Summa Summa Summatime...

There has been a lot of water, swimming, and baby nakedness around these parts lately. Mostly due to the fact that it's boiling hot here but also because Clark has had some time off work! He has been taking the last part of his paternity leave and we have been so spoiled having him around these last few weeks. I know, the babies are almost a year. He didn't use all his leave right after the birth because the babies were in the NICU and then we had moms here to help. Soooo.....he used it this month which was perfect!

If there is one thing you know about Clark though is that he LOVES to be outside and he LOVES swimming. Besides wanting to build a pergola and spend time with the kids, he wanted to relax and swim. Fortunately for us, our friends just down the road have been taking an extended road trip this month and asked us to pool-sit! Of course we agreed and have been swimming as much as possible. They have a nice, big magnolia tree that shades the pool and keeps the babies out of the sun. Because of the heat here, the pool is about 90 degrees. Perfect for me! The babies usually only last 30-40 minutes but we rotate them in and out of the pool to try and keep them entertained. Lots of work for us but it's nice to cool off during the day.

Zachary is sitting in Leah's floatie, Caleb in the middle, Leah on the right, and Clark under the water trying to position them for me! :) Leah has the most sensitive eyes and squints even in the shade but she would not keep her sunglasses on for this picture.

Some days when we just weren't feeling up to all the loading, unloading, changing, drying, and changing again....we'd just fill up our own pool in the backyard and beat the heat that way. The luxury of our backyard is that we just throw the babies in naked! No changing, dressing, or swim diapers involved. So great. Think what you want...but it's hot here and it's our own backyard. Anyway, they loved having lots of room to crawl and move in the water and played with spatulas and whisks ( I didn't want to walk all the way to the bathroom to get bath toys :).

We love this picture because it totally shows each baby's personality. Caleb finding the nearest string to suck on, Leah just learning how to crawl and gathering everything in her path, and Zachary right up in your face being the life of the party.

I have some naked butt shots but we thought we'd spare the babies and give them SOME privacy in their infancy.

Now that everyone can kneel, pull up, and sometimes stand, they are all OBSESSED with doing that in the tub. By the time we get them out, they are all dry because they've been standing the whole time. They love to hit the wall of the tub, throw toys over, and laugh at each other. We just let them all hang out until someone falls over causing a domino effect. This results in lots of crying and usually someone can't recover from such a trauma. Typically bath time ends at that point.

We have a couple fish puppets that the babies love so we put on a show while they stood in the tub. We got lots of laughs! Who would've thought that we'd be such entertaining puppeteers!

Sadly work and real life has to resume again. We'll sure miss Clark's energy and creative ideas to keep the babies entertained. We've loved all the swimming and sun but we'll be glad when it finally cools down here!

Facts of the Week...

With the babies approaching the eleven-month mark, things are getting alittle more crazy/fun everyday. Here are some fun facts from this past week:

#1) Leah is crawling! She is slow and very wobbly but it was so exciting to watch her realize what she could do and how impressed she was with herself. She obviously takes second to Zachary in the crawling department which puts Caleb third by default. Poor guy. I guess someone has to come in last. We can tell he is getting progressively more frustrated with himself because of his inability to get around. Hopefully with the other two moving he'll just get the picture and start going! We're pretty proud of Leah though!

#2) The bedtime bottle is gone, done, eliminated, banished. We used to feed the babies some veggies and cereal before their bath and then give the bottles after. It came to a point where we were fighting with all three babies just to drink anything for that feeding. They weren't interested, too full, overly tired, etc... Who knows. I was tired of the battle and of throwing away unused formula. Sooo....now we do three bottles a day (6am, 11am, 3pm), two meals (8am and 5pm), and a snack (1pm). I make up for the formula they're missing from that eliminated bottle by mixing it into their food or offering a sippy cup with their meals. This has been helpful because they need to master the sippy cup anyway since bottles will be disappearing very soon. Let me tell you, one less bottle a day is a dream. We just feed them dinner, bathe them, and they are off to bed. Love it.

#3) Leah is back on reflux meds. I know, I just can't escape the throwing up; though my odds of being rid of it have never been good with three babies in the house. Zachary has completely outgrown his reflux and projectile vomiting. I never thought that time would come. I've been waiting for Leah to outgrow her reflux but it has seemed to worsen with each passing month. She never vomits but is a constant case of spit up ALL day. On our plane ride to Idaho she spit up ALL over the chair in front of us, all over my arm and shirt, and all over the bag. LUCKILY, the passenger next to us was spared. I called the doctor and she put her on Prevacid which has made a VAST improvement in the past few days she has taken it. We're definitely happy about that but hate having those pills on the counter again.

#4) Leah received a CT scan. Remember a long, long time ago when she had that lump under her chin in the NICU? The ENT came to examine the lump and ended up discovering that one of her airway passages was completely closed (the nurses would try and get a feeding tube down into her stomach and could never get it through her nose). Her condition is cogenital and we were lucky both passages were not blocked because she would have had major breathing difficulty after birth. Point is, she received a CT so that the doctor can determine whether the blockage is from bone or cartilage. That way we can make a more informed decision of the procedure that will help open that airway. We can't wait for that day. Poor girl....only have one working nostril. How miserable. Here she is at home after the CT scan with all our bands and her cutsie smock. She was pretty delirious coming out of anesthesia and cried a lot but after about 30 minutes was feeling pretty good again.



#5) Caleb is awesome. It's a fact. I mean, look at this picture:


#6) Caleb's early waking just might be cured! We love Caleb. Like I said, he's awesome...but what's not awesome is the fact that he is usually awake one hour before the rest of us. This is usually around 4:45am-5am. Normally I wouldn't mind but considering he is the loudest baby ever, he wakes everyone up which makes for a really terrible morning. We've endured this for 6+ months trying everything from more food at night, crib toys, later bedtime, etc... Nothing seemed to work. Recently I have come across something called 'wake to sleep.' Basically it is just readjusting a babies sleep pattern to they no longer wake at their normal intervals. We have tried this for the recommended three-night period and have seen some positive results already! Of course some mornings he does still wake early but it is not near as bad and he actually plays quietly. Cross your fingers he will continue to improve!

#7) Lastly, my handsome, hunk of a husband built us an incredible pergola in the backyard. It's been hot here, like REALLY hot. Over 100 degrees everyday with lows in the mid-80's and humidity that envelopes you when you step outside. Regardless, he has put lots of time and sweat into this project so our family can enjoy our back patio with shade and privacy. He has climbed the ladder about 1,000 times, measured and cut and measured and cut, and painted; all with only a few times of asking for my help. He is so talented and loves doing projects like this for our family. There are a handful of finishing touches he wants to do so we can't wait until it is all the way complete!

Video Schmideo...

I'm just posting some videos today because it took me over two weeks to get them uploaded. Ugh. Glad I got a few to work because I love sharing the fun times we have going on around here!

The day before Father's Day we finally got to assemble our bike trailer and try it out. A couple of Clark's long time friends graciously bought it for us when they found out the news we were expecting triplets. We've been excited to use it for some time but needed the babies to be big enough. It also has an attachable handle that converts it into a running stroller. Clark used that every morning while I was gone in Idaho.

Here are the boys trying it out for the first time in 100-degree weather. Seriously, the heat here is ridiculous.


You can see why children have to be a certain size from the picture below. The straps go up pretty high and aren't adjustable. The boys are just tall enough for their heads to be above the straps. Surprisingly enough, the boys loved their first ride and every ride that Clark took with them. We love the trailer and just need to get a bike seat for Leah to go on my bike. Then we're all set!





A lady we attend church with brought some clothes over the other day as well as a talking Elmo. This isn't a normal talking Elmo though. This is a Chicken Elmo and it does the chicken dance. We were excited for the kids to see it since they regularly watch Elmo's Favorite Songs on DVD. This is the result when Zachary first encountered Chicken Elmo....





So funny! But so sad. Don't worry though, they have now become friends.

This last video is so so so cute of Caleb. We were sitting in a circle bouncing a ball and he was getting the biggest kick out of it! Of course he hasn't been nearly as thrilled since that time but at least we got his first reaction on video!

Girls Just Want to Have Fun...

Yep! Leah and I decided we had had enough of the Texas heat so we headed to beautiful Idaho for the fourth of July weekend. I got to finally experience what being a mom to a single baby is like and Clark got to experience single parenthood to twins!

Before purchasing my plane ticket, we weren't sure which baby would come with me. I weighed the pros and cons to flying with each baby and in the end, it was decided that Leah would be the winner. The biggest reason: PACIFIER. She is our only pacifier baby so I knew if a meltdown ensued, the pacifier would be a huge lifesaver. Zachary sucks his thumb and when he starts to freak, I can't force his thumb into his mouth. Believe me, I've tried. At church when he is way past his nap time and we're trying to get him to sleep, he cries and cries and cries until he is utterly exhausted. All the while, never putting his thumb in his mouth. Just a stubborn kid. So that posed a problem. Plus, he's so hyper and active there would've been NO way he'd sit in my lap for a 3 1/2 hour plane ride. He was number three on the list. Caleb was the runner up. He is so sociable and not afraid of strangers. He loves to cuddle and I figured he would have no problem sitting on my lap for an extended period of time. HOWEVER, he doesn't suck his thumb or take a pacifier so if previously mentioned meltdown occurred, there would be NO way I'd be able to soothe him. He can scream really loud too. Usually a change of scenery, walking around, or loud music helps stop his madness. All of which are not generally attainable or acceptable on a plane. Soooo....he was eliminated. Although Leah has her moments, she is very manageable with a pacifier and also loves being held. Plus, it just felt right leaving all the boys home to wrestle and play.

So the girls headed off to Idaho. As soon as I entered the airport to fly out and got in the security line, I was no longer a 'triplet mom.' People weren't gawking or awkwardly trying to catch a glimpse of our craziness which I don't mind...it was just strange that it wasn't happening. I strolled right along without any problem. I'll be honest, it was kind of an identity crisis. Whenever someone did mention Leah or ask a question about her, I usually found a way to bring up the fact that she is a triplet. I couldn't help myself! Seriously, every time. I never knew how to really phrase the fact that she has brothers that are also triplets. One time I said this:

'She has triplet brothers.' The person thought she had three brothers who were triplets. So the next time I said this:

'She has twin brothers.' Same thing happened. I mean, the boys are in a triplet set but they could be considered twins too.... Point is, I'm not sure how to say that she has younger brothers that are also triplets.

So anyway, the plane ride went great. Leah was just closing her eyes during our first take off when the one year old next to us had a meltdown which woke her up and she didn't sleep a wink the rest of the flight (while the one year old slept the entire way). When we were making our final descent, she did finally fall asleep sitting straight up. Funny. This resulted in a grand total of seven minutes of napping that day. She was exhausted! She slept like an angel that night. However, with the time change and the fact that she is usually awake before 6am in Texas, she was up in the four o'clock hour in Idaho. Yuck. Since we weren't going to be there an extended period of time, I just kept her on the Texas schedule and we did a 5am-5pm. Or close to that. Seemed to work just fine but 5am is early no matter what way you look at it.

The first thing we did when we arrived was head straight to Cafe Rio. Yes please! I have been craving a pork salad for over two years and I finally had one. Just as delicious as I remember. I also had one the day we flew back but couldn't finish it because I was anxious about my short layover in Denver (which ended up not being a problem). Bummer. Wish I could've taken it with me!

Besides Cafe Rio, our weekend was full of morning walks, hanging at the lake, playing with cousins, swinging, napping at the park, and much more. We were hanging lakeside watching others take a ride in the boat in the next picture. Leah thought staying on ground and sucking on blocks would be less risky than a boat ride.


Almost my whole family was around so we spent lots of time together swimming, eating, chatting, and even having a delicious picnic. There was a pool where we had our picnic so we were watching all the cousins and uncles swim. The pool was at maximum capacity so they were sending people away. That day was one of the first hot, non-windy days of summer.


Unfortunately, because Leah was so totally out of her element and meeting so many new people in such a short period of time, she had MAJOR stranger anxiety. She was extremely clingy and would not let me out of her sight. She wouldn't tolerate anyone else holding her so I had her on my hip for most of the time. Here's what I saw all weekend:


I asked my Mom to watch her in the tub while I grabbed her pajamas and I came back to this sad face. Her behavior was very uncharacteristic but understandable at the same time. She hasn't been away from her brothers since birth. Literally, every activity we do is together so with her being in a different house with no brothers within a foot of her was a little unsettling. Once we got back to Texas, she was back to her old self. I can't wait for my family to see Leah again when her brothers are around. I'm sure she'll be much more fun. :) Even though she was clingy, she was still as cute as ever. It was pretty cold in the mornings so when we went on walks I bundled her up nice and warm like an eskimo. I didn't come very prepared with warm clothing so I did my best.


The afternoons and evenings were so beautiful and warm. I love being outside in the summer in Idaho. You just can't beat it! One of my great friends came to visit me while I was in town and had made the cutest hats for the babies. They are called Upcycled Hats because they are made from old kids shirts! Click HERE to get to the girl's blog who came up with the idea. She has a ton of other creative stuff too. Makes me want to get out my sewing machine and get to work! My friend also made some adorable onesies for the trio which has now become their ten-month picture on the sidebar. Here is Leah in her hat before our walk.


Once I got home I got a picture of the boys in their hats. Seriously, so cute. Love.


Clark sister lent us an adorable fourth of July dress which fit Leah perfectly. She was too cute when I got her all dressed up for church.



Surprisingly, many of Clark's family members were also around that weekend (his sister lives in my parent's hometown) so Leah got to meet more aunts, uncles, and cousins as well! Pretty ironic scheduling! Best of all, she got to spend time with her GREAT Grandma and Grandpa Rudd. I was nervous because of the way she had been acting all weekend but when Great Grandma and Grandpa showed up, she was all smiles and sat on both their laps. Such a relief and blessing! She must've known what a special meeting it was. We got some great pictures (taken by Clark's Dad) and I was so grateful she got to meet and see everyone.

Clark's sister Jen, brother Bobby and his wife Amy


Can they get any bluer?


Great Grandpa Rudd telling Leah about all the yummy food he's growing in his garden. Maybe she'll be able to come help pick it one day!


Great Grandma playing Patty Cake.


I enjoyed relaxing over the weekend and seeing what kind of mom I was to one baby. I was definitely still crazy over naps and bedtime but much more relaxed about meals, eating times, taking the food wherever we were going, and whether she was finishing her bottles. I just said whatever and didn't worry about it! For some reason I just can't do that with all three. I would mix her bottle right before giving it to her and that was strange. Usually it's a nightly activity mixing 12 bottles at a time. Because I was able to relax in that way, most of the time I would leave the house totally unprepared for Leah. No diapers, formula, toys, etc... I was definitely off my game. Luckily she is pretty easy going and forgave me for my forgetfulness. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures with her and my family because as soon as I handed her off for someone else to hold, she would start crying! Bummer.

Clark and the boys survived and apparently had a great time. He would take them running every morning, he also took them swinging, swimming, and most importantly, he took them to Home Depot. You know....to get them all familiar with tools and stuff. We're thinking that Caleb will be Dad's helper in the garage and Zachary will just make messes and cause trouble. I guess we'll see. Clark called me the day after I left and said Zachary and Caleb had their first real legitimate fight. Zachary knocked over Caleb, took his toy, then while Zachary was crawling away, Caleb kicked him and knocked him over. By the end, both were crying! So sad.... Unfortunately we'll probably see a lot more of that in the future.

It was nice to get away for a few days because the minute we found out we were expecting triplets, I was not allowed to get on a plane or really travel at all. So this was the first time since we've moved here that I have left! The weekend, of course, was TOO short and it was so nice to see lots of family and friends. Can't wait until the next meeting. Let's hope it's not too far away!

***Is anyone else having issues with uploading videos to blogger?***

Remember?

Remember that time I was on my way to see the movie Eclipse for the first time?

Remember I had a short ultrasound prior to the movie and then we'd be on our way?

Remember how my body was signaling preterm labor at only 23 weeks gestation and I never left the hospital that day....never saw the movie Eclipse?

Remember when the doctor came in and said I would be laying in bed with little to no privileges until the babies arrived? How I tried to convince him that a couple days later things would be fine again?

Remember how the only thing on TV during the summer was America's Got Talent and how I despise that TV show now? Luckily Gilmore Girls and Greys Anatomy were on everyday to save me from day time soap operas.

Remember how I hated admitting that being in the hospital was probably better than being at home because my room was nice and chilly and my meals were brought to me six times a day?

Remember when I had to drink prune juice/sprite cocktails every morning in order to excite the babies and get their heart rates going for monitoring? YUCK!

Remember how I thought I was going to knit, and blog, and read, etc... but the only thing I could find energy to do was watch 12 hours of TV a day? Lying on your side trying to read a book for an extended period of time is surprisingly difficult!

Remember how my mom flew in and surprised me in the hospital for my birthday? That was fun.

Remember when I ate a peanut butter and honey sandwich the night before I had my blood glucose test? Well...I failed and was diagnosed with gestational diabetes at 29 weeks. Who knows if the sandwich had anything to do with it.

Remember how I had to get my finger pricked 4 times a day to make sure my blood sugar was in range? They were really trying to keep me in check so I wouldn't chow down on cookies while the nurses weren't looking. :)

Remember how I got to FINALLY leave my hospital room after two months for a short wheelchair ride? That was amazing. However, it did send me into contractions so I had to lay back down right away.

Remember how Clark worried about me day and night and took care of me better than I have ever taken care of him?

Remember how we all made it to 32 weeks and 5 days before our little rascals arrived? And how, if I had not been at the hospital, they may have arrived too early to even survive?

Remember when my Dad randomly flew in the day of the birth and Clark's sister Anie and her family were also randomly driving through Dallas that day on their way to DC? We had lots of family for the big event. So random but we were so grateful.

Remember when I left the hospital after 2 1/2 months?

Well...I remember.

All too well.

One year ago today I was admitted to the hospital to try and give the babies more time to grow. Now I'm looking at three healthy 10-month olds as a result. Incredible.

Why is it that hard things are usually for our own good? Sometimes I hate that.

Just can't believe it's been a year since that scary, delicate time. While in the hospital I always said that raising triplets would NEVER be as hard as being pregnant with them (for me). So when I have days when I start to think lying in a hospital bed might be easier than what I'm doing now....I remember.

I remember that this is the EASY part! I remember that I can get up and move and shower whenever I want. I remember that I have energy. I remember that I have an appetite and can eat WHATEVER carbs I want! I remember that I HATED being away from Clark for so long. I remember that I can get up and go running in the morning and breathe the fresh morning air. I remember that I can hug and wrestle with my three babies instead of seeing them hug and wrestle each other in my belly.

But I also remember that I received incredible health care in that hospital and had a caring doctor who pushed me and wouldn't take anything less than another day. I would never wish myself back into that bed but I'm grateful for the experience, for family and friends who helped us through, and for our three sweet babies who resulted from it all!

It's good to remember sometimes.

Now That's a lot of Babies!

Seriously, that's a lot of babies. All between 9-11 months of age. Here's the run down:

-Five sets of twins
-One set of triplets
-Four girls
-Nine Boys
-Twelve adults
-Endless chaos!

So how did all these babies come to be friends? Well they all met just over a year ago in our multiples lamaze class! Obviously they weren't born yet but they were all present and accounted for. It was truly incredible to meet with all these families again after so long and just marvel at our 13 little miracles. We were the least farthest along when we took the class at 18 weeks gestation but because the triplets were born early, they are the second youngest.

It was fun to spend time and reminisce about each family's pregnancy/birth experience. I mean, just our group alone covered quite a spectrum of challenges and triumphs.

A set of twins was born at 29 weeks due to twin-twin transfusion syndrome after the mom was on hospital bedrest for about a week. One set of twins was carried all the way to 38 weeks and 5 days and probably could've been carried farther! One set was born at 35 weeks and spent zero time in the NICU which was such an incredible blessing. A couple moms had to go on the dreadful magnesium sulfate for premature labor and high blood pressure. One mom was in the same antepartum unit as me on bedrest and we would commiserate through email about which nurses we liked/disliked, how terrible the food was, or how our showering priveleges were the best thing in our lives. That same mom gave birth three days after us and all five of our babies were in the same POD in the NICU (which was so strange because the NICU is quite large). Almost all of us experienced preterm labor and all of us but one gave birth via c-section.

That's what I'm saying. Quite the spectrum. Luckily we were all very prepared for the possible risks ahead due to our great lamaze instructor. She actually came and visited me several times during my hospital stay. Encouraged me through my gestational diabetes and prayed for my health and for Clark's strength. So great. So thankful for her.

We hosted the play date at our house and hung out in our living/dining room area. We moved all the furniture and had plenty of room to play, eat, and hang out. Some of the twins even got to eat their lunch in our triplet table!

All lined up for picture time! Introducing the class of 2028!




This picture isn't great because no one wanted their picture taken anymore but I laughed so hard at Zachary. It's like playing Where's Waldo with him in this picture.


Caleb making friends with Aiden. They were practically roommates in the NICU.



Short video of the picture taking chaos. We were so glad to host the play date and loved seeing everyone!! We sure loved watching those 13 amazing humans walk, crawl, scoot, sit, eat, babble, and play. It doesn't get any better.

Kick, Kick, Kick...

What would the first day of summer be without some pictures of the trio swimming!?

It has been so dreadfully hot here. Barely dipping down into the high 70's overnight. We've swam a few times in our inflatable pool but we really wanted to see how the kids would do in deeper water. I've been nervous to go swimming because of the fact that the number of babies outnumber Clark and I and when deep water is involved, there could be some problems.

We headed over to a friends house and had the pool all to ourselves. This was good because we could really concentrate on what we were doing this first go-around. We don't have inflatable floating devices for each baby so we decided we'd just hold them (I really don't want to pay close to $75 for decent, reliable, floaties for all the babies. Plus, I prefer to hold them...at least until I get over my babies-in-deep-water phobia). We brought the stroller in the backyard so that one baby could be strapped in, playing with toys, while each of us had another one. We meant to bring the exersaucer, of course forgot it, but that would've worked MUCH better than the stroller at keeping whoever entertained and contained. The stroller worked fine though because we weren't there very long. Less than an hour. All the babies did great and really enjoyed wading in the water. It was nice and shaded and the water was so clear.

Caleb kicked his feet in the water for a few minutes before he decided to jump in with his Dad.


Then he did a slam dunk and grabbed on to the rim for dear life. He has such giant paws Clark could barely unlatch him....


Once he let go, he grabbed right on to the net! We were laughing so hard because he seriously would not let go...and he is strong!


He finally gave up so I tried to snap a picture of the both of them...


but Caleb saw his Dad's glasses and went at them with his death grip...




Finally Clark got it under control and held on to both his hands while I took the picture. Crazy dude...


Then the other babies got their turn...


Caleb quietly playing and watching the rest of us. He was resting from his big slam dunk!


Zachary kept trying to grab the water and put it in his mouth. Meaning he would bend over and practically put his head under water. I finally just gave him a toy to keep him occupied...


Clark and Leah just before we packed up to leave...


We had a good time and it was nice for us to cool off as well. As for the trio's FIRST swimming experience, we'd say it was a success! We went to another pool this past weekend and Leah was not as excited. She cried and cried and spent the whole time in the exersaucer. It's much less risky in there...she must know that. :)