My Family Mondays

  Its been another week full of crawling!  All three are now very mobile.  Adrik is zooming along with Charli Kate right on his heels and Tali is close behind doing her own unique 'Tali Crawl'.  Adrik and Charli Kate are pulling themselves up to a standing position (which makes bath time quite interesting) and, although Tali is not pulling herself up, she is by far the best at standing by herself, holding on to nothing.  Tali has recently become very curious about everything.  She points constantly at things around her, wanting to know what they're called.  Adrik is actually absorbing the identification games that I use and has finally started pointing at things that I name.  Charli Kate is a silly one.  She seems to have a fascination with teeth.  She is constantly pointing at anybody's teeth (even her siblings') saying 'eeeth'.  She will even claw at your lips to get you to open your mouth.
  Before the triplets were born, I started thinking about what I wanted to do when they go to school.  Since I've become a mother, I've valued my time differently and because of that, I decided not to return to wedding planning.  Owning your own business is such a time commitment and it is very sporadic.  Some months I would have to turn away weddings, some months I would only have one wedding booked.  Also, there was a lot of things that I did not like about wedding planning and the industry in general.  With all of that in mind, I wanted to look for something that would be worth it to take time away from my kids and I decided that I wanted to go back to school to get a degree is Environmental Science with a Geology track.  I know, the furthest thing away from wedding planning, but geology is in my blood.  When you ask a three old what they want to be when they grow-up, they'll say a superhero or a firefighter or, like my niece, a mommy.  I was the weird kid who would answer, 'a geologist'.  I was studying geology before I got into wedding planning and change my entire plan because it was easier to become a wedding planner and I was good at it.  Environmental science is a new and fast growing field with a very good job outlook.  I am very excited to be starting one class either the summer semester or the fall semester.  The kids are more independent and so I have more free time to allow for studying.  I plan on slowly adding a class or two as the kids become more independent.  Once they start school I will become a full time student and finish out the degree. It will be a nice change to do something adult.
   So all is well here!  Below is a little video of the kids crawling to entertain you for this week.

Sunday Saying: The Quote I Live By

”Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today.” - Benjamin Franklin


I started living by this quote when I was a wedding planner and I truly believe it has helped me when I became a mother of triplets.  Anytime I feel like procrastinating, I remember this and it motivates me to get up and moving.  I hope that it inspires you as you go through your week. 

So Crafty Saturday: Powdered Sugar Finger Painted Banner

Its so fun and easy to make a banner with edible finger paints.  To do this, I tore out a large sheet of freezer paper and mixed food coloring with powdered sugar on top.

To cut out on the mess, I did not add water (you can make an edible finger paint with equal parts water and powdered sugar), I just allowed my kiddos to lick their fingers and create their own paint.

They had a great time and all I had to do was swipe my sweeper vac over the mess for a quick clean-up!

Free Day Friday: Interesting Facts About Triplets and Multiples

Here are some of the more interesting facts I've found about multiples:

One amazing mother in Chile gave birth to the last of her 55 children in 1981. Her children includes five sets of triplets (all boys). Now that mom has her hands full!


As if the woman in Chile did not have enough children, a woman in Russia in the 1700's, gave birth to 16 sets of twins, in addition to 7 sets of triplets, and 4 sets of quads!


Only 16% of triplet births are spontaneous and only 5% of quadruplet births are spontaneous. Anything more than quadruplets is not spontaneous.


The "secret language of twins" is known as ideoglossia and is thought to be a mispronounciation of the children's native tongue which the children do not correct because their co-twin is capable of understanding them.


Scientists believe that the number of twin conceptions greatly outnumbers the number of twin births. some say that as many as one in eight births began with twins. while in only one in 70 births produce twins. One author claims that "80% of twin pregnancies result in the loss of one or both babies." though other sources cite this number at about 30%. Of the 133 million people born worldwide in 2000. an estimated seven million should have been twins.




A 1983 study revealed that a mother of six-month-old-triplets expends an average of 197.5 hours per week (out of a possible 168) between herself and paid/volunteer assistance. on the care of her children and home. This did not include a time allowance for mother to bathe. dress. sleep. eat. relax or talk with partner !




Recent articles in the press have reported that the cost of each birth in a twin and triplet delivery was 2 to 3 times that of a birth in a singleton delivery.


Although most twins are born within minutes of one another, sometimes days — even months — can elapse between the births of twins.

Thursday Threes: My Triplet Story Part Three

     It wasn't long after we found out we were pregnant that the pain began.  Mainly in the evenings, I would have the most severe stomach cramps imaginable.  They left me immobile, laying on the floor in pain. One day I talked to my sister about it; just casually.  I thought that it was normal, but then she informed me that it was not normal.  I called my OB/GYN the next day and was informed that since I was only five weeks into the pregnancy they could not see me, but they would be able to set-up an appointment for two weeks later.  I felt like I was being pushed aside, but then the next day my fertility specialist called me.  She informed me that my OB/GYN called and they were concerned and was wondering whether they could schedule an appointment with me.  Shortly after that I went in to have my first ultrasound, fearing a tubal pregnancy.
   When my doctor looked at the monitor, she informed us that everything looked fine.  There wasn't a tubal pregnancy, but my ovaries were extremely swollen.  And then she said, "I don't want you to panic, but there are three eggs with three yolks.  Now that doesn't mean that you will have triplets.  We don't count yolks, we count heartbeats.  We will be able to know more in two weeks."
 Two weeks went by and we went back to my fertility specialist for another ultrasound.  Sure enough...There were three heartbeats.  The next step, talking to a specialist about the logistics of carrying triplets.

My triplet belly at one month

Wordless Wednesdays: Playtime

My Family Mondays

 It was a busy week.  On Saturday we had the NICU reunion (sorry forgot the camera so no pics) and beforehand we went out to eat at a Mexican restaurant close to the hospital.  I just have to brag on my kids.  They were incredibly well behaved.  The only time one of them cried was when Adrik got stuck in his high chair at the restaurant.  Even the restaurant manager came up and told us they have never had such well behaved babies. 

  The NICU reunion was fun.  I was able to see a few of the nurses that helped my little ones.  There were a lot of things to do (kind of like a carnival), but most were for bigger kids.  They did have a clown that was making balloon animals and the kids loved that.  Adrik got a turtle and the girls each got a Winnie the Pooh. 

  With the new changes (giving the kids more independence) the kids have really started to interact with each other even more.  Yesterday Tali was feeding Adrik a snack.  They always love to play with each other after their feedings in their cribs.  Today Charli Kate started patting Adrik on the back when he was crying.  And with Daddy, Tali started putting a pacy in Adrik's mouth for him.  Watching this type of interaction is one of the greatest experiences that I get as a mother of triplets.

  This has also been a big week developmentally for the kids.  Charli Kate and Adrik are now both crawling like big kids on all fours instead of their army crawl.  Tali is still very stubborn about being on her stomach.  She's adapted, though, and has been scooting from place to place on her tushy.  Both Charli Kate and Adrik have been pushing themselves up, so we lowered their cribs and today, Charli Kate pushed herself up to standing in the bath tub, let go and stood for a couple of seconds.  Tali is doing amazing at talking.  If she's in a good mood, she will take her bottle out of her mouth when she's finished eating and say, "All done."  The other day we were pointing out Adrik to her and she said, "Adrik."  At first I thought it was a coincidence, but then she did it again. 

  That about wraps up what's going on around here.  Hope every one has a great week!

Sunday Sayings: Earth Day

All of us have a God in us, and that God is the spirit that unites all life, everything that is on this planet. It must be this voice that is telling me to do something, and I am sure it's the same voice that is speaking to everybody on this planet - at least everybody who seems to be concerned about the fate of the world, the fate of this planet. 

- Wangari Maathai Noble Peace prize winner, Deputy Minister of Environment, founder Green Belt movement in Kenya. 

I don't think this quote needs any further explanation or in site.  Let's all take care of our planet. 

So Crafty Saturday: Sandpaper and Yarn Art

 

Although we actually did this craft awhile back, I wanted to go ahead and post about it.  It was such an easy thing to do with the kids and they loved it.  Here are the instructions:

Materials

• Coarse sandpaper
• Yarn in various colors

Directions

1. Cut various colors of yarn into different lengths.
2. Show your toddler how the yarn sticks to the sandpaper.
3. She will enjoy creating a design, pulling it off, and starting over again.

Read more on FamilyEducation: http://fun.familyeducation.com/toddler/toys-and-puppets/36938.html#ixzz1sj0FxPJi

My kids had so much fun especially with the yarn and earlier that week we were working on a lesson that involved  different textiles, so this activity fit right in.  I think I'm going to get some page protectors with a sticky back so that I can keep their yarn art for their craft box. 

Freeday Friday: Learning to Let Your Children Fly

  Last weekend was such an enlightening experience for me.  As I mentioned in a previous post, we visited my sister, Michelle; brother in law, Byron; and their three kids; Gabe (age 6), Selah (age 3), and Mig (age 1, pictured above with me).  When it came time to feed the triplets their formula, Michelle was shocked that I still held their bottles for them.  "Make it easier for yourself," was my sister's response.  Later on that weekend I read an article in Parenting magazine about letting your child go.  It had mentioned that nearly everyone's fondest childhood memory does not involve a parent and that children need time without their parents watching their every move. 
  I don't think a new mother can hear enough times that it is okay to not be around their toddler every single waking second.  I don't mean to be negligent, but children learn, develop, and grow through experience and it is hard for them to experience the world when they are distracted by their parents. 
  With this in mind and with the infinite wisdom of my sister, my life has become more organized and more rounded this week.  After the kids eat their formula (holding their own bottles while I work on the computer), I sit them in their playroom with a small snack and I go and do housework for 15-20 minutes.  I've gotten so much done that I have actually been able to relax.  I looked at a magazine for a few minutes while the kids were taking a nap.  I even watched the last half of Grey's Anatomy during one of their naps.  Not only that, but I feel like I lead a much more rounded life.  Its truly been amazing for me and the kids love it, as well.  They have grown and developed so much this week, but I'll leave that for my 'My Family Monday' post.

Thursday Threes: My Triplet Story Part 2

On September 4, 2010 we started our fertility treatment.  It was a grueling process of giving myself a shot in the stomach every day, heading to the clinical pathology lab to have my blood drawn every other day, and visiting my fertility specialist after my blood was drawn.  When it looked like I would have a good chance of ovulating three eggs, I gave myself one last shot to induce ovulation.  Afterwords, I headed to the clinic again, this time for two IUI sessions; one before ovulation and one after.  I definitely noticed when I ovulated...It was very painful.  Next was the waiting game.  As soon as I possibly could start testing, I did....12 days after ovulation.  This first test I took, there was a very faint positive line and I was pretty ecstatic, but when my husband looked he didn't really  notice it so I took one of the yes/no tests and got a resounding 'no'.  I was really devastated.  I tried to keep a positive out look for my husband's sake.  I told him, "We knew this would happen.  Its really not the procedure we're doing.  We will just go through with the embryo adoption."  I was truly devastated inside...I really thought this time was different; I felt different.  A week went by and I was going to get my hair colored.  I had been late, but I figured it was because of the medication.  I decided I would go ahead and take another pregnancy test since I didn't know whether it would be safe to inhale the hair dye fumes.  This time I got a firm positive!  I used every test that I had bought and all were positive.  That night when Jenya came home, I had the cat wearing an 'I love Daddy' bib, one of our dogs sucking on a pacy, and the other with a baby footprint ribbon tied around her neck.  A few days later, we confirmed the news with a blood test.  The nurse called to tell me, "To be considered pregnant, your hormone level needs to be at  least at 90.  Yours was at 400!"

Wordless Wednesdays: Look Alikes

Tasty Tuesdays: Baked Chicken and Spinach Stuffing

The recipe I'm posting about won the Pillsbury Bake-Off a few years back, and although some opinions differ, I think with a few adjustments it can make a tasty and healthy meal that appeals to both kids and adults.  Here is the original recipe, but below is the way I make it:

3 tablespoons    pure maple syrup

2 tablespoons    100% peach fruit spread (no sugar added)

½ teaspoon       Worcestershire sauce

1 lb                   boneless Skinless Chicken Breast (I actually used strips in the pictures)

1/4 teaspoon      salt

1/4 teaspoon      pepper

4                        frozen Whole Wheat Waffles

1 tablespoon      butter

1/4 cup              chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon      poultry seasoning

1/2 teaspoon      dried sage

1 tablespoon      beaten egg white

2c                       Fresh Spinach

1 tablespoon      chopped pecans (leave out for small children)

THE DAY BEFORE SERVING (after the kids go to bed):

In a ziplock bag, mix syrup, preserves and Worcestershire sauce. Place chicken in the bag and remove air before closing and place in fridge. Toast waffles until golden brown. Cool slightly, about 2 minutes. Cut waffles into 3/4-inch cubes; set aside. Spray 1-quart casserole with cooking spray (or use 9x5-inch nonstick loaf pan; do not spray). In 10-inch nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in waffle pieces and broth, breaking up waffle pieces slightly to moisten. Sprinkle with poultry seasoning and sage. Remove from heat; cool about 5 minutes. Stir in egg white and spinach. Spoon stuffing into casserole. Sprinkle pecans over top.  Cover tightly and place in the fridge

.

THIRTY MINUTES BEFORE SERVING:

Place the chicken on top of the stuffing and discard the unused marinade.  Bake in a 375 degree preheated oven for 20-25 minutes if using thin cut chicken breasts (about 5-10 minutes longer for thicker breasts)

It soo easy to do it this way and I make a quick salad while the kids napping, so that all I have to do when it is dinner time is stick the casserole in the even and go play with my kids while it bakes.  The kids love it because of the naturally sweet taste of the maple syrup and the peaches and they get lean protein, super greens, whole grains, and fruit all in one dish. 

My Family Mondays: Everyday Life with 1 Year Old Triplets

  There have been a lot of changes this week.  As always I'm tweaking the schedule.  Here is what we're doing these days:

6:00am      Formula

6:15am      Diaper Change

7:00am      Breakfast

7:30am      Playtime/Storytime

8:30am      Diaper Change/get dressed for the day

9:00am      Nap

10:30am    Formula

10:45am    Diaper Change

11:00am    Walk to the store/shopping

12:30pm    Lunch Prep

1:00pm      Lunch

1:30pm      Bath

2:00pm      Nap

3:30pm      Formula

3:45pm      Diaper Change

4:00pm      Jog

5:00pm      Dinner Prep/Playtime

6:00pm      Dinner

6:30pm      Formula

6:45pm      Diaper Change/get PJ's on/Playtime

7:30pm      Bedtime Snack

8:00pm      Bedtime

We took out the lessons.  They've just become too easy.  Instead, throughout the day we work on things like talking, object recognition, and sign language. Our big thing to work on this week is holding their own bottles. They still need a little help.  

Charli Kate:  CK has taken a few steps when passed between two people, but she hates it and ends up

                    crying.  She's adding new words every day.  She can say the duck, Desi (the cat's name), teeth,

                    juice and now we are working on done.  She's taken a cue from her brother and started army

                    crawling all over the house.

Adrik:  Adrik is now an army crawl pro.  He can get just about everywhere and tries to get into just about

           everything.  He is so daring, he ends up hurting himself all the time.  He currently has a bruise just

           under his eye and one on his cheek from two separate incidences.  He is not interested at all in

           learning to talk or recognizing objects by their names.  I think he just doesn't have a very good

           attention span. 

Tali:     Tali is still completely against being on her stomach, but she loves recognizing objects by name and

           usually tries to prompt me in playing the game with her.  She especially loves to point out facial

           features while she tries to rip them off your face.  She is picking up talking; I think Charli Kate is

           influencing her, but she has troubles remembering the words.  

Its amazing how they can pick up things from one another.  They've started fighting for my attention, but all in all, things are well here.

Sunday Sayings: Traveling with Triples

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine 

  Before my trio came along, travel was important to my husband and me and I am determined to keep that part of my life and include it in the life of my children.  This weekend, we traveled four hours to visit my sister for her birthday (which is today)- hence the reason that I did not blog on Friday and Saturday.  We had a great time, but I do have to admit, the journey was a challenge.  Here are a couple of the tips that I usedto help keep my trio happy on the road:

1)  Consider your schedule and pick a time that will work well for your baby(ies).  My kids are great car sleepers, so we tried to begin our journey when it was time for their nap.  When they woke up, I fed them a bottle and since they were well rested and full they were happy playing by themselves for awhile.

2)  I bought fun (and inexpensive) new toys with lights, sounds, and buttons to keep the kids entertained on the trip.  Once they started to get antsy, I pulled out the toys.  I then rotated them as soon as they became bored so that in essence, my kids got three new toys. 

3)  Once they were done with that, I offered them juice and snacks.  This was a great distraction and kept them happy for a little longer.

4)  After all the tricks are used up, sometimes you might just have to put up with a little bit of fussing.  Try to remember all the good it will do your baby to not only learn about the world, but to experience it. 

For other great tips Check out this website.

Above is a picture of the beautiful birthday girl, my sister, Michelle, along with Charli Kate.  Happy Birthday, Michelle!

Thursday Threes: My Triplet Story Part One

  My triplet story begins in July 2010.  My husband, Jenya, and I had been in the adoption process for about a year.  And I have to admit I felt like an outsider being force to adopt a child when it wasn't exactly what I wanted.   I tried to do everything right like going to adoption seminars and support groups.  I just felt like I didn't fit it.  Then one evening I was watching the evening news and this story aired about an embryo adoption right at the same time Jenya was getting something in the kitchen.  We were both pretty much thinking the same thing; let's try it.  By August we were back in my fertility specialist's office discussing with her the possibility of  adopting embryos.  Last time I talked to my doctor, Dr. Hansard, was about two years ago when she told me I pretty much wouldn't be able to have children of my own and that we needed to take a more drastic approach.  This meeting was much more positive.  They had just started doing embryo adoptions and they had the prefect little embryos for me.  At the end of the meeting Dr. Hansard throw in, "Lets just try one more time with the IUI. Just to say we covered all our bases."

Here's a news report about embryo adoption:

Wordless Wednesdays: Funny Faces

Tasty Tuesdays: Sweet Potato Pancakes

Since my little ones just started to refuse pureed foods, I've been trying to think of ways to use up our left over baby food.  On Easter Sunday, I treated them to sweet potato pancakes made with some of our left over sweet potato puree.  I smeared a little mashed banana on top, rolled it up, and cut it into bite sized pieces.  My kiddos and my hubby scarfed it down.  It was a very tasty treat for a holiday morning.
Here is the recipe from Nature Baby:

Sweet Potato Pancakes

  

Your little one will never know that he’s eating vegetables for breakfast! It’s a delicious and nutritious way to start his day!

2 cups of white whole wheat flour 

   (or substitute 1 cup all purpose flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour)
3 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. nutmeg
1 large sweet potato - baked, peeled and pureed
2 cups milk
¼ cup melted butter
2 large eggs
3 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla extract

In large bowl, combine first five (dry) ingredients together and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine sweet potato, milk, butter, eggs and sugar and vanilla and mix until smooth. Slowly add dry ingredients to mixing bowl; mix until just combined. (A few lumps are OK; over mixing will make the pancakes tough.)

Pour ¼ cup portions of batter onto greased skillet. Cook on medium heat and flip pancakes when bubbles form on the surface. Pancakes should be a golden brown color.

Serve immediately, or freeze for later consumption. If freezing, place sheet of parchment paper between each pancake and store in zip-tight freezer bag. Store in freezer for up to 3 months.

Easter and New Beginnings

Easter is not a time for groping through dusty, musty tomes or tombs to disprove spontaneous generation or even to prove life eternal.  It is a day to fan the ashes of dead hope, a day to banish doubts and seek the slopes where the sun is rising, to revel in the faith which transports us out of ourselves and the dead past into the vast and inviting unknown.  ~Author unknown, as quoted in the Lewiston Tribune


Okay so this quote doesn't quite talk about a change (which is what I was looking for), but I wanted something relevant to Easter and about change and this was the best that I could find that I liked.  I do think this is a very nice quote,  but it is more about a new beginning, leaving the past behind, and hope for a new day.  I just wanted something about a boring, underwhelming change.  Oh well, I guess everything can't work out perfectly.
Anyway, I wanted this to be a lead way into some changes that I'm making with the blog.  They are not going to be too noticeable, but I am going to start to monetize my blog.  What does that mean to my followers?  The biggest change that you will notice is the appearance of advertisements.  I hope that these do not bother anybody and they should be relevant in nature and appropriate.  Also, in an effort to attract more attention and to create more followers, I'm going to reference the triplets in all of my blog posts.  This is the area of  my expertise and it is the topic that generates the most clicks on my blog.  Another strategy to boost up my followers is to create a sister blog titled All About Triplets.  It will contain the same material as The Stepanov Family, its just an easier way for people to find me.  With these changes, I will keep the daily posts, but the topics will change slightly:
My Family Mondays:  Weekly Updates About The Stepanov Family
Tasty Tuesdays: Recipes That Please Babies and Adults
Wordless Wednesdays:  Pictures of My Little Ones
Thursday Threes: Advice and My Experience With Triplets
Free Day Friday:  A Chance for Me to Discuss Whatever's on My Mind
So Craft Saturdays: Crafts That You Can do With Young Children
Saying Sundays:  Inspirational Quotes
I hope you enjoy the changes and please tell anyone that you think would be interested to follow either one of my blogs.

Everything Triplets

I really didn't prepare anything for the blog tonight, so I thought I would just share with everyone a site I stumbled upon today.  It is called 'Angus and the Triplets' and I really enjoyed reading the 'Everything Triplets' section and relating.  Anyway here are some of the columns that I found very interesting (my experiences are written in red):

Just plain crazy and stupid comments we've gotten about our triplets:

(the bold ones are the newest)

"That one's pretty.  But THAT one's even prettier." Thankfully have never heard that one

"I'll give you 25-cents a piece for them."  This comment came from a little old guy.  I didn't take offense. I have heard something similar usually relating to 'can I buy one?' or 'are they selling those here?'

"Get them fixed NOW!"  What on earth did that mean?! Never experienced that one

And, the worst - the suicide-bomber!  "I'd have shot myself in the head if I'd have found out I was carrying triplets." Not heard this one, either To which I replied, "That's horrible.  Look at those sweet children.  She retorted, "Oh, no.  Really.  I'd have shot myself in the head!" 

"Wow.  You kids look like trouble!" Heard that one

"Boy, you got a whole mess of 'em!" Yep, get his one too

TAKES THE CAKE! - "You poor thing!" Response to my 3-year-old son when he proudly announced that he has "triblets" at home.  Just when I thought RUDE couldn't get any ruder.  Stupid woman! Since these are my only, I haven't experienced this.

"I'd have sold two of them." Haven't heard this one yet

"Where'd the brown one come from?" (referring to the fact that only one(Max) of the four tiny ones has brown hair) I have a lot of comments about Tali's darker hair

"What a nightmare!" Never heard.

"The only thing worse than twin boys is twin girls." Said by a father of twin boys. I do get comments from twin parents along the lines of, "I thought having twins was difficult".

"Now, that's scary!"  Loren turned to him and said, "No, you're scary." Haven't heard this

"I'd be drunk ALL the time," said a woman watching us deal with our busy babies during a photo session. Haven't heard this

"I guess it could be worse," a mom of twins said, referring to us as she pushed her twins past.  Yeah, Lady, it could be worse.  We could've lost one of our precious babies! I've heard something along this 

"That's a cool stroller.  Too bad you had to have 3 kids to get one." I do get comments about my 'cool' stroller all the time.  Not ever with the last part

"So, they're triplets?" "Yes."  "Oh, well are they all the same age?"  (Huh?  I scratched my head with that one.) I get this one, too

"I'd hate to be you." I've heard something like this

"Please tell me you're only babysitting these babies!" I get asked if I'm the nanny all the time

"You must be crazy to have three babies at once!" I've heard something like this

Here's my own personal favorite.  "You're lucky they're not all stuck together.  Usually with three, at least two of them are joined together."  I'm NOT kidding about this one, either! Bizarre...Thankfully haven't heard that one

"What happened to that one?" (referring to Max having brown hair) someone did say 'that's the big one' referring to Adrik

"Why is that one different?" (once again referring to Max having brown hair) I hear something like this again referring to Adrik's size

"Which one's the smart one?"Nope, haven't heard that

"Now, there's trouble.  What a triple headache!" - said by a guy who looked like he had a mouthful of vomit. (I didn't bite my tongue with this one and let the guy have it!) I've heard 'now there's trouble'

"I had my 3 the hard way - one at a time."  Okay.  Yeah, Lady!  Carrying, delivering, and caring for triplets has been a breeze!" I get some comments like this

"Now, that's my idea of a nightmare." Never heard that

"That one's the runt, huh?" Referring to Nadia. I do get references to Charli Kate's size

"You should buy a TV!" That's just weird

"I'm so sorry (you have 3 kids)." Haven't heard

"Which one is your favorite?"Haven't heard

"Oh, is this an extra one?" (speaking of Angus)N/A

"Don't have any more kids." Heard something relative

"Should I say congratulations or condolences?"I've heard this one

"I hope you're done!" (Dumb lady in Babies R Us) - Referring to NOT having more kids. Of course I said no...Heard this one

"I'd kill myself" - Referring to not wanting triplets Heard that 

"Are they all yours?"Hear this one a lot

"If they're triplets, then why is that one bigger? (referring to Max)"Hear this a lot about Adrik

"Which one can I have?"Heard this

"I thought I hated MY life." Never heard that

"Are they all from the same mother?" I hear 'are they all your's?

"How'd that happen?" (referring to their conception) Everyone seems to want to know this

"Were you trying for triplets?" Haven't heard that

"Did you take drugs?"Heard this

"Are they all 3 twins?"Heard this

"Are you Mormon? or "Are you Catholic?" Haven't heard

"Were they all born at the same time?" Heard this one

"Did you know you were having triplets?" Hear this all the time

"You must be joking!"Another one I get a lot

"It'd be my bad luck to get triplets the first time I get pregnant." Haven't heard

"Oh, I feel so sorry for you!" I've heard something like this

AND THE NUMBER ONE COMMENT WE GET EACH AND EVERY SINGLE TIME WE'RE OUT:  "Boy, you have your hands full."  (This one is definitely our number one comment, as well)