Reflux Update

Alex had another bad night last night, though going for a drive seems to help. But we do have some good news. There was a cancellation at the specialist's office, so Alex has an appointment TOMORROW at 8 a.m. Sure beats waiting until July 22.

Alex: Blessed, blissful sleep. In a car seat. We'll take what we can get.

I'm so relieved we're seeing the doctor tomorrow. As anyone who has watched their child suffer will tell you, it's just awful. I hurt for Alex and I just want to make him feel better. It's horrible when you can't even comfort your child.

Counting today's two-hour nap, I've had a total of 13 hours of sleep in the last three days, so I'm keeping this short, but I have to give a shout out to a bunch of people who are helping us get through this.

Ellen M. who pleaded our case with the doctor's office and got Alex on the wait list and who did a late shift last night to give us a break.

Kyleen N. who did an early shift last night and assured me that I had a viable insanity defense. (Everyone needs sound legal counsel now and then!)

Alison R. who brought CHOCOLATE today and helped give the boys lunch and get them down for their afternoon nap, and her mom, Miriam, who flirted with Alex all through his meal then helped with clean up and nap time.

Sarah O. and her dad, Jerry, who sent an herbal remedy for us to try. I don't know if it will work, but at this point I'll try anything!

Jamie F. who came for most of the day and let me take a two-hour nap. It was probably the most precious sleep I have ever, ever had. I was almost fully functional afterwards. Jamie you are a star for watching babies, making bottles, and getting everyone down for the first time tonight (2 of 3 have even stayed down!). I really wasn't kidding when I said I was going to hold you hostage. (Refer to my thanks to my legal counsel above.)

Lorrie P. who recommended a doctor and offered to come help so I could nap. I may need to take you up on that, Lorrie!

My mom, Alice, who has listened to the babblings of a sleep-deprived crazy woman for the past few days and been on her own search to find something to help Alex.

Everyone who has sent us an email to let us know that they are thinking about us and praying for us. We appreciate your kindness.

Thank you, thank you, thank you all. Stay tuned for an update following tomorrow's doctor's visit.

Miles of Thanks

There have been so many people who have been a HUGE help to us during my pregnancy and now with the boys. I could say "thank you" for years to come and never begin to express how grateful we are to everyone for their help.

I'd like to thank the Academy, and my parents, and the best director ever... wait, this isn't my Oscar speech!

This is my thanks to Beth and Kim who have been coming every couple of weeks for a few hours to let me get out of the house and do whatever. Today they came bearing diapers and a crockpot full of supper. And they came in just a lovin' my boys almost as much as I do.

It doesn't get any better than that.

I ran some errands, got a much-needed adjustment from the chiropractor, and then went grocery shopping. It was a pleasure to pick out my own produce during daylight hours instead of at 10 p.m. when all my little ones are in bed.

All moms deserve this kind of a break once in a while, but few are lucky enough to get it. I'm fortunate to have such wonderful people in my life, and "thank you" seems inadequate, but it's all I've got.

So thanks, Beth and Kim. You guys rock!

Conferral of Rites

Since we had the boys baptized in the hospital, we took them to the church for Conferral of Rites. They were anointed with chrism (holy oil), received their baptismal candles and were welcomed as members of the church. We were thrilled to share the big day with so many of our friends and neighbors who have helped us with the boys.

I'm still reveling in the smell of chrism on their little heads. Here are photos from the big day. Enjoy!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Happy Belated Birthday to Me

Yesterday was my birthday. It was a great birthday, (well, except for the trip to the dentist) with four beautiful little "presents" in the house. Amelia sang "Happy Birthday" to me. Well, technically she sang, "Happy birthday to us," but close enough.

On Monday, Jeff took me out to dinner thanks to Sarah and Jamie who came and watched the kids for the evening. The restaurant was packed! I had no idea it would be so crazy on a Monday, especially as today is New Year's Eve. The meal was disappointing, but as I said to Jeff, it was really about being out of the house and enjoying each other's company. I told the waiter the meal wasn't very good when he came to ask if we were done and when the bill came he had comped half of it. That was a nice surprise.

The boys are 12 weeks old today, and having been working on a birthday present of their own for Mommy -- sleeping through the night! We aren't quite there, but getting closer. They have been pushing their 1:30 feeding to 3:30 or even 4:30 a.m. since the day after Christmas.

Today's weigh-in showed the boys at:

Samuel - 11 lbs. 1 oz.
Isaac - 9 lb. 13 oz.
Alex - 11 lb. 11 oz.

Everyone's gaining weight well, though Isaac's still got some catching up to do! They are all smiling and working on rolling over. We're done with the chicken pox, except for the last of the healing for Sam. Thank heavens that's over, and it only took five weeks!

As we close out 2008, I have to say that this has been an amazing year. We certainly had no idea what was in store for us at this time last year. We had an incredibly healthy triplet pregnancy that gave us three big, beautiful boys. And if that weren't enough, their birth has brought so many new and wonderful people into our lives, and strengthened our bond with many of the people we already knew. The year has definitely brought us multiple blessings, and each and every one of you can count yourselves among those blessings.

May you ALL be blessed with multiple blessings in the New Year.

Gratitude

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It's all about family, friends and food. It's about gratitude for the things we have, not a materialistic rush to acquire more things we probably don't need in the first place. It's about appreciating the people who are part of our lives.

True to my German heritage and the genes that come from my Grandma White, I love to cook and feed people, so the food part is easy. Just remember to remove the giblets from the turkey and throw it in an oven bag for a while, mash a few potatoes and make a green bean casserole and you're all set.

I am particularly proud of the fact that I put Thanksgiving dinner on the table this year for the three of us who can eat solid foods. Despite the fact that I forgot to serve the stuffing I made last night (to get a jump on things), and I didn't make a dessert at all (maybe for Christmas?) it was a great meal.

I try to count my blessings daily, and not just once a year, but this Thanksgiving was extra special as we have three new blessings to be thankful for.

This year, I am especially thankful for:

Amelia, who is a ray of sunshine in my life, even when she's being an impossibly strong-willed two-year-old. You make me laugh every day.

Samuel, who melts my heart when he snuggles into my neck. You are already starting to show a temper that matches your red hair, but you can be the sweetest boy, too.

Isaac, who is the small but mighty one. You know how to charm us with your little coos, and you already claim the middle ground between Sam's temper and Alex's laid-back personality.

Alexander, who generally goes with the flow. You are most likely to put yourself to sleep without being rocked or held. But when you cry, it's with a bleat that demands attention. We love to kiss your pudgy cheeks.

Jeff, who is a great husband and father. You never wavered in your belief that the triplets would be fine despite the potential risks of the pregnancy. You never complained as you shouldered the burden of my diminishing physical ability. And now you are right there beside me, changing diapers, feeding babies, and meeting the challenges of a two-year-old. With you to look up to, our children will grow to be strong, faithful, and compassionate people.

Family, friends and neighbors, who have come to help out with everything from food and diaper coupons to handling feedings and cleaning my kitchen so we can get some sleep. We are truly humbled by all of the helping hands that have appeared in our lives. We are so glad you have chosen to be part of this adventure, and we appreciate all of you more than we can ever express.

I hope all of you are as blessed in your lives as we are. Happy Thanksgiving.

FUSSY!

I don't know what the problem was today, but the boys have been fussy all day long. My sister Judy was planning to leave after the 9:30 a.m. feeding, but all three boys put up a big stink. Perhaps they didn't want her to leave? :-)

Aunt Judy stayed until the boys went down after the 12:30 feeding. They were all down by 2 p.m., since they'd used up all their energy fussing! Sam didn't stay down for long, and ended up napping on Mom's chest for a little while. I needed a little shut-eye after a long night of fussing that just continued into today.

I had help for the 3:30 feeding, so that went pretty smoothly, but once again Sam didn't go down for a while. On the plus side, at least it was just one baby who needed extra help. That I have enough hands for! I'm hoping they all have it out of their system so they don't abuse the volunteers at 9:30 p.m. and our overnight helper tonight.

The boys are six weeks old today, and their weekly weigh-in showed some impressive gains:

Sam - 8 lb. 12 oz.
Isaac - 7 lb. 15 oz. (Almost 8 lbs. Grandma Alice! Isaac came home the smallest at 4 lb. 12 oz.)
Alex - 9 lb. 5 oz.

I'm enjoying a little peace and quiet now, but it's time to give Amelia her supper and get ready for the 6:30 feeding.

Baby Boot Camp Part Three and Angels of Mercy

OK, Saturday night the babies kicked our butts. Well, more specifically, they kicked butt on Grandma and Jeff first, before I got up. I went to bed at 9 with a sleeping pill and orders to get more than a 2-hour stretch of sleep. I got up briefly at 2:30 a.m. when Amelia woke up, but was still groggy, so I just brought her to bed with me. At 4:30 a.m. I realized that there was a lot of crying going on, so I got up to help.

I found Jeff still in his jeans. The 10 p.m. feeding hadn't ended. I took over for Jeff and it wasn't until we fed the boys again at 6 a.m. that they finally all went down. Sam was the good sleeper for the night, so Jeff told him there was only one college fund and so far, it was all his!

I did what I could the next morning to get us through the day. I sent Amelia to Sarah's for the afternoon and overnight. (It's sweet that she wants to help, but SOOOO unhelpful!) And I called in my neighbors to help. A group came at noon to handle the feeding and do some things around the house so Jeff, Mom and I could all eat a meal and shower. Then a couple people came back at 7 p.m. and at 10 p.m. to help with those feedings, too.

I BELIEVE IN ANGELS!!

Mom went to bed by 8 p.m. and Jeff and I were both in bed by 10:15 p.m. The boys, after an enema to get things moving after three days, were very cooperative and went from 10 until 3:30 without waking to eat. Alleluia! By Monday morning we all felt human again.

Now my neighbors have organized to provide helpers for the 10 p.m. feeding Sunday through Thursday for the next month. That means we can all go to bed, leave the boys in capable hands, and get some much needed stretches of sleep.

The boys do seem to be settling into a schedule of sorts, and we're learning how to get everyone fed well and in about an hour, so we're making progress.

Think sleepy thoughts for the boys and Amelia...

Information for Volunteers

Many of you have asked what we need and how you can help. So, at long last, we have an easy way for you to volunteer. Here's a Web site that we've set up to manage our volunteers. Right now our only request is for meals after the babies come, but we'll be adding more to it once the babies arrive and we know better what our needs are.

If you'd like to volunteer, please visit: http://www.lotsahelpinghands.com/c/607113/ and sign in. You'll find a calendar with requests for help on it, so you can choose to help whenever it's convenient for you. Let me say in advance how much we appreciate each of our volunteers!

A number of you have also asked if we still need anything. We are still looking for the following:

* car seat covers - the warm winter kind
* Diaper Champ
* crib sheets
* flat or fitted mattress pads

Or, you can always donate diapers to the cause. As the babies are already 4 lbs. each, we won't need many preemie diapers, so I would suggest newborn or size 1 diapers. We won't be picky, believe me, but Pampers Swaddlers are great for little ones.

32 Weeks and Post #100

We made it to the big goal of 32 weeks! The doctor says everything after 32 weeks is just gravy -- time for the babies to grow. Of course we'd like to keep cooking them for another few weeks, but this is the big milestone. Here's a picture of the 4 of us:



We've actually reached two milestones today. This happens to be our 100th post on the blog. A lot of bloggers will do something special for their 100th post -- a top 10 list or a favorite posts list. I think sharing the joy of reaching the 32-week mark with all of you is special enough.

Thanks again for all your prayers, support and offers of help that have gotten us this far. Many of you have asked if we need meals now that I'm resting more. With Mom here I think we're good on that front for now, but we will need meals after the babies arrive. We're going to set up a Web site where you will be able to check on our needs and see what times/days we need help. The link will be posted here soon.

Right now, I'd certainly appreciate emails, comments on the blog and visitors while we wait it out. Please let me know if you'd like to stop by as I still have plenty of doctor's appointments and ultrasounds and things that I need to schedule around.

Keep those prayers coming so we can have big, healthy babies -- and mama can get some sleep!