Top Ten Moments With Newborn Triplets

Krissy here...

It's true. The babies are about to turn 5. I've been reminiscing a lot the past few weeks--remembering back to five years ago in the hospital and then our arrival and new lives at home. Some moments made me laugh...a lot. So I thought I'd share them, as I certainly wasn't on FB, blogging or doing any adult communicating at all while the trio was in their first year.

Two-week-old Ellie. She always tried to pull out her feeding gavage.

Two-week-old Joshua

Two-week-old William

Here are my Top 10 Moments from the trio's first year (and the pregnancy).

10. The reactions of my grandmas to my triplet pregnancy.
They both knew we had been trying to have a child for close to two years and so when I told each, "Grandma, guess what? We're pregnant...with triplets!"

Grandma M:   Long silent pause. "Maybe we prayed a bit too hard for you!" We both burst into laughter :-)

Grandma J:  "This is the most wonderful news I've ever heard." :-) So sweet.

 My mom (w/Ellie), me (w/William) and my Grandma J. (with Joshua)


9. The dishwasher repairman
It seemed almost every one of our appliances broke shortly after the babies were born: the air conditioning (on a hot, muggy day), the microwave, and the dishwasher. The dishwasher was key to helping us survive the 24 hour-long feedings we did each day (each baby took a LONG time to eat when first home). The repairman saw our three babies and asked about them. My husband told him they were triplets. He replied, "You know, I'm surprised my family never had triplets. We all have a third nipple." Oh.

The babies at home in the "day nursery" (downstairs crib). One month old (L to R: E, W, J).

8. The Missing Heartbeat
This wasn't in my top 10 at the time, but it sure is funny now. One night I woke James up by pleading with him to check the baby beside us. "He's not breathing!" I insisted frantically. "I can't find his heartbeat!" James said, "Krissy, it's a pillow." Oh.

James falls asleep with William after a feeding.

7. More than three consecutive hours of sleep!!!!
The one night I got over 3 unbroken hours of sleep in those difficult first six months was memorable. I have the date written down somewhere--it was some time in August (babies were 4 months); my parents stayed the night and we slept at their house. Beautiful. The second time that happened was in January (babies 9 months). And no, I did not get any sleep while the babies were in the NICU. I was advised to wake at 3-hour intervals to get my milk production up. Why I listened to that nurse, I have no idea.

I got sleep! Babies were almost four months in this photo. We started noticing Joshua's torticullis (weak neck muscles caused tilted head) at this age.
6. Who's really feeding Ellie?
Another one that turned funny long after the fact. One night, after feeding Ellie in my room, I brought her back into the nursery and saw James holding...Ellie. "Who are you feeding????" I asked, my heart racing. "Ellie," he said calmly. "Then who am I feeding?????" I asked, worried. "Krissy, you're not feeding a baby," he responded. I looked down and saw that my arms were cradling...air. Oops.

I could barely keep my eyes open the first four months. Joshua was four weeks in this photo.

5. Our first stroller walk with the babies
I was so worried about sunburn, germs in the air, overstimuli, etc., that we had the babies wrapped in blankets with the canopy fully blocking the sun (and the entire outside world). Ellie's blanket kept falling down, so I think we made it past one or maybe two houses on our street before turning around and calling it a day. That was when the babies were 3 months old. If any neighbors saw us, I'm sure they were either laughing hysterically or shaking their heads at our ridiculousness :-)

We didn't buy our triple stroller until the babies were a year old.
4. The "Doughnut Party"
I was getting increasingly depressed in the hospital by the end of my stay. I knew I had to keep the babies in as long as possible, but as the weather grew nicer and as my pain increased (preeclampsia with tons of swelling at the end), I was getting tired. Around week 9 or so in the hospital, Easter arrived. My family was coming by later, but I was sad about missing church and basket hunts. So my regular room-cleaner, "Zee," felt bad for me. So she brought me a dozen doughnuts. I shared them with others (promise!), but I will admit that I ate two large doughnuts right after she brought them. The babies, who'd been squished and less active the past few weeks, must've gotten an immediate sugar rush because they started what seemed to be an actual gymnastics meet in my tummy. It made me giggle, and the day was fine from then on as I remembered why I was there :-)

Is it me or a beached whale? My home for 11 weeks. Yes, by the end, even XL maternity shirts could not cover the belly.

3. My baby shower
My sweet sis-in-law, Jodi, had planned a baby shower for me at her house. But I landed in the hospital before it took place. I was so depressed at not having any baby shower--all the other ones planned were postponed 'til after the pregnancy (my Bible Study friends surprised me with another hospital one later, but I didn't know about it at the time). So my sis-in-law moved the shower to the hospital lounge room. It was the highlight of my hospital experience. I put on....SHOES!...(you never wear shoes in bed, otherwise!) and I got to take a wheelchair ride....down the hallway!!!!  (Later, I got a few more rides...'til I started contractions again.) It was so much fun, and despite a snowstorm, people still came. Thank you, dear sister. It was a perfect day.

Me with my dear s-i-l, Jodi (who is now a beautiful mom to my identical twin nieces!).

2. The realization that I had amazing friends, coworkers and family
I had family members who gave up their precious time, weekly, for an entire summer to help me feed the little ones. I had neighbors, who were already feeding and caring for their own young children, make me meals, twice a week, for an entire summer. I had coworkers, who lived far away (and some who I didn't even know all that well) provide such generous gifts and meals throughout the first summer. And both sets of our parents were amazing. My mom stayed with us the first 10 days, nonstop, after the babies came home. She came 5 days a week all summer and then 2-3 times a week once we reached a point of survival, around 4 months. While at the house, she did a majority of the laundry, housework and of course helped with all the feedings. My dad also helped frequently. James' parents live in TX, but they travelled to help us for 9 days in May and another 8 days in July. They were such troopers--participating in EVERY feeding...even the middle of the night ones. And side note: I wasn't particularly nice or even lucid with all these above gifts. I don't know if I gave you all thank yous, I don't know if I returned e-mails or phone calls, I don't even know if I seemed all that grateful. But believe me, you helped save me. Raising infant triplets was tough.

My mom with Joshua in the NICU. He was a few days old here.

 My dad with Ellie in the hospital. She was one week old.

 James' parents feeding Ellie and Joshua. They were 5 weeks here (drinking 4 oz bottles that look huge!).

 One of my godmothers, Aunt Sue, with Joshua and Ellie. She came on Tuesdays to help me.

My cuz-in-law and Nurse Practioner, Erin. She helped on Wednesdays and endured my weekly grilling about medical questions (is this normal? this? this?) and about Hollywood gossip (her close friend nannied for Seal and Heidi Klum at the time and now nannies for the Beckhams; I craved news from the outside world!).

1. Every moment of every day spent with my three little ones
This last one includes the thousands and thousands of best moments with the babies that first year. Every touch of their hands, every coo, every smile, every giggle. Every interaction they had with each other, every bath, every game of peekaboo. The first year went too fast: it's a situation unique to parents of multiples. Yes, we have three kids, but we only get one year with infants (not three). We only get two years with toddlers (not six). We only have one baptism, one first birthday, and one Christmas for one-year-olds. Among all the AMAZING gifts parenting triplets brings, the one enormous disadvantage of the situation, for me, is that this is it. My one chance. And I have to try to drink in every stage as much as possible, while I can. I remember a friend asked me one time why I was still washing my kids' hands (rather than having them do it independently). I told her it was simply because "they still let me." I have a very short time before their hands will ALL be big, before they're ALL in school, and before they ALL are kind of "over" their mommy. And I dread that day. But it's been such a joy while here. And yes, I know the future will bring more wonderful moments. But it's still difficult to say goodbye to things.

Happy birthday, William, Joshua and Ellie. I love you to the moon and back, to infinity and beyond, to forever. You made our family complete.

William, Ellie and Joshua at age 4.5 in their pre-k picture.