Making Room for Baby

We had a major house organization/cleanout this past week ending with a successfull garage sale with the Parkers and the Peters over the weekend. We only made $250 but cleared out more than four car loads of stuff. We were finally able to get rid of the TONS of extra baby stuff we accumulated over the last year plus clean out our wardrobes and garage.

We were motivated by Quattro's impending due date (and my subsequent nesting) and our move. Yes, move. We are planning on moving two houses down very soon after Thankgiving because we are starting the BIG PROJECT - we are adding a second floor and remodeling the kitchen.

The new floor will include a bedroom for the triplets, a nursery for Quattro (that will someday be Lily's room), a shared bathroom with large tub and double sinks, plus a family room with a great window seat overlooking the park and lots of toy storage. Down stairs we are changing the layout and converting the current kitchen and study to a large kitchen. David will get a new office out of the deal - we will be converting the trips room now to a small getaway and workspace.

Now I'm ready to take the proceeds from the garage sale and purchase Quattro's crib. He won't get a boutique crib like the trips but they have some cute options online for great prices.

Let me know if you like either of these.

Option 1: Da Vinci Emily Crib

Option 2: Da Vince Roxanne Crib

Oh, and I think he needs LuLu the Lamb.

Thanksgiving Adventure

We will be flying to Florida for Thanksgiving this year to visit Grandma G. It will be our first trip to see her with the babies and finally a chance for her to show them off to her friends. I'm looking forward to the trip.

Our first flight with the trio to their great grandma's 90th birthday in June was a bit of a disaster. The babies were actually very good but we had a layover, excessive delays, and a long car ride once we arrived to boot, so by the end they all fell apart and needless to say we were exhausted. At least we had grandparents and David's sister and fiance to help.

We vowed never to travel again, at least not until the kids are in high school, but this is an important trip and last chance to visit grandma before Quattro arrives.

This time it will just be David, me and our trio. We bought an extra ticket so we could put one of our gang in a car seat, the other two will be in our laps. We got a direct flight and are taking the first flight of the day there and back to try and avoid holiday travel troubles. Once we arrive in Florida we will get a rental car with the two extra car seats and drive the remaining hour and a half to my mom's house.

For the plane ride, we will pack plenty of snacks, some new toys and a change of clothes (I forgot this critical item last time and had to buy new clothes in the airport because they were a mess). This time we don't need formula or baby food which simplifies things a bit.

Wish us luck.

We have a Birth-Date!

Dr. Cowan's office called - we are officially on the hospital books. Quattro's delivery via c-section is scheduled for January 18th, 7:30am.

I'm to report to the hospital between 5:30 and 6am, he should be in our arms by 8am. I wonder who he will look like. From the ultrasounds his face looks a bit rounder like Will, but who knows.

Only about two more months, we better get ready.

Happy Birthday David!

Happy birthday to my wonderful husband.

He started out his day with a jog with our trio, he has been really good about getting out several times a week and running with the babies. They love it and he is getting really fit. I got him a jogging watch for his birthday present.

We also had a little party at Vino Vino a great wine bar not to far from our house. It reminds me of some of our favorite San Francisco bars, it has modern but cozy laid back feel. It is a wine shop during the day and they have wine store prices instead of restaurant prices on wines so you can get some nice bottles. I'm looking forward to going back after Quattro is born so I can enjoy some myself.

Thanks to all our friends who made it out to celebrate with us. And triple thanks to Grammy and Papa for babysitting our trio so we could go out.

Recovery

Looks like our babies may finally have kicked the stomach flu. Lots of giggling today and everyone was in good spirits. The weather was beautiful too. Tonight after bathtime they were having a blast chasing each other around the dinning room table and laughing. Not sure if David and I have recovered from all the sleepless nights yet, but at least things are looking up.

We went to the doctor last Friday to check in and make sure everyone was ok. They ran a bunch of tests that came out fine as they were reluctant to give us more anti-nausea medicine without checking lest they miss something else. But it seems that it really was just a bad stomach bug that lasted almost two weeks. Both boys lost over a pound, that pushed Evan from 25 percentile in weight to down to 5 percentile. We worked on making up for lost time today - starting with breakfast, four slices of french toast and two bananas between the three.

Other news, Will has had a mini language explosion. He likes to point to things and is now saying that (dat), this (dis), dog (gog), cat (gat), light (ligh), baby, juice (jus), and imitates animal sounds like 'quack'.

Trick or Treat

Will, Lily and Evan

Lily Clare

Will

Evan

Will, Lily and Evan

Free, free at last.

Happy Halloween

Here is a snapshot we took of Evan when the costumes first arrived. What a happy lion.

They just woke up from their nap. We are about to get dressed and cruise by a neighborhood party just to say hello. Unfortunately we will need to keep our little contagions contained.

Our neighborhood friends Camden and Jack.

I Heart Etsy

I've discovered this fabulous art website called Etsy.

Artists post their own art for sale and there are new pieces listed every minute. It is fun to peruse and discover new budding artists. If you find an artist you like, you can check out their whole collection. And the best part is that the art is fantastically affordable. I picked out some new original art for our home and it is on it's way.

Because of Truth by AmyGiacomelli

Birds on a Wire by Laura Sue

The Big Moon Print by The Black Apple

Welcome to Pukesville

We have not recovered yet. Sunday night we reached our limit. They boys had not been able to hold anything down for days and were so sad and weak. We kept thinking they were getting better but then they would get sick again. So we decided to aggressively give them nausea meds to ensure they could hold their food down. David and I started administering Zofran around the clock, every six hours to the boys. Finally we had a whole day yesterday without throwing up.

We gave the last dose to the boys this morning. They seemed so much better and we thought we were in the clear. But both threw up extensively this evening. We are back to Zofran again. Evan was so eager to eat afterwards - he had four mini waffles and 6 oz of the lactose free milk. I tried to parse it out slowly, but he was extremely hungry. And he is extremely skinny. They have all lost weight but he was slim to begin with and now his ribs stick out and his arms seems so small. As soon as he can hold down food we will have to work on fattening him up.

Surely we will be better tomorrow, please.

Another Team Member Down

Grammy and Papa returned from Europe this week and were very happy to see their grand babies. Unfortunately two days later Papa got the stomach bug. He was well enough to go to his golf tournament today, hope he wasn't miserable.

So far, David and I have evaded the bug, but not sure how much longer we can pull it off. We have been vigilant with handwashing and cleaning after each sick incident but it feels like there is vomit everywhere. Thank goodness we had blankets down in the den because otherwise we would have had to rip out the carpet by now.

We thought things were turning around yesterday, but Will had another rough night and both boys couldn't keep their food down today. Will had hardly anything to eat today, he only kept a little bit of muffin down and a couple ounces of lactose free milk at bedtime. He wouldn't eat any of the bland foods we tried to feed him. Lily actually seems to be coming around, you've never seen someone so excited to eat veggies. Maybe the boys will be better by the end of the weekend.

We got a little break lat night. Grammy Clare helped out with dinner and bedtime and graciously babysat for a couple hours so David and I could get out of the house go to dinner.

Happy Birthday Grammy Clare

I don't think this is how she envisioned spending her birthday...holding sick babies.

Aunt Christy just had a birthday too, she turned 33 this Monday. Happy Birthday gals!

Bad to Worse

Evan kept throwing up yesterday but Lily was particularly pathetic. She just moans and cries and is limp most of the time. Poor thing. She was up a lot last night, just suffering and there is not much we can do. She is really hungry, so we have been giving her bits of bland food like potatoes, bananas and toast. But then she gets stomach cramps and watery diarrhea and cries and cries.

I took both of them to the doctor yesterday. My fourth trip in two weeks. He said there is nothing we can do but wait it out and keep them hydrated. The nurses gave me some samples of pro biotic to help with the diarrhea. I did some research online and it looks like it may help decrease the episode by a day.

Will woke up in the middle of the night throwing up again - after having a fairly stable day. But after he got sick he had a blast running around the living room and checking out all his toys. So far he is fairing the best. Oh, never mind, he just threw up again. Oh, and there goes Evan again.

Spoke Too Soon...

Last night around 3:00am Evan and Will began throwing up within twenty minutes of each other. We gave them Zofran and they had a tiny bit of Pedialyte and a Saltine before going back to bed about two hours later. Evan was throwing up again this morning at 6:00am. Lily is very lethargic today. David and I are busy washing everything while Carmen is out with them for a short walk.

Let's see how the day goes. I hope David and I are not next.

Look Who is Feeling Better

Evan's smile is back.

I took the boys to the doctor today to check out their hacky cough. Good news, their chests are clear and ears look good. We were also able to get their flu shots. They have been in good spirits today. Lily is on the mend too, but you can tell she still is feeling weak. Anything she has eaten has gone right through her. A few times today she just put her head down and laid right on the floor, even on the hardwood floor.

David and Will.

Lily and me.

Chicken Enchiladas

I love this recipie from a San Antonio Junior Forum cookbook that a family friend gave me. It's perfect for a cold rainy day like today.

Ingredients

1 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

1/4 cup flour

3 chicken bouillon cubes

2-1/2 cups water

1 cup sour cream, room temp

3 cups finely chopped cooked chicken

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies, drained

1/2 tsp chili powder

10 flour tortillas

Sauce

Saute the onion and butter in the saucepan until tender. Sprinkle with flour and mix well. Add the bouillon cubes and the water and cook until the mixture thickens.

Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream.

Filling

Combine one cup of the sauce, chicken plus one cup of the cheese. Mix well. Add green chilies and chili pepper.

Spoon chicken mixture onto four tortillas and roll up. Place in lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Spoon the remaining sauce over the tortillas and top with cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Serve topped with chopped lettuce and tomatoes.

You can also freeze the enchiladas before baking or just the filling.

Team Freas Down

Lily caught the first stomach bug for the crew. She was happy this morning on our walk to Pacha, even in the dreary mist. I brought Lily along to the grocery store this morning and she seemed very content. But she awoke from her morning nap vomit ting. Poor thing, about 10 times in a little over an hour. It is so sad to see such a little thing suffer. I was able to fit her into a doctor appointment and they gave me a script for Zofran. This evening she was doing a lot better and able to eat some crackers and drink some Pedilyte that David picked up for her. I hope that was the worst of it and that it doesn't spread through the house.

The boys have a terrible cough, including David. Not sure if I need to take them to the doctor or if the cold is just running its natural course. Will never seemed sick but his chest cough is very deep and hacky. Evan has had a runny nose since his fever last week. I'll have to see how they are doing in the morning. I don't want this to turn into pneumonia.

Grammy and Papa's first leg of their flight home was delayed and they are stuck in Amsterdam. They will be returning tomorrow night instead of tonight.

Hopefully we will all be a lot better by the time they arrive.

M^3 Turn Three

Lily and I went to Mayson, Montana and Mykal's third birthday party this Saturday.


Their mom BJ was a huge help when we first brought our gang home. She gave us the crash course on caring for triplets - charting, making bottles for the day and using the boppies to feed all three at one time. She is also the one who inspired me to get out there running several times a week with my trio in the baby jogger. She makes raising triplets look easy. Oh yeah, and throws great parties.

Here is a pic of Annie's trio as the 'three amigos'. They are two boys and a girl, one year older than our gang.

Tuckered

Tonight is the fourth night that David has been out of town this week. I've been fighting a cold and had a very full work week. I'm too tired to write tonight but will post a couple photos from today.

Evan, Will and Lily at Gymboree.

Headed to the park with Harper and Lucy.

I told Lily that Grammy and Papa were coming back Monday.

Comfort Food

Last night I made a homemade pot pie casserole for the family. It was an attempt at pulling it together after our crazy disheveled doctors visit. I found this yummy easy recipe on the blog of a fellow triplet mom plus one.

I copied the recipe below or you can check out the fun version with photos of the helpers on amazingtrips blog.


Ingredients:

4 cups bite sized chicken, cooked

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can chicken broth

½ tsp tarragon

½ tsp parsley

½ tsp sage

½ tsp rosemary

½ tsp thyme *I used poultry seasoning instead of the above which has most of these spices

1 can of peas and carrots (drained) *I used more and frozen this time - less salt - but didn't taste as good

1½ c. self-rising flour (with an emphasis on self-rising)

2 tsp baking powder

1½ c. buttermilk

½ c. melted butter


Cook the chicken in water with the parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.

Once the chicken is done, shred with a fork and mix in a large bowl with the soup, broth, tarragon, peas & carrots.

In a smaller bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, buttermilk and butter. Place the chicken mixture in a greased 9 x 13 pan and top with the flour mixture. Bake at 350 degrees, for one hour, uncovered.

Serve with green salad. Delicious.

I see lots of casseroles and one dish dinners in our future with six mouths to feed. I'm trying to start now and find some good standbys - dinners that are fairly nutritious, easy to prepare, not a lot of fresh ingredients to pick up at the store, and inexpensive - oh and crowd pleasing for husband and finicky tots. Is that too much to ask?

Please share your favorite family dinners and we will try them out (for you posting newbies, just click 'comments' below this post to write a note).

Toddlers

October 15th 2006, was our trio's actual due date. Will, Evan and Lily are now 'adjusted age' one year olds. Our babies have become real toddlers and are certainly acting like toddlers. They love being outside and walking everywhere. They climb these playscape stairs at the park and throw themselves down the slide hands forward, belly down. What fun.

Will has been stirring up toddler sized trouble, grabbing toys or bottles from his siblings. He has been driving Lily crazy. I had to put him in time out for a minute in the playpen this morning because he wouldn't stop climbing all over Lily and knocking her bottle out of her mouth. He can also be such a cute cuddly bear that you can't get mad at him.

Poor Evan has some bad bug and a terrible diaper rash to boot. No one was answering the doctor's appointment line and when I told the nurse I thought he had about 102 fever but couldn't find my thermometer she did not take me seriously. David had the brilliant idea to bring him in anyway and tell them that I did check and that he had a fever. And so I did just that, and low and behold when they checked it was 102. You can really can just tell by touching them after experiencing a few fevers.

We were an absolute mess. I had quickly packed everyone up in the wagon after their nap and a rushed snack. I didn't put shorts or shoes on them because that just takes too long and I was trying to get there before they closed. I also didn't bring a diaper bag because I didn't think we would end up being gone almost two hours. Envision us showing up at the doctors office, everyone dirty from the playground and from meals, no shoes or shorts. After seeing our sad sight and discovering Evan's high temp, they managed to fit us in. By the time the doctor saw us everyone had a wet diaper and starting to get bored of waiting and crying. Lovely.

They checked Evan out and couldn't find any obvious cause for the fever, so they sent us home with instructions to alternate Motrin and Tylenol and give him a tepid bath. They told me to wake him in the middle of the night to give him more pain relief to manage the fever. He has lost 10 ounces since our one year check up. They also gave me a prescription for the rash. Thank goodness Carmen was able to come back over for an hour in the evening to help out as David is in Dallas. I was able to run out and pick up his prescription and more pain medicines while she fed them dinner. Evan's fever seems better today and the rash is much better, but he still wouldn't eat breakfast. I am feeling kinda crummy today.


A couple quick group photos.

And now they are off again...

Ramsey Park

Here are a couple precious moments in the park this afternoon after work. We had a slight cool breeze. It is actually begining to feel a bit like Fall.

Will in the sandbox.

Evan trying to pull the wagon.

Slide.

For the Grandparents

Here are a few photos for the grandparents. Grammy and Papa are traveling in Europe right now and Grandma G is back in Florida. I know they are checking in to see some latest photos. These pics are not great as the babies are a bit harder to capture these days now that they are all walking and constantly on the move.

Cowbaby Will riding the pony. They still love this pony and David and I can't get the song out of our head 'I'm a little pony, clipity clop, clipity clop...I like my coat brushed down by the old oak tree...". When it makes galloping sounds they hop up and down like they are going fast, I don't know how they just know this.

And Will is off...practically running. This is why I can't get good pics these days.

Evan

Hanging with Dad. I'll try to post a pic of Lily soon.

Happy travels Grammy and Papa. We are looking forward to our Thanksgiving visit Grandma G.

Gabriel

I received some very sad news today. A fellow triplet mom here in Austin, who delivered her trio at 22 weeks in May, lost the surviving triplet baby boy Gabriel yesterday.

A triplet pregnancy is high risk. There are many success stories but occasionally those that break your heart. Brenda's babies were born too early and she lost Michael and Raphael within the first week. Their third, Gabriel, is a miracle baby and was doing well enough to be discharged from the NICU last Wednesday after seven months of care.

Sunday night he had had a fussy night, so they increased his oxygen and he seemed to be fine. Then Monday morning he was fussy again and she thought it was because he was hungry. They fed him, but he didn’t calm down right away. When they thought he was starting to calm down, she said he was actually taking his final breaths. George performed CPR and they rushed him to the emergency room, but unfortunately he passed away.

My heart goes out to this family. First for facing infertility, then for losing two of their trio and finally after months of intensive care and holding on to hope losing their third baby. They gave little Gabriel so much love in his short life and you could see the joy he brought them. No one should have to lose a child.

It reminds me not to take anything for granted and how incredibly fortunate we are that our trio were born close to full term and healthy.

Glacier Days

Brandt put together a great site to share the guy's Glacier backpacking trip photos.

Just click on 'photos' above, then on the 'Route and Photos' graphic. The numbers on the map link to photos from each day of the trip.

Astonishing

I had to make a grocery run last night, we were out of milk and fruit.

Here is a glimpse into our current consumption. On Saturday David and I bought a cart load of groceries including two gallons of whole milk for the babies, fourteen bananas, five apples, five oranges, two peaches and a carton of strawberries.

Last night all that remained of the above was one banana. The babies are ONLY one! and Quatro isn't even here yet.