Okay, this is the other part I wanted to add to the previous post. People have asked and/or wondered some of the following things, so I thought I would share with all of you the answers.
1. Do you have help during the day?
Nope, it is just me and the 2 dogs and 2 cats, which do not really contribute to helping but love to make more work for me. Gotta love 'em!!! :)
2. How do you do it?
To tell the truth, I am not completely sure. I do know that without the organization, schedule and routines I would probably be bald or need a rubber padded room or in the looney bin!!! If any of you have been around me and things happen out of the routine, I get a little stressed. Not only am I needing the structure but so do the kids. You can tell when something has happened that normally does not happen.
3. Do you enjoy being a mom?
Well of course. I did not fight for 6 years for nothing. Yes, even the bad moments are not so bad. When you have been faced with the possibility that you may never be a mom, you look at things A LOT differently. I tried not to complain while I was pregnant and I try not to complain about parenthood. It is a very tough job.
4. Are you getting enough sleep?
I am getting more sleep, is it enough- some mornings yes, other mornings no. It all depends on how many times they are up during the night and what kind of day we have had. The kids have been sleeping thru the night for some time. Their schedule now is bedtime is about 10pm and they wake about 8am. Sometimes they are up about 5 or 6am to get a diaper change but that is getting to be less and less. We are really blessed to have good sleepers. Somedays I wonder how I ever did it on 2 to 3 hours of broken sleep! :)
5. How big are they?
Well we have not had an official weight recently but I weighed them on the scale with me and the boys were about 14 pounds and Liz was about 12 pounds. We just went thru a size change which was a challenge, so they are currently in size 3-6 months. We have been blessed with so many donations of clothing - the kids have very nice wardrobes. Thank you to each and every person that have given clothing to the kids, all is very appreciated!!!
6. Are you going back to work?
I had my official first day back this last Saturday. I looked forward to it. Seeing other adults was very nice. I remembered most everything. There were a few things I was fuzzy on but nothing too serious, little stupid stuff. :) I am hoping to put in a Saturday here and there.
7. What thing do you dislike the most?
I absolutely could do without cutting fingernails and toenails. I worry so much about cutting them and feel awful when I get one too short. Not to mention I have 60 to cut!! :(
8. What is the thing you like best?
One on one time with each child. It does not happen as often as I would like but it is amazing to have a little conversation with them. Having them look at me like I am their world.
9. How have I changed?
Too many ways to list but I have three main hair dos - piggy tails, pony tail, or back with a scrunchy; I usually get spit on once a day and need to change; my daily things to do list is very short and even then it sometimes does not get done; I don't worry as much about my house being clean; and I don't take little things for granted; but it is all worth it!!!
10. Do you want visitors?
Yes, most definitely!!! We want to introduce the kids to everyone. It will help socialize them as well. All we ask is to let us know when you would like to stop by.
Hope you enjoyed this post I enjoyed writing it. The pictures will be the next post, I promise. :)
Jen:)
Monday, July 30, 2007
July Update
Hello everyone. Time has gotten away on us again. We have been trying to get a post put on the blog for awhile, so my mission today was to get something on here. I will be putting another post on with July pictures.
July has been another busy month:
In the beginning of July the kids went to the pool in Kewaskum for the first time with their cousin Alexis. They did ok for their first outing. We got a few weird looks when we came on the beach with the triplet stroller. Liz and Alex did not mind the water too much but Zachary was not pleased at all.
The following weekend was our anniversary and Jeremy's birthday. Jeremy took off Thursday and Friday after the 4th and Monday (his birthday), so it was nice to hang out as a family for a few days in a row.
The weekend of the 14th the boys went to grandma's house for the day while Jeremy went fishing. Liz got to stay home with me to help me scrapbook with a couple of girlfriends. Jeremy and I both enjoyed doing some things we have not done in a while.
The weekend of the 21st was our first major trip. We took the kids to Nana and Papa's for the first time and as a trial run for a trip in the beginning of August. It was interesting and stressful for all of us. The car ride was a long for them. We left after the morning feeding hoping to arrive before the next feeding. The last 20 minutes or so of the ride we listened to Alex scream. We arrived and ran in to fix bottles and unload the kids. By the time we got everyone changed and eating we had three very upset kids. Liz and Zach did pretty well with meeting a lot of new people. Unfortunately Alex did not have the best time. We spent most of Saturday trying to comfort and settle Alex - he only was comfortable being with Jeremy or I. On Sunday Great Grandma Lenzendorf came over to see the kids. The kids' cousins - Mackenzie, Morgan, and Madalyn - got to each hold a baby. We again left right after a feeding. On the way home we stopped twice but ended up with the same results - Alex and Zach screaming. We learned a lot from the trip and hope the next one will be better.
This last weekend Nana and Papa were here. They each held all three babies at once which looks easier than it is.
Next weekend will start our busy August. We have our next trip across the state for Jeremy's cousin's wedding. Grandma and Grandpa are making the trip with us as they are the babysitters for the wedding. The kids will get to meet a lot more of their family.
I was going to write one more part but it is 4pm and I have 2 dogs and 2 cats that want to be fed and 2 out of 3 kids yelling to tell me there are done taking a nap. So I am just going to get this posted before it gets really hectic. I will try posting the other part and pictures later, but I am not promising that it will get done! :)
Love, Jen
July has been another busy month:
In the beginning of July the kids went to the pool in Kewaskum for the first time with their cousin Alexis. They did ok for their first outing. We got a few weird looks when we came on the beach with the triplet stroller. Liz and Alex did not mind the water too much but Zachary was not pleased at all.
The following weekend was our anniversary and Jeremy's birthday. Jeremy took off Thursday and Friday after the 4th and Monday (his birthday), so it was nice to hang out as a family for a few days in a row.
The weekend of the 14th the boys went to grandma's house for the day while Jeremy went fishing. Liz got to stay home with me to help me scrapbook with a couple of girlfriends. Jeremy and I both enjoyed doing some things we have not done in a while.
The weekend of the 21st was our first major trip. We took the kids to Nana and Papa's for the first time and as a trial run for a trip in the beginning of August. It was interesting and stressful for all of us. The car ride was a long for them. We left after the morning feeding hoping to arrive before the next feeding. The last 20 minutes or so of the ride we listened to Alex scream. We arrived and ran in to fix bottles and unload the kids. By the time we got everyone changed and eating we had three very upset kids. Liz and Zach did pretty well with meeting a lot of new people. Unfortunately Alex did not have the best time. We spent most of Saturday trying to comfort and settle Alex - he only was comfortable being with Jeremy or I. On Sunday Great Grandma Lenzendorf came over to see the kids. The kids' cousins - Mackenzie, Morgan, and Madalyn - got to each hold a baby. We again left right after a feeding. On the way home we stopped twice but ended up with the same results - Alex and Zach screaming. We learned a lot from the trip and hope the next one will be better.
This last weekend Nana and Papa were here. They each held all three babies at once which looks easier than it is.
Next weekend will start our busy August. We have our next trip across the state for Jeremy's cousin's wedding. Grandma and Grandpa are making the trip with us as they are the babysitters for the wedding. The kids will get to meet a lot more of their family.
I was going to write one more part but it is 4pm and I have 2 dogs and 2 cats that want to be fed and 2 out of 3 kids yelling to tell me there are done taking a nap. So I am just going to get this posted before it gets really hectic. I will try posting the other part and pictures later, but I am not promising that it will get done! :)
Love, Jen
Friday, July 6, 2007
June pictures
Hello all. Sorry it's been so long since we've posted new pictures. We had a busy June - baptism, wedding, and trip to the NICU. These are all pictures from the month of June. We had issues with our digital camera at their baptism on Father's Day or we would have pictures from that also.
The kids are doing great. Today we finally got confirmation that Zach is good to stay off his heart rate/apnea monitor! Their weights as of 6/20 were 11.3 pounds for Alex, 10 pounds for Liz, and 10.9 pounds for Zach. They're gaining well, so probably have put on a pound or two since then.
Love,
Jeremy and Jen
Nurse Judy with Alex:
Nurse Joanne and Liz:
Ready to eat:
Grandpa Geno and Alex:
Jen feeding everyone:
Liz's first dress:
Samantha and Zach:
Grandma and Zach:
Aunt Jackie and Liz:
Triplet meeting #1:
Triplet meeting #2:
Hello, can you hear me?
Nana and Alex:
Great Grandma Dorothy feeding Liz:
Cousin Mackenzie holding Liz:
Hanging out:
Sleeping:
The boys:
Alex:
Liz:
Zach:
Zach with his puppy:
The kids are doing great. Today we finally got confirmation that Zach is good to stay off his heart rate/apnea monitor! Their weights as of 6/20 were 11.3 pounds for Alex, 10 pounds for Liz, and 10.9 pounds for Zach. They're gaining well, so probably have put on a pound or two since then.
Love,
Jeremy and Jen
Nurse Judy with Alex:
Nurse Joanne and Liz:
Ready to eat:
Grandpa Geno and Alex:
Jen feeding everyone:
Liz's first dress:
Samantha and Zach:
Grandma and Zach:
Aunt Jackie and Liz:
Triplet meeting #1:
Triplet meeting #2:
Hello, can you hear me?
Nana and Alex:
Great Grandma Dorothy feeding Liz:
Cousin Mackenzie holding Liz:
Hanging out:
Sleeping:
The boys:
Alex:
Liz:
Zach:
Zach with his puppy:
Friday, June 1, 2007
LOTS of pictures!!!!
Here are some pictures taken at various different times during May. Everyone is doing well. Weigh in this week went as such: Alex 9#8oz.; Liz 8#1oz.; Zach 8#3oz. All three are now sleeping longer at night. Going to visit the NICU tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing our nurses. I am having fun rummaging when I get the chance. Things are going a lot better then they were a few weeks ago. It is amazing what sleep can do for a person. It is even more amazing the bodies ability to get you thru the day with no sleep. Hope everyone is doing well.
Love, Jen
The trips and their cousin, Alexis:
Baylee keeping track of all the babies, good Mother Hen:
The kids first outdoor experience:
The Z-man (Zachary) showing how big he is:
The trips hanging out in the playpen (Zach, ALex, Liz):
Tired daddy with his boys:
Our first walk - it was only around our driveway, but still a walk:
The trips checking each other out:
Zach with a full tummy with his favorite bib on:
The trips with full tummies and ready for their reading time:
Well that is all for now. Hope you enjoyed them. Stay tuned for more!!!
Love, Jen
The trips and their cousin, Alexis:
Baylee keeping track of all the babies, good Mother Hen:
The kids first outdoor experience:
The Z-man (Zachary) showing how big he is:
The trips hanging out in the playpen (Zach, ALex, Liz):
Tired daddy with his boys:
Our first walk - it was only around our driveway, but still a walk:
The trips checking each other out:Alex in his Tigger outfit (can't believe he fits into it, it's a preemie size):
Liz looking cute as always:
Zach in his Tigger outfit (his is also a preemie):
The boys not thrilled about taking a picture to send to daddy at work:
Alex sleeping so peacefully....aw the quiet time:
Liz just waking and wanting to eat:
Zach with a full tummy with his favorite bib on:The trips with full tummies and ready for their reading time:Well that is all for now. Hope you enjoyed them. Stay tuned for more!!!Friday, May 25, 2007
Quick Update
Hello everyone. I have a free moment so I thought I would put a post on to let everyone know how it is going.
We have survived the first sickness in the house. Jeremy caught a cold and was pretty sick. Amazingly, neither the kids or I got sick. Jeremy tried to limit his time with the kids and contact with me. Unfortunately with his limited time with the kids left more for me to do. Jeremy is better now, so things are back to normal, well as normal gets in our house.
The kids are doing good. On Monday they were weighed by the home nurse, Alice. Alex weighed 8#15oz.; Liz weighed 7#12.5oz.; Zach weighed 7#11.5oz. All are eating great. Alex has been getting rice cereal added to his milk due to his great appetite. Today we started Zach on rice cereal. Unfortunately between the rice cereal and medication Alex has been dealing with constipation, which is a major to-do for him. All are still dealing with acid reflux. Liz is the one least affected by it. She does have medication which does help. Alex is on his second medication to help and this med is finally working. Zach is also on his second med but still seems very irritated, so we are adjusting meds to help him.
The kids are reaching milestones, which is very exciting for us. They are all getting very close to smiling real smiles as well as getting ready to coo. We are both very anxious for this to happen. Today Alex rolled onto his back after I put him on his belly. Both the boys slept through the night last night. The finally settled down at 1am and woke up at 8:45am. Liz is sleeping longer at night but still not all the way through. I just don't know what to do with all the extra sleep!!! :)
My days seem to be going better. The kids are getting into a routine which helps me get things done. I still have help some days. I thank everyone who has helped without it I would have been lost. We feel we have made it through the worse part and are on a up-slope. Trust me we still have some bad moments but we will have that for the next 18 years or so. We had our first official time away from the kids this last Sunday. Nope we did not go see a movie or go out to eat, we went to baptism class for 2 1/2 hours. Grandpa, Grandma and Auntie Jean watched the kids. All went well. This weekend we will have a real outing. My cousin is getting married on Saturday. Nana and Papa will be watching them this time.
This week I picked up a single and a double stroller so my mom or someone else and I can take walks with the kids. We have a triple stroller as well but it would be nice to have help pushing the kids. With the weather getting warmer, I am itching to get outside. Actually any outing is nice!! :)
Well I will try to get some pictures put on here soon. Since I started this in the late morning and it is now 5pm, I am going to get this posted before it is midnight.
Jen
We have survived the first sickness in the house. Jeremy caught a cold and was pretty sick. Amazingly, neither the kids or I got sick. Jeremy tried to limit his time with the kids and contact with me. Unfortunately with his limited time with the kids left more for me to do. Jeremy is better now, so things are back to normal, well as normal gets in our house.
The kids are doing good. On Monday they were weighed by the home nurse, Alice. Alex weighed 8#15oz.; Liz weighed 7#12.5oz.; Zach weighed 7#11.5oz. All are eating great. Alex has been getting rice cereal added to his milk due to his great appetite. Today we started Zach on rice cereal. Unfortunately between the rice cereal and medication Alex has been dealing with constipation, which is a major to-do for him. All are still dealing with acid reflux. Liz is the one least affected by it. She does have medication which does help. Alex is on his second medication to help and this med is finally working. Zach is also on his second med but still seems very irritated, so we are adjusting meds to help him.
The kids are reaching milestones, which is very exciting for us. They are all getting very close to smiling real smiles as well as getting ready to coo. We are both very anxious for this to happen. Today Alex rolled onto his back after I put him on his belly. Both the boys slept through the night last night. The finally settled down at 1am and woke up at 8:45am. Liz is sleeping longer at night but still not all the way through. I just don't know what to do with all the extra sleep!!! :)
My days seem to be going better. The kids are getting into a routine which helps me get things done. I still have help some days. I thank everyone who has helped without it I would have been lost. We feel we have made it through the worse part and are on a up-slope. Trust me we still have some bad moments but we will have that for the next 18 years or so. We had our first official time away from the kids this last Sunday. Nope we did not go see a movie or go out to eat, we went to baptism class for 2 1/2 hours. Grandpa, Grandma and Auntie Jean watched the kids. All went well. This weekend we will have a real outing. My cousin is getting married on Saturday. Nana and Papa will be watching them this time.
This week I picked up a single and a double stroller so my mom or someone else and I can take walks with the kids. We have a triple stroller as well but it would be nice to have help pushing the kids. With the weather getting warmer, I am itching to get outside. Actually any outing is nice!! :)
Well I will try to get some pictures put on here soon. Since I started this in the late morning and it is now 5pm, I am going to get this posted before it is midnight.
Jen
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
A post from Mom
Hello Everyone!!! I have found a brief moment to update everyone on how things are going.
The household is still chaotic but an 'organized' chaos.....if there can be such a thing. We have a little bit of a routine but that can change very quickly. We have 6 feedings a day - early morning (2/3am), mid morning (6/7am), late morning (10/11am), early afternoon (2/3pm), early eveing (6/7pm) and late night (10/11pm). Feedings still take about 2 hours to do.
Nighttimes are the worse time for us.....some days I dred nighttime. Mid-morning/early afternoon are our best times. So during the night I try to tell myself that the good time is almost here...it helps some times. At this point the kids have not shown their true colors to anyone but us. Yes that is right, they have been little angels everytime we have visitors. One day they will show others how well they behave without visitors.
My mom and sister have been my life savers - mom has come over on a drop of a dime to help feed or give me a moment to shower. Jean has helped me get a little more sleep by taking care of feedings. Jean, my friend Kristin and my aunt Deb have helped me feel a little normal by cleaning my house. It is amazing that vacuumed floors can make a person feel so good.
I am doing good as a stay at home mom. I have learned a lot in a short amount of time. Sleep is not happening as often as I (and my body) would like. I am getting 2 to 3 hours total during the night. And yes I have fallen a sleep feeding as well as pumping. I catch a meal here and there, not at normal meal times. Thank goodness I have such a good family and friends that have made us meals. Without them I think we would be living on whatever finger food I have in the house.
I had a great first Mother's day. My niece, Alexis, got baptized. I am her Godmother. So I got out for a few hours...and yes, Jeremy did just fine home by himself. The kids and Jeremy got me a beautiful sterling silver necklace with 3 pendants with the kids' birthstones.
The kids had there first outdoor experience on Saturday. They helped me clean the pond so the darn fish can finally get back outside. Although it was a little nerve wrecking experience (for mom), I think they enjoyed it...it was a beautiful day!!
The kids are still sleeping. I was very lucky today to have Kristin come over. She brought me lunch and let me take a nap while she did the early afternoon feeding. She has triplets and knows exactly what I am going through. She says that this is the worst part so it should get better not worse from here.
Well that is all I can think of for now. I am going to try to get something done while it is still quiet here. I am checking my email and trying to respond in a reasonable amount of time, so I do have some communication to the outside world. :)
From a mom enjoying every moment of parenthood,
Jen
The household is still chaotic but an 'organized' chaos.....if there can be such a thing. We have a little bit of a routine but that can change very quickly. We have 6 feedings a day - early morning (2/3am), mid morning (6/7am), late morning (10/11am), early afternoon (2/3pm), early eveing (6/7pm) and late night (10/11pm). Feedings still take about 2 hours to do.
Nighttimes are the worse time for us.....some days I dred nighttime. Mid-morning/early afternoon are our best times. So during the night I try to tell myself that the good time is almost here...it helps some times. At this point the kids have not shown their true colors to anyone but us. Yes that is right, they have been little angels everytime we have visitors. One day they will show others how well they behave without visitors.
My mom and sister have been my life savers - mom has come over on a drop of a dime to help feed or give me a moment to shower. Jean has helped me get a little more sleep by taking care of feedings. Jean, my friend Kristin and my aunt Deb have helped me feel a little normal by cleaning my house. It is amazing that vacuumed floors can make a person feel so good.
I am doing good as a stay at home mom. I have learned a lot in a short amount of time. Sleep is not happening as often as I (and my body) would like. I am getting 2 to 3 hours total during the night. And yes I have fallen a sleep feeding as well as pumping. I catch a meal here and there, not at normal meal times. Thank goodness I have such a good family and friends that have made us meals. Without them I think we would be living on whatever finger food I have in the house.
I had a great first Mother's day. My niece, Alexis, got baptized. I am her Godmother. So I got out for a few hours...and yes, Jeremy did just fine home by himself. The kids and Jeremy got me a beautiful sterling silver necklace with 3 pendants with the kids' birthstones.
The kids had there first outdoor experience on Saturday. They helped me clean the pond so the darn fish can finally get back outside. Although it was a little nerve wrecking experience (for mom), I think they enjoyed it...it was a beautiful day!!
The kids are still sleeping. I was very lucky today to have Kristin come over. She brought me lunch and let me take a nap while she did the early afternoon feeding. She has triplets and knows exactly what I am going through. She says that this is the worst part so it should get better not worse from here.
Well that is all I can think of for now. I am going to try to get something done while it is still quiet here. I am checking my email and trying to respond in a reasonable amount of time, so I do have some communication to the outside world. :)
From a mom enjoying every moment of parenthood,
Jen
Saturday, May 12, 2007
more pics
Due to popular demand, here are some more pictures of the triplets at home. Enjoy!!
Time in the playpen:
Time in the playpen:
Hanging out together on the quilt:
'Quit pushing me!'
'I'm in control here boys!'
Tummy time:
Alex holding on tight:
Great Grandpa Pluemer and Zach:
Nana and Liz:
4 generations, Pluemer version:
Liz chilling in her bouncer:
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