What else could it be but the moms of multiples Christmas party? The girls are our ticket in but yet they don't seem so happy to be there :) At least not Rachel - who screamed the whole time!
It was at the House of Bounce and the kids had a great time bouncing and then we had a visit from "Santa" who happened to have a book for everyone. Hmmmm, wonder how that happened...
So, for a glimpse of the day:
The older two on "Santa's" lap - this is as good as it gets - we don't do mall Santas. And the triplets on his lap - yea, no way - we were miserable enough as it was.
Julianna's having a good time:
Rachel proving me wrong - she did smile at least once:
Alyssa's hitting the coffee pretty hard:
Another set of triplets (the one that doesn't look like the others is their older sister - okay, mom Jennifer is there too):
And enjoying their new books:
I use the word enjoy loosely:
Merry Christmas from the Nelson family and please remember that Jesus is the true reason for the season! God bless.
My last few weeks have been dealing with allergies. Not that we have any just that someone might. It's been a HUGE pain in the neck.
First, it's been me - I've been struggling with hives and no one knows why. I'm not allergic to anything, I've even been tested by the doctor but yet my body doesn't seem to know that!!
Then it was Rachel at the birthday party. She had a small reaction on her face from the cake (we think). We put a little Benadryl cream on it and it seemed to go away. We mentioned it to the doctor and it was off for a blood draw. The test results were normal and Rachel is fine.
Then it was Julianna who had a reaction in her, um, diaper area. We think it might have been juice so we stopped her juice and treated her and it seemed to go away. Now we are in the process of slowly introducing other juice to see if she gets another reaction. The last one was sooo bad - her screaming and fighting would break your heart (and as most of you know I'm not the most emotional person but this was just really hard) - I don't want a repeat of that.
Lastly it is Alyssa. She currently has a rash all over her body. Just kind of appeared out of nowhere. We have no idea why. I took her to the doctor today and it's not contagious and is probably not a food allergy but may be a reaction to her follow-up flu shot on Friday (the rash started about 24 hours after) or the end of a virus. She doesn't seem to be at all bothered by it and has no other symptoms (fever or anything) but yet she's completely covered with all these little red bumps.
So, our allergy saga seems ridiculous. My mother has lots of allergies and so far none of us do but this lack of allergies hasn't seemed to stop our drama! Welcome to the Nelson family where life is never simple or boring!
After a few weeks of taking steps I have finally been able get some video of the girls walking. Rachel is now doing the best and walking the most but no one is only walking. And, man am I ready for that!!
This is Rachel walking but be sure to watch the whole thing to catch Julianna's adorable smile!
Julianna's new favorite toy - the one thing that gets her off my legs and out of my arms! That and the videos :)
So, after watching her stand there for what felt like forever, she finally takes a step.
And with the final few seconds I had left on my camera's memory card I captured Alyssa taking some independent steps. Of course, I took all these yesterday and today the girls were walking everywhere. Go figure.
Most of my days are spent peeling the girls off of me. When one gets upset whoever is closer clings to me so I don't pick up whoever is crying. Julianna is the most famous for this. Every morning the girls are awake and playing in their cribs before it's time to get them up to take the older two to school. This makes them quite cranky come 10:30 when it's naptime. Usually I just spend the last thirty minutes or so wanting to rip my hair out as I attempt to juggle all three girls and make them remotely happy.
Over Thanksgiving my parents were here and my dad suggested putting on some baby videos that we have had since Caleb was little. He loved them too but he's now too old and the girls have shown no interest in TV. We decided to pull them out and put them on. The girls have been mesmerized ever since. So, every morning before nap when we are all losing it I turn a DVD on and all six eyes are glued for a good twenty minutes! Sooooo nice...
I've been thinking about this for a while and I have come up with a list of things I would like for Christmas.
They include:
1. One day where no one screams. A day where I can wake up in the morning and not have to listen to three babies howling at me from every direction. This has never happened.
2. One day where all 5 kids eat. I mean, eat everything without prodding or complaining (the older 2). As for the triplets I'd settle for eating what's on their tray rather then what's on mommy's plate.
3. One day to have my house organized and stay that way. Instead of cleaning up and then turning around just to see the same mess all over again - I'd like it to remain clean.
4. One day where things work in my favor. At least the little things. Rachel and Alyssa suffer from a common childhood disorder: C.I.F. Never heard of it? It's called Camera Induced Falling. This is a condition where as soon as you get your camera out to film them doing something cute - right now it's them walking. As soon as I turn on the camera they fall down - every time. I swear they are walking but I have yet to get proof!!
5. One day with no fighting. Not over the toy phone or the straws or the cups and especially not over me (which is the most common among the girls). Julianna suffers from a much rarer condition: C.I.C. aka Crying Induced Cuddling. Basically this occurs when I am holding her and one of the other girls begins to cry. She realizes that this is her cue to cling tighter because she knows I'm going to put her down to pick someone else up. She's a smart cookie!
6. And lastly I want one day to enjoy my family. To celebrate Jesus' birthday together as we open up much desired gifts (on my kid's part) and get a chance to spend time and play together. I love Christmas and I love all that it means. May all of you enjoy a wonderful Christmas season with your family!
On a different note - one thing that did go right tonight - I got a picture of the girls on their new ride-on cars that were sent for their birthdays from Uncle Steve and Aunt Lori (Kirk's brother and sister-in-law) - thanks so much - they really love them!!
Wondering what Alyssa's holding? It's a phone. Yep, already a woman driver!! Of course, by the time she's actually old enough to drive this will certainly be outlawed. Aaah, the good old days...
Enough of this picture taking - Julianna is out of here! (Which reminds me - Julianna took about four steps on her own yesterday - this was her first attempt at walking).
One of the most asked questions I get when I'm out is basically what are they? I get a lot of guesses regardless of what the girls wear. If they even wear a bit of blue they are assumed to be all boys, two boys, at least one boy. Well, today I had the best experience. I ordered bows that actually stay in the girl's hair from Hair Clippy No Slippy. These are special bows that are guarenteed to stay in even the smallest amount of hair and for Rachel I have found no other bow that actually works.
So, today the girls went out in all blue with white bows in their hair and NO ONE thought they were boys. It was wonderful :) Our story is also going to be featured in the Hair Clippy No Slippy's website/catalogue in the future so I worked hard today to take some pictures and thanks to their new favorite DVD (God Made Animals) we were able to get them all to sit still long enough to take some photos. Enjoy the results - I think the girls look great :)
P.S. Alyssa and Rachel are walking quite a bit so my goal this weekend is to get it on video to put on the blog. Plus, I will keep you updated as to when the girl's pictures go public.
So, life is funny. Just when I think I have everything figured out it changes. Whenever we go places people like to peg the girls one way or another: the quiet one, the friendly one, the contemplative one, etc. I don't mind because sometimes they're right. Truth is I try to do the same thing but in one day everything changes.
Since turning one I have taken the girls from four bottles a day to two - one in the morning on the way to school and one in the evening before bed. The other meals they get milk in a sippy cup which they are not very fond of. Those of you who have been keeping up with us for a while know that Rachel was once very hard to feed. I had to fight her to take a bottle while Julianna was always easy and pleasant. Draining every drop and often her sisters.
Now they have reversed roles. Rachel really likes food and it's very cute to see her clean her tray. The girls can pack it in. Today, she stuffed everything in her cheeks and her little cheeks were bulging out and she was still trying to put more in because one of her hands was empty! This is Rachel??
On the other hand Julianna is refusing food. Hates it - doesn't want anything to do with it except to throw it - she does like to do that. She wants her bottle back and is pretty angry about not having it. Mean mommy that I am, I'm not giving in. Hey, those bottles take a long time to clean with all their parts! She does, however, like juice. A lot. I think it's all she had for dinner tonight.
And the once easy Julianna has turned into a bear. She gets fussy at the dinner table and fussy in the van. I don't know if it's because she's hungry or if she hates facing forward. Hard to tell.
The truth is we can make lots of guesses about who they are and who they will become but someday they will be different people that may or may not reflect their personality traits at this age. It's fun to try though.
On a different note Alyssa has more than surpassed Rachel, she's left her in the dust. The last one to roll over or crawl is the first one to walk. I mean really walk. Rachel was the first to take more than one step in a row but Alyssa is moving across the floor. She's getting faster and taking more steps at a time. When I think about it I'm not surprised that Julianna is last (although I know this was my first prediction because she did everything else first) - she can crawl at the speed of light. She is fast on her knees!!
Due to requests I am posting a link to the Power Point presentation that Kirk put together for the girls. It's too big to put on the blog directly. Also, it may take a while to load and there's no music. So just imagine Edwin McCain singing I Could Not Ask For More and Green Day singing Time of Your Life (aka Good Riddance) and you'll get the emotional drift.
We were having fun taking videos of the girls today and as it turns out each girl has their own seperate means of transportation. Some go farther than others and some go in circles. Enjoy!
Julianna has chosen to go by horse. A little old fashioned but she seems to really enjoy it. In fact, she will throw a fit if she is removed from said horse and will get angry at any sister who decides to try and ride it. A big thank you to Miss Leah for giving the girls this horse for their birthday. Julianna especially loves it. (sorry it's a little dark)
Okay, this is just the funniest thing: Rachel driving a car. I tried to get a good shot of it but of course whenever I taped she would stop and start, stop and start. This is Rachel driving Caleb's battery operated car. It is absolutely hilarious to watch the tiniest little thing you've ever seen driving a 4 wheeler! Okay, Kirk doesn't think it's that funny but it made me laugh. Even funnier when she'd hit a wall and since she has no idea how to turn she'd just keep hitting the button to go. Then she'd get off like a pro. Again, this video is a bit dark too. And a big thank you to Kaitlyn and Grandpa for some turning help.
And lastly, Alyssa chooses to walk. Well, almost. She really is doing very well with the walking - has surpassed Rachel in her skill. While Rachel's steps were not a fluke - she can do it when she wants but rarely wants, Alyssa is taking strides across the floor. I tried really hard to get video of it today but as you can see she just didn't want to cooperate so I promise to keep trying. Even so it's very cute.
And just where were the girls going in such a hurry? To the pool table of course! What more fun then rolling balls on a table? And, note that today was pajama day for all the kids. Just ended up that no one got dressed. The girls are wearing their Christmas pajamas to celebrate the first day of the Christmas season.
I apologize for not writing yesterday to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving but it got busy around here and Kirk and I actually got to go out last night.
So, from our family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving. We had the pleasure of having my parents company for Thanksgiving and are so grateful that they got to spend a week with us. They leave tomorrow morning and we will miss them again. Distance is hard.
For once, we got to use our dining room and put the girls in their toddler chairs (held in by a belt) so they could join us. None of them really ate much. We are working on that. In fact, they had only 2 bottles today. This is HUGE for us.
On another note, the girls have been home for one official year. A year ago today (was Thanksgiving last year) we had our first night with the babies. Sleeping with two small babies on my chest is not something I could ever forget. That and getting absolutely zero sleep. Those girls made so many peeps all night! Now they do much better and their occasional peeps are much louder...
Sorry for the delay but I didn't get many pictures on my camera. Fortunately my dad thought ahead and took enough for me to be able to share the day with everyone.
I think the day went well and we had a good time so many family and friends. Thank you to all who came out and helped. One year down, seventeen to go.
My mom and I took the girls to the doctor for their 1 year check-up today and everything looks really good. They are growing well and are perfectly normal developmentally. This is good news. The hard part for me will be weaning them off the bottle and getting them to eat more food! I am stressing over this.
Anyway, their weight/height breakdown:
Julianna: Weight: 22.3 lbs 70th percentile Height: 30 7/8 inches 95th percentile She can now face forward!
Rachel: Weight: 18.11 lbs 12th percentile Height: 28 3/4 inches 40th percentile She must still face backwards :( Poor Rachel.
Alyssa: Weight: 20.1 lbs 35th percentile Height: 30 inches 77th percentile She just barely made the cut.
Other stuff: Rachel had a minor allergic reaction on Saturday to the cake in her face so she is being sent to the lab to have some blood drawn to see if she is allergic to any foods. With a strong family history of allergies (my mom) it's best to see if she actually does have allergies. I'm praying not but she could be allergic to eggs. Great.
We now have new car seat arrangements in the van and we'll see how that goes. Kirk installed two forward facing seats so Julianna and Alyssa have brand new car seats thanks to his office's shower gift from last year. Rachel, however, is still stuck in her old seat facing backwards. She and Julianna are in the middle still but we have moved Kaitlyn up a row and Alyssa back. At least for now we can fit all five kids in the minivan. I guess this is a good thing but I don't know what we're going to do about vacations!
Oh my word, oh my word! We have survived one entire year of having triplets. It just doesn't seem possible that we have had one Christmas, one New Years, one 4th of July, one Kaitlyn birthday, one Caleb birthday all with the girls. Hasn't it been longer then that? Ha! Okay, it feels like it.
So, in honor of their birthday here's a comparison:
On 11/16/06:
12:00 AM - finished my last meal - no more eating for hours
On 11/16/07:
12:00 AM - just getting into bed after talking to my parents who did make it in safely though a bit delayed.
On 11/16/06:
7:00 AM - tons of nurses in my room, lots of discussion about an IV, more nurses promising me I could rest but here they were bugging me again. Oh, and I was on the contraction monitor and consistently contracting.
On 11/16/07:
7:00 AM - not up yet - I get up at 7:30 to get Kaitlyn and Caleb ready for school - they made it on time again today - go me!
2006
10:00 AM - still waiting, still no IV - no one could figure out if I needed a huge needle or a small needle. The big needle meant I wanted some anesthesia which meant the nurse couldn't do it and we had to wait for an anesthesiologist to numb the area first. Also, being bugged by people drawing blood over and over because they forgot a test. And the girl drawing the blood just wouldn't leave because oh my word! I was having triplets.
2007
10:00 AM - giving the triplets a few birthday presents. Don't they just love it?
2006
11:00 AM - having lots of contractions - the monitor is constantly spiking and I'm beginning to feel them. Go figure I'd have consistent contractions for the first time the day of my scheduled C-section. I was checked - no dilation :( I am also starving and very thirsty. Let me tell you - I slowly drank that water to take my Synthroid - it was all I got.
2007
11:00 AM - eating a very good Thanksgiving meal at Kaitlyn and Caleb's school. Lots of turkey, mashed potatoes and cranberries. Lots of dessert and drinks too. Definitely not hungry or thirsty :)
2006
12:00 PM - by this point I had been wheeled out of my room and placed into a prep area before my C-section. Still on the contraction monitor and still contracting. My scheduled time was noon but kept getting put off due to emergency C-sections. Finally got my IV and ended up being the small needle so felt stupid getting anesthesia. Wanted to jump the girl two curtains down from me when her husband came to complain to the doctors that his wife was waiting to give birth. I was about to give birth to triplets and had been in that stupid hospital for 6 weeks - I was going first!! Also got asked a few times by the doctor if extra people could sit in to watch a multiples delivery.
2007
12:00 PM - heading home for the week after our meal to put the girls down for a nap and take a small "break".
2006
2:00 PM - in the surgical suite and feeling fine with my spinal since I can't feel anything from my chest down. Thankfully I couldn't see my huge stomach out there for everyone to see!
2:12 PM - Julianna Mabel is born 2:13 PM - Rachel Gabrielle is born 2:16 PM - Alyssa Elaine is born
2007
2:00 PM - running errands with my dad for tomorrow's birthday party while the girls napped.
2006
4:00 PM - babies beat me to the recovery area but I soon follow and am out of it completely. Food is far from my mind! I do remember being wheeled down the hallways with all three babies across my chest. This was my first taste of being stared at by other people as we certainly drew a crowd with that scene.
2007
4:00 PM - getting the babies up from nap to eat their bottles - this is pretty much their last day on formula - thank God! - now we have to work on getting them to eat more "people" food :) Might be cheaper but those bottles are sooo convenient.
2006
6:00 PM - I don't remember as much of the evening as I should - I was in a lot of pain - I know that Kirk let everyone know about the babies and that they were doing fine and eating well.
2007
6:00 PM - Grandpa and Grandma gave the girls their gifts - they also opened gifts from their uncles and soon-to-be aunt. They liked the riding zebra but Alyssa liked it the best :)
2006
8:00 PM - I'm exhausted, they've already brought the babies in a few times but there's no way I can nurse them so we're feeding them bottles. Still in my bed and very swollen. Quite out of it and just so tired. Slowly beginning to drink liquid.
2007
8:00 PM - Singing Happy Birthday to the girls. They had a small cake since the big party is actually tomorrow but they seemed to really enjoy it!
Before Cake:
After Cake:
We survived a whole year with 5 kids! Now we have to get through their party tomorrow! And another year after that...
Today is the girls last day before they're one. I can't help but think about where I was last year. Spending my last day pregnant in the hospital. The thought of having them out was both exciting and terrifying. My mom was in the air heading back from Florida after my grandmother's funeral. Strangely she'll be in the air tonight flying to see us once again so she can be here for the girl's first birthday tomorrow.
As I look back over the past year I can't believe how far we've come. I also can't believe how cranky these girls still are! I spend a lot of my day running away from them as they crawl after me crying. Even Julianna is very attached - mostly to my jewelry though - she'd like to rip that off my neck :) She's also become very attached to a stuffed tiger - I'll try to get a picture of that soon.
No one is truly walking yet. They all will take a step or two but only if they're not paying attention. I'm hoping someone will take more steps next week when Grandma and Grandpa are here. Knowing then they'll all start walking right after they leave.
And that's where we are today, this birthday eve. I am as anxious and excited as I was a year ago as I think of a new year ahead. At least this year I don't have a doctor asking me to wait another week :) And I'm physically much more comfortable which I am certainly happy about.
When I post again the girls will be one. I promise to take lots of pictures tomorrow to document their big day and then again on Saturday when we celebrate the first year with family and friends. A big thanks to everyone who has helped to get us this far. We couldn't have made it without your prayers and support!
Today was Caleb's 4th Birthday and I can't even believe a year has passed since we spent his birthday in my hospital room watching the new Cars DVD. I ordered him balloons from the guest shop and we crammed ourselves on that hospital bed and chair. Not an ideal situation.
But this year I was here. Home with my son in the morning while he opened his gifts from mom and dad. And at his birthday party in the evening. This year I was not missing a thing!
Kirk says twenty years from now Caleb will look back and think he had an awful childhood because he's never smiling in pictures but I do think he had a wonderful day. I think we got a few smiles in there.
The first few pictures are from his birthday at home. He got some new toys and a desk for his room. The rest of the pictures are from The Bear Mill and Pickle Bob's. It was a great place for a party and all the kids seemed to enjoy it :)
Happy 4th Birthday Caleb. Mommy and Daddy love you so much!
So, finally, in the middle of the night just about I have the pictures from our photo shoot from last week. Since it's so late I have no time to do a slide show or anything fun so enjoy them as you scroll down :) Sorry!
And the family picture will be our Christmas card so everyone will get a copy.
No, the color isn't off - it's a special shading - sepia I think. And sorry about Rachel, she just wouldn't smile.
