My sister has some great posts about the babies on her blog. I think she may have had a little fun while she was here, inbetween the not sleeping and hard work. ;)
http://jamesandjessfischer.blogspot.com/
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Growing so big!
(The date on this should be for October 28, 2008. But, the date and time always reads from the time that I start the post... not when I actually post it. Drives me nuts!)
It is Aria, Levi, and David's 5 month birthday! Where did the time go? Here are some stats on what is happening around here.
We serve approximately 18 bottles per day. Each bottle is 4 to 6 ounces. We change around 20-25 diapers per day. They are just starting size 2, since we are about to run out of the last 1-2. We tried to keep everybody in 1-2 for as long as possible since we could get a big box at Sam's club. I love the pampers swaddlers cause they are so soft and hugely absorbent. I figure comfort is a big thing since they spend their whole lives in them! The kids are wearing 6 month clothing and size 6-9 month footie pajamas. They are so long! But, what can we say... they are Dan's children! I can't believe it, but I think they have almost grown out of their bouncy seats, which makes me sad. I like to be able to sit them in their to watch me work around the house.
Right now, Levi and Aria are sharing a room and David gets his own. They all sleep in separate cribs. David got his own bedroom because he has been getting up in the night to eat and Mommy didn't like it when he woke up Aria too. Levi used to be the loud one at night, but he is a great sleeper right now. Aria has never been a trouble maker at night.
Here are their measurements as of today! Prepare to be shocked... just kidding. I guessed low for all their weights, but I wasn't too far off!
David - 17 LBS 7 OZ!! 26 and 1/2 inches long, head measured 17 and 3/4 inches
Levi - 16 LBS 2 OZ!! 26 and 1/4 inches long, head measured 17 and 1/2 inches
Aria - 14 LBS 11 OZ!! 26 and 1/2 inches long, head measured 16 inches
No wonder Aria seems soooo skinny! She is just as long as David and almost 3 pounds lighter.
I will post some pictures from this week with Jessica. I want to post some close-ups of their beautiful faces. Someday I'll get more videos posted, but it takes so much time and patience and I try to save any of that for the kids! ;D
Here is a picture of each baby next to their bears. We took pictures with the bears in the NICU and everyone asked where the giant teddy bears were. I am glad we have them to compare with now. Then there are a few all together. I am sad we didn't get one with everyone smiling great, but that takes a while. And, as you can see, Aria got sick of the flashes just as we got Levi going!
It is Aria, Levi, and David's 5 month birthday! Where did the time go? Here are some stats on what is happening around here.
We serve approximately 18 bottles per day. Each bottle is 4 to 6 ounces. We change around 20-25 diapers per day. They are just starting size 2, since we are about to run out of the last 1-2. We tried to keep everybody in 1-2 for as long as possible since we could get a big box at Sam's club. I love the pampers swaddlers cause they are so soft and hugely absorbent. I figure comfort is a big thing since they spend their whole lives in them! The kids are wearing 6 month clothing and size 6-9 month footie pajamas. They are so long! But, what can we say... they are Dan's children! I can't believe it, but I think they have almost grown out of their bouncy seats, which makes me sad. I like to be able to sit them in their to watch me work around the house.
Right now, Levi and Aria are sharing a room and David gets his own. They all sleep in separate cribs. David got his own bedroom because he has been getting up in the night to eat and Mommy didn't like it when he woke up Aria too. Levi used to be the loud one at night, but he is a great sleeper right now. Aria has never been a trouble maker at night.
Here are their measurements as of today! Prepare to be shocked... just kidding. I guessed low for all their weights, but I wasn't too far off!
David - 17 LBS 7 OZ!! 26 and 1/2 inches long, head measured 17 and 3/4 inches
Levi - 16 LBS 2 OZ!! 26 and 1/4 inches long, head measured 17 and 1/2 inches
Aria - 14 LBS 11 OZ!! 26 and 1/2 inches long, head measured 16 inches
No wonder Aria seems soooo skinny! She is just as long as David and almost 3 pounds lighter.
I will post some pictures from this week with Jessica. I want to post some close-ups of their beautiful faces. Someday I'll get more videos posted, but it takes so much time and patience and I try to save any of that for the kids! ;D
Here is a picture of each baby next to their bears. We took pictures with the bears in the NICU and everyone asked where the giant teddy bears were. I am glad we have them to compare with now. Then there are a few all together. I am sad we didn't get one with everyone smiling great, but that takes a while. And, as you can see, Aria got sick of the flashes just as we got Levi going!
Friday, October 24, 2008
Today's Happenings
Today we got out the Jumperoo toy. All the babies liked it! Auntie Jessica is here for a week helping us and we are having fun!! We had a big night because David got his first serving of rice cereal. He has been getting us up at earlier and earlier hours of the morning, so we think his belly just may need a little more sustenance. It started out that he was waking around 4 am. Then it ws 3:30... then 3... 2... last night was 1:30am and we knew we had to do something! He is getting to be such a big boy! Last night Jessica got up with the babies and I got a looong stretch of sleep. So wonderful! Hey James... can we keep her?
Tonight, after babies were in bed, Dan and Jessica made baby food to freeze! I didn't end up helping at all. I was loading the dishwasher, cleaning up the table, ran to the store and such, but they did it all! We got some squash from friends and we are going to do a pumpkin tomorrow... possibly some applesauce. You may be thinking, "where are they going to find the time to do that?" Wellll.... David, Aria, and Levi are going with Jessica to Aunt Donna's house and we will stay behind for a much needed work day. I have so many hopes for the few precious hours at home not taking care of babies. There are some bathrooms needing cleaned, meals to cook and freeze, baby clothes to sort, bedrooms to clean, baby food to make, and finally some thank you notes to get written!! We are experiencing some major thank you note anxiety as we have hardly gotten ANY done and those are not even addressed and in the mail. I have never looked forward to a workday more! :)
That's all for now! Here are some pictures:
Aria with Daddy enjoying a nice fall day on the deck.
Levi, smiling mid-blink.
The best seat in the house... I could stare into those eyes all day.
Levi under the toy... I caught him with his lips up on the rattle toy and then he was touching his nose to it!
Aria laughing with Daddy.
Levi snuggled on Aunt Kristi's shoulder.
Aria hanging out in the recliner.
David in the Jumperoo.
David's first cereal tonight.
Making the squash!
Tonight, after babies were in bed, Dan and Jessica made baby food to freeze! I didn't end up helping at all. I was loading the dishwasher, cleaning up the table, ran to the store and such, but they did it all! We got some squash from friends and we are going to do a pumpkin tomorrow... possibly some applesauce. You may be thinking, "where are they going to find the time to do that?" Wellll.... David, Aria, and Levi are going with Jessica to Aunt Donna's house and we will stay behind for a much needed work day. I have so many hopes for the few precious hours at home not taking care of babies. There are some bathrooms needing cleaned, meals to cook and freeze, baby clothes to sort, bedrooms to clean, baby food to make, and finally some thank you notes to get written!! We are experiencing some major thank you note anxiety as we have hardly gotten ANY done and those are not even addressed and in the mail. I have never looked forward to a workday more! :)
That's all for now! Here are some pictures:
Aria with Daddy enjoying a nice fall day on the deck.
Levi, smiling mid-blink.
The best seat in the house... I could stare into those eyes all day.
Levi under the toy... I caught him with his lips up on the rattle toy and then he was touching his nose to it!
Aria laughing with Daddy.
Levi snuggled on Aunt Kristi's shoulder.
Aria hanging out in the recliner.
David in the Jumperoo.
David's first cereal tonight.
Making the squash!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
One Year Ago Today
(My apologizes for the length of this post, but I want to preserve these memories for our family. Skip this one if you only visit for pictures of our trio. :D)
Sunday, October 21st 2007: The day I got to tell Dan he was a Daddy! It was a day I had dreamed of my whole life, and especially since I had married Dan. I so desperately wanted to see the man I admired most in my life to be the father of my children. I had a plan for the ideal way I would want to give him this news, so I was glad I was able to pull it off.
I had a suspicion that I could be pregnant on Friday, the 19th. So, I took a pregnancy test. It seemed like the millionth pregnancy test I had taken in my life(but not really). It was, in fact, the first pregnancy that would be positive!! Unfortunately, Dan and I were heading out the door when I saw that faint line. It was faint enough that I thought I didn't want to get Dan's hopes up before I knew for sure. Sooo, we had a two hour drive to his parent's house where I knew that I was probably pregnant but I didn't say anything.
We spent that weekend at Dan's parents house. I remember having lots of conversations about the possibility of being pregnant. Everyone knew we had a chance because we had been closely monitored by the fertility specialist. A little background (because everybody asks and I might as well explain it once... no, triplets don't run in our family. Please don't ask. I would say most parents of multiples don't like that question. It's very awkward to say no and then answer a bunch more questions about multiples, ect.)
Anyway, we had gone through many rounds of a pill called clomid, which didn't work. I went back in September and they told me I wasn't going to get to try clomid and other oral meds anymore. We had three choices: IVF, a surgery to stimulate my ovaries to work on their own... or better with the medicines, or shots to try to do what the pills were doing, only stronger. We had talked about all these options alot and had decided that we didn't like any of the choices. The scary thing about the shots is that they can cause over-stimulation. When you hear of families with higher-order multiples, it can be from drugs like these (not IVF). The drugs can also cause the ovaries to hyper-stimulate, swelling and sending you to the hospital. It all sounded so scary to us. We didn't like our choices. But, when it came down to it, we decided to give the shots ONE chance.
I had gotten the medicine at the end of September and was taught how to give myself a shot in the tummy each night. The first night I tried to do it, I got scared and couldn't do it. Now, the ONE thing I have ever seen Dan truly wince at is needles... he hates them. But, he totally stepped up and helped me out. He gave me my first shot. It didn't really hurt so after that I did it myself. It was actually kind of cool being able to give myself a shot. I did this for seven nights in a row. The first time I went in to have an ultrasound to see if it worked, they saw two maturing eggs. I was told to come back three days later. This happen to be on a Sunday (Oct. 7 - to be exact :D), but they had me come in early that morning anyway. These things are obviously pretty delicately timed. That morning we had three mature eggs! I couldn't believe it. They gave me my last shot to help the eggs release and the rest was history!
Now when I told Dan that there were three eggs ready to go, he got pretty wide eyed and nervous. But, I was quick to assure him that I had known people that had two mature eggs and only ended up with one baby... so we would probably get one baby... at the most two. It was highly unlikely that all three would take, especially since one was measuring smaller than the others. So, we didn't really worry about it. Silly us. But now I look at our family and wonder who we wouldn't have, and I can't imagine it!
Soooo, fast forward back to our weekend at the Nebelsick's. I was itching to take another pregnancy test, but I didn't have one with us. So, I found an excuse to go to town to Walmart. Back at the farm was positive test #2. I about jumped out of my skin wanting to tell Dan. But, I didn't want to do it any other way than I had planned... so I waited. I had been fibbing pretty badly to everyone about when I could take a pregnancy test. Obviously everyone wanted to know how our round of fertility went but I didn't want everyone breathing down my neck for results before I was ready to share them. So, Dan had no idea that I could even know yet. I don't know that if there had been one baby that I would have gotten a positive so early. But, there were three times the hormones flowing so it worked.
It wasn't until Sunday until Dan and I were home alone again. Of course I took two more pregnancy tests to be absolutely sure. I remember sitting in church that morning praising God for his gracious miracle. I still had a precious secret to treasure and it felt wonderful to keep it stored up in my heart. I wanted to wait until the perfect moment, but unfortunately the Vikings were playing after church. There was no way I was interrupting the game. :) Well, it would have been fine but I didn't want to. Vikings lost and I got to cheer up my husband!
I will never forget the moment I decided to spring the news. Dan had the hiccups. I told him I could scare them right out of him. He didn't believe me. I told him I wanted to show him something. I brought him my Bible and it was opened to a highlighted verse from Psalm 127:
3 Sons are a heritage from the LORD,
children a reward from him.
4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are sons born in one's youth.
5 Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
when they contend with their enemies in the gate.
Beside that verse I wrote "See Luke 1:24". It states:
After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion.
I highlighted the "Elizabeth became pregnant". Dan just sat there like I was crazy. He will tell you that his first thought was I was thinking the Bible was predicting I would get pregnant when I took a pregnancy test... because he didn't know I could even know yet! Finally, I handed him his first arrow for his quiver. Attached was a positive pregnancy test. He was shocked and surprised and overjoyed and the hiccups were gone!! His hands were sweaty too! It was glorious. We took some pictures and talked a lot about how our lives were going to change. We also wondered how many babies were in there! Anyway, I can't tell you how happy we were and shocked that this was finally happening for us!
We weren't able to find out how many eggs took until November 6th, when we had our first ultrasound. Obviously, we got three beautiful babies from our efforts, and although it has been a huge challenge, it has also been a bigger blessing. Many people told us that God doesn't give us more than we can handle, so God must think we can handle a lot. But, something our pastor said this Sunday really struck a chord with me and our situation. Pastor Jeff said something to the effect that God doesn't just give you as much as you can handle. If God just gave us what we can handle, why would we need to call on Him? Sometimes God may put something in our lives that is beyond our abilites to handle without Him so that we can see the Lord's miracles and provision. I truly believe that is where we are. Our family would not be thriving if it wasn't for our angels (aka - family, friends, and church family). We have been given more than we could handle without the Lord and the people He has put in our lives. We thank God for them and all their help.
Here are some pictures from a year ago:
Dan with his gift - his first arrow.
The pregnant parents. I wish I had taken a better picture. Oh well.
Dan studying for his big important professional engineering exam that he had to take five days after finding out he was a Daddy. As if he didn't have enough on his mind!
.
Our itty bitty miracles.
By the way, we saw all three hearts beating at 5 and 1/2 weeks. That's before some people even realize they are pregnant!!
Sunday, October 21st 2007: The day I got to tell Dan he was a Daddy! It was a day I had dreamed of my whole life, and especially since I had married Dan. I so desperately wanted to see the man I admired most in my life to be the father of my children. I had a plan for the ideal way I would want to give him this news, so I was glad I was able to pull it off.
I had a suspicion that I could be pregnant on Friday, the 19th. So, I took a pregnancy test. It seemed like the millionth pregnancy test I had taken in my life(but not really). It was, in fact, the first pregnancy that would be positive!! Unfortunately, Dan and I were heading out the door when I saw that faint line. It was faint enough that I thought I didn't want to get Dan's hopes up before I knew for sure. Sooo, we had a two hour drive to his parent's house where I knew that I was probably pregnant but I didn't say anything.
We spent that weekend at Dan's parents house. I remember having lots of conversations about the possibility of being pregnant. Everyone knew we had a chance because we had been closely monitored by the fertility specialist. A little background (because everybody asks and I might as well explain it once... no, triplets don't run in our family. Please don't ask. I would say most parents of multiples don't like that question. It's very awkward to say no and then answer a bunch more questions about multiples, ect.)
Anyway, we had gone through many rounds of a pill called clomid, which didn't work. I went back in September and they told me I wasn't going to get to try clomid and other oral meds anymore. We had three choices: IVF, a surgery to stimulate my ovaries to work on their own... or better with the medicines, or shots to try to do what the pills were doing, only stronger. We had talked about all these options alot and had decided that we didn't like any of the choices. The scary thing about the shots is that they can cause over-stimulation. When you hear of families with higher-order multiples, it can be from drugs like these (not IVF). The drugs can also cause the ovaries to hyper-stimulate, swelling and sending you to the hospital. It all sounded so scary to us. We didn't like our choices. But, when it came down to it, we decided to give the shots ONE chance.
I had gotten the medicine at the end of September and was taught how to give myself a shot in the tummy each night. The first night I tried to do it, I got scared and couldn't do it. Now, the ONE thing I have ever seen Dan truly wince at is needles... he hates them. But, he totally stepped up and helped me out. He gave me my first shot. It didn't really hurt so after that I did it myself. It was actually kind of cool being able to give myself a shot. I did this for seven nights in a row. The first time I went in to have an ultrasound to see if it worked, they saw two maturing eggs. I was told to come back three days later. This happen to be on a Sunday (Oct. 7 - to be exact :D), but they had me come in early that morning anyway. These things are obviously pretty delicately timed. That morning we had three mature eggs! I couldn't believe it. They gave me my last shot to help the eggs release and the rest was history!
Now when I told Dan that there were three eggs ready to go, he got pretty wide eyed and nervous. But, I was quick to assure him that I had known people that had two mature eggs and only ended up with one baby... so we would probably get one baby... at the most two. It was highly unlikely that all three would take, especially since one was measuring smaller than the others. So, we didn't really worry about it. Silly us. But now I look at our family and wonder who we wouldn't have, and I can't imagine it!
Soooo, fast forward back to our weekend at the Nebelsick's. I was itching to take another pregnancy test, but I didn't have one with us. So, I found an excuse to go to town to Walmart. Back at the farm was positive test #2. I about jumped out of my skin wanting to tell Dan. But, I didn't want to do it any other way than I had planned... so I waited. I had been fibbing pretty badly to everyone about when I could take a pregnancy test. Obviously everyone wanted to know how our round of fertility went but I didn't want everyone breathing down my neck for results before I was ready to share them. So, Dan had no idea that I could even know yet. I don't know that if there had been one baby that I would have gotten a positive so early. But, there were three times the hormones flowing so it worked.
It wasn't until Sunday until Dan and I were home alone again. Of course I took two more pregnancy tests to be absolutely sure. I remember sitting in church that morning praising God for his gracious miracle. I still had a precious secret to treasure and it felt wonderful to keep it stored up in my heart. I wanted to wait until the perfect moment, but unfortunately the Vikings were playing after church. There was no way I was interrupting the game. :) Well, it would have been fine but I didn't want to. Vikings lost and I got to cheer up my husband!
I will never forget the moment I decided to spring the news. Dan had the hiccups. I told him I could scare them right out of him. He didn't believe me. I told him I wanted to show him something. I brought him my Bible and it was opened to a highlighted verse from Psalm 127:
3 Sons are a heritage from the LORD,
children a reward from him.
4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are sons born in one's youth.
5 Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
when they contend with their enemies in the gate.
Beside that verse I wrote "See Luke 1:24". It states:
After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion.
I highlighted the "Elizabeth became pregnant". Dan just sat there like I was crazy. He will tell you that his first thought was I was thinking the Bible was predicting I would get pregnant when I took a pregnancy test... because he didn't know I could even know yet! Finally, I handed him his first arrow for his quiver. Attached was a positive pregnancy test. He was shocked and surprised and overjoyed and the hiccups were gone!! His hands were sweaty too! It was glorious. We took some pictures and talked a lot about how our lives were going to change. We also wondered how many babies were in there! Anyway, I can't tell you how happy we were and shocked that this was finally happening for us!
We weren't able to find out how many eggs took until November 6th, when we had our first ultrasound. Obviously, we got three beautiful babies from our efforts, and although it has been a huge challenge, it has also been a bigger blessing. Many people told us that God doesn't give us more than we can handle, so God must think we can handle a lot. But, something our pastor said this Sunday really struck a chord with me and our situation. Pastor Jeff said something to the effect that God doesn't just give you as much as you can handle. If God just gave us what we can handle, why would we need to call on Him? Sometimes God may put something in our lives that is beyond our abilites to handle without Him so that we can see the Lord's miracles and provision. I truly believe that is where we are. Our family would not be thriving if it wasn't for our angels (aka - family, friends, and church family). We have been given more than we could handle without the Lord and the people He has put in our lives. We thank God for them and all their help.
Here are some pictures from a year ago:
Dan with his gift - his first arrow.
The pregnant parents. I wish I had taken a better picture. Oh well.
Dan studying for his big important professional engineering exam that he had to take five days after finding out he was a Daddy. As if he didn't have enough on his mind!
.
Our itty bitty miracles.
By the way, we saw all three hearts beating at 5 and 1/2 weeks. That's before some people even realize they are pregnant!!
Little Personalities: Part III
Sorry this is a long time coming... it has been crazy around here!
Poor Levi... he has to go last again. But, he really has calmed down with his fiesty fits lately. I would say David has passed him up in the demanding department. Levi is a wonderful baby and they all are becoming so much fun!
Levi is a flirt. He loves to smile and coo at anyone who is paying attention to him. He has this "Let me reel you in" smile where it is kind of on one side of his mouth, and he looks at you sideways. So adorable. He laughs easily and is the baby who squeals in delight the most. He kicks when he's excited and loves his bouncy chair. Levi is very good at using his feet to bat at toys and play with them. He's so smart!
Levi is a good eater and a pretty good sleeper. He will fuss to tell me when he's tired, but he will also cry to avoid having to go to sleep. He doesn't lay awake long in his crib before "the alarm goes off" to tell us to come and get him. If he's really hungry, he still cries through his diaper change no matter how entertaining I try to be. This is especially un-cool when it's 4:30am and I don't want two other babies awake! Levi never misses a meal. You can't really bank on ever stretching his mealtime longer than three hours. Most days I start getting a bottle-time warning from him a half hour early.
Levi hates bodily functions. He whines when he has gas. He fusses right away if he has a messy diaper. He cries if he spits up most times. Sometimes, it is downright impossible to get him to burp!
Levi was the first baby to be really good at rolling over from his tummy to his back. Sometimes I just lay him down on his belly and he plops right back over. He can do this many times in row. The other two aren't that proficient at it yet. BUT, as of two nights ago, Levi is the last to learn to roll to his belly from his back. He hasn't yet. Aria rolled over twice on Monday night(but not since) and David figured it out on Wednesday night. Since then, we haven't seen David stay on his back for long! I think Levi is too interested in having the best view, because he is the most inquisitive one. He looks at everything, taking in his world.
Levi fell sleep with his hands up.
In the burping position... look at that angel face!
Eating on Mommy's lap... Aria fell asleep waiting for her turn.
Everybody watching Momma work in the kitchen.
Triplet conference, jabbering at each other. Aria on the left, Levi turned away in the middle and then David on the right. I couldn't get Levi to look at the camera, he found something better to stare at.
The boys with their uncle Doug while Mommy and Daddy had a date night.
The babysitters(Kara and Doug)... straight from heaven to our house!!
Poor Levi... he has to go last again. But, he really has calmed down with his fiesty fits lately. I would say David has passed him up in the demanding department. Levi is a wonderful baby and they all are becoming so much fun!
Levi is a flirt. He loves to smile and coo at anyone who is paying attention to him. He has this "Let me reel you in" smile where it is kind of on one side of his mouth, and he looks at you sideways. So adorable. He laughs easily and is the baby who squeals in delight the most. He kicks when he's excited and loves his bouncy chair. Levi is very good at using his feet to bat at toys and play with them. He's so smart!
Levi is a good eater and a pretty good sleeper. He will fuss to tell me when he's tired, but he will also cry to avoid having to go to sleep. He doesn't lay awake long in his crib before "the alarm goes off" to tell us to come and get him. If he's really hungry, he still cries through his diaper change no matter how entertaining I try to be. This is especially un-cool when it's 4:30am and I don't want two other babies awake! Levi never misses a meal. You can't really bank on ever stretching his mealtime longer than three hours. Most days I start getting a bottle-time warning from him a half hour early.
Levi hates bodily functions. He whines when he has gas. He fusses right away if he has a messy diaper. He cries if he spits up most times. Sometimes, it is downright impossible to get him to burp!
Levi was the first baby to be really good at rolling over from his tummy to his back. Sometimes I just lay him down on his belly and he plops right back over. He can do this many times in row. The other two aren't that proficient at it yet. BUT, as of two nights ago, Levi is the last to learn to roll to his belly from his back. He hasn't yet. Aria rolled over twice on Monday night(but not since) and David figured it out on Wednesday night. Since then, we haven't seen David stay on his back for long! I think Levi is too interested in having the best view, because he is the most inquisitive one. He looks at everything, taking in his world.
Levi fell sleep with his hands up.
In the burping position... look at that angel face!
Eating on Mommy's lap... Aria fell asleep waiting for her turn.
Everybody watching Momma work in the kitchen.
Triplet conference, jabbering at each other. Aria on the left, Levi turned away in the middle and then David on the right. I couldn't get Levi to look at the camera, he found something better to stare at.
The boys with their uncle Doug while Mommy and Daddy had a date night.
The babysitters(Kara and Doug)... straight from heaven to our house!!
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Little Personalities: Part II
When Aria was in the NICU and being taken care of by our wonderful friend and nurse, Shauntelle, she earned a nickname: Poopsie. The boys were then given "P" names as well... David became Pumpkin and Levi became Peanut. Poopsie seemed a bit harsh to stick her with, since it was that one diaper, so I wanted to add "Precious" to her nickname choices. Since then I seem to have come across many words starting with "P" that I string out to her "nickname"... because it's fun. So... introducing our Precious Patient Persnickety Pretty Princess Poopsie.
Aria, for the most part, is a very easy and lovely baby. She sleeps well and a lot. She is smiley and "talkative." She is very easy to read as to what she wants and needs. Aria has a pacifier cry. She very much prefers her pacifier when she is tired. I think she would take it other times too, but I try to limit her time with it.
Lately, our big struggle with Aria is at eating time. This is where we get the nickname "Persnickety." She used to fight us when it was time to eat formula at night. She hasn't done that lately, but she has decided to fight any bottle for which she is not good and ready! If she isn't hungry (like after 3 hours and it's time to eat) then she will cry at the bottle. If I interrupt her meal to take care of anything else, there is a good chance she is done! Sometimes after two or three ounces Aria will start fussing to be done. I have discovered some tricks to help her finish: I will let her suck on her pacifier for a moment and then switch out for the bottle, or I will put the bottle in her hand and let her see it until she chooses to take it in her mouth. I can't believe how picky she is already!!! I hope this doesn't stick around for future mealtimes!
I love it when Aria smiles. She wrinkles up her nose with almost every grin. It is sooo cute! When she "talks", she has kind of a nasally voice and she loves to practice her vowel sounds on lots of different pitches. I think she's practicing for when she can sing along with Momma.
Aria has always been a baby who loved to lay in the boppy. Well now, she spends a lot of her time in the boppy trying to sit up! She is getting much stronger in the past couple weeks. Aria, Levi, and David all love to watch me around the house. This is a very nice realization because I have to get things done! They love to watch me buzz around in the kitchen and laundry folding is tons of fun. They get excited if I play with them with the blankets as they are folded. I love watching them smile in surprise and kick.
Aria loves her bathtime. She loves it when I buzz my lips together to make lots of obnoxious noises. :) Sadly, over the past couple months, we have watched our little girl go bald. It looks much better lately, as she is pretty much done loosing hair now. We were kind of worried that the patchy look was going to stay!
~~~~~~~~~~~Thoughts from Aria~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Smile Ryan! We're cute!"
"Whaaaaaat's that? I don't think I like ice!"
"Look Donna, we match!"
"Cool Uncle Doug! How do you do that!? It's loud."
"Seriously, wow."
I suppose I better get this posted, finally. My intent was to do a baby per day, but that obviously didn't happen. I wonder what is going to happen for my plans for cleaning house tomorrow will do! Here are some Aria pictures! I will try to add a video soon. I haven't gotten any off of our new digital video camera... basically because I have never tried. It's the fear of the unknown.
We seem to be coming down with colds around here. Dan got it first, I think. Now the boys are both pretty congested. I pray I stay healthy and it would be great if Aria does too. Please pray for our health and that this yuckiness passes quickly and quietly.
Aria, for the most part, is a very easy and lovely baby. She sleeps well and a lot. She is smiley and "talkative." She is very easy to read as to what she wants and needs. Aria has a pacifier cry. She very much prefers her pacifier when she is tired. I think she would take it other times too, but I try to limit her time with it.
Lately, our big struggle with Aria is at eating time. This is where we get the nickname "Persnickety." She used to fight us when it was time to eat formula at night. She hasn't done that lately, but she has decided to fight any bottle for which she is not good and ready! If she isn't hungry (like after 3 hours and it's time to eat) then she will cry at the bottle. If I interrupt her meal to take care of anything else, there is a good chance she is done! Sometimes after two or three ounces Aria will start fussing to be done. I have discovered some tricks to help her finish: I will let her suck on her pacifier for a moment and then switch out for the bottle, or I will put the bottle in her hand and let her see it until she chooses to take it in her mouth. I can't believe how picky she is already!!! I hope this doesn't stick around for future mealtimes!
I love it when Aria smiles. She wrinkles up her nose with almost every grin. It is sooo cute! When she "talks", she has kind of a nasally voice and she loves to practice her vowel sounds on lots of different pitches. I think she's practicing for when she can sing along with Momma.
Aria has always been a baby who loved to lay in the boppy. Well now, she spends a lot of her time in the boppy trying to sit up! She is getting much stronger in the past couple weeks. Aria, Levi, and David all love to watch me around the house. This is a very nice realization because I have to get things done! They love to watch me buzz around in the kitchen and laundry folding is tons of fun. They get excited if I play with them with the blankets as they are folded. I love watching them smile in surprise and kick.
Aria loves her bathtime. She loves it when I buzz my lips together to make lots of obnoxious noises. :) Sadly, over the past couple months, we have watched our little girl go bald. It looks much better lately, as she is pretty much done loosing hair now. We were kind of worried that the patchy look was going to stay!
~~~~~~~~~~~Thoughts from Aria~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Smile Ryan! We're cute!"
"Whaaaaaat's that? I don't think I like ice!"
"Look Donna, we match!"
"Cool Uncle Doug! How do you do that!? It's loud."
"Seriously, wow."
I suppose I better get this posted, finally. My intent was to do a baby per day, but that obviously didn't happen. I wonder what is going to happen for my plans for cleaning house tomorrow will do! Here are some Aria pictures! I will try to add a video soon. I haven't gotten any off of our new digital video camera... basically because I have never tried. It's the fear of the unknown.
We seem to be coming down with colds around here. Dan got it first, I think. Now the boys are both pretty congested. I pray I stay healthy and it would be great if Aria does too. Please pray for our health and that this yuckiness passes quickly and quietly.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Little Personalities: Part I
David has some quirks and personality traits that we are getting to know about him. Right now he is the most verbal of the babies and LOVES to "talk" with anyone who will converse with him. He is a smiley baby who has big, innocent, blue eyes that could melt your heart.
Some days, David hates his bath. He will feel one toe go in to the water and starts to panic. As soon as his little bottom goes in, there can be a full fledged fit thrown. I've done baths where he looked strait into my eyes and screamed for the entire time. Other times, we can sooth him out of his rage. I have found lately that the song "Do, Re, Mi" from the Sound of Music is quite effective at distracting him from his troubles.
David hates to go to sleep. Just yesterday I was putting a tired little boy down for his nap. I had him swaddled and started rocking him and he has learned that signal... he starts fussing. Then he starts throwing his chunky-monkey weight around trying to escape. Next comes the screaming... seriously I heard a scream out of my sweet baby yesterday. And all of a sudden he will be out like a light. Just drops off to sleep when he gives in. It's amazing.
I don't want to just describe what David hates, so I must add that David loves to eat! We never have problems with him eating. The best part about feeding David is the burp. This boy can belch. He rattles the walls frequently. It is quite entertaining.
David has discovered the TV. I had it on today watching the History channel while feeding babies. Well, I noticed he was looking at it, so I laid him in the boppy pillow with his back to the TV. Well, the little stinker pushed himself up over the top so he could watch TV upside down! I got a picture.
Upside down TV
Carseat smiles
"Hey! I know you!"
David being held by Grandma, talking to Uncle Josh. Quite the conversation!!
Some days, David hates his bath. He will feel one toe go in to the water and starts to panic. As soon as his little bottom goes in, there can be a full fledged fit thrown. I've done baths where he looked strait into my eyes and screamed for the entire time. Other times, we can sooth him out of his rage. I have found lately that the song "Do, Re, Mi" from the Sound of Music is quite effective at distracting him from his troubles.
David hates to go to sleep. Just yesterday I was putting a tired little boy down for his nap. I had him swaddled and started rocking him and he has learned that signal... he starts fussing. Then he starts throwing his chunky-monkey weight around trying to escape. Next comes the screaming... seriously I heard a scream out of my sweet baby yesterday. And all of a sudden he will be out like a light. Just drops off to sleep when he gives in. It's amazing.
I don't want to just describe what David hates, so I must add that David loves to eat! We never have problems with him eating. The best part about feeding David is the burp. This boy can belch. He rattles the walls frequently. It is quite entertaining.
David has discovered the TV. I had it on today watching the History channel while feeding babies. Well, I noticed he was looking at it, so I laid him in the boppy pillow with his back to the TV. Well, the little stinker pushed himself up over the top so he could watch TV upside down! I got a picture.
Upside down TV
Carseat smiles
"Hey! I know you!"
David being held by Grandma, talking to Uncle Josh. Quite the conversation!!
Friday, October 3, 2008
Chocolate
Parenting tibit for today: Always smell the chocolate on your hand before you lick it. False alarm for me, but I paused mid-lick for a second thought at what I was doing. That could have been gross.
Today I discovered that Levi likes to chew on my knuckle. Then I checked and they all like to chew on my knuckle! Could we have teething babies already? Aria and Levi drool now and I see a white spot on Aria's gums. Oh dear. This could get fun.
We are at Grandma and Grandpa Nebelsick's for a couple days! Dan came to help on the farm and we get to visit family! The babies are too big to share pack-n-plays now, so we have three of them set up in the family room. It is quite a sight.
Well, this was just a quick note. I'll have more to say another day.
Love, Elizabeth
Aria being fed with the help of the bottle prop. No, I'm no being a lazy mom, I am a busy mom who was supervising the whole time... just without using my hands. :)
Daddy showing me how long Aria is!
David, who fell asleep playing with his toys. It was adorable.
Levi being held by his Uncle Jonathan.
The kids all sleeping in their car seats. I wanted close ups of their chubby little cheeks. David, Aria, and Levi in that order.
Today I discovered that Levi likes to chew on my knuckle. Then I checked and they all like to chew on my knuckle! Could we have teething babies already? Aria and Levi drool now and I see a white spot on Aria's gums. Oh dear. This could get fun.
We are at Grandma and Grandpa Nebelsick's for a couple days! Dan came to help on the farm and we get to visit family! The babies are too big to share pack-n-plays now, so we have three of them set up in the family room. It is quite a sight.
Well, this was just a quick note. I'll have more to say another day.
Love, Elizabeth
Aria being fed with the help of the bottle prop. No, I'm no being a lazy mom, I am a busy mom who was supervising the whole time... just without using my hands. :)
Daddy showing me how long Aria is!
David, who fell asleep playing with his toys. It was adorable.
Levi being held by his Uncle Jonathan.
The kids all sleeping in their car seats. I wanted close ups of their chubby little cheeks. David, Aria, and Levi in that order.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Whirlwind Fun
We went to Wyoming this weekend! Can you believe it? We left Friday evening and got back to Sioux Falls Sunday. The babies and I took my cousin, Alecia, and she made the trip possible. She was such a big help with the babies. Dan stayed behind because he doesn't share my wild hair for travel all the time. But it couldn't have hardly gone better!
Let me tell you, I have the best family. Let me count the ways: On Friday, I wanted to get going to Sioux Falls in the afternoon and I was running behind. Dan was on his way out the door from lunch, but came back. He asked if there was anything he could do to help me and stuck around for another 15 minutes. That was big. Then, when we got to Sioux Falls, my aunt Donna was there to help with feeding the babies and I got a nap before my nighttime drive. I wanted to go to the Moms of Multiples rummage sale, so Donna helped me take the kids and we got some cute winter outfits. I was able to shop and Donna kept the kiddos happy in the triple stroller. Before getting out of town (after the last feeding so they could just sleep through the trip) we had a bit of a triple meltdown. The babies went crazy and no one would eat, they just sobbed. I know they were tired cause they hadn't napped well all day. I almost didn't go. BUT, as soon as they were put in carseats, they settled down and we took off. Thank goodness Donna was there because it was quite overwhelming.
The drive was so easy. I wasn't tired and the babies slept. When we stopped to fill up, they woke momentarily to smile at Alecia and get pacifiers to return to sleep. My parents met us in the Black Hills to help me with the final leg of the drive. How awesome is that? I really needed sleep by then so that was a big help. Boppy pillows are the most comfortable car pillows, I am never getting rid of ours.
When we got to Gillette, at 3 am, my aunt Mimi met us at my parents house. She had been traveling herself and had just gotten in from a long drive. She took the rest of the night/morning shift and I got to sleep in. So nice!
Saturday was crazy busy with seeing lots of family and friends. Sunday morning we went to church and I sang special music. That felt wonderful to sing of how good our God is. I hope in some way our lives have been singing that for the past year or so. God is so good!
Sunday afternoon, my family took over with the babies so I got a two hour nap before our drive. I had forgotten how relaxing a long, Sunday nap could be.
We headed back on Sunday afternoon, after the second to last feeding. I planned on getting going as soon as they were fed and then we'd do their last feeding on the road. But, it ended up going even better than I thought it would! My parents drove us over as far as Rapid City! My dad followed as my mom drove our van to give me a good start. They helped change, feed and get into pajamas... the kids, not me. :) They filled our car and sent us on our way! We didn't stop again until my aunt Donna's house! David, Levi, and Aria slept the whole way. This is definitely the way to travel, so I figure I better do it while they are this young and will sleep.
We arrived at one o'clock in the morning. My brother and his girlfriend, Kara met us at my aunt's and helped us unload and feed babies. I remember those college days of staying up all hours of the night... I have a feeling I may never return to those habits. I used to prefer to clean house between 10pm and 1am. Not anymore!! My aunt was up too and helped us, it always seems to take an army. I decided not to go all the way to Rock Rapids since I had help in Sioux Falls on Monday and the babies needed vaccine shots. It saved me a trip to Sioux Falls this week.
So, that is the quick version of our weekend and it still took forever to get typed. I love having this to journal our adventures and we'll have it forever. I have always loved writing and have started lots of diaries, but this is the only one I have ever stuck with. I am so glad I did.
I know I can go visit family with triplets easily because they are SUCH a big help when we get there and when we leave. They make it so easy when they are around, how could we not go? I know why I was given triplets. I have been prepared for these days by God through my family. I have been taught from an early age that you look what you can do for others and do it. It was a legacy I can remember from my beloved Grandma Dickey. She was always looking for ways to help others and in many different ways was always asking, "What can I do?" She may not have even asked it out loud, maybe just to herself... and when she found the answer she followed the calling. Now that trait has been strongly passed down to the next generations in her family. So when it came time for me to care for my babies, I know that whatever my hands can do to care for them, I am called to do it. It is easy... it is life... it is love.
Well, I'll find some pictures to load and get this posted! We didn't take a ton in Wyoming because there wasn't time! It was a whirlwind trip!
Love, Elizabeth
The babies on Sunday... FOUR months old!
Our trip to Island Park last Wednesday. Aria slept in her carseat the whole time and we took some pictures with the boys. We had a picnic with a sub sandwich. We were a picnic for the misquitoes. We spent a lot of time keeping them away from the babies (successfully) and the babies enjoyed looking at the trees.
Mommy and Levi
Daddy saying goodbye to David in his Bumbo chair, but he wanted to see the fan....
Soooo, here it is!!
Aria enjoying laying under a new toy.
Let me tell you, I have the best family. Let me count the ways: On Friday, I wanted to get going to Sioux Falls in the afternoon and I was running behind. Dan was on his way out the door from lunch, but came back. He asked if there was anything he could do to help me and stuck around for another 15 minutes. That was big. Then, when we got to Sioux Falls, my aunt Donna was there to help with feeding the babies and I got a nap before my nighttime drive. I wanted to go to the Moms of Multiples rummage sale, so Donna helped me take the kids and we got some cute winter outfits. I was able to shop and Donna kept the kiddos happy in the triple stroller. Before getting out of town (after the last feeding so they could just sleep through the trip) we had a bit of a triple meltdown. The babies went crazy and no one would eat, they just sobbed. I know they were tired cause they hadn't napped well all day. I almost didn't go. BUT, as soon as they were put in carseats, they settled down and we took off. Thank goodness Donna was there because it was quite overwhelming.
The drive was so easy. I wasn't tired and the babies slept. When we stopped to fill up, they woke momentarily to smile at Alecia and get pacifiers to return to sleep. My parents met us in the Black Hills to help me with the final leg of the drive. How awesome is that? I really needed sleep by then so that was a big help. Boppy pillows are the most comfortable car pillows, I am never getting rid of ours.
When we got to Gillette, at 3 am, my aunt Mimi met us at my parents house. She had been traveling herself and had just gotten in from a long drive. She took the rest of the night/morning shift and I got to sleep in. So nice!
Saturday was crazy busy with seeing lots of family and friends. Sunday morning we went to church and I sang special music. That felt wonderful to sing of how good our God is. I hope in some way our lives have been singing that for the past year or so. God is so good!
Sunday afternoon, my family took over with the babies so I got a two hour nap before our drive. I had forgotten how relaxing a long, Sunday nap could be.
We headed back on Sunday afternoon, after the second to last feeding. I planned on getting going as soon as they were fed and then we'd do their last feeding on the road. But, it ended up going even better than I thought it would! My parents drove us over as far as Rapid City! My dad followed as my mom drove our van to give me a good start. They helped change, feed and get into pajamas... the kids, not me. :) They filled our car and sent us on our way! We didn't stop again until my aunt Donna's house! David, Levi, and Aria slept the whole way. This is definitely the way to travel, so I figure I better do it while they are this young and will sleep.
We arrived at one o'clock in the morning. My brother and his girlfriend, Kara met us at my aunt's and helped us unload and feed babies. I remember those college days of staying up all hours of the night... I have a feeling I may never return to those habits. I used to prefer to clean house between 10pm and 1am. Not anymore!! My aunt was up too and helped us, it always seems to take an army. I decided not to go all the way to Rock Rapids since I had help in Sioux Falls on Monday and the babies needed vaccine shots. It saved me a trip to Sioux Falls this week.
So, that is the quick version of our weekend and it still took forever to get typed. I love having this to journal our adventures and we'll have it forever. I have always loved writing and have started lots of diaries, but this is the only one I have ever stuck with. I am so glad I did.
I know I can go visit family with triplets easily because they are SUCH a big help when we get there and when we leave. They make it so easy when they are around, how could we not go? I know why I was given triplets. I have been prepared for these days by God through my family. I have been taught from an early age that you look what you can do for others and do it. It was a legacy I can remember from my beloved Grandma Dickey. She was always looking for ways to help others and in many different ways was always asking, "What can I do?" She may not have even asked it out loud, maybe just to herself... and when she found the answer she followed the calling. Now that trait has been strongly passed down to the next generations in her family. So when it came time for me to care for my babies, I know that whatever my hands can do to care for them, I am called to do it. It is easy... it is life... it is love.
Well, I'll find some pictures to load and get this posted! We didn't take a ton in Wyoming because there wasn't time! It was a whirlwind trip!
Love, Elizabeth
The babies on Sunday... FOUR months old!
Our trip to Island Park last Wednesday. Aria slept in her carseat the whole time and we took some pictures with the boys. We had a picnic with a sub sandwich. We were a picnic for the misquitoes. We spent a lot of time keeping them away from the babies (successfully) and the babies enjoyed looking at the trees.
Mommy and Levi
Daddy saying goodbye to David in his Bumbo chair, but he wanted to see the fan....
Soooo, here it is!!
Aria enjoying laying under a new toy.
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