The “Everett Effect”

It may have to do with the size of his cranium and the imbalance that causes to the Earth’s gravitational field or more likely it’s because of Grace’s perpetual grunting, but the result is always the same. Whenever we put the babies down we have learned if we don’t place them in the same order, they will not go to sleep, in fact they get quite upset. Once we put them down, no matter how we angle their bodies, Avery will always squirm her body and head around to be facing Everett. Time and time again we move Avery closer to Grace, turn her head to face her, and 10 minutes later she will look like this.

OK now someone pass me my beer...

Well I am still mastering the triple hold, but here is the first shot of the entire handful.

Auntie and others ‘dig right in’

As you can imagine the workload at home has been huge, but lots of folks have either stayed with us or stopped by to help. Here are a couple of shots of some helpers and great one of Aunt Shannon getting introduced to Grace’s business end. We are all very proud of her (Shannon that is) for putting aside her pooh aversion to become intimately acquainted with her niece. Shannon, if your reading this, I wouldn't put your face that close......

Workin’ 9-1-5

Well I am officially on vacation…….well sort of. Everyone keeps telling us, get on a schedule, get on a schedule. What they don’t tell you is what a sadistic schedule it is. The feeding times are 9am, 1pm, 5pm, 9pm, 1am, 5am. It takes about 45 minutes to change, feed, change, swaddle with 3 people and a little over an hour with just Kris and I (I am still working on the 3-way feeding). On paper that leaves over 18 hours for sleeping and ‘other stuff’. In reality it is a nasty, groundhog-day style, perpetual whirlwind. We actually sleep in 1.5 to 2 hour increments during the night and launder, cook, sterilize, eat, and update websites during the day. Working 9 to 5 ain’t got nothin on working 9-1-5.

The First Night (or as I like to call it THE OMEN)

As many new parents tend to do, we disregarded all advice from veteran parents and nurses alike. We slept right next to the babies the first night. That alone might not have been a problem, but due to a significant tactical error at bath time, thing spiraled out of control over night.

Grace, daddy’s first born angel, who was the darling of everyone’s eye in the hospital the day before, transformed overnight into Lucifer’s Little Soldier, Beelzebub’s Babe on a mission straight from hell. The consequence of not feeding her fast enough after her bath, led to her falling asleep with not enough food thereby throwing off her overnight feeding schedule. By trying to hold out and keep her close to the schedule of the other two we were introduced to her pissed off voice which frankly could crack glass. We held strong, and despite feeling a little haggard the next morning, we survived.

Meet you new Brother, Sister, and Sister

Our family was not exactly small to begin with. Now it is simply busting. We are animal lovers and in addition to 2 cats we have 2 very spoiled beagles. Not exactly field predators, our beagles don’t suffer not from much apart from coach sores an obesity. Integrating our new additions into our existing gang is important to Kristen and I so that we can all have fun together for years to come. Here is Riley (the big boned one) and Presley very gently saying hello.

HOMEWARD BOUND!

After over 5 weeks in the hospital it was an teary (yes even Kristen) and nervous departure yesterday. Armed with some formula and diapers to get us going, we signed out the kids, loaded them up into the bus and brought them home! 37 days ago our children we born severely premature. Yesterday we were able to bring three healthy kids home who had doubled in size and tripled in strength. Thank you to everyone who has help along this long tough road.

It took Rick and I over 1/2 an hour to get the stroller from the parking lot to the room and there were no babies in it! The amount of attention it draws is unreal. Typical reaction is 'Oh My God!'. It should be fun taking them to the doctor's next week.

SURPRISE! Yeah right, I lost 20 bucks…..

I am not sure who ended up winning the office pool, but September 20^th is as long as she could hold out. When the children were born early my mom was still in Yellowknife visiting her other grandson (our Godson Gabriel). On the day she returned to Nova Scotia and went back to work, her co-workers started placing bets on how long it would take Deanne to book a flight up to see her 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th grandchild. There was no real rush to get to Sudbury because she had previously scheduled a 3 month leave of absence to come up and help out starting in November. Any gambler knows this had no effect on the Vegas odds of her coming to Sudbury. Highest odds were running for the early days of September, but she managed to hold out till the 3rd quarter of September until she finally cracked and decided ‘logic be damned’. She arrived in Sudbury on Wednesday to “surprise us”. Thanks to Glen for being so understanding, we certainly need her here.

Yeah but can you do three?

The engineer in me is working overtime to find efficiencies, systems, and organizational tactics to make this family of 5 a well oiled (or soiled) machine. I am driving Kristen crazy with “the fastest way to change a diaper’, ‘giving vitamins with the fewest moves’, and ‘bath time in under 6 minutes’. Annoying as I likely am, I hope some sense of order will reduce the frustration and lead to more happy days than sad.

Everybody’s welcome, but be prepared to change a diaper and grab a bottle.

With our move from NICU to the Pediatric floor, the gate was open for everyone to come visit. Although they are still very prone to infection, if you’re healthy, grab a bottle and pick a kid. Lot’s of people have been stopping by and we have been taking advantage of their hands to put everyone through the rounds. Here is Nancy, Jen and others taking turn on bottle detail.

PEDS Training Camp

Last Sunday we were discharged from the NICU and sent to the Pediatric Unit because the kids were progressing so well. That day our lives got a whole lot busier. It was time to start “parenting”. With nurses right outside the door, the reigns were given to Kristen and I to start working out the details of how we going to handle this brood. Close enough to answer any questions, lend a hand in the night, and pass on their knowledge the nurses in Pediatrics gently guided us into the role of Parents. Then they kicked us out. :)

Hey how come those bubbles aren’t soapy?

Mommy and daddy have been blessed with a built in training center at the NICU. I pity the parents who have security escort hem out of the hospital after one day with no instruction book for their baby. We have been able to watch the professional nurses for 4 weeks and pick up tricks and skills that will help us immensely. One of those skills is bathing. It is a skill because you’d be surprised how slippery those little suckers are. So the other day after watching many baths, mom and dad took ‘the plunge’ into the tub scene. Kristen’s was relatively seamless, but when dad’s baby (Avery) felt that nice warm water on her bum, well she let nature take it’s course……..in the tub……and let’s just say preemie pooh is not in log form……… It made for a short bath time.

Stinky, Squirmy, and Sleepy

A.K.A. Grave, Avery, and Everett. Here are a few pictures of the gang loitering around the crib.

Daddy’s Angels

Oh sure, they look Angelic now, but just wait until they are 15 and fighting over the same boy. I will be laying in bed listening to the hair jump out of my head. For now they just melt your heart every time you look at them. Completely different in appearance, it will be interesting watching them grow.

An Emotional Thank You To All

Over the past 4 ½ weeks the gifts, support, and interest from everyone as been staggering. Quite simply in my lifetime I have never felt such a rush of generosity. Since the trio’s birth and Linda’s passing the food has been provided, gifts for the children have poured in, my lawn has been cut, the dogs have been walked, the list is endless. Our neighbor Sue even paid for a parcel (the triple stroller) that was delivered to our house while we were at the hospital! Some anonymous hero mowed my back yard. With two beagles, the kind of courage it took to navigate that minefield could be put to good use in Afghanistan. My heartfelt gratitude goes out to everyone around us. If this is what having children is about, I’m glad I finally made it into the club. We have become richer than our wildest dreams.

Family Support Pours In....

Great-Aunt Marylyn was invited in from the waiting room during a quiet time to see the babies before she heads back to New Brunswick. During this difficult week it is wonderful that she was able to have a small uplifting moment. With all three out in a crib, she was able to share a tender moment. I hope this doen't cause any sibling jealousy from Manitoba or Southern Eastern Ontario. :)

HEAVYWEIGHTS!

All three have surpassed the 4lb mark and the lad has moved from last place to first! Everett 4lb 3oz, Avery 4lb 2oz, Grace 4lb 1oz. Now that their breathing and eating is under control it is time to pack on some pounds to build strength. As much as I enjoyed their diminutive look as it was so adorable, there is strength in weight. Strength is what they need.

Granddad drops in…..from Nova Scotia!

My dad flew up from Nova Scotia for Linda’s memorial Wednesday and during his whirlwind 1-day visit we were able to get him to the hospital to meet his three new grandchildren. He was able to hold all three, but I noticed a definite fixation on Avery. For those who don’t know, Avery’s middle name Elsie is dedicated to his mother (my grandmother) who died when he was young.

Thanks for coming Dad. It meant a great deal to me, but more important is what it meant to Rick.

HEY! You wanna keep it down over there, I’m trying to sleep here……

I cannot express the joy I have in telling you that Avery has joined the party in the crib. Now all three hooligans are sleeping, pooping, farting (Grace), and crying TOGETHER.

The nurses have them aligned as they arrived in this world Grace, Avery, and Everett. They are keeping each other warm and it just about the cutest thing you are ever going to see.

This is the beginning of what I hope is an inseparable life together.

Angels of the NICU

A lot has happened in the last 23 days, not all of it pleasant. Consistent throughout this tumultuous time have been the ‘Angels Of The NICU’. Day, night, weekends, holidays, high times and low; the nurses and doctors of the Intensive Care Unit have cared for both us and our three children.

They have calmed our fears, tutored us on childcare, washed, fed, and loved our babies always with a vigilant eye on their health. Helping a parent through the agonizing journey of a sick child (or three) is a noble profession rewarded most often by nothing more than our gratitude.

Thank You.

Comforting Each Other

Luigi and Louise were with us in the NICU with their son Brandon. Together we watched our children transform from sick to well and took comfort in the fact that we were sharing the experience. I am happy to report that Brandon is now home with his Mom, Dad, and Sister getting used to his new home outside of the unit. Take care, have fun, and we will see you soon.

REUNITED!

What a great day. Today Grace and Everett, who have been progressing really well, were reunited in 1 crib on, the NON-CRITICAL SIDE of the NICU! They were put together, tightly wrapped for warmth in 1 crib, finally out of their Isolets. It is much better as they are now so accessible. A little too accessible as I had to change 5 diapers in about 3 hours. It must also feel somewhat reminiscent of where they spent 7 months together.

Avery was also moved. Still in her Isolet, but into proximity of the crib so that she did not feel left out. If she continues to improve (today they removed her IV), then she too will get a spot in the crib. Considering the traffic around our crib today, once we get all three together, the sight of them will be quite breathtaking.

P.S. - Diregard the picture dates, Kris is still learning. :)

Auntie Shannon swallows her fear and holds her niece....

"Maybe next time." "We'll see tomorrow." RUBBISH. I said sit down in that chair, stood up and simply plopped Avery into auntie's lap (my arm was getting tired). I'm surprised she didn't get severe muscle cramping she was so stiff, but as time went by (and the lactic acidosis set in), she began to say "this isn't so bad." No, no it's not. I doubt there are many things on this earth that feel better.

Everett's First Bottle

Well he may have been the smallest on delivery day, but he has already passed Grace in weight and has beaten both to the bottle. Everett took his first bottle on August 31st. Now we are giving him a bottle every second feeding and he is drinking the whole batch. Today we got Grace started in the process. She took about 5cc and did well. Getting that breathing, drinking, swallowing combination is tougher than you might think. They just learned breathing 2 weeks ago! Avery is next and should be started shortly. They are all doing great. Things are happening faster than we expected, guess that's what parenting is all about.

Cutie Pututies

Look who's finding their maternal instinct!

Does anybody recognize this lady? She kinda looks like my former hard edged wife. Looks like the recent additions are starting to smooth out some of those sharp corners. Anybody who witnesses the 'cooing' lately would be surprised and delighted. I like the mom side of her.