post to say that Ann-Marie and I are feeling good and our spirits are high! From the babies' heartbeats they appear to be as happy as can be. Ann-Marie's contractions have stayed at about every 10 to 15 minutes, but they haven't been as painful.

Many have asked what they can do to help. You are all so amazing and so thoughtful! Really the best thing is to pray for us. We are hoping and praying that Ann-Marie and the babies make it through all this healthy and happy.

We will try and keep this blog updated so you can know the details.

Thanks again for your love and prayers!

Saturday, Sep 19th, 2009

2009-09-19T18:56:00.002-06:00

Ann-Marie has been very tired all day today. She is still receiving the magnesium sulfate via the IV which relaxes the muscles throughout the body and causes drowsiness; and she slept very little on Friday night because of the severe and frequent contractions.

We are, however, thrilled that the contractions have slowed even more giving us hope that the uterus is not as irritated and that it may be able to hold these babies even longer. Dr. Gammett was our doctor today (he is part of a team with Dr. Thorpe of rotating doctors). He came in and explained that the girls are absolutely doing great and that the issue is to see how much Ann-Marie's uterus can handle. He told us to plan on staying in the hospital until the babies are born.

A neonatologist came in this afternoon and told us about the probable situation of the babies if they were born at 28 weeks. The chances of survival are very high, around 90%. He said they would probably be in the NICU for three months, they would likely struggle with breathing, eating, and body temperature. Infections in the stomach and lungs are also possible, but the chances are pretty small. We are grateful for qualified and competent doctors and nurses.

Activities on Friday, Sep 18th (28 weeks, 4 days)

2009-09-19T18:14:00.004-06:00

Ann-Marie woke up early on Friday, Sep 18th with intense back pain. By 11 a.m. Ann-Marie started having contractions. At 1 p.m. we went into Dr. Lamoreaux's office and she started having contractions every three minutes and the Doctor told her to go directly to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center. Dr. Thorpe became our OBGYN at this hospital.

To try and stop the contractions the nurse gave Ann-Marie nifedipine. This unfortunately did not work and the contraction pains were so intense that the nurse gave her a shot of morphine. Then the doctor went to the second line of defense to stop the contractions by having the anesthesiologist insert an IV and start magnesium sulfate. With the IV the doctor told us we would spend the night in the hospital. Contractions were coming about every 2 minutes at this point.

The doctors and nurses then felt like they needed to prepare for the possibility of the babies being delivered since her uterus showed such resistance to the medication. The nurse gave Ann-Marie a shot of steroids that are designed to strengthen the babies' lungs and a shot of antibiotics for the babies.

Around 10 p.m. we had an unexpected but welcome visit from Dr. Lamoreaux. He comforted Ann-Marie letting her know that she has done amazingly well this pregnancy and that the fact she went 28 weeks without any contractions was above and beyond what he thought would happen. He said that now that she's in the hospital she need just focus one day at a time and reminded us that every day in the womb is worth 3-days in the NICU.

Through the night Ann-Marie needed another shot of morphine and about 12 pillows to try and get comfortable. Sleeping proved to be difficult as she had four monitors on her stomach, one for each baby and a fourth to measure the contractions which slowed to about every four minutes. When Ann-Marie needed to move, the babies also moved, which meant the nurse had to come in and adjust the monitors which kept her awake even longer. Twice the nurse had to bring in the ultra sound machine to find where each heartbeat was so as to know where to put the monitors.

By 3:30 a.m. the contractions had slowed to every 5 to 8 minutes. By 5:30 a.m. the contractions had slowed to about every 8 to 10 minutes.

Again we thank all of you for your many prayers. We are so grateful for them and we are so hopeful that the babies can stay inside Ann-Marie. The doctors don't really think it's realistic, but we are still hopeful she can reach 35 weeks before she delivers. That of course means 6 more weeks for Ann-Marie to be in the hospital.

28 Weeks!

2009-09-15T12:04:00.008-06:00

On Sep 14th Ann-Marie reached her 28-week mark. Ann-Marie and I also went to the doctor's office that day for our regular weekly visit and the doctor was all smiles because everything is going so smoothly. At 28 weeks babies have a 90% chance of survival. So now that we've reached 28 we are striving for 30, then 32, and so on. Ann-Marie's personal goal is 35 weeks.

The doctor measured Ann-Marie's stomach and she measured 43 centimeters (the doctor informed us that centimeters normally closely resemble the week of pregnancy for a singleton, so compared to a singleton Ann-Marie is measuring at 43 weeks). Two weeks ago Ann-Marie measured at 35 centimeters, so these babies are really growing now. He also asked if Ann-Marie has had any contractions and she said no. The doctor then checked her cervix which is still closed, and he had us do a fibronectin test which came back negative again (which means Ann-Marie is not likely to go into labor within the next two weeks). We are so grateful that everything is going so well and we thank all of our friends and family for their numerous prayers on our behalf that are helping us so much.

Ellis loves his Mom and little sisters!

Ann-Marie is drinking lots of fluid, keeping her feet up as much as possible, and trying to take it slow. Obviously the less stress placed on her body increases the likelihood the babies will stay inside longer.

Doctor's Visit at 27 Weeks

2009-09-12T20:46:00.001-06:00

We had another fantastic visit with the perinatologist this week. The girls are doing really well! They did the full measurements this time, and everything looks good. The girls are all around 2 lbs. each (2 lbs., 2 lbs. 4 oz. and 1 lb. 14 oz.) and the doctor was pleased. They measured to be about 26 weeks, compared with a singleton baby, which is really good for triplets. The perinatologist told us that they would each probably always measure a little smaller than what a singleton baby would be, even after they’re born, but that’s to be expected with three at once! We are also really hoping to make it to at least 30 weeks. The doctor said she’d be happy if we made it to 32 weeks, and anything after that would be wonderful. My personal goal is still to really try and have them at 35-36 weeks, which would be the first part of November. We’re just taking things a day at a time, knowing that everything is really in God’s timing.

The girls’ positions are starting to be more fixed, since space is becoming more and more limited. I’ve felt them move constantly this week. When they were measured, Baby A’s head was down really low and her feet went up to my right side. Baby B’s head was in the middle of my right side with her feet horizontally across my belly to the left side. And Baby C’s head was on my left side by my ribs and her body was horizontal with her feet on my right side. It’s quite the party in there! I think it’s cute that where one of the baby’s feet is, another baby’s head begins. I think they like being together. (phew! :) )

Our Fishing Trip on Labor Day!

2009-09-09T09:53:00.009-06:00

Ellis, the true fisherman! He's been begging us to take him for weeks, so we finally went on Monday. We didn't catch any fish, but we sure caught a lot of plants in the water. Ellis learned how to cast his fishing pole pretty well while we were there.

Ellis and Ann-Marie at a pond about 5 minutes from our house.

Ellis and Anthony taking a break after a couple of hours of fishing!

Ann-Marie at 27 weeks! She had a little more energy this week and was able to come and watch Anthony and Ellis do a little fishing.

Ultrasounds

2009-09-08T16:37:00.004-06:00

These are the ultrasound pictures up until the end of August. How adorable our little girls are! If you want to see the pictures up close, click on the album.

Family & Friends Shower

2009-09-02T13:45:00.003-06:00

Thanks again to everyone who came or are thinking about us and supporting us. Here are some pictures from our shower last Saturday to go with my post from a few days ago.

Big Brother Ellis

2009-09-01T21:23:00.007-06:00

Ellis started Kindergarten which was a big event for all of us.

He's so excited to have 3 sisters and to be a big brother!

For years, Ellis has been telling us that he's "practicing to be a big brother!" We know he'll be a great one!

26 Weeks and Still Going "Strong"!

2009-09-01T21:13:00.002-06:00

I had another doctor’s appointment today with my OB, and everything looks great! The girls are growing and each has their pockets of fluid that they need. Their hearts all look good. The doctor seemed really positive. Now, we’re just trying to make it at least 2-4 more weeks! And really, we’d love to make it 9 or 10 more weeks. We’re hopeful that all will go smoothly. My cervix is still closed, and the fetal fibronectin test (to see if I will most likely go into labor in the next 2 weeks) came back negative.

I’m feeling much better today. Thanks for your love and prayers!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

2009-08-31T22:09:00.003-06:00

We had another wonderful shower this weekend, and it was so fun to see family and friends whom we haven't seen in a long time! Triple thank you to all of those who could be there and share in our celebration. And another triple thank you to all of you who couldn't make it but who sent gifts, prayers, and best wishes our way. We are overwhelmed by your generosity. I came home from the shower and just cried. I feel so loved. We live in a wonderful world with good, amazing, caring people all around us. We know that angels are among us, and you are all angels! Anthony and I are so touched by your thoughtfulness and generosity, encouragement and prayers. We don't even know how to begin to thank you for all that you have done and are doing for us. We hope someday that we can reach out to others as you have reached out to us. We have had many people that we don't even know tell us that they are praying for us. Everyone's love and support means so much to us. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

I also want to thank my sister, Erica, cousin, Jeni, and sisters-in-law Karen, Carissa, and Carrie, and friends, Cindy, Alicia, and Kelly for all their work in putting the shower together. I'm also grateful for my mom and mother-in-law for their support and help with everything and for many other friends and family who helped us have a great occasion.

Erica, Jeni, and Karen also insisted that I start this blog, and so they basically created it for me and did everything so that all I need to do is post (since I really don't know very much about blogging.) Thank you! I'm actually a little bit nervous by how many people have told us that they are checking our blog for updates. I hope it's worth reading. Thanks to countless others who are with me in the up days and the down days. I love you all so much!

24 and 25 Weeks Along and Counting!

2009-08-26T18:00:00.001-06:00

We reached a huge milestone of 24 weeks, and we’re very grateful! The doctor told us that babies can survive after 24 weeks; they often have problems, but they can survive. Our next goal is 28 weeks. Once we get there, most of the issues that preemies have can be cleared up in the hospital. So, we’re grateful to be moving along! And then, we're really hopeful to reach 34 plus weeks. Making it to 35 or 36 weeks would be great!

At 24 weeks, I hit a little slump. I felt a lot of pressure in my uterus, and it became harder for me to walk. The doctor told me to keep my feet up as much as possible, and that helped a lot. I also had several tests, and the results were very positive. My cervix is closed, it doesn’t look like I’ll be going into labor in the next 2 weeks, and we’re all really grateful for that. They took a urine sample and I found out this week that I have a urinary tract/bladder infection, hence the pressure and some other symptoms that go along with that. I’ve been taking antibiotics this week, and we’re hopeful that it should clear up. I’m tired and slowing down. But the babies are doing great!

We went to the perinatologist this week for my 25 week visit, and the babies were all moving around having a great time. Their hearts all look great. They had all their feet down by my bladder. It was cute to see 6 feet and 3 little bums down there! They seem to be the best of friends already. They still have space to move all around, and the doctor told us that they probably would be able to move wherever they want for a few more weeks. After that, space will be tighter.

The perinatologists aren’t as concerned with them getting twin-to-twin chorion transfusion disease. They all have enough fluid around them and are growing well.

Ellis came with us to the visit with the perinatologist, and he loved seeing his sisters and figuring out which body parts were which. They were confusing all of us, including the doctor, with who was who, because they kept moving all around!

We’re so happy and grateful to be moving forward, as slow as I am, and we appreciate all of your love, support, and prayers! We feel them daily, and we love you!

25 Week Pictures

2009-08-23T20:13:00.005-06:00

24 Week Pictures

2009-08-23T20:03:00.008-06:00

Sandy Shower

2009-08-17T16:13:00.004-06:00

We love all of our friends and neighbors in Sandy and miss them. These are pictures from the shower they had for me last week. Click on the pictures to see them bigger. We feel so much love and support from them. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

A Father's Perspective

2009-08-17T06:30:00.003-06:00

My perspective the day we heard about the triplets was one of disbelief and laughter; I just couldn't comprehend it and I didn't know what else to do but laugh. I kept smiling and looking at Ann-Marie to watch her reaction. I was so happy, yet at the same time my mind started racing about how one provides for three babies at once. I've learned since that time that "one" isn't able to provide for all three, but that it takes an entire family, extended family, friends, and neighbors. May I express thanks to so many of you for your prayers, generosity, and support. We love you and thank you.

So with the news of triplets, we rather suddenly moved beyond our four-door sedans. After talking to a lot of friends, the consensus was a mini-van over an SUV. I've always been a mini-van person (so I'm an accountant and I like better gas mileage, less expensive insurance, and better use of space), but Ann-Marie is an SUV person (so much more fun and sporty!) so when she was convinced that a mini-van was better I was pleasantly surprised. The issue mainly came down to loading three carseats into a vehicle, mini-vans accomodated for this so much better. We've decided what we want, now just selling one of our cars and finding the right time to buy.

One interesting thing Ann-Marie and I learned at the ultrasounds from the nurses is that they are seeing a lot more multiple births, both from invitro and other fertilization techniques as well as spontaneous (no intervention) reasons.

Today marks 24 weeks, we're hoping for 28 and if we reach that we're hoping for 34!

23 Weeks

2009-08-14T16:15:00.003-06:00

The perinatologist visit last Tuesday went really well. The babies are doing well, which is always a huge relief and blessing. The babies on my left side and middle both are 1 lb. 6 oz. The baby on my right side is a little bit smaller, weighing 1 lb. She also said that they are all about 6 inches. The perinatologist told us that they would keep an eye on the smaller baby to make sure that she continues to grow. So far, she and her sisters all have plenty of amniotic fluid around them to continue receiving nutrients and have room for growth. The doctor told us that with triplets, if their weight is within 32% of each other, that is still good. So we are grateful for this miracle and that everything appears to be moving along well.

It was cute, because when the doctor did the ultrasound, all of the girls were breech, with their heads up top, their bums under my belly, and their feet below that. Tic-tac-toe, three in a row! If you divide my belly into three sections vertically, they each have an area that they kind of stay in (left, middle, right). They move all around in their little area still, but they kind of keep to their general section. It’s pretty crazy when they all start moving around, especially at night. I can feel them well now, and sometimes it’s quite the party!

I went to the orthopedic surgeon for my foot the following day and found out good news… it’s not broken! Yeah! It seems to have been badly bruised, and if it does have a small fracture, it should heal on it’s own. So, no cast or surgery! I’m so grateful for that! Everything should be healed up within the next few weeks.

I had a great baby shower with dear friends where we used to live. Thank you so much to each of you who participated and for being so wonderful, thoughtful, and generous, and for helping us get ready for these babies! I loved seeing you and giving you hugs.

Thanks again to each of you who are praying for us at this time. I feel your prayers and know that God is hearing them and answering them. We are blessed to have such wonderful family and friends. And we love you!