One Week and Counting

Well for all of you that might not have known, Cooper checked out of the NICU last Monday, July 18th.  When Coopster got out of the hospital it was off to Disney World aka home.  Jill and I were so excited to finally be home!  It has been an adventurous week for us.  All three home!!  Wow!!!  Logan was so excited to see us but he is wondering when the babies will be leaving.  He's not really used to them quite yet!!  I think he is really going to enjoy them when they get older.

Emerson has been out of the hospital for almost three weeks as well as Brayson.  All three are still gaining weight.  Emerson now weighs around 8lbs.  Brayson on the other hand is our big boy.  He is tipping the scales around 9lbs while the Coopster is weighing in at 7lbs 10ozs.  When the boys were in the NICU they were getting weighed every day now they get weighed only when they go to see the pediatrician.  Which we hope that will not be again until September.  Jill and I took all three boys to the pediatrician last week what an adventure this was.  To get all three boys out of our extra extra long vehicle was quite a challenge.  On the way to the doctors office I had to jump out of the passenger seat to the back because one of the boys monitors was going off while driving 75mph down the interstate.  When we made it into the doctors office we had to take all their clothes off to get an accurate weight and that's when the fun began.  All three were screaming bloody murder and they continued this until the visit was over. 

At home all the boys sleep in their own cribs in their Curious George Room.  Yes our nursery is covered with this favorite little monkey.  Its cute!  They eat every three to four hours and are on a really good schedule.  Check out some of these pictures.

Emerson on his way home

Brayson on his way home

Cooper going home

Emerson in his going home outfit

Brayson & Cooper hanging in the Nicu

Together again at last

Emerson with Mom and Dad

Gran, Aunt Jennifer, Cousins Hailee & Ella with Emerson (Spencer Turner in background)

Ready to go to Ocean Springs(Brayson, Emerson and Cooper)

Jill, Hailee, Amon and Triplets

Cousins Caroline and Hunter with Brayson

Brayson says "I need my bed back"

Coopster getting a bath

Four Generations (Granny Holcomb, Amon, Aunt Sue, Emerson, Cooper and Brayson)

Brotherly Love (Brayson treating himself to Emerson's head)

Check back for some more good times with the Holcomb Triplets!

Thanks for all your prayers!  We could not have made it home without y'all!

Jill and Amon

Disney World?

Disney World is the place that the nurses refer to as home!  Well we are pretty close to Disney World!  I have not posted since we got the second baby out of the NICU last Saturday.  Yes Brayson has checked out!  He checked out on July 9th around 3pm.  He  and Emerson have been in our care for a little more than a week.  Now we just have to wait on Cooper.   Cooper is almost ready!  We are patiently waiting and it has been really hard!  Cooper has accomplished everything he needs to but the heart rate drop.  His last heart rate drop was on Thursday July 14th.   So we have one week from that date which would be Thursday the 21st of July.  However after talking with the doctors this morning it looks like it could be earlier than expected.  We could be going home tomorrow!  Yes if the Coopster doesnt have another heart rate drop we will probably be home tomorrow, Monday July 18.  July 18 was Jill's original due date.  

It has been a fun week with Emerson and Brayson at the Ronald McDonald House.  On Monday we took them to their first doctors appointment over in Ocean Springs.  This was their first unofficial visit home.  It will not be official until we have all three of them.  But anyway they got to meet their big brother Logan.  Logan was so excited to see us!  He really did not know what to think about the babies besides wanting to lick them.  The babies are taking a bottle every three hours on the hours of 5, 8, 11, and 2.  The 2am feeding and 5am feeding have been really challenging.  I only try to do the 2am feedings on weekends.  However I wake up for the 5am feeding every morning except on weekends.  Jill's mom is batting a thousand or 100% .  She sleeps out in the living room with the boys and has participated in every feeding since the babies arrival here at the Ronald McDonald House.  We could not have made it through the week without her.  Its going to be fun when we do really get home with all three!  

Thanks for all the prayers and thoughts.   Please continue to pray for our family that we will be going home soon. 

Thanks
Jill & Amon

Emerson has checked out!!

Emerson is out of the NICU.  He checked out around 6:30 tonight.  Now he is just waiting on his brothers to come join him.  After we got him home to the Ronald McDonald House he has just slept and ate.  Jill, Gran and I had a wonderful dinner prepared by some culinary chefs from Virginia College.  It was a pork tenderloin and it was awesome.  Emerson just slept in his pack and play that his Aunt Jennifer gave him. 

After dinner Jill and Gran stayed with Emerson while I went to check out the other two boys in the NICU.  They are doing good.  When I walked in they were mad that Emerson had left them.  They were really fussy!  I think they were just hungry.  So I picked up Brayson and fed him.  Brayson is now weighing over 7lbs.  He ate 100ccs today which is equivalent to a little over three ounces in one feeding. I gave Brayson 95ccs when I fed him tonight.  Cooper was fed by his nurse Mrs. Taylor.  Most nurses go by their first names but when I asked her her name a couple weeks ago she said Mrs. Taylor.  So I call her Mrs. Taylor but her name is Maggie.  Mrs. Taylor fed Cooper about 60ccs.  Cooper went right back to sleep after his feeding but Brayson was wide awake.  I sang several songs to Brayson but he still would not go to sleep.  Then I read him some books.  "Good Night Moon" and a book by Dr. Seuss called "Oh Baby the Place You Will Go".  He really enjoyed them and went to sleep. 

Check out these pictures of Emerson coming home, Brayson and Cooper.

Emerson & Jill in the Ronald McDonald House.  Straight out of the NICU.

Emerson in his car seat

Emerson in his Pack and Play

Brayson

Cooper

Emerson Status!

Well yesterday we didnt get the news we were looking for with Emerson.  Emerson was supposed to have his circumcision yesterday.  Since it was the 4th of July he did not.  Emerson was supposed to also get his vaccinations and he didn't get those either.  Emerson will probably not come home tomorrow but will maybe be  Thursday.  Today all of the boys got their vaccinations and will get their circumcisions tomorrow.  Since they got their vaccinations today the doctors want to monitor the boys for 48 hours. 

We got the news today that Brayson's caffeine levels were below five.  Actually his level was 2.6.  Since his levels were this good he now has to go one week without a heart rate drop then he will be ready to go home.  Cooper's caffeine levels were 6.5 which is above the 5 mark that he needs to have before they start his countdown for him to go home. 

All the boys are really doing good.  They are eight weeks old today.  They all have been off their air cannulas and feeding tubes for well over a week.  They all are weighing over 6lbs as well.  Emerson is now at 6lbs 5oz, Brayson is 6lbs 14oz, and Cooper is 6lbs 1oz.  Emerson has gained 3lbs 4oz since birth, Brayson has gained 3lbs and Cooper has gained 2lbs 14oz.  On Sunday they moved their feedings to as much as they want.  So basically feed them until they are satisfied.  Brayson ate 80ccs last night which is almost 3 ounces.  Emerson ate 75 ccs tonight while Cooper ate 60ccs which is 2 ounces exactly. 

I think the expected going home date for Brayson and Cooper will probably be the middle of next week.  So that will be around the 13th of July.  I think Brayson will definetly be going home by then and Cooper will hopefully be just a couple of days later.

Check out these pictures.

Emerson

Cooper

Emerson

Brayson

Please continue to pray for our boys to get stronger and be able to come home to Ocean Springs.

Thanks

Jill and Amon

Update!

All the boys are doing really well!  We are just waiting on the caffeine levels to go down and then the countdown begins.  We have been talking to the nurses and as soon as Brayson and Cooper's caffeine levels go down below 5 the clock begins.  They have to go one week without a heart rate drop then its off to Ocean Springs.  All of the boys have been on regular air for a week now.  Cooper was the last to get off his air cannula last Saturday.  Emerson is the only one that is really really close to going home!  Emerson was not on any caffeine and has not had a heart rate drop since last Monday, June 27th.  Emerson also had a test last night and he passed.  That test was the car seat test.  The car seat test is where they buckle them into their car seats and they have to go for one hour without any heart rate drops.  All Emerson has to have done is his vaccinations and that other surgery that most males do not like to talk about.  We are hoping that he will be home on Monday but keep your fingers crossed. 

Jill and I are all ready to go to Ocean Springs.  We went home yesterday for a little while.  Actually for most of the day because I had to have a little oral surgery.  After my surgery and spending most of the day at home we went to grab some dinner with friends in Ocean Springs.  Jill and I wanted me to have the surgery before the babies got home so Jill would not have to four babies at home.  I am doing okay still hurts a little but not enough to keep me out of the NICU.  Plus the doctor gave me plenty of drugs as well. 

Please keep praying for our little boys to get better so they can go home and see their other brother "Logan".

Thanks
Jill and Amon