McCloud Party of Five

We're back, baby!

2011-07-26T10:09:00.002-05:00

Okay, forgive me. It's been nearly a YEAR since I last posted! WOW! Where has the time gone? Oh wait, I know....it's been spent changing diapers, cooking, cleaning, starting up my own direct sales business, etc. You get the idea! I'm a little rusty and not really sure where to begin. Obviously, there have been A LOT of changes over the past several months. So, I think I'll just pick up where we are today and fill you in on things that have been happening recently.

First of all, these kids are hilarious! They are saying the cutest things and putting sentences together. Every day they say something new. They continue to amaze me! They still love them some Sesame Street, but they now also love Mickey Mouse (sounds like "Mikka Mouse"). If you ask Luce what her favorite food is, her reply is "Moonpie"! (Thanks Gigi for introducing them to moonpies!) They are so sweet and thoughtful to each other. The girls love to dote on Maddux and take care of him. It's so funny how they are already mothering him. Of course, they are two, so we have our share of daily fits and tantrums, but that just goes with the territory for this age. They all want what the other one has...and it doesn't matter what it is. It could be the most random piece of something but they will HAVE to have whatever it is. They are becoming very independent and insist on feeding themselves or trying to dress themselves. There is even some sassiness these days! For instance, yesterday morning I had their breakfast ready and I always ask them to put whatever toy they are carrying around on the couch while we eat. Nola, as always, had her beloved Duckie in her arms and I put my hand on her back and gently nudged her towards the direction of the couch and asked her to put Duckie down. She looked up at me and said, "Don't push me, momma." I couldn't help but giggle. She's right! I tell them all the time to not push each other! So so so funny! They love to watch the birds eat out of our bird feeders every morning while eating breakfast. They can now even identify a Cardinal, Blue Jay and hummingbirds! I'm amazed at how they never forget anything. I've lost nearly every brain cell since giving birth, yet they can remember every single detail of everything they do!

Okay, I promise that I will try (hear me, TRY) to update the blog more regularly now. I do miss it and I'm so glad that I did keep up with it during the first year of their life because honestly, it's mostly a blur and the blog has helped to preserve it. The original intent of this blog was to keep family and friends informed of the babies' progress while in the NICU. I had never blogged before and even now, I still have no idea what I'm doing! But, I do want to try to keep this updated and keep everyone informed on what's going on with the McCloud Party of Five!!

xoxo,

Jennifer

Pumpkin Patch Pics!

2010-11-17T13:27:00.001-06:00

Luckiest Momma In The World....

2010-10-06T13:53:00.002-05:00

You know that quote that says something like, "It's not the amounts of breaths you take. It's the moments that take your breath away"? I had one of those moments recently. Don't get me wrong, I pretty much have those moments everyday (like when Nola comes over to me and says, "mommy" and then gives me a big hug) but this one in particular was really special. I had met my good friend Leslie and her two kids at the park. We decided that keeping the kids contained in a stroller would be the best way to get outside and actually visit without having to run a marathon keeping up with all of them. It was a gorgeous day and we had the best time. Her older son, who is I think 3, was so sweet and shared all of his fishy crackers with my three while we strolled. Towards the end of our walk we walked past a pond that had lots of ducks swimming around (well, geese actually) who eagerly approached us in hopes that we had some bread crumbs to feed them. It was so sweet. The kid's faces just completely lit up at the sight of the ducks. They can identify a duck in a picture book but had never actually seen them in person. They loved it. When we were finished with our walk and it was time to load the kids back up in the car, I took Nola out of the stroller first. I was holding her and was telling her to say "bye bye" to Leslie and her kids. Nola just smiled so big at them and said "bye" and I don't know what it was about this moment but she literally took my breath away. There she was, her face completely covered in fishy cracker crumbs, yet she was the most beautiful little girl I had ever seen. I literally cried the entire drive home and repeatedly thanked God for blessing me with these amazing children. I truly feel like the luckiest person on Earth. Do you know how many preemies out there have long term problems and complications and here I am with three perfectly healthy children? I'll never understand why God has blessed me so abundantly, but I'm so thankful. Thank you, Lord. You never cease to amaze me.

So, moving on to other things (wiping tears away!). We have a major Elmo obsession at our house. It's pretty bad. I admit, I watched Sesame Street way longer than most kids. I've always loved it and Elmo is definitely one of my favorite characters. They knew who he was in books and they have a few Elmo toys, but when I turned it on Sesame Street a few weeks ago for the first time and they heard his sweet voice, it was all over. Now, every morning after breakfast (which these days is waffles or as they call it "faffles"), they run to the TV and shout "Em-mo! Em-mo!" I know that they are technically too young for TV according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, but they absolutely love it and they are actually already learning! I've counted with them before but they didn't really start to pay attention until Elmo started counting. They can all count to 5 and sometimes even to 6 or 8! They know Ernie (Uur-nee), Bert (Booot), Oscar (Ah-car) and Grover (foe-fur) all by name. They are even starting to learn their ABC's! Again, I've counted and sang the ABC's to them countless times, but it's so much cooler when Sesame Street does it. I'm amazed at how quickly they are picking up on things and saying new words completely out of the blue. Last night Luce was looking at a book all about farms and she knew so many of the random things in there, not just the cow and the pig, like "bucket, hay, farmer, pumpkin, wheat"......! It was so cool! I was like, when did she learn this???

They really understand so much. At night when it's time for bed we'll say "It's time for night night, let's go to your room" and they'll all march to the top of the stairs and we'll open the gate. They then all turn around and scoot down the stairs feet first on their stomaches and go strait to their room (with an occasion pit stop to the bathroom in hopes that we won't notice them unrolling the toilet paper). Then, once they're in their jammies they will say "teeth! teeth!" reminding us to brush their teeth. We've been on a very strict schedule since the babies were born and they eat lunch at 11:30 everyday. I swear, the other day at 11:29 Luce said, "Eat! Hun-geee!" About 300 times a day they will hand me a book and say "read" and then settle up in my lap. Plus they are also starting to "get" things, like Maddux took his binky and put it in his stuffed Elmo's mouth or Nola will pretend that she's making broccoli ("brock-ee") with a tupperware bowl and a comb used as a spoon ("poon"). Oh! speaking of spoons, I've started gradually letting them eat applesauce with a spoon and it's gone surprisingly well! The girls are very coordinated, and Maddux is too, but he's more interested in putting his hands down into the bowl of applesauce and make a mess instead. He's all boy!

I could go on and on about all of the new things that they are doing. It's yet another reminder of how absolutely blessed we are. The Early Intervention teachers who come every Thursday are convinced that we will no longer need their services after age 2 (they automatically qualify until then). They will be officially tested next month, but all signs are pointing to them being considered "caught up". They were going through a check list last week and the kids are doing everything that they are supposed to be doing and then some. Nola has always been a little ahead of the other two so it's no surprise that she is doing things on a 36 month old level.

So, see? I am the luckiest momma in the world.

When You Can't Beat Em, Join Em!

2010-08-13T10:57:00.002-05:00

Since my previous post the kiddos have learned how to not only climb on top of the ottoman but they can now climb up into the chairs and on the couches. The only thing we can do is to do our best job to explain to them that the furniture is for sitting and not for standing up on. They're going to climb up there, better make the best of it. I hate that they will now have access to all of the fun stuff like phones, remotes, picture frames, and lamps....but we'll just have to try to keep things out of reach as best as possible and really try to explain what is okay to touch and what isn't. It will be challenging, especially with three very curious toddlers, but it's all part of it.

I pretty much had a total meltdown yesterday. I felt like a failure because I couldn't control them. The more I told them not to stand up on the furniture, the quicker they would stand up. But, after their nap (and after Daddy came home to rescue me!) we sort of had a breakthrough. They seemed to actually want to mind. I know that they will continue to challenge us and test their boundaries, but that's all part of being a kid and being a parent. It can just feel a little overwhelming when I'm so outnumbered!

My mom drove all the way up here this morning to deliver us the knew climbing station. If they are going to climb, they might as well having something safe and fun. Within just a few minutes they figured out how to climb up and slide down all by themselves! They absolutely love it!

I'm still on constant surveillance. Of course they still stand up just to make sure that I'm paying attention. But, I do see the light at the end of the tunnel...when I tell them to sit down they are actually starting to do it. Well, most of the time. So, in the meantime, I'll continue to hold my breath and say a prayer anytime I have to leave the room to change a diaper or take the dog out.

Maddux on the new slide!

Luce especially loves it! I bet she's already gone up and down no less that 100 times this morning!

I love this picture! They both climbed up by themselves and were actually being good sitting there and entertaining each other.
My Big Boy.

My New Battle

2010-08-11T17:30:00.002-05:00

I've heard from other parents of toddlers that you have to pick and choose your battles. I get that, but sometimes it's hard for me to decide which battles to pick and which ones to let go. It would be nice if they quickly learned that when I said "no" that they would stop what they are doing and go about their business. But we all know that's not how it works. My three love to be told "no". They think it's hilarious. To them, "no" means Do-it-again-with-a-huge-smile-on-my-face. They want to make sure that I'm watching when they do said thing that I told them not to do. They love it. And sure, I know the whole saying that they are just trying to get attention from me. I give them attention all day long. Most of the time I'm sitting right there with them when they decide to play their game of "I love it when mommy tells me no". I've decided to let a few things go, but when I say no about a certain thing I say no every time rather than sometimes letting it go. I really try to be consistent, but it's frustrating. So, here's my new battle. The Ottoman:

Look how proud she is of herself. We've had this ottoman for several months and she has never shown any interest in climbing on top of it. But, this afternoon she figured it out. I stood over her and tried to make sure that she didn't fall off. Then Maddux climbed up on top too. Then Nola gets on her knees and starts gyrating up and down like she was in a hip hop club and proceeded to fall off. Good, I thought. Maybe that will scare her and she won't get back up. Wrong. Only now she wants to stand up. I admit that I'm the type of mother that wants to prevent every boo boo and doesn't ever want them to get hurt. But, now what do I do? Maybe they won't get hurt if they fall off. But what if there is a hard toy in the floor and they land on it and knock all of their teeth out?? The more I tell them "No, don't stand up" they try to stand up quicker that you can say "watch me!". I've already put her in time out over five times and there appears to be no end in site. Looks like the ottoman goes or I'm going to see lots of bruises from falling in my future.

I'm Not Quite Sure What I Was Thinking

2010-07-22T10:13:00.002-05:00

Even though I've completed three half marathons, I would not consider myself a runner. Four years before having the triplets I completed my first half marathon. Two of my best friends are marathon runners and they inspired me. I never thought that I would be able to achieve such a feat. I was never an athlete in high school other than cheering my senior year and I had certainly never ran before. I hadn't even ran a single mile and never dreamed that I could run 13 miles. But, I did. I finished and I don't think I had ever been more proud of myself. Two years later I completed my second race. After the babies were born I needed some serious motivation to lose those extra pounds I had been holding onto and I also wanted that sense of accomplishment. I thought, if I can train and complete another race now that I have triplets, I can do anything! So, I did complete my third race in April but I was disappointed in myself. Yes, I did it and I was happy about that, but in the back of my mind I knew that I could have done better. I didn't train as hard as I could have. Now, again, I still do not consider myself a "runner". I like to refer to myself as a "shuffler". I shuffle and scoot along!! It's not even a jog. But, I don't want to be a shuffler anymore. I want to be a runner with a better finish time. I don't want to "just finish" again. So, after the race in April I was filled with motivation to do another race....and do it well. So, I have signed up for my fourth half marathon that will be held in November. As inspiration I bought a new Runners World magazine (a half marathon special edition!) and a cute new running top (nothing motivates me more than new clothes!). But, here's the truth. In my mind I'm very motivated, but my body? That's another story. For the past two weeks every night I tell myself that I'm going to get up early before everyone else and go out for a quick run. And you know what? I wake up and roll over and go back to sleep! Being a mother to triplets is exhausting. And I feel like I'm still making up for all of the lost sleep from when we first brought the babies home. So, I'm in serious need of motivation. It's down to the wire here. If I want to do better and get a better finish time I need to get serious. Like NOW. Oh, me and my big ideas....

I'm Getting The Hang of It! (Well, sort of)

2010-07-21T09:52:00.004-05:00

So, I've been getting a little brave and actually taking the kids out more by myself. I have always been a little nervous about taking them somewhere by myself, but my friend and fellow triplet mom, Lani, gave me some great advice: "Hope for the best, but expect the worst!". Hey, at least you're prepared with that advice! I guess I started to think, what's the worst that could happen? So what if we have to load back up in the car and go back home. First of all, let me be honest with my motives for wanting to get out of the house. As you may know, since the babies came home we have basically "lived" in the bonus room that is completely baby proof and loaded up with toys. But, over time they realized that there was a lot more to explore downstairs and were to the point where they hated being in the bonus room. So, we baby proofed the downstairs and let them have at it. At first they had a ball playing with the tupperware cabinet and walking around and exploring. But within a week they were already starting to wreak havoc in the kitchen and living room. They were not really interested in playing with the tupperware anymore....they just wanted to completely empty the contents of the cabinet and scatter everything all over the place. Then they thought that it would be fun to take all of the cute farm animal magnets off the fridge and throw them all over the floor. Then, they discovered that the highchairs were easily portable and were pushing them all over the house. So, if I wasn't tripping over tupperware or magnets I would have a huge highchair blocking the sink or refrigerator. Now, all of this chaos will happen in about two minutes. I'm not kidding here. So, I'm left with not only a completely wrecked bonus room, now my beloved downstairs is a disaster too. So, I thought, hey, if we leave there will be no mess to clean up, we all get out of the house and get to see some new things. It's a win win for all. So, last week we went to Peek-a-boo Playtown which is a really cute little place with a pretend bank, grocery store, post office, lots of blocks, train tables, etc., but they also have a little separate toddler area which is what I had my eye on. It has a ball pit, toys and some foam blocks to climb on. I even sweet talked them into only charging us for one child ($7) instead of having to pay for all three. They loved the ball pit! In fact, that was about the only thing they wanted to play with. In other outings, we have also been to the bookstore, the mall, the grocery store and (my favorite place in the world) Target. With each outing I gain more confidence in my abilities to take them somewhere by myself and that makes me happy. I think some people look at me and think that it looks like too much work to take all three of them out, but I truly believe that it's worth it. The kids love to get out and they are quite social which is good because a lot of people stop to talk to us. They will smile and wave and say "bye bye" when we move on. My ultimate outing will be to the water fountain at our local outdoor shopping area. I'm okay with them being confined in the stroller, but having them run around in a public place like that scares me to death, but I just know they would love it. Maybe when we get closer to the end of summer we'll tackle that....

Finally, here are a few pics that were taken last month at their cousin's birthday party.....

Man Cannot Live On Cheesy Poofs Alone....

2010-07-20T09:34:00.003-05:00

So, I may have mentioned on here that Maddux is a picky eater. Luce is sort of picky too. Nola will eat ANYTHING. Maddux has certainly come a long way. At first I think it was a whole texture thing. He wouldn't eat any meats and hardly any vegetables. But, over the course of time he has started eating chicken and turkey and on most days he loves broccoli. But, my struggle here lately is breakfast. For the past several months blueberry pancakes have been the staple for breakfast in addition to some fruit. Bananas is the only fruit he will eat other than applesauce. The girls love fruit, especially watermelon, blueberries and strawberries, but Maddux won't touch them. I offer it to him over and over again. Usually he just picks it up and tosses it back on his tray and will do this over and over again but will not put it in his mouth. If I put it in his mouth he immediately spits it back out in disgust. I don't get it? What kid doesn't like fresh fruit? At any rate, this morning I offered them a smorgasbord of food consisting of blueberry pancakes, brown sugar cinnamon toast, scrambled eggs, and fresh bananas, strawberries and watermelon. Even with all of these options, Maddux was getting upset and saying, "More! More!" Here's the deal. I gave him plenty of options including the pancakes and bananas that I know he likes. I understand if he's getting bored with these items which is why I have been offering new choices, but he refuses to try anything new? I'm at a loss. I think the only thing that he truly wants to eat are Cheese Puffs. He loves those darn things. Before having kids I was the person that was saying that I would only feed them organic food and that my kids wouldn't even know what a chicken finger or a french fry was. Oh, how I laugh at my old self! At this point, I just want them to eat something! If they will only eat chicken fingers so be it! But, of course I don't want them to be that way. I want them to eat an array of foods and to be willing to try new things. But, I'm learning that may be a while. A long while.

18 Month Update

2010-07-13T10:30:00.002-05:00

Hello all! Yes, yes, I know...I haven't posted in forever! Same old story! I hope in doing so I haven't ran off all of my loyal readers! Ha haa! Okay, for the two of you out there who still check up on us, here is what's been going on.

The kids went the pediatrician for their 18 month well visit a couple of weeks ago. Current weights are: Maddux: 20 lbs 4 oz, Nola: 19 lbs 3 oz, and Luce: 19 lbs. Again, still on the small side but no surprise there. The doctor still thinks that they are doing just awesome and always says that she "couldn't be prouder" at how well they are doing.

As far as day to day stuff, they are no longer taking bottles and are exclusively using straw cups. We pretty much skipped over sippy cups rather quickly because they kept sticking their fingers in the hole and making a huge mess spilling their drinks all over the place. They have also recently progressed to one afternoon nap. I personally like this much better. I can get a lot more done with a two hour span of time, rather than how it was broken up into two short morning and afternoon naps. They continue to amaze me with how quickly they are turning into little people. They understand so much and are really trying to communicate with us. Nola has the biggest vocabulary and can almost carry on a conversation with us! Right now we're working on saying "please" instead of screaming or grunting for what they want. So far they are really starting to pick up on it. Nola will even say "thank you" without even being told! Of course, it doesn't sound exactly like "thank you" but we know that is what she's saying. Speaking of Nola, she is also starting to bite. And I mean, BITE. She will even leave little teeth mark bruises on her victims. So, we're working on that. Currently the punishment is a time out, but I'm not so sure that they understand the whole time out thing just yet.

We've also been working like crazy to completely babyproof the whole house. Up until this point, we spent most of our time in the bonus room. All of their toys are up there and it's completely baby proof. But, they were really starting to hate it up there and demanded to explore downstairs. It took a while as we had to put the TV up higher (they can easily pull a flatscreen down on top of them), install a couple more gates, and the drawer and cabinet locks. Last Friday we finally let them go and they were in heaven. They really thought they were something prancing around all over the place. We left the cabinet with the tupperware in it open so that they could play with it. They quickly pull out every piece and scatter them all over the place.

That's all I can think of for now! Thanks again for checking in on us!!!

Playing with the "Fridge Farm"....a favorite!

You don't need water to have fun!

Having a tupperware party!

Touch-a-Truck

2010-06-17T16:52:00.002-05:00

Last Friday went went to "Touch A Truck" at Moss Wright Park. It's really cool actually! They have all sorts of vehicles such as fire trucks, dump trucks, tractors, police cars, cranes, bulldozers, etc and the kids get a chance to climb up inside and push the buttons and honk the horns and have a big time. My kids are still a little small for all that but my friend Mary Ann and her son Will were going so we decided to tag along. Maddux loves cars and trucks so I thought he would enjoy at least looking at them, plus we all enjoy getting out of the house! It was very hot that day so we only stayed an hour or so, but all in all they had a big time. I know in another year or so this will be a huge hit with them.

Maddux with buddy Will. I'm positive that Maddux is saying "car" in this picture

My sweet friend Mary Ann and the whole gang
The fire truck and crane
We of course got lots of stares and fingers pointed at us. I'm not sure if I will ever get used to that! I'm sure people are saying nice things (at least that's what I hope!) but it's still so awkward to see people whispering to each other and you know that they are talking about you. Oh well, it comes with the territory of having triplets I suppose!

Cuteness....

2010-06-04T11:02:00.002-05:00

"What do you mean you don't have Christian Louboutin's in size 3? What about Gucci? Jimmy Choo???" (Don't tell her that she's actually talking on a remote!)

"Yes, yes, I know I'm cute. Now....try to catch me!"

Doesn't he look so peaceful in this picture innocently playing with the shape sorter? Only seconds later he dumped out the contents, threw them across the room and then quickly moved onto something else and proceeded to do the same thing. He's a little tornado!

Monkey See, Monkey Do!

2010-06-03T10:29:00.002-05:00

Well, I guess that Maddux and Luce started to really watch Nola prance around all over the place and they both decided that they were not to be outdone. Literally, a day after I wrote the previous post both Maddux and Luce started walking! I was completely shocked to see Maddux take off because he was showing no desire or interest in walking, but overnight he decided that he was going to walk! They are marching around all over the place! Nola is still the steadiest walker. She really focuses on her balance and watches where she's going whereas the other two still get pretty excited and are practically running and they don't pay attention to toys and objects in the floor and just stumble over them! But, it doesn't slow them down, they just pop back up and keep on going. I just have to say how excited and relieved I am to see them all walking. It was one of those things that we didn't know for sure would happen. It was just a wait and see kind of thing. We didn't know if they would need the help of a physical therapist or any special devices to help them learn to walk. Thank you God! We can check this one off the list!!!

On another note, the kids experienced their first sickness over the Memorial Day weekend. Since RSV season is over, I felt comfortable taking them out and about. We all get bored inside this house everyday so I have been looking forward to the summer to be able to get out. Last Wednesday I took the kids to Derrick's office for a visit. So many of his coworkers have been so supportive since the beginning and I knew that everyone would enjoy seeing them. Our visit was cut a little short and since we had some extra time on our hands I decided to take them to my former employers office to see everyone there. Both visits were awesome. The kids were great and enjoyed seeing everyone. Thursday was uneventful. On Friday Derrick and I had planned a much needed date night. During the day Luce had been running a slight fever but nothing too alarming. I knew that she was cutting more teeth so I assumed that may be the reason for the temperature. I got dressed and ready to go when just as we were leaving she felt super hot. She was running a 103 fever so I called the doctor and we decided to stay home. The nurse on call told me that it sounded like a viral infection since she had no other symptoms and to give her Motrin, use a cold compress and have her drink lots of cold fluids. She seemed a little uncomfortable and confused as to why she didn't feel well. We put a cold compress on her head, back and stomach and by about 11:00pm her fever had come down. I tried to brace myself for the inevitable, that all three would probably get sick. Everyone seemed okay on Saturday. They were all running slight fevers but nothing too high. By Sunday, I thought that maybe we were safe. The babies were playing and seemed happy. We decided to give our date night another shot. I got dressed and ready and just as we were about to walk out the door, Maddux's fever shot up. It happened so fast. Maddux's fever was actually worse than Luce's and got as high as 104.3. I again called the nurse on call (of course all of this is happening on a weekend, a holiday weekend no less) and she told me to try all of the things that we did with Luce and if the fever still didn't come down to put Maddux in a tepid bath. If the fever still didn't come down and started to approach 105 then we needed to head to the ER. So, I had to wake Maddux up from a dead sleep and put him in a cold bath. I just knew he was going to throw a fit but he was such a little trooper. He just smiled and splashed and had a big time. Poor buddy. Thankfully, the bath worked and his fever came down. Nola of course also had a fever that night but hers never got higher than 102 and we were able to control it with Mortin. By Monday everyone's fevers were down. To make matters worse, Monday night Maddux had a really rough time with what I can only assume was painful teething. He was inconsolable. We tried everything under the sun to figure out what was wrong with him. He kept putting his hands in his mouth so I think it was a combination of not feeling well from the virus and teething. The following night we numbed his gums really well with Oragel and he went out like a light. So, finally, for the past two nights we've all gotten some much needed sleep. I hope and pray that we are finally on the road to recovery! I feel very fortunate that the kids are almost 18 months old and this is the first time that we've had to deal with a sickness. Most of my friend's kids have fevers all the time. But still, it was very hard and stressful for everyone. I know that this is going to happen, especially since we will be getting out more. I can't keep them locked up in the house forever just because I'm worried about them getting sick. It's just all part of it I guess!

And finally, here are a few pics from the beach trip!

Everyday Something New!

2010-05-19T14:02:00.002-05:00

Wow, they are really starting to pick up things so quickly! I'm amazed! This past week we went to the beach for a family vacay (I'll save the details and pics for a later post). The babies had a good time and of course loved all of the extra attention they received by having me, daddy and the grandparents and great-grandparents around them all day long! The good thing was that they all picked up quite a few new words. Nola has especially expanded her vocabulary. Her current words are "hi", "bye bye" (she waves her little hand when saying both), "puppy", "open", "apple", "eye" (and will point to your eye), "baby", and "duck". And it's not that she's just saying these words clearly, she knows what they mean. They all understand way more than I give them credit for! Maddux's current word (other than "mama") is CAR! How funny is that? Proof that boys are born boys! He will go look out the window and point and say "car" like a thousand times! Ugh, so precious! Luce jabbers constantly however no actual words yet, at least not any that I can understand! But she knows exactly what she is saying! They all know tons of body parts. When asked they will each point to their head, hair, ears, eyes, nose, mouth, tongue, toes and belly. They also can all sign for "more". The girls do their little fists together however Maddux does the "time out" motion when signing for more! They loooooove to drink from a straw and as soon as you give one a sip of a drink they all start signing for "more". I love it! I loooooove that they are beginning to be able to communicate! They are so interactive with each other and that is just so adorable. They laugh at each other and are even starting to work together to make things happen (like the other day all three of them were trying to lift the top of the storage ottoman open to access the toys inside!). Nola is still walking and gets better and better everyday. She can now stand up right in the middle of the room instead of using the furniture. And my money is on Luce for being the next one to walk. She's already taken 3-4 steps at a time this week so we'll see. Maddux is just fine crawling around and doesn't seem interested in trying to walk. Crawling is easy so why bother? He'll get it soon enough!

Isn't this so classic? They are all playing with an empty storage bin instead of the thousands of toys scattered all over the room:

It's Official!!!

2010-05-07T13:20:00.002-05:00

It's official! We have a WALKER!!! Little Miss Nola started walking all by herself on Wednesday afternoon. She has been pushing the walk-behind toys and has been cruising along the furniture for weeks. We have a storage ottoman in front of one of the sofas that the kids love to stand up in front of and will turn and go back and forth between the two. Last week I pushed the ottoman a few inches more away from the sofa so that they would be forced to take a step or two to get to them. I noticed that she would take a step or two from the ottoman into the open area of the room and would fall. I could tell that she was getting braver and starting to build her confidence. Then, on Wednesday afternoon she took maybe two steps and stopped. When she didn't fall she decided to take a couple more steps and before I knew it she had walked clear across the room! By that evening she was walking around like she had been doing it all along! She is still crawling some, just because it's easier, but every few minutes she'll pull herself up to the window or a piece of furniture and take off! She is so proud of herself but not near as proud as I am of her!! Yay for Nola!!!

Priceless Picture!

2010-04-30T14:44:00.002-05:00

I am fortunate enough to have an amazing group of friends. We've known each other for about 15 years and we've been through it all: singlehood, marriage, and now kids! Here is a rare photo of all us together taken this past weekend with all NINE of our kids!! We are missing our 5th, Nichols, and her sweet daughter Scarlett, but this is about as good as it gets since Abby (far right) and her family live two states away!

Wow! It's actually working!

2010-04-28T09:52:00.002-05:00

So, the babies got the "Your Baby Can Read" system for Christmas. At first, I was very diligent about showing them the books and DVD every day. You're supposed to show them the DVD twice a day (it's only about 15 minutes in length) and show them the books several times a day. The books show the word first and then you pull open the flap and it will show a picture that correlates with the word. Initially they didn't have the attention span to sit and watch the DVD and over time I was doing the books less and less. But, over the past couple of weeks they are all of a sudden really interested in the DVD. They stop what they are doing and pay very close attention to it. To my surprise, they can now read the words "clap", "wave" and "arms up"! They will do the motions for each word as soon as they see it before the narrator says the words! I have to say, I'm a little amazed! At first, I thought, if anything they would at the very least broaden their vocabulary with the system. I had low expectations of them actually being able to read, but low and behold.....my babies are reading!!!

Yes! We're still here!

2010-04-27T14:51:00.002-05:00

Well, I've done it again. I've completely neglected the blog! As you can imagine, things are a little busy over here! I won't bore you and try to catch you up on every detail that has happened over the past month, but will try to give you a quick recap of everything. We had a relaxing Easter weekend with a small gathering of immediate family since it was still during RSV season. The kids had a big time! (They are still playing with the little snap-together plastic Easter eggs. Who knew that a bag of 50 cent eggs could entertain three children for a month? And all that money we've wasted on expensive toys....). They are starting to become VERY mobil. The are constantly working on their walking skills by pushing and walking behind any toy with wheels on them. They can all stand independently for several seconds at a time and Nola even took a small step a week or so ago so they are getting very close!!! They are also all eating table foods and are on whole milk now. This has been my current challenge and has led to some frustrating moments for me. We all know that toddlers can be picky eaters but it gets even harder when you have three toddlers who all change their minds daily on what they like and don't like. Of course, half of what I give them gets tossed into the floor so that sort of adds to the fun of it all! As their mother I just want to make sure that they are eating healthy foods, but you certainly can't force them. They'll only eat what they want to eat. The other night I swear the only thing that Maddux would eat for dinner were pieces of cheese and goldfish crackers. I offered him an array of fresh vegetables and fruit, but he wasn't feeling it. So, I try to not stress about it. They'll come around. I hope! He refuses all meats. The girls pretty much eat whatever I give them. Well, except for what they throw in the floor! But, I have to remind myself, this is just a phase. It will go by too quickly and I may look back and miss the days when they were throwing food in the floor. Okay, maybe not! The kiddos also had their annual review with TEIS (the early intervention center) and they all scored within the range of 12-15 months for all of their skills (cognitive, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, communication, etc) so we were of course THRILLED to hear that! Except for Miss Nola who scored as high as a 36 month old with her communication skills. I've said it all along, she's my little overachiever! We're excited that RSV season is officially over! We will all be happier now that we can get out and about. I even took all three to Target and to an outdoor mall all by myself!!! I really felt like that was an accomplishment! So, look out Nashville, we could be heading your way!!!

Sweet boy:
Nola, my little thinker....
Check out the belly on this cutie!

Happy St. Patty's Day!!!

2010-03-17T13:01:00.001-05:00

Who Are These Big Kids?

2010-03-15T17:22:00.000-05:00

Where are my little babies????

First Haircuts!

2010-03-10T09:18:00.003-06:00

Well, I had to do it. I know lots of moms are very sentimental about cutting their babies hair, and at first I wasn't too crazy about the idea, but I felt that I had to do what was best for them. In the girls case, their hair was constantly down in their eyes. I tried and tried to keep cute bows in their hair, but they were always immediately ripped out. And Maddux had a little mullet going on and crazy long hairs around his ears. So, I had Tina, a family friend who has been cutting Derrick's family's hair for over twenty years, come over and give them their first cuts. It was especially nice knowing someone that was willing come over to the house to do it rather than having to drag them out plus I knew that they would be more comfortable in their own home and hopefully not as nervous. It went really well! They were all so good and sat still (well, mostly!) while she worked. They look so grown up now! Maddux really looks like a little boy and the girls look absolutely adorable with their bangs! It's already been so much better today not having to try to swipe the girls' hair out of their eyes. I think they like it much better too!

Maddux looks like such a big boy!

Nola, being so good!

So cute, right?!?!?See pictures of Luce below (couldn't fit them all in one post)

2010-03-10T09:10:00.002-06:00

Luce was really studying everything that Tina was doing....

Could they be any cuter?

Mom Times Three

2010-03-08T09:08:00.003-06:00

I feel that mothers of multiples often take pride in the fact that they can take care of two, three or more babies at at time. There are tons of t-shirts, bumper stickers, and so on that brag about being a mother of multiples. There are clubs and organizations, blogs, websites and monthly publications that are all geared towards MoMs. These are, of course, all helpful resources, but I almost feel like MoMs feel as though they have super mom powers and were given these bundles of joy because they had what it takes to be given the title MoM (Mother of Multiples). Sometimes even I feel like, wow, I am in such a unique position. So many people say, "I don't see how you do it" or "Ugh, I can't imagine" and while this past year has had some trying times, for the most part I don't feel like it's been all that bad. My babies are happy and content. But, for me, the hardest part of being a MoM is when you're in a position when one, two, or even all three, want their momma all at the same time. Take last night for example.

I had stayed up way too late watching the Oscars. They didn't go off until 11:00pm and afterwards I tried to stay awake and visit with Derrick but I could hardly keep my eyes open. I was so relieved when he said, "Turn off the lights and lets go to sleep". Yes! I was super comfy and was so excited to drift off into dreamland. Then, about 30 seconds later, it happened. I heard some moaning on the monitor. For the first time ever I couldn't distinguish the voice. Was it Nola or Maddux? The moaning continued for another minute or two and I realized that it was Maddux. I was relieved. When Maddux wakes up during the night he is usually missing his binky. I had just checked on them moments before going to bed and I knew that there were two binkies right next to him. All he had to do was find them. No problem. Any minute now he'll find one. The moaning continues. Then, I hear another voice moaning and hollering. And then, the worst, a third voice chiming in. Oh boy. They are all three in hysterics by this point. I go in and find that Maddux is now at the opposite end of the bed than he was in just moments ago thus the binkies were out of reach. And the girls were full-on upset that their brother had woken them up. So, here's the dilemma. Which baby do I console? They ALL want me. Ugh. I hate this situation. I want to be there 100% for each one, but sometimes it's just impossible. So, in this case, the squeakiest wheel gets the grease (and, more often than not, the squeaky wheel is Nola). Usually Maddux and Luce can get calmed down rather easily with their binky, some soft whispers and a rub on the head. I give Maddux his binky, do some soft shhhhing then go over to Luce and do the same. They are still upset, but seem as though they might calm down. Nola on the other hand was standing up in her crib and was crying as though the world was coming to a complete end. I pick her up and she immediately melts and lays her head on my shoulder. She and I get in the rocker and Maddux and Luce are beginning to settle down. When all was quiet again I go to lay Nola back down and that was not exactly what she had in mind. She freaks out and starts sobbing worse than she was before. Then, of course, wakes the other two up again. Okay, next plan of attack. I'll just pick her back up, rock her until I know for sure that Maddux and Luce are fully back asleep, then surely by that point Nola will be good and asleep and she won't even notice that I've laid her back in her bed. So, thirty minutes goes by and I decide that this was my moment of truth. I slowly get up from the chair, ever so gently lay her back down and....? She freaks out again. It's 1:00am by this point. I'm tired, she's tired. I'm just going to have to let her calm back down on her own so we can all go back to sleep, otherwise this could go on all night. I know that she's fine, she had gone to sleep initially just beautifully, had a clean diaper, and was only upset because she had been woken up. So, with her crying, I shut the door and sat in the floor in front of their room, and within a minute or two all was quiet again.

Now, I'm not complaining here. We have had much rougher nights than that. But, the hardest part is having to pick and choose which child gets to be consoled. Just because Nola is the most dramatic, does that mean that she is entitled to more cuddle time? Sometimes I even feel guilty when I'm rocking her and look over and see two other babies that could use some snuggle time too. I've struggled with this since the day we brought them home. There's one of me and three of them. I didn't get to be the sole provider for each baby. I had to have help. At the time, the most important part was knowing that each baby was fed and dry. I had to let go of that new mom desire to do everything for each baby and that was hard. It still is. I didn't get the opportunity to instantly bond with them the way the moms of singletons get to do. My bond with them came over time and I had to work hard for it. I often wonder what things would be like if I had had them one at a time. I would like to think that I would have held them nonstop and that they were stuck to me like glue. But, having triplets made some big life decisions easy for us. If I had only had one baby, I would still be working full time and the baby would be in daycare. There was no question when we found out we were having triplets, I had to quit my job and thus I get to spend each day watching them grow and learn. Without a doubt, I wouldn't change a thing. However, four extra arms would be nice.

A Spurt of Development!

2010-03-04T16:58:00.004-06:00

All of a sudden, things are really starting to click! This has been a big week in terms of development with all of the babies, especially the girls. Nola must have read my last post where I was bragging about how Maddux could walk behind the push car all the way across the room. She has never taken interest in the push car, but all of a sudden she pulled up on it and started to take off! She's quite good at it! She is also cruising along the furniture. She is making new sounds while jabbering. I have no idea what she's trying to say, but she's definitely practicing! She is also really into sharing these days. Not necessarily with her brother and sister (if she has a toy or book that another baby wants she defends it with her life! As soon as they head towards her she quickly spins around on her bottom and shakes her head "no"!). But, she loves to share with us or her grandparents by proudly handing us a toy or a green bean. I'm amazed at how much she is beginning to understand. If I say, "Can you hand me that ball?" and point to a ball, she will crawl over to the ball, get it, and hand it to me. So cute! Luce is also all of a sudden all over the place! She's crawling up on all fours, can get into a sitting position, and is pulling up to a standing position in her crib and along the furniture. There is one thing I've learned about Luce, she will NOT be left behind! The EI teachers have said that they believe all of the babies have caught up in age cognitively. They're a tad behind in gross motor skills, but there have been no signs pointing to a problem in that area so hopefully things will happen in their own time. Technically, with a full term baby, walking is not considered delayed until 18 months so we still have plenty of time for them to work on that. But honestly, with the progress I've seen within this past week, I'm not worried in the least! They're growing up and it doesn't even seem fair to call them "babies" anymore. They are drinking from sippy cups, feeding themselves green beans, bananas, and blueberry pancakes. They're little people now!!!

Anniversary!

2010-02-25T12:54:00.003-06:00

This week marks the one year anniversary of the babies finally coming home from the hospital. Wow! And what a year it's been. I would like to say that the day they were born was the happiest day of my life, but I'd be lying if I said that. It was a time filled with fear and uncertainty. But, the day when all three of them were finally home, that was definitely a day to celebrate! The first few months were definitely hard and any memories that I have of that time are blurry. We were just in survival mode! But, it's gotten sooooooo much easier! We have the happiest most content babies I have ever seen. They sleep 12 hours every night and I have no complaints there! I've said this a thousand times, but I am truly beyond blessed. I never knew the love that a mother had for her children until I became one. Being a mom is the best thing that has ever happened to me!!! I can only imagine what fun and challenging times (three toddlers!?!?!) that this next year will hold. Bring it on!

Maddux pushing his car around. He's cruising and climbing all over the furniture and can walk all the way across the room pushing his car. He's yet to take that first step by himself, but I don't think it will be long!

Nola is such a happy little girl! Check out that electric hair! Bless her, her hair is super fine and straight as a pencil. I can't put bows or clips in her hair because they are immediately ripped out by her or her sister. I'm on the fence about cutting it. I'm going to try the tiny rubberbands and do the whole "pebbles" look. If that doesn't work, a bang trim could be in her future.

Luce doing one of her new "tricks".....ARMS UP! We're doing the Your Baby Can Read program and she is my best little student. She really pays attention to everything. I can just see her trying to soak it all in.
The whole gang!

It's All About Attitude

2010-01-28T12:43:00.002-06:00

On Tuesday we took the babies to the doctor's office to receive their 2nd round of the H1N1 vaccine. As I was standing in the lobby with my three carseat carriers loaded up with babies another mom with her ONE baby in tow came in through the outside doors. She looked quite disheveled and irritated. She looked at the babies and then at me and scowled "Are all of those yours?" I said, "Yes, they sure are." She grumpily then said, "Ugh, I feel sorry for you." I could not have been more offended. I said, "Actually, it's wonderful!" She said, "I just don't see how you do it." and walked off. Look, when you go through IVF to get pregnant and then you watch your three tiny babies struggle in the hospital for two and a half months and in the end you walk away with three healthy babies your outlook on everything is completely different. I guess I can see how people might "feel sorry for me" because having triplets is a ton of work and it does have some unique challenges. But I don't look at it that way at all. I could not be happier to have these babies in my life. When I was pregnant I definitely had my doubts. I never in my wildest dreams thought that I'd be able to handle three babies. But, I have a positive attitude and I'm so proud of my babies and all that they have accomplished. It's my joy and honor to take care of them. So, if people feel sorry for me, they truly have no clue. I am the happiest, luckiest woman in the world!

Here they all are in the new "super yard". It may look a little cramped, but this is only a temporary holding area downstairs. We bought the extension kit but it literally took up the entire living area. This will do for now!!! So far they love being in there. We'll see how it goes over in the next couple of months!
Bundled up and ready to go the doctors office!

This is the first thing I see every morning. Honestly, how could someone "feel sorry" for me! Look at that face!!!

Progress!!

2010-01-22T12:56:00.004-06:00

I know I've said this a thousand times....but, my gosh time is going by so fast! And I'm watching my little babies growing into little people right before my eyes. Every day something new happens. Maddux is now pulling up on everything in sight and beginning to 'cruise' along the furniture. He's constantly up trying to find something new to explore. The toys are too boring for this little guy! And now, when we lay him down at naps and at bedtime, we'll here him crying on the monitor and when we go in there he is standing up in his crib. He gets stuck, he hasn't quite mastered the getting down part! He also walks very well while holding onto our hands! Nola is jabbering constantly! It's so precious. She talks to her toys and animals and sometimes will say "mama" or "dada" while she's playing. And yesterday, while the EI teachers were here she clearly said "baby" while holding a picture of a baby. She is also crawling up on all fours and can get into a sitting position from crawling which I know makes her so happy! She's so smart and very inquisitive. She wants to figure out all of the toys and how they work. She is also putting toys into things....like putting the little toy children inside the school bus or putting the "cookies" into the cookie jar. She has even figured out how to put some of the shapes into the shape sorter! Luce is working on crawling but is more interested in figuring out how to stand up! She tries to pull herself up while in her crib and loves to stand and play at their little music table.

We are also in the process of transitioning to table food! I've been so nervous about doing this. I guess I've been afraid of food allergies, choking, and just not knowing what to give them. So, I poled all of my mommy friends for ideas and decided to go for it. They are SO loving it! This week we have tried real bananas, peaches, and macaroni and cheese (which the LOVE!). This morning they tried a blueberry pancake and for lunch we're going to try real green beans and mashed potatoes! Hope they like it!!!

**UPDATE**...They were not a fan of the mashed potatoes or green beans. In fact, I'm quite sure they hated both. This is going to take some getting used to!!

Maddux standing up at one of the toy bins:

Nola and her new best friend, The Monkey. She loves him. She squeals with excitement whenever she sees him, she hugs and kisses him, and takes him everywhere she goes!

Luce was actually clapping when I took this picture!
The girls playing together! They are best friends!

A Few of My Favorite Things

2010-01-13T13:23:00.003-06:00

When people find out that I have triplets, inevitably they will say "I don't know how you do it". Here are a few things that have helped me over the past year and have made my life a bit easier:

Bottle Drying Station:

To my knowledge, there is not a bottle drying system that will hold 24 bottles which is how many we went through each day when the babies were eating every three hours. Most bottle racks hold 8-12 bottles. I didn't want my entire kitchen counter cluttered with bottle racks so while at Target with my friend Mary Ann she had this clever idea. Sure enough, it worked and we're still using it to this day. It's actually two pot and pan lid organizer racks that I put on top of sink liner. I use two dishwashing baskets as a drying station for all of the other bottle parts. (Dr. Brown bottles are a pain in the rear, but they are great bottles and really do eliminate air getting into babies' tummy)

WubbaNubs:

My three absolutely love their WubbaNubs. They are Soothie brand pacifiers attached to a small stuffed animal. It took a while for the babies to master holding in the pacifier. They wanted it, but it would fall out after a few seconds. WubbaNubs were the answer because you could easily prop them and the paci wouldn't fall out. Plus, they are much easier for them to hold onto and the babies can easily find them on their own (well, sometimes!) during the night. They have also sort of become a "lovie" because I still don't allow stuffed animals or blankets in the crib.

Changing Table:

While I was pregnant a coworker asked me if I wanted her old changing table. I politely declined because I didn't think that I would have room for one. After four days of the babies being home our backs were killing us from hunkering over the pack-n-plays to change diapers. I called her up hoping that the table was still up for grabs. Thankfully it was and she brought it to us that evening. We have been forever grateful for this changing table! It's probably the ONE item that I would highly recommend to any mother expecting multiples. It has lots of storage room underneath so diapers, wipes, creams and salves are easily within reach. I also store all pajamas underneath so that they are centrally located and everyone knows where they are. We also have two Diaper Genies that we use. I could argue that we really don't need them because we have to empty them so frequently and the liners are expensive and the cost adds up when you go through as many as we do, BUT they really do conceal the nasty smells that are inside so my husband would argue that it's worth the extra money and time saved from taking out the trash multiple times a day.

Boppy Pillows:

I read somewhere that the Boppy Pillow was voted the Number 1 item that new parents couldn't live without. I would have to agree. They are wonderful and very useful. When we were feeding the babies so frequently the pillows were nice to help prop your elbow upon (even four pound babies get heavy after a while!). As the babies got bigger we would elevate them in the pillows while feeding. It's possible to even feed two babies at once it that position. We laid the babies over the tops of the pillows for tummy time. Then, while the babies were learning how to sit up on their own, the pillows were great for positioning around them. To me, it was worth having three of these!

Bouncy Seats:

This is something else that I definitely needed three of. They are relatively inexpensive, I think ours were around $25 each, but they are worth way more than that! We used ours a TON. The babies loved being in them and they were easily portable to move from room to room or even outside. Ours came with a set of toys that hung down from a detachable bar and those were the first toys that the babies ever played with, learning how to bat at them and eventually hold them. They loved being able to sit up and look around and Luce was very comfortable considering her reflux. Whenever I wanted to take a shower I would load them up in these seats and take them into the bathroom with me. Recently, even though I knew that they were getting way too big for them, I needed a shower and I had hoped that they would tolerate sitting in them for just a few minutes. I gave them each a toy, and while I was in the shower Maddux dropped his toy and in an attempt to retrieve it, he flipped the chair over. I jumped out of the shower and ran over to him thinking that this would have scared him, but it didn't faze him in the least. He was even trying to crawl with this seat attached to his back! So, I need to find another solution for my shower escapades. For now the walker is working for him, but the girls are so over the seats. Never a dull moment over here!!!
I'll try to think of some more things that have made my life easier! Will post again soon!

What have we been up to?

2010-01-08T13:06:00.003-06:00

Well, we've all been very busy since Christmas! Let me bring you up to speed. Nola now has SIX teeth! She is very busy crawling all over the place. She is not crawling up on all fours, but she very efficiently crawls by using her arms and knees to push her body along. Maddux, while quite fast, still only uses his arms to crawl. It's pretty funny, he basically uses just one arm and drags his entire body behind him! He loves to stand and has actually started to take a few steps while holding onto our hands. My parents brought over my nephews old walker and Maddux figured it out immediately. The only problem with that is that he's ALL over the downstairs which is anything but babyproof yet. It's hilarious to watch him go though! I just have to watch his every move and follow him wherever he goes so make sure he's safe. He has already tried to pull wine bottles off of a wine rack, opens drawers and cabinet doors, tries to reach remotes and phones that are on our end tables, you get the idea! He's also pulling up on everything in sight and will attempt to climb over anything in his way, including his sisters. While we're on Maddux, he has also learned to clap and wave and is quite proud of himself when he does so! He loves the reaction of our excitement and will clap and wave over and over so that we will cheer him on. He also LOVES to make us laugh. If he does something that we think is funny he will go on and on! It's so precious. He's all boy in his actions and sounds that he makes, but he is such a sweetheart. He's so loving and sweet and such a happy little boy!

So, let's move onto the girls! Back to Nola, I mentioned that she's crawling and I'm so happy about that. She will also kneel next to a box and play with toys, but she is not pulling herself up yet. I think that she could if she wanted to, she just hasn't figured it out yet. She will also stand up next to the ottoman and play, where just a few weeks ago she refused to bear any weight at all on her legs so I'm happy that she's doing that now. She also claps and will wave on occasion. I may have said before that we refer to Nola as the "diva" and she is certainly living up to that name. She is something. All of Nola's toys are hers and all of the other toys are also hers. She definitely has an issue with sharing. If something doesn't go her way or if I or someone does something that she doesn't like, she immediately wails and is extremely dramatic. I find myself being more of a referee these days trying to keep all "fits" to a minimum. I've learned that you are born who you are. No one taught Nola to cry when things don't go her way, she has been doing that since day one. The other two are completely laid back so she didn't learn it from them. From what I can guess, these "mini-tantrums" are only going to get worse as she gets older. I really don't know how to handle these yet....she doesn't understand what sharing means or that screaming and crying because I need to simply change her diaper is not going to be that bad after all. But, with all of that being said, Nola is also the first to greet you with a huge smile or laugh. Most of the time, she is the happiest baby on the block....as long as things are going her way! She loves to be the center of attention and is quick to put on a show. She loves to dance and she is actually quite good! She gets her whole body going!!!!

And Luce, sweet Luce. She has two teeth that she finally cut the week of her birthday. She is not crawling yet, but can roll to whatever she wants to get to. Every now and then I will find her up on all fours rocking back and forth, but she has yet to take off. She is also clapping and it's so cute! She is so laid back. She is completely content to sit in the same spot and play with one toy for a long time. She rarely cries when one of the other two crawl over and snatch whatever toy she's playing with (unless it's her prized catapiller). She just a happy girl! She will also kneel and play and can stand up next to the ottoman. She just recently started bearing weight too. I was wondering if the girls would ever want to stand, but they're finally getting the hang of it. Yesterday, while sitting in her crib, she grabbed the railing and tried to pull up into a standing position. She was a little wobbly and didn't quite make it, but I was impressed that she even tried! I'm trying to not be the overprotective mother and watch their every move when it comes to trying things on their own, their EI teachers said that they have to fall in order to learn how to catch themselves, but it's hard!

As for me, I'm trying to get back in shape. I was in the best shape of my life before becoming pregnant. I vowed to get back in tip top shape after the babies were born, but that's really hard to do when you have NO free time! Plus, my eating has gone way down hill. In a sense, I've let myself go. So with the new year I am promising to get the old me back. I've also signed up for the Country Music half marathon that will be in April. I've completed two half marathons in the past and each one has been so much fun and really gave me a sense of accomplishment. So, if I can train for one now that I am a mother of triplets, I will definitely feel accomplished!!!

I'll finish this post with pictures that the photographer took just before Thanksgiving (sorry I'm just now getting around to posting them!!!) Thanks for checking in with us! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

My handsome boy!

Nola, the future ballerina?
Luce, my little China doll....

Christmas!!!

2009-12-28T11:07:00.003-06:00

We had a wonderful first Christmas at home with the babies. We didn't celebrate Christmas much last year with the babies being in the hospital so this year we were so excited to be able to share the joys of Christmas with our three precious little ones. We spent a lot of time with our families and of course everyone showered the kids with tons of presents. They loved opening presents and playing with the wrapping paper, bows and boxes. They are enjoying all of their new toys and learning how each one works. Thank you to all of you who made their Christmas so much fun! Derrick and I of course have the best presents of all. (Although, I am lovin my new Ugg house shoes and my Snuggie that I got!!!)

Maddux in his Christmas jammies. Notice the cute hat and Reindeer house shoes!

Hmmm, so many new toys! What shall I play with next?

Nola enjoying the old-school telephone (although Derrick made a good point....they will never know these types of phones! Everything is a cell phone these days! Oh well, it will make for good pretend play anyway! ....I hope!)

Scoping out all the new toys on Christmas morning!

More Christmas Pics!

2009-12-28T10:39:00.004-06:00

Santa Loot!Last year I started the tradition of reading the babies "Twas The Night Before Christmas". I went to each incubator and read it to them. I was so thankful to be able to read it to them this year in our own living room!
Maddux and his new car. Doesn't he look like such a BIG BOY??
The girls studying their new "gears" toy. They LOVE it!
Just before opening presents!!!

Santa Clause is coming to town!!!

2009-12-21T14:54:00.002-06:00

You better watch out!!!

You better not cry!
Better not pout!!
I'm telling you why! Santa Clause is coming to town!!!

First Birthday and 12-month Appointment

2009-12-20T16:05:00.004-06:00

I refuse to believe that my babies are a year old. Wow. It doesn't seem possible!!! But, a year really has gone by. And what a year it's been. Their birthday brought about many emotions as we all reflected back to twelve months ago when they were suddenly born at 27 weeks and we honestly didn't know if they were going to make it. They were so tiny and pitiful. Ignorance is bliss. At the time, while I knew that they were extremely fragile, I thought that they were the most beautiful babies I had ever seen. I carried around a book of pictures and proudly showed them off to everyone. Now, Derrick and I can hardly look at pictures of the babies from a year ago. It's too hard to see. Knowing what we know now, it difficult to go back to that time and not feel overwhelmed with not only sadness but absolute joy at knowing just how far they have come. They are miracles. Three little one year old miracles!! So, last Sunday we had a small birthday party with just grandparents and great-grandparents. We had tons of good food and of course cake and ice cream! I had no idea how the babies would react to their cakes. Other than baby food, they've only had mashed potatoes once and hated it, so I didn't know what they were going to do with their cake. But, they loved it. Who doesn't love cake? The girls made an absolute mess squishing cake and icing in between their little fingers and smearing it all over their highchair tray. Maddux, as usual, was very cautious and didn't know quite what to do with it. G-Diddy (Derrick's dad) helped him out and gave him a taste of icing and he seemed to like that. Towards the end he finally dug into the cake a bit, but at that point the girls' cakes were completely demolished! I don't know how much cake they actually ate though! I think they enjoyed playing with it much more than eating it! Afterwards they opened presents and were so excited to get some new books and toys. I was so proud of them too. They were completely happy and excited to see everyone. Nobody cried once even though we skipped a meal and a nap during the party! They are such little troopers and are the happiest most content babies I have ever seen. I have to pinch myself everyday. I'm so blessed!

Now, onto their 12 month check up. As usual, we were very curious to see what each baby weighed. Here goes:

Nola: 16 lbs. 7 oz

Maddux: 17 lbs. 6 oz.

Luce: 15 lbs. 14 oz.

The doctor was thrilled with their weight. Of course they are still on the small side, at their corrected age (9 months) Maddux and Nola are in the 10th percentile and Luce is in the 5th. That's really not bad. Again, they have come such a long way from where they started. They are HEALTHY albeit small. It may be when they start kindergarten before they catch up in weight so I'm not going to stress anymore about it. As long as they eat and are growing and developing, I'm not going to worry about them putting on weight. They don't look skinny, they look healthy and they're happy and that's all that matters. More good news, they are finally off of Neosure! Waaa hoooo!!! I swear Luce feels better. I really think that formula was too strong for her little tummy. They are now on Good Start Gentle Plus and switching formulas didn't faze them in the least. Thank goodness! We can now wean a bit from a diet of primarily formula to more solids. I don't think that's going to be a problem at all! They are already so disinterested in their bottles so they will love getting more foods. We have recently started giving them meats and they seem to like that. And they absolutely love yogurt. I was surprised to hear that she is planning on keeping them on formula until they are 18 months. I thought 15 months for sure (when they are corrected 12 months) but she doesn't think that they will be ready for milk until 18 months. Oh well. They also had to get several vaccines, a seasonal flu shot, H1N1 shot and had to get their finger pricked. Poor babies. Ugh, I hate watching them get shots. Getting their fingers pricked was for blood work to check their iron levels to see if they are anemic. We have already gotten the results from that and they girls levels are great but Maddux's are a tad low so we need to keep him on his vitamins. The babies also had an eye exam which checked for nearsightedness, farsightedness and general eye health. Praise God, all of their eyes are fine! I was especially happy to hear that about sweet Luce since she had a delay in the growth of the blood vessels in her eye. Such a relief! So, all in all everything is going great and we just need to keep plugging along!

Thank you all for your support and prayers over this past year. We are beyond thankful!!!

Finally, some pics from the party!

Luce: Don't even think about taking this cake away from me......

Nola: I love being the center of attention!!!
Maddux: Hmmmm, not bad....

You say it's your birthday! Da na na na na na na na!!!! It's my birthday too yeah!!! Da na na na na na na na!!!

Big Kid Baths!

2009-12-09T11:20:00.003-06:00

I finally decided that it was getting to be too hard to bathe the babies in the little infant tub on the kitchen counter. The girls were fine, but Maddux was getting too hard to handle. He was constantly squirming around and trying to stand up and with him being wet and slippery I decided that we needed to try something new. So, we went with the inflatable duck tub that we put inside the big tub. Maddux wasn't so sure about it, but the girls loved it! They enjoyed being able to sit up and splash around. It's going to take some practice on my part, it's a little harder on me having to kneel down and lean over the tub. And they all want to look down at the water and therefore when washing their hair all of the water and soapsuds run down into their faces, but I'm sure we'll get the hang of it soon!

Nola, checking everything out. There were a bunch of new things to look at in the big bathroom:

Maddux is still undecided on if he likes the new tub or not...

Luce could have stayed in there all night!

Grateful Mom

2009-12-03T15:00:00.007-06:00

Yesterday I was looking at the Multiples and More blog and they were showcasing a company that makes really cool comfy tee shirts for moms. It's called Peace Love Mom and their shirts are super cute. Check it out if you get a chance! Anyway, there was one in particular that caught my attention, first because it was cute and second, because I loved what it said. It said "Grateful Mom" and it's funky and similar to the Grateful Dead band's signature logo. I thought to myself, "Yep, that's what I am. A grateful mom." Not a day goes by that I don't feel beyond blessed to be the mother of the three most amazing little people I have ever known. But, being a mom is stressful and it comes with sacrifice. I loathe washing bottles. I do it twice a day and it's the part of my day that I most dread. But I'm grateful that I have three babies who are healthy enough to drink bottles. Sometimes I look around my house and feel that it resembles more of a daycare than a home. There are three highchairs crowding my little kitchen, constantly toys in the floor, and three giant "jumparoos" in the living room that are not exactly the type of decor you would see in a Pottery Barn catalog. But then I'm grateful that I get to hear the laughs and see the excitement on the cutest faces I have ever seen while they are jumping their little hearts out. There are times when it's a rainy day and I'd give anything to sleep in till noon however my little ones are like clockwork and want their breakfast bright and early. As I sleepily stumble down the hall and enter their room I am greeted with the most beautiful three smiles on the planet. And for that, I am grateful.

Has a year really gone by?

2009-12-01T11:46:00.003-06:00

I refuse to believe that my babies will be a year old in less than two weeks. That seems impossible! It's strange, sometimes I feel like I just brought them home from the hospital, and at other times it feels like they have always been here. They have definitely had one amazing year. They are amazing little people. I'm planning a very small, very sanitized, immediate family only little party for the birthday girls and boy. They deserve a huge bash, but I can't risk lots of people handling them with it being RSV/Flu season. That's the bummer about winter birthdays. My birthday is in January and when I was little I always wished that I had a summer birthday so that I could have a pool party and all of that fun stuff. And my poor husband has completely lost his birthday since the babies were born on HIS birthday! No one will ever acknowledge his birthday again! I'll make a mental note to try to make his birthday special each year, even though the babies will get all the glory.

Let's see, what else has been going on? Maddux is a very efficient "army" crawler now. The boy is all over the place trying to get into everything. What am I going to do when they are ALL THREE crawling all over the place? We're planning to completely baby-proof our bonus room and just let them have at it, but still, babies have a way of finding things that they're not supposed to. I have nightmares about the girls swallowing hair barrettes and of Maddux sticking his finger in an electrical outlet. I don't know how I am going to be able to keep all eyes on them all the time. I hate to get one of those giant pens, but I'm afraid it's going to be a must. We also have lots of teething still going on. Nola has three more coming in on top and Maddux has two coming in on top. Whew...this teething thing is no fun. I'll be glad when that phase is over!

Our first Thanksgiving as the "McCloud Party of Five" was very quiet and wonderful. I am of course beyond thankful to spend my days being the mother of these little guys. They have brought so much love and joy to our lives. On Thanksgiving I let the babies try their very first "table food" and let them have some mashed potatoes. They were not impressed. And poor Nola has major texture issues. Even though the potatoes were soft and mushy, she still managed to gag and threw up her entire lunch. I obviously didn't expect that reaction. I'm learning that it may take a while to transition to real food. And honestly, I'm not in any hurry to cook meals all day long. The longer they eat baby food the easier it will be for me!

That's all for now! As always, thanks for checking in on us!

Go Titans Go!!!

Lesson Learned

2009-11-17T15:14:00.007-06:00

I had planned on posting yet another request to solicit your votes for the seemingly innocent halloween costume contest over at Multiples and More, but the contest has gotten WAY out of hand. The rules changed at the last minute (apparently due to cheaters) and you can now vote as many times as you like. Well, I don't know about you, but I don't have time to sit in front of the computer all day to vote over and over again. I have sweet triplets to take care of! But alas, there are people out there who do know lots of people with lots of time on their hands (one contestant got over 1,000 votes in less than five minutes!) so the prized stroller has slipped from my grasp and I'm afraid there is just no way we can come close to winning this competition. While the triplets in the lead are adorable, their entire family works at a University and they have been getting all of the students (who have laptops in front of them all day) to vote for them. Who knew??? I thought that this was going to be fun and it turned into a gigantic mess. I have not withdrawn from the competition, you can still vote as many times as you want until Sunday evening, but it seems as though they are too far ahead to catch. At any rate, I want to thank ALL of you who voted for us fairly! We all spent a lot of time and effort campaigning for my little Sweet Peas and I appreciate your support!!! Everyone that I know was sincerely excited and supportive of us winning and it's sad that it turned so ugly. I learned my lesson....no more entries in photo contests!!! Besides, I don't need to win a contest to know that my kids are cute!!

Moving on! Our session last Friday with the photographer went great! I was nervous because I didn't know how the babies would react, but they did great. It was so wonderful because the photographer came to us rather than me dragging them out somewhere and that was a huge bonus. It even allowed for the babies to take a quick nap in between rearranging the backdrops and whatnot. For now you can only see the pictures on Facebook so if you are my friend on FB please head over there and check them out! She did such an amazing job. I have always thought that my children are beautiful (what mother doesn't!) but she really captured some amazing pictures. They look like little angels!!! They are so good they could for sure win a children's photo contest! Hahahahaaaa!!!

Part of our routine is reading books after their morning bottle. This morning after I read them a couple of stories I gave them each a book to look through. They love looking at books! I'm amazed at how they know to turn the pages...I didn't show them that!

TOP 20!!! ONLY ONE MORE DAY TO VOTE!

2009-11-15T15:04:00.002-06:00

Hi all!!! Please don't forget to vote for the Three Peas in a Pod (Number 6) in the Multiples and More halloween costume photo contest!!! WE NEED/WANT THAT STROLLER!!!! Voting for this round will end tomorrow (Monday) at 6:00pm. Thanks everyone for your votes!!!

Top 40! Need your vote!

2009-11-09T09:58:00.003-06:00

Great news! We made it to the Top 40 in the Multiples and More Halloween costume photo contest! I NEED YOUR HELP! Please click on the "Vote For Me" button on the right and cast your vote for the Three Peas in a Pod, #33. They will be accepting votes until this Thursday at 6:00pm (only one vote per computer). It's so easy, it will only take you two seconds to vote!! The Top 20 will be announced on Friday. We could really use the grand prize (a twin jeep stroller) so that is the main reason for entering. Well, that, and bragging rights of course.

Busy Babies!

2009-11-06T10:06:00.004-06:00

It's been busy over here at the McCloud house! Nola has cut her third tooth, this one is up on top and her gum next to that tooth is swollen so I'm sure that the other top tooth will pop through at any minute. I'm wondering if cutting the top teeth is more painful than the bottom teeth? I don't recall any major problems with her cutting the two on the bottom, but we've lost some sleep over these top teeth. Poor baby. And Mr. Maddux has FINALLY cut a tooth! This is his first, it's on the bottom, and it made it's debut yesterday. Go Maddux! He's been drooling and gnawing on everything (including his crib) for weeks and weeks so I'm happy to see that his work finally paid off. He too looks like the second tooth next to it will come through very soon. However, I haven't seen any signs of teething with Luce yet. But you know, she'll be the one to surprise us, I'll probably just look up one day and there will be a tooth! No one is crawling yet, but let me tell you, Maddux can sure get around even if he's not crawling. He is a rolling champ. He can get from one side of the room to the other in seconds. He looks like a little tumbleweed! I've tried to show him the motions of crawling, but I think he's discovered that his way is easier and faster so he has no desire to crawl yet. Every now and then I'll find him up on all fours rocking back and forth, but then he plops down and rolls to whatever he wants to get to! Little stinker. We've also got a lot of babbling going on. So cute. I love to hear "mama", "dada", "baba" and "nana". Oh! And Nola has learned how to clap and wave bye bye! Ugh, everyday they do the cutest things! I honestly think that having triplets is the BEST thing in the world! I've never been happier....they truly brighten up my world!!!

We have a big weekend planned. My great uncle is a professional Santa Clause and he's coming to our house tomorrow for a private photo session before he leaves on duty. This is perfect because I'm sure not going to take them to the mall (see post on nasty germs!). I hope that the babies don't totally freak out at the sight of him! They are sometimes a little leery of strangers so this will be interesting. And next Friday I have a professional photographer coming to the house to take some pictures of the babies. This will be their first professional pictures and I'm so so so excited. I don't know how this year got away from me without getting professional pictures of the babies...could have something to do with being in the hospital for almost three months and just the logistics of handling three babies?? Not sure?!?!

Finally a few pics! Yes, Maddux is eating Nola's toes. I wasn't kidding when I said he would chew on everything....

Happy naked babies!
Sister, you are sooooo funny!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-26T10:20:00.003-05:00

Here are some pictures of the babies in their Halloween costumes!! How perfect??? Three peas in a pod! I love it. I couldn't help but crack up the entire time we were taking these pictures. There's just something about babies dressed up in costumes! I also entered the group photo in a Halloween photo contest on the website www.multiplesandmore.blogspot.com. Funny! That's so very mom-like of me! I mean, all moms think their children are beautiful, but admit it, this picture is pretty darn cute!!!

Maddux is saying "Get me outta this thing!"

Luce (is that expression not hysterical?!?!)

I think Nola actually enjoyed being dressed up! She is the ham in the bunch. Loves attention!

My three little Sweet Peas!!

Luce: Then and Now

2009-10-21T13:15:00.008-05:00

While organizing the babies' closet the other day I came across one of the preemie sized sleepers that the girls used to wear. I vividly remember the first day that we were actually able to put clothes on the babies while they were still in the hospital. It was a big deal and something that they had to work hard towards. Up until that point the babies were naked except for their diaper for many weeks. The first item of clothing that they could wear was a tee-shirt, only allowed after they had reached a certain weight (which I think was around 4 pounds) and all was going well enough for some of the monitors to be removed. When they graduated to "real clothes" we knew we were close to bringing them home. Real clothes meant that they had been moved from the issolette to an open crib. When I held up the tiny sleeper the other day many emotions came rushing back. First of all, I couldn't believe how tiny the outfit was, then I realized that they were over two months old before they were even big and healthy enough to wear it. Then I looked at the clothes that they are in now and compared. It's just amazing to see how far they have come.

Luce was the smallest of the three weighing in at only 1 pound 10 ounces at birth. She was the sole reason why the babies were born so premature due to a blood clot in her placenta. She was the only baby that required the use of a ventilator for the first few days of life and also had an intestinal scare while in the NICU that had us fearing for her tiny life. She came into this world a fighter and has proved to be one determined little girl. She is so completely laid back and is by far the easiest baby of the three. She just goes with the flow with a constant smile on her face. It's almost as if she doesn't allow herself to get upset by the small things simply because she's just happy to be here. People are drawn to her and instantly fall in love with her. I cannot imagine life without Luce in it and I feel completely honored to be her mom.

A comparison of the preemie sleeper and the sleeper she is in now:

Smiling and loving life!

This picture was taken the night that we "roomed in" when getting ready to take Maddux and Nola home. The doctors actually let Luce stay in the room with us, which had apparently never been allowed before. You can see that the sleeper is completely swallowing her. She came home four days later.
All of the babies are truly miracles, but Luce is certainly unique in her own special way.

It's That Time of Year Again...

2009-10-13T09:54:00.003-05:00

It's that time of year again and unfortunately I'm not referring to the colorful leaves and the crisp weather. I'm referring to the dreaded RSV season. Most of you who read this blog are aware of RSV and it's potential danger to the babies, however I wanted to remind everyone of it's severity and why it's still so important that we continue to protect the babies. Please read the following information in it's entirety:

If you are not aware of RSV you are among the majority. Most people have not heard of RSV, even though nearly every child has had it by the age of two. For full term babies, RSV is usually not any worse than a common cold, but for preemies, the virus can be severe. Babies born earlier than 36 weeks (ours were born at 27 weeks) are the the highest risk for serious complications like pneumonia, bronchitis, and other sometimes fatal complications. Our babies were born premature with lung issues, are multiples, and had low birth weights; these are among the highest risk factors for contracting RSV and developing serious complications.

Starting October first through the end of April we will be on what's called in the preemie world, "RSV Lockdown". That's 7 months of no church, shopping, going out to eat, or taking the babies to other crowded areas.... sounds crazy I know... but for the most part that's the way it has been since the babies have come home. We will only be taking the babies to necessary doctors appointments during the RSV season. The babies are 10 months old now and healthy so we want them to stay that way. It was just a few short months ago they were fighting to live. They do look like big "normal" healthy babies now, but their lungs have a lot of catching up to do. Can’t they fight it off and build up their immune system? Kids need to get sick, right?! The simple answer is NO. Since our babies were pre-term, they did not acquire the necessary immunities to fight off infection.

Here's a brief explanation I found at http://www.rsvprotection.com/
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a very common virus. RSV usually causes mild cold-like symptoms in adults and children. But premature babies or those with lung or heart problems have a high risk of getting very sick if they catch RSV early in life. This is because premature babies do not have fully developed lungs. Also, because they were born early, they may not have received virus-fighting substances (called antibodies) from their mothers that help them fight off RSV and other viruses. Each year, an estimated 125,000 infants in the United States are hospitalized with severe RSV, the leading cause of infant hospitalization. Severe RSV infections may cause up to 500 infants deaths annually in the United States.

To help prevent RSV we are asking the following of you. We ask that you do not bring over children and don't visit if you have been/have been around someone who is sick within the past 2 weeks... regardless of how much you want to see the babies! When visiting we ask that you wear freshly washed clothing or bring a change of clothes to change into. You will also be asked to wash and sanitize your hands upon arrival. If we feel like someone visiting has symptoms of a cold or other sickness, we will ask you to leave. The babies are on a list to receive monthly Synagis shots during the RSV season. The shots are designed to help protect preemies and other high risk babies from severe RSV.

Are we over protective parents? Absolutely. We have every right and reason to be. Our goal is to make it through this and the next RSV seasons without the babies contracting RSV or any other serious illness. Their lungs are still very fragile until they are 2-years-old. Please understand that we do not mean to offend anyone, just simply to provide an explanation. We hope you understand, and we appreciate your help in keeping our babies safe. We ask that you continue to keep our precious babies in your prayers that we may make it through this season as healthy as ever :)

(Thank you Merritt's + 3 for your information!!!)

Cupie Doll

2009-10-08T11:55:00.002-05:00

Several people, even when she was in the NICU, have said that Luce looks like a Cupie Doll. What do you think?

2009-10-07T14:56:00.001-05:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

My Husband, The Genius!

2009-10-02T14:32:00.002-05:00

After my post on Wednesday I received some messages from a couple of fellow "mothers of multiples" and they could not believe that I was feeding my babies individually. Back in the day, I definitely tried it all when it came to attempting to feed at least two babies at once. I tried feeding them in their bouncy seats, car seats, boppy pillows and nothing ever seemed to work for me. It would end up taking just as long as feeding them one at a time so I eventually gave up and have been doing it this way ever since. After their reactions I decided to reevaluate the situation. Maybe I could feed them at the same time? The babies are much bigger now and maybe, just maybe, it could work? Derrick and I gave it some thought and then he had a brilliant idea. He suggested that we put them in their highchairs and prop the bottles with blankets. I was skeptical, but at this point I was willing to try anything. So, last night (once Derrick was home and I had back-up) we put the girls in their highchairs and gave it a whirl. And low and behold....IT WORKED!! They didn't seem to mind a bit! Then, when it was time for cereal they were already set! I had them both fed, cereal and all, in 45 minutes. This morning we tried it with all three. Again, it was perfect! It may seem impersonal to prop a bottle, but believe me when I say that this will allow me to have soooooooo much more individual time with them actually playing, learning and reading. Plus, it will give me some ME time!

Here's the set up:

Full Time

2009-09-30T14:42:00.002-05:00

Being the mother of triplets is definitely a full time job. Ever since the babies came home I have "worked" around the clock. My entire day is based on meal times and nap times and since I can't feed more than one baby at a time I have to stagger the meals and naps. When the babies were smaller they slept a lot more and over the course of the day I would have two hours (one in the morning and one in the afternoon) to myself to relax, watch tv, play on the computer or just enjoy the silence! Over the past couple of months my sacred "hours" turned into thirty minutes at a time and they have slowly worked their way to nonexistent. Plus, with the addition of more meals added to our routine, I basically never stop now. The babies also don't sleep as sound as they used to. I used to be able to sneak in one of the babies for their nap without waking another one up, but now they sleep with one eye open and as soon as I start to leave the room they start crying. I realize that I still have it pretty easy, they aren't crawling and walking all over the place yet....oh gosh, that scares me to even think about!

All of a sudden it fall! Brrrrr! I had to break out some warm clothes for the babies!

9 Month Check Up

2009-09-24T14:56:00.003-05:00

(I don't know why my pictures moved up here to the top? Anyway, to not risk losing my entire post I'm leaving it like this! Post below!)

Playing in the floor is their favorite thing to do!

I found Nola napping like this the other day. I thought it was so funny with her legs hanging through the slats!

Yesterday the babies went to see the pediatrician for their nine month check up. Holy Cow! Nine months already! Geez! Current weights are:

Nola = 14 lbs 8 oz

Maddux = 15 lbs 2 oz

Luce = 14 lbs

The doctor was again happy with their progress, but I have to admit, I had hoped that the babies would weigh more than they did. Although I know I shouldn't, it's so easy to get caught up in what other babies their age weigh and the fact that even at their corrected age they are barely in the 10th percentile. What I have to remind myself is that they didn't have much to start with, they didn't even weigh 2 pounds at birth! And it's not that I expect more out of them at all, they continue to amaze me everyday. I guess I am just constantly questioning myself as their mother (ie: Am I feeding them enough? Should I increase their formula? Should I be giving them more vegetables?) She assured me that I am doing everything that I am supposed to be doing, but still, I'm completely winging this whole thing and I just want to do a good job! She is going to keep them on the high calorie preemie formula until they are twelve months old. Another slight disappointment (it's constipating and expensive) but she wants to try to beef them up a bit more. She also wants me to encourage the girls to eat more solids. It took literally almost three months of trying every night for them to even open their mouth to try any cereal. You would have thought that I was giving them vinegar! But, in the past couple of weeks they have finally come around and have been eating it at night. I'm just going to start giving them cereal in the morning in addition to the night feeding and then start to integrate more vegetables. Maddux is doing great on the solids. In fact, he prefers it over the bottle. We have to make sure that he's eaten his entire bottle before giving him solids, otherwise he won't eat any more of his bottle. Other than that, there were not any more major changes in the way that we're doing things and she doesn't need to see them again until their 12 month appointment.

On a funny note, the babies' personalities were in full force yesterday. We fondly like to call Nola "the Diva" because she is very vocal if she doesn't get her way or if you do something that she doesn't like. For instance, the doctor wanted to look at Nola's teeth and obviously Nola did not want a semi-stranger sticking their finger in her mouth. As soon as the doctor opened her mouth she started screaming and didn't stop for five minutes. Maddux turned on the charm and was flirting with the doctor and her staff. Nola and Maddux also cried big and hard when they were receiving their flu shots, but Luce, my tough cookie, barely whimpered and looked at the nurse like "Is that all you got?" She is something else!!!

However, with all of that being said, I thank God every day for these babies. They may be small, but they are healthy and perfect in every way. Who cares what other babies weigh or what percentile they're in? They have come such a long way and I am so thankful for their progress.

Here's Maddux in his big boy high chair!

St. Louis Sans Babies

2009-09-22T10:22:00.002-05:00

Before becoming parents, Derrick and I used to take little trips whenever we could. We loved to get out of town for the weekend and check out other cities and sightsee and eat local foods. We haven't been able to do that for quite some time so we decided that we were comfortable leaving the babies for a few days to get away and relax. We had never been to St. Louis and it's only a five hour drive from Nashville so we decided that would be our destination. Derrick's parents offered to stay with the babies and since they see them pretty much everyday and know their routine quite well I knew that they would be in very capable hands. When the time came to leave it certainly wasn't easy for me. The night before we left I cried and cried when I laid each one down for bed. You would have thought I was never going to see them again! But, since they were born I have only left them for hours at a time so I had some anxiety about not seeing them for three days. But, I have to admit, once we were on the road it was really nice to get a break. I missed the babies like crazy, but it was so nice to not be tied to the clock. All day I am constantly checking to see what time it is; it's always time to eat or time for a nap. It was great to just relax and enjoy each other without any schedules or responsibility! We did a lot of sightseeing. We went to the Anheuser Busch Brewery, the Gateway Arch, a Cardinal's baseball game, ate some fabulous food, and did some shopping (they have an H & M in St. Louis...my favorite!!!). Once we were back home I felt a little out of sorts. Like when I worked and I would come back from vacation it would take me days to sort out my desk and catch up on what had been going on....it strangely felt the same way! And I swear the babies grew while we were gone! But, all in all we had a wonderful time!!

NICU Birthday Party

2009-09-03T18:19:00.002-05:00

This past weekend we all went to the annual NICU Birthday Party at Baptist Hospital. This event welcomes all "graduates" from the NICU and all of the nurses, doctors, and respiratory therapists are on hand to visit and "ooooh and ahhhh" over all of the BIG babies! Some children that have graduated the NICU and are now teenagers still attend the annual event. These people truly impact lives! It was great to not only see the staff but to also see some of the families that we got to know during our journey. We have a bond that is so special and unique. We were once again reminded of how absolutely blessed we are. My babies are so so so healthy. Other than being on the small side they have not had any major problems thus far. Many preemies have to endure surgeries and procedures and have other long term health problems. Our stay in the NICU was relatively uneventful and they are developing and growing just as they should be. There still could be problems that are underlying and haven't revealed itself such as cerebral palsy, but so far there haven't been any signs for concern. They truly are three little miracles and they amaze me everyday. I love them more than I ever thought possible. Thank you God for giving me these three precious angels!!!

Finally, some pictures of the babies all dressed up before the party!

Sweet Maddux. Look how BIG he looks! He's such a happy and sweet little boy. I can already tell that he is going to be an awesome brother to his two sisters!

Miss Nola. She has, count em, not one but TWO teeth! So adorable!

Here lately Luce has an obsession with her tongue and it's the cutest thing ever!
That's all for now! Thanks again for checking in with us!

Tooth!

2009-08-24T18:36:00.003-05:00

At this very moment, little Miss Nola is cutting her first tooth! She has been drooling and chewing on anything and everything she could find for the past several weeks and late last week she started running a low grade fever so I have been on constant tooth patrol and finally this morning her first tiny tooth started breaking through her gums! Yay for Nola! While this is exciting I know that the poor little thing must be uncomfortable so I'm doing my best to help her by keeping a supply of teething rings in the fridge, keeping the temps down with tylenol, and singing and clapping and doing whatever silly thing that will take her mind off of it! She's a trooper though! I'll post a picture of her as soon as the tooth officially makes it's debut! Maddux is also having the same symptoms but I haven't felt anything yet, although his gums look a little swollen. Oh boy. Three babies teething at the same time. This could be tough!

Very quick update!

2009-08-19T10:44:00.002-05:00

I know, I know....I said I was going to do a better job at updating this. After multiple complaints this week I realized that I needed to get on the ball and post a quick update! I'm holding a hungry baby at this very moment so forgive me for any grammatical errors! The babies are doing GREAT! They are growing like little weeds! They are constantly reaching for things, which may not seem like a big deal for most babies, but it's a major milestone for my little guys. If I'm holding a drink, they reach for it, if I'm changing the channel on the TV, they reach for the remote, and they love to hold and play with my necklace! They really want to explore everything around them. They are such happy babies. All you have to do is smile at them and they will reciprocate with the biggest toothless grin you have ever seen! They especially love to be bounced on your knee or tickled, they just laugh and laugh! They are slowly becoming more mobil and Maddux is on the verge of crawling. He gets very frustrated when he sees and toy that he wants to get to and can't quite figure out how to get there. It won't be long though! He's my little eater too. He eats cereal twice a day and also has a serving of a fruit or veggie in addition to four 7 ounce bottles! The girls are still working on the cereal but have made great progress over this past week. Yay! All in all, things are just wonderful! Thanks for checking in with us!!

Luce:
Maddux:
Nola:
Look at my BIG babies!!!

New Toys!

2009-07-21T10:35:00.004-05:00

The babies are learning new things everyday! It's exciting watching them grow and learn right before my eyes. Maddux is a rolling over champ these days! He's all over the place. At this rate he'll be crawling before I know it! He is continuing to roll over in his sleep, well actually, as soon as I lay him down on his back he immediately rolls over, and will only settle down when he's on his tummy. I called the pediatrician and they basically said that I can't do anything about it. He's going to get in whatever position he wants to be in and to just clear the crib from all bumpers, loose bedding and stuffed animals. I find myself checking on him all the time and making sure that he's breathing. But, I know, we all slept on our tummies and we're all fine, it's just that these days they drill it in your head to never let a baby sleep on their tummy. There's no stopping my little guy though. He's getting used to not being swaddled, however each day is getting to be more and more of a challenge to get him to take a nap or go back to sleep during the night. Derrick and I have been quick to brag on the babies about them sleeping through the night. We were told by other new parents that this doesn't last and we are quickly learning all about that. Yesterday afternoon Maddux fell asleep while I was giving him some juice. I knew that he was tired and ready for a nap but I wanted to get that juice in him because he stays pretty constipated. So, I cuddled him for a few minutes and when I laid him down he started to throw a fit. I tried to be tough and let him "cry it out" but it only got worse. Meanwhile, the girls were also tired and ready for a nap so they started crying. I got the girls settled down, but all the while Maddux is wailing away with no end in sight. I went in and picked him up and he immediately settled down and was fine. I tried to lay him down again and of course it started all over again. I've read all the books, Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child, Babywise....but it's hard to know exactly what to do when you're in the throws of battle. I gave in and rocked him to sleep and held him until Derrick got home. Last night, at around midnight Nola starting whimpering. I tried to let her fall back asleep on her own but it only got worse, to the point where she was all out screaming. I finally got her calmed down, then Maddux started at around 4:00am. We're guilty of letting the babies use a pacifier as a use of calming themselves back to sleep....only they need our help finding the pacifier and sometimes even holding it for them until their back to sleep. It's sweet that they want to cuddle, and trust me I love cuddling with them too. But, they have to learn that cuddling is during the day fun, not middle of the night fun. And they need to learn how to take naps without being held or rocked. The books all say to lay them down while they're awake with no help and they will get used to falling asleep on their own. Sounds easy, right?? Trust me, it's not always that easy. Again, this is a learning process for all of us, but we ALL need some good sleep.

Back to the New Toys! Luce has built in toys....her feet! She loooooooves them!

Nola in the Rainforest Jumper. She loves it! She will jump and bounce like an old pro! (Notice the pillow underneath...she can't quite touch the floor yet!)

Maddux in the Baby Einstein Jumper. He's already learned how to make it play music by pushing on the piano keys. Such a smartie!

Swaddling

2009-07-15T13:43:00.002-05:00

I have been a firm believer in swaddling ever since the babies were in the hospital. The nurses wrapped them up like little cocoons and after watching the DVD "Happiest Baby on the Block" I was officially sold. The babies have responded very well to swaddling ever since. I realize that we've been swaddling them way longer than most people swaddle their babies, but they really seem to enjoy it once they're asleep. Here lately, they have become more difficult to swaddle by kicking their legs or moving their arms out...but once the battle is over and they are snug as bugs they love it. Well, as mentioned in my previous post, they are quickly outgrowing my tried and true method of doing things. I've been very guilty of sticking with what has been working and reluctant to change anything. On Monday I moved the babies to a four hour eating schedule and so far that seems to be going well. I would say that we're still on a trail run and taking it one day at a time. They do seem more rested and are enjoying their longer naps. On the three hour schedule I was consistently having to wake them up....who wants to do that?!?!

So, now my new issue (seems to be a new one everyday now!) is swaddling. Maddux has learned how to roll over from his back to his belly and really enjoys being in this position. Once I saw him doing it so well I realized that I probably wouldn't be able to swaddle him much longer. Yesterday during one of his naps I walked in and discovered him on his tummy while swaddled! I'm not sure how he did that without the use of his arms but he did. Of course, it's a no-no these days to ever let a baby sleep on their tummies. Now what?!?! I tried him in a sleep sack last night but he was very restless. It took him almost an hour to fall asleep and he still woke up a few times after that. Today he's had a very hard time falling asleep for his naps. I really think he's over the swaddling because often times when he's fighting falling asleep he will kick the blanket completely open (and we use the Swaddle Me brand blankets with pretty strong velcro so he works hard to get out!). But, how can I get him to settle down now??? I've ordered some pacifier proppers (thanks Erinn!), which are basically cute little stuffed animals with a paci on the end, to hopefully help the situation (including the comfort of the swaddle he usually needs a paci to fall asleep too). Maybe he'll get used to being out in the open. The question is just how long is that going to take??!!??

Fun weekend! (Well, for the most part!!)

2009-07-13T14:14:00.002-05:00

I am very lucky to have a group of lifelong friends. Mary Ann, Jennifer (aka "Nichols"), Abby and Natalie have been my four best friends for over fifteen years now. We've been through it all...singlehood, marriages, dogs and now children! Abby moved to Florida a few years ago and Nichols is now living in Memphis so it's a BIG deal when we're all together in one place. Natalie is expecting another baby boy next month so we were all together this weekend to celebrate his arrival with a small shower and some much needed girl time. Abby and Nichols had not met the babies yet so I was thrilled that they were able to stop by! I had a wonderful time visiting and laughing with my dear friends. Thanks to my sweet hubby and in-laws who babysat while I spent as much time as possible with my girls!!

That was the fun part of the weekend. The not-so-fun part happened last night when I had some very cranky babies on my hands. Since the babies came home from the hospital I have kept them on a very rigid schedule. I basically kept the same schedule that they were on in the hospital, the only changes have been eliminating the middle of the night feedings. For the past week or so I could tell that things were not working as well as they always had. The babies would nap very well in the morning and at midday, but were not wanting to nap in the afternoon or early evenings. They would only nap for maybe twenty minutes when before it would be an hour or so. To me, it seemed like they were outgrowing the schedule. I had been debating for several weeks to move them to a four hour eating schedule however the pediatrician wanted them to continue to eat every three hours. Well, it all came to a head last night when I had a little boy that was extremely fussy, cranky and frankly pissed off. I can only assume that he was overtired because he had hardly napped. I finally decided to feed him his last bottle early and put him to bed. It worked, thankfully, but in the end I was tired, frustrated and left not knowing what to do. So, I've decided to go with my gut and put them on a four hour eating schedule today with longer daytime naps (which until this very moment had gone well....I have a little girl that's not wanting to go to sleep right now!). We'll see. This is all trial and error I suppose. I just felt like the babies were telling me that they were tired. So, for right now we're going to try eating at 7:30am, 11:30am, 3:30pm, and 7:00pm and in bed by 8:00pm with a morning and afternoon nap. It could completely backfire, but what did I have to lose? They were going to be cranky anyway!

Sweet sisters:

My big boy!
Nichols and Maddux:
Abby, Natalie and Mary Ann with the babes:
Don't I have the most beautiful friends?!?! Love you girls!

Could she be teething?

2009-07-10T09:31:00.002-05:00

Nola has been drooling quite a bit for several weeks now. She tries to chew on everything she can get her tiny hands on and she's getting to be a bit fussier, especially if she's chewing on something and drops it. She has been doing great at night sleeping right at eleven hours. I've heard that when babies start cutting teeth that they typically have trouble sleeping. So, I'm not sure if she is cutting teeth? Are there any other signs that I might notice if she is in fact cutting teeth? The babies' corrected age is almost four months old so it definitely might be time. Any advice would be appreciated!! Thanks!

Fourth of July Fun!

2009-07-06T16:12:00.004-05:00

We had a good first Fourth of July with the babies. My dad and stepmom invited us to Moss Wright Park in Goodlettsville for a family cookout. It was great! While we're still not used to taking the babies out with us, it still went surprisingly well. My dad brought a saucepan and warmed some water in it over the grill so that we could heat up bottles when it was time to eat. After we fed the babies and it was time for the rest of us to eat, we put them in their carseats and they were happy as could be. They enjoyed hanging out and watching everything around them. I'm looking forward to more Fourth of July celebrations at Moss Wright...it was perfect. Not very crowded, at least everyone was spread out which made it seem less crowded, and there were lots of things for kids to do: bouncy houses, huge blow up water slides, face painting, tons of yummy concession foods (I had my very first deep fried Snickers! Yummmm!) and the highlight for the kids is when the firefighters spray foam in a huge field and they can get completely soaked in it. I'm sure my three will love it when they're a little bigger! The park completed the evening with a fireworks display, however the weather didn't quite cooperate this year. We left a little early since the clouds were getting darker, plus it was time for them to eat again. We made it to the van just in time. They shot off the fireworks early, just as it was barely getting dark, due to the approaching weather so we were able to see a few from the car. But I was glad that we left early because just after we pulled off the bottom fell out. All in all, we had a great time. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for having us!

Aunt Kristi and Nola:

I was lucky to have volunteers when it was feeding time! The aunts were off with the big kids at the "foam" so their men stayed behind and fed babies!

Grandma showing Nola a pinwheel:

Grandpa and Maddux:

Six Month Check Up

2009-07-01T13:05:00.002-05:00

The babies went for their six month check up yesterday with the pediatrician. I still cannot believe that they are six months old! They are half-way to their first birthday! Wow. They have already come such a long way. The doctor was, as usual, very pleased with their progress. Nola now weighs in at 12 lbs 2 oz. and 23 1/4 inches long, Maddux is 12 lbs 14 oz. and 24 inches long, and Luce is 11 lbs 11 oz. and 22 1/2 inches long!!! They've all pretty much doubled their birth length!! It's crazy that they have grown a foot since they were born. It's happening so fast too! We just moved them to 3-6 month jammies and their feet are already at the end!

Some exciting news is that we can now introduce veggies and fruits to their diets. As I mentioned previously, they are still not that interested in eating from a spoon. The bottle is just so much easier and familiar to them. She encouraged me to add a little fruit to their cereal to make it a little more interesting and yummy. So, we added pears last night and Maddux seemed to really enjoy it! The girls weren't really in the mood for it. They were tired and didn't feel well from their shots (poor babies). Maybe they will give it a try tonight. I'm looking forward to this new phase in their lives. I'm even interested in making homemade baby food. It may end up being way too much work, but it will definitely be more cost effective and probably healthier and tastier for the babies. We'll see. I thought it was interesting that she wanted me to start with fruits. Everything I read says to start with veggies because they like the fruit so much and may not like the vegetables. Then again, if they aren't interested in eating from a spoon I have to do something to entice them. Maybe I read waaaaaay too much stuff on the internet. I'm sure I started on fruits (do you remember mom?) and there is nothing on this Earth that I won't eat. I trust their doctor though. We'll see how it goes.

Overall, I think the visit went very well. They are of course still small for their age. She adjusted their growth charts to their corrected age (just over three months) and they are right in the 25th percentile and she seemed very happy with that. She is keeping them on the Neosure formula (expensive preemie formula) for the next three months since they are doing so well on it and they don't have another appointment until their 9 month check up. Wow. It's happening so fast! My little babies are growing up!

Here are some pictures from our recent visit back to the NICU. It was so wonderful to see our "family" there. They are such an amazing group of people and I'm so blessed that they took care of my tiny babies. We completely lucked out that Miss Ginny and Laura were there who were the babies two primary daytime nurses. I honestly don't think I could have made it through without them!!!

Nola showing off for the nurses:

Laura and Maddux:

Miss Ginny and Luce:

Laura, Miss Ginny, and Dr. Krueger:

Thanks for checking in! We're doing GREAT!!!!

Busy Week!

2009-06-29T08:57:00.004-05:00

We have had a very busy week! There's been a lot going on at the McCloud house, some good things and some not-so-good things. Sadly, my grandfather passed away last week. He was probably the kindest, most thoughtful man I have ever known and I will miss him greatly. I'm thankful that he did get the meet the babies about a month ago, I just wish that they could have had more time with him. He loved to make people laugh and feel special and I know that they would have adored him.

On a lighter note, the babies have been doing lots of new things lately. They have been eating cereal at night for the past week or so. They are still not sure what to think about it and get rather frustrated when they are hungry...the spoon is way too much effort and confusing for them and they just want their bottle! It's going to take some time and patience, but they will get the hang of it eventually. I'm not sure if it's related to the cereal or not, but Luce has been spitting up way more than usual. In fact, it had almost stopped until we started the cereal and now it's worse than ever. It's hard to believe that the tiny amount that she's actually eating would upset her stomach so bad? They are seeing the doctor tomorrow for their six month check-up so I'm curious to see what she has to say about that...along with my laundry list of other questions!

We also took the babies to Opry Mills mall on Saturday. Believe it or not, this was our first family outing with all five of us. I really wanted to go just to prove to ourselves that we could do it. It's of course a lot of effort to get them all fed and dressed and out the door and after doing all that there is very little time before it's mealtime again (they still eat every three hours during the day). It's easy to want to find a babysitter and go shopping without them simply because it is so much work, then I have to worry about how to warm their bottles and where to feed them once we're out. But I can't keep them cooped up in the house forever. I just needed to go for it and see what happens. So, we had a plan. Derrick took Maddux in the single stroller and I took the girls in the twin stroller. This was also good for disguising the fact that they are triplets and saving us the "Oh my God, triplets!" and all the usual questions that follow. We split off, the boys went to Bass Pro and the girls went to Saks! When it was time to eat we met back up and I had the brilliant idea to go to the Starbucks inside the mall and had them give me three cups of hot water (and a latte for me!). We found a table close by, warmed their bottles, and fed them right there. It was great! I was surprised to see that no one paid any attention to us at all! They ate good and we went on our merry way. For future outings, if a Starbucks is close by I am set! The babies enjoyed their trip and liked looking at all of the lights and sounds that a very busy mall has to offer. They stayed awake the entire time and never made a peep. On the way home we decided to stop and get a pizza and that's when they finally started to get fussy. They were completely worn out. But, all in all, I think it was a success. On a funny note, after all that, we came home empty handed. We both agreed that it was hard to spend money on something that we didn't really need when we had these little faces looking back at us! When they're right there it's easy to say "I don't really need this shirt"....especially considering the cost of formula!!!

Finally, some pictures!

Maddux has learned to suck his thumb. I am really trying to prevent this and offer him his pacifier instead. On this occasion he would immediately spit out the paci and stick his thumb right back in his mouth. My mom had this idea to keep him from doing it again. He looks like a mini Al Bundy!

Chillin in their shades on the deck....
My two precious boys!!!

Long Time, No Post!

2009-06-21T20:07:00.003-05:00

I'm not sure if anyone still checks this blog since it's been so long since I have posted. I do apologize for taking extra long this time. These little ones keep me busy! They stay awake longer during the day (and are sleeping through the night! Yay!!) and I am very diligent about one on one play time with each baby every free second that I have so the little spare time that I do have I am washing bottles, doing laundry and getting a bite to eat myself!

Here's a quick rundown of what's been going on. First of all, the babies are six months old! Can you believe it? I sure can't! They are learning new things every day. They are all obsessed with their hands and are constantly putting their entire fists in their mouths. Any small toy that they are holding onto also tries to go in the mouth. They are laughing and squealing and it's just the best! They have two teachers that come to the house once a week to help with any developmental delays that the babies may have. They are with Tennessee Early Intervention which is a FREE program offered to preemies that are at risk for developmental delays and I am more than happy to take advantage of it. They are wonderful with the babies and they have taught me different things to do with the babies to help them along. Their corrected age is three months and they are doing everything that a three month old baby is expected to do. The teachers feel that they are right on target and don't have any concerns thus far. Maddux and Nola are both very strong physically. They can both hold their heads up really well when on their tummies and they have also started to roll over! Luce is not quite as strong as they are just yet, but I feel confident that she is close on their heels. But, speaking of Luce, since the babies came home in February she has consistently been about six ounces smaller than Nola. I knew the little stinker would catch up. When they were weighed last she was one ounce smaller than Nola!!! The girls are both eleven pounds and Maddux is twelve pounds! They are scheduled to go to the doctor this week so I'm anxious to see their weights again. It's always fun for me to see how far they have come!!

Here are some pictures that were taken on their six month birthday. Derrick's cousin took them and I think they are just precious! I have adorable individual pictures, but I couldn't figure out how to post them without them being turned the wrong way. If I can figure it out I promise to post them! I'm vowing to do a better job at keeping this updated more frequently so please check back with us! Thanks for thinking of us!!!

(left to right: Nola, Maddux, Luce)

Who Are These Big Babies?

2009-05-18T09:59:00.004-05:00

I can't get over these babies. Every day they amaze me. They just keep getting bigger and bigger and are becoming more interactive everyday. All of the babies have found their hands and by that I mean they constantly have their tiny hands together and are twisting and twirling them around...almost like they are trying to plot something. It's so cute! They aren't really grasping for things yet, but they will hold on to a rattle or small toy for a bit if I put it in their hands. They are all staying awake longer during the day and just love looking around and learning all about their surroundings. They are also mesmerized by the television. The other morning they just kept looking at it and wouldn't look at anything else so I put in a Baby Einstein DVD and they loved it. They watched every bit and never even looked away! I'm sure there are people out there that can't believe that I am letting them watch TV, but honestly, how bad can it be? It's not like they watch it all day. Once they get bigger I'm honestly going to try to work really hard for TV watching to only be a small part of the day. They are all starting to coo and "talk" to us. They absolutely love to be talked to. Yesterday out of the blue Luce starting really "talking" and squealing and it was so precious. She loved learning that she had a voice! She may have been so excited because my mom and I took the kids to Target for the very first time! We just got a minivan (and never did I dream that I would be so excited about a minivan!!!) so now we can all go somewhere in one vehicle. They were so good. They were awake for most of the time and enjoyed looking around at everything. And, surprisingly, no one came up to talk to us or ask questions or anything like that. Maybe it was because I had the girls in a twin stroller and my mom was pushing Maddux in a shopping cart. Twins are pretty common so maybe people didn't think it was a big deal. I don't think anyone noticed that they were triplets. Since it went so well I hope to become more and more confident about taking the babies out and about. Yes, it will be a lot of effort, but getting out of the house and into the real world will be worth it!

Pictures from my very first Mother's Day!

My and my little babes...

Getting ready to go for a ride in the minivan for the first time...
Look how big they are sitting in their Bumbo chairs!!

Sleep....Ahhh Sleep

2009-05-04T09:47:00.002-05:00

Sleeping is by far one of my most favorite things to do. Before the babies came I slept all the time. I would go to bed early and sleep as late as possible. I think that Derrick used to actually worry about me because I slept so much. While I was pregnant I knew that I would have a hard time not sleeping once the babies arrived. It's really a shame that you can't store sleep somewhere in your body and use it when you need it. So, for the past two months I have definitely had hard time adjusting to my new life which includes three babies and no sleep. However, the babies have all of a sudden started to sleep longer through the night. Just a couple of weeks ago we eliminated the 11:00pm feeding. We were having to wake them up for that feeding and they seemed very uninterested so we decided to just let them go. At first, they started waking up around 1:00am to eat. Then each night they went longer and longer. Now, they have been sleeping until 3:00am! That's seven hours! A few nights they have even gone until 4:00am. While this is wonderful for my sleep routine, I am fearful that maybe I shouldn't let them go that long without eating. Their doctor said that at night to "let them go" until they wake up. We have been adding more formula to their bottles (4 oz. each) so they are eating more throughout the day. That is our ultimate goal, to eat more through the day and sleep through the night, however I certainly don't want to jeopardize their growth progress. Are there any moms out there with advice on this?

Also, shame on me for bragging that Luce didn't catch the cold that Maddux and Nola had. Yesterday she sneezed all day and has a snotty nose. ARRRG.

Nola's sweet smile:

Mr. Maddux:

Sweet Luce:
These little bouncy seats have animals that dangle down from the top. They all have started to notice them and it's so precious. They stare out them and then kick their legs and wave their arms at them. Their arms usually hit the animals and they love watching them sway and bounce around. I can't tell if they are actually hitting them on purpose or if their arms just happened to hit them. Either way they love it! They smile and kick some more. There is nothing cuter that watching them kick their little legs in excitement!

Splish Splash

2009-05-01T09:12:00.000-05:00

The babies had their first tub bath over the weekend. All this time I had been giving them their baths on this big sponge thing that you lay on the counter. I was too nervous to submerge them in water just yet. They are so squirmy and slippery and I had this fear of dropping them or them hitting their head. But, I decided that it was finally time for them to get a "real" bath. I was not surprised to learn that Maddux hated the tub bath. He had always hated his sponge baths and this was no different. In fact, he may have hated the tub bath even more. Maybe it's just a boy thing? Nola cried at first but after a few minutes she decided that it wasn't that bad. Luce absolutely loved it!! I think she would have stayed in there all night if I would have let her. So cute!

Here they are hanging out in the gorgeous robes that Aunt Jeannie got for them. Adorable!!

Here's Nola still unsure about what's going on:

This may seem like a strange picture to be proud of, but let me explain. When the babies were in the hospital they didn't have any body fat and therefore had no butts. Seriously, no little cheeks, no crease, completely flat...nothing. It was like they had a back and then legs. So, look at that adorable butt now! We've worked really hard for those little cheeks!! (This is Nola's butt by the way!)

Luce lovin her bath!

A lot has been going on!

2009-04-29T16:12:00.000-05:00

We have been very busy lately! I'll try to make things brief. First of all, thank you to all of you who supported us and made generous donations to the March of Dimes. We reached and exceeded our goal and raised over $600! Thank you!!! Even though it was a super yucky rainy day, we made it to the March for Babies Walk at Centennial Park. Thank you Team McCloud Three Amigos for taking time out of your busy lives and brave the nasty weather to attend the walk and show your support. I love you guys!

The babies went to the doctor last Saturday for their four month well visit. She, again, was thrilled with their progress. Here is what each weighed in at: Maddux was 9 lbs 13 oz, Nola was 8 lbs 9 oz, and Luce was 8 lbs. 2 oz! Not bad for three preemies! They each seem to be right on target once you adjust to their corrected age. The doctor again adjusted their growth progress and for their corrected age Maddux is right in the 50th percentile. The girls are slightly behind their brother but not far. Luce being the smallest was in the 10th percentile in one of the categories (although I can't remember if it was height, weight, or head circumference) but either way, I think that's remarkable considering that she was only 1 lb 10 oz. at birth. And, she is our best eater. She consistently eats more than Maddux and Nola. They better look out! They are all smiling and cooing and I fall more in love with them every day.

Last week we also experienced our first cold. Maddux and Nola both had a bad cough and some congestion. It was frustrating for me because we have been overly cautious by making everyone wash and sanitize their hands, but unfortunately these things just happen. It could have been the weather changes or stuff floating in the air. But, either way, we survived it. Amazingly, Luce didn't catch it. I had no idea that you can't really do much to relieve their symptoms other than saline drops and a room humidifier. I guess the positive thing is that it will help to build up their little immune systems. It only lasted for seven days and they feel much better now. Their doctor said that most babies get anywhere from 8-10 colds a year. I had no idea! At least we got our first one out of the way and I know what to do in the future. Each day is a new learning experience!

This past weekend I took the babies out of the house for their first stroller ride around the neighborhood. People literally came out of their houses to see the babies. I of course got the usual comments like "Wow, you have your hands full" or "I feel sorry for you". Obviously people have no idea how much fun having triplets can be. Sure, it's hard work, but the love and happiness that they bring to our lives outweigh it all. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world!!!

Finally, some pictures. Here we are having a Boppy Pillow Party!

After our stroller ride I decided that the babies needed little hats to help shield the sun. On my shopping trip I couldn't resist these tiny sunglasses that I found. We tried them both on Maddux and he was so stinkin cute! He didn't even care! He just sat there and looked around like nothing was any different!!!

Me and my little entourage! They loved the stroller ride. When we got back they were all sound asleep.

Team McCloud Three Amigos!!! I love you guys!

Luce

2009-04-16T10:23:00.000-05:00

Just a quick update regarding Luce's eye appointment this week. We received excellent news!!! The doctor said that her vessels looked great! He released her from his care and he doesn't anticipate any problems with her eyes! Such wonderful news! Thank you all for your prayers!!!

March for Babies!!!

2009-04-14T13:12:00.000-05:00

I wanted to remind everyone that the March For Babies walk is this Sunday at 2:00pm at Centennial Park. It's a casual two mile walk-at-your-own-pace walk and it should be lots of fun! There will fun things for kids to do such as face painting, bouncy houses, and even a stroller decorating contest. There is no entry fee to participate however you are encouraged to make a donation to the March of Dimes. Unfortunately, my little amigos will not be at the walk this year. They are still on "house arrest" since the cold and flu season hit so late this year. On a fun note, Nicole Kidman will be at the walk! She had her baby at Baptist Hospital and I think it's so wonderful that she is going to be a part of such an awesome event! The festivities begin at 12:30pm and the walk will start at 2:00pm. If you would like to join us, please meet me at the Baptist Tent at 1:30pm and we can all walk together! If you can't make it but would still like to participate it's not too late to make a donation. You can visit my donation page directly by clicking on the link to the right of the page or you can go to www.marchforbabies.org/3amigos. I can't stress enough how much the work and dedication that the March of Dimes has done has truly impacted mine and my babies lives. Thank you to those of you have already made donations. I appreciate your support so much!!!! If you have any questions please send me an email at jj.mccloud@yahoo.com. I hope to see you there!!!

First Easter

2009-04-13T10:30:00.000-05:00

The babies celebrated their first Easter yesterday. It was fun making little baskets for them. Since they are still so little I tried to be practical and included things that they could enjoy now. They each got a new spring outfit, an Easter book, a stuffed animal and, most importantly, their very first pair of Converse Chuck Taylor's! I can't wait to see them in them! So cute! I just know that as time goes on the holidays will be so exciting and fun!

Today is also the babies four month birthday. I cannot believe that they are four months old!! Wow, so much has happened. We are so blessed and thankful that the babies are doing so well and are healthy and happy.

All three with their Easter loot:

Nola. This actually looks just like one of my baby pictures. One of these days I'll try to post a comparison.
Little Luce:
Poor Maddux. He was a good sport. The outfit that he's wearing is the same outfit that Derrick came home from the hospital in! Precious!

Time Is Flying By!

2009-04-07T10:07:00.000-05:00

It appears that every post these days starts with "I'm sorry I haven't posted in so long", but as you can imagine, things are quite busy at the McCloud house. Taking care of three babies is A LOT of work. There is always something to do: change a baby's diaper, change their outfit, change their beddings, feed a baby, put a baby in swing or bouncy seat, prop a pacifier in their mouth (for the 100th time-they still have trouble holding it in and boy do they get mad when it falls out), wash bottles, do laundry, straighten up the room, repeat all over again. You get the idea. I love these babies more than anything, but I'm not going to say that every minute is just hunky dory. It definitely has it's moments. I'm sure that other mothers can relate. But, for the most part, they are really good babies. They are the loves of my life and I feel very honored to be their mommy. I still have so much to learn though. Thankfully, with each days challenges I learn something new and I store it in my memory bank of "what worked" with that situation.

Luce went back to see the eye doctor last week and we received very good news! Amazingly, her blood vessels developed and he does not anticipate the need for laser surgery! WOW! The power of prayer! Truly amazing. I had already prepared myself for the dreaded news that she would need the surgery and I am so thankful that it doesn't appear to be the case. I'm so thankful that the doctor was conservative and gave her the extra time to develop the vessels on her own rather than doing surgery immediately. She will go back to see him again in two weeks just to make sure that everything is still on par, but he was thrilled with the results thus far. Now, what he has been looking at in all of the babies is the development of these vessels that if not fully developed could grow into the eye and possibly cause a retina detachment which would result in total vision loss. He is not looking to see if they currently have good vision. At this point, I'm not even sure if they can tell what each babies vision currently is, so it is possible that later on one or even all of the babies could need glasses. But, all in all, the results have been good so far.

All of the babies are growing like little weeds. Actually, the last time that they went to the pediatrician she said "Who are these fat babies!". She entered all of their current weights into her computer and adjusted it to where she could compare it with other babies that are at their corrected age (3 weeks) and they are all at least in the 50th percentile. Great news! They will catch up in no time!

Sweet Luce:

Happy Nola:

Are the Titans still looking for a replacement for Albert Haynesworth?

And finally, a picture of the McCloud Party of Five!

The Cutest Babies Ever

2009-03-25T10:40:00.000-05:00

What's the old saying, "Every crow thinks theirs is the blackest"? Well, it's so true. Every day I look at the babies and I am amazed at how beautiful and perfect they are. They are so special. It's so much fun watching them because they are starting to really look around and notice things that they didn't notice before. They are also finding their voice and by that I mean "crying". They've learned that when they cry I come running to their rescue. For a while now I have been able to distinguish their cries and what cries mean that they are just being fussy and what cries mean that something is wrong. But now they are all running together so I feel the need to jump up every time to make sure they are okay. Hopefully before too long I can figure out their cries. I have been doing a good jog at figuring out who's cry is who's and I never thought that I'd be able to do that! They are so funny and are so completely different from one another. Luce and Maddux are the really vocal ones and Nola is so laid back and patient. It's funny because when they were in the hospital Nola was the vocal one and the other two were the laid back ones! Poor Nola is always the last to eat because she patiently awaits her turn. She's such a sweetie. Of course, they all are. They are getting so strong too. They are starting to lift their heads up and turn them around to study their surroundings. And while we're feeding them they get so excited and push their legs down as if trying to stand up! I just love seeing them get bigger and stronger and fatter!!!

Luce went to the ophthamologist again yesterday and unfortunately we didn't get the good report that we had hoped for. While this is a best case scenario, her vessels still haven't developed to where they should be and the doctor feels that she may have to have the laser treatment to prevent the vessels to cause any damage to her eye. While the laser surgery will be quick and simple, she will have to stay overnight in the hospital because she will not be able to eat before the surgery and they will need to make sure that she's appropriately hydrated and will need to keep a close eye on her. He's going to see her again next Tuesday and will make his final decision then. I had hoped that our next trip to the NICU would be for a fun visit, but if she must have the surgery there's no place I would rather her be. Please keep Luce's eyes in your prayers and pray that whatever happens will be for the best and that she has the best possible outcome.

All three playing in the floor:

Nola taking a nap:

Daddy and Luce enjoying some cuddle time:

Happy St. Patty's Day!

2009-03-17T09:16:00.000-05:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day from my little leprechauns!

They are getting so big!

2009-03-16T15:55:00.000-05:00

Okay, so compared to a full term baby, maybe they aren't that big, but they have certainly come a long way from where they started! They all went to see the pediatrician on Saturday and she was absolutely thrilled with their progress! Maddux weighed in at 7 lbs 7 oz, Nola was 6 lbs 4 oz, and Luce was 5 lbs 14 oz! She also said that the babies can now go up to four hours during the night in between feedings so if that works out we could get a little more sleep (Yay!). Last Thursday was the babies due date and the following day was their three month birthday. It's truly amazing to see how far they have come. The cool thing is that they are finally at their adjusted age which means that we can now start to look for development milestones. (Adjusted age means that even though they are technically three months old, as of today their corrected age is four days old). As far as Luce's eye appointment from last week, her blood vessels in her left eye are still immature so the doctor needs to see her again in two weeks. If at that point they still haven't fully developed he mentioned that she may require a laser procedure to preserve her vision. He seemed optimistic that the vessels will fully develop since her right eye looked good so lets hope and pray that it will correct itself.

Other than that, things are plugging right along. It's very busy at our house so we certainly appreciate our parents who have helped us out so that Derrick and I can get some sleep. We also appreciate all of the fabulous meals that have been sent our way....there's definitely not any time for cooking and grocery shopping these days so the meals have been wonderful!

As always, thank you for your prayers. Please continue to pray that the babies grow and stay healthy!

Sisterly love:

My handsome boy:

Sweet Pictures

2009-03-10T09:46:00.000-05:00

I don't have a lot of time today for a complete posting, but I wanted to share some sweet pictures of the babies. I also wanted to thank everyone for their advice on the gas/stomach issues I've been having with the girls. I did go and get some Dr. Brown's bottles and I was pleasantly surprised. I like them much better than the Avent bottles and the babies seem to really like them too. Hopefully they will help. The girls have still been spitting up/vomiting, but it does seem to be a little bit better. And I realize, babies just spit up. Maybe it's just one of those things. But, I'm going to try everything I can think of to make them as comfortable as possible. Luce has a follow up appointment with the ophthalmologist this afternoon to check her eyes again. She still had some immature blood vessels that the doctor wanted to check again. Hopefully all will be well and she won't have to be seen again.

Little Luce. Look at that sweet face!

Maddux and Nola. Look at how their arms are intertwined. So precious!

I can really see how much they have all grown in this picture. Look at those cheeks!

I love this one. Gracie has been unsure about the babies since they came home, but she's starting to check them out. Just after I took this picture she leaned over and licked Luce's hand. So cute!

It Takes An Army

2009-03-07T15:16:00.000-06:00

Maddux after his bath...

Chillin in the bouncy seats....

Derrick preparing bottles for the next day...

I really don't think that I could have ever prepared myself for the amount of work and lack of sleep that it takes to take care of three babies. Mind you, I love and appreciate every second of it, but that doesn't mean that it's not the hardest thing I have ever done. The babies have to eat every three hours and if two people are feeding them it takes about an hour and a half to feed and change diapers, so when you're finished with a feeding there's not much time before we start all over again. We go through 24 bottles and at least 24 diaper changes a day. Thankfully, we have amazing parents who have helped us around the clock so that Derrick and I can get at least a 4-5 hour block of solid sleep. We honestly couldn't make it without their help. These days, a shower is an absolute treat! Overall, the babies are doing well and are getting bigger every day. Sometimes I swear they are growing right before my eyes! Every now and then they will stay awake for a few minutes and will look around and even share some smiles from time to time. The girls seem to be having what I think is (at least from my online research) some reflux because they both cry, arch their backs, and are obviously uncomfortable while eating. I called the pediatrician and the nurse said that I should try gas drops. I've been trying that but I haven't seen a huge difference yet. If anyone has any advice on this or if you know of anything that may help, please let me know!

Boy, You Look Just Like Yo Daddy!

2009-03-04T10:12:00.001-06:00

Can you see the resemblance?

Luce's Home!!!

2009-03-01T16:06:00.000-06:00

It's official! We finally have ALL THREE babies home! It's been eventful and tiresome to say the least! Last Wednesday we received the green light from the doctors to bring little Luce home. With all that happened with her in the beginning, it proves just how strong of a little girl she is since she came home just four days after her brother and sister. It was very hard and sad to officially say goodbye to all of the wonderful people at the Baptist NICU. They have been our experts, teachers, cheerleaders, encouragers, friends and family for the entire 76 days that the babies were in their care. They have been my security blanket and it has been scary to not have them by my side all the time. I will miss them and all of the other families that we have met along the way. As weird as this may sound, this has actually been an amazing and wonderful journey. I have learned so much about myself, my marriage, my family and my faith. I have been blessed with three tiny angels who are so perfect in every way. Going through this whole NICU experience has opened my eyes to God's amazing grace and love. I couldn't have made it through without Him and I feel closer to Him now than I ever have.

So, life at home with three babies is a ton of work! I knew that it would be busy, but being a first time mom, I didn't really know what to expect. But so far, everything is going great. I think that they all love being together. We're starting to get to know the babies better and their little personalities. Maddux was quite upset the other night and cried (well, screamed) for four hours. He is usually a very laid back baby and only cries when he's hungry so I knew that something was wrong. I gave him some gas drops and he felt much better after that. Nola is a noisy little thing. She is always grunting or moaning in her sleep. It sometimes sounds like there is a puppy in the crib instead of a baby! And Luce is very quiet but we have learned that she has quite the little temper! She was sent home on an apnea monitor (just like Maddux) and she has been known to set off the alarm with a high heart rate because she's so upset. (The monitor is more for letting us know if she has a low heart rate due to not breathing in her sleep). Her alarm did go off twice last night for a low heart rate but we think it's because she had a rough day at the pediatricians office. All three babies received their 2-month vaccinations. It hurt me more than it hurt them! They have all gained weight since being home and the doctor was thrilled with how they were doing overall. By the way, Luce's head ultrasound results were very good. The bleed is resolving and much smaller and there shouldn't be any significant complications as a result of the bleed. The doctor said that there was a less than 1% chance of any long term problems. Praise God!

Thank you all for your prayers, support and words of encouragement! We couldn't have made it through without each and everyone of you. These babies are miracles and I can only believe that they are doing so well because of all the love and prayers that have been sent up on their behalf. I can't thank you enough. And now, the real journey begins.

This is Nola getting her first bath at home!

Luce getting ready to go home!

All three, at home, together at last!

Two Down, One To Go!

2009-02-22T18:26:00.000-06:00

I again must apologize for not posting in a while. There never seems to be enough hours in the day and I'm sure that's going to be the story of my life!! We were told last Thursday that the doctors felt that Maddux and Nola were ready to come home! They asked if we could room in all day Friday and Friday night and if all went well we could take them home! Derrick and I did some last minute things around the house, packed our bags, and went out to dinner to celebrate and spend some time together since it won't be just the two of us any longer.

We arrived at the hospital at 8:00am, just in time for their feedings. The "rooming in" room was actually cozy and felt sort of like a hotel room except with monitors. The really cool thing was that Luce was moved into an open crib earlier that morning (what a big girl!) and the doctor let her stay in the room with us! We hated the thought of leaving her out so we were thrilled that she could stay with us. We had a blast! It was fun doing everything for them and preparing their bottles ourselves and learning how to work as a team. As the day went on we learned just how busy three babies are going to be. It seemed that just as we had all three fed and diapers changed it was time to start all over again. By Saturday morning we maybe had one hour's worth of sleep. While it was hard work, it was reassuring to us that we made it through the night by ourselves without any problems.

We dressed Maddux and Nola in their fanciest outfits. This, after all, was a very special day. A day that seemed a lifetime away ten weeks ago. It was very hard to leave Luce, but we know that she's going to be coming home very soon, hopefully by the end of the week. We paraded the babies around the NICU so that they could say goodbye to all of the amazing doctors and nurses who took such good care of them. By the time we got home we were completely zonked. Thankfully, MiMi and G-Diddy (Derrick's parents) came by to babysit while we took a much needed nap. Our first night at home went surprisingly well. Maddux was sent home on an apnea monitor which gave us the security of falling asleep. (It has only gone off once and it was a false alarm due to loose leads).

Luce has a big week coming up. Tomorrow she will have some blood work done to see if she needs another blood transfusion and Tuesday she has her third head ultrasound. (She already passed her car seat and hearing tests). Please pray that her tests go well. Please also pray for our strength, especially during the wee hours, and that the babies stay patient with us as we learn our new role as mom and dad.

We want everyone to know how much we appreciate everyone's support and prayers during this whole journey thus far. We couldn't have made it through without you. As bad as we wish we could have lots of visitors, with it still being RSV season (please see sidebar with information about RSV) we have to limit visitors to immediate family only (our parents and grandparents). This pains me because I am a proud mama and I would love nothing more than to show them off, but it's just too risky. I can't allow them to be exposed to any germs that could hurt them. They have already been in the hospital for ten weeks and I can't be too cautious. I hope that everyone understands the severity of RSV and that you can be patient with us. RSV season will be over in April and as soon as we're in the clear we would love to have visitors. As always, thank you all for your prayers and support!!!

Nola, all ready to go home in her car seat:

Saying goodbye to Miss Ginny, who is an angel walking on Earth. All of the nurses at the Baptist NICU are amazing. Miss Ginny, Laura, Toni, Hannah and Rachael...we love you!!!
Getting Maddux and Nola all settled in their car seats:

Maddux and Nola in their Sunday best:

Rounding Third

2009-02-16T20:58:00.000-06:00

We're so close to bringing those babies home I can hardly stand it! First of all, I apologize for not posting in a while. The babies have been making such great progress that we realized they would be coming home sooner rather than later so we've been getting the house ready for their arrival. We've cleaned and organized and made countless trips to Babies-R-Us (it seems that everyday I remember something else that we need!). We're ready! Well, ready as we'll ever be and we're ready for the challenge.

So, here's what's been going on the past week. Nola moved to her open crib last Monday. The following day she and Maddux moved into a larger crib so that they can co-bed and they love being together!! Yesterday, Nola was a little fussy so the nurse scooted Maddux over right next to her and she settled down and they cuddled for the rest of the afternoon. Maddux and Nola also had their hearing tests and carseat test and both passed with flying colors. Luce will take her tests once she moves to an open crib. They are both taking a bottle at every feeding now. Maddux is doing much better with his bottle eating skills. He loves to eat! As soon as it's time for him to eat he starts rooting around for something to put in his mouth...a pacifier, his hand, a blanket, anything he can find! Nola is doing well with her bottles too, but she doesn't quite have the gusto that Maddux does. She takes her time and would rather look around and smile or sleep. But the real eater in the bunch is Luce. She eats her bottles much quicker than the other two. She only gets a bottle at every other feeding, but she's certainly not far behind her siblings. She will hopefully reach her weight amount to be moved to an open crib this later week. Maddux has also been spell free for the required seven days...so we are very close. We have not been told when the doctors plan to discharge Maddux and Nola, but it more than likely be late this week or early next week. We will also "room in" at the hospital the night before they are discharged. There is a room inside the NICU where we will stay with the baby (or babies) and will do all of their feedings and care by ourselves, but we'll have the comfort of knowing that the doctors and nurses are right outside the door if we need them. I want them home more than anything in the world, but it will be bittersweet having to leave Luce behind. Hopefully she will only be a week or so behind the others.

I also wanted to mention the March of Dimes and the impact that they have had on us personally. The March of Dimes mission is to help premature babies and prevent premature births. In the 1980's they did research on the use of surfactant for babies whose lungs were too immature to open and close on their own. Since then the number of premature babies who die from respiratory distress has gone from 10,000 per year to a fewer than 1,000. All of my babies received surfactant and I can honestly say that the March of Dimes research and their commitment to premature babies saved their lives. In April there will be a March for Babies walk held at Centennial Park and Baptist Hospital is the premier sponsor and they have asked us to be the ambassador family! I feel so honored to be a part of it and to share our story. I'll be giving a short speech in front of Baptist Hospital executives and staff members tomorrow morning. I have also created a team and have a fundraising goal of $500. If you would like to walk with our team (Team McCloud Three Amigos) or if you would like to make a donation please visit www.marchforbabies.org/3amigos.

Again, thank you for your prayers! God is amazing and He's listening!

All three of my angels in my arms at last!

I know that I am a little biased, but isn't Luce absolutely adorable??

Maddux and Nola loving some snuggle time.

Three's Company

2009-02-09T23:03:00.000-06:00

This weekend all three babies were finally all together! It was probably the cutest thing I have ever seen! Surprisingly, Luce slept through the whole thing! I'm not sure if she slept because she enjoyed snuggling with them so much and felt comforted or if she was just tired. I think they all really enjoyed it though. I can't wait to see how much fun they will have together.

They are all doing well. Maddux overdid it this weekend. He had too many bottles and a lot of excitement and in the end he used up most of his energy and ended up having several spells last night. Poor baby. Even though he's big enough to go home in size (he's now 4 lbs 9 oz), he has to get his breathing down. He also does really well with his bottles during the beginning of the feeding because he's very hungry and eager to eat, however he gets so excited and forgets to breath. And, for these little guys, eating by bottle just wears them out and uses a lot of energy. So, at this point, I'm not sure when he'll be ready to come home. I think that Maddux will tell us when he's ready.

As far as the girls, they are doing great. Several weeks ago I predicted that Nola would be the first baby to go home. If all keeps going the way it has, she will be home pretty soon. Today she reached her weight requirement of 1800 grams (4 lbs) to be moved into an open crib so that should happen tomorrow. She is currently eating with a bottle at every other feeding. Once she progresses to a bottle for every feeding and can maintain her body temperature in the open crib, she will be outta there! It could happen fast! We'll see! And Luce also reached her next big milestone today in weight gain and is at 1500 grams (roughly 3 lbs 4 oz) so she will have her skin temp probe removed and can finally wear tee shirts!! She is doing great on her bottles too! She gets one bottle during the day and one at night. She understands the whole bottle thing and remembers to breath. She may be the smallest, but she definitely knows what's going on!! She's my little fighter!

As always, thank you all for your prayers! Please pray that Maddux can overcome these apnea spells for good and that he can remember to breath. And pray for Nola as she moves to her open crib and increases her bottle feedings. And pray for Luce, that she stays strong, continues to grow and can increase her bottle feedings too.

Reunited And It Feels So Good!

2009-02-06T09:59:00.000-06:00

I only have a few minutes, but I wanted to give everyone a quick update and post some new pictures. The babies are doing great! They are all growing and getting bigger! Maddux is a robust 4 lbs 6 oz.! His preemie clothes are almost too small! Thank you God! He's doing very well, but he's had a couple of apnea spells this week so the earliest that he could come home would be next Wednesday, but we're certainly not going to push him. I want to make sure that he's ready and that it's safe to bring him home. It definitely sounds like he will be coming home on an apnea monitor and that's actually fine with me. At least I will feel like I can sleep and not stare at him constantly to make sure that he's breathing. These spells should be something that he will outgrow in hopefully a month or so. It's apparently a very common problem with little boys.

Nola is just a superstar and makes all of this look so easy. She hasn't had a spell since December and she's just plugging along. Luce is also doing great! She is finally over 3 lbs. and is doing great! She had her first try on a bottle this week and did pretty good. Nola and Maddux are still trying a bottle once or twice a day, but they are quickly getting the hang of it.

Yesterday was very fun! The girls were finally reunited! We brought Nola over to Luce's crib to see what they would do. Luce absolutely loved seeing her sister! It was the cutest thing I have ever seen! Luce was studying Nola up and down and smiling and kicking her little legs all over the place! Nola seemed happy at first but she quickly got over it and went back to sleep! But Luce was wide awake and loved every minute of it! It was so cute! Hopefully they will be able to hang out more often.

Again, thank you all for your prayers! God is hearing us! Please continue to pray for Maddux and that he will outgrow the apnea spells and pray that all three continue to grow and become stronger.

The two girls together at last!

Sweet Nola:
My party girl Luce:

Look how handsome Maddux is!

Boring Patients

2009-02-02T21:59:00.000-06:00

The other day, one of the neonatologists said that the babies were doing so well that they were becoming "boring patients". I laughed and told her that boring has never sounded so good! While it may be boring for the doctors, it is becoming quite exciting for us! Every day something new seems to happen and I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. I know now that my babies will be coming home sooner rather than later!

This afternoon Maddux moved into an open crib! He's such a big boy! This means that he has to work a little harder to keep his body temperature up. He also had another try on a bottle today and did very well and almost ate his entire feeding. He's now on a "step down care path" which means that we will begin to prepare for the trip home (Squeeeeal!!!). The nurses will begin to focus more on educating us and preparing Maddux for the trip home. We will soon attend a CPR class and a Preemie Care class. Maddux will also undergo a carseat test where he will be placed in his carseat for thirty minutes while he's still hooked up to all of his monitors to be sure that he can tolerate riding in it. Maddux will also need to go seven days without an apnea spell before he can go home. He had been doing very well, however he had a spell on Saturday and again this evening. He's gone through so many changes just within the last week so it's safe to say that he's tired. Hopefully he won't have any more spells and we can begin the countdown. We of course want to feel comfortable once we're home with him and not worry about him having a spell, so even though I can't wait to have him home, I also want to make sure that it's safe. Some babies go home with an apnea monitor so that may happen. It's going to be hard to wean ourselves off of these monitors!!

All three babies had their third eye exams today. Maddux's eyes looked very good and he does not need a follow up exam. The girls' eyes looked good too, but the doctor is going to check them again in two more weeks. He said that unless something unforeseen should happen, he does not anticipate any major problems with the girls' eyes and it's very doubtful that they would need any type of laser surgery. Thank you God!

Please continue to pray for growth and maturity. Pray that each baby can understand how to eat with bottles and that it becomes easier for them. And please pray that Maddux can overcome the apnea spells and can come home with the full understanding to breath...even though he's tired and comfy.

Derrick and Maddux:

Maddux in his open crib (just like the full-term babies!!!).

Maddux eating his bottle. Look how he's holding onto it! So cute!

My Baby Girl

2009-02-01T11:12:00.001-06:00

As promised, here are a few pictures of Luce's sweet face. She is one special little girl.

Another Big Day!

2009-01-29T21:10:00.000-06:00

The babies just keep surprising me! Maddux was doing so well on his own that the doctors felt that he didn't need the extra oxygen. They removed the nasal cannula and so far he is doing great! My big boy is breathing all by himself! Now, are you ready for the real surprise? Luce is also breathing all by herself! This morning they took her off of her Vapotherm and they were giving her the extra oxygen, just like they did for Maddux yesterday. But she was breathing so well, so well that her oxygen levels were too high, so they removed her nasal cannula too! I'm on cloud nine right now! That little Luce, I'm telling you...she is one amazing little girl.

Now that all babies are breathing on their own, the focus will now be on getting them to eat on their own. They will ease each baby into trying to take one bottle everyday, then progress to two bottles a day and so on until all of their feedings are by bottle. Until then, they will still have a feeding tube. They prepared us to expect a bit of a setback once they start this process. A lot of times babies either don't want to take a bottle or don't quite have the energy yet. This can be frustrating for parents because if the baby would just eat, they could go home. We're going to keep this in mind and try to be patient and understand that the babies will tell us when they're ready to go home.

I can't get over this week! It's been so exciting. I'm so proud of these little babies. Please continue to pray that they keep progressing. Pray that the babies stay strong enough to keep breathing on their own and that they develop the skills and strength that they need to eat more bottles. And, very important, pray for growth!!

Nola, taking a break during her "bottle training" today:

Maddux, breathing all by himself!

Luce on her oxygen. This picture was taken at lunchtime today. By this afternoon she didn't have her nasal cannula in any longer. I promise a picture of her sweet face tomorrow!

Big Baby Steps

2009-01-28T21:54:00.001-06:00

This has been such a big week for the babies! Everything is all of a sudden starting to happen. Nola, who I was just bragging on, is completely off of the Vapotherm! She is breathing 100% on her own. What a big girl! And Maddux is also off of his Vapotherm! He still needs a little boost of oxygen so he still has his nasal cannula in, but he's doing almost all of the work on his own! Not to be outdone by his sister, Maddux had his first try on a bottle and he did quite well eating over half of his feeding. Since he is doing all of the breathing on his own now, and breathing alone can use up a lot of his energy, he got tired while eating the bottle. Since they are still so small they don't have a large energy supply so eating a bottle and breathing at the same time was tough on the little guy. He did so good though, especially for his very first try! And Miss Luce has also had a big day. She moved from Level 4 to Level 2 on her Vapotherm. A big step for a little girl! She must have heard all of the excitement that Nola and Maddux were getting over taking bottles so she all of a sudden found interest in wanting to suck on her pacifier. It won't be long until she's giving a bottle a try too!

They are all doing so well and are growing and doing more and more new things each day. The next big milestone in weight gain is 1800 grams. Once they reach 1800 grams they can move to an open crib. Maddux is so close, in fact, much closer than I thought! He's now at 1730 grams (3 lbs 13 oz). If he keeps it up, could possibly be in an open crib by the weekend. Nola is now 3 lbs 2 oz and Luce is 2 lbs 10 oz. Luce has officially gained an entire pound since she was born! That is huge considering how tiny she was and the problems that she had early on.

Please continue to pray that things keep progressing in the right direction. Pray for growth and strength and energy to keep doing more and more things all on their own.

Here's my big boy. Can you see how his cheeks are starting to fill in??

Ugh. This picture is so priceless. Look at Nola without her nasal cannula. We can finally see her face! Isn't she BEAUTIFUL?

This is a cute one of Luce. We caught this picture while the nurse was changing out her nasal cannula. Unfortunately, it had to go right back in. It won't be long now little girl! She is so darn cute! These pictures really don't give the babies any justice, they're so much cuter in person!

My Daughter, The Overachiever

2009-01-27T11:09:00.000-06:00

It's funny how we can already see each babies' personalities develop. Maddux is super laid back and rarely cries. He's usually the last one to eat because he so patiently awaits his turn. Luce, as you know, is always wide awake and quietly gets herself in trouble by pulling out her Vapotherm in her nose or her feeding tube. But for the most part, they are very laid back. Nola, on the other hand is very vocal and will let you know right away what her opinion is. I can already tell that she is going to be the leader of the three. She was after all the first one born and is therefore the oldest. She cracks me up! I'm sure in a few months I probably won't think that her crying is so funny and cute, but right now I see it as a sign of progress. She is showing everyone that she is feisty and a strong little girl. In the past week or so she has really started to show signs of wanting to suck. She knows exactly what time she's supposed to eat and she will certainly let you know that she's hungry by crying and sucking on her hands. Gestationally she is at 33 weeks and right at the age where babies learn to suck, swallow and breath at the same time. Yesterday, the doctors felt that was ready to try a bottle. She got to come out of her issolette and I was able to hold her and attempt to feed her her first bottle. This was more or less our trial run to see how she would handle it. The nurse said that she would probably only take a tiny bit of the bottle. Well, not my little diva. Do you know that she ate the entire bottle?!?! The nurse was amazed! I'm so proud of my little Nola! She very well could be the first baby to come home, even though Maddux is bigger. It will be interesting to see out of the two who comes home first.

All three babies are doing very well and are getting bigger each day. Nola, again the overachiever, may quite possibly be off of her Vaportherm this week. She is on the lowest setting right now, and knowing my little girl, I bet she will be breathing completely on her own by the end of the week. Maddux is on Level 2 right now so it won't be long and he will off the Vaportherm as well. Luce is doing so good. She is still on Level 4, but she's doing so well at keeping her stats up and not having any apnea spells so I think they will start weaning her down too. As far as weights, Maddux is 3 lbs 8 oz, Nola is 3 lbs, and Luce is 2 lbs 8 oz. Every day when I see them I feel like they have grown overnight. I am so proud of them!!!

Please keep praying for growth! With growth comes maturity which will lead to more bottle feedings, open cribs (when they can finally reunite!) and the big trip home.

Here's a picture of when Derrick was holding Luce for the first time:

Maddux in his tee shirt! Isn't he handsome?

This is me giving Nola a bath (which isn't easy to do through those portholes!). She was calm in this picture, but shortly after she let me know that she had had enough by screaming and clinching her tiny fists up in the air!

Quick Update

2009-01-23T11:02:00.000-06:00

Just a quick update on the little munchkins. They are all doing very well! All kiddos got moved to "big boy" and "big girl" beds! They are still in issolettes, but these are step down beds and are a sign of great progress. Also, the girls now have their own little corner and are now side by side. Luce was off almost by herself in a separate pod, but now they are right beside each other in what we're calling the pink corner! Mr. Maddux has reached his next big milestone in weight gain and is now 1500 grams (roughly 3 lbs 5 oz). This meant that they got to remove his skin temp probe (one less wire!) and he can now wear tee shirts! I can't wait to see my little boy in clothes!

I was also able to do Kangaroo Care with Luce this week! I have absolutely loved Kangaroo Care with Maddux and Nola, but this seemed extra special. Luce has been through so much and it was so wonderful to actually get to spend some time with her. She was wide awake when the nurse put her in my arms and while I was talking to her and telling her how much I loved her she was looking me right in the eye and I'm quite sure she knew exactly what I was saying to her. I was overcome with emotions and I just kept thanking God for these precious tiny babies. She fell asleep in my arms and it was truly one of the best moments of my life. Thank you God for blessing me so abundantly!!!

Yesterday, I did infant massage on Maddux and Nola. Surprisingly, Nola loved it! She usually grouchy when we wake her up (I'm learning that she is the diva in the bunch!) but she loved it. I gave her a foot massage and feeling her tiny toes was just the sweetest thing! Maddux wasn't so sure about his massage. This is me attempting to give him a hand massage:

Doesn't Nola look so grown up in this picture?

This is a typical Luce moment, finally caught on camera! She is always so wide eyed and aware and studying everything that's going on around her. I swear, she sleeps with one eye open. We're going to have to be careful because I don't think we're going to get anything past her!

The Best Birthday

2009-01-20T20:41:00.000-06:00

Saturday was my birthday...I have three babies, who were born on the 13th of December, and I turned thirty three...maybe all of these three's are a sign that this is going to be a good year?Let's hope! So far, so good. Luce gave me the best birthday present by winning her Grammy! She's even gained a little bit more weight since Saturday and is now 2 lbs 5 oz. She's quickly catching up to her brother and sister. Maddux is 3 lbs 1 oz and Nola is 2 lbs 10 oz. We had a big weekend. On Sunday, Derrick got to do Kangaroo Care with Nola for the very first time!

Yesterday, however, wasn't as fun. For some reason, Maddux and Luce didn't want to breath. We have to keep in mind that they are still very tiny babies who aren't technically supposed to be breathing yet. They have been doing so tremendously well over the past couple of weeks that it was hard for us to feel like we were going backwards. The alarms and monitors were sounding off all afternoon, so obviously it was stressful. Remember that whole NICU roller coaster? We're still on it and still have quite a ride ahead of us. Thankfully, today both babies were doing much better. I guess, just like us, sometimes they get tired and need a break. All three babies are still doing very well, it's just that days like Sunday are a reminder that we can't get too comfortable. We aren't safe and "out of the woods" until the babies come home and even then, they are high risk babies and will be very susceptible to viruses and germs. We just have to keep praying that the babies stay strong and continue to grow and mature and to truly appreciate each day that they make it through without any major complications.

On a better note, little Nola's heart murmur has been gone for the past five days! Let's hope that it's finally gone and one less thing to worry about! Please continue to pray for the murmur's and for growth and strength. Also, there are lots and lots of babies in the NICU. Please pray for all of these tiny miracles and for their families. And pray for the doctors and nurses that take such excellent care of all of the babies and pray that God will give them the wisdom and knowledge to keep the babies safe and healthy so that they can go home to be with their families.

This is Luce. Believe it or not, she sometimes sleeps in this position!

Derrick and Nola

Nola and her "passie". She's already showing signs of wanting to "suck". In fact, she took a tiny amount of milk with a bottle!

If you look closely, you can see a smile on Maddux's face!

Good News!

2009-01-15T10:22:00.000-06:00

We got the results from the babies' head ultrasounds and we received good news! Nola's scan was still the same. Her scan was normal the first time so it was good to hear that things still looked good. Both Maddux and Luce, who's first ultrasounds revealed hemorrhages, scans showed that the hemorrhages are resolving themselves. We were obviously very happy to hear this! Maddux's looked so good that he does not have to have a follow-up scan. While Luce's did show improvement, they are going to do another scan before she goes home just to make sure everything looks good. She was the baby who was in the most distress (hence the very early delivery) and apparently these types of hemorrhages are common in preemies who experience distress. While I was happy with the results, I had hoped that the scans would reveal that the hemorrhages were totally gone, but the doctors explained that it takes time for them to heal. The doctors said that they didn't anticipate any long term effects of the bleeds, but only time will tell. As we found out when we were first expecting triplets, it's common for multiples to experience developmental delays and this, along with numerous other complications, could effect them. All we can do is pray that they will grow and develop as they should into healthy children. It can happen...look at Jon and Kate Plus Eight (I'm obviously a fan of that show!), they have eight healthy children. Can you imagine the odds that were against them? It's a miracle that all six babies survived, and now they are perfectly healthy children. It gives me hope knowing that my babies have a really good chance of being smart normal children who can walk and talk just like every other child. I can tell you that this whole experience has given me a true life lesson. You simply cannot take life for granted. A lot of people take getting pregnant, carrying a baby full term, and taking a healthy baby home with them for granted. I've learned to appreciate every moment that I have with them and to understand that they are each miracles from God. I can't thank Him enough for giving me these three precious gifts.

All three are continuing to grow. Maddux is 2 lbs 14 oz! He's almost gained an entire pound since he was born! He's only 2 ounces away from being three pounds. We've been told that three pounds is the unofficial weight when things really start to happen. They start breathing better, they can be held more, and will soon start to lose wires and probes that are attached to them and can progress to an open crib. Nola is now 2 lbs 7 oz and Luce is 2 lbs 1 oz. When I talked to the nurse this morning she said that Nola was showing off today! She said that she was doing so well on her breathing. Actually, all three were breathing room air and were not needing any extra oxygen! They are all still getting Vapotherm treatments, which is what is in the nasal cannula, but they are all weaning closer and closer to being off. Maddux and Nola are each on Level 3 on the Vapotherm (Level 8 is the highest) and Luce is on Level 4. We actually found out that they don't have to reach Level 1 to come off. Once they are breathing well enough on Level 2, they will get to come off and will totally be breathing on their own. Luce received another blood transfusion yesterday and will receive another one today. Hopefully, with the blood in her system she will receive the boost of energy that she needs to continue to breath better and to become stronger. Also, Nola's heart murmur is now becoming softer and is coming and going, where before it was very prominent. Maybe this is a sign that her murmur is resolving?

In the next 2-3 weeks we will begin to try to feed the babies with a bottle. Their gestational age is now 32 weeks and any baby does not know how to suck, swallow and breath all at the same time until their gestational age is 34 weeks. That's why all three are being fed with a tube in their mouth that goes down to their stomachs. Just because they were born early does not mean that they will take a bottle any earlier. So, hopefully they will take to a bottle within the next few weeks. Just another step on the road to coming home!

We're not out of the woods and still have a long way to go, but each good day that they have brings us closer to the day when they get to come home. As always, I thank you all for your support and prayers. Obviously, God is hearing everyone's prayers and continues to bless us. Please continue to pray for these tiny miracles. Pray that they stay strong, that they continue to tolerate their feedings well so that they can grow, and that they stay infection free. Specifically, thank God for helping Maddux to continue to gain weight so well, and please pray for Nola's heart murmur to resolve and for Luce to continue to tolerate her feedings so well.

Maddux:

Luce:

Nola:

So Blessed

2009-01-12T11:08:00.001-06:00

I truly feel like the luckiest girl in the world. I have a wonderful husband (who is also an exceptional dad), three BEAUTIFUL babies, and amazing, supportive friends and family. So many people are praying for our babies...some of which are people that are complete strangers. Friends and family have asked their friends and family to pray for our little guys and it's amazing how wonderful people are. Almost daily, we receive "Prayergrams" in the mail with messages about how they are praying for the babies. The little amigos even have people as far away as Germany praying for them, thanks to George Jones adding a prayer request for them on his website. Isn't that amazing?

My sweet girlfriends got me the sweetest gift. They understand how hard it is for me to leave my babies every night so they had a necklace made with charms with each babies name on it so that I could keep them with me all the time, right next to my heart. I love you Abby, Mare, Nat and Nichols and I thank you from the bottom of my heart!!!

Kangaroo Time!

2009-01-12T10:28:00.001-06:00

Late last week I got a very big surprise. Since Maddux and Nola had been doing so well with their apnea spells and had been breathing so well, they were ready for Kangaroo Care! This is when they get to come out of their isolettes for twenty minutes and I get to hold them skin against skin. Research has been done that proves babies grow and do much better when they are held and touched. So, while this will be beneficial to them, I can't even tell you how wonderful it was for me! While I have held them very briefly while they are getting their beds changed, I had not been able to experience anything close to this. I could actually feel their skin against mine, I could hear them make little noises and hear them breathe, and I could feel their little hands against me. It was pure heaven! As they get bigger and more stable I'll be able to do kangaroo care everyday. Hopefully Luce will be ready soon, I can't wait to get my hands on her too!

They are all getting bigger. Maddux is up to 2 lbs and 11 oz, Nola is 2 lbs 4 oz (she won her Grammy!!) and Luce is finally 2 lbs! Luce is doing very well with her feedings. She's almost getting the same amount of milk as her brother and sister! Maddux and Nola are doing exceptionally well with their apnea spells and Luce is having less and less every day. I'm so proud of each of them and how well they are doing.

All three will have their second head ultrasounds tomorrow. Please pray that we will receive good results. While saying your prayers, please thank God for all that he has done for us. We have three beautiful babies thanks to Him. Thank him for the amazing doctors and nurses who take such good care of the little amigos. And thank Him for giving the babies the strength to keep getting bigger and stronger each day.

Kangaroo Time with Maddux:

My sweet boy:

Kangaroo Time with Nola:

New Pictures

2009-01-10T12:26:00.001-06:00

I haven't added any pictures in a while so I thought I would show you guys how cute the little amigos are!

Here's my big boy Maddux. He's getting some little cheeks and look at those lips! Don't you just want to kiss them??

Here's Luce giving us a little smile. Isn't that the sweetest? Even though she has tubes, wires and tape all over her, she still manages to smile as if to say "I'm going to be okay". Nothing warms my heart more than seeing these little guys smile.

And finally, here's Nola. Look at those gorgeous eyes!

Plugging Along

2009-01-07T11:41:00.000-06:00

Hi all! Sorry it's been a while since I've posted. Beginning on Monday I started my new job as a full time NICU mom and I've been so tired in the evenings and have been bad about keeping this updated. Here's the latest:

Heart murmur update. So, as you know, all three babies have had lingering heart murmurs, especially sweet Nola. On Monday, the doctor decided to order an ultrasound on each baby to see how the PDA looked. A PDA is an abbreviation for a really long word that I can't remember right now, but it's basically a valve in the heart that is usually closed in full term babies, however with preemies it's oftentimes open which causes the murmur. In most cases, the PDA will close on it's own however sometimes medicines or even surgery are required to close the valve. Good news! Maddux's and Luce's opening was very small and the cardiologist is confident that the valve will soon close on it's own. Nola's is still open, but the opening is much smaller compared to her ultrasound that she had three weeks ago so there is still hope that it might close on it's own. She is not having any problems with the murmur so they are going to keep a close eye on it for right now. Let's hope and pray that all three will close on their own...soon!

Each baby also had their first eye exams last night. Lots of preemies have trouble with their eyes due to under development. Thankfully, each one had a positive test result and all looked well. Yay!!!

They are all growing and getting bigger. Maddux is now 2 lbs. and 7 oz, Nola is 2 lbs. 2 oz., and Luce is 1 lb 15 oz.--so close to the two-pound mark! Luce is still working on her stomach problems. Last week they were gradually increasing her feedings, however she was still showing some symptoms and so they didn't increase her feedings over the past several days and she's still on the IV. Yesterday, the doctor felt that Luce was ready to try to increase her feedings again. Let's hope that her little system will be able to tolerate it and that she can continue to get more food so that she can catch up to her brother and sister.

Please continue to pray that the murmurs will resolve themselves and pray for Luce's little belly. Also, each baby has their second head ultrasound coming up next week. Please pray that the results will be positive and that the hemmorages have healed.

Some Days Are Better Than Others

2009-01-02T11:01:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, our visit with the babies was very stressful and worrisome for me. They are all still doing exceptionally well to be as tiny as they are, but being the mom of three babies in ICU is just plain rough sometimes. I was especially worried about Luce yesterday. When we arrived for our visit she had just had a series of apnea spells (where she forgot to breath) which completely wore her out. Her coloring really scared me. She was extremely pale and her eyelids were grey. This is apparently a normal reaction according to the nurses especially since she hasn't had much to eat over the past several days and when she has a series of spells like that, it takes her body a few minutes to recover. Within a few minutes her color did return, but this was the first time that I had ever seen her do that. It scared me to death. All afternoon she slept and seemed very lethargic. While that is very normal for babies who have been sick, my little Luce is always wide awake and so alert and when she didn't seem like herself it caused me to worry even more. I was also very concerned with how her feedings were going. The doctor increased her feedings to 5 cc's which is great, I want her to eat and grow, but I felt like I was on pins and needles waiting to see how her system would tolerate it. Six o'clock (when visiting hours are over) came way too fast. Derrick literally had to pull me away from her. It's ALWAYS so hard to leave them, but yesterday was especially hard. Once we were home, we called after each of her feedings to see how she did and she did well after each one.

This morning, we got a call from Dr. Krueger and she told us that Luce was still doing well and that she had been tolerating her feedings so far. She explained that she is acting like a typical 27-weeker and that it's very normal to have these kinds of setbacks, it's just that Maddux and Nola are being "stellar" patients. I am thrilled with how Maddux and Nola are doing. Maddux is still at 2 lbs 3 oz and Nola is now 2 lbs! Today, they will be increasing their feedings and hopefully they will continue to stay healthy and will keeping putting on more weight.

About those heart murmurs. They are still lingering, especially for Nola. Please pray that the heart murmurs will resolve on their own. If they don't the doctor may decide to put them on a medicine to attempt to treat it and while on that medicine the babies cannot eat milk or formula which could result in weight loss and it would take a while to increase their feedings again. Please pray that Luce continues to tolerate her feedings and that she stays strong and will begin putting on weight. I feel so blessed and honored to be the mom of these three little angels. Thank you all for your love, support and prayers.

Looking Forward To An Exciting 2009!

2008-12-31T22:28:00.000-06:00

The past two days have been very positive and exciting. The Three Amigos are doing well and are proving to be such strong little babies. They continue to amaze us (and even the nurses) with their strength. Yesterday, Maddux became the proud winner of a Grammy Award! This award is given to all babies who weigh 1000 grams (2 lbs. 3 oz.). How cute is that? Nola is still doing very well. She did have one apnea spell and broke her two day streak of no spells, but honestly, it's pretty amazing that she's only had one spell in three days.

Yesterday was also extra exciting because I got to hold Luce. It just so happened that when we arrived the nurse was getting ready to change Luce into a new isolette (or "incubator", they change them out weekly) and someone needed to hold her during the process. Luckily I was there and more than happy to help! It was such a sweet moment. She was wide awake and was looking up at me the entire time! I was only able to hold her maybe for a minute, but it was a priceless moment that I will never forget. Speaking of Miss Luce, she's doing well. She has not eaten since her episode on Saturday night. She has been getting fluids and pedialite through her IV, but no milk or formula. This evening she had her first feeding of actual milk but they are starting her out very slowly, only 2 cc's every three hours, and they will be keeping a very close eye on her throughout the night. So far, she digested all of her first feeding without any problems so that was very good news.

It's been 18 days since they were born. I can't believe how fast time seems to be going by. At the same time, it seems like forever before they will be coming home. I feel so sad every time I go into the nursery. I can't wait for the day when all three are sleeping and playing and even crying in there. I know that they are in the very best of hands right now, but it's still so hard to be away from them. Please continue to keep them in your prayers. Pray for their growth and strength. Pray for those pesky heart murmurs. And please pray that Luce will be able to tolerate her feedings and that her tiny intestines stay happy. The sooner they all grow stronger and healthy, the sooner they can come home. Thank you all for your love, support and prayers and I wish you all a very Happy New Year!

Maddux's Grammy Award:

My Big Boy:

Me getting to hold Luce for the very first time!

Sweet Nola with her booty in the air!

All Aboard the NICU Roller Coaster Ride

2008-12-29T21:09:00.000-06:00

Nola smiling for the camera

Luce in her "snuggly"
Mr. Maddux

When the babies were five days old we had a meeting with the babies' head neonatal physician, Dr. Krueger. Our parents also attended the meeting along with a neonatal nutritionist, the director of the NICU and two social workers. This is something that they do for all families who have babies that have been admitted to the NICU. The main purpose of the meeting is to prepare us for what to expect while our babies are in the NICU. Dr. Krueger went over all of the common complications that premature babies can face while in the NICU including lung, digestive system and eye problems and of course infections. Needless to say, the meeting was very scary, but it did help us understand more and to be prepared in the event that something did happen. I can't tell you how many times she described what we were facing as a roller coaster ride. Some days will be good and others will be not so good. It's extremely rare for babies our age to stay in the NICU without setbacks.

Well, after two really good weeks, on Saturday night we experienced our first dip in this long roller coaster ride. We had been at the hospital all afternoon and things were going well. After leaving the hospital Derrick and I went out to eat with my mom and step-dad. Just as our food was delivered, I received a call from Dr. Krueger. She explained that Luce's belly was a little swollen and as a precaution she ordered an x-ray which revealed that her intestines were inflamed and that it could possibly be the early stages of Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC). She was going to stop Luce's feedings and give her a blood transfusion and would be able to tell more once they did another x-ray in the morning. I cannot even describe the feeling of immediate fear that I felt. My heart just wept for this tiny innocent baby. I remembered Dr. Krueger talking about this condition in our meeting and the only thing that I kept hearing in my head was that this diagnosis could be fatal. We went straight back to the hospital to be with her. They gave her the blood transfusion, some antibiotics and ran some tests to see if the infection could be detected in her blood. Thankfully, while we were there the blood tests came back normal. They were just being very proactive in the event that is was NEC and were already treating her as if she did have NEC. Now, Luce is our little fighter. She is a strong little girl. While we were there she was laying on her belly and completely lifted up her head and turned it from one side to the other, then she kept pulling her nasal cannula (Vapotherm) off and pulled her feeding tube completely out twice! She is so feisty!!! When she pulled everything off it was like she said "Ahh, now I can relax without all of those tubes and wires all over the place." Thankfully, the nurse came over and put everything back where it went. Luce likes to be confined so the nurse found a little pillow-like thing called a "snuggly" and once she put her in it she finally settled down and got some rest.

Sunday morning we called for the report and Praise God her x-ray was normal! Her intestines showed no inflammation. The doctor did decide to keep her off of her feedings for three days so that her intestines can rest. The doctor was thrilled and said that she was very happy with Luce's color and how she responded.

As for the other two, Nola had her first blood transfusion yesterday and Maddux had his first transfusion today. Blood transfusions are needed for all preemies of this age. Since their gestational age is only 29 weeks they don't produce enough blood on their own and would typically be getting the blood supply that they needed from me, but now they have to rely on transfusions. Thankfully, Derrick's mom was able to donate and Derrick will be able to donate for the next round. On another positive note, Mr. Maddux (that's what the nurses like to call him) has broken the two pound barrier and is now at 2 lbs 2 oz!! He is even starting to get some little cheeks (that I can't wait to kiss!) And Nola has not had a single apnea spell in two days!! We have so many things to be thankful for.

Please continue to pray for Luce and that her intestines have healed and that she will be able to tolerate her feedings once the doctor feels that she's ready. Also pray for all three babies' heart murmurs that seem to keep lingering. And pray that they will not have any adverse reactions to the blood transfusions and that it will only help them to grow and become stronger.