Must haves for triplets (or any baby really)

 This is probably the most requested post I've had over the past 9 months. Of course, it's only taken me 9 months to publish. Anyhow, here it goes! I've also included the links to the exact products that we've used. Hopefully this is helpful to those planning for a new baby (or babies)!

1. Baby Brezza 

We use this every.single.day. I don't know how parents of multiples survive without it. Yes, I know you can buy a pitcher and make a huge batch of formula but the convenience and simplicity of this just makes it worth it. If you are registering, this is a great one to put on there or use gift cards to treat yourself! It makes the bottles the perfect temperature and one touch dispenses the correct amount of formula. We have never had any issues with ours and still love it 9 months in. If we are being honest, I'm kind of jealous I didn't have this for my last two babies! 

2. Dockatot

Another purchase that I have no regrets about. We were gifted two of these so we only had to buy one. These were amazing in the early days when they were tiny. When we brought our three home from the hospital we put them right into their own cribs to sleep. I feel that these really helped them sleep more soundly and comfortably in that big crib at first! All my babies love to snuggle or feel like they are next to someone and they seemed to be so happy to feel surrounded and safe. Bonus- you can take them anywhere with you! Many times we would bring them to my parents house for them to nap in on the floor and they worked like a charm! I think these really contributed to my three sleeping long stretches (3-4 hours!) already at 2 weeks old. 

We even fit two dockatots in a crib! 

3. Sound Machine

We have had a multitude of sound machines and really like things about all of them. We've had the DOHM, the Hatch, and a portable Marpac (current fave for babies). Our children can fall asleep without a sound machine but we use them anyhow. Honestly, I don't think I could fall asleep anymore without hearing that soothing noise over the monitors! Ha! The portable one is great becuase it's easy to pop in the diaper bag, hook on a stroller, etc and bam! Instant sound machine that helps block noise and lull those sweet babies to sleep. 

4. My Brestfriend Twin pillow (and regular single pillow)

I've used the single and double and could not have nursed and fed babies in the beginning without it. What is so nice about this pillow is that it has extra back support which is so important when your nursing or feeding a baby. The twin pillow helped me to feed two babies at once, which was such a timesaver and I still got to cuddle them as they ate. I like that the babies don't sink into the middle which tends to happen with a regular Boppy nursing pillow. 

Gosh, look at those little tiny baby faces! (K and C)

5. Boppy Lounger   (they are on sale right now!)

                                                                                           

Another item that still gets used every day. I thought we'd never use these as much as we have.  In the beginning, it was a safe place to lay a baby on the floor/bed/couch and not worry about the boys running around them. I could put two on a couch and tandem feed and now that they are older, they take their own bottles while "lounging" on this pillow. At nine months they can now roll off of it, so of course it's on the floor. I can see these still being used regularly for quite a while! Even the boys use them as pillows while watching tv sometimes. 

6. 4moms Mamaroo 4 Baby swing

We started out with three of these but two have now gone to other homes of new babies. Our one remains and we rotate the girls in and out of it and other bouncers/swings. All three of the girls loved this swing in the beginning. It has a ton of settings for type of motion, speed and even sounds. I think it mimiced our movements enough that it was soothing for them. I also feel that since I had three, these took up the least amount of space compared to a traditional baby swing. 

7. Double and Triple stroller

I wasn't sure what kind of stroller I'd love for the babies in the beginning. It was extra hard because I technically had a two and three year old that still needed to be in a stroller as well. We started out with two double strollers that our infant car seats could click into. This was extra helpful for doctors visits or trips out and about when they were infants. If I were by myself, I would wear one baby in a wrap and push the other two in the stroller. When we would go for walks as a whole family, Josh would have a baby and toddler and I'd have a baby and toddler while wearing the third baby. Now that the babies are older- we have traded in the double stroller for a triple stroller and WE LOVE IT. I would love a Wonderfold Wagon someday but for now, this is amazing. All three girls can look out and don't feel like they are missing anything and it can even be changed to a double or even a quad stroller if you have another seat. Pretty amazing. It rides smoothly and folds flat in the trunk-which is a huge deal! It has canopies that pull all the way down, seats recline and a basket underneath for some items. 

8. Baby wrap and structured carrier

I used both a soft wrap and a structured carrier with all 5 of my babies. Graham was probably the baby that was worn the most but the girls have gotten good use out of them as well. It's nice when one is just having a fussy day, I can pop them in the carrier and they calm down and enjoy being held. This allows me to still get some tasks completed hands free. The wrap was nice when they were newborns and the structured carrier is must better from 4 months on, although it does have a newborn insert as well. My babies were all nosy, so they loved the option of facing out. 

Other must haves:

-Bottles (and lots of them). Our triplets go through 15-20 bottles a day! 

-Burp clothes and bibs (again... lots and lots. Way more then you ever think you'd need!)

-Swaddles. Some like the blankets but we preferred the sleep sacks. Total baby preference.

-Bouncers

-Diaper stations in multiple rooms

-Crib sheets and changing pad covers (trust me again...lots of these.)

I'm sure I could list more but this is a great starting point of the items that we've used the most! Is there a baby item that you feel you couldn't live without? Share in comments so we can all check them out! 

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases made from clicking the links posted. I have only linked the items that we've loved and used ourselves!*

A day in the life

This is a top requested post which makes me giggle but I will comply. I guess people are curious to see what a day with 5 kids looks like. It is probably going to be a lot less thrilling then you think but here it goes! This was from a week ago because it takes me forever to find the time to finish a post!

The girls have been waking anywhere 5-7 am most mornings.  We both go and feed together, a sort of assembly line. Josh gets them out and changes diapers while I feed. Usually one is done by the time the third is ready, and then he takes them from me, burps and puts back to bed. Today it was 5:00, so after we were done feeding Josh went back to bed and I got up and started my day. Something about having coffee in peace is so nice. I started my young living oils for the day- I've been favoring Stress Away but today I went for this combo! So refreshing and clean smelling. 

Yup, those are Eggo waffles. Not the healthiest breakfast. I do eat a yogurt later in the morning. I love to catch a few minutes of the Today show but those mornings are rare. Most days it looks a lot like Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (insert eye roll). 

First pump of the day....and I hear the boys moving around upstairs. Josh gets them breakfast and lets them eat it upstairs on their "picnic" blanket. 

Today I felt like getting ready before the girls woke up. Some days that happens, other days it's 4:00 and I'm just brushing my teeth! Ha! 

Well..that didn't last long. Took a little detour in my routine to get these gals up, fed and dressed. They liked to watch mommy finish getting ready. 

These two will drive you nuts if you don't get out of the house by 9 am. Today they requested the pool, so off we went. We were the only ones there. It's typically empty til the afternoon. Daddy stayed home with the girls and worked while they napped again. I try my hardest to make sure at this time of day they do a physical activity to burn of energy and guarantee a good nap! 

We stayed til about 10:00 and then headed back to rinse off and help Daddy feed the girls. 

After feeding the girls, they play on their play mats or go in their swings or bumbos. I usually start lunch at that time. Graham is my eater. If I'm in the kitchen getting ready to prepare a meal, he's right there. I didn't get a picture of our lunch but it was PB&J for Henry and turkey/cheese/crackers for Graham. They usually have some fresh fruit and maybe some cucumbers or tomatoes with their lunch. 

After lunch we put the boys down for their afternoon nap. Henry usually sleeps from 12:30-2pm and Graham usually sleeps 45 minutes longer. They share a room so sometimes one wakes the other up. I just love watching them on the monitor..they sleep in funny positions. 

As soon as the boys are down, it's time for the 3rd feeding of the day! 

It does feel like we are on a perpetual feeding schedule! Ha! Life with triplets I guess. They are usually awake for an hour after eating, so I lay them down and practice rolling over, sitting up and shaking rattles and toys with them. It's also a good time for a photo shoot. Sorry, I do a lot of those. 

How can you resist that cuteness? 

(l-r: A, K and C)

While they play sometimes I fold laundry or pick up our playroom. We do about 3 loads a day. Also, I pick up that darn playroom about 3 times a day too! Ha! Why do I bother?

When the boys woke up we fed the girls again and headed to my parents for dinner. A few times a week we eat dinner together at our house or theirs. I'm so thankful to have my parents, they help us out so much. Our life is crazy but they just embrace the chaos and are such wonderful grandparents to our kiddos. I can't imagine how Josh and I would do this alone without them! Packing up the kids to go anywhere is quite the process. It takes about 30 minutes. Seriously. If I'm super on the ball, I will have the car packed up with all the necessary items before we leave. 

We eat dinner (probably with three babies fussing in the background) and then pack up everyone to head home for bath and bed. I didn't take any pictures from this time of day- it's too busy! Josh bathes the boys and I bathe the girls at the same time. Again, we bathe the girls in an assembly line fashion. My kids get baths every night- it's just part of our nighttime routines. 

By this time it's 7:00pm, the girls are being fed and the boys are watching a show on tv. Once they are done, we put them in their sleep sacks, pray with them and put them in their beds. Then it's the boys turn. Henry usually tried some sort of stalling tactic. Typical three year old. We read three books, pray and say a blessing over them and then leave the room. 

All children are in their beds and asleep! Hallelujah. Now I get to load the dishwasher, wash bottles and head up to shower and go to bed myself. I feel the best when I go to bed before 10pm. So most nights I make that my goal. Since there are no moments to nap during the day, I usually crash in bed or on the couch. 

That's a little peek into what our days look like. Every day is pretty much a mirror of the last. If things were open (kids museums, parks, etc.) we would try to get out of the house more and it'd be less monotonous but for now, staying home is what we do. 

If you have any questions or even suggestions of what you'd like to see me blog about, leave a comment! I do have a post coming up about must haves for triplets. 

The end of an era (for now)

It so hard to write this post but I have so many emotions to process, I probably need a good cry. A lot of people have asked if I plan to return to teaching in the fall and the answer is no. At least not at this point. I've decided to take a year and than see where we are as a family. My job is going to be full time mom of five for a while. With at peace with that decision as I am, I also feel lots of sadness too. I've taught for 13 years, at the same school, with the same wonderful group of people. It's a family, a safe place- my second home. 

Packing up my classroom and throwing things away/donating (I needed to purge anyhow, ha!) gave me a little panic attack because it feels like it's literally a part of my life disappearing. I didn't think it would feel as hard as it does. I think to myself, will I still see these wonderful friends- I will miss talking to adults! A little part wonders if I will be missed...I know that life goes on and people change jobs all the time. I think it's just a human question to wonder if you mattered or made a difference. 

I can't even begin to describe how thankful I am for the 13 years I had working at the most wonderful school with the most wonderful people! The children that I've been priveledged to teach have impacted my life in so many ways. I love each and every one of them. Wish I could share all their pictures because they are all so important, special and cherished! My coworkers are some of my best friends- I have the most amazing supportive friends there! From the welcoming faces you meet when you walk into the office, to our wonderful leadership, to our wonderful custodial and cafeteria staff- you just can't beat our amazing school. 

I'm thankful that I was able to have the title of teacher. There was no better job in the world for me (except a mama of course)!

To my wonderful school family- thank you for loving me and supporting me in all things! Many of life's moments were made easier because I had such a wonderful, faithful group of coworkers and friends. Thank you to the many families that have shared their children with me over the years. I've been so blessed by each of you. I will always smile when I think of you.