Ok, I know I haven't posted in awhile…here.  Been quite busy over at the new site, You, Simplified.  I've been playing around with a Flip MINO camcorder recently and did a few videos of the kids.  Turns out that the babies don't do much when they know the camera's on them.

But…at least you get to see some full motion video of them.  This first video is of Noah doing…umm…I donno.

The second video is mom wearing an authentic Scribe for the Tribe t-shirt and showing how well Ms. Bella stands and chews on human appendiges. And, the frantic sounds in the background are Noah, minus his blood pressure meds (seriously, the kid's on Norvasc).

And finally, Mr. Owen being fed green shyt (very poorly) by yours truly. And guess who's going nuts in the background without his blood pressure meds?

Owen, Noah (Vomit Action Shot) and Bella on Halloween

Okay, just realizing that it's been nearly two months since I've done an update on the babies, which makes me derelict in my blogging duties, but I assure you we've been busy around here.

Mr. Noah came home from the hospital on the god awful formula that smelled like fermenting potatoes (I suspect it also tasted like fermenting potatoes) and we went thru several weeks of hell where he crapped six times daily and he wasn't all together happy about the process.  While being regular is good for one's mood, there is certainly a case of taking it too far.

He also wasn't putting any weight on with that junk and the three hour feeds were making us miserable.   So we were happy a few weeks back when they finally put him on the same formula as his brother.  Within a week, he was doing so much better, and was really putting on weight.  Were it not for his unusually large cranium, his body would all but be caught up in size.  He is absolutely adorable and I love him even when he's screaming bloody murder at 2am every night and waking up the other kids (yes, really, every night).

Noah and Bella, Appetizers before Dinner

It's really amazing, Noah can fit both his hands in his mouth.  Bella tries to but Noah really has a big mouth.

Ms. Bella is our little star, and with that, sometimes the primadonna.  She amazes me everyday with her vocalizations already.  You can really see that she is trying to learn to talk by watching mom and dad (Note to self, now is the time for me to strike the "F" word from my vocabulary).  Her body strength is amazing too, and she was the first to coordinate both of her hands to grab at toys above her head.  She seems to be hitting every development milestone a little faster than the boys.

She has absolutely the most beautiful smile when you play with her.  Unfortunately, every time we try to take a picture she puts on her best Mona Lisa smile.  Of course, she can crank with the best of them too and it seems that mom is the only one who can regularly get her to calm down.  Nobody said it would be easy.

Bella at Tummy Time

The picture of Bella above is actually a couple of weeks old, and she now regularly raises her head when on her tummy.  The boys aren't quite there with this yet.

I'll end with a short note on Mr. Owen.  He's now the biggest of the babies and is really growing so well.  We were finally permitted to take him off his heart rate monitor last week, so that was a tremendous milestone for us.  One picture of him below, and that's it for this week's update.

Owen - Ummm...I didn't dress him

Noah (left) Getting the Stare-down from Bella and Owen

I missed the normal Three for Thursday write-up this week because we were told that Noah would be coming home on Friday and I didn't want to jinx anything, since we had several go-home dates come and go on Owen.

I am pleased to say that Noah did in fact come home late yesterday afternoon so now our Children's hospital phase is over.

I can't say enough good things about Women and Children's of Buffalo and the NICU area.  Despite a few bumps along the way, we got wonderful care and the fact is, they saved the lives of our three babies.  For that, I am truly thankful.

Noah's not coming home without his challenges.  His torso looks like he's been in a drive-by shooting with all the scars.  Five new ones from the double hernia surgery, as it turns out.

Noah Giving me the Finger

He looks sickly and tiny compared to the other two.  At 7lbs 3oz, he's actually lost weight in the last week and we commented that he looks like one of those poor babies you see on the commercials for poverty-stricken countries.  It's heart-wrenching for us, but at least we know that we have more resources available to us that those other poor children do not.

He's not up to full-feeds yet, so I was a bit surprised that they sent him home.  He eats about 60% what the others do and he's on five oral meds, including a new one added after we got home when the hospital called us to tell us he tested positive for another bladder infection, his fifth by my count.

He didn't sleep well his first night, which means we didn't sleep well.  It's to be expected, but I feel bad for him.  He whimpered most of the night and apart from when we held him for the over night feeds, he was largely inconsolable.  He's currently sitting in a swing behind me now and still whimpering.  It's all new to him, and he'll come along.  We're more worried about nursing him back to health.

Noah - Note the tiny arms and legs and the giant scar across his Belly.

The other two babies are both well over 8lbs and Bella looks like she's the furthest along.  She looks twice the size of Noah and is already teething.  This makes her quite cranky, as I've said before, and as such, she's not quiet very often.

Owen seems unphased by it all.  When we put them all on the blanket for the first picture above, we then took to attending and feeding the other two with my wife's aunt Robin being at the house.  And Owen just stayed on the blanket for over an hour without much complaint.

Each baby is on different Formula and Noah's has to be special ordered at $30 a can.  I spent over $120 on meds yesterday (just for Noah and that's with Insurance) and spend about $500 on formula a month.  Couple that with over a hundred a month on diapers and I've come to the conclusion that babies are expensive (understatement).

So what happens from here?

Well, I'll still update the site on the babies from time to time.  It's no longer the focus of the blog.  I've found that I typically only have time to write a couple hundred words here and there at a time, due to the family responsibilities which will ALWAYS come first.

This blog is about what interests me, and while a big part of that is family, it's also metaphysics, religion, simple living, minimalism, productivity, health, finance, poetry, music, and the occasional rant.  It's about mindful living in every facet of my life with lessons that I track for posterity and pass on to anyone who is interested.

I'm still working on a simple living book, which is as much a tool for me and my family as I hope it can be for you.  No, it is not regurgitated information from my blog.  I haven't decided whether it will be an eBook or paperback but I will likely put it out myself rather than spend the time to shop it to publishers and wait several years for one to maybe take an interest and get it out there.

The posting schedule is still a couple of times a week which is quite reasonable given the three new priorities in my life.  I enjoy writing this blog very much and will continue to do it as long as it remains enjoyable.  When I stop enjoying it, I'll shut it down.  I'm pleased that so many of you take time out of your busy schedules to come read this.

My family thanks you for your support during the last five months since the babies were born.

Bella...Almost Happy?

Each Thursday, for the near future, I give updates on how our baby triplets are doing in the hospital.  They were born May 28th at 27 weeks gestational age.  Bella Marie born 1lb 14oz, Owen Charles born 1lb 14oz, and Noah Anthony born 2lb 4oz.

Tomorrow morning Noah (still in the hospital) will have hernia surgery.  We knew he's needed it for several months and they've told us that this is one of the last steps before he comes home.  Terrific news for us, and we're cautiously optimistic.  The kids will be five months old very soon and we feel that we're missing out on some very important development time with Noah that we will never get back.

It's very hard with the two at home.  I haven't seen Noah in nearly two weeks, and Nikki has been able to get up there a couple of times.  But with Owen on the heart-rate monitor, we can't really let anyone babysit him unless they've gone through the infant CPR class and are taught how to work the monitor. 

Owen - Easy Like a Sunday Morning

I don't get to see my wife very much either.  I work all day and then I come home to have a quick dinner with my wife and we try to get her to go to bed soon after while I watch the kids.  I'll watch them and get their feeds in till about 1:00am and then Nikki takes over again.

When all three are home, it will be tougher.  I imagine that we'll both have to get up for feeds each time, since it takes nearly an hour to feed and hold each baby upright to prevent their Reflux issues from bringing all of the food back up.

If anyone has any tips on how to save time feeding three babies, we'd appreciate it if you could share in the comments below.

There are some tremendously gratifying moments.  I can see and appreciate each of them grow and fill out their clothes.  Owen has gone from a rather scrawny baby to really filling out, particularly in the face over the last week.  The pics in this post are from tonight.  Owen didn't appreciate the flash.

Bella…she cries nearly all the time that she's awake.  At least at night when I am home watching her.  I've been sitting here for three and a half hours now while my wife is sleeping and Bella is crying now as I write.  She's either been crying or sleeping this entire time.  I've taken several breaks while writing this to try to console her.

I don't seem to have the patience for it.  The sound really grates on me and I feel horrible for her as well as for my ability to tolerate it.  The moments are so rare when she is smiling and happy that I really try to appreciate. 

Owen, by contrast, is quite mellow.  He really doesn't cry unless he's starving or if Bella's crying gets him going.  I think this is the hardest for me, trying to deal with her near-constant crying.  Owen has not so much as cried once in this three and a half hour period.  His monitor has gone off a few times, for not breathing often enough, mostly.

The Pediatrician thinks that it's just a problem with the iron supplement she is on and the thick formula preventing her from being regular but she refuses to let us change either.  She also thinks Bella may be teething already.  As such, she's not a very happy baby these days. 

Last night she cried for nearly eight hours straight from 11pm to 7am this morning.  We got no sleep and I expect more of the same tonight with the way she is acting right now.

I just want her to be happy.  And I just want some peace and rest.  And I want to be able to hang out with my wife. 

Yes, I'm whining a bit.  Just a little tired and since I pay for this domain I get to use it as my sounding board. 

In many ways my life has become simpler these last few weeks.  I haven't choices on what to do nor time to spend figuring out what to wear or what to eat.  I often eat on my feet and I throw on whatever is (semi) clean for work in the morning.  I know it's all temporary…this, too, shall pass, and there will be wonderful times coming.  Still trying to figure out the flow.  We'll get there.

Uncle Antnee, Owen, Aunt Lissa and Bella

Each Thursday, for the near future, I give updates on how our baby triplets are doing in the hospital.  They were born May 28th at 27 weeks gestational age.  Bella Marie born 1lb 14oz, Owen Charles born 1lb 14oz, and Noah Anthony born 2lb 4oz.

A short note about my article posting frequency…I went back to work yesterday so that I could save the bulk of my remaining vacation for when Noah comes home.  I've tried a few times to sit down and write a post yesterday and today, but the babies would get fussy and require attention.  They are my primary focus right now.

Despite my best efforts to continue the five day a week posting schedule, it's just not possible right now if I want to put out anything of quality (no comments from the Peanut gallery).  Thanks to the advice of Cousin Matt and my blogging friend Arvind, as well as others who have chimed in, it makes sense not to press things right now.

So, I will blog when I can for the next month or so as we get the babies more accustomed to our home.  I can guarantee it will be once a week or more, unless something tragic happens, but the five days a week trend will be on hiatus.  Hey it's the Internet…there really is no parameters except that which we try to place on ourselves.  So thank you to everyone for understanding (yes, I am assuming you're understanding).

So back to the Bambinos.  Mr. Noah, the one who is still in the hospital, he's still having a very rough go.  He had a Barium enema to explore the lower intestines to try to find the reason why he isn't digesting his food and they didn't find anything there.

They were going to schedule a GI Tract test to check the stomach going into the intestines.  We're hoping that this occurs in the next few days since he is not eating again.  Speculation is that when he had his bout with NEC a few months back, he may have developed a stricture (narrowing) somewhere in the intestines.  So despite his Pyloric Stenosis surgery, he hasn't fed quite right in nearly two months.

I went to the hospital last night and held him for an hour.  He just looked really defeated by it all, but perhaps I'm just projecting my emotions on to him.  I had to hold him so gently because he has two lines coming out of his head and he is quite miserable.  He has a growth on his right bicep under the skin that they don't know what it is right now.

I just want him to feel better and we feel awfully that we can't be at the hospital with him every day.  We can't bring the babies back into the NICU…some weird No Return policy I guess…actually it's to prevent the spread of germs.  We desperately want him home but he's just not ready.

So my admiration for my wife increases my leaps and bounds.  I've not known her to be a patient person (i.e. she doesn't put up with my shyt) but she's shown a great deal more patience for the crying and fussing of the babies then I've been able to show so far.  It's exhausting for her, I know.  She's trying to catch a short nap as I watch the babies sleeping and write this.

When they are happy, they are so beautiful and it's so worth it.  When they are unhappy we feel so helpless to make it better and it's very hard.  I know I'm not saying anything that any parent doesn't already know.

Bella is getting very big, particularly compared to Owen.  She's incredibly strong and shows great head and neck control already.  You have to watch it when she's on your lap because she just pop up explosively and knock you under your chin if you're not careful.

Owen is a bit more delicate right now.  You still really have to support his head and be gentle when feeding and burping him.  The Visiting Nurses come tomorrow to check on the both of them so we'll find out if he's putting on weight.  He lost a few ounces between when we brought him home on Sunday and when his Pediatric appointment was on Tuesday, but he seems to be filling out a bit again.

We had them both on two boppy pillows facing each other yesterday but Bella started bawling and it wasn't long before the noise got to Owen.  I'll cherish the memories when the three of them first start to play together.

His heart rate monitor goes off a dozen or more times a night which is difficult on us as we have to check him each time and then reset the unit.  Plus, it sometimes wakes up Bella too, who can be quite difficult to get back to sleep.  I have a feeling he's going to be on the monitor for several months.

Anyways, I hear my daughter fussing a bit, so it's time to sign off.  I'll be back soon enough with some articles and updates.

Thank you and warm regards…

Owen (Carseat) and Bella Meet Face to Face

Owen came home from the hospital Sunday evening at about 5:00pm, so we've already gotten a taste of dueling crying from two of the three triplets.  My wife and I were trading off the two overnight feeds but now it's looking like we'll both have to get up for each feed.  That means less sleep and an extra layer of crankiness but we're getting close to having our whole family home. 

My first time feeding Owen last night did not go as well as planned.  I'd fed him in the hospital before but not while he was on the portable heart rate monitor.  My wife was trying to catch an hour of sleep so I was alone with him downstairs. 

I went to put him on the diaper change table so I could swaddle him because he's particularly active with his hands and it's near impossible to feed him if they are free.  So, I tripped over his heart rate monitor which set the alarms screaming and the leads pulled off his body which were under two layers of clothing.  I couldn't get him stripped down fast enough and so he's crying, the alarms are blaring. 

I managed to cut the power to the monitor and then get him dressed and swaddled.  I then sat down with him and his bottle and when he calmed I started to feed him.

I marveled at how fast he was taking his food when the bottle was nearly empty after three minutes.  Then I realized his bottle had a leak when he was soaked all around his torso and my pants were wet underneath. 

More swear words ensued and then I sat him up on my knee to wipe him down.  It was then that I noticed how dark his diaper was…and how it was overflowing with crap which was now all over me as well.

More swearing…yada yada…some more swearing…then my wife was forced out of her slumber to come down and help me with the carnage I left in my wake.  The two of us together managed to clean the poor guy up, and I've gotten used to now walking around the house in my underwear (I know, not a pleasant visual) since everything else gets puked or pooped on. 

Last night was impossibly tiring.  Between the two feedings for each baby overnight, both were crying and fussy and Owen's monitor must have gone off at least a dozen times with the leads failing to pick up on his chest. 

I'm just incredibly tired today and I don't know how we are going to do this with three babies, plus maintain my wits so I can keep my job (which I am petrified of losing since we are down to one income), plus keep this blog going.  And we're only through week one of parenting.

What was it I said here before?  God (The Universe) doesn't give you more than you can handle?  I think God has more confidence in me than I do.

I'll be checking in with the 100 Thing Challenge tomorrow.  The Butterfly Effects Challenge does not need to be updated every week now.  With honesty, I am close to failing out of that one as I've underestimated the time and energy involved in raising babies. 

On the plus side, I have a new Butterfly Effect – apparently not eating and not sleeping helps one to lose weight.  Who knew?

Bella's Last Pic Before Leaving Hospital

 

Each Thursday, for the near future, I give updates on how our baby triplets are doing in the hospital.  They were born May 28th at 27 weeks gestational age.  Bella Marie born 1lb 14oz, Owen Charles born 1lb 14oz, and Noah Anthony born 2lb 4oz.

So, the wife and I have been working at our new gig, this parenting thing.  It didn't take long for Bella to put us on a schedule.  At the hospital things were quite regimented for her.  She was either on a three hour eating schedule or a four hour eating schedule. 

Now, we can't seem to predict her at all, and the Pediatrician said to just feed her whenever and however much she wants. 

She'll sleep just fine for an hour or two and then just wake up screaming bloody murder till you feed her, even while your feeding her, until she's satiated.  Unfortunately, she gets herself so worked up that it takes a good hour plus to feed her.  The wife and I are quite tired, and this is just baby number one.

Noah Update

Poor little guy.  Noah is having a hellacious week and we can't be by his side.  I let my wife go up today while I watched Bella (and suffered through her bloody curdling screens) and spend a little time with him.  She reports that he looks terrible, his belly is very distended, so the stopped feeding him.  He caught Staph for the third time from his periphery line, and he has a Uterine Tract Infection for the fifth time. 

His blood pressure is extremely high, so the did a renal scan on him today to see if they could find any clots in his kidneys.  He's just never been right since his Pyloric Stenosis surgery was botched a month ago.  It is very hard to know that he is suffering a great deal right now and there is no end in sight.  We have no idea when he might come home.  He still needs hernia surgery and I am petrified to see how he comes out of another surgery.

Owen's Update

Owen's had a good few days.  We took a class on Tuesday to learn how to use the portable heart and lung monitor that he will have to come home on.  He hasn't been able to go more than a few days without his heart rate crashing into dangerous ranges.  They don't really know the cause of it and he could be on the monitor anywhere from a week to a year. 

I really hope it's not long.  Simple things like "Tummy time" become quite difficult when he's on a heart rate monitor.  I've struggled with this decision, as to whether we should fight the doctors on their recommendation to put him on a monitor.  But it comes down to, if I'm wrong, the consequences are fatal.  I just want the little guy to have a normal childhood.  I am confident that some day he will.

We thought that he might be coming home tomorrow.  I've now honestly lost count of the number of dates we've been given as to when he would be discharged.  We've now been given a Sunday date.  I believe it when he's home in a crib next to his sister.

So, yes I know that I am now two days over on reporting about the Butterfly Effects challenge but, as if in answer to my 100 Thing Challenge, we brought my daughter Bella home from the hospital yesterday.

It was a bit unexpected.  We'd been given several dates before and hadn't expected much as the dates had always come and gone but at about 5:00pm yesterday they told us to prepare to bring her home that night.

That night was a blur and it didn't seem real till we tried to put her to bed and she cried much of the night.  The new surroundings overstimulated her, I'm sure.

You think that you're ready for it, and I'm not telling any existing parent anything they don't already know, but the first night, while exhilarating was truly exhausting.  Feedings at midnite, 3am and 6am as well as the near constant chatter from the baby monitor and neither my wife nor I are working on fully charged batteries.  And this is just one of our three babies. 

I think that our organizational skills are about to really be tested.  I spent much of the morning running around and removing the unessential things, which for the moment, is anything that is not baby related.  And I am trying to get my writing tools organized so that I can still maintain the blog, which for me, I love to do and is a way of recharging my batteries.

I will maintain my five days a week posting schedule for as long as I can, but since this is more for love, than money (I assure you) I hope that you understand if it slips a bit in these next few months while we learn the not-so-gentle art of parenting. 

This is where my Butterfly Effects challenge and my 100 Thing Challenge will really come in handy.  With tiny blocks of time open here and there to do things that are not parenting-related or work-related (i'm a project manager for a large corporation by day) I have to maximize that time with tiny little steps to recharge myself:

1. Like ten minutes of Yoga to relax my body
2. Or a twenty minute run on the treadmill or outside to keep my heart young.
3. Or ten minutes of meditation when you can't seem to get your body to fall asleep for a power nap.
4. Taking a moment to write down every penny you spend when you have all these new expenses coming in like Baby Formula, medications and diapers.
5. Plus, not having to worry about cleaning up your own stuff because you've managed to make do with 100 Things. 

It may be just a day or two more before Owen comes home and so while it has been a very long wait of four months in the hospital, we still feel like this is coming on so fast.  We concern ourselves already over how the overnight feedings will work with three babies.  I am ever thankful for these three blessings and I know that the Universe never gives you more than you can handle.  I am anxious and as ready as I'll ever be for these changes.

Noah Asleep

 

 

Each Thursday, for the near future, I give updates on how our baby triplets are doing in the hospital.  They were born May 28th at 27 weeks gestational age.  Bella Marie born 1lb 14oz, Owen Charles born 1lb 14oz, and Noah Anthony born 2lb 4oz.

 So….since last week's edition we've had three more dates come and go as to when we were told we could take Owen home.  Now I simply don't put any stock into what they say anymore.  When he's sitting in the car seat in the back of my mini-van, then I'll actually believe he's coming home. 

They held him over again this week because he started losing some weight.  So, the changed his feeds from every four hours to every three hours and he started putting on weight again, but apparently someone thought it wasn't enough weight so we missed another date. 

I went in to see them last night, five hours after my wife left, and every baby in the room (seven or so) had signs up on their cribs for contact precautions.  They all tested positive for adenovirus.  So, here I am thinking now that the longer my children stay in the hospital the sicker they get.  Some of the nurse's privately agreed with me.

It is very disheartening and, as such, I am in an entirely foul mood tonight.

Ms. Bella Sleeping Like a Princess

They said Bella and Owen might both come home this Sunday now.  I don't anticipate it.  Bella lost some weight overnight and has developed a bacterial skin rash that I am quite certain is due to the fact that they had a plastic tent over her body with humidified air for several weeks.  I fought them on the tent, but they thought it would help her conjestion.

Bella got switched to an anti-reflux formula that looks like oatmeal and she has done well with it.  She has been taking maximum feeds lately, and only occasionally sending some of it back, so it's working. 

Owen Peace Out, Bro

They are getting so big, so quickly.  I missed two days at the hospital over the weekend due to other obligations and I was astonished to see the changes in that short of a time.  They've outgrown their preemie clothes already, so, sorry to those of you reading this who may have bought them for us, but it is real good that they are growing so well.

Owen is at 6lb 7oz and Bella is at 7lbs even.  Noah, not to be outdone, is over 7lbs 6oz now.  That boy is gonna be big.  The nurses think Owen is going to be tall because he has long arms.  I don't know where the tall gene came from.

A nice note, but my wife and I were chatting between periods of the Sabres preseason game tonight (they lost…stoopit Sabres) and she noted that Noah is quite good at recognizing her voice.  The occupational therapists were working with him today and Nikki called his name and he shot his head over and looked at her, all wide-eyed. 

I don't seem to talk to them much.  I am very quiet in general and tend to communicate in my head with them.  I need to be more verbal but it's kind of embarrassing for me to sing to them or talk to them when all the nurses are around.  I am hoping that my interaction will be better when they are home.

I don't have anything else to report this week.  Again, I hope when I give the next report I can happily say that one or more of my children are home.  Thanks to everyone, as always, for your thoughts and prayers.

3 Nanoseconds Later...Noah Really Really Awake

Each Thursday, for the near future, I give updates on how our baby triplets are doing in the hospital.  They were born May 28th at 27 weeks gestational age.  Bella Marie born 1lb 14oz, Owen Charles born 1lb 14oz, and Noah Anthony born 2lb 4oz.

Owen Pissed that He's Not Coming Home

If I had written this post Wednesday morning instead of this morning, it might have a different tone than of disappointment.  We were informed on Tuesday that Mr. Owen would be coming home on this Friday.  We were jubilant.  We worked diligently to get the room ready. 

Then Mr. Owen had different plans.  A single spell was all it took.  He dropped his heart-rate and breathing while he was sleeping and the doctors decided he needed more time to mature before going home.  So we are hopeful for next week, perhaps early in the week, as long as he does okay the next few days. 

Things like this happen, I guess.  It is disappointing but if he were home with us, we would never know he was having a spell without him being on the monitors like he is at the hospital.  So he could fall asleep and never wake up, and we'd be powerless to stop it.  So, I understand, but am still disappointed.

He's 6lbs 2oz now.  A peanut compared to the other two but he bottles every feed and is allowed to eat however much he wants.  He seems to enjoy being held much more than the other two.  The nurses comment that he's quite the cuddle-bug.

Bella Wondering When She's Getting Out

Bella…I am going to try to write these next few paragraphs without having a coniption fit.  She has always had an issue with reflux.  She'll typically send back a few ml's of her food.  No biggie, babies eat, babies puke.  To me, she is doing great.  I can get her to take her full bottle, though it typically takes several minutes longer than it does for the boys. 

Well, the doctors are more worried about it, and I don't know why.  She's growing by leaps and bounds, and is now the heaviest baby at 6lbs 14-plus oz.  She is obviously eating enough to support this.  They want to do surgery and put in a GI tract if it doesn't stop.  I absolutely will not sign off on such a surgery. 

There is nothing wrong with her that she won't eventually grow out of.  This, I am certain of.

Noah - "FEED ME!"

Noah is actually sucking on his food tube above.  Unfortunately, nothing is coming out of it.  It's connected to a Ropogo to pump out his stomach.  He has an unknown infection, early indications is that it's a form of Staph.  Also, his intestines don't appear to be working, the food just sits there.  So they stopped feeding him on Friday and he is on meds for the next ten days.  Which means, it will be at least three weeks before he may come home.

He's just under 6lbs 14oz but now is getting puffy again thanks to the fluids he must be on in order to get his nutrition. 

I am quite worried about the intestinal issue.  They said that it's likely not NEC, but they're not sure why his intestines aren't moving food along.  Now we won't know for a few weeks since, like I said, they aren't feeding him. 

Many things are up in the air right now, and I apologize for the tone of the post.  It gets frustrating when you near a milestone and then fall flat on your face.  While I was never short of patience, I think I am learning a new level of it as well as the value of perseverance as personified in my children. 

When Owen does come home, that will cause some logistical issues that we will have to work out.  We cannot bring him back in the NICU so that we can visit the other babies, so there will be a lot of visiting the other two solo while one parent watches Owen.  Hopefully we won't have to worry about it much longer and they will all be home.

Till then….

- Charley