Another few weeks gone by. Where to begin. Logan started his new school in the midst of cutting a very painful tooth. He was miserable and up at night like every hour. Not to mention super cranky during the day since he was so tired. I brought him to the school and he would scream and cry. It was horrible. On Tuesday I had to go pick him up because they called to tell me he just wouldn’t calm down. By Thursday he was coughing. New school, new germs I suppose. The weekend did not prove to be any better. He woke up from his nap in a tantrum. He yelled “go away!” every time Bob and I went in the room. He wouldn’t get out of his crib, and was just crying and screaming. Not to mention coughing and practically gagging he was so upset. Finally I asked if he wanted to see if Marty (our neighbor) was mowing. That seemed to be moderately enticing and so he let me take him out of the crib. Of course, he wasn’t mowing so we knocked on our neighbor’s door and thankfully they are the best and asked us in so Logan could see Marty and play with the army trucks they have. Thank God for our neighbors. By the end of the weekend all 3 boys were getting sick and so was I. Monday I kept Logan home from school and Bob had to stay home as well. With all 4 boys we needed the help. Tuesday at school was no better so finally I said that Bob should do drop off for Logan. Seemed like me doing it was almost worse. I would stay for like an hour leaving my parents with the babies. By the end of the week, Logan would cry for only a few minutes at drop off and then have a really good day. So I am hopeful he is finally getting adjusted there. Plus he isn’t really sick and the stupid tooth finally came in! As for the boys, Justin was full blown wheezing by Wednesday and so I was at the Dr’s with him Thursday. His oxygen level was ok but he clearly needed some help breathing. So began the nebulizer treatments. For those of you who never had to give a baby a Neb, be thankful. It is about 10 minutes of screaming and kicking and crying. Although, he seems to have become more accustomed to them and actually smiles sometimes and dozes off. Those are the best treatments. I was at the Dr’s Thurs., Fri, Sat and mon. When they have respiratory issues the dr’s check them daily to make sure they are getting enough oxygen and don’t need to be hospitalized. The Dr thought he might have RSV again. But by yesterday he seemed to be doing much better. He still has a lingering cough but at least we can space out the treatment to every 6 hours instead of every 4. Mason and Noah have slight coughs and mild congestion but are otherwise doing great. Knock wood. I weighed Justin at the dr’s. 13 pounds 10 ounces. Can’t believe it.

Justin is nuts. He is the happiest baby; he smiles and laughs out loud. He is not sensitive to cold and doesn’t mind at all when you change his diaper. But when he cries, wow. His cry is like scratching nails down a chalk board. He is incredibly squirmy too. I think it is the dry skin which he has tons of. I try to lube him down daily with Vaseline as it is the only thing that seems to work. I have a hard time getting him on his belly since he starts wheezing and has trouble breathing. I am quite sure he will end up needing physical therapy because I can’t seem to get his neck muscles to where they should be. He is not so great on walks and is usually the one crying. He can’t seem to hold the pacifier in his mouth and gets all upset when it falls out. But he plays for long stretches by himself on the mat or in the bouncy seat smiling and cooing and batting at the toys. Which is welcomed considering it gives us time to tend to the other 2.

My dad wrote a little about each boy so I wanted to incorporate what he said too:

Dad on Justin—he was the first born, and continues to be first in nearly everything else. Justin has gained over ten pounds since birth and is keeping pace with Mason. What little hair he has is light auburn in color and his eyes lean toward blue. He has one dimple on his left cheek, and he shows it off when he smiles. He’s the most physical of the three, and always seems to be in constant motion while he’s awake. He’s been very vocal lately, cooing and ah-ing, and smiles spontaneously. He can remain by himself for extended stretches; exercising his extremities, and moving his head around focusing on anything and everything. He doesn’t like wet or poopy diapers, and will let you know when he’s uncomfortable or hungry. Justin is congested much of the time. Perhaps he has allergies (peak time in the spring) although he shows no other symptoms. He has actually laughed out loud several times, and enjoys playing “this little piggy”, or “peek-a-boo.”

Mason is solid as a rock and feels like he weighs 20 pounds. He is definitely more serious than the other two. It takes a lot for him to smile. Usually it is only when we play pat-a-cake with him. He looks like he has no neck and has a widow’s peek that makes him look like Eddie Munster! He is adorable though. He eats like a pig but still won’t sleep through the night. He is up more than the other two!! He is very laid back and is the kind of baby that will doze off anywhere. Which makes him the one I always offer to take with me if I am taking 2 kids and leaving 2 home. He is batting at toys now and kicks at them too. He struggles with tummy time also because he doesn’t have much of a neck so it is tough for him to lift his head so he just falls asleep. When he is hungry he screams like you would not believe. And if you take the bottle out of his mouth to burp him he freaks out. He will down 6 and half ounces in 10-15 minutes. It is amazing.

And from my dad…Mason—has always been the biggest, and has always been the most laid back. Mason has dark skin and hair, and his eyes are a definite brown. He sleeps more than his brothers, and can remain cool and calm for long periods of time. But, when Mason is hungry, there is no confusion about what he wants. He will cry loud and long until he gets what he wants—6.5 ounces of formula, or a diaper change (he too is not a fan of wet or poopy diapers). Like his older brother, Mason takes 6.5 ounces of formula, and has even tried solid food, although he didn’t seem to care for it. Mason is easy to burp, and rarely spits up his bottle. He has recently begun to smile and coo like his older brother, but still maintains his easy-going demeanor. Like his brothers, Mason enjoys going out for a stroll, but the recent weather has prevented very many excursions.

And Noah, the little professor. He is still the most curious and alert baby I have ever seen. He has the most expressive face. It’s like he wants so much to say something and tell you all these things he is thinking. He smiles and laughs a lot. He also sleeps the longest. Who would have thought? He will go 6-8 hours which is great except the other two don’t so we are still up. He rarely cries anymore. Even when it is time for him to eat he is really patient and waits for his bottle. That is especially helpful when you are trying to feed him and Mason at the same time. Noah will let you get Mason all situated and stop him from screaming and sit there with a smile on his face waiting patiently for his bottle. He will smile while you feed him and it is impossible not to laugh. He is very tiny with a small head and the most piercing blue eyes. I still believe he will be his brother’s keeper.

And Dad says…..Noah—is known as the “little professor”, because he has big wide eyes, and a penetrating stare. Noah is the youngest and the smallest weighing in a full 2 pounds less than his bigger brothers. Yet, he’s the most alert, and seems to be curious about everything. He finds his brothers very interesting, and will watch them for extended periods. He holds the record for the longest nocturnal sleep period, but much to his parent’s dismay has decided to only do that once. Noah has fair skin and dark hair with deep blue eyes. Noah has a small cleft in his chin, and can overwhelm you with his smile. He will definitely break a few hearts in the years to come.
Logan is so great with his brothers. He loves to kiss their heads and their feet and tickles them. When he makes them smile he gets so excited. One night when I had them all on my lap trying calm them he came over and sat with me. I said, “look - Mommy has all her boys with her.” So now whenever I am holding a baby he sits on my lap and says “mommy’s boys.” He is so amazing. He learns new words everyday and is the most loving warmest kid ever.

It has been 2 weeks since I started writing this blog entry and a lot more has happened. Logan likes school although he is still fighting whatever sickness he got there. He had a low fever yesterday and today but seems to feel ok. He talks about his friends at school and all the stuff he does. We took him to the circus where he was in complete awe. He loved it. We did have a small mishap though. He sat on a folding chair and it folded with him in it. It was very scary and he could have been really hurt considering there was a big bolt that could have gone into his head. Fortunately it missed him and once they shot the cannon off he was totally distracted from being scared (it took mommy & daddy a little longer to recover). Bob has been home for 2 days and we are trying to work on getting the babies onto a routine before I go back to work in 2 weeks. I can’t believe it has been that long. I will miss being home so much.

My parents will head back to Florida after Logan’s birthday. I will miss them more than anything. And Logan is going to have a really hard time without them here. It will be good to have some time with just Bob and I and the kids as the past 4 months it seems our house is always packed. But all I can say is how blessed we are to always have a packed house. So many friends and family that help us out. It amazes me everyday how blessed we are to have 4 beautiful healthy boys and such wonderful family and friends. I thank everyone who has been there for us through this entire experience. It has been one crazy ride.

Life has continued to fly by and be totally crazy. I actually fell asleep with my eyes open last week. It is possible. I was feeding Noah and all of a sudden dropped the bottle but my eyes were completely open. Very strange. The babies are doing really well. Getting so big. Mason has decided when he is hungry he is going to let everyone know. He wakes up and screams so loud. Then, if you take the bottle out to burp him he freaks out. Logan used to do the same thing. He is pretty much off the zantac and hasn’t had too much trouble with it. Justin is the antsiest baby ever. He is also the happiest. He lies on the ground cooing and smiling and actually laughing. He has adorable dimples. Noah is still the Professor. So wise beyond his years!
Logan started his new school on Monday. He is doing ok. He is teething really bad right now and has been super whiny and in pain for the past 5 days. He has been up every night every hour crying. It is horrible. He is exhausted, we are exhausted. Today the new school called and I had to go pick him up because he was so upset. I feel horrible that I moved him in the midst of this chaos. He is such an awesome kid and I know he is just not himself. He says he wants to go home all the time and my heart just aches for him. He is talking so much, putting sentences together, using possessives. He is obsessed with being tall and lawnmowers. One night when I was reading to him he would not stop saying mow, mow, Marty mow, Marty mow (that’s my neighbor’s name) Now every night I have to open his blinds and tell him Marty is sleeping.
Monday night we took everyone to dinner at Friday’s. It was great but truly exhausting. The babies were awesome. Only minor fussing. I definitely want to start getting out of the house with them as much as possible even though it is so hard. Plus, during this period they are so unpredictable. Like Noah slept 8and 1/2 hours the other night and then last night he was up twice. I am hoping by the time I head back to work they are all sleeping at least 6-7 hours a night or Bob is going to have a tough time. Did I mention Bob gave his notice? He will stop working the end of May and stay home with the babies. We decided that right now that is what will work best for us. They were really nice to him about it and he certainly didn’t burn any bridges so I feel a little better knowing he could go back if that’s what works better for us. I think he is excited and scared at the same time. It is quite a life change to just quit working and be a stay at home dad. I know it will be great for the babies and he will do a great job.
My parents are still here and help out everyday along with my sister Allison. I love having them here and we are so lucky. My sister Chrisanne came down from New York for my Mom’s birthday which was fun. We took Logan and the babies to Bob’s dad’s house. It is crazy getting everyone out. Packing the bags takes some serious pre planning!! Bob’s mom was over this past weekend and I was able to get some fun time with Logan while she and Bob watched the babies. For Mother’s Day I asked to sleep in. I just want to get up when I feel like it. That’s all. Then spend the day with my family. I am so lucky to have such wonderful people in my life.
Logan’s birthday is coming up and I can’t believe he will be 2. It just flies by.
I wish all of you mum’s out there a happy Mother’s day.

The boys are now 4 months old and they are huge. We had their well visit Tuesday. Mason and Justin are both 11 pounds 11 ounces and Noah is 10 pounds 1 ounce. You'd think at that size they would all be sleeping through the night but no such luck!! They are all smiling now and make great eye contact. Although Mason is a little lazy about it at times! He is definitely a little lazy. But that's ok. It is helpful to have one mellow kid. Justin and Noah can be challenging especially in the evenings still. Our night help has decreased significantly because she has another job. I knew about it before we hired her but thought they would be sleeping better and so I wouldn't mind. The nights can be brutal. Last night I slept from 9:30-1:30 and when I got up i was never able to lay back down. One was either fussing or eating or needed to be rocked. It is really tiring. I know Bob is exhausted at work too and I feel bad but I just can't do the whole night by myself. My parents of course, are still so helpful. By the time they go back to Florida I am afraid they will never want to come back! Everyday is so busy. We found a house that we really love and put a bid on it but of course need to sell this one first. I am a little stressed about that and keeping the house presentable is tough with 4 kids. I am lucky if I get them in the bath once a week. I guess that's ok for now since they don't really get very dirty. I intend to bathe them everyday but something always happens to sidetrack me. Laundry is endless. The burp cloths alone are unbelievable. Thank goodness we have a good washing machine! One of the triplet moms I know came over for a few hours Sunday to help so Bob and I could sleep. She brought her former nanny. So I of course discussed with her working for us periodically. She is going to come Saturday to watch Justina and Noah and I am going to take Logan and Mason to visit my friend Kim. And Bob finally will be able to go golfing! I am so happy for him. It is always nice to have a day away from the kids. They are so wonderful but it is all consuming. They will be 8 weeks adjusted next week and I am hopeful that it will start to get easier. We'll see.
I know my posts are all over the place but I just write whatever pops in my head and I frequently get pulled away so I don't even know where I left off.
Logan is doing really well but is definitely entering the terrible 2's. He can be very defiant at times and since we are so exhausted our tolerance is lower than normal. I work really hard to be patient with him since he doesn't deserve to be the outlet for my frustrations or exhaustion. He is such a good kid and so loving and caring. He is pretty good with the babies. He kisses their heads and feet and one night even made Justin laugh. He was so excited and happy!! I can't wait till they can play and interact. We are switching his school soon. Hopefully very soon. One more transition for him which I am upset about bu I am not happy with several things there and it is just time to get him out of there.
Our house is being shown this morning so I must get the babies out of here and over to my sisters. Thank God she lives so close and doesn't mind our invasion for an hour. She comes home from Poland today. Yeah!!! I have waited to watch American Idol with her and I can't wait to see who was voted off. So don't ruin it for me!!!
Hope everyone is enjoying their spring. Even if it has been raining and miserable a lot. Here's to a beautiful May!!

The babies are 4 months old this Thursday. I cannot believe it. And Logan is 22 months. Of course they are only 6 weeks adjusted so they are not acting like they are 4 months old. NYC was so much fun. Logan loved it. We went on the carousel in Central Park and went to FAO Schwartz. He was amazed by everything. We really had a great time and it was fun to visit Chrisanne. I don't get up to NY very often. The week was ok although Noah contracted some sort of GI virus and was projectile vomiting for several days. I was back at the pediatrician with him to make sure he was still gaining weight and didn't need to have his belly scanned. It's funny, with a full term baby I would have never thought to worry about a GI disorder. Turned out just to be a bug and he was over it by the end of the week. As soon as the bug was gone he was starving! He is now taking 5 ounces like his brothers and I think he is going through a growth spurt. He is sleeping better, probably because he is finally eating enough. He was so hungry when he had the bug but would throw up every time we fed him so he was generally miserable. Mason got the bug a little too but only for a day or so. We took the babies over to see Bob's father last Saturday. Their first trip out (except for the dr. visits.) Mason stayed home with my parents cause he wasn't feeling very well. It was nice to get them out but it was a little hectic. Bob's sister Marianne was there with her son Colin and Justin and Noah were a bit fussy. But all in all it was a nice day.
Easter Sunday was chaotic. Seems everyday is like that. We took Logan to church with us, Bob and my sister (who came down from NYC) stayed with the babies. He was pretty good. At one point when a song had finished and the church was completely silent Logan said quite loudly "All done" It was pretty funny. We had Easter dinner at our house. We actually were able to get all 3 babies to sleep and sit down for dinner together. It was short as Mason woke up to eat but it was really nice while it lasted. Logan had a little Easter egg hunt. 12 eggs took like 30 minutes!! I guess he is a little young:-) He also ate too much chocolate and got really hyper. That wasn't very fun but it's only once a year.
So far I have learned the following about the babies. Justin is super sensitive to everything. He doesn't like his brothers to be upset and he gets very bothered by his flailing arms. He needs to be swaddled and in his own quiet place to sleep. Mason sleeps a lot and fusses only when something is really wrong. He is what would be considered an easy baby. Noah is like the little professor. He stares very intently and always looks like he is deep in thought. Noah and Justin are definitely higher maintenance and get annoyed if you are holding the other one. Jealousy begins already!! They are all smiling and almost laughing. I hear a couple coos here and there but I have to say, I am constantly going from one baby to the other. I find it is hard to spend quality time playing with them. Since they eat at different times they are awake at different times and having a routine is just impossible at this point. They are only 6 weeks old really so I am not too worried about it for now. When they are 8 weeks old I am hopeful they will start to sleep through the night and I will be able to get them all on the same schedule. But who knows. It really is a crap shoot! It has taken me 2 days to write this as I am always getting up to get one of the babies.
Bob and I decided to put the house up for sale. I am scared to death and I am also so excited. We are looking in Mount Laurel . I can't wait to be in a place with more space. This house is just too small. So anyone looking for a house let me know!
My parents continue to come over everyday to help with the babies and my dad has done a bunch of stuff around the house getting it ready to sell. Allison is over all the time and helps so much. Chrisanne came down and stayed late into the night so Bob and I could get some sleep. My sister in law Lisa is coming on Thursday evenings to give my parents a break which is great. It can be so exhausting being here everyday. I am so lucky to have them and have really enjoyed spending time with them. To Lorraine and John who are across the pond, we miss you terribly. Logan yells John every time we pass your house!!

Another week flown by! The boys went to the dr. this week. Mason is now 9 pounds 14 ounces, Justin is 9 pounds 5 ounces and Noah is 8 pounds 8 ounces. They are getting so big. Noah still looks like such a little peanut though. Mason is a ham. They adjusted their Zantac dosage and I am hoping that will help. Seems they have gotten worse with spitting up as they gain weight. It's like you are constantly chasing the right amount since they are growing so fast. I'm not complaining though. I am so glad they are growing!! My mom and dad were here everyday helping out this week. They come early in the morning and help all dy into the night. We also have a teenager coming from 5-8 after school to help while I get Logan to bed. Our house is always crowded. But, I apprecitae all the help so much and know it would be so hard without it.

I had one of the worst nights so far with the babies. I think it was Wed. night. I went to sleep at 8:30 and Bob got me up at midnight. They had been really good for him. I got out their and Mason was due to eat. Once he finished and went to sleep it was Justin's turn and then Noah woke up. While I was feeding Noah, Justin decided to freak out for about an hour. I ended up feeding him another couple ounces because I couldn't figure out what the heck was wrong. He sucked it down and kept screaming. In the meantime, 4 hours had passed and Mason was waking up to eat. I finally had to wake up Bob. I just couldn't handle all three freaking out at once. It was really the first time I have just been done with it. The sleep deprivation makes it hard but I am just tired of the infancy stage. I remember feeling this way with Logan. The first 3 months are just so hard and we have it longer since they were so premature. The first month was really 2 months. I wish I could take maternity leave when they turned 4 months old!! Don't get me wrong, I love my babies and am blessed beyond belief but I really prefer when they are a bit older, sturdier, can hold their heads up and are distractable. Plus the walls of our house are closing in on me. I am so sick of winter and cold weather. The days that it has been nice out it is so windy I can't really get them out of the house. Or I am so tired I can't motivate. So Thursday night I went out to dinner with the triplet moms in South Jersey. They are so amazing. The kids range in age from 4 to my babies. They have all been through this and they really made me feel like I wasn't crazy! They gave me really good suggestions and assured me it will get better! That and several glasses of wine and Friday I was a new woman. It really does help to talk to people who understand what you are feeling and don't judge you for it.

Today Logan and I went to an Easter egg hunt in Moorestown. It is so windy though and the egg hunt lasted like 30 seconds. Oh well. Tomorrow we are headed to NYC with my mom and Allison to visit my sister Chrisanne. I am very excited. I think Logan will love it and it will be a nice road trip for the girls. Bob and my dad are staying with the babies. Should be an interesting day!!

All 3 of the babies have started to smile. Haven't heard too much cooing yet but I am hoping that will come this week since they are about a month old. Their development milestones are so hard to predict since you really don't know what their age is.

I am hoping that the weather will be nice now and we will get the babies outside as much as possible. We still will not take them to any public places or around other children as they still have suppressed immune systems and have a tough time fighting infection. Even full term babies have no immune system until they are 3 months old. They go to the dr. on April 17th for their second set of shots. At that point the weather should be good and they will be a bit bigger.

I am posting a more recent picture where you can really see their faces. They are getting so cute. Mason is just like Logan was. Justin is totally a McCoy and Noah is definitely his own man.

Hope everyone is doing well. Happy Easter to you all!!

I cannot believe it has been so long since I wrote. I don't even know where the time has gone!! I have never been so tired in my life. The boys are doing really well. I can't believe how much they eat. Mason and Justin are up to 5 ounces every 4 hours and Noah is at 4 ounces every 4 hours. We try to keep them on the same schedule but that doesn't always happen. Mason is such an easy baby. Thank Goodness. He sleeps A LOT but is alert and content when he is awake. The zantac has done wonders for all of them and Mason has stopped throwing up for the most part. He has got to be well over 10 pounds at this point but I won't get him weighed until Tuesday. He is huge! I can't believe he is 3 times his birth weight. He looks a lot like Logan did as a baby so I wonder if they will end up looking like each other more than he does with the other 2. Justin and Noah are definitely more fussy. Seems the witching hour is from 5 to 10 at night. It is absolute chaos when Logan comes home and all the babies are awake. Justin gets really fussy around 8-10 at night. He cries and screeches and acts like he is starving. We always end up feeding him a little more even though he might have just eaten and then he seems fine so maybe he is gearing up to have a full belly before bed. He has red hair which is a McCoy trait and I think he looks a lot like my sister but no one else seems to think so. He has beautiful blue eyes (thanks to the Commacks) and an adorable dimple. His face is really filling out and he is about 9 and a half pounds. (I weighed him yesterday) . Noah is still a screecher. He is one of the loudest babies I have ever seen! He is over 8 pounds now but won't know his weight till Tuesday also. He still looks like a preemie but is really starting to fill out. He went to the urologist last week about the duplicate collecting system and he said he is perfectly fine and won't need any follow up unless he develops an unexplained fevers. Great news!! He has the biggest and brightest eyes and perfectly curled eyelashes. He gets fussy sometimes and has this loud screeching cry. It can be piercing especially when he is sleeping soundly and he all of a sudden yells out. He is also bothered by everything. If you switch positions while holding him he gets all annoyed. And he hates the hiccups.

But all in all they are wonderful babies and it is so awesome to have them.

Logan is doing well. He is having some issues sleeping that I am sure are related to all the chaos that has become our house. I feel so bad for him because I know how tired he is. He is such a great kid. He really is pretty good with the babies. He tries to give them fishies (the food) and I have to tell him they don't have teeth. He cheers his milk to their bottle and tells them to eat. He is adorable.

My parents went back to Florida this week and a friend of the family Leslie came ans has been with me all week. It has really been fun. She has raised 4 really great boys and I have learned a lot from talking and watching her. We have had a really good week and I will miss her when she goes back to Florida. My parents are back tomorrow and I can't wait for them to see how much the babies have grown. My sister as always has been a huge help and comes over in the evenings to help out. She cooked us dinner twice! What a huge help that is since I never feel like cooking! I have hired a very nice 14 year old girl to help out after school when Logan gets home and Bob and I decided we needed more night help so we got a night nanny with experience with multiples to come 3 nights a week. I know the sleep will make me a better mom.

All in all I feel so blessed to have all 5 of my boys. Bob is a really great father and he is so good with the babies. I know he is exhausted at work and I feel so bad for him so I am glad that with this help he will be able to sleep. Last weekend was the worst. By 6:30 on Sunday morning when Logan got up Bob and I could not keep our eyes open. I just thought there is no way I can begin my day right now. I had to call my sister and Mom to come over so we could sleep for 2 hours. When Logan is home all day it is just impossible to nap. Plus I don't want to. I miss him and want to hang out and play with him. So I am hopeful that all of this will make things a little less chaotic.

That's all for now. I am posting a picture of the boys taken this past week. Thank you all for your support!!!!