Fun pictures...we are 8 weeks old!

Fun photo shoot with Allie, Norah and Olivia

~ Allie, Norah and Olivia ~
~ Cute ruffle bottoms ~

All 3 have their eyes open...WOW!

Daddy giving Norah her 1st bottle!

"I can't wear pink everyday!"

Almost 8 weeks old! Unbelievable!!!

It's almost unbelievable that Allie, Norah and Olivia will be 8 weeks old on Sunday. We are getting to the point where we are anxious for them to get home, get settled and get our routine down. However we don't want to rush them and the nurses have warned us that this can seem like the longest process. One requirement of coming home is that each baby cannot have had a brady for 5 days prior to discharge. So if discharge is expected on a Friday and baby has a brady on Thursday...the 5 days will start all over. (A brady is a decrease in heart rate to 80 bpm or lower). So what are the girls up to?

Norah was the 1st to hit 5 lbs on 10/13/09! Norah has been nursing since last Friday and doing fantastic. We've named her our overachiever. She knows when mommy walks in the door and starts smacking around...she's ready to eat. It's really funny but great at the same time to see her progressing and doing all the right things.

Olivia is getting really close to 5 lbs. Just give her a few more days. This sweet little girl is showing us her patience. If you could be their at feeding time you would know what I mean. Example, Allie is fed at 5, Norah 5:30 and Olivia 6 pm. When I arrive at 4:45 to get Allie started (who is already fussing b/c she wants food NOW), Olivia is already awake and laying in her bed as quiet as can be just waiting her turn. When I finally get to her to nurse I have to praise her for being such a sweet, patient girl.

Allie is 4 1/2 lbs. She's been doing real well on the VapoTherm and even started nursing on Tuesday (when Olivia started). However yesterday she had several severe bradys. We gave her a break from nursing yesterday. Please pray for her that she was just overtired and worn out rather than getting sick. We are hoping for a better report on her today.

The plan is to give each of them a good week to get better at nursing. So when I am not there they are still being fed through their feeding tubes. In another week or so we will introduce a bottle to them. Then the nurses will be able to bottle feed them when Nick and I can't be there. Bottle feeding is a huge step towards getting close to coming home!

Thanks for continuing to pray for them!!! Stacie

Three little princesses

Three sweet little girls enjoying snuggle time!

Room decorations for Allie, Norah and Olivia!

Allie, Norah and Olivia's 1st pictures together again!

Exciting week for the Vetor girls!!!

Today was a fun day for Mommy at the NICU (other than Olivia's extreme desat). Nurse Jessica helped me get the girls together for their 1st triplet picture. Although the NICU isn't allowed to co-bed anymore I could tell they LOVED LOVED LOVED being close together. Although Norah and Olivia have been held together several times this was the first time for Allie to be back with her sisters. It was a SPECIAL moment for all of us Vetor girls! (Enjoy the pictures and don't cry! PS: The brace around Allie's nose is just part of the SiPAP so her nose doesn't get too ouchy. Jessica was nice enough to remove the mask so we could get a picture of her sweet face.)

Allie (A), Norah (B) & Olivia (C)

Allie - WHAT A GIRL! We are so proud of her for overcoming the big ventilator hump! She has been off since Friday October 2nd. The first few days were rough for her. Her heart rate was very high but they did allow me to hold her and during that time her heart rate went from the 180s to the 140s. She was completely calm. They are still concerned about her floppy airway and she remains on the SiPAP machine. She was moved to a big girl crib yesterday (Wed.) They will continue to watch her airway and hope the stridor (squeakiness) goes away on its own. Otherwise, a pulmonologist from Riley will come evaluate her. Allie continues to remain right at 4 lbs. Mommy snuggling w/ Allie

Norah - This little girl is putting on weight like crazy. She is now over 4 1/2 lbs! She was moved to her big girl crib on Friday. They have been slowly weaning her off the VapoTherm. She was on 3 liters of pressure and now down to 2 liters. Once she stays at 2 liters for a day or so they will probably start letting her practice breast and bottle feeding! I am ready for that and ready to be done pumping all the time. Norah is a sweet, sweet little girl!!!

Olivia - Also in a big girl crib and enjoying her window view...that's what you get for being Baby C in the triplet room of the NICU! (Nice perk) She is about 4 lbs 3 oz. She is our sleeper and cuddle bug. Her PDA is still there and her murmur is loud. Pray this continues to resolve itself. Between the reflux and PDA issues she is having some extreme desats where her oxygen drops pretty significantly. Pray about that. We hope this is something she outgrows quickly.

Daddy snuggling w/ Olivia & Norah Miss Olivia...so wide awake and alert!
Speaking of reflux, all girls are being treated for it with prevacid. It's seemed to help Norah a lot and Olivia a little. Nurses have said that reflux can cause their bradys (drop in heart rate) and desat (loss of oxygen). Also, last week they had follow up head ultrasounds which thankfully all came back OK.

We continue to feel all of your prayers. The girls are making such great progress. Please pray for Ryan as he is adjusting to all these changes in his life. Our routine at home is not the same...it can't be. He's testing us (like 3 yr olds do). Pray for Nick and I to know how to balance our time between home and the hospital.

Much love,
Nick & Stacie Vetor

Please pray for Allie...

Please pray for Allie! She was taken off the vent (for the 5th time) Friday at 3:30 pm. She has been very upset and restless today. It's very hard for Nick and I to see her this way. If either of us sit with her, putting our hand on her back and holding in her pacifier, she really seems to calm down. So we took turns today. I sat with her from 3pm-6pm and Nick was with her from 6pm-7:30pm. Whatever it takes! So please pray hard that she can rest enough to get stronger, not be in pain, not have to fight to breath and safely remain off the ventilator.

Thank you!
Stacie

Happy October!

Hello! Happy October!

It feels like I haven't sent an update in a long time. SORRY! The girls are 5 1/2 weeks old now and 33 1/2 gestation...(they still have a ways before being considered "full term" babies).

Allie - please pray for her HARD...they gave her a 2nd dose of steroid today. They are hoping/planning to extubate her Friday or Saturday (maybe even early next week). But please pray the steroids help and that she is ready. We are excited and anxious all at the same time. We really want her off the vent but at the same time we are so worried about whether or not she is ready this time. She's gained a lot of weight since the last trial of getting her off and that was their goal...to "grow her up". I have held and snuggled with her several times this week and she has grown A LOT! She's a big girl and totally keeping up with her sisters. She has LOTS of spirit! Allie girl, we know you are strong enough to get off and stay off that ventilator!

Olivia - our big girl hit 4 lbs last night and graduated from her isolette to her big girl crib today! This one is our sleeper and snuggler. She's doing very well but has had a few very bad bradys in the past two days. This may be / hopefully is related to reflux and her feeding tube. Norah's are frequent but she recovers quickly whereas Olivia's can be pretty severe.

Olivia's big girl bed

Norah - is right on Olivia's heels...she may hit 4 lbs at her weigh-in tonight. She'll hopefully get moved to a crib tomorrow. She is having some blood work and urine tests done so please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. It's probably nothing (because newborn screenings all came back fine) but the NICU is very diligent and if there are any concerns at all they want to double check just to rule out stuff.

Norah and Olivia are both down to 3 liters on their VapoTherm/Nasal Cannula (respiratory care) and have to be down to 2 liters before they can try to breastfeed. Breastfeeding or bottle feeding is 1 big milestone and hurdle to getting closer to going home as well as getting off all respiratory care. Many of you have asked but actually their weights are not a factor in when they go home.

Ryan is enjoying preschool! Although he never can tell me what he is learning. Ryan is so sweet with his sisters when he visits. Nick, Ryan and I enjoyed a family day on Monday to Tuttle's Orchard to pick apples and Monkey Joe's to play. It was wonderful to spend time together and just laugh. We are trying to get any and everything done around the house and ready for little girls to come home. Hopefully someone will come home in October but there are no guarantees and hopefully no more setbacks.