TWO Years Old!!!

Sounds kind of crazy to say it out loud...

"We have three 2 year olds."

Or for even more shock value...

"We have 2 year old triplets!"

The boys turned 2 on Sunday. I've been trying to get caught up from traveling over the weekend & all the festivities all week & am just getting to this post...

A onesie the boys wear now (24 months) & the onesie they wore the day they were released from the NICU at 6 weeks old (preemie)



The preemie diapers the boys wore when they were released form the NICU & todays diaper. We do still cloth diaper but keep disposables on hand too :)

I feel like in the past month, maybe 2, the boys have really learned so much! Some of the things I mention they have been doing for a while.

Their speech has really taken off!
They say & identify nose, eye, ear, teeth, knees, & toes. They also identify but don't say foot, fingers, hair, & mouth.
They say & identify colors. It is pretty random when they say them, like when we were driving back from Orlando, a bright yellow tractor trailer passed us & one of the boys said "yellow!"
They also say & identify shapes, they sound like "kirkle" (circle) "didom" (diamond) "staw" (star) octagon & oval are pretty clear.
Most recently they have started saying & repeating letters. They can identify some of them & also try to say their ABC's
We have not started numbers yet but I have heard Kellan counting along with Mickey on Mickey's clubhouse. I was taken by surprise when Mickey counted to 5 & Kellan yelled out "6!" So I let them watch a little more Mickey now, lol...
The boys love books! They like to turn the pages themselves & tell us what it on the page. I LOVE that they usually sign & say the object.
They sign just about everything in their Signing Time videos now, even the intro & closing song. I'd like to get the Signing Time video with the alphabet for them, I just think it would make learning letters that much more for them & I feel slightly better when they are dog something physical while watching a video, even if it is just signing :)

The boys are starting to identify some animals & vehicles by their sound. If hey see a car or ducks while we are walking they will say vroom (or rather make the noise) or say quack quack. They also say chugga chugga or choo choo for trains.

I don't know if I dare say this out loud (or in writing) but the boys seem to have reached a point of understanding/listening when it comes to the things they are aloud & not aloud to do, for example pulling out the dining room table chairs & climbing on them. Now if I catch them in the act and ask them to put the chair back they do. We've been able to walk to & from the car holding hands with minimal letting go or wandering away. And if I ask them to pick something up,give me something or put something back they do... I'll say 75% of the time, there is still a reasonable amount of testing their limits & some I just don't want to moments.

Garren, taking care of business at Grandma & Grandpa's

I think last month I mentioned Garren's clingyness & maybe even Caden's jealousy (?) I'm convinced its an age appropriate phase. Kellan has now joined in & is clingy, needing a little extra attention & snuggles. Garren has calmed down a bit with it but still needs more physical contact than he use to. Caden is also still a little clingy, he mostly just doesn't want to be left out if the other 2 are being held or cuddled. We are trying to be extra diligent in including him because in his jealousy he has started hitting & pulling hair & we can't have that!

Kellan, modeling an outfit from Nana & Papa

Kellan is still very sensitive physically, he is completely devastated if one of his brothers hits him or pulls his hair & equally so if he hurts himself. He is also this way with being told no or if his brothers or even cousin are told no & we have found out recently that he is sensitive to loud authoritative male voices. My brother in law scolded my nephew sternly & Kellan lost it, he also wouldn't go near my brother in law for a little bit :-/
He & Caden are coming out of their shyness though. Just a few weeks ago they were crying or hiding if a stranger talked to them & now they ride or walk around saying "hi" or "bye" & waving.

Caden, flashing those beautiful blue eyes

Physically the boys are running, jumping, spinning & climbing, as I'm sure most 2 year olds are. Garren & Caden have no fear! They will climb as high as they can get & plop down on a slide 2 stories tall & slide without a second thought. Kellan is not quite as adventurous, he will do it if lead but his curiosity doesn't lead him to do it on his own, he would rather run... & run & run & run!!!
They each like to dance & sing too. Garren mimics a lot of the dancing he sees in their videos & all 3 of them have the clapping, feet stomping & shouting "hooray!" down when If You're Happy & You Know It comes on.

So far 2 hasn't been so terrible but we've got a whole year ahead of us, so we will see...

The Circle of Moms Top 25 Moms of Multiples blog contest is still going in for a few more day & we sure could use a few more votes!!! You can vote daily (every 24 hours) & would be very appreciated if you voted for us!!!

10 hours...

My cousin got married Saturday. It was a formal wedding & rather than getting all dressed up & chasing babies all night, Donna thought it would be better if her & the boys stayed behind. My sister & her husband were also on board with the idea so Autumn & I went to the wedding sans children & spouses.

We were all still in Orlando for the weekend so Donna decided she would take the boys & visit her parents for the afternoon one last time since they will be heading back to NY for the summer soon. Donna left with the boys about noon. This was the first time I have left the boys for more than an hour or so & I'll be honest, I shed a couple tears as they pulled out of the driveway knowing it would likely be 10 hours before I saw them again.

I showered & dressed in peace, no screaming toddlers, no lost sippy cups to find, no hair pulling or toy snatching, just quiet. Too quiet really, lol...

My sister & I left at 2 for the wedding, it was a couple hours away. We had an uneventful drive but all I could really think about was what Donna & the boys were up to. Were the boys behaving, did Donna remember what time they ate, did her mom have enough milk for them??? I didn't call though & I didn't text reminders. Letting go is very hard but I did, but I didn't stop thinking about them all night!

Heather & Dean

 

About 7pm I called to check in. Donna was on her way back to my dads & said that Kellan had been crying off & on all day, he didn't nap earlier in the day but had dozed off in the car just then. Autumn & I decided to say our goodbyes & head back. It was a lovely wedding & I felt bad that we were leaving early but I didn't want Kellan to be unsettled all night & I really wanted to see them all if I could before they went to bed.

We didn't get home until close to 10pm. Luckily the boys all had a little nap in the car on their way home & were in good spirits despite being up 2 hours past bedtime. It was nice to see their surprised little faces when I walked in & nice to know they missed me too.

Donna said they were all good all day with the exception of Kellan's little breakdowns. He just required extra hugs & would fine again for a little while. Not that I ever doubted her, but I feel relieved that the day went so well for Donna & the boys, I won't worry so much when the next occasion comes up that I might need to be gone for the better part of the day.

 

I have about 6 more days to harass you all into voting for us in the Circle of Moms Top 25 Moms of Multiples blog contest, so, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE VOTE VOTE VOTE!!!

Thanks so much to those of you who have been voting & remember you can vote everyday. (every 24 hours)

A Pirate Party...

Thursday Donna, myself & the boys ventured down to my dad's outside of Orlando. My cousin was getting married on Saturday so we joined our extended family for the occasion.

Friday, while so many family members were in town for the wedding we had a cookout & semi-small birthday party for the boys.

My bonus sister, her husband & their 2 boys came. So did my sister, brother in law & their son. Then there were our aunts, uncles, cousins, close friends & meeting the boys for the first time was my grandmother.

To the left my Uncles wife, Taneah with my cousin & nephew

To the right my brother in law, Aaron & bonus sister, Meggan

Our nephews, Tucker & Clark playing in the pool with Kellan & Caden

My dad cooking, Donna's dad stealing a hotdog in the background ;)

Donna & my brother in law, Steven

My youngest cousin, Brendon & my Aunt Buffy

My Uncle Rick with 3 of my cousins, Colby, Devin & Blakely

Donna's Dad & Mom

Aunt Ro

Our brother in law, Steven & nephew, Chandler

My Ningy (Grandma,) Aunt Buffy, myself, Caden, Kellan & Garren

The boys had so much fun playing with everyone, maybe too much? It was hard to get them to slow down for cake. I think we probably should have gone straight to cake once they finished eating dinner instead of letting them play again & then trying to get them to come back in again. They did happily eat cake once they had it :)

Chandler, Garren, Caden

Kellan, I think this boy needs a sandbox!



Kellan

Caden

Pirate Garren

Getting them to slow down again enough to open gifts didn't happen. Once we got the boys inside & rinsed off from the pool or in Kellen's case the sand he was covered in, Donna & I started opening their gifts in hopes it would peak their interest but they just aren't there yet with ripping paper off boxes. Their cousins were happy to help though & once the boxes were all opened they were geared up & playing again, not with the gifts but the actual boxes all stacked up & resembling a slide.

Tucker ready to help his cousins open gifts

Chandler & Tucker helping out

Clark ready to help too

Someone was playing peek~a~boo from the garage



And here is a glimpse of the boys & their cousins in action...

Thank you to all who came to the party, it was great seeing everyone!!!

I have about 7 more days to harrass you all into voting for us in the Circle of Moms Top 25 Moms of Multiples blog contest, so, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE VOTE VOTE VOTE!!!

Thanks so much to those of you who have been voting & remember you can vote everyday. (every 24 hours) 

Reflecting...

The weeks leading up to the boys birthday have me thinking about the months & weeks leading up to their birth. How we came to be a family of 5 when for a while there we weren't sure if we'd ever be parents at all. Our journey was long & treacherous with more curves than we could have ever imagined but we kept our faith & pushed forward even when we thought we were down for the count.

I still giggle at the thought of Donna not only not being present when I "got pregnant" but being in another state. I also laugh out loud when I think to myself "my dad took me to get pregnant" kind of like him taking me to get my ears pierced or me taking him to a Drag show, lol... oh the stories we will be able to tell...

We drove back & forth from North Carolina to Orlando for our first couple of ultrasounds. We loved our nurse practitioner & really wanted her to give us the news, good or bad, from our ultrasound. For those who weren't around back then, ultrasound #1 at 6 weeks resulted in twins, ultrasound #2 at 8 weeks resulted in triplets!!! All I could do was laugh, I think it took hours before Donna could close her mouth again after the jaw dropping news. I texted the news to a close friend who called right back & said "I just have to hear you say it out loud" lol...

11 week 3D/4D ultrasound

 

I loved telling people but after losing our twins we were terrified of another miscarriage so we kept the news to ourselves with the exception of our parents, siblings & a couple close friends. We waited for the second trimester/New Years to share our joy with everyone.

We had a scare at 14 weeks with a placental abruption but everything ended up being fine with that.

At 23(ish) weeks we had a preeclampsia scare but it ended up just being a UTI. After 3 days in the hospital I was able to go home but only after failing not one but both glucose tests. Well really I only failed the second one but I barely passed the first which is why I had to take the second one. I went home with insulin & a modified diet which got thrown out the window when my MFM found out about it. A diabetic diet & a 3000 calorie diet didn't really coincide so I went back to eating whatever didn't make me ill & they adjusted my insulin accordingly, I barely needed it at all but they played it safe.

At 26 weeks & the day my dad arrived to hang out with me while Donna worked out of town, I woke up in the middle of the night in excruciating pain. Donna took me back to the hospital & I was admitted for the duration. My UTI had moved into my kidneys & I had no cervical length. This is when I moved into the ante pardum department & made myself at home, lol...
Donna put my dad to work & they painted the nursery & got the furniture in place. I spent Easter & my 34th birthday in the hospital & lasted just 3 weeks before the boys decided it was time...

29 weeks, thats a size large maternity shirt =)



I was being monitored frequently, like every 4 hours, babies heart rates & contractions. The boys were always good & I never had any real or regular contractions. One night after Donna arrived from work I felt uncomfortable, more so than usual so the nurse decided to call the doctor & have me "checked." They had not checked my cervix in over a week at that point & there had been nothing going on the last time they did check. Well this night I was dilated 3cm & won a tip back to Labor & Delivery for monitoring there. Thankfully one of my favorite nurses was on that night so we were comfy knowing she would take good care of us. She even let Donna shower & shave her legs in my bathroom, lol (Donna didn't realize it was going to be an all mightier when she arrived) I never did have regular or strong contractions but I did continue to dilate through the night. I was 5cm by the time shift change came but the day doctors were still going to wait a little longer...

I had been asking Donna for days what April 28th was? She couldn't think of anything but I felt like it was someone's birthday or an anniversary I was forgetting. We talked about it again that morning. Well a few minutes passed & the doctor came back & said, April 28th is the day you will meet your boys, Happy Birthday! And that is when the party started!!! Within seconds my room was filled with doctors, nurses, anesthesiologists, perinatologists, you name them they were probably there. There was basically a team for each of us, me & each baby. They say there were about 30 staff members in the operating room(s) (we took 2) for the delivery.

All I really remember about delivery was it taking forever for them to get my spinal block in right (they kept hitting the wrong spot & it hurt) then Donna came in & I threw up :) I asked her to tell me when they cut me & she said that they already did, thankfully I didn't feel a thing! The boys were very active, kicking & punching, making it difficult for them to pop their amniotic sacs but in 5 minutes time we had 3 beautiful screaming baby boys & Donna was making her rounds with each of them & coming back to check on me. I got to see & kiss each of them before they were whisked away to the NICU.

The boys were about 3 weeks old here

 

It was a very scary & nerve wracking journey but an amazing one also with the best possible outcome, 3 happy, very healthy boys who fill our lives with smiles & laughter. Motherhood has been more fulfilling than I had ever imagined!!!

 

I have about 8 more days to harrass you all into voting for us in the Circle of Moms Top 25 Moms of Multiples blog contest, so, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE VOTE VOTE VOTE!!!

Thanks so much to those of you who have been voting & remember you can vote everyday. (every 24 hours) 

Birthday Dinner

We will be in FL for my cousins wedding on the boys actual birthday & will be celebrating there but my mom & bonus dad can't make it so we had an early celebration dinner with them here Saturday evening.

That is Garren, the back of Donna, half of my Mom,

the back of Caden, My Bonus Dad, & Kellan.

We walked into the restaurant to find my parents at a table decorated with birthday balloons & a perfectly wrapped gift for each of the boys. It was really special for the boys & they absolutely loved the balloons. Towards the end of dinner the wait staff all came & sang to the boys. Kellan started to get a little scared but ended up not crying at all & each of the boys enjoyed a little personal attention from a pretty waitress afterwards.

The boys have had a ball playing with the balloons all day today, of course we have lost a few. I was considering only getting a balloon bouquet for their party but we may have to get a whole bunch of balloons (which I prefer) since they had so much fun with these :)

PS... The Circle of Moms Top 25 Moms of Multiples blog contest is still going strong. If you wouldn't mind, please click the link below, find us on the list (around #8 right now) & click "vote." That's it, it really only takes a minute!

Thank you for your support!!!

Adjusted Age No More

Last week the boys had their last check up based on their adjusted age, as of last week their adjusted age was 21 months. As of their second birthday (next week) they will officially stop using their adjusted age & move them to a full term BMI chart. It's odd how it just stops, that at the age of 2 they are suddenly "caught up." Not that they have ever really been delayed.

So their final stats for their adjusted age are...
Garren: 26lbs, 34.25", 95th % for both
Kellan: 32lbs, 35.25", 97th % for both
Caden: 31lbs 11oz, 36", 97th % for weight & 99th % for height.

Kellan, Garren & Caden

 

The nurse said that never in her 20+ years has she ever met a single 11 week premature baby that measured so high, let alone a set of multiples.

Caden, Kellan & Garren

 

We go in a couple weeks for the boys' 2 year check up, I don't expect any change really in their weights or heights but will be interested to see what these percentages end up being for their actual age.

Please vote for us in the Circle of Moms Top 25 Moms of Multiples blog contest? Just click the link (image below,) find our blog & click "vote" That's it!!!

 

Thank you to those who have voted & remember you can vote once a day (every 24 hours.)

We've Been Nominated!!!

We tried this out last year but weren't terribly successful, we came in 27th. So we've been nominated again, let's see if we can make the top 25, maybe even the top 10???

Its the Circle of Moms Top 25 Mom Blogs Contest. You can vote once a day EVERYDAY! Just click the link in this post or at the top right of the page. I greatly appreciate the love!!!

Boys = Blood

Caden & Garren didn't want Kellan to feel so alone with his bumps, bruises, & bloodshed.
While we were visiting our parents last weekend Caden tripped & fell walking into the garage from outside. He smacked his mouth on the concrete & gave himself a bloody lip. He was fine after about 10 minutes of crying & have & kisses from both moms & grandma & grandpa.

Sunday night, after we got home from our parents, the boys were all running through the house when Garren's face & Caden's head collided. Caden was knocked down by the impact but he was up & running again in seconds. Garren grabbed his face & screamed!!! Donna grabbed him up real quick but he still had his hands cupped over his nose & mouth. I went to look at him just as he lifted his hands & saw a very bloody nose. He wouldn't let either of us near it to try to help him. He wouldn't lay down, he just screamed & cried & sprayed blood everywhere!!! He eventually sneezed & apparently that made everything better, he stopped crying & his nose stopped bleeding & he went right back to running with his brothers.

I just know they are going to give me a heart attack one of these days!!!

Here are the boys, Kellan, Caden & Garren, still in their cloth diapers at almost 2 years old :) If only I could get them to pose like they did in their newborn photo, lol...

A Quick Visit

We DID NOT go to Florida in March!!!
Can you believe it?!?
I can't, lol...

We actually had a visit planned but Donna was sick & then the boys were sick & then I was sick, ugh... It was rough but hey, the weather is improving, well for us in the south it is :)

Well we decided we needed to sneak in an early April visit since the next time we see Donna's parents the end of April will be our last visit with them in FL for the season. They are snowbirds & will be heading back to Upstate NY come May.

With all of us having been sick, Donna's days off are running kind of low so we made this visit a quick one. We drove down Friday afternoon, spent Saturday with the parents & headed home Sunday.
We made the most of the short time we were there. Friday evening I snuck in a quick haircut with my old boss, Bruno. Saturday Donna's parents came over & we cooked out. Saturday evening Donna had an appointment with her hairdresser & got a trim. We ate at our old favorite Mexican place in Mt Dora Saturday night & snuck in a quick trip to Toys R Us Sunday morning before heading back home.

Grandma & Grandpa Tilyou brought the boys the cutest cowboy hats & Grandma made them horses to ride (you know, the kind on a broomstick.)

Caden has been on a hat kick, signing & saying "hat" every time he spots one, so he loved wearing his cowboy hat & carrying his horse.

 

Garren LOVES riding his horse,

although he usually has the horse upside down, lol

He's also been very into wearing hats lately.

Our visit went by way too quick but I'm glad we at least got to see them & we will be back down at the end of the month for my cousins wedding & a little birthday celebrating for 3 little boys I know that will be turning TWO!!!

Brotherly Love

Kellan was laying on the floor enjoying a little Baby Signing Time when Garren decided to show him some LOVE...

Caden was helping me with the camera & hit stop too soon so here's the rest...

I am so glad they love each other so much!!!

Aunts Again!!!

Donna & I are going to aunts again & the boys have another little cousin on the way.
My sister, Autumn, is pregnant with munchkin #2 due in mid October.

Congratulations Steven, Chandler, & Autumn!!!

PS, Think PINK! We need another little girl to round out all these boys. Out of 7 grandkids there is only 1 girl so far & no girls in Stevens family ;)

Shhh...

When the dogs bark the boys have started putting their finger in front of their lips & saying "shhh." I'm not really sure where they have picked that up, honestly if the dogs bark & won't stop I usually yell at them but have now joined the boys in their shhhing, lol...

Kellan, kind of looks like he has his finger up his nose but I promise he is saying "shhh"

Another Great Aunt

It's been a few weeks now but the boys met another one of their great aunts, their great aunt Marilyn. She was visiting from Michigan. We all met up at my sisters in Jacksonville for the day. We visited, ate lunch, played with the boys & visited some more. It was a fun day but I forgot my camera & only took a couple of photos with my phone :(

Here are a couple photos that I snagged off Facebook...

Myself, Aunt Marilyn, & Autumn

Caden going for a ride with Chandler