FREECYCLE.

I certainly do not consider myself a conservationist, but our family does recycle and look for ways to conserve energy. I always turn off lights when not in use, for example. In addition, I make an effort to get information about simple, easy ways in which we can "do our part". I had heard about a grass roots organization called FREECYCLE and earlier this year I joined the local FREECYCLE group on Yahoo. If you are at all interested in saving our planet for your children, or are interested in getting FREE stuff, I urge you to take a few minutes to learn more about The Free Cycle Network. Membership is free.

The Freecycle Network™ is made up of 4,870 groups with 6,868,000 members across the globe. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It's all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer (them's good people).

Basically, the way that it works is that rather then throwing something away into a landfill, members post the item on a Yahoo group message board. Interested people send an anonymous email to the donor saying they would like the item. The donor leaves the item outside their house and the interested party picks the item up! Items offered on the FREECYCLE board include everything from coupons to tools to clothes to furniture to plants.

A few items I have taken from other FREECYCLERS include a Barbie doll house, Little Tykes Workbench and LEGO set, just to name a few. We have also participated by giving appreciative FREECYCLERS various items such as a changing table and jumperoo.

Please FREECYCLE if you can.

That special feeling.

I had a first the other night – a first as a father. To put the “experience" into perspective, I thought I would jot down a few of the experiences I have had as a dad:

- I have changed more than my share of diapers - probably more then the average dad and maybe even more than average for a father of triplets. Smelly diapers, wet diapers, disgustingly wet and dirty diapers and diaper changes which require a clothing change.
- I have sat next to a crib for more than hour (at all hours of the night and morning) in hopes that Allie (or Anna or Emily) will fall back asleep.
- I have dozed off briefly from exhaustion while feeding a bottle to one of my daughters.
- I have experienced the panic that only a parent can experience when, out in public, I lost sight of one of my girls for the briefest of moments.
- I have cried tears of joy to myself when I thought of how far Sarah and I have come from those days when the girls were still in Sarah’s womb. When Sarah was pregnant we had a simple wish “please just let these girls be delivered alive and healthy”. I now watch in amazement as they walk, talk and run through our lives.
- I have been witness to one of my naked daughters emptying her bladder onto the carpet.
- I have also walked on the edge of insanity at times - maybe when one of my daughters refuses to listen or cannot tell me why she is crying.
- I have experienced joy which I never felt before when Anna (or Emily or Allie) holds a smile to me which is bright enough to melt my heart.

This is just a very small sample of my experiences as a father to triplet girls. The other night, however my daughter Allie really got me good.

Sarah and I have a somewhat perfected system for bath night when Grammy is not present. The routine consists of bathing the girls one at a time – Emily first, then Allie and then Anna last. (There is a reason for that order, but I’ll save that for another post.) Sarah takes Emily directly to the bathroom with her while I contain Anna and Allie in the girls’ bedroom. Yes, “contain”. As Sarah finishes up with each of the girls, she walks them into the bedroom and we trade an unbathed girl for a bathed girl. As Allie is being bathed, I dry Emily and dress her while keeping trying to keep Anna out of trouble. This process continues until all three are dried off, dressed and their hair is combed.

Last night, I had Allie on her back on the floor, partially wrapped in one of her new Barbie bath towels. Anna was in the tub being bathed by Sarah and Emily was being her crazy self - being silly and bothering Allie while I was drying her off. As I'm positioning Allie's diaper under her bum and trying to keep Emily at bay, I feel a little wet and don't think anything of it - it must be from Allie's damp bath towel or Allie's hair. Then the "liquid" feels like a stream and I say to myself "where is that water coming from?" I moved Allie's towel aside to secure her diaper only to see (and feel) pee streaming into the air and onto me!!! She was peeing like a fountain and the fountain basin was me!

Fortunately I happen to have water resistant running clothes on and her pee wasn't the toxic yellow color it can sometimes be. In the hundreds of diaper changes I have done, being peed upon was a first!

Apparently when Sarah asked Allie about the incident, Allie mentioned having "that special feeling" (think Elmo Goes Potty DVD).

Can we do it again!?

We took the girls to Edaville Railroad yesterday for the second time - they were only a year and a half when we took them last year. Although closed for a period of years, Edaville has been around for many years and I have great memories of seeing the Christmas lights and riding the train as a kid. This year was much better for our family as the girls were able to walk on their own, eat "regular" food and go on the kiddie rides! I thought at least one of them would freak out on the ride(s), but they had a great time as this video shows:


We knew they loved it because right when the ride ended Allie said "Can we do it again!?" And yes, that was Anna attempting to stand up during the ride!

Highlights from Christmas Morning.

Here are some video highlights of our Christmas morning - this year Sarah and I got a glimpse of what Christmas will hold for our family the next few years.

Storytime with three.

With three girls under the age of 3, bedtime at our house can take over an hour. Putting on jammies, brushing teeth, runs to the "potty", hugs, reading and telling stories all add up to a fair amount time and energy (Mommy's, Daddy's and Grammy's energy, of course).

No matter how drained or grumpy we are though, we always find time to read to our girls before they get tucked in. And, just like Olivia, we always negotiate with our girls on the number of books we will read to them. The compromise is 3 books.

This video isn't the greatest caption of the level of animation our girls have shown during story time, but I do think the video does help capture some of their personalities. Enjoy and apologies for the unsteady camera!

Six weeks and then back to it.

I just counted the weeks on the calendar: I have a six week break until the second semester of what may prove to be a LONG road to an MBA starts. Six weeks without having papers to write and six weeks where I don't have to fight traffic to get to work and class after work. Ahhhh - I only have three crazy toddlers to deal with!

I'm only taking one class again next semester. I love it when people ask how many classes I am taking and they respond with a look that says "what, only one class?" And I come back with a response Sarah and I used to use quite a bit: "Have triplets and come back and talk to me then". Ha ha! That always gets a look.

Anyway, just babbling here. Not that anyone is waiting with baited breath for a blog post from me, but I do have some pretty cute video of my cuties to post! Stay tuned. Or at least stay awake.

The conversation.

About four or five weeks ago I had a conversation (one of many) with a woman expecting her first child, a baby girl. This woman did not, and still does not know, that our first daughter was born still at full-term. The conversation went something like this:


Me: How did the doctor's appointment go?


The pregnant woman: Good, I guess.


Me: No? Everything OK?

I should note that the woman had had several bad colds during her pregnancy and her body wasn't exactly handling the extra weight well. I had joked with her saying "are you sure there is only one baby in there?"


Her: Fine, it's just that the doctor mentioned the fluid level was a little low.


Me: Really? (Thinking to myself NO. Please no.)


Her: Yes. They also asked me if I've been feeling the baby move.


I don't say anything at this point, but my mind is racing a mile a minute. Her doctor used the words kick count. I am relieved at the idea that women in their third trimester are being told about kick counts. I am also selfishly pissed because maybe, just maybe, if kick counts and amniotic fluid were more closely monitored and discussed Abbey would be sleeping in her bed now and not dead.


Me (trying not to appear panicked or overly concerned): Well, when do you usually feel her kick/move? You've felt the baby move today, right?

Her: Oh, yes - I felt her this morning and she's been moving here and there. It's just one more thing for me to worry about, you know?

I'm now thinking to myself "Oh, I know" and "it is the ONE thing to worry about".

I am very happy to say that this woman gave birth to a healthy baby girl earlier this week.

Sarah and I obviously don't view pregnancies or childbirth the same way we did before our first daughter was born still. And each time I talk to someone who is expecting, especially in circumstances like the one above, I go back and forth between "maybe I should say something - maybe I should share our story" to "I don't want to scare her". So....I remain silent.

I do not utter a word.

I stop.

Time stops.

My stomach aches.

My heart is hollow.

The person keeps talking and I hear nothing.

I only think of what might have been.

My soul cries for Abbey.