Here are a few of the UGA fans in our house! This is to get everyone excited about the big game tomorrow! I'll download the Halloween pics later. 
Friday, October 31, 2008
Happy Halloween!
We'll be dressing up the kids tonight, and I'll definitely post some pictures after that, but first, I have a funny Halloween story to share.
A couple of night ago, Billy and I were feeding the kids around 8:30 when we heard the doorbell and a knock at the door. As those of you who have ever been to our house know, Winnie freaks when she hears the slightest noise at the door. The sound of the doorbell and knocking put her into an absolute frenzy. So after the knock and bell, she goes charging towards the door. It takes Billy and me a few seconds to decide who will walk over to the door and deal with our "visitor." Well, what we didn't realize was that the door must have been slightly ajar when the person came by, and when he/she knocked, it opened the door. This allowed Winnie an escape opportunity. She had already run outside by the time Billy got to the front door.
When he got to the door, he saw a Halloween bag there. Apparently, we had been "booed," which I thought was some weird thing they only did in our crazy neighborhood, but Liane said they do it in hers too, and I've heard it's pretty common. Man, the suburbs just keep getting weirder. Anyway, for those of you who don't know, when you are "booed" someone just drops off a "treat" at your door. Our treat bag had candy and 2 bottles of wine in it. There was a note attached indicating that we had to do the same for 2 neighbors, and we had to post an enclosed picture of a ghost on our door so that it wouldn't happen to us again. We had seen the ghost pictures on many neighbors' front doors, and Billy kept wondering what it was all about. Now we know.
Anyway, the person who "booed" us must have crapped his/her pants when Winnie ran out after him/her. She was already out in the street by the time we went to get her, but we didn't see anyone around.
Last night, Billy went out to boo a couple of neighbors. It cracked me up to see him get all ready to go out. He packed up his treat bag, scoped out which houses he would hit, and got warmed up so he wouldn't pull anything running away from houses after he knocked. He did the first house (next door) and ran back to our house. Then, he went further down the street, and he was huffing and puffing when he came home. One day, it will be the kids out there booing our neighbors. Too funny!
A couple of night ago, Billy and I were feeding the kids around 8:30 when we heard the doorbell and a knock at the door. As those of you who have ever been to our house know, Winnie freaks when she hears the slightest noise at the door. The sound of the doorbell and knocking put her into an absolute frenzy. So after the knock and bell, she goes charging towards the door. It takes Billy and me a few seconds to decide who will walk over to the door and deal with our "visitor." Well, what we didn't realize was that the door must have been slightly ajar when the person came by, and when he/she knocked, it opened the door. This allowed Winnie an escape opportunity. She had already run outside by the time Billy got to the front door.
When he got to the door, he saw a Halloween bag there. Apparently, we had been "booed," which I thought was some weird thing they only did in our crazy neighborhood, but Liane said they do it in hers too, and I've heard it's pretty common. Man, the suburbs just keep getting weirder. Anyway, for those of you who don't know, when you are "booed" someone just drops off a "treat" at your door. Our treat bag had candy and 2 bottles of wine in it. There was a note attached indicating that we had to do the same for 2 neighbors, and we had to post an enclosed picture of a ghost on our door so that it wouldn't happen to us again. We had seen the ghost pictures on many neighbors' front doors, and Billy kept wondering what it was all about. Now we know.
Anyway, the person who "booed" us must have crapped his/her pants when Winnie ran out after him/her. She was already out in the street by the time we went to get her, but we didn't see anyone around.
Last night, Billy went out to boo a couple of neighbors. It cracked me up to see him get all ready to go out. He packed up his treat bag, scoped out which houses he would hit, and got warmed up so he wouldn't pull anything running away from houses after he knocked. He did the first house (next door) and ran back to our house. Then, he went further down the street, and he was huffing and puffing when he came home. One day, it will be the kids out there booing our neighbors. Too funny!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Floppy Neck Syndrome
Abby went to the doctor last week to have her neck looked at because we just felt she wasn't gaining head control very well. A couple of people also mentioned "torticollis" to us, which is a condition when a child (or I guess a person) favors holding his/her head in one direction, and the muscles become weak and/or stiff. Then, the child can't turn his/her head the other way. It turns out, Abby has a mild case. Therefore, we have to do exercises with her daily, and she starts physical therapy this week. Billy is taking her on Wednesday morning so I guess we'll have a better idea of what to expect after that.
We also talked to our nurse about Abby's night-time crabiness, which continues. We decided we would try some different formulas to see if there is a lactose issue...like mother, like daughter. I had to cut dairy out of my diet, which was no big deal because I don't regularly have much dairy. Typically, I have milk in my cereal and maybe some cheese on a sandwich here or there and a yogurt everyday. Anyway, she tried one formula for about 5 days, and it didn't do much. That one is a reduced lactose formula. Now, she is on a soy-based formula for the next 5-7 days. If that one improves her night spells, we'll stick with it. If not, there is one more kind to try.
The only part that sucks is that it blows to have them on different formulas. When I make their night bottles (that's the only time they get formula-9 pm to 6 am), I have to label all of Abby's and make up 2 different batches. As if my life isn't complicated enough, I have to add one more thing to it.
We also talked to our nurse about Abby's night-time crabiness, which continues. We decided we would try some different formulas to see if there is a lactose issue...like mother, like daughter. I had to cut dairy out of my diet, which was no big deal because I don't regularly have much dairy. Typically, I have milk in my cereal and maybe some cheese on a sandwich here or there and a yogurt everyday. Anyway, she tried one formula for about 5 days, and it didn't do much. That one is a reduced lactose formula. Now, she is on a soy-based formula for the next 5-7 days. If that one improves her night spells, we'll stick with it. If not, there is one more kind to try.
The only part that sucks is that it blows to have them on different formulas. When I make their night bottles (that's the only time they get formula-9 pm to 6 am), I have to label all of Abby's and make up 2 different batches. As if my life isn't complicated enough, I have to add one more thing to it.
Baby leftovers
I'm going to go postal on the next person who asks me when my baby is due! Yes, people still ask this. I have a belly, but what do you expect? I was huge, and it took me 8 months to get that way. I can't exactly shed the belly in 3 months. I have what I refer to as "baby leftovers."
I was at the microwave at my office last week, and a guy walked in and asked me how long I had left. I thought the he was referring to the French bread pizza I was cooking up in the microwave, so I responded, "about a minute." He gave me a funny look, and then changed this question. He asked, "No, when are you expecting?" I told him I had triplets 3 months ago and still had some lbs to lose. He felt like a total jerk-off. Why do people even bring it up? If you aren't sure, don't say anything at all!
To make myself feel better about my weight, I decided to scroll through some old pregnancy pictures of myself. They made me laugh. In a few of them, my belly is so huge that it looks fake. I have some posted below for your viewing pleasure!
Friday, October 17, 2008
Sleeping
The babies are finally getting the hang of the night-time routine! Unfortunately, they take after their dad-go to bed late, wake up late-but I'll take it. They like to fall asleep around 11 or 11:30, even though we start trying to get them to sleep around 9 or 9:30 (mommy's preferred bedtime). Then, they have been skipping a feeding and waking up around 4:3o or 5 a.m. Yes, all of them! Okay, so we have the occasional baby (i.e., Crabby Abby) who wakes up sooner, but for the most part, they are all sleeping a good stretch. That means mommy, daddy, and whoever the night-time helper is get some good rest. I don't know what to do with myself.
Abby is still fond of the night-time freak out. She cries from about 7 p.m. until she falls asleep. It breaks our hearts, but there is nothing we can do. Sometimes she calms down when Billy takes her and lays her down on his lap, holds her hands, and talks softly to her.
Michele had never experienced one of Abby's "episodes" because Abby is wonderful during the day. However, the other morning, Abby did have a big crying episode and Michele said she almost called me at work to say that we needed to do something, but my dad was still here, and he told her it was pretty normal. She finally calmed down, and she was fine and smiley the rest of the day. It's so weird.
My dad likes to put the kids in his bed when they get fussy at night. He wedges them in between pillows. They have pillows on either side of them and on top. Billy started referring to this as the "grandpa wedge," but I call it the "SIDS wedge." I'm afraid they are going to be smothered, but it works...they go right to sleep that way and stay asleep. I don't know what to do.
Marie is crazy for her thumb. She sucks that thing all night. I can hear her sucking in the monitor at night. As if on cue, she just put her thumb in her mouth right now. It's so cute. She still has blue eyes. I hope they stay that way.
Will continues to be a wonderful baby. He cries when he's hungry, sleeps well, and smiles his big, gummy, handsome smile all the time. He is too adorable. His eyes are dark brown...I mean almost black, and they are huge. Liane's eyes are really dark brown too.
Since I'm giving the eyes update, Abby's are hazel. I don't know if they are changing to brown, or if they will stay this way. It's funny to have them all with different eye colors. I guess they are all different in every other way so why not eyes?
Abby is still fond of the night-time freak out. She cries from about 7 p.m. until she falls asleep. It breaks our hearts, but there is nothing we can do. Sometimes she calms down when Billy takes her and lays her down on his lap, holds her hands, and talks softly to her.
Michele had never experienced one of Abby's "episodes" because Abby is wonderful during the day. However, the other morning, Abby did have a big crying episode and Michele said she almost called me at work to say that we needed to do something, but my dad was still here, and he told her it was pretty normal. She finally calmed down, and she was fine and smiley the rest of the day. It's so weird.
My dad likes to put the kids in his bed when they get fussy at night. He wedges them in between pillows. They have pillows on either side of them and on top. Billy started referring to this as the "grandpa wedge," but I call it the "SIDS wedge." I'm afraid they are going to be smothered, but it works...they go right to sleep that way and stay asleep. I don't know what to do.
Marie is crazy for her thumb. She sucks that thing all night. I can hear her sucking in the monitor at night. As if on cue, she just put her thumb in her mouth right now. It's so cute. She still has blue eyes. I hope they stay that way.
Will continues to be a wonderful baby. He cries when he's hungry, sleeps well, and smiles his big, gummy, handsome smile all the time. He is too adorable. His eyes are dark brown...I mean almost black, and they are huge. Liane's eyes are really dark brown too.
Since I'm giving the eyes update, Abby's are hazel. I don't know if they are changing to brown, or if they will stay this way. It's funny to have them all with different eye colors. I guess they are all different in every other way so why not eyes?
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Fam Photos
We had a few taken of ALL of us together. Of course, no photo shoot would be complete without at least some pictures that included Winnie! She brought over her stick and sat down right in front of us in the yard. 
Abby, Super Slouchy!
Will, not a Fan of Pictures
Will did not exactly love the photo shoot. He was either crying his eyes out or dead asleep in all pictures. We definitely preferred the sleeping look. We were so upset that he didn't smile since he's such a big, goofy smiler. Oh well! We even tried ladybug, but he just got pissed off at it and cried harder. He just wasn't feelin' it that day.
Marie, America's Next Top Model!
Okay, so Marie is short and chubby, which is not exactly "top model" material, but she loves to work the camera. We had professional pictures of the babies taken last week, and a few of our favorite ones of Marie are above. I'll do separate entries for each baby.
Alice said she has a certain midget quality to her. Alice is afraid of midgets so she hopes that Marie will grow out of that and not turn out to be a "little person."
Monday, October 13, 2008
Picture Updates
I guess I was tired after my first week at work. I passed out with Abby on Thursday night in Billy's leather recliner. We were very comfortable together there.
Marie and Abby have both discovered their thumbs. Marie now constantly sucks hers. I like it better than having to shove the pacifier in her mouth a million times, but it's going to be a hard habit for her to break in the long-run, since she'll always have access to her thumb. 
Michele took this picture of Marie smiling on her swing. 
Yes, I know this picture of Will is upside down, but I couldn't figure out how to flip it on the blog. Sorry, but you get the idea. He's cute, even upside down.
Here's a better one of Will...he's riding a pony! We went to Lily's pony party yesterday, and he got on. Marie also got on, but because Abby lacks neck control, she couldn't ride. Saturday, October 11, 2008
Pics from Marmie
Whenever the kids visit Marmie, she does a little photo shoot with them. Here are some pictures from her house:
Here is Abby all cozy in bed. She looks so big. She didn't actually sleep in Marmie's bed, but she spent her morning there lounging while Marmie got ready for her day. Abby is a perfect angel one-on-one. I think she secretly wishes she was an only child. Poor baby!
Here is Abby in her crib at Marmie's with her rabbit. Marmie has a nursery set up for the trips at her house.
This is a bad angle for my chunky-monkey. Marie is solid, as you can see. She doesn't miss a meal, and she seems to stockpile a lot of what she takes down in her cheeks. I just want to squeeze them all the time.
Marie is sitting up on the couch. She has the best head control out of all the babies. She'll probably be the first to sit up by herself, but her fat cheeks may pull her over. 
Will is smiling at his ladybug. That thing never gets old!
Here is Abby all cozy in bed. She looks so big. She didn't actually sleep in Marmie's bed, but she spent her morning there lounging while Marmie got ready for her day. Abby is a perfect angel one-on-one. I think she secretly wishes she was an only child. Poor baby!
Here is Abby in her crib at Marmie's with her rabbit. Marmie has a nursery set up for the trips at her house. 
This is a bad angle for my chunky-monkey. Marie is solid, as you can see. She doesn't miss a meal, and she seems to stockpile a lot of what she takes down in her cheeks. I just want to squeeze them all the time.
Marie is sitting up on the couch. She has the best head control out of all the babies. She'll probably be the first to sit up by herself, but her fat cheeks may pull her over. 
Will is smiling at his ladybug. That thing never gets old!Friday, October 10, 2008
Back to work
I started my new job this week. So far, so good. I'm working 3 days a week, and I'm coordinating the design, implementation, and evaluation of an obesity prevention program for Latinos in 6 sites across the country. I think it's a perfect fit for my background.
Our nanny, Michele, has been doing great with the kids. Dad was a little worried about leaving her with all 3 on Monday so he had Marie spend the night at his house, and he brought her home after lunch on Monday. That way, Michele only had 2 in the morning, but she handled 2 and 3 marvelously. Of course, Dad overfed Marie, and she barfed all over him that night, but that's to be expected with Dad and Marie.
Michele has triplet nephews, and she has helped care for them since they were born. They were tiny little preemies so she even has experience with babies smaller than mine. She also nannied for a family with triplets for several years and those kids just started Pre-K this year. I think she's enjoying taking care of little babies again. She just smothers them with love and attention, and they respond very well to her. I think having her here has made my transition back to the working world much easier. I completely trust her and don't feel guilty about leaving them with her.
My part-time arrangement also makes me feel better about the situation. I only work Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. I wanted to have Fridays or Mondays off so that I would have long weekends. However, I found that going back to back days last week was a little rough. I guess I'll get used to it.
Billy was a model husband last Sunday night. He said that since I was going back to work for my first day, he would handle all night feedings with Vivian, and he did! It was very sweet of him.
Winnie has now become the babies' night watch dog. She starts off by coming into our room first and crying at the foot of our bed for one of us to lift her up on the bed. We have a new bed, and it's really high off the ground. She's either too lazy to make the jump at night and/or her leg injury does not allow her to get up there. Anyway, we're suckers, and we put her in the bed. I am probably going to break my back doing it, seeing as she weighs 90 lbs.
Usually, Billy is in our bedroom at first, and I'm in the babies' room trying to get them to sleep. Once I come back from the babies' room to the bedroom, Winnie jumps out of bed and trots down the hall. She sets up camp right in front of the babies' door. She stays there until they have their first middle of the night feed. When I walk down the hall, step over her, and go in their room, she gets up and heads back to the bedroom. I guess she figures they are being taken care of at that point and her shift has ended. It's really cute.
So back to my job...My office is downtown, and I take Marta in. I feel like such an environmentalist! It's actually perfect because the parking lot is only one exit away from our house, and I don't even have to step foot outside to get to my building from my Marta stop. I figured one of my biggest complaints about the burbs was the traffic, and if I could avoid that, I would feel better about life OTP. For those of you who aren't familiar with Atlanta, we have a highway (285) that is built all around the city. If you live inside 285, you are ITP or inside the perimeter, and outside of those limits you are OTP-outside the perimeter. I lived most of my life ITP, and this move OTP has been rather traumatic for me but I'm adjusting.
Door to door with taking Marta, I usually can get to the office in about an hour, but only if I leave before 7:30. After that, all hell breaks loose on the streets of East Cobb! That's okay by me because I prefer to get into the office early and leave a little early to beat traffic home in the afternoon.
When I'm at the office, I pump about every 3-4 hours. I'm used to pumping all the time because I have been doing that since the babies were born. However, it's weird to have to tote my pump back and forth on Marta and sit in an office around a bunch of strangers while pumping. Yesterday, I had my door closed while I was pumping and someone came by to drop off a package for me. He did a quick knock on the door and opened it before I could say that I was pumping. When he opened the door, he quickly shielded his eyes and somewhat freaked out. He said, "Oh my God. I'm so sorry." Then, he ran out. It was as if I had singed his retinas with my pumping. He was mortified. I tried to find him later to say that it was no big deal, but I don't know where he sits. I don't even know who he is. My office space is subleased from another company, and I don't know the people that work for that other agency. Oh well, I guess I'll run into him at some point.
I think I'll make a little sign for my door to warn people when I am pumping. Do you think there's clip art for that? Ha! Maybe a cartoon picture of a breast with liquid coming out like a sprinkler? I could care less about someone walking in because I typically have my shirt pulled over the breast shields, but I think it makes other folks uncomfortable...especially dudes.
I have lots of other updates, but I'll write some separate entries. This one is already too long.
Our nanny, Michele, has been doing great with the kids. Dad was a little worried about leaving her with all 3 on Monday so he had Marie spend the night at his house, and he brought her home after lunch on Monday. That way, Michele only had 2 in the morning, but she handled 2 and 3 marvelously. Of course, Dad overfed Marie, and she barfed all over him that night, but that's to be expected with Dad and Marie.
Michele has triplet nephews, and she has helped care for them since they were born. They were tiny little preemies so she even has experience with babies smaller than mine. She also nannied for a family with triplets for several years and those kids just started Pre-K this year. I think she's enjoying taking care of little babies again. She just smothers them with love and attention, and they respond very well to her. I think having her here has made my transition back to the working world much easier. I completely trust her and don't feel guilty about leaving them with her.
My part-time arrangement also makes me feel better about the situation. I only work Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. I wanted to have Fridays or Mondays off so that I would have long weekends. However, I found that going back to back days last week was a little rough. I guess I'll get used to it.
Billy was a model husband last Sunday night. He said that since I was going back to work for my first day, he would handle all night feedings with Vivian, and he did! It was very sweet of him.
Winnie has now become the babies' night watch dog. She starts off by coming into our room first and crying at the foot of our bed for one of us to lift her up on the bed. We have a new bed, and it's really high off the ground. She's either too lazy to make the jump at night and/or her leg injury does not allow her to get up there. Anyway, we're suckers, and we put her in the bed. I am probably going to break my back doing it, seeing as she weighs 90 lbs.
Usually, Billy is in our bedroom at first, and I'm in the babies' room trying to get them to sleep. Once I come back from the babies' room to the bedroom, Winnie jumps out of bed and trots down the hall. She sets up camp right in front of the babies' door. She stays there until they have their first middle of the night feed. When I walk down the hall, step over her, and go in their room, she gets up and heads back to the bedroom. I guess she figures they are being taken care of at that point and her shift has ended. It's really cute.
So back to my job...My office is downtown, and I take Marta in. I feel like such an environmentalist! It's actually perfect because the parking lot is only one exit away from our house, and I don't even have to step foot outside to get to my building from my Marta stop. I figured one of my biggest complaints about the burbs was the traffic, and if I could avoid that, I would feel better about life OTP. For those of you who aren't familiar with Atlanta, we have a highway (285) that is built all around the city. If you live inside 285, you are ITP or inside the perimeter, and outside of those limits you are OTP-outside the perimeter. I lived most of my life ITP, and this move OTP has been rather traumatic for me but I'm adjusting.
Door to door with taking Marta, I usually can get to the office in about an hour, but only if I leave before 7:30. After that, all hell breaks loose on the streets of East Cobb! That's okay by me because I prefer to get into the office early and leave a little early to beat traffic home in the afternoon.
When I'm at the office, I pump about every 3-4 hours. I'm used to pumping all the time because I have been doing that since the babies were born. However, it's weird to have to tote my pump back and forth on Marta and sit in an office around a bunch of strangers while pumping. Yesterday, I had my door closed while I was pumping and someone came by to drop off a package for me. He did a quick knock on the door and opened it before I could say that I was pumping. When he opened the door, he quickly shielded his eyes and somewhat freaked out. He said, "Oh my God. I'm so sorry." Then, he ran out. It was as if I had singed his retinas with my pumping. He was mortified. I tried to find him later to say that it was no big deal, but I don't know where he sits. I don't even know who he is. My office space is subleased from another company, and I don't know the people that work for that other agency. Oh well, I guess I'll run into him at some point.
I think I'll make a little sign for my door to warn people when I am pumping. Do you think there's clip art for that? Ha! Maybe a cartoon picture of a breast with liquid coming out like a sprinkler? I could care less about someone walking in because I typically have my shirt pulled over the breast shields, but I think it makes other folks uncomfortable...especially dudes.
I have lots of other updates, but I'll write some separate entries. This one is already too long.
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