Ignorance is Bliss

Where do I begin!?  I don't even know how to explain in words how crazy and different our life is from a year ago!  To put it plainly...life is nuts!  And I don't mean peanuts...it's like a jar of mixed nuts...you never know what you're going to get - or is that about a box of chocolates?  Either way, life is crazy and out of control at times, but we're getting the hang of it, slowly but surely.  We definitely have those days where we think things are easy, compared to what they could be...but we also have those days where we feel like we've been hit by a train and we don't know how we're going to make it through.  Sometimes we just sit there and imagine what our world would be like if we had just one baby, or even two, how much easier and different our lives would be...we could do it blindfolded!  Of course I'm kidding...I know having one baby, or two for that matter, requires tons of attention, energy and sleeplessness (which we have been lucky to somewhat divvy up with all of the help we've had which we wouldn't have had if our circumstances were different).  I guess what I'm trying to say, is I know my life would probably be harder with just one baby than it is now, considering the outpouring of help that we've received from our families as well as from some helpful nurses.  They've honestly given us the gift of sanity because with out them, sleep and food would be nearly non-existant around here considering the amount of time it still takes to feed, burp and change three babies, not to mention they are starting to stay awake a lot more during the day which requires tons of attention...imagine trying to get any kind of nap in when there's three babies!  It's amazing how much such a small little baby can zap the energy right out of you!

As for the babies, all three are doing wonderfully!  They are all around 12 pounds which is crazy to think about since they were only 3ish pounds when they were born.  Whenever we take them to the doctor, they give us a measurement based on their birthday as well as on their due date.  So for example, when we went in for their 4 month check up last week, they give us a percentile measurement for a normal 4 month old, as well as for a normal 2 month old since the were really supposed to be born in August.  When the measure them based on a 4 month old baby, they are only in the 6th percentile or so, but when they measure them for a 2 month old baby (aka their adjusted age), they are in the 40-50th percentile still which is what we want.  Other than that, here's some information about the babies and us:

Ava

• Started off as the biggest, now she's the smallest
• She does have the biggest head though...90th percentile!
• Smiles like crazy but stops when I get the camera out...she just stares at the camera perplexed.
• Loudest baby and most impatient baby by far!
• She still has her hemangioma on her lip, but it's totally a part of her and she wouldn't be the same without it!  It's her little beauty mark:)
• We dotingly call her peanut, little one (she handed over her title of "the big one" when Bryce and Emma recently passed her up), and punkin
• She is cooing and "talking" all the time too!
• She can hold her head up but it's the least sturdy...probably because it's so big!
• She rolls over from her stomach to back not consistently but she can do it!
• She kicks her legs around like she's running a marathon while sitting in her bouncy seat!

Emma

• Started off as the smallest, now in 2nd place.  She was in first, but Bryce recently passed her up!
• Highest pitch voice...she'll be a soprano for sure!
• Smiles a lot and love to just lay in her bed quietly and kick around!
• We make fun of her hair...it looks like she has a Marine haircut because it's just growing in dark on top!
• Still has her hemangioma on her leg although it seems to be going away
• In the 80th percentile for length!
• We call her peanut and punkin too!
• She coos, talks and squeals all the time!
• She can hold her head up no problem and can roll over from her stomach to back!
• She kicks her legs around just like Ava does in their bouncy seats!

Bryce

• Definitely the biggest and sturdiest...he's dense if you ask me!
• Deep raspy voice...he's all boy!
• Smiles all the time and is such a flirt!
• He looks like Charlie Brown...he looks bald and his head is super round!
• He likes to stand up on your legs and "march" and make noises.
• We call him Bryce-a-roni, little man, mister, buster, and charlie brown (ha)!
• He coos and talks to us all the time and kicks around like crazy!
• He will roll over too when he gets mad enough.

Brian

• As the father of triplets, you have no choice but to be super involved in every aspect of taking care of babies...from feeding, to changing, to bathing, because unless there's three people, we're outnumbered and let me tell you, he's really jumped in head first to this whole baby thing and does a great job!  The babies just adore him and smile and coo when he hold them:)
• He's become a great errand-runner on his way home from work...anything from Babies R Us trips to grocery stores.

Me

• I feel good, and although we have some nurses that help us a few times a week at night, I am still sleepy.  I get to sleep about 6-7 solid hours when they are here which is my sanity saver.
• I am still pumping like a champ...I have a love/hate relationship with my "breast friend," aka my pump.  I know it's the best thing for the babies and I figure there's a reason I make so much milk, so I just keep on going.  They are still on 4 bottles of breast milk a day plus 1-2 of formula.
• I'm 8-10 pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight and can fit in some of my pre-pregnancy pants, but my body will definitely never be the same after being pregnant with triplets.

Vida

• Vida has taken on the role of big sister and is doing a great job.  It's funny because she kind of takes inventory on all the babies to make sure they are all here.  When one is out (yes I do get out with 1 baby at a time sometimes!) she had to recount them all when I get home to make sure all is right!  It's kind of funny really!

Quick Stats:

• We've already changed as many diapers as someone with one baby would have in an entire year...6 times a day per baby (18 diapers a day) multiplied by 144 (days old) is about 2,592 diapers.  We'll take off about 500 and say those were done in the hospital so about 2,000 diapers changed at home.  In a 4 month period, that means we've used at least $380 worth of diapers...and that's on the cheap estimate at $.19/diaper.
• We don't spend much on formula considering I'm still pumping, but we've figured that we would spend about $94 a week on formula and that's only if they are eating 5 times a day (they were eating 6) and if they don't eat any snacks in between...I'd say pumping is worth it (plus is burns calories!)

It's amazing how fast times flies.  We are in awe at how fast these little babies grow and change!  They are such a blessing and we know that we were chosen to be the parents of these three beautiful babies for a reason.  The memories of bed rest and NICU visits are already becoming fuzzy as it seems like that was so long ago...when in reality it wasn't.  I try to record all kinds of little milestones and memories we have of the babies but I just can't seem to keep up.  Instead, I'll settle with taking hundreds and hundreds of silly, pointless, pictures that I already treasure and wish I would have taken more of.  We are enjoying every minute of this crazy ride (sometimes it's a little bumpy though!).  I can tell you, I'm sure we wouldn't have such a wonderful and fun experience with the triplets if we had had one baby first...in this case, ignorance is definitely bliss.

Emma, Bryce, Ava

Ava, Emma

Bryce, Ava & Emma with Grandee

Me and Ava

Vida

Bryce

Emma and Ava

Ava, Bryce and Emma

Aunt Kim came to visit!  

Ava eating Bryce...he actually looks like he's ok with it too!

Ava

Emma

Papaw with Ava, Bryce and Emma

Bryce

Ava

Bryce

Emma

First Halloween

Ava

My little lion man!

Emma

Ava

Notice the "Bryce-a-roni" on the box?  My dad discretely wrote that on the box and put it back in the pantry for me to find!  He's not too happy about it!