Teaching Triplets Tuesday: The Color Orange

  Last week we continued our unit on colors with orange:

Prayer, Calendar Time, and Weather

Songs and Videos:

Three Primary Colors from Sesame Street (Unit song)

O-R-A-N-G-E

Orange

Activities:

1) Our first activity was flash cards.  I took six pieces of constructionpaper; red, yellow, blue, orange, green, and purple.  I taught the kids orange and then placed all the pieces of paper on the floor and asked "Which is orange?"

2)  I choose four blue balls from the ball pit and one orange ball from the ball pit and had the kids pick out the orange ball, asking, "Which ball is orange?"

3) Orange ball bath:  I took all of the orange balls out of the ball pit and threw them in the tub for the triplets' bath.   

My Family Monday: Everyday Life with Triplets

  Its been a pretty tough week.  Adrik is going through a rough round of teething, so he has been waking up at 3am and then again at 4:30 and at 5:30 and so on, until I finally give up and let him wake-up for good.  He is also waking up early from his naps and has been extremely cranky!  Its been difficult for everyone.
  The kids are starting to interact more and more.  Tali is constantly trying to feed the other two and they'll all give each other pacies.  Tali is a bit confused and calls both Adrik and Charli Kate 'bubba'.
  I've really enjoyed watching them play and interact.  This week, just now, it seems like they are really starting to grow-up and I enjoy being a silent witness to their exploration of the world around them.
  They are also starting to really develop their vocabulary, picking up new words on what seems like a daily basis.    Even Adrik has started telling me 'no, no' when I'm doing something he doesn't want me to do. Other than enjoying my kids at this stage in life, it has been a pleasantly mundane week.

Sunday Saying: Tali's First Kiss

A child's kiss is magic. Why else would they be so stingy with them?
Harvey Fierstein

Thursday Threes: Registering for Triplets

  A popular questions amongest  to-be mothers of triplets, is how do I prepare for three newborns?  Well, here is a guide, along with quantities, of what was useful for us:


3 Cribs (we always kept them in separated cribs)
3 Crib mattresses
1 Dresser (we used the top as a changing table)
1 Rocking chair
1 Pack and Play (if you can swing it, it would be useful to have three)
6 fitted crib sheets
6 waterproof mattress pads
3 Crib mobiles (our kids liked them)
1 Changing table pad (we had three which was nice to put in other places of the house, but you only need 1)
2 Changing table pad covers (at least)
3 Baby sunshades (our kids are sensitive to the light, maybe because of prematurity)
3 Car seats (the hospital won't let you leave without them)
1 Triplet Snap and Go stroller
1 Triplet Stroller for when they are older than newborn (we use the Run About)
2 Swings
1 Bouncer (just make sure you have 3 of the swing/bouncer combos)
3 Exersaucers
2 Play Mats
3 Mobile walkers (I know they're not recommended by Ped's, but they were a necessity for us)
3 High chairs 
3 Woombies (our number one must have)
1 Hospital grade breast pump
5 Large sports bras with holes cut over nipples as an instant handless pumping bra
12 Nuk Bottles
15 Pacifiers (get after birth...They become attached to a certain kind)
1 Slow Cooker (we used this as a bottle warmer and just kept it on low all the time)
1 Ear thermometer
3 Bumbo Seats
3 Boppy Pillows
1 Infant bath tub
1 Diaper Genie (just use plain trash bags inside)
An infinite number of diapers, wipes, and everything else that comes with it

These are pretty much the necessities....Your family/friends will get all the cute clothes and everything else you could possibly want without you registering.

Wordless Wednesday

Teaching Triplets Tuesday: The Color Yellow

Last week we continued our unit on colors with yellow.  We continued this lesson in the same way as our red and blue lesson, only this time we changed one of the activities (Jenya will no longer allow us to tear constructions paper because of the mess).  I know a lot of this is very repetitive, but kids of this age learn by repetition.  So here was our lesson about the color yellow:

Prayer, Calendar Time, and Weather

Songs and Videos:

Three Primary Colors from Sesame Street (Unit song)

Y-E-L-L-OW Spells Yellow

Yellow Colors

Activities:

1) Our first activity was flash cards.  I took six pieces of constructionpaper; red, yellow, blue, orange, green, and purple.  I taught the kids red and then placed all the pieces of paper on the floor and asked "Which is yellow?"

2)  I choose four red balls from the ball pit and one yellow ball from the ball pit and had the kids pick out the yellow ball, asking, "Which ball is yellow?"

3) Yellow ball bath:  I took all of the yellow balls out of the ball pit and threw them in the tub for the triplets' bath.   Again, this reinforces our lesson about yellow and also helps them with their motor skills.

My Family Monday: Everyday Life with Triplets

  With all the commotion of the last couple of weeks (last week we went to my sister's house; the week before that, she was in Temple), this week was blessedly quiet.  On Monday, we were finishing up our Ft. Worth area trip; visiting some friends in Weatherford.  They live on the Brazos River and have a son that is only four months older than the triplets, so needless to say, we had a good time.  Although, the kids did seem happy to be home and back in the swing of things.
  There was one significant development this week...Adrik finally learned how to stand up on his own without holding on to anything.  As is his style, it wasn't nearly as dramatic as the girls.  In fact, I celebrated the moment that I first encountered this new development, only to be told by Jenya that he had been doing this in the playroom for some time now (sense the obsolete video footage).  Now with this new found skill, Adrik is starting to master walking, which has come as a relief to me, since he was previously relying on my hand for the needed support. Now all three use walking as their major form a transportation.

Although its not from this week, this is a pic of my sister, Michelle, with Charli Kate.  On Sunday, we road on a train right outside of the Ft. Worth zoo.  All six of the kids (and four adults) had a great time!

Sunday Saying: Family

The happiest moments of my life have been the few which I have passed at home in the bosom of my family.  ~Thomas Jefferson

Saturday Sprints: The Hardcore Mud Run

  Last Saturday, I participated in a Hardcore Series Mud Run....Something I will never do again!  First of all, I was hesitant to sign up for this 5K in the first place.  The website was obnoxiously vague...They mentioned obstacles and, of coarse, mud, but there were no details.  When we arrived, they charged $10 for parking, which was not mentioned on the website or in any of the confirmation emails that I received.  Since Jenya and I never keep cash on us, my poor sister and brother-in-law had to pay our entrance.  Once I stepped into the place, I stood in line to pick-up my packet, only to be told, I had to go over to a table across the way to find my number and than I had to get back in the line that I was originally in.  And pretty sure that I was suppose to sign a waiver form, that I was never told about (I overheard someone else mention something and all of the other participants were wearing an orange wristband).  Look down at the race from the festival, my heart sank...I could see nothing but obstacles and people standing in line!  At the same time I was feeling discouraged, Jenya became excited.  He decided that he want to enter this race, so he signs up (again not signing a waiver).  The race starts for us, and feeling better about things; I jump into a mud puddle, skip a ladder obstacle, climb a rope, swim across a pond, climb an even steeper rope with no back, and then I get to the 5K part of the race.   Again problems arise....Apparently three different types of trail markers were used; a thin bright pink string (no, not rope), Home Depot marking flags, and bright green spray painting blockading the paths you weren't supposed to take.  There were several parts of the trail that wasn't even marked and the markings were wind blown and falling apart.  Needless to say, I got lost (as well did Jenya).  The terrain was rugged, treacherous, and downright dangers, with steep drop-offs, protruding rocks, and debris blocking the way.  After I emerged from a trek that was most definitely longer than 3.2 miles, I proceeded to stand in line for obstacles I didn't even want to do.  I participated in another rope climb, a HUGE slide with a mud pit, I climbed a tire mountain, and then I had enough.  The lines were competitive to that of Six Flags, and an hour had already passed.. I looked at what was left in front of me (at least another hour of waiting in line for obstacles) and thought about my poor sister and brother-in-law, abandoned with six kids, and I left the course.
  I could not believe how poorly this event had been ran!  Not only was the race in itself horrible, but if I had only known what to expect, I would have never signed up in the first place.  When I read "5K", I think, okay, that will take me 25 minutes....Add in obstacles, maybe another 15 minutes.  I would have never imagined two hours!
  Anyway, with all that said, my sister brought up a good point, without the race, we probably wouldn't have been up in Denton that weekend.  And I wanted a new and different experience, a challenge rather than a typical 5K.  Boy, did I get an experience that I will never forget!
For more pictures of me go to this link and this link is for Jenya.

Freeday Friday: Speleology and Caving

  

  When I was young, I always had a fascination with caves.  In fact, every time I visited Inner Space Caverns, my family and I would talk about how someday I would probably have a job there.  The interest never left me and I even visited Longhorn Caverns when I was five months pregnant. Well, on Monday the 9th, I was invited to go to a private cave called Whirlpool Cavern.  Now this was not what most people are used to...The paved pathways, the lighted rock formations, the teen-aged tour guide.  This was a locked up cave, in which limited people could access.  There was no elevator to bring us down into the cavernous entrance room.  No, we had to climb into a hole in the ground and gingerly step onto an everyday ladder.  The entrance was the largest room in the cave and it was no bigger than my living room and standing was out of the question.  In fact, the only time I was upright was when I was climbing upward through the narrow, winding passageway.  For a majority of the trek, I was on hands and knees and there were more than just a couple of instances in which I had wriggle and squirm on my belly to get through.  I loved  every bit of it.  It actually made me feel like a kid again.  And think I almost never made it down.  All the talk about closed in, claustrophobic, tight places gave me panic attacks.  I just knew that I would freak out in the cave and be completely trapped.  Standing outside the trapdoor entrance, my mind was going wild and I took every bit of courage I had to get me on that ladder.  I was so surprised to find myself completely relaxed once I finally made into the cave and only took a few moments for me to realize that, not only was I not scared, but I was having the time of my life!  At the end of the hour and a half trip, I wanted more.  The person leading our group told me to look into the Underground Texas (UT) Grotto.  So I went and checked it out on Wednesday night.  Although, I was a little bit lonely, I had a great time.  I learned about other caving opportunities and the speaker for this particular meeting had just come back from caving in Iran.  So, this definitely something that I'm going to get into, and fortunately, all of the Grotto meeting are when the kids or in bed and most of the caving opportunities are on the weekend or at night.  Now all I have to do is find someone to go with me, so I won't be so lonely.  Anybody else interested in caving?

Catching Up

  It had been a crazy week for us and I haven't been able to post because of it.  Last Friday, we headed up to Denton to spend time with my sister and her family, while also stopping by to visit some of our friends in Weatherford.  We arrived home late on Monday night.  On Tuesday, I decided not to post my Teaching Triplets Tuesday segment since I had repeated our lesson from last week and then last night, I attended an Underground Texas Grotto meeting and was unable to write.  So here I am today, trying to play catch-up.  With everything that has been going on, I have so many things to blog about.  I figured I would write small apology for my absence and outline what I will be blogging about next week:

1)  Freeday Friday:  Speleology and Caving
2)  Saturday Sprints: The Hardcore Mud Series
3)  Sunday Saying: Family
4)  My Family Monday: Our Visit to Denton

  So stay tuned...I should have some interesting posts up soon!

Thursday Threes: Triplet Mother Survey

  While I was pregnant with the triplets, I picked up a book called Magical Multiple Moments by Julie Gillespie.  For me, one of the most interesting parts of the book was all the survey questions and the statistics that Gillespie collected from actual mothers of multiples, primarily triplet mothers.  Here is a  little glimpse of some of the yes/no questions on the survey followed by my answer to the question:
                                                                        YES              MY RESPONSE
Did you have any trouble getting pregnant?         78%                      YES
Were you asked to reduce*?                             64%                      YES
Were you put on bed rest?                                75%                       NO
Did you breast feed?                                         65%                      YES
Did you sleep train**?                                       47%                      YES
Did you have back pain during pregnancy?         66%                      YES
Did you participate in an exercise group?            33%                      NO
Have you lost your baby weight?                        64%                      YES
Did family come and help?                                  81%                      YES
Did you hire day help?                                        27%                      NO
Did you hire night help?                                       16%                      NO
Did you separate the kids in school?                    43%                         -


*Reduce is referring to selective reduction.  A majority of the time when there is multiple embryos, the couple is given the option of selective reduction.  The doctor will select the top two embryos based on health of the embryo at that time and all other embryos will be injected with a substance that will destroy the embryos.

**Sleep train is referring to a sleep schedule.

Wordless Wednesday: Bad Hair Day

Teaching Triplets Tuesday: The Color Blue

  This week's lesson was about the color blue.  Since the kids' cousins were in town, we actually only had time to do our calendar, language, and videos twice this week (we usually do this everyday except Sunday) and we were only able to do one activity this week (we usually do three), so I will be repeating this lesson on my next post.  

Prayer, Calendar Time, and Weather

Songs and Videos:

Three Primary Colors from Sesame Street (Unit song)

B-L-U-E Spells Blue

Activities:

1)  I used several sheets of blue construction paper and the triplets and I torn them into small pieces.  Not only does this enforce our blue lesson, but it is also very good in helping them to develop the muscles in their hands (according to the ECI instructors) and they love it. We were going to use these and our red pieces of paper from last week to make a mosaic flag, but pour planning on my part put an end to that idea (I didn't have any glue).  Instead we played in red and blue 'confetti'.

.

Foreign Language:

As well as learning 'blue', the triplets learned the Russian word, 'see-nee'

My Family Monday: Everyday Life with Triplets

What a week!  My sweet sister, Michelle, and her three kids; Gabriel, Selah, and Mig were in town and boy did we have fun!  On Monday we went to a splash pad in Temple.  My kids were just okay with it...It was overcast and cool, so they got cold pretty quickly, but my niece and nephews had a blast.  Luckily there was a playground adjacent to the splash pad, so we played over there to dry off.  Afterwards, we headed over to Memaw and Papaw's for lunch.  On Tuesday, we were going to go to Inner Space Caverns, until we realized that strollers were not allowed.  Instead, we took a much needed break (we had been on the go Saturday, Sunday, and Monday).  On Wednesday, we headed to Belton and had a Fourth of July lunch at my parent's house.  All six of the kids had a blast playing in a sprinkler toy that I had bought on Wednesday.  On Thursday we got another little break, but on Friday the six kids, Michelle, and I braved Chuck E. Cheese for Selah's birthday.  My trio was still a little too young, but they had fun dancing to the music, looking at all the games and rides, and they LOVED the Mascot (I guess) Chuck E. Cheese.  If you tried to put them on a ride, they would scream, though.  Afterwards, we had a delicious lunch at Fudruckers.  On Saturday,we celebrated the birthday of my beautiful niece, Selah, who turned two (just kidding, Selah...She actually turned four.  Its an inside joke that we had been playing throughout the week).  It was definitely a memorable week, but boy am I still recovering!

My niece and nephews got a kick out of pushing the stroller:


Grumpy Adrik and Mig at Chuck E. Cheese.  I think Adrik's crying because Mig is a crazy driver:


All six with Chuck E.


Mig at the Fourth of July parade.  We didn't go, but this was too cute so I had to post:



The Birthday Princess:

Sunday Saying: Smile

“Sometimes your joy is the source of [a] smile, but sometimes [a] smile can be the source of your joy.” 
― Thich Nhat Hanh

Special Edition: Tali Walking

  After seeing her two siblings walk, Tali finally was able to take those first few steps.  Jenya, Charli Kate, and I were all finishing up dinner, and from the table we could see Tali in the living room standing up and then frantically waving her arms like a windmill.  After a few unsuccessful attempts, she was able to take about five or six steps on her own!  Way to go, Tali!

Thursday Threes: Feeding Newborn Triplets

  If carrying triplets was the most difficult thing I ever did, breastfeed triplets was the second most difficult thing I ever did.  My babies were born just under 30 weeks (they were a little over 10 weeks premature).  The NICU believes that breastfeeding attempts shouldn't occur until the infant has reach the gestational age of 34 weeks.  With that being said, my kiddos were tube fed breast milk up until they left the hospital.  At the very beginning, the triplets were given donor breast milk until my milk came in.  It took exactly seven days for my milk to finally come in, but when it did, I had a very good supply.  I achieved my supply by pumping with a hospital breast pump for thirty minutes every two hours (yes, even during the night).  By the time my supplies was at its peak, I would produce about 140 mL/breast.  At 34 weeks, I started to attempt breast feeding.  I could never get it to work out...Most of the time, my kiddos would latch on, but just lay there and not really suck.  So I was forced to bottle feed them breast milk.  This meant I would bottle feed Charli Kate for 30 minutes.  Move on to Adrik and bottle feed him for 30 minutes, and then feed Tali for another 30 minutes.  After that, I would pump for 30 minutes (after I had maintained a large supply I decreased my pumpings to every three hours).  By the time I had washed my parts, I had about 30 minutes until I started the cycle again.  I continued with this until the babies were four months old.  By that time, I had had the kids home for two months and it was becoming increasingly difficult for me to continue this pattern.  It was heartbreaking for me to have to listen to my babies cry while I was attached to a machine for thirty minutes and I was mentally and physically exhausting myself.  Not only was it becoming a hindrance for me and my babies, but the kids were starting to over eat my supply.  Once I was forced to supplement with formula I decided to gradually stop the breast milk for the sanity of me and the triplets.  I had tried my best, and it killed me to put the kids on formula, but I had to do what I thought was the best decision for me and my kids.  
  To all the mothers out there that are planning to breast feed their triplets, try as hard as you can to get them to breast feed successfully.  It is impossible to pump while raising triplets.  When I was gathering information about this post, I stumbled on this site.  I wish that I had read this before the kids were born.  I would have insisted that breastfeeding attempts started immediately.  Remember to always trust your motherly instincts and try not to feel guilty if it doesn't work out.  You have to do what's best for you and your babies.

Special Edition: Adrik Walking

  I think everyone was surprised this afternoon when Adrik let go of a side table and started walking, chicken  leg in one hand.  It was in the middle of a Fourth of July lunch at my mom's house and he was just getting into something he shouldn't have been.  Jenya yelled at me, "Look!"  And I was completely oblivious.  He was just walking nonchalantly like it was something he always did.  He walked for quite a long distance, the entire time acting confused as to what the big fuss about and never letting go of his chicken leg.  Completely different from the very deliberate and celebrated first wobbly steps that Charli Kate took.  Luckily my sister was there to capture this moment on camera.

Teaching Triplets Tuesday: The Color Red

Last week we started a new unit, and you guessed it, its about colors.  For our first lesson we learned the color red:

Prayer, Calendar Time, and Weather

Songs and Videos:

Three Primary Colors from Sesame Street (Unit song)

The Apple is Red (for this we would listen to the red part three times)

Bino Learns About the Color Red

Activities:

1) Our first activity was flash cards.  I took six pieces of construction paper; red, yellow, blue, orange, green, and purple.  I taught the kids red and then placed all the pieces of paper on the floor and asked "Which is red?"

2)  I used several sheets of red construction paper and the triplets and I torn them into small pieces.  Not only does this enforce our red lesson, but it is also very good in helping them to develop the muscles in their hands (according to the ECI instructors) and they love it. Later we will be using these pieces of paper to create a mosaic flag in honor of Independence Day.

3)  Red ball bath:  I took all of the red balls out of the ball pit and threw them in the tub for the triplets' bath.  They LOVED this.  They did not want to get out of the tub, they were having so much fun.  Again, this enforces red and also helps them with their motor skills.

Foreign Language:

As well as learning red, the triplets learned the Russian word, crosnee

You might have noticed that I discontinued matching books to the lessons.  Unfortunately, I had to cut this out just because I have a very limited selection at my library.  It was becoming increasingly difficult to find books to match the subject and it was very time consuming.  I do still read to the kids everyday, its just not subject related.  

My Family Monday: Everyday Life With Triplets

  What a busy week!  The first part of the week was pretty mundane, but then Charli Kate started walking on Thursday and now she is walking (very slowly) all over the place!  Friday, my sister and my nephews and niece came into town.  Saturday we had a very nice memorial for my grandmother.  And then on Sunday  the triplets and I went to brunch with my grandparents, parents, my sister and her crew.  We made quite a bunch!
  I don't think I've recently updated my readers on the kids' personalities and since they are really starting to grow, I thought I would take a few moments to talk about my kids.  Now that they are 15 months, the girls are really starting to chatter away.  Charli Kate has the biggest vocabulary; she can say birdie, pretty, bug, done, all done, that, this, duck, teeth, and I'm sure I'm forgetting about a dozen more words.  She is a very busy toddler!  She has little jobs that she does everyday and she is very meticulous about them.  After every ride in the stroller, she goes and does what we call stroller maintenance.  She will thoroughly inspect the handle, the brake, the straps, the wheels...every part of the stroller, for about thirty minutes.  We have a bench in our entryway with cubby holes filled with shoes.  Every evening, Charli Kate goes and takes the shoes out of the cubby holes and places them on top of the bench.  Throughout the day, she will also take a small broom and dust pan and she will clean the floor.  She is still very independent and mostly is annoyed by her younger siblings.  
  Adrik is my goof ball!  He is all over place, playing with his toys, getting into everything he possibly can, and laughing the entire time he is doing so.  He is very rolly and will actually fall over when he is just sitting there....Its pretty funny.  He LOVES to watch Sesame Street videos on You Tube and would do that all day if we would let him.  Even though for the most part he is a pretty good baby, he will throw HUGE fits and scream at the top of his lungs (usually because he wants to watch Sesame Street).  He has a little bit of a mean streak in him...He is constantly taking the girls toys, pulling their hair, and hitting them, although it does seem like he's getting better.  He doesn't talk very much, but he will occasionally and its always a surprise when he does so.  He is babbling constantly, though.  Adrik is very stoic in public, which is such a contrast to the way he behaves at home.  I think he's just taking everything in.
  Tali is my stinker!  Unlike her brother, she is very outgoing in public; talking, laughing, and smiling at strangers.  She talks, but not quite as much as Charli Kate, but what she says is a lot clearer.  Her new thing is constantly pointing at something and saying, "Want that."  Its very annoying; especially when you're trying to eat. Tali is always making funny faces and trying to do anything to make people laugh at her and pay attention to her.  She always wants to get her way and if she doesn't she will let everyone know that she is upset.  She is also my cuddle bug.  She constantly wants to be held or wants to sit on somebody's lap.  She still LOVES to dance.
  All in all, they are all doing so well!  Its getting harder and harder to believe how munch they've grown.  We so unbelievably fortunate!

The kids watching Sesame Street:

 

Sunday Sayings: The Dinner Table

All great change in America begins at the dinner table.
Ronald Reagan