Power's out- someone must be cutting a tooth!

So I thought I'd interject a blog about our interesting adventures over the last 48 hours.  You see, everyday is quite the adventure in our household (in fact as I am writing this blog one of my girls is chasing the dog in her walker, and another is chewing on the computer chord) ! But add in a 15 minute storm that shuts off the power on one of the hottest days of the summer (oh ya and having 10 month old triplets),  it then becomes quite the ADVENTURE! But my blog is not to complain, but to show how God's provisions are amazing.

Over the past couple days my mom and I decided whenever one of the girls didn't sleep well or finish their bottles/food that they must be getting ready to cut a tooth.  Now going on hour 13 of no power and it had reached about 81 degrees in the house, we were trying to wash our dinner dishes (that I cooked on our gas grill) by candlelight. All the girls were crying and miserable due to the heat and stress that they didn't finish their bottles and couldn't go to sleep bless their little hearts! The bottles, bowls, laundry etc.. was beginning to stack up due to four adults and three babies. I jokingly told my mom "power's out, someone must be getting ready to cut a tooth!"

Out of nowhere came a knock on our door from one of our neighbors offering us to stay at their home where they had a huge generator that ran the air and power in several rooms. They had a guest room up stairs for my parents to stay in, and they gave us the entire basement that had a huge bedroom, living room, office, and kitchenette.  So at 9:30pm we started the packing process of 3 porta cribs, 3 high chairs, clothes, bottles, formula, baby food, etc. It was no easy task! I don't know how Clif and I could have done it without my parents help.

The Maddens welcomed all of us into their home and we ended up having a much better nights sleep than we would have had staying at home of this I'm sure! The girls slept through the whole night and great at nap time too due to how dark and cool it was. After the girls would get up we'd feed them on the dresser, then bring them back over to our "baby-proof" home to crawl and play.

We were very thankful that Jim Madden had a connection with someone at the power company and immediately started making calls. He was so sweet explaining the dyer need for us to have power because we had triplets! Comed said it would not be back on for a couple days due to the severity of damage from the storms. Well Jim's calls worked, because there was three trucks on our street restoring our power in less than an hour. So we started the moving process all over again and thankfully got to come home to electricity! You realize how blessed you are when modern day conveniences are taken away. We are all so blessed to live in this nation. And we have so much to be thankful for! Another exciting adeventure to write in my journal. We survived!

new opportunity!

I am very excited that I have been recently hired by Patch.com to be  a columnist on parenting! Please keep me in your prayers as I embark on this new journey. My goal is to inspire/encourage others, touch lives, and hopefully cheer my readers up with the funny day-to-day stories I have to share from raising triplets!

I will post the articles on here as well- so you can give me your feedback! In the mean time, check out their site- www.palos.patch.com

In the News

There was much preparation that needed to be done in the months that followed. We had to move and find a new car which was no easy task. The search was on to find a ranch style home that had no stairs due the probability of bed rest do to being pregnant with multiples. And when looking for a new vehicle, Clif and I took three car seats and two strollers with us to every dealer and ended up test driving 11 different models before finding one that worked!

Also there was many decisions to be made of what we needed "3" of, and what we could get by with only one or two of that item. Basically the babies took over our home long before they even got here!

A couple months into the pregnancy, our story started some buzz. We were contacted by the SouthTown Star paper on wanting to interview us on the event that we were expecting natural triplets. They also had "googled" us and found out about my boating accident and extensive brain surgery six years earlier.
 It was amazing how they let us openly talk about the Lord and how he miraculously healed me, and had chosen us to bring these three little miracles into the world! From this article came a few more exciting events with the Chicago Suntimes picking up our story, then the WCIU "the u" asking us to be on there You and me this morning show. It was pretty neat being interviewed on live TV about our story!

 I believe everyone one of us has a purpose. That we are given  daily  occasions to be a witness in what we say and do. We feel very honored the Lord continually brings such opportunities our way  to be a light in this world

How it became official...sickness and all!

We decided to tell Clif's family on Valentine's day that we were expecting, and wait to tell my family since I was going down to Florida end of February for my sister's Christa and Becky's baby showers. I wanted to share the exciting news with them in person. But unfortunately, come week six I was sick 24 hours a day. I ended up being one of those 1/2 % women who get hyperemesis gravidarum. After loosing 22 pounds and getting to the point where I was too weak to get up off the bathroom floor, Clif insisted we go to the ER. So upon my situation turning to this we ended up calling my family for prayers and telling them over the phone. I was very disappointed about this but knew it was important to have them praying.

Then right before I left for Florida I had a doctor's apt to confirm a heartbeat etc, and at this appointment they discovered we were having twins! So I did get to surprise my family after all and tell them we were expecting more than one! Everyone's reactions were priceless! I was not sure how I felt about it all considering how shocked I was to even be pregnant. But the idea of twins was pretty amazing!

It was also very special that my sister, sister in law, and myself were all pregnant at the same time.

Turns out God is full of surprises, because 4 ultrasounds (by 3 different doctors) later I was sent to a Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist of Multiples. The nurse quickly turned to me during the ultrasound and said "hunnie, who told you your having twins?" I explained to her that I had been seen by 2 OBs and the ER doctor and had 4 ultrasounds. The thought that went through my mind was that they mis-diagnosed me and there was only one baby. She then says "Look at the screen". And there on the screen was 3 little baby's bouncing all over the place! I about had a heart attack. I started bawling immediately and my sweet husband Clif kept saying "I'm sorry!" over and over. There was no words to describe the emotions that FLOODED me at that moment. It was a real reality check at how far I was from my family and mom. In fact my mom never got to go to even one of my appointments or see an ultra sound of my girls. And she is truly my best girlfriend and I needed her so much at that moment.

I think we were at the doctor office for almost 3 hours that day. It takes a long time to scan 3 babies and there was quite the list of concerns the doctor had to go over with us from various things like twin twin transfusion to loosing one or all of the baby's, and the high risk and complications with my health (especially due to my brain injury). Clif and I walked out of the office that day with a whole new perspective on life. God had chosen us to bring triplets into this world. What a gift, an honor,and what a task that was at hand!

It was then that we pressed into God and thanked him for these  "3" blessings on the way. And we sought him for guidance on the MANY decisions we had to make in a very short amount of time. Then we asked for His peace to lead us and uphold us, and of course he did just that!

How it all began

On February 5th 2010 I decided to take a pregnancy test. I had been doing P90X and was on a pretty strict diet and wanted to make sure I wouldn't be harming "anything" in the process. Well let me just tell you how suprised I was to come back in the bathroom and see a positive sign, I feel to floor in shock!

We hadn't even been trying to get pregnant, but I was a couple days late. I proceeded to try and collect myself and called my cousin Sarah Ruth who is also one of my closest friends and living up here. She reassured me to not freak out quite yet and go get a few more tests. So I got 3 different types of tests, and before the sign could show up that the test was working - the positive sign showed up on all of them! I called Sarah back and she said "now we freak out!"

I had planned awhile back how I would tell Clif on the day we found out we were expecting a bundle of joy. I had bought a Dad's Devotional book and wrote a special message in the front cover. I also went out and got a little pink onesie that said "daddy makes me smile". Pink was the only color they had, and I guess it was foreshadowing the events to come! When Clif got home from work I told him I had an early Valentines Day gift for him and hid the video camera to capture the moment. He just kept saying "are you serious?" over and over! It was sweet moment I will always remember.

I was nervous and excited all at once. And at that point I had no idea what was to come. But I did know everything was in God's plan and timing for my life, and that every child (whether planned or not) is truly a miracle and a special gift from the Lord!

10 Months and counting...

It's hard to believe it's been 10 months since we have had our beautiful triplets! I have been asked numerous times to create a blog, so I figured it's time!
I will be going back over the exciting story of our unique family! Starting with the day I found out I was pregnant- up to the present.

Please feel free to sign up for "blog notifications" or share with family and friends. I hope our stories will help inspire, uplift, and bring a tear or two of joy.