Wednesday, October 15, 2008

they will never be three again

Today, our amazing trips turned four-years-old.

All day today, I kept wondering, does it seem like four years ago I weighed 110 pounds more than I do at this moment? Does it seem like four years ago I was in a hospital bed certain that I was going to die, or worse yet, all three of my precious babies were going to die? Does it seem like four years ago I was hooked up to monitors and magnesium sulfate and watching the Red Sox lose game after game after game to the Yankees ... only to make the greatest come back in all of baseball history, rising like a Phoenix from the ashes?

These past four years have been the most incredible years of my life.

From watching our three tiny and vulnerable premature infants grow in to three curious toddlers and continue growth in to this current phase of adventurous (nonstop talking) preschoolers - there has never once been a dull moment since our children have arrived in our world.

If our lives up until this point had been a book, I think it could best be characterized as a love story, punctuated by comedy and horror.

Since I'm away on a business meeting using my work computer that has limited internet access (particularly as it pertains to accessing those sites where all of my photographic images are stored), I cannot include any pictures with this post. Unfortunately, the photos that I took of the children yesterday, when we scurried about town and they were dressed in their summer clothes while wearing their brightly colored matching hats from Patagonia, will have to wait.

The pictures that I most wanted to include with this post were of the children tossing pennies in to a fountain and making heartfelt wishes. And then, they would reach in to the fountain and do their best to scoop their pennies out so that they could throw them in and wish some more.

After they threw the equivalent of five dollars in coins in to the water, I rounded up all of the children so that they were close in my arms, and I cast a quarter in to the water. I hoped that this big coin would be large enough to cover all of the wishes that I have for my babies.

I wished for them patience and kindness and compassion and good health. I wished for them happiness and joy and the ability to share and the ability to eat a green vegetable every once in a while. I wished for them love. Unending, unconditional, uncomplicated love.

And then, I wished for me.

I wished that I would have the patience and kindess and compassion that will be required to raise these children in to the kind, patient and compassionate people I hope that they will become. I wished that I would continue to find joy in the small things that they do, and I wished that I will always have (or be able to find without too much wine), the ability to see the humor in just about every situation. I wished that I would enjoy them.

Each and every day, I wished that I would enjoy these little people that like a Phoenix, seem to be rising from the ashes before my very eyes.

And then, I thought about reaching in to the fountain so I could scoop my quarter out and wish on them some more.

33 comments:

  1. Happy birthday to your amazing trips!!!

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  2. Happy Birthday William, Caroline, & Elizabeth!

    And congrats to you, mom and dad for surviving this far. Your writing brought tears to my eyes.

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  3. What a sweet post. Hope you all enjoyed their special day.
    Happy Happy Birthday Elizabeth, Carolyn and William.
    Kathy

    PS How's your mom and dad doing? Hope things are going good.

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  4. Happy birthday to your amazing trio!

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  5. "I wished that I would continue to find joy in the small things they do..."

    Oh, you will. You will. I guess I thought the magic would end when they were no longer little. Oh how wrong I was - thank goodness. Even the teenage stage is fun. Trust me, your children's smiles and laughter will forever be magic to you.

    HAPPY,HAPPY,HAPPY birthday to your three miracles.

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  6. Happy Birthday William, Elizabeth, and Carolyn!!!

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  7. Happy Birthday William, Caroline and Elizabeth. And congratulations to their wonderful parents. You guys are doing a great job.

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  8. Happy Birthday to William, Caroline, and Elizabeth! I think you are amazing parents and you will see the pay off from that as your children continue to grow and prosper under your care.

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  9. your post gave me goosebumps! Happy bday to the amazing trips!

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  10. Happy birthday!! What a true blessing you all are!

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  11. Happy birfday, fwiends!!!

    Love,
    D, K, & V

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  12. Happy Birthday, Elizabeth, William, and Carolyn!

    And congratulations to Jen and Charlie!

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  13. HAPPY BIRTHDAY -- may all your wishes come true!

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  14. Happy Birthday Trips! Congrats Mom & Dad for surviving the first 3 years!

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  15. Happy happy happy birthday!!! I hope that the next four years -- and beyond!! -- are the best yet! Keep writing, I love your blog :)

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  16. Wow! Four years old. Happy Birthday W, C & E!! Wishing you a happy, healthy and fun-filled year.
    Congrats to you and Charlie~ your parenting seems to be right on track for having your wishes for your children come true.
    :)

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  17. Dear William Caroline Grace and Elizabeth:
    We are lucky in this cyber world to be able to watch your parents grow you and love on you and laugh with you. We love you too! What an incredible life you have ahead of you! Birthday Blessings for each of you on your big 4th!
    Cake yeah candles Yeahhhhhh!
    Rooth

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  18. What a beautiful post Jen. We do want the best for them don't we? A friend of mine once told me, when it comes to children listening and learning, "Kids don't hear what you're saying. They hear what you're DOING."

    Sometimes us parents need the prayers more for their sake than our own.

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  19. Happy Birthday William, Caroline & Elizabeth!! May all your wishes come true:)

    Your kids share their birthday with my twins born 28 years ago at 29 1/2 weeks. Their birthday still is so full of memories for me.

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  20. Happy Birthday!
    Happy Birthday!
    Happy Birthday!

    Your buds,
    The Oien crew - Brit, Tucker & Mallory, and Big Bro Tate

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  21. I hope the day was wonderful! They are very lucky to have such a wonderful mom and dad!

    Happy Birthday!

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  22. Can't wait to see you guys this weekend!!! Shayna is asking me every 5 minutes, "are we going to see the triplets now?"

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  23. Happy Birthday Trips! I'd say you've done quite well for yourselves over the last 4 years. Same to you Mom & Dad you've raised 3 wonderful, inquisitive, sensitive and loving children. And of course Henry you've done a great job of surviving your brother and sisters!

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  24. I cannot believe four years have passed. You have done a super job and they will bring you much happiness. My favorite memory is when William said--"Noni you are beautiful" Carolyn said "I love you soooo much Noni" and Elizabeth said
    "Please don't go home Noni". They are kind and so sweet and I look forward to many more good times together.
    Happy Birthday Y'all.
    MOM and Jimbo

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  25. Happy Birthday, sweet little ones!!!

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  26. Happy Birthday Girls and Guy!!!
    Best Wishes!!!

    ***Mariah***

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  27. Wondeful, glorious, happy, happy, happy birthday to your AMAZING trips :)

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  28. Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear William, Elizabeth and Caroline! Happy Birthday to you!

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  29. Happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday to the Amazing Triplets!
    -Johanna
    PS I'm birthday quadruplets with your trips :)

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  30. happy happy happy birthday AMAZING trips!!


    hope you grow up to be wonderful people, i know you will. your mommy and daddy are doing a good job on raising you up three. and baby henry of course.


    i love you William, Elizabeth and Gracie. =]

    JEN, i know you dont know me. lol. but i always look forward to your posts. i hope in the future i become a good mother to my children, like you. :D you inspire me. thanks a lot.

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  31. Happy Birthday to your trio! I hope that 4 is an amazing year for them!

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  32. Happy Birthday Carolyn, William and Elizabeth. And thank you for sharing your past 4 years with all of us.

    Lorraine B
    carolyn's boards

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  33. Happy birthday to your William, Caroline and Elizabeth!

    Congrats to mom and dad for surviving the last 4 years (plus if you include the pregnancy)!!

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