It’s a phrase I hear often from my fellow triplet moms: “Once a triplet, always a triplet.” When strangers ask me if Peyton is my only child, sometimes it’s easier to just say “yes”. I often jump at the chance to talk about Parker and Abby, but sometimes it’s just easier to keep my entire story to myself. Though in my heart, I know that Peyton is a triplet and she always will be.
Much like every parent of child loss has a different way of dealing with grief, each parent has a different way of moving forward. I never say moving on because I will never move on from the fact that two of my children died. Instead, I move forward with life, while remembering my angels. When I look at Peyton, I can’t help but wonder what is going through her mind? Does she dream of her brother and sister? Does she know that she’s not an only child?
I recently got an email that reaffirms my belief about Peyton knowing Parker and Abby. A blog supporter reached out to tell me that there is no doubt Peyton will know her siblings. This lady was speaking from experience. She’s a surviving twin, and while she couldn’t put the feeling into words, she said that she feels her sibling living within her. Her message brought out the tears and a massive grin on my face. I’ve heard that multiples can sense each other and feel things like pain or joy, but I have never heard from a person who is a surviving multiple. It’s amazing how a simple email can lift my spirits! So thank you for sharing a little piece of your life, your story has brought new life to mine.
As I’ve mentioned before, there’s no doubt that Peyton recognizes her brother and sister. She lights up when she sees their pictures and I often find her eyes wandering to the nursery shadow boxes that are filled with their things. As we decorated the Christmas tree over the weekend, I was once again reminded of the triplets and their bond. As we held Peyton up to look at the ornaments, she was immediately drawn to three pairs of booties. They were made by a viewer last year–one ornament for each of my children. Peyton was mesmerized by the trio; it’s just another moment that warms my heart. Since Ryan and I have our initials on the tree, we thought that Miss P needed hers. So as I picked out a “P”, I decided to pick up two other ornaments for Parker and Abby. Two cable knit hearts add some love to the tree, a reminder that they are with us in spirit.
This is the first year that we went with a fake Christmas tree. I absolutely love fresh trees and the smell that goes along with it, but we thought a fake one would be better for our toddler. Between the needles shedding and the water underneath, there were too many potential hazards. Peyton doesn’t seem too interested in our newest addition, but she sure does love the presents! She is obsessed with bows and tearing paper, so we will have some half opened gifts by the time Christmas arrives. Hard to believe it’s only two weeks away! My mom arrives next week to help out with Peyton (our wonderful nanny is taking some much deserved time off) and my dad will be joining us the following week. It’s been a few years since I have spent the holidays with my parents–I can’t wait!!!
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Blessed Christmas Peyton, Stacey and Ryan! May God fill your hearts with His Love and Peace, not just on Christmas day but every day! <3
Have a blessed Christmas.Peyton is growing up fast.Love to see new posts and pictures of her.
hugs jane
God Bless! And Merry Christmas to you@ yours!
Love the decorations and yes I also believe that Abby and Parker are a part of Miss P. Thanks for the blog and Happy a very Happy holiday time with your family
When people ask, just tell them she HAS a brother and twin sister in heaven. (That should be enough.) She is getting more cute by the day and her curiosity is wonderful to see! Remember … <3 <3 <3 Always!
Merry Christmas to the Skrysak Family!!
Merry Christmas to all of you.
Love the Blog and all the pictures God Bless you all HAPPY HOLIDAYS
Great Post! Merry Christmas to you all. Hope your Holidays is filled with only the best of everything.
She is cute . Love seeing the pictures and what has been going on in her life . Merry Christmas to you all.
BEAUTIFUL tree and absolutely amazing outlook/insight as usual. XOXO
merry xmas to you all hope and pray you all have a blessed one and the same for a happy new year love the updates and pictures
Your daughter is beautiful!! I have one year old triplets and I am grateful each day to have them here.. Merry Christmas to ur family ❤️❤️
At some point, I am guessing that she will ask what all this means. I know of one story of a surviving twin, who at the age of 5, said that she felt like something was missing from her life, and that’s when Mom told her about the other twin who had died. I know with Gabriel, who was also born at 22 weeks and 6 days, he looks at photos from himself in the NICU and says “Beehiel” (current pronunciation of his name) without any thought given to the tubes. Some day he’s going to figure out that they mean something, and it’ll be interesting to see how he processes the close call.