Wow, it's been quite a while since the last post. We certainly have kept ourselves busy. A couple of weeks ago, the Early Intervention developmental and physical therapists came to our home. They did a thorough evaluation of the babies, and they did very well. Addie and Will have skillsets aligned with 4-5 month olds. Lila performed at a 3-4 month level. Note that the babies were just about 4 months age-adjusted at the date of evaluation. The therapists had only a few comments, which included Will's tendency not to put weight on his left foot and Lila's low muscle tone. But, the therapists think time will resolve these issues. The therapists will reevaluate the babies in six months.

Well, the Holtlets have a new car...a new, shiny black minivan. Yep, you read it correctly. We bought a minivan. I never thought that I would own a minivan. But, I also never thought that I would birth a litter of babies. Anyway, if you have ever met a Rash (my family), you know that we like our cars. So, it was very hard for me to trade my beloved sedan that I had only owned 1.5 years (0.5 of which it sat in the garage b/c I was on bedrest.) Derek encouraged me to purchase the sedan as an early graduation present to myself. Well, I graduate next week. So, the sedan came and went before I even finshed school! Anyway, I teared up in the dealership as they stripped the keys from my hands. I had some serious misgivings about the trade until we loaded up the kids in the minivan for the first time. It was so much easier! And, it was the best vehicle for the kids (and dogs). Shoot, I would drive the sweet pickle bus (if that's what the kids needed! http://www.flickr.com/photos/reebeckisupergirl/469241019/

Over the River and Through the Woods...

This past weekend, the babies took their very first trip to Grandma Linda and Grandpa Rick's house, while Daddy traveled to NYC to see friends. The babies and I had a great time. Now, I had to take vacation on Friday to pack and on Monday to unpack. :-)

Just a quick funny story about Derek's travels... Derek packed in a backpack that I used to carry breast pump parts. Unbeknownst to him, I had left a speciman cup of Palmolive dish soap in the bag. As he went through security, they were very concerned about the composition of this liquid. Derek, not wanting to even broach the topic of breastfeeding, insisted that security just throw out the container. But, those kind-hearted security guys would not let Derek just throw out his "medicine." After much persistance, he conviced them that he would be fine without it.

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!