Check Out These Melons!

You've no doubt seen these oddly shaped bands wrapped around Maddy's and Izzy's heads over the past several weeks.  Most parents of preemie multiples know them well, as do many other parents who followed the "Back to Sleep" plan.  These, my friends, are Cranial Bands.  From circular to trapezoidal, no head is too asymmetrical for these skull-shapers.

When we mix together the fact that we had three times the amount of regularly scheduled babies in Meg's baby on top of the fact that Maddy and Izzy slept and played on their backs for a really long time, we were bound to end up with a flat spot or two.

Izzy's head is relatively symmetrical from a left-to-right perspective, but it's definitely flatter on the back of the head and seems to make her head look a little wider.  The entire right half of Maddy's skull has crept forward.  So, on her forehead, she has a little bump on the right-hand side, while on the back, her right side is pushed a little forward.  If you were to stick a finger in each of her ears and look down on her head from the top, you'd notice that the finger on the right side of her head would be a little more forward.

We found out quickly that insurance doesn't pay for these, as they consider them cosmetic.  So, it was up to us as to whether or not we wanted our gals to have oddly-shaped noggins for the rest of their life, as you only have the ability to change the way the skull is shaped until about 18 months of age.  We figured that if we didn't pay now to fix it, we'd pay out the you know where for custom sports helmets later.  How do I know they'll play sports?  Just a hunch.

So, what do you do with two styrofoam-filled, hard-plastic head wrappers?  You pretty 'em up!

Nothing over the top here.  Just some satin-finished acrylic paint, some stickers, and some Mod-Podge, which works great as a sealant!  I didn't put a primer coat on, just two coats of the acrylic paint.  We (kinda) waited for them to dry all of the way, then added the letters and stickers.  After they dried overnight, we applied about five layers of Mod-Podge.  Honestly, I think these things would hold up in an NFL game.

Izzy's Helmet Masterpiece

The Mod-Podge hadn't fully finished drying around the letters


We almost pulled the long stickers off because they just weren't staying on well


The acrylic paint worked well on the fabric velcro strap


They started taking way too long to make, so we pretty much decorated them the same, just different colors.  Izzy got pink and Maddy got purple.

Maddy's Work of Art



Maddy ended up with "Mommy's Little Princess" and Izzy won the lottery with the "Daddy's Little Princess" sticker.





Before you even look at the next several photos, realize that there is almost no way to make your baby look good in one of these things.  Paint and stickers will help detract from the fact that your baby is where a piece of hard white plastic around their head, but there's nothing that can be done from the occasional cave man forehead it causes when it pushes down your forehead to the bridge of your nose, or how wide it can make your head appear from just about every angle.

While I was taking my first photo, Sophie, not wanting to get left out of the fun, decided to stick her hand on the front of my lens to ensure she was somehow mentioned in this blog post.



WARNING:  Your kid's head will look larger than it is in real life.  Proceed with caution and know that this sentence will only last several months.  In our case, hopefully, about three!

Maddy and Izzy, when you're older and looking at these, please forgive us.  We weren't trying to humiliate you.  You're probably thanking us right now.







On the bright side, they do provide some extra protection when you get lazy and accidentally fall backwards and bonk your head, or when your sister intentionally pulls you or pushes you over just because you happen to be in her way.

What A Difference A Year Makes!

From our perspective, a truer statement has never been made.  One year ago today, I was driving in to work, fully ignorant to the fact that a few hours later, I would get to meet the three most amazing miracles I've ever known.  I can still remember every single thought and sensation as Meg called to tell me to rush to the hospital because our girls were going to be delivered as soon as I could get there.  Panic.  Excitement.  Fear.  Joy.  You name it, I felt it, and I've been feeling bits of that day every day for the past year, for which I am forever grateful and blessed.

I'm not gonna spend too much time reminiscing about the past, because it's EXTREMELY well documented already earlier in the life of this blog.  What I will do is share some of the cutest photographs I have ever taken of my darling girls.  We actually celebrated their first birthday while we were on vacation in Erie.  For some reason, I decided to hold off on posting these pics until their actual birthday, which has been painstakingly difficult to do.  In case you're interested, we got the tutus from someone on Etsy and Meg and her mom made the onesies.

Well, the day is here.  My little girls turn one today.  Who gets the present?  You do of course--a blog post :)

Before I put you in to a picture-induced coma, it probably wouldn't hurt to give a short update on what's going on with everyone.

Let's start with Miss Izzy, because she has really been making some amazing progress recently.  Ever since we started her on the Sildenafil a few weeks ago, she seems to have a lot more energy which has really allowed her to start pushing her physical boundaries.  Those physical boundaries aren't really boundaries, ie. nothing permanent.  I just think with the c.diff and lower oxygen saturation levels, she hasn't necessarily had the energy/motivation to push herself.  Lately, she's been rolling to her tummy at night and actually sleeping.  Meg caught her "rolling with a purpose" yesterday, actually using her rolling skills to get somewhere.  If we help her stand up, she can hold on to the standing toys and keep herself up.  While seated, her range of twisting motion has really increased, almost owl-like.  She does a lot of rocking and it's so obvious that she just wants to stand up and run!  Even though she can't, it's the will and purpose I can see in her eyes that ensures me that she'll be just fine.  One thing is for sure, she does not want that nasal cannula on her face for a minute longer!  That's good because we're hoping to ween her from the diuretics soon and hopefully the oxgen not too long after.

Unfortunately, she's not making much progress on the eating front.  All of her feedings are still through the G tube and she seems to have no intention of letting anything in her mouth, unless she puts it there.  Sometimes we make her laugh and stick some food in.  It seems to work a little because she stopped gagging, which is something she used to do when food even touched her lips. 

At one year old, she has the most amazing smile and a belly laugh that could draw a smile from a mime.

Next up is Miss Maddy.  Maddy sure had me fooled.  Four or five months ago, I would've sworn that she would be the "difficult" one.  So far, she's proving me wrong and is our most easy-going girl.  Her reflux is improving, but not fully gone.  She spits up less, but it still comes up at the most inopportune times--which is just about every time :)  She's not walking, but she's standing--albeit wobbly standing--she's standing just the same.  I foresee steps in her future.  I'm not exactly sure when, but she seems to be very interested in what Sophie's doing and, for the first time, we caught her actually following Sophie in to the corner to chew on books.  Remember ladies, "Books are for reading, not for eating."

I would say that the only major changes with Maddy have to do with her therapy.  For the first several evals, she didn't qualify for EI (Early Intervention).  She's created a little gap between herself and Sophie around feeding and some development traits, so she now qualifies for speech and developmental therapy, which is a good thing in my opinion.

Other than that, she's an extremely happy baby and loves it when you sing the "Manamana" song to her.  She chews on her hands and fingers in a way that can be viewed as anything except being cute.

Now, Miss Sophia.  She is our attention getter.  I hesitate on using that term to describe her, but she's a lot like her momma.  She's developing a secure attachment to us and really hates it when she can't be a part of whatever is going on.  Meg's mom told me that she never wanted to sleep because she was always afraid she'd miss out on something.   Well, that's Sophie.  It seems a little odd to classify her like that considering she's only one year old, but she wants to be where the action is.

She's still therapy-free and developing as expected.  She's also the first to try and accomplish anything new.  I would say that, at this point, she's the leader of the pack, which makes sense considering she was the largest at birth and had to deal with the least amount amount of physical difficulties from the NICU through now.  There was a part of me that didn't want to write this, because I was afraid of how it might be perceived by my girls years down the road.  But, having a trail-blazer can be a good thing.  It's also good if that person changes over the years.  They end up being short-term role models to developing minds that show them what they can and should be doing.  Who doesn't see the value in that?

I have a separate blog post in mind for this, but all of the girls have teeth.  Some more than others, but not by much.

Together, they make an awesome team.  They each have their own strengths and weaknesses, even at one year old!  I have no doubt they will continue to push, support, and challenge each other (and us) in the years to come.  What more could a triplet dad ask for?

Happy birthday babies!  You deserve it.  Enjoy being one.  The world is your oyster.  Now go find some pearls!

Izzy, warming up to the camera


If I've learned anything during my photography career, you have to keep the talent happy (and fed)!






My three beautiful babies!


As a side note, Sophie choked on this pretzel about two minutes later.  She survived, but we learned a lessson (and so did she).






My beautiful mini-me




HI can barely take it when she squishes up her face :)


Gorgeous!






This lady is sooooo happy!






Kylie, spending some quality time with Miss Sophia




What's cuter than a diaper-butt in a tutu?  If you know, please tell me.






Scott and Chris


Tim and Sophia


Kiel, on guard in the baby plaza




Carolee and Buddy joining the party








The party crew


tThis entire sequence of photos with Meg and Izzy just makes my heart melt.  Izzy was so happy that she could dance and sing with mom.







I'm pretty sure that Meg was telling her the most important secret of the world.  Can you guess what she told her?






Kelsie with Miss Fab, Sophia.


Jo Anne, messing with Maddy's hair.  Just kidding, that was the wind's fault.




I've been waiting for months to capture Sophie's squishy face on camera.  She won't do it on command and it's the funniest thing I've seen in a long time, especially when seen live.


Birthday cupcake time!  Most of the images speak for themselves.  Can you imagine what they were thinking?



















Looks like lipstick


























All the girls promptly needed baths!  Back in to the cage they went, awaiting presents and cards!


We are so thankful for everyone that brought cards and gifts.  Everything we received is extremely appreciated!  We couldn't have asked for a better first-birthday celebration for our little ladies.