Pictures - Meet the Pooklings!

These are just a few of the best pictures so far, I hope everyone likes them.  Don't be concerned with the wires and tubes you see in a few of them, they are all doing great.

This good looking fella is Declan James McCrimmon.  He is getting that annoying air tube out right away, and is looking forward to a light meal this afternoon.  They all look better and better by the hour.

This handsome gent is Reid Carter McCrimmon.  Reid is having lunch via that tube in his nose, and is less than pleased about having an IV in his noggin.  He is as calm as a Hindu cow at all times, and is taking the world in without much fuss.

The boys look very much alike, their features are pretty much identical at this point.  It will be interesting to see them begin take on their own distinct features as they keep growing.

This lovely little lady is Stella Marie McCrimmon, getting her first snuggle with Dad.  She is flashing a little smile for the camera.  We are getting the feeling she is going to be in charge when these babies get organized.

We should be able to get pictures with all of them together in the next few days.  We are thinking they will be moved to a different nursery soon, they just don't need the level of care provided at Foothills Hospital, and it's time to give up the beds for other babies that do.  If things keep progressing like they have been, the family will be home very soon.  The world has become a little bit sweeter place thanks to these three.

Mom is doing fantastic, she will be home by tomorrow, or Tuesday at the latest. 

I will keep posting as much as I can, more pictures to follow.

Quick Update

Pookie and the babies have all shown great progress, Pookie just got her IV out and is taking a much anticipated shower as I write.

All of the babies are strong enough that they don't require Level 3 care, so we might actually transfer to another hospital, which is great news.

I keep forgetting either the camera or the cord I need to upload pictures, but will try to sort it out today.

Thanks again for all your calls and notes, y'all are some great people!

PJ and Pookie

The Pooklings Have Landed!

Reid, Declan and Stella are all doing great, and Pookie is recovering. Dad is still grinning from ear to ear.

Pictures soon!

Last Post Before B-Day

I tell Rocky it's all going all to be ok, but I don't think he believes me.

Thank you to everyone for your support and love, it has meant a lot to us and we truly feel like we are not doing this alone.  Rocky would thank you if he could read, but he insists he is severely dyslexic.  Why argue, as long as no one gets bitten?

Tomorrow is the big day, and I will be sure to post something right away.  Rocky might be less than optimistic, but Mom and  Dad are as happy as clams.  Dad might be as happy as a drunken clam.

Thanks again, here we go!





New Plan - B-Day Invasion Now Planned for Friday the 14th

Two Days Left, and Counting

We have had a slight change of plans, the big day has been moved up from the 18th to the 14th.  There are no issues with Pookie or the Pooklings to necessitate the change, our doctor just thinks the availability of beds for our little people will be better if we do things before the weekend.  Apparently beds in the nursery are kind of like campsites in Banff, the good ones are gone by Saturday.

I will be sure to run the video camera as much as possible, unless I pass out from looking at Pookie's guts when the doctor is handbombing infants to nurses.  There are going to be about 20 people in the room (then 23), so I expect things to be pretty crowded, but I'll do my best.

The question people keep asking me is whether Pookie is ready to get things moving, and shit yes she is.  She has been dealing with the discomforts and inconveniences of being very pregnant for months and months, and it is getting old.  She hasn't been able to walk the dog or go to a movie since she was about 15 weeks pregnant, and she is almost at 34.  Yeah, she's ready, and so is dad.

I almost don't want to jinx it by saying anything, but our doctor is telling us that the Pooklings (she doesn't call them that) are so strong that they might not spend more than a day or two in the NICU, and then head to the regular nursery.  That would be fantastic, but we'll see.

The house is ready, cigars bought, and the liquor cabinet is full.  Bring on the Pooklings!

So Close...

First Contact:  January 18th, 2011, approximately 12 PM.

Pookie had a checkup and ultrasound yesterday, and the final countdown is officially on.  Pookie has not had any signs that the ball is going to get rolling on on it's own, so we're going in after them.  The official length of the pregnancy will be 34 weeks and one day, which is a long damn time if you happen to be the one carrying three babies.

The babies themselves are doing so amazingly well our doctor is blown away, and so am I.  Each baby weighs 2 kg here in Canada, 4 lbs 6 oz in the U.S, or 2/3 of a can of camel milk for those you in the Middle East.   Their heart rates are all in the normal range, they are measuring great size, and they are kicking and punching each other for all they are worth.  Things are looking as positive as they possibly could, and Dad is getting more excited by the day.

Pookie is also excited, but she is very uncomfortable.  Not uncomfortable like riding in the back of a small car, or cutting a loud one at the dinner table, more Spanish Inquisition type discomfort.  She is now measuring at 45 weeks in size, and growing fast.  Ask any mom how uncomfortable she was at 40 weeks or even 41, and then add another month and another baby, then tell her to wait another couple weeks.   It is not a lot of fun for my Pookie but she is handling it very well, and seeing the babies do so well makes it a little easier to take ( I assume, what the hell do I know?).

We have 10 more days to go, and at the rate the Pooklings are growing I would not be shocked to see them get close to 5 lbs each (3/4 of a goat milk can).  Each baby has it's own sac and placenta, so with three big babies it is difficult to believe how much Pookie is actually carrying.  I get pissed off when I get $0.99 in change at a store and have to carry it around, I don't think I'd do very well at pregnancy.

There is a real possibility that the babies will come on their own, at any time, but Pookie is doing so well that we really don't think so.  If aliens ever enslave our planet and start people-ranching, Pookie would be a star! 

I will try to keep everyone in the loop on what is going on, but I have a feeling that once the baby-bomb goes off it will be tough to find time to sit down and write.  Thanks to all of you that have been following, I will be back with big news before you know it.

Pookie Pictures - Part Deux

Pookie, Pets and Pimpmobiles

It has been a while since I posted any pictures, so I thought I would bust out the camera and give everyone a look at what has been going on around here.

The Nursery / Baby Ranch is ready for the Pooklings, and everything seems a lot more "real" in there.  We are going to have boys and a girl in there, so we never really took a stance on decorating with a theme.  With three cribs and a 7-foot stroller, you can say the theme is "multiples", or "sleep deprivation" if you want.

This is what the Baby Ranch looks like with the stroller inside.  Not a lot of room to move, but obviously it won't be in there once everyone arrives.  Babies need a lot more stuff than a guy would think.

The ranch looks a little less cluttered without the stroller, just the cribs and the - HOLY SHIT THEY'RE COMING!!!! - suitcase that is ready to go.  I shudder when I think of the screaming that is going to come from that room.

This is the closet (in case you don't know a closet when you see one).  Three babies means a metric shit-ton of clothes.  Yeesh.

This is Rocky with one of his presents, looking pretty pleased with himself.  No self-respecting yuppy can post pictures on the web without including pet pictures, so here you go.  I know what you're thinking, and yes, that is one magnificent son of a bitch.

This is Herb the cat, in what I call his "Batman Pose".  He sits up high in this odd window in our room for extended periods of time, looking down on the neighborhood, not unlike Batman.  The only difference that instead of looking for people he can help, Herb is looking for small animals he can hurt, and eventually kill. 

Then there's.......Pookie!  Pookie is looking like a million bucks, with 900 grand of it right out front.  The belly has taken on a life of it's own with little hands and feet flying everywhere.  Looking pretty cute if you ask me.

For some reason the belly looks bigger with a shirt over it (most of it).  Pookie and the babies are doing great, and Pookie looks like the picture of health.  These babies are lucky they landed where they did.

Finally, the 'burb.  When you have three infants and a dog, you have very little choice when shopping for vehicles.  Westcastle Motors in Pincher Creek gave us a great deal on the pimpmobile, and I love this thing.  Sometimes I wonder why I haven't been driving one of these for years.  Then I fill it up.

Pookie officially hits 32 weeks tomorrow, so we are miles ahead of the curve.  A doctor actually called Pookie "Superwoman" at our last appointment.  I puffed up like a bantam rooster when she said this, because it is common knowledge that only Superman could knock up Superwoman.  That's just science.

We have another set of appointments this week, and if nature hasn't gotten the ball rolling, we are setting a date to go in after them.  One way or the other, this family is going to be a lot bigger within the next two weeks.  Buckle up people, we are almost at B-Day.