Using Their Names Online

Okay, so a week ago I posted a poll here asking whether or not you use your kids names online. A whopping eight of you voted, and the results ended up tied at four and four. I posted the poll because I'm torn. I want to keep my family safe for as long as I can. In this day of identity theft and pedophiles and general crazies I feel that you just can't be too careful. I've taken the steps necessary to avoid handing out our address and our family's last name (I hope) to everyone in cyberspace. And so far I have only used the kids names in online forums that I can control who sees the post and who doesn't. Even then, their names have only popped up a handful of times. I avoid posting videos in which we say their names. If I do post one, I edit the audio to mute that portion of the clip.

So I guess my question to you is this: Am I being overprotective? Am I crazy? Should I just go ahead and start using their names? I'm having a hard time with this as you can probably tell.

I know there are lots of you out there who use your kids names freely on your web sites and your blogs. Have you ever felt the way I do about this? How did you overcome the fears? I want more than 8 comments on this. Give me some good advice please!

We have a potty

Over the past week, we've been noticing strange occurrences. The first I noticed was when K grabbed my hand and took me over to the changing table and pointed at it. He needed changed and wanted it done right then. I told him he had done a good thing by telling me and changed him. He was a much happier toddler. Next, E grabbed at her crotch and said "that" over and over again, which I thought was a little strange at first, but then I got a whiff of what she was trying to tell me. She had gone and needed changed. Okay, cool. They're starting to notice things. This could be good. Then today, E had gone in her diaper and, as G was changing her, she kept signing and saying "more." That was odd, until she went again a little later.

So, after talking it over with G and my mom, we ended up getting a potty. Just to see. It seems like they are noticing what's going on and they really don't like being dirty. It's a little early by most parents' standards, but what the heck, it can't hurt to try, right? So, I believe my point is that we just started potty training. We're not really serious about it just yet. Just going to see where it goes. (Hopefully in the potty)

Water Table

Bubble Wrap!

A few weeks ago we got a rather large package in the mail that came wrapped in bubble wrap. I decided, under close supervision, that it would be fun to let the trips stomp on the bubbles and try to pop them. I was right!

First Family Photo Shoot

Up until today, we had not done an official "family" photo shoot.  We've had pictures of the trips done, but nothing with all five of us in one picture.  So this afternoon we took the trips to Squire's Castle, a popular local picnic spot.  My good friend and photography mentor Tom Forrest of Tom Forrest Photography agreed to be our personal photographer for the session.

While the conditions were not exactly great for photography (too much harsh sunlight), the weather did cooperate enough to make it comfortable (okay, maybe a bit chilly) for us to be out in short sleeves.  Of course, after we ran after the kids for about a half an hour, it felt downright toasty out!  

All in all, it was a great afternoon with the kids.  They got to run around and explore a bit.  K really enjoyed kicking the dandelions as he ran throught the field.  The girls just seemed to want to run through the grass.  And although they did faceplant quite a bit, especially J, no one really cried or got too cranky.  I think we got some great shots today and I'm really looking forward to seeing them.  As soon as I get my hands on them I'll post a few up here.

What Are You Driving?

A soon to be father of triplets recently asked me what I'm driving. That was a really good question. What should you be driving as a parent of triplets? When the kids were born, we had a quad cab (four door) pickup truck and a Pontiac Aztek (SUV). We thought we'd be able to get by with the Aztek since we could fit the three car seats in the back seat somewhat comfortably (there is no third row of seats in the Aztek). We quickly realized that we were wrong. The kids were born in September, and came home in October. Anyone from the midwest or northern states knows that the weather sometimes gets cold and rainy or snowy here by late October some years. Two people trying to get three car seats into the back seat of an SUV through two doors just wasn't working. I would usually be carrying two of the kids since G had just recently carried all three and had gone through major surgery to deliver them. To get them into the car, I would have to put one down and just about turn my back on that one to put the other into the seat. If it was raining or snowing, I just felt horrible about doing this. Yes, we covered them with blankets and such, but I still worried that something was going to happen to the one I had to put on the ground.

Sometime in November I convinced G that we needed a minivan. And I knew exactly which one I wanted. For several years the Dodge Caravan has had a feature called Stow-n-Go seating, where the seats in the middle and back rows fold down into the floor. This was perfect for us. Two car seats in the back row, one in the middle row, and the other seat from the middle row folded down. Now I had a staging area. I could get everyone into the van, and then put the seats into place. No one had to stay outside in the weather. I didn't have to put anyone down on the ground. So, we went out and bought ourselves a minivan. And I'm really glad we did, especially since we're driving to South Carolina this summer with the trips. Can't wait!

Has it been a week already?

Wow, has it really been a week since I posted last? Time flies... It has been pretty busy around here. Our triple stroller broke while my mom was taking the kids for a walk. Luckily she was still able to push it home, but I'm afraid repairing it is beyond my abilities. So I'll have to look elsewhere for that one to be repaired or replaced. Our washing machine also broke. That one I was able to repair with some help from RepairClinic.com. They are located in Michigan, so the parts only took a day to get here by standard ground shipping, and they cost less than $50!! So we avoided a costly repair bill on that one.

Oh yeah, and there was Mother's Day in there somewhere. G took the kids down to her parents on Saturday morning. They spent the day looking for peapods for the kids to sleep in since G forgot ours at home. And they took in a few of Uncle George's sporting events (Uncle George is 13 and is playing soccer, baseball and running track). So that was a busy day. I missed all of the fun because I was photographing a wedding. So Sunday morning I headed down to meet up with G and the kids and we all headed to my parents after the kids' nap. Sometime around the kids' bedtime we headed back home, and that was Mother's Day.

Which brings us to yesterday. Yesterday had a rough beginning. While eating French Toast Stix, J decided that something upset her and started to cry. Crying and eating don't mix well, and she started to choke on a piece of the French Toast Stix. I leaned her forward and slapped her on the back, which usually works in this situation, but not this time. After I realized that this was a little more serious than the normal, run-of-the-mill, something stuck in the throat incident, I yanked the tray off of the high chair, yanked the child out of it (I don't remember unbuckling the straps) sat down, laid her across my lap and smacked the back, just the way they tell you to when an infant is choking. And wouldn't ya know, it worked. The offending piece of processed French Toast hit the floor with a SMACK. And then the crying ensued. But I was okay with that. Better than having to call 911.

After that it was a pretty normal day. Here's some video taken with our new Flip MinoHD camcorder to prove it. This thing is so stinkin small but puts out some great video. Enjoy

New Swing Set

Thanks to some very generous Grandparents, the trips got a new swing set to enjoy in the back yard. Thanks to some good weather this weekend, we got the chance to assemble it, and they were able to enjoy it a little.

In The Beginning: Part 2

We started the day like any other. I had taken the day off of work because we had an appointment with the specialist. G was probably doing some work from the laptop (she was allowed to work from home given her condition - we were very appreciative). We had lunch, and made our way to the doctor's office. It was unusually crowded that day and we ended up waiting longer than usual. The ultrasound went fine. K had his feet above his head and was looking pretty cramped. One of the girls (we think it was E) was very active and kept kicking K in the back. We laughed a bit and felt sorry for the little guy.

We left the office feeling pretty good. The doc said we should have at least another week if not more til she delivers. Great news considering she was almost at 32 weeks already. We went home, had dinner and turned on the Indians game. I was relaxing (probably with a beer) watching the game when G mentioned that something felt different and went into the bathroom. I'll spare you the details and suffice to say that a couple of calls to the doctor and about an hour later, we were on our way to the hospital.

Since we were going in "after hours" I had to park on the other side of the hospital from labor and delivery. We made it to L&D and they hooked her up to the monitors and a short time later it was decided that she was going to have a c-section, that night! Of course I left her bag in the car, on the other side of the hospital. As I run down to the car, I come upon several workers who are tearing up the carpet in the hallway. I make it through the adhesive apologising all the way and explaining that my wife is having triplets. They let me go. I get to the car and realize that I left the keys in the room. So I run back. Apologise again to the workers, get my keys, and run back through the adhesive again. By the time I get to the car I'm really aware of the fact that I have asthma and am very glad I brought my inhaler (which I left in the car with G's bag)!!

Since the guys putting the carpet down are working near the door for labor and delivery, I bring the car to that lot and knock on the windows for one of them to let me in so that I don't have to run through the adhesive again. I'm sure it annoyed them, though they understood.

By the time I get back upstairs, they've taken her in for the epidural, which I couldn't be there for anyways, so it was okay. They threw some scrubs at me, I threw them on and was led away to an operating room where they were already making the incision. Oh, and there were about 25 - 30 other people in the room. It was a little crowded. I sat next to my wife and watched as the doc pulled out baby after baby after baby and handed them off to each team. It was pretty surreal to say the least. In a matter of three minutes we went from being pregnant to having three kids.

Somewhere in there (I can't remember exactly when) I called our parents. G's mom made the hour drive up, as did my parents. Being that it was 11:30 at night, they weren't really supposed to be there, but the staff made an exception. After G was moved to recovery I went out to greet the family. My Dad did not recognize me until I started talking to him, I was still wearing the scrubs and he thought I was a doctor. After a while, I convinced my family to go to my house and get some sleep, since they wouldn't be able to see G or the kids until morning. I'm not sure what my mother-in-law did, she probably stayed at the hospital.

On the way to G's room, they let us stop by the Special care nursery to see the kids. It was here that we decided that "Baby A" was J and "Baby B" was E. And we also got to see K. The girls were on ventilators when we went in. K was breathing fine on his own so they were just watching him closely. We were then taken to G's room, which was rather comfortable. She got her meds and fell asleep. I curled up on the little chair/bed thingie and tried to sleep. I may have gotten an hour or two. Maybe.