Hugs & Kisses

Probably one of the newest developments in our house is giving kisses and hugs. The kids love to give each other hugs and kisses but when Jason or I want one they don't seemed to be interested for the most part. I like to think of it as Jason & I wear them out with kisses and hugs that they don't feel the need to anymore and that is fine. They can continue to love on each other and we will continue to love on them. I guess you can say we are good examples to them.

Another thing I have noticed is the eagerness to get each other their sippy cups. Sometimes when I get them up, the one that is already up will grab another's sippy cup and just before I can say to get their own sippy cup, they hand it to the correct person.

Collin also is very bothered when things are out of place (gets it from his mom?). For the most part, it is safety stuff. We put a gate up every morning so they don't go up the stairs. We have started letting them go in the girls room to play and we put a door stop under the door because they are very interested in opening and closing the doors. We unplug things and put the covers on so they aren't playing with the outlets, etc... These are just some of the things we put in place so they have free reign (or at least they think they have) over the house. Collin has taken special note of this and is bothered when it isn't done. I got him up out of bed and then proceeded to get Anniston out of bed and before I could even get to Bailey he was bringing me the door stop to put under the door. He usually lets out a little wine and points to the problem (in this case, no door stop). Sure enough after it is in place he is fine. I think this also comes some from how we have learned to survive so much on routine and it works for us.

We are so proud of each and every one of them. They are so well behaved and are learning so much about loving one another and sharing with others and well just a lot of good stuff.

We look forward to the many years ahead to see their little personalites continue to develop.

Thanks for staying updated on our kiddos. We will try to update again soon:-)

The Latest Updates!

It has been a while since we have updated our blog.  I keep apologizing and I am sure some of you have blogs of your own and you know as kids get older it gets harder and harder to update but, at the same time, you want to tell people about them.  We'll try to get better.  

Anyway, the kiddos have been very busy this spring and going into summer and a lot has happened since our last update in April.  Some things I won't even mention, I am sure, because there is so much I can't think of them at this point. 

All the kiddos are still on two naps a day which is wonderful.  I need my time.  They are wanting to go outside and play on a new swing set found by Grandma & Grandpa.  They enjoy it very much although we wish they could make swing sets available with three swings instead of just two.  They like the slide & little clubhouse too but their attention soon gets diverted when the other two are on the swings.  We bought them a water table and they have had a ball with that.  It is their favorite thing.  We even took it on vacation with us this past week.  They enjoyed that more than even the pool at our beach house.  We will probably buy them a baby pool.  They love their baths and with it being smaller than a big pool it won't seem so intimidating to them but we'll see.  

We have taken them to the pool only once this spring/summer.  They enjoyed the very small fountains so small they could just walk on them.  They enjoyed the kiddy pool but just stayed at the very edge of it which is fine because there were only two of us to watch them.  They especially like exploring the grounds for leaves, any kind of wrappers, used bandaids, people's shoes, etc.... so if you are ever at the pool and your shoes are missing or anything for that matter we may be present somewhere.  

We still go for walks down to the nearby Dairy Queen, Danville square, Wiggles, local park, etc... which they enjoy.  The only thing is that when both Jason & I go Collin seems to want me to hold him.  When Jason goes by himself Collin seems to do fine.  I feel that I need to walk behind them to keep an eye on them and they tend to throw their shoes and sippy cups out when they are done playing with them.  We are trying to teach them to sit it in the cup holder when they are done and sometimes if I say, "Hold on to it...", it seems to help.  They are noticed by everyone everywhere we go because of their brightly colored choo-choo wagon that we take them in and there are clearly three of them sitting in it looking the same age so everyone knows they are triplets.  We have enjoyed getting to know a lot of people to and from the places we go.  Everyone wants to know where we got the choo-choo wagon from and all the kids that see it definitely want one.  I even heard one kid at the zoo say to his mom that he wanted a bigger one which would mean that it would have atleast 4 compartments on it.  You can add on as many as you want.  It could get pretty long (haha:-)).  If you are interested in one (it is in one of the pictures on this blogsite) you can only get it at steptwo.com which they only have them some times so good luck.  We enjoy it though and they do to.

The kids are starting to say words and they recognize things and point them out.  The girls especially.  I think they say girls learn faster.  We'll see.  Anniston says "meme" sometimes to tell me she wants food.  Too cute.  Bailey tends to say "nana" to tell me she wants food.  Maybe from banana? Who knows.  It is cute though to hear their own little language and the little things they pick up on.  Among the three of them they can say tiger, bye bye, eyes, pretty, paw paw(grandpa), gaga(grandma), tree, cracker, etc.... They are also able to recognize trees, flowers, slide, swing, different kinds of food, ball, etc....  When we say, "Do you want to go for a ride?", they go straight for the door and waive their hands bye bye.  They are really understanding what we are saying even though they can't necessarily say all of it yet.  We are constantly having to figure out what they want and normally can when they take us to things and show us what they want.  However, sometimes it can be challenging.  Anniston will bring me my shoes when she wants to go outside which we can't always necessarily do at that moment but it is cute.  The kids are at different levels with this but can put shapes in the correct holes which is amazing to me.  Anniston is especially good at it.  She can pick one up and put it directly in the correct one and will turn it directly to the correct side in which the shape is on.  The others are good at it too.  They also help me pick up the balls and put them in the basket when it is time to clean up for a nap or bedtime.  Amazing kids.  They also climb the stairs and go down the slide.  Anniston will do it 20 times in row.  The others are quite interested also.  Although we have to teach them to climb up and immediately slide down so not to keep the others waiting because they will push the other down the slide if they don't.  I am constantly amazed every day with new things that they say, do or understand. 

Although there are new challenges at every stage of their life their is plenty of rewards that come from them too and more than make up for the challenges. 

That is all I can think of for now.  We will update pictures soon. I am trying to collect all of our vacation pictures before we do.   Thanks for keeping updated on our kids.  

JKABC

Spring is here!

Hello all. The kids all say hi. OK, they can't say hi, but they can wave bye-bye. All three kids are doing well.
This last Sunday was the first time we put them in childcare at Kingsway. We put their nametags on and handed them over to the childcare workers. No crying, no fussing, this was way too easy. We hung around and watched them through the one-way window and they seemed to be enjoying the toys and exploring the new area. Kristy did think that Collin was looking around for us, but I didn't think he was. It was a bittersweet moment for us--nice to see our kids growing up and being independent enough to not need us around and sad to see that they are growing up so fast. We headed to service and began to worship. 15 minutes or so into it, our number came up on the little display. We both headed back (I was going to let Kristy handle it, but if more than one of our kids was having problems, I figured we'd need more hands) to find little Collin just crying and crying. The girls were content to play with the toys completely unphased by Collin's situation. Kristy was able to calm him down and told them to give Collin some food and his sippie cup. We didn't get called back anymore, but it was obvious when we picked him up that Collin had still been crying at least off and on.
We have been able to take the kids for bike rides in our two passenger pull-behind vehicle and our ride-on-the-back seat (thanks grandma & grandpa). We quickly found out that Bailey does not like the pull-behind vehicle. Once we switched her to the seat, she was fine. They have enjoyed going to the park or just riding around the neighborhood.
This last Saturday we went to the zoo with grandma and grandpa Bum. The kids enjoyed being out but weren't necessarily interested in the animals unless they could see them moving. They did seem to enjoy the dolphin show.
We've been very pleased with the warmer weather. It is so nice to get out with the kids and let them explore or just enjoy the scenery. We feel extremely blessed with our children!

JKABC

Spring is almost here!

Just wanted to update everyone really quick on the babies well kiddos now. They have been very active lately. They are climbing, running, playing, banging, exploring (getting into things) etc... It is getting pretty noisy around the Bumgardner house these days. We can't wait to get them out to play outside. I let them out the back door one day last week and they absolutely loved it. Anniston just took off running. Collin was just taking it all in. Bailey was fine until she felt the grass and then it was slowly going down hill for her. She enjoyed being outside though.

The kids had a checkup recently to evaluate them on how they are doing in the area of development. They have caught up both based on their chronological age & adjusted age which is great. They don't have to go back for a whole year. We are so proud of them. I sat there and watched each of them and it was like getting a report card for each one of them and I couldn't be prouder of them. There were some things they did that I didn't even know they could do because they don't do it very much. Bailey lit up the stage though which I was pretty shocked about. Bailey is pretty lay low or at least we thought. She does things in her own time and no one can push that. She was being tested on her fine motor skills which is the area she excels in even more then the others. They were putting three blocks out, one at a time, to see how they would problem solve and figure out how to pick all of them up at one time. They put the first block down and she picks it up. They put the second block down and she picks it up with the other hand. When they put the third block down she put the second one in her mouth and picked up the third one. We all thought it was too cute including the therapists. They thought that was pretty clever of her. They are all walking (Anniston is running) now and are eating mainly table food. They are learning to use sippy cups now. We are trying to get them prepared for our trip to Florida this summer so we want them to be able to drink from sippy cups on the trip down so it will be easier for them and us.

We have explored a few places just to get out during the cold season. We went to Jump N Play which we highly recommend even for kids as young as they are. They had a blast. They loved bouncing around and it was an area for kids their age so they weren't trampled all over. They even seemed to rule the place since there are three of them. Bailey isn't quite so excited about the bouncing but she loved going down the big slide with mommy and daddy. Collin & Anniston did also. We look forward to visiting again here soon for their cousin, Xander's, 3rd birthday party. We also checked out the play area at the Children's Museum. Unfortunately we could only go in certain areas with the three of them. I was having to play the zone with them. There are three of them and only one of me. Cousins Xander & Riley and also Grandma Bum got to join us. We had lunch and then headed home so they could nap. We have also arranged lots of play dates. They tend to enjoy those even if the kids are older because it is something different. I have found play dates have helped keep us sane through the winter months and I think we will continue to do those in the spring summer but more of them outside of course.

We are having a great time with them. They are able to play more, they try to talk a lot, they want to explore more and it has been an amazing time watching them grow and become who they are today. You parents out their totally understand what I am talking about. It is a very unique experience that only comes in the raising of your children.

Thanks for keeping up with our family! We are so glad to have great friends and family that are so eager to hear about them and how they are doing.

Thanks again!

JKABC

Spring? Not Quite Yet

Hello all. Once again, it has been too long since we updated this blog. The kids are all doing so well. All three are up walking around. Bailey was the last to get there but she is toddling all over the place with the rest of the crew! Since it was nice this last weekend, we were able to get out of the house. We went to Jump N Play on Saturday and turned the triplets loose on the inflatables. Anniston & Collin enjoyed the under 3 area. Bailey wasn't so impressed. They all enjoyed going down the big slides with mom or dad though. On Friday, we went shopping at Target. Mom & twin sister did some shopping while dad and the kids did laps around the store in the choo-choo wagon. The kids really enjoyed seeing new sights! We did try to get out and take some walks around Danville, but there was still too much snow on some of the sidewalks.
Anniston has been able to identify herself and her siblings in pictures on several occasions. She has also been able to identify a ball and a monkey. All three of them are jabbering a lot. We are working on words with them--I think they understand us, but just can't spit out the right sounds just yet.
We're enjoying the temporary heat wave and are looking forward to spring! We feel very blessed.

JKABC

Our 1st birthday!!!

It's hard to believe, but our little ones are a year old today. The time has been flying by. The triplets official birthday party won't be until next weekend, but we will celebrate with them today anyway. They all have their one year checkup on Monday to analyze how they are doing.

As far as new developments, Collin is now walking. He is pretty shaky but he can string several steps together and get where he wants to go. Give him a week or so and I'm sure he will be picking up speed. Little Bailey is standing independently and has even been seen taking a step here or there. She will join the other two soon.

Mom and dad enjoyed their first evening and overnight without the triplets. It was strange with no gates and doors left open. We didn't know how to act since we could leave things on the floor without fearing one of them would shred them and/or stick it in their mouth. We didn't have the monitors on or have to worry about getting up early this morning. It was good to get some extra rest and relaxation. Thanks Tim & Kathy!

Thanks for checking up on us.

JKABC

First Christmas

Hello all! It has been a few weeks. The little ones and their parents all enjoyed the triplet's first Christmas. Kristy loaded some new pictures on the site last night, so be sure to check them out. The kids got lots of great presents. We got the kiddos a choo-choo wagon (see the picture with the multicolored wagon). They seem to love it. Collin enjoys going down a step in the wagon. He thinks it is hilarious. Bailey prefers a smooth ride. We were able to ride around the house and even get outside the day after Christmas for a ride through the neighborhood. The kids got lots of toys from their grandma/grandpa and their aunts/uncles. Thanks to all for the cool new toys. Aunt Sharon was able to help us paint our play room and get it ready for new toys.

Other than a runny nose or two, the kids have been pretty healthy this winter season. Praise the Lord! Life is so much easier when they aren't all sick. It's hard to believe, but they are almost 1 year old. Time has been flying by!

Anniston is walking around everywhere. She is a climber. We can't keep her off of the hearth (where she can access the Christmas tree, ottoman, etc). Collin is starting to take some steps on his own. He also does really well with the walk-behind toy. He can turn it anywhere he wants to go. Bailey can stand on her own and has been seen taking a step here or there, but she will do things in her own time (like normal for her). Anniston will give you "five" if you ask and hold your hand up. She will also sometimes clap her hands if you ask her to. Bailey is the best sound maker. She clearly can say mama or dada (and almost any other combination of consonants with the letter a). Collin and Anniston are talking too. We've found that Collin likes to get loud before bedtime--lots of loud incoherent sounds. Anniston prefers the word baba. They are all so different and sweet. It is neat to see three completely different kids interacting with each other. They often times think one (or both) of the others are hilarious. It is fun to hear them laugh!

Thanks for checking on us! We are staying really busy. We hope you all had a merry Christmas and that you have a happy new year!

JKABC

WALKING!!!!!!!

Well, it is bittersweet but our little Anniston is walking. She has been building up for the past week or so and now she gets to the edge of things and just keeps walking. I almost cried when I saw her this evening and couldn't wait to tell Daddy when he got home from work. I guess we weren't too shocked because Anniston is just our crazy, energetic, spunky girl. She has been doing one thing and then on to the next. She has been an amazing child to watch. To think she was a preemie, who would have thought?

The kiddos are all doing great. They are feeling well. They had some congestion for a few weeks and are much better now. They play a lot together. I will be sitting in the living room and I will hear giggles and thumps all through the hallway. It is too sweet. They love playing together. They also have their time to themselves. Collin is just content to play by himself if the other two aren't in the room but if they are then he thinks that is great too. Bailey has to have her time to herself. She sometimes likes it when she can just play with something and not have it taken away. Anniston is a mommy's girl and loves to tug on my pant legs. Sometimes she is okay if I am just in the same room and their are some times when she will venture out with one or both of the others and play without me being there.

We have been enjoying the Christmas season. I love decorating and shopping (last year I had to shop on-line). The babies have enjoyed the Christmas tree and the merry-go-round their Great Grandma Thompson gave them. They have also enjoyed a stuffed snowman I have at the fireplace. They love to chew on it and have managed to bite off one of the buttons. Imagine that. We can't wait to see them opening up their presents on Christmas. We have decided they will like the boxes and paper much better this year, however, I think once the present is opened they will enjoy what is inside. They love their toys.

We hope you all are having a wonderful Christmas season. Thanks for all of your continued prayers and encouragement over the past several months.



JKABC

Ear Tubes, Check

Well all of the babies now have had their ear tube surgery.  I took Collin to get his surgery yesterday.  He also had his ear tags (excess skin) taken off and his tougue clipped because he was tougue-tied (ouch!).  I am amazed at how well he has done since the surgery.  You would never believe he just had surgery.  Yesterday, after we were finished at the hospital, we went to Grandma & Grandpa Bum's house where Aunt Tracy brought the two girls to hang out with everyone.  She watched the girls for me yesterday while I was with Collin.  Thanks so much Tracy.  Your the best! Anyway, Collin was sitting with Grandpa and was just smiling and playing and he then was jumping in the jumperoo just having a great time.  There has been no indication that any of it, even the tougue clipping, has been bothering him at all.  How resilient are kids!  They are amazing. 

We have been trying to enjoy the fall season.  I love it because it is when families gather the most.  I love Halloween and Thanksgiving and Christmas.  It is the best time of the year.  However, it has been so cold lately that we have been unable to take the kiddos out.  We have taken them other places to stroll around inside.  The babies are enjoying playing together.  They are so fun to watch.  One will crack up at the other one because of something silly they are doing.  It is too cute.  

We are having so much fun with them. We thank all of you for keeping up with our blog even when we don't update as often and placing so much of an interest in our kids.  

Thanks

JKABC

Full Mobility!

Hello all. It's hard to believe that it is the middle of October. The big news is that all three of the triplets are crawling and pulling up on things. Bailey was the last to start crawling, but she has been able to roll around to about anywhere for some time now. Anniston managed to climb our staircase all the way to the top (with dad making sure she didn't fall backwards). She continued to explore the stairs from time to time so we had to install the gate. The other kids really haven't had a chance to attempt the climb. The girls got their ear tubes inserted last Friday. They seem to be doing well. Collin is scheduled to get tubes at the end of this month. The kids are eating a lot more solid food. They don't seem to be gaining much weight, but that is probably because they are expending so much more energy crawling around. They're getting taller and, compared to several months ago, their faces look so much thinner. It is fun to see the kids exploring their environment! Praise God for our little ones.

Jason

Another Anniston Tooth

Greetings! Not too much news to report. As you can deduct from the title, Anniston has another tooth. She now has three of her front teeth (both of the lowers and one upper). Collin and Bailey both have their bottom front teeth in.
We just recently moved Collin's crib into the "extra" bedroom. He always wants to get up an hour or so earlier than the girls. Anniston continues to explore the house. She is pulling up on the couch and chairs (and anything else she can get her hands on). Collin and Bailey are working on the crawling, but still aren't there yet.
We recently met a great family that lives in our new neighborhood. Their daughters, Elizabeth and Victoria (twin sisters) have been helping to take care of the babies on a few evenings a week. It has been and is a big help to Kristy and I.
We visited Kristy's twin sister and family this last weekend. We enjoyed visiting a few orchards and got some good pictures of the kids amongst the pumpkins. Thanks for putting up with us!We're staying extremely busy these days. We really appreciate the help we have been receiving.

JKABC

September

Hello everyone.  It is time that we get another update out there.  The babies have been battling some mild sicknesses.  They all had hand foot and mouth disease a few weeks ago (including dad).  Collin is still struggling with some coughing and excessive mucus these days.  He isn't getting up every hour at night any more but it is still challenging.  On the positive side, each of them all have their bottom right front tooth.  Anniston has made the most progress.  She can crawl and crawl over things including the step from our living room to our kitchen.  She also can sit up all by herself.  She has also decided to learn how to pull up and stand in her crib when she is ready to get out (we had to lower the bed).  Collin is on this hands and knees, but no forward progress yet.  Bailey and Collin both can roll about anywhere.  These are fun times (minus the sickness).  Continue to pray for them especially Collin so we can get him cleared up.

JKABC

The Latest

Just to give you an update on the babies.  They are growing up fast.  Anniston is pretty much crawling although she isn't at the professional stage yet.  Bailey & Collin are getting around pretty much by rolling and seem to be content with that at this point.  One day they will just decide that they want to do what Anniston is doing but until then they will roll.  I think all of the babies say "hey" especially Collin.  He plays the "Hey Game" with Mommy and others.  I think I am hearing him say mom.  I don't think he connects that mom is me but he says it and he says it a lot and normally when he needs something so maybe he does connect it in some way.  He says, "mmmmom".  I keep trying to follow it up by saying it myself and I also throw in a couple of "dadas" here and there.  I am trying not to be biased.  I am sure it would mean a lot to Jason if he would say "dada".  It would melt any of our hearts.  

The babies have some ear infections.  Who knows they may need tubes.  They have already had 3-4 this year.   Collin is finally over his and Anniston & Bailey are on antibiotics.  All of the babies plus Daddy has caught the "hand, foot & mouth disease".  It has been going around these days.  For those of you who don't know what it is, it isn't fun at all.  The babies have been fatigued although irritable.  They have had little blister-like spots on their hands, feet & mouth.  There have been fevers, sore throats, coughing, etc...  Again, not fun.  We are hoping we are nearing the end of the sickies.  

The house is pretty functional at this point.  There is lots we would like to get done but, with three babies, they are first priority.  Everything else will just have to wait or get done at a slower pace than what we would like.  We love our new home and the babies seem to be adjusting very well.  With Anniston crawling a little, she will be in to things in no time.  We have to keep a close eye on her.  

We continue to take our walks to the park.  The park is actually closer than it was before.  We are closer to Dairy Queen.  Woohoo!  We love walking around the neighborhood as well.  The people in this subdivision are so inviting and nice.  Everyone waves.  We enjoy that because we are pretty social people ourselves.  

We are heading off to the NICU picnic today.  There will be nurses there that we would love to see.  They were a big part of their lives for the first 5 weeks.  We would love to introduce them to the people that took such good care of them in the NICU.  

Speaking of babies, please keep a couple in mind as they are going through the worst time in their lives possible.  They tried for two years to get pregnant.  Jason & I can relate to that and I am sure some of you can as well.  They were expecting to be induced this past Wednesday evening.  She went in that morning and everything was fine.  Some time between then and when she was to get induced, something happened.  Just before inducing her, they were setting the machines up to monitor the babies heartbeat only to find that the baby had past away.  My heart just breaks for her.  I can't even begin to imagine what they are going through right now.  I think I would just be tempted to crawl up in a corner and give up.  They are staying strong to their faith even though they don't understand why and that is a great question.  They got to hold her and get pictures of her which I got to see.  What a beautiful little girl.  I just cried for a while just looking at her and realizing that the parent's were so anxious to see her that evening and looking forward to taking her home to where they prepared for so long a comfortable home.   It will be something I will not be able to forget.  Please pray for this couple.  

Thanks for your continuing prayers and encouragement.  Publish Post

JKABC

We've Moved!

We have been keeping very busy lately. We have moved to our new house on Apple Way Drive! We have about half our stuff transferred to the new house. We spent most of the weekend cleaning and painting. A big thanks to all who have helped out! We will get the remainder of the stuff moved over in the next few days. Collin, Anniston and Bailey are all doing well. Collin is finally getting over his pneumonia and associated drainage. Collin got big news this last Friday. The cardiologist looked him over and said his little heart is normal. The hole is no longer there. Praise God for healing little Collin! Anniston is still at the edge of crawling. Once she figures out how to move the arms, we won't be able to keep her in one room anymore. Collin and Bailey are getting much more adept at rolling over and can get up on all fours, but they are not quite to the point where Anniston is. The babies are all back in one room in the new house. They seem to be adjusting well to their new living quarters. We'll have to get some more recent pictures on here soon.

JKABC

The Future House of the Bumgardners

Well, as most of you know, we sold our house while we were on vacation a couple of weeks ago. Since then we have placed an offer on a house that we really really like. We countered a couple of times and were surprised when the sellers settled for $2000 less than what we were willing to pay. We were so excited. The house is on into Danville a little more than we are now. It is in Orchard Estates Subdivision. We know this is the right choice for us. It seems just right for our family. I am putting a picture of it on this site. The plan for now is to close on July 29th and to be moving in by August 5 (My birthday, Woohoo!). We don't have to be out of our house until August 12th so that gives us plenty of time to clean & paint before we start moving our stuff in. Thanks for all of your prayers. God is good!

As for the babies, everything is going okay. We had to take Collin back to the doctor. He hasn't been himself lately. He has been fussy and not able to sleep at night. He has still been wheezing and has had a high pitch sounding cough. We found out that he still has his ear infection. The doctor wants us to continue with his breathing treatments every 4 hours and decrease them as he gets better. They are also putting him on Pulmacor(don't know the spelling) which is a more long term solution for his wheezing.  He will be getting this twice a day for at least a month. They will continue to evaluate him to see how he is progressing. This is a normal problem for preemies. It may be something he grows out of or it may be something he will deal with just like anyone else who has asthma or other respiratory problems. They have also decided to put him on a stronger antibiotic for his ear infection since the other doesn't seem to have helped. Please pray for Collin in this regard.

The babies are doing all kinds of stuff and surprise us every day with their abilities. Anniston seems like she will be crawling any day now. She is able to pull her self up to almost an all fours position. She tries this several times and then resorts to just using her legs to scoot across the floor. Anniston also loves the Jumperoo. Someone at Jason's work loaned it out to us along with an exersaucer (thanks so much). She talks a ton. Bailey seems to be the most advanced at grabbing at things. She loves to play. She is flipping from one side to the other a ton. Collin hasn't yet mastered rolling from his back to his tummy but he will get there. That is a lot of weight to throw around weighing a little over 18 lbs. The babies are all eating their fruits and vegetables very well. They love squash, sweet potatoes, green beans & applesauce the most so far. They will eat anything. They have made funny faces when they have eaten peaches, carrots & bananas but were okay with them the second time around. They are wonderful babies and we are enjoying so much to see them grow and show off what they can do.

Thanks again and again for your continued prayers & encouragement.

JKABC

Our House is SOLD After Only 28 Days!!!!!

Yep, you got it. Our house is SOLD. We received our first offer on Saturday as we were heading down to Myrtle Beach and sold it by that Tuesday. We have looked at the house we are wanting to purchase a couple of times since we got back and have come to the conclusion that we still like it very much. We had to work out some details and will work on placing our initial offer tomorrow. Please pray, as we will be also, that this process goes smoothly and they are accepting of the amount we are willing to pay. We love this house and it has a lot of options for the kiddos in years to come. If this doesn't work out, we only have one other house in mind. Our other option is to build. We know this is a difficult process. We know many people who have gone through it. We want what is best for us whatever that may be.

We came back from vacation on Saturday night. We had a great time thanks to the help of Aunt Tracy & Grandma & Grandpa Bum. The triplets did awesome on the ride to and from Myrtle Beach. They are amazing babies. We went out to eat every evening and they were wonderful. They were given much attention by people around us. People just can't grasp the concept of three. The babies enjoyed, for the most part, the lazy river, the ocean & taking naps on the beach. It was a great time.

The babies had their 6 month checkup yesterday. They found that Collin has an ear infection. He has been placed on an antibiotic and he has also been wheezing since before we left on vacation. He is continuing his breathing treatments every 4 hours and is also on a steroid to help his lungs. He still seems like a pretty happy boy spite all of his sickness but please pray that he gets well soon. Collin is now weighing in at about 18lbs. Anniston is a little more than 13lbs and Bailey is about 12 1/2 lbs. They are all growing well. Collin was taken off of the special Neosure formula because he is in the 50th percentile for weight. The girls are still barely on the unadjusted charts and are expected to be, however, they need to continue on the Neosure to give them the extra nutrients and calories they need to grow. Overall the pediatrician is very pleased with their progress so they're no concerns at this point as far as their growth and their development. We will be seeing the Physical & Occupational Therapists again in August to see where they fall in that regard but they are expected to have some delays and we believe they will do well in catching up by the age of 3 if not before as expected by the doctors. They have already proven that at the last appointment. Collin will also be seeing a Cardiologist to determine if he still has a PDA (heart condition). If so, we may have to talk about surgery (will not be too invasive). Please pray for Collin in this regard also. Poor guy. He has been through a lot.

I will be seeing a general surgeon later this month for some muscle separation I have from the pregnancy. Please pray that this will be covered by insurance. Many cases aren't because they term it as cosmetic. I find it hard to believe that a 2 inch gap from your sternum all the way down your abdomen to be cosmetic. Please pray that I will be qualified for the surgery. If so, we will be trying to get it done this year due to the conditions of our insurance.

Mom & Dad are doing great. It is hard sometimes but we love our babies and they mean the world to us. We are really blessed to have them.

Thanks for your continued prayers & encouragement.

JKABC

Potential Buyer????? We'll see!

Well, we put our house on the market a couple of weeks ago and have had nothing but great responses since then.  Well maybe one bad one.  You'll always have those.  We have a possible interest in our house and will hopefully find out beginning of next week if an offer will be made. We have mixed feelings.  We need a bigger home for our rapidly growing family but we will miss our little home.  Jason & I were talking about what we would miss about our house.  One thing would be that the babies will never remember the house we brought them home to after their 5 week stay in the NICU.  Their are so many memories we have made since then let alone since we got married 5 years ago and even 10 years ago when Jason purchased it as his first home.  What wonderful memories.  It is a great home and we will miss it so much.  I am sure  a lot of you can relate as you have started your own families and found that the house that was big enough for the two of you was no longer big enough for your growing family.  Please pray for us especially this weekend as a very important decision will be made.  We pray that our house will sell at the right time and that we will find the best home for us to raise our family in for many years to come.  We have one in mind but some details need to be worked out.  Please pray that this will go smoothly.  

The babies are doing great, by the way.  They are growing well.  Collin especially.  He is now in the 50th percentile for his weight and it isn't on a preemie scale.  He is rapidly catching up.  He weighs 16lbs 3oz. He is eating like a champ.  We started him on fruits and vegetables.  He eats anything you put in front of him.  No problem.  Anniston & Bailey are weighing in at 121/2 & 12 lbs.  They are in the 6th & 2nd percentiles. Anniston is now eating from a spoon.  She is having a slow start but is progressing very well.  She has also been eating her fruits and vegetables.  Bailey is getting started on eating some cereal with a spoon also.  She is progressing well.  We will be starting her on fruits and vegetables soon.

The babies are still sleeping very well.  We have never been able to complain in this area.  They are still sleeping from about 9-9:30ish until 6 in the morning.  I feed them and put them back down and am able to go back to bed until 9-930ish.  

We think they are starting the teething process.  We have heard that they can teeth for a while before they actually get teeth and we think that is what they are experiencing now.  They have some fussy times.  The evenings are becoming a little quieter.  They haven't been getting really fussy until about 8pm.  We are able to enjoy them a little more and they are as well.  

All of the babies are attempting to talk.  It is hilarious.  Anniston starts jibber jabbing and then laughs and continues to jibber jabb so it sounds like she is trying to tell us a story.  Maybe some day we will know what that story is but for now we can only wonder.  Collin & Bailey try to talk also.  They are too cute.  They are always smiling.  We are having tons of fun with them.  Don't get me wrong.  It is hard sometimes but the good times are priceless and those are the ones we will remember forever.  

The family is leaving next Friday on vacation.  Jason & I, the babies, Grandma & Grandpa Bum, & Aunt Tracy are heading to Myrtle Beach.  Please pray for us for we are driving and we don't know how the babies will do.  We are trying to arrange it so that we can console them a little better while they are in the car seats.  I guess you can only do so much but we can at least try.  Usually their car seats are all in a row in the middle seat.  We will free up the middle of that seat so that I can sit between two of them if they get fussy and try to play with them, etc.... We may have one ride with Grandma & Grandpa Bum so someone can take care of the other one as well.  Jason & I are looking forward to the trip.  It will be fun.  

Thanks so much for your continued support and encouragement!

JKABC

Short Update

Hey all, a short update about the triplets. The kiddos are doing well. They are all healthy again after a brief time of sickness. We've been holding up pretty well with grandma and grandpa Bum out of the country on their European cruise. They arrive back tonight! Collin has moved on to the size 3 diapers since he seems to pee through all the size 2 ones. Anniston has started taking her evening rice cereal with a spoon! Collin continues to do well with the spoon fed rice as well. We will see when Bailey is ready to get in on the action. The kids continue to sleep well at night (from after their 9 pm feed until 6 am).

Our house is on the market! We had a showing yesterday evening. Couldn't have done it without a heroic effort by Kristy. Got the call around 2 pm that they wanted to come at 5 pm. She cleaned the house up, mowed the yard and loaded a good deal of the baby stuff in the van in time to vacate the house. Did I mention she took care of the three babies as well (with some help from Aunt Sharon)?!

JKABC

House On Hold

It has been a busy week. We worked some more around the house to get everything ready to put the house on the market. Unfortunately there are a few things that have been put on hold due to unexpected circumstances. I took the babies in for a doctor's appointment on Tuesday and found that Anniston had an ear infection while the other two just had some congestion. No big deal. Anniston was put on an antibiotic and, as for the other two, nothing we could do but to let it run its course. Just a lot of runny noses, including me. Jason somehow avoided it all. However, on Wednesday night, I noticed Collin was breathing very hard and fast (you could see his chest retracting). I called the doctor emergency line and they suggested I take him to the emergency room. They gave him a breathing treatment and took a chest x-ray that showed Collin just had a viral infection. No pneumonia which was great news. Due to Collin's labored breathing, they admitted him overnight. They would give him breathing treatments through the night starting out every 2 hours. They were expecting to have them spread out to every 4 hours by the next day. That didn't happen until Friday night so Collin had a 3 night stay at the hospital. It was rather strange for me to be taking care of only one baby. Collin & I (Mom) got to spend some quality time together. The doctors loved him. He was a very happy, cooperative patient. I would have to say that Collin got rather spoiled in those 3 days. He is having to get use to sharing the attention with his sisters now that he is finally home. Grandma Bum bought Collin a bear and a balloon. He loved to stare at the balloon. It was the only thing that I could get him content with so that I could get something to eat. His Gigi and Aunt Stephanie got to come and love on him a ton. He enjoyed them very much. He smiled a ton.
The pediatrician thinks a couple of the babies may be teething. Their gums were a little swollen. Collin has tried on several occasions to put his whole fist in his mouth (so sad:-(). The babies are still doing the same kinds of things they have been. They are still cooing, rolling over from tummy to back, lifting their heads up at 90 degrees. Their little personalities continue to form.
Grandma and Grandpa Bum were over this evening and we had to say goodbye to them for 16 days. They are going on a cruise. This trip is well deserved. They have been a tremendous help. We will miss them a ton.
I believe that is all for now.
Thanks again for your support and encouragement. 

Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.
JKABC

House Cleaning & House Hunting

Just wanted to update you all on what has been happening at the Bumgardner house over the past few weeks. The babies have been appointment-free. They had their 4 month checkup which I updated you on in the last blog. I still need to schedule an appointment for them to get one of the shots that wasn't in at the time of their appointment. The babies have been very healthy lately. That is always good. We have been attending church the past few weeks. We have been sitting in the balcony and last week for baby day we sat in the back with them. We haven't taken them to the nursery yet. We want to make sure that RSV season is definitely over.
It has been so fun to see the babies' personalities come out. They all have been doing a lot of cooing. They all have turned over several times. Anniston can bear weight on her legs. Sometimes when we are trying to burp her she wants to stand up to burp or so it seems. They smile a ton and are becoming very playful. It is too cute. Daddy and I got a little sad a few nights ago as we reflected on a picture book that Jason's mom put together for us while I was in the hospital. We talked about how big they were getting and how fast. I cried and let's just say that I ended up sleeping with the picture book. It is a bitter sweet thing to see your babies grow up.
Jason & I have also decided to put our house on the market. We feel it is time to make the move so I have been busy getting the house ready to show. The plan is to have it on the market by some time next week. Please pray for us as we look for the right house and for our house to sell at the right time also so that we don't have to move twice.
We have also been dreading Grandma & Grandpa Bum leaving on a well deserved vacation. They will be gone for 16 days starting on May 25th and it has been nice to have them around to help. They have been wonderful.
I also got to celebrate my first mother's day with my babies actually outside of the womb. I consider this to be my 2nd mother's day. Jason helped the babies make their fingerprints and footprints in clay. Too sweet.
I think that is about all for now. I will update with some new pictures hopefully tomorrow. You will have to check them out.
Thanks so much for all of your prayers and encouragement.

JKABC