MISSION VIEJO – A Ladera Ranch couple who almost one year ago lost three children in a freeway crash announced the birth of triplets – two girls and a boy – born late Wednesday.

The babies were born within minutes of each other. The first baby girl named Ashley was born at 9:42 p.m. weighing 3 pounds, 8 ounces. Then a minute later came Ellie, weighing four pounds, and their brother Jake weighing 3 pounds, 14 ounces was born at 9:44 p.m. The babies are in the care of Children’s Hospital at Mission and are listed in good condition. They were born by C-section. Lori Coble is in good condition, said Denise Almazan, spokeswoman for Children’s Hospital of Orange County.

In October Lori and Chris Coble found out that triplets – two girls and a boy – were expected to come into their lives in May.

“It’s kind of a two-sided coin,” Chris Coble, 36, said then. “We feel amazed that it’s happening, but at the same time we’re still mourning Kyle, Emma and Katie. Nothing will ever replace them. We feel joy for what’s happening, but we’re crying and missing the kids.”

The Coble children – Kyle, 5, Emma, 4, and Katie, 2 – died after a big-rig loaded with more than 40,000 pounds of electronics struck the family’s Chrysler minivan May 4 on the I-5 in Mission Viejo. The minivan was stopped in the slow lane. Lori Coble, 30, who was driving, and her mother, Cynthia Maestri, 60, were injured.

After the children died, the community of Ladera Ranch rallied around the couple. Fundraisers were held, and more than 100,000 pink and blue ribbons were wrapped around trees and light poles throughout south Orange County. The children’s pictures were posted almost immediately on lifetomotion.com. People from more than 1,000 cities around the world sent e-mails to the Cobles.

Lori and Chris Coble have been focused on adding to their family since the crash took their children. From the minute they were married seven years ago, they couldn’t imagine life without children.

Throughout the year neighbors and Ladera residents didn’t let the Cobles out of their thoughts. As the anniversary of Kyle, Emma and Katie’s deaths drew near – along with the impending birth of the triplets – the community held the couple in their hearts and prayers.

“There has not been a day that has gone by that I have not thought of the Coble family,” wrote Ann Berger, a Ladera resident, in response to a Register online request for reader input. “May 4th of last year, I was on dismissal duty at my school, Oso Grande, when we were told that parents would be late picking up their kids because of an accident on the freeway. I had not idea then how life in Ladera would change and how what happened to the Coble kids would impact my family. My daughters, Allie, 6 and Erica, 4, and I pray for them everyday. When we say grace Erica always follows it up with ‘God bless Emma, Katie and Kyle.’ We also have continued to pray for their new baby sisters and brother.”

“I was very encouraged when I heard Lori was pregnant,” Steve Wright, pastor at Village Presbyterian and nearby Coble resident said earlier this week. “It made me happy. Here’s a mom and dad who are fantastic parents and now will have another outlet for that love. The children they will have are lucky to have parents like Chris and Lori.”

(Staff writer Salvador Hernandez contributed to this report.)

Contact the writer: 949-454-7307 or eritchie@ocregister.com