triplet update!

Triplets: Bedjine, Bedtchina, and Benardia- 23 months old.

In January Aubree and I met a family in our clinic that was instantly just extra special.  The parents came walking into our clinic with three little girls- all right at one year old.  At first we were confused and figured that the little girls were cousins to each other or perhaps they just lived in the same area.  And the parents looked too old to have children that young.  The parents just laughed as they told us their story. The little girls were theirs.  They were the parents of triplets.  The mother found out she was pregnant when she was 39 and already the mom to three other daughters.  During an ultrasound she discovered she was having twins.  It wasn't until she went into labor and delivered her "twins" up in the mountain inside their home that she realized she was actually pregnant for triplets!  These girls were literally little miracles!  The proud parents now had six daughters!

This photo was taken the first time we met the triplets in January 2013.
The girls were almost a year old.

The triplets were small for their age so they were admitted into our malnutrition program.  The girls came to our clinic every two weeks to be weighed, measured, and receive education about proper nutrition.   During each appointment the family was provided with rice/beans, milk, and Plumpy 'Nut (peanut butter paste for children diagnosed with malnutrition).  Over four months the girls quickly gained weight, learned to walk, started talking, and eventually met the requirements to graduate from the program.  Malnutrition appointments were much quieter once the girls graduated from the program=) 

Recently we were up in the mountain running a mobile medical clinic when we saw the father of the triplets.  He invited us to their home to see his wife and the girls.  When we arrived to their home we were greeted with lots of hugs.  This family had always treated Aubree and I as if we were extra special to them.  It wasn't uncommon for them to come to malnutrition appointments with a small gift of mangoes or avocados for us.  It was so fun seeing this family in their home instead of in our clinic.  The girls were thriving and looked really good.  The father was so proud as he gave us a tour of their garden and home.  He even showed us how he built his home by hand using various materials.  We loved getting to see how well the girls were doing and of course loved getting to see this sweet family again!