16 weeks!

This pic is self-explanatory! Adorable onesies

from my great-aunt and uncle in PA

Wow, can you believe it? The boys are 16 weeks old now, so it's probably time to start calling it 4 months. It seems like a tiny miracle that we've all made it this far, but as they grow, I think we're all starting to get used to the idea of living and working together. When the babies were first born, of course I knew they would grow up and develop, but I guess that with lack of sleep comes lack of brain power and I never had the vision to see that things would be different. I thought, "How can I go without sleep for months?" and "Will they ever do anything?" Well, I have some answers now that are heartwarming for a first time parent!

Sleeping is hugely improved. Last night, Luke woke up around midnight. They went to sleep at 9 pm, so this was not when he was supposed to get up at all. He had been doing this for a couple of days, so I let him cry for about 15 minutes then he went to sleep. Then, around 2:15, Eli got up. I let him go for a while then tried to chill him out by rocking him with a pacifier. This didn't work so well so I gave him a small snack at 3. After that, he slept with the rest of the guys until 7 am. So two events all night - not too bad. I long for the days of easy bedtimes and zero events through the night, and I know that this will come eventually (maybe when they're 10??). For now, with three babies, I consider myself lucky! Daytime napping is still not very consistent - it's hard to get them all to sleep at the same time so that I can get some things done. They generally start out well but as the day progresses, napping gets more sporadic. I'm hoping this will change once they can start eating cereal.

As for the "doing stuff", I'm amazed at how they've changed. They have toys that hang above their bouncy seats and play gyms, and they all bat at those pretty accurately. They will sometimes hold a rattle and try to eat stuffed animals that are around. They love their fingers and play with them a lot; when that gets boring, they try to eat their fingers. All three are babbling now, which is one of our favorite activities! Zach probably does the most, then Luke, and finally Eli. We encourage it every time they say "Goo" or "Ahuuu", and in the back of my mind, I wonder if I'll ever regret the encouragement. I mean really, if we have 3 kids that talk as much as me, poor John will never get a word in!

Luke, Zach and Eli in hand-knitted camo sweaters

made by a friend of a friend - aren't they sweet?

The other major events we've been having aren't anyone else's ideas of major, but it's our lives! My Mom's friend Mary came to visit, so I have to give a shout out to the staff at HCQU, who have followed the triplets since before they were born and are always so kind and supportive. Hey everyone!

Dulcy with Zach, Robin with Eli, Mary with Luke

I went to a dinner with a bunch of triplet and quad moms one night. That was both encouraging and deeply disturbing. I'm really not sure if I left more or less secure, but at least I got information! One thing that really disturbed me was talk of duct-taping diapers on. Really? That and all that it implies scares the... well, let's not go there. At least I saw a lot of normal-looking, healthy-looking women who still had hair, and their kids were generally older than mine. And I got out for a night, which was fun.

Mom and I took the boys on their first field trip to the Arizona Rock Museum. This is a 1/4 mile walk that takes you past original Indian pictoglyphs, which are like hieroglyphics but just pictures that the Indians either painted or etched. Some go back 7000 years. It was really cool, and the boys did their best at being good and looking cute. They still seem to be the main attraction wherever we go. A nice lady took our picture (Since I forgot the camera) and said she'd send it to me, but I haven't received it yet.

Oh, we also had another photo shoot with a budding professional photographer. I've attached some of the pictures - I think they're great! The boys are really getting to be little hams - they're so used to having a camera in their faces it doesn't bother them at all!

Finally, the biggest event - my Mom left on Saturday. I'm officially on my own during the days, and this is my first day. So the real reason for this blog is to ask for prayers! Seriously! I think the fear of the unknown is the worst for me right now, because I've never had the babies alone for more than 3 or 4 hours. I can handle short chunks of time, so I'm just going to focus on getting through hour by hour, instead of the big picture. I have a lot of people who have offered support, and I will take them up on it if I need to. I'm not sure what this will mean for blogging - things may start to take a decidedly darker tone! I hope not. I love these guys so much, and I've learned over the last 4 months that things change, get better, and with God and my friends and family with me, we can handle anything, as evidenced by us surviving this far!

Eli, Zach (top), and Luke

Zach

Luke

Eli

Amigos Update

Hi all! Sorry it's been so long since my last post - I hope everyone is well! We are just truckin' along here, so I haven't had a lot that I thought would be interesting for you all to read, but the boys are definitely changing all the time. I thought I would go describe a day and let you all know what we do and how life goes for the boys.

The boys get out of bed at 9 am (I'll write more about the sleep situation later!). They are generally so happy when they wake up - it's my favorite part of the day. Here are pictures of each baby smiling:

Luke

Eli

Zachary

They eat and I wash and dress them each separately while the others are in their bouncy seats. I usually put on a Baby Einstein video while this is happening. I know, I know - I don't want them to become little couch potatoes but I don't think they're all that impressed with TV yet anyway. They just like the bright lights and music. After they've all been changed and are ready for the day, it's nap time. Nap time isn't really going so well yet. Sometimes one or more sleeps right after they eat, and sometimes one or more stays up for an hour or so then sleeps. We're trying to work on getting them to nap at the same time, because that would free up time for me to do stuff, like blog!

They eat again at 12 - we are on a every three hour feeding schedule. After this feeding time I usually try to read to them in their bouncy seats. We have two books we read most - "The First Read and Learn Bible" and "The First Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes". I'm starting to memorize the books so that I can make eye contact and try to hold each boys' attention. They seem to like it pretty well, actually. Then they usually play on their play mats for a while, and I try to give them some belly time. This is important for babies who don't sleep on their stomachs. It helps them to build their neck and upper body muscles so that one day they can crawl. They used to hate it, but it's not so bad any more. Today they were on their tummies for about 10 minutes, and Zach and Luke did really well lifting up on their arms and turning their heads around from side to side. Eli wasn't that into it today but he's pretty good too. Here's a pic of them on their mats, although this is an old picture. They're a lot bigger now and can only go one to each play mat (or else they kick each other too much!).

Zach, Eli and Luke

If they have a rough time sleeping, we put them in a swing or hold them one at a time. I try to spend equal time with each baby, and I think it usually evens out over the course of a day.

We also have been taking some excursions now that my Mom is here. We have gone to the mall twice. That's an experience! People just stop and ask questions and check the babies out continually. I really don't mind because I never am really that into shopping - I just want to get me and the boys out of the house every once in a while. I think we bring joy to people in different ways. Older people think it's such a blessing and a lot of people have never seen triplets before. For the young people, I think they're just happy it's not them, and maybe they don't think their life is so tough after all!! People are so nice though. We also take them on walks on the wash. The wash is a small ravine area that's designed to capture rain water when it rains so that the streets aren't flooded. We have paved sidewalks on either side of the wash and it's only a couple of blocks from our house. The boys don't like it all that much - they usually sleep - but again, it's good to get some fresh air once in a while.

They also like to play dress up in Mommy and Daddy's favorite sports gear. OK, they don't like that any more than they like anything else, but here are some cute pics!

Eli (doesn't love getting his pic taken), Luke (always alert) and Zach (never really seems to care!)

Zach, Eli and Luke (see above caption!)

John is home for the 6 pm feeding and he plays with the boys a lot after this. They love to talk to their Daddy - Zach babbles the most, then Luke and then Eli. They each have really distinct voices - it's so cute! Every third day I give them baths and they have come to really enjoy bath time; well, about as much as they like anything! They were really good last night, and when they're really good, it's such a fun time.

We feed them for bedtime and put them down to sleep at 9 pm. Since this blog has grown so long, I think I'll save the sleeping discussion for next time. Stay tuned!

Big events coming up are professional pictures Friday and Grandma Lee, Grampa Jay and Great Grandma Britt coming to visit on Sunday. Of course the Super Bowl on Sunday as well. FYI... they boys have put their odds on the Saints, and I think it's a pretty good bet! More to come soon, I promise!

Boys' health update

We took the boys to their 2 month appointment with the pediatrician. It was a really good visit - everything is going pretty well for them! They're growing like crazy - here are their new stats:

Luke - Height - 22 3/4 in; Weight - 10 lb. 1 oz

Eli - Height - 23 1/2 in; Weight - 11 lb. 12 oz

Zach - Height - 23 1/2 in; Weight - 12 lb. 2 oz

Luke is on the small side but he is perfectly healthy. We were given the go ahead to start using regular formula, as opposed to the high calorie formula they've been on since they were born.

Zach has a hernia, which I found right before Christmas. We went to a pediatric urologist and he said he needs to have surgery to correct it. If we can wait until he's older and bigger, it will be a simple outpatient procedure, but if an emergency comes up, he may have to stay overnight. The reason for this is because they will want to observe the effects of anesthesia on such a little body. The doctors all say that it doesn't cause him any pain, so that's good. I just can't wait to get it taken care of, because you don't know if his intestines are going to get stuck, which is obviously an emergency. We just keep a close eye on it. Here's a picture of Zach getting ready for the doctor - he's wearing big boy clothes!

Doesn't he look happy?

The pediatrician also told us to start letting the boys "soothe themselves" to sleep. This involves letting them cry for 15 minutes without intervention, and then going in, soothing them without picking them up, then letting them go again. The first night was easy, because they had Tylenol to help with the immunizations. They slept pretty well all night. The second day was a little rougher, but still relatively easy. The third night (last night) was wicked! We also stopped swaddling them, which was a big change for their sleeping routine. The first sleep time all three of them were fussy on and off. The second Luke went nuts for about 3 hours. He didn't scream the whole time, but just on and off for the whole time. It was soooo hard not to go in there! It will be worth it if the guys learn to put themselves back to sleep when they wake up and nothing is wrong (no dirty diaper, etc.). It's just a big change for them. We also have them all in their own cribs now, since they're not swaddled we don't want them karate chopping each other in their sleep! Anyway, if anyone has any suggestions about how to make this sleep thing easier, I'm open to them! Luke of course has slept almost this entire day, despite all efforts to keep his little butt awake. We're brainstorming ideas now.

Grown-up update - John is going back to work Monday for the first time since before the boys were born. My mom got here last night to help out - thank the good Lord! I am now officially a stay at home mom - not only did I give my notice at Honeywell (hard to do, because I loved my job and the people I worked with) but I also got a minivan! We've been looking for months and found one last week. If you see a silver Odyssey barreling down the 101 - steer clear! No, I'm resolved to end my evil driving ways - at least when I have a boy or 3 with me!

Here are some other random pictures of the guys... enjoy!

The boys were good luck charms for the Steelers but not good enough!

The Giants fared even worse - but at least everyone looks cute!

They're really getting so big!

Christmas 2009

Merry Christmas! I hope everyone had a great Christmas this year. Ours was amazing, of course, since we had the three amigos to share it with. We got to do almost everything we wanted to accomplish, except go to church. We're still not taking the boys around large crowds and anyone who's been to our church knows that "large crowd" is an understatement. So on Christmas Eve, we got the boys dressed up in their Santa hats and took them on a stroll though the neighborhood. Every Christmas Eve, one street is blocked off, they have Santa, cookies and hot chocolate, and "sleigh rides" Arizona-style, which means decorated golf carts and flat bed trucks take people on rides though the neighborhood to see the lights and the luminaries. Here's a picture of us outside our house, starting our walk.

We didn't take the boys to the mall for Santa pictures, because of the crowd thing, but they did get to see him in the neighborhood.

We had a great night - everyone loved to see the boys and we met a family that has 6 year old triplets. It's always great to meet people with good advice, and reassurances!

On Christmas day, we opened presents and got such cute things for the boys! They got picture frames for their first Christmases, clothes, toys and ornaments. We took lots of pictures as usual - these are of their Christmas outfits from Nana...

Luke

Eli

Zach

John's family came up from Tucson and we had a nice afternoon, ham dinner and watching A Christmas Story. It was chaotic but nice to spend time with family.

Well, that pretty much sums up Christmas. We are so blessed, I can't even really believe it! Hope you all had a nice Christmas, and that the year to come is a happy, healthy one for all!

Almost Christmas

Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't blogged in a while - you all know how busy it is around Christmas! We have done our best to buy gifts, decorate the house, make cookies, etc. - all the normal Christmasy stuff with 3 babies in tow! We're pretty much ready - I just have to get stuff for Christmas dinner still. John's family is coming up from Tucson, and we'll just have a nice, simple dinner and time with the boys - the best entertainment I can think of!

Speaking of the boys, they're doing a lot of growing lately! Next time I'll post weights - it's been a couple of weeks since we weighed them last, and Zach was 9 lb 9 oz. at that time, so you can only imagine now! Eli is keeping up with him and Luke is gaining a little more slowly, but still at a good pace. They're staying up and being more alert lately, which is fun. They're also starting to smile on purpose a little - I can't claim that we can make them smile yet, but they do it on their own once in a while. It just melts my heart - I can't wait til they're all laughing and smiling more often!

I've attached some pictures (I know, that's the fun part of the blog!) of smiles and Christmas hats. Enjoy! Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, that is blessed with the Holy Spirit and not stressed with things not nearly so important. Just think, a Savior is born - how exciting!! Love to all!!

Eli in the favorite place - the bouncy seat next to the Christmas tree

Luke is a good smiler, and pictures don't do him justice - he's a little angel!

Zach is showing his excitement - getting ready to take a walk

My three little elves - Zach, Luke and Eli

First Bath!

Well, another milestone reached - we gave the boys their first bath last Saturday, December 4. John and I were very prepared - we had two bath tubs and enough gear to wash a baby army! We went through everything, weighed the pros and cons of each tub, organized supplies, then finally worked up the nerve to "stop guessin' and start messin'" as they say! The first to go was Zach, and he loved it! I was somewhat surprised at this, since I am definitely a baby washing novice. I realized just at that first moment that I had never given a baby or a little child a bath in a tub before! Luckily the tub we use is very baby friendly and mama-forgiving. He was so good - after the initial "what the heck is this?" moment, he was really fine. Here's a not-too-embarrassing picture of Zach's first bath:

Next was Luke, and first let me say that we had to wake him up, and I think that was the problem. He did not like the bath at all; we have since bathed him again while he was already awake, and he seemed to like it a lot better. I think it was a shock! We didn't take as many pictures of him because it was hard to remember the camera when he was screaming like we had just cut off his little toe, but here's one when he was a little more relaxed:

Last was Eli. Now, as I wrote before, Eli is sensitive - he doesn't seem to take to new things right away, to put it mildly. He needs to try things a couple of times to get used to them, though if that's true, he still isn't "used to" getting his diaper changed. That boy can scream! So after the Luke experience, I was hesitant to bathe Eli - just didn't want to go there. But, I realized that the child would need to be bathed eventually, so better to just bite the bullet. We got a lesson in prejudging our kids, because he did just fine! He really was OK with it! Now, the second time around, not so good, but he did enjoy his first bath. Here are a couple of pictures of him:

This is Eli's happy face!

Nice and warm with his hooded towel!

Well, I hope the boys aren't too mad at me for posting these, but they are so cute! Man, and there is nothing like a clean, good-smelling baby - or three!

Happy Birthday (?!)

Today would have been the amigos birthday if they had been full-term, so it's kind of a birthday for them! It's amazing that they've been with us for five weeks already - the days are flying by. This morning the news said it was Thursday and I thought they misspoke - it couldn't be past Tuesday! But John assured me that the newscasters are more aware of the date than I am!

I meant to post a blog last week for their 1 month pictures, but see my earlier comment. Sorry about that! So on Monday they were 1 month old, and we just can't believe it. They are getting huge - definitely more of a load to carry around two at a time than when they were so tiny. Of course, it's awesome that they're gaining weight and growing so well. We weighed them here at home last week, so here are the new stats:

Luke - 7 lb. 6.5 oz. (up 2 lb. from birth)

Eli - 8 lb. 2 oz. (up 2 lb. 7 oz from birth)

Zach - 8 lb. 12 oz. (up 2 lb. 8 oz from birth)

The only new health news is that we got the results of their newborn screening blood work and they are all normal. We don't know what all they tested for, but whatever it was, they don't have it! We go back to the pediatrician for a 2 month check up on January 4.

The guys are still pretty much eating and sleeping, but they're staying up a little longer and interacting with us a little more (a VERY little, in spite of my efforts). We have a fun play mat on the floor with lights and music and all other sorts of extraneous toys that they really don't get yet, but they like the lights and get a little tummy time. For those without kids or who haven't had them in a while, babies are supposed to spend some time on their stomachs to help build neck muscles, since they're not supposed to sleep on their stomachs any more. Well, our guys don't like it very much, so it's good they have something fun to look at while being tortured.

We're starting to really notice their personalities. John and I discussed it last night, and we're pretty much in agreement, with some twists. For instance, John thinks Eli is needy but I call him sensitive! That child can scream! He doesn't like getting his diaper changed AT ALL! He really likes to cuddle - he's so sweet. Zach is really laid back. You can barely wake him up to eat, and then when he does he hardly opes his eyes. He doesn't cry a lot, but when he does, you know it! He has a deep, LOUD bellow - it cracks us up (most of the time!) He's just pretty chilled out. Luke is like a little student. He's awake the most and is always looking around. He makes sweet little faces and is generally in a good mood. They're all awesome and I think it's fun that they're so different, at least now. It's important not to compare multiples against each other too much, because it can lead to unhealthy competition. They're all super cool in their own ways - and super cute too if I do say so myself!

John and I are well - tired, but that's to be expected. John is working from home, which is a huge deal. We had his Mom here last week helping, which was also awesome. We had Thanksgiving dinner here; very nice and laid back. John smoked the turkey - turned out really good. Now we're in the midst of decorating for Christmas, and I'm hoping against hope that I can get shopping done in time for everyone not to get too mad at us! The days are slipping by...

Anyway, hope everyone is well. Here are some new pictures, from one month old.

Left to right - Luke, Eli and Zach - Notice their Mommy outfits!

Eli - his hairline is receding already! Eli again - too sweet to pass up!

Luke looking around

Zach getting some belly time with a smile Zach and Daddy