Alyssa Likes It!

After a full month of attempting to get the girls to try solid food, Alyssa actually seemed to like lunch today but she absolutely does NOT like being strapped in a chair on the bench. I had to move her into her regular feeding chair which are these blue rockers from Fisher Price (they become toddler rockers for later on provided the girls don't ruin them with their...well...fluids). She actually opened her mouth and swallowed!! Made mommy's day :) Julianna and Rachel are still quite against it.

Speaking of Rachel, she is still against food of all kinds. Julianna will at least take a bottle and by that I mean sometimes as much as 10 ounces. Is a baby even supposed to eat that much at one sitting?? At the same time Julianna is doing this Rachel has probably completed 2 maybe 3 ounces (on a good day) and is refusing to eat more. Then comes the battle and if we're really, really, really having a good day we can get a full 7 ounces in but usually we give up around 5 and pray she doesn't wither and die.

We go to the doctor on Thursday and if he so much as mentions that baby's grow at different rates I will hand him Rachel and tell him I will be back to get her in a week and she'd better not be dead!! Sorry, one of the downfalls to having triplets is that doctor's think you are stupid when you bring up a concern about one baby because all they can say is that baby's are different and I can't expect Rachel to eat like Julianna. Well, of course not, how many babies actually eat 10 ounces at a feeding?! However, is it too much to ask that my child eats? I mean, food, not just her hands...

I will let you know how it goes. As for mommy, I saw the endocronologist yesterday and it turns out my thyroid is off again and is now underactive - for those of you who don't know I have struggled with Grave's Disease (hyperactive thyroid) since 2002 when I had it mostly removed. It was under control but now it is out of balance again. I guess it explains my exhaustion and I thought it was just the babies!!

Tax Day

Did you do your taxes? Today taxes are due and the girls have something they would like to say...



Even though they look a bit shocked - the girls are very proud that they could contribute to their diapers and formula fund :) Three big tax deductions! The best reason to have triplets. No, I am kidding. They really are a lot of fun, most days...

And, if you remember like I do, 5 months ago today the girls were born. Some of you can't believe how time has flied. I'm not sure I would go that far but I am surprised that we have almost survived half a year with triplets. Many days I think I can't do one more day but yet somehow we keep going and get through it. Your continued prayer and support is much appreciated!

Three Beautiful Girls

So of course I think my girls are beautiful but now I have pictures to prove it! A big thank you to Sally and Jenna for spending the morning snapping photos of the girls. I'll post more in the days to come but wanted to share these today :) For those of you who STILL can't tell the girls apart they are from top to bottom: Julianna, Rachel and Alyssa

And here is an example of how the morning truly went! But you gotta admit, even while screaming they're still adorable :)

Our Big Outing!

And by big I do mean big. Yesterday I took the girls, Caleb and my good friend Lisa Z. to the mall for a triplet get together. For once, I was not the main attraction! Wow! There were five sets of triplets, two sets of twins and one set of quads. One of the sets of twins has older siblings - a set of triplets!! But they stayed home and mom came out with "just" the twins :)

Lisa Z. and I met the quads in Gymboree (no one is surprised that I was there!) and she was impressed that I had two older children and triplets - I was impressed that the woman had 4 babies! Two girls and two boys. Aaahh.... And they were just 3 months old but make that 3 weeks old by adjusted age (they were born at 30 weeks). It was nice to get out and know that I'm not alone but heck, in my case it was just nice to get out and go shopping again :)

Not to leave Caleb out - he had a great time on the Merry-Go-Round and at the kids playplace. He's a good big brother.





You may remember these boys from a previous picture - yes, they are the same ones - in order from front to back: Christian, Tommy and Jack. I can't say that my girls were making a good impression on them! We were hoping for more of a group photo but there were quite a lot of us and way too many cranky babies - the oldest of the group were 14 month old GGG triplets - we were the youngest - by 3 days to these boys.

People always ask if things are getting better with the girls. In a way I would say they are but in others things are getting harder. They are in my least favorite baby stage right now - more alert but still unable to do very much of anything. They test the waters at naptime and are often up screaming. Rachel becomes more difficult and still isn't eating well. I know that every day is one of survival and we are getting closer to the good parts but still when all three are screaming and Caleb or Kaitlyn are asking for something I find myself wishing time away even though that means the girls will at some point be mobile!

On a good note Alyssa seems less fussy these days and more excited to play. Julianna talks a LOT and when the girls are all three together and fascinated with something it is a joy to watch. They even seem to talk to each other when they are playing near each other. And, the other night Kaitlyn and Caleb kept them all occupied while I worked on dinner and cleaned the kitchen. Big sister and big brother are beginning to enjoy their roles. Mommy and Daddy can't wait to see all five our little ones running around and play together - preferably in the backyard to keep the noise level down a bit.

First Family Dinner

So, yesterday we had our first family dinner! The first time the girls sat with us as we ate and "ate" with us. Okay, so it was just their bottles but they seem to want nothing else. I keep trying. I'm considering skipping cereal and just feeding them fruit. I mean, come on, that cereal looks pretty bad anyway! I wouldn't touch it either. Just wanted to share some pictures and thoughts from our first meal.



Julianna's thoughts: "Don't even think about taking this bottle from me!"



Rachel's thoughts: "My hands are much more tasty. Please don't give me that bottle thing again. Give it to Julianna, she'll eat anything."



Alyssa's thoughts: "Does this lady ever stop taking pictures of us?" She's probably only thinking that because those were her dad's exact words as the rest of the family waited for mom to finish up the photo shoot. :)



Okay, so we got these 3 eating. Now to fight the other 2!!

Happy Easter

He is Risen!! I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. I'm sorry I wasn't able to post yesterday the day got away from me. I have no idea why... Anyway, we had a great day in church worshipping our risen Savior and the kids got a few "gifts". I ran all over the place for those Webkinz. Man those things are hard to find. The girls got the one toy in the back - what do you get for babies whose siblings have it all?!

Pictures of the "Quads"

It's our first photo shoot with our friend Lauren! Aren't we adorable in our matching outfits? Alyssa's head was getting in the way but at least we all stayed in good moods for a minute for our moms to snatch a shot. Someday we'll be out running together and we'll be harder to tell apart but for now aren't we so much bigger than Lauren??!!

We're Outside!

Aren't we adorable in our summer clothes?



Julianna



Rachel



Alyssa


Wow! What warm weather we are having. It has gotten us out of the house a bunch and it's just great. The girls are loving things. And since this week is Kaitlyn's spring break she and Caleb are having a great time playing with friends and together outside. Gotta love it :)

One Of Those Days

So, the girls have been doing great for weeks. They are fussy and that seems just normal for them. Alyssa is the worst as we have mentioned and that hasn't changed but something got into her last night and we have had one of our worse nights/days ever. The Plott family babysat for us last night so we could go to the circus and they did a great job but something got into Alyssa and she didn't sleep last night, didn't nap this morning and since we were out this afternoon didn't sleep then either. It's really miserable and I have no idea what's wrong! We had been weaning her off her meds and trying to switch her formula to the "normal" stuff. Apparantly it's not working!! We'll be putting her back on the formula and the medication. Fun.

Rachel isn't doing a whole lot better. I tried changing her schedule but that didn't work any better so we're back to where we were. I'm trying to fight her less at each feeding which means she is eating less. I'm not sure how this will effect her weight. Guess we'll find out on April 19th when we see the GI.

Please just pray for both girls. Julianna is doing really well - eating well, growing well and smiling a lot. She talks and coos all the time. I was always told 3rd kids were easy and they were right! It's the 4th and 5th that'll kill ya :)

On the bright side they're still adorable...



Julianna's thinking "What are you doing to me? Leave me here any longer and I'm going to roll over - I do it every night and I think it's fun!! Of course, mommy doesn't agree because I can't get back over and I cry for her..."



Rachel's thinking "I am such a model. I use this smile to make my mom stop feeding me. Works every time..."



Alyssa's thinking "This sly smile is hiding my rough interior. Make me angry and you'll regret it but for now I'll give you what you want!"

Rolling Away...

The girls are on their way to mobility! Yea, I am sooo excited. Everyone I'm sure thinks I'm crazy but I find babies much easier to enjoy and entertain when they are more interactive and aware. Right now they require a lot of holding to remain calm and it's getting old. Not to mention they're getting heavy... Well, Julianna is.

On Sunday morning Julianna rolled over from her back to the front for the first time. We put her down on her belly and she woke up on her back. Not to be outdone Alyssa rolled over this morning and then a few times during the day. Rachel is trying very, very hard to roll from her back to her front. If she can just figure out how to move her arm she'd be there. Her tiny body can't be that hard to roll over!!

Please continue to pray for Rachel. She just continue to have trouble eating and almost always puts up a fight. While Julianna downs an 8 - 9 ounce bottle at every feeding and this in about 10 minutes only fussing if she loses her grip on the nipple, Rachel fights just to eat 2 ounces. To get a full 6 ounces is even more of a screaming battle. But the doctor says there's nothing else I can do and she needs all of the food. You can only imagine the frustration and sympathy I feel forcing my child to eat while she screams knowing she could be in pain. The only suggestions we have been given are to feed her smaller meals more often but with triplets this is not feasible and having the opportunity to try it a few times (she sometimes gets up at 6 or 7 instead of her usual 9) it is no better. The one thing that gets to me is a difficult feeding. As their mother I worry about their growth all the time and even though they are all doing well now I worry that at any moment Rachel may take a turn for the worse. Maybe a bit of crazy thinking, I don't know, but I worry about her so pray for me as well. She sees the GI on the 19th of April and I am really hoping they will be helpful.

Kaitlyn and Caleb

So, most of this blog is about the triplets - hence the name but I wanted to be sure to include their big sister and brother and since I am often asked how Kaitlyn and Caleb are doing with the change I thought I'd talk about them a little bit and share some great moments :)

Kaitlyn is doing great with her little sisters. She really loves them. She doesn't help much and doesn't feel like feeding them - she'd rather play with her friends and sometimes with her brother (though she often declares him annoying - just wait a few years and then see what's annoying!!). Life for her hasn't changed much except that when we go out she can declare we have triplets and will let anyone know who will listen that she is the big sister to her triplet sisters. In fact, she is disappointed if no one notices or if we don't get as much attention as she thinks we should. Trust me, we get enough for me!! But at least, so far, most people have been very gracious and think it's the coolest thing they've ever seen :) I think they should get out more since I know for a fact we don't have the only triplets on this planet. Though I do have to agree that they are all pretty cute...

As for Caleb he is adjusting well. He gets a bit confused when he doesn't get attention 100% of the time. He is constantly asking me to watch him play computer, sit with him to watch TV, play trains, read books, eat next to him. Everything he can think of to keep me with him. I tell everyone it really doesn't matter that we have 3 instead of one since I would have to feed the one baby and he would have to wait. In fact, since the girls are often using their Podee bottles and self-feeding I have more freedom to get up and log him into the computer again and again and again... Hey, he's 3 :)

Just wanted to share this story from Caleb since it just made me laugh - of course, most of what he says makes me laugh except when he says "I love you" and that just melts my heart. He's certainly not perfect but those eyes and that smile get me every time - I have to be careful!!

Caleb's story: It took him a minute to actually start because it was a long story (his words) but finally he got out... "the bad guy came with a sword and then the robot came with a squirter gun and the robot squirted the bad guys sword and it broke all apart. The bad guy squirted people with a squirter gun and their skin started to come apart from their bones and the people touched their bones and said "oh, those are my bones" and the dog came and broke the robot and then bees came to sting the robot and then the bad guys destroyed him. And the couches started walking because they were starting to have feet and hands and heads." If I remember right the couches started walking because they were squirted by the robot's squirter gun - I was trying to type as fast as he was talking :)

So, it seems that Kaitlyn is doing well all around in school and at home and she does still love to hold her little sisters. And Caleb, even surrounded by all these girls is still very much a boy (we discuss bad guys and robots all the time) and gets plenty of attention!! On a humorous note, Caleb still cannot tell his sisters apart. He remembers all their names but he has no idea which one is which. I wonder how long that will last? Kaitlyn, of course, can.

Kaitlyn and Julianna:



Kaitlyn and Rachel:



Kaitlyn and Alyssa.



Just a great shot of Caleb.



Caleb actually resting!! Yes, he sleeps with a ton of toys but he really seems to like it that way...

Feeding Time

As you know the girls were cleared to try solid food on Friday so we made our first attempt on Saturday and as predicted they didn't do so well and like I said Alyssa just screamed. Lisa Z. and I tried again today and pretty much got the same results. Julianna and Rachel aren't sure what in the world is going on and Alyssa just screams as soon as we put her in the chair.

And now Alyssa is pulling a Rachel and not drinking her bottles very well either. The past 2 days Rachel has been doing okay and has in fact, drank two 7 ounce bottles before bed! That is huge for her since I normally fight her tooth and nail to finish a 6 ounce bottle just 4 times a day. Rachel does have an appointment with the Gastroenterologist but not until April 19th. By then she'll probably be fine! I could probably trade Alyssa in on the appt. if she keeps this up :)

Kirk did a great job on the bench (with the help my dad) and now the seats are securely fastened to keep the girls safe. Looks ready to feed some kids except for the table :)



The girls are ready but they have no idea what for!



Julianna looks excited but it's just for the cameras...



Rachel looks confused...



The only moment Alyssa wasn't screaming Kirk grabbed a shot...

Family Portraits

Just wanted to share our recent family portraits:

Leaky, Little and Loud are 4 Months Old Today!

Also know as Julianna, Rachel and Alyssa :) We have given them new nicknames since Julianna is almost always leaking out the mouth - she doesn't have reflux and she doesn't spit up very often but at least 20 times after each feeding the child leaks formula. It's very messy. Little is obviously Rachel since she's still the smallest and Loud is Alyssa. If you've ever visited in the evenings then you know why and needs no explanation! Even the doctor and nurses agreed today with our nicknames :)

Today the girls had their 4 month check-up. I'd say it's gone quickly and in some way it has but in others today still seems about the same as a few months ago except they do smile and sleep through the night (about 12 hours every night which is nice).

Okay, the girls "stats":

RACHEL: weighs 11.7 lbs and is 23 inches long - her head is 39 cm around. She is actually on the growth charts and is in the 10% for height, the 15% for weight and the 7% for head circumference. Still small very yea we're growing and on the charts! We are going to begin weaning her off her meds which will be great to not have to worry about those. As for her feedings the doctor has said to keep fighting her as we have been. Since she is growing there isn't much to change but at least she could see (we did a feeding there) how hard it is to feed her.

ALYSSA: weighs 12.8 lbs and is 23 1/2 inches long - her head is 41 cm around. She is also on the charts and is in the 15% for height, the 25% for weight and the 50% for head circumference. Certainly a bigger head than Rachel's!! I'll let them debate when they get older if it has to do with her brain size or not :) We can also work on switching Alyssa back to the regular formula and see how she does with that. I would say that's the plan since Alyssa doesn't seem to care if she gets the wrong bottle and it would be easier for us not to have to distinguish between the formula types!

JULIANNA: okay, this is big news!! She weighs 13.12 lbs and is 24 1/2 inches long - her head is 41 cm around. So, like Alyssa she is in the 50% for head circumference but for weight she is in the 65% and for height she is in the 60%!! So, my little girl who started out at just 5.2 lbs 4 months ago today is now bigger and longer than more than half the kids her age. That is amazing to me! At 4 months old Caleb had gained a good 10 pounds over his birth weight and it seems Julianna is trying to gain like her brother.

As for the rest of the visit, the girls are pretty much like all other 4 month olds except they do seem to be a week or two behind in some motor skills such as rolling over and grabbing for things. It seems they are just now wanting to play with toys a bit more and Julianna has definitely found her fists and likes to chew on those. Alyssa needs to find something to keep her quiet but sometimes her eyes are shut tight while her mouth is wide open and she's too busy screaming to notice anything else. They are all smiling and giggling which is very cute.

The doctor says we can begin to try solids but who knows how they will do - we'll try it this weekend and let you know. She seemed a bit hesitant to let us try because she isn't sure they are ready but then Julianna is pretty big and might like some food and maybe Rachel will take to solids over the bottles she seems to hate. Alyssa will most likely just scream...


Our sleeping burritos :)





What unrolled burritos look like:

A Few Firsts...

Nothing big like rolling over but they are beginning to grab for toys and really notice things which I think is great. Still a lot of screaming but at least some things are becoming more interesting to them!

Last Friday we had our first day outing to Miss Lea's house. They did great and took a good long nap - Rachel slept in our Moses basket and Julianna and Alyssa shared a pack n play. It's a big deal because it gives me freedom to go places!! The first time to sleep somewhere else besides their cribs in months. Yea!

On Saturday we went for our first family photos and the girls did good. Kaitlyn and Caleb did great and had a wonderful time. We got home late thanks to the time change but we are so glad to get them done and they came out great. When I can get my act together we should finally get birth announcements sent out. Yea, yea, you already know that they're born but it will be fun to do anyway.

Yesterday they went for their first walk in their new strollers (thanks Melanie and family) in this beautiful weather. Wow! The girls just loved it and they can't wait to go walking again. Hopefully the weather prediction that it gets colder again is wrong! Our whole family needs the ability to get out and see the world.

Julianna, Rachel and Alyssa are 4 months old on Friday and they are headed to the doctor for their check-up and shots so check in for how they're doing and some new pictures...

A Social Experiment

Okay, so before I had triplets there were lots of things I wondered about having multiples. Things like, could you really tell them apart? When I was in middle school I went to school with twins and even though I knew they were different and how I couldn't remember which one was which so I didn't think (even as a mother) that I could always tell my triplets apart. Now I know that I can 100% of the time.

Other things I wondered were would I love them differently? Obviously not :)

When Kaitlyn was little she cried a lot and I wondered if she had been a twin would it have been difficult to care for another child or would I only tend to her or only tend to the other one? Now I know it wouldn't have made a difference - we treat them the same. Okay, so you probably guessed all that.

Maybe something you didn't know - I can tell their cries apart. Yea, it's weird:

Julianna wins most annoying - it's a nasally type cry and she can get it going.

Alyssa wins loudest - I think I've said before loudest of my 5 - she gets MAD

Rachel wins most life threatening - when this child cries you would think she was having a heart attack - it's the weirdest thing - red in the face and since she has zero hair it's basically red everywhere!

I have to record this so I can tell it to them later - kids love to hear about themselves :) Hmm..

I do want to add an aaaahhh moment. I love all three of my girls the same - they are beautiful and so wonderfully sweet and I'm glad they are here and (finally) out of me! I also want to say that, as all parents know and don't need an experiment for, you don't love your other kids any less and Kaitlyn and Caleb are still just as loved and wanted as ever. So, I hope you enjoy the picutres of my kids (again) - cause they're all so cute and I love them so much! Sorry Julianna is yawning - I think she is bored with this whole picture taking thing! (It goes Julianna, Alyssa, Rachel for those of you who still can't tell them apart - that's the same order as yesterday's photo since it's a close-up of that picture - as if you couldn't tell - you people are so smart!)

Go Daddy Go!

Our pastor and family was gracious enough to babysit for us on Friday evening while Kirk and I visited the latest Whitaker addition. After which we went out to a great meal. Apparantly my meal was probably undercooked because I became pretty sick on Saturday and remained that way pretty much until today when I had my first real meal in 4 days! It was awful...

But, Kirk probably had it worse - juggling 5 kids on his own :) Gratefully he had some help from lots of you and a little from my brother who was visiting from Florida (and who has declared that he doesn't want triplets!).

That was our great weekend and we end with: we love you, Daddy and you did a great job without Mommy but MOMMY CAN NEVER GET SICK AGAIN!!

Our New Best Friend...

Today our mommy's friend Mrs. Joanna gave birth to our new best friend, Lauren Elizabeth. So instead of a boyfriend we got a best friend and we couldn't be more excited. We can't wait for some play dates!!

Lauren was 7 pounds 11 ounces (the size of our big sister, Kaitlyn at birth and much bigger than we were - go Lauren!) and she was born at 3:09 PM. She has a lot of hair but not as much as her big sister Grace did.

Please enjoy these pictures that mommy took.

What Bliss Is...

An evening with the triplets with out too much screaming. There's always some but tonight it was pretty minimal. Yea! I put the older 2 to bed while Kirk bathed the triplets - we began feeding at 9:30 and although Julianna didn't want to eat right away she wasn't screaming about it. The other two finished and then Julianna did too with a little encouragement from dad. All in bed by 10:15!!

Wow, have we turned a corner?... Probably not :)

P.S. For those of you who know Joanna - please check here on Friday for updates on her new baby. Let's pray for a safe and quick delivery. Can't even wait to find out what she's having!

What Frustration Is...

I just have to share the most frustrating thing about my day and that is feeding time. Kirk and I just put the girls did to bed. And, God forbid, we attempted to feed them before putting them there. We are used to their screaming most evenings - that is pretty normal but when you are trying to feed a child who is refusing to eat you can imagine our frustration. Now multiply that times 3 and you have a small taste for how our evenings go. We sat with them for 45 minutes and while Rachel ate pretty well Alyssa and Julianna just screamed at Kirk and refused to take a swallow of their bottles.

What's wrong with them? We have no idea, they are just screaming. Screaming while held, screaming while sitting in their chairs... Doesn't matter, just screaming. Of course, if we quit trying to feed them they calm down. I don't think our babies understand that they are supposed to eat a certain amount of food every day to stay alive. According to the doctor this is their body weight times 2 1/2 so that's about 30 ounces a day for Julianna. I can't even say we get close and after tonight's feeding I know we're not. I have no idea how these kids are growing!!

Thanks for letting me vent. Just a picture into the world of triplets... It's also good birth control :)