Our Triplets --- Born February 13, 2008! Ethan 8:00 AM, Zayne 8:01, and Tristan 8:02

Gotta revive the Blog

2011-08-25T20:06:00.001-04:00

Hi folks. We just got back from a beach trip that was cut short by hurricane Irene unfortunately. We need to get this blog back up and running. Sorry it has been so very long since we posted. More later tonight with some photos of the trip to OBX.

A Very Worthy Cause

2010-02-25T10:50:00.001-05:00

Please consider helping Aimee with her fundraising!

http://pages.teamintraining.org/gat/rnr10/alyonskzk1

Thanks,

Jeff/Tanya/Brenden/Ethan/Zayne/Tristan

Birthday Party!! 02/20/2010

2010-02-20T20:50:00.008-05:00

Hi Everyone. Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan celebrated their second birthday today at a party we hosted at our house. Papas and Grandmas were all there along with cousins Jordan, Dianna, Dylan A., Megan, and Dylan B. Tons of friends were here including Patrick, Lauralee, Katie, and Gary. Uncle Terry, Uncle Jim were here too. Brenden had so so much fun with his friends Claire and Rachel and ALL of his cousins.

Today was a fantastic day.

Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan had such a phenominal time. They are getting big! Please take a look at these photos and video. Thanks for all of your support and friendship.

Three Smash Cakes and The Batman Cake

Ethan blowing out candle #2

Zayne blowing out candel #2

Tristan blowing out candle #2

Click this video to see the three Dirt Devil Devils!!!

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

The boys turn TWO!

2010-02-12T20:50:00.014-05:00

Hi everyone. It has been too long since we posted last. And, Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan turned TWO on 2/13! Amazing.

It has been an interesting few months recently. All three of the boys are enamored with their big brother Brenden. And, they are very very talkative. They run through the house like three little tornadoes. Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan all have invented their own language that only they can understand. Tanya, Brenden, and Jeff recognize a few words but even tonight Tanya heard Zayne and Ethan carry on a three minute conversation about toys in a language that was absolutely not english.

Quick trip down memory lane

During the summer of 2009 we took Brenden, Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan to the Outer Banks of NC twice along with lots of cousins and even some family from Oklahoma City! Each trip we stayed for one week and all of the kids loved it.

The first trip to OBX was the week of July 4. We took all four boys plus cousins Megan, John, Mason, and Jordan - that's eight kids!

Zayne and the bucket

Brenden got buried

Ethan loves the beach

Tristan and his first wave

The second trip to OBX was in late August around MP 5 and we went with with Tanya's family from OKC and Richmond including Tanya's aunts, uncle, cousin, second cousin, all of our kids cousins, the four boys - it was awesome.

Mr. Cool - Brenden under the house

Ethan left, Zayne middle, and Tristan on the right

Brenden turned four in December!

Happy 4th Birthday Brenden!

In the Fall Brenden had some outpatient surgery to help repair the scar on his neck; it's looking so much better.

This winter we've had tons of snow. Take a look at all these cool shots. Brenden, Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan had so much fun that season

Brenden sledding December 2009

Zayne left, Tristan middle, and Ethan right - January 2010

Brenden February 2010

Tristan had a outpatient surgery in Feb 2010 because of a bad splinter in his left heel. He's doing great now.

We're planning a trip to Oklahoma City later this year. That will be our big adventure for 2010. Plus, you all know we'll be at the beach too this summer; that goes without saying. We promise to keep this blog alive with more frequent.

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

2009-06-30T22:19:00.001-04:00

Pool and Dinner Please

2009-06-03T23:04:00.004-04:00

Folks - what a crazy weekend we had. Our neighborhood pool is up and running and a great place to visit. Tanya asked Jeff to lather up Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan on Saturday afternoon with sun screen especially their heads. She took Brenden to the pool separately along with some cousins.

Well, Jeff decided to put 60 SPF No-Ad on the boy's heads. Problem is --- it ran into their eyes when they sweated during the walk to the pool and their eyes got really irritated. We called the doc as well as poision control and everything turned out ok but the three little guys were NOT HAPPY!

On Sunday Tanya and Jeff had Brenden, Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan in bed by 6. We then had crab, Carona, and watched the movie "Taken" on pay per view. What a great date night!

Four Little Men

2009-05-22T21:14:00.009-04:00

Hi everyone! Here's our latest update. It was certaily warm here today in Richmond and the whole family visited our neighborhood park this morning. Brenden did great taking care of his brothers. Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan were elated to be on the playground, soccer field, and playing with mulch.

We had some awesome photos taken of the all the kids and they turned out great. We had a gift card and a coupon so it went from an impromptu kind of thing to an amazing photo finish!

Ethan, Tristan, Zayne, and Brenden

Zayne

Zayne, Tristan, and Ethan

Big Brother Brenden, Mr. Hansome

Tristan

Ethan

Thanks for stopping by our blog and for all of your continued support. We're looking forward to this summer. We wish you and your family all the best!

14 Months - All Walkin!

2009-04-20T13:35:00.009-04:00

Hi everyone - we did a Spring update in our last post but forgot to mention and show photos of Ethan, Zayne and Tristan's birthday party back in February. The boys tured one on February 13 and here are their cake photos. Also, all three boys are walking!

Ethan - yum yum yum

Zayne - cake by the fistful

Tristan - give me MORE!

Zayne, Brenden, Tristan, Ethan with Mommy and Moppie

Also, many years ago we started a Relay for Life team in Chesterfield, VA. It's now led by Kim Chiaramida. The proceeds of this 24 hour team walk go completely to the American Cancer Society. Jeff's mom, referred to by the kids as Moppie, is a two time survivor. Realizing times are not the best these days, if you carve out funds in your budget for philanthropy, please strongly consider donating to Jeff's mom's fundraising. It's an absolutely amazing cause. Below is a photo of Moppie (Rosemary) at a previous Relay event along with Kevin and Mary from her office. And --- here is the link for donations: https://secure3.convio.net/tacs/site/Donation2?idb=1368015659&df_id=1006253&FR_ID=13226&PROXY_ID=10297709&PROXY_TYPE=20&1006253.donation=form1

Happy Spring!

2009-03-22T11:10:00.009-04:00

Here's our March family update! Lots has happened since we last posted. First and foremost, big brother Brenden is getting so big and he's amazingly helpful with his brothers. After a long day of helping, here's a photo of Mr. B catching some Zs! We love Brenden so very much.

Brenden is thriving at home and at Darcie's day care. He's now three years old and brings home tons of craft projects every day, can count lots of numbers, has HUGE vocabulary, knows lots of colors, some sign language, Spanish, we could go on and on and on. He's such a smart little boy. And, he'll be starting soccer in April at an indoor complex right around the corner from our house! Brenden loves to play outside, and - his favorite thing right now are all of his robots.

Breaking News - Tristan is WALKING! And, he's so proud of this new ability. He walks everywhere, stands up on his own without a counch to lean on, and is all smiles. Zayne has taken a few steps this weekend and Ethan is close behind these two. We think all three will be walking by April; it's so cool.

Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan are still sleeping through the night and they wake about 6 AM. They get up, have a bottle of milk, and then breakfast. At about 9:30 AM they're down for an hour nap. Once they wake back up between 10:30 and 11 AM, they're ready for a sip of milk from their special cups and then it's lunch time. Between the three of them, they eat like horses. They play for a couple of hours and then take a nap between 2 and 3:30 PM. After they wake back up, they play until about 5 PM and it's then dinner time. After dinner they take a bath every other night, get changed into their night clothes, and then have their second bottle of milk for the day before bed. They go to bed about 6-6:30. Our moms - Kayela, and Rosemary, continue to come to our house every weekday afternoon and help us so very much.

Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan all got tubes in their ears in late February. And, since that operation, they've had no ear infections. We are elated. We love Ethan and Zayne and Tristan so vey much!

Here are some recent photos. More updates soon...

Ethan left, Tristan right, Zayne in the back

Ethan left, Zayne middle, Tristan right - loving the dishwasher!

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of fallen Oakland Police Officers -- Officer John Hege, Sergeant Daniel Sakai, Sergeant Ervin Romans, and Sergeant Mark Dunakin. Please be sure to include them in your family's thoughts and prayers. Also, please keep all personnel and family members of the Oakland police department in your prayers.
http://www.odmp.org/

A Much Overdue Update - Jan 2009

2009-01-25T08:14:00.008-05:00

Hi everyone - we are behind on our updates. It has been a wonderful past few months. First and foremost, Brenden turned three in December. He had a firefighter party and an engine company from station number 7 in Chesterfield brought an entire crew! Brenden and all of his friends and family had a great time.

Also, Brenden and dad have started up a model rocket hobby and had our first launch this past Saturday. It was a blast. Special thanks to Tim McGee's family and Amanda and Jordan for helping herd the fam to the neighborhood field on launch day :)

Rocket launch day with Brenden, Oscar, Jordan, and the Trio

Big boy Brenen on Christmas Day 2009

Now - about the trio - these guys are doing great. Ethan is up to 19 pounds, 14 oz. Zayne is 23 pounds and Tristan is 21 pounds. They're getting huge! Tristan is almost walking; he's clearly the most mobile. Zayne is close behind him and Ethan is now pulling up to a stand on any sturdy thing he can latch on to.

Ethan loves to repeat "wow wow" from the Nick show. Whenever Jeff walks into the room he chants "wowo wow Wubzy!" and he and Jeff chat it back and forth. Zayne loves to humm and sing little tunes. Tristan has developed his own language and every object in the house has it's own Tristan name.

We're struggling a little with chronic ear infections. Currently all three boys each have two ear infections and this is the fifth time this season they've been diagnosed. So, our pediatritian has asked us to set up some time with an pediatric ENT doctor to figure out some preventive treatment ideas. Luckily, we're closer to the end of the sickness season traditionally speaking.

Tanya has Ethan, Zayne, and Tristan on an amazing schedule. They are now up by 6:30 AM and have had a bottle and breakfast by 9 AM. They take a short nap about 10 AM and then have lunch at 12. They have a long nap about 2 PM and get up about 4 PM. Then, it's more play time, dinner at 5, a bath every other day or sometimes two in a day, and bed time by 6. It's amazing.

The three will start transitioning to whole mike on February13 which will be great! Here are some recent photos. Many thanks for all of your support.

Tanya's crazy bath day. Brenden, Ethan, Tristan, Zayne

Here's Zayne!

Zayne bottom, Tristan middle, Ethan top

Tristan left and Zayne right

It's Tristan!

Here's another of Tristan

Here's Ethan!

Rock Star Photos!

2008-11-19T23:07:00.006-05:00

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

2008-10-25T09:15:00.009-04:00

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

2008-10-07T22:40:00.015-04:00

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

2008-08-26T09:23:00.009-04:00

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

2008-08-01T21:44:00.004-04:00

"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!

2008-07-10T09:37:00.005-04:00

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!

2008-07-09T20:01:00.005-04:00

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

2008-07-07T22:13:00.004-04:00

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

2008-06-26T18:05:00.007-04:00

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

2008-06-22T01:05:00.004-04:00

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

2008-06-03T22:51:00.005-04:00

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

2008-05-20T13:29:00.008-04:00

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!

2008-05-12T10:19:00.004-04:00

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

2008-05-03T20:27:00.007-04:00

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

2008-04-10T01:10:00.003-04:00

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

2008-03-25T00:46:00.005-04:00

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!

2008-03-04T00:55:00.015-05:00

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

A homecoming to remember forever!

2008-02-27T09:00:00.004-05:00

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

2008-02-20T23:18:00.004-05:00

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

2008-02-19T07:10:00.004-05:00

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!

2008-02-13T23:39:00.007-05:00

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

2008-02-08T22:20:00.000-05:00

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

2008-02-03T09:22:00.000-05:00

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

2008-01-23T01:27:00.000-05:00

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!

2008-01-14T23:14:00.000-05:00

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.

Wow

2008-01-10T23:40:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone, we want to keep you updated so here's the latest. Tanya's belly is measuring over 50 weeks!

Ok..that's what she is measuring. The real number is 29 weeks. That's right...she's 29 weeks along; WOOHOO! We're getting so close to 32...it's great.

All babies are doing well. Tanya's last OB visit yesterday showed no sign of gestational diabetes which is great and was a routine test. Her next Dr. visit is to her perinatologist this coming Monday (January 16). We'll write more after that.

Our first post in 2008

2008-01-03T23:38:00.001-05:00

First, please place the Barker and Cauthen families foremost in your thoughts and prayers. Tanya's brother Scott has suffered a sever stroke and is hospitalized here in Richmond. He has always been very interested in Tanya's triplet pregnancy and always makes the time to ask how she's doing. He's a father of three and this is a difficult time for everyone.

Today our news is bitter sweet. We visited with Tanya's perinatologist this afternoon in the same hospital where Scott is in the neurological ICU. The report is fantastic. All three of the triplets are doing very well. Amniotic fluid around all three babies is measuring just fine.

Measurements were taken and the babies' weights are as follows with a +/- 15% interval: Baby A is 2 pounds, 12 ounces; Baby B is 2 pounds, 8 ounces; and Baby C is 2 pounds 4 ounces.

Tanya is in her 28 week of gestation and her OB just the other day measured her belly at 50 weeks. Wow. That's crazy! And, Tanya has gained a total of 16 pounds. Her blood pressure is in check and at the last OB visit this past Wednesday they proceeded with the check for gestational diabetes. Nothing bad is expected --- it's precautionary.

We have attached four ultra sound photos we received today from Tanya's visit with her peri. Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers. Please do say one for Scott, the Barker family, and the Cauthen family too.

Again, bitter sweet news in this post. We wish everyone the happiest new year.

Above is a picture of Baby A looking up and to the left

Above is a picture of Baby B looking directly at you

Above is a picture of Baby C looking up and to the right

And last but not least, here's a 4D image of baby C looking slightly left. You can see his forehead and closed eyes with his left hand just to the left and in front of his left eye

Merry Merry Christmas Update

2007-12-27T08:04:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone, much has happened since our last update. Tanya has visited her OB twice and her perinatologist once. She's scheduled to see her peri again next week since Dr. Head's office is closed the week of December 24.

So, what's happened these past couple of weeks? Tanya is now 27 weeks along!! This is great because we absolutely have to get to 28. And, the real big milestone is 32 weeks. When we met with the NICU docs and staff a few weeks back, they were really interested in seeing the babies make it past 28 weeks and we're almost there.

Tanya is a bit uncomfortable and it's hard for her to sleep. Her belly is measuring 48 weeks which means she's eight weeks bigger than she was when Brenden was born in 2005. She's gained only 15 pounds according to her OB appointment just yesterday morning. And, about six of that is baby! Also, her blood pressure is fine and there are no issues with her routine tests run each week at the OB's office. She keeps two gallons of spring water by the bed at all times and our kitchen fridge is stocked with lots of protein drinks. She tries to have two to three of these protein drinks daily; the 350 calorie 13 g protein kind. I think they’re a bit thick but combined with bed rest, we have not had any problems with amniotic fluid levels since she started this routine. Tanya is amazingly strong.

All three babies are measuring over two pounds by ultrasound now and heart beats are great. Also, her peri's office was finally able to grab a picture of baby A's aortic arch and face which showed completely normal results. This allows Dr. Head to breathe a sigh of relief...those two items had eluded us for the past 27 weeks.

Many thanks to Jeff's mom Rosemary and Lisa Hill next door who have both gone with Tanya to her peri visits the past few weeks. Both got to see real time live-and-in-person ultrasounds on all three babies.

So, what's next? Tanya has to remain as inactive as possible and horizontal as the doctors put it. And, as we get closer to 28, 29, 30, etc. weeks, she will be monitored more and more closely. We're packing a bag soon just in case she needs to ride out any of the remaining weeks in the hospital but as of this post, there are absolutely no warning signs of this being necessary.

Keep checking back...more to come. As always, thanks very much for all of your thoughts and prayers.

Middle of December Update

2007-12-14T21:53:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone, this week Tanya has made it to 25 weeks along as of Tuesday, December 11. And, her OB has measured her belly at 45 weeks! Wow! Blood pressure and weight are great; Tanya has gained 11 pounds so far. She's having a bit of a hard time sleeping and is getting uncomfortable but every day she says it's worth it.

On Thursday we visited Tanya's perinatologist who was amazed at how well the three babies are doing. All three have great amniotic fluid levels and all three of thier hearts look fine. Umbilicle cords are fine and each is measuing as follows: A - 1 pound, 14 oz; B - 1 pound, 12 oz; C - 1 pound, 9 oz! All of their structures look great too.

Tanya's perinatologist asked us to come back in one week so we don't have to wait over the Christmas break until we go back. So, we'll be back there on December 20 with more updates.

Tanya gave me permission to post this picutre I took of her on Thanksgiving day. This was at week 22 (remember now she's at 25 :) )

More to come...

Finally! Some Ultrasound Pictures

2007-12-02T18:51:00.000-05:00

(Baby C) Head on the right facing down, can see right arm and hand too

(Baby B) Looking left, can clearly see nose and mouth

(Baby A) Looking up to the right, can clearly see head and nose

Hey Everyone, we don't have a scanner at home so I tried to take digital photos of the most recent ultrasound images of the triplets. They're not perfect but you can certainly see babies A, B, and C! Baby A is our little singleton; AKA - the fraternal twin. Babies B and C are our identical twins.

Jeff

23 Weeks and then some (PLUS AND OLD PIC FROM 2005)

2007-11-30T06:26:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone --- yesterday we had a great visit at the perinatologist's office. First and foremost, all three of the triplets are doing great. All three have great heart beats and amniotic fluid levels are measuring right on track. We had such a good appointment, Tanya's peri has asked her to come back every two weeks. You'll remember just a couple of weeks ago we were seeing her every week and it moved to every 10 days...now, it's every 14.

We still need to get past the 24 week hump and that will be this coming Tuesday; December 4. After that, we really need to be shooting for week 28 (at January 1) and then 32 weeks on January 29. Tanya's getting a little more uncomfortable and she's measuring 40+ weeks now.
Tanya's doctors are encouraging as much bed rest as possible each day and she's keeping up with the protein drinks.

Also, we toured the NICU at the hospital yesterday. I (Jeff) had not yet received my flu shot so I had to gown up, wash my hands, wear gloves, and a mask! Tanya, as forward thinking as she is, has already had her flu shot so she walked right in. Nevertheless, we met with Dr. Farhi; he's the NICU doc who treated Brenden in December, 2005. It was nice to see a familiar face and he welcomed us for a quick tour. You see, Tanya will be delivering the triplets at the Johnston Willis campus of the CJW Medical center while two years ago, Brenden was born at the Chippenham campus of CJW. Luckily, the NICU docs and nurses rotate between the two campuses so we're completely comfortable with the superb level of care.

Dr. Farhi briefed us on how things will probably go depending on how long Tanya carries the triplets. He mentioned two to three teams of NICU folks will be in the delivery room based on gestational age of the triplets. And, he will be talking with Tanya's OB and perinatologist as necessary up to the delivery time.

So, here's a picture of Dr. Farhi, Tanya, and Brenden when Brenden was born in December, 2005. This weekend we'll scan in some ultrasound pictures of the triplets. Hope you have a great weekend! As always, thanks for all of your support.

Tanya, Brenden, and Jeff

Tanya's made it to 23 weeks!

2007-11-27T21:56:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone --- quick update. Today Tanya visited her OB and all three heart beats were going strong. She's 23 weeks along today! Remember, our first milestone will be 24 weeks so we're almost there.

She's measuring 40 weeks. That means her body thinks and looks like she's 40 weeks along. She's resting a lot and drinking plenty of protein drinks.

More to come on Thursday of this week after the next visit with her perinatologist. Thanks for all of your support!

Tanya, Brenden, and Jeff

Surprise Surprise - We're at 22 Weeks!

2007-11-20T22:07:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone, we got a bit of a surprise yesterday when Tanya visited her OB. He told her --- you're 22 weeks pregnant on Tuesday (today)! And, he revised her due date from April 1 to March 26!

So, what's all this mean? We're further along than we thought and that's a great thing. Since Tanya is 22 weeks pregnant, she's even closer to our first goal --- making it to 24 weeks. 24 weeks is the earliest viable gestation time; clearly not what we want, but we absolutely have to get to 24. The next milestones will be 28 weeks, 30 weeks and finally 32 weeks. Getting to 32 weeks will be absolutely wonderful. All three babies have the best chance once we get to that point. And, NICU stays are shorter once at 32 weeks. Remember --- 32 weeks is still two months premature. So, we're hoping to make it even past that!

Now, let's talk about bed rest. Tanya is physically measuring 38 weeks. That means her body looks and feels like it's 38 weeks pregnant. This is due to the volume of babies she's carrying. So, bed rest will be coming soon --- probably later this month or early December. We will find out more when Tanya visits her OB again on November 26.

We visited with Tanya’s perinatologist today. As you can see the doctor appointments are coming back to back now. The peri sad all heart beats, baby bladders, amniotic fluid measurements, and growth measurements look great. Tanya goes back to the peri in 10 days for a routine visit.

That is all for now --- we cannot thank you enough for all of your thoughts and prayers. More to come!

20 Weeks and 2 Days - Great Dr. Appt Yesterday!

2007-11-13T06:15:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone, we visited Tanya's perinatologist yesterday and got a great report. All three of the triplets are progressing well and all are measuring within a few days of each other from a size perspective. Amniotic fluid levels are all in normal range and the babies are looking great.

So great that Tanya's perinatologist, Dr. Barbara Head, told her after next week, we will be moving to visits every 10 days v. once a week. This is great news!

Tanya's next visit to her perinatologist will be on Tuesday, November 20 and they will look again at all fluid levels, heart beats (they were all three fine yesterday), etc. Then, on or about November 30, the perinatologist will look again at all these items. Following that, on or about December 11, the perinatologist will perform more growth scans via ultrasound to make sure all babies are progressing as they shoud. So, this little snap shot of the next few appointments will help us keep track of what's coming next.

You can even tell Dr. Head is more optimistic than she was even a few weeks ago. As we were leaving her office, she was giving advise on triple decker strollers and car seats. :)

More to come...thanks for all of your support, thoughts, and prayers!

Tanya, Jeff and Brenden

19 Weeks and 3 days - all good so far

2007-11-07T06:50:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone, thanks again for checking on us so often. Tanya's last appointment with her perinatologist on Monday of this week went very well. All three of the triplets are in plenty of amniotic fluid, all three had great blood flow in their umbilical cords, and all were measuring on track for this stage of the pregnancy. All heart beats looked normal too. So, we go back for our weekly perinatologist visit this coming Monday for the next ultrasound.

Tanya has been taken out of work and is resting at home. She spends her time making sure she's consuming enough protein and water each day plus resting. Doctors suggest she remain horizontal as much as possible.

Thanks to everyone who has already donated almost 1/2 a garage full of clothes and baby items. There are some more folks who have offered and we're synching up with you soon. Thanks also for all of your thoughts and prayers. More to come...

Whew!

2007-10-31T07:17:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone, we've had a few more doctor visits since our last post. Everything is going well. There was a bit of a scare last Thursday with the level of amniotic fluid surrounding baby c but that appears to have subsided.

All three little guys are doing well. Tanya is now 18 weeks along and getting plenty of rest. Her doctors locally and around the country are recommending as much horizontal rest each day as possible. She has increased her daily dose of Boost or Ensure bottles to 3 or 4. We're buying stock in those companies as well as Huggies for future reference.

Since it's ideal to make it to 32 weeks when pregnant with triplets and Tanya is now at 18, it's critical that we do everything possible to keep those little guys in her belly. So drinking water as prescribed, protein drinks, getting lots of rest, not over exerting herself, etc. are all important. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers and we'll write more soon. Also, I promise we'll get a couple ultrasound photos scanned soon.

Thanks for all of your support..

16 Weeks 5 days (Measuring 27 weeks)

2007-10-19T11:15:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone, Tanya's DR (OB) appointment was today and she just got out of the office with a wonderful update. She's 16 weeks, 5 days along. Her body is treating the pregnancy as if she were 27 weeks. Remember the goal is to get go longer than 32 weeks gestation with triplets. At 16 weeks, 5 days, she's just over 1/2 way there. Since her body responds as if she were 27 weeks, her doctor is asking her to start taking it easy while at home. All three of the triplets are doing great and very active. The twins have moved to a spot just above her belly button and the single has moved right below them. All are facing her back at the moment and have great heart beats. Tanya's next appointment is with her perinatologist on October 25. This is the doctor who takes a close look at each of the triplets with a fancier ultrasound machine. Her doctor visits will become more frequent as we get further into October. Her OB now will see her every two weeks and we suspect her perinatologist will order the same when Tanya visits her on October 25. More to come. Thanks…

16 Weeks, 2 Days

2007-10-16T07:42:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone -- quick update. Tanya is 16 weeks, 2 days along as of today. The triplets were extremely active yesterday while we were at work. They jumped around all day and could be felt several times each hour. We'll be scanning the most recent ultra sound pictures and posting them on this site by this weekend. All is going great so far and Tanya is heeding advice from her doctor and resting as much as possible, drinking almost one gallon of water each day, taking in tons of protein, etc. etc. More to come soon --- there are a couple doctor appts. next week. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

All looks great - Friday appointment!

2007-10-06T22:35:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone, we visited with Tanya's perinatologist on Friday morning. The ultrasound machine they have is very detailed. Stay tuned for some images from that day; we'll try to post them on this site soon.

All three babies measured on target and they're all doing great. The doctor told Tanya to take it easy as much as possible. The more rest and also good eating habits she has now, the more likely all three babies will stay in longer.

On Sunday, October 7, Tanya will be 15 weeks pregnant! We're on our way! :)

Fantastic Update!

2007-10-02T08:55:00.000-04:00

I just got a call from Tanya. She’s headed into the office from a quick visit with her OB. I couldn’t make this one but will be with her later this week when she sees her perinatologist. Ok..here’s the update:

Tanya’s progressing as if she were 23 weeks but she’s really only 14 weeks, two days. This is normal for a triplet pregnancy. It means her body responds to her pregnancy as if she was 23 weeks due to the volume of babies.

All three are doing very well and were observed on the OB's ultrasound. All are tracking as expected and there is no sign of any issue. Tanya has lost another two pounds but her OB advised this is normal and actually preferred. Not gaining weight puts less stress on her baby organs early in the pregnancy.

The ultrasound showed a very calm and laid back singleton (the fraternal twin) and two hyper active identical twins! The twins have always been super active when we've seen them. It's hilarious.

Next appointment with Tanya's peri is this Friday. It will include a much more in-depth look by ultrasound. More to come.

Wow! Three boys is still sinking in :)

2007-09-27T20:47:00.001-04:00

It's Thursday night and Tanya is doing well. She's feeling well and drinking lots of water. Right now she's reading a book about expecting multiples and watching "My name is Earl" at the same time. We think the news about having three boys is super exciting. Can you imagine having four boys, including Brenden, all less than three years old? It's going to be awesome, crazy, amazing all at the same time.

Our next appointments are about one week from now. Tanya's perinatologist will take another look via ultrasound on October 5 which is Friday. She'll be almost 15 weeks at that time. We'll be hoping for re-assuring news that all is well.

Keeping these three guys healthy in the belly and remaining in there past 32 weeks is the ultimate goal. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers; we'll post more soon.

The Results are In

2007-09-25T11:05:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone, Tanya just got a phone call from the geneticist at Drexel confirming with 100 percent confidence the chromosomal test came back perfect. Also, we're having three boys! :)

Our Trip to Philly --- Good News

2007-09-22T21:25:00.000-04:00

On September 17 we visited with a maternal and infant health specialist physician at Drexel University in Philadelphia. We also met with a genetic counselor. The physician, Dr. Ronald Wapner, performed what is called a CVS test which will help us understand the chromosomal make-up of the three babies.

On September 19, we received the initial results from the CVS test and with a 95 percent level of confidence, there is no sign of chromosomal abnormalities in any of the three babies! We are so happy to hear this news. And, we expect confirmation of this with 100 percent level of confidence on or about September 26 in addition to learning the gender of all three babies!

More to come..

We're having a baby - make that three :)

2007-09-22T13:55:00.000-04:00

On August 23, we went to Tanya's doctor to have all the pregnancy stuff confirmed. Much to our surprise her doctor found not one, not two, but three little babies!

Look at this ultrasound taken the next day by Tanya's perinatologist showing babies "A, B, and C!"

Tanya is pregnant with two identical twins supported by one placenta. This is called a monochorionic diamniotic pregnancy. She is also pregnant with a singleton supported by it's own placenta and amniotic sac. Together, the three babies make up her triplet pregnancy.The twins are at significant risk becuase they share one placenta. And, overall, a triplett pregnancy is risky because it's typical that pregnancies like this gestate less than the normal 40 weeks.Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers and we'll keep you up to date often.