Conquering Triplethood, Little by Little

A couple weeks ago I documented the end of an era. We took down our big configure gate and brought the  the couch back into our family room after a two-and-a-half year absence.

Bye-bye Baby Cage, hello Family Room!

True, we still don't have end tables or lamps, but it's a big step in the right direction around here.

We took another big step last week. Tuesday we had terrible storms that kept me from posting and had Jeff and me setting up the pack and plays in the basement just in case. We have used those pack and plays, one in our room and one in Amelia's room so the boys could nap separately. That was critical to success around here, because it kept one boy from interrupting everyone's nap. And it let me go into the troublemaker's room to rock and soothe and coax him to sleep.

On Wednesday morning I decided not to set them back up. I told the boys that they were big boys now and they could all nap in the same room. We talked about being quiet and going to sleep, and they surprised me by doing great. In fact, they did way better than they do at bedtime when they tend to chat a lot. The rest of the week went so well I never even considered setting a pack and play back up. Tonight I folded them up and stored them.

That means that I can go into my room or Amelia's room during naptime to put away clothes, make beds, clean, gather up laundry...ahhh, normalcy!

Now I want to confess that I haven't done those things, because for twoish years I have trained myself to not venture to the bedroom end of the house unless someone is crying during naptime. But I CAN!

Sometimes the little things ARE the big things.

© Trippin' Mama 2011

Musical Beds

Whew! We were cruising along and about 10:30 p.m. all heck broke loose! Isaac woke up needing a clean diaper, then Sam started in and then Amelia woke up with a painful ear. Yikes.

So we played musical beds. Sam moved to exile, Daddy laid down with Amelia, I put Isaac in the playpen in our room and headed for the couch.

Alex is sleeping peacefully in the nursery earning the college fund. (We always tell the kids there's only one college fund and whoever sleeps the best gets it!)

Oh, and there goes Sam again. I wonder what has gotten into everyone around here!

Signing out for the night...

© Trippin' Mama 2010

Sam Fights Sleep

My Sam is the sweetest boy. He also has the kind of temper that gives redheads a bad rap. Seriously, he has a scream that can make dogs howl three counties over.

Looking so innocent and sweet!

Ever since his last bout of illness, Sam has decided that he does not want to go to sleep. Not at naptime. Not at nighttime.

When we put him down, he pops back up and SCREAMS. And he's not afraid to demonstrate his stamina, either.

We'll tell Sam that it is bedtime and he will look right at us and grin while he shakes his head and says "No," very sweetly. Check him out:

It's really pretty funny, but it would be funnier if it weren't so frustrating.

On the plus side, we have other children in the house who need to sleep, so Jeff and I have been trying to ease Sam back into a better bedtime by rocking him for a few minutes before putting him down.

That is a joy.

We've never spent much time rocking the boys before bedtime. With three, we just can't. Sure, everyone gets a chance now and then, but it's the exception, not the rule as it was with Amelia.

And I miss rocking sleepy little ones. It's a peaceful way to bring a busy day to a close.

I'll be grateful when Sam gets back in the groove of lying down with his brothers and going to sleep without shattering eardrums. But in the meantime I'm enjoying this rare chance to hold him in my arms and hum a few lullabies to help him drift off to dreamland. 

© Trippin' Mama 2010

On The Mend

Sam woke up at 3:40 a.m. with the fever. He's the last one to get it and so far (knock on wood) he hasn't gotten the pukes.

In an attempt to get someone some sleep around here, Jeff and Amelia "camped" in the basement last night. Jeff went to bed when she did, so when he came up to a crying Sam at 3:40 he'd had a good seven hours of sleep -- a very BIG deal around here. We traded off, though I didn't sleep all that well. I should have had my earplugs.

We've decided to keep "camping" in the basement for the next week or so, and even set up the tent, while we work on getting the boys to sleep better at night. They are champs about going down, but staying asleep is another matter. Amelia, bless her heart, is a star about staying in bed, but even she has complained recently that she's tired in the morning because the babies have cried a lot the night before. So this way hopefully she can get more sleep, too.

And speaking of sleep, it's off to bed with me!

© Trippin' Mama 2010

Got A Kid Who Sleeps? You Owe Me.

So it's 9:30 p.m. and all the little people in my house STILL are not asleep. In fact, half are still awake

Yes, we're battling colds, but the battles with sleep around here seem to go on without end.

It is a rare night that we don't get up at least twice with the boys. Usually, it's the same boy.

Yes, the boys are almost 16 months old.

No, I don't want to hear about how your two-year-old has slept 11 hours a night since he was three weeks old. Or how you taught your babies to sleep using Ferber, Pantley, Sears or anyone else's methods. I have all the books. I've read all the books.

And you know what?

For some kids, it doesn't make any difference.

How do I know this?

Simple.

I have my own little experiment going on right now. I have three boys who all have the same diet, sleeping conditions and routine.

Two of them sleep all night about 95 percent of the time.

One sleeps all night about once a month.

Amelia was not a sleeper. Alex is not a sleeper.

I am no longer a sleeper, and neither is Jeff. We haven't had a full night's sleep since 2006.

Both Amelia and Alex had reflux and other issues that led to their sleep troubles, but I also think part of it is personality. The reflux is long gone for both of them, and still neither one sleeps great.

Amelia finally learned to sleep all night about the time she turned three. Now if we could just help her learn how to fall asleep, we'd be in business. The girl will often lie in her bed for two hours or more before she falls asleep. She's tired. She'll even tell us that, but she can't fall asleep. I'm not sure which of us finds that more upsetting and frustrating.

And now we've entered the phase of fighting going to bed at all. UGH. I don't blame her. I wouldn't want to go lay there in the dark for two hours either.

We've tried it all for our kids. Earlier bedtime. Later bedtime. Calm routine to settle them. Major playtime to wear them out. Loveys and pacis. Noise machines. Lullabies. Night lights. Room darkening shades. Lying down with Amelia. Even flannel sheets to help keep them warm.
Two sleep no matter what. And two don't.

So if you're out there feeling incompetent as a parent because your baby or toddler doesn't sleep, join the club.

And for all those "helpful" souls who can't wait to tell us how your kids started sleeping through the night while they were still in utero, and how your great parenting helped them: Stuff it.

Not only do we not want to hear it, we are tired and we could snap at any minute. You are taking a serious risk waving your well-rested, superior attitude at me, no matter how much caffeine I've had.

Besides, you should be thanking me. Because the Law of Averages dictates that your 11-hour-straight-through-the-night sleeper be averaged out. And I and my 7-interrupted-hours-if-you're-lucky child are doing just that.

You are welcome.

Feel free to use your energy to send gifts.

© Trippin' Mama 2010

Reflux Prevents Me From Giving This A Clever Title

Alex has reflux. It. Is. HORRIBLE.

Friday night he cried and cried and cried and I walked and walked and walked until he finally exhausted himself and slept for a few hours before we repeated the process. I figure my snatches of sleep added up to about 3 hours and I walked approximately 27.3 miles.

Last night he was down at 7 and back up at 9. He cried -- and when I say cried, I mean screamed and bucked and wailed -- for an hour and a half until he exhausted himself. Then he was back up about 1:30 a.m. I gave him a bottle to help soothe him and then put him in the car. At least that way everyone else in the house could sleep.

I've had this baby before. Amelia suffered horribly with reflux for a whole year. We walked and walked and walked the floors with her. I don't even want to think about how many miles I walked after midnight in the first year of her life. But I know I don't want to do it again. Today I start calling every possible doc who can treat Alex. I'm taking the first appointment I get. Or staging a sit-in in someone's office if necessary.

Hey, Could We Get A Little Sleep Around Here?

Sleep issues are interfering with my ability and opportunity to blog these days. The boys are struggling mightily to go to sleep at night...but, lucky me, they still get up at the crack of dawn.

Two night ago two of the three fought until almost 11. Then the third was up at 12:30 a.m. Ouch. Last night it was 11 again before we had them all down for the night. Not that they slept all night, mind you. Tonight everyone was asleep by 7:30 p.m., so Jeff and I went out to play with Amelia. By 8:30 p.m., all the babies were up and UNHAPPY. We finally got them all back down by 10 p.m. tonight, but it may not stick, and I'm not expecting any long stretches of sleep tonight.

I used to hope and pray for 5 hours in a row (for me!). Now I've lowered my expectations and I hope and pray for 3 hours at a stretch. At least that's a goal we can achieve most nights. It's partly the reality of three babies and a toddler and partly Alex's reflux issues.

Good thing they are so gosh darned cute!

Sam

Isaac

Alex

Water Torture

Last night in our house went like this:

11 p.m. - Finish the chores and turn out the lights.

Drip.

11:05 p.m. - Sam cries and takes a pacifier.

Drip.

2:20 a.m. - Amelia is cold and needs her covers.

Drip.

2:35 a.m. - Amelia cries.

Drip.

2:50 a.m. - Amelia wants Daddy. She gets Mommy.

Drip.

3:20 a.m. - Isaac screams. Takes pacifier.

Drip.

3:40 a.m. - Sam screams...and screams...and screams while Daddy holds him.

Drip.

4 a.m. - Change Sam's dirty diaper.

Drip.

4:10 a.m. - Isaac cries. Hunt for pacifier. It works again.

Drip.

4:30 a.m. - Isaac cries. Daddy tries to resettle him.

Drip.

Lacking my husband's ability to roll over and go back to sleep, from about 3 a.m. on I just laid there waiting for the next cry for help. Every time I closed my eyes, I was awakened by another cry. It was torturous. Finally at 5 a.m. I went to the basement in an attempt to get an hour of uninterrupted sleep. Jeff had to get up with Isaac between 5 and 6:45, but he was the only one, thank heavens!

Today Alex is pretty much back to his old self, and Sam and Isaac seem much better, so hopefully we're almost over this gastrointestinal battle and tonight will be better.

Zzzzzzzz...

There's nothing in this world sweeter than a sleeping baby, unless it's three sleeping babies. All of the boys sleep pretty well these days, including all night most nights, but Isaac is the real sleeper of the group.

Isaac sacked out on Daddy's shoulder.

Isaac is often the first guy down and the one I have to wake up in the morning. He's the best about going down for naps, and if we get up with a baby at night, we're always surprised if it's Isaac.

In the early days, many a person walked Isaac for miles to help him fall asleep. These days, he fusses and squirms in our arms to tell us he's ready to lay down. Once he hits the mattress, he generally gives a couple more wiggles, and then he puts his little bottom in the air and goes to sleep.

When he's awake, Isaac is a very busy little boy. But when he's ready to sleep, he's ready right now! It's not unusual for us to pick Isaac up and have him fall asleep on our shoulders while we're carrying him to the nursery.

That is one of my favorite parts of any day. I love to feel Isaac's downy head lolling on my shoulder and to listen to his soft snores in those few moments before I lay him down.

Sweet dreams, little one. Sweet dreams.

Reflux Rears Its Head

Today I started Alex on his acid reflux medicine (Zantac). I have been almost paranoid about the boys having reflux because of our horrible experience with Amelia. I have tried really hard to make sure that I am not overreacting to possible symptoms the boys have, because I did not want to put them on any medicine unnecessarily. But, it is pretty clear that Alex has reflux.

Amelia was a "silent refluxer," meaning she didn't exhibit the classic reflux sign -- spitting up. We did get her diagnosed and on Prilosec relatively early, but as it turned out, the medicine wasn't strong enough and the pain she was having led to problems sleeping. We endured months of walking the floors with her at night and frequent nursing (which, we now know, soothed her throat), eating issues that led the doctor to tell me she was under-nourished, and the doctor telling me that some babies are "just difficult."

In the end, we took Amelia to a specialist when she was nearly a year old. She was ulcerated all the way up the back of her throat. I felt like the worst mom in the world! Especially when I thought about all the nights she would cry instead of sleeping, and I realized she was crying because she was in pain.

Alex spits up at every feeding, but not usually a lot. But, he has started to not sleep well. He usually takes 30- to 45-minute cat naps, while his brothers are sleeping an hour and a half to two hours. At night, his brothers are sleeping straight through, but Alex is waking up about three hours before them. And Alex looks tired, poor kid! He started waking up screaming and it would take me 5-10 minutes to get him to calm down. Often he'd go back to sleep on my shoulder, because being upright helped keep the acid down. Then I heard him gulping when he swallowed. That was Amelia's primary sign of reflux, so I immediately called the doctor.

Alex is still a much better sleeper than Amelia, but he doesn't sleep nearly as well as his brothers. Yes, some of that can be personality, but we also know from past experience just how badly reflux can interfere with sleep. In Amelia's case, she didn't sleep through the night until she was almost a year old, and she still struggles to sleep through the night at almost three years old. She just never really learned how to sleep long stretches.

The amazing thing about Alex is that, just like Amelia, he is the happiest baby, even though he has every right to be miserable. Hopefully the Zantac will work its magic and we'll be back to three children who sleep well at night -- even if Amelia still doesn't!

To Sleep, Perchance to Dream

Last night everyone in my house slept. They slept all night. ALL NIGHT!

Amelia was asleep in her big girl bed by 9 p.m., and the boys were down by 10 p.m. Jeff and I were asleep by 10:30. And no one even made a peep until 6:15 this morning.

Alex fussed a little just after 6 and Jeff grabbed him and brought him to bed with us where he slept another hour.

First I was in shock.

Then I was so happy I could have cried.

I slept almost an entire nine hours. Uninterrupted.

NINE!

Pure bliss.

Now here's hoping (and praying!) that they can all do it again.

A Moment to Remember

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

This is one of those moments. I am sitting warm and snug inside my house watching the snow fall softly outside. I can hear the soft whiffles and snores of three precious babies who are slumbering together in their crib.

It is a moment of peace and perfection that fills me with gratitude.

It is a moment I want to capture so on those days when there's a shortage of peace around here I can remember this little quietude -- perhaps with longing, but certainly with a smile.

Feeding Frenzy

For the past four days, these boys have been eating every two to two and a half hours. And, they've started waking up at night again! Saturday night they were up at 4 a.m., and all of them drained a 5-oz. bottle and went back to sleep in 20 minutes. It was a new record, but they shouldn't be waking up at night that hungry!

I gave them a couple days to get the growth spurt out of their systems, but clearly, they need more to eat. So, starting today we are adding a little rice cereal to their bedtime bottles. If they still need to eat voraciously during the day, I'll add some to their daytime bottles, too.

There's hardly time between feedings on a three-hour schedule, and this schedule means we're practically doing feedings back-to-back. And they aren't sleeping enough, so they get fussy. Enough already! Mommy likes her happy boys and her nighttime sleep.

Here are the latest weights:

Sam: 12 lb. 5 oz.
Isaac: 10 lb. 12 oz.
Alex: 12 lb. 12 oz.

At the rate they are going, Alex will crack 15 lbs. by the time they are four months old. And Sam is gaining fast on Alex. He might just catch up! As for little Isaac, watch out. He's been draining those 5 oz. bottles, so he might just surprise us all one of these days!

The Latest Weigh In

Apparently a really cute picture of the boys in their overalls isn't enough for my reading public. Having been chastised for a lack of posts (you all can thank Sarah for that), I'm getting it in gear today. But, hello! Triplet mom here! Sometimes you'll have to give me a little break.

In today's triplet news, the boys slept until 6:30 a.m. Go team! They are settling back into the 3-hour schedule, after a couple days of needing to eat more often to accommodate a growth spurt. Growing is good!

Isaac has apparently decided it's time to catch up with his brothers and has been finishing 5-oz. bottles today. It's been a rarity for him to this point, but he's eaten 5 oz. or darn close to it at every feeding today. C'mon little guy, you can do it!

At last week's weigh-in we had:

Sam - 12 lb. 2 oz.
Isaac - 10 lb. 7 oz.
Alex - 12 lb. 7 oz.

Everyone has now doubled his birth weight, and Sam's catching up to Alex fast!

Isaac is the most verbal of the group now. Perhaps he's compensating for his size? He pulls his giggle out on a regular basis, too. Alex will laugh when you work on him, though he'll smile at the drop of a hat. Sam has gotten to be a big smiler now, but we're still really working him for a laugh.

More pictures to come soon.

Three Months Old

Today the boys are three months old. The time has passed so quickly -- largely in a sleep-deprived haze. No, honestly, it hasn't been that bad. Thanks to all the family, friends and neighbors we've had pitch in to help, the first three months were not nearly as difficult as I was prepared for them to be.

It's hard to believe how much the boys have grown already. All of them have doubled or nearly doubled their birth weights. They are all smiling, cooing, and flirting like crazy. Isaac has laughed out loud, and Sam and Alex are getting close. Everyone's kicking up a storm, and it's a real race to see who will turn over first. Most importantly, the boys -- ALL of them -- are starting to sleep nice long stretches at night. Whether you have one baby or three, the impact of a full night's sleep on moms and dads is amazing! We never really experienced that with Amelia when she was a baby because of the reflux, so I'm in total awe of having three babies do it all at the same time, even once, let alone more than once.

Sam, Isaac and Alex are still sharing a crib, but it won't be long now and we'll have to split them up. They have grown so much they now take up the whole crib.

Alex, Isaac and Sam - 01/08/09 - 3 months old

Alex, Isaac and Sam (from top) - 10/14/08 - 6 days old

When people learn that the boys are sharing a crib, they almost always ask the question: "Don't they wake each other up crying?" As this little video shows, they've learned to sleep through each other's noises. They almost never wake each other up. In fact, I'm a little afraid they won't sleep as well once we separate them.