It's been awhile...

I know you've seen this on facebook, but I love this pic!

I was holding Molly
because these 2 were rolling all over the table

As you can imagine 3 six month olds are taking up every bit of my time, which is why I haven't had time to post!  They are busy, busy, busy!  We just had our 6 month check-up and they're HUGE!
Molly 17 lbs, 2 oz. 75th percentile for weight and 50th for height
Mia 16 lbs, 12 oz.  75th percentile for weight and 50th for height
Max 16 lbs, 14 oz.  50th percentile for weight and 25th for height (poor guy, I hoped he might get my Dad's height, but it looks like he's getting his parents!)

They're getting to be so much fun!  I finally feel like I can take a breath, but they are still a ton of work,  just in a different way now.  When we first came home it was sleep deprivation and feeding around the clock.  Now, I barely have a spare chance to sit down because I'm having to entertain them.

Such a big boy!

They're doing so much more now too.  They're all rolling everywhere, Max is sitting up and the girls are close.  And  Their little personalities are really developing.  Mia is the outgoing one.  She will smile and talk to anyone.  Max is super happy, and Molly is all business.  She's going to be the boss!  Mia is going to be my whiner.  She can already throw a pretty good fit at 6 months!

I quit nursing at 6 months.  I cried for the first 2 weeks.  I felt so bad every time I gave them a bottle.  I'm sure I was just hormonal because I'm enjoying the free time now, but for some reason I had a really hard time with it.  My goal was to make it 6 months and I made it 5 1/2 (I'm still calling it 6 because I was 2 weeks shy and it makes me feel better).  They're just taking up even more of my time and someone is always needing something, so I wasn't able to pump every 3 hours anymore, so I started naturally drying up and they were getting less and less, so it was no longer worth my time.  I will say this.... had I known what I was going to be left with (if you catch my drift) when I quit, I would never have quit...EVER!!!

We've started solids now and this is BY FAR been the most stressful time of this 6 months.  There's no good way to do it.  If I feed them all at the same time it's a huge mess, they're getting mad because I'm not shoveling it in their mouths fast enough, they're rubbing it all over their face and hair.  And if I feed them separately (which I'm doing) I have to find ways to keep the other 2 happy because they see the other one eating and get mad, and I feel like I'm feeding babies all day long.  So, all tips are welcome!  I feel like my mom too, I have no idea how I'm going to keep straight who likes what! The girls aren't too sure about anything and Max can't get enough of everything!

Molly

Max

Mia

We've started taking them out in public a lot more too.  This is difficult, as we are already outnumbered, but we're getting the hang of it!  If only I could have a dollar for every "you've got your hands full!" or "Triplets?"  we get!  Sometiems  I wonder why we do take them out.  We are a complete freak show.  Last Friday my mom was supposed to watch them while I went to my yearly neurosurgeon follow-up (SIDENOTE:  I am 4 years brain tumor free!!!!! My dr. even said it looked better than my last scan, so we're super excited about this great news!!!)  and she called to tell me she had the flu.  No idea how I got them all dressed, fed (bottles and oatmeal), myself ready, out the door-to rain, and to my appointment, almost on time!  The second we walked into KUMed we were literally in a circle of people staring and asking questions!  We had to wait 2 hours to see my dr.  THANK GOD for my friend, Jessica that came to help!  Then, we had their 6 month appointment following that.  It was quite the day!

Hope you're all doing great.  I'll try not to go another 2 months this time!

XOXOXO

We are already 4 months!

We are 4 months old today

You always hear people talk about how fast time goes once you have kids.  I never really understood this until now.  I'm really trying to enjoy every second, but I'm super sad about how fast this is going.

They are doing great!

Mia, Max, and Molly at their 4 month check-up

Stats at our 4 month check-up are as follows..
Molly:14 lbs 4 oz 24 3/4 inches 75th percentile for both weight and height (chunky monkey)
Mia:14 lbs 2 oz 24 1/4 inches 50th percentile for both weight and height
Max: 14 lbs 9 oz 24 1/4 inches 50th percentile for weight and 25th for height
I'm just so amazed at how blessed we are.  Our pediatrician isn't adjusting anything for growth or development, which usually happens for premature babies because they weren't supposed to be meeting their milestones until after their due-date.  Had she adjusted they would all be over 95th percentile!
They're all now smiling and laughing, and grabbing at everything.  Mia and Max have rolled over and Molly is working hard at this.  Well, I guess Mia did.  She was on her back when I left the room and on her stomach when I came back, which leads me to believe that she did!  I haven't seen it since.
They're doing pretty well at night still.  Max is still going 8-8 and the girls are going 8- around 4, then back down until 8 for the most part.  We still have rough nights here and there, but on a whole it's sooooo much better!

In other news we moved into the Porrello house!  We have listed our house (so if you know anyone please send them our way).  As you can tell from the following picture 3 of everything everywhere made for a tight squeeze. Besides the fact that it was getting unbearable to move and only a matter of time before I tripped and fell on a baby, the thought of having to pick up the house, and pack them up when someone wanted to see the house stressed me out.  
It's nice to have the help of my mom and space now.  Hopefully we can sell and move quickly, so pleeeaaaassseeeee keep your fingers crossed for us!
Another perk is being able to work out again considering the fact that I have to get in a bridesmaids dress in less than a month and can barely zip the thing...so keep your fingers crossed on that too!
Lastly, I will officially be resigning from teaching this week!  Typing that brings actually brings tears to my eyes.  While I feel sooooo blessed to be able to stay home with my babies and can't even stand the thought of having to leave them, I'm also very sad to be leaving my Winnwood family.  It has been an amazing 7 years and I will miss it tons!

Hope you are all doing well!
xoxoxo

Lately at the Lucas Household...

Chunky Monkey Molly

Max

Mia

We've had one busy month! The babies are now over 3 1/2 months.  It's crazy how fast this is flying by.  Chris is happy that I got my tubes tied because I would have another in a heartbeat!  I know how crazy that sounds!  I think it's because we tried for so long to get pregnant and each stage is going by so fast and is so final for me.  I know how blessed we are to have 3 healthy babies.  So many things could have gone wrong with the high risk pregnancy I had and I thank God every day. So,we will not be having any more :)
They are so much more active now.  They're all laughing and constantly cooing!  It's too cute! They all have their own little personalities too. Previously referred to as Mad Max is no longer Mad anymore.  His reflux is getting better.  Not quite gone, but definitely better.  He still spits up some and seems to hoard milk under his neck, so he is already a stinky boy!  He is also definitely his father's son.  Anyone that knows Chris knows that he is a ball of nerves and constantly moving. Max is our little wiggle worm.  I swear he's going to be running before crawling.  You can just tell he's ready to take off.  When he's on his back he's kicking his feet like crazy.  Also, I need to start taking pictures of this, but we put him in his crib, looking at his crib, with his head on the right.  When we go get him he is on the other end of the crib with his head on the left.  No idea how he does this. It's too funny though.
While Molly is so fat I can rarely get a good picture of her smiling, she is super happy.  Constantly smiling and laughing.  She's very content.  Always reaching for her toys and playing with her hands now too.
And last, but not least Ms. Mia.  She's our high maintenance one.  She likes to wake us up in the middle of the night to put her binky back in.  I think she'll be the first to talk.  She just looks like she has something to say.  She's super happy too.  I oftentimes have a hard time feeding her because she just wants to smile! Her and Molly have both already proven to be little divas too.  They won't drink their milk if the temperature is not to their liking.  They've already gotten Daddy wrapped around his finger.  He started re-heating their milk, mid bottle .  Such a pain!
Speaking of being sick...we had our first trip to urgent care last week.  After the cold Mia got the croup cough, which is different in babies.  With older kids it's more of that barking cough and in babies they actually lose their voices.  I got a little nervous thinking it may be RSV because she was  so wheezy. Luckily, it was not.  They gave her a steroid and she was better the next day.

They're all pretty close to sleeping all the way through the night.  They go down around 8:00 and wake up between 4 or 5, eat, and go back down until 8. Last week we were all sick with colds.  Since then, Ms. Mia has decided to wake up around 1 and scream for about an hour every time her binky falls out of her mouth.  So, needless to say, every night is not perfect, but we're definitely getting there.  I am using this book 12 Hours by 12 Weeks Old, which was referred to me by another triplet mom. You basically train them to sleep through the night by weaning off of their night time feedings.  It really seems to be working!  

Now that we're getting longer stretches of sleep, it's soooooo much easier to take care of them during the day.  People think I'm crazy, but I'd say it's pretty easy!  I think I was just meant to do this.  I rarely feel stressed, it just comes very naturally to me! It may be easy since my mom comes to clean my house and do laundry every other day!  No clue what I would do without her.
In other news...we got a new cousin.

Jonathan Joseph Taylor
9 lbs 8 oz

On March 11 my sister, Christina had a little boy.  Jonny Taylor.  Christina let me be in the delivery room again.  And again, she amazed me.  No idea how someone pushes out a close to 10 pound baby.  It was truly amazing to see him come into the world! The babies are super excited about growing up so close to Mr. Jonny!
The rest of this month will be flying by.  In the next 2 weeks we have Nonna's Birthday, Luci's 2nd Birthday, a wedding shower, a TRIPLET baby shower, our friend Addison's 1st birthday, family pictures, and Auntie A's visit!!!!!!!!! I'm so excitied about he weather being nice too so we can get outside.  Happy Spring!
Our 4 month appointment is in April and I will update then!
xoxoxo

We are 2 months old!

February 2, 2010...2 months old today!

Can not believe how fast it is already going.  My babies were 2 months old yesterday!  They are doing beyond wonderful!  I am still in awe of how great they have done...we are soooooooo blessed!
We had a NICU follow up appointment a couple of weeks ago and they were all over 9 pounds. Molly got to get off of her heart monitor because she hadn't had any apnea's since we got home.  Poor Max still has his though.  He has had 1 and has to have zero in a month to get rid of his.   We have our 2 month check-up on Friday and I'm sure they are over 10 now.  They're getting huge!  Chris thinks I'm a total nut, but I'd be ready for a 4th soon if I hadn't had my tubes tied.  Crazy, huh?  I think because it's all so final for me and I get sad that they're getting so big so fast(they're already in 3 month clothes!).  I know it'll all be such a blur.

Propping bottles with blankets

Our days fly by.  They are still eating every 3, sometimes 4 hours.  We've had a couple of 5 and 6 hour stretches at night!!!  We can NOT WAIT until that gets longer!  We are starting to let them go more on demand, which is hard because we'd like them to go longer stretches, but we usually have to wake someone up so that they don't get too off of the other two otherwise we'd be feeding babies constantly. Feeding time gets CCCRRRAAAZZZYYYY when they all want to eat at once.  While I hate bottle propping, it has to be done at times.  Thank goodness for these contraptions...I was propping blankets and  that was a mess!

Molly...new bottle prop!

Everyone always asks if I'm getting cabin fever.  I really don't have time to think about getting out.  My days are spent feeding babies, changing diapers, cleaning bottles, pumping, and filling bottles.  I have about an hour and a half to 2 hours between feedings which are spent doing laundry, playing with them, and taking the occasional nap.  I am lucky to get a shower in!  My mom comes over most days for a few hours.  If she didn't I have no idea what I would do.  I'm ready for the snow to stop so that she can come back!
I'm getting better at managing my time between feedings.  I was even able to cook and make dessert yesterday somehow!  As a teacher managing time was never an issue for me and that was with 25+ kids.  With 3 babies I can't quite wrap my mind around it and it drives me crazy because I am so structured in the classroom.
Now that they are awake more during the day this next month will be spent trying to get them all on the same schedule for napping.  WISH ME LUCK!!!

XOXOXO