Our Loss of Man's Best Friend

Yesterday was a very sad day at our house as we had to put Champion down due to somewhat of a freak accident. On Monday morning, Champion was jumping out of the bed and got his back leg caught between the mattress and the foot-board of the bed. He was obviously in a lot of pain, but seemed to be OK for about 24 hours. Then yesterday, he was simply trying to climb up onto his ottoman to lay down for a nap and his hip popped out of the socket. He was in excruciating pain so we got him to the vet quickly and they sedated him. After some x-rays, they anesthetized him and popped it back into the socket. The doctor said that he got it back in, but it went in way too easily, and thus would easily pop right back out when he tried to move. He simply had too much ligament damage from his accident the previous morning. We were given the option to try surgery which would require weeks/months of recovery time. Of course, Champ was not a young pup anymore (he was about 11 and a half) and he had some other health issues so there were no guarantees. Plus, the recovery process would require Champ to stay downstairs in a crate for an extended period of time, which would be pure torture for him. And of course, the next few weeks/months won't exactly allow us to be overly attentive to his recovery. Ultimately, we made the incredibly difficult decision to end Champ's suffering. Melissa and I, as well as Rokky, were there with Champ 'til the end. He's now in doggie heaven and pain free...and warm...and will never be hungry again (he was always starving)!

Below are a few favorite photos of Champ, doing what he liked to do best...being lazy! When fed, and warm, Champ just wanted to snuggle!!

Rest in Peace little buddy...we'll miss you!

31 Weeks and Counting...Appt Update

OK, so technically tomorrow is 31 weeks, but who's counting right?

Today, we had our last "planned" appointment of the calendar year and everything looks great. Today's appointment was just a "consult" so they didn't do full growth measurements like last week, but he did a quick ultrasound to check heartbeats and all 3 look good.
All three boys are head down, which really surprised Dr. Strauss. He said that's really rare with triplets. So my first question was "Does that mean that we'll avoid the C-section?" He said "there's not a chance." Apparently there are only a few places in the country that do vaginal births with triplets, and none of them are around here. There is too much risk because as the first one is being born, it's very difficult to monitor the heartbeats of the other two, so they just don't really do it very much at all for safety reasons. And they NEVER do it at UNC (or anywhere in the state of NC for that matter), so we're still locked in on a C-section, sometime between now and Jan 27th.

Our next scheduled appointment is January 7th (in Chapel Hill). This will be a full scale appt where they check growth, heartbeats, fluid levels, etc, etc. Between now and then, the doctor just wants Melissa to check her blood pressure a few times and if it gets higher than 140 over 90, then call them. Today it was 108 over 55, so it's in good shape for now!

After that, we have another appt scheduled for January 21st...of course, that one is apt to change depending on circumstances.

Melissa is still not ruling out going back to work at the first of the year. Dr. Strauss continues to be amazed at how well she's doing. She still has the philosophy that she'd rather be miserable at work, where she can be distracted, than be miserable at home doing nothing all day. We'll see and she's definitely playing it by ear.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year. Depending on the potential snowfall (we'll post videos and/or pictures if we get snow), and any other crazy events that might happen in the next 8 days (we're hoping nothing crazy happens), this might be the final post of a very wonderful 2010!

Love to all!
Jason-

Almost 30 week - appointment update

One word: Awesome. Dr. Strauss continues to be amazed at how well things are going. Everything with me looks great (even though I hit a wall last night and was miserable due to the four hours of constant movement and discomfort from the boys 'moving') cervix, blood pressure all great. The boys continue to amaze Dr. Strauss. They are literally clustered together on the growth chart hovering around the 33% range. That number is in comparison to a singleton pregnancy so the 'low' rating is not alarming or bad in any way. As a matter of fact, Dr. Strauss commented that he can't remember the last time that triplets all clustered like that on a growth chart. What that means is that they are all developing at the same rate and that makes him very happy. Heartbeats were all strong (upper 130- mid 140) and their weights are heavier than most singletons at this stage. (A - 3 lbs; B- 2 lbs, 15 oz; C- 3 lbs 2 oz). All vital organs look great and all is well.

I asked Dr. Strauss to give me a timeline for delivery. Actually, what I asked for what the best (worst) case scenerio - he says that if I make it that the latest he would deliver the boys is January 27th - YES, 36 full weeks! While I understand that it is great news, it is also hard to think about lasting 6 more weeks, especially if they keep gaining weight like they have over the last 4 weeks (each boy gained 1 lb +) By the end of this, I could possibly be carrying between 12-14 lbs of babies. I can't even begin to imagine how they would fit if they were all that big or how I would manage to do anything but it is still good news to hear.

I have 5 more days with students and then a teacher workday next Wednesday and then I am done with work for Christmas break. If (and that is a big IF) I go back after Christmas, I would start with a workday on Jan. 3rd but I am not making any promises beyond next week!

28 Weeks!

I went back to see Dr. Strauss on Friday for a check-up. This was a "biggie" because we actually had to go to the clinic at UNC Hospital. Until now, we had simply been going to a satellite clinic that does ultrasounds since it is closer. The irony is, when we got to Chapel Hill for my blood work and exam, I wasn't sure where to go. I checked in at the desk and she sent me to the back to give my sample and I had to ask for directions! After they took my samples and I went to my room, Dr. Strauss' nurse, Jeannette, came in and looked at us kinda funny because my chart claimed that I hadn't been seen since August! What she didn't realize was that all my other appointments were logged in 'cyber medical space', just not in hard copy in her file. She wasn't too happy about it but in my opinion, keeping his patients happy and under less stress is more important than keeping his paper files in order.

Yet again, more good news was shared. My weight gain is great (his words, although I can't feel the same was since I am the one gaining all this weight!). Blood pressure and first round of lab work came back normal, yeah! We are waiting to hear about the blood glucose results to see if gestational diabetes has developed. Here is a prime reason why I really like Dr. Strauss. He point blank told Jason and I that it is not uncommon for multiples, triplets in particular, to 'fail' this test. He said that each placenta automatically creates more glucose because that is how the baby gets his nutrients. Therefore, with 3 placentas, I will most likely not be within normal range. All this means, again in his words, is that I will have to be inconvenienced and come back to UNC for a 4 hour glucose curve test. He said there is a good chance that those results will also show high, but not to worry. We will talk about the next step if we have to go there. So instead of me panicking and worrying about the blood results, I haven't even thought about them (until writing this entry tonight). That is how a doctor keeps his patients calm and in control. He took a quick peek at the boys to check heart beats and all are healthy and strong. He asked Jason and I a few questions about plans once the babies were born (support system, nursing plans) and was pleased to hear that we had already been talking about those things and seem to have a good support system in place and ideas about pumping and formula feedings. He said he just likes to check with his patients at this point and make sure that conversations are at least taking place.

All in all, he couldn't be more pleased. I did ask about some swelling I have had in my left leg in particular (a warning sign of preeclampsia) and he told me that what I have is normal and gave me more specific things to look for (none of which I have experienced).

We set the next appointment (growth and measurement ultrasound) for Tuesday, December 14th and then the next set appointment isn't until Friday, January 7th. I am sure that I will see him at the ultrasound clinic for a 'quick check up' between those dates but he doesn't seem to worried about seeing me, which I have to take as a good sign.

Here are the pictures that got you to read this far (or at least scroll here!)

16 weeks (below) vs 20 weeks (below)



24 weeks (below) vs 28 weeks (below)
Chase wanted to pose too!

Nursery update

Well, now that the expansion of the third floor is done and all the junk has been removed from the nursery, my mom and I have spent the last 2 weekends getting it organized and ready for the boys. I wish I had thought to take a picture when it was literally stuffed from wall to wall (including the insides of the closets!) so you had a true sense of how much work she has done with me to get organized. Jason worked like a manual laborer along with my mom moving the large items out of the room last weekend and then mom and I tackled the task of baby items.

We decided to organize the boys 'stuff' into 3 sections: Newborn, 0-3 months, 3-6 months. For each hanging rack there is a shelf for onsies, bottoms, jackets/t-shirts, PJs, sleepsacks according to size. One the side of each hanging rack is hanging clothes associated with that size. To the left of the Newborn rack is all the 'triple items' that we have. We realized that we have TONS of 0-3, 3-6 month stuff but not much newborn which makes sense with a full-term baby. Not sure how quick the boys will grow into the 0-3 month size but we can always 'pad' them if we have to!

We also have baskets/bins for burp cloths, socks, towels/wash cloths, toiletries, hats and shoes (broken down by sizes)

Here are pictures of each closet to give you a visual of what has been done. Now we (meaning Jason) will paint and organize the crib(s) and get furniture put into place. Then we will be ready for the boys to make their arrival. However boys, don't get any funny ideas, the middle of January is still the plan!

Let it snow!

The first snow of the winter...it started snowing during Chase's nap on Saturday afternoon, so when he woke up, he was surprised to see snow coming down. We quickly got on our gear and went outside. We had to go across the cul-de-sac to go see our neighbors who were outside and we got some quick video of Chase enjoying the snow.

Chase's new woodplay set!!

So, for Chase's Christmas present, we decided to get him a play set. We investigated Woodplay sets, which are known for their durability and longevity. Well, they are also really expensive, even with heavy discounts right now on their entire product line. Anyway, since they are so durable, we decided to look on Craigslist for used ones. We found one in the Raleigh area that was gently used. A family in Cary with 3 kids, the youngest of which is now 10, didn't really use it any more, so they were getting rid of it. It presented a good deal to us, and included installation. That is, Woodplay (the manufacturer) charges $350 to break it down, transport it, and then re-build it at our house. This $350 was included in the price, so we felt like it was a good deal.

Anyway, the installation took a few days, because there were a few rotten boards. Woodplay guarantees the wood, so they replaced these boards for free...but it took a few days to get the pieces in. Here are a few pictures from the installation process, and then the final result.

Merry Christmas to Chase...and thank you so much to the family members who contributed to Chase's Christmas present. Even though he got it early, hopefully through the videos below, you can appreciate how happy his present has made him!






















And now for the videos (4) of Chase's introduction to his new play-set.