Klein Triplets News
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3/17/2007 WOW, been a long time!!! Well, what can I say? I have been VERY bad about keeping up with the latest news....but what is there to tell? Boring is good in our household... Latest news is that Matthew went in for cleft lip surgery. He had a battery of surgeons including a craniofacial team and a plastic surgeon. Go figure, the first Klein to have plastic surgery... Otherwise all is pretty much status quo. Not necessarily a bad thing, as chaos is the norm around here. Arianna continues to struggle with her ADHD and growing up. She is at an awkward stage in her young life and we hope she realizes what is really important. She is an enigma, as she is beautiful, smart, and talented. Let’s just pray that she realizes this someday. Kaylin is doing well and is coming of age. The boys continue to grow and prosper and give a run for our money. Eating us out of house and home.....what is it going to be like when they are 15???? Lorraine continues to face the challenges of being a stay at home Mom with 3 very vivacious boys. We did not know how good we had it when we had girls....  5/10/2006 April Update Things continue to evolve at the Klein household. The boys are trying their best to walk, talk, and figure out how to get in trouble. They take a few steps and then kind of freak out. It will happen soon and then watch out....... I had a bit of a weird April as I almost left UPS for a competitor. After getting some negotiations UPS came back with a much deserved raise and promotion. So, needless to say I stayed with Big Brown. Shortly after telling me of my promotion my boss came to me and told of an additional request for me to be promoted further by the regional manager. This came as a big and humbling surprise. Lorraine and I had talked about it and decided it really wouldn't be a good time right now to move and sell a house with all the boys stuff around. My manager breathed a sigh of relief as he would like me to stay around for another year. This is what we are shooting for. With a little luck I should have the opportunity to run my own station sometime in 2007. It is how it stands now, however UPS always manages to do things according to their desires.....so stay tuned we have a small chance to be on the move soon. 3/28/2006 The Good the bad and the........ The boys have finally made it to the big 1. We had for a couple of days leading up to their birthday and for awhile after loads of company. Mom and Dad C spent some time with us then went to Florida to visit some friends and then back for the boys Bday. We also had a visit from Steve, Ray, Vivian, Nicole and Meagan to celebrate the boys BDay. We also had a visit by Lorraines cousins Ronnie and Madeline along with Augie. All in all everything looked great, and then disaster struck. During a visit with aunt Kay Dad C had what we all thought was a stroke. One minute all was fine the next he was incoherent and talking nonsense. After a quick pow wow Lorraine and Mom C rushed him off to the emergency room. Once he was admitted he was totally unresponsive. No one could figure out what was wrong. After a battery of Cat scans and MRI it was determined he did not have a stroke, but had a mass on his brain. He laid in a coma for 2 strait days. We were told he would most likely not make it. Emotionally we were preparing ourselves for the worst. Low and behold he woke up and started to respond to people around him. Albeit confused and unable to speak well. After a few more looks at the MRI the doctors chose to go in for a biopsy. When they went it they did not like what they saw and decided to do a full surgery. Dad c now is recuperating back at the farm and continues to improve. It was a miracle of sorts. Needless to say the boys celebration along with Ariannas B-Day turned out to be quite the emotional roller coaster. The boys continue to crawl around and drive Mommy crazy. They are trying their best to mimic and their respective personalities continue to evolve. They eat us out of house and home already, what are they going to be like when they are 16??? Spring is upon us and we wait for the warm weather so the boys can go out and play. Otherwise everything is status quo. Enjoy the pictures. 2/22/2006 Mobile The boys are motoring around to the dismay of mom and dad. We knew this day would come, but never could one anticipate the extent 3 little boys could get into trouble. This is only dealing with them crawling.........what happens when they start walking around??? In spite of the running in all directions after them they are really becoming a lot of fun. The interact fully and are fully showing their individual personality. Matthew is very laid back and a cuddler. Mark is very independent and likes to play alone. He is very inquisitive and studies everything he can get his hands on. Luke is the rebel......he likes to crawl all over and get into trouble. He does not like to be left alone, yet does not want to be held unless he is in the mood. He is working his way to walking. He scoots back and forth along the couch and pulls himself up at every chance. The boys have been healthy thus far over the winter after some scary moments in the late fall. The synergist shots they are receiving along with the 2x daily Flowvent treatments seem to be doing the trick. They have gotten a few colds that before would have put them in the hospital but have come and gone with little incident. We are looking forward to their first birthday and will celebrate with the extended family. Pictures to follow. 1/5/2006 New Year Christmas has now passed and we are heading into the home stretch to the boys first birthday. It is hard to believe they will be a year old. They are definitely growing as they no longer look like infants but more like little boys. Matthew is now 21 lbs Mark 20.5 and Luke approaching 20lbs. We have been hospital free for over a month, yea!!! It looks like their coarse of Flowvent has helped as we have just gotten through a major cold with no major complications. Christmas and New Years came, was enjoyed and passed uneventful. This is not bad considering our brood. UPS continues to frustrate, however they promise the New Year will be better...... I will try to keep pictures up to date. 12/5/2005 ....been long time Sorry for the lack of updates........As you can imagine we have been a bit busy. The boys are growing like weeds and are demanding more time when awake. In addition, they are just so darn cute and fun to be around. They are all fast approaching 20 lbs with Matthew leading the way and Mark close behind. Luke is the pip squeak, but is by far the most vocal. They are all now saying "Da, Da" however I am not yet flattered because they say it to the dog also. It has been quite the rough time the last few months. We have had countless doctor and hospital visits for they boys and Lorraine. Matthew and Mark have a form of Asthma that is pretty common in preemies. This caused very intense colds and a hospital stay for Mark on his 3rd go round at the emergency room. They doctors now have them on a regemin of drugs to ward off the rushes to the hospital. So far so good. Lorraine has had her owb issues.....She has developed a non cancerous (thank GOD) growth on her thyroid which will require a bit of watching. She had a few rounds at the doctors, specialists and testing facilities to find out they basically will do nothing. My job is keeping me very busy. UPS has been good for us and business continues to grow. The girls are enjoying their brothers and just love to "help". We are gearing up fot the CHRISTMAS holidays, ooops I went and said that word, and will enjoy a quiet peaceful time as we aren't expecting anyone this year. Mom and Dad C are here now enjoying the kids and will return in Feb to celebrate the boys 1st birthday. Nothing nuch else going on. Dare I say it has been relatively sedate as of late. Will not be for much longer as it is only a matter of time before the boys are mobile. Merry Christmas and Happy new year to all. 8/8/2005 The big scare Started off like any other day with a house full of sick kids. Lorraine did not like the way Luke Sounded so she went to the Doctor........Not so good news. Luke was suffering from a really intense cold and had to be put on a Nebulizer, AKA Asthma mister. Basically you put liquid medicine into a cup like apparatus and turn on the machine and it vaporizes the medicine so you can breathe it in. That was bad enough.........The next day Lorraine was to bring Luke for a follow up and she did not like the way Mark sounded and she made an appointment for him as well. Good thing she did as the doctors called for an ambulance to take him to the hospital as he was not getting enough oxygen and needed immediate attention. After spending most of the day at the Hospital getting sucked out and shot up Mark was cleared to come home. In the meantime we would take no chances and took Matthew for his check up and was not nearly as bad as the others. 4-5 days of nebulizing and all was clear...........except for Mommy and Daddy who now suffer through the cold from hell...... otherwise all is good. Matthew is now tipping the scales at 15 1/2 pounds and Luke has overtaken Mark as the runner up 14 10 to 14 8 pounds. My how they grow...... 7/25/2005 The Christening Yesterday the boys have become part of the Catholic community. We had them baptized during the 10:30 mass to a church full of cheers. The boys put on quite a show. They had their own entourage consisting of 6 Godparents, 2 sisters, Mom, Dad, Grandparents, Uncles, and many family friends. Most of the "churh Aunties" were in attendance as well. They were very good as were their sisters who are usually not so good. All and all everything went well. The party afterwards was just as successful as everyone had a good time. Uncle Ray will have pictures shortly. 7/6/2005 Back again....been a long time Sorry everyone for not getting to update this site in awhile. I have been working my tail off between 50-55 hours a week and second shift no less 4pm til ????. It has been extremely difficult since I still have to help Lorraine feed the babies and my schedule is all messed up. On a good note the boys continue to grow voraciously. Matthew at his last check up a week ago was 13 lbs 8 oz, Mark was 13 lbs 4 oz, and Luke was 12 lbs 13 oz. They are really getting big and are eating us out of house and home. They are also starting to interact with us. They smile and coo when you talk to them and stay awake for a good bit of time during the day. Grandma C came back down and stayed 2+ weeks as Grandma and Grandpa K went on a trip to NY. They will be Christened on July 24th along with their Godparents Jim, Annie, Steve, Barbara, Ken and Shannon. It will be quite a show as we will be doing it during the 10:30 mass. Lorraine continues to TRY and get sleep, but still wouldn't give it up for the world and the girls are still being mommys little helpers. Thanks to all for your support and prayers. 5/22/2005 Good bye! Grandma C made her last feeding this morning around 5am before taking off for home after spending 2 months with us. Lorraine and I now embark on this adventure solo. We are a bit nervous as at certain times of the day we will be alone to tend to 5 children. Of course Grandma and Grandpa K will be available for daytime duties and our Parish has sent out fliers and a note in the buletin to recruit some help from kind strangers. As with everything else we will survive......... 5/16/2005 Sumo Boys The boys had their doctor visit today and after taking bets to their weights, we were extremely surprised to find out the final tally. We all expected Matthew to be around 9 pounds, when actually he is 10lbs 2oz, Mark rang in at 9lbs 9oz and Luke a mere 9lbs 3oz. This was quite a shock, but good news nonetheless. After being off the normal baby charts for weight and height for theirage they are now withn specs. This did not take as long as expected, must be eating well. Grandma is just starting to feel better from her gift the boys gave of minimal pneumonia. She will be leaving us the end of this week and all the fun will begin....... 5/11/2005 According to Grandma C It has been awhile since I have updated. Due mostly to lack of sleep and time. Here is the latest according to Grandma C. Couldn"t have said it better myself............. The boys all have colds and coughs, compliments of their overindulging sisters. So we have them sleeping upright in bumper seats with the vaporizer on, and that seems to be helping. Despite everything, they continue to eat voraciously, and go thru 21 - 24 3 oz. bottles a day, with just as many diapers. So you can imagine how exciting our lives are at present. L, J and I are still sleep deprived, but are actually getting used to the routine. The little guys are getting plumper and more adorable by the day -- very alert and aware in their waking moments - they are fun to watch, especially when they are grouped together in the same crib or on the floor. Invariably, they wiggle their way into a clump with arms and legs flying everywhere, bopping one another happily. 4/20/2005 BIG Boys Amazing how far these boys have come! They are almost 2x their birthweight now. Matthew is 7lbs, Mark 6.5lbs and our welterweight Luke rings in at 6lbs. It is actually funny in the night when you grab them you can almost tell by how heavy they are who you have. Still no consistant sleep in the Klein Household. At least one will keep someone up ALL NIGHT. The girls are having a hard time adjusting to the lack of attention and are are acting up. We try to shower as much affection onto them, but having been the only 2 for 4+ years it is a big undertaking. They do enjoy their brothers, but in small doses. Grandma C is hanging in there, although I think the lack of sleep is testing her reslove......I guess if they were not so damn cute this would be a much bigger issue.....:-) 4/7/2005 Roulette Anyone want to guess which boy will keep us up tonight........might be a good way to raise some funds. Start a pot to see who will guess the one to keep us up that night.......... Matthew, Mark, and Luke have taken turns this week being fussy, cranky, and altogether frustrating. There is nothing we can do to get them to stop crying other than laying them on our chest, feeding them constantly or laying them on their bellies, of which none of these choices is good. We are desperately trying to find the common link to their discomfort and have come up empty. They all eat the same thing and will be fussy one day and not the next. We thought it may be weather or not they have a BM, but this is not the case as Luke had a huge one yesterday and was fussy last night. This is not helping the sleep depravation situation....... The boys are really starting to get chubby though, starting to fill out and look more like infants than preemies. They go to the doctor next week and we will have to see how much they have grown. Until next time.... 4/4/2005 Sleep.......What is sleep? As I sit here and write this, both Mom Christensen and Lorraine have officially crashed. I am well on my way also......The boys are relentless eaters and will not go beyond 3.5 hours between feeding and find it necessary to wake up the whole house with a chorus of wails. Lorraine continues to attempt breastfeeding, however this is a HUGE chore, as it requires her to be up EVERY time they feed. So needless to say she is extremely tired. She probably has not gotten more than 1.5 hours of sleep at any given time since they came home Last Tuesday. That being said we continue to try to put what is left of our brains together to come up with an easier way to make this 2-hour ordeal a bit shorter. In other news......We had to go out and purchase a full size van to accommodate our family. After much research and tons of heartache we came upon a dealer who had 2-2004 model year leftovers. We negotiated a heck of a deal and now are the proud owners of a gas guzzling Ford E-150 Sherrod conversion van. Time to tend to the feed fiends.....I hear Mark "Da Boss", Matthew "The General" and Luke "The Maverick" beckoning. Till next time. *Nicknames courtesy of Mom Christensen 3/30/2005 Home at last We had quite the day today. After arriving at the hospital and trying in vain to load our 5 car seats into the van for an hour we were told "no mas" after three were in. On top of everything else, it looks like we will be shopping for a full size van. It wasn't even close, three seats across will just not fit in the back row, so another minivan is almost out of the question. Just what we need with soaring gas prices. If anyone knows a good place to shop for a conversion van, preferably Ford, or has any experiences with one, please e-mail us with details. After this fiasco we went up to the SCN and gathered up all our belongings, oh and my three sons, and headed for home. What a trip..........the dog doesn't know what to do, the girls can't keep their hands off the boys and we have three babies sitting in our family room. This is only the beginning, things will be interesting. Stay tuned for more tales from the twilight zone........ 3/27/2005 Together and cozy again As we arrived at the hospital today we found the boys together for the first time since the womb. It was awesome and at the same time a slap of reality. We have up until now basically dealt with them one by one. Now seeing them all together sort of snapped reality back into perspective...........There are THREE! It was very comforting to see them all snuggled up cozy next to each other. It just looked....right. Tears welled up in our eyes, these are OUR boys. The "M & M boys" continue to do well and Mark continues his pursuit of his twin brothers weight title, as "The Maverick" Luke lags behind. Things have changed somewhat as Mark decided he will not be left behind as his twin brother goes home, he and Matthew are on about the same course to come home early next week. Luke has had some feeding issues, mostly from being lazy, or as Lorraine puts it, "Laid back". He will feed fine one time and the next time he will not eat and has to be tube fed. Mark certainly does not have this problem, as he is the "guzzler" of the bunch. They are now on a "eat what you want" program. Matthew ate 60 cc's today and holds the current title for most eaten. This is actually unbelievable as 2 days ago he was only eating 40 cc's. As stated earlier, it looks like we will have at least 1 if not two by midweek next week and all by week's end. Stay tuned....... 3/24/2005 Home? After speaking with the boys nurse last night we were told that we need to start making preparations for them to come home! We are excited and frantic at this point. We thought we had everything in order and come to find out 2 out of 3 car seats were not within specs. We now have to run out and find 2 new car seats. Apparently due to their size the car seat must measure a certain way and 2 were way off. They may be OK later as they get bigger, but we may "trade" them in at a consignment store for ones within spec. It looks like Luke might be the first one home as he has been eating and breathing great. He will be followed shortly by Matthew as he is now off oxygen and eating normally. Mark will be the last as he is still on oxygen. We will update as the time nears. How exciting! 3/20/2005 The Breakout. Lorraine and I arrived at the hospital today shortly after 2 PM and I was horrified when the boys were not in their usual positions. I quickly scanned the room and wondered where in the world are they. Their nurse Lori walked up to us with a sheepish grin and at that moment both our eyes fixed on the far side of the room where we saw Matthew and Mark co-bedding in a crib. A gaze to the left and there was Luke in his Bassinette. They were finally free!!! No more incubators. Lorraine and I were extremely happy, needless to say. They had made their first step to come home, holding their temperature. How much easier it is now that they aren't confined in their little rooms. Lorraine and I changed diapers were able to pick them up freely and no longer have to look at them through Lexan. We were also told that they all took a full feeding from a bottle and are gaining weight well. Matthew our heavyweight champion is now tipping the scales at over 4.5 pounds. Mark is just over 4 pounds and Luke "The Maverick" is just under 4 pounds, should be over at tonights weigh in. After several rounds of the M & M boys feeding off of Mom well, they decided to take a breather today. Luke, who had previously shown no interest decided it was his day to show up his brothers and suckled for a little while. Overall all is now starting to move along nicely. 3/18/2005 Grow like weeds Matthew is gaining weight very fast now and is close to four and a half pounds. Mark and Luke continue their ascent and are close to four pounds each. They are gaining at a rate of one half to one ounce per day. At their last measurement they had also grown in length by one half inches. This is done weekly so we expect this sort of jump each week. They are feeding off bottle or breast two times daily, and may increase soon.Rumor has it that the M & M boys will be out of their incubators and into cribs by days end Friday. We are keeping our fingers crossed. Luke will be a few days behind as he started eating later than the other two and his temp is not holding as well. We have also been told that when they do go into the crib they may initially lose some weight, so this we will expect. Grandpa Christensen did the unbelievable and I wish I had our video camera! He changed Luke's diaper! Then to top it off he sat down and fed him. Proud grandpa he is! New pictures listed, thanks Ray. Will have more soon. 3/15/2005 One Small Step....... Hurray!!!!!! Matthew has reached a new Plateau. He is now over 4 lbs. Mark is now up to his birth weight and Luke is 1 ounce away. They are continuing their weight gain which is very comforting. One little setback, Matthew had to be put on minimal Oxygen due to desat frequency. We are told this is normal as they begin to increase their feedings. It has something to do with a full belly and how much energy it takes to digest the food. They continue to bottle feed at least once a day. Mom continues to pump every 3 hours and has been outpaced by the boys at least 4 to 1. She is continuing to improve health wise and has started to drive again, which has helped her feeling of being trapped. 3/12/2005 MOOOOOOOOOO Lorraine has finally become the Cow Lady........Mark had his first feeding off of Mom Today. His older brother Matthew led the way and continues to progress with Mom. The bonding is essential at this age, so this is great news they are taking a liking to it. They suckle for a bit then sort of float away totally relaxed. It is actually quite incredible to watch on the monitors as their heart and respiratory rate slows and their oxygen saturation increases. The nurse says, "They are totally at peace". Next new step is that they will start bottle feedings tonight. Matthew is approaching 4 lbs and has gained 127 grams in the last 2 days (around a quarter pound). Mark and Luke are starting their upward trend also as they both gained 20+ grams since yesterday. Arianna and Kaylin each held one of their brothers. Arianna held Matthew and Kaylin held Mark. They were very excited!!! 3/11/2005 Eat Eat Eat The boys have finally outpaced Lorraine. The nurses have to supplement with formula since Lorraine can not keep up. Matthew has now exceeded his birth weight and Mark And Luke are starting to gain as well. They are increasing their calorie intake to "fatten them up". Mark had a bit of a set back and is currently on light oxygen to keep his saturation levels up, but we are told he should be off by tomorrow. Lorraine continues to improve and get skinnier.......... 3/9/2005 The Big Move... Today Lorraine received a phone call from Duke Hospital, almost scared her to death, telling her the boys would be moved today. Her joy lasted briefly and changed to slight disappointment when she found out they would not be moved to the local hospital, but to Rex Hospital which is almost as far as Duke. The reason they gave is that it was the closest hospital that had room for all three. They went on to say that the local hospital may never have enough room, so the Rex option. Upon visiting the boys tonight and checking out the diggs, we concluded that it was not so bad. The atmosphere is better than Duke, a bit more laid back and less "business like." In addition, now the girls and grandparents can visit. Arianna and Kaylin saw the boys tonight for the first time in person and were very excited and "weirded out" at the same time. I believe it is a little more real for them now. All are doing well and are settling in for the big weight gain. 3/7/2005 Together again! The M & M boys are back together again.........Well at least in the same room. Matthew continues to "lick and learn" (strange name for breast feeding training). Matthew & Mark are starting to gain weight and Luke has resumed his feeding. This is a big step for their transfer to the local hospital as well as coming home. All the boys keep going on and off the phototherapy light due to fluctuations in their Billyruben levels. Never know who exactly will be in the "spotlight" when we get there. Lorraine continues to improve, however must take it easy to make sure she heals correctly. We are hoping that one of the next few nights we will get a surprise and have all the boys reunited again.............. 3/5/2005 See them all! Today was the first we saw all three boys perfectly clear. Everyone is off respiration and breathing well. All heart murmurs are deemed closed as per echo cariograms and Matthew had his first suckling with Mom. Mark had his first feeding and has tolorated it well. Luke is still recovering from his last round of Heart drugs and will likely start feeding tomorrow. We are awaiting the exciting day when we go to see them and they are reunited together in the same room and soon after that the same crib. God has blessed us the last few days. Keep the prayers coming. 3/3/2005 March, 2 2005 Yeah! Lorraine was finally released after her latest round of dual antibiotics. She is resting comfortably in bed. She feels much better compared to yesterday. Matthew continues to increase his feedings. He is almost up to a "full feed" which is about 100 cc per day. Mark has had a series of good reports. His PDA(heart Murmur) has closed up after his 2 rounds of drugs. He is down to the lowest setting on respiration and they will take out his breathing tube tonight. Still on "room air". His urine output has increased again after falling due to the meds. Luke was getting his 3rd round of PDA drugs tonight as his Kidneys have been tolerating it well. His is on minimal respitory support as well and is breathing "room air". He is the last one tanning as his Billyrubin is gradually decreasing. He will get an echo cardiogram in the morning and will most likely get his breathing tub out. A good day! 3/1/2005 March.1 2005 Lorraine had a bit of a tough night. Her fever spiked to over 103 and she was very engorged. So she was kept an additional day for observation. The boys continue to put up a good fight. Matthew once again continues to impress and his feedings continue to increase. After multiple procedures last night including a round of surfactant and Ibuprofen like meds Mark has improved dramatically and his heart murmur was not detected by his nurse, neonatologist and pediatrician. He will get an Echocardiagram tomorrow to validate their findings. He is now breathing "room air" with a minimal amount of ventilation. He ahs now been transferred out of isolation and back into general ICU. Luke also has improved somewhat overnight after a round of surfactant, however a murmur was detected on him and an echocardiagram was orderd to see how much of a problem it was. He is also breathing "room air" with minimal respitory help. Depending on the echo results he may get a round of heart meds. 2/28/2005 February, 28 2005 Another banner day for Matthew as he continues to exceed expectations. He is currently tanning along with the rest of his brothers as a precaution. He has doubled his formula intake and will be increased slowly at every feeding. Luke has had some setbacks and needed to be intabated today. He had started his feedings, but had to come off them due to this setback. He is on schedule to receive some surfactant as the docs have determined he has RDS (Respitory Distress Syndrome) Same for Mark, after Docs removed his tube last night it had to go back in this morning as they have found him to have RDS as well. In addition, he has been diagnosed with a heart mumur which will be treated with an Ibuprofen derivative. This is actually quite common in Preemies as it is due to a valve that is supposed to close as the babies start breathing alowing blood to be diverted to the pulminary system. As a precaution the docs are scheduling an echocardiogram for Luke to see if he suffers from the same ailment. We are keeping our chins up as these are very common problems in preemies. Lorraine continues to improve and should be released tomorrow. 2/27/2005 February, 27 2005 MATTHEW continues to impress. He is getting minimal continuous (every 3 hours) feedings and is getting stronger. Breathing on his own. MARK had a bit of a setback and was administered "surfactant" as his oxygen satuation levels fell overnight. He is intabated (tube down throat), however Docs said it would be removed tonight as the drugs did their work and he is breathing better. Looks better than yesterday. LUKE is also struggling with his own issues, however not as bad as Mark. He is getting help breathing, but the levels of oxygen he is getting have decreased slowly all day. His Billyruben levels have shot up and he is currently "tanning" under his UV light. Lorraine had it a little tough today as expected but continues to keep her spirits up. 1/15/2005 Good report from the doctor Everything seems to be going well with the little ones. Mommy is also good. 12/12/2004 Yes. 3 Boys! It is true. All three of the little ones are male. |
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