Mr., Mrs. and 4 Little Misses

We can Climb the Stairs!

2012-02-24T04:00:00.000-05:00

Everyday we have been having stair-climbing races up to bath/bed..it's so fun and the girls crack up!

Madelynn always wins and normally Natalee is second, followed by Claire who just prefers to hang back with Daddy!

Natalee taking the lead!

Madelynn already headed down to her room!

Natalee coming in second! Claire lagging behind!

Come on Claire....you can do it!

Madelynn, Claire and Natalee: You are 14 Months Old!

2012-02-23T11:50:00.001-05:00

Phew! 14 Months! It's been so fun with you guys this month! You are constantly babbling and interacting with each other! I just love watching you play with one another and it's so cute to watch your relationships with one another blossom! What a blessing it is to have each of you! We love you all so much!

{ This Month at 14 Months }

You all have started biting more and more, especially when you are really frustrated at one another. Claire you bit Natalee and left a huge mark on her arm for the first time today, 02.23.12.

You are all so funny and crack us up! I love your little personalities!

You are all so happy all of the time!

You all had your hearing tested (a preemie thing) on 02.21.12 and you all passed...even though I knew you could hear just fine!

We moved into a new wonderful home! You have all adjusted so well! No set-backs or anything. You love the new wide open space you have to walk and crawl everywhere!

You all became BIG SISTERS! You have adjusted to that pretty well too. Most days you all have tried to dig Emily's eyes out but so far we have saved her from your true wrath! Natalee, you did bite Emily's toe on 02.22, and she screamed. That wasn't very nice but I know you didn't do it to be mean, you are just expressing your frustration.

{ Madelynn }

You are completely walking!

You have 7 teeth. 4 on top, 3 on the bottom.

Your hair is light brown.

Your eyes are blue.

You wear size 3 shoes.

You wear size 9, 12 and 18 month clothes, depending on the brand.

You wear size 4 Pampers Cruiser Diapers.

You love to eat your feet still!

Your favorite foods are applesauce, pancakes, scrambled eggs, waffles, graham crackers, cinnamon toast sticks, cinnamon toast, cheese, bologna, turkey, bread, peas, green beans, carrots, corn, ect. You love vegetables so much and you are a great eater. You shovel everything in your mouth, so now we only give you a little bit of something at a time.

You still love your ba-ba (bottle).

You love to drink out of your sippy cups all day.

You sleep through the night from 7:30PM - 9:00AM.

You love to dance and listen to music. You rock back and forth on your feet as soon as you hear music of any kind. It's so cute.

You love to clap and wave.

You can do two signs...all done and more. You are a very fast leaner and pick up things super quick.

You are constantly laughing!

You love ripping your bibs off, no matter how many times we put it back on you.

Your favorite time is bath time. You love splashing so much. You splash with your hands and now you have learned how to lean back in the bath seat and kick your legs so hard and splash that way.

You are still the bully of the bunch. You think everything is yours and only yours!

You still growl. Everyone thinks it's so funny!

You wear shoes everyday and love them!

You can say Momma, Dadda, baby, me and baba (bottle). But you babble constantly!

You can climb the stairs all by yourself, and faster than your sisters.

You are very determined and do not like to be told no.

You love Elmo so much and light up when he comes on TV.

Your favorite toys are your blocks, princess car, books and really anything, because you think everything is yours anyway!

You sleep with your lovie, blue bear, soft tag book, binki, pink ellie and a blanket. You love to put your lovie over your face as soon as you lay down with your bottle.

You have started jumping in your crib and running back and forth from side to side!

{ Claire }

You have 7 teeth. 3 on top, 4 on the bottom, the opposite of Madelynn.

You wear size 3 shoes.

Your hair is light brown.

Your eyes are blue.

You wear size 9, 12 and 18 month clothes, depending on the brand.

You wear size 4 Pampers Cruiser Diapers.

Your favorite foods are yogurt, pancakes, scrambled eggs, waffles, graham crackers, cinnamon toast, cinnamon toast sticks, cheese, bologna, turkey, bread, peas, green beans, carrots, corn, ect. You love vegetables so much and you are a great eater. You have a little issue still with textures but you have improved so much! You don't get any baby food at all.

You love your bottle!

You love to drink out of your sippy cup all day.

You love taking your bows off.

You sleep through the night from 7:30PM - 9:00AM.

You love to clap and wave!

You have an obbession with cabinet doors. Anything that can be opened and shut, you have to do it one hundred times, even when you pinch your fingers constantly.

You have a sweet soul. A little more laid back than your sisters.

You can climb the stairs all by yourself!

You love ripping your bibs off, no matter how many times we put it back on you, even the ones that go over your head, you can take them off too.

Your favorite time is bath time. You love splashing so much. You splash with your hands, and of course your tongue sticking out!!! Silly girl!

Daddy is your favorite person, even when you get hurt, you prefer Daddy to cuddle you.

You can say Momma, Dadda, and baba (bottle). But you babble constantly!

We still call you Lola, Lola Mae, Lola Claire, and Claire-bear.

You love Elmo so much and light up when he comes on TV.

You are taking about 3 steps at a time on your own. You can run around the furniture like a mad woman but you like to hold on.

You can stand without holding on to anything for minutes at a time.

Your favorite toys are your blocks, princess car, books and the pretend cookie jar that makes noise.

You sleep with your lovie, beige cow, glow worm, binki, pink ellie and a blanket. You love to put your lovie over your face as soon as you lay down with your bottle.

{ Natalee }

You have 4 teeth. 2 on top, 2 on the bottom.

You wear size 3 shoes.

Your hair is dark brown and very straight.

You eyes are a very dark brown, like your Momma and Daddy's eyes. Everyone comments on your eyes, ever since you were born. You have a deep soul, sweet girl and your eyes haven't changed since the day you were born.

You wear size 9, 12 and 18 month clothes, depending on the brand.

You wear size 4 Pampers Cruiser Diapers.

You can stand for long periods of time without holding on!

Your favorite foods are yogurt, pancakes, waffles, graham crackers, cheese, bologna, turkey, bread, peas, green beans, carrots, corn, ect. You love vegetables so much and you are a great eater. You are such a great eater, but for some reason you are not a big fan of eggs.

You love your sippy cup!

You have completely switched over to pedi-sure and never even noticed the difference! You love the vanilla and strawberry, but I haven't tried the chocolate yet. You have gained the most weight ever this month on the pedi-sure!

You sleep through the night from 7:30PM - 9:00AM.

You clap and wave!

You constantly sit on your knees.

You took your first steps alone last week and I bet you walk before Claire!

You love Mommy so much and have a very hard time separating from me, but as long as you don't see me, your fine!

You can climb the stairs all by yourself!

Your favorite time is bath time. You love splashing so much. You love to get on your knees in your bath seat and try to stand up constantly. You are so tiny in the seat so you can move so easily.

You refuse to sit in the tub, you only want to stand! You will not sit in your bath seat at all!

You have a very determined personality. You like to have what you want and when you want it!

You can say Dadda, but I have not heard you say Momma yet. But you babble constantly!

We still call you Na Na, peanut, string bean and puppy (because you sometimes still sound like a little puppy/piggy when you sequel).

You love to be chased, and will crawl away sooo fast!

You love Elmo so much and light up when he comes on TV.

Your favorite toys are your blocks, princess car, books and Daddy's cell phone.

You sleep with your lovie, pink bunny, glow worm (glowy), binki, pink ellie and a blanket. You are the only one who could care less about your lovie. You love your glowy, especially the ears. You rub the ears of glowy between your mouth and your nose all of the time.

{ Here are all of you playing this month...}

Just a Little Sprinkle!

2012-02-20T14:39:00.002-05:00

This past weekend my sister threw a "baby sprinkle" to welcome Little Miss Emily! Those of you who don't know what a sprinkle is...it's like a baby shower but not as over-the-top. Sometimes people have "sprinkles" when they have babies of the same sex close together...and therefore don't need too much. Or sometimes they are given after the baby is born to welcome the new little one. Ours was a little of both. I felt really stupid having a baby shower when I have triplet girls only 13 months prior to Emily, and SO many people were so generous to us, I just didn't feel it was right to expect anything more! But I didn't want Emily to think she wasn't important and that no one cared about spoiling her!

So here are some pictures from Saturday at my parent's house!

It was a small group, but those who could come, I truly appreciate it!

Em got her own Pooh from Grammy!

My sister threw a great party with great food! Emily got lots of nice gifts too...along with a few for Madelynn, Claire and Natalee!!

Claire was loving the chocolate cupcakes!

Thank you to everyone who came and all who sent gifts! We truly appreciate you spoiling our Little Miss E! We can't wait for everyone to meet her!

Chillin' with Daddy!

2012-02-16T04:00:00.000-05:00

Ya know, hangin' out watching the Pro-Bowl a few weeks ago.

She must take after her Mommy...sports put her right to sleep!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T20:00:00.000-05:00

I'm going to let the photos do the talking...but we enjoyed a fun Valentine's Day today! I can't believe it's been 4 years since Tim proposed to me on Valentine's Day 2008! We have been blessed beyond means in the past 4 years!

All these little girls in their super cute outfits bought and made by their Nana, are the reasons Tim and I will always continue to love and cherish one another! There is nothing better to me than looking at my children and knowing it's a product of the love I share with Tim. I love him more each and every day for the wonderful man and father he is.

While the girls and I had pancakes...this little sweet girl was waiting patiently for her breakfast:

And the crazy girls after breakfast...

And after dinner...

Nat's pant got all dirty! Oh well!

CC checking out her new froggy!

Sweet Claire

Claire

Madelynn

Twinsies

And of course we celebrated with Krispie Kreme doughnuts!

Hope you and yours truly had a wonderful Love Day too!!

Stay Tuned Please...Randoms and Some Photos

2012-02-13T14:37:00.000-05:00

Yes, I have been a bad blogger this past few weeks. But can ya blame me? A newborn, recovering, taking care of 3 very active 13 month olds and packing the entire house for our move this past weekend?!

Needless to say, it's been a crazy and hectic few weeks and I am so glad to be settling in to the new house!!!!

So thankful to have an awesome hubby, a great extended family and lots of wonderful friends that have been helping us out sooo much! I don't know what we would do without any of them! What a blessing each of them are...and you know who you are! I can't thank everyone enough for all the help this past weekend!

I don't think I have picked up my camera much in the past week, which is totally horrible, but I promise to get some photos of everyone and the new house, which has been painted in some parts. The girl's rooms look amazing, painted by their grandpa and auntie. Their bathroom looks great too, painted by Daddy! And Uncle Nate painted our master bathroom and Tim painted one of the downstairs bathrooms....so it was quite the painting party last weekend! It's hard for me to take photos when everything isn't perfect...LOL! I am trying to control my OCD to just "let things be" and be okay with everything on the wall and perfect in every corner. I am only giving myself a few weeks to get everything done! And trust me I will!

Oh and we haven't had snow since the weekend before Halloween, and of course Friday night and Saturday during our move it snowed/rained/was extremely windy and was FREEZING....lovely right, and it made for a bunch of mud! Yuck!

And Natalee had a fever all day on Saturday and she still isn't quite right. Thinking once again, she is starting to get an ear infection! Ugh! We're suppose to go get an ear check/shots/weight check for Em on Wednesday, but that might not happen if she is sick!

I started drinking coffee again after months and months of not drinking any and even though the first days were a little hard on my stomach, I am loving it once again!

Anyway, so stay tuned, I have a lot of posts that are started and maybe I will have time to finish everything sometime soon!

Here is our last bath in our old tub:

Reading our books! They love to jabber and read to each other, turning the pages...it's so cute!

For now here is a little update on Emily:

She is exclusively breast-feeding great and last Thursday at her 2 week check-up she was exactly 8lbs! Still a little peanut! She is sleeping from about 9pm to 4am, eating at 4am and then sleeping until 9am. I cannot thank her enough because it has helped me so much, especially since we have been so busy and so tired. She really is such an easy baby! And, she totally looks completely different than the other girls. She has Madelynn and Claire's skin color and I think Natalee's darker hair but I really think she looks just like I did when I was born. I'll have to post of photo of Tim and I as babys and see wehat ya'll think! I would say she looks the most like Madelynn and of course everyone says, well then she must look like Claire too, but Tim and I always thought they looked different even from birth. Months vary, they look alike some and then don't for some. We shall see as time goes on, but I am just thankful for a cute little peanut. I will save all my mushy stuff for another post!

Last Sunday I took a few photos of her:

Love those chubby little cheeks!

Who is This, Mommy?

2012-02-07T13:00:00.000-05:00

Claire: "Someone is my swing, Mommy!"

Touching her fingers! So sweet!

Emily's Birth Story and Hospital Stay!

2012-02-02T14:30:00.000-05:00

I'm guessing it all started around Tuesday when I started getting headaches that wouldn't go away. Wednesday I had a headache but still with the girls in tow, Tim and I ventured out to purchase some new paint for our new house and run some other errands. We met Tammy at Golden Corral for dinner (Tim's choice).

Around 12:30am I woke up to Madelynn screaming at the top of her lungs, which is very different than normal. I opened the door to the room and the smell of vomit hit me in the face. I knew it was bad immediately. Very bad. Madelynn was covered in vomit from head to tow and it was on EVERY morsel of her crib. I didn't even know where to begin other than to start the bath water and put her in the tub. My heart instantly hurt for my poor baby that was suffering. Immediately I thought she must have food poisoning because every bit of her dinner came up and since we ate ate Golden Corral, I thought for sure, plus with the mess in her diaper, I could have bet money. Poor girl. But she was smiling once she got in the tubby and was her happy self to have a bath and Daddy playing with her in the middle of the night.

I cleaned up her crib, which took about 45 minutes (untying those darn bumpers are hard!) and wore me out. Changing the sheets, scrubbing the rails of the crib, moving the crib practically around the room with the lights on (the other two never even opened their eyes...how...who knows, but I was so thankful!) was a workout. By the time she was cleaned up and her bed was ready, I was starting not to feel well, which made my assumption of food poisoning even more likely. Great, I thought. I was so nauseous all night and barely was able to sleep.

Finally around 6:30am, I just couldn't toss and turn anymore and finally decided to get up. The minute I got up, the bathroom trips started. From then until about 7:45am, I thought I was going to die. So weak, my heart racing, I felt like I had an elephant on my chest and so I finally called Tim at 8:00am and told him to get home right away because their was no way I could even make it up the stairs to get the girls, let alone do anything they may have needed. I could not leave the bathroom or put down the trashcan. Lovely, right, especially at almost 40 weeks pregnant!

And then the contractions started. Immediately after my first bathroom trip, I started chugging the water, which obviously wasn't staying down at all, but I knew I could not get dehydrated. I called the emergency number to my OB but they didn't call me back until right at 9:00am. By that time, Tim was home and Tammy was ready to come down if the OB wanted to see me, which I was pretty sure the case would be, considering I was 39w5d's. I also knew I had a fever. The contractions were about 2-5 minutes apart and when I told the on-call OB, they told me to come in right away. Since Tammy is about 30 minutes away, I called her, and she got ready to come down and I layed down, thinking I was about to die. I felt so bad, I couldn't go more than 5 minutes from the bathroom. I had no idea if I was even going to make it to the OB, or pass out before getting there. It was lovely. I did grab my two hospital bags and my camera on our way out the door, just in case.

Luckily I made it the 30 minute drive to the OB, in the office and they called me right back. Dr. Apgar (yes that is his real name) checked me and said I was almost 3cm. Since I had a fever and was having such strong contractions, he hooked me up to the monitor right then and there and when he came back, he didn't even have to say a word, because I knew the contractions were hard and strong. His exact words were, "you're banging these out, you're going next door (to the hospital) and I'm pretty sure you aren't leaving without a baby."

I still didn't believe it. Not in the least bit. I just thought I would be going to the Labor and Delivery triage area, going to be given fluids, zofran and my contractions would slow down and I would go home. I never thought anything different. I signed in and sat down. By this time, I was actually feeling a little, tiney-tiny bit better. The nurse came out and called my name. It was one of the same nurses I had when I was in with the girls, her name was Carrie. Sweet girl. As we walked back, she said, "so, Dr. Apgar says you're 4 cms..." and I said, "really, he told me I was just 3." When we passed the Labor and Delivery triage, I was confused and said, "am I going to a real room" and she said "yes." Surprise number one.

I got in the room, got undressed into my lovely hospital gown, and she called Dr. Apgar to get more orders for what he wanted. And then that's when it all hit me. I heard him say that I was indeed 4cm's, start monitoring my contractions because in the office they were every two minutes, to give me some zofran and fluids, and he would be over in just a few minutes to break my water. Surprise number two. My mouth literally flew open. I looked at Tim in complete disbelief, and I looked at Carrie and I said, "he lied to me, he didn't say anything about 4 cm, I'm having this baby today?!?!" I couldn't even think. It was almost 12pm. I just called my mom and Tammy and started texting everyone who needed to know what was up.

And within a few minutes my sister arrived and Dr. Apgar was in the room and I was freaking out, yelling at him (in a nice manner...he's an awesome guy) about lying to me!! I just was in such disbelief. I asked when he was going to break my water and he said, "like now, in five minutes!" My sister who works across the street arrived and a few minutes later he broke my water. It didn't hurt or anything. Wait, let me rephrase that, breaking the water does not hurt, it was neat actually, just a warm sensation of water, not like peeing yourself, just like all of the sudden you're sitting in a warm bath. But, what does hurt like pure hell, are those lovely cervical checks. So that was at about 1pm.

And within about 15 minutes the contractions changed. Almost instantly. My contractions from then on were no farther apart than 2 minutes, sometimes just a few seconds apart, lasting about 1-2 minutes. Stronger and stronger. Harder and harder. Off the charts. Holding my breath, had to focus, ouch! Just kept thinking of sitting on the beach in Aruba!

My best friend Kim then arrived, since she works over an hour away, she was not going to miss anything, so I had texted her first to give her a heads up of her newest niece coming sooner than we thought. My mom also finally arrived.

I was told I could have the epidural at any time but I wanted to experience labor some. Carrie and Dr. Apgar thought I was crazy. By 3:30PM, when my temperature was about 101, I decided to get the epidural. I felt like I was letting myself down and wanting this VBAC so bad and here I was already giving in to having an epidural. Not that I EVER wanted to go natural, but I did want some control. It was bittersweet, but I ultimately decided to go for it. I didn't know how long I would be in labor and so I wanted to save my energy for pushing and since I was so sick and had no energy anyway, I thought it was my best chance for a VBAC. I was checked right before the epidural and I was 5cm, close to 6cm and the new nurse, Lauren, promised me I did much better than a lot of women do. Whether it was true or not, I believed her at the time, so it made me feel good.

The epidural was easy. No problem, it didn't bother me when I had the spinal with the girls, so I wasn't scared for this one. What was horrible, was when the anesthesiologist finished my whole right side wasn't numb. The pain was horrible and they could not get it to become numb. After awhile they said they would probably have to re-do it. Of course I sat there, thinking why did I have to be the one it fails on?! But instead, he gave me another full dose of the medication and it really helped. My right side never felt as completely numb as my left but it was well enough that I couldn't feel the contractions. But after a little while, it made me sick. So of course that was no fun, once again.

Enter then a catheter and a suposistory of Tylenol for my high fever. Neither was bad because I couldn't feel a thing, amen. All I kept hearing was how hot I was, but yet I felt like I couldn't get warm and kept asking for more blankets.

Everyone thought it was great to watch how big my contractions were going, off the charts and yet I wasn't feeling anything. In fact, I was trying to sleep. I was so beat. Constantly getting sick all morning, having a high fever and my body preparing for labor, I couldn't believe how well my body was doing, but I was beat physically. I dosed off a few times between everyone talking and laughing.

Around 4PM, I was checked again and was 6.5cm, but it was so much nicer not being about to feel anything. A little there after E's heart rate started to rise and I was put on oxygen and some antibiotics in case what my body was fighting was get crossed to E.

At 5PM, Dr. Apgar had to leave and his colleague, Dr. Renzi was on-call. I was really happy he was the doctor on-call because I really liked him too. He delivered two of the Sofelkanik kiddos and I was in the room with one of my friends who had him deliver her daughter four years ago. So, he is not a stranger and one very well known doctor.

Things still weren't getting any better for E with every position, so Dr. Renzi was called and the nurse explained to me that if I wasn't fully dilated and E's heart rate wasn't going to stabilize, I would most likely need a c-section right away. At that moment I thought there was no way I would get a VBAC, but I didn't care. I just wanted E to be safe and I would do anything for that.

Dr. Renzi was there within five minutes and checked me and quickly said I was fully dilated, her head was right there and that I better be a good pusher. (He later said that sometimes when a baby drops so quickly and the mother becomes fully dilated so quickly, the heart rate of the baby will speed up some, telling the doctor she is ready!) He said he was going to change his clothes and we can get started. At this point it was 6pm. Kim and Tim were there with me, my sister and my mom had gone downstairs to the cafeteria to get something to eat. They were quickly called and told to get back asap. When I started pushing, I maybe pushed twice and the head could already be seen, along with some dark hair. I asked if it would be like an hour of pushing, and Dr. Renzi said, "oh no way, who ever is here, is here, this baby is coming now."

With every contraction I pushed and pushed and my mom and my sister were taking their sweet time, because it literally took them 20 minutes to get back into the room from 3 floors below. I was so afraid they would miss it, and I kept asking where they were because things were moving so incredibly fast. I was still in complete shock but felt great. Compared to how horrible I felt all day, I was feeling great! I honestly couldn't believe I was about to have our baby! I was so excited but it was honestly so surreal!

Finally my mom and my sister arrived and I maybe pushed another 5-10 minutes and looked down and I could see Emily's head coming out. Totally crazy! Dr. Renzi turned her head to rotate her body and she came right out with a few small, slight pushes. I could not believe it!!! I felt nothing and enjoyed the whole process of watching my little girl come into the world and take her first breath at 6:58PM! She was immediately placed on my chest and the tears started to roll. I was glad the nurses let her lay on me for a few minutes before taking her. I soaked in all I could in those first few minutes. Tim was speechless and it was so perfect.

After the nurses took her to clean her off and my sister finally grabbed the camera (in our hospital, they don't let you take photos of the actual birth, and since I had a fever and the Neonatalogist was present, they were being pretty strict about the photo taking because they wanted no one in the way if they needed to assist Emily right away) to start taking photos, I had a moment to reflect on what I just did! I was so proud of myself and really was in total shock that I just had a vaginal birth, something I always dreamed of! I just couldn't stop crying, it was wonderful, really, there are no words to describe it.

They weighed her, checked her all over and made sure she was perfect. They kept trying to get her to cry, but she barely would. She was breathing fine, just wouldn't cry super loud. Secretly, I was hoping it is her laid-back personality showing through already.

Emily was born with a fever of 101.1, but it quickly went down within an hour of her birth. The Neonatalogist was aware of the whole situation and there was no need for anything further and the conclusion was because I had a high fever. Thank goodness she was fine!

I then got to hold her for awhile, just skin on skin, so a bunch of those pictures are not blog-friendly, but here are the ones that are!

And then snuggle time meeting her Daddy....

Getting ready to go to our new room!

We were then transferred over to our new room, which was right down the hall from where I was when recovering from the girls, only this time, I had a baby IN MY ROOM! I was so happy!

Tammy came down when we got over there and it was so wonderful for her to meet her newest grand-daughter. Before we knew it, it was almost 11pm and I was totally exhausted and still couldn't feel much of my left leg. Because of the second dose of the epidural that I got, my left leg was numb for HOURS that night. I took some pain meds and even though I was so tired, I couldn't sleep at all because I was so excited. I kept praying and thanking God all night for the most wonderful experience I could have ever imagined. I swear, I kept looking at Emily and then just thinking that I just had a VBAC, she was fine, I was fine, no complications. All my fears were gone and it was a great feeling. Too good of a feeling to sleep. I just couldn't stop thanking the Lord for what He has given me!

The rest of night was great and I just held Emily and relaxed. Of course around 5am of Friday, people start bombarding your room for everything. Blood work, vitals, food, room-cleaning, bathing the baby...it never ended. Plus, the room we were in...yea...the TV was broken! So, then just when I decided to take a shower, the repair men came! Nice! But I was so thankful to have the TV working again! The day was very lazy and quite boring! I was so ready to go home and see my "big girl" babies! We just watched TV and napped a few times, but it was an easy day. I still couldn't believe how great I felt!

Christine came by at lunch and then her and Nathan came by after work.

Then I dressed her up in one of my favorite preemie outfits that I had from the girls, and it barely fit! But it was too cute, so I just kept it on her, but needless to say it will be the only day she wore it, or fit into anything preemie!

My dad finally arrived after work also and I was so excited to show him Emily! He missed her birth by just a few minutes when he left the hospital to take over for Tammy watching the girls, so she could come down.

Saturday morning we were up at 7:30am and were ready to get going! I wanted to get home so bad!!

Finally we were released at 1pm, after waiting all freakin' morning for her PKU test to come back and make sure she wasn't jaundice. While waiting, I caught Tim trying to convert her to an Eagle's fan already....

Waiting oh-so-patiently to leave!

Finally we were given the OK to leave!!!

So excited to take my baby girl home with us when I get discharged! I just kept smiling so I wouldn't start crying! Such a wonderful feeling...so normal!

And finally were going home with Little Miss Emily June!!!! Stay tuned for when she met her sisters!

Welcome to the World, Sweet Little Emily!

2012-01-27T14:15:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Thursday, January 26, 2012, we welcomed our newest sweet baby girl into our family!

-- Emily June --

7 lbs. 14 oz.

19 3/4 inches long

6:58 PM

Born by an extremely easy and so rewarding VBAC!!!!

We are rejoicing in God's wonderful miracles and thanking Him for a perfect delivery of our sweet Emily!

We are so in love with all the sweet smells and noises filling our hospital room!

We're all doing great and looking forward to getting home tomorrow so that she can join her BIG sisters!

Birth story to come!

Wordless Wednesday: Eating lunch in our new kitchen!

2012-01-25T12:00:00.000-05:00

Saturday while everyone was busy cleaning and organizing...these three little ladies were enjoying getting to eat lunch in our new kitchen! And yes, of course there will be a table by the day we move in!!

13 Months!

2012-01-24T21:13:00.001-05:00

Wow, 13 Months! I can't believe you all are this old already! It's such a fun age!

You all constantly babble at one another. I love listening to you having your little conversations and I know it's just going to continue to elaborate and become more and more. You love to read books in the bath to each other, actually turning the pages and looking up, like you are really reading, it cracks your Daddy up!

You love playing together. Luckily, the biting has not progressed. Amen.

You will have a new baby sister any day now!

You all NEVER SIT STILL!!!!!

We will be moving on February 10th, 2012, and you went to your new home this weekend and even took naps in your new room! Daddy and Uncle Nathan are going to paint it purple this weekend!! We hope you love it!

No more babies in this house right now, until your new sister comes of course, but you have all transferred to toddler-hood so beautifully!

----------

{ Madelynn }

You walked across the family room on 01.23.12! I couldn't believe my eyes! You then walked from the couch to the TV! And then I almost died. You have been taking steps and standing on your own without holding on to anything for months now, but you have never taken more than 3-6 steps, but, I think you finally got it! You are such a big girl!!!!!!

You have 7 teeth. 4 on top, 3 on the bottom.

Your hair is light brown.

Your eyes are blue.

You wear size 3 shoes.

You wear size 9, 12 and 18 month clothes, depending on the brand.

You wear size 4 Pampers Cruiser Diapers.

You love to eat your feet still!

Your favorite foods are applesauce, pancakes, scrambled eggs, waffles, graham crackers, cheese, bologna, turkey, bread, peas, green beans, carrots, corn, ect. You love vegetables so much and you are a great eater. You shovel everything in your mouth, so now we only give you a little bit of something at a time. You don't get any baby food at all.

You have completely switched over to whole milk, and never even noticed the difference! You only get one 8 ounce bottle of formula at night, because we have so much of it left over.

You love to drink out of your sippy cups.

You sleep through the night from 7:30PM - 9:00AM.

You were chewing on your crib rails constantly but we fixed that problem.

You love to dance and listen to music. You rock back and forth on your feet. It's so cute.

You started clapping in the beginning on January, and can now clap on demand when I ask you to clap.

You can almost wave, but not on command yet.

You love ripping your bibs off, no matter how many times we put it back on you.

Your favorite time is bath time. You love splashing so much. You splash with your hands and now you have learned how to lean back in the bath seat and kick your legs so hard and splash that way.

You are still the bully of the bunch. You think everything is yours and only yours!

You still growl. Everyone thinks it's so funny!

You can say Momma, Dadda, baby, me and baba (bottle). But you babble constantly!

I have been pointing to my tummy and saying "baby" and you will put your hands on my belly and tickle it. It's so cute. I know you have no understanding of what we are talking about, but I love it anyway.

You are very determined and do not like to be told no.

You still will climb gates like Spider-woman!

You love Elmo so much and light up when he comes on TV.

Your favorite toys are your blocks, princess car, books and really anything, because you think everything is yours anyway!

You sleep with your lovie, blue bear, soft tag book, binki, pink ellie and a blanket. You love to put your lovie over your face as soon as you lay down with your bottle.

{ Claire }

You have 7 teeth. 3 on top, 4 on the bottom, the opposite of Madelynn.

You wear size 3 shoes.

Your hair is light brown.

Your eyes are blue.

You wear size 9, 12 and 18 month clothes, depending on the brand.

You wear size 4 Pampers Cruiser Diapers.

Your favorite foods are yogurt, pancakes, scrambled eggs, waffles, graham crackers, cheese, bologna, turkey, bread, peas, green beans, carrots, corn, ect. You love vegetables so much and you are a great eater. You have a little issue still with textures but you have improved so much! You don't get any baby food at all.

You have completely switched over to whole milk, and never even noticed the difference! You only get one 8 ounce bottle of formula at night, because we have so much of it left over.

You love to drink out of your sippy cup.

You love taking your bows off.

You sleep through the night from 7:30PM - 9:00AM.

You were chewing on your crib rails constantly but we fixed that problem.

You started clapping in the beginning on January, and can now clap on demand when I ask you to clap.

You can almost wave, but not on command yet.

You have an obbession with cabinet doors. Anything that can be opened and shut, you have to do it one hundred times, even when you pinch your fingers constantly.

You have a sweet soul. A little more laid back than your sisters.

You love ripping your bibs off, no matter how many times we put it back on you, even the ones that go over your head, you can take them off too.

Your favorite time is bath time. You love splashing so much. You splash with your hands, and of course your tongue sticking out!!! Silly girl!

Daddy is your favorite person, even when you get hurt, you prefer Daddy to cuddle you.

You can say Momma, Dadda, and baba (bottle). But you babble constantly!

We still call you Lola, Lola Mae, Lola Claire, and Claire-bear.

You love Elmo so much and light up when he comes on TV.

Your favorite toys are your blocks, princess car, books and the pretend cookie jar that makes noise.

You sleep with your lovie, beige cow, glow worm, binki, pink ellie and a blanket. You love to put your lovie over your face as soon as you lay down with your bottle.

{ Natalee }

You have 4 teeth. 2 on top, 2 on the bottom.

You wear size 3 shoes.

Your hair is dark brown and very straight.

You wear size 9, 12 and 18 month clothes, depending on the brand.

You wear size 4 Pampers Cruiser Diapers.

You have completely switched over to pedi-sure and never even noticed the difference! You love the vanilla and strawberry, but I haven't tried the chocolate yet. We are hoping it makes you gain some weight, you little string bean!

You love to drink out of your sippy cup, but still need a little help.

You sleep through the night from 7:30PM - 9:00AM.

You were chewing on your crib rails constantly but we fixed that problem.

You started clapping just last week, and can now clap on demand when I ask you to clap.

You constantly sit on your knees.

You love Mommy so much and have a very hard time separating from me, but as long as you don't see me, your fine!

Your favorite time is bath time. You love splashing so much. You love to get on your knees in your bath seat and try to stand up constantly. You are so tiny in the seat so you can move so easily.

You have a very determined personality. You like to have what you want and when you want it!

You can say Dadda, but I have not heard you say Momma yet. But you babble constantly!

We still call you Na Na, peanut, string bean and puppy (because you sometimes still sound like a little puppy/piggy when you sequel).

You love to be chased, and will crawl away sooo fast!

You love Elmo so much and light up when he comes on TV.

Your favorite toys are your blocks, princess car, books and Daddy's cell phone.

----

We love you all to the moon....and back. You mean the world to us and we are so blessed to have you each and every day of our lives. This was a bitter-sweet month as we knew it was our last month with just the three of you. We know you will never know the difference when your new sister arrives, but we will remember the past 13 months with just the three of you.

We love you so much sweet girls. Happy 13 Months!

BabyFirst TV

2012-01-24T04:00:00.000-05:00

Thank you Direct TV for giving us BabyFirst TV for 6 months for free. I love free things. And really, my girls are loving it when I turn it on in order to get a few things done, and Mommy and Daddy really enjoy something different than Elmo.

But I must admit some of the singers that randomly come up between shows are kinda weird. Weird, like scary weird. Just to say it nicely....interesting.

I just wonder where these people come from and what makes them have the "it" factor for grabbing kid's attention?

But it keeps my girls attention for now, so whatever.

Update!

2012-01-20T16:10:00.000-05:00

No, E is not here yet. And no, I haven't gone into labor yet.

We went to the OB today and I am 70% effaced, 2 cm dilated, -2 stage and have a very soft cervix. Her head is about the length of a tuna can away from the doctors hand, which is improved from a soda can's length. He still said it could be any day, or all the way until the 31st. E has been given an eviction notice, but apparently she already has selected hearing. I'll be 39 Weeks tomorrow and she is measuring at 8lbs 3oz....YEAH, the perinatalogist said on Thursday, "this girl will be big!" Tim and I cannot fathom a "normal" size baby! We are so excited to meet her!

I went into severe pain on Wednesday afternoon due to a tooth that has been bothering me since before I was pregnant with E that I was putting off until after E was born since I knew I needed a root canal. Finally, the pain became completely unbearable and even with two Vicodin around the clock, I could not focus on anything. It literally was the worse pain I have ever experienced, right along with the first time I got up after my c-section and when my embryos were splitting and attaching. Thank goodness for my wonderful husband who can take care of three kids alone because all I could do was rock back and forth, cry and pray. We called the dentist, the on-call OB...to make sure what I was doing was okay and what could be done, and of course nothing could be done until the morning. So, Thursday morning I had an emergency root canal, which lasted a total of 6 minutes and was done. I was never so happy to go to the dentist. The 24 hours prior were pure and utter hell. After the Novocaine wore off, I was a new person!

And you would think the stress would make E come....even the dentist said that the Vicodin could make me go into labor...yeahh...NOPE!

And with packing boxes, making a billion phone calls and getting everything ready to move, you think that would make her come...yeahh...NOPE!

Today I finally got my license fixed and am officially a Gaydos, even after 3 years of being in the family.

Also, we get the keys to our new house TONIGHT!

We're cleaning and painting some tomorrow, if it doesn't snow/sleet/ice too much tonight and we can still get there safely tomorrow morning.

Oh, and a bunch of you asked about what we were doing with the girl's rooms, if we were splitting them up or not. This is what we have decided...We are going to keep the triplets together, with just their cribs in one room. I have thought about it a hundred times and I feel like I can't just split them up. They only know each other, they are a pack, even as individuals, they are still together "a 3", and who am I to make them split up maybe in a way they don't want to be split up, especially when they are sleeping through the night so well. When they can verbally say who they want to share a room with then I will let them do that, but until then, I am not making the decision for them. I plan on just putting the cribs and the humidifier, sound machine, lullaby machine in there and that's it. The other room will have the changing table, toys and everything else, along with E's crib when she gets big enough to be in her own room.

So there's an update for now. I will post some more this weekend if I find some time between packing boxes and praying that I will go into LABOR!!!!!

Going to wake the girls up from nap and go pick up our keys and paint....!!!! EKKK!

Have a good weekend, ya'll!

No More Beavers in this House!

2012-01-18T12:30:00.000-05:00

I had some wood-chewing beavers instead of children in our house the past few weeks...but no more.

Madelynn had been chewing on her crib rail for sometime and I had had enough! Every morning when I would walk in the girl's room, I found Madelynn biting, licking, sucking and chewing on her crib rail, covered in white paint chips. Lovely, right. Then Claire started doing the same thing and a week later, Natalee too, so immediately I researched what to get to preserve their convertible cribs for the future, not to mention restrict beaver tendencies and paint chip eating!

Finally I decided on these from Amazon. They came just a few days later, I washed them and they are on their cribs for good, at least for awhile. They are super soft, very thick, have great ties, were easy to put on and have a plastic backing. I love that they are a super soft fleece too.

Here is a photo of it on Madelynn's crib:

So, if you are having "beaver issues" in your house, I highly recommend this product!

These are just my opinion and I am not gaining anything by writing this product review!

Madelynn, Claire and Natalee: YOU ARE ONE!!!!

2012-01-17T13:30:00.000-05:00

OK, horrible Momma here...but with the birthday, holidays, two kids with RSV, two with ear infections, being 9 months pregnant and sick too....well time flies! I guess I need to finish this post before their 13 month post! Haha! I did start writing this way back in early December, so a lot has changed and I'm just going to go with what I had, which isn't much (probably the shortest monthly post thus far) and add some photos. I feel like reading this over they were still babies and now I have three toddlers and they are literally doing so much more!

----------------------------------------------------

You are all ONE? I have ONE YEAR OLDS? I have THREE ONE YEAR OLDS?

What? I cannot believe it. My heart is exploding with love for you each of you. Every month that passes I swear I love you more than the last, if that is even possible. You make my heart smile more than anything in the world and you make life worth living each day. I never knew how much a mother's love was until I became your Mommy. I look at you all and I still wonder why God blessed me so much and why he felt I was worthy enough to mother each of you. I am so grateful.

You are such fun and happy little girls. You smile all of the time and play so great together. I am so lucky to have children that can play for hours with toys and I can get stuff done. You are so not attached to me and for that I am so thankful. I really belive it's because you have eachother. You love me and know I am here, but you don't care if I walk in and out of the room. You all just love palying with one another and I love that. You laugh so hard at eachother and are starting to really play with eachother more and more each month. No matter what toy one of you has, you all want it, even if we have multiples of the same toy. Sharing is not something you are learning easily. You have started biting each other out of frustration and it is NOT nice!! Natalee, when your sisters try to take a toy that you have, you squeal like a little angry piggy! It's so cute, but you are definitely letting your sister(s) know that you have the toy and you want to keep it.

Madelynn, you are still the biggest bully of all. You beat up and take toys, and you don't care who or what is in your way, if you want it, you go and get! Whenever I hear someone squealing, I know Madelynn, you are most likely doing something you shouldn't!

You all babble at one another like you are really starting to have your own conversations and understand each other, it's so cute.

You are all very dominant children. You want what you want and you know when you want it, whether that means your sister is playing with that particular toy or not! I constantly have to pull you away from one another so you all don't hurt or bite each other.

Out of all your toys, you love measuring cups, your new princess ride-on toys, the leap start play table, Elmo and your lovies the most. Madelynn, you love to run around the leap start table as fast as you can and when you fall down you laugh so hard and pull yourself back up as fast as you can and start going again. You laugh at yourself constantly while doing this.

Madelynn, you are still the dare-devil of the bunch. You have learned how to stand on toys and make yourself higger or bigger! You little munchkin, your are a crazy girl! You do it everyday and stand on anything you can. You figure out a way to get what you want and even in the "chick pen" you have managed to stand on toys to reach Mommy's desk and all the unorganized papers on it! Thank you for that. Also, Daddy and I have caught you completely climbing the "chick pen", scaling it, like Super-Woman. I almost died! You are too much sometimes, girl!

Madelynn, you also have eaten the paint chips on your railing SO much, that we have had to buy teething crib rails, which are awesome (post on them coming this week too!)!

You all love to lick and taste everything. No matter what it is, you all put things in your mouth immediately.

Madelynn, you bit your sister, Claire for the first time on 12.20.11, on her right hand and she didn't not like it at all. All of you have started "mouthing" each other and Mommy and Daddy, and we constantly say, "no biting". I don't think that it is necessarily intentional at this point but it's getting closer and closer to being that.

You all love laughing at the cats and Audrey! No matter what they are doing, you can have hours of entertainment from them! It's so funny!

You are all learning "no" very slowly, or you may take after your Daddy, and just have selected hearing already...silly girls! I say "no" and you all look at me and just smile...little hams! You know exactly what you are doing, you just prefer not to listen.

Claire, you love pushing buttons over and over. Sometimes musical toys have "disappeared" due to this obsession of yours.

Growing:

Madelynn - Your 5th tooth (the second bottom one to the left) popped through on 12.20.11.

You are all in size 2 or 3 shoes.

You are all wearing size 4 Pampers Baby-Dry Diapers and size 4 Pampers Extra Protection at Night.

In clothes, you all wear 12 or 18 months. You have very long legs, all of you, so most of your pants are 18 months. You can, however, still fit into some 6 month and 9 month onesies, just depending on the brand.

Madelynn and Claire, your eyes are still a beautiful blue and your hair is still a lighter brown and getting thicker by the day. Natalee, your eyes are a dark born and your hair is a darker brown than your sisters and much straighter. Your complexion is also a little darker than your sisters.

Madelynn and Claire, you stand at everything and can stand without holding onto things. Madelynn, you will walk between toys and can not hold on to anything for a few minutes, you just stand there.

Eating:

Madelynn and Natalee, you are pretty much on all people food. You eat bread, cheese, beans, french fires, potatoes, corn, carrots, peas, green beans, macaroni and cheese, pasta, rice, chicken, bologna, turkey, ham, steak...basically anything and everything that we have. Your favorites are corn, carrots, bread and cheese.

Natalee, you love yogurt too and fruit. Madelynn, you still refuse to eat yogurt and baby oatmeal, but you LOVE fruit.

Claire, you will eat cheerios, puffs, bread and cheese, and sometimes so veggies, but that is it. You spit everything out that touches your tongue immediately. You are a funny girl. You still spit at us sometimes and you have to have your puree foods. We still try at every meal to give you some finger foods but you just refuse!

Sleeping:

This month has been so wonderful due to serious sleep-training. I was so scared, read every book over the past year, article after article, listened to what others did and nothing was working. I was at my wits end with waking up every single hour to feed or soothe so I was ready to pay any amount of money to get you all to peacefully sleep through. Sometimes, Madelynn, you could drink 30 ounces at night just because you needed that "soothing sucking". I don't lie when I say you were foaming at the mouth, throwing yourself across the crib

It was by far so easy, I just had the issues not letting you scream but it took barely two nights and now I don't hear a peep out of you all. It is amazing and just proves that I was holding you back. I am sorry for that girls. Mommy has some issues of guilt with letting you cry and be self-sufficient at times, so I take full responsibility for this. But it was amazing and I am so glad I finally didn't give myself anymore excuses!

So now you are all sleeping from 7pm until about 9am! It cannot get any better than that!

Here you guys are at around 12 months old, taking our Christmas Card photos:

Natalee Lynn

Claire Elizabeth

Madelynn Christine

Our New Home!

2012-01-16T12:45:00.000-05:00

The rest of this month and the beginning of next month, we will be packing up our house and moving! We found a beautiful home, with lots of SPACE and perks just about 30 minutes from our house now. Not to mention it is 5 minutes from Nana's house and 5 minutes from Aunt Kim and Uncle Roger's house!!!!!

The front yard needs some work, but of course it's the middle of winter, so what do you expect?! I can't wait to have some flowers blooming, grass and shrubs. Oh and of course my American Flag flying!

The space in our current house is just not enough and our electric bills are out of control, even though we have done everything to keep them down. There's nothing really that can be done because the house is just made cheaply, quickly and it's old (built in the early 70's), and even though it's renovated with lots of new updates, it still has been horrible. Our electric bills in the winter/summer months are somewhere between $450-650 dollars...for the past 4 years!! The new house has been $139 dollars each month for years....AH-MA-ZING!!

I know it's not the best timing for a move. It's freezing. The girls are just one. Oh yeah, and we're having a baby ANY day! But oh well. Luckily we have a great support system that is willing to help us pack, move and help with all four of the girls!

We honestly couldn't be more excited for our family!

Here are some photos I took on Saturday!

Also has walk-in closet!

Shower is on opposite side.

I love the molding...also will be the girl's room - being painted light purple, same as other room.

We will be painting one weekend before we move in - light purple for the girls!

Seriously it couldn't be more ME!

Love the space on tile (not carpet) we have coming in the door and storage for all of our strollers, boots, shoes, coats, ect, ect! Oh it is awesome to have SPACE!

Most likely my sister will be moving in with us (probably in March), while she works full-time and goes to school. It's the perfect opportunity for her to "move out" of our parent's home but still be with family and pay next to nothing for her own space! We are so excited for her! She's going to paint the room and has so many ideas already for decorating!

I din't get any photos of the kitchen, but I will. We are all standing in there talking so I didn't want to move everyone out just for a photo.

Seriously, to have a real backyard with grass, a patio and a deck, it is going to be awesome! To have cabinets under sinks for storage...something we don't have now which makes the linen closet very tight. To have brand new carpet, tile and hardwood floors...wonderful! To have our kitchen table and high chairs in the actual kitchen, with tile floors, and not on carpet in the dining room...awesome too!

We are literally so excited. We'll be moving on the 10th and 11th of February, but we're allowed to bring stuff up whenever we want in the next few weeks since it's already vacant.

Now we just are waiting for E to make her arrival, paint and clean it up (not much cleaning has to be done since everything is brand new practically), but I need to clean it myself and sanitize every inch before my babies start crawling around.

(Oh - AND Miss Madelynn is practically walking now! I am sure by the time we move in, she will be a full-blown walking machine!)

Happy Homecoming Day, Claire!!!!!!!!

2012-01-13T21:00:00.000-05:00

Claire, you were the first of your sisters to come home. It was a very bitter-sweet day but we were so happy to bring you home after 21 days in the NICU.

Last year on this date, it was so hard. One of the hardest days of my life EVER. Tim and I brought one of our daughters home and left two in the NICU, one of which I was so worried wouldn't make it through the night. It was bad. That bad. So bad, I started reading the post and just stopped. There's a part of me that NEVER wants to remember or relive those few weeks when I thought one of my daughters might die.

It wasn't the exact exciting homecoming we had planned for our sweet Claire-bear, but it was wonderful to have one of our daughters home, and by our side throughout the night. It actually made the night easier to have something to focus on, instead of what was really going on in the NICU with Natalee. I can remember the night like it was yesterday, the tears leaving the NICU and our sweet nurse, one of our favorites, Stephanie being so kind and loving. Bless her caring nature and being with my sweet sick little girl all night and taking my many phone calls throughout the night.

Claire, you have slept in our home, your home for 365 days and for that I am so thankful. You came home at 4lbs 8oz and now you weigh 17lbs 8oz!

I don't kn0w if I ever posted these photos...I'm sure I did, but here they are again.

Just arrived home! You were so tiny!! We have a baby in our room!!!

In complete disbelief that one of my daughters in right next to me, finally!

And tonight, as Claire goes to bed as her hammy little self, so sweet and so perfect in every way!

Happy Homecoming Day Claire!!!!!!!

ONE YEAR AGO...

2012-01-11T13:45:00.000-05:00

Last year, today, I was scheduled for my c-section with the girls!

-- 01.11.11 --

I thought it was a cool date and I tried SO hard to make it until then.

But God had other plans and that's okay!

Our girls were healthy and happy and we rejoiced on the 11th of January last year, as we will each year to come.

I feel like there are so many important dates to rejoice on, even the not so good days, we rejoice because it was in God's hands and we trusted in Him.

The date...

we met with Dr. Stillman,

when we started our IVF cycle,

when we had my eggies taken out,

when we had our embryo transfer,

when we found out we were finally pregnant,

when we found out we were having triplets,

when we left the fertility clinic,

when we met with Dr. Pinkert,

when we found out we were having 3 girls,

when my c-section was scheduled for,

when we made it past viability,

when we went to the hospital,

when our girls were born,

when we held each of them for the first time,

when each of them came home,

when Natalee got sick,

when Natalee had emergency surgery,

when Natalee was healed and came home finally forever, and our family was complete at home together, at last.

There's almost a date for each month, which is okay by me! It's just one more thing to be happy about and praise Jesus for all his blessings.

So today, I am rejoicing in the beautiful little girls run-crawling (as we call it) around my house on 01.11.12!

Bad Mommy Award!

2012-01-11T04:00:00.000-05:00

Oh my sweet, sweet, Madelynn.....

Every day you prove to be so much like your Daddy!

Yup, that IS desitin! I guess it tastes good?! Bad, bad Mommy Award!

Since it was already in her mouth and couldn't get much worse in the few seconds it took me to grab my camera, I decided to do just that!

This literally happened right in front of me. I may have been in-depth reading blogs or checking Facebook. Damn the computer!

The Day After Christmas: Aunt Megan and Uncle Julian visit!

2012-01-10T12:00:00.000-05:00

The day after Christmas was another busy, busy day! I had to prepare a big meal for Tammy, Aunt Megan, Uncle Julian and of course us too.

I was so looking forward to them visiting and us celebrating Christmas together.

These photos were taken earlier in the day of the girls on their princess cars...they were just too cute not to share!

And THEN they learned how to stand on them, as they do with ALL of their toys now!!!!!

Claire LOVING her blocks!!

After returning from the grocery store and Tim helping me make everything, we put the girl's back in their Christmas dresses, which dried in the dryer right in time for their arrival!

Uncle Julian and Claire!

Aunt Megan and Natalee

Natalee loving her new jammies from Nana!

Besides some adorable outfits from Aunt Megan and Uncle Julian, they also gave the girls a recorded version of Goodnight Moon, which Megan recorded herself reading it! I LOVE it and it was the perfect gift since she isn't here to read to them. They can hear her voice and at the end she says goodnight to each of them! Almost makes me tear up, each time we read it! We miss our Auntie Megan!!!!!!!!

After a wonderful dinner of spiral brown-sugared ham, pork loin, scalloped potatoes, sweet potato casserole and green bean casserole, we put the girls in the bath and to bed they went!

It was such a nice time visiting with Megan all week and seeing Nana multiple days in a row! We visited David's Bridal (since Megan is getting married in Oct) and went to lunch, hung out at Nana's house and visited with Great-Nana and Aunt Beth on Friday.

These photos we took on Friday, crack me up, because this is how difficult it is to get a photo with triplets at one year of age!

Oh well, maybe by the next time she visits, they will sit still for a second, maybe if Mommy holds some M&M's!

Unfortunately after that we all came down with terrible colds and we're still recovering!

The rest of Christmas Day!

2012-01-10T04:00:00.000-05:00

So once the girls woke up from nap, I finally got them into their adorable Christmas dresses!

They were SO beautiful and looked so grown-up!!!!!!!

Helping Gammy and Mommy in the kitchen! But all they wanted to do is eat their shoes!

Claire

Madelynn sitting with her Grandpa! I think he is her favorite person in the whole world!

Some photos with Mommy and Daddy!

And Claire, with her Great-Aunt Tina, (my Dad's sister).

My momma and my sissy.

Time to EAT!

The girls loved all the food, as did everyone. They wouldn't stop shoveling ham, scalloped potatoes, and quiche in their mouths!

Some good family time, catching up...

Uncle Nathan and Tim, watching some sports I'm sure!

The love-birds, Uncle Nathan and Aunt Christine!

Our cousin, Sam, who works EVERY DAY with RYAN GOSLING!!!! Yes, THEE Ryan Gosling!

He's such a sweet guy and LOVED the girls so much! Hoping to get them in a movie...Holla SAM!!!!

My Aunt, Grandma and my Daddy!

My Uncle Ric, me and the girls playing. He got them some little stuffed animal birds that each chirp a little differently and the girl's LOVE them!

This is what most days looks like when we're all at my parent's house!

My Dad and my grandma's boyfriend, Al.

My mom and my Uncle John, my Aunt Tina's husband.

My Aunt and one of the girls, I think it was Madelynn.

It was such a wonderful Christmas and I was so happy to see everyone and catch-up with all my cousins! I just love hanging with the family, especially since I missed seeing everyone last holiday season!

Hope your Christmas was wonderful! I'm already looking forward to next year and may or may not have started buying some things that went on sale/clearance for next year! Hey, when ya have multiples (plus one), you got to do what you got to do!!!

Better Late than Never: Christmas Morning!

2012-01-09T15:00:00.000-05:00

Going through all the photos, I broke Christmas Day up into two posts! So today and tomorrow we'll re-cap our family Christmas!

Christmas morning I woke Tim up and we got some quick things done and I literally ran in to wake up the girls and tell them it was Christmas morning! I think I said, "wake up angels, it's Christmas morning, Jesus' Birthday and Santa came!" all in one breath!

I waited ever-so patiently for them to finish their bottles and we headed downstairs!

Once we had everything ready, we let the chicks out of the pen! They were so excited that they could FINALLY go and touch the tree and presents!

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE Natalee's face in this photo!!! Cracks me up!

Madelynn kept touching/tickling the baby and saying "baby"....it was priceless!

They were so into it! I was so happy! Tim and I kept looking at each other and smiling, realizing this was such a great "real" first Christmas as a family! And to think next year, the girls will be even more understanding of Jesus' Birthday and Santa, and there will be another little girl joining our family! I look forward to EVERY day and EVERY holiday celebrating with this family, my family, the family God so blessed me with!

A cell phone!!!

Natalee examined her new video, Veggie Tales Christmas! She looked at for a good minute!

Some of the stuff, I wrapped so long ago, I forgot what was in the packages!

Madelynn and her bows! She loved the bows, and almost always had two of them in her hands! She is such a DIVA!

We decided before Christmas and their birthday to get some practical things since they are inundated with toys all of the time, but of course I had to get them a few fun things! They got some fake cell phones, baby dolls, Elmos, blocks (in the bag above from their God-Daddy, Uncle Nathan) a Pooh bath-mat, sippy-cups, bath toys, some books, clothes and other toys (from Nana, Grandma and Grandpa), some other cute stuffed animals, and who knows what else. I can't remember everything, but of course they were spoiled by everyone who loves them!

Thank you all who got them wonderful gifts!!

Before we knew it, they had ripped through everything, and it was time for Mommy and Daddy to open gifts!

Tim got me a beautiful pearl and sapphire ring that I wanted, shocker! He is terrible at keeping secrets even though he doesn't tell me what he gets, it's so obvious! He also got me some cami's, an awesome camera strap cover from Etsy that I was dying for and some new dishes (still waiting for some more to arrive that I bought with gift-cards so when they all get here and I clean out all my existing cabinets, I will post about them!!). I got a bunch of other wonderful things from family and friends!

Tim got some lounge pants, shirts, pants, a snow hat, golf gift-cards, Flyers hats, a Phillies sweat shirt, a new football, and Cabela's gift-cards for a new cross-bow that he is dying for!

All and all it was a great Christmas morning and we were looking forward to spending the rest of the day with my extended family. So we packed up and headed over to my parents to open gifts, feed the girls lunch and put them down for nap before everyone arrived.

I was SO excited to put the girls in their beautiful Christmas dresses that their Nana, Great-Nana and all their great-Aunts bought them!

37 Weeks (&2d)/FULL-TERM!

2012-01-09T10:30:00.000-05:00

How Far Along: 37 Weeks! FULL-TERM!!!!! Holy cow, I have carried a baby to FULL-TERM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How Big is Little Miss E: Almost 7lbs! My goodness! I swear I won't know what to do with a full-term, regular sized baby! I don't even know how to prepare for it!! We are so freaking out that she will weigh more than Natalee in just a few months! That blows my mind!!

Symptoms: Contractions, but nothing too bad or regular...blah! Tired and weak for sure. I can barely carry the girls up the stairs without dying! Still pain in my right leg and having some back pain, along with still recovering from my bad cold and gaining my vice back. I swore my water was going to break from coughing so hard...but it didn't.

Weight Gain: Around 155-157lbs. Not bad to say the least!

Emotions: Doing good. Soaking in every feeling and thought of being pregnant, because according to my husband this is the LAST time I will be pregnant! ;)

Movement: All of the time! She NEVER settles down and it's starting to hurt! She moves so much, especially in the evening and at night. Squirming and squirming, like she's trying so hard to get out, but haven't figured just how to do it yet!

Best Moment of the Week: Making it to FULL-TERM! Phew!

Maternity Clothes: Of course!

Stretchmarks: Just the same ones from the girls I'm guessing, and hoping!

Sleep: Going okay!

Food Cravings: Anything and everything! Loading up on the pineapple and Eggplant Parm (if I can find a good place to get it!)....anything to go into labor soon.

Aversions: Cream based food!

Gender: A Little Miss!

What I Miss: Wine!!!

What I am Looking Forward to: Meeting this little girl! Everyday that passes gets closer and closer and that is exciting, no matter how she is born! This TUESDAY makes 3 WEEKS until my scheduled c-section, but honestly I will be VERY surprised if I make it 40w2d!

And here I am at 37w1d:

My 26th Birthday Re-Cap!

2012-01-07T14:00:00.000-05:00

My birthday was a little different than planned but that's okay. I was looking forward to a quiet day at home until Tim and I went out for dinner, but after waking the girls up and seeing how terrible Madelynn and Claire felt, I decided to take them to the doctors. They had colds but their coughs just really sounded bad and their eyes just didn't look right.

I packed everything up and headed out. It was FREEZING out, like 19 degrees. SO cold. I hated taking them out, but I knew it was best to get them checked out. It was also my FIRST time taking TWO babies out by myself. I always "take" all of them out, but that's when meeting Tammy, just going to my parent's house, or meeting Tim somewhere. So I have no problem leaving the house with all three, but I have never gone into a store or done something with TWO of them by myself yet, but with one of our new double light-weight strollers, it was super easy! I was happy it was manageable, even at 36.5 weeks pregnant and super sick myself! I barely had any voice! Holla!

After diagnoses of RSV, which I talked about in this post, I picked up Natalee from my Mom's house and went home to put these sick babies to bed. They had been refusing to eat and only wanted bottles, so a bottle and to bed it was. They slept great and I was able to get some things done and rest a little myself, it was my birthday after all!

Later after they woke up, Tim took some photos of me and the girls to compare from last year on my birthday.

Last year!

This year....they're in the same order as above...Claire, Natalee, Madelynn!

The girls were acting crazy and want nothing to do with sitting still!

Who needs toys when we can have to wipe bag!?!?

We then got dressed and headed out to one of my favorite restaurants, Clyde's Tower Oaks Lodge. My best friend gave us a gift card for Christmas and immediately I knew I wanted to go for my birthday dinner.

Thanks to Aunt Christine and Uncle Nathan for babysitting our sick babies so we could still go out! When we got back at a super late time of 8:30pm, haha, Claire was still awake and wanted some snuggles from Momma!

All and all it was a great 26th birthday! SO happy to have my health and a beautiful family!

Sickies!

2012-01-07T12:00:00.000-05:00

We have a house full of sick babies!

Natalee, as I mentioned had an ear infection last week and was put on anti-biotics. And I took Madelynn and Claire to the doctors on Wednesday and they both tested positive for RSV! I was shocked, but no ear infections or lung issues at this time. Praise the Lord!

Yesterday, we had their one year visit scheduled and even though we went, the girls were still having fevers and not feeling well, so no one got any shots. Claire also now has a bad ear infection and was put on the same anti-biotic as Natalee. Poor girls. Still no issues in their lungs but if you heard them coughing, you would probably think otherwise! Their doctor said they are dealing with the RSV perfectly and not using any extra muscles to help them breath. Amen! It probably helped them that they did receive the RSV vaccine last year after they were born.

36 Weeks (&5d)!

2012-01-05T12:00:00.000-05:00

How Far Along: 36 weeks, according to me, but 36 weeks and 5 days according to my OB.

How Big is E: About 6 - 6.5 lbs! We'll get a better estimate at the docs today! Could be my LAST sonogram!

Symptoms: Contractions- I had awhile on Sunday where my contractions were between 3-8 minutes apart for about 4 hours. It made me a little bit nervous, but all and all, I was fine. Having many contractions a day but nothing different than I am used to!

Pain down my right leg, I can tell she must be hitting a nerve or something because it happens when she moves a certain way, just for a second.

Sleepy, weak and tired! It's hard caring for a family, being pregnant and trying to get everything prepared and done all day, every day.

Weight Gain: Well I'll be getting it checked today at the OB! At least somewhere around 157 lbs...ekk!

Emotions: Ok, getting so anxious and nervous, but so super excited that every day that passes is one more day closer to meeting E! Then that's when the roller coaster of emotions begin! Still having such a hard time dealing with leaving my girls while I am in the hospital, hating that so much. It's beyond painful for me but I know they will be in great hands and fine, it's just me with the emotions of it all.

Movement: All day, every day! She moves constantly. She jabs me all of the time and is sticking out her limbs from each side of my body constantly. I love feeling her move and cherishing every moment of it. She still gets the hiccups all of the time.

Best Moment of the Week: Knowing my body is preparing for labor, or at least trying to. SO exciting. I feel like in some ways there are so many firsts with this baby, which I have written about before! And I am so excited and giddy over.

Maternity Clothes: Of course. Pj's are the only thing I wear most days unless I am leaving the house.

Stretchmarks: Just the same ones from the girls.

Sleep: Sleep is actually not going to well. Surprisingly now that I CAN sleep through the night, I can't fall asleep until after midnight. Still get the best sleep in the morning, until I wake the girls up at 9AM.

Food Cravings: Anything. Pork and sour kraut! Loving on that right now! My sister brought me a dozen chocolate glazed Krispie Kreme doughnuts yesterday

Aversions: Cream based foods.

Gender: A Little Miss!

What I Miss: WINE!

What I am Looking Forward to: My birthday and a LOOOONG overdue date night with my hubby! Also, my OB appointment on Thursday to see if I am more dilated and another sonogram of E! And of course hoping to go into labor soon!!!

And here I am at 36 weeks and 4 days:

Reflecting

2012-01-04T14:48:00.003-05:00

I got a notice in the mail 60 days ago to renew my drivers license. Ugh, fun, I thought. Waiting in line, waiting to be called, waiting, waiting, waiting. Even though I don't mind waiting these days when I am ALONE, I am still a VERY impatient person. I just stuck it in the pile on my desk and thought 60 days is awhile, I have plenty of time.

So yesterday, 59 days later, the day before my license was due to expire, I went to get it done. Not like waiting until the very last moment, but with the holidays, doctors appointments and the girl's birthdays, there just wasn't anytime left to deal with other not-so-important issues, like the renewal of my license.

When I arrived, the line was out the door. Out the door into the 20 degree weather we happen to be having this week. I thought I would die it was so cold, but the line moved fast. When I finally sat down, took my coat off, my number was called. Wow, quick. I didn't even get to break out my new book.

Well it just so happens that the MVA and Social Security are finally connected now, and even though I have been married for three years, I never bothered to legally change my name. Yeah, whoops. Every year at tax time, I am reminded of this, and I swear to my husband that I will get it changed, but I never do. Ya know, IVF, then being pregnant, bed rest and delivering, taking care of triplets...and oh yeah, getting pregnant again...I just couldn't find the time! Well, long story short, I was only able to get a 45-day temporary license and in those 45 days, I have to go and change my name legally and then come back. I was going to have to pay for two licenses, but the sweet lady behind the desk changed some things and made it so I only have to pay the $30 dollars when I come back.

But while I was sitting there waiting for her to do all of this and talk to her boss, I started thinking about the last time I was here at MVA. The same MVA. How different my life was and how crazy it seems to look back now. Just 5 short years ago.

The lady made a comment when going through all of my information on the screen, when she got to my weight. It had said 110lbs, and so she says, "well you're obviously not 110lbs anymore," NIIIICE! "Well yes, I may be 9 months pregnant and not 110lbs right now, but let me assure you, I am not too much more than that when I am not pregnant, even five years later!" So, yeah...it's lucky she was nice.

In 2007, on January 4th, I turned 21 years old. My best friend, Kim and I went to MVA to get my new license and head to Olive Garden, our favorite restaurant. Seems like yesterday. Of course we went out that night, and this photo was taken.

Yeah....oh how life has changed. And yes, this was taken in a bathroom and NO I wasn't drunk! This was normal activity for Kim and I! Ashamed....not at all! Haha! My flat tummy, oh I do miss thee!!

I was in my 3rd year of college at UMBC, studying Social Work.

Kim and I were attached at the hip.

I still lived at home, and even at 21 had a curfew.

I drove a white Mercury Cougar.

I totally had a major crush on "the guy who worked at our school info desk".

A Blog? What was that?

I had no idea I would meet my future husband that year.

I didn't know if I would ever be a mom because just a few months earlier I had been given the horrible diagnosis of endometriosis. I never expected God would bless me as He has and I would become a mom of multiples.

And here I am 5 years later already.....time flies!

Bachelors Degree and a Masters Degree.

Married for 3 years. And Kim's married too.

Mom of triplet girls, and another on the way....didn't see that coming!

Stay-At-Home-Mom....really didn't see that either!

Driving a BIG SUV full of car seats, toys and strollers.

Not living at home, but only across the street!

No curfew, just too tired to ever go out! Haha!

And to think the next time I step into the MVA, which will seem like tomorrow, I will be 31. 2017. Like over half way to 60. 1/3 of the way to 90. Phew! AH!

My triplets will be 5 and in KINDERGARTEN, E will be 4. Holy cow!

I will have been married for 8 years.

I wonder what God has in store for me over the next five years. I can't wait to find out! It's so weird reflecting on the past and thinking about the future and all the joy it hopefully holds.

How I Got My Triplets to SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!!!!!

2012-01-03T13:16:00.000-05:00

Where do I begin with this? I am still in shock and still waiting for them to revert back to their old ways, but after almost a month, I am thinking I can spill what I did and not jinx myself! But I cannot take all the credit for this, I had a wonderful motivator!

-The Background-

The girls had been getting up many times...many, many times. Natalee would have some good nights, then some bad nights, even though I always said she was my best sleeper. She doesn't necessarily want her bottle, just her Momma and she will put up a good fight to get me to go in and pick her up. I hated letting her cry, even though I knew it was all just a game. As soon as she would see me and I pick her up, she was all, "ohh" "eee", so happy and content! Little booger and I knew I was just being played! She would do this many, many times a night, just to see me. And I always gave in. Bad Mommy!

Madelynn, when she would wake up, she would be literally throwing herself across the crib, foaming at the mouth, screaming so loudly and practically making herself throw up by gagging constantly because she was crying so hard. No kidding. No exaggeration...DRAMA QUEEN! Then Claire would wake up and be so upset, she would do the same, but she would cry into her sheets, so not as loudly.

If I even let them cry five minutes, this would happen. And then I had 3 completely uncontrollable screaming babies!

All would be solved if I walked in and gave warm bottles. That was their ONLY way they would calm down. Even just a few sucks and all in life was better, 4 ounces, and they would roll over and go to sleep.

-I tried SO many things and suggestions-

I gave water, cold, warm, room temperature, it didn't work.

Binkis or Lovies never worked in the middle of the night.

Some nights, Madelynn would drink 30 ounces, yes, 30 ounces, each in 4 ounce bottles. Count how many times I would be up just with her on those nights. So, I tried giving more in a bottle during the first time she woke up to see if she would then sleep for a few extra hours. Not so much. Never worked.

Tried giving them a different formula, that just upset them off even more, and didn't work.

I tried letting them scream, and then they would all be screaming, for hours. I didn't like that. It didn't work.

We have a great schedule, the same every day. My girls do not have a problem with falling asleep, they go in their cribs awake with no problem. It is strictly in the middle of the nights. I asked the doctor and she suggested having them drink and eat more during the day, and that didn't work either.

I consulted every book I could find, read what others did, researched about multiples in one room together....nothing gave me the answers. I would just laugh and think, yeah right that won't work on my foaming-at-the-mouth children!

-My Issues are Big too-

I felt bad for them and me. I still have guilt from leaving my babies in the NICU and not being able to come to them when they cried, how horrible it was knowing I wasn't there to be with them when all they wanted was their Momma. I swear it will haunt me until the day I die. You don't know the pain you could have in your heart until it's your flesh and blood that you have to leave each day, so little, so vulnerable, so alone. Now I am here for them and letting them cry is just so, so, so hard. Way too hard for me. I read about all the dangers there are when you let them cry as some researchers say, and how they can become less attached to their Momma and have trust issues later on in life. Every way of some sleep-training out there, has supportive and not-so supportive research. It's all so confusing and it can be SO controversial.

But, regardless what I was trying wasn't working. I knew that. Some nights I just layed in bed crying myself and praying to God that I would find some answer into what I was doing wrong, and where the answers were. Multiples are hard. Hard. This was proving to be the hardest transition so far for me, and them.

I was at my wits end, actually I was at my wits end for weeks, months...enough was enough. I just kept saying "tomorrow" or "later" when they aren't sick, or teething or just wanting their Momma.

But regardless, I knew it was a habit that they formed. Nothing more. They are not needing a bottle, they just are wanting bottle. Habits are hard to break though.

-Transition-

So, one night I decided this was it: an 8 ounce night-time bottle and then one 4 ounce bottle in the middle of the night. I can deal with getting up once, but not ten or fifteen times. The first night, it was a Thursday, it somewhat worked. I was up until 2am listening to them on the monitor, crying myself. It was pure hell. I hated myself. I felt like such a bad Mommy. I finally gave in, because I wanted some sleep myself. It was so exhausting and again, I just said, forget it. They each had two bottles I believe, which was an improvement I thought, but not for me. I was a mess. I was even mad at myself for doing it to them, even though they woke up with smiles on their faces.

The next day, I research more and referred to my books. I can and I was going to figure this out. I am smarter than my children, for now. They are barely one. I am in charge. I am THE MOMMY!

I found a "sleep lady" and talked to her for a few minutes. I even made an appointment with her for two weeks later, because if by then my method of "operation-no-method" wasn't working then I will pay the $150 to meet with her. Also, I consulted some ladies on Facebook. The dreaded, so-much-I-hate Facebook.

-Motivation-

Luckily my close friend, The Diaper Diva, Melissa called me and we talked for awhile and I found out what she did with her two young boys. It was simply amazing and gave me this motivation I can't even describe!! She knows me inside and out and I respect her so much as a friend, wife and mother. She is one of very few go-to mom's that I trust one hundred percent, and we are so alike that I know if she can do it, so can I.

I really learned SO much from our conversation! She hit every nail on the head; on developmentally what the girls were doing, how I was feeling and how easily this problem could be solved. One main thing was that they are NOT going to die from crying. Sometimes they need to cry. Sometimes it's good for them. Sometimes that's how they get that excess energy out. I knew it was a game with them, a habit, but I needed reassurance. They are not truly hungry even though they drink the whole bottle. They are old enough to learn. I knew they were smart enough to get me to come in, so they are smart enough to know that I am not coming in because it's night-time and time to sleep!!

So that night I was so excited for bed-time and couldn't wait to try out all the wonderful tricks and suggestions Melissa told me. My I can't do this-I'm a bad mommy and mean attitude was out the door!

-Friday Night-

At bed time, I changed a few very small things. Instead of letting them fall asleep with their bottle, as sometimes they would, I made sure they were still awake when they were finished with their bottle. I left the light on and the door open a little longer, going in and out while they drank their bottles, until they were all done. Once they were all done, I then took the bottle, gave them their binki and lovie, turned off the lights and shut the door. I made sure they drank all 8 ounces. Natalee doesn't sometimes, but she at least drinks 6 ounces.

Still kept on the white noise machine and lullaby's all night.

Once they went to bed and fell asleep, I let them be. I turned off the monitor and just knew that it would be so much better if I didn't hear them crying at all. Of course if they really cry, I will hear them anyway since our door is open and their room is right down the hall, but it won't wake me up unless they are really screaming. I was ok with it. To be honest, it wasn't that hard! Once I fell asleep, I woke up only a few times to them crying and I just kept telling myself, they won't die from crying, they are smart girls, they are playing me, I am THE MOMMY and I am in charge here!!!! I DID NOT GO IN! Never once!

I gave them each a 4 ounce bottle at 3AM (because ya know, if you are used to eating a full meal in the middle of the night and then someone takes it completely away, that is not so nice, so I elected to do this for three nights and then take that 4 ounces away). I walked in handed bottles out and walked straight out of the room. And it worked perfectly. They woke up Saturday morning at 9:00am, with smiles on their faces! (see, I'm telling you, it was FAR MORE traumatic to me than them!!!)

-Saturday Night-

Same situation, but less crying, one bottle each. Woke up at 9am, with smiles! I got WAY more confident! I AM doing the right thing.

-Sunday Night-

No crying what-so-ever! In complete disbelief! Gave Natalee her bottle at 5am, she only drank 2 ounces. Didn't pick her up, nothing. Right back to sleep. Everyone slept until 9am, woke up with smiles! No questions, THIS IS WORKING!!!!!

I began to realize I owe Melissa more than I can provide in one lifetime. I pray she has a special place in Heaven. She has been my Savior!

-The Last 3 Weeks-

Each night that passed was better and better. I did turn the monitor back on, finally. I am still in disbelief. Occasionally one of them wakes up, and I hear them but it literally lasts for a few minutes and they are back to sleep. Even Madelynn; there is no foaming, no throwing herself across the crib, no gagging. Natalee, can still put up a good fight at times, but literally the crying is under ten minutes, if that.

They are going to bed at 7:30PM and normally I have to wake them up at 9:00AM!

Also, I can go in their room now and they don't scream even harder when I leave. It's amazing. I can pick them up, give them hugs and kisses, assure them that I am right there, that it's night-time and time to sleep and they go right back to sleep. Nothing else needed. AH-MA-ZING!!!!

Their naps have improved too, (even though they took great scheduled naps prior to this) they are totally sleeping from 1:00PM until 4:00PM, no peeps what-so-ever and when we normally have to wake them up!

----------------------

I must say, I was completely and utterly is disbelief, totally against doing anything that might, by research accounts, "harm my baby" but let me tell you, I HAVE MY LIFE BACK and my children are NOT harmed the least bit! This is the most wonderful gift I have been given! I can't tell you how lucky I feel and how IT PROVES that I was the one HOLDING THEM BACK. I swore I would never do that and I was. I was the one making this happen, not them. I feel bad for that. They wanted to sleep through the night, and I wasn't giving them the tools to be able to do so. I am so glad I didn't wait for "tomorrow" or "the next day" and I did it finally. It may have taken me awhile, but I am so glad I didn't wait ONE MORE DAY!

I swore nothing would work for MY CHILDREN. I was wrong. Letting them find their own and figuring out how they can soothe themselves really does work. I am SO for it and I am SO glad I finally did it. Thank you, Melissa, from the bottom of my heart!

If anyone has any questions, please do not hesitate to leave a comment or email me!

Preparing for Little Miss E!

2012-01-02T15:04:00.001-05:00

It may be tomorrow, it may be a few weeks, but January is here and it's getting closer and closer each day that passes!

Christmas is almost all put away and ready for the attic. Space is back and I am happy.

Bassinet is out of attic and put together in the family room.

Pack-n-play is out of attic and put together in our bedroom. Newborn and size 1 diapers are ready and everything is in our room ready to go. E's clothes are washed and ready too. It's been so different preparing for a "normal" sized baby.

All the bouncy seats and swings are washed and ready.

Breast Pump, accessories, bottles are washed and ready, if needed. I'm just planning on solely breastfeeding this time.

Diaper bag is ready for the hospital, minus diapers and wipes, because why bring your own when they give you so many anyway? Just more to carry home!

Car seat and accessories are ready to be put in the car.

Hospital bag is being packed slowly. I mean what do you really need the second time around, right? Nothing, really. You get a gown, you get socks, you get super-stylish underwear, shampoo/conditioner, razor, tooth brush....I mean if you forget anything they have it! Haha, I don't really if I don't have anything in my hand but my camera! The camera is the only thing that is A MUST! Maybe my pillow is up there being a must, oh and my phone charger.

Cabinets are full of food for the girls. House is semi-clean, can it ever be perfect with three kids? Laundry is up-to-date as much as possible, again can it ever be with three kids?

People are prepared for "the call" when "it" happens!

I have made what seems like a hundred lists regarding the girls, some of what are a few pages long and are posted around the house, emailed out and given to anyone that might be watching the girls during my hospital stay:

Food Lists For the Girls (of what they can have and can't have)

Important Contact Phone Numbers

The Girl's Schedule

Important Things to Note (regarding the house, the girls and the pets)

Did I forget anything?? I'm sure I have with this preggo brain of mine!

Happy 2012!

2012-01-01T11:14:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year!

Hope you and your family had a wonderful and safe time ringing in 2012!

So happy to have rung in the New Year with my family all at home, which is so wonderful. Two years ago, we joked with our friends at a party that we were having triplets! (little did we know, God was laughing at us, for sure!!) Last year, Tim got food-poisoning and we had to leave the girls early on New Year's Eve in the NICU. It was one of the worst nights of my life, I don't think I have ever cried so hard. This year was just wonderful to have three healthy little girls crawling around, one healthy little girl squirming around in my belly, enjoying a great dinner with my parents, snuggling on the couch watching a movie and going to bed with all my family under one roof. Priceless!

We are busy trying to get Christmas put away and the house ready for a newborn again! We are so excited and little by little getting nervous that any day we could be meeting Little Miss E! The lists, instructions, schedules, contact phone numbers are slowly getting written for anyone that may be watching our little girls while Mommy is having E...it's totally different than when it's just you and your husband!

We are also fighting trying to get over being sick. Natalee has her 3RD EAR INFECTION with a bad cough/cold. Claire is just starting to have a cough/cold. Daddy says he feels like "death" and Mommy has a bad sore throat, cough and of course is super tired being 36 weeks pregnant and trying to get so much done! The headaches I have been having are horrible, which are probably related to pregnancy but could be cold related. Whichever, I want them to go away.

Thank goodness Daddy is off again tomorrow and I can predict it'll be another jammie day!

The Night Before Our Babies Turned ONE!

2011-12-28T22:00:00.000-05:00

Before I get to all the Christmas Posts, I have to get through the girl's first birthday! Phew!

So, Thursday, December 22nd Aunt Christine came over to give the girls some of their birthday presents...because ya know they don't know the difference at this age anyway. I wanted to girls to be able to wear part of their gift on their actual birthday since we were going out for most of the day, so I convinced her to come over the night before!

The girls were truly less than thrilled. Whenever they are out of their "chick pen" they really just want to go for all the stuff they aren't allowed to have...and who cares what presents are in front of them!

My sister got them cute baby uggs which I LOVE and she also got all FOUR of our daughters matching Pottery Barn stockings, which I finally bought for Tim and I to match the girls.

Say no more...this describes these two!!!

Thank you Aunt Christine for our wonderful birthday presents!!