After hanging out for a while tonight, we did tubs and then tucked everyone in for a good night sleep. We couldn't be happier to see what our Friday nights will be like from now on!
Friday, December 14, 2007
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Hanging With Mom & Dad
Chase wasn't too photogenic today, but I'm sure this is just the start of us not being able to control these two!
Here's Dad hanging out with Chase. The boys have been moved into the older style isolettes that don't have humidity settings or portholes for us to get our hands in there. We're hoping for open cribs soon.
Austin is sleeping peacefully - with clothes on! Everyone must think we're strange to think that's a big deal, but these kids have been au naturale since birth.
Austin, still sleeping, but heading for some snuggle time with mom. He'll eat while being held. But not before we hold him up and admire this new look! Hopefully Austin won't be embarrassed that we all think his backside is even cute!Ok, and here he is with those eyes wide open!
Finally, a Kodak moment Austin didn't sleep through!
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Thursday, December 6
Austin (asleep) has a full head of dark hair and his complexion is darker too. Chase (awake) has only a thin coating of light brown hair and his complexion is light.
These pictures are a little dim because they're taken while the boys are in isolettes. Until they can maintain their body temperature on their own, this is where they will live. The doctors say they could be in open cribs within the week. While at the intensive care nursey, the boys will always be monitored for heart rates, oxygen saturation levels, blood pressure and respitory rates so co-sleeping is not an option. There are just to many wires to get tangled. But I'm holding out for an opportunity to put the boys together for a special holiday picture...so stand by for that!
Chase has a central line right now because he is still working back up to full feeds. The line allows him to receive nutrients via TPN, allowing him to thrive as well as his brother. What you see sticking out of his blanket are called lumens and it's where the TPN is given. One lumen is used right now while the other just gets flushed every eight hours. Once he's on full feeds, the central line can be removed. As of today, Austin weighs 3 lbs. 5 oz. and Chase weighs 3 lbs. 2 oz.
The tubes in their mouths allow them to eat. Sometimes these are put in their noses but it can affect their breathing rates. The tubes are not painful at all. The boys both like to suck on pacifiers while they eat which shows their stomach and brain are communicating effectively by associating a full or hungry belly with sucking. All good signs they will eat normally soon!
Both boys are vigorous, according to the staff. They say this is a great sign but that we're going to have our hands full when they come home. I say, bring it on! We can't wait until that first sleepless night, as long as we have both boys at home with us safe and sound.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
We're growing!
These boys are growing and we couldn't be prouder! Both are over three pounds now and 16 inches long. Austin is up to full feeds and while Chase was eating at full feeds early on, he needed some time to rest his gut. His first meal in eight days was last night and so far so good. Not to worry, during that time, Chase was still getting all the nutrients his body needed and it was apparently working since he gained weight and grew. Mom and Dad are getting to hold the boys daily now and the babies love what's called Kangaroo Care - when the baby is put right in your shirt allowing for skin to skin contact. It's the closest they can get the baby to a womb-like experience and they love it.
We took our first day off from the hospital on Monday and it snowed all day long. Accumulation led to about 12 inches so it was a good day to be home. The cats were certainly happy to see us. But, now we're back and it really does feel better to be here with the boys everyday. They are so precious and that makes it very hard to stay away. This is especially hard for Dad, who went back to work last week. His commute really hasn't changed, but it makes for a long day when he works and then heads to the hospital every evening.
We wanted to send a special thank you out to those who've been making us food or putting care packages together. We're overwhelmed by people's generosity and our bellies thank you. It makes these late nights a lot easier when you can just come home and pop something in the microwave or head out to the hospital with a bag full of snacks.
So, cheers to another good day and we'll try to get some new pictures taken soon for all of you to see.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Sunday, November 25, 2007
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
Thursday, November 15, 2007
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.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
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!
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Weeks 25 - 26
I can't believe we're into the third trimester already. It's been a wild ride so far, but our goal of 32 weeks is within sight and we couldn't be happier. For now, I'm just hanging out in bed, on the couch and Dan has been wonderful at keeping my water bottle full. He's also taken on 100% of the household chores. He gets a break on making dinner a few nights a week thanks to friends and family who drop off food.
Our next doctor's appointment is on November 8 and at that point we'll be at the end of 27 weeks!
This is 1/3 of our nursery. The room isn't spacious, but it does have room for all three cribs...and a pathway for us to get in an out!
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Second Trimester, Weeks 13-24
Week 13 (red shirt)
The second trimester went much like the first. I felt great and had plenty of energy. We made the best of the Massachusetts tax-free weekend and bought all three cribs and the changing table week 13.
I had an OB appointment week 14 and the doctor said I was measuring 22 weeks and then laughed. I thought it was funny then too. Now I long to be that size! We also went to a wedding at the end of week 14 for our friends Amy and Stacy. It was a beautiful event and gave us the chance to see some friends and family who we hadn't seem in a while. Amy is my oldest friend and after her wedding she moved to San Jose, so going to her wedding and seeing her happy moment in person was a very special experience. The next time she's in town, the boys could be almost six months old!
Week 15, was the week of the minivan...after many test drives and several nights eating dinner after 9 pm, we settled on the Dodge Grand Caravan. It's a gray/blue color and all the seating "stows." It drives really well and is super comfortable. "Cool" has already become a secondary factor - what is happening to us? Who am I kidding, we drove Subaru's before and one could argue they aren't cool either. Ok, so we haven't been cool for years!
Week 16 (dress was a squeeze!), we went to New Jersey - in our minivan - for our niece Sierra's baptism. That same weekend, we also met Jeff and Joanne, parents of BBB triplets. We grilled them for advice and have actually kept in touch! They were kind enough to sell us their infant stroller and car seats. I think for the first time, reality set in when we drove home with three car seats in the car that weekend!
Week 17 (black & white dress)
Week 18, we went on what we think will probably be the last vacation we'll take in a few years. We went to the Cape and really just relaxed, spent time with family and enjoyed the freedom to do whatever we wanted. The week ended with a very exciting ultra sound discovery...three boys! We couldn't believe it and immediately realized how easy it would be to have all three babies be the same gender. This narrowed the field for names too. Having a grandaughter on the Couture side and none on my side, all the grandparents were elated to hear they were all boys. All Dan keeps thinking is, finally, someone to help me in the yard!
During weeks 19 and 20 I started to get really big. I started to work from home week 20 and knowing I was getting more and more uncomfortable, we went to visit my cousin Lynne who has a 4 y/o boy and BG 2 y/o twins. She packed our minivan with more hand-me-downs than we could have ever imagined. And then she fed us until we thought we were going to burst. And still...we managed to hit Kimball's on the way home. There's always room for ice cream!
The 21 week ultrasound gave us the best pictures. All the boys were moving - a lot - and we couldn't believe how much they really looked like babies. I know that sounds wierd, but sometimes you have to use your imagination a bit with ultrasounds. We ended the week with a visit to see our friends Caroline and Scott. She is a week ahead of me and pregnant with a singleton. Putting the two of us next to each other was a hoot!
The rest of the trimester was spent on partial bed rest. So, I tried to start closing out projects at work and become one with our recliner. By the time week 24 began, I was on complete bedrest and my life of leisure began...
Sunday, July 29, 2007
First Trimester
On May 29, 2007, our dreams came true when we found out we were pregnant. For most people, this is a life changing moment...but that didn't come until June 15, when the ultrasound technician found not one, not two, but three strong heartbeats!
We got to see the babies again on June 27 for an 8 week ultrasound. Babies A, B and C were thriving!
The first trimester ended without much drama. No morning sickness, but the maternity clothes were needed already by week 8! That's when we knew it was going to be a real interesting ride!
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