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