Merry Christmas

Griffin

Sleepy Braddock

Never Sleepy Julia

Our Christmas Miracles

From our blessed family to yours, Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Some new shots of the rapidly expanding babies!

Trying to get a shot of all three at once where they look at the camera is really difficult. We actually put Grandma underneath the brown backdrop in these first two photos and had her hold them but for all that effort, they didn't come out so great. We'll keep trying when she's able to breathe again. I'm slacking at posting much right now because I don't have enough hands to type while feeding. If I did, you'd never hear the end of me! Anyway, we busy little bees and growing so fast that I just can't stand it. Every time I blink, they are bigger and cuter. At this rate, college is going to be here before I'll be able to process what happened. They are sleeping a little bit more every day and that is something to write home about for sure. Other than that, we're just ready for Christmas. All the snow we've had has been really beautiful. There's a vicious rumor it could rain Christmas Eve but I'm just hoping that isn't the case. Thinking about taking them over to the ski resort to give them a jump on the 2018 Olympics....

Griffin

Braddock

Our excellent adventure

All dressed up before our walk

So it was warm out today and my Mom and I thought for a change of pace we'd head out for walk. It was very exciting dressing all three in their little snowsuit-type outfits. I think the preparation for the 30 minute walk took about 45 minutes, but we were determined. Once everybody was dressed warm, hats on, car seats buckled, all three seats snapped into the stroller, Finn leashed up and ready to go, double checking for cell phones and dog waste bags, we were off! Bill and I have taken the stroller to doctor's appointments before and I've even taken it myself but never for a walk where there are hills. We live in the mountains out here. There's a ski resort right down the street, but for some reason I didn't think much about the hills in the neighborhood that would become part of this walk. After thinking about what was the best route, we decided to go towards the golf course because it is relatively flat. Halfway through our trek, I realized that the last portion of it would be all uphill. Let me just tell you: I had my workout for today because that stroller is HEAVY. Going downhill was equally difficult because you need to hold on tight and go very slow. The fear of losing control of the stroller was freaking me out. As we made it up the hill, I was certainly feeling all that bedrest. It was fun to be out though and luckily not a lot of people were out so we didn't have to stop too much to explain that, yes, they are triplets, not they aren't all identical -- the pink make that seem obvious -- etc, etc.

My muscles are a little sore from the inclines but we made it back without a major mishap so I'm calling it a success!

Here is a little video of Finn from out walk, too. He was wildly excited to be free to roam.

Bottles, bottles and more bottles

I get asked a lot how many bottles it takes to feed all my sea monkeys so I thought I'd give you a visual. The problem is, they weren't all clean when I made this batch, so there are six more bottles that are not in this photo.

We make them once every day. We mix all the formula in a gallon jug and then fill them all at once. The whole process from lining up all the Dr. Brown's parts -- which is really like completing a puzzle -- to getting them lined up in the fridge takes the better part of an hour. I'm not really sold on these Dr. Brown's bottles either. We have some plain old Evenflo bottles and I've yet to see a difference in their gassiness (if that's a word). People swear by them and we have been pretty lucky as far as colic. I sincerely hope I don't end up wishing I hadn't typed that.

So all my buddies here are growing like crazy. They smile at us now. Julia more so than the boys which is no surprise. I think she is going to be the first for everything probably all of their lives. That's my girl!

Griffin and the missing M&M

If M&M's were part of a healthy diet, I'd be fantastically thin. Griffin is the wimning baby today so he's riding shotgun in the Bjorn. It's turning out to be almost 15 hours a day that I'm carrying one. They say it's good for bonding. I use the "whoever cries the loudest" method of choosing the lucky baby. Well, Griffin and I are in the kitchen running the dishwasher and I'm munching on some Christmas M&M's because -- well, come on, do I need a reason? It's Christmas. So I am moving about keeping Griffin happy with the motion when I notice one of my M&M's made its home tucked behind his ear. Oops. That missing M&M has since been relocated to its rightful spot in my belly and all is right with the world.

Have a Happy Wednesday!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

I still can't believe that we have three kids this Christmas. I sometimes stop, look around and laugh at how quickly we built a family. Everybody is doing great. I think it is safe to say that we've officially dropped one night feed. It's been two weeks of skipping the midnight feed and it's been really nice to get that little bit of extra sleep. I mean really nice. The first time they sleep through the night, I'm not going to know what to do with myself. Everybody told me that the sleep deprivation is the hardest part but I couldn't have possibly understood until living that way.

These little elves are becoming more and more awake and alert during the day and noticing us more which is just so cute. Julia reached up and grabbed my lip when I took her out of her crib the other morning as if to say, "Good morning, Mom. Thanks for coming to get me." She's really into throwing up all over us. Bill was the latest victim and it was a big mess. You can almost see it coming, as if it's happening in slow motion. She starts a slight gag and then BAM you're covered. And it really has an odor to it that just isn't all that pleasant. She always smiles after it happens, too. I'm sure it is because she feels better but it does look a wee bit sinister, like she's letting us know who's in control here.

I walked Finn yesterday and I'm positive he was ashamed to be seen with me. I was actually ashamed to be seen with me. I was wearing my long, red terry cloth bathrobe with a short, puffy winter coat over it. The pajama pants were aqua with lime green polka dots and I had on Bill's shoes (way too big) because I couldn't find my own. I still had my eye patch (for blocking the light while sleeping) on but I pushed it up onto my forehead so it resembled a sweatband... and I'm sure my hair wasn't very attractive either. And, of course, you go out like that -- even at 6:00 a.m. -- and you will be forced to shamefully wave at a neighbor who's leaving early for work. Poor Finn. He was once the kind of the world. The adjustment to life with triplets has been hard for him, too.

Bill and I went out to lunch by ourselves yesterday. That was really my first outing that didn't involve a doctor's visit, and it was really nice. I think we both just worried the whole time that the kids would be cold in the car while we ate --- Just kidding. All three were home with Grandma. Anyway, our little date was great. We were going to go to a mall to shop for Christmas but decided that might be too much too fast. When you don't go out in public much, the thought of a jam-packed mall at the holidays is not at all appealing. We apologize to all those people we would have bought gifts for.

And the results are in....

Braddock weighs a whopping 10 lbs 11 ounces
Griffin comes in just under Braddock's fighting weight at 10 lbs 7 ounces
Julia is the dainty one but also huge at 9 lbs 12 ounces

The hard part was watching them get some shots today. Julia was first and I never saw so many tears. She started screaming and I started crying. It felt a little like torture and I'm certainly glad it is over. By the time Griffin was done (he went last) I practically ran them out of there. I hate that we'll have to do that again ever and we have to repeat next month.

The good news is they are perfectly healthy and growing like weeds!

A very happy birthday to Granny. She was so helpful to us last week and we're sending our best wishes to her today.

Mark Twain on Triplets

"Sufficient unto the day is one baby. As long as you are in your right mind don't you ever pray for twins. Twins amount to a permanent riot; and there ain't any real difference between triplets and a insurrection." Mark Twain, The Babies speech 1879

Another triplet Mom sent me this and I enjoyed it so much, I thought I'd post it. I can't imagine how rare triplets were in 1879.

As a newsflash, Braddock is cast-free yet again and enjoying kicking his legs about. I'm so relieved for him to have some freedom, and his feet look fantastic. The next step is a special pair of shoes with a bar between them to keep his feet from turning back in.

Last night the craziest thing happened: They went seven hours between feedings. I couldn't believe it when I looked at the clock at 4 a.m. I'm saying it is a fluke for now and I'll see what happens in the nights to come. Getting that much sleep makes life so much easier.

My Mom and I just completed an exercise video. That's right.... I do exercise videos. We walked, sculpted and toned with Debbie Rocker! There I was giving it the intensity Debbie told me it deserved and I really pushed it on the last few just as she suggested. Sadly, I think I'll be sore tomorrow but I have to start somewhere. These are my baby steps back to a marathon by 2010. (Maybe I'd like to soften that statement and go with a 1/2 marathon by 2010.) All three were strewn about the living room in their different areas of comfort as we did the video. Julia and Griffin were on Boppies. Julia face up and Griffin having a little tummy time. Braddock was in a bouncy seat with vibration on the coffee table. They just started to enjoy that seat even though we've been trying it since they came home. The boys weren't that interested in the workout, but Julia appeared to be laughing the whole time. She kept up, too, kicking her little legs and working her arms. I even noticed she, too, gave it the intensity it deserved. Oh, what fun we're having here. Up next, laundry, then bottle preparation.

Thankful for the Chaos

Braddock on his 1st Thanksgiving

Griffin is thankful for the rest

Julia in her first dress for the holiday

We served the homemade cranberry sauce in a ziploc throwaway container for our Thanksgiving feast. We didn't really serve anything now that I think of it. We put the food on the counter and said something to the effect of, "Come and get it." The smoke alarms went off shortly after the turkey went into the oven. We couldn't for the life of us stop for what felt like forever. I'm pretty sure that isn't good for infant ears. A lint roller got stuck to the foil covering the turkey. I only cleared the half of the dining room table where we'd be eating. The rest is covered in baby clothes, wipes, infant toys, medical bills and, oddly enough, a cake carrier. (Not sure how that got there since I am surely not making and carrying a cake anywhere anytime soon) We did eat off the wedding china because for some reason I thought that was important for the holiday. In hindsight, paper plates would have been easier. We ate almost as quickly as we could so that the babies didn't cry before we finished. Luckily, they didn't. It definitely took longer to clean up than to eat. What we learned is that for Christmas we'll have pizza. For the time being, it is just easier that way. Julia, Braddock and Griffin were our priority today, not the turkey or the stuffing. It certainly wasn't a Thanksgiving like I've been used to. I didn't spend time carving put a pumpkin and arranging flowers in it for a centerpiece. I didn't set the table a few days in advance and I certainly didn't clean the house. But I did feel more thankful than I've ever felt for anything in my life when I woke up to the sound of three crying babies looking for their Thanksgiving formula.

I hope you all had a terrific Thanksgiving.

Where have we been?

I figured I better get up to my computer and let you know that we are just fine. My last post made it appear that maybe the wheels were coming off the bus and then there was silence. Well, as you might imagine, I'm not sitting down too much and my blog is an indulgence that sometimes has to wait. I find most things have to wait right now. Even personal hygiene. Dry shampoo has become a great part of my life. Sad but true.

Braddock, Griffin and Julia are all doing very well. They are all out of preemie clothes and almost out of the newborn size, too. It boggles my mind to think of them at birth and see them now. We looked back at the NICU pictures yesterday. I have a hard time doing that without crying. The funny part is that we thought they looked so good then. Little did we know... The biggest change is that it's been almost a week of longer stretches of sleeping at night. We've basically dropped one feed in the middle of the night. (knock on wood) I'll bet that now that I typed that tonight we'll regress to every three hours again. During the day it's still every three hours like clockwork. Julia could eat every two hours, I swear. If all the stars align just right, I can feed all three babies at once. I think it is probably quite a sight. I put two either in Boppys on either side of me or in bouncy seats right in front of me. The third one (Julia is the most agreeable to this) is in the Baby Bjorn. I get her bottle in first and then use my neck to hold it upright for her. Once she is eating I use my free hands to put the boys' bottles in their mouths. My arms get really tired as does my neck and back but if no one is too fussy, this works. I make it a daily mission to save time in some way that isn't dangerous and the last few days, I've gotten this down for a few minutes. The unfortunate thing is that someone gets to the point where they need a burp and the whole house of cards comes crashing down. The key to feeding like this is really the setup. Everything has to be in place and ready to reach before I sit down.

Some things I've learned some things about parenting:
(Every seasoned parent already knows this stuff but first-timers like me had to learn the hard way)
1. You shouldn't wear cashmere (or any dry-clean only fabric) while feeding or diapering babies. This seems so obvious as I type it. I have too much cashmere and not enough cotton, and until this stage in my life, I was of the belief that one couldn't have enough cashmere.
2. Don't pick a baby up over your head just after they've eaten.
3. Always cover a boy's penis when you change his diaper. ALWAYS. I keep learning this and then I keep forgetting which just makes more work and more laundry for me.
4. Don't taste just a little bit of the formula just because you are curious if it is good. It's not.


We'll be having a quiet Thanksgiving here at home. It is not lost on us how much we have to be truly thankful for.

I will take some pictures this week. I hate that I'm not taking more pictures or video but it seems like I always have a baby in my hands, sometimes two, so running to grab the camera isn't really an option. We'll work on that.

Enjoy the holiday.