Together at last...

I am happy to say that Bensen came home today! We are together at last...

Mt Rainier

From the house, we have a great view of Mt. Rainier, and on evenings like tonight it is spectacular. I couldn't help but snap a picture. Anyone up for a climb?


FYI

How tall is Mount Rainier?
The official measurement is 14,410 ft. above sea level.

How many people climb the mountain each year?
In 2009, 10,616 people attempted to climb Mount Rainier; 6,438 of them actually reached the summit.

State of the union...

Well, as you can imagine...its been a little hectic around here...and I haven't had the chance to do much more than post a few pics here and there. But this morning Sherri had to go see her doctor for a post op checkup and so I've been abandoned here with one three year old and a couple of little dudes that are pretending to sleep. I say pretending because its amazing how much noise they make even when they are sleeping...grunts, groans etc...it makes you wonder if they ever really do sleep. But hey, in spite of the fact that there are clothes to wash, a kitchen to clean, many many bottles to fill- here I am.

We are still without Bensen so in military terms we do not have the mission accomplished yet (no man left behind). I do think the secret op to rescue him will come fairly soon...and we are ready. AJ and Chase's beds were filled by a set of twins...when I met their parents I couldn't help but mutter under my breath...Whimps! Like seriously...only two? C'mon...it takes more than that to impress me. In our house the parents prefer to be completely outnumbered.

Most people are wondering what its like to have multiples in the house...and although I know its perfectly understandable to expect us to break down and freak out- don't get your hopes up. These little guys are perfectly normal. They cry when they're awake. They spit up after every feeding. We change their clothes many times a day. We feed them every 3 hrs. And change diapers at least twice as often as that. Do the math. Right now thats 16 bottles a day, 30ish diapers a day and my guess is at least 8 clothing changes a day. And we only have 2 at home. Oh yeah..then there's the 3 yr old. Oops- forgot about him.

The truth is, we are really enjoying having the little dudes. When you've gone through periods of time when there were real questions about your ability to even have kids...you don't take them for granted. Yes, they'll be a lot of work. Yes, I am sure my hair will turn grey and fall out. We won't have a social life for a while. And our holidays will consist of trips to McDonald's.

But this is it. This is what we wanted.

AJ Rocks our world!

OK, the news is out! I now have two little dudes sleeping head to head upstairs! After 48 days in the hospital, little Anton decided it was time to come join the fraternity here at home!
So we showed up today ready to take him home!

...but had a little fun putting all 3 together...

The lucky two that got to go home today...

This is one of our many, many special Nurses at the ISCU/NICU! Seriously, we could not have survived without these special people.

And the one we had to leave behind...poor Bensen. It just kills us to leave him now.

Other happenings this week...
My Mom and Dad and two of my nephews came to inspect the new arrivals...

...so I put them all to work! Ha. Thats the rule!!

Welcome Aboard Chase!

So, today little Chase came home!


Getting ready to leave Swedish Hospital

Ok, I know...there should be two more!

Our Very Special Nurse even came to say Good-Bye!

...what is taking sooo long...???

We're going to have to get REALLY good at this...

All tucked in at home!

And Mark insisted on sleeping right next to Chase on the floor! (Just in case he vanished, I guess!)



So thats finally the first one home - its been a pretty amazing 5 weeks. And we expect Anton and Bensen home later in the week. Can't wait!

Recent Pics

Well, not too much to say this week. We're all doing great and looking forward to bringing somebody home soon! AJ 5 lb 14oz, Bensen 6 lb 2 oz, Chase is 5 lbs 10 oz. (Give or take a few ounces....) They're one month old and have almost doubled in size already!! And yes, we've decided to keep them all!

Sherri and Mark with AJ


Brenda getting a little practice...w/ AJ



...and with Chase

Sleepy little AJ

Dana helping out (and getting practice for number 4 later this year!!)

Big Bro hangin' with Bensen



Yup. I even do diapers. (the perfect husband...)

1 Month!

Wow, tomorrow the little 3 will be a month old. I'll try to take some pics and post them later...for now just an update. I actually spent the weekend with Mark at our convention in Chelan, WA...we had a great time "camping" as Mark would say. We hadn't been there before...but I have a feeling we'll be going back! Its a fantastic place. That gave Sherri a chance to spend some time up at the hospital with the triplets, and Dana came down from Vancouver to be with her. I suspect there was a little retail therapy going on too...

The triplets are doing great...nothing but good news from that front. They are all over 5 lbs now, Bensen is still the largest and Chase still the smallest, but they are growing and starting to feel much less "tiny". AJ and Ben have decided that they like their nurses a little too much, so they aren't showing too much desperation to come home. Chase, on the other hand, absolutely wants to show off - he is taking his bottles really well, and so far is on track to come home first. The only thing keeping any of them from coming home at this point is their ability to take their feeds from a bottle. They have to bottle 8 times a day for 3 consecutive days in order to earn a "get out of jail" card! Little Chase has worked himself up to 4 a day (overachiever), while his bro's hang out content with one or two. Funny how the little guy is so determined not to get left behind!

So they'll all probably come home in the next 2-4 weeks...and my money's on Chase for the first out the gate to join big bro Mark at home. We'll definitely let you know as they get ready to ship out!

Sunday Afternoons May Never Be The Same...

Well, we tried for a "family picture" today. This is as close as we got! Kind of made me realize once again that the calm idyllic Sunday afternoon is probably a thing of the past for this Miles household!!!

(L-R: AJ, Chase, Mark, Bensen)

Mark helping out...

Mark being Mark
Working on the "Masterpiece"...


Ahhh well...life is meant to change. This is crazy, but we're lovin' it!

More Pics...

Proud Parents w/ Ben...


AJ gets his first bath...




Mark gets to hold AJ...




The boys are doing great...all three of them weigh over 4 lbs now, they are out of their isolettes and are starting to bottle feed a little bit! We are nearing the three week mark (hard to believe!) and we are really seeing progress. We go up and see them every day, and its starting to get harder to leave them behind as now they are more alert when awake and really love being held. We think 2-3 more weeks and they'll probably be close to coming home...it all depends on how quickly they learn to feed from the bottle. I guess its time to get the boys' room ready!!

Moving Day

Well, our NICU days are over. Yesterday about noon we learned that a room had opened up down in the ISCU that was big enough for all three of the "Miles Triplets", and so the move was on. Our little boys spent two short weeks in the NICU...much less than we expected and so we feel extremely thankful for our good fortune. I must admit that it was hard to leave though...the NICU is a very unique place that few people experience first hand...and its a place I hope to never forget.

This is a place where the joy of seeing your precious little baby is often jarred by the grim reality that you are not in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for a holiday. Parents from all walks of life follow their tiny offspring into the shelter of this place...some of us leave with joy, others emptyhanded and wondering why. I have met many people. Most of them are trying to be as positive as they can, but their eyes tell a different story. "We're having a better day..." is sort of how the conversation tends to go. You try not to ask difficult questions. The truth is...we don't have the answers. A good day can turn bad within a few hours. And for those with 1 1/2 lb babies that are clinging to their little lives by a thread...every day can be precious.

Baby Conner has had some rough days. His parents keep vigil by his bedside...tears often streaming down his mothers face. His little body is hard to even see under the tubes and lines that help him breath and feed. He was born at 25 wks and has had some setbacks. The road will be hard.
Little Baby Isias never got to meet his baby twin brother. They were delivered at 27 weeks and only Isias survived. He is tiny also. But his father desperately wants him to come home some day. He has three beautiful big sisters that love their tiny little brother. But they should have two.
Baby Zachery is also tiny. Born at 24 weeks, on the edge of viability, his parents were completely unprepared for having a baby so soon. He still thinks breathing is optional...so the ventilator keeps him alive. His little heart hadn't had time to completely develop, so he has a heart murmur that is slowly closing. His dad is a Navy man. He will go serve his country. His heart will be here.

I am a bit of a wreck. I am blessed. My boys will go home. They will play in the sunshine, swim in the lake. I will hold them tightly and kiss their foreheads while they sleep. I will try to be a better dad, firm and strong. But I don't necessarily deserve it. I am just one of the fortunate ones. Most of us are.

11 Years Ago Today...

We were married this evening, 11 years ago. And so, I must take the opportunity to acknowledge my wonderful wife and everything that she has brought me. You have witnessed a fraction of the type of lady she is... and I could never adequately explain everything that she means to me. Suffice it to say that I am often humbled and awed by her character and the devotion that this woman has for her loved ones. I did not appreciate how lucky I was 11 years ago... and so I will try to today.

We spent the better part of the day with our sons - and quite frankly I can't imagine any other way to celebrate our wedding day. May we be so fortunate to enjoy many more in the same company.


Some random pics from this week...

Mama Bear w/ AJ

Big Brother Visiting!

Chase's Response to Big Brother

Bensen checkin' out dad...

Our Saturday pancake tradition!


The boys are doing fantastic...they are all gaining weight, Bensen even pushed over 4 lbs this week! They will soon be moved from the NICU to the ISCU (Infant Special Care Unit) due to their fantastic progress, so our NICU days are limited now! They are total rock stars in the preemie world. (Dad's a little biased!)

Holding 3 lbs...

We are starting to be able to hold these little guys...and it is such a treat. They love being held, although we are limited to once a day so that we don't tire them out too much. Holding 3 pounds of baby feels like you're just holding a blanket. Amazing.

Dad holding Chase



Sherri w/ Chase


Sherri w/ Bensen


Then I took some 1-Week pictures!

AJ at 1-Week


Ben at 1-Week


Chase at 1-Week


Yup. Its pretty hard to imagine you can hold in so much love.