How We Roll...

A few people have asked me recently or remarked about our use of our Choo Choo Wagon.
The answer is yes, we take it EVERYWHERE! Including the beach,the mall, target, home depot, lowes, walmart, the zoo, a national monument. We've traveledmwithnit to FL & NY. I don't usually use it when I'm out with the boys by myself, just because I don't like them behind me.

At a birthday party



It's been pretty hot this summer & the boys are usually sweaty when we take them out of the stroller, they also pull at each others' seats trying to see one another & the boys lean way out of the sides of the stroller to look around, so the wagon eliminates some of these issues. They aren't leaning back in a fabric seat, so no sweat. They can see each other & all around, so no leaning or pulling on the seat in front of them. The wagon is also just easier & faster to use than the stroller, with just a lap belt, no shoulder straps to fight with or 5 different straps that all have to connect. Believe me though our stroller still gets plenty of use & is better for some places than the wagon (ie, the doctors office.)

At the zoo



The front cart has storage under the seat, not a lot, but just enough for extra diapers, wipes & changing pad. If we are beach or zoo bound or the boys will be sitting for an extended period of time in the wagon, I fold up a beach towel & put in their seat. I let part of the towel go down into the leg area & I hide swim shorts & dippers under it along with anything else they may need. If you have triplets & have the peg-perego triplet stroller than you know there is not a cup holder or tray for snacks. There still isn't a tray in the wagon but I use the cup holder for snacks & they can put their cups in when they finish their snacks. We don't have them yet, but there are also umbrellas that hook on to the individual carts for shade or shelter from the rain.

In a hotel



Strangely we don't get as much "triplet" attention, mostly just people commenting on the wagon or asking where they can get one for their 3 kids. People don't stop us, maybe because they can see the boys better than if they are in their stroller.

On the beach



The boys identify the wagon as a sort of home base or check in point. When we are out at the beach or someplace they get out & play at, they all do their thing but sporadically they all return to the wagon, check in with each other & us & go again. It's kind of funny to watch, but good that they identify a common point.

1 & 1/3 Years

Haha... 16 months really, I just thought I'd change it up a bit :)

Caden, Kellan, Garren



Well we are back to time flying by!!! We've had a lot of change and progress this month, we are all moved in & settled in our new home, we have THREE walkers now that also now have free range of the living areas & their bedroom (which they are only interested in for the closet.) we are working on going down to one nap, some days all three boys can handle it, some days none of them can handle it. It's a work in progress...

 Caden, Garren, Kellan

 

 Caden

 

Garren



A great thing about the boys walking is they love to go on their own to where I need them, they each know which high chair is theirs & which crib to go to for naps. Things I never knew they knew because I was picking them up & carrying them.

 Garren

 

 Caden

 

Kellan



The boys are all getting very very big! We haven't had them in for a well visit here yet but we had Caden at the doctor Friday & he weighed 27 pounds!!! He is the middle man right now, so I'm pretty sure Kellan is pushing 30 pounds & Garren is probably around 25 pounds. Caden was 31.25 inches & I think he is the tallest of the 3.



I forgot to post a tooth count last month. Garren had 2 front on top & 2 front on bottom along with 2 molars, one on each side of the top. He has added 2 more to the top front. Last month Kellan was still at 4 front top & 3 front bottom, he has added 1 molar on the top left. Caden has had 4 front on top & 4 front on the bottom & has not had anything new pop through this month.

 



The boys still say a lot of the same words. They have added doe! (no,) ge oun (get down,) & aahee (Haddie) to their vocabulary (can you tell Haddie has a few more limitations now, lol) I'm sure there are things they say that I can't think of right now. They talk to each other constantly, in their own language of course. They must talk about some pretty funny stuff though, because they usually end all their conversations in laughter. They sign a lot of new stuff too. "Shoe" was kind of surprising since they don't really wear shoes quite regularly yet. "Ouch" or "hurt" is a new one too, they don't say where yet but its generally their teeth these days. They all sign "more" & "all done" & of course "milk" & "eat." "Dog," "hat," & "car" are frequent signs too.

Garren not only mimics what we say now, he mimics what we do! So I have to be very careful not to throw a treat to the pups because Garren wants to throw all kinds of food to them, lol. If we pat on the pups, Garren ends up hitting them. If I don't want them to learn to do something I have to disguise what or how I'm doing it. They are all trying to open doors & Garren spends a lot of time trying to figure out the kitchen gate.

Surprisingly as mobile as they are now, they also like to cuddle more, which makes our hearts melt. There is nothing more rewarding then your baby walking up to you with arms open, wanting to give you a hug or sit in your lap.

It's hard to believe we are already picking out Halloween costumes & thinking about the Holidays, but it is exciting to know we will be with all of our friends & family throughout the Holidays this year, maybe Donna will even be able to have her cooking baking weekend again. I know a few people that would love some of her homemade molasses cookies :)

He Finally Did It!!!

Kellan 

The first to sit up, crawl, pull up & cruise the furniture has finally decided to join his brothers & WALK!!! {@ 15 months 3 weeks actual, 13 months adjusted}

 

He isn't super steady yet, but at almost 30 lbs it's a lot to balance & coordinate, lol... He has been persistent this week going from just a couple steps on Monday to as many as 10-12 steps today. 

It is a good thing they are finally all walking to because they are really getting too heavy to tote around, especially during the times one of us has to carry two!   

 

 

Just in case you think life gets crazier with walkers... It actually gets easier when you have multiples :) I no longer have to pick each one up & carry them one by one to where I want them, crib, high chair, etc. now I say "time to eat" & they walk right up to their high chairs, or I say "nap time" and they all walk to their room. It's SO nice to NOT have them contained in one area & have to run them back & forth one by one!!! Also now in restaurants, instead of holding them all & breaking our backs waiting for a table & 3 high chairs, they will stand with us. Right now Garren will even walk beside us, it won't be long before the other two are just as steady :)

Peanut Butter

We took the plunge & let the boys try peanut butter for the first time. I know peanut butter can be a serious allergen that can also be genetic.

We have no family history of nut allergies.

While I don't plan on feeding the boys peanut butter sandwiches for lunch everyday, it would be a convenient food to pack for days when we are out during lunch or snack time. Buying 3 kids meals gets expensive & they usually aren't very healthy, not to mention the time it takes to stop, set up, feed & clean up for 3. I'm excited about the peanut butter sandwich possibilities, haha!

Here is what the boys thought...

 Garren

 Kellan

Caden

Caden

 Kellan

Caden





Garren

 Caden

Kellan

I think they really liked it!!!

No one had any adverse effects but we will use the 4 day rule just like we did with all their other "first foods."

 K, G, C

 G & C being silly!!!

K & G, Garren has been quite the milk theif lately, but at least he offered Kellan his cup back, lol...





Bedtime

We really have never had a hard fast bedtime routine. It has changed & evolved with feeding schedules & busy boys. We started out reading after the last bottle (when they couldn't get away or attack us & fight over the books.) Then it was just last bottle, jammies & bed. Then we stuck brushing teeth in there at some point. Baths have never been part of bedtime, it takes too long to get 3 of them bathed before bed & Donna isn't always home at the samse time, so baths are a daytime event. More recently our routine has been a snack at 6:45ish, Jammies at 7, tooth brushing at 7:15ish & bed at 7:30. The boys were having a little difficulty unwinding to even get dressed for bed, so we have incorporated Baby Signing Time or Baby Einstein videos into our routine & it has worked wonderfully, especially for Caden & Kellan who are glued to the videos whenever I put them in!

In case you want details, I start the video which last about a half hour. During the time that the video is on, they may have a snack, they get diapers, jammies, teeth brushed & cuddles. When the video is over we put them in bed, still about 7:30pm.

 Caden, Donna, Garren & Kellan

Kellan barely moves during the video, except to have us change his clothes :)
Caden doesn't take his eyes off the TV, but moves around quite a bit.
Garren is still a busy busy bee, poking & petting & hugging his moms & brothers <3

Rainy Day At The Zoo

c, G, K with a Florida Panther

Sunday we met up with Autumn, Steven & Chandler (my sister & family) at the Jacksonville Zoo. We walked around & saw a few animals before stopping for lunch, but before we finished eating our lunches the sky opened up & let loose!!! We tried waiting the rain out, hoping it would be a typical FL storm and pass quickly, but it wasn't & it didn't. :o( 

We tried to see a few more animals as we made our way towards the exit but they had all taken cover from the rain. 

The boys didn't seem to mind the rain at all, they rode in their wagon & got completely soaked. While I work hard at that "mom of the year" award, Sunday I failed miserably by forgetting graham crackers to snack on & fruit to go with their lunches. I also managed to remember swimsuits but not towels & I brought my camera with a perfectly dead battery :)  I think I got about 8 photos before it completely died on me. So no super cute photos of the boys soaked in the rain :(

 An Otter

 I love reptiles!!!

I know you're pretty happy I got those shots of the birds, lol...

Moving Boxes

I unpacked the last of the bathroom & hall closet boxes today while the boys were napping. They woke up before I could get the boxes broke down, so once I got them up & their diapers changed & a little snack, I dragged the boxes into the hall & proceeded to break them down. As I flattened each of them out, the boys inspected the boxes & made sure I left nothing under any of the flaps. Upon their completion of box inspection they decided running/crawling up & down the hall over the boxes was the best way to make sure they were really flat.

Caden

Kellan

Garren

G, C, K

And this is what they had to say about it all...