1.24.11 ~ playing outside

More pics from some of our walks when it's not raining. 

Brelynn (polkadot hat) in her usual open mouth pose



Avery (purple hat)



Camille (striped hat)

some perspective on how big the girls are :)

ring around the rosie...awww

come on sissy...let's go!

And from another day...Avery (striped hat,/green shirt), Brelynn (purple hat/purple shirt),

Camille (polka dot hat/pink shirt)

1.15.11 ~ Keepin' busy

The girls are getting more and more adventurous and are bored playing inside all day. I've started planning some sort of structured activity each day that I'm with them solo (weekends are usually busy enough to keep them happy, plus Daddy is home!). We usually rotate activities like having story time, going for walks, coloring pictures, playing with playdoh, baking cookies, and vacuuming. Huh? Yep, the girls LOVE the vacuum. They used to be scared of it, now I can barely keep them off it long enough to clean the floors. They help with laundry by taking clothes into the laundry room and putting them in the washer. We're training them to be good little cleaners and bakers :)

Other big news is that I'm going to be going back to work at Seattle Children's Hospital very part time (6 days per month plus paperwork from  home) for the next 5-6 months. I'll be covering a maternity leave and working in the Craniofacial Clinic (mostly kids with cleft palate and different syndromes). We are so lucky that I'll be working on Mondays which is Dan's day off plus two other days per month so each Grandma will watch the girls one day per month. I'm looking forward to the challenge and just hope that there's enough time to get my paperwork done without staying up too late.

Here are some recent pics of the girls

Camille

Brelynn

Avery

1.4.11 ~ Weigh-ins

We had the girls' 18 month well child visits today and got some great news..."They're doing better than your typical 18 month olds." YAY!  Their social skills and communication are way ahead of their peers and all other areas are at least at age level. Well, except for Camille's weight, but the doctor isn't a bit concerned about it. Here are the official stats (percentiles as compared to other 18 month olds):

Avery~wt:21;1 (8%ile), ht:31.75" (50%ile), head: 55%ile
Brelynn~wt:23;4 (30%ile), ht:32.25" (55%ile), head: 92%ile
Camille~wt:18;13 (<3%ile), ht:30.63" (24%ile), head: 65%ile

We don't have another visit scheduled until they turn two and we didn't have to get any shots today! All in all it was a great visit. I treated the girls to McDonnald's chicken nuggets on the way home and I got a warm beverage from Starbuck's :)

12.29.10 ~ 18 months

Camille

Brelynn

Avery

A year and a half...wow. I'm not sure how each day can seem to last a lifetime yet the months just keep flying by. Not that I'm complaining. I love being home with the girls, it's just that at times they can form a superhero sister trio to do battle with mom. It may look like simultaneously asking to go to the bathroom, bonking a head on the table, and stealing toys, and wanting a cracker. They definitely know what they want now and aren't afraid to ask (demand) that mom to get it for them! Their saving grace is that they are incredibly adorable and charming and know how to come give a hug and kiss while flashing a cute smile just at the right moment. They are getting to be good little sharers and will often give their sister a cracker/water/toy without me having to ask them to share. It warms my heart to see them play together and share with each other. The girls are very concerned if one of the sisters is missing or injured and have been known to cry just because another one is crying (not that I like all the crying, but the compassion is wonderful).

Milestones just continue to get refined...more talking, better walking, pretending. They have dropped the morning bottle so now they just get one bottle at bedtime. I'm sure the pediatrician will want us to drop that, too, but it's a really easy way to get 8 ounces of milk into them (and right before bed) so I'm not ready to give it up. They are the world's best sleepers...sleeping 14-15 hours straight at night and taking one 60-90 minute nap at about noon. If they're cranky in the afternoon then they have 'quiet time' in their cribs where they can look at books and play with quiet toys. I leave the lights on and they've been doing a good job actually playing or resting during that time. Teeth just keep popping through randomly. I think Avery and Camille each have 12 teeth and Brelynn has 10 teeth with many more just below the surface for each of them. They go to the pediatrician for their 18 month appointment next week so we'll see how they're growing. Avery seems to be catching up with Brelynn a bit but Camille still feels tiny to me.

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas. I can't wait to see what the new year brings!

 

12.25.10 ~ Christmas

Like many people we celebrated Christmas several times. Christmas Eve was at our house with my family and Christmas day was at Dan's Aunt and Uncle's house with his family. The girls got to open lots of presents, we ate some really yummy food, and we all had a great time catching up with loved ones. The girls got the hang of opening gifts right a way and were good helpers for all of us. Bows continue to be a big favorite, although they love their new toys. Pretending toys are fun right now...they got a kitchen and a tea party set and they are adorable sharing 'tea' with each other. Action toys (aka noisy toys) are also a favorite. The toy that shoots balls up in the air and plays music is really funny and makes them laugh. A certain rocking/singing cow has been known to cause one girl to push/pull the other off to get to said cow. The last few days have been filled with really fun new things and lots of practice sharing :)

Chelsea, Kim, Steve, Avery, Brenda, Camille, Dan, Stacey, Brelynn, Tyler



Top: Dale, Jenn, Brelynn, Brenda, Dan.
Bottom: Linda, Camille, Dave, Avery



Merry Christmas to all!

12.16.10 ~ Updates

We are doing really well this month. The girls love the Christmas tree and lights and will ask to have them turned on if I forget to do it in the morning. Our routine is becoming established and the girls are gaining independence which is both a blessing and a curse! They can navigate the stairs fairly well although we still stay close when they go down the stairs to make sure they don't get distracted and fall. Binkies are gone and the girls are all still sleeping through the night. Yay! They do occasionally wake up at night but put themselves right back to sleep. We are so fortunate to have such great sleepers again. They typically go to bed around 6:30pm and wake up at 8:30am and they take at least one nap during the day. The second nap is a 'quiet' time where they have to be in their cribs, but I've started giving them toys and leaving the lights on since they haven't been napping during this time for a few weeks now. Practice potty training is going well and the girls are starting to ask to go potty and then actually going when we get in there which is new. They used to ask to go potty and then ask for a marshmallow right away or just ask to go after one of their sisters went. I think they are starting to understand how this works. The last two days have been exceptionally good potty days and Brelynn has asked three times and had success each time (with our first poop yesterday!). They may be ready for this sooner than I thought. That's what's new with us. I hope everyone else is having a good month so far and Merry Christmas if I don't post before then!

12.10.10 ~ Deck the halls

We love Christmas. We love the traditions, the sights, the smells, and the food! But, just how do you decorate for Christmas with 17 month old triplets? We still have a big, live tree and it's decorated with all our beautiful ornaments...but, surrounding the tree is a giant corral to keep the kids away :) The stockings are hung by the...bookshelf up high...because the girls can pull them down from the fireplace.  Most of the other decorations are the same but I had to sharea picture of the tree with the corral around it. Jealous, aren't you?