First Pediatrician Visit

The Boys are GREAT!





We had our first pediatrician visit this past Monday. The first time out of the house with all three was an adventure. Unexpectedly, the car seats did not fit in Mikki's Yukon (yes, I probably should have worked through this problem prior to the minute we needed to leave). Avoiding a potential meltdown, we quickly adjusted our plans and took two vehicles. Upon further reflection, I think that we can realign the seats in the Yukon so that the boys can all ride together next time. However, the Bertrands will be in the market for a bigger vehicle in the near future. Any car salesman that can provide a serious triplet discount should get in touch with us - emphasis on serious!

Once at the doctor's office the boys got to try out their pimp-tacular stroller:





They then waited "patiently" to meet their new doctor (in birth order, Jackson, Maxwell and Harrison):







Fortunately, all three of our big boys received A+ grades on their physical exams. They all have already exceeded their birth weight with Jackson weighing in at 6 lbs. 1 oz., Maxwell at 6 lbs. 3 oz. and Harrison at 5 lbs. 13 oz. The preemie clothes and diapers won't fit for much longer!

The boys will get to visit with their doctor one more time next Monday, and, if all is well, they will not have to go back for another two months.

On the home front, the boys are eating, peeing and pooping at an extraordinary rate. They drink two plus ounces every 3 to 4 hours, which correlates to about 24 bottles a day, which in turn correlates to roughly 24 to 30 diapers a day. Thankfully, they also sleep pretty well. They are up for 30 minutes to an hour at each feeding and then they sleep a few hours until the next feeding. One week in, they remain on the same schedule. If one wakes up a little early for a feeding, we wake up the other two so that we stay on schedule. With the help of grandmas and great grandmas, we are able to feed them all at once. Our current trio has also been very helpful thus far. They love to help with the feedings, even getting up early for school so they can feed their baby before getting on the bus (we'll see how long that last).

We have really enjoyed everyone's interest in our journey with these boys. It has been an awesome experience. Thank you for the continued well wishes.

The Bertrand 8

The Trio is Back Together

Maxwell Francis Bertrand, born September 16, 2011 and weighing 6 lbs. 1 oz., spent 2 days in the NICU and 3 days in the special care nursery before being discharged to come home on Wednesday September 21, 2011. Max was the second born and the biggest in both weight and length (19.5 inches). He required two days of oxygen post-birth but was otherwise perfect. Max has really fat cheeks and a small birthmark behind his neck. Best of all, he has wild hair that is difficult to tame - just perfect for a kid named Max! He looks uber tough and menacing at times, though his toughness is offest by his high pitch squeal.

Here are a few pics of Max's trip home:







Max was VERY happy to be home:



So, as of this past Wednesday, there were two:







Jackson Robert Bertrand, born September 16, 2011 and weighing 5 lbs. 15 oz., spent 2 days in the NICU and 5 days in the special care nursery before being discharged to come home on Friday September 23, 2011. Jack was the first born - the big brother. He required two days of oxygen post-birth and would have come home sooner but for an isolated drop in his heart rate on day 3 that bought him a few extra days of monitoring. Jack appears to be the strong, silent type. His head has a little bit different shape to it which may be a result of being stuck at the bottom of the pile during the pregnancy. He also has more of an olive skin color.

Jackson's trip home:





And then there were three:

In birth order from left to right, Jack, Max and Harrison.





Other than the sleep deprivation (which is not easy), we are doing really well. The boys are proving to be great babies so far. We are on a decent schedule with feedings every 3 hours during the day and every 4 hours at night. These guys rarely cry and they sleep/eat together. We can put them down while they're still awake and they put themselves to sleep. They are eating like monsters, taking in 2 oz. per feeding. Their weights are steadily going up and their jaundice levels are going down (with no treatment). We know two things: (1) we continue to be extremely fortunate and blessed and (2) things will certainly get harder. We are very grateful that the boys are taking it easy on us which allows us to ease into our new life.

We appreciate the great many well wishes and prayers. We are having a lot of fun. There is not an hour that goes by that we don't look at each other and say: WOW, this is amazing. We will post more pictures soon!

Love - The Bertrand 8

The Boys ARE IDENTICAL

Lab results on the placenta have confirmed that the boys are in fact IDENTICAL. The boys were spawned by one AWESOME egg, were SAFELY tucked into three separate sacs, and they shared the same SUPER placenta. We are accepting all ideas regarding how to identify them moving forward....electronic chips? tatoos? fingernail polish? hair style? clothes? hmmmmm. For now we will keep their hospital bracelents on. We will utilize a color scheme as well: Max = Red; Jack = Blue; and Harry = Green. Considering that they look alike, I'm sure glad they are cute!

Harrison is Home

Harrison Kent Bertrand, born September 16, 2011 and weighing 5lbs. 10 oz., spent 2 days in the NICU before being cleared to hangout in the room with his parents. Harrison did not require any oxygen assistance and he was sucking a bottle 2 hours after his birth. To the amazement of the hospital staff, he easily passed all of the tests given to premature babies. So, after 2 days of monitoring, the doctors could not find any reason for Harrison not to be released to join mom in her room. His jaundice levels are a little high and there remains a possibility that he could require some form of treatment.

With much excitement, Harrison was discharged from the hospital with Mikki last night. We made it home around 11pm and he slept in his bed for the first time. He is doing SO awesome. He is eating really well and has almost gained back all of the weight he lost after birth. The little dude is rarely fussy, which makes our job pretty easy at this point. We are bringing Harrison back to the outpatient clinic today so they can check his jaundice levels.

Here are a few pics of Harrison and his trip home:









Max should be discharged today so that we get to enjoy the fun of bringing another baby home. We cannot wait to have them all together again.

The Bertrand 8

The Boys Are Here

We welcomed the boys into this World on Friday, September 16, 2011 at 7:33 a.m., 7:34 a.m. and 7:35 a.m respectfully. It was an unbelievable experience. Mikki was amazing:



Jackson arrived first weighing in at 5 lbs. 15 oz., Maxwell second at 6 lbs. 1 oz. and Harrison third at 5 lbs. 10 oz. They were fat and healthy.



All initially went to the NICU, but they only stayed for two days prior to moving to the special care nursery. Jack and Max required some minimal oxygen help for the first two days, but both are completely off of it now. Harrison (the runt) has out performed his brothers so far and he was moved to our room Sunday night. Harrison will go home with us tomorrow. Max may also come home with us depending on how the next 24 hours go. However, Jack will stay at the hospital until Friday or Saturday (his heart rate dropped last night for less than 20 seconds earning him five additional days).

Oh, and the boys look to be identical!! While we are still waiting for some test results, they share exactly the same amount of cuteness and they have the same blood type. We are relying on hospital bracelets for now, but we will need a good identification plan once we get home

We cannot explain how incredibly blessed we are. The odds of having spontanous identical triplets born healthy at 34 weeks is beyond comprehension. Mikki and the boys are the talk of the hospital and no one can recall seeing anything like this before. The only explanation is that we were chosen for these wonderful gifts and we plan to enjoy the ride.

We will provide a detailed birth story later, but, in the meantime, we have included a slideshow on the right side of this page (for those reading on email you will have to go to the actual web page to view the pics). Enjoy!!

Love,

Hunter, Mikki, Coby, Claire, Caroline, Jackson, Maxwell and Harrison - Party of Eight

The Boys Are Coming!

The delivery date has been moved up to Friday and we will be off to the hospital in a few hours. The boys and Mikki are fine, and there are no worries. It is simply time to get the boys out. We are very excited and almost ready - still packing a bag or two as we speak. The delivery is scheduled for 7am.

We truly appreciate all of the prayers and well wishes. Stay tuned for updates and hopefully pictures as time allows today.

33 Weeks and 5 Days

We visited Dr. L. today. From what we could see on ultrasound, the boys heartbeats were great, their fluid sacs were full and they passed all of their breathing and movement tests. We were unable to get an estimate of their weights, but we are guessing that they will all be around 5lbs at birth - which is awesome. As for Mikki, her cervix is still holding strong and she has shown very few signs of premature labor. The last few weeks have been very tough on Mikki, but, overall, she is doing amazingly well.

So, we are a go for September 20! We are as ready as we'll ever be and we are excited to see our boys...Mikki is also really tired of being pregnant. We pray that these little guys will be healthy and strong so that they can avoid the NICU altogether. Having made it to almost 35 weeks, no one would be surprised if one or all of the boys come home with us. However, it is very possible, if not likely, that one or all could spend a week or so in the NICU. We would like to think that we have prepared ourselves for either scenario, but that is probably wishful thinking.

Thanks to everyone for the continued prayers and well wishes. We are very happy to have you with us on this journey.

Hunter and Mikki

D-Day has been set - September 20

The date has been set: September 20, 2011. We visited Dr. L yesterday and were told that Mikki still looks good with no signs of premature labor. While Mikki is sooo done with being pregnant, she is motivated to give these boys more time to mature prior to delivery. With that said, two weeks sounds like an eternity to Mikki. So, we are taking it a day at a time and today is 32 weeks and 6 days. Every day in the womb from this point forward equals multiple days the boys will not have to spend in the NICU.

We have been so blessed to have our family helping out over the last few weeks. Different members of our respective families have been cooking, cleaning and driving our current trio to their various after school activities (essentially taking over for Mikki so that she can spend more time off of her feet). I’m not sure that we could do it without them, and we certainly can’t thank them enough.

We have posted a new (and likely last) belly pic to the belly watch slideshow. Mikki’s transformation has been nothing short of phenomenal. She is carrying around 15 pounds of baby! Sheeish.

Also, check out these blankets that my Aunt Jana quilted for the boys. They are awesome. You can just imagine the boys dragging these things around for years to come.







We go back to see Dr. L next Tuesday, at which point we will get to see the boys on ultrasound again. If all looks well, then the final countdown to September 20, 2011 will begin!

Oh, and Geaux Tigers!

Hunter and Mikki

32 WEEKS!

Well, today Mikki hit her initial goal of 32 weeks. I'm so in awe of her and the boys are so lucky to have her. This has not been easy - especially the last few weeks. Hopefully we are fortunate enough to make it a few more weeks. I know that Mikki is motivated to keep these boys cooking a while longer so that they are as healthy as they can be when they enter this world.

Please send Mikki your thoughts, prayers and inspiration to get her through these next few weeks!