To the Park We Go

Last weekend, we went to the park for the first time. Lila and Will loved the swings, and I think Addie liked the breeze flowing through her hair. It was so nice just getting out of the house.

Addie and Will can now go from lying down to sitting up. In fact, Will prefers to sit up just about all of the time, even at bedtime. Derek and I kept cracking up last night. We would sneak in the nursery, only to find Will quietly sitting there. When he noticed us, he would try to peer over the rails to see us. Addie has gotten quite clingy. I cannot say that I mind. I love to cuddle. Besides, I know that she is not spoiled from being held all of the time; there has never been time for that. So, I often given into her request to be held. It seems quite reasonable. Lila is doing well. She is gaining more strength and coordination every day. She and Will have really started to notice each other. I love the giggles.

We recently had some professional pics taken. I cannot wait to share!

Lazy Days of Summer

Miss Addie

Guess who!


Lila P

I could make plenty excuses for my lack of posts, but I have simply been enjoying my family. Last weekend, we welcomed a new member. Audrey Claire was born July 11th to proud parents Timathie and Tony. She is absolutely beautiful. Fortunately, my parents and I were able to drive to Georgia to see her. Thanks to Derek for staying back with the kids. I don't think we are quite ready for a cross country road trip!

The Holtlets are doing well. Addie and Will are mobile. Will is quite the explorer. He will crawl all over the main floor, with an occasional look back for a familiar face. Miss Lila has not quite perfected in crawl. In fact, when she gets really excited and wants to move, she flails her arms and legs in the air. The little thing is not going to get very far like that, but she'll get it. All three now sit up, as you can see from the above pics.

Lila has adapted well to her hemlet. Last week, she went to the doctor to have it adjusted for her head growth. We go back in early August. They will take a laser scan then to measure the progress. I think that her head shape already looks better, so I cannot wait to have that confirmed.

I did update the flicker site with new pics. Enjoy!

Happy 4th of July

Yuck!

Broccoli Chicken baby food makes me gag.

Ok, we had some technical difficulty with the poll. So, Miss Addie was the first to "crawl." Most of you guessed right. But, Mr. Will was only a few days behind. They both are quite mobile now.

The kids are really starting to notice each other, or at least each other's toys. This weekend, Addie decided that she needed a pacifier. The little stinker shimmied over to Will, took his, and promptly put it in her mouth. It was so cute. And, Will likes to aggregate all of the toys, which usually results in the girls crying.

Lila is doing fantastic in her helmet. She does not seem to notice it at all. She now wears it 23 hours a day. Great job Lila! Mommy is proud.

Catching Up

Lila's first do-rag. Getting ready for a laser scan of her head.


Lila's new accessory

Addie

Mr. Man

Where do I begin... The kids are just growing so quickly. We have been worried about Little Lila P's weight. Well, the girl has risen to the weight gain challenge. Last week she weighed 13lbs 12ozs, an increase of over two pounds in 6 weeks! Go girl! Miss Addie now has two teeth, and she is not afraid to use them. She has found that it feels better to gnaw on Will's fingers than her own. Smart girl! Addie and Will can both sit up, although they still will topple over sometimes. And, finally, we have a crawler. Well, an army crawler. I am not going to tell you who it is. I am going to make you all guess!

As you can see from the pictures, Lila now has her helmet. Today and tomorrow, she will cycle through an hour of wear followed by an hour without wear. We will increase the duration of wear until we work up to 23 hours per day on day five. The doctor warned us that the helmet will make her sweat profusely. It does. Part of me would would like to next five days to go slowly. I love to see her pretty little face and will hate to see it covered with the helmet.

I was certainly startled to see Lila in the helmet the first time. I am very curious about strangers' response. People are quite curious to see the triplets and often come to talk to me. After getting a glimpse of Lila in the helmet, I wonder if people will keep a little more distance. A social experiment, I guess. My little Lila is still gorgeous.

And for me. I have finished school (FOREVER), and I am enjoying more time at home. I am catching up on 7 months of laundry. (Ok, it's bad, but not quite that bad.) I have started my long list of "to dos," and I feel like I am regaining some control of my life. I have found a walking buddy. The walks were difficult at first, given my loss of muscle from months of bedrest. But, we're now up to 3.5 miles per walk. It feel so good to be active again.

Good news!

Yesterday we learned that Addie's cranial sutures are still open. Yeah!

I hope that all had a good Father's Day. The kids sent me shopping for Derek. Unfortunately, they each wanted to get Dad something different. Derek said his first Father's Day felt more like Christmas with all of the gifts. Ok, I think we went overboard this year. I hope that we did not set a precedent!

Summer Fun

Last week, I stayed home with the kids. Vacations in the past have involved sleeping late, naps on the beach, magaritas, etc. Well, on this vacation, I was up at my usual 5:45Am, and I certainly did not have time for a nap. But, it was the best vacation ever! I really enjoyed my time with the kids. In some ways, this week made up for a disappointing maternity leave from work. For the first three weeks, I did not have all of the babies home. And the last five weeks of my leave were so intense! I was a zombie...feeding babies, changing diapers, soothing, etc... This week, I could really enjoy my babes.

We were very busy. Last Tuesday, we had our first playdate...with another set of triplets! The Schirano Triplets came over. Cameron, Ella, and James are a few months ahead of us. They certainly showed off their newly-acquired skills...crawling, eating cheerios, cruising. I was so impressed...and slightly scared about my babies becoming mobile. Mamma Schirano offered some great advice. I just wish that I could have been more helpful! On Wednesday, we headed to the mall. The kids were very well-behaved, and I only got the triplet stroller stuck in the clothing racks once. And, on Friday, we headed to Decatur to see Grandma Linda's co-workers at the Millikin Library. The kids were all smiles. I love this phase!

Yesterday, the kids and I went to Peoria for our second appointment at the Pediatric Neurosurgeon. Early this sping, we noticed that all of the babies had some flattening on the back of their heads. This is common in preemies and multiples, given cramped space in the womb that may pressure the skull, softer skulls of preemies, and increased time that preemies spend lying down. Usually, the condition, known as plagiocephaly, improves as babies become more mobile and spend less time lying down. Thankfully, this has been the case with Will. But, poor Lila needs a STARband helmet. She will wear it 23x7 for the next 3-4 months. So, yesterday, she was measured for her new accessory, which will be decorated with pink butterflies. It looks like Addie will escape the helmet, but she does has some cranial asymmetry. She had a skull x-ray yesterday to confirm that she does not have craniosynostosis, which is a very serious condition that requires surgery. Just the discussion with the doctor brought tears to my eyes. So, just say a quick prayer for her. Hopefully, we will have good news by the end of the week. But, I think the asymmetry is improving, which would indicate that she does not have the condition. Regardless, I think I have the some of the prettiest little girls! And, as we have done through the risky pregnancy and early days of the babies, we will take it one day at a time.

Now, for the fun stuff! On Tuesday (6/3), Addie cut her first tooth. She is such a big girl now! Will is sitting up and getting very close to crawling (although even without this skill he seems to get around quite well). Finally, Lila is babbling up a storm. Every day, we hear new consonant sounds. She does say "Dadadada," but in frustration. I love to tease Derek about that!