Triple Trouble and the Hat

We purposefully never leave our bathroom doors open, and this is why. Somehow they can sense when there is a slight crack in one and they all gravitate there immediately. This is how I found them this morning while I was getting breakfast ready.... after taking the time to grab the camera I only had a few seconds before one of them actually climbed over into the tub!


Maggie LOVES to wear hats. She has worn this little pink cap of Ella's around for the last couple of mornings.... almost an hour this morning. She crawls around just looking so proud of herself! Last night she was desperate for a hat and made do with a wash cloth. Whatever works, right?

A few hours early...

We've moved to our new home on the web.... here's hoping the grandparents can find us! The news of the day, or last several, is that Sarah is taking lots of steps. She walked all the way across the office this afternoon. I think it is only a matter of time before Maggie is right on her heels. It really feels like someone flipped some switch inside these babies or maybe just put Energizer Bunny batteries into them because they are non-stop, on the go, climbing, never still, ACTION these days! It is totally wild and crazy.... even just compared with this time last week. Will things improve in the next couple days or just continue to spiral out of control?!? Stay tuned....

Just the Stats, Please

The girls had their one year well baby check-up this afternoon.... terrible timing- it was right in the middle of the afternoon nap time. Alas, I will never make that mistake again. On to the good stuff:
Maggie 19lb 0.5oz 28.5" long
Kate 18lb 14oz 28.5" long
Sarah 18lb 2oz 28.75" long

The doctor says they are all right on track developmentally. She did encourage us to start "fishing" for them to say more things verbally... of course, this is probably my fault because I blanked on any words that they can say besides Dada, Mama, and attempts at Ella. There are several, but we'll try to read to them more and work on increasing their verbal skills. The only other news of import is that Sarah is on the skinny side- only in the 6th percentile for weight now and Maggie and Kate are still in the 20th. So I guess I'm going to start attempting to fatten her up a bit. Overall, (especially considering the poorly scheduled time) it went well, and the girls did great!

The World is Shrinking

At least from where I'm sitting behind this computer screen it certainly feels that way. We had a message on our B-day post from the original (at least in blogger world) Three Silly Chicks wishing Maggie, Kate, & Sarah a happy birthday. I checked out their blog this afternoon, and I'm glad I did. As it turns out, the original Silly Chicks are children's book authors and reviewers who are in search of funny works for children.... what a great job to have! We've now got several new books on our "need to find" list for the girls. Google and Blogger have made my world a little bit more interesting today. Thanks Three Silly Chicks! Check out their site if you are in search of something funny to read to your kids.

Happy Birthday Maggie, Kate, & Sarah

The girls are ONE today. I can't really believe that this first dreaded year, the one everyone said would be "the year of which you do not speak" is already over?!? Where has the time gone? I do remember in the very beginning when they were asleep all the time wondering if maybe we got lucky and ours were the very best triplets on earth, but then their due date came around and they woke up. The fact that they were 7 months old when I started the blog says a lot about what happened to us then. We spent all that time wondering if we would ever sleep again. It seems in just a flash, it was time for a first birthday party. I sometimes wonder what was so bad about those early months and find it amazing that I can't remember what it was (other than the sleep deprivation). The girls are trying their best to walk and talk now, and everything is soooo much better! Yeah!! I am enjoying watching them develop into little people and only occasionally miss the baby stuff.

Saturday was a big day for Maggie, Kate, and Sarah...starting with meeting one set of great grandparents for the very first time. We have not made the 5+ hour drive to visit them since the babies were born, but we plan to make a trip someday soon to meet all the rest of the family. After that we all went to Mimi and Pop's to swim and gear up for the big party. The girls had dinner and by that time lots of people had arrived. We had a huge BBQ in honor of all the people who have volunteered their time and talents to help us this past year. It was pretty hot out, but we had the cutest little fans as party favors that Kay-Kay made for everyone... on one side they said, "Three silly chicks are turning one!" and on the other side they had a collage of pictures of the girls. They were so cute; thank you Kay! Then the babies dove right into their cakes... I mean they really loved them- hence all the pictures! A very special thank you to Ms. Nancy and her mom for making them for us! At times Maggie, Kate, Sarah, and even Ella weren't too sure about the 150+ guests we had there. I guess you could say they were a little overwhelmed, but if I am being honest, I'd have to admit I was a little bit overwhelmed sometimes myself. My friend HB from out of town volunteered to take my camera and try to get a couple of good shots.... 92 pictures later the party was over. Thank you HB for capturing the day for us in photos! As proof of the fact that people just don't listen to me, check out the gifts covering that table in one of the photos... the invitation clearly said "No Gifts, Please. Your presence will be our present!" Oh, well. The girls certainly enjoyed opening and amusing themselves with those on Sunday and today, so they would like to thank everyone for those as well.

At the end of this incredible year I would like to say a very special thank you to everyone who has helped us along the way. I know that we would not have made it past even the hospital bedrest part without all the prayers that were lifted up for us. We love all our volunteers just like family, and we love our super extended families for being a part of this journey with us. Thanks a million!! Scott and I are looking forward to the years of giggles and squeals ahead and to sharing them with you all.

1st Birthday Cake

Here are a couple of cute birthday party pictures to enjoy while I work on getting the rest of them edited. Tomorrow is their actual birthday, and I'm still in shock. The girls all had a great time and especially loved the cake part! We hope all our guests enjoyed themselves as well. More tomorrow on the big day....

Tomorrow's the Big Bash

We've been gearing up for weeks now. Guests have been trickling in from out of town since yesterday afternoon. Maggie, Kate, & Sarah can sense that something special is going on. Ella can tell you what that something special is... "Mag, Kate, and Say-uh are having a first birthday, and I'm having a half birthday party!" The countdown is just about up- the party is all set for tomorrow evening, and the official big birthday is Monday. I will have plenty of pictures to share probably by Sunday, and I've almost got my 1 year's worth of pictures in a slide show to post on Monday.

So, we've had lots going on. While we've got all these joyous things going on here, our friends the Turner's have been struggling with their sweet little baby girls. Two have been moved to a much larger children's hospital for NEC and one is still in the NICU at their birth hospital. I know Jen must be so anxious to have all her girls healthy and home. Please say a prayer for them.

On a lighter note, Aunt Kari arrived last night and brought gifts. The best toy ever invented... a Little Tykes Jump-N-Slide! These girls have been wild about it. They are crazy about sliding down the slide and climbing back up. It was actually raining yesterday when Kari got here so we just set it up in the living room. It barely fits; it is so big! I see this as the toy that saved winter, and rainy days, and days like recent ones which it is over 100 degrees and way too hot to go outside. It is good for getting their energy out!! They love it, and I love it!! Thank you Aunt Kari!!!!

We're Moving...

Just the blog... don't worry mom. Starting Sept. 1 we will be found at our new blogspot.


http://www.foursillysisters.blogspot.com/


It isn't ready just yet, but that's where we're headed! Sorry for the trouble this will cause those of you who have links to our blog on your own pages.





Just wanted to give some notice ahead of time!

Whack a Mole

"Who's causing trouble, surely not us?"

The saga over our three times daily battle to keep babies in their chairs at the table continues. This morning Kate lead the charge in Babies vs. Mommy and KayKay. She was first and most often up. KayKay likes to play Whack a Mole every weekday morning for breakfast. It is not too bad as long as there are extra hands to put babies back in their holes while someone else is feeding them. She had feeding duty and whacking duty while I was manning the camera for documentation purposes. The real kicker of it all is that you can clearly see how pleased they are with themselves as we're frantically saying "Sit Down!".

The Whole Gang

Kate, Maggie, Ella, and Sarah

I've been trying lately to get a good group shot of all four girls at the same time. I'd settle for 3 in one 1 in another, but alas this is the best I've been able to do! Seems I get them all dressed, in one place, grab the camera, have them all facing the same direction, aim and then someone either moves or looks away. Oh well... I'll keep trying. Only one more week until Maggie, Kate, and Sarah will be one year old! I seriously can not believe how quickly this year has flown by. Ella has grown and changed so much too. In another year we'll probably look like we've got quads instead of triplets plus one.

Cayden's Party

Ella enjoyed the bubble machine

She sat on the side and watched the other kids a while

She zoned out... sugar induced coma?

She uzzed on her best cousin Cayden

Happy Third Birthday Cayden!! We had a great time at your party.

MNO

Last night I went to my very first triplet mom's night out. I had dinner with 10 other women whom I'd never met before about an hour away from home. It was worth the drive. I've never been as happy to spend an evening with a whole bunch of people I'd never even met before. It was lots of fun, and I think it is pretty amazing that having triplets is enough commonality to make the conversation flow very nicely. Early on we all busted out pictures of our kiddos and got all that stuff out of the way. Eventually it was like hanging out with any other girlfriends. There was one mom whom I found to be particularly encouraging... she has a 4.5 year old, 2.5 year old triplets, and a 1 year old. Minus the baby our situations are very similar. She assured me that the upcoming phase is wonderful. I had assumed as much based on the fact that Ella is already beginning to see the girls as playmates and not always just annoyances. Once they are walking I suspect the four of them will get into lots of trouble together, but they'll be thick as thieves in most everything that they do. I am really looking forward to the next phase... I'm also looking forward to next month's Mom's Night Out with my new friends!

Frequently Heard Phrases

I laughed at myself this morning as I was playing with the babies... seems I am a broken record these days. "Read it; don't eat it! We read books; we don't eat them!" Over and over and over again. They now understand what I mean (at least I think they do because of the glint in their little eyes when they glance up at me), and still they continue to eat the books!!

Lunch time rolled around, and once again I brought out the old record player. "We sit on our bottoms to eat our food. We don't stand in our chairs. SIT DOWN!!" Over and over and over again. Yikes!! I know they understand me, but what I just don't know is how to make them obey. For the last few days I've been stuffing as much food in as possible before they start trying to outdo one another with standing and being cute, and then the first one to stand is the first one "all done". She stands- she gets put down from the table. Hopefully they are getting enough solids to eat?!? Perhaps we'll just start eating at one of their Little Tykes or Step 2 tables so they can stand to eat and I don't have to worry about them falling to the kitchen floor...

Help!! I fear this is only the beginning!

Taking a Poll

Re: A New Blog

I'm thinking of giving the blog a facelift so to speak as of September first. The girls will be a year old, and we'll have made it through the "year of which you do not speak" with triplets. I'm hoping by then to commit to some sort of posting daily, even if it is just a photo or two. So I'd like to hear from some of you guys who read the blog with some suggestions: 1- If you know of any great blog banner designers, or better yet someplace on the web where I can learn enough to do it myself, please point the way in the comments section. 2- I'm tyring to come up with a new catchy name for the blog address and title... Suggestions?? 3- Any other things to consider as I get ready to make the transition. I still can't believe the first year is almost over!!! Where does the time go?

Happy Belated Birthday Scott!!

No, I didn't forget Scott's birthday over the weekend... I just haven't taken the time to wish him a very special birthday on the blog yet. The mere fact that he came home on his b-day after being gone for 6 days straight was like a present for the girls and I. If that wasn't enough, he then took Ella to the aquarium for the first time yesterday. She loved it, and I think he had a good time too!

Kate's New Trick

Riding the big blue dog just isn't enough for sweet little Kate anymore. Neither is it enough to stand on his back while rocking. Last night we got some previously unseen footage of her riding, rocking, and standing on one foot. Enjoy!!

Congratulations to the Turners

Just wanted to say a quick word of congratulations to the Turners on the birth of their triplets. John-Mark has been on the ball all day updating their blog with very cute pictures. Way to go Jen for making it through your hospital incarceration stay and holding off delivery until 33 weeks. The babies are beautiful!! Congratultions to you both. Thanks to all of you guys reading for your prayers for this family.

Blackberry Pie

On Sunday afternoon Ella helped her great-grandmother Nanny C. make a homemade blackberry pie from scratch. I snapped a few pictures of the two of them in action! We all enjoyed the delicious results... except for Ella, who declared while making it that she was hupin' to make it, but that she really didn't like to taste it at all!

Little Angel

Ella has been playing in her dress up basket tons these last few weeks. Her imagination is in overdrive. It is awesome to realize the power of a child's mind! I hope that we will be able to encourage her to continue to use these powers and improve her skills in this area.... I utterly lack creativity, but it is fun to remember when I still had it as a child. Don't know when I lost it... here's hoping she won't ever loose hers.

Baby News

Maggie, or Mag-stuh as Ella has taken to calling her lately, has finally started to say Mama... nobody else will say Mama yet, so she is currently my favorite baby. Just kidding, they are all my favorites!! I was seriously beginning to wonder if I might make it all the way through the terrible two stage with these guys without hearing "Maaaammmmaaaaaa!" a thousand times a day times 3. Maggie also tries to yell for Ella and it is the sweetest sound ever. She continues to be infuriating at mealtimes because the little Houdini just can't be tied down! When she is in need of attention she makes the funniest "whine" face where she pokes out her lips and just pouts like a champ.

Kate is so sweet mannered and compliant that I sometimes worry she isn't getting her fair share of Mommy time. She loves to tell you how big she is and what the cow says... even on demand. Ella never would do that. In the evenings when she is finished with her bottle and waiting for bed she usually finds someone to lay her head down on so that we will tickle her back. She will lie still for minutes on end.... so sweet! Oh, and Kate now has 7 teeth to M's 6 and S's 2.

Sister Sarah is non-stop action these days. She has also learned to climb out of the table seats even when restrained. She is picky and very demanding. This morning at breakfast after the fruit bowl came out she just about wouldn't give us time to get cereal to the others before she was yelling for more fruit... and of course she just shook her head and said no anytime the Cheerios and milk came her way. Her favorite animal sound to share is what the monkey says.... very funny to hear so maybe I'll try to catch it on video soon.

Ella has had a little bit of a regression the last couple of weeks with paci's. She ceremoniously gave them up several months ago by taking them to the barn and giving them to the cows. At the time it was so easy and simple. She hardly even missed them because the babies didn't take them much at all. I kept most of them put way up on a shelf in the closet. Since the babies have been in this latest bout with teething and using their paci's more, she has been unable to simply walk past them without snatching. At first it was driving me crazy, and then I decided to give in to it. She has them back, and when the babies are ready (more like when I am ready to brave it), we'll ALL give up pacifiers. Oh, what a joy that will be....

Baby BootCamp

Maggie explains how things work around here

Our house has been referred to as many things over the last 10 months, but for the first time this past weekend it was BABY BOOT CAMP. My friend and roommate from grad school was visiting, and she was eager to get the full baby experience X 3. I think she got a baby girl overdose. She is expecting her first, and they aren't finding out the sex of their baby so we'll all get to be surprised when the little bean arrives in late November... I'm sure she'll figure out what to do for a boy even though all her training here consisted of girls, girls, girls. After spending 48 hours in our household I think she'll feel like she's on easy street once the infant phase wears off. She is intelligent, compassionate, and most importantly loving so I know she'll make an excellent mother! The last time I saw her I was only four months pregnant with Ella so lots has changed with me. We saw each other then at her wedding so it wasn't like we had time to spend chatting and catching up. Thankfully in the evenings once the kiddos were all asleep we did have some time this weekend to hear about what's new in each other's lives... besides the obvious. It was really wonderful to spend a little time with an old friend and introduce her to my crew. We hope she had as much fun as we did!! Thanks for coming and we can't wait to hear all about your new little one!!