Things that make me laugh...

1. Slade says "oh crack" when he drops something. I try not to, but this makes me laugh every time.

2. Watching the trio play on the video monitor. In the morning you only have to point it at Slade and Claire though, because the moment Ella wakes up, you will hear her.

3. Maren skipping everywhere she goes. Also her kissing slade all the time to much protest.

4. The frequent use of the word "maybe". Claire says "maybe after dinner we eat some ice cream.". "you love my monkey maybe??". So strange but def makes me laugh.

5. The necessity of having their spots and their assigned colors in everything. No grandpa can't sit there, that's my spot! That hair bow is Slades it's blue maybe.

Triplet playdate!

Today we met with a bunch of other triplet families for the annual triplet picnic. Of course I forgot the kids lunch and they had to do with deep fried corn dogs that they were not pleased with. This left them grumpy and ready to go home. It was great to let them see other trips though and i think they'll really appreciate the group as they age and have a harder time finding other kids like them. The only issue is its hard to visit with other moms when everyone is chasing three or more kids:). Alas we had fun and I'm looking forward to my first triplet moms dinner sans kids! Here is a group photo with some of us, the kids with the birds and watching the clown make balloon animals.

Yawn...

My kids are horrible sleepers. Two days in a row I'm up before five. Baby wants to be rocked, Claire wants to be tucked, Ella wants the light on and the piggy book. Slade is an angel. Soooo tired. This is a 100 hr week job with nights on call. The pay stinks but the benefits are great. Yawn!

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!!!