Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Huge baby alert!


Griffin (left) and Braddock playing together


Julia and Finn playing


Griffin with Daddy

Julia is pretty in pink
Just some updated pictures. Can you even believe the size of these babies??
Braddock had his procedure where they cut his Achilles' tendons and he is back in casts. He's starting to feel more comfortable today, but really he has been very brave -- not complaining nearly as much as I would have. He will wear these casts three weeks and then start with his new shoes. The shoes have a bar between them and he will have them for two years.

We're enjoying a fun snow day today. I'm contemplating a few runs at the ski slope because Daddy is working from home. I have to check if school is canceled first.
Enjoy the day wherever you are!

Thursday, January 22, 2009

A long time coming


(I started this post last Wednesday. Disgraceful, I know, but I swear it isn't because I'm sitting around doing nothing)


I guess I'm updating once a week. I would like to do more and have fabulous videos, too, but this is my first week by myself all day, so I am sitting here rocking Braddock and Griffin in their bouncy seats while I type. Julia is having a little nap right now, so I've got a free minute....




(an hour later).... well, not really a free minute. Braddock wanted to tell me a few things! I'm back. Griffin is now sleeping and Julia is swinging away. So everybody is doing well there. Every time I blink they are bigger and stronger. I remember thinking they were huge when they hit the four-pound mark. It's just incredible how time is flying by.


We had a fun inauguration day. We dressed up and sang songs and watched every second of the coverage. I was explaining the historical significance of it all, and, of course, telling them all about how Mommy was at the last inauguration captioning -- They weren't impressed at all and I'm not sure they retained any part of the history lesson. But they looked cute! What I thought was the greatest thing I heard was a reporter covering it saying her very young daughter said, "There's never been a black president before? Really?" She just couldn't imagine why that would be. That's the world I'm happy to raise these kids in. It was just a hopeful, positive day.




Julia can scream now. I mean really scream. It has only happened once and she was shocked that such a sound came out of her. I don't think she can figure out how to do it again. When she gets good at it, we're all in trouble.




(another couple hours later) Well, I'm trying to get a post out, I swear. Poor Julia had a little spit-up episode that required a change of clothes. Then Braddock and Griffin set each other off. I find they do this a lot. One cries and the other gets very upset... one thing leads to another and there isn't enough soothing in this world to calm them down. We're quiet again. I forget where I was. They all love mirrors right now. Griffin stared at himself this morning like he was pleased as punch with his handsome face. He was touching the mirror and laughing. He was thrilled. The poor guy has a case of cradle cap on his face. I called the doctor in a panic about it and he assured me it was nothing I was doing wrong and that it will go away.


Okay, I must run, we've got more throw up and they're hungry. If I get this out before midnight, I'll be stunned!
(several days later) And I didn't get it out by midnight, or the next midnight ... Since I started this post things are still going well. We are reading books every day. Julia seems genuinely interested but the boys would prefer my singing and dancing routine to keep them from crying.
I've got more pictures to add and it's my intention to do that tomorrow.


Enjoy your work week!

Friday, January 16, 2009

New Photos


Finn


Braddock



Griffin




Julia



I need to update but I'm short on time! Braddock's casts went back on Wednesday, and he's uncomfortable. We feel so bad for him, and we're giving him lots of love. Julia is "talking" up a storm. She has so much to tell us. I only wish we could understand her! Griffin and Bill had a really cute conversation tonight, too. Griffin was thrilled to make some noises and even more thrilled when Bill made them back. It was just adorable. Poor Finn is spending time looking for more attention. He loves his babies though. Overall, everybody here is doing great.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Julia







Julia is why God made little girls. Ever since she came into this world, she was ready to get to it! There is no doubt that 28 weeks and 4 days trapped in the womb was far too long for her. There were places she needed to go, people to see. She's just busy, busy, busy. She doesn't want to miss a minute of what's going on around her, and she is the most beautiful little thing. She just looks girly with her dainty hands and feminine features. She's a little over 12 pounds and the pediatrician thinks developmentally she's around a four-month old. Her eyes sparkle and she's so happy to see whoever she's looking at. She loves to "talk." She looks just like her Daddy and has made short work of capturing his heart in a way only Daddy's little girl can do. In the morning, she's usually up first and waiting patiently for the party to start. Sometimes she's even ready at 2:00 a.m. Her legs seem to kick whenever she's awake. She may be the smallest but she'll be leading her brothers through life; I'm sure of that. She laughs and coos and when she cries, it's the saddest sound you've ever heard. She and I are outnumbered with all these boys so we'll just have to stick together.

Griffin











Today is Griffin's day. Griffin was born our smallest and he struggled in the NICU much more than Julia or Braddock. He was feisty then and remains so today. Even though his start was more difficult, he's determined not to be left behind. He is nearly 13 lbs now, so strong and rugged. At the pediatrician's visit this week, he told us Griffin was right where he should be developmentally for his adjusted age. His eyes are also bright blue and his dimples are fantastic. He loves to snuggle and he is the best sleeper I've got. Sometimes at night I just watch him sleep because I've never seen anything so peaceful. I almost always have to wake him when Julia and Braddock have been up. Although he had trouble feeding and that prevented him from coming home sooner, he's our best eater today. He loves the activity gym and the Baby Bjorn. Just like Braddock, he's all boy. I keep thinking about how active he'll be once he starts moving around and I cringe thinking about all the scrapes and bruises I'll be tending to. He has found his hands and enjoys the way things feel while he's holding them. Last night I saw him grab his binky that had fallen out and try to pull it near his face. I watched for a while to see if he'd put it right back in his mouth. He's not there yet but it won't be long!

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Braddock













I was thinking I'll give each baby their own post this week. After all, it is very important we treat them as individuals. So I will start with Braddock. Braddock is 13 lbs now -- this means he is still the biggest -- with big strong hands, bright blue eyes, and a smile that could melt even the Grinch's heart. His cry is wholly different from Griffin's or Julia's, higher pitched. It's actually quite cute. He holds his head up so well and the pediatrician feels he's right on par with his adjusted age of 2 months and a week. He is all boy. He burps and farts as loud as he can and then smiles as if he's proud of his noises. He's very interested in his hands and likes to put his fingers in his mouth. He hasn't quite found his thumb yet but he's trying to. He's a great sleeper and a genuinely happy baby boy. He resembles me quite a bit right now, especially his coloring. He seems to be the most laid back of this crew, which is just the same as he was in the NICU, but he doesn't appreciate being made uncomfortable. He will let you know that quickly. Bath time is something he enjoys as well as getting his diaper changed. We're still working on straightening his feet. Right now his special shoes are being made and soon he'll have to start wearing them. I cringe at the thought of it but I am glad we're able to get it taken care of now. Braddock fits his name and we are blessed to have him to raise.

Friday, January 2, 2009

Happy New Year!

Video of what we're up to now!






A very Happy New Year to you. It is my new year's resolution to get caught up and keep the blog updated more frequently. Well, that and to lose the baby weight which can't be considered baby weight for too much longer. 2009 begins wholly different for us than 2008. We look back and think this has been some year for us. We rang in last New Year in Vermont at our friend's beautiful wedding. We were sleeping in then without any real worries. By March 1, we knew we were having a baby... at that point we thought just one. Two weeks later we were told there were two and two weeks after that, three. From that moment the rollercoaster began. We were told all the odds and we understood they weren't very good for us (they aren't very good for anyone pregnant with triplets) but at that point we hadn't read much and were still ignorant to all the problems that we could (and many that we did) face. I was sick, sick and sicker every day through the end of May, and by June 19th I went into the hospital with contractions 10 minutes apart. The hospital soon became my high-priced apartment without a working bathroom. Well, it worked but I wasn't allowed to use it so I should have received reduced rent in my opinion. I'll not forget that bedpan and my loathing of it for the rest of my life. I won't miss it either! I finally came home from the hospital on August 16 but visited every day until October 19th when Griffin completed the homecoming. So that was one-third of this year spent in Morristown. Oddly, I miss going there....for that matter, I miss going anywhere... not because it is enjoyable to have children in a NICU but because everyone there was so genuinely good to us and we were all so well cared for. I had my buddies there and I miss them.... not enough to go through it all again however. So here we are starting a new year so completely different from the last and so far beyond anything we could have imagined. We'll put all the sickening worry of most of 2008 behind us now and take our happy ending to the shortest-pregnancy-in-history-that-seemed-so-long into 2009 knowing we're better for all we've been through and so excited to see what happens next.

We send all our love to you and yours and wish you great health and happiness for the new year.