Three 3-Year Olds, One 3-Month Old, and Upcoming Surgery

On November 9th, the triplets turned 3 years old! We had a wonderful time celebrating over a number of days with family and friends, as we reflected on God's goodness to us over the last three years.

We just wanted to give a quick little summary of each of our triplets' personalities (mostly for us to look back on in years to come!) and also ask for your prayers yet again as Malachi has another upcoming surgery on Monday November 25th. This time, he will be put under anesthesia in the OR to close his tracheostomy stoma (hole). He's booked for 90 minutes during which they will make a larger incision along his neck, move muscles and things back in place that were pushed aside during his original tracheotomy surgery, and then sew it back up along a neck crease. It's not just a stitch or two like we were originally expecting! But then, the doctors tell us it is nothing like some of the surgeries our triplets have had in the past so we should not be so stressed out! In any case, it is scary to send your child into the OR and we again pray that God will keep him safe and bless the surgery outcome. Yet again, we pray for good health until then so that he can indeed have this procedure done. Malachi still has a feeding tube, so this is likely not his last medical procedure, but we aren't sure what will happen down the road with that.

Now on to a little blurb about each of our triplets' personalities:

Liam:
This little man is the loudest and most "intense" of the triplets! He has the biggest emotions. He loves big too, giving lots of cuddles and kisses and randomly saying, "I love you Mommy" or "I love Daddy" out of the blue. He is generally quite easy-going. He knows his colours and his ABCs and loves to sing lots of songs. He loves to carry around little toys and things, whether in a little bag or his pockets or under the seat of his ride-on toy. His imagination is starting to take off which is so fun to see. He is starting to drive dinky cars and pretend little animals are walking around or eating things. It is fun to see his little brain imagining and playing and learning! He takes a little time to switch from one activity to the next and so he needs to be told what is happening next so that he can transition smoothly. Liam is also our biggest eater - he is the heaviest triplet at around 30 lbs and eats basically anything. He's the only triplet with straight hair and his loud belly laugh is so contagious! He is the least shy of the triplets and is quickly comfortable with new places. We love our rambunctious Liam!

Taylor:
Our girl is still sweet and feisty! She is clever and catches on to things quite quickly. She loves to learn and do crafts. She is a pretty particular and persistent little girl as she insists on having things a certain way. For example, her stuffed animals have to be arranged in the exact same way every naptime/ bedtime and we have to sing her the same songs in the same way each time! She knows her colours and ABCs just like Liam and loves to sing lots of songs too. Often one triplet will start singing a song and they will all join in. Taylor is often the ringleader for ideas and likes to tell her brothers what to do... but they don't always listen so she isn't exactly the leader of the three. She is also probably the most empathetic and nurturing. When Hazel cries, Taylor is quick to run and give her a soother or immediately yells, "Mommy! Hazel is crying!" even though Mommy is literally right there! All of the triplets are quite empathetic though, and give each other and Hazel kisses or hugs when someone is hurt or sad. It is adorable to watch. Taylor is our tallest triplet and close behind Liam in weight. She's not picky either (except for mushrooms and avocados, which we are still working on). She has gorgeous blonde curls that bounce when she moves and her little giggles are just adorable! She is very shy though, and takes a long time to warm up to new people. We love our happy Taylor!

Malachi:
Our youngest triplet is also still our sweet and stubborn little guy. He is the best of the three at playing independently in his own little world (although for the record they are all three not great at it and are almost always in each others' spaces and playing together). He knows his ABCs and lots of songs but is still working on his colours, although we don't suspect he is colour blind like his Daddy. He is rather stubborn and is the hardest to teach of the three. He is the only triplet who is not yet potty trained (part of that is for logistic reasons because he has so many appointments still and spends more time in the van than the other two triplets). He seems to love music a little more than the other two triplets (although they all love music), as he dances and sings with a lot of enthusiasm and hilarious expressions! He is also very tough and has a high pain tolerance (maybe from all that he has gone through and still goes through). He falls often as his balance is not quite as advanced as the other two triplets and rarely cries from pain. Malachi is still the lightest and the shortest of the three, and we are still feeding him through his g-tube at night, even though he is eating quite well during the day. His hospital team is still concerned about his weight, as he's around 25 lbs currently. We have to encourage him to eat enough and wait a long time at meals for him to finish. He's got a sparkle in his eye and with his curly hair and little grin, he melts our hearts! He is a bit shy, but warms up fairly easily to new people. He does not like going anywhere that feels like a doctor's office or hospital, and we don't blame him for that. We love our mischievous Malachi!

Hazel:
Well, we can't exactly leave out our sweet Hazel who turned 3 months old on the same day that the triplets turned 3 years old! She's the world's happiest and easiest baby and we all cannot get enough of her. She smiles all the time and has the sweetest baby giggles. She just learned to roll over from her belly to her back and the triplets all cheer and clap for her every time! She's got the best fan club! It is so different having a full-term baby with no health concerns and we love it. We don't need to constantly worry about her weight or her development or her breathing.. although we do tend to still worry about it all the time... I guess because we are programmed that way! We love our sweet Hazel!

What a privilege it is to be a parent and to watch your children grow and develop and learn right before your eyes. Toddlers say the most hilarious things and they have us laughing every day. At the same time it is of course very busy to have so many little feet running around and so many little hands making messes and so many little mouths chattering away all day! But we wouldn't have it any other way, and we thank God each day for his gifts to us! After all, they belong to Him!