5 weeks old

Hello all! I currently have a rare moment where all three boys are currently napping during the day and I am going to try and complete this update in one sitting. It has been two weeks since I posted last and the boys are really growing fast!

During week 4, we were all blessed to have three additional sets of hands on site to take care of our family and home. Grandma Peggy, Ms. Donna and Harley were a welcome addition to the on site team and the boys were most appreciative to have some available to take care of their needs without having to wait in line!!! While the boys were happy, Mike and I were really happy as well. I was able to get a full "night" of sleep each morning. I felt recharged and able to take on the challenge of the next week when it was back to zone defense of mommy/daddy vs. boys. They boys are currently winning but we are all quickly learning how to survive and even thrive as a family. Our house also appreciated your visit as the front of the home received a little "curb appeal." Thanks to Grandma Peggy and Ms. Donna, the front of the house received it's facelift! It was a great week and we hope you all will hurry back to Florida.

During the week, we started to notice some white milky spots on Andrew's tongue. What started as a few spots on the tongue, quickly grew into a full on "yuck mouth." After researching on the internet, we discovered that he must have thrush. As soon as we discovered what he had, the same thing started appearing on Jared and Wesley. The boys are definitely learning to share starting with their first infection. When we called the pediatrician, I told them that all three had thrush and her reply was "all three?" followed by a chuckle while stating this is not the first illness that will pass among each other. We were told to apply Gentian Violet to their mouths three times daily. Well, during the first application, we learned of the "dangers" of Gentian Violet. I am sure experienced mothers out there know about this stuff but in case you do not, this stuff WILL STAIN!!! However, it does create some photo opportunities. Jared was our first victim so he got the most and taught us about Gentian Violet. We were much better when Wesley received his dose and he even looks proud and fabulous with his purple lips! It is as if he is saying, "how do I look?"

Since the crew from Texas returned home, Mike and I have been going it alone, Grandma free. We have benefited from the group at CGI (my work) providing us prepared meals that we just heat up. This has been really helpful in the evening so Mike can focus on baby activities like making bottles for the next day, relieving me to take a shower and spending time with each of his boys. I really appreciate him as a father as we have really taken a team approach to parenting this trio. Mike has become exceptionally good at one activity... putting the babies (and himself) to sleep. Over the past week, I have been able to capture moments of him spending time with each of his boys. While you may think these photos are all taken on the same night, they were taken on three different nights. They sure are cute!!!

On May 12th, the boys hit their one month birthday!! It is really hard to believe how fast time is passing. The boys had their one month doctor's appointment on Thursday, May 15th. At the doctor's visit, all three boys were given a clean bill of health. The boys were really great on this outing. They were calm in their car seats and were not fussy at the doctor or the remainder of the outing. In the photo, Andrew is at the top, then Jared and then Wesley is keeping his eye on Daddy as he takes the photo. During the outing, we went to the doctor's office, stopped at a Notary to get some paperwork notarized and then through a drive through to get lunch. They were great during the entire trip. When we stopped at the office for the notary, we brought all three boys inside and the office emptied out into the lobby to see them. In addition, they did not charge us for their services because of the triplets! Mike commented on how I like the attention we get in public. I, of course, enjoy showing off my boys!!

At the doctor's visit, the boys growth was measured. Here is how we are doing:

Andrew:

Weight - 7lb 1oz (3rd percentile)

Length - 20" (5th percentile)

Head Circumference - 33.9cm (less than 3rd percentile)

Jared:

Weight - 7lbs (3rd percentile)

Length - 20 1/4" (8th percentile)

Head Circumference - 35.4cm (15th percentile)

Wesley:

Weight - 6lbs 10oz (less than 3rd percentile)

Length - 20 3/4" (20th percentile)

Head Circumference - 34cm (less than 3rd percentile)

Andrew remains the heaviest of the bunch but Jared is quickly gaining on him. Jared must have not liked the nickname of "the baby" as he has really packed on the ounces since his last weight check. I think most of his weight has been gained in those cheeks! It's almost like those cheeks appeared overnight. Wesley, who was the heaviest at birth, has now become the smallest of the trio. Regardless of their weight, they are all doing well for their "adjusted age" of one week (age based on full term due date which was May 13th). Developmentally, they are on target. Jared is still having a little trouble lifting his head. At the doctor's I joked about this being harder due to the size of his head. The doctor said this probably is the cause of him having a little trouble. Don't worry Jared, you will grow into those cheeks!!!

Here are some other photos of the boys from the past two weeks (I have learned most blog readers just look at the pictures anyway):

Andrew poses for close-up photo. Below is a picture of Andrew following his bath. While his brothers are much calmer during their baths, Andrew still does not enjoy the bath. His screaming fit results in a very exhausted Andrew after the bath (is this really that bad?).

Jared, aka. "the baby," still holds onto his nickname of the baby. We also call him "baby J." While he has shaken the designation of the smallest of the trio, he is still the baby of the bunch. He is very quiet compared to his brothers. You can always count on Baby J to patiently wait his turn to eat or to go to sleep with ease. When preparing for the doctors appointment, I was reviewing how much each baby is eating, how often, how many wet and soiled diapers. Well, it was interesting to see that Baby J has eaten the least of the trio but gained the most weight. Below you see him in his car seat... again, where did those cheeks come from?

In these pictures, you see Wesley sitting in his bouncer with his mittens on. He has been scratching himself a lot recently so he now gets to wear mittens while hanging out. I love this photo because it looks like he is covering his ears in an attempt to block out the cries of one of his brothers. Then, he is pictured in his car seat, ready to roll! He was hanging onto the straps as if he was getting ready to ride a roller coaster. His face has great expressions and it looks like he is really trying to say something. Watch out world once he is actually able to talk!

Well, my goal was to complete this update in one sitting, I failed. After many breaks, I was finally able to complete an update for everyone. I need to finish quickly though as the boys are set to wake soon for their first night feeding. Last night was a big night for us.... it was their first night in the nursery. Prior to tonight, the boys have been living in a crib below the TV in the family room. We are now trying to introduce a nighttime routine that will hopefully lead us to a full night of sleep in the future. So far (one night) it appears to be better than family room life. Last night, they went 4 hours between each feeding! This is a big improvement over the every 3 hours as it was in the family room. Hopefully this pattern will continue.

I hope everyone is doing well!

Take care,

Kellie