Triplets and mom are thriving at St. Raymond’s Society home in Rolla

This Christmas will be a special one at Rolla’s St. Raymond’s Society house, a transitional home for women facing unexpected pregnancies.

As the Church and the world celebrate the baby Jesus, the Rolla community will continue to delight in the arrival of triplets to a formerly homeless mother.

In June, 26-year old Janey Harris gave birth to twin girls and a boy just 28-weeks into her pregnancy.

Identical twin girls Taytum Raye and Arabella Skye each weighed 2 pounds, 3 ounces, and their brother, Xander Blayne, weighed 2 pounds, 8 ounces.

Ms. Harris was already struggling to take care of her 4-year old daughter when she found out she was carrying three babies. Mother and daughter were without a permanent home, spending nights on a friend’s couch.

“When I saw the ultrasound, the only thing I could do was break down and cry,” Ms. Harris said. “Anyone would be shocked to discover that they are carrying multiple babies, but for me, I knew there was absolutely no way I could care for four children on my own.”

She also knew that she was going to choose life.

“One way or another, it was my responsibility to ensure I provided a life for these children,” she said.

She turned to Pregnancy Resource Center of Rolla (PRC), headed by Joe and Jane Dalton, members of St. Patrick parish in Rolla.

Mrs. Dalton, the PRC’s client service director, is also program director for Rolla’s St. Raymond’s Society (SRS) house.

They were able to get Ms. Harris into the house in March of this year.

An amazing program

For the most part, Ms. Harris said her three babies are doing well, despite having been born two months early.

They came home to the SRS house in September after two months in a neonatal intensive care unit.

Mom is also doing well. According to Mrs. Dalton, Ms. Harris has become much more confident and emboldened since her arrival at the house.

Part of that can be attributed to Ms. Harris’ progress with the SRS curriculum called “My Ridiculously Amazing Life Plan.”

“It is a program that helps moms with goal-setting and achievable action steps,” Mrs. Dalton stated. “We want to move her from where she is toward self-sufficiency.”

Ms. Harris said it hasn’t been easy trying to balance motherhood and self-sufficiency. Her oldest daughter is in kindergarten now, and she wants to be sure she is there for her and not just the triplets.

Her daily routine, along with that of the three other residents and children, includes house chores and meetings with success coaches and professional counselors as well as making appointments outside the home and running errands.

“We often talk about how we could start our own reality show with the craziness that goes on in this house,” Ms. Harris quipped. “It’s obvious we were all brought together this way for a reason.”

She added: “This is our home and although it may be only temporary, we have been able to create a safe place for ourselves that will help us for the rest of our lives.”

A terrific village

While it might seem cliché to say that it takes a village to raise a child, Mrs. Dalton said the phrase is ringing true in Rolla.

“The outpouring of love and assistance from the Rolla community is truly inspiring,” she said. “Women from all walks of life, 18 to 80 years of age, have stepped up to help bridge the gap for this young mother.”

The volunteers represent more than 25 different churches, five medical facilities, nine service organizations, four educational institutions and 15 local businesses.

“Rolla is a community where people don’t just talk about their faith, they live it,” said Mrs. Dalton.

Volunteers are there to hold and rock babies, change diapers and do whatever else is needed.

Ms. Harris said she feels overwhelmed by this outpouring of goodness from the St. Raymond’s Society.

“They took me in and gave me a new family that doesn’t judge me,” she said. “They are willing to forgive me for things that I struggle with and don’t make me feel like I’m a lost cause.

“They fight every day to make sure I am able to do what I need to do in order to provide for my family,” she said. “I could go on forever about what the program has done for me.”

The road ahead

With her St. Raymond’s Society family in her corner, Ms. Harris is working as hard as she can to make everyone proud of her and to hopefully one day return the favor she has received.

“While I’ve been exploring my options as far as my future is concerned, I am first and foremost focused on being a mother,” she said. “I need to be there for the triplets and make time for my daughter.”

Mrs. Dalton looks forward to her “paying it forward” on SRS resident’s team in the not-too-distant future.

“Her story and her journey are truly inspiring,” said Mrs. Dalton. “This is what the SRS is all about, women empowering women. She is growing into the person she was created to be, and it is beautiful to witness.”

In the meantime, Ms. Harris is grateful that the father of the triplets, Dustin, has followed through on his promise to stick with her and his three newborns.

“He has definitely been a huge asset to our lives,” said Ms. Harris. “I wish he would allow himself to receive the credit he deserves. But he would rather work in the shadows, and I respect that.”