HAPPY BIRTHDAY UNCLE JEFFREY!!
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Monday, May 28, 2012
Proud momma keep on rollin
We hit another milestone this week as the triplets turned 9 months old and the last to crawl finally decided to get up and go (Go Benjamin!) I am so proud of all my boys. The babies are good eaters although we have a picky one emerging. I swear all they want to do is eat what we are eating. Whereas it was heart-wrenching to wean Alexander off of the bottle at 1 year, I have a feeling it won't be as bad with these tough guys. They want to hang with big brother and bottles seem to get in the way. 3 more months, I will be glad to toss those forever!
All 3 are crawling at different speeds; think of a tortoise, a hare and some cute little animal in between (that would be Theodore :). All are sleeping well at night and have two solids naps during the day.
I am also proud that all 3 are pacifier free as well. I don't judge people who use them by any means, I just personally hate the darn things and never wanted to get them attached. So although the boys have never used them during the day, we had one last hold out who seemed dependent on it at night time (Benjamin again!) But last week we took it away cold turkey and he has been a champ.
At their 9 month appointment, Winston came in at 22lbs13oz and 29", Theodore was 23lbs6oz and 31.25", and Benjamin topped the percentile charts at 26lbs 30.25". They are all on track developmentally but I can't imagine what our 1 year visit is going to be like with these 3 guys all up on the doctor's table together. It was hard to keep them all up there safely, especially my wild child Winston!
Alexander continues to be such a trooper and I hope I never take that for granted. We move into our new home in 2 weeks and I worry the most for him. The babies will adjust but Alexander has grown so close to his extended family, I know he will miss them dearly. He loves, and I love watching him, making the rounds at night to say 'good night' to his grandparents and great-grandparents before bedtime. When we move we may have to call for the 'good nights' and kisses, but I know it won't be the same. I think Alexander's return to daycare is so important because he will have something that is his own and we can have special time together to/from school. I hope we get lots of visitors at our home this summer (HINT HINT) so he will feel special and attended to during this transition.
I am also proud of my brave grandpa who fought in the Korean War. Happy Memorial Day everyone.
All 3 are crawling at different speeds; think of a tortoise, a hare and some cute little animal in between (that would be Theodore :). All are sleeping well at night and have two solids naps during the day.
I am also proud that all 3 are pacifier free as well. I don't judge people who use them by any means, I just personally hate the darn things and never wanted to get them attached. So although the boys have never used them during the day, we had one last hold out who seemed dependent on it at night time (Benjamin again!) But last week we took it away cold turkey and he has been a champ.
At their 9 month appointment, Winston came in at 22lbs13oz and 29", Theodore was 23lbs6oz and 31.25", and Benjamin topped the percentile charts at 26lbs 30.25". They are all on track developmentally but I can't imagine what our 1 year visit is going to be like with these 3 guys all up on the doctor's table together. It was hard to keep them all up there safely, especially my wild child Winston!
Alexander continues to be such a trooper and I hope I never take that for granted. We move into our new home in 2 weeks and I worry the most for him. The babies will adjust but Alexander has grown so close to his extended family, I know he will miss them dearly. He loves, and I love watching him, making the rounds at night to say 'good night' to his grandparents and great-grandparents before bedtime. When we move we may have to call for the 'good nights' and kisses, but I know it won't be the same. I think Alexander's return to daycare is so important because he will have something that is his own and we can have special time together to/from school. I hope we get lots of visitors at our home this summer (HINT HINT) so he will feel special and attended to during this transition.
I am also proud of my brave grandpa who fought in the Korean War. Happy Memorial Day everyone.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Splish splash!
I have been working up the courage to put all three babies in the bath at the same time and this week we finally did it. All three had a blast splishing and splashing and getting water everywhere!
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| Theodore, Benjamin and Winston |
Big brother Alexander helped momma wash them too.
Two of the babies are mobile and crawling all over the place (Theodore and Winston.) Benjamin is content with just sitting and watching them roam around. He is such a big guy, his mobility is pretty much limited to rolling around like a beached whale.
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| Winston and Theodore exploring |
Although we are crazy busy right now, life is good and all four boys are happy. We have a new nanny coming on Monday for the babies - everyone cross your fingers that she is strong and patient enough to handle these boys!
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Tough times
This week has been tougher than usual, physically and mentally. My work has been very intense and will be for the next 24 days. For those that don't know, I am working to get the local school systems' budget passed, which is requesting an additional $35million and require a tax increase. Our board took the very unique action of passing a resolution fully in support of this budget so that means all of my energy and time that is not dedicated to taking care of family, must be dedicated to getting this passed. The business community has a huge stake in getting this passed, and our community does too, but unfortunately it has been an uphill battle in this very conservative county with a mayor who is adamantly opposed. This is really my first time in a political campaign where I am fully invested and pushing on all fronts, all stakeholders, all avenues to get this accomplished. I have to remind myself to not take things personally, but it is hard when it impacts you and the future education of your 4 kids too. (If you're interested in learning more about this, go to http://www.bethebestknox.com/.)
So work has been emotionally and mentally draining, the boys are good but towards the end of the week got sick, in the middle of the week the nanny declared she is quitting to take care of her sick son, so that meant I immediately had to find and interview nannies by myself because, oh yeah, Nate went away for 3 nights/4 days for work. Phew. Just typing all of this makes me tired.
There have been mornings this week where I feel sick to my stomach because of everything going on and the imbalance of pressure on me. I go to bed exhausted but all amped up because I know the immense challenge before me the next day. So I suck it up and press on because there is no time to sulk and feeling sorry for myself doesn't help a thing.
As I was speed-walking across downtown to make a luncheon, I realized everything in my life before now was just preparation for this moment. I look back and think of all the physical and mental struggles with which I've been faced: family divorces, moves, state tournaments in basketball and softball, break-ups, the summer I took the job at the Chamber, took the bar, and then got married, having all those babies in 3 years, etc. Those were all hurdles I faced and now I am stronger because of them. When people ask how I do what I'm doing now, it's hard to explain because I have the strength of all of those experiences behind me. You just do it.
But all those things were "practice" for my life. And now the stakes are so much higher. I only get one shot at making sure these kids are healthy and happy. I may only have one shot to get 1 of the top 100 largest school system's 5-year plan funded and give my and other local kids a chance to compete against their peers in the world. So I will try my hardest and when this experience is over, it will prepare me for the next.
For now, I will remain grateful for those 4 smiling faces I am greeted with when I get home in the evening. They make my world go round and make the toughest days just melt away.
So work has been emotionally and mentally draining, the boys are good but towards the end of the week got sick, in the middle of the week the nanny declared she is quitting to take care of her sick son, so that meant I immediately had to find and interview nannies by myself because, oh yeah, Nate went away for 3 nights/4 days for work. Phew. Just typing all of this makes me tired.
There have been mornings this week where I feel sick to my stomach because of everything going on and the imbalance of pressure on me. I go to bed exhausted but all amped up because I know the immense challenge before me the next day. So I suck it up and press on because there is no time to sulk and feeling sorry for myself doesn't help a thing.
As I was speed-walking across downtown to make a luncheon, I realized everything in my life before now was just preparation for this moment. I look back and think of all the physical and mental struggles with which I've been faced: family divorces, moves, state tournaments in basketball and softball, break-ups, the summer I took the job at the Chamber, took the bar, and then got married, having all those babies in 3 years, etc. Those were all hurdles I faced and now I am stronger because of them. When people ask how I do what I'm doing now, it's hard to explain because I have the strength of all of those experiences behind me. You just do it.
But all those things were "practice" for my life. And now the stakes are so much higher. I only get one shot at making sure these kids are healthy and happy. I may only have one shot to get 1 of the top 100 largest school system's 5-year plan funded and give my and other local kids a chance to compete against their peers in the world. So I will try my hardest and when this experience is over, it will prepare me for the next.
For now, I will remain grateful for those 4 smiling faces I am greeted with when I get home in the evening. They make my world go round and make the toughest days just melt away.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
2/3 of the way there!
We have been saying when the babies reach one year we will have made it. Well this week we reached 8 months so we are 2/3 of the way there. It is hard to believe. Each of the triplet's personalities are distinct and they are just dying to get up and go, more so than I remember Alexander being motivated to move at that age. That's probably due to the fact that they see him running around and they want to join him. Life was much slower back then, with one baby and a much quieter household. With one child nights seemed slower and more peaceful playing with Alexander. Now it is so fast paced and chaotic, we have to always be on our game.
At 26 months, ALEXANDER has definitely hit the "terrible two's" but it is more like the "trying two's." It's not exactly terrible but there are some moments where it seems like he is just trying us and pushing us to our limits to get a rise out of us. I can't figure out if its a response to sharing attention with the babies or his age. In any case, those times are still fewer than the good ones. When he is behaving, it is such a joy to hang out with him. He talks in full sentences and is very helpful, helping with the babies' bath time or taking out trash. We have conversations and he really understands them. It is harder to pull one over on him now too; we can't distract him from doing something we don't want to do with a simple command. He wants to know "why?" or "what's that?" He is definitely momma's boy though, every night he has gotten into this habit of asking me to rub his back. I usually give in because I know how good it feels and I know there will come a day when he won't ask anymore. He is still an excellent eater, you can definitely tell by his size that he doesn't miss too many meals. :)
At 8 months, BENJAMIN is such a loving boy with a chubby face and mouth full of crooked teeth. He is by far the heaviest little guy but also a real softie. He loves to dance and be thrown up in the air. Benjamin has a little stubborn streak in him though, he will straighen his body out instantly when he is not liking what is going on, which sometimes means he bumps his head on whatever is behind him. When he's done eating too, he is seriously done eating and he will let you know. He loves kisses and will break out into laughter that makes you laugh too.
At 8 months, THEODORE is the closest to crawling. He can get around by kind of dragging himself, a little like an army crawl. He still has punk rock hair that sticks straight up like Alexander's did. He has the least amount of teeth, right now he is stuck at two bottom teeth, and 1 1/2 trying to come out up top. Theodore is definitely our most sensitive boy. He doesn't like being tossed around like the other two and he holds very tight when you are holding him. He is also the only one that seems very nervous about Alexander. The other two just adore Alexander and watch his every move. Theodore definitely shows fear that he might be crushed by the big brother monster! But Theodore is not all innocent - he is infamous for stealing the other guys' toys. They look at me as if to ask "what are you going to do about him, mom?!"
At 8 months, WINSTON has the biggest smile with 6 big teeth and is still the leanest of the three. He also holds tight when you hold him and he is always trying to find a way to stand up. He has been showing this serious face lately. It's not sad or angry, just very serious and thoughtful about everything going on around him. He also likes to dance and spin around. Winston doesn't laugh very often, but when he does you know you are special and that he loves you.
All 3 babies will be crawling in no time. I find them all rocking on their fours and then splat! They are all great eaters and sleepers, too. We are especially lucky for both of those things. They also all have great motor skills, some better at some things than others. All are babbling and all of them try to pull up on me and when they all do at the same time, it's a funny sight. They are all definitely momma's boys. Yesterday we introduced cups and finger foods. They have no idea what to do with either.
At 26 months, ALEXANDER has definitely hit the "terrible two's" but it is more like the "trying two's." It's not exactly terrible but there are some moments where it seems like he is just trying us and pushing us to our limits to get a rise out of us. I can't figure out if its a response to sharing attention with the babies or his age. In any case, those times are still fewer than the good ones. When he is behaving, it is such a joy to hang out with him. He talks in full sentences and is very helpful, helping with the babies' bath time or taking out trash. We have conversations and he really understands them. It is harder to pull one over on him now too; we can't distract him from doing something we don't want to do with a simple command. He wants to know "why?" or "what's that?" He is definitely momma's boy though, every night he has gotten into this habit of asking me to rub his back. I usually give in because I know how good it feels and I know there will come a day when he won't ask anymore. He is still an excellent eater, you can definitely tell by his size that he doesn't miss too many meals. :)
At 8 months, BENJAMIN is such a loving boy with a chubby face and mouth full of crooked teeth. He is by far the heaviest little guy but also a real softie. He loves to dance and be thrown up in the air. Benjamin has a little stubborn streak in him though, he will straighen his body out instantly when he is not liking what is going on, which sometimes means he bumps his head on whatever is behind him. When he's done eating too, he is seriously done eating and he will let you know. He loves kisses and will break out into laughter that makes you laugh too.
At 8 months, THEODORE is the closest to crawling. He can get around by kind of dragging himself, a little like an army crawl. He still has punk rock hair that sticks straight up like Alexander's did. He has the least amount of teeth, right now he is stuck at two bottom teeth, and 1 1/2 trying to come out up top. Theodore is definitely our most sensitive boy. He doesn't like being tossed around like the other two and he holds very tight when you are holding him. He is also the only one that seems very nervous about Alexander. The other two just adore Alexander and watch his every move. Theodore definitely shows fear that he might be crushed by the big brother monster! But Theodore is not all innocent - he is infamous for stealing the other guys' toys. They look at me as if to ask "what are you going to do about him, mom?!"
At 8 months, WINSTON has the biggest smile with 6 big teeth and is still the leanest of the three. He also holds tight when you hold him and he is always trying to find a way to stand up. He has been showing this serious face lately. It's not sad or angry, just very serious and thoughtful about everything going on around him. He also likes to dance and spin around. Winston doesn't laugh very often, but when he does you know you are special and that he loves you.
All 3 babies will be crawling in no time. I find them all rocking on their fours and then splat! They are all great eaters and sleepers, too. We are especially lucky for both of those things. They also all have great motor skills, some better at some things than others. All are babbling and all of them try to pull up on me and when they all do at the same time, it's a funny sight. They are all definitely momma's boys. Yesterday we introduced cups and finger foods. They have no idea what to do with either.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
My Easter Bunnies
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| Easter morning! |
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| Strategy session with G-Ma during egg hunt |
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| Our family |
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| Hoppy little boys! :) |
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Spring Break
This is long overdue but last week Alexander's nanny was out of town for the week so the ranch dwellers (Nate, "nama"- my mom, and myself) all took off days of work to spend with his majesty. I had two days with him and lucked out with gorgeous weather. We spent one day at the zoo and had a fancy lunch at the Crown & Goose with Uncle Jeffrey. The next day we went to Concord Park and played in the sand and lakeshore; then we slummed it at McDonalds. Sidebar: I must say I was pleasantly surprised with the clean and pleasant dining room at the Mickey D's. I admit I haven't been inside of one in years and was surprised to see people of all ages and professions dining there. Good for them.
Back to A and I's days together -- We had a blast. The only tantrums were because he didn't want to stop playing to eat, take a nap, etc. In a perfect world, I would love to work part-time and spend a couple of days with the boys every week but that is not a reality any time soon. I still need and want to work, but it is nice to have days off to do fun things. The weekends always seem packed with family stuff and getting ready for the next week.
We also had time outside with the boys this past week. We tried to pull them in the wagon but that lasted for about 90 seconds. There's not that much flat space in the driveway so they easily toppled over on each other in any direction we pulled them. So I took them out and they were happy playing on a mat outside.
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| Lunch at McDonald's |
Back to A and I's days together -- We had a blast. The only tantrums were because he didn't want to stop playing to eat, take a nap, etc. In a perfect world, I would love to work part-time and spend a couple of days with the boys every week but that is not a reality any time soon. I still need and want to work, but it is nice to have days off to do fun things. The weekends always seem packed with family stuff and getting ready for the next week.
We also had time outside with the boys this past week. We tried to pull them in the wagon but that lasted for about 90 seconds. There's not that much flat space in the driveway so they easily toppled over on each other in any direction we pulled them. So I took them out and they were happy playing on a mat outside.
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| In the wagon, they are doubting my competence right now |
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| Relieved to be off the wagon |
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| Benjamin |
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| Winston |
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| Theodore |
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