A Whole New World

Last time I posted on here was April 4th - two days before life as we knew it changed... for the better. On April 5th I got a call from CHOP to come and pick the girls up the following day. I drove up to Philadelphia nervously with my Aunt Carmen, cousin Veronica and Hadassah in tow and excitedly picked our girls up.  And so much has happened in the past 94 days!!! It has been crazy, crazy fun, overwhelming, exciting, emotional, joyful and so AMAZING! The girls are growing every day and are doing so well. They have all gained more than 3 pounds each since coming home. Which means that their faces have changed so much as the days pass by. I spend my time memorizing their faces, toes, fingers, bellies... I can't get enough of them. Each one of them has a personality to envy and be afraid of. They have a little of me and a little of Tito. In them I see Tito, I see my father, my mother, my sister in law, my grandfather and grandmother - its overwhelmingly amazing to witness their personalities shine through.

Hadassah is so laid back. She smiles at everything and everyone. She loves to be cuddled and held. She is a tough cookie who quickly mastered belly time, sitting up straight and holding her head up in no time. She thinks being yelled at is funny. She gives you this smile that makes your heart melt and has often brought me to tears at the very sight of it. Her eyes are piercing blue and big and they capture you in such a way that it's hard to look away. She looks like her daddy and loves to cuddle with him. It's like she knows when he's home. She's a kicker - kicks me the entire time I'm changing her. She hated bath time but has finally come around to it. She is now 14 pounds! A whole 12 pounds 10 ounces more than what she weighed at birth. Her pediatrician is in awe of her growth and well being. She was evaluated by the Early Intervention team and was denied services because she's on target for her age! Praise the Lord! She is starting to talk - baby talk - more and more. She has stopped crying for milk and now prefers to scream for it. The second you show her the bottle she smiles! And now she's trying to hold up her bottle more and more. She's trying to crawl! She holds her toys and believe it or not she is in the beginning stages of teething! She puts 2-4 fingers in her mouth at one time and sucks away, scratches away her gums etc. etc. etc...

Isabella is our comedian. She gives these looks that causes us to burst out laughing. She rolls her eyes. She has an attitude - an angry beaver kind of attitude aka my attitude times 100! She is the happiest in the morning and the crankiest at night. She is up at the break of dawn talking in her crib and demanding that her father or I get up and start her day. She talks more then me and if you know me well you know that I can talk. But she beats me... When you hear baby talk, 99% of the time its Bella. She gets mad and ignores you. She will look everywhere but at you and honestly it's so cute and funny because she doesn't even know she's doing it. When it comes to belly time and sitting up - she's lazy. We have done belly time everyday and it wasn't until June 19th (day 76) that she finally lifted her head off the mat - and she did it several times like, "SEE I CAN DO IT!" She absolutely loves to sit on your lap. She loves to watch TV. She loves my father's bed and hates to share with anyone including her sisters. She is a biter! Though she has no teeth she still manages to get you, especially my collar bone. She likes her milk hot, hotter then hot and will refuse the bottle if it is anything colder then she can stand. She qualified for early intervention and i'm actually happy and looking forward to having a physical therapist in-home working with her one-on-one... She is almost 14 pounds, which is 12 pounds 13 ounces more than her birth weight! She no longer has her NG-tube nor her oxygen - I went away on vacation and while I was away she pulled everything off her face twice within two hours. My parents decided to try to bottle feed her and she began taking every bottle by mouth. I came back to a brand new baby girl! I'm so happy and excited and I can't wait to get to her feeding and pulmonary appointments at the end of this month!

Cianna is a mix of being laid back and spunky! She has found her voice and loves to yell out for attention. It sounds like she is constantly yelling, "yeah!" It's so cute and funny and you can hear her from all over the house. She gives you a breath taking smile every single morning. She loves to be sang to. She loves to watch me do zumba or any dance/song that makes me look like the class clown. She loves to be entertained. When she isn't entertained she's sleeping. She sleeps a lot! She has grown so much. She has grown into her big preemie eyes. She is beautiful. She is sweet and loves cuddle time. She loves belly time and back time and she absolutely loves her pacifier and crib. She LOVES bed time and by 7:30pm she is ready to go to bed. She loves to play with her sisters on the play mats. We often find her talking to her mittens (yelling at them). Oh she is just too cute for her own good. She is now 11 pounds which is 9 pounds 12 ounces more then her birth weight. She is also still on oxygen and ng-tube feedings but she is doing much better.

In the past 94 days... we have gone to the doctors (many many many doctors), to the zoo, to my previous place of employment in Atlantic City, to Vineland City Hall, to church, to Red Lobster, Applebees, Long Horn, Moe's, the Cherry Hill Mall, Deptford Mall, Hamilton Mall, the Cumberland Mall, and to a barbecue. We get around folks! This whole staying in the house doesn't work for us LOL... And we have entertained many, many family members and friends at home.

We celebrated Mothers Day and Fathers Day for the first time. It was truly special both times and we are so very grateful to God for allowing us to be parents to such amazing and strong little girls.

In the past 94 days I have prepared 2,256 bottles, changed over 3,384 diapers and washed at least 150 loads of baby clothes/items. But it has been so worth it! What I can say is a HUGE thank you to my amazing parents who purchased the BABY BREZZA for me. It's like a Keurig machine that dispenses formula instead of coffee. A fellow triplet mom told me about it while we were both at CHOP with our girls and my parents surprised us with it. The machine has been a life saver. It keeps the water warm so every bottle comes out ready to serve. (However I still have to warm it up more for - Isabella).

We recently upgraded our strollers! We had one double and one single snap-n-go that were compatible with our Chicco Keyfit Carseats. But the girls are growing fast and before we know it they'll require a real stroller to sit in without their carseats. So I did a lot of research. I found that I hated the triple strollers that were lined up in a row with one seat behind the other and so on. They are harder for the kids to see out of and the color/pattern was ugly! Then theres the Valco stroller that everyone raves about because it's a double stroller with an added Joey Seat - but it looks so uncomfortable and the added seat doesn't even recline. It's also awkwardly positioned right in front of the double seats so again two kids will be looking around the front seat for a better view - so I didn't like that, plus it's expensive and even a used one will cost over $300! So I went with a double and a single jogging stroller by Instep. They finally came in and they are so stinking cute and HUGE! And I can't wait for our next outdoor outing so we can beak them in. Best part we spent less then $300 for brand new strollers.

So... Tito and I went away for a week. We flew out to Fort Lauderdale on June 23rd and sailed out of Miami on a 5 day Carnival Cruise. We only had one 'at sea' day and the other 3 days we spent them at three different islands. Day 1 - we were at sea all day. Tito and I spent most of the day sleeping or playing mini golf. Day 2 - We went to Grand Turk of the Turk & Caicos islands. We spent the day on the beach right by Margaritaville for their free wifi. LOL... The beach was beautiful as was the clear, warm water. Day 3 - We went to Half Moon Cay, Bahamas which is a privately owned island by Carnival. There is no place for the ship to dock so we docked in the middle of the ocean and took smaller boats to the island. This place was absolutely beautiful. I have NEVER seen water, sand or beach like this before. The water was clear and warm. The sand was white. As deep as the water was (to my chin) I could still see my toes clearly! Favorite beach by far! Day 4 - We went to Nassau, Bahamas where Tito and I went over to Atlantis and enjoyed an entire day at their water park. It was super hot and super fun! Day 5 - we arrived back in Miami and we flew back later that night. We missed the girls very much but we are so grateful to my parents and cousins who stayed with the girls. We couldn't have done this without them and God only knows how much we needed a few nights of sleep!

Aye... it's been crazy and amazing and so much more than I could have ever imagined! We are finally getting into a groove/schedule which I'm praying will make it a lot easier for me to get back to writing and updating this blog. I guess it also helps that Tito is off for the summer...

As always, thank you all for all the prayers, support and love! We appreciate it all! Thank you to the many of you who have called, texted me, wrote me messages, stopped by etc. over the last few weeks. Thank you to my wonderful aunts Carmen and Laura and my cousin Veronica who come over at least 3-4 times a week to help with bath time, feedings, bed time etc. Thank you my friend Yari who is constantly reaching out to me to make sure that the girls and I are still alive; and for the many visits, help and advice you have given me along the way! I love you girl! Thank you to girls are City Hall for all the love during our monthly visit to the office LOL - you all make me and the girls feel very loved. Thank you to those who have come by to visit us and the girls. Thank you for all the love, prayers, gifts, diapers, wipes, gift cards etc. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Thank you to the girls from our church who stop by during their lunch breaks to bring us lunch HAHAHA... Thank you to Titi Wandy & Titi Rosie for the visit and tons of clothing you brought the girls. Thank you Ruthie for the meals that you cooked and sent us! I have your containers, I didn't forget you =) The list goes on and on... so... THANK YOU, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you so much!

Upcoming...
1. July - Cianna and Bella have pulmonary and feeding team appointments.
2. August - All three girls have their 8 month pediatric appointment and finally start solids.
3. August 3rd - Tito and I celebrate our 7th year wedding anniversary and we also present the girls on this day.
4. I'm finally starting to plan the girls 1st birthday party. Still debating on keeping it micro small or big. There are just way too many people who support and love us and the girls and we truly want you all to be a part of celebrating the year that they have over come!

Xoxo,
Jackie!

Conversations I've Had Concerning Triplets

Conversation #1 - Shoe Dept. Clerk (Cumberland Mall)
Clerk - Triplets?!?! Wow that must be a nightmare!
Me - My children are not a nightmare, they are a blessing.
Clerk - I'd jump off a bridge. (some even say 'I'd shoot myself')
Me - Well you better thank God he didn't give you triplets because you'd be dead right now.

Conversation #2 - Random People We Have Come Across
Woman - Better you then me.
Me - Yes better me than you.

Conversation #3 - Man at Long Horn
Man - Triplets, wow. Your only kids?
Me - Yes.
Man - So you're done right?
Me - thats none of your business. (Seriously who gets to decide that but us).

Conversation #4 - Walmart Cashier
Cashier - Were they natural?
Me - No, they came from Mars in UFO's and were delivered at my door by ghost.
Cashier - you know what I meant
Me - No I don't, I have triplets, as in three HUMAN children and thats all you need to know.

For the most part I answer back just as stupidly as they question. And I get it, people are curious but they don't realize how insensitive they are with their choice of words. Then you get those amazingly sweet people who say things like "Wow, such a blessing," or "that must be so amazing."

 First pool day - July 5th, 2013

 Nothing like synchronized naps!

 Mommy & Bella - my cuddle bug!

 Cianna - our happy girl!

 Isabella and Haddie holding hands <3

 Play Mat time!

Our happy Isabella!

Go Isabella go! 

 Hadassah with Nana - July 6th!

 Hadassah and Cianna LOL - Cici is not into belly time!

Isabella was not having it with the mini photo shoot!

Our little Cici <3

Such little beauties, yet HUGE blessings!

Hadassah

Isabella

Cianna

July 4th! 

Mothers Day 2014

Our first day home together April 7th, 2014!

Leaving CHOP with all 3 girls! April 6th, 2014

Her shirt says "princess," but her face says "boss."

Isabella's first time in the hammock on June 22nd.

Also her second to last day with her tubes and wires. 

June 22nd - Cianna's first time in the hammock. 

Haddie's first time in the hammock. 

 At Grand Turk with our ship behind us. 

Margaritaville =)

Us before starting the Big Bang Theory Trivia - we got 3 out of 45 questions right -_-

One of our photos we took on night #3. Its bad quality as I took a picture of a picture with my cell phone LOL... Better ones to be up on Facebook soon.

About to head out to the comedy club. It was 11:55pm when I took this!

PS - I did my make up at 5pm O_o

Half Moon Cay!

Lido Deck #9 on Carnival Victory!

Tito is very excited for dinner

Breakfast the morning of Grand Turk.

Dinner on Night #4

Mini Golf!

Half Moon Cay!

Our Ship

Our Ship docked in the ocean at Half Moon Cay

Grand Turk

Zoo at Sea morning... there were animal towels on all the deck chairs! It was so pretty.

Captains night on Night #2 - We got some great shots on this night but

I need Tito to scan the photos onto my computer. 

Light at the End of the Tunnel Week

The Preemie Experienceby Sandra D Moore

The preemie experience is the shattering of all your dreams
For a normal, healthy delivery,
Of the ability to carry home a beautiful squirming bundle
After a short stay in the hospital.

It is lying there in your hospital room listening to
The happy sounds of whole families joined
Together by the birth of a grandchild, cousin, niece,
Or nephew, and knowing that your
Child is miles away and may not survive long enough
For you to see or simply touch.

It is that first glimpse of a skinny, scrawny, not much bigger
Than a Barbie doll child
And feeling, fear, awe, and joy for such a fragile soul.

It is sitting by your baby’s “bedside” day after day,
Week after week, month after month,
Alternating between the emotional high of “Look, her eyes are open,” or “She’s crying!”
And the lows of “I’m sorry. Something has
Shown up in the ultrasound,”
Or even “There is nothing we can do…”

It is hearing the alarms go off for the twentieth time in less
Than fifteen minutes because your
Child’s heart rate keeps hitting zero.

It is watching children dying around you, wondering if
Your child will be next.It is hearing your child’s cry of distress as the nurses
Insert yet another IV and do another
Round of daily blood tests.It is meeting other parents of children who are doing far better
And wondering, “Why me?”
And meeting parents of children who have just died,
And praising God for His mercy
To your child and feeling guilty because your child is alive
And someone else is grieving for theirs.
It is days of nightmarish testing and coping with less
Than positive results to the tests.
It is days of joy at seeing the first eyelash appear,
The child gain a whole ounce in one day,
And two bright shiny eyes look at you and into your soul,
And knowing that your child now recognizes you as Mama or Dada;
Or perhaps looks at you and does not see you at all…

It is that final hurdle before coming home!
It is the sorrow of waiting for the monitor company
Representative to show you what to do
If the alarm sounds when your child is choking,
Gasping for breath, or simply dying.
It is the joy of just being away from all those nurses
And tubes and wires and beeps, and
Walking into the nursery you hastily prepared because, after all,
The child wasn’t due for another three months!

It is thinking the nightmare is over…only to realize it still
Continues in the form of
Such acronyms as PVL, RSV, BPD, CP and numerous others.

It is the final realization that those developmental delays
Have to be dealt with,
That reflux is a normal and unfortunate occurrence in most preemies,
That the constant fight to gain weight is in direct proportion
To a preemie’s ability to do so.

It is watching a child struggle to pick up his or her head, sit,
Crawl, or walk.
It is witnessing only silence when the child should be babbling,
Because the child cannot hear.

It is the mental images of a child running and playing
And communicating with others in a
Perfectly normal manner that are marred when you face years of therapy
In order to simply get the child to eat by himself or herself,
To talk or walk and then run.

The preemie experience is a journey…
A journey through your soul in order to find the faith and strength to cope,
A journey of the mind when you face the emotional weariness,
A journey of the heart…to accept that, no matter what,
This child is yours,And you will love this child no matter what.

HADASSAH

129 days... That's how long the Nicu Experience lasted for Hadassah. I couldn't believe my ears when the discharge nurse called me on March 26th to tell me that Hadassah was scheduled for discharge the following day if she didn't have a Brady within the following 24 hours. I went up to visit her that day with my parents. I held her, I fed her, I kissed her and then it happened... the Brady alarm went off and instantly my eyes watered. I knew what that meant - she was no longer coming home the next day. Brady alarm goes off = 48 more hours in the Nicu. But then the nurse came in and checked Hadassah who's heart probe was on her belly button. The nurse explain that the Brady machine was not reading accurately so it didn't count. Instant relief washed over me. I kissed Hadassah and tucked her in for the night before leaving her for what I hoped would be the last time. I came home and went into nesting mode. I cleaned everything! I washed clothed, bedding, etc. I sterilized bottles and put together a diaper bag. It was midnight when Tito and I laid down in bed. I was anxious and eager to go to bed. But I couldn't sleep! I was nervous, excited, scared out of my mind! I was dreading the morning call to the Nicu in fear that Hadassah had a Brady over night. We were so close to bring her home and I didn't want anything to mess that up! I slept 2 hours (broken up in increments of 5 minutes). I called Virtua at 8am and the first words out of the nurses mouth was "no brady last night, she is ready for discharge!" I hung up the phone and ran outside (Tito was putting the car seat base in the car). I starting running around the car, fist pumping (Do people still do that?) and I was crying, "No Brady! No Bady! She's coming home!" Then it wasn't just me jumping up and down with a cat smile from ear to ear... Tito to was joining me now! We ate a big breakfast. We drove to Babies R Us in Deptford, we purchased formula and headed to pick up our beauty! We waited an hour for the hospital photographer to come. We dressed Hadassah in a beautiful yellow dress and for the first time in 129 days we pulled off all of her probes, wires, cords, MACHINES! I felt like running out of the hospital with her! LOL .... By 2pm we were in the car and on our way home with Hadassah! I cried the whole way home. I couldn't stop thanking God enough for his grace and mercy and for allowing us to bring this child home. The Nicu wasn't easy, it still isn't with Isabella and Cianna still at Chop. However, we have  been very blessed to not have had as many complications as other preemie babies have had. The Doctors and nurses are amazed at how well my girls are doing. But my God is the ultimate Doctor and He has seen my girls through and through... Hadassah has been home for a week and a day now. She has had a very exciting week. We stayed in on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Saturday night my sister in law came from San Francisco. On Sunday Hadassah went to church and then to Chop to visit her sisters. On Monday she had her first pediatric appointment where she peed the entire exam table O_o ... She marked within the 53 percentile for her adjusted age which the pediatrician was so excited about. She gained 3 ounces since leaving the hospital which was also great! She got her 4 month shots and was told to come back in 2 months for her 6 month shots. We went home and called it a day. Tuesday we went to Lancaster, Pa and watched Moses at Sight & Sound. Can you believe she slept through it all! Praise God! Wednesday was a pajama day and we stayed in. Thursday (Yesterday) we went to Chop and spent time with Isabella and Cianna. Today we are staying in! Hadassah is a great baby! She wakes every 3-4 hours for her bottle and gives me a good 3-4 hours of sleep at night in between her feeds. She feeds at 10pm, 2am and then 6am. So I get a good 7-8 hours of rest (broken) at night. Not bad! Our only issue is evenings where she is extremely gassy, uncomfortable and cries/screams from 6pm to midnight! I reached out to my fellow triplet moms who recommended Gripe Water. We tried this last night and it worked! Seems like Hadassah gets Colic in the evenings. Last night she was fed, burped, asleep and in bed by 10pm! Praise God! So all in all it's been a great week for Hadassah (and us as well)!

Wednesday, March 26th - The day before coming home & moments before the false brady! 

 Formula run! LOL

Right outside of Virtua excited to be picking up Hadassah!

 Tito's final scrub before entering the NICU at Virtua

My final scrub!

 Hadassah dressed and ready for her hospital photo!

 Mommy and Hadassah!

 Daddy and Hadassah

 Hadassah is ready to go home!

 Taking a nap in her crib!!!!!

 Hadassah with Titi Vero!

 The first of many father/daughter moments!

 Hadassah with Titi Laura

 Hadassah with Titi Carmen

 Hadassah with Guelito (Grandpa)

 "Nana, you telling me I can't have no more milk?" - Hadassah LOL

 Hadassah's first church service!

 Daddy filing Hadassah's Nails!

 Length check at the Pediatrician's office - Obviously she hated it!

 Pouty lips after her shots!

"Living at home is great!" ~ Hadassah

 



ISABELLA

Isabella has had a great week! She is taking 8 bottles a day but is not taking the whole bottle at every feeding. Therefore she is still in use of the ng-tube. On Sunday, March 30th Tito and I went up to Chop and completed our NG-tube course where we learned how to insert the feeding tube. On Thursday, April 3rd we went back to CHOP and completed our at home oxygen course where we learned how to manage the oxygen tank and monitors at home. We also took hers and Cianna's car seats for their car seat test. We completed all of the discharge pre-requisites and we confirmed with the NICU doctors that Isabella is ready to come home on Monday, April 7th! So now we wait for the weekend and see what happens but God willing she'll be coming home on Monday! She will be coming home with a feeding tube and on a very little amount of oxygen but I'm so freaking happy to have her home! Many preemies come home on these devices and within a month are off of them due to tender loving care 24/7 by their parents... I'm ready for this! Bring it on!

 My beautiful Isabella~

 "Mom can I go home now?"

 Isabella taking a nap after giving mommy is work out during a pamper change!

 March 30th - Reunited with her sister - Bella & Hadassah

"Mommy I love my Senor Frogs!"

 



CIANNA

Cianna also had a great week. She is scheduled to come home with Bella on April 7th or Wednesday the 9th at the latest! So within 5-7 days we will have all three girls home! Cianna will also be coming home with a feeding tube and with oxygen. She is on very little oxygen so that is no concern. The doctors believe that within a month she'll be off of it. Cianna had a swallow test study done on Monday. It revealed that she is aspirating when she drinks/swallows her milk from the bottle. It was determined that the formula is too thin so she is only allowed to have two bottles a day with rice in it to thicken up the formula. But out of 60cc that she needs to take she only takes about 10 - 15cc because it's so thick that she has to suck extra hard to get it out. I don't get it, it sounds odd and I have even questioned the nipple flow size. So this means that her main method of feeding will be by ng-tube. But again - she'll be home. In 6 weeks I'll have to take her back for a second swallow study. Over the past week they have place Cianna in a swing on full speed which she loves! It's crazy how fast it's going and how calm she is! I need to invest ASAP LOL

 Believe it or not she is sleeping! Yes she sleeps with eyes open.... creepy!

 Cece with Nana!

 Caught this photo while she was in her swing - the straps you see is a 5 point harness they use at CHOP LOL

 Mommy feeds Hadassah and Daddy feeds coffee to mommy!

Cianna is wiped out!

 

CURRENT WEIGHTS

Hadassah is 8lbs 9oz

Isabella is 8lbs

Cianna is 6lbs

Me - I'm still the same. I did nothing to improve it either. Way to busy right now LOL

 

OFFICIAL NICKNAMES

Hadassah - Haddie

Isabella - Bella, Bells

Cianna - Cece

 

Other Important News

Captain America The Winter Soldier came out today! (It's superhero crush Friday) LMBO My wonderful husband will be taking his lovely sister to watch the movie tonight. I'll be waiting for it to come out on DVD and I have no complaints! I absolutely love being with my Hadassah. My sister in law has been here all week and she has been a great help! She leaves tomorrow and I'm going to miss her dearly! But God willing she'll be back soon, with the whole family, for good!

 

Well I have to go, it's 10am and you know what that means - Hadassah is due for a bottle!

 

XOXO,

Jackie V.