Triplet Princes and a Princess

Triplet Princes and a Princess

Our journey to hearing with Cormac while living our life with triplet boys and a baby girl.







Monday, June 29, 2009

Out of the mouths of three year olds....

Today we are leaving my sister Trisha's house (she has been helping me out tremendously since the baby was born) and her landscaper was finishing with the lawn. Colin says to me "Mommy, is that his job?" I say, yes. Just like Daddy works for the phone company and Uncle Mike drives the UPS truck (their latest obsession) that is his job. Well, I decide to ask them "what is Mommy's job?" After some thought from the three of them Ciaran says "Mommy, your the best driver. That's your job. You drive us everywhere" Cormac chimes in that I "cook and clean" and Colin says "But you don't do the laundry. Daddy does" (Yep, Frank does almost all the laundry. If I could only get him to put it away....)

Needless to say I got quite the chuckle on the car ride home. But really, in most ways, I am a driver, a cook, a cleaner, a problem solver, a referee, an advocate, a teacher. Being a Mom you wear many hats. There is no one job description that can define motherhood. It is an evolving job and no two days are really ever the same. While it is probably the most demanding job on the planet I also think it is the most rewarding job. And above all a Mom's most important "chore" of the day is to just love their kids. Not really much of a chore!

My kids apparently have there own language as well. They have about 5 words they say that are nonsense words but they all know what it means. Frank and I? We have no clue. If you ask them they won't tell you. The most frequently used nonsense word is "noneena". As much as I can figure out a "noneena" is a noun and causes them to act crazy whenever the word is said. Let alone one of them say "the noneena is coming" then all Hell breaks loose!

Cormac's spontaneous language is just growing by leaps and bounds every day. The things that come out of his mouth just amaze me. We are working on taking turns and having a conversation. Keeping him on topic isn't always easy but I am not sure how much that is related to hearing or just that he is a 3 year old. I am realizing his hearing is just amazing. Lots of things he says are just things he picks up in everyday conversations. The fact that today I had a conversation with him while I was in my bedroom and he was downstairs in the kitchen speaks volumes. He came in the house from the back yard and yelled "mommy, where are you?" I said "I am upstairs in my bedroom". He answers back "you're in your bedroom, what are you doing up there?" (I was pumping for Calleigh) I tell him this and he says "oh, you getting milk for the baby?" SOmetimes it's hard to remember he is deaf. I mean, I always KNOW he's deaf and our lives revolve around language aquisition BUT we have been doing this for almost two years and it's just part of our normal routine. It no longer seems like we are always working more like it's just our life. Does that make sense?

Sunday, June 28, 2009

The boys met Calleigh!!!

Calleigh was moved to another room in the NICU (she graduated :) ) and the room has a window. We took the boys to "meet" her today. To say they were excited is an understatement!

Make sure to stop the music so you can hear the boys talking. To stop the music scroll down and pause the music player on the right.,







Calleigh is doing well. She is still not eating enough by bottle to get sprung but she is making progress every day. She is almost 7 pounds and is looking chubbier every day. She is so cute its unbelievable.

We are still running around like crazy.

Friday, June 26, 2009

"You're the best Mommy in the whole wide world.

You are super smart and super sweet." This is what Ciaran told me today on the car ride home from school. He just said it for no reason what so ever. I had to document it so I can show him someday. In case you couldn't guess, it made my whole day. Ciaran is by far the sweetest child. He loves to cuddle and hug and kiss me and Frank. He says so many sweet things. He is quick to touch Cormac's cheeks and tell him he is so "adorable" or "sweet". Lately, he's been telling Cormac he is beautiful since Cormac has been wearing a tiara around the house :).

Sure, there are times during the day when I think the three of them are little hellions but man it's so worth it to hear them say such wonderful things. I hope it's a reflection of how I talk to them. I make an effort every day to point out all the good they do and recognize kindness. Trust me, I spend a lot of the day telling them what they did wasn't nice or was fresh so I figure I gotta point out the good as well. You would be surprised at how quickly behavior changes when I am praising one for doing something sweet or for behaving nicely and listening to Mommy. All kids want their parents approval and it's sometimes easy to forget to point out the good.

I will say the three of them were filled with EXTRA energy today. Blame it on days and days of rain. Blame it on them being all thrown off by the baby still being in the hospital and our lives have been so hectic lately but WOW they were energized. I need to find something to do tomorrow to wear them out.

On the potty front. We have made a GIANT leap the last two days. Colin has FINALLY agreed to wear "big boy underwear". He has been wearing a pull up but doesn't go the bathroom in it but REFUSED to wear underwear. Well, yesterday he decided he was done with pull ups. He did great today in his underwear. He had one mishap in the morning but other than that he was perfect all day. Gotta love three three year olds getting out of diapers. Just in time for Calleigh.

As for Miss Calleigh. She is doing really well. She is eating more. Tonight she was bumped up to 25cc (30 cc is an ounce) and was switched back to breast milk :) She isn't taking it all by bottle but is making improvements each day. She weighed 6pounds 10 oz tonight. That's up 9 oz from her birth weight. She is starting to look chubby! She is just a beautiful little girl. I hate leaving her at the hospital but I know she received the best care while she is there.

Frank is finishing her room tomorrow. It's really almost done. He just has to put in the new light fixture, finish the wainscoting (just a small bit more) and move the computer downstairs. Not too much. Her room is turning out just like I envisioned. So pretty and girly!

On a side note, please say some prayers for some of the babies in the NICU with Calleigh. It seems a large number of very premature babies (a 23 weeker, a 24 weeker and a another 24 weeker who only weighs 13 oz) have been born in the last few days. They are so tiny and are really struggling right now. They could use some extra prayers.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Busy days

The last two weeks have been hectic. Calleigh is already 16 days old. She is still in the hospital. She is doing great especially the last two days. She is starting to eat more and more. I have guilt for not being with her all day. I have guilt for leaving the boys so much to see her. It has not been easy but somehow we have been working it out. Life will be so much better when everyone is under one roof.

On Tuesday we went to Summit Speech School for their graduation ceremony. Cormac isn't graduating but all the preschoolers were involved in the program. I swear, I cried through the entire show. These kids have come so far. I have known a lot of them from the beginning of group class. I have seen them all make huge strides over the past year or so. What really got me crying was the music. They played the song "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus. (It's playing on the blog as you read this :) ) Last week on the ride home from the hospital that song came on the radio. Frank was driving and I told him to listen to the word to the song. I said "this should be the anthem for our family". I was crying like a baby. Well, I walk into graduation and they are reading the lyrics from that song. It was all I needed for the water works to start.

Here is a little video from the ceremony. Cormac is wearing the red hawaiian shirt. He is the smallest kid up there. I am pretty sure he is one of the youngest at the school at the moment.



Even though Calleigh isn't home I am still not allowed to sleep through the night. Since I want to breast feed her if possible I have been getting up every three hours to pump. Not an enjoyable experience but necessary.

Cormac also got his evaluation from Summit. I will give you all the good news about it in another post.

Monday, June 22, 2009

Some pics

Our first time holding Calleigh, a long six days after she was born



Our second time....


Father's day


Father's Day Morning

Sunday, June 21, 2009

A quick update

Calleigh had surgery on Friday. By far, one of the longest days of my life. She did great and is still in the hospital recovering. Having to send your 9 day old child into surgery is heartbreaking. You try and stay positive and know it will be ok but when they take her from you, well you just fall to pieces. She is doing well and we are praying for a speedy recovery.

Turns out she has something called Hirshprung's Disease. Luckily, there are no long term effects. Once she is over these intial hurdles it will be smooth sailing.... The odds of getting Hirshprungs are about 1 in 6,000. Our hospital delivers about 6,000 babies a year. We are the ONE. The odds of having a deaf child are something like 1 in 1,000. We are the ONE. The odds of having triplets I am not sure of BUT we are the ONE. Frank thinks we should have won the lottery. I mean, what are the odds of the lottery?? BUT the odds seem to be working against us.

She still hasn't had her hearing test. I am nervously waiting for them the test her. I have a pretty good feeling she can hear but one can never know. However, she almost always tries to open her eyes when Frank or I speak to her, not when the nurses do. She also startles to loud noises in the hospital so I am keeping positive.

The boys have yet to meet Calleigh. I think they are starting to doubt I really had a baby! They have been such troopers through all this. We have been away from them alot and I have horrible guilt! As a treat we took them to their first movie yesterday afternoon while on a break from the NICU. We saw the movie UP. The boys were awesome in the theater. They loved the movie and of course, the popcorn.

That's all for now. Today is Father's Day so we will try and make today all about Frank and how thankful we are to have him!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Still waiting...

for Calleigh to come home. BUT we have been able to hold her the last two days. It is just wonderful. SHe is doing well. Breathing room air with a little pressure for some part of the day and on totally on her own for other parts of the day. Her main issue is her belly. She has yet to poop and she is a week old (already). Not sure what is going on. They ran some tests which all came back OK. They did another test yesterday but we won't have results until tomorrow or Friday. She looked wonderful today and the dr said it's the best her belly has looked since birth. We are praying she just needs more time and it's nothing serious. They had stopped all her feeds because she wasn't tolerating them. Today they started her again at 11am and she tolerated the feed. WOOOOO HOOOO! They fed her again at 3pm so they will check to see if she keeps it all in about 5pm. If that works they will continue to feed her and hopefully she will start pooping. They are feeding her special formula right now but will switch to breast milk at her next feeding if she tolerates them. I am hoping she will take the breast milk because I know it's what's best for her.

Will try and keep updating when I can. It's so hard to be back and forth to the hospital with three little ones at home. Cormac is back in school this week so he needs to get there every day. Luckily, Frank is off until Monday. Who knows what will happen next week! One day at a time, right?

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Home from hospital

I am home but Calleigh is still in the NICU. Breaks my heart to come home without her but she is in the best hands. Her breathing is great but she is having some issues with her belly. She can't seem to digest her milk. They don't think it's anything serious but have stopped her feeds and are giving her another day to regroup. They ran a ton of tests and they all were negative which is great. I haven't been able to hold her yet because she had a venus line in her belly. It just doesn't seem right to not be able to hold you own baby. The venus line should be out tomorrow so I think I can finally hold her. Keep your fingers crossed.

I will post more when we know more. Looks like at least another week before she will be home to join her family. Who said having a singleton would be easy???

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Our Daughter has arrived!

Calleigh Catherine arrived on Wednesday, June 10th at 1:32am. She weighed 6 pounds 1 oz and was 18.5 inches long. She is just adorable and looks a lot like Cormac when he was a baby. I will post more details and pics when I am released from the hospital. The c-section wasn't as bad as I remembered however I had a horrible time with anesthesia.

She is in the NICU because she was almost a month early. She getting some support breathing with CPAP. She is doing well and shouldn't be here longer than a week.

I will share her birth story when I have more time. For now, I am missing my little men terribly. They are fine but feel the same way. I saw them yesterday for a few minutes and am hoping they can come visit tomorrow for a while. They are beyond excited to meet their sister but they are not allowed in the NICU so they won't meet her until she comes home :(

Monday, June 8, 2009

What happens when you wont sit still for a haircut???

YOu get your first crew cut!






I took Ciaran and Colin for haircuts on Friday because they were looking a little crazy. Well, Ciaran was an ANGEL. Sat perfectly. Got a cool short haircut we can spike up. Next came Colin. Ok, first I had to sit in the chair with him. Next I had to wrestle him (keep in mind I am nine months pregnant). So, finally I trapped him between my thighs and held his arms with my arms. The barber looks at me and says "buzz cut?" I agree without a second thought! Whatever gets the job done FASTER. Turned out he looks pretty darn cute with a crew cut. He actually loves it and gets a kick out of saying all his hair is gone. Ciaran told him he looked "dorable" (adorable). Very cute.

We almost had an ER visit this weekend with Ciaran. He slipped at the playground while climbing a ladder. He cut his lower lip and his teeth nearly came through his bottom lip. He's got a nice fat lip but no ER was necessary. He cried for maybe a second but good lord, the blood! The mouth just makes it seem so much worse. Of course, I was by myself and was trying to corral the three of them with one bleeding profusely from his lip. He was also wearing a BRAND NEW white soccer jersey. GOes without saying he would cut is face open while wearing the new shirt. It survived. What does he tell me when I get him in the car? "mommy, know what would make me feel better, Ms Donalds." (McDonalds) Well, we barely even go to McDonalds and normally if we do, it's a treat on Friday mornings for pancakes on the way to school. He said he needed bock bock (Yes, he can say chicken but all the boys call chicken, bock bock.) and french fries! Well, you know we drove straight there!

The babies room has been started. It's painted and the wainscoting is done is half the room. Poor Frank cannot get a break! I am praying he finishes this week so he is done for the weekend. It looks awesome so far. The crib is in our living room and just needs to be assembled. SLowly, we are making progress.....

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Can you say nesting?

Ok, this baby is arriving in less than three weeks. We are SO NOT READY! When I say that I mean the house is not ready. The basement is almost done but the floors aren't in yet. Her room isn't painted or ANYTHING. Frank is supposed to do it this weekend. Problem is it currently being used as our playroom. The new playroom isn't ready and we have nowhere to put all our stuff. I wasn't too worried but suddenly I am freaking out. The house is a disaster. I can't seem to keep it up lately. The boys are a wrecking crew. We are out of the house for so many hours each day because of school I don't get to get anything done in the mornings. By evenings I am wiped out. YIKES!! God forbid, I go into labor early. We are royally screwed. There is no way I can bring a newborn home to this place.

I need to outsource these boys for a day or so and try and make some headway. But honestly, at 9 months pregnant who really wants to do it??? Plus we just have nowhere to put anything until that basement has the floor. Please cross your fingers the flooring comes in early this week so it can be installed next weekend. I will feel much better. Frank says he will have the baby's room painted and put up the wainscoting by tomorrow. If that much is done I will feel better. I did organize her closet somewhat and have realized I should not be allowed to have a girl. I like to shop too much!! I didn't realize how much I have bought her! But hey, it's only one this time. I can do it. Girl stuff is just so much cuter than boy stuff.

Ok, i am going to try and relax now. Can you say nesting???

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

BIG NEWS!!!

Big news on two fronts! Can you say potty trained? Well, I can say it times three!! Potty trained, potty trained, potty trained!!! Yes, that is me doing the happy dance. It really calls for back flips but at 9 months pregnant I have to settle for dancing :) I was so dreading the whole process. Much to my surprise it was no big deal. I think timing is everything. They were ready. They were old enough and they just got it. It didn't even take more than a few days. Colin is still wearing a pull up but he doesn't go the bathroom in it. He just refuses to put on underwear. Not that big a deal. He can wear a pullup. We only need diapers at night. But I expected that. They are so cute in their little underwear!

I can't believe it went so smoothly. Now, it's a royal pain when we are out because they have to use the potty in stores, restaurants. You name it and we have gone the bathroom there! It's a production with three of them especially trying to get them to not touch anything. I think I need to buy stock in Purell. Actually, I need to invent something where I can just spray down their whole bodies when they are done!

Now, I know all the peeing and pooping is exciting BUT I HAVE GREAT NEWS that does not involve the children. Any children for that matter!

My baby clothing business, myliltees
is officially being sold in a baby boutique! I went on my first sales call on Friday and on Monday morning the store called me to tell me they wanted to sell our clothing line. Nadine and I could not be happier. We have worked hard on this business. (Nadine especially) I am so excited. We are now marketing to more boutiques but for my first sales call to be a success, well, it was a confidence booster to say the least. We hope to have it in 100's of stores throughout the country. If you know anyone who would be interested in wholesaling please pass the website along. We are starting locally but are hoping family and friends will get us information on their favorite baby boutique in their neck of the woods. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I wanted to have a celebratory drink but that will have to wait until after the baby arrives. By the way, we know when THE BIG DAY is...... June 25th is my C-section. That is only three weeks from Thursday.

We are still doing the commute to New Providence every morning. It's like a part time job! The benefits are so worth it but it's exhausting and we are going through some serious gas commuting both ways! Cormac's last day of school is Tuesday the 23rd of June and then he doesn't go back until after 4th of July. After the 4th of July he will only have about 4 weeks left at Summit Speech School. This makes me sad. He really loves it there and is doing great. I wish he could continue at Summit on a part time basis just to cover his therapy but they only enroll for 5 days a week. What's my dream for Cormac? I would love to see him in mainstream preschool two days a week and at Summit for three mornings a week. A girl can dream, right? He will get great support from Summit Speech School throughout his education and we are lucky to have them and grateful our school district is willing to work with them to come up with what is best for Cormac.