The Many Faces of Audrey, Oliver, and Grace

Audrey

Oliver

Grace

Together...

This week I saw some really cute baby faces. The babies are becoming so much more interactive and are starting to make some adorable facial expressions. Oliver and Audrey are both recognizing mommy and daddy - and are letting us know by flashing big, goofy smiles whenever they see us:) And Grace has started tracking really well; if we walk to another part of the room, she will (slowly) turn her head and eyes to "follow" us.

And I just cannot believe how BIG my babies are getting! When I hold Oliver or Audrey to feed them, they take up my entire lap! At Oliver's last appointment he was well over 11lbs, and I'm sure he's hit 12 by now. Audrey was 11, and in just 9 days, Grace went from 8lbs to 8lbs10oz - she gained over an ounce a day! So amidst the sleep deprivation, piles of diapers and dirty bottles, I find myself treasuring every moment knowing that this time of tiny babies, coos, and gummy smiles is so precious, and so brief.

4 Months Old

Our happy boy

Sweet little Gracie girl

Curious, attentive Audrey

A glimpse of feeding time...

Awww, it looks like they're holding hands:)

Off for a walk...

Gettin' a little sunshine

The weather has been so nice, and even though the babies and I spend 99% of our time indoors, I've made an effort to get outside just a little bit each day - even if it's just setting the babies on our back deck in their seats for a few minutes or taking a quick walk around the neighborhood.

The babies have quite a few doctor visits coming up; regular weight gain checks and regular blood pressure monitoring (the girls seem to be fine, but Oliver's was a little high before leaving the NICU so he is being treated with meds that seem to be helping). At their appointment on Wednesday, Oliver was up to 11lbs 4oz, Audrey was at 10lbs 15oz, and little Grace was exactly 8lbs. She has been having some reflux / gagging issues and often loses some or all of her feeds so the doctor wants to monitor her weight gain carefully.

As I type this, Audrey is in her swing sucking on her binky, Oliver is sitting in his boppy seat studying the light in the hallway, and Grace is on her tummy (our best method of keeping the food down after feeding) loudly voicing her disapproval - which sounds quite a bit like an angry prehistoric bird:) Oh, I love my little babies!

Moments at Home

Just hangin' out

Hi Grace!

Naptime

Sleepy Audrey after her shots

Grace is going to loooove this one!

Oliver likes to hold his hands together while he eats; it's his "happy place"

"Why is my binky over there?"

Oliver was hungry and didn't want to smile for the camera:)

The girls

Oliver loves his bink!

Audrey working her little neck muscles!

We've had all three babies home for two weeks already! The first week was pretty exhausting and both Robert and I only managed to get about 3-4 broken hours of sleep each night, but this week has been a lot better! Since our babies are so noisy and do so much grunting, we decided to move Audrey and Oliver into their own room to sleep in their cribs instead of in their cradles in our room. They seem to sleep much better in there, and so do mommy and daddy! The monitor doesn't seem to pick up all of their little noises, but we do hear them when they cry:) Little Grace is pretty quiet, so she's still in our room for the moment.

The babies had another well-baby exam on Wednesday and had to get their second round of vaccines. They cried a little harder this time (and mommy almost passed out), but as soon as they were done each baby got to cuddle with mommy and eat, and they also got to wear cute little snoopy band-aids, so all is well:) Audrey weighed in at 10lbs 10oz, Oliver was 10lbs 9oz, and Grace was up to 7lbs 14oz. And just yesterday Audrey and Oliver graduated to size 2 diapers - they shouldn't be allowed to grow so fast!

Today is Robert's 31st birthday, and we're hoping to make our first stroller trip outside with all three babies for a walk to the little park and a picnic. We've pretty much been inside of our house for the past 2 weeks, so a little fresh air and sunshine will do all five of us good!

My Wife - My Hero!!

The sacrifices Holly has made to ensure the health of our babies is more than any man could ask of his wife. Not only did she carry THREE babies for six months enduring the aches and pains of pregnancy, but when her body threatened to deliver all three at 22 weeks (a guaranteed death sentence for any baby) Holly laid completely still in her hospital bed for 5 week giving our babies a fighting chance. Then for the next three and a half months Holly spent every day at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit enduring the stress of having three sick babies in the hospital (and all that comes with it - nurses, doctors, etc.) so that they could feel their mothers nurturing touch. And as if that wasn't enough, Holly has pumped every three hours around the clock since our babies were born so that they could be fed only on mommy's breast milk. Because of Holly's hard work we now have three beautiful, healthy babies. I am so proud of her.

Thank you sweetie for all of your sacrifices. You are truly my hero.

Where Holly stayed for 5 weeks.

I don't believe a man can witness a labor or a c-section and not be amazed at the strength of a woman.

Mommy working her magic.

Cute Babies!

Cuddle time

On the way to the doctor's office for a well baby check up!

View from the backseat of our car

Bathtime for Grace!

Gracie girl

Oliver... or Grandpa Gene???

Oliver lounging in the recliner

Sisters

My little strawberry shortcake

Oliver livin' on the edge

Oliver says, "Hey, where's my food, man?"

My sweet baby Audrey

Audrey's cute feet

Mr. Oliver - so adorable!

Audrey is so curious and loves watching things!