Frequently Asked Questions/Comment

As the babies are getting a little older, we've been getting a lot of questions.  Most of you know that I don't mind this- usually!  I think that immediately after they were born that most everyone was a little scared to ask us too much about them since we were just hoping and praying that they would survive.  However, now...the questions are endless.

Are they triplets? Yes, which is quickly followed by...Are they identical? No.  They are all fraternal.  However, lots of people are surprised to know that within a set of triplets that 2 of the 3 could be identical or they could all be identical.

Did you know that you were having three? I feel like this is a loaded question.  Did I know that I was having three before I delivered them? Yes.  OR  Did I purposely have three eggs implanted/use fertility drugs? No.  (This seems to be the "feeler" question that people ask to find out if we used 'modern medicine' to conceive the babies.)  * They are spontaneous triplets, but with that being said, it really isn't a strangers place to be asking this question.

I bet you never sleep.  OR  When was the last time you had a full nights sleep? False and last night.  Our babies go to bed at 7:30pm and wake up at 7:30am.  There is no magic in this. We do not give them Benadryl!  They have been on a very strict schedule since they came home from the hospital and while this schedule oftem limits us, it is also VERY beneficial to us.  However, it has not always been this way.  For the first 3-4 months we were up every 2-3 hours all night, every night.  I feel like we have certaintly "earned" this right to a good nights sleep.  During the day, the babies are quite busy, so yes, I am still tired, but sometimes (unfortunately) sleeep eludes me.

Your hands are full. Indeed, and so is my heart.

How much help do you have? I am never sure how to answer this question.  Both of our parents' are willing to watch the kids for a few hours when we go out (usually with Jaxon) on Saturday. The grandparents are very helpful, but are still working full time.  We also don't expect anyone to stop living their lives in order to help us out.  I also have some wonderful friends that  occasionally come to visit and occupy the babies while I get some things done around the house.


Do triplets run in your familiy? I always think that this one is a bit funny.  I'm sure that what they meant to ask was, "Are there other sets of multiples in your family?" However, as soon as they ask this, I see (in my head) the babies running wild all around our house during our family Christmas festivities.  I digress.  The answer to this one is YES and NO.  Noah's father is a surviving twin, but I'm not sure if he's an identical or fraternal twin. Two of my great aunts had a set of twins and my father's sister had a set of twins.  Of those, I know that at least 2 of those 3 sets were identical. Supposedly, identical twinning is completely random (not genetic.)  With that being said, I have no idea if I had some sort of great genetic dispositioning to increase the odds of having multiples, but as we all know, I had them anyways!


Do you dress them alike? (Usually this question is being asked as the stranger is looking directly at my babies.) I don't always dress them in the same outfits.  I don't think that Kate would appreciate that.  I always try to make sure that they coordinate or are at least wearing the same kinds of clothes.  For example, I like for them all to wear a t-shirt and shorts, or a romper, or pants and a button up shirt...not one in a romper, one in a shirt and shorts and the other in a button up shirt with pants. Dresses for Kate are the only exception to this rule.


Who is your favorite? This is complicated.  I love them all equally, but I do treat them as individuals.  Nash loves to cuddle, Knox loves to laugh and tickled, and Kate loves to "talk."  I really cherish special moments with each child.  Some days, one baby is in a better mood than the other.  When Noah gets home, I never tell him that (Baby _ ) was my favorite baby today! When he gets home, I tell him what each baby did that was new or what they did or didn't like about a new meal. Basically, I wish the question was rephrased to, "What is your favorite thing about each baby?" I wish that everyone didn't refer to them as a unit.


Double Trouble. (Triple Trouble.) Yes, you read it correctly. People often refer to the (3) babies as twins.  We were shopping with them earlier this week and we overheard a nearby gawker say, "Double Trouble."  (We couldn't help but laugh at such an ignorant comment. Double? Since when is three of anything considered to be double?)  Triple trouble, maybe so, but it's also triple the hugs, smiles, and kisses.


I have a 3 year old, a 22 month old and a 10 week old, you know that's just as hard (or harder) thank having three at once. Okay.  Did you potty train them all at once?
My sister has twins. Okay.
--I never know what to say to these comments.  I know that the "stranger" is trying to make small talk, but I never know how to reply to these, which usually just makes it the end of the conversation.


I would kill myself if I had triplets. Please never say this to a mother of multiples...ever.  This is hurtful, even though I think that it's usually just said in jest.

Better you than me. Unfortunately, I believe that I have been guilty of using this phrase myself.  Sorry to whomever I offended.


Do you have any other (non-offensive) questions for me?  Leave a comment below, and I'll do my best to answer you!

I'm a busy, busy, busy Mommy.

So very sorry for the hiatus from blogging. From here on out I plan on posting at least once a month. Since I lasted updated everyone, a lot of things have changed in the Turner household.  For starters, our sweet Nash will begin to receive two types therapy through Kentucky's First Steps program.  A physical therapist will come every other week and a developmental specialist will come on the opposite schedule (every other week).  Nash has low core muscle strength, and at this time, we are all just hoping that it is just a delay from prematurity.  After last weeks IFSP (Individual Family Service Plan), basically a meeting with the service coordinator and his therapists, a follow up with a pediatric gastroenterologist was recommended.  This follow up was recommended because of his continued abdominal distention.  (The therapist believe that the distention may contribute to his low core strength because of abdominal discomfort.) Unfortunately, the pediatric GI doens't have an opening until May 15th.  I plan on calling them daily to see if anything comes available sooner.  Thankfully, Nash is growing and for the most part he is behaving much like his brother and sister. 

Another big change:  I am going prn (as needed) at the hospital, so that I can be at home with the babies.  As of late, they are getting very busy and are staying awake for longer periods.  I also thought this would work out better for Nash's therapy schedule.  *I love my job (on most days) and I do plan on working when they need me.*

Jaxon is really looking forward to Summer break.  I have to keep reminding him that Spring break comes first! Lately, he has been playing outside everyday after school and he is loving this weather.  He is such a big help around the house, and he even enjoys playing with the babies.  He loves to play with our (almost) two year old nephew, Truett.  Watching them play together makes me feel like he will play well with the babies when they are a little more mobile.

Knox, Kate & Nash enjoying their new table.

No greens for us....and making baby food.

Lately, I have been making veggies for the trio and pureeing them in the Ninja.  For the most part they LOVE it, but I can't get them to eat anything green.  No sweet peas, no green been, nothing. I am beginning to wonder if I have passed some kind of vegetable-hating gene on to them.  Jaxon most certainly has this gene too. 

I have been using this amazing site for hints and tips.  (I freeze and store all of our veggies in individual cups which we bought from Babies R Us.)
http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/

If this is something you plan to do, I would highly advise that you read about the fruit/veggie that you plan to introduce on this site.  It gives you a detailed explanation on how to cook and store most foods. At first, I was pretty intimidated about all of this, but I also knew that individual jars of manufactured baby food would get very costly very quickly.  I can make about 2 pounds of veggies (32 ounces) for around $2.50.  If I were to buy 2 pounds of Gerber veggies, it would cost about $5.00.  The savings really add up when you are going through THREE times the veggies. With that being said, I am not opposed to them eating Gerber or Beechnut baby food. I only plan on buying those for convenience. For those of you considering this...you CAN do it.  Feel free to comment or message me on facebook with any questions.

Yes, we're still alive...

After a long blogging hiatus, I have returned.
As most of you know, our babies were born on August 4th, 2011 at 27 weeks and 6 days.  The weeks and months that followed were the longest of my life.  I have never endured anything more heartbreaking or miserable than leaving my children at the hospital each and every day.  On a lighter note, Nash was the last to come home after 75 days on October 17th.  Since then, they have been thriving.  I will make an effort to post their birth story soon, but up until this point, I think it was too painful to rehash.

---For those of you wondering, Jaxon is adjusting beautifully.  He always prays for his brothers and sister and even offers to help occasionally.  We are trying to maintain normalcy for him, especially with his extracurricular activities. (His first basketball game of the season was today and his team won.)


Thank you all for your continued prayers and support. Our hands are full, but our hearts are too. We are beyond blessed to parent these wonderful children.

24 weeks & still going strong!

Today, I had a quick ultrasound and appointment with my specialist in Nashville.  The ultrasound went exceptionally well.  All were measuring within range, and their measurements/weights are all comparable to singletons.  Just for good measure, the ultrasound technician confirmed that we are still having 2 boys and 1 girl.  On another note, my abdomen is expanding by leaps and bounds....this week I measured at 32 weeks, compared to 29 weeks at my last appointment (only 2 weeks ago)!

Here are their weights:
Baby A: 1lb 7oz
Baby B: 1lb 5oz
Baby C: 1lb 8oz

Jaxon is enjoying his summer vacation.  Today, he began his second set of swimming lessons.  Hopefully, by the end of this set of lessons, he will have earned the much coveted green necklace.  (You must be able to swim from one end of the pool to the other in order to receive this.  After earning the necklace, you no longer have to wear a life jacket in the pool.) 

Please keep up the prayers; they are greatly appreciated!

The Turners

20 Week Update

Today, I had an appointment with my maternal fetal medicine nurse practitioner, as well as "THE BIG ULTRASOUND." 

First, I had the ultrasound, which lasted nearly 2 hours.  The technician looked at each babies organs, bones, blood-flow, etc.  She was able to get all of the views that she needed, except baby "A's" facial structure...he was being shy.  All of the babies looked handsome/beautiful and no abnormalaties were detected at this time. 

Weights & Percentiles
A: 12 oz., 55%
B: 11 oz., 26%
C: 13 oz., 73%

*I know the percentages widely vary, but each baby measured between 19 weeks, 5 days and 20 weeks, 4 days.  I was 20 weeks exactly today, and the doctors aren't concerned unless the babies are measuring more than 10-14 days off schedule.*

I had to drink the "wonderful," sugary, orange drink today and will have results from that test on Monday.  (For those of you that have never had the pleasure of drinking this, it is NASTY and the point is to test for gestational diabetes.)  The nurse practitioner measured my abdomen and said that I was measuring at 25 weeks.  At this point, she expected that I would be measuring around 30 weeks, but there is no need to worry at this point because the babies are growing as expected.

On another note, Jaxon has been sick (off and on) for nearly a week with a stomach issues.  Long story short, he had a CT today to rule out appendicitis and thank goodness it came back negative!  He has been feeling better today, I just hope he continues to stay that way.

I am still praying for this to be an uneventful pregnancy, and an easy adjustment for Jaxon.  Thanks again for all of your prayers and words of encouragement!

The Turners

17 weeks and counting...

On Friday (5/20/11), I had a routine visit with my maternal fetal medicine specialist. 

During my ultrasound, the technician quickly confirmed that A & C were boys, but B was being modest and making it difficult to tell his/her gender.  After thoroughly checking out each baby, the technician decided to take another look at B.  At this time, both my nurse practitioner and physician came in to see the babies.  After a few minutes, it was confirmed that B is a girl!  Most importantly, each of the babies are measuring on target for gestational age.

My doctor and nurse practitioner were both very happy with my progress and said that I didn't have to come back until 20 weeks.  At that time, I will have the anatomy scan (a detailed ultrasound of each baby), and the scan alone will take about 90 minutes.  Thus far, I have had a pretty uneventful pregnancy and hope to keep it that way. 

Now the fun part...we have finally decided on names.  They even passed the "Jaxon Test."

Kate Alice
Knox Emory
Nash Ellis

After they are born, Jaxon will name the boys.  (Basically, he will choose which baby gets Nash and which baby gets Knox.)  He is very excited about this part!

This past weekend, we also started our registries at Target and Wal-Mart.  The next few weeks are going to be busy for us, and we figured that we should get started before walking becomes a daunting task for me!

Jaxon turns 6 on Saturday, May 28 and school will be out the following week.  We are also planning a small trip to Gatlinburg in the coming weeks since our beach vacation was cancelled.  Hopefully, we will all have a relaxing summer.

Thank you to everyone that has been praying for our family and the babies.  Your prayers are truly appreciated.  Please keep sending them up!

And finally, the belly picture that you've been waiting for... 17 weeks and 2 days.

I know this is what you really wanted to see.

Have a great week!
Noah, Allison, Jaxon, Kate, Knox & Nash