Maria Fareri Children's Hospital Annual Walk

Though it was bitterly cold the day of the annual walk (and raining) we still had a great time participating in the Maria Fareri Children's Hospital walk today.  Last year we did the March of Dimes walk but wanted to focus on the place we called "home" for a few weeks instead.  MFCH was where the trio spent their time after they were born growing, learning to eat and learning to breathe!  It was the place in which we had to drive away from every day (twice a day) and leave the loves our life in other people's hands.  But when we did have to leave them we never once doubted how well they were being taken care of or loved by the nurses and doctors there.  So we wanted to thank them but helping to raise money this year and walk for them.  The name of our team was Multiple Miracles and we made little tshirts for the kids to wear...even though it was too cold to show them off!

A SPECIAL THANKS TO THOSE THAT DONATED MONEY TO OUR TEAM:

THE JEHLS
POOLS ETC.
SERVICEMASTERS
THE THIREYS (A NEW MULTIPLE FAMILY TO TWINS HERE ON POST ALSO BORN AT MFCH)!

Multiple Miracles!!

Can you tell it was early and cold?!

He loves Firetrucks!

Happy as long as there's food!

Oppportunity to Help!

As most of you know Maria Fareri Children's Hospital is an important place in our heart.  This is where our trio was taken care of so well after birth for four weeks.  It was so hard to leave them every day and not be able to bring them home with us but what helped was knowing that they were so well taken care of while there.  They received the most advanced medical care and I truly believe that's the main reason that they came home so soon!  
Every year they have a walk at the hospital to raise money so that they can continue providing that stellar care and we are participating this year.  It is next Sunday April 22nd.  Anything that you can donate would be appreciated.  Just click the link below and it'll walk you through the process.

Thanks again for all of your support!

Donate HERE!

Picture Controversy...

As a lot of you know I LOVE Tommee Tippee products and love to promote them.  They have a great Facebook page that I'm a member of and they have asked me to submit pictures of our trio using their products to post on their page.  They have posted a few pictures of the kids but two specific pictures have caused a lot of controversy from those "less fortunate to not have the education about multiples".  It was amazing at the same time to see others "sticking up" for my picture who don't even know our family...so thank you for that!  I have invited those that feel it necessary to say inappropriate things about our lifestyle to view my blog and learn more about my family and I extend that invitation to those that already follow it and invite anyone whom you may come across that disagrees with something we are doing as parents.  In conclusion, please read some of the comments listed under the pictures that I have posted below and use it as a learning experience in never making assumptions or negative remarks about someone's family or lifestyle without knowing the facts first.  Thanks to all those who continuously support us and are positive influences in our life! This will be the last time that I address this issue as I have more important and exciting things in my life to enjoy!

When you click on this link and get to their homepage scroll down on the wall and you'll see the picture of the trio when they were young and their bottles are propped and another picture further down of the tray of prepared bottles when they were younger as well.  When you click on the picture you'll see all of the fantastic comments people made as well as my own response towards the bottom of the comment list!
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=33610902&ref=tn_tnmn#!/TommeeTippeeNorthAmerica

Featured Blogger

There's a great website out there called Multiples and More and they have featured bloggers every week. I was fortunate enough to be the featured blogger this week. Here's the link to my interview:

Multiples and More Interview

ENJOY!!!

VOTE, VOTE, VOTE!!!

Parents Magazine has nominated this blog for a contest.  We're in the category "Best All Around" but we need your votes.  The contest doesn't end until October so we need you to continuously vote...there's tough competition out there! On the right side of this page just click on the pink button and you'll have to do a one time registration in order to vote.  But you're not signing up for anything as far as emails or subscription I promise!! Please help us with this...I want to get the blog out there to make others lives easier!!!

THANK YOU!!!!

An Inspiring Show

TLC periodically airs a show called "Quints By Surprise" every year that only lasts a few weeks but is a must for Joe and I to watch.  Now there's a few multiples show out there but this one by far is the best.  They also have an older daugher named Eliot along with five two year olds (4 girls and a boy).  Joe and I always say how they remind us a lot of us and though they have 5 (plus 1) their chaotic lifestyle closely resembles our household on a daily basis!



It airs on Mondays at 10 pm on TLC (we DVR it)!

Preeclampsia Awareness Month

May is Preeclampsia Awareness Month.  And most of you probably say to yourselves "what is preeclampsia and could it really happen to me"?  That's what I used to say when I would hear the term before I was pregnant.  Here's my story:

My husband and I had been trying to conceive for a year and a half with no luck so we began fertility treatments and became pregnant with triplets via IUI. I had a perfect pregnancy (considering it was times three) up until 30 weeks. I began to swell a lot and the doctors ordered ultrasounds on my legs to check for blood clots. My blood pressure was not yet high at that point so they didn't take it too seriously. At 32 weeks and 3 days I began to cramp horribly and told my husband that I had to go to the hospital. As soon as I arrived they inserted a catheter and began monitoring my urine and blood pressure. I was admitted on a Saturday and since there is less personnel on the weekends they really wanted to hold off on delivering until Monday since triplets require a lot of people. Monday morning came and my doctor said he had no choice but to deliver for the safety of me and the babies due to my blood pressure going through the roof.

I'll never forget the nurses continuously telling me to roll on my side when they would check my blood pressure because apparently that position helps to lower it. I finally said if my blood pressure is high then there's a reason so let's do something about it, not hide it!! After the delivery the next morning they wanted to take me off the magnesium sulfate but they quickly realized that something was seriously wrong with me! The entire right side of my face was not moving! They did cat scans, MRI's, poking and prodding until they found fluid on my brain. They sent in a neurologist team and diagnosed me with Bells Palsy. On top of that my preeclampsia had turned into HELLP syndrome which explained why my blood pressure was still through the roof after I delivered.  I of course didn't realize the seriousness of this disorder until the nurse pulled the curtains shut to my friends and family and simply said "she's very sick".  HELLP can cause seizures, excessive bleeding and kidneys to shut down if not caught in time. 
They wanted to do an immediate blood transfusion because I had become anemic during the C-section. While waiting for the blood I had to use the restroom for the first time so Joe and the nurse on either side walked me in. Because of the loss of blood I had become so weak that I actually collapsed onto the floor. They believe that when this happened I created a hematoma on my incision (along with everything else). Finally I received the transfusion in hopes to be on the mends after! Not so much! My blood pressure was still high so I had to get a platelet transfusion.
The hardest party was not being able to see my three beautiful children for the first 3 days of their lives because I couldn't go down to the NICU since I was so sick. I had to rely on my husband to take pictures of them and show me.
Finally after a week of being in the hospital I was sent home with blood pressure medicine that I had to take three times a day for a month until my pressure eventually came down as the swelling lessened. It took about a month for the Bells Palsy to go away as well.
We now have 3 11-month old triplets, Ava, Gavin and Brayden. I thank God every day that he got me far into the pregnancy so they were delivered at a healthy weight. I also thank God every day that he got me through that week while I lay in the hospital bed thinking "what if I don't make it..."?

I share this story to those out there that have suffered, may suffer or know that someone that has suffered from this disorder as support and information.  I have recently signed up with the Preeclampsia Foundation where I can volunteer even just one hour a month of my time creating awareness for people out there as well as organizing fundraisers to help with the research of Preeclampsia and HELLP.