Woolsey Family Chronicles

It has been a year since I went into the hospital for my three week stay. Looking back on that time I realize it touched all of my senses and when I look back on the time I lived in the hospital I don’t feel any bad feelings. Strangely, I feel nostalgia for that time; it was the calm before the storm. The hospital was a little bit of peace and a safe haven for me and my babies. I remember saying to myself, “this is the last rest I am going to get for a long time and I am going to take advantage of it.” And I did take advantage of it. I ordered three jellos at midnight, I watched many movies and trashy television shows, I read magazines, I ate greasy grilled cheese sandwiches and French fries, I wore hospital underwear (which, by the way are the most comfortable underwear), I went to bed late and got up late in the morning and I tried not to worry about what lie ahead. I did all of this in extreme discomfort as my belly grew to an unreasonable size.

The things that conjure up nostalgia for me during my time in the hospital are as follows:

--The song If it’s Love by Citizen Cope that I would play over and over on my IPOD. When I hear it today it brings me right back to the hospital bed. My sister downloaded it to my IPOD for me right when I got into the hospital - thanks sis!
--bodycology coconut lime lotion that my friend Michele brought me, along with a thousand magazines and yummy snacks - thanks Michele!
--Doctor Zhivago – a very sweet nurse who took care of me brought me in a bag full of DVDs to watch and Doctor Zhivago was the first one I played. Such a great movie.
--Cranberry juice by Ocean Spray with lots of ice. I would wake up every morning and be so thirsty I thought I would die. I would press my little call button and ask for my tall glass of cranberry juice on ice first thing when I woke up.
--Cold showers

Every day in the hospital I thought about how difficult my life would be when three babies came home from the hospital and Chris and I had to take care of them and Ava. I told myself I would never sleep again. I truly believe that this mindset saved me because I had convinced myself that it would be so hard having newborn triplets at home that when it actually happened it didn’t seem as hard as I told myself it would be. Don’t get me wrong; it is very hard. Yet, I think having Chris as a great hands-on dad, pretty easy babies and having wonderful nannies to help me out makes this journey a pleasurable one.

Well, the babies are very active now. They all crawl very fast and are getting in to everything. Last night Chris and I were putting the babies to bed and Chris was putting Elsa down and I was doing something – I can’t remember what it was – but in that single minute left alone, Violet was found playing in the trash and toilet water in the bathroom and Preston had made his way to Ava’s nightstand and was sucking every last drop of medicine he could out of her medicine dropper.

Yesterday I took two of the babies outside in the backyard and let them crawl around on the hard cold cement. Of course they immediately gravitated to the hot tub which didn’t have the net on it at the time. All Violet wanted to do was crawl the perimeter of the hot tub and all Preston wanted to do was lean over and splash his little hands in the freezing cold water. That is when it really hit me: this is going to be a hard summer with three babies in this adult designed backyard. First of all, the net will always have to be on the pool and spa if the babies are going to be out in the backyard. Secondly, I need to buy some mats and a little play structure to give the babies something to do out in the backyard other than try and drown themselves in our pool. By summer they will all be walking which will just be more challenging to control them. I’m exhausted just thinking about it.

This week Elsa had the beginning of Bronchitis which she is on antibiotics for. Ava had strep which she is on antibiotics for, and she threw up four times yesterday morning. Preston and Violet are just now getting over their colds. Poor little Ronin is also sick with RSV since he was exposed to Ava the day she was getting sick. Have I mentioned before how much I hate wintertime? Oh well, I am halfway through it now and I am dreaming of springtime frolicking in the poppies.

Until next time, the mothership is signing off.