20 Months!!!

From this (12 week sonogram - pregnant with triplets!!!)



To this (just before delivery - 8 months pregnant with triplets and in the hospital):



To this (Triplets day 1 - being wheeled to my room from the recovery area):



To this (Triplets 7 months):



To this (Triplets Valentines Day 2008 - 15 months):



To this (Triplets today at 20 months - how did they get so big? How did it go so fast?):

Progress

Gone are my great block walls:



(The putty is covering the holes where the shelves were)



And here are the walls currently:



How bland and boring is this? Normally progress for me is the other way around!!



Tomorrow we paint the walls khaki. Yea, I know, khaki. For those of you who know me you know I'm not known to paint the walls such a neutral color but there it is. It's going to be neutral. But I think it will still be great in the end as we're going with a safari animal theme. Can't wait to share those photos this weekend :)

Why I LOVE Girls!

Pigtails :)

Caught Being Silly

The girls eating cookies while sitting on top of the Pampers box - I only put one of them their :) This is the best shot I got - they kept moving and the pictures were blurry. I know there's a camera that fixes this problem but of course I don't have that!



Julianna trying on Kaitlyn's underwear. She has taken to trying on all sorts of pieces of clothing lately. Then she tries to walk around with them around her legs - this time it was underwear but other times she puts on shirts or shorts that she finds. Cracks me up every time (this picture was taken in FL)



And I can't help it, I had to put the video up of her walking around with the underwear. Don't miss the big grin I get at the end - she is sooo funny! I get that grin all the time now. LOVE it!!



Rachel trying on Julia's shoes - another of the girls obsessions.



Alyssa covered in mashed potatoes. Somehow she managed to go from eating them to smothering her face and hair with them. Oh yea, this was fun to clean up...



Took the older "four" on a tour of Harris Teeter and then out to lunch with the moms of multiples group. Grandma was still her so she kept the younger three for me. Somehow they wouldn't have gotten much out of the tour :)



Ever wonder what became of the praying mantis? Not the ones that died of course but the second batch that actually lived? After being divided up among her classmates we took three home. As we headed out of town right away they had to be babysat by our neighbor. Well, they all died. Yea, tiny ants aren't big enough. BUT, the good news (good news?) is that they found us another one. We haven't told Kaitlyn (though as soon as she reads this she'll know) so to her this is still Wilbur and boy has Wilbur gotten big! He's (she's?) also graduated from tiny little black ants to big sized crickets. I haven't seen him/her eat yet but I hear it's pretty brutal.

I hope you can see just how big he is. He's the thing from the rock straight up. He's pretty long.



"Do you see it, Rachel? He's right there. You can catch him if you really try."



"Come on, Rachel, right there." Well, that's probably not what they were saying. It was more like, "If I shake the cage, what will happen?" We know what happened - he fell from his favorite spot on top of the cage to the bottom. In the above picture I think he was hanging on for dear life thinking, "Please God, give me the cat but get rid of these girls!!"



The "Things" are back!! And as always they are wreaking havoc on our lives. Oh yes, they are very helpful with the dishes.

BIG Changes

I am sad today to say that my parents have flown back to Florida :( We won't see them again until December. How sad is that? I know I am bummed. Kaitlyn and Caleb are both sad and miss them already. The triplets don't notice but they don't notice much. Out of sight, out of mind. Even mommy :)

I did want to post pictures of the awesome work my dad has been doing all week. He has been outside working hard on our deck. I know it has been tiring and exhausting work for him but we so greatly appreciate it. If we have any hope of ever selling this house the deck had to be replaced. So thank you dad, you are the most awesome, greatest dad ever and not just for the deck. Your servant's heart and your love amaze me constantly. We all love Dad/Grandpa!! (Grandma too because there's no way anything could get done with out her - she is my expert help baby wrangler and of course she loves us all too which helps).



It's not completely done but it's quite on its way. Kirk has to finish the side boards and then sand it down and stain it but I know when that's all done it's going to look great. I can't wait to post those pics as well as the ones of the new wood table and benches we ordered (made by the amish, delivered to Virginia).



And the other big change? It's the Great Big Room Swap. We have known forever that Kaitlyn's room was bigger then the triplets but the last thing I wanted to do to Kaitlyn was kick her out of the room she'd been in for years just because she had a few extra baby sisters. But this year I asked her if she wanted a new room for her birthday. I made the deal sweeter by offering her an animal room which is her #1 favorite thing - animals! (Followed closely by her Nintendo DS - if you don't know what that is you will as soon as your kids get older). Anyway, to my great amazement Kaitlyn said yes and not even a little bit hesitant - it was a big yes from the beginning.

Last night we made our first changes, taking down Kaitlyn's bed and moving the triplets cribs from their room into Kaitlyn's room. Kaitlyn will be sharing with Caleb for the next week or more so that we can get Kaitlyn's new room painted and decorated as well as organized (hopefully) since I'm quite tired of all the mess and toys everywhere.

Here are a few of the before pictures:

Kaitlyn's bed. Yes, there are pictures and little things everywhere but she keeps her room relatively clean on her own so I'm happy with that.



Sitting on her chair. The bookshelves are staying as are the stripes that we hand painted all those years ago (five to be exact).



The triplets room. We painted the blocks on these walls long before we knew we were having a third child let alone three more. The design was intended to be a playroom for the kids, not a nursery at least not a permanent one. While I love the colors they don't do an 8-year-old justice so there will be some Kilz and some new paint in the next week.





They certainly looked crammed in there don't they?



The girls in their beds in the new room. Instead of having two cribs lined up we now have two side by side. This way they can't "share" blankets or toys too much.



If you're wondering, she's not sleeping. I believe she was throwing a temper tantrum to get out of the bed (even though she had thrown one to get in) and since I wasn't immediately complying to her request she was expressing her grief. Makes for a better picture though - she looks so cozy :)



I will continue to update as we make progress. The goal is to have Kaitlyn's room done by next Saturday (her birthday) but I'd be truly surprised if that were the case. Hopefully she won't be disappointed.

Party For 3 At 3 AM

I have no pictures for this but I had to record it so that when they get older someday and tell me they don't like each other I can remind them just how much they did! Apparantly one of the greatest things about being a multiple is that you always have someone to hang out with and get in trouble with and every night is like a slumber party. This has been true for a while late into the night. The girls "talk" to each other and bang on their cribs and the walls. It takes them hours sometimes to finally settle down and go to sleep.

What I haven't heard before is the same thing in the middle of the night but last night at about 3:30 I was awakened by Alyssa's yelling. Not crying mind you but yelling. She was "talking" to her sisters. I could again hear cribs rattling and toys playing and all three girls were involved in the after midnight party. A full 45 minutes later Alyssa's talking turned into a bit of crying so I finally went in to settle them all down. Rachel was standing there smiling at me and everything that had once been in her crib was now on the floor. It's a fun new game - throw everything on the floor, leave nothing behind.

Julianna appeared to be trying to sleep with a blanket over her head to block out her sisters. She peeked out from time to time to see if maybe the other girls were getting something better then she was. Alyssa was just fussing for no real reason except that she wanted the xylophone/piano toy on the floor. You can imagine how beautiful that sounds at 4:30 in the morning!!

So, while I was not thrilled to join their party at 4:15 AM, I am glad to know that they always have each other to party with and I hope that they always do! Though next time I do hope they keep it down a bit...

Deck Before Pictures

Since I'm going to have a bunch of before and after photos I thought I'd go ahead and post what the deck looked like until a few days ago. You will have to agree that it was just awful...





And without the boards:





Today was better. Dad kept working on the deck. He's halfway there :) The girls weren't quite as cranky. And I have 7 kids again. Meaning Allyson and Julia are here for the summer. Sometimes I have to catch myself when people ask how many kids I have. I almost say 7. Hopefully it's not a premonition of things to come!

Update on Ellie (week 30): Being such a small preemie she takes steps forwards and then steps backwards. I have zero NICU experience so I don't fully understand what she's going through but I know a lot of you reading this have been there. Currently she is off of C-PAP for breathing and is instead on a nasal canula but it may not be enough because of the fluid in her lungs which is making it difficult to breathe. She is also back under the lights for jaundice. On a good note her digestive system seems to be working well and this is great news. Weight wise she's been fluctuating between 2 pounds 9 and 2 pounds 13 ounces. Please continue to pray for little Ellie and her family as her heart and brain will be scanned again in the next few weeks.

Is It Only Monday?

Mondays are certainly my least favorite days. After a whole weekend of having Kirk here to help it's hard to get up on Monday morning knowing I have the whole week ahead of me to take care of all the kids by myself. Of course this Monday I still have my parents but I also had to get back into life after being gone for so long and for whatever reason this turned out to be a very difficult task.

Kaitlyn's needed a cavity filled for weeks (since before we left) and lazy mom that I am (or completely swamped that I was before we left) I didn't get her in so I knew it had to be done this week while my mom was here to care for the other 4. Called the dentist this morning and they had an opening at 11 AM. Wow, how helpful is that? I rush Kaitlyn in by myself. Just me and her. I'm so excited because they take her back and I get to stay and wait. I love it. Call me weird, I don't need to be in there. She's done this 4 times before she'll be fine.

Of course she isn't fine.

The one day I bring my book and prepare to read for twenty minutes she needs me. She's dying, she can't go on without me. She might actually feel a twinge of pain. It could possibly hurt, she can't do it. The dentist will not hold her down and make her. I tell him he'd better do it now or he never will because it will 3 times worse the next time when she's had time to think about how bad the pain might be. Thankfully after squeezing my hand and some extra, extra, extra numbing cream, he was able to use the needle and numb her gum and get the cavity in but my morning was shot. Not that big of a deal, there's always the afternoon.

As any of you with small children know it's all about the nap time. Without that break I go nuts, I NEED the break.

But, Julianna has had a fever for the past 4 days ranging from 100 to 104. I call the doctor, I figure it's no big deal, it's viral, she'll be fine. Of course the doctor wants me to come in, of course the only opening they have is at 2:30 smack in the middle of nap time and of course that opening isn't in the office close to me.

So, I pack Julianna up at 2 after putting the other 2 down for a nap and head to the doctor all the while knowing she is FINE. Look, I really think medicine should be based on a mother's gut. I know nothing's wrong I'm just confirming with them, really. When I know something is actually wrong I'll fight them till they do as I say. Like when Alyssa had RSV. I knew something was wrong and I wasn't leaving till they agreed. But, being the good doctors that they actually are they knew what she had and sent her to the hospital.

Back to today. Of course nothing was wrong. She has a fever. Kids get those. Yes, I already knew this. Why couldn't you have told me this over the phone? Of course her temp was normal at the doctors, of course she cried the entire time we were there and of course nothing is wrong with her. Not that I'm not glad about this but the one who really needed the nap didn't really get one and I wasted an hour at the doctor most of that waiting for the doctor to come and tell me what I already knew. Why do they call it an advice nurse? The only advice she ever gives me is to come to the doctors!!

Ugh. So annoying. Julianna is fine. Cranky but fine. Thank God for Tylenol.

The bright spot in my day was coming home to Caleb:

Caleb: Mom, Mom, I have good news!
Me: What is it Caleb?
Caleb: I got my first pet! My very first pet!
Me: (You know this just can't be good) What is it?
Caleb: Come see! I named him Sheldon.
Me: It's a turtle? (I'm such a good detective!)
Caleb: Yep.
(I follow him out to the backyard)
Caleb: I've waited for days and days and days to have my own pet and now I do. Now I don't have to worry about that anymore!

He was worried about having his own pet? He's a riot. I was hoping his good news was that the deck was finished but not yet. I can't wait to post pictures of that but it will have to wait a few days. What did you think my dad was doing while he was here? Relaxing. Ha! Never, thankfully :)

Soaking Wet 4th of July

Oh no, wet again! I have a strong suspicion that the rain has been following us. I can't count how many times in the past few months we've gotten soaked wherever we've been and last night was no exception. We had planned on taking the whole family to Great Meadows in Virginia to watch the fireworks as well as let the kids play on moonbounces and ride horses and buy funnel cake. So much fun stuff there. In the end we only took Kaitlyn and Caleb and left the girls home with my parents. At first I was disappointed because I wanted to have them along to enjoy the sights but since the day ended so horribly and late I'm glad they weren't there. What happened?

Rain happened. Again. Soaking wet rain which meant the moonbounces were all deflated and covered up and waiting to have the kids faces painted seemed silly because it would've just washed right off. We walked a mile to get soaked for nothing and walked a mile back to hang out for two hours till the fireworks FINALLY started. And, thankfully, the rain stopped and we were able to sit outside and enjoy the fireworks even though we were wet and cold.

The puppet show before the fireworks (it was drizzling but at least they could see):



And already back in the van soaking wet:



More rain...



Kristy corralling Will in the van. I think she's losing...



Joanna with her daughter Grace, "best friend Lauren" was also home.



Waiting for the fireworks, blinded by the flash :)



Blinding myself (and Kaitlyn) with the flash:



Here are the Grand Finale fireworks. Judge for yourself how grand they are. Fortunately the rest of the fireworks were great and long, I'm just not sure they got the grand finale concept...



And since I got no pictures of the girls at all yesterday I thought I'd steal our family picture from last year:



I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July and thank you to all the men and women who have served and are serving to keep our country free! God Bless America!!

Not A Moment Too Soon

We have arrived safely back in Virginia! Yea! I am sooo happy to be home and it's not a moment too soon. Alyssa has been able to climb out of her pack n play in Florida for quite some time but yesterday at nap Rachel was in the same room during nap for the first time in weeks and she mimicked Alyssa right away and climbed right out after nap. Both of them showed up in the family room without help. Deciding her new-found skill was a good one, Rachel promptly climbed out of bed twice last night and had to be put back. Guess how thankful I was that was our last night there?? Tonight she can sleep in her bed with it's much higher sides and hopefully she'll forget all about last night's adventures because I am NOT ready for toddler beds just yet.

Thank you for all your prayers for a safe journey and after almost 3500 miles in just under 6 weeks (900 of those drive today) we have made it to Florida and back in one piece. It was a VERY long 17 hour day but the girls did as well as 1 year olds can be expected to do. Kaitlyn and Caleb were great and put up with lots and lots of Elmo and The Laurie Berkner Band.

Soooo glad to be home!!

Goodbye Florida

Today is our last day in Florida and before we leave in the morning I'd like to say goodbye to a couple of things:

Goodbye bunk bed in the living room. Grandpa built you for the Kaitlyn and Caleb and it served them well. Caleb even added a sheet to close himself in. We are sorry that we never kept you presentable.



Goodbye dining room table that rarely served it's intended purpose. Instead you were always covered in Littlest Pet Shops and other assorted kids toys. But you served us well and for the most part kept the babies from choking to death on small toy parts.



Goodbye Pack N Plays lined up in a row. You didn't always keep the girls in but at least they had a place to sleep. I won't miss having to make Alyssa's bed every day or dragging Rachel's bed out of the room into mine so she could sleep in peace and not be cranky but I am grateful that you were there.



Goodbye pool. Of everything (non-people) we will miss you the most. You were relaxing and refreshing. You let us float in you and swim in you. We played games, slid down the slide and did canonballs. You will be greatly missed.



Goodbye Miss Valerie, Micah, Jonathan, Leah and Lydia. You guys are awesome and we loved hanging out with you a lot. We will miss you!!



Goodbye good friend and Kaitlyn's twin, Mylanie. Kaitlyn LOVED hanging out with you all the time and can't wait to see you in a few weeks in Virginia.



Are we packed and ready to drive 17 hours back to Virginia tomorrow? Hmm, hardly. I don't think the girls are ready either...



Aren't they sweet and helpful???