How Quickly We Adjust!

My Mom and her friend Susan Dubs have taken the babies for a walk leaving me about an hour to myself. How strange it feels! I am finding myself still tiptoeing around the house or hesitating to crumple up old wrapping paper! Our lives have certainly changed. With them out of the house, even for just a mere hour, makes things feel so vacant, empty. They are so much a part of me now. I can't imagine anything better....I hope they hurry back.

Here is a little playtime...I think I know who the boss is going to be! Look at those chunky legs!!!!



Poor Maggie - and she is the oldest!






My sweet sweet babies...

They Slept Through the Night!

Yippeee! So perhaps this is the light (or maybe a fluke but I am hopeful!) We have been feeding them around the clock during the day trying to fill them up so they won't be hungry at night. They dropped the midnight feeding really quickly and have only been getting up around 2-3 a.m. for a dreamfeed. Well, last night I fed them at 8 p.m., lotioned them up, put in pjs on and down they went. Woke up this morning at 6 a.m. to them just beginning to stir! And then to make things even better....Aaron went ahead and got up. When I climbed out of bed at 7, this is what I found....



He was in the nursery preparing for a hearing tomorrow. Everyone fed and quiet. It was great!

We also got some more stroller time this weekend. The weather has been great!





And finally just some more random pics. Aren't they growing!!!!

"Unusually Chunky"

OK...so I'm learning! After worrying all weekend about Maggie not growing, I take her to the doctor. Diagnosis: She is not small but instead the other two are "unusually chunky!" How could he tell me that without laughing!!!! I felt like such an amatuar loading her up and taking her in for that tidbit :) I guess next visit will be why the other two are growing so fast!!! Anyway...just a quick note to let everyone know she is fine - more than fine, she is absolutely normal!

Now that all three are down for a few hours, I am turning off the computer and heading into the sunroom to relax and wait for the season premiere of Lost!

Goodnight!

Should be Sleeping

After telling Aaron how tired I was last night and making him head out in the rain for take-out, I should be going straight back to bed. But, after the 2a.m. feeding, I am wide awake.

I am trying to get back into the middle of the night routine. Aaron's mom has been doing nights for me for the past two weeks! Let me tell you how much better I feel overall with rest in my system! She unfortunately left on Thursday to go back home. Thank you so much Kathleen for all you did while you were here....I know you worked hard and it made such a huge difference. I hope that you and Galin make it back soon and hopefully, the babies will be sleeping through the night by then!

With me doing night duty again...hopefully posts will be more frequent (it really is the only time our house is quiet!)

I am sure everything is fine and I am just putting this out there for documentation -I am worried about our little girl Maggie. She is lagging behind the other two in weight by almost a pound and this has happened rapidly in the past month. She rarely finishes a bottle right away which is kind of new for her so I usually wait a couple of hours and try again which works sometimes. When she is awake - she is not as happy as I remember her being a few weeks ago. She has developed this raspy cry that will squeal through the house the moment she stirs from a nap. I have started to feed her whenever she does this...sometimes she will take an extra ounce or two which I feel as a victory. I try not to let her cry for fear that she will lose much needed calories. Could it be reflux even though she doesn't spit up like Wylie? Aaron thinks that all babies are individuals and will grow on their own schedule....I am going to give it a couple of more days and then call the doctor if I don't see her plumping up like her siblings.

Here a couple of Maggie this past week. She looks round in these pictures but when you pick her up, there is definitely a difference.





On a positive note, we have solved our quest for the perfect stroller! So, I have been torn between the two different types of strollers that are out there for triplets. One is where the babies sit one in front of the other - almost like stadium seating! The benefit is that it will fit through doorways but I wouldn't really be able to take it for walks around the neighborhood because you can't really jump a curb. The second type is where all three sit side by side. This is awesome for walks but can't fit through doorways!

Well...I have been watching an auction on Ebay for this great umbrella stroller that is only available in the U.K. After a couple of failed bids, I emailed the lady who lives in Jacksonville and she sold it to me for a steal. It is a great stroller but turns out to be kind of heavy and awkward. But I couldn't wait to try it out so on the first sunny day....here we go for about half an hour. I can't wait for it to warm up for strolls downtown!




Then, on a stroke of luck (and huge generosity from my friend Lea who has GGB 3 year olds locally), I received a 2008 Runabout stroller for free - which is the stadium type seating. So now I have both kinds!!!! I really like the Runabout but know that it is going to turn some heads...doesn't do much for staying incognito with the trio! I don't have a picture yet but will soon. Thanks again Lea for giving this to us...you are too wonderful!

Ok...here are a few more pics to share. How awful is this one of Wylie...this is how I found him the other afternoon!




And Katie Bug...

Happy Three Months!

So...we have made it through the first 90 days! As when I was pregnant with the babies, I would have goals set...24 weeks, 28 weeks, 30 weeks, etc. Now that they are here, 3 months was my first "milestone." Everyone who has multiples say that this period is the most difficult and here we are - we have weathered the storm! It really hasn't been that difficult just a lot of readjustments to our lives.

I guess I have hit some lows from the lack of sleep and there have certainly been tears from being so overwhelmed at times but looking back, all I can think of are how wonderful this experience is. The pride I have when I take the babies on walks around the neighborhood, the tender moments after the 6 a.m. feeding when the entire house is quiet and I have one on one time with each, the smiles that are now given regularly, the sounds of little voices coming over the monitor all through the day and night. I even love the inability to entertain friends while taking care of babies or the simple gratification they show when I give them something as simple as a paci.

Each baby has changed in so many ways already....Maggie has these tender looks she will give while smiling with her dimple showing, Katie has the feisty side to her but is nothing short of a sugar baby who loves to soak in a warm bath and Wylie continues to love being held close to the heart...a place where they all will always have. And the beautiful thing is is that I know it only gets better!

Here are some shots from the past week. I know that my post are becoming less frequent...I promise I am trying!

Katie


Maggie


Wylie visiting Aaron at the Courthouse


Wylie


Katie


Wylie with a chocolate kiss on his cheek from Minnie


Maggie


Katie


Me hanging out with the babies


Also...just a side note - I want to say how much I have been thinking of my late father who would have turned 64 today. I can only imagine how much he would have loved and enjoyed these grand babies.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I have started this post at least a dozen times over the past week and always get pulled away to take care of a baby or two or three! Hopefully, I will be able to hit publish this go round!

Christmas was spent at home this year and was wonderful. Aaron and I spent the morning in the sunroom with all three sleeping babies, opened gifts, drank hot chocolate and spent quality time together as a family. One of the gifts Aaron got me was a new digital camera - I can finally get rid of my awful Cannon!!! This is why I don't have pictures of Christmas morning (they are all on a camera I borrowed from Mom).

That night we had the traditional Christmas dinner thanks to Mom who brought over uncooked portions of her meal that I finished for us. She stayed with the babies while we ate - It was really nice and exactly how I hoped our first Christmas would be.

We missed Christmas night at my grandparents for the first time ever but got to go on Saturday when there wasn't a bunch of people. This was the first time they saw the babies and it was so much fun to watch how they cared for each one. Whenever you have triplets, there is hardly a moment where a baby is not being held. They were troopers and jumped right in. Aaron took these pictures (and a ton more!) which I think are really sweet. We didn't get back home until almost midnight. It was exhausting but worth every minute.






On Tuesday, Aaron's mom, Kathleen, arrived from Houston!!! Oh my goodness - the thought of having help during the night was heaven. I know how everyone says "sleep during the day while your mom is there" but this is next to impossible for me. My body is not on that clock and I just lay awake thinking of things that I should be doing. As a result, I have been running on empty for what seems like an eternity and having a good night of sleep has proven to be the best gift ever!

I was wrong to think that it would take her a couple of days to get the hang of caring for the trio, she jumped right in!!! She helped with one feeding before we all headed to bed that night. I told her that I would see her at midnight and climbed in bed. The next thing I know, it is 3 a.m. and I jumped out of bed thinking something awful but instead found her finishing up the routine. Aaron tells me later that it took her three hours to finish but she got it done! Poor thing - completely winging it on her first try! Then, another great surprise in that my Mom decided to come on over at 4 a.m. She says that she was awake and couldn't sleep but I think she secretly didn't want me teaching Kathleen bad habits...aka prop feeding - a practice she has yet to embrace :) She ended up doing the 6 a.m. so that we all got some rest - well actually, she ended up staying all day and helped with all the feedings! It was so nice!!!!

Kathleen holding Maggie


Aaron showing off Katie Bug


Wednesday, we got all Christmas taken down. Tree is out, stockings are put away. The house looks so bare!

Last night for New Years, we were able to head over to our friend Will's house for a small get together. He lives right next door so we were not too far from Kathleen and the babies in case she needed us - which she didn't. She did a great job! When we got home, everyone was fed and tucked in. I got ANOTHER whole night of sleep when she got up and did the 3a.m. also. Although, she admits this morning that she was beginning to feel a little beat up. Quote "I guess I remember now why only young people have babies!" I will gladly do tonight if she will continue doing them here and there...I feel like a whole new person.

Then today we had another great meal. I cooked the greens, rice, cucumber salad; Kathleen made desert and a wonderful spiced cider; Mom brought the ham and black eyed peas. We set the table with our silver and china and had a wonderful lunch.







Before I close, I want to share with everyone the most wonderful thing that has happened recently...The babies have really started to develop and everyday brings something new. Over the past week, we have had both girls smiling true smiles - not just gas! Wylie will give us glimpses but the girls will go ear to ear with just a tone of voice. Seeing those smiles has completely made my heart swell for these babies...I have loved them since before we were even pregnant and then when they were born, I fell even deeper. Now, seeing those smiles and seeing them react to us has changed my feelings even more than I can ever describe. It has made me realize how much fun being a parent is going to be and what a joy it will be to watch them develop into individuals of their own. They are beginning to be pretty cool little babies. I LOVE IT! Hopefully, I will be able to catch one on camera soon but for now, here are some from the past few days...