Sophia Loren of Women and Beauty once wrote, “When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child.”

However, for 37-year-old Cindy Lungstrum thinking twice isn’t an option. This mother of six has a little more work to do than the rest of us.

Almost two months ago – on St. Patrick’s Day – Cindy and her husband Mike, 44, welcomed Julianna Joy, Ashley Hope and Bailey Faith at Freeman West Hospital.

Already a mother to three boys: Chris, 22; CJ, 19; Heath, 3, Cindy said the trio of blue-eyed, strawberry blonde lucky charms was a surprise, but she couldn’t imagine it any other way.

“My life has changed drastically,” Cindy said. “I went from having a full-time career as a counselor to a stay-at-home mom, but now I can’t imagine my life without them.”
In a way, Cindy said she jinxed herself into having triplets.

“My dad was a twin, but it never occurred to me that it would happen to me,” she said. “I joked with my husband, that when you’re older, you’re more likely to carry twins, not thinking anything of it – and then it happened to me and then some.”
Cindy said it’s been a learning process raising three infants at once.

“On average, the girls eat every four to five hours and those are the most hectic times,” she said. “They used to all wake up at different times, but now I’m getting to where if one of them wakes up in the middle of the night to eat, I’ll feeds her and then I’ll wake up the other two at that time to feed them.”

As someone was has always wanted girls, Cindy said she looks forward to getting to do all the girly things she never got to do.

“I’ve lived in a house of boys, and so now I’m most excited to get to dress them and doll them up,” she said. “I get to have my own little girlfriends to go shopping with and do nails with, and do all those girly things with.”

Cindy said her three boys have handled their new little sisters in their own ways.

“My oldest son is married and has two children already, so he was real familiar with holding them and being around them,” she said. “My 19-year-old is at college in Rolla and has only held them once and that was in the hospital. He’s much more stiff and nervous.

“Then my 3-year-old – I was real surprised with. He’s used to being the center of attention, and I thought he’d have a real hard time with them, but he loves holding them and burping them.”

Cindy credited the Forrest Park Baptist Churches of Carthage and Joplin and the entire Jasper community for helping her in this new journey.

“The help and support has been awesome,” she said. “The community and the church have sent volunteers daily to help me with whatever I need – whether it be cleaning the house or making meals – and they’ve supplied us with everything from furnishing our nursery to giving us blankets, beds, cars seats and strollers.

“Everything has been a gift, and it has really opened my eyes because I’ve always been so independent and not asked for help, but I really feel God has sent them for me. They are such a blessing.”

Myrna Oviatt, a member of the Forrest Park Church in Joplin, said Cindy is the perfect mom.

“She’s patient. She’s kind. She’s very laid back. She’s loving,” Myrna said. “She is such a sweet person, and she lets each one of them know how special they are. She’s great.”

Cindy said she has nothing special planned for celebrating Mother’s Day today other than a visit to Forrest Park in Carthage. But when it comes to her six children, her plans are very clear.

“What I want for all of my children is to first and foremost have a relationship with God,” Cindy said. “I want them to be happy, healthy, to do the best they can and succeed in life. I want them to get everything they desire.”

Clearly, Cindy is thinking for more than two.