Browsing Category: A Look at Our Life

Take a peak at what our life with 5 littles {including triplets} is like!

Of God’s Continued Faithfulness…

One year ago today was our first day home as a family of 6. Princess Peanut decided to grace us with her presence; and thus began our official journey as parents of a 2 year old and triplets. It’s hard to believe that we somehow managed to survive a year, that we didn’t have any major illnesses or injuries. Illnesses alone is a huge deal for 34 week preemies.

There have been so many ways in which God has blessed us during this past year, from keeping our sanity {I use that term very, very loosely} to being able to afford whatever expenses came along.

One of the things that freaked us out most about having triplets was the financial aspect. I wrote before about how God completely blessed us with our van. That was only the beginning. We knew that there would be clothes, formula, diapers, car seats and a variety of other things that would pop up over their first year.

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Matthew 6:34

Formula was the big thing. So big that we could have taken a really nice vacation with that money*. That doesn’t include the formula that we received as samples from our pediatrician and through the Enfamil Multiples program.

I tallied up what we actually paid out of pocket and I honestly cannot tell you where that money came from in this past year. It wasn’t from the money that came in from Matt’s paycheck, there wasn’t enough extra there to make up that kind of difference. Particularly once you add in the overnight diapers and other things that we needed to pick up here and there.

There is ALWAYS more GOD than MONTH @JessicaMWhite.com
Every month it always amazes me, how despite the bills coming in and money going out, there is always enough. We’ve lived this and experienced this blessing month after month and since long before the babies arrived. It always comes from somewhere and there’s always just…enough.

I can’t pretend to even understand it, because it defies reason, as God’s goodness always does. Who am I to think that any of this life is accomplished through our own hard work and responsible financial planning? It isn’t. It is only through God’s grace, and to His glory, that ends meet.

*and in case you were wondering the cost of formula feeding triplets for a year…we spent around $3,500 between the Enfamil Enfacare and Earth’s Best Organic formulas. Additionally, we received about $1,500 of formula through the Enfamil Multiples program {which is for parents of multiples and it’s through the hospital where they were born} and samples from our pediatrician.

Routines in the White House :: Transportation

One of the first things we knew we needed to address after finding out we were having triplets was the car. Can’t bring the kids home from the hospital if we don’t have a big enough car! Our Honda CRV was just NOT going to cut it, which seriously broke my heart {I LOVED that car}.

Routines-in-the-White-House-Transpor

We waited until the end of the Summer, figuring that we’d pick up on some great deals. Fortunately, our bank was doing a promo-financing thing with a car dealership we’ve used before.

I had a very specific list of requirements in our van: It had to be beige/gold/tan {whatever that color is called}, it had to have an aux input {for my ipod}, remote doors, and a roof rack….very specific right? I figured I’d have to compromise on something.

Let me tell you a little secret: I didn’t, not even one thing, AND I got heated seats and remote start!

Our car was only the beginning of how we were seeing God’s blessings in providing for these babies. We ended up getting a fantastic car, the price we wanted for our Honda CRV, and awesome financing!

Of course the car is only half the battle. The other half was figuring out how to fit 4 car seats in a 5 person {notice the word PERSON} back-seat-section. Matt, bless his heart, had never installed a car seat up until this point, I had always done all of Ave’s car seats. He took on the responsibility of installing the infant car seats.

We had hoped upon hope that we could fit all 3 infant car seats along the back row {I never managed to remember to take a picture of this}. We did. Unbeknownst to us, because our van is the Touring edition of the Chry.sler T&C, it has wider hip room in the 3rd row, allowing 3 car seats to fit, unlike almost every vehicle out there, even suburbans. We had no idea of this when we actually bought the car {another way God was blessing us}.

Because all the seats were in the 3rd row, we could put down the one captains chair, making it infinitely easier for us to load the 3 {increasingly heavy} infant car seats, without killing ourselves.

A couple of months ago, both boys outgrew the infant car seat {height-wise}. Another quandary, I knew that there was no way we would be able to fit 3 convertible car seats across the back row. We wouldn’t even be able to get the kids IN, even if we could fit them…we’d have a wall of car seat backs, all the way to the ceiling.

Once again, after numerous web searches, because I guess this isn’t a problem for most families {needing to have 4 convertible car seats at once in a vehicle}, I found out about a car seat that was the slimmest on the market, with the added benefit that it accommodated over 100lbs, meaning we won’t need to buy booster seats in a few years, the Diono Radian RXT. We ordered 2, thankfully not having to break the bank with buying 3 at once {2 was bad enough}.

Then came the fun part: How to install 3 convertible car seats and an infant car seat, while {hopefully} keeping a captains seat down.

It took me 2 days, I kid you not, TWO DAYS to figure out how to configure the seats.

Finally, I had it! And here it is for all you other lucky parents of a singleton and then triplets {the whole 4 or 5 of us that there seems to be}.

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Third row: Diono Radian {forward facing – for Ave}, Chicco Keyfit 30 {Ellie},

Diono Radian {rear facing – for James}

Second row (captains seat): Britax Marathon {rear facing – for Henry}

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For now, we fit: Once Ellie has outgrown the infant car seat, I’m not sure what will happen, but you can be sure I’ll write about it. And if we’re blessed with even 1 or 2 more children, I’m not sure what car is next in our future. I do know that God will provide for them, because He always has and always will.