Test Results are Back: Identical Triplets Confirmed!

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

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!

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!

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

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

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).