Look how far we've come!!!

We 3
Are 3
on 2/3

It is absolutely unbelievable to me that three years have passed since the triplets were welcomed into our world! They have changed everything and been such an amazing blessing to us. I still remember the years of praying for children and the heartbreak when, month after month, there was still another negative. It felt selfish in some ways and I questioned often whether God felt that we should just give up (as many people told us), but the desire to add to our family was so strong. Looking back on that time of questioning and growth, I am blown away by the way God chose to add to our family! (At one time, I would have said complete it, but we know that wasn't to be, either!! :-D)

In the early sleepless days, I used to think in some ways it couldn't get much better and it couldn't get much harder. I am now learning that each phase is a phase of "much better and much harder." The triplets stretch our physical capacity everyday, but they also stretch our spiritual and loving abilities right along with it! This has been the most amazing gift that I have been given and am so thankful that they are a part of our lives!

I remember vividly keeping their hospital bracelets on until they couldn't possibly stay on one day longer, in order to identify who was who between Nathanial and Ethan. I remember vividly painting Nathanial's one big toe bright red and making sure it never even faded, for fear that we wouldn't know who was who and would get them confused! I remember believing that I was a horrible mom because I honestly could not have told you without looking for my "clues" who was who until they were at least eight months old. Everyone said "oh, you'll know - you're their mom!" I truly wish they had never said that and had been honest and said "you know, often you will have no clue who is who!" I remember thinking that I would never be able to tell them apart and thinking that they would be able to easily fool me. I do not remember at what age it became clear to me who was who. I do not remember at what age I quit painting Nathanial's toenail and made sure he was always in some form of yellow. I do not remember when, without a shadow of a doubt and with no clues whatsoever, I knew who was who. Now, they are so incredibly different that I cannot believe that I could ever not tell them apart! Now, I can look back at pictures of them as babies and, in most cases, can tell who was who better than I could at the time the photo was taken. Now, they are each their own individual little selves and I often forget that they are identical little men.

Oh, they have grown so much and it is so exciting to be a witness to God's perfect plan over their lives! I cannot wait to see what the next 3, 6, 9, 12, 28 years bring!!

{Look how far! Left - five days old; Right - 3 years old!!}
{Both pictures - Nathanial, Ethan, Noah}

{Nathanial Steven - a few hours old and 3 years old!!}

Nathanial was the first to make his debut into this world. He came wailing into the world at 4 lbs, 9 oz and quickly became a very content little man. He did go to the NICU because he had some grunting issues, but only stayed for a short 36 hours. He required no intervention and only needed to be kept warm. He had some issues with keeping his temp up when he came to the room with me (and that almost cost him going home with the rest of us!). He was the most content to get fed and then move along if need be. He would sit patiently waiting for his turn to be held or nursed.

Nathanial is still pretty content to do his own thing. He is the most independent from the other two, but also the most attached to me. Nathanial is often attached to me and following me around. He is a very quiet little boy. He can get into his fair share of trouble, but isn't usually the instigator of such trouble...he usually just follows along. He already can count to 10 when he feels like it. He doesn't say a whole lot and prefers to just stay quiet most of the time. He has the hardest time adjusting to new people and places, but he eventually does. He loves to sleep RIGHT next to Aidan every night. Thano still sucks his thumb and rubs his hair when he is sleepy and when he is anxious, he will still suck his thumb in other situations, also. He loves to see how things work and take things apart. He loves his baby sister and he loves to sit by her and play with her. He loves to giggle and has a beautiful smile! Nathanial is a lover on his terms and still wants to be held or sit right by me often. He has the cutest little voice and I absolutely adore his lisp!

{Ethan Jacob - a few hours old and 3 years old!!}

Ethan Jacob was the second one to make his debut at 5 lbs, 3 oz. There was no mistaking who looked like who when we were able to see both Nathanial and Ethan! Ethan never had many issues at all and he only went to a transitional NICU bed for two hours before joining mommy in recovery. Ethan was a pretty content baby and went with the flow most of the time. He also was OK with waiting his turn to nurse. He stayed with me during my entire 24 hour ordeal with mag and was able to nurse as he wanted. It was really nice to be able to have one baby with me the entire time. I was upset that the other two were not, but so thankful that Ethan was because I knew the odds of that happening were very slim with triplets.

Ethan is now our fiery one. He can be a little trouble maker, but he can also be a total love. He is very stubborn and very meticulous. Ethan likes everything to be in it's place and put away. He is the best helper at picking up and making sure things go where they belong. He loves being with Noah and they love to figure out things together. Ethan has an amazing laugh and an amazing smile. He loves to play games and tickle people. He is very rough and tumble and is definitely "all boy." I always say Ethan is very "sturdy" (whereas Nathanial seems fragile) which seems like an odd way to explain someone, but if you know him, you know what I am talking about. Ethan is also the clearest in his speech. He tries very hard to use complete sentences. He is also very quiet, like Nathanial, and not usually very loud unless he is getting in trouble! Ethan still sucks his two middle fingers and rubs his hair when he is tired and getting ready for sleep. He is also a cuddler in bed and has to be near Aidan and Nathanial at night and Nathanial during the day.

{Noah at a few hours old and 3 years old!!}

Noah was the last to make his arrival and the first to make it known that he would never be last again...or forgotten! Noah was the maddest upon delivery and made the most noise. Whereas the other two had little cries, Noah had a very robust cry for how tiny he was! Noah came into this world weighing 5 lbs, 12 oz. He spent the longest in NICU (2 1/2 days) and had the hardest time transitioning from the womb. He first had trouble with grunting, then had issues with reflux (which remained with him for a long time). I got my first hint of Noah's personality (other than right at delivery) when he was under the bili lights. All three had to do it and the other two slept contentedly through, getting out to nurse and change diapers. Noah screamed through his time and made it very clear he was not at all happy being left in their. He would cry pitiful cries (to the point of becoming hoarse) until I picked him up, thinking he wanted to nurse, only to find out he just wanted to be held. I said then, and I was right, that he was going to be high maintenance. Noone believed me...

Noah-Noah is very much our highest maintenance man. He is the most needy and the most cuddly and has been since the beginning. Noah is perfectly content being held all day long - still! He is fiercely attached to his Daddy and when Daddy is home, I do not matter. So much so that when he does come to me when Steve is home, we usually know he is sick! Noah has the biggest imagination of the three and Noah is definitely the comedian! He is hilarious and he daily cracks us up. If I ever had any concerns about him being "forgotten" or "left out" because he was not identical, those have long since gone by the way side. He loves to pretend to be a puppy and has since taught his sister how to join in the fun. He loves to talk to himself and sing to himself and is perfectly content playing. He plays with anything he can - trucks, dolls - it does not matter. He will make them whatever fits his current mood. He adores Hannah and looks up to Aidan. He had the roughest start, as far as lingering issues from being a preemie, but has definitely grown into an amazing little boy. He loves playing with his brothers and being with our family - and he loves being at home. He is the biggest home body of the three. He loves Elmo and will watch the same little segment over and over! Noah is still very attached to his two middle fingers and still sucks them for no reason whatsoever!

We have been so incredibly blessed and I am so thankful for each day I have with these three boys. I am also thankful for the opportunity birthdays are - they give us the ability to reflect on past events, see how much things can change in a short amount of time, and allow me to take the time to focus on the gifts of each on of my children individually.

Hearing Tests

Nathanial, Ethan, and Noah went in for another follow up hearing test this morning. Last time, Noah really didn't do well, Ethan did not pass and Nathanial heard enough tones to receive a "pass" but missed a few tones. Since then, Noah and Ethan have had a new set of tubes put in and adenoids taken out (which Nathanial had done two months prior to the last hearing test); so we wanted to see if that would improve things a bit.

Noah did fabulous! He got to take the "big boy" hearing test, which involved wearing headphones, listening for tones, and placing a block in the basket when he heard the tone. He heard all tones today and both tubes were in place and open. He passed, but the audiologist also wants to be cautious, so he is to go in again in three months for another follow up - to be sure his hearing stays good and make sure if the tubes fall out, we catch it quickly enough that we are not messing with his speech too much. I haven't noticed a huge improvement in his speech since the new tubes were placed. He did then and still does, talk A LOT, but he is very hard to understand and that hasn't changed much. At least we know he is hearing, so we can still work harder on speech therapy. It appears that he learned to say things incorrectly and is now having a hard time breaking the habit.

Ethan was next and we tried the "big boy" hearing test, but that didn't work with him. We couldn't tell if he was overly anxious about when to put the block in or not, so we went back to the other way. He also didn't do well with that. So, we have a few options here. Either he has a permanent hearing loss in his high frequency range (which is what we thought last time about all three) or he has "mixed hearing loss" which is permanent hearing loss due to many ear infections/fluid being present constantly (entirely a possibility) or he was tired/stubborn/anxious and just didn't want to cooperate any longer by the time we got to those tones. His tubes were in place and clear, so fluid is not contributing to the problem at this time. When we return for his three month check, we are going to start with the tones he missed today (and last time) to see if that makes a difference. Then maybe we will have more answer....but as I am learning, this is on a constant curve, so we may not know for a long time! The good news is, he did hear in a speech range, so whatever kind of loss he's experiencing today is not affecting his speech ability or learning.

Nathanial went last because he didn't get new tubes in and his tubes were still in place and clear. He did very well with the "big boy" test, but still missed a couple of tones. His was also in the high frequency range. The plan is to continue to watch that and monitor it along with Noah and Ethan.

All three boys were very cooperative and well behaved. They waited well with Daddy and were excellent back in the booth with me. They are getting to be such big boys and I am so happy that they are getting a smidge easier to take out. It also helps when we do things in the morning...by afternoon, they tend to fall apart a little easier!

Part of the hearing evaluation was being done today in preparation for their IEP's, which are being written on Friday. We learned yesterday that the gentleman we had a LOT of issues with with Austin and trying to get him an IEP will be at the meeting on Friday. I need a lot of prayer to hold it together and know that this is a whole different situation and trust that he is not just on a rampage to destroy our family's education (which, OK, so it sounds a little far-fetched, but trust me, this man did NOT like Steve or I at all by the time we were done with Austin's meeting and the feeling was pretty mutual). He was not very educated in IDEA laws at that time and not at all compassionate. I'm hoping he trusts this time what our therapists have to say and that this is a smoother process since all three boys already have an IFSP. Again, prayer would be greatly appreciated!!!

The LORD gives his people strength. The LORD blesses them with peace.
~Psalm 29:11

Praise the Lord!!!

{l-r Hannah at the beginning of the journey in September and Hannah now}

Hannah went back to Iowa City today for another follow up with Dr. A and Dr. V. It was awesome!!! She is just doing amazing.

When she started this journey in September, she was 26.4" long (had not grown in length since June); her head circumference was 16.9" (had not increased since at least April); and her weight was 14 lbs, 2.5 oz (very slow gain, if at all) and her BMI was 14.3. She was well below any percentiles on the chart and, if you are familiar with BMI, that is well below a "healthy" number (normal is at least 18.5 and anything below 19 is underweight). She grew and grew and grew and NOW her numbers are so much better - it is sooo exciting! Her height today was 29.2" (that is almost THREE WHOLE INCHES in four months of the feeding tube!!!!!!!!!) and she is at the 8th percentile for her length compared to SAME AGE toddlers!! Her weight today was 19 lbs, 9.6 oz (that is FIVE and a half POUNDS!!!) and she is almost 3rd percentile....definitely within spitting distance! Her head circumference was 18" - almost TWO INCHES and puts her at the 30th percentile for her AGE!!!!!!!! That was a HUGE jump, especially since her head had not grown - at all - since at least April!! Soooo exciting!! Her BMI today is 16.15, which is still technically 'underweight' but definitely not as alarming. The most exciting part for me is seeing how she is doing on the overall chart...where she lands for her height and weight, irregardless of age (in other words, with peers who are the same length/weight combo as her, but not necessarily the same age) and that was slightly OVER the 25th percentile!!! And she did ALL THIS in only FOUR MONTHS on the feeding tube....God is soooo good. With phenomenal numbers like this, it is impossible to ignore the miracle of the Great Physician's Hands and to Him goes ALL the glory!!!

When we first put the tube in, both Steve and I were under the impression (prior to hospitalization) that it was a very short-term solution and would be completed within 6-8 weeks. We were told something quite differently when we actually were in the hospital and spoke with the doctor and dietitian. They both told us at that point that 6 months was way too optimistic or even realistic of a goal, but we could shoot for it as long as we were not disappointed if it didn't come out then. They both felt that, realistically speaking, she would need the tube for at least twelve months and probably more. We went with that because they are the experts and the ones who deal with these babes all day, every day. So that has been our goal this entire time - get it out in twelve months, but if she wasn't ready for it to come out then, then we would be OK with that. When we got home and I researched it, we found out it was a very real possibility that she would never outgrow the need for supplemental feeding and may eventually need a g-tube (one that goes directly into the tummy). It is super common for babes with reflux and other issues that cause growth problems. I was not willing to accept that for Hannah, but it has always been in the back of my mind. Now, though, we were told that if we wanted to do a trial run without the tube, with the knowledge that if she didn't do well it would go back in, we could try it. Dr. V feels that Hannah has probably recovered all lost weight, length, circumference, but there is a small possibility that Hannah has more growth in her. Because of that and because Hannah is just now starting to really do well feeding orally and on her own, we decided to hold off. So the new plan is to see if we can recover any more growth between now and April 2nd and at that time, wean off the feeding tube completely. That is just astounding to me....that in less than six months, she may be done with it! Again, all glory to God who has healed her!!!

Hannah has done so well through all of this that Dr. V actually uses Hannah in her lectures! She said a lot of the medical community still believes that lack of normal physiological growth (aka failure to thrive) is always due to neglect on the parent's part. She said that she uses Hannah constantly now to prove that when parents are willing to do whatever is necessary medically, are intelligent and on board with doctors, instead of bucking them the entire way, that great things can happen. That is still not to say that all children with LNPG are all products of parents that aren't on board, either. She just said it is much easier to prove that this can happen to normal children in a healthy family and parenting situation and when everyone works together for the good of the child, amazing growth can happen. She said often parents are so angry when it is suggested and refuse to do it, so then DHS ends up getting involved and then parents won't do what is necessary for the child, either, so then they don't end up growing either. She said that she can tell with 100% accuracy that Hannah's issues are completely related to reflux and not at all related to "social issues." It was very vindicating to hear that from a doctor and she kept telling me what a great job I was doing and that I deserved congratulations, also, but I am only doing whatever is in my power to do for Hannah as her mother and praying over the rest of it so that God can restore her health in ways that only He can. It breaks my heart that there are parents so angry at "the system" that they fail to see what is necessary for their child. This was not an easy decision for us to make. This was not easy for me (or Steve) to hear that it was needed. It definitely seemed radical at the time. However, God gave me a great peace about it all when it became obvious that it was needed and He has since showed me over and over that we made the right decision for Hannah. And that's all I wanted...was a little reassurance that we didn't go outside His will through all this and we were doing what was medically needed through the doctors.

I am so excited to see the amazing strides Hannah has made. It just leaves me in awe of what is possible!!

Delurk for Haiti

I have been struggling with what to say about Haiti and I came up with something earlier, but that will have to wait. I have been praying for all of the people who have died or been injured or were in Haiti at the time of the earthquake. Praying for all of the rescue workers. Praying for understanding, peace, and God's love to shine through this disaster. Then I came across Brittany's post this evening (at 4 Little Men and Girly Twins) and I thought this idea was brilliant.

Here's the plan:

For every single comment I recieve on this post, our family will personally donate $0.25 to a rescue effort (most likely World Vision, but if our church starts a fund we may choose that one...I'll let you know what where we are giving after Sunday services) to help the people of Haiti. If you visit 4 Little Men and Girly Twins, you can comment there and follow other links to comment. Imagine the impact we can make!!

So, if you've never commented here - or if you do all the time - NOW is the time to comment!

Chuck E Cheese Fun!

I always try to take the kids to Chuck E Cheese once a year during Christmas break and this year, I knew it was going to be a challenge. Thankfully, Nicole was more than willing to go along and was an awesome help to keep track of everyone, plus be someone for me to talk to! We had a ton of fun and I am so glad we went. The boys are getting better about staying near by and staying together and Austin and Aidan are old enough to play games together away from me.

{This horse was a huge attraction for the triplets. I really didn't think they'd stay on, but they loved it!}

{Everyone had lots of fun doing lots of different things!}

{They also enjoyed the small carousel - to a point, then Noah wanted off!}

{The highlight of their entire time was dancing with Chuck E Cheese}

{Nathanial and Noah loved riding in the car with Chuck...and Hannah wasn't about to miss out!}

Family Christmases

Christmas has been a lot less stressed since we started staying home on Christmas Day for our own family and doing our extended family on weekends surrounding Christmas. This year, we had Steve's side first and enjoyed ourselves. It was fun to see how much better Hannah is starting to get to interacting with Kendra...they are gonna need to stick by each other as the only girls in a sea of boys!

{Hannah looks like she's telling Aidan something, which I loved;
Aidan and Kendra help Hannah open a gift.}

{Aidan's - and everyone else's! - favorite gift of Christmas by far was this guitar!}

{Everyone diving in to different things...it's hard to keep track of it all anymore!}

We then returned to Dubuque for a weekend to have Christmas with my mom and grandparents and my dad. It was a busy, but very fun, weekend!

{Granny and my mom with Hannah - I love these pictures!}

{Chris, solidifying his place as favorite son in law with the Lukken-making!}

{There are always plenty of presents!}
{It has become a new tradition that Austin helps Michael pass out gifts.}

{Plenty of time for lots of fun after gift opening and eating is done!}

The next day, we had Christmas with my dad at my sister's house. It was a fun and relaxing day that went by all too quickly. Unfortunately, my camera battery died and I did not bring the charger with me! I didn't get very many pictures, but love the ones I did get!

Christmas!

Christmas Eve brought a winter storm (blizzard actually), so Daddy spent the day home with us. We were very blessed this year with not only Christmas Eve, but the entire weekend. It was awesome to have Steve home for four and a half days - very much like an unplanned vacation! I could certainly do with it more often!

On Christmas Eve, we made sugar cookies for Santa. Aidan, Nathanial, Ethan, Noah, and Hannah all helped decorate the cookies. Noah didn't last very long at all - just long enough to load one full of frosting and eat it! Hannah thoroughly enjoyed her cookie that she "made" (with a lot of help) and so did Nathanial and Ethan. Aidan really worked hard at making cookies and not just eating them so that Santa would have some to enjoy, also!

After all our cookies were made, we all showered and got dressed for Christmas Eve service. The service was wonderful and afterwards, we were talking about a certain country song. Everyone was shocked that I had no idea what it was, so as soon as I got in the car, I asked Steve about it and he was amazed I didn't know it either. In my defense, I grew up with a dad that was very into rock and roll and not so much country, so we never (and I do mean never) listened to country. As it turns out {surprise, surprise} Steve just happened to have the cd at home. As soon as we all got inside and got coats off, Daddy found the cd and we had a little impromptu dance. It was a lot of fun and we all really enjoyed it! I was actually very thankful for the discussion after service about the song! I also tried to get a picture of all six kids in their Christmas finery, but it didn't turn out the greatest...it is not easy to get six little people to sit still for a picture! After a while of dancing, everyone got their jammies on and headed to bed.

Christmas morning brought children up far too early for their mother's taste. Austin and Aidan were up at 4:30 am!! Dad thought that was just fine, I told them I would not get up until at least 6:30 and noone was going downstairs until then. By 5:30, everyone except Hannah was awake, so Daddy gave them all a bath (which is why they are wet) to waste a little more time. I finally got up, but was not real pleased to have been bugged every five minutes from 4:30 on. I probably should have gotten up, let them open presents, and went back to bed, but I knew there was no way I would be going back to bed, so I stalled. Probably makes me a bad mommy, but that's just how it is! When I finally woke up a very testy Hannah (who is used to sleeping until at least 8), we all went down and enjoyed the morning.

I had rolls rising on the counter that Noah just could not leave alone. I was a little perturbed at first that my perfect, pretty rolls were destroyed by a two year old in a very short period of time, but it did not last long. He was enjoying himself so much it was hard to stay upset with him! He then shoved more rolls into the small loaf pan I had made. I did pull some of the rolls off the top and had him "help" me reshape them. He did a great job - and I have to admit his bread was phenomenal!

We had a great Christmas as a family and really cherish the memories we are making with each of them. In some ways, we are just getting started and in others, we are almost done. It seems these years are going by so very fast and I thank God for each of my children. On Christmas especially, I cannot imagine having a child with the precise knowledge that he would one day (just a short 33 years later) be sacrificed for everyone else. Thank you, God, for the amazing gift of salvation you give to each one of us!!

Sick Mommy Awards

Today's SMA's* go to the following:
*Sick Mommy Awards

Thank you to PBSKids
Thank you, PBSKids, for providing quality, educational television so I can feel less guilty about allowing my children to watch all morning long. Thank you for being such a great babysitter!


Thank you, also, to my very own big, comfy, couch.

Thank you, Mr. Couch, for being so very cuddly and comforting me, while allowing me to keep one eye on my many small children.


Thank you, Peanut Butter.
Thank you, Peanut Butter, for being a fairly healthy option that is quick, easy, and takes no thought to feed my many small children lunch. Thank you for providing lots of necessary protein!


Thank you, Naptime!!

Ahhh, naptime. How I love thee!! You deserve so very many thank you's and I barely know where to start. Thank you, Naptime, for giving me a chance to catch my breath, every day. Thank you, Naptime, for giving me this special little two hours of Mommy time, especially when Mommy doesn't feel so great! Thank you, Naptime, for recharging my little people and taking away the crankiness.

And now, I am off to lie on said couch and veg while my many small children enjoy their naptime!!

Christmas Programs, Christmas Programs, Christmas Programs!

December brought with it three different Christmas programs - Aidan's school program, Austin's vocal program, and the church program. Aidan was very excited for his very first school Christmas program at the big school (high school) and he did a great job! My camera takes horrible far away pictures, so some are just not real fabulous, but you get the gist of it. Aidan is in the way back row, all the way to the right, with the red sweater and shirt sticking out the bottom.

This is both Kindergarten classes together.

Little better picture of Aidan...looking all serious.

And his head got a touch cut off, but they look so cute singing away.

Austin's vocal program.
The only decent picture I got of him that was close enough to identify him.

Austin is on the right corner of the piano...red sweater.

Aidan's all ready for the church program - I do not know what is up with the odd faces lately.
The black eye is compliments of some child in PE who rammed into Aidan while playing some little game. I tried to fix it, but I can't because of where it is. Ahhh....memories!

The girls at church all ready...and all looking beautiful!

The boys turn. All looking mighty handsome!
(Don't ask about the newspaper Noah had to carry with him.)

Ali and Hannah Hannah and Noah waiting for it to start
(again with the paper...)



Ethan is waiting and lounging

Hannah is waiting patiently

Aidan - facing away from the camera. Again, horrible shots from distance, but I was only 3 rows back. Still, I kept getting people's heads!

This shot is really, really bad, BUT Aidan was so cute doing all the actions, that I didn't even care that it was fuzzy!

The triplets and Hannah were forced to wait until Aidan's part was over, but then really wanted to just go to the "toys" (as Noah calls it) to play. This is how I spent the remainder of the play. Thankfully, I was able to see it in rehearsal, so I had seen some version of it prior to the actual night!

Hannah loves the little rocky-thingy.

Ethan loves the elephant slide.
{They all do, actually!}

Nathanial playing nicely.Noah and Hannah putting the train together.
{Never mind the two different colored socks....}

Nathanial serving Ethan something to eat.



Ethan serves HannahAll four enjoying a little "snack"

The programs were a lot of fun and really reminded us of what Christmas is all about. Without Jesus, it would all be nothing and I am thankful to have the opportunity to take time out to reflect upon that during the busy season that Christmas can become if you let it!

November/December Fun

The end of November and the entire month of December brought bitter cold temps, huge dumps of snow, and nasty windchills - which means we had to come up with lots of creative ideas to spend a lot of time indoors. The triplets were quite fascinated by the first blizzard of the year as they did not remember snow from last year. It was so fun to watch their excitement at the snow coming down and piling up.

{Ethan loves to write}

{Aidan loves to draw and Hannah really wanted to try}

{Hannah "drawing" with her syringe}

{Ethan and Aidan - writing and drawing}

{Noah loves to scribble}

Nathanial put on a little impromptu concert for us all one day and everyone loved it!

{Noah and Hannah enjoyed the performance}

We were so amazed by the snow falling outside we sat and watched it in the dining room for hours, it seemed!

The next morning, we woke up to a winter wonderland in our backyard!

Somebody had to go outside and clear all that snow from the driveway and sidewalk!
{Hint: It really wasn't Aidan}

{Austin was truly freezing, but a HUGE help to Dad}
{Aidan enjoyed playing in the snow!}

Oh, Christmas Tree!

Once again this year, we found ourselves with just Steve, Aidan, and I going out to cut down the tree (I'm hoping this rectifies itself next year and we all go!). We went to the tree farm and Aidan picked out a tree he liked - with our approval - and worked on cutting it down. Why Dad trusted him with a saw is beyond me, but he gave up pretty quickly!

When we got home, we got it set up and then left it alone for a couple of days until we all had time to decorate it together. Even Hannah helped and we all enjoyed the afternoon together. It's fun to watch the changes in each of them year to year with what they are able to help with and do with decorating!

Thanksgiving

We had two wonderful Thanksgivings this year. It was our year to have Thanksgiving with my family on Thanksgiving day and we spent the day visiting and very relaxed. I didn't get any pictures at my Dad's of Thanksgiving (thanks to a dead camera battery) and only one at my Grandparent's. At least I got one. Everyone enjoyed themselves and had a ton of fun as always!

{Hannah and Grandma Janet}

On the weekend, we went to Steve's side for Thanksgiving/Austin B's birthday. The triplets are getting to the point where they really enjoy themselves and Hannah is getting more and more independent, so she also enjoyed some time playing with all the little people. My sister in law always does a fun ornament craft and we did that also. This year she had two - one for the little people and one for the grown ups. It worked out perfect and the older cousins were great sports about helping the little cousins!

{Kendra and Noah}

{Hannah is still tiny enough to stand up under a pool table.}

{Aidan}

{Hannah, Nathanial, and Kendra are fascinated with Aunt Sue's pictures}

{Aaron "helping" Hannah make her craft}

{Troy helped Nathanial, but Nathanial wanted to do it himself}

{Aidan working hard on his craft}

{Shane helping Noah}

{Austin helping Ethan - they make a great team!}

As always, we take a grandkids photo for Grandma Lee and Grandpa Kenny's Christmas card.
{Noah, Troy with Kendra, Austin B with Thano, Austin C with Ethan, Shane with Hannah, Aidan}

Wordless Wednesday - Silly Thano

Surgeries....Again.

Nathanial, Ethan, and Noah have been in speech and development therapy for almost a year now (wow!) and so it was time for their bi-annual hearing screens to go with their evaluations for their IFSP's. Nathanial passed his, but was right on the line of a need for a medical referral. The general consensus was, though, that he is hearing well enough to be at a learning level. So he was ultimately not referred on, which was good because he just got a new set of tubes a few months ago. Noah failed his hearing test massively - completely missing entire tones. He did not hear things no matter how loud they got. Ethan failed massively, also, but heard all the tones, just at very loud levels. So they were referred back to Dr. B for an evaluation.

When we went in, it was discovered that Noah's one tube fell completely out, the other was just barely in, and there was a lot of fluid behind both eardrums. Ethan's tubes were both in place, however they were plugged completely, so no longer working. He also had a lot of fluid behind both eardrums. We decided to go ahead with surgery for both of them.

They went in today and Noah knew when we got to the floor just exactly what was going to happen and started sobbing. I was able to distract him with a new blankey and teddy eventually. (I love the hospital that we go to for this - it is very progressive and very comforting for little people, especially considering it's in a town with a population of about 9,000 people.)

Ethan went first, which was a huge help because he doesn't have the propensity for drama that Noah does and he feeds off Noah. He got right in the little wagon and said "bye-bye" to me and was off. He was done in about an hour and Dr. B came in to chat with me. He had a ton of thick mucus behind both eardrums, which was drained and his adenoids were "huge." She feels his speech and hearing should be drastically improved now. His one tube was also fairly buried in his ear, so she had to do a little more "work" to get it out. She said we will probably see more bleeding from that ear than the other three ears and just to know that was why. As soon as they took Noah back, they came and got me for Ethan in the recovery room. He was saying miserably "mommy, mommy, mommy" over and over. Once I started to hold him, he did much better. We got in a lot of cuddle time while Noah was in surgery. Ethan also had/has some breathing congestion now, but they said that should clear up in a few days. He wasn't so bad that he needed a breathing treatment (like Nathanial) which was reassuring; they just heard a lot of "gunk" in his lungs afterward.

Noah went next and because Ethan went without much fanfare, Noah got in the wagon and said "bye-bye" to me, also. Noah had a ton of pus behind both eardrums, so was given iv antibiotics while also being given fluids (Ethan also received iv fluids). Dr B is not sure if he will ever get back some of the tones he totally missed (there was indication of damaged nerves from birth on for those tones), but they are "not tones he really needs." Interesting....

Noah had some dramatics coming out of anesthesia (as always) so one nurse came to cuddle with Ethan while I went back to recovery with Noah. He did better after I got back there and was able to hold him, but still had the little sobbing-breathing problem and would just break into more sobs on occasion.

Ethan drank right away and ate an entire popsicle, but Noah refused. He was not allowed to have the IV pulled until he drank 6 oz of juice and half a popsicle so they could see that he would indeed drink and not vomit when he got home. It took him a good 45 minutes to decide he wanted to go home bad enough to drink anything. As soon as he did, we were GONE.

This afternoon, both are rather hyper and not wanting to rest or nap at all. I believe they may be ramped up on pain killers, but they need to rest. They are recovering well, though, and really don't seem to be in any pain...by now we should be almost out of the effects of the pain meds they had at the hospital!

Hannah's Gaining!!

Hannah had her follow up today in Iowa City with Dr. V and Dr. A. It went AWESOME!!! I have been feeling very defeated and frustrated because it appeared her weight gain was very slow. She has been gaining three ounces a week every week since she was discharged and then she gained eight last week. She gained four ounces this week, according to their scale (it's difficult to say if this is accurate because it is best that she is weighed on the same scale every time at the same time of day in the same place, etc., etc.). So I told the nurse my frustrations. I felt that it should be more, as she is still eating table food, drinking calorie enhanced milk, nursing, and being tube fed. Dr. V came in and was thrilled with her gain. She charted it out for me (below) and said it was an awesome gain overall! Yay!! Five grams per day is maintenance and ten grams per day is weight gain. She was hoping/expecting Hannah G to gain ten grams per day....Hannah is really gaining eighteen grams per day on average!!! WooHoo!!! It made me feel so much better to see it all plotted out. Plus, not only is she gaining, but I'll explain the charts below which were all very encouraging.

Because she has gained weight, we are also going to increase her Pediasure feedings overnight. Now she will be getting 12 ounces over a ten hour period, which will continue to push her weight up, which in turn pushes her length up. Ultimately, she needs her length to be between 30-50th percentile and then her weight to match that somewhere on the chart. Baby steps - and we are getting there quicker than I prayed for!!

Miss Hannah G today - at almost fourteen months {in a few days!}.

The chart above is what Hannah had been doing. As you can see, she dropped drastically, then leveled out. And you are seeing correctly, at 12 months, she was below the number "12." Then, today, at almost 14 months, there was a huge uptake again!!

Above is Hannah's head circumference...from hospitalization on October 9 to today, November 13 (see the increase???).

This is Hannah's length - again, hospitalization to today...another increase!

One of the more exciting ones....Hannah's weight. See how much closer she's getting to the bottom of the chart?!?!?!!! We're almost at 3rd percentile!!! The first "X" is her birth weight percentile for comparison...that's the percentile mark we're shooting for to get her off the tube.

The best one by far....her weight to length comparison. She is now on the chart!! Which means that, proportionately, she is doing super!!! Finally they are matching up somewhere on a chart!!!!