Rock Star Photos!

Hi everyone, Our little guys, Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan, had their 9 month appt Monday and did fantastic.

Zayne is 21lbs and 28" long.
Ethan is 18.2 lbs and 27.5" long
Tristan is 19.4lbs and 28" long

Our doctor is so pleased with them. They are all crawling commando style. Tristan just started to hands and knees crawl this week. He is pulling up to a stand and Zayne is pulling up to his knees. Jeff thinks he saw Zayne pull up to a stand today! We have to verify that :) Ethan concentrates on trying to keep up. He is making such great progress. He had his physical therapy appt this week and at his 6 month evaluation she is going to reccommend stopping. We are so happy. He has come a long way in 6 months. They all love regular table food.

Tanya has taken an amazing number of photos of all the boys in recent past. Here are five of our absolute favorites.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone,
Brenden, Ethan, Zayne, Tristan, Tanya, and Jeff

Tanya and I are amazed at how profound this photo is. All four of our boys! Zayne bottom left, Brenden upper left, Ethan upper right, Tristan lower right.

Zayne says "Moppie, I'm so happy to be launching myself toward Mommy, please let go of my pants."

The happiest little Tristan in Moseley, Virginia!



Ethan is a true cutie. Tanya took this photo recently of this little charmer. He should be a baby model!

This is an amazing photo Tanya took of Big Brother Brenden! Anne Geddes, get out of the way!

Their Day - Happily Managed By Mommy

Hi everyone, happy late October. We get a lot of questions about how Tanya does it --- take care of three babies at one time and remain sane. So, as Tanya was getting ready to take a quick trip to NYC the weekend of October 24/25/26, she wrote down for me how to keep Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan on their respective schedule that she has worked tirelessly to create.

First and foremost, as always, we must thank all friends and family for everything they do every day of our lives. Both of our moms come to our house almost every single weekday and spend at least three hours with Tanya. Our sisters, their families, our friends, co-workers, and neighbors are all integral to Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan; it is amazing.

Ok - here it goes --- the schedule!

6 AM - Wake up. The world's atomic clock could be set by their internal ability to wake at 6.

6 to 7 AM - 1st bottle; 8oz.

7 to 8ish AM - Play time

8ish to 8:45 AM - Short nap in bouncy chairs

8:45 to 9AM - Breakfast - Apple sauce w/oatmeal warmed with a little brown sugar

9 to 10:45 AM - Play time

10:45 t0 11 AM - 5oz bottle

11 to 12 AM - Nap in bouncy chairs

12 PM - 7 oz bottle

12:15 - 2 PM - Play time

2 to 4 PM - Long nap in their cribs

4 PM - 6 oz bottle when they wake

4:15 to about 5 PM - Play time

5 PM - Dinner - Tanya serves home made green beans, peas, squash, carrots, etc.

5:30 to 6ish PM - Play time

6ish to 6:30 PM - 6oz bottle

6:30 to 7 PM - Bed time

The boys will typically sleep until about 5:30 AM the next morning. When they wake, we go down stairs, vaccume the den and kitchen wood floors and rugs and spread out new sheets for a little added protection against baby slime (drool, chuck, you know..). Then, we go back upstairs to get Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan. Ethan always eats first and usually Zayne and Tristan take turns eating along with Ethan; no matter what, one of the three has to wait for at least one of the first two to finish. Here is a photo of Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan in the morning.

Ethan

Zayne left and Tristan Right

Big brother Brenden is doing fabulous. He will be three in December; time really flies. He is such a wonderful big brother and loves Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan very much. Brenden stays really busy with all of his toys, playing outside, and helping us with Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan. Brenden loves his grabber and in the photo below, he's got a hold of a toy train and is about to sprint from the kitchen to the den!

And, here's a photo of Pirate Brenden at a Halloween costume party hosted at our neighborhood clubhouse on October 26. He's complete with treasure chest!

Early October Update

Take a look at this of Tristan (left), Zayne (middle), and Ethan (right).

Hi everyone, it's been too long since we last posted. Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan are quickly approaching eight months old; it's right around the corner on October 13.

Zayne has his first tooth! Tristan is so close to crawling it's amazing. Ethan has hit all of his physical therapy milestones, he's pushing up, scooting around the floor, and has the biggest smile ever. Plus, all three boys are crazy about eating solid food two times each day. Tanya feeds them breakfast and dinner in their high chairs - it's so cool. At his last doctor appointment, Zayne, now seven months, weighed the same as Brenden did at Brenden's six month appointment. This means he's catching up quick to normal weight!

We are about to place a big photo order from Kellie Boston Photography. These shots were taken soon after the boys were born so we are really excited to order and receive the photos. If anyone is interested in ordering a shot, please contact Jeff and we will add it to the order. There are several triplet poses that are absolutely fabulous. We recommend Kellie for all of your family photo needs. boston.photography@hotmail.com

We've been pretty mobile lately and the crowds are really fun, Just the past weekend our friends Lauralee and Patrick joined us for a trip to the pumpkin patch. Our son Brenden plus Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan, plus Lauralee and Patrick's daughter, Katie, all had a blast. Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan did wonderful.

Tanya is doing more and more with the boys every day. They all attend stroller strides here close to home. Tanya loves the class and it's kicking her rear. She is sound asleep next to me as I update this blog entry.

Recently we snapped a photo of Brenden playing police man in our back yard complete with his super secret headphones. Take a look at this shot

Kitty Hawk, NC 2008

Brenden in the back, Tristan left, Zayne middle, Ethan right

Kitty Hawk, NC August 2008

Hi everyone, much has happened in August. We took the entire family down to Kitty Hawk, NC for a week and it was a blast. Brenden had a fabulous time. He absolutely loves the water, sand, being outside, watching the Coast Guard helicopters fly by, etc. And, his cousins Megan, John, and Mason spent lots of beach time with him too.

Megan and John stayed the whole week and helped with Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan too plus helped take care of Brenden. Tanya's mom, Kayela, was there the entire week too and helped tremendously!

We had a fabulous house fronting the beach road in Kitty Hawk, Here is a sun rise photo which was taken out our front door. We spent tons of time in the water, on the beach, looking at boats, etc. And, Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan slept hours and hours to the roar of the surf every time they hit the beach. Here is a link to all of the beach trip photos: http://www.box.net/shared/rq5ebz8y68

I'll be in my office

"I'll be in my office." --- those were words Tanya told Jeff as Jeff and Brenden headed to Darci and Jim's day care. Tanya's office is literally the play room, our den, the bathroom, the nursery, etc. It's hilarious.

Zayne and Tristan are now rolling over and love to sleep on their stomachs. Ethan's rolling to his side and this is great. This is what we've been working toward with his physical therapy.

Check out these awesome photos! http://public.box.net/jeff

Happy Anniversary Terry and Kayela - July 29, 1976; Tanya's mom and dad
Happy Anniversary Tom and Rosemary - August 9, 1969; Jeff's mom and dad

Happy Birthday Tanya!

Today, July 10, is Tanya's Birthday! Happy Birthday Tanya - you are an absolute rock star mom!






Love,

Brenden, Ethan, Zayne, Tristan, and Jeff

It's Chow Time!

Hello everyone! We captured some fabulous phots of Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan eating in their high chairs. Two of these chairs were donated by the Schrogies and we were so lucky they matched Brenden's old high chair.

We're extremely fortunate to now have six high chairs! Remember, the Landrum family had three all wood high chairs refinished and customized for Ethan, Zayne and Tristan! Once those have the safety straps installed, these boys will not know what to do.

Since we took so many photos, please click on this link to see the entire selection. http://www.box.net/shared/7bparf1q88

Have a super weekend, it's closer than you think. Happy Birthday Katie O. and Dylan B!!

4 Month Check-up Complete

Hello everyone! Let's start off by sharing a priceless photo of big brother Brenden with a mouthful of Readi Whip!

Now --- for the update you've all been waiting for...Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan had their 4 month check up last week. And the results are in. Ethan weighed 12 pounds, 6 ounces; Zayne was 15 pounds, 7 ounces; Tristan was 13 pounds, 13 ounces! How's that for big 'ole boys!

And, on July 13, they'll be 5 months old. Time is flying by and we're getting a ton of photos and video. Also, Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan are loving the rice cereal. They are captivated by it and look forward to eating their bowl every night.

Also --- Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan are doing fantastic sitting up in their Bumbos. They're all doing wonderful with tummy time and look forward to evey bath they get.

Ethan had his first in home physical therapy session today and did fantastic. He got an A+. The therapist coached us on some exercises we can do to relax his back muscles as well as his upper body. We are so excited.

Special thanks to Megan for spending all day long with us every week day since she's been out of school. Megan, you're awesome. And, we absolutely must mention Kayela (Tanya's mom) and Rosemary (Jeff's mom) for coming over literally every day after work.

Jerry, Susan, Mary Lee, and Glenn Landrum are rock stars. They dropped off completely refinished wooden high chairs for Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan this past weekend. All came with custom name plackards. What a wonderful gift!

Here is a fantastic photo taken just yesterday as Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan were on their way to cousin Dylan's family birthday party. You can clearly see Ethan having a melt down on the right, Tristan not happy at all on the left, and Zayne just kinda hanging out in the middle. Taken in our kitchen....

Huge round of thanks - and a quick update

SEE PICTURES BELOW :)

Hi everyone, we continue to receive tons of help and we cannot thank you enough. Tanya's Aunt Linda, Lisa, Tanya's mom Kayela, Elizabeth, Jeff's mom Rosemary, Jeff's sister Kara, Jim, Dianna, Dylan, Jerrod, Kerri, Kenna, Brad, Jeff's dad Tom, Tanya's dad Terry, Christine, Shirene, Lauralee, Patrick, Katie, Amanda, Jordan, Megan, Heather, Melissa, Lilly, the list goes on and on! We get so much help it's amazing to sit back and think about it. Thank you - everyone! You are what makes this possible.

Tanya is an absolute rock star mom. She cares for the boys each and every day and makes it look easy.

Ethan will be getting a little occupational therapy soon. He tenses up his muscles and his doctor has referred us to a group of folks who work for the county that make house calls. This is all to make sure his slightly tense arms and legs don't impact his ability to start crawling.

Zayne is typically the happiest baby. He's always in his bouncy, lying on the floor, lying on the changing table with a huge smile. He's so big - probably more than 15 pounds now.

Tristan's left eye is getting a lot better. Tanya works with him every day and puts on his medicine. His face is not as red as it used to be and it's amazing how, as he gains weight, he looks just like Zayne.

Brenden continues to be the most helpful little boy. He loves to help feed "my babies" and Brenden is showing remarkable skill with his numbers. He will walk into the play room and see only one baby with Tanya and say "one baby awake!" Then, he follows that up with "two babies sleeping?"

Here is a priceless shot of Aunt Linda juggling all three babies - feeding Ethan in her lap and Tristan in his bouncy while Zayne chills out in his bouncy.

Brenden making a cake with cousin Jordan

The boys are doing great

Hi everyone --- quick update. Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan are doing great.

They're sleeping through the night for the most part and everything is going wonderful. Here are some photos....all boys love to smile and talk. They're getting so big!

And, they're four months old!

Tristan, Ethan, and Zayne

By the way, Brenden caught his first fish on June 18. It was a spectacular day.

Big Big Big Update

Ethan (left) Zayne (middle) Tristan (right)

Zayne (left) and Big Brother Brenden

First off --- happy happy birthday to Mason Cauthen; our nephew! He just turned 10! Congrats Mason!

Ok--- we have a pretty big update on our triplets; Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan. They're all getting so so big. Zayne's already in 6-9 month clothes. Ethan and Tristan are hanging in 3-6 month clothing.

Breathing! You may have heard both Zayne and Tristan are now on breathing monitors. That's true and they're doing fine. We're very lucky - the monitors help keep peace of mind. And, they both visited the Ear Nose and Throat doctor today and got a clean bill of health. They'll stay on the breathing monitors but we're elated they're doing well.

Ethan continues to ravenously eat. He loves to smile and chow at the same time.

Happy Smiles

Ethan Smiling

Tristan Smiling

Zayne racked out sleeping through the whole thing

Another week has passed and here we are..typing this update to our wonderful friends and family. Just yesterday Jeff snapped these photos of Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan. Ethan and Tristan were exceptionally happy. Zayne slept through the whole thing. So, we absolutely had to publish a photo of his slumber.

All of the boys are wonderful. And --- wow they're getting heavy! Ethan is at the ENT doc today for a follow-up. And, his prevacid prescription seems to be working well on his reflux. Zayne and Tristan are elated with the concept of eating.

Here's some news --- last night Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan all slept from 8:30 PM until 4 AM! How cool is that!?

Brenden has figured out how to open his bedroom door so each morning, when he gets up and lets himself out of his bedroom, he runs down the hall to check on the babies. He then comes into our room with a full report --- something like "baby's sleeping" or baby's awake!" It's precious.

Brenden feeding little bro Ethan

Many thanks, as always, to everyone who comes to our house, helps around the house, rocks babies, drops off diapers, drops off dinners, etc. etc. You all are amazing. We could not do this without you.

Jeff, Brenden, Tanya, Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan

Thee Months Old!

Zayne (middle), Tristan (left), Ethan (right)

Hi everyone, Tuesday of this week, May 13, Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan will be three months old! Incredible.

All three of these little guys are developing their own unique personalities. Zayne loves momma and cannot stand to be away from Tanya. Tristan is a close second in that regard. Matter of fact, if they're fussy, Tanya will stretch them out on her as she watches TV and they completely snuggle in and fall immediately to sleep. Ethan is completely attached to Tanya too. When he is fussy, all Tanya has to do is walk back into the room and Ethan completely settles down.

Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan are all starting to sleep through the majority of each night. If they eat about 8 PM, they typically sleep until midnight. They all eat from about midnight until 1 AM. Then they generally sleep until about 4 -5 AM. We hope to get them in their cribs soon --- their acid reflux seems to be getting better. Tanya has the triplet's room all cleared out and it has two of the three cribs already in there. Jeff will be putting the third crib in the room this week.

We're already in 3-6 months clothes! The boys are growing so incredibly fast. We put Zayne in a 6-9 month outfit just for grins yesterday; it swallowed him.

Also, Tanya and I took Brenden to the NASCAR races when they were in town recently. Check out these photos! Brenden had a complete blast.

That is all for now...as always, thanks for all of your support.

Tanya, Jeff, Brenden, Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan

It's been a while - Here's a fantastic update

Zayne (middle), Tristan (upper left), Ethan (upper right)

Hi everyone - it's been too long. Sorry about not posting in recent past. So, going forward, we'll be sure to update our blog once a week. It's the least we can do --- your support has been amazing.

The boys had their two month doctor appointments this past week. All of them weigh over nine pounds! How cool is that! And, all are doing great on their growth curves. This means they're all showing up on the graph. The doctor said we have short babies with big heads. LOL. All are in third percentile for height and 10-15% for head size. That's hilarious.

Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan are a full time job 24 hours a day. They're eating about every three to five hours and if they eat by about 11 PM, they sleep until about 3 AM. That's very cool. Also..we find ourselves getting up between three and five times each night depending on dirty diapers, hungry babies, etc.

So what's a day like here? We get that question a lot. Jeff is back at work and Tanya is home caring for the triplets. We all get up about 5 AM for the first feeding. Brenden gets up about 6 - 6:30 AM and we start his routine simultaneously. Jeff gets ready for work while Brenden drinks chocolate milk and watches Diego or Sprout in mom and dad's bed. Then we get Brenden dressed for school and Jeff drops him off at the most fabulous place called Darcie's on his way to work. Now that the day is off and running - that marks the start of all 30 bottles! That's right - 30 bottles a day! 30 diapers a day too get changed. The boys get about two or three clothes changes each day due to spit-up usually. They're so cute. This means about one laundry load a day of just baby clothes and one dishwasher load a day of nothing but bottles and bottle parts. It's amazing.

How do we handle everything?

Lots of planning and organization. Also, we have a calendar on our kitchen counter top depicting one month at a glance. Jeff's mom comes every day at 3:30 PM and stays until about 6:00 PM. Jeff's sister, Kara, has spent many many hours at our house while recovering from ankle surgery. Kara has been instrumental in keeping sanity levels normal; she's a surpurb asset and we think that's got to be from her NICU nurse experience! Tanya's mom comes about four times each week; often about noon and stays until the early evening. Kerri and Jerrod Jenkins come every Monday about 6 PM and stay until about 9 PM. Jean Wiles comes about one to two times each week and stays throughout the day. We leverage Jean on days where we have no or limited help committed and she's wonderful. Also, our neighbors Donna, Christine, Shirene, Zora, and especially Lisa all help fill in gaps each week. We are so tremendously fortunate to have help. And, even though this sounds like a lot, each week we struggle to find help at the house. So, if you're ever interested in rocking babies please let us know.

Ok - that is all for now. Thanks for checking in on us and we'll write more soon.

April 9 - Back to Work

Hi everyone. All of the little guys are going well. Tanya, Brenden, and I are doing well too.

Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan are all over eight pounds! They're getting huge and are no longer preemie size.

I returned to work today and Tanya's mom came over in the morning. My mom came over in the afternoon. My sister and mom, plus Tanya's mom, will be here tomorrow (Thursday). We have neighbors and friends who also are coming over to rock babies, help with things around the house, etc. Our absolute sincere thanks goes to everyone who has and continues to help our family. It means the world to us.

Brenden is loving his new brothers and calls them all his babies. It's awesome.

Please check out some recent photos on the following web site. Thanks again. More updates to come soon.

http://public.box.net/jeff

Home for one month - time flies

Hi everyone, it's been a while since our last post and this week, on March 26, the triplets will have been home for one month! How awesome! To borrow the words of Mr. Dan Bramos --- how super-fantastic-excellent-great this is!!!

Since our last post, Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan have really settled into their new digs quite well. All have a bit of a challenge with acid reflux so they're taking previcid and sleeping in their bouncy chairs. They all have a regularly scheduled doctor appointment today, March 25, and in that appointment we'll ask about when they can graduate to cribs.

You should see the production it takes to get these three critters anywhere but the second floor of our house. We've got this really cool triple decker stroller frame that is custom made to fit the Graco Snug Ride car seats. Top that with a fully stocked diaper bag and enough bottles to feed three hungry mouths, not just one like most people get to do and we're off to the minivan. Once at the minivan, all the aforementioned stuff goes in the back behind the third row. And, then it's time to install babies. We have to load from behind the driver's seat and stretch across the middle row captain's chairs to hoist two babies into the third row bases. Then, one more is placed in the second row captain's chair behind the driver's seat. Mirrors are adjusted and then we can leave for the doctor. But once there, the unloading begins and so do the onlookers. Mouths drop, cars come to a screeching halt in the parking lot, people gather around, and we haven't even closed the van doors yet. It's hilarious. And, it's a blast...we're lovin every minute with these guys. :)

Tomorrow is a really cool bonus! We have the luxury of Brenden, big brother, as a helper. Day care is closed for spring break and Mr. B will be our first in command of at least one diaper bag. The doctor's office knows when we get there we either wait in the parking lot for an available room or we are immediately rushed into an open room upon arrival. The doctors (and we) do not want to hang around in a waiting room with a bunch of sick children exposing our little guys. Apparently this is pretty much status quo with preemies and multiples at pediatrician's offices. We like it.

Ok..enough typing for now. We'll try to get a photo of the stroller in a future post. Here are some new pics. Thanks everyone for all that you're doing to help us. The meals, baby rocking, and routine visits are amazing. The baby clothes, bouncy/swing donations/loaners are invaluable too.

Thank you Thank you Thank you,
Jeff, Tanya, Brenden, Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan

Brenden giving mom a helping hand feeding Tristan

Left to right - Tristan, Zayne (top), and Ethan

A day in the life at our house --- proping up babies for a photo opp on the aero bed in Brenden's play room. Left to right - Zayne, Ethan, and Tristan

Home for One Week!

Hi everyone, by the time you read this on Tuesday, the boys will have been home for one week. We survived with lots of high octane drinks in the upstairs fridge (thanks for the fridge mom and dad), an Aero mattress in the play room, three wonderful bouncy chairs, and quite a bit of help from family, co-workers, and neighbors.

First and foremost, our two year old son, Brenden, is really enjoying being a new big brother. See the picture below which was taken at his day care by Darcie and Jim. Darcie, Jim, and their family are an integral part of our lives as Darcie's day care program is remarkable. Brenden thrives at this best kept day care secret in Chesterfield!

The triplets are doing wonderful. All are gaining weight and getting longer. Ethan is struggling a little with elevated billirubin levels which cause jaundice but we're working aggressively with his doctor to get him fixed. Check out the pictures below. Thanks everyone for all that you have done and continue to do to help us each and every day. The meals, clothing and baby donations, and countless acts of kindness are keeping us healthy, happy, and ready for each day as it comes. Raising these little guys is an absolute blast and each day brings amazing surprises by the minute. Words cannot describe how truly amazing this is.

More to come..

Brenden with his sign at Darcie's

Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan from left to right

Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan from left to right

Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan from left to right

A homecoming to remember forever!

Hi everyone, Tanya and I are elated to announce the homecoming of Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan! All three boys were released from the hospital yesterday and we got home about 3:30. The boys are eating about every three hours and doing fantastic.

All of the boys now weigh more than their birth weights too. And, they're all two weeks old today!

Thanks for all of your support and please check back regularly for updates to this blog.

Above and Below Pics: Left to right - Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan

Zayne Moved to Step Down; Ethan and Tristan Doing Good

Hi everyone, Zayne has been bumped from the NICU because he was stable enough to no longer need to be in that room physically. A new baby was born this week who needed to be in the NICU more than Zayne. So, this means, while he's still considered a NICU baby and is under the direct care of the neonatologist, he's just not physically in the NICU. Zayne is probably the most likely to come home first. He is completely off IV fluids and respiration machines.

Both Ethan and Tristan are in the NICU and need a little encouragement with eating. They've both dipped below four pounds and need to get their weights up before they can go home. On the positive side both Ethan and Tristan are too off respirators, IV fluids, and, both are off their billilights!

We got some interesting news today. Zayne and Tristan are confirmed to be the identical twins after pathology testing on the placenta(s). There was also confirmation Zayne and Tristan had TTTS (twin to twin transfusion syndrome) but it was stage 1 and minor enough a donor/recipient could not be determined. This does; however, explain the one pound difference in weight between them at birth! No long term effects are expected which is great.

That is all for now. Take a look at these photos!

Tanya with Ethan, Lauralee with Zayne and Jeff with Tristan

Our front yard :)

Tanya's home and the triplets are doing good

Hi everyone, here's a quick update. Tanya has been released from the hospital and she's now home. We're making frequent trips to the NICU to visit the triplets and bring them milk; Tanya is pumping and doing great.

All three of our boys are off of IV fluids and respirators. And, they're all off the billilights! Great progress.

They now all must be able to maintain their internal temperatures and eat at least 50cc of milk every three hours. They're not doing very well with the eating thing so they're all three on feeding tubes. Not to worry though...they'll be good to go very soon. Doctors and nurses are amazed at how well each are doing for being born at 34 weeks. And, they're truly amazed at Tanya for carrying Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan that long. Here's a couple photos...

Tanya with Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan

Jeff's mom with Zayne and Tristan

The Triplets are HERE!

From left to right, Zayne, Tristan, and Ethan

Tanya and Jeff with Tristan Scott P.

Zane Richard P.

Jeff with Ethan Thomas P.


At 34 Weeks and 1 day, Tanya, the most perfect baby making mom of all time, has delivered three wonderful and miraculous baby boys!

Mom and babies are doing great.

Ethan Thomas weighed 4 pounds, 6 ounces and was 17.5 inches long; Zayne Richard weighed 5 pounds, 4 ounces and was 18 inches long; and Tristan Scott weighed 4 pounds, 7 ounces and was 17.5 inches long.

Thanks everyone for such amazing support. Your prayers and warm words of encouragement are what got us through this.

More to come..

33 Weeks and 3 days - Getting Close

Hi everyone, we have had a roller coaster week. Tanya went to her perinatologist yesterday (Thursday) and was admitted to the hospital based on high blood pressure and contractions. She is at the hospital now and doctors are keeping her there until the triplets are delivered.

All tests which have been run show no sign of preeclampsia which is a good thing. But, Tanya is getting uncomfortable and has back pain, water retention, etc.

On a positive note, all three babies, as seen on the ultrasound yesterday afternoon, are measuring > 4 pounds and look great.

Tanya's OB has scheduled Tanya's C-Section this coming Wednesday, February 13. Please keep Tanya's and the babies in your thoughts and prayers.

More to come...

32 Weeks and Still Sailing

Hi everyone, this past Tuesday, January 29, Tanya hit the 32 week mark! And, this means in a few short days, on February 5, she will be at 33!

All three of the babies are continuing to do very well. And, according to the ultrasound results, they're measuring as follows: Baby A - 4 pounds, 3 Oz; Baby B - 3 Pounds, 11 Oz; and Baby C - 3 Pounds, 13 Oz. For once, at least on ultrasound, Baby C has surpassed B!

Doctors are now saying if Tanya begins pre-term labor, it's unlikely aggressive treatment will be used to curb the contractions since she has passed the 32 week milestone and all steroids are on board, that's doctor lingo, to help with all three sets of lung development. Doctors injected Tanya with two rounds of steroids when Tanya was admitted to the hospital a couple weeks ago.

The Special Thanks Section:

* Special thanks to Tanya for carrying these three babies!

* We'd like to say a special thanks to our family and local friends who have been most generous with time and gifts. Tanya's sister, Amanda, and friends Lauralee and Sharon, put together a shower yesterday afternoon for family and close family friends. Amanda, Lauralee, and Sharon are fabulous. All who attended, and even some who couldn't make it to the shower, were very generous with gifts and words cannot express our thanks. We got lots of bibs, baby clothes, and other cool baby stuff which will make our lives easier once the triplets here.

* We'd like to extend a special thanks to all of our neighbors, Lisa Hill, Melissa Hoy, Diane Gilbride, and Elizabeth Schrogie who have managed to keep us fed while Tanya's been on bed rest and for a good start to filling up our garage freezer for when the triplets get here.

* Special thanks to Tanya's mom Kayela for spending several hours at our house in the past month helping with all the things Jeff struggles with -- you know, the fun stiff like laundry, cleaning, dishes, etc.

* Special thanks to Tanya's mom Kayela and Tanya's sister, Amanda, for all of their decorating talents. Our downstairs looks fabulous thanks to both of them. And, Amanda put the finishing touches on the nursery yesterday.

* Special thanks to our teams at Bank of America. Both Tanya and I work for Bank of America and everyone there, in Richmond and across the country, have been overwhelmingly supportive. Also, a special thanks to Perry and Eric with the auxiliary police unit for all of your support.

* Special thanks to all of you who have loaned us and even given us baby items like cribs, bouncies, high chairs, etc. etc. This is truly remarkable.

* Special thanks to everyone else who help watch Brenden, say prayers, calls and writes to check on us, etc. We could not do this without you.

* Jeff and Tanya's moms and dads and Jeff's sister, Kara - running around after our son Brenden when you're at our house and especially when you watch him at your house is tremendous.

That is all for now. Tanya has two doctor appointments this week and we'll send an update toward the end of this week. We'll leave you with a picture from yesterday as Tanya opened a preemie outfit with the help of Gary and Katie Bailey's daughters Claire (left) and Rachel (Right).

OK...that was scary

Hi everyone, the good news first --- Tanya is 31 weeks along! Now, we had a bit of a roller coaster ride since Saturday night though. At about 7:15 PM ET Tanya started experiencing a tremendous number of contractions. We were able to get her to Johnston Willis hospital, where delivery is already planned, quickly. Nurses and doctors got her hooked up to a ton of monitoring devices and began IV fluids as Tanya was dehydrated.

Dehydrated? Yep..even though she goes through over one gallon of water each day.

Anyway, Tanya was released from the hospital on Tuesday morning, January 22. Her release happened only after doctors ensured her health was good and all three babies were looking good.
So, now Tanya is at home resting comfortably in bed. She is on strict bed rest with only bathroom privileges as ordered by her doctor.

We know the picture below is a bit hard to figure out but we could not resist posting it. During a very in-depth examination by ultrasound while Tanya was admitted to the hospital, her perinatologist's sonographer captured this photo of all three babies and labeled it for us.

More to come soon. Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers; they're all helping.

30 Weeks Done!

Hi everyone, by the time most of you read this on Tuesday, Tanya will be 30 weeks pregnant! That means, all we need is two more weeks to get to the big milestone of 32 weeks. We are elated.

Today, during Tanya's routine perinatology visit with her peri, Dr. Head noticed a contraction. Tanya was whisked over to another room where her belly was monitored for 40 minutes to ensure labor was not imminent! That was a bit nerve wracking.

All is well now and what Tanya was feeling ended up being contractions. Dr. Head ordered Tanya begin taking contraction medication already prescribed by Tanya's OB. Tanya is at home resting as of the time of this posting.

During the visit, Dr. Head's staff performed the usual ultrasounds and found all babies to be doing great. And, all amniotic fluid levels are fine. Plus, all heart beats and umbilical cords are doing great.

We have been moved to a weekly schedule with Dr. Head and that is routine. Starting next week they will be actively monitoring movement and growth of the three babies moreso than ever.

Dr. Head surprised us by printing the image below of baby C. This is a great 4D shot. And the neat thing is you're looking at baby B too! More next week. Thanks everyone for all of your thoughts and prayers.