Our Brave Little Boy

If you follow us on Instagram, you know we made it to Florida! I wrote a blog post about our trip but haven't had a chance to add pictures yet, so I'll post it at a later time.

So far, we've had some wonderful experiences here, like soaking up the sun, swimming in the pool for hours on end, and searching for shells on the beach. However, the experience I wish we could somehow rewind and have not happen, is that on day two of our trip- Sunday evening- Owen's finger got caught in the hinge of a pack n play and it literally almost severed the end of his finger off. It was horrible, to say the least. As you can imagine, Owen was hysterical and although there was lots of blood, I was trying to tell myself, maybe it wasn't that bad. Chris knew it was bad. When we carefully pulled back the towel that we'd immediately wrapped his hand in, it was clear that we needed to head straight to the ER.

Visiting the Fort Myers ER was certainly not on our list of things to do here, but the doctors and nurses at this hospital took such incredibly good care of him..... and us. I was so worried, because first, my baby was in excruciating pain and then also because his finger seemed so injured, I couldn't imagine how it could be repaired.

But they were wonderful and skilled. When it came time to numb his finger and start the stitches, they warned us that he'd likely be very upset and that they'd likely have to hold him down because this was almost always the case with kids his age. However, somehow by the grace of God, Owen just sat in my lap, and calmly watched the whole process. Heck, I couldn't watch the whole process! But he did. They stitched his finger back together and re-attached his nail. I was amazed.

So, no swimming or digging in the sand for Owen this trip. It's such a bummer because he loves the pool and the sand and also because that's pretty much what there is to do here! But we know things could be worse. It's very sobering to realize how accidents can happen in a blink.

Today we had to go back to the hospital for a follow-up, to change his bandage and check the wound. Things are healing but it will take awhile and we'll follow up with specialists once we get home. Today took hours at the hospital and I'm so thankful to have my parents here as they entertained the boys to no end while Chris and I were with Owen.

He's a brave little boy, this one.

After Motrin, but waiting for stitches. 

Starting the stitches

 Heading home and pretty tuckered out. 

The amazing staff said they were so impressed with him that they gave him this bear to take home.... which he's calling "dog". Owen has never attached to a luvie or stuffed animal, like his brothers all did, but the past two days he has been carrying "dog" around with him everywhere. :-)

Our Vacation is.....

officially over.

It was wonderful to have a whole week to spend with my brothers and their families.

It was wonderful to see Chris who works so hard for us, have some time to golf and play in the sand with Colin.

And it was wonderful to have a better view while parenting our boys.

 We've vacationed at this same beach house in Long Beach, IN, with my whole side of the family, for three years now.

There's something about returning to a place that you only visit once a year, the same time of year, for only a week. Being in that same place which you haven't been to in one whole year, causes you to reflect on how life has changed in a way that we don't often notice within the hustle and bustle of day to day living.

Last year, for example, cousin Macy, who is now walking, waving and enthusiastically saying, "Hi!" was still growing in my sister in law's belly. 

We had one beautiful child and I was longing for more.

Life was slower.

Last year on this vacation, I played with Colin each day at the beach, able to devote all my attention to him. I read books, I took classes working towards my PhD (yes, even on vacation), and Chris and I stayed up late laughing and telling stories with my brothers and their significant others.

Dare I admit that I wanted to be that vacation again.... just for a moment. Just to remember.

I wouldn't trade our current life with our boys for anything in the world but it is an all consuming freight train of an experience that never seems to slow down for a minute, even on "vacation".

If it wasn't clear before, this vacation exposed just how changed our lives are. In one years time we've gone from a family of three, hoping for another, to a family of six pulling up to the beach house in a mini-van with a roof rack.

 You never know where your life will take you.

But it is our wonderful, crazy, beautiful life.

And for now that means vacation is re-defined. It involves the same intense level of work to keep these boys fed, changed and happy, but with a better view, more help and our amazing family to laugh with along the way.

I wouldn't change it for anything.

Pictures in the next post :)

Thank God for Grandparents

Still on vacation...

This morning, in between changing a diaper and wiping spit up off my shoulder, I heard my mom casually ask, "Do the kids want to go on a walk?"

Me: "What? Who? Who are you referring to?"

My Mom: "All of the kids."

Me: "REALLY?? You want to take ALL of them on a walk? That's five kids mom..."

I raise a sceptical eyebrow..... Does she realize what she's saying?

My Mom: "Sure, why not?"


I instantly have flashbacks to the previous morning when I tried to take just two babies on a "fitness walk". Let's just say it wasn't a success.

Me: "Yes, yes of course. Why NOT take a 2 year old, a 1 year old and three 4 month olds on a walk? You're right, this is a GREAT idea and makes PERFECT sense. CHRIS!! GET OUT HERE! Pack up the kids! HURRY! They're going on a walk. Yes, Yes, ALL of them. Pack 'em up!"

Chris and I frantically move about, putting on sunscreen, changing, dressing, grabbing hats... hoping and praying minds aren't changed and my that my mom doesn't suddenly reflect on this decision and realize, "You know what, it's probably too much"

Off they ALL went.

The house was quiet.

Chris and I grabbed our coffees, sat on the front porch and listened to the waves.

Somehow the babies, Colin and cousin Macy were all perfect little angels on the walk. It ended up being a win win for all.

Thank God for Grandmas. I swear they have magic powers.

Evening swim anyone?

For whatever reason, it was suddenly almost 6 pm and we hadn't even made it to the beach yet.

I can't even tell you where the day went but I felt terrible because Colin had his swimsuit on all day just waiting to go swimming with Chris.

Ugh.

I often feel like I'm performing a high stakes game of juggling and the balls in the air are the needs of Colin, each of the babies, Chris, myself, our family, our home, our marriage...

 It's a constant juggling act and some days I feel more like I'm failing than succeeding. Like the balls are just flying everywhere and I can't even keep one in the air.

This was one of those days.

We needed time together as a family and we needed to get to the beach, even if it was the triplets bedtime.

So, we packed everybody up and crossed the street to the beach.

As a side note, I type, we packed everybody up very casually as if it's something you just do in a matter of minutes. But for us packing everybody up is like packing to go on a mini trip. Diapers, sweatshirts, blankets, water bottle, wipes, pacifiers, towels, large blanket for the babies to lay on, baby carriers, hats, wine....

You know what? Although up past their bedtime, the babies were fine. They fell asleep to the lapping of the waves and the warm evening breeze. I sat with my toes in the cool sand and watched Chris and Colin dig in the sand and splash in the water.

For a moment life was still.

When the wave splashing was over, Colin announced he was "COLD MAMA!!" and so back across the street we went to tuck our little men in bed.

Foregoing the sleep schedule, taking one hour to pack three bags for the beach, and cool evening swimming?

So worth it.

Vacation.... or something like that

Well, we made it to the beach!

Our goal was to get on the road NO LATER than 3 p.m.

We left just after 9 p.m.

Chris and I climbed into our overloaded mini-van, exhausted and thinking, "Our life is pure craziness" but as we pulled away Colin yells from the back, "Me happy! Let's go beach!" That got us laughing and slowly moving into vacation mode.

So we arrive at the beach house, Chris grabs a beer, and we settle in, happy to be on vacation....

But here's the thing about being on vacation with our triplets plus one:

They don't seem to know it it's vacation.

They're all still getting up at 7:30 AT THE LATEST.

The triplets still want a bottle in the middle of the night.

They still expect us to get up and hold them and soothe them if they're having trouble sleeping.

They still all expect us to put them to bed. Colin expects a story read.

We still have to wash bottles, wash copious loads of laundry, and change approximately 30+ diapers a day.

They still cry, sometimes all at once.

All four kids are sleeping in our room with us, which means I hear every sound they make, every roll they do, and every breath that sounds in any way different from the norm.

I guess I couldn't help dreaming of sleeping in, exercising and leisurely reading on the beach. The truth is, I haven't even been to the beach yet and it's right across the street! I can see it from my window.

And that book I brought to read? Haven't opened it yet.

But I might.

I can dream, right?

Procrastinating with random thoughts

• Where do pacifiers disappear to?? And why do they always seem to disappear at the most crucial of times? Is someone messing with me?

• I threw in a load of laundry from our weekend away and it had a wet diaper in it, so I washed that too. Not on purpose of course. I didn't realize it was in there until I went to transfer the clothes into the dryer and wondered why they all looked ruined. It was a great start to the day. Do you sense the sarcasm??

• Colin is in full blown, "I'm an independent person and look what I can do!" mode. Sometimes he'll surprise me by putting on his shoes, on the right feet with perfectly velcroed tops. Then there are other times where things don't quite go as he planned. Yesterday he came over after he'd put his shirt on as pants. "Uh oh..." he stated, confident that something was not right. He'd put his legs through the arm holds and then pulled the rest of the shirt up past his waist. He knew..... something did not feel right about this one. I tried not to laugh, but it was so darn cute.

• He's also been asking to use his potty more often (yay!). One child out of diapers would sure be nice. So the other day he was sitting on his potty, in the bathroom, and asked me for some water. I left for A SECOND, came back and saw a trail of wetness down the hallway. The potty and Colin nowhere to be found. So I followed the trail of wetness and low and behold, there he was sitting on his potty, in front of the t.v. in our bedroom. "Move Mama! Watch t.v!"  So I see. 

• I moved the crib today to swiffer under it and found five pacifiers under there. "Ah HA! I've found you!"

• Our basement flooded a few weeks ago and since then we've been back in renovation heaven (again, sense the sarcasm??). Since we had to rectofy some flood issues anyway, we thought "Why not just move this wall too?  And oh, wouldn't it be great to move the fridge? And ohhh I know, let's add all new slate tile flooring! And let's do it all ourselves!"  We can't seem help ourselves.....and yet I'm so over renovating.... and so is Chris. I mean seriously, triplet babies, a two year old AND home renovations? TOO MUCH.

• We leave for vacation tomorrow! Yay! So fun! However, trying to pack for vacation, not so fun. Prior to having the triplets, I'd always just throw stuff in and hope that we'd remembered everything. No biggie. Now, I'm trying to be more strategic about packing. So for the first time ever, I made a list:

And yes, I did casually write down items like a swing, boucy chairs (2-3) and a jumparoo without thinking that's crazy. In fact, I'm picturing how perfect the jumparoo and bouncy chairs will be at the beach, under a gynormous umbrella (which is also on my list to pack). Seriously, we may need a moving truck to haul all our stuff to the beach on friday.

• Tonight I ate my pasta dinner over Everett as he was in my Ergo carrier. He couldn't fall asleep and I was so hungry that I couldn't wait for him to completely fall asleep to eat. At one point I looked down and their were noodles covering his head. Sorry about that buddy.

• I feel like I'm in finals week, just like in college only instead of tests and papers due, we need to get the home renovations that we started three weeks ago DONE before we leave for vacation tomorrow. That's our goal. You know that feeling when you've finished your final test or turned in that final paper? Well, I want that feeling as we pull away from our house for vacation, carrying with us the knowledge that our home is renovated and finished and waiting for us upon return.

And just like in college, I'm completely procrastinating by doing something other than what I should be doing (packing or painting).

Instead, it's past midnight and I'm writing this post :)

Flying home

I feel like we've been on vacation for weeks now!

What a treat it has been to have Chris off of work for over two weeks!

We spent a week at the beach with my family and then headed to Montana for Grandmother's 90th.

I just loved seeing my grandmother beaming at her party while surrounded by her family.

She deserves it.

At one point she leaned over to me and said,

"Do you know that I've rocked and diapered over half the people here?"

I didn't know that but it made me smile

Our flight home was uneventful.

Colin slept

Chris slept

I read and dozed

On the ride home, the three of us squished into the back of a taxi and little c reached out and held my hand.

Heaven

Then he wanted goldfish.

Perfect way to end the day....

(mom roasting her marshmellow)

(Dad, Chris, Mom, Geneva)

(Geneva)