Uncle Dave meets the Babies

Last week Kayla, Braden, & Daniel had the chance to meet their Uncle Dave. Uncle Dave lives in Chattanooga, and was able to take a week off of work to come up and meet his new niece & nephews. He had a great time with the babies, and was even brave enough to spend a couple of nights and help us with the night feedings. And we noticed how proud an uncle he really was by watching him take well over 200 pictures just on the first night he was here. We all had a great visit with him, and his niece & nephews enjoyed getting to know him.



Here are some of his pictures.

And a special thanks goes out to Heather for letting Dave borrow her really nice camera for the trip.


Uncle Dave holding Kayla & Braden


Two at a time?


Of course Grandma & and Aunt Erin come to visit often as well.


Kayla


Braden


Daniel



All three together


Just to give you some insite into the life of a triplet family, I will let you all know that I started writing this post last Wednesday, and in my free time, I was able to finish today (Sunday). We apologize for not posting more often, but we are living our lives in three hour incrememnts right now. It takes about an hour to feed the babies, then we have two hours to ourselves before we have to start the whole process over again. However, I must say that even though that might sound horrible to some of you, we love every minute of it, and though it is tiring, it is a such a joy to be able to take care of three babies at a time. That said, we greatly appreciate the help and support we have recieved from family and friends. Thank you to all the families from church who have brought us meals, and thanks to the family and friends who have come over to help us with feedings, and a special thanks to those who have gone as far as to spend the night and let us get a few hours of solid sleep! Our lives would indeed be impossible without all of your help.

Nearly a Month Old

Well, the babies are just about a month old, and have been home for a week. And as expected, we barely can find time to eat and sleep (let alone update a blog... sorry for that). But the babies are doing well, and we are working on their schedule so that we can try to get 2 hours to ourselves in between feedings (which is mostly wishful thinking).

They are starting to show more of thier personalities, and each one is very different. Daniel is by far the most laid back. We usually have to wake him up to feed him, and there are times when he even sleeps through a diaper change, which is the complete opposite of his brother. Braden is like clock work when it comes to his feeding schedule. Every time, just about five minutes before he is due for his bottle, he wakes up on his own and starts crying. He always lets us know its time to eat, just in case we forgot. Kayla is more middle of the road. She is a good sleeper, but likes to be held, and since she is so cute, that is often not a problem.

Here are some pictures from their first week home.


Kayla, Braden & Daniel just about a month old.


Funny picture of Daniel. He pulled his hat completely over his head.


All three together.


Daniel getting his first bath.


We have caught them a number of times touching and holding hands, both awake and asleep


And finally, Dad & Daniel trying to catch a nap.

Welcome Home Kayla & Daniel

Ladies & Gentlemen, I'm pleased to announce that our whole family is officially home from the hospital. Kayla & Daniel were released from the NICU last Thursday. Both of them started eating completely on their own, and on Tuesday, when they pulled their feeding tubes out, the nurses decided that it was time to leave them out. And after a few days of steady weight gain, the doctor said it was time for them to go home!

And as with their brother, Grandmas, Grandpas, Aunts, & Uncles were waiting to eagerly meet their new niece & nephew. Here are pictures from that night.


All three in one Pack & Play


No one has to fight for a baby here

Thank you everyone for your prayers and support while these little ones were in the hospital. We would still appreciate your prayers, but would now ask that you include prayers for mom & dad who are finding less and less time to sleep!

Welcome Home Braden!

Braden is home from the hospital! We got a call from the NICU doctor on Sunday morning, and she told us that Braden had gained weight for four straight days, which was his final task before he could be discharged. That was the most exciting call we had gotten yet from the doctors. We brought Braden home and he was finally able to meet Aunt Erin, Uncle Caleb & Uncle Brian. And that night Braden introduced us to the nights of very little sleep. We are thankful that Julie had a week to recover before the babies came home, and though it was difficult to bring one home and leave the other two behind at the hospital, it is nice to get our feet wet with one before jumping into the pool with all three.

Kayla & Daniel are doing great. Both of them have made great progress in the last few days. Both have been taken out of their incubators, and both of them have had their feeding tubes taken out. This means that they only need to demonstrate weight gain for four straight days before they are released as well. It could be any day now that they come home too!

Here are some pictures of Braden's first night home.


Braden meeting Aunt Erin, Uncle Caleb & Uncle Brian


Grandmas & Grandpas were there to welcome him home as well.


Braden was always the center of attention that night.


So tiny in his bouncy seat.


Lets not forget about Kayla & Daniel...

Grandma gets to hold Kayla for the first time.


Kayla & Daniel were out of their incubators and in these big boy/girl beds

Daniel spending some time with Grandpa

New Year's Eve with the Babies

Happy New Year everyone. With this new year comes more good news from the NICU. The best news is that Julie is now able to nurse all three of the babies. Kayla was the surprise. She is a few days behind her brothers in progress, but she was able to nurse as well, and ate more that the nurses thought she would.

Braden is showing signs of being a true Hess, and is eating everything he can get in his mouth. For his last few feedings, he took all his food through a bottle, and didn't have to use the feeding tube, which is great news. Braden's other big news is that he is officially out of the incubator, and into what they call the "Big Boy Crib". They said he was able to keep his temperature regulated by himself that first night in the crib. That, combined with him being able to eat completely from a bottle means that he is just about ready to come home (the nurses are saying possibly Monday or Tuesday!).

Kayla is eating much better than she has been. Now that she is off the oxygen, they have started feeding her through the bottle, and she is adapting slow, but is making progress every day.

Daniel is right behind his brother. He still hasn't taken 100% of a feeding through a bottle yet, but he is getting close. The nurses said that he is also showing signs of being able to regulate his body temperature, and they might try him in the Big Boy Crib soon as well.

Those are the updates, and here are the pictures:


Here is Braden in his new Big Boy Crib


Daniel trying to hold his own bottle


Kayla peeking out of her incubator window