Help Yourself!

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words...

Isaac helps himself to some Cheerios.

I'm guessing food won't ever last very long around here!

And Our First Walker Is...

I know the suspense is killing you, so drum roll, please...

The first to walk is: ISAAC!

Yesterday Isaac took two little steps with the same foot. Later that day he took four little steps and then repeated the one-footed two-step again. Maybe we'll be lucky enough to catch it on video soon.

Of course, Isaac would be the one to walk first. He's the lightest and easiest to carry.

Look out world. Here we come!

Amelia's Broken Heart

Last night Amelia found a paper heart left over from our Valentine's craft. It was torn in one spot.

"Oh no! My heart is broken!" she wailed.


Jeff and I exchanged a smile at her innocent words, knowing that someday her heartbreak would be real.

Then she turned to her Daddy and said, "Daddy, can you fix my broken heart?"

And my heart melted.

Daddy got out the tape and repaired the heart.

When he handed it back to her, Amelia threw her arms around his legs and said, "Thank you for fixing my broken heart, Daddy."

Someday we'll wish we could do that so easily with just a little tape.

Nine-month Update

Last Monday I took the boys to the pediatrician for their 9-month checkup, so it's time for an update and stats check.

Sam - 19 lbs. 10 oz. - 29 1/4 inches long

Isaac - 16 lbs. 8 oz. - 28 1/4 inches long

Alex - 19 lbs. 6 oz. - 28 3/4 inches long

That puts Sam in the 70th percentile for height, Alex in the 60th and Isaac in the 50th. Sam and Alex are about the 35 percentile for weight, and Isaac is about the 4th percentile.

Sam, Isaac and Alex all have four teeth and everyone is busy standing up independently. They can stand for a good 30 seconds now, and they are cruising constantly, so we're getting close to walking now! Everyone is playing peek-a-boo and doing patty cake, and we're making good progress on finger foods.

There are two big milestones that struck me following this appointment. First, the boys now have been outside of me longer than they were inside of me. Second, at 16 1/2 lbs., Isaac now weighs what all three boys weighed combined when they were born. Isaac is a peanut compared to his brothers, but it's really hard to fathom that he weighs what he and his brothers weighed COMBINED on their birthday.


The time is flying by, and before we know it, the boys' first birthday will be here. What a celebration that will be!

Captain Amelia

Tonight I was talking with Amelia about an upcoming trip where she will be flying with Daddy to see Aunt Susie and Uncle Andy.

I told her that she would have a seat right next to Daddy's and he would put her car seat on it so she could ride by herself like a big girl.

Amelia's face lit up and she said, "I could drive the plane!"

That's my girl. Head straight for the top.

Toy Testing, Part One: A Bust

Recently we were chosen to help test toys for ebeanstalk, a Web site that specializes in safe learning toys and baby gifts. We offer feedback of all kinds, but personally, I think they looked at us and said, "Triplet boys? That ought to cover durability testing!"

Just so you know the score, I do not receive any compensation for blogging about the products they send us, but we do get to keep the toys.

So the other day we got this toy in the mail:

The Swirly Orb from International Playthings promised to capture baby's attention. Well, like all new things, it was interesting for a while, but it's not something my boys are wild about.

When you turn the toy over, there are large colorful beads that are supposed to twirl down the ball, and small beads in the middle that make a little soft noise as they fall. We found that the large beads didn't move all that well. The boys liked the squeaker on one end of the ball, but that didn't interest them for long.

After the initial novelty wore off the ball was quickly abandoned. The boys haven't come back to it for three days, so we have to call this one a bust. Although it did survive five minutes of three small boys yanking it out of each other's hands, so we have to award points for durability.

Sam and the Swing

Here's the video of Sam on the swing for the first time. This little guy's giggles are guaranteed to make you smile!

Ready, Set, Swing!

Last weekend we bought three baby swings, and we tried them out for the first time Monday evening. Just looking at the swing set full of baby swings made me laugh.

Reactions were mixed. Alex was a little frightened, Sam LOVED the swing, and Isaac was just chillin' out. Amelia got a kick out of swinging with her brothers, and tried to help reassure Alex that it was fun to play on the swings.

A full swing set: Amelia, Alex, Sam and Isaac.

Isaac chills out.

Sam loving his new ride!

Alex tries to like it.

Sam was kicking his legs and moving the swing and laughing. The more it moved, the more he giggled.

It's too late tonight to be upload the video, but I promise I'll put it up soon. It's sure to make you laugh right along with Sam.

A Revelation

Yesterday when we left church, I collected my diaper bag and my purse. When I walked into church I had a perfectly normal assortment of items in my purse: wallet, checkbook, pen, coupons, lipstick, etc... When I walked out of church with my purse I was also carrying: one Sippy cup, one bag of Goldfish, my husband's sunglasses, a color crayon, three baby toys, two pacifiers, a burp rag and a shoe.

Then it hit me. I have become a walking junk drawer. The human embodiment of that place in your house whose job it is to simply catch the flotsam and jetsam of life. Some things stay forever and some just temporarily, but the universal truth is that the larger your junk drawer, the more junk you collect.

That's why I have firmly resisted the compulsion to buy a larger purse everytime I buy a new one. It will just mean carrying more stuff for my family. Which brings me back to my earlier idea about getting a Sherpa...

Finger Food Fun!

A couple days ago I gave the boys some cereal puffs. It was their first finger food, though they munched on some graham crackers at Grandma Alice's during vacation.

They were pretty adept at getting the food into their mouths, and they loved it! (Alex, of course, loved it the most.) I loved the 10 minutes of relative peace and quiet it brought me.

The only squawking I heard was when one brother ran out of puffs and started to "share" off the tray next to him.

Now they can do a little self-feeding while I get the rest of their lunch ready. That sure makes life a little easier.

Here's a short slideshow of some photos I took.



I have video, too, but it needs some serious editing, and as time is always at a premium around here, I'll probably never get it ready to post.

Who knows? The government might come through with my Diaper Czar and Laundry Czar and I might just surprise you.

Late Night Shopping

*Yawn*

Just got back from the local superstore. Went after the kiddos were in bed and wondered how many other women there were moms doing the same thing.

I bought 36 jars of baby food because there was a good sale. The cashier looked at me funny, so I told her I had triplets. She looked at my groceries on the conveyor and replied, "Well then, you didn't buy nearly enough alcohol."

Enough said.

Godzilla Meets Tripletmania

Last weekend we got together with the last five couples in our local multiples group to have triplets. There were 12 adults, 18 babies from 3 months old to 9 months old, and four older kids ages 2 to 4.

Nope, it's not Babies R Us, just a small glimpse of the gear at Tripletmania!

Sam, Isaac and Alex are the oldest by three months, so no one else's children are truly mobile yet, though some are starting to roll over.

When we walked in and landed our big boys amongst the little ones it was like Godzilla storming the Japanese. Sam, Isaac and Alex all took off in different directions, crawling over little people as they made beelines to the nearest piece of furniture so they could stand up.

The look of panic on the other parents' faces at the idea of what was to come was priceless! I have no doubt they will all take it in stride, just as we did, because mobility does come gradually, thank heavens!

We had times when there were no crying babies, but around 7 p.m., as bedtime neared, everyone started to melt down. Of course, that's when we remembered that we should take some video and pictures before everyone left, so brace yourself for some wailing here!

Godzilla(s) and the Triplets from Christy on Vimeo.

No wonder the most popular spot in the house was right next to the drinks table!

TAG! You're It!

Today I caught Isaac and Alex playing a little game of tag. They were having a great time while Sam and I looked on and laughed at them.

Isaac and Alex Play Tag from Christy on Vimeo.

I'm so glad they have each other to chase. Just watching them wears me out!

Big Sister, Big Helper

Amelia has taken to her role as big sister like a fish to water. The other day she wanted to help Daddy feed her brothers. Check out the great job she did!

Grrr....

Sorry about the slow posting folks. I've got a great little video of Amelia spoonfeeding her brothers, but Blogger won't let me load it up.

It's too late now to be dealing with technical difficulties, so more tomorrow!

Christy

Like Mother, Like Daughter

Credit for this goes to Aunt Susie, who sent this picture after I posted photos of the Bag Dance at our wedding 15 years ago.

Amelia does her own version of the Bag Dance.

Susie took this picture in May of 2007, shortly before Amelia turned one. Amelia had recently developed this fascination with walking around with things over her head: her blankie, Tupperware, a grocery bag... We never made the connection at the time, but it's pretty funny.

Like mother, like daughter, I guess!

Water Bugs

Today we took everyone to a little water park near the house. With Grandma D. and Aunt Allie on hand we had a one-to-one ratio, so that made things pretty easy.

I managed to keep the gear to a minimum (reducing the Sherpa duties!) and we headed our after the afternoon nap. Amelia quickly headed for the little water slide, and we put the boys in the zero entry baby pool to paddle around.

Isaac and Sam show off their board shorts.

Isaac knows no fear when it comes to the water and was all over the place! Poor little skinny-minny really needed a smaller pair of swim trunks though. We finally got tired of pulling them up and just let him play in his swim diaper.

Sam splashed away happily, though it seems like not long ago when he'd scream bloody murder from the second his feet touched the bath water until we got him out.

Alex is ready to hit the pool.

Alex started out the day pretty reluctant and clingy, but once we got him interested in a toy, he enjoyed the water, too.

Sorry I don't have pictures of us in the water today, but we had our hands too full to add a camera that had to be kept dry to the mix.

Amelia on her last swim outing at Grandma & Grandpa D.'s.

Quite A Trip

Ever since we got back, everyone has wanted to know, "How was your vacation?" But as anyone who has traveled with small children and four tons of equipment knows, it's not really a vacation...but it was still quite a trip!

In my previous post, I offered video evidence that you can travel with 9-month-old triplets and a three-year-old and get a little quiet time along the way. Honestly, everyone traveled great. We fed bottles as we drove and played a lot of peek-a-boo from the back seat to the middle seat to entertain the little ones. But they were all real champs about the 2,000-miles of driving.

I'm realistic enough not to expect a repeat of that, but just glad to have survived this first venture relatively unscathed.

I made a few adjustments to my seven-page packing list when I got home. Some things I wished we'd had and a few that we shouldn't have bothered to pack. Next time I'll cut the amount that we pack by a third and get MY golf clubs in along with Jeff's.

At the top of my new list is: SHERPA.

Seriously, it would have been worth every dime to get someone to help schlep all our stuff! Every time we arrived at a new destination -- something we did FIVE times in the course of ten days -- we hauled three high chairs, two pack-n-plays, one child's tent, blankets, pacifiers, diapers, a suitcase, toys and more out of the van. Then we unpacked and assembled for the night. A day or two later we reversed the whole process. More than once I thought a Sherpa would have been a good investment.

On the plus side, we certainly didn't need to count any calories while we were traveling!

Here are a few more pics of the family.

Jeff and his siblings show off the twins and triplets: Jeff with Alex, Susie with Sam, Amy with Clare, Allie with Isaac, and Jacob with Isabel.

Amelia and her godparents, Dave and Amy.

My Uncle Virgil and Aunt Illa with the boys: Alex, Sam and Isaac.

The Saga of the Seven Car Seats

Note: For those of you not facing the problem of seating triplets in a vehicle, there's way more detail here than you want, but I know it will be helpful to other parents of multiples. If you head to the bottom of the post you'll learn how we came to be toting seven car seats at once.

A couple weeks before our big trek to the north country, Jeff and I realized that the boys were getting too long for their little pumpkin seats. It was time for an upgrade. I surveyed the local multiples group for their suggestions on car seats that would fit three across in our sexy Toyota Sienna.

Several moms suggested the Sunshine Kids Radian car seats. We loved the fact that they are FAA approved for use on airplanes, that they fold for easy carrying, and that they get a great safety rating because of their steel frame. We didn't love the idea of them weighing 25 lbs., because we knew we'd continually be pulling one out to allow access to the back seat.

With four kids, at least one child has to sit in the back seat. And with the triplets still facing backwards, it makes sense to put them three across the middle and for me to join Amelia in the back row so I can see the boys and tend to them. In order for me to get back there, we have to flip up a seat in the middle row, which means pulling a heavy car seat out every time.

Still, we thought we'd try them since everyone who has them seems to love them.

(By the way, Diapers.com has the best return policy around. They pay return shipping, make the arrangements for UPS pickup, AND there's no restocking fee.)

The verdict? The Radian 80s we tried were very nice seats, and they were narrow enough to fit well three across the middle row. But, they are very tall. A tall car seat, when placed in a rear-facing position translates to LOOOONG.

Jeff had the driver's seat farther forward than he would like, and the middle row was pushed back farther than I would like in order to accommodate the length. I found myself saying, "I wish our van was six inches longer."

Hmmm...how about shorter car seats instead?

So, we ordered three Cosco Alpha Sport car seats. We already have one of these for Amelia, and it's a nice compact, lightweight, FAA-approved and safe seat. It also is three inches shorter than the Radian, which means it gives us a little more wiggle room since we have to use the back seat.

Unfortunately, while we were getting a seven-page list of stuff together for vacation, we didn't take care of the car seats as soon as we should have. And the selection online is so much better than in the stores. That means shipping. And shipping time. (Almost every place I looked offered free shipping for an order as big as three car seats, and most that I called offered us some kind of multiples discount, too.)

By the time we had assessed the Radians and realized they wouldn't work for us, we were on a tight timeline to get seats here. I talked to the sales rep and he said they would arrive here on Wednesday, but we were leaving Thursday morning, and what if they didn't arrive? We could make do with the seats we had, but we really felt that Sam, Isaac and Alex would be safer and more comfortable in bigger seats.

So, we had the new seats shipped to my brother's house, which was about 500 miles into the trip. They were to arrive there on Thursday, and we stayed there until Saturday, so we had a little leeway. And we decided we'd rather have them for part of the trip than none of the trip.

We could have left the baby seats behind, but they are preemie seats, which are good for babies as small as three pounds. A fellow triplet mom gave them to us and we would like to return the favor by passing them along to another family. So, we picked them up when we passed back by my brother's house, shoe-horned them in and continued on our merry way, laughing about having SEVEN car seats in the car at once.

Here's a little video of the car seats in action. (Notice that there's a baby seat in the front passenger seat. Don't worry. There was never a baby in it.)



And there you have it. Proof positive that it IS possible to road trip with four kids, including three babies, and even get a little silence along the way!

Home Again, Home Again

We are home.

We are tired.

We got home about 9:30 p.m. on Sunday. We got everyone to bed at 11 p.m. Amelia slept for 12 hours straight without waking up. The boys slept all night until 7 a.m. And then they napped for 6 hours and still went to bed at a decent time.

Exhausted!

The trip was a lot of fun, even if it was tiring for everyone. I have lots to tell you including how we ended up travling with 7 car seats (not all of them occupied, thank heavens!), but it will have to wait just a little longer.

Right now I need to deal with the 4 tons of stuff that we scooped out of the van and deposited in the garage.

And, I need to make peach crisp with some yummy, but slightly bruised peaches I got at the farmers' market this morning.

The one activity is an antidote for the other.

Heading Home

We are in the final days of vacation, and I have to say (though I'm whispering this, lest it actually happen) that if the boys screamed all the way home from here, we'd still have to consider this trip a big success! All of the kids have traveled so well, and though bedtime has gotten a little late some nights, they've been sleeping like champs, too. I hope that continues when we get home.


Since I last checked in we celebrated Grandma D.'s birthday and got to meet many of the relatives on Jeff's side of the family at the party. The next day we took a quick day trip to my hometown to introduce the boys to my Aunt Illa and Uncle Virgil and Uncle Tim. We started the trek back, spending one night at my brother's again, after a stop to see an old friend of mine from high school. Now we're at Grandma Alice and Grandpa Ernie's, meeting MORE cousins.


When she got up this morning, Amelia asked me if we were going to meet some more cousins today. I think she's getting used to meeting a whole new group of people every couple of days!


Tomorrow we're heading home, and posts will become more regular once I get the van unpacked and the laundry done. This connection is slow, so photos will have to wait, too.