dinner...

Mike walked in the door and we had a candid camera moment...yes, yes, I am the supermom extraordinaire...or I just don't like screaming babies while i am trying to make dinner...perhaps both...

Dinner ala Konrad

cranky babies, cranky parents

Thats the name of my current life and maybe someday a parenting help book...omg these children do not sleep. I am trying to be a good parent and an obedient "back to sleep"er but i mean really...all three boys have some serious reflux so when we lay them down, even after they have been upright for 30 minutes to an hour after their feedings they squirm and arch their necks and whimper in their sleep and chew and puke. This is a very stressful (for me to watch them be in pain), messy (for the outfits I have to frequently change), and wakeful (for all the times one or more of them does not sleep more than 15 mins in a row) process. Each individual baby has good patches and bad patches of sleep time but unfortunately they got together and decided to stagger their cranky times so that they could get some good one on one time with mom and dad and as a result we are CONSTANTLY comforting, propping, readjusting, feeding or refeeding someone. This is as you might guess not so good for our overall sleep health...and we weren't getting all that much before this new phase started. Part of it is that the boys are waking up and growing into normal wakeful babies. Although I am giving them playtime during the day, when they are awake, they are AWAKE and they want to be fed or entertained or at least stimulated visually with toys or lights. This can get complicated with three babies at staggered timings. I have tried to schedule them so that they all get playtime at the same time but they aren't quite cooperating. I suppose that I can't blame them, there are times in the day where if you woke me up and said PLAY NOW I might not cooperate and I might try to fall back asleep too. So I am trying really hard to accommodate their individual needs without going crazy at the impact that it is having on my individual needs (am i even allowed to have those now?). I am also thinking that I may have to bribe, coerce, and potentially torture their pediatrician into medicating for reflux. I have walked the line of extremely conservative and I didn't really want to give them meds but I have changed my mind and I am now willing to try just about anything...nice how a our values can change in times of desperation huh. Anyway, our doctor appointment is tomorrow and it is medication or bust for me, laugh!

Konrad having playtime

Mohawk Mikey

Zach's playtime (muwahaha)...14 hours straight...

Sleep...

Something we are not getting much of still...but it will get better. It is hard to imagine that our little guys are 12 weeks old and sometimes hard to remember that developmentally they are only 2 weeks old. I have to remind myself of this when other babies that are younger than our boys can see and smile and laugh at 12 weeks and ours are just starting to notice the world around them and may not laugh or grab things for weeks still. They are getting stronger though, every day it seems, and they are starting to interact with us a bit. The definitely can see something because they like watching the lights on their play mat and on their crib music box. They are getting more used to belly time and their head control is getting a bit better. It is great to see them lifting their heads and looking around, but it can be a bit dangerous for mom and dad because they can get their head up but not always hold it up and we are getting headbutted every so often-their little heads can bring a lot of pain to a nose!
They like going on walks and every once and a while I will venture into town or to the store by myself during the week with them. I was desperate to get out so I took them to Kohls this week and weren't we the spectacle! People coming up to us and asking questions, wanting to touch the babies-I needed security guards just to get to the baby section (not really but I wished I had some). It was intimidating to go out by myself with the three of them at first, but now that I have done it it is getting less daunting. It takes lots of preparation and a bit of luck with baby behavior and people in publics reactions, but it can be done.

We are going on a walk!

Mikey is a very relaxed, deep sleeper

Konrad likes to sleep all balled up and on his side

Zack sprawls out with his hand and feet in the air

Tired mommy

Daddy is sick :(

Mike is sick and so the Huber household is a little crazy these days. We are all trying to let daddy sleep as much as possible so he gets better fast! The boys are really starting to get strong. They can lift their heads, they look around when they are awake and they watch their hands go past their faces. They are starting to coo and smile back which is very exciting to see. Their due date has come and gone and it will be very exciting to see them develop and begin to be more interactive.

Ava and Spencer meeting Michael

Daddy snuggling Michael (before he was sick of course)

We sure do like our Boppys

Konrad says "Hmmmm..."

Settling in

Things are finally starting to feel settled in the Huber household. The boys are thriving and seem to be growing bigger every day. They are lifting their heads and gaining better head control and they are definitely starting to be able to see people and objects around them. They are still eating every three hours and we can't quite seem to stretch it out yet at night time but we are hoping that sometime soon we might start getting 4-5 hour blocks so that we can get some sleep. I must admit that the days go by in a big blur right now.

My day at home goes something like this...
7:30am-Mike leaves for work and the boys all wake up just about when he closes the door and pulls out of the driveway (or so it seems). It takes about 1.5-2 hours to change, feed, and settle the boys.
9:30am- I want to start doing laundry or dishes or take a shower but instead I have to pump to start stocking up breast milk for the day. If I don't pump every 3-4 hours my milk supply starts shrinking and then we have to give the boys more formula. I pump for a half hour.
10:00am- the boys are starting to stir but I hold them off with their pacifiers and scramble to get some laundry in and grab something to eat and drink. If I forget to drink enough water my body starts making less breast milk and I am pretty much a slave to the breast milk so that my boys can get enough nutrition. By the time I am back upstairs and have finished eating something quick one or more of the boys is really mad and ready to eat.
11:00am- feed and change babies.
1:00pm- if they settle down right after eating then I have enough time to pump again and maybe fold some laundry and start the dishes. If they do not settle down quickly and they are cranky then I sometimes spend the remaining hour or hour and a half trying to do two things at once by switching between pumping and getting them settled down...whichever baby was cranky usually settles just in time for the next feeding session to start for the other two. I try to get out and get some exercise if it is nice out by taking the boys on a walk sometime in the afternoon, I have to stretch their feeding session from 3 to 3.5 hours apart and sometimes they get cranky but I usually need to get out and get some air.
2:30pm get the boys in the house and feed and change babies.
4:00 or 4:30pm- pump again and quickly try to finish either laundry or dishes (but rarely both) before Mike gets home.
5:30 or 6:00pm- Mike comes home, and then we both feed and change babies so it takes a little less time. One of us, usually Mike, makes dinner during this feeding session. Then once babies are fed, I pump and off and on one of us keeps them quiet by running between them and either holding, burping or giving pacifiers while the other person tries to eat dinner and make bottles for the night to come. 9:00pm I pump one last time while Mike starts feeding babies. 9:30pm I go to bed and Mike stays up and feeds and cares for babies until 2:00am.
12:00am - Mike feeds and changes babies. (and keeps them happy until the next feeding session)
2:00am- Mike wakes me up and I pump again. Then once I am done pumping, I take over the feedings and after 4.5 hours sleep my day begins. Mike goes to sleep.
3:00am- I feed and change babies.
7:00am- After 4.5 hours sleep, Mike wakes up and gets ready for work the day starts over again.

And this is the glorious life of a family with triplets...but I cannot tell you more because true to form, Mike has just left for work and there is now a baby crying in the other room. I mean literally, house door closes and Mike's car starts and like magic baby cries...its actually quite impressive...

Please don't wake us up...we are snuggly

What I wish my mornings were like- peaceful babies

What they are usually like...come home daddy, come home!