Second Week at Home!

Tomorrow, Monday, Dec 7th, marks the two week mark to when the triplets came home. Can I just say these sweet girls are little champs! The first week they did great on a 3-hour eating schedule, meaning they ate in about an hour or an hour-and-a-half, and then slept well for for the remaining two hours or one-and-a-half hours respectively. The second week they are doing pretty good on a 4-hour schedule which is giving Mom and Dad a little more sleep. Sometimes one of the girls will wake up before the others, and that gets interesting. All things considering, we feel like things are going really well.

The top questions we get are 1) How is Ann-Marie doing? 2) Are you getting any sleep? and 3) What can we do to help?

To answer these FAQ's, 1) Ann-Marie is doing extremely well in my opinion for being a Mom of triplets. I call her Super Mom, a term that was coined in the NICU by the nurses. She is of course tired and hungry, and each day she has to decide whether she is more tired than hungry or more hungry than tired. To all of her friends out there that may be feeling bad that she hasn't talked to them in a while, thank you for understanding that she hasn't talked to hardly anyone and has spent her energy on the family. She still loves you and appreciates you deeply.

2) We each get about four hours of sleep total at night now that the girls are on a 4-hour eating schedule. Both of us participate in the feedings as it's nearly impossible for one person to feed all three in any reasonable amount of time. Ann-Marie feeds two and I (or someone else in the family) feeds the other with a bottle. After they eat and we clean-up from one feeding there is usually two hours where we can get some sleep. Then the cycle continues...

3) Friends and neighbors have been absolutely amazing in helping out. They've been extremely respectful of our request to keep the girls in "quarantine" until their immune systems are stronger. Furthermore, despite our neighbors being so busy with their own family matters, they have brought meals which has been a tremendous help. Meals at this point have been the most helpful.

Ellis with Ruthie

Gracie and Ruthie

Ruthie, Gracie, and Annie

Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie being so cute for the camera!

Annie didn't move, but Gracie and Ruthie kept doing fun poses

So fun!

Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie in their comfy jammies

Tummy time after feedings during the day!

Mommy and Ellis making gingerbread houses

Making gingerbread houses is a family tradition (thanks to a ton of work from Grandma). Ellis thought of the candy cane hearts himself. What a cutie!

Bath time is quite the effort with three little ones

The girls are still on oxygen, so it goes with them wherever they go:)

Thanksgiving...I'm Stuffed!!

Having the girls home for Thanksgiving was such a wonderful blessing. We enjoyed expressing gratitude to our God, the pilgrims, our ancestors, and the many others that helped make this great country in which we live. We also expressed gratitude for the NICU nurses, doctors, and hospital facilities that helped our girls be healthy enough to come home.

The day before Thanksgiving Ellis had a school program. He was a great pilgrim!

Ellis saying his part at his Thanksgiving program

Lots of singing and dancing

Hello there Pilgrim Ellis!

Ellis enjoyed helping get the pumpkin seeds separated for baking

What a fun mess!

Ellis thoroughly enjoying himself

Uncle David, Aunt Erica, and Uncle Chad holding the girls on Thanksgiving Day

Uncle Ken holding Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie

Aunt Heather holding Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie

I'm Stuffed! Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie

Ruthie, Gracie, and Annie stuffed after a fine Thanksgiving dinner at home!

The family has grown!

Welcome Home!

Ellis, Papa, and Grandma Krueger gave Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie a wonderful welcome home. They did all the finishing touches to get their nursery ready and the girls love their room.

Our "new normal" with Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie home is wonderfully busy. The spirit they bring into the home is truly a piece of heaven. We are so grateful for all the miracles that have taken place in anticipation of their arrival.

We are so grateful for family! Grandma and Papa Krueger are absolutely amazing and help take care of every detail. Ann-Marie and I are so appreciative for all their help.

Ellis and Papa bought a pink, purple, and yellow balloon as well as a Welcome Home balloon for the arrival of Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie.

Ellis made this welcome home note for his sisters

Ellis's first chance to see his sisters since they were born. Here he is looking at Annie.

Ellis and Ruthie

Ellis's first chance to see Gracie

One happy big brother!

Ellis often is asked "So how does it feel to have three sisters?!"

Ellis and Ruthie

Daddy catching his breath from bringing the girls in from the van as well as their monitors and oxygen tanks. Annie is in the car seat with the green cover, Gracie with the orange cover, and Ruthie in the pink cover.

Ellis holding Ruthie

Ellis and Ruthie

Annie and Gracie

Ellis and Gracie

Ann-Marie's cousin made these cute cookies that we gave to the nurses at the NICU to say thank you for all their help. Thanks, Kim!

Papa with Ruthie

Mommy, Annie, Gracie, and Ellis

Ellis received a lego set as a gift from his sisters

Annie and Gracie

Mommy and Annie

Grandma and Papa Krueger with Annie, Gracie, and Ruthie

Thanks to Grandma Krueger the girls had their toenails painted to help in remembering which one is which.

David and Karen's chance to see and hold the girls

Ruthie with her nails painted

Pink for Ruthie, yellow for Annie, and purple for Gracie

Ruthie, Gracie, and Annie in their new crib. Aunt Erica made them these fun blankets with their colors on one side and matching fabric on the other.

Ellis and Annie the following day

Ellis's first chance to feed Annie

Daddy burping Ruthie

Grandpa and Grandma Bott came up and filled their arms full of their granddaughters!

Ellis, Mommy, Grandpa Bott, Ruthie, Gracie, Daddy, and Grandma Bott

We had to use duct tape to make the little halos for the girls' heads in an effort to maintain round heads. Grandma Krueger made name tags in helping remember where the girls are in the crib (we've had to rotate them in the crib so they don't keep sleeping on the same side of their heads).