Zoo Day

My parents were in Jacksonville again this past weekend so we decided to meet then & my sister & her family at the zoo Saturday.

 Aunt Autumn with Caden, grandma with Garren & Kellan, & Uncle Steven

It was great to see everyone again, I love how the boys react now when they see their grandparents, it is so heart warming to see their excitement! 

The boys are a pretty fun age for the zoo now. They actually notice the animals now & know enough of them that they yell out what they are & sometimes make their sound too. I was so surprised when Kellan saw an elephant walking by close to the railing & yelled elephant & took off running towards it. Everyone else was inside the reptile exhibit but he wasn't feeling the dark room so we walked ahead, when the others showed up they all loved the elephants too. Garren even did the elephant dance they do in the Barney video, lol...

There were enough adults that the boys got to do quite a bit of walking & exploring. Well until they stopped listening, then they had to ride in the wagon. 

Uncle Steven, Chandler, Caden, Mom Mom, Garren, Kellan & Grandpa

We saw lots of animals, still not all of them but that's why we have an annual pass :)

We had lunch & then headed to the splash pad to let the kids cool off, it was a very humid 90 degree day.

Aunt Autumn, Kellan & Grandma

A storm rolled in after the boys had been playing a while so we decided to get them under some cover.

The zoo has a discovery play room so we headed in there where the boys played quite a bit. After that we got the boys changed back into dry clothes & decided to head home.

The boys sized off in the van but only for a very short time, so when we got home we decided to put them down for a nap & see what happened. (Usually if they fall a sleep in the car they will not take a nap) well it took a little bit but they did go to sleep & we ended up having to wake them for dinner, lol

It was a fun day! I love taking the boys to the zoo & look forward to the day we don't have to leave by 1 or 2 for cranky boys to take a nap :)

Hearing Screen Take II

The boys had their follow up hearing tests yesterday morning & they all PASSED!!! So, that's one less thing for us to worry about & we know that it is not a reason or concern with Caden & Kellan's speech delay.

C, G, & K munching on graham crackers while they wait

We had a little celebratory lunch with "da mom mom"

(I haven't figured out yet if G is saying the mom mom  or putting a little bit of Donna's name in front of mom mom, if she doesn't answer him, he is quick to yell "DONNYA!")

As a result of cleaning the boys ears with peroxide, they are no longer cooperative with having their ears cleaned :( By the end of the week I had to hold them down to clean them when normally they just sit in my lap to get them cleaned & then try to clean them themselves too. Hopefully the memory of peroxide in their ears will pass & they will go go back to being cooperative. They are really getting too big to wrestle with now! 

Luckily (for me) the boys did not grow or gain any weight in the last week, lol...

We were a little concerned about Garren's eye though & asked Dr J if she could take a peek at it. His right eye had been runny & he looked like he had been crying for the past week. I initially thought it was allergies & have been giving him his allergy medication but it didn't get any better. That's because he has Pink Eye. The boys have all had pink eye before but their eyes were really red & goopy, this has just been runny & just yesterday did he wake up with a crusty eye. Turns out that is the difference between viral pink eye & bacterial pink eye. So he got a prescription for antibiotic eye drops with a refill for any of us who may also get it since it is pretty contagious.

A Day In The Life Of 2 Year Old Triplets...

Recently a few of my favorite mom bloggers have written "a day in the life of..." blog posts.

I've done a couple of these posts in the past, when the boys were small & schedule & routine were super important. Our travels, appointments & errands were planned in advance & we pretty much knew what to expect from one day to the next.

Life with triplets is a lot different now! Sometimes moods dictate our days, whether we stay in or go out, sometimes the weather dictates this. These days the boys appetites rule errand running & shopping, mostly because they eat all the fruit or fresh veggies in the house in a matter of 2-3 days. I still try to plan our play dates & doctor appointments but sometimes opportunity arises & we just wing it, sometimes (quite regularly lately) accidents happen & we run for urgent care or the ER.

So I've decided to jump on the bandwagon & post about a day in our lives but since it varies now I'm going to post a series of "A Day In The Life Of 2 Year Old Triplets" posts. I'm going to try to do them once every other week, no promises though. :)

So here's the first in the series...

A Day In The Life Of 2 Year Old Triplets, 2 Years-2 Months-3 weeks

This is last Monday, a doctor's appointments day...

8:20am the boys wake up... (C, K, G)

I give them juice cups & take the dogs out.

After walking the dogs, I put food down for them & offer the boys bananas while their waffles toast.

The boys usually eat on the move in the mornings. (C, G, K)

While the boys eat I get clean diapers out & pick clothes for the day.

As they finish eating I change & dress them one by one. (C)

I stick a signing time DVD in to occupy them for a few minutes while I get ready to go.

Once I'm dressed I put the boy's' shoes on & we are out the door @ 9:40am. (K, C, G)

Check in at the doctors office at 9:55am

The boys are weighed & measured one by one & have hearing tests done.

11:15am we leave the doctors office & head home.

11:30-12 the boys play while I walk the dogs & make sandwiches for lunch. (K)

12pm the boys eat lunch on the move again (sometimes it easier to get them to actually eat by just letting them graze)

12:30 change diapers & get ready for naps

(C & G)

1pm nap time!!! (K)

Today while the boys napped I took the trash out, checked the mail, walked the dogs, payed a bill, folded 3 loads of laundry, talked to my sister on the phone & wrote part of this post. Meanwhile Caden & Garren played in their cribs until 3pm when they finally went to sleep, Kellan slept the whole time they played, lol...

3:45pm Kellan woke up, Garren & Caden woke when I went in to get him :-/

4pm the boys have a snack of raisins & nuts. (C, K, G)

(E & K)

(C)

(K & G)

(G & K)

4:10pm, the boys play, watch signing time & play some more... (K)

5pm I think about what to make for dinner but its really too late to figure anything out so I call Donna & put it on her, in the meantime I ask what my friends on facebook are making for dinner.

6pm Donna arrives home with pizza & we eat!

6:20 clean up the boys who are covered in tomato sauce & clear the table.

Play time with Mom Mom (Donna & K)

We decided to try some clothes we got from another triplet mom on the boys, they fit! Hooray, they have sweats for cooler nights up north next month! :) (C & G)

Kellan & Garren are obsessed with Donna's tools & beg to go in our bedroom, more so, the closet where there are a few tools they can get into.

After playing with a tape measure & cordless drill they jump on our bed :)

7:45-ish change the boys & dress them for bed (bath night was last night) (M & G)

8pm bedtime (G, C, K)

I tidy up the kitchen ever so slightly since we had pizza :)

Donna takes a shower & cleans the litter box.

I watch the boys play on the monitor for a few minutes, they crack me up!!!

9pm-ish we lounge on the couch, Donna watching television & myself working on this post :). I'm going to put off uploading photos until tomorrow (or next week as it turned out, lol) though & crochet now :)

Liebster Award

WooHoo!!! This little blog was nominated for the Liebster Award!!!

Thank you to Kristin over at More Than Words for the nomination!

For those of you who have never heard of the Liebster Award, it’s a fun way for small bloggers to give recognition to other small bloggers (with 200 followers or less) for the contributions they make to the blogosphere.

Here are the rules: 

- Thank the Liebster Blog presenter who nominated you and link back to their blog.

- Post 11 facts about yourself, answering the 11 questions you were asked and create 11 questions  for your nominees.

- Nominate 11 blogs who you feel deserve to be noticed and leave a comment on their blog letting them know they have been chosen.

- Display the Liebster Award logo.

- No tag backs meaning you can’t just re nominate the person who nominated you.

The questions put forth to me (with my answers) are as follows:

1. What is the first thing you noticed about your spouse/partner?
A. Her eyes & looong legs ;)

2. If you could relive one day of your life, which would it be?
A. Oh goodness... The day we found out we were having triplets, lol

3. Dogs or cats?
A. Both!

4. What is your biggest pet peeve?
A. Right now, the boys hang from or grabbing at my clothes

5. What is your idea of the perfect day?
A. Playing on the beach with family

6. What is one television show you watch/DVR every week?
A. Grey's Anatomy

7. Are you a saver or a spender?
A. SPENDER!!!

8. What made you want to start blogging?
A. Sharing this journey we are on & hopefully helping others on similar paths be it multiples, infertility, LGBT or life in general

9. What is the best movie you’ve seen in the past year?
A. lol... Cars

10.Do you have a signature dish?  If so, what is it?
A. Probably baked ziti, it's what I make for company &/or a crowd

11. Favorite outdoor activity?
A. Chasing after the boys, wherever we may be.

 

Here are my nominations:

This Crazy Thing Called Life
Role Playing With Kids
K and P plus 3
Mommy Loves Martinis
Bursting At The Seams
Liner Family Blog
Trois Petits
The Best Things In Life Are THREE
Our Journey to the World Of Triplets
Part Mom; Part Super Hero-- Being 'That' Mom
The Farrell 5

 

And here are my 11 questions: 

1. What was your reaction when you found out you were expecting multiples?

2. What was your spouse's reaction? 

3. How did you tell your family/friends?

4. What is your favorite activity to do at home with the kids?

5. Where is your favorite place to go as a family?

6. What is your easy, go to meal for the kids?

7. What do you do for yourself for fun?

8. What is your dream family vacation?

9. DIY or store bought?

10. Are you a routine/schedule follower or fly by the seat of your pants type?

11. Where is one place you would NEVER take your multiples?

Speech Therapy

The coordinator (I don't really know her real title) from Early Intervention came by Tuesday to give me the results of the boys' evaluations.
As I already knew, Caden & Kellan will be getting speech therapy. Garren will be getting re-checked at 30 months just to be sure he is progressing but I am confidant that he is fine, especially now. He is talking up a storm, telling Donna & I & his brothers what to do, what he wants to eat, what he wants to do & so on...
I signed all the necessary forms & am now just waiting on the therapist to call & schedule her twice a week visits.
Should be interesting... :)

Hearing Screen

Today we took the boys for their hearing tests. The ones we scheduled because of the developmental evaluator who said they failed her test.

Well... each of the boys failed in their left ears. The doctor felt it could have been from the excessive wax they have in heir ears, so she cleaned them out & they re-tested them. Caden passed but Kellan & Garren still failed. While removing the wax from their ears the doctor noticed they had really small canals. She said that combined with the wax could be what was causing them to not pass the exam. So the plan it to try to dissolve & eliminate the wax with peroxide, a few drops each day for a week rinsed with water should get it all out & hopefully then they will pass the test. 

Caden

The wax causes the probe to not be able to set in the ear properly & therefore not be able to read the sound waves. Before the boys are referred to an audiologist we want to make sure it's not just a bad test result from excessive wax.

Kellan

Talking about the boys having wax in their ears makes me feel like they sound dirty. They have always had excessively waxy ears. No matter how much we clean them, they always seem to have wax draining from their ears. The boys' pediatrician in NC told me it was normal, some people just have more wax than others & that it was better to have excessive wax than have no wax :)

Garren, over it & ready to go!

So hopefully next week they pass with flying colors & this will be behind us!

Tomorrow we meet with the coordinator from Babies Can't Wait, ie Early Intervention, to set up the boys therapy schedule & get that going. I'm so excited for Caden & Kellan to start communicating better!!! :)

Thomas...

We have our first official character obsession. I was really hoping for something a little cooler or more fun (for me) like Cars or Finding Nemo but Caden has taken to Thomas the Train.

Grandma gave the boys a Thomas video back at their birthday & it has been nothing but "choo choo choo," "choo choo train," & "cinders & ashes." Caden carries that train around all day long. He eats with it, sleeps with it & plays with it constantly!

First thing in the morning, not even a fresh diaper yet.

 

Would Thomas like some oatmeal? 

 

Playing...

Thomas waiting on lunch...

More playing...

 

And of course Thomas is going to bed!

Kellan & Garren tolerate his constant need to watch Thomas videos & being pushed away from the train table. They are not as interested as he is but do like to play with the trains from time to time but Caden claims anything with a train on it before they even have a chance to see it, books, blankets, he even hordes the DVD covers, lol... 

Happy Birthday Chandler!!!

Friday was our nephew Chandler's 3rd birthday. We really need to figure out how to slow these kids down, they grow WAY too fast!

The Birthday Boy Chandler

Saturday was his Luau Birthday Party (almost turned Hurricane party, lol) My sister did an awesome job decorating & everyone had a blast. There were a few rain breaks due to the remnants of Tropical Storm Chantal passing through. The boys played with Chandler & their grandparents & Donna. They were in & out of the pool. The most fun thing to do was play in the pool shower. Chandler is a few inches taller than the boys & could keep turning the shower on for all of them to play in, they also spent a little time playing in the water fountains :-/

Party goers

Grandma's boy Garren

Kellan & his silly happy face

Donna & Caden

Kellan (r) thought Chandler was hysterical 

Who needs a pool when there's an outdoor shower?!?

Autumn showing off baby Nadia :)

We had Pizza & Salad for lunch but the boys really just wanted the juice boxes :) it's hard to get them to slow down enough to eat when we are at fun functions.

Chandler opened his birthday gifts after lunch. After he opened a couple he said "all done, cake now!" lol... He pushed through though & opened the rest. When Autumn wasn't quick enough Hugh he was sure to remind her "next present please!" I love toddlers, their track of mind & ability to just say what they they want without filtering it :)

Our gift, lol...

The box was so big 1 roll of paper wouldn't cover it & I was too lazy to go back to the store, so 2 different papers & a little decorative duct tape did the trick :)

Caden hijacked this Thomas the Train quickly!!!

Opening ours...

It's a bean bag chair, YAY!!!

After gifts we of course had cake!

The singing...

The blowing...

The eating!!!

Kellan, Grandma & Aliyah

Kellan took a fall (poor kid can't catch a break) & skinned pretty much his whole face & elbow & knee & ankle :(

We took the boys back to my sister's house shortly after gifts to get them changed & ready for a nap. 

After the party we spent some time with my parents, my brother in laws parents & grandmother, Autumn, Steven, Chandler & my bonus sister Mindy who arrived later during the party with her husband & our niece Aliyah. I still had my dad & bonus moms mothers/fathers day gifts & Autumn also had gifts for their big 60th birthdays. So we gave them their gifts & then we all had gifts for Aliyah for her 2nd birthday that was on July 3rd.

Pretty girl Aliyah,

she's not going to be the only girl cousin for too much longer :)

The boys got a short nap but I don't think Chandler or Aliyah did so Steven blew up the bounce house Chandler got for his birthday & we let the kids play in it in the house while it rained outside. The kids all had a blast & we had a nice visit with everyone.

Chandler's new bounce house

Chandler (top) Kellan (bottom)

Chandler dropping

Aliyah & Garren sliding

Aliyah watching the boys drop from the top

Caden with his hijacked Thomas the Train playing in the kitchen.

I don't know how we got out of there without that thing, lol...

We had to head back shortly before dinner so the pup pups little bladders didn't burst. It was a great day with family :)