Triplets' progress...

Hi, Everyone,

Gus, Kate and Claire are still doing so well!

A few weeks ago, Chad and I dropped their 10:00 p.m. feeding and moved their last feeding of the evening to between 6:30 and 6:45. The babies are in the bed no later than 7:00 p.m. and sleep uninterrupted until at least 5:30 a.m. Sometimes they will sleep until 6:30 a.m.! Yes, I know...I have SUCH good babies. Yes, I also know that you are all thinking, "Wow! That's great! Now, you and Chad can finally sleep like ROCKS and be SO well rested!" Well, if we were normal people, that would probably be the case. But, I think we are both "sleeping with one eye open". I think Chad and I are both halfway expecting the babies to wake-up in the middle of the night. But, they don't. And, we are still sleepless! LOL! When we become more experienced parents, I hope that we will sleep a little bit better. But, my mom always used to say that once she had my brother, Norris and I, she never slept peacefully again. She said that there is always something that keeps moms halfway awake at night. It's that "mom antenna" that seems to sprout once babies are born, I guess. But, mom was right. I am not sleeping well and I am sure it is because I now have the "mom antenna".

Recently, we went through a phase of trying to get Gus to stop taking naps in his swing. The swing only holds 25 pounds, and he is now almost 20 pounds, so we had to start this process eventually (it would be a little embarrassing to have a five year old still trying to climb into an infant swing, wouldn't it?). For a couple of weeks, his nap times were horrible. He was screaming and crying -- obviously exhausted and in need of a nap -- and I felt like mean, horrible mom. Then, it finally occurred to me that he just did not want to nap in his regular bed. So, I started putting him in his "Pack 'n Play" in the guest room, and now he will sleep at least 45 minutes to an hour. Whew!

One of Gus' latest big accomplishments is that he is now working on sitting-up just a little. He is still in the "tripod" pose and tips over easily, but he is working on it. He is also rolling to get to wherever he wants to go. Today, he made his first trip from the soft, play mat area to right smack in the middle of the cold, hard kitchen floor. He was not happy about rolling around to suddenly find himself in this position. He was happy once I "rescued" him and put him back on his cozy play mat.

Kate is now officially sitting-up like a big girl! I put a Boppy pillow around her so that if she pitches backwards she will not whack her head on the play mat. She just started doing this a few days ago, and she looks so proud of herself! Now, if she tips over, she lets out a high-pitched scream -- not because she is hurt, but because she needs help to sit-up again. She does not like to be kept waiting! :o)

Claire is also working on sitting-up. But, her biggest accomplishment right now is that she is rolling all over the place! She rolls all over the play mat and gets herself into a few predicaments that she needs help out of. She also rolls into the middle of the kitchen floor, but she doesn't protest like Gus. She just rests there and has that "no problem" look on her face. I was cooking dinner the other night (yes, I know...SHOCK) and I saw that she had rolled into the middle of the kitchen floor from the play mat. I said, "Well, hi there, Claire!" She grinned at me and looked so proud of herself.

Health wise, everyone is doing very well. The main thing that we are battling is eczema and various other rashes, which is extremely frustrating. About the time we think that we have got them cleared-up, here comes the rash again.

In April, Chad and I will be taking the babies to see their developmental pediatrician in Dallas. They will also be getting repeat hearing screens prior to that appointment.

As for me, this is all fun. It is strange to be down to only five feedings per day after starting out at eight feedings in a 24 hour period. But, the feeding sessions are not getting any shorter now that solid foods are on the menu. Most of the time, if I start feeding babies at 9:00 a.m., I do not finish until close to 10:00 a.m. Sometimes, it takes longer if they are distracted, which is happening more often as they are maturing and taking-in everything around them. Then, of course there are their nap times that I use to scramble around to do laundry and re-organize/regroup before the babies are up and ready to eat and play again. If I am lucky, I might get a little time to make phone calls to family or hop onto Facebook and see what everyone is up to. But, otherwise, it is non-stop activity around here!

Chad is doing great and is absolutely my equal in being able to care for the babies. He has got this routine down! He is still staying busy with work and is hoping to get to play golf again eventually in this lifetime.

We are still being asked when/how soon we will be getting the babies out. For certain, they will be out of the house a little by Easter. But, we are waiting for the official word from the Centers of Disease Control on when the dreaded flu/RSV season is finished here. They still cannot be around school age children until RSV season is over. Sometimes, it is over in March and other times it is over in April. Also, I am waiting for Chad to be able to have a morning or day off to help me get the babies out a little.

Just for kicks, here is the breakdown on what it takes to get the babies out of the house:

Two diaper bags -- one just for bottles, formula and bibs. The other is for diapers, wipes and clothing changes. We are about to have to a diaper bag per baby because the diapers are getting bigger, as are the clothes.

Gather car seats and line them up. Make sure each baby has a blanket waiting for them in their car seat.

Change diapers and feed three babies.

Get babies dressed (each baby has a different lotion to apply for a different rash, etc.)

Put babies into car seats (actually, wrestle with baby who is protesting being put into the car seat).

Pop babies into car seat bases in the car.

Load diaper bags.

Travel (sometimes the babies are happy while in the car and other times they are not).

Unload and carry three car seats and two diaper bags in to wherever we are going.

Get babies out of car seats.

Change diapers.

Try to keep babies happy at given location.

Feed each baby -- again.

Babies are cranky because it is already nap time -- again.

You get the point.

It takes about an hour and a half from start to finish to get out of the house -- and that is just with the things that ONLY include the babies. And, that is with just taking the bare necessities. That time also does not include Chad and I getting ready to leave. So, outings are difficult to plan right now while the babies are still small. But, as they eat more solid foods and nap a little less, it will get easier. Once again, this is not something that I am able to do alone at this point. But, eventually, I will. It is just all part of learning to be the mom of triplets. I am constantly seeking the advice of other twin and triplet moms, and they have been so wonderful about sharing their experiences and wisdom with me. I am so grateful for that! Many of the decisions that Chad and I have made are based on the wisdom of the babies' Dallas physicians AND the Moms of Multiples.

Please continue to keep us all in your prayers...we are still learning and doing the very best that we can! Hang in there with us!

We will see some of you very soon!

Love,

Leslie

P.S. Picture order...from top to bottom: Gus, just waking up from his nap and peeping at me through the bars of his baby bed. Then, there is Claire in her pretty little blue dress with her sparkling blue eys. Then, there is Kate in her little dress with cherries on it...doesn't she look oh-so-prissy? Then, the next picture is of Kate on her official first day of being able to sit-up on her own. See how proud she looks? Then, the last one is a group shot of Chad with Gus, Kate and Claire (look at her sweet little grin).