In a recent interview, Blair was kind enough to give us the inside scoop on how she’s seriously rocking this mom thing:
Introductory information
“I was born and raised in Chattanooga. I love iced coffee and all things monogrammed. My favorite family pastimes are cheering on the UTC Mocs in football and basketball and vacationing in Disney World. I have five kids under seven and have been married to Jeremy for eight years. God has blessed us tremendously!”
Q: What was your pregnancy like?
A: “My pregnancy was an interesting blessing!! It was a roller coaster full of emotions. I would get to a point where I felt like I had hit a wall, and was mentally just completely done…OVER IT. To put things into perspective, at 24 weeks with triplets, it was like being at 40 weeks with a singleton. I would feel this way for a few days, then wake up one morning and feel great. It was like my body had to adjust to each growth spurt and change. But starting at 32 weeks, I hit the big wall…everything hurt and I couldn’t walk, sit, or stand. But, I am SO GLAD I held on until 35 weeks just simply for the health of my babies!”
Q: How many diapers do you go through in a day?
A: “I haven’t actually counted, but they say the average for a newborn is 8-10 a day so…that times three. In the beginning, I would believe that it was every bit of thirty diapers a day. Now that they’re four months old, it’s probably more like twenty. When I pack the diaper bag, I make sure I have no fewer than fifteen, enough for each one to have five changes.”
Q: What is it like to have three babies to feed?
A: “Fun, interesting, chaotic, and a precious bond is how I would describe it. I am nursing, and we supplement with formula. I always prefer for all three to eat at the same time so I nurse two and the third gets a pumped bottle. Twice a day they all get a formula bottle. We kept this feeding pattern until Cooper’s surgery three weeks ago. He can only nurse, and has been on only breastmilk since surgery. Kate and Caleb either nurse along with him or get a bottle of breastmilk or formula. They are getting more bottles and more formula than what I would prefer, BUT they are getting fed, and this is just a season. We have many more months of nursing ahead of us.”
Q: Do you ever get time to yourself?
A: “Only when I get to escape to Target or the grocery store or I have gotten a pedicure since they were born. My husband and my mom are great about watching the kids, so I can break away. I am home-body by nature, BUT at some point everyone begins to go stir crazy!”
Q: Which one is your favorite? (I had to throw in a silly question, but Blair humored me!)
A: “The cute one is my favorite!! And they’re all pretty stinkin’ adorable.”
Q: What are the biggest challenges of having triplets?
A: “1) Feeding them all at once or within a thirty minute time period. This is ideal for me, but sometimes one may get an hour off from the other two or vice versa. I’ve just learned to roll with it, and catch that one back up at the next feeding.
2) My house is a disaster zone. I am doing a decent job with keeping the laundry and dishes up, but everything else has gone to pot. I’m not a perfectionist by ANY means, but the mess starts to get on your nerves at some point.
3) Biggest challenge of all is making sure all three are getting an equal piece of me. I have to work really hard at making sure they all get equal nursing time, equal snuggles, and face to face time…or as equal as I can make it. I can’t get too wrapped up in the numbers though. I can’t let that guilt settle in. I just do the best I can, and make it a point to try to spread myself as evenly as possible.”
Q: What’s your favorite part about life with triplets?
Q: What’s it like to all go out of the house together?
A: “An outing with the whole family is entertainment in itself!! We bought a van right before I had the babies, and it’s still a puzzle getting everyone packed in. We have to move seats up and back every time, and everyone has to get in the van in a certain order. It’s quite comical! It takes about 15-20 minutes to load up! We’ve only taken all five kids out twice. In June, we took our huge quad stroller, and my husband and I took turns pushing our three-year-old daughter, the triplets, and our six-year-old son walked beside us. We were stopped at least 3-4 times asking about the babies, but no strange questions that time!!”
Q: Is life with triplets what you expected it to be?
A: “Life with triplets is slightly easier to about what I expected it to be. It depends on the day!”
Q: What kind of help have you received from friends and family?
Q: What are some frequently asked questions you receive from others?
A: “‘Are they natural/spontaneous or were you on fertility?’ I was not on any sort of fertility at all. We had two children with no problem and were trying for just one more!
Q: Do multiples run in your family?
A: “Not at all on my side. My husband’s mother is a fraternal twin, and he also has identical female twin cousins.”
Q: What are you going to do with all those babies?
A: “Love them, care for them, and feed them! Or else they’ll cry! Also, teach them how much Jesus loves them and how special and unique they are!”
Q: What did you do when you found out?
A: “Cried! But they were happy tears! How many women get to say they grew three human beings inside their body at once?! Not many. I genuinely was so happy to hear the news. It’s an honor and a privilege to be their mommy.”
Blair is raising five beautiful, little human beings, is one of the most positive people I know, is truly an inspiration to other moms, and somehow even manages to walk out of the house looking gorgeous and put-together each time I have seen her. She makes having triplets look easy enough for us all to try! Who’s in?
