We have laughed an awful lot lately about the things the boys say. Emerging language is a beautiful thing and leads to some rather hilarious mispronunciations and sayings. I have been writing some down and thought I would share some of my favorites with you.
Reese is most famous for mispronunciations. He works really hard to say words the right way, it just doesn't always work out. For example if you ask Reese what he is when he's yelling, "roar!", he'll tell you that he is a 'daddysaur'. He will play in the play kitchen for hours and when I ask him what he's doing he'll tell me, "I cut nice.". The first few times he said it I thought he was telling me that he was playing nice. I later realized that nice is actually knife. He's also a real big fan of the 'quackuum'. That, my friends, would be the vacuum. :) He will also hand me his cup when I'm cleaning up from a meal and ask me to put it in the 'washdisher'. His sentence strucuture also makes him sounds a bit like a caveman. If I'm sitting on the couch he'll tell me, "Mom, I climb up. I sit by Mom." My favorite was one day when he told Noah or Aiden to stop doing something. They didn't stop. He sternly said, "3, 4, 5..time out". I normally tell them to do something or stop doing something and when they don't comply I count to 3 and then they go to time out. I guess 3, 4, 5 does the same thing.
Noah has probably the best language skills. Probably because he talks all. day. long. He's most famous for telling us it's his hungry turn or his hungry time. That means it's his turn to eat. I don't have any idea how he came up with that. One morning he was in the bathroom with me (more like every morning) and I took out my hair dryer. He asked me if I was going to "drive hair". :) Noah likes to be the big brother and will help me with Devyn often. He'll talk to her and call her "Dev". It cracks me up.
Aiden is probably the easiest to understand. He he less words that he mispronounces, but among my favorites is bayband (bandaid). He also refers to the microwave as the beep beep. Actually they all do. Aiden repeats everything. We have to be especially careful what we say around him because he will repeat it. He always likes to remind the other 2, "not boss". They are constantly telling each other what to do. Never mind they are also being naughty as they boss someone else around. I tell them that they are not the boss, which Aiden just loves to remind them.
We've decided that this is our favorite age thus far. We would love to just press pause and keep them at this age forever. It certainly comes with challenges, but they are learning so much all the time and are so much fun. We were having a "dance party" the other night after supper. A slow song came on (we had Pandora on) and they were slow dancing with me and Nate was holding up Devyn so they could slow dance with her. My eyes filled with tears because I know that a minute will pass and I'll be seeing this same scene, except at their weddings. It nearly shattered my heart. Can't they just stay little forever?
Friday, November 22, 2013
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Tough decisions
I think one of the hardest parts of being a parent is making decisions. It starts before your kids are even born. There are the big decisions, the small decisions and everything in between. I remember wishing the boys would just come out with a name so that we woulnd't have to decide. After all they have to live with their name for the rest of their life. Then there were the decisions like car seats, cribs, what van to buy and so many other decisions.
The thing that makes the decisions the hardest is that every person you meet has an opinion about what you decide. You chose that car seat? That's not the safest. You let them cry at night? They'll develop psychological issues. It goes on and on. From what you feed them to vaccines and even how you discipline. Don't get me wrong. I often ask for people's opinions and I'm glad to hear them. I just don't really want to be bombarded with opinions every time I log on to facebook or venture out to a store. The truth is that being a parent is hard and we need to support each other, not put each other down. I see far too much of that and quite frankly I'm tired of it. I find myself judging people's decisions about parenting too and I'm trying to control that. Unless someone asks for my opinion on their parenting decision I try keep my mouth shut.
That being said I feel like we've been making some tough decisions lately that are sure to cause people to give me their opinion. We've decided that Devyn won't get any solids until 6 months. Our dr always gives us information on what current research suggests and then leaves it up to us. Nate pretty much left this decision in my hands because I'm the one who has to feed her and get up with her at night. I feel strongly that if I can do anything to avoid or lessen her chance of food allergies I'll do it. Having one child with food allergies is hard enough.
On that same note we are constantly making decisions on what we can and can't do with Noah. People sometimes think we are overreacting when we don't go places, but his safety is more important than going out. We went out to eat Saturday night and he has some hives on his face. We knew that we ordered him something "safe", but the risk for cross-contamination always exists. Our allergist always stresses that any time we go out we take a risk. I was in a panic and asked Nate to watch him (he's much more calm and won't overreact about it). He was fine, but it was a good reminder that we have to be incredibly careful with him. No matter where we go the risk of him touching something that has been contaminated with peanuts or tree nuts exists.
Parenting is hard. I don't care if you have 1 child, 4 children or 10 children. It's hard. You are constantly making decisions that will affect your little people. Some of those decisions, like discipline, will shape them into the individuals they will grow up to be. Some of those decisions, like whether or not to give them a piece of candy, will have less of an impact. Whether big or small the decisions are hard. So, please support each other. Use your words to encourage another parent on the difficult journey that they are on.
The thing that makes the decisions the hardest is that every person you meet has an opinion about what you decide. You chose that car seat? That's not the safest. You let them cry at night? They'll develop psychological issues. It goes on and on. From what you feed them to vaccines and even how you discipline. Don't get me wrong. I often ask for people's opinions and I'm glad to hear them. I just don't really want to be bombarded with opinions every time I log on to facebook or venture out to a store. The truth is that being a parent is hard and we need to support each other, not put each other down. I see far too much of that and quite frankly I'm tired of it. I find myself judging people's decisions about parenting too and I'm trying to control that. Unless someone asks for my opinion on their parenting decision I try keep my mouth shut.
That being said I feel like we've been making some tough decisions lately that are sure to cause people to give me their opinion. We've decided that Devyn won't get any solids until 6 months. Our dr always gives us information on what current research suggests and then leaves it up to us. Nate pretty much left this decision in my hands because I'm the one who has to feed her and get up with her at night. I feel strongly that if I can do anything to avoid or lessen her chance of food allergies I'll do it. Having one child with food allergies is hard enough.
On that same note we are constantly making decisions on what we can and can't do with Noah. People sometimes think we are overreacting when we don't go places, but his safety is more important than going out. We went out to eat Saturday night and he has some hives on his face. We knew that we ordered him something "safe", but the risk for cross-contamination always exists. Our allergist always stresses that any time we go out we take a risk. I was in a panic and asked Nate to watch him (he's much more calm and won't overreact about it). He was fine, but it was a good reminder that we have to be incredibly careful with him. No matter where we go the risk of him touching something that has been contaminated with peanuts or tree nuts exists.
Parenting is hard. I don't care if you have 1 child, 4 children or 10 children. It's hard. You are constantly making decisions that will affect your little people. Some of those decisions, like discipline, will shape them into the individuals they will grow up to be. Some of those decisions, like whether or not to give them a piece of candy, will have less of an impact. Whether big or small the decisions are hard. So, please support each other. Use your words to encourage another parent on the difficult journey that they are on.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
A new age
We seemed to have moved into a "new age" yet again. The boys suddenly seem to be growing up.
For one we have reached that dreaded age where often when we tell Reese to do something or ask him something his response is, "Why?". The first time he said it we just looked at each other in shock. How did our sweet little babies turn into boys who ask, "why", all the time. It's not so bad having just Reese ask why sometimes, but I know that when they all start asking all the time it's going to get old really fast. I'm thankful that they want to grow and learn, but I'm bracing myself for the constant questioning that is coming our way.
We've also reached the age where they want to know about colors and shapes. Just before naptime today we were looking at a book with colors, shapes and categories (kitchen items, a page with clothing, etc) that we were given before they were born (Thanks, Nancy!!). Reese was able to point out red, blue, green and black. It's all because Aiden always has a blue cup, plate and silverware; Noah has green and Reese had red. He knows black because our van is black and my mom and dad both drive black cars. It made me want to cry. Nothing makes a teacher/mom happier than hearing their child learning letters, numbers, shapes, colors, etc. They were able to identify so many things in the book it amazed me. The only shape they know at this point is a triangle. I'm trying to work on circle and square. No luck yet.
They are also taking shorter naps both days. Boo!!! I love naptime. It saves my sanity on the crazy days. Ok. I guess that would be pretty much every day. Yesterday they took a long nap, but today I hear them up already after just over an hour. I guess I have to accept the fact that some day they won't nap. I'm really planning on having them nap or rest until they go to school. It does me good and them good to get away from each other for a while. That's also when I eat lunch!
It's so fun to see them getting older. They can bring their dishes to the kitchen, clean up their spot at the table, put their clothes in the laundry and do so much more. I'm often asked if I miss the baby phase. In short, no. I sometimes wish I could go back and see them when they were little. That's all though. I enjoy the fact that they can do so much more now. Playing with kids who can pretend is so much more fun than a baby who just kind of rolls around and screeches (sorry, Devyn). Every age has it's hard parts and every age is fun.
For one we have reached that dreaded age where often when we tell Reese to do something or ask him something his response is, "Why?". The first time he said it we just looked at each other in shock. How did our sweet little babies turn into boys who ask, "why", all the time. It's not so bad having just Reese ask why sometimes, but I know that when they all start asking all the time it's going to get old really fast. I'm thankful that they want to grow and learn, but I'm bracing myself for the constant questioning that is coming our way.
We've also reached the age where they want to know about colors and shapes. Just before naptime today we were looking at a book with colors, shapes and categories (kitchen items, a page with clothing, etc) that we were given before they were born (Thanks, Nancy!!). Reese was able to point out red, blue, green and black. It's all because Aiden always has a blue cup, plate and silverware; Noah has green and Reese had red. He knows black because our van is black and my mom and dad both drive black cars. It made me want to cry. Nothing makes a teacher/mom happier than hearing their child learning letters, numbers, shapes, colors, etc. They were able to identify so many things in the book it amazed me. The only shape they know at this point is a triangle. I'm trying to work on circle and square. No luck yet.
They are also taking shorter naps both days. Boo!!! I love naptime. It saves my sanity on the crazy days. Ok. I guess that would be pretty much every day. Yesterday they took a long nap, but today I hear them up already after just over an hour. I guess I have to accept the fact that some day they won't nap. I'm really planning on having them nap or rest until they go to school. It does me good and them good to get away from each other for a while. That's also when I eat lunch!
It's so fun to see them getting older. They can bring their dishes to the kitchen, clean up their spot at the table, put their clothes in the laundry and do so much more. I'm often asked if I miss the baby phase. In short, no. I sometimes wish I could go back and see them when they were little. That's all though. I enjoy the fact that they can do so much more now. Playing with kids who can pretend is so much more fun than a baby who just kind of rolls around and screeches (sorry, Devyn). Every age has it's hard parts and every age is fun.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
4 month check-up
Yesterday Devyn had her 4 month check-up. The past 4 months have flown by and felt really long all at the same time. We go through a pattern of good nights, then bad nights. It's usually about 3 or 4 decent nights followed by 2 or 3 not so good nights. She had some rough nights last weekend. She was up about every 2 hours on Sunday night. Then she was only up twice in 12 hours Monday night and last night. She still has some tummy issues that wake her up and then keep her awake. I have to be very careful what I eat if I want to sleep.
She weighed in at 13 lbs. She has only gained 1 lb. since her 2 month check-up. That puts her at the 36th percentile. Her weight gain has slowed significantly. The dr isn't really concerned, but said it is something to keep an eye on to make sure her weight gain stays steady. She has chubby cheeks and rolls on her legs, so I think she's fine. :) She's 25 in. now though, which puts her somewhere near the 80th percentile. So she's tall and thin. I guess she'll be like her dad! The dr also said we can give her some oatmeal now that she's 4 months old and give her apple juice to help her poop. Poor thing has such a hard time going sometimes. I'm not sure I want to give her anything yet. They keep changing the recommendation on when to feed to avoid food allergies. It was exclusively nursing until 6 months and now she said they changed it to nursing plus cereal at 4 months. I will do anything to avoid having another child with food allergies. I also don't think she's ready for cereal. She still thrusts her tongue out when we offer her a spoon. It's so hard to be a mom and make decisions like this. I just want to do the right thing!
Developmentally she is ahead of where she needs to be. The boys were always just where they needed to be, so it's different having a baby ahead of where she needs to be. She is so much fun to watch. She learns so much all the time. She started sucking her thumb again. It is so stinking cute! Her hands are getting a little chapped because of it, so I was told I should put mittens on her when we go out so they don't dry out too bad.
The boys are also changing and growing a lot. Aiden is potty trained!!! He still wears diapers to bed, but during the day he goes on the potty. It's wonderful! Now I'll move on to Noah. I really depise potty training. All day long I follow them around asking, "Do you need to go potty? Do you need to go potty?". They are having hilarious conversations and learning things faster than I can keep up. We were eating pancakes one day and Reese help up a piece and said, "Look! A trinagle!". It was a triangle. I wish I could take credit. He learned it from Sesame Street. That kid is something else. 2 is such a fun age. Naughty, but fun. Someday I'll sit down and write all the things that are awesome and difficult about the age of 2, but right now I have 3 hungry little boys who want lunch.
She weighed in at 13 lbs. She has only gained 1 lb. since her 2 month check-up. That puts her at the 36th percentile. Her weight gain has slowed significantly. The dr isn't really concerned, but said it is something to keep an eye on to make sure her weight gain stays steady. She has chubby cheeks and rolls on her legs, so I think she's fine. :) She's 25 in. now though, which puts her somewhere near the 80th percentile. So she's tall and thin. I guess she'll be like her dad! The dr also said we can give her some oatmeal now that she's 4 months old and give her apple juice to help her poop. Poor thing has such a hard time going sometimes. I'm not sure I want to give her anything yet. They keep changing the recommendation on when to feed to avoid food allergies. It was exclusively nursing until 6 months and now she said they changed it to nursing plus cereal at 4 months. I will do anything to avoid having another child with food allergies. I also don't think she's ready for cereal. She still thrusts her tongue out when we offer her a spoon. It's so hard to be a mom and make decisions like this. I just want to do the right thing!
Developmentally she is ahead of where she needs to be. The boys were always just where they needed to be, so it's different having a baby ahead of where she needs to be. She is so much fun to watch. She learns so much all the time. She started sucking her thumb again. It is so stinking cute! Her hands are getting a little chapped because of it, so I was told I should put mittens on her when we go out so they don't dry out too bad.
The boys are also changing and growing a lot. Aiden is potty trained!!! He still wears diapers to bed, but during the day he goes on the potty. It's wonderful! Now I'll move on to Noah. I really depise potty training. All day long I follow them around asking, "Do you need to go potty? Do you need to go potty?". They are having hilarious conversations and learning things faster than I can keep up. We were eating pancakes one day and Reese help up a piece and said, "Look! A trinagle!". It was a triangle. I wish I could take credit. He learned it from Sesame Street. That kid is something else. 2 is such a fun age. Naughty, but fun. Someday I'll sit down and write all the things that are awesome and difficult about the age of 2, but right now I have 3 hungry little boys who want lunch.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Noah Q & A
My last post was all about questions we get asked about the fact that we have triplets (and things not to say). The other thing we get a lot of questions about is Noah's food allergies. Despite the fact that food allergies are on the rise many people are still in the dark about them. I can honestly say I didn't understand much about food allergies until I had a child with one. We have learned an awful lot over the past 9 months and I'm sure we have much more to learn.
1. How did you know? Noah's first reaction was to his first exposure to peanut butter. He had an asthma attack, then started swelling and itching and eventually had hives.
2. Will he outgrow it? Most likely not. His allergy is considered severe. Peanut allergies are the allergy that people are least likely to outgrow. He had an anaphylactic reaction so our allergerist would never put him in a desensitization study (where they expose a person to an allergen a little bit at a time). He wouldn't even do a skin prick test for nuts on Noah because of the severity of his first reaction. He only tested his blood. Typically the first reaction is the most mild.
3. What happens if he gets exposed? That is really anyone's guess. Our allergist told us that next time we will only have minutes to respond. Frankly, it's terrifying every time he starts coughing, itching his eyes or breaking out in hives. I contantly recite my plan of action. First we give the epipen, then we call 9-1-1. Then we watch him like a hawk and give the 2nd epipen if the first one isn't working.
4. Can't you just give him some Benadryl for a reaction? No. It only controls the itching and symptoms of a reaction. The Epipen is basically adrenaline and that is what interferes with the reaction. Even after using the Epipen he would need emergency attention because the reaction can continue and further medications could be needed.
5. So, does he just need to avoid peanuts? He actually has a mild tree nut (think almonds, cashews, etc.) as well. We need to avoid all nuts and sesame seeds (they have some sort of cross-reaction and the body responds to them like peanuts sometimes..I'm not sure I get it, we were just avoid them). This also means that we have to read every single food item we purchase. If it says contains, may contain, processed on the same equipment, processed in the same facility as or anything else similar to that we can't buy it. I have made mistakes and not realized until I got home that I was so used to buying something that I forgot to check. I bought Nestle chocolate chips last week and realized as I was opening them that I didn't check them. I looked and sure enough they are processed right along with a product with peanuts. They will be leaving our house immediately.
6. Why do so many kids have allergies now? I have no idea. If anyone claims they know, they're wrong. There is no clear answer. There are many theories..from vaccines (our allergist said that's "rubbish"-he's British) to the hygiene theory (we're too clean and take too many antibiotics) and the way our food is modified and processed. No one knows, but they are clearly on the rise. I read that 1 in 13 kids has a food allergy. That's about 2 kids per classroom. Scary stuff!
We don't put Noah in the church nursery, we skip events because it's just too risky and we constantly worry about when we'll need to respond. I watched a video that was posted on facebook about a person who had a reaction to a wasp sting and continued to react for hours and nearly died. Noah was standing near me and I looked at him and cried. How is it that something as innocent as peanuts could kill him so quickly? It's not fair. It's makes me angry. But I know it's just something that we have to get over and deal with. It's not the end of the world, just a roadblock. We have to find ways around it and move on.
1. How did you know? Noah's first reaction was to his first exposure to peanut butter. He had an asthma attack, then started swelling and itching and eventually had hives.
2. Will he outgrow it? Most likely not. His allergy is considered severe. Peanut allergies are the allergy that people are least likely to outgrow. He had an anaphylactic reaction so our allergerist would never put him in a desensitization study (where they expose a person to an allergen a little bit at a time). He wouldn't even do a skin prick test for nuts on Noah because of the severity of his first reaction. He only tested his blood. Typically the first reaction is the most mild.
3. What happens if he gets exposed? That is really anyone's guess. Our allergist told us that next time we will only have minutes to respond. Frankly, it's terrifying every time he starts coughing, itching his eyes or breaking out in hives. I contantly recite my plan of action. First we give the epipen, then we call 9-1-1. Then we watch him like a hawk and give the 2nd epipen if the first one isn't working.
4. Can't you just give him some Benadryl for a reaction? No. It only controls the itching and symptoms of a reaction. The Epipen is basically adrenaline and that is what interferes with the reaction. Even after using the Epipen he would need emergency attention because the reaction can continue and further medications could be needed.
5. So, does he just need to avoid peanuts? He actually has a mild tree nut (think almonds, cashews, etc.) as well. We need to avoid all nuts and sesame seeds (they have some sort of cross-reaction and the body responds to them like peanuts sometimes..I'm not sure I get it, we were just avoid them). This also means that we have to read every single food item we purchase. If it says contains, may contain, processed on the same equipment, processed in the same facility as or anything else similar to that we can't buy it. I have made mistakes and not realized until I got home that I was so used to buying something that I forgot to check. I bought Nestle chocolate chips last week and realized as I was opening them that I didn't check them. I looked and sure enough they are processed right along with a product with peanuts. They will be leaving our house immediately.
6. Why do so many kids have allergies now? I have no idea. If anyone claims they know, they're wrong. There is no clear answer. There are many theories..from vaccines (our allergist said that's "rubbish"-he's British) to the hygiene theory (we're too clean and take too many antibiotics) and the way our food is modified and processed. No one knows, but they are clearly on the rise. I read that 1 in 13 kids has a food allergy. That's about 2 kids per classroom. Scary stuff!
We don't put Noah in the church nursery, we skip events because it's just too risky and we constantly worry about when we'll need to respond. I watched a video that was posted on facebook about a person who had a reaction to a wasp sting and continued to react for hours and nearly died. Noah was standing near me and I looked at him and cried. How is it that something as innocent as peanuts could kill him so quickly? It's not fair. It's makes me angry. But I know it's just something that we have to get over and deal with. It's not the end of the world, just a roadblock. We have to find ways around it and move on.
Friday, October 4, 2013
Q & A and what not to say..
I've decided to answer some questions that we get asked all the time and give some suggestions of things that are probably better left unsaid when you meet parents of multiples. I've been thinking about writing this for quite a while, but haven't been able to quite put in to words in a way that is both honest and appropriate. If you have said or asked any of these things please don't feel bad. I have said/asked things before that I now realize would probably have been better to keep to myself. Hopefully this will give you some guidance next time you come across someone with multiples...
1. "I'm sorry". Yes. People really do say that. How do you expect me to respond? Should I break down weeping and tell you that I'm so dissapointed that I have 3 (now 4) healthy children? I'm never quite sure what to say other than, "It's a blessing". Even if you're joking it implies that there is something horrible about having more than one child at a time when in fact it is an incredible blessing. Don't be sorry! Be joyful that all went well.
2. "I hope you're done". Nothing irritates me more than when a perfect stranger assumes that if you have multiples you should just quit having children immediately. When you say that you assume that I can't handle the 3 boys and should do society a favor and not have more. I may not be mom of the year and I may have bad days as a mom, but I think that our boys are turning out just fine and having one more child was not going to throw things completely off kilter causing my children to go off the deep end.
3. "Are they natural?" It's hard not to respond sarcastically and say something to the effect of "No! Completely fake! We had them manufactured!". What people want to know is how they were conceived. We did not do IVF. We were on a very low dose of a medication given to "jump start" things when we were having a difficult time conceiving on our own. We had a less than 1% chance of conceiving higher order multiples. It was clearly God's plan for our life to have triplets.
4. "Did you know you were having triplets?" Again, hard not to be sarcastic. Yes, we knew. We found out when I was 6 weeks pregnant and were in complete shock. At 7 1/2 weeks we went for a follow-up ultrasound and saw 3 beautiful, strong heartbeats.
Some of the most frequent questions we get asked are:
1. Are they identical? The answer is that we don't think so. 2 of the boys have the same blood type so it is possible, but I really don't want to pay the money it would take to find out. It does not bother us at all when people stop us to ask if they are triplets, if they are identical or any other "general" questions that don't probe into our personal life too far.
2. Do they have the same personality? Well, they are still 3 different people. So, no. Instead you can ask us how fun it is to watch 3 boys born at the same time grow..as individuals. I love that they are triplets and want to show them how unique and special it is. At the same time I want them to feel like individuals who are not constantly "lumped" together because they were born together.
3. How do you do it? Honestly? I don't know. It's all I've ever known as a mom. It's not like I could pick 1 or 2 to take care of. You choose what's important and leave the rest to get done when there's time. I'm organized and my life is like an assembly line. I think that's the best way to describe it.
I'm sure there are more things that I am forgetting. If there is something that you're wondering, just ask. I will answer almost any question. If you are out and see someone with multiples don't just stare, say something kind. Compliment them if they are well behaved, tell them they are very blessed or give them a polite smile. When you stare we feel like a freak show. Nothing pleases us more than when someone stops us to say what an inredible blessing triplets are. Yes! I can still see the faces of some of the kindest people who stopped us and told us how blessed we are and how happy it makes them to see triplets. It makes us happy too. :) This is a time in my life when I feel like I am doing exactly what I was designed to do. It's not always easy, but it's what I was made for.
1. "I'm sorry". Yes. People really do say that. How do you expect me to respond? Should I break down weeping and tell you that I'm so dissapointed that I have 3 (now 4) healthy children? I'm never quite sure what to say other than, "It's a blessing". Even if you're joking it implies that there is something horrible about having more than one child at a time when in fact it is an incredible blessing. Don't be sorry! Be joyful that all went well.
2. "I hope you're done". Nothing irritates me more than when a perfect stranger assumes that if you have multiples you should just quit having children immediately. When you say that you assume that I can't handle the 3 boys and should do society a favor and not have more. I may not be mom of the year and I may have bad days as a mom, but I think that our boys are turning out just fine and having one more child was not going to throw things completely off kilter causing my children to go off the deep end.
3. "Are they natural?" It's hard not to respond sarcastically and say something to the effect of "No! Completely fake! We had them manufactured!". What people want to know is how they were conceived. We did not do IVF. We were on a very low dose of a medication given to "jump start" things when we were having a difficult time conceiving on our own. We had a less than 1% chance of conceiving higher order multiples. It was clearly God's plan for our life to have triplets.
4. "Did you know you were having triplets?" Again, hard not to be sarcastic. Yes, we knew. We found out when I was 6 weeks pregnant and were in complete shock. At 7 1/2 weeks we went for a follow-up ultrasound and saw 3 beautiful, strong heartbeats.
Some of the most frequent questions we get asked are:
1. Are they identical? The answer is that we don't think so. 2 of the boys have the same blood type so it is possible, but I really don't want to pay the money it would take to find out. It does not bother us at all when people stop us to ask if they are triplets, if they are identical or any other "general" questions that don't probe into our personal life too far.
2. Do they have the same personality? Well, they are still 3 different people. So, no. Instead you can ask us how fun it is to watch 3 boys born at the same time grow..as individuals. I love that they are triplets and want to show them how unique and special it is. At the same time I want them to feel like individuals who are not constantly "lumped" together because they were born together.
3. How do you do it? Honestly? I don't know. It's all I've ever known as a mom. It's not like I could pick 1 or 2 to take care of. You choose what's important and leave the rest to get done when there's time. I'm organized and my life is like an assembly line. I think that's the best way to describe it.
I'm sure there are more things that I am forgetting. If there is something that you're wondering, just ask. I will answer almost any question. If you are out and see someone with multiples don't just stare, say something kind. Compliment them if they are well behaved, tell them they are very blessed or give them a polite smile. When you stare we feel like a freak show. Nothing pleases us more than when someone stops us to say what an inredible blessing triplets are. Yes! I can still see the faces of some of the kindest people who stopped us and told us how blessed we are and how happy it makes them to see triplets. It makes us happy too. :) This is a time in my life when I feel like I am doing exactly what I was designed to do. It's not always easy, but it's what I was made for.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
A beautiful day
This past Sunday Devyn was baptized. It was a beautiful day. It was beautiful because of spending the day celebrating and because the weather was equally as beautiful. We celebrated with our families as Devyn was welcommed into our church. All 4 kids cooperated wonderfully and we stood up front as a family. It was wonderful. It was a busy weekend though and I was glad to have it finally here and just enjoy it.
We also had family pictures. We did pictures with Nate's whole family. Quite a production! It was a little chilly and the kids weren't exactly thrilled to be taking pictures. All in all it went well and we got some great shots.
Today Nate had an unexpected day off. It is far to perfect to be in the house. So, we packed up the kids and went to the park. It is so awesome to finally be able to do things like this! The boys are finally at an age where we can go to a park. So fantastic. My heart felt so full watching Nate help the boys up onto the equipment so they could fly down the slide and squeal with delight. I was thinking how blessed we are to have kids who can play on the equipment and enjoy the day outside. I was feeling blessed because while I sat on a bench feeding Devyn Nate was playing with the boys. It was such a great day. I decided that I need to refocus on what is really important in life. The laundry will always be there, the toys don't need to be cleaned up and other household chores just aren't that important. They will be little for such a short time and I just don't want to be so busy with life that I miss the fun. It's pretty much been the perfect day to enjoy the craziness that is our life. I even took a short nap and took Devyn for a walk while the boys slept (she's not much of a napper). I hear them waking up now and I can't wait to get back outside and enjoy this great day. See you tomorrow chores, today I'm off the clock!!
Here's a pic from our photo shoot this weekend! The photographer also photographed us when we got engaged (7 years ago!!) and our wedding 6 years ago.
We also had family pictures. We did pictures with Nate's whole family. Quite a production! It was a little chilly and the kids weren't exactly thrilled to be taking pictures. All in all it went well and we got some great shots.
Today Nate had an unexpected day off. It is far to perfect to be in the house. So, we packed up the kids and went to the park. It is so awesome to finally be able to do things like this! The boys are finally at an age where we can go to a park. So fantastic. My heart felt so full watching Nate help the boys up onto the equipment so they could fly down the slide and squeal with delight. I was thinking how blessed we are to have kids who can play on the equipment and enjoy the day outside. I was feeling blessed because while I sat on a bench feeding Devyn Nate was playing with the boys. It was such a great day. I decided that I need to refocus on what is really important in life. The laundry will always be there, the toys don't need to be cleaned up and other household chores just aren't that important. They will be little for such a short time and I just don't want to be so busy with life that I miss the fun. It's pretty much been the perfect day to enjoy the craziness that is our life. I even took a short nap and took Devyn for a walk while the boys slept (she's not much of a napper). I hear them waking up now and I can't wait to get back outside and enjoy this great day. See you tomorrow chores, today I'm off the clock!!
Here's a pic from our photo shoot this weekend! The photographer also photographed us when we got engaged (7 years ago!!) and our wedding 6 years ago.
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