Triplets' Birthday

Wow! It's already been 5 years! If you only knew how insane that was for us.looking back at old photos, and remembering how small they were and how hard they had to fight to make it...them seeing them today, and though we are dealing with some issues, they are overall healthy, strong, beautiful little girls!This is Kirsten, known to us as "Kiki". She was our first of our beautiful 3. She weighed in at 2 lbs. 6ozs. Dark hair, dark eyes, olive skin...typical Italian baby girl. She was on oxygen for 8 weeks after birth, and had a grade 1 cranial bleed. She has since been diagnosed with autism and a mild case of CP. HOWEVER.......she is our most rambunctious, playful, loving, and sympathetic baby ever! She can't decide if she wants to be a tomboy or not. Loves her brother immensely! He is her hero! She is my teacher and my thorn all in one, but even though she's all of that, she is truly one of my greatest joys.

This is my Hannah, known to us as "Nanabug". She is our walking, talking, breathing miracle. She was the second to be born of our three precious little ones. She was born weighing 2lbs 3 ozs, had a grade 3 cranial bleed, and was on oxygen for about 2 weeks. She developed hydrocephalus and had to have 2 major brain surgeries, one at 3 weeks old and one at 14 weeks. They told us she would probably be retarded, have some symptoms of CP, maybe not have any motor skills...the news was not very good. HOWEVER..God stepped in! She is as smart as a whip! She has been diagnosed as "borderline aspbergers syndrome", but fr a child who couldn't sit up til she was a year old, but spoke 2 word phrases at 9 months. Couldn't walk til she was 16-18 months old, yet has a photographic memory and remembers words after the first sight of them and hearing their pronunciation....retarded my behind! She is a wonderful joy to us! She has all the personality in the world, and can make anyone laugh! She is a lover and is definitely looking to make her Daddy happy. She is an in between child...loves to dress up, but can wrestle with the best of them! She prepared us for the many things we would have to face later on when our twins were born.....and to this day, she still hums "Jesus loves me" when she's upset or hurt. (Mama used to sing that to her while we did our Kangaroo care at UCLA when she was a baby)

This is Gracey Lou, known to us as our "Lou-Lous". She was the third and the smallest of our threesome. She was 2 lbs 3 ozs same as Hannah, but proportionately smaller than all of them. She had no major complications as a baby accept reflux (oh, my goodness! We used to fight over who had to feed her each feeding at night, because whoever got her would be up for at least 30 minutes...1/2 oz, burp the baby, 1/2 oz, burp the baby....get puked n, start all over...ugh). She has since been diagnosed as possible ADHD and having one leg longer than the other and needing special shoes to help with the growth difference so as not to affect her hips or back. Outside of those little things, Gracey has been our healthiest, strongest, and probably the most active of them all. She is so much fun to be around. She tells stories, made up by her of course! She LOVES to dress up, quite the glamour girl I must Say! She likes having her picture taken, and sings all the time. If Mama has her way, this one will get musical training early...she has all the desires and talent to do well. She is always looking to make other happy, and the girl can shop!!!

Now that you know my little ones, here's a glimpse at their birthdaay bash! The girls had such a good time...a few meltdowns but we got over them. But that's a story for another day.

Glamour girl Gracey!

Hannah gettin' in on the dress up action!

Kiki enjoying her new dinosaur toy! Literally!

Ahhhhhhh! My two little princesses all dressed up with nowhere to go!

All in all, this was a great birthday celebration! We have a lot to celebrate and to be thankful for. God has done wondrous things for us!

Christmas Shopping

I had SO much fun today! My friend and I went out Christmas shopping for our kids! I got SO MUCH stuff, for such a small amount of money...now when you're hurting for cash and you can say you got a lot for a little..it's been a good day!

I was able to get everyone at least one thing on their list! Remember I have 8 kids! I was able to get 8 things that everyone can share! I was even able to get things that they need! It was an awesome day! Of course it took 9 hours, but hey! I was wiling to put in the time.

I wish there was a way to explain how much I enjoy doing this. We are usually so tight every month that I don't get to spoil my kids without help. And that's the case now too. We were given gift cards to send however we wanted...so I blew it all on the kids! I grew up in house where we gave and gave and gave at Christmas time. It' just what we did. So when we thought we weren't going to have anything to give the kids from us this year it hurt me. I know my parents will spoil them, but it's not the same.

I like doing things for our kids. I make a big to-do over birthday cakes, and making cookies with them, and trimming the tree, doing craft projects, planning days out and play dates for them. I want them to have memories of all the things we did together and the things that Quincy and I did for them. I think it's important when they're older to understand the things we sacrifice sometimes for them to have what they do. It makes them grateful and more appreciative of things and us. I was/am of my parents. It's why I love to give so much.

I love seeing them giggling and giddy when they tear open the paper and find the one thing that they really wanted. We don't do "Santa Claus"..they think he's just a guy in the movies. So we don't get upstaged by the old man in a red suit. They know that what they get comes straight from us and their grandparents. The squeal and laugh all day with their stuff, and nothing melts my heart more. I love to see them happy. I love to hear their laughter. And I love getting the hugs and being told "you're the best mom in the whole world!" What can top that?

I just pray that they will keep our family traditions and learn to love giving as much as I do. It's important to me that they do. My best childhood memories are of Christmas as a little girl. I hope someday our kids will say the same.

Have you ever wondered?

Try to picture this as you read it....

"I have seen a place in heaven, a corridor that is lit up by thousands of small flickering, flame like lights which represent a child that is to be born into this world. As the Lord walks through this corridor, a voice whispers,"they are ready to conceive". The Lord then proceeds to walk through the corridor and stops in front of the brightest flickering light there. He gently picks up the light with His own hand and He tells the voice, "send them this one". The Lord, God, hand selected this light to be born a child into this world. The light which has been chosen to now be their child has everything he will ever need to successfully accomplish his destiny already grafted into his spirit. The parents' job now is to help develop these talents and gifts in order to ensure his success. "

Picturing this in my mind, and realizing that God has a say in everything that happens to us, including how many children we will have. What sex they will be, and any other personalities, talents, gifts, "quirks", that they might have....realizing this, puts me in a state of awe and gratitude for the life handed to me. I have 8 children. So if you think about it, God hand selected each one of my kids, not just one or two, but 8! Some of them in twos and threes, and gave them to my husband and I to love and raise. It was not by some fluke that my ovaries spit out several eggs at a time, it was in the plan all along!

I often get down on myself because Kirsten is autistic and Hannah has a shunt and epilepsy, and Sophia has a shunt, and Jo-jo is slow to speak, and Hunter was born with microcia.....blah blah blah....God hand picked each one of them. He knew what issues they would have. He knew I could handle it and that I would love them just the same. He knew I would never give up on them or give them away because they weren't "perfect". Personally, I think God did this for me. You ever want a lesson in patience, deal with autism. You ever want to know how strong your faith really is, have a 3 week old baby go through brain surgery, then have another one do the same thing 2 years later. Or watch her have a 40 minute grand mal seizure as you watch and wait helplessly and hope for no permanent damage to be done. You ever want a lesson in slowing down, see how long it takes you to figure out what "uh" and a pointed finger means. Ever want a lesson on unconditional love, have a child born with a deformity and have people point and make comments without getting angry or embarrassed.

I never ask,"why did this happen to my child".... I always try to remember to ask, "what am I supposed to learn from this?" The more I learn, the better mom I can be, and the happier life I can give them. These are my goals. I m not perfect, but my children don't know that yet!

So I guess what I'm saying is, if we really step back and look at whatever issues our child may have that we deal with everyday....there's a reason for it. It's not a "punishment" and it doesn't have to be a "burden"....they are blessings just the way they are! They were chosen for us, and we were chosen for them.

Mama Moran's Recipe

Obviously, being the mom of 8 kids, my life is a little hectic and sometimes a little more chaotic than others. But on top of the normal daily ins and outs we have to add in the a few other factors...such as,

• a 6 year old son Hunter, who is in school and has to call you to bring him new clothes because we had some trouble in the bathroom this morning.
• Our beautiful little Kiki, with her autistic "quirks" as we call them, like pouring 2 cups of sugar into a pan with cooking oil for the simple pleasure of pouring something..."I cooking Mommy!"
• Our cute little twin girls, Jo-jo and Sophie, who think the box of thanksgiving day food is up for grabs because it's within reach and not sealed, so they open the box and begin eating the chocolate cake mix....mmmmmm.
• Our 3 year old "princess" who has to have everything like Burger King intended her to..her way!
• My beloved Gracey who loves to sing anything and everything...soprano!
• Hannah, who is our "tantrum of the day" child. Guaranteed to throw at least one!

Now put all of these things together, with washing the laundry, the dishes, and the kids. Cooking 3 meals and 2 snacks a day. Grocery shopping, driving to and from, disciplining, reading stories, refereeing, cleaning rooms, vacuuming, homework, and the occasional play date.....not to mention, financial accounting, crisis managing, phone call handling (not from friends!) and the whenever I can, prayer time, bathing and grooming myself , and helping someone else.....

This is the recipe for my life!

Autism is NOT a curse

We have a little girl, Kirsten, who is the oldest of triplets who has been diagnosed with having autism. It is unbelievable the response you get from people when they find something like that out about you. I know that they mean well and that their hearts are in the right place, but sometimes you just want to scream!

OK, so I lose my mind on a daily basis trying to figure out what she wants or what she is thinking. Yes, I blow my top once in a while after having the light switch flickered on and off 50 times in a row while trying to cook dinner. And yes, I do have days where I just wish this would go away. BUT.....

Then there are days when she lets me into her world, and everything else seems so unimportant. The little habits she has, the tantrums, the constant battle with sleep deprivation. Every now and then she finds a way to show me things the way she sees them. For example, we've all seen the baby Einsteins barrage of things you can use to teach your kids, right? Well, I was showing her some flash cards of pictures, to see if she is an auditory or a visual learner....VERY IMPORTANT when dealing with a child who has autism.

The card was a black sky with white shiny dots..answer should have been "stars" or "night".....Kirsten says, "it's outer space Mommy. Where rocket lives." I was blown away. It seems minute to some, but really if you've ever dealt with a child who can't seem to communicate clearly with you for a cup of juice...this was big! So we tried another one. It was a red cardinal bird. Her answer, "it's a triangle." Just through this simple little exercise I was able to get a clear glimpse of exactly what she sees....abstracts....nature.....

I know I sound like a crackpot, but really, for her to see something so complex as "outer space" out of something so simple, my other kids all said "stars" to....she sees more than we think. Even the bird. She didn't see the bird, she saw the shapes it made using the outline of it's head and beak. I guess my point is, you just never really know what your kids see until you take the time to really get into their world.

For parent's of children with autism, the smallest things mean the biggest accomplishments.

ok, so here I am

Left to right...Ashlynn, Gracey, Sophia, Hunter,
Aniessa, Jocelynn, Kirsten, and Hannah


Quincy and I at my cousin's wedding last May




Ok, well, it seems I have some people who are interested in my life, so here I am. My name is Jeanne, I am 29 years old. I am married t my wonderful husband of now 8 years, and we are the proud parents of 8 children all under the age of 7 years old! You don't have to adjust your glasses, you read it right.

We are the proud parents of our oldest son Hunter who is 6, our triplet daughters, Kirsten, Hannah, and Gracey who are days shy of 5 years old, our singleton daughter Ashlynn who is 3 and 1/2 years old, our twin daughters, Sophia and Jocelyn who are 22 months old, and our newest addition...9 week old Aniessa. Yep! You counted right. 7 girls and 1 boy!!

They are all natural! Apparently I have over active ovaries! But after being told we may never conceive...we count them all blessings! Every single one of them! I wouldn't trade my life for anything.

Well, I really don't have much to say at this late hour (it's almost baby's last feed before bedtime! YEAH!!! 4 hours sleep is on it's way!) But feel free to ask me questions as I know you are itching to anyway. Don't worry , the obvious questions don't offend me...just PLEASE don't ask me if I'm crazy, nuts, insane, out of my mind, or if I know what caused this....I believe the answers to those questions are quite obvious, don't you?