Top 5 Must Haves for Multiple Mommies

Being a new mommy, I never really knew what we would need for our triplets. And of course, what we did do to prepare never really seemed good enough, but over the last year, I have come to realize just how much stuff you get and don't really need, so I thought I would post a little something on my top 5 must buy things...all the rest of it probably just collects dust. Of course this is outside of the car seats, strollers, clothes, baby beds, burp cloths, bottles, etc.

#1 Mixing pitcher from Pampered Chef--my most favorite favorite Favorite purchase.

#2 Pack n Plays- We did 4: 2 in our bedroom and 2 down stairs.

#3 Swings-they don't have to be all fancy and expensive, but I do recommend that you don't by

the same swing x 2 or 3 or whatever. You might find your baby will perfer a certain swing

over the other.

#4 Boppy pillows

#5 Bottle props

We also had Bumbo seats which were convenient and nice to have, but didn't make my top 5...sorry to the Bumbo lovers...

That was in the beginning....my new Bestest purchase we have ever made...a baby gate!!! Screws to the wall, has a latch and hinges...saved my life!!! Skip the tension gate! Hated it! It was like playing twister at the bottom of my stairs. "Hold this part with the left hand, the book on the right with this knee, the book on the left with that elbow, and you have your free hand to push the bar down"....and you better have it on the right notch or you're screwed...gotta start all over. Of course our builder could have built our walls straight...that would have helped. Whew!! Just glad that thing is gone!

I'll give you a few cute pics while I am here...Mia, funny girl...decide

d it wasn't as much fun to push the toy as it was to be pushed on the toy...Diva in training. She, for some reason, decided to sit in the push toy, got Deuce to push her around for a bit. Thought it only fare she push her brothers...did for a minute and wanted Jev to get out of "her" toy.

Deuce pushing Mia............................................................guess we need to teach her to share....

Oh yeah...a few exciting things have happened in the last week....big baby car seats...they love them...they don't stop babbling when we are in the car. The first day it was so funny...babble babble babble...all the way home...then I have noticed myself needing to pay WAY more attention to the road...I can't help but turn around to look at them, they love the new view so much...

Then...switched to milk a few days ago. Marcus said once we ran out of our gallon water that we mixed for formula he wasn't buying anymore. I secretly contemplated

buying more water while he was at work, because I was slightly nervous to switch, but turns out they are doing great on it...and I don't have to mix formula at 6 am anymore....love love love it! How easy is that!? And milk is on sale for 99 cents...can you freeze it?

The Triplets are One...and tons of fun!

Well, the triplets are one today. Surprisingly enough I am doing much better than yesterday. I have sang Happy Birthday, no less than 9 times...they just smile and sway. They have no idea what I am saying, but they still like it. Instead of my usuall "Goooooood Morning!" I greeted them with Haaaaaapy Birthdaaaaayyyy!" And they just smiled as usual. Totally oblivious to what today means to them. So, of course for my memories, I put on little birthday hats and tried to take pics. They were more concerned with trying to rip each other's hat off rather than smile for Mommy. Mia of course couldn't leave hers on long enough for me to get a good picture of the three of them. Deuce was more concerned with what was on Jevin's head and visa versa. Then all the fun ended because Mia had to snap Jevin in the side of the face with the strap on his hat. Lovely....

9/22/09.......................Mia .................... Jevin ..................................... Deuce

Mia ...................................................Jevin .....................................Deuce

These pics are some of the few I have to put into perspective how tiny they were! Check out those Paci's & Jevin's Wubba Nub is nearly as long as his body...such crazy-ness! They were between 4 and 5 lb. when they came home. Yikes!!

We had a small birthday party for them Saturday so I saved those pics for today's post. Mia was horrible. She love the stinkin' mess out of her smash cake. She nearly ate half of it and then wanted to fall out when we took it away for fear she might make herself sick. I am sure Mia sneezed icing for 2 days. She looked at the boys like, "What's your problem, if you don't want yours, I will eat it when I am done here." The boys were either too sleepy, or they didn't enjoy the smashing at all. Deuce held his fingers up after touching his cake like "eewww my fingers" and shook his hand to get the "stuff" off.

It is rather odd though. We had the party Saturday, and for some reason, to me, they woke up different babies Sunday. Mia hasn't stopped babbling since. I don't know what "ba-cow" means but Mia says it over and over and looks me in the face like she knows what she is saying. I am sure she does, but Mommy doesn't!

So look out toddler-hood....here we come!

The Triplets: Then & Now

With one day until my precious trio turns 1 for real, I thought it appropriate to show some then and nows...

I am blessed and amazed.  A year makes such a difference!  They have grown a ton, and they have began to develop such special little personalities.  This day last year, I had barely finished the nurseries and was laid up on the couch with my many aches and pains, and all of the kicking and hiccups a baby brings x 3.  I am sure I was looking forward to my regular weekly outing to the doctor so I could lay on a table for 20 minutes and they would monitor for contractions & check for dilation.  My high risk doctor had scheduled me for a C-section in 2 weeks...Lord what was she thinking!  I would have been 36 weeks and a few days, and very uncomfortable!!!  I miss her though!  Wish I was pregnant all over again, she doesn't treat anything I am ailed with now...Miss Dr. Brown-Elliot! 

So I ventured to my weekly check up, unlike so many weeks previous, I had little hills on the contraction monitor thingy.  I knew it wasn't a good sign.  Not to mention, I felt a little funny once I reached the waiting room...not sure I really felt labor, I just didn't feel "right".  Doctor Hartly came in to check me, contractions on the monitor, and dialated to a 3-4. The babies were coming.  I was lucky enough to bypass bed rest in the hospital unlike so many other mother's of multiples.  I was wheeled across the sky walk, placed in a room, given meds to stop my contractions, and 3 hours later, "HELLO BABIES!" I remember wanting them to arive so bad, but the day they told me they were coming, I wanted them to stay a week or two longer.  I was so scared for them! Today, I have 3 healthy, babbly, wild babies.  I could not be more thankful. 

I am horribly emotional today, writing this blog...I just remember wishing or and praying for a baby for a few years...not for me, but for my husband...asking God to give us the blessing, and the opportunity and the experience of little feet. Trying to ask for forgivness for whatever it was that was keeping us from having this joy.  I remember being resentful of those that had been blessed...of those that had the opportunity and didn't want it.  I remember slightly disliking those who did conceive.  I remember the pain.  I remember wishing for and praying as hard as I ever have for...whatever our trials would bring us...whatever was supposed to be...then, when we least expected it, He gave us 3.  I know we won't experience these times ever again in our lives.  I know we have been given a gift many are not blessed with.  I know.... God knew us and wanted this for us.  How could we ever wish for anything different?  And at 1...they have no idea....

Okay, so enough of that....my kids are probably thinking I am loosing my mind today so...as I promised,
Then--------------and-------------------------now---------------

Count Down to 1 year

We have less than 2 weeks until the triplets turn 1 year old. It is so crazy. It really puts into perspective how fast a year passes. This time last year I was just over 33 weeks and looking forward to my next Dr. appointment (my weekly outing). Today, I have 3 beautiful babies that never sit still unless they are sleeping. They smile at me, babble at me, cry at me, climb on me, follow me, cuddle me, and drive me absolutely crazy half the time, but best of all, they love me! I wouldn't change all of this for anything.

The triplets seem to learn something new every single day. They have been obsessed with the phone anytime we are on it. They want to talk to, then you put it up to their ear and they just sit there. Rarely do they say a word, they just smile and breath like a pedophile. If they have the chance they will play with ours and then fall out and kick and scream if you take it away. So recently we pulled out a few old cell phones for them to play with. They know exactly what to do with them, and we never even practiced! If they have one, you say "Hello?!" and they hold it up to their ear, or back of the head, forehead, or somewhere in that vicinity. Heck, they don't even need to have one when you say "hello" the hand will do just fine. So cute!

Mia has a small vocabulary. She says, "Bye Bye", "ba-ba", maybe "baby", "uh-oh", "pop-pop" (Poppy to us), possibly "yum-yum". Deuce and Jevin, not so much...Jevin knows how to shake his head NO. But it is always NO. You tell him "Jevin, Yes" Shakes his head NO. "Jevin, NO" Shakes his head NO. You tell Deuce/Mia "No" he shakes his head No. I love it! It's like when they learned to clap. Jevin has also started "uh-oh" but if you imagine it with a pacifier in his mouth...that is how most of his words come out...hummed (as if he has a pacifier in his mouth even when there is not) so it is like mmm-mmmh, mmm-mmh.

Speaking of Clap...I mentioned before we are doing Your Baby Can Read. We are on volume 1 now. When I go to start the video, the TV will go black and they know it is starting. They will clap before a picture comes back. It is so funny. When the TV goes silent, they race to the living room and park their butts and everyone claps. Clap was the first word on the starter video.

They are all famed dancers. Mia and Deuce just can't help themselves. Deuce will dance to any music, sitting, standing, crawling...

Mia has teeth now. It is kinda crazy...her first tooth was on top but to the right of the middle two. Then her bottom two. Then the other tooth on the left of the top front teeth. Just recently has her top middle teeth broken through. Her smile is SO funny! At first, I was fearful she didn't have the middle two teeth. I was like, "Great, first her foot, now she doesn't have all her teeth!" But rest assured, they are all there. They are just coming in "Mia Style", that is, however they want. Of course she has to teeth out of order..."Mia Style".

I was hoping to post my hundredth post on their 1 year birthday, but turns out, I was a lazy blogger for several months and won't be able to make that milestone. I would need to do 2 posts a day for the next 10 days to get there...Yeah, not gonna happen...I am trying to come up with something really cool for that post now that it won't be as special...Any ideas??? Most do a "100 things about me post", I'm really not cool enough, nor interesting enough to come up with 100 things about me or my life. Hmmm.... stay tuned...we will see what I come up with...

Hi Renee! Miss ya!

I Just Need to Remember...THEM...

You know,  over the last few weeks, I have sat back and thought...If no one ever reads this blog again,  I will.  If I am not glad I did this for friends and family, I am glad I did this for me.  Often times I sit back and try to recall the feeling of being pregnant, the feelings of giving birth (or Dr. Silver and Hartly giving birth), the feelings of visiting the NICU to hold them (during my touch time) and having to go home without them, the feelings of seeing my little people that came out of my big belly for the first time, the eternity before the first tiny cry, the feelings of how tiny they were when they first arrived, the feelings of wanting them to arrive so bad and not wanting them to arrive just yet when D Day appeared from nowhere, the feelings of bringing three super tiny babies home from the hospital without all the gadgets (and the wonderful nurses that made sure I would be able to bring them home) that gave me comfort to tell me they were okay... I just need to remember...forever, and thank God (and my Husband) for this blog! I will continue to write this blog for as long as I am able, I just need to remember...if you enjoy it, read on, if you don't, I will miss you, but I  just need to remember!

Quite possibly, I have just become very emotional over the fast approaching 1 Year mark.  I don't know where this last year has went!  I know I have three pretty awesome kiddos that have given me so much joy over the last 11 months, but I also know it has passed me by so fast.  I don't know where the last 346 days have went.  I have joked about not having a 1st birthday party, but deep down I might be serious!  I ordered their birthday cake(s) today and it made me really sad.  If I never celebrate it, I don't have to come to reality about the event... 18 more days...