Day of Firsts

Today was a day of firsts for us. It was Alyssa’s first day of preschool. I was trying to be supermom and take her myself (with the triplets), especially since this was a new school. Well, of course, we were all late. I was actually doing pretty well staying on schedule, except I didn’t leave time for taking pictures. I had a very reluctant model this year. She wouldn't take a picture outside like last year!

At this preschool, being a few minutes late means that you have to go around the long way, because a lot of the doors are locked, so we were doubly late! But, the teacher was very understanding, even though I felt like the worst mom - being late for the first day of school. I was really proud of Alyssa. She took it all very well.

After that, I figured that since I had everyone else packed up, we might as well go somewhere. I had heard the mall was quite an adventure, so I figured I might as well give it a try. Besides, I was itching to try out the new stroller. So off we went. The comments started right away in the parking lot. A car pulled over and a guy told me he had never seen a stroller like that. After asking me several questions, I asked him if he had kids. His reaction was pretty funny, as if he was taken aback that a total stranger would ask such a personal question!

As it turned out, I got there before the mall opened. It was snack time by then, so we ate our snack outside. It was a beautiful fall day, so I didn’t mind a bit. I was just hoping the trio didn’t get too squirmy. I knew I had to keep moving to keep them happy. Well, the mall soon opened and I didn’t even think about the implications of getting there right when it opened. There were lots of store clerks standing around waiting for something to do. So the staring and comments were over the top. It got to be a game after a while. I tried to guess how long it would take someone to spot us or point us out to the person they were standing next to. The shocking site of us made some people lose all manners and point right at us! I think I was especially amused, because people only knew half our story. Imagine what they would do if Alyssa was with me or they knew I was recovering from cancer!

Overall, we had a good time. Since it was their first time to the mall, Lauren, Drew and Jack were looking all around, even at the ceiling. I took them past the TV section. It’s like Vegas for babies - complete overstimulation of the senses. We went through the toy store and the pet store (almost didn't make it around some of the tight corners in there!). Jack clapped at the end of the pet store, as if to say “I really liked that!” I even treated myself to a Blizzard at DQ, which was a challenge to eat while pushing the stroller. It seems I eat a lot more junk food when Alyssa isn’t around, probably since I don’t have to justify it to her. I was glad I did, though, because a dear old man who could barely walk lit up when he saw the babies and stared at them the whole time I was waiting for my treat to be made. He told me he had to adopt both of his children, which I took to mean he struggled with infertility as well. That’s one of the best joys of having these babies in our lives. We get to share in the joy just their very presence brings into the lives of others. It’s an honor to get to share them with our community.

After 45 minutes of gawking, pointing, gasps, questions and comments, I had had enough and was worn out. The babies did really well, but I think they were ready to go, too. I wrote down below all the comments that I could remember, with some editorial comments by me in [brackets] afterwards. Enjoy reading a taste of our lives!

God bless,
Amanda

“Wow, is all I can say.”
“Did you have to special order that stroller?”
“You’ve got a truck full”
“You’ve got a train full”
“You’ve got your hands full!” [Wish I had a free diaper for every time I heard that one!]
“3 babies!?”
“Look, triplets!” [while pointing right at us as if we were blind]
“Triplets?” [This happens a lot, as if people can’t believe their eyes.]
“You are a brave woman.”
“There’s a busy lady.”
“You can do it all by yourself?” [I wondered if she thought I was never alone?]
“What are their names?”
“How old are they?”
“I’ve never seen a stroller like that.” [Sometimes the stroller gets more comments than the 3 babies in it.]
“Oh my!”
“Look triplets!” [Pointing us out to a co-worker. Nothing says “freakshow” like that, huh?]
“God bless you!”
“They’re adorable!”
“Are they all identical?”
“Are they all boys?” [Lauren was in a pink dress!]
“Do twins run in your family?”
“None of them are crying. What did you do?” [I told her I have a great big God and walked off.]

This was copied and edited for our original website on Babysites.

I Did It!

Don't you love that feeling of accomplishment you get when you are completely intimidated by a challenge, but then you end up conquering it!? I've had a lot of those lately.

When we took our first trip out-of-town (to Chicago for the triplets convention), I was so nervous and wondering what I had gotten us into. (We paid the registration before I found out I had cancer, so there was no backing out!) As it turned out, I forgot to pack a few things, but it went just fine, thanks to all the help that we had from the grandparents. That was such a freeing feeling to know that we could actually go places with this crazy clan of ours. Granted, I spent the entire day before we left packing, but we did it! Then the next weekend, when we went to Evansville for a family reunion, it went much more smoothly. Just like most things, practice makes perfect (or at least better and easier). Then we got really crazy and tried outings like going to the zoo and the state fair. It probably wasn't the smartest idea to go to the zoo 2 days after Alyssa stopped wearing diapers, but there never would be an opportune time for us anyway. And yes, Alyssa did have an accident out in the middle of the grasslands, in front of the two ladies that gawked at us more than anyone else in the last year. And yes, I got dehydrated, because I don't handle the heat so well while my body is all out of whack. Sure, the boys both had a screaming fit that wasn't so pleasant and there were comments about how they weren't happy. But, we got through it and had some fun times. The state fair went a little better. We were so blessed with perfect weather. Alyssa was a champ at using public restrooms (and someone even left a balloon behind for her in one of our stalls). Jack was upset that Drew kept leaning on him in the double stroller and kept shoving him off (it's starting already - ask my sister about crossing THE LINE in the car). But, it was still worth it and fun to get out of our house and experience life again, if but a little bit.

My latest challenges came when Dave when back to school. His first day at work was August 13th and I was scared! The hardest part for me is that I just don't feel comfortable with what my body is capable of doing. There have been so many times this summer where my body has just conked out (due to not enough thyroid hormone). It's a lot like a car that has run out of gas. You can push on the gas pedal all you want, but if the tank is completely empty, you aren't going anywhere! But I am glad to say that Dave's first day back went very well. Now the second day, that's a different story. But at least I know that I can do it, and that builds my confidence immensely. I even got up the courage last week to take all 4 kids outside by myself. It went pretty well, and I really enjoyed it. Today I tried taking all 4 kids by myself on a walk and that didn't go so well. My body just isn't up to that yet, and Alyssa was having some serious "Grandparents detox." (You aren't truly a parent until you have to go through that, huh? It's like an initiation ritual!) But maybe in a month or so I'll be up to it. That's life, you just have to jump in a try sometimes. Sometimes it works out, and sometimes you say "I'll never do that again!"

Another problem that I have to overcome, now that Dave is at work, is how to cart all these kids around all by myself. When you have triplets, there are all kinds of things to consider. For the summer, we used the quad stroller we were given (by a total stranger from Louisville, KY!) for walks around the neighborhood. The biggest problem with it is that we can't haul it anywhere. It doesn't fold up, it's too big for the back of our van, and we don't have a hitch to attach a rack for it. I also think the kids will start kicking each other in the back before too long, as the seats are close together. The other problem with it is that our fair-skinned kids aren't shaded at all. You can buy accessories to get around this, but then you have to decide whether it's worth it to invest the money. When we went out to the fair, zoo, etc, we would take the double and single strollers we were given before I was even pregnant with the triplets (neat how that worked out, huh?). These both have little canopies on them, and we aren't nearly the freak show when we go out on the town with these. Sometimes Alyssa likes to push Lauren in the single stroller, too, but she tires of this after a while. (Otherwise, she could push a stroller when I take the crew out by myself.)

So then, we have what's called a Triple Decker stroller. When the triplets were newborns, this was our best option, as the other strollers were built for kids who can hold their heads up. The Triple Decker is basically a frame that we could snap all 3 infant carriers onto, which made getting in and out of the car easy. I used it a lot when I took all 4 kids to Bible study by myself this spring. But now the trio has outgrown the infant carriers. Dave liked to keep it simple and used the two strollers when he took all 4 kids for walks at the park. (He was actually spotted pushing both strollers by one of the moms in my triplet group who told me all about it, not realizing it was my family!) I couldn't do that, though, because I'm not strong enough to push two strollers by myself right now. I won't bore you with all the options I looked at and consulted others with, but I decided to try to upgrade the Triple Decker myself. You can buy seats from the manufacturer, but they are $75 each. So I found directions from another triplet dad for using those seats you put on a bike for carting a toddler around. One of the challenges is that the seats have to be sturdy, yet removable to fold up the stroller to put it in the van (or accessing the storage underneath). I have spent several days shopping for supplies and figuring out the directions. Our model is newer than the guy who wrote the directions, so I kind of hit a wall. Do I go for it or bail and return the seats? I decided to go for it. I tried my own invention for attaching one of the seats using the hardware that came with it for attaching it to a bike. I drilled plastic, I attached bungee cords, nuts and bolts, and my strong manly husband helped me with the parts I couldn't do, and helped me think of another way to get around one last problem I was having. It worked! I felt exhilarated. What a sense of victory and accomplishment I have now! And I did it all for under $100! It's just in time, too, because Alyssa's first day of preschool is tomorrow, so I think I'll take the whole crew for a grand sendoff. Who knows, I may get crazy while Alyssa is at school and take the whole trio to the mall by myself, too, for the first time.

My kids are learning to master all kinds of new things, too. Alyssa is doing great with the potty training, starting a new preschool class, and learning to use adult utensils. Jack, Drew and Lauren are learning new skills left and right: walking, clapping, saying words, climbing, and a little sign language. I'm sure that they have times they feel overwhelmed or like they'll never get it or like they want to quit, too. But that makes it that much sweeter when we can celebrate those time where we can say, "I did it!"

God bless,

Amanda

This was copied and edited from our original website on Babysites.