5 years ago....

My day began around 4 in the morning. I couldn't sleep so I decided to work on sorting some pictures for a slide show we were preparing for my mother and father-in-laws upcoming wedding anniversary. This was a logical project for me being on bed rest. I was accustomed to not sleeping at this point, but getting out of bed at 4 in the morning was a bit extreme. After my daily morning ritual of monitoring my contractions, I took a little mid morning nap. I had an appointment with my perinatologist late that afternoon. My mother drove me and I had told Rick not to even go. The previous week at my doctor's appointment, I made Rick go and we both had bags packed. I was miserable, but the doctor felt things were going well and he wanted me to wait two more weeks and then we would schedule a c-section at 36 weeks. So, as I headed off to the perinatologist, I had no reason to believe I wouldn't be waiting another week.

Rick surprised me by showing up at the doctors office. We were one of the last patients to be seen that day. She always conducted an ultrasound and thoroughly examined each baby. She was unable to get a heartbeat on baby c, so she said, "I think it's time. You are out of room." I was in shock. She told us not to be alarmed but at this point it might be best to deliver. She said she would call Dr. Babb and we would most likely have babies either that night or the following morning. After speaking with Dr. Babb, he told her to have us meet him at the hospital. Rick said he had an intuitive feeling and he had packed his bag. I had not. So, I called my mom and had her go get my things and meet us at the hospital. It was about 5:30 as we headed to the hospital, calling everyone we knew.

When we arrived, the hospital was expecting us. They couldn't believe I was their triplet patient. I felt huge and I had one big belly, but I will admit, it could have been worse. After my mom arrived, Rick decided he should eat before the big event. Amazingly, I was hungry but not starving...not that it would have mattered. He went for some grub in the cafeteria while my mom helped me get in my gown and they began to monitor me. One by one our entire family and many friends began to show up for the big event. A little before 8:00 p.m. I made my way to the operating room. I was dreading the epidural, but it really wasn't a big deal. After the epidural, they allowed Rick to enter the room. I had already informed him that I didn't want any details. He let out a couple of "Wows" and "you should see this" but other than that he kept the details to himself. The anesthesiologist actually gave me more details. I think he thought it would calm me. Jax arrived at 8:27 weighing 4 pounds, 4 ounces. Rick's first words, "he's big"! Then, Delaney arrived at 8:28 weighing a whopping 4 pounds, 10 ounces and Rick said, "she's even bigger"! Baylor arrived at 8:29 weighing 4 pounds, 8 ounces. One by one, a nurse would hold a baby up next to my head for a very quick peek and then they were whisked away to the NICU. At this point, I began to have quite a bit of pain in my shoulder, so the anesthesiologist upped my epidural, and I think I drifted for just a little bit. After I returned to my room, I remember having terrible trembles. I wasn't cold but I was shaking so bad, I could hardly talk. Most of the family stood vigil at the nursery making sure all of the babies were okay. I remember everyone telling me how great they looked, but my Aunt Jackie who was an EMT and who had worked at a hospital told me they looked good. And, at the moment, I believed her. My fears subsided for a bit. I knew God had brought me that far, so everything was going to be okay. I was moved to another room a little after 10. I was told that around 2, I could possibly go to the NICU. I counted down the hours and just before 2 in the morning, they helped me into the wheelchair. I was still feeling no pain. I was able to see and hold Delaney and Baylor. They didn't allow us to hold Jax as he needed to stay in his bed. At the time this really didn't upset me. I knew that I might not get to hold them right away, so I think I was just grateful to hold two of them. Seeing my children was such an amazing sight. I didn't sleep much that night due to the nurses coming in all the time. And, the following morning a huge dose of reality hit me. I felt pain like I had never experienced before as I tried to get myself out of bed. But, I pushed through it because it was the only way I could see my babies. From that point, the stay at the hospital and the days that followed were such a roller coaster. But, that's another story...

In some ways this seems like yesterday, and at other times, it seems like a life time ago. But, not a day passes that I don't think of all that we went through to have children and all the odds that were stacked against us in delivering healthy triplets; God does deliver miracles. And although not every day has been easy, I thank God for the mighty blessings he has given me.