Three months old and we’re smiling! Samuel seems to smile and laugh the most often, and Amaya is smiling the least right now, but they’re all at it and it’s an absolute delight to see! (Huge thanks to Megan for making sure I don’t miss any of these moments even though sometimes they happen when I’m at work.)
Steven
Samuel
During a visit from Grandma Sunshine.
Amaya
Here’s a little attempt to start indoctrinating my kids early. A business partner from Comerica Park sent over some Tigers hats and I needed to send him a special thank you note. I’m sure he loved these photos! Samuel’s got the hang of it but Amaya is not impressed. Give her time…
My mother and grandmother are here this weekend for a visit. Here are two photos of my grandmother with great grandchildren #s seven, eight and nine!
Steven (7), Amaya (9) and Samuel (8)
And it was a BIG weekend for me! I took the babies with me when we went out for brunch today. It can be done!! We just timed it during their afternoon nap and it worked like a charm. Every time I take them out it gets easier and less intimidating.
And some bonus pictures.
Daddy managing Boppy Island.
Steven and Amaya curled up with each other in Nana’s arms.
Steven in an outfit I adore.
Amaya in a cute outfit of her own.
Nana taking care of Steven and Amaya.
Right now, my mother, grandmother and Jason are giving the babies their nighttime bottles. It was really difficult to sit this one out (the GUILT) but this momma needed a break. It really does take a village. Next up on the visitor schedule…Grandpa Ron!
Hello! Hello! Steven, Samuel and Amaya are THREE MONTHS old today!! There are a TON of photos down below so just scroll on down if that’s what you’re here for. 🙂 This set of photos includes the FIRST EVER picture of Jason holding all three of his children. <3 <3 <3
After all of my teeth gnashing, it turns out that I love being back at work. It’s work so there’s certainly going to be frustration and stress but I can’t believe how easily I eased back into the routine. I definitely think I’ll appreciate my time with the babies even more and, while I’m at work, I’m really focused on being there (with the bonus of regular text updates from Megan).
The most difficult part is figuring out how to get anything done that’s not work or babies. The babies are usually settled around 8:30pm, I go to bed at 9:30pm and I’m up a little after 6am. Aside from the early hour, I do love my morning routine! I relieve the night nanny, Corrie, at 7am and have a half hour to myself with Steven, Samuel and Amaya. Every morning I pick out outfits for them and start getting them ready to eat when Megan arrives at 7:30am. It’s only 30 minutes but I’m glad for the time.
So what have we been up to? We’ve had the most wonderful family visits!
Last week, Aunt Alysia, Uncle Todd and cousins Nancy and Abe came to visit from DC!! There are lots of pictures of the visit down below.
One thing I’ve learned, which I didn’t know until now, is how much nicer life is with amazing in-laws. I knew Ron and Sherry and the Scofields were awesome before the babies were born but the past 3 months have solidified it 100 fold. There’s just so much love for our family and so much HELP. I hear stories about in-laws coming and disrupting routines and making life difficult and my experience is the complete opposite. Every time family visits life gets easier, easier, easier and our babies are showered with love. I’m so lucky. (Same goes for my family but I’ve known that for my whole life.)
The highlight of the visit (for me) was a surprise seder. I had mentioned that Passover is my favorite holiday and I was sad that I wouldn’t be in NY to celebrate and that I didn’t have the time to plan anything here. In a tremendous show of love, the Scofields went shopping for all of the Passover fixings and surprised me with a seder! I still tear up thinking about it. I told the babies the story of Passover. Todd cooked a lamb and boiled eggs and made charoset. We had wine (and grape juice) and dipped our parsley in salt water and, at the end, Nancy and Abe went head to head on a search for the afikomen. It was one of the most special Passover seders I’ve ever had. Scofields – you are unmatched. <3
Then, after SIX LONG MONTHS, my best big guy, Chase, came to visit with Aunt Sara and Uncle Dave. I hope I never, ever, EVER go that long without seeing him again. It had to be done but it’s too long and not right. He was amazing with the babies. After some initial trepidation, he held them and helped feed them and became an expert at replacing pacifiers. He’s such a good big cousin.
On Saturday, to get out of the house, we ventured to the Detroit Zoo and, at Sara’s suggestion, I took one of the babies with me! Chase chose Steven to join us. I’m so glad we tried it! Steven was great and it meant that Jason was only home with 2 babies. (Hahahaha. ONLY.) Next weekend, when my mom and grandmother are here, I’m going to try naptime brunch with all 3!
The whole going out with the triplets thing… I learned the best way to meet neighbors is to have triplets. Try it! You’ll see for yourself! Now that I’m going out for walks with them I’m stopped right and left in the neighborhood. Last week a woman said, “so they’re 12 weeks old, right?” People are talking! Right now it’s proving to be useful. It turns out there are a TON of kids and babies in my neighborhood and I’m not sure I’d meet these families without my triplet caravan. But ask me how I feel about it in a few months. (Of course, at the zoo we saw a family with QUINTS and a toddler. Sort of puts things in perspective!)
Okay! Pictures!!
Happy Three Months!
Chase getting in on the action. He was so patient.
Steven!
Samuel (and his faces)!
Amaya! (I will dress her up for as long as she’ll let me!)
Naked babies! (Steven, Amaya and Samuel)
Nananananananana BATMAN! The Goldbergs got the kids these adorable costumes. Love them! Jason determined that Steven is Batman and Samuel is Robin and he’s totally right. Steven is our stoic, steady little guy and Samuel’s the goofy little feller.
Family photos with the Scofields!! (Samuel, Amaya, Steven).
Aunt Ouize with Samuel, Steven, & Amaya. (Jason’s sister Alysia is known as Ouize. Long, wonderful story.)
Abe and Nancy with Steven, Amaya and Samuel
Nancy and Samuel.
Chase and Dave meeting the trio for the first time. (Amaya, Steven, Samuel)
Well, this is it. My last day of maternity leave. Tomorrow I go back to work. So here’s an open letter to my babies. Maybe they’ll read it someday.
Steven, Samuel and Amaya –
I love you, I love you, I love you. Before you I was a happy, satisfied person but, in an instant, you become the most important thing I’ve ever done. I work because I enjoy what I do, because it will make me a better mom and because it helps provide for our wonderful family but, when I am away from you, you are all in my heart and on my mind ALWAYS. We are never really apart.
If you need me, I will be there. I will move mountains, cross rivers – whatever it takes – to get to you. Not just now. ALWAYS.
During the day, when Daddy and I are at work, you’re being taken care of by someone wonderful, who loves you, too. She will feed you, sing you songs, tell you stories and make sure you feel safe and cared for. And when I come home at night and walk in the door to see you, it will be the happiest moment of my day. ALWAYS.
Steven, Samuel and Amaya had their 2 month doctor appointments on Wednesday. They did great! Samuel’s head control is better than our doctor would expect from a FULL TERM two month old and Amaya’s weight is in the 1 percentile on the full term newborn chart!
Our pediatrician also noticed a few things. Steven and Samuel had inguinal hernias and, as expected, Steven has a flat spot on the right side of his head and may have a lazy eye. This means a few things:
1) Steven and Samuel were scheduled for surgical consults at U of M Mott Children’s Hospital. The only way to correct an inguinal hernia is with surgery and we’d have to weigh the risk/benefit of early surgery vs. general anesthesia on a baby so young. (The risk of waiting to do the surgery is that the hernia can become incarcerated or strangulated. We really don’t want that.)
2) Steven was scheduled for a consult with a U of M pediatric ophthalmologist.
3) We have to work diligently to reposition Steven on the left side of his head. We’ll reevaluate at his 4 month appointment and, if it’s not better, will have a consult for that as well and, possibly, a helmet. Baby boy doesn’t like the repositioning but I suspect he likes it better than he’ll like a helment.
We also got our 2 month vaccinations. I wish I didn’t have to worry about herd immunity or diseases like measles or mumps in 2014. If you meet an anti-vaxxer send them my way. I’ve got a huge science based soap box ready for the occasion.
To the heart of the story…on Friday morning Samuel was particularly fussy and wouldn’t stop crying. Around 1:30pm in the afternoon when I was out with my mother, Megan was changing Samuel and noticed that his hernia seemed to be harder along with some unusual swelling/discoloration. This was a HUGE red flag as it’s a sign of incarceration or strangulation so she called me with the message a mom never wants to hear – we have a problem. My mom and I drove to Mott, after confirming with our pediatrician that we should go there vs. the local, closer hospital, and I got Samuel checked in while we waited for Megan to arrive with all three babies in tow. I got Samuel squared away and my mom and Megan took the other two babies back home.
Samuel was a trooper. He got poked and prodded and his very first ultrasound. The surgical residents saw what Megan noticed. The good news was that they were able to reduce the hernia which means they could push it back in where it belongs. Pretty gross, but still good news. The ultrasound showed no sign of compromised blood flow. (To do the ultrasound they wheeled our hospital bed to the u/s room and I held Samuel on my lap. It was a nice set up in the ER, actually. I was in the hospital bed and Samuel was on my lap the entire time.)
The good news about these results was that it meant we weren’t in for immediate, emergency surgery. They decided to admit Samuel and do the surgery over the weekend. (The doctors said that they almost always do this type of surgery on the same hospital visit because it’s going to have to happen anyway and they don’t want to risk sending a kid home only to find the situation gets more acute.)
Samuel got to the ER around 2:30pm and was finally admitted around 7pm. I was able to feed him and his daddy came to check in on him – and bring me an overnight bag and some contraband wine in a thermos!
In the middle of all this, Papa Gene was arriving from NY! He took a cab from the airport and made it home in time to meet Megan and feed babies and help hold down the fort while Jason and I were at the hospital.
Surgery was scheduled for Saturday morning at 9:30am. I was rooming in with Samuel and Jason went home to help through the night because our new weekend night nanny doesn’t start until 4/17. I was able to feed Samuel at 11:30pm but he wasn’t allowed anything after that until post-surgery. I got a little bit of sleep between 12:30am and 3:30am but then Samuel woke up HUNGRY. Poor little guy. The nurse asked a doctor if we could give Samuel some medicine to help ease his discomfort but they wouldn’t allow it. I suggested, then, that maybe the doctor wanted to come up and hold his pacifier all night. I couldn’t help it! It was in the middle of the night. I was tired. My baby was hungry. And it was a stressful time. The very nice nurse took Samuel for a bit so I could get a little more sleep.
Believe it or not, surgery was actually fairly uneventful aside from my anxiety and tears. I was able to hold him from the time we left his room until they took him in to the OR. The doctors were amazing. We were particularly impressed with the anesthesiologist who did an exceptional job explaining everything to us. It was no more than 2 hrs from the time we said goodbye to Samuel until we saw him again and the actual surgery was only 30 minutes of that!
Such a trooper! Samuel was wide eyed almost immediately and in relatively little discomfort. Rather than give him narcotics, he had a spinal block and was given Tylenol when he woke up. We were back in his room before noon! Jason stayed for a bit and then went back home to relieve my mom and Gene so they could come see Samuel. (Huge thanks to Megan for working on a Saturday AND coming by the hospital on Saturday night to check in on Samuel.)
Samuel did great through the rest of the night. This is outpatient surgery for older kids/adults but, at his age, they want to be sure he doesn’t have adverse reactions to the anesthesia. No concerns there so we were set for discharge on Sunday morning and home by 10am!
Super stressful and NOT FUN but, since it was going to happen anyway, once the scare was over it was good to get the surgery over and done with. I’m still a little nervous about Steven’s turn but far less than I would be if we hadn’t been through this with Samuel. And on the upside, if we can find one in this situation, is that I had a ton of quality time with Samuel. I think I held him for 4 ½ hours straight on both Friday and Saturday. With triplets, I never get that kind of one on one time. Even with the circumstances, it was very special. <3
Doctor’s office on Wednesday, 4/2. The calm before the storm (both the vaccines and Samuel’s Big Adventure). Steven and Amaya were buddies while Samuel got some shut eye.
An ER selfie with Samuel.
Jason took this picture on Friday night after Samuel was admitted. Concerned mommy, sleeping baby.
The morning of surgery. Saturday, 4/5.
Surgery is over! YAY!!! (“What happened, Daddy? That was wild!”)
Resting in his room. He had the tiniest little hospital gown.
This is a special necklace for Samuel commemorating his hospital stay. He has special beads for: being admitted, pokes, an IV, NPO, oral medication, radiology, surgery, intubation/extubation, special people who love him, going home!
Papa snuggling with Samuel.
Steven and Amaya at home on Saturday waiting for their brother’s return.
Papa feeding Amaya. Thank you, Papa!
From earlier in the week (Wed., 4/2), Amaya is trying out her new spring wear including colorful leggings and her little white shrug.
