More photos

Today was an unusually quiet day so I took some more photos and had a few minutes to upload them!


I figured out how to use the Moby wrap a friend gave me, the girls love it.

A good friend of ours gave headbands to the girls and their heads are finally big enough to try them on!

Spit up and gas...all in a day's work.

Well, we are all surviving. The girls are doing great. Each has her own little issues such as reflux, gas, and a little colic but we're doing our best to keep everyone happy. Hollister also has a pretty good cough going along with 3 semi stuffy noses. The weather has been great and we've been able to get out a little in the sun which helps all of us. Jeremy goes back to work/school on Monday and the change in schedule will be a big adjustment. We are also looking into hiring a night nanny to come help us 2x a week, it's going to cut into the college fund (almost had a heart attack with how much it was going to cost) but we REALLY need the help. Someone who has experience with triplets to come in and help us get a good night routine going is worth it. Here are some candids of the last couple days.


Keller

Quinn

Hollister

Keller

Chit chat time on the rug.

Mommy and daddy are sleep deprived!

Well, life has become sort of routine. The girls are eating every three to four hours and maintain a pretty decent window for one person to just rotate thru all 3 in about an hour and a half. Some meals are worse than others for sticking to the routine. We have found that if we get off the timeline we can usually get them back on easily. They all have reflux, Hollister's is the worst and sounds the most painful. All three also have had stuffy noses the last couple of days and we hope they get better soon. With three adults here, it is so much better but we are all still sleep deprived. I am averaging about 4 hours in 24, sometimes a little more. Jeremy has to go back to work in a week and I am not excited about that for many reasons. Here are some shots from just hanging out at home.

Out on the town

**** before going on, I have to share a chuckle. Katie and I occasionally take one of the girls to sleep in our bed if she is being fussy enough to wake her sissies. The cat (Leroy) also snuggles right in against parent and child. Well, last night Katie probably got about 2 hours of sleep. Then I swapped with her and she got in bed--Leeroy natrually followed. Three hours later she comes down the stairs (still pretty asleep) holding Leroy. She looks at me (with all three babies), looks at Leroy, and says "I thought this was a baby." She drops the cat and returns to bed.****

So we wanted to show some photo updates for the girls.


Hollister is coming into her own with good feeds. She's over 7 lbs.


Quinn is doing well with her feeds, but still has some reflux.


This is Quinn after a big spit up and face-plant into same. Looks like one of my old "mmmm, this Guiness is delicious" gags."


Keller, looking stunning in blue.


Gotta love those eyes!


So we have had professional baby photos taken (Timorah Beals). We'll post those pics once we've gotten them back. In the mean while, during the shoot they used a hot pad to warm up the blankets for the babies. Leroy thought the hot pad was the greatest thing ever and decided to make his studio debut.


The girls finally got to go out on their first walk. Dad had to do some red-neck engineering to get their stroller modified to carry three babies in car-seats (the new car seats are apparently bigger than what this older triplet stroller can accommodate). Yesterday was beautiful; in the mid-50s and a perfect opportunity to put the girls in their little bear suits. So adorable.



The girls did their first sight seeing trip around old-town. So cool.

Grandma Renken also arrived out here last night. We are all (Mom, Dad & the triplets) so happy to have the help. She seems pretty happy to be able to hold her three grandbabies too.

A special thanks for support

Whew, the last few days have been everything everyone said they would be. Katie (who hasn't slept more than 4 hours in a stretch for the last three months) is probably now getting 4 hours a day in the form of two naps.

Some of the time Katie just curls up with one (or more) of the girls after a feed and shares a nap. Of course, since the babies are now enjoying the nap spot which used to be Leroy's (the cat's), he buts in too. He is unafraid to walk across the girls. I think he has no idea that in a matter of months they'll be able to grab his tail ... they'll have pay-back!



Yesterday saw a minor melt-down after we brought Hollister home. Thanks to traffic conditions, a trip back from the hospital that normally takes 45 minutes took an hour and 45 minutes. That meant that all of the girls were very hungry and fussy by the time we got home. K & I totally frazzled ourselves trying to tackle all their little issues at once. We had to phone a take-out order and ask our neighbor to pick it up for us (thank God we have great neighbors). Katie was shot, I was shot, it was a rough evening.

So now for some good news...

Keller and Quinn's first checkup revealed they had both gained weight since discharge on Monday. That was the care team's top concern. They didn't consistently hit their feeding goals, but they are gaining weight and that's what's important.

Keller is now up to 6lbs even. Quinn is 6lbs 7 oz, and Hollister is a whopping 6lbs 11 oz. She's gaining extra weight because we're having to put a little extra thickener in her feed and it's giving her more calories.

Another spot of good news is that my mom is coming thru in a pinch. With the doctors "assuring" us as of last week that none of the girls would be home before late Feb, we asked the grandma's and friends to postpone their trips until March to help us. Of course, the Renken girls dazzled the world and basically went home at their due date ... so we needed to re-do the care plan. Dad made the travel arrangements and Oma Renken will be here next week for 2 & a half weeks. We need the help. This is as tough as people said it would be!

Last bit of thanks/good news is that we can finally show off the girls in some of the really sweet gifts. Now everyone's gifts have meant the world to us, and lord knows the pack 'n plays, boppy seats, outfits, diaper back-packs, swings, etc have all been life savers; but some of the gifts were just beautiful and deserve some special showcasing.

These quilts were a special gift from Gradma Mary. They are amazing, and many people from Katie's old congregation from Palisades church in San Diego tie little knots on the quilt indicating their commitment to pray for the girls. (We're believers in the power of prayer!)

These afghans were made by my Aunt Hella in Pennsylvania. They are a perfect size to wrap the girls up and so soft. This was a really sweet gift because I can tell these are not easy to make.

I LOVE Keller's pose ;)

These afghans were made by Nana Jean. They are perfect for keeping the girls warm in their bouncy chairs. If you look close you'll see the little mouse (Angelina Ballerina) printed on the fabric of Holly-Mouse's bouncy seat (also from Nana Jean and Grandpa Bill). Makes it look like she has little mouse ears.


In all of the pics the girls are (left to right) Hollister, Keller, Quinn. Right now they're doing one of the two things they do best (the other two are eating and filling diapers). We may try to grab a nap too!

Again, special thanks to the many people who have been so generouse in helping us.

Make way for Hollister!

Mom & girls finally get some sleep. Big day today...Holly-mouse is coming home!

Had to share this