The ICU

Our Stay in the ICU - 11.10.97 to 11.26.97

Hi Again!

Now that Mommy was feeling well enough to make the trip down the hall, we decided to bring the camera in with us and document how the kids had changed in, oh, about 2-3 days....the family photo album begins...

By now all of the kids were taking food through bottle feeding, and if they got too tired quickly, then, as you'll notice in some photos, they finish their dinner with the help of a tube and gravity.

All was fine, and there were no medical complications outside the fact they'd have to learn to eat properly.

Here's Taylor...

For the first two days, everybody had an IV to help replace any fluids lost through weight loss after they were born; no cause for alarm here.

The first one out and the largest, she lost the most weight, eventually weighing less than her two sisters. She's doing fine, but it looks like one of the twins will beat her home if she remains the pokey little puppy while eating.

Here's Matthew...

Born at only 3lbs, 9oz., and losing an additional 3oz. after birth, he was too small to maintain his own body temperature without losing more weight. He was therefore put in this little isolette which is kept at a toasty 98 degrees. This will avoid him burning calories to stay warm, and allow him to grow so he can come home.

Other than size, there's no reason he couldn't come home sooner, so we expect him home in early December.

Since he get's less contact, we've recorded stories on a tape recorder (in our own voices) which sits inside and he'll have us with him even if we can't be right outside.

Here's Amanda...

She's doing well, also a pokey eater, and looking more like Samanatha every day. Although we've never bothered to run a DNA test ($$), all fo the staff and everyone we ask share the same opinion; Amanda and Samantha are definitely the twins.

Here's Samantha...

She's still recovering from finding out she was the last one out, and pretty much lost out on the seniority scale. But we'll hae to let her know that being the "baby" has it's own list of advantages.

We deliberately put different colored hats on these guys, so we can tell them apart. It's easier now, but we know as they "fill out" it will be increasingly difficult to keep things straight until we find the other ways to tell.

Quadruplet Land

New Home

	Hi Again! Now that Mommy was feeling well enough to make the trip down the hall, we decided to bring the camera in with us and document how the kids had changed in, oh, about 2-3 days....the family photo album begins... By now all of the kids were taking food through bottle feeding, and if they got too tired quickly, then, as you'll notice in some photos, they finish their dinner with the help of a tube and gravity. All was fine, and there were no medical complications outside the fact they'd have to learn to eat properly.
Here's Taylor... For the first two days, everybody had an IV to help replace any fluids lost through weight loss after they were born; no cause for alarm here. The first one out and the largest, she lost the most weight, eventually weighing less than her two sisters. She's doing fine, but it looks like one of the twins will beat her home if she remains the pokey little puppy while eating.
	Here's Matthew... Born at only 3lbs, 9oz., and losing an additional 3oz. after birth, he was too small to maintain his own body temperature without losing more weight. He was therefore put in this little isolette which is kept at a toasty 98 degrees. This will avoid him burning calories to stay warm, and allow him to grow so he can come home. Other than size, there's no reason he couldn't come home sooner, so we expect him home in early December. Since he get's less contact, we've recorded stories on a tape recorder (in our own voices) which sits inside and he'll have us with him even if we can't be right outside.
Here's Amanda... She's doing well, also a pokey eater, and looking more like Samanatha every day. Although we've never bothered to run a DNA test ($$), all fo the staff and everyone we ask share the same opinion; Amanda and Samantha are definitely the twins.
	Here's Samantha... She's still recovering from finding out she was the last one out, and pretty much lost out on the seniority scale. But we'll hae to let her know that being the "baby" has it's own list of advantages. We deliberately put different colored hats on these guys, so we can tell them apart. It's easier now, but we know as they "fill out" it will be increasingly difficult to keep things straight until we find the other ways to tell.