March 16, 2017 – 18 months (1 ½ years old!!!)

Greetings everybody!!!

Where did the last year and a half of our lives go? What happened to our tiny little babies? My Goodness, how time flies!!!

I am in a little shock/disbelief that our precious little babies are embarking on their next stage in development: TODDLER-HOOD!!! It seems so inappropriate to continue to call them babies. They range in weight from a little over 26 lbs. (Kaleo & Makani) to almost 29 lbs. (Keoni).

Our weekly Costco trip! Makani, Kaleo & Keoni

I wish I could slow down the time machine and just go back! But alas – I must accept and push on!!! I have experienced so many heart warming moments & good times! The lack of sleep the first 3 months helped me to forget most of the little struggles we had! 🙂 I could not have asked for a more versatile, sweet and kindhearted gaggle of young men. I am truly blessed and continue to strive to enjoy each and every moment of life as it evolves around me.

I remember when I started this blog, my hope was that it would help to capture my thoughts and process my feelings as a First Time Father of Triplets. I wanted it to enable me to reach out and help a growing community of parents just like me. So many crazy ideas and scenarios ran through my head and not all of them were good. The process of writing this blog has helped me to quiet the Category 5 Hurricane that was swirling between my ears. I knew deep down inside that I just had to Accept and Trust the Process.

I have always believed that ‘things happen for a reason’ and that ‘there was no such thing as a coincidence’. But what was the reason for this??? What lesson was there to learn? I believe that I was finally at a point in MY life where I was ready. God had chosen us! We were given his blessing to take care of, protect and raise these three precious souls.

Kaleo

Makani

Keoni

For those of you that have followed my journey – God willing, I will be celebrating 6 years of sobriety in May. I have finally learned to accept life one day at a time. I don’t believe I could have trudged this path – successfully, without the help of a power greater than myself, that’s it!!! That is all, that is everything. Is there a better example of how powerless I am over – People, Places and Things than to have Spontaneous, Naturally Conceived Triplets at the tender young age of 49??? God has blessed me with this opportunity. Reconnecting with him has made all of this possible. If I were left to my own devices, most likely I would have FAILED. He has given me the hope and happiness that I had longed for my entire life. Now a sense of calm has replaced the storm. I LOVE my LIFE!!! For the first time I am truly happy! Finally I can share this happiness (His happiness) with those around me. My sons, my wife, my family, my friends, everyone!!!

For the First Time Dads that are out there reading this – ‘Trust The Process & Control what you can control’ Let the rest go.

It all begins with your Actions and your Attitude!!!

Actions: Well, that should be an easy one – but it’s not really:

Tell the Truth! Smile and be nice to people. Rub your wife’s back & feet (she will definitely appreciate this!) Give her a compliment. Let that hurried person in traffic go in front of you. It’s all the simple things that we can do for others on a daily basis that add up to make a difference!

Attitude: Here’s a little trick that worked wonders for us:

Early on, when the physicians spoke to us about selective reduction. Their job was to present us with the facts – Multiple Pregnancies ARE considered High Risk!!!

I suggested to Rachel that whatever the doctor tells us – let’s focus on the big number! For example: If our physician told us that ‘there is a 3% chance that Baby A could be at risk for Autism’ – we would flip it around and Hear ‘there is a 97% chance that Baby A will not be at risk for Autism!’…

We continued to do this throughout the pregnancy and it worked out pretty well for us. Looking back things were pretty uneventful and everything progressed better than we expected!!!

IMPORTANT: I am not down playing the risks inherent with multiple pregnancies! I want to acknowledge that things can go wrong. Please address any concerns you may have with your physician! But for the sake of your sanity – Cross that bridge when/if you get there!!!

One thing that I worried about was the inevitable fact that the babies would be born premature and because of that, there was a strong likelihood of an extended stay in the NICU. For those of you that are unfamiliar with the acronym “NICU” it is short for Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The thought of this went against all of my preconceived ideals of what having a baby was all about. From my point of view – the mother carries the baby for 9 months, starts to have contractions, then she goes into labor, we head to the hospital in a crazy rush & the medical team delivers the baby. The doctors and nurses clean the baby up and the guys head outside to smoke a cigar and high five each other. After all that, everybody gets to go home!!!

Hahaha – Not so fast, that was about the furthest from reality as you can get when you are expecting Triplets. 🙂 Our boys were born at 33 weeks, 6 days. They spent 21 days in the NICU (it probably would have been closer to 14 days if we didn’t have them transferred to a hospital that was closer to our home). But, in the long run it was ALL GOOD! I ended up convincing myself that they really were at the best possible place should there be any complications. Besides the obvious medical advantages that the NICU offered, the nurses helped us to establish a feeding/sleeping routine that we continued to utilize well after we brought them home. They also taught us how to feed, hold, swaddle and bathe them. Rachel was able to be close to the boys, but she did not need to worry about caring for them 24/7 while she recovered from the C-Section. None of our boys have had any medical complications due to being born premature. All in all, a short stay in the NICU turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

Front to back: Makani, Kaleo & Keoni

Well, that’s it for this installment…

I want to give a special shout out to my brothers from the Early Birds!!!

♥♥♥ Happy 18 month birthday to Kaleo, Makani & Keoni!!! ♥♥♥

Rachel & I pray that all of you and yours are doing well! 🙂

Thanks to God for this day – Mahalo e ke akua no keia la