Some pictures of what everyday life looks like around here.

This is what happens when we forget to strap Noah in.  We set him down and within a minute this was how we found him.  Yikes.  Please don't report us.  We really are good parents.

No matter how we put the boys they always end up by each other and touching each other.








Even when they sleep they make their way to each other. 

Reese loves his exersaucer so much he plays until he falls asleep.

 

Aiden loves playing on the floor.

They love when Daddy comes home.  Nate is not a fan of pictures.  Can you tell?  :)

All the boys, including Nate, are in bed.  I figured this was a good time to sit down and write an update.

Over the course of the past week we've had a lot of little things going on.  Last week I picked up a cleaning job.  I clean a house every other week now.  I enjoy cleaning, so for me this is a nice way to get out the house and a way to make a little extra money.  Nate sometimes plows snow with his brother now.  So, Friday night he plowed.  He has classes for his union during the day (he leaves at 5:45-yuck!), then he plowed all night.  I stayed with my mom and dad so that I would have help with the boys and wouldn't have to sleep here alone.  So, it was little a mini-vacation for me.  When I'm home there are always a thousand things to do (I'm serious-okay, maybe 999 things to do). Anyways, it was nice to be somewhere other than home.  I just played with the boys and snuggled them.  By the time we got home again on Saturday I didn't have time to do much and on Sundays we don't do anything around the house.  We take the day of rest seriously.  It's pretty awesome.  By Monday I was ready to get this place in order again. 

In other news we got a call from the specialty pharmacy that makes the Synegis vaccine. This is the vaccine they got in December to prevent RSV.  After insurance pays their portion our quote was roughly $1,600 per child.  Excuse me?  Are you joking?  Unforunately not.  We received an EOB in the mail from the last vaccine and the cost billed to insurance was about $2100 per child.  When the woman at the pharmacy told me this I told her there was no way we could give them the vaccine at this cost.  Especially because we change insurance again, for the 3rd time, in February.  That means all deductibles and out of pocket expenses reset.  Before I could hang up in defeat she told me that there are some foundations that assist with things like this.  If we were interested we could apply for a grant.  Of course I said yes.  She gave me 2 different places to try.  One offers up to $250 in grants.  We still wouldn't be able to afford it after that grant.  Another one is called the PAN foundation.  They offer up to $1,500.  That we can do!  It's still expensive, considering we have to give them the vaccine through March.  We will figure out a way to make it work if we can get the cost down to about $300 per month.  So, now we wait.  We sure are learning a lot of patience!  I called yesterday and today to check on the status.  They are waiting on the provider (insurance?) to give information.  Until then we are on the hold.  The pharmacy calls every 2 days to check the status.  If we give the go-ahead the vaccine is sent overnight to the pediatrician.  We are hopeful that we can make this happen.  Any extra help we can give the boys to keep them healthy we will do, as much as possible. 

We are having so much fun watching the boys learn.  They are really having fun with toys, especially Reese in the exersaucer.  He played so hard he fell asleep in it the other day.  :)  I'll try to upload that picture soon.  Aiden and Reese have also really discovered their voices.  (Noah has babbled for quite a while).  Aiden actually screams to talk.  It is so funny.  We had a fun visit with a friend today.  They wouldn't show off their tricks, like rolling over, though.  I guess they were being shy.  Hopefully soon they can get a speech evaluation from my friend Nancy the speech pathologist.  (Yes, Nancy.  I will be another Kristen, always worried about whether or not they're talking enough).  :) 

Well, I suupose I better go to bed myself.  They have been sleeping great, knock on wood, but you just never know when someone will have "one of those nights". 

We've made the move!  I decided it was time to get off of the caringbridge website and start a real blog.  So, here we are.  From now on I'll be posting on this site.

In other news the boys are on the move.  Well, sort of.  Aiden and Reese have rolled from tummy to back and back to tummy.  Noah has rolled from his back to his tummy once and then hasn't done anything else.  The developmental specialist said that it's more difficult for a "bigger baby" to roll.  Bigger baby?  What?  My preemie is a bigger baby?  Who would have ever though.  Not me for sure.  Aiden and Reese are able to straighten their legs and push themselves over.  Noah's are quite chubby so it's hard for him to straighten them enough to push himself over.  Poor guy.  He gets so frustrated.  We'll just keep working at it.  They are all starting to grab toys and hold them.  They're babbling like crazy.  They scoot a little bit, both on their tummies and on their backs.  It's so much fun to play with them now that they can do more!  It's just hard to believe they are almost 6 months old.

I've been doing a lot of looking back lately.  At the beginning of January last year we were meeting with a specialist to talk about testing and further treament since we still weren't pregnant and didn't know why.  At the end of January we had our first ultrasound to confirm that I really was pregnant.  That's when we learned that we were possibly having triplets.  We went out to dinner that night and neither of us ate much.  We just looked at each other wondering what we were getting ourselves into.  A week and a half later we went back for an ultrasound.  3 heartbeats.  The most beautiful sound in the world.  It was confirmed.  3 babies.  We were still in shock.  Now we were excited though.  We went from wanting one baby to having 3.  Our families also didn't know how to respond.  More shock.  Lots of tears.  When we starting seeing specialists and having more ultrasounds we were informed that we could do some "selection".  In other words we could abort 1 or 2 of the babies (which they will not refer to as babies).  This is an option they are required to give when someone is expecting multiples.  Selection?  Get rid of one of these precious lives that we waited and longed for?  Seriously?  At 7 weeks we heard their heartbeats and you expect me to believe it's natural to "eliminate" one of them?  Not a chance.  I was always prolife and always will be.  Now more than ever.  These little lives are so precious to us.  Every life is precious, no matter the circumstances.  We even have a friend who was conceived by rape.  She is one of the most beautiful, intelligent and loving people I know.  I can't imagine a world without her.  You may not agree with me about this issue, but I know with all my heart that each and every life has purpose.  Maybe this year we can even participate in a walk that promotes life.  We'll see.  After all, who knows what a new year will bring!  :)