13 Month Update

I'm going to start this post off with some info about the girls in general, then give a few specifics about each baby. Once a month, I like to try to post info about what they're currently doing, developmentally.

The girls are a little less fussy, it seems. Either that, or I'm just getting used to it! I've been trying to do things a little differently - taking them on walks at least once a day and opening the house up to let them explore once a day. It's pretty challenging, since the whole house is not baby proofed, but I try to block off the areas that are off limits and let them roam for an hour or more. A lot of people responded to my "frustrated mommy" post, and I got a lot of helpful ideas. Some were pretty sure it's probably teething, and that's definitely a possibility. I'm thinking of trying those teething tablets I keep hearing about... we'll see if those help too.

One thing they're doing that Matt and I laugh about: they always seem to sit in the same 2 square feet of carpet... all piled on top of each other. They've got a huge play space with tons of toys, but they love to be where the others are! Maybe it's comforting to them - like in the womb! They don't act comforted by it though... they fight! More about that in a second.

As a whole, these babies really love music. They always stop what they're doing when a song comes on tv, the ipod or a musical toy. They stop playing and do a little head-bob dance. Hence, the reason I've posted so many dancing videos.

The nap schedule is still the same, an A.M. nap from 10:30 to noon and a P.M. nap from 3-5. I was thinking they were probably old enough to go to one long nap after lunch, but found out they're not. Without a morning nap, they cried all thru lunch and wouldn't eat... I was frustrated, sweating and decided to stick to what works for now.

A little about each baby....

Isabelle Rae:
This is a pic of Izzy at the grocery store with me last week. The other 2 stayed home with daddy. She was very good and seemed to enjoy getting out of the house.

She learns so fast! Matt said the other day, "why don't you teach the other babies stuff too?!" It's not that I'm not teaching them... they just don't pay attention like she does! She started blowing kisses, waves bye-bye, holds up her pointer finger to tell you how old she is, makes a mean face when asked "izzy are you mad?" and can point to her nose. She's a cute little booger. She's walking well and runs sometimes too. She's making sounds that sound a lot like words, but don't make since. She's also doing this cute thing where she mumbles real low under her breath.... Like she's mad or something. ADORABLE!

She's keeps climbing on her riding toy and honking the horn.... here's a pic taken from my cell phone (a little unclear)

A clearer pic of Izzer Wizzer


Abigail Haley:
Meet Srog the Frog

This is Abby with Srog the frog:

Abby with Srog the frog...

More Abby with Srog the frog....

She used to just need srog when she slept, but now she's wanting srog with her at all times. She makes certain to grab him before leaving her crib, and keeps a tight grip on him in the high chair too. I take him away during mealtime, which makes for a very unhappy baby. She loves to hug him and suck on her thumb and pointer finger. It's pretty cute, but that frog is starting to get pretty dingy. I think I'm going to have to find a substitute long enough to clean him.

All of the babies say a few words- momma, daddy, ball, etc. But, Abby has started saying "uh-oh" after dropping something. Right now, Izzy only says, "uh-uh-uh".
On a negative note: Abby's going thru a little biting stage right now. It's a problem. The lil doe (her nickname) has turned into an alligator! Acutally, I kind of feel sorry for her, because I really think she's doing it out of frustration. Her sisters are just stronger and more stable than she is, and she's learned a way to get them to leave her and her srog alone. She leaves bite marks and bruises all up and down their little arms. I know she's done it when I hear the piercing cry of her victim and I immediately swat her and get on to her, but she just keeps doing it. The others still bite every now and then, so if I'm not in the room when it happens, it's hard to know exactly who was the biter. The other day I got on to Abby, but Matt said she was a few feet away when it happened, so who knows! This is definitely a problem most likely unique to triplets! Since they all have 4 upper and 2 lower teeth, I can't pull a CSI and examine the teeth marks. Ugh!

Allison Michelle:

This is Ally with her favorite vice... her paci

Without her paci....

Annnnnd with her paci again!

She is my only paci baby. She used to take it primarily when she slept, but now wants it a lot of the daytime too. A lot of times, I'll put 2 or 3 in her crib because if she wakes up and can't find it all *you know what* will break loose. Ally has started this cute new thing of acting shy when she sees a stranger. Lately, I've had quite a few visitors over to the house and she'll look at them, then bury her head, then look at them, then bury her head. It's really cute. She's still very busy... always playing really well. We sometimes say she's bipolar because she'll go from laughing hysterically to crying or vice versa.... a very moodly little baby. As a matter of fact, she's turning into a regular fit thrower... throwing herself on the ground, screaming and such. We just laugh for now... eventually, when she's old enough I'm going to spank her little bottom for it. That's right! I'll do it!
Anyone who looks at Ally can't help but notice her bright blue eyes. All of the babies have blue eyes, but Ally's are really light blue... so pretty. I tell her even though she's still bald, she pulls it off really well because she's so pretty. I talk about things Abby and Izzy are doing, but Ally doesn't stop long enough for me to teach her something! Sometimes she'll watch me, like she's soaking it in, but she rarely mimics me, like the others. She does wave bye bye though. Ally is also my only baby that drinks solely out of a sippy cup. The other two still drink a bottle in the afternoon and at night. Ally used to get frustrated with the bottle and prefers to chug her milk. She takes after her momma in SOOOO many ways.

Matt and I have been able to get out of the house more and more this summer. We take them out to eat at least once a week, and lately, have gone on lots of walks around town. Matt pushes the double stroller and I push the single. We're getting a little more brave with venturing out. Over Memorial day weekend, we took them to Tulsa, ate at the Cheesecake Factory and shopped a little. We definitely hear a lot of comments and get a lot of stares, but it's nice to get out of the house (for me and them). Granted, Matt and I aren't really able to talk at dinner and I feel like I need 8 arms - cheerios here, cheerios there, oops dropped a sippy cup, chip and salsa for mommy, leave that menu alone, oh no she has a steak knife... you know, the usual stuff with a baby... times 3. They've yet to be bad at a restaurant though (knocking on wood).

As far as the house goes, it's still up for sale... according to our realtor, the market is really slow right now, so we're just taking the approach that it's just not meant to be at this point.

That's all of the updates I can think of for now.