Celebrating First Year

Today, we celebrated the birthday of my daughter’s triplet boys. It is hard to believe they will be a year old tomorrow. They were so very small at just a few ounces over 4 pounds, large for premature triplets. The doctor did not let the triplets reach full term due to the hardship on the mother’s body causing complications for mother and babies.

From a mere 4 pounds they have grown into little boys who are happy, very active and different from each other. When they were born, they were so small and would move quickly, making it necessary to hold them a specific way to prevent dropping them. Most of those attending did not hold them when they were born, due to them being so small and appearing fragile. I was blessed with the opportunity to help the parents care for these small precious gifts, three adults each with one baby helps the feeding to progress faster. Today, I helped one of the boys each their lunch, watching they did not choke on the pizza and spoon feeding them baby food.

They crawl everywhere, stand up with the aide of the furniture or their walking toys. It will not be long before they are walking everywhere. Big Sister is learning to keep her bedroom door closed, so her brothers do not get into her small toys and put them in their mouths.

Big Sister has and is learning to adjust to her little brothers. She had been an only child until she was five years old. Instead of learning to share life with one sibling, she has had to adjust to the demands of three at once. A protective Big Sister she is, making sure to inform and watch anyone around her brothers to be careful. There will be more adjustments for her to make when her little brothers become more mobile and older. I know she will not like her brothers much when she becomes a teenager with her friends or wants to start dating. Can you imagine introducing a potential boyfriend to your parents and triplet brothers?

The house is full of baby things, three highchairs for feeding, three swings when they were smaller, three cribs. There is not only the three of every baby item needed for their care. There is three times the giggles, three sounds to say they are ready to eat, three mouths open for food with two parents to spoon the baby food to the waiting child. Three little ones to hold and love. No one was fighting over a chance to hold the birthday boy today, as there was three to share.

The years ahead will be fun as we experience their continued growth and the challenges of having triplets in the family. Having triplets is not like having three babies born, they have their own little ways of communicating seen since they were born and continuing now.

amtolle