Is that the same kid?

Nope. All four of these pictures are around the six week mark, but it's:

Chase:


Jack:


Graham:


Anthony:

Happy St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day holds some of the most fond memories I have with my Dad in Savannah. For those who don't know it, Savannah has the 2nd largest St. Patrick's Day celebration, bigger than Chicago. As a high school girl attending a private Catholic school in the heart of downtown, St. Patrick's Day meant extra days off school because the parade route literally goes by the Cathedral and we literally couldn't park our cars. (thank you tourists!) As I got older, it meant celebrating with my friends but not before I spent the morning with my Mom and Dad watching the parade. We would get to our square super early and set up with family friends. Dad would start the morning with drink for everyone. Not that the drinks made the occasion but they did become a vital memory for everyone who stopped by our location. Some people stopped by just for the drink! My friends, high school, college and beyond all looked forward to an excuse to visit with my Dad in order to enjoy his cocktails while we all watched the parade go by. A time honored tradition became a series of memories for not only me, but my friends as well.

Two years ago today, we sat on the side of the road by the Cathedral watching my childhood pastor, Father O'Brien serve as Grand Marshall - an honor of the highest possibility on this day. While we celebrated that day, we also watched with very heavy hearts knowing that the very next day, we would bury my Dad. Tears of both joy and sorrow now accompany this time for all in my family as we remember with joy all the good times, but also mourn the loss of a very special man.

Dad, there is so much that has happened in the last two years and as I sit here with my sons in their Irish green, I think of you and look at the faces, looks and grins they give me and know that you live on. I miss you more than words can say so here's to you - Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Jack, Graham and Anthony - St. Patrick's Day 2011

You try to get three 7-week olds to all look at the camera at once!
Official weights are now 7 lbs, 14 ounces for Jack and Anthony. 7 lbs, 8 ounces for Graham!

Petri dish experiment

Okay, I know it is a crazy title but some days I feel like that is exactly what is happening at my house. Just when I think I have the boys figured out, something changes for no reason. Now, I am well aware that it is normal for this to happen (I already have 1 child remember) but when you multiply it by 3, well that is just wrong. From how much they need/want to eat to how often they need a diaper change (and what they have produced in that diaper) to where and how they like to play, I am constantly in flux. The only thing that is pretty set is the time that they eat and even that is getting ready to change (thank you daylight savings - and YES, that is very sarcastic).

Want to know what I mean? Most nights, the boys seem to sleep fairly well between the night feedings. However, for several nights in a row, one boy decided that he didn't want to sleep. Note I said one boy. It wasn't the same son, it wasn't even the same time. The problem - the same solution didn't calm said boy either! After trying to figure this out, Jason and I came to the conclusion that they are just messing with us. They have already started plotting against us to see if they can make us crack. Well boys, you win. At this point, I would love (as would Jason) for all three to sleep for 2 consecutive hours without stirring or making noise. I add that last little bit for our beloved Anthony 'Machine gun' Liner. That boy makes more noises - not crying noises - whether he is awake or asleep. I literally find myself listening and laughing at him. The nickname is because he literally sounds like a machine gun - insert your own sound here - and he laughs and smiles while doing it. Of course, unless Jack and Graham are pretty soundly asleep, they then start to stir. But Anthony - nope, keeps on sleeping!

Feedings - a whole new petri dish. Jack eats like he hasn't been fed in days and screams when it is gone. We have decided to feed him more than the other two. Just what you need at 4:00 AM right, to try and remember which kid gets which bottle and how much! Anthony likes to spit up when he is done feeding and you go to lay him down and then again about 1 hour after feeding. Nothing like trying to remember what time he finished his bottle. And then there is Graham - the original spitter himself. He spits while eating, while burping and after eating. And we aren't talking a little leftover milk that hasn't been swallowed, we are talking palm-fulls (adult size palms at that). Makes a mother so happy to see her hard produced milk reappear in her hand immediately after consumption!

Big brother Chase - is finally starting to show some signs of 'big brother-itis'. He is more clingy to me after school and at night. Part of that is because I am finally physically more like the 'mom' that he is used to and part of this is because he has figured out that when his brothers cry, they get attention and get held. He has stopped wanting to do things 'by myself' and now wants Mommy to 'help me'. Of course, most of this happens when his brothers need to be fed so I am learning the art of temporary distraction - ie. Chase, go do ____ and as soon as I am done with (insert brother here), Mommy will come help you or you can sit here with Mommy and (brother). For the most part, he will do his own thing but I then have to make good on my promise to help him. Honestly though, he is more cuddly than he has been in ages and I love the fact that he wants me to hold him and sit with him. We are working on potty training which means he gets more time devoted to him - but it also means more time devoted to him. A balancing act I am still trying to figure out! For now he is still in daycare full-time, 5 days a week but at the end of the month, we may be shifting to part-time, half-days in preparation for him being home with me full-time during the summer. It is something we have done every summer since he was born and a benefit to me being a teacher. He will do some summer camps at the YMCA to occupy his time and then will go to Pre-school 3 mornings a week in the fall.

People keep asking if I am going back to work. The honest answer is, I don't know. That has been the plan all along (me returning to work in August) but Jason and I will have to look at several factors before making a final decision on that. All I know is that whatever decision is made will not be made lightly and it will be the decision that Jason and I feel is best for our family - all members of our family. When we decide, we will share but for now, I am too tired and hormonal to even begin to think about it.

All in all, while I am exhausted and tired most of the time and a little cranky (just ask Jason), I love my new life. I take it one day at a time because I know each of these stages will pass and another one will soon follow. There will be a time when I look back at these days and just sigh. Not sure I will miss them, but I will miss moments of them. Like being able to put all 3 boys in the top of a pack and play to nap or under a floor toy to swat at things together or even on my lap/in my arms all at once - yes able to do but is a little challenging to maintain! I am definitely looking forward to Spring so we can go outside and play and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. While it may only be in our backyard, at least I get the chance to do it!

I promise to try and upload some pictures that I have taken when I get a chance. Of course, who knows how old the boys will be when that happens!

Professional Pics of the Triplets

So, one of the nurses in the hospital at UNC has a daughter who is a professional photographer in the area and she wanted to get some newborn triplets in her portfolio. So, last week, she came over to the house and took a ton of pictures. She's going to get the entire CD to us, but in the meantime, she's begun posting them on her website. She was fantastic to work with and we'd definitely recommend her if you're looking for photography needs.

Check out some of her pictures from last week!!
http://www.rebekahtozer.com/

Our little stars....

For those of you who don't use Facebook, follow this link to the website for the photographer who came to the house last week to take some pictures of the boys for us. Simply scroll down past the picture of her daughter and you can view the photos from our shoot. The photographer is Rebekah Tozer and she did an absolutely amazing job capturing the boys in moments that reflect who they are. Yes, even at 4 weeks old, they each have their own little quirks that make them unique. While she may not be able to identify them, I sure can!

Please feel free to share the link with others and if you need someone to take great pictures of your family, get in touch with Rebekah, we had a great experience with her!

http://www.rebekahtozer.com/main/2011/3/2/meet-the-liner-triplets-and-family-raleighcaryapex-newborn-p.html

Triplets make first Friday visit to Mexican

As many of you might know, Melissa and I have had a long standing tradition to eat Mexican on Friday nights. Just about every Friday night we go to Las Palmas. The tradition started 4 or 5 years ago as Las Palmas was right around the corner from the old house. Now, we either drive back to the Leesville Road location, or occasionally we go to the Wake Forest location to eat with Matt & Jennifer (and Bise & Meredith) since they live up that way. Regardless we rarely miss a Friday night eating Mexican. Well, we've missed a few lately. Melissa, Chase and I did manage to go two weeks ago as Grandma and Nana stayed with the triplets. Then, last night, we decided it was time for the triplets to see what Las Palmas was all about.

Some family friends (Missy & Jill Rolewicz) are in town for the weekend from Delaware. Jill is staying with us, so Missy & Leslie went out for dinner by themselves. Jill and Melissa fed the boys at 5 pm, swaddled them up and loaded them into the car. I picked up Chase from daycare and we met the girls (with the triplets) at Las Palmas. We intentionally went early to avoid any huge crowds...plus we knew we needed to get the one big table that they have. With a table for 7, we parked three car seats at one table (one in a chair, one on the table, and one on the bench side). Melissa, Jill, Chase and I sat at the other table. The great news is that all three boys literally slept through the entire dinner. We had lots of visitors of course. All of the waiters/waitresses/hostess came to see the boys. And of course some of the other patrons wanted to stop and gawk a little. Ironically, many of the patrons walked right by without even seeing all of the car seats. But virtually all of them who actually noticed the car-seats stopped to look and chat with us.

Anyway, even I have doubted whether we could have some semblance of a normal life, but I think we even surprised ourselves at how easy dinner out was with all four boys!

And now, in the blue corner, weighing in at...

Today was another weight check for the boys. They all had gained between 15 and 17 ounces since our last check-in, which was 12 days ago. The pediatrician had told us last time that they should be gaining around an ounce a day, so being of a 'slightly' competitive spirit, all three boys topped that goal!

Here's where we stand:

Jack
Birth (1/27): 4 - 9
Hospital Discharge (1/31) 4 - 2
1st Appt (2/1) 4 - 4
2nd Appt (2/4) 4 - 5
3rd Appt (2/9) 4 - 10
4th Appt (2/21) 5 - 9

Graham
Birth (1/27): 4 - 7
Hospital Discharge (1/31) 4 - 0
1st Appt (2/1) 4 - 3
2nd Appt (2/4) 4 - 3
3rd Appt (2/9) 4 - 8
4th Appt (2/21) 5 - 7

Anthony
Birth (1/27): 4- 0
Hospital Discharge (1/31) 4 - 3
1st Appt (2/1) 4 - 4
2nd Appt (2/4) 4 - 6
3rd Appt (2/9) 4 - 10
4th Appt (2/21) 5 - 11

We didn't even see the doctor today, since it was just a weight check, but he got the report and was obviously pleased.

The boys have been eating really well. They are up to 75 mL (or 2.5 ounces) per feeding (still eating 7 times per day).

So, you might ask, how much should they be eating at this stage/size anyway. Well, infants should eat about 50-55 calories per pound, per day. At 5.5 pounds, that's about 290 calories per day. Breast-milk and formula both have about 20 calories per ounce. So, they are getting about 50 calories per feeding, times 7 feedings per day = 350 calories per day. I guess that's why they're growing so well...because they're getting more calories than the pediatricians say they need at this weight. But they are all eating well and are getting hungry before the next feeding typically, and also never seem content until after the bottle is finished.

And this concludes today's lesson on feeding babies!