More comments for you

1. "You have triplets??? I'm sorry..." - Don't be sorry, we are happy and blessed to have them.

2. "Three babies... I wouldn't want three...not all at once." - Guess that's why God gave me three at once instead of you.

3. "You are Christ blessed" - Wow! A nice comment, thanks!

4. This one is more of a story I will have to explain it so you can get the full effect of what was said. So, we were in Target again last weekend (yes, I live there). I was walking down a main aisle and I saw this woman look at me, then go back down the aisle she was on with her husband. I heard her say, "look" or "watch this" to her husband and when I passed by they were both looking at me. Keep in mind, I was pushing the double stroller and Craig was right behind me with another baby in the Bjorn. Then, I heard the woman say "wait for it..." then Craig passed by, which was what they were waiting for. Freak show I tell ya! Nothin' but a freak show!

5. "Do triplets run in your family?" Surprisingly... they do!

6. One Target clerk asked me a ton of questions. "How old are they?" "How much did they weigh at birth?" "How much do they weigh now?" "How many weeks did you carry them?" "How do you do it?" "Do you have help?" "How often do they eat?" "Do you get any sleep?" (This is a popular question)
7. "Twins!!" then, Craig or I walk around the corner... "Oh... Triplets!!!"
8. "I don't know how you are doing it!" "I've got identical 7 month old twins and it doesn't get any easier!"
9. "Three... how precious."
10. "You just had triplets??? You look good for having 5 month old triplets!" THANKS! I love that comment.

A new feeding and sleeping schedule

WE DID IT!!!! We are now feeding every 4 hours and sleeping 12 hours at night! We probably could have switched their 10 hour sleeping schedule to 12 hours a long time ago, but we didn't think they were quite ready to drop another feeding yet, so we waited. They did really well yesterday eating every 4 hours and taking in more at a time. That last nap was rough, with them waking up early and being fussy, but other than that, they did fine.

Hannah woke up before 8 this morning, but she was just as happy and content as she could be talking and squealing in her bed before breakfast. Whitney woke up about 30 minutes early fussing but was fine waiting until 8 to eat and Tyler just kept sleeping...we had to wake him up.

It was SO nice to be able to go to bed at a reasonable time last night! I am actually starting to feel normal again!

My little boy is growing up!

We have been working with the babies some with tummy time, head and neck control, rolling over, holding toys, sitting up etc. They have never been able to sit up unassisted but for a split second. Today, Tyler sat up repeatedly for several seconds at a time! I could NOT believe it! My little boy is growing up! Besides that, he has been discovering so many new things this week...even since my last blog update of their latest developments. He has been laughing a lot today, he also pulls up on his forearms all the time in his crib, he is discovering new sounds all the time and he just discovered his lips (he sucks on his top lip).

Well overdue for some updated pics

I posted an update earlier today so be sure and scroll down and read it if you haven't already seen it.


This was last Sunday - Father's Day when our AC went out. I stripped the kids down to their diapers. Hannah didn't seem to mind.
Tyler likes to use his nap time as tummy time these days... He is getting so curious. He will just wake up early from a nap, and start looking around and then go back to sleep a few minutes later.
Another one of Hannah's latest things is putting one hand on the back of her head while she sucks on her fingers or paci.
This is Jan...one of my sweet, giving helpers. I need to get pictures of my other helpers too!
I just found Hannah like this today. Somehow she turned over and managed to put this burp cloth on her head. Nice hat, Hannah!

Whitney just sleeping away in the boppy.
Bumbo time! We now have one for each of them so they can play together in them. Thanks Marcy! They are getting good at sitting up in them.
Whitney is saying, "Moooommmm....She's touching me..."
Tyler - justa swingin....
The "A" gang at the Father's Day celebration. That's a lot of people...

Isn't Lacy so cute?! She loves to find herself a little cubby hole to hang out in.
Awww... so cute. Lacy and Tyler playing. Funny story... Lacy actually does try to get the babies to play with her. She doesn't understand that they can't play with her yet. It seems like she does it the most when I take the babies outside. Like today, we went outside and Lacy brings her favorite toy to them and drops it in their bouncer.

Whitney is justa chillin'
Daddy and Tyler catching a nap...well, tyler is but Daddy is playing.
Mama and Hannah taking a nap...well Hannah is, Mama is just playing.
Hope you enjoy!

Baby updates and anniversary

This post has a couple of chapters...

The babies -

So much is happening with the babies, I thought I would go ahead and blog about it before I forget something that is happening. It seems like every day they are doing something new.

Tyler loves to dance and has discovered his tongue - he sticks his tongue out a lot when I dance with him. He is also starting to get very curious in his crib - he likes to look around and check out his surroundings. He is also starting to reach for and grab his toys. Just yesterday, he started talking more (baby talk, that is). I think he and Hannah were talking to each other in their language. He also likes to watch TV - it is usually on while we feed them. I bought them a Baby Einstein video the other day and they seemed to really enjoy it. Tyler still doesn't enjoy baths, but it is getting better. Tyler is really growing fast - his arms, legs, hands and feet are SO big. The last time I weighed him about a week ago, he weighed about 13 pounds.

Hannah absolutely LOVES to talk and play! She is so funny and happy. And what a busy girl and wiggle worm she is. We find her in the funniest positions/locations in her crib. Hannah is learning to make new sounds - just a couple of days ago, she started making bubbling sounds and is starting to blow bubbles. Hannah is the most interactive with toys. She loves to swat at them and grab them. She recently became mesmerized by the mirror. Reading to her/them is becoming more interesting to them. They actually pay me a little attention now and look at the pictures in the books when I show them.

Whitney is really starting to smile a lot more now. She doesn't make too many cooing sounds or talk much - she just gives this big open mouth, silent, gummy smile. Almost like laughing with no sound. SO cute! Whitney has also become very interested in what she sees in the mirror - herself. She is also becoming very interested in grabbing and reaching for toys. Whitney is doing much better with the carseat now. Our walks/trips/outings are much more bearable now. She actually seems to enjoy baths now. Whitney is such a light sleeper - she wakes up so easily. She and Tyler always wake each other up, but neither of them wake up Hannah - that girl sleeps very soundly.

They are still not super interested in eating - they would rather play. They are just not big eaters I guess. This drives us crazy sometimes, but it is so hard not to laugh and smile when they are smiling and laughing at us rather than eating.

Our Anniversary

Wednesday was mine and Craig's 3 year anniversary. In some ways it seems impossible that we have already been married 3 years; in other ways, it seems like we've been married longer. Craig took the day off from work and had a day filled with stuff for us to do, just me and him. We had several people lined up to help with feeding throughout the day. Thank you to my helpers for allowing us to get away for the day! We had a light lunch, went and got a massage, saw a movie and had dinner. We had a good time and the day went by so fast! I got Craig a roll away tool box that he had been wanting for a long time and he got me one of those digital picture frames. This was the perfect gift to display hundreds of pictures without printing pictures and putting them in albums. Thanks Honey!

A memorable Father's Day

Our weekend was filled with Father's Day celebrations this weekend. We celebrated Father's Day with Craig's family on Saturday at his parent's house. We had a nice lunch, a time of gifts and cards, delish dessert and fun. It was nice to visit over at their house again. Craig and I were talking about how we hadn't been over to their house in probably 8 months!

Sunday we went to church, went out to eat and came home to relieve Craig's parents from babysitting (they watch the babies for us every other Sunday so we can go to church). When we got home, we had lots to do -- groceries to be bought, lawn to be mowed, kids to be fed...the usual. Craig's parents offered to stay and help with the babies so we could get some of these things done more quickly. I went to the store while Craig mowed the yard.

In the midst of all this, our house kept getting hotter and hotter. We have been having trouble with the AC lately...well, last summer too. It just seems to be struggling more and more. So, Craig went outside to clean it out and take a look at it and see if he can get it to start cooling better. It was 80 degrees in the house and we were roasting. I stripped the babies down to their diaper - poor babies had been fussy part of the afternoon, probably because they were so hot. The AC is working better now. Don't know if it is from whatever he did, or if it is because it doesn't have to work so hard since we are through the hottest part of the day. Guess we'll see tomorrow... If it is, me, the kids and Lacy will be packing up and going somewhere for the day to escape the heat.

To top all that off, Craig is covered with chiggers. He got into some chiggers Friday at work and has been miserable all weekend. I am sure all the heat hasn't helped! Poor thing! If anybody knows of anything that stops the itching of chiggers, let me know. Craig says the anti itch creme for chiggers doesn't work.

While this may not have been the most relaxing Father's Day, it was definitely memorable and special in a different kind of way.

Goodbye 3 hour feedings and pacifiers

3 Hour Feedings

Our pediatrician suggested we try to see how the babies would eat if we fed them every 3 1/2 or 4 hours because they usually aren't very eager to eat at feeding time. They just want to play by turning their heads back and forth and turning away from the bottle. I didn't know if it would work at first because I figured they would wake up early, ready to eat. I knew they wouldn't be ready for a 4 hour stretch, so we decided to try going 3 1/2 hours. Surprisingly, it has worked really well. They are much more eager to eat and it isn't such a battle to feed them. Also, they surprised us by taking in more per feeding, which is a must if we are going to feed less often and drop a feeding. They are still taking in the same amount if not more (on some days) than when we were feeding them every 3 hours. It has been wonderful! It is amazing the difference just 30 minutes makes.

Pacifiers

I was reading in my "What To Expect The First Year" book the other day about how this is the best time to kick the pacifier habit before they get older because it is harder to kick when they are older. Also, we have been getting tired of them having to have their pacifiers to sleep. They don't ever have them when they are awake, just to sleep. They associate the crib with pacifiers. If they ever fall asleep on the floor or in a swing, they aren't dependent on them to sleep. I will say even though they slept with them, if they fell out of their mouths while sleeping, most of the time they wouldn't wake up. However, there are times they do and we were getting tired of them and us using the pacifiers as a crutch. That was something the book talked about - how easy it is for parents to use them as a crutch just as well as the babies. So, we decided to take the plunge and start trying to wean them off of them. I have to say, I am surprised by how well it has gone. Tyler and Hannah have done real well with it, but Whitney, not so much. I figured Tyler would be the most difficult. He actually does really well with it. I think a big part of it is because we have started leaving his arms unswaddled and since the paci isn't a factor anymore, we don't have to worry about him knocking it out of his mouth with his hand. Hannah does well most the time, but she has her moments. Now Whitney... that is another story. That girl is SO stubborn! She will cry and cry and cry for her paci, but other times, she does just fine and goes right to sleep without it. Sometimes we have to give in because she just won't settle down and go to sleep, but we don't give it to her on a regular basis anymore.

So, that is the latest with our household. Nothing majorly exciting like pictures, but its a pretty big deal to us. Until next time...

And let the comments begin!

We have started trying to make a conscious effort to get the kids out more. Being cooped up is about to drive me crazy. I am ready to be normal again! Even though I am pretty certain that will never happen. The kids desperately need to get more used to their carseats so we figured we would start taking them on short outings. They are getting better! This weekend we took them to Lowe's and Target and they did pretty good. Since we are getting out more the comments and stares are increasing, unfortunately! I feel like a movie star or something - people constantly staring at us. It is like we are a freak show! I tell ya...some of the comments are priceless. I thought I would share a few that I can remember - I will be sure and share more as they come!

1. "TRIPLETS???" (No...they are twins! Here's your sign)
2. "You got your hands full!"
3. One I got today at Target... "I just thought I had problems!" We have problems, but our babies are blessings, not problems.
4. Same woman as #3 said, "I'll pray for you."
5. "THREE BABIES???" (No, there are just two...you are seeing things)
6. Another mom said, "I just thought I had sleepless nights."
7. One of my favorites, "Are you done?" or "You are done, right?" (I think we'll have 10 more - but is it anyone's business)
8. "Hey so-and-so, come look at this...this is what you have to look forward to!"
9. "Are they natural!" (No, they are fake babies)
10. We do get some nice comments - "They're beautiful!" (Thanks!)
11. "Do you have anymore at home?"
12. I loved this one... "Were you trying for three?" (Yeah! We were trying for three... How do you do that?)

We also get the constant stares and people pointing. I understand the curiosity, but it sure does get old. I'll post more when I think of them or when I get them.

Will I ever get out of the house?

The babies hate, absolutely hate their carseats! Every time we go somewhere, they cry and fuss so much they don't get rest which makes for a really rough outing. They will almost never sleep in them. I don't know if they are just not used to them because it is so difficult to get out with triplets or if the carseats are uncomfortable. I don't think it is the latter. We don't want them to be eternally house bound and we want them to be able to sleep in different places (carseats, crib, floor) and different positions (sitting up, lying down, on tummy on back).

So, we've been trying to get them more used to their carseats by letting them nap in them occasionally at home and by taking them out more often. I really want to be able to get out more with them this summer and I don't want my getting out to wear them out and throw their day off so much they can't sleep because they are over-tired.

Today, I went to Babies R Us to pick up just a few things. Normally I go out by myself because it is easier, but today I wanted to take them with me so off we went. The trip to Babies R Us is about a 30 minute drive...perfect for sleeping, but no sleeping took place. I was in the store about 30 minutes maybe, two of them cried most of the time. On the way home, another 30 minute drive....they didn't sleep a wink. Got home and it has been a nightmare ever since. They wouldn't eat because they were too tired; they wouldn't sleep because they were too tired. So, now they are so far off schedule it isn't even funny. They fussed and cried for hours! One short trip and they are thrown totally off.

Has anybody experienced this? Does anybody have any suggestions? I have the Baby Trend Flex Loc carseats...are these the most uncomfortable carseats on the planet?

Professional Photos

We finally got around to getting professional pictures of us and the babies... 4 months later! Let's just say I was correct in my thinking it would be a nightmare to do. This is why we take their monthly shots at home! My sister in law, Jill does photography, check out her blog and website. So, even though the babies were EXTREMELY fussy during the picture taking process, we had a good time being out with family. My brother kept singing this annoying song to me just to pester me. It goes "1,2,3,4,5...6,7,8,9,10...11,12" LOL! Does anybody recognize this song?

Anywho... here are some of my favorite pictures.

I am trying to decide which ones to buy. Help me decide by telling me which ones are your favorite out of each category. Family? Group? Individual? Mommy? Daddy?

Mommy pics...

Group pics...Individual - Whitney...Individual - Tyler...Individual - Hannah...Daddy pics...Family pics...

Four Month update

The triplets turned four months old May 31st; they will be 18 weeks old this week. They are doing pretty good except they have had a little head cold and congestion for about a week, but otherwise doing well. They are now sleeping through the night. We have dropped their 5/6am feeding and now sleep from 11pm - 8am. Boy will we be glad when they drop the 10:30pm feeding! They have all rolled over from front to back and are beginning to get the hang of it. They are starting to grab at toys more and enjoy holding on to them and playing with them more.

Tyler is such a big boy! He weighs 12 lbs. 1 oz. and is 23 3/4 in. long. He is in the 5th percentile for his weight and is in the 12th percentile for his length. Tyler is all smiles - most the time. He will give you the cutest crooked grin.
Sweet Hannah... She is such a happy baby. She talks (coos) so much - she will carry on a conversation with you. Hannah weighs 10 lbs. 9 oz. and is 23 1/2 in. long. She is in the 3rd percentile for her weight and the 22nd percentile for her length.
Whitney my little angel weighs 10 lbs. 4.4 oz. and is 23 3/4 in. long. She is in the 2nd percentile for her weight and the 30th percentile for her length. She is my serious child. She always wrinkles her brow and has this serious look on her face. When she smiles, it is a wide open-mouth smile. She almost looks like she is laughing but no sound comes out. So cute!

Girls day

Vicki, Jennifer, Amy (me), Amanda, Lisa and Tina

Saturday, I managed to get away with some girlfriends for a couple of hours. These girls had a get together recently and of course I couldn't go because of the fact that there aren't enough hours in the day for our household. Jennifer was nice enough to plan another outing, around my schedule, just for me! We had a great time and it was nice to have some girl time again. Thanks Jennifer for getting it all together for me! Maybe we can do it again some time.