What day is it???

All the days are just flowing together now that I am not working and keeping track of days by which kids we have and the date by Lauryn constantly telling me I forgot to change the calender! LOL! Anyway, we have made it to Monday and it looks like it is going to be an ok week.

Ben had his chemo today so he is quite sick tonight and probably will be for a couple days. He is hoping to be good enough to hit the big Lancaster Fair on Wednesday before coming back down here to spend time with me but we will see. I told him to make sure he enjoys it, next year he will be pushing a quad stroller through the midway and that could be as dangerous as the wheel chair was at the Barton Fair.

He did find out today that they will NOT be doing radiation now. They have determined the mass is too small and the risks outweigh the benefits at this point so he will do the rest of his chemo and be done as long as the scan shows everything is gone.

Tomorrow my mom is coming down and we are going to spend the night in a motel. It will be good to see her, I am used to seeing her a lot so this week I have been missing her. Then Wednesday will be my appointment and the babies second biophysical profile testing. If all goes well we will be staying at my aunt and uncles another week! The longer the babies cook the better!

Ahhh...RELAXATION!!!

I know I haven't been doing much at home in the past few weeks but I am finding being close to the hospital has put my mind at ease enough that I can just relax and do nothing. Our days have consisted of sitting in the pool(me) and the hot tub(Ben), watching TV and just relaxing. It is usually hard for me to just sit and relax but I am finding it much easier here and even have napped a couple time.

Sunday afternoon we are going to have a family cookout with my aunts from Connecticut and maybe some cousins, my dad, grandmother, Kyle and Evan. Evan is very anxious to come down and see me, he was full of questions about if the babies were born yet and if I was in the hospital. I miss seeing him already, these next couple of months are going to be soooo hard. With any luck my doctors can set up arrangements at a closer hospital for the babies care once they are just in the feeding and growing stage so I can be home.

After the cookout Ben is heading home with my dad to have his chemo on Monday and will be staying home for a couple of days to recoup and probably hit up the big Lancaster Fair. Hopefully he will be back here with me Thursday for his birthday. I am going to miss him being so far away and really hope that the babies stay in for the time he is planning on being gone. It would be neat to have them next Thursday on his birthday but if they cook a little longer that is ok too! There are so many birthdays in September the little ones are sure to be born on someones.

We will see what Wednesday brings the babies will be getting their biophysical profile testing once again but won't get a weight check for 2 weeks. I was hoping to see the progress by the week but that is ok at least I can see them! As long as they are still scoring good and I am doing ok we will have another week out of the hospital, YAY!

Another good check up! :)

Today's appointments went fabulous! First up was the ultrasound and all the babies had their first biophysical profile test and each of them passed with an 8/8! This test is used to keep track of movement, increases in heart rate with movement (nonstress test), muscle tone, breathing rate, and the amount of amniotic fluid (amniotic fluid index) surrounding your baby. If these five areas are within a normal range, your baby is considered to be in good health. They then had their weight check...

Baby A 3 lbs 4 oz
Baby B 3 lbs 1 oz
Baby C 2 lbs 8 oz
Baby D 2 lbs 12 oz

Next up was my OB appt. and all was good there too. He said we would leave it up to me for now as to whether or not I want to be admitted and of course I would rather stay with family for the week! He is amazed that they are all doing so good. My itching he said to use Keri Lotion on so I am going to try that.

We had our NICU tour which was scary but informative. We got to see a baby that was 2lbs 8 oz and one that was 3 lbs 3 oz as well as a 14 oz one. That is right, 14oz and she is holding her own! They have a LARGE family room and 2 patios for friends and families to be in. There is also 2 bedrooms for parents, you have to sign up to get them but they told us having 4 we would get a room more often than others having just one, YAY!

The cardiologist appt went fine too. He said I am doing amazing for carrying four and my EKG was perfect so I should have no issues with delivery either.

So now we are at my aunt and uncles for this week any ways and we will see what next week brings. I am sure I will be updating tons as I will be bored not working or having anything that needs to be done LOL!

The week ahead

I need to finish laundry so we can finish packing for our home away from home. We are very fortunate to have family to stay with instead of finding a place close to the hospital for awhile. There is so much to remember to bring I am sure we will forget some essentials. I almost forgot to pack their baby books and I would have been so upset not to have their foot and hand prints on their page!

Wednesday is a big day for appointments. At the u/s we will FINALLY get weight checks done on the babies. We are hoping for them to be close to 3 lbs each now but the cruitial thing is hitting 2 lbs each. I will be getting the shot to finish developing the lungs, this gives them a better chance of being able to breathe when born prematurely.

Ben and I will be touring the NICU as well. I am a little nervous to see such small babies struggling but want to prepare myself for what is to come for us. I know it will be 10x harder to see our own babies in there but I have a lot of questions I want to get answers to as well.

Finally I have my cardiologist appointment, kind of late for this one! It was supposed to be months ago but got rescheduled. They are looking to see if my heart can withstand carrying quads. I think I have shown them the answer is YES!

Ben will be staying with me at my aunt and uncle's until Sunday when he will come home to have his chemo on Monday then he will be headed back down towards the end of next week. Hopefully the babies do not decide they want out while Ben is home but with our luck that is exactly what will happen!

It's official!

We have made the decision that we will be staying in Boston as of next Wednesday. I am sure that the doctor will want us to stay and I am just getting far too nervous being 3.5 hours away and at that point I will be 29 weeks. 28 weeks is average gestation for quads according to my OB so we don't dare press our luck! We are in great hopes that I will make it several more weeks before delivering but anything can happen and we just feel more comfortable being there instead of all the way up here.

Keep in touch on facebook or through email khickey@ne.rr.com I am sure I will be bored a lot and would love to chat with all of you!

We had a really nice article in the local paper today. Sam wrote a beautiful letter to the editor that if anyone picks up a copy they should definitely read! Here is a link to the cover story.
http://www.cooscountydemocrat.com/Articles-c-2009-08-18-149286.113119_Kari_and_Ben_get_by_with_a_little_help_from_their_friends.html

Long day of appointments!

First up was my ultrasound, all looks good! Babies are moving around and the heartbeats are good, the fluid in each sac is good and equal, my cervix is still hanging in there at greater than 3 cm.

Next up was Ben's appointment with his doctor. He woke up sick and was sick to his stomach the whole day, I think it is just the thought of having to go for the chemo and what it makes him feel like for days after. The doctor told him today that they want him to do radiation now also because of the size of the mass in his neck they are afraid that something will be missed and the cancer will return someday down the road. He wasn't very happy about that but at least those treatments can be given in St. Johnsbury which is only about a half hour from home.

Then it was time for my OB appointment. She was a bit concerned that I have been having contractions daily now even though some days there is only one. She checked the cyst on my breast and got me into dermatology right away to have it drained because she was afraid of infection. Apparently when they drained it 3 years ago they should have also removed the entire wall to keep it from coming back but of course that was never mentioned before. The plan is after I am done breastfeeding they will go in and remove that but for now it is drained and I am on antibiotics.

I am thinking from the ultrasound and appointment today I will probably be staying home this week! I will know for sure in the morning when I speak with Dr. Acker. My gut is telling me that I will be taking up residence in Boston after my appointment on the 26th. They (and Ben and I) are getting worried about being so far from a competent hospital.

Finally Ben had his chemo and he was sick through most of this too. The meds didn't burn as bad this time around so that was a big plus for him. During his chemo we had a visit from another quad mom that lives not far from Dartmouth. She gave us a bunch of pointers and answered my many questions and brought little beanie babies for the isolates. They are so cute! We really appreciate having some advice from someone who has been there and done it all!

This morning's Union Leader featured the interview we did with the reporter. Here is the link for anyone who wants to check it out! http://www.theunionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Flamingoes+flock+to+help+a+couple+in+trouble&articleId=a2e73bcd-b10f-4460-82dc-0a18d59bcf34

So onto another, hopefully uneventful, week!

Busy week!

It has been one busy week! Monday my laptop died so I was having withdrawals! LOL! Tuesday we had the state news paper the Union Leader come and do an interview with us to run in the paper and they want to do a follow up after we are home with all the babies. Soon after they left we had a visit from a local business Garnet Hill. They brought us 2 brand new cribs for the babies and boxes full of baby items that the employees had donated. It was amazing to see such wonderful gifts from people we hadn't met.

Yesterday was my regular OB appointment and ultrasound. All went well! My cervix is still holding at +3 cm. My OB said this is amazing without any medical intervention so we are very happy about that! My blood pressure was fantastic and I was granted another week free of bedrest! WOO-HOO!!! I do need to take it easy and avoid unnecessary walking but other than that it is business as usual. All of my doctors warned me that I would be on bed rest by 20 weeks and we hit 27 without it.

The nursery is done thanks to Tom, Kate and Ryan! We are very fortunate to have great friends and family. Here are some pics...




















And belly shot for 27 weeks...up 34 lbs, feels like 134!

Another week down

Each week is a week closer to having healthy babies it also is a week closer to being the end of this pregnancy. That is kind of bittersweet for me, as much as I want the babies here with us I am not really ready for this pregnancy to be over yet. For as high risk as they categorized me and for the fact that the doctors all expected me to be on complete bed rest weeks ago we have shown them all that these babies are fighters and this pregnancy has been pretty easy.

I am excited that the nursery will be all done this week. Ryan is coming to put up the trim and Tom and Kate have put together the cribs and changing table already and are going to do the dressers. I have most of their stuff put away now and just need to wash the preemie clothes and finish packing their bag.

Beginning Wednesday I start the steriod shots to get the babies lungs ready for a premature delivery. I definately am not looking forward to some more shots! I am hoping they will be doing actual weight checks this week, up until now they just tell me the babies are about x lbs. I want to know exact numbers! LOL!

Ben is doing well, his recovery time from chemo was less this time around then the previous couple cycles. We got the results from his nerve conduction study and it shows the absence of nerve endings in his ankles so hopefully that is something they can regenerate. We will have to talk to the doctor next week about that.

New pics!

Pretty uneventful appointments. Ben is still doing ok but they are looking at him being out of work at least until sometime in February so they can hopefully get his feet working again before heading to work. Just means more time he will have with the babies I guess.

My cervix is still great and the numbness in my fingers is due to the swelling and pressure so I guess it will be like that until the babies are here. Other than that no real news!

Here are some ultrasound pics from today. They are getting so big that you can't always get a good view of them. I think we will be starting weight checks in 2 weeks!