Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Winter Walk
We took the boys for a walk yesterday in the "warm" weather. They look so cute in their coats!!! (Of course, I'm a little biased)
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Bennington Christmas 2008
We had a great Christmas! We were surrounded by family and the boys loved it. We started the morning opening gifts with just the 5 of us. There were some grumpy boys, mainly frustrated by not being able to immediately play with their new toys. They were much better once the toys were out of the boxes ... there were new toys after all! They did enjoy the wrapping paper though - tasted yummy. In the afternoon we had both sides of our family over to the house. The boys loved the attention of being surrounded by adults all wanting to help them get those toys out of the silly boxes again!
We have such a great family! Everyone spoiled the boys and the boys loved every minute of it. I hope everyone had as wonderful of a Christmas as we did! Happy Holidays!
We have such a great family! Everyone spoiled the boys and the boys loved every minute of it. I hope everyone had as wonderful of a Christmas as we did! Happy Holidays!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Bed Head
I promise I'll post a real entry soon, but for now, here's an adorable picture of Nick right after he woke up from his nap this afternoon...
Sunday, December 14, 2008
The Awkwardness of Being 14 Months Old
The boys are at a very interesting time in their development right now and its creating some unique parenting circumstances.
The entire world is (literally) new to them. They have the energy and a new found mobility to explore it. They are testing & investigating everything. Its really fun to watch them with a new toy or encounter a new situation for the first time. They are learning at a faster rate now than they will probably ever learn in the future.
And yet... Its seems like such an awkward age, although its probably a lot more awkward for us than it is for them. They lack language, emotional skills, and fine motor skills. They can't tell us what they want quite yet (although they are all getting pretty adept at signing), but they are developing likes and dislikes. They can't quite keep themselves entertained during a meal out and yet they don't sleep in the carriers any more. But they thoroughly enjoy Olive Garden bread sticks. They haven't learned some of the finer motor skills like "touch nice." (They tend to slap, crush, and headbutt.) Which means they want to touch everything, but unless its made for kids, it gets beaten up. (My parents golden retriever is dumbfounded by them.) They aren't interested in specific toys (any box will do fine), but they like to play. Their attention span is longer than it was, but still not terribly long. And they are very mobile, but not quite mobile enough for us to, say, let them run free at a park while we watch.
In essence, we want to take them everywhere, but most of the time we don't feel like we can. They are just on the cusp of "getting it" but not quite there. For Tiff & I as parents, its both neat and a mildly frustrating.
Which isn't to say we are shut ins and never take the boys out. It's just hard finding experiences and places that match this age. Any suggestions???
The entire world is (literally) new to them. They have the energy and a new found mobility to explore it. They are testing & investigating everything. Its really fun to watch them with a new toy or encounter a new situation for the first time. They are learning at a faster rate now than they will probably ever learn in the future.
And yet... Its seems like such an awkward age, although its probably a lot more awkward for us than it is for them. They lack language, emotional skills, and fine motor skills. They can't tell us what they want quite yet (although they are all getting pretty adept at signing), but they are developing likes and dislikes. They can't quite keep themselves entertained during a meal out and yet they don't sleep in the carriers any more. But they thoroughly enjoy Olive Garden bread sticks. They haven't learned some of the finer motor skills like "touch nice." (They tend to slap, crush, and headbutt.) Which means they want to touch everything, but unless its made for kids, it gets beaten up. (My parents golden retriever is dumbfounded by them.) They aren't interested in specific toys (any box will do fine), but they like to play. Their attention span is longer than it was, but still not terribly long. And they are very mobile, but not quite mobile enough for us to, say, let them run free at a park while we watch.
In essence, we want to take them everywhere, but most of the time we don't feel like we can. They are just on the cusp of "getting it" but not quite there. For Tiff & I as parents, its both neat and a mildly frustrating.
Which isn't to say we are shut ins and never take the boys out. It's just hard finding experiences and places that match this age. Any suggestions???
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Where once was a basement...
Now is a PLAY ROOM!
My brother helped us transform our basement into a play room for the boys. We needed to "cage" the boys in and make is more toddler proof. Our original idea was to put some snow fence up - cheap, quick - not exactly Home and Gardens though. Brandon had the idea to do a picket fence. Now the boys can play "out in the yard" all year long! We even found some green carpet for the grass. The boys love the new space and new toys. We were finally able to get out some of their birthday gifts since we have more room! Thanks Uncle Brandon for an awesome play room!!!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
The Boys on TV!
Today, the boys were on the local Decatur TV News. Okay, so technically, Grandma Carol was on the news. But the boys were there while she did her interview so there are some cute shots of the boys too!
Before I post the video, I want to explain what it's for... and mention how proud we all are of Grandma Carol!!! Back in September, mom was selected to participate in the Central Illinois Biggest Loser contest sponsored by the local TV station. There were 10 people selected from her town and a total of 30 people competing. So far, she's lost 20 lbs. Keep up the good work mom!
To help mom up the incentive/motivation, my brother Brandon decided to try and loose some weight too. So far he has lost 23 lbs. We're proud of you too! I'm so jealous of both of them. They are doing great and we want to support them however we can... Keep it up!
Here's the video:
Or go to the WAND TV Web site for the video
Before I post the video, I want to explain what it's for... and mention how proud we all are of Grandma Carol!!! Back in September, mom was selected to participate in the Central Illinois Biggest Loser contest sponsored by the local TV station. There were 10 people selected from her town and a total of 30 people competing. So far, she's lost 20 lbs. Keep up the good work mom!
To help mom up the incentive/motivation, my brother Brandon decided to try and loose some weight too. So far he has lost 23 lbs. We're proud of you too! I'm so jealous of both of them. They are doing great and we want to support them however we can... Keep it up!
Here's the video:
Or go to the WAND TV Web site for the video
Blocks
Let's just say... It's harder than you'd think to get three 1 year olds to sit still for a pictures. They're all too eager to walk everywhere. But we liked the blocks!
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Aloha and Mahalo!
Aloha and Mahalo! Adam and I have spent the last week here in Hawai'i on Waikiki Beach and had a very nice time.
We arrived on Saturday and spent our time familiarizing ourselves with the hotel. We ate at the Italian restaurant on site and had our first price shock. The food was great, but extremely expensive for pasta. Sunday we tried the breakfast buffet here at the hotel. $60 for breakfast buffet... and about 1/2 of it was more Japanese style (sushi, etc.). Yeah, I'm not so exotic with my eating habits. Okay, so we obviously need to eat places other than the hotel property... We spent the rest of the day exploring the Waikiki Beach area. We found some nice shopping malls and the International Marketplace. We also found the ABC stores. There are hundreds of them (and I'm not exaggerating) on the island. It's kind of like a Walgreens with souvenirs too. They are almost on every block (or two). Sunday night, we ate at Benihana of Tokyo. Here they cook your food right in front of you. I actually ate all of my food (except the salad) with chop sticks! I've never used them before and I'm not usually adventurous with my food. I ate/tried everything and was very proud of myself (granted, I did get a steak for the main course - not real adventurous there).
Monday we went to the Polynesian Cultural Center on the north side of the island. It was about an hour drive through scenic Oahu (although all of Oahu is scenic). We got to see how the islanders used to live and live today on the different Polynesian islands (before and after the missionaries). We also went to a luau and watched them unearth the (big) pig. They finished the night with a show - lots of dancers and even some fire throwers!
Tuesday we went to Pearl Harbor and toured the USS Arizona Memorial - very somber but very nice. After that, we boarded the USS Missouri (aka "Mighty Mo") and toured the decommissioned battleship that served as the signing spot for the treaty that ended WWII.
Wednesday through Friday, Adam had conference sessions in the morning then we spent our afternoons by the pool enjoying the sun and our books! Wednesday and Friday we had conference sponsored dinners. Thursday night we went on a ghost walking tour around downtown Honolulu. It wasn't bad, but we've been on better.
Adam earned the trip by completing his ChFC (Chartered Financial Consultant) certification from The American College. Friday they had the commencement ceremonies where he walked across the stage to get his certificate. (This isn't him walking across the stage - those pictures turned out blurry. But they displayed the certificates on the big screen.)
It was a nice ceremony, but very, very long. There were about 500 people that walked! Thankfully, I sat next to a nice gal from Ohio that was also a mom of 2 year old twin girls. Made the 2 1/2 hour long ceremony go much faster! After the "luau" (that was moved indoors because of the potential rain), there were fireworks on the beach - lots of them. Very impressive to see!
Today it rained, a lot. We were going to go to the Waikiki Aquarium, but the rain put a hamper on our travel plans. Instead, we went to the major mall near by. Tomorrow we head home... which brings me to Mahalo...
Mahalo is the Hawaiian word for Thank You. And that is what I need to say...
Mahalo to our parents (and brother and sisters) for watching our children while we've been here! Without you, we would have not been able to come on the trip. Mahalo for giving up your free time to let the boys take over your lives for days at a time.
Mahalo to my husband for working so hard to complete the certification that earned this trip to Hawai'i. Without your hard work, we probably never would have come here!
Mahalo to the boys for having a great time with grandma and grandpa and grandma and grandpa and Aunt Audrey and Uncle Brandon! Hopefully you're not having so much fun that you forget who we are! We miss you bunches! And Mahalo to Brandon and Grandpa B for the pictures and the web cam... it's been nice to see the boys walking and playing from this far away!
As nice as it is here, it will be very nice to be home with our family! Aloha!
We arrived on Saturday and spent our time familiarizing ourselves with the hotel. We ate at the Italian restaurant on site and had our first price shock. The food was great, but extremely expensive for pasta. Sunday we tried the breakfast buffet here at the hotel. $60 for breakfast buffet... and about 1/2 of it was more Japanese style (sushi, etc.). Yeah, I'm not so exotic with my eating habits. Okay, so we obviously need to eat places other than the hotel property... We spent the rest of the day exploring the Waikiki Beach area. We found some nice shopping malls and the International Marketplace. We also found the ABC stores. There are hundreds of them (and I'm not exaggerating) on the island. It's kind of like a Walgreens with souvenirs too. They are almost on every block (or two). Sunday night, we ate at Benihana of Tokyo. Here they cook your food right in front of you. I actually ate all of my food (except the salad) with chop sticks! I've never used them before and I'm not usually adventurous with my food. I ate/tried everything and was very proud of myself (granted, I did get a steak for the main course - not real adventurous there).
Monday we went to the Polynesian Cultural Center on the north side of the island. It was about an hour drive through scenic Oahu (although all of Oahu is scenic). We got to see how the islanders used to live and live today on the different Polynesian islands (before and after the missionaries). We also went to a luau and watched them unearth the (big) pig. They finished the night with a show - lots of dancers and even some fire throwers!
Tuesday we went to Pearl Harbor and toured the USS Arizona Memorial - very somber but very nice. After that, we boarded the USS Missouri (aka "Mighty Mo") and toured the decommissioned battleship that served as the signing spot for the treaty that ended WWII.
Wednesday through Friday, Adam had conference sessions in the morning then we spent our afternoons by the pool enjoying the sun and our books! Wednesday and Friday we had conference sponsored dinners. Thursday night we went on a ghost walking tour around downtown Honolulu. It wasn't bad, but we've been on better.
Adam earned the trip by completing his ChFC (Chartered Financial Consultant) certification from The American College. Friday they had the commencement ceremonies where he walked across the stage to get his certificate. (This isn't him walking across the stage - those pictures turned out blurry. But they displayed the certificates on the big screen.)
It was a nice ceremony, but very, very long. There were about 500 people that walked! Thankfully, I sat next to a nice gal from Ohio that was also a mom of 2 year old twin girls. Made the 2 1/2 hour long ceremony go much faster! After the "luau" (that was moved indoors because of the potential rain), there were fireworks on the beach - lots of them. Very impressive to see!Today it rained, a lot. We were going to go to the Waikiki Aquarium, but the rain put a hamper on our travel plans. Instead, we went to the major mall near by. Tomorrow we head home... which brings me to Mahalo...
Mahalo is the Hawaiian word for Thank You. And that is what I need to say...
Mahalo to our parents (and brother and sisters) for watching our children while we've been here! Without you, we would have not been able to come on the trip. Mahalo for giving up your free time to let the boys take over your lives for days at a time.
Mahalo to my husband for working so hard to complete the certification that earned this trip to Hawai'i. Without your hard work, we probably never would have come here!
Mahalo to the boys for having a great time with grandma and grandpa and grandma and grandpa and Aunt Audrey and Uncle Brandon! Hopefully you're not having so much fun that you forget who we are! We miss you bunches! And Mahalo to Brandon and Grandpa B for the pictures and the web cam... it's been nice to see the boys walking and playing from this far away!
As nice as it is here, it will be very nice to be home with our family! Aloha!
Friday, November 14, 2008
13 Months Old
Hey Everyone! This is Alex, Logan and Nick coming at you! Mom and dad have been busy packing their bags this week, so we thought we'd update the blog and let you know all the cool new tricks we've been perfecting since we turned 1...
We are all walking now. Yes, Alex, we know you have been walking for a while now, but now we are too. It all happened right around Halloween (that was fun) and since then we've only gotten better and faster!
Have you guys noticed the difference in our meals? Yeah! So long bottles, hello sippy cups. I'm not so excited about the sippy cups, but the whole milk is so much better than the formula. Although why do they give it to us cold? I think I liked the warm a little better. I think that's why they still give us one bottle at bedtime with warm milk, so we have a little bit of the old as we adjust to the new. And then there's the goldfish! Yes, Nick, we know you have learned to love the goldfish. Alex, you like the crackers better but I, Logan... love it all! And Nick and I have even started to tell mom and dad that we want more (and sometimes that we're finished) using signs.
Speaking of talking with our hands... Do you notice how excited mom and dad get when Nick moves his hand back and forth at them? Guys, I think they call it waving. When ever some says Hi or Bye, we're supposed to look out the window and wave. It takes a little practice - at first I shook my whole body with both hands, but now I can wave with just one hand (and sometimes both). They think it's great... you should try it sometime.
Forget about the waving, I'm usually too busy trying to climb over the silly gates. Yeah Logan, you are often told No when you are doing it, but you keep trying. (I don't like that word No, so I typically ignore it - Logan) It's fun to try and climb the gates, but have you tried climbing the boxes? Mom and dad got us these awesome gifts after our birthday - diaper boxes! We've been pushing them all around and climbing up on top of them. Sometimes, if it's just right, we can climb from the boxes to the couch! It's also pretty cool when we get in them and someone pushes us around in them.
Nick, you totally missed out the other day! Logan and I broke down the gate and climbed upstairs to find mom and dad. Again, they were packing so we thought we'd come up and help. They looked like they weren't expecting us or something. It's so fun to climb the stairs though. And breaking free is of course what we aim for all the time!
Peek-a-boo! I love that game! I think it's funny when Alex stands around the corner, peeks around and Logan, you bust up laughing! It makes me laugh too. And when mom and dad play with the blankets... I don't know where they go under those things, but they are funny when we pull off the blankets and find them - or one of you.
Hurry up and finish! Mom just realized we were all together plotting. She's bound to come in and figure out what we're doing. Well, that's it for now... we'll post more next time we can get some computer time. Bye!!!
Note: Okay, so obviously this is a little late in posting. I had it started before we left for vacation, but didn't get to finish it before we left. Either way... enjoy!
We are all walking now. Yes, Alex, we know you have been walking for a while now, but now we are too. It all happened right around Halloween (that was fun) and since then we've only gotten better and faster!
Have you guys noticed the difference in our meals? Yeah! So long bottles, hello sippy cups. I'm not so excited about the sippy cups, but the whole milk is so much better than the formula. Although why do they give it to us cold? I think I liked the warm a little better. I think that's why they still give us one bottle at bedtime with warm milk, so we have a little bit of the old as we adjust to the new. And then there's the goldfish! Yes, Nick, we know you have learned to love the goldfish. Alex, you like the crackers better but I, Logan... love it all! And Nick and I have even started to tell mom and dad that we want more (and sometimes that we're finished) using signs.
Speaking of talking with our hands... Do you notice how excited mom and dad get when Nick moves his hand back and forth at them? Guys, I think they call it waving. When ever some says Hi or Bye, we're supposed to look out the window and wave. It takes a little practice - at first I shook my whole body with both hands, but now I can wave with just one hand (and sometimes both). They think it's great... you should try it sometime.
Forget about the waving, I'm usually too busy trying to climb over the silly gates. Yeah Logan, you are often told No when you are doing it, but you keep trying. (I don't like that word No, so I typically ignore it - Logan) It's fun to try and climb the gates, but have you tried climbing the boxes? Mom and dad got us these awesome gifts after our birthday - diaper boxes! We've been pushing them all around and climbing up on top of them. Sometimes, if it's just right, we can climb from the boxes to the couch! It's also pretty cool when we get in them and someone pushes us around in them.
Nick, you totally missed out the other day! Logan and I broke down the gate and climbed upstairs to find mom and dad. Again, they were packing so we thought we'd come up and help. They looked like they weren't expecting us or something. It's so fun to climb the stairs though. And breaking free is of course what we aim for all the time!
Peek-a-boo! I love that game! I think it's funny when Alex stands around the corner, peeks around and Logan, you bust up laughing! It makes me laugh too. And when mom and dad play with the blankets... I don't know where they go under those things, but they are funny when we pull off the blankets and find them - or one of you.
Hurry up and finish! Mom just realized we were all together plotting. She's bound to come in and figure out what we're doing. Well, that's it for now... we'll post more next time we can get some computer time. Bye!!!
Note: Okay, so obviously this is a little late in posting. I had it started before we left for vacation, but didn't get to finish it before we left. Either way... enjoy!
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Logan & Uncle Brandon
Because this was just so cute... Logan has such an awesome laugh! Here is a video from fun time with Uncle Brandon...
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
1st Haircuts
Shortly after their birthday, we took them to get haircuts. It was long over due! They were all starting to get shaggy and mullets are NOT back in style! We took the boys to Cookie Cutters here in town. They specialize in kids' cuts. They are set up with different stations that all have TV screens and DVD players. They have a couple with PS2s at them even! The boys got to sit in a car (with a working horn) and watch Baby Einstein. They did great! The only time they really got upset was when she blocked their view of the screen (definitely my kids). It was so different seeing them with their short hair at first. But now as I look back at pictures and see their old hair, I like their new cuts even more!
Also, don't forget to check out the new pictures on the slide show (right hand pane of the blog). So much has been going on over the past 3 weeks since their birthday. Now it's time to catch up the blog!
Also, don't forget to check out the new pictures on the slide show (right hand pane of the blog). So much has been going on over the past 3 weeks since their birthday. Now it's time to catch up the blog!
1st Birthday Party
On October 18th, 2007, we brought home 3 healthy baby boys from the hospital. It was only fitting that one year later, we were able to celebrate the day with all our friends and family. And we have such great friends and a wonderful family. We could not have made it through this past year with out everyone that helped us out. Thanks!!!
The boys had a good time at their birthday party. The weather was very cooperative so we were able to be both inside and outside. We moved their highchairs out into the garage for their second attempt at cake. This time I only gave them cupcakes and they seemed to be much cleaner! They still weren't very excited to try it. I even tried putting Cheerios on it, but Logan was the only one that fell for it, and he didn't like it.
The boys enjoyed all the people and attention. Thanks again to everyone who was able to make it! And thanks for helping us make it through this first year.
Here are some pictures from the day...
The boys had a good time at their birthday party. The weather was very cooperative so we were able to be both inside and outside. We moved their highchairs out into the garage for their second attempt at cake. This time I only gave them cupcakes and they seemed to be much cleaner! They still weren't very excited to try it. I even tried putting Cheerios on it, but Logan was the only one that fell for it, and he didn't like it.
The boys enjoyed all the people and attention. Thanks again to everyone who was able to make it! And thanks for helping us make it through this first year.
Here are some pictures from the day...
Sunday, November 2, 2008
The Bennington Outdoor Adventure
This weekend, we took advantage of the awesome fall weather by taking the boys outside to play. On Saturday, we went over to State Farm park to walk around. There was almost no one there and when we found a play area, we actually took the boys out of their strollers and let them play on the equipment. This is probably the first time we've let them loose in the wild before. They weren't sure about the mulch stuff that they were standing on. Alex quickly took off while Logan had to taste the mulch to make sure it was safe. While Alex was over petting/smacking the rocking chicken (?), Logan and Nick enjoyed going down the slide. Logan liked riding the chicken, but kept sliding off to one side or the other.
Eventually, we got them all up on the equipment. They loved to go through the tunnel or stand at the bars and stare at the "big blue room". Adam and I each took an end/exit and the boys would do laps through the tunnel and around the walkway. Alex especially liked to do laps, although one time he tripped and banged his head into one of the bars. He now has a huge purple welt on his forehead!
Sunday, we stayed closer to home and went out in the back yard. We raked up a big pile of leaves so the boys would be able to play in them. When they first sat down, they weren't so sure about it. In fact, Nick never really did warm up to them, unless he was sitting with me. They did like to kick at the leaves, kinda like splashing the water in the bath. They looked so cute buried in the leaves! And of course, Logan had to do a taste check. It seems some of them tasted different than others so he had to do a fair sample. Nick decided he'd had enough, so he went with Adam up onto the porch. There they examined the leaf blower and grill. Keep in mind, this is the first time we've taken the boys out into our own back yard and let them crawl/walk around on their own for more than 30 seconds!
The boys has a great time and we had fun with them. Fall is by far the best season!
Eventually, we got them all up on the equipment. They loved to go through the tunnel or stand at the bars and stare at the "big blue room". Adam and I each took an end/exit and the boys would do laps through the tunnel and around the walkway. Alex especially liked to do laps, although one time he tripped and banged his head into one of the bars. He now has a huge purple welt on his forehead!
Sunday, we stayed closer to home and went out in the back yard. We raked up a big pile of leaves so the boys would be able to play in them. When they first sat down, they weren't so sure about it. In fact, Nick never really did warm up to them, unless he was sitting with me. They did like to kick at the leaves, kinda like splashing the water in the bath. They looked so cute buried in the leaves! And of course, Logan had to do a taste check. It seems some of them tasted different than others so he had to do a fair sample. Nick decided he'd had enough, so he went with Adam up onto the porch. There they examined the leaf blower and grill. Keep in mind, this is the first time we've taken the boys out into our own back yard and let them crawl/walk around on their own for more than 30 seconds!
The boys has a great time and we had fun with them. Fall is by far the best season!
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Happy Halloween!
Last night we dressed the boys in their Halloween costumes and handed out candy to the trick-or-treaters. They really enjoyed looking out the window at all the people that walked by and came up to the door. They even didn't mind the costumes too much (although I think after a while they got hot since the weather was so nice!). Some kids even came up to the windows to talk to the boys. At one point, we mentioned to one of the moms that we had triplets inside and she said something like "Oh, you're THAT house!" Seems our triplet stroller roaming through the neighborhood is a bit of an eye catcher.
Hope everyone else had as great of a Halloween as we did! We look forward to being able to take the boys out next year. Should be an adventure all of it's own!
Hope everyone else had as great of a Halloween as we did! We look forward to being able to take the boys out next year. Should be an adventure all of it's own!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Our babies are so awesome!
Our babies are so awesome! It's so hard to believe a year has gone by already. Wasn't it just yesterday that we were up every 3 hours feeding them bottles?
We were excited when they let out a big burp. Now we scold them when they blow raspberries with a mouth full of food.
They all slept in the bassinet of the pack 'n' play for the majority of the day. Now the pack 'n' play is a portable bed for 1 of them!
We used to think it was frustrating to dress them because of all the snaps on their sleepers. Ah, the days when they couldn't roll over, wiggle or crawl away. It's amazing how quickly they can get one leg out of their pants while you are working on the second, and then the second leg out when you go back for the first, and... you get the picture!
Their little heads used to be so bald - Nick was easy to pick out of the three because he actually had a lot of dark hair while the other two had little whisps of blonde. Now they all need a haircut something awful! Mullets are not back!
We would put down one blanket in the middle of the play room for them to all get tummy time. Now the play room barely has room to walk through there are so many toys!
Since our last post:
Alex now has 5 teeth, 2 on bottom and 3 on top. They're very sharp too! He has a habit of coming over for hugs, burying his head in your shoulder and biting down - hopefully getting a mouth full of shirt, but sometimes you get a 'love bite'! He babbles a lot more and walks everywhere - very well! And he loves he remotes (or the playstation controller)! That is the first place he'll go to when we let them into the living room.
Logan has 4 teeth with two more coming in, 2 on bottom and 2 (4) on top. It is actually not his front two teeth that came in first - it was the ones between the front teeth and the canine. Kinda odd, but so cute! He's also standing on his own now and taking a few steps. He gets so excited to take a few steps. Logan doesn't typically babble quite as much as his brothers, but he likes to yell out the window the past few days. He does kinda say 'b' sounds as in book or bird.
Nick has 3 teeth, 2 on bottom and one on top. He talks up a storm - typically 'ga' or 'du' and of course 'dada'. He can almost say 'dog' - or at least that's what he trys to mimic when we say 'dog'. He loves to look at the bugs on the blanket in the play room - specifically the lady bugs. He kinda says the bu part of bugs, but I could be imagining things.
We all had our first cold a couple of weeks ago (about the time the blogging stopped). The boys did surprisingly well. Thankfully it wasn't as bad as I had feared our first cold would be. Of course, that just means that they didn't have a bad cold and there is more to come in the future. The first night was really the worst. They all took turns waking up and crying because they couldn't breathe. Thankfully, they took turns most of the night. Only one time that two were up at the same time. Otherwise, during the days they were just lethargic and kinda clingy. It was most odd to see Logan sit still for so long (okay, so it was probably 2 minutes or something, but for him, that's long!). It only lasted 3 or 4 days, and each night got better, so we got off pretty easy!
They are all getting good at playing peek-a-boo with the blankets. Alex will hold the blanket up in front of his face and drop it down so you can find him. Logan loves to hide under the blanket when you put it on him... and doesn't even try to take it off. But once you do, he laughs like he was in the most perfect hiding spot! Nick likes to have the blanket thrown on him and he'll pop out from under it. But the best part is when they play peek-a-boo with each other. Someone will hide under and the others will crawl up on him and they all end up in a big baby pile giggling at each other.
We were excited when they let out a big burp. Now we scold them when they blow raspberries with a mouth full of food.
They all slept in the bassinet of the pack 'n' play for the majority of the day. Now the pack 'n' play is a portable bed for 1 of them!
We used to think it was frustrating to dress them because of all the snaps on their sleepers. Ah, the days when they couldn't roll over, wiggle or crawl away. It's amazing how quickly they can get one leg out of their pants while you are working on the second, and then the second leg out when you go back for the first, and... you get the picture!
Their little heads used to be so bald - Nick was easy to pick out of the three because he actually had a lot of dark hair while the other two had little whisps of blonde. Now they all need a haircut something awful! Mullets are not back!
We would put down one blanket in the middle of the play room for them to all get tummy time. Now the play room barely has room to walk through there are so many toys!
Since our last post:
Alex now has 5 teeth, 2 on bottom and 3 on top. They're very sharp too! He has a habit of coming over for hugs, burying his head in your shoulder and biting down - hopefully getting a mouth full of shirt, but sometimes you get a 'love bite'! He babbles a lot more and walks everywhere - very well! And he loves he remotes (or the playstation controller)! That is the first place he'll go to when we let them into the living room.
Logan has 4 teeth with two more coming in, 2 on bottom and 2 (4) on top. It is actually not his front two teeth that came in first - it was the ones between the front teeth and the canine. Kinda odd, but so cute! He's also standing on his own now and taking a few steps. He gets so excited to take a few steps. Logan doesn't typically babble quite as much as his brothers, but he likes to yell out the window the past few days. He does kinda say 'b' sounds as in book or bird.
Nick has 3 teeth, 2 on bottom and one on top. He talks up a storm - typically 'ga' or 'du' and of course 'dada'. He can almost say 'dog' - or at least that's what he trys to mimic when we say 'dog'. He loves to look at the bugs on the blanket in the play room - specifically the lady bugs. He kinda says the bu part of bugs, but I could be imagining things.
We all had our first cold a couple of weeks ago (about the time the blogging stopped). The boys did surprisingly well. Thankfully it wasn't as bad as I had feared our first cold would be. Of course, that just means that they didn't have a bad cold and there is more to come in the future. The first night was really the worst. They all took turns waking up and crying because they couldn't breathe. Thankfully, they took turns most of the night. Only one time that two were up at the same time. Otherwise, during the days they were just lethargic and kinda clingy. It was most odd to see Logan sit still for so long (okay, so it was probably 2 minutes or something, but for him, that's long!). It only lasted 3 or 4 days, and each night got better, so we got off pretty easy!
They are all getting good at playing peek-a-boo with the blankets. Alex will hold the blanket up in front of his face and drop it down so you can find him. Logan loves to hide under the blanket when you put it on him... and doesn't even try to take it off. But once you do, he laughs like he was in the most perfect hiding spot! Nick likes to have the blanket thrown on him and he'll pop out from under it. But the best part is when they play peek-a-boo with each other. Someone will hide under and the others will crawl up on him and they all end up in a big baby pile giggling at each other.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Happy Birthday Alex, Logan and Nick!
We made it! One year has never gone by so fast... or been quite so busy and awesome all at the same time!
We started off the day by going to the doctor for our 1 year checkup. Everyone is doing great. There were no issues/concerns. We talked about switching over to cow's milk and sippy cups and trying more table foods. We already started with cow's milk this weekend and the boys don't seem to mind it at all. Now we just have to get it gradually less warm and in sippy cups. I'm afraid it sounds easier than it really will be.
Here are their stats:
Alex: 24 lbs. 15 oz (80th %tile) and 30 1/2 inches (70th %tile)
Logan: 19 lbs. 12 oz (25th %tile) and 29 1/4 inches (25th %tile)
Nick: 23 lbs. 13 oz (50th %tile) and 30 1/4 (50th %tile)
This afternoon, the boys had some visitors come up to help them celebrate their birthday. Grandma Carol and Uncle Brandon brought Cousin Sydney up to play (all the way from Alabama!). Aunt Audrey stopped by for a while and played. Grandpa B., Grandma Judy and Grandpa Barry were all here too by the time the boys woke up from their afternoon nap. That is when the real fun began... Cake!
I made them each their own individual cakes. I bought "reduced sugar" cake mix and icing. The cake tasted the same, but the icing... taste aside, the texture was hard to get over. It was very goopy. Anyway, we sang happy birthday to the boys while they stared at us wondering what was wrong with us. Then we gave them their cakes. They weren't sure what to do with them. Logan was the first one to start smacking at it. Alex just gave it (and us) a dirty look and Nick was more interested in the plate the cake was on than the cake itself! Needless to say, they made a mess. And no one really tried to eat any of the cake (or icing). The bites we "helped" them have... spit right back out. I think for the party on Saturday I'm going to have to put Cheerios all over the cake and maybe they'll try it! We took the boys directly from their chairs to the bath tub.
After they (and the kitchen) were clean again, we let them open a few gifts. They weren't real sure what to do about the paper, but did like the new toys they got. One of them even kept all three of their attentions for at least 2 minutes (a very, very long time for 1 year olds) and... they were all playing with it together!
Here is a slide show of pictures from our day...
We started off the day by going to the doctor for our 1 year checkup. Everyone is doing great. There were no issues/concerns. We talked about switching over to cow's milk and sippy cups and trying more table foods. We already started with cow's milk this weekend and the boys don't seem to mind it at all. Now we just have to get it gradually less warm and in sippy cups. I'm afraid it sounds easier than it really will be.
Here are their stats:
Alex: 24 lbs. 15 oz (80th %tile) and 30 1/2 inches (70th %tile)
Logan: 19 lbs. 12 oz (25th %tile) and 29 1/4 inches (25th %tile)
Nick: 23 lbs. 13 oz (50th %tile) and 30 1/4 (50th %tile)
This afternoon, the boys had some visitors come up to help them celebrate their birthday. Grandma Carol and Uncle Brandon brought Cousin Sydney up to play (all the way from Alabama!). Aunt Audrey stopped by for a while and played. Grandpa B., Grandma Judy and Grandpa Barry were all here too by the time the boys woke up from their afternoon nap. That is when the real fun began... Cake!
I made them each their own individual cakes. I bought "reduced sugar" cake mix and icing. The cake tasted the same, but the icing... taste aside, the texture was hard to get over. It was very goopy. Anyway, we sang happy birthday to the boys while they stared at us wondering what was wrong with us. Then we gave them their cakes. They weren't sure what to do with them. Logan was the first one to start smacking at it. Alex just gave it (and us) a dirty look and Nick was more interested in the plate the cake was on than the cake itself! Needless to say, they made a mess. And no one really tried to eat any of the cake (or icing). The bites we "helped" them have... spit right back out. I think for the party on Saturday I'm going to have to put Cheerios all over the cake and maybe they'll try it! We took the boys directly from their chairs to the bath tub.
After they (and the kitchen) were clean again, we let them open a few gifts. They weren't real sure what to do about the paper, but did like the new toys they got. One of them even kept all three of their attentions for at least 2 minutes (a very, very long time for 1 year olds) and... they were all playing with it together!
Here is a slide show of pictures from our day...
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Comfy Sleepy Clothes
Tonight we put the boys in jammies. They look so cute. Granted, they are all out of it. We're getting more teeth and possibly a bit of a cold which makes for some grumpy spells. Of course they bounce out of it and go to happy baby again quickly, especially if a teething ring is pulled out!
Both Logan and Nick have started standing on their own! Logan would do it for me last night and tonight I was playing with Nick and he did it too. They will both cruise all over (holding on to something). Of course they prefer to stand up then fall straight forward into me. Remember those "Trust" activities where you fall backwards and someone is supposed to catch you? They fall straight forward without hands out or anything. Now we just need to get some steps in. Alex is walking more and more. He still usually has to pull up on something to get up and started, but once he's up, he goes!
And the fun continues... Only 14 more days til the big birthday!!!
Monday, September 29, 2008
Confessions of a Triplet Mom
I must confess, raising triplets isn't always rainbows and sunshine as Adam would say. There are some trying times (like all 3 getting new teeth for example) but usually we try to forget about those and remember the good times (like being mobbed by all 3 with hugs when you come in the room). That doesn't mean we're not normal parents with normal worries/fears. I decided to confess some of my obsessions/fears...
1. The boys need hair cuts in a bad way. Alex has curls sprouting out around his ears. Logan has a bit of a rat tail, although small. Nick's hair is growing over his ears and down his neck like crazy (not in his ears - that comes many years later hopefully/or hopefully not at all). Problem is, I'm scared to cut their hair. Of course the first fear is that I'll start to do it and he'll move and I'll cut the boy. And of course, as soon as I start cutting it, I'll have keep it up regularly. The biggest fear though, is that I'll give him a horrible hair cut and he'll hate me forever! Although we'll look back at the pictures in 15-20 years and laugh, the boy will just be mad at me for all the horrible haircuts I'm bound to give him in the next 15 years! Any suggestions on how to style and cut a 1 year old boy's hair?!? I have a hard enough time styling my own hair every morning!
2. I am obsessed with boogers! I'll admit I've always been an odd person and enjoy gross things. I am still upset they wouldn't let me watch my own C-section. But with the boys, there is a daily opportunity to pick boogers. I never thought it would drive me as crazy as it does, but seeing the gooey substance peaking out of their little noses... it's a challenge to see if I can A) get it in the first pass, B) get it before the boy gets upset and sucks it back up into his head, and of course C) get it out with the help of a q-tip before the boy sqirms away completely, kicking and screaming all the way! Logan, the most boogery of the bunch has become very adept of keeping mommy's fingers/q-tips out of his nose. He's even been known to stick his own fingers up mommy's nose as payback. But seriously, some of the boogers are so big, there's no way air could possibly pass around the thing. I try to show them to Adam, but he's not a booger looker. (Adam's Interjection: He just prays its not brain matter.) I can't help it...
3. I'm worried that I don't spend enough time with my kids. I know this one is a silly fear. I spend most of my evenings with the boys from the time I get home from work until they go to bed. We also spend most of our weekends with the boys. Sometimes I worry we "pass them off" to babysitters too often to do our own/adult things or ask for help too often. Three is a hand full, but they're our responsiblity right? We should be able to handle it ourselves. I mean Adam and I were both raised by working parents and we're okay, right? (Quit laughing)
3 is a good number and that enough for tonight. On a serious note... if you have suggestions on hair styles....
1. The boys need hair cuts in a bad way. Alex has curls sprouting out around his ears. Logan has a bit of a rat tail, although small. Nick's hair is growing over his ears and down his neck like crazy (not in his ears - that comes many years later hopefully/or hopefully not at all). Problem is, I'm scared to cut their hair. Of course the first fear is that I'll start to do it and he'll move and I'll cut the boy. And of course, as soon as I start cutting it, I'll have keep it up regularly. The biggest fear though, is that I'll give him a horrible hair cut and he'll hate me forever! Although we'll look back at the pictures in 15-20 years and laugh, the boy will just be mad at me for all the horrible haircuts I'm bound to give him in the next 15 years! Any suggestions on how to style and cut a 1 year old boy's hair?!? I have a hard enough time styling my own hair every morning!
2. I am obsessed with boogers! I'll admit I've always been an odd person and enjoy gross things. I am still upset they wouldn't let me watch my own C-section. But with the boys, there is a daily opportunity to pick boogers. I never thought it would drive me as crazy as it does, but seeing the gooey substance peaking out of their little noses... it's a challenge to see if I can A) get it in the first pass, B) get it before the boy gets upset and sucks it back up into his head, and of course C) get it out with the help of a q-tip before the boy sqirms away completely, kicking and screaming all the way! Logan, the most boogery of the bunch has become very adept of keeping mommy's fingers/q-tips out of his nose. He's even been known to stick his own fingers up mommy's nose as payback. But seriously, some of the boogers are so big, there's no way air could possibly pass around the thing. I try to show them to Adam, but he's not a booger looker. (Adam's Interjection: He just prays its not brain matter.) I can't help it...
3. I'm worried that I don't spend enough time with my kids. I know this one is a silly fear. I spend most of my evenings with the boys from the time I get home from work until they go to bed. We also spend most of our weekends with the boys. Sometimes I worry we "pass them off" to babysitters too often to do our own/adult things or ask for help too often. Three is a hand full, but they're our responsiblity right? We should be able to handle it ourselves. I mean Adam and I were both raised by working parents and we're okay, right? (Quit laughing)
3 is a good number and that enough for tonight. On a serious note... if you have suggestions on hair styles....
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Babies in the Library
We took the babies up to visit daddy at work last Thursday. They were a little shy when we first got there, but with all the pretty ladies that came in to visit (and a few guys of course) they quickly started to show off their baby tricks. Alex was all too happy to show off his walking skills. He even turned around and walked back from where he came from! It did start to freak him out when everyone was cheering him on - again with the loud noises and cheering. But he finally got over that and got back to the walking/showing off bit.
They all enjoyed climbing on the shelves and pulling off books. They also enjoyed crawling under the table to look out the glass window at the front of the library. Logan kept trying to make a break for it any time someone would open the door. They do that at home too - as soon as a gate is opened/removed, they bolt for "freedom"!
Most of all, they enjoyed being with daddy at work! Thanks to everyone who stopped in to see us and taking time out of your day to visit with us!
They all enjoyed climbing on the shelves and pulling off books. They also enjoyed crawling under the table to look out the glass window at the front of the library. Logan kept trying to make a break for it any time someone would open the door. They do that at home too - as soon as a gate is opened/removed, they bolt for "freedom"!
Most of all, they enjoyed being with daddy at work! Thanks to everyone who stopped in to see us and taking time out of your day to visit with us!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
11 Months (plus)
One more month until the boys are 1 year old! Okay, so less than that now since I'm behind on my posting...
Alex: He has 4 teeth now, 2 on top and 2 on bottom. He's started walking on his own and getting better every day. We've found he has some things that tend to freak him out. We knew he didn't like the birthday singing out at restaurants. It seems he doesn't like loud noises and lots of people either. We went to a DMH picnic and he was fine while we were outside, but immediately started crying when we went inside where there were lots of people and loud noises (guess it's just proof he's Adam's son!). We have also noticed that dogs sometimes set him off. There is a spot or two in one of their Baby Einstein videos that he starts to get upset at. It tends to be when the dog is digging or just on the screen. The other night we put him in the activity center (as usual) and when he'd look at the book turned to the page with the dog, he'd freak out. We'd turn the page to something else, he'd be fine. He'd turn the page back to the dog and start crying again. Odd...
Logan: He has 2 teeth on the bottom. Found out tonight that he has one coming in on the top too! But it isn't one of his front teeth - odd! No wonder he's had grumpy spells lately - playing perfectly fine one minute and crying the next (but then playing again soon after). He's still our little monkey/climber. He tries to climb up on the gates or up over you onto the couch. And he loves to jump on the couch. He'll jump up and down then just fall onto his bottom.... then laugh like a mad man. He has such a big grin and a hilarious laugh. He also loves to turn around in his high chair and chew on it. Seems it is better than the food we're feeding him, unless he's getting cereal. Then he'll stay focused on what he's eating. Logan can also understand some of what we tell him (besides "no" - he ignores that). If I ask him to find the ball, he will look around the room and typically go to a white ball they have and start playing with it. He has also learned how to put the balls into shoot of one of the toys we have although sometimes he throws it a little hard and it bounces out.
Nick: He also has 2 bottom teeth. Nick loves to dance and will bounce his white boy jig when we start playing some music and dance with him. He's also good at clapping (although he's been doing that for a while now). He's also getting better at playing catch with the ball. He'll throw it to you - although not always on target. Then he'll wait for you to roll it back to him or if you take to long, he'll get it himself! He also loves to jump on the couch. He and Logan will wrestle and laugh when they crawl all over each other. I know this will one day bring blood and tears, but today it is just awesome to hear the laughs! Nick also has such an awesome smile and is almost always in a good mood after he's had a nap.
We usually give them a night time bottle before bed, but lately they are starting to be more selective about eating it. Nick typically doesn't have any of it and Alex and Logan may eat half of it (if any). They are still not fond of real food. We have tried some of the stage 3 foods (with thicker chunks) and they will eventually eat it - their faces clearly tell us they're not enjoying it though. Tried cottage cheese earlier this week and it was definitely not a fav! Alex almost immediately "gave it back" with force! He did much better with the bananas the next night. I just wish I could get them to eat more table food, but I guess I don't want them to grow up too quickly after all.
Alex: He has 4 teeth now, 2 on top and 2 on bottom. He's started walking on his own and getting better every day. We've found he has some things that tend to freak him out. We knew he didn't like the birthday singing out at restaurants. It seems he doesn't like loud noises and lots of people either. We went to a DMH picnic and he was fine while we were outside, but immediately started crying when we went inside where there were lots of people and loud noises (guess it's just proof he's Adam's son!). We have also noticed that dogs sometimes set him off. There is a spot or two in one of their Baby Einstein videos that he starts to get upset at. It tends to be when the dog is digging or just on the screen. The other night we put him in the activity center (as usual) and when he'd look at the book turned to the page with the dog, he'd freak out. We'd turn the page to something else, he'd be fine. He'd turn the page back to the dog and start crying again. Odd...
Logan: He has 2 teeth on the bottom. Found out tonight that he has one coming in on the top too! But it isn't one of his front teeth - odd! No wonder he's had grumpy spells lately - playing perfectly fine one minute and crying the next (but then playing again soon after). He's still our little monkey/climber. He tries to climb up on the gates or up over you onto the couch. And he loves to jump on the couch. He'll jump up and down then just fall onto his bottom.... then laugh like a mad man. He has such a big grin and a hilarious laugh. He also loves to turn around in his high chair and chew on it. Seems it is better than the food we're feeding him, unless he's getting cereal. Then he'll stay focused on what he's eating. Logan can also understand some of what we tell him (besides "no" - he ignores that). If I ask him to find the ball, he will look around the room and typically go to a white ball they have and start playing with it. He has also learned how to put the balls into shoot of one of the toys we have although sometimes he throws it a little hard and it bounces out.
Nick: He also has 2 bottom teeth. Nick loves to dance and will bounce his white boy jig when we start playing some music and dance with him. He's also good at clapping (although he's been doing that for a while now). He's also getting better at playing catch with the ball. He'll throw it to you - although not always on target. Then he'll wait for you to roll it back to him or if you take to long, he'll get it himself! He also loves to jump on the couch. He and Logan will wrestle and laugh when they crawl all over each other. I know this will one day bring blood and tears, but today it is just awesome to hear the laughs! Nick also has such an awesome smile and is almost always in a good mood after he's had a nap.
We usually give them a night time bottle before bed, but lately they are starting to be more selective about eating it. Nick typically doesn't have any of it and Alex and Logan may eat half of it (if any). They are still not fond of real food. We have tried some of the stage 3 foods (with thicker chunks) and they will eventually eat it - their faces clearly tell us they're not enjoying it though. Tried cottage cheese earlier this week and it was definitely not a fav! Alex almost immediately "gave it back" with force! He did much better with the bananas the next night. I just wish I could get them to eat more table food, but I guess I don't want them to grow up too quickly after all.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Congratulations! You’re a parent. Now what?
Babies are popping out everywhere lately. Many of the couples Tiffany & I know have recently had or are preparing to have their first children. This, combined with the fact that the boys are celebrating their first birthday next month, has caused me to reflect on my experiences over the last year. Specifically, I’m still stunned by how jarring and dramatic and significant becoming a parent really is.
Most people spend nine months preparing for their new arrival. Like many, I read a variety of books, articles, and web sites on tutorials. Tiffany & I also prepared a physical area for the boys. And then, literally in the space of a single moment, you go from just being “you” to also being Dad (or Mom).
I remember this moment distinctly in the operating as I heard Alex’s first cries followed by Logan and Nick. It was triggered by the thought “So… now what?”
All of the reading and physical preparation doesn’t really prepare you for the emotional and psychological magnitude of event. It’s more than just adjusting to a new schedule, learning new skills, and engaging in new activities. There is a change in who you are, your fundamental being, that is more sudden and has more gravity than most other experiences that have changed your life.
One minute you’re not a parent and the next minute you are. And your life is opened to a new world filled with wonder and terror... Good Luck!!!
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Tried the grass again...
Yep... still didn't like it.
Alex - I am not going back out there in the grass!
Logan - I don't like this!
Nick - I found a cricket!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Alex Walking Video
Alex is getting better at walking. He's still only taking a few steps if you coax him. But when I pull out the camera, he'll walk half way across the living room to get to it! Hence the video...
Thursday, September 4, 2008
I don't think he llikes it...
Having three babies can be stressful at times and it is a heck of a lot of work. All very worth while and we are happy/lucky/blessed to have such wonderful, healthy, happy babies. What stresses me out the most is feedings. At first it was just the coordination of holding 3 bottles at one time. Then they held their own bottles and it was heaven. Next it was time for baby food - both exciting (new experiences) and scary (new experiences). The coordination and timing alone can be tricky. Throw in a temperamental baby and it's just crazy.
In general, the boys will eat almost any of the baby food jars we've given them. There are a few exceptions - mac and cheese dinners mean instant regurgitation by all 3; barley cereal is also not a favorite - they spit it back out as fast as you can put it in. Moving on to self-serve foods, they do well with Cheerios or puffs and sometimes the biter biscuits. No one is interested in trying real foods though... I've tried bananas, peaches, apples - all soft and diced into small pieces - but all I get is a sour face and the food coming right back out. I know we just need to keep trying new foods and give them multiple chances at it, but I'm starting to worry that they're only going eat Cheerios for ever.
And Nick is still Nick... He doesn't adapt quickly to new foods. He's still not a fan of Cheerios (unless you put it in his mouth - and he's in the mood for it). Add on to that... recently he's found a fondness of blowing raspberries/zerberts with food in his mouth, covering himself, his tray, the floor - US - in whatever he's eating. He has been known to get a sink bath after dinner instead of the normal washcloth cleanup. Let's just say, this picture doesn't do it justice!
In general, the boys will eat almost any of the baby food jars we've given them. There are a few exceptions - mac and cheese dinners mean instant regurgitation by all 3; barley cereal is also not a favorite - they spit it back out as fast as you can put it in. Moving on to self-serve foods, they do well with Cheerios or puffs and sometimes the biter biscuits. No one is interested in trying real foods though... I've tried bananas, peaches, apples - all soft and diced into small pieces - but all I get is a sour face and the food coming right back out. I know we just need to keep trying new foods and give them multiple chances at it, but I'm starting to worry that they're only going eat Cheerios for ever.
And Nick is still Nick... He doesn't adapt quickly to new foods. He's still not a fan of Cheerios (unless you put it in his mouth - and he's in the mood for it). Add on to that... recently he's found a fondness of blowing raspberries/zerberts with food in his mouth, covering himself, his tray, the floor - US - in whatever he's eating. He has been known to get a sink bath after dinner instead of the normal washcloth cleanup. Let's just say, this picture doesn't do it justice!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
More Randomness
Some things I forgot in the last blog...
Nick is such a lover! He will give you kisses now - wet, open mouthed, sloppy kisses. Granted, he has to be in the right mood, but with Nick, he always has to be in the right mood. He will still give eskimo kisses every once in a while too (or witch kisses). But the cutest thing... Some times he will go over to one of his brothers and give him a kiss! Adorable!
Logan is our escape artist. A gate is just a new challenge to him. Some he will try to climb over while others he tries to squeeze through the gaps. Yesterday we were playing in the kitchen, but they're not allowed in the family room, so I had the gate propped up to block the door way. It isn't attached to anything, just sitting there. Logan found out that he can squeeze between the bottom of the gate and the couch... a space just big enough for him!
Alex's hair is getting so long that it's starting to get curls behind his ears. They all need hair cuts! Alex has also been a bit clingy to mom lately - I think it's the teeth. He's got two on the bottom and one coming in on the top (with a second on the top that isn't far under the skin). He's been chewing on his pacifier a lot more - even busted the teething ring this weekend chewing on it. Did I mention it drives me crazy when he grates his teeth?!
We have some cute videos from the past weekend, but having some technical troubles playing them... stay tuned... more to come :-)
Nick is such a lover! He will give you kisses now - wet, open mouthed, sloppy kisses. Granted, he has to be in the right mood, but with Nick, he always has to be in the right mood. He will still give eskimo kisses every once in a while too (or witch kisses). But the cutest thing... Some times he will go over to one of his brothers and give him a kiss! Adorable!
Logan is our escape artist. A gate is just a new challenge to him. Some he will try to climb over while others he tries to squeeze through the gaps. Yesterday we were playing in the kitchen, but they're not allowed in the family room, so I had the gate propped up to block the door way. It isn't attached to anything, just sitting there. Logan found out that he can squeeze between the bottom of the gate and the couch... a space just big enough for him!
Alex's hair is getting so long that it's starting to get curls behind his ears. They all need hair cuts! Alex has also been a bit clingy to mom lately - I think it's the teeth. He's got two on the bottom and one coming in on the top (with a second on the top that isn't far under the skin). He's been chewing on his pacifier a lot more - even busted the teething ring this weekend chewing on it. Did I mention it drives me crazy when he grates his teeth?!
We have some cute videos from the past weekend, but having some technical troubles playing them... stay tuned... more to come :-)
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Teeth Galore and 1st Steps!
Logan has his first tooth! And Nick is starting to get his second! And Alex has his third! Through it all, they're all typically in good moods. A little more chewing on things, sucking on lips, needy for pacifiers or thumbs - whatever is available. Alex has even been found grinding his teeth - drives me crazy!
Alex has taken his first steps! He has been standing on his own for a little while and just over the weekend, he's been taking some steps on his own. He still prefers to walk with assistance, but he doesn't need much help. Without your hand helping him, he'll only take a step or two, usually towards the next thing to grab onto. If he has a hold on something, he'll walk the length of it (at a quick pace) until he runs out of whatever he's holding.
Baby bumper cars: As the boys have been exploring the house and getting in rooms that are not filled with toys, they take the opportunity to race each other even more. They will follow each other across the room (kinda like racing). They will also crawl towards each other - like playing chicken - and run into each other. Usually it's just hilarious and they laugh like crazy, unless they happen to bonk heads. That tends to cause some tears or at least screams.
Stay tuned for some more cute pictures and videos of the boys...
Alex has taken his first steps! He has been standing on his own for a little while and just over the weekend, he's been taking some steps on his own. He still prefers to walk with assistance, but he doesn't need much help. Without your hand helping him, he'll only take a step or two, usually towards the next thing to grab onto. If he has a hold on something, he'll walk the length of it (at a quick pace) until he runs out of whatever he's holding.
Baby bumper cars: As the boys have been exploring the house and getting in rooms that are not filled with toys, they take the opportunity to race each other even more. They will follow each other across the room (kinda like racing). They will also crawl towards each other - like playing chicken - and run into each other. Usually it's just hilarious and they laugh like crazy, unless they happen to bonk heads. That tends to cause some tears or at least screams.
Stay tuned for some more cute pictures and videos of the boys...
Thursday, August 28, 2008
More Pictures
Here are some recent pictures of the boys playing and exploring the house. Aren't they so cute?!
Monday, August 25, 2008
We wore them out?
As I write this, the babies are asleep. No, that isn't unusual for this late at night, but the unusual part - they went to sleep almost as soon as they went to bed - all 3 of them! Usually, Nick is asleep by the time you leave the room; Logan plays for 5-10 minutes and then goes to sleep; and Alex could be up playing for a 1/2 hour before he's out. Guess we "played 'em hard" tonight!
This afternoon we took them to the park to walk around. They enjoyed watching all the kids playing in the sprinklers/playground. Adam and I got excited thinking about the day we could take them there to run through the water and play.
Tonight we let them go through the gates and play in the kitchen and dining room areas too. They were little speed demons going back and forth from one thing to the next. Twice in one day to be out of their play room for a while - and it was nice family time for all of us. At one point, Alex and Nick were climbing up the stairs together. Alex climbed all the way to the top of the stairs - and didn't stop as he went straight into our bedroom to see what he could get into. He wasn't so good at going back down the stairs. Back in the kitchen, they loved to play under the table, crawling through the chair legs and looking out the back window into the yard. It definitely helped to have both of us wrangling the boys as they were in different rooms (or blocking them from the areas that still aren't quite baby-proofed).
I have some cute pictures of them playing that I'll post soon.
This afternoon we took them to the park to walk around. They enjoyed watching all the kids playing in the sprinklers/playground. Adam and I got excited thinking about the day we could take them there to run through the water and play.
Tonight we let them go through the gates and play in the kitchen and dining room areas too. They were little speed demons going back and forth from one thing to the next. Twice in one day to be out of their play room for a while - and it was nice family time for all of us. At one point, Alex and Nick were climbing up the stairs together. Alex climbed all the way to the top of the stairs - and didn't stop as he went straight into our bedroom to see what he could get into. He wasn't so good at going back down the stairs. Back in the kitchen, they loved to play under the table, crawling through the chair legs and looking out the back window into the yard. It definitely helped to have both of us wrangling the boys as they were in different rooms (or blocking them from the areas that still aren't quite baby-proofed).
I have some cute pictures of them playing that I'll post soon.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
10 months old!
Okay... so technically they were 10 months last week.
Every day brings something new and it's awesome to watch them grow! It is hard to believe it has been almost a year. We're even starting to think/plan their birthday party! This time last year I was chillin' at home primarily playing video games and sleeping. How times have changed!
Alex:
Still only has 2 teeth, but looking at his bed you'd think whatever teeth he has must be razor sharp! He has been chewing the finishing off the railings. When it's bed time, he typically takes some time to stop playing and fall asleep. Besides chewing on his bed, he's also learned how to turn the ceiling fan off and on (since the light switch is within reach of his bed). At first I didn't think he realized what it controlled, but today I saw him switch it off and turn around to watch the fan slow down!
Within the last couple of days he has started standing on his own. He might be standing at the book case or his activity center and just let go. He will walk if you help him and the other day he even was walking with only one finger of mine for support. It won't be long now...
He enjoys squeezing in behind things or in between the activity centers or toys and then laughs that he was able to get in there. And we've found out the bouncy seats don't exactly contain him any longer. While watching some baby Einstein during baths this week, I came into the room to find him standing at the coffee table - buckled into his bouncy seat in the air behind him.
Logan:
Still no teeth.
Logan's bed is closest to the windows, which means he is within reach of the blinds. Good thing they are not expensive blinds. Catch 22 - raise the blinds so he can't play with them, which lets more light in, which keeps him awake. Put the blinds down so he can get some sleep and he can entertain himself by playing with the blinds until he's out.
He's a climber. He has tried to climb up the gates. He loves it when Adam brings out all the couch pillows to create a pillow mountain. We have been letting them experiment with the stairs (under supervision) and it didn't take long for him to figure out how to get up multiple stairs. Getting down without falling is still problematic. He even tried to scale the bathtub tonight to get into his bath!
Nick:
Finally has his first tooth - on the bottom. It has just started popping out this week.
Loves to talk when he gets excited or upset. The words aren't real intelligible, but it sounds more like he's swearing at you in a foreign language. Seriously - I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be excited or scared!
Nick also enjoys the pillow mountain, although he's not as interested in climbing it as Logan is. He enjoys just laying his head on the pillows and cuddling up for a nap - that's my baby! He also likes to go up the stairs. He is very fast at getting up on the first step (basically a landing of sorts) and was one of the first ones to figure out how to get up the other steps.
And then there's the outdoors. They have gone outside a couple of times the last week and "played in the grass." This is some of the first time they've been in the grass. Usually when they're outside, it's to go for walks in the stroller. Basically, we've found the one and only thing so far that can truly contain them. All three of them HATE the grass! We put them on a blanket and they crawl like they are going to roam free... until they get to the edge. A little hand reaches over the edge of the blanket to keep crawling and it is withdrawn immediately! If you put him in the grass, without the blanket, he will attempt to hold his legs up so they don't touch the grass, or he won't move at all so that he doesn't have to touch any more of it. It's hilarious to see all three of them confined on a blanket - voluntarily!"
I updated the picture show on the blog with new pics... enjoy!
Every day brings something new and it's awesome to watch them grow! It is hard to believe it has been almost a year. We're even starting to think/plan their birthday party! This time last year I was chillin' at home primarily playing video games and sleeping. How times have changed!
Alex:
Still only has 2 teeth, but looking at his bed you'd think whatever teeth he has must be razor sharp! He has been chewing the finishing off the railings. When it's bed time, he typically takes some time to stop playing and fall asleep. Besides chewing on his bed, he's also learned how to turn the ceiling fan off and on (since the light switch is within reach of his bed). At first I didn't think he realized what it controlled, but today I saw him switch it off and turn around to watch the fan slow down!
Within the last couple of days he has started standing on his own. He might be standing at the book case or his activity center and just let go. He will walk if you help him and the other day he even was walking with only one finger of mine for support. It won't be long now...
He enjoys squeezing in behind things or in between the activity centers or toys and then laughs that he was able to get in there. And we've found out the bouncy seats don't exactly contain him any longer. While watching some baby Einstein during baths this week, I came into the room to find him standing at the coffee table - buckled into his bouncy seat in the air behind him.
Logan:
Still no teeth.
Logan's bed is closest to the windows, which means he is within reach of the blinds. Good thing they are not expensive blinds. Catch 22 - raise the blinds so he can't play with them, which lets more light in, which keeps him awake. Put the blinds down so he can get some sleep and he can entertain himself by playing with the blinds until he's out.
He's a climber. He has tried to climb up the gates. He loves it when Adam brings out all the couch pillows to create a pillow mountain. We have been letting them experiment with the stairs (under supervision) and it didn't take long for him to figure out how to get up multiple stairs. Getting down without falling is still problematic. He even tried to scale the bathtub tonight to get into his bath!
Nick:
Finally has his first tooth - on the bottom. It has just started popping out this week.
Loves to talk when he gets excited or upset. The words aren't real intelligible, but it sounds more like he's swearing at you in a foreign language. Seriously - I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be excited or scared!
Nick also enjoys the pillow mountain, although he's not as interested in climbing it as Logan is. He enjoys just laying his head on the pillows and cuddling up for a nap - that's my baby! He also likes to go up the stairs. He is very fast at getting up on the first step (basically a landing of sorts) and was one of the first ones to figure out how to get up the other steps.
And then there's the outdoors. They have gone outside a couple of times the last week and "played in the grass." This is some of the first time they've been in the grass. Usually when they're outside, it's to go for walks in the stroller. Basically, we've found the one and only thing so far that can truly contain them. All three of them HATE the grass! We put them on a blanket and they crawl like they are going to roam free... until they get to the edge. A little hand reaches over the edge of the blanket to keep crawling and it is withdrawn immediately! If you put him in the grass, without the blanket, he will attempt to hold his legs up so they don't touch the grass, or he won't move at all so that he doesn't have to touch any more of it. It's hilarious to see all three of them confined on a blanket - voluntarily!"
I updated the picture show on the blog with new pics... enjoy!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
My Husband, the author
Adam is a PUBLISHED author (again)! This month's American Libraries magazine includes an article he wrote earlier this year on the use of Wikipedia. Although the article is not available online (unless you have a subscription), the table of contents is available here.
Features
46 Dissecting the Web Through Wikipedia
The popular website offers an avenue to teach information literacy skills.
BY ADAM BENNINGTON
This is actually the third article he has had published. We're so proud of him!!!
Features
46 Dissecting the Web Through Wikipedia
The popular website offers an avenue to teach information literacy skills.
BY ADAM BENNINGTON
This is actually the third article he has had published. We're so proud of him!!!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Olympics in China
In honor of the Olympic games that are currently going on in Beijing, I present our Chinese babies...
Our friend John Davidson was over in China earlier this year and brought these outfits back for the boys. I finally got some time to put them in them and the help to kinda keep them still long enough for a picture. Kinda still anyway.
Go team USA!!!
And Thanks John for the cute outfits!
Our friend John Davidson was over in China earlier this year and brought these outfits back for the boys. I finally got some time to put them in them and the help to kinda keep them still long enough for a picture. Kinda still anyway.
Go team USA!!!
And Thanks John for the cute outfits!
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Welcome to our gated community
A couple of weeks ago, we pulled out the baby gates we got for Christmas to see the effort required to set them up. We were still using activity centers and other toys to block off the two exits to the play room. And not wanting to install the brackets that weekend, we decided the current situation was fine for now...
Within the past week or so, Alex started to learn how to crawl through the bottom of the activity center and escape! They had been reaching under there, but never sure enough to go all the way through. Now Logan can do the same. Time to install the gates.
It didn't take too long, but the first set of hardware that came with the gate wasn't as strong as I was with the hammer. So, we took the boys to Lowes for more hardware (the gate at the top of the stairs needed fixed too as we could pull part of it out of the wall). After that, it worked much better. Now we have one exit blocked off. The other is still open (hoping to get another gate for there this week - no hardware to install this time), but one exit is easier to guard than two!
Within the past week or so, Alex started to learn how to crawl through the bottom of the activity center and escape! They had been reaching under there, but never sure enough to go all the way through. Now Logan can do the same. Time to install the gates.
It didn't take too long, but the first set of hardware that came with the gate wasn't as strong as I was with the hammer. So, we took the boys to Lowes for more hardware (the gate at the top of the stairs needed fixed too as we could pull part of it out of the wall). After that, it worked much better. Now we have one exit blocked off. The other is still open (hoping to get another gate for there this week - no hardware to install this time), but one exit is easier to guard than two!
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Bipeds and Blisters and Bruises... oh my!
The boys are ever more mobile as the days go by. They are all now able to pull themselves up! Logan just started last weekend and just today, we found Nick in his crib standing. Nick is still a little timid though. Along with being able to stand up, there's the skill necessary to get back down. Alex has been doing this for a while, Logan has been improving this week and Nick isn't far behind. They can all crawl wherever they want to go - and fast! Nick started crawling on all 4s today... although he still prefers, and is faster at, the army crawl.
So, where was I going with this? Now that they are starting to display more 'bi-ped' behaviours, we've noticed more bruises and blisters all over them! Earlier this week, I noticed Nick had a big blister (turned sore) on his foot. Couldn't figure out what could have caused it until later that day while watching him crawl. The blisters are on the part of his foot that he's using to push off with. They have been playing a little more on the non-carpeted floors - a little too much friction it seems! And the bruises... Alex woke up Friday with a big one on his forehead! Usually they have them on their sides or legs from trying to stand up and falling into the toy they're using for leverage... or the wall... or a brother... whatever. I'm guessing we'll see more bumps and bruises for a while until they are better at standing/sitting/moving... oh who am I kidding?! They are 3 boys. If it isn't because they're falling into something, it's probably from their brother(s)! At least we have some Star Wars band aids :-)
Other fun things that they are doing each day...
They all (but Nick especially) like to play peak-a-boo with their tag blankets. If you put it over their heads, they try to pull it off... then laugh.
They love to play with a tupperware box. Adam read that a good game to play is to teach them to put things in the box and take them out. So we got a tupperware container and put some of the little toys in. They basically just dump the toys and chew/swing around the box. But amazingly play with it for a good chunk of time.
Nick enjoys spinning in his seat! He'll sit in his activity center and just spin around and around. He'll also sit on his bottom on the kitchen or hall floor (no carpet) and spin around. It's so cute!
Nick helps take his clothes off. I also noticed Logan doing it tonight too. They try to duck out of their clothes while you're undressing them (or dressing them).
Alex and the word no - let's just say he hears it a lot and we know he understands it. Still tries to push his luck, but at least he pauses before continuing on what he shouldn't be doing.
They are also enjoying standing up at the windows or front door and looking out. Of course they also bang on the windows/screens but thankfully our neighbors think it's cute, not annoying! They can also sometimes be seen licking the windows. The windows now get cleaned a lot more than they used to!
And more, but that's all for now. I'll try and get more pictures up soon. I've been taking a lot, but as soon as I pull out the camera, they all come crawling to it and want to grab/eat it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)