And so it begins

Our First Family Photo -- 68 days after we became a family.
This is us just before leaving the NICU. Our friends now (nurses to begin with) were taking this shot. We were so happy to be leaving, but I felt some sadness, too, because I'm going to miss all the wonderful people I've met there. We were so well cared for but as one nurse said, "You've been here long enough. It's time to go home now." It sure is and it was such a happy drive.












Bill, Margie, Finn, and all three little bears in their gliders. We received one glider at my shower and we quickly learned that it was invaluable, so we snatched up two more.











This is the first time either of us has held all three at once. It was too difficult in the NICU with all the wires and whatnot. Finn - who has been a wonderful big sibling - wanted some face time, too. Poor guy is missing his old life right about now.






This is just before we loaded up the stroller to leave the NICU.


As for what comes next, I'll miss my dear friend sleep. We've had a tumultuous relationship at times. I've always wished I was a great sleeper - I wish that now for my children - but with an eye mask and earplugs I've learned to sleep well in recent years. Now the earplugs for sure are a thing of the past. They tell me I need to listen for crying in the middle of the night. We survived our first night and things went relatively well. Griffin didn't sleep much but that's really been the case with all three on their first night in a brand new environment sans the alarms and commotion of the NICU. I did the 3 a.m. feeding all by myself. It's funny because Griffin is just one more but the jump from two to three seemed more like a leap really - a BIG leap. Griffin uses a special bottle that helps him to pace himself. It takes longer to feed him. So what used to be a 30-minute feed took well over an hour last night. Not such a big deal, I'm thinking, until I realize that by the time I fall asleep, I need to wake up for the 6 a.m. As Griffin eats better, this will get a lot easier, and, of course, we'll become more efficient. Efficiency is the key to triplets or at least that is what I'm told.

We've already confused Braddock and Griffin in the middle of the night. I can't believe we could do that since Braddock has casts up to his hips and weighs a bit more and wasn't even wearing the same outfit, but after they are swaddled, it is very hard to tell who's who. The wonder of identical twins hasn't really sunk in yet because they haven't been together much. I always wanted an identical twin; however, being that I'm an attention-loving creature, I think God knew I wasn't cut out to share the spotlight. Anyway, I'm excited to learn all about the special bond the boys will have. I'm not sure when it is age appropriate to sit them down and explain that since they have the same DNA if one commits a crime, the other could end up on trial. Probably not until they are at least five years old or so...