Picnic Anyone?

Way back in August (I know, talk about a blogging backlog!), we were able to attend the end-of-the summer NICU picnic for the hospital where Lauren, Drew and Jack were born. This is an annual event that our family looks forward to attending - they go all out with lots to do! My mom came with us, and we didn't have far to travel to the car, so we braved it without the stroller or the diaper bag. That was such a huge milestone for us to travel so lightly! Once again, the kids amazed us and did just fine.

It was especially fun this year, as we met up with many of our new friends that also have multiples. (We travel in different circles these days!) We were able to meet up with our good friends, Jen and Brad, and take a picture of all 8 of our kids. They have absolutely adorable quadruplet boys. We took a similar picture last year as well.

One other highlight of this year's picnic was that we got to meet up with Megan, the main day nurse for our babies while they were in the NICU. We've already introduced you to Laura, one of the two main night nurses we had. Now meet Megan, the other godsend that gave us peace while we had to leave our babies at the hospital. Megan did such a great job of taking care of them when we couldn't be there. She was such a joy for us to be around and so fun and compassionate with our kids. It put my mind at ease to know she was there caring for them in our place.  What a blessing to have someone so special look after your kids who truly cares for them, too! I can't believe it had been over 2 years since we last saw her. It was so great to hang out with her, meet her new husband, and catch up. Needless to say, the kids had changed a lot since she had seen them last.

After that, we headed off to the different attractions at the picnic. Fearless little Lauren really got into the petting zoo.

Then we headed off to the miniature train. Don't they look cute as they were waiting for the train to take off? By the time they got back, however,  the boys were crying and screaming their lungs out. Oh well, it was still cute and the girls seemed to enjoy themselves.

After that, we enjoyed all the bounce houses, slides, swings, teeter totters and the food! It was a hot day, but we had such a great time. It's always good to stop and celebrate how far you have come. Anything could have happened with our pregnancy. Having our kids only born 6 weeks early with as few problems as they have had is an absolute miracle!

At the picnic, there is also an Angel Tree, where they hang ornaments with the names of children that have passed away. This was a touching way for us to honor our two babies that we lost through miscarriage. So we picked up our ornaments for Baby Sam and Baby Riley. Sam was conceived before we had Alyssa, and Riley was one of our quadruplets. We will save their ornaments to put on our Christmas tree. It's a nice way to honor their memory and feel like we have them as a part of our holiday memories.

What a fun and emotional experience the picnic was, but one we look forward to every year. Thank you for letting us share it with you (albeit quite a bit after the fact).

I'll leave you with a few more pictures from the playground, and I think (as far as my creaky old brain can remember) our kids' first time on the teeter totter.

God bless,

Amanda

http://four-and-no-more.blogspot.com/

Be Careful What You Wish For

I've been told that there's an old Spanish proverb that says, "Be careful what you wish for, for you just may receive it." Well, that's happened to me twice this last week or so.
My sister was in from Hawaii for Christmas, so we got to spend it with my family, and then saw Dave's parents a few days later. Everyone has been so great about being flexible and doing what works for us best. I kept mentioning that I really needed to get out of the house. (Christmas shopping was actually something I looked forward to doing -- I had to be alone and I was getting something big done!) Dave has been great about letting me get out as much as possible, but it's been a long couple of months as the kids have had lots of colds.
So anyway, we planned one evening at my Mom's, one at our house, and one at my Dad's. Well, as you may have read already, I spent most of Christmas Eve at the hospital with Jack, so that threw all of our plans out of whack. We didn't even open any presents until the 26th! I have to say it was kind of nice not to have the focus be on presents, though. We had some nice family gatherings squeezed in with some good food, and that was great for me. Somehow I don't think next year Alyssa will wait to see what we got her until the night of the 27th, though!
So now I find myself at the hospital once again. This time I am here with Drew, and we are next door to the room where Jack was. At least Drew was nice enough to get sick during the day instead at night! He also has RSV and a couple of small places with pneumonia on his lungs. He's actually been on antibiotics since Thursday, so he should be getting better soon. He wouldn't eat very well for us this morning, and it seems he got dehydrated. He had a scalp IV put into his head (not fun for baby or Mom!), but it fell out. But now he is doing so much better that they are letting him keep it out, yeah! He still has electrodes on his chest and his toe (also known as the ET phone home light). He's had some breathing treatments that seem to help, and so far he hasn't needed oxygen. He definitely looks better than when we got here, so I am so grateful to see my little boy doing better!
I never thought I would use my NICU knowledge again, but it's just like riding a bike, I guess. Drew is on all the same monitors he was as a newborn. But I have learned a lot, too (like double check what the ER doc says with the pediatric hospitaltician). I think the boys have learned a lot, also. It didn't take them long with all the poking and prodding to look at everyone who came into the room with distrust. It's like their little faces were saying: “What are you going to do to me?” But it seems that most of that is over now - thank goodness!
I have to say that it's much quieter here than at home, but when I dreamed of peace and quiet, this is not what I had in mind!!!!! We are at a new hospital, though, that is more like a hotel than anything. So if you have to be in, this is the way to do it! That will teach me to wish away my life or want other things, huh? Hopefully, we'll get some rest and be home soon. I am fighting a sinus infection, too, so I need some shut eye myself.
As for Jack, he is doing much better. Yesterday, he really smiled a lot and seemed like his old self. He is still wheezing a little bit, but the RSV lasts around 2 weeks, so that's expected. Lauren is hanging in there so far. She is starting to wheeze and cough, too, though. She is also cutting her first two teeth, so that is making her nice and cranky!
So we could really use your prayers for our family to get healthy and stay there. 2006 has been quite a tough year, and I have to say I'm kind of glad to see it go. I'm looking forward to 2007 and the fresh start (and hopefully sleep!) it will bring.
God bless you all and Happy New Year!
Amanda

Copied and edited from our previous page on Babysites.

Family Update

Here's some details to update you about our family.
First backing up to fill in some details.
We would like to announce the birth of our babies on July 21, 2006:
*Lauren Diane was born at 2:11pm. She weighed 5lbs 6oz and was 17 3/4 inches long. She was named in honor of Amanda and her Mom (Marilyn), who both also share Diane as their middle name.
*Andrew "Drew" Jonathon was born at 2:12pm. He weighed 5lbs 3oz and was 18 1/2 inches long. He was named in honor of Amanda's Dad, John.
*Jackson "Jack" Robert was born at 2:13pm. He weighed 4lbs 6oz and was 19 1/4 inches long (Alyssa was only 19 inches!). He is named in honor of Dave, who also shares Robert as his middle name (in honor of his Uncle Bob Pampe).
Proud parents are Dave and Amanda and big sister Alyssa.
Current updates:
*Amanda is now home for the hospital. The babies are still there in the NICU, however, with no commitments from the doctors as to when they can come home. Alyssa is delighted to have both Mommy and Daddy home with her and asked if she could come with us when we went home from the hospital tonight. She is doing pretty well and seems happy, but probably has no clue what has been happening to our family.
*Amanda is getting better each day. She is walking more and more and making progress. She hasn't been getting much sleep lately as she gets up often to "feed" the babies. She definitely feels much better than she did while she was pregnant, though.
*Our babies are doing remarkably well and we are so filled with joy to be with them. It is so much more fun for us the second time around with all the first-time parenting fears out of the way. They are all in isolettes now (off the baby warmers, but not in an open air crib yet).
*Their bilirubin levels are still climbing, but not enough to put them under the lights yet. We have enjoyed getting to feed them many bottles and hold and cuddle with them. They have all nursed at least twice also. They are all in separate bays, though and haven't been able to see each other. Alyssa also isn't able to see them while they are in the NICU.
*All the babies have lost weight, as expected, and are under 5 lbs now. Jackson has lost the least amount and is now putting on weight. Gaining weight is one of the criteria they must meet before going home. As of Monday night weights, the other two were still losing some weight. The doctors aren't concerned about this, though.
*All the babies are also having a common condition where their heart rates slow down (called bradycardia). They are able to "self correct" this and bring their heart rates back up on their own (although sometimes they need a nudging). The doctors don't seem too concerned by this, though. We forgot to ask if this is something they can come home with or not.
*Drew was on the apnea machine for one day, but is off now. All babies are now off of their IVs and are only "wired" now with the monitors for oxygen, heart rate, breathing, etc.
That's a quick snapshot from us.
Lots of love, hugs, kisses and thanks,
Dave, Amanda, Alyssa, Lauren, Drew and Jack

This was copied and edited from our previous website on Babysites.

Multiples Class and NICU Tour

We were looking forward to our multiples class and finally being with a group of people just like us - expecting multiples. When it came time to introduce ourselves, we were asked to go first. Our announcement of upcoming triplets brought gasps and wows from the group. So much for our hopes to feel "normal" for a few hours. Everyone else was expecting twins. It's only one more baby; come on!Anyway, the class was really good and we got some good tips, especially ideas on how one person could feed 3 babies at once. We also got a very helpful packet of info to take home, including free offers and discounts for those expecting multiples.
At the end of class we toured the hospital, including the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). This is where our babies will be taken care of, unless they are carried almost to term and can breathe well on their own. It had a very peaceful environment and was dimly lit and fairly quiet. It is a huge room full of what they call "pinwheel" bays. They have circles of 4 bays each (with a huge pinwheel on top), and one baby goes in each bay. Unfortunately, even with multiples, each baby has to be in its own bay. They said they try to keep siblings within eyesight of each other or within the same "pinwheel". We also learned that only 2 people per family are allowed in at a time. Due to tight security, one of the two people has to be a parent. Children under 14 aren't allowed at all (we were hoping Alyssa could meet her siblings sooner). They also don't allow any visitors from 7-8 am and pm, while the shift changes happen. It was really good for us to get some of our questions answered and to know what to expect a little more.

This was copied and edited from our previous website, on Babysites.