The Hammonds

A few posts on a new blog...

2011-01-08T11:47:00.005-05:00

Check this site out for a few posts that I did accomplish this year on my mobile me site! I'm thinking I will be moving everything over there eventually. It's a work in progress!

Can it be 2011?

2011-01-08T11:37:00.002-05:00

So, here it is...January 8, 2011! My life has been a little chaotic the last three years! My posts have been a little lacking. I'm setting a goal for myself to get on here weekly because I love reading my posts from the beginning and it helps me remember what those days were like when the triplets were babies. Now, they are three! Yes, I have three three-year-olds! And I am still alive, most days anyway! So, I am going to get started right now with some updates! Hope you enjoy!

My favorite deals of the week:

2010-06-06T11:12:00.002-04:00

I have been following a lot of couponing blogs this year. I have saved a lot of money. I know if I had more time, I could save even more. But I thought I would try to share a couple of my favorites each week.

Target: Pampers wipes 1.99-2.39 use $2/1 coupon from P & G (6/6) so they are FREE-$.39

Surprise!

2010-06-06T11:06:00.002-04:00

As some of you may know, we are planning a surprise trip to Disney World June 22-29. Today, my mom is taking the girls for a few hours so we can accomplish some "secret missions." THe excitement is bubbling over in me. I just want to pack my stuff and get out of here! Actually I have started packing. Here are a few of my fun findings that are making the trip with us.

Princess keychain flashlights from Walmart $2.88

Misting fans from Walmart $4.00

Glow bracelets and wands

And my favorite: a mickey light spinner from premierglow.com for only $2.35

So, anyway, I'll be back with more details of packing. But I got to go get ready for our shopping adventure!

22 Months! (in 3 days)

2009-10-18T21:16:00.002-04:00

I was going through my bookmarks and realized what a bad blogger I have been, so I decided I would take a few moments to update you on my precious girls.

Carli is in full day kindergarten. She is in a K-1 Multi-age class and is loving it! She is so excited because she gets to choose books each week to bring home. She loves reading! She is playing soccer again this year and is a goal scoring machine! She gets all her moves from her dad I'm sure! We are so proud of her!

Kadyn is growing like a weed and looking more like Carli each day! She is now sleeping in a toddler bed, as the three little munchkins decided to start crawling out of their cribs about 6 weeks ago! Just in time for school to start. That is a whole post in itself, so I'll come back to that issue. She weighs about 25 1/2 pounds. She loves to eat, especially fruit. She would eat a whole can of fruit in one sitting if I let her. But I make her share with her sisters! She melts me each day when she comes to me and says, "mommy, up" I love it! Other words in her vocabulary include: dada, car car (Carli), mia and meow (which sound a lot alike, but she says meow when Coby the cat runs by), Ry Ry (Ryli), Rowie, (I'm trying to figure out if Rowie is a new form of Ryli or if she is trying Kennedi's name.) baby, babydoll...

Ryli is about 25 pounds too. She is catching up to those sisters of hers! She is the comedian of the group! She is hilarious. She makes these noises before she falls asleep and just rambles every once in awhile...mi-a-mi-a-mi-a-mi-a-mi-a is one of them. I need to videotape her because it's so cute! She is the best sharer of the three. She is the peacemaker, most of the time anyway. She says bite and ow, I don't know why! Those sisters of hers are little biters. I thought we were getting out of that stage, but they are little stinkers in their room when they are supposed to be in their beds SLEEPING! She says mama, dada, car car, mia, poptart (I know these are of little nutritional value, but sometimes they are just easy!) Her newest phrase is oh dear, she learned that one from her grandma!

Kennedi is almost 26 pounds. She is the bully of the group. She steals books, toys, babydolls. But she is a lover too! She will give hugs and kisses to everyone! Her new thing is when someone is getting a diaper change. she says EWWW! or EWWW Ry Ry! Poor Ryli! She says bite and ow too. I accidently shut her finger in the bathroom door a few weeks ago before church and all morning, she walked around holding her finger, saying ow...ow...ow in the most pathetic little voice. As if I didn't feel bad enough! Drama is her middle name I think! She loves to do puzzles! Her and Ryli are amazing at doing puzzles. Kadyn would rather be looking at books! She gets a little frustrated if the puzzle piece doesn't go in the right way the first time, then she finds something else to do!

I love that they are saying so much...it seems like there is a new word or phrase everyday. They all love playing with Carli's dora toys and they all love books! They love going to soccer games and trying to run out on the soccer field. They are pretty good at kicking a ball. Oh yeah, they say ball too, and dora, and elmo. They are saying so many things I can't remember them all!

Well, gotta get to bed, so I have enough energy for tomorrow...I'll be back soon!

2009-09-18T10:49:00.003-04:00

Well, the year has begun, Cristi and I are "full steam ahead into our hectic year" striving to keep each others buckets full of joy :)

Carli is loving going to school every day, she hates going to bed earlier at night, but it keeps us all sane when she does. She comes home every day telling me all that she has learned and continues to amaze me with her knowledge, good thing she has her mother intelligence.

"Dad today I had to count to twelve, that was easy I can count way higher than that" she then proceeded to count and count and count and count some more....... Man I love her.

My little soccer star is once again playing soccer this fall and she should be making the US National Team next fall :) that is if I had my way. You know, the funny thing is I don't even need to force her to play sports, (of course I would only push her lightly) she wants to play every day. YEAH for me! We have adopted Kendra Sharp into our family during the day to help with the girls and she has introduced Carli to gymnastics, so our life is full of headstands and front rolls. THANKS to KENDRA my daughter now thinks the couch is the new balance beam. Carli know sees that girls play sports and can be amazing at them. She loves to get her sisters to kick their little soccer balls. Cristi and I are so pround of her!

What's new around here?

2009-07-20T21:03:00.015-04:00

Wow....a lot has happened in our family in the last few months. Don't worry Mom, I'm not pregnant. I'll start with Chad. In May, he was hired as the Men's Head Soccer Coach at Spring Arbor University. He is so excited. And we are so excited for him...we will be cheering him on from the sidelines. Go Daddy! A few weeks after we decided Chad would take the position, I found out that my job was going to be full time in the fall. Surprise! Not what I was expecting or hoping, but after teaching Reading Recovery for 8 years, I decided if I was going to be full-time that I would like to go back into the classroom. So, I bid into Young Fives! So, I will be teaching full-time in the fall and Chad will be teaching high school English all day, then heading to Spring Arbor to coach. We will have a lot on our plates from August to November, but I am assured that God will not give me more than I can handle. On that note, please pray for patience and good time management during this time!

Carli finished young fives and had a great year. She is having fun this summer with her sisters and has turned into a little fish. She just finished two weeks of swimming lessons. Before then, she didn't even want to get her face wet. Now, she is swimming underwater across the pool and diving for rings in the shallow end. What a difference! She will be off to full-day kindergarten in the fall. She will be in the multi-age class of kindergarten and first graders. I think she will love it. She is reading EVERYTHING these days, so I am hoping she will continue to grow and love school in that environment.

Kadyn, Kennedi, and Ryli are loving the summer too. They love to go outside on the swings and play on the front porch. We have a gate that blocks off the stairs, so they can run around the porch and not get into too much trouble. Although today, they teamed up and made an escape somehow by pushing the gate hard enough out over the steps so they could crawl under it. So, we can't leave them anywhere. They are mastermind thinkers together and manage to find trouble where we think there is no trouble to be found. They will be 19 months old tomorrow. Our favorite babysitter that watched them last year while I worked, Kendra, will be coming to our house and watching them again this coming school year. We are so thankful to have someone that we trust and that they adore.

So, although life is crazy at times, ok most times, we are having a lot of fun and enjoying our time together this summer before the even crazier times come this fall.

Ryli and Carli

Ryli and Kennedi

Kadyn, Ryli, and Kennedi

Kadyn

Ryli

Kennedi

Outside and lovin' it!

2009-06-08T22:19:00.005-04:00

All of my girls love it outside. Carli loves being out riding her bike, swinging, or playing with her friends. Kadyn, Kennedi, and Ryli run to the door if I mention going outside or tackle me if they see me getting their shoes. Here are a few pics of our fun~

Ballet Recital 2009

2009-06-08T21:56:00.002-04:00

Carli was adorable in her recital this weekend. She took a ballet/tap combo class this year, so she spent 45 minutes every week doing ballet and about 15 doing tap. She wasn't very fond of tap, because she didn't like how the shoes fit her at first, but you would never have known that by watching her on stage. She was awesome and she had so much fun! Here are some pictures of my cutie!

Free Giveaways

2009-04-06T21:54:00.003-04:00

I've been playing around on the web, looking for good deals while Chad is watching the MSU game. It has been a bargain day at my house. I purchased $2oo worth of groceries today and saved about $95 between coupons and sales. Thanks to bargain briana and cheapsk8mom, I cut my grocery bill in half!! Woo hoo! Then I found some giveaways that I entered such as this one for 10 pairs of crocs! How cool would that be! I love crocs. Those things saved my feet when I was pregnant for the triplets. They are the only thing my feet fit into! And they were so comfy! So, I'm all about winning 10 pairs for the family! If only the spartans were having as much fun as I am right now! It could be a long night in the Hammond house.

Sniffing medicine....

2009-03-26T22:03:00.003-04:00

So, today Carli and I are playing Cariboo, which she got at her school family game night. While we are playing, she says,

"Mom, I learned today that you can never sniff medicine. It's really bad."

As she looks at me with eyes of panic, I realize that last night as I gave her some herbal cough stuff that is cherry flavored, she said that it smelled good. So, she is worried about the cherry medicine that she "sniffed" and no matter what I say, like that it wasn't really medicine, that Mommy said it was ok, etc, she will have that in her head forever.

Better safe than sorry I guess.

Oh yeah....and did you know that EVERYONE has bugs in their hair? I once again tried to explain head lice and why we don't share brushes, pillows, etc, because some people may have bugs in their hair and we don't want them. But that's what she thinks her teacher said, and who can argue with that? Maybe they learned that the week that both her ears were infected and she couldn't hear!

Pictures...

2009-03-26T21:34:00.005-04:00

Ryli

Kadyn

Kennedi

Kadyn and her crazy hair!

Kennedi and her pooh bear!

Kadyn and Kennedi in the bucket!

15 MONTHS!!!

2009-03-25T20:45:00.004-04:00

I can't even believe it! Here is an update on my sweet peas..

Dear Kadyn,

You are weighing in at 20 lbs 5 oz. You are 30 1/2 inches long and still have the most hair. Most days it is crazy hair all over the place, unless I can corner you and put a piggy in it! You are walking all over the place and even trying to run. It's pretty funny when you try to sprint down the hall. Sometimes you crash into a wall and other times, you get so close to pushing your bedroom door open to wake your sisters, but I usually catch you. You always give me the cutest little devil grin right before you take off, so I know I better follow you! You love sleeping with Carli's little koala bear, "Pookie." You call it "dog dog," but that's ok because you call everything "dog dog." Although I must tell you I'm pretty excited that you have been saying mama this week. You can say dada too, but we never know if it's dada or dog dog. I won't tell daddy if you're calling him a dog. Let's see....it's been awhile since I've written. You have been keeping me busy this winter. You are drinking milk from a sippy cup..no more bottles! You love food. We say, Kadyn eats everything...because you do. You love mac-n-cheese, fruit, green beans, lasagna, well, everything! You're new favorite snacks are goldfish crackers and jumbo rice krispies. You eat them out of your snack cup and you don't dump them on the floor anymore. You have figured out how the cup works! You love music and elmo, and playing with your toys. You also love being outside! You giggle when the wind blows in your hair as we take you in the choo choo wagon down the road. You got your picture taken with a live bunny a few weeks ago and I thought you were going to pull its ears off. The poor bunny. You are just so happy all the time and such a chatterbox. And yes, you are still Carli's twin. You look more and more like she did at a year old. You wave goodbye and you do the sign for "more" and "milk." Now, you have a few issues at bedtime and I'm not sure what the deal is. You have mommy wrapped around your finger, and you know that you can get me to rescue you if you cry hard enough. Then as soon as I get you out of your room, you giggle! You're obviously suffering terribly in there! So, we're working on that. You have survived ear infections, colds, the stomach flu twice, influenza B, and wheezing crud this winter. We are now taking you to Dr. Scott, the chiropractor, for adjustments three times a week, and doing some natural supplements, in an effort to get you healthy without antibiotics! We have had clear ears and lungs since then! So, I'm very happy about that. I hate having sick kiddos. Well, I could write forever, but I better save some for next month....I love you so much and I love the personality that is shining through more and more each day. You are a precious girl and I love you more than you can imagine!

Love, Mommy

Dear Kennedi,
You are weighing in at 19 lbs 15 oz. 1 more oz and you'll be 20 pounds! You are also 30 1/2 inches long. Actually all three of you are the same length, which is funny, considering your weights are really different. You are getting more hair, and you like to put fruit juice in it while you are eating and make it stand straight up. It's a new kind of styling gel I guess. You are adorable. You make the cutest little faces at us with your squishy nose. You are a great eater. You can eat more than your sister Carli I think. You use both hands to shovel food into your mouth hand after hand. I don't know if you taste what you eat, but you seem to enjoy it. And you definitely let me know when you are out, I hear MO MO MO. I used to think you were saying mom, but now I know you could care less about mom, you just want MORE. You can be a little demanding. And you don't hesitate to let people know how you're feeling, especially if one of your sisters is playing with a toy you want or taking space on mommy's lap. You squeeze your way in and push them off my lap, or tackle them and take the toy. You have also had a few time-outs for hair-pulling. I think it might be working because you aren't doing it as much anymore. You are also loving goldfish crackers and jumbo rice krispies, and you love apples. You are drinking milk from a sippy cup and you don't need any bottles anymore. You are so smart. You were the first one to figure out how to put your little coins in the piggy bank. You're pretty fast at it. Today, you actually taught Ryli how to, so now you will have to share your favorite toy. You love to go for rides in your choo choo wagon and you love to push your pooh car outside. You have taken a few diggers and right now, you have a black eye. While you were sick last week, we brought you into our bed in an attempt to get some sleep and you rolled out. You had a little bruise on your cheek and it has traveled to your eye, but I think it is starting to disappear. We learned our lesson....no babies in our bed. Poor thing. Mommy and Daddy felt so bad. You have survived your share of crud this winter with colds, ear infections, the stomach flu twice, and influenza B. I hate it when you're sick because you just want to be held and I just want to hold you, but I don't have enough arms, so you have to share my lap with your sisters. You are looking a lot like Ryli still and somedays I have to get close and check your forehead to make sure I have the right kid. You still have your little triangle storkbite, so I hope that doesn't go away anytime soon! You love your pooh bear and teddy bear and you lay on them and snuggle with them when you go to bed. When you get up, you grab them and bring them out to the living room. It is soooo cute! You are definitely a snuggle bug, and I love it! You are precious to me and I will snuggle you as long as I can! I love you so much!

Love, Mommy

Dear Ryli,

You are weighing in at 18 pounds exactly. You are still my little peanut. You are also 30 1/2 inches long. You are so stinkin cute that it's hard to say no to you. You have a cute little devil grin that melts me and makes me crazy all in one. You use it on me when you try to stand up in your high chair, or pull your sisters' hair. We have had to reinstall the straps on your high chair and strap you in and let me tell you, that does not make you very happy at all! You are so sweet. You smile at everyone! It is the cutest little grin. You love playing with your toys and you just figured out how to get the coins in the piggy back today and you were so excited. Ok, I think I was more excited than you, but you had fun! You also like pushing the little people bus around and playing with the animals from the ark. You like to jabber a lot. You love milk and are drinking from a sippy cup. You don't need bottles anymore either. What a big girl you are! You love to talk on the phone and if I'm talking on it, you try to take it from me. I don't know where the tooth marks came from that are on it. Do you? You are good at sleeping through the night, even though you have had lots of ear infections this year, and the stomach flu, influenza B, colds, wheezing, etc. You have survived it all. We even took you in for a referral for tubes in your ears, but we weren't convinced. We are try ing to go the natural route with adjustments from Dr. Scott, and the all natural garlic oil stuff for your ears. It smells so good, well not really, but it has been helping and we are hoping we can just get through winter then I think your ears will be fine! You are walking all over and you are getting pretty fast. You try to run sometimes and it is so funny with your little legs. You are more of a picky eater than your sisters are. You love veggies and pasta, and some fruits, but I think you might have texture issues like your mommy. Sorry about that. You might not ever like cottage cheese if that's the case. Although you are the smallest, you do not let our sisters push you around, that's for sure. You are pretty tough when fighting Kennedi for lap space and you tackle and steal toys faster than anyone. You love your big sister Carli. She can make you belly laugh, just by looking at you. I think you have had a special bond since you came home from the hospital. She claimed you because you were the smallest and she wanted to protect you and hold you all the time. I hope you have that bond forever! I love you so much Ry Ry. You are my little sweetie!

Love, Mommy

Our Fun Spring Day

2009-03-15T18:58:00.005-04:00

Kadyn

Ryli

Kadyn and Ryli

Where's Kennedi? (in the house with a washcloth on her fat lip)

We loved the weather today. It was so gorgeous! We went to Grandma and Papa's Hammonds to celebrate our cousin Brady's first birthday and we went outside and played in our new shoes. Kennedi took a little digger into the cement driveway and we had a little blood and a big fat lip. I'm sure this is one of many...Kadyn just dove into the back door and gave herself a nice bruise on her forehead on Friday. This was of course 10 minutes before we were walking out the door to get our pictures taken at Craft with the bunnies. Oh well! What can you do?

We ate mini cupcakes today and Kadyn swallowed the whole thing on one bite. Usually she is the slower eater of the three, but apparently not when it comes to cake! Papa took lots of pictures because we forgot our camera, so we'll have to add those later. Just thought I'd jump on here while I had a few seconds. This is going to be a busy week. Pictures at Craft again on Tuesday. We're taking our one year birthday pictures (a little late) because we were sick with RSV, the stomach flu, you name it, we've had it this winter. We were keeping the girls home from church during the winter months, so Chad and Carli would go one week and Carli and I would go the next, but we all went today as the weather was so nice! It was great to go to church as a family again.

Creating a Maze

2009-02-09T11:59:00.003-05:00

Friday my dad and I spent time putting up gates in our house to help a bit with our sanity. Thanks to the gates the girls have free roaming ability of the living room, dinning room, and their bedroom. The kitchen and stairway are off limits. If you think this sounds all too simple, "IT IS". Let me begin by telling you about our little adventurous Kadyn, better yet let me paint a picture for you to think about. Cristi standing in the kitchen, Kadyn looking though the gate mad at the fact that she can't get to her. She realizes she can't push this gate over, she can't climb it, so she decides that she will lay flat on her bellie to see if she can slide underneath. This is all great except, I did something right for once and she won't fit. That ticked her off. For probably the only time in my life I got the final say. Dad 1, girls 300 and counting :) Wow, are we going to have our hands full when they can walk. All three seem to be caging us in, there's something backwards about that.

We're famous...just kidding!

2009-01-25T11:08:00.003-05:00

We were on the front page of the newspaper a couple weeks ago. You can check it out here.

Got milk?!

2009-01-24T15:50:00.005-05:00

We've done it! The girls are completely switched over from formula to milk!! They love it! Here is what their schedule looks like at 13 months old...

7am Wake up/6 oz milk in bottle/Breakfast

9:00-10:30ish Morning Nap

11:30 Lunch/Milk in sippy cup
(Ryli loves this...take a drink, then throw it on the floor, then yell for someone to pick it up, and repeat)

1-3ish Afternoon Nap

4:00 Dinner/Milk in sippy cup

5:30 Cheerio Snack

6:30-7ish 8 oz milk in bottle and off to bed!!

*Naps are subject to change or may not happen at all due to ear infections, poopy diapers, chatty sisters, Mia barking, etc.

**We are going through 1 gallon of milk every 2 days!

Funniest picture of 2008

2009-01-18T22:40:00.003-05:00

No explanation necessary...

Halloween 2008

2009-01-18T22:09:00.003-05:00

I know it's January, but I realized that I never got these pictures in here and I had to share my cute little princesses...Carli was Belle and the girls were all Minnie Mouse. They were so cute. We went to Megan and Jeff's house and walked around their neighborhood, pulling the girls in the choo choo wagon. They loved it! Carli was on a mission for candy that night. Although she was getting a little tired by the end and cruised around in the wagon with her cousin Jackson.

Top Ten Memorable Moments of 2008

2009-01-17T22:49:00.003-05:00

#1 January 16, 2008 After four and a half weeks of traveling to Ann Arbor every day to see my precious girls, they were transported to Foote Hospital for a little more growing and feeding. I was supposed to follow the ambulance, but in the process, i lost my car keys and they left without me. So I drove as fast as I could and caught up with them at the Jackson exit!

#2 January 19, 2008 Kadyn Marie Hammond came home after only three days at Foote. She was a good little eater and got the approval to go home!! This was just a taste of what was to come.

#3 February 2, 2008 Kennedi and Ryli were both given the green light to come home and we left Foote for the first time as a family of SIX! Wow! Reality hit at about this point!

#4 Over the next few weeks, we went through 30+ diapers and 24 bottles A DAY!

#5 We slept in 1 to 1 1/2 hour increments between feedings and we ate reese's peanut butter cups and drank coke in the middle of the night in an attempt to stay awake while we held the bottles in their mouths.

#6 We stayed home until May to avoid RSV germs...except for the dr appts and RSV Synagis shots.

#7 Carli started Young Fives and I went back to work part-time in the fall. What happened to summer? I don't remember.

#8 We dressed up the girls as Minnie Mouses and Carli as Belle for Halloween. We pulled them around in the choo choo wagon and they loved it!

#9 December 26, 2008 The babies started vomiting in the car on the way to celebrate Christmas with my mom. We got there and turned around and went home an hour later after I started getting sick too. Not a fun memory, but three babies with the flu is one that we will never forget.

#10 December 21, 2008 We dedicated the girls at church the morning of their birthday. Then we headed home for a birthday party and yummy cake! Fun and messy all in one!

God has surely blessed us this year! I can't wait to see what God has in store for us in 2009!!

One Year Letters!!!

2009-01-17T11:50:00.011-05:00

Hard to believe that one year has gone by already! It seems like so long ago and just yesterday all in one. Life is so fun right now! I wouldn't say easy, but definitely easier than even a few months ago. Here are a few of my favorite pictures of the three of you together!

Dear Kennedi,
Where do I begin? I can't believe how much you have grown and changed. You are very precious and also very demanding. You are the one to yell if I don't get your food on the tray fast enough and you definitely let your sisters know when they have something that you want or are trying to take something away from you. You aren't going to let then bully you, that's for sure! You love food. You are eating real food, no more baby food...and like I said, we can't keep enough on your tray. You love chicken, peaches, bananas, cheerios, potatoes, mac-n-cheese, peas, carrots, really just about anything. You are a fast little crawler. You have taken 8 steps, as of 1/16/09, so 13 months almost. So, any day now, I'm expecting that you'll just take off across the room and never stop! You have 7-8 teeth, I'll have to double-check because they keep coming. You love bath time. You can sit up in the big tub with all your sisters and you think that you are allowed to stand up, but you're not. You can hold your own bottle now and we are trying to get you switched over to milk, but you had the flu after Christmas and I'm trying not to give you too much too quickly. You weighed 19 pounds 2 ounces at your one year checkup. You were 29 inches long. You are taking two naps a day and love playtime in between. We have the gate across one side of the living room and in front of the stairs so you have the whole room to play in. Although you and your sisters plot with each other to break through the gates and escape. You love books, especially Peek a who and Woolly's Walk. You like the mirrors and feely things in the books, like the scratchy thistles. You jabber away and we have no idea what you're saying, but it's cute. A few words we do recognize....dog dog, da da, or da dee. I don't know what happened to mama, but I'm sure you'll say that again someday! Here are some adorable pictures:

Dear Ryli,
You are still my little peanut, although a bigger nut than you were. You weighed 17 pounds 8 ounces and you were 29 inches long at your one year appointment. You crack me up all the time. You are definitely the comedian of the bunch! Between you're silly looks and your uncontrollable giggle, you keep us smiling around here. You are a speedy little crawler and you go even faster when I'm coming to get you out of trouble. You have taken 1-2 steps at a time, and I know you'll be cruising around here in no time. You like to play with your sisters and crawl on them and you love books. You love to see yourself in the mirror and giggle. You dive into my lap whenever I'm on the floor and I love snuggling with you, although you don't stay in one place very long. You can hold your own bottle now and you are eating real food, although you are a little picky. You love veggies and mac-n-cheese and grilled cheese and chicken. Fruit, however, is not your favorite. You'll eat it, but it takes awhile. You have to make sure nothing better is coming before you go for the fruit! You love Carli and giggle at everything she does. As I looked back on your pictures when you were born, i just can't believe what a gift from God that you truly are. That's why your middle name is Michelle. Did you know that? Because daddy's middle name is Michael and seeing there probably won't be any boys in the family, we wanted a version of his name carried on. Then when I saw that it meant "gift from God," I knew that it was perfect for you. You were the tough one that fought your umbilical cord not being attached right, and God kept you growing the whole time. You love to babble and you are good at signing "more" when you want more food. We love you so much! Here are some pictures of you:

Dear Kadyn,
You are a sweetie. You laugh and smile all the time. You love music and have started to tip your head back and forth dancing to music, such as "elmo's world" from sesame street. You are an animal lover. If Mia or Coby go by, your eyes follow their every move. And if it's Coby, you say, "DAT DAT" and you do whatever you can to crawl after him, even if it means going up the stairs or crawling up on the couch. You sneak through the gate all the time and start up the stairs in a matter of seconds. I know you are after Coby because he sleeps upstairs on Carli's bed most of the time and you know he's up there. You say da da and da dee and dat of course and you can sign "more" when you want more food. You love real food and will eat anything. You love cucumbers. broccoli, chicken, mac-n-cheese, peas, grilled cheese, and pretty much anything I put on your tray. Kadyn'll eat it! You weighed 19 pounds 7 ounces and were 29 inches long at your one year checkup. You also love books, especially the ones with animals in them and feely things. You have taken two steps so far, but I think you know you can get there faster by crawling, so that's what you're doing right now. You love to knock over towers with your sisters that we build. And you are the first one awake every morning, jabbering away and waking up the rest of your sisters. Here are some pictures of you pumpkin. Love you so much...

How to know that you are a Dad of Girls!

2008-12-03T09:49:00.004-05:00

I walked upstairs last night to find that Barbie, Belle, Ariel, and Cinderella were all naked (they are not real people just dolls) so Carli decides to let me know that: "It's Ok dad, they are inside and will be warm, they can put clothes on when they want to". I sure hope that someday we all realize that naked is ok if you are inside, according to my innocent Princess. I am just glad that she doesn't have G.I. JOE, not ready for that discussion yet.....

A Very Theological Question

2008-11-27T20:02:00.005-05:00

We got Carli a new kids bible for her birthday and Chad was reading the story of creation to her tonight and we were talking about how God made everything in only 6 days. Carli couldn't believe it.

She said, "How did he do all that? Does he have a Fairy Godmother Wand?"

Are you already 11 months?

2008-11-24T22:25:00.002-05:00

Wow...time flies when you're having fun...and we are having a lot of it here. You are all crawling and standing up to everything and trying to get up the stairs and babbling. You can say da-da, ma-ma, and tonight, when Mia was outside barking, we heard dog-dog from Kennedi! Da-da is your favorite word, that's for sure. You love to tackle and pull each other's hair and you are all toy stealers. We are working on sharing! You are also human vacuums...carpet, candy wrappers, paper, you love to store things in your cheeks. You love cheerios and cheerio diving. Kadyn is the best at getting the cheerios to come out of the container and you all fight for who can get the most! You love to laugh and smile! You are VERY happy babies! We love you lots!

Fall Photos

2008-11-24T21:43:00.006-05:00

A few weeks ago when it was 70 degrees in November, Sara took our pictures at the park and I must say that I think my kids are pretty cute!

Mommy...

2008-11-21T08:22:00.003-05:00

"Mommy, my nose is not letting me breathe today."

This is what I woke up to this morning. I love my kids!

My soccer girl...

2008-10-11T08:58:00.003-04:00

Every Saturday morning for the last 5 weeks, Carli has been going out on the soccer field behind the elementary with her daddy as her coach and playing for AYSO with 30 other four and five-year-olds. She loves kicking the ball around with Chad at home. But the first two weeks, she whined about wearing the shin guards and socks. She is a little fashion girl and those just aren't pretty and you can't wear a dress while playing and that is a crisis in her world. But I am happy to say that this morning, she got dressed herself and put the socks on and was ready to go. Here she is...

Letter to Kadyn-9 months

2008-10-08T11:43:00.004-04:00

Dear Kadyn,
I have lots to write to you. Where do I start? Let me think....you are all over the place. You started crawling about a month ago. You went from rocking back and forth on your hands and knees one day to crawling into the kitchen after the dog food, following me down the hall to the bathroom, and now you are standing up to everything...the couch, the playyard gate (which I couldn't live without), and you love to crawl on Daddy and me. You are so happy now that you can get to where you want to go. You weigh 17 pounds 9 oz and you are 27 inches long. We have moved you from your baby car seat into the bigger seat and you love sitting up and watching Carli behind you. You are eating three meals a day with a bottle and then a bottle before bedtime. You love food. You want to eat everything that I am and we have started giving you finger foods, like fruit puffs and bananas. You can drink from a sippy cup, but a lot of it ends up on your shirt because it dribbles out of your mouth. So we are just practicing with water at this point. You are wearing 6-9 months clothes and wearing size 3 diapers. You get so excited when anyone comes into the room and you love to jump in the jumperoo. We can't hear anything when you are in there because you are such a crazy jumper! Your hair is getting long and I think I might need to give your bangs a little trim to keep them out of your eyes. You love to get into all Carli's toys and she tries to be very patient with you, but she doesn't like it when you bend her pictures or eat her crayons. You are taking two naps a day now and you sleep in our closet for those. I know that sounds bad, but it is a big walk-in closet and your pack-n-play fits nicely and you don't wake up your sisters, because you like to start a party in the cribs. You do sleep in your crib at night and after letting you cry for 3 nights, you are going to bed so good and sleeping through the night. I hated listening to you cry and I would try to turn up anything in the house so I couldn't hear you, but I knew you needed to teach yourself to fall asleep again and I'm so glad we survived those three days. You are an amazing 9 month old and I thank God for you every day! I love you Kadyn Marie!

Love, Mommy

Letter to Kennedi-9 months

2008-10-08T11:37:00.004-04:00

Dear Kennedi,
You are such a sweetie. You have the cutest grin in the morning when you wake up. It just melts me. You are now crawling, although not as fast as your sisters, so I can still keep up with you! I know that will change next week though because you are practicing every day. A few weeks ago, you had a nasty fever which ended up being a urinary tract infection, and you were sick for a week and only wanted to snuggle, so you missed a week of crawling action. You are all better now, but you get to go to U of M for an ultrasound next week to make sure everything is working how it should be, just to rule out any trouble. You are weighing 16 pounds 11 ounces and you are 26 1/2 inches long. You are wearing 6-9 month clothes and size 3 diapers. You are also in the big car seat now! You grunt when you want something and you have to wait. It cracks me up. You love playing in your exersaucer and jumperoo. And you love playing with the animals in noah's ark. You pull them out and chew on them and put them back. You eat three meals a day with a bottle and a bottle at bedtime. You take a morning nap and an afternoon nap and you sleep upstairs in Carli's room in the pack-n-play for those. Then you're back in your crib at night. You were having too much fun at naptime with your sisters so we had to separate you for naps. You are sleeping through the night now that Kadyn and Ryli aren't waking you up and it's so nice that we're all getting a good nights' sleep!! You love to eat fruit puffs and you sit with us at the dinner table while we eat and snack on those. You are getting so good at putting them in your mouth, although once in awhile they end up stuck to your face. You are so precious. I love you so much!

Love, Mommy

Letter To Ryli- 9 months

2008-10-08T11:05:00.003-04:00

Dear Ryli,
You are my little peanut. You now weigh 15 pounds 9 ounces and you are 27 inches long, so you are in the 75th percentile for height and 10th percentile in weight. You are a mover and shaker. You get so excited whenever you see someone. Your whole body shows your excitement. You are crawling all over the place. You decided that if Kadyn was going to move, that you were too. Sometimes you follow her to see what she is doing and other times, you are off to see what you can find on your own. You are standing up in your crib now. We had to lower all of your cribs so no one would fall out now that you are standing. You love playing in the exersaucer, jumperoo, and with the farm. You are trying to figure out how to stand up at it. You love to chew on toys and it's funny because no matter what toy you have, it seems that you want Kennedi's toy and don't hesitate to take it away from her. And Kadyn doesn't hesitate to crawl over you and take it from you. With all the toys in our playyard, I am amazed that you already all want the same one. You love to giggle. You think Carli and Mia are hilarious and you crack up when they run around the house. You are wearing 6-9 month clothes and size 3 diapers and you are in your baby car seat until we get the elastic fixed on yours. Then we'll move you too. You are taking two naps a day and you are the lucky one that gets to stay in your crib. You are now sleeping through the night and rarely wake up anymore after letting you cry for a few nights. You wake up so much happier after a full nights' sleep. You like to eat fruit puffs too and apparently you aren't a big fan of peas. You tend to sneeze them all over me when I give them to you. Other than that, you love everything was have given you. You eat three times a day with a bottle and then another nighttime bottle, and you are in bed between 7:30-8:00. I love you more than you can imagine!

Love, Mommy

What have I been doing for the last two months?

2008-10-04T21:09:00.002-04:00

Let me think....

Feeding babies, changing diapers, attempting to sleep, attempting to get them to sleep. taking them to the doctor, sending Carli off to Young Fives, going back to work part-time, childproofing my house because I have three crawlers, washing bottles, picking up baby toys, giving baths, having clothes debates with Carli, making baby food, washing bottles some more, playing on the floor, getting crawled on, reading books, going to Saturday morning soccer games, going to ballet, teaching the babies to go to sleep at night on their own, falling down the stairs and almost breaking my foot, watching Kadyn stand up, attempting to eat healthy, saying I'll start tomorrow, drinking coke to survive, saying I'll stop tomorrow, loving my family, and trying to cherish these precious moments that are going way too fast...

That about sums it up.

Our own little photo shoot...

2008-08-15T21:59:00.003-04:00

After getting such adorable pictures of the babies, I sent Chad outside to use his photography skills on Carli. She is so beautiful!

Playing on the Beach

2008-08-15T21:55:00.002-04:00

These are a few pictures that our friend Sara took of the girls at Somerset when we went camping. They turned out so good! Thanks Sara!

Our new house...

2008-08-09T10:06:00.005-04:00

Although we have lived here for 7 years, our house definitely has a new look to it. Here's what happens when you bring triplets into your family~

Teething is Fun!

2008-08-09T10:04:00.001-04:00

After 2 hours of screaming and not drinking her bottle last night, we are giving the fifth tooth award this morning to:

KENNEDI!

Tea Party

2008-08-07T10:42:00.004-04:00

Now that we have teeth, we were hoping to go to McDonalds with Papa, but Mom said we could have a tea party with Carli while we're waiting for french fries!

Kennedi (are mohawks appropriate for tea parties?)

Ryli

Carli

Kadyn

Tooth City...

2008-08-06T10:15:00.002-04:00

After 4 months of constant drool and gnawing on everything....

On Tuesday, the third tooth award went to...

KADYN!

Then just this morning, I was able to give the fourth tooth award to...

KENNEDI!

So, the score is:

RYLI-2

KADYN-1

KENNEDI-1

No wonder no one is sleeping around here!!

CAMPING WITH 3 BABIES and A FOUR-YEAR-OLD!!

2008-07-31T23:16:00.004-04:00

We did it!! I was sure that camping was going to be impossible for a long time, but we decided to be brave (or crazy) and take all the girls to Somerset Beach Campground for our first Family Camping Adventure since becoming a family of 6! It was awesome. God must have known that I might never go camping again if it was a disaster because the girls did awesome. They loved every minute of it. They got their pictures taken on the beach by our friend Sara. I'm sure I'll have cute pictures to post from her soon. They played in their exersaucers outside. The fresh air apparently knocked them out because they slept good. Carli made a new friend and they played ponies for hours at a time. Chad played soccer with his team. (That's the reason we went in the first place.) We ate s'mores with peanut butter. Carli and I went to the archery hill, laid in the grass and looked at the millions of stars in the sky. A little reminder of just how big our God is. And I even snuck in a little nap while the girls were swimming...I mean, sleeping! And it didn't even rain. Overall, I couldn't have asked for a better couple of days. Here are a few pictures:

Second Tooth!

2008-07-31T22:52:00.000-04:00

And the second tooth award goes to:

RYLI!!

Our First Tooth

2008-07-26T23:14:00.001-04:00

And the first tooth award goes to...

RYLI!!

Happy 7 Months to You!

2008-07-21T22:24:00.009-04:00

The girls are 7 months old today. I can't even believe it. Life has just changed so much. I don't remember what life was like before 4 kids, and I am loving this stage of life. They are so expressive and smile and giggle all the time. They have started eating fruits and veggies which we are making. I never thought I could make baby food, but we got the coolest machine called the Babycook. I wouldn't have thought of it because we don't exactly have extra time around here, but buying those little things of baby food for three babies adds up pretty fast. So, this amazing machine steams and purees the food all in one. It's sooooo easy! Then we freeze it in ice cube trays and put them in freezer bags, so they are all ready to pull out and heat...which the Babycook also does! The girls love food. It has always been kinda difficult getting them to take formula with their reflux and colic, but let me tell you...their mouths are wide open waiting for food anytime. And with eating food, we are down to four feedings a day. Here is their schedule:

7:30-8ish Bottle, Cereal and Fruit

9:00 Playtime

9:30 Morning Nap

12:00 Lunch Bottle, Veggies and Fruit

1:00 Playtime

1:30 Afternoon Nap

4:00 Dinner Bottle, Cereal

5:30 Catnap

7:00 Bathtime

7:30 Baby Einstein and Bottles

9:00 All in Bed (that's the goal anyway!)

Here are a few pictures:

Kennedi Lyn.....cracking up

Kennedi in the exersaucer (she is so strong)

Kadyn on the playmat (right before she rolls over her little sister)

Ryli... "Mom, are you really going to let her roll over me again?"

How many girls can you fit in one crib?

Carli and Kadyn rocking on the front porch

Kadyn eating her fist (photographer:Carli)

Ryli spitting (photographer:Carli)

Our First Cereal!

2008-07-20T23:03:00.005-04:00

This was a few weeks ago, but definitely a fun memory for the scrapbooks if I ever find time to work on those! Until then, at least it will be on the blog...

We decided one night that in an attempt to help the girls (who were off their schedule) get a little extra in their bellies and maybe sleep all night without having to stay up til 11 for another bottle, that we would give them a little cereal. They weren't too impressed with it. It ended up more on their faces, bibs and bouncy seats than actually in their tummies, and no, they didn't sleep all night. But it was worth a try and now they love it, they love all food actually.

"Do I have something on my mouth?" (Ryli)

"I was hoping for chocolate, but I guess this will do for now." (Kadyn)

"Are you serious?! This is disgusting!" (Kennedi)

Swimming in the Pool

2008-07-20T22:48:00.007-04:00

This summer we have been having so much fun with Chad home. We love to swim at Papa Mike and Grandma Sharon's pool. (Our girls' adopted grandparents and our wonderful neighbors)

Carli, Chad, and Kadyn (her first time in the pool)

My little fish!

My Pretty Ballerina

2008-07-08T22:47:00.005-04:00

About a month ago....Carli had her ballet recital and she did awesome! She had her first on stage performance and she loved it. She would live in this dress if we let her. That is if Minnie is unavailable. It's in the wash....(and it will be for a long time.) I'm pretty sure that dress could stand up on its own.

I'm so cute!

(Don't mind the thunderstorm approaching in the background.)

Snow White Pose

(Snow White personally taught her this at Disney!)

My Proud Family!

It's Our Anniversary!

2008-07-08T22:46:00.001-04:00

8 years ago today we got married! We had no clue what God had in store for us. Hee hee! We are truly blessed!

Letter to Kadyn, Kennedi and RyRy-6 months

2008-07-08T22:37:00.006-04:00

Dear Kadyn,

Hello Gorgeous! You are so beautiful with your cute kissable cheeks and your amazing smile everytime you make eye contact with us. I can't believe you are already half a year old. You look so much like what your big sister Carli did at this age. It's pretty amazing. At your six month checkup, you weighed 13 lb 8 oz and you were 25 inches long. You are eating four times a day. 8:00, 12:00, 4:00-you get 6 oz of formula and rice cereal for two of those. Then at 8:00pm, you drink 8 oz or so of formula and sleep until 7-7:30ish!! You love to roll over...and over and over again. I will put you on the floor and turn away for a minute and you have disappeared under the coffee table or are trying to chew the wood on the fireplace. That doesn't make you too happy. Oh yeah...as of right now, you always roll to the right. So at least I know what direction to look in when you're gone!! You are still drooling like crazy and still have zero teeth! But you do have a pretty cool talent. You can suck on your toes. I wish I was that flexible!! Anyway, I love you so much and can't wait to see what this month holds for you!

Love, Mommy

Dear Kennedi-di-di-di-di,

You are truly a sweetheart. Your smile can brighten anybody's day. Your eyes just disappear with your cute little grin and you are a little gigglebox. You little giggles just crack me up. You weighed 13 lb 6 oz at your 6 month checkup and you were 24 1/2 inches long. You are right up there with Kadyn! You are also rolling over but you usually don't go too far, more in a circle than across the room. You are a great sleeper and eater. You started eating cereal the easiest. No practice needed for you. You are taking 6 oz and rice cereal at 8, 12, and 4 and 8 oz at 8pm also. Mommy and Daddy love this new schedule with only four feedings a day. It seems like just yesterday that you were eating 8 times a day and going through 10-12 diapers a day. That adds up to a lot of diapers when there are three of you!!

Dear RyRy-boo,

You are also a gigglebox. And you love to blow spit bubbles. Kennedi taught you that and it is really fun when you have cereal in your mouth! You are my little sweet pea. You weighed in at 11 lb 9 oz and you were 24 inches long. You love to roll over and you smile all the time. You girls are all so happy. It just melts my heart everytime I look at those cute little grins. You love cereal and are eating it twice a day with your bottles and you eat four times total and also sleep ALL night. I count my blessings every day for that one. You love to chew on your hands and you are starting to drool too, but I am not counting on teeth anytime soon. I think I just have drooly babies! I love you with all my heart and thank God everyday for all three of you.

Love, Mommy

Important Milestone Alert-5 months, 1 week

2008-06-04T12:53:00.004-04:00

As of yesterday, all three of you are rolling over from your tummy to your back! I've got video so far of Kennedi and Ryli doing it, but not Kadyn yet. And Kennedi, the overachiever, is rolling from her back to her tummy, although we haven't seen her do it yet. We just find her on her tummy when we get her up in the morning.

Letter to Ryli, Kennedi, and Kadyn-5 months

2008-06-01T23:06:00.003-04:00

Dear Ryli-boo,

You are such a cutie. You now weigh 10 lb 5 oz. Yeah! You also have earned the nickname "Spike Jr" because you have an adorable little mohawk going down the middle of your head. You love to smile and are starting to giggle at us. You love your big sister Carli to talk to you and read to you. That makes you smile a lot. You are drinking 5 oz every 3-4 hours and sleeping 9-10 hours at night. That is just amazing. We have figured out a way to distinguish you from Kennedi. You each have a storkbite on your forehead between your eyes. Yours is a cluster of red dots that goes up and to the right. Ryli-Right! I know I'm so creative. Kennedi has 3 darker spots that make a triangle and then hers goes up and to the left. Kennedi-Triangle! Not so creative. Oh yeah...you found your thumb. You love to suck on either your thumb or your two middle fingers. Funny thing is that Daddy did that when he was little. Is that a genetic thing? Love you lots, Mommy

Dear Kennedi Lyn,

You are a cutie too...imagine that, your mommy thinks you're cute. A few other people do too. You are smiling all the time and you giggle when daddy says things like, "chick-a-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee." We're not sure where that came from, but let me tell you it gets stuck in your head very easily. I got a little bit on video. I'll have to see if I can add it on here. You are also eating 5 oz every 3-4 hours and sleeping 9-10 hours at night. Woo hoo for sleep! You are weighing in at 11 lb 14 oz. You are catching up to Kadyn pretty quick. I have to admit that I made a mistake on your 4 month picture. It's Ryli. No triangle. I'll get that fixed right away. I was 90% sure it was you and I was wrong. Shhhh.....don't tell daddy. I tell him I'm always right! Love you lots, Mommy

Dear Kadyn,

I can't call you spike anymore. Boo hoo. Your little mohawk strip of hair has gotten longer and started laying down on your head. I tried to put a little barrette in it but it fell out. I think I need the velcro ones. You are a talker, let me tell you. I think you like hearing yourself. You coo and smile and drool A LOT. I'm still waiting for that tooth to appear. There has to be one coming because that is a lot of drool. You have found a friend in your green bear blankie. You grab onto it and pull it up by your face when you're tired and it helps you fall asleep, especially when you're cranky. You are drinking 5 oz every 3-4 hours and sleeping 9-10 hours on most nights, but occasionally you wake up around 4-5am and need to cuddle with mommy or daddy on the couch until it's time to wake up. You also have had pear juice/water a few times to help your tummy and you love it! Oh yeah, and you weigh 12 lb 2 oz!! Love you so much, Mommy

Our New Cousins!

2008-05-27T12:35:00.005-04:00

This is Grace Elaine. She entered the world on her due date, Saturday, May 24th at 3:46pm. She weighed 8 lb. 6 oz and was 20 1/2 inches long. She has adorable cheeks that I'm pretty sure come from our side of the family. Carli was a very proud cousin that day!

This makes two new cousins in the last few months. Our cousin Brady was born on March 7th and he was almost as big as the triplets were at that point. He is a cutie and getting so big like our babies.

All About Carli

2008-05-08T09:34:00.009-04:00

As I was thinking about my letters to the babies, I decided that I needed to start writing for Carli too. I will be starting late, but she has two scrapbooks that tell about the first few years of her life and I don't know that I'll ever have time to scrapbook for Kadyn, Kennedi, and Ryli! So, here it goes....

Dear Carli,

Wow...where do I begin? You are an amazing little girl. You are four and a half years old right now. You weigh 37 pounds. Don't worry I won't always tell everyone how much you weigh! I'll have to measure you to see how tall you are because Daddy took you to your last physical and then we had your sisters three days later, so who knows where that information went. You are in preschool right now on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. You love it. Every week you come home knowing more about letters than the week before. You LOVE to read books, be read to, and read to your sisters. They love to listen to your voice. You are very smart. Daddy says you take after me. You can count to 29 yourself, sometimes skipping 15. When we fill in 30, you keep going and we just fill in 40, 50, etc. I'm sure you'll catch on to that real soon. You love to color and you are very proud of yourself for your ability to stay in the lines. I hate to say it, but you are already a little bit of a perfectionist. Sorry...that's from me too. You get upset when you are writing and you mess up a letter. I'm trying to teach you that erasing is ok. When I was growing up, I would get mad and need a new piece of paper to start over whenever I messed up. I'm trying to save you from that habit. Right now, you love to go around the house and say words and try to guess the first letter. You are pretty good at it. Even though I am a reading teacher, I do not initiate any of these activities. I only teach you as you want to know more. You are also a daddy's girl, but I rank high on the list too. You love to wrestle with Daddy and cuddle with us and you are always making deals about going to bed, getting treats, just about anything really. You are a little negotiator. You just started sleeping in your own bed again. During the summer, we moved you upstairs into the coolest pink princess room. However, as the babies' due date got closer and closer, you sensed a big change was coming and wanted to be downstairs with us, so we let you sleep in our bed for about 6 months. You told us it was too dark up there and that your nightlight wasn't bright enough, but that you would go up there if we got you a princess lamp. So we did. I am happy to say that we are all sleeping better now that you have gone back upstairs. You love to dress up. In fact, most days you don't wear clothes. You aren't naked however, you are in this beautiful Minnie dress that has definitely got its money worth. Thank you Papa Dale. Because of you, I didn't have to buy Carli any clothes this year! Just kidding!

You are also taking ballet this year and you love it. You have learned to skip, walk on a line, and several ballet steps. You also love to sing. You sing all day long. You sing songs you know and you sing songs to tunes you know and make up words about just about anything. It is adorable.

Most importantly, you have such a good heart. You love God and you pray to Him every day. You pray for your sisters, your friends, family, and neighbors. You love to help around the house and you love to love on your babies. Your sisters are so lucky to have you as their BIG SIS!

And Daddy and I are lucky to have you as our daughter!

Typical Day at the Hammonds

2008-05-07T10:16:00.002-04:00

Notice....all times and events are subject to change due to crankiness, tummyaches, not wanting to sleep for unknown reasons, etc.

7:00-Feed Baby #1 (whoever wakes up first)

7:30-Baby #1 enjoys the aquarium bouncer/Feed Baby #2

8:00-Baby #1 goes back to bed/Baby #2-bouncer/Feed Baby #3

8:30-Baby #2 goes back to bed/Baby #3-bouncer

9:00-Baby #3 goes back to bed/Breakfast for Mom and Carli

9:30-11:00 Wash bottles/Do dishes/Clean Kitchen/Play with Carli/Shower?

11:00-12:30 Second feeding cycle (same as above, but the girls go in pink bouncers and we talk and sing while I feed the next one)

12:30 Lunch for Carli

1:30-3:30 Nap for Carli/Lunch for Mom/Shower?/Laundry/Nap for Mom?

3:00-4:30 Third Feeding Cycle with Dad's Help (same as above, but the girls enjoy their swings and time on the playmat this time)

5:00 Try to eat dinner while the girls take a short nap

6:00 Fourth Feeding

7:00-8:30 Get the girls out of the house for a change of scenery! (go for a walk, visit the neighbors, go shopping, etc)

8:30 Bathtime (every other night) and Baby Einstein DVD!

9:00 Carli to bed and Last feeding of the day!

10:00 Babies in Bed (where they hopefully sleep until 7...if not, we feed anyone that wakes up and get them up again at the end of 7am feeding cycle to get them back on schedule for the day)

Book Time

2008-05-07T10:05:00.003-04:00

It's Booktime at our house! Carli loves to read and this morning she decided she wanted to read books to her sisters. Kadyn, Kennedi, and Ryli loved it. Now they know all about the Bitty Twins.

Triplet Fun!

2008-05-07T09:43:00.004-04:00

Watching Baby Einstein in Grandma's Triple Bouncer!

It's Tummy Time!

Snuggling Sisters!

Letter to Kadyn-4 months

2008-05-07T09:27:00.002-04:00

Dear Kadyn Marie,

You are the smiliest baby I know. You smile at everything and I love it. When we come into your room, you turn your head and as soon as you make eye contact with us, you get the biggest grin. You look a lot like your big sister Carli. You weigh 10 lb 14 oz and you are wearing 0-3 months clothes and size 1 diapers. You eat 4 oz every 3-4 hours and you are sleeping 7-8 hours most nights. Daddy and I are so proud of you for sleeping so good. You have more hair than your sisters and it sticks straight up. That has earned you another nickname. I hate to say it but this one might stick. We love you Spike! You have also turned into a drooly monster and I keep thinking that maybe you are getting a tooth soon, but nothing yet. You are now happy in the evenings as well thanks to our herbal supplement from Dr. Todd. That stuff is a miracle colic stopper. You love to go for walks in the evenings when it is nice out. The fresh air sometimes puts you to sleep. You amaze me every day with how strong you are...you lay on your tummy and hold your head up. Your sisters don't really like tummy time yet, but you don't mind it too much. We love you so much sweetie and we can't wait to see what you will do next.

Love, Mommy

Letter to Kennedi-4 months

2008-05-07T09:09:00.002-04:00

Dear Kennedi-

You are getting so big. You weigh 10 lb 3 oz!! That is just amazing to me to think that you are almost 3 times what you weighed when you were born. You are wearing 0-3 month clothes and you are in size 1 diapers. You are eating 4 oz every 3-4 hours and you are sleeping 7-8 hours at night. Woo hoo for sleep! You are smiling so much and you even giggled the other day when daddy said, "Boom!" It was so cute. Every time he said it, you would pause, then giggle! Daddy is so funny. You love sitting in the aquarium bouncer and kicking the fish so that the aquarium will bubble and you have lots to say to those fish inside. You also are a big fan of Baby Beethoven. I have never seen you kick your feet so much and in rhythm with the music. You are either going to be a soccer player or a musician! Or both! You are looking more like Ryli every day and Daddy and I sometimes mix you up if we look too quick. But once we take a closer look, you are identifiable by your chunky cheeks and your face is a little longer than Ry's. You are also now happy in the evenings thanks to our miracle herbal supplement from Dr. Todd and we are so grateful that you don't cry for 2-3 hours every night anymore. You love to make eye contact with us and smile and it just melts my heart. You are a very sweet baby and we love you so much.

Love, Mommy

Letter to Ryli-4 months

2008-04-16T16:26:00.008-04:00

Dear Ryli,

I know I said this last time but you have grown so much. You now weigh 8 lb 10 oz and you are 21 1/4 inches long. You are smiling and cooing at daddy and I and we love how you respond to us and make eye contact when we talk to you. As soon as daddy walks into the room you are smiling. I definitely have a bunch of daddy's girls. You are eating 3-4 oz every 3-4 hours and at nighttime, you are sleeping so good. You eat around 9:30-10pm and wake up after about 6 1/2 hours then cuddle on the couch with daddy for another hour or so. Then we feed you and your sisters around 5:30-6am. I love sleeping and I love that you are sleeping because you are a happy baby when you wake up. You do like to cry for some reason from 6-9 every night. We have learned that you and your sisters like to be moving during that time, so we will take you for walks when it is warm enough or we have gone on shopping trips to Kohls, Target, and the mall. It keeps us from going crazy in the house with three cranky girls. Daddy likes to drive through starbucks on the way home, but you like to cry so they can't hear his order through the drive-through. We can't wait til this colicky time is over. You are wearing newborn size diapers and newborn clothes still but you'll be in 0-3 months clothes and size 1 diapers very soon. I am trying to use the open package of newborn diapers then you'll go up. I started writing this last week and since then, we have been giving you and your sisters an herbal supplement for your colic and it is working miracles. We have happy babies at 7:00. Thank you Dr. Todd! We love you so much Ryli! We are so lucky to have such a sweet baby! Happy 4 months!

Love, Mommy

3 Month Weight Update (a little late)

2008-04-16T16:23:00.002-04:00

At 3 months...

Kadyn weighed 9 lb 13 oz.

Kennedi weighed 8 lb 15 oz

Ryli weighed 7 lb 7 oz

Hello again

2008-04-16T16:09:00.006-04:00

I know it seems like forever since I've posted anything. I feel like it was just yesterday that I was writing about the girls being 2 months and they are going to be 4 months old in another 5 days. They are doing wonderful. In fact, after eating last night at 9:30, they slept until 5:30 this morning!! Yes, that was 8 hours!!! I don't know what to do with 8 hours of sleep. I'm going to write my letters to the girls later, but for now, here are some cute pictures!

Kadyn and Ryli sleeping in their boppys

It's Tummy Time!

Kennedi, Kadyn, Ryli (clockwise from the left)

Tummy Time with Minnie (aka Carli)

Sisters...

2008-03-06T14:36:00.006-05:00

Ryli- "Help! My sister is eating my head!"

Kennedi- "I don't know what she's talking about. I'm innocent."

Letter to Kennedi-2 months

2008-03-06T14:12:00.002-05:00

Dear Kennedi,
You are now two months old and you are so beautiful. Daddy and I are so lucky to have you. You have grown from 3 lb 8 oz to 7 lb 9 oz. You have cute little chubby cheeks and rolls in your neck just like your big sister Carli had. Everyone thinks you're so small and I think you're huge because I've seen you grow so much. You are a pretty good eater and sleeper. You eat about 4 oz every 3 hours and you go four hours between some feedings during the night just like your sisters. I really think you would sleep longer if they didn't wake you up. You love to look around and you are very strong. You hold your head up and when you're on your belly you kick up your legs and arch your back. It looks like you are about to roll over and then you straighten out. You don't cry too much except for when you're hungry or you have a tummyache. You look a lot like Ryli and we are having a hard time telling you apart from a distance. You have chubbier cheeks and are a little bigger, but she is catching up. You have a little bit of hair and it looks like it is going to be light brown/blonde like Carli's. I love watching how you are changing each and becoming more aware of what is going on around you. I can't wait to see you smile. I know it will be soon. We love you so much.
Love, Mommy

Letter to Ryli-2 months

2008-03-06T11:06:00.003-05:00

Dear Ryli,
Wow. It's hard to believe that two months ago you were only 2 lb 12 oz. You have grown so much. You now weigh 6 lb and you are so adorable. You are becoming more alert and love to look around with your wide eyes. You surprised everyone a couple weeks ago when you rolled over. Yes, you my little peanut, rolled over not once, not twice, but THREE times. You were laying on your tummy getting your picture taken and kicked your legs up and flipped right over onto your back. It happened on February 20 and seeing your milestones are being tracked from my due date instead of your birthday, you were technically only 4 days old! You are so advanced. You love to cuddle with us, especially in the middle of the night. You are eating about 3 oz from a bottle every three hours and occasionally you go four hours between feedings at night to give us a little more sleep. We are grateful for every minute, so thank you for that hour. You don't really like to have your diaper changed because you hate being naked, especially when you're hungry. We like to call you Ry-Ry and your big sister Carli has claimed you as "her baby." She loves to hold you and kiss you and she gets upset if I take you somewhere without her. We love you so much and can't wait to see how you grow this month.
Love, Mommy

Letter to Kadyn-2 months

2008-03-06T10:47:00.006-05:00

Dear Kadyn,
You are now two months old. I can't believe how much you have changed since you were born. You now weigh 7 lb 15 oz and you have adorable chunky cheeks and a few chins, all of which are very kissable. You are becoming more and more alert every day. You look all over and are beginning to react more when I talk to you. You started smiling at us this weekend, March 2. It is so cute to see the corners of your little lips lift up and your mouth open. I tried to catch it on camera as I was feeding your sister so we'll see if it turned out. You have darker hair and more hair than your sisters. Although some of it is rubbing off on the back. I am hoping that your hair will stay dark like mine. You eat about every three hours right now and take about 4 oz each time. Sometimes, you go four hours between eating at night. We really appreciate that extra hour of sleep you give us. You definitely have some personality showing through. You earned a couple nicknames....don't worry we won't call you them forever. Poop-a-licious....you earned that name after exploding with liquid poop at the dr's office. It shot all the way across the exam room and all over me. It was pretty funny, although probably not for the nurse that had to clean it up. Your other nickname is Puke-a-licious...that one came from the fact that you spit up ALL the time. No matter how many times we burp you, as soon as we move you to your seat or bed or even to our shoulder, you have projectile spit-ups. I love to snuggle with you and watch you lift your head up off my chest. You are so strong. Your daddy and I love you so much and can't wait to see what this month has in store for you. Maybe a little more sleep...I know I'm dreaming. That's ok. Someday you'll sleep through the night and I won't know what to do.
Love, Mommy

I'm still alive....just exhausted!!

2008-02-27T14:55:00.004-05:00

Day 3 on my own...

Chad went back to work on Monday and it is a whole new world in my house with 1 adult, 3 newborns, and a 4-year-old. The girls are all doing great. They eat every three hours. I can feed them in a little over an hour, which gives me an hour and a half to accomplish the other tasks of the day including breakfast, lunch, washing and making bottles, playing with Carli, snuggling with the babies, pumping, and maybe a shower if I'm lucky. I'm loving it and will love it even more when they sleep a little longer at night. 6 hours of sleep just isn't the same when it's in 2 hour chunks!

The babies have their 2 month checkup on Friday. I am a little nervous that they might not let us back in the office after our last visit. That is the day that my dear sweet Kadyn was given the name "Poop-a-licious." As we were changing her diaper to get her weight check, she exploded with poop that sprayed across the room at least 4 feet, covering the exam table, the carpet, and best of all my sweatshirt. Chad and I stood there in shock and then laughed A LOT because what else can you do when you are in small room with 4 kids and you (or your wife) are covered in liquid poop?

I've got pictures, but seeing I'm typing one-handed with a sleeping baby in my other arm, I'll have to post those later.

Thanks to everyone who has brought us meals, shoveled our driveway, and encouraged and prayed for us during this time. We feel so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family. You can pray for Chad. He picked up Carli last night and fell to the floor from pain shooting through his lower back. I don't know if he pinched a nerve or what, but he wasn't walking too well today. He is at the chiropractor right now. Hopefully he can get some relief. I definitely need him at full strength!!

More later...it's feeding time again!!

Who are we??

2008-02-07T11:16:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday, we had to go to the hospital for shots and I was amazed at the resemblance of my girls as they all sat in their car seats with their pink hats on. Can you guess who is who??

We're Home!!

2008-02-07T10:41:00.000-05:00

for those of you waiting for an update...
We've gotten a little busy in the last few days as Kennedi and Ryli are home! They came home on Saturday and it is so wonderful having them here. No more trips to the hospital and balancing our time between there and home. We just don't have time anymore to balance!! Just kidding. They are actually adjusting very well. They eat every three hours and sleep a lot, until nighttime comes around, then they squeal and grunt and plot against us, so that we can't go to bed. I don't have long before it's feeding time again, but I wanted to post some pictures of my sweeties.

Our First Family Photo

We're Best Friends! All Three Sisters!

Wubba-Nub Anyone?

2008-01-25T12:55:00.000-05:00

Whoever invented this thing is a genius. It's a beanie baby with a soothie pacifier attached to the end so babies can hang onto it and it's much easier to find. I never heard of these until we received them as a gift from Chad's cousins. They are awesome. Thanks Walz family!!

Kadyn is so cute and kissable...

Got milk?

2008-01-25T12:49:00.000-05:00

I sure do. Seriously, this is only about 1/4 of my stash or less, but I couldn't fit anymore in my freezer. As it is, I have to take another load to Denny and Lynn's freezer or there will be no room for food!!

The First One Home

2008-01-24T16:30:00.000-05:00

It's me Kadyn. I moved into my house on Saturday. I left my two sisters at the hospital because I was eating from a bottle and they weren't. I am cheering them on every time I go visit and I think they are starting to get the hang of it. Here are my favorite things about being home:

*I get to snuggle with my big sister Carli. She loves to hold me and helped Mommy give me a bath the other night.

*I get to snuggle with my mommy and daddy all the time. I love to sleep on their chest. I have to do it now before my sisters come home and I have to share!

*When I'm hungry, they feed me. You would think I hadn't eaten in three days instead of three hours because when I'm hungry, I let them know and I want to eat NOW!

*My dog Mia gives me lots of kisses.

*My cat Coby tries to play with me in the middle of the night by pawing on my door or the side of my pack-n-play. I'm just too sleepy though, so he'll have to wait til I'm bigger.

*I get to swing and bounce in my bouncy seat, although Mommy won't let me right after I eat because I tend to spit up!! I have to start taking Zantac today. I have a little reflux.

Well, that's all for now. I have to take a nap. Blogging wears me out!!

Oh yeah... I weigh 5 lb 5 oz. Kennedi weighs 5 lb 6 oz and Ryli weighs 4 lb 4 oz.

Love you all,

Kadyn Marie Hammond

Am I cute or what?!

"Where have you been?"

2008-01-18T22:10:00.000-05:00

Kadyn and Kennedi

Ryli, Kadyn, and Kennedi

This is what we imagine our girls were saying to each other as they laid in Kadyn's crib all together. This was the cutest thing I have seen since they were born. Kadyn was wide awake and trying to suck on her sisters' faces. It was hilarious!!

And the big news...Kadyn is coming home tomorrow!! We are so excited! All she has to do is pass her car seat test, have good weight gain tomorrow, and no destats, meaning no alarms on her monitors, which shouldn't be a problem. She wants to come home and meet Mia!!

Weight update as of 1/17/08 (It will change tomorrow of course!!)

Ryli 3 lb 13 oz Kadyn 4 lb 15 oz Kennedi 4 lb 14 oz

Our First Road Trip!

2008-01-16T22:27:00.000-05:00

The girls officially have a new home! We made the move today to Foote's Special Care Nursery. This move was supposed to happen Monday, but due to circumstances beyond our control, including Chad's mumps scare, (he didn't have the mumps) infectious disease control would not release us until Chad's bloodwork came back today. What a nice memory to add to this time period! I'm sure it's one we will laugh at down the road, but this week was very frustrating. Chad finally got to see the girls for the first time in 10 days when they arrived at Foote late this afternoon. After being so unsure about the move, I felt a total peace about it today once the decision was finally made. I am so happy to have them only 10 minutes away and they are receiving great care.

The girls have all grown a ton this week. As of yesterday, Kadyn weighed 4 lb 14 oz, Kennedi weighed 4 lb 11 oz, and Ryli weighed 3 lb 11 oz. Kadyn has eaten all her feedings since last night from a bottle and will be moving home in less than a week. I wouldn't be surprised if it's by this weekend. Kennedi officially is in a crib because she is holding her own temperature and she is taking about half of her feedings from a bottle. Ryli is still in an isolette. Usually when babies reach a certain weight, they can hold their temperature better and she is almost to that weight, so it shouldn't be long. She also is eating about half of her feedings from a bottle. When they can hold their temp and take all their feedings for 24 hours without using the feeding tube, they can come home!! I can't believe how close we are to having our family all under one roof.

Here are a few pictures...I don't have too many because I was at the hospital all week by myself and it's hard to take pictures when you're busy snuggling with three adorable babies!

Ryli Kennedi

Kadyn

January 9, 2008

2008-01-09T19:51:00.000-05:00

I had a great day bonding with the girls today. I went for the first time by myself to the hospital while Chad went back to school. He is really sick though and will be home tomorrow trying to fight off bronchitis and keep it from turning into anything worse. I have never heard him cough so bad. So, he is banned from seeing the girls for a few days and it is killing him. So. please pray for him to get better and that Carli and I can stay healthy. I have been washing my hands like crazy, changing the sheets, and cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. I can't get sick!

Anyway, back to my day with the girls. I started off by holding Ryli while she ate and having her suck on her pacifier. We're working on that sucking thing....I can't wait til she gets the hang of it. Then we snuggled until it was time for Kadyn to eat. I thought I would try to give her a bottle. She has been doing the best at sucking but today she was apparently too tired, because I couldn't get her to wake up for even one sip. Oh well, we still got to cuddle. Then I headed upstairs to Mott's Family Resource Center where I ate lunch and read a magazine. I headed back downstairs where I found Kennedi to be WIDE AWAKE. I was so excited. I gave her a bath and got her dressed and we chatted and then I let her rest until it was time for her to eat. Her eating time went pretty much the same as Kadyn's. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ....................I guess that bath wore her out. The nurses assured me that they will just catch on one day and never turn back. I can't wait....that's a big step to coming home!

Weights-you won't believe it!

Kadyn- 4 lb. 5 oz. Ryli- 3 lb. 2 oz. Kennedi- 4 lb. 4 oz.

Not moving yet...

2008-01-07T19:16:00.000-05:00

When we arrived at the hospital today, the dr informed us that the eye dr wants to wait another week to test Miss Ryli's eyes. We were happy about that because it means they can stay where they're at for one more week. Then, depending on how they are doing on their feedings next week, we will decide the next step. We don't want to move them if they are really close to coming home. No need to put them through all that transition if it's not necessary. Good news... all three girls had their hearing tested today and passed with flying colors. So, we know they can hear, we'll see if they listen as they get older!!

4 pounders!!

2008-01-06T20:54:00.000-05:00

Congrats to Miss Kadyn and Miss Kennedi who have achieved the 4 pound mark!! Way to grow!! Ryli is on her way to catching them though at 3 lb 1 oz. Ryli gets to have her eyes tested tomorrow or next Monday depending on the eye dr's schedule. It is just a precautionary thing due to the fact she was less than 1500 grams when she was born. I'm sure she will excel at the eye test because I have already taught her how to read!! If all is well, they are going to transfer the girls to Foote very soon. They are no longer needing ICU care and will go to the special care nursery for a short time while they continue to learn to eat and put on a little more weight. Chad and I were a little hesitant at first about leaving U of M because they have been so wonderful. But if they stayed there, they would probably move them up to the childrens' floor and they wouldn't have 24 hour care. So, the nurses highly recommended that they move here where they would have someone with them all the time, just in case. So, we'll see. The plans could change of course.

We're 2 weeks old!! (tomorrow)

2008-01-03T19:51:00.000-05:00

A little update on our sweet peas...

Weights...

Kadyn 3 lb 13 oz
Ryli 3 lb!!
Kennedi 3 lb 14 oz

We gave them all baths today and got them dressed in little gowns that we got to bring from home. They are swimming in them but they sure are cute!! They are all on breastmilk with some high calorie powder mixed in to help them gain weight. The dr told us today that we may be able to bring them home around when they would be 36 weeks, which is just over 2 weeks away. We are planning on the end of January so we don't get our hopes up, but we are excited at the thought of them being home sooner than that. They all showed us their beautiful blue eyes today. It is so nice to hold them and have them awake for a little bit, even if it's only a few minutes. Here they are...

Kennedi (aka "Carli's baby)

Ryli

Kadyn

I'm the Big Sister!

2007-12-31T20:41:00.000-05:00

Carli is in awe of her three sisters. She is so precious with them. When they are in their isolettes, she washes her hands and sticks her hands in and touches them and talks to them and they totally respond to her by opening their eyes or turning towards her. It is amazing because they recognize her voice from her talking to them in my belly. When we hold them, she helps us, kisses them, and she puts her hand over their eyes to block the light so they will open their eyes more. It is so cute.

A little funny story.....the last day we were at the hospital, Carli was with Chad and I in my room and I was pumping milk for the girls. She looked at me and here's our conversation.

Carli: I don't want to see those.

Me: See what?

Carli: Your elbows.

Me: My what?

Carli: Your elbows. They look funny.

So, every three hours I have to take care of my "elbows." Ha ha! Here's some pictures of the big sister loving on her babies!

Happy New Year--We're 10 Days Old!

2007-12-31T20:21:00.001-05:00

A little New Years update...Things are going great with the girls. God is so good. They are eating more each day. They are on bolus feedings now where they get 3 hours of milk during an hour (still through their feeding tube) and then they have to wait two hours to eat again. This is getting them on a three hour schedule and helping their bellies to handle more food at one time. They are all tolerating this very well. Kadyn has her IV out and Ryli and Kennedi probably will very soon.

As of yesterday, Kadyn was 3 lb 11 1/2 oz, Kennedi was 3 lb 11 oz and our little peanut Ryli was up to 2 lb 14 oz. So they lost weight after they were born like all babies do and have got it back with a few extra ounces at this point.

Yesterday was the best day...I got to hold all three of my pumpkins at the same time. I was holding two together because they moved their bed a little so both of their wires would reach me. Then Kadyn's nurse unhooked her and brought her over and stuck her in the middle of the other two. Here's a picture of this precious moment when they were reunited!!

Would the real RYLI HAMMOND, Please stand up, Please stand up.

2007-12-28T22:32:00.000-05:00

As I had told you two days ago, I would come at you full speed with pics,,,, but do you really think I could do that without a little update first. Of course not!

First off, the girls are doing great with each of them jumping up in the food consumption. Kadyn is still the only one to not, again as Carli would say "go poopy." Today on the way home Cristi and I were discussing how funny it is to watch as the girls are beginning to do little things that set them apart..... Kadyn, well she just sleeps...... Ryli, she is the one who wants nothing to do with people telling her what to do, she pulls out every IV they try to put in.... Kennedi, she will be the next Me (chad) of the family, she can't stay still for more that a few minutes, she will definitely be the athletic one of the family.

Cristi and I are still struggling with the fact that we can't be around the girls 24/7, but we do realize that we have been blessed with some amazing people to watch over our little princesses. We just pray every night when we leave to drive back home that they will continue to grow and develop. After hearing stories of people with children in the NICU I realize that already I have begun to take for granted the fact that we haven't met road blocks along the way, I think that this is why every time I hear one of their stories I can't help but get tears in my eyes. Cristi and I are so blessed. Please continue to pray for each of our girls development.

I can't give you the pics again until I tell you about how I was forced to play Polly Pockets at Starbucks. To start out the day yesterday, Cristi and I decided that I would stay home with Carli while she went with her mother and grandmother to see the girls, so I could have a date day (she and I have been trying to do this at least once a week). We decided that we were going to go to see "Alvin and the Chipmunks." We laughed together throughout the whole thing. After the movie we headed to Toys R Us to spend some of her Christmas money, this is where the Polly Pockets came into play. After this adventure that went faster than any toy shopping spree before, we headed over to Starbucks to get Coffee.... Carli of course got hot chocolate....I'm not that dumb, I want her sleep a little at night. This is where I got suckered into playing with her toys....... It surprisingly was awesome to spend time with her doing something that she wanted to do........ I only got a few funny looks from the coffee consumers. I don't understand what is so weird about a grown man (yes I sometimes can be grown-up) making noises of dolls and cats as he walks a doll across the table. All fathers of daughters reading this, you know what I mean. If you have boys, just imagine and only laugh to yourself please.

RYLI

KADYN

KENNEDI

? WHO ARE YOU ?

2007-12-26T22:51:00.001-05:00

OK, so the confusion has begun, Cristi and I just had what seems like a life savings worth of photos developed. Good news; the pictures turned out great. Bad news; a few pics are of one of our daughters, just not sure who :) Man is this going to be fun trying to decide who is who until they come home! I know you have all seen the commercial that talks about something being priceless. Well, if you could have seen us on the couch debating when the picture was taken, what color the blankets are, the color of the pacifier, eyebrows, amounts of hair or lack of it...... holy cow, that was priceless. We are definitely going to take stock in SHARPIE. People have told us little tricks to remember them at the early stages, but I think I have come up with a great way; draw a smiley face on their cheek using different colors. I know you are laughing and maybe even some of you have picked up the phone to call social services, but relax Cristi and I will use WASHABLE MARKERS. :) All joking aside how can we tell you in words how blessed we are to have been taken down this road as a family. I can only hope that these pics tell the true story of the beauty of these 3 blessings............

KENNEDI

KADYN

RYLI

SO,,, we realized after looking through the pictures that we don't have enough close-ups of Ryli, due to the fact that she was not warm enough for us to take out yesterday,,,, so as of this moment we have declared tomorrow to be RYLI DAY............ sorry

From the other half...

2007-12-26T00:02:00.001-05:00

Well, it's my turn to give the update. Chad has been doing a great job and he'll have to add on and put on pictures later, but I wanted to get some of my thoughts on here. I can't believe how God can be so good. I have the three most beautiful little miracles here. There are so many emotions that I am experiencing daily.

The first day, I was just overwhelmed by the surgery itself and the recovery. The whole IV thing started things on shaky ground for me. Then it was off to the operating room to be prepped while Chad was in the hall waiting. I had taken his comfort for granted up until this point. It seemed like everything took forever and although everyone was wonderful in there, I really had to pray for strength to get through this part on my own. Finally, they had me stabilized and prepped, and Chad came in and we were ready to go. The surgery itself amazed me as they pulled three little girls out of me. I heard each one cry a little cry and then they were taken off to the next room to be weighed and evaluated. Chad was able to go see them and hold them and it's amazing how I was able to be more brave when it came to him being with my girls. The surgery wrapped up and we were off to recovery where I was pretty shaky and lightheaded when I moved, so I laid still and enjoyed the time chatting with Chad and my mom and Chad's parents. I had only seen Ryli at that point for the couple seconds they brought her in, so it was cool to hear from the rest of them about how beautiful my girls were and how well they were doing. Later in the day, I went to see them in the NICU, but I was still pretty shaky so it was hard to focus on them at all. I was just trying to keep from getting sick, and so we didn't get to bond that day.

The second day, I got to take a shower. The world is so much better when you feel clean. It just gives you an attitude adjustment. And then I got to hold Ryli. I was in awe. We snuggled and I got to see a little bit of personality come out as she attempted to remove her feeding tube from her mouth. Little did I know then, but she repeated this often over the next couple days. Our families and some friends came to visit and it was so nice to have the support of people around us. Saturday night, after everyone left, I got to hold Kennedi. I sat in a recliner chair for at least an hour with her snuggled in my arms and I felt like her mom for the first time. She has been making great strides each day, as Chad as shared, and it melted me when she cried and cried as the nurse put her back in her little bed. She wanted her mommy.

Sunday-day three-as Chad shared, started off with me going in for a cat scan and the doctors believing I had a blood clot on my right lung. I was very nervous and I can't thank you enough for your prayers, because that's the only way I know how to explain where my negative results came from later that night. God is so good. Sunday was a day of bonding for me-I hadn't held Kadyn yet, but I had my hands on her and I was talking to her and she tried to open her eyes when she heard my voice. That was another heart warmer as she knew her mommy's voice. That night, I got to give Kennedi a sponge bath in her little isolette. Once again, I felt a new bond with her and a reminder that this precious gift from God was truly mine. While I was bathing her, her nurse was talking to me about nursing and how that is my new job, bringing in milk, and I went back to the room feeling like I would do anything for them. I prepared for a night of pumping every three hours and I was grateful for the chance to do that for them.

Monday-We got to go home! I had mixed feelings of course, but I was so excited to get home to Carli so we could spend Christmas Eve together at home and so that she could open her presents Christmas morning. We spent the morning wrapping up last minute details and spent the afternoon with the girls. I got a fun surprise as we made our last visit. They moved all three of the girls into the same room next to each other. Up until this point, Ryli and Kennedi had been in room 2 but on opposite ends of the room, and Kadyn was in room 1. Now, they are all in room 1 and their beds line one wall of the room. So, they can do some bonding of their own when we're not there.

Today-what a merry Christmas it has been! We went to Chad's parents for breakfast and presents and then we headed up to the hospital after I took a big nap on the couch. Chad's parents and Carli went with us. It was so nice to see my little pumpkins. I got to hold Kadyn and Kennedi both for awhile. Ryli's temp was down a little, because they had been working on her earlier (someone pulled their feeding tube out AGAIN!) , so we couldn't hold her, but we'll be back tomorrow. We did get to touch her and chat with her. They each got a bag of presents from the NICU with animals, an outfit, a blanket, and a picture of each of them. I have never had a more wonderful Christmas as I did today!

So, that's my little update. Chad is going to do more tomorrow and add pictures, because we've got lots of new and adorable ones!

DAY THREE A LITTLE LATE

2007-12-23T23:31:00.000-05:00

Today has been a true day of rest for both Cristi and I. Our day began with a little scare. At 5:30 this morning Cristi underwent a CT scan to check on a pain in her right chest. The preliminary result early was that there was a blood clot in her lung...... they don't mess around with this kind of stuff. They did tell us that it is usually a 100% chance that the preliminary result is always right. But, what they don't realize around here is that #1) God doesn't listen to preliminary results and #2) we are SPARTAN FANS (ok so they know this about us) and we won't let the negative beginnings determine our final results. Before I get to the Pics that you are all waiting for, I want you to know that our prayers have been answered, the results came back that Cristi does not have a clot. YEAH!!!!!!! We also found out that we are able to go home to see Carli and spend Christmas with her, double YEAH!!!!

Lets see, what does the TV world do at this point, they usually go to a commercial. I won't do that, so enjoy........ (Kadyn didn't have many good pics today, as she was recovering from her busy day yesterday. I will put some of her in tomorrow.)
Ryli and Kennedi are the Identical twins,,,,, the pictures that we have taken here are truly amazing, they do look alike....

Cristi and I think this is Ryli's princess look for the day

Kennedi was showing her baby blues to us all day :)

Kennedi before getting a bath from Mommy

Kennedi after the bath,,,,, she loved it all

Day Two

2007-12-22T08:43:00.000-05:00

Good Morning, things on this end are still going wonderful. Now that the hustle and bustle of yesterday has calmed down, I can give you a better idea of what has been going on with the Hammond starting line-up. Cristi and I started our day out at 4:30 am and made our way to the hospital at 5:30. The reality is that neither of us really sleep all that much during the night. Mia (our dog) knew something was going on, as she didn't leave Cristi's side during the night. Surgery went off without a hitch except for the fact that the brilliant nurse tried to find an IV connection not once not twice but three times. The anesthesiologist finally came in and successfully hooked in the IV on his first try. He was actually the one that was in the surgery with us, a truly amazing man, not only did he do his job well, but he was constantly updating Cristi as we went along. Sure is nice to know that people were there for us and the needs most of all of Cristi. I have been totally amazed with all the people that have a hand in our care. There doesn't seem to be anyone that puts themselves first,,,,,, we come first, what a blessing. This goes for the people in the NICU unit most of all. I am calling them our girls angels as we move along in this journey.

Here is the update for the morning on the girls:

Kadyn: She is doing wonderful today, she currently is still on the breather (as Carli calls it) machine to assist her lungs with the process. I found out last night that I still have really good emotions. They attempted to take her off the ventilator to see if she could breath full time on her own; that didn't work. As I stood over my daughter I prayed that her lungs would strengthen, this is when a nurse came to me to reassure me that this was the best thing for her at the time. She also told me that she is breathing on her own with a little aid from the machine. So, she is doing some on her own, just not the 100% like the other girls. She also shared with me that she bets in one week that she will be the strongest of the three because of the machine and how it is allowing her lungs to strengthen.......... This morning when I put my hands on Kadyn's head and feet she moved and began to nuzzle her head into my hand, and responded every time that I said, Daddy loves you. She is awesome.

Kennedi: She is turning out to be Carli as a baby. The nurses, after seeing Carli last night, came to me this morning to tell me that they could see Carli laying in the bed. When I entered the NICU this morning I was met by Mama Rose (Kennedi's nurse) who told me that I was going to have my hands full. She said the Kennedi cried at some points and could be heard throughout the room. Kennedi is currently on the plan of milk by the end of the day if things go ok. She is so beautiful..... When I reached into her bed this morning she turned her head so that she could hear me and grabbed my finger, I know all babies do this, but she was crying before I did it and wasn't when she was holding my finger that is larger than her entire hand. So I will chalk that one up to the daddy touch.

Ryli: Our little blessing. She is continuing to be the smallest of the group. Every time I enter the room she is the first that I get to see, she was the smallest, but was the first to take a breath of fresh air on her own. Today I had the best moment, besides the actual birth, when I reached my hands in to touch her head and say good morning, she gave out a big smile,,,, she knows my voice, which still continues to amaze me. We are going to take pics today of our hands compared to her little toes and fingers, she is so precious. I love the that fact that she is beating the odds. How does the saying go? BIG things come in LITTLE packages.

Please continue to pray, for not only Cristi, but also the girls as this is still a delicate time in their development..... I'll add more later,,,,,,chad

Kennedi, SUPER STAR (nurse nickname of course)

2007-12-21T22:49:00.000-05:00

A baby isn't supposed to be using the sucking techniques until week 34,,,,,, someone forgot to tell that to this little Angel (note the bubby in her mouth,,,,, Carli has helped us come up with that name for a pacifier (There you go Rochelle) :)

I will add more tomorrow as I am having a hard time staying awake as Cristi is getting her rest. We have plenty of pics and I will make sure to update you all tomorrow with them.......

Baby Number Two-----Ryli for short

2007-12-21T22:34:00.000-05:00

Even though she is the smallest she proves that she can still be mommies little girl

Kadyn,,,,,,, I'm the BIG sister

2007-12-21T22:19:00.000-05:00

You can't tell by the picture but she did feel like it was pee pee time...... As you can tell I was the recipient of this encounter, can't think of a better bonding experience for a proud dad

WOW-WOW-WOW

2007-12-21T16:42:00.000-05:00

Ok OK OK, that that that, says says says it it it all all all........ sorry we are still adjusting to the fact that our family has just doubled in the matter of a few hours. As you can probably tell our little additions have entered the world. Cristi and the girls are doing great. I am going to make this addition a bit quick as we are expecting a few visitors. The girls arrived at 8:55, 8:56, and 8:57 with Kadyn Marie Hammond being the first to enter the world at 3 pounds 10 ounces. The next to enter was Ryli Michelle Hammond weighing in at 2 pounds 12 ounces. Last but not least please welcome Kennedi Lyn Hammond weighing in at 3 pounds 8 ounces. Again, all are doing well; I will update later with all the nitty gritty details, and of course the pictures of beauty, the beauty coming from their mothers side of course. thanks for your prayers, chad

Babies are Coming!

2007-12-20T22:52:00.000-05:00

I have to make this short because I have to go to bed, but wanted to let everyone know we are going in tomorrow 12/21 for our c-section. The babies are coming!! Please pray for everything to go smoothly and that God will protect our little ones as they make their arrival.

Chad will update this with info and pictures as soon as he can.

Another dose of reality

2007-12-15T21:23:00.000-05:00

On Thursday night, Chad and I had a little scare. I was having contractions every 5-10 minutes. So I called the hospital and they said I better come in and get checked. I figured by the time we reached Ann Arbor, they would probably stop and I would look silly for coming in, but that wasn't the case. They were actually 2-5 minutes apart by then. Next thing I know, I have a dr in my room telling me they are going to admit me, give me steroid shots for the babies' lungs, and have the NICU dr come in and tell us about babies that are born at this stage. I was freaking out just a little. You see, I was coming in to the hospital so my contractions would stop, not to have babies that night.

So, we were in the hospital until Saturday afternoon. I was given lots of fluids. The meds to stop the contractions slowed them way down, make me feel like I was going to pass out, but did their job. And I got the two doses of steroids to help the babies lungs develop. The NICU dr came in and gave Chad and I some great info about our babies and where they are at. It would be even better for them to go another couple weeks, but if they were born now, they would be much better off than say a couple weeks ago. I am now 31 weeks along, and alot of risks drop off at 30 weeks and even more at 32, so that's my next goal, which is only 6 days away. I am on the couch for now, trying to make that happen. I am stlll having contractions, but as long as they aren't 5 minutes apart and I can't walk or talk through them all, I don't have to go back. I have an irritable uterus telling me it's time, but my beautiful cervix is still closed and holding those babies in. That's why I got to come home. Once again, way to go cervix!!

On this Thursday, I will still go for my growth ultrasound and my dr and I will pick a delivery date from there. I am so excited. Please just pray that we can get make it through this week and that God will continue to protect our three little sweet peas.

Am I really going to have three babies?

2007-12-12T08:59:00.000-05:00

A new level of reality hit me yesterday as my dr talked to me about steroid shots for the babies' lungs and possibly scheduling my c-section after next Thursday's ultrasound appointment. That's only a possibility, but a scary one at that. It all depends on the babies' growth since my last ultrasound 2 weeks ago and how everything else is looking. I just assumed I had 4 1/2 weeks til D-Day at 35 weeks and it looks like we won't be going that far anymore. He said probably 34 weeks at the most. WHOA! My dr is great though. He said he is just looking to get the babies out at just the right time, not too early where they would really struggle in the NICU, and not too late to where they would have complications in me. So, like goldilocks, we are looking for "JUST RIGHT."

Many emotions came over me yesterday...I thought I was going to hyperventilate on the way out of the office. I don't know if I was thinking they were going to stay in my belly forever, but apparently they have to actually come out at some point. Then we came home and Chad and I started thinking of all the stuff we have to do before they do come out. It's really not that much, it just feels that way. Then I just started laughing. We are going to have three babies and a four-year-old sometime in the next month!! WOW!! I bet that is what God is doing too, just laughing at us scrambling around, knowing all the while that He has a perfect plan for our girls. And that we are totally in the dark as to what that plan is!!

Anyway, we would love continued prayers for our little ones, that they would grow as they need to, that their cords and placentas would keep giving them the nutrition they need, and that God would give Chad and I peace (and maybe some extra sleep-ha ha) as the arrival of our miracles approaches fast.

30 weeks

2007-12-07T09:01:00.000-05:00

Another big milestone.....I am 30 weeks as of tomorrow! The next big milestone is 32 weeks and I know we are going to make it!! Yesterday we went to the hospital for a biophysical profile. What they do is hook me up to an ultrasound machine and wait for the babies to perform some tricks. They have to do three things in a 30 minute time frame. They have to have good fluid around them. They have to move. And they have to practice breathing for 30 seconds. Let me tell you...moving is not a problem for my three angels!! We had to wait a little bit for Kadyn to do her practice breathing. Apparently she decided it was naptime, but then she woke up and passed the challenge with no trouble. I will be going every week from now on for one of these profiles and seeing my dr every week as well. I will try to add a picture for this week, but it's getting more and more difficult to find things in my closet that actually cover my belly!!

The Annual Christmas Tree Hunt

2007-12-01T15:54:00.000-05:00

Every year since Chad and I have been married, we have ventured to the great outdoors to cut down our very own Christmas tree. Usually we come home with a tree that is somewhat the size of the Griswolds' tree in the movie Christmas Vacation. The trees just never seem to look that big in the tree field and then they take up half our living room or more. So, this year, we headed out with Chad's parents, went to two Christmas tree farms, and ended up with a tree we thought was kinda small. But I think it is actually the perfect size now that it is standing up in our living room. During our adventure, I was able to take a rest on the tree cart, which specifically said "no adult riders." Shhhhh...don't tell. Here's a great family picture with Big Mama and Carli on the cart being pushed by Dad.

11/29 Weigh in

2007-11-29T19:44:00.000-05:00

The babies are growing, although Ryli and Kennedi are a little smaller than they would like, so I'm on the weekly appt schedule now. Kadyn is 2 lb 8 oz, Ryli is 2 lb 2 oz, and Kennedi is 2 lb 1 oz. My cervix is still beautiful and my dr is sure they will continue to grow, but they just want to watch them a little closer. I think my cold hasn't helped them so now that I'm better, I'm going to beef them up with lots of protein!! And chocolate!! (Chad made me add that considering I just sent him to the store for a butterfinger. Mmmmm....) The good news is that they have crossed another milestone of getting over 1000 grams, which I think is around 2 pounds, so my dr was happy about that and with my cervix being as nice as it is, they seem to have lots of time to grow before their arrival!! They also took some 3D pictures today, so we saw Kadyn's face, Ryli's spine and ribs, and Kennedi's leg from her thigh to her foot. That was pretty cool. I'll see if I can get them to show up on here.

Kadyn's face is in the middle and to the right side of the picture with her arm/hand up the left side of the picture. She is rubbing the eye on the left with her hand. Her nose is most recognizable and her lips underneath.

This is Ryli's spine on the left and her spine and ribs on the right.

Kennedi's soccer kicking leg!

28 weeks!!

2007-11-27T14:00:00.001-05:00

Here I am...hard to tell I'm pregnant I know!! Just thought I'd add this so I can remember my big mama belly forever!

Happy Birthday Carli!

2007-11-26T13:06:00.000-05:00

As of today, I have a 4 year old!! I am so blessed to have such a sweet hearted little girl. It's hard to believe I was in the hospital 4 years ago today begging the nurse for an epidural about this time after being stuck only dialated to 1 1/2 cm all day! Then at 5:00, she decided (on her own time of course) that she was coming and two pushes later, the dr caught her after barely getting his scrubs on. I'll never forget that moment. I felt like the luckiest person alive and I still do. She was so beautiful and continues to amaze me each day with the things she says. Her smile can make me laugh and get her out of trouble just about any day. So, here's my cutie and the princess cake we made together this weekend!!

Anyone heard of Cyber Monday??

2007-11-20T21:44:00.000-05:00

I belong to this triplets moms-to-be group online and I was whining about not being about to go shopping on Friday like I always do and I got a post back from a mom saying that Monday is Cyber Monday. She said that the deals online are supposed to be even better than in the stores on Friday. I am excited again!! And Maria-you don't have to push me around in a wheelchair after all-ha ha!!

Calling all moron doctors....

2007-11-16T13:21:00.000-05:00

I am still in shock from my dr appt today..not at U of M, but with my "primary" doctor right here in Jackson. Let's just say that he will no longer be my primary doctor and if you have a good doctor that you can refer me to, I would love to know.

Carli and I have been fighting off a nasty cold for the past week and a half. I finally took Carli in yesterday and she was given an antibiotic to clear up her ear and sinus crud. This will in turn get rid of the nasty cough that has been keeping us up all week. I have been getting worse and when I woke up this morning and couldn't talk, swallow, or cough because my throat hurt so bad, I decided it was time to go to the dr myself.

So, I called this dr that I have been to a few times and not really impressed with, but this morning wasn't the time to find a new dr if I wanted to actually be seen somewhere. They had a cancellation and I went in right away. The male nurse called back and weighed me and took my temp, asked me about my current medications which include prenatal vitamins. So, he asked, "are you pregnant?" Why, yes, yes, I am. I said, " I hope I don't weigh that much without a good reason." I told him I was 27 weeks pregnant with triplets, which he wrote down on my chart, along with all my symptoms, etc. He left and the dr came in a few minutes later. He didn't ask me my symptoms, just looked in my ears and throat and asked if I had a strep screen. He didn't ask me any other questions and I just assumed he had read my chart, this was a starting point to rule it out and he would be back for further information.

Then, a few minutes later he came back and told me it was negative, so it must be a viral infection, and that I could take tylenol or motrin for the pain. I said, "I can't take motrin, I'm pregnant!!" DUH! He said, 'Oh, I didn't know that. DId the nurse write it down?" "Yes, he did." He looked and saw it and said, "well you aren't having any other symptoms, are you?" Hello-look at my chart. So, I went through it again and he decided he would write me a prescription for amoxicillin in case I have sinusitis. He said it would make him feel better. Well, I'm glad he feels better about it. I sure don't. I'm not taking it, because I don't think that's what I have, and I'm not sure whether or not the pregnancy factor had sunk in when he wrote it.

As I'm driving home, I am getting more irritated by the minute. My big question is---even if you didn't read in my chart that I'm pregnant--what do you think I did-swallow a watermelon for fun?? If you took one second to actually look at me, I think that is pretty obvious that I'm pregnant!!

So, that is my venting for the day and I'm serious if you know a good dr around here, I would greatly appreciate it!!

A Huge Answered Prayer!

2007-11-10T10:30:00.000-05:00

As of Friday afternoon, we are the proud owners of a Black Chevy Suburban. Although we were both mourning the loss of our Jeep yesterday, we are slowly getting used to the idea of getting in and pushing a 1 or 2 button to have the seat and pedals move to the appropriate position depending on who is driving. I don't know if I'm 1 or 2 yet, but maybe I'll figure that out today. The heated seats are also a bonus. If anyone ever has a backache, come on over and you can sit in the Suburban!! You'll be cured!! Carli's favorite part is the DVD player of course, especially after we figured out how to make the sound work. Now, the best part and reason we actually bought it, is that ALL of our children will fit in it, and their strollers, and maybe even a few groceries!! This is a huge blessing and one more thing checked off the "to do" list.

I'll post a picture later. Chad has the camera at whirlyball!

Thank you so much!!

2007-11-10T10:12:00.002-05:00

Words can't even express how grateful I am for all our friends, family, and everyone that has helped us over the last few months. Thanks to our amazing small group for giving us a shower at our church this week. Thanks to our family who has cleaned our house, taken Carli so I can rest or go to the doctor, cleaned the weeds out of our yard, brought us toilet paper when we ran out, and so much more. Thanks to our friends for calling, visiting, having showers, coming to showers, and encouraging me through this whole pregnancy. I feel like I'm making an Academy Awards Speech, but I just want to express how thankful I truly am. So, thanks to everyone who is praying for our babies, and most of all, thank you God for this amazing blessing and helping us to get through one day at a time, giving us peace in the midst of all of this, and protecting our little ones each step of the way.

Pretty Pretty Princess..and Pumpkins

2007-11-01T20:08:00.000-04:00

Here's my princess Snow White and pumpkins for my princesses to come. Halloween was fun!! We went down our street and the one next to ours. When I say we, actually I mean I almost made it to the end of our road, and Chad took Carli the rest of the way. I sat on my porch in my rocking chair passing out candy to the young and not-so-young. The best costume, or best laugh anyway, was the middle school boy in no costume claiming to be a sexy man. When we laughed, he said, "You just wait a few years."

The highlight of my Halloween though was actually the day before when I joined Carli on her preschool field trip to Arbor Woods. The kids sang songs and paraded around in their costumes to each room in the assisted living center. It was amazing to see the kids run into each room to greet the men and women there and the smiles that they brought to their faces just warmed my heart.

Kadyn (aka Baby A)

2007-11-01T19:28:00.000-04:00

Yes, that is really her head and her foot. She's pretty flexible!! Apparently Ryli (B) and Kennedi (C) are squishing her. At our ultrasound today, we found out they are all girls....oh wait. We knew that. We did get an update on their weights though. Kadyn is a big 1 lb 10 oz!!! Ryli and Kennedi are both 1 lb 7 oz!!! So, Ryli has been listening to her mom when I said to grow. Do you think they'll listen that well when they come out??

Ryli and Kennedi didn't get any pictures today because they were so busy wrestling with each other that they didn't have time to pose. Kennedi has done a somersault in my belly and they are now laying right on top of each other with their heads on my right side and feet on the left. They have been in opposite directions until now.

And once again...I have a beautiful cervix holding those babies in nice and tight. What can I say?! Reena, my favorite ultrasound person said that my body was meant to hold triplets. I know it's God keeping them snug and warm in there.

And I am so thankful for each day they are safe in there and that my little Ryli has gained weight over the past 3 weeks!! Thanks so much for all your prayers for my sweet peas!!

This can't be good!

2007-10-24T08:20:00.000-04:00

Is it bad when you go through McDonalds for an apple pie on the way home and the lady taking your money asks your husband, "What, no double cheeseburger with big mac sauce tonight?" (And they haven't been for him obviously.) I must say that is pretty impressive for this McDonalds by my house, which is the slowest in Michigan. That just makes it worse....Oh well...it's for the triplets!!

Update...23 weeks..all is looking good. Everytime I go, they tell me how beautiful my cervix is....I'm not sure how to take that!!! I laugh everytime I come home and tell Chad. I think that's why he married me. Really it means the babies aren't going anywhere anytime soon, so that is a great thing!!