First Foods!

The boys are one week away from their 5 month birthday-versary. I started Vaughn on solids EXACTLY the same time. Vance in particular was showing signs of being ready for food. Vaughn got her corndog a little too close to his mouth last night and he tried to eat it. And he's also been staring me down whenever I'm eating anything. A clear sign a baby is ready for solids.

I made my babies some baby food this morning. Bananas it was. I have done a lot of research on this topic and you do NOT have to start with rice cereal. I made all of my daughters baby food. And I plan on doing the same for my boys. Not only is it INCREDIBLY cheaper. It makes me feel good knowing I provided their food. It wasn't made from a factory, but at home, with lots of mommy lovin'. Much the same feeling I get from breastfeeding.

It is not as hard as many people think. I only had to buy ice cube trays, a TINY food processor (I think I paid $10 at Walmart for it), and seran wrap. I learned and still utilize this website www.wholesomebabyfood.com, exclusively for all of my questions and answers and how to's for making baby food.

I puree the food, put it into ice cube trays, cover with seran wrap. The next day pop it out and put in gallon sized freezer bags and label the date and contents. Then to serve I microwave a cube or cubes for about 30 seconds, and add rice cereal if it needs thickening, or water (or breastmilk) to thin. I spent about 1-2 hours every other week making foods for Vaughn. I imagine I won't need much more time with these guys. I worked full time when I made all of Vaughn's too. So it REALLY doesn't take a lot of time, and is easy. And I repeat, SO much cheaper! I can get a butternut squash for a couple of dollars, and it fills 3 ice cube trays, that's about 30 meals!! I wouldn't be able to get ONE meal at the store of baby food for that price.

As I predicted Van did pretty well, he made faces at first, but then ended up REALLY liking it. No suprise there.





Jett also REALLY enjoyed it, and I was again, not suprised. He is SO laid back.



And Pierce. Picky, picky Pierce. What can I say? I tried and tried and he kept spitting it out, just like the others did at first as well. But I continued trying, as you're supposed to. He started gagging though, and eventually PUKED. I guess he's not quite ready for the solids. :)




We'll be trying twice a day though. Maybe he just doesn't like banana's? We'll see. Next up, in 4 days will be avocado's, or butternut squash. I LOVE making baby food!

A little unplanned fun...

I must admit that I like plans. I like organization. I like everything as it should be and for everything to happen when I want it to. This has gotten worse since having children.

Since the triplets have been born we of course cannot focus 100% of our attention solely on Vaughn. And she knows it. Unfortunately.

I've been feeling awfully guilty that I can't give her the summers she deserves.

A summer in the sun.

A summer playing at the park.

A summer of many, many beach visits.

A summer of walks.

A summer of waterpark visits.

A summer of lying in the grass and contemplating bugs.

She's been robbed of a summer that she desperately wants. She BEGS to go outside. She pleads to sit in the front yard.

It hurts us a lot that because we have 3 newborns the majority of her summer she is stuck inside.

Yesterday in between feeding babies and knowing I had about an hour that I wouldn't be stuck to the couch, I was going to make my grocery list. Then I had a thought...

I grabbed some water balloons, filled them up, and told Vaughn to come outside. I pelted her with the balloons, and she squeeled with delight! "Again!" We had our hose running into our pool filling it up, so instead I grabbed that and started spraying her. In her clothes and all! Unplanned, unrehearsed, FUN!

She loved it! I sprayed her, she sprayed me. I let her run into her unfilled kiddie pool and fall down and get dirty..... in her clothes. *gasp!*

We had a fun 20 minutes or so of fun!

I need to learn to brer more spontaneous. For my children. I want them to live freely without strict schedules and planning.

I'm trying.

Who needs a waterpark? Vaughn doesn't know the difference!

Wordless Wednesday

You eat too much, you go home!

Doug is in the field for a few days. So I'm alone. With my 4 kids, and my two stepsons.

7pm at my house is what I like to call "baby witching hour." Vaughn was this way too. The babies, at least two of them, everynight, like to marathon feed. Or just be plain crabby until about 10pm. Never fails really, and it is a ROUGH couple hours. Vaughn also starts getting crabby and tired this time of night, so we're dealing with the babies, and Vaughn. Well, I had to do it alone last night. My stepsons helped as much as they felt comfortable, but of course I did most everything.

Van likes to eat. He LOVES to nurse. He'll nurse himself sick. Literally. Vaughn did this too. She really just wanted to suckle, but wouldn't take a pacifier, so she'd eat until she vomited. Fun. I learned the trick of giving her the side of my breast to suck on, so she wouldn't get sick. I had hickies all over my boob from her. Van doesn't realize when he's had enough. And I'm started to realize that. With all of the craziness last night alone I didnt' realize either when he had enough.

One second I'm bottle feeding Van some breastmilk next to me, and also doing the same with Pierce, on the boppy, and my stepson is feeding Jett. When Van pulls off the bottle and vomits about 3 ounces all over the couch. I pick him up and over my shoulder, and he vomits about 3 more ounces all over me.



Haha. He's adorable. Gotta love him. But he LOVES him some titty bar! We constantly tell him in our best asian accent from an SNL skit "You eat TOOO much, You go HOME!"

Wordless Wednesday

They're Here!! 1 month old!!

Okay, I know this is WAY late. But the boys arrived on May 7th, 2010. As scheduled and planned.




The first, at 12:07 is Pierce, weighing 4lbs 11oz, 18 1/2 in.




Second came Jett, at 12:08 weighing 3lbs 15oz, 17 in.





And third, at 12:09, Vance (Van), weighing 5lbs 10oz, 19 in.




All of their apgars were great. All were healthy and looking perfect. I was discharged 4 days later, after an easy C Section recovery, and Van & Pierce were discharged the next day. Jett ended up staying for 13 days total in the NICU due to typical 36 week issues, maintaining body temp, and suck/swallowing/breathing.






We loaded the two up and went to the NICU everyday to see Jett. We headed back from Minnesota home to Virginia 4 days after Jett was discharged. Doug drove with Vaughn. And I flew with the triplets, with my moms help.

The day we left with all 3!



We've been home now for almost two weeks. And Doug went back to work almost immediately, and Vaughn to daycare. Things have been going pretty well. We have no family here, but a ton of friends. Friends have been a big help as far as cooking / preparing meals for us, which really is a HUGE help. My 12 year old and 17 year old stepsons are also living here for the summer, so they help with a lot of chores, so that is nice as well. We are pretty much doing it solo though. I don't get more than a two hour stretch of sleep, but I think it would feel weird at this point if I did. I am nursing Van & Pierce, and pumping for Jett, and he also gets fortified milk, and sometimes straight formula. He never quite got the hang of nursing after going back and forth between gavaging, going back in the incubator, etc. But it's all working out!

Here's some recent pictures! They're already over a month old!



Jett:

Pierce:

Van:


Pierce: "Hey, I think I found a boob!", Van: "Me too!" Jett: "What the heck!?"

It's here!! Delivery Day!!

WOW. What a road this has been. I still don't think that it has truly hit me that in just under 5 hours from now my C Section will start and probably within 5 hours from now I'll have seen all 5 of my sons. WOW. This has truly been an incredible journey for me.

I feel SO lucky to have not had a single day of mandated bedrest, I have had zero complications, no swelling, and no problems with any of the babies. I really have an amazing support system of friends, family, and "online" friends. And I have to believe that their prayers, positive thoughts, chants, naked dances around the campfire, whatever it is to show their support for me, has really pad off.... for me and the babies to have all made it.... healthy. So a HUGE thank you to all of them, because I REALLY don't believe I could have made it this far without them.

In case you didn't hear the final names are: Vale Truman, Pierce Cullen, and Jett Hudson. We are waiting to decide who is whom until we see them and see which fits which. Wouldn't it be fun if we had a Blonde, a Brunette, and a Redhead? :) That's actually how Doug is, he's blonde, his brother is brunette, and his sister a readhead. I think that is so neat. No, they aren't triplets :)

Doug came home from his 7 month deployment two days ago. Vaughn was a little shy at the airport, but by the time we got home I couldn't get her off of his lap and she was eager to show him all of her toys and play. It was a wonderful, perfect sight. That was the hardest thing about him being gone. Not me being pregnant without him, not me missing him, not me doing everything myself.... it was seeing him missing out on SO much with her, and her growing further away from him. He is amazed at how much she has grown and changed, and for her at least, it is like her daddy never left, she is already that close to him :)

I don't feel nervous yet. I leave for the hospital in less than 2 hours. I'm sure the anxiety will start soon though. I just wanted to make sure I documented before I headed off. This being my last few hours as a mommy to 1.

Here's my last "pregancy photo" I am 35weeks and 3 days here. As of today at 35 weeks and 6 days I measure 46 1/2 inches around, and total weight gain is 23 1/2 pounds. Darn. I was shooting for a nice square 4 feet around. Almost made it!

And here is a photo of Doug and Vaughn shortly after getting home from the airport reconnecting :) A beautiful sight.

Now, onto the next great journey....