Flashback: Telling the Family

One year ago about this time we were telling family that we were pregnant, and later, after the first trimester was over and the risks of losing one of the babies dropped considerably, that it was triplets.

We were able to tell Jeff's parents in person that we were pregnant again by putting the message on Amelia when we saw them at Easter.

Proud big-sister-to-be.

We decided to share the triplet news by video call so we could see Grandma and Grandpa D.'s faces. So, we sent this ultrasound picture for them to open during the call.

The babies say hello to the family.

Jeff's mom looked at the picture and wanted to know what three parts of the baby she was looking at. Jeff said, "Not three parts, Mom. THREE BABIES." That elicited a round of "WHAT?" from everyone, and a lot of commotion ensued. Mouths were hanging open in disbelief, and Grandma D. kept covering her face with her hands, she was so excited and shocked.

We, of course, had (mostly) adjusted to the news by then, so we really enjoyed seeing everyone else's reactions.

Jeff and I talked to my parents on the phone, but we told most of my family by email. I believe one of my brothers summed up what everyone else was thinking when he sent an email that said "holy smokes!" (Editor's note: I had to clean that up since this is a family blog!)

I waited a couple more weeks before I told my office that I wasn't just pregnant -- I was pregnant with triplets. I worked with mostly women so the news brought lots of squeals and a general "ohmigosh" reaction. The best though, was when a male colleague wandered by just after I made my announcement and wanted to know what all of the hubbub was about. Someone pointed at me and yelled, "Three babies!" He just stood there with his mouth open and finally said, "In there? Really? Where are you hiding them?"

I certainly wasn't able to hide them for long!

The Last Toothless Grin Disappears

The last toothless grin in our house has disappeared. This morning, Sam was sporting his first tooth. Amelia's been waiting for it, and she happily stuck her finger in his mouth to confirm that he did, indeed, have a tooth. He took the toddler attack surprisingly well.

Sam shows off his no-longer-toothless smile.

A Glimpse of Trouble to Come

Today I was feeding the boys mashed bananas and cereal in their high chairs.

Daddy takes on the troops.

I got a glimpse of the future when Isaac looked at me and, with a mouth FULL of food, blew a raspberry, showering me in bananas. I am not kidding when I tell you that his brothers watched him do this and their faces LIT UP in delight before they joined in.

I am in so much trouble.

Jeff and I think that spoon-feeding multiples would make a great Wii game. More mouths could be added for each new level, with bonus points for neatness and degree of difficulty, such as feeding two babies while holding a third on your lap. Or for dodging banana showers.

Another Tooth!

Alex has joined Isaac in shedding that toothless grin. His first tooth made its appearance by this morning. I worry about my grocery bills when that boy has a mouth full of teeth and a perpetually empty belly!

Alex, sporting his first tooth!

Happy Easter

Happy Easter! I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday as much as we did.

Amelia's Easter artwork. Too cute!

This was the first year Amelia understood and was excited about the Easter Bunny and her Easter basket. And, thanks to help from some neighbors, we all got to go to church as a family, which was a wonderful celebration in itself. The boys were very good, and so was Amelia, but then she usually is good in church. She tends to talk a lot, but she says "I talk quietly, Mama."

Amelia and I made cupcakes for Easter dinner dessert, and we even loaded everyone up a second time to go to the park for an hour after Amelia got up from her nap. All in all, it was a great day.

Here are some pics. I couldn't get Amelia and the boys together. No one had enough patience for that!

Amelia "paints" Easter eggs.

Look what the Easter Bunny brought!

Dad teaches Amelia how to peel an Easter egg.

She's got it all figured out!

Sam, Alex and Isaac in their Easter overalls.

McDonald's

I took Amelia to McDonald's for lunch today as a special treat.

When we were in line to order our food, she started singing, "Old McDonald had a farm. E-I-E-I-O."

The she looked at me and said, "Do you get it Mom? It's funny 'cause we're at McDonald's."

She's right. It was funny!

Six-month Checkup

We took the boys to the doctor today for their six-month checkup. Everyone is doing great.
Here are the stats:

Sam: 16 lb. 3 oz. - 30th percentile
Isaac: 14 lb. - 5th percentile
Alex: 16 lb. 3 oz. - 30th percentile

You read that right. Sam and Alex now weigh exactly the same. We knew Sam was getting close in size to Alex, and sure enough, he caught up. I attribute it in part to a nasty cold that Alex has had this week that has put him off his food a bit. If you saw that boy eat solids, you'd figure that his brothers would never be able to catch up!

Isaac is still a little light, but has stayed on his growth curve, so we're not concerned at this point. Many HOMs are not even on the growth chart at a year, let alone six months.

All of the boys are the same length -- about 25 inches. I have it written down, but I'm too lazy to get up and look for it right now.

Everyone seems to have handled the vaccinations well, but we gave a dose of Tylenol at bedtime for good measure.

* Edit: All of the boys are 26 3/4 inches long. That's the 55th percentiled for height.