Look How They've Grown!

The Triplets had their sixth birthday today. While time has compassionately dampened the details, I still remember the day they were delivered. My doctor had gone to Hawaii and left me in my hospital bed. As he left, he made me promise to wait for him to return before going into labor. I can proudly say that I waited until he had been back for at least a couple of hours. His plane landed, he headed home, he was paged to the hospital. See how considerate I can be?

On the morning of January 24, 2003, three very little boys were brought into this world.

They were all below our goal weight of three pounds, but only by a few ounces.

JJ - 2 lbs 10 oz
Zeke - 2 lbs 12 oz
Max - 2 lbs 14 oz

Before you go making assumptions, I did not just name them in any kind of birth order. They are listed by ascending size. Rarely do I name them in birth order, and even when I do, nobody knows. I usually name them in alphabetical order. Sometimes it's by how easy they are to say in a certain order, and sometimes it's by ascending or descending size. The order I use is constantly changing and only I know the criteria I've used.


We made the decision early on that 120 seconds should not be the deciding factor of who would be our third child and who would get to be the youngest of five children. Besides, The Buddies were pulled out during the cesarean section in random order. I doubt very much that they would naturally have been born in the same order. So here they are, The Buddies, our youngest children.

Now, listed in order of this morning's Birthday Wishes:

Zeke got up early this morning. I wished him a Happy Birthday as he snuggled on the couch. He told me it wasn't his birthday until 10:00. While that isn't true, that is the scheduled time of today's party. Zeke is such a natural athlete. He is tall and strong and extraordinarily coordinated. He is a natural competitor and hates to be outdone by anyone. He makes friends easily and is very sensitive. He's my best helper and tries to please everyone. Zeke is my big softy and I love him for it.




JJ was second for Birthday Wishes today. He sneaked down the hall to play on the Wii while I jumped in the shower. That's typical for JJ, he loves to sneak around. He loves to surprise people and play pranks. He loves being silly, he loves to be the clown. JJ isn't so concerned with being first, but he wants things done his way. JJ is full of drama when he doesn't get his way. He's famous for alligator tears. But he is so clever and funny, he always keeps us laughing. JJ is the best at putting a smile on my face.



Max loves to sleep late, so today was not unusual. He straggled out of bed with barely enough time to get ready for the party. Max takes his time with everything. He should have been born as a Good Ol' Southern Boy--that slow and mellow drawl would suit him very well. Max is my little sweet heart. He is the snuggler. He will curl up with a book or a toy and amuse himself quietly for hours. He's the first to say, "I love you, mom!" I get to hear him say those words at least several times every day. Max makes me shake my head in bemusement. I love his contemplative commentary.

The Buddies are healthy and growing like weeds. People who don't know them are surprised at how little they were at birth, and at how early they were born. But they don't seem any the worse for their tenuous beginnings in life... I'm just glad they're here, they're healthy, and they're mine. I love my Little Buddies! Happy Birthday Boys!