Update: Our Very First Family Pic

First thing first, I apologize for the delay in updating this Blog.  Well, sometimes, the truly great things in life is worth waiting for...  We have finally got our very first family pic done today.

Matt & Fion + Plus 3 (Skylar, Ethan, Cedric) - left to right

A close up to our three little sleepy princes...

That's it for now...  Despite my new baby schedule, I am still working through my photo gallery as there are over one thousand pictures taken at various stages of this triplets birth story.  I will be posting additional footage in the near future as soon as I have a chance to work through them.

Thanks for reading...

Matt.

Week 36 - Cesarean Birth

"FINALLY, THEY ARE HERE!!!"

First thing first, my sincerely apologize for failed to provide update to everyone who care soooooooooooooooo much about our three little beanies...  I was so tied up with my 3 newborns as they all seem to face different premature developmental challenges...  I was being dragged into one meeting after another, from respiration nurses, nutritionists, pediatricians, NICU's staffs, postpartum caring nurses, OBs, and many other who I had completely no idea what they do...  Sorry for my stupidity and lack of knowledge in medical terms.  I am just a bean counter, after all  :)

OK, let's jump straight into some updates to my precious beanies...

Oldest son (Baby A) - Skylar Nicholas Ho
Weighted: 3.8lbs - Formerly Baby B in my previous post.  He is the smallest of all, but had proven to be an ultra-competitive champion and beat his other 2 brothers to born first.  He is in NICU, but in stable condition considering his size and age.  Our NICU doctors + nurses raise no major concerns and he is expected to make a full recovery in the near future.

Admitted straight into NICU at birth due to underweight - My handsome son looks just like me and a winner!

A close up shot - sleeping on his tummy to aid breathings and the fist of God???

2nd son (Baby B) - Cedric Zachary Ho (Formerly Baby A - Identical to Skylar)
Weighted: 5.1 lbs - identical twin to Skylar.  Cedric finished as a runner-up by a fraction of second!  He had done well and spent the first night with Fion and I in the recovery room.

Cedric the runner up!

A sweet close up!  Cedric loves to yawns...  He also proves to be a good sleeper!

3rd son (Baby C) - Ethan Anthony Ho (Formerly Baby C - No change)
Weighted: 5.4 lbs - Our little giant.  Despite his size, Ethan did not seem to be doing as well as Cedric.  He is suffering with a little bit of difficulty in temp control, water in airway, and low blood sugar.  To be fair, due to their immaturity, all 3 beanies appeared to be suffered in different degrees of low blood sugar.

Ethan the finisher.  He is patience and has a pretty face looks just like Fion.  I can already foresee that he will be the prefect mommy-boy for Fion.

A sweet close up!  Just like his mom, Ethan seems to love his handheld device, which in many case I have no idea what it does.

Below are some of the very first family pics we have taken...

Fion in a hand full with Cedric (B - left) and Ethan (C - right)

Matt at NICU with Skylar (A)

Fion + Matt + Ethan (C - left) + Cedric (B - right)

Once again, I apologize for the delay in updating this Blog.  I know everyone can see how busy I was in the last 48 hours and I hope you enjoy the pics above.  

The Last Day of Pregnancy

OK.  Here comes the final day of this pregnancy.  To sum it all, Fion has gained a total of 60+ pounds, composed of an estimated 15+ pounds of babies combined (Baby A 5.4 lbs + Baby B 4.1 lbs + Baby C 5.1 lbs) - based on the latest measurements from our ultrasound scan last week.  Apart from this, I have no further statistics to update, but comparative photos between week 35 and 36.

Week 35 triplets bump - belly looked somewhat contained and quite rounded.

Week 36 triplets bump - FULL TERM!  Belly is pushed further out and dropped below the waist line.

To this end, I must say that Fion and I have been very blessed throughout this very special pregnancy. There wasn't any real scary moment from what I can remember.  Of course, we have taken many precautionary steps, such as "take everything easy", short-term sick leave from work after week 22 and voluntary modified bed rest, to avoid any activity that will potentially trigger preterm labor. Somehow, what we have done so far seem to help and lead to this final day of pregnancy (nearly week 36)!  The key here is to relax and celebrate small acheivement and move slowly from one milestone to the next week by week.  To celebrate this final milestone and the very last day of our couple living, we decided to go for Fion's favorite food - Hot Pot.

Fion patiently waiting for her hot pot to heat up while feeling extremely satisfied.  

To my surprise, Fion doesn't look pregnant in this picture at all!  Don't you all agree???  Gez...  It's hard to believe that I am going to be a father of 3 by tomorrow morning...  Anyway, despite the fact that tomorrow will be a busy but eventful day, I will certainly find time to provide you all with more updates.  Please stay tuned and come back tomorrow for the latest!

Week 35 Update: Final week count down!!!

Finally, here comes the final update to our last prenatal ultrasound appointment.  This update also signifies the final week count down to our cesarean delivery scheduled on Nov 17th. We have finished all pre-scheduled prenatal appointments since we admitted at Mount Sinai Hospital on July 18th.   Fion and I never thought that we would make it this far, perhaps week 30-32 tops!  Anyway, below is the latest update from our last appointment.

Beanie #1 (Baby A):
Position: cephalic (head down - right)
Average size: 34.4 weeks
Est. weight: 2,460 gm / 5.4 lbs (45 percentile) - continue to hold the baby GIANT award.

Beanie #2 (Baby B):
Position: cephalic (head down - left)
Average size: 32.4 weeks
Est. weight: 1,860 gm / 4.1 lbs (7 percentile) - growth continuing to slow, but still gained some much needed weight and lift himself pass the 4 lbs milestone!

Beanie #3 (Baby C):
Position: oblique (head sloping down and body slope toward left)
Average size: 33.8 weeks
Est. weight: 2,320 gm / 5.1 lbs (35 percentile) - no need to compete for nutrients (fraternal), Baby C continue to strive fairly well alongside with Baby A and he is only marginally 1 week behind Baby A at this gestational age.

Overall:
Our OB Dr. Murphy and her team raised no concern over any of the babies at this point.  To speak the truth, this is quite reassuring and I have just begun to enjoy this pregnancy knowing that our babies will do just fine with a much less chance of life-long health problems or developmental complications.

The below pic marks the end our prenatal ultrasound appointment.

Fion beaming with lives in one of the ultrasound rooms.  We spent hours with this great sneak-peek machine, which allowed us to monitor the growth of our babies week after week.

Week 34: Two more weeks to go!!!

People always say that baby weight will increase exponentially once entering 3rd trimester. The babies can gain up to 1/2 pound a week from this point onward.  Could you tell the difference between week 32 and week 34 from the below pictures?

Baby bump @ week 32

Baby bump @ week 34

Yes, you got it!  The bump definitely looks rounder and fuller (upper abdomen).  The belly also feels a lot firmer to touch and lots of baby movements that can be felt from all over the belly!  The baby punches can also be quite strong at times and can be spooky and caught you off guard. =P  The side effects of all these wonderful nature wonders?  Shortness of breath, heartburn, swelling, and fatigue just to name a few.  The good?  It's only 11 more days to go!  So, please stay tuned and come back often for update!

Settling Down @ Downtown Toronto

In a blink of an eye, Fion and I have moved to downtown for over a month.  Strangely, this is what is supposed to be our temporary but is becoming to feel more home-like as every day passes.  I consider it to be very fortunate that Fion hasn't been ordered for bed rest, but has been trying to lay low and taking things easy - So I think it is fair to say that she is on voluntary modified bed rest.

From all the researches I've done in the past, bed rest isn't a clinically proven remedy for preventing complications and preterm labor, it is often ordered as a safeguard to help lower various pregnancy risks by taking everything easy.  However, there are many adverse effects associated with extended bed rest including backache, constipation, leg swelling, blood clots, depression, and weaken bones and muscles.  Yet, the worst of all the adverse effects is: B-O-R-E-D-O-M.

Since I work Monday to Friday, Fion is home by herself during the day for most of the week, except for our weekly Tuesday prenatal appointment.  Luckily, the furnished suite we rent comes with a few entertainment amenities, such as Internet, CD/ Radio, DVD player and flat screen TV.  In addition to these built-in home entertainment system, Fion also has been doing some readings about pregnancy and childcare books to help prepare us for the challenges ahead.

Nonetheless, the most highly prized activity during this time is our weekly grocery run at Maple Leaf Gardens. Here are some pics I took at our last grocery run.

The front entrance of Maple Leaf Gardens...

Fion is delighted and ready to go...  Let's go get some yummy groceries and supplies...

85,000 sq ft space of fresh groceries...

Rolls and rolls of yummy heat-and-eat canteen meals

The famous wall of cheese

The mega delicious patisserie booth that will satisfy everyone's sweet tooth...

More pics on desserts - hundred of cupcakes

Victory!!!  We made it out, but where is my lovely wify??? VoV

The biggest prize of the day - Raspberry Chocolate Mousse Cake and Mango Mousse Cake!!!

I hope everything will continue to go well.  It's only 14 more days to go from our scheduled Cesarean delivery!