Because Breakfast Was Becoming Too Boring

We have been very happy with the feeding table. One major drawback is that due to the way our house is configured (and that our previous casual dining area is now the playroom), we can't regularly eat "with" the triplets. Another drawback is that there is no lip to their individual eating areas which means it can be a free for all with food being moved side to side. There is, I discovered a few days ago, another drawback.

As background (because I am nothing if not verbose...), Emery started trying to get out of her seat several weeks ago. So as a precaution, we have been sure to buckle them all in each time in the table. But we were having trouble with one buckle in particular.

That brings us to two days ago. In the throes of morning chaos/routine, Matt exclaimed, "Emery!". I turned to find our 18.5 lb precocious daughter STANDING on the feeding table in her sleeper.

Standing.
On top about 2 feet of slick table.
While bouncing up and down.
Over a stone floor.

I think it was the longest running lunge I have taken in my whole life.

Let's just say I pulled out the safety pins and we will not be having that problem again...

What We Learned in November

What We Learned in November from SassyMama on Vimeo.

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

I haven't disintegrated into thin air.
I have been busy in a productive, satisfying way, marred only by the fact that my list gets longer each day instead of shorter.

I taught Gospel Doctrine two weeks in a row which isn't the norm, but as we will be gone next month I felt I should pitch in a teach the extra Sunday which happened to fall just after Thanksgiving. So my focus was very lesson-oriented until Sunday afternoon at which point my focus switched to the completion of numerous Chrismas Projects I had in the pipeline.

But it has been a crazy couple of days. You know those days when nothing seems easy? You expect to finish a project you have done before... only to find there are unexpected hurdles thrown in your way? (I am being deliberately vague here as I have family that reads my blog and this project may or may not be wrapped and placed under their trees...)

*Please manufacturers, if you are providing software that is not compatible with anything remotely Mac related... please say so.

I spent 45 minutes attempting to get a program to work because I have used it in the past and was familiar with it, thus expecting it to save me time (the disc which used to be provided with the product would work on both Mac and PC but was badly outdated). Only to find out from "Henry" based in India, that although I downloaded the program directly off the large company's website as instructed on the product packaging (neither of which mentioned it would only work with PC)... that "Oh no, Ma'am, it won't work on a Mac." The recommended work-around took me another two hours and was still unsuccessful. So instead I dusted off my trusty old PC and it worked like a charm. That is, until our printer jammed in a particularly irretrievable way. Which means I will be spending at least part of today downloading the printer manual in a desperate attempt to correct the issue without taking it in to be fixed which would, without question, make my completion of said Christmas Project hopeless.

And don't even get me started on the other TWO programs (i.Movie and B.ookSmart), both of which I have used without problems for months (ummmm... years) that have both, at a particularly inopportune time I might add (you know, Christmas projects and all...), chosen to freeze and or shut-down unexpectedly... causing major frustration, delays, and a nearly overwhelming urge to throw my gorgeous i.Mac against the wall (don't worry Matt, I have exquisite self-discipline).

I'm starting to wonder... have I inadvertantly become radioactive while at work? (I work at a Radiation Oncology clinic) Has my DNA been altered so that I now emit EMG waves sufficient to cause chaos in any software unfortunate enough to become the target of my attention? Or has the world just conspired against me?

Yep, that must be it:).

Then there are considerable preparations to be made for our upcoming Drive-Into-Insanity (you remember... 17 hours of driving time...) which is now only 2.5 weeks away (Yay!), in addition to completing all Christmas presents, shipping them sufficiently early, and addressing Christmas cards (I ordered early!).

I LOVE planning. I plan when I should be sleeping. I love to anticipate the best order for multitasking so as to maximize efficiency. But I must admit, my "planner" is running on overload at this point. There just doesn't seem to be enough minutes in the hours in the days.

Possibly because I spend more time playing with the babies (they will, of course, only be this age once). I have started spending taking them to the park for one-on-one time. I am hoping to do so with each of them once a week, weather permitting. It is, I probably don't have to explain, difficult to take three 15-month olds to the park by yourself. Even with two people, it can be an exercise akin to herding cats. But quick jaunts to the park give me one-on-one time with the babies. Sometimes we wander around, sometimes we swing. I let them explore and decide where they want to go. It feels great to be able to concentrate on one child without worrying who turfed it in the next room and is now screaming.

So this year my projects may not be as finished or complicated as I would have liked.

As of this morning, I decided one may not be completed at all (namely the triplet's baby book that was going to be part of their Christmas. And then I decided it was not very intelligent to lose sleep over finishing their book by an arbitrary deadline I set for myself... Christmas. Not only will the babies have no idea whether or not I finished by Christmas, but I can assure they won't care at all. And I will have ample time at the beginning of January...).

So in summary, I won't be finishing everything I hoped to achieve by the time we leave for our Drive-Into-Insanity.

And I'm ok with that.

(But that doesn't mean I will stop attempting to beat the programs into submission and trying to find the appropriate offering needed to appease the Software Gods...)

Thanksgiving

Wishing you all a day filled with family, friends, gratitude and fabulous (fattening) food.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Not The First and Won't Be The Last

Several months ago, I was espousing a policy that I realized today has been shattered to bits.
Shredded into tiny morsels and swallowed.
Stuffed like protons into the Hadron Collider and ripped into whatever protons are ripped into when collided... I think you are getting my point, no?

The policy?
That until they were at least 2 years old they would not be allowed to play outside the playroom without an "escort". They would not be allowed to roam free around the house. First of all, I couldn't imagine the mess that three would make (now I can...), and couldn't fathom that it would be safe for them to be wandering the house. I mean, just think of all the possible child safety hazards just waiting for the Somewhat-Toothsome Threesome. And what a nightmare it would be to attempt to monitor three active children of a particularly curious and inexperienced stage.

Now in retrospect the policy is not only a bit(!) restrictive but also more than a titch naive.
I mean really, did I actually expect the kids would be happy in the playroom until they were two?
Even with lots of toys?
I suppose that was wishful thinking.

But the first few times that Matt let them loose, I must say I shuddered with trepidation.
That was months ago.

And today as I watched them run around the house, wandering in and out of rooms (luckily they can't open doors yet, so we can keep them out of certain places...), and laughing as they followed each other and explored different corners, it struck me how NOT The Policy this is.

How a lifestyle, the thought of which seemed unthinkable and made me quake with fear, has become so much fun:).

I hope I am wrong like this more often!

Because Apparently Our Time Isn't Worth Much

The babies had their 15-month well-child visit yesterday. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see Dr. Pedi. Nope, due to insurance issues, we can't see her until after the New Year. So we took the babies to the HMO doctor to whom they have been assigned. Prior to the appointment, I obtained and filled out all paperwork. I showed up 10 minutes early to the appointment with everything possible to keep the babies happy for an hour or so.

Now taking triplets to the doctor is never an endeavor for the weak of heart (or resolve). But we have a system at Dr. Pedi's and I can usually be in and out in about an hour (possibly an extra 15 minutes). Part of that is because I ALWAYS take the first appointment of the afternoon. As a result, we don't wait long in the waiting room. And the staff is very efficient and seems to work with me to move us along.

Unfortunately, I had to take an appointment 30 minutes later at Dr. HMO's, which coincided with the beginning of the triplets' nap. Not exactly ideal, but I did move their naps back a bit in an attempt to make the whole process less painful. But after 40 min just sitting in the waiting room, I knew we were in for it. After finally being brought back to the exam room (which only had room for our strollers and for one person to be standing), the babies started screaming as we undressed them to be weighed. And despite B.aby E.instein playing on my phone, sippy cups, loads of c.heerios, their crib comfort items and numerous toys... at least one of them was screaming (no, I'm not exaggerating... Emery cried so hard she had snot running down her face... numerous times) the entire time (with the exception of the five minutes prior to the doctor entering... once she showed up it was crying-en-masse time again). Most of the time we had all three screaming in chorus.

After their exams (in which Dr. HMO and I yelled to be heard over the din), Dr. HMO said the nurse would be in for their shots. I got them dressed and ready to go... and no one showed up. After 30 minutes I went outside and the nurse told me, "Almost, I'm almost ready!".

Ten minutes later she showed up but seemed surprised that I didn't have the paperwork for one of their immunizations. It MUST, she explained to me, be filled out before they could get their shots and she doesn't know why I wasn't given the paperwork earlier... blah, blah, blah.

"Are you kidding me?" I asked, my dissatisfaction evident.
Two sheets of paper to fill out on.each.child.

Finally, shots were given (which, as you might imagine, didn't help the scream factor), we packed up and made a beeline for the car.

2.5 hours.
From the time of our appointment until we left their office.
In the middle of the afternoon.

Which meant the triplets skipped their entire afternoon naps

Let's just say Dr. Pedi's office is worth the extra $15...

I Have My Moments

Last week I took Isaac to a new Dr. Pulmonology. As you may (but wouldn't be expect to) recall, Isaac has been on medication because of his frequent wheezing. As the daily medication did not completely resolve the wheezing, Dr. Pedi wanted Isaac to see a Dr. Pulmonology (our "old" Dr. Pulmonology moved out of town a few months ago), so we saw "old" Dr. Pulmonology's partner... "new" Dr. Pulmonology, who was somewhat familiar with Isaac as he also followed him in the NICU.

Anyway... Dr. Pulmonology was happy with how Isaac had responded to the S.ingulair (and btw... gave high praise to Dr. Pedi for how she handled Isaac's situation. It is always nice to hear that a specialist thinks highly of your primary doctor) but agreed with Dr. Pedi (and me... the Mom-that-prefers-to-pretend-to-her-child's-doctors-that-she-didn't-go-to-med-school) that more attention was needed. We are all hoping to avoid inhaled steroids if possible, so he gave us one more treatment to try. Dr. Pulmonology was happy with Isaac's growth and said he expected Isaac's BPD will most likely fail to be a concern in a few months (BPD'ers have a high rate of hospitalization until about the age of 2).

As he was examining Isaac, I mentioned that he is receiving S.ynagis. Dr. Pulmonology didn't miss a beat and continued by looking in his mouth and talking to Isaac. Then mid-glance... he stopped and looked right at me.

"Did you say he is getting S.ynagis?"
"Yes, he got his first dose two days ago."

"How did you do that?", he asked, clearly stunned.
"I'm persistent, I guess".

He went on to tell me that he would recommend S.ynagis for Isaac but would never have imagined I would be able to get the Big Insurance Company to pay for it considering he has been off oxygen for several months. He said the only patients of his that have been able to obtain S.ynagis for a second season this year (since guidelines became more strict) were those on ventilators.

He gave me big kudos.
And I walked out of his office feeling like a good mother:).