New Treasures

Don brought home more treasures for the boys. Anyone who knows my husband knows that he is a very outgoing, friendly, and talkative person. There is a gift in his family lineage that I fondly call the "gift of gab". Don and his mother, uncles, and as far back as their father were all blessed with this gift, and I hope it is a gift that has been passed down to our boys, too. Don's family just starts up chatter with whom ever is around, about what ever they may be doing. Don is a big time gabber. Big time. To the point of if he had to get something at the store , I would specifically have to ask him "please do not talk to anyone" in order for him to get back on any sort of reasonable timetable.
Don is a friendly gabber. Most everyone who knows him knows that first and foremost about him. Don builds relationships with many of his customers. I have no idea how this is possible. Even though my husband is a garbage man, I do not go out an chat with the garbage men when I hear them coming. It is way too hot to go outside, let alone the fact that I know these guys just want to get their jobs done and go home to their air conditioned houses. But not Don. He has customers that are completely delighted with him. He'll show them pictures of his boys and give people updates regularly. He has many customers who have bought the boys clothes, and one nice couple -that Don like us to go visit- even knitted each boy a nice heavy twin size blanket!
Many ask him if he needs baby things when they are no longer in use. Lucky for us, in the past 6 weeks, two of his customers had outdoor play areas that aren't getting anymore use. When they saw Don, they asked him if we'd like to take the play toys. So when work was over, he drove to their house and picked up these newfound treasures for the boys. The boys love it!

See the Sign

A few people have asked about the signing, so I took a couple quick videos of the babies signing. The sign for "baby" is what Wyatt is attempting. It is basically rocking your arms like you are holding a baby. Watch as Wyatt gets a little carried away with this one..


Then this next one is of the word "hat". Hat is signed by tapping your head where your hat sits. First you'll see Wyatt do it, then Luke is especially talented to sign it while he walks. Then here comes Jax for a close up demonstration.

A Sad Goodbye

We have gotten the news tonight that our pastors wife had passed away this past week due to a very tragic accident. She and our pastor came to visit us when the boys were less then a week old to pray over them at the hospital. She was only 29, and she and her husband were so in love. Although we did not know her very well, we knew her enough to know that she will be missed by all who have had the good fortune to meet her. She sang like an angel and had the most beautiful eyes. You will be missed, Bernadette.

15 Month Check up

Ahhh, it is that time again. As of today, the boys are 15 months old. Time is flying by! All of them are all nice and healthy, gaining weight and inches! The lowest we have now is 15% on the height for Wyatt, but they are all getting closer to the 50th percentile. Except their heads....Apparently our kids have large heads, all over 50th percentile on that, even up to 75. Hmmmm. Big brains?
Lucas tops the chart at almost 24 lbs and 32 inches tall. Jaxon is next tallest at 31 1/2 inches tall, but is a half pound lighter than Wyatt at 21.6oz. Then Wyatt is 30 3/4 inches tall and almost 22 lbs. To see the boys in person, you would think Luke is more than just an inch and a quarter taller than Wyatt, but I guess the stats are what they are.
Wyatt is beginning to walk more then he crawls, and Jaxon is getting a bit braver and taking more steps here and there. Jaxon loves to walk, though. He just smiles so big he just about laughs while he is trying to concentrate. Could you imagine just learning to walk? It has to feel like flying for them after being so close to the ground for so long.
Here is a video of Luke the other night just being cute. He has begun the new sound of "boo".

Weekend Update

Wyatt, Pops, Jaxon, Nana and Lucas on Saturday

This weekend we stayed in just about the whole time. It was nice and relaxing, just watching the kids playing. Seeing them do new things they have learned amazes Don and I. It makes us realize that their little minds are just soaking everything in. Each of the boys are doing sign language now. They sign baby, hat, shoes, more, fish, where, please, and a few others. "Hat" they will do as soon as it's said, I think it's their favorite. For the rest of the words, they are signed usually by imitation of what they are watching on Baby Signing Time. We have recently installed the dual DVD player in the backseat and put in the Signing Time DVD. It has been a sanity saver when we have been out past nap time and the troops get restless.

The boys also still love to play with the stacking toys they had gotten as a gift for Christmas. They will stack and nest the blocks over and over again. But our favorite thing to watch is the boys playing with one another. Jax and Wyatt love to play chase, and lately Luke has been joining in on the peek-a-boo games. Luke also had a baby spoon in the living room the other day and was trying to "feed" his brothers with it. He has been very nurturing towards Jaxon and Wyatt lately. A very loving streak that has been so sweet to watch.

Unfortunately, Wyatt has learned about hitting his brothers to get what he wants. This is directly on the heals of Jaxon finally learning not to hit. So when Wyatt hits Jaxon, Jaxon headbutts Wyatt. We are not sure what to do about this. I have to admit, I am just pleased Jax doesn't just turn and hit Wyatt back, but I know headbutting is not a solution either. For now, we will just work on Wyatt not hitting.

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

For months we have been trying to put off getting our boys little blond locks cut. There is no way we wanted to get those little curls clipped off. We knew this was a huge milestone, one we could never go back from, so we delayed it any way we could. We even tried slicking back the sides, but it was just getting too messy. So when people had begun to ask if they were "a boy and 2 girls", we had come to realization that it was definitely time to get the boys first hair cut.

So finally I asked my stylist, Nanette if she could do their hair. Nanette has been doing my hair for years, I love her! She's been with me during our home purchases (both houses) and remodeling, painting, flooring, and decorations. We'd chat about the new projects, and always talk about Don and my baby quest during the years of infertility. And when I got pregnant and was house bound, she came to me to give me a trim and help me feel a bit better about feeling like a beached whale. And didn't charge! So it meant the world to me that she would be part of such a milestone for the same babies she had helped me pray for.


Once we got to the salon, the kids were pretty good. My mom was able to come and give us a hand, and they love being held by their Nana. The boys were in the choo choo wagon, all waiting their turns. Luke went first, and gave us almost no trouble. We decided to keep the length on the top of his hair. I have to mention he never lost this top hair when the rest all fell out. So I wanted to keep the "original" hair as much as possible. Now he's a styling little boy!

Jaxon went next, and by now Aunt Leigha had come to join us. He was a bit wiggly towards the end, but Leigha's coolSobe drink next to his face was very soothing, and he stayed still like a little mannequin. For Jaxon's hair, we went a bit spiky at the top. His is the most changed, I think. He has such a beautiful golden color to his hair that is harder to see when it is so short. But his hair cut totally matches his personality.

Last, it was Wyatt's turn. The other two were over the whole salon experience and getting a bit impatient, so Nana took them outside for a walk. Wyatt started out well, but was also losing his patience after a little while. His cut didn't go as easily as the other two, but he still did okay. I think he was fighting the idea of his beautiful baby curls being cut off! Fortunately for all of us who love his curls, Nanette thinks they are here to stay, not just baby curls. We went short on the sides and back for Wyatt, so he is still curly on the top. Leigha says it is like Justin Timberlake. Ah, Justin has got nothing over Wyatt!


I think the cut went better than expected, and for all 3, it didn't even take a full hour. We love all their cuts, they are perfect for each boys personality. BUT the only issue we now have is that it is very obvious that our babies are now into toddler-hood!

Manners Vent

So today was a wonderful day of firsts, which includes the lemon photos of the kids on the side. But first I'm going to vent a little about the manners, or I should say lack of manners that I witnessed today.

My mom, sister, Don, the babies and I headed to Olive Garden for dinner tonight. The wait was supposed to be 20 minutes, turned into a half hour or so. We are all standing, Don is holding Jaxon, I am holding Wyatt, and my mom is holding Luke. Don runs back out to the car, so I am standing there, in the waiting area, holding two 20+ lb babies. Now this is not so unusual. We multiple moms are used to holding lots of babies at once, but what I couldn't get over, is that not one single person there offered me a seat. There are like 12 seats lined against the walls. Young kids, moms, dads, NO ONE even offered. There is lady standing next to me, using 2 crutches. And not one person offered their seat to her, either. So Don comes back in, I hand Jax back over, and we wait for a while, seats come open, we have a seat. I let the crutches lady know there is an open seat to the side. After a little bit longer we got seated at our table, and the manager comes over and lets us know he will comp the babies food for the wait (how nice is that?). We never even complained!
Dinner was terrific. It was nice to catch up with my sister. We don't see each other nearly enough. The kids behaved, they even tried lemons, all our food was great, and no one interrupted us about the babies. It was time to pay the check and Don was waiting for the server to collect our bill. I headed out with the two babies in each arm again, with my mom only a minute behind. Again the lobby was full. People looking at me, wondering if I had twins while I am just trying to get to the doors. The doors that no one even opened for me. I have two babies in my arms people, open the stinking door for goodness sakes! Luckily it is a push door, so I just turned around and pushed it with my back and opened it and the one behind it and loaded the kids in the car.
What in the world happened to teaching kids manners? Why did not one single man, woman, or child reach for the door. Am I already so old that I need to compare to when I was a kid and loved to get a "Thank you" from a stranger? Why did not one parent there feel the need to teach their child common courtesy? What if the door didn't push, would I just have to actually ask someone to be kind enough to help a woman out?

I will just take this experience as a lesson to teach my children the kindness of helping others. And also they will learn about the joy they will bring to others- as well as feel themselves- when they are thanked and their actions are appreciated.

Sick at the same time

My poor little boys. They all have cooties. The cootie of the week is a nasty one called Roseola. Wyatt had it beginning late Thursday evening, with a slight temp and that rolled into Friday, with a temp of 103.5. Took him to the on call Dr, who diagnosed him with an ear infection and gave us antibiotics. We had a busy weekend, no problems, other than a warm Wyatt who wanted to cuddle a bit (which we were happy to do). But come last night, Jaxon was getting crabby and both he and Luke were feeling warm. Today, they both have had fevers over 103, and now Wyatt has cute little dots all over his tiny body form the after rash that comes. Luckily, Wyatt is back to his normal, happy, little laughing self. Hopefully when the other 2 get up in the morning, we will be on the road to recovery. Our regular Dr said it is a virus all kids generally get before they are 2. Good to know, but definitely not fun to go through. But once again, I have to admit, I love the cuddling that these little guys want when they are under the weather. They are still so tiny, and fit right into my arms. I guess that is the silver lining to the nasty Roseola going around...

Saturday Wife

Today we spent just about the entire day with our "Saturday Wife". First thing this am, she meets us at Sam's Club, her three in tow. We go down just about every aisle, even the tool aisles for Don, and ask one another what they thought of this, or ask if you'd ever try that. We decide to try somethings like baked apples, and will compare notes on it later. The shopping is all done. We head out to the cars, load all the kids in, she gives us some movies she made for us, and we head our separate ways.

Then about an hour later, we are at our respective homes, kids are napping, and we start chatting online. Somewhere in here we decide we just may have it in us to have one more outing. Back and forth we go, trying to make each other decide if we should go tonight or tomorrow. We turn to Don, even ask her daughter. Finally she decides, it's on. We'll meet in about an hour.

We call each other a couple times on the way to double check how far are you now, where should we park, have the kids eaten dinner yet. Unload all the kids, walk over to the mall, grab some dinner for us and pizza for all the kids. We share the pizza, trying to cut the hard crust with the little plastic forks and knives. The kids are like little animals, just chewing it all down and letting us know when they need more. They're all done, we clean up the table and get the strollers on the go. Lots of stores had back to school sales, so we peeked around. Looking for any clothes that will fit the boys next year. Don had to exchange a pair of shorts, so we went ahead and let him catch up. Finally, the mall is closing, kids are tired, so we walk back to our cars, unload my kids, Don helps put her stroller up while she puts in her kids. We chat for a few more minutes in the parking lot and both drive our separate ways home.

It is bedtime now, all our kids are sleeping, and I am here writing this blog. A little box pops up. She is ready to chit chat a bit. We talk about if the kids are sleeping and if everyone feels well. Everything with her is so in synch with us. She is our perfect "Saturday Wife". And a wonderful friend. Thanks for everything, Cathy.

Water Fun

On Tuesday, the kids had a fun play date with our old neighbor Melissa and her kids. She told me about this little water park nearby, and we went this past Wednesday evening. I think it was way more fun than Don and I thought it would be. We really didn't know how the kids would react or if we'd have to chase them, etc. The kids were done only after 15 minutes, but they had lots of fun- Luke especially. He was walking all over the place, loving the water coming down on him. Both he and Jax were in the water the whole time, while Wyatt just stayed off a bit to the side for the most part. We think this will become a regular place for us!

(Click and then scroll your mouse over pic for description)

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Cute pics of the day

On my living room wall

Looking tonight at our new family picture, I think it has really hit me, that this is MY family. After so many years of wanting just this, is seems so foreign to me that I am staring right at it on my living room wall. These little boys and my husband mean the world to me. They all make my life so complete. What was I before I was Don's wife? In another year, will I remember what it was like before I was a mom? I already have almost no recollection of the absolute heartache of going through infertility and even worse, feeling like no one could really understand the personal torment that it was. I do remember it was horrible, but the pain is almost totally gone. And then the overwhelming weight of knowing we were having triplets, where I couldn't even talk to my own husband, father of the very same babies about their soon to be lives. Yes,I was so excited about God finally blessing us with our own family, but the thought of how expensive cribs, bedding, clothing, diapers, formula...I was so overwhelmed. And then the thoughts of how could I possibly mother 3 children at once? Will they get enough love and attention from only one set of parents? Even when they were born, and I couldn't just love on them like I envisioned. I had to hold back on loving gestures because they were preemies and it was imperative that they got the quiet and stillness they needed to continue to develop while they spent over a month in the hospital. Finally we got to take them home, love them all we could. Crazy schedules, always feeding, bathing, diaper changes. Turned into us getting excited at the baby developments, watching them try to roll over, seeing that they were noticing each other, hearing the first actual coos and laughs. And now we are watching our babies learn to walk and watching them play chase with one another and tonight we were watching them kissing one another, these clumsy grabs of one another's head with a big open mouth just trying so hard to kiss their brothers. And I can finally let it all sink in that this is the life I have prayed for, and was finally blessed with. This is the family I so desperately would just plead with God to please give me a chance to have. This is the husband that as a teenager I just knew was out there for me, the one that was an absolute perfect match. And these are the children we had cried, prayed, and pleaded with God to give us, for 6 long years. And that is the picture -all five of us- 9 years in the making, hanging on my living room wall.

Fun Friday!

We had such a busy Friday and Saturday! On Friday, I decided to take the kids out to Costco and pick up some goodies like meat and milk. But on the way to Costco, we would be driving right by Nana's neighborhood. So we called to invite Nana, and she said she would LOVE to join us. Then Don got out of work early and met us there, too. We did all our shopping, followed Don's car home and put the kids down for a nap. When they woke up, Don showed Jaxon the airplanes out of the window. Jax loved them, and would make sounds when he couldn't find another one. Don and I decided we would take the kids to a park near the airport so the boys could check out airplanes close up! Cathy was online, so we let her know our plans and invited her to join us. We left the house, grabbed some McDonalds, and met Cathy and her kids at the park. After the kids ate, we let them out of their seats and they were everywhere. Since they were little, they've had no tolerance of long grass on their toes, hands or knees, so we thought they would stay on the blanket. No such luck... they were walking off, crawling off, just wanting to explore all they could. Luckily (for us parents) it was getting dark and it was time to pack it all in. I am not so sure we will be able
to do this again without the play yard, or double the amount of adults. But they were so cute to watch, all the boys just wanted to explore! Saturday we had the opportunity to try out an hour of Gymboree with the kids for free. For those who do not know, Gymboree is an indoor play area for toddlers. Lots of bright padding, little padded steps to climb, padded tunnels to go through. Bright padding everywhere. There were about 15 kids total, and each child had at least one parent with them. The idea is to have some structured time where the instructor will tell you to have your child go through this little baby obstacle course, then you have a few minutes of play time after. Then onto the next obstacle. Don would try Wyatt on the little steps, while I would hold onto the other two. Then I would pass Luke to him, and try Jax. Then he would give Wyatt back to me and give Lucas a chance. Do you see the pattern here? I think mom and dad got more of a workout passing the kids back and forth to each other. Then there was parachute time, and Nana and Pops showed up. Luke wasn't so impressed with the parachute, so I handed him over to Nana and let Jaxon and Wyatt be wowed by the parachute colors and bubbles that were being blown. Soon the whole thing was over, and suddenly, our kids wanted to crawl up things. Finally they were warmed up and ready to roll. Wyatt and Jaxon were crawling up things that were not even padded (gasp) I am assuming older toddlers used these, but our little 14 month olds were crawling up and down these slides like they were little pros.

I really wish we had take some pictures! Afterwards, we went to Jesses Pizza for lunch with Pops and Nana. Stayed about an hour, let the kids chew on some pizza crusts and headed on out. Off to the Outlet mall!
Last week we realized we were in need of some great deals for summer clothes for next year. But we didn't find anything at the mall. We were also hoping to find some cute clothes to put the boys in for their pictures the next day. Childrens Place, Carters and Little Me all had great sales going on, so we got some tee shirts, pajamas, and polos for next year. We also found the cute picture outfits and even got a deal on a few new winter clothes. It was almost 6 o'clock before we had gotten home. Then it was time for dinner, baths, bottles and bed. But from the pictures to the side, you can see they were just loving on each other before bedtime.

Professional Pictures

We have been toying around with the idea of bringing the kids back to the mall to get some new professional pictures taken. The first time we tried it was Kiddie Kandids and the results REALLY were not worth buying. Now it is almost a full year later and we felt it was time to try again. We went to the mall last weekend and talked to some of the portrait studios. I went to a place called Picture People, and found out a friend from about 9 years ago was still in the photography business in the other location. So today we had an appointment with her and got some pictures that we think came out pretty darn cute. Don't you think so?

Independence

I know, they're only 14 months old and already they are showing signs of independence? No one warned me about this. I knew they grew up fast, but jeez, no time to snuggle, or pushing a brother away because the toy is suddenly only made for one person at a time? Don and I were talking last night and realized they are not babies anymore, they are inching their way into toddlerhood.
Luke is walking around now, all the time. No more crawling for this little guy. Not only is he walking all the time, he stands up to take a swig out of his sippy. He also has claimed a corner in the living room as his own lounge. We have put two pillows to make it a bit more comfortable, and he lounges there when he decides he needs "alone time". Seriously, the kid leans back and just watches everyone with a look on his face like "what a bunch of whacks". I thought this wouldn't happen until he was about 11?
Jaxon can't be independent. He has too much fun playing with his brothers. The only thing he will do alone is lay on the floor and roll around until Wyatt notices and come over to kiss on him. He has finally began getting brave enough to walk. Jax will hold on to our finger and walk around a bit, but he is a little man who knows his limits. He will only do what he is ready for, no more and no less. Which we find very surprising being that he has always seemed the rough houser and daredevil (if you can say that of a one year old) of the group. Jax has a wonderful little stinker of a laugh and he just loves to learn things. Right now the new baby trick is "Hut,hut, hike" He will stick his little bottom in the air, legs spread, and pass anything through his legs to his dad.
Wyatt has shown his recently gained independence by absolutely refusing to share any toys, unless it s his idea, or is someone else's toy to begin with. Then he shares long enough to claim it, then throws a fit when the other poor kid tries to play with the toy that was originally his. He is starting to walk from object to object on his own. No more monkey walk, now it's the real deal. And Wyatt has become genius of the week. He is able to take the 8 stacking blocks and nestle them all together, quickly, on his own.
And this is the new group skill, climbing up the stairs for nap time. Our little babies are growing up so fast.