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!