First Family Picture

Two nights ago we celebrated the triplets' one-month birthday! We were able to hold all three babies for the first time, and we didn't miss the opportunity to get our first family picture.

The Gerstheimer family, all together. Grayson, Avery, and Graham from left to right. (9/27/11)

Happy Mom and sleeping babies. (9/27/11)

Turns out Gray isn't the biggest fan of family pictures after all. Like father, like son :) (9/27/11)

Grayson may not like pictures, but Graham doesn't seem to care a bit. (9/27/11)

Hipster

Our very fashion-forward daughter has a faux-hawk. We've tried to comb it down. It doesn't work. :)

Bottles, Beds, and Room B

It's been a banner week for Graham, Avery, and Grayson! All three babies have been moved to Room B, the Feeders & Growers room. From what we can tell, it looks like this will be their last stop before they're released to come home. Graham joined Avery and Grayson this week when he was moved from his enclosed isolette to an open-top bassinet. Most exciting of all, each baby is learning to bottle feed!

Grayson is leading the charge with the bottle feedings, and he's gaining weight! Gray now weighs 5lbs 2oz and is steadily growing. The doctors and nurses think he may be the first baby to come home...hopefully not too long from now :)

Avery is also taking to the bottle well. She's gaining weight and is currently at 4lbs 3oz! While she may be a little smaller than Grayson, she seems like she's picking up her new feeding task very quickly. Yesterday she worked so hard at eating that she actually panted when she paused for a break! We're proud that she's doing so well.

Graham is quickly gaining weight as well: 4lb 2oz and counting! He's getting bigger by the day, but hasn't been as interested in bottle feeding as his brother and sister. We're told that every baby learns at their own pace, and we're sure Graham will pick it up in time.

Here are some snapshots from the week...

Holding Avery after a bottle feeding. This new activity takes a lot of energy, and you can see that she was pretty wiped out :) (9/24/11)

A close up of Graham as he was sleeping. Each baby still has their feeding tube so the nurses can continue their regular feedings as they learn how to eat from a bottle. (9/25/11)

Holding Grayson. Today was the first time that he and his brother wore matching outfits. (9/25/11)

Avery Mae asleep. (9/25/11)

The triplets' new home in Room B. Gray is closest to the camera, Avery is in the middle, and Graham is right behind her. (9/24/11)

Bottoms Up!!!

Good news! All three babies have started drinking from bottles! Up to this point they have all been fed through small tubes that run from their noses to their stomachs. Learning how to drink from a bottle is the last task that the babies need to accomplish before coming home. As soon as they've mastered the skill they're FREE!! We were surprised and happy to hear from our nurse last night that it's possible that one of the babies could come home as early as next week! Drink up, babies!!


Here's a shot of Tom feeding Avery this morning. She finished her bottle for the first time. Way to go!

Bath Time!

Today I (Shannon) got my first opportunity to give Grayson and Avery a bath! It sounds kind of elementary, but every chance we get to interact with our kids is a real treat for us, and we cherish all of the little "firsts."

My phone croaked before I got pictures of Avery's bath, but our sweet nurse, Karin, helped me get a few of Grayson. You can see here that he wasn't too happy about getting bathed (unlike Avery, who apparently thought she was getting a spa treatment).


But he was fine after we got him dried off and fed. And he looks very cute in his monogrammed outfit (an adorable gift from our friend, Meredith Newton). He's much less angry here. I'm pretty happy, too. :)

Funny Man

Graham, the apparent jokester in the family, likes to entertain us with his funny faces when we hold him.

Big Girl Bed

Avery was moved out of her isolette and into a bassinet today! She's getting tested tomorrow to see if she can drink from a bottle. If she passes she'll be one step closer to coming home!