Nearly A Month

The triplets are almost a month old.  It's been an exhausting adventure so far.  I love my family so much and couldn't imagine it any differently.  Berlin was so happy to have a sister that she barely noticed the boys at the hospital and our first days home.  It was all about her baby sister Roarke.  Declan didn't runderstand what was going on when we were at the hospital.  I carried him to each of the babies and it wasn't until the third one stirred that he realized they were alive!  He squealed "Baby!" Absolutely adorable. 

Quick recap of events. The brood was born on February 20th.  Scheduled c-section that followed a twin c-section. Dr Seeker delivered five babies by 8:30 Monday morning.  That's the way to do it huh?

Gideon Edward weighed 4lb, 15oz and was 18.5" long at 8:25.

Roarke Helena weighed 4lb, 15oz and was 18" long at 8:27.

Fletcher Cole weighed 4lb, 14oz and was 18.5" long at 8:28.

Boom Boom Boom

Amazing how my wife cooked these kiddos evenly!  All are healthy and no one went to the NICU.  Every nurse, Doctor, tech, housekeeper, etc commented that we were the first set of triplets ever on the floor.  Typically they treat the mother while the babies are in the NICU.  The fact that they are red heads just added to the buzz.

We stayed a couple extra days because the kids were losing grams instead of gaining pounds.  We finally had to juke the system and feed them right before they were weighed to show positive growth. I do not claim to know more than doctors, but they certainly become institutionalized after a time.  They lack common sense when they look at charts all day instead of people.  Aside from waking everyone up to poke and prod (don't they realize how often babies wake up, DO NOT wake a sleeping child when their parents are running on E) the hospital wasn't doing anything differently than we could...without the medical bills.

It was odd, Tina was a guest of the hospital in the room because she'd been discharged while they cared for the trips.  Even more ironic, the doctor's said insurance company started stressing about her staying because it's costing unnecessary money.  Even though if you think about it, Tina did such an amazing job that our triplets aren't costing them the money that the NICU typically costs.  Ever ungrateful. 

I was done with sleeping on a couch and feeling like a prisoner.  We had to purchase another set of car seats to leave the hospital.  If a baby is born before 37 weeks and/or weighs under 5 pounds they must pass a car seat assessment.  They wouldn't use the ones we had with the inserts to fit the newborns.  They were too big and the inserts aren't allowed during testing.  Here's the problem with that line of thought.  You have to calculate the human factor.  They wouldn't test the car seats with the inserts even though we as the parents had 100% intention of using them outside of the hospital.  If the whole point is to make sure the kid doesn't die, shouldn't you test it in the capacity in which it will actually be used?  Also, putting them flat on the ground instead of tilted slightly like they will be in a car was pretty dumb.  Oh well, extra money spent to by my kid's freedom.

Last week's check up, Gideon and Roarke were over their birth weights and  Fletcher was only an ounce behind.  They're sleeping a couple hours at a time on a three hour feeding schedule.  Life is completely different and I couldn't be more grateful.

So Much Stuff, So Little Time!

This is the time I should be recording my thoughts and emotions but I've been so busy and inundated with everything that I haven't been able to touch this piece of  my life. 

Quick recap:

I traveled all over the place in January.  The biggest was my trip to Morristown, New Jersey at the end of the month.  My company held an invite only Leadership Conference for people in my position and my counterparts who cover the airport locations.  This was a huge opportunity to meet the executives of the company and spend quality time with many of them and my fellow comrades in arms.  Truly a fantastic experience even though they kept us scheduled from 7am to 10 pm every night that week.  I even got to meet Jim Craig, goalie for the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" Olympic Hockey team!

My mother-in-law moved in to help us out at the beginning of January.  Her mother came down a week later.  Lemme just say, the help is so needed and appreciated, but having four generations of women living in my house has been a true test of everyone's sanity.  Tina has made it to 35 weeks and 2 days pregnant with our triplets.  There's no way she could have made it this far without the help my in-laws have provided. 

I'm sure I'll post more on each of those topics later as they were summed up far quicker than reality presents itself.

The big news is that my wife's made it more than three weeks past the average.  She's miserably huge.  Sleep comes in short 20 minute bouts before she has to flip like a rotisserie chicken to remain semi-comfortable.  Last measurements put all three over five pounds which is awesome!  I'm very anti scheduling c-sections.  I believe a baby will come when they are ready.  Triplets create additional risk factors that make me lower my ideals.  So we have them scheduled for Monday morning!

I know they're ready because she's lost that mucous plug thing and has been contracting all week.  That is my solace with the situation.  The specific day isn't the important thing...it's their health that I'm concerned with.  I want to avoid NICU time if possible.  I think my trooper of a wife has done the incredible by making it this far with barely a complaint.  These kids will have the best fighting chance because of her!

So, I can't wait to meet my new daughter and two new sons.  Berlin knows there are three babies coming but I don't think she really gets what is going on.  It won't be until they come home that she realizes we aren't playing make believe.  Declan has no clue and unfortunately will become the ultimate middle child if we don't maintain our attention levels appropriately.

Here's to the strongest woman I've ever met and my never ending gratitude for her bringing my five healthy children into this world.

Lost Her, But Didn't Lose It.

We took the kiddos out to Austin's Auditorium Shores for New Year's Eve.  We've been to this place several times for concerts and whatnot.  Typically there's a family-friendly event going on and bonus, they're usually, if not always free. 

This was no different.  Live music, a rave inspired neon light circus show, food vendors, and capped off with a fireworks show.  We had no intentions of sticking around for the fireworks since they happen at 10pm and my kids are still too young to know that Mom and Dad gypped them in any way.

Most importantly, they got to play with other kids and have a little freedom.  That freedom came with a set of eyes on each kid at all times.  Declan doesn't stray far, nor can 17-month-old legs carry him very fast, so his supervision was left to my 28-week-pregnant-with-triplets wife.  Berlin on the other hand has the energy and speed of a 3-year-old.  She'd go pretty far away before she looked back to see if I was still around.  This led to her going further and further each time because I was following her.

This thought flashed through my head a couple times: Give me a machete, a ski mask, and some creepy piano music and Jason Vorhees and I are just a blood lust apart. I'd walk, determinedly, but not quickly and keep pace with her with no issues.  She'd run off too far and I'd grab her and turn her around with a stern warning not to go to far away from us.

With over a thousand people around and it being dark by this point, maybe 7pm, I wasn't completely comfortable to just let her run.  That said, I was going to buy her one of those little lighted, elastic, star chaser things that all the other kids were playing with, shooting into the air.  That's what started the running to begin with...she was chasing the stars.  I was digging in the diaper bag for my wife's wallet and took my eyes of her for 15 seconds tops.  She was gone.

Panic hit very quickly.  My eyes began darting around the field where she was.  I alerted Tina and took off walking.  She was wearing a longish layered skirt over her jeans, I figured her silhouette would pop for me as I began searching.  I made my circuit around the main field twice.  Each time expanding farther than the last.  I'd check back with Tina ever minute or so.  Still nothing.  I then weaved through the lines at the concessions.  Weaved through the circus area. 

I had to keep my mind from reeling with the possibilities.  Like, why did we let her be so outgoing?  She has no fear of strangers.  I thought it would be better for her to be out going than become an introverted emo.  What the hell is wrong with me? What kind of parent loses their child?  Wait, that cop that was next to us earlier knows what she looks like and who we are...bunch of red heads can't be that easily forgotten, right?  I had to stop it when my search expanded to the lower (stairs involved) parts of the field leading to the drop off to the running path along the river.  Oh crap, the river.

No, surely she wouldn't have gone this far.  This is a lot more than she'd do right?  Nope, when she runs from me at the house, it's five houses or so before I catch up to her usually.

She's the type to stop and call out for Daddy until I reappear when she realizes I'm not there.  She did it twice when a person stood between us this night.  Better check back with my wife.

Sure enough, there she was, strapping Berlin into the wagon with Declan.  That relief wiped away all anger I felt toward her and especially me at that moment.  Apparently, she was searching for us too.  Tina found her about 20 feet from where we were looking through the people sitting on the blankets.  Thank you freaky hippie types for not stealing my child.

I stormed off puling the wagon for a minute while I decided what to do next. 

Berlin asked where we were going.  I stopped the wagon and told her "we're leaving because you ran off.  You cannot run off without us."  I got an "oh, ok."  I'm not sure what I should have done or what I should have expected of her.  Spanking didn't seem appropriate when all I wanted to do was hold her.

We hung out in a different area for another half hour where the kids were a little easier to corral.  Later we stopped by the giant Moon Tower Christmas Tree before heading home.  Tina and I didn't really talk about it much other than acknowledging that she doesn't mind nor do we pay close enough attention to have five children in a month.

I'm glad I didn't hit that parental melt down mode that I felt coming on during the whole search.  How the hell do teenagers do this and not accidentally get their kids killed?  I'm supposed to be the responsible one in this arrangement of parent and child and damn did I just luck out.

Happy Friggin' New Year.

Happy New Year

Started a dozen blogs last month that never went anywhere.  Family has kept me busy and it's great.  Hope your 2012 is looking as bright and exciting as mine is.  The triplets are growing nicely and at 28 weeks, my wife is doing remarkably well!  Both kids had a blast at Christmas. I'll try to pop in more often now that the newest family members are about to explode on to the scene.

Here's a Facebook Status recap for 2011.  I posted one last year too and I have to say, it's interesting to reread your updates.  This year was obviously heavy on the family, which is probably the appropriate balance given the stage we're currently in.

Cheers!

Suffer Through It

Cracked.com can absorb a lot of my "free time" if I let it.  Daniel O'Brien published an article titled, Five Jobs Everyone In The World Should Have At Some Point, the other day.  This is something I've discussed at length in my past stoner days working as a waiter. 

Waiting tables can be very lucrative at times.  When you're a student who needs drinking money, all that cash in your pocket is a dangerous perk when rent comes due.  The downside of earning cold hard cash in the restaurant industry is you have to serve assholes at their absolute worst. 

You see movies where the servants of a house hold mock their employers for being out of touch with society and whatnot.  Typically these comments follow a scene where the lady of the house puts a maid in her place or the lord of the manor takes his butler for granted.  More than half the folks who enter a restaurant, that doesn't have a drive thru window, temporarily step into the role of arrogant servant abuser.

I saw a news clip years ago that stated that 40% of people in a restaurant believe the waiter cooks the food as well.  That percentage seems highly suspect to me given that it's nearly the same amount as the people who get pissy when they cannot find their waiter who just refilled their drinks and asked if they needed anything 2 minutes prior. 

I'll stop digging up old memories and move on with my point. Yes, of course I have one.  My stoner days were rife with a sense of superiority found in many a teenager/twentysomething.  I believed that everyone should be a waiter, a janitor, and a police officer for at least a year of their life.  My theory was that serving people, cleaning up after people, and corralling people would give everyone a better understanding of the world around them. 

Dan's Cracked piece included: Waiters, Working with Kids, Tech Support, a Position of Power, and a Manual Labor job.  I'd agree with the addition of Teacher/Camp Counselor/Nursery Worker/Parent to the list.  The tech support or any kind of customer service job, especially one over the phone is also respectable addition. My three fit the bill with his remaining ones though. 

Wouldn't the world be a better place?  Literally stepping into someone else's shoes.  Respect yourself and respect others.  I don't think it gets any simpler than that, right?  Oh, and have a laugh or two a day; Cracked is a good place to start!

Intro to Eastern Medicine

I assume massage could be categorized as Eastern medicine, but it's so mainstream now I'm not sure.  A few months ago a place called Turtle Dragon ran a Groupon for acupuncture sessions.  I'd always wanted to try it but never followed through.  So this struck me as a fun opportunity and I bought it.

My appointment was yesterday.  I went into the little shop that smelled a bit like a head shop with the incense (at least that's what I assume it was) filling the air.  They had all kinds of ointments and Asian knickknacks like you'd find in any Chinatown souvenir shop on display with some interesting seating and decorations putting you into that foreign culture vibe.  Just like a doctor's office there was a little windowed box with a receptionist to greet you.  She had me fill out some forms.  Most were health history and a description of a typical day with food, exercise, bathroom breaks, and stress laid out.  I was very frank and honest, why not?  Who knows what they could screw up if I tried to make myself sound better than I am.

I also put in information about the car wreck I was in a couple weeks ago.  Quick recap.  A taxi driver didn't see that me and all the traffic on the highway were stopped because an accident was being cleared out of the right lane.  He tried to jump to the right but saw a couple of police cars and smacked right into me.  Company car, so I'm not worried about the damage. His was destroyed.  He told the cops who, being on the scene helped us get safely to the other side of the highway, "He just stopped!" Without skipping a beat the officer said "and you didn't!" Humor isn't appreciated in times of stress, and especially when English is your second language!  He got a couple tickets and I got a jacked up back and neck. 

So the acupuncturist comes out to greet me.  He was about 6 foot, trim, good looking, white guy.  Not really what I was expecting but then again, I doubt an elderly China man would be caught dead associated with Groupon.  So he gets me into the room and says "20 cups of coffee?" I pointed out that it was per week, not a day. Apparently 4 cups a day is excessive...who knew? He said "don't you realize that caffeine is a toxin plants produce to warn animals not to eat them? We need to find you something else to supplement after your first cup or you will feel like crap in your 40's." Apparently he finds that confrontation is relaxing for his clients.

He has me lay down on the table and starts pushing around on different parts of my body and asking if they are tender.  He moves right into putting needles into some points around my arms, hands, legs and ankles.  I just lay there for about 10 minutes.  They didn't hurt going in, but after a little while I felt a slight burning around them, but nothing horrible.  He comes back in to put more pins in me, a few around my belly button.  After pushing around on my stomach, he informs me my sugar intake is too high and goes on about how many grams are in an apple and the behemoth bananas Dole produces.  I'm left to lie again.  I'll give him that being alone in a room at a time when I'm usually inundated with phone calls was relaxing, but I don't know how much the needles did.

Later he has me flip over (needles removed) and starts feeling around on my neck and back.  He tells me he'll focus on my neck with the next set of pins.  He asked if I'd mind him doing something a little more rigorous to help with the relief but since it was my first time he wanted me to make that call.  I let him know I wasn't apprehensive about whatever he wanted to do.  Besides, I might as well get the most out of this since I probably won't go back...yep, snap judgements are a bitch, especially when we get off on a bad foot first.

He explains that he wants to do some cupping to help recirculate the bad blood that's stored in my muscles.  No not that kind of cupping, the kind with heated glasses on your skin.  They basically act like a vacuum.  I'll admit, I understood the concept, but hadn't really though beyond that.  When he returns he rubs my back with lotion and applies the cups.  Only two of them.  He then rubs them all over my shoulders and upper back.  This was quite possibly the most painful experience I've ever willingly allowed to happen to me.  Not like breaking a bone or child birth, but the friction really did hurt like hell.

He was done and about to put more needles in my neck, shoulders, arms, and legs when he said something that startled me.  He said "you might forewarn whoever you share you life with what we did here before you take off your shirt tonight. Your back will look kinda gnarly." My head popped up and I said "like bruised?" He replied "bruisy."  I laid there the rest of the time, far less relaxed until he came in to take the pins out and send me on my way.

He may not be a doctor but bruisy isn't a word I want to hear describe what the after effects of treatment.  When I got home I wanted my wife to see because I hadn't gotten the chance to inspect it.  Looking at your own back takes more than just a glance over your shoulder.  Horrified is the only way I can describe her face when I removed my shirt.  I have a giant Kandinskyesque hickey all over my back.  I'm pretty sure an S&M club would leave me less visibly accosted. 

Gnarly is right huh?  Today, I'd describe it as "bruisy" given the purple and yellow that have joined red's party on my back. Not really diggin' the whole muffin top thing that I have going on either, but c'est la vie.

A friend of mine is way into Tai Chi and touts acupuncture's glories as well as his desire to own his own set of cups.  There's something for everyone out there.  The pin pricks were just a little red and have already gone away.  This shit ain't going anywhere any time soon!  I'll leave my health to professionals from now on.

Monkey See, Monkey Do, Please Just Stop

Declan now mimics everything Berlin says and tries to copy everything she does too. Granted everything doesn't come out the same.  This competition is awesome.  When they are watching a TV show, he now talks back the same way she does.  She didn't develop this until she was two!

With it comes the downside.  If she's whiny, so is he.  If she throws a golf ball at the window, so does he.  That'd be my fault for bringing them home in the first place, right?

What's funny though is that in her bullying, she instantly wants to do whatever has struck his fancy.  So I guess they just feed off of each other.  Either that or they are actually learning something.

He hit the eating crayons with reckless abandon stage recently.  I can't say he doesn't stick everything in his mouth, but chalk and crayons are being chewed every time I turn around now.  I don't miss this from her.  The difference is with Berlin, I didn't have to worry about another sibling leaving them out and about.  With her it was our fault for leaving them within reach.

We're still a ways away from potty training Delcan, but Berlin has been trained for all but a month of his life.  The past year, she has had fewer accidents than I can count on one hand.  That is until the past few weeks.  She'll get enthralled with the TV and not give herself enough time to run to the bathroom and get her clothes out of the way.  She's peed on the rug/stool at least 10 times in three weeks.  Twice in the hallway right after she says she has to go.  She'll announce she has to potty and we tell her to get in there. Something will preoccupy her, whether it's something we're doing, the TV, a little dance she wants to do prior or just about anything.

I'm tired of cleaning it up.  I realize she just turned 3 and I should expect this.  That said, a full year with out a hiccup and now urine on the floor every day? Tina swears she left a log on the carpet in the living room.  By the time she found it she just cleaned it up and didn't investigate.  Slacker.  The poop in the bathtub was an experiment.  I'm thinking this was too.

What would you do to change the recent messy behavior?