WEEKEND

It has been a sleep deprived weekend. Marek ran a fever for a few days, had vomiting, cough, and screaming so we finally broke down and Aaron took him to Cooks Childrens. Poor thing has a ear infection and is now on antibiotics. Hopefully he feels better soon. I think he also has a sore throat since now he is really horse when he makes any sounds. It breaks my heart to see him hurting. Of course they told us to keep the kiddos separated; which is impossible to do since they use all the same stuff. Landon is now running a mild fever. Dear Lord! Please dont let this drag out forever!
On a lighter note, I have purchased the triplets stockings and I'm wanting to get them embroidered with their name on them. They are bright colors with a snowman on them. We are not planning on decorating the house this year due to the time factor and the kids age, but I may talk Aaron into at least putting up the tree. I know the kids would love looking at the lights. We also have to get their christmas pictures made asap. I have already bought the boys outfits, now I just need to find Adalynn the perfect dress to match...oh and of course a bow! :)

PICTURE PERFECT

SICK BABY

We finally have our first sick baby. Poor Marek is running a fever that started yesterday and is still carrying over to today. We hate seeing our sweet Marek unhappy. Little guy has been crying and just looking utterly pitiful. Hopefully he will get better today with Memaws loving care.

THANKFUL

We are thankful for our babies, family, home, and jobs. We are healthy, happy, and financially stable. In this economy, there is nothing more precious. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! May your day be filled with family, fun, and great food!

In the NICU

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Since I probably will not get a chance on Thursday to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving, I am doing so now. The triplets will get to spend most of the day with their Memaw and Pepaw and get to meet my fathers parents. Hopefully they are well behaved. I still have to find something cute for them to wear! They must look super cute when making their debut to family. lol. Plus they dont get out much!

LANDON

Well Landon finally slept through the night last night! Unfortunately it wasnt in his bed....he slept all night in the baby swing. Bad parenting I know, but sometimes Aaron has trouble getting the babies to sleep and when they fall asleep in the swing we dont have the heart to get them out. He actually woke up happy too. Normally he is crying when he wakes; today he was bright eyed and talking to himself and watching cartoons.

THEN AND NOW

Adalynn: Such a sweet girl. Sometimes known as Addy, Princess, Pretty Girl, and Diva. Every day I think she gets prettier and prettier. She has the biggest grin and likes to flash it when you are talking to her, and while watching Micky Mouse Clubhouse. Of the three she has the longest hair on top, but thats not saying much. Bald babies! Adalynn also likes to talk and is the best sleeper of the bunch.
Landon: Such a handsome boy. Sometimes known as Landino, Stinky, Cry Baby, Pretty Boy, and Melon Head. He is the worst sleeper and likes to vomit on you if you are not careful. He has the brightest eyes and the longest eyelashes making him we think a baby model look alike. He also crys the most but smiles frenquently too.
Marek: Such a great baby. Also know as Big Boy and Mommys Favorite. lol. He is the happiest, sweetest baby. We frequently find him talking and giggling to himself and flashing smiles constantly. He is a very social baby and loves the ladies already. He is also the most advanced physically holding his head upand is the most well behaved of the three.


In honor of the triplets turning six months, here are a few videos from when they were only a few weeks old in the NICU.

6 MONTHS OLD

Our sweet babies are six months old today! Half the year is gone. Its hard to imagine since they are still so small. I however feel like they have been home FOREVER! lol Years maybe. Most likely this stems from my lack of sleep and energy. Once we get back to normal sleeping hours maybe I wont feel so run down. I did enjoy a fun night out with the BFF to the Stars hockey game friday night.
The babies go for their six month checkup soon. Top question on my list is can the babies start eating cereal. Please say yes! Its what we are betting on to get Landon to sleep through the night. Our thought process is that a more full belly= longer sleeping time.
We are rapidly approaching the babies first ever Thanksgiving. They will be spending most the day with their Memaw and Pepaw (my parents) and they will get to meet some second cousins and my granny and pawpaw. Aaron and I will be attending our first ever Thanksgiving Day Cowboys football game. We are very excited since we will be at the 50 yd line in a sweet curtesy of Aarons work!

LOSING SANITY

I about lost my sanity yesterday. Landon and Adalynn cried for hours for no apparent reason. Landon would stop when held, but every time I sat him down the screaming would start again. And not just normal baby crys; ear piercing screams as if he was being tortured. It reminded me of a two year olds tantrums where they throw themselves to the ground thrashing about. That was Landon. Adalynn I think was even worse. She continued to cry even after I held her. Nothing made her happy. DIVA! This went on for hours and of course a headache ensued. Well I wasnt about to make dinner after that horrendous day. Chick fil A came to the rescue. Praise the Lord that I am at work today!

OUR DAYCARE CENTER

We use about 20 bottles a day. We use about 22 diapers a day. And our living room has turned into what looks like a daycare center. We have three swings, three bumbos, three bouncers, a play gym, and three boppys oh my....all in a very small space. Crazy enough they all get used. The remainder is still in the garage. That includes a crazy amount of toys, high chairs, saucers, play kitchen, etc. Thanks to all our friends and family that donated everything. Aaron complains about all the "crap" taking up space, but since I'm in charge of our bills and budget, I know how priceless this all is. We have saved so much money.

I knew while pregnant that I would not be washing all those bottles (can we say no free time) so we registered for disposable bottle dropins. All we wash are the nipples- I would recommend this to anyone. Yes it is more expensive, but totally worth it. Thankfully we use our gift cards to cover that and the diaper genie refills. We still have a closet full of diapers that we slowly bought while pregnant and from the shower and diaper party we had. We are actually about to upgrade diaper sizes again. Currently we are using size 1 but with only two "1-2" size cases left and the babies are getting so big we are about to change to size 2!.

NEW PICS

THE HEATHENS

The heathens....aka....our dogs. Carson is my hubbys pride and joy and the bain of my existance. He is almost 3. Molly is a sweet 9 year old yorkie who still occasionally has accidents in the house. During these rare momments, I totally wish I had stuck to fish. I complain so often about Carson annoying me that I finally told Aaron that we have to get rid of him. He about cried- couldnt sleep all night. Dear Lord! Guess we have to keep him, or I'll look like a monster. Pray for my sanity. Please give me patience. I love animals and I love dogs, but with almost 6 month old triplets I really dont have the time for them. Carson is always under my feet. At least they are both sweet to the babies.

ROCK AND ROLL

Our babies are finally all hitting the rolling milestone. Yea babies! So far it is just rolling from back to side, we havent mastered rolling from stomach to side. But we are still very proud.

Well Aaron and I had our first night away from the babies....and we enjoyed it throughly! Partied at his company banquet until about 2 am. Fell right to sleep in the hotel, and I hoped to sleep in late, but to no avail. Awake at 9 am, so we went to breakfast with friends and family. Mom said the babies were pretty good and we definitely missed them.

Mareks gotten so good at holding his head up when he's doing tummy time; Landon not so much. They were also very good at playing together yesterday.

SHOT THRU THE HEART

Lets just say no baby enjoys getting a shot. Three babies getting shots in succession is definitely no fun since I'm not able to finish consoling the first before the second starts screaming. Marek put up the longest fuss when everyone received their RSV shots at the pulmonologist. They will be getting them once a month until March, plus most likely flu shots at their six month check-up, and if there happens to be any other needed vaccines at their six month check-up. Poor babies. I cant help but laugh at their red, angry faces. It really is funny, though I know I shouldnt. If I remember, I may try to video it the next go round.

Well the babies are starting to roll onto their sides. Caught Adalynn this morning in her crib on her side and I have seen the boys do it a few times too. Pretty soon they will be rolling around like crazy with me chasing after them. Obviously they are behind in normal baby milestones, and we are having a physical and developmental therapist come out to the house to check them, but I have been told by every doctor that this is normal due to their birth age. They will catch up eventually. I'm thinking they will probably catch up on the eating first. They all have very healthy appetites, and we will most likely be moving to the larger bottles soon.

Landon 13 lbs. 5 oz.

Marek 13 lbs. 3 oz.

Adalynn 11 lbs. 6 oz.

SLEEP

Went to bed early last night since Aaron and my mother was in town. I was actually able to sleep a full 8 hrs. I feel like a different person today. Refreshed and ready to go. The triplets have an appointment today with the pulmonologist. They are going to be getting a RSV shot in the hopes that it prevents them from actually getting RSV. This is a respiratory issue that is dangerous for babies and could result in them not being able to breath. It is most prevelant in winter months and premature babies are most suseptable. My BFFs son had it when he was an infant and he was forced to stay in the hospital and had to be on oxygen etc. So we definitely dont want any of our babies getting it. The shots are extremely expensive, but insurance should cover it. I cant imagine paying $1,500 per shot, per baby, for the next 5 months. So as you have guessed, we will be taking them every month for the next 5 months. Poor babies! Cross your fingers that they dont cry for too long.

PICS BY MEMAW

AUTUMN

Its autumn! The best time of the year. The hot coffee flows, the warm clothes, and the yummy comfort food. Bring on the soup, bring on the chili, my husband and I love this time of year best! This year has already gone by so fast. Its crazy to imagine that in only two short weeks our babies will be six months old. They are all three still so tiny yet getting so big everyday.

Could not resist uploading this beautiful picture of Landon.

WORK

well I'm working this weekend like I always do. I work two twelve hour shifts on Saturday and Sunday and have off the remainder of the week to take care of the kiddos. Im pretty lucky that my profession allows me to do that. The alternative is daycare, and there is no way we could have afforded to put three infants in daycare. Most days its nice to be at home, but moms know its as hard as your career. I actually look forward to going to work now. It's a nice break from the everyday and allows me to get out of the house and have adult conversations. I have really great friends at work----so thank you friends, plus I'm busy so the day goes by fast. My mom (Memaw) is a lot of help watching the babies when my husband and I cannot. Once they start sleeping through the night I will venture out of the house more with my girlfriends. :)

NOVEMBER 5TH

Today was bath day. They seem to like it a lot better than they used to. Screaming used to ensue throughout the entire bath experience, and now they save the crying for the lotion lathering part. Adalynn has even noticed me in the mirror while she is getting her bath.
I also pulled out the soft baby books today. They havent shown any interest yet in holding or reaching for things so hopefully the books will get their curiosity going. A physical therapist is going to visit soon to check their physical and social development and how far behind they are due to their prematurity.
It was a good day.

OUR ROUTINE

The babies are in charge, and I think they know it. My morning starts usually somewhere between 5:30 am and 7:30 am. Most days it is closer to the 5:30 slot. One of the boys are usually up ready to eat breakfast and Adalynn will follow closer to 7. After breakfast they play on their floor activity gym or swing. Getting dressed is the next step in our day. I look forward to this everyday. So many clothes were given to us, it seems that they will never get around to wearing everything; however, I try to dress them as cute as possible for my own personal satisfaction. Since they rarely leave the house, it would be a waste to save the cute clothes for those moments only. Plus if they soil an outfit its great because I get to change them again. The laundry however is not fun!
A few naps a day is necessary for the babies and then before u know it they are hungry again. They probably eat anywhere between 6 -8 times a day. Their diaper is changed before eating and also if they poop in between feedings. So you do the math on diaper changes a day. Trust me its a lot!
Now that they are cooing and smiling more, it makes the day more enjoyable and less like work. I take tons of pictures of them throughout the day of course and videos with my cell phone too. At least twice a week they get a bath and occasionally 3 times if Memaw happens to be around to help.
Before you know it the day is over and Daddy is home. I slip into bed as quickly as I can and Aaron starts his baby watching shift. We switch in the middle of the night and the day starts all over again.

LETS BEGIN

Well the three amigos are starting to sleep better at night, so I finally have to energy to restart their blog. Some of you may have read the Cooks Children Caring Bridge blog that the triplets had when they were in the NICU for the first two months of their life. I'll try to continue from there.
The babies are over 5 months old now and seem to be doing really well. They are all smiling now and giggling more everyday. They eat every three to four hours during the day, but we are currently working on sleeping through the night. Most nights Adalynn and Marek have been able to sleep through the night, but Landon is lagging behind. Get with the program Landon! We need to start cereal asap in the hopes that it will allow Landon to sleep longer.
The boys are already over 12 lbs, and Adalynn is trying her best to catch up, but she is definitley the runt of the group. They are all so pretty and thats not just a mothers love talking. When we took them to the Picture People for their Halloween photo shoot the staff had them dress as accorns and liked the photos so well that they asked me to sign a photo release. Next chance I get I'm going to go back to the mall to see if their photo is hanging in their lobby.
We are definitley so blessed.