The Great Nap Debate

Over the last few weeks, it has been getting harder and harder for me to get the girls down for morning nap. Their first morning wake time varies between about 5:30 and 6:30am. If they wake up closer the 5:30, they will go down for their 9am nap with no problems at all. They'll be out within 5 minutes of me putting them down. If they are nice to mommy and sleep in until 6:30am, they almost refuse the morning nap.

For example....because you knew I had a reason for this rant/post. haha... This morning, three happy little talking babies pleasantly woke me up at 6:35am. They made no sense whatsoever, but they were deep in conversation with each other. Great way to wake up. So cute! So, I put them down at 9am for their first nap of the day. Yeah.... that was 45 minutes ago.

Morgan is playing the "let's see how many times I can throw my paci out of my crib so mommy will come back and give it back to me (read: play with me)."

Sophia has turned the volume up to the LOUDEST setting on her crib soother and is currently kicking the crap out of it and laughing.

Rachel is walking on her knees back and forth in her crib saying shay shay shay shay... which is her new favorite sound.

A couple of weeks before their birthday party, which I had strategically planned to be BETWEEN morning and afternoon naps, the girls started refusing their morning nap. The days they took the nap, they wouldn't fall asleep until closer to 10am. I wasn't about to change their nap schedule when the invitations for their 11am party had already gone out. Then after their birthday, they started going down at 9am like clock work again. At that point, I decided...okay they must still need this morning nap.

Today??? Hmmm.... I'm really rethinking this. I know babies' schedules always need to change as soon as they start working. haha... It seems like every time I get too comfy with their schedule, its time to change it. Today is not a good day to skip morning nap. We need to run to the pharmacy to pick up some cream and medication for Morgan's eczema. I don't need anyone falling asleep in the van and ruining afternoon nap. ARRGHHH!

Its so hit or miss lately that I'm not sure what to do. I try to treat them as individuals, but with triplets and napping....not so easy to do. So if one or two of them are ready to stop morning nap, but the third isn't...we have a problem. I can't have three babies on three different schedules. I don't think any mother of triplets could function with that.

I guess I have to play the ......Hmm..Let's wait and see how this week goes game! I think one nap a day might give us more flexibility for outings anyway, which makes me say... Me likey!

And as always...any tips or advice is welcome!

And if anyone is wondering why I've all of a sudden started updating this more often... well.. I've really missed blogging the random happenings around here. It seems like all I've ever done is complain about the lack of sleep and how tired I am/was. Well, I'm pretty much out of the fog.... Rachel has been sleeping through the night like a champ lately and we're ALL happier for it. The clouds have lifted and I no longer feel like a zombie! So... I'm going to try and update this more often. I have a lot to talk about and now I think I have the energy and time to do so!

AND...I think the girls win this one. They've been in their cribs for one hour and no one is asleep. Wonder how I'm going to get out to the pharmacy today. Yowza!!!

Score so far..... Babies 3pts, Mommy ZERO!

Valentines Day at the Park

Valentines Day was a week ago, but we had so much fun at the park, I wanted to share the pictures. It was such a nice day so we decided to walk to our neighborhood park for some fun on the swings. We were anxious to see how the girls would like it.

They LOVED it!

Here are Sophia, Rachel, and Morgan having fun on the swings!

We're so lucky to have such a nice park within walking distance of our house. The weather has been so beautiful that we've been able to enjoy a lot of family time outdoors. We look forward to the day when the girls start walking. There's a lot of grass and area to explore here. We're wondering how the two of us will chase three toddlers in an open space like this, but at least we know we can run faster than them right now! I think we'll have to do a lot of uh....taking turns in and out of the stroller! For now, we are just really enjoying the swings and the time together.

The day before, Bob and I got to go out to lunch (for our Valentines day) while my mom and nephew watched the kiddos. It had been quite some time since we had been on a "date." We went out for some yummy mexican food at On The Border, followed by a trip to Home Depot and Lowes. We're finally replacing our countertop range in the kitchen. We've been wanting to since we moved into this house, but just hadn't gotten to it yet. After a small kitchen fire (started by yours truly), Bob was finally convinced that the current range we have is faulty. Seriously!!! That thing flames so high when you turn it on....and it is 20 years old. So yeah, it has turned into a safety hazard. We're also replacing the old slippery linoleum floor in there too. I figure while everything is torn out, it will be a good time to finally get some paint on the walls as well. I can't wait to see it all finished. It will look like a new room!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! My pillow is calling my name so I shall call it a night!

La, La, La, La...Elmo's World

This is what happens every time Elmo's World comes on. They could be really into playing with a toy, or chasing each other around.....but as soon as the La, La, La, La...Elmo's World comes on, they stop whatever they are doing and turn their attention to the little red monster. So cute!

I let the girls watch Sesame Street every evening after dinner. If it's bath night, they watch right after their bath. I won't apologize for it. By this time of the day, this Mommy is completely exhausted and ready to call it a night. After 15 diaper changes (and 3 more before they go to bed), preparing bottles, meals, cleaning up after the meals..... chasing them all over the house all day..... and just trying to keep up... I think I can justify a bit of downtime before they go to bed.

Plus, they love it. Just look at them. I'm such a proud Mama!

We survived the one year pediatrician well baby visit!

I had been dreading this appointment for six months. When Bob and I brought the girls in for their 6 month well baby visit, it was nothing short of a disaster. We were still pretty darn sleep deprived and the appointment was during their morning nap. At the end of that visit when the girls got their shots, they were inconsolable. As new parents to three babies, we were pretty stressed and overwhelmed with the fact that we were left to get three screaming babies dressed and back in their car seats on our own. It was just a nightmare. Our 2 week, 2 month, and 4 month appointments were MUCH easier than the 6 month.

So I was just really nervous that this visit was going to be a repeat of the 6 month visit. This time??? WAS SO MUCH BETTER! Whew!

The appointment was at 9:30 so that meant that we had to start getting ready at 7am in order to leave on time. Feeding three toddlers (wow, it still hurts to say toddlers and not babies) their milk, followed by breakfast, followed by a diaper change and getting dressed, getting ourselves ready, getting the stroller and three little ones loaded into the van.... thankfully, I packed the diaper bag the night before.... But you can see why it takes so long just to leave the house on time. I was really proud of us for being out the door 5 minutes before we needed to.

This was the first time we took them to the doctor with the triple stroller. I was nervous about how we'd fit all of us and the stroller into the patient room. I even brought our smallest triple stroller (the Norfolk) since I knew it would be a tight fit as it is. The medical assistant who called us back looked at me, looked at the stroller and then said, " You're going to have to leave that stroller in the hall." I kind of laughed and said... "Uh, they don't walk yet. They don't stand on their own and we are only two people. She realized that yeah... we needed the stroller to contain them. So she ended up moving the 2 chairs for the parents out of the room and I backed the girls and their bus in. It was tight, but we managed.

The girls, overall, are doing really well. They are all tall. 31 1/2 inches each. Their weights were pretty good too. All above the 24th percentile which is a BIG step up from all being 10th percentile or even less with Rachel's 4th percentile at 6 months. Sophia is still in the lead at 21 lbs, 12 oz. Morgan is second at 20 lbs, 8 oz, and Rachel is just under that at 19 pounds, 15 oz. I'm really proud of our girls. I have been worried that they weren't eating enough, but according to Dr. A, the girls are really thriving and doing really well. He said it was hard to believe they were 3, 4, and 5 pounds at birth.

We may end up doing some physical therapy for Sophia. She still has trouble sitting on her bottom with her legs out. We know she can do it. We're almost convinced that she just chooses not to. She will sit for 30 seconds or less before falling over backwards. We don't think she falls over backwards because of losing her balance. We think its because she always rolls to her back and then gets to the crawling position that way. She doesn't go from sitting to leaning forward to crawl. Dr. A sent a referral over to physical therapy and we'll hear from them if they feel they need to see her. Otherwise, we are giving her more time since she has reached every other developmental milestone.

Also good news.... Rachel's clogged tear duct has completely cleared up. It dawned on me the other the day I hadn't had to clean her eye lately and it hasn't been watering or sealing shut with mucus. I'm such a busy mom, I just sort of forgot that she had the issue. I realized it probably about a month ago that her eye is perfectly fine now. I remember being so worried that she'd need surgery for it. Eye problems are very common with babies that were born as small as she was. (3 lbs, 7 oz)

Morgan still has horribly dry skin. Poor baby is always trying to scratch. Dr. A gave us some prescription cream to try and help and told us to start oatmeal baths for her. We're hoping it helps!

Of course they all cried during their shots. The difference this time was that we had their favorite Elmo book and Cheerios with us! Elmo and Cheerios make everything better in this house. So once they got the shots, I snuggled them and stuffed some Cheerios in their mouths and it quickly made them happy! Great habit to start right? hahaha... Oh you're upset? EAT! So yeah, this is a habit we won't be using at home!

Overall, I was happy that everything went so smoothly. I am very thankful that Daddy got to come with us on this one. I couldn't have done it alone! Also....as a bonus... the waiting room was practically deserted when we got there so we weren't even stalked by any paparazzi! That always makes for a better time!

I think we're getting the hang of this.... "parents to triplets" thing!

Entering Toddlerville

I still can't believe we are on the "other side" of the girls' first birthday. What a crazy ride it has been. We've watched the girls blossom from the 3,4, and 5 pound preemies that they were, to three healthy beautiful toddlers. They'll always be my babies, but Toddlerville.....Here we come!

The girls are just so much fun to be around. Rachel has a new word.... She's ditched her beloved letter "H" and has moved on to the sounds of the letter S. She likes to say...Shay, shay, shay...over and over again.. Sometimes she says... eeeeshayyyyy... And today, she was saying SSSSSSSSSSSS like a snake all day long. I would say it to her and she'd say it right back. Morgan also joined in on the fun and would say ssshhhhhh sshhhhhh. Totally cute.

Sophia... She is really into the da da da da da. She mostly will say DA Da DAAAAAAA..and it sounds like duh duh dddahhhhhh!!! And sometimes, it sounds just like DIE DIE...which we find to be quite hilarious!

All three of the girls can say some variation of Mama. I hear their little voices in the early morning hours calling for me. Maaa maaaaa. It is the sweetest sound I've ever heard. I do wish that I would hear it closer to 7am rather than 6am. hehehehe....

Morgan is still the best at getting around. She can stand on her own for just a few seconds and then likes to grab onto something to hold her balance. I'm not sure when she'll start walking. I'm not in a hurry for it. Sophia, in the last few weeks, starting to pull up to standing as well. She's even cruising the furniture now. For the first week, she took a lot of falls backward, but she kept trying and we haven't had another incident of that for a while now. Sophia still isn't a good sitter on her bottom. She still pushes backward. I'll be bringing it up with their pediatrician at their one year appointment next week. She does sit just fine in the W position on her knees though. Rachel isn't quite pulling up to standing yet, but she does like to stand with me supporting her. I can tell she's interested in doing it alone, but she's still being pretty cautious. She's doing really well sitting up on her bottom though. I spent a long time worrying about Sophia and Rachel being a little bit behind. They do catch up, just at their own pace...which is okay with me. I have to remember how tiny they were and that they were born 5 weeks early!

Sophia and Rachel have also mostly given up crawling.... for walking on their knees. Its the funniest thing I've ever seen. They literally just walk around on their knees. Sometimes if they want to get somewhere faster, they will crawl.....but mostly they are little kneewalkers. Sophia started it and Rachel was quick to follow. Morgan doesn't mess around with that though. She just speed crawls right around her sisters taking their toys along the way!

The girls are all clapping. If you clap for them, they will clap for you. They also like to sit in my lap and grab my hands and make me clap! I don't even mind that when they do it, they pinch me REALLY HARD!!!! We also play a game in their high chairs... I count 1,2,3 then say.. "put your hands up," and then I put my hands up over my head. I've been doing this with them for a few months now. They've always loved it. In the past 2 weeks, they now put their hands up when I do. Its so cute to watch. When I say 1,2,3...I can see the anticipation in their eyes and they get their hands ready to "put up."

So yeah, they are growing so fast! I will say...come see mommy and they will come to me. I really think they are starting to understand some things.

Oh and the big news... We are OFF baby formula and fully transitioned to WHOLE MILK! That's right people....no more spending the big bucks on formula!!!! Woo hoo!!!

I'm sure I forgot something, but its getting late and I need to get to bed! Rachel is doing really well at night now. This mommy is finally getting some sleep! There is talk of putting Rachel back in the room with Morgan and Sophia. We'll have to give it just a little more time, but we're getting close to reclaiming our bedroom!

First Birthday Party

The girls had a wonderful first birthday party. We were so happy to share the girls' birthday with all of our family and friends....old and new! We have been blessed with so many people who just love our girls!

We had a fun Elmo and Sesame Street theme and enjoyed a yummy lunch of lasagna, salads, and rolls..... then the girls played for a while before digging into their cakes. They were SO CUTE! Rachel didn't surprise us at all. She mostly just touched her cake and would bring a bit to her mouth....then promptly toss the bit on the floor, rinse and repeat! Sophia and Morgan dug right in. Within seconds, their cakes were nothing but a pile of sweet sugary crumbs! They chowed down until we stopped them. We can't let a one year old eat an entire smash cake!!!!

The party was a huge success. I was worried that the girls would be overwhelmed with that many people (we had around 30 guests). I seriously thought we'd have meltdowns, but we didn't have any. The girls were so great!

Here is a slideshow of some of the pictures from their day! I can't believe the girls are one and the party is done! *Sigh*

Happy Birthday Babies!!!

What an amazing year. I can't even begin to describe the way I am feeling right now. I can't believe my teeny tiny preemies are now toddlers and ONE YEAR old! We made it! I never even jumped off that bridge I joke about hahahahaha.....

Their party is this Saturday so I will be following up with more pictures and birthday details then. Here is a pic from today! Happy Birthday girls! I love you SO MUCH!!!