THEY ARE SIX!!

Dear Ciaran, Colin and Cormac,

I hope one day when you are older you will have the chance to read this.

Today you are turning six years old.  I still cannot believe how quickly the time has gone by.  It seems like yesterday we were told we were having triplets.  As shocked as we were to find out your Dad and I were up for the challenge from the beginning.

 Your very first ultrasound you were in a perfect little triangle...we knew our lives would never be the same.  What we didn't know was how much you could actually love three little people.  I THOUGHT I loved you more than was possible before you were born but that all changed at 11:41pm. 11:42pm and 11:43pm on April 6th 2006.  The first time I saw you I LOVED you more than I knew was possible.  My heart actually HURT...but a good hurt. 

Your first year was a blur of feedings, diaper changes and lots of chaos.  Even though it was a blur I remember all the details.  I remember the smallest things about each of you.  It's like my memories are burned in my brain.  The first year we saw lots of firsts.  First words, first time rolling over, first time sleeping through the night and first steps.  We rejoiced in each accomplishment. 

We had some hard times also in the first year.  We learned of Cormac's profound hearing loss.  We were new parents and we had THREE babies at once.  Learning of Cormac's deafness was not what we expected.  With no history of hearing loss in our family we had no idea what to expect.  We cried, we mourned for the loss of what we thought would be and then we came up with a plan on how to get you to be the best you can be.  We learned for the first time about Cochlear Implants.  We learned you would be a good candidate.  We discussed our options and decided for our family and for you this is what we wanted.  We never wanted you to feel isolated from your family.  Our entire family is hearing.  We knew we wanted you to speak and hear.

Now, tomorrow as you turn six years old my heart still hurts when I look at the three of you.  It still hurts from the love I feel for you.  I am so proud of the little men you are becoming.  You are all so different yet come together as one so easily.  The amount of love you have for each other astounds me.  When one of you is sad the other two feel it.  You can tell by the looks on your faces.  Trust me, it's not always a love fest.  You all have your moments when you don't get along.  Bottom line you all know you are brothers forever and I would challenge anyone to try and break that bond.  Good luck.

Ciaran:  You will always be my little Ree Ree. The freckles across your nose bring a smile to my face each time I look at them.  You LOVE to talk and never stop talking.  You ask more questions in a day than the average person probably asks in two weeks!  You really remind me of myself in a lot of ways.  You also look just like your PopPop.  He would have loved to see how big you are getting.  You LOVE sports and are a natural athlete.  You are amazing at puzzles and mazes.  You know lots of your sight words and I have no doubt you will be reading by the end of the school year.  You have a tough exterior but on the inside you have a hear of gold.  You could not possible love you sister anymore.  You say your favorite thing to do is cuddle with your Mommy :)  You say you want to be a Cowboy when you grow up...

Colin:  My Ollie...your kindness is contagious along with your smile.  You think lots of things are "beautiful and pretty".  You wear your heart on your sleeve and are very sensitive.  You are sweet and kind to everyone.  You love being outside and building things (traps, houses, firepits).  You would live outside if you could.  You love coming down stairs in the morning tell me "Good Morning,Mommy..you look beautiful today".  You LOVE your dog, Duke.  He is truly your best pal.  You also love anything to do with water.  Right now you are totally into River Monsters.  Daddy lets you watch all the cool shows on Nat Geo. You love anything Cammo.  Another favorite of yours in Man vs Food.  It cracks me up to watch it with you.  You started reading a few weeks ago.  You are smart as a whip and love school.  You want to be a Vet when you grow up.

Cormac:  My blondie or curly cue...you continue to amaze me daily.  Your blonde curls make me happy.  You LOVE to learn.  Anything.  You want to learn everything.  You are so loving.  Your heart is so big.  You love to hug your brothers and kiss them.  You are the first to compliment them when the do something well.  You draw them pictures and signs to congratulate them.  You are smarter than I even know.  Your teachers are amazed at what you know.  You have been reading for over a year.  You love anything to do with a Princess.  You spend a majority of your time drawing, coloring or writing and reading.  You can hit a baseball better than we expected. You want to be a pediatric dentist when you grow up. You just LOVE life. 

According to the three of you:  Ciaran is going to own a ranch, Colin will be the Vet for the animals and you are going to convince Cormac to be a dentist for animals.  You will all have houses on this ranch.  Apparently, I will be living on this ranch too!  Sounds like a plan for me.

I am so thrilled to have been able to stay at home with you for all these years.  I feel blessed to have been part of every little part of your life.  My hope is you continue to grow and learn just like you are now.  I hope you continue to be the loving, helpful and amazing boys you are right now.  My life changed six years ago.  It changed for the better.  It changed me into a person who really appreciates the small things in life.  You changed me into a better person.  I know I need to lead by example.  I am forever grateful for the three of you for showing me what unconditional love feels like.


Always know, my love will find you wherever you go.