Vetor: Party of Six...

My favorite pictures and memories of Summer 2011

2011-09-09T11:58:00.000-07:00

This was a fantastic summer for The Vetor Family. Here are some awesome pictures of memorable days from May through August 2011.

Mother's Day at Hanfield with my girls!

Our very own superhero turned 5!

Popsicles and more popsicles...I would like to know how many Mighty Mini's we went through this summer!

http://www.popsicle.com/

Lots and lots of swinging this summer...

Mom's first Indy 500

Allie, Becca (cousin), Olivia, Ryan and Norah

Special luncheon at the Governor's Mansion

My Patriotic Peanuts...love them!

Taking the girls to visit Great Grandma Jean for the 1st time!
She gave us LOTS of smiles which was such a treat.

Livi's "Mean Face" ~ shows how fun her personality really is!

Allie (and all of us) LOVING Brooke & Josh's grilled pizzas!

Need I say more?

Our 1st Family Vacation
St. Augustine, FL

The Fort in St. Augustine

Daddy & his girls

Our beauties

Our 2 lbs miracles turn 2!

Our amazingly fun guy

Girls enjoying every moment of their ice cream at
Roche Family Night at the Indianapolis Zoo!

AND most importantly...LOTS and LOTS of fun with our FRIENDS!

Great breakfast recipes

2011-04-30T12:28:00.000-07:00

I have two new recipes for breakfast that I love to make for my family. One is Crock pot Oatmeal that you cook overnight! It was a huge hit with the girls and Nick this morning. Very yummy on a cold morning (but hopefully our mornings won't continue to be cold.)

Recipe: In a crock pot mix 1 cup steel cut oats, 3 1/2 cups water, 1 cup milk, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 2 TBSP cinnamon, 1 TBSP butter, 1 diced apple, 1 handful raisins. Cover and cook on low 8 hrs.

Second...have you ever checked out The Pioneer Woman blog? OMG! You have too! She provides so many delicious recipes. Here is one that I made for Easter Sunday and that I'm going to have the hubby make for Mother's Day morning.

Sleepin' in Omelette (courtesy of http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/print-recipe/29245/)
Ingredients:
6 whole Onion Rolls (I buy Aunt Millie's onion buns and use 5)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
8 oz of cream cheese = 1 brick
1 1/2 sticks of butter (nope, you didn't read that wrong)
10 whole eggs
2 cups of milk
1 tsp chopped chive
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt
dash of pepper

Grease 9 X 13 casserole dish. Tear onion rolls into chucks and layer them on the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Then tear cream cheese into small pieces and place ALL OVER THE TOP! Slice stick butter into pats and place over the top. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over the top of the dish. Cover and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, bake at 325*, covered, for 45 mins. Then remove foil and continue baking at 350* for another 10-15 minutes. As The Pioneer Woman says, "Eat. Faint. Repeat."

Stacie

Chicken Tortellini Soup

2011-03-20T15:09:00.000-07:00

Chicken Tortellini Soup
(Simple to make this gluten free!)

Weight Watcher Points
4 PointsPlus (without tortellini) or 10 PointsPlus (with tortellini)

1 rotisserie chicken 1 TBSP minced garlic
64 oz chicken broth 1 TBSP parsley or Italian seasoning blend
2 cups chopped carrots 64 oz water
1 cup chopped celery 1 TBSP chicken bouillon flavoring (optional)
1 cup chopped onion 19 oz bag frozen cheese tortellini
2 bay leaves (optional)
1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

Chop carrots, celery and onion and toss in large soup pot. Add olive oil, garlic and seasoning over veggies and cook on medium-high until tender. While veggies are cooking, shred all meat off of one rotisserie chicken (save time by picking one up in your grocery deli!). Add 64 oz. of canned chicken broth to veggies once they are tender. Fill can with water and add water to soup pot. Sprinkle optional bouillon and bay leaves and stir well. Add 2-3 cups of shredded chicken. Cook on low until all flavors are well blended. Taste and season with salt & pepper. (See below for gluten free option at this point.) 30-45 mins. before serving, add frozen tortellini and increase heat to medium. Stir often making sure tortellini is not over cooking. Once tortellini is tender you are ready to serve and enjoy!!!

Gluten free: I have to make a GF serving for Ryan so I took some of the soup and added it to a separate saucepan. I turned it on medium and added 2 handfuls of uncooked Trade Joe's Rice Sticks. (Any rice pasta would work!) I let it cook for 30 minutes and it was ready to serve. He had his very own homemade Chicken Noodle Soup!

Welcome Spring - March 20th

2011-03-20T14:50:00.000-07:00

This evening we officially welcome Spring. Hip, hip, hooray! I have eagerly awaited its arrival! We have sustained too many months of being trapped in the house and multiple illnesses. Allie, Norah and Olivia had their 18 month well baby visit on Wednesday, March 16th. Norah weighed in over 22 lbs, Allie at 21 lbs and the peanut of the group is still Livi at just 20 lbs. They eat like hogs so I'm not sure where it is going?! Ryan weighed 22 lbs in November 2006. (Remember, he was born in May 2006!) The trips have had a hard winter. Although I am so proud their immune systems have kept them mainly healthy from the BIG bugs and scary viruses but they just couldn't steer clear of ear infections. Starting January 3rd ALL were diagnosed with ear infections. (What a way to start the year.) By Friday of this week, March 18th, all 3 have been prescribed their 4th antibiotic for 2011. SO, per Dr. Julie and mom's decision, the E.N.T. is getting called first thing tomorrow morning and we are scheduling tubes for all three. They just can't shake these ear infections and they are miserable. Enough is enough with pumping them full of antibiotics!

Norah has amazed us with her sassiness and board vocabulary. Like "daddy, mama, bubby, please, bu bu ees (blueberries), El-la, Bec-ca (both are cousins names), yes" and the ever famous word at this stage..."NO!" Allie babbles a whole lot but knows many animal noises including her new favorite, snake! What does a snake say? "ssssssssssssssssssssssss". She has an adorable raspy little voice. She repeats just about anything Norah says. Livi is SO trying. We have had a speech evaluation and are excited for her to start speech therapy later this week. I know with just a little help she's going to make great strides! So excited for her!

We've entered the stage of climbing, fighting and biting. All of them use whatever toy they can find in sight to climb up on the end tables, chairs and couch in the living room. URR! This really is driving me crazy. The fighting usually starts with someone taking the others toy or book. Books are not hard to come by in our house yet it never fails that if Allie has one book, that's the one Norah wants! Norah is our infamous biter! Just the other day she was disciplined 3 times within 10 minutes for biting Olivia. I haven't quite figured out what works with this child. Poor Olivia needs to start fighting back.

All in the The Vetor Family is doing fantastic. We are blessed with a houseful of craziness but we wouldn't have it any other way. I have to be honest that most days we anxiously await 7pm when the girls go to bed and we can sit down for the first time for the day. God created it that way. He knew parents needed rest and breaks in order to wake up and want to do it all over again.

It's been a long time, long time...

2010-12-01T18:45:00.000-08:00

Well, I don't know what I have been doing since July 4th that I haven't managed to post to our blog? I'll tell you what I have been doing for the past 4 weeks...keeping up a house full of sickies! It started with Nick (flu), then Ryan (flu), then Olivia (fever)...that went on for a full week. Just when Livi's fever subsided...Norah and Allie needed extra attention.

So today at their 15 month "WELL BABY" appointment for 3 not so well babies...we found out all three have Roseola! Nice. So now we just have to let this virus run its course. Of course all in time for Nick to have his ACL reconstruction on Dec. 16th. (Pray for me!)

So I'll briefly catch you up from important events from July through October.

Picture of the girls on their 1st birthday. We went to Forest Park.

Four reasons why we need a new washer and dryer!

Ryan's first day of Preschool at Emmanuel United Methodist Church!

A lazy Saturday morning...just the Vetor girls...watching Barney! (Not sure why Norah busted open her jammies!)

Our own pumpkin patch...

FIRSTS!

2010-07-13T17:53:00.000-07:00

Our FIRST 4th of July!

Our FIRST bath together!

Our FIRST dining out experience! Don't we look like 3 little ladies having tea?

Where did May & June go???

2010-07-12T10:14:00.000-07:00

Here's what happened... (in no particular order)

Nick's 1st Father's Day with Allie, Norah and Olivia...what a special day!

Nick opens his own barber shop in the backyard to save money...look out little girls...daddy will be determined to buzz your hair to save $$$ too. (Just kidding) Ry's haircut looks adorable!

We FINALLY got back to church. This was at home after our first Sunday at church together as a family. We've gone several more times and the girls are doing fantastic. They still can't be in the nursery but hopefully soon...

We went back to Community North to visit Maternal Fetal Medicine (Dr. Dungy-Poythress and staff) as well as the NICU and several of our favorite nurses!

PINK EYE...why not? We don't have enough going on!

Ryan's 4th birthday party "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" was a huge hit and LOTS of fun!

We got to have one pool moment...not even a day. It was the girls' first time in a pool. They loved splashing in the water!

And on May 29th, Brooke married Josh. We were able to dress up the whole family and enjoy the day together. The girls were angels during the ceremony and our little man did such a fantastic job as the ring bearer! We were so proud of the kiddos!

The day of the HAIR BOW!

2010-05-21T11:57:00.001-07:00

Olivia's day of the pink hair bow!

Big brother loves his look alike!

She's such a beautiful, happy girl!
And then she rocked the hair bow at bedtime!!!
(Oh yea...and she's our first sitter too!!!)

It's exhausting to be SO cute!

2010-05-20T11:43:00.000-07:00

FINALLY, we are enjoying the outdoors with our girls! Recently, we purchased some adorable sunglasses for Allie, Norah and Olivia. Check it out...

I had to capture this picture...it might not happen too often that 3 pretty princesses fall asleep in each other's arms. Sucking thumbs, snuggled together in mom & dads bed! What a lovely Saturday morning in the Vetor house! (Left to Right: Norah, Olivia and Allie)

Gluten Free / Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-05-20T11:26:00.000-07:00

Ryan and I made GF / DF Chocolate Chip Cookies! I feel like he misses out on some of the good stuff because of his food allergies...but not this time!

A good friend gave us a Red Mill package of GF Chocolate Chip Cookie mix. We substitute regular butter with butter flavored Crisco (dairy free). The package says the batter will be dry...that's NO JOKE! I couldn't even make balls out of the dough. SO, here's the secret...add a 4 oz. container of cinnamon applesauce (or plain). It was just enough to make the dough look and taste like real cookie dough.

Not only were they enjoyed by our GF friends & family but even Nick and I enjoyed these delicious cookies!!!

Ryan's 1st year of T-Ball

2010-05-20T11:19:00.000-07:00

The "Express" Team Dugout

Asst. Coach DAD & #8 Ryan
Ryan hits the ball...and then runs to get it! I guess that's how we do it at home!

FUN MEMORIES!!

Where did the past month go???

2010-05-20T11:02:00.000-07:00

Gosh it's been a whole month since I last posted! And a lot has happened in Vetorville since late April! (Watch for multiple posts...ha ha!) Ryan's t-ball games kicked off...and mommy turned the big 3-0!!!

I celebrated my birthday with a girlfriend getaway to Put in Bay, OH! It was fabulous to say the least. Thanks Nat and Kristen for celebrating with me and making the weekend SO MUCH FUN. Lots of laughter and silly memories!

THEN, after my getaway...my fantastic husband threw me a surprise 30th birthday party (a joint 30th with Kristen Gray). What a guy! He did an amazing job considering all the bumps and bruises that came along with trying to surprise ME!

Vetor Family Fun Day!

2010-04-20T15:12:00.000-07:00

We had hoped for our first trip to the zoo but when the weather turned too cold for the girls we had to find an alternative Saturday activity for the family. We finished our lunchtime feeding (UGH...which is still going slow) and loaded up the whole gang...including Uncle Brandon...for a Family Fun Day at Snapperz!

Here is a story about our big brother...

2010-04-20T15:03:00.000-07:00

We have the best big brother in the WORLD!

Ry plays with us on the floor!

Ryan even helps feed us when mommy needs another hand!

Bubby loads us up with toys galore...just to make sure we have fun!

And when all the hardwork is done...Ryan camps out in his Batman House until duty calls!

We are so lucky to have such a WONDERFUL big brother who loves us and helps take care of us.

XOXO,

Little Sisters...Allie, Norah and Olivia

(We love you bubby!)

Mirror, mirror on the wall...

2010-04-08T08:28:00.000-07:00

The girls are starting to really enjoy their playtime, tummy time and learning about each other while laying side by side. (But we have to watch them closely. It never fails that Allie will have a tight grip on someone's ear. Norah will have her fingers in Olivia's mouth, which Olivia doesn't mind...it's something new to suck on!) Last weekend we put them in front of my full length mirror to see what would happen.

What do you think they are thinking in their little brains? Allie wasn't real happy at this point. Olivia was either trying to make sure Allie was OK or wanting to say, "Could you be quiet?"

Norah and Olivia seemed to think this was fun!

Easter Traditions!

2010-04-08T08:03:00.000-07:00

This was the first year that Ryan seemed to really understand why we celebrate Easter. It is a sweet blessing to hear your child talk about Jesus. Ryan LOVES Jesus and everyday we are thankful for the sacrifice He made for each of us on the cross.

We also celebrate Easter with traditional Easter egg coloring and a classic egg hunt. Again this year we colored eggs with The Tarter's. And as far as the "hunt" goes we tried to explain to Ry that in the coming years he will have to share the eggs with his 3 sisters!!!

Until then...he'll just enjoy them ALL to himself! XOXO, The Vetor's

And we're off!

2010-04-08T07:16:00.000-07:00

The whole Vetor family FINALLY got out together on our first walk last week. It was amazing! The triple stroller, courtesy of The Vrshek family, worked out perfectly and helped mommy get a little exercise too. Can't imagine what it will be like when they are 20+ lbs and I'm pushing all three. It was a beautiful evening. Ryan wanted to walk to the park. Of course, it was full of other families and we had our 1st experience of being an exhibit with our triplets. One mom after another walked over to get a better look at what was in our HUGE stroller. I think instead of asking if they were boys or girls people stuck to this common theme..."What are their names?" "Oh! All girls...WOW!" I'm thinking about laminating a sign for the stroller that says..."Yes, they are triplets. Yes, they are all girls."

Rockin' Ryan

2010-03-25T07:11:00.000-07:00

Ryan is the FUNNIEST kid I have ever known. Here he is rockin' out on his guitar from "Santa". He does this ALL on his own...pulls out the shades, shakes his head, spins, etc. It is SO funny!!!

Can't believe our baby will be 4 yrs old in another 2 months.

Big girls turn 7 months old!

2010-03-25T06:49:00.000-07:00

On March 23, 2010 our Allie, Norah and Olivia turned 7 months old. WOW! Although the sleepless nights (for 7 months) are taking a toll on me and Nick, every moment is worth it. Olivia has slept through the night a handful of times. She's almost ready! Allie, who eats the least, slept through the night 1 or 2 times and Miss Norah just protests. She will be our last one to give up nighttime feedings. We are currently working on a project to close our loft off and make it a 4th bedroom. This may be Norah's space if she decides she won't try to sleep through the night. Having a separate space will allow us to give her a little time to cry and see if she will fall back to sleep without eating. Right now we worry too much that she'll wake her sisters.

Norah and Olivia have started solids. They are getting about 1 TBSP of rice cereal every day at lunch. We've even tried carrots and applesauce at this point. We will be taking foods VERY slow with the girls just because of all of Ryan's food allergies. We've tried Allie twice with rice cereal but she chokes so we aren't pushing it too much. She'll let us know when she is really ready.

Thank goodness we have made it to springtime. If we all can get well (since March 1st someone in the house has had a sinus infection) we will be getting everyone out of the house soon. Still trying to be cautious. It's been a long winter!

~ Stacie

Miss Olivia = BIG GIRL!

2010-03-11T11:15:00.000-08:00

Thank you sweet Olivia for being the first to sleep through the night. Last night was the 3rd night in a row for her to give mom & dad a big treat. Although, it's great she is sleeping all night, we still are getting up 4 other times to feed her two sisters.

Norah and Allie, did you miss the memo? You are big girls too! Please, please, please...think about it. Try it out. (Peer pressure!)

...Love, Mom...

Triplets are 6 months old!

2010-02-28T17:06:00.000-08:00

Happy 6 month birthday precious girls!!!

From their 4 month well baby visit to their 6 month visit here is how they have each changed...

Allie went from 9 lbs 2 oz & 21 inches to 11 lbs 6 oz & 23 inches!!!

Norah went from 9 lbs 6 oz & 21 1/4 inches to 11 lbs 11 oz & 24 3/4 inches!!!
Olivia went from 9 lbs 4 oz & 21 1/4 inches to 11 lbs 6 oz & 23 inches!!!
We are so thankful for the great progress they are making. At 5 months they each started sleeping in their cribs. That's been a nice change from sleeping in the living room in bouncy seats (due to reflux). Each started smiling and "talking" this past month. Makes all this work SO rewarding!!! Olivia has come a long way with her physical therapy. Allie is doing so well with her airway issues and Norah is just a strong, healthy girl. It's amazing how incredibly different they are from each other. Even Allie and Norah have totally different personalities.

Olivia LOVES to sleep and loves sucking her thumb.

Norah LOVES attention and will squeal to get it.

Allie LOVES to talk in a soft, sweet tone.

We are well on our way to sleeping through the night. We have changed bottles from Avent to Dr. Brown's which is allowing them to easily take 5 oz each feeding. They eat every 3 hours during the day and most nights will do one 5 hr stretch (but sometimes only 4 hours). We cannot wait for a full nights sleep!!! Our goal is to have them sleeping through the night by 4 months adjusted which is March 16th. We'll keep you posted.

Thanks for praying for us and our family. Thank you for the meals, the donated baby items, the nighttime, evening and daytime help. Whatever you have done for us...it has not gone unnoticed or unappreciated! THANK YOU!

The Vetor's

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

2010-02-13T10:24:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure what I have been doing to keep me away from updating our blog recently. Just busy raising 4 kids under 4 years old, I guess. The girls are all fighting their first "bug" of the winter. It started with Allie's nasty ear infection and has turned into 3 girls with yucky noses, yucky diapers, low grade fevers and lots of fussiness which equals LOTS OF FUN...not! However, other than this past week of not feeling well...they really are doing well. We get LOTS of smiles everyday. Olivia is our happy, content girl. She's just fine doing her own thing, sucking on her thumb. (Our 1st thumb sucker!) Norah is our talker....jabber, jabber, jabber all day long. She cat naps and when she wakes up she'll holler for attention. She's not fussy but demands someone pay attention to her. Allie is so in between Olivia and Norah's personalities but equally as sweet...probably our best cuddler.

Right around their 5 month birthday we transitioned them to their nursery and cribs. That has been a good transition. We are still sleeping in the nursery...taking shifts. We'll get to the point where Nick and I can sleep in the same bed again and start using our awesome video monitors (gifts from our great, prayerful friends The Senefeld's).

We saw their Developmental Pediatrician this week and their weights are:

Allie: 10 lbs. 10 oz.
Norah: 11 lbs. 4 oz.
Olivia: 10 lbs. 11 oz.

They will be 6 months old on Feb. 23rd which seems impossible. In just 2 more days they will be 3 months "adjusted". I feel like their behavior and activity falls somewhere in between their real and adjusted ages.

We are still on lock down until spring. I'm going nuts inside these 4 walls but it's been well worth keeping them healthy...away from H1N1, RSV and other seasonal germs. We'll get out someday...and then we'll start taking walks, going on car rides to visit family & friends...oh I get so excited just thinking about getting out of the house with 3 babies, 3 infant seats, bottles, bottles, bottles, diapers, diapers, diapers, spare clothes, burp rags, pacifiers...and of course Nick and Ryan too.

I promise to post new pictures soon!

Love, Stacie

Enjoying our time together...

2009-12-16T10:33:00.000-08:00

Our new reality!!!

2009-12-05T13:54:00.001-08:00

Left to Right...Allie, Norah and Olivia. This is how 3 preemies with some severe reflux sleep. But hey...they SLEEP!

BOO HOO...We'll miss you Sammie!

2009-12-05T13:50:00.000-08:00

Our Aunt Sammie is moving to Arkansas! What will we do without her?

We love you so much...and we'll miss you so much. You better not stay too long!

Love, Ryan, Allie, Norah and Olivia (the best nephew & nieces in the WORLD!)

Welcome Home Allie (finally)!

2009-12-05T13:21:00.000-08:00

Finally, we are ALL home together. On 12/4/09, Allie Rae came home weighing 8 lbs even. (After a pediatrician appt. this week Olivia weighs 8 lbs. 4 oz and Norah 8 lbs. 6 oz). Allie spent 104 days in the NICU! She has come so far since birth when she gave everyone a terrible scare. (I'll save you the details.) Remember, she was the reason we had to deliver the girls at 28 weeks. Weighing only 2 lbs. 5 oz. she was our tiniest BIG miracle.

Such a happy daddy!!!

Officially cutting her loose! Thanks Amber!

We are so happy to wrap up this part of the journey and move on to raising our family of 4 healthy children. We hope when you see our girls and how far they have come, you will remember God's grace. From conception to birth and beyond, God has been with us keeping our baby girls safe along the way.

We love you all. Your prayers have made such a difference and kept us going through a very emotionally exhausting time. Yes, we are exhausted now but that's only from loss of sleep (ha ha). We are SO THANKFUL to have our hospital travels behind us. UGH...those are memories I don't care to keep...except to remember all of the Community North staff, nurses, doctors and RTs who made such a difference in our lives and our girls...and showed us love during our very long stay! (I was admitted on 8/3/09 and Allie was discharged on 12/4/09...125 days/4 months of hospital visits...sometimes more than 1 visit per day.)

Merry Christmas...this will be one we will NEVER forget.

Love, The Vetor's

Happy 100 Days Baby Girls!

2009-12-05T13:15:00.000-08:00

On 12/1/09 our girls turned 100 days old. Norah & Olivia celebrated at home while Allie got a bigger celebration from her FANTASTIC NICU nurses. We had a cake made from one of our nurses, gifts galore, cupcakes and a cute decorated room. You guys are so amazing!!!

Welcome Home Olivia!

2009-12-05T13:05:00.001-08:00

After 99 days (14 weeks & 1 day) our Olivia (Livi-Lu) came home from the hospital on 11/30/09!!! Yea!!! What a day for our family. We were sad again to leave Allie behind. Olivia, who weighed 2 lbs. 11 oz. at birth, was discharged at 7 lbs. 12.8 oz. She's come alive and loving all the attention she is getting at home.

Our fabulous NICU nurses saying "good-bye"!

3 months old! (1 week old adjusted)

2009-11-23T09:31:00.001-08:00

Today Allie, Norah and Olivia are 3 months old. You will start hearing us talk about their "adjusted age" going forward. They were full term on their due date (Nov. 16th) so even though they were born 3 months ago...their adjusted age now is only 1 week old due to being premature. For example, when they turn 1 yr. they will be 9 months adjusted. Make sense?

So over the weekend the nurse practitioner was talking about Allie and Olivia coming home tomorrow (Tues). Unfortunately, Allie had a brady on Saturday which bought her another 5 days (at least). We are waiting to hear back from the NICU today to see what the plan is for Olivia. We were hoping we'd all be together for Thanksgiving and say good-bye to our Community North daily runs. It's so much harder making that part of my daily routine now that Norah is home. I always have to arrange for a sitter (someone who is comfortable with an infant). But I always want to see Olivia and Allie and nurse them. It's harder than I expected.

Norah has been home for 2 weeks today! She is doing great! Ryan is absolutely fantastic with her. He's best at keeping her pacifier in so he doesn't have to listen to her high pitch cry.

All are 7 1/2 lbs.! All of them are still breastfeeding but getting formula supplements. We have changed them from Similac NeoSure to Similac Sensitive R. S. formula to help with their reflux and make it easier to suck down. All have responded so well to this change. We are still watching Norah closely for a milk intolerance. She's the most spitty and seems uncomfortable often. We finally have the night time schedule down w/ her and she is FINALLY sleeping between feedings at night. (Yes, we had several nights of no sleep when she fed at 2:30 am and stayed awake crying until 5 am! It was awful!) We feed her at 8:30 pm, 11:30 pm, 2:30 am, 5:30 am and 8:30 am...and on and on... Hopefully we'll be adjusting to every 4 hrs. soon (please, please, please)!

Keep us in your prayers as Allie and Olivia come home and we adjust yet again!
Stacie

Welcome Home Norah!

2009-11-13T12:07:00.000-08:00

At 11 weeks and 1 day old, Norah Joann came home on 11/09/09 weighing 6 lbs. 14 oz. She has accomplished so much since she entered the world at 2 lbs. 9 oz. It has been a great week spending so much time with her. Ryan was also very excited to hold his sister for the first time and play with her. He is great at giving her a pacifier when she cries and telling mom "she's mad at you" whenever I leave her alone for a minute and she fusses. Too cute! We hope and pray that Allie and Olivia will be able to join us soon. They were originally due on 11/16/09.

Saying "good-bye" to Olivia Rose...

Saying "good-bye" to Allie Rae...

HOPE TO SEE YOU SISTERS REAL SOON!!! XOXO, Norah

"Let The Waters Rise" by Mike's Chair

2009-11-03T12:47:00.000-08:00

"Let The Waters Rise" by Mike's Chair very much describes how we are feeling right now. (Link below so you can listen to the song too!) Be blessed...XOXO, Nick and Stacie

Lyrics:

Don't know where to begin

Its like my world's caving in

And I try but I can't control my fear

Where do I go from here?

Sometimes its so hard to pray

When You feel so far away

But I am willing to go

Where you want me to

God, I trust You

There's a raging sea

Right in front of me

Wants to pull me in

Bring me to my knees

So let the waters rise

If You want them to

I will follow You

I will swim in the deep

'Cuz You'll be next to me

You're in the eye of the storm

And the calm of the sea

You'll never out of reach

God, You know where I've been

You were there with me then

You were faithful before

You'll be faithful again

I'm holding Your hand

There's a raging sea

Right in front of me

Wants to pull me in

Bring me to my knees

So let the waters rise

If You want them to

I will follow You

God Your love is enough

You will pull me through

I'm holding onto You

God Your love is enough

I will follow You

Ohhh

There's a raging sea

Right in front of me

Wants to pull me in

Bring me to my knees

So let the waters rise

If You want them to

I will follow You

Ohhh

Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzV_O927Vi0

A Vetor Halloween to remember!

2009-11-01T14:31:00.001-08:00

The best Vetor Halloween yet...

Muscle Man "Ryan"

Ryan's 1st Halloween Party at Miss Mandy's

(Norah, Grace and Ryan)
MUSCLE MAN

Our Princess Skeletons

(outfits courtesy of Nurse Jess)

Allie, Norah and Olivia's 1st Halloween

SO MUCH FUN!

Happy Halloween from The Vetor's

10 weeks old today ~ Nov. 1, 2009

2009-11-01T14:02:00.000-08:00

Again, I am sorry it has been some time since my last update. It's only because I am so much busier now that the girls are nursing so well. (Imagine our 11 am feeding, take temp on Allie, change her diaper, nurse her & cuddle...start the same on Norah by 11:30 and then Olivia at noon. That's just one feeding of the day and they are fed 8 times each day. Now I'm not there for all of them but several a day.)

Identical twin sisters Norah and Allie

Sweet Olivia cuddling w/ daddy

We originally had hoped Norah would be home on Sat. (Halloween) but she had a brady on Wed night and then another on Friday night. SO ~ it will be at least another 5 days if not longer. I am not holding my breath because she could have another brady. I don't want to rush her home but I am so ready. I feel like we have been very patient with this experience knowing that it would be several months before they were home. However, the running is catching up w/ me and Nick and we are just very ready to have all of our family under one roof.

Allie was seen by a Riley pulmonologist on Friday. They are doing a scope on Wed. at 2pm (please say a prayer for her) to determine whether her stridor is caused by her underdeveloped/floppy airway OR scar tissue from being intubated 6 different times. Honestly I hope it is scar tissue b/c they can fix that with a simple laser procedure. The floppy airway will just have to outgrow itself which could take until she is 2 yrs old. They are also doing a swallow study on her later this week to make sure she is not aspirating any of her milk (when bottle or breastfeeding). I will get more information from the speech therapist on this tomorrow (hopefully). She was removed from the VapoTherm and put on a nasal cannula this week. She is doing well with it. She has taken several bottles from daddy too!
Mommy giving Allie a bath!

Daddy giving Allie her 1st bottle

Olivia looks more and more like Ryan every day. (Oh my goodness!) She is also doing well. She could potentially catch up with Norah and come home very close behind her. She has no respiratory assistance. She is taking some bottles from daddy and nurses and nursing from me when she feels like it. She's a very relaxed & content little girl. (Gotta have one who isn't too demanding, right?)

These 3 little girls have such precious personalities and we are loving getting to know each of them individually. I cannot wait to add Ryan to that mix and see how he responds to them. He misses his sisters. So, that is the latest...they still need lots of prayers. They all are experiencing different levels of reflux (Olivia's is the worst). They just have to continue to grow and develop. Their due date is just another 2 weeks away so they would be considered "full term" by the 16th.

2 months old and HUGE accomplishments!

2009-11-01T13:58:00.000-08:00

On 10/23/09 Allie, Norah and Olivia turned 2 months old. We believe that day was a huge turning point for each of our girls...

Norah was removed from all respiratory care! (A huge step towards coming home.) Just Tuesday they took her off the VapoTherm and put her on the nasal cannula. She did so well on the nasal cannula that they weaned her again today. She is now on NOTHING! Today was officially the first day a nurse has made mention about her potentially soon homecoming. She said she better get her snuggle time in before Norah goes home. Norah also started taking a bottle on Tuesday. Daddy fed her first! So when I am not there to nurse and she is awake, she is allowed to be bottle fed. She nursed twice today and took 2 full bottles at other feedings. (5lbs. 10oz.)

Olivia was weaned off her VapoTherm and put on the nasal cannula today. She seemed to be handling that really well. She's been nursing much better these past two days. Olivia is now allowed to start trying a bottle. Daddy plans to give her her first bottle tomorrow over lunch. I hope that goes well. Miss Olivia is very curious about her surroundings. It's very cute to watch her look all around the room. That's why nursing has been a little slow with her. She has a hard time focusing when there is so much more to see. (5lbs. 5oz.)

Allie has come SO far! She has the biggest cheeks right now. She is still on the VapoTherm but weaned down to 2 liters. She is having some bradys still and desats but surely will outgrow them just like her sisters have. She's become a great nurser. Daddy has named her our "spark plug"! That is a great description of her personality. (5lbs. 3oz.)

Each of them is so precious. We miss them when we are away. It's getting harder and harder to leave them behind. I get anxious each morning just to get back to the hospital and hold them in my arms. Nursing is a great way for me to have one on one time with each of them. We have done some serious bonding through these past 2 months. We will feel complete when all 3 are in our home. Please pray for strength for me and Nick. It is tiring running back and forth. We hope to keep healthy during this cold & flu season so we can keep up with all the needs of the girls and Ryan. Thanks for your prayers! I can't believe they have come so far in 2 months. They don't seem tiny to us anymore even though they are still just 5 lb babies.

Love you all!!!
Stacie

Fun pictures...we are 8 weeks old!

2009-10-20T18:26:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2009-10-16T09:04:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-09T13:13:00.000-07:00

Three sweet little girls enjoying snuggle time!

Room decorations for Allie, Norah and Olivia!

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

2009-10-07T16:49:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-10-07T16:48:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-10-07T16:39:00.000-07:00

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.

Updates from 9/21/09 - 9/25/09

2009-09-25T12:27:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay in updating you this week...

Monday and Tuesday: Another "first"...Nick held Norah and I held Olivia...in the triplet room together! We got to enjoy that moment together whereas before we were always separated in their different rooms.

Wednesday: Our girls' 1 month birthday!!! This was such a special day. Olivia's central line was taken out. I visited during the afternoon and got to hold Norah and Olivia together! (They got to touch each other and hear each others voices for the first time since birth!) I had to text daddy a picture of this while he was at work but Grandma Susan visited just in time to get to see them together.
Norah Joann

Olivia Rose
Thursday: I arrived during the morning to find to find out that Allie again pulled her vent tube out. She's really not helping herself get better. This is the 2nd time she has done this and then they have to put it back in. We visited last night and filled their drawers with preemie jammies and blankets for the nurses to use. Right now only Olivia and Norah are dressed and they look so darn cute. Olivia had a follow up spinal tap which was totally fine. She also had to receive some blood due to her low red blood cell count.

Baby weights: Allie is 3 lbs 6 oz, Norah is 3 lbs 10 oz and Olivia is 3 lbs 10.5 oz! All have gained 1 lb. since birth!!! These girls are gaining well and staying pretty close in size.

Friday: Today I got to hold Olivia and Norah together AGAIN. Awww...such a wonderful feeling but it will be even better when Allie is in my arms too. When I was leaving, they were working on getting Miss Allie moved to her sister's room. It will be SO great to have them all in one room.

Mommy holding Norah and Olivia TOGETHER...with their eyes open!

Sisters holding hands...touching for the 1st time!

Sweet girls...can't wait to have Allie in this picture too!

Please pray for their follow up head ultrasounds on Monday.

Much love,
Stacie

9/21/09 - Update

2009-09-25T12:13:00.001-07:00

We received a call at 11 pm last night that poor little Allie had to go back on the ventilator. We just want to cry. This is the 4th time that little girl has been intubated. We just wish she were strong enough to stay off. We were so excited that this was the longest she has lasted without the vent. They removed it at 11 am on Friday. Her airways are too inflamed which is causing her to work very hard to breath and causing the squeaky noise. Please pray for her airways specifically to heal very quickly. Putting the tube back in last night does not help the airway situation but it does give her a little break from working so hard.

Norah and Olivia were doing well yesterday. I enjoyed about 5 hrs. with my girls yesterday excluding Allie because we were letting her rest all day hoping that would keep her calm enough to stay off the vent. Norah and Olivia are now big enough to dress so we are taking some preemie jammies up to them tonight. Exciting! They also weighed the same yesterday at 3 lbs. 6 oz. Oh...what an experience. I don't think Nick and I will ever forget these days.

9/18/09 - A BIG DAY FOR ALLIE!

2009-09-25T12:10:00.000-07:00

Hello ~ Today they are going to try (for a 3rd time) to get Allie off the ventilator. I got to hold her for the first time last night and we had a little pep talk. I know she can do it. So please pray that if and when they remove it she can handle the changes and STAY off. The last two times it's been taken out she has done great for a few hours but then struggled enough that they had to put it back (which is very hard on her). (Mommy holding Allie for the 1st time!)

Olivia has been moved back to the triplet room (Norah's room). So they are together again! Olivia's settings on the nasal cannula have been lowered and she is doing fantastic. (No bradys, no drop in oxygen, etc.) It's like once she got over her infection she decided to challenge Norah to prove she can be stronger. They have even dressed her in a little hospital shirt and talked about moving her from the isolette to a crib!

Norah hit 3 lbs a few nights ago (she was the last one to hit that mark) and is now at 3 lbs 3 oz. Olivia was 3 lbs. 6 oz. last night and Allie was 3 lbs 2 oz. Allie has almost gained a who pound since birth. She started at 2 lbs. 5 oz. (our smallest).

All girls got held yesterday! First time for that. Norah and Olivia are almost on 1 oz. of milk per feeding! I know it doesn't seem like much but considering what they started on...this is huge. These two are so alert when they are awake. Both will try to focus on your face and actually respond to our voices. This melts my heart. We are thankful for the wonderful progress this week! We are praying for Allie to be strong enough to stay off the ventilator so that she can eventually be back with her sisters in the triplet room. We continue to pray for each of them and their development. They are growing stronger everyday.

Thank you for your faithful prayers for our girls!

9/16/09 update on girls...

2009-09-25T12:07:00.000-07:00

All girls are at or over 3 lbs. as of today and all are on mommy's milk!!! Grow, grow, grow!

All girls have been on "room air" most of this week (meaning they need no additional oxygen). Today two of them were on very minimal oxygen but doing so well.

Olivia - what can I say about this girl? She started feeling better and has taken off! On Sunday they started her steroid with hopes of removing her vent this week. They removed the vent on Monday and she did fantastic without it. So Monday she was on the SiPAP. By our visit Tuesday evening she was already on the high flow nasal cannula...the same thing that Norah has been on. She's around 3 lbs. 11 oz. They actually had her dressed in a little hospital shirt last night and were discussing that she might be moved to a crib (out of her isolette) later this week. And gave her a big girl pacifier. HOLY COW...this little girl is growing up! So proud of you Olivia!!!

Allie - is still on the vent. They are getting a little dark blood out of her tummy and believe she might have a stress ulcer from the vent, meds, etc. so they started her on Zantac today. Hopefully that will make her feel better. Otherwise, she is staying right at 3 lbs. She's comfortable and enjoying mommy's milk.

Norah - when she wakes up she is a very alert little girl. She tries so hard to focus on whoever is talking to her. WE LOVE IT. She officially hit 3 lbs last night...yea!!! She was the final one to hit that mark. They are starting to think she might have a little reflux which might be the reason for her bradys (but she's still doing really well on the nasal cannula). They may be putting her on some meds for this...but not sure of that yet.

We have so much to be thankful for! Thank you for your prayers! We love you all.

Daddy holds Olivia for the 1st time!

2009-09-15T05:03:00.000-07:00

Last night, Sept 14th, Nick got to hold his Miss Olivia for the very first time. She's not little compared to her sisters. On the 14th she was weighing a whopping 3 lbs. 13 oz. but she's also retaining a lot of fluid. She was removed from the ventilator earlier that day and was a ROCK STAR on her SiPAP machine. (This is what is strapped around her nose. She's breathing on her own. It just gives her a puff of air if she forgets to breath on her own.)

I think she was very happy to have that vent out. This little one is a fighter and has come a LONG way since her terrible infection that made her so sick. You all have said very special prayers for this little girl. It's amazing to see how far she has come! God is so good.

Daddy loves you sweet girl!

Sweet Norah!

2009-09-15T04:51:00.001-07:00

So here is Norah's big debut! Last night while visiting she was WIDE AWAKE and so alert. We got some really great time with her as she tried to focus on our faces. In these pictures she weighs 2 lbs. 14 oz. She was 2 lbs. 9 oz. at birth. She's only on the nasal cannula (tube in her nose). At the moment, she has made the biggest improvements since birth.

Sweet girl at 3 weeks

Norah's 1st set of footprints

Ryan starts preschool!

2009-09-15T04:44:00.000-07:00

On September 4th Ryan started his first day of preschool at Noblesville United Methodist Church. He just goes one day a week but is LOVING it.

Ryan's open house to find his classroom and meet his teacher

Meeting Mrs. D

1st Day of Preschool picture
We love you Ryan and can't believe how grown up you are!
Love,
Mom, Dad, Norah, Allie & Olivia

Happy 3 weeks baby girls!!!

2009-09-14T12:18:00.000-07:00

Well, the girls are now 3 weeks old as of yesterday! (Also 31 weeks gestation!) Nurses say around 33 weeks they start watching for signs from the baby that she is ready to really feed so we are anxious for that time to come. We've had several positive days and of course a few curve balls thrown in here and there.

We arrived at the hospital yesterday morning to find out that feisty little Allie decided she didn't want her ventilator in anymore. She pulled it out! So the doctor decided it was time (again) to see if she could do it on her own. She looked so comfortable while we were there. Unfortunately by late yesterday afternoon we received a call from the hospital (which are never good calls) that they had to put her back on the vent. This is the 2nd time in a week that it was removed and put back in. Today they suctioned 4 ml of blood from her tummy which is probably from some bleeding (she swallowed) when the tube was put back in yesterday but they are watching her closely to make sure the bleeding isn't coming from anywhere else or being caused by anything else. Pray that isn't the case.

We are praising God that the 2nd dose of medicine on Olivia made her PDA smaller! So they are saying it went from "moderate" to "small". Allie's is also small and didn't require any treatment. So, for now, they are thrilled with how she responded to the medicine and are going to see if it will close on its own. (For now, NO SURGERY!!!) She also finished her antibiotic (for the staph infection) yesterday. They have started her back on breast milk and caffeine. If I haven't mentioned the caffeine before...each girl gets a dose every morning. It stimulates a part of their brain that helps remind them to breath. They will get this until closer to coming home. (Why did I avoid Starbucks while I was pregnant? ha ha) They also started Olivia on a steroid yesterday in hopes of pulling her vent later this week. Nick was visiting over lunch today and the nurse said they were pulling the vent TODAY! Nick went to give Olivia a pep talk about it being her "big day" when she decided to drop her heart rate significantly. SO...now they are waiting again and not pulling the vent today. SEE WHAT WE MEAN? THINGS CHANGE MOMENT BY MOMENT. It's exhausting.

Norah is doing fantastic on her nasal cannula. Her nurse put her feeding tube in her nose yesterday so you can almost see her whole beautiful little face. Other than some bradys...she is really doing well. Not gaining as much weight as her sisters but she's really strong and doing well. (If you recall they tested her for an infection early last week but that did come back negative...thank goodness.)

Their weights are all between 2 lbs 14 oz and 3 lbs 9 oz.

Other prayer requests: My uncle did have surgery on Thurs. and his upper left lobe of his lung was removed. Please continue to pray for him, his wife and two daughters. This is a stressful time for all of them and our family. He has a long recovery ahead. Also pray for my Grandma Jean and Grandpa Jack. Grandma is still hospitalized down here and we aren't sure what the hold up is in getting her moved closer to home and settled in the nursing home. Grandpa needs her closer. I started on antibiotics yesterday for the beginning of mastitis, which is super painful. Finally, Ryan has a little bug. He threw up early Sat. morning and then again today. I hope he gets over this quickly (if it is the flu). I certainly don't want to take any "bugs" up to the hospital around the girls. They are too weak to handle outside germs and infections.

We appreciate all of your continued prayers! ~ Stacie

9/9/09 update on Allie, Norah and Olivia

2009-09-14T12:16:00.000-07:00

After several uneventful and calm days in the NICU we had a change of pace today. Here is the latest information on the girls.

Norah - Today her CBC indicates an elevated white blood cell count which suggests an infection. They took a culture which will take 48 hours but have started her on two antibiotics (the ones her sisters have been on) to help treat whatever infection she has as early as possible. Her nurse today started thinking something was going on b/c she was having long pauses in between breaths and more frequent drops in heart rate. Let's pray for a very quick and uneventful recovery for Miss Norah. She's done SO well but I guess needed a little extra attention from mommy & daddy.

Olivia - Unfortunately the PDA around her heart has not closed with the medicine. It is still considered moderate. It did not shrink or close at all. They decided it might be best to try the medicine again so starting tonight she will get 1 dose every 12 hours again for 36 hrs. PLEASE PRAY that this works miracles within her little body and that her PDA closes by Friday. They will do another echo on Friday and then make a decision from there. Surgery is a strong possibility if it doesn't close with the 2nd dose of medicine. The PDA on some children is small enough that it doesn't bother the baby and can eventually close on its own but her behavior is showing signs that she is bothered by the PDA and requiring more help from the ventilator and more oxygen. Olivia now weighs 3 lbs 7 oz (our biggest girl) but this is a lot of water weight from her IV fluids. Since being sick she has not been on breast milk.

Allie - HUGE SUCCESS...our littlest peanut at birth hit 3 lbs today! A true 3 lbs b/c she is receiving breast milk and a calorie fortifier. She is still getting over her infection but doing well. She received a blood transfusion last night. Her color is good. She was wide eyed during our visit! She has the biggest round eyes. She stares at the ventilator parts that hang over her head. It's cute!!!

Also, we would appreciate if you could keep my Uncle David and family in your prayers. He is having emergency surgery tomorrow morning at 7 am. The surgery will be on his left lung and pulmonary artery. He needs lots of prayers right now. My Grandma Jean & Grandpa Jack also need our prayers. Grandma has been living with Alzheimer's for 10 yrs. The day I was discharged from Comm. North, she was admitted on their psych floor. They are trying to get her moved to a nursing home in Grant Co. (close to Grandpa) but there have been several set backs. Grandpa is anxious to get her close to him.

Thank you for all the prayers!!!
Nick & Stacie Vetor

Baby Girls are 2 WEEKS OLD!

2009-09-08T17:54:00.000-07:00

Happy 2 Weeks!!! The last 2 weeks have had a lot of ups and downs. This is an exhausting time for me and Nick. Here is an update with some changes both good and bad in the past day or so.

Olivia - needs special prayer again for a PDA (Patent ductus arteriosus) found with her heart. This is a condition in which a blood vessel called the ductus arteriosus fails to close normally in an infant soon after birth. The condition leads to abnormal blood flow between the aorta and pulmonary artery. Before birth, the ductus arteriosus allows blood to bypass the baby's lungs by connecting the pulmonary arteries (which supply blood to the lungs) with the aorta (which supplies blood to the body). Soon after the infant is born and the lungs fill with air, this blood vessel is no longer needed. It will usually close within a couple of days. If the ductus arteriosus does not close, there will be abnormal blood circulation between the heart and lungs. The condition is more common in premature infants.

Allie and Olivia have both had echocardiograms for this situation but Allie's is very small (and they believe/hope it will close on its own). Olivia's is considered "moderate" so they want to treat it immediately with 3 doses of a medication that is administered every 12 hours for 36 hours. We found out this afternoon around 1 pm and they were waiting for the pharmacy to send up the meds. So let's pray that within 36 hours they see a significant change!

They also believe Olivia has a slight pneumonia. They are still suctioning a lot of thick junk out of her lungs. Poor girl. BUT I did get to hold her for the first time yesterday for over an hour (skin to skin). She was perfect and we both LOVED the special time together.

Allie - thankfully she is responding very well to her antibiotic. (Thanks to lots of prayer!) Her culture was suggestive of staph but the newer blood draws have been negative. Her foot is looking better every day. They found a new, little blister on her hand today but aren't too concerned. Nick got to hold her skin to skin yesterday. This was the first time he held any of the girls and this was also the first time Allie had been held. (Daddy beat me to it!) I was so excited for both of them to have that very special time together. After their time together Allie was wide awake. I would say the first time we both felt like one of the girls was really trying to pay attention to what was going on around her and focusing on us talking to her. SO SWEET! She has HUGE round eyes.

Yesterday Allie and Norah were started on 1 tsp of Neosure, which is the formula they will most likely be on for the 1st year, for each feeding. They add this to the breast milk to add calories. Both are tolerating it very well.

Norah - continues to be feisty and do well. Nick and I witnessed a little "fit" today. She was crying (which we don't see in any of the girls much at all), kicking her legs and arms everywhere. We think she was hungry b/c it was just about time for her scheduled feed.

Thank you for the prayers! Thank you to our friends and family who have been so patient and understanding with us these past few weeks. We can't always return every phone call and email as quickly as we would like. On top of trying to be there for the girls as much as possible, we are also trying to have some quality family time just the 3 of us this weekend, which has been very nice. We are trying to live a somewhat normal life for Ryan's sake but it's just very difficult to do so. We appreciate all of you! Thanks to those who have said they look forward to the updates. We don't want to overwhelm anyone with emails but it's the best way to keep everyone posted and continue to ask for your prayers about specific situations. As you can see, things change all the time. Much love,Stacie

Update on 9/4/09 - Allie, Norah and Olivia

2009-09-08T17:50:00.000-07:00

Hello ~

Allie needs some special prayers. Her night time nurse noticed some blisters on her right foot around 3 am this morning. (This was after her white blood cell count was a little high last evening). They immediately started her on some antibiotics. They have had an infectious disease doctor and dermatologist visit her this morning. Trying to figure out what is going on. Thankfully, because someone ordered a special order, they received news quickly that she also has a staph infection. Her cultures will take 48 hours (like Olivia's) to tell us where it is specifically. Olivia's was in the blood. Just an FYI ~ staph is something we all carry on our bodies. They can easily carry it on their little bodies as well. Hospital acquired staph is not uncommon. Anyway, her little foot looks so sore and while I was there visiting the neonatologist and nurse noticed several new blisters. I pray that they caught this even faster than Olivia's b/c Allie doesn't yet have a fever and it looks like her white blood cells are trying to fight the infection. Our team of NICU professionals are ALL OVER IT and taking wonderful care of our babies! Let's just pray those little blisters start to go away in the next 24 hours.

Good news! Allie is on 22 ml of milk today! Getting close to 1 oz. very quickly.

Norah has had many bradys (heart rate drops below 80 bpm) since yesterday but is still doing well. She had a chest xray today that wasn't real good. I hope she isn't getting sick like her sisters. Their immune systems are so immature. Please pray a special prayer for her too. Norah is on 23 ml of milk today! Yea!!!

Olivia is doing well. Today they started her back on breast milk at 7 ml!!! Now she should start gaining like her sisters. They took out one of her IV lines. She's been active, opening her eyes and looks SO MUCH BETTER than this past weekend. (Maybe I'll get to hold her soon?!) So that is the latest.

We are worried about Allie right now and a bit worried that Norah might also be showing signs on an illness too. Your prayers are being heard so don't give up...continue to pray for these miracle little girls!

Have a Happy Labor Day Weekend. Be safe! Stacie

9/3/09 Update on our girls!

2009-09-08T17:47:00.000-07:00

We are celebrating today! The head ultrasound results were NORMAL on all girls!

Allie now weighs the most when she was our smallest at birth. Norah and Olivia are close behind but Olivia's weight is mostly fluid since she was sick and hasn't been on breast milk (just IV fluids). Last night I got to hold Norah skin to skin, which was amazing. I held her for over an hour. She was so content and happy (so was mommy). We are waiting for that special moment with Allie and Olivia. I changed her poopy diaper today and Nick got a wet one from Olivia!

Allie's white blood cell count was a little elevated so let's start praying now that there is NO infection. We'll hopefully know more about that this evening when we visit. As you can imagine we have a lot of stress and worries in our life right now but we know that our faith will keep us going. There are lots of emotions running around. Could you, each day, pray for peace as we wait for new test results, watch but don't get to hold our girls, travel back and forth, learn to trust God & the hospital staff in new ways, try not to let our anxiety steal the joy from this amazing miracle, wonder about our future (ha) and theirs and all this while trying to heal from surgery/bed rest/pregnancy, return to a full time job and take care of Ryan at home. These days seem so long and the waiting is grueling at times, but hopefully these days will pass quickly and before we know it our Norah, Olivia and Allie will be home with us!

PRAISES, PRAISES on 9/1/09!

2009-09-02T12:27:00.000-07:00

We have LOTS OF PRAISES tonight! Your faithful prayers are being heard. Olivia has made a huge improvement from the past 3 days! We cannot thank you enough for your prayers...God is SO good and we are SO blessed with family and friends who pray for our children. We visited tonight and found out that they removed her from the oscillator this afternoon and she is back on the regular ventilator (room air only, no oxygen). She is responding to the antibiotic b/c the cultures from her infection are coming back neg. however she will be on this antibiotic for 14 days. (Let's pray for no long term effects from the antibiotic.) Her lungs are still being suctioned but her x rays have improved! (Yea!) She's not being sedated right now and looks so much better to us.

Norah and Allie are doing great too! Norah's feedings are up to 12 ml every 3 hours and Allie is on 11 ml every 3 hours...that keeps increasing almost every day. 30 ml = 1 oz. (Crazy that they don't require that much food yet but I'm keeping their little freezers full of milk!)

Tomorrow morning (Wed. - Day 10) each of them will have their head ultrasounds. This is a routine procedure for preemies and normally done between 7-10 days of birth. Their doctor doesn't expect to find anything (based on their prior 10 days of life) but PLEASE pray for great results for each of them ~ Allie, Norah and Olivia. They are looking for brain bleeds b/c their little vessels are immature still at this stage. Pray, pray, pray.

So that is the latest! Finally feels like a "good" day. We know we will have many ups and downs and we'll need you praying for us all along the way.

Thank you, Nick and Stacie

8/31/09 Update on Allie, Norah and Olivia

2009-09-02T12:19:00.000-07:00

(Gifts and posters on shelves in each of their rooms)

These past few days have been emotionally and physically hard for us. We are back home. It's so hard leaving the girls at the hospital and feeling like we are just moving on. Ryan has missed us so much and won't let us out of his sight. I think he's afraid we'll be gone for a long time again. Nick went back to work...his wonderful co-workers helped keep up on his work while he was away so that he wouldn't be overwhelmed when he returned...what a blessing! Now our NICU visits are pretty limited to evenings.

We continue to worry about Olivia's infection and all the things going on in her little body. They believe it is some type of staph infection in her blood. We know so many of you are praying for her and praying for a miracle to get rid of this infection quickly. Please continue. They are still waiting for the cultures to come back to tell them exactly what is going on. Her left lung collapsed, which they are treating and watching closely. They are suctioning lots of secretions off her lungs. These nurses are amazing and we know she is in the best hands. One of her doctors shared with us last evening that on Sunday she felt strongly about putting Olivia on a 3rd antibiotic, one she hadn't been using, and when the first cultures came back, this was actually the antibiotic she needed. God is good! They can treat it more specifically when the new cultures come back today or tomorrow.

With Norah and Allie no news is good news! They are behaving for their nurses. It's hard for me to get too excited about how they are doing. I feel like my guard is up so that if/when a set back happens it won't be too shocking or upsetting. Not that we are being negative but the nurses and doctors have prepared us that each baby will have set backs here and there. They have both been handling their breast milk very well and their feedings were increased. Norah is back to her birth weight and Allie is 2 oz over her birth weight...so exciting to us!

Again, thank you for praying for our family and adding us to so many prayer chains!

Love, The Vetor Family

Allie, Norah and Olivia - Happy 1 Week Bday

2009-09-02T12:10:00.000-07:00

Happy 1 week birthday baby girls!!!

Olivia - Thank you for heavy duty prayers for Miss Olivia. Yesterday was by far the hardest "NICU" day yet. We are on 3 different roller coasters for 3 different precious babies. Olivia does have an infection that made her pretty critical yesterday. She remains on the oscillator again today and probably for the next several days. She is still slightly sedated. Her blood gases are a bit better today (praise). She will most likely receive more blood tonight. They are discussing a permanent IV line called a "PIC line" being put in on Tues or Wed. She will remain on antibiotics for awhile. Please continue your special prayers for her. Her guardian angels are working hard! (Picture attached of her on Day 5 before she got sick...she opened her eyes while we were talking to her.)
Allie - They did reduce her ventilator settings yesterday to make her work a little harder at breathing on her own. Today they had to increase them a bit so not to make her too tired. She remains stable and is doing well. Continue to pray for her to make positive steps forward. (Enjoy the attached picture of her looking like a little drama queen with her tiny arm up over her forehead...too funny.)

Norah - I GOT TO HOLD HER LAST NIGHT FOR 15 MINUTES! What an unexpected blessing on a very hard day! Norah did OK on the VapoTherm yesterday but because that was being switched every 6 hours she got a little tired. Today she is only on the CYPAP to allow her a day to rest. Her face is a little puffy mainly from the CYPAP equipment that is pretty tight on her face.

Love you all! We feel your prayers for us and our little girls. We are checking out of here tonight and hoping to get life back to some kind of normal starting tomorrow. Pray for Nick as he returns to work (with many worries on his mind), pray for Ryan as he adjusts to us being back home as well as our frequent trips to visit the girls in the evenings and not being at home and please pray that I can balance my mommy duties and worries between Ry's needs and the girls. Running back and forth will be exhausting. God has shown us many miracles in this journey. His hand is watching over all of us.

Love,Stacie & Nick

Day 6 update - Allie, Norah and Olivia - 8/29/09

2009-08-29T13:01:00.000-07:00

Sorry for not updating anyone in the last few days. I was discharged Thurs. night but we are staying here through Sunday except for sleeping at home (which has been good for me).

Olivia - let's start with her by saying she needs lots of special prayers today and in the days to come. We've been told for every step forward it seems you take a step back. We received a call last night (midnight) that she was pale and most likely had an infection. She ran a low temp all day yesterday. This poor girl has had a rough few days. She went back on the ventilator a few days ago b/c she was working too hard to breath. She wasn't digesting her food so they stopped her feedings. Then she had a big poo and they put her back on feedings. Today they have changed her from the ventilator to an ocilator (sp?) and also had to sedate her. I cried when I saw her today. They say her blood gases are slowly looking better. We aren't sure where the infection is but her CBCs are highly suggestive of an infection. (So pray that God makes her body extra strong to get through these next several days and to heal quickly.)

Allie - Miss Content. She's just happy where she is. Both she and Norah are off their biliruben lamps. She is still on that darn ventilator but she is doing most of the work. She hasn't (thankfully) had any set backs. She is being increased from 3 ml of breast milk to 6 ml. She is also back to her birth weight today (although she only lost 2 oz.). We hope that the milk will fatten our littlest peanut up quickly.

Norah - continues to progress wonderfully! She now gets switched over to her belly every few hours (from being on her back). She seems very content on her belly. Her feedings have continued to go well. Today they are bumping her from 3 ml (every 3 hours) to 6 ml. They are switching her every 6 hours from the CYPAP machine to VapoTherm. This is SO encouraging. The VapoTherm is just a very small clear tube that runs under her nose and above her lip so it doesn't cover half her face. I love it! Even better news...when they change her to VapoTherm today at 6pm they are going to let me hold her for the 1st time and do Kangaroo care, which is skin to skin contact (mommy & baby) which is so great for bonding (loved it with Ryan) but also a natural way to regulate babies temperature, relax her, etc. They may have to fight me to get her back! (ha ha)

Anyway, we need lots of prayer please. The support from everyone has been amazing. We are truly touched! We appreciate all of our visitors and those who are offering help with Ryan, meals, etc.

Nick & Stacie

Day 3 update - Allie, Norah and Olivia - 8/26/09

2009-08-29T12:57:00.000-07:00

Hello ~ Today has been a busy day with visitors but Nick and I had some precious alone time with the girls this morning. The nurses are so kind to remove the girls goggles when I am up there so I can see their little faces. Today I was so busy talking to the nurse about Norah that I didn't realize she had opened ONE eye while I was talking. So I reached in to hold her feet and talk to her...it was the best moment yet! Then her little pouty lip came out like she wanted to tell me something. It was cute. Norah was also removed from her blood pressure medicine this morning. Allie is still on the ventilator. No real updates on that but I am sure she will be off soon. We went back up this evening and BIG CHANGES...they have now given ALL 3 GIRLS breast milk for the first time through their feeding tubes (in mouth and straight to belly). So girls aren't sucking or swallowing but still are getting the good stuff. (And it will be exciting to start watching them put on weight.) They start out with 3 ml (very small amount) to see how their bellies respond and if they digest it OK. All have done well so far. (I'm so excited about this! I've been pumping as often as I can and getting decent milk for 3 days out.) I got to change Allie and Norah's diapers tonight and take Norah's temperature. Respiratory therapist thinks we may be able to hold Norah in the next few days! Oh...we cannot wait! I will have my staples removed and be discharged tomorrow but Nick and I are going to "room in" until Sunday. The hospital offers this (free of charge) for parents with babies in NICU. Most likely we'll stay in my current room with no nursing services, food service, etc. but just be here to be close to the girls. Especially since we might be able to start holding Norah, we want to be close and spend as much time with them as possible. Nick will return to work next week which will be hard for him (and me) so he needs this extra time to bond with his girls. Just wanted you to have a recent update. We are headed back up there before going to bed. Love, Stacie

Day 2 update - Allie, Norah and Olivia - 8/25/09

2009-08-29T12:56:00.000-07:00

I got to visit the girls twice yesterday. They are all doing well in their own rooms. Norah was removed from the ventilator last night and is doing great with just the CPAP. Allie might be the next to come off?! The NICU nurses taking care of our girls are amazing. They provide so much information to us when we visit. We appreciate all they are doing for our little girls. Ryan also got to see/meet "his babies" last night. He wore his "Big Brother" shirt, which was so cute. He told each girl he loved them..."I love you Allie, I love you Norah, I love you Olivia"...it was very sweet. He kept telling Nick to "get closer" b/c he couldn't see his baby very well. Not much else to report at this time. Thankfully, they all seem to be doing well. We'll just keep praying for that and no surprises. Love,The Vetor Family

Day 1 update on Allie, Norah and Olivia - 8/24/09

2009-08-29T12:50:00.000-07:00

Nick and I just celebrated their 1 day birthday! Nick being the proud papa that he is can't help himself but go up to NICU frequently to check on his "girls". It's cute. I got to go up last night around 11:30 pm and hope to go back up sometime this afternoon. I am getting in and out of bed a little better today but my focus is getting myself moving around so I can enjoy my visits a little more.

Today the NICU director of nursing came to visit us. Norah is staying in the triplet NICU room but Allie and Olivia are being moved to their own rooms. Right now the least amount of stimulation is best for them so they aren't startled, etc. With each baby having her own team of nurses and all the monitors to care for 3 babies there was too much noise with all 3 in triplet room. This might only last a week but babies can get better rest if they are in their own rooms. Allie, who we suspected was going to be our fighter, may be removed from the ventilator in the next day or so. She had the roughest start but nurse said she is breathing OVER the ventilator on her own. Norah had to receive some blood last night b/c her red blood cell count was a little low. She loves to stretch. Poor girl was stuck between Allie and Olivia for 28 weeks and is enjoying her own space. Olivia was not originally on a ventilator yesterday but is now b/c she had a little apnea last night...totally expected at this point. Please pray that they continue to get stronger everyday. God has had His hand in this whole pregnancy and delivery. He is SO good! Also pray that I continue to feel less pain and recover from my c-section.We'll keep you updated as things change... Much love,Nick and Stacie

Baby Girls Arrived - August 23, 2009

2009-08-24T10:58:00.000-07:00

August 23rd was my 28 week celebration...or so it was supposed to be! I woke up early in the morning with cramping. They put me on the contraction monitor and I was for sure having decent and consistent contractions. I had been on hospitalized bed rest for 3 full weeks with NO complications...just here to watch monoamniotic twins closely.

My doctor was called and arrived around noon to do an ultrasound. (Had it not been for the contractions she wouldn't have done an ultrasound on a Sunday during her routine rounds.) As she was scanning the babies she was very quiet and Nick & I knew something was wrong. Baby B was laying directly on top of Baby C. Baby C still had a good heart beat but was not showing any activity at all as far as movement. Our doctor said she was going to give her 10 more mins. and if no movement she would deliver. (We were shocked!)

So, within minutes I was being prepped for a c-section. By 1:12 pm Allie Rae arrived weighing 2 lbs, 5 oz and 14 1/2 inches long. Allie was the one who was struggling on the ultrasound and did have the roughest start at birth. Right behind her at 1:12 pm as well was Allie's identical twin sister, Norah Joann, who weighed 2 lbs, 9 oz and was 13 inches long. Last but not least was Miss Olivia Rose, the fraternal triplet, born at 1:13 pm. She weighed 2 lbs, 11 oz and was 14 inches long.

All babies are in the NICU on ventilators right now. I will continue to post as things change. Please pray that they get healthier and stronger every day. Also that I recover quickly from my c section.

Love,
The Vetor Family

Celebrating 27 weeks!

2009-08-17T14:10:00.000-07:00

First of all, thank you to all of my visitors both family and friends. You've helped each day go a little faster for me. Thank you for the little gifts (books, magazines, sweets, lunch, etc.) Sorry for the long delay between posts. I have been hospitalized 2 full weeks now. WOW! Lots has taken place (good and bad)! Let me give you a quick recap on the last two weeks.

Mon 8/3 - admitted and on monitoring all day long...day of adjustment!
Tues 8/4 - monitoring reduced to every 4 hours around the clock for 30 mins at a time.
Fri 8/7 - monitoring reduced to every 4 hours while awake...no night time monitoring!
Sun 8/9 - late at night Baby B had some heart beat decels that were scary...put back on 24/7 monitoring until Mon afternoon. When I was really worried I opened my Bible and happened to read Psalm 91...it was exactly what I needed to hear and I felt peace in that moment.
Mon 8/10 - OB made rounds and said Baby B looked good, variable decels in heart beat are expected at this gestational age. (Gave us some comfort to know that.) Monitoring changed to every 4 hours around the clock but for 1 hour each time. Baby weights done by ultrasound (see below).
Wed 8/12 - Enjoyed attending support group for bed rest moms here at the hospital. Had another triplet mom (w/ 1 yr old boys) visit me. That was special. Then some drama erupted when OB said other docs weren't comfortable caring for my high risk situation. Upsetting evening but my Bunco girls were here to cheer me up!
Thurs 8/13 - Still working with OB and hospital administration to work everything out regarding "on call" docs.
Fri 8/14 - It was determined the best case scenario to our situation was to transfer me from our wonderful OB to our wonderful high risk doc. She will now be my primary caregiver. She changed me to 24/7 monitoring permanently. (VERY HARD ADJUSTMENT)
Sat 8/15 - Enjoyed web cam provided by Maternal Fetal Medicine to talk with Nick, Ryan and other family while out of town celebrating grandparents 80th birthdays.
Sun 8/16 - Again enjoyed web cam so I could watch everyone at Taylor's (my niece) 1st birthday party.
Mon 8/17 - Hit the 27 week mark! Every day they stay inside = 2 less days in NICU so just in the 14 days I've been here has bought them almost a month less time in NICU...so worth every day.

Nick is up here every day over his lunch and he brings Ryan up almost every night. I miss my guys SO much. I get a 15 min. shower every other day and (2) 30 min. wheelchair rides each day. I have ultrasounds from Maternal Fetal Medicine every Monday and Friday.

Mon 8/10 - Baby weights - all almost 2 lbs
Baby A - 2 lbs. 1 oz.
Baby B - 1 lb. 14 oz.
Baby C - 1 lb. 15 oz.

We are all hanging in there. Next Monday is a huge hurdle ~ 28 weeks! (Hope to post some new pictures soon.) THANK YOU for the continued prayers. Don't stop now...we feel your love and prayers and definitely need them to get through this time as a family and to keep these babies safe inside.

Stacie

Well here I am...

2009-08-04T12:46:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, August 3rd 2009, I checked into Community North for a permanent stay until it's decided that these babies need to be born. Let's still hope and pray that is after Sept. 21st (even though that means I'm here over 7 weeks).

Monday was very busy in my room. Thankfully Nick took the whole day off to help me get settled and comfort me during a difficult transition. I wasn't expecting 24/7 monitoring. Here's a picture of me hooked up to fetal monitors...one for each baby plus a contraction monitor. It would take the nurses quite awhile to be sure they were picking up 3 different babies and not getting B's heart beat for C...if that makes sense. Thankfully last night they decided to let me off 24/7 monitoring and started doing every 4 hours (around the clock) so I was woke up at 2am and 6am. Still a lot of work but now I can count on some time off monitors to get up and potty on my own! Yeah!!!

I have received two doses of Celestone, a steroid used to help babies lungs start to develop a little sooner. (Glad that is over...those needles were not fun and serum was thick.) I'm also on Heparin twice a day in my belly to reduce the chances of blood clots since I am in bed all day. Today they also gave me some leg cuffs that inflate to force blood flow back towards my heart. I'm allowed (2) 30 min. wheelchair rides each day and a 5 minute shower. HA HA HA!!! (Which I plan to enjoy this evening.)

Ryan visited for the first time last night. We was a little unsure at first but then felt right at home. There's an additional room/area with a curtain that he announced is "only for boys"...grandma wasn't allowed in there. He can even watch his own TV while he's here. We are trying to make this somewhat fun for him. Of course, the opinionated little thing that he is immediately asked, "Mommy were did you get those jammies? Why are you wearing them?", with a look of disapproval. He's very particular about what I wear and how I fix my hair. I thought I had 3 girls coming to tell me how to dress...guess Ryan will do that too. ;)

Visitors are welcomed anytime. Just send me or Nick an email or give us a quick call if you would like to stop by! One of us will have to give you some basic infomation to get you up to my room. I'll keep you updated frequently now that I have so much time on my hands.

Love,
Stacie - 25 weeks with Allie, Norah and Olivia

Saying Good-Bye to home...

2009-08-04T12:38:00.000-07:00

Saturday and Sunday, this past weekend, were a little emotional for me (and Nick too) as we realized Monday Aug. 3rd was just around the corner and I would be at the hospital for a prolonged stay. Aside from missing my husband, son and "Tanner" dog (who never left my side while I laid in bed)...it was time to say "good-bye" to other things I would really miss like my own cozy bed, ceiling fan and humidifier that blew cold air on me all night. Also my DVR (which I will seriously miss...how can I go back to watching TV the old way?) and finally my lovely shower chair Nick recently purchased. Gone are the days when I could shower whenever I wanted without a doctor or nurses permission. (Boo hoo!) I will miss you all!!! When I return home, I will be much thinner (hopefully) but have 3 new little people to introduce to you.

Saturday August 1st - Friends Shower

2009-08-04T12:29:00.000-07:00

We are SO blessed with the greatest, most supportive friends in the whole world. Our wonderful neighbors hosted a casserole shower just days before I was to be admitted. All I had to do was walk over from my backyard (terrific)! Many friends brought prepared casseroles for later use. That will be a huge help. We also got tons of wonderful gifts, gift cards and so much more. THANK YOU LADIES SO MUCH!!!

Special guests...

Hostess with the mostest (Miss Irma) made a "Diaper Baby"...is it adorable or what?

It's still sitting up in our nursery...I love it!

And they treated me like a queen!
LOVE YOU GIRLS! COME VISIT ME...please.

Sunday July 26th - Family Shower

2009-08-04T12:22:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much to Sam, Shelbie, Brooke and Chanelle (our wonderful sisters) for hosting a beautiful shower for us at Nick's parents house. A few days before that I wasn't feeling well and very afraid I wasn't going to make the trip but I'm so thankful I did/I could. It was a great time to see all the wonderful women in our families (and of course some of the men were also there to watch The Brickyard in the basement...great to see them too ) before heading to the hospital. Nick attended this shower (he's never had to attend any showers before) and I think he felt a little out of place but kudos to him for opening all gifts on our behalf so I could lay on the couch and enjoy. Love you babe! We received a ton of diapers (wonderful), many clothing sets and our double snap n go stroller for infants and double Combi stroller for when they are older (we already have singles in these so don't worry...all 3 babies will have a seat!)
Also loved the lady bug themed cupcakes and cake (matches nursery)...so adorable. Thanks Sisters for making this so special for us and these little girls!!!

Community North...here I come!

2009-07-30T08:01:00.000-07:00

So it is official that Monday Aug. 3rd (25 weeks gestation) will be the beginning of my hospitalized bed rest and end of my freedom to do as I please. (Like wheelchair rides through Wal-Mart & Babies R Us, watching Ryan play on his slip & slide, car rides to Gas City, church, wherever and having my husband sleeping next to me every night...boo hoo.) However, I am going with a positive attitude that this is BEST for these precious miracles and if this short sacrifice is what we need to do, that's OK with us!

Last Thursday I definitely overdid it with work appointments and other things. I felt terrible for 2 days and had some contractions which really scared me. I spent two days in bed and drank tons of water. I was able to enjoy our family shower on Sunday (hosted by our wonderful sisters). But that was how Nick and I came to the conclusion that it is time to be admitted and not risk it anymore. You can imagine that while at home it's easy to continue helping with the demands of a 3 yr old who doesn't understand why mommy can't go up and down the stairs. Plus there's always something to do at home...

So email me or call if you would like to visit me. I will probably need a day or two to settle in and adjust. Thankfully, Nick is taking Monday off to stay with me all day (awwww). I love him! He's been such a wonderful supporter through this pregnancy, which I have to say has been much harder on me than carrying Ryan.

Be prepared for frequent posts not only here but on Facebook. I will be bored. Hopefully there won't be much activity at the hospital from a pregnancy standpoint but I will keep everyone posted.

Keep each of us (Nick, Stacie and Ryan) in your prayers as we are apart for what could be several months. It will be a hard adjustment for each of us. Nick will feel more pressure being torn between me and Ryan but I know he will do an amazing job balancing it all.

XOXO,
Stacie

Roche Baby Shower

2009-07-25T03:22:00.001-07:00

Nick's wonderful co-workers were so kind to throw us an amazing baby shower this week. He has been so blessed with terrific people to work with/for and a job he really loves.

Special thanks to Denise, Rhoda and Lyle for being so thoughtful!

We received our pack n play with a DOUBLE bassinet, large diaper bag, diaper cake, many triplet jammie sets and a Walmart gift card.

Co workers who attended.

"I Love My Daddy" pink and brown onesies

What is he trying to say? "Please, not 3 girls!"

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!

With God All Things Are Possible!

2009-07-19T12:47:00.000-07:00

Many people have commented about how "calm" we seem to be regarding the risk of this pregnancy. We are expecting triplets which in itself is risky but then two of our babies are considered monoamniotic twins which is extremely high risk. Here is OUR answer...

Nick and I are confident that we didn't get here (22 weeks pregnant with triplets) by chance. We were very limited (other than divine intervention) as to how we could ever conceive again. And whether or not that was even God's desire for us. We have clearly seen His answers.

First, God provided the grant money to make IVF an option for us financially. Second, God provided two healthy embryos from our procedure and allowed them to successfully start to grow within me. And finally, only by God's power, one embryo split into identical twins (monoamniotic twins). We have a story to share but more importantly we believe that these little girls have a story, just like Ryan who is a miracle too! We are confident that through our situation we will be able to touch others and pray we will raise these girls and Ryan to make a big difference in this world. It would do no good to worry about all the "what if's" that we aren't in control of. So we are calm because we believe Jesus wants them here for a reason! He is providing our peace.

We definitely still have a way to go before we get to meet the 3 of them so please continue your faithful prayers for my body and these babies. "With God All Things ARE Possible!" We have seen that first hand.

Dates & pregnancy goals to pray for:
28 week mark - Aug 24th (right now this is our biggest focus!)
30 week mark - Sept 7th
32 week mark - Sept 21st
34 week mark - Oct 5th

Love,
The Vetor Family ~ Nick, Stacie, Ryan and baby girls

Week 22 and beautiful pregnancy pics

2009-07-19T12:00:00.001-07:00

Here are a few pictures from Kristen Gray Photography. Kristen is a dear friend from college who has 4 kids of her own and is starting a photography business. Thanks Kristen, for these special memories...the pictures are so great!

Updates...

2009-07-13T06:54:00.001-07:00

Well, this was me towards the end of 20 weeks! I am 22 weeks today! Woo hoo. This is going so fast. These little girls move SO much. The identical twins (Baby B & C) are on my right side and Baby Girl A is on my left side. B & C move a lot throughout the day and A moves at bedtime and early in the morning. Feeling their movement makes this all so real. I love all three of them so much already.

Our big 3 yr old boy is now officially potty trained. Another huge celebration in the Vetor home! He's loving the water this summer which is a big change from his previous summers. Ryan loves to jump into daddy's arms from the side of the pool. He could do this for hours which really is exhausting for Nick.

We also got to take a quick trip to Kings Island in late June. (Don't worry, I was pushed in a wheelchair all day.) But I loved watching Ryan enjoy himself with daddy. He loved the rides and seeing some of his favorite characters like Dora the Explorer. It was a really great family day with beautiful weather and I was blessed with a day that I felt really good.

Thanks so much to all of you for your continued love and prayers. We have been blessed with a very healthy pregnancy even in a high risk situation. We have amazing doctors watching over me and the babies. We have a care conference next Tuesday to determine what happens from here and when I will be admitted to the hospital, most likely in early Aug. This will be a hard adjustment for each of us (me, Nick and Ryan) to be apart for so long BUT it's necessary for the sake of these little girls. So please continue your prayers for my health and each of the girls. Continue to pray that B & C do not get their cords tangled and do not have to be delivered any earlier than necessary.

Thanks so much,
Stacie

3 Little Girls

2009-06-04T16:39:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, June 3rd we found out we are having 3 little girls!!!

Baby A, B and C at 16 weeks

Ryan's 3rd Birthday was a blast!

2009-06-02T18:20:00.000-07:00

It's hard for us to believe but Ryan is THREE already! We made a special trip to the new Noblesville Olive Garden for his birthday dinner. That was a nice treat for mommy too! Yum yum!

Saturday after his actual birthday we had his big party. We opted to not host it at our house this year due to my pregnancy and all the work that goes along with having a lot of company. It was a great day and beautiful weather. We had a late afternoon party at Billericay Park which has a new Splash Park for the kiddos. So many of Ryan's best friends were there and tons of family too. I was super thrilled to find a place (Pat A Cakes Bakery) who could/would make Ryan his own dairy free/gluten free birthday cake. He loved it and didn't know any difference! Thank you Pat A Cakes for saving the day!It was a special day for all of us realizing that his next birthday will involve 3 more little ones. We did however realize that as long as the triplets are delivered on the same day (which they should be) we will have 4 children but only have to do 2 parties each year! Woo Hoo. Although I do love hosting parties.

Growing...and growing...

2009-05-14T12:55:00.000-07:00

It's so hard to believe that in just another two weeks Ryan will be 3 years old! Last night he was Nick's big helper. As I was headed off to a work presentation, my boys were eagerly working on our vegetable garden. Nick built a raised bed for us to put in the back yard and grow fresh veggies this spring and summer. Ryan has been right by his side through the whole project. As I came in through the garage last night I noticed both Nick and Ryan's clothes laying by the door. That only means one thing...too dirty to enter the house! Today Ryan told me all about "rolling around in the mud" and "finding a froggie"! We've had a large toad hanging out on our front porch the last day or so with all the rain. Ryan has become such a little helper around the house always wanting to do whatever his daddy is doing.

I am doing well and appreciate all the sweet messages and prayers. I am 13 1/2 weeks right now. We are excited to meet our new OB/GYN tomorrow and next Tuesday we will meet with a nutritionist for the first time and then have another ultrasound appointment with our high risk specialist. We are still praying that by some miracle a membrane will be found between Baby B & C. Without the membrane they are considered monoamniotic twins. I am already feeling some movement and definitely looking pregnant. (It's terrible but we haven't taken any pictures of my belly yet.) These three babies are miracles and we want them to be safe and healthy while they are growing inside me.

Also, congrats to Brooke and Josh on their engagement last night! We are so happy for you and excited about your future together.

Our twins are now triplets!

2009-04-19T09:16:00.000-07:00

So, Wednesday (April 15th) was our follow up ultrasound. We were going to check Baby B's heart beat that was low at the first ultrasound. We had mentally prepared ourselves that we might have lost Baby B. Well...that wasn't the case thankfully.

As we were looking at the ultrasound we see Baby A wiggling little arms and legs with a great heart beat. I can't believe how big Baby A has gotten since our 6 week ultrasound. Then we go to look at Baby B and all I can see is a blob. There isn't any extra room like Baby A has in his/her sack. Come to find out that Baby B is sharing space with his/her identical twin, Baby C. SURPRISE to everyone...even us and the doctor! We couldn't see Baby C on the first ultrasound that's why we thought we were having twins but indeed we are having TRIPLETS! (Baby B & C are both measuring very close to Baby A and all have similar heart beats.)

Our doctor said this is only the 2nd time in his career where a two embryo transfer resulted in a triplet pregnancy. We are both a bit shocked and overwhelmed with the news. The idea of going from 1 child to 4 so quickly is a lot to absorb BUT God had a plan in this...even bigger than we ever expected. He will provide. The months and probably years ahead will be difficult but we already love these babies and can't wait to meet them.

I will start seeing a high risk fetal specialist soon. We are hoping to find a thin membrane separating Baby B & C so they don't get tangled, which could cause concern. We'll be able to see this on an ultrasound as they get a little bigger. Please keep me and all the babies in your prayers!

Exciting times!

2009-03-31T17:22:00.000-07:00

March was a month full of waiting and anticipation. My embryo transfer was February 26th so we anxiously waited for my first blood draw. It was a looooong wait but God gave us so much peace during this time.

March 10th was my first blood draw and (hooray, hooray) it was positive and a high HCG level. Two days later it had gone up more than double. So again we awaited the ultrasound to confirm whether I was carrying one baby or more.

March 26th was the BIG DAY (AGAIN). Most of you know by this point that we have been blessed with TWINS. We will welcome two new bundles of joy towards the end of 2009. The ultrasound was awesome as we were able to hear both heart beats! It is amazing!!!! I have another ultrasound in mid-April to make sure everything is progressing well and then will be released back to my OB/GYN. Oh, it will be a sad day to say "good-bye" to Dr. Bopp and his staff at Midwest Fertility Specialists. They do not treat me through my actually pregnancy or delivery. And after Baby A & Baby B arrive our family will be complete! They have shared in every struggle and success from our initial consultations and fear of having no more children to rejoicing over each egg retrieved, inseminated and then what successfully implanted! Dr. Bopp has embraced me in several loving hugs because he genuinely is so happy for us and know this is an answered prayer. We are thankful he was in our life at the right time. I (more than Nick b/c I was the one visiting the office every other day) will miss the warm faces in his office. They were there with me through every blood draw and early ultrasound, recovering from the retrieval and celebrating when we learned it was TWINS!

We have received so many blessings and have seen God's hand in this whole process. Thank you to those who have supported us from day 1 of this decision. I think most all of you know our hearts and our only desire in life is to serve and honor our God. It was ONLY because we felt God's greatest blessing that we pursued this journey and obviously He has answered many, many prayers...not just our prayers but the ones heard from all over Indiana from friends and family and even other states where loved ones have supported us. "Thank you!"

We are so excited for the months ahead. I'm technically 7 weeks pregnant today! Still early, so let's keep praying for very healthy development for both babies. I am feeling as good a a pregnant woman can...just very tired and started to get queasy throughout the day.

We are excited for our first Cade Foundation event this Saturday, April 4th. We are hosting an Infertility Forum with a featured Reproductive Endocrinologist, Adoption Agency and a family who has struggled with infertility but now have two beautiful children. The event is from 11 am - 1 pm at the Lawrence branch of the Marion Co. Public Library. No charge. Please come if you have any interest or need to learn more about treatment options or adoption. Also, May 23rd will be our first fundraiser. (We will post more information soon.) We hope our efforts supporting this foundation could help another Indiana family be blessed with the same grant and financial help in the years to come.

Welcome March...and soon Spring!

2009-03-01T06:45:00.000-08:00

Thank you all for the thoughts and prayers this week. My retrieval was on Monday and went extremely well, except the after effects have been uncomfortable to say the least. Mr. Ryan is all back to his normal 2 yr old self! He returned to his sitter's on Wed. and was greeted by all his adoring friends who missed him badly. I'm so thankful that surgery and recovery is behind us. My transfer was then on Thursday so I am resting. After two weeks at home...I am hoping to return to my normal routine (work schedule) this coming week.

I wanted to share my devotional from Thursday (2/26) which said , "I am leading you, step by step, through your life. Hold My hand in trusting dependence, letting Me guide you through this day." "Whenever you find yourself worrying about the future, repent and return to Me. I will show you the next step forward, and the one after that, and the one after that. Relax and enjoy the journey in My Presence, trusting Me to open up the way before you as you go."

Nick and I have felt God's wisdom and guidance through our IVF cycle. Now, without worry, we hope for the best and God's will for us and our family.

Hoping you all have a great week!
The Vetor's

Ryan's surgery and other updates

2009-02-21T07:12:00.000-08:00

Well, it has been a long week in the Vetor home. Ryan was a very brave boy going into surgery last Friday, Feb. 13th. We arrived at 7am, he was in the OR by 8am and done about 40 mins. later. He was 'Superman' coming out of his anesthesia. (No tears or fussing.) In recovery, he only wanted mommy, which is pretty normal for our little guy when he doesn't feel well. We were released and home by 1pm.

That weekend was exhausting but we had so many visitors and helpers all weekend. Thank to those who cooked for us, washed laundry, picked up the house and loved on Ryan to give us a little break.

I took the whole week off to be with him. I dreaded Monday because Nick had to go back to work but it was actually a great day. Tuesday and Wednesday were a different story! We've called his doctor several times and I guess this is a very typical recovery (7-10 days). He hasn't ate a meal since Monday at lunch. For our boy who loves food...this is not normal but I know his throat hurts. We are now passed 1 week and surely each day will be better and better. Maybe he can get back to his normal activities soon!

As for me and our IVF procedure, I had an ultrasound Thurs., Feb. 12th and everything looked really good. They had me start Follistim (stimulation drug) on Friday the 13th twice a day. I returned on Wed. the 18th for more blood work and ultrasound to find out that my ovary is responding very well as there were numerous follicles growing at great rates. I then had ultrasounds and blood work yesterday (20th) and this morning (21st) and it looks like my retrieval will probably be MONDAY MORNING! That should be confirmed later today when they call with my results. We are so excited!!! It's been a blessing to be home with Ryan, although exhausting, it has forced me to relax with him, nap, etc.

Please keep me and our family in your prayers this next week. We hope Ryan will be back to 100% and able to return to his sitter's around Wed. of this week. If my retrieval is Monday the transfer could be as early as Thursday. This is ALL in God's hands! Please pray for guidance and wisdom for Nick and I.

We love you!

The Vetor's

No Wheat for Ryan...poor boy!

2009-02-10T11:52:00.000-08:00

So we did the 4 day elimination diet for wheat only. On day 5, Monday, I added back wheat full force. He had Raisin Bran cereal with rice milk at breakfast and 30 mins. later had a leaking diaper (you know what I'm talking about). Poor Grandma Susan! So then we gave him a sandwich on wheat bread for lunch and he complained all afternoon of a tummy ache and then had another terrible diaper around 4:30 pm. That's when I had to change his outfit and realized his tummy was extremely hard and distended. He looked very bloated. He barely ate anything for dinner last night still complaining that his tummy hurt. So, we know for sure he cannot be on wheat or dairy. Let's pray that soy and eggs don't give us the same results! We can't test those until after he has fully recovered from his surgery (which again is this Friday). Today he has not complained about his tummy but has not had a regular Ryan appetite. He did however show Nat & Reagan a true "fit" when he started kicking, hitting and screaming while we were visiting this morning. Reagan was very concerned about why Ryan's tummy was upset. We have not experienced this behavior in well over a month (since we removed dairy). I think that was the icing on the cake that we have to say "bye bye" to all wheat products. Oh...this should be fun! We are thankful for answers though. Ryan should feel like new in another month. His tummy has probably hurt his whole life and he never knew it wasn't supposed to.

Follow up with Ryan's allergist

2009-02-03T13:34:00.000-08:00

Today we received good and bad news regarding Ryan's allergy testing and sleep study.

1) GOOD NEWS: Ryan actually tested negative to IGE food allergies which are the ones that could potentially cause anaphylaxis (the scary stuff). He tested positive for IGG food allergies which is why we were seeing behavior issues. Although this is better news, he still has severe allergies and scored high in 4 areas (milk, egg white, soy and wheat). After a month of no dairy, we have learned this was a HUGE problem for him so we are keeping him off dairy. But we can test the other 3 so we will eliminate all wheat for 4 days and then give him a lot of wheat on day 5. We'll individually test wheat, soy and egg whites this way. We should have a good idea on the "Day 5's" what can stick in his diet and what has to go.

2) NOT SO GOOD NEWS: Ryan also recently had a sleep study and scored very high for sleep apnea. His oxygen levels got down to 92% at times. SO, he has to have his tonsils and adenoids removed on 2/13/09. The timing couldn't be worse since I have started shots and our procedure will happen around the end of the month...but we can still fit it in and pray that he is fully recovered by the time my stuff takes place. We want to be able to fully focus on his recovery first!

Ryan should feel like a new kid once all this happens. Hopefully he'll get better sleep and fewer sinus and chest infections. Say a prayer for him on the 13th, please. He's never had surgery so mom & dad are a bit nervous to watch him go through this.

www.CadeFoundation.org

2009-01-30T06:41:00.000-08:00

The Cade Foundation has posted information on the 2010 Family Building Grant. It looks like the applications will be posted to their website starting on July 15, 2009 and will remain available until the due date of September 15, 2009. Most likely the recipients will be notified in mid-late November. If you know of any families struggling with infertility who could benefit from this grant PLEASE forward this website, http://www.cadefoundation.org/, to them and encourage them to apply when the time comes. Remember this grant offers struggling families up to $10,000 for domestic adoption or fertility treatment.

We will also be posting a website soon and looking for volunteers to help out at our fundraising events. What we do in 2009 will make a BIG difference in how many families the Cade Foundation is able to help in 2010. Will you be a part of that???

Our first event will most likely be in April or May. We want to host a LARGE garage sale using a public parking lot (church hopefully) in order to gain the best exposure. We will need volunteers to donate items to sell as well as helpers to set up, work the sale and clean up. This will most likely be a Friday & Saturday event. Bigger events to come but this will be a quick way to start our fundraising!!!

We are excited!!! PS: Shots start Sunday (Super Bowl Sunday)!!!

Channel 6 News Interview - 1/22/09

2009-01-24T05:08:00.000-08:00

The Cade Foundation contacted Indy's Channel 6 news asking for an interview. They graciously accepted and did a fantastic job of getting our story out in Indiana. Click on the link below to see the video footage of our story that first aired at 11 pm on Thursday, Jan. 22nd. We hope to be able to promote our foundation fundraiser through Channel 6 in the next few months.

http://www.theindychannel.com/video/18546762/index.html

Here is a copy of the article that was also posted with our video (courtesy of The Indy Channel, RTV 6 News)

INDIANAPOLIS -- Many couples who desperately want to be parents find themselves in an emotionally grueling struggle, but an Indiana family wants others to know that financial help is available. Infertility issues affect more than 6 million people in the U.S. -- about one in seven couples, 6News' Tanya Spencer reported.

The Tinina Cade Foundation, a first of its kind organization dedicated to helping with the financial struggle of conceiving, helped Nick and Stacie Vetor. From the time they got together, the Vetors knew they wanted a big family. "It was something we never doubted we would do, that we would always be parents," Stacie Vetor said. A medical condition initially kept them from realizing that dream, but surgery allowed them to conceive Ryan, who is now 2 and a half.
A miscarriage a year ago had ended all hope that Stacie could get pregnant again naturally. Doctors suggested in-vitro fertilization.

"I don't want to say financial burden, but it's very costly," Stacie Vetor said.
The average cost in the U.S. for all the medications and a single in-vitro cycle is about $15,000, and the success rate is only 30 percent. "We just weren't sure how we were going to come up with that money," Stacie Vetor said.

Then, she stumbled across the Cade Foundation Web site. The organization was founded by a woman in Maryland who had struggled with infertility for years until her mother served as her surrogate. The woman started a grant in her mother's honor. Nine couples have received the grant so far. The Vetors are the first from Indiana. "We just didn't even know something like that even existed," Stacie Vetor said.

The Vetors are telling their story to ensure other Hoosier couples know about the resource, and they're organizing their own fundraiser in Indiana to help the nonprofit foundation grow.
"It'll be exciting to give the opportunity to future families to have this same blessing," said Nick Vetor.

Stacie will go through in-vitro in February and hope to know by mid-March if Ryan will have a baby brother or sister this year. "We were just so excited that maybe growing our family is something that could actually happen now," Stacie Vetor said.

Families can get up to $10,000 each through the grant. The money can be used for either fertility treatments or domestic adoption.

More Info: Tinina Q. Cade Foundation (www.cadefoundation.org)

Copyright 2009 by TheIndyChannel.com All rights reserved.

And the food allergy results are...

2009-01-21T12:56:00.000-08:00

So Ryan had his blood draw on 12/31/08 for IGG and IGE food allergies. We have been anxiously awaiting the results. Ry has been off all dairy since 12/22/08. Other than on Christmas night we have not had any fits even close to what we were going through.

Anyway, the test would score 0 if there was no allergy at all. Otherwise, the scale is 1 to 4, with 4 being the highest allergy reaction.

Ryan scored 4's on...
EGGS, MILK, SOY and WHEAT! (yikes)

Ryan scored 2 on...
PEANUTS

Ryan scored a 1 on...
CHOCOLATE, CORN, POTATOES, TOMATOES AND YEAST...AS WELL AS CATS

Very thankfully, he scored a ZERO for dog which means Tanner can remain a happy member of our home. She and Ryan are best friends and he would be heartbroken if she was gone. We aren't sure how we will adjust our diets to all of this new information. We have a follow up with his doctor on Feb. 3rd and we'll see what he suggests. The dairy free diet has been an adjustment for us, the sitter and grandparents BUT it has made such a difference for him. So we will see...stay tuned! :)

Recovered and ready for shots...

2009-01-16T12:11:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone for all the love and help during and after my surgery. I am recovering well and finally feeling back to normal. We greatly appreciate the help with Ryan, wonderful meals and especially the housekeeping...THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

My surgeon has released me from his care and he is comfortable with me getting pregnant. Shots now officially start Feb. 1st (Super Bowl Sunday). I will learn more about the IVF timeline this Thursday (22nd) when I go for my shot training. Everything is based on my cycle. If all goes well maybe we'll be doing a transfer in March!!! I will keep you posted on any new news.

We appreciate your prayers. We are hoping for the BEST outcome...a pregnancy!

We love you all!

"Appe" New Year to Stacie!

2009-01-04T06:47:00.000-08:00

Well, what a way to start the new year. Nick took me to the ER on Saturday morning around 6 am for severe abdominal pain. After a CT scan around 9:45 am they said I had an acute appendicitis and emergency surgery was necessary before it ruptured. (Nice!) So, I was taken into surgery around 3 pm and in recovery around 4 pm. The surgeon did it laporscopically and was able to remove the appendix safely as well as look at my left side to validate that IVF is the best option for us (which we were sure of but another confirmation is always great).

Let me give you a run down of how bad December & January are to The Vetor's:
Jan 30, 2005 - Nick rushed by ambulance and admitted for 3 days for double pneumonia
Jan 3, 2006 - Stacie taken to ER for constant vomiting (I was pregnant for Ryan and very sick)
Dec 30 & 31, 2006 - Stacie taken to ER 2 days in a row for CT scans due to severe sinus infection
Jan 4, 2007 - Stacie's ectopic miscarriage
Jan 3, 2009 - Stacie's appe.

The down side to this surgery is that my shots will not be able to start this week. :( In fact, our whole IVF treatment will probably get held off one full cycle. I am supposed to be off work for one week (which stinks b/c I've basically been off since Christmas and was ready to get back at it...and make some money). But, I need to rest so that recovery is speedy and IVF is not further delayed. I see the surgeon in about 2 weeks. Hopefully there will be no infections or complications so that our RE (Reproductive Endocrinologist) can plan to begin our shots just a few weeks later.

Please pray for my recovery. (I am feeling OK...just sore.) Ryan really missed his mommy but came to visit me last evening at the hospital. We know that God has a plan in EVERYTHING so we are not discouraged that our timeline got screwed up by this surgery. I am so thankful that this happened before I am pregnant or even on shots b/c all the drugs, etc. could have caused concern or complications.

With all that said, "Happy New Year to you and your family!"

Day of doctor's appointments

2008-12-30T17:02:00.001-08:00

Today started with Nick and I having a final consultation with our RE before my shots began. We wanted to confirm we are (still) all on the same page for our treatment of IVF. My shots start next Wed. (Jan. 7th) so please just keep me in your prayers as that process begins. Nick will bravely have to administer them...I'm sure some days he'll enjoy it!

After our appointment, Ryan and I went to see his NEW Ear, Nose and Throat specialist. We are excited that we feel this doctor is listening to our concerns about Ryan's history of irritability (AKA fits of rage), chest colds, digestive infections, sinus infections, etc. This doctor has agreed to do allergy testing NOW where our past doctor would not do it until age 5. I can't wait that long...I need some answers so I can help this little guy feel better. He has officially been off all dairy for over one week and I have seen a BIG improvement in his temperment. Who knew that there was dairy in things like caramel rice cakes...a favorite afternoon snack for me and Ry. I did some shopping at the Whole Foods market at Clay Terrace today to find him dairy-free butter, cheese slices, frozen waffles, yogurt, cereal, fish sticks, pizza, etc. All foods that most little ones get to enjoy! (Keep him in your prayers too as we try to narrow down what is bothering his little tummy so much.) The past month has been a huge trial for Nick and I as we anxiously want to grow our family but have experienced some very trying moments with Ryan.

Happy New Year to all!
The Vetor's

Weekend of December 6th

2008-12-29T12:54:00.000-08:00

After being selected for The Cade Foundation grant we had to make a quick trip to D.C. to celebrate with The Cade Foundation family during their annual banquet. It's hard to explain the feeling we all had when we walked in. The foundation is mainly made up of one family, a grandmother who made the ultimate sacrifice on her body to carry her daughter & son in law's triplets! The daughter and now mother of 3 children heads this organization. These are people full of love and servants who truly believe in "paying it forward". Last year they were able to award 3 families and this year that grew to six! We are so excited to become the extended family of The Cade Foundation and share our IVF experience with them.

We are required and very excited to host our own fundraiser in 2009 for the 2010 Family Building Grant. We were the first family from Indiana ever selected and the furthest West of DC. We want to grow awareness of the struggles and pains of infertility while supporting such a wonderful organization. Our hope is that our fundraising efforts will make a BIG difference to a needy family in 2010.

Will you join us??? Look for more information to come as we make plans and set dates for fundraising events.

Please visit these websites to learn more:
http://cadefoundation.org/index.php
http://fertilitytoday.org

Applying for The Family Building Grant

2008-12-29T12:28:00.001-08:00

In late September I was up late searching for clinical studies and/or funding for IVF patients. By God's grace I came across a link to The Cade Foundation. http://cadefoundation.org/index.php I found that they offer "Family Building Grants" up to $10,000 for families hoping to adopt domestically or attempt IVF. I was up until 1 am completing the paperwork and getting everything ready to submit to our doctors who would have to vouch that we would be ideal candidates for this grant (as well as provide our medical history regarding infertility).

The application deadline was Sat. Oct. 4th. Being the worrier that I am Nick overnighted our 63 page application several days in advance. To our dismay we found out AFTER the deadline that it was returned to the mailing service we used (and we were not notified). Mom and I diligently tried to contact the Cade Foundation to explain the situation and thankfully they still accepted our application when if finally arrived (almost a week late).

The night before all recipients were to be notified God lead me to Jeremiah 17: 5-10 during some personal quiet time which reads...

"This is what the Lord says, 'Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord. He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives'."

"But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."

"The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?"

"I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve."

I read this over and over and felt like God had clearly answered my worries and doubts about whether or not we would be selected for the grant. (Of course, everyone else around me is telling me not to get my hopes up.) I just knew that God would provide for us!

Sat. the 15th came and no phone call. We waited and waited. It was a very hard day and I was more confused about what God was trying to tell me the night before. We even went out to celebrate the engagement of very close friends. We were so happy for them but torn apart inside. I decided that God would enlighten me about His decision Sunday morning at church but oddly enough after listening to the service I couldn't apply it to our situation. I was frustrated.

As Sunday rolled on, we moved on! While we were watching the Colts play Nick's cell phone rang. He quickly called me upstairs to share that The Cade Foundation had called and we were 1 of 6 families selected for The Family Building Grant. We fell to the floor in tears. We were able to share that moment with close family which was very special. I think everyone was shocked that we received this grant, not because we aren't deserving but because it was based out of Maryland and we already have one biological child.

THANK YOU GOD for the clearest answer to our prayers. We know that YOU support this decision and are with us through this process. What more could we ask for???

08/08/08...what a day

2008-12-29T12:20:00.000-08:00

On August 8th my OB/GYN performed a radiology dye procedure called an HSG. The hope was that she could open my tube to allow us to conceive on our own (like we did with Ryan). The HSG was terribly painful and revealed that my tube is indeed blocked and further damaged from my ectopic miscarriage in Jan. 2008. We were so discouraged with this news and referred back to a fertility doctor for further assessment. This was the beginning of our journey.

In early September we met with our R.E. who suggested that IVF might be the best option for us to conceive again. Another laparoscopy might set me up for another ectopic pregnancy. We never thought it would come down to IVF being our only option but it seems that is the case.

Now the stress and tears begin...
We have no insurance coverage for IVF. How would be pay for this procedure without putting a hardship on our personal finances, budget and home? Do we just stop at one? How could we make that decision when we LONG for more children and for Ryan to have his own brother or sister. So many decisions ahead...