A Bad Case of Reflux.... x 2 and a plea

Over the past week, it has been painfully clear to Edward and I that Evelyn and Colin have some serious tummy issues. Truthfully, this evolved over the past month, but matters came to a head about a week ago, and have only become worse. The issue? Reflux.

Now, we've heard a hundred times that all babies spit up. In fact, you'll see references to "happy spitters" in a lot of the literature on reflux; a term used to describe babies who dribble and wet burp with reckless abandon and without ill effect. On the contrary, we have very, very unhappy spitters. We get drenched on regular occasions, deal with screaming babies from about 3-10pm daily, and often have to hold on to our little rodeo champs with a vice-like grip as they contort, writhe, cry and buck while trying to feed them. In short, we are all miserable - except for Keith, who although he has some issues of his own, is generally contented. Not counting yesterday, of course, when he was a screaming banshee. We had to call in the cavalry (Opa and Nana, and Jane our neighbour) because we only have so many hands to deal with the onslaught we faced last night. But, I digress.

We raised this issue with our pediatrician about 3 weeks ago, and he gave us the standard line: as long as they are gaining weight, they will not to anything about the reflux. Right. Lucky for him, he doesn't have to live through our 7 hour shrieking marathon - times two. Both Edward and I conceded that it was getting worse. So yesterday, after discussing the situation with our doula, I decided to call our pediatrician to see what else we could try. He's on holidays, but we managed to get an appointment with the doctor on call who happens to be a gastroenterologist. Off we trundled, Evelyn and Colin in tow.

After weighing and examining them ( Little Miss is 9lb 7 oz, and Mister C is 11lb 2 oz, by the way!), he concluded that their poor tummies are full of gas. This, in turn, is causing pressure that manifests itself as reflux. This makes sense to me, based on what I've observed. He didn't prescribe any medication. Rather, he gave us 6 steps to follow over the next few weeks (sigh...) to see if there is any improvement. He wants to increase the motility of their guts, so we've switched formulas and have started them on 3 teaspoons of oat cereal per day. "The name of the game", I informed Edward after the appointment, "is poo". We are also giving them a few sips of water during their day feeds. Last night found me in the bath, with babies being rotated in with me in the hopes that the warm water would help soothe their tummies. On one hand, I was kinda selfishly hoping for more of a quick fix: stop the acid reflux. On the other hand, I agree with the idea of treating the issue (gas) as opposed to the symptom (reflux). We'll see how I feel about waiting for an improvement today midway through the epic screaming session.

Anyways, we are managing. But if there are a few people out there who have nerves of steel and some spare time in the later part of the day, we'd love some help. It would even the baby : adult ratio, and would go a long way to preserving what shred of sanity we have left. And hey, if the babes aren't screaming their lungs out, there is still the 9pm feed to be done. If you'd like to challenge your ability to remain calm and composed under what amounts to auditory torture, drop me a line at diagriene @ hotmail.com (no space on either side of the "@").

Doesn't that sound appealing??!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Keith, our sleepy candy cane (with reindeer feet)
Colin, our little elf
Evelyn, our tiny sugar plum

My intention was to take some lovely Christmas pictures at home, and put up a few of the "out takes" for a chuckle. Well, true to form, they ALL turned out to be out takes. Nevertheless, we find them to be an accurate snapshot of our daily life: a) someone is always crying b) someone is always outgrowing an item of clothing c) the dog makes everything a lot more... interesting. Video proof to follow.

But most importantly, we wish you all a wonderful Christmas with your friends and families, and a restful holiday season. Relish those quiet moments in front of a roaring fire, a leisurely uninterrupted Christmas dinner, a glass of wine or two with friends... and spare a thought for us - we'll be slogging it out in the trenches, and we wouldn't want it any other way!

Behind the Scenes

I had to show these off first - these are handmade by Edward's mother :)

The making of the Christmas photos, Sprocket assisting:

And finally...

As promised a while ago, here are the babies crying in unison. This was taken about a month ago, so as bigger = louder, you can imagine what they sound like now!

PS - can you tell we just figured out how to upload videos from our new camcorder?! The picture quality isn't the greatest because we needed to downgrade it to get it on here, but the sound quality is pretty good :P

Our Second Trip to the RSV Clinic

Today we bundled up the babies against the -21 temperature and took them to the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) to get their second round of anti-RSV medication. RSV is a potentially serious respiratory infection that most children get in their first two years of life - for most babies, it is usually a bad cold and cough. For premies, however, it can be life threatening. If they catch it, many end up in hospital on ventilators... certainly something we've seen enough already!

This anti-RSV medication prevents the proteins from the virus from binding together, and so if they were to catch RSV it should be far less severe. Because they were under 32 weeks when delivered, they are eligible for the treatment. They had their initial dose three weeks ago, and after today will return for a subsequent dose every month until the end of the flu season in March or April. The nursing staff is wonderful, and we were in and out of there in an hour and half. This included weighing each baby in order to calculate the proper dosage. I'm somewhat shocked to announce that Keith and Colin are almost identical in weight: a whopping 10 pounds!! To think they were 3lb 14 ounces and 2lb 12 ounces less than 11 weeks ago (not counting the weight drop that is inevitable after birth) is absolutely astonishing. Evelyn is also on a remarkable growth curve and tipped the scales at 8lb 9 ounces.... the nurses who saw them three weeks ago were equally impressed by their incredible gain.

In other news, we have switched the babies to a four hour feed schedule (1,5,9) which means we've gone from 8 feeds a day to 6. This has been a glorious achievement, as our schedule is a lot less chaotic and we usually have at least one good, usable hour between every feed. This also means we're getting a bit more sleep - although they still wake early to ensure you don't miss their bottle prep! We find they're slowly recognizing day and night, and we try to keep them up a little now during the day on their activity mats which seems to help them sleep better at night.

We also managed to get Christmas pictures done at home in outfits that Edward's mother graciously provided. I'll be posting those a little closer to Christmas, but while they are not studio quality by any means, they are (at least to us) hilarious! Getting everyone corralled was like herding cats - and getting everyone to sit up and look towards the camera was, well, impossible. Edward, my mother and I enjoyed the process; although it's clear that not all the babies shared our enthusiasm... with the exception of our Miss-E. She's happy for a change in routine (and she got to wear a tutu) as long as she gets to observe the situation to her satisfaction.

Pictures!

Babies with Mummy hanging out on the floor - Colin is in the blue and Keith is in beige (PS - you can click on the pictures to enlarge them!)
Our brood!
Sprocket and Colin exchange pleasantries
Me, and my new secret weapon. This only works if they're hungry at the same time. Sprocket is supervising.

Happy Due Date... Evelyn!

Evelyn, weighing six pounds twelve ounces
Evelyn, on September 25th at two pounds thirteen ounces

Our Sweetest Baby C! Evelyn never misses a beat. She is incredibly curious, and will often cry if you place her on your shoulder - she'd much prefer to sit on your lap, facing out, so she can watch the world go by with unending interest. She spends a significant amount of the day awake in her crib, sharing quiet confidences with her audience of Monsieurs Monkey, Giraffe and Teddy. She isn't usually the first to cry, but when she does she makes her displeasure known; loudly! Our littlest redhead is very good-natured and even-tempered. She loves to smile at her adoring fan club and has a quiet, Teutonic efficiency when draining her bottle to the last drop. She loves a warm lap and a soft touch, and when she is fussy, a spin in the rocking chair calms everyone's frayed nerves. We think she likes storytime - she's usually fast asleep after the first paragraph, contentedly snuggled on Daddy's shoulder.

We love you, Evelyn!

Happy Due Date... Keith!

Keith weighing in at almost eight pounds
Keith on September 25, at three pounds fourteen ounces

The Bestest-Ever Big Baby B! Born with a full head of blonde hair that caused quite a sensation in the Special Care Nursery, Keith loves to be the centre of attention and has a larger than life personality. Loud, boisterous and very vocal (even when he's asleep!), Pumpkin has an opinion on everything. In Keith's perfect world there would be no baths, no diaper changes and endless rivers of food; he would - and does - finish every drop. Keith can be in mid-wail but the moment the bib goes on he grins from ear to ear. He is quick to upset, but just as quick to settle. He loves his bouncy chair and of course, his goat. He likes to ad lib during story time and talks with his mouth full and arms akimbo. He simply must have the last word and makes us laugh at every turn.

We love you, Keith!

Happy Due Date... Colin!

Crying babies can wait for another occasion, because Edward and I would like to take a few moments to congratulate our brood on their due date: they are full-term (ie. 40 weeks old) today!

Colin on Friday night, tipping the scales at approximately seven pounds, three ounces
Colin minutes after birth on September 25, weighing in at two pounds, twelve ounces

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Our Amazing Baby A! Although he was The Instigator who broke his water that Saturday morning we have forgiven him, for he is a very content and mild-mannered Monkey. He spends a lot of time quietly lying in his crib, with his face a reflection of perpetual wonder - and worry! Colin is prone to a furrowed brow and seems to be a sensitive soul. He may be the first to cry, but he will often put himself back to sleep while waiting to be fed. When Colin REALLY cries, he attracts quite a crowd because it is such an unusual occurrence. The metamorphosis of his soft little snorting/bleating/mewling cry to a shriek means that something is seriously amiss in his universe, and it's often his tummy - it's either too full, or too empty! Our strawberry-blonde cuddlebug loves his bedtime stories, and will often settle with a smile on Daddy's shoulder for a snooze in the rocking chair. He is very alert, and will reach for his pink pig, monkey and giraffe to engage in a contemplative study. He has an amazing range of facial expressions!

We love you, Colin!

Another Day in the Life...

This is what Colin thinks of this post... too much blather and too few pictures! Yaaaaawwwwnnn

Many people have expressed an interest in our daily schedule... what is it *really* like living with triplets? Well, we might be masochistic, but every day is a joy. I do get to cuddle each one of them, they are held, sung to, read to and kissed only about a thousand times a day. So my initial fears of not being able to spend one-on-one time with them have yet to materialize. They have been adored, fed and snuggled by their grandparents, great-aunt, the doula, our friends, neighbours, and soon, their aunties. It is taking a cast of many to ensure they get the love and care they need and that we get to keep a tiny shred of our sanity.

The schedule below reflects our daily life without any assistance - just the two of us... obviously, with more hands on deck, we can feed, burp, change and cuddle the babies in a shorter amount of time. With one person feeding them (the 1am and 4am feeds), it takes about an hour and a half. With two people, about an hour; and with 3, forty-five minutes. We have had people shopping for us, bringing us food, clothes, doing bottle prep and assembling baby paraphenalia as well. We are so very grateful for everyone's help, and we truly couldn't do it without you.

Without further ado:

1 - 2:30am: Edward feeds babies

3am: babies usually fuss an hour before/after their next feed - LIKE CLOCKWORK. Up to soothe.

3:45am: babies are hungry and let you know it! Bottles are heated up.

4:00 - 5:30am: I feed babies

6:00am: fussy, fussy!

6:45am: bottles to warm

7:00 - 8:00am: Edward and I feed babies

8:00 - 9:00am: I usually go back to bed for an hour; Edward gets the dog up and has breakfast

9:00am: Fuss! First load of laundry

9:45am: Bottles heated

10:00 - 11:00am: Feed babies

11:00 - 12:00pm: Restock nursery, I have breakfast/lunch; I try to pump; dog gets out for a walk; grocery shopping?

12:00pm: Pay attention to ME!

12:45pm: Bottles to warm

1:00 - 2:00pm: Feed babies

2:00 - 3:00pm: Pump; eat; try to get through some correspondence; return phone calls

3:00pm: Upstairs for the 45th lost pacifier expedition... babies fussy; second load of laundry

3:45pm: Warm bottles

4:00 - 5:00pm: Feed babies

5:00 - 6:00pm: Pump; feed/walk dog; dinner prep - sometimes we get to eat it. Start to wash and sterilize bottles

6:00pm: We're hungry... already!

6:45pm: Warm bottles

7:00 - 8:30pm: One baby gets a bath; feed babies; read a bedtime story

8:30-9:00pm: Formula prep

9:00pm: Fussy! Third load of laundry

9:45: Bottles arrive upstairs ready for hungry mouths

10:00 - 11:00pm: Feed babies.

12:00am: We're up and ready to be entertained!

12:45am: Warm bottles

1am: Repeat

This doesn't take into account the trips to the doctors (ie. we have one appointment on Friday, and one on Tuesday), the times where they just won't settle (when it's one, it's usually all three) or time for personal hygiene... :P However, they are so much fun and we do have a lot of help, so there aren't too many days we don't have an extra pair of hands or two.

For our next post: A video of 3 babies crying simultaneously. And the riveting strategies of who you feed first... stay tuned!

A Day in the Life...

Our first baby, Spocket. We had such a gorgeous and warm afternoon that we bundled the babies up in a sling and their new-to-us double stroller and set out with my mom and the dog for a walk. The wind was a bit chilly, but the pediatrician assured us that it was fine to introduce them to the outside world. They fell asleep, and we think we'll repeat our experiment tomorrow!
Colin and Evelyn get cosy with Edward. After Colin bashed her in the head with his flailing arms, they *almost* held hands.

This should be enough to instill fear and trepidation in any man.... prepping 24 bottles a day! Edward does this in the evening to get ready for the day ahead. And this translates into about 210 diapers a week, and hmmm... two to three loads of laundry a day! Colin's bottles are green, Evelyn's are purple and Keith's are blue. They need to be colour-coordinated because Keith is on a different formula, and all three receive different amounts.

Wherein Keith Talks to a Goat

But first, before Keith's cinematic debut, here is Miss Evelyn snuggled with Edward this afternoon after a very satisfying meal. She is the quietest of the three - unless she is unhappy, and then she has a cry that sounds like an air raid siren - and is very content to curl up with whomever has a blanket and a heartbeat (but most especially Daddy)!

Here is Keith chatting up his goat and monkey... sort of. Of course, the moment you grab the camera (this wasn't shot on our new camcorder), it tends to put a damper on things. Just imagine him doing this for longer, much louder and with a bit more panache. Keith is our melodramatic, very talkative baby (gee, I wonder who he takes after?!) who wears his heart on his sleeve and lets you know EXACTLY how he feels. About pretty much everything. In fact, he may be telling his audience how much he misses his hat, which has a habit of escaping him every time we put it on. It fits, but given how much he moves, it just doesn't stay put.

Colin will get his own post at a later date!

We're Hanging In!

Yesterday was one of Those Days... it started with the dog making a rather stinky mess on the living room carpet, and ended with me stepping barefoot in dog pee as I crawled into bed sometime after midnight - just in time for the 2am feed. The dog is housetrained... he's just having adjustment issues now that he's realized that those squawking interlopers aren't going anywhere.

In between, there was an overtired Monkey who spent the entire day either eating or in someone's arms, a fussy Pumpkin who screamed himself hoarse and a Sweet Pee (Pea?) who lived up to her name and then some. On the bright side, we got to try out the Blue Celery sling on Colin, who absolutely loved it. The downside is that I'm still getting the hang of putting it on, so in the interests of preserving a few remaining braincells, a verrry tired Mummy would rather carry Colin in her arms than fiddle with loops and criss-crosses and tutorials. I ate my first dinner one-handed with a baby (Keith) on my lap, and true to his Hungry Hippo-esque persona, he watched me eat with rapt interest, eyeing each forkful, mouth agape.

So yes, yesterday was officially fired. Things crescendoed at around 2am when everyone presented me with a dirty diaper and very hungry dispositions. But, we persevered, and after our 15th rendition of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (it's got to have more than one verse?!) and their other favourite, the 60s Civil Rights anthem We Shall Overcome (it's on their Ipod playlist) everyone managed to drift off to sleep including me. In spite of it all, I wouldn't change it for the world.

We're operating on the premise that today must be a better day, and so far it seems to be heading in that direction. The sun is shining, the dog and Edward are out for a walk, babies are slumbering, laundry is done, the house is reasonably tidy and I'm having breakfast - what a novel concept! I'm basically down to one meal a day (dinner) with snacks grabbed when possible. While this isn't the best for breastmilk production, it is our reality - which reminds me, I must head off to pump before the 11am feed!

Pictures to follow... at some point ;) We finally got our camcorder, so we're hoping to upload a few videos, too.

Any Volunteers?

I'll keep this plea at the top of the blog for a bit...

If you have a few hours to spare over the course of your week and you'd like to give us a hand, please drop me a line at diagriene @ hotmail.com (**no spaces on either side of the the @ in the actual address**) and I'll forward my mother's telephone number. She's organizing a schedule and knows first hand what needs to be done.

Due to the babies' prematurity and their extreme risk for catching colds/flu/RSV, at present there probably won't be a lot of baby handling - what we need most is peripheral assistance with groceries, laundry, etc. However later on, we fully expect that baby cuddling will be on the agenda!

Reunited

Colin... being reunited with his bath at home in a small recycling bin (it is juuust the right size; for now!)
Grammy (Edward's mother)... being reunited with Keith
The babies... being reunited with each other on Edward's lap last night. From left to right, Evelyn, Keith and Colin.

Even Shorter Update... and Sad News

Evelyn came home today!! In fact, she was supposed to come home yesterday, but due to the doctor's admin burden, it got put off until this morning. We are soooo thrilled to see little Sweet Pea cosy in her bed under the window... she is eating well, and we'll see how she does over her first night. Pictures to follow!

The discharge did not go too smoothly, but not because of Evelyn. There was a crisis in the NICU overnight and everyone was extremely stressed. The doctors were delayed with their rounds and it took 2.5 hours to get to Evelyn, look her over and sign her paperwork. The baby who was in crisis was born just a day before our brood and we got to know his parents quite well over the past 5 weeks - they are a lovely couple and have a little guy at home, too. Their little one started to look "off" when his mother was feeding him last night, and by the time I got there this morning he was being prepped to be airlifted to CHEO. He is very, very sick. His parents are beyond distraught and the mood in the NICU was very somber. I managed to give his mother a hug as we both cried in the hallway, but what do you say to someone in that situation? It's an unspeakable sorrow. So please, keep the little one and his parents in your thoughts. He was due to be discharged today...

Short Update...

No pictures this time, sadly. We'll have to take a few more :)

The boys had their second pediatrician's appointment this morning, and Colin has gained a whopping 11 ounces since last Wednesday!? If they weren't recording it, I simply wouldn't believe it... that's absolutely shocking. Keith is now up over 5 pounds, and both are starving most of the time - we're trying to keep up with them. The NICU had suggested we start feeding them every 4 hours, but as the boys are demanding to be fed up to an hour before they're due to be fed, I doubt anyone of us could last that long!

Miss Evelyn is still in the hospital. She had another spell on Monday, and her release date has been changed accordingly. She looks so amazing and alert :) They aren't sure why she's still having her apnea episodes. It could be nothing more than her prematurity, but she also has a lowish hemoglobin count which could be a contributing factor. They would like to see her resolve this on her own and aren't planning to intervene medically at the moment. While most preemies are supposed to outgrown their apnea spells at 35 weeks (and the babies are now 36 weeks 3 days), the fact that she's one of three means that she generally acts about two weeks behind her gestational age. We'll see how she does over the next few days...

I'm up to my ears in overdue thank-you notes, and I'm hoping I can squeeze a few in before the 2pm feed. Edward's mother has been here since Sunday, and it's a great help to have food prepared, the mountains of laundry done and the house tidy so we can focus on getting our act together with the babies. Edward is starting his 6 months of leave on Monday and I can hardly wait!! It is a financial hit, because at the moment, EI will not allow him to claim parental leave alongside me but it's a sacrifice we're willing to make. We're very fortunate to even have this option, and I'm so thrilled that Edward will have the opportunity to spend so much quality time with the babies :)

Pictures!

Keith at the back, Colin in the foreground. Colin looks a little worried... he often does, and not necessarily without reason! Right over his ear you can see a little shaved patch where they had a scalp IV line placed in the NICU.
The choir...
Colin with Daddy
Keith with me
The other side of the nursery!

Babies in the Nursery...Finally!

That is Colin under the hat! Here he is at home, fast asleep, holding his pacifier in his mouth (perhaps coincidence, but he does this very often) and striking a stylish pose. One of the reasons we call him Monkey is because he's very tactile - as you may recall from some of his NICU pics, he has to have his hands on something!

Keith chilling at home on his puppy blanket. The NICU told us that fleece is the best at keeping the heat in, so Edward went to Fabricland and bought enough in several patterns to make nine blankets of a very generous size.
Evelyn in the NICU. She was the first of the three to hold her head up. She is one curious and alert little girl :)

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Just a quick update - Keith came home Monday afternoon and Colin came home Tuesday. The first night was a bit wild, as Keith had some "intestinal issues" and was very hungry, not to mention trying to cope with a completely new environment. They both did well last night, although the intestinal issues persisted until this afternoon, so they weren't very comfortable. But they didn't stop eating! In fact, at their first pediatrician's appointment yesterday, Keith had gained an incredible 4 ounces since he was discharged and Colin was up to 4lb 4 ounces.

We're feeding them on their 3 hour schedule. Edward and I usually take turns doing the feeds on our own, with the exception of the 8am and 8pm feeds; the latter because 2 nights out of three we have to squeeze in a bath. I usually do the 2am feed and Edward does the 5am, which means that once everyone is fed at 8pm I have an hour and half to rest before the 11pm feed, and another hour and a half until 2am and then a blissful 4 hours or so until I get up for the day. It's been working out quite well (knock on wood) in part because we have a great nursery set-up, a workable (but rigid!) routine, and because the babies are unusually good feeders in spite of their age. Last night, our doula took the 11pm feed so we got to bed at a really reasonable hour and I even got to read a few pages of a magazine. Tonight, Edward is taking that feed and I'm envisioning a longer shower!

Edward is in charge of preparing and sterilizing 16 bottles a day which takes the better part of three hours to complete. Keith and Colin are on different formulas and the bottles are colour-coded to ensure that Keith doesn't get Colin's milk-based grub. Our kitchen looks like some sort of commercial production outfit with pots boiling away at all hours, cookie sheets, tongs and clean tea towels neatly arranged on almost every counter.

And what about our Sweet Pea, Miss Evelyn? Unfortunately, she had an apnea spell last Thursday which was her first in 12 days. It took everyone by surprise, and meant that she had to stay an extra week to ensure it was safe to her to come home. She had two more yesterday and last night, so the clock has again been reset for another week. I managed to get in to see her this morning (oh, to be able to drive again post c-section! Perhaps on Monday...), but we miss having her here. It's hard to get our scheduled meshed to feed her when we're doing feeds at the same time at home. She looked at me so soulfully this morning, and my heart broke. She is the most alert and developmentally advanced of all three, and I'm positive she knows she's alone in the NICU. This is truly the hardest part so far :( Obviously, we don't want her having spells at home, but our family simply isn't complete without her sleeping in her crib alongside her brothers.

Well, I'm off to take advantage of my early night! 2am comes around sooner than one thinks...

The Nursery... Finally!

The fabric book slings that I sewed... by hand. For some reason, the photo is crooked. At least, I hope it's the photo and not the slings! Those books will look familiar to some of you. We looove books, so thanks for adding to our fledgling library :)
The nursery at night. I chose the fabric for those huge pillows (they will go on the floor once the babies are home), and I made the paper star mobiles. Hanging them was a bit of a chore, but I think they look pretty good. There are another three stars on the other side of the room. I found the organic pillow fabric, the custom-made quilt and the adorable animal prints on the wall on Etsy (aka my secret ingredient!). The cribs are IKEA, and were very easy to assemble. They will convert to toddler beds, too.
A more telling shot. We only have fitted sheets on the cribs at present. At the advice of the hospital staff, we're going to wrap the babies in fleece and cover them with one blanket. The basic rule of thumb for preemies is as much clothing on the baby and as little covering the baby as possible.

So after a very frantic effort on my part, the nursery is pretty much finished! Well, this side of the room. You may recall we added a built-in unit on the other side. It's fully loaded with diapers, blankets, bath stuff, bibs, baskets for booties, sweaters and hats, etc. However, it still needs some final tidying up before I post a few pics, so stay tuned.

The only nursery project I didn't finish was the sampler. I'm really sad about that, as it features one of my favourite poems, Children Learn What They Live. It is very labour intensive, and although I plugged away for over 50 hours, it's only half done. I doubt at this point it will ever get finished, but such is life - and the mere beginning of many unfinished projects to come, I'm sure! But apart from that, I'm really pleased with the finished product. Many people told me that gender neutral nurseries would have to be green or yellow (read: boring), but I knew that I could pull it off with a myriad of bright colours, and even a little pink and blue. I wanted a cosy and vintagey feel, and of course, knowing the number of hours I'd spent staring at those walls, I'd have to love it. And I do!

Birth Announcement

http://legacy.celebrating.com/can-ottawa/Celebrations.asp?Page=Announcement&PersonID=146003749

The paper version is in Saturday's Ottawa Citizen.

Brothers

Taken this evening. Keith and Colin are now sharing a crib... although they have quite a bit of space on their own sides, they seem to wiggle towards each other when they have the chance. Evelyn is also out of her heated water bed and is enjoying her single cot :)

Look Ma! No Tubes!

Colin doing his best Grumpy Little Old Man impression, being burped by Edward.
Evelyn being burped by me, wondering who let these two buffoons in the NICU - and, more urgently, who agreed to let them care for her?! She wants a word with the Management.

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Well, the inevitable happened and both Keith and Colin ripped out their nasal feeding tubes over the past day - sibling rivalry! Edward and I were surprised it took our little Monkey (aka Colin) so long to accomplish this feat. He has a near-simian ability to grasp onto pretty much anything and everything and yank. Hard. Keith (aka Pumpkin) is a little more sedate, but he obviously doesn't like being one-upped by his older-by-one-minute brother.

While this is a huge accomplishment, it does mean that I can't breastfeed Colin at the moment. Keith appears to be allergic to cow protein, so he's on a special formula and needs to be on it exclusively for two weeks, so he hasn't been breastfed for several days. He gets the bottle each time.

Because Keith and Colin don't have the tube anymore as a back-up feeding mechanism, they now need to be changed and have their feeds started within 20 minutes of being awoken otherwise they might not have enough energy to get through their meal. And because Colin would get breastfed before he starts his bottle feed, we simply cannot waste his energy with such pursuits. It makes me sad, because I'm having a heck of a time getting my milk supply up, and breastfeeding the babes works like a charm every time. Evelyn still has her tube in for now, which means that we can dilly-dally on the breast for about ten minutes before she starts on her bottle. If she runs out of steam before she finishes her feed with the bottle, she can have the rest via her tube. I absolutely love that ten minutes with her on the breast. I'm hoping that once they're home and established on their feeds, I can do more breastfeeding, but it will be up to the doctor. My breastmilk is just not as calorie-laden as their fortified formula, and when it comes to tiny babes with tiny energy reserves they need to eat the most fattening food first. Sigh. Pumping it is :(

We've been warned by the nurses that until the babes are "term" (ie. 40 weeks old), there will be no room for a lot of handling. They desperately need their rest, and they need to sleep for a minimum of two hours between feeds so they have the energy to eat at their next session. As they are fed every three hours, it leaves only one hour for them to be up, but the faster they get done the more sleep they get. It's a delicate balance between wanting to cuddle them and knowing they're better off sleeping. We've been practicing a lot over the weekend, and can get all three babes changed and fed - and at least one bathed - in an hour and a half. The nurses are very impressed by this, but it means that we only cuddle them for about ten minutes minutes after they eat. We've been told again and again that caring for preemies is not like caring for full-term babies, and we need to be properly trained. We're getting a LOT better at the specialized tasks at hand, but it can be nerve-wracking to be "on the clock" to the extent that we are. The bathing is also a little stressful, because they all hate it so much and use up lot of energy screaming their lungs out... and they get all wiggly-worm on us! Happily, they all drain their bottles pretty quickly (30 minutes is the goal, and they can all rip through theirs in 5-15 minutes flat) which makes our live a lot easier :) We're getting there!

Lastly, we've been told to get everything in order because Keith *might* be home as of next week! We still have carseats and monitors to buy, and the nursery is still not done. It's so hard to fit everything into the day when you spend 6 hours at the hospital, and are pumping every 2-3. I have to buckle down and plough through, because once one of them is home there will be absolutely no time to accomplish anything else! We are so very, very nervous at the thought of having someone come home, but we are really looking forward to getting on with our life together.

Our Family....

Taken last night. Babes from left to right: Keith, Evelyn and Colin :) Minus Sprocket, of course!

What a Difference a Week Makes!

Keith last night, sucking on his chicken mitten. He really enjoys his practice breastfeeding sessions! That is his feeding tube going into his nose.
Evelyn and her pacifier, last night.
Colin, last night. We didn't want to disturb any of them! They looked so peaceful :)

Firstly, I'd like to thank everyone for all their best wishes, thoughts and prayers. It's been a very busy week, as Edward has gone back to work and we're still getting to the hospital three times a day. I'm being encouraged to stay for most of the day to get in some practice breastfeeding, diapering and bathing. I'm trying to get over the last vestiges of my cold before I spend more time with the babes - both Edward and I are wearing masks and having them on for hours on end isn't that pleasant, not to mention our fears that we're still contagious.

That being said, I have spent the past few days alternately holding all three and putting them to the breast for a bit to see how they do. All three of them have managed to latch as best they can, given their tiny size. While they're all still being fed through a tube in their nose, that and their vital signs monitors are all the wiring they have left!! We are so thrilled and amazed at their progress, as is the medical staff. If you consider that we asked their immature systems to function as full-term babies two months before their actual due date, the whole thing becomes a miraculous achievement. With their umbilical IV lines out they can lie on their tummies, which holds the preemie stamp of approval; and it can also help ease digestion. Both Colin and Keith have some issues keeping their feeds down (resulting in some full on out-the-nose-and-mouth spit up sessions), but that's to be expected for preemies, particularly boys. Colin and Evelyn have surpassed their birth weight, and Keith is only a few grams under his. Once they are able to regulate their body temperatures to 36ish degrees celcius, they will be removed from the isolettes and placed in heated water beds.

Now back to pumping!!

Belated update

Sorry for the delay in updating. Life has been hectic with a lot of trips back and forth to the hospital. Sandra has been home since Wednesday and the babies have now got names and are doing well.

The babies are named Colin Alfons (Baby A), Keith William (Baby B) and Evelyn Rose (Baby C). Despite initial difficulties Keith has made significant progress in the past couple of days and I got to hold him today. Sandra got to hold Evelyn a couple of days ago. All the babies are being weaned off their breathing assistance and none are intubated at this point. They are all also being fed through tubes to get their innards working, and Evelyn is actually almost up to a full feed by this point.

Here are some pictures of the three of them:

This is Colin, with quite a number of tubes and wires. He has twisted his hat around his head, so you can see his blonde hair.:



This is Evelyn off of her breathing assistance. The little thing on her nose is to prevent irritation from the prongs that they put into the babies' noses for the CPAP (which is a positive pressure breathing assistance).:



Here is Keith looking at the cold, cruel world through a jaded eye. He is wearing his chicken mittens because he likes to unhook himself from his machines. As you can see, he was born with a significant amount of blonde hair.:



This is Colin, looking surprisingly casual. It is rare to find him not in motion. He is under UV lamps to get rid of jaundice that occurs in premies because of immature liver function:

Perhaps less than 21 days to go...

So with Sandra in the hospital, I am free to manage the creative content myself.

I was peacefully sleeping last night when Sandra woke me up with the announcement that her water broke. After standing around like idiots for a few minutes, we go things in order and made our way to the hospital. Because Sandra was not in labour, they kept her for observation and I went home at about 5:30. By a bit past 8 a decision was made to go ahead with a c-section, with the result that Sandra and I are parents to two boys and a girl, as of about 9:15 AM.

As it turns out, Baby A was a boy (2 lbs 12 oz), Baby B was also a boy (3 lbs 14 oz) and Baby C was a girl ( 2 lbs 13 oz). There were some initial respiratory challenges for babies B and C, who are now doing well. They are intubated but on air rather than oxygen. Baby A is leading the pack at present. Names will be finalized in the immediate future, but we were a bit caught off guard by the abrupt arrival of the babies and had not figured out that particular detail.

Sandra is doing well and was feeling well enough to get in a wheelchair and go to the NICU. Rumour has it that she will be in the hospital until Tuesday. I am sure that she will have accumulated a lot to say by that point.

There is really not much else to add at the moment. When I left the hospital at 5:15 the nurses were pleased with how things were going. Hopefully things will proceed well and uneventfully....

31 weeks....

Not counting today or c-section day, we have a mere 21 DAYS until we meet the triplets! I can't believe how close we are :)

Yesterday, Edward and I went for our 31 week biophysical ultrasound and consult. These are much shorter appointments because they don't have to laboriously identify and measure everyone's femurs and bellies (although the tech did note Baby B's very round tummy!) and other sundry appendages. As well, the doctor we had in place of our regular OB was in with us for only a few minutes. His overall summary of yesterday's results - ultrasound, my blood pressure and heartrates - was that our next pregnancy should be quads so that we can be "challenged" a little. Um. Eeek. We chose to take it as a back-handed compliment!

The babies continue to do well. They were extremely active, but the tech commented that they were actually presenting beautifully, and as such, were quite easy to see on-screen. Baby B and C's legs intersect just above my belly button, so when one of them starts kicking, it turns into a free-for-all. They like doing this in the wee small hours of the morning. I probably notice it more because I'm up more... Edward calls it my nocturnal meanderings. I get pretty uncomfortable lying in bed (or in any position) these days, and feel the need to get up and stumble about. Hopefully, my new heartburn medication will help a little. It doesn't seem to matter what or when I eat anymore (although sadly, a huge culprit is tea!), my heartburn/reflux was getting to the point that my inner ears burned, too, and I'd wake up coughing and choking. In the battle for real estate between Baby C and my stomach, my stomach lost. Getting in and out of bed is also a trial - it isn't easy to cold lift 185+ pounds off a pillow-top mattress!! Ah well, not too much longer; and really, these symptoms are par for the course!

Today, my mother is coming over to tackle the nursery. Edward assembled the cribs and placed the mattresses, but the room is chock-full of baby items... it's also still doing double-duty to a small extent as storage. I'm hoping to take some pictures of the progress we make, so stay tuned!

Surprise Shower

A few weeks ago, I got a call from one of Edward's coworkers. They had decided to throw him a surprise baby shower, and wanted to know if there was a specific item we needed and what day would work best. Given my months of medical leave and a *small* on-line addiction, I told her we had most of the bases covered, and advised that our prenatal appointments were on Wednesdays but any other day would work well.

A few follow-up phonecalls later, and the party was all set for September 20th at 2pm. They graciously invited me too, but I deferred until the last minute as my ability to participate in, well, just about anything is pretty conditional at this point. Happily, the intrepid party planners even managed to find a wheelchair, so with that in place I was ready to party!

Edward suspected something was up... on Sunday night he told me that he was suddenly being asked to attend a meeting the following morning at 9am, and mused about the possibility that it was nothing more than a ruse to camouflage "festivities". I could tell the whole concept of a baby shower made him uncomfortable, which only served to heighten my enthusiasm for the following afternoon ;) However, we both concluded that the likelihood of having a shower at 9am on a Monday morning was pretty low. He did, however, have a meeting at 2pm that he really wasn't looking forward to....

After being picked up at the house by one of Edward's colleagues and being wheeled to the reserved conference room in grand style, I was amazed and extremely touched by all the effort that went in to organizing the event. There were flowers, balloons, streamers, snacks, gifts and a gorgeous (and absolutely delicious!) cake that featured three baby faces identified as "A", "B" and "C". It truly was a sight to behold. The turn out was incredible - at least 60 people - and the rousing "SURPRISE!!" that greeted poor Edward as he turned the corner, pen and paper in hand in anticipation of his "meeting", was pretty awe-inspiring!

Of course, Edward was completely taken aback and it took a few seconds for him to take it all in - he was definitely surprised to see me sitting there. A few people asked whether the look on his face was in any way similar to his expression when he found out about the triplets - and you know, it was pretty close - although at that moment 21 weeks ago he turned somewhat ashen, whereas yesterday there was a distinct reddish tinge to his face ;) Neither of us are really comfortable being the centre of attention (as evidenced by our wedding) but the group gathered yesterday was so kind, encouraging and truly interested to hear about our situation that it was a pleasure to share a few anecdotes with them. The gifts were adorable and thoughtful, and the collection of funds was so generous that Edward and I were rendered speechless. My mother and I went to the bank this morning and put the money directly into the babies' account. We know how useful it will be down the road, possibly for the purchase of a triplet stroller in the spring.

We had such a good time yesterday afternoon!! It was a real treat for me to get out of the house (and put on makeup; and my new top!) and meet all of the wonderful people Edward works with, and of whom he speaks so highly. It was very, very touching to see how much time and effort they put in to organizing the party, and so it seems the feeling is mutual :)

A huuuuge thank you to everyone who planned and attended the event. It could not have turned out any better, and we feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to celebrate with you! Edward promises that he'll bring the little ones in to meet everyone.... preferably a lot, and for long periods of time... :P We know there will be plenty of warm laps and cuddles awaiting them.

30 weeks!

Edward and I went in this afternoon for our 30 week appointment and measurement ultrasound. We hadn't had the babies measured in two and a half weeks, so I was a little nervous and hoped they'd grown substantially. Both of us were amazed at how crowded it is in there at present. They are essentially in one big jumble, although still roughly in the same positions. It was incredibly difficult to get all the images required in one go, so she had to search quite extensively to find the best angles. The good news is that all three have grown considerably. The award for the largest growth spurt goes to Baby A. And we *do* have one baby over 3 pounds: surprise, surprise, it's our Big Bruiser Baby B who weighed in at 3lb 3 ounces! Baby A sits in the middle as per usual at 2lb 13 ounces, and Baby C continues to be "petite" and weighed in at 2lb 8 ounces. I wasn't particularly pleased with Baby C's results, but our OB isn't concerned in the slightest because the baby continues to grow according to its anticipated trajectory. In fact, it went from being in the 14th percentile for weight to being in the 18th this week. Anything over 10 is considered "normal".

In even better news, all three babies scored 8/8 on their bioprofile tests! Everyone had great activity levels (that is an understatement - they were whopping it up in there!), great muscle tone, they were all practicing their breathing and their heart rates were excellent. Not only that, but my cervix has lengthened to 3.4cm - 3.7cm when Baby A graciously decided to moved it's head off of it! My blood pressure was 106 over 72, so that's another good result.

The OB was reviewing my anemia blood test during our discussion on the risks of c-section deliveries, and would like to see me on an iron supplement in addition to my other vitamins. He's hoping that it will reduce the chance I would require a blood transfusion if I have more bleeding than they anticipate once they start the surgery. Basically, the major risks during a c-section are similar to other surgeries: possibility of blood clots is the most common (and the most dangerous), a risk of infection, hemorrhage or meningitis. He told us that because my uterus is so distended and I have three placentas to remove, hemorrhage is a distinct possibility, but reassured us they have a lot of strategies to cope with this scenario. To be honest, I'm not too concerned with the operation mostly because I know that there is no other way to deliver these babies safely, and I've had 20 weeks to come to terms with that reality. I'm also in very good hands :)

All in all, we couldn't have hoped for a better appointment! Our high-risk nurse informed us that based on her experience, she thinks we'll make it to October 15th!! I know it's just an opinion, but that gives me hope :)

Our next appointment is September 22 for a bioprofile ultrasound and consult... 31 weeks is looming right around the corner!

A Belated 29 Week Update (and an off-topic rant)

On Wednesday we had my first weekly appointment - and the only one, it would seem, that will not include an ultrasound. Edward has been stellar about accompanying me, but his aunt was in town this week from New Brunswick so she came with me instead and got to drive our new minivan :)

The nurse was a little confused as to the nature of our appointment (it was booked by the replacement doctor we had a few weeks ago), but she ran the usual checks: good fetal heartrates on the doppler and a blood pressure reading of 112 over 60. Our OB then decided to manually check my cervix. Apparently, every now and again they like to step away from the ultrasound's measurement of cervical length and feel for themselves. They can tell a lot from the exam, including the positioning of the babies, and whether the cervix is long and closed, soft or hard. He thought about doing another fetal fibronectin test, considering the last one was inconclusive, but then pronounced that my cervix was still long and closed and the babies hadn't dropped into my pelvis - in his experience, the test would likely have come back negative. He told me that he thinks I have at least another few weeks left in me :) Our next appointment is the 15th... and then I only have 4 more, the last one being two days before my c-section date.

Having Edward's aunt here was a huge help. She knocked several projects off The List, and went on numerous missions armed with her Garmin GPS to pick up various and sundry items from lampshades and cribs, to extension cords, turtle food and upholstery trim. She used said trim to re-do a rather tricky chair. My "Activities Director" (ie. Edward) wasn't keen on the idea of me tackling it a second time - I reupholstered it myself about a year ago, but the master bedroom decor has changed. So, his aunt, ever game to take on a challenge, came to the rescue and did a fantastic job! She also cooked up a storm, adding to our freezer bonanza. Both she and Edward filled our first Supperworks order on Thursday night. We'll wait until the babies are born to sample the goods, but it came recommended by a close friend (hi Tania!) and it feels good to have a several meals waiting in the wings.

In non baby news, we were kept on our toes the past week by a stubborn external natural gas leak. I was not aware of this, but the pipes on the right-hand side of the gas meter are actually the responsibility of the home owner, and any problems will cost; in our case to the tune of almost $600! We had been smelling gas in the driveway for a loooong time. But because the meter reader AND the crew who redid the entire meter structure over one week this summer never commented on the strong smell, I thought it was normal. Last week, a visitor to the house noted the odour and urged us to get it checked out. So we dutifully called Embridge and their inspector came out and found a small gas leak on one of the pipes on "our" side of the meter. He shut off the gas, and we called a contractor who fixed the leak for $200. Not twenty minutes after he left, I noticed the smell was lingering. It was the long weekend, so we waited until Tuesday and called Embridge back. They sent another inspector, who informed Edward's aunt that he was "fixing a leak" - ostensibly on the gas company's side of the meter because he was able to complete the work - but he left without telling us what he did, or elaborating on what, if any, problem he had discovered. Today, we could smell gas even more strongly. So we called Embridge and they sent out a third inspector. This guy was awesome. He couldn't initially find a leak, but he could definitely smell it. He spent half an hour trying to locate the problem and discovered that the supply pipe going into the house (of course, on "our" side of the meter) was so corroded, he could pick pieces off with his bare hands! He qualified this as a major gas leak, and shut everything off. We called the contractors back who replaced the entire pipe for $395. We'll see what happens...

I am absolutely furious that it took THREE inspectors to locate the issue. It would seem that as soon as they found a leak, they didn't bother to check for any others. And I'm shocked that possibly three leaks were found in one meter! I'm not any more pleased with the contractors... the company is claiming that their first employee fixed the leak he was told about. I argued that due diligence suggests he would recheck all the joints and fittings before flipping the gas back on and walking away from the job, regardless of what he read on the inspector's report. This is gas were talking about! Thank God we got this fixed when we did, and that no one ever smoked in the driveway. I shudder to think what could have happened as that pipe continued to corrode.

In any case, it's fixed... hopefully.

On Monday, we're hitting the big 3-0 milestone! We're very excited to have a Civic delivery in our sights, and even happier that it will kick-off the one month countdown to D(elivery)-Day! I'm very anxious to see the babes on ultrasound next week, particularly when it comes to their guesstimated weights. I've been ravenously hungry these past two weeks (I gained 6 POUNDS in one week - eep!), and I'm hoping that will translate into at least one 3 pound baby... come ooooon, Baby B!

28 Weeks... and a Date :)

This week's ultrasound was not a full "growth scan" because they did that during my unscheduled ultrasound on Friday, and they need at least 10 days between scans to measure the growth appropriately. Instead, they performed a biophysical profile in which they grade each baby on a number of factors, including amniotic fluid levels, activity levels, practice breathing sessions, etc. I'm very pleased to say that all the babies passed with flying colours, although we weren't able to see Baby B attempt to breath at this juncture. However on Friday, the tech noted that it was doing exactly that during the scan - and it's really at this point that they first start that reflex - so no one was too concerned that we weren't able to check that box today. My next growth scan is September 15, at my 30 week appointment. I have a monitoring appointment next Wednesday, which will not include an ultrasound.

The babies were very active in there! And, of course, they are rapidly running out of personal space. It was cute to see that despite their cramped quarters, Baby A had its leg fully stretched, with the other one slightly bent. Baby C has also gained a little more room by flipping itself from "head to maternal left" to the right side so that no one is kicking it in the head anymore. Smart baby! Of course, Baby B still holds the lion's share of real estate, and continues to hold court on my entire left side. Its facing my spine, so various and sundry internal organs are well within its range...

My cervix is holding at 3 cm, but Babies A and B are quite low in my uterus, which translates into a lot of pressure on my cervix. They may check it manually at next week's appointment if I continue to have strong contractions - right now, they're Braxton Hicks, ie. false labour contractions, but even so, they could alter my cervix length. As of now, I'm still not on bedrest per se, although I'm taking it very easy; only going downstairs in the morning and not returning upstairs until bedtime. I'm also increasingly tired, so although I get up with Edward and have breakfast, I'm usually zonked out on the couch from 9am to 11am, and again before dinner. My body is *definitely* feeling the stress of the pregnancy at this point, and although I feel really, really good, the 46 pounds I've gained to date is a challenge to lug around :) My blood pressure was very good today - 110 over 64 - and I passed my Gestational Diabetes and anemia tests with flying colours, so the strain doesn't appear to be too heavy on anything other than my legs... and my cervix ;)

Other than seeing the babies moving and shaking, the BEST part of today's appointment was the scheduling of my c-section! The babies will be born October 15, which is a mere 44 days away! I am SO very very excited to have a date. This pregnancy is as much a mental game as a physical one, and having a specific date to focus on is a major mental boost. Of course, no one can say for sure if I'll make it to 34 weeks, but I am obsessed with the idea of getting there. Those of you who know me well, can attest to how... um... persistent I can be when I get an idea lodged in my tiny brain ;) In fact, if they are delivered on the 15th, they'll be 34 weeks and 4 days, and considering that every day in utero counts, they'll be even bigger and healthier than if they were born at 34 weeks.

Next hurdle is reaching 30 weeks, which means I'd be able to deliver at the Civic. Delivering before then would mean that I'd have to go to the General, which would be very disappointing for us. Ah well, "one day at a time" is how we got through the last 28 weeks... what's two more?!

A Slightly Longer Hospital Visit

I'll preface this post by noting that all the babies are fine, and so am I!

Last night, conveniently right after Edward left for his weekly pub night, I had the sudden impression that I should call the Labour and Delivery Triage Unit. I'll spare you the details as to how I came to this conclusion. As per usual, they told me to come in. So thanks to a helpful cabbie and a variety of hospital volunteers, I got wheeled up to D4 Triage in no time at all. They put me in a room, found the babies' heartbeats and discussed the reason for my visit. They attempted to do another fetal fibronectin test (it's that precursor-to-labour protein), but because of a variety of factors, they couldn't get a conclusive result.

At 10:00pm, they decided they wanted to admit me for observation. It was actually my OB on duty, and he is notoriously cautious, but I was still surprised by the decision... and totally ill-prepared for my impromptu sleepover! The plan was to get me into Ultrasound in the morning, and administer the dreaded steroid shots to get the babies' lungs ready "just in case". I got a hold of Edward and he came by with a change of clothes, a few toiletries, my enormous stash of vitamins (and antacids!) and a much-needed dose of moral support. I finally settled down for the night at 2:00am, after pressing the call button for an hour and getting no response (the nurses were awesome, just busy). I discovered the light switch but could not for the life of me figure out how to turn off the radio that was being piped into the room. There were several unmarked "off" buttons I did locate, but I wasn't about to mess with those :)

This morning at 7:30am they gave me my first steroid shot. The nurse, Mary, said "I'm not going to lie. This is going to hurt." And lo, it did. I was whisked off to the ultrasound room in my wheelchair, pushed by one of the doctors, at 10:30. I had a wonderful technician who measured all of the babies. They looked fantastic - Baby A and Baby C are both 1lb 15 ounces (convincing me that last week's Baby C measurements were indeed erroneous), and Biiiig Baby B is tipping the scales at 2lb 5 ounces. I was very relieved. Baby A made us both laugh with its interpretive dance routine which included a lot of booty shaking. And Baby B had the hiccups, which means that its trying out the whole breathing thing - developmentally, this is great news! The less welcomed news was that my cervix has shortened by one cm. I'm not on bedrest yet, but they'll be taking a close look at it on Wednesday, which is our next "official" OB and ultrasound appointment.

They took some issue with my blood pressure, but chalked it up to several external factors and discharged me at 1:30pm. They did give me very attractive white stockings to help keep my swelling down. By everyone's admission, it's minor swelling, but again, "just in case".

I was very pleased with the excellent care I received, but despite all of their support and patience, I am very happy to be home! We have to go back tomorrow morning for the second steroid injection. So much for trying to get through the two weeks between appointments without making the trip to L&D!

Craft Project #1 - Mobiles!

The mobile project wasn't originally on the extensive laundry list of Things To Do, but I just couldn't find one on-line that I liked that wasn't well over the $150.00 mark. Then, in a serendipitous moment, I came across a very simple mobile on Ohdeedoh www.ohdeedoh.com/ohdeedoh/nursery-tours/taryns-nursery-all-wrapped-upnursery-tour-124467 that caught my eye because it looked easily customizable and relatively easy to make. As Edward can attest, my crafting ambitions usually outweigh my abilities, so I try to keep it reasonable! Furthermore, they also included a source list, so I knew exactly where to get the necessary supplies.

I envision a similar set up to the one submitted on Ohdeedoh, but with one cluster of stars in each corner of the room. The cribs will be arranged in a "U" shape, and I'd like to position the mobiles so that each baby can see one or the other. While we won't be hanging them too low, once the babes are standing we may have to reconsider their placement.

I really liked the paper selection at www.paper-source.com, and I went with wrapping paper and tissue paper because I loved the sparkles! When I got the package, and took the star "sheets" out of their package, I was a little unsure how I would manage to attach the paper to the stars and still get the crisp lines I was after, so I tried two different techniques. In the first instance (the hearts), I made the star and then cut out each triangled side from the wrapping paper before gluing it in place. It turned out okay, but because I'm spatially challenged, I couldn't get the pattern to align and I wasn't thrilled with the results. Plus, it was a real pain cutting out and matching each side, as they didn't all mesh at the end-points. I then decided to try pre-folding the star, laying it flat again, gluing the paper and the refolding the star. Success!

They're grouped below as they will be placed in the nursery: