Summer catch up!

I can't believe I let it go this long without blogging! I think the best thing to do is give a summer update on all the developments of the family fun and of each boy so we can start fresh and new this fall! 

This summer we were very busy... The boys have been extremely active and have been outside a lot! Everyone is walking now, practically running it feels like! 

We loved the 4th of July parade except for the loud fire trucks at the end- and We slept through fireworks! We had a few play dates with our triplet girlfriends and helped them celebrate their first birthday in august! 

I took a big mission trip for 8 days with my church youth group to Pocahontas, Virginia. We had a lot of help between grandparents, our nanny Cindy, and many friends! Dave was a rock star of a dad, per usual... And even though there were a few tears( including mom), we all survived! 

Our nanny Cindy took the triplets to como zoo for the first time! Henry loved the Giraffes, Graham loved the monkeys, and Nolan loved the freedom of running around! 

Grandpa Dave built the boys a swing set in the back yard! They LOVE to swing! Every time we say outside they run to the door waiting for us to take them out! 

Stats: 

Sleep- one morning nap for sure from 10:15-noon. Henry will take an afternoon nap from 3-5 and Nolan and Graham are hit or miss with afternoon nap.... Depends on the day. 

Bedtime routine starts with bath(every other night) 8oz bottle, little play time, brush teeth, read books in nursery, bedtime song, then lights out between 7:30-8pm. 

Everyone sleeps through the night till around 7/7:30am. If they wake at night they fuss back to sleep within a few minutes. 

Eating- we still have great eaters. They love all carbs- pasta, peanut butter toast, cereal.... But other favorites include strawberries, string cheese, stuffing, graham crackers, or pretty much anything they see mom and dad are eating. 

New chairs at Grandmas!

Celebrating cousin ally's 3rd birthday

Matchy Matchy!!

A day at eagles nest play area! 

Brothers wrestling! 

Memorial Day with triplet girlfriends

Overalls!! 

Evening with the Kerns! 

Grandma's porch swing!

14 months!

15 month appointment! 

15 month stats: 

Henry- 23lbs 1oz, 29.75in

He is in the 85% for head size! 

He is in 18 month clothes, and size 5 shoe. 

Henry still is proud to be a mamas boy, and loves to whine to get what he wants! Henry was the last to walk at the end of July. He still sleeps with his puppy/pacifier and loves the push mower in the back yard. 

Words: duck, 'hi Tay Tay' (aunt Taylor), yuck, mama, dada, wow, nigh nigh, cookie, nana- means more,he  can do all the actions for happy and you know it song and point to his ear, hair, belly, toes, nose.

Animal noises- elephant, cow, sheep, duck

Henry LOVES to dance... And watching seseme street. 

Nolan: 20lbs 5oz, 29 in.

He is in 12 months clothes.... A few 18th month but still the smallest of the bunch, and wearing size 4.5/5 shoe. 

Nolan is the leader of the pack. He lives to run around because he has a lot of energy to burn. He loves to play with balls and can point them out in all the bold we read. Nolan is great at throwing tantrums if we stop something he loves ie. playing outside, brushing teeth, or playing with a certain toy. 

Nolan loves to swing the most out of the three... He could sit and swing with the breeze blowing through his hair all day! 

He is picking up a lot of what we say and do.. And loves to mimic. He points at everything and had his own cute little language and gives kisses! 

Words- hi, mama, dada, wow, car, ball, more, and Tay Tay

Animal noises- cow, sheep, dog, duck

He does all actions for happy and you know it and can point to his hair, nose, ear, toes. 

Graham- 20lbs 5oz, 29.25 in. 

Graham is in 18 month clothes, and wearing 4/4.5 shoes. 

Graham loves to observe but loves to wrestle and tackle his brothers. He plays well with others but also plays so well by himself too! He LOVES trucks and can point them out on the street and in books we read all while rumbling his lips to mock what they sound like. Graham started walking when i was on my church mission trip mid July.... His favorite game to play is putting things from one bucket, dumping them out over his head and repeating it. Graham loves playing outside, especially going on rides in the triplet train wagon. He is finally getting hair although it is very blonde so hard to see! 

Words- mama, dada, bye bye, baba for bottle, car, Tay Tay

Animal noises- elephant, sheep, dog, and his own little noises (like a beat boxer) 

He can do actions to happy and you know it, touch down!, and point to his hair, belly, eyes (which he loves to squint when you tell him to wink), nose, and ear.

All three are wanting so hard to use utensils at meal time but still a bit difficult for them and they get frustrated. 

They are learning so much these days it is hard to remember everything! 

They are such fun little dudes!! 

I promise to be better at blogging now! ;-)

13 months

How old? 13 months old on July 1st.
I think from this moment on, I will just do posts as things occur... and do major updates at 18 months, 2 year... and so on... but a lot has happened this month development wise... so it must be done!
 
Our weights: Henry- 22.2 lbs, Nolan- 19.12lbs, Graham-  20.2lbs
Henry is in 18 month clothes, and the other two are in 12 month.... Henry in size 4 diapers, Nolan in size 3, and Graham wears 3 or 4, whatever I grab.

Our sleeping patterns?  Wake up-around 7am- play in our cribs till 7:30.
                                        Naps- 10-12, and 3-5pm  - Afternoon nap is hit or miss for N and G, H  always needs 2 naps though!
                                        bedtime- 8pm


We are finally at a point and have been now for a little while... where we can put them all down to sleep...(no rocking)... and they all put themselves to sleep. It is bittersweet... I have no more babies to rock...but such a freedom to our evening! WOW! Everyone is sleeping through the night. If one wakes up, they usually put themselves back to sleep! Such a change from a couple months ago! WOW! Henry still has to fall asleep alone in the pack and play in our room and we move him once we go to bed... which is pretty much seamless... but that is the next step... all start and sleep all night in their room together. 

What are they eating: Everything! They just had Noodles and Company mac and cheese for the first time and that was a BIG hit! Graham loves his carbs... Nolan loves his fruit, and Henry loves his veggies! So funny!
Their other favorite is ground beef stroaganoff on egg noodles... wow... watch the inhale take place!

They had their first Dum Dum suckers with their first haircuts last week... a big hit as well.. but its sugar... so of course it was...

They do well with their sippys... especially playing the drop them on the floor game... we still do water at meals and bottles of milk in between meals... but i know we have to make that switch soon... man... all the transitions!


Our likes?

• Standing at the new screen door and watching out the window at the cars and people going by
• playing in the kitchen with pots/pans/spoons
• chasing each other around the house and laughing
• reading books
• taking everything off tables/shelves when we get the chance
• crawling through our tunnels/under chairs/ through legs of adults
• mirrors
• playing peek a boo with  blankets
• using all our toys as phones and holding them up to their ears.. (where do they learn this stuff ;)
• bath time- LOVE to splash! 

BRAGGING RIGHTS:

Henry-Hen, Henners, Henny Benny, lovie

• fake crier for attention
• wants to walk so bad but wants no part in us helping him
• claps
• can do sounds for cow and elephant
•  says mama, dada, num num (food)
• first hair cut on June 28th
• still a mamas boy
• still a great napper and now great sleeper through the night
•  dancer when he hears music

Nolan- No-eee, Noly, No-No, noly stromboli, punkie-pie

• Walker! Around June 29th he started and only gets better with time!'
• first hair cut on June 28th
• Claps
• can do sounds for cow and sheep
• big dancer to music
• loves books
• loves to hang the dog's leash around his shoulders and walk/crawl around
• in the morning when Dave comes in their room he says "hi dada!"
• says hi, mama, dada, hot, 
• laughs as he crawls
• snuggler
•  waves and says bye bye
• so chatty
• softer spoken

Graham- Grammers, G-man, Graham Graham, stinker-pie

• shovels his food when he eats
•  pincher/biter
• loves to play with our dog Bosley
• says Go Go, mama, dada, no no, num num
• big flirt
•  waves bye bye A LOT!
• loves to watch cars go by outside
• loves playing with cars on the kitchen/dining room hardwood floors
• crawls with his arms bowed and hands turned in like a bulldog
• has a very vocal higher pitched voice...  a fun tone when whining
• loves to clap hands

Lately we have been back and forth from the dr. with ear infections. I think it is only a matter of time before we are seeing an ENT for tubes... Its amazing how many trips you can take when you have triplets! I a so grateful for our peds office and their understanding of our frequency and family situation!  

  Our dislikes? teething, ear infections, sometimes taking our medicine, being changed and sitting still, being cleaned after meals, too much physical contact when all playing together and it gets rough... (get used to that though right?)

Teeth check: Henry- 3 on the bottom.. and top four are all about to cut through any day!
  Nolan: Bottom 2  and top 4 are close to coming in as well
Graham: Bottom 2, top 2... more pending

Henry peek a boo

Graham looking so smart!

Nolan- my little heart breaker! 

First Hair Cut!

Yep, another big milestone for us!
June 28th, 2014 Henry and Nolan had their first hair cut! Little Graham is just not quite ready for his first haircut yet... maybe in a year or so... lol
 I knew this was a big milestone for any parent to celebrate... so I had to make sure I documented as much as I could.... I didn't get emotional till after we were home and I had time to look back through the pictures... since at the time, it was a little too chaotic to "have a moment".

We had appointments for 3:00pm. The boys took great naps and ate a great lunch so they would make it through the next couple hours....
We arrived and we were greeted by great staff. We had a little bit of a wait but the boys loved crawling around and exploring this new environment!

Henry went first. He was a bit unsure at first, but as soon as I gave him a dum-dum lollipop he was fine! (Imagine that!) He held it together pretty well as she trimmed cut, (and re-wetting his very fine blonde hair). Toward the end you could tell he had enough and was ready to be done. to be honest, I thought she took a bit too much off at first, but once she added a little product, yes product to his hair... he just looked so handsome! He looked so OLD!!!! But I couldn't dwell in the moment too long because Nolan now was being seated and I needed to give directions for his new do!

All done but no product yet....

All done but so over pictures... And ready for a nap!

I gave Nolan a sucker too... which of course he loved... and he just sat there, looked around, and enjoyed it!  They also put product in his hair for a little mohawk which was so cute!

All done, product and all!

Sweet Graham hung out with Grandma Lynda and Grandpa Dave so mom and dad could get pictures! (he got a sucker too of course)

It was such a fun experience that went better than I expected! I still can't believe we have little boys that need haircuts, and shoes to start walking, and soon big boy car seats... seriously... my babies... are little dudes!

So big!

1st birthday party!

It has taken me a little while to get this post up, but better late then never!

The boys had their first birthday party on Saturday May 31st, 2014. We did it on a very busy weekend, of graduation open houses, I preached all day Sunday (their actual birthday), did a wedding the night following their birthday party... good gracious!

Well Henry, Nolan, and Graham, here are some fun details about your birthday I want to make sure you know so you can look back and see what a great day it was to celebrate each of you

Family shot!

Your monthly pictures! What a difference a year makes!

Playtime!

• We were nervous about the weather, but the rain held out till right at 2:10 when your party ended... Thank GOODNESS! But it was a hot one!
• Your grandpa Dave cooked amazing burgers and smoked hotdogs (mom's favorite), with fabulous toppings like bacon, cheese, grilled onions... as well as great salads made by dear friends to help out, including grandpa Tim's famous chicken pasta salad!
• There were over 50 guests that came to celebrate, including:
• Marianne- your primary Nurse from the Special Care Nursery who took care of you in your first few weeks of life
• 
  
  
• your triplet girlfriends- Emma, Harper, and Zoey and their parents Michelle and Matt, and the Guimont family, Nicole and Mark, and boy triplets and big brother who I think you will look up to someday soon...
• 
  
  
• Each of your Godparents, the Kerns, the O'Haras, and Schmidts
• 
  
  
• Many Aunts, Uncles, great aunts and great uncles, grandparents, and great grandpa Don!
• 
  
  
• Your nanny Cindy and her family- who made your smash cakes for the day!
• 
  
  
• So many of your mom and dad's close friends and mentors who have been so loving and supportive this first year with you three boys!
• Zion staff and church members who have walked along side us this first year with hearts of understanding and willingness to help!
•  You LOVED your cakes! (it was your second cake since you had your cake smashing session a couple weeks earlier.)
•  Henry- dove right in. Nolan, was shy and a bit timid. Graham just loved all the attention from everyone

Getting ready

Ready. Set. Go!

Henry

Nolan

Graham

The after math

• You all were rinsed off post cake, and came back out for present opening.
• This was done in turbo speed due to your attention span, need for nap, and pending rain.
• We are amazed at the helpers who recorded, cleaned up, and transferred gifts inside once they were opened.
• You got such great gifts, such as toy cars to ride, pajamas, big rubber balls, Santa bears,  diapers, sheets for big boy beds, books....just to name a few!

•  The party was done around 2pm, the rain started about 2:10... and you all were napping soundly by 2:30pm. 
• Everyone did so well being passed around and visiting with all the people that have surrounded our family with so much this first year!

It was a spectacular day that couldn't have gone better! It was the fastest three hours I have experienced but I just remember feeling so overcome with joy and amazement of the village that has been created for our boys!

12 months old!

How old? 1 year old on June 1st!
Has it really been a year already!?
 
Our weights: Henry- 21 lbs, Nolan- 19.4lbs, Graham-  19.8lbs
All still wearing 12 month clothes, lots of shorts and T-shirts now with nice weather, finally!

Our sleeping patterns?  Wake up-around 6:30
                                        Naps- 10-12, and 3-5pm  - Afternoon nap is hit or miss for N and G, H  always needs 2 naps though!
                                        bedtime- 8pm


We have had pretty successful nights sleep lately. Although lately Nolan's new thing is to wake up and fuss, and all we have to do is move him to the pack and play in the living room and he goes right back to sleep. (I think this is his way of telling us he wants his own room)

What are they eating: Everything! We rarely do baby food anymore... really only the food pouches (which are amazing, especially if we are out and about)
Still do lots of peanut butter and fruit. Its fun to just give them portions of what we are having, mum mum crackers are still a favorite, along with goldfish crackers.

Of course they love anything sweet now that they have had birthday cake! (stay tuned for birthday party post)

They are fascinated when grownups eat: they mock our chewing as they watch..and always want bites...
We are so grateful to have such good eaters!

We are officially off formula! We did that about a month ago and have not looked back! They absolutely LOVE whole milk and have no problem finishing their 3 8oz bottles a day! 
We still do water in the sippy cups at meals, but once we talk to our ped on Friday, we will see what the next step is.

 
Our likes? Being held and tackling mom or dad when we come home... playing in the kiddy pool or water table outside, sitting on the front lawn watching cars drive by,  daddy's crazy coughing noises, swinging at the park, walking behind our push walker toys, riding on our little mini car/scooters we got for our birthday, morning chats with each other before wake up time, crawling around everywhere together, banging things together that make noise, dancing to music, waving bye bye... they are such busy little dudes and are so happy to explore!

Bragging rights:

H: making funny faces and noises, dancing, being held (such a mama's boy), fake crying is his new plea for attention, plays peek a boo with blanket, loves his naps, 2nd to crawl, he can stand alone unassisted and is very proud when he does, has the most hair, loves to take away Nolan's bottle from him, toy stealer of the group, sill has his monkey paci for sleeping, my sensitive boy still.

N: The leader of the pack. First to crawl, almost walking unassisted, curious as can be, can say bye-bye (more like nye-nye), wave with both hands, plays peek a boo, dances from side to side, shake his head no, belly laughs at almost anything, loves bath time, fearless baby, social buttterfly of the three, sleeps with a few blankies.

G: Great eater, lots of babbles of talking, loves to push his walker toys around, still needs some rocking to be put to sleep, waves his arms up and down while kicking when he is excited (we call it sizzling bacon), fascinated with our dog Bosely, sleeps with his blankie, waves bye bye by flicking his thumb with his pointer, can say dada, mama, just getting over 2 ear infections in 2 weeks, still my observer of the three...
 
Our dislikes? being changed, faces wiped, being gated in... they would prefer free range of our house, toys taken away from each other, too much chaos sometimes with too many people (over stimulation, but who doesn't!?)

Teeth check: Henry- bottom 2 but top 4 I think are close...   Nolan: Bottom 2  Graham: Bottom 2
we go in spurts of when we think teeth will come... we have a long road ahead of us!


BIg events that happened this last month for us: first kiddy pool/swim suits, family photo shoot, great grandpa Clair past away, ear infections, lots of walking with assistance, more and more play dates are filling our calendar, celebrated our first official mother's day, first trip to chick-filet!

Stay tuned for their first birthday party post! lots of pictures!

Pictures!

   

Henry loved his cake... Can you tell?

Nolan was a little more timid... But enjoyed it just the same!

Graham loved the experience and eventually sat I'm his own cake.... His feet got the most frosting on them!

Happy birthday to our three precious sons.... It has been quite the year but you have brought us so much joy through all the fun experiences!

Cars they got from great grandpa Don!

Family shot

We love the park!

Chick-filet- the Northside MoM's club fundraiser.... So many twins and triplets present!