How to take triplets out without a stroller

We are a family that never used strollers. I would always carry Kai and Kian in a baby carrier, an Ergo or Mei Tai. It just felt great to have them close by where they could see what we saw and be in our conversations. When I found out we were having triplets I often wondered how we would maintain our baby carrying ways? Well we found a solution. Sidney and I found an easy backpack carrier and I use a front pack to carry Liam. Liam is still working on his head control so the Mei Tai is perfect for him. I still put him in the Moby wrap too. We recently went to the zoo and Sidney had River in the Kokopax backpack and I had Liam in a Mei Tai and Brielle in another Kokopax. It was so nice to be mobile and not need a stroller. I felt like a pack mule and looked a bit funny, but I loved having my little ones close.

Update

Liam at the aquarium

Here the babies are in their baby swings. We try to make sure they are not in them too long, but it is a great place when I cannot hold them.

Here is River and her sweet smile.

Here is Miss Brielle

Brielle and River

Kai, Brielle, Liam, River, "baby dolls", and Kian

Today the babies are 5 months old. These last five months have been amazing, there has been an intense amount of work, everyone growing, and fun.

The boys are growing a bit more independent and are able

to play more together. Legos have brought them together. Every night I give the babies a bath in the sink in the bathroom. It gets a little crazy. Babies are screaming and I scramble to tend to them. During baths Kai and Kian make great lego creations. Once the babies are clean Sidney and I feed them as Kian and Kai bring the parade of legos in. It is a great time of day.

The babies are growing here is a video of Liam. It was the first time he touched his sister and interacted with her.

Liam weighs 13.03 pounds and is getting stronger every week. Liam was born with a lower tone and has had problems feeding and still can't really cry, cough or sneeze well. The muscles in his trunk are low and will get stronger. I still cannot wait to hear a real cry and not a wimper. He is getting stronger and able to support his head a bit. He has physical therapy a few times a month and I know that will help. He was the first to laugh out loud and loves being played with. He has a huge smile and it is so sweet. We are still working on nursing. He is not very strong and may not transfer much, but we are working on it.

Brielle is 15.03 pounds. She loves to laugh and must be in constant contact with Mommy. She loves to breastfeed all night long. She is the only one who can nurse. She receives almost 100% breastmilk. She is so sweet.

River is the strongest and has been smiling for awhile. She always meets us with a smile. She weighs 16.03 pounds. River is so happy and loves to play.

The boys are so gentle with the babies. They hug them and snuggle them all day. They love to make them smile and laugh.

We have had so much snow and the boys have been having so much fun. They built a great snowman with Sidney

Gear that has helped us

Yes, that is a trampoline in our living room. What does one get two very active boys for Christmas, a trampoline. They are in it all day and night. It has been a great way to help them exercise and let off some energy. And behind the trampoline is "baby town", Kai gave it its name. It is a set up of baby gate things that will/do corral the babies. It is a great place to sit and feed/play with the babies. That way the babies are safe from two very active boys and the dog. Our house looks pretty ridiculous, but it works.

I miss my Dad

I have thought about my Dad often, less as the years go by. I don't know what it was about tonight, maybe that I had a slow half an hour and my mind began to calm from the busy day. It was the first time I had thought about my Dad and how his relationship would be with the big boys and the babies. It would be amazing.

My Dad did the best he could and raised me and my older brother since I was seven. Not an ideal childhood, but he would be so much in my little ones lives. Kai and Kian do not get all the attention they once did. My Dad's favorite pastime was to lay in bed and watch tv, he loved it. I can see him laying in bed inviting Kai and Kian with a nickname like "boy boy" or something else that was intended to be special for each. As a side note he would have asked when they were born, "why can't you give them normal names". He would have always made sure each one felt on top of the world after spending time with them. He always had a way of making whoever he was talking to feel special. The boys have a void from Sidney and I being so busy, my Dad would have filled that. He also would have filled them with a ton off candy, soda and tv. He would have told them to hide it from me. This past New Years Eve I told them we would have a party like my Dad use to have. We made sodas with cherries and their juice (not the healthy ones, but the sugary red ones), ice cream sundays and part favors. It was their first sodas and they loved them. The only thing I forgot to do was pull out the pots and pans to bang at midnight.

My Dad would love these babies so much, but never fawn over them in front of the boys as he would know the boys need attention first. He would think the girls were the most beautiful babies to ever be born and would see no problem with Liam. If I mentioned his tone or weakness he would say "he looks good to me I don't know what you're worried about". That would be his way of saying go with it and he will be fine.

If he were here he would send me out of the house to the salon so Sidney and him could give me a break. And so they could have time without me hovering around.

I really wish my Dad was still alive. I know my children would be better with him in their lives. I will remember him and keep him alive in the stories I tell my little ones. If my Dad would have had a colonoscopy he would be alive today. If anyone is reading this make sure everyone you love 50 and over has had a colonoscopy, it would have caught my father's cancer. It has been 8 years sine he died and it would be so nice to have him here.

Help Wanted

We are looking for help. We only ask that you are healthy and have not been sick or around anyone sick for 7 days (including no cold sores/fever blisters). If you have had this years flu shot and DTAP(tetnus pertussis vaccine) then you can hold/play with babies.

We need any and all to help with house and big boys. The big boys need someone to sit on the floor or table and play legos, cars, read books and do art projects.

Our mountain of clean clothes needs to be folded, a vacuum needs to go over the floors, the dishes need to be emptied and placed in the dishwasher. A few counters could be wiped down too.

We are so busy just getting by. The babies are fed, played with and clean. We are trying our best with everything else and failing.

You will be paid with tremendous gratitude, smiles, thank yous and a fun experience. Our house is full of excitement and there is never a dull moment.

I hope to hear from any applicants soon.

Thank you Siri and Diane

Having triplets is an amazing adventure. I am so thankful for my five children. They bring me a tremendous amount of love, laughter and joy. It is a lot of work too. We have had a few volunteers who have helped us. Most we saw once or twice, which was a great help.

We would love to have help every day even once a week. Anything is great. But there are two amazing women who have been so generous to our family. I will always remember them. The sweet acts and support that they have given our family is unforgettable.

I did not know Siri prior to having the babies. I was advised to try to find volunteers so I e-mailed post partum doulas and asked if they would volunteer. Siri is one that answered my call. She was coming twice a week for four hours a time. She even hires a babysitter so she can come on Wednesdays. That is extreme generosity. She would work so hard when she came. She always spends time with the older boys and plays with them. She always ensures the dishes are done and the kitchen cleaned. She always offers an ear to listen to all this busy Momma is going through. She is a wonderful person and we are so thankful for her. She is gentle with our little ones and treats them with such care. She has a great spirit and we are so fortunate to have had her in our family.

We met Diane through the triplets Occupational Therapist Judy (a wonderful woman who makes the best zuccini bread on the planet and has a sweet niece who has come over to help a few times). Diane is fantastic. She came to our house and is always smiling and happy with a tremendous amount of energy. She treated our little ones like they were her own. With great respect and care. She always ensured our mountain of clean clothes were folded and put away. One night she took care of the babies downstairs so we could all eat a hot dinner together. We had the baby monitor on in case she needed anything. We heard her gently calming the babies. We went to check on her and she was taking turns holding the one that needed attention. She was very busy with all three. When I woke up the next day I found a big pile of clothes that had been folded by flashlight. She works from the second she comes in to our home until she leaves.

These two amazing women were strangers to us. Two women who work so hard and have so much care and generosity to offer.

I am very independent and it is hard for me to ask or accept help. These women always knew what we needed and took care of so much. It is amazing how strangers have worked harder and done more for us than friends or family. Our home is overwhelming and I understand that, but these women can handle it and they excel at caring for us and supporting us as we learn the rhythm of our family of seven.

Thank you Siri and Diane. Both of you are amazing, generous, caring superwomen. I am so grateful for both of you and all you have done. You are always welcome at our home.

I am a busy busy Momma!!

Who knew that having five children at home would make the day flash by. Here is a typical day:

Wake up at 7 -7:30 whenever the boys climb into bed asking if they can go upstairs.

The babies also wake up near this time to eat.

I go upstairs and prepare bottles for all three (still not enough breastmilk, I will not give up though). Come down and feed and change babies, they are usually sleepy enough to go to sleep after eating. I put in a load of laundry.

By the time we get upstairs on a good day it is 10-10:30am (today was a rough day and it was noon. I feed my big boys breakfast. They usually have a bite of granola or something while I am making bottles,at 7 but I feel so bad that they have to wait so long to eat. We usually eat steel cut oats that I put on low while making the bottles earlier

.

We are usually just finishing breakfast and the babies wake up to eat. I clean and make bottles and head downstairs to feed them.

I feed babies and get them cleaned and change their clothes. The boys and I hang out playing with babies, I will put the tv on for Kai and Kian while I take care of the babies. They often play with legos or draw.

We are usually upstairs by 1 or 1:30. I make the boys lunch. On most days the babies start to wake when we are finishing lunch. Sometimes I have time to empty the dishwasher and start loading it. The boys have time to play in the living room.

We are back downstairs to feed, change and play with babies. Sidney usually comes home as we are finishing up.

The boys play with Sidney while I try to get caught up on things. Then I start dinner.

Sidney feeds or helps feed babies as I make dinner.

Every night we eat dinner together. I make sure the boys and I eat breakfast and lunch together at the table and we eat dinner too. Even if it is just a grilled cheese sandwich we do it. This is so important to me. Growing up we never ate at a table together. I really enjoy the time with my family.

The babies usually wake to eat while we are eating dinner or they have already woken and Sidney and I are each holding one or two.

By the time all that is done it is 7 or so. I change the babies and get them ready for bed. Sidney sometimes helps with a bottle if it is not too late. The boys play with legos after we get them ready for bed.

Sidney and the boys are usually in bed by 9, hopefully earlier but sometimes later.

I feed the babies. A lot of times they are fussy and want to stay up for awhile. I play with them and feed them if they are still hungry.

I go back upstairs and clean the kitchen and straighten up, I take a shower and usually hear the babies waking up. I try to put a load of laundry in. If I do not wash the diapers each night then we will not have enough for the next day. Thankfully Sidney will put a load in before he leaves if I was not able to.

I take care of all feedings until midnight. I do their last feeding at 12 or 1. I am usually to bed by 2. Sidney wakes up at 2:30 or 3 and take care of that feeding so I can sleep. He tries to feed them and top them off as late as possible so they will sleep until 7 or 8 so I can get some sleep.

Add more laundry and pumping to the schedule. I usually fold clothes once a week. I will fold them in a few minutes then feed the babies. I think the feedings take so long because I add breastfeeding in there. I breastfeed then top off with formula. It takes a long time to do. I think it is worth it and I truly hope I will have more milk. Brielle nurses the most and River barely at all. River cannot tolerate the low flow and needs more milk. We use a supplemental nurser and that helps, but adds an additional 15-30 minutes to a feed and if I did it every time then I would not be able to feed the big boys. I can pump small amounts and I usually give it to River. The babies are still in therapy for their feeding. Liam has a very weak suck, none of them have a super strong suck. We are revisiting the physical therapist next week and hopefully the occupational therapist after that. River and Liam had a posterior tongue tie and had that clipped. I think it has helped Liam. His suck is getting stronger. It seems to have helped his cry too. It is louder, which is a good thing.

Each day goes by so quickly. I wish I had more time to spend with Kai and Kian and I wish we had the money to hire a house cleaner. We have had to accept a new degree of clean. It is hard, but there is no time in the day to do the cleaning we are use to. I know it will get easier. There have been a few nights that I have fallen asleep between those late night feedings and the babies slept until Sidney woke up. I think it has happened twice. I am waiting for that to happen more. I am looking forward to more sleep. I feel for Sidney he works full time and works so much at home. He needs a few days off to sleep. He falls asleep talking to us and feeding babies. He is doing so much. He is so sweet and gentle towards the babies and still finds time with the big boys.

Even though our days are a blur I love each and every minute (even the times I sit there crying from exhaustion and impatience) . Kai and Kian are beautiful little guys. They are learning to spend more time together and even though they fight so much they are finding their way together. The little ones are a joy too. River loves to smile, she smiles and laughs at everything. Brielle smiles too but is so very serious. When she hears Kai and Kian she searches for them. She loves to look at them up close. Liam is a beautful whiny little guy. It takes a lot to soothe him. He is awake a lot. He is starting to smile more and really just wants to hang out in our arms. Brielle also loves to be close to us, River finds peace wherever she is. Though we like to keep her close too.

That is a day in our life. We had a great volunteer that was coming over a few times a week she would hold and settle babies and fold our mountains of clothes. She has left town for a few weeks. My mom can handle a few hours a week and she comes and cleans the kitchen and living room and sometimes makes cookies, that is all she can handle. We still appreciate it. I really wish we had more help. I have the babies taken care of. I have a rhythm and can do it. The house and chores need help and the boys need more one on one attention. We are all making it through though. It will all work out. I hope to look back at these busy days with peace and remember them fondly. I would not trade them for anything. They are all so truly beautiful.

We finally got a vehicle we can all fit into. We bought a 2008 12 passenger van. I really thought it would be so big and we would have so much space, but 5 large car seats take up a lot of room. I am so happy we did not get a minivan. There is no way we would have fit in it. The older boys love the van, we can finally leave the house. Here is a picture of us at the zoo. We started the day at 7am and worked towards getting out of the house and finally arrived at the zoo at 1pm. It takes a lot of time to mobilize. We had a fantastic time, the boys were able to feed the penguins.

I have Liam in a baby carrier here is the view of everyone (except me and Liam).

It was so funny one of the zookeepers said "please tell me you do not have triplets" as she patted me on the back. I think she was shocked I was out by myself with all of them. It was a bit of work especially as we sat at an exhibit in the chilly weather tandem breastfeeding. Good thing the zoo was not too busy. It is quite the sight I am sure. A lady with a two babies at the breast, two boys running around and another sleeping in a stroller. It was great, Sidney met us after work and was able to run around with the older boys.

Happy Holidays!