The Nursery (that we are leaving behind...tear)

I am so excited to be moving into our new house in less than two weeks (if all goes as planned), but at the same time I am feeling a bit sentimental. Usually I start packing as soon as we start talking about moving as I actually enjoy getting rid of things, packing, and organizing, but so much has happened in our lives while we lived in this 1240 square foot rental house that I am hesitant to pack things up, especially in the nursery. When Micah and I moved into this house 2 years and 10 months ago, we thought we would stay for a year and hopefully move into a house of our own. But as time went on we realized that this house was a good fit for us and we didn't feel ready to take on the responsibility of home ownership again (we bought our first house in February 2007 and sold it in August 2010 when we moved to NM).

A year ago we decided we would renew our lease one more time as it would be extremely difficult to move while I was pregnant with triplets, so we got permission from our landlord to paint the room that we used as an office which would become our nursery. We decided which color to paint the room before we even knew the genders of the babies as the color we wanted was gender neutral anyway. Micah and his parents painted the room when his parents came for a weekend visit, which was great since I wasn't supposed to do anything physically demanding even early on in the pregnancy.

On one of my mom's visits from MI we stopped in a thrift store and happened to find a dresser with bars for a changing table on top, which my friend Katie helped me paint when she came to visit (and Micah put the final coat on).

The dresser with the changing table on top at the thrift store! It was in perfect condition and it was a steal for only $70!

Katie sanding the dresser

I even helped with some of the painting, but I wore a mask to protect the babies.

My friends Amy and Sarah putting the shelf paper in the dresser

Micah's mom sews and she offered to make the crib skirts and valance from the fabric I picked out. 

The valance which has strips of fabric from which the crib skirts were made.

Jack's crib skirt

Alexis and Faith's crib skirts

The reason the crib skirts were so important is that I bought these plastic storage bags for larger size clothes which have been stored under the mattresses. As the babies have grown I have swapped out the clothes in their closet and dresser for the bigger sizes and put the small stuff under the beds. The crib skirts hid the storage areas under the cribs perfectly!

I have never been very creative, but I had a lot of time on my hands while I was pregnant , so I got on Pinterest and found some easy, low cost decorating ideas. I didn't really have a theme when I started the room, but the final product could be described as "whimsical." 

Putting the mobiles together

Getting ready to put the mobiles up in the nursery (about 6 weeks before the babies were born)

I made these pinwheels while sitting on the couch :). I directed my mom while she pinned them on the wall above the changing table. I was so thankful for her help in getting the nursery completed!

Alexis showcasing all of the decorations above her crib. I made the mobiles, I bought the owls from Hobby Lobby, I made the frames with the first letters of the babies names, I made the flower and tree (Jack's side) frames, and the NICU nurses took the babies footprints a couple of weeks after they were born and wrote out all of their birth information and I put them in the frames after the babies got home.

 

 

The frames above Jack's bed. Ignore the wire - that is our baby monitor.

Jack wanted to show his side off too!

Faith showing off her frames

A closer look at Faith's frames.

Here are some other pictures of the room:

Alexis and Faith's side of the room

Jack's side

We had one of our maternity pics printed on a canvas. We really liked this pic as it has the whole family in it :).

The wall with the window and the closet. Faith's crib is in this pic and Jack's crib is on the opposite wall.

Their linens are kept in the polka dot drawers, but in our new house we'll have more closet space so we can actually put them in the linen closet.

The girls headbands and lots of books (luckily Jack doesn't care that the headbands are on "his side" of the room).

The completed changing table / dresser

This is a pretty small closet, but I bought a rod that hangs on the top rack that is about half the length. This has really helped as we were able to put Jack's clothes on the bottom and the girls clothes on the top and we still store things on the floor of the closet on either side of Jack's clothes. I also bought the pocket storage that hangs on the inside of the closet door. This has been great for storing hats, newborn mittens, and other miscellaneous things.

Although most of the stuff in the closet is current sizes, I do like to have some bigger things in there too so I can try them on the babies as they grow. To make the closet more organized I added tags to separate the sizes (thanks Melissa for the great idea!)

 

Faith hanging out while I took pictures of their room today

Alexis hanging out

Jack hanging out

Jack in his crib today

Jack when we brought him home at the end of July. He's grown so much!

 Now that it's time to pack up the nursery, I feel sad that I haven't thought much about how I'm going to decorate the new rooms. First of all, we're not 100% sure who will be sleeping in the same room as although we originally thought it would be the girls, in reality Jack is our best sleeper so it may be better if the girls were separate so they didn't wake each other up. We've also been focused on the other parts of the house so I'm not sure how much decorating we will do in their rooms. Of course we will put up the same decorations, but the rooms might look kind of empty for awhile. Oh well. Honestly, we hardly spend any time in our nursery right now and I don't think that will change with the hew house as we are most excited about the fact that we will have a family room which will contain all of the babies toys and it will be completely baby proof!

8 Months

I often feel guilty about writing a blog, especially as I look around the house and see piles of laundry that need to be done, dishes and bottles piling up, and dust bunnies gathering around the house, but the 7th of every month feels like a mini holiday to me as it's the month birthday celebration of our trio. Every month I'm shocked that it comes around so quickly, and I love to reflect on how they've grown and developed over the last 30 days or so and take some fun photos. But one thing I completely forgot to write about last month was that at 7 months they had been out of the womb for as long as they were in the womb because they were born 2 months early! 

In my opinion the time outside the womb is more of a milestone for me than for the babies since the pregnancy felt like an eternity (there is a lot of extra stress on the mind and body during a high-risk triplet pregnancy!) and I honestly thought I'd never feel "normal" again. Eight months postpartum, though, I can say that I feel really good and almost 100% like my old self (minus a few reminders of the pregnancy from the drastic changes that my body went through, but I can live with that since we now have three beautiful children). Although there are days that I have "life culture shock" (stole that phrase from a friend but I really like it!), overall I feel like Micah and I have fallen into our new life as parents of triplets fairly easily and, although we CAN imagine life without them as we were married for almost eight years before they were born, we love our new life even with it's challenges. 

Before I get into the monthly Q&A, I want to write a bit about each of our trio's personalities as they are so unique and have really begun to show over the last few months.

Alexis, our first born, is definitely the most dramatic. If she is unhappy about something she is very quick to let you know with a loud yell or cry. Generally, she's also the most vocal as she loves to make all kinds of screeching and squealing noises. Blowing raspberries is one of her new favorite sounds. Although she is quick to let you know when she's mad, she's also the quickest to laugh! When she was sick last week she actually was very mellow, so I knew something was definitely wrong. I imagine most babies get quite fussy when they're sick so it was interesting to see her very quiet and subdued. She is definitely going to keep us on our toes with her strong opinions!

Jack, the middle child and only boy, is still easy going most of the time. There have been many times that his sisters were both crying and he just looked at us like "what's wrong with them?" These days he does get frustrated pretty easily once he rolls from his back to his tummy as he hasn't quite figured out how to roll back to his back, but that seems to be more of a current frustration than his true personality. He is our biggest eater and he also still spits up the most, but spitting up has never really bothered him. Although Micah and I often talk about how important it is not to play favorites among the three, there is something special about the bond between Jack and me. Although the girls also love their mommy, Jack has an extra sparkle in this eye when he sees me.

Faith, the "baby" of the babies, is the most serious and determined. Although she was born last, had the lowest birth weight (only 2 lbs 13 oz while Alexis was 3 lbs and Jack was 3 lbs 3 oz), and she was the last to come home from the NICU, she has been the first to learn to roll both directions, and she has even done a little scooting! She is also the most interested in eating solid foods and today she finished a whole container by herself! Some days Faith is very quiet and other days she loves making loud noises and acts like she is talking to us. Although we don't get out much these days, when we have been out she has shown a little "stranger danger"and has started crying when strangers talked to her (this might be from me as I was a very timid child). She also is a "daddy's girl" and truly lights up when Micah walks in the room or comes home from work. There have been days that I've tried really hard to get her to laugh but not gotten much of a reaction (sometimes she even gives me a look like "really? you look kind of silly mom"), but when Micah comes home and picks her up she'll start laughing right away!

We're sure that their personalities will show even more in the months and years to come, but it's fun to see a glimpse of who they are even as such young babies.

Now for the monthly Q&A:

How old? 8 months (6 adjusted, which is important since their developmental milestones are more in line with their adjusted age)


Our weights: 
Alexis: 13 lbs 2 oz (+ 4 oz from last month - so little due to stomach virus)
Jack: 14 lbs 4 oz (+12 oz from last month)
Faith: 13 lbs 8 oz (+1 lb 1 oz from last month)

They are all really small still compared to other babies their age (and even their adjusted age), but I'm okay with that considering most of their cousins were also small babies and I was a small baby myself. I'm starting to think that this may not be as much a preemie thing as it is a genetic thing. Sadly Alexis had a stomach bug for about a week which has set her back in her weight gain, but she has been eating a lot again in the last couple of days so I'm sure she'll catch back up to Faith soon. Everyone is generally happy, so I know they're not going hungry.

Size clothes: The girls are wearing 6 month outfits and 6 month and 9 month PJs.  Jack is wearing 6 month and 9 month clothes.

Eating schedule: Everyone is still getting 5 bottles a day and we're still feeding every 3 hours. I know many fellow triplet moms feed on a four hour schedule, but as all three of our babies are still battling reflux I believe the three hour schedule is better for them. The first bottle of the day is between 7:00 and 7:30 and they eat every three hours after that, although some bottles end up being a little sooner due to the babies getting really hungry, so the last bottle of the day usually falls between 6:45 and 7:00. Jack is still getting almost 7 ounces (our bottles only hold 200 ml and 210 is 7 oz), Alexis is still getting 6 oz, and Faith is still getting 6 oz. Their total volumes each day have not really increased since a month ago, so I'm hoping they will start drinking more soon so they continue to gain weight well. I never knew how much Micah and I would stress over how little they eat!

In the last few days we have also started feeding them solids twice a day. We had been doing it once a day, usually around dinner time, but Faith started showing more of an interest so we decided it was time to be more consistent and to add another meal. They usually eat "lunch" around 11:45 a.m. and "dinner" around 5:30 p.m.

Naps: During the majority of the last month everyone was taking three naps a day (after their first, second, and third bottles), but it seemed to me that they might be able to (finally) take two longer naps instead of three shorter ones, so I've been working on eliminating the nap after their second bottle. It's still a work in progress, but two days ago everyone slept from 1:30 to 3:30!! Although it gets a little tough to keep everyone happy between their 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. bottles without a nap, the added "lunch" helps and I am also learning to deal with a little more whining in exchange for a longer afternoon nap. We are still trying to separate them as much as possible during nap times as they tend to sleep better when they're not in the same room. This will be even easier when we move into our new house (three more weeks!) as Jack will have his own room and I can put one of the girls in the guest room. It will be so great to be able to access our room during the day since we won't have a baby napping in there!

Bedtime: We start feeding the 5th bottle between 6:45 and 7:00 and we put the babies in bed between 7:00 and 7:30. For the most part, everyone goes to sleep pretty easily at night. Most nights we have to go in a few times to give Faith her pacifier to help her fall asleep, and sometimes Alexis, but Jack usually goes to sleep without much fuss.

Night Sleep:  We are still getting up several times a night to give the girls pacifiers, and we have gotten in the bad habit of putting the fussy baby in our bed so that we don't have to continue getting up. Simply putting the baby (always one of the girls, usually Faith and never Jack) between us tends to make that baby sleep great, but then we do still have to get up a couple of times to give the other girl a pacifier. Faith has also gotten into a bad habit of rolling onto her tummy during the night and crying because she is stuck. For a long time we weren't comfortable with her sleeping on her stomach, but now that she can roll both ways we are letting her do it (it's impossible to prevent once we fall asleep) and she does seem to sleep better that way for the most part. The last few nights we have had to get up with Lexi and feed her as she was inconsolable, but we really can't blame her considering the poor weight gain over the last month due to her being sick. Hopefully that will end soon, although I'm getting so used to having an interrupted night's sleep that it will be weird when (and if) they all sleep through the night completely.

Favorite foods:  I don't think they necessarily have any favorite foods yet, although Faith seemed to really enjoy peas a few days ago and pears today (pureed). We have been trying a different brand of Oatmeal that they seem to like better (thanks Val!). And we have been giving them MumMums to snack on as they dissolve in their mouths but help them practice their eating skills. We've also given them bread a few times to gnaw on, which everyone seemed to enjoy. Right now we are still exploring with food, but I hope to get more regimented with it in the next month as by the time they're one they should be weaning off of formula, and it's crazy to think that one-year-old is only four months away! Of course, our pediatrician might say they have a little more time due to their adjusted age but I still want them to be ready for the switch when it's time.

Our likes? They still love playing with all of their toys, listening to books and looking at the pictures, and now everyone is enjoying rolling. They also love it when we make animal noises or any other kind of silly noise, especially Alexis. Faith loves to be "tossed" in the air by Daddy and she always kicks her legs out a little to add to the fun. Singing is still the best way to calm them down (although not as much Alexis as the others). Jack especially calms to singing.

Our dislikes? They all get pretty mad when their bottles are "late" and everyone gets frustrated when they get stuck on their tummys after rolling over.

Our favorite games/toys? They all love variety. Some time in the exersaucer (or Go Pod which is like a portable exersaucer), some time rolling on the floor, some time playing under their play yards, etc. I just try to keep moving them around so they don't get bored.
 
Our milestones? Everyone is now rolling from back to tummy. Faith has been rolling tummy to back. Jack has been doing well with his sitting, but I still need to be right there to catch him when he loses his balance. I'm sure in a a week or two he'll have it down. I've been practicing sitting with the girls too, and I'm sure they're not far behind. Faith has been doing a little scooting (tonight she moved about a foot forward) and she keeps putting her legs under her like she wants to crawl. I'm sure there are big changes in their mobility right around the corner, I'm just hoping they aren't seriously moving until after we move in three weeks as I don't want to have to baby proof this house before we move!

Things we do to make Mom and Dad smile? Lately they have been really interested in each other, which is super cute and fun to watch. But it also means we really have to watch them as they grab at each others faces and put their hands in each others mouths, which makes the "victim" baby very upset (for good reason!). Anytime they start laughing we laugh as well. Today I actually caught Jack and Faith making each other laugh, which was adorable and I'll try to get that on camera in the near future!

Our Pictures:

ALEXIS

 

FAITH

 

 JACK

 

ALL TOGETHER (L to R: Faith, Jack, Alexis)

 

Jack and Faith

Faith (left), Alexis (right)