14 Months Old

I haven't posted all month about the boys so I'll apologize in advance for the long post. (Edited - I am actually splitting this month into 2 posts - 1 just about our Memphis trip. Stay tuned for that one too!) But I also promise LOTS of pictures. We've had a super busy month. All 3 boys are mobile and they're getting fast. And they most definitely DO NOT travel in a pack. We've learned lots of new tricks. Some good, some funny, some not so good or funny. I think this is the most exhausting phase so far though. Brutal honesty folks. I'm tired. They're into EVERYTHING! And I need a drink most nights. But usually I'm so tired I just fall asleep. Usually on the couch.

This was during "naptime"

Under the coffee table. Mason's photobomb is my favorite though

He gets stuck then I have to rescue him

They like to knock the ball pit on its side. The hole is the top

Now that they're mobile, we finally had to buy a permanent gate for the top of our stairs. And they LOVE it. Of course.

We actually went to the doctor today because all 3 babies have been sick over the last few weeks. Luckily they appear to be at the tail end of their illnesses so nothing to do now except wait. Oh and they're teething. So that's fun. But we got updated weights. And of course I checked out their percentages. They're moving up! Yay!

Mason: 20 lbs. 1.5 oz. (17% actual, 36% adjusted)

Logan: 16 lbs. 15 oz. (0.6% actual, 2.8% adjusted)

James: 19 lbs. 8 oz. (11.5% actual, 27% adjusted)

Ok so here's what everyone has been up to this month!

Mason

Mr. Mason finally started crawling this month! Well, army crawling, but he gets where he needs to go. Yay! He's so excited to be on the move! He hasn't quite figured out how to get into the sitting position on his own but he's trying. And he'll pull up sort of if he has something pretty low to pull up on.

Mason is also the happiest, sweetest baby. He's also a troublemaker at the dinner table. He's VERY picky. I haven't quite figured out what he likes because he's not very consistent. I know he likes cookies and crackers. And I know he doesn't like any type of fruit that I've tried to give him. Some foods he'll try, then he'll eat a few bites and I'll get excited and think I've found something he likes. Then he'll start throwing food all over the place, smearing it into the wall, etc. We'll keep trying. He's also the only one with teeth still and he has 7! 

Logan

Logan is a mess. He's very sweet, but very serious around people he doesn't know. And very loud and opinionated. Logan talks NONSTOP. He says dubby-dubby-dubby all the time. That's what I decided he's saying. It means "my mom is the coolest ever" in case you were wondering. 

Logan is probably the most social out of the 3 right now. Mostly just with his brothers, but it's the cutest thing ever. He'll talk to them, laugh with them, etc. And I think he misses them when they're gone! The other night Mason was sick so he didn't eat dinner. Well Logan was very concerned! He kept hitting Mason's seat and looking at me as if saying "mom help! Mason's missing!" It was so cute! I had to take him and show him that Mason was just sleeping!

Logan is mobile but he has the weirdest crawl. We call it the wounded soldier crawl. He pretty much uses one arm to pull himself. And no legs. Just the one arm. He's starting to crawl on his hands and knees some but mostly he uses the wounded soldier method. Logan is also pulling up to standing. And he stands ALL. THE. TIME. He also falls down a lot. Oh and he crawls underneath things then sits up and gets upset when he hits his head. This is fun. Not.

Oh best thing I've discovered about Logan this month - he LOVES selfies! He went to school a grand total of 1 day last week so he spent some time with me at work. He was actual really unhappy. Until I pulled out my phone for picture time. Then he started cheesing.

He even made Nina take a selfie with him when she watched him!

James

James is into EVERYTHING! He's crawling. Like full speed crawling. And when you try to catch him he speeds up and laughs. Stinker. And he's pulling up to standing ALL. THE. TIME. Like Logan. Only James did it first. He's also cruising. Next step - walking! Yikes! I pulled out one of our push walkers over the weekend and James "walked" across the room. He wasn't super happy about it but he did it! His PT told me he'll be walking soon. I'm a little scared!

James is very sweet, a little shy, and a huge flirt. Tonight at dinner he was flirting with 2 tables of ladies across the restaurant the whole meal. Then when one of them came over to say hi he got super shy and buried his face. Ha! He doesn't really like many people up close and personal! So of course he's the needy one too.

Ok so stay tuned for another post about out Memphis trip (almost a month ago now!). It's pretty much already written so I'll post it in the next few days probably. Or maybe not because we're going to Fayetteville this weekend. Wish us luck! 3 babies in a hotel may be crazy. I'll keep everyone posted.

Also disclaimer - I wrote this on June 29, the day they actually turned 14 months old, but I got tired after several hours so I quit. So everything is actually from then.

Breastfeeding Triplets For 1 Whole Year (Sort Of)

It's kind of misleading to say I "breastfed triplets for 1 year" so I'll clarify somewhat. I have triplets. I breastfed/pumped for 1 year. Some people truly breastfeed triplets for 1 year. Exclusively. I wasn't one of those moms. I did breastfeed and/or pump for 1 year. ONE WHOLE YEAR! Actually 13 months. It didn't go as I planned. At all. But I did it. I did it my own way. And it worked for me. Maybe my way wasn't the "right way" but it was the right way for me. And I'm pretty dang proud of myself (I never use that word btw. I censored myself. You're welcome). 

 Breastfeeding was very personal for me. I never nursed in public (well except in the NICU but nothing is very private in the NICU. And even then I stayed hidden as much as possible). I also didn't take pictures. That just seems so strange to me. So NO PICTURES. If you were worried you might see my boobs, this is not going to happen. At least not today.

So many people assume you can't do it 100% for 3 so why try. I can't even count the number of times someone said "oh triplets, you must not be breastfeeding." So how did I do it? Well I struggled. A lot. And I used formula. A lot. But I pumped, nursed, and provided breast milk in some way for a whole year. I did it my own way. And once I realized I didn't have to do it all, I didn't have to be perfect, I really enjoyed it. So that's why I'm sharing I guess. I hesitated to write this because it's way outside my comfort zone. (I actually started writing this over 2 weeks ago, almost deleted the whole thing a few times, and just now got around to finishing). Maybe someone else is struggling to do it all. Maybe I can help. Maybe I just like to talk about myself (yep I know it).

After we got that first (and second, third, and fourth. Yep I took 4) positive pregnancy test, Brian and I decided I would breastfeed our baby. We didn't know we would have 3. And we didn't know they would come super early. I considered just not trying for a brief moment. But then I decided why not. I'll go for it. I didn't know how I felt about the whole thing. I really feared that I would hate it. So I decided I would try for at least the first 6 weeks, the time when it's "most important" according to some people (ok maybe this is from the internet idk). Of course at 6 weeks I didn't even consider stopping. 

Unlike most new moms, I wasn't able to nurse my babies from the moment they were born. I didn't even hold any of the babies for the first time until I held James on Day 8. I held Logan on Day 9 then not again until he was 6 weeks old. I didn't hold Mason for the first time until he was 4 weeks old. Needless to say the first few months I felt completely helpless. I was scared to even touch my babies. The only thing within my power (or so I thought) was providing breast milk. So I pumped. And pumped. And pumped. Every 3 hours 24 hours a day. It was awful. I hated every minute of it. And I sucked at it. Like really sucked at it. I had low supply due to the boys coming so early. I was able to keep up with the boys' needs until right around their due date, when they were 3 months old. Then we used donor milk through the NICU for a few weeks. Then we started supplementing with formula. I never was able to keep up again. I tried everything to increase my supply - fenugreek, more milk plus, lactation cookies. The supplements helped a little. The cookies not so much.

Mason and Logan both started nursing when they were around 3 months old. We had to wait until their oxygen requirement was low enough before we could even try. I had the most amazing lactation specialists who really supported me and helped us learn. Logan caught on quickly and never looked back. Mason struggled a little more. Mostly because he either wouldn't try or he would go to sleep. But he got it eventually. When they finally came home last August, I nursed them each twice a day. That's all we were allowed to do. They needed more calories than straight breast milk contains. So I pumped. And they got formula too. We eventually went down to once a day each. Then I stopped nursing Mason around 12 months and Logan right at 13 months. 

I never got to nurse James. He stayed in NICU for almost 5 months. Mainly for feeding issues the last 2 months. He was eventually diagnosed with a milk protein intolerance. The drs took him off of breast milk and regular formula and switched him to neocate, an elemental formula without dairy. Some breastfeeding advocates argue that this isn't necessary, that mom can change her diet and still breastfeed. I don't know about that. What I do know is James was hurting and I would have done anything to make him better. And switching him to neocate made him feel better. So while it makes me sad that I couldn't nurse him, I'm happy we found a solution that made him better. 

My actual breastfeeding experience was way different than my friends who nursed one baby at a time. My boys didn't need me. They didn't even seem to care most of the time. In fact, towards the end it turned into a game - how long can Logan NOT nurse before he finally gives in. Fun game. For Logan.

So in the spirit of full disclosure, I think breastfeeding triplets is one of the hardest things I've ever done (or attempted I guess). I cried more over this than anything else. I knew it was important but I felt like I missed so much when I had to pump. I had really sick tiny babies. And every 3 hours I had to get up from their bedside (or my own bed) to pump. I saw all of these other moms in the NICU bringing so much milk out of that pumping room and I had barely anything. And I had 3 babies. And I had missed rounds. But I kept on. And I'm so glad.

Speaking of pumping - worst thing ever. If I could light the breast pump on fire I would totally do it. I hate that thing. And all of the parts that come with it. Now I didn't nurse in public but I did pump in weird places. I cut holes in most of my undershirts so I could pump hands free. I pumped at work, in my office with a window to the inside of the office, while driving, and lots of other places. It usually went better if I could multitask. I actually stopped pumping around December and my life got so much easier.

Now that I'm done I miss it. The nursing. Obviously NOT the pumping. I wish my experience had been more like the typical breastfeeding experience. You know the one where the babies need their mommy and have a hard time weaning. Because they need their mommy. But honestly I'm just glad I did it.

Here's what Logan typically did when it was breastfeeding time. Not so cooperative.

And sometimes I gave up and we took selfies instead. Of course.

Memphis Trip

My Grandma turned 80 this month so we went to Memphis to celebrate with her! We had such a great time! We got to spend time with my family. Everyone was there too so it was kind of like Christmas. 

Eating at Nana's in our new highchairs. In the wrong order.

And we went to the Memphis Zoo. And used our new stroller! Thanks Joanna for letting it go and thanks Alan for picking it up and bringing it to us! Here are a few pictures from the zoo! The boys loved it!

Addison got to pet the sting rays! I did too! They felt REALLY weird.

It was pretty hot so Mason got a baby mohawk!

My mom took advantage of the fact that we were all in the same place at once so we took family photos. Coordinating outfits too! Matching if you're my brothers and my dad. (They should have thought this one out a little better maybe.) I apologize in advance for the Griffith Family Photos

Nice matching shirts guys!

And this one is my favorite I think. Ha!

And some more non-posed pictures from Memphis!

Logan and Teresa

Mason and Grandma

Alan teaching James he can do whatever he wants

Mason and Lizzie - LOVE THIS ONE!

Selfie with Addison

Then on the way home we got stuck in traffic so we ended up stopping to let the boys get out of their seats. And we took them to McDonald's. Don't judge. We don't eat McDonald's EVER but that was the best option at the time. The boys weren't impressed. As you can maybe tell from the picture, Mason was more impressed with his placemat than his food. But they were super great travellers so that's the most important thing!

Triplet Moms Take Chicago

We all have triplets! 

If you've talked to me at all in the past year you've probably heard me talk about my "triplet mom friends" and you've probably made fun of me because, well, I met them on Facebook. If you had asked me a few years ago if I would make friends with complete strangers on Facebook I would have said no way! That's super weird. Well, things changed. I felt really lost when I found out I was having triplets. Then I found my triplet mom friends. These women mean the world to me. Some of these ladies have supported me, made me laugh, and probably cried with me during the hard times. And I've tried to do the same. They've provided a sense of normalcy to having triplets. Last weekend I had the amazing opportunity to meet some of my triplet mom friends in person! 38 triplet moms with triplets born in 2014 (actually 37 triplet moms and 1 super awesome quad mom) met in Chicago. I was super nervous and so excited on the way there! But even though we had never met in person it was like meeting up with old friends. We've been through so much together and most of us are super close already! We had 146 kids among our group of moms! And we totally pretended we didn't have kids for a few days! So fun!

I have become really close with 3 girls. My "due date buddies." 2 of them came to Chicago! We missed our 4th friend Lindsay but we Facetimed her and took a picture in front of The Bean together! 

Here's a picture of my awesome roommates! Poor Sally probably didn't know what hit her! We met for the first time on Friday and she was stuck with me all weekend! 

Ok so Friday I got to leave Little Rock earlier than I originally expected which was super awesome! I was supposed to be in court all day but I ended up not having to be there! Yay! So I learned about same day flight changes (only $75!) and changed my flight super last minute and didn't miss the whole first day! Yay! I also had to learn how to take a cab. I seriously asked and was told "get in the cab line." I guess that's easy enough! 

Friday night the whole group went to Gino's East for dinner. Here are a few pictures:

A bunch of triplet moms!

A selfie with my signature drink - The Selfie

One of the smarter moms in our group decided we should wear nametags because we had never actually met each other in person. Well I'm not a fan of nametags, so here's mine.

 And just in case I was wrong:

After dinner we went to a bar. Of course. We were kid (and husband) free!

Shondra may be doing the shocker

Love Mama Shea!

Saturday was super fun too! We started the day at the spa. Then we played tourists all day! 

Oh and apparently everyone knows I love selfies so Rachel, one of my favorite triplet moms, got me a selfie stick! I LOVE IT!!! I used it a lot! You don't have to ask anyone to take your picture which makes it super awesome. And yes, I'm totally aware that it looks super dumb.

Group selfie in front of the Chicago River. See it's pretty awesome

Then we went to The Bean

We went to the Sears Tower too but the line was super long so we didn't go up. But I got a picture from outside looking up. It's soooooo tall! 

We rode a rickshaw to the next location! It was super cold. But Antonio was pretty awesome. And not as scary as the other bike driver guy.

Shondra looks so scared!

We went to the Hancock Tower instead when we couldn't go up in the Sears Tower. Oh and we did "The Tilt" on the 95th floor. The glass window tilts out and you're leaning over the ground! Way scarier than I expected!

And a selfie of course

Saturday night we went to Ditka's for a group dinner. It was super fun. And we got dressed up so even more fun!

Summer due date group

Then we went out again of course. Craziest thing ever happened on the way though! I ran into my friend Charles from Memphis randomly on the street! So random but awesome! Here's some pics from Saturday night. I may have stayed up way past my bed time! But the bar we found had beer pong, a photo booth, karaoke, a lady who squirted soap on your hands for you in the bathroom, AND a dance floor (which we didn't discover until we had been there for about 2 hours). Seriously so fun! And I may or may not have eaten pizza in the hallway of the hotel at 5 am.

Shots!

Love Sumer!

Of course we took photo booth pictures!

 And this statue. Shondra loved him.

And we took a group selfie at Walgreens too! With the now notorious selfie stick.

Sunday I had a late flight and so did Shondra and Sally so we went to Navy Pier. 

 And one last selfie before we said goodbye! An airport selfie!

Oh and then we sat on the runway for 2 hours before leaving because of weather. So I got home super late. But it was so worth it! I had the best time!

So on top of hanging out with my triplet mom friends in real life (so Brian can no longer say they aren't real because I've seen them now!), I loved Chicago. Except that it was really cold! It's supposed to be summer! But I still loved Chicago. They must dye the water in Lake Michigan and the Chicago River though because no way it's that color in real life. Also apparently Chicago has a thing for revolving doors. They're everywhere! And I HATE them! I'm a little scared of them actually. I tend to get stuck in them or outside them. True story.

And in case you're wondering, Brian took care of the boys and Addison all weekend and he did great! He's superdad in case you didn't know. He even took them all to the Apple Store (plus one of Addison's friends).

I can't wait until our next triplet mom trip! We've already started planning! Yay! I loved meeting everyone! I only wish we had more time! And I didn't get to say bye to everyone. So if I didn't say bye give yourself a hug for me (maybe in private because you may look weird doing it)!