Does My Bum Look Too Big?

That would be a most definite YES!

~End Photoshoot~

We'd like to thank everyone who has donated to the trips diaper service. The generosity of soooo many has kept them in diapers for almost 10 months (three months left of prepaid service). The cloth diapering experience is not only cheaper but better for baby's skin than disposables. But I'm not knocking disposables, we'd be using them if we could afford it. We bought enough preemie disposables to last us the first two weeks after bringing the boys home but ever since it's been cloth. THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH!!!!

I was almost getting second thoughts about it before the boys were born and after I had invested in the diaper covers and had registered for the service. I had heard many stories of smelly babies, rashes, and blow outs to name a few. But to my relief it has been a very pleasant experience. The service is great because all I have to do is put the dirty diapers on the porch and every week they are taken away and I get fresh clean ones. I swore that I'd never attempt to wash my own but knowing I could save almost $100 a month is too good to pass up. I've asked other M.O.M's who've done it and they only have good things to say. So I might splurge a month or two more after my prepaid runs out in hopes that the boys poops get more solid but then I'll start washing my own.

Which brings me to another topic, about two weeks after starting solids the boys started pooping like crazy. 3-4 times a day for each baby! (they were going once maybe twice a day before) Their poo went from a tomato sauce consistency to more like tomato paste and it makes for some very messy diaper changes. I feel like more is coming out than is going in, is this normal??? Is their G.I. tract adjusting? (I'm emailing their doctor) They only eat like three or four tablespoons of solids once a day. By the time Phil comes home I'm about to scream, I just can't stand to change another dirty diaper! I'm also picking them up more to take them to the changing table and it's killing my back, as if it didn't already hurt! OK enough venting... On a lighter note here are some pro's and con's of cloth:

Con's

-If you only have one baby it's probably not much cheaper to do the service (it's like wholesale the more you buy the cheaper each one is)

-If you wash your own you have to deal with poo...my reality soon enough : (

-There is an upfront investment on diaper covers which are very expensive $8-25 a piece and you need about 6-10 per baby. (thankfully I got my newborn/smalls used and Phil's friend generously gave us a ton of mediums and larges)

-They are a pain to deal with if you leave the house a lot (but perfect for the triplet mom who never leaves her house)

-More frequent diaper changes (I change them every three hours during the day and just double up at night)

-Takes about 5 seconds longer to change them

-Their butts will appear larger than they really are...you should see them at night when we double up!

Pro's

-No chemicals on baby's skin

-Better for the environment (although this may be debatable)

-Less blow outs (I've had more blow outs using disposables and they are hardly ever in them!...but I also buy the cheapest ones I can find)

-A lot cheaper than disposables and almost no cost if you wash your own (ours are 15cents each and if you buy the good disposables they are more like 20+ cents each plus you need to shell out for a bigger trash pick up)

-almost no cost if you wash your own

-almost no cost if you wash your own

-they potty train faster!!!!!!!!!! Boys generally take longer to potty train than girls. I'm looking at 3+ years, so if there is any way to expedite this I'm doing it. Also, the sooner they potty train the sooner I can drop them off at the Ikea play area for some kid free time during the week : )

-Cute diaper covers...see pictures : )

My Two Nannies

For a whole week I had two full time nannies 24/7. They entertained babies, bathed them, changed diapers, cleaned, and cooked all my childhood favorites. All I did was nurse and tickle baby toes. At night they brought me babies to nurse and I slept the rest of the time. Who are they and how much were they paid you ask??? I'll start off by saying I paid them $0.00! You probably already figured it out by the pictures since we look a lot alike but it was my mom and sister : )

My sister had not yet met the boys. She was very anxious to meet them since she planned on coming in Feb but had to cancel because of the flu. I should also add that my sister has a fear of flying and the last time she flew was as a child about 20years ago. But pictures and videos of the boys convinced her to use all her strength to overcome her fear. I'm confident to say she wasn't disappointed.

I picked them up from the airport late one night and warned them not to wake anyone up. Caleb was sleeping in one of the rooms by himself and to my mom and sisters delight he was already stirring when we arrived back at the house around midnight. I turned on the lights and the first thing my mom said was "que gueros!" literal translation "how white" but really she meant 'how caucasian' looking he was. Yes the boys are white male versions of myself.

We did all the family favorites, chatted about the latest family gossip, lounged around in pajamas and watched movies based on real life, took a walk in the mall, and ate delicious food my mom made (I wised up this time and wrote down some family recipes that I'm sure will impress future guests when I try them on my own). They even went with me to the boys 6mo check up and endured the torture of shots right along with me.

Of course time flew by as it always does. My mom kept saying to the boys "no matter how much I kiss you now when I leave it will be as if I never kissed you at all." She took a pair of the boys dirty socks to smell when she misses them. The boys do not have sweet baby smelling feet, they sweat like crazy and leave their socks half soaked and stinky when I get them out of their jumping chair. So I know she really loves them and will miss them dearly.
I will miss them too : (


I'd also like to add that just as I suspected the boys have made the growth charts had they been full term on their birth date. At their check up we found out that Thomas made the 5th percentile, Caleb 2/3rd and Eli about 1st percentile, they are now at a normal weight for a 6.5 month old baby. They are growing like champs!

Two weeks ago I noticed Eli and Thomas eye-ing my food so I ran with it and they've been eating solids once a day ever since. Besides rice cereal we've tried bananas, sweet potatoes and avocado. Their favorite I think is avocado followed by sweet potatoes. Today we try peaches! I have some trouble getting them to drink water though, they don't quite know what to do with the sippy cup and when they get water to come out the just spit it right out.

Check out their sippy cups, I chose Avent bottles because they can become sippy cups and baby food storage containers later on.



Eli helping pops paint

Disclaimer: No babies were injured in the filming of these videos.

I found them like this just a couple of minutes after I had put them facing each other on their tummies. This probably happened a lot in the womb and is why it took him a while to start fussing.


Ants in their pants or just too much energy!

A Day in the Sun

three lil' bears





The last few days I had been noticing that the boys were looking kind of bored and wouldn't get very excited about their toys. I think they needed a change in scenery.

After having record breaking continuous days of rain we had a much needed sun break. On Friday no rain was predicted but it was overcast that morning. I went outside to see if it was very cold, felt like maybe low 60's. This is sweater weather in my book although in Portland people start wearing shorts when it's in the 60's and head for the pool when it hits 70, CRAZY! Growing up in California I would add at LEAST ten degrees before shorts or the pool is considered. So I put the boys in there bear suits to stay warm and we went to the backyard, which now looks like a jungle. The boys were funny in the light breeze because they would get a little choked up by it. I wanted them to check out their new surroundings but instead they just stared at their hands or at each other. All in all it was a nice change and I think they enjoyed it.









Later that day one of my BFF's came over and we walked to a park near our house. The sun was now peaking through the clouds but still a little on the cool side so I dressed the boys in pants, a sweater, shoes, and a sun hat. By the time we made it to the park the boys were down to their onesies and pants. It was down right sunny and warm! I had never been to this park and am now really excited about it, it has big shady trees, a great play ground, and a wading pool with something that I think shoots out water from the middle of it (I'm hoping they turn it on in the summer). I can see us coming here a lot.

The boys were really cute in the swings. They acted real cool and nonchalant but I could tell they really liked them. Lately the boys have seemed really big to me but when I saw them in the swings it was just the opposite. They are still little babies!

By the time we made it back home I felt like I had just worked out. Pushing around a big stroller with an additional 45 pounds in it for half a mile did a number on my weak bed rested muscles. That will change after this summer : )

Caleb laughing funny

Not Ready -6 Months!

Some how I ended up with tons of hats and no sun to speak of, so I thought I'd at least make them wear one before they outgrow it.



I'm not sure why but this picture made me laugh hysterically!

All ready for noms with their bibs made by aunt Amber and painted by cousin Samantha!


We gave it a go and I think they are not ready for solids yet. I guess their reactions were pretty typical but the fact that they just don't seem interested is why I'm waiting it out another month. If they had gobbled it up then I would have proceeded otherwise. We'll try again at 7 months.

So the boys hair is starting to catch up to their eyebrows. For a while I thought they might go bald as their heads kept getting bigger and no new hair. It's getting much thicker up top and as the pictures show their hair is pretty dark but I think it will be a lighter brown than mine (my hair is practically black).



They had already had two spoonfuls before this and most was spit out but Eli on the third try actually ate something!


Caleb


Eli


Thomas

Before Moving on to Solids

Wish I could see that beautiful smile




Before we get started on solids I'd like to write about how breastfeeding is going. It has been a roller coaster. You know the first half from my other updates and the second half is just as crazy. I won't go into details unless you want to read an entry as long as a book. It seems like every few weeks something changes. It's an interesting dynamic figuring out rotation, partial feeds, accommodating growth spurts, etc, etc. So I'll just update you on what works NOW.

Don't ask me how I could stand to do it for so long, but I pumped religiously for 3 months (7-8 x a day) and then a few times a day for another month. I'm finding out that that is much longer than most other mom's have done. I'll be the first one to admit it, I'm the crazy one!

First off, everyone still nurses and we still supplement with formula. I always nurse each boy first and then offer them some formula. Although, Eli, about a month ago decided he doesn't like formula anymore. Actually if I try to offer it to him he gags, so he only nurses. I don't blame him though, have you ever tasted the stuff? it's nasty! Breast milk is so much more palatable, it tastes kind of like sweet rice milk. Yes, obviously I admit to tasting it, don't be offended, everybody try's it (Like peeing in the shower, no one admits to it but everyone does it).

So Eli gets one whole boob and Caleb and Thomas split the other. The first boy drinks less formula than the second one, but on average 0-4oz per boy. We waste A LOT of formula in the process, but it doesn't bother me as much as when breast milk would go to waste, a few times I just saved it for next time even though you are not supposed to. It would almost bring a tear to my eye to pour un-drank breast milk down the drain, a lot of pain and suffering went into getting as much as possible out!

My eating habits are less than desired. I'm always hungry and along with the boys I too eat every 3 hours. Let me just say it's EXHAUSTING! Finding something to stuff my face with that often gets old and tired fast. Of course if I could go out to eat every time that would be a different story. It will be nice to eat like a normal person someday. I'm glad I kept a 10lbs pre-preg weight buffer because if I have a bad week of not eating enough I'll drop a pound or two and that lets me know I need to do better the next week.

We just went to a WIC appointment yesterday and they lowered the amount of formula we get because we don't use as much as they thought we would (thank God we don't pay for this stuff, it's $15 a can!). They did, however, increase my food package, yay! I get so much tuna fish that I'm slightly worried about mercury poisoning, I think I'll switch to the salmon for a while. The boys got measured and are all 24inches long (17 inches at birth, an increase of 7in). They were also weighed and they are keeping with the same pattern as when they were born.

Caleb 13lbs 11oz
Eli 13lbs 10oz
Thomas 13lbs 15oz

Poor Caleb, every one assumes he's the biggest. Unlike his brothers that have football shaped heads, his is round. And Eli really holds his weight well, he seems so much smaller than his brothers but he is only an ounce lighter than Caleb. Thomas maintains his "Thomas the tank" status, keeping a nice lead ahead of his bro's.

I'm very excited about starting solids. The boys still don't really seem interested but I'm giving it a try anyway. I've got the food (rice cereal since it's pretty much benign), bib's and date picked out. I just need to pull out the other two high chairs out of their boxes.

I relish every milestone and don't want to take anything for granted since these might me my only babies : )


There are drawbacks to being fully breastfed. Since the boys were preemies they are required to take 0.5cc's of this really nasty iron/vitamin sludge once a day. Caleb and Thomas get it diluted in their bottles so it doesn't taste as bad but Eli has to take it like a man.

Our Non Schedule Schedule

His pants are fitting more like capris

They'll always have each other to lean on.





Bad swaddle fail. You'll notice our latest addition, owl swing bit the dust!



The grandparents just left so it's back to juggling babies by myself again! Family is always streaming in so I can always look forward to getting some relief in the near future. My mom and sister are next in line, yay! It's especially stressful when feeding babies and the others are whining/crying to be held or played with. The boys are starting to out grow their baby einstein and prefer sitting in their high chair, bumbo's and jumping activity chair (I wish I had another one but my house is already about to explode with baby gear).

Our Non Schedule

Unlike most triplet households we do not follow a written schedule. It works for most, but I felt too stressed out about "staying on schedule." Having never had children before I initially thought the world would implode if I didn't keep a strict schedule. I was relieved when this didn't happen. We stopped the every three hour schedule at 3 months (see my life in 3 hrs post).

I didn't like it once I had to wake babies up to eat. Why would you ever wake up a baby! A few times the babies let us oversleep and that was a VERY nice treat! This let us know that they were capable of longer stretches of sleep. This also made me worry that I was overfeeding them. Another reason I ditched the schedule was because the babies were always up at the same time and asleep at the same time. So I was hoping to get more one on one time with each boy (although this means less down time for me).

Even though we don't have a written schedule that doesn't mean I don't run a tight ship. We keep a strict "Eat, Play, and Sleep" schedule. The Eat and Sleep portion lasts 1 hour to 1.5 hours. In that window if anyone shows any signs of crankyness it's off to another nap. I have them eat the minute they wake up so that nobody becomes dependent on having a boob or bottle in their mouth to fall asleep.

So here is the funny thing, I think the 3 hr NICU schedule is so ingrained in them that on their own they reverted back to it. For the most part, one wakes up right after the other every three hours to eat. A few times a week, however, one or more boys will nap for like 5hrs and it's glorious! I can get so much done and a few times I didn't know what to do with the spare time.

At night it's a little different. They are all asleep by 9pm and when the first one wakes, after about 4-5hrs, we wake up the others too and feed them all at once. Then back to bed till 7am.

Here's something else that's funny, we still swaddle even though they are almost 6 months old! They are too big to swaddle their legs so we only swaddle their upper body. Most kids outgrow this within the first couple of months so I'm wondering how long we are going to have to keep this up! I wonder if it's their way of making up for their shortened time in the womb? Anyways, they are getting really strong and can break out of a swaddle a lot easier, a swaddle fail almost always leads to baby waking up : (


Bobble head Thomas

Thomas on the boys new favorite toy