Still seeking a dull moment... Saturday - June 7, 2008

People are going to start saying "Well... if you're looking for a little excitement or some comic relief, just visit the Martino's!"

Before you continue reading this post, please do me a favor and promise to tell me to knock on wood if you ever hear me say "We've had a crazy day/week - life can't possibly get more chaotic."

This week's highlights... so far:
4:35am, Sunday morning: I finally crawled into bed after picking Marcela (our au pair) up from SFO after a delayed flight from New York. I woke up at 9am and spent the day in a strange fog.

9am, Monday morning: Marcela officially started working for us, with me planning to be her sidekick throughout the day to train and help her with any unruly kiddos.

10:30am, Monday morning: Marcela starts to cry. She tells me she doesn't think she can handle taking care of twins. It is too hard. She can’t handle hearing two babies cry. All I can think is: Oh you haven't seen anything yet... just wait 'til the third one chimes in. Or, wait until the UPS guys is standing in your doorway waiting for you to sign off on his delivery while the baby you are holding has a massive poo-cano (aka poop explosion up the back and through the clothes), the other baby is screaming for food, the phone starts ringing, and Gabby decides it's the perfect time to fall into the toilet while attempting to situate herself on the big girl potty. She also starts screaming. And, if you think I dreamt up that example and that the above story didn’t really happen, I only have a few things to say to you:
1. You need to come spend a day with me. Who could make s*$% like this up? Honestly.
2. You have NO idea the daily drama that happens in this house.
3. You clearly haven't parented 3 children under 3.
4. Don't ever call me and tell me you're bored or don't know what to do with all of your free time.
Anyway, I digress. So, now I'm thinking "Lovely. Totally didn't need this to happen today."

11:15am, Tuesday morning: I take Rocco to the doctor. All the staff now knows my name and acknowledges me as if I’m part of the inner workings of their office. I probably show up more than some of their part time employees. Anyway, Rocco's diagnosed with bronchitis... AGAIN. For the second time in three weeks. Not good.

12:30pm, Tuesday: I get home from the doctor with a sleeping Rocco. Marcela is in the kitchen crying to Dan. I ask what's wrong and Marcela tells me it is impossible to take care of twins... impossible. She said it is very, very hard. I tell her I know. She tells me I'm so organized and am so fast. I tell her I have to be. She tells me she used to wish to someday to have twins... I tell her she might want to wish for only singletons. She tells me her arms are so sore from the babies. I give her Tylenol. I tell her her biceps will soon be toned. I ask her if she wants us to call the au pair agency and find a replacement host family for her. She says yes. I agree that would be best.

2:00pm, Tuesday: I go to W.algreens to pick up Rocco's prescription. Only half of it is in-stock, I'll have to go back tomorrow to pick up the remaining Rx. Annoying. I'm annoyed with W.algreens for the 3rd time in 2 weeks. Is that strange?

7:00pm, Tuesday: Our representative from the au pair agency comes over and explains the next steps to us. Marcela can continue to work for us if we'd like and is required to stay with us for the next two weeks. During that time, we will begin interviewing other replacement au pair candidates. At the same time, other U.S. host families will have the opportunity to interview Marcela over the next two weeks. If someone chooses her, great. If not - then she will be sent back to Brazil. We have no time limit on choosing another au pair. However, I need someone in here asap…

Wednesday: Dan decides to work from home since I have to go into the office... and well, it's very evident Marcela needs help. So, I go into the office for some much needed R&R. Trust me when I say meeting with a team of pediatric surgeons is relaxing compared to being at home right now. Not even comparable stress. I get home and Marcela tells me she thinks Matteo is getting very sick. Dang... I agree with her. He is.

4:00pm, Thursday: Matteo is diagnosed with bronchitis. Poor kid. Now he has to be on two medications at the same time.

5:45pm, Thursday: New neighbors begin moving into the house directly across the street from us. They come over and say Hi. They seem really nice... like people we'd hang out with. They've got a dog, and no kids. They meet Gabby and and the boys. She tells me she wants twins. I tell her to come spend a day with me—she might change her mind. And then I of course can't help but share this week's situation with the au pair who also wanted twins. And look what happened to her... she's now running for the hillls. Just a little example.

6:30pm, Thursday: Dan brings home Matteo's medication AND what I discover later... the remaining bottle of Rocco's Rx that they didn't have in stock the other day. I give Matteo his two medicines - one for his ear infection, and one for bronchitis.

7pm, Thursday: I make dinner. We all eat. Everyone scatters and/or assists with getting boys to bed.

8:30pm, Thursday: After cleaning up dinner, I begin tidying up the downstairs baby station. I am organizing the baby medications, because we've now got 4 bottles of it. None of the bottles have Rx labels on them, mind you… just the boxes that the bottles came it have the actual Rx labels. I suddently realize I gave Matteo Rocco's bronchitis medication instead of his own medication for bronchitis. F*&K! Matteo is on a different bronchitis medication, probably due to the fact that he's also taking a drug for his ear infection. CRAP! OMG! F*#K! My mind starts spinning. Page the doctor. Doctor says it's ok and if anything, it would just give him a tummy ache. Thank God.

Now I realize I am the idiot that T.arget is marketing to with their new Rx bottles which they claim to be essentially mix-up free. I recall seeing numerous advertisements about how they have these new Rx lables aimed to prevent Rx mix-ups in the home. I always thought "who on earth would mix-up an Rx or give the wrong person the wrong drug". Clearly a crazy, stressed out, mom with multiple kiddos on drugs like myself. Yup. I'm the target audience.

Friday: I get tons of work done in the morning hours. Hooray! Marcela is doing a good job with the babies while I pinch hit with Gabby and/or a baby when necessary. Gabby had one of those days that could make someone jump, screaming, from a second story window. She changed her dress 15+ times before 1pm and was whiny all day. I begin thinking we need one full-time au pair for Gabby alone. And, one full time au pair for the twins. Dream bubble pops... we can't afford two au pairs, and if we could we'd just get a nanny here in the U.S. and would not be in this au pair drama in the first place. Blech!

I talked with my neighbor who has had au pairs for the past 7 years and she tells me I need a ‘Helga’ or an ‘Olga’ or someone from Germany. She tells me the au pairs she has had from Germany have been the hardest workers.

At the end of the day, I ran out the door to meet my girlfriend, Kathleen, for cocktails and the "Sex and the City” movie. I’m sure I’ll be trying to coax her or someone else into doing that again soon.

Here's a few more photos of Rocco & Matteo, Gabby with the identical twin boys from across the street, and Marcela with the boys:

Never a dull moment. Saturday - May 31, 2008

Today's highlights:
1. Matteo diagnosed with an ear infection. Needs medication.
2. Need new windshield in the Mercedes... there's a big monster crack right in the center of it.
3. I sat in W.algreens waiting for Matteo's Rx for 20 minutes. They finally tell me they’re out of the medication. But, they'll have it Monday morning for me. And I should be excited about that? I asked them to call around to another W.algreens. Someone’s gotta have it. Should I have to ask them to do that? I waited another 10 minutes while they start calling around. Finally, I ask them to call my cell when they figure it out.
4. Marcela, our au pair, calls from New York's JFK airport. She didn't get on her morning flight. I couldn’t hear why because 2 kids were screaming. But, she said she'd instead be getting on a direct flight that would land her at SFO at 10:30pm. Poor thing... she must be exhausted. Now I begin to worry about her... wondering if she's ok. Well, she has our telephone number. She's a smart girl. She'll be fine.
5. I finally pick up the 3rd bag of Y.ellow Pages telephone books sitting on my doorstep in the past 2.5 weeks. What? Another freaking bag of telephone books? You've GOT to be kidding me. Who's joke is this? First of all - I never use telephone books. I dial 411 or use G.oogle. Secondly, I never use our home phone. I'm not even sure why we have a home phone. Thirdly... I need to figure out who’s idea it is to *put your bag of telephone books on the Martino doorstep*. Honestly, I would die a happy person if I never saw another Y.ellow Pages book. What a waste of paper. Ok. Now, I'll probably regret saying that tomorrow... lord knows SOMETHING will happen now where I need the stupid Y.ellow Pages. Argh.
6. Dan went to pick up Matteo's Rx from a different W.algreens this afternoon. I happily open up the Rx bottle. Directions say: "Shake liquid well. Give 4 ml by mouth for 10 days..." I look at the bottle about ready to shake... "WHAT?!? They gave us POWDER?! You've GOT to be kidding me?! Dumb#%^s!"
7. I call W.algreens and explain the situation nicely and calmly. They tell me "Oh yeah - we were supposed to mix that before we gave it to you." Ya think? Duh. "Please bring it back so we can mix it." I wanted to ask them if they could please come to me. And now I'm thinking... hmmm... maybe I should enter the documentary film industry. The likes of M.ichael Moore could have a field day with this. Clearly, we can't be the only people who have been given medications with some sort of mistake.
8. Gabby's quiet. Wait... Gabby's quiet! Me: "Gabby, where are you and what are you doing?" I find her upstairs in my carpeted makeup room, sitting on the granite countertop with an open bottle of nailpolish. Me: "Gabby - freeze! You're not allowed to play with nail polish." Gabby: "Mommy, my nails need to be red".
9. Marcela calls again. What?! She's calling again? She should be on her flight right now. Poor, sweet Marcela!! She proceeds to tell me that her flight is delayed and they now *think* it will take off from New York around 9:30pm, but can't guarantee it because of a bad cell of thunderstorms over New York. I feel horrible for her. I wish I could just drive over and pick her up. She sounds tired, sad and lonely... and here she is in a foreign country, different language, etc. She says she's ok now that she's talked to me. She'll call with another update when she can. I tell her I'll keep checking for updates online. If only you could hug someone through the phone.
10. I begin to wonder what time I’ll be driving to the airport… we’re already pushing 2am’ish. Poor Marcela will be exhausted and hungry. Maybe I should take a nap - it's going to be a long night. Oh wait... I have 3 kids. Nap? Nope.
11. Tried to call my mom to vent the day's frustrations. She doesn't answer her phone.

Ok. Glad I vented all of that. Now I'm going to step outside, take a deep breath and go run 4 miles. Then maybe I can re-gather myself.

And I bet Sharon Stone would tell me all of the above was an "act of karma".

A week in review. Monday - May 26, 2008

Hmmm… I’d like to say the past week’s level of chaos was abnormally high. But, I think it was again pretty much par for the course. It wouldn't be a normal day if a little chaos wasn't thrown into the mix.

The past week in review:
* Gabby was diagnosed with an ear infection on Monday.
* Rocco was diagnosed with bronchitis on Thursday.
* Matteo & I suffered from a cold or something throughout the week.
* Two new babysitters who did exceptionally well with all three kiddos.
* I couldn’t let Gabby go outside to play on Friday because the air was filled with smoke & ash from the fires in the Santa Cruz Mountains. You should try it sometime… keeping a 2.5 year old inside when all she wants to do is run and play outside. Good times.
* The trampoline arrived on Friday! So, Dan spent Saturday putting it together. This was the FIRST DAY the man has not worked since the end of December. And sadly, I’m not kidding. This man has worked EVERY single day since we began 2008. I need more of this… more of my husband not working through weekends. Gabby LOVES the trampoline btw… LOVES it. And, I love getting attention from my husband!
* Friday night I roamed down the street with Gabby to say “Hi” to a few neighbors. I ended up back home with Gabby at approximately 10:30pm and half drunk from the wine. Just goes to prove you don’t have to go far to have fun!
* Monday night was a big block party with all our neighbors. Good, solid fun for the whole family!

And... this week will be another big week as Marcela, our au pair, arrives on Saturday the 31st! Hooray!

One year ago today. Saturday - May 24, 2008

This is what Rocco & Matteo looked like one year ago today... a microscopic ball of approximately 100 cells.

This photo of the blastocysts was taken right after they were thawed... and minutes before they were dropped inside of me.

Can you tell who's who? Bummer... neither can we. ;-) And to make things crazier... we'll never know if this photo is of both our little men, or if one was baby C. And actually, even crazier... we'll never know if one of our little men was the non-frozen, made-the-old-fashioned-way guy.

The first year of growth from the point of conception is amazing... look at these little guys today:

Rocco’s rolling! Monday – May 19, 2008

He did it! Rocco’s rolling over!

He’s been working on it for the past week, rolling onto his side. Well, this morning he finally did it! I put him on the floor, on his back, next to Matteo. Then, Rocco started getting feisty and rolled over onto his tummy. After a little fighting, he then pulled his right arm out from under him and wha-lah… he was SO HAPPY! There he was… surfing on his belly and happy as could be!

Then, for the rest of the day… you guessed it. Rocco rolled over at every possible opportunity! He’d get so mad and scream if it took him longer than usual… but he was always so proud of himself after completing the roll-over. BIG, big smiles!

Hooray, Rocco!

Growing like weeds! Thursday - May 15, 2008

Gabby had her 30 month pediatrician appointment late last week and the boys had their 4 month well baby appointment today. And it’s official - all the kids are growing like weeds!

Gabby’s growth stats:
Height: 35 ¼ inches (50th percentile)
Weight: 26 ¼ lbs (25th percentile)

Rocco’s growth stats:
Height: 26 inches (80th percentile)
Weight: 15 lbs 6 oz (60th percentile)
Head: 43.6 cm (75th percentile)

Matteo’s growth stats:
Height: 25 inches (50th percentile)
Weight: 15 lbs 4 oz (60th percentile)
Head: 44 cm (75th percentile)

My mom and I are convinced there was an error with Matteo’s weight. He feels so much heavier in your arms than Rocco does. And, when I weighed the boys two weeks ago on our scale at home (not the best scale, I admit) Matteo was 1.5lbs heavier than Rocco.

And although Gabby still wears dresses sized 6-12 months, Dr. O was so proud of her weight gain. He said this is the fattest she’s been since she was four months old. Kind of funny to think about it that way.

What would we do without...

We’re so lucky to have any volunteer help with three under three. Not only are these people wonderful, but they're some of the best babysitters in the world and they’re family! THANKS FOR ALL YOU DO – WE LOVE YOU!

My mom:
She just flew back to Minnesota after helping us for a while with all the baby chaos.

Grandma Leo & Grandpa Kenny (our aunt & uncle, via Dan’s father):
They come every Wednesday morning to watch the babies while I take Gabby to gymnastics or play dates.

Trish & Todd (Gabby’s godparents & our cousins via Dan):

They’ve often allowed Dan and I to have date nights. And, they’ve been so brave to take on the Gabbinator… from the time she was 6 months old!

Courtney (one of Trish & Todd’s girls):

Courtney often helps babysit and Gabby adores her. I think Gabby thinks of Courtney as a “big friend”, not an adult. Courtney loves hanging out with the babies too!

Mother's Day 2008

Why Mother’s Day 2008 was great:
1. I have 3 healthy, beautiful, amazing kids that I am SO VERY THANKFUL FOR!
2. I have a husband who just happens to be an incredible daddy. Every day he assists in making the mommy duties a bit easier.
3. My mom was here with us!
4. Dan & my mom let me sleep in. I slept 10 hours. It felt goooooooooood. Sure, I’d wake up when I’d hear the babies cry. But I’d just roll over, close my eyes and drift off again.
5. Trish & Todd (Gabby’s godparents) invited us over for dinner, along with Trish’s parents, Leo & Kenny. Time spent with this group is always so enjoyable, memorable, relaxing and fun. A perfect way to top off the day.
6. Dan gave me a very nice Mother’s Day card at the end of the day with a very nice note. A big deal… as I know it’s tough having two big celebrations in one weekend.

Gabby took a photo of all the mom’s at Trish & Todd’s house:

4 months old today! Saturday - May 10, 2008

The boys are now 4 months old!

We refer to Rocco a lot lately as Jumping Jack. When you hold him to stand on your lap all he wants to do is jump, jump, jump! And, he of course LOVES the Jump-a-Roo. This child is constantly moving. If you lay him on the playmate – he kicks his feet so much you’d think he’s running a marathon. Yesterday, he rolled onto his side so I think he’ll be rolling over soon. He grabs toys and always acts shocked when he does it. Lately he’s been eating more than Matteo. He’s constantly chewing his fists, stuffing them in his mouth and drooling up a storm. Rocco has been having very loud conversations with us for weeks. Maybe it’s him being expressive or maybe he’s trying to tell us we’re doing this whole parenting thing wrong. Either way, he happily yells everything he’s trying to tell us. And, he’s got gorgeous blue-gray eyes. Rocco seems to be the magnet for Gabby harassment… he’s been picked up, sat on, kicked (by accident) and fed play table foods. Poor kid. Rocco loves being talked to and socializing. If there are people around… he has to be with the party or he’ll scream to get your attention. When you feed him, he prefers to watch TV or look around the room versus looking into your eyes. He is able to put himself to sleep like a champ and he smiles so big when we go to get him out of his crib in the morning or after naps. Rocco looks so much like Gabby did at this age (only bigger!), and they both battle the same skin issues with eczema, etc.

Matteo is the easiest baby. He wakes up so happy in the morning and smiles so big whenever you talk to him. He LOVES being talked to, snuggled and loved. He’s always able to entertain himself on the bouncer seat, playmat, etc., while I’m dealing with his brother and/or sister. When you feed him, he eats so well and looks at you with his enormous eyes the entire time he’s eating. He is so gentle and calm. He’s standing on our lap, sitting in the Jump-a-Roo and grabbing toys with his hands. He concentrates so much on everything he does. Whether it’s playing, eating, talking or looking around the room – he seems full of conversation. He used to just coo softly at us whenever we’d talk to him but now he’s having full conversations with us. Gabby is always able to make him smile or laugh. She’ll rub his belly, hold his hands or dance for him when he’s upset and needs attention if I’m tied up with Rocco. Gabby used to call him “Matato”, but we will often call him Matt. Matteo also sleeps very well… he’ll take several naps throughout the day, one always being approx. 3 hours. And, he’ll sleep for a 7-10 hour stretch on most nights. Matteo’s really only fussy when he’s got a big burp, when he’s hungry or during his witching hour in the evenings. At night he loves to be rocked to sleep, and he’ll frequently check to make sure you’re still there loving him and looking at him. Knock on wood… but I think this child may be our easy one.

I often wonder what our kids are going to be like when they grow up. I really hope for them to be happy, kind, strong, big-hearted, goal-oriented and good members of society.

I told a friend not too long ago that I wanted Rocco & Matteo to be really sweet, sensitive, gentle, good, solid men. She laughed at me and said “With names like Rocco & Matteo?!” I laughed hard. I laugh thinking about it now as I type too.

When we announced the babies’ arrival, a friend of Dan’s, who has a little guy just a few months earlier, said “Wow… Rocco & Matteo? I’d hate to bump into them in a dark alley with my milk money.” LOL! The Martino mafia?!?

Well, I look at my little mobsters… and they are so gentle, harmless and loveable.

Oh happy day...

A very good way to go about a birthday is to expect nothing, and be pleasently surprised.

Friday was my birthday. I woke up not expecting any sort of pampering, exciting events, or gifts. First of all, it's so close to Mother's Day. Secondly, if Dan and I find time to talk lately... it's about kids, groceries, or bills.

Well... Dan surprised me.

He had a flower cake and Happy Birthday balloon delivered to the house. He wrote the sweetest note and also asked me out on a date in the card... to which my response was "When and how?" Well, he surprised me again as he had arranged my mom and Trish to babysit all 3 kids for us. I got teary-eyed. Literally. All I could think was "Wow... we get to go on a date? Just you & I?" Clearly we need to get out more.

I got to put on make-up and get dressed up without any kids hangin' on me. Exciting stuff! And, he gifted me with a day at the spa. I sooooo need a back massage right now! Then, we had a great dinner at one of our favorite restuarants .

It was a busy day, but a great day! Thanks so much Dan, mom & Trish!

Back To Work. Sunday - May 4, 2008

I'm officially back to work starting Monday, 5/5!

I'm in a bit of shock. I feel like it should still be February. And then I look at my chunky little guys (who look like they're close to 6 months old, even though they haven't yet hit 4 months) and I feel like they've been with us forever. Life has been BUSY!! Busy, but good. We have so much to be thankful for.

The month of May will be a little crazier than the rest of 2008, as we're punting with childcare throughout the month. My mom is here to help for two weeks, and we've also got a few nannies and babysitters that will be helping out while she's here and then after she leaves.

Then... on May 31st - our au pair arrives! Hooray! Yes, we've decided to try an au pair for the next year. Our neighbors have been using au pairs for the past 7 years and have so many wonderful things to say about their experiences.

Our au pair is from Brazil and her name is Marcela. We've been in constant communication with her over the past few weeks via email and we're so excited for her to arrive.

Bear down, Arizona.

Matteo's loyalties are with daddy and the Pac 10 for now. Smart kid... he already knows how to suck up to his daddy.

If you ask Matteo what his thoughts are on Arizona's showing during March Madness....this is the look he'll give you:

Oh, and this was Matteo's face when he found out Lute's coming back again to coach... I'd have to say I had the same reaction. Dan, on the other hand, couldn't be happier!

My godfather would be proud! Tuesday - April 29, 2008

Rocco says:

"Oh boy... my godfather would be so proud of me. I'm ready for college football, uncle Mark! Oh... and my mommy already said it's ok if you swing through SFO next fall to pick me up on your way to a game."

Knock on wood. Tuesday - April 29, 2008

I really need to start knocking on wood, literally, whenever I decide to tell someone the twins are such easy babies and are sleeping so well for being preemies.

Dan was on a business trip for the past two nights. I was SOOOO happy to see him when he walked in the door…

Sunday night was great. Honestly. Rocco was down at 6:20pm after screaming himself to sleep for 15 minutes while I was hooked up to a pump. Ok…that wasn’t fun. But, I’m not an octopus… last time I checked I still have 2 arms and hands. Anyway… Matteo’s witching hours are usually from 6-8pm, but he went down at 9pm with minimal fussing. I was SO relieved since I was exhausted from the weekend and was simply not looking forward to getting triple-teamed by three under 3!

Matteo slept 9 hours straight Sunday night! And, Rocco slept a 7 hour stretch! EXCITING STUFF, right!?

Well, then I opened my big fat mouth and told someone about the great night… So, Monday night was awful. Matteo screamed from 6-8pm. Rocco screamed for about 40% of that time and refused to go down in the 6 o’clock hour. What on earth?! To make matters worse, I couldn't fill the kid up... he was eating like a horse (or I guess, a Martino). Dan finally walked in the door at 8pm and I handed off the babies one by one.

Two screaming babies for long stretches + one fussy/testing two year old + one hungry and tired mommy = CRAZYNESS!

Welcome home, babe!

Thank you Lexi & Callie! Monday - April 28, 2008

Gabby says:
“Thanks cousin Lexi and cousin Callie! I just love the stuff you sent me from China and Thailand! I play with it all the time. Don’t I look PRETTY?!”

Two little monkeys

Aren’t these two of the cutest little monkeys you’ve ever seen?!

Gabby and best friend Livi… just hanging around in gymnastics class.

3 months of life to celebrate! Monday, April 14, 2008

Life is so busy for us right now. The boys hit the 3 month milestone last Thursday. I can’t believe it. CRAZY!

Developmentally, I think we’re a little behind where Gabby was at this point. But, that’s normal for pre-term babies. Both boys have entered the stage of getting interactive… talking (cooing) and smiling at us. They will sometimes giggle or scream when watching big sister Gabby. She likes to dance around and sing to them. Gabby will frequently serenade us and anyone who calls us with “ABCD…”, “Twinkle, Twinkle”, and “Rubber Ducky”… all in that order.

The next pediatrician appointment is in May, so I don’t have any 3 month growth stats to share. But, I think Matteo is now pushing 15lbs and Rocco must be over 14lbs now too.

We have our good days and we have our challenging days. We’re still not on a real schedule of any sort, but apparently that is also quite normal at this age for pre-term babies. Sleep still is questionable at night, but both have shown us they know when it’s night-time. Matteo is the better sleeper in that he’s slept for more longer stretches than Rocco (9 hours has been his best). But, Rocco has the ability to somewhat put himself to sleep when we know he’s tired without too much drama. He’ll fuss for less than 10 minutes and POW… he’s asleep! I think Gabby cried for 2.5 hours at one point before she fell asleep. The whole sleep training thing just didn’t jive with her. Knock on wood… but I think the boys will sleep train just fine!

Gabby singing:

Rocco:

Matteo:

Taking a moment to be raw… Monday - April 14, 2008

One thing I have been struggling with a bit lately is when I go on a walk or somewhere with the boys and people will comment on the “twins”… how cute they are or how much work it must be, etc. And, even though I also refer to the boys as twins… every time I hear the word “twins”, I can’t help but think of how they were actually triplets at one point, and how we have a little angel that spends each day and night with us. What really seems to kill me lately is when I have all 3 kids in the triplet stroller… and people will come up to me and ask if I have triplets in there. I say no. But, my heart hurts each time.

I have a slight obsession with reading blogs. Probably not a good habit… but it started when I found out I was pregnant with triplets. I needed a way to connect to people who had multiples and make myself aware of the good and the bad. By bad, I mean, the reality of babies not surviving the multiple pregnancy, or becoming angels soon after being born. We’re often very aware of the good stories – proof that miracles do happen. But, the bad outcomes far outweigh the good. Everyone in my world was completely unaware of the health complications and risks we were up against. And, let’s be honest… nobody can claim to understand your emotions, fears and anxiety unless they have been in your shoes.

Every ounce of me knows how incredibly lucky we are to have been blessed with three healthy babies… the first born at 40 weeks and 3 days, and the second and third born at 35 weeks and 5 days. It’s a reality that I am thankful for every single day. I know there are so many women whose hearts are heavy because they are struggling with getting pregnant, as I did. There are so many women who have experienced a loss similar to mine. And, there are countless women who have experienced a miscarriage, stillbirth or held their baby in their arms only to have had to say goodbye. Every one of these women, including myself, feels a pain and hurt so different from the next. It would be impossible to fully explain it to anyone.

Every single day I am thankful for our children. They are 3 of the 5 souls I hold most near and dear to my heart. Dan and Baby C make up the other 2.

12 weeks old today! Thursday - April 3, 2008

Life has been CRAZY busy lately. And I have a feeling I'll continue to feel that way and say that for the next few years. It’s almost as if every day needs to include some sort of drama.

Oh, and after last week, I am convinced we’re funding Dr. O’s children’s college educations. Seriously. We had 6 (yes SIX!) visits to the pediatrician because of ear infections last week (oh, and Gabby’s ear ruptured… ugh!). Trust me when I say I was not happy about dropping $210 on co-pays. DANG! I remember the glory days of spending that on a pair of sexy jeans. Some people choose shoes or maybe hand bags. My indulgence? Jeans. And it sort of has been ever since I was a kid and my dad brought me home my first jean jumpsuit with a rainbow belt and fish patch on the knee. Don’t laugh – it was hot at the time. I’d post a photo if I had access to my mom’s albums… lord knows I wore that jumpsuit out. ANYWAY… the glory days of personal spending indulgence are sooooooooooo gone. Total blur in the memory…

At least the boys are finally sleeping better. Matteo has now given us 5 nights with a 9 hour sleep stretch (not consecutive nights), and Rocco gave us his first 9 hour sleep stretch last night. I think we're just a few weeks away from developing some consistency with morning and afternoon nap schedules. Apparently, it takes premature babies a bit longer to fall into a sleep routine. I must say… I am SO EXCITED about getting the boys on a sleep schedule. That’s something we were never able to do with Gabby at the start since she was a bundle of colic.

Anyway, here are some photos of our little 12 weekers… and actually, there’s nothing little about these guys. They’re HUGE!

Rocco:

Matteo: