Flashback Friday: There once was ...

From left: Kelsey, Zoey and Carson.

There once was a family that grew from two to five in a matter of minutes. This expansion was the result of the birth of three babies, two girls and a boy, whose arrival sparked much delight and forever changed the dynamic of their extended family.

These children, who are the progeny of my brother-in-law Scott and his wife Bronwyn, are 12 years old today. They have gone from being the precious little darlings who used to call me "Uncle Brandy" to preteens who are growing faster everyday and are still as precious as they were when I first saw them in their little isolettes in the neonatal intensive care unit at Huntsville Hospital.

Carson Brock, Kelsey LeeAnn and Zoey Elizabeth entered this world at 30 weeks gestation weighing in at 3 pounds, 2 ounces, 2 pounds, 15 ounces, and 2 pounds, 12 ounces respectively. They were all healthy and were able to breath without the aid of oxygen within hours after their arrival.

In the 12 years since their birth, the triplets, who for years, even when they were preschoolers, were called "the babies" by me and other members of the family, have developed their own personalities and interests and can in no way be identified as a group anymore (of course other than being classified as triplets, a group to which they will always belong).

Carson is the quiet, strong, leader of the pack who loves to read and has never met a video game he didn't love and couldn't master. Kelsey is quite the social butterfly who is learning to navigate the very tough social structures of junior high school and who loves to strut her stuff in dance class. Zoey, who has been nicknamed ZoeBug since she was as tiny as a bug, is a very inquisitive little girl who has a natural ability with children and babies and who loves to swim so much that she's gearing up for another season as a strong contender on her city's swim team.

My hope is the triplets will always know how very special they are just by virtue of their simultaneous birth. Although there are many multiples on the planet today, being part of such a group is still a rare and special thing.

I wish these children a very Happy Birthday and hope their lives are filled with nothing but blessings of health, happiness and prosperity!

For some interesting reading, check out Anne's memories of Happy Hours in her FlashBack Friday post over at My Tiny Kingdom.