I can't believe the babies are 7 months old!!! It is truly getting easier every day. As I type this, Izzy is playing in the floor (surrounded by a baby fence that takes up the entire living room), Abby is in the toy car (playing with toys) and Ally is in the jumper, which we call "the office" (They're so serious when they're in it... cranking and spinning the toys)! They're all playing nicely, and I love to listen to the sounds! This will last for about 10 minutes before someone is unhappy with their situation, but for now, everyone is happy.
They're eating solid foods now... we're still on 1st foods: carrots, squash, green beans, etc. They also eat oatmeal cereal with peaches or applesauce. At first the feeding was a total pain, trying to get them to eat from a spoon and getting them to understand it will fill that empty tummy like the beloved bottle. Ally, my chunky baby, LOVES her bottle and was having a hard time adjusting, but is now getting used to it. My littlest, Izzy, has always been the best eater. I think she probably eats the most, but works it all off in her "floor routine", as I like to call it. She's goes from one end of the living room to the next, rolling around and getting up on her knees like she's going to crawl. She's a very active baby and will most likely be crawling by my next post.
The feeding routine at this point is: bottle in early morning, cereal/fruit about 11am, bottle in afternoon, vegetables 1 to 2 tubs in evening followed by a tiny bottle, and cereal/bottle in late evening. I've been very confused on what and when to feed the babies. Everything I read says your baby will "let you know". Well... for a new mom, it's not always that easy. I'm always worried they're not getting enough or they're getting too much. One thing I can say... they're definitely having A LOT more poopy diapers. Seriously... today, It is not even noon and I have changed 6 poops already!!! ugh! My new saying is: "poopy diapers... it's what I do." I have asked a lot of people for advice, but most don't remember what or how much they fed their babies. Even the Dr told me the babies will "let me know". So... I'm figuring it must not be rocket science and they'll be ok as long as they're gaining weight and seem satisfied. They still spit up, which is a little frustrating. I've heard they usually stop by now, but no such luck. I still have them on soy, which helps with the tummy problems, but not so much on the spit ups.
They're definitely interacting more and more every day. They roll around on the floor together and I often have to separate them because they're biting each other's hands, pulling hair, kicking, etc. Although that sounds rough, they don't know what they're doing yet... it's very unintentional. They laugh at each other and talk their baby talk too. It's very sweet. Sometimes, when one is upset, they even calm each other by just seeing their sister's face. Right now, the one in the car and the one in the office are face-to-face and giggling at each other. Very cute!
Here's an individual breakdown of what each baby is doing now:
Izzy has two bottom teeth... very cute! As I mentioned earlier, she's getting up on her knees and rocking, but not crawling yet. She rolls all over the floor and, if she sees a toy, she can maneuver her body to get where it is pretty efficiently. She is going through a phase where she's afraid of strangers. She only wants her mommy and daddy and gets pretty upset when someone else is holding her. Being aware of this, we've tried to intentionally break her of it, letting her spend more time with her grandmas, and she's getting better. Matt and I went to Tulsa last weekend and spent the day. Matt's mom and my mom watched the girls and Izzy did just fine. If it was anyone other than them, though, I think we would have had a scream-fest on our hands. She is very sweet to her sisters and seems very concerned when one is crying. Izzy plays on the floor a lot and doesn't really liked to be confined to a bouncy seat or swing. She looks up at me all day to make sure I'm still there and smiles very easily.
Abby is a little cutie. She just started getting her two bottom teeth a few days ago. She also rolls all over the floor, but is not making attempts to crawl yet. She likes the bouncy seat a lot, but often I have to take her toys away from her because she gets mad at them and starts screaming! It's very strange. I take them away and she's happy again! Matt and I both think Abby somehow knows how cute she is... if you stand her up on your lap, she sticks her little belly out and has that little "I know I'm cute" look on her face. She really warmed up to her daddy while he was home over the Thanksgiving break and may just be a daddy's girl... though she still likes her mommy pretty well too. Abby shows good dexterity when playing with her toys, and her meemaw thinks she is very smart ;)
Ally... oh Ally. Ally is... well, kind of a brat right now. She wants what she wants when she wants it. And she screams and screams until she gets it. I have good things to say too... just hold on a minute. She is very loud when she screams and it can by very trying sometimes! I have a feeling (as do others) she might be my little temper tantrum thower someday. I would also like to go on record saying, I am not the only one that has used the term "brat". I know, I know... she's only 7 months old, but I'm pretty sure she knows what she's doing. Ok... for the good stuff: Ally LOVES to be held and she usually cries because of this. She would be happy being held and rocked 24/7. And, really, that is a sweet temperment, right? I mean, she loves to cuddle and loves people. She is my baby baby. She still likes to be swaddled, likes her pacifier, loves to be held and rocked and wants her bottle. She rolls over, but is not nearly as mobile as the other two. (Probably because she spends less time on the floor?!) She has beautiful baby blue eyes and big chunk-a-munk cheeks and laughs a lot! She is pretty easy to make chuckle, but she thinks her daddy is the funniest thing ever. He literally has to just look at her to make her laugh out loud. So cute! If you haven't seen the video of her laughing, go back to the last post... so precious!
As for the sleep situation: I now have a pack-n-play set up in the guest bedroom and in our bedroom. For naps, I put one down in the nursery, one in the guest room and one in our bedroom. This ensures they don't wake each other up prematurely from their naps. At night, I lay them all in their cribs in the same room. If one gets up (which happens almost every night), they get promptly moved to the guest room pack-n-play to spend the rest of the night in solitude! Luckily, I have two monitor bases, so I can still hear both rooms from my bed. All of the books said the girls would get used to each others' cries. This is true for falling asleep if one is crying... it kind of lulls them to sleep after a while. But this is not true for going from a deep, silent sleep to hearing someone scream in the middle. Knowing this, I might have tried putting their cribs in separate rooms... maybe. They go down very well, a lot of people are amazed to see that I don't rock them to sleep, just lay them in their crib and they fall asleep. They may cry or talk to themselves for a while, but have learned to soothe themselves well.
I have been doing most days on my own still... Mom and Cheryl help with Dr's appointments, mommy's day out, professional pictures, etc, but overall, I can do this on my own, which is still a very good feeling. Now, people can come over to see the babies when they want, rather than feel obligated. My feeling is: a baby can cry a little... If it takes a minute to get to her... It may just teach her a little patience. (Though I can't say this is working for Ally just yet!) Of course, I distinguish between cries... if it is a pain cry, they're attended to promptly... don't call DHS on me or anything! Ok, let's see, I've talked about their eating, pooping, sleeping and playing... that's pretty much what we do around here! I'm so happy and blessed to have these beautiful little girls in my life!
I hope you all have a Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas like we will!!!
Here's an example of the babies playing... you might notice Izzy is in the bouncer and Ally is in the car... switched them around since the beginning of my post...
Abby, Izzy, Ally
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Friday, November 27, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
A Very Thankful Heart...
This Thanksgiving, I have so very much to be thankful for... Let me give you some of the reasons:
Matt and I tried to get pregnant for two years before resorting to medicine. With the drug I took, I had a 35% chance of even getting pregnant... I got pregnant the first time I took it. The odds of having triplets with this drug were less than half a percent. The odds of carrying the triplets to 35 weeks and working 28 of those weeks, extremely low. the odds of all three babies being perfect and getting to come home from the hospital with their mom, slim-to-none. All of the odds were stacked against us, but God is faithful and with Him all things are possible.
He also provided by using family, friends and our church family. So many people helped by praying, giving gifts, helping us build onto our house and feeding babies. I've never needed to rely so heavily on God or His people, but this reliance has produced a very thankful heart.
I wanted to share this testimony first and foremost to give ALL of the glory to God for what He has done, but also as a thank you to my friends, family and church family for letting Him bless us through you as well.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Matt and I tried to get pregnant for two years before resorting to medicine. With the drug I took, I had a 35% chance of even getting pregnant... I got pregnant the first time I took it. The odds of having triplets with this drug were less than half a percent. The odds of carrying the triplets to 35 weeks and working 28 of those weeks, extremely low. the odds of all three babies being perfect and getting to come home from the hospital with their mom, slim-to-none. All of the odds were stacked against us, but God is faithful and with Him all things are possible.
He also provided by using family, friends and our church family. So many people helped by praying, giving gifts, helping us build onto our house and feeding babies. I've never needed to rely so heavily on God or His people, but this reliance has produced a very thankful heart.
I wanted to share this testimony first and foremost to give ALL of the glory to God for what He has done, but also as a thank you to my friends, family and church family for letting Him bless us through you as well.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
The Girls' Birth Day
I've been wanting to write about the girls' birth day for a while now. I want to document some of these details before I forget...
The C-Section was scheduled for 12:00 at St. Francis. As we checked in at 10:00, the receptionist was waiting on us! From what I heard, the staff had been looking forward to delivering and caring for triplets. I went back immediately and got changed into my gown. I was absolutely scared to death. As a matter of fact, Matt took a video of me before we left the house that morning and, as he pointed the camera at my face, asked, "are you scared?" I can't watch that video without crying because I feel sorry for myself... choking up as I say that I'm very scared. I had mixed emotions...I was VERY uncomfortable and ready to get the babies out of my tummy... but was afraid of the surgery and probably more afraid of the unknown... how were we going to do this?! I didn't know how to take care of one baby, let alone three!
In the prep room, they hooked up my IV and I waited for 12:00. As I waited, I meditated over scripture, trying to calm myself. Matt and I prayed and cried together a little... He didn't admit it until that moment, but he was as scared as I was. I think reality had finally hit. They wheeled me back by myself, saying Matt couldn't be in the room for the spinal block (which is very strange in my opinion... he can be in there for the surgery, but not the big shot in my back?) Anyway, it took a good long time to get the spinal block... it was very hard for me to sit on the side of the bed and hunch over my enormous belly. The nurse kept asking me, does it feel like it's on your spine, to the left or to the right? Very hard to tell, by the way, and making me more nervous by the minute! After what seemed like an eternity, I was moved to the table and felt my legs getting numb. I had made up my mind I was going to try to disconnect myself from the surgery and didn't want to know when they were cutting, etc. because I was terrified of being awake while they were cutting me open and had their hands inside me!! I guess they had already started and hadn't gone to get Matt yet. Even though they didn't give me anything to calm my mind, it feels like a dream... don't know if that was the spinal block effecting me, or God delivering me from my fear. Maybe a little of both!
Matt told me they went back to get him, and when they told him they already started, he took off as fast as he could to get there. He said when he got there, I was already cut open. He talked to me, but kept looking at what was going on over the sheet. For anyone that doesn't know, they put up a curtain over your chest, so you can't see what's going on. Matt kept peeking around the curtain, though I didn't want him to. I was scared to death he would pass out and leave me there alone! But, he didn't pass out and seemed very interested in what was going on. He said they had my stomach skin pulled all the way up to my chest and my shoulders and head were jerking around a lot as they moved me on the table. Tears just rolled down my eyes the whole time.
As they brought out the first baby, Izzy, we heard her cry and Matt and I both started laughing and crying. He kept telling me how beautiful she was. I've never been more in love with him than at that moment. He looked so happy and in awe of what was happening. They whisked Izzy off without me seeing her, then, less than a minute later, came Abby. As she was born, she let out her scream and peed on the doctors! Matt said, "She has tons of black hair", then made a joke about her looking like the UPS man. The Doctor chuckled under his mask, but kept working. Less than a minute after Abby, Ally was born. Ally had swallowed some fluid while she was waiting to be born, so she needed oxygen right away. They took all 3 babies back to a room close by and asked if Matt wanted to go with them. He looked at me like, "Can I?" (I had asked that he not leave me... but by that time, both our priorities had changed.) "Go! I'm fine", I said. The nurse talked to me the rest of the time, asking me about the girls' names, etc. and helped me to get through those final moments. Though they were still working on me, the girls needed to get back to the NICU, so they brought each baby to me to kiss on the cheek. They all looked the same from the angle I was at, and all were bundled with only their little faces showing.
Matt ran out to the lobby to let the families know how everything had gone. When he got out to the lobby, he broke down crying and said, "We have three healthy little girls!" Everyone told me how sweet he was, hugging his parents and crying. (Like I said, I think it all sank in within about a 3 hour time frame for him). When they wheeled me back into the original prep room, I felt better IMMEDIATELY! I had no idea how uncomfortable I had gotten having 3 babies in my tummy. A huge weight (literally) had been lifted! Although I had the girls at noon, I was unable to see them until about 10:00 at night since I had a C-Section and they were in the NICU. If the babies are in the NICU, they can't take them out, and if you have a C-Section, they won't let you get out of bed until you can move your legs. As a matter of fact, I had to manipulate the system just to get to see them when I did. The nurses wouldn't let me, but I convinced my Dr. I was ok and got into a wheel chair to go see them. While I was in the NICU, I was sweaty, pastey and vomited into a cup, but I got to see and hold my little girls.
Here are a few pictures of that day:
Matt in prep room
Me in prep room
Poor little Ally
Abby
Abby
Izzy
Izzy
The C-Section was scheduled for 12:00 at St. Francis. As we checked in at 10:00, the receptionist was waiting on us! From what I heard, the staff had been looking forward to delivering and caring for triplets. I went back immediately and got changed into my gown. I was absolutely scared to death. As a matter of fact, Matt took a video of me before we left the house that morning and, as he pointed the camera at my face, asked, "are you scared?" I can't watch that video without crying because I feel sorry for myself... choking up as I say that I'm very scared. I had mixed emotions...I was VERY uncomfortable and ready to get the babies out of my tummy... but was afraid of the surgery and probably more afraid of the unknown... how were we going to do this?! I didn't know how to take care of one baby, let alone three!
In the prep room, they hooked up my IV and I waited for 12:00. As I waited, I meditated over scripture, trying to calm myself. Matt and I prayed and cried together a little... He didn't admit it until that moment, but he was as scared as I was. I think reality had finally hit. They wheeled me back by myself, saying Matt couldn't be in the room for the spinal block (which is very strange in my opinion... he can be in there for the surgery, but not the big shot in my back?) Anyway, it took a good long time to get the spinal block... it was very hard for me to sit on the side of the bed and hunch over my enormous belly. The nurse kept asking me, does it feel like it's on your spine, to the left or to the right? Very hard to tell, by the way, and making me more nervous by the minute! After what seemed like an eternity, I was moved to the table and felt my legs getting numb. I had made up my mind I was going to try to disconnect myself from the surgery and didn't want to know when they were cutting, etc. because I was terrified of being awake while they were cutting me open and had their hands inside me!! I guess they had already started and hadn't gone to get Matt yet. Even though they didn't give me anything to calm my mind, it feels like a dream... don't know if that was the spinal block effecting me, or God delivering me from my fear. Maybe a little of both!
Matt told me they went back to get him, and when they told him they already started, he took off as fast as he could to get there. He said when he got there, I was already cut open. He talked to me, but kept looking at what was going on over the sheet. For anyone that doesn't know, they put up a curtain over your chest, so you can't see what's going on. Matt kept peeking around the curtain, though I didn't want him to. I was scared to death he would pass out and leave me there alone! But, he didn't pass out and seemed very interested in what was going on. He said they had my stomach skin pulled all the way up to my chest and my shoulders and head were jerking around a lot as they moved me on the table. Tears just rolled down my eyes the whole time.
As they brought out the first baby, Izzy, we heard her cry and Matt and I both started laughing and crying. He kept telling me how beautiful she was. I've never been more in love with him than at that moment. He looked so happy and in awe of what was happening. They whisked Izzy off without me seeing her, then, less than a minute later, came Abby. As she was born, she let out her scream and peed on the doctors! Matt said, "She has tons of black hair", then made a joke about her looking like the UPS man. The Doctor chuckled under his mask, but kept working. Less than a minute after Abby, Ally was born. Ally had swallowed some fluid while she was waiting to be born, so she needed oxygen right away. They took all 3 babies back to a room close by and asked if Matt wanted to go with them. He looked at me like, "Can I?" (I had asked that he not leave me... but by that time, both our priorities had changed.) "Go! I'm fine", I said. The nurse talked to me the rest of the time, asking me about the girls' names, etc. and helped me to get through those final moments. Though they were still working on me, the girls needed to get back to the NICU, so they brought each baby to me to kiss on the cheek. They all looked the same from the angle I was at, and all were bundled with only their little faces showing.
Matt ran out to the lobby to let the families know how everything had gone. When he got out to the lobby, he broke down crying and said, "We have three healthy little girls!" Everyone told me how sweet he was, hugging his parents and crying. (Like I said, I think it all sank in within about a 3 hour time frame for him). When they wheeled me back into the original prep room, I felt better IMMEDIATELY! I had no idea how uncomfortable I had gotten having 3 babies in my tummy. A huge weight (literally) had been lifted! Although I had the girls at noon, I was unable to see them until about 10:00 at night since I had a C-Section and they were in the NICU. If the babies are in the NICU, they can't take them out, and if you have a C-Section, they won't let you get out of bed until you can move your legs. As a matter of fact, I had to manipulate the system just to get to see them when I did. The nurses wouldn't let me, but I convinced my Dr. I was ok and got into a wheel chair to go see them. While I was in the NICU, I was sweaty, pastey and vomited into a cup, but I got to see and hold my little girls.
Here are a few pictures of that day:
Matt in prep room
Me in prep room
Poor little Ally
Abby
Abby
Izzy
Izzy
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
5 1/2 month update
It's been a long time since my last post. The girls are doing SO great and will be 6 months old this month!!! It feels like longer than that, to tell you the truth... I don't mean that in a bad way, but it's been a long 6 months!!! It really is getting easier and easier every day though. I'm actually able to fully take care of the girls by myself now. I can feed all 3 in a little over an hour and that leaves 3 hours before the next feeding to play, nap and deal with whoever is fussy. Although, I can take care of them myself, it's very difficult to get anything done, so Cheryl (Matt's mom) comes over a couple days a week to let me clean, grocery shop, wash my hair, or type on the blog (like today)! I'm starting to feel a little more like a "normal" mom now that I can actually take care of my children myself and don't have to have 'round the clock help. It's very liberating and I'm feeling more confident every day.
The latest news on the girls: All 3 girls are rolling over now, which makes them mobile... a little more work than before. I know, I know... It's going to get worse!! I think my mom is going to get us an indoor fence for Christmas to keep them from rolling all over the house! They all giggle a lot and even interact with each other.
A few examples of them interacting:
Izzy and Abby were on their tummies, facing each other, When Abby let out one of her earth-shattering shrieks, it scared Izzy and she started crying terribly. Sad, but funny.
Often the girls will roll into each other and we'll find Ally sucking on Abby's hand or vice versa.
Also, the other day, Abby started crying and screaming and I found Ally pulling her hair!!!
Again, I know... just the beginning... you don't have to tell me!!
They all talk a lot and blow bubbles... a very fun stage. One other endearing trait: Abby is now in the habit of laying on her tummy in her crib and can lift her head high enough to look out... VERY cute to see her watch you coming to get her! As for sitting up, the girls are doing the little stomach crunch things like they want to sit up. When I sit them up, they can balance pretty good, but aren't quite doing it on their own yet.
The girls went as the 3 little pigs for Halloween... no trick or treating yet, but they sure looked cute to show off at the pumpkin patch and for their first Halloween pics.
Matt still seems to be holding up pretty good... he has even been left alone with them a time or two when I went to choir practice or to work out. One night, I was in the shower when he decided to give them all baths before I was finished. He said they all had a look of concern on their face as he was bathing them, and there was no bath playtime or singing, but no one cried and they were all clean in the end! A great treat for me!!! I honestly believe Matt was chosen to be a father of triplet girls. He is so patient and loving to me and the girls. If he weren't so helpful and understanding, I would have never survived this.
Here are a few recent pics:
Ally
Izzy, Ally, Abby
Ally, Izzy, Abby
Izzy
Abby
Ally
Izzy
Abby
The latest news on the girls: All 3 girls are rolling over now, which makes them mobile... a little more work than before. I know, I know... It's going to get worse!! I think my mom is going to get us an indoor fence for Christmas to keep them from rolling all over the house! They all giggle a lot and even interact with each other.
A few examples of them interacting:
Izzy and Abby were on their tummies, facing each other, When Abby let out one of her earth-shattering shrieks, it scared Izzy and she started crying terribly. Sad, but funny.
Often the girls will roll into each other and we'll find Ally sucking on Abby's hand or vice versa.
Also, the other day, Abby started crying and screaming and I found Ally pulling her hair!!!
Again, I know... just the beginning... you don't have to tell me!!
They all talk a lot and blow bubbles... a very fun stage. One other endearing trait: Abby is now in the habit of laying on her tummy in her crib and can lift her head high enough to look out... VERY cute to see her watch you coming to get her! As for sitting up, the girls are doing the little stomach crunch things like they want to sit up. When I sit them up, they can balance pretty good, but aren't quite doing it on their own yet.
The girls went as the 3 little pigs for Halloween... no trick or treating yet, but they sure looked cute to show off at the pumpkin patch and for their first Halloween pics.
Matt still seems to be holding up pretty good... he has even been left alone with them a time or two when I went to choir practice or to work out. One night, I was in the shower when he decided to give them all baths before I was finished. He said they all had a look of concern on their face as he was bathing them, and there was no bath playtime or singing, but no one cried and they were all clean in the end! A great treat for me!!! I honestly believe Matt was chosen to be a father of triplet girls. He is so patient and loving to me and the girls. If he weren't so helpful and understanding, I would have never survived this.
Here are a few recent pics:
Ally
Izzy, Ally, Abby
Ally, Izzy, Abby
Izzy
Abby
Ally
Izzy
Abby
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
4 month update
The girls are 4 months old and all is starting to calm down a little. As a matter of fact, right now, my mother-in-law is watching the girls while I stepped out to hang out at the coffee shop for a few much needed hours away. The babies are sleeping from about 11pm to 7am every night and laying down together for multiple naps a day, which provides a lot of structure and peace to the day! We started adding cereal to their bottles about a month ago to help them sleep a little longer at night. We also still swaddle the babies, which is pretty much the only way they'll sleep. They're all holding their heads up well, smiling, cooing and I'm pretty sure we're going to have some real big laughs out loud really soon! They kind of giggle, but I'm waiting for the big giggles! Izzy and Abby are very close to rolling over from their backs to their tummies too!
They're such sweet babies and I'm truly head over heels. As a matter of fact, Matt and I went to dinner the other night and I couldn't stop looking at their picture and talking about them. It was my first time out of the house and away from them in a week and I missed them so bad! Everyone wants to know if they have similar temperaments, but they are very different:
Ally is becoming a little more high maintenance than the other two. She loves to be held and snuggled and is perfectly happy when she's being held, otherwise, she may put up a fuss. She probably smiles more than the other two though, and her whole face lights up when she gives you a grin. A lot of people say she smiles with her eyes. She loves to eat and cries when she has to burp because the bottle is out of her mouth. She's quite a bit bigger than Izzy (our smallest)... we go to the Dr. tomorrow, but I would venture to say there's about a 2 lb. difference between the two. She's probably around 13+ pounds now.
Izzy is a little bundle of energy. She's a tiny little thing and could care less about her bottle most of the time. When she gets tired she just wants to be laid in her crib to sleep... not big on the holding, rocking thing. She fusses in her crib for about 2 minutes and is then out like a light. She loves to be on the floor and kick, kick, kick. She's a sweet little smiler too and lots of people say she shows her little personality all over her face. She even looks like she's happy when she's not smiling. A very sweet little baby...
Abby is hilarious. Since she was teeny, her cries have sounded like a cat with it's tail caught in the door! She kind of squeals and squawks rather than really crying. She probably cries the least of the 3 babies. She's usually very patient and is almost always last to eat because of this personality trait. She took a while to make eye contact, coo, smile etc (which really worried us) but decided to do it all within the same week! She's got big eyes and a precious little face. Lots of people comment on her dark hair, which she hasn't lost, by the way.
Matt is doing great with the girls. I feel sorry for him, because their fussy time is usually in the evening and this is when he sees them. He's so good with them and I can tell they've got him wrapped around their little fingers already! He's very sympathetic to me and does pretty much anything I ask... he says, "Whatever it takes for you to not shoot yourself in the head, I'll do!" If you knew him, you'd know that sounds just like him.
Just so you know, I'm not even close to that and am holding up really well. I still have a lot of help and am holding up better than I thought I would. Yes, some days are harder than others, but overall, I know how blessed I am and try to keep that in mind. I try to remember this is just temporary and next summer I will probably know what the weather is like and may be able to even step outside every now and then! As a matter of fact, the girls are about to the point where we could even take a little stroll in the neighborhood! I have a triplet stroller... it's as long as a train and a big gust of wind may send us all tumbling, but I'm going to get it out soon!
We're having the girls dedicated this Sunday... I plan on having our family up there with us since it truly "takes a village", not to mention the fact that we may need some help holding them! I'll write more later... I plan on adding the story of the day of their birth soon. I plan on putting these blog posts in the girls' baby books, and it was such a beautiful day, I want to remember it forever.
They're such sweet babies and I'm truly head over heels. As a matter of fact, Matt and I went to dinner the other night and I couldn't stop looking at their picture and talking about them. It was my first time out of the house and away from them in a week and I missed them so bad! Everyone wants to know if they have similar temperaments, but they are very different:
Ally is becoming a little more high maintenance than the other two. She loves to be held and snuggled and is perfectly happy when she's being held, otherwise, she may put up a fuss. She probably smiles more than the other two though, and her whole face lights up when she gives you a grin. A lot of people say she smiles with her eyes. She loves to eat and cries when she has to burp because the bottle is out of her mouth. She's quite a bit bigger than Izzy (our smallest)... we go to the Dr. tomorrow, but I would venture to say there's about a 2 lb. difference between the two. She's probably around 13+ pounds now.
Izzy is a little bundle of energy. She's a tiny little thing and could care less about her bottle most of the time. When she gets tired she just wants to be laid in her crib to sleep... not big on the holding, rocking thing. She fusses in her crib for about 2 minutes and is then out like a light. She loves to be on the floor and kick, kick, kick. She's a sweet little smiler too and lots of people say she shows her little personality all over her face. She even looks like she's happy when she's not smiling. A very sweet little baby...
Abby is hilarious. Since she was teeny, her cries have sounded like a cat with it's tail caught in the door! She kind of squeals and squawks rather than really crying. She probably cries the least of the 3 babies. She's usually very patient and is almost always last to eat because of this personality trait. She took a while to make eye contact, coo, smile etc (which really worried us) but decided to do it all within the same week! She's got big eyes and a precious little face. Lots of people comment on her dark hair, which she hasn't lost, by the way.
Matt is doing great with the girls. I feel sorry for him, because their fussy time is usually in the evening and this is when he sees them. He's so good with them and I can tell they've got him wrapped around their little fingers already! He's very sympathetic to me and does pretty much anything I ask... he says, "Whatever it takes for you to not shoot yourself in the head, I'll do!" If you knew him, you'd know that sounds just like him.
Just so you know, I'm not even close to that and am holding up really well. I still have a lot of help and am holding up better than I thought I would. Yes, some days are harder than others, but overall, I know how blessed I am and try to keep that in mind. I try to remember this is just temporary and next summer I will probably know what the weather is like and may be able to even step outside every now and then! As a matter of fact, the girls are about to the point where we could even take a little stroll in the neighborhood! I have a triplet stroller... it's as long as a train and a big gust of wind may send us all tumbling, but I'm going to get it out soon!
We're having the girls dedicated this Sunday... I plan on having our family up there with us since it truly "takes a village", not to mention the fact that we may need some help holding them! I'll write more later... I plan on adding the story of the day of their birth soon. I plan on putting these blog posts in the girls' baby books, and it was such a beautiful day, I want to remember it forever.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Kami's song
My mom found this poem on the internet and it made me cry... thought I would share since it seems to fit so well!
It is the end of the day, three babies are sleeping
I sit in my chair, quietly weeping
I am not crying because I've had no sleep
Or three times the laundry is piled waist deep
I am not crying because I look three times the mess
Three times the spit up, part of my everyday stress
I am not crying because I've had no time at all
To soak in a bath or shop at the mall
Too tired to do dishes and forget even sweeping
I will sit in my chair and enjoy my weeping.
I am crying because it's the end of the day
Three babies are sleeping, it's quiet this way
It's time to look back on the way the day went
Three times the fun, look what heaven has sent
Sure it is hard, we knew from the start
But hard things get softened with extra love in our heart
Three little babies soft, cuddly and sweet
Six little hands, six little feet
Six little arms that hug me real tight
And three little mouths to kiss me goodnight
Three times the laughter and ten times the fun
I am so thankful for what Go has done
The joy that I feel as I watch my three sleep
Is what makes my heart ache, and makes my eyes weep.
r.j. koontz (with some minor changes by my mom, Paula)
It is the end of the day, three babies are sleeping
I sit in my chair, quietly weeping
I am not crying because I've had no sleep
Or three times the laundry is piled waist deep
I am not crying because I look three times the mess
Three times the spit up, part of my everyday stress
I am not crying because I've had no time at all
To soak in a bath or shop at the mall
Too tired to do dishes and forget even sweeping
I will sit in my chair and enjoy my weeping.
I am crying because it's the end of the day
Three babies are sleeping, it's quiet this way
It's time to look back on the way the day went
Three times the fun, look what heaven has sent
Sure it is hard, we knew from the start
But hard things get softened with extra love in our heart
Three little babies soft, cuddly and sweet
Six little hands, six little feet
Six little arms that hug me real tight
And three little mouths to kiss me goodnight
Three times the laughter and ten times the fun
I am so thankful for what Go has done
The joy that I feel as I watch my three sleep
Is what makes my heart ache, and makes my eyes weep.
r.j. koontz (with some minor changes by my mom, Paula)
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Baby Wise?
The girls are miraculously all laying down for a nap right now, so I have a little time to update the blog! I've been working hard to follow the Baby Wise method, which is all about getting your baby to sleep through the night and take naps. The major difference in this method is you do not rock the baby to sleep... simply lay her in her crip and she'll eventually know it's nap time and soothe herself to sleep. And yes, you are supposed to let the baby cry herself to sleep if necessary. Unfortunately, the book doesn't tell you what to do if they never stop crying! It's very stressful on the mom, I can tell you that! The major problem I have is they wake each other up with their crying. Izzy goes to sleep with no problems, but Abby and Ally lay there and it seems they're in competition with each other trying to see who can cry the hardest and longest. If one starts to fall asleep, the other wakes her up with her crying. The book does have a chapter on multiples and it says they will get use to each others' crying, so this is hell week as they get used to it. Up to this point, I've just been letting them fall asleep in their bouncy seats and boppy pillows, but they're old now that we need to get a sleep schedule down. They're still sleeping thru the night. Our last feeding is at 10:30, and they wake up again at 6:30 or 7. Eventually we will get rid of the late night feeding all together, but I'm afraid of what time they'll wake up if I do that. I don't want to go back to the 2 and 3 AM feedings! Ugh!
Babies are awake... guess I'll write more later!!!
Babies are awake... guess I'll write more later!!!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
3 month pics
Daddy with OSU girls
Ally smiling and giggling!
Bumbo seat pow wow - Abby, Izzy, Ally
Abby smiling
Ally smiling and giggling!
Bumbo seat pow wow - Abby, Izzy, Ally
Abby smiling
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Short video of babies
All of the videos I'd like to post are too long... here's a short clip for the sake of posting a video.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Surviving Triplets!
Phew! We are almost 3 months into this crazy new life! If you haven't noticed, I've had a terrible time finding time to update the blog now that the girls have arrived. I lay in bed thinking of all of the things I need to do and this is just one of them!
The girls are doing so great! We took them for their 2 month check up a few weeks ago, and their weights were:
Ally- 9 lbs. 8 oz
Abby- 8 lbs. 14 oz
Izzy- 8 lbx. 12.5 oz
They've, of course, grown since then, so I'd say they're probably around 10+ pounds... especially little Ally... that little girls takes after her momma and loves to eat!!! I'm having a hard time keeping her satisfied! She consistenly takes more than her sisters and all my cute little matching outfits are not going to be so cute if I have to squeeze her into them! But, gotta feed a hungry baby... even if the dresses don't match! :)
I'm still keeping them on a strict eating schedule, but if it's time to eat, I give them as much as they'll take. Right now, they usually take 3-4 oz. Ally sometimes will take 6 oz until she feels full and happy. For a while, we had some bad tummy problems with Izzy and Abby (especially Abby), but we switched all the girls to soy formula and we have seen a HUGE improvement. Thank goodness! They still spit-up, but it's pretty normal now. In the first month and a half, Abby was spitting up very thick mucus that would choke her... very scary! So glad that issue is over.
The girls are actually sleeping through the night now! I guess you would call it sleeping through the night... we still feed them at 11 pm, put them down, then they sleep until 6 or 7. SOOOO much better than getting them up to eat at 2 and 5 am.
I still have people coming in to help with the feedings, but I can be alone with them in between. Granted, there have been times when all 4 of us were crying, but those times are few! I'm actually learning to use my feet a lot more. For example, right now, I am bouncing a baby in her bouncy seat with my foot while typing. I have been known to bounce 2 babies with my feet, pull their music tab with my toes, all while feeding a hungry baby! Sad, I know!
Izzy has had some bouts with collic in the evening, so poor Matt gets to come home to a night of crying pretty often, but we've learned a few tricks to keeping her happy. One thing I can say: Pacifiers are wonderful! All 3 babies take "pacies" and I spend much of my day plugging them in! We've watched a dvd that a friend gave me called "The Happiest Baby on the Block" and I would recommend to any new mom.
We take them to church every Sunday... that has become quite a feat! Matt's mom comes over and helps us get them ready and we load them all up to go... They go in the nursery because a: we have a brand new infant nursery with only one other baby in
it and b: I need a break and I don't enjoy the service at all if I have to worry about the babies interrupting. Think about how a mother feels with one baby interrupting the service... I have the possibility of creating 3 or more interruptions and all of the blame points to me! I get much more out of the service when I don't have to worry about that!
Last weekend, Matt and I went to a musical in Tulsa and out to dinner... very nice to get out. Mom and my grandparents stayed with the girls. It's so nice to be able to get out every now and again. I actually felt like our old selves for a change!
Overall, the girls are very good babies. They have their tummy aches and times they want to be held, but most of the time, they will sit in their boppies, bouncies or swings and wait their turn to be held.
As of now, my feeding schedule is 6:30/7 am, 10:30 am, 2 pm, 5pm, 8pm, 11pm. 6 feedings...I usually have someone here to help me with all of them. Though, it is possible to feed them alone...not desirable, but possible. I even have something called "The Extra Hand" which helps hold a bottle if I'm in a bind. I put the girls in boppies on the floor, hold one bottle and let the extra hand feed the other baby as I watch closely and burp her.
One thing that makes me a little sad: I wish I had more time to be able to slow down and enjoy things. For example, bathtime. I used to think I would slow down, talk to them, lotion them up and bath time would be a sweet little time together. With 3 babies, it ends up being assembly line bath time. Bring me a dirty naked baby and I'll give you back a clean naked baby... Next! Same with feeding, changing diapers, etc. It's always hurry hurry hurry, there's another baby waiting for her turn!
I'll try to post some pics and videos asap. Ally and Izzy are smiling now and holding their heads up good. Abby is on the verge... just a little behind. I also have a cute video of matt gagging his way thru a poopy diaper... so funny!!!
The girls are doing so great! We took them for their 2 month check up a few weeks ago, and their weights were:
Ally- 9 lbs. 8 oz
Abby- 8 lbs. 14 oz
Izzy- 8 lbx. 12.5 oz
They've, of course, grown since then, so I'd say they're probably around 10+ pounds... especially little Ally... that little girls takes after her momma and loves to eat!!! I'm having a hard time keeping her satisfied! She consistenly takes more than her sisters and all my cute little matching outfits are not going to be so cute if I have to squeeze her into them! But, gotta feed a hungry baby... even if the dresses don't match! :)
I'm still keeping them on a strict eating schedule, but if it's time to eat, I give them as much as they'll take. Right now, they usually take 3-4 oz. Ally sometimes will take 6 oz until she feels full and happy. For a while, we had some bad tummy problems with Izzy and Abby (especially Abby), but we switched all the girls to soy formula and we have seen a HUGE improvement. Thank goodness! They still spit-up, but it's pretty normal now. In the first month and a half, Abby was spitting up very thick mucus that would choke her... very scary! So glad that issue is over.
The girls are actually sleeping through the night now! I guess you would call it sleeping through the night... we still feed them at 11 pm, put them down, then they sleep until 6 or 7. SOOOO much better than getting them up to eat at 2 and 5 am.
I still have people coming in to help with the feedings, but I can be alone with them in between. Granted, there have been times when all 4 of us were crying, but those times are few! I'm actually learning to use my feet a lot more. For example, right now, I am bouncing a baby in her bouncy seat with my foot while typing. I have been known to bounce 2 babies with my feet, pull their music tab with my toes, all while feeding a hungry baby! Sad, I know!
Izzy has had some bouts with collic in the evening, so poor Matt gets to come home to a night of crying pretty often, but we've learned a few tricks to keeping her happy. One thing I can say: Pacifiers are wonderful! All 3 babies take "pacies" and I spend much of my day plugging them in! We've watched a dvd that a friend gave me called "The Happiest Baby on the Block" and I would recommend to any new mom.
We take them to church every Sunday... that has become quite a feat! Matt's mom comes over and helps us get them ready and we load them all up to go... They go in the nursery because a: we have a brand new infant nursery with only one other baby in
it and b: I need a break and I don't enjoy the service at all if I have to worry about the babies interrupting. Think about how a mother feels with one baby interrupting the service... I have the possibility of creating 3 or more interruptions and all of the blame points to me! I get much more out of the service when I don't have to worry about that!
Last weekend, Matt and I went to a musical in Tulsa and out to dinner... very nice to get out. Mom and my grandparents stayed with the girls. It's so nice to be able to get out every now and again. I actually felt like our old selves for a change!
Overall, the girls are very good babies. They have their tummy aches and times they want to be held, but most of the time, they will sit in their boppies, bouncies or swings and wait their turn to be held.
As of now, my feeding schedule is 6:30/7 am, 10:30 am, 2 pm, 5pm, 8pm, 11pm. 6 feedings...I usually have someone here to help me with all of them. Though, it is possible to feed them alone...not desirable, but possible. I even have something called "The Extra Hand" which helps hold a bottle if I'm in a bind. I put the girls in boppies on the floor, hold one bottle and let the extra hand feed the other baby as I watch closely and burp her.
One thing that makes me a little sad: I wish I had more time to be able to slow down and enjoy things. For example, bathtime. I used to think I would slow down, talk to them, lotion them up and bath time would be a sweet little time together. With 3 babies, it ends up being assembly line bath time. Bring me a dirty naked baby and I'll give you back a clean naked baby... Next! Same with feeding, changing diapers, etc. It's always hurry hurry hurry, there's another baby waiting for her turn!
I'll try to post some pics and videos asap. Ally and Izzy are smiling now and holding their heads up good. Abby is on the verge... just a little behind. I also have a cute video of matt gagging his way thru a poopy diaper... so funny!!!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
1 month update
Well, the babies are one month old today and we're still alive and kicking! We just had another Dr's appointment this morning and he confirmed again that the girls are perfect! All are in the 3rd percentile for weight at 1 month old, but we're just happy they're on the charts at all! Abby and Ally weighed 6 lbs 12 oz and Izzy is catching them fast... she weighed 6 lbs 11 oz! She's definitely gained the most since birth... over 2 pounds!!!
We're still using a schedule and having volunteers come in and help feed... it's our only hope for survival at this point. I still haven't taken the babies out in public yet (besides the Dr). I've been waiting until at least their 40 week due date (6/23). I've been making a joke that the house is their womb for now! A lot of people are wondering if it's ok to come visit at this point.... I say, why not?! I just have 4 rules I live by:
1) Still no kiddos for now - the Dr. says the cold a 4 year old has is the RSV virus just waiting to manifest for your babies.
2) Everyone washes their hands before handling the babies.
3) Hold their little heads!!!
4) Please Don't come if you're even the slightest bit sick.
Is that rude?! If you follow these guidelines, I'm a happy mom! Otherwise, I'm a mess! So, with that said, friends of the family are definitely welcome to come see/hold the babies!
We plan to take them to church sometime in July, but I'm a little worried about what a distraction/parade it will be. There ain't no sneakin' in the back with infant triplets! The Dr. told me it's ok to take them to church, but don't put them in the nursery and don't pass them around like new puppies. The mother in me wants to bring a thing of hand sanitizer and Lysol with me for everyone to get de-germed, but I think that might be a little extreme!
You may be wondering... what does one do when all babies get fussy at the same time? First of all... There's usually 2 people here at the house. But, right now, I'm alone with 2 fussy babies. I have Izzy in the swing and Abby is in her boppy. I keep them close so I can plug them with a pacifier when they start to cry... this usually works. If 3 start to fuss, I hold her or find the bouncy seat. Plan B is to call for backup!!! Overall though, they're pretty good babies so far... not too much crying. Thank goodness!
Gotta go... swing's not workign anymore!!!
We're still using a schedule and having volunteers come in and help feed... it's our only hope for survival at this point. I still haven't taken the babies out in public yet (besides the Dr). I've been waiting until at least their 40 week due date (6/23). I've been making a joke that the house is their womb for now! A lot of people are wondering if it's ok to come visit at this point.... I say, why not?! I just have 4 rules I live by:
1) Still no kiddos for now - the Dr. says the cold a 4 year old has is the RSV virus just waiting to manifest for your babies.
2) Everyone washes their hands before handling the babies.
3) Hold their little heads!!!
4) Please Don't come if you're even the slightest bit sick.
Is that rude?! If you follow these guidelines, I'm a happy mom! Otherwise, I'm a mess! So, with that said, friends of the family are definitely welcome to come see/hold the babies!
We plan to take them to church sometime in July, but I'm a little worried about what a distraction/parade it will be. There ain't no sneakin' in the back with infant triplets! The Dr. told me it's ok to take them to church, but don't put them in the nursery and don't pass them around like new puppies. The mother in me wants to bring a thing of hand sanitizer and Lysol with me for everyone to get de-germed, but I think that might be a little extreme!
You may be wondering... what does one do when all babies get fussy at the same time? First of all... There's usually 2 people here at the house. But, right now, I'm alone with 2 fussy babies. I have Izzy in the swing and Abby is in her boppy. I keep them close so I can plug them with a pacifier when they start to cry... this usually works. If 3 start to fuss, I hold her or find the bouncy seat. Plan B is to call for backup!!! Overall though, they're pretty good babies so far... not too much crying. Thank goodness!
Gotta go... swing's not workign anymore!!!
Monday, June 15, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Thank You!!!
Matt wrote the following letter to be posted in the church newsletter. It really captures the thanks we feel and I know not everyone we need to thank reads our church newsletter... so, here it is:
To our friends and family,
As we are writing this letter, we have had our triplet girls at home for three weeks. When we stop and think about it, we are filled with emotion: Emotions of excitement and pure joy. Most would think that fear would be one, but we are not really fearful of what is to come… because God has time and time again taken care of us. He has shown us his perfect love, and like it says in 1 John, “Perfect love drives out fear.” We have no doubt that God will continue to help us through this.
We have also felt the perfect love of God through our families. They have done so much to help us. We have tried to say “Thank you” as much as we can, but it just doesn’t seem to be enough to equal our gratitude.
And last, but certainly not least, we have felt the love of God through our friends. You have all worked tirelessly to get everything ready for the babies, and showered us with much needed supplies. Every single act of kindness was noticed, and we are grateful. You’ve made the transition from expecting one baby to three so much easier.
James, the brother of Jesus, wrote “Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do!” We have seen your faith, and you are truly living it out.
In the unifying love of Christ,
Matt, Kami, Isabelle, Abigail, and Allison Martin
To our friends and family,
As we are writing this letter, we have had our triplet girls at home for three weeks. When we stop and think about it, we are filled with emotion: Emotions of excitement and pure joy. Most would think that fear would be one, but we are not really fearful of what is to come… because God has time and time again taken care of us. He has shown us his perfect love, and like it says in 1 John, “Perfect love drives out fear.” We have no doubt that God will continue to help us through this.
We have also felt the perfect love of God through our families. They have done so much to help us. We have tried to say “Thank you” as much as we can, but it just doesn’t seem to be enough to equal our gratitude.
And last, but certainly not least, we have felt the love of God through our friends. You have all worked tirelessly to get everything ready for the babies, and showered us with much needed supplies. Every single act of kindness was noticed, and we are grateful. You’ve made the transition from expecting one baby to three so much easier.
James, the brother of Jesus, wrote “Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do!” We have seen your faith, and you are truly living it out.
In the unifying love of Christ,
Matt, Kami, Isabelle, Abigail, and Allison Martin
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Daddy's little girls
In this picture, Matt has his lap full with his precious little girls! Everyone is doing really well... we went to the Dr. on Monday and he says they're perfect! I could tell he was surprised. He kept asking me if they had any special heart, eye or ear doctors they needed to see and he looked very surprised when I told him of the minor complications we had with Ally. You could see he expected to have more complications with triplets. All I can continue to say is God is good! The girls are gaining weight and doing well. Both Abby and Ally weighed 5 lb 8 oz and Izzy is gaining on them... she weighed 5 lb 4 oz!
The girls are sticking to the schedule pretty good, but we usually have one fussy one during the 2-3 hour sleeping stretch. I think this is to be expected, but we're hoping to keep them all on the same schedule for our sanity. I'm tired, but I think I'm about as sleep deprived as any normal new mom. I have stretches (thanks to helpers) where I will get 3,4 or 5 hours at a time... these really help! I think the hardest part is never really leaving the house. Normal moms would be able to take their baby to Wal-Mart or the park, whereas, with preemie triplets, we just need to stay put at home. I know... eventually it will get easier. That's what everyone says. Right now, my sole purpose in life is to feed, burp, change and love these 3 little girls... the outside world can wait for a few more months. I have to admit though, I save money when I never leave the house!
Well, Ally's fussing... I'll write more later!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Home with babies
Mom and Abby
Mamaw and Izzy
Left to right - Izzy, Abby, Ally (birth order)
I had the babies on 5/19 and all 4 of us (5 if you count Matt) came home on 5/26. I had to stay due to horrendous swelling in my feet and high blood pressure, but it worked out pretty well, because I got to stay with the babies. I think it's a world record for a mother to have triplets and get to come home with all 3! When we started the discharge process, they told us we were taking 2, but before we knew it, they were sending the other one too! They discharged us all pretty late in the evening, and we had to wait until after a feeding, so we didn't actually leave the hospital until 9 pm! You should have seen what a sight we were leaving the hospital. My mom offered to come help, but at the time, I still thought it was just two babies, so I told her to go on home. So... Matt, me, 2 nurses and a guy called a host, all caravanned out to the car! Boy, did we get some stares and comments! You could here everyone gasp as we walked by... many people said, "triplets? Oh my!" I just soaked it all in and waved from my wheel chair. I even told a few of them to pray for us!
That first night was rough! Cheryl (Matt's mom) stayed with us the first night and none of us slept a wink... we all got up with every feeding and by 8 in the morning, we were devising a plan. The babies eat at 8, 11, 2 and 5 (AM and PM)... so, we made a schedule with 2 people feeding the babies per feeding and the 3rd person sleeping a stretch. We actually made a schedule with 4 - four hour shifts to ensure all of the feedings are met: 8-noon, 2pm-6pm, 8pm-midnight and 2am-6am. This way, you feed a baby at the beginning of your shift and the end of your shift. We've recruited a handful of volunteers to help with a few feedings, which should help mommy, daddy and both grandmas have a small reprieve. I made a 3 week schedule (thru June 17th) for now. I call it the "I will survive" schedule. We've asked only a few people beyond family to help, because we need to keep the circle pretty small for now. The babies are so fragile and their health in these few weeks as preemies is vital to their growth. We've read, watched videos and talked to nurses until we're blue in the face... so we've become a little more particular than we ever thought we would be. I'll be so happy when we'll be able to take them in public and show them off. Also, soon, we'll add more volunteers to the schedule and make the circle a little bigger. Believe me, raising these girls is going to take a village!!!
Needless to say, I've been a little emotional... I brought 3 babies home with me, I'm still in a lot of pain (not taking prescription pain meds because I gotta take care of babies), I'm sleep deprived and extremely hormonal. This makes for a very volatile situation!!! Just ask Matt.... I cried at the drop of a hat yesterday! It was our 4 year anniversary and both of us forgot all about it until his parents reminded us. Also, working on the schedule, I realized, not only will my life never be the same, I will see Matt less and less for the next few months. Most of the time, when he comes home, I'll need to be sleeping and getting ready for my 2 and 5 am shifts! Ugh.. it's going to be a rough few months. Matt and I have discussed how we're going to try not to be robotic about taking care of them and try to enjoy our time with them. We know this is just a phase and it will get easier... their only this age once.
Two of the girls: Izzy and Ally look a lot alike... we keep talking about painting a toe nail to make sure we don't mistake them, but we think we can tell them apart. I really do think I can, but that's not something you'd want to mess up! Abby has lots of dark hair and has different facial features, so she's not a problem! I've posted some close-up shots and bumble bee pics we took this afternoon. All babies seem to have excellent temperments and are sticking to their schedule really well. They wake up to eat, get their diaper changed and then go back to sleep until the next time. The only problem we're having is keeping them awake long enough to eat or spitting up.
Keep praying for us... we still need it!
Mamaw and Izzy
Left to right - Izzy, Abby, Ally (birth order)
I had the babies on 5/19 and all 4 of us (5 if you count Matt) came home on 5/26. I had to stay due to horrendous swelling in my feet and high blood pressure, but it worked out pretty well, because I got to stay with the babies. I think it's a world record for a mother to have triplets and get to come home with all 3! When we started the discharge process, they told us we were taking 2, but before we knew it, they were sending the other one too! They discharged us all pretty late in the evening, and we had to wait until after a feeding, so we didn't actually leave the hospital until 9 pm! You should have seen what a sight we were leaving the hospital. My mom offered to come help, but at the time, I still thought it was just two babies, so I told her to go on home. So... Matt, me, 2 nurses and a guy called a host, all caravanned out to the car! Boy, did we get some stares and comments! You could here everyone gasp as we walked by... many people said, "triplets? Oh my!" I just soaked it all in and waved from my wheel chair. I even told a few of them to pray for us!
That first night was rough! Cheryl (Matt's mom) stayed with us the first night and none of us slept a wink... we all got up with every feeding and by 8 in the morning, we were devising a plan. The babies eat at 8, 11, 2 and 5 (AM and PM)... so, we made a schedule with 2 people feeding the babies per feeding and the 3rd person sleeping a stretch. We actually made a schedule with 4 - four hour shifts to ensure all of the feedings are met: 8-noon, 2pm-6pm, 8pm-midnight and 2am-6am. This way, you feed a baby at the beginning of your shift and the end of your shift. We've recruited a handful of volunteers to help with a few feedings, which should help mommy, daddy and both grandmas have a small reprieve. I made a 3 week schedule (thru June 17th) for now. I call it the "I will survive" schedule. We've asked only a few people beyond family to help, because we need to keep the circle pretty small for now. The babies are so fragile and their health in these few weeks as preemies is vital to their growth. We've read, watched videos and talked to nurses until we're blue in the face... so we've become a little more particular than we ever thought we would be. I'll be so happy when we'll be able to take them in public and show them off. Also, soon, we'll add more volunteers to the schedule and make the circle a little bigger. Believe me, raising these girls is going to take a village!!!
Needless to say, I've been a little emotional... I brought 3 babies home with me, I'm still in a lot of pain (not taking prescription pain meds because I gotta take care of babies), I'm sleep deprived and extremely hormonal. This makes for a very volatile situation!!! Just ask Matt.... I cried at the drop of a hat yesterday! It was our 4 year anniversary and both of us forgot all about it until his parents reminded us. Also, working on the schedule, I realized, not only will my life never be the same, I will see Matt less and less for the next few months. Most of the time, when he comes home, I'll need to be sleeping and getting ready for my 2 and 5 am shifts! Ugh.. it's going to be a rough few months. Matt and I have discussed how we're going to try not to be robotic about taking care of them and try to enjoy our time with them. We know this is just a phase and it will get easier... their only this age once.
Two of the girls: Izzy and Ally look a lot alike... we keep talking about painting a toe nail to make sure we don't mistake them, but we think we can tell them apart. I really do think I can, but that's not something you'd want to mess up! Abby has lots of dark hair and has different facial features, so she's not a problem! I've posted some close-up shots and bumble bee pics we took this afternoon. All babies seem to have excellent temperments and are sticking to their schedule really well. They wake up to eat, get their diaper changed and then go back to sleep until the next time. The only problem we're having is keeping them awake long enough to eat or spitting up.
Keep praying for us... we still need it!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Update from the hospital
Ally 5/24
Abby 5/24
Izzy 5/24
The babies are still in the EOPC at St. Francis, but are doing well. They were all treated for Jaudice the past few days, and are finally off the lights and back to being content and snuggly wrapped in their blankets. Izzy and Abby are still on the verge of coming home... eating well, maintaining their temps, etc. They just need to pass the car seat tests, where they put the babies in their car seat for 90 minutes and make sure they can handle it alright. Abby didn't pass the first time, but they're trying it again tonight. I've heard talk about Izzy and Abby coming home as soon as tomorrow!
Ally is doing well too... She is almost completely off the little nasal oxygen and on room air only. She is about to get off her IV and her little feeding tube is out. She is eating less than the other girls, but eating a good amount considering the things she's been thru. I don't know when she will be able to come home, but it's looking like it will be a few days after her sisters.
They're all such good little babies... I rarely hear them fuss... the biggest issue I think I'm going to have at first is getting them to wake up long enough to eat! Of course, it is their first week of life, which can be a little tiring!
I am lucky enough to still be in the hospital too! I was supposed to get discharged on Saturday, but it's looking like it might be more like Monday. My Blood pressure is up and my feet are so swollen they look like they've had a very bad break. They are blown up like balloons! They've started me on a new IV (haven't had one since the day after surgery) and they're giving me a diuretic and some protein of some kind to get rid of the water and swelling. I pray it will work because this is getting ridiculous! They say it's normal after a c-section, but I had so much fluid in my body (extra because of triplets), it didn't know where to go after no longer being pregnant. I think this will work because I've already peed off 4 pounds in 2 hours! Seriously, I'm measuring it! I really do want to stay in the hospital as long as the girls are still here... so I'm happy to have these minor complications. Shhh... don't tell the Insurance company!
I would like it if, before they discharge the babies, they let me, Matt and the girls stay in a room called the pre-discharge room where I can stay in there and take care of the girls on my own (with a little help from a nurse). This would really help with our confidence before bringing home our preemie babies.
Matt is doing well through all of this. He has stayed with me the ENTIRE time and hasn't been home once, even though he is completely out of clothes! He went and bought some new shorts and shirt the other day, but is now wearing day-old clothes. As a matter of fact, he ran out of underwear and is now wearing my hospital issued, generic, mesh underwear! Better that than nothing, right?! He was going to go home tonight, but says he doesn't like leaving his whole family here while he goes home! Really though, this whole experience has brought us so much closer. I didn't realize we could be, but I've seen a whole new side of him and I think he has in me too. I couldn't be a more blessed woman.
Since the babies are preemies, we really can't have a lot of visitors in the near future. We're very glad so many people want to see them and get to know them, but they're going to have to put on some weight and get a little older before most of you meet them in person. I'll try to make sure I add pics/updates to the blog often to keep my friends/family informed and in the loop!
Love you guys... keep praying for us!
Abby 5/24
Izzy 5/24
The babies are still in the EOPC at St. Francis, but are doing well. They were all treated for Jaudice the past few days, and are finally off the lights and back to being content and snuggly wrapped in their blankets. Izzy and Abby are still on the verge of coming home... eating well, maintaining their temps, etc. They just need to pass the car seat tests, where they put the babies in their car seat for 90 minutes and make sure they can handle it alright. Abby didn't pass the first time, but they're trying it again tonight. I've heard talk about Izzy and Abby coming home as soon as tomorrow!
Ally is doing well too... She is almost completely off the little nasal oxygen and on room air only. She is about to get off her IV and her little feeding tube is out. She is eating less than the other girls, but eating a good amount considering the things she's been thru. I don't know when she will be able to come home, but it's looking like it will be a few days after her sisters.
They're all such good little babies... I rarely hear them fuss... the biggest issue I think I'm going to have at first is getting them to wake up long enough to eat! Of course, it is their first week of life, which can be a little tiring!
I am lucky enough to still be in the hospital too! I was supposed to get discharged on Saturday, but it's looking like it might be more like Monday. My Blood pressure is up and my feet are so swollen they look like they've had a very bad break. They are blown up like balloons! They've started me on a new IV (haven't had one since the day after surgery) and they're giving me a diuretic and some protein of some kind to get rid of the water and swelling. I pray it will work because this is getting ridiculous! They say it's normal after a c-section, but I had so much fluid in my body (extra because of triplets), it didn't know where to go after no longer being pregnant. I think this will work because I've already peed off 4 pounds in 2 hours! Seriously, I'm measuring it! I really do want to stay in the hospital as long as the girls are still here... so I'm happy to have these minor complications. Shhh... don't tell the Insurance company!
I would like it if, before they discharge the babies, they let me, Matt and the girls stay in a room called the pre-discharge room where I can stay in there and take care of the girls on my own (with a little help from a nurse). This would really help with our confidence before bringing home our preemie babies.
Matt is doing well through all of this. He has stayed with me the ENTIRE time and hasn't been home once, even though he is completely out of clothes! He went and bought some new shorts and shirt the other day, but is now wearing day-old clothes. As a matter of fact, he ran out of underwear and is now wearing my hospital issued, generic, mesh underwear! Better that than nothing, right?! He was going to go home tonight, but says he doesn't like leaving his whole family here while he goes home! Really though, this whole experience has brought us so much closer. I didn't realize we could be, but I've seen a whole new side of him and I think he has in me too. I couldn't be a more blessed woman.
Since the babies are preemies, we really can't have a lot of visitors in the near future. We're very glad so many people want to see them and get to know them, but they're going to have to put on some weight and get a little older before most of you meet them in person. I'll try to make sure I add pics/updates to the blog often to keep my friends/family informed and in the loop!
Love you guys... keep praying for us!
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