Howdy Friends

What's there to say about a year like this? We didn't do much besides go to work, hang around the house, go to Walmart, and settle into the lifestyle of the suburban elite. We didn't take any trips to exotic locales; hob nob with any of the rich, famous, or powerful; or, with the exception of three small things, do much that anyone would consider noteworthy.

Winter:
Jill was homebound for most of the holidays and succeeding winter. We did spend a lovely week in Presbyterian Hospital with Jill on a variety of incapacitating drugs, which I'll admit had a certain charm to it. But, after a week or so, she was released and we came home.

February 13, the first Friday the 13th of 1998, provided a bit more excitement. Jill and I left home at 7:45 AM intending to have a regular day at work, followed by a relaxing weekend. However, being Friday the 13th, the day took a turn to the left, and by 1:00 we were in an operating room surrounded by about 30 doctors, nurses, and technicians and about 20 observing nursing students. By 1:08, the excitement was over and into the world arrived three new Raines babies:

All in all, it was a pretty good day.

After a mere 2 or 3 weeks of traveling back and forth to the hospital 2 to 3 times a day to visit our tiny bundles of joy, we had everybody home and the Raines family settled into a long winter's nap. Except, of course, there wasn't much napping going on. At least not for Jill and me.

Spring:
We made a few short walks around the block with the babies in their triplet stroller/limousine, which introduced us to a few of the strange things about being parents of multiples. Our first trip around the neighborhood created so much hubbub, you'd have thought we were giving away hundred dollar bills. So, there's being treated like a walking freak show everywhere we go; then there are the things people say....

Of course, despite our desire for a return of our pre-baby anonymity, some people say nice things:

Summer:
By the first of June, the babies began sleeping through the night—sort of. And so did we—sort of.

During the first part of the summer I discovered what I believe to be the Secret To Sane Fatherhood™--yard work. There's always yard work that needs doing and it's the sole non-baby activity that gets me out of the house that Jill can't get mad at me for. [Not that I would ever feel the need for a break from the babies...really, I don't.. No, really, diapers are my life.]

However, the yard work gods were against me and we had the worst drought in 60 years, which meant all the grass died and I got to hone my diaper changing skills. I can now change 3 diapers simultaneously, blindfolded, with one hand tied behind my back, standing on my head, whistling Dixie, while juggling any combination of babies. bottles, stuffed animals, pacifiers, etc.

We had the babies christened when they were 4 months old. Relatives and friends (including 3 wise men who claimed to be following a star) came from far and wide for the first-ever Raines family triplet christening. With the exception of the tornado that blew into town and Jill's grandparents and sister being in a car wreck, it was a nice family event.

In June and July, Jill and I that thought we needed a change of pace and decided to shake things up a bit by taking on new jobs. I began working for Boeing Aerospace Operations and Jill accepted a job as an administrative law judge with the Oklahoma Department of Labor, in addition to her University job.

Fall:
The babies began to make the transition from helpless to human, which means that we spent even more time trying in vain to keep up with babies and baby duties. The babies’ first-learned skills seem to be conspiracy and collusion, which therefore foil all attempts to keep them penned in.

Jill taught a weekend class at OU, which meant that I got to baby-sit solo for the first time.