The Cocklin Triplets: Timothy, Elizabeth, and Mary
Catching up 09/23/2011
 
All right, so I know it's been a really long while since I've done one of these so I'll do the best I can to remember what all has happened!

We spent most of August just getting used to our new routines and getting to know the kids better.  Each one has a different personality and different likes/dislikes so it took us a little bit to figure each one out!  At their 3 month check up (they were actually 3.5 months old when we went) Timothy weighed 8 lbs 8 ounces, Mary weighed 5 lbs 11 ounces, and Elizabeth weighed 7 lbs 10 ounces.  Timothy and Elizabeth were both about 20 inches long and Mary was 18 inches long.  Our doctor was really pleased with their weight gain from the previous appointment!  She said if the 2 big ones continue gaining at the same rate that they'll catch up to their same age peers by about 6 months (which is awesome considering they were 3 months premature)!

September has been a little more eventful than August.  We started taking the kids to church, which meant I finally got to leave the house! =)  The first couple of outings with them were a little crazy, but I think we're really starting to get the hang of it!  We also took the kids on a trip to visit my family in College Station.  It's about a 3 hour drive, so we were able to time it between their feedings.  The packing and traveling wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  Paul is awesome at making stuff fit in the car!  We had to stop briefly on the way home and feed Mary, but other than that the kids did great!  The other new thing this month was that Timothy and Elizabeth caught their first colds.  Thankfully, the colds weren't that bad and they got over them within a couple of days.  Oddly enough, Mary never caught what they had! 

Yesterday was our 4 month checkup for the kids (they're actually 4.5 months old).  Mary is up to 6 lbs 13 ounces and is 19 inches long; Timothy weighs 10 lbs and is 21 inches long; and Elizabeth weighs 8 lbs 15 ounces and is 20 1/4 inches long.  Once again, the doctor told us the kids were all doing great!  Even though they're 4.5 months old, developmentally we should only expect them to be able to do things a 1.5 month old would do (because of their prematurity).  That being said, Timothy rolled over from his tummy to his back yesterday (a 4 month milestone), can track objects really well, and has even started making cooing noises!  The girls also track objects really well, but they haven't been able to flip over yet.  Elizabeth smiles a lot and Mary likes to scoot around on her tummy.  All 3 of them like to stand up (with us holding them) and Mary even tries to walk and jump at times!  So the girls aren't quite as far along as Timothy, but they're both doing things that babies between 2 and 4 months old can do which is aweseome!

The end of September brings with it the end of my time at home with the kids.  I'm going back to work Monday, so Paul will be staying home with them more now.  I have mixed emotions about going back to work.  I'm excited to get in there and start working with my students, but I'll miss getting to spend so much time at home with my babies!  Thankfully, Paul is able to stay home with them some during the week so we won't have to put them in daycare.  I've really enjoyed the extra time off that I've had.  It's been fun getting to watch them grow and develop!  I'm looking forward to seeing them progress over the next couple of weeks and months!