Saturday, May 30, 2009

The Doctor Is In

Amelia loves to "fix" owies these days. Anytime someone gets hurt, she is right there to help. And, she loves to play doctor, too, making Mom & Dad or her brothers "all better."

So, yesterday when I bumped my head on a chair when I was picking up toys (something I spend half my life doing, it seems), Amelia ran for the Band-aids. She couldn't be persuaded that I didn't need one.

Amelia's handiwork

I lost half my eyebrow when I took this lovely Diego Band-aid off hours later when Amelia was in bed.

Later that day when we were playing outside, Amelia suddenly had to "fix" Daddy's leg.

This went on for more than 10 minutes. Apparently those grass boogers take a lot of fixing.


Friday, May 29, 2009

Hey, Could We Get A Little Sleep Around Here?

Sleep issues are interfering with my ability and opportunity to blog these days. The boys are struggling mightily to go to sleep at night...but, lucky me, they still get up at the crack of dawn.

Two night ago two of the three fought until almost 11. Then the third was up at 12:30 a.m. Ouch. Last night it was 11 again before we had them all down for the night. Not that they slept all night, mind you. Tonight everyone was asleep by 7:30 p.m., so Jeff and I went out to play with Amelia. By 8:30 p.m., all the babies were up and UNHAPPY. We finally got them all back down by 10 p.m. tonight, but it may not stick, and I'm not expecting any long stretches of sleep tonight.

I used to hope and pray for 5 hours in a row (for me!). Now I've lowered my expectations and I hope and pray for 3 hours at a stretch. At least that's a goal we can achieve most nights. It's partly the reality of three babies and a toddler and partly Alex's reflux issues.

Good thing they are so gosh darned cute!

Sam


Isaac

Alex

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Third Birthday Roundup

At last, Amelia's third birthday in pictures:

Amelia enjoys the dolphin show at the zoo.

Aunt Allie and Amelia smile for the camera.

Daddy and Amelia ride the carousel.

Daddy and me.

Bounce off some energy, please!

Amelia gets ready to make a wish.


Yum! Cupcakes!

It was a day full of some of Amelia's favorite things. Grandma D. stayed with the boys so we could take Amelia to the zoo, which is one of her most favorite things to do. (Thanks, Grandma!) We ended the day with LOTS of sugar, and some good playtime in the sprinkler and on the new bouncy ball to wear her out before bed.

I still can't believe this child is already three. (I suspect I'll be saying that same thing EVERY birthday.) Amelia will tell you that she's a big girl now that she's three, but no matter how big she gets, she'll always be my baby.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

A Round of Firsts

Sorry to be so spotty on posts. Between the holiday weekend, a visit from Grandma D., and Amelia's birthday, we've been busier than usual.

Isaac, who is usually our best sleeper, had a tough time last night. This morning, we discovered the culprit: a new tooth! Isaac was the first to cut a tooth, and now he is the first to cut a top tooth, too -- on the right side.

Isaac working on tooth #3.

Before the bedtime bottle last night, Alex showed off his newest move -- pulling himself up to standing. Too bad he waited until Grandma D. left to make his move. I know she would have loved to see him.


Alex pulls up to his feet for the first time!


This morning, when I was trying to get the boys down for their nap, I turned around from putting Isaac down to find Sam had pulled himself to standing in the crib. Unfortunately, I didn't happen to have my camera handy.


Alex and Sam are on the move now!

Won't be long now and we won't be able to keep up with these boys. Luckily Aunt Allie is here to stay for the summer, so we've got some fresh legs on the job!

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Like Bees to Honey

Here's what happens these days when you come to our house and sit on the floor.



Amelia is giving her brothers "squeeze hugs" and saying, "I love you so much guys!" Too cute!

Friday, May 22, 2009

Birthday Wishes

More on the birthday celebration tomorrow once Daddy and I recover, but for now, I just wanted to share this video.




Birthday wishes do come true. Just ask Princess Amelia.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Birthday Busy-ness

Tomorrow is Amelia's third birthday. Yesterday in between keeping up with this...


this...


and this...


I made cupcakes for her to decorate to share with her friends today.


After she was in bed I made these for the family party tomorrow.


Now the boys are napping and I'm off to finish off a few more things QUICKLY, while I don't have a herd (a pod? a flock? a tribe?) of babies swarming around my ankles.

Stay tuned for more birthday fun!

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

On Your Mark, Get Set, Go FASTER!

On April 30, I posted the video update on the boys beginning to crawl. Well, we're really crawling now! Even Isaac has some speed, though he never seems to want to show it off for the camera like his brothers.





Both Sam and Alex have started to pull up to their knees, and Alex was the first to sit up by himself, just yesterday. By a stroke of luck I caught his big moment on camera.



Alex sits up all by himself for the first time.

Isaac is within a whisker of sitting up by himself, and Sam's too busy crawling to bother sitting at all.

Mom doesn't get much sitting time these days, a pattern I expect to continue for the next few years!

Monday, May 18, 2009

An Ode to Caffeine

If you listen to a lot of children's music, like we do, you may have heard "The Coffee Song" by Ralph's World.

It goes like this:

M-O-M-M-Y needs C-O-F-F-E-E,
D-A-D-D-Y needs C-O-F-F-E-E,
M-O-M-M-Y needs C-O-F-F-E-E,
D-A-D-D-Y needs C-O-F-F-E-E,

I love my kids. I love my kids. Gosh, I love my kids.
But I need, what I need, and I need a lot of what I need and that's C-O-F-F-E-E.


It's absolute GENIUS!

Now coffee is not my caffeine of choice, but I'd mainline it right now if I didn't have the option of a nice, cold Coca-Cola. Oh, thank God for Coke!

Last night was rough. My night consisted of a 45-minute nap. Up with Sam for 10 minutes. Down for 20 minutes. Up with Isaac for 10 minutes. Down for 20 minutes. Up with Alex for an hour. Lay down with Amelia's arms glued around my neck for 30 minutes until she falls back asleep and I can sneak out. (That is, thankfully, unusual!) Put Jeff on duty for a couple of hours with Sam, then get up again with Alex and "sleep" with him on the couch for two hours. Sneak another one hour nap while Jeff, the WBHE (World's Best Husband Ever), feeds the babies breakfast and gets Amelia up and ready for the day.

Can you say C-O-F-F-E-E!

Alex is struggling with reflux. I had a baby like this before. We walked the floors for hours with Amelia, and I'm seeing a repeat of it in Alex. He'll sleep peacefully for an hour or two, and then wake screaming. The only comfort is to get him up onto your shoulder, and even that doesn't help right away.

So, I trucked all the babies to the doctor's office by myself this morning -- clearly, the action of a desperate woman -- to make sure it wasn't ears. It isn't. We adjusted Alex's medicine, and I have my fingers crossed that this helps, because the first call for an appointment at a pediatric GI yielded a July 22 appointment...with the nurse practitioner.

JULY? Seriously? And we don't even get to see a doc? I'm pretty sure I can't survive on three hours of interrupted sleep a night for the next two months.

Not even if they put a Starbucks in my basement.

Although that wouldn't hurt. I wonder if they are looking for a new location in my neighborhood...

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Amelia: Almost Three

Dear Amelia,

In less than a week you will be three years old.


A few weeks ago, thinking about that brought tears to my eyes. Three marks the end of your toddlerhood. At three you will be a preschooler, a little girl. Yes, still my baby, but not my baby any more.


This week, I have started to wonder if you and I will both survive to see your third birthday. I have begun to believe that three is not your age, but your hurricane classification.


You are doing what you should be doing, I guess. You are testing the boundaries, asserting your independence, becoming a big girl. (Could you work on becoming a big girl when it comes to falling asleep and STAYING asleep at night?)


You also are, in equal measure, testing my very last ounce of patience, making me laugh, causing my hair turn gray from exasperation, and leading me to shake my head in amazement at the new things you come up with every day.


To sum up the tail end of your second year, let me tell you what happened today.

Today, you and I went to the library. As is your wont these days, you didn't want to leave. You agreed to leave if you could carry one of your books. Because, like everything else, you can do it yourself.


I gave you your choice, but as soon as you picked you wanted something different and began to wail. You sat down on the floor and cried. It was the start of a good fit, something you've started to do all too often in the last few weeks.


I walked away.

Yep. I did.

I looked at you and chuckled and said, "Come on, Amelia. Let's go." And I headed for the door.

When I reached the door you were still sitting in the middle of the floor halfway into your fit. But when I started to open the door, a frightened look came over your face.

"Mommy! Don't leave without me!" you cried.

Under my breath I muttered, "Then don't make it so tempting."

But to you I said, "I won't leave you. But it's time for us to go, so come on."

You picked yourself up, dried your tears and came running. You started to chatter in your sunny way, and all was forgotten as we moved forward.


So here we are, my child. You can do so many things by yourself, more and more every day. You want to be independent, and I want that for you, too. But, I think we're both glad that, for now, you still need your mommy.


All my love always,

Mommy

Friday, May 15, 2009

Aunt Susie

Take three seven-month-old boys, one nearly three-year-old girl, throw in an enthusiastic aunt, and you've got a recipe for FUN!

Amelia has already informed me that Aunt Susie is her "best fwend." Last night they had a Cheeto party. (It involves having a picnic of Cheetos in the basement playroom. Susie was happy to join in!)

Today they played on the swings, chased bubbles and dug in the sandbox.

Yay! Someone new to give pushes on the swing!


Tonight Amelia wanted Aunt Susie to get IN the tub with her to play. She settled for having Susie play with her from outside the tub, but only after a few tears.

In addition to being Amelia's "best fwend," Aunt Susie is already an expert at shoveling food as fast as possible into three boys' mouths. She's enjoying all of the crawling, giggling and flirting the boys are doing now. It's quite a change from when she was here in December and the boys were just two months old!


Aunt Susie feeds the boys their lunch.

Tomorrow Susie is running a half marathon. It's a good thing someone so in shape is here to lend a hand!

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Bottoms Up!

Once they mastered the art of rolling, all of the boys started to pull the trick of flipping over on the changing table. Alex and Sam don't do it very often now, but Isaac...oh, Isaac! That kid is FAST, and he'll roll over almost before he hits the table. I swear somehow he's actually turning over in midair.

When all the boys were rolling, I did so much wrestling every day that I thought I was in training for a greased pig contest, or Worldwide Wrestling's Smackdown. Thankfully, Alex and Sam gave up that trick pretty soon. Now it's just Isaac who does the bottoms up on a regular basis.

There...

goes...

Isaac!

If you hold Isaac's ankles to keep him from turning, he'll arch his back and still work out a way to turn himself over. Honestly, it's like diapering a slinky!


But he's such a cute slinky!

Shout Out on Multiples and More

When it rains, it pours! Today I'm being featured on the Multiples and More Blog Network. If you've followed the link from Multiples and More and are here for the first time, welcome!

Lani and Amanda asked me for a list of my favorite posts, and it was tough to choose! I sent them lots to pick from, but here are a few for you to enjoy or enjoy again.

Was That Gucci? - You've got to read this story to believe it!
Jingle Bell Joy - Video from Amelia's Christmas pageant.
36 Unbelievable Weeks - Check out the size of this pregnant lady. Hey, that's me!
You Can Do It. We Can Help? - Here's a trip to Home Depot that just can't be beat.
Mean Santa - Santa's mean, but mommy's a genius.
Babies Dance - 34 weeks pregnant, and a video of the babies moving and grooving.
Could She Do A Little Laundry? - Short and smart alecky, just like me!

Do you have a favorite that I've missed? Let me know and I'll add it to a Favorite Posts list for the left-hand menu.

If you've got a minute, cruise on over to Multiples and More and check out their feature of my blog and their other offerings.

Christy

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Check Out My Guest Post: Momnesia

Editor's Note: This post originally appeared as a guest post at Little Bites of Heaven, where Rachael blogs about life with a singleton and a set of triplets.

MOMNESIA

If you are pregnant or have ever been a mom, you've undoubtedly been plagued by momnesia.

C'mon, you left the house in your slippers, had a two-hour meeting with a colleague you work with every day and couldn't remember her name, headed out to the grocery store and ended up at daycare (after hours) instead. It's safe to admit it here. None of us will remember what you told us tomorrow anyway.

Friends warned me about mommy brain when I was pregnant. I listened politely and smiled, but silently laughed at the idea. I was organized. I was great with names. I had a mind for details. How could the appearance of one small being change all that?

Then I found myself six months pregnant and demanding that my husband find the car keys that he clearly did not put back where they belonged, because they were nowhere to be found...while I was holding the car keys in my hand. Oops. That's what happens when pregnancy hormones and momnesia collide. My husband, perhaps sensing a very real threat to his life if he laughed, simply handed me the other set and walked away. I was in the car before I realized what I had just done. I drove away thinking that no one in my mental state should be behind the wheel.

"That's OK," I assured myself. "It's just pregnancy hormones. It will go away once the baby comes." Right, and I'll still get to sleep as much as I want, too.Soon the baby arrived, and I entered the whirlwind of parenting.

Not enough sleep, new problems to solve every day, chaotic schedules (if any schedule!), and the mommy brain continued. I started signing checks with my maiden name and no longer knew my zip code. I could not remember the name of anything and was reduced to using sentences full of pronouns. Many a conversation with my husband went like this, "I talked with whatshisname about the thing." It was up to him to fill in the gaps, which he did admirably, again perhaps sensing that his survival depended on his interpretive skills.

When my daughter began to sleep through the night occasionally, I felt some of the fog begin to lift. Not enough to make me the organized, detail-oriented, conversant being I once was, but it was progress. So what did I do? Logically, I decided to have another child. And I got pregnant with triplets.

Somehow, I managed to come up with names for three children despite the fact that my brain was replaced completely with Swiss cheese during my pregnancy. Not that their names matter. Now that I'm parenting four children under the age of three and three of them are 7-month-old boys who are CRAWLING, I have given up any hope of ever getting their names right. Fortunately, they are all learning to respond to "Hey you," "Buddy," and "Little guy." I use those names so much that it's all their sister calls them, too.

I've decided that I have no choice but to embrace my momnesia and let others share the laugh. My neighbors certainly got a kick out of my latest bout of momnesia (http://trippin-lifewithtriplets.blogspot.com/2009/05/momnesia.html) when I forgot my daughter had "fixed" my hair and took the garbage to the curb with a perky little white bow smashed into the top of my head.

So join the fun ladies, and confess your best bout of momnesia. Your secret is safe with me. I’ll file it away right next to my zip code and the proper names of things. No one will ever find it there.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Wedding Pics

It's getting late, but I promised to share photos and video of the flower arranging session for my brother's wedding this past weekend.

Here's the scoop. Karen, the beautiful bride, is great at arranging flowers and had planned to make the centerpieces for the reception herself. It was a small wedding, so they only needed 11 arrangements, but time started to run short.

Instead of freaking out and staying up all hours, Karen, God love her, did what all brides should do -- let go! She recruited all of the women at the barbecue/rehearsal supper to arrange flowers.


Judy, Karen, Mary, Elena and Cathy tackle the flowers.

But first, how about a little tequila to get everyone loosened up...


Bottoms up!

That may have worked a little too well! I don't think florists typically behave like this when doing wedding arrangements, or any other arrangements for that matter.


The flowers turned out beautiful. (Really, they did!) And while the bride and groom had a wonderful wedding, I suspect it's the making of the centerpieces that we'll all remember for a long, long time!

Karen and Dan

Congratulations, Karen and Dan. We wish you a lifetime of happiness, and I am so glad I could be there to share your special day...and your tequila!

Monday, May 11, 2009

The Shoes Redux

My shoes and I returned from California late last night. I'll do a post later with pictures, but for now, here are some of my favorite moments, in no particular order:

1. Catching up with two of my sisters on the flight out.

2. Seeing the look on my brother's face when he figured out I wasn't Mary (my sister) and realized I had left the triplets behind to make the trip.

3. His bride, Karen, greeting me and then coming back an hour later to say, "Wait a minute. You weren't supposed to be here!"

4. Being recruited, along with all the other women at the rehearsal dinner, to arrange flowers for the centerpieces for the reception. No experience required. Tequila shot beforehand, mandatory. (The flowers came out surprisingly well!)

5. Watching my brother's oldest son grin from ear to ear during the entire wedding.

6. Breakfast with my mom & sisters.

7. Margaritas at lunch Saturday.

8. Getting my nails done.

9. Sitting in the California sunshine talking with my family.

10. Wearing "big girl" clothes and those killer heels.

11. Eating my meals while they were hot, and without interruption.

12. My brother's comments at the wedding about the role model for marriage and family life that my parents have provided for all of us.

13. Showing off pictures of my kids!

14. Giving my mom her Mother's Day card in person.

15. Watching my brother surprise his bride by singing to her during the wedding.

16. Catching up with my niece and nephews whom I rarely get to see.

17. The opportunity to sleep all night, though I woke up anyway!

18. Coming home to all my children peacefully sleeping while my husband waited up for me.

Photos and video of the flower arranging session to come. You won't want to miss this. Trust me!

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Happy Mother's Day

Dear Mommy,

Thank you for taking care of us. We love you.

Amelia, Samuel, Isaac, and Alexander


Alex Hunts for Food

Here's some more video fun for you. Alex is on the hunt for something to eat.


Maybe we don't need to get a dog after all...

Saturday, May 9, 2009

These Shoes Were Made for...

These shoes were made for...a wedding! And for a big surprise.

Today, my brother Dan is getting married in California. When he invited the family, he assumed, as did I, that I wouldn't be able to come. But thanks to the world's most wonderful husband and some dedicated helpers, my shoes and I arrived in California yesterday to surprise him. It will be a quick trip, and I'll be home in time to spend the end of Mother's Day with my little ones.

I left Jeff with enough food to feed a small army, and a small army to feed! Amelia's off for a fun weekend with friends, and someone is coming in every evening to help Jeff get the boys through the supper and bedtime routine. I tried to organize everything to make his life as easy as possible. I'm afraid if things don't go smoothly he'll never let me leave again!

This is the first time I've been away from the boys. I'm partly excited and partly nervous. I'm not worried about Jeff. Heck, he'll probably get more help than he does when I'm at home! But it's still a little hard to leave. I'll miss my boys and Amelia!

On the other hand, I am looking forward to eating a hot meal or two, sleeping all night long and not getting spit up on for a day or two...

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Mama's Got a New Pair of Shoes...

Mama's got a new pair of shoes...




...and they sure weren't made for chasing four small children. Any guesses where these shoes will be taking me?

Stay tuned!

I Can Crawl, Too

Here's a video just for all those of you who said, "Poor Isaac!" after you viewed the first video of the boys crawling. (Well, Alex and Sam anyway.)

See, Isaac's got the moves, too! Sam's the fastest right now, but I've got money on Isaac to be the real whirlwind of the group.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

One Year Blogiversary

One year ago today I started this blog with a pretty low-key post.
I started it in large part because so many people wanted updates on the triplet pregnancy. And, I wanted to capture everything that was going on in our lives because I knew this would probably be the only baby book the boys ever have.

At the time, I had no idea how much I would enjoy writing here, first for myself and my family and friends, and now for fellow moms, moms of multiples and random visitors from across the globe. I had no idea how many new friends I would make, and how many fellow triplet moms I would connect with.

A lot certainly has changed in a year!

THEN:

Who knew it would be three boys?

Fifteen weeks pregnant ~ May 15, 2008


Amelia ~ May 2008


Amelia ~ May 2008 ~ SOOOO big! (But really, still small.)

And NOW:

Amelia ~ May 2009


Sam, Alex, and Isaac ~ May 2009

This blog has enriched my life...our lives. Thank you for being part of the journey so far. I hope you'll keep enjoying the ride!

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Momnesia

Today Amelia and I played "hair fissing." (That's "fixing" for those of you not familiar with Ameliaese.) She was Brooke (that's the name of the lady who cuts our hair), and even remembered to pretend to put the cape on me and made me take my glasses off, just like at the salon.

We had a great time.

And then I walked around like this for about three hours before I realized it.


This surely is the very definition of momnesia.

Editor's note: For more on "momnesia" check out my guest post at Little Bites of Heaven.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Big Changes for the Big Girl

Today, we took the crib out of Amelia's room.

Amelia and her "old" bed.

She's been sleeping in the big girl bed for three months now, only occasionally asking to go back into her crib -- usually when she's having trouble falling asleep at night. Amelia will be three at the end of the month, so it's time.

Amelia was in an exceptionally good mood this morning, so I decided to strike while the iron was hot. Once she decided it was a great idea to take the crib out of her room, she was all smiles about it. Mom, on the other hand, was a little sad, even though I have three other little ones in cribs right now. I'm allowed! She's my first baby, after all.


Amelia's room, sans crib.


We immediately co-opted Amelia's crib for the boys, as one of the cribs we bought secondhand needs a little repair.

After all the enthusiasm about not needing a crib, and the disassembly, moving and reassembly of her crib in the boys' room, I'm afraid that Amelia isn't sleeping in her big girl bed tonight. Tonight she's sleeping...

...make that "camping," in the basement with Daddy. Just a little something fun for the weekend!

Hope your weekend is turning out to be as much fun as ours. Tomorrow afternoon we'll be having s'mores. (Can't do them at night. The child's sugar high outlasts Mom & Dad's energy levels by hours.)