Our trip to the firehouse!

We want to thank our local firehouse for being the best that there is! It all started when we called 911 on January 15th b/c of Ian's seizure. The EMS personnel were excellent in caring for our son, particularly Rob, the EMS Assistant Chief. Not only did they work on Ian until we arrived at the hospital, Rob also stuck around until about 2am to make sure we were ok & that Ian stopped seizing. Without their prompt attention, we may have had a much more serious situation on our hands.

In appreciation for their service, I made some cupcakes for them. My friend, Sheila, came over to help b/c I also wanted to take the kids along. We planned for today because they do drills on Tuesday night which means all personnel have to come to the firehouse. We were promptly greeted by none other than Rob! I gave him a tearful thank you immediately. I can't express the amount of gratitude I have for him & the others that helped my little boy that night.

Rob took us on a personal tour of the firehouse & even allowed us to discover the trucks! I think Gabi was the most fascinated by it all. Sofi enjoyed walking around everywhere & Ian was content being in Rob's arms. What an amazing morning!

Rob & Ian looking at the ambulance that took him to the hospital.


Rob, Ian, Gabi & Sofi sitting on the front of the fire truck.



Sofi checking out the gadgets.

Sheila & Gabi, Rob & Ian checking out all the gadgets.


Sofi holding on to the bell on the front of the fire truck.


Ian & Rob checking out the bell.



Rob was a FANTASTIC tour guide! He let the kids try everything & touch everything. He was totally in to them feeling all the different textures of the trucks. For our 1st field trip, this was excellent! We could not ask to live in a better place. The firehouse is only half a mile away from our home, in the subdivision. We feel so safe here.

After an hour long visit, I walked the kids back home. Sheila drove the car & the kids enjoyed the fresh air & change of pace. This visit was long overdue. We will be back! THANK YOU!!!!

Bows :)

I'm not a bowhead. I never wore bows in school. As a matter of fact, I made fun of bowheads. What is the deal w/ my obsession w/ bows now? I don't put them in the girls' hair b/c we only stay at home so no need for it, right? Well, turns out that I really like to make bows. My friend A sent me lots of instructions on how to make bows & I can't wait to try them out. The only problem is my girls don't wear them & when I do try to put them in their hair, they pull them out anyway. What is a mommy to do w/ all these bows? Maybe another give-away on my diaper cake site b/c I won't do it on here. Maybe add them to my diaper cakes? I kind of like that idea!

Anyway, I decided to make the girls' bows for their b-day party outfits which by the way, has been moved ONCE AGAIN to accomodate the many people that can't be here the 25th (like 5 of the people we were inviting). I have to show them off since this is my 1st attempt at anything more than wrapping the banana clip.


I put them on the tutus so I wouldn't lose them & actually, I like the way they look soooo I think I'll be making some bows for the tutus now except a little bit bigger. I have the rubber ducky buttons to put on them too!



In other news, the kids are doing really well. I think we are done w/ the virus & the remenants of the "cold" the kids got. I haven't had to really wipe any noses this morning. Thank God! Sofi is walking EVERYWHERE w/ reckless abandon. Gabi is cautiously trying & Ian is getting better at pulling up on things.

Here is Miss Gabi playing on Mommy's laptop. She is fascinated w/ it!


Ian went after the pink monkey that is Gabi's but not for long before he lost interest.


Miss Sofi likes to walk along the wall & "hug" it.

PT w/ Ian

We had our 1st meeting w/ the physical therapist on Tuesday. Yep, on their b-day. It was actually very educational. The PT instructed me on how to work w/ Ian. I have a friend who is a bit concerned about her daughter so I told her I would video us doing a PT session together. Luckily (ok, not so luckily b/c I didn't get a break, LOL) Ian did not take his morning (or afternoon, the booger) nap so we had some 1 on 1 time to do the PT & video it. I thought it would be good to share w/ everyone, not just Miss A & L. Hopefully this will help someone besides just us.



On the developmental front, Ian went from sitting to on his hands & knees yesterday which takes quite a bit of control. He has replicated the action only a couple of more times but that tells us his core is getting stronger. The PT explained that w/o a strong core, he would not be able to crawl regularly & would stick to the ground. I'm going to do my best to do the PT exercises w/ him daily but in the world of triplets, that is not always possible. Honestly, if I can do it every other day, I will be happy.

The girls are doing wonderfully. Gabi is starting to attempt standing on her own & walking. Sofi is walking all over the place. She also loves to crawl under things & get trapped, silly girl! We have discovered some new toys too, Mommy's stainless steel bowls. They LOVE them!

Along w/ the good, also comes a bit of bad. Biting. The girls bite when they want Mommy's attention, especially Miss Sofi. She has bitten Ian hard enough on the foot to break the skin. I know this is a phase & thankfully it isn't happening often. If you have any suggestions on how to handle it, comments are appreciated.

Of the 3, Ian really enjoyed his cupcake. My friend, Nikki, said he "conquered his cupcake" & I think that is pretty accurate!




Gabi was a bit more methodical, putting 1 finger in the icing at a time & licking it off. It took her a good 15 min to actually dig in!




Sofi was only interested in the duck & when I took it away, she was PISSED!

Then & Now

Then...nervous about how our trio was doing as they were transported to the NICU.
Now...nervous b/c of how many bumps they seem to accumulate on their head.

Then...discovering what a mother's love meant.
Now...experiencing what a mother's love means.

Then...Sofi weighed in at 4lb 9oz & 17.5" long.


Now...Sofi weighs in at 20lb 13oz (50%) & 30.5" (90%) long.



Then...Gabi weighed in at 4lb 4oz & was 17" long.


Now...Gabi weighs in at 22lb 6oz (75%) & is 30.5" (90%) long.


Then...Ian weighed in at 4lb 1oz & was 18" long.


Now...Ian weighs in at 18lb 15oz (5%) & is 30" (60%) long.



Then...my belly the day we met our beautiful babies!



Now...my belly today after having 3 beautiful babies!




Then...life was just about me & Todd.
Now...life is about having 3 children & feeling fulfilled.

Then...having our parents support us unconditionally.
Now...having our parents be the most wonderful grandparents in the world.

Then...not knowing who our pediatrician was.
Now...loving Dr. Nguyen & appreciating her kindness & understanding!



Then...not knowing what life really meant.
Now...understanding the meaning of life.

God gave us the chance to be parents to the most wonderful babies in the world. We are honored & thank Him every day for blessing us w/ Sofia, Gabriella & Ian. Thank you for following us on our journey!

The day before, a year ago...

I have to write this post. Every mom does but rather than writing it tomorrow, I am writing it today b/c I remember the anticipation I was feeling a year ago today. I woke up knowing that this would be the last day of bed rest & monitoring. I even let myself get up & walk around. We were all anxious & trying to take up time. Our good friend, Julie, came over to have dinner & take pics of me & the big belly.


This is what Daddy was doing waiting for the big day, LOL!




Somehow, we managed to sleep that night albeit not very well. We were both so excited about finally meeting Sofi, Gabi, & Ian. We wanted to "see" our children & who they looked like. We were also TERRIFIED. We wanted them to come out healthy. We were hoping & praying for little to no NICU time but knew that realistically many things could go wrong.

Too many mixed emotions. Not enough time to deal w/ them b/c as slowly as the time seemed to be going, it was also flying by. Tomorrow we were going to meet our babies, our 2 daughters & our son.

First Birthday Cards

It is official! The kids all got their very own FIRST birthday cards! My aunts Helen & Jos sent the trio birthday wishes all the way from Holland. THANK YOU! The triplets are one of a kind on both sides of the family so this is a very special event. We are very thankful to have our family all over the world following their progres.

I had to take pics of them opening their envelope & looking at their cards. Needless to say, sharing was an issue although they each had a card. Please forgive the nakedness. We were battling fevers at the same time & didn't want them in anything but diapers.




This is Daddy's way of hanging out w/ the kids while they didn't feel well. SOOOO CUTE!


On another random note, this post has taken 3 days to finish b/c our internet/cable/phone has been out again. Comcast sucks!

About my diaper cakes...

I know, here I am posting AGAIN about my diaper cakes. I am TOTALLY not going to promote my business here but I am doing a give-away, albeit small. I would love for everyone to go check out the cute bows I made & am giving away. Yes, I am trying to bribe people. I cannot lie.

http://divinediapercakes.blogspot.com/2009/03/hair-clipbow-give-away

I would also like to thank another wonderful triplet mommy, Kelly, for kindly making us beautiful favor tags for the kids' b-day party. She is also a work-at-home-mom & has a store on Ebay as well as her own website. Please check them out!

http://stores.ebay.com/Forget-Me-Not-Favors