Colorado-based photographer Teryn Robinson thought she had things all planned out…until her OBGYN broke the news that she was carrying triplets. Now at 18 months old, her identical triplet girls, Grace, Lily and Anaia, are the best of friends and pretty much the most adorable littles on your Instagram feed this year. Read more about how Teryn became a mommy x3 all at once.
Tell us about the moment you found out you were having triplets.
I had experienced a miscarriage when we first started trying so we were very cautious when we went to the doctor for our first ultrasound. I think we were a little afraid to get our hopes up. The doctor was really excited to hear a heartbeat and then she got really quiet. She said, “I hear two.” We were emotional and overjoyed when she showed us two heartbeats at the same time. Then she got quiet again and said, “Wait, I think I hear a third!” We went into a state of shock at that point. I actually have it on video and both my husband and the doctor were just stuttering! We don’t have multiples in our family, we didn’t do any fertility treatments and we never thought in a million years we’d have triplets. And here we are! And it’s been amazing.
Your girls are identical but how are their personalities different?
Their personalities are actually similar in many ways and they will trade out personality traits in phases. One will be the mellow one for a few weeks, then it’s someone else’s turn. One will be clingy, then it switches. For the most part, Anaia is showing her sensitive caring side. Grace is mellow but has a temper when she is riled up. Lily has always been more clingy and leery of strangers. It’s fun to see them change too as they grow.
What survival tips do you have for moms with multiples?
Do whatever works for you. Whatever makes your life easier, do it. The triple stroller was a must for me. I quickly realized it would be impossible to keep them from chewing on the same toy or not exchanging germs so I’ve actually had them share a bottle and share a sippy cup. As they get older, I’m realizing how beneficial it’s been because they’ve learned some patience; they’ve had to wait to get their turn for things.
Tell me about the triplet dynamic:
They love to play together and make each other laugh. I have videos of them in their room with all three in their cribs next to each other and they’ll be passing toys or pacifiers across to each other, to get another one to laugh. They’ll sit down and put their legs through the railing to touch each other’s feet. It’s pretty cute.
Your triplet nursery is amazing. Tell me what inspired you as you decorated that.
When I was pregnant, I never got to do a nursery up like most moms do. Originally, I was working two jobs and my husband is a pastor, so I provided our main income and carried our insurance. I planned to go back to work after having a baby. However, when I found out I was having triplets, I realized I wouldn’t be able to work most my pregnancy and that I wouldn’t be going back to work after they were born. We made the hard decision to rent out our house, sold most our furniture and moved into my in-laws basement, not knowing when or if we’d get back in our house.
We spent 110 days in the hospital. The last five weeks of my pregnancy were hospital bed rest, then 11 weeks while the triplets were in the NICU. During that time, we rarely went home. I showered in empty hospital rooms when one was available. We did laundry at the Ronald McDonald house and we alternated sleeping schedules in recliner chairs so we could spend time with the girls. So once we did get back into our house, doing up the nursery was my first priority. I had been saving ideas I’d seen on Pinterest and Instagram and I just had to get that room done. We love it now!
Sometimes life gives us hands-on lessons to learn. What has having triplets taught you that nothing else could have?
I think it’s taught me that God’s plan is bigger than ours. I am such a planner and I had figured it all out. When we were preparing to have a baby, we budgeted well, we researched our childcare options, we had planned things out. But having triplets threw a wrench into those plans for sure! I’ve learned to go with the flow and that it will work out fine. I would never have planned or hoped for triplets but all I can say is that it’s awesome.
Once you knew they were coming, how did you plan?
Having triplets was a crazy thing for me to wrap my head around. There are still days when I look at them and say, “wow, I carried all three of them!” It’s surreal. While I was pregnant, I never bought three sets of anything because I knew there was a good chance I could lose one of them and not be bringing three babies home. I tried to stay as positive as possible and know that whatever God had planned for us would be right. To have them all home and all healthy is truly surreal.