March of Dimes 2013

I'm dusting off the keyboard for a short blog post. As many of you know, we have been asked to serve as the 2013 March for Babies Ambassador family. This year marks the 75th year for the March of Dimes, and we are extremely honored to have been asked to fill this role. 

We are beginning to ramp up our fundraising efforts for the year. With the help of the March of Dimes, we have put together a short video showing why we do what we do. Please watch and enjoy, and share with your friends. 

We plan on updating the blog more frequently with our fundraising progress as well as upcoming events and opportunities to help Team Kamps reach it's goal in 2013, so stay tuned!!!

We are two!

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A Night at the Pizza Ranch...

Finally, the blog has come back to the internets!!! Sorry, that was dramatic. It was the best I could come up with after not doing a post for two months.

As you all may know, the March for Babies is coming up next month, and we have been going all out with our fundraising efforts. Monday, we held one of this year’s larger events at the Pizza Ranch in Ames. What a wonderful opportunity Pizza Ranch provided us!  We would like to say thank you to everyone who came out to have some good pizza and support Team Kamps³. Angie and I tried very hard to visit with all who attended but inevitably missed some of you.  The event went well, and we raised over $1000 for the March of Dimes! A big thanks to Aaron and Blakely Mortvedt for doing the legwork to get the event set up. Also many thanks to Susie, Craig, Elizabeth, and Grandma Janet for bussing tables all night and earning those tips!

There was a lot of activity at the Pizza Ranch, but there were some very touching moments that really impacted us. We got to catch up with another triplet family we have met since the girls were born. It was good to see their girls, and  meet their little brother. And get this, their mom brought all four of them *by herself!*. Yeah, 4 kids, under three, all the way to Ames from Lohrville. Alone. Shannon Hobbs, I salute you. Your children are delightful and we hope to see you again soon!  We also had a very nice conversation with the manager of Pizza Ranch, who after hearing our story, generously donated out of his own pocket in addition to the business donation of 10% of the evenings sales.  I tell you what, Pizza Ranch truly is a wonderful business that supports its community and charitable organizations.  This is a fundraiser we hope to continue with for years to come.

We were completely blown away by the generosity of one particular customer. As we were approaching the end of our fundraiser, Angie’s aunt walked over and handed me $300 cash. I asked where it came from, and she told me it came from a dad of 9-year-old twins, who were 25 weekers. Angie and I went over to talk to him and learned he was from Minnesota, just passing through town. He’ll probably never see this, but thank you random customer, we can’t express our gratitude.  It is amazing to me how God orchestrated a random encounter that meant so much.  What are the odds that this gentleman would pass throw town of that very night and stop at that very restaurant and have so much in common…wow.  Very, very cool.

There is just under a month left until the walk, and there are still plenty of opportunities to donate to the March of Dimes. There is a bake sale at a vendor show in Nevada on Saturday, April 28^th, as well as team t-shirts to purchase if you haven’t already (deadline is Monday, April 23. Information can be found on our facebook page, or by contacting Angie. There is also the matter of Angie’s facebook fundraising challenge. Her goal is to raise $3000 on her personal page. If she hits that, I will in fact be wearing a tutu the day of the walk. So if you want to see the manliest of men sporting the prettiest of pretties (there will be shorts underneath, nobody wants to see that), please visit her personal page to donate.

Thank you to all our team members that are working hard to raise donations for the March of Dimes!  We greatly appreciate you efforts.  If you have donated, please know we are incredibly grateful for your gift.  If you have yet to do so, there is still time to make a difference in the lives of sweet babies, I urge you to consider a gift.  Having gone through what our family has, every family I can help to avoid premature birth, is worth all the work we put into March of Dimes fundraising.

Things have been busy at our house even without all of the March of Dimes activities. We hit the Easter Egg hunt in Slater at the beginning of the month. I don’t know if the girls quite understood, but they each got a couple of pretty eggs, and were happy. Dad got some candy out of it, so he was happy too. We made it to church for the first time this year on Easter (we have had to miss during cold/flu season), then spent the day with family, hunting Easter eggs and chasing bubbles. Man, do we love bubbles at our house. I think we spent the entire day outside, I’ve never seen them so tired, but they sure did have a good time playing.

We do have some less exciting news. Brenna is going in for surgery on Monday, April 23^rd. We visited our neurosurgeon in February to discuss Brenna and her MRI results. The scan showed two large cysts in the third and fourth ventricles of her brain which are making it difficult for her shunt to drain the extra fluid.  After consulting with several other top children’s hospitals, the surgeon has determined the best course of action is to revise her shunt to allow two catheters, joined by a Y-connector, to drain through her current device. The area of the brain that is being affected by the pressure this extra fluid is causing has a direct link to balance and coordination. The surgeon expects to see improvement in both areas for Brenna once the surgery is done and the shunt settings are tweaked to where they need to be. Hopefully, this will fix the issues Brenny has been having with her balance and gross motor skills. So please keep Brenna in your thoughts and prayers next week for an uneventful procedure and speedy recovery.  To say that we are burnt out on surgeries and complications from the girls’ premature delivery is a massive understatement.  This just goes to show that even once you’ve survived the rollercoaster in the NICU, the effects of premature birth do not go away, it will continue to be a battle we must face throughout their lives…this is what we hope to prevent for other families.

We look forward to getting out more now that RSV/flu season is officially over. Hopefully you can join us on May 12^th for the March for Babies in Des Moines. We are going to try to update the blog a little more regularly this summer, but I emphasize try, and I make no guarantees, unless you want to watch toddlers while I type ;)…

Brad, Angie, Anna, Brenna, and Lucy Kamps

Why March of Dimes?

Two years ago, all we really knew about the March of Dimes was they were the organization who sent us pretty mailing labels around the holidays and asked for a small donation in return. After the last 18 months, we have a whole new appreciation for the March of Dimes and it's mission to ensure stonger, healthier babies. 

From early on in our pregnancy, we knew this was going to be an extraordinary journey; three little heartbeats on the ultrasound screen, a dream come true.  Little did we know at the time, the rollercoaster journey our family was set out to endure.  The pregnancy was difficult physically but there was nothing of special concern until my water broke unexpectedly at 25 weeks.  After 12 hours at Mercy Medical Center monitoring my condition, the labor was unable to be stopped in time and on September 1, 2010, our three little girls were born.  Annaliese Hope, Brenna Renee and Lucy Jane entered this world each weighing 1 pound, 8 ounces and were 12 inches long, they were smaller than a Beanie Baby. We were amazed at how very perfect they were, tiny, but absolutely perfect.  Our sweet little babies, while so very beautiful were also very frail and sick.  Each was in a fight for their life.  In total, the Kamps triplets endured seven surgeries, multiple infections, and too many blood transfusions to even count during their stay in the Mercy NICU.  We had numerous nights where it wasn’t clear they would see the next morning, but our angels are fighters and  Annaliese, Lucy and Brenna were able to come home after 77, 79 and 152 days respectively.  The girls are thriving today and are very active toddlers.  We are so proud of our trio!  We still are dealing with the lasting effects of their premature birth and it is not an easy road, but they are tough little girls!

We became involved with March of Dimes in 2011 to support their cause of prematurity awareness and research and also to celebrate the extraordinary lives of our little miracles. Without the medical research funded by the March of Dimes in recent years and the training and expertise of our wonderful neonatologists and nurses at Mercy, our story could have turned out very differently. Last year, our team consisted of 40+ friends and family members, and together we raised over $6200 for the March of Dimes. We would love to see each and every one of you again this year. Last year was a great year, and we are excited to try and top that this year. 

One of the ways we hope to accomplish our goal is to add some business sponsorships to Team Kamps^3.We are hoping to find numerous business sponsorships and one company to potentially match what we raise, but any contribution would be greatly appreciated.  If your business or company is interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship, please contact us for more information. You may also visit our March of Dimes team page, or visit us on Facebook for more of our story and information on personal donations and to learn more about our company sponsors.  All donations are 100% tax deductible, and will support the March of Dimes mission to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.

The following video was made by Grandma Sheryl for the girls' first birthday, and chronicles our NICU stay. As a family affected by premature birth, we truly feel the research funded by the March of Dimes is the reason we were able to bring all three of our girls home. We look forward to seeing all of you at Principal Park on May 12th for the March of Dimes March for Babies!!! 

Year One.

“Our girls are turning one.” That’s a phrase we’ve been saying a lot lately, many times with a sense of disbelief that it’s been a year since they were born. I’ve been staring at this blog for a week, trying to think of a way to sum up our year. Many of the past entries came naturally; there was something we needed to share, so we shared it. This one is a big deal, how do you put it into words? I don’t know that I can, but I’m going to try.

 We were looking through some early pictures, a lot of them for the first time since they were taken. I didn’t realize how hard it would be. Some of the pictures took us right back to a place that we didn’t want to be. We had prepared ourselves for a short NICU stay, which is pretty common for triplets, but nothing can prepare you for the ride we went on. I think it’s safe to say the pictures of Brenna were the hardest to relive, followed closely by the emergency baptism ones when we didn’t know if they would survive. Those images really reminded us how blessed we were to be able to bring all three girls home.

 

Angie and I talked a lot the first few months about what it would be like when we got the girls home. There were a lot of mixed emotions when Anna and Lucy got to come home. We were thrilled they were doing well enough at 36 weeks to be able to go home, but having to leave Brenna while starting our lives with Anna and Lucy was excruciating.   Splitting time between the hospital and home was a tall order. How would we be able to handle it? The situation, complicated by the fact it was winter, really made those last three months Brenna was in the NICU seem longer than they were.

Brenna came home January 31^st, 2011. It was one of the best days we have experienced as a family. Finally having everybody together, was a fantastic feeling. It was also really strange. Imagine doing something every day for 5 months, then one day, it’s done. For the longest time, whenever I was driving on 235, I had the urge to take exit 8A, because that had been our life for 5 months and Mercy had been our home.

With everybody home, the focus of our conversations started to shift from, “I can’t wait for them to be home” to “I can’t wait for everyone to meet them.” We had always had Easter in the back of our minds as the time we could take them out. We *might* have jumped the gun a little early and gone to church on Palm Sunday, but hey, it was only a week early, right? Being able to get out and go really did a lot for us as a family. We have always said we want to try to make life as normal as we can for our girls. Just because there is three of them doesn’t mean we can’t do things. It might just take us a little longer to get ready. Have you seen how much stuff is required to take triplets anywhere? Short answer: a lot.

We have had a busy spring and summer. One thing that really stands out to me as something we hope to continue is the March of Dimes walk, which took place in May. Angie had mentioned it before the girls came home and we started talking about it more seriously as spring got closer. Angie did an amazing job with it, and for those of you who don’t know, Team Kamps^3 ended up as one of the top fundraising teams this year. It is a tradition we plan on continuing, so thank you to all of you for participating, and we look forward to seeing you all again next year.  Some other high points include the always fun Slater Fourth of July, a short vacation at the Honey Creek Resort, and trip to KC to visit Uncle Ryan.  It’s been a wild summer, but it’s been fun.

Team Kamps^3 March of Dimes 2011

Before Brenna’s last surgery, Angie talked about the term “miracle” and how she doesn’t use it lightly. Statistics show that 50% of 25 weekers don’t come home…we were blessed beyond belief to have all 3 girls stick around. I’ll never forget the mission mile preemie signs along the March of Dimes route that read “surviving triplet”, that was almost our story.  Being able to bring all of them home, despite their trouble, certainly qualifies as a miracle in my book. Our faith was absolutely shaken in the last year, but we are trusting in Him that this is His will for our family. God put some amazing people in our lives to get us through the last year. We would not have made it if it were not for you. Thanks to all of you friends and family who offered your help and support and prayers. You will never know how much it meant to us. And our nurses…I’m sure you’ve heard it time and time again but I don’t think you can even imagine the gratitude we have for you.  You took care of our precious babies and us most times.  You had to tell us some of the worst news of our lives yet you also were our best friends.  We miss you terribly and will always, always consider you part of our family.

Today is September 1^st, 2011. The last year has been the most difficult, most rewarding year of our lives, and we are stronger for having endured it. The girls still have to play catch up due to their extreme prematurity, but we have no doubt they will get there. They are making progress and that is all we can ask for right now. To sum up our year in numbers; 152 days in the hospital, 7 surgeries, 3 babies, 2 minivans, and 1 complete family. We have been blessed with these three little monkeys, and life would just not be the same without them. For now, we have to go. We have a birthday party to plan, our girls are turning one.

Aaaand We're Back...

Aaaaand we’re back. It’s been a while interwebs, we’ve missed you. Things at home have been hectic as ever, and we are eagerly awaiting warmer weather. It’s been a long winter on lock down and we can’t wait to be able to get outside with the girls. I’m sure they’re tired of seeing the same three rooms in our house too.

What can I say about the girls? We are continually shocked at how far they have come. Looking at them now, it’s hard to believe how very very tiny and fragile they were when they were born. I dare to say if you had just met them today, you wouldn’t believe they were born at a pound and a half each. We’re thankful that now it seems like many of the things we struggle with are “baby” problems, and not so much “preemie” problems.

Appointments have finally slowed down now. We’re down to a few home visits a week for now. They’ll pick up again here in a few months, but it’s nice not having to run to the doctor all the time. In our last post, we had mentioned that feeding had been one of our biggest struggles. Things have improved greatly in that aspect. Anna has gone from not wanting much to do with the bottle at all, to our defacto “dinner bell”. When she’s ready to eat, she’s ready, and if she doesn’t like the service, she’ll tell you.  It’s been quite a relief to us knowing that feeding isn’t the battle it used to be. We still have our moments, but nothing like it used to be.

Socially, the girls are really making great progress. They are starting to recognize familiar people, and get excited when they see them. It really makes for a good start to the day when you pop into their room to wake them up for the morning and you’re greeted with a great big smile because they are happy to see you.  They are also becoming quite the little chatter boxes as well. Don’t tell Mom, but we do work on “da da da” quite a bit more than other sounds when she’s not around. It’s really fun to watch them start to become interested in their toys and the things around them. Before we were seeing random movements at objects, but in the last few weeks, the movements have become deliberate, “I want that toy” movements. And of course, everything they can get their hands on goes straight to the mouth. Teeth can’t be that far away as much as their drooling these days. Anna’s new favorite thing is blowing spit bubbles…kinda gross, but super cute.

Sleep had been hard to come by at our house, but thankfully we’ve been able to cut out a feed during the night so we are able to sleep for a solid 5-6 hours now. We get the girls to bed around 9:00 or so, and for the most part, they sleep until about 3:30-4:00am. We still have to get up for pacifiers and swaddles, but at least it’s not the 1.5 hour feeding event. Lucy is going to be the first to get to try cereal, probably here in the next couple of days. We are excited to see how it goes. It could be an adventure with her. We may be packing in our dining room area rug a bit sooner than we expected. The other girls have some work to do on their head control, but they’ll get there soon enough.

I’m sure there is more, but honestly I’m not the best at remembering things these days. Sleep has eluded me for a while, and I’m afraid I’m not as sharp as I used to be, but it’s coming back. I’m going to end today with this. Angie and I, along with many of our friends and family members will be taking part in the March of Dimes March for Babies walk this year. The March of Dimes is an organization that raises money to help us understand and hopefully one day prevent premature births. I don’t have the words to describe the first 7 months of our girls lives. Many 25 weekers never make it home. Ours did, and we thank God every day. Many of you who follow this blog have already made a donation, and we thank you. If you have the desire, please consider visiting our team page (link) and making a donation.  Your dollar could be the dollar that funds a breakthrough that ensures a preemie goes home where they belong. Here is what the March of Dimes has done for us…

Anna

Brenna

Bundled up for a walk

Lucy

Uncle Ryan and the girls

Anna

Lucy and Anna - Staring Contest

Brenna after bath

Lucy

Anna

Lucy nomming rings

Three Little Monkeys

Cutest. Brenna. Bunny. Ever.

In His Name,

Brad, Angie, Anna, Brenna and Lucy Kamps

Our story, In Photo

Here is a slideshow made by Grandma Sheryl of some of the thousands of pictures we took in the first few months of the girls' lives.  Some of these pictures are still difficult for us to look at because we will never forget the absolute fear and heartache we endured those first months.  At the same time, I look at these pictures and I see the amazing power of our God...he can heal all things.  He loves our babies and through all their pain He never left their sides.  Without our faith in Him and the hope He gave, we never would have made it through.