3 for the holidays: Triplets gear up for Christmas
Dec. 19—ASHLAND — Good things really do come in threes, according to the Watts family.
On Aug. 16, 2020, Samantha Watts gave birth to three baby boys: Garrison, Jameson and Dawson.
Despite the fact Watts and her husband, Zachary, both have twins in their families, they were surprised to learn of the multiple little ones.
"There were no fertility medications used, so it was a big shock to us," she said.
A home test told her she was pregnant, but it wasn't until some tests at King's Daughters Medical Center she learned how many she was pregnant with.
"My numbers were really high, so I went back twice and they kept getting higher," she said of the results of her blood tests. "They took me in for an ultrasound and found I was pregnant with quadruplets."
At that time, she was eight weeks pregnant.
"We looked it up online and it's a one in a 200 million chance to be pregnant with identical quadruplets and no fertility drugs," Watt said.
Being pregnant during the COVID-19 pandemic had its own challenges, including not being able to take her husband to doctor appointments.
"My husband didn't get to go to any appointments except the very first two before COVID," she said. "It was very emotional having to go by myself and not knowing what the outcome would be."
The three boys were together in one amniotic sac; the baby that was lost was in a sac alone. That happened at 12 weeks.
"We knew that was a possibility," she said.
After the boys were born two months early, they spent a little more than two weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit. "Dr. (Thomas) Mahoney and the staff at King's Daughters Medical Center and all of the NICU workers were amazing throughout the pregnancy," she said.
Although identical, Mom can tell the boys apart — most of the time.
"Their personalities are completely different," Watts said. "Jameson has a birthmark and Dawson has a strawberry birthmark on his side ... I can tell when I look at their faces, but not from behind."
The boys make five children for the Wattses: They also have a daughter, Aubryana, 10, and a son, Tucker, 8.
Watts said she gets help from her in-laws, who live next door, as well as her mother, her father and stepmother and other family members and friends.
She said the toughest part of having three the same age is making sure each one gets enough attention.
"They're really good, but they're all boy, so they're wild 24-7 and into mischief all the time," she said.
The boys like "boy" stuff, like dinosaurs, cars, trucks, tractors and playing football, basketball and baseball.
"Their big brother plays all those sports and they mimic him and they really enjoy watching him," she said. "Their sister plays basketball, too, so we're always doing something, always running."
As the boys' third Christmas approaches, Watts said she's looking forward to seeing them enjoy it.
"They like to run wild, but they're usually in bed around 8:30 or 9," she said, noting they like to sleep and she doesn't expect them up too early on Christmas morning.
"Last year, they loved (Christmas) and they loved opening presents," she said. "They loved being with the family and playing with other kids."
She said they often fight over toys, so they will likely all three get the same gifts.
"I can't wait to see them when they get their stockings and gifts from Santa," she said. "We are very thankful for them and we are a very blessed family."
