Happy New Year

5 months old

Madeline, Matthew and Jackson can roll from their tummies to their backs. Jackson is still working on rolling from his back to his tummy. Madeline found her feet on yesterday. She thinks they are amazing. Matthew is still observing everything and everyone before he commits. Feeding is much better. Jackson must have a bottle of milk prior to feeding him food. Matthew can be convinced to get through half his meal before he demands his bottle. Madeline is now eating but require trading 4 sucks of her pacifier for a spoon of food. Imagine how long that takes! Afterwards she will take her bottle.

We are still struggling with Jackson's skin. We have gone through 3 rounds of antibiotics. We've decided it's time to see a dermatologist.

We enjoyed Christmas with the children. It was just last December 20th when I found out I was pregnant. It was a lot of work to prepare the children to be gone away from home but it was worth it. The babies were able to spend a lot of time with my grandparents and parents. I feel blessed!


The West Family wish all of you a spectacular New Year!!

Happy Holiday!

Merry Christmas from the West Family

Photos were taken by Black and White Photography

Hanging Around

18 Week update

Not much to update everyone on. Madeline, Matthew and Jackson are doing well. They are laughing and recently realized that they aren't the only ones. Matthew and Madeline are officially all night sleepers. Jackson has an internal alarm clock that goes off between 2:30 and 3:30am every morning. I am working with him. LOL! For the past two weeks they have been feed dinner from a spoon. Matthew got the hang of it immediately and loves it. Jackson wants immediate gradification and lacks patience. More or less he cries during a feeding if I dont' give him his pacifier in between. Madeline doesn't like the taste or texture and she whines or just refuses to open her mouth. I will add photos later of their first feeding. It was messy and by the looks on their faces somewhat startling. Sunday we arrived in the parking lot on time but it takes awhile to unload and get organized. We were very proud of ourselves. The triplets recently had another round of immunizations and they were very ill. They had the anticipated fever but the fever jumped significantly within hours. I was using Tylenol and switched to Motrin. After the dose of Motrin it seem to have knocked out the fever. They were not feeling well... not eating very much and sleeping alot. Even my little "time clock" Jackson slept alot. It took a few days to recover but they are back on track.

My Grand Ma-Ma calls me Matthew Henry.

My Daddy calls me Baby-Girl. He says I'm the Baby-Girl of the World

Mr. Jackson is what they call me.

14 Weeks

I know it's been a while since I've posted anything. I've taken the time to actually try to sleep or take a break when the children are down. Jackson now can roll from his belly onto his side (his favorite position to sleep in) and then onto his back. He hasn't figured out how to do this in reverse yet. His disposition is much more pleasant. He smiles and coos so sweetly. He's only fussy if he's hungry, sleepy or if he has placed a gift in his diaper that needs to be removed. LOL! Matthew is pretty much the same. He doesn't like to nap. He sleeps a long time once he's sleep but the journey to the nap is a challenge. Matthew wakes in the morning happy like his father. He whines for someone to come and get him but as soon as I sing Good Morning to him he immediately breaks into a smile. He's a cuddly baby that listens intensly to every word you say. Little Miss Madeline is a sweetheart! She smiles with her entire mouth open and coos so sweetly. She seems to find her voice in the late evenings. She also has determined she would rather be awake than sleep in the evenings. This is why she is now yelling out when she's sleepy. Holding her close and offering her a pacifer seems to do the trick. She's usually sleep in minutes.



Bath time for everyone is still the same. No one loves. They all tolerate it.



We are now attending church service regualarly. The catch now is to get there on time. We are working on it each week. It's a lot of work to prepare three babies to go out for a few hours at a time. A lot of planning and packing is required.



With regards to their health; they are doing well. They've begun their Synergin injections for RSV. To learn about what RSV is and how it affects babies, especially preemies see http://www.synagis.com/what-is-rsv.aspx/.



Madeline is now 10 lbs 12 oz

Matthew is now 9 lbs 5.5 oz

Jackson is now 9lbs 8.5 oz.



I dvr a show called Handy Manny which Madeline and Jackson watch and seem to enjoy. They sit very quietly while it's on. Sometimes my recording interupts Marcus' football viewing, especially on the weekends. I laugh when I hear him yell from the bedroom because the television changes in the middle of a play. I tell him it's all for the kids! LOL! We are enjoying the sweeties every day!

9 weeks old

Things are going well. The babies personalities are becoming more apparent every day. Madeline is more vocal about eating or if she has a diaper issue yet laid back about everything else. Jackson is ever so demanding about everything but when he's ready to settle down he's a sweetie. Matthew has determined he requires verbal and physical attention... more or less he wants to be held and talked to for an indefinate period of time.





Becoming a parent is a joy and priviledge. I think that also goes for becoming a grandparent. While it's easy to determine as a parent what you will be called by your children (i.e. mom, mommy, mother, father, dad, etc...) it has been a dilema for my mother. As for my in-laws this isn't their first time becoming grandparents so their names are already establised, Grand Ma-Ma and Pop. First and foremost my mother has made it clear she is not a Granny. LOL! After going from Nana, which she loves but feels since her sisters are also called Nana by their grandchildren it may make for a confusing atmosphere when we are all together and all the children are able to say Nana. She tried Gramy for a few days but didn't feel like it fit her. She tried Grams for about a week but it really didn't grow on her. She finally found her name, Mila. She's a huge Star Trek fan and I was told there was a character refered to as Mila, the caretaker. So, Mila it is.





On Friday, Matthew chose to be try his hand a being a dare devil and making my heart race by flipping himself off his boppy. Boppy: Pillow used mainly for support while nursing a baby. Other uses are to prop baby on its tummy or lay in a reclining position. I had Matthew lying on his tummy to help with his gas on a Boppy. I usually have the babies lying on them positioned on the couch. This instance I had a blanket on the floor with Matthew and his Boppy on top. I walked away to change Jackson's diaper and when I returned to the living room I hear a sound like puppy. Matthew has flipped himself off the Boppy and looking up at me when I called his name as if he had been caught stealing a cookie. I was immediately shocked and a bit unnerved but I took a photo because I want to remember this scarry but funny moment.





On Saturday, St. Luke Baptist Church (Pratt City, AL) gave Marcus and I a baby shower which they had intended to give while I was pregnant. Marcus and his father kept the triplets while I, my parents and my mother-in-law attended the shower. We had a great time. Many were unable to attend for whatever reason but missed a fun filled time. The decoration were cute, the cake adorable and delicious (it must have been good because my friends and family know I don't care for cake), and the games were fun. I had a great time.





I can see why parents talk about their children so much. When you adore your children and love them more than you ever thought you could love anyone or anything you can't help but share your joy with those who care to listen and sometimes with those who could care less but humor you because they don't know how to shut you up. LOL!



Next week I will have additional help with triplets on Tuesday and Thursday evenings (4-8). Aerial is a high school student who has had baby sitting experience with her younger siblings and had thoughts of obtaining employment at a daycare near her high school. She is the daughter of my friend Lisa. I think it will work out well.

What a week! (6 weeks old)

Jackson dressed by Daddy and ready to go with

his Grams and Grandpa

Madeline dressed by Daddy and ready to go with
her Grams and Grandpa

"Pop" visiting Matthew in the hospital This week has been very challenging. Monday morning we had to take the triplets to the emergency room. Each of them had an issue or two. Matthew was the worse. He had a high fever, stopped eating and lethargic. The result was Madeline and Jackson was sent home with medication and Matthew had to be admitted at Children's Hospital. It was hard watching Marcus take them home. Being apart from them and the stress of not having a diagnosis of Matthew's condition was difficult. Matthew was hospitalized for 4 days. I stayed with him at the hospital while the logistics of care taking for the other two were handled by their father and grandparents. I'm glad to report that Matthew is feeling better. We still do not know if he had a viral or bacterial infection but he was treated aggressively for both. So the only problem we have with each of them is that they have diaper rash and thrush. All in all we are just trying to get back to what we consider normal day to day living. I thought I was sleep deprived having three babies but being in a hospital, monitoring everything they do to your child around the clock has caused a new level of sleep deprivation. That's all for now the kids are resting in their beds and I'm going to try and get a bit of laundry done.

A Day in the Life of the West Triplets

I was unable to post anything at the beginning of the week because I was extremely busy.

Matthew's Update: He's doing much better. Had an extreme case of gas that OTC pedi-meds could not help. With the new script he's a much more pleasant baby.



On Friday they were all weighed and measured and the results were

Madeline
19 in 6lbs. 12oz

Matthew

18 in. 5lbs. 11oz

Jackson

18.5in. 5lbs. 15oz

Many wonder what it's like to have multiples. I can tell you from my limited weeks of experience it requires organization and extreme time managment. Many things are trial and error. When I find something that works, I run with it! Marcus and I decided that I would not return to work after the birth of the triplets until both the triplets and me are ready. So our days usually something like this:
Feeding Schedule (Dad handles any feedings between 8pm-12:30am and Mom does the remaining feedings)

Madeline-12:15a, 3:50a, 6:30a, 10a, 1p, 3:30p, 8:55p, 12:15a, 2:10a, 6:30a, 9:30a
Jackson-1:20a, 4:30a, 8:30a, 11:30a, 1:40p, 4:00p, 8:30p, 10:50p, 1:50a, 4::30a, 7:40a
Matthew-1:50a, 5:00a, 8:00a, 11:00, 2:30p, 5p, 8p, 11:55p, 2:40a, 6:30a, 10a

Dad leaves for work at 5:30am and arrives from his commute at 7:30pm.

In between 1am-4am I do the following:

• Eat breakfast
• Wash & Dry clothing
• Take a shower
• Clean an area of the house
• Make a batch of formula (12 4oz bottles for half a day)

I nap with babies between 5am-8am after feedings.

We change approximately 40-45 diapers and 70 wipes per 24 hours. We go through 1 12.9 oz can of powder formula per day.

Well that's all for now babies are crying!

4 weeks and counting

Our neighbors LaToya, Kayla and Terra decorated our house to welcome us home. It was a wonderful surprise! We were blown away with the thoughtfulness and the creativity they all have.

Many thanks to our church members, Bush Hills Church of Christ, for the stroller that was given to us. It has been very useful. See the site for the photo of the triplets first trip to the doctor.

As the mother of the beautiful angels I want to especially thank my parents, Angeline and Everette for being supportive in every way. Thank you to my grandmother Inez for spending a week assisting us with the newness of 3 babies. Big hugs to my aunts, Marilyn and Josephine and my cousin, Sabrina, for keeping Madeline while I went back and forth to the hospital visiting Matthew and Jackson. I appreciate my mother-in-law, Faye, for really helping me get back and forth to the hospital when my parents and Marcus were unavailable.

Today the babies are doing well with the exception of Matthew. He's not feeling his best so he will be making a trip to the doctor a few days earlier than expected. Madeline and Jackson will have their 1 month check up later this week. They're all growing like precious flowers. Madeline and Jackson seem to smile often while they sleep, looking like little angels. Matthew takes resting very seriously. They are getting to a point where it is difficult to pick them up with one hand. They had their first guest today that wasn't a family member, Bro. Eric Milton. He came to give us communion today since we were unable to attend worship service.

I wil try to update the site weekly or as something significant occurs.

For your viewing pleasure, I give you Mr. Jackson Thomas , Mr. Matthew Henry and Ms. Madeline Elise.

Triplets Update

Greetings and salutations from the West Family. This is our first family blog so it may be thin but be patient, the best is yet to come. The Triplets are doing fine. For those who haven't heard:

Madeline Elise West, born at 8:22am on July 22nd, 2008. She was 4lbs 5oz and 17" long. She arrived home on July 30th, 2008.

Matthew Henry West, born at 8:23am on July 22nd, 2008. He was 3lbs 5oz and 161/8" long. He arrived home on August 5th, 2008.

Jackson Thomas West, born at 8:24am on July 22nd, 2008. He was 3lbs 10oz and 17" long. He arrived home on August 5th, 2008.

More updates coming soon.