11.28.09: Holiday preview

Today (for several hours in the Robertson household) it was Christmas time. We attempted to get some photos of the girls in their holiday dresses (yes, this is their second dress ever) for our Christmas card. We quickly remembered how hard it is to get three babies smiling (or even looking at the camera) at the same time. After several rounds of pictures we completed the photo shoot and the dresses went back onto the hanger with minimal drool additions.

What is most noteworthy in these photos is how much hair Fiona (green) and Stella (red) have grown lately. We no longer look like a 'before' picture of a rogaine commercial. Instead, we are beginning to show our light brown locks. Daphne (blue) has always had quite a bit more hair than her sisters in more of a reddish tone. Time will only tell what color the girls will end up with, but for now we are just excited that they are finally growing hair.

11.26.09: Ooh la la

(Left to right: Fiona, Daphne, Stella)

Today the girls wore their first dresses. Of course they couldn't wear just any dresses, instead (showing their preference for fine European attire already) they wore dresses that Matt picked out while visiting France.

For thanksgiving, we went over to the Desai home to hang out with family. Although we had to leave before dinner (due to the girls' bedtime) we still left with a TON of vegetarian thanksgiving food. Once everyone was asleep, Brant and I enjoyed our yummy home cooked meal and even leftovers the next day.

11.20.09: Date nights

With Grandy still in town due to Brant's trip to Germany, we had to take advantage of our willing babysitter. Brant and I got out of the house TWICE for what we called Date Nights! One night we went to dinner and the second we went to have a drink and dessert (yes, this breastfeeding mom has the occasional drink). We have figured out that if we feed the girls and get them into bed, then we can escape for a good couple hours before we feed everyone again. This means our babysitter (aka Grandy), just has to handle binkie reinsertion and the occasional snack. It also means that Brant and I get to go out to spend time together without the girls or a list of errands to run, a true treat.

11.18.09: Mama is siiiiiick

I got really sick late last week like I haven't been sick in some time. I had a fever of 102 for a couple days and couldn't eat anything for even more. My mom was in town as Brant was heading to Germany on Saturday but with me down for the count, we had to call in another backup. Bonnie flew out to help with the girls while I attempted to recover as quickly as possible. My mom did a great job taking care of the babies, but it is just too much at night for one person (which is why my mom was here while Brant was gone in the first place). I was SO worried that I would give the girls my illness or my mom. If either of those happened, then we really would have been a mess. Thankfully with Bonnie flying out shortly after Brant's departure, my mom was able to handle the girls (and me) and no one else got sick (phew!). A short week later and I am feeling much better, but it really brings to light how important your health is when you are taking care of three little babies.

Thanks grandmas! We could not have done it without you!

11.12.09: Spectacle

(Stella pink, Fiona brown, Daphne white)

Have you ever seen one of those triplet strollers? The ones that are three seats long? Well thanks to another triplet mom that I met in the M.O.Ms group, we are now the very proud owners of one of these strollers. I can get through doorways with ease and once I master the navigational challenges, this stroller is going to make my daily walks a bit easier as I will no longer need to carry one kid (via wrap or bjorn). I have learned that this is a stroller that I use when I know the path I am going as it is a bit bigger than normal. So already, I have found a use for both strollers. The twin stroller + carrying one baby is great for bigger crowds and unknown destinations while the triplet stroller is great for our daily walks and picking up daddy from work.

I actually thought this new stroller would draw more attention when walking around town as compared to the twin stroller, but I think I was wrong. Turns out people are better able to see the three babies in the triplet stroller and I get fewer questions (more looks, but fewer questions). With the twin stroller, I get a lot of 'Triplets?' Perhaps people are better able to count to three (as they see the babies in the triplet stroller) rather than adding two plus one (as the twin stroller + carrying a baby requires more math). Who knows.

11.11.09: Five months old

(left to right Fiona, Daphne, Stella - please note for the first time no one is screaming in the monthly photo)

Today the girls turned five months old. I can't believe it! Where has the time gone? In the past month they have learned to roll like crazy, started to grab things and giggle amongst other fantastically rewarding milestones. We estimate they weigh between 12-14 pounds and are a solid two feet tall. They are really beginning to show their personalities. Stella loves to talk and smile, Daphne loves to lick and jump and Fiona loves to examine and study things. We really have three unique girls and watching their personalities blossom is amazing.

11.8.09: Santa Monica

Stella pink, Daphne left, Fiona right

Today we went on a big adventure to Santa Monica to visit with Jen (from Boston) who was in town on a girls vacation. I can't believe how big Kayla (Jen's daughter) has gotten since I saw her just over a year ago. The girls did great on the car ride there and did wonderful while we walked along the pier catching up. This was the first time the girls saw the ocean. They didn't go and play in the water, we figure we will save that for another trip when they can enjoy it a bit more. Even on the car ride home the girls did pretty well as Brant and I only had to break out into the alphabet song for 10-15 minutes (a success in our book). We are still building our confidence with taking the girls out on these bigger adventures. We always end up heading home sooner than we'd prefer, but each trip builds our confidence and pretty soon we will be able to go somewhere for more than a couple hours at a time (we hope).

11.7.09: Sniffles

The girls got their first cold. I knew this would be a challenge when having multiples - cross contamination. There is really no reasonable way to prevent the spread of a cold between the girls. I would like to pretend that we don't share binkies, bottles, or medicine, but I would be lying. When we first brought everyone home from the NICU we were much better about cross contamination, but soon learned it was going to happen regardless of what we did so we just decided to embrace it. Besides, at least this way they all get sick at the same time rather than consecutively. Of course that makes the couple of days they are sick very tough, but then they are all on the mend at the same time too. Thankfully the cold only seems to last a couple days and I believe we are entering the recovery stage.

11.2.09: Blankets complete

(Fiona aka Alpha)

(Daphne aka Beta)

(Stella aka Gamma)



So I FINALLY finished the blankets that I intended to make for the babies before they were born. I was on track to finish but then in late April, my hands began to swell so much that I couldn't hold the yarn or crochet hook very well and unfortunately Gamma's (aka Stella's) blanket never got completed before she was born. Of course, after the girls arrived, things have been pretty crazy and finding time to craft has been challenging. Regardless, the blankets are complete and I am ecstatic. Of course the girls aren't allowed to use them yet, they must be kept in pristine condition until I can get past the hundreds of hours I spent on them. Maybe they will be able to use them when they are 10, but no promises :)

11.1.09: Virtual babysitters

This morning we wanted to show Kelly and Rob how the girls are rolling all over the place (yes all three are going crazy with this new skill). So we all got out our laptops and Skyped with them. Both Fiona and Daphne were on their backs and rolled over to their bellies pushing up to stare at the computer screen image of Kelly and Rob. It was totally adorable. Stella waited until just after we were done skyping to begin rolling (I guess she is a little camera shy). Skype is great, I wonder if virtual babysitting will ever become popular.

The girls also got to meet their Aunts Mette and Tristen today. Another adventure out of the house for the Robertsons. Of course ending with us leaving quickly due to bedtime, but it was still great to see everyone.