View From the Dashboard

It's been one hell of a day.

We had a usual Friday morning and headed off to my sister's house for our weekly play/lunch date.  I stopped by the ATM to get some cash so I would be able to pay a friend back for lunch before heading down the interstate.  Jackson cracked me up when he shouted, "Look, Mommy!  There's Santa and his reindeer!"  I had no clue what he was talking about but he was quite persistent.  I finally made the connection when I saw the sign.  Ha!

Us adults enjoyed Jersey Mike's subs and adult conversation while the kids played as usual.  The kids and I also visited my other sister.  When I was leaving my sister's house the gaslight went on in the van.  I've always gotten a bit of a thrill seeing how long I can drive with the gaslight on, but I've never run out of gas.  I wasn't too worried since the light just came on, but I also didn't want to take any chances during rush hour on a Friday afternoon. I pulled into a gas station and got out to start pumping my gas.  I could NOT find my debit card.  I dug through my purse and the van, but still couldn't find it.  I emptied out the diaper bag and middle console, looked through the carseats...everywhere.  It dawned on me that I never remembered retrieving my debit card from the ATM.  Feeling completely defeated, I drove away without any gas. 

I coasted about fifteen miles down the interstate before the van just completely stopped.  I was in the fast lane and miraculously managed to pull over on the left shoulder.  It was 4 p.m. on Friday, which meant traffic was beginning to pick up.  I called Jesse, explained the situation, and waited about 40 minutes for him to arrive with a full gas can.  The babies were still sleeping and Jackson was his usual silly, inquisitive self.  After half an hour, the babies began to wake up hungry.  Jackson started to get antsy.  And I became increasingly more anxious as the van shook with each passing car. 

I was so relieved when I saw Jesse pull up behind us.  He transferred the fuel into the van's gas tank. I put the key in the ignition and tried to crank it, but the van would not start.  I tried several more times.  Nothing.  At this point all four kids were screaming.  Jesse tried to start the van.  Still nothing.   By this time it was nearly 5:00, which meant it was peak rush hour.  It also meant it was time for the babies to eat, but I didn't have any bottles prepared and we were stranded on the side of a busy interstate.  Jesse and I quickly assessed the situation and agreed that our priority was getting the kids home.  Jesse could take Jackson and one baby in his car, but we still needed another car that could transport the other two babies.  After a few quick calls we had a plan.  Ten minutes later my brother-in-law came to the rescue and a tow truck was on the way to get the van.

Somehow we all managed to avoid any major meltdowns or panic attacks.  Now we just wait to figure out what's going on with the van and if it will cost us.  Fingers crossed...



Our two hour view from the dashboard as cars zoom by at 80 mph

"A Special Glove"

Yesterday proved to be a typical North Carolina day with crazy weather patterns.  There were strong thunderstorms in the early morning, clear, sunny skies in the afternoon, and downpours in the evening.  Thankfully, we caught a few hours of 70° sunshine and headed to one of our many local area parks.  Jackson surpsingly wanted to sit in the stroller, which meant I could walk the full mile trail around the lake.

I carry a sleeve of saltine crackers or a bag of stale bread in the van at all times.  You never know when the opportunity will arise to feed ducks.  Since feeding ducks is one of Jackson's favorite pastimes, we spent a respectable amount of time tossing crushed up crackers onto the ground and lake.  A few of the ducks started to line up before we even got the crackers out, waiting to be fed.

After walking around the loop, we stopped at the playground.  We go to this particular park for the walking path, fountain, and hungry ducks-- not for the playground.  I've always thought the playground was poorly designed because it's very closed off with lots of hideaways, making it impossible to supervise your child by merely standing in one spot.  Jackson climbed and ran around, but the slides had enormous puddles at the bottom from the morning storm. 

Thank God I happened to be directly in front of Jackson when he kneeled down and exclaimed, "Look, Mommy! It's a special glove."  Just as he started to pick up the glove, I immediately realized what it was and screamed, "NOOO!  DON'T TOUCH THAT!"  As I got closer, I confirmed that the "special glove" was indeed a used condom.  A very well used condom.  [insert expletives here]



Take a closer look

My strong reaction opened the floodgates to every question possible.  "Why, Mommy?  What is that?  It okay. I not touch it.  You throw it away? Why it on the ground?"  As I was getting my hand sanitizer out, another boy much smaller than Jackson was crawling under the space and nearly slid on the condom.  I quickly got him up, asked him where his Mommy or Daddy was, and took the child to them.  When I alerted them that there was a used condom on the playground, the mother said, "Oh, Christ!"  We all looked at one another and the dad said, "I'll take one for the team".  He had a few slices of bread left in his bag that he dumped out.  He turned the bag inside out and used it as a glove to pick up the condom and dispose of it.  There was an unspoken solidarity between us parents, then we burst out in nervous laughter and immediately left the park to go bleach our children.

RIP Mr. Nibbles

It is with great guilt and genuine sadness that I announce the death of Mr. Nibbles. In honor of our first family pet, I've compiled a photo story of our journey with Nibby. 

When Jesse and I were in college, there was a stray cat that always hung around our apartment.  We began feeding her and affectionately called her Mrs. Nibbles.  When Jesse and I moved to Charlotte after graduating, we knew we wanted to get a cat.  Jesse selected and adopted our cat from the Humane Society in the fall of 2008.  His original name was Nehi.  His siblings names were Pepsi and Mountain Dew.  We named him Mr. Nibbles.

He was our only cat at the time and was every bit the crazy kitten.  He would pounce on anything that moved, including clawing your feet in the middle of the night, reflections of light, or cords.  He detested anything in his path and made it his job to knock off anything and everything from the counter or tables.  Our attention was devoted towards Mr. Nibbles and he became the subject of silly photo shoots.

The following year we temporarily ruined Mr. Nibble's life by bringing another cat into our home.  Nibby and Cowbell had a love-hate relationship.  Both cats tried to affirm their dominance in the household.

As Mr. Nibbles matured, his playfulness was replaced by more frequent naps.

 

Mr. Nibbles had another difficult adjustment when we brought Jackson home from the hospital.  Jackson's crying sent Nibby into a panic where he hissed and assaulted his feline sister.  Within a few months, all was right with the world again.

As Jackson grew, Mr. Nibbles exhibited incredible patience with a curious crawler and walker chasing him around.

When the trio arrived, Nibby did not interact with them much.  He did, however, continue to serve as watch cat and he generally slept in the babies' room with them. 

Shortly after the birth of the triplets, Mr. Nibbles began pooping on furniture, clawing Jackson, and running outside every chance he could.  Before long, he was spending more time outside than inside.  He was never declawed and we continued to feed him outside.  If the temperatures were below freezing, we let him sleep on a blanket in the garage.  If he ran inside, I always let him nap on Jackson's bed or the recliner until he was ready to go back outside. He was gentle around the babies and continued to rub up against our legs and purr.  This behavior continued until a few weeks ago.

We could not find Mr. Nibbles during the snowstorm.  I was relieved to see that he was still alive once it melted, but he certainly did not look or act the same.  This morning when I went outside to check on him, I found him like this:

I don't know what changed so radically, but there was nothing that could be done.  I brought him water and food, even a fresh can of tuna fish.  He could barely lift his head.  He tried to meow but the only sounds that came out were a wretched moaning.  Without going into any more detail, it was very obvious that he was dying.  I laid beside him in the mud and wept.  The babies were napping and Jackson kept asking me, "What wrong, Mommy?"  When Jesse came home I stood in the rain and cried some more.  By nightfall, he had passed.  Jesse gave him a proper burial while I tried my best to distract Jackson inside. 

Of course I am rightfully ridden with guilt.  We should have taken him to the vet.  We should have kept him indoors.  We should have found a better home for him if we were no longer going to care for him.  The tears will continue to flow as we remember our first addition to the family.

Rest in Peace, Mr. Nibbles

Some People...

After dropping Jackson off at preschool, the babies and I ran a few errands.  We can't go anywhere without getting stopped by strangers.  I typically don't mind, but some people have trouble hiding their ignorance. After checking out at WalMart today, I was stopped by an employee who said, "Tell me what kind of pills you took to get three so I'll know not to take them."  I was quite annoyed and just kept walking.  I vented to my fellow 2013 triplet moms and we all commiserated with one another, sharing the ridiculous comments we've received.

Every time I think I've heard it all and nothing could surprise me, some dumbass takes it to another level.  The following story is not my personal experience, rather a story told from a fellow triplet mom.  I had to share because it takes the cake!

"We had a WalMart cashier not want to ring up my formula. I was buying about 10 cans and she wanted to know why I was getting so much. When I told her I had triplet newborns at home she insisted I buy an Emu and milk it. Then after an awkward pause she decides I should get two Emus and milk them. I stood there for an eternity waiting for her to just ring me up so I could go!!! It was weird!"

I seriously laughed until I cried after reading this.  Since Jackson was at preschool and the babies were napping, I quickly made a meme to share with my triplet mom friends so we could prolong the laughter.



Bahahaha!

Look Alikes

Bonnie vs Amelia

Jesse vs Maddie

And then there was James...

Twins

I've said before and will say again, there's something special between James and Amelia.  It's almost as if they're twins and Maddie just happens to be the same age as them.  I don't know if it's something we've perpetuated, but they interact in a different way than either one does with Maddie.  I love watching the way they blow raspberries at one another, hold hands, giggle, look at one another, and steal toys/food from one another.  These two are so funny.

I should have taken video, but here are a few photos taken in succession to demonstrate their playfulness towards one another.

7 Months Old

sleeping habits:
All three are asleep by 9 p.m. (Maddie still sleeps in the pack-n-play in our bedroom for no reason other than I like her nearby.  James and Amelia sleep in their cribs in the nursery.)  All three wake up around 5 a.m. for a morning snack, then fall back asleep until 8-8:30.  James always wakes up first.  Amelia could sleep all morning if I let her.

By 10:30 a.m. all three are back in their cribs or pack-in-play for a morning nap.  They typically nap until 12/12:30.  Their afternoon nap is 3/3:30 until 5.

eating habits: 
9 am- 6 oz bottle (breastmilk)
10 a.m.--split 12 oz of baby food

1 p.m.--6 oz bottle (breastmilk/formula)
1:30 p.m.-bites of cheerios, yogurt melts, diced fruit, etc

5 p.m.--6 oz bottle (breastmilk/formula)
6 p.m.--split 8 oz of food

9 p.m.--6 oz bottle (breastmilk/formula)

5 a.m.--5 oz bottle (breastmilk)

*We just introduced sippy cups of water and small bites of food (rather than purees) at exactly 7 months old.

milestones:
James-holds his own bottle
Amelia-so close to sitting up unassisted
Maddie-keeps her food down!

challenges:
-They all still lack coordination to put finger foods in their mouth.
-Vaccines seem to cause fevers and serious fussing.
-Where are the teeth??? The drooling and teething is chronic, but still no teeth.

victories:
-Maddie is gaining weight at the same rate as James and Amelia.
-All three have a great appetite and love eating.
-Maddie had an uneventful cardiologist appointment with no major concerns.
-We go everywhere using the quad stroller with relative ease.

special notes:
-The babies had a few more firsts this month: swinging at the park, snowfall, Valentine's Day, and playing at Discovery Place.