It doesn't surprise me at all that Cooper is the first one to walk. He may have been the last one out of my belly, but he's been the first to do everything else since then!
Thursday, July 7, 2016
Cooper Is On The Move!
All three boys have been doing a great job of standing on their own lately, and have been testing the waters of walking by taking a wobbly step here and there. Cooper, though, has really started to get the hang of it and just in the past couple days has taken multiple steps in a row. We finally were able to catch it on camera this evening- we have our first official walker!
It doesn't surprise me at all that Cooper is the first one to walk. He may have been the last one out of my belly, but he's been the first to do everything else since then!
It doesn't surprise me at all that Cooper is the first one to walk. He may have been the last one out of my belly, but he's been the first to do everything else since then!
Tuesday, July 5, 2016
New Normal
One year ago today we brought Griffin home from the hospital, and our party of five was together in the same room for the first time! It is really hard these days to not feel nostalgic and a bit weepy when I think of just how far we've come in the past 365 days. One year seems like a lifetime ago, but in other ways it feels like just yesterday that we were dealing with our new role as parents and round-the-clock caregivers of 3 newborns. As we ease into their 2nd year of life it feels like we are once again adapting to a new normal. It's certainly not as exhausting, stressful, and overwhelming as where we were a year ago, but there are certainly days when the adjustment feels easier than others.
We have a tendency to change up the boys' routine just as soon as we get comfortable and adjusted to a particular schedule. The past couple weeks has been no exception. We've basically rocked all of our worlds by drastically changing their daily schedule. We dropped all their bottles cold turkey right after their first birthday, with the exception of their bedtime bottle, which we continued until we ran out of frozen breast milk. Admittedly, we went through the frozen stash much, much quicker than I anticipated. I had hoped that we could make it to 13 months with the frozen milk...we didn't even make it 2 weeks past their first birthday.
We gave them their last official bottle on July 1st, and that was it. No more bottles. We've replaced their bedtime bottle and books with bedtime books and teeth brushing. The first few nights went relatively well- there was a minimal amount of crying when we put them down for the night, but they slept all night like champs. I think they were enjoying their new toothbrushes and it was a good distraction from the missing bottles. But it seem like the novelty has worn off. The past couple nights we've had more tears than usual when we put them down and the tears have lasted longer than this mama is comfortable with. We try to let them self-soothe and they generally can calm themselves down on their own within a few minutes. But Cooper especially has been wailing for extended bouts of time the past couple nights. It's been especially tough for me, I admit. We have been lucky, fortunate, spoiled- whatever you want to call it- but our kids don't cry at night when we put them down. At least not for more than 5 or 10 minutes max. So when Cooper cried and fussed for 30+ minutes without letting up, I had to go in. Last night I brought him back out to the play room and rocked him for a bit before putting him back down. He still fussed a bit when I put him back in his crib, but he was able to fall asleep on his own pretty quickly. But tonight was a different story- even me holding him wasn't cutting it. He was NOT happy at all. We finally caved and gave him a 6 oz bottle of whole milk...and he went right down after he finished. Clearly we are all working on this abrupt adjustment to our schedule. I'm sure there will be more frustrating evenings like this as we battle through the transition, but we'll get through it. I will have to start toughening up my skin because I can't keep teaching Cooper that I'll come in an rescue him if he cries loud and hard enough!
Speaking of adjustments to a new normal, it feels like I have endless amounts of free time now that I've finished pumping. I truly have forgotten what it feels like to be able to relax at the end of the day and enjoy some downtime before bed. Before it was a mad rush all night from the moment I walked in the door to the moment I laid down to go to bed (get home, get dinner prepped for both us and the boys, have dinner, clean up dinner, diaper and change the boys into PJs, prep lunch for the next day, prep bottles, bedtime bottles, bedtime books, put the boys down, wash dishes, prep pumping bag for next day, shower, and pump). Nowadays, it is a little more relaxed. There is still the initial rush for the first few hours to get dinner prepped and the boys fed, changed, cuddled, and off to bed. But once they go down for the night I don't have to rush straight into the next thing on the to-do list before bed. I have noticed that my blogging has suffered since I did the majority of my writing while pumping. It will take some focus to sit down and write updates at night now. But the call of the couch and mindless television has been far more enticing the past couple weeks!
We have a tendency to change up the boys' routine just as soon as we get comfortable and adjusted to a particular schedule. The past couple weeks has been no exception. We've basically rocked all of our worlds by drastically changing their daily schedule. We dropped all their bottles cold turkey right after their first birthday, with the exception of their bedtime bottle, which we continued until we ran out of frozen breast milk. Admittedly, we went through the frozen stash much, much quicker than I anticipated. I had hoped that we could make it to 13 months with the frozen milk...we didn't even make it 2 weeks past their first birthday.
We gave them their last official bottle on July 1st, and that was it. No more bottles. We've replaced their bedtime bottle and books with bedtime books and teeth brushing. The first few nights went relatively well- there was a minimal amount of crying when we put them down for the night, but they slept all night like champs. I think they were enjoying their new toothbrushes and it was a good distraction from the missing bottles. But it seem like the novelty has worn off. The past couple nights we've had more tears than usual when we put them down and the tears have lasted longer than this mama is comfortable with. We try to let them self-soothe and they generally can calm themselves down on their own within a few minutes. But Cooper especially has been wailing for extended bouts of time the past couple nights. It's been especially tough for me, I admit. We have been lucky, fortunate, spoiled- whatever you want to call it- but our kids don't cry at night when we put them down. At least not for more than 5 or 10 minutes max. So when Cooper cried and fussed for 30+ minutes without letting up, I had to go in. Last night I brought him back out to the play room and rocked him for a bit before putting him back down. He still fussed a bit when I put him back in his crib, but he was able to fall asleep on his own pretty quickly. But tonight was a different story- even me holding him wasn't cutting it. He was NOT happy at all. We finally caved and gave him a 6 oz bottle of whole milk...and he went right down after he finished. Clearly we are all working on this abrupt adjustment to our schedule. I'm sure there will be more frustrating evenings like this as we battle through the transition, but we'll get through it. I will have to start toughening up my skin because I can't keep teaching Cooper that I'll come in an rescue him if he cries loud and hard enough!
Speaking of adjustments to a new normal, it feels like I have endless amounts of free time now that I've finished pumping. I truly have forgotten what it feels like to be able to relax at the end of the day and enjoy some downtime before bed. Before it was a mad rush all night from the moment I walked in the door to the moment I laid down to go to bed (get home, get dinner prepped for both us and the boys, have dinner, clean up dinner, diaper and change the boys into PJs, prep lunch for the next day, prep bottles, bedtime bottles, bedtime books, put the boys down, wash dishes, prep pumping bag for next day, shower, and pump). Nowadays, it is a little more relaxed. There is still the initial rush for the first few hours to get dinner prepped and the boys fed, changed, cuddled, and off to bed. But once they go down for the night I don't have to rush straight into the next thing on the to-do list before bed. I have noticed that my blogging has suffered since I did the majority of my writing while pumping. It will take some focus to sit down and write updates at night now. But the call of the couch and mindless television has been far more enticing the past couple weeks!
Sunday, June 26, 2016
Lake Life
We decided on a whim on Saturday to take the boys to the lake for their first of what we hope will be many boat days. We recruited Cari to join us as we aren't comfortable having all three babies on the boat unless there is a 1:1 baby/adult ratio. Our plan was to take them out for about an hour just to see how they dealt with the new environment, but ended up being out for several because they were being so great! We set up a pack-n-play under the canopy so they were fully shaded the whole time and they LOVED when the boat rocked back and forth. All three boys also got a quick intro dip in the lake. We're so glad that they enjoyed being on the water and hope that we can get them out a lot more this summer!
12 Months Old!!
We officially have 3 one-year olds in the house! I'm terribly behind on posts so I'll just get right to it...
Will:
Will is getting better and better at standing on his own for longer periods of time. He still cries almost every time we put him in his crib, or when he knows it's time for bed. He doesn't like to leave us! We're working on expanding their signing vocabulary- Will can now sign both "milk" and "all done"...we're working on "cracker" now. He has started mimicking us when we make noises- last night he thought it was funny to mimic me as I made an elephant noise. Will can be a bit of a bully with his brothers, often pinning them underneath him while they're hanging out together in a crib...but he's also often picked on by his brothers. Mr. Sensitive gets so frustrated when one of his brothers steals a toy away from him! He is still the most shy of the trio, but he's getting better about being in new environments. I expected a couple melt downs at their party last weekend with all the new faces, but he was perfectly content, just quieter than normal. He is wearing 9 and 12 month clothing these days and is actually the smallest of the 3 now, in terms of weight. At their 12 month appointment last week he measured 29 inches and weighs 19 lb, 5 oz.
Griffin:
Griffin is our heavy weight- he measured 29 inches and weighs 21 lbs, 1 oz. Like Will, he's getting better and better about standing for longer spells but he's not ready for walking quite yet. He is "talking" to us more and more these days. He will babble and babble to us and it really does seem like he has something to say (if only we could understand him!). He also mimics a lot of what we say- currently we're working on "Uh Oh!" (since they fall roughly 100 times a day). And his mouth- Griffin is SO LOUD. He loves, loves, loves to yell. A lot. Little Griffin has discovered how to use his teeth as a weapon...we have a biter on our hands now. And both Daddy and I can vouch for the fact that his teeth HURT when he chomps down. No fingers are safe near his mouth, including his brothers' fingers. We're now trying to figure out how to discipline a baby to not bite, while teaching the other babies to keep their fingers away from Griffin's mouth if they don't want to be bitten! His current favorite toy is the edge pieces of the foam floor we have in our bonus room. He (and Will) will play with them for long stretches at a time these days. Griffin's motto lately is why have one, when you can have several? He prefers to hoard his (and his brothers') toys. He can still wear 9 month clothes, but we have almost fully transitioned him to 12 month outfits.
Cooper:
Cooper is no longer the smallest guy, at least not in weight! As of last week he is 28 inches and 19 lbs., 8 oz. He is soooo very close to walking, but just isn't quite there yet. He can stand on his own for long stretches of time, but when it comes to moving around he prefers to get back down and crawl. In the past couple days he has started using their walker to actually walk around instead of just playing with it. We keep saying he'll be walking in no time...maybe in the next couple weeks?! Cooper is also mimicking us a lot these days- the other afternoon we were getting him to say "slam dunk!" as he was playing with their new basketball hoop. He is very good at signing and saying "all done." He has so many teeth now- 6 total (4 up and 2 down)! He's been easily irritated by Griffin lately- he is NOT a fan of Griffin's screaming/yelling, especially when they're eating. Speaking of eating, Cooper's newest trick is intentionally throwing his food over the edge of the table onto the floor. He is SO proud of himself when he does it- it's hard to keep a straight face when we reprimand him! He's still comfortably wearing some 6 month clothing, but has moved up to some 9 and 12 month items, too.
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| The only way I could get all three in the same shot this time- splicing their picture together! |
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| Not cooperating |
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| Loving their new wagon! |
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| I wish we could afford to get professional pictures all the time! So in love with the previews we've gotten from Krista so far! |
Will is getting better and better at standing on his own for longer periods of time. He still cries almost every time we put him in his crib, or when he knows it's time for bed. He doesn't like to leave us! We're working on expanding their signing vocabulary- Will can now sign both "milk" and "all done"...we're working on "cracker" now. He has started mimicking us when we make noises- last night he thought it was funny to mimic me as I made an elephant noise. Will can be a bit of a bully with his brothers, often pinning them underneath him while they're hanging out together in a crib...but he's also often picked on by his brothers. Mr. Sensitive gets so frustrated when one of his brothers steals a toy away from him! He is still the most shy of the trio, but he's getting better about being in new environments. I expected a couple melt downs at their party last weekend with all the new faces, but he was perfectly content, just quieter than normal. He is wearing 9 and 12 month clothing these days and is actually the smallest of the 3 now, in terms of weight. At their 12 month appointment last week he measured 29 inches and weighs 19 lb, 5 oz.
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| So sweet when he sleeps |
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| They are all obsessed with the edge pieces of the foam flooring now |
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| Practicing for their one year photos |
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| They LOVE their new lawn mower |
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| And their new riding elephant...and Will loves to hold his new bat, too |
Griffin is our heavy weight- he measured 29 inches and weighs 21 lbs, 1 oz. Like Will, he's getting better and better about standing for longer spells but he's not ready for walking quite yet. He is "talking" to us more and more these days. He will babble and babble to us and it really does seem like he has something to say (if only we could understand him!). He also mimics a lot of what we say- currently we're working on "Uh Oh!" (since they fall roughly 100 times a day). And his mouth- Griffin is SO LOUD. He loves, loves, loves to yell. A lot. Little Griffin has discovered how to use his teeth as a weapon...we have a biter on our hands now. And both Daddy and I can vouch for the fact that his teeth HURT when he chomps down. No fingers are safe near his mouth, including his brothers' fingers. We're now trying to figure out how to discipline a baby to not bite, while teaching the other babies to keep their fingers away from Griffin's mouth if they don't want to be bitten! His current favorite toy is the edge pieces of the foam floor we have in our bonus room. He (and Will) will play with them for long stretches at a time these days. Griffin's motto lately is why have one, when you can have several? He prefers to hoard his (and his brothers') toys. He can still wear 9 month clothes, but we have almost fully transitioned him to 12 month outfits.
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| Baller |
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| The more he can hold, the better |
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| Texas onesie |
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| He loves riding the elephant, too! |
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| Contemplating life |
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| Mr. Cool |
Cooper:
Cooper is no longer the smallest guy, at least not in weight! As of last week he is 28 inches and 19 lbs., 8 oz. He is soooo very close to walking, but just isn't quite there yet. He can stand on his own for long stretches of time, but when it comes to moving around he prefers to get back down and crawl. In the past couple days he has started using their walker to actually walk around instead of just playing with it. We keep saying he'll be walking in no time...maybe in the next couple weeks?! Cooper is also mimicking us a lot these days- the other afternoon we were getting him to say "slam dunk!" as he was playing with their new basketball hoop. He is very good at signing and saying "all done." He has so many teeth now- 6 total (4 up and 2 down)! He's been easily irritated by Griffin lately- he is NOT a fan of Griffin's screaming/yelling, especially when they're eating. Speaking of eating, Cooper's newest trick is intentionally throwing his food over the edge of the table onto the floor. He is SO proud of himself when he does it- it's hard to keep a straight face when we reprimand him! He's still comfortably wearing some 6 month clothing, but has moved up to some 9 and 12 month items, too.
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| Grocery shopping with Mama |
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| Shocking- he loves to ride the elephant, too. |
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| Another baller |
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| Bedtime stories with Grandma |
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| Showing off all his teeth |
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| Always on the move |
We have given the boys more free reign in the bonus room as they are increasingly not OK with being confined to the baby jails for long periods of time. We have a makeshift baby gate to keep them safely contained in the room while they explore and play with all their new birthday toys. Of course with all the fun, new toys available to them, all three boys are drawn to the one part of the bonus room that they shouldn't touch- the speakers and TV stand. We spend a lot of time moving them away from that area. They certainly know when they're doing something they shouldn't be and
will usually watch for Will or me while they're up to no good. They can follow some simple commands and have started waving "hi" and "bye bye" on demand. Griffin is especially adorable when he waves "bye" because he waves to himself. They love eating and will still pretty much eat anything we offer them. The pediatrician encouraged us to move them away from bottles and to start feeding them 3 solid meals and 2 snacks a day so in the past week we've dropped their daytime bottles. They don't seem to miss the morning and afternoon bottles at all, but it definitely feels like all we do these days is feed them! We're quickly moving through my frozen milk stash, but have extended its life by only giving them breast milk at night. During the day we offer them whole milk with their meals. They still aren't sold on the whole milk, but we'll keep working on it. They've been really great about adjusting to this new schedule- our babies are turning into little boys more and more each day!
At 12 months we:
- Are expanding our vocabulary and talking more and more
- Can all stand on their own for short stints of time
- Love to play with all our new toys- the noisier the better!
- Drink out of sippy cups or straw cups during meals
- Love to eat- which is good because they are eating a lot now!
- Enjoy their daily walks
- Can wave "hi" and "bye bye"
- Love swimming
- Love to ride in their new Radio Flyer wagon
Saying goodbye
370 days...roughly 1500 hours...around 250 gallons of milk produced. I fed triplets for a whole year (and then some!) Such a bittersweet moment saying goodbye to this damn machine. As much as I look forward to freedom and having TIME for other things, I am simultaneously so sad to be done with this stage.
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Happy Birthday Boys!
What a year it's been. So many great memories have been made, and there
are plenty more to come! You bring us so much joy, boys. We're so proud
to be your parents!! Happy Birthday Will, Griffin, and Cooper! We love you!
Monday, June 20, 2016
364 Days Old
Their final night as "babies". We enjoyed playing in the backyard with a new birthday toy and had some ice cream. Because they haven't had enough sugar the past couple days. There were definite tears shed (by me, not the babies) as we did bottles and books before I put them down for the last time as infants. I can't believe my babies will be one tomorrow. Time has flown by.
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| Mr. Cools on the eve of their First Birthday |
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First Birthday Party Details
I didn't have a theme in mind when it came to decorating for the boys' birthday party. I knew I wanted to display all their month-by-month photos and it turned out that they fit perfectly in the space between our kitchen and living room, so that's where they went. And I wanted to somehow display some stats about their first year. I thought about doing it like a chalkboard that I've seen on Pinterest, but I had printer paper and colored pencils and decided that would be easier and less stressful than trying to recreate a chalkboard on my own. The banners I stenciled with blue acrylic paint. All in all, I was happy with the way things turned out, especially because I didn't envision any of it ahead of time- I just sort of started throwing things together.
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| All their monthly pictures paid off- they looked great hanging up! |
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| Our First Year Wall- we did the math and figured out the numbers...they're obviously not 100% accurate, but pretty darn close! |
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| Will's first word is debatable. Dad thinks it was "dada"; I think it was "baba" (but it is Father's Day weekend, so I let him win.) ;) |
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| Simple banner and balloons |
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| Oreos that match their nicknames |
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