All Aboard the Streamline...

The past two weeks it has just been Clark and me to man the trio. He's had a couple weeks off from work and it's been so much fun having him around all day.

If anyone knows Clark, you know that he's all about efficiency and numbers. Making processes more smooth and quick. Saving time and cutting off minutes or hours spent on a task each day. So as you can guess, he had lots to say about what was going on here at home day in and day out.

First off, we've been bathing the kids in the kitchen sink, one at a time, then feeding them after they are done bathing. Clark was standing over the sink for almost an hour each night while I sat and fed babies in the living room. We would have to time it so when a baby was finishing his/her vitamins, I'd give Clark a five-minute warning to take the baby he had out of the bath. Then we'd switch and I'd feed another baby his/her vitamins and the baby coming out of the tub the rest of his/her bottle. It was all very complicated and usually lots of crying took place. By the time bedtime approached all the babies fell asleep from pure exhaustion.

Of course Zachary is always volunteering to go first, whatever it is.


Mr. Caleb is definitely outgrowing the sink and has to sit up in order to fit.


Miss Leah thinks she can already get away with a bikini and is asking her Dad what the big deal is!? Love this picture. We had to stick a bow on her head because she was looking an awful lot like Caleb now that she's gotten bigger.


So after a few nights of all that, Clark talked me into it and we trialed the big bath tub....



with all three...



at the same time.


We used some bathing mats that the hospital gave us so they are all at an incline. Worked perfectly! It was kind of stressful the first go around because we realized that the bathroom echoes. So if one baby starts crying, they all do because it's so loud and startling. Then they are all hysterical and can barely be calmed down to eat. We've gotten better at making bath time a quiet time and if it looks like a tantrum is coming, that baby is promptly removed and taken away so the other two can enjoy playing in the water. Now we bath, lotion, and change the babies all within 20 minutes! Yes! Bath time has now been streamlined.

Next on the agenda was feeding.

For the past three months we have been feeding them every 1/2 hour, every three hours. For example Leah at 8am, Zachary at 8:30am, and Caleb at 9am. By the time everyone finished and put back down to sleep, it would be 10 or 10:15am and we would start again at 11am. We've toyed with the idea of tandem feeding to cut down on the time but since they are inconsistent with how quickly they eat, that option was hard to implement. Sometimes Zachary is quick, other times you really have to work with him almost an hour to finish his bottle. So, since Clark was on baby duty for 5-6 hours in the morning, he took matters into his own hands and streamlined the feeding process.

All three...



together...



at the same time.


This way can be done with one person but is pretty chaotic. With two people, however, it can be done smoothly. We don't do it this way every time and like I said, one baby is usually struggling and needs attention or another baby won't burp or someone is choking etc... There always seems to be an issue. But it's pretty cool when they all eat at the same time and Clark and me are just hanging out. Feeding has, for the most part, been condensed to be about one hour or less depending on the day. Yes! Feeding time has now been streamlined as well.

Because they are all eating around the same time, we are now able to do circle tummy time! It's so hard to get tummy time in during the day unless they do it all together. Leah is by far the winner and has such a strong neck. Caleb struggles but his head is heavier. He cries and cries but we're getting there! Zachary is in between. It depends on his mood.


Last on Clark's list of streamlining were the little things of the day like documenting diapers, washing bottles, mixing formula, and pouring formula. He's worked it all out so I only have to sterilize water once every other day, wash bottles once a day, measure formula every other day, and mix formula twice in 24 hours. Also, we only document dirty diapers rather than what is happening every diaper change. Documenting diapers seems over the top but believe me, with three babies you'd be surprised how FAST you forget who you changed, when, and whether it was dirty. Since our babies frequently suffer from constipation, we have to know how long it's been for each baby!

It was nice to get up these past two weeks and see all the babies hanging with their Dad and already be dressed and changed. However, I did not take any responsibility for how any of the babies looked. One morning I woke up to find Caleb dressed in a myriad of stripes...


I told Clark that Caleb looked a little clashy but he said it was a sweet lookin outfit and Caleb picked it out. I couldn't argue after that. :)

I'm sad to have Clark go back to work on Monday but I'm so glad for all the changes he's made. We now have a little more down time during the day. We feel like we have our heads a bit above water at this point. We'll see how long it lasts.

Here's a video of the trio eating all together...