Christmas and How many teeth do they have to get again?

Christmas Morning!!!

Our Christmas at Grandma Debbie's and Grandpa Tom's was wonderful!  We spent the night there on Christmas eve and woke up on Christmas morning bright and early with the babies...poor Grandma and Grandpa probably haven't had to get up that early on Christmas since Mike was a little guy, lol.  We all got out coffee and we opened presents together for as long as the boys would let us and then when the  boys took their morning nap we opened the rest. The boys don't really get the concept of unwrapping yet, but they definitely get that there is something underneath the wrapping paper and they all watched and "helped" unwrap in order to get to the toy underneath. They were very interactive and cute and they played with all of their new toys and things. The Taggie Blankets from mommy and daddy were a really big hit with Konrad and Zachary, but Mikey is still deciding. They also got a play table and ride on train from Grandma and Grandpa with lights and songs and all sorts of things with no volume control or off buttons, yay.  Somehow we fit in breakfast and early dinner and then we went to Grandma and Grandpa Huber's house. The boys got to hang out with Aunt Meggyn and they received some very cute clothing and more toys...also with no volume or off switchs, lol...but the boys liked them and so mommy likes them.  Mommy forgot her camera, boo, so we did not get any pictures of the Huber side of the family Christmas which is a bummer. After Grandma and Grandpa Huber's house, we drove to great Aunt Bonnie's house (Mike's Aunt) and enjoyed Christmas dinner with the extended Huber family.  It was wonderful to see everyone and the boys got to interact with their older cousins Molly and Maddie and both Charlotte and Isabella, their baby cousins who were born in March 2008. It was wonderful to see all of the babies crawling around. It was something that we joked about the year before when we were all pregnant and to see it in actuality was pretty amazing...all those little people!  What a zoo! We definitely didn't lack for entertainment, but that many babies makes dinner a bit more hectic for everyone than the usual sit down that we prefer as a family.  Maybe next year the Huber Three will be a bit more manageable and Mike and I will be able to sit together at dinner...probably it will be a few more years though...hopefully not 10 or 15, lol.  All in all, it was a wonderful holiday and we gave thanks that we were both healthy and happy and that our boys were too...the memories of the challenges and fears from the year before are not so far gone that we do not remember them clearly and we are so very thankful that things turned out well for our family. Hopefully we will always remember to count our blessings, I think we will since we have three, lovable, squirmy, and curious soon to be one year olds to remind us!

Babies, babies everywhere

Opening Presents with Mommy and Daddy

Zachary and Konrad checking out their Taggie blanket and Mikey climbing over Konrad to get a toy

Konrad and Zach relaxing with Grandpa Tom

Christmas parties and Merry Christmas to all!

This weekend we had two Christmas parties. Saturday we had our Richardson family Christmas party at Uncle Bill's and Aunt Sarah's house. When we arrived, cousin Finley ran over to the babies and kissed each of them and said "My friends are here", which was hilarious and cute. He coped all right with all of the babies around and he only had a couple moments of "Stop guys, don't come in here, my toys are here" which was more funny to me than anything else because he is so articulate and he was standing there with his hands out in front of him palms out saying "Stop guys" like that was going to stop my crazy babies in their walkers...really he is quite tolerant of them and all of the chaos that they bring into his house when we come over. We had a great time, the boys took good naps and when we got home they went right to bed! Then on Sunday we got together with Mike's friends and had dinner and games. The boys were going to have a late night on Sunday because we were determined to go, but at the last minute, they got to stay home, which was lovely for Mike and I. Our friend's Jason and Christina have a sister, Angela, who was in town and wanted to meet the boys and she offered to watch them for part of the evening for us (thanks again Angela). It was very nice to get out without babies. The boys were spoiled by all of the Godparents and friends and family and although they did not understand the whole unwrapping the present thing, they enoyed trying to eat the paper and of course they enjoyed all of their wonderful gifts once they saw all of the lights and sounds coming out of the boxes...Mommy and Daddy enjoyed that most of the noise making gifts have an off switch, lol. Everyone was so generous (thank you again) that Mike and I don't feel quite as bad about not getting them many Christmas gifts since everyone else definitely went overboard! We got a fridge farm which is pretty hilarious and the boys roll up to it in their walkers, grab a piece and roll away eating it happily...now our house is filled with the fridge farm song all day long, lol. Konrad is obsessed with some new squishy blocks that he received, he must be teething again. Michael had been focusing on a lights and sounds and songs table that he got and it keeps him very occupied. Zachary really likes a light up ball that moves on its own across the blanket...he just follows along after it, lol. Really they all have their own toy that they like the most, which is great so far, and I am definitely enjoying having new things to put out for them. I am definitely going to put some of it away so that we can continue to have new things throughout the year, especially since their birthday is right around the corner. We really did have a wonderful weekend.

Mike, Matt, Georgia, Sarah, Grandpa Kurt, & Konrad

Finley showing my boys how to use the light up ball

Finley and Konrad in the ball pit

The boys in the ball pit

Merry Christmas from The Huber Family

Making Lemonade...

Our family had a bit of a shock this week...Mike, daddy, got laid off for the month of January. Losing a month of our income is a huge financial blow to our little family since we have used all of our savings and resources over the past year that I have been off with the boys and we had already been begging favors and walking on very thin ice the past few months. It is also disappointing since I am starting my new job on January 19th and we really felt like we could see the light at the end of the tunnel of our financial woes. Plus the boys first birthday will be right at the end of a month with absolutely no income...happy-bleeping birthday kiddos....of course they don't really know the difference anyway so it is really only Mike and me feeling the loss. If I have learned anything in all of my ups and downs, it is that life is like that sometimes...it gives you lemons. I have always tried to be a good sport despite my inner worries, so for the lemonade...Mike and I have had a year of survival mode and it has not done much for our marriage, hopefully this time together despite having absolutely no money, will give us more than just worries and it will be an opportunity to enjoy each other and our boys together...also Mike sees the boys on weekends and then for an hour or so every evening, so he doesn't always see them at their morning best. This will give Mike the opportunity to be home with the boys for six weeks...he will be very ready to go back to work, lol, but he will know them well after this.
I really hope that we can just make it through these hard times and come out better for them...and hopefully richer or at-least financially solvent, lol...


But enough about us...
Mikey finally has two teeth, he had to work very hard to get that second tooth through, it was very stubborn. He is crawling like a maniac and is very fast and determined when he wants something...he is like a little wind up toy, he just keeps going back and going back toward whatever he wants to get no matter where you move him around the room. He is also a toy thief...he only wants what Konrad or Zach have. He spends his blanket time turning in circles and monitoring what the other boys have picked up and deciding if it is good enough to take...usually it is and then he's a little yo-yo back and forth across the blanket between them. He is really funny right now and runs around in his walker cackling a laugh that is quite muppet like when he gets excited, which is most of the time. He spends the day running toward whatever trouble he can find just giggling and cackling all the way...too funny.
Konrad is crawling finally, he is so cute with his little butt in the air rocking on his knees. He tries to go fast across the floor but usually ends up kicking his legs and looking lke a car spinning its tires. He just gets so excited! Sometimes he goes backwards, sometimes forward but he is moving. He is determined to keep up with Mikey. If Mike steals his toy, Konrad follows him to get it back. It seems like Konrad and Mike are alsmost always head to head trying to grab or eat the same toys or trying to crawl to the same place. Mike is faster and stronger, but Konrad gets there eventually and then he watches and waits for his opportunity and then he takes it right back....he certainly makes Mike work for his thieving ways.
Zachary is also crawling, he and Konrad could definitely be in a snail race together. They go at almost exactly the same speed. Zachary is more organized in his crawling. He doesn't get up and rocking horse like the other two but he is doing what looks more like a classic army crawl and sometimes an actual crawl verses Konrads flailing. Zachary's head sometimes weighs him down and his little legs will flail in the air to get his balance back and then he starts again. He is extremely passive regarding Mikey taking his toys. He just lets him and then finds another. He is so very, congenial. I usually take the toy away form Mike and give it back to Zach because I just cant stand him always crawling to a toy, finally getting there and getting it in his mouth only to have Mikey come and take it away and make him start the process over again. He needs some protection in a way that Konrad does not because he goes and gets his stuff back.

They are all eating cereal, fruit, veggies, yogurt and such very well and we are finally up to three meals a day. Their formula intake is starting to slow down a little bit, but we still go through a can a day. We have implemented a pretty strict schedule with two naps and it is finally starting to really pay off. They boys know what to expect all day long, they go down for their naps without too much of a fuss and it gives me a couple of breaks throughout the day as well. Last night Konrad only woke up once, it is a small miracle, so maybe the schedule will even make Konrad sleep better...it will be a little piece of heaven if he starts sleeping through the night finally...this whole waking up 5, 6, 7 times a night thing is really painful...so I am desperately hopeful that it will keep getting better.

Here is out new schedule:
7:00-8:00am Wake up, 8 ounce bottle, play
9:00 am Cereal and fruit (1-2 jar fruit each)
10:00 am Nap
11:00-11:30am Wake up, change/dress for the day, play
12:00pm 8 ounce bottle
1:30pm Lunch 1-2 jars of veggies for all 3
2:00-2:30pm Nap
4:00-4:30pm Wake up, 8 ounce bottle, play
5:30pm Dinner – cereal, yogurt, fruit
6:30pm Bath, change, read
6:45pm 8 ounce bottle then bed time
10:00-11:00pm Dream feed another 8 ounce bottle if needed
If wake up after 5am, give bottle and put back to bed until 7 or 8am

We really like it so far and the boys are doing well on only two naps a day....hopefully this one lasts for a while for us :)

Poor Mike, the world had one last HA HA for him. On Friday, we got 12 inches of snow and he drove in to work in the middle of it. Then he got his car stuck halfway in the road and driveway when he got home after his last day of work. He ended his day shoveling the car out.

Family Christmas parties...and so it begins...

Christmas with my children...it makes the holidays feel more exciting and I am definitely more excited than I have been in years about the season in general...I know that they don't know or care that its the Christmas season, but it feels good to have my babies in the world to enjoy the holidays with me...although I never expected to have quite so many so soon, lol. I will say that going to a Christmas gathering or any gathering for that matter isn't quite as easy as it was without babies...there is no such thing as coming in and slipping out under the radar...we are the equivelant of an airbus on the radar...Not that I mind, but getting three babies and all of thier accessories in and out does add an extra element of challenge and chaos to the holiday party season that I hadn't considered until I was packing and then repacking everything up to go.

This Saturday, despite the fact that we are supposed to be on RSV season lockdown, we took the boys to their first big family party...pretty amazing that in 10 months we haven't taken them to someone's house beside my moms for a family party....I was worried that we would take over the world with our baby stuff but I streamlined the packing as much as possible and other than filling the room with babies, I think we did okay. I felt like a demented version of the 12 days of Christmas song...8 bottles in cooler, 7 burp cloths, 6 pacifiers, 5 changes of clothing, 4 plates of cookies, 3 car seats with babies, 2 pack and plays, and an exersaucer just to be safe...you get the drift...we were quite the pack mules carrying all of our stuff to the car and then into the house...but the babies were quickly gobbled up into the crowd and they had many hands to hold them. I could have panicked about germs and handwashing and RSV but I decided before we left for the party that if we went I had to let it go because I would have driven myself crazy if I tried to run interference in a group that big...once I decided to give it up to fate, I actually coped quite well if I may say so myself. The boys were on their best baby behavior and they did not get too overwhelmed by it all. We tried to find them a quiet spot for a nap but they could not manage to fall asleep...It was a rest only...if by rest I mean babies howling at the top of their lungs until someone came in and saved them, lol...Konrad slept for almost an hour in Kelly, my sister in law's, arms...so he was well rested oddly enough. We received some wonderful gifts and clothing from our Aunts and cousins although I unwrapped them because the presents were opening minutes after we layed the boys down for their "nap". I am definitely worried that in a few days we will pay for all our fun with runny noses and a cough...but it is the risk we accepted when we breached "lock down" protocol and took them to a social gathering with lots of people...hopefully that decision will not come to bite me in the butt...anyway if it does, it won't be the first time, lol. Hopefully they can stay healthy and remain that way through the winter...thats alot to ask I know...we have a few more gatherings this season although on a smaller scale, so I am hopeful, perhaps naively hopeful, that they will remain healthy.

The Trio in their Christmas Party outfits.

Daddy and little Mike

Great Uncle Wayne (my Godfather) with Konrad

Cousin Jessica with Zachary

Videos

Boys in their walkers making noise

Boys eating breakfast

My little attention hogs...or maybe just hogs

So lately little Mike has started screaming at the top of his lungs every time he sees one of us eating...he is obsessed with getting us to give him a taste of food, obsessed. Then when he gets a taste he says "mmm mmm"...he also says this before he puts anything into his mouth so if I am in the other room and I hear him "mmm"ing I know to come running because he has found something, laugh. He is getting very, very mobile - dangerous mobile. He is so close to being a very fast crawler, he gets up on his knees and then flops down on his belly and then gets up on his knees...and he porpoises across the floor. He is faster than I think he is. Yesterday at my sister's house he went from one side of the living room to under the Christmas tree in the 2 seconds I looked away...there he is face to a branch tasting a bristle...his little voice saying "mmm mmm". We picked him up and put him in a walker and not minutes later he had pushed an entire pench over into the Christmas tree and knocked over all of the ornaments...oops, the Hubers are here...great...lol. Konrad isn't far behind Mike with the crawling, he and Zach are in a serious race for second. Although Konrad is scooting backwards. He gets so excited, pulls himself up on his knees and then...he goes backwards...he gets so mad. He was trouble yesterday too, literally 1 minute after we pulled Michael out of the Christmas trees we had to pull Konrad out from under a chair that he had back-scooted himself under...ugh. Oh well, they are cute even if they are trouble. Konrad will start mimicking Michael or Zachary if he sees them getting excitement out of the adults. If Mike or Zach is screaming and we are laughing you hear little Konrad trying to whip up a squeal...it's definitely funny. He is his own little guy but he likes the spotlight. Zachary is just noisy. Not like Mikey noisey, Mikey makes noise to get people to look or to be the center of attention, I think Zachary just likes to hear his own voice. He growls and laughs and squeals and lately he has been trying to get little Mike to do it back at him. He will get all excited and jump up and down when Mikey looks at him and then when he has his attention he will scream or growl and if Mike does it back Zach gets so happy. They will be growling and screaming back and forth at each other like little puppies in the living room. Hilarious. They also play some serious bumper cars with their walkers. One would think that Konrad gets pushed around all of the time because he is smaller but he knows that if he backs up and then gets a running start he can really move his brothers out of his way. They are all pretty fast and agile in their little walker cars. They really impress me with some of their maneuvering. They used to get stuck places all of the time, now when they get stuck they shimmy back and forth until they break loose and then start running again. The other amazing thing is how much they are eating right now. They each eat 6-7 seven ounce bottles a day and then they share 6 tablespoons of oatmeal and 2 jars of fruit in the morning and then 6 tablespoons of oatmeal or rice and 2 jars of vegetables in the evening. Lately I am having to break into the thrid or fourth jar of fruit and vegetables and add in more cereal too! Mommy's little piggies! I think they are having a growth spirt right now if that is even possible. I put them all in their high chairs and then just go down the line feeding them, one bite each and so forth. Recently they started watching each other take bites and they open their mouth miming the motion like little birds, and then they realize that it wasn't their bite and there was no food for them and they get mad and start grunting or shouting for their turn. I have to shovel the food into all of their mouths so fast so that I can move onto the next baby before they all get really mad. I feel like I am playing hungry, hungry hippos or something. Right now our house is noisey, crazy, and chaotic and it makes for a tiring but wonderful life...although I feel like I am running around all day long just trying to meet all of their needs and sometimes not quite making it. So far they seem to forgive me, so I must be doing something right, laugh.

Mikey smiling for the camera

Konrad hamming it up

Zachary laughing at his own jokes

Waiting for breakfast!

10 months old, crazy babies!

I can't believe that the boys were 10 months old yesterday, how time flies when you are having fun. Updates...Mikey is around 20 pounds, he has one tooth - almost two, he can army crawl and is thinking about actually crawling, he is a bit of a ham and he has learned to cough or yell for attention. He is feisty and a bit of a toy stealer. He is our best sleeper by far and takes 2 hour naps and sleeps 12 hours at night when Zach lets him. The best thing is that in the past few days he has started singing. I always sing when I lay him down for naps or get him up in the morning and a few days ago I went into his room and he smiled at me, made a very serious face and started singing. I joined in and he smiled ear to ear and kept on going! Now he greets me with a smile and a song most mornings, how adorable. Zachary is around 21 pounds, has two sharp little teeth, and he is almost ready to army crawl. He gets where he needs to go by rolling there or whining until I move him. He has started screaming and growling recently, whichever suits his fancy and he is definitely mimicking sounds and actions. He has the best dexterity and his pincher grasp is mean, mean, mean - he always goes for the arm pinch. He gives lot of hugs when he's tired, he nuzzles up to your shoulder and puts his head down, so sweet. He is low key, very good natured, smiley, and he is winning the award for "most pleasant baby overall" these days. He still loves his daddy best of all and he is a bit possessive. He starts jumping up and down to be picked up when Mike comes home from work. He almost sleeps through the night but he routinely wakes up once between 3am and 5am for a bottle or a pacifier repacement, but he goes back to sleep fairly quickly. Konrad is around 17 pounds, has two teeth, and he is close to army crawling as well. He gets up on his hands and knees every so often but is not as persistent or determined as Mikey so he hasn't started moving yet...his preferred method of transportation or toy retreival is to scream, cry and whine until one of us does it for him. He is very silly and eager to smile and interact. He is very, very sensitive to tone and words and he loves positive praise and he gets very worried and responds very poorly to negative tone. He is a bit of a clingy monkey due to his separation anxiety issues. He is very exciteable, very ticklish, loves to laugh and he can be quite a goof ball when he wants. He is still having night terror issues and he doesn't sleep through the night, not even a little bit, like 5 or 6 screaming wake ups doesn't sleep through the night...but he really is quite charming and silly at times and when he smiles he lights up the room and makes us all laugh.

I have to admit that since winter has set in and I can't get out into the world as easily, I have been having a hard time with the boys. I am lonely for adult conversation and interaction and I definitely have a bit of cabin fever. The boys do too and they are starting to get bored very easily. They know that if only they could walk or crawl they could be independant and I think that it frustrated them. They are so smart and growing so fast, it really is quite amazing. I am so very thankful for them, I know that things could have been so different for me and for my boys. They are healthy and beautiful and they truly are my greatest accomplishment. I try to remember these things when three sets of eyes are pleading and three sets of arms are reaching and three little mouths are screaming, lol. It really is a good life, just a chaotic one.

Zachary being curious and noisey,
Mikey, sleeper extraordinaire, sleeping right through it

Making a mess and loving it!

Thanksgiving Round 2

Sunday we went to Grandpa Kurt's and Grandma Carol's house for Thanksgiving. We saw all of the boys Aunts and Uncles (my brothers and sisters), Great Grandpa Roberts and as an unexpected treat Great Aunt Chrissy and Uncle Chris and Cousins Brett, Jessie and their children and cousin Nick as well! It was a busy, happy, house pleasantly bursting at the seems kind of a day! All of the adults had a wine tasting and helped choose the wine for Aunt Georgia and Uncle Matt's upcoming wedding. The babies were on their best behavior and I know that once again they truly enjoyed all of the attention (and all of the food that Grandma Carol slipped them). It was a wonderful celebration...although I am pretty sure that when we packed up and left everyone let out a sigh of relief at the peace and quiet in our wake, lol. The only thing we did not enjoy was the harrowing, blizzard filled drive home. The boys must have known that we were tense driving home because they were quiet and just talked to themselves the whole 2 hour drive (normally 40 mins). But when we got home, they let loose and they were climbing the walls with hyper crazy baby energy until nearly 10pm. By the end of the "putting them to bed" session we had changed all of their diapers a 2 or 3 times "just to see", fed them all a couple bottles thinking "maybe they are still hungry", put them in their walkers, in their exersaucers, on the floor to play, gave them tylenol, gave them a blanket, took the blanket out, added bumper pads to Zachary's crib, and we had to give Konrad a bath due to a crazy explosion puke...oh the joys of triple parenthood, lol.

Grandma Carol and Konrad

Cousin Jessie, Brett, Tessa and Lila with Zachary

Uncle Kurt and Aunt Kelly with Mike and Konrad

Zach on the move

Thanksgiving round 1

First things first...

"Yes! I finally got the keyboard!"

"Now, what do I write?"

Now for Thanksgiving...
We were very Thankful this year for the health of our family and our boys. We can still remember last year with all of the uncertainty and worry and we are so thrilled and thankful to have our boys here and healthy and growing up so fast! We had an eventful and wonderful Thanksgiving at Grandma Debbie's and Grandpa Tom's. We arrived on Wednesday and Grandma had dinner ready for us which was a treat! We unpacked all of our stuff, picture a baby explosion and that is an underestimation of the amount of baby things we brought with us. 3 walkers, 2 pack and plays, toys, clothes, diapers, and of course babies. We prepared various side dishes in the evening, spent the night Wednesday and Thursday morning Mike put the Turkey in. We had french toast, sausage and coffee for breakfast and then we spent the rest of the morning making other dishes and baby wrangling. The boys love their "Uncle" Magic, Grandpa and Grandma's doggy and Zachary laughs really hard every time the dog barks. Mikey, Zachary and Konrad followed him around in their walkers trying to get him all day long, poor Uncle Magic. The boys were everywhere - crawling and in their walkers, on the floor with toys and in everyone's arms...they were in triplet heaven, they had four people staring at them for days! In the afternoon, Great Uncle James arrived and then it was time to eat! After dinner, we packed up the boys and went to Great Aunt Bonnie's house. We saw Grandma Kelly and Grandpa John, Great Grandpa Huber, all of the Great Aunts and Uncles and cousins and little Isabella as well. It was exciting to see all of the babies playing together and at pretty much the same stages. Bella is cute as a button and thriving just like the boys! She and the boys were rolling and practicing their crawling and fighting over toys for everyone to see. Konrad had some crowd issues and some separation anxiety so he was not exactly on his best behavior, but he spent lots of time on Great Grandpa Huber's lap and the rest of the time clinging to mommy and daddy. Mike and Zachary did not have the same issues, they were everywhere....2 out of 3 isn't bad I guess. We pushed bed time to the limit and at 8pm we knew that it was time to go. All of the boys had red-rimmed blood shot eyes and they were getting cranky! So we packed them up once again and drove back to Grandma Debbie's. We spent the night once again and Friday morning mommy got to go see Angie and Aaron's new baby girl, she was beautiful and so tiny. Then I went to lunch all by myself (with my mom and sisters, Aunts, and cousins). It was delightful to be baby free for the day and to have some adult conversation. In the afternoon, I went back to Grandma Debbie's and Grandpa Tom's and then daddy got to go out to the dinner and bar with his friends. All in all a very equitable day, lol. Hopefully we didn't burn out Grandma and Grandpa who were very generous to let us stay for a few days...one night became two nights and then three nights...but it gave mommy and daddy a break and the the boys enjoyed the few days of extra attention and they adjusted well to their pack and plays instead of their cribs so it was pretty easy to just stay put. It was a very enjoyable holiday....and on Sunday we get to do it again with the Richardson family!

"Do I have to get up now? Is it Thanksgiving yet?"

Daddy and Grandma Debbie with the Turkey

Daddy preparing the Turkey (is this a chef secret?)

"Mmmmm Turkey!"

Baby Maybe!

Our dear, dear friends Angie & Aaron are waiting parents for an adoptive baby girl. They been very good friends to us through our attempts to get pregnant, during my pregnancy and since the birth of our boys. Everyone who knows them knows that they will make amazing parents...Mike, my husband, has requested more than once that they adopt him, lol. We have spent the past months hoping and praying that they would get the honor of becoming parents and we are praying even harder for them today. I am about as happy and excited by the potential for them to have a baby as I was the day I found out I was pregnant...maybe more since I also found out I was having triplets, lol. Please pray for them. We need prayers for the baby girl, prayers for the birth mom and dad that they make the best decision for their family both now and in a few weeks, and especially prayers for Angie and Aaron that what is meant to be will be (although I say screw "what's meant to be" and give these people a baby already)!

Their new baby girl was born yesterday and her name is Holly Joy. I hope that as I am writing this Angie and Aaron are packing up their new baby girl and taking the new parent class and getting ready to go home and be a mommy and daddy. They deserve it and they will be good at it. I pray that they do get to take her home and I hope to God she will stay there with them for life!

Send them baby vibes, people, baby vibes...pink ones with ruffles on the butt and bows in the hair (I specify only because I forgot to request this when I was asking for prayers for myself and I got lots of blue and no ruffles, lol).

Aaron and Angie

Angie with Zachary

Aaron with Mikey

Update: Their baby is home and doing well and they are tired and happy just like any new mommy and daddy should be. Holly is adorable and is definitely their baby, cute as a button, well behaved, and on a schedule, lol. Please keep them all in your prayers as they adjust to new parenthood and as the details become final. Thanks!

just for Grandma!

Babies at play!

Zachary this morning - "Hi Grandma!"

Konrad this morning - "Hi Grandma!"

Mikey this morning - "Hi Grandma!"

Konrad is learning to type you secret messages

Mikey is waiting for WOW to load

rosiola and heebie jeebies...ugh

So the boys somehow got rosiola....we are thinking either the doctors office or the picture studio...gross...but thats the only places that I have taken them in the past two weeks so it has to be it. It started with fevers and weird inconsolable crankiness for a couple days and now it has progressed to a full head to toe body rash. The pediatrician says it will go away in a few days...I hope so. Konrad got it first and his pale skin is pinker than if I sprayed him with paint, then Zachary followed 12 hour later and now Mikey. They are not pleased. I think it itches or at the very least their skin seems more sensitive because they are definitely not themselves. I seriously feel like I am surrounded by a bunch of sick and whiney, grumpy men...did I mention that Mike is sick too. He is a veritable germ factory or his work is anyway. I don't know what they do at his work, but it seems like every other week they have some sort of yucky virus going around and almost everyone catches it...including Mike. I mean, wipe some counters and doorknobs down folks...gross. And of course he still goes to work...si dies everyone else obviously and so that it why everyone is getting sick...but what do I know, I am just a nurse, hehe. If they stayed home when they were sick then they wouldn't get other people sick...hmmm a concept...Seriously, this is the third or fourth icky that Mike has brought home from work in the past 2 months or so and of course it goes through the boys. I did not get the last one, it was a respiratory virus, but the babies did and this one is a achy, chills and sweats, nauseas and sick virus...and I don't want it. Mike says that his whole body hurts and he is being quite dramatic about it all as only a man can be...although I am sure that it hurts and he is obviously having temperature issues since he is wearing sweatpants and sweat shirt one second and then underwear the next, laugh. I just hope that me and the boy don't get it since they are already sick and I don't need them getting even more sick...this is enough. Okay so I am done with that little rant, but jeese oh, I hate the winter/cold and flu season. As a mom it is just nerve racking.

On a side note, this is my 125th post...pretty impressive if I may say so myself. The next mission in my life is to get all of the boys sleeping in their own cribs and room together all of the time. No more swing, no more Mommy and Daddy's bed. They are just going to have to learn to deal...now the actual implementation of this is going to be painful...hopefully not impossible in Konrad's case...but painful. Konrad rolled out of my bed yesterday...it is a big drop. He is getting so squirmy and mobile. I don't even think that he was awake until he hit the floor, poor baby. All I heard was a big thud and then he started screaming, of course I ran in and snuggled him for the next hour or so and he was perfectly fine laughing and smiling only minutes later, but it makes me so sad and I don't think that repeat performances can be very good for the poor little guy...jeese...I surrounded the kid with pillows, I do everytime, but somehow he squirmed his way down to the foot of the bed and off onto the floor. So for his own safety and my peace of mind, the child needs to be in his own bed...how I am going to make that happen, well that is another story...I don't know yet...good plan, laugh. I am taking the mobile off his crib so he has nothing over his head and I am giving him a blanket that was in my bed for a few days...but I can't do anything about the noise of his brothers other than wait until they fall asleep and risk Konrad waking them up...so that is my plan of attack so far...we will see.

all is well...almost

So, they survived their immunizations with no issues this round, thank God.  A bit of whining and fevers, but no major side effects...so we will continue with round two in a few weeks...or maybe in January after the holidays just to get us through the craziness of late November and December.  We got their 9 month photos back and they were adorable. They did really well at the photo place again, those Kiddie Candid people at BabiesRus are a life saver. Anyone who can get triplets in and out with smiles in the pictures in 45 minutes is my hero.  Mikey did not feel very cooperative but in the end we got a pretty good photo or two of him. He doesn't do well with loud squeaks or hooting and of course the photo lady was squeaking toys and making loud noises to get them to look. He had his sad little lip out and he was not pleased. Eventually we just took him out of the room, got photos of Zach and Konrad and then brought Mikey back in and used different sounds for him. This seemed to work. I don't know why he gets so spooked by some noises, but he does. Organ music, squeaking, and loud high pitched sounds he just cannot tolerate, he cries immediately and looks at you so accusingly like you did it just to traumatize him...poor baby.  We just have to work around it, the world is full of noises....but of course we don't get out much so maybe that's why.  

I feel quite accomplished, we got the Christmas cards ordered and I have briefly started Christmas shopping. I don't really know how much we are going to buy them...they need new carseats, boring but true...and after that expense there really isn't much left for fun stuff. Plus, let's be honest, they are going to be 10 months old and their birthdays are a month away from Christmas...how much stuff do they really need....I am cheap these days...or poor these days...we are definitely having a low budget holiday...but really our house is already exploding baby stuff and I know that other people will buy them some of the older baby toys and fun things that they need in the next stages and so I don't want to over do it.  I do want them to have things like blocks and push walkers and stand tables and all of those types of things, but if we don't get them then I will buy them later.   I am thinking of getting them some baby sign language videos or some other baby einstein videos...we have a few but they are getting a little tired of them I think. I usually put them on once a day in desperation for 15 minutes of self time and it has always worked in the past but lately they are getting distracted more quickly.  I think they just want to crawl...in some ways I wish they would but in others...well its okay that they are immobilized still.  

They are getting so very observant of each other and of the adults around them. They are very, very aware of any disparities in attention. This morning, Mike and Zach started fake crying and whining when Konrad whined and successfully got picked up...I looked over at them and smiled and talked to them and they immediately started hooted and laughing like they knew that they had gotten my attention and they knew that their plan worked. I am definitely out numbered and I feel it more and more these days but in new ways. When they all see a bowl of food or a bottle come out, they know that someone is getting it and they all start jumping or crying or yelling to be the one, even if they were perfectly content before they saw the food. If I walk in a room full of perfectly happy babies and pay more attention to one then the others, like get down on the floor to play with whoever is there, then the other two go berserk and start crying and yelling and whining until I turn and pay attention to them too. It is most obvious when Mike gets home. He walks in the door and they all smile and jump up and down and run over to him in their walkers, but when he walks by to put his coat down or leaves the room without picking them up, then they all cry and act so insulted, Zach especially, he is definitely Daddy's boy. 

I don't know. I guess in some ways it is good because they can't really get spoiled, but in other ways it makes me sad because they have to share everything, including their parents and they have to vie for attention all the time...it is definitely the squeaky wheel dynamic in our house. I try to be fair and pay attention to who is getting what and when so that things are equitable but sometimes it just isn't possible. If one is crying, he gets fed first or picked up faster, that's just life here. 

Michael- 9 months!

Konrad- 9 months!

Zachary- 9 months!

so I buckled...

and now I have three cranky babies...crankier than a felled nest of hornets...but more on this later...The boys had their 9 month well visit today. Michael was around the 25th percentile for everything and weighed 20lb 4oz and was the tallest at 28.5 inches. Konrad was in the 15th percentile for height but only the 3rd percentile for weight, he weighed 16lb 13oz and was 27.5 inches tall. Zachary was in the 35th percentile for weight and the 20th percentile for height, he weighed 21lb 4oz and he was 28 inches tall. They all were healthy and checked out great for the most part. The pediatrician said that they are right where they need to be developmentally and that she is pleased with their progress. We have to start supplementing Konrad's formula again so that he gains some more weight. The pediatrician isn't worried quite yet that he isn't gaining weight, but if he doesn't gain better next time then we will have to look into other things...whatever that means.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we weren't going to do anymore immunizations because konrad had issues...well I buckled. After thinking on the subject, our pediatrician was not completely convinced that Konrad's reaction was really a reaction that warrented stopping all immunizations. So she gave me her reasons for continueing and presented a new schedule of only one shot per every month or six weeks. Also, the immunizations that they used today were preservative free supposedly...so I reluctantly let them give my boys, even Konrad, another immunization. At some point I have to trust these people, I know that they are trying to do their best by my boys. I can only hope that we don't have any other reactions and that my boys are healthy and happy and that nothing I do to them, like getting them immunized, causes them to have permanent issues such as autism...parenting is so hard...so many decisions and these little guys are in my hands to do the right thing...I love them and I definitely don't want to screw them up...but I don't really want them to get pertussis or polio or some such thing either...anyway, I buckled and now my boys are fiesty and cranky but not having any extreme reactions...so far...please God no reactions...

Now for a helmet update...or lack of helmet update...Our helmet orthotics guy had an accident a while back and he hasn't been at work. As a result, we haven't been able to get our helmets updated so the boys haven't been wearing them because they are not fitting anymore and we will need all new helmets....so I have a decision to make...to helmet or not to helmet...their heads have made great progress and they look pretty normal now, especially now that they have lots of hair. But I have to think of their future when they are bald men and I don't want them to curse me for not giving the helmets their due consideration...this is a world of perfections after all...all of the helemt appointments really were a genuine pain in my behind though and I haven't missed them...but because I am a responsible parent, or atleast trying to be, I have made a follow up helmet appointment with the neurosurgeon on this Friday and he will tell me whether I have to re-helmet or whether they can really be finished with their helmets (please, please, please). I will do the right thing by them and do what he suggests...I just fantasize about throwing caution to the wind...but that isn't really who I am...so let's just hope he says no more helmets...

Little Mike finally got his bottom teeth. I don't know that I mentioned it anywhere else, he got them on November first. They just popped through...he was pissed but I think he is happier now that they are through. So now all of my little guys have toothy grins, it is quite adorable!

Why did you immunize me mommy, why?

Why have you forsaken me, mommy?

Happier times...

Mike and Zach at the park, they are so very layed back

Konrad at the park...did I mention that he is a DareDevil?

is whining a milestone?

My boys think that it is...normally I give you the happy updates with no harsh realities...I am breaking that rule for this post...The boys are driving me a touch crazy lately...they are teething constantly and complaining about it constantly or so it seems and Konrad is no longer even coming remotely close to sleeping through the night. Zachary has been waking up once or twice as well. This has been happening for weeks now and I am nearing my wits end or atleast I feel like it sometimes. I know that there is no luxury of actually reaching my wits end...its not like I can just stop parenting when I get fried now is it...I am just so very tired, so tired because I am not sleeping more than one or two hours at a time between Konrad and Zachary. Also, Konrad is having separation anxiety and jealousy issues. So he cries and cries and cries until I stop caring for the other babies and pick him up. Not all of the time, but enough that it is getting old. Once I do pick him up he is all smiles until I try to put him down again and then he acts like I stuck him with a hot poker and starts screaming again...really, I mean really...plus he won't sleep in his crib. This means he sleeps with me...which means even less sleep. We really have tried everything from tylenol and benedryl to massage and baths to crying it out. Nothing works, he will not sleep alone. He is absolutely terrified of his crib or of being in a pack and play alone. I can barely put him in there for a minute while I change his diaper. He gets hysterical until I pick him up and then he clings to me like a desperate little monkey for quite a while afterwards. Even in my bed I have to lay there until he falls asleep and he reaches over and checks to see if I have left him three or four times before he actually falls asleep. Then when he wakes up and realizes I have left him he panics...but its not like I can stay there while he sleeps during his naps, there are three of them and most of the time they don's sleep at the same time during the day and I have housework. So I am just frustrated. I am not sure how I can love something so much and be so thankful that I have them but still want to leave them just for a good nights sleep. I think I need to get out more. I take the boys ou for walks and sometimes I take them to the store, but it is really hard to do these things on my own. In addition to teething I think they are just bored. They want to walk, they want to crawl but they are trapped because they can't. So they want me to pick them up, but there are three of them and one of me. So when I have one the other two often notice and throw a bit of a fit, Konrad is the worst but the other two have their moments of jealousy. I don't know. I have never felt more inadequate...I know I am doing the best that I can for them and I know that I am trying very hard to meet their needs...I am trying really hard not to go crazy from the social isolation and sleep depravation...but despite the fact that nearly all of my energy is thrown at raising these three boys, I am still falling short, I still am not meeting their needs...otherwise they wouldn't be whining all of the time...it is a very frustrating time to be a triplet mom. I just wish I could figure out what they need and then give it to them, Konrad especially...I think he needs what he can't have, I think they all do. They need the undivided attention of a parent. They need someone to hold them and snuggle them and love them when they want it so that they can trust that their needs will be met, but I can't give them that all of the time, I am holdoing someone else when they cry or feeding someone else when they are hungry so they have to wait...and in Konrad's case that has made him scared and possessive because he thinks that I am going to leave him and go caref or someone else...which I am...because there are three of them...its kind of sad really. It makes me sad and it makes me feel inadequate. Supermom I am not...now if I had a clone or two that would be super...

Halloween

We had a wonderful Halloween with the boys. First we went to meet all of Grandma Debbie's co-workers at the court. The boys were a big hit! Grandma Debbie was dressed up as the Tin Man from Wizard of Oz and at first they didn't recognize her but once they heard her voice they new it was her and Konrad instantly wanted to be held by her. He has a thing for his Grandma! Then we went to Grandma Debbie's and Grandpa Tom's and Jason and Christina joined us there as well. Grandpa Tom has been busy decking out the house and garage for a couple of weeks and the results were spectacular. He had spiders and black lights and lava lamps and projectors and backdrops with designs and music. It was really great this year and the boys were very intrigued by it all. We dressed up the babies a second time and took them around to the neighbors so that Grandpa could show off his grandbabies and of course they were so excited that they promptly fell asleep in the stroller. It was such a beautiful evening out and we just walked and checked out the neighborhood for a bit, we didn't really trick or treat because the boys can't exactly eat it. The boys were adorable in their monkey suits and they definitely humored me in making them get dressed up more than once for the day. They got covered in fine little brown furs from the suit because of course they were determined to eat their tails and feet. We had to wipe them down and change their clothes afterwards, but it was worth it. I am excited for next year when they can really sit up in a wagon or walk and then we can really take them around. It felt nice to have baies on Halloween. I have always liked the holiday, but this year it was more exciting for me. Here are some pictures...although most of them had to be taken the day AFTER Halloween because of course my camera battery died after only one picture at Grandma Debbie's and Grandma Tom's...figures. I stayed calm and just "recreated the moment" the next day, laugh.

Ready for Trick or Treating!

(the only picture we have from Grandma's on Halloween)

Mike and Zach with Grandma Carol and Aunt Georgia

Konrad "enjoying" the leaf pile

Three little monkies

Putting our heads together!