Laundry Basket Photo Shoot

I take all four kids outside twice a day just for a change of scenery and to expend energy.  It's a lot of stimulation for the babies, and Jackson and I are able to race and play hard.  After hanging the cloth diapers out on the line, we played in the back yard.  I laid the babies atop of a blanket in the laundry basket and they looked so sweet.  Of course, I always have my camera with me so I snapped a few photos.

 

They looked so precious with their little feet dangling!

 

Naturally, the babies ended up falling asleep before long.

But before they did I captured a close-up of our beautiful Madeline!

 

 

Always in awe of our gorgeous children!

A Date at the Dragway

Jesse won four tickets for a drag race through a local radio station (a $240 value).  We were undecided about going because neither of us have any real interest in drag racing and we knew arranging childcare could be a headache.  Things fell into place as Jesse's brother and sister-in-law generously offered to babysit at our house.  Jesse's mom wanted to go so Jesse invited his parents to go with us.  Even though Jesse and I could only stay for two hours, we had a lot of fun!

 

Thankfully Jesse's dad brought everyone ear plugs

I assumed drag racing was similar to NASCAR, but quickly learned it's nothing like it.  We didn't experience everything I hate about NASCAR: the cautions, wrecks, drunk rednecks, monotonous repetition of going around a track.  But we still got to experience the loud engines and smell of rubber.  There was no time to get bored since the cars only raced for 5-8 seconds and there was a continuous line-up of cars ready to race.  I was fascinated that the specialty cars traveled so fast in such short distances that they had to use parachutes to help them stop.  

 

The large digital sign depicted the time and speed for each car.  That's right--that car completed the race in 5 seconds and traveled 261 mph!  Jesse's parents stayed the entire day and came over to our house later for a cookout.  They said the top cars had speeds of over 300 mph!  I kept thinking what a great physics lesson it would be.

 

We could not have asked for better weather!  It was a clear, sunny day with temperatures in the mid-70's.  There was an occasional strong breeze that even made it feel quite chilly.  It was kind of day that makes you eager for autumn. 

Could have been a really cute picture if the wind cooperated!

This is now the second opportunity Jesse and I have had to do something of our choice for a few hours without the kids.  I am so thankful for friends and family who care for our children while giving us time to spend on our own. 

It's Only Wednesday!

Updated: After realizing what an ungrateful curmudgeon I was being, I added prayers to each scenario. 

Time for a pity party!  Here are a few curveballs that life has thrown at us over the past three days:

-Late Monday afternoon I preheated the oven for baked potatoes.  After 15 minutes, I still didn't hear it beep to let me know it's ready.  After 30 minutes, I opened the oven door, only to feel cold metal.  Turns out the heating element no longer works (at least that's what we think).  Jesse couldn't find a replacement part in any local stores so he had to order one online.  Now I have to rearrange our menu and do some creative meal planning and possibly more grocery shopping this week. 
Thank you Lord for equipping us with the finances and resources to fix our oven, as well as other means to prepare food.  Thank you for friends who bring us meals.  Unlike so many in this world, we do not know what hunger is.  Help me to remember not to take your provisions for granted.   

-Due to my own doctor's appointment, we decided it would be best for Jesse to take the van to work since he would probably be home before I would and we had to take the triplets to their 2-month well check.  At 7 a.m. Jesse came upstairs to tell me that the van's battery was dead.  We had to watch YouTube videos to learn how to jumpstart the car. He was late to work.
Lord, you always provide us with resources and tools we need.  I am grateful for the timing, and that no one was stranded in a difficult situation.  Help me to slow down and appreciate our many blessings. 

-As soon as my OB/GYN office called about the IUD, I scheduled the first available appointment.  (My health insurance runs out at the end of the month since I will switch from paid maternity leave to parental leave without benefits.  The clock is ticking!)  What should have been a simple, quick procedure ended up being a 40 minute, painful ordeal that involved four different medical professionals.  Apparently my uterus is now J-shaped and my doctor was concerned about "perforating my uterus" because she kept "getting resistance" while trying to insert it (ouch).  I had to redress and go in another room where an ultrasound technician and a team of doctors made sure it was correctly inserted.
Heavenly Father, thank you for watching over the procedure and giving my doctor the wisdom to take a closer look.  Thank you for providing the physicians with the technology to do their job with utmost precision.  I am especially grateful that you continue to keep my body strong and healthy.

-Jesse took off work early to go home, load all four kids into the van, and meet me at the pediatrician's office for the babies 2-month visit.  I knew I would get there a few minutes before them, so I went inside to give them our new insurance cards.  The receptionist kindly explained that their office would not accept our Medicaid cards until it was printed with their office name on the card.  Our two options were to reschedule or go ahead and pay upfront and be reimbursed later.  I asked how much it would cost and he said, "Let's see.  2-months.  They'll each get four vaccines.  That's 12 vaccines total.  We've got well-check cost, times three.  That'll be $630."  Clearly, that's not an option (especially after paying nearly $600 for a new ignition switch in the van).  By the time we get new insurance cards (again!) and reschedule (b/c it's oh so easy to block off 3 back-to-back appointment times) they'll be 3 months old!
God I pray that you will continue to bless and provide for our family.  We trust in you to supply our needs.  I pray that you will continue to keep our children healthy.

Storytime: Take Two

When I told Jesse last night that I was going to take Jackson back to the library today, he laughed at me and said, "You must be crazy!"  I explained that I can't be afraid to take my children out in public just because of one bad incident.  I certainly won't refuse to go to the library of all places. 

 

So...back we went.  I made it abundantly clear that Jackson MUST hold onto the stroller straps until we got inside the room.  He followed directions well.

 

 

We missed Toddler Storytime yesterday but were able to attend Family Storytime today.  It actually worked out even better because it was intended for a wider age-range.  I parked the stroller in the back corner of the room.  The girls were sleeping but James was alert so I held him in my lap and made him do the little motions along with the songs.  Jackson thought this was funny. 

 

One of the songs required kids to balance a bean bag on various body parts.  Jackson cracked me up because instead of balancing the object on each body part (head, shoulder, foot) he firmly held it in place with both hands.  He was concentrating so hard, though! 

 

 

Jackson's face lit up when the leader said it was time to blow bubbles.  While all the other kids were happily popping the bubbles all over the room, Jack just kept following the woman around asking, "I want bubbles! Where are my bubbles?".  Of course, he misunderstood and assumed he would actually get to blow the bubbles himself.  I didn't get a picture, but James, on the other hand, was completely intrigued and enamored by the many bubbles floating around. 

 

While the bubbles were disappointing to Jack, the leader won him over by giving each child a sticker before leaving.

After storytime, Jack insisted on reading James a story.  (The girls were still sleeping.)  He selected an animal book and pointed to each animal saying, "See lion, James.  See horse, James."  It was super cute. 

His reward for good behavior was to get water at the water fountain, scan Jesse's CD's that were on hold, and of course, to press the wheelchair access button!

 Storytime (take two) was a success!

Days Like This

Our local library hosts a fantastic toddler storytime every Monday. Library visits are always a highlight of the week for Jackson. After feeding the babies I loaded the kids into the van.  We had several books and CD's to return as well as CD's to pick up that Jesse had on hold.  Storytime is very popular and despite being ten minutes early, the parking lot was nearly full.  I was lucky to find a corner spot in the last row.  I loaded the babies into the stroller and got Jackson out.  As we approached the door, I asked Jackson to press the wheelchair access button so the doors would open for us, allowing me to easily push the stroller through.  Eager to return his book in the drop off box inside, Jack had already started to open the door so I pressed the button myself.  Sounds uneventful enough, but this triggered the toddler tantrum from hell.

Jackson started screaming, "No!  I push the button!"  I had already pushed the stroller through the narrow entryway when Jackson ran outside.  Assuming he went to go press the button a few feet away, I turned to grab him.  He took off running and screaming.  Another mom pointed and shouted "around the corner!"  My heart pounded and I ran as fast as I could.  Jackson ran through the bushes and around the entire building!  I picked him up and he was screaming "I push the button!" 

Adrenaline racing, I ran back to the entrance carrying one very pissed off toddler.  As I approached the front I was completely humiliated to see a handful of moms holding their well-behaved toddlers hands.  They were congregating in the entryway around my stroller and I overheard them asking "Whose kids are these? Where is the mom?  Are they triplets?"  Two women actually had their phones out and were taking pictures of my babies! 

I was out of breath, nearly in tears, and still holding Jackson, who was now pulling my hair out by the handful.  The moms commented on how beautiful the babies were and how busy I must be, as if it was an appropriate time for small talk.  One of the moms who was taking a picture said, "I hope you don't mind.  I've never seen triplets before."  Jackson was now biting me at this point.  The other photographer of the group had the nerve to say, "Do you have help?" to which I immediately scowled, "Does it look like I have help?"

I marched back to the van, pushing the stroller and holding Jackson sideways so he couldn't pull my hair.  I no longer felt lucky about finding that spot in the far back corner since numerous people continued to approach me and even allow their kids to touch my babies!  I buckled Jackson up in his carseat and tried to calmly talk to him about how dangerous and scary it is to run away.  I told him he was in timeout and needed to think about his behavior.  When he was ready to apologize we would go back inside.  (Storytime was clearly out the window, but I really needed to return our books and pick up Jesse's CD's.  Afterall, I didn't drag four kids to the library for nothing!)

I talked to the babies (who remained in the stoller) to try and calm my nerves while Jackson sobbed in the van.  After a few minutes Jackson said he was sorry for "running and biting and pulling hair".  Jackson held my hand while I pushed the stroller and we all walked peacefully across the parking lot towards the door.  Just as Jackson was about to push the wheelchair access button, the doors opened and someone in a wheelchair exited. 

Upset that he didn't get to press the damn button, WE RELIVED THE ENTIRE SCENARIO AGAIN!!!  The running, the abandoned stroller, the hair pulling, the women gawking, the questions... all of it. 

One of the many handfuls of hair that was ripped out.

It was truly a miracle that I didn't resort to violence.  Jackson was hysterical the entire car ride home.  He kept repeating, "I'm a big boy.  I get Daddy's CD's." in between sobs.  Even when we pulled into the garage and I unbuckled his carseat, he refused to get out and kept saying, "I go back to library.  I'm a big boy."  I unloaded all of the babies, changed their diapers, and began feeding while Jackson pouted in the van. 

Currently, Jackson is upstairs, the babies are sleeping, and I'm eating ice cream.  It's days like this I would do anything to be back in the classroom..   

2 Months Old

sleeping habits: The babies are very predictable at night and are all on the same sleeping schedule.  After eating, changing, and swaddling around 9 p.m. the babies wake up around 2:00 and 6:00 AM.  James and Amelia sleep in their individual cribs in the nursery.  Maddie starts off in the pack-n-play in our bedroom but ends up co-sleeping in our bed most of the night.  They all go back to sleep after the 6 AM feed and wake up for good between 8:30-9 AM.

They typically nap around 10:30-12, 1:30-3, and 4:30-6.  Unfortunately, it's common for one baby to be more alert during those times while the other two sleep, or for a baby to only sleep for 45 minutes during those times.  The morning and early afternoon naps occur anywhere (swing, playmat, pack-n-play, etc) but the late afternoon nap is always in a crib or pack-n-play upstairs.

eating habits: 
All babies receive 100% expressed breastmilk.  They eat every three hours during the day (9 AM., noon, 3 PM, 6 PM, 9 PM) and twice at night (2 AM, 6 AM).  Amelia and James consistently eat 4 ounces every feed while Maddie eats 3.5 ounces. 

milestones:
James-social smiles, coos and other sounds, lift head and upper body during tummy time, turn in response to my voice, bat at toys
Amelia-social smiles, lift head and upper body during tummy time, turn in response to my voice, suck her thumb
Madeline-social smiles, coos and other sounds, lift head and upper body during tummy time, turn in response to my voice, roll over from tummy to back, army crawl

challenges:
-Madeline's reflux is out of control.  She takes the maximum dose of Zantac (1 mg twice daily) but probably spits up half of what she eats.  She was prescribed Prevacid but the Medicaid insurance had not been approved at the time and it cost $300.   We finally got the insurance cards last week and have a well-check appointment scheduled on Wednesday.
-Jackson's behavior is still unpredictable and he can be quite rough on the babies.  Last week he picked James up off the couch and dropped him on his head!

victories:
-Not having to supplement with any formula
-Constant smiles, especially from James
-Taking the babies anywhere and everywhere using a tandem stroller.

special notes:
 Jesse went back to work a month ago, so we've been on our own during the day.  While it isn't easy, it's not as hard as I expected it to be.  We quickly established a routine that works for us.

"Gonna Need Backup"

We attend a small church that has very few families with young children.  Our church nursery is staffed by volunteers that sign up to serve on a rotation.  There are always two people in the nursery at all times, even though there have been many, many Sundays where Jackson was the only child in the nursery. 

The past two Sundays, when we have gone to drop off our four kids, the two adults immediately begin to shuffle about trying to find a third adult.  I kid you not, last week the husband and wife volunteers began phoning through the directory saying, "Hey Tom, this is _______.  Listen I'm in the nursery today and the triplets arrived.  We're gonna need back up."

HAHA!  If they only knew how many times a day I thought the same thing...