All I want to do is...

Cry!
I can't even get a single tear to drop! How miserable does that sound? I know my life is no where near as crazy or hard as many others, but right now I'm having a meltdown.
I hate complaining to others, but writing it helps me to unload.

At work: March happens to be the busiest month of them all. With only 5 days off for the restaurant, it just frightens me. I won't have to work all of them, but the other managers may have to! I can't imagine it and neither should they! My big boss has asked me to work at least 2 more days a month, which to some may not sound like a lot, but to me it is. I don't see my husband as it is! Thank God I work at night so I can at least see my kids. But we do what we have to in order to have a nice life. Did I mention any kind of raise? Probably not because I wasn't offered one. Nor was I told how good of a job I do or any kind of bonus in which most restaurants offer. Don't get me wrong, this job is probably one of the easiest I've ever had and the people I work with make it the main reason I can't leave.

At home: My marriage is rocky. Like I said before, my husband and I see eachother as he comes home for me to go to work. How healthy of a relationship is that? I know that once the busy season is over we'll have more time together. It's just frustrating and he's got to feel the same way. I just received a letter in the mail saying my license has been suspended! Apparently for a ticket almost 2 years ago! I have no idea and it's just adding to my frustration!
Our 2nd dog is now having to be put down. We had to put our first dog down last year because she did not like the kids and we just couldn't trust her. Well Burton seems to be having some real arthritis issues to where he can barely move at times. He doesn't eat much and is skin and bones. My husband just took him to the vet to relieve his pain and because we live in a "hippy" county, the vet told us she would rather us give him pain meds for the rest of his life and wouldn't put him down!! Or she offered to send him to a rescue! We're not looking to get "rid" of him, we're trying to ease his pain and suffering. I'm blown away! So, as I sit here right now, he is outside with diahrea for whatever reasons and really can't move. His stomach is growling so loud I can hear it inside but yet he won't touch his food. Tell me that's not animal abuse!
The kids are doing great. Stephen is doing wonderful in school, a few missing assignments but he's doing extra credit to bring those grades up. His first year of wrestling has ended and he did great! Nice to see him doing really well at things he likes.
Dane finally has cut his top teeth making him a bit happier these days. Although he has become more of a bully. I don't know what to do when he pushes or pulls someone off of a toy, but the other 2 can't fight him back, he's too mean. And he does it all with a blank look on his face!
Drake has turned into a momma's boy! He has to be with me every minute he is awake. Pulling on me, climbing on me and crying whenever I leave the room! Cute at first, not anymore!!
Ava, well not sure what is new with her. She's still the Princess and loves to give her brothers kisses and hugs. She's the smartest of the 3. She knows what I'm saying and does it with me or does what I ask her to do. Very cute!
Still no words yet from anyone. Few signing too. But I'm not going to push them unless the doc says something is wrong.
I must go get ready for another long day of work.

Back on track

Daddy went home to Iowa for his grandfathers funeral last week and things were just out of sorts all weekend. Mommy was not able to get time off and we were not wanting to take the trio out there driving, the weather was horrible!
It was a nice "break" but it was just so weird not having him here. He left on wednesday and was only supposed to be there until Sunday, but due to extreme weather, his flights were rescheduled for Monday morning. Thankfully he had scheduled that day off. I still had to go to work last Thursday and Friday, so that was tough having to find someone to watch these monkeys. Not to mention I was in charge of 4 kids! Strange feeling, I don't think I could master being a single mother.
But we kept ourselves busy. Stephen pretty much spent the weekend with his friends, which was good. Thursday the weather was beautiful here and we made a trip to the park. They loved being able to run free outside. Thank goodness Mommy is fit to run and chase them though!
Friday we met cousin Emma, and Auntie and Uncle at Sweet Tomatoes for lunch. That was fun except they really didn't eat much. Too many distractions and people to look at. Saturday we went to a playdate/lunch at another triplets house. They enjoyed themselves so much. New toys and new kids to play with, although the other trio was a year older. And then on Sunday, we went to brunch with Grammy and Papa. It's so funny the looks on their faces as SO many people came up to us. They've gone places with me before, but when we're eating, we're pretty much sitting ducks or a zoo attraction. They enjoy it though.
A fun eventful weekend, just too bad Daddy wasn't here to enjoy it with us. But thankfully he's back and things can settle down a bit. Back to our usual routine, rarely seeing Daddy!

Rough day...

I'm frustrated right now trying to figure out whether Dane is having teething issues or if he's got some other ailment. He's got 4 teeth coming in on top, 2 of which are ready to come out. He's got a history of ear infections, but he's not pulling on his ears. But he's also screaming bloody murder during naps and waking in the nights. I would hate to take him in to the doctors and have them tell me its just teething, but then again would hate myself if I did take him in and he really does have an ear infection. UGH!
Oh and the kids think its funny (hilarious) to wipe their trays completely clean of their food. UGH!!
Drake also thinks its great to stick his finger down his throat and make himself gag.
Oh and I've already changed 6 poopy diapers!! Come on, why today? Is it bad to say that I'll be glad to be going to work later?

Catching on quickly...

I've noticed that in just the past week or so these guys really starting to catch on. They're starting to pay attention to their surroundings more and wanting to learn more.
Here's what they know:
Dane: he doesn't sign anything although he has full potential to. I've seen him do it before, but I think he's just lazy or knows that after awhile if he still doesn't sign "please" or "milk" we'll eventually give it to him.
Hehe, this might sound crazy and sorry to interrupt myself, but one of the kids' toys just made a noise and scared the crap out of me! Phew, I'm better now. I'll get back to what I was doing. Really, I'm not crazy.
Drake: he can sign "milk", "please", and "thank you" which also could be him blowing kisses. He seems eager to learn new things. And he picked up on these fairly quickly.
Ava: she is signing "milk" and "please". She too picked up on these quickly. It's pretty cute too when I sign a new word to them, she looks at each of them to see if they are signing it. Not sure if that means she can do it and won't unless they do it, or she's just making sure they are watching.
The signs we are trying to learn now are:
-Mommy
-Daddy
-more
-thank you
-all done

I have also been trying to teach them of their different body parts, eyes, ears, nose, mouth & belly. So far we all know where our bellies are and where their ears are. They love Mommy's nose. They give eachother hugs and kisses, but don't usually give us kisses when asked.
I've also started having them put their toys in their toy box and within one day, they started doing it. I was so shocked. And it's so cute watching them go around and pick up toys and put them in the box. They tend to put anything that's on the floor in there though. But they love it!
I'm having a great time with them and I just can't wait to see what they'll do next. They amaze me each and every day!

Sibling rivalry...

Is it too early for them to be having sibling rivalry?
Maybe it was just today, but Dane and Ava were at eachothers throats. If it wasn't Ava stealing Dane's toy, it was Dane pushing her off of another toy. They just could not share. Is this just the beginning? The 2 that look the most alike and they are going to fight constantly. AAAHHHH!!! Drake just kind of lets Dane do his thing. Every once in awhile he'll fight back. Drake and Ava don't seem to mind one another. I wonder if it's because they seem to be the most independant. Oh who knows. I just don't want to have to keep breaking up fights. I'll tell you though, I have sat here and watched a few, Ava is one tough girl. She holds her ground, but then again, so does Dane! I haven't witnessed any biting, which because I said that, they'll start, and I haven't really seen any hitting. It's all been mostly pushing or putting their heads on the other and pushing.
Still, life with triplets...Priceless!!

Naps...

So I figured out how to get them to take 2 naps still. Apparently I was letting them sleep too long for their morning nap, so they were just not tired enough to take another nap later in the day. But way too tired to not go to bed until 7pm. The trick is to wake them up during their nap. I only had to do it once so far, the rest of the days they've been waking up on their own. I just can't believe that they need that much sleep, but hey I am not complaining. I love having my time to myself. And make that 2 times a day.
We'll now just see how long their morning nap continues. I don't see it going away any time soon. They are cranky after only being up for a short period. I don't see why, I mean, good grief you just woke up from sleeping for almost 11 hours!!!

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!