Scrapblog

Finally!

I finally got a video of Justin laughing really good. It took me forever to get him on a video b/c he would laugh hysterically until he saw the camera, and then he would just stare at it. AND I am so excited to say that Anna has started to laugh also!! Her Auntie Ashtie was tickling her and made her giggle!

(Ignore the silly voice talking to him. It's just me being dumb.)

For some strange reason he giggles when you stretch his legs up and make is foot touch his face! He is so silly.

We are big kids!

Look everyone! We tried to feed ourselves today!
We tried out the Podee bottles today. Anna and Justin got the hang of it. Poor little Ayva would get the suction, but couldn't keep the milk up there long enough to drink it. Here are some pics.

Justin
















Anna
















Ayva

Very dissapointing day.

Well.....we're NOT moving. I am so dissapointed. I love that house. My grandma owns it and needs more money for it than we can afford. With me not working- it's just too hard. I have so many good memories of that house. I grew up going over there a lot. My cousins and I used to stand on the bathtub and sing into the mirror (we were too short to see ourselves from the floor). We had fashion shows in the hallway. It used to have bright orange countertops! There is a closet that we made our play room and we colored all over the walls. Outside is a GREAT yard- we had a swingset out there and I fell off and knocked the wind out of myself and we played tag in that yard. We had birthday parties out on the patio, and Christmas dinners in the dining room. I can still picture my great granny sitting in the dining room eating cornbread and milk. :'( I used to climb on the ladder and hang the Christmas lights up for my grandma outside on the house. And ride the riding lawnmower for her. And in highschool we moved in while our old house was being remodeled. I got ready for school dances there. And got picked up by Justin for our first date from that house. My first pet and my best friend, my cat Sheba, is buried in the back yard.

I loved living there. I would love living there again. But it can't happen. And I am truly sad about that. I just wanted a nice place for my kids to grow up- have a nice yard to play in, nice rooms and a good neighborhood. Justin and I wanted our kids to go to the same schools we did. But, I guess......... somethings don't happen the way you want them to. It looks as though Justin and I will have to do our best with this small place with the tiniest yard for now. Hopefully, in the future we can do better for them. They can have room to run, and to play tag and maybe one day to have their own rooms. Now they all have to share one room. And that is ok for now, but someday they won't want to. I guess all parents want what's best for their kids, and I just want my kids to have the best memories of their childhood- like I did. And I know it's not the place that make the memories, but everytime I see that house I think of those memories and smile.

OMG my baby can roll over!!!

Look everyone! Anna can roll!!!!!

YAY!!!

I just thought I would update on the babies since they are sleeping right now...
Anna Jeanne
(aka Anna-Banana, aka smile-bucket, aka mini-me, aka sugar bear)
Daddy picked her first name and her middle name is after her great grandma Lois (her middle name was Jeanne).
Things she likes: To be held, to crawl out of her boppy, she likes to watch the lights on her play yard, starting to like to eat cereal, and she loves to just look around and make noises.
Things she hates: spitting up (she is like me. I HATE to throw up), sitting by herself for too long, cold formula, and she hates the sound of the hair dryer.
She is pretty easy going and for the most part doesn't cry much. She only cries if she has had enough of something (ex. sitting by herself too long) or if she is hungry. She looks like me when I was a baby but everyone says she looks more like Justin.

Ayva Verlie
(aka Crank-pot, aka Sugarlicious, aka Ayva-mayva, aka honey bear)
Mommy picked her first name (pronounced like Ava only with a Y, and her middle name is after her great-great grandma Verlie.)
Things she likes: to be held, to eat, and be talked to or sang to, loves to be rocked to sleep, laying on her belly, being carried in the little baby backpack and LOVES being naked.
Things she hates: laying on her back, really warm formula, puking out her nose (she FREAKS out), sitting by herself, and riding in her carseat.
Ayva is the most tempermental of the group. She is easily upset, and HATES to lay on her back- always. She also looks like I did when I was a baby but everyone says she looks more like Justin.













Justin Case
(aka Ham-Bone, aka Little J, aka Justi, aka Giggle-box, aka Snort, aka Boo Bear)
Daddy picked out his whole name! Thought it was cute.
Things Justin likes: Loves to be talked to, and smiled at, flirting with girls (geeze... already?lol), being tickled, taking baths, LOVES watching his mobile go around, his paci, and loves snuggling with mommy.
Things he hates: Needing to poop and can't, being hungry, and having a noise suddenly scare him.
Justin is the most laid back of the group. He smiles ALL day long and giggles at the littlest things! He looks exactly like Daddy Justin when he was a baby but everyone thinks he looks more like me.

What? How'd you get there???

SO lately I have been putting the kids on their tummies and their arms draped over thier boppy's. I "thought" that since I had sat there many a time with them and not seen anyone move that if I went to the bathroom while they were laying there, that everyone would be in the exact same position when I came back. I wasn't gone that long (wasn't the long kind of bathroom break) and when I got back this is what I saw:











Ayva (and she had fallen asleep like that. :( Poor thing.)

So I thought "Ok, Ayva can crawl out of her boppy. I will just not leave Ayva alone like that. But the other two didn't crawl out so I can run and make some bottles. And I came back to this:

Anna. (She was still crawling out of it when I returned to the living room. Not crying or anything..just content to be moving I guess.)

BOTH GIRLS CAN CRAWL OUT OF THIER BOPPY'S!!

Geeze! Just when I thought it was safe to leave them on the floor doing tummy time on thier boppy's........ I guess it's just strictly girls on the floor now. LOL.
Today was Earth Day and the only cute thing I could find for them to wear was the girls in tie-dye and baby justin in this:

It says "Hi I'm New Here"

SO good news! We are moving! I am so excited! Now we live in a 2 bedroom duplex and it is SMALL! We will be moving into a real house! It has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms! It also has a great big yard, and a really nice patio for the kids to play on! It is my grandma's old house and she is selling it to us for really cheap! PLUS she is letting us move in early, before we even get the loan on it so we can clean up this house to sell. Because I think no one would really want to buy this house the way it is. All the baby seats and car seats and swings and boppy's and play yards..... it's a bit crowded. And with three cribs in one room- with a dresser AND a changing table! Everything looks smaller with all that in it. It would be a good house for a couple with ONE kid. Not three. SO I'm sure it won't be hard to sell when we get most of the stuff out. We live like 2 minutes away from a major outdoor shopping center. That's gotta be good. Anyways I will post pics of the new house when I can. Right now I am going to sleep while I can!

Pics from over the weekend

Here are some pics that I took over this weekend. All the sudden, here in Missouri, it got "hot"- or at least it feels that way. It all the sudden got 78 and boy did our house feel like a sauna! So these pics are of us hanging out in just our onsie's. Isn't it weird that when you are used to cold weather, 78 feels hot. But when it's 90 you think 78 is cool?

Anna (that is her smile!)

Ayva

Justin










Justin, Anna and Ayva (they love that baby einstien mobile)










The gang.

Oh and by the way, I am SO excited for it to be really nice weather out. We bought a little kiddy pool yesterday and I CAN'T wait to get them in it and see how they like it! We still need to buy the girls swim suits, but Justin already has some swim trunks. They are SO tiny! He still wears 0-3 month clothes and sometimes can wear newborn things. His swim trunks are 0-3 and look like a doll could wear them. I don't know what kind of swim suit to get the girls. Maybe a cute little bikini? Hey if I can't wear one anymore, someone should!

Cereal is yummy......or not.

Today we tried out eating some rice cereal from a spoon. It didn't go very well. Everyone seemed to not like the taste of it. Justin gagged a little- but then I talked to him and he smiled at me and eventually swallowed it. The girls attempted to swallow what they could. All three of them made nasty faces. Here they are.
Anna










Ayva

This is Justin gagging a little- he really didn't like it.

All in all everyone got at least 4-5 bites and that was enough. They all drank a bottle after that and then they were all hungry again an hour and
a half later. Piggy-babies!

Then they were all so wore out that they took a nap with Grandma.

Today Anna, Ayva and Justin are 5 months old! I cannot believe that it has already been 5 months since I had them. I miss them in my belly. I loved being pregnant and miss feeling them kick inside. But I think I love seeing their faces and watching them grow even more. I just look at them and words can't describe how much love I have for these three precious babies. I thank god every day for giving me these three angels and would not wish on even the worst day that I did not have them. It's hard to believe I would be at this day looking back at when it all started. When they were born- it was a very scary time for me. I was so worried that something bad would happen to them because they were born so early. And then they all got group b strep infections and those were really scary times. They all got sick and had to go back on the ventilators. As I sit here tears come to my eyes thinking about it. I prayed everyday that they would be strong and make it through. And they did. I was SO thankful to finally take home my babies. Two months in the NICU is a long time. I felt like I was cheated. I felt like they were cheated. Not being able to be held as much as any other baby would. Not being home. Having to be poked and prodded. No baby should have to go through that. No baby should have to have IV's and spinal taps and X-rays and PICC lines. But they did and I feel deeply sorry for them. Some days I blame myself for not having been able to carry them longer. But I have to remind myself that it couldn't be helped. That it wasn't my fault. I did the best I could and I look into their eyes now and I know that it WAS good enough. That they will not remember those days in the hospital. Those lonely nights away from their mommy and daddy. They will remember the good times. Growing up with a happy family. And I fully intend on it being the best family that we can be. It is my job as a mom to do that. I feel so lucky to know that even though there are rough times- we as a family will always make it through.

Anyways- off that sad note. Here are some pics of the cutie pies on their 5 month birthday! (from left- Anna, Justin and Ayva)

This is a video of Justin trying to laugh! He starts to laugh and then he cries. I think he doesn't know what this new sound is and it scares him. He is getting more used to laughing now. He is the first one to laugh! I am so excited!

Well we made it through this weekend. With Justin gone and a wedding to go to. It all was very hectic. First off my poor friend. It snowed on her wedding day :( and on Friday Hy-Vee called and said the lady who was going to make her cake no longer works there and they didn't know what her cake was even supposed to look like! AND The groomsmen and groom went to pick up their tux's and NONE of them fit. Some were too long, some were not the same tux and some didn't have the right vest! But after everything the wedding still went on and it was beautiful. Here are some pics.

This is me before the wedding.

This is the bride Melissa and me.

This is my friend Julie and me.

We had fun. I had to be at the church at 1:30 to take pictures so my mom and Julie stayed with the kids and got them ready. They brought them to the church and sat with them during the ceremony. They were SO good! Not a peep out of anyone! But there was another kid there that screamed almost the whole time and afterwards everyone came over and asked if it was my babies who were screaming! I was like NO. It wasn't my good babies crying. They were good! Anyways- after the ceremony my mom and Julie took the babies to my aunt's house for a while. I had to go straight to the reception because they were announcing us in. We had planned on taking the babies to the reception but it was VERY cold and I thought there were too many people and it would have been too loud for them. I only stayed there until 10. I missed my babies.

On Sunday, Justin had told me that his plane was to arrive at 4:15. So I of course get there early because I figure I would have to find somewhere to park. My mom suggested that I go and just drive around until I see Justin standing outside waiting for me. I almost did that but for some reason I got out and went in. It's a good thing I did too! I looked at the arrival board and his plane was delayed until 5:00! So I got there around 3:50 and had to wait until 5:00. Luckily, there was a Starbucks right next to his gate. So I had myself a little break, people watched and drank a mocha frappacino! Yum! I was so glad to have him home. They made him work all day Friday (each day 12 hours) all day Saturday and then he flew home on Sunday and had to go to work today and work 8 1/2 hours! geeze. Well since the kids are asleep I think I will use this quiet opportunity to take a shower!

Catch ya on the flip side!

I just thought I would let everyone know that poop is nasty! Especially when your son has a major blowout in his bouncy seat. And it is SO bad that he actually needs a bath because he is so filthy! That happened to me today. I was trying to clean the house while everyone was asleep and then little Justin starts crying. He only cries when he needs his diaper changed or he is hungry. And when I picked him up- UGH!! Nasty. That is the only word for it. N-A-S-T-Y! SO I had to stop what I was doing, give him a bath and clean up his bouncy seat! Yuck. I wonder why diapers work sometimes and don't other times?

I was going to give them all a bath tomorrow but I guess this works out too. Now I can just give the girls a bath and not Justin. We had fun splashing in the water and taking our time with the bath. Justin loves taking a bath. He just kicks his little feet and smiles and coos!

Isn't he cute?

So I am kind of nervous about Justin being gone all weekend. His work sent him to Chichago to move the main headquarters to a new building. I know everything will be ok because I have a wonderful mom who helps me out a lot. The whole weekend will be hectic for me. Today (friday) I have to go get my friend a wedding gift and then at 5 is her rehersal dinner(i know, I'm a procrastinator) and my mom is coming over to watch the babies but she doesn't get off until 4:30. So it is cutting it very close. Then tomorrow I have to be at the church at 1:30 to take pictures (I am a bridesmaid). But before that I have to give all three kids a bath and get them ready and myself ready!! AND, I almost forgot, at 9:30 I am going to get my hair done! Geeze! Then on Sunday Justin is coming home and I have to pick him up from the airport at 3:00. Luckily my mom is coming over agian to watch the babies while I go to the airport- otherwise it would be just silly to have to take all three babies in the airport by myself!

When I dropped Justin off at his work on Thursday (he had to work a while before they took him to the airport) I had to take the babies home by myself. It was poring rain and I had a hard time seeing the road. I hate driving when it's like that. Even when I don't have kids in the car. Then I had to take each kid out of the car in the rain and into the house. It's a shame I have so much junk in my garage that I can't park the car in it!

Anyways I took some new pictures of the babies today. They were actually sitting by themselves and not crying to be held.

Ayva and Anna Ayva,Anna and Justin

By the 3rd picture they had already had enough. As you can see by the looks on Anna and Justin's faces!
They are so funny. They will smile and giggle and have a good ol' time until I bring out my camera! It's like they know I want them to smile and look cute and so they do the opposite. Although I got some really good ones of them the other day. I really love my new camera and am going a little picture happy. I also made some birth announcements on this webiste I found. But for some reason this blog thing won't let me put them on here right now. So I will blog again later and post them.

Anyways- Life has been so crazy since the kiddos came home from the hospital. Baby Justin had to come home with an apnea monitor. He was having apneas all the time. They were SO scary!! UGH... hearing that deafning noise in the middle of the night made my heart jump into my stomach everytime. BUT in February we went to a follow up appointment and they said he didn't need it anymore! YAY! It was so annoying taking that stupid thing everywhere. The service thing came on all the time. But now he is a free boy!

Everyone is growing great and now we are on the very bottom of the growth chart! Anna weighs 11 lbs. 15 oz. Ayva weighs 12 lbs. 2 oz. and Justin weighs 10 lbs. 9 oz. Justin is my small guy.

I was SO excited to put them in cute outfits for the holidays.

Valentine's was fun-

(Anna, Justin, Ayva)

St. Patrick's Day was fun also. Even though we didn't get to go to the Snake Saturday Parade OR the St. Patrick's Day Parade. It was SO cold here.

(Ayva, Justin, Anna)

Easter was fun also. I loved dressing them up in their cute little outfits!

Justin Anna and Ayva

I am SO looking forward to the summer. Warm weather. Sunshine! I can't wait to take them outside. I have been kinda paranoid about RSV and haven't taken them many places. About the only place we go is to my parents house or to Justin's parents house.

Justin and I have been talking about taking the kids to a baby swim class. I think it would be SO much fun! The only things are that there are probably a lot of germs in the pool (I know, I'm a germ-a-phobe) and there would only be Justin and I for 3 babies. Who would hold the third baby in the water. I guess we will have to find someone to go along with us. It still sounds fun though. I can't wait to buy the girls little swim suits!!! We already have baby Justin some swim trunks. They look SO tiny!

To sum things up

Well... I am Sarah and my husband's name is Justin. We met in Middle School and were friends all the way up until we started dating in 12th grade. We got married on May 19th, 2007. And also in May we found out we were pregnant!

At 8 weeks I was having some bleeding and went to my doctor and they recommended I go for an ultrasound the next day. My doctor had a very disconcerning look on her face and had me so scared about what her "strong recommendation" for an ultrasound the very next day meant. I didn't sleep a wink that night and the next day my husband took me to the ultrasound imaging place. My mother in law also went and waited for us in the lobby. Not even 2 seconds into the ultrasound, the tech said, "Hmmmm......" and I gasped,"What? Is something wrong?" and she said,"No I see this one's heart beat and there is the other one's heartbeat." and I said, "Oh! So everything is ok? Twins?" and the tech said," Well I see these two's heartbeats but it is the third baby's that I am still looking for". If I hadn't been laying down I might have passed out! TRIPLETS!!!

NO WAY!!

Meanwhile, my mother in law, fearing the worst (knowing I had been bleeding), sat in the lobby and hid all the expecting mother magazines so if something bad DID happen to us in that room, I wouldn't walk out to a sea of mother-to-be magazines.

Justin then asked the tech for a chair to sit down in and we sat there open jawed at the screen trying to make out that those three little dots are THREE babies! About 20 minutes later, we walk out to the lobby with smiles from ear to ear! My mother in law was relieved and asked us how it went. We walked outside to the parking lot and I told her that everything went fine. Then I handed her the picture the tech had given me.

She looked and stared.

She did not get that A, B and C meant THREE babies. I said, "Look, there is baby A, and baby B, and this is baby C..................... three babies."

And she screamed, "TRIPLETS!!!!". We all started laughing and an old lady that was in the parking lot trying to get in her car yelled back, "CONGRATULATIONS!".

Next to tell would be my mom. We worked at the same place and she was working for me at the preschool so I could go get the ultrasound. She told me to call her immediatly after we left the imaging place. I just couldn't call her b/c I wanted to show her the picture and I knew I wouldn't be able to hold that information in over the phone!

Once we got there, her and the kids were out on the playground. She ran over to me and asked me if everything was ok. I told her everything was fine and handed her the picture.

She stared at the picture. A full minute goes by with out saying anything. I ask her if she can see it and she says she can. I asked her what she saw and she said, "I see the baby. There is three different views of the baby." and I said, "No, that is baby A, that is baby B and here is baby C. Three babies, not one." She about fainted right there on the playground. She then accused me of handing her a FAKE ultrasound picture b/c there is NO way this is really happening!!! Oh but it was.

Everything went ok for me in the pregnancy and I worked up until I was 27 weeks. That night I will never forget. Justin and I shared a car and I was waiting after work for him to come pick me up. Sometimes the traffic is bad at that time so this day I was waiting by myself at the preschool. All the kids and other teachers had gone home already. So I decided to go and use the restroom while I waited. And once I got in there I started bleeding. Heavily. I was SO scared. There was no one but the janitor there and I wasn't about to call him in the bathroom to help me. And who knew where Justin was. He didn't have a cell phone and I had NO idea how far away he was from picking me up. So I called my mom who lived 10 minutes away from where I worked. She jumped in the car and raced to pick me up and take me to the hospital. It seemed like an eternity before she got there. My dad was driving like a maniac the whole way. I climbed in the car, still bleeding. Just when we started to leave the parking lot, Justin pulls in. My mom jumped out and told him what was happening and he followed us to the hospital.

I climbed out and a guy in the emergency room wheeled me to the elevator. I got in and there were like 4 other people including my mom in the elevator with me. They all stared at me the whole way up to the second floor. Once I got to their triage room and they checked me out. Justin met me up there after he parked the car. They found out I was in pre-term labor and needed to be admitted. I was 1 CM dialated and 80% effaced. That was NOT good. They gave me a room and gave me some Mag- Sulfate to stop the contractions I was having (although I could not feel them).

My contractions stopped and the bleeding slowed but they wanted to keep me in the hospital until I had the babies. I HATED staying in the hospital by myself. Justin stayed with me for the first 4 or 5 days and slept in the chair next to me. But after that I had to stay on my own while he went to work and home to sleep. I had to spend my 23rd birthday in a hospital bed. But it wasn't so bad because my family and friends all came. 5 days and 2 bleeding episodes later I had an emergency C-section and gave birth to three precious babies!!!

Anna Jeanne

3 lbs. 1 0z.

8:20 am

Ayva Verlie

3 lbs. 1 oz.

8:21 am

and Justin Case

2 lbs. 15 oz.

8:22 am

They had to put me to sleep for the c-section because I had lost so much blood and my blood pressure dropped suddenly when they sat me up to drink some nasty stuff to neutralize the acid in my stomach. I didn't get to hear my precious babies cry. About two hours and three blood transfusions later, they wheeled me in to see my babies. It was so sad. They were on ventilators and I couldn't even reach them from my bed. They all did well and 2 days after they were born the girls came off the vents and Justin had to have a C-pap.

Anna came home January 9th, 2008- 55 days after she was born.

Justin and Ayva both came home January 11th, 2008- 57 days after they were born.

They had to spend Christmas in the NICU and New Years. It was a very sad time for me to be home by myself, doing nothing, and NOT taking care of babies.

We were SO happy when they came home. It was like a piece of us that was missing was whole again. It felt right to have them there with me, and it's been a blast ever since!

Well baby Justin is being fussy so I will write more about the kiddos tomorrow. Bye for now.