First Family Road Trip

The babies are rocking on all fours and experimenting with putting one knee forward, straitening a leg, hopping their legs forward, etc. It has come time to babyproof this house because it looks like we will have crawlers before long! And because they are sitting up so well we have moved to using bath seats and bathing them all together. They love getting to sit up and spend all of their time trying to grab the floating toys.

We took our first trip together as a family this last weekend to visit Grammy and G.P. Although the babies didn't love being in their carseats for 4 1/2 hours they did remarkably well. In fact, Keith and I both agree that the drive was even less grueling with three little fun munchkins in tow. We all had a great time and we were so impressed with how well the babies slept and took in their new surroundings.

The trio is now 8 months old. They are also 6 months past their due date which is when the pediatrician suggested starting rice cereal. I have been more than happy to wait until now to begin this time-consuming and messy process but the time had come and I couldn't put it off any longer. Payson was a pro, of course, after having several weeks of eating prunes under his belt. He loves eating and has great form, opening his mouth and "chewing" each bite perfectly. Hayden took to it very quickly. She eagerly opened her mouth for each bite and, to no one's surprise, tried to help hold and guide the spoon. Madison didn't like getting into the high chair, let alone have some foreign object guide some nasty slop into her mouth. After all, she does have two teeth so she must feel she is ready for something not so elementary.

Another big change in the Melker household is that I finally stopped pumping expressed breastmilk after doing so for 3-5 hours/day for the last 8 months. It was extremely difficult for me and I initially thought I would be able to handle pumping just a few times a day but my supply diminished and couldn't handle the change. I really have a love/hate relationship with my pump. I love how it enabled me to provide the babies with the nourishment they needed particularly in those early preemie months but hate how much pain and discomfort it put me through and how it robbed me of so much time, sleep and freedom. Not only did it prevent me from leaving the house for more than a few hours at a time but it kept me confined to the couch when I wanted to be holding my babies or when they needed me to soothe them. In the end we decided that in those moments it was better to get them the best nutrition possible and I can only credit the Lord for giving me the strength to continue pumping for so long. Last week it was time to return the rented pump to the hospital and I'm not sure if I was kissing the pump because of all it did for our little ones or because I was thrilled to be kissing it goodbye but I think it was a little of both.

Recently our neighbor-hood playgroup went "Strollerskating" which was surprisingly a pretty good workout. I'm sure we were quite the scene with my big ole' Babyburban strolling around the rink. Good times. And while away for the weekend we got to go to a baby shower for Keith's high school friends, Matt and Lisa, allowing us to catch up with friends and see all of their new babies.

And here's a little song to leave you with...

Sitting and Stealing

The babies are sitting up by themselves for long periods of time these days but do best with the added support of a boppy pillow which also acts as a buffer to pad their fall. They are very agile now though and if they fall they just roll over or reposition themselves so that they can continue to play on their backs or tummies.

"Circle time" has moved from the babies being on their tummies on their boppies to sitting in their bumbos to sitting on their own in their boppies. And these days there is a lot of toy stealing going on. Although there are a few shared favorites, it's not a particular toy they want it's simply the toy that the other baby has - likely because of the movement and sound it makes when another baby is playing with it.


Hayden can hold her own bottle for longer than half a feeding though it's still a little too heavy to hold it the entire time and for every feeding. She gets excited to see her bottle and reaches for it with a smile. Payson and Madison can hold theirs some too but would much rather sit back and have the blanket prop it for them. They have all found their feet and love to play with them and put them in their mouths. Payson plays with his mostly during feeding time and when he is hanging out in his crib waiting for us to get him.

Payson is also now a pro prune-eater although you wouldn't know it by the picture and video showing the very first time he ate the solid food. We haven't officially started solids yet but ever since I started adding more formula to their bottles he has needed a little help getting things moving. Yes, I am still pumping, but am only doing so a few times a day so they now get more formula than they do breastmilk.


Madison may be our youngest and smallest baby but she is the first one to get a tooth! And not only that, but she got her second tooth just 4 days later! She was in the best mood the two weeks before they came in so I had no real indication that they were about to make their big appearance.

The babies also got their first cold last week. Thankfully it was just a mild summer cold but nothing is mild around here when you multiply it by three. We didn't lose too much sleep and everyone is already feeling better.

In The News

The babies made their first media appearance today in the local newspaper both in print and online (Multiple Blessings). There are more photos in the paper copy but the online version is accompanied by some video footage. It is all very accurate but definitely not as easy as they made it look!

A New Record

We have a new record for the Melker-babies-and-friends couch line-up. Sunday the babies finally met their quad buddies so there were a total of *7* babies with the Melker babies surrounded by Gerwer's on all sides.

(l-r: Trey, Hayden, Cameron, Madison, Reid, Payson & Brady)

We had a great time with Casey and Robbie talking about all of the usual current hot topics of our world: poopies, rolling and other milestones, schedules, RSV season and other major multiple issues - like how hard it is to simply get out of the house!

Casey and I were on hospital bedrest at the same time, different hospitals. Her babies were born exactly 4 weeks after mine and are only 5.5 weeks younger by adjusted age (due date). The helmets in the pictures are cranial bands that her babies will wear for a few months to help correct the shape of their heads - a common preemie issue.

During playtime Payson was doing his usual yell/scream/holla thing while face to face with his new buddy Trey. Trey didn't seem to mind at first but instantly became frightened and burst out into a cry. I can't believe I'm raising a bully! He likes to do the yelling back and forth with Keith and me as well and one time, after several minutes of mimicry, Keith scared Payson into a cry as well. It happens. Playful yelling, even when started by the baby, can be very scary sometimes!

The littlest Melker and Gerwer babies bonded quickly and Madison was eager to give Reid's helmet a try.

"Well... There Are Three Babies"

July 31, 2007 will forever be stamped in our minds. That is the day we found out that our one baby in utero was actually three babies. We didn't start this blog until August so here is our story as I so clearly remember it:

After Keith graduated from business school we spent a few weeks traveling the east coast followed by a month-long Spanish immersion trip in Guatemala. While in Guatemala, at 9 weeks pregnant, I was sure that I was starting show. I knew it was too early but I eventually decided to look online to see what would explain my new little pooch. Everything I read basically said, "Oh honey, if you think you're showing at 9 weeks, you're not - you're just constipated or bloated... or you have twins." I knew the first two weren't true and as for the latter, I knew that couldn't be true either because expectant mothers of twins usually have more severe morning sickness. And although I was very nauseated, I was keeping my food down.

Upon returning to our new home we had our first appointment at 10 1/2 weeks along with our new doctor. We spent half an hour asking the usual questions: what are the chances she won't be available for our delivery, does she do/not do episiotomies, when would she do a c-section, etc.

We then started the sonogram. Immediately the baby appeared on the screen and just as quickly it went off on the left of the screen and came back in on the right. I thought that was strange and my first thought to myself was "twins?" I looked at the doctor and she had no expression change so I threw that thought out the window. Then, for the next minute she continued not to say a word or show any expression as the baby kept appearing on and off the screen. By this point I was just wanting to see the baby and wished she would stop moving the transducer around so much but I knew she had other things to look at like amniotic fluid, etc.

Keith and I were awing at the baby we were getting brief glimpses of when the doctor finally spoke. Her first words will forever stay with me: "Well... there are three babies." WHAT? We were in complete shock. Never in our lives had we thought about something like this happening. After we heard all three heartbeats (God is so amazing) I started to cry. Keith was so excited and said something like, "It's okay, it's going to be great!" I let him know that I was worried about the pregnancy, not the caring of triplets. The doctor quickly agreed that it was going to be a high-risk pregnancy and that I would see either her or the specialist on an almost weekly basis. (Little did I know that I would later be seeing her every day for 7 weeks while on hospital bedrest!)

We spent the rest of the day driving around town to tell my family the big news in person (no one even knew we were expecting) and the next week calling friends and relatives.

Words cannot express how blessed we feel that God chose us to raise these beautiful babies that he has so kindly lent to us while we are here on earth. Joy and love overflows within us every day and for this we give Him all the glory.

First Swim!

Last weekend we took the babies to my brother's house for a family get-together and to introduce them to the pool for the first time! As we waded in the pool the babies were expressionless and didn't know what to think of the pool, waterfall, varying temperatures and all the people and music. They were so cute in their little swimsuits and didn't show any signs of fear. They did tire very quickly though as their afternoon nap was relatively short and everything was a little overstimulating. All in all it went well and I plan to take them one by one to the neighborhood pool in the coming weeks to give them more exposure.

Sonia Lynn Photography

This post is long overdue. At the end of May when the babies were almost 5 months old we had a photo session with the very talented photographer, Sonia, from Sonia Lynn Photography. She has a great artistic talent and was absolutely wonderful to work with. Click on the blue link to check out her website. Below are just a few of our favorites. Thanks Sonia for helping us capture this precious time in our lives!

Time Away

This last weekend Keith fulfilled one of my Mother's Day presents and surprised me with a night away. It was supposed to be two nights away but I just wasn't ready for that yet and since I am still pumping we would have had to deliver the milk home anyway.

I was very hesitant at first but Keith was able to convince me to go. (I know, isn't that terrible that I had to be convinced to take a break!) It is just so hard leaving your baby with someone other than your husband for the first time let alone when you have three of them! However, we left them in good hands with Keith's mom, Roxanne, and grandparents, Bob and Roxie, who were all so kind to make the trip and watch the babies for us. It took quite a few hours to prepare bottles and babysitting lists but it was definitely worth it!

We stayed at a nearby resort which was lovely. We didn't do anything crazy, just the ordinary things most people get to do that we don't have time for. Friday night we went to the mall and a late dinner and Saturday we worked out, ate a big brunch and spent time at the pool. We weren't even gone for 24 hours but it was a much needed break. Although we were so worn out from all the fun activity that we were in bed by 8:30 pm the next night after we put the babies to bed. Thanks Grammy, Grandpa Bob and Grandma Roxie for watching the trio for us!

The babies have made a lot of new friends recently. They got to see Reese and mom Anna again and meet Lawson and mom Jaime. They also got to meet big boy Luke, Hallie and mom Robin. And although they experienced prenatal yoga along with Morgan and mom-to-be Caroline, they finally got to spend time with their new friend in person!












And in case you're wondering what it looks like when a group of multiple moms get together, here is a snapshot for ya.

What Is She Saying?

Madison has a lot to say these days. She has started talking and clearly had a lot to get off her chest after all these months of being unable to speak.


We've got three rollers on our hands. Payson is now rolling to his tummy so we've got tummy sleepers and babies rolling all over each other. The good thing is that from their backs Madison can only roll to her left and Hayden and Payson to their right so I can position them accordingly which helps. As a result of their increasing mobility they are now reaching for things that used to be out of reach including each other's toys. When sitting in their bumbos or on the floor Madison has mastered the art of stealing her siblings toys.

They are also discovering the top of their own heads as well as each others. Hayden burst into a cry the other day when I was making bottles and when I went over to investigate I saw her hair sticking up all over the place and Madison's hand close by. I knew exactly what had happened.

And as if all of this development isn't enough, they are also now sitting up unassisted. Sure they could do this before for several seconds but now they can do it for several minutes with me close by to catch them when they get off balance. I can't help but be overwhelmed with God's blessings upon our life. We have three wonderful, healthy babies. It's amazing to think about the babies' fragile condition and small size just six months ago. God is so good.

90 pounds!

Ninety pounds. That is how much the stroller weighs these days with babies in tow (excluding anything in the lower basket). Sure the weather keeps me from the daily walks I long for but when I do get to take them outside, it is much more of a workout than it was when they came home at under 5 1/2 pounds.

The babies just love their exersaucer and took right to it reaching for toys, spinning themselves around to play with various gizmos and doing everything in their power to get the attached items into their mouths. Payson often likes to just lean back and look at everything while he sucks on his fingers so we stuff blankets behind him to help in lean forward and get in the action. Hayden plays beautifully but grunts and gets frustrated with the attached cell phone, especially when it falls off over the outside. Madison is light on her feet going in circles from toy to toy. They all love it when you give them attention while they are in it and sound like they are hyperventilating out of excitement.


We've been working on a four hour feeding schedule the last two weeks and we are slowly making a successful transition. This takes us from 15 bottles/day down to 12 and 4 naps/day down to 3. It may not sound like much of a change but, trust me, it is! The first two naps are *supposed* to be solid naps between 1.5 and 2.5 hours long but the last nap of the day is often a short 30 minutes. This makes it the best time to get out if we need/want to during a nap because they can usually get 20-30 minutes in the car to help make up for it. Also this way we don't ruin the entire day if they miss a nap.

Though we've taken the babies to the neighborhood grill twice for brunch we ventured out this week for an early dinner. We chose On The Border for the quick turnaround time and noisy atmosphere. We were in and out in less than an hour and were finished eating and able to leave just when the third child began to fuss (since our hands were full with the other two).

STRANGER QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
(From a male bartender when picking up food to-go)
"Wow, I only have one kid so I don't know how you do it. I've always wanted twins, but triplets are fine too. Do you know what kind of fertility treatments to go on for twins or triplets?"