No More Co-Bedding

Since the boys have come home, we have put them in the same bed to sleep.  I have never seen anything more precious than three babies cuddling with each other while sleeping.  I would sometimes catch myself just standing over the crib watching them all sleep and cuddle together.  All the multiples books I read said multiples usually enjoy sleeping in the same bed and they can do so until they are able to roll over.  My babies are not rolling over but they are getting to big to all fit in the mini-crib together.  So we decided to put them to bed in each of their own cribs.  I am also hoping it will help them start to sleep through the night if they don't have someone squirming beside them.  They still aren't sleeping through the night, but they are going back to sleep a lot easier after the late night and middle of the night feedings now that they are all sleeping in their own beds.  That makes all the difference in the world when we can feed them and go right back to bed without having to go back in numerous times to get all three back to sleep.  I am going to miss seeing them all cuddled together.

The boys cuddling for the first time once everyone was home.

Handsome Boy

Ben, my handsome little boy.

Lunch with Daddy

We had a great opportunity to get out of the house today.  Daddy did not have a lunch appointment scheduled, which is a rare occasion.  I packed up all four boys and we grabbed some lunch from a drive through for a special lunch appointment.   It was great to get out of the house if only for a brief time.  Ben loves to go to Daddy's work and ride the elevator to his office.  His favorite part was eating the candy Daddy had there.  The babies were not as happy.  They do not care for their car seats.  They haven't had to spend very much time in them.  We are going to have to keep looking for opportunities to get out and about although I was totally exhausted when we got home.  This was the triplets first real outing besides the doctor's office and our first outing as a family!

Daddy and his future accountants.

Under House Arrest

Some days I feel like I am under house arrest.  For the past six months I have barely left the house.  It all started in mid-April when I went on bed rest.  For three months, the only times I left the house were for doctor's appointments and the seldom escape from the house for a special occasion.  Since the babies were born, it hasn't changed.  I rarely leave the house.  I go to our Bible study group on Sunday nights, I occasionally drop Ben off or pick him up from school when I don't have help lined up, and I sometimes make rare escapes from the house by myself to run errands or go on a date with Derek.

In the beginning, we had to protect the babies fragile immune systems.  Premature babies are more susceptible to illness.  When Chase and Tyler were released from the NICU we were advised to not take them out around a lot of people for 6-8 weeks.  So we decided to keep them at home until they were two months old.  Well, now they are three months old and we still haven't taken them out of the house accept to the doctor's office.  Why? The logistics of taking three babies any where is difficult.  It's a lot of work to load up three babies.  Up until recently, I haven't had the energy to do it.  It has taken some time for me to rebuild my energy after being on bed rest for three months, recovering from surgery, all the while taking care of 4 children and getting up in the middle of the night for the last three months.  Now, I am itching to get out of the house.

I want to get them out, but I also realize I have to be smart about it.  October is the beginning of RSV season.  I will have to be extra careful so that I keep them healthy.  The last thing I want to do is have three sick babies.  There has to be a way to find a good balance of getting them out of the house while keeping them healthy.  I think it will be good for all of us to start getting out of the house.  I am ready to get back to life as we knew it.

Matching Outfits

This past week I packed up the newborn clothes and unpacked the 0-3 month clothes.  Sad Day! I cannot believe they have already outgrown their newborn stuff.  The boys have several matching outfits in this size clothing and oddly enough we have not taken their picture in matching outfits.  So we had to take advantage of the opportunity!

Back to Front: Tyler, Ryan, Chase

Tyler, Chase, Ryan

They started falling asleep one by one as we were taking pictures.
I think they enjoy cuddling with one another.

Super Dad!

On Saturday, Derek watched all four boys while I went shopping. He took care of all of them like a champ.  He is our Super Dad!  I am so blessed to have him as a husband and a father to our children.

Feeding all four boys at the same time.

Family Time

Sundays are our family days.  We love to spend time outside enjoying the beautiful weather on our covered back porch.  Ben loves to play outside and the babies seem to enjoy the fresh air too. We enjoy spending time together as a family.  Here are a few snapshots from our afternoon.

Tyler

What a face!

Chase enjoying time with his mommy.

This is Chase's favorite way to cuddle.

Ben having fun outside.