Staying Busy

My younger brother, Kent, and his fiance, Emily, came to visit us last week for a long weekend. Kent and Emily met at the beginning of the year so Micah and I had not met her yet, and neither of them had met the triplets. Although Kent and Emily were a little worried about helping out with the babies since they don't have a lot of experience with infants, they did help with feedings every day and by the last day they actually changed a few diapers and outfits! It was nice to have some extra hands around for a few days.

Uncle Kent with Faith, Jack, and Alexis

(future) Aunt Emily with Alexis

Kent keeping Faith and Alexis happy

Our packed car! This was the first time we actually used our 4Runner to its full seating capacity as we had to put up the third row for Kent and Emily. It was tight but it worked!

On Saturday and Sunday I was able to leave the babies with Micah for a few hours while Kent, Emily, and I explored ABQ. We went to a couple of wineries for tastings on Saturday and we went out for a beer in Nob Hill on Sunday, both of which sound pretty crazy when I think of my new life as a mom of triplets! It felt really good to get out of the house and it was nice to hang out with Kent and Emily without the babies as they can be a bit distracting. We're looking forward to the next time Kent and Emily visit as we had a great time, and we don't plan on going to MI until their wedding next August so we're hoping to see them again before that.

Carving "Three Blind Mice" pumpkins with Kent and Emily after the babies were in bed

The finished products

A couple of weeks ago we went to the NIC Development Clinic so that the babies could be evaluated by a nutritionist and an occupational therapist to make sure they have stayed on track since leaving the NICU. Although Jack has had great weight gain (he's now 11 pounds), the girls are a little behind so the nutritionist recommended that we add back the 3:00 a.m. feeding for the girls (they had been pretty much sleeping through the night). Even though it's hard to get up during the night, this has made a difference for the girls daily volumes, and I feel badly that I didn't start doing this sooner. The great news from the appointment came from the OT. She looked at their motor skills and said that they should be at the level of a 2.5 month old since that is their adjusted age, but they all came in between 3-3.5 months! I thought they were a little ahead of their adjusted age, but it was great to have someone trained in infant development confirm that! Of course this could change as time goes on, but the OT gave me some great ideas for working with the babies to make sure they progress as they should, so I'm hoping they continue to catch up to their actual age.

Faith, Alexis, Jack

Faith & Alexis

Jack playing with the rattle

Alexis reaching for a toy

Alexis playing with the crinkly toy that Grandma Howard made

Faith

Jack

Alexis

Last week I realized that I needed to start putting the babies on a napping schedule as it was no longer working to just let them nap whenever. When we first brought them home from the NICU they pretty much napped all of the time and would fall asleep easily on their own whenever they got tired, but as they have grown they have become more aware of their surroundings and they have started to fight sleep to play, which results in a lot of crying when they get overtired. And when one starts crying, they all start crying, so something needed to change ASAP. A couple of people had mentioned the "Babywise" schedule, so I bought the book and read it in a couple of days, and we are now following that schedule of eat, play, sleep. Although it's not perfect yet, it is working pretty well and there is a lot less crying! It just takes diligence on my part to write down when everyone wakes, eats, and goes back to sleep, and to watch their tired cues, so that they all stay on schedule. Inevitably, at least one baby has trouble during every nap so I really don't get a break, but I'm hopeful that they will all be napping well soon so I can at least take a shower during the day without worrying that someone is crying and waking the others up.

Feeding Jack and Alexis at the same time

Now that we have been following the Babywise schedule and we added back the 3:00 a.m. feeding, the babies current schedule is:

3:00 a.m. (or as late as 3:30 depending on when they wake up): Micah feeds Faith & Alexis
6:30-7:00 a.m.: I feed all the babies
They play for a bit after they eat
8:00ish: down for their first nap
9:30 a.m.: another bottle
They play for a bit after they eat
11:00: we go on a morning walk (babies nap while I push the stroller) or do some other activity (friends over, etc)
12:30: another bottle
They play for a bit after they eat
1:30/2:00: down for another nap
3:30: another bottle
They play for a bit after they eat and I try to work with each of them individually during this time
5:00/5:30: down for another nap
6:30: another bottle
7:30: first part of nighttime sleep
10:00: we wake them for their last bottle of the day and Jack sleeps until morning

One crazy sad thing that has happened since the babies have been born is three of my friends have moved  / are moving away from ABQ! I really miss Megan and Araceli, and now Amy is moving tomorrow. Although they all moved for good reasons, it has been strange to have so many friends leave in such a short period of time.

With Amy at her and Tyler's going away party

A couple more pics to share:

Faith, Jack, and Alexis relaxing after a stroller ride

Faith, Jack, and Alexis trying on their sunglasses that are part of their Halloween costumes

Must Haves for Multiples

When I was pregnant with our triplets I found it hard to know what baby gear would be helpful and which would not. I tried to find blogs with recommendations for multiples, but I couldn't find much info. So if you know anyone that is looking for advice on what is helpful for families with multiples, here is what has worked well for us!

Rock n Play Sleepers by Fischer Price: These have been a lifesaver for us! Since our triplets were preemies, two of them spent the first six weeks of their lives in the NICU and one spent two months in the NICU. Besides the times that they were being fed or held (when we visited), they were in their beds (isolettes at first and then bassinets). The Rock n Play Sleepers are in some ways similar to the hospital bassinets to which they were accustomed, so they probably helped with the transition home. They are portable which means you can keep your baby nearby. Since all of our babies had/ have reflux to some extent, these were the perfect solution to keep their heads elevated when sleeping. For the first few weeks the babies were home, they slept in the Rock n Plays in our bedroom which was perfect since our bedroom is small but these actually fit! Last week we even disassembled them, packed them in a backpack, hiked into a climbing area, and set them up so the babes were cozy while we climbed!

I'm holding Faith while Jack and Alexis are sleeping in their Rock n Plays at the crag

Kiinde Kozii bottle warmer: We were given an Avent bottle warmer that our friends were no longer using, and I wasn't really sure if I would use it since I know many people just heat up water in the microwave and use that to heat up the bottle. We realized pretty quickly, though, that we needed something that was consistent that would stop warming the bottle on its own. The Avent warmer was okay, but you had to be right there to pull the bottle out when it was done heating so that the milk did not overheat, and this was not convenient as we had multiple babies to tend to. After doing some research, Micah found the perfect solution: the Kiinde Kozii. The water is kept in a reservoir beneath the warming area and when you set the timer the water rises up to heat the bottle. When the timer runs out, the water lowers back into the reservoir so that the bottle does not overheat.  When the babies first got home from the hospital we could only feed one at a time since we had to feed them in the side lying position, so we would heat one bottle while changing the first baby's diaper, heat the second while feeding the first, and heat the third while feeding the second. This was great and worth every penny we spent on it. We are now using a combination of the Avent warmer (which takes half the time) and the Kiinde Kozii as we can then get all of the bottles heated at the same time since we often do dual feeds these days.

Dr. Brown's formula mixing pitcher: When you're making formula for multiple babies, it is most efficient to make a large quantity at a time since it involves careful measuring and a lot of mixing. Dr. Brown's mixing pitcher has been great for us and I would highly recommend this to anyone with multiples, or even a person with a single baby who eats formula.

Kitchen scale: This is one of those things that I'm kicking myself for not buying as soon as the babies were home. Baby formula must be carefully measured and it is a time consuming process (there is a warning on the canister that if you are not careful in your measurements, it could result in severe harm to your baby). Since we make a pitcher of formula at a time, we need 15 scoops of formula in every pitcher which takes time and it is easy to lose count of the scoops. At first we were counting the scoops every time we made a pitcher, but then it occurred to me that we could pre-scoop into quart sized bags so it wasn't so stressful when we needed another batch of formula. Then when Katie was here she figured out that 15 scoops is about equal to 1.5 cups, so I started using that method but I knew it wasn't perfect even though it saved time. Months ago I stumbled across something on Enfamil's website saying the most accurate way to measure formula is by weight and on Monday I finally decided to buy a kitchen scale on Amazon for $15. Why didn't I do this sooner?!? It now takes a minute to scoop the formula and I know it is 99% accurate! Please do yourself a favor and buy one if you are making large batches of formula.

Pack n Play: We have a small house and we have had many family and friends come by to help with the babies. We also have a cat. I knew I wanted a safe place for the babies to be able to lay down to sleep or play that would be in a central location but keep them off of the floor so that they were not in danger of being stepped on (I know, I'm a little paranoid) or being bit or scratched by the cat. The Pack n Play was the perfect solution for us! As the babies get bigger it's harder to put all three in there at once for safety reasons, but we sure have gotten a lot of use out of the Pack n Play so far and I'm sure we will continue to use it as the babies get bigger for play time and for traveling (we actually have two Pack n Plays).

Video monitor (aka Grandma cam): Micah and his dad picked out our "baby" monitor, which is actually a home security monitor by Logitech and not a regular baby monitor. Although it has taken some time to get it set up so that it worked correctly, it is now great! We have two cameras in the baby room, one on the girls' side of the room and one on Jack's side, so that we can see perfectly into their cribs. It is a color monitor, and it has great night vision in the dark. And of course, my mom's favorite feature is that you can log in remotely from a phone or iPad and check on the babies, so she takes advantage of this multiple times a day since she lives in Michigan and we're in New Mexico. It will be nice for us to be able to check on the babies too when we leave them home with sitters (hopefully that doesn't deter anyone from wanting to babysit for us though!).

Baby scale: One of my mom's co-workers gave us her baby scale, and I would say this is a necessity for anyone with a preemie since there is so much concern about their weight gain. We don't go crazy weighing the babies all of the time as we know that their weights can fluctuate from day to day, but we do weigh them twice a week to make sure they are gaining. The girls have lost a few ounces here and there, and this has helped us focus on their bottles more to make sure they are getting enough to eat.

Baby carriers: We have two different carries - the Baby Bjorn and the Ergo Baby. Both are good for different reasons. The Bjorn is great for Jack as he loves to look around and the Ergo (with the infant insert) is great for Lexi as she loves to snuggle in. Although you are restricted as to what you can do with a carrier on (no emptying the bottom rack of the dishwasher or other tasks that you need to bend over for), it is good to have around in case you really need to get something done and a baby is fussy. It also makes it possible to wear one baby and carry another (this has happened with our triplets, although luckily they are all pretty easy and don't need to be held all of the time). I'm sure we will use carriers even more as the babies grow so that we can get out and hike.

Ready to hike in to the climbing area! We're also borrowing a Boba wrap, which Micah is wearing with Faith in this pic. Our friend Dave carried Jack in the Bjorn and I carried Lexi in the Ergo.

Double Snap n Go by Baby Trend: This double stroller has been perfect for us so far as it fitts through store doors, is great for keeping two babies in at restaurants, and it's so easy to use. I just wish they made a triple, but that would not be as convenient since it would be bigger. I expect to use this for awhile since our babies are on the small side and they will be able to stay in their infant car seats for awhile. Another plus, this is pretty inexpensive as far as strollers go.

The girls in the stroller in Santa Fe

Mountain Buggy Urban triple stroller: I actually don't think this is made anymore, but we were fortunate to find one on Craig's List that was being sold in Santa Fe. It is a very pricey stroller, but we got a deal since we bought it used and I believe it will be worth every penny. Although I have only used it three times so far since we just got it this week, I'm in love. It is so easy to push even though it's pretty big, and I anticipate being able to run with it as the babies get a little bigger. The major downside is that it's huge so it won't fit through store doors, it's too big for some sidewalks, and it doesn't fit through the opening in the fence to get on the bike path by our house, but we didn't buy it for those things since we already have the Double Snap n Go. It's going to be awesome for long walks when I just need to get out of the house with the babies during this winter sick season, and I'm sure I'll find a way to get on the bike path even if it means taking the long way around.

Our triple stroller!

4 Months Old

Our trio is now 4 months old! Many people have asked me how long we will have to refer to their adjusted age and I have been told different things, but in general I think it takes about two years for preemies to catch up to their peers developmentally. So right now the babies are doing what most two month old babies do, plus a few things that older babies do as well.

They all do a great job with holding up their heads, although Jack seems to enjoy looking around so much that I think it's made him a little stronger than his sisters. In fact, I'm convinced Jack is ready to be a little boy instead of a baby so that he can explore and learn as he is continually looking around when eating his bottle, being burped, being carried, etc. He simply can't get enough of this exciting world and he's mostly only seen the inside of our house! He also loves to practice "standing" whenever we let him. Jack seems to have more smiles for his mommy than his daddy right now, but he will smile at anyone.

Jack is standing!

He's not strong enough for a bumbo chair, but this works pretty well as a seat (supervised of course!)

Alexis also loves to smile, but she definitely has more smiles for daddy than mommy. Faith doesn't seem to have picked a favorite yet as she smiles at mommy and daddy equally. It is surprisingly difficult to get pics of the babies smiling as they get distracted as soon as I hold up my phone or camera, so I only have a few pics of Faith smiling right now.

Jack (left), Alexis (top right), Faith (bottom right)

Jack and Alexis

Jack

Jack

Alexis

I've read that the smiles mean that babies now feel a whole bunch of emotions, which means each of our triplets has started expressing their unhappiness with situations as well. Our house has become increasingly more noisy as one crying baby starts off the whole choir! Even Jack who is quite laid back gets pretty upset about things these days.

Some changes in the last month are that the babies are now eating six to seven bottles a day instead of eight. This is great for me as it means less time is spent feeding and there are fewer bottles to wash. They are also starting to sleep longer at night, which is amazing. In general they eat their last bottles between 10:00 and 11:00, and then they wake up between 3:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. But last night they actually slept until 5:30 a.m.! I get up a few times during the night to put pacifiers back in their mouths, but it still feels like a huge change in my sleep since they first came home.

Faith has now been home longer than her two month NICU stay! This might sound strange to new parents who get to bring their baby home with them when they leave the hospital, but I finally can say that I "feel" like Alexis, Jack, and Faith's mom. Since Jack and Alexis were in the NICU for six weeks and Faith for two months, and then we had family in town helping for awhile, it has taken time for me to really feel like their mom. I didn't feel like they knew me from a nurse, a grandma, a friend, etc, but now that I really have been spending most days alone with them as their sole caretaker, I feel like their mom. This is a great feeling and also a bit scary to realize how much they depend on me!

Their four months weights were:
Alexis: 9 lbs 9 oz
Jack: 10 lbs 1.5 oz
Faith: 9 lbs 7.5 oz

And they continue to gain weight every day! It is astounding to me that they are now outgrowing some of their three month clothes (especially Jack). I actually just bought some three month stuff at used clothing sales and those things might only get worn a couple of times before they outgrow them!

We are soooo thankful for everyone who has given us gifts, gift cards, and money. We are overwhelmed by the generosity that has been shown to us with the birth of the triplets. We received so many diapers from my baby shower and from others that we still have some left on our shelves, and we only had to buy a couple of packages of preemies and a couple of packages of newborns as we ran out. We also have hardly cooked since the babies were born thanks to our family, friends, and church. This has been huge as it's taken us a bit to adjust to life at home with three babies. THANK YOU!!!

Here are their 4 month pics...

JACK

ALEXIS

 

FAITH

Group Shots (Alexis, Jack, Faith)

Time Flies

It really is amazing to me how fast the past four months have flown by since the triplets were born.  Micah went to Yosemite last fall for a climbing trip and since then he has been preparing for a return trip. We agreed that he could go on the climbing trip if I had friends and family at our house to help with the triplets, so before the babies were even born, plane tickets were purchased for friends and family to come help while he was gone. When the tickets were purchased we could not even imagine what life would be like with three babies at our house and part of me felt like the time would never come.

Well, now that time has come and gone! Micah had successful climbing trips in Zion and Yosemite with his friend Dave, despite the government shutdown and the national parks being closed when they were halfway through their 30 pitch ascent of The Nose on El Capitan in Yosemite, and Katie, Melissa, and my parents have all come and gone. Thankfully, Alexis, Jack, and Faith are REALLY good babies so taking care of them is not overly exhausting and it was very possible for Micah to get away, especially since I had the help.

Micah between pitches on El Cap

Micah approaching the "Great Roof" on El Cap

I wrote about my time with Katie in my last post, and my time with Melissa was also great! Melissa is a high school friend who I haven't seen much over the years as we have lived in different parts of the country, but it is always fun to see each other and catch up. Since Melissa has two adorable boys, she has experience with babies and it was great to get her input. We are at a new stage now where I am not really feeding them on a schedule since they wake up at a different time each night and we are out and about, so it is harder to feed them exactly every three hours. The lack of schedule is freeing and also disorienting for me as I have to listen to and read the babies cues more, so having a friend around 24 hours a day with baby experience was a plus. Since Melissa has never been to NM we did a little exploring and even went to Santa Fe for the day! I was sad to see Melissa leave, but we are hoping to be more regular in seeing each other in the future.

Melissa with Faith, Alexis, and Jack

Walking around Santa Fe

Jack and me in Santa Fe. We had to buy hats for the babies as they get sunburned so easily! The hats are a bit big, but they'll be great next summer.

It was a lot of fun to have my parents here again as well. The changes in the babies were even more evident to them since they hadn't been to visit in a couple of months, and they really enjoyed how much more social the babies were this time. We were sad to see them leave as well, but my mom is hoping to come back within the next couple of months as she really can't stay away from her grand babies!

My parents with Jack, Alexis, and Faith

My mom with Alexis, Jack, and Faith

My dad with Faith, Jack, and Alexis

Our view of the Balloon Fiesta from a parking lot near the balloon park (this was baby friendly as they stayed in the warm car while we watched the first hour of the Mass Ascension)

Not only has time passed quickly since the babies were born, but I feel like I have changed a lot too. When I was pregnant I thought I would never feel "normal" again, and although I'm not exactly where I was before my pregnancy, I feel really, really good. I'm sure many women feel like their own bodies are foreign during and immediately after a pregnancy, but I gained a lot of weight with the triplets and I wasn't able to do any of my normal activities like running and climbing, so I temporarily felt like I had lost a part of myself and it is encouraging to me that some parts of the old me are coming back! A couple of weeks ago we drove two hours to a climbing area and met our friends Dan and Val and their two kids there. We took turns climbing and watching babies and kids, and it felt great to not only get out of ABQ, since I hadn't left since March, but to also climb outside again!

Faith at the climbing area

Alexis

Jack

Micah on baby duty

Climbing outside again!

When the babies were in the NICU it was hard to believe that they would some day grow up. But now that they have each more than tripled their weight and Jack is about to tip the scale to 10 pounds, I CAN believe that they will continue to grow. Jack and Alexis were both sleeping in Rock n Play Sleepers when we brought them home from the NICU, but within the last couple of weeks Jack started sleeping flat on his back in his crib and I'm sure Alexis and Faith will be doing so soon as well since her reflux is starting to get better (Faith is still in the wedge). It is so sad to put away all of their newborn size clothes, but it is also encouraging as it means everyone is growing and healthy.

Alexis

Alexis

Faith

Jack practicing his head control during his bath

Faith looking at her mommy

Alexis looking at the pretty baby in the mirror

"Dancing" in the Pack n Play. We won't be able to put all three in here at once for much longer!

Holding my "big" babies!

Micah and the girls (Alexis is on his chest)

The girls in matching pj's (thanks Julie!). Faith left and Alexis right.

Jack might turn into a thumb sucker despite being given a pacifier

We have continued to get out and do things. The triplets have been to church a few times, REI (twice), Costco (twice), Flying Star (twice, and three times for Faith when I brought her to book club), Target, Trader Joe's, Sante Fe, Tomasita's in Santa Fe, and various friends houses.  I'm sure they've been more places, but the point is that we are getting used to bringing them places which is not only a bit of work but also draws a lot of attention. Unfortunately, people will always be curious about our trio which means we will probably draw attention for years to come, but I suppose Micah and I will get used to it after awhile.

Sadly, I do feel like we need to start being more cautious about going anywhere with the babies as cold/flu/RSV season is here. Since the triplets were premature their lungs are not as strong as the lungs of full term babies, even though they are not on oxygen, therefore if they get sick it could be very serious and they could end up in the hospital. This is tough as we REALLY want to get out and do things during the winter, but we will just have to be extra careful and ask those who are around the babies to take extra precaution. We aren't sure what this will look like yet, but we might not have others hold them over the next several months if we go to social events just to limit the direct exposure to germs. It is an awkward situation and we want to live as normal as possible, but six months of awkwardness is worth it if it means the babies remain healthy during this first sick season.