Frustrating nap situation...

Well, at least I was able to sleep until 7 this morning! Drake did wake up and moan around 5:30, but that's when Daddy starts to get up, so he took care of that.
Our normal routine for the day goes something like this:
7am: wake and come downstairs
7:15-7:30: have milk in sippy cups and wait for Mommy to make breakfast
7:30-8: breakfast
9-11am: naptime
11am: wake and come downstairs
11:15-12: milk and lunch
12-1pm: play
1-3(ish): naptime
3pm-5pm: wake and have water or juice and snack
5(ish): milk and dinner
6:30-7pm: bedtime

That's our schedule, give or take a few minutes, every day.
So, what's so different about today? GRRRR! Could it be time to try one nap? This is where it gets frustrating with 3! My trio have always been so good with sleeping in the same room. I do know that Drake seems to require more sleep than the other 2. Ava seems to not need any, but around 4:30-5:30 is her "witching" hour! She becomes a demon child. I've heard that is the hour for most kids, so I'm not too shocked. The other 2 transform at times too, but not as often as her.
So this morning, just like routine, I put them down at 9am. Maybe it was closer to 9:30 because we were slow getting dressed. Only to have to listen to Ava and Dane scream until 10:30. They never have been ones ot calm themselves down, but then again, who could when someone else is screaming with you! I went in to get them and they seems totally fine, happy to have me get them. Almost as if they didn't need that nap today. Ugh! I was not planning on doing one nap until the spring or summer, so I wouldn't be cooped up inside. Maybe I should look into doing a class with them in the mornings then. Hmm, all the possibilities.
As, I'm writing this, Drake, who actually did nap this morning is upstairs crying. WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON??? I need Mommy time!! At least I don't hear the other 2!
So if you'll excuse me, I'm going to find out the problem. A poopy diaper? Who knows?

Early risers...

For the second day in a row, we've been getting up at 6am! It's brutal! Thank goodness I haven't worked the past couple of nights, which could mean only 3-5 hours of sleep for mommy!

I honestly don't know why they are waking so early. They go to bed at the same time every night, nothing has changed! Mommy's not used to waving bye to Daddy as he leaves for work! But apparently the kids love it!

I know Dane is getting 4 teeth (!) on top right now, Ava looks like she's getting 2 more on top, but Drake I don't see any. I'm wondering if it's his molars. He's actually the one that wakes up first and wakes everyone else up. I've been told to maybe put him in another room so he doesn't wake the others, but where? There's no extra room. And God forbid he should sleep with us. It's like our bed is a jungle gym and there's absolutely NO sleeping for him then. Sometimes I wish each kid had a manual to help us raise them.

On another note, Chad and I finally had another date night this last Saturday. We went to the Outback and had some great food. It was kind of funny, we sat at the bar (45 min) waiting for a table and sat next to these 2 ladies. Well, I couldn't help but listen in on their conversation, as I'm sure the whole bar could hear them. When they received their meal, it did not come out the way they wanted it to. And I'll tell you, I was giggling to myself, because they talked so loud and were so angry, they had their meal split on 2 plates and on one plate the kitchen put the potatoes and on the other were the string beans. Oh Lord, that made them so angry! But the funniest part was, it's happened to them every time they go there! Now if it happend to me the first time and I didn't like it, I would probably tell them the next time to not do it. It was just funny. For me working in the restaurant business I see these types of people all the time. Their main goal is to complain so much that they eventually get their meal for free. I am so glad I am not that type of person! All in all though, our date night was great! Well needed.

Until next time...

BTW, the picture is of them in their new toy box! They love it!

New Year's Resolution...

So, I decided that my new years resolution was going to be blogging more. I have really only blogged about once a month, and there is SO much going on here that I should really tell people every day. And it's a good way to let our family know how things are going.

I don't seem to mind the question "Who's your favorite?" because they are each a favorite for their very own reason. And I LOVE sharing those reasons with other people. Dane is my favorite because his eyes are so big and blue and the way he looks at me just makes me melt! He also gives the VERY best hugs and cuddles! Drake is my favorite because he looks just like me! The only one that will have my color of eyes too. I love that he is always smiling and he rarely ever closes his mouth! Meaning, his shirts are always soaked! Ava is my favorite, well, she's my only daughter! Plus she likes to mimic me in everything! Her eyes, her smile and the squeals she makes are just wonderful. Ok, so the squeals can be toned down a bit, but they're still cute.
I'm alright when people tell me that they have a favorite, because each one seems to be a favorite of someones. Make sense?
Today, Dane is not a favorite! He has become the bully. And what gets me, he does it all with a straight face. Almost like he doesn't care that he just pushed his sister off the toy he wanted. He laughs about it, unless his siblings fight back and win. Then he cries and tries to come crawl in my lap. I don't allow him to do so. If I see him take a toy or push someone, I make him aware that it's not right and remove him from the situation. It's been tough, and I'm hoping this works. Today I caught him grabbing Drake's shirt and trying to pull him away from the gate. Drake of course just stands there (I'm going to have to work on that too, I guess!).
I'm just hoping that this is just a phase that will soon pass!

Merry Christmas!

Ok, so it's almost the New Year, but hey, don't you know I'm a little slow these days!
We had a wonderful couple of days for Christmas.
Ours really started on the Saturday before when we went to church. Out of all the Sundays (or sometimes Saturdays) we go to in the year, the Christmas service is by far the best I've ever been to. Ok, there's been a ton of great services, but this one always means a lot! With wonderful music and the story of Christ's birth, it's just so touching! We also have a girl, she might be in her twenty's, who can belt out some Christmas songs. My favorite song, O Holy Night is one of her best. Her voice sent chills through my body when she sang it! Don't tell anyone, but I really go to hear her sing that song. I've never heard anyone sing it as good as she does! Not positive, but you might be able to hear it on our church's website, www.flatironschurch.com.
On Christmas Eve, we went over to my boss and his wife's house for dinner. We had a wonderful meal; a salad (with walnuts, dried fruit, Feta and Rasp. dressing), portobello mushrooms (I'm not a mushroom fan and I guess the kids aren't either), twice baked potatos, and a beef tenderloin that melted in our mouth! What a feast it was! It was also accompanied with expensive wine assortments! Good thing I was the driver, not a huge fan of red wine.
The trio did great even though they didn't have a good nap beforehand. They played with Sam, bosses 13 month old son and a couple of girls who are a few years older. They all played very well together. The girls really didn't understand all the little kids, but that's just their age. We made it home pretty late, but thankfully before all the snow crept in. And that's exactly what it did! But who doesn't love a white Christmas?? We woke up to about 6-8 inches of snow!!
Stephen was at his mother's house for their Christmas celebration. He came home Christmas morning. Unfortunately due to the weather, when he finally made it home, we had to pack up and go to Grammie and Papa's house for their Christmas celebration.
What a houseful that was! But I am always up for a great family get together! It's growing ever so rapidly at this point! Still no one can out do Chad and I!! It was me, Chad, Stephen, Dane, Drake and Ava (6), Crystal's family (Fonso, Kain, Emma and LeAnn was not able to make it due to the weather), Dawn's family (Chris and Damien) and my mom and dad (Grammie and Papa). I feel like I'm missing someone, but I think that's it.
We had another great feast for a brunch; quiche (thank you Chad), hashbrown casserole, frenchtoast casserole, bacon and deer sausage. Oh and let's not forget those yummy Bloody Mary's!! Had a few myself!
Following the meal, we opened gifts! Always so much fun with little kids. Ava received a Cabbage Patch baby, while she wanted nothing to do with it, she wanted the boys' gift...a 4wheeler!! Apparently it's hers!! I will be going out real soon to buy a couple more of those, thanks Grammie!!! :) We couldn't spend all day there, so we left a little after the kids' nap time. They fell asleep in the car ride home, so they didn't get a good nap in at all. But who care's right, it's Christmas!!
At home we all opened our gifts... I got a Nintendo DSLite with BrainAge to get my brain back on track to smart once again. Chad got some things to start Slacklining. If you don't know what it is, just think "tightroping"! Or google it someday, it's quite interesting. I guess it's a huge craze here in Boulder. And Stephen got Guitar Hero!! Wow, that game is so much fun! But it can be addicting, he's already beaten the easy level! But he tried hard, and he's got a lot of practicing to do! And the kids received a giant PlayHut with tunnels and rooms and some balls. They love it! Dane just goes in and hides! Drake and Ava love the tunnels. They insist on carrying around the little balls too.
So we had a wonderful Christmas! Oh and we finally got a couple of whole family pictures of us! Not all of us are looking in all the pictures, but he we're in the same picture!
Have a great New Year!!

They're ONE!!!

We still can't believe it!!
I wanted to write a whole bunch of neat things that the trio have done just in the past year but my mind is blank. After the week we had of moving and their birthday party, I just don't feel like thinking. So one of these days I will write a great post and share it with you all.
As for now, it's lunch time and Ava is screaming because she has an empty tray.
I did want to share a short video of pictures that were taken at their party. Last week we rushed to get moved in and everyone at the party just kept telling us "I can't believe you moved in last weekend! It looks like you have lived here for a couple of months!" Thank you! We stressed and stressed and worked very hard to get settled. We still have a good ways to go, but we're in!
As far as the party, I counted 62 people! Yikes! And it was all indoors as the weather was about 30 degrees out. Our kiddos did excellent. All 3 of them were pretty quiet, but they get like that when there are other people around. No meltdowns, they had a great day! They received so many wonderful gifts, too many! They loved the cakes my sister Crystal made, especially Ava which you'll see in the pictures. Drake was a little freaked out by the singing and didn't know what to do with the cake. Dane wanted someone to lift the cake up to his face so he could eat it.
Ava had a little bit of a sugar high, but they all settled down for bed by 7pm. Which by then, Mommy and Daddy were ready as well!
So, we all survived! We didn't see much of Stephen throughout the party, he said there were just too many people and kids here. He stayed in the basement. I really don't blame him!
The trio have their 12 month checkup on the 16th, so I'll try to post after that and tell everyone their heights and weights. Ava finally got a new carseat, bright pink, but she still has to ride backwards for awhile longer. The boys have graduated to riding forwards and they love it! I don't know if they're over 20lbs, but they're a year old now!
That's long enough...

11 months old...

We took the trio to "Boo at the Zoo" last Saturday and they had an absolute blast. Even with the cold temps, they wore their Halloween costumes, gloves, hats and kept them on the entire day. Unfortunately, I misplaced one of my most prize possessions while at the zoo, and now I believe I lost my camera while there. I'm so very sad, I used it just about every day! I was lucky enough to get pictures of the kids in their costumes prior to the zoo, so I will be able to post some.
For Halloween , we took them to our local King Soopers where they were passing out candy in all of their departments. They loved that. I even had a few people ask to take pictures of them. One woman said she would develop them for us and blow one up! Very cool! Just a bit strange that someone would want pictures of someone elses kids! Chad and Stephen took them out that night around the block in their new little choo-choo wagon. They got a ton of candy! And of course more people gawking at them. I love having beautiful kids! :)
That's it for now, my mom is letting me borrow her camera so that will be nice. Once I get over the loss of my own camera I'll start taking more.
I guess I could give a small update though... Ava seems to be getting the hang of walking! She will walk from the couch to the chair and anywhere else! It's not the best strides, but she seems to love it! Drake and Dane will take steps but they don't seem to think it's that important right now. I bet they'll all be walking by their 1st birthday!

The day after...

What a race that was for Chad! The first 8-10 hours were in the 50's, then the weather took a turn for the worse. The clouds rolled over and brought with them, rain, much cooler temps, and some lightning and thunder. But he stuck it out. For his support crew, we froze our little tooshes off!
He did what he wanted to...50 miles by 9pm! He became a little disoriented around 3pm and told himself that he could do 50 by 5pm. I came through with the kids to see him around 1:30 and he seemed in great spirits. He was just not thinking so clearly. But who really could after running for that long.
So in 18 1/2 hours of running, Chad finished 64 miles! I'm amazed and so is he. Sunday was nothing but a rest day. He wasn't feeling so well and slept a lot. He needed to get re-hydrated and eat a lot of calories. Unfortunately he developed a fever. I believe it was due to running in such cold weather. That was the scary part. I went to check on him and he was drenched in sweat. I made him drink some more fluids and change his clothes. It seemed to help.
Today he is feeling great. He says he feels like he drank too much alcohol last night and just has a terrible hang over. His legs and body feel better than he ever expected. Almost just like he ran a 1/2 marathon, not 64 miles.
As for his pacers, Stephen ran with him for his 8th lap, 50-57 mile mark. It was an alright lap, but it was a good thing that Stephen was there with him to help keep Chad's sanity. For his final lap, lap 9, Alfonso ran with him. Fonso said Chad was pretty out of it and even Chad remembers not being too in control of things. He was running on empty.
Every time I say 64 miles, I just can't believe it. Just the whole process that goes with it is scary. I could never have the mind set to do it.
How cheesy is this, but he's my hero!! I'm so proud of him! I love you so much Chad!

24 hours of Boulder...

So Chad has decided to take his running up a notch and run for 24 hours! Why? Who knows, I will just always support him. He amazes me with all of the running he does now, but to him, it's just not enough. He's done a few marathons and now he wants to run at least 30 miles. His goal for this race is to finish, but of course that's still not good enough for him. He wants to complete at least 50 miles. He believes he can do more, but I told him to shoot for just 50. I know, "just" 50, it's a huge number. I know he can do it! I wish I had that same mindset that he has. He is just so confident and he just clears his mind and runs.
He's got a great strategy that he's been planning for months. He wants to complete most of the race in the first 12 hours and then kind of take it easy. He is planning on doing a 5 to 1 ratio. Meaning run for 5 minutes, walk for one. We've heard it is the best strategy for such a long race. Stephen and his mom are there for his support, I plan on being there once the kids go down for the night. My sister, Crystal and her husband Fonso will be there along with Kain and Emma. Fonso and Stephen are planning on being a pacer, but the race doesn't allow pacers until 10pm tonight. A pacer is someone who runs along side of the runner and gives them support and keeps them at a good pace. If I was in a little better shape and able to run 7 miles, I would have loved to pace him.
Here is a description on the race:
Course Description
This race is run on the beautiful trails at the Boulder Reservoir with great views of the snow covered peaks. The course is a flat 7.14 miles (lap 14 ends at exactly 100 miles) with approximately 100 feet gain per lap with an aid station at approximately 3.5 miles. The course will be marked and is non-technical (so don't worry about those late night hours).

I will keep everyone posted on how he finishes! Oh, just got a picture text from Stephen and Chad seems in great spirits! But it's only the first lap!! :)

Here is the official website of 24 hours of Boulder.
http://www.geminiadventures.com/24Hrs_of_Boulder.htm

GO ROCKIES!!!!!

I can't say I'm the "biggest" Rockies fan, but I'm a big fan! This season has amazed everyone here in Colorado! It's been so awesome being able to root them on and watch them go further than they've ever gone. We've got the potential to make it to the World Series! WOW!!! The World Series right here in Colorado!! Who would have ever thought???
I just wanted to share my excitement!! Colorado has great teams, but it's never been our baseball team!
GO ROCKIES!!!! You deserve to go all the way!

Oh boy...10 months!

So they have hit their 10 month mark! And they have hit it hard. Growing like weeds and amazing us every day still. All 3 are standing and letting go of the furniture, Drake and Ava have taken a few steps, but we're working on the balancing part of it. Dane will stand, but is so belly heavy that he just plops forward. Dane and Ava finally have a tooth, maybe even getting their second one already. Poor Drake is working on 4 up top! He seems to take it a lot better than the other 2 though.
I can't believe it but I am starting to plan for their 1st birthday! I'm a nervous wreck! A few other triplet moms were discussing this a few months ago when their trio were turning one and I really didn't think it would hit me. But it has. I just can't get over how much they've grown. And each of their personalities! Oh, I'm just so happy! I never thought I'd be the happy with kids. It has been so much better and easier than I ever anticipated. Granted I do believe that every stage or milestone seems to be a bit more difficult to go through. But looking back, they were so much fun.
There were so many things that never crossed my mind becoming a mother or even raising a family. The whole feeding bit never crossed my mind. Apparently I just believed that they would feed themselves from the get go! Ha, and cooking them meals. I'm not used to making meals, so that has been quite a challenge. I just don't have the knack for a creative meal. My triplet group has helped tremendously with that. It's kind of funny though, meal suggestions are always a topic.
Another thing that I never thought of...teeth. I knew they didn't have them when they were born. And I guess they would just get a full set magically. Well, they do appear magically, but so far only one at a time (Drake gets them 2+). And it has been pretty painful for them.
Illnesses...I thought taking care of a sick man was hard! 3 babies sick at once is awful! I won't lie, I don't handle this situation very well. Who could though? Runny noses, stuffy noses, diarrhea, ear infections, the constant cry, the waking in the nights, fever, just to name a few! My kids were supposed to grow up without any sickness!!
There are so many other things that I didn't realize but I can't remember them. I used to have a pretty darn good memory, but ever since I got pregnant with triplets, ha, that went straight out the window and has yet to return!

I never want to go through that again!

Yesterday was one of the hardest days Chad and I have had to deal with in our entire relationship. We had to put our first "child" to sleep. I knew it wasn't going to be easy, but I really didn't think it was going to be that hard.
Mercedes had been a part of us for over 8 1/2 years. We watched her grow from just a tiny thing that fit in the pocket of Chad's coat to a giant beast. She was a great dog, for Chad and I. She just was so unpredictable with everyone else. She had bitten Chad a year or so ago and we had really contemplated doing it then, but we didn't. We knew that she had a temper and we knew how to deal with it. But having three young kids in the house crawling around and going near her, it made us very nervous. If she was capable of biting Chad, who knows what she could have done with one of the kids.
It was a very tough decision, we loved her so much, but safety and our kids will come first.
Ugh, a tough day!

Our 9 month checkup

How quickly time flies! The trio are already 9 1/2 months old!
Here is just a quick overview of what's going on in the Jorgensen household.
Well, our house is still on the market, much cheaper than when we started. Our new house is about halfway done. Anyone know someone who wants to buy a beautiful home in north Colorado? Ugh, it's somewhat disappointing, but the right person just hasn't come along. That's what I have to keep telling myself!
Stephen is doing wonderful in school. He seems to be a very popular kid! I swear he comes home every week with another invitation to a party! Birthday party that is! I dread the high school years, where it's more than just a party! We're very thankful that Stephen has adjusted to such a difficult change. I can only imagine what his situation would feel like.
All three of the kids are crawling like crazy, standing up on their own and walking along the furniture. It won't be long until they're all walking! Oh boy a whole other stress! They are all saying "dada, MOM (only when angry), and "baba", they just don't know why they are saying it. The doc gave them all a clean bill of health, actually a VERY clean bill of health. The only thing he noticed was, due to a cold they've had, all 3 had ear infections. Complete shock to me, no one seemed to be bothered by it. The pediatrician also said that they are right on target for their exact age. But then again, we were lucky that at 6 weeks early, we've never dealt with adjusted age.
Dane has come out of his shell! Still no teeth, but a voice that will remind you only of a prehistoric teridactal (sp?). Not many people can hit the notes he hits! Too funny! He is a giggler and always smiling! He loves life! All of them do! He is weighing in at a whopping 18lbs 4oz and is 29 inches tall. He still has his blue eyes that melt you with one glance!
Drake has become our shy guy. Who knew? He warms up after a bit, but at first, he holds a solid straight face. He has 2 teeth and thinks he's cool! No biting, thank goodness, yet! He is a talker. He tries really hard to say things, but of course it's in baby language. He weighs 17lbs 9oz and is 28 inches tall. His eyes are a bit more gray, but still blue. I'm so glad at least one of them look like me!
Miss Ava, oh, still the princess and always will be. We are torn about getting her ears pierced. I want to just for cosmetic reasons, so people will see that she IS a girl. She's even dressed in pink, but still we get "3 boys?" We're trying out the stick on earrings, to see if the boys will do anything to them. She's going to be our singer and dancer. While holding on to her hands and she's standing, she'll dance around like crazy! So cute! She does take the brunt of things with her brothers, but she's quite the daredevil. She'll try anything the boys do. If not before them! She's still our peanut at 16lbs 6.5oz and is 26 1/2 inches tall. We'll be fighting the boys off her with her sparkling blue eyes! But we've got time to prepare for that!
So I rambled a bit more than expected!
Thanks for always listening and allowing me to show off our beautiful family!

Oh the adventures!

We've had so much fun this week, exploring, playing with new toys and just finding our voices. I'm so excited for each and every day we meet. I know I've said it before, but not every day is a good day. But, the good days far surpass the bad.
Our newest place to explore is the kitchen. I didn't ever let them in it mainly because I was nervous about the hard floors. Well, I decided to allow them in while I am in there and they LOVE it! It's like Christmas! They just crawl around and breathe real heavy with the biggest smiles. I really don't know what the big deal is. Drake looks at one of the other 2 and almost begs them to chase him. This morning it was Ava and she actually chased him around the kitchen table. Dane likes to go under the table and stand or go bang on the sliding glass door at the dogs. It's really just too cute to watch.
They got a couple new toys this past weekend. A shopping cart (which is too tall for them), a tunnel with a small slide, and a push thing that they will learn to walk with. Well, the first time we gave Drake the push thing, he took off! Across the room he went, at 9 months! Then Dane did it. He was a bit more preoccupied with shaking it. Ava, well, she took a bit to get used to it. She tends to dance a little too much. She can do it, but I'm constantly watching out for her.

Watching each of their personalities unfold is so amazing. Dane has turned into an outgoing, smiling all the time, bulldozer. He can and will run over you without any problems. But smile while he's doing it. But he is still needy. Sometimes I can't stand it, but most of the time, I love having him crawl over to me and crawl on me. Love it!
Drake, well, he's turned into mister sensitive. And he's pretty shy these days. It takes a few minutes for him to warm up, and after that, he's himself again. Mr. Happy go Lucky! He's actually turned into a lovey. He too crawls over to me and crawls all over me. Love it!!
Ava, oh, the princess! I should say that will a capital P! She's still the demanding little girl, but she's just so cute! One glance and she'll make you melt! She is pretty needy, which at times can get annoying, but when she crawls over to me and wants me to hold her, I can only accept it. I love it!
Ok, so maybe I'll write more often than this! We'll see, it's hard, obviously!!

Another day...

Just another beautiful day in Colorado. Another hot day!
We're really looking forward to fall, when we can actually go outside and hang out for awhile. It's been so hot these past couple of days, but it's August, summer is almost over. With that, we've made it thru our first summer with the babies! And it wasn't that bad! We had some bad days, but they were few and far between. I have found that if they don't get there morning nap, all hell breaks loose throughout the day. It's usually my fault, so I can't blame them, but that's when mom wants to go to work.
At 8 1/2 months old, we have baby proofed the living room. The trio have gotten into everything.
Drake is our master crawler, quick and smooth. He started pulling himself up and standing right at 8 months. He'll reach for my hand or the couch and step towards it. Walking by 10 months, I say! He's also got 2 teeth! I believe he might be getting more too. He's been pretty cranky.
Dane is the intermediate crawler, still learning, but moving nicely. He and Drake have lost height in their cribs due to them standing up in it. Dane has just recently learned how, from watching his bro. Still no teeth yet. He has really come out of his shell as well. He's not so quiet anymore. He loves to crawl through stuff and on top of his siblings. I would classify him as a slight bully. Can I say that?
Ava is still our little princess. Ok, she'll always be our princess. She requires less sleep than the boys. Why I don't know, she's the smallest. I would think she needs more. She loves to hear her own voice. She'll wake up and just sing her little heart out. And of course waking her brothers. When we move she is getting her own room! She's our master army crawler! Boy can she get going with only her arms! And it's so cute, she keeps one leg up while she does it! Someday I'll get a video on here and show everyone. No teeth for her yet either. And she envies her bros when they stand, she really tries to pull herself up (a lot of grunting involved), too cute!
Well, this will have to do. Nap time is over!

Tough day!

So yesterday was one of those days where I wish I hadn't gotten out of bed. But as I look back, it wasn't as bad as it felt yesterday. It was more stressful than anything else.
The morning started off great, the kids woke up at a good time (6:30am), they ate at 7am and went right back down for a nap around 8am. The dogs woke them up by barking at 9:30, but I let them play in their cribs until 10. I got them all dressed for the day and they played a little until it was time to eat at 11. They ate spinach, which I love giving them healthy foods, but man spinach is like so GREEN! When they spit up, it gets everywhere and is very hard to clean!
The plan for the day was to take Stephen and his friends to the skatepark. By the time I was ready to go, the babies were crying because they were tired and wanted to take a nap. I forgot to mention, I also had Damien. He does a great job, but it's another kid to tack on to my 4! So yesterday I had a full car, 7 kids! I can't complain because they all did great, I was the one that went sour.
So I take Stephen and his 2 friends to the skatepark and Damien, Dane, Drake, Ava and I go to Target. Thankfully my sister Crystal was meeting us there. I still have not ventured out by myself totally yet. We got to Target, and by that time, I was already sweating! The expedition's a/c isn't working. AHHH, that's another added stress. I get the kids loaded up in the "limo" stroller and all is good. Target has a/c. The whole purpose of this trip was to use these coupons I got off the internet, so I go to the baby section and load up the cart with baby food. 44 packs of two. The coupon is for $1 off 2 Gerber foods. It's supposed to be a "great" buy. I get to the checkout stand and only 7 of 22 coupons work. I don't get it, they're all the same coupons! Why can't they just use the 7 that do work. Then the manager came over and said that you can't use copied coupons. WHAT?? They're all the SAME, from the internet! I told the lady to take back all the containers and just give me what I can get. Meanwhile, Ava is having a meltdown and wants to be held! I understand, she's very tired and wants to take a nap. The checkout lady hands me my bill and it doesn't even have the coupons on there. By this time I just wanted to leave. It's already 2:20 and the babies will be eating in 40 minutes, I want to get back to the skatepark, so I can feed them. We make it there and it's at least 95 degrees out. I'm soaked from sweat and so are the babies. Damien at least finds a friend and occupies himself. The babies are in a great mood after they eat and we roll around on a blanket under a tree. Finally some relaxing. Then we have to get back into that hot car and drive home. But we make it home and everyone is fine, the babies go down for a nap and I realize that I haven't eaten since 8am! So I make grilled cheese for everyone and I get to eat.
The day is almost over and I've finally cooled off. Chad makes it home as I am putting the babies to bed. He was supposed to get home earlier, but encountered a flat tire. He hates getting home late, but he loves the weekends when he gets to see the babies bright and early in the morning.
For now, it's saturday morning and I've had a great nights sleep. Today will be in the 90's outside and we have some things we need to do, but at least we'll have all day together!

7 1/2 months old

7 1/2 months old and I still can't get over the fact that we have 3 babies! Just in the past month or so, they have really progressed! Chad is still convinced that they are right on with the normal 7 1/2 month olds. Which they very well may be. I'm not one for comparing.

Let's see, we'll start with Dane.

Dane: I'm guessing he's around 16-17lbs. A big boy. We had to switch him and Drake to a bigger car seat, seeming that they are too long, about 27inches now. May even be longer. Dane has really changed. He was once the quiet, content guy who just liked to watch everyone around him. He still likes to watch, but boy can he babble! He giggles at just about anything and yells and loves to sit up all on his own. He was the first to do that. He reminds me of the Gerber baby. With his big blue eyes, we will have to fight the girls off! He gets up on his knees and rocks back and forth, sometimes even scooting himself backwards. He has straightened his knees and put his butt up in the air. So cute! When he's put in an exersaucer or jumper, he gets wild and crazy! Just starts bouncing and jumping up and down! He loves it! He's still our little cuddler.

Drake: Where do I begin with him! He's been pretty much our first with everything. He can crawl and get into just about anything he wants. We've started baby proofing the house for him. He weighs about 16lbs. Although Dane was our first at sitting, Drake can now sit unassisted for a short period. He still is our Mr. Personality and he just can't sit still. He is always on the move. Even when you're holding him, he has to be facing out towards the world. His eyes are changing to a more hazel color, like Mommy's.

Ava: Our little peanut! Still a short little thing, but her attitude sure is not! What a character she is! Being the only girl, she does get a little spoiled, but not as much as I thought. She's just demanding. She's not much of a cuddler, which kills me, but she's still my princess. She maybe weighs 15-16lbs, she loves to reach and stretch out to get to things. She still rolls around like crazy. Oh when I say Dane likes to babble, he's got nothing on her. She wakes up in the morning and after her naps and just babbles like crazy. She'll yell and sing, as I think she just loves to hear herself. I love it too. You can definetely tell she's a girl. She has that very high pitched voice. So very cute! Ava can now sit up with her bros, but for a very short period. Her and Drake had a little giggle fest sitting in front of each other yesterday. As soon as I got the camera out, they stopped and were so much more intrigued by it. And of course they both fell over immediately.

Oh, the joy of having 3! I have had some bad days, I won't lie. But the day after is like heaven. I just have to remind myself that bad days are few and far between the beautiful ones. Daddy and big brother just had their birthday, to which Stephen is now a teen! YIKES! Chad has had another "talk" and I believe we have a great kid on our hands. He is interested in girls, but rollerblading is very high in his life. As it should be. The kid is amazing! I'll have to figure out how to post a video of him. WOW! I think he could go far with it. But he knows that school will be #1 and if he did what he did last year (horrible year for grades), he won't be allowed to skate.

An update on the house, our first two showings were from the same people. They were interested, but unfortunately we lost out to the same style house, but with another car garage and a view of the mountains. So sad. But we've had at least 4 other people look at it. So within a month, we're not doing too bad. I just hope it sells soon!

That's it for now, the babies are stirring!

Take care!

The sign is up...

The for sale sign that is. We have officially put our house on the market as of Saturday. I hope it sells quickly so we can move , but I don't because our house isn't built yet! They haven't even broken ground yet. I'm very excited to be moving to a larger home, but not looking forward to what moving entails. Especially with 3 young infants!
This is a short post, I've got to put Drake down for a nap. The other two went down pretty quickly.

6 month check-up

Well, we have some great big babies on our hands. I was actually surprised though, they've kind of slowed a bit. Their doctor said they all look very healthy and they are on track developmentally. Everyone is rolling over, sitting up with assistance and grabbing for toys, objects and anything shiny mom has on! Dane is actually sitting for a brief minute or two by himself. Drake and Ava have found their feet and absolutely love them. Life is getting to be a bit more busy these days as the kids are requiring more attention. Also, Stephen being home, we're still getting used to that. It's very different when you have to make sure he gets fed, Chad and I would normally just eat whatever. With Stephen, we have to make sure there is something to eat. And a 12 (almost 13) year old boy requires a lot of food! Chads mom took him to get a cast today and great news for him, doc said he doesn't need one!!

So, the kids' weights:
Dane: 15lbs 8oz and 26 1/2 inches
Drake: 15lbs 1oz and 26 1/2 inches
Ava: 14lbs 2oz and 25 inches long

Some funnies from other multiple moms!

*You've ever said to your husband/wife while walking in the mall with your kids, "Just don't make eye contact and keep walking"*The subject of college funds makes you instinctively laugh (and throw up a little bit in your mouth)
*You occasionally lose track of how many scoops you've poured into a bottle
*At one point you've had a bottle in every room of your house
*You've taken approximately 2200 photos in the first 6 months of your babies lives
*Babies are rearranged to dodge drool pools rather change the crib sheet
*Your family blog is over taken with baby photos and stories
*The strollers in your garage occupy the space of an entire car
*You have to make an appointment just to take a shower
*When there is not one room in your house that hasn't been overtaken with baby stuff (three swings, three bouncy seats, three cribs, pack n plays, three bumbos, three exersaucers, three activity mats, ect.)
*You still aren't satisfied with your rehearsed answer about fertility drugs
*You have stock in rechargable batteries and three sets are ALWAYS being charged
*You have a costco/sams membership but no time to actually go
*You color code your babies
*An entire shelf in your pantry has been taken over by cans of formula, jars of baby food, ect.\
*Your means of conception and/or fertility methods are now public information

The weekend is finally over!

I wouldn't say this was the worst weekend we've had, but it's ranked pretty high. I've never felt such frustration with my kids.
It began Friday, the 1st, their 6 month b-day! Everything seemed all right in the morning. Everyone had gone down for their first nap relatively okay. Shortly after they woke up, I took them to my other triplet friends house. We were having a play date. When I arrived it was feeding time. Drake and Ava did great, although I had put them in Lindsay's space-saver high chairs that they were not used to. Dane sat in his seat and fussed the entire time. He maybe ate 2 1/2 oz and that was pretty much forced. I thought maybe he was just tired, so I put him back in his car seat and he fell right asleep. That night, he fussed way more than usual. And with him, is he cries, we know something is wrong. And it wasn't his normal cry, so I knew something was definitely wrong. I took his temperature and sure enough his temp wasn't normal. So we gave him Tylenol and he slept until morning.
Again, Saturday morning he seemed fine. It wasn't until later that afternoon that Chad took his temp again. This time much it was 101.5. So again he got Tylenol. And he seemed to sleep OK that night. It was Drake that got us that night. The second I got home from work, I heard this terrifying scream from the nursery. Sprinting up the stairs I met Chad at the top. He didn't have any idea what was happening. I grabbed Drake and saw that his faced was covered in his spit up. He was gagging and gasping for air. It took a good half hour just for him to calm down long enough to catch his breath. I feared the worst. And he didn't sleep at all, which means neither did Mom and Dad. It was miserable.
Sunday, at the morning feeding, I noticed Dane's ear was really filled with stuff and his temp was still high. So I took him to Children's. They told me that I was right and he had an ear infection. They told me that it had already ruptured as to why his ear was filled with white crust instead of the normal yellow/orange. They gave us antibiotics and some ear drops and told me to keep using the Tylenol to help with the pain.
Everything was fine after that, he was still a little fussy, but at least the Tylenol helped him sleep. We had a BBQ for Stephen's "homecoming". What a great turnout. We had A LOT of people in our little house. I can't wait to sell our house and move! That's a whole other post!
Monday morning, after a very stressful night of crying boys, I had to leave. I was helping out with our golf tournament for Sam. Chad called me after the kids' morning bottle and said Drake was acting like Dane was the other day. Great, I didn't know ear infections could be contagious! They aren't but an infection is an infection and they are contagious. Meanwhile, Chad had to take Stephen in to the doctors for his broken hand. What a family! Later that day, Chad took Drake in to see what was the problem was. They told him that it looks like since he has a runny nose that he could have an ear infection, but it looked as though it hadn't ruptured yet. So all this time, both the boys were just in misery with their ears! We felt awful! Ava also has a runny nose and we're praying that she doesn't get an ear infection.
So, needless to say, the weekend's over!! Today has been okay, the naps are short, but I'm hoping things will get back to normal by tomorrow.