Today I am proud to share, Sydney took her first steps. I was standing in the hallway, she was standing by the sofa in the play room. I was on the other side of the gate and she started to fuss wanting to be with me. So I told her to "come to Mommy" and she turned, and took two pretty shakey steps toward me! Daddy saw it too and we were so excited. I think she was quite excited too!!! We knew it was coming because she has been standing more and more, getting more and more confident and getting much stronger. It was an amazing thing to see from Syd. She has not had PT for over 2 weeks and look at the progress she has made. Way to go sweetheart, we love you so much!!!
Here is a little back story:
Sydney has been in PT since aprox October. We initially started her in it on a recommendation from the physicians at Children's Hospital. She was not crawling and seemed to be getting more and more frustrated not being mobile like her sisters. She responded extremely well after starting at New Berlin Therapies. She make quick strides and was crawling in a little over a month. Ever since Christmas her Thursday afternoon appointments seemed to be going down hill a bit. She was crying more and more at her sessions and suddenly not willing to do many of the activities/strengthening exercises. At first I chalked it up to being tired from missing her nap, I thought all the girls were going through a growth spurt. Two weeks ago, I had a conversation with her therapist and she suggested stopping for a few weeks because she didn't feel the sessions were productive. I agreed that was no sense in bringing her when nothing is being accomplished, however I felt a little like she was giving up on my sweet daughter. She also suggested another OT evaluation. That is a a whole other story, but I was not really buying that. Sydney is a sensitive child and sometimes she is not very comfortable around new people although, she had the same therapist form the get go. Something changed and with her comfort/happiness/desire at PT and I have no idea what. Or, possibly nothing changed at all and Sydney's stubborn side kicked in and she decided she was going to walk on her own, that is what I am buying at this point. She is very strong willed and will not do what Sydney does not want to do, and PT with that therapist was what she did not want to do!!! ANYWAY...that is where we are at with PT stuff, I think it is all behind us and I am thrilled! Yeah, it also gives me Thursdays back in their entirety to get things done away from home!
I believe I may have mentioned in previous posts that lately it seems nearly impossible to get a picture of all three girls sitting still. Now, they are not all smiling, but at least they are all sitting still and looking at the camera. I was pretty proud of them this morning. My thought behind this picture was simply to get a photo of the girls sporting the new slippers they got in the mail from Auntie Ang and Uncle Eric. I grabbed each one, sat them down next to each other...and they actually stayed in place. It worked!!!
Some days, and it seems to go in spurts, each girl will pick up a book and start chatting away. I love hearing their sweet little voices, they get so serious about it! Lately it has been Taylor doing most of the reading aloud.
I am loving whatever has gotten into my girls!!! For so long they were really not all that snuggly for some reason, Sydney would have her moments, but even those were pretty few and far between. Brooke and Taylor rarely ever would snuggle. When I would hold them, they would always want to see what was going on and I couldn't get them to lay their heads down and snuggle. All of a sudden in the last few weeks and especially in the past few days they all are super duper snuggly and I am in heaven. This morning after breakfast we were all in the playroom, I was laying on the floor and one by one they all came over for a snuggle. Suddenly I was covered in kiddos. They were so adorable and everyone stuck around for awhile. I absolutely love when they cuddle up to me and I rub their little bald heads and run my fingers through Syd's light little locks. Actually I am proud to announce the arrival of some hair for Brooke and Taylor. It is still really light, but it is there!!!
I hope they stay cuddly forever, there is nothing more sweet in this world than hugs and snuggles from my girls!!!
Look at how cute and silly they are:
Sydney(totally not into the baseball cap...I swear I only kept it on for a second) Unfortunately, she looks sad here too, which she was not at all, she was just in the Sydney zone. It is funny how forever I felt like the only girl I had pictures of was Sydney, now the complete opposite is true. I have to believe/hope it all evens out in the end!
The girls had their first MMR shot at their 15 month appointment a few weeks ago. We were told that it is common for kids to develop a rash 3-28 days after the shot. Well, it came for us yesterday! I first noticed it on Brooke's belly and neck and it then spread to her face. Taylor woke up the next day covered, mostly on her face and head. Syd had only a few spots on her tummy and legs. Thankfully the rash does not itch or bother them and as long as they don't run fevers all is good. It should only last 3-5 days so they will be back to normal by the weekend! I only got pictures of Taylor, and I have to admit she seems pretty happy to pose! What a little doll!!!
Brooke really dislikes having socks on. Taylor isn't really a fan either, but Brooke can not stand it. Typically I don't even put socks on those two anymore, expect if we are putting shoes on. This day we were out and about, so sock were necessary. They didn't last long after we got home. I caught Brooke in the act which I found quite amusing: While we are talking about Brooke...I thought this picture was pretty cute. She picked up all the sippy cups in the play room, placed them into the shopping cart and was on her way. Smart cookie!
T,B,S Today we took the girls to this cool place that is packed with toys for all ages of kids and a big ball pit! The girls went nutz over the ball pit. I was so thrilled especially to see Sydney jump right in without fear. When she first started OT months ago (she no longer goes) she was so over stimulated by the ball pit and now she LOVES is, what a long way that little darling has come! Brooke and Taylor also had a blast, they loved throwing the balls outside of the pit, go figure. It was a great break from the toys we have at home and they were tuckered out after an hour and half of non stop play! Brooke She looks like a natural behind the wheel Taylor Takin' a break Sydney Lotza static She loves the beads
SEWMOT stands for Southeastern Wisconsin Mothers of Triplets. It is an online chat group that shares info and advise to mothers dealing with triplet pregnancies and beyond. It is a great group of women very willing to help each other out. I have met amazing women whom I consider good friends. It is comforting to be able to bounce ideas and have anxieties calmed by someone who had been through it!
We had our dinner at Firefly in Tosa and as you can see the turnout was wonderful. It is great to put a face with a name at these dinners, although I have only made it to two so far. There were 18 Moms who attended and among us we have 62 children all under the age of 10. Thank God no kids were allowed, I can not imagine the mayhem that would ensue.
We are officially done with bottles, for good! At 12 months we transitioned them to cups in the morning and noon, but still allowed them to enjoy one bottle before bed. We decided Christmas Day would be the last day of bottles, period. They all did surprisingly well with the transition. They don't drink as much milk before bed, but that is totally fine, it has not affected their sleep one bit. We now are giving milk with dinner and still offering more before bed, but there is not a whole lot of milk drinking going on before bed. When I asked Dr. Patti if this was okay she said it is actually great, because not having something to drink immediately before bed will help with potty training. Oh, yeah that also reminded me that we have that to look forward to, not!
The girls are doing a lot better with attention span when we read books at night. I have been trying to get them to sit with me all together and listen instead of tearing the book out of my hand and getting a little crazy on me. We have had a few nights now where I had them all on my lap and got through and entire book, nice job ladies!!! I love that time, they are so sweet and they are really pointing to things I say, especially if there is a dog on the page! It amazes me that they are suddenly able to understand so much of what we say to them. Months ago when we were at one of their evaluations at Children's Hospital the doctor told us to not let the girls sit in the "W" position. It is when they are sitting with both knees bent and their feet are behind them, it is very straining on their hips. So we have been saying "fix your legs" and showing them how to do it. Now, suddenly when we say "fix your legs" they do it! (Well most of the time). It is really fun to see the learning that is going on constantly!
They still love to point to body parts, are starting to wave bye bye and even do a little "raisin' the roof". We also tried using a crayon again and they did much better this time, less eating the crayon, more tapping it on the paper!
I have been trying to have music on more and more during the day and the girls really enjoy it. As soon as it goes on they all start dancing and shaking their little butts and bouncing up and down. They totally know what dance means, because even when there is no music and I say it they do it, awesome!!! Now if they would just pick up their playroom at night that would be great, yeah right, we have a while before we can hand that task over completely :)
This series of pictures was taken just after breakfast last week. All three girls were acting so silly, playing with each other, throwing themselves in their chairs, rolling around on the ground. They were so adorable and the amount of giggles was like music to my ears. I didn't even want to get up to get the video camera, I just wanted to sit and enjoy the sounds of my three little miracles having the time of their lives!
Well, the Dr.'s report was amazing!!! We had the 15 month appointment on Thursday and it couldn't have gone better! I think it is fair to say that Dr. Patti is astonished with where the girls are considering they were born at 29 weeks. She said over and over it is just amazing how far they have come. (She also said our girls are the poster children in her practice when it comes to sleeping habits). It makes me obviously very happy to hear her report and I have to admit quite proud of my little darlings! To think back to how hard they had to work to breath when they were born and then to learn to eat and to do so well that so they grew quickly so they could come home with us.... It still seems surreal to me to think back to those early days. Dr. said they girls are right on track with the things they are doing for the 15 month milestones. It was very different going to the doctor's this time because with two walkers they are all over the waiting room, which the receptionists loved! Also, Sydney absolutely loved the toys (in the well child area of course). Then, in the patient room, the three naked kiddos, except for diapers, exploring everything, was so funny. They had a lot of fun checking everything out!!! Here is the low down: Brooke
Weight: 20lbs 6oz (10%) Length: 30 1/4 in (50%)
Brooke was so sweet at the appointment, she went right up to Dr. Patti and wanted to be held. She was so interested in her stethoscope! She really is a big snuggler lately. She loves her stuffed animals, especially the big snowman and the little doggies in purses that Auntie Ang and Uncle Eric gave then girls for Christmas. She will hug and kiss them...and she will now come over and if I ask her to kiss me she will lean in and put her little lips to mine...my heart melts. She doesn't always do it, but that is probably because I ask her to do it too often because I just love it so much!
I love this series of pictures, Brooke loving the frog Sydney got for Christmas from Busia and Papa (I also love how Taylor is sitting in the igloo watching in the background)
Brooke still finds the craziest things to do, in this picture she managed to trap herself in the laundry basket. She was not happy about it!
Brooke hates having socks on her feet, they never last past the morning nap. What a little sweet heart she is. She has a silly smile that she does that I love. She also started imitating Carmen barking which totally cracks me up. She hears Carmen bark, then I usually say Carmen, quiet, then Brooke looks at me and makes a barking sound, so funny. Both she and Taylor still love going through the laundry. Their new thing is to put a piece of clothing over their head and walk around, not the safest activity but they get a real kick out of it!
Taylor
Weight 21 lbs 4oz (25%) Length 30 1/4 in (50%)
Taylor was also super cute with Dr. Patti, she walked right up to her and wanted to be held. I love that she is so social. In fact whenever we have someone over, she is the first to go over to them and sit on their lap. She is such a little social butterfly. She definitely knows how to win the hearts of our friends! She is also very "generous" she hands everything to us. It is really sweet, she always wants to share with us(not always with her sisters), even if it sometime is something that she has chewed partially...yummy.
Taylor demonstrating what an expressive little girl she is She also likes to snuggle her little doggies and is not a big fan of socks either. I think she may be the biggest fanatic about getting into the laundry. She is an absolute sweetheart and loves to be snuggled and loved. It is really funny to watch her every night before bed she gets a little second wind and runs around in circles and giggles and throws herself on the floor and rolls around. I love it, it is like she is shaking out every last bit of energy before she goes to sleep. Taylor is still our best eater, she is also the messiest. For her it is all about getting it in fast, not pretty. So far the ONLY thing she seems to dislike are pickles.
Sydney
Weight 21 lbs 2oz (25%) Length 30 1/2 in (50%)
Sydney is a doll. She is typically not as receptive to new people, she prefers to stick with those she knows well. I have to mention she is totally obsessed with her Daddy, definitely a Daddy's little girl. She lights up when she sees him and he seems to be able to calm her like none other. She is still a great little snuggle partner and has the most infections laugh. When she is happy she is super and happy and when she is not, she really is not.
She has been working so hard at Physical Therapy to get stronger and is doing a fantastic job. We noticed in the last few days her trying to balance more. I saw her stand solo for 7 seconds and Busia and Papa said when they got her up from her nap today she was standing in her crib. Yeah Syd!!! She will be running around with her sisters soon! Dr. Patti is not at all concerned with the fact that she is not yet walking. She made a very good point in that Sydney seems to be more verbal and able to imitate very well. She also said that most kids can not excel at both at the same time. Very interesting perspective that I had never thought of. I was also talking to my Aunt tonight who has four girls and she said all of her girls didn't walk until close to 18 months, but that they were very verbal prior to that happening. It is always nice to be reassured on thing like this. It is so much fun getting Syd to imitate a sound. She will stare at your lips and it will take her a minute or two, but she will come up with some sound that is similar, it simply amazes me!
Like her sisters Sydney loves her doggies...
Sydney also loves the flannel blankets that Busia makes. Often during the day she will find one and lay down and snuggle into it. I love when she does this. She is also getting quite attached to her little butterfly blanket she sleeps with. I think eventually it will be going everywhere with her. She also still loves music. When a commercial comes on that has a jingle she always stops what she is doing and watches and listens, she definitely has an ear for music! One change we have seen in her lately is her preference for food. She pretty much refuses to eat any fruit other than bananas or applesauce. When in comes to veggies, she is no longer a fan unless they have a cheesy sauce or it is mixed in with other yummy foods. She will not eat pasta or tortellini without sauce, not even butter, must be a red sauce or alfredo sauce. She definitely knows what she likes and does not like and makes it known. Although sometimes a little worrisome with the eating, I love her little independent soul!
Syd's first big bruise. It was terrible and it happened so fast. I saw how she fell and it was so strange. She hit the side of one the of cube/storage systems. Not exactly sure how that is possible but it made quite the scrape/bruise that seemed to last forever. Taylor showing her beautiful smile The girls hangin' in their new igloo tent, a Christmas gift from Grandma and Grandpa Snack time on Daddy's lap for Sydney and Brooke The girls checking out Dad's guitar Syd being serenaded by Dad Brooke being silly Brooke standing way too high... Mom chilling with the girls
