Since you asked

So I've been thinking about the topic of work because I sometimes hear comments like:
"I would do anything to stay home with my kids."
"I would do anything to have the opportunity to go back to work again."
"When I have kids there is no way I'm going to be able to stay home with them."
"When I have kids I am staying home because that is the only way to make sure they are raised correctly."
"When I have kids I am going to have a magical perfect combination of a well paid part time job and staying at home with my children."

Going back to work was a decision that I struggled with and am often asked about, so I thought I would just offer my uninvited insights here.

SIDEBAR:  Despite the recent political hubbub I'm not going to start with a manifesto on how being a mother IS working and a full time job.  I know this.  When I say "work" I'm talking about "working outside the home" without any insinuation that being a mother is not working.    That is a no-brainer.  Moving on.

When I was pregnant the comments directly to me were more like:
"OBVIOUSLY you are not going back to work, there is just no way"
"OBVIOUSLY you are going to have to work forever to pay for all those girls" 
"How could you ever find someone competent enough to take care of your kids?  But then again how will you stay home and not go insane?  OMG what are you going to do?"  Jeez.  Chill random lady.  I'm crazy enough without your anxiety.

And now:
"Since you are back to work is your life totally crazy and unmanageable?" 
"Don't you feel like you are just totally missing out on all of your kids milestones?" 
"Aren't you glad that you aren't stuck in that house all day and you get to be around other adults?"

Wait, so there is no perfect solution?  Really???  Go figure.  At any rate, my answer or observation on any of the above is probably different every day (more like every hour).

Although I'll admit I find it a bit odd when strangers make observations on such a personal topic, it doesn't really bother me all that much.  It just shows the importance of this component of our lives and it highlights what a tough decision it can be for all parents.  I guess it is just part of the equation in our never-ending quest for the perfectly happy and balanced life.

I went back to work full time.  That is just what worked out best for us and it was a very hard decision that I am sure we will constantly reevaluate as our life evolves.  I am fortunate that my girls are in the care of someone in whom I have unwavering trust.  There are a multitude of factors in the decision (and rest assured I could give you a very thorough analysis with a spreadsheet), but trust is far and away the most important in my book.

For me, it was also primarily a matter of what would make me a better mother and I believe that working away from the house helps me do that.  It is just the way I am wired at this point in time.  I need to channel my energy in multiple places, physically and mentally.  There are lots of ways to do that without working outside the home but the best way I know is my job.  It helps me to appreciate my girls more when I'm up with them early in the morning or late at night and that appreciation drives much of my attitude and endurance.   Do I wish that I was good at that type of appreciation without an outside influence?  OF COURSE.   But I'm not.  I am always trying to do better at the appreciation factor for all things in my life.   Some people are just the opposite and not going back to work makes them a better parent.  Some people find it best to do some of both.  How great that we have the right to do whatever works best for our individual families, despite how difficult one or the other may seem?

Most days I get up early and get the bottle train running on time as if we are playing beat the clock.  I get to work some mornings and wonder how I even managed to get dressed much less make it to the building safely.  I have those moments where I'm in the middle of doing something at work and I wonder what my little angels are doing at home that I'm missing.  I may fail to do an important task at work and question my ability to handle my life.  Nonetheless, its working for the moment and so we will keep it going.

I truly don't know if my decision is good or bad and don't think that anyone else does either.  All I know is that sometimes the decision is a choice and sometimes it is a necessity, but it is all about what you feel makes you able to be the best parent you can be.  Either way you will be amazed at what you can handle.

And now, I shall go drink wine.  Cheers.

Don't be offended...

...or surprised if you finally get to meet our girls and instead of seeing this:

you see this:

granted, the bonnets MAY have had something to do with this

They have a new trick that I call "freaking out in public places". It is really cute. One baby starts screaming bloody murder out of nowhere (usually laid back Irene), the next baby thinks it is a good idea to join in (usually Anna, who doesn't want to be left out of anything). It is LOUD. If you are lucky Brooks will join in too although she is more likely to have a "what on earth is the matter with y'all?" look on her face.

There are so many upsides to having triplets. One of the downsides is that it is really hard to go places when they are this little. We go on A LOT of walks through town, which is great, but they don't just go to restaurants or the grocery store. I think they are at an age where they are becoming very aware of their surroundings and get a little freaked out when we are in new places or around new people.

So, we will be working on our social skills.

Surely these little angels wouldn't act like that, right?

We had a great Easter weekend in Birmingham.  It was our first road trip and they did pretty well in the car and great at night in the pack-n-plays.  We had a few meltdowns, as described above, but overall it was a fun trip.  They are in their little Easter dresses in the pics above.  Anna Ruth posted a recap family pics on her blog.  A few more:

My favorite pic of the weekend.  Brooks has the funniest personality and this captures it very well.

Will, Frances, and Anna Ruth.  Frances kept us so entertained all weekend.  

We met up with some of my high school friends and their kiddos.   They witnessed a few meltdowns (if you look close Anna is having one in this pic).

Birthday Serenade

Brooks decided to wake us up with a serenade to Jack for his birthday today.

Yes, you cannot see the actual video because there is no daylight.  At least she waited until almost 6 this morning.  The night before this is what we heard NONSTOP from 3-5 am.

Poor child has my sleep habits, it appears.  She may drive her sisters nuts when she can talk.

This may or may not be what they have in store for them at 4 am:
Me: "Hey Jack.  Are you awake?"
Jack:  "No"
Me:  "I was wondering....do you think bibs that snap or velcro are better?  Because snaps are harder to get on, but they stay on.  Velcro is easy to get on, but sometimes it doesn't stay together.  You know?  I just go back and forth and really am torn about my thoughts on this."

I also have fond memories of making Anna Ruth play games at night when we were little.  Like Jane Fonda (we took turns being the instructor), whistle and guess the song, burp the alphabet, and go fish (I would toss the end of my blanket from the top bunk and she had to pretend to be a fish).

How did we get here?

I had Monday night free.  Did I do a big night out?  No.  I went to the grocery store and took a bath.  At the grocery store I picked up some Corona Light for our weekly fiesta.  While in line, some cute college girls started a conversation with me about Corona vs Corona Light.  We laughed and carried on like three hip, cool, care-free young ladies.  As I'm loading up the minivan (oh did I forget to tell you?  The winner of the  debate....) I realize my two friends are getting into the car next to me with a look on their face that is unmistakable...it said, "OMG is that our future??????".  And I gave them a look back that said, "Damn right it is". 

Despite the minivan (which btw, I'm not going to lie, is awesome), how did we get so lucky with these three precious girls?  One year ago TODAY I was the most nervous I had ever been in my entire life, up to that point.  We drove down to Jackson to transfer the two tiny embryos that made it through the in vitro process.  I back seat drove the whole way home worried that a bump in the road was going to cause something to go wrong. 

I cannot believe how our life has changed in a year.  From the nerve wracking in vitro process...to the 4 am positive hpt...to finding out we were pregnant with twins...to learning we were pregnant with TRIPLETS...to the awful morning sickness...to all the scares and doctor visits and google diagnoses...to finding out it was THREE GIRLS...to the boring home bedrest...to six weeks living in the hospital...to the surreal delivery...to visiting our babies for the first time in the NICU...to daily NICU visits for 30 days...to bringing each baby home...to finally having all three babies home...to the blur of the sleepless, chaotic, hormonal first few months...to watching each baby grow and develop into amazing little baby girls.

So here we are with three babies and a mini-van (and a gigantic stroller).

And now, a video montage:

That, my friends, is how we got here.  Now if I could only freeze time with these three smiley and immobile babies.

Mornings

If you want pictures you are SOL but you can go over to AR's blog to see pics from our fun weekend.

You know how when you wake up in the middle of the night and you think it is morning then you see your clock and it is only 3 am and you say to yourself "YESSSSSSS (with fist pull) I get 3 more hours of sleep!!!!".  Yeah well I don't.  Never have.  I say to myself, "oh crap it is 3 am and I'm awake and I'll never get back to sleep and my babies are actually sleeping why can't I take advantage of this I'm going to feel like crap tomorrow blah blah blah blah blah blah blah". 

Nevertheless, I love mornings.  I thought they would be the hardest part of my day, but I absolutely love them.  Typical morning:  get up at 5:30 and warm bottles, feed dogs, eat something.  Feed babies from 5:45 to 6:45.  This is my favorite time with them.  I wake them up to feed them and then put them back down, but we each cuddle and talk for a bit.  They are usually in great moods and eat well.  I love the look on their faces when I get them out of the bed and the big stretch when they are released from their straight jackets swaddles.  Then I sit outside on my front porch swing for 15 minutes, drink coffee, watch the sun rise and look at the blooming dogwoods and azaleas.  Catch the first part of the Today Show for all pressing news matters then shower and get ready for work.

I thought I should capture this rare moment of serenity because I'm not sure how long it will last....

Almost 5 months

The girls are almost 5 months old.  They had their checkup and shots today.  Mom came with me and it was comically hectic at times...like after the shots when three babies were screaming bloody murder.

Irene weighs 14 lbs 6 oz (50%), Brooks 13 lbs 6 oz (18%), Anna 10 lbs 13 oz (-1%).

Irene, Brooks, Anna 

Irene, Brooks

Irene, Anna

Irene, Brooks, Anna

Meme, Anna Ruth, and Frances are visiting so it will be a fun weekend!

Weekends

I'm working on a thrilling post about my obsession with the topic of swaddling.  In the meantime here are some pics from the weekend.  I thought I used to love weekends.  Now that I am back to work I seriously love the weekends and try to enjoy every minute.

Getting ready to go on a walk.  Brooks, Anna, Irene.

Irene and Anna

Brooks and Anna

Brooks and Irene

Anna and Irene

Anna left, Brooks middle, Irene right.

 For every decent picture there are about 50 takes.  For instance....

Take 1

Take 2

Take 1

Take 2

Irene, as calm as she normally is, hates photo sessions.