New Pictures of Chase

New Pictures of Austin

Update

Hi everyone. For those of you who haven't heard already, our son Brady suffered a terrible setback on Thursday, November 15. An emergency transfer was made through the night to the Dartmouth Hitchcock Intensive Care Nursery in Lebanon, NH and while he was declared stabilized by the weekend, he'd suffered severe, irreversible brain damage. We had an elective transfer approved on Saturday for Austin and Chase and by that afternoon we had our family of five together in one facility. Brady fought extremely hard but unfortunately passed away on Sunday, November 18 at 6:31 pm. Before he passed, we were able to have all of the boys baptized together and we are extremely happy to have that memory forever in our minds. Dan and I wake up each day knowing the best thing we can do right now is be strong for Austin and Chase. We are extremely fortunate to have the two of them in our lives and while we always said we'd never spoil or smother our children, these boys will not know what hit them once we get them home! Both are back to birth weight, off breathing apparatus and tolerating full feeds. Thank you for all of your support and we'll continue to keep you posted on the progress Austin and Chase are making.

Love, Rebecca and Dan

Austin Daniel Couture

Brady Francis Couture

Chase Devlin Couture

Our boys have arrived!

The big day was Monday, November 12, 2007 at 4:02/4:03/4:04 pm and before we could even digest the fact we were about to become parents, they were here!

Austin Daniel Couture (2 lbs. 12 oz./15.25 in.)

Brady Francis Couture (2 lbs. 12 oz./15.25 in.)

Chase Devlin Couture (2 lbs. 14 oz./15 in.)

Labor began at 1:30 pm. They tried to stop the contractions (which I still couldn't feel) and by 3 pm decided a C-Section was necessary.

The boys are absolutely precious and while they have a challenge-packed journey ahead of them, we're confident they will live up to the "Couture" reputation to be strong and healthy boys. They have dark wavy hair, which we think comes from my grandfather "Buppa" (Francis Devlin) and the verdict is still out on which two are identical.

Some of the pictures taken early on, as in minutes after they were born, are hard to identify. So enjoy the followng and then we'll add a post for each child.

Week 27

Our doctor's appointment on Thursday, Nov. 27 (day 5 of week 27) was as good as we could have hoped for. My preterm labor continues so I'm still on bedrest. The doctor says I'm progressing like an "average" triplet pregnancy, which sounds good to us! The good news is that for now, I can at least stay home and out of the hospital.

The boys are growing and they've all maintained their original growth curves.

Austin - 2 lbs., 6 oz.

Brady - 2 lbs., 4 oz.

Chase - 2 lbs., 8 oz.

We were able to see Chase's face during the ultrasound and he has chubby cheeks or as we call them "Couture Cheeks!" His brothers weren't facing forward so there wasn't much to see besides the back of their heads and spines.

I've officially graduated to using a chair in the shower. Thanks to a family friend who loaned it to us, I'm able to languish in the shower now and not feel guilty for being on my feet. So thank you, Mrs. Collins, for the seat!

The good news is, despite my lack of activity, Dan seems to be safe from gaining sympathy weight! We took this at the beginning of Week 27.

Week 28 is starting out well. I feel a little more tired and it's certainly getting harder to lug this belly around, but overall, I can't really complain. As a friend of mine put it recently, the last week of pregnancy is always tough and from now on, every one of my weeks will be like that. But, we will persevere and make it as long as we can!

So, who says the nursery isn't getting any use yet? One of our cats, Koka, has found the perfect napping spot - the changing table! It really is a cat's dream and even has a view! Not to worry, we're rewashing the changing pad cover but really, it's better than her sleeping in one of the cribs!