This video is pretty jumpy... that's because the babies were cracking up at me being silly, and I was also the one taping. I love when they all 3 crack up!
Abby, Izzy, Ally
Friday, February 26, 2010
9 Months!
The girls turned 9 months old this week! We still have our moments of "what the heck has our life come to?!!" BUT... more often, we feel so blessed and happy with our situation. It was such a big adjustment... going from just the two of us... working, sleeping in on Saturdays, doing whatever we want whenever we want, to a one income family with 3 infants! It's difficult to go anywhere, and when we do it's a short stay and we have to bring a million things! Needless to say, we stay home most of the time and only venture out for church and Dr's appointments, but we have the occasional dinner outing when we're feeling brave. We took the girls out to a Pryor restaurant last weekend, with my mom and Matt's parents. It went AMAZINGLY well. The girls sat in high chairs, ate their puffs and played with toys while we ate. Not one of them cried! We, of course, got a lot of attention anyway, but I was very proud of the girls. Matt says they were like that because they were in awe of everything going on around them... maybe... but, I like to think it is because they're such good babies! :)
I'm really loving this stage... I love to watch the babies play... they're so busy all the time. One of my favorite things is how they lift up their arms to be picked up and now that they're more mobile, they try to crawl to me when they're crying or when they get hurt. It's SOOOO cute to see a little baby crawling to you to get cuddled. Very endearing. Another cute thing: they're starting to really look at what Matt and I are eating/drinking. We drink fruit smoothies sometimes for dessert, and the girls LOVE to drink them up thru a straw. They can't get enough! It's a habit we're beginning to wish we hadn't started! :)
Izzy is now babbling consonant sounds like: momomom, dadadad, and rarara. It is so fun to listen to her talking as she's playing and crawling around. She is the cutest little booger in the world! She still pulls up on EVERYTHING and is starting to get a little more graceful with her falling... thank goodness! Her meemaw was contemplating buying her a helmet for a little while there! She's starting to favor her daddy a little more... the past few months, she really just wanted me, but now when Matt gets home from work, she's crawling up on him all night. She's still a little explorer and when she sees an open door, she makes a beeline for her freedom. We're really needing to start baby proofing outlets, etc... the other day I turned my head for a second and she got on top of Abby and rode her like a horse! Needless to say, Izzy keeps me busy.
Abby is still sitting up and army crawling. She was trying very hard to pull herself up the other day... but it looked more like she was doing pull ups... peaking her head over and hanging by her arms. She's loving to get under things... I keep finding her under the play car or bouncer. She's waving a lot, but still not really associating it with "hi" or "bye". She failed her hearing test at the Dr. last month, but we found she had a double ear infection, so we attributed it to that. She got retested this week, and failed again, so they referred me to an audiologist at the local health dept. She failed there too, which got me a little worried. I'm certain she can hear... she turns her head when I say her name and wakes up when I walk in the room, etc, but we are being referred to a pediatric ear nose and throat dr. to investigate further. We believe she's harboring fluid in her ears, which is attributing to the failed tests. This is what we're praying anyway...we'll keep you posted on that.
Ally has definitely made the most progress since the last post. She progressed really quickly... going from only sitting up, to crawling efficiently and pulling up to a stand within a two week period! She's pulling up on everything (like Izzy) and is now very active! I'm finding she bruises much easier than Izzy and has little bruises all over her little head from minor bumps and falls. Poor little bruiser. The other babies still just have two bottom teeth, but Ally is now getting one top tooth also. She's also getting in the habit of throwing temper tantrums... obviously crying because she's angry with her situation. She kicks her legs and bucks her back, which REALLY tries my patience! Do I say that about Ally everytime I write?! :) Mom says she looks and acts just like I did when I was a baby, so maybe it's because we're so much alike that it frustrates me so much... Although she can be ornery, she can be the sweetest little thing too... she still LOVES to cuddle and she's never met a stranger. Abby and Izzy get a little stranger phobic sometime (is that a word?) but not Ally. Ally has also JUST started babbling, saying "Babababa".
Last Sunday, my mom watched the girls while Matt and I went to see a movie. (The first time she's been alone with them in a long time). The girls napped for the 1st hour and she had to feed and take care of them the 2nd hour. So, one hour alone with them. When we came back, her hair was all messed up, she was sweating, and Ally was crying her eyes out! It kind of cracked me up, because it was nice to see it's still not an easy task! Mom said the only thing that would have made Ally happy is her mommy coming home or her Lala's (my mom's) undivided attention. She said when you give Ally your undivided attention, the other two come crawling up on you like "what about me, Lala?!" Believe me, I know the feeling... sometimes I feel like I'm being swarmed! I really should be thin, unfortunately that's not the case.
That's all for now... here are some pics of their latest activities: (Sometimes you'll see duplicate pics from what I have displayed at the top of the page... this is bacause the top pics are temporary... If I want the pics to stay with this post, I add it again).
Bunny babies in their new jammies - Izzy, Abby and Ally (left to right)
.JPG)
Izzy riding Abby
Izzy and Ally standing in crib - I find Izzy like this every morning
Abby playing under toy car
Abby, Izzy and Ally playing
Izzy pulling up on my leg
Ally
Ally looking at me in mirror, Izzy crawling
Ally pulling up - Abby and daddy in background
Izzy in car, Ally on knees, Abby trying to pull up
i
I'm really loving this stage... I love to watch the babies play... they're so busy all the time. One of my favorite things is how they lift up their arms to be picked up and now that they're more mobile, they try to crawl to me when they're crying or when they get hurt. It's SOOOO cute to see a little baby crawling to you to get cuddled. Very endearing. Another cute thing: they're starting to really look at what Matt and I are eating/drinking. We drink fruit smoothies sometimes for dessert, and the girls LOVE to drink them up thru a straw. They can't get enough! It's a habit we're beginning to wish we hadn't started! :)
Izzy is now babbling consonant sounds like: momomom, dadadad, and rarara. It is so fun to listen to her talking as she's playing and crawling around. She is the cutest little booger in the world! She still pulls up on EVERYTHING and is starting to get a little more graceful with her falling... thank goodness! Her meemaw was contemplating buying her a helmet for a little while there! She's starting to favor her daddy a little more... the past few months, she really just wanted me, but now when Matt gets home from work, she's crawling up on him all night. She's still a little explorer and when she sees an open door, she makes a beeline for her freedom. We're really needing to start baby proofing outlets, etc... the other day I turned my head for a second and she got on top of Abby and rode her like a horse! Needless to say, Izzy keeps me busy.
Abby is still sitting up and army crawling. She was trying very hard to pull herself up the other day... but it looked more like she was doing pull ups... peaking her head over and hanging by her arms. She's loving to get under things... I keep finding her under the play car or bouncer. She's waving a lot, but still not really associating it with "hi" or "bye". She failed her hearing test at the Dr. last month, but we found she had a double ear infection, so we attributed it to that. She got retested this week, and failed again, so they referred me to an audiologist at the local health dept. She failed there too, which got me a little worried. I'm certain she can hear... she turns her head when I say her name and wakes up when I walk in the room, etc, but we are being referred to a pediatric ear nose and throat dr. to investigate further. We believe she's harboring fluid in her ears, which is attributing to the failed tests. This is what we're praying anyway...we'll keep you posted on that.
Ally has definitely made the most progress since the last post. She progressed really quickly... going from only sitting up, to crawling efficiently and pulling up to a stand within a two week period! She's pulling up on everything (like Izzy) and is now very active! I'm finding she bruises much easier than Izzy and has little bruises all over her little head from minor bumps and falls. Poor little bruiser. The other babies still just have two bottom teeth, but Ally is now getting one top tooth also. She's also getting in the habit of throwing temper tantrums... obviously crying because she's angry with her situation. She kicks her legs and bucks her back, which REALLY tries my patience! Do I say that about Ally everytime I write?! :) Mom says she looks and acts just like I did when I was a baby, so maybe it's because we're so much alike that it frustrates me so much... Although she can be ornery, she can be the sweetest little thing too... she still LOVES to cuddle and she's never met a stranger. Abby and Izzy get a little stranger phobic sometime (is that a word?) but not Ally. Ally has also JUST started babbling, saying "Babababa".
Last Sunday, my mom watched the girls while Matt and I went to see a movie. (The first time she's been alone with them in a long time). The girls napped for the 1st hour and she had to feed and take care of them the 2nd hour. So, one hour alone with them. When we came back, her hair was all messed up, she was sweating, and Ally was crying her eyes out! It kind of cracked me up, because it was nice to see it's still not an easy task! Mom said the only thing that would have made Ally happy is her mommy coming home or her Lala's (my mom's) undivided attention. She said when you give Ally your undivided attention, the other two come crawling up on you like "what about me, Lala?!" Believe me, I know the feeling... sometimes I feel like I'm being swarmed! I really should be thin, unfortunately that's not the case.
That's all for now... here are some pics of their latest activities: (Sometimes you'll see duplicate pics from what I have displayed at the top of the page... this is bacause the top pics are temporary... If I want the pics to stay with this post, I add it again).
Bunny babies in their new jammies - Izzy, Abby and Ally (left to right)
.JPG)
Izzy riding Abby
Izzy and Ally standing in crib - I find Izzy like this every morning
Abby playing under toy car
Abby, Izzy and Ally playing
Izzy pulling up on my leg
Ally
Ally looking at me in mirror, Izzy crawling
Ally pulling up - Abby and daddy in background
Izzy in car, Ally on knees, Abby trying to pull up
i
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Valentine's Day
Time for an update!
I recently had a birthday and Matt and I were able to go on a double date with our friends, Andrew and Courtney, for the first time since the babies have been born. Don't get me wrong... Matt and I have been out... just haven't gone with these friends that we used to spend every weekend with! It was SO nice, and believe it or not, I actually went minutes at a time without thinking about the girls! It was very good for me and made for a great birthday. Matt's gift to me was 5 hours at the spa on my birthday, so I had already "celebrated" somewhat! It was definitely a nice day! I got to go eat dinner with my mom that night too... It's easy to get caught up in the mundane and forget how nice it is to get out of the house now and again.
Someone asked me the other day if Izzy is my favorite, because I always write about her first and write the most. First of all, I don't have a favorite... they all have such unique characteristics, and there is something special about each of them. I just write in birth order... I pretty much always start with Izzy, then Abby, then Ally. I'm almost always consistent with this. Also, up to this point, Izzy has just been doing more in her physical development, so there's a lot to write about. I'm sure each baby will get their time in the spotlight!
Here's the latest on what the girlies are doing:
Izzy is pulling up on anything and everything! When I walk with her, her little legs just naturally take steps, and sometimes even RUN! She is CONSTANTLY getting hurt, because she falls from her constant pulling up! She's still very busy and seems to plow over her sisters when playing with them. Just a minute ago, I had to separate her and Abby because she had a hold of Abby's hair and was yanking. Matt and I have also started saying "no" and giving little spats on the hand... not sure they understand yet, but we're trying. Izzy loves to play with her sisters, but it's hard to leave her alone with them for long! All of the girls love me to sing silly songs to them, and yesterday, Izzy seemed to sing a long. It was her usual, "ahhhhhhhh" sound, but it seemed to be going with my singing. She's very sweet.
Abby is finally sitting up! I was afraid it was NEVER going to happen!!! She babbles more than the other two, and sounds a lot like she's talking. I also have a feeling, she might be the onrnery one of the bunch. Everybody always thinks it'll be Izzy, but I have noticed Abby always takes the others' toys and then kind of waves them in their faces to show off. It's pretty funny to watch. She also sometimes appears to ignore her sisters when they're in her face, and I get the feeling she might be the one that says, "you're not my friend today"! Don't worry... mommy won't let her act that way for too long! Abby also appears to be doing some signs along with me when I'm singing... for example, she puts her little hands together and wiggles her fingers when I sing "Itsy bitsy spider". She's not quite "crawling", but gets where she needs to go by rolling or using her elbows and pushing with her feet. The other night Izzy and Abby were like Lewis and Clark, exploring the house for the first time. Matt and I watched as they crawled into the master bedroom, turning around to see if we were going to come get them. Izzy would crawl ahead and laugh as she waited on Abby and watched her inch her way towards her. It was SO darn cute to watch them go exploring together. Poor Ally was left out of the adventure and played by herself, sucking on her passy (pacifier). Abby appears to really understand the word "no". We mainly have to say it when she tries to get to the stuff on the bottom shelf of the end tables... she learns pretty quickly and cries when we say "no" because it either hurts her feelings or frustrates her... I'm not sure which. It's pretty cute though!
Ally is VERY close to crawling and pulling up! She's been getting on her tummy a lot and gets up on her knees and kind of swims around the house. She's still very into doing her tummy "crunches", and we think she must have abs of steel! She's pulling up in a very strange and difficult way. She sits on her bottom and tries to pull herself up from that angle... not an easy task, but she usually gets to a crouched position. I've also noticed her waving a lot, though it's never to say bye-bye or Hi... it's just random waving, but very cute. Ally doesn't seem to interact with her sisters as much, and when she does, she's almost always the victim. They steal her passy, take her toys, etc. She just looks up at me and cries to come save her. Poor little thing. If she put her mind to it, she could kick their diaper booties... she's got over 2 pounds on them! Ally is still my little cuddle bug and I love to bring her to bed with me in the mornings before the other two wake up... she almost always falls back asleep and she's so snuggly!!
Our daily schedule is currently:
7:30 wake up and eat breakfast - oatmeal with fruit
8:00-10:00 play and listen to music
10:30-11:30 nap (mommy tries to exercise, shower and eat breakfast)
12:00 lunch (green veggie with fruit)
12:30-3:00 play (Most of the time I get in their pen with them and keep them happy for the last hour... I like to call it my office. I have a drink, diapers/wipes, the remote control and my cell phone all right there to use as needed).
2:30 bottle
3:00-4:30/5:00 nap (I read, do my Bible study, clean, get on the computer, prep for dinner, etc.)
5:00 dinner - orange veggies, fruit
6:00-8:00 play while Matt and I scarf our dinner
8:30 bottle and bed
The babies get a bath every other day and I usually try to squeeze it in in the morning to get it over with... bathtime wears me out! I still put them in different rooms at nap time, so if someone wakes up prematurely, the others don't all wake up. If nap time is not over, I let them cry it out until they go back to sleep. Some people may think that's harsh, but it's the only way I've found they get the structured sleep they need and it makes my life MUCH easier.
I love them SOOOO much! If I get a chance to get out of the house, I can't wait to get back and get my hands on them, though I very much enjoy and need to get out now and then.
I recently saw where you can pay a fee and have your blogs bound into hard cover books! I'm so excited to be able to share these entries with the girls someday...
That's all for now... Happy Valentine's Day!
I recently had a birthday and Matt and I were able to go on a double date with our friends, Andrew and Courtney, for the first time since the babies have been born. Don't get me wrong... Matt and I have been out... just haven't gone with these friends that we used to spend every weekend with! It was SO nice, and believe it or not, I actually went minutes at a time without thinking about the girls! It was very good for me and made for a great birthday. Matt's gift to me was 5 hours at the spa on my birthday, so I had already "celebrated" somewhat! It was definitely a nice day! I got to go eat dinner with my mom that night too... It's easy to get caught up in the mundane and forget how nice it is to get out of the house now and again.
Someone asked me the other day if Izzy is my favorite, because I always write about her first and write the most. First of all, I don't have a favorite... they all have such unique characteristics, and there is something special about each of them. I just write in birth order... I pretty much always start with Izzy, then Abby, then Ally. I'm almost always consistent with this. Also, up to this point, Izzy has just been doing more in her physical development, so there's a lot to write about. I'm sure each baby will get their time in the spotlight!
Here's the latest on what the girlies are doing:
Izzy is pulling up on anything and everything! When I walk with her, her little legs just naturally take steps, and sometimes even RUN! She is CONSTANTLY getting hurt, because she falls from her constant pulling up! She's still very busy and seems to plow over her sisters when playing with them. Just a minute ago, I had to separate her and Abby because she had a hold of Abby's hair and was yanking. Matt and I have also started saying "no" and giving little spats on the hand... not sure they understand yet, but we're trying. Izzy loves to play with her sisters, but it's hard to leave her alone with them for long! All of the girls love me to sing silly songs to them, and yesterday, Izzy seemed to sing a long. It was her usual, "ahhhhhhhh" sound, but it seemed to be going with my singing. She's very sweet.
Abby is finally sitting up! I was afraid it was NEVER going to happen!!! She babbles more than the other two, and sounds a lot like she's talking. I also have a feeling, she might be the onrnery one of the bunch. Everybody always thinks it'll be Izzy, but I have noticed Abby always takes the others' toys and then kind of waves them in their faces to show off. It's pretty funny to watch. She also sometimes appears to ignore her sisters when they're in her face, and I get the feeling she might be the one that says, "you're not my friend today"! Don't worry... mommy won't let her act that way for too long! Abby also appears to be doing some signs along with me when I'm singing... for example, she puts her little hands together and wiggles her fingers when I sing "Itsy bitsy spider". She's not quite "crawling", but gets where she needs to go by rolling or using her elbows and pushing with her feet. The other night Izzy and Abby were like Lewis and Clark, exploring the house for the first time. Matt and I watched as they crawled into the master bedroom, turning around to see if we were going to come get them. Izzy would crawl ahead and laugh as she waited on Abby and watched her inch her way towards her. It was SO darn cute to watch them go exploring together. Poor Ally was left out of the adventure and played by herself, sucking on her passy (pacifier). Abby appears to really understand the word "no". We mainly have to say it when she tries to get to the stuff on the bottom shelf of the end tables... she learns pretty quickly and cries when we say "no" because it either hurts her feelings or frustrates her... I'm not sure which. It's pretty cute though!
Ally is VERY close to crawling and pulling up! She's been getting on her tummy a lot and gets up on her knees and kind of swims around the house. She's still very into doing her tummy "crunches", and we think she must have abs of steel! She's pulling up in a very strange and difficult way. She sits on her bottom and tries to pull herself up from that angle... not an easy task, but she usually gets to a crouched position. I've also noticed her waving a lot, though it's never to say bye-bye or Hi... it's just random waving, but very cute. Ally doesn't seem to interact with her sisters as much, and when she does, she's almost always the victim. They steal her passy, take her toys, etc. She just looks up at me and cries to come save her. Poor little thing. If she put her mind to it, she could kick their diaper booties... she's got over 2 pounds on them! Ally is still my little cuddle bug and I love to bring her to bed with me in the mornings before the other two wake up... she almost always falls back asleep and she's so snuggly!!
Our daily schedule is currently:
7:30 wake up and eat breakfast - oatmeal with fruit
8:00-10:00 play and listen to music
10:30-11:30 nap (mommy tries to exercise, shower and eat breakfast)
12:00 lunch (green veggie with fruit)
12:30-3:00 play (Most of the time I get in their pen with them and keep them happy for the last hour... I like to call it my office. I have a drink, diapers/wipes, the remote control and my cell phone all right there to use as needed).
2:30 bottle
3:00-4:30/5:00 nap (I read, do my Bible study, clean, get on the computer, prep for dinner, etc.)
5:00 dinner - orange veggies, fruit
6:00-8:00 play while Matt and I scarf our dinner
8:30 bottle and bed
The babies get a bath every other day and I usually try to squeeze it in in the morning to get it over with... bathtime wears me out! I still put them in different rooms at nap time, so if someone wakes up prematurely, the others don't all wake up. If nap time is not over, I let them cry it out until they go back to sleep. Some people may think that's harsh, but it's the only way I've found they get the structured sleep they need and it makes my life MUCH easier.
I love them SOOOO much! If I get a chance to get out of the house, I can't wait to get back and get my hands on them, though I very much enjoy and need to get out now and then.
I recently saw where you can pay a fee and have your blogs bound into hard cover books! I'm so excited to be able to share these entries with the girls someday...
That's all for now... Happy Valentine's Day!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
8 months old!
The girls are napping, so I thought I would update the blog on the latest...
They turned 8 months old this week! We went to the Dr. on Tuesday, and all girls are still doing great. Ally is in the 50th percentile for weight and 70th for height! Izzy and Abby are more around the 10th percentile for height/weight. Izzy has actually passed Abby in weight now, so the size order from biggest to smallest is: Ally, Izzy, Abby. Abby was the biggest at birth (5 lb. 5 oz), but is not a very big eater. Ally doesn't eat more than Izzy, but is a lot less active.
Here's the rundown on what they're doing:
Izzy is crawling and pulling up! I'll post some pics of this, so you can see how cute she is! She's such a little go-getter! She bonks her head a lot, but just keeps going. Sometimes she cries for a few seconds, but she's a tough little booger! She doesn't know her own strength yet, and I can't leave her alone with the other two or she'll pin them to the ground or poke their eyes out! If she sees something she wants, she just goes full force until she gets it. She's such a wiggle worm and hardly EVER sits still... except for the night feeding. At that point, she's worn out! Matt and I fight over who gets Izzy because it's so sweet to have her be so cuddly for a change! She still just has 2 bottom teeth and is a very happy baby.
Abby is still not sitting up well. She just doesn't put forth a lot of effort to do it, which doesn't really surprise me based on how she's been up to this point. We used to struggle with feeding her a bottle, because she wouldn't suck hard enough! She is going through a stage where she hates it when the adult leaves the room, which makes it very hard to get anything done. She's still very good with her hands and manipulating her toys, finger foods, etc... better than the other two babies. Matt calls her "lil doe" because she frightens easily and has big round eyes. I think we're going to have to stop calling her that because the other day, I called her name twice and when she ignored me, I said "lil doe" and she turned! She's going to think that's her name if we're not careful!
Ally still wants to be held all the time and still loves her pacifier. She's sitting up well and is still a very giggly, smiley baby. She now has two bottom teeth like her sisters. Matt lovingly calls her chubbers, which he won't be able to do too much longer. To be honest, she's a very normal-sized baby, but her sisters are so little, she looks chubby compared to them. She's started this terrible scream-cry when she doesn't get what she wants and is really testing my patience lately. When I'm able to, I let her scream it out so she doesn't keep this up, thinking she'll get what she wants everytime she does it. Don't get me wrong... her needs are met... just trying to avoid creating a beast!
I just started them on some finger foods this week with some cereal puffs that melt in the mouth easily. So far, most of the puffs end up on the floor, but it's fun to watch the girls use their little fingers and try to get them in their mouths! I'm not sure if I'm late starting finger foods, but I'm so scared of them choking and they're getting the nutrition they need, so I've put it off until now.
As for me, not too long ago, a friend offered me a job where I could work from home 10 hours a week and make a little extra money. The idea of it excited me, but after much thought and talking it over with Matt, I realized I didn't have the extra time to devote to a part-time job. Matt was like, "Do you have 10 extra hours a week?!" After almost taking the job, I realized, if I was going to make time for a job, I should be able to make some time for myself! It was like this whole new awakening for me! After this, I bought an elliptical machine and have started to take time to work out each day during the girls' morning nap. Granted, so far it's only been 2 days, but I'm pretty dedicated now that I spent the money! Anyway, I've also been trying to keep up with email and my blog better too. Anytime I try to use the girls as an excuse, I think... this is your job now... take better care of yourself!
Here are some recent pics of the girls:
Ally sitting in front of the house they got for Christmas.
Izzy pulling up on walker. Abby sitting in walker.
Ally in swing, Abby in walker, Izzy crawling on floor.
Matt and Izzy - isn't that cute! Abby playing on floor to the right.
Izzy, Abby and Ally- just back from Dr and getting pretty hungry!
They turned 8 months old this week! We went to the Dr. on Tuesday, and all girls are still doing great. Ally is in the 50th percentile for weight and 70th for height! Izzy and Abby are more around the 10th percentile for height/weight. Izzy has actually passed Abby in weight now, so the size order from biggest to smallest is: Ally, Izzy, Abby. Abby was the biggest at birth (5 lb. 5 oz), but is not a very big eater. Ally doesn't eat more than Izzy, but is a lot less active.
Here's the rundown on what they're doing:
Izzy is crawling and pulling up! I'll post some pics of this, so you can see how cute she is! She's such a little go-getter! She bonks her head a lot, but just keeps going. Sometimes she cries for a few seconds, but she's a tough little booger! She doesn't know her own strength yet, and I can't leave her alone with the other two or she'll pin them to the ground or poke their eyes out! If she sees something she wants, she just goes full force until she gets it. She's such a wiggle worm and hardly EVER sits still... except for the night feeding. At that point, she's worn out! Matt and I fight over who gets Izzy because it's so sweet to have her be so cuddly for a change! She still just has 2 bottom teeth and is a very happy baby.
Abby is still not sitting up well. She just doesn't put forth a lot of effort to do it, which doesn't really surprise me based on how she's been up to this point. We used to struggle with feeding her a bottle, because she wouldn't suck hard enough! She is going through a stage where she hates it when the adult leaves the room, which makes it very hard to get anything done. She's still very good with her hands and manipulating her toys, finger foods, etc... better than the other two babies. Matt calls her "lil doe" because she frightens easily and has big round eyes. I think we're going to have to stop calling her that because the other day, I called her name twice and when she ignored me, I said "lil doe" and she turned! She's going to think that's her name if we're not careful!
Ally still wants to be held all the time and still loves her pacifier. She's sitting up well and is still a very giggly, smiley baby. She now has two bottom teeth like her sisters. Matt lovingly calls her chubbers, which he won't be able to do too much longer. To be honest, she's a very normal-sized baby, but her sisters are so little, she looks chubby compared to them. She's started this terrible scream-cry when she doesn't get what she wants and is really testing my patience lately. When I'm able to, I let her scream it out so she doesn't keep this up, thinking she'll get what she wants everytime she does it. Don't get me wrong... her needs are met... just trying to avoid creating a beast!
I just started them on some finger foods this week with some cereal puffs that melt in the mouth easily. So far, most of the puffs end up on the floor, but it's fun to watch the girls use their little fingers and try to get them in their mouths! I'm not sure if I'm late starting finger foods, but I'm so scared of them choking and they're getting the nutrition they need, so I've put it off until now.
As for me, not too long ago, a friend offered me a job where I could work from home 10 hours a week and make a little extra money. The idea of it excited me, but after much thought and talking it over with Matt, I realized I didn't have the extra time to devote to a part-time job. Matt was like, "Do you have 10 extra hours a week?!" After almost taking the job, I realized, if I was going to make time for a job, I should be able to make some time for myself! It was like this whole new awakening for me! After this, I bought an elliptical machine and have started to take time to work out each day during the girls' morning nap. Granted, so far it's only been 2 days, but I'm pretty dedicated now that I spent the money! Anyway, I've also been trying to keep up with email and my blog better too. Anytime I try to use the girls as an excuse, I think... this is your job now... take better care of yourself!
Here are some recent pics of the girls:
Ally sitting in front of the house they got for Christmas.
Izzy pulling up on walker. Abby sitting in walker.
Ally in swing, Abby in walker, Izzy crawling on floor.
Matt and Izzy - isn't that cute! Abby playing on floor to the right.
Izzy, Abby and Ally- just back from Dr and getting pretty hungry!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
First Post in 2010
We definitely had an eventful Christmas! It's very difficult to lug three babies and all their stuff anywhere, not to mention multiple places in a snow storm! We started to my mom's house Christmas Eve and said we weren't going to stay the night unless the apocalypse came, but I prepared the babies' stuff, just in case. I've learned better safe than sorry with babies! My grandparents set out around 8:00 that evening for home and ended up in a ditch with a 4 wheel-drive truck, so we decided our mini van was definitely not going to make the 20 mile trek from Inola to Pryor in "blizzard-like" conditions. So, mom graciously gave us her room, we set up 3 pack-n-plays and all 5 of us slept in the same room that night! I have to admit, it was kind of cozy, though the girls woke up extra early and a few times during the night too. It was kind of nice waking up with my mom and brother on Christmas morning, like the old days. Matt and my brother, Chad, dug us out of mom's long driveway Christmas day, which took about 2 hours... but we made it over to Matt's family's house by about 4:00. By the end of that 2 days, we were BEAT!!! Caring for triplets, while living out of a suitcase and not in your own home can be very frustrating! We're very big on routine and so used to being in our own controlled environment, it definitely took it's toll on us and the babies! Next year should be easier, right?!
The girls got a ton of clothes and toys, and are keeping busy these days! Here's a breakdown on what they're doing this month:
Izzy is crawling, slowly. She just figured it out within the last week. She can sit up on her own and if she starts to fall, can catch her balance by placing her hand on the ground. She never sits long though... she's all over the place all the time! She rarely sits in a bouncy seat or swing and spends most of her time on the floor playing with toys. She's finally getting more hair, and is about as cute as a baby can get! She still has a little gleam of ornery in her and today, as I was feeding her cereal, she reached for the bowl and knocked it off the table. First of all, I thought it was way out of her reach, and second, she thought it was really funny! Needless to say, I didn't! I told her "no", but she thought that was funny too. Izzy had a cold about 2 weeks ago and still has a runny nose... not sure if she got it again or if it's still hanging on. Last night, Matt lowered Izzy's crib matress because we think she might be pulling up soon. She can climb onto certain things, so we figure it's better safe than sorry. I call her my little monkey, because she's always going! Izzy still just has 2 bottom teeth.
Abby caught this same cold from Izzy, but hers turned into an upper respiratory infection and she has had to be on antibiotics to clear it up. She was the sickest I've seen any of my babies so far. I've had a lot of sleepless nights these past 2 weeks with these sick babies... ugh!!! Abby is still not sitting up or crawling, and doesn't show signs of wanting to do either. She's pretty aggressive with her toys and if her sister has a toy, she wants it. Another thing: Ally takes a pacifier, Abby and Izzy don't. When Abby sees Ally's pacifier, she suddenly wants it. With ease, she pulls it right out of Ally's mouth and puts it into her own, all the while Ally is crying like a victim and does nothing about it. We got this on video, but it's too long to post to the blog. Abby is also starting to mimic. Mom and I were singing "Itsy Bitsy Spider" to the babies last weekend, and Abby started doing her fingers kind of like ours. She also likes to mimic coughing. This cracked me up... a few nights ago, I had Abby in the guest room, as she had been up. Next think I know, Izzy gets up with her snotty nose, unable to breathe. I bring Izzy into the living room and as she's coughing for real, I hear Abby mimicking her in the guest room! With every little Izzy cough, Abby had a cough to follow! Pretty cute, huh? You know it's cute when I laugh about it at 4:00 in the morning! Abby has 2 bottom teeth.
Ally is sitting up really well on her own, but doesn't stray from sitting. For example, if a toy escapes her reach, it's gone for good... she's not going after it. She doesn't know how to move from the sitting position yet. Ally has also been a VERY pleasant baby since my last post. I think she wanted me to feel guilty for saying she was a brat! She has been as sweet as can be... very patient and playing by herself for long periods of time. She's still very smiley and giggly. She has a bit of an infection in her eyes - The Dr. says it's from her sister's colds - one of them touched her in the eyes with their germ-infested hands. I've been giving her eye drops, and it's clearing up just fine. No matter how much I try to keep their stuff separate when their sick, they still manage to pass it along to each other. Ally has one bottom tooth.
I've been trying to make the girls' food with a new baby food maker I got for Christmas, but have been having a few problems. I've tried fresh, frozen and canned vegetables, but for some reason, the girls don't like it and prefer the Gerber food. I don't really have time for them to be picky, so I end up giving them what they want, so meal time doesn't last 2 hours!!! Anyway, I'm going to try a few different vegetables and fruits and see if I can't get them to eat them. I think it's the texture, but I'm not sure. The Gerber food is very silky smooth and the homemade has some grit, no matter how long I grind it or add more water. Anyway... I'm going to keep trying, because this will save us a lot of money in the long run.
That's all I have time to write about now, here are a few recent pics of the girls and their cousins:
Madison, Damon, Abby, Izzy and Ally - (Madison and Damon are Matt's sister's kids)
Ally sitting up
Busy Izzy playing/crawling
More of Ally sitting up
Abby and Izzy playing on the floor
Abby just woke up from nap- ready to eat dinner. Nice hair, huh?!
I took this video today of Izzy and Ally fighting over the pacifier...
The girls got a ton of clothes and toys, and are keeping busy these days! Here's a breakdown on what they're doing this month:
Izzy is crawling, slowly. She just figured it out within the last week. She can sit up on her own and if she starts to fall, can catch her balance by placing her hand on the ground. She never sits long though... she's all over the place all the time! She rarely sits in a bouncy seat or swing and spends most of her time on the floor playing with toys. She's finally getting more hair, and is about as cute as a baby can get! She still has a little gleam of ornery in her and today, as I was feeding her cereal, she reached for the bowl and knocked it off the table. First of all, I thought it was way out of her reach, and second, she thought it was really funny! Needless to say, I didn't! I told her "no", but she thought that was funny too. Izzy had a cold about 2 weeks ago and still has a runny nose... not sure if she got it again or if it's still hanging on. Last night, Matt lowered Izzy's crib matress because we think she might be pulling up soon. She can climb onto certain things, so we figure it's better safe than sorry. I call her my little monkey, because she's always going! Izzy still just has 2 bottom teeth.
Abby caught this same cold from Izzy, but hers turned into an upper respiratory infection and she has had to be on antibiotics to clear it up. She was the sickest I've seen any of my babies so far. I've had a lot of sleepless nights these past 2 weeks with these sick babies... ugh!!! Abby is still not sitting up or crawling, and doesn't show signs of wanting to do either. She's pretty aggressive with her toys and if her sister has a toy, she wants it. Another thing: Ally takes a pacifier, Abby and Izzy don't. When Abby sees Ally's pacifier, she suddenly wants it. With ease, she pulls it right out of Ally's mouth and puts it into her own, all the while Ally is crying like a victim and does nothing about it. We got this on video, but it's too long to post to the blog. Abby is also starting to mimic. Mom and I were singing "Itsy Bitsy Spider" to the babies last weekend, and Abby started doing her fingers kind of like ours. She also likes to mimic coughing. This cracked me up... a few nights ago, I had Abby in the guest room, as she had been up. Next think I know, Izzy gets up with her snotty nose, unable to breathe. I bring Izzy into the living room and as she's coughing for real, I hear Abby mimicking her in the guest room! With every little Izzy cough, Abby had a cough to follow! Pretty cute, huh? You know it's cute when I laugh about it at 4:00 in the morning! Abby has 2 bottom teeth.
Ally is sitting up really well on her own, but doesn't stray from sitting. For example, if a toy escapes her reach, it's gone for good... she's not going after it. She doesn't know how to move from the sitting position yet. Ally has also been a VERY pleasant baby since my last post. I think she wanted me to feel guilty for saying she was a brat! She has been as sweet as can be... very patient and playing by herself for long periods of time. She's still very smiley and giggly. She has a bit of an infection in her eyes - The Dr. says it's from her sister's colds - one of them touched her in the eyes with their germ-infested hands. I've been giving her eye drops, and it's clearing up just fine. No matter how much I try to keep their stuff separate when their sick, they still manage to pass it along to each other. Ally has one bottom tooth.
I've been trying to make the girls' food with a new baby food maker I got for Christmas, but have been having a few problems. I've tried fresh, frozen and canned vegetables, but for some reason, the girls don't like it and prefer the Gerber food. I don't really have time for them to be picky, so I end up giving them what they want, so meal time doesn't last 2 hours!!! Anyway, I'm going to try a few different vegetables and fruits and see if I can't get them to eat them. I think it's the texture, but I'm not sure. The Gerber food is very silky smooth and the homemade has some grit, no matter how long I grind it or add more water. Anyway... I'm going to keep trying, because this will save us a lot of money in the long run.
That's all I have time to write about now, here are a few recent pics of the girls and their cousins:
Madison, Damon, Abby, Izzy and Ally - (Madison and Damon are Matt's sister's kids)
Ally sitting up
Busy Izzy playing/crawling
More of Ally sitting up
Abby and Izzy playing on the floor
Abby just woke up from nap- ready to eat dinner. Nice hair, huh?!
I took this video today of Izzy and Ally fighting over the pacifier...
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Merry, Merry... Merry Christmas!
I can't believe the babies are 7 months old!!! It is truly getting easier every day. As I type this, Izzy is playing in the floor (surrounded by a baby fence that takes up the entire living room), Abby is in the toy car (playing with toys) and Ally is in the jumper, which we call "the office" (They're so serious when they're in it... cranking and spinning the toys)! They're all playing nicely, and I love to listen to the sounds! This will last for about 10 minutes before someone is unhappy with their situation, but for now, everyone is happy.
They're eating solid foods now... we're still on 1st foods: carrots, squash, green beans, etc. They also eat oatmeal cereal with peaches or applesauce. At first the feeding was a total pain, trying to get them to eat from a spoon and getting them to understand it will fill that empty tummy like the beloved bottle. Ally, my chunky baby, LOVES her bottle and was having a hard time adjusting, but is now getting used to it. My littlest, Izzy, has always been the best eater. I think she probably eats the most, but works it all off in her "floor routine", as I like to call it. She's goes from one end of the living room to the next, rolling around and getting up on her knees like she's going to crawl. She's a very active baby and will most likely be crawling by my next post.
The feeding routine at this point is: bottle in early morning, cereal/fruit about 11am, bottle in afternoon, vegetables 1 to 2 tubs in evening followed by a tiny bottle, and cereal/bottle in late evening. I've been very confused on what and when to feed the babies. Everything I read says your baby will "let you know". Well... for a new mom, it's not always that easy. I'm always worried they're not getting enough or they're getting too much. One thing I can say... they're definitely having A LOT more poopy diapers. Seriously... today, It is not even noon and I have changed 6 poops already!!! ugh! My new saying is: "poopy diapers... it's what I do." I have asked a lot of people for advice, but most don't remember what or how much they fed their babies. Even the Dr told me the babies will "let me know". So... I'm figuring it must not be rocket science and they'll be ok as long as they're gaining weight and seem satisfied. They still spit up, which is a little frustrating. I've heard they usually stop by now, but no such luck. I still have them on soy, which helps with the tummy problems, but not so much on the spit ups.
They're definitely interacting more and more every day. They roll around on the floor together and I often have to separate them because they're biting each other's hands, pulling hair, kicking, etc. Although that sounds rough, they don't know what they're doing yet... it's very unintentional. They laugh at each other and talk their baby talk too. It's very sweet. Sometimes, when one is upset, they even calm each other by just seeing their sister's face. Right now, the one in the car and the one in the office are face-to-face and giggling at each other. Very cute!
Here's an individual breakdown of what each baby is doing now:
Izzy has two bottom teeth... very cute! As I mentioned earlier, she's getting up on her knees and rocking, but not crawling yet. She rolls all over the floor and, if she sees a toy, she can maneuver her body to get where it is pretty efficiently. She is going through a phase where she's afraid of strangers. She only wants her mommy and daddy and gets pretty upset when someone else is holding her. Being aware of this, we've tried to intentionally break her of it, letting her spend more time with her grandmas, and she's getting better. Matt and I went to Tulsa last weekend and spent the day. Matt's mom and my mom watched the girls and Izzy did just fine. If it was anyone other than them, though, I think we would have had a scream-fest on our hands. She is very sweet to her sisters and seems very concerned when one is crying. Izzy plays on the floor a lot and doesn't really liked to be confined to a bouncy seat or swing. She looks up at me all day to make sure I'm still there and smiles very easily.
Abby is a little cutie. She just started getting her two bottom teeth a few days ago. She also rolls all over the floor, but is not making attempts to crawl yet. She likes the bouncy seat a lot, but often I have to take her toys away from her because she gets mad at them and starts screaming! It's very strange. I take them away and she's happy again! Matt and I both think Abby somehow knows how cute she is... if you stand her up on your lap, she sticks her little belly out and has that little "I know I'm cute" look on her face. She really warmed up to her daddy while he was home over the Thanksgiving break and may just be a daddy's girl... though she still likes her mommy pretty well too. Abby shows good dexterity when playing with her toys, and her meemaw thinks she is very smart ;)
Ally... oh Ally. Ally is... well, kind of a brat right now. She wants what she wants when she wants it. And she screams and screams until she gets it. I have good things to say too... just hold on a minute. She is very loud when she screams and it can by very trying sometimes! I have a feeling (as do others) she might be my little temper tantrum thower someday. I would also like to go on record saying, I am not the only one that has used the term "brat". I know, I know... she's only 7 months old, but I'm pretty sure she knows what she's doing. Ok... for the good stuff: Ally LOVES to be held and she usually cries because of this. She would be happy being held and rocked 24/7. And, really, that is a sweet temperment, right? I mean, she loves to cuddle and loves people. She is my baby baby. She still likes to be swaddled, likes her pacifier, loves to be held and rocked and wants her bottle. She rolls over, but is not nearly as mobile as the other two. (Probably because she spends less time on the floor?!) She has beautiful baby blue eyes and big chunk-a-munk cheeks and laughs a lot! She is pretty easy to make chuckle, but she thinks her daddy is the funniest thing ever. He literally has to just look at her to make her laugh out loud. So cute! If you haven't seen the video of her laughing, go back to the last post... so precious!
As for the sleep situation: I now have a pack-n-play set up in the guest bedroom and in our bedroom. For naps, I put one down in the nursery, one in the guest room and one in our bedroom. This ensures they don't wake each other up prematurely from their naps. At night, I lay them all in their cribs in the same room. If one gets up (which happens almost every night), they get promptly moved to the guest room pack-n-play to spend the rest of the night in solitude! Luckily, I have two monitor bases, so I can still hear both rooms from my bed. All of the books said the girls would get used to each others' cries. This is true for falling asleep if one is crying... it kind of lulls them to sleep after a while. But this is not true for going from a deep, silent sleep to hearing someone scream in the middle. Knowing this, I might have tried putting their cribs in separate rooms... maybe. They go down very well, a lot of people are amazed to see that I don't rock them to sleep, just lay them in their crib and they fall asleep. They may cry or talk to themselves for a while, but have learned to soothe themselves well.
I have been doing most days on my own still... Mom and Cheryl help with Dr's appointments, mommy's day out, professional pictures, etc, but overall, I can do this on my own, which is still a very good feeling. Now, people can come over to see the babies when they want, rather than feel obligated. My feeling is: a baby can cry a little... If it takes a minute to get to her... It may just teach her a little patience. (Though I can't say this is working for Ally just yet!) Of course, I distinguish between cries... if it is a pain cry, they're attended to promptly... don't call DHS on me or anything! Ok, let's see, I've talked about their eating, pooping, sleeping and playing... that's pretty much what we do around here! I'm so happy and blessed to have these beautiful little girls in my life!
I hope you all have a Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas like we will!!!
Here's an example of the babies playing... you might notice Izzy is in the bouncer and Ally is in the car... switched them around since the beginning of my post...
They're eating solid foods now... we're still on 1st foods: carrots, squash, green beans, etc. They also eat oatmeal cereal with peaches or applesauce. At first the feeding was a total pain, trying to get them to eat from a spoon and getting them to understand it will fill that empty tummy like the beloved bottle. Ally, my chunky baby, LOVES her bottle and was having a hard time adjusting, but is now getting used to it. My littlest, Izzy, has always been the best eater. I think she probably eats the most, but works it all off in her "floor routine", as I like to call it. She's goes from one end of the living room to the next, rolling around and getting up on her knees like she's going to crawl. She's a very active baby and will most likely be crawling by my next post.
The feeding routine at this point is: bottle in early morning, cereal/fruit about 11am, bottle in afternoon, vegetables 1 to 2 tubs in evening followed by a tiny bottle, and cereal/bottle in late evening. I've been very confused on what and when to feed the babies. Everything I read says your baby will "let you know". Well... for a new mom, it's not always that easy. I'm always worried they're not getting enough or they're getting too much. One thing I can say... they're definitely having A LOT more poopy diapers. Seriously... today, It is not even noon and I have changed 6 poops already!!! ugh! My new saying is: "poopy diapers... it's what I do." I have asked a lot of people for advice, but most don't remember what or how much they fed their babies. Even the Dr told me the babies will "let me know". So... I'm figuring it must not be rocket science and they'll be ok as long as they're gaining weight and seem satisfied. They still spit up, which is a little frustrating. I've heard they usually stop by now, but no such luck. I still have them on soy, which helps with the tummy problems, but not so much on the spit ups.
They're definitely interacting more and more every day. They roll around on the floor together and I often have to separate them because they're biting each other's hands, pulling hair, kicking, etc. Although that sounds rough, they don't know what they're doing yet... it's very unintentional. They laugh at each other and talk their baby talk too. It's very sweet. Sometimes, when one is upset, they even calm each other by just seeing their sister's face. Right now, the one in the car and the one in the office are face-to-face and giggling at each other. Very cute!
Here's an individual breakdown of what each baby is doing now:
Izzy has two bottom teeth... very cute! As I mentioned earlier, she's getting up on her knees and rocking, but not crawling yet. She rolls all over the floor and, if she sees a toy, she can maneuver her body to get where it is pretty efficiently. She is going through a phase where she's afraid of strangers. She only wants her mommy and daddy and gets pretty upset when someone else is holding her. Being aware of this, we've tried to intentionally break her of it, letting her spend more time with her grandmas, and she's getting better. Matt and I went to Tulsa last weekend and spent the day. Matt's mom and my mom watched the girls and Izzy did just fine. If it was anyone other than them, though, I think we would have had a scream-fest on our hands. She is very sweet to her sisters and seems very concerned when one is crying. Izzy plays on the floor a lot and doesn't really liked to be confined to a bouncy seat or swing. She looks up at me all day to make sure I'm still there and smiles very easily.
Abby is a little cutie. She just started getting her two bottom teeth a few days ago. She also rolls all over the floor, but is not making attempts to crawl yet. She likes the bouncy seat a lot, but often I have to take her toys away from her because she gets mad at them and starts screaming! It's very strange. I take them away and she's happy again! Matt and I both think Abby somehow knows how cute she is... if you stand her up on your lap, she sticks her little belly out and has that little "I know I'm cute" look on her face. She really warmed up to her daddy while he was home over the Thanksgiving break and may just be a daddy's girl... though she still likes her mommy pretty well too. Abby shows good dexterity when playing with her toys, and her meemaw thinks she is very smart ;)
Ally... oh Ally. Ally is... well, kind of a brat right now. She wants what she wants when she wants it. And she screams and screams until she gets it. I have good things to say too... just hold on a minute. She is very loud when she screams and it can by very trying sometimes! I have a feeling (as do others) she might be my little temper tantrum thower someday. I would also like to go on record saying, I am not the only one that has used the term "brat". I know, I know... she's only 7 months old, but I'm pretty sure she knows what she's doing. Ok... for the good stuff: Ally LOVES to be held and she usually cries because of this. She would be happy being held and rocked 24/7. And, really, that is a sweet temperment, right? I mean, she loves to cuddle and loves people. She is my baby baby. She still likes to be swaddled, likes her pacifier, loves to be held and rocked and wants her bottle. She rolls over, but is not nearly as mobile as the other two. (Probably because she spends less time on the floor?!) She has beautiful baby blue eyes and big chunk-a-munk cheeks and laughs a lot! She is pretty easy to make chuckle, but she thinks her daddy is the funniest thing ever. He literally has to just look at her to make her laugh out loud. So cute! If you haven't seen the video of her laughing, go back to the last post... so precious!
As for the sleep situation: I now have a pack-n-play set up in the guest bedroom and in our bedroom. For naps, I put one down in the nursery, one in the guest room and one in our bedroom. This ensures they don't wake each other up prematurely from their naps. At night, I lay them all in their cribs in the same room. If one gets up (which happens almost every night), they get promptly moved to the guest room pack-n-play to spend the rest of the night in solitude! Luckily, I have two monitor bases, so I can still hear both rooms from my bed. All of the books said the girls would get used to each others' cries. This is true for falling asleep if one is crying... it kind of lulls them to sleep after a while. But this is not true for going from a deep, silent sleep to hearing someone scream in the middle. Knowing this, I might have tried putting their cribs in separate rooms... maybe. They go down very well, a lot of people are amazed to see that I don't rock them to sleep, just lay them in their crib and they fall asleep. They may cry or talk to themselves for a while, but have learned to soothe themselves well.
I have been doing most days on my own still... Mom and Cheryl help with Dr's appointments, mommy's day out, professional pictures, etc, but overall, I can do this on my own, which is still a very good feeling. Now, people can come over to see the babies when they want, rather than feel obligated. My feeling is: a baby can cry a little... If it takes a minute to get to her... It may just teach her a little patience. (Though I can't say this is working for Ally just yet!) Of course, I distinguish between cries... if it is a pain cry, they're attended to promptly... don't call DHS on me or anything! Ok, let's see, I've talked about their eating, pooping, sleeping and playing... that's pretty much what we do around here! I'm so happy and blessed to have these beautiful little girls in my life!
I hope you all have a Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas like we will!!!
Here's an example of the babies playing... you might notice Izzy is in the bouncer and Ally is in the car... switched them around since the beginning of my post...
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