Triplet Mommies Unite?

Yesterday, I went to our Multiple Club's consignment sale first thing in the morning.  I was there on a mission to find a play kitchen, so once I got in I went straight back to the "big items" area, filled with swings and bouncy chairs, strollers, wagons, and play pens.  I didn't need any of that, so I wandered back out and found one of the folks I'd recognized on my way in to say hi and chat a bit about how her girls were doing.

On a cursory circuit through the room to see if there were any boys' dress clothes for sale (there were not - people seem to hang on to their girly clothes, but the boys' clothes were in short supply), I found the only play kitchen in the room and quickly snagged it for $20!

This freed me up to check out the other offerings slowly.  At the back of the room a woman had a table set up alongside a pristine looking Peg Perego Triplette stroller (this is the one that retails for $1500 or so) for sale.  We already have an older version that I got when I was pregnant (and which we haven't used), so I wasn't interested in buying it, but I wondered if the saleslady was a triplet mom or had had twins and then a third close behind.  I asked why she had the triple stroller, and she said (obviously, I realize), "Because I have triplets."  "So do I!" I responded, expecting to have an instant bond and be able to chat for hours about the relative uniqueness of our situation.

That's when I found out that a similar number of children does not necessarily mean that you are going to be friends.  I should know this already, shouldn't I?

I found out that she has two girls and a boy and they are two and a half.  I also found out that she didn't know there were any other triplet moms in the group (or, it seems, in the area).  I said, "I know, I always feel a tiny bit like an outsider at these events when everyone else has two babies and I've got this extra one."  To which she asked me, "But did you do it all alone?" Me: "Umm. No.  My husband is home with them most of the time while I go to work." Her: "Oh, because I did it alone." Her "babysitter friend": "Yeah, totally alone - all by herself."

So, I guess that makes her better than me.  I mean, obviously, in the competition for triplet mom of the year, she will always win.

But I didn't invite her to join any of the local triplet mom Facebook groups.  I mean, if she got help from local peers, that means she wouldn't be doing it "on her own", right?  I wouldn't want to deprive her of that.

Anyway, I left with a kitchen and a talking Elmo training potty, so the day was a success!