On the move!

Well, all 3 boys are on the move.  Aiden army crawls like a crazy man all over the house.  He prompted us to put up gates, put in outlet protectors, etc.  He is into everything.  Reese is doing a cross between an army crawl and a regular crawl.  He gets tired of how slow his regular crawl is and goes into the army crawl.  Noah is doing the traditional crawl and it is hilarious!  Every movement is very intentional.  He thinks hard about every time he moves a hand or knee.  It is the cutest thing ever.  I love watching all of them move around.  They have also suddenly figured out how to go from crawling to sitting.  I was convinced they would never figure this out (okay, I knew they would eventually it was just taking a long time in my mind).  It's like they all of the sudden looked at each other and decided it was time to do it.  Aiden still lays on his side more rather than getting to sitting.  He looks like a model laying on his side.  Ha!  He generally pulls himself to his knees by things like the bouncy seat and then sits.

They are also graduating to big boys foods.  Thank goodness!  I was getting pretty tired of grinding everything up, including things like lasagna (it does not look nearly as appetizing when it's pureed).  We've starting cutting things up really small and letting them pick up their food.  Aiden is thrilled.  He wants to do everything himself.  They are also drinking out of sippy cups at meals.  Wahoo!  They still have an afternoon "snack" bottle with their yogurt for snacktime and a bottle before bed.

People ask me if it makes me sad that they're crawling and eating like big boys.  In short, no.  I love watching them learn knew things.  I LOVE that we can do more with them now.  They love going on the swings at the park.  That is so much fun to me.  I love watching them giggle as they swing back and forth.  I love that we can put them in the grass with a ball and they crawl around after it.  I loved when they were little and I could cuddle them whenever I wanted.  They didn't try to get away from me then.  :)  They are just so much more fun now.  I love to watch them play and move all around.  I'm also asked if I look forward to walking the way I looked forward to crawling.  NO!  That will be much more difficult for me to handle.  That's a big step in mobility.  They get into a lot now, imagine what they will get into then.  Oh my.  What 1 won't think of the other 2 will.  I'm asked often if I still have a lot of help.  Yes and no.  It depends.  I have 3 afternoons a week that I generally have help for a couple of hours.  Wednesdays I have my mom and other days there are people that I can call if need be. I am beyond grateful for the people who help me on a regular basis when they could easily do something else with their time.  I love having them here.  Generally speaking though the days are just me.  Is it hard?  Yes.  Do I sometimes wish I had more help so it would be easier to get things done?  Yes.  At the end of the day though I do my best.  If I didn't finish everything on my list for that day, oh well.  If the boys are well taken care of and I've survived the day I consider that a success.

I was thinking this week about how much we like to share our "journey" with other people.  We get a lot of enjoyment out of seeing other people interact with and love our boys.  Watching the boys with their grandparents, aunts and uncles, our friends and even people who are just amazed at the miracle of triplets is so great.  That wasn't as easy at first.  We live in a world where everyone is very private.  I can remember when we went through Reese's "episode" and surgery I had a very hard time understanding how it effected other people.  I just wrap my brain around the fact that it was hard on other people.  That probably sounds selfish, but that's reality.  It took me time to realize how hard that would be if I experienced it from a different perspective..aunt, sister, or otherwise.  So now that I see how much they can bless people around them I work hard to make sure we share what we have been given.

9 month stats and a visit to school

Last week Thursday the boys had their 9 month well-check at the pediatrician.  Wow. That pretty much sums up our visit.  To start here are there "stats":  Aiden is 28 inches tall and weighs 19 lbs. 15 oz.  Noah is 28 1/2 inches tall and weight 21 lbs. 8 oz.  Reese is 27 1/2 inches tall and weighs 18 lbs. 2 oz.  Those are some big numbers! Noah's weight can no longer be charted on a low birth weight scale!!  He was WAY above the 95th percentile for weight.  She was teasing him that he is obese on the preemie scale.  Who would have ever thought?!? My 3 and a half pound baby is off the charts!  Too funny.  She was very impressed with their interactions with her and their ability to verbalize.  She is just overall very impressed with their progress.  We were a little concerned that Reese would need a helmet.  His head is still flat in one spot in the back.  She said there has been enough progress without that she sees no need for one.  Phew!  That's a big expense that we don't have to worry about.  They did have to get 1 shot.  It was the first time Nate was there for a shot.  He was able to hear the sad cries along with me.  It made me feel better that he had to comfort them this time.  Noah barely cries because he has enough meat on his leg.  Reese is especially thin and has very little fat on his legs, so he cries the hardest.  I was also concerned about Noah's ears.  We stopped the medicine from his ear infection almost as soon as we started it because it was hard on his system.  She said both ears are a little pink, but that we should try to let it clear up without antibiotics.  I was happy about that!  At their next visit they will get a referral to have a hearing re-screen (they were screened before they left the hospital and passed).  We will also have vision testing done (for sure on Noah).

I also had to go to school this week and clean out my classroom.  It was so hard!  It was a lot of mixed emotions.  I was happy that I am now able to stay home with my boys.  I was sad because I loved what I did and loved the people I worked with.  I know this is a new stage and my life and I am really enjoying it.  Probably the best part of being a stay at home mom is making my own schedule.  I get up when I want, get dressed when I want, do what I want during the day.  Don't get me wrong, it's a TON of work to stay home with them, but it definitely comes with some pretty great perks (especially that I get to spend all my time with my guys!).  My friend Donna, who was our reading specialist at school and retired last year, came with to help me.  No, I still can't go anywhere alone.  Who knows how long it will be until I can.  I was very grateful she was willing to help!  We had a great time visiting!  Here are a couple of pictures.  The first one is of Aiden sitting in the front seat with me while we ate lunch.  The second one is (left-right) Donna holding Reese, Nancy (my friend who is the speech pathologist at school) holding Noah and me holding Aiden.  Next time I visit they'll be running around like maniacs!  They are all mobile and crawling to some degree now.  Let the madness of movement begin!

Continued...

I was having some issues with my last post, so I'll continue with a whole new post.  Anyways...

We also participated in the March of Dimes March for Babies.  The boys were great and we had a great time!!  We walked in honor of a baby named Camryn who died of a heart defect.  We looked around and saw many "in memory of" shirts and people who had babies born early who live with many disabilities.  We felt the same feelings we felt many times sitting in the NICU.  It's a mix of emotions.  It's joy that we made it through and now have 3 healthy babies, but a sense of guilt that we came away from this with 3 healthy babies and some people lose their 1 baby.  It's a constant reminder of God's faithfulness to us and the reality that things could be so much different for us.  We are blessed!!!  (notice the 3 exclamation points) :)   We also learned that we can keep raising funds for the walk.  So if you would like to support us in memory of Camryn and to celebrate the health of our boys the link is:   http://www.marchforbabies.org/mbrouwer

Yesterday Nate didn't work so we took advantage of the nice weather and had a "family fun day".  We went to the Michigan City Zoo, walked by the beach, had a picnic at a park and went to the outlet mall.   It was a fun day with lots of sunshine!

Last but not least here are some things that the boys have learned recently:  Aiden is army crawling all over the house.  Noah rocks on hands and knees.  Reese drags his legs behind him and pulls himself to where he wants to go.  Reese and Noah are waving "bye bye".  Noah has joined Reese in shaking his head "no"  (it's cute now, but I know it won't be soon).  Aiden says "Mom" a lot!  They all say "Dada".  Reese has learned how to take off his diaper (that child is too smart for his own good!).  We were missing most of our pacifiers.  We found 7, yes 7, in between Reese's bed and the wall.  Oh boy.  We are in trouble when that one grows up.  :)  

Well, that's about all for now.  I'm sure I missed something, but I'm really itching to get outside in this nice weather!  

So much fun in one update!

Again it has been too long since I wrote an update.  Last week was absolutely crazy around here.  I was so busy that I hardly had time to think.  So, this week I'm catching my breath and updating about the fun of the last couple of weeks and posting pictures of some things that have happened recently.

Just before Easter the boys got their very first haircut.  They didn't mind a bit.  My sister-in-law cut their hair (she does hair out of her house-so nice for us!).  She did a fabulous job and they loved it!

Reese before (and half asleep)

Reese after..I told you he loved it!

Noah after

Noah before (and excited

Aiden before

                                    

Aiden after

Busy

The last couple of weeks have been so busy around here!  Here's a little recap...

Reese had a check-up with the surgeon.  It went great!!  Dr. Liu couldn't believe how much he's grown.  He was shocked to learn that he's the smallest.  :)  He's very happy that we didn't put in a g-tube (feeding tube that goes directly into the stomach).  Reese has done great without it and it's one less complication to worry about.  Most kids that have a Nissen get a g-tube.  We often look at Reese and can't believe how fortunate we are.  Things could have turned out so differently.  One of the first things I asked when he was brought back to Comer was whether or not he would have brain damage from not breathing for however many minutes he was gone.  They said there was no way to tell until he was older, but that he looked okay at the time.  Last week we found out that he's not only okay, he's developing better than expected.

They all 3 had an appointment with the developmental specialist. This is an all day affair.  My mom came with me.  We left at 9:00 so the boys could nap on the way to the hospital.  They had appointments at 10:45, 11:15 and 11:45.  By the time we fed them lunch, ate lunch and drove home it was somewhere between 3:00 and 3:30.  Long day!  They did great though.  They are developing at or above their chronological age.  They have until the age of 2 to catch up in growth and development.  They are there and even past in some respects.  Their language skills are especially ahead of typical development.  Reese is the furthest with language.  In short they look terrific!  That's part of why we are doing the March for Babies next Sunday.  We were blessed with 3 healthy babies.  They were born early, but we received great prenatal and neonatal care that they have done remarkably well.  Anyways...

Things were starting to slow down when Thursday night Noah would not sleep.  He slept with us part of the night, in the bouncy seat part of the night (he really does not fit in there).  By Friday night he had a 102.3 fever.  Ugh!  It seemed like his ear was bugging him.  So, off we went to immediate care.  It was already about 9:00 when we got to immediate care.  The wait was well over an hour.  We loaded back up..I should clarify that Aiden and Reese stayed home with my mom and dad.  We went to another immediate care where we walked right in.  A mild ear infection was all they found.  They gave him an antibiotic and we finally got home at about 11:30.  Last night his fever was 102 again.  Hopefully he kicks this soon!

This was sure a long update!  If you're still with me here's the latest on their growth...
Aiden- 28 in.  18 1/2 lbs.
Noah 28 1/4 in. (one foot of growth since birth!!)  21 lbs. (17 lbs. gained!!)
Reese 26 3/4 in.  17 lbs.  (our peanut)  :)

Praise the Lord for big, healthy boys (who all now say, Dada)!

A few of my favorite things

As I go about my day I often think of things that I love and things that I don't love so much.  Here are a few.

Things I love:
1.  Naps..specifically long naps.
2.  Cleaning and organization.  I especially love vacuuming.
3.  Belly laughs.  Those laughs that seem to come from their toes.
4.  The way the boys "talk" to each other by screaming, babbling and coughing at each other.
5.  How excited they are when I get them out of their beds in the morning and after naps.
6.  Coffee.
7.  Toys.  How would I keep 3 kids occupied without a variety of toys.
8.  Netflix.  It's a cheap way to get shows we wouldn't normally be able to watch because we don't have cable.  Watching Jon and Kate Plus 8 makes my life look so simple!
9.  Folding laundry.  It's like therapy to me.

Things I don't love:
1.  When Reese is tired and refuses to nap or sleep in his own crib.
2.  Getting up in the middle of the night.  I am not one of those people who enjoys getting up and snuggling in the middle of the night.  I love my kids, but I need my sleep.  Please don't bother me between the hours of 10:00 and 6:30.  :)  I'm a much happier mom when I get my sleep (and lots of it).
3.  Changing crib sheets.  Worst. job. ever.
4.  When strangers ask questions such as whether or not our children are products of IVF and whether or not we're done having children.  Some even tell us they hope we're done.  It drives me crazy!!

Well, laundry is calling my name.  It has to get done today (it is laundry day after all) and tomorrow the boys all have an appointment with the developmental specialist.  Hopefully they are on track!

Easter (continued)

Perhaps I'm a little biased, but I think they turned out great!! 

Finally I just wanted to put in a little reminder that we are participating in the March for Babies.  Our boys have done so well despite the fact that they were born 7 weeks early.  Any continued advancements in helping preemies is another step forward.  If you would like to support the team we're walking with the link is: 
http://www.marchforbabies.org/s_team_page.asp?seid=1759571