another q&a

1) Shannon said...Great timing! I was just wondering today how it would be with three when they were all wanting to be held and you needed to move to another room. For example today mine (2 at 6 months)were little cranks so I had them both in my arms (all 44 #'s) when I had to get their clothes for the day out of their room. I lugged them both in there after doing the armpit pick up for number two, and put them in the recliner while I shopped their closet for clothes. Then to get them to the tub on the other side of the house I picked up one, put the clothes with the first one, and then did the armpit pick up for the second. Did you just run back and forth from room to room while they fussed or did they learn to self/group sooth? Also, how did you find time to get on the computer when they were younger? Do they nap at the same time now? Sorry I just started reading your blog and haven't gone back into older posts at all. Do you ever need to cuddle the peaches at once? Thanks for the Q&A! I may be back later to add some more.

The age old question for mamas of multiples...how in the world do I get more than one baby from here to there? Haha, I feel your pain! Transporting babies up and down the stairs or from room to room is oh so fun :) Not really. Even now that they are walking, I still need to help them more often than not if we actually want to get where we need to go. (Otherwise it could take days just to make it down the stairs every morning) I usually take 2 (sometimes even 3) trips because it is just easier that way. Most of the time, even now, I carry 2 (one in each arm either on my hip or outward facing under their armpits) and then 1 gets a solo trip. Whenever we need to get dressed I always bring whatever I need into the room we are heading into first and then I go back for the babies.

I have always bathed them one at a time (until very recently), letting the other two play while they waited. Often they would cry, but they needed to get clean so I would sing or be silly to try and calm things a bit. Over time I think they did learn to self soothe and they are quite a bit more patient than they used to be. Sort of.

They have always napped at the same time...my sanity was dependent upon it so I made sure to keep it that way. I think it helped that they all came home from the hospital on a schedule and it was easy to just stay on that schedule, even as it evolved. We operate on what I like to call a "flexible schedule." Basically, we do the same things in the same order every single day, but the times can change depending on a variety of factors. What is interesting to me after over a year of this, is that if it happens to be time for a shift in the schedule (less naps, longer awake time, etc...) it is usually resolved within a matter of days for all 3. Of course there are certainly days when one doesn't sleep and so I try to take that time to spend some one on one time with whomever it is that refuses to sleep.

Usually at least a portion of naptime is my designated "me" (computer) time...if not, than i usually use the end of the day right before I go to bed. When I was pumping I would use that periodic 15 minutes to catch up as well.

There are lots of days when all 3 want to cuddle...those tend to be the rougher days. (Like this morning.) I just can't cuddle all 3 at once. Well I should clarify that I can, they just don't like to share Mommy very much. When they were smaller I would cuddle with whoever was the most upset first and then work my way down to whoever was the least upset...that way everyone got cuddles, but the baby who needed it the most that day got the cuddles first. Now I am trying to teach them how to share so there are lots of days spent with 3 babies in my lap!

2) Harris Boys said...hey rachael!!! my question is: do you have any friends that have multiples? When I was a sahm (stay at home mom) I only had friends with singeltons.

This is probably going to sound pretty pathetic, but between Lydia's school and all of her extra-curricular activities and The Peaches I haven't really been very good about being able to get together with anyone. We spend a lot of time with my family too and often, when John and I do get a night out, it is usually at something related to his work. So, we rarely get the chance to hang out with friends. Sadly :( That being said...even though I rarely see them, I do have some incredible friends. Some with no children, some with 1 child, some with many children. And I have met some amazing triplet (and a few twin) mommies that live in the area and I am hoping to be able to get to know them better as our children get older!

3) Souza Sisters said...Where did you get those adorable robes the peaches are wearing in your last post? They are so cute:)

Thank you! The Peaches adore them and they are incredibly soft, cuddly and so absorbent. They were a gift from Nana & Grampy, bought last year on sale from a local department store. It looks like the brand (le peit nuit) is available at a few online stores!

4) Misty said...I have to ask the most annoying question that as a mom of multiples I get......"Do you watch Jon & Kate plus 8?"??? Just kidding! I like the post ides, I may have to do that. Congrats on the 16th month mark. We hit 2 years on THursday! AH!

Ha! So not funny Misty. It really is still one of THE most asked questions. We used to watch the show, in fact Lydia loved it, but lately it has kind of fallen out of favor in our household. Watching the freebies that fly through their home is sort of insulting and makes for an unrealistic portrayal of life with multiples. Kudos to them for finding a way to get paid to raise their children, I don't hold that against them, but it gets sort of annoying to watch.

Happy birthday to your girls!

5) angie said...I want to know how much milk you go through in a week. How much sleep you get at night and what your first reaction was when you found out you were having triplets. :)

Honestly, I have no idea. I would say though that I go to the store every 3ish days and pick up 2 gallons of whole milk, but we always have at least a gallon on reserve just in case. By my estimates I would say that we go through about 5 gallons per week probably, just for the babies. We also go through at least another gallon a week for John, Lydia & I. Although 6 gallons of milk a week is nothing compared to the bananas...

When I first found out I was expecting triplets I was scared and overwhelmed and honestly, I really wasn't sure I could handle 3 babies. I think that there was a lot of disbelief and shock too, I mean really...3? Even if you take into account all varieties of fertility treatments, the reality of that happening just isn't that likely. My reaction was suspended initially because as soon as we heard the news, John almost passed out. He had to leave the room for a minute or so and once he regained his composure and returned tears just started rolling down my cheeks. I really was not sure how in the world to react to be honest. Nothing in life can prepare you for the news that you are pregnant with 3 babies and the worst case scenarios flash through your mind at warp speed. It took me so long to adjust to the news and find my balance that I waited about a month (I think) to even tell our families and friends.

6) Lori of I'm no super Mom said...My question is for Lydia, we know you love your siblings, but what was your first reaction when you found out that your Mom was having triplets?

This question got it's own post :) If you missed it, you can read this post for the answer!

7) Lori said...i have a question for lydia too...do you like to read, and if so what do you like to read, or what is a fave book of yours? (the teacher side of me couldn't resist!)

Lydia disappeared on me before we got to this question (although she was thrilled to have 2!), so I am taking the liberty of answering for her. She does like to read, preferring stories that are relevant to her at the moment. If that makes sense...

8) Susan said...Have you had to have consistent help after giving birth to the peaches and still now? They are super cute by the way. SEC

We have a lot of help from my family, my parents are an incredible source of support for us. Especially when I was in the hospital and over the course of our 1st winter - their help with Lydia (and then the babies) kept us afloat. My mom came by at least once a day (for various amounts of time depending on how my day was going) until April-ish. She doesn't come over as much anymore, but we see her (and my dad) often during the week and we have found a new balance. One that seems to work quite well. John's parents live a little farther away (3 hours), but when they do visit they are always helpful as well. Not to mention the support we have gotten from our extended family, our siblings, our friends and even co-workers! We also have a babysitter throughout the school year (this year it is my wonderful cousin) who comes once every other week or so, so that John and I can get out of the house together. Otherwise, it is all me...and John. And of course Lydia.

9) Jaime said...My question is, do the peaches all get along? Do two of them get along better than the other? (Did that make sense?) And I like Angie's question, What was your first reaction to finding out about the Peaches?

They do all get along. Most of the time. They love to give each other kisses and will often chase each other around the house giggling and laughing or playing peek-a-boo. They are even learning to share (a little bit) and will sometimes give up a toy or book if someone else needs it (for example during diaper changes, which they find particular dreadful and let me know they find them so by flailing around, kicking me and crying). Right now Ella & James are the best of buds, but those alliances change often. In fact, today it seemed like the tides may have been turning because I caught all 3 interacting pretty equally throughout the day. Sometimes they all get along, sometimes one prefers to be alone. When they were first home James & Cameron drew more comfort from one another and Ella was often on her own and after that, for a while Cameron & Ella were tight and often ignored James.

10) BoufMom9 said...Religious question...I know you had the peaches baptised, do you take them to church often? I'm asking because it's become harder & harder to take E&W to church as they just want to run, run, run...

We don't take them to church. It is just way too difficult and would be enormously distracting both for us and everyone else. Every once in a while I will bring someone (or two) with me, but that doesn't happen very often. They just won't sit still long enough to make it through the entire mass!

11) Jen said...OK I thought of something. Where do the peaches sleep? Do they share a room? Did they ever sleep in the same crib?

The Peaches do share a room and they all sleep in their own cribs. But, when we first brought them home from the hospital, they slept in the same pack 'n play until they were about 6 weeks adjusted (towards the end of October). At that point we moved them all into their room where they slept in the same crib until the end of January. Then we moved James to his own crib and the girls continued to share a crib until mid-March. They love being together in the same room for now and I will probably leave it that way until they are a little bit older. I always assumed James would then move to his own room, but I don't want to force that until he is ready.

12) Amazing Times Three said...I LOVE THIS!!! and you know I have a bunch of questions! -what is your most helpful organizational trick when the babies were newborn (feedings, clothing, diapering, etc) -were any of the peaches more "vocal" than the others when they were babies resulting in you holding that one more? How did you make sure everyone got the same amount of attention? -did you ever oversleep during the three hour schedule :/ Thanks!!!! Can't wait to see your answers :)

Organization... Well, everything always happened in 3's and it was always done together. I kept a notebook and wrote down who ate what, who pooped or peed and their sleeping habits until probably May of this year (crazy, I know!). I always did everything at once...they would wake up and I would feed them, then change their diapers, then play/rock/activity/etc... I always bathed them at the same time (one at a time) and dressed them at the same time. I would pump right after they ate & make the bottles at night for the next day.

I am trying to remember if someone was fussier than the others. Ella was always the most particular and she would get upset the easiest. I would usually just deal with whoever was the most upset at the time first and then work my way down. I tried to be fair and give everyone equal time, but I have to imagine that I probably didn't. The girls liked to be held together in a Moby Wrap for the first few months and James was the only one who liked to be rocked (until recently, now the girls adore it). During the nights, there were a couple of months when they all would end up in our bed, but then the girls stopped waking up and so for a long time James would end up sleeping with us at night. Cameron usually wakes up about once every 2 weeks or so around 9-10ish and will hang out with us for a while before going back to sleep and Ella used to be our earliest riser. I just try to make sure that everyone gets some mommy time during the day. There are many days where someone gets more attention, but strangely it usually balances itself out over the course of the week.

Sure, of course I overslept during the days of the eternal 3 hour schedule. It started out at 15-30 minutes past feeding time and gradually worked itself into longer stretches. It was it reached a few hours that I started letting them go longer between feedings...with our pedi's blessing of course!

13) wingsfan said...Besides you, John & Lydia, who is each peaches favorite person/visitor? Is there one person in particular that each peach just lights up when they walk in the room?

Oh my gosh, this changes as they change. They really do love just about everyone and their little faces light up when they see someone they know. Often when they meet someone new or someone they haven't seen in a while it takes them a bit to warm up, but once they are comfortable they make fast friends. But, I have to say that by far, Ella adores her Grampy the most right now. Whenever she sees him she breaks out into a huge grin and raises her hand up in the air, saying "Bampa" in probably the sweetest voice you have ever heard. And Cameron is most definitely a Nana's girl right now...she is constantly looking at her picture and asking for her and when she sees her, that little face just lights up. Right now, I would say that James adores Nana & Grampy equally...but he has recently become quite fond of Gram & Granpa Lou on the web cam and is just fascnated with visiting with them!


thank you so, so much! i love answering all of these questions. and i know i said it before, but seriously, you guys rock the q&a!



ps - i am already tired of the blog's "new" look...any suggestions?