Monday Morning Updates- a new video

Not much to post about - this was a rainy weekend so we did not do much of anything. I will just share a video that I have been meaning to post. Enjoy!


This is Will and Jess climbing the stairs for bath. Logan was too interested in the gate at the bottom so missed the photo op, but he climbed up even faster! Oh, listen to Dave call Lucas the wrong name a few times- can you tell it was a tiring day! LOL



I was trying to get a couple more videos up, but it is not working - UGHH!!! I will have Dave help me post them tonight or tomorrow.

One more thing, Lucas had a blast at his dance on Friday night! He was very nervous and kept asking how he looked. I shot this a few minutes before he left -




He loves to spike his hair. He says that he danced mostly by himself, but he did dance with a few girls!

He is not feeling well today and got to stay home, no fever, but body aches and tired. If I sent him, I think that a call from the nurse to go get him was going to happen very quickly and with the trio it is extra hard since they have no way for me to get into the school with any stroller! He was extra tired yesterday and even fell asleep on the couch during all the chaos that is triplet playtime! I have him sanitizing like crazy and hope he gets over it quick and does not pass it around!

Another 1st - for Lucas this time!

OK, we are entering a new phase in my soon to be teen's life - school dances! Lucas is very excited to be able to attend his very 1st official school dance tonight. It is only for 7th and 8th graders and he can hardly contain himself. He was asking me last night what he should wear. This is huge because any other day he could care less what he wears! LOL I do think that he has a girl in mind he wants to impress - I am not ready for this! Where did the time go? One minute you are changing his diapers, the next driving him to school dances! I really hope he has a great time. I will update you later.

p.s. it is raining something awful so no fair for us this weekend. BOO HOO! I just told Dave that the trio and I had not been out of the house all week and was really looking forward to it, but with RSV season almost upon us we are taking NO chances!

11 Down - 1 To Go -

Months that is! We only have one more month until the BIG 1st Birthday! How is that even possible? I am having very mixed emotions about this last month of full babyhood. While I love watching them grow and develop, I am missing just holding and snuggling with my tiny preemie babies that they were. I guess since I know these are my last babies- I just want to take it all in and enjoy it while it lasts! OK, enough sappy stuff- onto the update!

Things have been progressing at a rapid pace. We have tweaked the schedule in the last few weeks. My day now goes something like this:

6:30-7:00 Everybody up. Dad changes diapers and gets bottles
7:00 Bottle #1 - 6 oz cold from frig. (hopefully having cold formula will help the transition to cold milk next month!)
7:15- 7:45 Playtime by themselves - I love to hear them argue and laugh with each other while I am making their breakfast!
7:45 Breakfast - all finger foods with the occasional oatmeal or yogurt
8:15- 9;00 Playtime with Mom
9:00-10:00 Nap #1- I keep this an hour to protect the afternoon nap, but usually at least 1-2 are up right around 10 and I get the sleepyhead up to stay on schedule.
10:00-12:00 This is when we go to playgroups, go shopping, stay home and play with Mom, have any appointments etc. I sometimes add snack in here, but not everyday.
12:00 Lunch - all finger foods and sippies of watered juice
12;45 Bottle #2 6 oz cold and diaper change
1:00- 3:30/4:00 Nap #2 - Since I work hard to protect this, I usually get them to take an awesome afternoon nap. I get each one up as they wake up as long as it has been at least 2 hours. However, no one sleeps past 4 to protect the early bedtime.
3;30/4:00- 5:00 Diaper change, small snack depending on wake up time, and playtime
5:15 Dinner - all finger foods and sippies of watered juice
6:15 Bath every 2-3 days or more often as needed
6:45/7:00 Pj's on, climb stairs, and Bottle #3 - 8 oz cold and brush teeth
7:00/7:15 Bedtime


It has been working really well and I think the kids benefit greatly from knowing what to expect when. We do fall off schedule occasionally (especially weekends) and they seem to bounce right back. It makes my days go by very quickly and by the end of the night I am tired, but it is a good tired! LOL!


Individually they have a lot going on:


Will is now roughly 17 pounds and almost 29 inches tall. He still has the most teeth- 7 of them. He is still our snugglebug and really enjoys just having someone hold him. He likes to play by himself and gets frustrated when Logan or Jess take whatever he is playing with. He loves to look at books and enjoys hearing people sing. He had recently started to bite me while he snuggles. He even bit Dave right on a very sensitive chest area if you know what I mean! Whenever, he does happen to bite, he immediately gets told "no biting- teeth are for chewing food" and gets put down. He hates it and cries even more, but it seems to be working - no bites in over a week! He is pulling to stand and cruising like a champ. Probably won't be the first to walk, but who knows? He is also starting to find his voice a little and is trying out a few different sounds. He is the most passive of the three and often gets the short end of the stick during playtime. He has figured out the pop up toy and loves to practice with it. I love watching him try to figure stuff out- he gets the best facial expression!



Logan is now roughly 18 pounds and 30 inches tall. He is finally getting some hair and teeth! He has the one top tooth and I can see two more starting to break thru. Nothing on the bottom yet. We call him the bear because he seems to growl a lot and just is very rough and tumble during playtime. He is also just starting to find his voice. He is very adventurous and has learned how to climb the living room furniture. He loves to talk while he eats and I think that for most meals he is our best eater. He also loves books and singing. He likes to be next to someone and always tries to get what they have! Will usually gives in, but Jess and him can really get into it! Logan is also pulling to stand and cruising very well. He is even starting to try to let go and stand on his own with a step! He has been off his reflux meds now for a month and I don't think we will need to go back on them. He is still a bit behind with his pincer grasp and occasionally still seems a bit shaky, but otherwise doing great.




Jessica is now roughly 16 pounds and 27 1/2 inches tall. She may be the smallest, but she keeps her brothers in line! She has 3 teeth and at least two more also on top starting to break thru. She is our talker - Dada, got that and OK have all been heard on a regular basis lately. Don't know what happened to mama, but she has not been saying it too much lately. She and Logan are fighting for alpha triplet and they really go at it! She is also very adventurous and is starting to climb the furniture just like Logan. The two of them are most often very close to one another. After waiting longest to get the crawling thing down, she is the closest to walking. She has been practicing her standing by herself and has even taken a couple very tentative steps between Dave and I! I will post a video soon I hope- maybe this weekend with the stair climbing one. I think she might be first to fully walk, but again who knows. She can cruise everywhere and is getting pretty fast at it. Yesterday she gave herself a fat bloody lip while trying to stand up in the garden toy. She was miserable for quite a bit, but got over it when it was lunch time. She has become the champion bottle drinker and usually finishes 1st.

They are all so aware and observant not much gets past them! They are starting to "talk, argue and laugh" with one another and it is the cutest thing ever! They all understand several baby signs and are working on actually doing them back to us. Whenever the gate gets open to the dining room- they come crawling at great speed to eat! They all have their silkie blankets to sleep and won't sleep without them. We are bathing together once a week to get them used to it, but otherwise they still love the duck! It is a really neat time as we can watch them learn new stuff on a daily basis. We are so blessed!

OK, for those who read til the end - I will close with a few new pics just to show you what we are up against! YIKES!

Monday Morning Updates

It was a quiet weekend here. The trio all have runny noses and are extra clingy - not good when you have three babies to take care of! We were going to go to the Big E on Saturday, but since the kids were out of sorts, we decided against it. We may try next weekend. It was kind of nice in a way to just hang out, watch football and enjoy having everyone home.

My sister recently asked me if we let the trio try to climb the stairs. I said "No - had not even thought about it - not sure they can do it" Well, let me tell you - they CAN! We tried on Fri night. They were a little bit unsure what to do, but with Lucas to help and show them and then call to them from the top, all three tried their best to get to him! It was a lot of fun to watch. Logan is the fastest and after that first unsteady try, is now up the stairs in nothing flat! Will protests a little and cries, but makes his way to reach his bedtime bottle. Jess' motto is slow and steady. She is a really good climber too! We have since added that climb to our evening routine and they love it. I like to think it helps tire them out right before bed too! I will try to get a video soon, so be on the lookout.

Since we have attended a few playgroups and parties, we have noticed that the crew loves a good ball pit, so an early birthday gift was gotten!



They are really enjoying it and it is soo much fun to seem them play in it!


The only other major thing to report - Jess decided not to have a morning nap yesterday. I hope that this was a fluke and she will be better today- I am not ready to have them skip it yet- that is my one hour to get myself ready and organized for the day!

OK, I will try to post that climbing video and will also have an 11 month update on Thurs, so be sure to check in later this week! Have a great day!

New Triplet Poem

I got a really cool framed poem from the kids therapist that I absolutely love.
I wanted to share it. Enjoy.

Triplets

So many good things come in threes,
Like Musketeers and ABC's.
But triplets are the best of all
From little ones to those quite tall.

And from the time such life begins,
It's extra laughter, triple grins.
With joys and mischiefs multiplied
And two defenders by each side.

So much alike, forever linked,
And yet they're also quite distinct.
They share a birthday and a name,
But moods and tempers aren't the same.

From days of youth till life is done,
It's one for all and all for one.
God made us novel and precise,
But special folks -- He made them thrice!

by Larry Howland

I am Home!

Hi! I had a really great time on my little mini-vacation last week. It was a lot of fun to see everyone and the triplets did very well with the upheaval. The car ride down was thankfully uneventful and they slept most of the way. We got to Grandma's about 1/2 hour before dinner. The kids were very wary of Mom and wanted nothing to do with her while I unpacked! I fell and injured my foot so it was uncomfortable to walk on, but got everything done. My aunt came over after dinner to help me setup the bedroom with the 3 pack and plays. It took longer than I thought and the trio started to meltdown around 7:45. I had them changed, fed in and bed asleep by 8:15!
We got up to see my cousin new house and play with her kids. she has two daughters. One is 3 and the other little one just turned 1, so the kids had a great time. My dad also stopped by and played with the kids. I was also able to visit with my Grandma and a couple Aunts. It was really great to see everyone since we had not seen them since Christmas and they just were amazed at how well the triplets are doing.

I had plans to take many pics, but I was so busy with the triplets by myself that did not happen. I also found out that we need more portable feeding chairs. The big booster seats were a huge pain in the you know where!@! The kids were exceptionally clingy and took awhile to warm up. They were just really getting into it the day I left to come home! I did keep them on their regular schedule and that really helped out! I also decided that for Xmas we will need to get a hotel- no way the whole crew plus my sister's family all going to fit at my mom's.

I decided to try to drive home at bedtime Thursday night. It went great and I was on track to be home at 11:30, when I hit a huge area of bumper to bumper traffic! It was awful. I had two of the babies wake up and cry for a bit and did not get home until 12:30. Luckily once they were in the cribs, everyone went very quickly back to sleep. Not sure what we are going to do for Xmas - leave at nap or night, but both worked pretty well.

In addition, I lost the cover for the runabout while driving the highway! I was so mad at myself, but all in all it was a very fun trip and great practice for the Xmas trip home! It is nice to know that if I decide to travel by myself - I CAN DO IT!

What a start to my mini-vacation!

OK, I am almost fully packed. Just have a few last minute items to go. I am going to pack the car during their am nap in a few minutes. I thought I'd share a quick thing. The kids were all playing happily in the living room while I was making breakfast- then I heard Jess screaming! I ran in and found her sitting on the floor near the toys and did not see anything wrong. I held her for a few minutes while she calmed down and then I went to get the food. After I put her in her high chair I notice this-





Look close over her eye - Wow it is a huge bruise! It is quite a bump too! I can't imagine how it happened , but now I know why she was so upset! Not a good sign for my trip - here's hoping the rest of the adventure is less exciting!

Monday Morning Updates

Well, lots has been happening the last few days.

1 - Logan is getting a tooth! it only took 10 1/2 months! LOL The unfortunate thing is that it is a top tooth and not a bottom one. It is just poking thru so no pic yet, but perhaps in a few days. I also see where a few more maybe making their way.

2 - Jess is also getting a top tooth! The same one as Logan. Hers is a little behind Logan so again no pics yet.

3- Guess what instrument Lucas is adding to his trumpet?



He came home last week with this brand new tuba! He is super excited to try it out and loves to have the triplets watch him play. I am not so excited about the noise factor, so I make him practice outside and disturb the neighbors instead! LOL

4 - We have new pets in the house. Lucas was given 2 hermit crabs. He is also excited about Speed Racer and Racer X, as he calls them. He has not had any animals since before the trio arrived and is having a great time with them. (thanks Chris!)

5 - We have set the date Saturday Oct 25Th for the trio's 1st birthday party! The exact time and location will be finalized in a few weeks, but for those local please save the date! We can't wait to have everyone celebrate with us! We are going to have a Hawaiian luau since Uncle Larry just brought back some very cute outfits from Hawaii for the trio. I would show you, but want them to be a surprise for the party. I will post pics then for those far away.

6 - As the opening photo shows, we are now attempting to bath everyone together! We don't do it for every bath just yet, but are getting the kids used to washing this way and hope to be able to stop with the individual baths pretty soon. They really seem to enjoy it and have fun.

7 - Lastly, I am taking a road trip with the trio down to PA this week! I decided that we need to go for a visit, so I am leaving Dave and Lucas here for work and school. The babies and I are leaving tomorrow at nap time! I plan to spend the week and come home sometime on Fri. I will try to blog while down there, but otherwise look for a big post over the weekend.

Have a great week!!

Is it already September? - A flashback 1 year ago

I know I say it all the time, but really this year has been flying by so quickly. Summer is officially over with Lucas back in school.

I think back to a year ago - our new exchange student, Vani, had only just gotten here and was adjusting to our crazy life and schedule. I was starting to feel huge and more uncomfortable each day. I spent almost all of my time upstairs laying in bed, reading and watching tv, trying to stay as comfortable as possible. Dave would bring my breakfast and lunch to the refrig in the bathroom and I was to limit my time walking around and going downstairs. These were not doc orders, but Dave's! My self imposed bed rest was doing the job - no hospital stay for me and we wanted to keep it that way! We were hoping for a several more weeks so that the NICU time would be short. I tried to remain positive, but some days were just tough! Thank God for football season - I can't even begin to count how many games I watched last fall! I think I may be a bit busier this time around, but you can bet the trio will know which team to root for!!(WE ARE - PENN STATE!!!) Sorry hon!

Jump ahead 1 year - I am absolutely amazed at how well things have been going. We have had our ups and downs to be sure, but what a great year! I am looking forward with very mixed emotions to planning and having the big birthday next month. I want to take the trio apple and pumpkin picking and enjoy the fall season. Dave is trying to decide what the trio should be for halloween. I have a few cute ideas - we just need to nail it down! We went to a corn maze on Moday and had a blast! This year I was able to walk it and the trio enjoyed the stroller ride! It was a great family adventure!