Sometimes I am so tired I am not sure where to start with what has been going on in our lives. In my mind our lives are no different than anyone else. It isn't until I go somewhere, anywhere outside of our home, that I am reminded our lives are not really more special than anyone else's but just more obviously different. We have been attempting to go out a lot more. We figure the more we do it the more it will become just what we do. We have always been a family that "goes." We do not like staying put and Tripp has had a hard time adjusting to that for the past several months with my pregnancy and then the triplets arriving. We would like to resume our normal trip to Walmart, the store, the zoo...anywhere outside the four wall of our house. However, there is no longer a "normal" trip anywhere. It is work getting three babies fed, dressed, and out the door with their four year old brother. Then, when we finally arrive wherever it is we are going, there is no "normalcy' to where it is we are. I feel I have become the "nonsocial" one out of Michael and I, but really I have just found that if I don't act like the nice, happy person I like to be, people don't carry on and ask stupid personal questions that are really none of their business. :) I don't mind people commenting on the babies and taking a moment to notice, but it really gets absurd and out of control quickly with comments and questions. Anyway, I have just never done well being the center of attention in any realm and most certainly was not ready for it now. On a happier note, the babies are all doing amazingly well. I hate to type that in fear that the ice might break out from under us. Caroline is such a sweetheart. I know she is my daughter and I am supposed to feel that way, but any one who has met her has walked away with a smile. She loves to cuddle and is very tactile. She loves holding on to her blankies...or my hair (which could be a problem in the near future). :) Ethan is our "big" boy and is hungry around the clock. I am pretty sure he would eat a steak if I at all just offered him one. We call him Mr. Fuss Buckets as he loves to be held...all the time. He has become a lot more content lately about playing on the floor as long as someone is there to give him their attention. Gabe is still our peanut and continues to be the smallest by several ounces. He struggles with his reflux and feeding him can be difficult. For this reason, Michael and I are a bit over protective of him. They are all truly happy babies and while we are sleep deprived, it could be a lot worse. They are easy babies individually, but somehow the three of them gang up on us and collectively it is hard. Haha. As I am typing right now Mr. Fuss Buckets is waking up in the swing telling me it is time for him to eat. We really don't even have to set an alarm clock. He is it. I am sure after feeding him, Caroline will wake up for her turn. Gabe will wait until about 5am, which is greatly appreciated!! The other two are then not far behind again to eat.

"I was made for you..."

So things around here are crazy as they have ever been. I now feel very comfortable keeping all three babies on my own which says a lot giving the handful they can be individually. :) We are now seeing their little personalities come out and I love finding out new things about them every day. A lot has happened since I last blogged. Michael got a job, praise God. Definitely an answered prayer. It is close to home which is a HUGE bonus. He will be coaching and I know this will keep him busy, but I knew he would be coaching no matter where he worked and we are just thankful it is five minutes from home as opposed to 45 min or an hour even away. We also found a nanny!!! She came very highly recommended from different people and she has nanny experience. She is a little older so I don't worry about her inexperience. Sometimes when you meet someone you just get a feeling, sometimes good, sometimes bad. I got a really good feeling about her and knew right away I wanted her to be our nanny. Her name is Claudia and we are very excited about getting to know her better. She will be moving into our spare bedroom downstairs in a couple of weeks. I think it is going to work out really well. :) Again, God has brought us so many blessings this year I am just bursting with excitement! On the home front, we are doing our very best to get the babies on a schedule. It is going pretty good and I feel like I have gotten farther with these three in ten weeks with sleeping than I have in four years with our oldest. Haha. However, it seems every night, at least one of the three has a tummy ache, doesn't want to sleep, etc. So we are still very exhausted and some nights we get a few hours and some nights we don't. This week hasn't been the best with them sleeping at night and on top of that, Michael has not felt well. Yesterday he went and took a nap with Tripp to catch up on some much needed rest. I was in the living room with the other three. One was in the swing and two were rocking on my chest. Our peanut, Gabe, has reflux and has been put on Zantac. It has helped A LOT, but he still has his moments with reflux. Yesterday he began spewing as I have him and Caroline on my chest. I could not sit him up with both of them laying on me and he began strangling a little bit. I yelled for Michael, who was still napping, to come and help me. I yelled loudly because I knew he was sleeping. The next thing I know I hear him jump out of bed and a loud bang followed and then I heard running, followed by another loud bang. He comes limping into the living room holding his head without his glasses. Apparently the door to the bedroom was partially opened and he ran straight into it leaving a bruise and a headache, after running into the door, he was running and fell in the hallway. By this time, Gabe was just fine, and all I could do was laugh hysterically at my poor crippled husband. He slid to the floor in the kitchen and I'm pretty sure he probably has a concussion. And....that is our life. As exhausting as it is day in and day out, and as miniscule as our down time is, I am so very, very thankful that this is our crazy life. I'm on a facebook page for mom's of triplets. Recently a mom who was 23 weeks pregnant went into labor because of an infection. After several hours of fighting she lost one of her beautiful little girls and later that evening the other two babies were born. She was put into ICU because she went septic and her two other babies are still fighting for their life in the NICU. I was up watching a rerun of Grey's Anatomy at 3am the other night and one of the character's who was pregnant in the show was in a car accident and her 23 week old baby was born. They showed the mom and the baby fighting for their lives. As I am sitting there rocking my sweet princess who couldn't sleep, tears streamed down my face as all I could think of is this poor mom who lost one of her sweet babies and the uncertainty of her life and the life of her other two children. I thanked God over and over again and continue to do so not wanting Him to think for a moment I take for granted what I have: My wonderful husband, a loving four year old son who is the best big brother, and three tiny new souls that we will do our best to teach of God's unending love. At the end of that stupid rerun there was a song and all I could think in my sleep deprived state was "this song speaks to me." I have heard this song before and it could not be more accurate to how I feel about the five most important people in my life...and I believe with all my heart "I was made for you." "The Story" All of these lines across my face Tell you the story of who I am So many stories of where I've been And how I got to where I am But these stories don't mean anything When you've got no one to tell them to It's true... I was made for you I climbed across the mountain tops Swam all across the ocean blue I crossed all the lines and I broke all the rules But baby I broke them all for you Because even when I was flat broke You made me feel like a million bucks You do and I was made for you You see the smile that's on my mouth It's hiding the words that don't come out And all of my friends who think that I'm blessed They don't know my head is a mess No, they don't know who I really am And they don't know what I've been through like you do And I was made for you... All of these lines across my face Tell you the story of who I am So many stories of where I've been And how I got to where I am But these stories don't mean anything When you've got no one to tell them to It's true... I was made for you Oh yeah, well it's true... that I was made for you... Sung by Brandi Carlile