Tanna's Triplets

Dear Husband,

2010-09-16T08:07:00.004-05:00

I really appreciate you taking the initiative to clean our bathroom but just spraying cleaning products on the tub and toilette w/out scrubbing does not count as cleaning!! AND when you are using products that contain bleach please refrain from splattering the bleach on my new bathroom rug and shower curtain.

I will see you later tonight because I'm off to Target to buy a shower curtain, rug and cleaning products w/out bleach.

Love,

Your Wife

School Days

2010-09-11T21:47:00.005-05:00

Summer is over and now we are all trying to get into a new routine with the trio going off to school.

Colton has started attending the local Regional Day School for the Deaf. Since he has profound hearing loss in both ears he qualified to attend this special class for hearing impaired children. He started at the end of August and is adjusting nicely. I was worried at first due to this was going to be the first time he has ever stayed with someone besides family. He only says about 5 words and even though he uses sign language he doesn't use the sign properly so it makes it tough for stranger to understand what he wants or needs. He has been attending now for 2 weeks and everyday it gets better. The bus picks him up at 7am and then drops him off at 3:45pm. He loves his teacher and I feel that she is truly a good match for him. She doesn't put up with his fits and doesn't baby him because he can't hear. There is only one other student in Colton's class so they get lost of one-on-one attention.

Colton's First Day.

Colton playing in classroom.

Lincoln and Kota started Pre-school this past week and they go Tuesday and Thursday from 9am-12pm. I felt that they needed a chance to attend school and I didn't want them feeling left out. They LOVE school and now ask me every morning if it is time to go back.

Lincoln and Kota. They wouldn't put their toast down:)

Much Love,

Tanna

Look It's Momma

2010-01-28T16:22:00.007-06:00

The other day, while my trio was enjoying their favorite TV show Yo Gabba Gabba, L pointed to the TV and yelled out, "Look it's Momma".

At first I truly didn't see any similarity

But then I looking at some pictures of me when I was 12, I now see the resemblance...

HAHA, I just need some blue eyeshadow, BIG hair and we could be the same person. Then and Now!!

Thanks L!

Much Love,

Tanna

Never Turn Your Back on My Trio!!!

2010-01-26T22:47:00.004-06:00

Yesterday I made a quick trip to the bathroom, less than a minute later I came back into the livingroom to find...

There was ash EVERYWHERE!!!!! My trio was COVERED in ashes!!! Into the tub they went to get their 2nd bath of the day. It's pretty common for my trio to get more than one bath a day!!

Much Love,
Tanna

Where to start...

2010-01-21T22:33:00.003-06:00

I'm so sorry it has been so long since I have updated my blog. It has been like 4 months since my last post, Sorry!!!! I don't even know where to start.

C is doing really well with his Cochlear Implants. He had his 2nd implant on Sept. 23 and then 2 weeks later had it turned on. The 2nd surgery was harder on him than the first. I don't know if it had something to do with him being older or maybe it was because the surgery took a little longer that the 1st.
C is slowly making progress. He is saying about 10 words at this time and understands even more. At times I don't know if we are doing enough for him. In July we decided to put C in private speech therapy. I think it was a great move for C. He has made leaps since then. I just regret not doing it sooner. The problem in our area is there are not a lot of professionals who have worked with CI kids as young as C was and is. I hope we are doing enough for him but we will keep working to do the best and get the best for him.
He is such a smart little boy. He has figured out how to communicate with us even when he doesn't know the words, but look out he had a temper!! That boy is either really happy or REALLY upset!!!! I think he gets that from his Daddy.

L and D are doing really well. They are both talking up a storm. L is easier understood than D due to D has a little lisp. I'm hoping she will grow out of that or we may have another in speech therapy.

Sorry again for my absence, thanks for sticking around!!

Much Love,

Tanna

Prayers Needed

2009-08-22T17:30:00.003-05:00

Today precious baby Annaleigh passed away due to NEC. Please keep this family in your thoughts and prayers. My heart just hurts for them. I couldn't imagine what is must be like to loose a child but it has to be one of the worst things for a parent to go through.

http://threecheersforbabies.blogspot.com/

Please go hug and kiss your family because you do not know what tomorrow will bring.

Much Love,

Tanna

PLEASE, PLEASE Pray for this family...

2009-08-21T23:43:00.001-05:00

Please send prayers tonight to this new triplet family. They are losing one of their precious preemie babies to NEC. My heart is breaking for them. http://threecheersforbabies.blogspot.com/

Bye, Bye

2009-07-30T15:02:00.004-05:00

So earlier today while I was at work I got this e-mail from my Mom:

"Tanna, your dad was just leaving and he was waving and saying bye bye to the babies... all the sudden C waves right at him and looked and said "bye bye" and waved again! It was plain as day! I've never heard him actually say bye bye and know he knew what it meant, have you??? I can tell he did!"

C has had his CI since March 24, so he is considered 4 months old in hearing. He now says Mumma and Bye Bye!!

Much Love,

Tanna

We are 2 Years Old

2009-06-28T21:05:00.026-05:00

I am sorry I haven't been posting in a long time but I have just been soooo busy with work, the kids and C's therapy. By the time the kids are in bed I am so tied I just get in bed and go to sleep.

The trio is doing great!!
L: He has become such a Daddy's boy. He LOVES his Daddy!!!! The minute his Daddy walks in the door L becomes Hubby's shadow. L is still using his own language but is really starting to use works we can all understand:)

C: He is our biggest baby weighting about 3 lbs more than the other 2, at 25.6 lbs. He has now had his Cochlear implant turned on for about 2 months. It is a lot more work that what I had first thought. Right now we are exploring more therapy options for him. I am terrified that we aren't doing enough for him now and it will effect the rest of his life. The problem is, is that really no one in this area has had much experience with a CI kid under the age of 3. Out of the 106 children in the ISD right now only 6 have a CI. In a few weeks we are going to be taking C to therapy up at Texas Tech. I pray that it is the best for him. He is doing good at wearing his implant (we have only lost the head piece once). We have the CI turned up to normal hearing range and as he gets older and is able to tell us what he is hearing the CI can be tweaked. At this point C is measuring at a 3 month old hearing level, which we are told is good since he has had the CI for only 2 months. He is vocalizing by grunting and cooing much more to communicate and just 2 weeks ago said Mumu. I walked past him to go to the bathroom., he got upset, followed me and started to bang on the bathroom door yelling Mumu. I don't think he truly meant to say Momma but I am taking it since D and L said Dada first!!

D: She is the toot of the bunch. She gets into EVERYTHING and teaches her brother to do bad things!!! You have to watch what she says around you because she will repeat what she hears!! She is saying up to 3 word sentences and can sing some of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Start".

June 22 the kids turned 2 and we had a fun Micky Mouse party. We had a great turn out of about 40 people and had a blast!! Here are a few pic's of the party and some of our summer fun.

Mickey Mouse Birthday Party

Outside Fun

Science Spectrum

Air Show

Family Reunion

Much Love,
Tanna

I am Back!!

2009-04-28T14:20:00.001-05:00

Ok so I know it has been forever since I last update my blog but things had been so crazy around here that I haven’t found much time until now. The last time I update we had just gotten back from Disney World and had a blast. On March 24th C had his Cochlear Implant turned on. It was amazing to see him react and hear for truly the first time.
He had a typical reaction of crying when it was turned on, and I loved it because at that moment I knew it worked.
He has been back to the Doctor one other time since it had been turned on, to have it turned up. Today he is hearing at normal levels. It is a lot more work then what I thought it would be. He is doing really well at keeping the implant on and only purposely takes if off when he is REALLY mad or if he wants attention. Bother and Sister are doing really good at leaving it alone. Although, I have caught L and D a few times trying to put it on their own heads to see what was the big deal.
Right now we are working with C and teaching him to listen and really hear. Though different therapy methods we hope he will pick up it up soon. If any readers of this post are fellow CI parents I would love to have any helpful tips or teaching methods.
Well I better get back to work. I promise to update a lot sooner next time because I still have so much to write about.

PS. In the next day or so I will upload the video we took of C having the implant turned on.

Much Love,

Tanna

Quick Update

2009-03-11T21:29:00.004-05:00

Hello all,

I just wanted to update everyone really fast before bedtime. C got out of the hospital March 1st and as it turned out his RSV didn't turn into pneumonia, he was just really dehydrated. We ended up still going to Disney World but just postponed our trip a little. I will update you all more when I get a chance.

Much Love,

Tanna

We are Still Here

2009-03-01T10:06:00.003-06:00

C is still in the hospital but we hope to get him out today. He is off the IV fluid and off oxygen. All his test results have come back saying thathe didn't develope pnemonia but was just really dehydrated from being sick with RSV. We are just now waiting for the Dr to stop by and let us goin home. I am so ready!!!

Much Love,

Tanna

C is In the Hospital

2009-02-27T18:41:00.003-06:00

Today while I was at work I received a call from my hubby that C wasn't doing well. As you know earlier this week the babies were diagnosed with RSV. While L and D have gotten better C has gotten worse. Since yesterday he has refused to eat and has taken about 5 oz of fluids. I left work and took him back to the Dr. Right away they said his color wasn't good and his lung sounded really bad. As they were examining him C was crying but he was so dehydrated he could cry no tears. After that the Dr. sent us to the hospital to have C admitted.
I just talked to the Dr. and they are running tests to see is his RSV turned into pneumonia. The Dr. said that it looks like C will be here until Sunday or until C's oxygen levels are over 95 without oxygen on.
So there goes our Disney trip:( Oh well that are more important things in life than Disney.

I will update more later when I have news.

Much Love,

Tanna

Two Good Things...

2009-02-25T20:03:00.005-06:00

1) L learned to blow his own nose. WooHoo!!

2) Today I used the sign language word "Thank You" without even thinking. You may be thinking, big deal but to me it is a big deal. Since I have a son who can't hear we have to use sign language to help communicate with him.
When I am talking to C I have to remind myself to sign and when I am signing I have to translate my words to sign language in my head before producing the sign. But not today. Today when I was talking to a co-worker I signed "Thank You" without even thinking about it first. It was like the sign was just part of the word. Sign language is become a second language for me. :)

Much Love,

Tanna

We Have RSV

2009-02-23T21:37:00.003-06:00

I had a feeling over the weekend that the babies were getting sick and when I woke up to couching and snotty nosed babies I put a call in to their Dr. When I called their pediatrician I was told that she was out sick and the earliest the babies could be seen was Wednesday. I requested an earlier spot but was told that wouldn't be possible unless it was an emergency. I wanted to tell the nurse it was an emergency because in 8 days we are leaving for Disney World but instead I told a little white lie and said that the babies had played with their cousin earlier this week and now their cousin has RSV. Once I informed the nurse the babies had been exposed to RSV she quickly made us an appointment for later that day.

Since our pedi was out sick we had to see her back up and she was an odd Dr. She came in, examined the babies by looking at them and told us they had a bad cold. Her medical advice was to just suction their noses out and they would be fine in a few days. I told the Dr. I thought they had RSV but she pushed it off like I was just being overly protective. At that point I decided to use my white lie, that we were exposed to RSV earlier in the week. She reluctantly had the nurse swab D's nose to test for RSV, all the while letting us know they just had little colds. Wouldn't you know it, my Motherly instinct was correct and they do have RSV. Isn't terrible that I had to tell a lie to get the treatment that my babies needed?

Now I am just praying that we can get them healthy by next Monday because that is when we leave to go to Disney World. Until recently we were unsure if the trip was even going happen but the Lord worked things out, making it possible. Hubby and I are probably crazy to taking 3, 20 month old's to Disney World but we have never been and we couldn't wait any longer.

Please pray that we all get healthy fast!!

Much Love,

Tanna

Important Things in Life...

2009-02-21T12:15:00.004-06:00

Today I was going to publish a fun post but after reading my friend Michele's blog I couldn't bring myself to do it and after the loss of my friend's baby I felt like writing a more serious post.

There are events in our lives that can take only seconds to occur but can take a life time to get over. I can't imagine what it must be like to loose a child and I pray that I never do.

In my day to day life I forget how precious these 3 gifts from God truly are. Sometimes it takes a tragic event to remind me how important my family is and how unimportant the little things are. I find myself getting wrapped up in worrying about stupid things like not having enough money, or a big enough house but really those things don't matter. I would give them all up in a heart beat if it meant protecting my family.

These last few days I have been really trying to make a point to cherish these days with my family. Who know what tomorrow may bring.

I am stealing an idea from my cousin's blog (Welcome to Newmanville):

Happy things

Things that made me smile today:
-The babies fighting over a baby wipe
-L telling me he is "Poo Poo"
-C giving me some of his cookie
-D telling L "NO, NO sit down" as she pointed her finger at him.
-The babies giggling in their bed, even though they are suppose to be taking a nap.

I pray for you all and that your eyes are open to what truly is important in life.

Much Love,

Tanna

Prayers Please!

2009-02-19T11:11:00.002-06:00

I have sad new to report today. While I was at work I got a call letting me know that a friend's baby had passed away early this morning, due to having complications with pneumonia. (I am not using their name due to I am not sure who all knows). This baby was a triplet and born about 2 months after my own babies. Please keep their family in your thought and prayers.

Much Love,

Tanna

Sorry, Possible TMI...

2009-02-18T21:43:00.002-06:00

Sorry this post may have TMI but I need to "blog it out" and it would be nice to get some advice.
When I was 21 I found out that I had PCOS(polycystic ovarian syndrome). Due to PCOS I've always had a very irregular period and when we started trying to have a baby we had fertility issues. All my life I have never had a regular period but over the last 4 months I've had a period every 30 days and ovulated every 17th day. This has never happened to me. Gary and I want another baby but with the triplets only being 19 months old we really aren't ready to start trying for another one. BUT then again after going through all the fertility treatment I would love to get pregnant in a more natural way and do I even need to mention there being a better chance at having a singleton.

This is were I am torn and need advice. We really don't want to start trying for another baby until the summer but if we wait that long my cycle may get all jacked up and then we will have to use fertility drugs again to get pregnant. So that would mean more $$$$ and a possibility of a multiple pregnancy.

So there's my problem. What if we don't take the chance now and it never comes around again?? Thanks for reading!!

Much Love,

Tanna

It is WORTHLESS!!!

2009-02-15T20:40:00.002-06:00

You know what I keep buying and I have no idea why because it doesn't even work?? Saran Wrap. I hate it.
The sharp edge on the box is "meant" to cut through the plastic wrap, which never works, and I end up cutting my finger on the jagged edge instead of the plastic. How does the jagged edge cut my finger but can't cut through the plastic wrap?
After I have mopped up the blood and bandaged my wound, I grab the torn piece of plastic (that is 2 sizes too big) and start to cover my leftovers. Per the description on the box, the plastic wrap is suppose to cling to the container you are covering, which is a poor evaluation of its performance. I don't know but maybe I am applying the plastic wrap improperly because I have never gotten the wrap to "cling" to my storage container.
From this day on out I vow to never buy Saran wrap again!

Much Love,

Tanna

It's 2am...

2009-02-14T02:19:00.003-06:00

It is 2 am and I can't sleep so let me be the first to wish you all a Happy Valentines Day! Gary and I don't really celebrate Valentines day due to we feel one "day" shouldn't make us show our love for each other, so we try to do special things throughout the year because we want to, not because we have to. Although we do have a special tradition where we make banana splits after dinner on Valentines. We started this the year we got married and felt it would be a great tradition once we had kids.

Do you have a Valentines tradition??

Well I hope you all have a wonderful day!!

Much Love,

Tanna

WHOA

2009-02-11T21:08:00.003-06:00

Yesterday L tooted 3 times in a row, looked in his diaper and said "Whoa".

Hmmm I wonder were he learned that???

Randomness and Pictures of C's Surgery...

2009-02-09T21:24:00.020-06:00

Let me start this post with a bit of randomness...

Jen over at Amazing Trips has taught me something I have wanted to learn FOREVER but I have never found anyone to teach me, until now. Jen has successfully taught me to knit. Nothing fancy yet(hint, hint Jen)but I am loving it!!! Here is a picture of my creation...

If you can't tell it is a scarf. My next project will be a baby blanket since one of my good friends will be having a baby next fall.

Here are some random pictures of the babies over the last few days...

Here are some pictures of L and D playing with C's Bionic Cochlear implant monkey and C playing with Robie(sp?) from "Yo Gabba Gabba" (We love that show).

For those of you who have a weak stomach don't scroll down I have posted some pictures that the Dr. took of C's surgery...

Here is a picture of C's Cochlear before the Dr drilled into it...

Here is a pic after the Cochlear was drilled into...

Here is the wire being inserted into the Cochlear...

Here are a few pic's of the procedure being finished up...

Cool Right!!
And for the ones who are now grossed out, I warned ya!!

Much Love,

Tanna

Update On C

2009-02-07T23:28:00.008-06:00

It has been 3 days since C's Cochlear Implant surgery and he is doing great. Sorry I'm just now getting around to giving an updating on C so here goes...
As you know C's surgery was Wednesday and we had to be up at the hospital at 6 am. Even though the surgery's estimated start time was 8 am he wasn't taken back until 8:40 am. C was great with all the nurses and Dr's, as long as they took their surgical caps off (C is terrified of people with hats on, with exception to baseball hats). When the nurses took him back for surgery he was all smiles and waves. Mommy on the other hand was in tears. Wow, it was hard watching the medical team carry him off.
At 10:22 am the Dr. came to the waiting room to tell us everything went great. As the Dr walked us through the procedure he showed us actual pictures of C's ear, which I convinced the Dr to give me so I could put them in his baby book. Once I have time to scan them in I will post them for you all to enjoy.
Since C recovered so well, we were allowed to take him home that day and had him checked out by 12:30 pm. Can you believe that after such major surgery he was out just after noon?
Today has been the worst day so far since the surgery. He threw up two times and I have noticed he isn't as steady on his feet and acts like he is getting a little dizzy if he moves too fast. I called the Dr. and since C has no fever and the incision site looks good they said not to worry that with the CI surgery this could happen.
Tomorrow my MIL brings back the other two babies, so I will no longer be a Mommy to a singleton, I will be a Mommy of multiples again. I miss L and D sooooo much but it was nice to have the last few days with just C. I think he has enjoyed it also, not having to fight for toys or attention. Here are a few pictures of C before and after surgery...

Daddy and C Before Surgery

C waiting to be taken back for surgery. He is playing with a gas mask that a Dr. gave him to play with so he would be less scared when they used it to put him to sleep.

C after the Dr. marked his ear.

C going home. As you can see his right ear has no bandage on it due to he kept pulling it off. When C is sleepy he loves to play with his hair, which the bandage covered.

Home after surgery. I was finally able to keep a large band-aide over his ear.

Friday. Incision site

His little head is swollen.

Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers!!

Much Love,

Tanna

Home From Surgery

2009-02-04T13:36:00.003-06:00

We are home from C having his Cochlear Implant surgery. We had to be at the hospital at 6am and they took him back to do the surgery at 8:40am. At 10:22am the Dr came out to tell us everything went GREAT!!!. Since he was doing so well we got to take him home and left at about 12:30pm. I will update more later but now I am taking a nap.

Thanks you all for the thought and prayers.

Much Love,

Tanna

Before and After

2009-02-03T21:00:00.005-06:00

For the next few days L and D are staying with my MIL so tonight we are the parents of a singleton. Since C's hair is getting really shaggy and part of his head will be shaved tomorrow, we decided to take him for a hair cut tonight.

Before...

After...

"Random Things"

2009-02-03T20:39:00.003-06:00

Ok so I got tagged and trying to keep my mind off of other things here is my list of "Random Things"...

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? A girl my Mom went to school with was named Tanna
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? This morning when someone asked me about C's surgery
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? My print
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Cajun Turkey
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? 3
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Heck Yes :)
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM? Nope, never
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Maybe before I had my babies
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Captain Crunch
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? nope, waste of time
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Blue Bell Triple Chocolate, For those of you who aren't from TX you are missing out on Blue Bell!!
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Smile
15. RED OR PINK? Red
16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? Weight
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? L and D. MIL is keepig them for me until Sat due to C's surgery
18. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Black pants and running shoes(not used for running)
19. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? American Idol
20. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? RED
21. FAVORITE SMELLS? My babies after a bath and Hubby's Pillow
22. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Mom
23. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Any Olimpics Event
24. HAIR COLOR? Light brown
25. EYE COLOR? Blue green
26. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Yes, w/out I can't see ANYTHING!
27. FAVORITE FOOD? Dad's Spagetti
28. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy Ending
29. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Taken, GREAT MOVIE
30. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Grey
31. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer, you get to go out and play
32. HUGS OR KISSES? both
33. FAVORITE DESSERT? Cookie Dough
34. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Baby Colors
35. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? I don't have one
36. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? The Closer and House
37. FAVORITE SOUND(S)? My babies laughing
38. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? The BEATLES
39. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Canada
40. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? nope
41. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Tx
42. HOW DID YOU MEET YOUR SPOUSE/SIGNIFIGANT OTHER? He was my Boss

It Hurts...

2009-02-02T22:50:00.013-06:00

Have you ever loved someone so much it hurts? I though I knew love but until I had my babies I had no idea what true love was. I would do anything for my little monsters, even die.

On Wednesday C will have his Cochlear implant surgery and I am very excited at the prospect of him hearing one day but I am scared to death that something will go wrong and I will loose him. Is his hearing worth the risk? I am probably being silly and just overly emotional but I can't help to think, "What would I do if I lost him"?

C has always been my fighter, at birth out of the three he was the sickest. While still in the womb his placenta ruptured and after birth he had breathing issues due to breathing in amino fluid and blood. He was put on a ventilator for over a week and a half, and when C was about a week old we were told to prepare ourselves, due to an increase in toxins in his body it was becoming a possibility that he may have terminal liver disease. His toxin levels were so high he was actually green. Later we learned it wasn't liver disease but because his birth was so rough his liver just wasn't working fast enough and he had a lot of extra "slug" in his body.

Today, even with the hearing loss he is just as healthy as the other two. I don't know what time on Wednesday his surgery is but if you will say a special prayer for him I would greatly appreciate it.

C on the Vent in the NICU

Daddy Holding C's Passie

Even being over a month old C still had a green tone to his skin.

C With His Hearing Aids

Yesterday

Much Love,

Tanna

They LOVE Their Bath!!

2009-01-31T23:16:00.006-06:00

So my trips love to take their bath. While the tub is filling with water, I have to rush to get them all undressed before they jump in fully clothed. Tonight D was too fast for me and made a successful leap.

She got so mad when I pulled her out. I guess I should have just left her in the tub. I could have killed two birds with one stone, wash Kota and her cloths at the same time.

YAY, Super Bowl is tomorrow. I actually could careless about the game but I love watching the commercials and eating ALL the good food. Well, I hope you all have a great rest of the weekend.

Much Love,

Tanna

Only 6 more days until C Gets His Cochlear Implant

2009-01-29T20:16:00.010-06:00

I can't wait!!! Tomorrow C and I will make a trip to the hospital to fill out paper work and to let them do a pre-op exam. We were suppose to have this done on Monday but due to the nurse writing our appointment down wrong we missed the appointment and had to reschedule. Last night I had a nightmare due to the mix up with the appointments. I dreamed that we missed his surgery so the Dr refused to reschedule. It makes me sick to my stomach just to think of that happening.

In other news all the babies are doing great!! ECI(Early Childhood Intervention) is kicking D and L out of their program because they are doing so well. C will be with ECI until he is 3 years old because of his hearing loss and then at 3 he will go to a special pre-school that is better equipped to handle his hearing loss.

There is an RSV Outbreak in Lubbock...
Ok, well not really and outbreak but per my pedi she said this is the worst she has ever seen it. Just this last week I know of 7 children who have been diagnosed with RSV, two of those are my sister's girls. Luckily we have dodged the path of the dreaded RSV and I pray that we can keep the babies healthy at least until after C's surgery.

THANKSGIVING THURSDAY:

1) I found my all of my old Baseball cards and just by skimming through they value over $100.
2) C’s CI is in only 6 days.
3) My Mom is on the mend from having a BAD kidney infection. She was in the hospital for 5 days.
4) My house is clean
5) Went to a concert on Sunday. It was soooo much fun!!
6) My MIL who has been watching the babies for me while Huby and I work.
7) American Idol
8) I am very thankful I am not the mom who just had octuplets.
9) My Sister being my best friend.
10) The playground equipment I found for $50. I got a castle play house with slide and a smaller play house that has a kitchen table

Today Is My Birthday!!!

2009-01-23T20:50:00.003-06:00

Today was my Birthday and I did NOTHING, except take a 2 hour nap!!!! Hubby and I both took off from work and just spent the day with the kids. This evening my sister brought over a birthday cake with her girls and it was yummy.

Much Love,

Tanna

18 Month Well Check...

2009-01-19T23:43:00.009-06:00

On Friday the babies had their 18 month well check, even though they will be 19 months on the 22nd of this month. With last month being so busy this was the closest we could get to the 18 month mark. The Pedi said they are all looking really good for being born 11 weeks early. The Pedi said she would have never thought L and D were preemies just by looking at them. C is a little more behind since he isn't walking yet and due to the hearing loss he isn't speaking but other than that Pedi say C looks great.

L:
Height 31" 25%
Weight 20 lbs 11 oz 3%
Head Circumference 18 1/2 inches 45%
Teeth: 14
Says about 20 words
Signs Language 10 signs

C:
Height 31.2" 25%
Weight 20 lbs 9 oz 3%
Head Circumference 18 1/2 inches 45%
Teeth: 16
Signs Language 6 signs

D:
Height 31.2" 50%
Weight 20 lbs 5 oz 10%
Head Circumference 18 1/2 inches 50%
Teeth: 12
Says about 40-50 words
Signs Language 15 signs

We are finally all on the growth curve!! YAY!!

We had GREAT weather over the weekend so we spent Sat and Sun outside. Here are a few pictures:

Triplets and Twins (my Sister's Girls) in Aunt T's Backyard:

D and Cousin:

Eating Snacks at Table:

D:

L Playing in the Dirt:

C:

Much Love,

Tanna

Suprise We Had A 4th Baby...

2009-01-16T23:05:00.008-06:00

We are proud to introduce you to 4th, the virtual Baby they created with the new RoutanBabymaker3000. Volkswagen and I created the RoutanBabymaker3000 to remind couples that babies are about love, not a German-tuned suspension and European styling. With the RoutanBabymaker3000 now you can succumb to the urge to procreate, without adding to the epidemic. Just remember. Please. Have a baby for love, not for German engineering. - Brooke Shields Actress/Humanitarian

http://www.vw.com/vwhype/babymaker/en/us/?mId=29312450

Awwww isn't he cute!!! He has his Mommy's nose and his Daddy's eyes. HEHE. I recommend going to the above site and creating your own baby. He kind of reminds me of L.

Now for an update on C. Today I picked out the internal and external device C will have implanted. There are 3 companies that make cochlear implants (Advanced Bionics, Cochlear Corp and Med EI) we were able to choose from 2 of the companies. After reviewing our options we went with the Advanced Bionics Corp.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the cochlear implant the Dr. will implant the internal part on the side of C's head, just behind his ear, right under the skin and the muscle. Here is a picture pulled from Bionics web site of what the internal device looks like...

The internal device is equipped with a magnet and so is the external headpiece. When the pieces are connected and noise is made the external processor sends signals through the headpiece to the internal device. Once the signal hits the internal device the real magic begins and a signal is sent to C's brain letting him know what he just heard.

With Advanced Bionics we had the option of two different external devices the Sound Processor: Harmony (Behind the Ear) Sound Processor or the Platinum Series (Body-Worn) Sound Processor. Since Colton is still so young we have decided on the Platinum Series (Body-Worn) Sound Processor. The external device that is worn on the ear was just so big for C's little head right now we felt the best option for him would be the device that is worn on his body.

Platinum Series (Body-Worn) Sound Processor

Sound Processor: Harmony (Behind the Ear) Sound Processor

All pictures were pulled from the Advanced Bionics site at
http://www.bionicear.com/index.cfm?langid=1

Well that is all for now, I hope you all have a wonderful week end. God bless!!!

Much Love,

Tanna

Thanksgiving Thursday, And Other Notes...

2009-01-15T21:24:00.005-06:00

Here is my second post for Thanksgiving Thursday but before I begin I want to catch you all up on the results from Colton's CT scan.

Sorry I am just now posting on the results but I just now have some free time to post. We got his results on Tuesday and we got great news. C's ears look great, he had no fluid, no scar tissue and nothing that would prevent the Cochlear implant from working. I asked the Dr. if his ears look so good, what caused his hearing loss? The Dr said since hearing loss doesn't run in our families he has no idea what the cause. It could have been caused in the womb, him being born premature, from the vent, from the blood transfusions or any of the med's that he was given to keep him alive. Even without knowing what caused the hearing loss I would have done it all again to have him here with me now healthy and happy.
We scheduled his surgery for Feb. 4th and I can't wait! They will only put one implant in one ear for now and then in 6 months to a year later they will do the second implant for the other ear. It should be an outpatient surgery, so if all goes well he will be home by that night. The Dr. said he should be in bandies for about 4 days and then 10 days after the surgery they will turn the implant on.
Tomorrow I will be meeting with the Dr. who will be mapping(programing) the implant and picking out which implant we are going to go with. Once I post this update I will be doing a little research on the different implants, so when I go in tomorrow I look like I know what I am talking about: )
I have high hopes for C to hear once he has the surgery. It will not be an easy process but it will be worth it when I hear him say his first word.
There is a blog(The Lawrence Triplets)that I follow regularly and the author is the mother of a set of BBB triplets. One of her precious sons also has profound hearing loss and has had the Cochlear implant surgery. This brave little boy has been such an inspiration to me. If you have time you should stop by her blog and see how amazing the Cochlear implant is(it doesn't help that her little boy is VERY smart).

Thanksgiving Thursday:
1) Great Friends!!!
2) Our Family Disney Vacation is only 46 days away.
3) C's good CT results
4) The start of American Idol
5) Daddy teaching D a new word "Apple"
6) I am off tomorrow
7) Tomorrow is Payday
8) My brother started his new job this week
9) Hubby's 85 year old Grandpa had knee surgery this week and he is home doing great.
10)God's Love

PS. Tomorrow the babies will also be having their 18 month check up so I will try to post ASAP to let you know how that went.

Much Love,

Tanna

Resolutions For The New Year...

2009-01-12T21:44:00.003-06:00

So I have never made New Year resolutions in the past but this year I have decided to make a few. I have been thinking very hard on what I want them to be, so here goes...

1) I would love to loose some weight but more than that I would like to get healthy. Before I got pregnant I was a 160 at 5' 9" and when I was preggers I
gained 20 lbs. After I had my babies it took me 2 weeks to get back down to
159 lbs. Since then I have no idea what happened, but in the last year and a half I have gained 35 lbs. I have gained more weight now, then when
I was preggers with my trips. Then I went to my Dr last month and I found
that my cholesterol was really thigh, so high it could become life
threatening. So here I am trying to get healthy so I can live long enough to see
grand babies one day.

2) I would love to be debt free by next year but for a more realistic goal I plane to make no new debt and get current debt paid down. The closer we are to being debt free the closer I am to being a stay at home mom.

3) Spend more one-on-one time with each baby. I want them to feel special, not just as part of a trio but as an individual. I would love to have an outing with each baby once a month, even if it is just to the grocery store.

4) Spend less time watching TV. My goal is to watch TV only when the babies are sleeping. This maybe tough one since I LOVE TV.

5) Keep up with this blog. One day I would love to print out all my posts and give them to my adult children so they can see what life was like when they were babies.

6) Be more green. I recycling and I purchased a Brita water pitcher to cut out using bottled water.

Much Love,

Tanna

A Look Back...

2009-01-11T16:45:00.004-06:00

So I was looking through some old pictures of the babies on my computer and came across some short videos of them. Enjoy!!!

PS. Let me apologize for the bad lighting. Back then I didn't have a good camera.

C about 5 Months Old

D about 5 Months Old

L about 7 Months Old

All Three Babies

In the next week I will try to post some video's of the babies now.

Much Love,

Tanna

Thanksgiving Thursday

2009-01-08T20:57:00.004-06:00

Today I have been introduced to a great idea. Nichole over at What a Trip started Thanksgiving Thursdays were you list 10 things you are Thankful for this week. Here I go...

1) C being such a good boy when getting his CT scan
2) My Mom for watching the trips while I work
3) Mindy is preggers
4) My Hubby brought milk home without me even asking
5) D is now calling me Momma, again
6) Good Insurance
7) Making it through first day of diet
8) L's Kisses
9) Grey's Anatomy is new tonight
10)The Lords Love

Much Love,

Tanna

Colton's CT Scan

2009-01-07T19:21:00.015-06:00

Today C had his CT scan and he did GREAT!!! We got there at 7 am and he didn't have the scan until 10 am. It was a long day. At 9 am the nurse walked us to the CT room to have the scan done but once we got there the room wasn't ready for Colton so we had to wait an additional hour for them to get everything in order.

Since C is so young they had to sedate him to keep him still. Even though we were warned, even the best babies come out of the sedation really groggy and cranky, but this was not the case with C. He was such a good boy. When I walked into the recovery room he was being held by a nurse and sucking his thumb. He had a quick recovery and no negative side effects from the anesthesia.

We finally got out of there at 11:30 am and since C was in such a good mood we took him to Cracker Barrel to celebrate.

If you are wondering were L and D were the whole day, D stayed with Gee(my Mom) and L stayed with my sister. I know it was nice for them to get some one-on-one time.

Much Love,

Tanna

Today I Bit It...

2009-01-05T21:51:00.010-06:00

For those of you who don't live in West Texas this morning we woke up to streets covered in ice. After leaving the babies at my Mom's for the day, I was returning to my car and I bit it HARD on the ice. Ouch!! I fell hard and when doing so scraped up my elbow, cut my finger, bruised my hip and somehow on my way down I keyed my own car. Thank the good Lord I wasn't holding a baby.
We really have to watch what we say round D. She is repeating everything!! She has also started to call me Tanna and not Momma. We are working on correcting her but so far it isn't working: )
L is doing great. I hate to say it we call him our little Diva, much to his father’s dismay he is a bit of a drama queen. Although this week Lincoln has made his Father proud, he has been purposely burping. Yes, you have read right, he takes a drink and then lets it rip. Hubby has tried to convince me he did not teach L this lesson but I find that hard to believe.
C goes on Wednesday to have a CT scan. Before we can schedule his Cochlear implant surgery they have to make sure he has all the working parts of the ear. Wish us luck!!! He is such a sweet boy and I can't wait until he can hear.

Much Love,
Tanna

A Year in Pictures

2009-01-01T13:52:00.022-06:00

I am now a thief...
I have stolen this idea from two of my blogger friends.
Thanks to Rachael and Kristi for the great idea!!!

2008 In Pictures

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January 2008

Happy New Year 2008

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February 2008

Happy Valentines Day

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March 2008

Happy Easter

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April 2008

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May 2008

Colton's first time to pull up on his own.

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June 2008

1 Year Old

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August 2008

Rub-a-Dub-Dub-Dub... TRIPLETS in the Tub!

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September 2008

Cousins

Twins and Triplets

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October 2008

Happy Halloween

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November 2008

Family Picture on the Polar Express Train Ride

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December 2008

Merry Christmas

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I wish you all a very Happy 2009!!!

Much Love,

Tanna

Infertility

2008-12-30T21:22:00.006-06:00

Before I was blessed with my beautiful babies my hubby and I struggled with infertility. Compared to a lot of couples we really had it easy. After 3 years of trying and hearing Doctors tell me "You're still young, give it time" or "Relax, stop trying it will happen" I got fed up and went to a fertility specialist. I found out that that I have polysistic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) which was preventing me from getting pregnant.

If you have never struggled with infertility you can't understand how it feels to have every female around you getting pregnant and all you get is your period. You are happy for them but all the while you keep thinking why not me. While we were going to the fertility specialist I found out that my cousin and sister were both pregnant, due a month apart from each other. I was very happy for them but it still hurt. To this day I don't think they know how hard it was for me to be around them at that time. One memorable moment was when my cousin, sis, a close friend and I got together to watch the season premier of Gray's Anatomy. The whole time my sis and cousin were comparing pregnant bellies and talking about being pregnant. I was handling it really well until I went to the bathroom and found I had started my period, alerting me to the fact that I still wasn't pregnant. After that I left in a hurry and on my way home I had to pull over because I was crying so hard I hyperventilated.

On December 12, 2006 we had a procedure done called intra-uterine insemination(IUI) and then 10 days later we found out we were finally pregnant. I couldn't believe it. What a great Christmas present. You are probably asking what brought this subject up. Well I came across this music video and it brought so many memories back. For those of you who have struggled with infertility this video will hit close to home.

Now that I have my babies I couldn't be more happy. I know it sounds odd but I thank God for my infertility. Without infertility I don't think I would truly appreciate my babies and I wouldn't have these babies.

On a different note today D did the cutest thing. She was carrying her sippy cup upside down and it was dripping all over the floor. When I brought it to her attention she got a kitchen towel out of the drawer and used it to wipe up the spill. She then took the towel and and put it back in the drawer. I was speechless. I immediately called my Mom to see if she taught D this and she had not. I have NO idea were she learned to do that. If you have ever been to my house you know that house keeping is something I rarely do, so you know she didn't learn it from me.

Well I hope you all have a Happy New Year!!!

Much Love,
Tanna

Still Sick

2008-12-29T19:38:00.010-06:00

Grrrrr, the babies are still sick!!! I am SICK of all of them being sick. It has been 12 days since the first symptom and here we are, STILL sick.

C is getting better but he has a yeast, diaper rash due to all of the diarrhea. So I have been putting yeast cream on his little rear-end and it is already looking a lot better. L is good but is still pulling on his ear and has a low grade fever of around 100. D has been having fever for the last 2 days and at night it has been spiking to almost 104. I called the Dr and she has only one opening tomorrow so see a baby, so it looks like D is the lucky one but I am going to take L with me in hope that she will check him out also.

Well Christmas was interesting. Hubby got the stomach virus on Tues. Our In-Laws that stayed with us started getting the virus Wed morning. It wasn't a pretty sight seeing everyone fighting for the bathroom. I got a touch of the virus but not bad at all, while everyone was throwing up and having diarrhea I just had a sore stomach, thank the Lord!!

Well in this post I have included a picture of C with his tractor he got from his Granny. With all the craziness on Christmas I only got one picture and this is it. Can you believe this is the babies 2nd Christmas and I got ONE picture and just of C. Well I guess you know who my favorite baby is. HEHE!! PS. See the pile of puked on cloths in the background...Yuck!!

Much Love,
Tanna

SICK, SICK, SICK

2008-12-21T22:28:00.008-06:00

On Friday morning when I went to wake the babies I was met with a surprise from C. He had thrown up all in his bed. And then it all began...

C threw up 2 more times before I made it out the door to go to work. Once I got to my Mom's to drop the triplets off I noticed that L had fever and was tugging on his ear. So I put a call in the the Dr and I took them in. They all have pharyngitis and on top of that C had a stomach virus. Great just what I need right before the holidays. Grrrr.

Well as you can imagine this weekend was FUN. All the babies ended up getting the virus so I have spent all weekend getting thrown up on and doing laundry.

L wins the award for having the highest fever it reached 103.4 yikes!! I had to strip him down and put him in a cool bath. Poor baby he screamed and shivered the whole time.

D won the award for throwing up the most in a 3 hour period, 13 times. I almost had to take her to the ER Saturday night but at 2 am I was finally able to keep the Pedia-light down her. I let her sleep on my chest that night and at 4 am she woke me up asking me for a "Cracker", after that I knew she was going to be fine.

C wins that award for being the easiest to take care of when sick. He was so sweet. He just wanted to lay in his bed, suck his thumb and sleep.

Well, please say a prayer for my Hubby and I in hope that we don't also get sick before Christmas. I have tried to get as many things done around here so if that happens I will be prepared. And if I don't blog again before Christmas I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!!

Much Love,
Tanna

The Kindness of Strangers

2008-12-20T09:46:00.006-06:00

On Thursday night my Hubby and I felt brave so we took the babies to Outback to eat dinner. I admit I was worried about taking them to eat at such a nice place but they did great(well right up until the end of the meal). As we were being taken to our table we did get a few looks of fear from fellow patrons scared that we would be seated next to them. After we were settled at our table the people sitting in our area started asking questions about the triplets.
When the babies were younger I could prevent most questioning from curious on lookers by avoiding eye contact and acting like I didn't hear them but now that the babies are older they tend to stare and wave at everyone they see, so it's making it a bit more difficult to curb the questions. Really I don't mind talking about the babies, it is my favorite subject, but at times I would like to run my errands with out getting the 5th degree.
Luckily that night I was in a talkative mood so I didn't mind the questioning:
Are they triplets?
Two boys and a girl?
Do they run in your family?
Did you use fertility drugs?
Are the identical or fraternal?
How do you do it?
Do you have a lot of help?
Are you done having babies?
Those are just some of my favorites.
There were two ladies sitting to the left of us that were very friendly and C was really flirting with them. After their meal was over one of the ladies leaned over grabbed my hand and put something in it. She said " I am so proud of you and your family, Merry Christmas". Then she walked away, I looked down into my hand and there was $40. WHAT she gave us $40. I couldn't believe it. I was dumbfounded. I didn't know what to do and I admit my face was really red. We have plenty of money but over the last month we have been really stressed with Christmas being next week and C's up coming Cochlear implant surgery. This wonderful lady helped to reopen my eyes, that God is everywhere and he worked through her to release some of our stress.

In other news we went back to the Audiologist to schedule for C's Cochlear implant surgery or that is what I thought but before we can schedule the surgery he has to have some more tests run. On Jan 7th he will be getting a CAT scan to make sure he has all the working parts of the ear. Once they prove he does then we can schedule the surgery. From what the Dr said it looks like he will be having the surgery towards the end of January. I am so ready to have him in the implant, have it working and C hearing but I know it won't be that easy. Once he has the surgery the Dr will let the implant heal for about 10 days then they turn it on. After that C will have to learn to hear through therapy. Before I had C I took my hearing for granted. I try to put myself in his shoes to feel what it must be like to not hear anything. Some days it still hits me that he can't hear and that I have a deaf child. Please pray that this process is as easy and painless as possible.

Much Love
Tanna

The Polar Express..."A Grandma's Story"

2008-12-13T19:19:00.014-06:00

On June 22nd we took a memorable trip on the Polar Express. Here is was happened in my Mom's words...

This is a true story of our ride on the Polar Express train last night. You honestly won't believe what happened... Miggy, I can't wait to read your story since yall were near the back of the train behind us! I also put in a few of the photos taken during the ride so you can actually see the events unfold!

Love, Jenny

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

The Polar Express..."A Grandma's Story"

"We had a GREAT time... and then we had to get on the train."

Yes...that's a quote from my darling daughter Tanna, about our much anticipated Polar Express train ride last night.

Being in love with the Polar Express book and the movie, we all were drooling at the prospect of going on this fantasy train ride to the North Pole. We have five - one year old grand babies that are looking forward to Christmas this year (ok...maybe they don't quite "get" the whole Santa and his reindeer thing yet but they will) so I gladly paid $22.00 for my ticket since this was going to be a "magical ride we'd remember for years to come.

My daughters (mothers of twins and triplets) have both been looking feverishly for weeks for matching Christmas PJ's for their little tots. Finally Tara found cute pj's that would be perfect for girl AND boy babies. She also talked about how warm and cozy these candy cane fleece footy pajamas would be since it would surely be frigid on the night of our journey. Tanna decided these still might not be warm enough so she put long sleeved onsies and socks under her three babies jammies just to be safe.

We were to be at the station 30 minutes before time to board the train and all went smoothly. Mommies, Daddies, babies and I all showed up dressed appropriately with warm clothes and coats. Some passengers even had fuzzy hats and gloves on and for an instant I wondered if we were under dressed. Cameras were flashing while we feverishly took pictures of the babies who by this time were having a ball toddling around beside the train admiring each others new duds. There were elves running amongst the passengers which added to the overall effect of this magical event.

Finally, "ALL ABOARD" was heard so we rushed to what was going to be our most anticipated adventure. Tara and Rusty carried Brynly and Breigh aboard the train while I followed with Dakota in my arms. Tanna waited outside with a baby boy in each of her arms waiting for Gary to arrive from work. Yay...he made it on time and I'm sure he was just as thrilled as we were to be there.

As we entered the train we were met with a huge wave of heat...kind of like walking into a man sized oven with the temperature set to "pre-heat." We ambled to our seats where Tara and Brynly sat in the seat by the window, Rusty and Breigh in the middle and Kota and I were on the aisle. Soon Tanna and Gary came in toting the boys and took to their seats right across the aisle from me. We were all atwitter with excitement even though we were all beginning to melt in the heat as we tried to figure out how to pull off a few layers of clothes to cool off.

The train's decorations consisted of a few spindly sprigs of garland and a plastic bell or two (which Kota managed to pull off while later sitting in her mommy's lap) Ok..not exactly the winter wonderland we'd hoped for but we were sure it would get better since there was going to be entertainment.

The conductor, quite nice even though he was NOT Tom Hanks, welcomed us all. As he wiped the sweat from his brow, he grinned shakily telling us the train ride "might roll a bit from side to side and not to worry." Well, we thought, "How bad could it be, for Heaven's sake...and if it did roll a bit, it would just add to the adventure!"

Finally the moment we had all waited for was at hand...the train was leaving the station! We were packed in like sardines in a too small can dabbing at the sweat trickling down our forheads. Choo choo.... we were off! Within seconds I was holding on to the side of my seat with one hand while trying to hang on to Kota so she wouldn't fly across the aisle... um... yes a wee bit of "rolling" indeed!

During all this I was still trying to capture the "magic moment" with my camera which was SURE to happen any second now, when some helpers with "Chef's hats" started up and down the aisle talking to the passengers. Well, one took a liking to our little group and even though Colton would wail and scream every time she looked at him, she was determined to not give up. She was SURE if she got in his face he'd immediately change his mind and fall in love with her.... DIDN'T HAPPEN!!! We didn't want to be rude and just pull him away and cover his head each time she passed so we sat in dread each time she looked our way. Breigh wasn't exactly excited to be held by her either...
After a bit, Tara said "There's the North Pole, girls!" We then all looked out the window and saw some elves dancing around and old Santa himself heading to the train. The place was not exactly lit up "north pole" style and the few little sprigs of lights here and there on a few shabby little buildings led us to believe that was the best we'd get. Suddenly we looked up and Santa was on the train! He came out and spoke to each child as he went down the aisle. Surprisingly all our babies liked him instantly, even Colton whose cheeks were still red from his traumatic experience with the chef earlier not to mention the 95 degree heat. Brynly and Breigh were thrilled as Santa handed each of them a Christmas bell. Their little smiles were contagious and I almost teared up with pride just looking at them. Lincoln was grinning up at Santa and shaking his little bell while Colton and Kota also received their bells. Those two were not as thrilled to see Santa as the others but still were very brave. I was one very hot yet happy and proud "Gee."

The jolly old elf finally departed our train. Then a few helpers hesitantly walked out holding some wrinkled sheets of paper with from what I could see, words to Christmas songs. I fleetingly wondered why they weren't more prepared and at least had learned the words to Frosty the Snowman but I gave them the benefit of the doubt and kept quiet. An elf spoke up and said "Who wants to come up and sing with me?" A few brave souls raised their hands and one little girl slowly went forward. The elf began singing "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer." I honestly could not believe my ears... If you can imagine being given a sheet of paper with words only of a song you've never heard in your life and had no idea of the tune... and then told to sing it...this is exactly how she sounded. She began the worst rendition I've EVER HEARD in my life of Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer. The little girl she'd called up to be her "helper" looked like she was about to cry but bravely stood there and sung along with the girl that sang like the actor, "Boris Karloff" on crack. We in the audience were stunned but tried to sing along. As I looked over I saw Tara hiding behind Breigh trying not to laugh so anyone could see... then there was Rusty who was bravely trying to sing with Brynly but looking a bit confused. Then across the aisle, I spy Tanna laughing hysterically behind Kota's back and Gary who was holding Lincoln, just looked stunned and a bit bored.

Thank goodness we were made to sit through only a few "happy songs." As the train was within 10 or 15 minutes of taking us back home and out of our misery.... the lights on the train started to sputter. A voice nervously told us not to worry...there had been a slight electrical problem earlier but all would be fine. A few more flickers of lights going on and off and then it happened. PITCH BLACK!!! Babies started to bawl and there were moans and grumblings from overheated parents and grandparents wondering what the heck was going to happen next. The little amount of cool air that HAD been trickling into that overheated train ride to...well you know where... stopped and there we were, like trapped rats holding sweaty bawling squirming babies and wondering when it would all end. The conductor came out and plied us with more lies saying that we were only TWO minutes from home. Rusty, by this time was threatening to pull off all his clothes as sweat was pouring from his poor body. The conductor told us they were going to open the doors on the moving train to cool things off and would we please not walk up and down the aisles (as we were pitching violently from side to side) because he would not want us falling off the train. To me...this sounded like a good thing so I briefly considered hurling myself out the door and into cool air... I did however come to my senses because Colton was screaming in Rusty's arms so I traded babies with him as I started to peel off his layers of clothes as I blew air down his little onsie to cool him off. (Colton's not Rusty's)

After being told several times our destination was near, the train finally stopped and we were home! It was still pitch black except for a cell phone light or two and by this time most bawling babies had worn themselves out. As for Colton, now that the scary chef was gone and his Christmas jammies were off, the steam was rising from his little sweaty body and he was grinning from ear to ear! We were told to take our time leaving the train but we leapt out of our seats and dashed to the exits as fast as we could. Immediately the cold air hit us and oh how wonderful it was!

It started out as a night that would start this Christmas season off in fine fashion...and ended truly as one of the most memorable nights of our lives!

Happy Conception Day!!!

2008-12-12T12:44:00.006-06:00

Little did I know 2 years ago, today my adventure with triplets would begin. After 3 and a half years of trying to get pregnant on December 12, 2006 we had an IUI (intrauterine insemination -- is performed by threading a very thin flexible catheter through the cervix and injecting washed sperm directly into the uterus). Going into the procedure we had 3 follicles(eggs) and knew there was a 20% chance of conceiving, so we NEVER thought all 3 would take. We had high hopes that it would work and we would be preggers with one baby or twins. I never dreamed that all three would take and I would be preggers with triplets. I still remember the day we found out it was triplets.
Gary had to work so my Mom went to Dr appointment with me. As the nurse was examining me she said "congratulations here's your baby". At that moment I remember being sad because there was only one. BUT then the nurse moved over and said "Wait there are two more on this side". I couldn't believe my ears, I was so excited. The nurse looked worried until she could see the excitement in mine and my Mom's face. At that point I was blissfully unaware how scary a triplet pregnancy could be.
Today I will remember as one of the most important days of my life. The day the Lord blessed us with three beautiful babies.

Much Love,
Tanna

"It's Signing Time with L, C and D"

2008-12-09T21:27:00.009-06:00

Since our baby C has profound hearing loss we have been learning sign language to help us communicate with him. All the babies are doing great at picking up the signs. It is so cute seeing them signing. C is a little behind his brother and sister, but since they can hear it is easier for them to pick it up. They are signing:
Bye, Bye
Hi
More
Bit
Drink
Cookie
Cracker
Milk
Come Here
Want
Baby
Tree
Just over the last few weeks they have been really signing. I have noticed that C gets less frustrated with us now because he can communicate.

Well as I promised here are some pic's of the babies with Santa:

L NEVER warmed up to Santa and C was fine with him until he saw Santa's elf (2nd pic he is looking at the elf) and then as you can see he freaked out(3rd pic).

Then here is a pic of D sneaking up behind Santa to steal an apple from his basket. Little thief, looks like she is getting coal in her stocking this year!!

Much Love,
Tanna

"I dreaming of a Brown Christmas..."

2008-12-08T20:15:00.006-06:00

It's December and here in West Texas we don't have snow storms we have dirt storms. YAY!!! Don't you wished you live her too. On my way home from work the winds were gusting at 50 mph causing me to dodge tumble weeds jetting out in front of the car. AND in the midst of all the dirt blowing it rained for about 5 minutes. Just long enough for the cars to get wet so that the blowing dirt could turn into mud and stick to my car. Woohoo, I love it!!

Today we were invited to the ECI (Early Childhood Intervention) Christmas party. We missed last years party, due to the fact the babies weren't very old and I was afraid of them getting sick. So, I was happy that all worked out so we could attend this year. The party was a lot of fun and it was nice to take the babies to see Santa. D and C liked Santa(kinda) but L really disliked him. I was all very cute and as soon Gee(Grandma) emails me the pic's I will post them.
OMG, at the party there was a baby there that looked like it JUST left the NICU. I couldn't believe it. The poor little thing was hooked up to an apnea monitor and oxygen. What were the parents thinking??? Then, they let Santa hold her so they could get a picture. WHAT??? After Santa has held all the dirty, germy kids at the party they then let him to hold their preemie baby. I couldn't believe it. What idiots. I'm still dumbfounded. Oh and the parents were in their 40's so they were old enough to know better.
OMG only 16 days left until Christmas. I really need to get on the ball and get some Christmas stuff done!!

Much Love,
Tanna

"And the Stockings were hung by the Chimney with care..."

2008-12-07T11:49:00.010-06:00

And then Momma barricaded the stocking so her 3 little monkeys could not destroy them.

I have finally decorated the house for the holidays. As you can see by the pictures I have to block EVERYTHING off to keep them out.

The main culprit is D. She can get into everything.
D has figured how to get in and out of her baby bed. When she wants to, she can climb over the security gate. The other day I looked over and D was on top of the dinning room table just about to stand up. That girl is going to be the death of me. I don't know what to do to keep her from climbing and getting into everything. My Mom keeps the babies for me during the day and she has a baby fence that goes around 3/4ths of her living room and this is to keep D out of everything. Really the fence doesn't stop her they just slow her down. Beside the little toot getting into everything she is talking up a storm. Her favorite words right now are Santa, Clock, Pretty, Up, and What's that. Her favorite sentence is "No, no hot". Which she uses on her bothers to get them to not touch her toys. She is too smart for her own good.
L is doing really good he doesn't say as much as his sister but now when he sees Santa he says He, He, He; which is suppose to be Ho, Ho, Ho. He is a little confused but it is really cute. At this time L may be on Santa's naughty list due to his need to bit his brother and sister. I have tried about everything to get him to stop but nothing seems to work. I hope this is just a stage he is going through but only time will tell.
Big boy C is also doing really well. C has profound hearing loss and in testing we found that he can only hear low loud tones, so in day to day life he can't hear anything. He will be having his Cochlear implant surgery next month. I am not sure of the exact day yet but we go to the Dr on the 16th of Dec to schedule everything. We have high hopes that this surgery will help him hear. To what amount he will hear, I am unsure but the Dr's have high hopes that he should hear at about 80%. He is doing great in his development. He has learned that if we aren't looking at him he need to vocally make a noise to get our attention. He has also learned a few signs. He signs ball, more, cracker, bye bye, hi, and come here. I love seeing him sign, it like hearing him say his first word. L and D are also learning signs but since they can hear, they have picked up the signs a little faster.
The babies are now 17 months old and I don't know were time has flown. L and C are cutting 4 new teeth, two on top and two on bottom. That puts their total up to 16 teeth. D is bringing up the rear with 8 teeth but she is in the process of cutting her jaw teeth so that brings her total to 12.
Well my Husband has taken the boys for the day to watch football at a friend’s house so D and I are off to go Christmas shopping. I am running out of time Eeeeekkkkk.

Have a great weekend!!

Much Love
Tanna

About Me

2008-11-30T13:00:00.004-06:00

For those who don't know me I thought I would take this time to introduce myself. My name is Tanna and I have been married to a wonderful man for 5 and a half years. We met when we were both working for a local grocery store over 12 years ago. At the time I was 16 years old and Gary was a little older at 23. For me it was love at first sight, I knew from that moment on I would one day marry Gary. Because of our age difference we didn't have our first date until 3 years later, 2 days before my 19th birthday.
After dating for 4 years we married and we started right a way trying to have a baby. Little did we know it wouldn't be as easy to have a baby as we thought. After trying different fertility treatments we found out we were preggers 3 days before Christmas '06. Wow, what a Christmas present. I would have to say it was the best Christmas ever. A few weeks later we found out we were having triplets. We were scared and excited all at the same time. Even though we were scared to have triplets, we were blissfully unaware of how scary a triplet pregnancy could be. I was in an out of the hospital 5 times, with my final stay lasting almost 2 months. In June of '07 we welcomed our babies 11 weeks early. L was first to be born weighing in at 2 lbs 13 oz, C was second to come, weighed 2 lbs 14.4 oz and last was our baby girl D at 2 lbs 10 oz. They were all rushed off to the NICU right after birth and being born at 29 weeks the babies had only an 80% survival rate. The NICU has been described as a rollercoaster ride. We were lucky enough to have a smooth ride, with only a few twists and turns. L had a stay of 40 days while C and D came home after 47 days. Without all the GREAT Doctors and Nurses I don't think my babies would have made it out as healthy as they did. These Doctors and Nurses all hold a very special place in my heart.
Today my babies are now 17 months old and you would never know they were born 11 weeks early. They are all healthy and happy babies. L is my sensitive child and has a bit of a biting problem. C, even though has profound hearing loss, is my easy going baby. D is the monkey of the family always getting into something.
The Lord has blessed me with a great life and great family. Thanks for stopping by.

Much Love,

Tanna

The Day After...

2008-11-28T09:36:00.005-06:00

Today is the day after Thanksgiving and I am back to work. Yuck!!! I hope you all had a very Happy Thanksgiving. We had a great one spending lunch out at
Me maw and Papaw's (Hubby's grandparents) in DC and dinner with my family at my parents house.
I briefly thought about getting up early today to brave the crowds in search for a great deal but when my alarm went off at 5 am I quickly changed my mind and went back to bed. It has never felt so good to not spend $$.
Well there has been a little drama today in the B's house. We have now made our 2nd call to poison control. About an hour ago I received a phone call from my Hubby saying that babies are ok (not a good way to start off a conversation) they had figured out how to get the baby lock off the cabinet, which holds some household chemicals. The babies had pulled out the Comet cleaner and were playing in the powder, possibly ingesting some. Poison control said to give the babies a bath and water. WHAT?? Really that it's it, that was their advice??? Well not trusting their advice I have now call the ER, pediatrician, my Mom, My Aunt and My cousin (who is a nurse at the pedi ER). I have now learned that when your baby has ingested Comet cleaner you are suppose to give them a bath and give them water. It doesn't seem quit right in the simplicity of the advice but that it what we are doing.
This happened about 2 hours ago and the babies are doing great!! C has thrown up 2 times, early on but now is great. Now we are awaiting for his super powers to emerge.
This weekend my Husband and I will be off work, so if everything works out we will be picking out our Christmas tree and decorating the house for the holidays.

Much Love
Tanna

2008-11-27T16:46:00.001-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

My blog soon to come...