March of Dimes/March for Babies Walk

Hi, Everyone,

Saturday was the March for Babies walk.

It rained, but not enough to be miserable during the walk. The walk organizers shortened the route because of the rain. Gus, Kate and Claire did great -- they were just along for the ride. No one fussed, and they did not get even a little damp, thanks to the humongous visors on their strollers.

The main reason I am writing about this is because Chad and I want to say a great big THANK YOU to every family member and friend/co-worker who donated money on behalf of Gus, Kate and Claire to this cause. Because of you, our Moms of Multiples team raised $3065 for March for Babies! YAY!! THANK YOU!!

Also, Chad and I viewed March for Babies day as a day to celebrate the fact that we have three NICU Graduates who are healthy, happy and thriving in every way possible. We are so blessed and so thankful! To celebrate, we gave each baby a big old smooch from us. Notice that they are wearing NICU Graduate t-shirts from March of Dimes. :o)

Love to you all, and thank you again for your generosity.

Leslie

P.S. The top picture, left to right: Claire (in recline position), Kate, Gus. The next picture is of Claire being smooched by us. The next is of Kate being smooched. Then, the next is of Gus being smooched. Oh, and the humongous bruise in the middle of Gus' forehead is from his "meeting" with the See 'n Say toy. Goodness, the bumps and bruises have only just begun!

Happy Easter!!!

Hi, Everyone,

Chad and I hope that you all had a very Happy Easter!

Chad and I took the babies to Landmark Baptist Church in Mt. Enterprise to celebrate their first Easter. For those of you who do not know, this is the church that Chad grew-up in, and I was a member there for a while when Chad and I were engaged/newlyweds. So, Landmark has always been special to us. We are THRILLED that Gus, Kate and Claire finally met all of the sweet people who had prayed for them for such a long time!

So, our Easter went like this:

We left here at about 7:30 on Easter morning. We fed the babies their breakfast and plopped them into their car seats while they were still in their pajamas. We drove straight to their MeMe and Poppa Bear's house (in the rain) and fed them again and then we all got dressed for church. When we got to the church, Chad's dad met us at the door to help us unload and carry Gus, Kate and Claire. We took the babies into the sanctuary just before Sunday school got out. When we got to the sanctuary, we discovered that our niece, Hannah, had made a sign that said, "Reserved for Moore Triplets and Family" and placed it on the end of the pew! Now, if THAT doesn't make a person feel special, then I don't know what will! Chad and I put the babies on the pew while they were still in their car seats. As people got out of Sunday school, they stopped by "The Moore Pew" to say "hello" to Gus, Kate and Claire. The looks on Gus, Kate and Claire's faces were priceless! Their eyes were SO big as they watched all of the new and interesting faces around them. Everyone that stopped by to see the babies was SO nice. Chad and I also had just a few minutes to chat with some of the other parents. It was great to see the Jones twins -- they are BEAUTIFUL -- we had heard so much about them that it was wonderful to be able to see them and chat with their parents for a few minutes. And, one really big treat for me was that got to see Mrs. Jan Creel. I have to tell you that she is one of my "mom" inspirations! She has raised four AMAZING children (they are all grown now). Out of those four children, she has a set of twins, Austin (babies' honorary Uncle Austin and my "brother from another mother") and Tiffany. I always think that if Mrs. Jan could manage with four little children all so close to the same age and maintain such a sweet spirit and so much faith, then I can manage, too. She is my real life "Jon and Kate Plus 8" role model!

Of course, we also saw two sets of great-grandparents (Matlocks/Charles Strong) and my dad and Jill (Poppa Wayne and Ma DJ to the babies). It was great to see everyone all in the same place. My dad was a good sport and toted Kate and Gus around a little bit. He also helped us load the babies back into the car once church was over.

Prior to the sermon, we had a chance to take the babies down to the front of the church for their official "viewing" (I borrowed that word from Mrs. Deanna). Chad was able to thank the church publicly for their prayers for us and the babies. We fully believe that our babies are alive and well because of the prayers of many. It was wonderful to finally be able to thank just a few of our prayer warriors all in one place. To God be the glory -- great things HE has done!! Thank you, Lord, for saving our babies! Thank you for giving us such a sweet Easter Sunday with friends and family. Thank you, Lord, for our prayer warriors!

Once the sermon started, Gus and Kate did really well and sat with Chad, Matt, Brandy, Hunter and Hannah. But, poor little Claire went into meltdown mode. At first I thought it was because she was overstimulated with the new surroundings, new noises and faces. But, I soon discovered it was because she was exhausted! Church started right about the time she would normally be napping. So, we went and found an empty Sunday school room, and Claire zonked-out on the floor on her little blanket for the remainder of the service. Claire is usually a quiet baby and doesn't protest too much about anything. I'm not too worried about this because when she needs something, she will let it be known! She SCREAMED and SCREAMED loud and then SCREAMED some more until I put her down for a nap. Yes, I'm a little slow, but I finally got it! Meanwhile, Gus was enjoying being in church and looking around and listening to the music. And, apparently, Baby Kate decided that she wanted the tour of the rest of the church, so her Uncle Matt obliged and took her for a little stroll (thanks Uncle Matt and Aunt Brandy).

My only disappointment about the church experience was that I was unable to take all of the major family photos that I had planned to take once the service ended. I had planned to get pictures with The Moores, The Cooleys and The Matlocks. But, Claire fell asleep and I wasn't going to wake her for a few photos. One thing that pregnancy, bedrest and being the mom of baby triplets has taught me is that I AM NOT IN CONTROL!! No, correction...it has taught me that I am DEFINITELY NOT in CONTROL!!! :o) So, the big family pictures will have to wait just awhile longer, but that's okay.

After church, we had our first Moore Family gathering where everyone was present. It was so great to finally have everyone under the same roof! We had a terrific Easter lunch, and then MeMe and Poppa Bear gave Gus, Kate and Claire personalized Easter baskets filled with a few toys, new sippy cups and some really spiffy sunglasses. Our nephew, Hunter, loaned Gus his John Deere cap, which was really nice of him to do. He even posed for a few pictures with the babies so that we could get the first pictures of all five grandchildren together. Our niece, Hannah, spent most of the afternoon on the floor with Gus, Kate and Claire and getting to know them better. And, by the way, Hannah is FABULOUS with the babies. She is such a tremendous help and is so loving with them. We took TONS of pictures, needless to say!

I could just go on and on because it was so exciting for Chad and I to finally have our babies out and about and to admittedly show them off just a little. It's okay to be just a little proud of our babies, isn't it?

It was just such a great first Easter. We are SO blessed, but, I have already said that! :o)

We love you all,

Leslie

P.S. Kate is wearing the mint green dress with white bunnies and Claire is wearing the pink dress with chocolate bunnies. The pictures of the babies in car seats are of them sitting on the reserved church pew with cousin Hannah (left to right...Kate, Gus then Claire).

Update on Gus, Kate and Claire

Hi, Everyone,

A couple of Saturdays ago, we went to Mt. Enterprise to Chad's parents' house. We had a great day! Gus, Kate and Claire were able to spend time at their MeMe and Poppa Bear's house for the very first time and visit with their GREAT grandfather, Charles Strong. I took tons of pictures. If you are on Facebook, you have already seen some of those. This half day trip was a great learning experience for Chad and I on what we need/do not need for trips. We looked like the Beverly Hillbillies because our Expedition was so loaded down!

Gus now has two little teeth, and he is also sitting-up all by himself. He is still rolling to get to where he wants to go, and he is starting to scoot just a little more this week. He is extremely accident prone (I know..he's a boy...I might as well get used to it). He has already had a small black eye from having his arm slip out from under him on the play mat. His face met-up with a baby rattle. Ouch! Now, he has a small bruise on his forehead because his head met-up with the "See And Say". Poor little guy! Otherwise, he is still rowdy, sweet and jolly!

Kate also has two little teeth. She has been sitting-up the longest, so she is the most stable at it. She prefers to sit as opposed to be on her tummy. She will roll to where she wants to go, but does not really scoot that much yet. She does do a maneuver that looks like she is bobbing for apples while she is on her belly. She is trying to figure out how to get herself to move forward. She will also tuck her knees underneath her and get into a crawl position, but then gets frustrated because she does not know what to do next. She is still a little anti-social with Gus and

Claire and is not fond of having them touch her or her toys. I think that the poor little thing is still in denial about the fact that she is a triplet and that someone will be in her space for the rest of her life!

Claire does not have teeth yet, but it looks like she will just any day now. She can also sit-up, but prefers to roll around on the play mat. She is now able to scoot herself forward -- very quickly -- and get to wherever she wants to go, which is great, but scary. She looks so proud of herself! She is a snuggler, so any toy that is soft is what she loves. We are trying to stay away from too many stuffed animals, but we do have some "snugglies" that she loves (has a stuffed animal's head attached to a blanket). She enjoys studying Gus and Kate and just loves being near them. She is a very content baby.

Otherwise...

We are still planning on visiting Landmark with the babies at Easter. We are excited that we will get to see everyone -- it has been such a long time!

We are still looking forward to the March for Babies walk that is coming-up at the end of April. Thank you to EVERYONE who donated on behalf of Gus, Kate and Claire. We appreciate you so very much!

Also, we will be participating in the Parent Commitment service (aka "Baby Dedication" in some churches) on Mother's Day Sunday at 9:45 at Green Acres. Chad and I are very excited about this! So, if you happen to be at Green Acres on Mother's Day, come by and say "hello" to us if

you have the chance.

Please continue to keep the babies in your prayers. They have appointments with their developmental pediatrician in Dallas next week, and prior to that they are all scheduled for hearing screens.

Love and miss you all,

Leslie

P.S. Picture order from top to bottom: Gus, Kate, Claire

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).

Gus and Poppa Bear

Here is a picture of Gus with his Poppa Bear (Chad's dad). Poppa Bear discovered that Gus enjoys watching him blow bubbles with bubble gum. So, for quite a while (and I do mean a while), Poppa Bear sat and blew bubbles just for Gus. Gus was completely mesmerized by this.

This picture is one of my favorites. Gus' Poppa Bear would have done this for him all day long just because it made Gus happy. That's LOVE!!

Gus, Kate and Claire update

Hi, Everyone,

Here is the latest on our three sweet ones...

Gus is acting more and more like a "rowdy" boy! He gets louder and louder, and his movements are becoming stronger and stronger. His Poppa Bear and MeMe even spotted him scooting on his back across the floor...yes, scooting on his back. I could not figure out how he was changing locations. I hadn't seen him crawling or rolling. But, Poppa Bear and MeMe SAW him scooting on his back to get to where he wanted to go. Gus is changing so quickly. He is now enjoying "tummy time" more and more and fussing about it a little less. He does a "skydiver" motion while on his stomach and also looks like he is a panicky swimmer at times. He is still such a sweet boy. He loves lots of affection (big bear hugs and lots of wallowing) and big slobbery kisses. And, he thinks that his MeMe is the funniest person EVER! Put MeMe in front of Gus (she calls him her Gran-G), and he is going to hurt himself laughing. It is so cute. His favorite song is "The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round" (seriously, he will stop what he is doing and grin from ear to ear and just let me sing the entire song to him). Also, he is taking more and more solid food and less formula. He especially enjoys carrots. So, I made baby food (carrots) for him today with the nifty baby food BEABA machine that Gus' MeMe bought for me. It is SO easy and fun, and it made me feel good to put fresh baby food into containers just for my Big G.

Kate is also changing so quickly. She smiles with her entire face and laughs all the time. She is getting so close to crawling that it is scary. I am still surprised that she isn't crawling yet. But, she is scooting a little, and she is bunching-up her knees underneath her. She also likes to be helped to stand-up. She will stand for as long as Chad and I will help her to do this...she absolutely loves doing this. She is also learning that her actions cause things to move and as a result has become quite proficient at spinning the rattle on her Exersaucer. It is fun for me to watch her concentrate on spinning that rattle! She is now enjoying rice cereal a little more, but is not quite on the same level with progressing to solids as Gus. Right now, she will take about four bites of rice cereal and move it around in her mouth, which is great. Also, she enjoys it when I plant kisses on her feet, knees and elbows and then end with one final BIG kiss right smack in the middle of her tummy! Her favorite songs are "The Wheels on the Bus" and "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" (yes, I know it isn't Christmas, but if your child enjoyed the song as much as Kate, you'd be singing it year 'round, too). Her favorite books are "Where Is The Green Sheep?" and "Little Jesus, Little Me".

Claire is doing so well. She is now able to do the "skydiver" motion that her brother and sister have been doing for a few weeks now, so I am very proud of her! She is definitely my "people watcher" baby. She watches people with such intensity. She really studies what is going on around her. Let me tell you that it can be a little creepy to see a baby just watching you like she does...I find myself wondering what she is thinking, or worse, wondering if she knows what I am thinking at any given moment! LOL! ;o) She is not enjoying rice cereal like her brother quite yet. She will take a bite or two and then clamp her jaws shut and turn her head. She is still the one who enjoys affection the most. And, she is also the hardest one to make laugh. She smiles all the time, but if we can get a giggle out of Claire Bear, we feel very blessed (she's not as easily amused as Gus and Kate). She also loves the songs "The Wheels on the Bus" and "Incy Wincy Spider", and her favorite book is also "Little Jesus, Little Me" (you think I'm kidding, but she will stop what she is doing and smile so big when I even show her the book).

Lately, I have been taking the babies on late afternoon stroller rides (when the weather cooperates). They love it and so do I.

We are making lots of plans to have the babies out and about once April gets here. I have already mentioned that we will be bringing them to church at Landmark in Mt. Enterprise for Easter (that's where our families live). We are planning to participate in the "March for Babies" walk that is being held at the end of April. Then, we will be participating in the parent/baby dedication service at our church here in Tyler on Mother's Day. And, we are also planning on bringing them for a quick visit to Encompass sometime in April or May. We are excited about all of these things, but it will still be difficult because the babies' schedule comes first. They still have to eat and nap, so our visits will be brief. But, at least they will be out of the house and seeing new and interesting people, places and things! Also, these things have to be done when Chad can be with me...I'm not quite ready to be out on the town with three infants by myself! Now, wouldn't THAT be a HOOT??! ;o)

Chad and I are already grieving the unavoidable ending to the babies' "infant" phase...it is coming, and there is nothing that we can do to stop it. While I was pregnant with Gus, Kate and Claire, Chad and I decided not to gripe about all of the things that are just part of having babies...late nights, early mornings, zillions of diaper changes, fussiness, feedings, feedings and more feedings, etc. We did not want to miss out on the joy of our babies because we were too busy complaining. I am so glad that we chose to savor each moment. The late nights, early mornings and fussiness (rare) provide us with more chances to hold and comfort our little ones. The zillions of diaper changes give us more opportunities to plant kisses on bare tummies and little naked toes. The numerous feedings allow us more time to look into the eyes of Gus, Kate and Claire and really SEE them...

Chad and I have been blessed beyond measure, and we do not take that lightly. We have never worked harder or been happier than we are right this very minute. Chad is definitely a proud dad. And, I am a proud, stay home mom. Recently, lots of people have asked if I am bored staying at home or have implied that I should be bored. What is boring about raising children? I have never felt as challenged creatively, intellectually, emotionally or spiritually as I do now...staying home is definitely NOT boring. It is without a doubt the most rewarding thing I have ever done, and I am so thankful to be able to be here.

Thank you for continuing to pray for us.

We love you and are counting the days until we can see you all again!

Love,

Leslie

P.S. The baby with the big grin is Claire. The baby with the wide eyes is Kate. And, of course you can recognize Gus...he's the boy in the blue hat! Oh, and we are on Facebook...look us up there if you want!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Chad and I are so thankful to be spending our very first Valentine's Day with Gus, Kate and Claire. They are constant reminders of God's love and faithfulness to us.

The ultimate Valentine:

"God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son so that whoever believes in Him may not be lost, but have eternal life." John 3:16 (New Century Version of the Bible)

We love you all.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Love,

Chad, Leslie, Gus, Kate and Claire

P.S. Pictured from top to bottom: Claire, Kate and Gus