Eastport triplets turn one year old
It's not every day that a family gets to celebrate the first year birthday of their triplets. At the Eastport home of Anthony and Melissa Newcomb on Sunday, April 1, the one-year anniversary of the birth of their three sons was marked by two birthday parties.
It's not every day that a family gets to celebrate the first year birthday of their triplets. At the Eastport home of Anthony and Melissa Newcomb on Sunday, April 1, the one-year anniversary of the birth of their three sons was marked by two birthday parties.
A morning party was held for friends and other mothers and babies. A second party was attended by family members to mark the first year in the lives of brothers Graeson, Fulton and Harrison.
With the aid of supplements, Melissa, 32, was able to nurse the boys for the first four months of their lives, and now Graeson, the eldest and tiniest at birth, 4 lbs. 2 oz., weighs over 26 pounds. The middle brother, Fulton, was the heaviest of the boys at 5 lbs., 8 oz., and now he weighs over 25 pounds. The youngest, Harrison, who entered the world at 5 lbs., 3 oz., now weighs over 22 pounds.
The Newcombs, who also have 12-year-old daughter Kneviah, had been trying to have a baby for two years with the use of fertility treatments, and Melissa knew "right away, at four or five weeks, that I was having fraternal triplets."
Tony, 37, good-naturedly describes his wife as "a hormone cocktail" during some of the pregnancy and says "the only time she gave me a dirty look" was when they discovered at 19 weeks that all of the babies were boys. "She had her ups and downs, but she took it in stride," he proudly points out.
Carrying triplets became especially hard physically for Melissa at about 32 weeks "when I felt I was ripping from the inside out, but I knew I needed to carry them four or five more weeks." She spent a month and a half at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, where she thoroughly enjoyed the attention she received from the staff there. The number of ultrasounds jumped from once a month to every other day in the hospital.
The triplets have been quite healthy, but the laundry naturally piles up with three babies. In their house, peeing, pooping and puking are taken in stride and called "the three Ps."
"Fulton had reflux and spits up a lot. Tony had two or three shirts a day on," recalls Melissa as Tony looks at his wife and adds, "And there was that time when Harrison was on your chest with legs on each side of your neck, and he puked all over you."
An early effort to use cloth diapers on the boys was not successful, but the family was spending up to $21 a day on disposable diapers, so they switched to bamboo and organic cotton ones. "I recommend them highly," says Melissa "And we've had over $3,000 in savings."
"Tony has a good job, but I still look for bargains, and I buy in bulk."
The brothers are very good natured, and "they like to kiss and hug one another" points out their mother. They are so well behaved that their big sister can watch them on her own. The home has a large living room that is fenced off and serves as the boys' play area.
The babies all says "Mommy," "Daddy" and "Buppa," and Melissa is sure that Harrison said the word "gentle." She points out, "We're always saying, "Be gentle to them."
Merchant marine Tony works a 21-day rotation, and when he returns home, "I usually see them in the morning, and they brighten right up."
Summing up the boys' personalities at one year of age, the parents agree that Fulton is the thinker. "He'll be the brother who says, 'No. That's not the right thing to do,' and tell Mom."
Harrison is the busy one, generally getting into everything "and the one that's going to get into trouble."
Graeson is the whiner of the three, and the one who is likely to be the leader.
Tony and Melissa are grateful for the assistance they received in the past year when the size of their household doubled. "Thank you to everyone who helped," sums up Melissa. "Those who did, we appreciate everything."