We got to the doctor's office about an hour early, planning to feed the babies a little lunch, then get called back to the exam room to do their measurements, etc. before the appointment. Only this time they didn't really want to sit in their strollers and eat. And we didn't get called back early for measurements. And the waiting room was PACKED.
Just because you have three babies does not mean you get a larger exam room, in case you were wondering. So we had three babies, who are now mobile, and three adults all crammed into one tiny space. With not so much ventilation. I undressed the babies and took them down the hall for measurements. Max went first, and then Caroline was itching to go, so she jumped ahead of Daniel (who was already stripped down to his diaper), and then Daniel. When Daniel and I got back to the exam room, we saw that Caroline and Max had teamed up on Daddy and tried to make a break for it. Daddy had Caroline restrained with an arm around her waist and was holding Max down with the other hand. I put Daniel down and tried to figure out what we should do next when Caroline voted that it was time for diapers. Which is to say that she peed all over the exam table from her spot about a foot and a half above the table. Luckily she avoided hitting anything (or anyone) but the exam table and the floor and a lovely lady came and wiped up after her while we secured a diaper around her little tush (much like closing the barn door after the horses have gotten out, but we felt it was worth the effort, just in case).
And now the part you've been waiting for: All the babies are "catching up" on the growth chart. Princess Caroline is still the most petite, weighing in at 18lb 11oz and 28.5" long. This puts her in just the 11.5th percentile for weight and the 27th percentile for length. Her head circumference is 17.3", which is 18th percentile - at least she takes after Mommy there! Daniel now weighs 21lbs12oz, which is 31st percentile and is 30.5" long which bumps him all the way up to the seventieth percentile. That's right, 70 not 17! Tall boy! He still has a massive noggin - 19" in diameter, or 94th percentile. The big news of the day was Max. He is just a quarter inch shorter than Daniel (30.25", 67th percentile), but he weighs 4 ounces more! He is 22 pounds exactly, putting him in the 35th percentile. The extra four ounces must come from his head, which measured 19.3" (97th percentile!!!).
The doctor talked with us about milestones. While she's not worried about the babies' progress at all (all crawling, two "cruising", one standing), she does want us to give her a call if they're not all taking steps by 15 months, just to make sure there's no intervention needed. We get to wean them off formula and onto cow's milk now (big step) and we've been advised to also get them off their bed-time bottle to prevent cavities and start laying the groundwork for potty training. I think this means we will also have to start adjusting dinner time so that they've got some food in their bellies for bedtime!
Next came the shots. The injection nurse came into the room, which was nice, and they sent a medical assistant to be an extra set of arms. They each got four shots - Hep A, Chicken Pox, Measles/Mumps/Rubella, and Flu. And Joe and I got our flu shots at the same time. 14 shots. And only three of us cried. I'll let you decide which three. Caroline was a little sad because she thought the MMR shot was going to guard against Muppets...and she would be so sad if she couldn't do her muppet dance!
Then everyone got dressed and we headed down to the lab. Things would have gone smoothly but for the poor communicator behind the registration desk. It took us 10 minutes to get everyone's paperwork lined up. Grrrr. Then each baby had to come out, sit in my lap, and get prepped for their blood draws. Caroline went first and screamed her head off but was brave and made it through. Then went Max, followed by Daniel. Interestingly, both Daniel and Max had to be stuck on their right arms because the phlebotomist couldn't find a good vein on the left, which is the same thing that happens to me when I give blood.
We got home and decided to give the babies a treat for dinner for being so good at the doctor....smoothies for dinner! We blended frozen strawberries, mangos, and pineapple with banana, yogurt, and milk. And then we couldn't figure out how they were going to drink them. The mixture was too thick for the nipples in their bottles and it barely eked out of the dreaded sippy cups. Aha! I have three straw cups from WAY back when the Kaiser nutritionist suggested that we skip sippy cups entirely, since it was a skill the babies will never need again, and go straight to straws. At the time, the babies showed no interest. But tonight, with YUMMY smoothie inside, they sucked away! We might be a step close to getting rid of the bottles!
The whole concern about not taking steps by fifteen months is so weird to me. I mean, maybe it's different with the 'teenies because they're triplets, but so freaking many of the parents I work with are concerned when their babies aren't walking at a year. Andy and I weren't walking until 17 and 18 months! And we turned out just fine, thank you very much. (I told one of the moms this and she told me I was "special". Thanks a lot. She also put her baby at the top of a slide and then walked away, so she wasn't really one of my favorites.)
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