Nine months old!!!

Lots of new stuff to report! The Girls are NINE months old today! It seems just like yesterday that they had their six-month checkup. Here's the latest on each:

Delaney: Weighs 15 pounds 7 ounces and is 27.75 inches long. She is still the quiet, content, much-abused-by-her-sisters baby! She still loves to kick and likes to be in confined spaces (like UNDER her bouncy chair!). She has learned to love Cheerios and Puffs, and has one tooth on the bottom. Delaney's least favorite thing in the world is keeping socks on her feet!

Mary Beth: Weighs 17 pounds and is 28.5 inches long! She is pulling up and standing almost constantly. She's still just "army crawling," but definitely gets to where she wants to be in a hurry. She's very aggressive: her favorite toy is Delaney's hair! Mary Beth just had her first tooth pop through on the bottom this week!

Samantha: Weighs 15 pounds 5 ounces and is 26.75 inches long. She, too, is pulling up and loves to stand. She loves to explore: we've started calling her Dora! She loves any food that isn't in a bottle or on a spoon. She'll do it herself, thank you very much! (Don't know where she could possibly have gotten that...;-) ! ) Samantha, overachiever that she is, has TWO teeth on the bottom! I guess she's been working on that instead of hair!

They are getting so big so fast! Our days just fly by. Christmas will be lots of fun! I can't wait!!!

Happy Halloween!!!

Mommy is too tired to write much (her Pixie Stix wore off!!!), but these pictures are too cute not to share:

Gotta love these little monkeys!!! 'Nighty-night, y'all...

An Update!

Yes, it's been a while since our last post, but, believe it or not, raising triplets is a busy job! The Girls are doing well and will crawl any second. Mommy and Daddy are trying to baby-proof as fast as they can!

Last weekend the five of us piled in Goldie the Minivan and went to Leland and Wilmington for the day. We sure surprised that branch of the family! It was our cousin Sarah's seventh birthday, and we couldn't miss it! The Girls had a good time playing with their cousins and babydolls and being kissed and cuddled by great aunts, uncles, grandmothers, and lots of other family members! They even had their first tastes of ice cream! They didn't love it; they're just not used to cold things. I tried to explain to them that if I heated it, it wouldn't be ice cream, but they didn't seem to understand...

We took the Girls to the NC State Fair this week. They'll be lucky if they ever get to go again! Way over-stimulating! But, Mommy was insistent - she's never missed a year and is determined to have her babies follow suit! The Girls tasted some of Mommy's ice cream and liked it a little better. They just don't know what's good yet!

This weekend we all went to our friend Anna's first birthday party. The Girls wore cute Halloween outfits and hats (We have to wear them lots - they sure won't fit next year!) and had a ball. It was at a local park with a lake and a playground. The Girls played on the swings for the first time, and Mary Beth went down the slide with Daddy. They're growing up SOOO fast!

Delaney Update: Miss Tadpole LOVES to kick. She lays (lies?) on her stomach and kicks and kicks when she's happy (most of the time!). She likes green foods and hates anything hard (Cheerios, fruit and veggie puffs, etc.). She still has the most hair and the biggest head. Her biggest obstacle is getting people to call her Delaney, and not "Little Bobby!"

Mary Beth Update: Miss Butterfly is very verbal. She babbles constantly when she's awake, and says "Mamamama" when she's upset. Yesterday, we swear she said, "Daddy," but who knows! What's definite is that she's getting so big so fast. She's happiest when standing, and loves to pull Delaney's hair! Mary Beth loves solid foods, but hates drinking milk.

Samantha Update: Miss Sunshine has the cutest smile! She will probably crawl first: She gets on all fours with her belly off the ground, and rocks. Lord, help us when she figures out what to do next! She LOVES Cheerios and fruit and veggie puffs. She likes playing Peek-a-Boo and chewing on books. Samantha will almost certainly be a drummer: she bangs on everything. She's happiest when playing with her toy drum or beating on things with a wooden spoon!

Well, that's us. I'll try to blog more often, but make no promises! There should be lots to report: we have another birthday party next weekend (for our friend, Natalie!), flu shots next week, and teeth any day! Whew!

Milestones!

The biggest and most exciting thing ever written (typed?) in this blog: The triplets are sleeping through the night! I mean that once they go to their cribs at 9:30 p.m., no adult enters the nursery until 7:30 the next morning! YAY!

Other than that, our doctor's visit last week went very well. Samantha weighs 12 pounds 9 ounces, Delaney weighs 12 pounds 11 ounces, and Mary Beth "The Moose" weighs 14 pounds 7 ounces! Yes, we do feed Sam and Delaney! We are now eating solids three times a day and will soon taste yummy things like yogurt. As is always the case, the worst part of the visit was shots. We took Nana with us for additional comforting support. Very smart of us, I must say!

Mommy and Daddy went to the Dave Matthews Band concert last night. Aunt Jessica and Uncle Scott baby-sat and spent the night. What lifesavers we have for friends and family! We had a great time, and the Dixons survived!

We go tomorrow night to have the Girls' pictures made professionally for the first time. Everyone do a collective prayer that they'll turn their cute on and not spit up on their new, expensive, white dresses! We'll see... I'll try to remember to e-mail out the proof information once I have it.

Well, ta-ta for now! Mommy has to put real clothes on (duck pajamas don't count as real clothes!)...

We are SIX months old today!!!

The time really does fly! The Girls are half a year old today! They have changed so much. The hamster-like creatures we brought home from the hospital aren't here anymore! They have so much personality and really are SO different from each other (except Delaney and Sam who, right now, are acting exactly the same and are crying instead of napping in their cribs!).

They love lots of things right now: singing, applesauce, Peek-a-Boo, tickling, Taggie blankets, board books, the "Baby Cobra" yoga pose, and smiling at Mommy and Daddy.

As they are my children, there are also things they hate!: napping in their cribs (see above note!), Mommy and Daddy paying attention to anyone other than them, 2:30 a.m., and sleeping on their backs.

Delaney is still our little love bug! She is usually the most even-tempered of the bunch, and laughs quickly. But, she can go from hot to cold in no time flat! She refuses to lay on a Boppy pillow after she eats anymore, and demands to be held and rocked. Oh, my diva child!

Mary Beth is such a big girl! She loves to stand up, and will do it for long periods of time if you balance her. I can't believe how strong she is! She is the most aware of attention. If you don't pay attention to her she cries and sounds just like a pterodactyl!

Samantha is our sunshine! She will almost always stop crying if you sing "You Are My Sunshine" to her. She loves food and has the eating thing down to a science! She has the cutest laugh, and likes to chew on her stuffed alligator, Clyde!

More next week after their doctor visit!

Updates!

Okay, so it's been a while since I last posted. What's going on?

We had our first post-babies gathering. We had a cookout earlier in the month for our closest friends and their kids. We had 15 adults, 10 kids, 2 babysitters, a partridge, and a pear tree! It was lots of fun! The smartest thing I ever did was hire babysitters for the night. I really didn't have to worry about my Girls but could love on them when I had time. It was great!

Jessica and I went to Myrtle Beach last weekend. We had a great time! I'd tell more, but "What happens in Myrtle Beach stays in Myrtle Beach!" ;-)

The Girls are all HUGE now. I'm not sure how much they weigh (next Dr. visit is 9/13), but they seem so much bigger. Mary Beth, especially, is looking more like a kid and less like a baby all the time! They're all rolling all over the place and look like they'll crawl any second. They definitely notice each other and are so cute! We caught Mary Beth licking Delaney's head the other night. Before we got to her (we were bathing Samantha at the time), Delaney's head was SOAKED! Luckily, it was a bath night! Everyone is eating solids now. They take after their Mommy and LOVE food! So far the only thing they don't like is rice cereal. We switched to oatmeal, and now everyone is happy. Squash took a while for them to warm up to, but they eventually liked it. They love squash now, as well as sweet potatoes and peas. As I type this, Daddy is giving them their first tastes of green beans. So far so good...

We're all going to our first birthday party today. Our friends Morgan and Kenny's little boy, Duncan is having his first birthday party today. It should be fun! And, with all the babies in our group of friends, we better get used to it!!!

Anyway, I'd better shower while I can!

We enjoy the convenience of eating solid food...

We have a good friend who makes up song lyrics to closely mirror the originals yet speak to what's happening in the moment (a la Weird Al). Some of his favorites include "Why'd you have to go and make Ayden constipated?" ("Complicated" by Avril Lavigne) and the reference above: "We enjoy the convenience of eating solid food..." ("Solitude" by Edwin McCain). The Crowder Girls are beginning the process of solids!

So far we've started with Mary Beth. As the biggest baby, she is the most physical and, therefore, has the most neck control. She gets to be the guinea pig! She's been getting rice cereal twice a day this week. She doesn't really like it and still has a lot of tongue thrusting going on , but we're getting there. We're going to start Sam this Sunday and Delaney the next Sunday, probably. Delaney is still so floppy!

Our friend Carrie recommends oatmeal instead of rice cereal. She's one of those moms: the kind I sometimes aspire to be. She tastes everything that goes into her babies (food, formula, medicine, etc.). She can tell me, firsthand, that rice cereal tastes "iron-y" and that oatmeal is way better. I'm just not feeling the whole tasting baby food thing. I wish I was that...empathetic? It just goes to show that it takes all different kinds of moms and kids to make the world go round! Not better, not worse, just different.

Pa, Carrie, and I are going to a yard sale tomorrow. I'm hoping to pick up high chairs (seems like we're gonna need them soon!), another Exersaucer, and maybe a Jumperoo. Our house keeps getting smaller and smaller as we add all this baby stuff, but we're in a constant search for things that will keep babies entertained and happy. If they also keep them relatively quiet and stationary, all the better!!! I'm just not sure who decided yard sales have to start at 7:00 in the morning. I feel like I have to get there early so I get the best stuff, but WOW! That means I have to leave here at 6:30. I don't even have to get up that early if I'm feeding babies, and tomorrow's my day off! Oh well, I can always take a nap later. Tomorrow night should be fun: Jessica and Scott are coming over for a Games and Ice Cream night! Bobby and I realized we used to play board games almost every night, but haven't played even a quick card game since The Girls were born. So, we're going to actually stay up past The Girls' bedtime and act like adults with lives!!! We can pretend, right?!

All worth it...

The past few days I haven't felt 100%. Call it PMS or migraines or lack of sleep or stress or whatever, but I just don't feel like myself. But, when you wake up and see this...:

...it's all worthwhile. The Girls are getting cuter by the second. It's important for me to remember and to look at pictures like this from time to time. Especially now, when they're all supposed to be taking naps and they're all awake and two of them are crying!

We've planned our first big trip: all the Crowders are going to GG's in Virginia Beach for Thanksgiving! I can get my "Black Friday" shopping fix, and we can see some family and friends! I think GG has already started taking appointments for everyone to meet The Girls.

Before that, though, I've planned my first trip away from The Girls. Jessica and I are going to Myrtle Beach for the weekend in August. I think it will be awesome and can hardly wait. Yes, I'll miss my babies, but it will be nice to have some "Mommy Time," too!

That's about it for updates. We're in the throes of teething (none coming through yet, though!), and will start solids probably in the next few weeks. More later: Sam and Mary Beth are having a screaming competition!!!

WE HATE SHOTS!!!

The older the babies get, the harder it is to see them get shots! They look at you like, "Why are you doing this to me?!"...

Anyway, we all went to the doctor today for the Girls' four-month checkup. Everyone is doing well:

Delaney weighs 10 pounds 9 ounces and is 23.5 inches long. She is still the floppiest of the three and does not want to hold her head up yet. I keep telling her that the sooner she does, the sooner she can eat real food (Yay, peaches and squash!), but she doesn't care yet. Soon...

Mary Beth is our giant baby: She weighs 11 pounds 6 ounces and is 24 inches long! She is also now our best sleeper. We've stopped swaddling all the babies at night. As soon as you put Mary Beth down, she flips over onto her tummy. She sleeps for 4 and 5-hour stretches like that!

Samantha, who used to be the biggest baby, is now the smallest: She weighs 10 pounds 4 ounces and is 23 inches long. We're going to try her on another kind of formula with easier-to-digest proteins. Maybe that will help her eat more...

But, the doctor was pleased, and says we're doing a good job! Yay for validation!

Greetings From the Land of the Rested!

Our new schedule ROCKS! The Girls are still getting used to sleeping for so long, and it may require some tweaking, but it's definitely cool to only have one nighttime feeding! Daddy and I take turns, so the nights I'm not on duty I get as much as 9.5 hours sleep! Samantha doesn't like sleeping so much yet, and she's only slept the whole time once. But, I don't mind getting up so much now!

The Girls are much more vocal now. Samantha, especially, loves to grunt and squeal and make any noise she can! Delaney loves when you imitate the noises she makes. She thinks it's so funny! I really think she's German or French, because most of her noises are very phlegmy-sounding! Mary Beth "talks" the least, but is coming along. She is definitely the most physical of the three. She can roll over both ways, but rarely will roll from front to back. She LOVES to be on her tummy.

We go for the four-month check-up next week. I bet they weigh 12 pounds! (Probably between 10 and 11, but still!) I dread the shots, but love taking The Girls to the doctor. It's reassuring to hear a medical professional tell us we're doing an okay job raising our angels!

Time to find Mommy some lunch before the 11:30 feeding...

Here goes nothing!

So, tonight's the night! We're going to attempt to drop a nighttime feeding. So, instead of eating every four hours, we're going to try to get The Girls to go six hours at night. We'll see...

It's naptime right now, so it's quiet time for Mommy to blog, eat lunch, and watch the E! True Hollywood Story of Dirty Dancing! Now I really want to go to Lake Lure and stay at the hotel where it was filmed. Instead, I'll settle for Myrtle Beach for a weekend in August with Jessica. I can't wait! I know I'll miss The Girls (and Daddy, too!), but it will be nice to have a few days to remember who I am besides Mommy and Wifey. I've been criticized by another new mom as of late for going out one night a week and leaving The Girls. Luckily, I have a pretty thick skin and a cool head. I know me and know that those who judge have no idea what I do. I love my days with The Girls, but everyone needs a break eventually. I choose to have my breaks now instead of a breakdown later. I will still have an identity and active interests when The Girls don't need me 24/7. Personally, I feel like it's bad for children to be the center of their parents' universe. A friend once told me she heard a psychologist say you should bring children into your world and let them adapt to it. You shouldn't go into theirs and try to adapt. I agree, obviously. But, every mom is different. I have learned, through this triplet journey I'm taking, that, as long as you love your kids, nothing is really "wrong." You do what works for you and for your child. As much as I wanted and waited for motherhood, I didn't want to be defined as just a mother. Is that wrong? Maybe. But, it works for me!

As a side note, did you ever wonder who "They" are? I wonder all the time. My mommy friends are seemingly constantly saying, "They say you should spend 90 minutes a day playing one-on-one with your child. They say you should never let a child younger than 3 months old cry for more than 30 seconds. They say..." Who is "They?" "They" obviously don't have triplets!

I need a nap! I'm starting to get punchy! But, alas, it won't happen. I have to be awake to entertain another in-law tonight! Better straighten up the living room. (Although, this visitor won't notice. He's only coming to see the girls. Not me, not Daddy, not my dirty house. Maybe I'll watch "The Simple Life" and eat another brownie instead...)

Oops, I did it again!

Whenever I wake up in the middle of the night without planning to, I apparently turn off my alarm. That means that when I woke up at 12:30 because I heard Samantha screaming (She was fine. Daddy had to change her clothes since she decided to pee all over herself!), I turned off my alarm. It also means that I didn't get up for the 4:30 feeding. The good news is that the girls didn't wake up either. I woke up at 5:15, all three were sleeping like little angels. Daddy and I took this to mean that they probably are ready to go longer at night between feedings. Starting Friday night, we're going to let them go 6 hours at night instead of 4. We decided to wait until the weekend in case it gets ugly and we get less sleep! But, I think they'll do fine!

Today has already been exciting: Mary Beth rolled over from her back to her front! She has now rolled over both ways. The other girls show little interest in it, but will soon, I'm sure!

Amoxicillin is still pink!

It turns out Mary Beth did have an ear infection. In both ears! She is a few days into her amoxicillin now and feels much better. I hated to see her have to have antibiotics, but we had to fix her! She was miserable and much more high-strung than usual!

The Girls are taking a nap in their cribs right now. I'm trying to get them used to napping there, rather than on the living room floor. I can do so much more if I know they're safe in their cribs: shower, nap, clean, blog! They don't like it and don't sleep as well, but we're trying. I'm listening on the baby monitor and trying not to go in there unless it sounds like someone's foot is being gnawed off!

When I took Mary Beth to the doctor on Friday we had the added bonus of finding out her weight! She was 9 pounds, 14 ounces! That's almost 10 pounds. Double-digit weights are exciting! I can't believe how fast they're growing and changing. Delaney has started imitating me when I stick my tongue out at her! She thinks it's hilarious! They're adorable! Every time I wish for them to be able to talk and tell me what's wrong or to outgrow spitting up, I try to stop myself and remember that time really does fly and I'll miss all these things sooner than I'd like to admit.

We took the Girls to the hospital Monday to have their hips ultrasounded (is that a word?!). They were checking to make sure, since they were so crowded in Mommy's tummy, that their hips were in their sockets and growing well. I'm happy to report that they are doing just fine! We never fail to attract attention everywhere we go, especially when we have the giant triple stroller. The best part of that is adding to my funny questions list, and this trip was no exception: A man asked us, as we were passing by, "Are they the same?" What do you think he meant by that? I tried to cover all my bases and replied, "They're triplets, all girls, not identical." I just kept walking, but Bobby and I giggled over that one for a while.

Well, there goes Sam! Something must be gnawing on her... :-)

Goodness Gracious!

What a week! Daddy went on his first post-baby business trip to California this week. He was only gone two nights, but it was ROUGH! Nana and Pa came and helped a lot. I don't know what I would have done without them! Still, we missed him bunches!:

The above pictures are a good segue into updates on the Girls:

Samantha (We): Sam sleeps in her car seat all the time now and is doing lots better with her acid reflux issues. She smiles a lot and is a very happy baby, especially when wiggling on her "Princess" blanket. The toy you can see in the picture is her dragonfly, Lulu, that hangs from her car seat handle. She loves to bat at Lulu and babble at her. Even when crying, she'll stop and smile if you talk to her. It's precious!

Mary Beth (Miss): Mary Beth has the world's longest eyelashes and really is cuter than the above picture makes her out to be! She LOVES her swing (only the one that goes from side-to-side, not the front-to-back one!), and was rudely awakened by Mommy for the photo shoot! She goes to the doctor tomorrow morning for our first "illness" appointment (unless you count Delaney's infected tear duct in March, and I don't!). We think she has an ear infection. She's running a low-grade fever, pulls at her ears, and drools a lot. She's fussier than usual and that's bad news! When she feels well, though, she smiles lots more and loves to watch her favorite "show," The Ceiling Fan!!!

Delaney (Daddy): Delaney finally woke up! It seems like she slept through the first two months of her life, and she's trying to catch up! She's the quickest of the three to smile, and will probably laugh any day now. She likes to hide behind her bib and play "Peek-a-Boo" with Mommy. She is typically easygoing and cuddly. Delaney loves to watch TV and sit "like a big girl" on the couch or in her Bumbo seat!

All the girls are getting much better at holding their heads up. It's amazing to watch them grow and change! Everyone was right: the time does fly! I'm trying to cherish this time when they're so dependent on me. It's hard, but I know I'll miss it when they're 13 and are embarrassed by everything I do!

Yay, time to put them in their beds and then put Mommy to bed... until the 4:30 feeding!

Daddy's New Schedule :-(

Today begins Daddy's shift back to his regular work schedule. BOOO!!! His company was awesome and let him work shorter days from the time the Girls were born through May. But, now it's June and back to the 8-5 days. Yuck! It was nice having him home for the 4:30 pm feeding. One good thing about his new schedule is weekends. Daddy was taking one day a week off and working on Saturdays instead. This weekend was his first full weekend home, and it was wonderful to have him here two days in a row. We'll have to see how our first full long week goes.

As a plus, I've hired one of my former students as a "Mother's Helper" two afternoons a week. She starts tomorrow and will be here for the end of the 12:30 feeding and the beginning of the 4:30. I can get some cleaning done, take a shower or a nap, or whatever. I think it's going to be a great sanity-saver!

Oh no! I completely forgot: time for Sam's juice! More later! :-)

A Stupid Question I Forgot and Christmas in May

Sorry it's been so long; we've had a crazy week! First, though, I remembered a stupid question I forgot in my list. It may be my favorite!:

"So, did you know you were having triplets?" Seriously? In this day and age are there really people who are surprised with multiples? Do they push one baby out and feel like there might be something left? Do they go in for a C-Section and the doctor says, "Huh. Will you looky there?" I doubt it. Even the free clinic does at least one ultrasound, right?! Note to the masses: don't go to a doctor who can't count how many babies you're having!

Anyway, back to the crazy week. I honestly couldn't tell you what we did on Friday, but the weekend was full of visitors. On Saturday, Auntie Jessica and her mother and mother-in-law came to visit. On Sunday, we took the girls for their first road trip. We went to Wilmington to visit all our family down there. We used Great Granny's house as our home base, and it was crazy! Twenty-six people came to ogle, I mean visit. There was much gnashing of teeth when small children weren't allowed to feed the babies and hold them constantly, but, overall, it went pretty smoothly. The girls were very well-behaved considering they were passed around like gravy at Thanksgiving. I did a lot of smiling and nodding and even more biting of my tongue. Family means well, but can be very overwhelming! On Monday, we stayed home and recovered!

Yesterday was another Tuesday. Jessica and I went out as usual, but I shared the free time with Daddy. When we came back, he got to go out with Scott for a little while. We all had fun, and Jessica got to practice her baby-sitting skills in preparation for this Saturday...

Well, another feeding is over! I get to go back to bed until 8:00 now until it all starts again!

Family Day and Juice!

Yesterday was postless because it was Family Day at the Crowder House! Daddy was off work, and we just hung out together. It was low-key and wonderful! We got Samantha all straightened out. The doctor said to give her a suppository (YUCK!), and some juice. All I can say about that is that she liked the juice! She sucked it down and smacked her lips! She must have a sweet tooth like her Momma! Pa and Nana watched the Girls while Daddy and I went out to dinner. It's nice to be able to get out and have some alone time once in a while. I guess it's a good sign that I'm always ready to get back and see my girls...

Wednesday night is also bath night. The Girls are actually seeming to like it. At least they don't scream like they used to! They are learning to splash and are starting to smile in the tub when we pour water over their heads. It's so cute! They aren't great at holding their heads up yet, so it's definitely still a two-man job. When they're a little more stable, I'll take pictures.

Today has been pretty quiet. Mary Beth will only sleep in her swing or if I'm holding her. Delaney is currently asleep in her crib (after screaming for 10 minutes!), and Sam is asleep in her car seat. Daddy should be home in the next hour, and we start feeding babies again! Yay! :-)

Another Tuesday in Paradise...

So, another Tuesday has come and gone. I tend to look forward to those: it's my night out! I finally got to see last week's season finale of Grey's Anatomy (Jessica was SO sweet - not a word typically used to describe her, but fitting here ;-P - to wait and watch it with me.)! Yup, I'm behind, but the life of a Triplet Mommy is busy! Today was especially rough. Sam was up most of last night and cried most of today. Poor girl is constipated! I've done all the stuff the doctor said, but still no luck. Think I'll call in the morning and see if she can have juice...

Anyway, tomorrow is family day. Daddy is off work, and we're going to spend some quality time together with the Girls. Nana and Pa are coming over, so Mommy and Daddy are going out to dinner! Two nights out in a row?! I won't know how to act!

Well, off to fold laundry and check the weather so I can plan outfits for tomorrow and straighten up downstairs and get ready for the 12:30 feeding and....

Answers to COMMON Questions...

People are so curious about the Girls! I really don't mind answering all the questions, but would really like to pre-print a list of answers I can just hand to people to save time. For example:

1. Are they identical? This seems to be a pretty dumb question to me! If you look at them at all closely, you can see they don't look anything alike! But, I spend lots more time with them than the random stranger on the street, so, like a good Southern girl, I just smile and nod and say, "No, Ma'am, they're not." Related to this is, "How do you tell them apart?" Rather than tell people I just LOOK at them(!), I just point out the differences (hair, facial features, size, etc.)!
2. Do they sleep through the night? What, exactly, does this mean, anyway?! The Girls are still pretty small at this point, so they eat every four hours, even if we have to wake them up to do it. Yes, the doctor told us to do that. Yes, it's hard and means we don't get much sleep. Yes, (I keep reminding myself) it's temporary. When they get a little bigger, we can let them go longer without eating.
3. Do they sleep in the same crib? They did in the hospital, and for about 3 nights once they were all home. But, they kept wiggling into each other and beating on each other, so we quickly separated them. They said they had enough together time in the womb anyway!
4. How do you do it? Do what?! Take care of the babies I prayed for for years?! It's all I want to do! I think it helps that these are our only children, so I don't have to feel like I'm neglecting anyone by taking care of the triplets. Also, we have no frame of reference of what it's like to raise one child at a time. So, as far as we're concerned, this is how parenting is! I am ridiculously organized and scheduled. I don't really have a choice now, but I've really always been that way! Bobby is the most wonderful husband and father on the planet! It helps that he is so involved. He even makes me go out one night a week so I don't get too burned out!
5. What do you do if they all three cry at once? It happens! While I was pregnant, I kept waiting for extra arms to grow (Along with an extra breast! Didn't happen, so the babies are formula-fed!), but they never did. I had to quickly learn to assess the babies' cries and determine why they were crying. I'm not an expert, but I can tell who is crying from other parts in the house and can usually distinguish a dirty diaper cry from a hungry cry and a sleepy cry. Whoever is in the most real need gets attention first! I can hold two babies at once, but not three. Swings are the greatest invention EVER!
6. How will you afford three _________ at one time (fill in blank with college tuitions, cars, weddings, etc.)? HELLO! Can I get through having to buy formula and diapers first?! If you're really that worried about it, we're happily accepting donations to said funds! :-)

They are the greatest joys EVER! I really hope the Lord doesn't give triplets to shy people... I don't think they could handle all the attention! Luckily, I kinda like it. ;-)

Meet the Girls!

Delaney (AKA - DelaneyPie, Snoopy, and Little Bobby): The oldest and often the quietest. She loves to cuddle and listen to music and the vacuum cleaner. She was the first to give Mommy a real smile. Delaney is still the smallest of the Girls and has the most hair. She is cooing a lot these days, especially at night.

Mary Beth (AKA - Miss Butterfly, Ms. Ballistic, and Lizard Girl): Classic middle child! She craves attention and lets you know when she doesn't get it! Her hair is starting to turn red, and it definitely suits her. Mary Beth is the only one, to date, to roll over. She's done it twice! She's still the longest baby, but no longer the heaviest.

Samantha (AKA - Dr. Phil, Count Blah, and Baby Bird): Our big girl! At the last doctor's visit, Sam was the heaviest, and has been for quite a while. But, she is eating less these days, so it may not last. She has acid reflux and takes Prevacid every day. It's helping, and we hope she's back to her old self soon. Samantha was born with lots of blonde fuzz, but it all fell out. She is starting to get some hair, and it's coming in brown. She loves to smile and laugh in her sleep.

Our first blog!

Hi everyone!

This is just a forum to keep everyone updated on the triplets. I'll endeavor to post when I get a chance. I don't promise to do it every day, but will do the best I can!

Anyway, we just finished up a REALLY busy week. It started with Mother's Day (my very FIRST!). Daddy, Pa, the Girls, and I went to brunch at the Art Museum. It was delicious, and we were the hit of the party! Lots of random people coming by to ask questions and even take pictures. We had a great time. Thursday was Mommy and Daddy's 10th anniversary. Nana and Grandaddy watched the Girls while we went to Fearrington House for dinner. YUM! Saturday we all went to Family Day at Daddy's work. Again, we were quite the spectacle. I was asked what had to be the dumbest question ever: Looking at our GIANT triple stroller, a girl asked, "Are they twins?" Seriously!

This week looks to be quieter; well, as quiet as life with triplets ever is! Probably lots of crying, spitting up, and tummy time. We'll see! Today my big accomplishment is that I mailed our birth announcements. Yay! One less thing to worry about...

Well, I better sign off so we can feed Mommy before we feed babies!