PLATTSBURGH — Two Plattsburgh families are learning that good things really do come in threes.

Kara Carter and Butterfly Blaise gave birth to triplets just five days apart in November 2011, both at Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington.

The three healthy daughters of Butterfly and her husband, Scott Smith, arrived Nov. 5. Just five days later, Kara and her husband, Chad, welcomed their anxiously awaited bundles of joy.

Kara, who is a licensed practical nurse, admitted to a little confusion during an early checkup when the nurse told her she was carrying triplets.

"I was extremely shocked to say the least," she said. "I thought she was holding up two fingers, but when I realized it was three, I was just shocked."

Despite the hectic schedule of tending to the little ones, she is currently seeking a part-time nursing position. She was previously employed at Meadowbrook Healthcare in Plattsburgh.

FAMILY PLANNING?

When the doctor delivered the news to Butterfly, she was just as amazed.

Butterfly knows a thing or two about family planning, as she worked as a community educator for Planned Parenthood of the North Country Northern New York.

And yet when her doctor delivered the news to her that she was carrying triplets, she was just as amazed.

"Honestly, my first reaction was disbelief, and then I was just shocked," she said.

Although they live in the same city, the two moms did not know each other prior to giving birth. They heard about each other through other people.

"We just started talking, really," Kara said.

She first contacted Butterfly after the triplets were born to see how her experience was going.

"I did see her in the hospital, but things were very crazy at that point," Butterfly said.

Now, they communicate frequently by phone or via the Internet.

"We did discuss the kids meeting each other," Butterfly said with a giggle. "They will definitely be getting together for play dates. But not until after they get a little older."

CUTE CURIOSITY

Right now, both families are still learning how to juggle the challenges of meeting the constant needs of three newborns at once. Both moms and dads are enjoying watching the triplets as their personalities begin to emerge.

Lilliana was the first of the Carter trio to arrive. Kara said the baby's determination to enter the world has given way to a cute curiosity about her new surroundings.

"She is very quiet, relaxed and calm. She is just really interested in what is going on around her," she said.

Scott came next. And so far, Kara said, he seems to be taking after his big sister.

"He is also pretty calm and relaxed."

Alivia, third in line, has a bit more to say than her big brother and sister.

"She is the little screamer," Kara said. "The biggest lesson we have learned with her is to not put her down."

LITTLE WILD WOMAN

Butterfly, who is also in the midst of finishing her graduate degree in mental-health counseling and works with the SUNY Research Foundation's state school program, said her triplets' personalities are beginning to blossom, too.

Harper was the first to be born. Much like Kara and Chad's oldest, she has a quiet and relaxed demeanor.

Liberty was born next, and Butterfly said she is taking to her role as the middle child.

"She is turning out to be a bit needy. She wants the attention."

Last but not least was Jesse, and Butterfly observed that, much like Alivia, she is making her presence known to everyone.

"We like to think of her as our little wild woman. She screams with a purpose," Butterfly said.

AROUND THE CLOCK

Both families agree that raising triplets requires patience and some outside assistance.

"My biggest support comes from my husband, my family and all my friends," Kara said. "We definitely need as much help as we can get, and everyone has been really supportive."

Chad, a chef at the Clinton County Jail, has met the challenge of fathering a trio of infants, his wife said.

Butterfly said she and her husband, a bartender at Woodstock in Plattsburgh, are managing quite well, considering the chaos of caring for a trio of infants and raising three other children: Caiden Nephew, 13, and Julian Nephew, 11, and 2-year-old Brody Smith.

The older boys help when they can, Butterfly said; their little guy required some time to adjust to the life after triplets.

"He is doing quite well now," his mom said.

She said the grandparents play a big part in helping out with the triplets' needs.

She and Kara said raising triplets is both rewarding and challenging.

"The biggest challenge is the lack of energy," Butterfly said. "It is hard to try to have enough energy to keep up.

"They want to eat every two or three hours around the clock."

She is inspired by the change in their family dynamic and the gift of seeing the babies grow stronger.

"The biggest reward for me," Kara said, "is finally being blessed with children."