Is It Friday Yet??????

This seems like the longest week ever to me......is it ever going to end? Not sure why this particular week seems like it is dragging, especially because most fly by. I think it is because every morning when I get up I think it is going to be a beautiful day and that we can go out for a walk, but it seems so much colder than what the forecast predicts. I think we all need a big dose of fresh air. The girls also seem fussier than normal this week, especially in the afternoon. Today no one wanted to eat their lunch, so that was frustrating, and then they cried. They should be napping for another hour or so and I am already trying to prepare myself for another fussy afternoon. Maybe they were tired from their baths this morning. Maybe they are teething, still unsure if that is happening. Maybe they are growing and a little uncomfortable. Or, maybe they are just bored of being stuck inside and need a change of scenery, I don't blame them one bit.

Oh, by the way, I did bath time by myself for the first time in a very long time. I usually try to work it around when I have help (the Grandparents have become pros), but it went really well and took much less time than I had anticipated. Thanks for your cooperation girls!!!! (I am a little proud of myself, can you tell?)

Here are some pictures of tummy/play time and great big smiles!!!!

Sydney



Taylor



Brooke

What a Difference a Few Months Make for Sydney

Sydney's bath in NICU




Sydney after a bath now, in the bucket we used to bathe her in

First Post NICU Evaluation

This morning we took the girls to their first with Dr. Bear at Children's Hospital. She is the lead physician for the Neonatal Development Program, typically the first appointment is at 6 months with just her and then at 9 months with the entire team(PT, OT, Speech). AT that point they will decide if further specific issues require therapy. Otherwise, they are evaluated every 6 months from that point up until they are 3. Soooooo, what did the doctor say??????

Dr. Bear said the girls are doing just what they should be at this point. It gets a little confusing because at this clinic everything is based on the adjusted age of the girls which today is 4 months, 1 week and 4 days. The Pediatrician bases everything on the chronological age which is just shy of 7 months. So, according to the adjusted age, all three girls are above average for head size, and average for height and weight. As far as her physical exam of their flexibility and movement everyone is looking good as well. Sydney is slightly tighter which is due to more muscle tone (a preemie thing) and is a little more stiff than the others. She uses her back muscles more and needs a little work on her tummy strength. Not a big concern, we just need to increases tummy time for her and get her in the sitting position more to work those muscles. OVERALL, they are moving right along and doing a great job!!!!!! Nice work ladies!!!!! Always good to hear good news and get a good report from the docs!

Brooke Can't Decide if She is Happy or Sad

This child is hilarious!

We Can't Get Enough of These Sweeties

We had the final RSV shot last week, so happy the season is almost over. Here are the updated weights Sydney 13lbs 15.5oz, Taylor 13lbs 11oz and Brooke 13lbs 2oz. They are starting to feel heavy, especially in their car seats! Operation arm toning has begun!

I just love this picture of Brooke



I've got my hands full



The Trio



Sydney loves to snuggle



Check out Carmen stealin' a sniff of Taylor's ear

Weekend with Auntie Beth

It was a great weekend visit with Chris's sister Beth. She lives in NY and had not seem the girls since just after they came home from the hospital. My how the girls have changed! She is so sweet them and a ton of help, we even got her involved in bath time today! Nothing like three clean babies! It was so nice to hang out with Beth and Chris's parents, can't beat good quality time with the fam!

Having Some Fun

What's New...

Well, as always there is a lot going on at this house! These little girls are just delightful! It seems we are getting into a good groove around here lately. With a little hesitation I say: things have gotten easier! Hoping not to jinx myself, I have to say we are in a good rhythm. The girls are all doing really well with the spoon feeding (great improvements here), bottles are taking less and less time to finish (thanks to the bottle-potomus), we get tons of smiles everyday and even giggles sometimes, grabbing for and fixating on toys is commonplace and I feel like the girls are at the early stages of knowing their names. Is that possible? Articles that I have read say it is around this age they do. Speaking of grabbing, Papa and I got our glasses swiped for the first time, my earrings are a major target as well as my necklace. They have quite the grip and are quick with the take.

Since I started this post I think, not totally sure, but we have our first teether! Sydney looks like she has a little tooth coming in on the bottom front. I see a tiny white spot that looks like it could be the start of something. She also has rosy little cheeks, which I think, I read can be a sign of teething. Come to think of it, Chris and I, and the grandparents, have noticed she has not been herself lately. Maybe this could be the reason. I put a few teether toys in the fridge to help with the discomfort, if in fact she is having any. She brings it right to her mouth and bites on it. Stay tuned...

Sportin' the Shades

We are eagerly awaiting the warm weather of Summer... luckily there have been a few 75 degree days here and there to enable us to get some fresh air! It was heavenly to take a walk and of course to see these little sweeties in their new shades! Being outside really knocks them out, they can barely make it until 7:00 for their final bottle and bedtime.

Brooke Being Brooke

This little girl is a riot!

Now that she can roll over, she sleeps on her tummy!



Yesterday we went to a cookout and the girls afternoon naps were cut a little short. Taylor did not sleep at the party, Sydney slept a tiny bit and Brooke was passed out for a good hour. No worries about comfort either, the floor with my IU blanket and her thumb was the magic combo!



Today I had a half day of leisure with a hair cut and a little shopping. Chris was on his own for the noon feeding (bottle and food), this is what Brooke was up to:



(As I am re-reading the blog 9 months after this was posted I realize that this picture is of Taylor, OOPS!)
Such a silly baby!

Cooking With the Girls

I love to cook and bake. I can not wait until the girls are old enough to sit on the counter and help me! For now we do the best we can. Usually after the 4:00 feeding we all head for the kitchen. The girls sit in their bouncy seats and watch me cook dinner for and Chris me. They love it, mostly because they can see me but also, I talk to them explaining what I am doing as I prepare the food. Usually Brooke or Taylor zonks out, Sydney typically is wide awake and talks to me, or to the light or to her little imaginary friends. She also just loves to stare at the light hanging from the ceiling. Whichever other girl is up usually joins in the conversation too. Here are a few pics of the action in the kitchen:

Sydney checking out the light



Taylor more interested in sucking her thumb



Brooke bored and drooling



Syndey and Taylor awake at least

What a Week!

It is finally the end of a crazy week! I am exhausted, whew. Chris was out of town for work from Monday until Friday. We had a lot of help from the grandparents, thank you Mom & Dad and Mary & Rick! I am so happy to have him home and back to our normal! I think the girls missed their Daddy! Tonight at the last feeding Chris fed Brooke with no problem, I started with Taylor and she wouldn't eat for me, so Chris took over Taylor and I started Sydney. Sydney wouldn't eat for me either, so I passed her over to Chris, Daddy got both of them to drink their bottles with no problem. Crazy, guess they needed their Daddy time, very cute:)

The girls are all talking more and more and laughing more and more. Brooke was giggling when I changed her tonight, I love when she does that! Sydney grew more hair, Taylor eats like a little lady and they all smile a ton! We successfully moved their last bottle up an hour to put them to bed earlier, they are so tired by 7:00. It is awesome for us! Sydney has been waking up around 6:30 in the morning, talks LOUD for about a half hour. She seems totally content and eventually falls back asleep!

They are grabbing their toys, and seem to be figuring things out a little bit at a time. They were all playing with their spoons after lunch today which was fun to watch. They would try to bring them to their face, sometimes successful and sometimes not. I sometimes see them looking at their hands trying to figure out just what they are and how they work. I just love to see them learn and grow!

Triplets Everywhere!

The Whole Crew!



Hailey and Taylor




Emily and Brooke



Addison and Sydney



This morning Shelly and her triples came over to visit for the first time! (Shelly's family blog is what inspired me to do a blog and to keep it current, the best thing ever). I love seeing what those ladies are up to by reading their blog, and Shelly is so funny with her posts, it is very entertaining. I met Shelly through the online triplet moms group and we had an instant connection because our stories are so incredibly similiar (almost a little scary). We both have spontaneous triplet girls, one fraternal girl and a set of identicals. The craziest thing is that they were both born on October 3rd two years apart! We both assigned each girl a color and we somehow chose the same colors for the corresponding child (Sydney and Addison, the fraternal girls are purple, Brooke and Emily, the smallest are both green and Taylor and Hailey are both pink) WEIRD!!!!

Shelly and I seem to be similar in many ways too, pretty laid back, and love to hit the mall. The guys have not met yet, but I am sure they will get along great, they both enjoy sports! Shelly's husband Ryan and I both went to Brookfield East High School, although I was out before he even entered. Probably the biggest difference between us and them is that we are considerably older :(

It was so much fun to get a glimpse into having three two in a half year olds running around. Addison, Haley and Emily are very well behaved little girls and are a joy to be around. I am so impressed with how Shelly handles things with the girls. I will definitely be looking to her for tips on how to have the control that she does with her girls. She was in the bathroom with the girls probably at least 10 times, they are potty trained now YEAH GIRLS, an endeavor that scares me a little. I imagine new bathrooms are pretty exciting to two year olds! The girls loved the dogs and at one point were taking Wrigleys' toys out one and a time and throwing them for him, he hasn't had that much excitement for a long time, he was exhausted! Gosh there were so many cute things they were doing the whole time. We had a blast! They are so incredibly sweet!!!! Oh, one thing that was just darling was when Addison was holding Sydney she was looking at her and then gave her a tender little kiss on the head. What a cutie!

Take a Look at These Cuties...

Coffee with the Girls

Today I took all three girls, by myself, to meet our friends for coffee! I had taken them last Friday to meet Lisa at the Gingerbread house, but on the outing today I remembered to take pictures. Three of my very close friends met up, Lisa and her ten week old baby Ella, Meaghan with her not quite three week old son Matthew and Kelly (her nine month old daughter Caroline, was not able to make it). It was so incredibly nice to just hang out and chat with delicious coffee and babies!!!!!

What Happened to Brooke?????

Chris is out of town this entire week for work and thank goodness my parents and his parents are splitting the time with the girls and me! This morning Mary and I were feeding all three girls, I was feeding Brooke and Taylor and she was feeding Sydney. I literally turned to Taylor for 5 seconds to give her a spoonful and I looked back to Brooke and this is what I saw, we about died laughing, she looked like she got into a fight with her cereal. Not sure how she got the cereal on her head, but she did! She is a hoot, never a dull moment with that little one.



They were all adorable eating this morning!

Brooke Rolled Over for the Frist Time

Well, we didn't get this one on video, but both Chris and I saw it real time on Sunday morning, Easter Sunday! She has been almost rolling from back to front, I mean sooooo close, then all of a sudden she goes from front to back. It was so funny, Chris and I just looked at each other like "did you just see what I saw?". So great that we were both there to see it! Way to Go Brooke!!!!!!!

And......it is now Tuesday and she has rolled over numerous times this morning! Pretty much any time we put her on her tummy she rolls onto her back. I think she is showing off for Grandma!

Meeting a Friend and Future Babysitter

This morning one of my closest friends Sue brought her daughter Cara over to meet the girls. Cara is six and was a natural with the girls, I am so impressed at what a little lady she is! She helped feed the girls and was just adorable and so enamored with the girls. According to Sue, she couldn't stop talking about Brooke, Sydney and Taylor all day long and was so proud telling her Daddy how she got to feed them. Thankfully they live less than a mile from us, so we will be seeing them often and hopefully one day will have an amazing babysitter to care for our daughters!