Flowers

I just have to post this before I forget. Yesterday Ella and Slade picked me flowers and brought them into the kitchen unprovoked for the first time. I loved them!

Update to myself

So I was reading parts of my blog and realized how great it was to have all the memories in one spot. So I'm making a goal to update this thing once per week. You see, Maren's baby book doesn't even have her name in it yet, so I'm hoping this will serve as a point of reference when in 5 years I finally have the time. There probably won't be much pictures as that takes time, but at least I'll have some details.

So, life is hectic. Some days, I feel like I need anti-psychotic drugs to help me survive others I feel like I'm the luckiest girl on earth. The majority are somewhere in between. I'd like to say its all roses, but truth be told, my house is always a mess, I wake up to the smell of poop, most of the time someone is either crying or needing something & I get about 1/2 hour a night to lay on the couch and be lazy with no kids. I worry I'll regret alot of the wonderful things going on because I'm always dealing with the emergencies that one kid has while another is doing something amazing. But lucky for me I have video tape to capture most of it!

On the plus side, the kids keep me smiling all the time (OK well 1/2 the time at least). They talk great now and make me laugh on a daily basis. The triplets like to play puzzles, color, play dough, and they are constantly pulling these plastic yellow dogs around behind them taking them on walks, to target, even sometimes putting them in time out. Maren drives them crazy by messing up their playdoh, throwing their paper in the trash, and stealing their dog. She thinks its hilarious, they flail on the floor, yelling, "noooooooo Marennnnnnnn, moooommmmmmyyyy, helllllppppppp!!!!."

So here is my letter to each of them so I can put it in their baby books later:)

Ella, you are bipolar I think but I hear I was the same way as a child. You are so pretty and your eyes light up when you smile. Sometimes I just stare at you when you talk, thinking how I made something so amazing. You know what you want and insist on it. For instance, if I dare put on sesame street in the morning. You yell, "noooooo I only watch Bernstein Bears or George. mommy you change the channel." If I do, you say thank you:) You are the leader of the pack, telling the other kids what to do in a very nice way most of the time. You laugh with all your belly and tip your head back when you do. You refuse to wear anything in your hair insisting that all ponytails are "too tight." You are beginning to potty train, but so far its been a wreck. Your temper tantrums are second to none, but a quick trip to the playpen and you come back a perfect angel...i.e. the bipolar comment. You are the least clingy of the bunch so I really cherish your out of the blue hugs. I love you.

Claire, right now you are crying that your playdoh isn't working because you have a blue mold and red playdoh. But that's how you are, very precise. In fact, I figure you'll be an engineer as you seem to be able to figure out the intricinties of everything. You by far are the most intellectually advanced child I've ever seen, although emotionally you get very frustrated. You remember everything I say and every morning ask about what I said the prior night. "mommy today grandma is coming and we go to heb to get buddy bucks." You bite your finger nails and toe nails and it drives me insane. You are my 2nd clingliest baby but your really good at it. I don't even have to hold you and you can wrap your arms and legs around my back and hold on like a little koala bear. You love babies and stare at them when they are around. You love your baby maren and always want to hold her even though she is the same size as you. Your the silly ring leader and bring out the laughs in the bunch (right now you are licking your playdoh to make ella & maren laugh). I love you!

Slade, you are still such a sweet little boy but pretty funny too. You like to pretend to be a monster and chase the girls. You tilt your head down, your eyes up and say grrrrr. Sometimes they love it, sometimes they wish you'd go away. You love hugs and kisses and snuggle right up to my neck which i love. Only once since you've started sleeping through the night over 2 years ago have you woken us up. thank you. You love trucks and cars with a passion and still just lay on your belly watching the tires move. You have the best manners and frequently say, "oh I'm sorry," even though it was a different kid who did the deed. You still hate having your diaper change so I really need to potty train you. You just had eye surgery and it went well and its great to have you have both eyes looking at me:) You now love to read and insist on a library in your bed at night. You have temper tantrums a lot too, especially if someone takes something from you. You have this great ability to make your body limp and throw your head, which makes it really hard to calm you. I love you.

Maren your are such an experience and I've really enjoyed it. You have 5 teeth now and use them frequently to bite me. However, afterwards you immediately kiss me and smile. I'm not sure how to punish you but it really hurts. You also hit alot, especially the other kids and they do not like it at all. You do it with a smile and then run. You still have way too many bottles a day but also want to have milk in a cup like the kids. In fact you think you are one of the kids and try to do everything they do. You can already climbing the huge chain ladder to the top of the play scape which is so dangerous but you have to be like them. You are a hugger and a kisser and always want to be held. If I tell you no, you cry like i dropped you on your head. You can say, Ella, Mamma, Dada, Granma, No, yes, more, duck, please, bubbi, and a few more I can't remember. You are definitely copying all we are saying so I'm sure in no time you'll be talking up a storm. I love you marshmallow!

Happy 2nd Birthday Triplets!

Hooray the triplets are 2!!! We've had an incredible year and its gone by soooo fast compared to the first year. They are doing great and have definitely caught up in development to a normal 2 year old in everything but weight.

Ella - She is the smartest little girl you've ever seen. Even the doctor said she is very very advanced for a 2 year old, much less a preemie. She speaks in full sentences, can count to 13, and can sing the entire song of Happy Birthday. She is definitely our bossy little girl but I think its because she can say so much. Today she said, "no Slade that's mine, go get Claire's," in reference to milk. However, she is also our most helpful, always bringing things to her siblings and helping me clean up. She is now in the 24% for weight and even higher for her height.

Slade - He is developing such a boy personality and is so unique. He frequently dances while glaring at his sisters with an evil grin. He loves to cuddle and is the first one to say, "Up-a" to anyone even strangers:) This boy loves trucks, cars and everything with wheels. Every one he sees is either "Dada's Truck" or "Big Daddy's Truck." He loves his grandpas with a passion! He is still really small not hitting the 1% for weight yet, but his height is in the ballpark with other 2 year olds now. And he is talking more and more everyday. He still doesn't quite finish his words, says, "Daw, instead of Dog," for instance, but is improving everyday!

Claire - She is so freaking hilarious I can barely stand it. She hops like a bunny, tickles Maren, and chases everyone. She loves to hug and kiss and especially likes back tickles. She is starting to speak much better as well although she frequently answers Ella with unrecognisable words (at least to us, Ella seems to understand). She is the bravest of the bunch and likes to tell everyone hello. She is catching up with Ella in size and is now only 10oz behind.

All in all they are the most wonderful triplets we could ask for. Now they are demons now and again, especially when hungry or tired, but we will take the bad for all the good! Its definitely been a tough year having 4 kids under 2, but with my wonderful moms help, Brian's dad's help, Michele's help and many others from the family, we have survived!!!

On another note, Maren is doing wonderful. She was a perfect baby until recently when she started teething. Now she is like my little leech and doesn't want anyone else ever. Part of that is that I'm still nursing her and she refuses to touch a bottle. But she is still so beautiful and all my worry about having her has been forgotten. I'm so in love with all these perfect little creatures!!

Finally, just wanted to send out another big thank you to the NICU staff who saved our babies lives 2 years ago. I will never forget what you have done for us! Tanya, you are amazing and I'm so thankful that you are still in the babies lives. We look forward to seeing you all at the NICU next week to personally thank you for our children!

Here is a picture of the triplets age 2 (very hard to get a photo of everyone smiling), a recentish picture of Maren, a photo of all of them in their new stroller and a photo of all of them in our bed.

Welcome to the World Maren Lila Milligan!!

Maren Lila Milligan made her grand entrance into the world on Jan. 27th at 7:59am. The planned c-section was 3 weeks early but she was still a big girl weighing in at 7lbs 1oz and 19.25 inches. She is so absolutely amazing and we are over the moon to have her in our lives!

The c-section and recovery have been an easy continuation of an easy pregnancy. I walked into labor and delivery around 5:45am and announced my arrival to have a baby. They hooked me up to various machines, I put on some chap stick and then I walked into the operating room. Yes, walked. There they put in my epidural, let my husband come in and right on schedule brought out an amazing baby girl. This was the complete opposite of my previous delivery where I was in labor and terrified of the outcome. It was joyous! I got to see her right away, she screamed the entire time which was music to my ears. Then they brought her to me and set her on my chest where I fell in love with another awesome baby. Brian then was allowed to hold her and carry her in his arms to the nursery. Again, very different than last time where they were whisked away. I then laid there talking to the doctors and nurses while they fixed a hernia and sewed me up. In recovery, they brought in Maren to nurse and she easy and promptly latched on and three days later we still have had great success.

My recovery has been smooth and not near as painful as last time either. I suppose one cut vs several makes a difference. I was up and walking the first day and was able to take a shower on day 2. I really hope I'm not jinxing myself here, but all in all, this has been one of the best experiences in my life.

Today I get to go home and we get to introduce Maren to her brother and sisters. I am soooo excited to see all of my babies together! This is the longest I've ever gone without seeing the triplets and I miss them soooooo much. When I found out I was pregnant with Maren I was absolutely terrified and thought I'd never survive. But now I couldn't be any happier with the outcome and am excited for our new family to be united!!!

Check out all her hair!!!

Having a baby tomorrow!

This planned c-section thing is strange.... I will post photos sometime tomorrow.... Goodnight!

Update

So I have about three weeks to go until our fourth little baby is born. Where has the time gone? My c-section is scheduled for January 27th. So since this is most likely my last pregnancy (although I'm not getting "fixed" till I'm 35 in case I change my...Brian's...mind) I wanted to write a bit about it. First off it is way more awesome to be pregnant with one baby than with three. I highly recommend it:) Its so cool to feel the kicking of one huge baby, my stomach rolls day and night. While its freaky as well, its also such an amazing feeling, one that I will miss. While I'm certainly tired and would not live without my mom, Brian's dad and Michele's help, this pregnancy has been overall, dare I say, easy. I'm not in any pain, unlike the triplet pregnancy where I was always sore. Most nights I sleep like a rock and really am comfortable. All in all I can say I really enjoy it and think it would have been cool to spread it out a bit. But I suppose having 4 kids in 18 months is just one other way to do it.

As for the triplets, they are doing so great. I'm really starting to enjoy each of their personalities and their differences. Now they are starting to test limits as well and really enjoy hitting each other. We are working on this though. Claire is hilarious. She runs from me constantly looking back with a smile as if I'm always chasing her even though I may just be typing on the computer. She is happy 90% of the time and smiles such a big smile. Slade is turning into such a boy. He is finally walking although he still prefers to crawl about 60% of the time. He loves to be tickled and loves to do the opposite of whatever I say. Ella is my strong but sweet little lady. She understands everything and yesterday even went into the bedroom and got Slade's pants when I asked her to. She loves shoes and begs to have them on all the time.

All in all, life is good, albeit a bit hectic. I'm still terrified about having a new baby at home but with the help of family and friends I think we will survive. I hope we will survive.

Photos

Professional photo

My attempt at a good christmas photo

Ella Excited

Claire loves her daddy

Looking at me outside

Christmas dinner with the cousins

Ella excited again...

Slade & Daddy