Birthday 2010!

Zachary trying out his new birthday phone. He is a talker...we don't know what the heck he is saying, but he sure does LOVE to talk.

Konrad and Mikey opening their presents. Zachary wasn't too interested in opening once he got his phone, he just wanted to make calls. Mike and Konrad wanted to open presents!

MMMMmmm cake. Zachary does love cake.

Mikey loves cake...but only with utensils.

Konrad tried the utensils but moved on to his hands.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, somewhere closer to the real day, the boys had a wonderful birthday "month" that stretched over a few weeks. They had their real birthday on January 31st and then a birthday party in February. Konrad and Mikey loved unwrapping presents, Zachary loved playing with the presents. It was a good combination! At Christmas they did not really understand unwrapping but by January they had it down! They definitely understood what to do with the cake.

Christmas 2009

Konrad in his Santa suit at Sarah and Bill's house, Christmas 2009.

Mikey running around with his blankey and a book. This is a common look for Mikey, he loves his blanket and he loves to read.

Konrad has a knowing little grin on his face and he is enjoying a the remote control, which he rarely gets to play with. He knows that this means he is in control of the buttons.

Zachary trying to figure things out. He is our engineer, always trying to take things apart and put them back together again. He is very patient and determined.

Christmas 2009 was an adventure as always. We spent an evening at Sarah, Bill and Finley's house with the Richardson family and with Grandma Carol and Grandpa Kurt. Then we spent Christmas morning at Grandma Debbie and Grandpa Tom's house. In the afternoon, we went to Aunt Bonnie's house to see the Huber family and Grandpa John and Grandma Kelly. The boys handled all of the excitement pretty well. We had a few melt downs, Mikey of all babies was the one to tolerate things the least. He wanted to be held and he did not want to play. I think he got tired, no that I can blame him. Zachary did very well and after a few minutes of warming up, ran around the house and played. Konrad pretty much wanted to be held by Mike, but he let a few other people hold him and talk to him. We ended up having to leave at 7 or 8pm because the boys just could not make it any later, it had been a long, long day.

Halloween and Thanksgiving 2009.

Catching up on what we missed and then we will see what we can do about trying to keep this thing updated...

Halloween 2009

The boys had fun at Matt and Ambers having a hay ride with their dad. Then we went to Grandma and Grandpa's for Trick or treating.

Thanksgiving 2009

Mikey

Mikey was interested in the bread and pears but not much else...he is an okay eater, not too adventurous, but he will try most things. He tried a few tastes but he stuck to the basics.

Thanksgiving 2009

Zachary

Zachary dod not want much to do with Thanksgiving dinner. He ate yogurt and puffs. He is not the most courageous eater and he is not willing to experiment.

Thanksgiving 2009

Konrad

Konrad was very interested in Thanksgiving dinner. He is an very good eater so nothing stopped him from diving in to an adult sized plate of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and cranberries.

The Triplets are turning 2 today!

I cannot believe that we have made it through 2 years! I will not say that it has been easy...but they really are amazing and we would never trade any one of them in if we could go back...maybe just stagger them a bit. They have made such advances in the past months. They are running, jumping, walking up stairs, writing with crayons, no more bottle, wrestling, talking better, and so much sassier. They made it into the terrible twos about two months ago with the tantrums and they are getting better at them every week.

Mike still has a flair for the dramatic and he throws himself on the ground for attention. He is adorable and he knows it and he will grin at you and nuzzle up to you for a hug or for a snuggle. He is very affectionate and he thrives off of attention and positive feedback. He is still very delayed in talking, but he is getting better each week and he gets his point across with the words he does have and with activity and actions. He has the most vivid made up language of the three and when he is feeling chatty he is amazing - we just don't know what he is saying. He is the wrestler of the group and he is known for tackling his brothers from behind. Lately he has also taken to putting his blanket over his head and walking around...we are not sure what that's about...He does not use a pacifier. Mikey is a blanket boy - everywhere, all the time. He wheres his blanket as a hat, scarf, shawl, drags it, carries it...you get the idea, he needs it. His brothers take it and use it as trade whenever they need Mikey to give something up to them.

Konrad remains the feistiest with his short temper and impatience. He is goofy and a joker with adults, he is always laughing and playing, but he is easily insulted by his brothers. He is very interactive and he is the most advanced in his ability to communicate and speak. He repeats everything we say and he even comes up with his own surprising statements...we definitely have to be careful around him. He is the smallest boy by about 6 pounds and that is frustrating for him because he gets toys taken away from him (and when Mikey tackles him frequently since it works better with Konrad verses Zach). He still bites his brothers as defense, it is main form of defense and his brothers wear the marks to prove it...lately he is starting to take his biting on the offensive to get things away from his brothers - creative but not ideal. Konrad is also the most sneaky, he is in some ways the leader or the instigator. He writes on the wall with crayons, his brother write on the walls with crayons. He jumps on the couch, his brothers jump on the couch...you get the idea.

Zachary is still our most laid back and gentle child. He is very affectionate and he likes to be held and touched. He is trying so hard to communicate right now and his speech is advancing rapidly. He will run up to us and stand in front of us and try to talk so hard repeating his words and staring at us - willing us to understand him - then when he makes eye contact and notices how much we are paying attention he gets bashful and looks down or gets embarrassed and runs off, but he keeps trying. He is very active and he is still the biggest of the three. Mikey cannot really tackle him effectively, but he tries. Zachary loves to be tickled and played with although he still does not play with his brothers as often as Mike and Konrad play together. He loves to play tag with them and hide and seek and they will all chase each other around the house screaming and laughing which is hilarious. Zachary is also the most determined and intense child. He will persevere at a task until he figures it out - even for hours. We call him our velocaraptor since he tests the enclosures.

They have grown so much and they are pretty amazing! We are very lucky parents and we have survivied 2 years which we think is quite an accomplishement!

Fall Fun!

At the State Fair with Grandma Debbie and Grandpa Tom, Scott, Darcie and Jamison

Konrad and Grandpa Tom at the Zoo

Grandpa Kurt and Konrad and Grandma Carol and Zachary checking out the scene

Daddy and the boys at the Apple Orchard

At the Apple Orchard waiting for a Hay Ride with Grandma Carol

Grandma Debbie and Mikey at the Pumpkin Patch

Konrad was very excited about his pumpkin

Mikey found a baby pumpkin

Zachary wants ALL of the pumpkins, or as he says "ball" "ball"

Exploring the giant pumpkins

Uncle Kurt reading with Zachary and Michael

We are busy and loving it this fall! The boys are running around and looking like toddlers and not babies at all! They are all starting to talk and spend most of their time chattering away and running around after each other. They love to go outside and run around with each other. They are so curious and into everything. All of them can say and sign "More", "all done", "bottle", "night night", "please", "thank you" and they all say "ABC" and some numbers too. Konrad is the most ahead with speaking and he clearly says, "let's go" and "go outside" or "change my butt"(not my favorite but very funny). He is starting to say sentences more often than one word and when you can understand what he is saying, it is always so surprising to hear how right on he is in his commentary. Michael and Zachary are coming along with their speech. They have animal sounds and basic words like "mommy", "daddy", "hi", "bye", "bottle", and "juice" down, but they have not advanced to putting words together or sentences yet...at least not ones that we understand. I have faith that they will get there and I try not to compare them or rush them. Physically, Zachary has gone from the most behind to the most ahead. He is running, climbing, walking backwards and his fine motor skills are also very ahead. Konrad is fast but clumsy and his rush to get things done can sometimes cause him trouble and frustration since he is prone to falling and tripping. Michael is a bit unsteady on his feet too sometimes, but unlike Konrad who runs anyway, Michael is cautious and careful about how he does things. Michael is determined and he will make his way to what he wants in the end...he is also very manipulative and so he often tries to get mommy or daddy to bring him to what he wants verses having to work hard to get there.

Their personalities are shining through these days. Konrad is lively and goofy and emotional. He is precocious and sassy and he asks lots of questions. He is extremely tuned in to his environment and he is shy and quiet in new situations or around new people. When he is happy and comfortable his comments, body language and facial expressions are entertaining to say the least. He loves to dance and play and wrestle his brothers...although he is still slightly prone to biting when he is frustrated with them. He is intelligent and interactive and very determined to keep himself a part of whatever is going on in the room. He does NOT like to be left out and his most challenging lesson is "wait your turn". Despite his fiery personality, Konrad is very attentive to the rules. When he takes a toy, he will give it back to his brothers with very little prompting and he knows when he does something that he is not supposed to because he always says "no no" right afterwards and then cries.

Michael is smart, sensitive, a bit dainty and delicate, and very emotional. He is cautious in his physical actions and very precise when he picks things up, reads a book, or eats his food. He is the cleanest eater I have ever seen, even more so than some adults I know. He needs to be comforted and touched and he relies upon positive feedback. Much of what he does is based on the resulting attention that he will get. He is aware of his brothers, but much more so of the adults in the room. He is very competitive with his brothers, Konrad especially and he will push himself into the center of anything that interests him. If we are reading to his brothers, he will come and push himself onto our lap and take the book. If we are showing his brothers a toy or feeding them a snack, Mikey will weasel his way into the center of the group. He is very much the flirt and he loves to get attention and he acts out to get it if it isn't coming. He has started a new phase of whining and dramatic whimpering that works on almost anyone but mommy. I can't blame people, he really is incredibly adorable with his cherubic little face, puppy dog eyes, and pouty lips...he can even whip up real tears sometimes. Its just that if we give in, he keeps doing it.

Zachary marches to a different drummer at his own pace and to his own beat. He is calm, gentle, loving and affectionate. He plays well by himself although he will play with his brothers or adults too. He is interactive and curious. He is not the least bit shy or hesitant with new people or surroundings. He will lay his head on a total strangers lap and smile gently, it is hard not to be won over by his loving smile. Zachary is a hider and a searcher and he is almost obsessive about looking inside cupboards, drawers or nooks and under furniture. I am not sure what he is looking for, but I suppose he will find it. He is repetitive in his actions and when he finds something he likes- a ball, a duck, a certain pacifier, a toy or a block - he clings to it and carries it with him for days. He is the most determined of my children and he gets what he wants through strength and repetitive perseverance. He has only recently realized that he is stronger than his brothers. He doesn't really have a temper like Konrad or emotional outbursts like Mikey so his strength is not really a threat but more of a benefit when his brothers try to take things from him. When he does do something physical toward his brothers, they don't even have a chance of stopping him...so they generally wait until he has turned the other way or gotten distracted to steal his stuff.

All in all, I find my boys, and they are truly becoming little boys, amazing. They are a wonder to watch and I love them so very much. They are affectionate and lively and they keep both Mike and I very busy all day (and sometimes all night) long. The past few months have been a delight. They are much more manageable in public now that they are walking and more distractible/entertainable. We take them on adventures every weekend and it is almost more much fun watching them see the world then it is seeing it for myself.

19 months, wow!

They boys are GREAT! They are healthy and happy and running around all day long. They are all talking to each other and they are even starting to include us in on the secret since we are starting to be able to understand them. Konrad has expanded his word list to include: night (as in nigh, nigh momma), apple, oval, purple, more, bottle, juice (aka water), milk, grandpa, grandma, baby, and book...he may have some more but these are the newest and clearest. Mikey says: more, all done, dog, banana, and "mmmm" after every bite and "ahhh" after taking sips of milk or water. maybe a few others...but not too many yet. He sure does chatter and babble alot to his brothers though so at least someone knows what he is saying. Mikey is probably our cutest and most precise sign language baby, his sign language more, please, and all done are about the cutest friggin things ever. Zachary is starting to really speed up his language since he started walking. He says banana, more, all done, night night, daddy, "A, B, C", and circle. They all love flash cards and we are working on letters, numbers, colors and shapes. 

All of the boys love to sing and dance, we put in the nursery rhymes and rock out!

Mikey is a reader, he loves to read to us, look at the pictures and tell us what he sees (at least we think that's what he's saying).  Konrad likes to steal Mikey's books and read them...I am not sure how interested he would be without Mikey to motivate him. Zachary likes animals, especially ducks. He will read patiently if there are ducks involved :)  All of the boys love the texture books right now. It is pretty funny to watch them turn the pages so excitedly and then touch and feel the velcro or sand paper or fuzz. 

We are transitioning to milk and sippy cups from bottles and formula...so far so good. I am not getting too worried or exact about how we do it, as long as we make it there by two years old. Mikey is very attached to his blanket and Zachary is starting to get attached to a puppy that we have. This is good since we will eventually have to take away the pacifiers and if he has some sort of replacement for his paci-animals I think it will be better. Konrad doesn't seem to need or attach to anything specific yet. He likes his brother's things, but nothing that he absolutely has to have. 

All in all things are great right now. The boys are growing and learning so fast and another month has passed...19 Months have come and gone and 2 years old here we come, I cannot believe it.

Zachary is always smiling!

...when he isn't "teething" on the furniture

and he loves his puppy!

Mikey loves his flashcards

and reading!

sometimes he reads to his brother.

Konrad is practicing his juggling skills

and he likes the flash cards too. He is saying "obal" for oval.

18 months

I can't believe how fast (and some days how slow) time goes by. My boys are 18 months old, walking, signing to us, singing, dancing, starting to talk, and getting smarter every second it seems.  They are at the age where everything seems to be fast forwarding and every time I look they seem to have grown or changed....sometimes many times a day! We are truly blessed to have them. The first several months were rough but 18 months is a good age for triplets if you are ever planning on having any :) 

Mikey

Konrad

Zachary

Walking Mikey - ready to bolt

Running Zachary - always on the go

Excited Konrad - cheering and clapping