Tag: monthly

20 months! And a ton of pictures.

Today the boys are 20 months old. And thanks, Sarah, for pointing out that we’re only 4 months away from the big t-w-o now. I was trying not to think of that. (Except when, last week, I bought the decorations for the boys’ birthday party. They were on clearance!)

20 months old!

Soooo, what are they doing now?

Well, they’re communicating a lot more with us now. They’ve been working on their signs with their speech therapist, and actually using them. Like, this morning, Miles asked George for help with his shoes. He patted his chest (the sign for help) and said “hep.” Hee! So cute. And he also indicated to me that he was hungry, doing the sign for “eat”. Their speech therapist has said that Miles is doing the best with the signs so far, but Oliver asked for help last week, too. And Linus too, but his communication mostly involves asking for Yo Gabba Gabba.

Miles has also shown a propensity toward removing his clothes. I thought it might have been a one off, when he took his jammies off that day, but he’s done it again, plus he made me take off his shirt at my cousin’s baby shower a couple of weeks ago. And just look at the picture above! Yeesh, child!

For some reason, I’ve been taking a lot of pictures of the boys lately, so let me share a few cute ones…

Eating pizza last night:

George and Linus snuggled on the couch:

Miles snacking on cupcakes at Grandee’s house last week:

Linus eating breakfast at Grandee’s:

All three:

Oliver being silly:

I love this picture from the wedding. Ellie was showing Miles how to stand on the fence. The romantic, blurry, fuzzy effect is from baby fingerprints all over my camera lens. Much easier than photoshop!

19 months old!

I really need to post about the weekend, too, but let me get this one out of the way first…

19 months old…woah.

19 months!

So, what are they up to now?

My monkeys. They were not in good moods last night, when we took this. Except Oliver, briefly. But I got the picture. I’ve decided the summer pictures will be on this curb outside my friends’ pizza place, since we did their 18 month pic there. Might as well make it look purposeful.

What are my boys doing now? I feel like I haven’t done a proper monthly update in a while…

They’re:
– talking more. Words include:
bye bye
mama
dada
cat
ball
cracker
quack
moo
baa
and various other animal sounds like:
elephant (including miming of trunk)
wolf
snake
bear

– they understand more things, like body parts, clothing, people, characters, animals, etc.
– they’re signing a little, but i’m still not sure they know what the words mean, and how to use them to ask for things. but they know more, milk, and eat.
– linus can climb on the couch now
– they’re quite adept at going upstairs, but not yet down. need to work on that.
– linus is obsessed with yo gabba gabba, because he was getting to watch it while getting his twice-daily nebulizer treatments. now that the doctor put him on one a day instead, he gets VERY angry at night because he doesn’t get “gabba gabba gabba” in the evenings. ha!
– i’ve successfully gotten them hooked on elmo. it’s so freaking cute when they say “elmo”. it literally only took them a day or two to pick him out and start saying “elmo”. yeesh!
– they try to help me put on their shoes and buckle their carseats and things like that. it’ll be exceptionally awesome when they can actually do those things!

So this is really a challenging age. It’s fun, no doubt, but MAN. The tantrums. The fights over toys. The whining. The running-in-three-directions. But I know it’ll get easier when their communication improves. And the cuteness really does help. I taught Miles how to do Eskimo kisses the other day, and that, I swear, makes everything okay.

Here’s what happens when someone (in this example, Oliver, in orange) wants something (like this Sesame Street book) that someone else (Miles, in blue) has. Screaming and tears ensue. Just be glad this isn’t a video.

And I shall leave you with a completely irrelevant but cute video from Friday, when my friend took the boys and her daughter, Millie, to the children’s museum. It’s mostly cute how Millie says “Miles”, but also I love the little maze of “rooms” they have, and I think it’s funny how all three boys look in one.

18 month doctor visit

So the boys had their 18 month visit with the ped today. It went well. They got two shots (MMR and Hep-B) which they didn’t like, but in every other regard, they’re doing great. Stats!

At 15 months, they were:
Linus: 23 lbs, 15 oz (50-75th); 31.5″ long (50th-75th); HC 47cm (50th)
Oliver: 23 lbs, 8 oz (25-50th); 31.25″ long (50-75th); HC 48cm (75th)
Miles: 22 lbs, 3 oz (10-25th); 31″ long (50th); HC 47.5cm (50th)

And now, at 18 months, they are:
Linus: 25 lbs, 3 oz (25-50th); 32.75″ long (50th-75th); HC 49cm (75-90th)
Oliver: 25 lbs, 4 oz (25-50th); 33″ long (75th); HC 49cm (75-90th)
Miles: 24 lbs, 5 oz (25th); 32.25″ long (50th); HC 48.5cm (75-90th)

Getting so big! Gaah!

This weekend was fun. Spent some time in Baton Rouge with my mom and Larry, and then last night I went to the benefit for my friend’s husband. It was incredible. There were about 1800 people there and a ton of silent auction items. I bid on a bunch, but thankfully only won two. 🙂 One was a gift certificate to a restaurant that George loves. They only serve baked potatoes. Ha ha ha! Classy! I was the only bidder on that item. Ha ha! The other item was for a two night stay at a hotel in Dallas, so we’re going to have our girl’s weekend (me, Ren, Kettie, and Mar) there at some point. I can’t wait!

Anyway, the event was just overwhelming. There were some famousish chefs there (including one guy who’s on Top Chef right now) so that was cool. And a ton of good food and drink. I’m just so happy for the family, that they got so much support when they need it. Truly heartwarming.

Now, I need to find some pictures to post here! Hmmm. Maybe tomorrow. Sorry. (If my mom or Larry will send pictures from her new camera, then I can post them, hint hint.)

17 months old! (And our weekend)

The boys are 17 months old today. How did the time go by so fast? No idea. Next month they’ll be 18 months old. Only a month older, but it seems like such a big milestone. Crikey.

Now, onto a recap of the weekend. Friday afternoon, while we’re getting ready to put the boys to bed, my friend Alicia calls. She’s the one with the quad girls who share a bday with the boys. She has two free tickets to the Zoo-to-do, a really fancy fundraiser at the zoo here. I think the tickets are $150 each or something. Free food, free booze, and it’s a lovely evening, so I agree. Even though it means I have to shave my legs for the first time in god knows how long.

I get dressed, go to her house, and we head to the zoo. Oh man! It was amazing. Tons of restaurants (I mean, maybe 100? or more?) had stations set up around the zoo with food and drinks. The good stuff, too. Alicia’s husband is the executive chef at the Ritz-Carlton here, and he was there at the Ritz’s table, so he got us the tickets. We ate our way around the zoo, and I had a few fancy drinks. (Alicia’s pregnant with her fifth girl, so I had to drink for three. I kid. Sorta.)

Anyway, even though I was tired and still slightly sick from my cold, I had a great time. That was fun.

Not fun was not sleeping well that night, having babies crying all.night.long, and getting up early on Saturday with them. Alas.

Saturday was okay. Nothing terribly exciting. After the boys took their morning nap, we took them to the park to run around. But it was hot and sunny and there are stinging caterpillars everywhere at this time of year, and they were cranky, cranky, cranky. So that was kind of a bust. Went home, put them down for a nap, and they wouldn’t sleep, even though they were exhausted. Miles just screamed. I went and got him after about 10 minutes, and the front of his shirt was soaked from tears and drool. (Did I mention they’re getting what appears to be all four molars at once? I just loooooooooove having identical triplets who get all their teeth simultaneously!!!!!!! Nooooo I’m not being sarcastic who meeeee??)

So we said, screw the nap, and went for a walk. They had fun running around outside at our friend’s pizza place, but there were still plenty of random tears. Sigh. Went home, put them to bed. Linus wouldn’t sleep. He was inconsolable. Finally, for the first time ever (maybe, I think), I rocked him to sleep. Okay, not rocked, but he went to sleep on me, and I put him to bed. This is what one misses out on by having triplets.

Oh yeah, I also trimmed the back of their hair. I did an okay job. At least it doesn’t look as scraggly now.

After they went to bed, I went grocery shopping. Man, I was just beat.

Had some crying babies again that night, so no good sleep for mama and daddy, either.

Sunday, the morning was fine. I made pancakes with applesauce and cinnamon in them, and the boys ate them up. I also gave them yogurt with blueberries, and I let them go to town with their spoons. It was a mess. After their nap, we walked to our friend’s pizza place (yes, again), and had “breakfast”. Really, it’s breakfast food at lunchtime. Lots of friends were there, and the boys had fun playing and eating lunch. We weren’t sure what to do for the rest of the day, and some of them were heading to an air show at a Navy base nearby, so we decided to take the boys.

Even though we literally parked at one end of a runway and had to walk the entire length of it (pulling the wagon) to get to the air show (and back) and the boys were terrified by the loud airplanes, and I didn’t have earplugs for anyone…it was pretty fun. At least we weren’t going stir-crazy inside the house.

Last night’s sleep was punctuated by more Linus crying. And of course, when I went in their room this morning to change them, Oliver and Miles (who slept fine) were crabby, and Linus was a little ray of freaking sunshine. Kids!

And now, some pictures!

We let them go in our room this morning. It’s normally off-limits. Can you tell they were excited?

We’re also teaching them how to go up the stairs. With us right behind, of course.

The wagon at the airshow with the sun umbrellas I got for it

At the park with Daddy

We saw a lot of this, this weekend. Sigh.

Cool dude with sunglasses

Last week at daycare, I dressed them alike one day. I never do that.

16 months old

Another month…going by so quickly. Honestly, this one went by in a flash. Usually, at about a week before they turn “x months old”, I start saying they’re “almost x months old” when people ask. But this time, I was kind of surprised that it was here already. Time is speeding up…

They just keep…growing! And learning!

Some new things:

– Walking is getting much better. I predict Linus will be the first to run.
– When you ask what an elephant says, they put their arm up, next to their ear, like an elephant’s trunk.
– They can also “sssss” like a snake, but they seem to have no clue what cats or dogs or cows say. 😛
– Eating is going okay. Blueberries are their newest most favorite food ever, and even crackers aren’t a surefire hit anymore. But they’re doing okay. I just have to keep trying new things.
– One nap a day now. Booooo hoooo!
– Still love love love love love books. Almost would rather read books (I mean, make US read books) than play with toys.
– Though Oliver does love balls. He kicks and throws them and loves for us to dribble them.
– Last month, I turned them forward-facing. I wish I could have rear-faced them longer, and I know I could go back, but I think they’d be mad. I turned them FF because of some practical reasons, and the mommy guilt has kicked in. But oh my god, it’s so much easier to get a kid in the third row when they’re forward-facing.
– Linus has been throwing full-on temper tantrums. It’s kind of funny, but I know it won’t be for long. I think it’s time to investigate some books on toddler discipline. I’ve heard good things (from other triplet moms) about Love & Logic and 1,2,3 Magic. We’ll see.

In other news, we had our neighborhood garage sale on Friday. I got burned to a crisp (despite putting on sunscreen) but on the bright side, I made enough money for a Wii! And a Wii Fit! I got the Wii on Saturday and the Wii Fit should be arriving tomorrow. I can’t wait! I’ve already been playing Super Mario Brothers (yes, the old 1985 version – we downloaded it) and I don’t think I’ll need any other games. I’m re-addicted to it, just like when I was in 8th grade. Hmm.

Yesterday was our triplet group Easter Egg Hunt. I co-hosted it at a park in our neighborhood. It was a lot of fun…for everyone else. I mean, I had fun, but the boys were not in any mood to run around with other kids. They just wanted Mommy and Daddy to hold them. Sigh. But it was so darn cute to see all the triplets (and quads!) running around.

We also introduced the boys to bubbles. Oh my. They were absolutely entranced by them.

15 month stats

Well, I was waiting to post this until after the boys’ 15 month ped visit, but I keep leaving the sheet with the stats in the car, so I’ll just post approximations now and fix it later. Not like anyone really cares, right?

So at 12 months, these were their stats:
Linus: 20 lbs, 8.5 oz (10th-25th); 30.25″ long (50th-75th); HC 46cm (25-50th)
Oliver: 20 lbs, 12.5 oz (25th); 30″ long (50th); HC 47cm (50th-75th)
Miles: 19 lbs, 12 oz (10th); 30″ long (50th); HC 46.5cm (50th)

And now at 15 months: (holy cow, they have done some growing!)
Linus: 23 lbs, 15 oz (50-75th); 31.5″ long (50th-75th); HC 47cm (50th)
Oliver: 23 lbs, 8 oz (25-50th); 31.25″ long (50-75th); HC 48cm (75th)
Miles: 22 lbs, 3 oz (10-25th); 31″ long (50th); HC 47.5cm (50th)

So yeah, they’re growing! Wow!

And now, a few pictures from yesterday. (My point and shoot is broken, so while it’s getting repaired I likely won’t have as many pictures of the boys. These are from my big camera.)

Linus and Oliver

Linus showing off his walking skills at the park

Linus

Miles = not happy

Better now, with a cracker

A preview of how life will be in 16 years…fighting over the car:

Oliver in clover (appropriate for St Patty’s Day, eh?)

Oliver crawling in the mud

15 months old!

Oops, I forgot to post this last week. Well, actually, I didn’t forget, I just didn’t have time in the midst of all the travelling and such.

15 months old

15 months old! Can you believe it? Not me. I still think that they haven’t changed much since they were 10 months old. What do you think?

10 months old!

Okay, maybe just a little. Heh.

Anyway, they’re doing SO MUCH right now. Just this morning, when I dropped them off at daycare, I noticed their teacher putting them at a table and chairs to eat! Not high chairs! And she asked if it was okay if they tried napping in cots instead of cribs. Ack! Where did my babies go??? They’re still babies. Heck, I’m still my mom’s baby. Right, mama?

Some more things they’re doing now that are heart-wrenchingly adorable…
– they know their nose. Oliver will even say “no” when he points to it. (Not in a negative sense, but in a shortened version of the word kind of way.)
– Linus knows his belly. Maybe they all do, but I haven’t seen evidence yet.
– they give hugs. Linus will walk up to you (if you’re sitting) and put his head on your chest or shoulder. While in California, Jennifer and I had him walking between us, giving us hugs and kisses. Ack!
– they give kisses. Open mouthed ones, of course.
– Oliver will put his hands out and repeat “All done!” if you ask if he’s all done. (So I suspect it’s more mimicking than actually replying, but it’s darn cute.)
– Miles and Linus are walking more than crawling
– Oliver is walking a bit, but is still more unsteady than his brothers
– Not something they’re doing, but I changed their carseats to forward-facing. I really wanted to wait until they were older, but because of the car situations while I was away, I had to turn them all around, and I really don’t want to turn them back. It’s so much easier to get them in and out now (but I know that’s not a good reason.) Anyway, it’s great to look in the rearview mirror and see them looking at me!
– They finally figured out how to splash in the tub, and it makes them giggle so much. It’s so cute.

I will probably end up adding more to this post throughout the day as I remember more cute things they’re doing.

Happy 14 Months!

My sweet boys were 14 months old yesterday! Monthly pictures are getting harder and harder, though. My friend Teresa came over last night to help out with the boys since George had to work late, and she and I managed to get a cute picture of them.

14 months old!

My sweet boys! They’re doing so much now.

Linus:
– is sooooo close to walking. I keep saying that. Sigh.
– had an ear infection this month in spite of his tubes. Sigh again.
– is being somewhat unusually clingy to me. I don’t really mind.

Oliver:
– loves to say “Uh-oh!” which is painfully cute, and while I shouldn’t encourage him dropping things and saying “uh-oh!” it’s just too cute. So I do. I encourage it.
– also loves to say “cat”. Sometimes to the cat, sometimes not. But I’m pretty sure he knows that what a cat is.
– is a picky eater. my most picky. seems to be getting better, though.
– seems to be terrified of unfamiliar men right now. both Kristina’s husband and my uncle made him scream, just by being near him. It really was hilarious (and nothing personal, Mike and Uncle Bob!)

Miles:
– eats anything and everything
– cracks himself up when he makes silly sounds with his tongue
– loves his toothbrush! (okay, tonight was the first time we tried it, and he loved it. that’s why it’s in the picture.)
– loves to splash in the bathtub (ditto to above comment.)
– v close to walking. i’m sure of it.

They’re all:
– “talking” on the phone (or the rattle, or the car, or whatever is handy) which just kills me. So cute.
– dancing
– getting into little spats, mostly over toys. oh joy!
– making each other laugh. makes up for the fights.
– wearing size 4 diapers, size 5 at night
– rolling balls and throwing them

This is such a fun time. I’m really loving it. And I know people say I shouldn’t wish for this, I can’t wait for them to start walking. I’m ready. Anytime now, boys! 🙂

And now for some outtakes from the photo shoots (yes, we had to try twice yesterday to get these pictures.)

It was just so hard to get this month’s picture. Some outtakes…hee hee!

From this morning’s attempt…
Linus and Oliver flanking a hissy-fit-throwing Oliver. He’s soooo dramatic!

Linus is camera-obsessed.

Then we tried it with me holding the boys. That didn’t quite work either. 🙂




Okay, I’ll stop now. 🙂

13 months old!

13 months

My baby boys were 13 months old yesterday! Good lord.
What can I say about my sweet little guys?

– They are all clapping like crazy.
– Miles and Linus are fond of shaking their head “no.”
– Yesterday, Miles starting nodding “yes”.
– They said their first word, “cracker” on Jan 1.
– They all had ear tubes put in and their adenoids removed on 12/31, and so far, they seem to be healing well.
– No walking yet, but Miles took one step on Jan 1. None since then, though.
– Sleep has been weird. Two nights (one pre-surgery, one post-surgery, so I don’t know if this is ear-related) they’ve woken up around midnight, screaming. Almost like they were having nightmares. The first time was at my mom’s new house, so maybe that was due to the new surroundings? But then it happened the other night at home, too. Let’s hope that doesn’t continue!
– Eating is fine. They’re all beginning to show some signs of pickiness, but I’m choosing to ignore it right now. Linus will spit out chunks of things that are mixed in (say, bananas mixed with yogurt or peas in mashed potatoes.) Oliver will inexplicably like something one day, hate it the next, then go back to loving it. Miles will almost eat anything. Milk is going well, I think. They’re getting about 16-18 oz of milk a day, plus cheese and yogurt. Some of their favorites are grilled cheese, deli turkey or ham, CRACKERS CRACKERS CRACKERS, yogurt with fruit, chicken, and fat french fries.
– They’re still wearing some 6-9 month pants but most 12 month pants still fit. Tops are 12 month and 18 month, but more toward 18 month. Diapers are size 4. Their big Flintstone feet have outgrown their 6-12 month Robeez, so we moved up to 12-18 month in those.
– They all still have 6 teeth. Four on the top, two on the bottom. I don’t see or feel any more teeth coming in right now.
– They have started fighting a bit. Hair pulling (esp Oliver), pushing, stealing toys, and high-pitched screaming at each other. Fun times! We don’t intercede too much at this point, unless someone’s getting violent. But they’re also making each other laugh, which is awesome.
– They’re doing more interactive play with us, too. Peek-a-boo and things like that. More mimicking.
– We dropped bottles and formula a week after their first birthday, and they’ve only had milk and sippies since then. I don’t give them juice, but sometimes water. You should have seen them after their surgery, when they got juice in bottles. It was a double-whammy of excitement!

I think their first haircut is due soon. Maybe next weekend. Miles is starting to get a bit of a mullet.

One year stats

I just realized I haven’t posted the boys’ one year stats yet. It’s been a tiring week month year. Bear with me.

One year! Here is my official one year post….

Stats:
Linus: 20 lbs, 8.5 oz (10th-25th); 30.25″ long (50th-75th); HC 46″ (25-50th)
Oliver: 20 lbs, 12.5 oz (25th); 30″ long (50th); HC 47″ (50th-75th)
Miles: 19 lbs, 12 oz (10th); 30″ long (50th); HC 46.5″ (50th)

at 10 months, their stats were:
Linus: 18#5.5oz (6th); 28.5″ long (32nd)
Oliver: 18#2.5oz (5th); 28.75″ long (41st)
Miles: 17#3oz (<3rd); 28″ long (17th)

So I’m quite pleased at how much they’ve come up the charts on their weight. Whew!

Now, what are they doing? Well, they’re all
– Pulling to standing
– Mimicking sounds we make
– Drinking milk out of sippy cups
– Dropping things on purpose
– Giving “five” (okay, grabbing your hand when you put it out.)
– Climbing on everything they can (which, admittedly, is not much)
– Wearing 12-18 month tops, but 9 month pants.
– Chasing each other around their playroom. Oh man, this is the best. They just giggle uncontrollably, looking back at whoever’s chasing them. It’s so cute.
– Waving

Linus is:
– Very good at mimicking sounds (more so than the other two, i think)
– My little frat boy. Loves to drop his pants and giggle about it.

Oliver is:
– very fond of giving you things. Very sweet, even when it’s a soggy, half-eaten cracker
– still very much a mama’s boy. Has the worst separation anxiety

Miles is:
– standing on his own! He’s gotten quite good at standing and will do it for several seconds now – maybe 10-15 before he gets bored? I think he has the balance thing down, he’s just trying to figure out what to do next.
– clapping sometimes, if I prompt him.

Okay, maybe I need to pay more attention to my kids. They’re definitely doing more than this, but come on. I’m tired.

The most exciting recent development of all, though, is NO MORE BOTTLES! Yippee! I think they got their last bottle on Thursday night, and since then, it’s been sippy cups of milk only. Yahoo! We have to go to the pediatrician again today so hopefully there hasn’t been any drastic weight loss in the last week or anything. Hmm. And tomorrow is a visit to the ENT for all three. Sigh.

11 months old!

In honor of Election Day falling on the same day as the boys’ 11 month birthday, we put them in red, white, and blue for their picture. Aw!

I don’t have stats on all of them this month, just Miles since I had to take him to the ped yesterday for an ear infection. He weighs 19 lbs, 3 oz (up 2 lbs since last month, thank God.) So I am guessing the other two are around 20 lbs. Wow!

11 months old!

Let’s see, what are they up to right now?

– They are all crawling everywhere and pulling up on everything.
– They babble all the time. “Dadadadada” is v popular, but fortunately, so is “mmmmaaaamamamama” too. Not that they’re talking to us, but it’s still sweet to hear. “Ga” and “ba” are also popular.
– Teeth! Lots of teeth. They all have their two bottom teeth, and I think they are all getting in four top teeth too. None of those are completely in yet, though. But they’re getting there.
– They’re eating well. Since last month’s weight loss, we added back another bottle to make sure they were getting enough calories. That worked! So in addition to four bottles a day, they’re eating three good solid meals and a ton of Cheerios. What is it with babies and Cheerios, for real?
– They have also demonstrated their love for cake, chicken, pasta, macaroni and cheese, pulled pork, blueberry muffins, and yogurt. Actually, pretty much anything. I want to continue giving them new and different foods, and so far, they don’t seem to be too picky. Yet.
– I don’t think they’re going to be walking by their birthday (whew!) but I do think they probably will be by their adjusted birthday (January 20th). Miles was standing the other day, and let go of what he was holding on to (me) and wobbled for a few seconds. Ack!
– We had some sickies this month. A week of diarrhea (blech) and Miles had a bad ear infection this past weekend. If I recall, we had them at the beginning of the month too. Ugh. All these EIs just run together…

Happy 11 months, boys, I cannot believe you’re going to be one in a month.

And Happy Birthday to Chloe! She is one today! Hurrah!