These past three months have just flown by, but at the same time, it seems like our first few days in the hospital were an eternity ago. You have done a LOT of growing these past few weeks. I'm quite sure you are in the 10 lb range, if not a little more. Luke surpassed you in weight for awhile, but you seem to have caught back up. You fill out your 0-3 month clothes quite nicely. :) I love having a chubbier baby on my hands. Not too much chub, but just the right amount! While your siblings all seem to look alike, you have your own look about you. We aren't exactly sure who you favor yet, but you seem to be a wonderful combination of both of our families. Sometimes we see a little of your Grandpa Don in you, which is extra special being that you would be the only grandchild of his that does. :) Your hair is blond and your eyes are blue, as all babies eyes are at this point in life, and you are much fairer skinned than any of your siblings.
You are an excellent nurser, which is saying something given that neither of your siblings will. And Charlie and Liv didn't last that long either, but you will make it through the year, I am positive. Unfortunately, you being the only nurser means that you also have to wait to be fed almost every single time. It breaks my heart, but I have to get Wendy and Luke set up with their bottles before I can sit down with you. And though it's hard to hear you cry while you are waiting, I'm loving being able to hold just one baby while I feed. This is new for me! :) It's so nice to have some special bonding time with you. And then, after every feeding, you really like to have your pacifier to suck on for awhile. You just love that thing! It's going to be tricky getting rid of it, I can tell, but it's helpful to be able to calm you down so easily.
Right now, you are a great sleeper. We are starting to get all of you on a more standard sleeping schedule during the day, but at night we've gone down to one feeding a night...for the last two nights at least. Daddy and I are hoping that this continues. But not for long...we're going for sleeping through the WHOLE night! :)
Jack, you have earned yourself quite a few nicknames. Jack lends itself to those. Jack-Jack, Jackie, Jack Sprat, Jack-o-lantern, etc. You get the idea. But the one that might just stick is Jackie Bean, which is short for Little Jackie Stinkbean. Yes, I know. Not very complimentary. But you've really earned that title. You have an amazing ability to fill your diaper every. single. time. I've never seen anything like it! At least we know things are working as they should. :) And if it weren't for the fact that I just wrote this down for all to read, no one would know the original derivation of Jackie Bean. Oh well. Secret's out.
On November 13 you gave me your first smile and now you give them freely. You have such a cute, wide-mouthed grin. It just lights up your face. You are beginning to try to reach for the toys hanging from your Gymini, and you can easily get your hands to your mouth. When a pacifier isn't there, your hands are...and sometimes your thumb. Actually, you found it while you were still in the hospital if you can believe that! And you never seemed to forget where it was. Sitting up is another skill you are working on. The Bumbo really helps you with that, but when you are sitting in my lap I can really feel just how strong you are getting. Now it's time to start cooperating with tummy time. You just don't like to do it for that long. I make you though because it's good for your developement. Sorry about that buddy. Welcome to the world!
Daddy and I are enjoying having you in our family so much. Everything you do makes us smile...ok...not everything. But most things. Because you are breast-fed, Daddy gets the least amount of time with you, so he really cherishes the moments he has to hold you and be with you. We just love you so much Jackie Bean!
Dear Luke,
The first thing that we noticed about you was how much you look like your older brother. WOW. When Dr. Palmer held you up for us to take our first peek at you, it was like deja vu. It will be interesting to see just how closely you and Charlie resemble each other as you get older. That means that you will also look like your Grandpa David. But no matter what, there is no denying that you are a handsome little guy. You are long and slender. The longest of all of my babies. In fact, we have some Christmas pajamas that are size 3-6 months, and though they are extremely baggy, the length fits you just right! At birth, you were a full inch and a half longer than your siblings. So perhaps you have inherited the height from your Daddy's side of the family. Your hands and feet are also much larger than Jack and Wendy, and when I finally put shoes on you, they were too small! Your hair is still blond, but a much darker shade, and your skin is slightly olive-toned.
Nursing and pacifiers hold no appeal for you. I had to stop nursing you all together after about 5 weeks because you just wouldn't eat. We would struggle for about 10 minutes and then I'd finally have to resort to a bottle anyway. So bottle fed you are. And the only time you will even consider using a pacifier is in your car seat. But I've never seen you keep it in your mouth for more than a minute or two.
Thankfully, this does not affect your ability to fall asleep. We swaddle you, put you in the crib and you are out in a matter of minutes. At the most, you will let out a cry of protest at being taken away from whatever fun activity you were engaged in, but the crying never lasts very long. Waking up is another story however. You will often let out the scariest cries. They are sharp and piercing and sound as if you have woken from a nightmare. When this happens, it's not that easy getting you back to sleep. A quick hug is usually the best tactic, but even that doesn't always work. This doesn't seem to be much of a problem though because you sleep so well.
Unlike Jack who digests things rather quickly, you have a slower system which causes you discomfort from time to time. But other than that, there isn't much you complain about. You are content to bat at the toys on your Gymini, and you really enjoy and excel at tummy time. You rolled from tummy to back at 2 weeks and have done it one other time since, and you are forever doing mini-push-ups. In fact, you are so strong that your upper arms are incredibly defined. Big guns, Luke, big guns. :) And finally, you also enjoy sitting in the Bumbo and playing with your toys. It's getting so that if you aren't tired when I put you in it, you can sit for a good 10 minutes before your body starts to lean to the side.
You were the first to smile, and I was the lucky recipient of that. The first smile was quickly followed by two more and now you smile all the time. You find it especially amusing when I tap on your chin...so I do it a lot! Your smiles always make my day brighter and help pull me through when I'm tired and worn out. Which I am quite a lot these days. You also have this cute little habit of holding your hands up under your chin. It makes you look so sweet, which of course, you are.
Your Daddy and I love you so very much, Lukie. (That's your only nickname for now. I'm sure you will acquire more as time goes by.) It has been a pleasure having you in our family and we can't wait to watch you grow into the wonderful person I'm sure you will become.
Dear Wendy,
You spent the first couple of months in the same crib as Jack and Luke, but you are now in your very own crib. I have to say, it looks a little strange to me to see such a small baby all alone in a crib! I've never had that before! But you were all growing so fast that we had to separate you earlier than we'd thought.
Just like Luke, you have also refused to nurse. And similarly, you don't really care much for your pacifier either, though you will take it in the car and occasionally when you need a little extra help getting to sleep. But for the most part, we have to let you work yourself to sleep through crying. You never cry long, but I guess you just need to let out a few yells to relax yourself. Hey. Whatever works for you girl!
You have a very easy going personality, Wen. The only times you get very upset are when you are hungry and sometimes when you spit up...which is a lot. You don't hold a candle to Charlie, but if we hadn't experienced his spitting up, we'd probably think you were a HUGE spitter.
Of the triplets, you take the longest to "wake up." While Luke, and then Jack began to have longer awake periods during the day, you continued to snooze. That has changed over the past few weeks, but consequently, you don't try to grab at toys quite like your brothers. But that will come with time. You still enjoy laying with them on the baby gym, and every now and then you'll take a swipe at something. However, you do well with tummy time and you enjoy looking at yourself in the little mirror on the gym. Such a girl! And you are doing very well sitting in the Bumbo too. In fact, I was holding you in my lap when I decided that you might be strong enough to give the Bumbo a try. And sure enough, you were!
It is a precious thing when we get to see one of your smiles. You aren't as free with them as your brothers, but they are just as sweet and beautiful. And though you may not smile as much, you are always looking at people's faces and studying them. You seem to be taking in every little detail. It will be interesting to see what you end up doing with all of the information you are collecting. :)
It is a joy watching you grow and having you in our family Wendy Lady. Olivia loves having a little sister, and I hope that your relationship with her will be a good one. Your Daddy and I cherish you and love you dearly. Thank you for coming into our lives.
To the three of you:
I honestly cherish every moment of this time we have together. I know now how quickly these baby days go by, and this is my last opportunity to enjoy it, so I am doing my best to do so. With the three of you and your older siblings, my time and attention is stretched thin, but I always try to make special snuggle time with each of you. Being your mother and being able to stay home with you is the greatest blessing in my life. I know I am where I need to be and doing what I need to do. And though I know that my presence will benefit all of you, I often feel that I am the one getting the most out of it. Motherhood is refining me and bringing to light my weaknesses. I am far from perfect, but please know that I am trying. All that I do for you, I do with love and with your best interest at heart. I try to follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost and I pray for you daily.
Our family feels complete, now that the three of you are here. You just fit right in to our family. You are adored and loved by Charlie and Olivia, and by your Daddy and I. I look forward to watching your personalities develop and our relationships grow.
I love you.
Love,
Mommy
3 comments:
Oh my word...so happy I have tissues in my pocket. These children are so blessed to be together as siblings with one another and with Charlie and Livvy, as well as having you and Eli as their parents. This family is whole and complete, eternal and timeless. I am honored to be able to watch the awesomeness unfold.
Are you sure that's not a picture of Charlie there in the middle?....DANG!!!!!!
and folks? she still had time to write this. A. MAZ. ING.
So sweet - I loved every word- what a loving letter to each of them- must come see them soon!!
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