Lunchtime

Just a short video of lunch with the boys a couple of weeks ago...

A Long Overdue Update

It's Sunday afternoon and the boys are partying in bed (that's what they often do when they should be napping), so I am taking this opportunity to finally update our blog.

Our house is officially sold (as of a couple of weeks ago), and we have taken over a good portion of Grandma and Grandpa's house. The boys have adjusted very well to the change of scenery and are having a blast in their new environment. One thing the boys particularly enjoy doing is playing with Grandma's onions and potatoes. they are perfect for rolling and chasing around the kitchen floor. Here is a photo of this great new activity:




On our first full weekend here, Grandma and Grandpa hosted a fantastic Christmas party. Even the boys attended for a little while before bed, and we all had a great time. We also visited Daren's Grandparents that weekend. The boys had a great time exploring their condo. Here are a couple of photos from our visit:




All in all, we are having a great time. I have lots more to write and will update again soon.

Updating from Guelph

Well, the first part of our move to Toronto is over. We are in Guelph (staying with Bill and Mary) until January 5th when we move into the house we are renting in Toronto. Quite a few people have been asking how the move went. Here goes:

Movers came to our house to pack our belongings last Saturday. This was also the day I sort of came out of denial about the move. This was a good thing since we were leaving the next day. It was a hectic day, but we managed to get most stuff done (my mother and Kelly will probably not agree with that statement).
Daren and I, and the boys flew to Toronto on Sunday afternoon. Since all of our boys are still under 2, we needed a third person to fly with us (AC has a 1 infant per adult rule). Daren's former co-worker Phil (aka the baby whisperer) was flying to Toronto anyway, so he agreed to take Jack on his lap. Many thanks to Phil!!!
The boys were great during the flight. Jack fell asleep on Phil's lap before takeoff, and Callum had a great nap once we were in the air. I had a wonderful seatmate who let Callum lay his head in her lap for over an hour while he slept.
We arrived in Toronto with our 3 babies, 7 very large pieces of luggage and 3 carry-on bags, rented a van and drove to Guelph.
In 4 short days we have managed to completely clutter up Grandma and Grandpa Smith's house with toys, but they don't seem to mind at all. The boys are adjusting well to their new environment and are venturing further away from me every day.

Thanks to everyone who helped us with this move. We couldn't have done it without you!

A Great Evening

Kelly came over for dinner tonight and we had a great evening with the boys. They were all in great cheer and had a wonderful time playing with Kelly before bed. Not living near Kelly is the absolute hardest part of moving. We are going to miss her so much. I can't even think about it right now. Anyway, here is a video, just in case you want to feel like you are part of the action at our house this evening.

Not for the Faint of Heart

The boys love to climb the stairs to their bedroom before naps and bedtime. It's really cute and we've been trying to capture it on video for a while. We finally succeeded - somewhat. I swear this is the only time something like this has happened...

Temper Tantrums?

Callum and Jack started having what I think are temper tantrums a couple of weeks ago. William gets upset from time to time, but his reason is usually quite obvious and he is quick to recover. Callum's tantrums are generally short but very loud. They are usually due to frustration over a toy that is not doing what he wants it to do, or the theft of a toy by one of his brothers. He will scream and bite the offending toy or lay on the floor and cry his heart out. Jack's tantrums are similar but much longer in duration. He definitely gets points for longevity.

The two most trying aspects of these tantrums for me are trying to settle stolen toy wars and trying to share myself among three boys who really do not want to share their mommy. Here is a typical scenario:

• Callum spies Jack playing with a toy he wants. He snatches the toy and crawls away as quickly as possible. Jack falls to the floor in utter devastation, crying loud enough to alert the entire neighborhood.
• I decide to right this wrong by giving Callum another toy and returning the stolen toy to Jack. Callum will not fall for it. When I take the toy from him, he falls to the floor in utter devastation, crying loud enough to alert the entire neighborhood.
• William (who has been playing happily by himself) becomes overwhelmed by the noise his brothers are making and falls to the floor in utter devastation, crying loud enough to alert the entire neighborhood.
• I give Jack the stolen toy and try to comfort Will, who seems to me to be the most innocent party.
• Jack sees that William is in my lap and decides that he too needs comforting. He crawls over to us, climbs into my lap and pushes Will out of the way. William falls to the floor in utter devastation, crying loud enough to alert the entire neighborhood.
• I tell Jack that he needs to share Mummy and try to fit both boys in my lap. Jack will have none of this sharing business, so he falls to the floor in utter devastation, crying loud enough to alert the entire neighborhood.
• Meanwhile, Callum is still crying to beat the band and crawls over for a snuggle. I feel bad for him. He doesn't know that he can't just take his brother's toys. So, I try to make room for him on my lap too. This upsets William and Jack, who then fall to the floor in utter devastation, crying loud enough to alert the entire neighborhood. I try my best to comfort all three boys.
• I can see that the situation is not improving, so I try to get all three boys off my lap so I can find something to distract them. You can probably predict what happens next... all three boys fall to the floor in utter devastation, crying loud enough to alert the entire neighborhood.

Please tell me this will not last forever.

Just Another Day...

It's Saturday, November 22nd and we are enjoying our last full weekend in Nova Scotia. We were hit with quite a snowstorm last night, so we woke up to a nice blanket of white this morning. Luckily, Daren made it home before the storm started, or I would not be nearly as happy about the snow.

We had breakfast with the boys and they played for a while before their first nap. The nap seemed to go well, but for some reason, Callum woke up on the WRONG side of the crib. Wow, was he cranky. Daren went outside to shovel the driveway (with help from our wonderful neighbors) while I gave the boys a snack. Word to the wise: don't feed your children honey puffed cereal in a dish they can tip. Here are a few photos from our snack gone wrong:

After snack, we decided to take the boys for a short walk in the snow. We must be crazy. Dressing 16 month old triplets in winter jackets is enough to make anyone want to pick up and move to a warmer climate. Regardless, we had a good time once we were out, and even took a few pictures to prove we did it:

Bathtime

As you can probably imagine, bathtime is a bit chaotic in our house. We used to bathe each boy individually, but now we usually plunk them all in the tub together. They love to splash and play. Well, at least they did until I accidentally put the shower on them. There were bubbles in the tub and I was using the detachable shower head to rinse them off before they got out. Well, I dropped the shower head, water sprayed everywhere, and things got a bit out of hand. That was last week and they are still a bit hesitant to stay in the bath for too long now. Anyway, I took a few pictures and a short video before the incident. Here they are:

Honey's Birthday

We celebrated Honey's 9th birthday on November 6th. It is hard to believe she has been with us that long.

For those of you who don't know, Honey was a gift from my mother in 1999. I have always loved dogs, and my mother's friend Dot told us about a family in Wycogomagh (in Cape Breton) who had a cocker spaniel puppy that had to re-home due to their son's allergies. We drove to Wycogomagh to pick her up on Christmas morning. She was the sweetest 3lb bundle of fur I had ever seen.

Honey was a one and only until the boys were born last year. It was a difficult adjustment for her. She was sick for 3 days and still gets upset when they cry. However, she is very gentle and loving towards them. Will particularly loves Honey. His entire face lights up when he sees her, and one of his favourite pastimes is trying to engage her in a game of chase. Here are a few photos of Hon, and of the boys enjoying her birthday cake (it was a great excuse for a treat):

Honey relaxing on the couch at my mother's and enjoying a popsicle last summer:

Callum, Will and Jack enjoying Honey's birthday cake:

Halloween

This year was our boys' first time celebrating Halloween. We dressed them up as dalmations and went trick-or-treating in our neighborhood. Daren and I enjoyed all of the candy afterwards! The boys had a great time riding in their choo choo wagon and watching all of the other children.

Last year we did not take the boys out, but we did dress them up in their winter sheepdog suits from Auntie Krista. Here are a couple of pictures. What a difference a year makes!

2007:












2008:

Perinatal Follow-up

Because our boys were born prematurely, and Callum was considered very low birth weight (less than 1500 grams), they have regularly scheduled check-ups at the IWK’s Perinatal Follow-up Clinic.
Every few months, we go in for an assessment to make sure the boys’ development is in line with their adjusted age (the age they would be if they were born at their due date). During these visits, the boys are seen by a neonatologist, a nurse and a physiotherapist. The appointments generally last a couple of hours and are very thorough and informative.
Our last appointment was a home visit in September, to conincide with the boys' adjusted first birthday. They are doing well, but may have mild language delays. This is quite common with multiples, and not something for us to worry about at this time. Callum has also been slow to crawl and prefers to slither on his belly. The physiotherapist recommended some exercises to help him along. It seems to be helping.
Because of Callum's delay in crawling, we are going back for a check-up with the physiotherapist this Monday. I will post the results of this visit as soon as I can.

July 16, 2007

Our boys were born on July 16, 2007 at 4:30, 4:31 and 4:32 pm. Callum was an only child for one minute, Will is stuck in the middle and Jack is the 'baby' of the family. They were born at 31 weeks, 2 days gestation, weighing 3lbs4oz, 3lbs7oz and 3lbs5oz respectively.
I don't want to go into the gory details of the birth, and to tell you the truth, I don't remember a lot of it anyway. I do remember being thinking that all three of our boys were absolutely beautiful and being thankful that they all cried. I was also quite happy to finally see my feet again.

Bedrest

A triplet pregnancy is not easy. During my pregnancy, I had many moments of ‘singleton jealousy’. Oh, how I envied those mothers-to-be who could work out, attend prenatal yoga and confidently shop for their baby. From the moment we found out that we were expecting triplets, I was not permitted to exercise and it was recommended that I stay off my feet as much as possible. By 20 weeks, walking was limited to around the house. I was admitted to the hospital at 25 weeks, where I stayed until the boys were born at 31 weeks, 2 days.
The bedrest was difficult both physically and emotionally. We worried a lot that our boys would be born very early. When I was admitted to the hospital at 25 weeks, I was literally afraid to move for fear it would cause preterm labour. It was a very difficult time, but so worth the pain and fear. I cannot thank my friends and family enough for their support and visits.
The days were long in the hospital. The nurses generally monitored the babies' heartbeats once a day, and I would have an ultrasound about once a week. Other than that, I laid in bed, played cards (drove my mother and Daren crazy with that, I think), read, and took up rug hooking (still not finished, but maybe I'll get back to it when the boys move out!).

How we found out we were having triplets

Daren and I actually found out we were expecting triplets by accident. In December 2006, it was discovered that I had a small cyst on one of my ovaries. I had a follow-up ultrasound scheduled in January. On the day of the ultrasound, we were pretty sure I was pregnant, but just barely. Since this ultrasound was not related to the newly discovered pregnancy and we did not expect to see anything, Daren just headed to work and I went to the ultrasound on my own.
During the ultrasound, the technician made many notes on her sheet of paper as she passed the wand over my abdomen. The silence was deafening. I started to get nervous and wondered if perhaps the cyst was more than a cyst. She asked me if I was taking any medication – no, only folic acid and vitamins. She continued to pass the wand over my stomach and silence again filled the room. I was really worried by that point. Finally, she told me she would like to show me the screen, but first, she wondered if multiple births ran in my family. No, I told her. She then moved the screen and showed me three little circles. Triplets, she said, and there they were. Of course, I was shocked, but at the time all I could think was that I was late for school and I didn't have a substitute. It just didn’t seem real. The doctor insisted that I at least call Daren and tell him. He was pretty calm, but I honestly don’t remember what he said.

Finally getting started...

I've been meaning to start this blog since our boys were born, and after 16 months of procrastination, I am finally getting started! I hope you enjoy our posts, photos and videos. I am going to start with a few posts about our pregnancy and the early days, so much of this will seem 'old' to those of you who know us well. Please bear with me - I will catch up as soon as possible. Thanks for reading, and please feel free to leave comments.