2 days old!

We survived our first night without babies in tummy. I thought we might be able to rest a little before bringing the babies home, but I forgot they have to eat. Pumping every 3 hours during the night is proving to be training for when we get home.

Cohen is now taking 1/2 ounce of breast milk every 3 hours and gets a bottle once a day. He loves to kick around and is stretching out every chance he gets. Mari held Cohen and bonded for about an hour this morning and I got to cuddle with him this evening.

Cohen chillin'

Mari and Cohen

Noah is trying to get a little milk but his stomach is not digesting well right now so they are holding on his feedings until that clears up. Mari was able to hold him for quite a while today and he maintained his body temp the whole time.

Noah sound asleep

Bonding with Noah

Sophia got a taste of breast milk today. I think she liked it better than I did! She requires her CPAP for breathing, but is doing well. Mari loved on her for a little yesterday while they got some cuddle time.

Finn is still on his ventilator, which is ok because he needs his rest so he can get stronger. At least we can now see his precious little face! They are planning to feed him milk tonight to see how he does. He seems to like to flex his right biceps; he has had this pose in nearly all of his ultrasounds!

Finn's Signature Pose

They all have full heads of fuzzy hair. Their hair is somewhere between brown and blonde, so we are taking bets on whose hair they'll get.

When I went to pick up our car from the mechanic this morning, I was surprised to learn that the babies were on Channel 11 news last night and a couple of times this morning! Then I went to the bank and explained my 4 wristbands to the cashier, who said she saw us on the news. We had no idea that that was going to happen! The babies have no idea how famous they already are. I think Grammy Goerlich may have had a little something to do with that. The mechanic and bank were the first stops on my long list of never-ending honey-dos.

Alright guys, you'll appreciate this one...I had the privelege of getting out of the hospital for a bit today - to buy a nursing bra! My father-in-law bailed on me and stayed in the car while I braved Motherhood Maternity. I'm staring at these sexy little numbers, trying to find the right size so I can quickly sneak out, but end up needing some help from the sales lady; as if she couldn't have guessed I would need help. Anyway, mission accomplished and plan to return tomorrow.

1 day old

Can you believe it? They are growing up right in front of our eyes! Mari finally got to eat and drink water this morning - she was sooo hungry! She is healing well and was able to walk around today and go upstairs to see the babies. She amazes me with her strength!

Cohen is the only baby not on any respiratory treatments. Mari was able to pump and feed him a bottle this morning, which he took like a champ! He is still unable to completely regulate his body temperature, but will likely move to an isolette tonight. Believe it or not, this is improvement.

Cohen

Noah is already in an isolette. They were able to remove his CPAP (continuous passive airway pressure) this morning and replace it with a regular nasal cannula, just to give him a boost of oxygen. Both Noah and Cohen are receiving momma's milk via a feeding tube every 3 hours!

Noah

Sophia continues to struggle a little with breathing. She uses a CPAP as well to help her breath, and she needs less and less oxygen each day. She always looks so comfortable in the strangest positions.

Sophia

Finn is also struggling to breathe. He did not cry at birth and has had the most difficulty breathing. He initially required a breathing tube but was able to switch to the CPAP late yesterday. The main concern is he has bouts of apnea where he forgets to breathe and needs a little stimulation to get it going. We had a scare tonight where he stopped breathing for what seemed like forever. Mari was right there with him and just fell to the chair and prayed. As she started to pray, her parents walked in to comfort her and answered her prayer. The doctor was called in to put the breathing tube back in and place him on a ventilator to stabilize him.

Finn

Unfortunately, this scare reminded us that the babies are not out of the woods yet and their health is still very fragile, and that we still need all the prayers to continue.

We had lots of visitors today showering us and the babies with love. Because the babies, especially Finn, are so fragile right now, we are going to try to limit the number of visitors to the NICU.

Please continue to pray for these amazing babies. Finn really needs strength to breathe better and he needs all the prayers we can lift up.

We appreciate all the wonderful comments, e-mails, and love.

Chris

Happy Birthday!!!

Introducing our 4 new bundles! They are all healthy, crying, and of course, beautiful! Mari is recovering well right now.

Cohen Greene Goerlich 3lb 15oz 10:29am

Noah James Goerlich 3lb 10oz 10:29am

Finn Elijah Goerlich 3lb 11oz 10:29am

Sophia Grace Goerlich 3lb 3oz 10:30am

From left to right: Cousin Cheryl, Great-Grandma Goerlich, Grandma Goerlich, Grandma Glass, Chris, Grandpa Glass, and of course, babies take center stage

One band per baby

Can you say, "Handful"?




WOW!! 4 little bundles of joy!

Grumpy old men, Cohen and Finn

Birthday Eve

Pizza Party Crew (L to R):

Dawn, Tim, Mari, Ellen, Cheryl, Heather, Todd

Mari and her parents



Princess?

Chris here. sorry to post so late. Mari's parents flew into town yesterday and saw Mari pregnant for the first time - what a shock that must have been! I know it has been comforting for Mari to have her parents here. We have been trying to mentally prepare for the big day tomorrow, mainly by trying to take Mari's mind off of things. Her parents bought her a pedicure; she came right up to the room and worked her magic. It will be a pleasant surprise tomorrow when Mari can see her toes for the first time in a bunch of months.

Does a spinal get rid of butterflies? How about some Ambien for tonight?

Mari's last supper was Star Pizza - yes, again; pizza is definitely her favorite food. My mom and cousin also came by tonight, as well as our friends Heather and Todd. We just had a little pizza party in the room and hung out.

The festivities will start at about 8am tomorrow morning, starting with all the paperwork and pre-op details. C-section is scheduled for 9:30am. It is so hard to believe that less than 12 hours from now we will have 4 little babies, skin and all!! I can't believe we don't have to take a test in order to keep them.

I suppose it is time to try to sleep; hopefully I am eligible for Ambien too. Prime your computer for a full blog tomorrow complete with photos...I hope.

32 week belly shots & NICU visit

Today I passed the 32-week mark! I'm still feeling good and the babies still have good heart beats. My friend Lauren came by today with Star Pizza, which probably made my belly look a little bloated:) She cheered me up with a tiara with flashing lights.

This morning we visited the level 2 and level 3 NICU (neonatal intensive care unit). It was all a bit overwhelming for me, but Chris did fine. Seeing those little babies hooked up to monitors and tubes everywhere made me feel weak; I felt like I was about to faint and probably would have if I were standing. Thank goodness Chris was wheeling me around and knows me well enough to not let stand in those situations. I know that God will give me the strength and courage to overcome that anxiety when our little ones are in there. Those who wait for the Lord - they will soar on the wings of eagles. They will run and not get weary; they will walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:31).

1 day down

I'm finishing up my first full day of hospital bedrest. I have a large room and best of all, a view of the Houston Zoo. I was looking out of the window at it and saw a large mammal that looked pregnant and then I noticed it was only my reflection - ha ha! My room is very large and I already got some flowers. The staff are all very friendly and helpful. Luckily, I don't have to have continuous monitoring, only twice a day right now. It's pretty crazy hooking up 4 heart monitors at once and trying to find 4 different heart beats. Every time they hook these up, the babies start kicking the monitors - they just don't like those things. It's pretty funny to see, and now hear, all of them move at once!

My friend, Jenn, came to visit me today. It was great to see her before the babies are born! Here are some photos of the flowers I got today - the room is starting to brighten up.

Temporary Blog Spot While in the Hospital

The day has finally arrived, I'm moving into the hospital tomorrow night so they can monitor the babies and me more closely up until next week's delivery. I have set up this blog spot to so I can post journal entries remotely. Check back every few days, I'll try to post on this more often.