The Clements

Picture Perfect!

2011-03-24T12:51:00.000-07:00

How did we get them to hold still to get 2 cute poses? They brought in extra remotes for the camera. They were all fascinated by pushing the red button and seeing the big flash so we'd give them each a turn and then run out of the picture. I even had them Photoshop the big scab off of McKay's forehead from falling on the cement the night before. They're such a handful, but I'm so glad I tough it out and go get the pictures done. In a few years I'll still have them and won't have to remember all the disasters. Actually I won't mind remembering them as long as I'm not still cleaning them up! I watched some videos of toddler triplets and felt so much better that the backgrounds of all the videos were a complete mess too! And they were hitting each other and screaming! It's the only way to do three at a time.

Yet Another Disaster

2011-02-17T22:24:00.000-08:00


The kids have all been sick. Nicole got an awful flu for a week and passed it to all the babies who passed it to Jason and now me. Nicole is doing better, but the rest of us feel awful. Last week I ran up to give Nicole her medicine as she laid in my bed and came downstairs to the babies filling pans with their own bottle of dish soap. Yes, the cupboards have locks, but if they don't get shut tight, they can open them and the garbage can is usually the one I leave loose so I can get to it 50 times a day. Once we put the locks up, they stopped trying to open them because they knew they were locked, but this time they lucked out. Thank goodness for the dishwasher.

Today was even worse. We were all upstairs getting dressed this morning when Caleb and Brooke followed Nicole through the gate downstairs while I was still dressing McKay. Who knows what she was doing, but she came up to tell me the babies made a mess in the pantry. The doors are all supposed to be closed! I was hoping they had made a tower of cans as usual, but no, they dumped out and spread around a bucket of wheat flour, a bag of goldfish, and a box of raisins. Needless to say after their 2 minutes of fun, they all had a 45 minute time out in their cribs while I cleaned it up. Anyone know of an all day preschool for toddlers?

Christmas

2011-01-20T21:00:00.000-08:00

These geniuses created their own ladder for decorating the tree. I knew it wasn't going to look nice this year, so I didn't even try. I let Nicole decorate it and just told her no candy canes or breaky ornaments. After a day, there wasn't a single ornament on the bottom half of the tree anyway. We put a gate around it and then they didn't seem to care too much about it.

Nicole made the babies Build a Bear's for Christmas and was glad she had three babies!

We eventually made it to Riverwoods for a single shot at Christmas lights, Santa, and a horse drawn carriage.

I knew this was our year for this, but I made them do it anyway.

This year for Christmas the babies caught on to opening their presents. We spent Christmas Eve evening at the Clements' and then came home and had Christmas morning at home. We got home late so the babies slept until 9:30. Nicole was very patient and got to do her stocking and open some presents before they woke up. We didn't get pictures of unwrapping presents because it was kind of crazy, but they all get plenty of new toys. They all especially like the little tramp, especially for Brooke, our queen jumper who we're sure is going to jump out of her crib sometime soon. She hangs on the edge and jumps so high her feet are almost above the rail. She also got a little playhouse with a wooden washing machine that she hides everything inside. Caleb got a Thomas train set, and the little builder, McKay, got his first set of Duplo Legos. Nicole got her requested Play Do and big box of new crayons as well as remote control Strawberry Shortcake car, lots of art supplies, and easy reader books.

Christmas afternoon we headed up to Grandma and Grandpa Hurst's for more fun and gift giving. We stayed a few days, but the babies were my never ending nightmare and then we came home to the whole family having colds.

Caleb of course helping himself to any leftovers. He loves sitting at the table and using a fork, neither of which I allow.

Brooke loves her little baby doll, almost as much as Caleb.

Our Simple Halloween

2010-11-10T16:21:00.000-08:00

We went to the Pumpkin Patch and the kids loved the animals.

The corn box was a hit as well.

Caleb hand selected his pumpkin which was used as a basketball throughout the month and never got carved. I found it in the closet cracked, but it lasted through Halloween suprisingly.

We all loaded up for Nicole's Halloween parade at school.

It rained a lot so the babies made it to 4 houses and Nicole a few more. But I'm not complaining. It's only the 2nd week of November and the candy is gone!

Remembering Nicole starting Kindergarten!

2010-11-10T15:46:00.000-08:00

Nicole graduated from preschool and started Kindergarten this year.

She resisted going out to take her picture before school but after the first one she wouldn't stop posing!

I think the bus is her favorite part. I've been to the school a few times for their field trip and class party and she always wants to ride the bus home even when I'm already there! Other than that, I'm the Clorox Wipe mom this year. I don't have a weekly volunteer time, but rather send Clorox wipes and tissues every couple weeks. The bus takes awhile which helps stretch out the short Kindergarten day and she gets to sit with her friends and color. The Kindergarten bus driver is awesome. She lets Nicole finish her lunch on the bus when we're running late and waits for us as we're running down the street. We're usually on time, but we get the babies down for their nap and then get her ready and fed.

She's doing great and we already are through the 1st quarter and had our first Parent Teacher Conference. I sat down and her teacher said, "We both already know she has straight A's" Her only problem is she's bossy. What do you expect from a 5 year old who thinks she's an "inadult"? She always says there's 3 big people and 3 babies. And when we make it to church, she's responsible for one of them!

My Quickest Post Ever!

2010-08-06T22:31:00.001-07:00

The kids are all off to grandma's and I'm unloading the pictures off the camera to take to Hawaii in the morning. The girls with Grandma Hurst and the boys to Grandma Cindy. We'll see if Brooke loves it or misses her two little friends. They've neer been separated and none of them have ever been away from us overnight. We're going to miss them, but hopefully come back rejuvinated for another exhausing year.

McKay took off his messy diaper during his nap and threw it out all over the carpet. Little stink.

McKay's the climber and Caleb is the button pusher. He loves anything with buttons and will just sit and push them over and over again.

There's gotta be a way to get on top of everything. He used the table to start his way up the bookshelf the other day.

Caleb is still the only one walking. He runs around all day carrying things over his head and then collapses for a quick breather.

They all three had Roseola this week. (a virus with a high fever followed by a rash) It's impossible for them to not all 3 catch everything. They share bottles and cups and put the same toys in their mouth even when I try to keep them separated.

McKay can easily go up and down the stairs now. The other two can go and can go down if you coach them but pretty much stay up once they're there. McKay goes up and down, up and down.

I'm in love with this kids' super long, very blonde eyelashes. I need a professional closeup.

The first family swim. The babies did awesome and they absolutely loved it. We sat in the shallow and they splashed and crawled away.

My very big helpers.

Little (or big) cousin Gracie. We had Andrea's birthday at the park before she left.

Brooke chillin with dad.

The boys enjoying their musical talents. Gotta love the digital-it doesn't hurt your ears. They actually play a song.

Sweet Little Brooke!

2010-07-21T11:13:00.000-07:00

Brooke went for her own photo shoot and gave us lots of smiles. The boys will be coming shortly.

Babies Turn One and More...

2010-07-14T09:30:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I posted, but not because nothing is happening. The biggest news...the babies turned one. There's lots of pictures of the last month and thanks to auto save I kept working 2 seconds at a time as Caleb has now turned the computer off twice.The whole Smith family got together after everyone coming in for Grandpa's funeral.
Boys in training. That's a day I can look forward to.

This girl shows her cheese only for the camera!

And for what 5 minutes of silence is worth, we won't be getting rid of these anytime soon.

All trying out their new water toy. This might be more fun next year. They still get soaking wet which means lots of clothes and diaper changes for a few minutes of fun.

Nicole tries to keep them contained, especially now that they turn the TV on and off while she's watching. It was her who broke our last TV the same way. I've convinced Jason to wait a couple years to upgrade to the flatscreen. They'll probably brake this one anyway.

And the birthday pictures. I guess their backwards since I started uploading from the beginning and didn't want to move them all around.

No one was shy about digging in.

They each got their own cake to dig into and the next day I was convinced they ate a little too much dyed frosting.

They weren't too into opening presents, but they enjoyed their new toys for a few hours anyway.

I made three cakes which we didn't even eat anyway. So here's my written reminder to do something much easier next year. Three of something. I don't want them to always feel like they got a group cake and gifts.

And he was caught. Someone was taking bites out of the peaches and putting them back.

We made a trip to the zoo. Mostly to give Nicole a few day activies this summer. We're nowhere near ready for a week in hotels with the babies. But we're definately ready for an adult getaway to Hawaii in a few weeks. It's been an unimaginable year.

Grrr Caleb, make that 3 times for the computer. There's no where to hide that bright red light.

And Nicole got bangs. The babies woke up sick so with three crying babies on my lap I asked her to go brush her hair and put a headband on today. Simple right? She wanted curls which I never have time for. I couldn't budge the comb so she got a cut. Some were a little short, but not bad.

Nicole had dibs on the first red tomato which she picked on June 18th thanks to the early variety and wall o water.

We made a crazy trip to story time at the library and picnic afterward. The babies are pretty good in the stroller for a few minutes during storytime (except Caleb gets out to roam) and then once we're outside.

Caleb is walking pretty well and since his birthday is really getting his balance and walking all over the place. Good? Who knows. It keeps getting harder so I'm waiting until we finally hit our peak and get to the downhill.

Seriously, no one will even look at me.

Pictures of my incredibly difficult children. (hence the box) As soon as you set them down, they crawl away.

Family turned out good despite their inability to sit still for half a second.

(pictures by Carlypendleton.com)

Nicole lost her first tooth-the night before family pictures. She pulled the 2nd one out herself just a few days later.

A few window watchers. It was raining this day and this travling trio kept flocking to the windows.

The closest it gets to family dinner. I've completely given up on tableclothes which just get pulled off.

Grandpa Dallin with all the babies.

Quite a Crew!

2010-06-04T21:33:00.000-07:00

These boys are always together. They eat together, sleep together (in separate cribs), and play together all day.

Brooke has always been the one off schedule. She has preferred to sleep through breakfast (until 9 or 10 and even 11 a few times). We try to get the princess up for breaskfast with everyone, but have to hurry to have breakfast, change diapers, get dressed, play, and have bottles X 3 done in an hour and a half when the boys are ready for naps. This girl still crawls the fastest and loves the pantry. They all love when Nicole shares drinks or treats with them which she readily does anytime they cry! She has a stash of suckers by her seat in the car to make her own ride a bit more peaceful.
As you can see, the cupboards are beginning to be a problem. Caleb is Mr. Destruction. The other two leave them alone until he shows them how much fun there is unloading the dishwasher, garbage, can, tupperware, pantry cans, etc. He just throws everything off the table and moves on. So we'll be installing cupboard locks this weekend. I've researched and hopefully we got some good ones. I see no point in the little clips that open an inch and pinch fingers so these are magnetic keys that shouldn't open at all. Yes, it will be a pain to grab the key anytime you need to throw something away, or start the dishwasher, and unlock every cupboard to unload the dishwasher, but I think it will still save time cleaning it up all day.

Here's McKay enjoying a ride from Caleb.

Easter and Everything Else...

2010-04-30T11:51:00.000-07:00

These babies have us running.

Apparently Brooke was very pleased with her soap!

I took Nicole (and Caleb because he was awake) to an early morning (8:00) Easter egg hunt at the grocery store. Either people didn't know about it or it was too early, because there was a ton of candy and only a few kids. Nicole and Caleb each got a HUGE stash.

She even got 2 coupons for a free box of popcicles.

McKay is crawling really well now, but when he first started he went backwards.

Caleb sneaking some extra food from McKay. He's the best crawler and rather than go around them while they're playing, he prefers to just go over the top of them, which they both hate. They lay there and scream while Caleb knocks them down, steals their bottle, and uses them as support to stand up. They're starting to fight back for their bottles and toys.

I thought life was going to get easier when they started crawling and it did at first. They were much happier and would entertain themselves for awhile. The downside-my house is a disaster. They're into everything and between that and self feeding, I have hours of housework every night after they're in bed. Their highchairs and the floor need a deep clean every day. I can't stand the mess, but it's just going to be that way for awhile. We made this little play room to try and contain them, but somebody ends of hurt and crying in a matter of minutes.

I still can't believe how well Brooke is crawling considering she just started rolling over at 8 months and was crawling a few weeks later. She rocks back and forth to build up some speed and then takes off as fast as she can until she stops to rest. She's very funny to watch.

Nicole at the Clements' Easter egg hunt. Poor thing was on her own while everyone else had an adult helper so we split her in with the babies to make everyone happy!

Nicole absolutely loves her brothers and even though she initally wanted all girls, she says she would have wanted boys, but she just didn't know they'd be so cute!

This has been the best toy for cruising. They all love it.

Caleb makes it up the first couple of stairs. No longer safe to stack my laundry and everything else I leave to take up when I'm going. It all comes flying down.We enjoyed the few days of wonderful weather. We went on walks at least 3 times a day and even packed a picnic lunch to the park. Well, I fed the babies at home and packed a sandwhich for me and Nicole.

McKay enjoyed his first time swinging and laughed his head off as usual.

My little terrors.

Nicole cracks me up. It was raining and she always goes and gets the mail on her bike, but this time she rode her car, which she's pretty big for. She always parks it and fills it up with gas. She has such the imagination. She was old enough to ask all the fun questions when I was pregnant with the triplets and has ever since been very upset about having your tummy cut open to get a baby out. When I picked her up from preschool her teacher told me she had her rolling today. They were all talking about what they wanted to be when they grew up and all the girls wanted to be moms. Not Nicole. She told them she never wanted to be a mom. She wants to be a paleontologist and dig around for dinosaur bones. She then proceeded to tell them there's two ways to have a baby and if you just have one you can just push it out. I think they got more than they bargained for in preschool that day. Nicole has seen a few too many sacrifices of motherhood this past year. I'm sure she'll change her mind before it's her turn.

McKay's Laugh

2010-03-11T21:55:00.000-08:00

McKay has the best laugh ever. He laughs so hard. Of course, everytime he's lauging I grab the camera and he's not quite as amused anymore so I haven't gotten the full out giggle taped. Oh and he got his first haircut. It was so long on top that I couldn't spike it up anymore so he got a little trim-just on top. And he also has 2 teeth on the bottom. Brooke also has 2 teeth, one on top and one on bottom, and Caleb has none. They're all different.

A few fun statistics:

600-800 diapers/ month

180 jars of baby food/month (they each eat at least 2 per day)

About 2 loads of baby laundry per day-if I take a break on the weekend, Monday is a busy day. These babies still spit up a ton-and now its orange and green with their lovely veggies. So we have a lot of burp clothes, blankets, and clothes. But luckily with the food comes a lot less blow-outs! I kept swearing to Jason one day when he came home from work I was going to run away after scrubbing 3+ blowouts everyday. When they were really bad, I said I was just going to throw the onesie away so Jason would take it and scrub it out. My sink is always soaking something. I never used to mind laundry, but it's quickly becoming my dreaded chore. Every morning and afternoon while the babies nap, I do laundry and wash up the dishes, and now vacuum. It never ends.

By the way, my favorite bibs are the Baby Bumpkins. They're for eating, not drewl bibs, but they're awesome. They're $7 a piece at Babies R Us but you only need one each. You just rinse them in the sink after their meal and hang them on the high chair bib holder after and they're dry in time for the next meal. And the pocket at the bottom actually catches the food and drink they spill, unlike the Sassy ones I had with Nicole. I hope I'm learning a thing or two as I never want to do this again. This is it. I better start writing down all the things I've learned so I can say I already learned that-I don't need any more of those experiences.

About 10-12 bottles per day-Caleb usually nurses twice a day. Jason is embarrassed that we have a microwave and fridge in our bedroom. He thinks it makes us look lazy, but we pretty much just use it for bottles so I think it's totally fine.

They're pretty much sleeping through the night! The boys have been so exhausted that they've been going to bed between 6-8 pm and sleeping until 6 or 7 AM. Brooke usually cat naps then and settles between 11 and midnight, but I think it's because Nicole wakes her up when she goes to bed. As hard as she tries, she really doesn't know how to be quiet. Anytime we ask her to stay quiet, she informs us that she doesn't know how. When do they learn that skill?

Caleb's Latest

2010-03-11T21:41:00.000-08:00

This is Caleb's latest habit while eating. He wants to feed himself and screams during meals until you give him a cracker or put bread or cereal on his tray. And today he ate a whole pickle. I cut it the long way thinking he would just chew on it but he ate the whole thing. He also got some chocolate chip cookies today. He begged for them and grabbed a piece off of grandma's while she was holding him and stuck it right in his mouth. Thank you very much. So the last couple of days, as soon as you put a bite of baby food or oatmeal in his mouth, he immediately puts his hand in his mouth. I guess he just wants to feel it. Sorry about the unprofessional video, I was feeding him and taping at the same time so I was looking through the camera screen to find his mouth.

8 Months and Counting

2010-03-11T20:33:00.000-08:00

They're all sitting up great, with less toppling over. But occasionally, there is some tackling. Usually Brooke is the victim, because she never moves. The boys can't resist her beautiful bows. She still has only rolled over a few times. McKay loves to suck on his own feet and also loves Brooke's. Caleb on the other hand is all over the place. He's not quite crawling, but he's gotscooting mastered. He can get to whatever he wants. So the first gate is up at the top of the stairs and I have to vacuum everyday. He's already finding pieces of baskets and whatever else is lying around. Plus the kitchen looks like we spilled a box of cheerios after every meal. I'm hoping they kind of stagger with all of the stages to come so we can do one at a time. Baby-proofing is soon to come.

This is what Nicole calls "quiet time." She's supposed to do books and quiet toys on her bed, but the rules have been getting a little more lenient to do coloring and art as long as she's out of my hair. Today she took a little more liberty. Brooke was asleep in their room and I need a 45 minute break from her as much or more than the babies naps. I'm starting to fear its going to be more than a rough three years. She's 5 and she's still a handful. She recently cut her hair...again. She wants it short and I had already cut it once when she requested shorter hair, but she wanted it even shorter. Now she got into my makeup. I was pretty impressed with the mascara. She had it on her eyelashes and only a little spot on her nose. I have to use a q-tip everytime to clean myself up. I saw her and just laughted and took a picture.

Brooke always has her tongue sticking out of her mouth. She's always moving, but she doesn't go anywhere. She'll just sit there and flap her arms and legs with her tongue hanging out, but hasn't discovered she can get anywhere. She's very difficult to feed as she's a moving target. She never stops kicking her legs and her tongue pushes the food out as fast as it goes in. And of course Grandma Smith taught her to blow bubbles, which she loves to do with beans!

These babies love their toys. Especially getting them out of the basket and taking it from each other. They see how much fun it is so they take it, and the other one doesn't care, they just grab something else.

Too bad we didn't have a background. We can never get them to all smile and look at the same time. I've gotten rid of most of the swings and bouncers, but it still looks like a day care in here. We just rotate from different toy stations to keep them entertained.

So at 8 months McKay has taken a major lead.

Caleb: 17 lbs 3 oz

McKay 18 lbs 15 oz

Brooke 17 lbs 8 oz

I guess the countdown for me is how many weeks of pumping. I'm getting so tired of it every morning and night and sometimes in the afternoon. I don't know if I'll make it to the full year, but we're getting closer. None of them take binkies so I'm feeling okay about not taking away bottles anytime soon. Brooke is barely learning to hold her own.

Another Month Gone By

2010-02-06T14:17:00.000-08:00

I can't believe their seven months old already. The days drag on and the months seem to fly by.Pajama Party!
Brooke is not as easily amused as the boys, but is starting to smile more.
We went to the cabin up Sundance a couple weekends ago-when we got a huge snowstorm. Nicole and Jason enjoyed sledding and making a path back to the top of the hill.

Yes, she did wear snow clothes. We took some quick pictures as we were leaving since I was inside taking care of babies while they were playing.

Other than the change of scenery, there's not much relaxing when you take these three with you. But aren't they cute?

Brooke-here is what's to come. See Nicole below.

The ladies.

Dad loves teasing her, but she doesn't take it so well.

Lots of snow.

They all love to bounce.

Brooke is getting better at eating solid foods. She'd still take a bottle anyday. But she loves bananas!

As always-Mr. Smiley. Hope he stays that way.

Look what I can do! Our biggest accomplishment this month-McKay can hold his own bottle. Which means he has to do it a lot and doesn't get held while he eats-but he doesn't have to wait.

Playtime. They can all sit up and love playing with toys.

Nicole is still loving playing and holding the babies. It can be a problem now that they roll. She picks them up out of the jumperoo or exersaucer if they're crying and lays them on the couch by her-only to forget about them two minutes later and they hit the floor. Caleb's done it twice so far-sorry buddy. We'll try harder.

Caleb is still the smallest. At seven months Caleb is 16 lbs 9 oz. Brooke is 16 lbs 11 oz. and McKay is 18 lbs even.

We enjoyed getting to meet Gracie over Christmas. Brooke and Gracie coincidentally had matching outfits so we had to get a picture.

More Santa and Pictures under the Tree

2010-01-08T21:38:00.001-08:00

They all love the jumperoo and McKay has jumped himself to sleep on several occasions. Such a workout!

Beautiful Brooke in her new dress.

The guys

And the ladies-I can't believe they're half mine.

They're starting to be able to sit up on their own but still tip over. I think they'll be so much happier when they can sit and play with toys.

McKay

Nicole and CalebThe family. We tried the self timer but the flash reflected off the diaper box it was propped on and we never got another one-we're never all awake at the same time. So this is as good as it gets this year.

Winter Fun Inside

2010-01-08T21:24:00.001-08:00

Gotta love this. I came downstairs to Jason and Nicole vacuuming while listening to their ipods.

McKay is such a chunk. I was surprised at his six month check up that he's only in the 38th percentile for weight at 16 lbs 14 oz and 26.5 in. Caleb was 15 lbs 11 oz (15th percentile) 26 in. and Brooke was 15 lbs 14 oz (42nd percentile) and also 26 in. The Dr. says they're doing great and have caught up from their early start.

Poor Brooke-riding in Nicole's doll stroller. Nicole has all of the sudden become re-interested in changing diapers and rubbing lotion and putting pajamas on the babies. Last night I went upstairs to put Brooke to bed and the boys were both laying on blankets in their diapers. I came down to wet blankets. She got the new diaper on pretty well but said covering it with a wipe didn't work. :) Silly boys!

First Big Snowfall

2010-01-08T21:16:00.000-08:00

Nicole loves playing in the snow and goes out anytime Jason has to shovel. When we got our first big snow storm she looked out the window and said, "It snowed three gallons!" Apparently we need to work on our measurements.

5 Month Stats

2009-12-18T20:55:00.000-08:00

They're all growing fast and McKay took a big leap this month.

Caleb 14 lbs 5 oz, 25 inches

McKay 15 lbs 6 oz, 24 3/4 inches

Brooke 14 lbs 9 oz, 25 1/4 inches

4 Month Pictures

2009-12-18T15:53:00.001-08:00

Brooke

McKay

Caleb

I have to get their pictures every month or so the first year because they change so much. Here's their 4 month shots in which they are all smiling and we even had several cute poses of each.

Ho Ho Ho!!!

2009-12-18T15:31:00.001-08:00

We took the kids to get their pictures taken with Santa. Here's the group shot. I'll post their individuals as soon as I put them on the computer.

Something to CELEBRATE!

2009-12-18T15:24:00.000-08:00

All 3 babies slept through the night!!! Brooke started crying around 4 am and while I was debating on whether or not to try and wake Jason (this is NOT an easy task) or just go feed her myself, she stopped and went back to sleep. So I did the same and slept until 7:30 am. We're hoping this is the first of many to come...

Holding Hands

2009-11-28T21:19:00.000-08:00

Right after their baths they get rubbed down and tummy time and kicking on their backs. They lay there and Caleb pulls on McKay's ears and they all ended up holding hands on their own. And yes, they're all wearing different diapers. I never had problems with Huggies or Pampers with Nicole, but McKay leaks through everything. Huggies are not an option. We thought we loved Pampers Swaddlers but not even those on McKay. We bought some of the new Fisher Price overnight diapers and he didn't leak so far. It's been such a pain. The last two weeks I can change his diaper every two hours and he is still wet on his onsie and clothes around his legs-as if I don't have enough laundry to do. The diapers are plenty big-we went up to the next size and still no luck. Any suggestions with boys? He's in the middle and as you can see looks much bigger than Caleb, but so far their weights are very close. They get weighed again next week. Caleb looks so skinny. McKay is great at rolling from his tummy to his back. Caleb started rice cereal this week. He's been the most interested in food so we're starting one at a time. He's doing really well and opens his mouth for the spoon. I give it to him once a day in the evening hoping he'll start sleeping longer at night.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-28T21:00:00.001-08:00

Jason had to work in the morning on Thanksgiving. He was sure he wouldn't make it to work at 6 am if he helped at all with the babies during the night so I was on my own. I was getting in bed at 5:15 am as he was on his way out. I might have gotten an hour before that. I then had to get everyone ready and fed and packed in the car with our diaper bags and gear including a pack n play and jumper for naps and entertainment and meet Jason at his work at 2 pm. This is why I never leave the house alone. I'm pretty sure it took longer to get ready then we were actually gone. They babies were exhausted too because the boys wouldn't take naps so we've had a horrible last two nights. Maybe next year will be better.

Little Friends

2009-11-18T21:21:00.000-08:00

The latest of Brooke. I need to charge my camera so I can take some more pictures, it's been over a week. They've slowed down on their growth though. They only gained one pound last month. Their 4 month stats: Caleb 13 lbs 13 oz, McKay 13 lbs 14 oz, Brooke 13 lbs 10 oz.
We did get a new family picture a couple weeks ago and everyone is actually looking, babies aren't smiling but they're looking straight ahead so that's a start. I'll post it as soon as I get our scanner reinstalled. Grrr-Jason installed Windows 7 so we have to reinstall everything. Next time we'll have to hire Carly to Photoshop huge smiles on everyone! I'm sure that's the only way it will happen. We did individuals last week and they all did awesome. I had several pictures of each of them that I couldn't resist.

Brothers-They're starting to interact with each other now. They look at each other and smile and giggle. We prop them up in the corners of the playpen and they all sit and talk to each other. They're so sweet!

A Good Sport

2009-11-18T21:15:00.000-08:00

Thanks McKay for letting me have fun with you. Brooke would not have it, but McKay just sat there and looked around.

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-02T21:34:00.001-08:00

We had a great Halloween weekend. We started out Friday night at the trunk or treat. We took all the babies and Nicole and I went around while Jason gave out the candy with the babies in the car. She got a whole bag of candy in less than an hour. We carved pumpkins on Saturday. Nicole did a cat. More pictures of pumpkins to come. The babies were not cooperating for their pictures. Then Nicole went around to a few houses on Saturday night. Nicole was Cinderella, Caleb was Winnie the Pooh, McKay was Tigger, and Brooke was Piglet. Holidays are so much more fun with kids! I love dressing them up for pictures, but they don't seem to like it quite as much. I never get them all happy in the same picture. I really need to start using photoshop. There's a lot of pictures-but hey, we have a lot of kids.

Caleb has super strong legs.

McKay

Look who's starting to get some hair on top. No rush-then I don't have to wash the spit up and food out of your hair.

Aren't I something?

Trick or Treating with Nicole-for about 5 minutes and then I took them home.

My Reality-Three's a Handful!

2009-10-15T20:37:00.001-07:00

We enjoyed a few nice days and took the babies on a walk. I've been doing it on my own some of the time for a while now and when they all start crying we load them in the stroller for a nice walk. They all love it and usually go to sleep. Then it got cold:( We're hoping for a short winter.
I never get pictures of moments like this because, well, I have my hands full. Jason walked in on this and took a picture. I'm still nursing (and pumping) for all of them, but when we get desperate we play the 10 seconds on the bottle game. Everyone gets a turn until someone's settled enough to feed the other two. I'm sure they'll learn patience right along with me!

All Smiles!

2009-10-15T19:52:00.000-07:00

The babies are getting to be so much fun. They smile all the time and the boys started giggling today.

Good kissing cheeks!

Caleb loves the jumperoo. They're starting to interact and like toys.

Have I grown? I can't believe they use to wear these preemie clothes. They were so tiny (less than 5th % when they were born and now they're in the 90% for their adjusted age-saying they're only 2 months and 50-75% for their real age of three months) We had them weighed at three months. Any guesses? Everyone thinks McKay is so much bigger because of his chunky cheeks.

Caleb-12 lbs 8 oz, 22 3/4 in

McKay 12 lbs 7 oz, 22 3/4 in

Brooke 12 lbs 3 oz, 21 3/4 inches

Can you believe how close they are? Brooke is gaining on the boys and they're only an ounce apart, same height. We'll see if the trend continues...

McKay

Mom & Brooke

Caleb is always full of smiles!

Best Friends!

I'm Home Alone and Posting!

2009-09-15T21:14:00.000-07:00

Things have definately improved the last 3 days. We're still pretty much on the three hour schedule even through the night, but they've taken afternoon naps at the same time. You use to be lucky to get 20 minutes and you were up and down with someone all day and night. Now we get sleep in two hour increments and we're hoping it will keep getting better. These last 2 1/2 months have been a real challenge so I love loading their pictures on the computer and reminding myself how cute they are. McKay's already crying so I'll just post a few pictures from the last month. Okay, so this post actually took 2 hours and I had to feed McKay and Brooke in between. Now we're off for our first nap. You'd think you'd feel rested when you woke up at 7:30 when you go to bed at 10:30. Someday.

Caleb

Dad getting everyone to sleep while I clean up the kitchen.

McKay

Caleb

McKay

Caleb, McKay, Brooke

McKay, Caleb, Brooke

I love when they find each other's cheeks and suck on them. Kissing each other already!

Oh yea, McKay and Brooke are off oxygen and monitors. It's fabulous!

Taking a nap with the boys.

One more thing. We were on time with all three babies to our 9:00 AM appointment. The Dr. was very impressed and says we're better than people with one baby. I don't know if we'll be able to repeat it, but we'll try.

Thanks for all the help. We couldn't do it without you!

Picture Preview

2009-08-06T16:36:00.000-07:00

Here's a preview of pictures we had taken on Tuesday. I can't wait to get the rest back. They're super cute!

Caleb, Brooke, McKay
Caleb, Brooke, McKay

Caleb, McKay

Brooke

Caleb

McKay

1 Month Old!

2009-07-31T14:56:00.000-07:00

Caleb

McKay

Brooke

McKay & Brooke

McKay, Caleb, Brooke

McKay, Brooke, Caleb

Pictures are so exhausting! They were all awake after their baths, but crashed on each other soon after. Morning naps are the best-I usually have an hour of all three asleep. Other than that-it's feeding every 2-3 hours X 3 and 30-40 diapers a day.

Caleb rolled over from his tummy to his back yesterday and was able to repeat it 5 times in a row. We had to hold him on his tummy long enough to start the camera. They're amazing and so strong. They all lift their heads up and they're not due for a few more days. Now if we could just fix the sleep problem...

4 Weeks

2009-07-28T16:06:00.001-07:00

CalebBrooke

McKay, Brooke, Caleb

They're Home!

2009-07-19T14:04:00.000-07:00

After 18 days in the NICU, they all came home last Thursday. McKay was still a little bit behind, but it was easier to have them all home than 2 home and one still there. We had to do 2 -24 hours at the hospital. The first night they stayed in the NICU and we had to go do their feedings and the 2nd night they were in our room. It really takes 2 people through the night and you only get an hour and a half of sleep. McKay and Brooke had to come home on oxygen and apnea monitors so we'll be really glad to get rid of all the wires. They went to the Dr. a week later and are all gaining and doing well. Caleb is 6 lbs 6 oz, McKay is 6 lbs 3 oz. and Brooke is 5 lbs. 7 oz.

Nicole's reaction to the babies feet: "Holy cow, I'm a giant!"

Caleb & Brooke

McKay

McKay & Caleb

Meet the Triplets

2009-07-06T20:53:00.001-07:00

They're here!
Picture: Brooke, Caleb, McKay

Caleb Jason Clements

5 lbs. 7 oz 18 inches

9:53 AM

McKay Dallin Clements

5 lbs. 8 oz. 17 inches

9:54 AM

Brooke Clements

4 lbs. 9 oz. 17 inches
9:55 AM

I haven't posted for awhile, but I'm sure you all know we decided to wait and give them one more week. It was a very hard week, but the babies are doing very well. They were born at exactly 35 weeks on June 29th. They were all in respiratory distress so we were really glad for that extra week. The boys were on ventilators (breathing for them) the first day and Brooke was on a CPAP (just keeps the lungs open). The boys moved up to the CPAP that night and Caleb and Brooke were off by the next day with just supplemental oxygen. McKay has struggled the most and was on CPAP for 4 days and is still on oxygen. They were all under the bili-lights for several days and McKay has to go back under the lights again tonight. Other than that we're just working on feedings. They can nurse 2 of their 8 feedings each day and are now getting almost a third orally. The rest is given through a feeding tube in their nose as well as their other 6 feedings. They all have their IV's out and got moved into the same crib today. They're exactly a week old today and they expect they should be ready to come home in another 2 weeks.

Caleb

McKay

Brooke

C-Section Scheduled

2009-06-10T17:14:00.000-07:00

It feels like they're going to fall out anytime they move, but we have a c-section scheduled for Monday, June 22nd at 7:30 am. We can't wait to see your perfect round little faces! (no coneheads this time). I moved rooms in the hospital last night. I was the last one left and they were having a transfer so they said I could pick any room if I wanted a change of scenery. So I'm now in room 502. Jason's enjoying the more comfortable recliner chair and I can now adjust the volume to the TV with the remote. Who knew that was so technical, but it was really annoying to change the channel and not be able to hear or be scary loud.

Jason took some pictures of Nicole pushing me in the wheelchair (Oops! I just wrote willchair and had to backspace-Dr. Oz says your brain shrinks 8% when you're pregnant, so I've essentially lost a quarter of my brain-I hope it comes back) which was my biggest adventure yet with walls and rollaway beds coming out of nowhere. The last 3 days I've been able to go on a wheelchair ride outside-you never know unless you ask. It was great as I hadn't been outside at all for 4 weeks. I'll post some once he emails them to me. Dinner should be here soon...I hope. It's 6:45 and the nurse always neglects me while it sits in the hall because I wait patiently and never say anything while she assists more needy patients. Why can't I be more demanding? Lesson learned-don't always feed the baby that cries first.

Nicole's Summer Vacation

2009-05-31T15:03:00.001-07:00

Nicole got to go with Grandma and Grandpa Hurst on vacation to the Grand Canyon. She had tons of fun. Here's some pictures they sent.

Surviving in the Hospital

2009-05-29T20:46:00.000-07:00

We went for an ultrasound and to see the specialist on Wednesday, the 13th. The babies were growing well, but through an internal ultrasound could see that the contractions were progressing labor. Baby A had already dropped and my cervix had shortened. So he did another Fetal Fibronectin test and sent us straight to Labor & Delivery where I've been ever since. The test was negative, but he said I was still at risk for delivering before the typical 32 weeks for triplets. So I've been here for 2 1/2 weeks and have 3 1/2 weeks left until the Dr. wants to deliver, unless problems arise with me or the babies before then.

I'm on Nifedipine for contractions every 4 hours even at night and still have several contractions every hour. The other night I was having contractions every 4 minutes right after they gave me Nifedipine that continued for two hours so they gave me an injection of Turbutaline. It eventually slowed the contractions, but made me really shaky and raised my heart rate over 120 bpm. It feels weird to be laying in bed and have your heart beat so fast.

28 Week Ultrasound

Baby A: 2 lbs, 12 oz

Baby B: 2 lbs, 14 oz

Baby C: 2 lbs, 10 oz

30 Week Ultrasound
Baby A: 3 lbs, 4 oz

Baby B: 3 lbs, 10 oz
Baby C: 3 lbs, 1 oz

Nicole likes coming to the hospital and playing in the wheelchair, getting a can of pop, and eating my dessert! She got to have a sleepover at the hospital on Sunday night. Jason had to stay with her and I think she enjoyed it more than he did on the rollaway bed. She had fun watching a movie and eating breakfast with me.

I don't leave my room except to get weighed every Saturday morning and for ultrasound/perinatologist appointments and they won't even let me walk down the hall to get there; I have to ride in the wheelchair.

People say they can't tell how big I am when laying in bed so Jason took a picture on my way back from the bathroom. Here's 30 weeks with 10 lbs of baby and 12 lbs of amniotic fluid and placentas. It feels like I'm going to pop, but keep getting bigger. Ouch. Now we're counting down to June 22nd, 34 weeks.

Our First Scare

2009-05-07T10:23:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night and Wednesday morning I was having a lot of contractions even on the Nifedipine. I would take it and within an hour I was already having contractions. By Wednesday morning I was having them every three to five minutes and I did everything they told me to do-lay on my left side for an hour and drink lots of water, but they kept coming regularly. I called Labor & Delivery and they said even if I was having 3 or more an hour on the medication I definately needed to come in. I got hooked up to the contraction monitor and was having constant contractions. They did some tests and found that I had an infection that could be causing the contractions so gave me an antibiotic for that. They also did a Fetal Fibronectin that came back negative which predicts pretty accurately that I won't go into labor in the next two weeks. They increased my Nifedipine to every 4 hours, the most you can take, so hopefully we'll have an uneventful next few weeks. Because the fetal fibronectin came back negative, they sent me home. I realized how much better it is to be home than in the hospital. It's no easy task trying to hold completely still for hours with three heart beat monitors and a contraction monitor. If I moved at all we'd lose at least one baby's heart beat. So I'm now resting "comfortably" at home.

2009-05-05T19:11:00.000-07:00

No new pictures or much exciting going on. Nicole's vacationing at Grandma Hurst's and says she's staying forever. We miss her, but are glad she's still enjoying where she's at while I can't take care of her. And I continue to lay around helpless everyday with people bringing my meals to me on the couch and everything else. The medication is helping a lot to ease the contractions as long as I take it every 4-6 hours. That's a relief. I was having 6 or more per hour and today I only had 5 all day. Now I just need to hold onto these babies for at least another 5-7 weeks. Thanks for all the help with people coming over to feed me and get me settled for the night. It's still hard to believe, but I definately feel like I have three babies in here.

26 Weeks

2009-04-29T19:42:00.000-07:00

Nicole got to go stay with the Stallings for the last couple of days and was very sad to have to come home. She had so much fun. She's very social so I'm sure she'll love having these new siblings to play with. She came home today and entertained me with some games of Go Fish this afternoon.
I had the Dr. on Monday and I'm 35 cm, measuring full term. He said it's time to start pretty strict bed rest. I can only leave to go to Dr. appointments and other than that I have to be down all the time. I was hoping to make it a couple more weeks, but he said it will be a disaster if we have them in the next four weeks so I guess it's easier than the alternative. He'll be happy if we make it to 32 but still wants 34 or more. So I have the next 8 weeks to lounge around and do things I've never had time for. I do take a nap everyday since I don't sleep well at night, so that helps the days go by quicker, but even with my projects it gets boring laying around all day. I guess it's not too long until I'll be anything but bored.

So after laying around for 2 days, today was exciting to get out of the house and go to the perinatologist, except that I get really sick and light-headed during the ultrasounds from having to lay flat on my back. He also said I need to be a blob until the end. It's always a relief to see how they're doing and that they're all still growing. Today's results at 26 weeks:

Caleb (A): 2 lbs 0 oz., 25 weeks 6 days, head down
McKay (B): 2 lbs 1 oz., 25 weeks 6 days, breech
Brooke (C): 1 lb 15 oz., 25 weeks 5 days, breech

They're all about the same size and very active. If you wait a few minutes you can usually see at least one of them moving.

The Park and Flying Kites

2009-04-29T19:22:00.000-07:00

And success. They got both kites up and they stayed up until we reeled them in.
The SF Park had way too many trees so we went back to the park in our neighborhood with tons of open space, but not the greatest playground.
Nicole got a kite for Easter and has been dying to go fly it so it the Saturday after Easter was a pretty nice day with plenty of wind. We grabbed some KFC and had a picnic at the park and Nicole got to play.

April Snow

2009-04-29T19:17:00.001-07:00

Easter!

2009-04-13T21:27:00.001-07:00

Looking lovely dyeing Easter Eggs. Nicole absolutely loved this. We figured we'd get all cleaned up for the day after the mess.

Nicole was super fast at getting all the eggs off the grass. She loved it.I was the pointer for the trickier eggs and Nicole picked them up.

Nicole counting her loot. All the eggs have one quarter and she came away with $37.25. Way to go Nicole!

23 Week Ultrasound

2009-04-13T21:12:00.001-07:00

The babies are growing gaining around 9-10 ounces since 20 weeks. That's almost 2 pounds of baby in 3 weeks. And they accelerate from here. They should be 2 pounds each at the next ultrasound at 26 weeks.

Baby A-Caleb (boy) 1 lb 4 oz., Head down
Baby B-McKay (boy) 1 lb 6 oz., Breech
Baby C-Brooke (girl) 1 lb 5 oz., Head down

They are moving around like crazy and you can see their kicks and punches from the outside. The girl was moving a lot during the ultrasound that I could feel and they said baby A is laying right on top of her. Move over boys-Poor thing is just fighting for some space.

There's a Bird in the House!!!

2009-04-13T20:54:00.000-07:00

It was a rainy day and Jason and I were in the extra bedroom cleaning out the closet and trying to "organize" the baby stuff in the order we thought we needed it. Luckily we have big walk in closets to stash our diapers, car seats, high chairs, and boxes of clothes. The window overlooks the driveway and Jason told Nicole to go get the newspaper and he would watch her from the window. So out she goes and we hear her come in a few minutes later.She came upstairs a few minutes later out of breath reporting "There's a bird in the house! There's a bird in the house!" We looked at each other and figured she was probably serious so went to check it out. By the time we got downstairs it was stuck between the window and the blinds. Jason flipped the blinds so the bird couldn't fly out, opened the window, and took out the screen. It had access to the outside world, but wasn't smart enough to figure it out.

With a little help, it flew outside. By the bird feathers on the sliding glass door, we figure it flew around trying to find a way out and ran into the glass a few times.

We reminded Nicole to close the door after herself when she goes outside, but I don't think she could do it again if she tried. She said it was on the porch and flew in when she opened the door. Glad I wasn't home alone. I would have freaked out and not had a clue how to get rid of it. I was scared to go downstairs for fear it would fly into my head or something. We lucked out this time. It did poop in the window, but luckily it was contained.

22 Weeks

2009-04-13T20:09:00.000-07:00

22 weeks, measuring 32 and gaining 4 pounds in the last 2 weeks for a total of around 16. Nowhere near 50-is it possible to gain 34 pounds in 12 weeks? I hope not.

And Nicole posing for her latest picture.

Nicole's going to be a BIG SISTER!

2009-03-25T19:53:00.000-07:00

Getting dressed to go see the REAL babies in the nursery. She was very upset when me and Jason had to go in the NICU separately because she couldn't come. She was very excited about this. There was a 9 lb 6 oz and 7 lb 2 oz that looked huge to me compared to the 1-5 pounders in the NICU.

Nicole got to practice holding the pretend babies.

Ultrasound Results 3.18.09

2009-03-25T19:13:00.000-07:00

Ultrasound at 20 weeks
Baby A: Boy, est. weight: 11 ounces (303 gm), measuring 19 wks 4 days
Baby B: Boy, est. weight: 13 ounces (355 gm), measuring 20 wks 1 day
Baby C: Girl, est. weight: 11 ounces (326 gm), measuring 19 wks 4 days

The last two ultrasounds they were all measuring a few days bigger so we hope they don't slow down yet. They should grow the same as singles until 24-27 weeks. There's a small margin of error with the ultrasound measurements.

Ultrasound at 16 weeks
Baby A: Boy, est. weight: 5 ounces (147 gm), measuring 16 wks 2 days
Baby B: Boy, est. weight: 5 ounces (152 gm), measuring 16 wks 3 days
Baby C: Girl, est. weight: 5 ounces (149 gm), measuring 16 wks 3 days

Next ultrasound scheduled April 8th: 23 weeks.

We also toured the NICU at Utah Valley and Timpanogos Hospitals. Timpanogos had their first set of triplets that week delivered at 30 weeks and they were doing pretty well. We're hoping to make it to 34 weeks though. I hope I don't pop; I'm already getting very sore from the quick growth.

The Bathroom is in!

2009-03-17T18:22:00.000-07:00

We now have a bathroom downstairs! We need to add a few finishing touches, but it is fully functional. Thanks Jason and Dad for saving me countless trips up the stairs (at least every hour). We said that was the first project once Jason got done with school and I'm glad it hit the top of the priority list. They finished the whole thing this weekend.

Nicole loved wearing green for St. Patrick's Day. I told her you have to wear green or you'll get pinched. She asked why and I told her it was just a little game they do. So all day today, she's been asking when we were going to play our St. Patrick's day games. I guess since I didn't have a green jacket, I still had to get 10 pinches.

Nicole also made a slide for the babies on the lounge chair with their blankets that she said she can push them down and they'll say "weeee." So I signed her up for the sibling class at the hospital next week to learn how to hold babies and about newborns. I'm sure it won't do much good, but worth a shot.

Quick Updates

2009-03-17T17:38:00.000-07:00

And here's 20 weeks. Officially halfway, but luckily only have 14-16 weeks to go, but hopefully not sooner. We have another ultrasound and appointment with the specialist in the morning and a regular appointment on Thursday. They should be 10 1/2 ounces and 10 inches long at this point so we'll see at the ultrasound, hopefully they'll still be right on schedule. They shouldn't slow down until 24-26 weeks.

We went to Jumping Jacks with Angela and the kids and they loved it. Mostly Easton and Nicole. They played for hours without needing anything. It was great for that snowy March day.

Nicole just finished up an 8 week gymnastics class at the high school. She absolutely loved it and I'm glad she got to do it, but also glad it's over. Now she can spend lots of time practicing cartwheels and backbends. At first it was a summersault with her hands separated. Now it's moved to hand, hand, foot, foot in slow motion.

Here's 18 weeks. According to my chart, I'm the same size as I was at 26 weeks with Nicole. The babies each weigh about 7 ounces now.

2009-02-27T12:31:00.000-08:00

Nicole having fun trying to pop Dad's Birthday Balloons. Another picture by Nicole. She's getting better at actually getting you in the picture, but a little dark, probably covered the flash with her finger.

A Nice Weekend.

2009-02-23T20:28:00.001-08:00

Nicole gave her first talk in primary on Sunday and was practicing in her microphone made from Tinker Toys. She loves to talk in the microphone and always volunteers to do something when it's her classes' turn. She probably says a prayer in class every week too, because if she's not picked for the opening she immediately says she'll say the closing prayer. It's great to have some of those kind of people in the world. We just hope we can keep her quiet for awhile because whenever a family talks or sings in Sacrament Meeting, she always says, "why can't we do that." Because we don't want to. That's why.

On Saturday evening we went to Winter Fest at Soldier Hollow. They did ice sculptures and then had fireworks. The sculptures were pretty cool and of course Nicole loved the fireworks. It got pretty cold, but was very fun. You can only see the giraffe, but they also did a dolphin, camel, and eagle. Quite impressive.

Jason practiced swaddling Nicole. She wanted to and amazingly laid there for over half an hour resting.

We're working through our insurance and I'm feeling relieved. I'm not subject to pre-existing conditions as long as there's no gap in coverage so Jason can add me to his plan effective April 1st and I'll be covered on my plan for up to 4 months of leave as long as I pay my premium. So I'll be double covered and the babies are all covered under both plans for the first 30 days. Then we'll add them to Jason's since I won't have benefits. But it should be manageable. We also got special preauthorization since it's a high risk pregnancy to deliver at Utah Valley instead of Timpanogos. They both have the same level of NICU, but TIMP has never delivered triplets before. I don't know if it matters, but my doctor is in the plaza at Utah Valley and he'd prefer to do it there.

I'm making my list of things I want to accomplish in the next seven weeks and every day, what do I get done? Pretty much nothing because I'm too exhausted. Oh well, thanks to grandma they'll have plenty of cute blankets anyway.

2009-02-18T17:12:00.000-08:00

Nicole's latest:

-"I think it will be one boy, one girl, and one plain."
-She helps out around the house unloading the dishwasher, making beds, etc. We thank her for being a helper and she says, "It was nothing."
-"When I'm going to drop the babies, I'll run over to the couch."
-"I think I'm going to like the pink one more."

And, the results are in...It's 2 Boys and a Girl!!! Just what I thought from the beginning. I'm 4 for 4. Jason was very pleased too and that's what he's been saying the last few days. Great for room arrangements in a couple years. Babies A and B were both breech and definately boys. Baby C had her back to us and legs tucked in. These girls are so modest, Nicole did the same thing. She rolled over for a second and the radiologist was sure she was a girl. The specialist came in and took a look at all of them too, but wasn't interested in looking for gender, but we got him to take a look at C and he thought it was a girl too. So we're hoping they're right. Here's the big sister showing off some of their first outfits. They look kind of big in the picture, but their only newborn and 0-3. If anyone sees outfits that match that are blue and pink let me know where. I can buy boy and girl of the same style, but they don't match or complement each other.

We'll have another ultrasound in three weeks. This was the basic anatomy one. They checked the spine for spina bifida, the lip for a cleft palate, measured the parts of the brain and the fluid in the brain cavities, checked the kidneys, bladder, measured the femur and stomach, checked arms, hands, and feet, and a few other things on each baby. They all measured between 16 wks 2 days and 4 days so they're right on schedule. The only pictures they printed were the boy parts, but we recorded quite a bit so we'll try to convert that once we get some more.

And, the 16 week picture. I think I skipped the 2nd trimester.

Valentines Cookies!

2009-02-09T17:38:00.000-08:00

Andrea made sugar cookies and brought them over for Nicole to decorate. She loved it and put a ton of sprinkles on. Yummy.

Nicole said the prayer in primary on Sunday and blessed "our babies will be healthy" as she always does. I've only told a few people in the ward, but don't know if too many people caught on to the plural. After this next ultrasound I'll feel much better and let the word out. 8 days...I'm getting anxious.

Two Weeks Left to Vote!

2009-02-03T17:02:00.000-08:00

We have another ultrasound scheduled with the perinatologist this time for February 18th. I'll be 16 weeks and that's the earliest they can tell gender, so hopefully they'll all cooperate. If not, our next chance will be at 20 weeks. Not very much time to prepare when bedrest starts at 24! I had an appointment today and heard all three heart beats. Gained one pound in the last two weeks. Angela, our specialist comes down from St. Mark's Hospital so maybe you know him. He's in Utah County on Wednesdays.

I was never a fan of pregnany belly pictures, but want a few this time. I guess I'll need an excuse for awhile...or forever. Here's me at 14 weeks. Picture courtesy of Nicole. Not too bad. And yes, I did just wake up from a nap. I wish I had some of her to compare to, but I'm pretty sure I wasn't really showing yet. I didn't tell my work until 4 months and wore my regular capris until 6 months. I remember I didn't gain very much weight until 7 months. I gained 13 pounds the first 7 and then another 12 or so the last two months.

Birthday, Christmas, and Snow Fun-Late Pictures

2009-02-03T16:06:00.000-08:00

Nicole's birthday was on Sunday this year so we had a family dinner to celebrate. She had some friends over for a Royal Brunch earlier in the month. Both Cinderella parties of course.

Nicole loved looking at Christmas lights. We drove through Festival of Lights 2 times. When we went with Grandma & Grandpa Hurst on Christmas Eve, she wanted Grandpa to stop at every house. Even if they only had one strand on their roof.

Nicole was Mary for the Nativity at the Clements' Family Christmas party.

Nicole wanted everything Cinderella for Christmas this year.

She got this sled for Christmas and immediately rode it down Grandma & Grandpa's stairs followed very closely by the wall at the bottom. With a very loud crash everyone went running to see, but of course, she was just fine with no tears. Just a small dent in the wall from her head.

Dad tried to go down right by her the first time and ended up knocking her over. She jumped right up and said, "Hey, I did a trick." No babies in this family.

Nicole was awesome about walking up the hill everytime.

With a little help.

Nicole made this one herself while I was shoveling.

Our "4 Year'd Old"

2009-01-27T16:41:00.000-08:00

So, Nicole saw her picture on the blog and said, "hey, that's my three-year-old." Oh yea, we forgot to get 4 year pictures this year. So we went a little over a month late and she showed off as usual. She had the photographer laughing telling her how much she loved sleepovers and that she was going to one grandma's for three days! I usually only have the first one or two poses to choose from because the rest are usually goofy, but I actually picked the last one this time. She says she's a 4-Year'd-Old and they can do everything. Which is great because there's no more being carried. She can buckle herself in the carseat. Phew. One down. Here she is...

2009-01-27T16:39:00.001-08:00

2009-01-20T20:58:00.000-08:00

Just a little update. I went to the doctor today and everything looks like it's going well. I'm 12 weeks and the Dr. said I measure 18 weeks so I've had to break out the maternity clothes this week. We go to the doctor every 2 weeks for a while in addition to a specialist and ultrasounds every 3-4 weeks. He told me to plan on bedrest starting between 24 and 28 weeks and limited activity with no lifting starting now.

Nicole is very excited and has been lining up her blankets for them to lay on. According to her, I have nothing to worry about. She keeps telling me that she'll take care of two, dad will take care of one, and I'll make dinner. I think I can handle that.

2009-01-18T10:45:00.000-08:00

We're expecting #'s 2, 3, and 4!

We had our first Dr. appointment on Jan. 13th. He said I was measuring bigger than 10 1/2 weeks and asked if it was possible I was further along than I thought. I was sure I wasn't and during the fetal hearbeat, he consistently found heart beats on both sides. He referred us to the hospital for an ultrasound for possible twins.

The radiologist immediately told us there were definately two. As she moved to the other far side, I saw another circle way over there. I asked if there were for sure only two. She assured us that, yes, there were two. Then, "wait a minute," she counted from right to left and then said, "nope, there are three." She measured the heartbeat on each one and said they were all kicking. I was exactly 11 weeks at the ultrasound and two measured 11 wks 4 days and one measured 11 wks 3 days. She said it's very good that they are all measuring big enough and the same size.

So we're having triplets. I'm due August 5th. The doctor said we'll aim to deliver between 30 and 36 weeks, hopefully toward the latter. That puts us at mid June to the beginning of July. Here's the ultrasound of all three babies. They're all fraternal, with their own amniotic sack and placenta. We'll post more pictures as they get bigger. We'll be having regular ultrasounds so that should be fun!