Reflections on my 31st Birthday

First things first, pictures of the kiddos. Because really aren't they more interesting?

Grant & Ella

The kids with their "friend" Ethan, Abi's new brother.

Grant

Ella smiling!

Evie making silly faces. I don't know where she learned it though. Just out of the blue...must've been a classmate at preschool!

Don't mess with me brothers!!! I may be a girl but I'm one tough cookie!

Chubba Bubba

Grant

Henry

Henry & Grant
Ella

I seriously cannot believe that another year has passed. Turning 30 didn't seem like a big deal. But for some reason I've been thinking how crazy it is that I've been on this planet 31 years. That really is a huge chunk of time. Now don't confuse that statement with me saying that I feel old...I don't. At least not on a daily basis. When I think back to this day a year ago I can't believe all that has occurred. I am a mother of 4 under 3. I've been married for 5 years. I've been a doctor and chiropractor for over 6 years. I can't believe that this is my life! Every year since 2008 I've done a scrapbooking project called "a week in the life" which is a picture documentation of our life at the moment. It's fun to see what we are doing now and compare it to last year or the year before. Currently this is what my daily routine with 4 looks like:

5:30-6:45a first feeding of the day, triplets back to sleep til next feeding
7-8a Evie up, mom shower and pump, Shawn off to work MWF
8-9 breakfast for mom and Evie, cup of coffee, empty and load dishwasher, clean kitchen
8:30a Evie and dad leave for preschool T/Th
9-10 feed babies (typically each feeding takes 1 1/2 hours)
10-11:30 clean up, give bathes (Evie M/F, triplets W/Su)
11a on T/Th drive to town to pick Evie up from preschool
12 lunch for Evie, begin babies 3rd feeding (diaper changes before all feedings)
1:30pish afternoon nap for triplets and Evie
1:30ish mom cleans more, pumps, relaxes etc
3ish feed triplets
4:30ish pump, start dinner
5:30-6:30 dinner, Shawn home, feed triplets
6:30-8:30 triplets witching hour, clean up from dinner and Evie toys, Shawn prepare for night feedings and work tomorrow
8:30 Evie to bed, begin triplets last feeding
9:30-11 everyone asleep
2-3a feeding (this can vary)

The first feeding of the day dictates the rest of our schedule. The triplets eat every 3 hours. Typically the first feeding occurs at 6 or 6:30a. I am hoping to move to a 4 hour feeding schedule at some point. Also missing from this routine is activities with Evie, exercise etc. This is unacceptable and I'm working to change that. Love that I have triplets, hate that I feel like nothing ever gets done or accomplished. What gets me through is the following: this too shall pass. How quickly infancy and toddler-hood passed with Evie. Now she is a preschooler. These 3 will soon be too and I will have regretted wishing for this period to be done just so things could be a might "easier." Really though does parenthood get easier?? Or does one difficulty make way into another. For instance, Evie was a TERRIBLE sleeper but so happy that we'd get comments about how happy she was. Now she is a great sleeper but the tantrums happen frequently. Soon we will finish with tantrums and lead into a new pattern of parenting discipline. I am hoping that I am living as much in the present as possible. Learning from if not enjoying those difficult moments for what they are and loving everything in between.

For my birthday I was blessed to receive a "nook" from Shawn and Evie. What is a nook? It is an electronic book reading device. I am currently reading Pride & Prejudice which only cost 95 cents. Crazy the changes that have occurred in the last 31 years. What is to happen in society in the next 31?? I guess I will have to wait and see. It seems like technology, however, is changing faster then I can comprehend or appreciate. For instance, I have no interest in viewing every movie and certainly every television show in 3-D, yet that is one of the commonly heard items during advertisements of the latest release. 5 years from now I will be outdated as everyone else owns a 3-D television and we just bought our first flat-screen. We also don't own a blue-ray (gasp!).

I am very happy to have done SOME scrapbooking. Here is the pages I've gotten done. The first are of my pregnancy. Click on the picture to view larger to read the journaling. The last is of Evie and her best friend Abi. I just love this picture of them. Evie was almost 2 and Abi 18 mo. We are going to attempt our first walk to the park in this crazy-for-October warm weather. Evie and Abi of course will love it. The triplets will most likely be oblivious.

Family & Triplets @ 2 months

Here is some updated pictures including Evie's three year old pictures. They were taken by our good friend Suszi Grudem. I have to say that my Evie is just gorgeous. How did we get such a looker?? And the triplets...A-DORABLE! I am so amazed that I get to wake up to these beautiful children everyday. I am THEIR mom! Thank you God for your most perfect and precious gifts!! May we honor you as we raise them to love and know you!


Ella now weighs 7#14. She is 1oz heavier then her cousin Xander was at birth! She has grown to a length of 19.25in. She is our happy camper...unless she needs her pacifier. Though the picture doesn't show this, she tends to always look happy. Like she is just thrilled with being here and seeing you. She started smiling and cooing last week. She has adorable chubby thighs and belly but still seems like a delicate little girl, even more so then Evie did. She shares some of her daddy's looks but has inherited my lips and shoulder dimples. She LOVES her pacifier but cannot keep it in her mouth, much to this mama's frustration. If she's crying it's usually for this reason. Daddy calls her Ella Bella and I call her Sweet Pea.

Henry weighed in at a whopping 9#12. 2# heavier then both of his siblings. In fact, he weighs at 2 months the same as his oldest sister weighed at 2 months and she was born at 8#3 and he at 5#2. Quite the gainer!!! He is the first (and only) to move out of newborn clothes and diapers. He is now 20.75 in. Henry is our laid back man! Usually cries because he is HUNGRY or tired!! He could care less about a pacifier, despite Evie jamming them in his mouth. He was the first of the 3 to smile and is much more "talkative." We had a bit of a medical "scare" when I found a hernia in his scrotal sac. After a long drive to the U of M to meet with a pediatric surgeon and an appointment that lasted all of 5 minutes, we were were relieved to learn it was just a hydrocele. This is a fluid filled sac that initially starts out like a hernia. The good news-no surgery. It should resolve by 1 year. My favorite moment with him was on our drive home from that appointment when I looked at him and said, "Hi, I'm your mommy!" He gave me the BIGGEST smile ever and since. Yep, definitely wrapped around his finger. His nickname is currently Chubba Bubba.

Grant weighs in at 7#9. Still our peanut but definitely gaining on his sister. He was in the the 1 percentile for everything but his head. He sure has a big noggin. His daddy calls him the Brain. Unlike his brother, Grant is more petite. Even weighing close to Ella's weight, his legs are long and skinny. He may take after my side as Evie does for growth, while Henry takes after Shawn. He is 20in long. Grant has been our more temperamental baby, but we're starting to figure him out. First, he is intolerant to dairy. I am pretty good at staying away from this so the milk he's received from me has been good. However, we had to switch him to soy formula. That has helped A LOT. Second, he is a stomach sleeper. So all naps are done this way. We also start him that way at night before swaddling him and laying him on his back. Like Ella he too loves a pacifier. He is a little better keeping it in his mouth. The biggest thing to know about him is that he is impatient and will quickly fly into a rage if you have not met his need in a timely fashion. He is smiling and talking and unlike his siblings loves to listen to his musical pull toy during diaper changes. His nickname is little man and peanut.

Evie at 3 years

This big girl is as intense as a 3 year old as she was as a newborn. She can be over the moon happy one second and then two minutes later screaming mad.

This big girl loves, loves, loves babies. Bathing babies, changing babies diapers, changing babies clothes, rocking babies, feeding babies. She spends 95% percent of play with her babies. She loves for them to go "nigh-nigh" and even if she hasn't touched the baby in 4 hours she is still playing with it...so DO NOT move it an inch. Babies include her new toy cow figures, barbie and ken, stuffed animals, ANYTHING that she can hold. For the other 5% of play she loves coloring (especially with markers), dressing up, having a "tea party," play-dough, reading/being read to, loading/carrying purses or "back-packs." This big girl loves to talk on the phone. Real or otherwise. She carries one or two in every purse and backpack.

This big girl loves being a big sister. She hasn't shown one minute of jealousy. She loves to hug them, hold them, kiss them and help care for them. She is an awesome big sister. She loves them so much it's hard to stop her from helping them. She loves to give them a pacifier when they are "crying" which is crying nobody can hear but her (i.e. they are happy or asleep). She loves to help with their baths. She is an extra hand that mama appreciates especially when mama's hands are full and someone needs a pacifier or to be bounced. She is ready with kisses 50 times a day for "I-ya, Enry, and Nant" and loves to hold their hands.

This big girl started preschool. The young 3's class at 5 C's. She is still a little shy but really enjoys it. Already we are seeing her mature and blossom including with her art work and independent play.

This big girls best friend is Abi. She asks constantly for her but when mama tells her that she will have to share her toys she frequently tells me "Abi go home!" This big girl does not like to share. Their favorite activity is making a big mess of her toys. at least that is my interpretation.

This big girl loves the Bernstein Bear books, "Do-Do-Do-Dora", bath time, stealing her sibling's diapers, bibs, blankets, burp clothes, bouncers and swings for her baby's use. This big girl believes firmly that possession is 9/10 of the law and will fight to the death about it.

This big girl is very independent and wants to "do it myself." She is stubborn but is quickly learning that mama is more stubborn. This big girl is learning that mama means her warnings and that timeouts are no fun. This big girl is also very determined. We love to watch her perseverance.

This big girl has a big imagination, except when it comes to play food and dishes. We frequently remind her that she is a big girl and big girls DO NOT put things in their mouths including play food and that she has to pretend eat them. There is less room in our fridge currently as we had to make room for her play juice, onion, carrot, egg and random plates and bowls. This big girl is constantly making up songs. What are they about? We are still not so sure.

This big girls favorite things to say are: o-k mama?, I don't want to, why?, no, baby crying? pink, where is da-dee? and tickle-tickle. She talks constantly and has full sentences. Most of the time she is easy to understand, though she does not use all of her consonants.

This big girl loves to dance. Her dancing has evolved from bouncing up and down to adding sways, spins, and side to side hip moves. She loves Sugerland's song "Stuck Like Glue." She loves to run around singing to her made up "naked nance" song, which is done as you've guessed...naked. We are treated to the "naked nance" every evening as she gets ready for bed. If you were wondering at how the song goes it sounds like this, "naked nance, naked nance, naked nance." Occasionally we are treated to a "naked nance" from one of her babies.

This big girl loves "chocolate malk," candy, yogurt, pretzels, hotdogs, oatmeal, cereal bars, fruit snacks, carrots, grapes, and many other foods. She has a good appetite and we hope she takes after us in enjoying most foods but not in the over-consumption of said foods.

This big girl is constantly on the go. We find it hard to get her to sit and eat. She has a lot of beautiful energy.

This big girls nigh-nigh routine includes: potty, "naked nance," diaper undies, pajamas, brush teeth, kisses, "read da book," prayers and then lights out. She likes to have her sound machine running and night light on. This big girl is a champion sleeper and most nights sleeps uninterupted from 8:30pm to 7:30am. This big girl no longer needs diapers except at night and soon we will no longer need them. This is big for her mama and da-dee.

This big girl brings us so much joy! It's been an amazing and beautiful 3 years. We can't wait to see her continue to blossom, explore, learn and love. Year 4 should be a blast!

Happy Birthday, Evie!!

Happy Birthday to our sweet "baby" girl. Thank you for the joy, love and laughs you've brought into our lives. We are so proud of you! THANK YOU for making us mama and dadee! You are the first love of our lives!!!

You're Invited...

If you can make it please RSVP via this blog by Thursday!

One Month

It's true!! One month has already passed in the lives of these little gems. Maybe you can't believe it but we REALLY can't believe it! It was VERY busy: hospital stays, learning to eat, learning to maintain temps, getting loved on by a big sister, going home, lots of firsts, circumcisions for both boys, and all the other things that occur when you enter this big, loud and bright world.

Ella:

Ms. Bright Eyes as I like to call her. She continues to love to look around with her big beautiful eyes and has began shedding her first tears. She is starting to breastfeed like her champion brother, Henry. Ella likes to have more attention paid to her during the day but is our laid back easy sleeper at night. We greatly appreciate this!! Her weight check marked her at 5lbs, 11oz yesterday. She is now the runt of the litter, even if she the "big sister." I have a feeling that she will be as petite as Evie. She certainly is taking after her is most of the looks department especially with her hair color, head shape and coloring. She scares her auntie Keesha because she is a burrower when swaddled, meaning that her head disappears after a few minutes. Whatever helps her sleep longer I say.

Sleeping on anpa Jeff's lap.

August 10, 2010--Coming home!!

Just finished her bottle, it was delicious!

Henry:

He is still the "big man." He weighed in at a whopping 6lbs, 6oz yesterday. He is our "easygoing" child, fairly content during the day...as long as his tummy is full. Then you better watch out, his cry can hurt an eardrum! He loves to snuggle chest to chest especially after eating. He's gives the best hugs! Henry also takes after Evie in his looks and coloring. He likes to stick out his tongue, so much so that I've contemplated nicknaming him Kermit. He is still the champion breastfeeder though he also takes bottles with gusto.

Look at those cheeks...chubby by our standards.

August 7, 2010--Coming home!!
Finished eating, one of my favorite snuggling/hugging times.

Grant:

Grant as previously mentioned is no longer the "runt" of the litter weighing in at 5lbs, 12oz. He is definiately still my "little man." He loves to sleep chest to chest and in general loves to be held. So much so that if he isn't being held he can be a bit crabby. He is definitely our biggest eater, even more so then Henry. I have a feeling he will be catching up quick. His looks favor my dad's family down to his coloring and even his detached earlobes. He struggles a bit with breastfeeding but we will continue to work on it with him. Mostly this is because when he's hungry he wants his food immediately. And if he doesn't get it he gets really ticked off. Watch out! He is our silliest with the faces he makes but I don't think that he appreciates that we think he's silly when he's mad.

In one of his preemie outfits. Both Ella and Grant have now outgrown them!!!!

August 12, 2010--Coming home!!

Sweet sleeper!

What's up next?

This big girl turns a whopping 3. I can't believe my "baby" is getting so big. She's even taken to wearing "makeup." She does do apply it quite well, just like mama.Shortly after that she will be starting preschool with her, as promised, new backpack, which she picked out "all by myself."

We'd Like to Introduce...

Originally, these 3 angels were scheduled to be born on July 29th. However, they had other ideas. On the morning of July 23rd, during our routine biophysical US, the technician discovered that Baby boy C's (Grant) SD ratio was not only high but on many occasions the flow through his umbilical cord stopped entirely when his heart was at rest. We'd discussed with the OB that if this happened we would proceed with the c-section. So I was prepped for a 1pm c-section, Shawn and our families were notified, and the staff at the U of M prepared for the arrival of our triplets at 35 weeks gestation.

The first to arrive, butt first, was our precious second baby girl, Ella Rae. She was born at 1:33pm, weighed 4lbs, 2oz and was 17.5 inches long. She has dark hair and looks a lot like her big sister, Evelyn. One of the first things we noticed about her was her inquisitive eyes. No matter what you are doing she is always looking around with great curiosity. Her eye color, though lighter now, was more black then blue. She is a sweetheart. She had no breathing problems but like her brothers required assistance in maintaining her temperatures and developing the ability to eat (read she had a feeding tube and IV inserted). She required one day under the bili lights for jaundice. The funniest thing about her is that she gained a bit of a reputation for being a pooping machine. She makes us laugh as we change her diapers as it is a challenge for her to see how many diapers she can use up in one changing. Today she weighed 4lbs, 15.9oz.


Our "first" boy, Henry Carl, arrived second, legs first. He was born at 1:34pm, weighed 5lbs, 2oz and was 18.5 in long. He is the "big" man. He was my belly hog, the boob hog, and if all three are together he will even shove them aside to get comfortable. He also has dark hair, and his face is nice and chubby. He looks a little like Evelyn as well. He has been a little further ahead in his activities meaning he was the first to leave the hospital, the first to get breastfeeding, and the first to maintain his temperatures. He is our "quieter" baby and most of the time is easygoing. He makes lots of grunting noises and we look forward to those noises turning into words. He is NOT quiet, however, when he gets hungry. I love to cuddle him, especially after he nurses, because he wraps his arms around me and we spend precious minutes together. He weighed 5lbs, 15.8oz today.


Our "second" son, Grant James, was the last to arrive. He also was delivered feet first, and I'm told it was quite the sight to deliver him. He was the furthest up in the uterus and Shawn said that the delivering resident had to reach up to her elbows to get him. He is our "troublemaker" in terms of the pregnancy and the reason we delivered earlier then planned. He is, however, VERY worth it. He was born at 1:36pm, weighed 3lbs, 9oz and was 17 in long. He is my "little" man. He had the most difficulty at birth requiring a CPAP machine and nasal cannula to help with breathing. We were lucky that this was only for a few hours, but the CPAP caused a double pneumothorax (collapsed lungs) which resolved in a few days. Like Ella, he required one day of bili lights for jaundice. He has lighter hair then his siblings and is distinguished not only by his smallness but also because he looks like me more then Shawn and Evie. He is the face-maker in the family (Shawn call's him the "Jim Carey" of the family). He makes the most adorable faces including a perfect upside down frown when upset. He likes to be held often and is most often the reason we are losing sleep at night. He weighed 4lbs, 13oz today.


With Grant's release from the hospital on August 12th, they are all home. None of them have any existing health problems, which we are very thankful for. We are currently working to establish a "schedule," which right now means eating, changing and burping. I figure that it will take us a few weeks and then we will get "used" to this triplet thing. Evelyn, it seems, is having the hardest transition as we have about 15 meltdowns a day from telling her "no." Nights are not as bad as one imagines, unless Grant decides not to go back to sleep. We have it worked out to get up twice (once around 1:30 and again at 4:30) with about 2 hours in between. I'll be back "soon" to give you an idea of their first days and a typical day in the life of the A family.