Charlie’s nurse Andrew told Brooke that she could try Charlie with his bottle if he was awake when his 9:00 feeding time came. And sure enough, he was awake, so Brooke sat down with him, bottle in hand. She expected to have the same result that the nurses had on previous occasions, but was surprised when Charlie started sucking away. He would take some milk, swallow it with a little full-body spasm, and then take some more. In all, he ate 12 of his 30 mls with the bottle. It doesn’t sound like much, but this was a big milestone for our little chunk!.JPG)
As for Miss Lily, she had a big weight gain and jumped from 1700 grams yesterday to 1755 today (3 lbs, 14 oz). And because of all the care Brooke gave her the last two days, Lily was able to have a nice sponge bath courtesy of her loving mommy, who flew solo the entire time. Having Nurse Amelia push us those two days to do more with Lily has really paid off because we’re so much more comfortable now when we get to do things with her. After her sponge bath, Brooke picked her up for no reason other than to hug her and then she dressed The Bug in her little cupcake onesie. And after her evening cuddle, I put her back into her isolette all by myself and even turned her onto her belly. Thanks for making us do all that Nurse Amelia!Thus ends my final post of the “summer.” Tomorrow, I go back to school. This means that I won’t be able to spend all my time with Lily and Charlie, and that is going to take some getting used to. I’m also worried about having to face people who aren’t going to know what to say to me about Annaleigh. Hell, I don’t know what to say to me! It’s going to be especially awkward when the kids start asking me about the babies because every kid in school knows me as “the guy who’s having triplets.” I’m not really sure how I’m going to handle this. I have a feeling that the only thing that will get me through each day is knowing that I’ll get to see my beautiful wife, my gorgeous daughter, and my cute-as-can-be son at the end of every day.
40 comments:
The babies look fantastic!!! Lily's weight has special significance to me because that was my preemie girls discharge weight... it was definitely scary bringing home a baby that small. Her brother weighed 4 lb 3 oz at discharge and now he's a whopping 14 lbs! And congrats to Charlie on his milestone with the bottle, that is definitely one of the most important steps to getting them home with their mommy and daddy :)
Take care!
KittyCatRollerMoM (from Multiple Mamas)
The babies are so adorable!!! That is so awesome about Charlie! And Congrats to Mommy for bathing Lily!! I am sure she LOVED that :-)
....as for AnnaLeigh I think that is a tough situation. I think the best thing is to be honest without maybe telling the whole story -- you know? While it is definitely hard to talk about, that may be best. That way you aren't being dishonest to her memory but not telling everyone everything that happened.
I know that it sound weird saying that because of the blog, but I think it is easier to say something on a blog where you won't face these strangers on a daily basis, whereas, your students and co-workers might be a little tougher.
Not sure if that helps but I hope it helps somewhat.
I am praying for you guys!
--Love, from Ga!
Congrats on Charlie's and Lily's (and Brook's!!) milestones. I'm wishing you all of the best in returning to school. I'm sure your students feel your pain and everyone will figure out what to say. The students will end up being a source of comfort.
Your babies look amazing! Congrats on all the milestones today!
Thinking of you on your return to school.
Yay for more hands-on parenting! Won't be long until you're all home.
Good luck today, Joe. I'm sure Annaleigh will be with you for extra support during the difficult or awkward moments.
Exciting milestones - beautiful pictures - special hugs. I am just sooooooooo happy for all of you.
My sweet babies - you are absolutely adorable. Keep thriving angels - Annaleigh is definitely your guardian angel.
Hang in there Joe and Brooke and be strong today. Good luck and have a great day...
All My Love, Auntie :) xooxox
Go Joe and Brooke keep up the good work!!! Yay for Charlie taking his bottle!!
Beautiful pics & the ones from yesterday! You could see them smiling - how wonderful.
I know for me, I had a coworker spread the word about our loss. Some people didn't say anything (bc I'm sure they didn't know what to say, who does?) and anyone who did say anything just said they are sorry. It's very hard and I wish you the best as you enter this new phase.
So glad Charlie was able to take a bottle for Mommy!!! Great job Charlie!! And great job Lily on your weight gain!!
As for you Joe, good luck on your first day back at school!! I know you will find the right things to tell your students/coworkers when they ask about ALL of your babies!!!
The babies look gorgeous! I cannot believe how big they are getting!
The babies look amazing...you can really tell how much bigger they've gotten. Definitely packing on the grams. :)
And good for Charlie taking a bottle from mommy. That's fantastic. And good for you guys getting more comfortable taking care of them. That's a huge step!
Good luck today!
wow, the babies are getting big..congrats on for both babies...
about Annaleigh, just say the truth, just like you've been describing here on the blog, just reading about her makes me feel like I got to know her. I guess talking about it might make you feel a little better, that you got to know her and see how strong she was every day for those eight weeks. Eight weeks is more than even to remember her for ever. specially with those two little angels around there with you.
I'll be praying for those beautiful kids and wife and of course you, praying for the health of Lily and Charlie, for both you and brook for your broken hearts, and for your return to school. just take it day at a time. Take care!
Diana
It warmed my heart to see Brooke feeding little charlie. Lily and Charlie are so beautiful! We are still praying for your family.
What a great day! That is fantastic that Charlie is taking his bottle from Brooke. Lily is going to be 4 lbs in no time!
Good luck on your first day back. Keep thinking of those beautiful babies waiting for you.
I've called your babies cupcakes since Brooke's mom told me about them. Glad to see Lily has a cupcake outfit!
Good luck with school Joe.
Wow, the babies are adorable. They are getting so big, and really starting to show personality in their faces.
Your families courage continues to amaze me. Your babies are so beautiful, thank you for sharing your journey with complete strangers.
Good job Charlie! There's really nothing anyone can say about Annaleigh, her loss was truly devastating. Just tell people who ask that you don't want to talk about it (if that's the case) or that you unfortunately lost one of your triplets and leave it at that. Hopefully they respect your privacy. Anyway, hang in there and good luck at school!
Those two look awesome! Just remember that as awkward as it will be for you, people who ask and talk about Annaleigh will feel just as awkward and compassionate for you guys.
The babies look great! Way to go Charlie on the bottle, and Lily on the weight gain! How awesome!
You'll find your way to answers for people. Hold tight.
Awesome pictures! Way to go Charlie on swigging down that bottle!
You can see them growing each day. You can really see it in their faces.
Isn't it great to do every day mom and dad things with the babies?
Hope you have an easy first day back at school!
Aww... Charlie just needed his mommy to feed him. Hopefully he continues to improve with the bottle now! And yay for Lily... I'm so happy to hear that you guys are getting more comfortable handling the babies on your own, because it seems that they may be home sooner rather than later! They are doing so well!
Good luck at school Joe! I know it's far from the same situation, but I lost my mom to a sudden illness in 2008 during the school year (she was only 55). I only had 2 weeks off and when I came back, it was really hard to be around my coworkers. No one really knew what to say, and I just wanted to go about my day without being reminded (not that it was ever far from my mind). But I took comfort in the adorable and funny students... they made me smile everyday, which made going back to work worth it. Just keep thinking about your beautiful wife and babies, and you'll get through it!
This post was particularly heartwarming. So thankful for the progress, and continuing to hope and pray for you all!
I will pray that you have an easy
1st day back!!!
Well... it goes to show Mommy's do it best!!! Every blog is better & better!!!! and the babies get bigger & more beautiful!!!
Good luck at school today!!!
I can't imagine how hard it's going to be when people ask questions. I hate to give advice in a situation like that but I'm going to throw something out there and you can see what you think. It may be a good idea to already have a standard response formulated. That will help in situations when you get caught off guard or feel emotional. The response will come out and you won't have to think about it or say more than you really wanted. I had a friend who tried it in a traumatic experience and it worked pretty well.
The kids looks great! I get the excitement over feeding from a bottle for the first time. My twins were born at 28 weeks, and when they drank from a bottle for the first time, it was one of the most exciting moments of my life!
I pray you will get through the school day with strength.
Just wanted to send an e-hug--I know answering questions back at school will be tough. (((hugs))) to you and brooke (and lily and charlie too!)
congratulations on the bottle-feeding, that's great!
My 2 year old daughter just saw the pictures of Lilly and Charlie. She likes "Chiley" and "willwy" is cute. They look so big in these pictures!! And way to go Charlie eating from mommy's bottle!!
I have been thinking about ya'll extra today with joe being back at school. I hope all is going ok.
hopefully you will find comfort in your students today. oftentimes children - even at the high school age - can be so much more 'real' than adults, as they are not so consumed with saying the right thing. you may actually be surprised by how many are following your blog. you've definitely touched a lot of people (I'm a stranger from coastal oregon). best of luck to you, brooke, and babies...
I sit here at a loss for words, because what started as a food blogger reading another food bloggers yummy blog, quickly became a joy for me to begin reading your blog about your three beautiful babies. I have loved catching up everytime I sit down to read. Somehow, time got away from me and I checked out your blog 19 posts behind! Of course, because of my deliquency, I missed the troubles and passing of Annaleigh. I am deeply sorry for your loss. I cannot say the right words and you sound as if you have all the right knowledge and people around you to support you in your time of loss.
On that note, just know I will be and have been thinking of you all!
And how darn-tootin cute are Charlie and Lily! They are looking so good. I love all the pictures and your taking time to share with us readers out there who'll probably never even meet you, but hold you as friends. I love them all, but LOVE the picture of Charlie hanging on for dear life in the tub! Precious!
The babies are so adorable! Congrats on all the milestones and thinking of you Joe as you go back to school!
Love, Emilie
Hi Brooke and Joe- I have wanted to leave a comment since I saw the post about Annaleigh but to be honest I think I was (and still am) shocked that she is gone. Seems like everything was going so good and then in a matter of days. I finally was able to bring myself to watch and read the tributes and they were so touching, I bawled. I couldn't imagine loosing either of my boys. It has to be the worst nightmare a parent could have.
I happened on your site through a friends and it was about the time Brooke ended up in the hospital. You all were so good about posting every day and you both seemed so nice I started following the story. I'm sure everyone out there that follows you, strangers and friends, feel like they are apart of the babies because of the postings every day. I loved today's. Charlie and Lily are just so precious and I hope that you are able to bring them home soon!
Joe, I was so proud of you today. You carried yourself well even though it was so very hard to do. Remember, I am just a shout away. Charlie just wanted HIS MOMMY to feed him. Lol. You have been saying he is a Momma's boy. :-) Way to go, Lily. Keep gaining that weight and getting bigger and stronger! Charlie and Lily, you both get cuter as each day passes. Lily, your eyes are mesmerizing. Hang in there D's. You are ALL loved!!
Joe - I thought of you today on your first day back to work. I hope it went as smoothly as possible.
And ohhhhhhhh goodness, Charlie Chunk and Lily Bug are looking great. Congrats to them both on the milestones (Charlie's bottle; I love that Brooke was able to be a direct part of this accomplishment!! And Lily's weight gain; she looks SO GOOD!)!
Yay, Charlie!!!! I started my month in the NICU, so I have better perspective of how big your precious babies are...and how much a 12cc PO feed is. I just love that picture of Charlie eating. He looks so content...I bet he liked his Mommy feeding him!
Brooke and Joe, the babies are so gorgeous,and it is so wonderful that you are getting to "handle" them--you will be totally expert by the time you bring them home!!
Remember, they don't come with an owner's manual, so get in as much practice and ask as many questions as you can now!
Joe, day one, you survived the grownups, and the wacky techno PLC department meeting to boot--my Lord, what those 2 student teachers and our new guy, Dan, must think! Our people are seriously crazy, you know that. You did great, and you have your partner, the infamous K-Mac, by your side, in your room. One of you is Sancho Panza, and one of you is Don Quixote, but I can't figure out which is which.
Some things never change, and one of them is our English Dept., God love it! I think that might be a good thing for you right about now--the consistency more than the insanity, that is. And the kids--the students--are good, you know that. I think you should go with your gut (trust it!)on this one; the words, as brief or as much as you feel like sharing, will be there when you need them. For you, I don't doubt it will be very draining for the first couple days, but it will ease up, I promise. You are human--they are human (mostly). It will work out.
Amen! ("So be it!")
So glad to read of all the wonderful news. Good luck at school! :)
Joe, I spoke with you privately and you know I'm here for you. You did WONDERFULLY today and you will continue to do so because you are a strong, good person. You know a lot of people are looking out for you and I can't think of a single person who doesn't want the very best for you and your family. Some people are vocal; some are not. I can guarantee you, though, that a lot more people are reading this blog than you even know, far more than are commenting on it. Why? Because people are rooting for you, genuinely care, and want to help in their own way. Hang in there. The students are really quite amazing when things aren't going so well-- I have a feeling that they'll actually be a support system, too, because they can usually SENSE when someone needs something. And a lot of kids care about you, too.
So again- you were great today. You'll be great tomorrow. And each day will get a little easier than the last. Your most important blessings-- Brooke, your precious babies, and your family and friends-- are there.
You "done good." :)
Cheryl
I'm so happy things are going well with Charlie and Lily - what cuties! Good luck back at school. It is hard when people ask, it's still hard. I can never get out the words 'my son passed away' without crying, still. But people are kind and just those words are enough. My thoughts go with you.
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