First Emergency

This past weekend was the longest period of time I have spent alone with the kids. Micah was gone Friday evening through Sunday night, so I had to put the kids to bed by myself for three nights (actually four as he was climbing Thursday night - nothing against Micah as we made these plans together, but I'm just realizing why I'm so exhausted...) and I took care of them by myself all day Saturday and Sunday. I knew I could do it, and I knew it would be exhausting. Unfortunately, it was not only exhausting, but we also had a terrifying event happen during this time period.

When I was a toddler there were many times that I would fall or something would happen that would make me cry so hard that I would faint. I'm not sure how often this happened, but from talking to my parents it sounds like it happened fairly often and it was quite scary, but nothing was found to be medically "wrong." Because of my history I noticed that both Alexis and Faith get hysterical quite quickly and they seem to do the "silent cry" extra long when they get upset or hurt, and there have been several times that I have been nervous about them passing out as they didn't seem to be breathing. I Googled what to do when this happens and one person said to blow on your child's face as that will automatically make her breathe. Well, I don't think this actually works because on Saturday after dinner the kids were playing and Faith got knocked to the ground really hard, and she started crying so hard that she passed out.

The kids were all hugging each other and, of course, it was adorable so I grabbed my phone and started taking photos. Now I feel silly for doing this as if I wasn't snapping photos I may have been able to catch Jack and Faith as they fell onto the kitchen floor. As soon as they fell I could tell that Faith fell harder than Jack, so I scooped her up immediately. She did her silent cry where it looks like she is trying to catch a breath for maybe 10-15 seconds, and then her eyes rolled back and her head flopped back. I pulled her in close to me and rubbed her back vigorously, and after a few seconds she started stirring and then trying to cry again. At first her cry was weak like she was still trying to catch her breath, and then it evened out and I could tell she was super scared and upset. Of course I was home alone with all three kids at this time, and Jack and Alexis didn't know what was going on so they tried to get on the couch with us and Alexis was crying loudly, probably because she was terrified since I was screaming at Faith as she passed out.

Throughout all of this I contemplated what to do. Should I call 911 or is that overreacting? Is there really such thing as overreacting when your child is injured? What would I do if the situation started to get worse and I was alone with three 20 month olds? In my panic during the minute of Faith fainting and regaining consciousness I dialed 911. I told the woman on the phone that I wasn't sure if I was really having an emergency, but she could hear the screaming kids and obviously had no idea what happened to help me assess whether or not it was a true "emergency," so she took down the details of my address and what was going on, and she sent an emergency team.

The police officer arrived first, probably five minutes after I got off of the phone with 911. By that time Faith seemed okay but she was still lying in my arms so it was hard to tell. He took down the details of the incident and we made awkward small talk while we waited for the EMTs. It seemed like forever before they arrived (maybe 5 more minutes?) and then they took down the same details of the incident, took Faith's oxygen level and heart rate, and looked for any bumps on her head (there weren't any). By this time I felt like an idiot for calling 911, but my Mama Bear instincts had taken over and I wanted to do whatever I could to help Faith. They assured me that I did the right thing, and they offered an ambulance to take her to the ER. Being that it was Saturday night in ABQ I knew that was the last place I wanted to be, so I politely declined but agreed that I would watch her closely and take her in if I had concerns (and I lined up a friend to come watch the other two if I needed to take her in).

Luckily this happened around 6:00, the EMTs were gone by 6:25, and I don't usually put the kids to bed until 7:30 so I had some time to monitor Faith and make sure she was okay. She was perfectly fine and acting normal, so I felt fairly confident that she didn't need a head scan (especially since I knew she fainted from crying too hard and not from hitting her head).

Definitely NOT my best moment since the kids were born, but honestly I am thankful that we made it 1.5 years at home with three babes before we had an emergency. I say it often but it is the truth, the main floor where the kids spend most of their time is very childproof, but it is hard to protect them from each other.

Tonight I was super anxious as the kids had so much energy after dinner and I was afraid someone would get hurt. It had been too cold and windy to play outside after their nap, so they had energy to burn. I was terrified that someone was going to get hurt, cry too hard, and faint. I changed activities at least five times in hopes that they would calm down, but even looking at books had me on pins and needles as Jack loves to throw the books over his shoulder, everyone wants to sit in the book box, and they slip on the books as they walk over them. I thought the infant stage was rough, but these three toddlers are going to give me a panic attack.

I plan to call the doctor tomorrow just so we can go in and discuss what happened and make a game plan for how to handle it in the future. Plus, it could be related to iron deficiency anemia (which we have never checked the kids for) so that could solve the problem! If you are curious about this condition you can click on this link: http://www.webmd.com/children/tc/breath-holding-spells-topic-overview

Jack and Faith hugging right before the fall. It's a cute photo, but definitely not worth the consequences!

One Year in Our House

It has almost been a year since we moved into our current house (we moved March 1st). We put off buying a house for the first 3.5 years that we lived in ABQ for many reasons, and I am so glad we did as I'm sure we would have picked out a different house than this before we had our kids, and this house has been great for us. Our house is by no means perfect, but the main reasons we picked this house still make it a great house for us today.

1. It was move in ready
Once you actually move into a house you see all of the flaws, but for the most part this house hasn't needed much work. Of course I wish I could report that every room is perfectly Pinterestly decorated, but there hasn't been a lot of time to think about painting the walls and such, and it doesn't bother me that much as I stay plenty busy just keep the kids alive. Also, we like to spend our weekends doing fun things and neither of us are that excited about house projects, so moving into a house like ours was the right decision for us.

2. The main floor layout is ideal for our family
The floorplan was a huge selling point for me that I wouldn't have cared about if we didn't have kids. Once I realized how much stuff was required to keep three babies entertained, I knew I wanted a separate adult living area where I could remove myself from the primary colors and clutter. In addition to the extra living space, the family room and kitchen are open to each other which has been wonderful so that I can work in the kitchen and keep an eye on the kids. This set up also gives the kids more room to run around since we hang out downstairs in the family room / kitchen 95% of the time that the kids are awake and we are home since it is almost 100% babyproof.

We opened presents for Christmas in the living room and this was definitely the most time the kids have spent in this room together. If one wakes up before the others from a nap I don't usually shut the gate so they do spend some time running around this room (it's just so much easier for me to manage when there is only one!), and they walk through it every time they go upstairs, but they know to go straight to the stairs as we don't want them all running around in here.

Jack enjoying a Valentine's Day balloon and a peak at our living room in front of our family room. If the gate isn't closed properly Jack always lets me know by saying "uh oh!"

Faith enjoying the balloons, and also a great view of our built in shelves which were a definite bonus for our family room as I don't have to worry about anyone tipping the shelves over.

You can see the kitchen behind the family room. Excuse the mess :).

3. The backyard is kid friendly(ish)
Okay, so it would be nice if the yard was a bit larger as I'm sure the small yard won't work so well as the kids get bigger, but the backyard actually has some grass (not every yard in ABQ does!) and as the kids get older I'll be able to monitor them out the kitchen window while they play. And the rocks in part of the yard are actually a bonus as the kids spend so much time playing in them. I know the cinder block wall surrounding the yard is a bit unsightly, but I guess I've grown accustomed to it after living in ABQ for 4+ years so it doesn't bother me anymore.

Jack and Faith hanging out in the backyard

Playing with the rocks

The girls running around the yard, which is a favorite activity these days

4. The neighborhood is great for walks
The location of our last house was good as it was about a mile from the trail head into the foothills, but there weren't many good sidewalks and we couldn't get to the bike path on Tramway with our triple stroller since the fence opening was too narrow. Since we go on walks almost every single day, access to the Tramway bike path and having a safe neighborhood to walk in was super important to me. This location has been ideal for walking and running.

I don't take many pics while we are out for walks, but this one was taken by one of the parks in our subdivision. Notice the nice view of the foothills in the background.

5. The neighborhood elementary school is good
Unfortunately, New Mexico public schools do not have a good reputation and we don't plan on sending our kids to private school, so we wanted to buy a house in a good public elementary school zone without moving too far north in ABQ, since Micah didn't want his commute to work to be much longer than it was at our old place. Hopefully this elementary school still has good ratings by the time our kids get to Kindergarten! It is within walking distance, which will be nice when the kids are going to school.


We are so thankful that we bought this house when we did as it would have been much harder to move once our kids were mobile. And although there a few things we would change about the house (such as the small garage), overall it has been a great house for us this past year and we have some wonderful memories here already.

House Guest Withdrawal

Since Alexis, Jack, and Faith's birth in June 2013, we have had many house guests who have come to meet our trio and help out. Most of these visits have been made by the grandparents (both grandmas are very dedicated, which is awesome!), but we have also had both my brothers and many of my out-of-state friends come for visits. As our babes have gotten older, though, it was starting to feel like the visitors were becoming less frequent as the novelty of triplets had worn off a bit and people seemed to assume that we didn't need as much help since we've been doing this awhile (although we have grown accustomed to life with triplets, they are constantly changing and keeping us on our toes so help is always appreciated). Surprisingly, though, we had three different sets of house guests from January 22 through February 15, which meant that during that 25 day period I only had five full days alone with our trio.

Our first visitor was Micah's mom who was here from January 22nd through February 2nd. Micah and I had a seminar to attend on January 23-25, and Karen volunteered to take care of Alexis, Jack, and Faith during the three days we were gone. We fed the kids breakfast in the morning before we left and I was home every night in time to help make dinner, but Karen did a great job taking care of the kids by herself while we were gone. She is Super Grammy!

Grammy builds great towers

A, J, and F with Grammy

The following Thursday (1/29) I flew to WA to visit my friend Katie and her husband. They bought a house a couple of months ago and I wanted to see it and help with projects, so Karen offered to stay in ABQ to help Micah with the kids. I am glad that the kids had such a great weekend with their daddy and Grammy while I was gone, but I was a little disappointed that no one was excited when I walked in the house after being gone for three nights. Next time I should probably FaceTime with them less so they realize I am gone :). Despite not being missed by Alexis, Jack, and Faith, I had a great time with Katie and it was a nice break from my regular routine.

It snowed in ABQ while I was in WA so Micah got to play in the snow with the kids for the first time

Alexis

Faith wouldn't keep her mittens on so Micah taught her to put her hands in her pockets

Although it was snowy in ABQ, it was surprisingly sunny in WA and Katie and I enjoyed running along the Pacific Ocean

I spent a lot of time ironing curtains as Katie's new house didn't have window coverings. It was fun to see the room transform!

Katie and I always indulge in lemon drop martinis and puppy chow when we see each other

Karen left on a Monday (2/2) and then my brother Kent and his wife Emily arrived on Thursday, February 5th. Kent and Emily last visited in October 2013, and although they spent a little time with us when we were in Michigan in May, August, and December, they live 30 minutes from my parents so we didn't get to spend as much time with them as we would have liked. Having them visit us in ABQ was great as we got to spend a lot of time together, which meant that they got to know Alexis, Jack, and Faith a little more.

Kent pushing the kids in the swings at our park

Although Uncle Kent did need to do a little work while he was here, the kids didn't mind "helping"

Emily and Kent are very competitive, and Emily won the girl dressing contest

We took the kids on a short hike in the foothills of ABQ

After our hike we let the kids run down the trail. Since it was a little uneven and a hill, Kent and Emily helped keep everyone safe.

Our kids love to pretend they're sleeping, so they played the game with Uncle Kent

Future engineers?

Uncle Kent helped Jack build a really tall tower

...and Faith

Kent and Emily left super early on Monday (2/9), and then my college roommate Joy and her 3-year-old son (soon to be 4-year-old) arrived on Thursday, February 12th. Although we did a pretty good job of visiting each other for the first five years after we graduated from college, sadly it had been almost four years since we had seen each other last. Life had gotten super busy for both of us and there were many reasons why we weren't able to see each other, so when Joy texted me in mid-January to ask what I was doing mid-February, I was super excited that we would get to see each other again.

Our friendship is one of those that picks up right where we left off, even though we aren't great at calling each other (we both blog so that definitely helps us keep up with each others families, too). Joy and I met on the club triathlon team at CU Boulder, so we spent many hours swimming, biking, and running together during college in addition to living together for two years. Although Joy is in MUCH better shape than I am right now, we made it a point to run together a couple of times over the weekend and all four kids came along on one of the runs. I'll admit that I can't run with the triple stroller uphill for more than a couple of minutes, but Joy is super strong and didn't have any trouble despite the altitude. I am very impressed that she continues to train for marathons and other races while holding a full-time job as an elementary school principle, and while being a great mom to two wonderful boys. I was glad that she brought her younger son with her to ABQ as it was fun to get to know him outside of blog posts.

Faith, Jack, and Alexis looking at the zoo exhibits with Miles. It was interesting to see how they interacted with Miles as it made them seem so much more grown up.

Joy pulling a wagon full of kids to the park while I pushed Jack in the stroller

Alexis and Faith with Miles

Micah put our kids to bed one night so Joy and I could go out to dinner (Miles joined us but he was on his best behavior)

Happy Valentine's Day! Joy brought the t-shirts for the boys and the sunglasses.

Faith and Miles by a huge stingray at the ABQ aquarium

Joy is not afraid of a challenge, so we decided to try going out to breakfast with all four kids, and everyone did great

When we realized that we would have so many days of house guests I was worried about everyone staying healthy, but thankfully we have had a month of great health at our house which meant we had a lot of fun with everyone in town. Now that the visits are over, our days are slightly less exciting, but my parents will be here in a couple of weeks and I'm sure the time will fly until then.

The Big 2-0

Alexis, Jack, and Faith are 20 months old today, which means their second birthday is approaching quickly! Although we have been noticing more and more that they are more similar to kids than babies in how they act, this has become even more evident in the last month as they are giving us a run for our money. Fortunately, they are also a lot of fun right now, but I'm already becoming tired of wrestling with Faith every time I want to put her in the car seat, checking Jack's hands and coat pockets for rocks before letting him come inside, and having Alexis shake her head "no" to every question I ask. When I think about it, we should take a step back and appreciate the fact that they are all healthy and able to assert their toddler independence, but in the moment some of the things they do during the day can feel very frustrating.

Our toddlers running down the trail after a hike (they rode in packs). A, J, F

We love to run!

It seems like they are learning new things every single day, and the differences in their personalities are becoming more apparent. Here are some of the things that each kid enjoys doing:

Alexis: She readily imitates words (or at least the correct number of syllables), she gets the most messy when she feeds herself, she eats dirt every few days when we're playing outside, she always unbuckles the velcro on her shoes, and she loves to pick up the stones in our backyard and dump them onto the patio by the slider door

Mmmm, dirt

Dumping rocks on the patio

Big girl Lexi at the table

Jack: He loves to imitate things he sees (if you bonk your head on something, he will do the same and laugh), he loves to give hugs to his sisters and us, he has a great laugh, and he is super proud when he tries to imitate words.

Playing outside with a great profile shadow

Sitting at the table

Jack loves the cat, but this is the closest she'll let him get since she felt safe with the pane of glass there

Faith: She "talks" all of the time (but most of it is nonsense words that she makes up as she goes), she scrunches up her nose to be cute, she is the most brave when it comes to interacting with strangers, and when she "blows kisses" she keeps going for a full minute (instead of just doing it once or twice).

Faith hanging out in the backyard

Feeding her water to the doggie

All: Every time they finish a meal or snack they must buckle the seat belts on their booster seats before they start playing, they love to be tickled and to try to tickle each other, they are insistent on saying goodnight to our cat before they go to bed at night, they enjoy turning on the humidifier and space heaters in their rooms, and they constantly imitate things we do.

Faith "dusting"

My cleaning crew 

Buckling their seat belts

20 Month Statistics

WEIGHTS: Alexis is about 21 lbs. 12 oz, Jack is about 20 lbs 3 z, and Faith is about 21 lbs 3 oz.

HEIGHT: Alexis and Faith are both about 32 inches, and Jack is about 31 inches.

CLOTHES: All three are in 18 month clothes now.

TEETH: Alexis has 9, Jack has 12, Faith has 11.

NEW WORDS: There are so many new words and they don't all say the same words, but recently everyone started saying "two" when I count. This took me by surprise, but I guess they are starting to learn patterns. All three say at least 15-20 words on their own, but they will imitate most words when we ask them to try.

MILESTONES: The bedtime bottle is officially gone! A few days ago we decided to try giving them a snack and a cup of milk before bed as they had been sleeping great at night, so the timing felt right. They did great! Now we just have to get rid of the morning bottle, but I think that will be possible in the next couple of weeks. This truly makes them seem less like babies!

Lexi and Jack in the backyard

Jack and Faith in the backyard

Happy kids (now that I found two more poppers from thrift stores and they no longer have to fight over one)

First time playing in snow in NM

The pile of snow gear after playing outside. It was a ton of work for me to get them out there alone, but totally worth it.

One of their favorite activities: FaceTime with Grandma and Grandpa

Swinging in the baby swings. We still fit two per swing!

Feeding themselves yogurt

Lexi and Faith decided the box made a great seat

Swinging at the park with Grammy

Lexi at the park

Bedtime stories

Mommy brought home new bibs and a tent from IKEA!

One disadvantage to growing kids is having to baby proof all of the drawers

Uh oh...they might figure out how to climb onto the ledge soon and then we'll have to baby proof more of the house

The girls looking at the condor at the zoo