Since I had surgery Thursday, we dressed the kids up in their costumes on Wednesday  (bees and a beekeeper) and took them around town.  We started the day at library story time.  The kids LOVE story time.  They participate in the songs and dance to the music.  Fifteen minutes is just the right amount of time to keep their attention and prevent them from wandering the library.

A little later that day we took the kids to Max’s work.   The employees were so sweet and even had candy for the kids to practice trick-or-treating with.  We then met some of our close friends for lunch before heading home for naps.  It was a fabulous day!

Marcus and Mia digging for treats

Josie having a blast

Mia trying to fly

Josie and Katherine (who is about to have her own baby)

Thursday was the day of my tummy tuck!  Honestly, I thought for sure the nerves wold kick in by Thursday morning but I was relatively calm through the entire process.  I started in the office of the “surgical suite” by changing into a comfy plush robe.  The nurse, doctor, and anesthesiologist all came in and talked to us.  Before I went back to the OR, I stood on a platform and got marked up.  It was eerily familiar to a tailoring, except was on my skin rather than clothes.  The staff was great and they kept the mood light and calm.  Max was then taken in one direction while I was taken to the OR.  I climbed onto the OR table and was so comfy I honestly felt like I was there to get a massage.  The blankets were plush and heated and the anesthesiologist told me exactly what was going on at all times in a very friendly and calm way.  The last think I remember is being told I was given Valium to help me relax.  The plastic surgeon came in and said a few nice words and I was out.   The next thing I remember is waking up in the recovery room.  In what seemed like 5 min but was probably much longer, Max was brought in, I was put in wheelchair, and then we were on our way home.

The day of the surgery was tough.  I would definitely say the pain is worse than my c-section but  it is still manageable.  My pain meds did lapse from the time I left the hospital to the time I woke up at home.  In those few moments, I honestly felt like I had been hit by a mack truck.  As soon as the pain meds kicked back in, I was fine.  The worst part about the first recovery day was my extremely dry mouth as a result of the anesthesia and meds.  The first night I had a catheter.  It was extremely difficult to move  so I’m glad that was there. I thought I would have difficulty sleeping but honestly, with the pain meds on board, I was out like a light.   The catheter was a piece of cake to remove the next morning.

I am trying to get up and walk around as much as I can.  I am not allowed to shower till my drain comes out early next week.  This morning, Max helped me wash my hair in the sink and change clothes.  My doctor told me the first 72 hours were going to be extremely painful and he was right.  Today I am finally starting to feel slightly better but I imagine I am going to be out of commission for another week.

I’m told all went great with the surgery.  The doctor said besides the severe muscle separation, my abs were in remarkable shape and that should help me recovery nicely.  I’ve sneaked a short peak at my tummy.  With all the bruising and swelling, it is really hard to tell what’s going on.  One thing is certain, my creped, wrinkly skin is gone.  I’m looking forward to seeing and sharing the results in the upcoming weeks.

Gymboree classes for triplets : a little pricey.

The squeals of delight that come with parachute time at Gymboree: priceless.

A few months into my pregnancy I saw the John and Kate episode where Kate revealed her post-sextuplet tummy to the world.  I cried.  In the big picture, my sagging tummy is a tiny blip in an what was an emotional pregnancy, a crazy first year and an amazing blessing.  My children are worth every stretch mark and wrinkle.  But, Kate did look good after that tummy tuck….

After recently finding out I needed surgery to correct an umbilical hernia from my pregnancy, I decided to go ahead and consult with a plastic surgeon about getting a tummy tuck at the same time. Max and I couldn’t be happier with the three children we have.  We do not have plans for any more.  The kids are all walking and at a really great age.  They are mostly happy and easily entertained (the terrible 2′s still seem far off).  I have lost all my pregnancy weight gain and am back in physical shape.  I decided this was a great time to be out of commission for a few weeks and my mom is available to help with the kids during my long recovery.  My general surgeon recommended 2 plastic surgeons and I scheduled consultations with both.  This is how they played out:

Visit 1:  The waiting room was very “spa-like” down to the soft Enya-ish music in the background.  Just like a spa, the bathroom had individual towels to dry your hands.  However, that was about the end of the spa atmosphere.  I was taken back into an examine room where a lovely paper “robe” was waiting for me.  The doctor entered the room with his nurse and introduced himself.  He then proceeded to ask why someone my size felt the need for a tummy tuck.  ”Um, did you read my medical history” I thought but instead politely answered that I had carried triplets.  ”I see” he said and after taking one look at my abdomen I hear “Yes mam, a tummy tuck is definitely your only hope.”  ”Nice”, I think.

After my examination, the doctor sat down and talked to me all about the procedure.  Basically all of my skin will be removed from my belly button down and the remainder of my skin will be stretched down and sewn together.  My muscles will be sewn back together and my hernia patched up.  His talk was about 15 minutes.  Overall, he was very nice and seemed great at what he did but I wasn’t ready to commit to letting him cut me open.

After the exam, the “sales” associate took me back to her office and passed on some information, the most important being the sheet of paper with the line of numbers down the side.  At the bottom is my estimated total but if I pay in full before the end of December, I qualify for a $300 credit to their spa.  Wow, somehow a free facial isn’t going to convince me to choose their facility for a major 3 hour surgery costing thousands of dollars.  But, I would keep that in mind.

My second consultation was a few weeks later where there was a much longer wait to schedule a consultation. The waiting room wasn’t quite as spa-like but was still pretty uppity with plush leather couches and exotic plants.  Rather than being taken immediately to the exam room, I was taken back to the surgeon’s office where I was told to make myself comfortable and served bottled water.  The sales associate was telling me how much I deserved this surgery before she even knew my circumstances.  That kind-of made me wonder what surgery she thought I was there for;)  After a few minutes, the surgeon came in and introduced himself.  I immediately preferred him over the first surgeon.  Perhaps it helped to be meeting him fully clothed but honestly I think he simply had a better bedside manner.  He immediately congratulated me on the triplets and urged me to bring them in after my surgery.  His consultation lasted almost an hour before we even went back to the exam room.  I was told in detail the pros (no more sagging skin and abs again)/cons (big scar from hip to hip) and risks of the surgery.  Then, he showed me many before/after pictures of his patients.  The exam was about as equally quick and uneventful  and included  the usual, “You definitely need to get the hernia repaired” and “this is a great example of what a multiple pregnancy will do to someone.”

Much like the first appointment, after the exam I was led back into the sales associates office and given “the numbers”.  The cost was slightly more and no free spa services were offered.  The additional cost of the second place compared to the first was inconsequential compared to the overall better experience. My decision was made.

Wouldn’t you know, in the 4-5 days Max and I discussed the logistics of scheduling my tummy tuck, my top available date filled up.  In fact, in the few hours between finding out the new available dates and confirming with my mom and Max, another date filled up.  It turns out the holidays are very busy times for plastic surgeons.  People schedule months in advance.  Go figure.  So, my surgery is scheduled for next Thursday which means I will basically miss my kids first trick-or-treating adventures.  Sad but better than having to wait till January.

My pre-op appointment was last week.  It was very uneventful.  I was taken back to an exam room while getting a short tour on the way.  ”And these 3 rooms are full of boobs.  We do lots of boobs here.” The nurse says. I am at a loss for something to say so I stupidly reply “that’s a lot of boobs”.  Thankfully we then arrive at the exam room where I am given detailed instructions of what to expect during and after my surgery.  Liquid diet 24 hours prior to surgery, nothing to eat or drink the day of, toenail polish is ok, etc. etc.  There are WAY more instructions than prior to my c-section.  In fact, I don’t ever remember talking about what would happen before/during/after my c-section.  Different circumstances… A few before pictures were taken (the worst part of the whole experience so far) and I was sent home.  ”See you at 7:15 AM in two weeks.”

So, I’ve stopped taking any Vitamin E or other herbal supplements that can increase bleeding, am loading up on zinc to ward off a cold or flu, and preparing my shopping list of post-surgery drugs.  I can’t believe my “twin+skin” is going to be gone in less than a week.  More to come…

A few pictures to share (not of my before tummy..sorry, those will have to wait.):

Pop-Pop with Josie and Marcus

Gramma with Mia

What was your reaction after finding out you were having triplets?

When the RE told us he saw three embryos my immediate reaction was  ”What does that mean?”  Max just stood there with his mouth open.  ”Well, the doctor said, it looks like you have three potential fetuses.”

“Triplets?” I said

“Well, let’s see if they all have heartbeats.  Yep, it looks like you have 3 thriving embryos.”

A few measurements were taken while I took some huge gulps and massaged my forehead.  ”This cannot be happening” I think I said repeatedly.  I’m not sure if Max said much.  He just stood there staring at the screen, turning white.

After the exam, the doctor told us to meet him in his office so we could talk more about “this outcome.”  My mouth was totally dry.  Max went straight to the bathroom to “get some water”.  We both walked to the doctor’s office in shock.

I don’t think our initial reaction was extremely positive since the doctor kept repeatedly apologizing that “this had happened”.  He gave us lots of information about the risks of attempting to carry triplets and the dangers of prematurity.  He talked directly to me.  One glance at Max explained why.  Max was totally white and was gripping the armrests of his chair.  I tried to stay calm but it wasn’t easy.  Before leaving the office we made an appointment with our high risk OB.  The RE made sure we got an appointment early enough to “selectively reduce if we chose to”.

As we left the hospital, Max and I were very quiet.  It wasn’t until we were almost home that we began to talk about what we would do.  3 carseats, tons of diapers, 3 cribs; and that was only if we made it through the pregnancy.  We knew we would not chose selective reduction.  People had triplets, we could do it.  We had family close by, we were financially stable, and we liked challenges.  From the get go we had the attitude if anyone could do it, we could.

We immediately told our parents.  My mom and my dad were driving back to their home in Roanoke in separate cars.  While she was talking to me she waved at my dad to pull over.  He held up 2 fingers through the window to ask “twins?”.  She shook her head “no” and held up 3 fingers.  I imagine my dad thought he was seeing things.

Max told his parents by phone.  Carol was taking a walk on the beach at the time.  Alan immediately rushed out the door after talking to Max to hunt Carol down.  Max’s brother was a little confused by the urgency but figured he’d find out what was going on eventually.  Max called his sister, “wow…your going to need lots of stuff…wow”.

My sister is a L&D nurse.  Around 8 weeks, I showed her a picture of our ultrasound.  She immediately knew what she was looking at “Your pregnant…wait, 3?  Your kidding!”  My brother thought we were playing a joke for about 20 min.  He kept telling us “anyone can find those pictures online.”

We are extremely thankful for our supportive family.  Because we knew they would be here for us, we easily and quickly made the decision to not selectively reduce.  We were blessed with three amazing children.  I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Josie demonstrating her amazing strength and coordination: future gymnast

Marcus playing with his new favorite toy from Aunt Tracey, a singing and dancing dragon: Future charmer

Mia LOVING the coolest toy ever.  A wall of doors and locks made by Grandpa P : future problem solver

Triplets are considered a high risk pregnancy.  If you look up triplet pregnancies online (which is what I did as soon as I found out about my pregnancy) you will get scared.  Most triplet pregnancies have some complications (pre-term labor, pre-eclampsia, shortened cervix), some are not successful and result in one two, or 3 infant deaths.    Some result in micro-preemies who end up battling diseases, developmental delays, or permanent handicaps.  The fact is, a high-order multiple pregnancy is never a sure thing.  For the entire 6-9 months, you will wonder if your babies will make it and how early they will arrive.  In order to make it through a pregnancy like this, you have to have a strong support system, including an amazing doctor.   I did.  I am very blessed to have 3 healthy, perfect little tots.

My high-risk obstetrician is my hero.  From the day we walked into his office, I knew I was going to make it through my triplet pregnancy and my babies were going to be ok.  My doctor honestly didn’t know how “ok” my pregnancy would be but he never let us know this.  At our first meeting, he shook our hands and he seemed genuinely thrilled to have us as patients.  The mood in the room immediately went from weary and anxious to calm, upbeat, even celebratory.   Sure, we were warned of the risks and the research but the focus of our discussions were always positive.  Most importantly, he gave me confidence that I, a 5’0″ petite short torso women, could carry these triplets successfully.

As confident as I was, I knew the reality’s of a triplet pregnancy.  I saw women go from running errands one day to hospital bedrest the next.  I saw women picking out the color of the nursery one day, to having their babies at 24 weeks the next.  I saw thriving NICU babies die in a matter of a night.  I also saw women carry their triplets with no issues up to 36 weeks and take their babies home with them the next day.  I did not know where I would fall on the spectrum.  My doctor never told me where he thought I would fall but every time I saw him, he assured me I would be fine until the next time I saw him.  He kept me going.

My pregnancy was not an easy one.  From 23 weeks on, I had problems…major problems that could have resulted in losing my babies.  Out of nowhere, a substantially shortened cervix at 23 weeks put me on immediate home bedrest.  At 29 weeks, pre-eclampsis set in and I was sent to the hospital for the remainder of my pregnancy.  I experienced regular contractions from about 22+ weeks till delivery.  Each time something happened, my doctor calmed me and gave me another dose of confidence.  ”Sure, this is a setback but it is not the end of the road.”  When a resident almost scared my babies right out of me at 23 weeks, practically prepping me for delivery, my doctor set us all straight.  ”We do not need to talk about 24 week babies, Karla is not having her babies now and probably not soon”.  When he told me what the research showed and mentioned the possibility of 30+ week babies, I had my doubts but that is all I needed to hear to keep going.

My doctor did not encourage us to tour the NICU until it seemed apparent my babies could come any day.  He did not want to worry us with “possibilities” because we had enough on our plate.  He did not treat me with any drugs that did not have legitimate research showing positive results.  Why continually bring back my focus to my high risk pregnancy and stress my body?  While in the hospital, my doctor would come into my room, plop down on the couch and tell me about his wife’s yoga classes and the behind-the-scene Grey’s Anatomy jokes at the hospital (he secretly wished the residents called him “McDreamy”).  He answered my questions but he did not focus on my complications.  At the time I thought he was a little “inattentive” as a doctor but now I think he is a hero.   When his other triplet patient delivered at 31 weeks, he went on and on about how wonderfully the kids were doing in the NICU, he did not tell me how this patient was cleaning toilets at home one day and having her babies the next.   When my blood pressure shot up to 180/110, he asked me all about my thesis topic and “by the way, that was just one blood pressure reading, it does not mean we’re going to take your babies now.”  He was not “inattentive and lackadaisical”, he was keeping my mind off my impending early delivery, keeping my blood pressure down, and thus keeping my babies cooking.  That was his job and he did it brilliantly.

The only time my doctor said “I think you are going to deliver within the next couple days” was 2 days before I delivered.  I was one day shy of 33 weeks.  It was like he gave me permission to have my babies and I did.  The man is my hero.  He brought me to this:

My news is:

I think I’m going to have another hero but in a totally different way.  My OB helped me bring three miracles into this world but my body took a beating.  Another hero, in a slightly more artificial light, is going to put it back together again.

In two weeks I’m getting a tummy tuck!

Put your 3 middle fingers together and that is the gap between my stomach muscles.  I have a hernia,  which means essentially I can stick my finger in a hole above my belly button and practically touch my intestines.  And, my tummy looks similar to a very old man’s ass.

I’m going to blog about this exciting; albeit painful, experience.  If your looking for before pictures, your going to have to wait till I have the after pictures.  But, you can get an idea from this awesome website The Shape of a Mother.   There is a part of me that sees my damaged tummy as a badge of honor and feels a little mixed about removing that.  But, it is a VERY, VERY, VERY TINY part of me.  In fact, according to a poll of mom’s of multiples, a whopping 44% have had or are planning plastic surgery and 37% would do it if they had the money.  4% claim they went back to the way they were pre-pregnancy (seriously?) and 5% are proud of their sagging skin (you go girls..all 6 of you).

So, in the upcoming weeks I will tell you about my previous consultations  and pre-op appointments.  Why did I decide now was the right time?  How will I handle not picking up my kids for 6 weeks?  Will I have help (do you read my blog…thank you mom!), I’ll let you know in my next post.  Then in two weeks, I’ll tell you about my agony.

Am I nervous?  After 7.5 months of uncertainty, 2.5 months of bedrest, several weeks of agonizing pain , my c-section was a walk in the park…I was cracking jokes as they cut me open and eagerly walking around the next day.  For the past 15 months my triplets have challenged me mentally and physically (that jogging stroller is heavier than me now) in ways I never imagined.  So am I nervous about a week of  lying in bed with nothing to do (oh, and feeling like I got hit by a mack truck)…no, I’m not.   I’m counting down the days!

I have a pretty good feeling my plastic surgeon is going to be another hero of mine.  Stay tuned…

“Do multiples run in your family?”  ”Are they natural?”  Or my favorite yet, “Was this planned?”

People are very interested in the origins of multiples.   Perhaps they are thinking “gosh, can that just happen…3 babies, could that happen to me?”  or perhaps they know someone going through fertility treatments who have been warned of the risk of multiples or perhaps they are just curious.  I don’t really care why they ask this question and most of the time, I don’t mind answering.

Max and I’s pregnancy was definitely planned.  The plan was to have one baby.  Unfortunately, we were not able to do this without any help b/c I was diagnosed with “Hypothalamic Amenorrhea (HA)”, which meant there was a disconnect between my hormone levels and how my hypothalamus responded to them.  In a nutshell, I did not ovulate.  When we decided we wanted to get pregnant, we visited a reproductive endocrinologist (RE) who sat down and explained all our options.  We would start with Clomid, a popular first step when treating any infertility issues.  Clomid is simply a pill that provides hormones to help regulate a women’s cycle.  A round of Clomid, is only 5 pills you take once a day.  I know many people who used Clomid and became pregnant.  I also know a ton of people who had no success on Clomid.  You can get it from your OBGYN.  No one I knew had multiples as a result of Clomid.  Our RE explained the chances of twins was rare on Clomid, only 10 %.  That was all that was mentioned.

The RE explained that the majority of women with my condition (HA), did not respond to Clomid and required hormone injections/artificial insemination to get pregnant.  If that failed, we would resort to IVF.  So after our first RE appointment Max and I digested all the information we received.  We knew getting pregnant could be a very  long/expensive/emotionally draining process.  I began to look up info. on fertility treatments online and filled my prescription for the Clomid, which I would stay on for several cycles, increasing the dosage each month.

Wouldn’t you know after taking one of the lowest doses of Clomid for one cycle, which wasn’t even “suppose” to work, I became pregnant.  No ultrasounds of my ovaries were done, no artificial insemination was used, no other hormones were given.  I simply took 5 pills.

At my 6-week ultrasound, we were told I was pregnant with triplets.  The doctor was completely astounded and said the chances of this happening were less than 1%.   That was how we ended up with triplets.

Do multiples run in our family?  There are a few cousins/distant relatives of mine who have twins.  On Max’s side there are also a few sets of twins.  So yes, I suppose we do have some multiples in our family.

We were not prepared for the news of a multiple pregnancy.  We didn’t even really discuss the possibility of twins.  So certainly, our “triplets” were not planned.  How did we react to the news of triplets?  That is for next week’s post.

Boo!  We’re all coming at the same time mom, are you scared?

As for my news, for those I haven’t blabbed to already, I will do a post by the end of the week.

I spent more of my childhood in Roanoke, VA than in any other city so I consider that my hometown.  When you grow up in such a beautiful town, it is easy to forget how pretty it is until you move away.  I went to undergraduate college in Harrisonburg, VA, which like Roanoke, is also in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  It wasn’t until I moved to Raleigh, NC that I realized mountains weren’t everywhere.  It is always nice to visit your hometown but with this scenery, going home is so much sweeter.

The trail to the  Mill Mountain Zoo enterance

Big man riding the train at the zoo

Having fun at the park

Grandpa and Josie

Josie and I at the Science Museum

Grandma and Mia at the Science Museum

I have been meaning to document our “exciting” triplet baptism but just got around to getting the pictures from my mom.  So, here is the story:

We had been meaning to get our kids baptized for awhile but we had been a little busy the past 15 months and way behind on some of our to do list.   When we finally got around to scheduling the kids baptism, it happened to be a very busy “baptism time” and 7 baptisms ended up being  scheduled for the same Sunday.  No worries, we were almost half of that seven.  I knew 14 months wasn’t the most cooperative age for a formal event but I didn’t want to procrastinate anymore.  I specifically asked the priest how we would handle a “hypothetical” situation such as 3 babies totally freaking out during the ceremony.  He assured me they had seen it all and it would be just fine.

We were lucky to have so many wonderful family and friends share in our children’s special day.  Max’s sister and her family even traveled all the way from Northerrn Virginia to attend the event.  I’m so glad my children gave everyone such a show!

I knew it wasn’t going to be a “smooth” day when Marcus woke up at 5:30 AM.  He was a mess by 9 AM but refused to nap.  Oh well.  The service was at 11:15, not necessarily the best time of day for my children but our church has a fabulous “cry” room, which we had to resort to 5 min. before the service even began.

So as expected, the kids didn’t make it through the service but I figured they would at least be cooperative during the 5 minute baptismal ceremony.  Not quite.  The mere fact that my children are triplets draw lots of attention.  But while standing in the center of the church with a crowd of 20+ other baptism candidates and their godparents, my children struggled to get down, threw major temper-tantrums and had complete breakdowns.  While I’m used to the drama and attention, I’m not sure the rest of the congregation was quite prepared for the show. Josie had to be removed from the church 2 times during the baptism ceremony for uncontrollable crying.  Marcus and Mia once.  We juggled the kids between the godparents and grandparents in hopes of calming them down but not much helped.  They were tired, hungry and antsy; they were 14 months old.

When the time came for the actual blessing, Marcus and Josie did quite well.  As soon as the priest took them, they stopped crying and appeared “calmed”.  Mia was another story.  She screamed and kicked at the priest the entire time.  When he tried to bless her on her forehead, she swatted at the priest repeatedly.  Max finally had to hold her arms down in order for the child to get officially baptized.  The whole church was laughing at my feisty child while I turned bright red.

So,  the kids baptism was a memorable event but at least I know Mia will stick up for herself around strange men.  And, now I am certain that priest really has “seen it all”.

Uncle Luke and I with Josie, Aunt Tracey and Uncle Matt with Mia

Marcus, calm and comfy

Josie, weary but obedient

Mia, angry and relentless

We are having a great weekend in Roanoke.  I will post pics tomorrow night.

I used to count cells.  Seriously, for several years I worked as a lab technician for a surgery professor and part of my job entailed spending hours looking into a microscope counting cells.  It may sounds boring but I actually enjoyed it.   I would settle into a nice comfy chair with my hazelnut coffee by my side and NPR on in the background and count.  The mundanes was peaceful and NPR kept me in touch with the world.  Plus…the coffee was awesome!

Now I count children and life is NEVER mundane.  We have started taking the triplets to a few classes.  I spend a majority of the time at these classes scanning the large gymnasium for my children “one, two, three”, job complete.  Five minutes later “one, two, three”, job complete.  Unfortunately I am not seated in a plush chair; instead I am sitting Indian style on a hard floor trying to do a spider with my fingers while my child ignores my attempts at singing a nursery rhyme.   I do not have a coffee in my hand.  My hands are empty…which after 15 months of almost always having at least one child in my arms, feels a little strange.   Rather than listening to NPR, I listen to songs like “cold spaghetti, cold spaghetti”, and ” D-O-R-O-T-H-Y, Dorothy the dinosaur.”  And, I have no clue what is going on in the world.  I just found out Jay Leno is on prime time and in the 20 min. of the Today show I catch in the AM, I hear J&K+8 may be just K+8 or be gone altogether (such a travesty seeing that marriage fall apart, why does money make people think they are “above” working on a difficult situation).

Max and I use to talk about all sorts of things on our weekend outings, like exploring small business ideas or if we would rather live in the mountains or at the beach.  Now our weekend conversations are more like “Do you have Mia…do you see Josie, Marcus is headed your way”.    Our lazy Sunday mornings are gone.  Toddlers are never lazy.

Somedays I really miss counting cells.  Sometimes I count to ten just to reassure myself I am capable of counting past 3.  Some days I wish I could go back to my mundane lab job but then something happens.  Mia suddenly says “apple” clear as day, or Marcus comes running up to me with a book in his hand and plops down in my lap, or Josie dances her signature dance and then flashes me her signature magical smile and I melt.  Sure counting to 3 may not be the same as counting thousands of cells but I promise you, it is more difficult and more fulfilling.  Unfortunately, my time with my precious toddlers is short, it won’t even  last as long as my job as a lab technician did.   So do I really want to go back to counting cells? No, I do not.

Count them: one, two, three.

So we went for our 15 month check-up yesterday.  Everyone is doing great.  The kids are still small.  We cannot forget they are “preemies” and are not expected to totally catch up until age 2.

Our peanut Mia is still under 20 lbs (19-13), which only puts her in the 10%.  But, she continues to be a tall skinny thing at 29 1/4″.  I find it very interesting that Mia has all 4 of her molars while her brother and sister still only have their 8 front teeth.  It is like nature’s way of trying to get her caught up in size (if only the child would stop for a second to eat).

Marcus meanwhile continues to be “solid” at 22-7 lbs.  He is about 25% for weight and height.

Jocelyn is going to take after her mother.  She has consistently been around 10% for height, almost an inch shorter than her sister but outweighing her by over a pound.

Developmentally, the kids are right on for their actual age.  They may not be caught up in size but they sure are caught up in skills.  Starting to run – check, speaking 5+ words – check, pretend play – check, tempertantrums - check.

So I guess I have to start encouraging them to try silverware more (the mess would give you nightmares) and let them creatively express themselves through crayons (the colored poop will also give you nightmares).

When I asked why my kids are always sick, the pedi was very nice.  He isn’t on the side of “isolating” preemies (thank goodness b/c I am not either, I would go mental if I stayed at the house all winter).  He reassured me the 8+ colds they have had this past year will strengthen their immune systems so they miss school less at age 5+.  Great, kindergarten is REALLY going to rock!

Shots went as expected.  Mia tried to beat up the nurse (did you hear the baptism story…Mia hit the priest several times…not cool), Josie obediently received her shot but screamed about it forever and Marcus complained for a second but then quickly moved on.  We are getting flu shots (H1N1 included) but will not qualify for RSV shots this year.

At the doctor’s – yes, my mom is sitting on the floor of the exam room and my kids only have diapers and shoes on…our appointments are always a little weird.

On another note, we are headed to Roanoke, VA for the weekend and I finally received my diploma (MA in Exercise and Sports Science) in the mail!  Both of these things are exciting but neither are my exciting news.   So, still stay tuned!  I think it will make for some fun blogging.