What an exciting week!!!!

So who knew that being one was SO much fun!!! The kids have had a very exciting first week of the second year of life.
On Sunday after the birthday party we just had a relaxing day playing with the kids.
On Monday we had our one year check up at the pediatrician. They all did great! They got four shots total. Our pediatrician is no longer correcting them for where they are on the curve for height, weight and head measurements. Normally, preemies are corrected for age until they are two (this means that they go by the corrected age, which is the age they would be had they been born on their due date). So this is excellent to hear. So they all are very close in measurements - 10th percentile for head and weight and 75th & 80th percentile for height (yes, we will have some tall kids). Alexander weighed in at 19#6oz. Quite a difference from a year ago when he was a whole 3#5oz! He is the tallest at 30 3/4". Elizabeth our little petite girl weighed in at 17#6oz (she was 2#15oz a year ago). She is the shortest at 30". And our little Zachary is not so little anymore. A year ago he entered this world at a tiny 2#10oz, he is currently the heaviest at 19#10oz! He is 30 1/2" tall. Wow what a difference a year can make! The pediatrician also told us that the kids should be eating our food and that they should be switched to whole milk. Yippy no more baby food and formula...the light at the end of this first tunnel!!! So Monday night we let the kids feed themselves. Since then I have not had to feed them. They LOVE being able to feed themselves. Yes it is more messy and takes more time but it is a big milestone.
Tuesday and Wednesday were pretty 'normal' for us.
Thursday we had a play date with my niece Alexis. Her mommy and daddy were soaking in the sun in Jamaica. So grandma had her all week long. This morning I was hanging up some clothes while the kids were eating. After they were done and I was cleaning up Zachary found the hangers and all three proceeded to play. Who needs toys?!?!?!
Friday I was preparing for a baby shower I was throwing on Saturday. So again nothing too exciting.
Saturday we had the party. Grandma took care of all the kids while us ladies discussed babies, pregnancy, etc. The kids again did great. They are starting to like all these gatherings. Next weekend is another birthday party, this time for Alexis.
Sunday was the BIG day. We had finished the open formula we had so it was time to switch to all whole milk. The doctor recommended that milk only goes in a sippy cup, no bottle. So this means we had to quit bottles cold turkey! Zachary and Elizabeth did great with the transition. Alex had a little trouble but by the 3rd feeding he was drinking using a sippy cup. All in all, it went ok, a little rough in the beginning but done in one day. Zachary also decided this day would be the day he walks. He has been taking about 2-3 steps and then falls, but he walked about 5 feet today. He did great! My aunt Deb then stopped by and we all sat in the kitchen and played (it has been a long time since she last saw the kids). Recently we have been letting the kids explore the rest of the first floor, so they were just having a grand time sliding around and playing with the balloons from their party. After the kids ate supper, they were exploring and playing and found the tupperware drawer and cabinet. So they played with tupperware for the first time. One more thing, Zachary, who is a do-er not much for talking, has become a talker too.
What an exciting week for everyone! They are acting more like toddlers than infants...who knew that would happen so quick!
I was going to put pictures with this post but blogger is having issues, so I will put pics on later.
Love, Jen

Happy 1st Birthday Party

So we threw our first birthday party for the triplet's birthday. The party was on the smaller size but was still a house full. I decided to do a themed party, so I went with Baby Einstein. We had decorations, balloons and a cake. We had plenty of food and cake. The kids did GREAT! Unfortunately the party was during their nap time, so we were not sure what type of attitudes we would have. Thankfully they were fine. We ate first, then opened presents and finally enjoyed some cake. We have many, many pictures (I know...shocking...right?). We all had such a good time and thank everyone for making their BIG day a success. So here are the pictures...enjoy!

For the triplets BIG day I made onesies that say 'I turn one today!' Prior to opening presents we took a quick family pictures. What a wonderful day!!!

On Friday, the 15th, we got a delivery from the local florist. My very good friend Heather and her family had sent the triplets some very colorful balloons for their birthday. They love them! Heather was the last visitor I had while I was pregnant. She had brought me Culver's to eat and sat with me chatting while I started going into labor that would end up putting me in labor and delivery and ultimately an emergency c-section. After we delivered the triplets, I called my sister and then called Heather.....yes in the middle of the night....that is what friends are for!!!
As some of you may know, I was going to tackle making a 3D cake for the party. My inspiration was Frank, the Baby Einstein catapillar. So after two practice cakes I knew how I was going to do it. I think it turned out ok.....what do you think?

In this picture Frank is in the front and the cake is in the back on the stove.
The finished product....
I had order themed decorations from the internet, simple and tasteful. Not a whole lot, but enough to have a nice effect.

We were able to get pictures of 4 out of 6 godparents: 1st Jackie & Zach, 2nd Jeanne & Liz, 2rd Marcus & Liz, and 4th Jean and Alex.

Here are some candid shots from the party.

Steve (Grover), who is Alex's godfather, and Sarah on the floor playing with the kids.
Renee and Brianna having fun with Zach.
Fred, who is Zach's godparent, Noel and Owen looking over the play area...thinking about jumping in.
Auntie Jean with cousin Alexis having a snack.

Liz and Sarah bonding.
Alex playing while the adults eat.
Zach playing and checking what everyone is eating.
Alexis, who turns one on March 1st got 'wrapped' up in the wrapping paper.
After everyone got some lunch to eat we decided to open presents. With the help of Nana and Grandma we managed to open all the presents including their first outdoor toy...a castle. The kids did get to rest a bit while we opened present, no one fell alseep but they were more on the quiet side.

We put the plastic bibs on and felt hats and we were ready to eat some cake. We gave them each a cupcake with #1 candle. Each of them took the candle off first and cleaned the frosting off, then it was time for the cupcake. Even though they were tired, they did a good job eating cake for the first time. Alex was very careful and 'clean' with his cake. Liz and Zach really ejoyed getting it everywhere. They all liked the cake and were relatively clean.



Alexander ready to eat cake!!!

Elizabeth ready to eat cake!!!

Zachary ready to eat cake!!

I hope you have enjoyed the pictures.

Love, Jen

Happy Birthday Alexander, Elizabeth and Zachary!!!

OMG!!! Can you believe they are one?!?!?!? What an amazing first year of life! I don't even know where to start.....I guess their birth. What an awful feeling to have when your children enter this world 10 weeks early, you feel like you have failed them, but you hope they have the fight to live. Luckily our three miracles did. They fought hard! I am still bitter about not being able to hold them right away and to leave the hospital empty handed (even though it was the best place for them). Ask any mother, I would think they would agree that being able to have that intial bond is very important. The first 2 months of their lives were not conventional at all. Thank goodness we had an uneventful NICU stay and the great nurses that care for them. Two things that helped having our babies an hour away from us. After they were all home, it has been one adventure after another. Some days more hectic than others, but every day is worth it. They have taught me SO much -not only about them but about myself. They completely amaze me - from watching them learn to watching them do something for the first time. This first year has been filled with so much - learning to sit up, crawl, pull up, walking assisted, hold their own bottles, babbling/talking, smile, etc. etc. They have been relatively healthy, thank goodness. I have taken thousand of pictures to remember each and every moment. We have video of them doing such cute things. If I could bottle this past year up I would.
Even though this event is emotional for me, it is the biggest milestone so far. I know we cannot keep them small forever as them growing up is development, which is so important. Since they have entered our lives, things have not been 'normal' and, honestly, we would not want them to be normal. Our lives pre-triplets is quite a blur. We cannot imagine life without them. I will speak for both of us and say we are honored to be their parents.
Happy 1st Birthday to our miracles! We love you more than words can say. Thank you for making our lives complete.
Love,
Jen

A light at the end of the tunnel....

I just wanted to put an update on how the kids are doing. The end of the week was a lot better then the beginning. On Tuesday I fell ill. I came down with flu-like symptoms VERY quickly. At 11am I was fine, by Noon my tummy was flipping, then at 3 I had to call for help to care for the kids...thankfully my mom and dad were both able to come over. I ached incredibily bad as well as had a fever that gave me the chills and the sweats (changed from time to time). I became so lethargic I could barely keep my eyes open. The kids felt like they weighed 100 pounds. Within an hour of my parents being here Liz started projectile vomiting and Zach had explosive diarrhea - don't think my parents signed up for that. :) Liz was unable to keep anything down for the rest of the night. By Wednesday both we doing better as was I. Jeremy stayed home to help me out and we also had a snowstorm that dropped 17 inches of snow on us, so the roads were awful! Wednesday night the kids slept thru until Alex woke at 5:24am. I felt like I have gotten a great night's rest. Thursday we found out my dad was feeling poorly, just like I had. :( Thursday night Liz and I slept in the recliner as we thought she was having troubles with her ears, she was just screaming bloody murder. So back to the doctor we went on Friday....apparently her ears are just fine, so we think Liz was just being a diva. Alex had diarrhea and went through 2 outfits. So this morning (Saturday) Jeremy woke up sick and has been in bed all day. The kids are doing well, so we are seeing a light at the end of the tunnel...finally! I will be working this week to disinfect the house to make it 'safe' for the kids' party on Saturday. We are VERY thankful that we all got the flu shot; we feel that had we not had them the kids would have been much worse and I would not bounced back as quick as I did. We now have to work on getting the kids back on schedule and a little less spoiled (they were very clingy and were held & rocked to sleep many times). Breaking them of some of those habits is going to be tough.
We are looking forward to their birthday a week from today. I can't wait to watch them with the cakes....check back for pictures.
Love, Jen

sick kid x 3 + lack of sleep = no fun

As of last week Wednesday they kids have been sick. Thought it was just a regular cold but it has turned into much more - horrible cough, runny nose, congestion, very irritable, etc. They were looking pretty awful on Friday, so I decided to take them in to see the pediatrician. Thanks to my mom for helping me get them there. Thankfully it is not RSV. The doctor did hear some crackling in Zachary's lungs so he was put on steroids to help him breath. At that point Elizabeth and Alexander's lungs were fine. We were told that if their cough got any worse or they started breathing fast and shallow, they would need to be put on steroids as well. By Saturday afternoon all three were on steroids.
Needless to say, we are exhausted!!! Wednesday and Thursday I slept in the recliner with Zach and Liz. They spent most of the time taking turns crying because of their cough or because they could not breath. Friday night Jeremy slept in the recliner with Alex and Zach. With the same taking turns crying. Saturday morning I had to work so Jeremy was on his own. When I got home I heard about the lack of sleep the kids were getting.
Part of the schedule went like this:
9:10 put Alex upstairs for a nap
9:20 put Liz upstairs for a nap
9:30 put Zach upstairs for a nap
9:45 Alex is awake
10:15 Alex is sleeping again but downstairs in the recliner with dad
After I got home, there was a lot of holding and rocking. It is really a two person job, better to even have three people, but we made due. Sunday we had my mom come over to help. She was here all day holding sick babies and helping with some chores that needed to be done. We cannot thank her enough. So today I am on my own again. We have had our ups and downs but we are surviving.
Recently we gave all but one corner of the living room to the kids, so today I made "Camp Feel Better" for them. Knowing I was not going to be able to cuddle with all three of them I took a comforter, folded it in half, covered it will a fleece sheet and made little sleeping areas for each of them. I took some pictures to show you how we are enjoying our day. As you can see I do have a helper, Baylee.
So I will close this for now or it will never get posted.
Love, Jen
The trio taking a early morning nap

We have a little energy now, so we are playing.

Got Liz and Alex to sleep, Baylee is keeping Zach's spot warm.