Hello everyone! Boy, are we glad to see you today! This week has flown by, and we've got so much to tell you.
With appointments, meetings, and "guest appearances", our weeks seem to cruise out of sight. Speaking of cruising, today's plan is to take you on an expedition, an expedition of a day in the life of a Hoheisel Triplet.
So buckle your seat belts and hope that you don't get motion sickness (like mommy) because this ride is not one for the weak...or weak stomach (dang, smelly babies)!
Here's what a "typical" day in the life of a
Hoheisel Triplet looks like:
(Times and schedules are subject to change -- and they do...constantly!)
6:00 am - CHOW TIME
We like to eat every 3 - 4 hours. And when I say that we like to eat, I mean mommy and daddy have to feed us or we'll scream, cry, and wake up the neighborhood. No joke, Charlie likes to shriek!! Since there are three of us and only one mommy and one daddy, they have had to become creative with feedings. If they were to feed each of us individually, it takes about an hour and a half, but if someone feeds two of us at the same time and the other takes the third baby, chow time only takes about 45 minutes. So mommy and daddy have come up with some very strange positions to feed us.
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This is my happy, content, and chill face.
Mommy and daddy like this one! |
6:45 am - NAP TIME
After we all have full bellies, it is nap time for Jaxson, Ella, mommy, and me. Since it is very dark in our room, we (the whole Hoheisel family) like to sleep down there until the late morning. During the past few weeks daddy has been able to go back to sleep with us, but he goes back to school soon, so his nap times are limited.
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| Can you tell Halloween is a big deal at the Hoheisel's |
9:30 am - DIAPER CHANGE, MEDS, & FOOD
When we're all done taking another nap, it's time to eat again. But first, we get our diapers changed. Let me tell you, this is not a pleasant way to wake up. Who likes to be woken up from a deep sleep, undressed after being all toasty warm, cleaned with a freezing cold wipe, strapped back in an uncomfortable diaper, and twisted and turned back into clothes?!? Why don't you try it and see how much you like it! Anyways, this is usually medication time. Each of us take a multivitamin, and Charlie and I take Prilosec. Mommy and daddy often insist on giving us "gas drops" at this time, too. I don't know why they do that, especially since combined we have enough gas to fuel us to Western ND and back. After all of that, it's finally feeding time again.
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On average, this is how many diapers we go through a day.
But take into count the "double diaper" duties. Uff!! |
10:15 am - NAP TIME (well, it's supposed to be anyways!)
Since we're still pretty tiny and considered newborns, we're supposed to get a lot of sleep. So the plan is to eat, poop, and sleep. Well...we've decided to make our own plan. We like to stay awake! I mean, who wouldn't want to look around, smile, watch the ceiling fan, and move around?!? We all take turns staying awake and falling asleep. This is a good way to keep mommy and daddy from accomplishing anything other than playing with us.
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| How could you get mad at this face. :-) |
12:30 pm - YOU GUESSED IT, CHOW TIME
What else would you expect, huh?!? Mommy and daddy usually make us work for our food. They make us stretch, rub our tummies, exercise, and have some "tummy time" on our Boppy before we saddle up to the bottle. "Tummy Time" is usually pretty interesting. We do this to strengthen our necks and core. I don't always like to do this...and I make sure to let mommy and daddy know by screaming!
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| I don't mind "Tummy Time" because I usually take a nap. |
1:15 pm - NAP TIME (if mommy and daddy are lucky!)
This is the time when we are supposed to have our afternoon nap. Yeah, right! This turns into the time when all three of us want to play. We like to lay on our play mat and watch the lights, hit the toys, and grunt. Grunting is our way of communicating. If one is grunting, we all grunt. Daddy calls us billy goats. If mommy and daddy are lucky, at least one of us will fall asleep for a few minutes before it's time to eat again.
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| Jaxson is repulsed he has to be with us girls on our pink play mat! |
3:30 pm - EAT, BURP, & SPIT UP
Time to eat again! Right now, Ella and I are getting 110 milliliters each feeding and Charlie is getting 100 milliliters. Each milliliter counts when you're a growing baby. We haven't been weighed in a while, so at our next appointment on the 22nd of October, we'll be anxious to see how much we've all grown.
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| Triple the bottles, triple the washing. |
4:15 pm - NAP TIME (but not for mommy and daddy!)
We are back to sleep with full bellies and mommy and daddy are back to work. You can imagine that with three babies, dirty bottles accumulate in triple form. Mommy and daddy wash, sterilize, and refill bottles. This task usually takes about 45 minutes. That means that mommy and daddy have a chance to sit down for a few minutes before the laundry is finished and it's time to fold lots of little clothes.
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| Mommy and daddy have an assembly line going of feeding supplies. |
6:30 - SUPPER'S READY
We're back at it again. Diapers, wipes, bottles, and burping. Thank goodness mommy and daddy are finding ways to give each of us individual time to snuggle. It's tough being a triplet because you only have a mommy and a daddy to fight over. We're going to have to learn how to be patient and share...yeah, right!!!
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Each of us have our own bottles labeled in a tray for quick and easy feedings.
Quick and easy feedings...right! :-) |
7:15 pm - REST UP, BUTTERCUP
We're resting now because the next time we're awakened from our deep slumber isn't too pleasant...
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| More "Tummy Time" for us all. |
9:30 pm - "RUBBER DUCKY, YOU'RE THE ONE!"
"Rub a dub dub,
Three babies in the tub,
And who do you think they be?
Jaxson Ray, Ella Grace, and me, Charlie Dawn,
All put out to sea!"
Yes, it's bath time and it's quite the process. Mommy and daddy have come up with a system that allows us all to bathe, change, and eat all within one hour and a half. We all smell so good afterwards...well actually, Jaxson, Ella, and I smell good, but mommy and daddy need a shower after the marathon bath time!
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Jaxson and I can almost sit up all by ourselves in our bath tubby.
Charlie needs to grow a little more in length, not width! :-) |
11:00 pm - GOOD NIGHT!
It's time to go to sleep, for all. Mommy and daddy are usually exhausted and having a hard time keeping their eyes open, and us babies are all snug in our beds in hopes of a good two hours of sleep.
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We sleep in these beds right next to mommy and daddy.
We're too needy at night to sleep in our cribs right now.
Hopefully we'll be in our cribs soon!
(Because daddy's snoring is keeping us awake!) |
1:00 am - ONE-EYED FEEDINGS
We're up again, well, kinda. All five of us are moving like zombies and looking through only one eye as we change, feed, burp, and get tucked back in.
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One of the many times in which daddy's eyes are not open at 1:00 am.
The bottle often ends up in our nose, eyes, and ears when
mommy and daddy are super tired. |
1:45 am - SAWING LOGS!
We try to eat fast so we can go back to sleep and let mommy and daddy get some rest...but that rarely happens. Oops!
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Mommy and daddy have a "milking station" in our room, too.
They said the "beer fridge" has come a long way since college!! |
4:00 am - UP AND AT 'EM
Well, those few hours flew by very quickly. Time for chow again! You can about imagine how tired, sleep deprived, and comatose we all seem...until Charlie screams!!
REPEAT...ALL...STEPS...OVER...AGAIN...&...AGAIN... :-\
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| Here's our room! Look at all the pink and blue! |
As you can see, we're very schedule bound. In order to have some consistency in our crazy life, schedules, charts, notes, and clocks become our best friends. Yes, our lives are chaotic, hectic, insane, and unhinged...but they are also beautiful, blessed, harmonious, and wonderful!!! What a beautiful disaster we live in! :-)
Thanks for dropping by friends. We appreciate your interest in our lives. You, yes you! You really mean a lot to us! Prayers to you and yours as you go through your lives each and every day!
We love you all! Be safe and take care, friends!
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Here's the amazing doctor that took such great care of mommy and us.
Dr. Wildey and Nurse Nikki are glad to finally hold us!
THANK YOU, DR. WILDEY! YOU'RE AWESOME!! |
