blankies, binkies and lots of teeth

My poor babies are cutting their molars. I don't know why or how but their back, big teeth are coming in as their next set instead of more little ones. Mikey is cutting all four, top and bottom at the same time and Konrad is cutting the top set. Zachy won't let my hands in their to feel but my guess is that he is too...their bums are red, their moods are grumpy and they are drooling all over the place and eating anything that will fit in their mouth.  Mikey is walking pretty much all of the time now, he is so steady on his feet. Zach is still half and half and Konrad is walking primarily upright on his knees and sometimes on his feet...we don't know why, but its cute.  They are all starting to talk so much more, they are so amazing right now its like you can see their brains expanding and connecting the pieces of the world around them. They are all getting so aware of each other, us and how we all fit in with each other and they are learning to manipulate and test their environments. We are starting to feel the winds of the terrible twos blow our way as they begin to test boundaries and each other, but we are truly in a wonderfully pleasant period of time right now. The past few months has most definitely been the most "easy" so far in our triplet experience...we are told that it gets harder again when they are fully talking, wrestling, fighting and walking, but in the mean time we are thankful and loving this stage. They are reading books and pointing and signing words and saying words and singing and stacking blocks and dancing with each other and clapping for each other's accomplishments and saying "no no no" when one of them does something that the adults usually say no to. They are just incredible at this age. They are becoming truly attached to their pacifiers/binkies in Zach and Konrad's case and blanky in Mikey (aka Linus)'s case. We haven't quite gotten rid of the bottles, but we are closer than we were a few weeks ago. The boys can drink out of the sippy cuos and we could probably cut the cord as it were but...bottles are so much easier for us than sippy cups that right now I think it is more a matter of mommy and daddy not figuring it out than babies not figuring it out any more (she says sheepishly out loud for the first time)...something has to be easy, right?  We are definitely appreciating this time as a good time in our lives and we love watching our boys discover the world around them. They find such joy in the little things.

Mikey reading a book

Konrad reading (and eating) his book

Zachy stacking blocks

All of their lovies (blankies and binkies all around!)

playing in the pool!

Here they are playing in their pool. Summer is so fun!

we have walkers!

All of the boys started walking over Memorial day weekend. They are truly amazing. Although they all crawled and stood and sat at different times, they all took their first real, independent (not falling forward into parents arms) steps within 24 hours of each other. Mikey and Konrad started talking multiple steps on Saturday. They had been standing and taking one or two steps over the week so we kind of hoped they would start walking over the weekend, but then Zachary surprised us and not only took his first steps but started really walking on Sunday morning.

Konrad is the most daring and he is a definite show off. He has to pull himself up on something but then he walks all the way across the room by himself. He is so proud and his face lights up with such joy when he accomplishes a long walk. Mikey is the steadiest on his feet, but also the most cautious. He can stand up in the middle of the room and then he takes some steps, but he lowers himself to a crawl if he has to go far to get what he wants. Zachary hasn't really committed to the walking yet. That first day it was definitely on purpose because we were doing it so much with his brothers getting them to walk and then clapping. Now he kind of gets distracted and then accidently starts walking around, but he is not doing it with the level of intention or for attention and praise like the other two are.  They are all teething again, and its the mean ones, the big ones. Konrad is still working on tooth number eight, but Mikey and Zachary are cutting nine and ten and it looks like it hurts. They are all starting to chatter and make baby conversation. Sometimes they just talk and talk and who knows what they are saying but it is really funny. Konrad especially has all of the body language and talks with his hands and shrugs as he talks. It is really funny. Sometimes I think that he is saying real things and he just can't articulate well yet because I will repeat what I think he says and he nods sometimes...other times he repeats what we say and then I know he meant to say it. All three of them sing the ABC's in some form or another and also all three say "ee ii ee ii oh" from Old MacDonald which is pretty darn funny. Mikey is the best with animal sounds and he barks and meows or clucks like a chicken when he sees the animals. They other things that Mikey has started doing is clapping and saying "yaaay" in this low "crowd roar" voice, its pretty funny...Mike and I sometimes look at each other and say "do we sound like that when we say yay", maybe we do. The boys are so interested in each other and they are always playing with each other and of course fighting with each other over toys. They share sometimes, but sometimes they do not. Konrad has started biting to mark his territory with toys...not good. We have considered covering his brothers with vinegar or soap, but we haven't done it yet, lol.  So far we just yell "no bite" across the room and that gets him to stop, but his brothers have gotten some real bad bite marks. Other than that, the boys are doing so great and they are simply amazing and growing up so fast!

Helping with laundry

Hanging out in the pool

the zoo and laughing boys

Daddy, Mommy and the boys at the zoo

Spencer, Ava and the boys at the zoo

We went to the zoo today. I don't think that the boys really got it. They were happy to be outside and on a 2 hour long walk all day, but not exactly into "animal viewing" yet. They liked the seals and polar bears because we were basically under them and watching them above us...they were pretty hard to miss. Convincing 15 month olds to look at the bird, kangaroo, turtle, moose or whatever else when the animal is far away and little is not exactly an easy task. We point, they turn their head, then they look at our pointed fingers like "Ummm what"...They were more excited by Ava and Spencer (friend's kids who went with us) then they were by the animals. But they definitely enjoyed watching Ava and Spencer and we had a good time. It was so nice to be outside today walking and enjoying the weather.

We are so close to having a couple of walkers. Both Mikey and Konrad have taken a couple of steps and the race is definitely on! I keep saying that, but this time it's for real. The boys completed their evaluation for Early On and they are all eligible for classes. We will see how physical therapy helps them advance. They start classes on Monday for speech therapy and physical therapy. Hopefully it helps catch them up since they are a bit behind, even for their adjusted age. Konrad doesn't really need the speech since he is a bit of a chatter box, but it can't hurt and most of the time we don't know what in the heck he is saying. Plus they are really starting to get their own language and we want them to be able to talk to us too! The other two need the speech therapy since they really aren't saying words. We also need the help transitioning them from bottles. They absolutely do not get how sippy cups work yet. It will be a little rough driving them in two times a week on top of working 3-4 days a week, but we will figure it out. Next year the therapists will come to our house one day a week which will help out. I would rather start to address their issues now instead of waiting until it is a bigger problem for them. I think they are doing great but of course I am a little biased. Anything that can help them be better, get around more and communicate better, can't hurt 'em, so we will go. Plus more interaction with the outside world and other kids will be good for them too...unless they start getting sick. We have been on a bit of a healthy streak and I must admit that I have loved it!

Here are my laughing boys, being naughty and playing in the curtains

Updates and Our first HAIR CUT !!!!! (this is my 150th post)

The boys are doing great! They have been healthy and happy and growing so fast over the past month.

Michael has 8 teeth. He is so darn picky about food and he has to poke at everything with his index finger before he decides whether or not he will even pick it up let alone eat it. He is a texture guy and he really doesn't like slimey things, but he makes an exception for macaroni and cheese, which is his favorite besides cheesey puffs. He claps, play patty cake, waves, signs "all done" and "more" in sign language, says "no", "mama", and "dada". He can stand all by himself, which he does often and likes to clap while standing, and he took two steps on Sunday! He is so very dramatic and he puts his hand on his forehead and whimpers on cue for attention. He sings and dances when he hears music and he plays chase and hide and seek games with his brothers. He is behind in his speech, but he is definitely the most vocal of our children and he makes sure that we know what he needs. He doesn't really have a temper, he is more dramatic when his brothers upset him, not mad. He is my snuggler right now and he crawls over to me for hugs and kisses throughout the day...this is new for Mikey and I love it.

Konrad is actively teething as I write, he has 6 going on 8 teeth. He is our best eater, although you wouldn't know it by looking, and he will try anything and eat most things, which is great for me. He says "hello" while holding play phones which is hilarious to me, he says "moo" when he sees cows, "mama", "dada", "banana", and he says "tickle, tickle" when he tickles you and he has "yes" and "no" down perfectly. He will look at me and say "no mama" with his serious face while waving his hand and I know he thinks he is pointing at me. He is a bit bossy, and he is always chattering and nodding and shaking his head. When he smiles and lights up the whole room. He is a complete goof and he laughs and snorts and plays around with everyone. He loves peek a boo and he will crawl over to the curtains and say "boo" while covering his eyes, he puts his hands to his face to play it too. He claps, and signs all done, but he can say "more" so he doesn't bother signing anymore. He can walk with his hands held, but he hasn't stood by himself or stepped yet. He is a smart little guy, he watches his brothers so closely when they have something he wants and he waits for them to look the other way and then he swoops in and steals it and crawls away before they even know what hit them. He knows that he is small, but he is fast so it doens't matter too much. He has a bit of a temper and he has started biting his brothers in the past couple days (ugh) so they are a little hesitant to steal his stuff right now. If it comes to a hand to hand fight, he lets them win, but he gets what he wants in the end by more creative means. Konrad is a daddy's boy right now and he will break my heart by reaching for his daddy when he is sad...but it makes his daddy so happy and he still has a smile just for me even if it is from daddy's arms.

Zachary has 8 teeth going on 9. He loves his teeth and he is a crunchy eater. He loves to take nibbles and he takes little bites to test stuff out and then of course he shovels it in his mouth once he decides to eat it. He is a great eater, although he is pickier then Konrad but not as choosey as Mikey. He is waving, clapping, playing pat a cake and pointing at things. He is not really a talker yet, he is quite behind in language skills, but he is persistent with us when he needs things and he is always laughing and talking in his baby talk. His favorite word is still "gub gub" (we really don't know what it means) but he is really starting to say more consonants lately like mama, dada, baba, but they are not really to the person or thing so it doesn't fully count as a word yet. He is such a happy little boy, he is defintely sticking up for himself against his brothers and he is most definitely the strongest. His upper body strength is incredible and he can pull himself up onto things in ways that his brothers couldn't even come close to doing. He is fully crawling, pulling himself up and cruising. He has the most control over his movements, probably because he is the strongest. He loves balls and he is a bit of a hoarder. He crawls around gathering toys and then hides them in certain spots away from his brothers. He is getting much more affectionate lately and he will crawl to us and want to be hugged or held. He is still not really a snuggler, but he loves us. He loves to be tickled and wrestled lately and his laugh is still the best and it is defintely contagious.

They are all three obsessed with outside, cars, lawn mowers and all other things noisey. They love to stand at the door and watch the world go by. They play so well together most of the time, they have a few fights over toys or books here and there, but they can play somewhat independantly for a little while. Lately it seems like we have to watch from outside the room because the second Mike or I go into the living room they all race to us and start climbing all over us to be trying to be held and for attention...it can make for a whiney and competitive few minutes. I wish I could easily hold all three still, I try but they are getting so big that usually I have one hanging off my back, one in my lap on one side and one climbing on me somewhere on the other side...not an organized "come sit on my lap" session, thats for certain.

Last but not least...I cut their hair today. I cried, I actually cried while cutting off those little curls...but Mikey and Konrad's hair do's were getting crazy and a little out of control. Mike's was down to his shoulder blades and easily in his eyes when it was wet and Konrad's wasn't far behind. Zachary just needed a little trimming....so I cut it and now I have three little baggies of brown, red, and blonde hair for the baby books...so sad. They look like such big boys now, boo hoo. My babies are growing so fast!

Climbing on daddy

Watching the world outside

Konrad after his haircut

Zachary after his haircut (still wet, I didn't do that bad of a job)

Mikey after his haircut (and giving me his best smile)

birthday fun and other such things

We had the boys first birthday party which was really a "due date" party on April 5th. We had a great turn out and they received a ridiculous amount of gifts. They have been greatly enjoying them over the past couple of weeks. They especially love their bouncy balls, a race car that drives itself, a fake remote control and a mirror book. They are happily fighting over the right to play with them as we speak. Their other current obsession is a hand me down dragon from Ava and Spencer that has holes in his side and plays music if you put the ball in the holes. Zach is extremely good at putting the balls in the hole so that the dragon plays music. They have a giraffe that eats them too, but none of the boys can get it in his mouth, they just put the balls on the ramp and watch them swirl down to the base. They have become rather possessive of their favorite toys lately. Konrad loves the light up ducks and a few certain balls, Mikey loves remotes and the drum, Zachary is very possessive of the small balls and the dragon. They have started fighting over toys something fierce and there is almost always some sort of rucus going on in the living room over some insult or another. They are all equally the toy theif lately, Zachary and Konrad easily learned from Mikey's thieving ways and none of them blink twice at the idea of swooping in and stealing his brother's toy. We have a lot of the "no" word in this household right now. They crawl so very fast and all three will stand independantly but not quite walk. They can all clap and Zach and Mike will sing and dance to music. Konrad will wag his finger at us and say "no no no" and Mikey will say it as well although not so articulately. Konrad is really starting to say a lot of words. He says Mommy, Daddy, ball, banana, no, bottle, yummy and a few others. The also nods his head yes or no in accurate response to questions and he chatters in his baby talk in response to conversations, its really very funny. Zachary has come out of his shell in an incredible way lately. He is making great eye contact, talking baby talk, and really interacting with his brothers and adults much better...maybe he was just in a funk for a while. Zachary is also the only one of my sons who is a climber. He can pull himself up onto furniture and before I know it he is dangerously standing 3 feet above the ground...oops. He is so incredibly strong in his upper body strength in a way that his brothers cannot even remotely match...luckily he is a gentle little man. All of the boys are teething. Mikey is getting one or two, Konrad is getting four and Zachary just finished getting four more teeth in two weeks. Despite all this, they are relatively pleasant and over all healthy. We are still on the bottles because they absolutely do not get how to use a sippy cup...I keep trying them every two weeks or so but no luck...hopefully they will figure it out eventually or we could just go right to regular cups when they are 3, lol.

In the "pen" at the birthday party with the Grandmas, Aunt Georgia and cousin Cecilia

Waiting patiently to be picked up for lunch!

Smiling, smart Babies

As I am scrambling to get in a quick blog entry while the boys are occupied in the living room for a second, I can hear Konrad in the living room saying "moo, moo" to the animals video that I have playing for them. So far every animal that even remotely looks like a cow says moo in Konrad's world. And he is always so proud of himself. We say "Konrad what does the cow say", and he says "Moo" and then claps for himself. Although anytime you ask him what anything says, he says moo so we are working on that, lol. All of the boys clap for themselves and each other whenever one of them does something that we would normally clap and say "yay" to, so we have a lot of clapping going around over here. Their baby language is advancing so fast, they sit in their high chairs or their cribs or in the living room and they make noises back and forth and nod their heads and laugh and then they say something else and it happens all over again...they remind me of birds...or something...because if one is apart from the others and he calls out, the others will shout back the same noises in response...and then they all get excited and smiley like "we found him!", it's really very intriguing to watch as they progress. So far Konrad is the only one who even tries to translate for adults. He will pause in talking to his brothers, look right at us and say whole sentences of baby garble and nod his head and smile like he knows we understood just what he said and then he looks back at his brothers and goes back to playing. Its amazing, I just wish I knew what the heck he was saying, lol.

Zachary finally pulled himself up to a stand a few days ago, Konrad and Mike are standing and cruising along the fence or along their crib walls, but not quite ready to let go. Zach actually has the best balance of the three so he may be the first to walk, wouldn't that be impressive. Mikey is so hesitant, he will let go of the gate or the couch but then he stands for a second and slowly lets himself sit down without trying to walk, I think he knows that he might fall. Konrad gets so excited when he realizes that he is standing on his own that he starts bouncing and dancing and he usually face plants before he can take a step. Zachary is so happy to be standing, but he has absolutely no concept of consequences. He will just let go and start running head long and then of course he falls right over on his face...hopefully he figures out the part where he needs some balance to walk or else I am going to get a CPS file against me for all of his bumps and bruises, lol.

We had a couple of weeks of passing around croup, then the GI flu and then teething, but for a brief moment, we are in the clear and they are actually smiling, happy babies. For a while there I thought I just had whiney, annoying children, oops, turns out when they are healthy they are actually quite pleasant. Konrad is sleeping in his crib and they are so funny to watch at night and during naps. They just talk and play and laugh in there until they fall asleep. Lately we have had to give Zachary 3-4 pacifiers in his crib at night because he has been pushing his pacifiers through the bars so that Mikey can grab them and then pass them back...the problem with this game is that Mikey might pass them back a few times, but in the end he gathers all of the pacifiers in his side of the crib and then plays with them in front of a crying Zachary...not nice. Zachary steals Mikey's blanket in response and then they are both crying. Smart babies, sad mommy who has to go in there and redistribute all of the items and put the babies back to bed. So we moved Zach to the crib across the room and put Konrad in Zach's old crib. Konrad is too smart to pass his stuff through the bars to Mikey and so far Mikey thinks this is very funny and he spents hours reaching through the bars to try to get Konrad's pacifier and/or his blanket away from him...when he succeeds, Konrad is furious and Mikey laughs and laughs...luckily he does not succeed to often. Zachary is still passing his pacifiers through the crib bars, the problem being that there is no one to take them so they all end up on the floor and he still ends up crying...I haven't come up with a plan to solve this one yet...We really are kind of a zoo right now.

Lastly, I have to eplain the bottom picture. It used to be that when it was time to eat I would go up to the wall and motion the boys over and they would all race to the wall and we picked up whoever got there first...but that was almost always Mikey because he is really fast. The other boys started to stop and cry instead of crawl over to the wall when Mikey started crawling because they knew that Mikey would get there first and so he would get picked up first. If they did come to the wall they were always crying to be picked up first in hopes that I might choose them over their brothers. All that crying and whining right before meals got a little old...So now, we make them all come over to the wall and line up and whoever is quiet and can motion "all done" in sign language to show me that they aren't crying or whining gets picked up first. Most of the time, it works!

Mikey is thinking something sassy

Konrad is just happy to have his picture taken

Zachary is proud to be standing up

All lined up waiting to be picked up for breakfast time