Happy Easter!

It just isn't possible for them to get any cuter!

Well, Easter didn't turn out quite as we had planned. This was to be our first outing to somewhere besides the pediatricians office. We were going to Nonnie and Poppie's house! Everyone was quite excited and looking forward to it. I was, of course, worried we would forget some very important piece of baby junk. It was not meant to be, however. Poor Poppie got sick so we decided not to risk it. Brian threw together an impromptu Easter dinner of pork ribs (yum!), we dressed up the babies anyway, and took lots of pics.

Pretty Lily in her girly-girl dress.

Jack posing for the picture.
Bennie and his double chins.
Thanks to my Mom and Dad for spending the night and spending Easter with is. These pics are from my Mom, I'm too lazy to download my pics. Poppie-we missed you so much, and hope you get well fast. To everyone else...we will be planning another outing soon.

Oh yes...News from the Doc.

We went to see Dr. Hopkins on Friday and he was so happy with how well the babies are doing. Here are the current weights/heights:

Lily

24 1/2 inches long and 14 lbs 6 oz. She's in the 50-75th percentile for height and the 75th percentile for weight!!! Go Lily!

Jack

25 inches long and 14 lbs 6 oz. He's in the 50-75th percentile for height and the 25-50th percentile for weight. Better watch out, Jack, their catching up to you!

Ben

Here's the BIG surprise. Ben has taken the lead. That's right...He weighs the most! Only by one ounce...but still the biggest!

24 1/2 inches long and 14 lbs 7 oz. He's apparently a tad short so he's only in the 5-10th percentile for his height but he's in the 25-50th percentile for weight. He has been working really hard to catch up.

In case any of you are wondering what the percentiles mean, here's a refresher. Percentiles are the most commonly used way to compare the size and growth patterns of children. They rank the position of one child by comparing them to other children their age. So, when they are in the 25th percentile for weight this means that they weigh the same or more than 25 percent of other kids their age and weighs less than 75 percent. Obviously that means that the higher the percentile the better. So, they are doing great considering they were born almost 7 weeks early and they are being compared to other babies their age who were born full-term. Yeah!

I wanted to leave ya'll with two more pics. I've had more than one person say to me that poor Lily will have to put up with two boys picking on her for the rest of her life. As you can see below she is doing a fine job taking care of herself. Notice how sweet and cute she looks in the first picture. Then notice what she's doing in the next pic. Pretty sneaky sis. (please disregard my bad hair, I decided to sleep longer instead of fixing my hair...)

Updates...Updates...

Here's a run-down of the current situation around the Rogers' household.

Well, since they pretty much only eat, play, and sleep...(get it?)...we'll touch on each topic.

Eating:

Fantastic...Easy cheesy...Right on track! I think that pretty much sums it up. They love, love, love to eat thank goodness. About 6-8 weeks ago they just turned a corner. Eating was no longer hard. Gone are the days of leaky mouths, sleeping through meals, spitting out, and refusing.

Would you believe that Ben is now eating up to 6 1/2 oz each feeding? My littlest guy is now my very best eater. He is working so hard to catch up to his brother in weight. Lily eats around 5 1/2 to 6 oz each meal and Jack is hanging out at a good solid 5 to 5 1/2 oz each time. I can't believe they came home from the hospital eating 40 ml. That's just a tad over an ounce. They have just made such great progress...it is amazing to think about it. There were times that feeding was a struggle but now it is just a breeze. It's completely possible to feed all three at once by propping their bottles up and burping them at the end.

We made the switch to the Born Free glass bottles a couple of months ago. The main reason was because of all of the fuss in the news about a chemical in some plastic bottles that could possibly lead to developmental delays and neurological impairments. Who knows if this is even possible, but we made the switch anyway just for peace of mind. There are a million things out there that could go wrong, huh? It wasn't that big of a deal to change so we did...and the babies really like the bottles. The switch was so easy, which was unbelievable considering all of the problems we had early on. We were using Avent and Playtex Ventaire bottles which both contained the chemical. Besides, my friend Caroline is very proud of us for being ecologically friendly now. Good for us!

AND, they just continue to grow, grow, grow! We go for their 4 month check-up next Friday and I can't wait to see how much they weigh. My best guess is between 14-15 lbs. They have graduated to size 2 diapers! It's really funny to look at their preemie diapers compared to their big kid diapers. They are now wearing size 3 month clothes!

They will also be receiving their first round of shots next Friday. Yuck. I'm a little nervous. We opted to wait until their adjusted age to get their shots. So because they were almost 7 weeks early we are getting their 2 month shots at four months. I've also requested that we follow an alternative vaccination schedule. I really do believe that it is important to vaccinate children against dangerous diseases, we just want to be a little more cautious because there could be side effects. It's tough when one baby gets vaccinated, but having 3 uncomfortable all at one time might be terrible. So instead of getting 4 vaccinations we will be getting two and then going the following month to get the other two. By only giving two vaccines at a time we hope to decrease the chances of a chemical overload from grouping so many chemicals all together at once. This allows their little bodies to adjust better. It will also only give one live-virus vaccine and one aluminum-containing vaccine each time. This will also make it easier to figure out what vaccine they are reacting to, if a reaction should occur. You can go to http://www.fitpregnancy.com/vaccines_autism_alternative/yourbaby/1205?subsection=baby_health_development to see the list.

Playing:

Fun times for all. Their very favorite pastime is hanging out in their play gym. Everyone is swatting away at toys. They are grasping things you put in their hands. I caught Ben the other day grabbing at his elephant's ear. He was completely amazed that he could do this and it was really funny watching his face.

They have discovered how fantastic hands and fingers are in their mouth. Again, Ben is SO funny to watch. He will have both hands fisted directly in front of his face and will look back and forth at them. I can just hear the commentary running in his head. "Get in my mouth, dammit...Come on, get in there...Ouch...you stupid fist you hit me in the eye...Ouch...that's my cheek...Ouch that hurt...Get in there...yes, yes, closer...YES!!! It's in my mouth...AHHHHH...it fell out...Ouch it hit me again....." I guess you get the point. It's pretty freakin' hilarious. Everyone is also great at grasping their hands together.

Tummy time is going great! Jack is by far the best. He can get all the way up on just his forearms and look around for a long time. Lily is second best because she lacks a little endurance. Ben, not as great...but we are working on it. He likes to give up and just suck on his hand. Oh well, he'll get there. I swear I thought Lily was going to turn over the other day. She had the rocking motion down and kept kicking with one foot. She almost had it. I even got the camera out to record it. However, she got worn out and gave up. Maybe next time...

The two things we absolutely cannot live without: First, the mirror. My children are vain. I can't imagine who they got it from? They love, love, love staring at themselves. Second, the swing. Thank God for that swing. Wake up early from a nap??? Go to the swing! Feeling a little fussy??? That's right...swinging will cure that too. Hungry, but it's not time to eat! Fill up on some swingin'. This is truly a miracle invention. Thank you to all of you people who gave us swings!

The other favorite thing? The bumbos. This is my favorite picture right now. How stinkin' cute are these guys? I mean look at Lily! She's having a blast! My sweet babies. And yes, they are as sweet and fun as they look!

And the smiles... They can light up a room. Every smile is like a wonderful little gift they give us. They are cooing and I swear they chuckle every now and then. One of my favorite things is to peek over the crib at Lily after she wakes up from a nap and say "Lily Bug...Where's my smile?" She gives me this HUGE grin that just melts my heart. This is what it's all about, my friends. This is so worth the 95 lbs, the bedrest, the c-section, the high blood pressure...you name it I would do it all and more.

Sleeping:

I'm happy to say we are doing o.k. in this department. Pause for a second while I find some wood to knock on... Both the babies and Mommy are getting a lot more of the good stuff these days. Here's how it goes down: Brian does the 5:30 a.m. feed by himself while I get off of the couch and move to a bed somewhere. The babies go directly back to bed after this feed and sleep until at least 8:30, sometimes as late as 9:30. This is my best time to sleep. They wake up, eat, play, then go down for a morning nap for about an hour and a half. Wake up at 1:30, eat, play, then nap again. This nap is a little touch and go, for some reason they just don't sleep as well then. This time in particular the swings are mighty handy. Eat again at 5:30, cuddle on the couch, down for bed by 7:30. Up at 10 to feed and right back to bed. We usually have to wake them for this feed and they are usually asleep by the end of it. I go to bed then. O.K., I camp on the couch outside of their room then. I was getting up about 2 or 3 for a "dreamfeed" where I don't wake them, change their diaper, or even burp them. I just fed them a few ounces in the dark and they snooze right through it. Until 3 nights ago when I decided to risk it and let them sleep. It hasn't been completely bump free, but we have had 2 nights now with no middle of the night feed. This is not to say I have been getting any more sleep at all...because that is not the case. There have been a few tears, but they have drifted back off to sleep after a little crying. Jack is my hero. He has completely taken to this and has no problem at all. Ben seems a little frustrated, but if all else fails the good old trusty swing works wonders at 4:30 in the morning. Lily screams bloody murder and it's hard to get her quiet...but I've managed to do it. This all leads to less sleep for me right now, but I'm hoping this will just be for a few days. Brian's back up at around 5:30 to feed them again and the day starts all over again.

I have made the shocking discovery that these babies NEED a bunch of sleep. While they may disagree rather loudly at times naps are not negotiable. If they don't sleep they are bears by the end of the day. This is when quiet time in the swings is priceless. The more sleep they get the happier they are. The secret also seems to be getting them to the bed before they are completely drifting off and sleepy. Who knew? When we figured that out things go easier. They do still cry and protest but it's getting so much better. Of course, this is a new week so they may choose to revolt as soon as I think I have it figured out.

Other news to report:

Jack is no longer a fusspants. Lily now has this title, maybe we should say fusskirt? That girl can wail. Jack will give up after a few minutes, but not Lily. The cry it out method sure doesn't work for her once she gets worked up. Fortunately, we can usually avert this by making sure she gets enough sleep.

Lily is stinky. I'm not sure where it's coming from, she is after all named after a flower? We call her stinky Lily. For reals. They all eat the same stuff, why is it so much stinkier when it comes out the other end? I just don't get it.

Jacks chins now have fat rolls. His little wrists have fat rolls. We call him Jackie Chin. It is adorable on him! He has big round eyes and the sweetest little face! Love it!

Bennie has had quite the belly on him now! He's really plumping up nicely. He's by far the hungriest little guy ever. He loves to eat. The last two nights when we skipped the night feed the first thing he does in the morning is SCREAM as if to say: "You forgot to feed me...how dare you!" I mean he is frantic. It's pretty sad actually.
I guess that's about it. I know it's a lot of news, but when you are a blogging slacker like me you have to try to fit it all in when you can. As for me, I'm settling in fairly well to this staying at home thing. Some days are better than others, but it seems like things are definitely getting better. I have frequent shots of reality that I'm not sure what I'm doing, but I'm doing the best that I can. I try to take a shower every day and I don't think I look too terribly frazzled by the time Brian gets home. I try to get a few projects a week done, but I also try not to put too much on my table. I am finding I have guilt about things I never thought I would, don't care at all about things I thought I would care about, and am finding a new sense of myself through this whole process. Some days seem long but the weeks are just flying by. I am also amazed at how well Brian and I are working together to get all of this done.

I do have a very special thanks to send out. If it weren't for all of our loved ones who chip in a few hours each week to help us out I would have no where near the clarity or sanity to take care of these little guys. Grandmother helped me get my feet back under me for weeks. Nana comes every week and gets the dog hair under control, folds laundry, and has even been known to get stains out of the carpet. Brian's parents are always up for some late night baby duty and my parents love to chip in and spoil the little guys as well. I get out a few days each week, can peruse WalMart and Target at my leisure, and Brian and I usually get out at least once every two weeks for a date. Sure, there have been some rough days, but when you know that you have help tomorrow or over the weekend it makes it a whole lot easier to get through a tough day. All in all we are doing a stellar job, I think. Keep up the good work guys!

Happy Birthday To Me!!!

That's right. Another year older and supposedly another year wiser? Not sure about that today, check with me tomorrow. I thought I would dedicate this post to me. That's right...No babies. Just all about glorious me. I'm sure everyone is dying to hear about how I'm doing these days, right?

It's been one heck of a crazy year. This time last year I had just had an awful week. The reproductive endocrinologist had called off a cycle because I had an overreaction to the meds. I remember being heartbroken and really down about this. My whole infertility trip had been one step forward and two steps back. Little did I know that in about six weeks I would be pregnant. I had a terrible week at work. I had failed a student. It was one of the toughest decisions I had made professionally. I had many sleepless nights over this decision, but in the end the decision was made for me. The funny thing is if she had spent half as much time treatment planning, completing assignments, and putting things in charts as she did on revenge she would have been one of the best students I had ever had. Oh well, can't win them all can you?

Then I found out I was pregnant. Then I found out we were having triplets. Such a mix of emotions. I can say my fear outweighed my happiness at times. But we got through it and accepted that this was the path we were meant to take. This was a special thing given to us because we could handle it...and handle it we did. Looking back now I can still feel all of those emotions. Fear of the unknown. I was worried the babies would have complications, I was worried about the logistics of raising 3 kids, I was worried about quitting my job, and I was worried about how my body would handle it all.

I made it through it all. Quitting my much-loved job. Saying goodbye to the career I had worked so hard for, knowing that this was just a momentary pause and that I would be back someday. I got bigger by the second, I swear. We quickly finished renovations on our current house. We bought a new house. We moved. We had baby showers. It got harder and harder to get around. I became increasingly uncomfortable. Hip pain, ass pain, back pain, side pain, etc. You just can't be pregnant with three babies without experiencing a little discomfort.

Why, yes...that is one hell of a belly.

Then came the fateful day when I landed myself in the hospital. A month on bedrest spent in one bed. I honestly don't know how I did it, looking back. Actually I do, I had a lot of people praying for me. I know in my heart that gave me a peace to just grin and bear it because it really, really, really sucked. They were almost here twice and the process of keeping them in almost killed me. Then they were here...and they were perfect.

Less than an hour before delivery...Looking good! This is what 213 lbs looks like...

I had pregnancy induced hypertension which turned itself into pre-eclampsia. I had high blood pressure and they had to put me on meds. The meds were pretty tough. There wasn't a moment at the end that I didn't hear my heart beating LOUDLY in my ears. I snored. My nose was so stuffed up I had to wear breathe-right strips and stuff Kleenexes of Vick's Vapor Rub up my nose. I watched my feet and legs swell to epic proportions. I had pitting edema. I gained 95 lbs. The day I delivered I weighed a whopping 213 lbs. I weighed more than Brian. I stopped peeing. The babies came because my kidneys just stopped working right. I did not, however, get stretch marks.

The first time I held my little girl...





Then came the NICU stay, the c-section recovery, and we were home bound with 3 babies. I lost 55 lbs just with delivery. I still have 15 to go. We had no idea what to do. I still have no idea how we didn't break them, but we didn't. Today they are happy, fat, healthy little munchkins whose smiles light up the room. I have been blessed beyond my wildest imagination and cannot believe how lucky we are.

I am a Mom now. I am a stay-at-home Mom. I have no idea what I am doing. I'm winging it. I'm a little tired at times and Brian would tell you I get a little grumpy. I feel a little lost as to who I am now because all of this is new. I don't deal well with change, I'm a happy status quo kind of girl. My life has been riddled with nothing but change and I've had to learn how to handle it. Sink or swim. I kind of do a doggy paddle sometimes.

I am all about positive reinforcement. Good jobs, thank-yous, and recognition for my accomplishments. I was successful in school, met my professional goals yearly, and loved to take on lots of added responsibilities. I got raises and promotions. I was respected by my peers.

I'm noticing quickly that these darn babies haven't said thank you once for the fact that I get up in the middle of the night and feed them. The nerve. I'm worried that I see a pattern developing here. They just expect me to do all of these things without getting anything in return? No pats on the back? Wait a minute...this is simply not how I work. I need recognition for all of my good deeds. Huh.

I'm also noticing that my heart is more full of love each day. Just looking at those sweet chubby faces can bring me to tears. They are amazing in every way. They are pure perfection. I am the luckiest person in the world to spend each and every day with them. We play, they smile, I sing, and they look at me like I am the best thing in the whole world. I guess I'll count that as my positive reinforcement!

This is the most important job I will ever have. I REALLY want to be good at this. I want more than anything to raise children who are self-assured, happy, smart, and have a sense of humour. All the while keeping mine...and keeping my sanity. There are about 10,000 different books on how to do that, and I'll probably attempt to read about half during their childhood. Of course, real idiots have raised successful kids. I'm not an idiot. Surely if I go about this as I have other endeavors I will have some moments of clarity and direction along the way. I know I will have a lot of caffeine anyway. Maybe I'll have some sort of stimulant-induced epiphany?

Me and my boys...

So here's to a new chapter. This is so different. I'm a little scared sometimes. I'm sure I'm feeling the same emotions that many Moms have over the years. It's a completely different way to look at myself. Don't worry, I'll get it. I haven't outright failed at anything yet. Oh dear, I guess there's always a first time. I hope Brian has patience with my moodiness. It stems from my attempts to overcome my self-doubts. That's a new feeling for me, you know. I've always been pretty sure about myself. Pretty sure about what I'm doing and why. Not so much now. I hope he doesn't lose faith in me and wonder if I have any idea at all what I'm doing. More than any other time in my life I need him to be the one to give me the thank yous, the pats on the back, and the recognition I need. Don't worry, though...I will be training these kids to tell me how wonderful I am!

Do you think they are discussing a raise?


As I sit here on the eve of my 32nd birthday I've decided to make a few professional goals for myself for the next year. Some goals to set my sites on that don't have anything to do with sleep schedules, weight loss, or crying. Sorry for not sharing right now. In case I don't accomplish them I don't want anyone knowing. Sad but true.

"Help...she has no idea what she's doing!"

I know, I know...it's been awhile.

Sorry. I have no other excuse than to claim that I have been VERY busy chasing pacifiers.


This has indeed turned into a full-time position. You would think that I might have been spending time feeding, changing diapers, sleeping, whatever... Nope.


Oh for the love of a Wubbanub... For those who do not know what I'm talking about, they are small stuffed animals attached to pacifiers... As far as I know you can only get them online. Which I did, about a month ago. I was sure these were the answer to many of our pacifier problems, but they might have created more...see below.


Pros:

• There are 3 babies...three different animals...MUCH less pacifier confusion.
• Less pacifier chasing...Those stupid things can roll 20 feet and hide under a couch in less than 2 seconds.
• They are much less able to projectile spit them across the room. The stuffed animal portion weighs them down. My children could win a sunflower spitting contest hands down.
• They are a little bit easier to keep in their mouths because you can prop the animals next to them in bed. This is mostly wishful thinking...
• They are pretty stinkin' cute.

Cons:

• They are still pacifiers.
• It is in a pacifier's nature to fall out. This is what they do. They are evil.
• They appear to collect things like dog hair, fuzz, and are wonderful at absorbing puke.
• Instead of just falling out they like to attack faces. For reals. I stick it in, I turn around, the baby starts crying, I turn back around, the animal is flailing around their face beating them about the head and shoulders. O.K., not really, but that's what I imagine they think is happening.
• They turn into flying objects. Not kidding. Lily has indeed managed to fling hers halfway across the room... That girl has an arm on her.

Jack and Red Dog...

Jack is somewhat ambivalent about the whole pacifier thing. UNLESS you want to stand there and hold it in for 45 minutes or so. Once you put it in you better be committed. The next hour will be spent putting it in, walking away, screaming, running back to put it in, repeat forever... It's gotten to the point we just ignore the fact that we have a Red Dog unless it is almost time to eat because that is the only thing that works at that point. Good old Red Dog is our last means of defense. Thank God for the swing.

Ben and Frog Man.

Once again I find myself uttering the phrase..."Thank goodness for Ben." He is the success story. Frog Man ALWAYS works and he holds it in his mouth 80 percent of the time. In my book that is a winning percentage. Talk about double standards. This means Ben always has Frog Man and it is stuck in his mouth a bunch. When I am downstairs and hear him screaming all the way upstairs I can put it back in his mouth and it buys me another 30 minutes. I can't ask for anything more. Sweet, easy Baby Ben. On the flip side...this is his baby crack. I'm fairly sure he would toss me aside in favor of Frog Man. He is seriously, sadly addicted to this little green guy. I admit I feed the addiction out of pure self preservation. I hope I am not creating a monster.

Lily and the Penguin...

This is a failed relationship. For as good as Ben is at holding Frog Man in, Lily is equally as bad. That poor girl. She actually does a pretty good job keeping it in her mouth but it takes some concentration. As soon as she loses concentration for a second the mayhem ensues. The damn penguin begins to attack her face. O.K., what really happens is that the thing falls out of her mouth, it startles her, and she begins to flail wildly with her arms. Imagine little baby karate moves. This somehow propels the penguin toward her face where it appears to dance around and peck her eyes out. I imagine this is how she pictures the whole ordeal. All the while she is whacking at it. Somewhere in the middle she screams angrily, snorts, screams angrily, snorts, and so on. Her cry really needs some work. It's a great source of humor for us. It then gets thrown on the floor or across the room. I am a terrible Mom because I never wash them off after they hit the ground. It's just an impossibility. I then fetch and repeat the dreaded process. Again, she really only gets it when she's hungry or nothing else will calm her down.

So you see how I spend my days. It's a lesson in futility...for us all. I have sworn that I will be rid of these dreaded pacifiers by the time they are 9 months. Any veterans out there who have said the same thing? I know they need them right now because sucking is the way they soothe themselves. I'm beginning to think the way I can soothe myself is to set them on fire. Which I will do. Someday. Until then I pray they find their fingers. Soon.

Oh yes, one more thing. Valentine's Day came and went and I was a terrible blogger and didn't post their first pics. So here you go. You will notice Ben got so excited about the morning photo shoot that he spewed his breakfast down his chin. And on my bed. Yeah!

Rejuvination...

Well I'm happy to report that I am now among the living again. I have fully recovered from my sleepless night and am no worse for the wear. I had a night off!!! I spent Friday night with my best girlfriends for our traditional "Spaghetti night", then spent the night at Audrey's house where I got a full 8 hours of sleep! Brian's parents spent the night at our house and took care of the babies for a night and Brian got a full nights sleep as well! Yeah!

This was the first weekend in a long time that actually felt like a weekend. The past weeks and months have sort of melted together in a blur of days. When you can't go anywhere or do anything Saturday and Sunday are really no different than a Wednesday. Brian being home or being able to spend more time entertaining me was the one very bright exception! Good thing I like him, huh? I'm definitely assuming he likes me as well or he wouldn't hang out with me as much as he does... Of course it could be the guilt? I was carrying all of his babies...AND I'll be spending A LOT of time with them in the next few years....he better be nice to me or we could gang up on him... Ticklefest??? That should put the fear in him.

I digress... So I had a great Friday night with my girlfriends. Then, Uncle Eddie and Aunt Debbie called us Saturday and offered to hang out with the babies for a few hours while we went to dinner. It was fantastic... Thanks to everyone who made this fabulous weekend possible. It was definitely what I needed.

So on to the babies because I know that's what you want to hear. My friend Carol recently wrote a post on her blog about her life as a speech therapist. She inspired me to write about being an Occupational Therapist that has worked with many, many babies... and now has many, many babies.

First and foremost I have not followed all of the advice I have given my parents over the years. Daily tummy time??? Oops. To be fair they are just now hitting their due date and have been sleeping all of the time...so they haven't been doing that much. I promise this will become a daily routine starting tomorrow. It's also difficult when we have grandmothers, grandfathers, and great-grandmothers who want to hold babies all of the time! What a terrible problem to have, right? So here are some pictures of our our daily activities...

Group play and socialization: We are working on showing active interest in toys and people (Mommy). As of yet they don't seem to really notice each other much. Except in the crib when Lily likes to whack the boys on their heads while she sleeps.

Visual Activities: We are working on tracking toys in various planes and staring and gazing at objects.

Fine Motor Skills: We are working on actively grasping a toy and bringing hands to midline.
Self-Care Skills: We are working on holding pacifiers in mouths. This is especially important as Mommy is not an octopus and does not have enough hands to hold them all in. Prior to feeding time it often becomes a game of whack-a-mole where I try to put them back in as fast as they spit them out.

And, of course, TUMMY TIME. You can see from the pics below that all they want to do is sleep... The last one is of Daddy participating in tummy time. He's just trying to show them how it's done!

I am so tired. Demons inhabited my sweet babies last night. I know they couldn't be responsible for the madness that occurred. Dear sweet gentle Ben who NEVER cries wailed for hours last night for no apparent reason. I changed him, I tried to feed him, I gave him gas drops, but nothing worked. The only thing that did work was to hold him...for hours...and hours. What happened? Who was this child? Has Jack been telling him secrets? Is Ben switching over to the dark side? NOOOOO! I rely on my two easy babies to be able to handle Jack the fusspants. What if being a fusspants is contagious? What if it slowly spreads to all of them and I never get to sleep again? Then they will see the real fusspants!

Ben finally took a bottle at about 1:15 but was so tired from crying that he could only eat about 2/3 of it which I knew would be a big problem about 4:30 or so. He was so worked up he couldn't coordinate sucking and breathing...he was more sucking like this was the last bottle ever then gasping for breath. I reassured him that I would make more and that he would never go hungry...but I guess he didn't get it. He fell dead asleep FINALLY before he finished it.

Then fusspants woke up. He was totally fine when I fed him, then all hell broke loose and he CRIED and CRIED. He is so loud. My head hurts just thinking about how loud he wailed. At least Ben's cries are pretty soft and pitiful. Again, I tried everything to no avail. He finally cried himself tired and fell asleep at 4:00 and then I got to sleep...for an hour until Lily woke up screaming!!!! Which woke Jack up screaming!!!! Which woke Ben up screaming!!!!

I hid under the covers and plugged my ears.

Brian got up this time to start feeding Lily. Ben and Jack continued to cry. Loud.

I got out from under the covers and surrendered, knowing it was no use to hide from them because they were not going to stop until Someone fed them. My name is Someone.

I put them on the couch with Lily to warm their bottles and a chorus of screaming and crying ensued. All of them at once singing an evil melody trying to drive the sanity out of my clouded mind. I gave up and just laughed, it was all I could do...the last of my sanity slipping away into a puddle of fatigue.

Who are these children? Where did my sweet babies go? Where did my sleep go? How am I supposed to function on less than an hour of sleep? I am so tired...so very tired...

Oh the Monstrosity!

We bought a triplet stroller yesterday. Wow. The pic below explains the name of this post! I'm not sure how I feel about this. I know it is much needed. I know I will want to take the kiddos out by myself on occasion-especially come spring. But really, could it be any more of an eyesore? It's huge. Can you imagine the stares and gawks I will receive? I'm not typically someone who wants to draw attention to myself in public, I pretty much like to blend in with the crowd....I don't typically talk to strangers or make casual conversation with people I don't know. Guess those days are over if I go into public pushing three babies in this thing! Don't get me wrong. I am so proud to be the mother of three babies...and I LOVE to show them off, but from my experience of just telling people that I was pregnant with triplets, strangers ask some VERY invasive questions... I remember watching a story on TV about a family who had triplets. They showed their first outing with the babies in public and people literally flocked around them. Of course, that could have been the camera crew as well. I've been thinking of creative ways to deal with this. What do you think? No habla English? Sign language? Just stare ahead and pretend I don't hear them? Repeat every question they ask to me back to them to make them think I'm crazy? Hmmmm, actually this could be kind of fun!

Well enough about me...What about the babies???

• They are getting FAT. Monday was a milestone as that was the original due date they gave me if I were to go to 40 weeks. Tuesday they were 7 weeks old. They are eating well, awake and interactive a lot more, and sleeping well (just not at night). Fusspants (Jack ) continues to be a challenge as he appears to be a tad high strung and likes to cry when he is awake. Ben and Lily are nice and laid back...they don't cry unless there is a problem. I'm just waiting until the day that they figure out how much attention that Jack gets from being fussy. That is the day I may run away from home! Below are some before and after pics...

Lily Bug..

Jumbo Jack..

Bennie Bear...

Haven't they changed? It's amazing. I remember in the NICU when they started feeding them through a tube in their nose 10 ml and now they are eating 4 oz, which is 120 ml! They eat every four hours and usually wake up before it's time because they are hungry. I'm pretty sure that Jack would eat us out of house and home if we would let him...He is HUGE. I'm guessing around 8 1/2 pounds. I remember how tiny they were when they were born. They seemed so fragile and breakable. Now they're beginning to hold their heads up, rolling from their sides to their backs, and staring at us like we are crazy most of the time! Lily and Jack are completely out of preemie clothes and Ben is out of most of them. I've been putting them up as they grow out of them... Here's a little perspective on just how small they were...

How about some cute pics of the week?

Lily and her feaux (not sure this is how you spell it?) hawk!

Dad and Ben trying to make up for all the lost sleep...

Jack with a state-of-the-art "hands free" bottle holding system...