Clarification

I just wanted to make a quick clarification about the babies. They are not back on feeding tubes. Several people thought the pictures posted on each baby was the most recent. The first pic is when they were in the NICU, the second when they were about 2 months and the third is the most recent. Sorry about the confusion. Just wanted everyone to see how far they've all come. It's amazing!

Big Boy Preston!

And big boy he is! At birth he weighed the least, but he has made up for that! He now weighs 14 lbs. 15 oz (50%) and measures at a whopping 24 3/4" (50%)!! He has surpassed the girls and on his way at defeating all odds!

We have come a long way baby! From inside the womb, I knew this little boy was a fighter! He has defied all logic from the moment he was born. In the NICU, the boys were often called "little wimpy white boys"; mainly because they just didn't do as well as girls. They normally would develop much slower and had delayed motor skills than their female counterparts. Well....not this boy! Not only did he come out screaming, he didn't even need a breathing tube like the girls. Looking at him now, it's hard to believe how tiny and fragile he once was. He has more than quadrupled his size!

Mr. Flirty is what I call him now! Oh how he loves the ladies!! Don't get me wrong; he's a man's man as well. He is just one happy baby! You will always find him smiling...usually his open-mouthed, toothless grin. It is so irresistible! You just have to squeeze and hug him. And he can talk! Well....not actual words, but he will carry on a whole conversation with me! It's hysterical. I just nod my head and say "Oh really?" and "Is that right?". Oh....and he is sooo laid back. Not a care in the world. I could probably count on one hand the times he cries in a week! (It's usually at the last meal of the day). Sometimes I wonder if I really have a third child.

One of Preston's quirks is when he's drinking....he will stop and give me his adorable smile and let all the milk spill out of his mouth; then he starts to coo. I can tell right now that it will be playtime for him during meals. He will most likely play with his food. And he thinks it's so funny to watch me try to get him to latch onto the bottle, burp one of the girls and not laugh all at the same time. It can get a little frustrating, but it's more funny than irritating. I just smile back at him but then tell him he must finish or he won't get anything else until the next meal. Sometimes that does it. I think he understands me (or it could be I'm spending so much time with babies that I'm imagining it). Either way, it works. He goes back to drinking until he's done.

He's not as loud as the girls, but he is the more talkative one. When he wants attention, instead of yelling or saying "hey"...he just starts talking or letting out a long, high-pitched "ooooooh". He knows that will get Momma to turn her head toward him. I just love listening to him. He doesn't cry....but he does whimper every once in a while. Most of the time it's when he needs to burp. And boy can he burp! For the most part, he can burp on demand. Just pick him up, pat his back, and there he goes! It's nice especially when you're having to burp three babies.

Preston is about as camera happy as Mollie. When the camera is on him, he knows and rolls with it. I think he will be our little show off.

Long before we conceived, I have dreamed about our little boy; how he will look, act and his personality. I can tell you now, Preston is everything I dreamed of in a son and much more. God has given me abundantly all that I could ask for. And my wishes for Preston is for him to be a man after God's own heart; to seek His face and reach others for Him. I believe God has equipped Preston to do all these things and more. I'm excited to see God's will for my baby boy unfold in the years to come.

*Yes....he is sucking his left thumb. In fact, he was doing it this morning. We could only hope for all lefties.

Our Little Elise

Well...I wouldn't say she's little anymore! Weighing in at 13 lbs. 8 oz.; she now weighs more than her big sister!!! Her height is 23". Her weight is in the 50th percentile and her height is in the 10th percentile for full term babies.

Oh Elise.....our baby girl! She's always been the "delicate" one. Although she did have an issue with her heart, Bronson and I did not show favoritism toward her or treat her differently. After all, they're all our favorite! After a while of having her home, she seemed to be so fussy. At first we started calling her our fussbucket. When we realized that we were speaking this into her life, we changed our perspective. We then called her our good baby...a baby that wants to please her mommy and daddy. Sure enough, the fussiness has subsided and she's all coos and smiles! If you have been following us and seen all the pics of the babies, you would always notice that Elise rarely smiles. Well, just look at the picture above! There are only certain times when she cries....mainly when she's extremely hungry. This girl can eat all the time! Only a few hours can go by and she's ready for a full bottle!! It's crazy! She lets the whole neighborhood know she's ready to eat!

Elise is definitely one of a kind! She keeps Bronson and I cracking up all the time. I recall one of my friends saying she could always tell which one was Elise because of her "goofy" look in all the pics. That is so true! Her personality is goofy. And she loves when you mimic her. We'll hold her facing us and just stare at her. She'll stare right back at us with a slight smile and will start to coo and make noise. We repeat what she "says" and watch her get so tickled by it. It's so much fun!

Her crying has become less....but sometimes when I'm changing her diaper and she's not that happy about it, she'll start yelling and then stop abruptly. She'll glance up at me to see what I'll do. I tell her that we don't tolerate crying/yelling babies. Then she'll smile at me. I think she's already "testing" us to see if we'll follow through what we say we'll do. She's a smart little baby.

Elise has got this new thing she does with her bib. Now that she can grab things, she'll grab her bib, pull it over her face and then start squealing. I pull her bib back down and tell her we're all right here. She then voices a little "ha!". Just like the middle child in my family....she's going to be the clown.

She still hasn't figured out the camera thing yet. When I point it at her, she's inquisitive. But give her time....if she's anything like her momma, she'll start posing and smiling.

I call Elise my "bonus baby". I prayed for a boy/girl twin and ended up with triplets. She's my bonus that God gave me so I could stay home with them. I couldn't imagine my life without her. She brings joy to my heart and fills my day with laughter. She is my "Little Elise".

*She also sucks her left hand. Looks like we might have all lefties!!! Wouldn't that be so cool?

Good Golly Miss Mollie!!

Poor baby....she will hear that for the rest of her life (Good Golly Miss Mollie)! But I loved the name, so she's stuck with it.

First of all.....I promised I would post weights and height. For Mollie, she is now 13 lbs 2 oz and she is 23 1/4" in length. Her weight is in the 40% of full-term babies! Her length is 10%. But she's catching up!!

What can I say about Mollie??? How about Miss Personality! My goodness. She definitely fits the first born profile. She's very outgoing. Everytime we go somewhere, she's bright-eyed and smiling at everybody. She just flirts with whoever crosses her path. The best thing is....she's a happy baby!

One of the funny quirks she has is she says, "hey!". Now, of course she doesn't actually mean 'hey', but it sounds like she says it loud and clear. She usually does it when she's either tired (and doesn't want to go to sleep), when she's hungry, or when she finds out I'm not in the room. Bronson and I find ourselves saying "hey" throughout the day. It's pretty funny. I'll have to record her and upload the video.

Also, she is the vocal one out of the three. She rarely cries....mainly when she's hurt or she has a bad bubble in her belly that just won't come up. But she's still vocal nonetheless. When she wakes up in the morning, she just lays there until I come and get her. It's wonderful!! Then when I peep over into the crib, she has a big smile for me. It could be that's who she is, or maybe she's just a well-rested baby. Either way, it's very pleasant.

When I hold the camera up, she knows what to do! It's hysterical!! As soon as I tell her to smile, she does (and poses too!). She loves the camera. And as you can see from all her pictures, she's very photogenic. She takes great pics (most of the time).

She's everything I asked for in a baby....to be happy, mild-mannered, and beautiful. I'm truly blessed to have her in my life.

*Oh...and she sucks her left thumb..just like her momma did when she was a baby. Maybe she'll be a lefty!! (Bronson and I are both lefties)