Sick Day

We went to our four month check up last week, and everyone is doing very well. Sam is up to 12 pounds, 15 ounces. Adah weighs 12 pounds, 1 ounce, and Peyton is 11 pounds, 1 ounce. Sam is 24.5 inches long, Adah is 23.25 inches long, and Peyton is 23 inches long (she's gaining ground quickly!). The doctor was very pleased with them! Sadly, they also got 4 shots, and they were anything but pleased. Sam was especially vocal.

Matt also brought home a cold from work and it wasn't too long before everyone caught it. JoAnne is mostly better, but the kids are all still a little sniffly. Overall, though, they've been really good and we haven't been able to tell any difference in their moods.

Peyton has joined her brother and sister and is sleeping through the night now, so mom and dad have been enjoying some good nights of sleep. Matt has the oral portion of his comprehensive exams for the doctoral program this week, so the sleep has been a welcome development.

We put a new video up on the website. This one is of Sam. Click here to go to the website. Peyton's should be up soon!

Two Down, One to Go

The babies had their first outing yesterday! Mom and dad decided that it was time to venture a little farther afoot than the JU campus. We took everyone in the super stroller on a Costco shopping trip. Costco was a strategic choice...wide aisles, high ceilings (to drown out any crying) and lots of things to occupy them! All in all, it was a very successful trip. We were instant celebrities once inside. We got everything from cheers ("way to go, dad!") to exclamations of pity to astonished, blank expressions. It's amazing how much cuter babies seem to be when there are three of them! I think we'll be taking more trips in the future since this one was so successful.

Last night, Adah and Sam both slept through the night (7pm to 7am). Adah woke up a few times during the night, but she was able to put herself back to sleep pretty easily. We're so proud of both of them! Now we just need to work on Peyton!

Visit from Mimi

I realize it's been awhile since our last post when I've already taken my comprehensive exams for the doctoral program. Sorry about that! I hope I can make it up by not only posting here, but also adding more pictures and a video to the Clifford Triplets web page. The video is of Adah. She is not the favored child; I'm working in reverse birth order on a video for each of them.

This past week, while Nonni and Grandad (JoAnne's parents) were in Ireland, Mimi (Matt's mom) came to visit for the week. Aunt Meghann also visited for the first half of the week. It was great to have them see the babies and help us out. It was nice to have dinners fixed for us all week!

We've also made a great leap forward with the babies' sleep habits. Sam has slept through the night twice this week!! By sleeping through the night, I mean we put him to bed at 7pm, and he woke up at 7am. It's at times like these when we wish we could clone our son. Not that we don't love our girls, but they don't cherish their sleep like he does! They are still doing pretty well, going from 7pm to 7am with only one feeding in the middle of the night. We're pretty excited about these new developments!

They are also starting to really exercise their personalities. They have started to hit some newborn milestones. Although they're almost 4 months old, their "adjusted age" (based on their due date, Feb. 23) is 7 weeks. The doctors measure their developmental milestones (crawling, smiling, etc.) by their adjusted age until they've "caught up," usually by age 2. They've all started to smile at us (and Wilson) and are making the cutest baby noises. They're also very good at holding their heads up. They respond to mom and dad's voices and follow us across the room (usually when we have to grab brother or sister!). They're headed to the doctor this week for their 4 month checkup. We'll let you know their updated baby stats.

Don't forget to look at the new pictures and video at our web site.

New Pictures

The Clifford family has been busy with Matt studying for comprehensive exams over the past couple weeks ... we know he'll do great! We promise we will write more soon. In the meantime, we've posted some new pictures to the Triplets at Home album ... enjoy!

Getting Big

Peyton, Sam, and Adah have been doing beautifully the last few weeks. All are getting so big and we can't believe how fast they are growing. Right now, they are 1.5 weeks past their due date. They are all already starting to lift their heads and scoot along during tummy time, which is great. We can also tell that they are starting to focus more on our faces and objects close to their faces.

Of course, as they are getting older, they are staying awake a lot more in between eating. When they were very small, all they did was eat and then immediately fall back asleep. Now they stay awake some more so we can play and interact with them, which is great. A lot more of their personalities start to come out when this happens. Sam is still our patient, serious little guy who is content most of the time. Adah loves to be held and likes to stay awake the most (especially in the middle of the night, but we're working on that!). Peyton is our sensitive little girl who probably has the best expressions of the bunch. It is really fun to see them develop and grow into little people with their own unique personalities.

The last doctor visit at the end of February went great. We don't have to go back until their 3 month check-up in mid-March! Sam was 9-14, Adah was 8-13, and Peyton was 8-2. Nonni went with us to the doctor for the first time and she grilled the doctor as all good grandparents should! She tried to convince him to let the babies go out to public places before the end of April (the end of flu season), but he wouldn't budge. Oh well. We're looking forward to when we can take them out to meet everyone!

Happy Birthday!

Peyton, Sam, and Adah have had a great couple of weeks since we last posted. They have been growing so fast and we can't believe how fast they are outgrowing all those cute clothes! We would suggest everyone invest in Gymboree, Carter's, and Babies R Us stock over the next couple years as the Clifford kids will be spending lots of money there!

We've taken the stroller out for several walks over the last couple weeks. We've visited the Advising Center so the babies could meet Leslie, Nancy, Glory and Stacey as well. We can't wait for them to keep getting bigger ... they'll be running all over campus before we know it!

The babies were 8 weeks old last Friday (February 15), so we visited the doctor for the dreaded shots (4 of them each!). There were definitely some tears, but Peyton, Sam and Adah handled it like champs. Everyone we talk with is always curious about the babies' current "stats", so here they are from the last doctor's visit on February 15:

Peyton
7 lbs 19.5 inches

Sam
8 lbs, 8 oz 20.5 inches

Adah
7 lbs, 0 oz 20 inches

As you can see, all three are growing great and putting on the pounds. Not bad considering their actual due date is this Saturday, February 23!

PS - We also want to say congratulations to our friends Stephen and Nathalie Potts who just welcomed Katelyn into the world on February 18. Matt, JoAnne, Peyton, Sam and Adah can't wait to meet her!

Taking a Stroll

Today was a beautiful day with temperatures near 80 degrees and the sun shining. We took advantage of the great weather to take everyone out on a walk! We had a few people give us the triple take as we walked by. It was great to get them (and us) out of the house and into the fresh air! We took a walk over to the Student Commons on campus and visited everyone in the Student Life Office. Dr. Balog, Bryan, Kristie, and Susan all argued over who looked more alike. They were all really happy that we came by to visit, even on a busy Monday. We made it over to the Advising Center to visit Glory and Nancy before heading home to eat! It was a great day and great to get outside with them.

We put some more pictures up online.