Six/Seven Months

First, I must warn you that this is s LONG post with lots of pictures. I figured I had to give you lots of photos to make up for the lack of a six month post. That time really flew by!
Can you even believe we are here? SEVEN MONTHS. My squishies are SEVEN MONTHS OLD.
Brian says that when the babies were in NICU and the physical therapists were talking about the big six month appointment, he could not even conceive how far away six months would be or what it would look like. But it flew right past us. So quickly that I never even got a six month post out! It amazes me. We’re here. We’re here and its SO MUCH FUN!

What’s new? Well, we started solids last month and it was not even as scary as I thought it would be. MESSY, though. EXTREMELY messy. I thought I was doing lots of laundry before with all the projectile vomiting and spitting up. Now, it’s a whole different mess. I changed from feeding them solids all at the same time to feeding them one at a time.
Here’s a visual example of why:

Pandemonium.

Its too hard to keep them focused and to stop them from grabbing each other. Jackson will yank at Alexis’s bib and then she will grab his face and he will scream in protest and then Zachary will start to cry in reaction to the screaming and then they will ALL start to cry because that’s how it goes.

NO THANK YOU.

I think I will wait until they are way more adept at eating solids before I introduce the concept of eating with a neighbor.
Anyhow, I started with rice cereal but moved right on to single grain oatmeal instead (the rice cereal wasn’t digesting as well as the oatmeal - its like glue in their intestines!), and I’ve made most of their food myself. They’ve tried organic apples, bananas, pears, acorn squash, peas, nectarines, white peaches, yellow peaches, sweet potatoes, avocadoes and bananas. So far, they LOVE it all! And although its VERY time consuming, I really enjoy making it so far. I just need to come up with my own system, like with everything else, so that I am maximizing my time. My goal is to make at least half of what they eat and supplement with organic packaged baby food. I figure they should eat home cooked food as often as we do.
And, to be honest, the only reason we are eating as much home cooked food as we are is either

A. Brian is the one cooking
or
B. We are eating one of the homecooked, vacuum sealed meals that our friends Sandy & LeAnn so graciously and generously prepared for us. Our freezer has been stocked with home cooked goodness! I am talking real food, people. It has been a Godsend. Seriously, we LOVE it! We have eaten through most of it…I am trying to save a couple of meals just in case. Thank God for good friends!
I know it sounds like I am a crappy wife…I finally get more time and I’ve only cooked TWICE in the past month (and ONLY with the crock pot). But when presented with the choice of me either spending the time making babyfood or making dinner for us, Brian said he wanted me to make babyfood for as long as I can and that he would take care of dinner. That way everyone gets a little home cooked food! Luckily for us he is an amazing cook and really enjoys it! As things progress and I am able to continue adding more to my plate, I will take back most of the cooking.
A few months ago, the thought of adding anything to my plate seemed almost impossible. ALL I DID was feed babies. And although that still seems to be all I do sometimes, I am able to do so much more and get a little of my life back now that they (usually) sleep! Slowly, doing the laundry, cleaning the bathrooms, making meals, showering daily-ish (don’t laugh) is all getting easier.
In fact, I feel like we’ve gotten another huge chunk of our lives back. Not that we really have more time, but we are getting more done. And that feels really good. I never could have expected how difficult it would be. EVER. Just thinking back to the first few months, so much anxiety and so deliriously exhausted. I know I always mention it but its really amazing how far we’ve come. When we sit down and actually think about it, I get kind of emotional. HOW did we get through that? As we look back on every month that passes, we are amazed at how much better we are at doing this and how QUICKLY time has passed. Granted, not every moment went by quickly. I can think of many a 3am feeding, all alone, crying, babies crying, everyone spraying formula/breastmilk all over the place, engorged and leaking because I needed to pump but can’t find a minute to even do it…moments like these seemed to drag on and on.

But, wait...its over. That time is long gone and so are my tiny little babies. My itty bitty snugglies are long gone. Now is a new time. Now I’ve got HUGE, strong, chunky, wiggly, squirmy, kicking, rolling, giggling, drooling, SCREAMING, screeching, singing, happy babies. All the kicking, bouncing, jumping, – big time enthusiasm – it all just takes my breath away. The pure happiness that is a seven month old baby – I LOVE this age!

The biggest change during the past couple of months was the sleep! It was as if we hit a wall at first and then - BAM! - they were ready to go twelve hours. It all paid off. I can’t even believe it when I hear myself say it out loud.

THEY SLEEP TWELVE HOURS. At a time. In a row. All at once. One after another.

I do not, for one minute, miss getting up eight hundred and fifty-two times a night to make bottles, feed, replace pacifiers, make sure no one puked in bed (happened a LOT back then – poor refluxy Alexis), change diapers…I miss NONE of that.

Except...

Yes, there IS an "except". There is one feeding that I miss, and that is the ‘late night feeding’. This one was the Midnight feeding that we pushed back over time that eventually became the 9pm feeding, until we recently eliminated it altogether. This was my favorite. They were sleepy and snuggly and squishy. It was just one big snuggle fest and then right back to bed for them. The sweet sleepy-ness is all gone. Because now, when they go to bed, that’s IT until morning. Granted, they are not robots. Meaning, they DO wake up some nights. But they go right back to sleep and I don’t get to feed them.

Now, all I want to do before I go to bed is pull them out of their cribs and snuggle and sniff and squeeze. I ask Brian, “Can we just get them up to feed them now?” He usually responds with something along the lines of, “WOMAN, ARE YOU CRAZY?”

Another big change is the mobility. Pretty soon, I will need to child-proof everything! I used to be able to lay all three of them on one big blanket. Now, I have to lay three separate blankets out because they somehow end up all over the place. They roll all over and into each other. One time, I turned my head for one minute to change Jackson’s diaper and when I turned back around, Zachary was on his stomach with Alexis laying on top of him…with puke all over his back. She had puked on his back. Delicious.

Things have definitely fallen into place and that is nice. However, as soon as I get something figured out and feel pretty confident, its time to move on to the next thing. Yes, I do realize that this is parenting in a nutshell…learning the whole time!

Like so many of you fellow triplet mamas promised me would happen in your wonderfully supportive e-mails, something happened at around six months and everything really started to get easier. Now I am finding myself on the other side of the e-mails, promising other newer moms that it gets better. Telling them to hang in there and that the fog eventually lifts and that everything falls into place. Isn’t it funny how that works? We just pass it on and on. Its been SO wonderful to have the support throughout the pregnancy and afterward. I don’t know what I would have done without my friends in the computer. All the comments and e-mails…sometimes they have been my only connection to the outside world and to people who understand. You have been invaluable!

Some pictures from the last two months...

The babies and me visiting Brian at work.
This was the first time I left the house with the babies by myself!

The boys meeting Sammy & Lori while visiting Daddy at work

White peaches, all steamed and ready for peeling and puree-ing

We visited the NICU last month and saw some old friends

Have some squishies...

Hey everyone, it's Alexis! Its been so long! Did you miss me? I know you did. I have grown SO MUCH in the past couple of months! My legs got longer overnight. At least, that’s what Mommy says. She said that one morning I woke up and my pants were suddenly too short. I’ve grown tons! Here are my stats from the last pediatrician appointment on July 10:

12.12lbs
39.5 cm head circumference
25 inches long/tall

Can you believe what a big girl I am? I am still little compared to my brothers but I’ll kick their butts some day.
I am still wearing size 1 diapers but Mom thinks that won’t last long! I am totally filling out my 3 month clothes!
I am loving my toys and I try and put everything in my mouth, including my brothers hands and feet. My Mommy laughs at me! Speaking of laughing, I am a giggle monkey now! I am a bit camera shy so mommy has had a hard time capturing it. She and Daddy LOVE my big smiles. I love laughing, especially when Mommy or Daddy are giving me kisses and tickling me. My dimples are SO DEEP. Mommy is always trying to kiss them. :)
I have learned to screech and scream. I just like to make lots of noise while I am playing. I make ‘razz-berry’ noises too. I am practicing for when I can really talk. I can screech almost as loud as my brother, Jackson. He is so loud. Sheesh!
I have been making lots of noise lately because of my teeth. They haven’t actually come in yet but Mommy says they’re really close. It hurts me and it interrupts my sleep. Which is a HUGE deal because I have always been the best sleeper. I love to sleep. This has been great for Mommy and Daddy. But on the flipside, under NO CIRCUMSTANCES will I tolerate you cutting into my sleep. Not to hold me, to play or anything. I want to go to SLEEP! I am like a clock. I want to go to sleep on time and in my own crib. I don’t like to sleep on people or anywhere else. There was one exception the other day where I actually fell asleep in the car and Mommy was SHOCKED!!! Don’t get used to it Mommy!
I love being with my Mommy. Even though I am the most independent of the three babies, I like when Mommy carries me around the house and I especially like to help her with laundry. I hold onto her like a koala and she really loves that.
I am extra adventurous. I am not afraid of anything! Mommy will hold me up in the air and spin me around and I just laugh and giggle like crazy. I love it!
My hair and nails have been growing pretty quickly lately. Mommy has to trim my nails every two days because they grow so fast. TWICE as fast as the boys! I wonder how long this spurt will last!
I am still a great eater. I take six ounces with every bottle. I still haven’t mastered the whole solids thing yet, but I LOVE carrots and pears. I eat a little better every day!
Mommy’s trying to call me by my name more because she is afraid that I will think my name is one of the silly nick names she calls me. My Mommy, Daddy & Eemo all refer to me as Pids or Piddy (short for ‘piddy peemie’). They are really silly! I am a super happy and smiley girl and I love to play!

Hey its me, Zachary! How’s it going? I have really gotten so much bigger since the last time. Here are my latest stats:

17.11 lbs
43.5 cm head circumference
28.25 inches long/tall

I am growing right into size three diapers and growing out of my six month clothes. I am inheriting my brother’s nine month clothes as fast as he is growing out of them! The pediatrician is pleasantly surprised with how I’ve grown. I am catching up to my brother!
I take an eight ounce bottle at each feeding. With the introduction of solids, I have become the biggest eater by far. Its as if this is what I was waiting for…REAL FOOD! I love EVERYTHING Mommy feeds me. Everything. But I especially love apples, acorn squash and peas. I caught on very quickly and now I can’t get enough. Mommy can’t get the food in fast enough. When she gives me a spoonful, I have my mouth wide open and ready for more before she can get the next bite in. She thinks its super cute. I KNOW its super cute.
I am what mommy calls a “roly poly”. I roll EVERYWHERE. As soon as you put me on the floor, I am on the move! I get frustrated sometimes because I end up getting stuck. Something like a couch or wall gets in my way. HOW RUDE! Mommy just helps me change direction when I get stuck and then I am happy again.
I love to grab on tight when someone is holding me. Especially my Eemo (Pamela). I am wiggly and fidgety but I love to snuggle too. Especially when its bedtime. I love when my Daddy and I just chill in a chair together before I got to bed. I hold on tight and he usually gives me kisses on my face and pats my back. I LOVE that so much.
My Mommy and Daddy think its so cute how I look when I am drinking from my bottle. I like to keep one leg up, or cross my legs, and I scratch my diaper. I wiggle my feet a lot when I eat too. My Mommy thinks its irresistible and insists upon kissing my toes while I am eating. Which I don’t mind because I LOVE attention.
I have actually mastered the art of “fake crying”. For example, I’ll be singing and playing in my crib but as soon as I hear the door open as Mommy comes in I’ll start crying and try and make Mommy think that I’ve been crying the whole time. She just usually laughs and hugs me and tells me she’s got my number. I’ll have to find another angle…that woman is too smart!
I am still the one that really likes to examine and stare. Especially when Mommy is singing quietly to me. I just like to take it all in. I am also very sensitive to others. If I hear my sister or brother cry, I will usually start crying too. I don’t like when they cry! My mom says I am very intuitive.
I am the one who tolerates the longest wake time – usually about twenty minutes longer than my sister and anywhere from about five to ten minutes longer than my brother. So I am almost always the last one to go down for a nap or bedtime and Mommy gives me lots of kisses all over my face to help me sleep. I really love it. :)

Hey guys, its Jackson! I have really grown since the last time we talked. Check out the stats from my last pediatrician appointment:

19.14 lbs
44 cm head circumference
28.5 inches long/tall

I am a big boy! I am almost out of size three diapers and growing out of most my my nine month clothes. Mommy had to go buy a couple of twelve month things and they are already getting tighter faster than she expected. I am still the biggest one and so far I am the strongest. I’ve got some powerful legs. I am a kicking machine! I kick so much and so hard that I recently broke through vinyl cover on changing pad from kicking so hard! OOPS! All the kicking makes diaper changes pretty challenging for Mommy but its really fun for me!
Also, Mommy calls me the scream machine. I have really found my voice. I have learned the language of screaming. Happy or mad...I just love to make screaming/screeching noises. Its my new form of communication. Mommy says its cute, but LOUD. My sister has just started to do the same thing. Maybe she learned it from me.
I love laughing at my brother and sister. I also like grabbing and yanking at them. Sometimes this is not good because I make one of them mad. Hey, take it easy. I am just trying to play!
I still eat very well. I get an eight ounce bottle at each feeding. Mommy started giving us solids and although I didn’t really like any of it at first, I’ve definintely gotten used to it! I LOVE white peaches mixed with my oatmeal in the morning. I really hated squash in the beginning but now I like it OK. There’s really no choice if that’s what Mommy’s serving and she made LOTS of it so I better learn to like it.
Mommy thinks its so cute that when she is feeding me, I attack the spoon with my mouth. I do the same thing with toys too. I love to put everything in my mouth. Especially my hands. Mommy says I am teething and that’s why my mouth is bothering me so much. I get really upset and want to chew on everything around. Mommy lets me chew on her finger sometimes and that helps.
Mom says I have become a super sleeper. I used to fight her, especially with naps. Now, I just love going to sleep! I nuzzle my blanket and wiggle a lot before I find just the right spot and then I just drift away. Mommy likes to watch me put myself to sleep. She doesn’t think I see her watching, but I do. I don’t mind though. I always give her a sleepy smile and she really likes that. It buys me a few extra kisses and those really help me go to sleep.
I don’t like blankets on my legs and I always kick them off. Even when Mommy comes to put them back on, I seem to kick them off in my sleep! I am usually the first to wake up in the morning but I just usually sing and talk to myself while I wait for Mommy and Daddy to come in. And boy, do I get really excited to see them in the morning! They are so happy and smiley when they come in to get us for breakfast!
I really love when my Daddy gives me tummy kisses. I actually love when my Daddy does anything. If my Daddy is holding my brother or sister, I just stare at him until he picks me up.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE my jumperoo! I don’t want to get out of it but Mommy limits my time in there so I can have lots of floor time. Something about developing motor skills…bla bla bla. I hate it when she makes me get out of it. I really catch air in that thing!
The latest thing I am doing is this new snorting thing. Its like a snorty laugh. My Daddy thinks its too cute and he tries to make me do it over and over. He loves it! I love to make him laugh. :)