Peering Over the Mirror

In the past week, Kelly and I have been peering over the mirror. 

We've had visits from our precious nieces (my sister Sam and brother-in-law Dave's girls), Kelly's friends from Central College, Lindsay and Jill with their kids Holden, Emerson and Trevin, respectively, and Kelly's friend  Amy with her newborn Aliya.  

The visits have been a blast catching up with friends and watching their kids.  It's really an odd sensation seeing live changing events to family, friends and peers when they are not happening to you.  

Until now.  

So we've been peerin

g over the mirror, trying to look at our future with the kids, while taking a peek back at our fantastic no-kids life of the past five + years of marriage.  The future certainly looks bright.  

But here are some things we often talk about as amazing experiences we've had, but also things we'd like to show our kids some day.  To qualify that, it's only a partial list! 

 

Enjoying the canals in Amsterdam.  An amazing city we would love to see more of.  The culture is really diverse, it's easy to get around (bike, walking or tram) and the museums are outstanding (has a huge children's museum in the bay).  There are a lot of other things we saw in Europe that we would do again, too, but Amsterdam was probably the most accessible city we visited. 

This is a 1974(?) Moto Guzzi El Dorado, one of the classic bikes of its time.  We took this picture at the 2006 U.S. National Moto Guzzi Rally.  This is one of the other things we enjoy that we'd like to bring the kids to and meet some of the characters...like this guy:

And we have met people there that a few years later they can pick up with you where they left.  It really is a 'world of friends'.  Seriously, that's what the sign says.  

There are other things, but these were easy pictures to get on the blog.  

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Baby update: The second of our biophysical profiles this week concluded with the realization that babies do come in all shapes and sizes.  All of them scored 8/8, which pleased us to no end. 

Here is the all shapes and sizes part: 

Baby A (Atlas): 3lb 6 oz   Baby B ('Lil B): 2 lb 13oz     Baby C (Bruiser): 4lb 13 oz.  

Yes, Bruiser's weight is not a typo, and neither is B's.  

Bruiser is tracking on the 86th percentile on the growth curve for singleton(!) babies while B is 9th and A is 26th.  The irony is B might make it home before her larger brothers given girls propensity for early lung development.  

And what everyone is waiting for...pictures of Kelly.  

How did Kelly get so small?  This was 21 weeks.  

This is 31 weeks.  

Dr. Ward was pleasantly surprised about all the kids and thinks we can make 32 weeks...and then who knows.  We'll let the Lord give us the green light to take them out, which will probably come in the form of labor pains. 

All for now, everybody think and pray hard for 32 weeks.  Then we can hold them when they're born because their fat cells have fully developed and give them enough cushion for mom and dad to enjoy them. 

Mile 23: Finish Line Ahead

We've come up with all sorts of analogies to try and make sense of this whole triplet thing.  Our latest is the marathon, and we're on Mile 23 of a 26-mile marathon. 

The analogy is more relevant for Kelly, of course, because she is the one pregnant and she has actually completed a marathon (Chicago, 2000).  I'm like the people handing the water to the runners, or maybe the camera guy on the motorcycle following the action.  

So what's new?  We are into the third week of the hospital stay.  Kelly has grown, and presumably, so have the babies.  We had water in our basement after the deluge last week and we have about every inch of the UI medical campus mapped out on our wheel chair rides. 

But first things first.  Our kids passed their exam today, scoring a perfect 8/8 on their bio-physical profile that examines their amniotic fluid, movement, heart rate and breathing.  They are actually practicing breathing on their own, to get ready for the outside.  Pretty cool.  

Our theories of all the babies being squished in together were thrown off somewhat by witnessing Baby B, our little girl, stretched all the way out on Kelly's left side.  Seems like she's carved out some space for herself after C has claimed the 'north territory'.  

Our ultrasound tech also helped nickname A today by pointing out he's a strong little guy that has to hold up his two siblings.  So Atlas seemed a fun name to call him for now.  We have C, Bruiser, and A, Atlas so we  are waiting for an opportune handle for little B.  

Our wheelchair walks have been especially nice, a great break for both of us from the conditioned air of the hospital.  Check out our descriptive map here.  But if you take the Mike and Kelly tour, careful east of the hospital, road construction! 

Yes, Kelly is growing.  

Unfortunately we had a little hiccup in our otherwise peaceful world of baby growing.  After around 7 inches of water hit the Burlington area, our 96-year old basement decided to relax and let some water in.  

By no means catastrophic, our damage was limited to soaked carpet and baseboard.  We were lucky to escape the feet of water many others had in the area.  So a new basement project has started: painting and sealing the floor.  

The kids likely won't be home until the second week in Nov, so we've got a little time to accomplish the project.  Big thanks to my folks, Uncle Greg and my office boyz Zach and Nick for helping out.  

Yep, there's three in there.  Now, notice the spherical shape of the belly.  

Now check out the lumpy form the belly takes when Bruiser rolls over, messing up the symmetry and causing some noticeable discomfort for Kelly.  

It looks like it causes B to find some new space on the left side, too.  Crazy kids.  Before you know it, they'll be driving! 

The days are otherwise nice, with great emails, calls and visits from friends and family.  Sam and Dave stopped by with the girls, Annie and Josie, tonight, reminding us how fun two little kids can be and what we have to look forward to.  

Our next goal is 32 weeks, and at that point the kids will have much better lung capacity and be that much more developed for the outside world.  If we all pull together, we'll make it! 

In lighter news, the Hawks are 3-0 and face their first road test of the year, and possibly the most talented team thus far. Visiting the Pitt Panthers will reveal much about the character and preparation of the young Iowa team. Here's to college football. And living right across the street from my favorite stadium, Kinnick.  

Our New Home, Their New Home

Kelly and I have a new home and a new home for the kids.  Okay, it's temporary, but it's still home.  

The pics almost do it justice.  It's a great room, as nice as many hotel rooms we've stayed in.  What you cannot see is the excellent 24-hour care that is available to Kelly.  We are within seconds from the Labor and Delivery dept, where Kelly would go for an emergency C-section and right down the hall from the NICU where our kids will be after they're born.  

Yes, that's a whirlpool tub! 

View of Ramp 4, which is ironically operated by the Athletic Dept.  Wonder how they paid for the $80 million upgrade to Kinnick?  This is part of the revenue.  We pay $42/week for in-patient parking, and it's $15/day with out a pass.  But they validate it if you're an out-patient.  



Kelly at 29 weeks.  Shall we compare to 26 weeks? 

Kelly is doing pretty well.  Everything is normal except for the aches and pains that come with the point of term she is in.  Once in awhile her normally spherical belly turns oblong with one of the kids backs or butts sticking out and causing a 'lump'.  And then it moves.  We're not sure how big the kids are yet, but it sure looks like they're growing.  

What have we been doing?  I work remotely for about a half day, and Kelly has crafts.  She had a craft day with other ladies on the floor Tuesday, and is almost done with a bib she is cross stitching.  The pattern?  Three peas in a pod! 

What else?  We've been watching political TV.  What a sad state of affairs that is.  I'm a guy that focuses on the issues.  Unfortunately, our candidates are not.  In order to avoid a drawn-out commentary, I'll say this: I already know who I'm voting for based on the issues, but I would rather see factual comparisons of policy stances rather than this ridiculous 'he said/she said' stuff that is only distracting from the serious issues we have to deal with in the country.  

What else?  We've been getting great emails printed on inspiring paper from our friends.  They are great!  

What else?  I went to the Iowa game last Saturday vs. Florida Int'l.  Scalped a ticket for $20 and donated $5 to the flood relief effort for the University.  Not that we donated is important, but the story is the best.  I walked past some gymnasts asking for donations - "A backflip for a dollar donation!" they said.  So I asked them if they would do five flips for five dollars - would they take the deal?  They were certainly up to the challenge!  Kelly can attest, since we were on the phone while witnessing the event.  The gymnast ripped off four flips, then on the fifth I thought that if she cracked her head that wouldn't be worth $5.  Of course being the highly conditioned athlete she is, the fifth flip was no problem.  That is a Kinnick memory I'll always have. 

So that is our new, temporary life 'til our little life changers come. 

One more picture for the road.  

On the Bright Side

On a steamy Tuesday afternoon, Kelly and I traveled to Iowa City for our 28-week appointment with Dr. Ward.  Kelly's mom and dad came to check out the ultrasound process.  

Weight report: Baby A: 2lbs 5oz, Baby B: 2lbs 3oz, Baby C: 3lbs 2 oz.  A is at about the 30th percentile, B the 20th, and C the 81st.  We were tickled to see they had grown so much since 24 weeks, when they were much, much smaller. 

Shortly after we spoke with Dr. Ward, we were on our way to the Labor and Delivery dept at the UIHC.  

Kelly was dilated to 4cm and was having some small contractions, so she was observed for two days before we found out what the plan was.  

We were completely unprepared for staying two days in the hospital.  No clothes, no toiletries, nothing.  I don't think we were mentally prepared, either.  Focused on our 34-week goal, we thought there was no way we would stay in the hospital before that. 

Once in Labor and Delivery, strapped to Kelly was a contraction monitor, three heartbeat monitors for the babies, and an IV dripping fluids.  

Finally, after meeting with the doctor on Thursday, after waiting all day, we decided that UIHC was the best place for now for Kelly and the kiddos - so that's where we are! 

My office has been flexible with my time and I am working some via remote access which has been nice.  My plan is to be in Iowa City five nights out of seven and be in the office three out of five days.  

Ideally, we'd both like to be home resting, but the lowest risk situation is to have Kelly in Iowa City, close to Labor and Deliver and the Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).  The kids could be delivered in Burlington, but they don't have the type of neo-natal ventilators our kids will likely need.  

It seems likely we'll be here until the kids come. 

And knowing we'll not be home for awhile dampened the spirits at first; but Kelly's buds at school came through with a bunch of UIHC patient letters that have come to us this week, and that was an unexpected surprise - thank you! 

How about a picture? This is Kelly at a tad over 28 weeks. 

Kelly and me in our room: 

Setting Up Shop

That's our only explanation for all the movement going on inside Kelly.  They are getting really comfortable in there.  Let's see what they've done in a little over a week. 

The first picture, on the left, was in our last blog post, about Week 26.  The second picture is about a week and a half later. 

 
You out there in cyberspace may disagree, but we think there is some definite growing going on there. 

We are pleased because Kelly is nearing  the end of 27 weeks, which means we are close to achieving our first goal of getting to 28 weeks. 

 As we've written before, getting to 28 weeks means that if Kelly did go into labor, there is a great chance the NICU at U of I hospitals could sustain the kids into a normal infancy.  That's a good thing.  

Everything seems normal, and tomorrow we'll get to see the kids again on the ultrasound where we hope they will be at least 2.5 lbs.  The weights at 24 weeks were 2x 1.5 lbs and 1x 1lb 13oz. 

So we've been setting up shop, too.  Below are some pictures of the nursery, which is about 98% ready for babies.  

Some additions to the room before we started preparing it for babies: two bookshelves, one bed, chest, crib, two gliders, four hanging shelves, fridge, and darkening shades.  Hopefully we have enough storage set up.  

We anticipate going through about 30 diapers a day for the first few months.  Due to the extreme generosity of our friends and family, we're set for nearly three weeks.  Kelly and I will have to do some changing reps before the kids come to make sure we're in top form.  I'd like to get down to about 1.5 minutes for three of them before feedings.  Yes, the stopwatch is ready.  

Our Labor Day weekend has been great.  We had friends and family come see us and the chance to catch up and visit was not lost. 

I've also set a personal record for watching one Iowa game in consecutive days.  With our digital recorder set up (basically Tivo) with the cable, I can watch a three-hour college game in about half that time.  Fast forwarding though half time, commercials and in between plays really speeds things up.  I'm going to tell you what the record is, lest you think I don't have anything else better to do!   It's more than one, less  than ten.  

The Hawks looked pretty good, but need to clean up a lot of things on offense and defense.  They look a lot better at this point than they did last year, and Maine was a lot better team than Northern Illinois was last year for the opening game.  

In other news, my friend from Pella, Kevin DeRonde, got married in Saratoga, WY to his fiancee Tori Runner.  Kelly and I really wanted to be there, but traveling is not our thing right now.  We are wishing them a happy honeymoon and a blessed beginning to their marriage.