Wordless Wednesday (And a shout out to all the amazing ladies who were at my baby shower!)

Closet is literally BURSTING thanks to the generosity of all my friends and family!

Hand-knit sweaters made by Ken's Auntie Dot featuring handmade buttons from a tree in their yard. Amazing!

Double stroller with the Joey Seat! I think I'm reserving that seat for my little girl N. (Thanks again to everyone who went in on this!)

Choo Choo ready to go. (Thank you Shrewsbury Crew!)

Thanks to everyone who traveled near and far to make my baby shower so memorable. And a special thank you to my mom Lou, my sister Aimee, my sister-in-laws Katie and Wendy and my mother-in-law Mary Jeanne for throwing such a lovely party.
I love you all and  I can't wait for everyone to meet the trio! xo

Wordless Wednesday

Baby socks...

Matching skull pj's for the boys!

I had to drag Ken out of Baby Gap! He was on a tear.

Who doesn't love a mini jean jacket and a cute dress!

Meeting them for the first time...

Tarmac at Bole International Airport, Addis Ababa.

A little over a week ago, after a very long flight, we descended down the metal stairs onto the tarmac at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The first thing that hit me was the damp, drizzly air. I can’t tell you how good it felt after being cooped up in a plane for 13 hours. I took in a big breath – and drank it in. The smell was almost exotic... like the smoke of clove cigarettes hanging in the air. It was intoxicating.


We met our driver "M" outside the airport after rounding up our bags, and we were off. It takes 20 minutes from the airport to get to Horizon House – the place where our kids are staying. Just 20 minutes were standing between us and meeting and holding our kids for the first time. My heart was pounding and my mind was racing. 


“I hope they are all healthy.”
“I hope they are all happy.”
“I hope they have all gained weight.”
“I hope... I hope... I hope...”


The 20 minutes flew by. It was a blur of honking horns, merging cars and fancy traffic maneuvers by our very talented driver. I told him he would fit in perfectly in New York City.


Nearing the end of the drive, we took a hard right onto a very narrow dirt alleyway. If you blinked, you would miss it. A few second later, we stopped at a huge gate surrounded by barbed wire. We had arrived.


This is the moment we had been waiting for. The driver said they were up and we could just walk right in and meet them. No fanfare. No ceremony of handing you the baby like they did with J-Lo in the movie “What to Expect When You’re Expecting.” It was just me and Ken... and all that stood between us and our kids was a door to a small room.


We threw our bags in our room and grabbed two cameras. After taking our shoes off we quietly opened the door and walked into the room. I looked to my left and saw this beautiful little girl wearing pink lying in a small crib. She had big almond eyes and A LOT of hair. I almost didn’t recognize her. She had grown so much since we first saw her in the referral photo. But it was her. I asked if I could pick her up and the Nannies said of course. Let me tell you, there’s nothing like that moment. Holding and kissing your child for the first time. Two seconds later they handed me one of the boys. The big guy. The smile on my face was so big. And then they handed Ken the other boy. All everyone could say was “Konjo” which means beautiful in Amharic.


That’s exactly what it was... beautiful.


Over the next few days, we spent as much time as possible with the three of them and quickly learned that they all have their own distinct personalities. “N” the girl, is very independent. She loves to roll around and steal toys from her brothers. “E” the big guy can be stoic, but once he gets to know and trust you, he’s all smiles. He also loves to be picked up. And then there’s “A”. He was the third one to be born. In true youngest-child fashion, he loves to make his presence know. He has an inner squeal he belts out when he wants you to notice him. It’s hilarious. 


Needless to say, both Ken and I are head over heels. It’s amazing how much love you can feel for another little human being. In our case – three little ones. 


We truly couldn't feel any luckier.

Wordless Wednesday

Still coming off jet lag - and need to gather all my thoughts and emotions about this life-changing trip - so until then... here are few pictures.

The Best Friday… Ever!

After hoping, praying and waiting… we are FINALLY… going to meet our kids! I came home after yoga and opened my email to find the subject line ‘Court Date!!!’ from one of our caseworkers.

Ken and I couldn’t be more excited and overjoyed. It’s hard to hold back the tears.


I can't believe we are going to be parents to the three most amazing little human beings.

So watch out Addis Ababa… The Pouliots are arriving on July 14th.


Now it's time to pop open the bubbly! TGIF!!!!!!!

The Waiting Game

It’s been more than a month since I posted anything. Honestly, I feel like I don’t have a whole lot to update you guys on right now… except that we’re in a holding pattern … which sucks.


It’s been a little over nine weeks since we got our referral of the three beauties, and since then we’ve updated some paperwork – including more FBI fingerprints as well as prints for CIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services). Ken also made a bunch of flashcards so we can learn some Amharic and we also got our travel vaccines. Hep B, Hep A, Typhoid and Yellow Fever just to name a few. 


Let me tell you, after being jabbed through two IVF cycles, I wasn’t afraid of the shots at all. But I must admit the Yellow Fever one is less than pleasant. I felt it in my arm muscle for days. Of course, that pain is nothing compared to the agonizing mental anguish of waiting for a court date. 


And I am sure after we meet them, and hold them, and kiss their little faces – the wait for our Embassy appointment is going to feel like absolute torture. 


On a positive note, this time has allowed me to reach out to a triplet mom group on Facebook, which has been pretty amazing. I have received so many warm wishes as well as advice about everything from strollers to schedules. It’s so nice to have a support system of moms out there who know the ins and outs and the everyday CHAOS of parenting triplets.


So thank you to the “Triplet’s Mommies” on FB.


Stay tuned… I can feel news of our court date coming any day now. Fingers crossed!

How do you prepare for TRIPLETS??!!

“How do you prepare for triplets?” That’s a question I’ve been asked many times in the past month since we got the amazing news of our referral. When I tell people – their jaws almost always drop wide open and they usually say “Oh My God. Congratulations! But, triplets – wow that’s going to be a lot of work.”

Yes, there’s no denying that fact. But I like to think of a comment that came from a friend of mine who I met at that documentary workshop in Texas (Here’s the link to my short documentary).

He’s an editor and a child psychologist. He looked at me and Ken over dinner and said, “You guys are going to be great parents – and one of the best things about having triplets is – it’s an instant play date! They will always have you and they will always each other. You will be fine. Trust me.”

I do trust him. But, seriously… how do you prepare for three little human beings who will be 12 months old and running around by the time we bring them home!!!???

In our case… we’ve been talking to a lot of experienced moms and dads, I joined a triplet mom group online (which is very informative) – and we’ve been doing a lot of research.

I’ve also been indulging myself by picking out things for their room. Cribs, and birch tree decals for the walls of the bedroom, a funky rocking chair and some handmade stuffed owl pillows from Etsy. (I love Etsy!) I haven’t bought anything yet. I am waiting until we travel for court and come home to get their room done.

(We've also been having some lengthy discussions about names!)

Needless to say, I am incredibly excited (and a little scared) – but I know with patience, help from our support system of family and friends and A LOT of love – things are going work out just fine.... right!?

Got advice for Ken and I as we get ready to become parents of three? Well, we are wide open to any suggestions.  Also – for any multiple moms out there – I would love any suggestions for triple strollers (preferably ones you can power walk/jog with!)