Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Heart of Gold

"His heart is perfect." Those words came directly out of the cardiologist's mouth today. And she was referring to my sweet Jack. Those words were music to my ears. He was born with a heart murmur and I was instructed by the NICU to take him at 6 months to see if it had resolved. And it has! It was a pretty interesting visit. They did an EKG on him where he had about 10 wires connected to his stomach and chest. At first he looked a little uncertain and then he started grinning and by time they were halfway thru, he was giggling so hard that all of the nurses were laughing as well. They then did an echocardiogram on him and he held the tech's hand the whole time she scanned him. I think she fell in love a little bit. She kept talking baby talk to him and calling him handsome and he ate it up. I always wonder how a small baby seems to know how to flirt! They all were in amazement that he is a triplet, because he is so big and healthy. He's in the 50th percentile for his weight and 97th percentile for his height. And that's against babies born full term. It was really nice, just getting out with Jack. It's so rare that I go anywhere and if I do, it's usually with all babies and big sis in tow and I cherish the moments I get one on one time with any of them. I realize how easy it is to just pack for one baby and go somewhere, but also know that unless you have multiples, even one seems tough at times. After the appointment Jack slept the entire way home and then another hour in his carseat after we got home. It's a lot for them, being that they don't get to go out much, and I think it wears them out. There's so many sights and sounds that are new to them. Plus, all that smiling and batting of his eyelashes was tiring! I'm glad that doctor's visit is over and even more glad that the results were so good. At times I worry, that with having four kids, that there is bound to be a problem with one of them, but God is good, and he blessed us with four healthy, happy children. They have taught me some important things in their short lives. To never take things for granted, nothing in life is guaranteed. To appreciate each day with them, regardless of how hard it is. And to have more patience than I ever thought I was capable of. Of course there are many, many other things, but those are some of the most important ones at the moment. "His heart is perfect." Our prayers were answered yet again.
Even happy at the doctor's office
Always smiling

My boy

Monday, November 21, 2011

The First Six Months...

They say you spend 1/3 of your life sleeping. I want to meet these people. They obviously haven't spent any time at my house. That number would quickly be adjusted. The first six months of the babies' lives have gone by so quickly. Time flies when you're having fun! The first three months were tough. I changed diapers approximately 25 times a day, fed them equally as many bottles, and was up to feed them every three hours around the clock. Of course, newborns don't eat quickly, so I would basically take "naps" throughout the night. I mastered the skill of feeding two babies at once, and even learned to feed two babies using the same hand. I felt like a walking zombie, often just laying on their floor to sleep because I got tired of walking back and forth. I usually saw every hour throughout the night (and still do sometimes) and longed for the day we would have a schedule. Looking back, I don't know how we did it at times. Things aren't so crazy now. We are down to about 12-15 bottles a day and starting food. Of course Marissa is still the little determined one. She's sitting, standing, scooting and on the verge of crawling. She's got the belly crawl down pat. And anytime she does something new, she looks around to make sure everyone saw her. Makayla is also very ambitious, doing everything her sister does, usually a day or two after. However, she is crawling and is a quick little thing. She is quickly earning a reputation as a toy thief. It doesn't matter what toy either of her sisters or brother have, in her mind it is better than the one she is playing with and she quickly takes it from them. If she sees something she wants, she can get to it fast! She's a tough little thing. Jack is the happiest baby I've ever known. The boy smiles and giggles at everything. He smiles from the second his big eyes open. He is ticklish on every inch of his body and already loves a good back rub. He can also sit up and roll, but he usually chooses to lay back, relax and smile. I guess he thinks all of the "tricks" his sisters are always doing is a big waste of energy. And, of course, this leaves Marley. She does wonderful with all her siblings. She pays attention to them, but isn't overbearing with them. She hugs them every morning and enjoys reading to them and playing with them. I honestly couldn't ask for more. There are some days I feel so exhausted and it seems like constant work, but I love these kids more than life itself, and would not trade a second of it for anything. It's really amazing, to think back to last year at this time. We just learned we were having triplets and everything seemed so uncertain. We never lost hope though and I am grateful everyday for my healthy children. I know of many other babies born much earlier than mine, and it makes you realize how important each day is. It was a tough road, but one that I would do a million times over again if it gave me the same end result. Whenever I tell people I have triplets and a 3 year old, a lot of them say, "Better you than me." They are right. Everything about our four children is a blessing and I have never looked at it differently. People often wonder how we do it. You just do. My kids need me. And quite frankly, I need them too.


Chattin' about life

Sleeping peacefully

Loving her cup

Happy boy

Toes are yummy

Makayla & Jack playing

Marissa showing off

Morning fun

They love their big sister

My cute little Jessie