What a day!

Sometimes, all you can do is laugh! This morning the babies and I were to travel to Peoria to visit the pediatriac neurologist. Now, I will get to the details you all care about, but I cannot resist sharing the comical details of our day. As the nanny was loading the kids into the car at home, a bird flew into the house. All we could do is close the house and pray that the critter did not spread its little avian germs (aka poo) across the house. We were running a bit late, but it should have been fine. Ah, but I missed my turn onto the interstate, and my keen sense of direction did not alert me to my error until I had traveled an hour in the wrong direction! My 45-minute trip to Peoria lasted nearly two hours and wound through countless one-stoplight towns. I tried to call the neurologist to alert them to our delay, but no cell phone service. Alas, we arrived, only to find that the doctor had left the office only five minutes ago. He agreed to see us after lunch at his other office. Yeah! And, his receptionist, recognizing my directional impairment and our struggles to get anywhere, personally escorted us through town to his other office.

Will and Lila were referred to the pediatric neurologist for possible positional plagiocephaly (flat head syndrome). It is particularly common in preemies and multiples, who spend even more time lying on their backs than other babies. Will's case is mild-to-moderate, and Lila's is classified as moderate. Fortunately, the doctor has given us two months to try to correct the problem on our own before prescribing helmets. This means lots of tummy time! The doctor was nice enough to give a quick look at Addie. Her skull also is slightly abnormal, but the abnormality does not fit a classic positional plagiocephaly case. If her skull does not improve, she will need an x-ray to rule out any premature closures of the cranial sutures. However, he does not believe this to be the case.

Well, it was a hectic day. I arrived home to find that Derek had produced a video documentary of his bird hunt. He excercised great care for the bird as he expelled it from our home. The Crocodile Hunter, himself, would have been proud. And, I was proud of Derek for protecting our home! :-)

Play Ball

The Holtlets celebrated opening day, although their spirits were dampened with the Cardinals' rain out. We have had a great week. I have a break from school, which is allowing me to enjoy even more moments with the babies.

Today, the babies tried rice cereal for the first time. Addie was first up, since she is quite the eater. She was not sure about the strange substance but quickly decided it was worth the effort. She finished the whole bowl! Lila wanted nothing to do with the cereal, and Will was just too impatient to eat spoonful-by-spoonful. We had varying levels of success but a big mess!

My Bunnies

The past two weeks have gone so quickly. We are continually amazed by how quickly the babies are developing. We voluntarily participate in a program that follows and tracks the development of babies associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. (Now, if you ask me, delivering triplets at 34wks is hardly an adverse outcome. But, I realize that we don't want all babes born so early!) The nurse stopped in two weeks ago, and she was quite pleased with the babies' progress. All the babies do a great job of holding their heads 90 degrees when on their tummies, tracking items, and putting their hands together. At the time of the evaluation, only Will and Lila had rolled over (tummy to back), but I am now pleased to report that the Chunky Monkey can now roll over. In sum, the babies are tracking in line, and in some cases ahead, of their adjusted ages.

Our most recent developmental milestones include Will rolling from his back to tummy (oops, I don't think he liked that much!), Will jumping like a mad man in his Rainforest Jumperoo, and all the babies trying to hold their bottles. Their clumsy attempts certainly slow down feeding time, but I love it!

Last week, Derek and I took the babies for pictures. The photographer, Meghan, did a fantastic job. She was very patient with the babies, taking lots of pictures. I am sure that you all saw the link to the pictures. Some of my favorite pictures are the "action shots." Will rolled from his tummy to his back as fast as he possibly could.

And, I cannot fail to mention that I slept 12 hours last night. Yep, twelve. That has not happened since I was on bedrest. My in-laws are here, and they graciously volunteered to take the night shift. I am very thankful. Now, I will be well-rested for my grad school finals this week.

Full of Laughter

Derek and I had a nice weekend with the kids. Although, we had no visitors, so we had to take care of our own children the whole weekend. Whew, are we tired! Bedtime for the little squirts came a little earlier than usual tonight. The video post is of Lila laughing. She first started laughing at Will and then kept going.

Vaccination Day

Today was vaccination day. So, what I am really telling you is that we have three very fussy babies at home. The day's activities have worn them out, so at the moment they have granted mom and dad a reprieve from the crying. Every time we have all three crying, I grab the video camera just to document the chaos. But, wouldn't you know it, the little bugs stop crying when the camera is on. How do I prove to people that they gang up on us?

Overall, today's appointment went well, although we will be criss-crossing Illinois to see some pediatric specialists. Will is to see a pedriatric urologist for an assessment of some typical male preemie issues. No big worries, though. And, Will and Lila will see a neurologist about their flattening heads. Our pediatrician does not expect that the neurologist will recommend helmets, but she just wants to be sure. Finally, all three will see a developmental specialist just to make sure that they stay on track.

Now for sizes... Will is now the largest, which is amazing since he was over a pound smaller than Addie at birth. He is 11lbs 10oz (3rd percentile) and 23.5 inches long (5th percentile). Miss Addie is 11lbs 9oz (8th percentile) and 24 inches long (wait for it.....wait for it....45th percentile!) So, our fat, chubby baby is really long and skinny. It just goes to show you how distorted our view of typicaly baby sizes really is. Last but not least, Lila is 10lbs 6oz and 22.75 inches (3rd percentile for both).

So, it was a big day. Not to mention that the new triplewide jogging stroller came today. I love it. It turns on a dime. Derek thinks it looks ridiculous, but all triplet strollers do. I just cannot wait to use it!

Busy, Busy

Miss Addie Grace is a busy girl. She has discovered her hands and loves to put them in her mouth. And, I would now classfy her as a thumb sucker. (She gets that from me.) Addie Grace has also discovered her voice. She loves to laugh and scream. After the 5am feeding, Derek and I drowsingly put the kids back to bed. We crawl back into our bed only to hear Addie's squeals of delight. Lila laughs, but neither Lila nor Will squeal much. Before long, we will have a chorus of squealers.

We are all doing well. Just waiting for warmer weather. I have a new jogging stroller on the way. I cannot wait to use it. A couple of weekends ago, I took the kids for a walk. The poor things are not used to sunlight. They did a lot of squinting.

The babies go to the doctor on Thursday for their four month wellness appointment. I will be sure to update you all then.

Last but not least, Matheny turned five today. She still acts like a puppy. For her birthday, she helped herself to several pacifiers!

Growing, growing!

Today the babies went to the doctor for their last round of Synagis shots (to prevent RSV). Thank goodness! The shots are very expensive (x3), and I cannot stand to hear their cries of discomfort. They were weighed today. Addie weighed 11lbs 4oz, Will 11lbs 2oz, and Lila 10lbs 1oz. With those chubby cheeks, we were sure that Addie weighed at least 13lbs! We were only supposed to see the nurse today, but the doctor stopped in to say hello. As a new mother, I cannot let an opportunity pass to ask questions, so I asked about Lila's somewhat lopsided head. Lila certainly favors lying on one side, despite our efforts to have her turn her head. The doctor mentioned a helmet. We go back next week for their 4-month wellness visit. I really hope that the doctor does not have to recommend a helmet!