In December 2012 Micah and I were told that we would be receiving three of the most valuable gifts we would ever receive: Alexis, Jack, and Faith. After struggling with infertility, we hit the jackpot with triplets, but we also received three times the burden of protecting these valuable gifts.
I did as much research as I could about triplet pregnancies to make sure that I was doing the best that I could. I went to the doctor every two weeks, and sometimes more, to check on the babies' growth and to make sure I was healthy. I rested and ate to grow the babies, even though I had previously been a runner and a climber and all I really wanted to do was resume my normal activities. The pregnancy was trying, but I knew it would be worth it in the end.
When Alexis, Jack, and Faith were born prematurely at 31 weeks and 2 days they were tiny and fragile. We had so much to learn about preemies as they are nothing like full-term babies. We spent two agonizing months visiting the NICU to hold and care for our three babes. It was truly the hardest time of our lives as all we could do was wait while doctors and nurses cared for our three precious gifts. Although we knew we were protecting them by giving them the best care in the NICU, in reality it was completely out of our control.
When Alexis, Jack, and Faith finally made it home, I could hardly sleep. Of course there was the sleep deprivation from feeding and caring for three babies 24 hours a day, but mostly I was terrified. What if one of them stopped breathing? How would we even know? In the NICU they were on monitors and although I hated the monitors and their alarms, they were reassuring. How can I protect my three most valuable gifts if I'm asleep?!
Somehow we made it through those first few weeks of being terrified (although I don't think the fear that your child will suddenly stop breathing ever goes away completely), but there were new things to figure out. Car seats are tricky, much trickier than most people realize. I did a lot of research on how to properly install car seats and how to properly buckle a child (which is definitely not as obvious as one would think as most people do it wrong. Sorry, but it's true!). Properly installing and buckling car seats is one way we can protect our most valuable gifts.
Baby proofing was also a way to protect our most valuable gifts. Most of the time our babes were confined to a completely safe gated off area of our house. We had to do what we could to keep our three most valuable gifts safe because they were on the move and we were outnumbered.
Our strollers and our wagon were critical to keep our three most valuable gifts safe. Once they could walk they still didn't follow directions or understand safety, so the best way to protect them was to strap them in. If they balked, too bad. My number one job is to keep my three most valuable gifts safe.
For awhile I felt like my main duty as a mother was to keep my kids alive as they truly didn't understand that they could not walk into a street or walk off a cliff. Thankfully we are past this stage and there is some understanding and reasoning, but we are not completely there and I'm sure we will continue to teach them pieces of this into their teen years when they start driving. Water safety is a top priority right now as our kids have not been exposed to it much. We plan to do swim lessons this summer, but for now they don't understand much about keeping themselves safe in and around water.
Sometimes I feel like I'm being judged for being protective, and maybe I am a helicopter parent at times. But most of my waking hours are spent caring for and protecting the three most valuable gifts I will ever receive, and I take my job very seriously. I love Alexis, Jack, and Faith more deeply than I'll ever understand, and the last thing I want to see is them get hurt.
When you see me, or someone else you know, being protective of their children and asking you to do something in a certain way when caring for their children, please respect their request. After all, wouldn't you want someone to do everything in their power to protect your most valuable and precious gifts?
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