4 Weeks Old and Milestone Week...

   Wow - we can hardly believe the girls are 4 weeks old today, which puts them at 35.4 weeks and boy how they changed in four weeks! For starters, they have each gained over a POUND and seem so big to us - especially when we think back to those first few days. As of last (Friday) night:

Ryann weighed in at 5 pounds 5 ounces

Brynley weighed in at 4 pounds 3 ounces

Hadley weighed in at 4 pounds 4.8 ounces

Secondly, I believe last Saturday I wrote that each of the girls had begun nippling (i.e. taking bottles) at some of their feedings. At first they got 1-2 bottles (out of 8), then last weekend they were bumped up to 4 (every other)... by Wednesday they were at 6 of 8! Thursday was their first full day of 6 bottles and boy could we tell on Friday just how much effort that took. They were TIRED Friday morning! Those six bottles plus a bath sure did tucker them out. And yes, that's right, we learned how to do a swaddle bath on Thursday afternoon. They all seemed to really enjoy it and no one had an accident in the tub this round... I'm sure that won't last long! Now Travis and I will be giving baths every three days... whew - we're getting tuckered ourselves.
   Brynley and Hadley still have their cannula's but they are only on 1/2 litre of oxygen - little by little they're improving. The doctor finds it 'interesting' that they do so well with their bottles and yet still need oxygen... they're funny little peanuts that's for sure!
   It seems Ryann may be breaking out of the NICU sometime this next week! She's doing quite well and this morning we did a pre- and post-nursing weigh-in... yesterday when she didn't finish her bottle at her 11:00 feeding we all found it quite odd. However, she's been nursing really well and then finishing off the second half of her feeding by bottle - so we kind of wondered just how much she was consuming while nursing... we got our answer this morning. The little squirt drank 46 mL's in 20 minutes! She only gets 48 mL's - so she basically consumed her entire amount plus another 25 mL's - no wonder she was still full yesterday! The nurses are fairly amazed with the little piglet - they're typically impressed if a baby transfers half... she really is a rockstar! However, Travis and I think she just really wants to be at home for the Super Bowl next weekend! ha! The girls are all super excited about the Packers - last week they were very excited for the game (see below to check out their fan gear). One of their nurses is a huge Packer fan and came running in after the game to give them each a high five! Their crib even got a few decorations... they are their father's daughters!
   Aunt Bre arrived on Wednesday night and was there just in time to hold each of her nieces! Gama Sue was pretty jealous, but she'll be down this next week and will get her fill then! Travis' aunt and uncle stopped through for a couple of nights on their way to San Diego. Aunt Parilee held each of her great nieces and helped change a couple diapers... you hold her, you change her! I think that will be our mantra from here on out! There were also all around to witness bath time - I think Travis and I were more entertaining to watch than the girls! Those girls are slippery suckers when they're wet! 
   At any rate, that's about all there is to report - the girls are growing and changing daily... it's so wonderful to see and it's likely they'll all be home sometime in the next month (fingers crossed)! Below are a few pictures from our week, but again, if you want to view more please visit our shutterfly site: http://pleggmiles.shutterfly.com/. Happy February... where did January go?!

Above & Below: Packer fans already!

Go Pack Go!!!

Above: Aunt Bre with Ryann

Below: Brynley... oh the drama! She slept like this for quite awhile

Above: Miss "C" - Hadley Marie

Below: Miss "B" - Brynley Cade

Above: A very sleepy Miss "A" - Ryann Gale

Below: Family time - Mom, Dad and Hadley

 Below: Parilee and Ryann

Some video...

Here are a couple videos of the girls... The first is of Brynley cashed out on mom after eating... she loves having her hands under her chin! The second is of Ryann who was wide awake to greet me one morning last week. We were waiting for the doctor to come look at her bum - she (and now her sisters) has a rash on her bottom! The last one is of the girls all sharing one crib - such big girls!

Three weeks old!

   Happy three weeks! Hard to believe it's already been three weeks and my how the girls have changed! They are now 34 and a half weeks and are figuring out how to suck, swallow, and breathe all at the same time. In fact, they're pretty darn good at it - what can we say, we have some geniuses on our hands!

This weeks highlights...

   Miss Brynley had a big week and is starting to pack on the pounds. Both her and Hadley are about to hit the 4 pound mark! At the beginning of the week the doctor decided to put Brynley on the high flow oxygen which has more moisture than the low flow - I guess she was sounding a little dry. A couple days later Hadley also went back on the high flow... however, by Friday they were both off the high flow and back to the low flow - it's hard to keep track of these girls already! While they're still on oxygen, their main need for it is during feedings - it's very hard work to digest, breathe, swallow, suck... who can blame them for sometimes forgetting to breathe and turning blue?! Miss Hadley began rooming in with her sister (Ryann) on Tuesday and was able to keep her temperature up as she snuggled her sister (picture below). On Friday Brynley also moved in with both her sisters to the open air crib! This was the first time we saw our three little angels all together on the "outside"! I think it brought tears to our eyes... it also was a bit overwhelming to see them altogether - it finally hit home that we'll be bring THREE babies home with us one of these days! Though we're not sure how Ryann feels about the girls crowding her space yet again,  she's so laid back she doesn't seem to mind too much!
   Brynley probably had the story of the week... Thursday was a rough day for her - wait, not for her, for US! At lunch Dad came to see the girls as he always does - he takes their temps and changes their diapers... such a good dad already! Anyway, as he was changing Brynley she decided to have some fun with and on him! Travis waited her out for a bit (we've caught on to some of her tricks) and she did her business, so he proceeded as normal - but then Brynley thought she might as well tell him what she thought about having to stay in her incubator while her sisters were in the big girl bed. As he got the old diaper off and went to fasten up the new diaper, Bryn decided to poo all over her daddy's hands an the back wall of the isolate! As our nurse that day said - it required a two person clean up. The best part is that the little peanut still managed to keep her outfit clean! I don't think her father was too impressed with her trick, but it sure made me laugh as the storied was relayed first by him and then later by our nurse! Bryn wasn't quite done for the day however... I nursed her that evening - and she did a stellar job - then I proceeded to hold her while she was gavage fed (through the tube - they assume that the girls don't transfer much nursing yet since they're still so little). While we assume the girls don't transfer much while nursing (and are rather 'practicing') Bryn fooled us yet again, because at the end of her feeding she first spit up on me and then proceeded to throw-up on me! I'm sure that won't be the last time that happens... poor little lady got a little too full! Now when she nurses they cut back on how much they feed her gavage-style!

In other news...

   ALL the girls are now taking a bottle every other feeding! Hadley and Brynley took the bottle much better than any of us expected... they finished the whole thing the first time out! When we gave our first bottle to Ryann we were told if they finish a quarter or half that was perfectly fine and quite good... needless to say, our girls like their food! The only problem is that they finish their bottle a little too fast and pay the price (acid reflux) after... but they're getting a little better with each bottle. The main reason for this is that when they're gavage fed it's over 50+ minutes, so when they take their bottle in under 20 minutes it's a little hard on their systems! They're being weaned down to help them overcome this little issue. Ryann has yet to finish her entire bottle for one of us (she does for the nurses at night however) and she's quite the ham during her touch times... She's usually wide awake while we take her temperature and change her diaper and gets super excited to eat - in fact, she starts off a little too fast with her bottle and gets tired about three-fourths of the way through, at which point she falls asleep and cannot be woken up. Rather, she sits lies there asleep with a little smile on her face! Once she's down nothing wakes her up (not even her sister flinging her arm in her face)!
   We're getting to know our girls and each of their little quirks and personalities... it's so fun watching them grow and develop. As of Friday (1/21), their weights are as follows: Ryann - 4 pounds 9.6 ounces; Brynley - 3 pounds 12.4 ounces; Hadley - 3 pounds 13.6 ounces. Ryann seems like such a little chunk to us now... she actually has some little rolls! Brynley and Hadley have these big bellies and little bird legs (their bellies fill out first, then their faces, and finally their booties and legs, or so we're told!) Coming up on Thursday we'll be learning how to give them a bath! Supposedly it can be quite entertaining... luckily Aunt Bre will be in town and has already been volunteered to video it for us! Guess that's about it for this week. We feel so incredibly blessed that the girls are doing as well as they are - since we have nothing to compare it to, we sometimes take it for granted that they're as healthy as they are! Here's to another good week! Oh - and GO PACKERS!

Growing, growing, growing... 2 Weeks!

   Hard to believe that the girls are already two weeks, yet it feels like they've been in our lives forever! Perhaps that's because we've been thinking and talking to them for so long... now to get them big and strong enough to come home!
   The girls are all doing quite well. The doctor's have pretty much said that they are on "cruise control" for the time being - a good thing meaning they just need to get bigger and stronger, which they'll do in time! Below is a quick update on each of the girls...

RYANN GALE

   Ryann is still the "trailblazer" of the trio, she must really want to get out of the hospital and come home with us - not that we blame her! Last week was a big week for her - she made it to the four pound mark and is now in a "big girl bed" (an open air bassinet). Gama Sue and Grandma and Grandpa Miles as well as Aunt Hilary have all gotten to hold Miss Ryann! She also has begun trying breastfeeding (once a day she practices for a bit before being fed through her feeding tube). And on Saturday (her two-week birthday), she got to try a bottle! We were told not to expect much, but she drank 3/4 of the bottle before falling asleep! They tire quickly - sucking and swallowing is hard work! Babies technically aren't supposed to be able to suck, swallow, and breathe until 34 weeks - which is why were told not to expect much... however Ryann doesn't care about what she's supposed to and not supposed to be able to do! For the time being, she gets to try to nurse once a day and she gets a bottle once a day. As of today (1/17), she is 4 pounds, 4 ounces and gets 36 mL's at each feeding - as well as her 24 calories, vitamins, and beneprotein.

BRYNLEY CADE

   Brynley is still as feisty and sweet as can be! She is constantly on the move and can't seem to keep her feet or hands swaddled as she's supposed to! We continue to tell her to save those calories so that she can grow big and strong, but she just can't seem to help herself! She was cannula-free for about 40 minutes last Friday - very short-lived. She just needs a little extra help still, which is far from uncommon for her age! I also think she just likes to play with the cannula - she has mastered flicking it out with her little finger... one of her nurses is pretty sure it's out of her nose more than it's in! Again, we try to tell her to leave it alone - but so far her listening skills aren't so good! She still has her heart murmur, but it's not quite as prevalent as it was when she was born, Typically this will go away on its own - in fact, in most preemies it usually resolves itself in 72 hours - however, for Miss Brynley it will take a bit longer since she had those heart issues while in utero. They said to expect it to linger for a couple months or so, but they don't seem too concerned at this point. She is now dressed and though she swims in most of her clothes, they sure do look cute on her! She's also gotten to try nuzzling (a prelude to actual nursing). As of today, she is 3 pounds, 7 ounces! She is also on 24 calories, getting vitamins, and beneprotein like her sisters! She's also up to 30 mL's every feeding... pretty soon demand is going to outweigh supply!

HADLEY MARIE

   Miss Hadley is sweet as can be until she gets mad and then it's drama drama drama! Watching her little heart rate climb as she gets so mad is somewhat amusing the poor little dear! I think she might take after her Aunt Bre just a little - she used to hold her breath until she passed out when she got mad! She also still has her cannula, though she was cannula-free for about half a day on Friday. Both her and her sister don't really need the oxygen, it's more the flow that seems to help. She also likes to play with the tube and is becoming an expert at flicking it out of her nose as well! She (and Brynley for that matter) have a unique favorite sleeping position - back arched, head back, mouth open! Not only do they look like their dad, but they sleep like him too! Hadley is also big enough to wear clothes and like both her sisters, seems to like to wear a minimum of two outfits a day! They all tend to have at least once 'explosion' a day to ensure clean clothes and linens! The little stinkers (pun intended)! She has also tried nuzzling and did way better than I'd expected (she's just recently taken to her paci)! Once that cannula comes off she'll be ready to go! As of today she weighs 3 pounds 9.9 ounces, is eating 30 mL's every feeding and is on 24 calories, vitamins, and beneprotein.

IN SUM...

   The nurses continue to amaze us with their knowledge and experience - plus we can tell they love their jobs and the babies! Last Thursday we came in to find Hadley and Brynley with pink little headbands on that their nurse had made during the afternoon! Ryann, because she is in the open bassinet has to wear a hat - but the nurses got creative and made a bow for the little hat! As for Travis and me, we're happy to have the house to ourselves for a bit... we've loved having the company - but with all the excitement over the last couple weeks it will be nice to have a little quiet time before the girls start coming home! I am at the hospital by 8 every morning and am there for about 3 hours, Dad visits the girls during his lunch (he works about 5 minutes from the hospital), and then we go back around 5 for a few hours... at least that's the schedule for now. Once the girls start nursing more than once a day our schedule will change, and who knows when that will be! We have finally learned our lesson and are taking it a day at a time - every time we seem to make a "plan" the girls find a way to change them! On a final note, we still do not know when the girls will be coming home... our guess is that Ryann will come home first, but that's probably at least two weeks out. We continue to upload pictures to our shutterfly site (there are a ton - thanks gama!). But I've posted a few below...

Above: Ryann Gale - 2 weeks

Below: Miss Hadley Marie - 2 weeks

Above: Hadley and Mom

Below: Dad holding Brynley (2 weeks)

Above: Hadley - sooo big!

Below: Dad cupping Brynley's tiny little feet

Above: Miss Brynley Cade - 2 weeks

Below: Grandma Miles with Ryann

Above: Gama Sue with Ryann

Below: Ryann and Brynley's hands.... I kangarooed them at the same time and they were trying to figure each other out!

 Above and Below: Ryann and Brynley kangarooing with mom... they were so sweet!

IV-Free!

   A quick update for each of the girls....

RYANN GALE

Ryann continue to be a "rock star" (as said by both one of the doctor's and the developmental therapist)! She's leading the pack and will probably continue to do so for at least the next few weeks. She is gaining weight slowly, but surely and is enjoying her 24-calories as well as her 36 or 40 ccs of milk every three hours! It's hard to keep track of who's eating how much these days, it seems to constantly change - but I think she's pretty much maxed out. Now we're just waiting for her to get to 1800 grams to G'ma and G'pa can hold her... but that might have to wait until their next trip down (they only gain about 15 grams or 0.5 ounces a day). She's also slowly being weaned down on the incubator's temp - hopefully she'll be ready to switch to a bassinet by the time she reaches that 1800 grams as well (she has to be able to keep her temperature up). Like her sisters, she's a pooping machine! Yesterday when Travis went to change her diaper during his lunch time she tried to catch him off guard, luckily he waited her out before removing the old diaper! Then, this morning I walked in to see her nurse wiping down the SIDE of her incubator - she'd had an explosion of some sort during the night... she'll probably love that I shared this information in about 10 years!

BRYNLEY CADE

Brynley's IV was removed on Monday! Another tube gone - yeah! Her and her sister Hadley are quite the feisty little girls (or so each of their nurses have told us)... They don't stop moving, despite our pleas to save their calories! Brynley still has her cannula and will for probably some time to come. She's still forgetting to breathe off and on, and tends to have quite a few "brady's" - especially when her tummy gets full! These are very, very common for preemie babies and something they grow out of between 35 and 37 weeks. Luckily she doesn't have too terribly many, and she tends to recover on her own - otherwise the nurse or one of us stimulate her by rubbing gently on her back as a reminder to BREATH! Her and Hadley are still on caffeine as well (it also helps remind her to breathe, interesting huh?!) She caught me off guard on Monday, just after Ryann had her fun with Dad... I was changing her diaper and also tried waiting her out - but I didn't wait long enough as it turns out! She did her duty so I began changing her diaper... unfortunately she decided she wasn't quite finished and proceeded to poop on my hand and her swaddle bed! These girls like to go through their linens. We got it all cleaned up though and I'm sure it won't be the last time.

HADLEY MARIE

   Miss Hadley got her IV out this morning! Meaning all the girls are IV FREE! She was the last of our unicorns... our biggest hold-out, she didn't get the IV in her head until the last day. She was very bright-eyed today and was such a snuggle-bug during our kangaroo time. Like Brynley, she still has her cannula and is on a bit more oxygen than her sister at 2 liters. She also tends to have a few brady's throughout the day as do both her sisters. However, the nurse can't quite figure out her routine for these spells - she remains a mystery! The nurses have all commented to us how feisty she can be... and she definitely likes her linens changed frequently! The other day her bedding had to be changed out THREE different times! First she kicked out her IV (they still aren't sure how she managed this) soaking her bed and requiring a new IV to be started! Second, she leaked through her diaper all over her bed. The third time was later that evening. I went to change the sweetheart and she'd had a blowout (again requiring new bedding). However, it didn't quite end there... as I went to change her (new diaper under her and parts covered) she sneezed and had another explosion! It was pretty funny to be honest... Other than that, she is concentrated on growing and getting big and strong! In no time she'll be in clothes just like Ryann!

A week of excitement - the *LONG* version

We wanted to record, or rather journal, the details leading up to the girls' birth and their first week in the NICU - not only for those of you interested, but more for the girls at some point in their future... So, here are some of the nitty gritty details.

   We went to our 9:00 doctor's appointment on the 30th not only relaxed, but for once confident that the girls would be scanned fairly quickly and that we'd see the doctor again in 2011. In fact, while we were in the waiting room we discussed what we were going to make to eat for New Year's Eve and Day while we watched all the bowl games! However, our world was about to be changed forever. The sonogram started off perfectly fine, or rather as expected - until Dr. Z came in to take a closer look at the fluid around Baby 'B' (Brynley Cade). After scanning for about 15 minutes he concluded that she only had about 1.5 cm of fluid at her deepest pocket and decided it was time to meet our girls quite sooner than we'd wanted. He called our OB doctor and called ahead to the hospital for admitting purposes. They decided that we'd have two days of steroid treatment and deliver on New Year's Day!
   Needless to say, we were immediately both a little overwhelmed and stressed with all we had left to get done before the babies were supposed to come! I headed home to quickly pack my hospital bag and Travis ran back to work to grab his computer and fill in his boss with our latest development. Before packing my bag, we called our parents/sisters and I also managed to post a quick update on the blog and on Facebook to let friends know. In trying to pack our bag - I had no idea what to pack! not to mention half of what I wanted and had planned on taking was in the laundry (it was on our 'to-do' list for that evening/weekend!). Oh well, Travis stuck stuff in the laundry and promised to bring what I needed back with him to the hospital the next day. So off we went to Plano Presbyterian - they have a level 3 NICU and at least we had pre-registered, etc. back in November! The admission process still took forever - but at least most of it was conducted in our room - or rather, where I'd be staying up until delivery. The nurses wondered how long we'd be there and were disappointed to learn we'd only be there for a couple of days! Most women expecting triplets tend to have longer hospitalized bed rest stays than my quick two day stretch. At least there was football to watch for a couple of days and plenty of good games!
   The steroid treatment consisted of a shot administered in my back-hip-side both on Thursday and Friday. They were reminiscent of the progesterone shots Travis had to give me way back in the summer... not fun, but then again, it could have been worse! They also monitored the babies twice a day - strapping my belly with three fetal monitors, finding each of the girls was lots of fun... They cooperated better earlier on in the day and each took their turn at being "difficult" for the nurses! I'd stay strapped in for about 20 minutes and then I was left alone. Travis went home to sleep and get some things done at the house on Thursday evening, but then stayed in the hospital with me beginning Friday night (until I went home on Wednesday!). One of the NICU doctors came and spoke with us about what to expect in the OR as well as what they anticipated for the babies. We were able to tour the NICU on Friday - they had already gotten the pods where the girls would be ready for the next morning! While it was all a little or a lot overwhelming, we were confident that our girls would get the best of care!
   Dr. Webster came by and confirmed that we would be delivering the girls by cesarean the next morning at 9:00 am. I think all the nurses gave Travis a hard time about missing the tax deduction by 9 hours - he is, afterall, an accountant! However, the steroids needed the two days to really be effective. While I lulled myself to sleep Thursday night by writing most of our Christmas 'thank you's' - luckily I was given a couple of sleeping pills Friday night, otherwise I don't know that I would have gotten much sleep! Friday morning came early and quickly - I took a quick shower and donned my hospital gown. We also managed to get in a few last belly pictures!
   We were then taken down for pre-op and I, like always, almost immediately began shaking. It's the most irritating and uncontrollable feeling, but it happens every time before surgery. They also put the monitors on the babies to keep an eye on them. Travis was my rock as usual - I hate surgery and was quite nervous about the c-section in general. Once we got into the OR things went by FAST! There was quite a crowd in the OR with a nurse, a respiratory therapist and doctor at the ready for each baby, plus the doctors/nurses taking care of me, not to mention the anesthesiologists, and of course Travis! We were out of the OR in less than 45 minutes and the surgery itself only lasted 25 minutes - boy do they do quick work. Baby "A" arrived at 9:15 am and came out wiggling and let out a small cry. Baby "B" followed right behind her, also born at 9:15 am and was also squirming away. Then there was a bit of a pause (and Travis, as I found out later, got real anxious)... two minutes later Baby "C" arrived at 9:17 am. She was pretty high up (I certainly knew that) and wasn't too anxious about greeting the world. However, she was also squirming away! The NICU nurse brought Baby "A" over to see me - of course tearing me up - that's a lot of hormones! However I was only able to see our other two girls from a distance, they needed some extra support for their little 31 week, 4 day lungs! The doctor's assured us that they all looked fabulous considering their gestational age, etc., but I don't know that that made us any less anxious! Travis followed the NICU teams out of the OR and up to the NICU - texting our family in the process... However, G'ma P didn't get the text and was out in the waiting room - I don't think Travis will be living that one down any time soon!
   I was wheeled out and spent some time back in the pre(now post-)-OP room. Travis and my mom came in a short while later and I think I finally stopped shaking about 45 minutes later or so. I also was (finally) given some ice chips - not being able to drink any water since 5 AM drove me crazy, I was drinking a crazy amount of water every day! After awhile (really no idea on time) they wheeled me up to see my girls in the NICU before taking me to my room. I was able to look over from my bed and see each on of our girls and reach into their little incubators to touch their tiny little hands. We had already learned that firm pressure was calming to the babies at this age - stroking them was too stimulating and agitates them quite quickly still. Their sensory system is still very immature. We also decided to go ahead with the names we'd pretty much agreed upon the night before -- the nurses really wanted to know their names... as did G'ma Sue!

Baby "A" = Ryann Gale, weighing 3 pounds 11 ounces, 15 inches long

Baby "B" = Brynley Cade, weighing 2 pounds 14 ounces, 15 inches long

Baby "C" = Hadley Marie, weighing 3 pounds 1/2 ounce, 15 inches long

And yes, there is a rhyme and reason behind the names... Gale is my middle name and actually is representative of my grandparents initials (Gene, Arlene, Lloyd, and Elaine = GALE). Cade is obviously for my brother - and interestingly, I think little Brynley looks a little like him! Maybe just because of how skinny she is! Finally, both Hadley and Marie have meaning... Hadley is a family name - Travis' grandpa's had a brother Hadley and an uncle I believe - though I could be incorrect on that. However, I do know that Phyllis has a second cousin or two that hold the name Hadley. Marie was Travis' grandmother's name and is also both his mom and sister's middle names.
   I'll admit, I was pretty much just plain overwhelmed with seeing them - knowing we now have three children, and yet knowing we couldn't do much for them right at that moment. They took me up to my/our room and got us settled in. I was pretty exhausted, so mom and Travis went to grab some lunch while I took a nap. While they were gone, after I'd gotten a short nap in, the lactation nurses came in and I got my first lesson in pumping, and a schedule to boot! Best of all, while the girls of course would be getting anything and everything I produce, they also are receiving donor milk! Breast milk is especially important for preemies whose little immunity systems are even more immature than term babies (who also need extra immunities). Anyway, we're keeping at it and the girls are getting more and more of my milk everyday - such a way strange experience. Next week Ryann might get to try breastfeeding - she's "practiced" the last couple days and now roots around when Dad holds her as well (ha!). But I'm getting ahead of myself already...
   So, the rest of Saturday was kind of a blur. G'ma & G'pa Miles got to the hospital around 2 and they all went and saw the girls a couple times more. I was on a clear liquid diet for the night/next morning - the broth and jello did taste good! Mom, Gary, Phyllis and Travis all went to dinner and then Travis came back to spend the night at the hospital with me. Sunday came early and my blood pressure was still higher than they liked - it took three days before it came down! I went down a couple times to see the girls - once wheeled down by Travis and the second walking down. I looked like a giant snowman or grizzly bear in my white robe, but I don't think the babies minded! I got to change my first diaper (Ryann's) and take her temperature. They were (and still are) just so tiny, it was kind of intimidating to reach in there and touch them. I think it was Monday before I really started feeling human again - or maybe the drug-haze had finally lifted! Travis went to work all week - he's saving his time off for when the babies come home (no, we do NOT know when they'll be coming home!). However, his work is only 5 minutes from the hospital and they're very flexible about him going back and forth - not to mention working a little from home/hospital if need be. I also got to Kangaroo (skin-to-skin contact) Ryann on Monday! What a wonderful feeling to have her sweet little body against my skin. I got to kanga with Brynley on Tuesday and Hadley on Wednesday morning (right after I was discharged). Travis also is kangarooing with the girls - and it's getting easier as they get more tubes off! It promotes milk production and bonding... which are important, but best of all - we get to hold and snuggle our girls for an hour each day! I don't know if anyone but those who have gone through it can really appreciate this contact... only getting to touch the girls during their touch times (I'll explain that in just a moment) is really hard. The NICU practices a cluster philosophy - they touch the babies only every three hours (unless they really need something or an emergency obviously). The rest of the time they make it very womb-like - the babies are swaddled and cocooned and there is a fleece clothe over their little incubators to keep it dark so the babies can work on growing and developing - as though they are still in the womb! During their touchtimes, we get to take their temperatures, change their diapers, and kangaroo - but we obviously can't be there for every touch time. Currently we're trying to make it to two each day, and we've worked out a system so we each get to hold each of the girls twice a day (Ryann and Hadley's touch times are an hour apart so we can get them both in during one visit).
   I was discharged on Wednesday morning and I actually went straight down to the NICU - and luckily got to hold Hadley for the first time! My mom came to the hospital and visited the girls and is my driver for the time being... It was hard leaving the hospital though - no longer pregnant and without any of our babies. Again, unless you've done it - it's a feeling that you can't explain. It doesn't really matter that we know they're getting wonderful care, by wonderful people (the NICU nurses have been fabulous - we're totally impressed), here we are at home and our children are clear across town in the hospital... not a good feeling, but we're staying positive. In some ways we've been blessed in our preparation... our neighbors have a little boy who was born at 25 weeks! He's now 5, and it's been inspiring to watch him grow and change and develop over the past four years. We go over to our neighbors every Sunday to watch the Packers play - they're wonderful people and I'm amazed at how positive they've remained with everything they've been through. But I've strayed from my point - not only have we learned through them about so many of the machines and whatnot that help the babies, but we've gotten used to the beeps and sounds that go off (constantly in the NICU especially). Regardless, it did help us from being completely overwhelmed when we saw the girls for the first time...
   By the end of the first week, the girls are all off the CPAP. Ryann is actually off of everything - she just has a feeding tube and then little wires that track her vitals. Brynley and Hadley still have a nasal cannula that is clear plastic tubing that is connected to an oxygen source and that has little tubes at the end that allow the oxygen to pass through into a baby's  nasal passages. If you're really interested - here's a pretty good side that explains a lot of the NICU equipment that we might mention in passing without explaining: http://www.edward.org/body.cfm?id=1317. They also both still have their IVs - however, that will be changing very shortly! Brynley might have her's out as early as tomorrow with Hadley shortly behind her. They have also all gotten back to or surpassed their birth weights! We were told to expect them to lose weight the first week, so the fact that they all stopped losing and started gaining on Wednesday was wonderful. So far, only Ryann is wearing clothes - they want them over 1500 grams (3 pounds 5 ounces) before they get to wear anything, and yet they still swim in their little preemie clothes! Each of them had a feeding tube. Their feedings continue to increase with Ryann at 33 ccs, Brynley at 22 ccs, and Hadley at 24 ccs (I think - it constantly changes and is hard to keep track of). They eat every three hours and are given pacifiers for them to begin associating sucking with feeding - interesting huh?! Ryann has actually gotten to "practice" the last couple days - they call it nuzzling, and now even when Travis holds her she roots around looking for the "good stuff"! ha! One of the nurses told us we might get try breastfeeding her as early as late next week - she thinks Ryann might be ready before the 34-week timeframe (that's when babies are said to be 'ready'). Brynley loves her paci and I think she's actually a better sucker than Ryann - so if she gains some weight we'll also get to try with her! Miss Hadley is our feisty little girl and she's definitely catching up with her sisters!
   For now, we're enjoying the time we get to be with them. I've been going in and kangarooing at least twice a day and trying to come home and take a short nap in the afternoon - though I'll admit I'm not a very good patient... and I'm sure both my mom and Travis will vouch for that. There's a chance I might have been overdoing it just a bit - but what can I say, I was on bed rest for 3 months and now that I'm not I don't want to waste time napping! And yes, I do know that I need to recover as well... like I said, not a good patient!
   This morning they moved the girls all next to one another... Ryann and Brynley were moved right next to one another yesterday. So, Travis said today when they wheeled Ryann over (away from Brynley) she woke up and got pretty agitated - not happy that they were taking her sister away! However, she was pushed over closer to her shortly after. And Hadley should be much happier now as well since she's now on the same side as her sisters and much closer. It's kind of funny, but when we're holding Ryann and Brynley, Hadley always let's out a cry and gets pretty upset... it's like she knows! However Ryann doesn't seem to mind when we're holding Brynley and Hadley.... anyway, we were told today that we could hold two of them at the same time if we'd like - though that will get easier once B & H's IVs come out. Finally, the grandparents are anxiously awaiting for the girls to get to 1800+ grams (approximately 4 pounds) so they get to hold their grandbabies!
   So there's the nitty-gritty details for now! If you are trying get a hold of us and we don't ever seem to be around below I've listed the girls' touch times. We usually make one or two of the ones in the morning and then either the 5 or 8 time in the evening.
Ryann: 8-11-2-5 am/pm
Brynley: 8:30 - 11:30 - 2:30 - 5:30 am/pm
Hadley: 9 -12 - 3 - 6 am/pm

   Thanks again for all the thoughts and prayers that have been sent our way - I'm trying to find time to copy all the comments and whatnot for the girls baby books. They are so loved by so many... 

FYI: I've been posting all our pictures on our shutterfly site: http://pleggmiles.shutterfly.com/

 Above: Hadley Marie - 1 week

Below: Ryann Gale - 1 week

 Above: Mom & Ryann - 1 week

Below: Hadley

 Above: Ryann - sooo big!

Below: Brynley

Above: Brynley Cade

5-Day update

   Thanks to you all for your calls, comments, texts, and prayers! The girls are continuing to do well - and changing daily before our very eyes! We have been able to hold all the girls - Kangaroo Care (skin-to-skin contact) is a huge component of their development, and both Travis and I are enjoying that cuddle time with our girls! It's interesting how they just snuggle in and cash out - I have to admit, it's my favorite part of the day. If only there were more time in the day to see/hold each of them!
   I'll write a longer and much more detailed update later on, we're off to the NICU this morning to see the girls. For now - just a quick report...
   Ryann (pronounced ryan) is our little go-getter! She is still in the incubator and will be until she gains some more weight, but will be on room oxygen by the end of day. She's up to 20 cc's (as of last night) for each feeding - seems like every time we go in they're increasing her milk! She's now getting almost all of her nutrition from milk, so her IV might be coming out relatively soon!
   Brynley is still our little peanut and is constantly MOVING! She's so funny, she just can't be still... however, when we did our kangaroo care she just passed out on me - such a little sweetheart! She still is on her CPAP which helps keep her lungs open with a little pressure (so she doesn't have to work quite as hard). She's up to 9 cc's of milk - both her and Hadley had a little trouble digesting at first, which is expected of preemies!
   Hadley is also on her CPAP, but unlike her sister, she seems to be a little more content all snuggled in! She and I had a really nice snuggle time last night! She's at 7 cc's of milk - as of yesterday... It's hard to keep up with these three little ladies!
   We've been told by all the nurses and doctor's that the girls are doing better than they expected for their gestational age - and we're so happy they're getting such wonderful care. I've posted just a few pictures below - but have more posted on our Shutterfly site for those interested: http://pleggmiles.shutterfly.com/2686.
  Hope you all had a wonderful new year! Welcome 2011!

 Above: Hadley enjoying some tummy time! 1/5/2011

Below: Ryann in her first outfit! So big, but so darn cute!

 Above: Brynley enjoying the photo-therapy. They were all on it and are now all off of it, but she's like here mama and enjoyed the sun lamp!

Below: Ryann - no that's not a unicorn, it's her IV! She's such a trouper and such a sweetheart!

It's a little difficult getting many pictures since they're in their little incubators... but we're trying so bear with us! Luckily the grandparents and Travis have taken over the photography...

Introducing.....

     The girls are finally here.  Everyone is doing good!  Ryann Gale 3lbs 11 oz and 40cm.....Brynley Cade 2lbs 14oz and 40cm....Hadley Marie 3 lbs 1/2oz and 40cm.  Here are some pics....in order Ryann, Brynley, and Hadley.  Brynley has a hat on her head due to the sun shinning in so no big deal there!