A Day in the Life: 6 months

Time for another "day in the life" update! In the 3 months since the last installment there have been some major developments for the boys (eating solids!) and changes for our party of 5 (back to work for Mom) so I will try to document a typical day and note how things differ on work days vs. at home days.

4:30 AM (work day): alarm goes off and I get up to pump before getting ready for work. I leave no later than 6:15 AM, while all the boys (dad included) snooze away
5:30-6:00 AM (home day): if it's my Friday off or a weekend, I usually get up somewhere between 5:30 and 6:00 to pump, and then hopefully can get a couple more hours sleep before the babies wake up
8:30-10:00 AM: Time to get the boys up. Usually Will is our early riser- he doesn't cry in the morning, though. He just hangs out and talks to his mobile until one of us walks in greet them. Cooper tends to wake up shortly after we come in the room, and Griffin will often stay sleeping until we pick him up. Some days they are all awake well before 8:30; other days they will sleep soundly until 9:30, but on average we go in their room around 8:30 to start the day. We get the boys changed and into their rock n plays in the bonus room for their first bottles (we no longer feed the boys in their bedroom- so much more space in the bonus room and no one has to sit on the floor while they feed!) If it's a work day for me, then Will is doing this solo. Otherwise we trade off- one will get fresh diapers on everyone while the other gets bottles prepped (they get poly-vi-sol vitamins in their first bottle of the day) and gets Cooper his zantac medication to help with his reflux. We leave the boys in their sleeper pajamas for this first feed of the day, if we can. Lately all three boys have been sleeping on their bellies more, which often means soaked fronts when we get them out of their cribs in the morning. Everyone takes 8 oz at each feed now-they're maxed out in terms of how much we can offer them per bottle. As I mentioned before, all three boys can now hold their own bottles while they eat, so feeds are a little less hectic lately- more just monitoring to be sure they're angling the bottle up enough to limit their air intake. We read them stories while they eat, and make sure to burp them about halfway through their bottles. The song of choice while we burp them is the ABCooper song (A, B, Cooper, Dad, E, F, Griffin, H,I,J,K,L,Mom, N,O.P,Q,R,S,T,U,V,Willard,X,Y,and Z)
10:00-11:30 AM: The boys take their morning nap in their rock n plays. If I'm at home then I will pump for the second time. Then Will and I eat breakfast and get chores done around the house.
11:30 AM-1:00 PM: Playtime for the boys in the bonus room, which they have pretty much taken over with all of their toys. They all are great at head control now so they love activities where they can be upright. They all love playing in the exersaucer and Cooper especially loves the doorway jumper. Christmas was good to the kiddos so they have lots of new toys to explore. Everyone is rolling all over the place when they are on the floor, and they try to sit upright as much as they can as long as Mom or Dad is on the floor with them.
1:00-2:00 PM: Diaper changes and fresh clothes for the boys, then they have their 2nd bottle of the day
2:00-3:30 PM: Naps for the boys, this time in their cribs. And more chores for Mom and Dad, like dishes and laundry, cleaning up the house, bills, etc... I have to pump again, then Will and I eat lunch.
3:30-5:00 PM: The boys wake up from their naps and are ready for more play time
5:00-6:00 PM: If it's a work day for me, I get home around 5:00, just in time to help Will with the boy's next diaper change and 3rd bottle
6:00-7:00 PM: We keep the boys in their rock n plays for a little down time. They typically fall asleep for a little cat nap but usually stir around 7:00. While they doze, I have to pump again, and then Will and I race downstairs to try and eat dinner in peace. I also make my lunch for work the next day and make sure my outfit is ready to go for the next day, too.
7:00-8:30 PM: Dinnertime for the boys! We are trying to feed them solids at least once a day. Until this week we've been feeding them one-by-one in a high chair, which took quite a bit of time. Now that we have the triplet table, they can all eat at once. So feeding them is a much faster process now, but it's also quite a bit messier! They can reach each other at the table, so there are lots of sticky hands grabbing at each other's shirts, hair, hands, etc... And we need to practice patience as they get very cranky in between bites. They all love to eat, though, so this has been a fun addition to the routine.
8:30-9:30 PM: Back upstairs to get ready for bed. If it's bath night then we will start the bedtime routine a little earlier than 8:30. But Cooper gets his zantac again, and everyone gets changed into sleepers and finally diapers for the night. Then back out to the bonus room for their last bottle of the day. We read them bedtime stories while they eat, then I put them in their cribs with their tranquil turtle running to keep them company. They are typically in bed around 9:30 each night. Some nights they go down peacefully and we don't hear a peep from them. Other nights they will protest and cry for a few minutes, but usually they pass out within 10 minutes of being put down.
9:30-11:00 PM: I get my pumping stuff organized and packed up as best I can for the next day at work. If I'm on top of things, I will shower the night before and then head back upstairs to pump for the last time before bed. Will does the last round of dishes for me so I have clean pumping supplies in the morning, and then we both head to bed. If we're in bed around 10:30, it's an early night. Typically it's closer to 11:00 before we are done with everything. On nights when I don't have work the next day, it feels like a holiday as there is far less prep work that needs to happen to get ready for the next day.