Developmental Update

Sorry, some of the pictures are blurry and filled with food and messy babies but these are the only new ones I had. About 2 weeks ago we took the babies to their developmental pedi check-up. Because they were born so early their development is still closely monitored. Babies born at 30 weeks and 6 days like ours are looked at according to their adjusted age (when they SHOULD have been born) rather than their actual age. So even though they were just over 10 months we took them in, they tested them to make sure developmentally they were equivalent to an 8 month old.

We get a several page report for each baby which I'm still waiting on so I don't have the exact details from this 2.5 hour appointment but they looked at their fine motor, gross motor, social skills and physical development. One by one they tested each baby on things like if they put a red block in a shiny cup and shook it around, could they get the block out of the cup or would they be too interested in the shiny distracting cup. Or if they showed them how to pull a ring around on the table with a string would they also pull the string around or go straight for the ring. A few of the tests involved small object for which they used Fruit Loops. About halfway through I realized the babies were eating the Fruit Loops which freaked me out a little bit because they hadn't had any wheat yet but they did fine, no reactions. They L-O-V-E blue Fruit Loops.

Toward the end they were asking me questions like, "Does Beckett go from a sitting position to this hands and knees or belly?" I was like, "I don't think so unless one of his sisters kick him over." So he didn't get any points on that question. Later that day I saw him do just that. I could do much better at giving correct answers if I knew what they were going to ask ahead of time.

It is sad to say but I probably don't notice that kind of stuff as much as if I had only one. I'm thrilled when they are all happy and content playing. I used to tell the physical therapist that I don't have the luxury of purposefully doing things to make them cry and mad like putting them on their bellies all the time or letting them get frustrated reaching for toys. They will develop at their own pace and if it is a little behind but we have more peace in our house, I'm fine with that.
Turns out, they all tested at or above their adjusted age which was 8 months. Well, Eloise tested at 7 months and 3 weeks for fine motor. She couldn't, or wouldn't get the red block out of the shiny cup. She likes sparkle things and the cup was too distracting. She just kept trying to drink out of it. At this point given their rough start, I'm thrilled that they are developmentally where they are expected to be. The other good news is that Beckett has been officially released from physical therapy. They thought he looked great and his muscle tone and trunk/head control is markedly improved so no more PT for him. Addy tested at 10.5 months which was just above her actual age. The really good and bad part about that is the other two watch, imitate and learn from her.

Let's get to the good stuff.

Mr. Beckett

16 lbs, 5 oz, 6 teeth, crawling, follows Addy around imitating and fighting with her, likes to break dance (spins himself in circles on the floor by pushing with one leg), likes the pacifier, screams and cries when getting dressed, prefers to be naked, says Mama and Dada and pretty much talks non-stop, favorite toys are ones that have wheels or make A LOT of noise, kicks everything, very particular about food textures and if it was up to him would only eat yogurt, rice crackers and gingersnaps and the newest thing is collecting and hiding food behind him in his chair when he is done eating.

Eloise

15 lbs, 5 oz, 2 teeth, rolling, rocking on all fours and pushing herself backwards on her belly, very content to play with toys and not be bothered by the other two hooligans, likes her naps and food at the same time everyday- almost to the minute, says Mama and Dada, screams and shrieks when she is happy, pretty much gets pulverized on a daily basis by the other two knocking her over and stealing her toys, loves to eat and will eat anything, when she smiles it just melts your heart and when she cries it makes you come running and she has just started to really try to talk and engage her siblings- she fed Addy her cracker the other day. Hands down favorite toy is the riding lion.
No joke, she raises her hand up and hits the lion as if to say, "Giddy-up!"


What did I tell you she is happy to just sit most of the time. She is sitting on the lion petting his mane.

Addy

16 lbs, 4 oz, 2 TEETH!, crawling, pulling up, cruising along furniture, has stood up by herself by accident, fearless, constant bruises on her head from falling down, knows how to get from standing to sitting, can see an object from across the room and makes a beeline for it all the while shrieking and grunting and tossing toys out of way as she moves across the room toward the desired object. If the object is Beckett's pacifier, he usually gets scared and cries as she gets near. She hates to nap and there are days I can only get her to nap a total of 1 hour 20 minutes, has a difficult time comforting herself so we still pat her back to get to sleep, doesn't like formula or her bottle very much, loves tofu, says Mama and Dada, loves to spit and be a bad influence on the other two and by far is the biggest toy stealer. Favorite toy is anything that is out of her reach.

I took Addy to a pediatric opthamologist specializing in oculoplasty, or reconstructive eye surgery, for a second opinion on her hemangioma. He thinks there is some medication that will shrink it but we need to be followed by a cardiologist and at this point Rich and I are still trying to figure out if the benefit outweighs the risk at this age. I was given the name of a pediatric cardiologist to follow-up with but I'm going to get another opinion by the cardiologist that did the heart echoes on the babies in utero and in the NICU. It is a hard decision at this age. Although they are 3 individuals, it is really hard not to compare them, especially for people who see them for the first time. At what point will she start to notice that people always ask how she bumped her head?

Toys, Who Needs Toys?

Who needs toys when can you sort socks? I discovered this activity by accident one day when Addy pulled the sock bin down in the closet. They take socks and tights out one by one. Then in one fell swoop, I put them all back in and it starts all over again. Genius. At least that is what I thought.

Beckett likes the pacifier again which I just despise. His passion for the passy started with the teething. I generally only let him have it before nap, in the car, and while getting dressed. But sometimes I can't take the whining and then it turns from a pacifier into a "cork." This was one of those times. I temporarily gave up getting him dressed to give my ears a break.

I thought the sock sorting was a good idea until I really watched what was going on. Eloise doesn't just pull the socks out, she gives each one a good tug, separating the pair and throwing both socks aside. Now after this game I have to match all the socks again- ugg, my least favorite thing but it is worth the 20 minutes of entertainment.


We went to different BBQ restaurant for Rich's nephew's birthday. Yes, we love brisket. Obviously, these pictures are not taken with my little point-and-click job. Soooo much better quality. Thanks to Rich's dad for capturing these beautiful photos.

When I saw this picture I thought it was a priceless picture of Rich playing peek-a-boo with his little girl. What does Rich say? "My schnoz looks huge."
I can't even believe I'm posting this picture because I look so tired but now everyone says that Eloise and I look alike. I can't see it.
Beckett and the Birthday Boy. Check out that perfectly round melon.

Look very close at Beckett. Tongue out and spitting. This is a new favorite way to drive me crazy while eating. Addy does it too. She opens her mouth indicating she wants food then spits it out and then shakes her head, "No" not because she doesn't want the food but because she is copying me. I have to hide my laughter.



No wonder these kids are not on the growth charts with this diet. Go to a BBQ restaurant and eat rice crackers, yogurt and cucumbers.
Is he the most fun dad or what? Did I mention that all three babies say, "Dada"?

The last picture like this they were sitting down. Now look...

Day 137 of the Newman Food Challenge

The only movie that I have watched since the babies were born is, "Julie and Julia" which planted a little thought in my head about challenges and goals. I watched it a few days after I gave the babies solid food for the first time- avocado. I decided that I would challenge myself and see how long I could make homemade baby food and avoid packaged baby food. It would be a fun little challenge and would encourage me to get back into the habit of cooking again. I thought maybe I could go 2 or 3 months and then pat myself on the back for giving them a good start and move on. I underestimated my liking of a good challenge (like I really need another). I didn't anticipate how wholly I would embrace this concept and how seriously I take it.
I even made up a few rules of the challenge:

1. I can buy juice and teething biscuits and other things that would be just silly to make like tofu, pasta, crackers, dairy products.
2. Infant cereal (rice, oatmeal and multi-grain) is allowed because we had to put it in their bottles for thickener but all infant cereals had to have probiotics and DHA added.
3. Organic and whole grain when possible.

And once I started to think beyond mashed bananas and avocado I thought about the things I wanted to avoid until after their first birthday such as wheat, dairy products from cows, meat, berries, citrus, and peanuts. I had lofty goals of having them avoid refined sugar but that concept was shot with the first teething biscuits, not mention their first sip of formula.

So, it is now Day 137 and they have yet to have one spoonful of jarred, packaged, or frozen "baby food". They eat 3 meals a day plus 1 snack (plus 4 bottles of formula each) most of which is either fresh such as avocados, hummus, cheese, yogurt or I had cooked, pureed and frozen in 1 oz cubes and heat up.

SPINACH with Goat Butter- A Beckett Newman specialty item


Pureed Papaya


My plan of pureeing big batches a few times a week was working perfectly until they decided collectively that they only wanted to eat finger food and reject anything given to them by a utensil. I then had to figure out how to get enough calories in them forgoing most of the normal fingers foods like Cheerios, most teething biscuits, baby puffs and the like because they all have wheat or cow's milk dairy or both. Just this past week they will eat from a spoon again but only if they have have finger food at the same time.

So now both my freezer, fridge and pantry are packed full of "baby only" food that I encourage Rich NOT to eat. Pretty much everything made with rice (pasta, milk, cereal, crackers) or goat or soy products (yogurt, cheese, butter, keifer, cream cheese) he knows to steer clear of. He can never figure out how I can go to the grocery store, spend a ton of money and then we don't have anything to eat. We have things to eat, just not for him.

This is what they had for dinner tonight:
-Tofu rolled in nutritional yeast as an appetizer while I was heating up everything else
-Homemade pureed lentil soup with peas, celery, carrots, green beans and parsnips
-Finger foods of steamed carrot rounds, sweet potato fries and sauteed zucchini
-Rice crackers
-For dessert peach yogurt and a gingersnap cookie (wheat free- don't eat these Rich, they are 3 times the cost of regular cookies)

I know, I go overboard. In fact this whole thing has gotten a little out of control but I'm too far into it to turn back now. The finish line for this challenge is their first birthday or when they are cleared by their pediatrician to start with table food, whichever comes first.

Oh yeah, did I mention what I had for dinner? Their leftovers, ie, scraps of soggy cookies and cold zucchini and a CAN of soup. I am a clear case of not practicing what I preach.

What is green and short and really scary?

This afternoon it was a glorious day in Dallas so WE took the babies to the park in our community. And by we I mean me and our neighbor, Clarke. When I was pregnant my big plan was that Clarke was going to be my helper but because of RSV restrictions that whole plan was dashed. She has been waiting so patiently to help with the triplets and finally we are free! I didn't plan it so well so we didn't really have any toys but it turned out we really didn't need any because they discovered something that entertained us all- grass and leaves.

I was a little worried that I was going to be chasing Addy all over the park because she would just crawl away. I underestimated the power of new textures. Addy would get to the edge of the blanket, put one hand down and then pick it up like she had just touched something totally disgusting.

It stopped her in her tracks each and every time.

But, she was brave enough to peer over the edge of the blanket and delicately pluck up leaves from the grass. She is showing it to me right before shoving it not so delicately into her mouth.


At the time, hint, hint, Beckett could not crawl so he was rolling all over the blanket and scooting forward the grass would stop him every time. And make him cry.


This is after being rescued from the grass. Recovery of something so terrifying took quite some time.


I don't have any pictures of Eloise, yet again. She doesn't roll, she just pushes herself backwards while on her belly. She ended up about a foot off the blanket on the grass and didn't seem to notice. What a brave little thing. She was covered in grass and didn't make one peep.

Oh yeah, right before his bath tonight, Beckett crawled for the first time.

Mudbugs

If you thought that this post was about our babies playing in the mud, you must live in the North.
How many people does it take to each 20 lbs of CRAWFISH?

Well, maybe we didn't eat the whole 20 lbs, but pretty close. Our friends, Ed and Deborah, don't mess around when it comes to food, especially for a good old fashioned crawfish boil with all the fixings. I'm just sorry I didn't get pictures of the little critters before they were dipped in spicy butter. Hmmm.

They also don't mess around when it comes to toys. Their son, Eddy, who is 2 1/2 was napping when we got there so the triplets had free range of his awesome toys. They were so happy there were like little pigs in mud. They are at the age where a new toy can keep them entertained for about hmm, say 1 pan of crawfish.

Eloise playing a little ditty on the Sesame Street piano.


Basically the same picture but now you can see what she is wearing. When Rich got her dressed this morning he said, "Eloise looks like Strawberry Shortcake."
Really Rich, just how familiar are you with Strawberry Shortcake?

Beckett loved this farm. He really loved that it made animal noises every time the doors opened and closed. Playing so sweetly, until...


This is why we call her "Kong" or "The Animal."
(In her defense, it is really the angle that makes her look so big, Beckett is actually 1 oz heavier than her). She was trying to push it and walk behind it.

I think this picture was shortly before we heard a huge clunk and Addy crying. That Ed is lightening quick because he had scooped her up while I was still trying to figure out if I should wipe all the butter off my hands before picking her up. She took a pretty good tumble because it was enough to draw blood from somewhere in her mouth. It wasn't too much but it was enough to qualify for the first blood draw and lots of attention from Daddy. She was fine in about 5 minutes and ready again to terrorize Beckett.


This is how he gets back at her. Boy germs in her crib. Every morning before getting dressed.

The Debut- Texas BBQ

The second official outing after coming off RSV restriction was of course to a Texas style BBQ restaurant. We met Rich's family at the restaurant and luckily they were there first so our graceful entrance was captured on film. What you can't see is that we couldn't get the stroller through the tables and we had to take a couple passes at it through different aisles and angles which really caught the attention of everyone in the restaurant. As one triplet mom told me, it is not the babies that attract the attention but the accessories.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

You might be able to tell this from the pictures but it was very casual, so casual that rather than plates you get butcher paper, bus your own tables, and there is a gas station attached. Texas BBQ is always better where diesel fuel is sold as well. The babies did not eat BBQ; they had rice crakers, dried mangoes and pear juice while I ate brisket. They are vegetarians, what can I say?
There are not too many pictures of Addy because all of them turned out blurry; probably because that little thing doesn't stop moving. Or talking. I swear today she said "Mama" when I walked into the room. She has been saying it periodically but not purposefully as far as I can tell so this may have been a coincidence. But my heart skipped a beat.

Pugs on Drugs

I won a canine dental cleaning at a raffle at my local multiple MOM's group so Bella was easily the first choice for the prize given her simple chronic halitosis. Also, Pickles only has about 8 teeth and she had her teeth cleaned 2 years ago.

I dropped Bella off at the vet's office understanding that she was going under general anesthesia but she had her teeth cleaned a few years ago with no problems so I didn't think it was a big deal.

About 2 hours later I got a call that went something like this,
"We have Bella under general anesthesia and after examining her it looks like she is going to need to have 22 teeth removed and we need your permission to proceed."

That's right. So my first question was this,
"How many teeth does she actually have?"

And the answer was this,
"Not many more than that."

Rich was sure it was some conspiracy and if I remember correctly said something along the lines of, "We have 10-month old triplets, we don't have time to be spoon feeding a dog." That is actually a good point. I didn't think about that. But after a short discussion about how she will be able to eat normal kibble and dropped baby food in a few days (and I mean short because remember Bella is on a doggie ventilator) we gave the go ahead.

We picked her up later that day and Dr. Grand was telling me which teeth she actually has left but I was so engrossed in gawking at the cup of 22 vile bloody teeth on the counter I could barely pay attention. She said, "Most people don't want them, but do you by any chance want the teeth?" Heck yeh! This would be a cornerstone addition to my weird treasure collection.

She said it was "brutal surgery" and Bella is going to be sore for a few days but the week's worth of pain killers should do the trick. I guess this is very common in pugs because the shape of their mouth and it was exacerbated by the fact that her teeth were only partially erupted above the gums so a majority of the teeth were still below the gums making the surgery more complicated. It also made the surgery much more expensive. Let's just say that if we didn't have the raffle prize we could easily have been in 4 figures. So thank you Dr. Grand and the Animal Care Center at Stonebridge Ranch in McKinney, TX for your donation to the multiples group and taking great care of our Bella.

The good news is that Bella is a tough little pug. Dr. Grand said to call if she needed stronger pain medicine but I think she was fine because the next day she was racing with Pickles to eat food dropped by the babies. The best news is that she won't need any more teeth cleanings!

This is a PUG on DRUGS

Official NEWMAN TOOTH COUNT:
Rich- Full Set
Kate- Full Set
Pickles- About 8 , not exactly sure
Beckett and Bella are tied- 6 (Bella has 6 best I could tell!)
Eloise- 2
Addy- 0

The Debut

I was going to call this "The Debutantes" because we made our first official venture into society this weekend but since that usually refers to females, I didn't want little Beckett to have to get the short end of the stick just because he has two sisters.

We are officially off of RSV restrictions. Have Triple Decker Stroller, Will Travel should be our new official motto. We got the go ahead to venture out and be normal people a few weeks ago but to take it slow as to not assault them to billions of germs immediately.

Last week I walked to the pharmacy with the babies to pick up their prescription of Prevacid. I had to take a big breath when I walked in the store with them the first time. It was like a big breath welcoming us to a new world of freedom (at least until October) but also a new world of scary germy unknown world. I was talking to a woman at the pharmacy and she was just Lady Gaga over the babies. I told her it was our first outing at 10 months old. She asked how many weeks gestation they were when they were born. She then introduced me to her teenage daughter who was born at 24 weeks, spent 5 months on a ventilator and told me the story of her first outing at the age of 1. She asked me if I had a camera and then took a picture.

It's not the best picture but what a huge step for us. Things could have gone terribly wrong because I don't know if you can see it but for some reason I chose to walk through the floral department. I was like an bull in a china store with that long stroller.

The pharmacy and 3 walks to the local frozen yogurt store were the trial runs for the big weekend. My frappacino addiction has been replaced with an addiction to avocado frozen yogurt. I know, sounds gaggy but it is delish. My brother Isaac was here for our big first event at a local Tex-Mex restaurant. I had a whole bag of sippy cups, snacks, 15 diapers, toys and disinfecting wipes. We had to pick a place that was kid-friendly, likely to have 3 high chairs, no wait and spacious enough for all of our stuff.

This is what cracked me up the most.


At first Beckett and Eloise were a little freaked out by all of the people. Beckett was clinging to Isaac's shirt and Eloise was not going to get put down for the life of her.

The Grip of Death.


But between the combination of playing with real spoons, the music to dance to, snacks and the ducks swimming in the lake, they eventually relaxed.
Of course Addy just hopped into a highchair and immediately started sucking on the table. The spoons were a good diversion that I have to remember to use again.


I never give them utensils in their feeding table for fear of poking out their neighbors' eyeball because they are so close.

The ducks or maybe the water fountain was also a big hit. I'm not sure why Rich has to hang Eloise over the edge- a little too Michael Jackson for my taste.


Eventually we got both Eloise and Beckett to sit in the highchairs. I think for them the music was a huge help; they both like to chair dance which is done better in the highchair than on a lap.


I tried to give them a little rice but I was sure everything else there had all of the evil ingredients I'm trying to keep them away from until they turn 1 so no chips and salsa for Eloise; she's packing dried apples.


This is it- another first. First time eating Tex-Mex without margaritas. Just kidding. First meal in a restaurant.


The next day I took Beckett to my favorite place. No, not Neiman Marcus (yet) but to Central Market grocery shopping. I wiped down the cart until it shined, strapped him in and he rode around wide-eyed for an hour. This kid is a natural; he even read his book in the check out line faking boredom from waiting.


He's a great little shopper and the bell I had hanging from the cart was a big hit with the other shoppers as well. Maybe I'll take both girls with me next time.


That's not the end of the Newman Debut or the news from this weekend but I'm exhausted thinking about the upcoming week so I'm breaking this up into two parts.
Here's a hint about the going ons this weekend- how many teeth do you think a pug has? Rich and I know for sure it is at least 22 and pugs can still eat with no or very few teeth.