I have five girls. The oldest, Raylene, was born January 5 1999, Tiffany born June 5 2000, then came the triplets Scarlett, Victoria, and Jannell born January 9 2003. Yes they are a handful.

When I found out that I was expecting again it turned out to be the day my grandfather passed away. I took a home test. About a week later I got the test done from the doctors to confirm it. I wanted one more child. I really wanted a boy. I lost my father when I was seven and my brother when I was 17. So it only made sense that I wanted one more and hopefully a boy. That didn't work out like that as you can see. All I can say is God works in mysterious ways. There is always a reason for everything.

So the doctor sent me for an ultra sound at 8 weeks. I found out that I was expecting twins because there were two sacks. I thought cool. I always wanted twins. My grandmother lost a set of twins and my husband’s grandmother is a twin. So I thought that it was extra cool. They made me another ultrasound for I think I was 12 weeks along. When they were checking the heart beats, the nurse said “the first one is… and then the second one is…” and then all of a sudden she said,” the third heart rate is....” My face hit the floor and so did my mothers and my mom said the third?? We were in such shock that when I got home I cried. My grandmother was watching my other two girls. All I kept thinking is where are we going to put them and how are we going to afford them. What am I going to do? My mom's job just got phased out thanks to computers. I live with her in a 3 plus 1 bedroom house but the one room is so small that a single bed doesn't even fit in there. I got two cribs in there and a dresser and that's all that fits.

I saw the specialist in the high risk pregnancies in Calgary, which was a 3 hour drive. The doctor asked if I wanted to take something to abort one of them to give them more room. I said no right away. He did think that I could carry them since I never had any problems with my other two children and I did carry them to full term. My first child I was 11 days late with and she was 7 lbs 3 oz and Tiffany was 4 days early and she weighed 7 lbs 6 oz. The doctor also said that I was tall and young so I should have no troubles. He had faith in me.

The doctors wanted me to go to Calgary and have the babies and the Calgary doctor said that as long as I made it passed my 26 or 28 week I should be fine to have them here in Medicine Hat. The doctor that I saw in Calgary knew my doctor and had faith in him. That helped because I wanted to have here because all my family and support was here. I needed my family.

Every time I turned around there was another appointment or test. I was always told to get as much bed rest as I could with the other two children that wasn't easy. I was not allowed to get a lot of exercise since it might bring on early labor. So I ended up getting gestational diabetes. I was only put on a diet nothing else. I only put on 34 lbs total. All I kept hearing from the doctors was get through to this week then get through to this week your doing great babies are doing fine. I felt like the same thing every time I went in. Except the babies were getting bigger. I knew the one that had her own sack was a girl but the other two no way would they ever let me know. I didn't know until they were born.

Everything was going good, babies were doing fine. I felt huge like a beached whale. The holidays were coming fast and I did my Christmas shopping early and got them wrapped all before Halloween. I was as ready as I could be for Christmas and the doctors told me to make through and then it was make through the New Year. Then it was make it through Raylene's 4th birthday. Which I did all that and we had a small party for her. By January 8 they put me in the hospital I was 3-4 cm dilated. Which scared my doctor because of my last child I went to the doctors appointment and ended up at the hospital and had her in a few hours my labor went fast and got fast with each child. Not to mention I never know when I'm in labor because I have a very high pain tolerance. Baby A was also breech and they couldn't get a measurement on her at all anymore so they were a little worried. I was scheduled for my c-section the next morning. I don't know who was more scared me, my mom or my husband.

My mom came in the labor room with me not my husband. So it's January 9 2003, I was 36 weeks and four days. The doctors said baby A is a girl and baby B is a girl and baby C is another girl. I was emotional so I cried. Baby A weighed 4 lbs 0.5oz and Baby B weighed 4lbs 5.5 oz and Baby C weighed 5lbs and 12 oz. Everything seemed to be going great. I never saw the girls until they were a day old because I just wanted to rest. Baby C was having troubles breathing she needed oxygen and bunch of other stuff to help her. She ended going up to Calgary. They have more equipment for that stuff. I only got to spend a few hours with her. The other two were doing fine. They all got formula since I can't breast feed do to my heart medicine because it would go into my milk and slow down the baby’s heart rate which we don't want.

The News wanted to talk to me because I was the first in 20 years to have triplets born here in Medicine Hat so I did and interview with them once baby C came back. She was in Calgary for five days. They all seem to be doing alright so I got to go home a week after they were born which was a Friday. Baby A and baby B failed there car seat test so they had to stay in until they passed. It gave me a couple of days to spend with my other two girls before I brought them all home. On Monday Baby A- Scarlett and Baby B- Victoria could come home. Baby C - Jannell had to stay a little longer. She came home on Thursday. So I had all my girls home on when they were two weeks old. I had my mom and my grandmother and that was it. I don't think I could have done it with out them.

When the girls got bigger I used cloth diapers and I found it to be fine. My husband works all hours because he works in the oil patch so he didn't help much at all. Everyone told me that preemies were slow and small all the time. Not my girls. They were slower than the other two. These ones crawl at 9 months were my other two were walking at 9 - 91/2 months. Jannell was the first to pull her self up at 11 1/2 months and walked at 12 1/2 months. Scarlett and Victoria walked at 13 months old. They wanted to try and keep up to there two other sisters.

Now the girls are all changed and Jannell that was my biggest is now my smallest. They are all around 30 lbs or over at there 3 year check up. There off the charts for there height and there weight. The doctor's have no concerns for them. I'm happy to hear that. My husband found it to be way too much for him because he left me and the girls in June 2005 just after Tiffany turned 5. The day I was coming home from my operation which I was laid up for 6 weeks with. He didn't want the triplets and he made sure that everyone knew that just because they are all girls. Thank God I have my mom.