Goodbye Baby Teeth...

Our baby is losing his baby teeth! Well if that doesn't concrete the idea of your child being a baby anymore, I don't know what would, lol...

About a week after the boys' first dentist visit, where the dentist didn't suspect they'd be losing their baby teeth anytime soon, Garren suddenly had a very wiggly tooth. He showed it to me at school so my first thought was that he or something hit his mouth but that sliver of a new tooth sneaking up behind his baby tooth provide different.

Garren's first wiggly tooth

It was only about a month before he had a second wiggly tooth. Luckily the other tooth from his first lost one was already in place when the second one finally, literally fell out. I'm not sure why he was so nervous to let Donna pull the second one out like she did the first when it was ready but he was & so one evening it just fell out & onto the floor. Darren realized it right away & picked it up so the Tooth Fairy could leave him a little something.

Darren's first grown up tooth & second lost tooth

Kindergarten Physicals

I started to post theses in my previous summer shenanigans post but decided they deserved a post of their own.

April (the boys birthday month) & May were a bit busy with birthday parties, my own medical drama & end of the school year. June we were busy traveling for vacation. I finally got around to getting the boys 5 year well checks/kindergarten physicals schooled & done in JULY. I'm such a slacker they couldn't even get in with their doctor & had to see a nurse practitioner. I don't usually mind but prefer seeing their doctor for annuals, especially since 2 of the boys had issues I needed to discuss.

Anyways, we got them done & just in the knick of time for school, lol
We decided to take them individually this year since last year was a bit chaotic.

Caden

Caden was first up. He's super healthy & growing just right. He is slowing down a bit which was expected after growing so big so fast for so long.

His measurements were:
Height 45.5" - 86th %
Weight 44lbs - 69th %
BMI 14 - 34%

The NP emphasized drinking 3 glasses of milk a day & getting them to dentist since they haven't been yet & will likely start losing teeth soon.

Caden got the last 2 vaccines he needed to start school & is happy he won't need anymore until the 7th grade.

Garren

Garren went later in the same week that Caden went & saw the same NP. He is also super healthy. He is still on his growth curve & continues to grow at a more 'normal' rate.

His measurements were:
Height 43" - 50th %
Weight 39lbs - 34th %
BMI 14 - 30th %

Garren also got his last 2 vaccines until 7th grade & received the same emphasis on milk consumption & getting to the dentist.

We have noticed that one of Garren's tes.ti.cles seem quite a bit larger than the other. We knew there was suppose to be a slight difference but weren't sure just how much so I asked the NP about it. She also thought it was pretty significant so she called in a doctor to take a look. It was determined that he has a hy.dro.cele & we were referred to a pediatric urologist. We had an appointment with the urologist at Nemours Children's specialty care Tuesday. He does in fact have a hy.dro.cele but it isn't causing any problems right now. we are just suppose to keep an eye on it & it if become commutative  we'll take him back & he'll have to have surgery to remove it & hopefully avoid a hernia. Right now it stay in place & doesn't move or travel.

Kellan

Note to self; take Kellan first next year! He is the most nervous of the 3 boys & by the time his appointment rolled around the following his brother's he had heard all too much about the shots he would get & was as nervous as could be. Not good for an already anxious kid :(

Kellan's appointment was with his preferred doctor. He saw her for his stomach aches, that seized to exist once school was out. We talked a little about his anxiety. I think over the course of the summer he has worked out some of his fears so we decided to see how he does starting school this year before we pursue any additional help for his anxiety.

He is also healthy & slowing down in the growth dept.

HIs measurements were:
Height 45" - 81st %
Weight 42lbs - 61st %
BMI 14 - 22nd %

Kellan had his last vaccines until 7th grade too & is OH SO HAPPY about that!

There you have it. Three healthy & happy (to not anymore shots for a long time) boys!

Throwback Thursday - Birthday Countdown... FOUR!

One week until our boys are 5 years old... let the hyperventilating begin, lol...

We dropped the ball on having professional 4 year old pictures done last year so here's one of the only pics taken at their party last year.

The boys' Toy Story (k), Spiderman (g), & Thomas (c) cakes

Throwback Thursday - Birthday Countdown... THREE!

 
Garren

Caden

Kellan

 
G, C, K

Throwback Thursday - Birthday Countdown... TWO!

Caden

Garren

Kellan

Throwback Thursday - Birthday Countdown... ONE!

I'm sort of in denial about the boys' upcoming 5th birthday. How can 5 years have gone by already?!?

Well since it cannot be stopped I have decided to reminisce a little with a Throwback Thursday post each week until the big day. Here are the boys diving into their their very first birthday cakes at their 1st birthday party... 

Caden

Garren

Kellan

And since the boys want to invite the whole town birthday party planning & prepping is in full swing.

Our First Speech Therapy Graduate

A few weeks ago Garren's speech therapist told me that Garren was meeting all his goals, that if he continued to display meeting all goals for 3 consecutive weeks he would be discharged from speech services. On the third week, the day I expected to be his last appointment his speech therapist told me that it was time for his re-evaluation so she was going to go ahead & complete that before discharging him.

Yesterday his re-eval. was completed. Garren only had a slight delay to begin with so it was no surprise that he did just fine. So that was it, yesterday was his last speech session.

He is officially a Speech Therapy Graduate! :)

Kellan & Garren's NICU Graduation Anniversary

Three years ago today (well this past Sunday now since I've slacked on getting this posted) Caden's time as the only child at home was up. Kellan & Garren joined their brother at home just 3 days later.mt was good we didn't have too much time with just one baby at home, because 1 was pretty easy compared to 3 & we wouldn't have wanted to have gotten too use to that, lol...

Garren

Kellan

Kellan, Garren & Caden ready to roll out of the NICU

Caden, Garren & Kellan in all loaded in the car heading home

This first few weeks are a blur, we literally just existed for the boys, pumping, feeding, changing, sleeping & doctor appointments was about we accomplished during that time. 

Kellan

Kellan & Garren have also grown into quite extraordinary little people. Kellan is still our baby of the group. He's sensitive, emotional & very attached to his moms & brothers. Kellan is super smart & like Caden learns things very easily & quickly. He's loves a good time & a good laugh & unfortunately has an electronics addiction. It's not that he has to be on his tablet or watching TV 24/7, it's that he can't not touch them. We will put a video in & just as the movie starts he runs over & opens the DVD player. He loves buttons I guess & just can't help himself when it comes to pushing them. He also loves Thomas the train, Woody & Buzz Lightyear & of course Cars. He's pretty artistic & will sit & paint or color the longest of the 3 boys & he's our biggest, pickiest, but biggest eater. Kellan can still be shy but will talk to any child that comes around, his first line is always "how are you doing?" It's funny to hear in his little voice. He is a lover & cuddler, he's likes to squeeze right in the middle of everyone or sit right on your lap. He loves his brothers and always tries to wake them up even though they sleep longer than he does.

Garren

Garren is our little spitfire! And that is putting it mildly, lol... He looks & acts so sweet & innocent at first & then his true colors come flying out faster than you know what hit you, and he has probably literally run smack into you! He's wild, fearless, loud, bossy, argumentative & funny but he is also so sweet & caring. He's quick to kiss a boo boo or help his brothers up when they've fallen. He always looks out for them with others & translates when needed. He calls everyone honey or babe. He is his Mom Mom's boy for sure, when Donna is home he doesn't let her out of his sight. He's smart & more mechanical than his brothers, he is usually our little mr fix it when a toy comes apart or one of the boys can't figure out how to work something. He also loves to color & paint bit only has the attention span to do so for about 3 minutes. He NEVER STOPS MOVING if he does then he's asleep in about 60 seconds. Garren is the only one of the boys that has taken to a stuffed animal & he still carries around a lovey (& sucks his thumb - I already know he will need braces!) when he gets hurt he insists he needs a bath to feel better but can usually be soothed with an m&m or 2 :)

I couldn't imagine what life would be like with triplet boys & now I can't imagine life without them. They keep us on our toes for sure but they fill us both with so much love & joy!

THREE YEARS OLD!!!

It's so hard to believe that these amazing little boys have been with us for 3 years now, yet sometimes it feels like they've been here all along & it's difficult to recall what life was like before them.

The boys sweet Triplet BFFs!!!

Well here is what these crazy boys are up to lately...

They have come so far verbally! It seems they never stop talking now, lol... Caden is more assertive in his speaking, beginning or ending his sentences with "mommy." "Mommy more milk please?" Or "I'm ready to get out of the tub mommy." His tantrums have cut down significantly since he has been able to communicate so much better. :)

Since they are talking more they are expressing some of their knowledge more, saying colors instead of just pointing to them, singing their ABCs instead of just identifying the letters, counting anything & everything, finding & calling out shapes in random objects. They also love to identify animals & make their sounds along with other objects like fire trucks & airplanes.

Strangely the more the boys talk the more they sign. I didn't start out teaching them to sign because of their speech delay but it did help out in that situation. When the boys started speech therapy it was said that as they start talking more they would drop the signing but just the opposite has happened & they are picking up more & more signs, combining signs, Kellan even signs his ABCs.

Caden; 1, 1.5, 2 & 3 years old

Their is no shortage on curiosity here. Garren & Caden ask what everything is & Garren asks what's it for. Kellan is more quiet & just looks at things, opening & closing them, driving them back & forth, really getting a good idea of how it works. All 3 of them get into everything & they've gotten really good at getting to where they aren't suppose to be. As if it wasn't bad enough when they learned to open or take down the baby gates, now they can put them back up too, so if I'm looking for one of them and see the gate still up I usually don't suspect they are in that room but not now! They will take the gates down, sneak into the room & put it bak up without making a peep, it's the silence that gives them away every time!

Adventure is a hot commodity for the boys too. Even Caden who was apprehensive to even climb on the playground equipment & go down a slide is now diving head first on his belly down the tallest slide he can find. Kellan has become a runner, though that is really NOT a good thing! He's really scared me a couple of times when he has run out doors of places we were shopping! He WILL get a harness & leash if he does that to me one more time! Garren is just a little daredevil, climbing up & hoping off of whatever & now leading his brothers right along with him.

The boys have been very challenging the past couple of months but I think (& hope) we are over the hump now & things are calming down. The boys wanted to test EVERY SINGLE LIMIT & pitch the most horrific tantrums when they didn't get their ways. Listening was also a huge challenge but is getting better with some old fashioned counting, 1... 2... 

Kellan; 1, 1.5, 2 & 3 years old

Keeping them busy has also helped a lot. We got somewhere to play everyday, a playground, (we have some good ones here) the tennis courts to chase some balls or just run or we travel a little for someplace new, indoors or just different. I usually save new/indoor places for bad weather days. 

I'm also planning to start a preschool homeschool curriculum soon. We've been working on letter sounds, sight words & the boys started trying to write letters on their own so we're running with it. Garren's learning style is different than Caden & Kellans so that's why I want to start with a curriculum. He needs a more hands on approach (like his mommy) than his brothers who seem to learn things by just seeing or hearing them a couple times.

The boys have a new obsession now, well since Easter. They had a few random items with Toy Story characters on them & had been inquiring about who they were so for Easter we got them the DVDs.we took them to pick out their birthday gift from us just knowing Garren would choose Jessie & Caden & Kellan would choose Woody. They completely surprised us & all 3 chose Buzz Lightyear! Kellan does have a little figure he picked up someplace that he is calling Woody, it's not actually Woody but we won't tell him that, lol...

Garren; 1, 1.5, 2 & 3 years old

Thomas, & Lightning are still a big par of our days, they have not lost their love or interest in them. Actually they also picked out some new train tracks to add to their current ones for their birthday too.

We are looking forward to the boys starting some sports & other activities soon, now that they are 3, they are all so active & busy i think they will really like soccer, gymnastics & t-ball! 

All 3 of the boys are so rough & tumble! They keep bumps, bruises & scrapes most of the time. They've turned our home into a giant wrestling ring or obstacle course! they really REALLY need a back yard!!! All 3 of them are also incredibly loving! They love to hug, kiss & cuddle, even with each other. When anyone gets hurt they are quick to offer a kiss & hug. With their big smiles & dimply grins they make it very difficult to get mad at them.

And of course we are looking forward to being a diaper free household in the near future too! Potty training has gone really well so far, Garren & Kellan have it down & Caden is "trying" he asks to "try pee pee in the potty?" & we of course let him. It's hit & miss for him though, I think he just doesn't have the feeling understood yet but he will in his time.

***This post is really random & all over the place but these are little details about this age that I want to remember so I wrote them just as I thought about them :)

And Our First Walker Is...

GARREN!!!

He has been hard at work practicing all those baby steps, him with his lovie in hand just taking slow small steps back & forth across the living room all day long... Who needs toys when you're learning to walk?!?

He can make it all the way across the room but of course he still stumbles & falls quite frequently. This does not discourage him though. He will even bend over to pick up somethingas he walks around :)

the little stinker likes to climb too



Baby Steps...

At 14 months & 1 day {11 months 3 weeks adjusted age} Garren took his first steps!!!

We signed the lease to our new apartent yeaterday afternoon. My mom, Donna, the boys & I went to the unit with the leasing agent to do a walk through inspection, we put the boys down to crawl around & the agent asked if any of them were walking? I told het no but that Garren had been working hard at standing on his own. As I'm telling her this Garren pulls himself up on my leg, I turned him around to show her & he took 2 steps!!! This happened right after Donna & my mom walked outside to get some boxes :( Thankfully he did it again & again the rest of the evening & is now up to 6-8 steps.

Standing Tall

Mr Garren has been really hard at work learning to stand on his own. He will only practice though on Donna or I. Whenever possible one of us lays on the floor & Garren will use us to push himself up & stand without holding on. I'm not sure why he wouldn't just let go of a toy or the furniture, maybe he just felt more secure with one of us right there.

Well his hard work & persistence has paid off & our last baby to crawl & pull up is our fist baby boy to stand!!!

GO Garren GO!!!

I mentioned in their one year post that Garren was finally crawling on all fours, but I felt like it deserved a post of its own, like his brothers did :o)

He may have gone about it completely backwards, learning to sit up & pull up first but he has finally done it & is just as fast, if not faster than Caden & Kellan.

I had a hard time getting this video to upload (months ago) So I don't think it ever got posted & it is just too cute to not share... (possibly again) It is Caden when he first learned to crawl but with a sweet little bonus.

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Sitting Pretty

Last week Garren figured out how to get into the sitting position on his own. Funny because his brothers only figured it out after learning to crawl. Garren still is not crawling on his hands & knees, but in addition to sitting up he is pulling up to his knees. He's just doing it all his own way :o)

I had put all 3 boys down for a nap, heard a lot of 

laughing so I peeked in & this is what I found.

GO!!! ...{Garren}

Shortly after we arrived to our temporary home & just shy of 9 months adjusted age, our super content baby boy started crawling. Garren's not crawling in the traditional manner, I don't know that we can even call it an "army crawl," but he is finally on the move!!!

I thought & still think he may skip actual crawling, but he has been getting up on his hands & knees & rocking a bit. I don't know if this will lead to a traditional crawl or if it will just lead to pulling up, which he is trying to do now.

Chasing His Shadow...

Garren discovered his shadow on the wall the other morning & decided to go get it...
(you can't see his shadow due to the camera flash in the first few photos)

The Pincer Grasp

There are so many developmental milestones I had never heard of before having the boys.
The pincer grasp (picking things up with his finger & thumb) is one of them. Garren mastered it a few weeks ago. I don't know exactly how he figured it out but it is so cute to watch him. He points his little index finger, puts it on the object, (usually a puff) then brings his thumb to it, picks it up & quickly puts it in his mouth :o)

If You're Happy & You Know It...

Wave hello & clap your hands!!!

Garren learned a new trick while we were at my moms. He sticks his arm straight up & waves, then he claps his hands. It is so funny because he gets so excited when he does it. Apparently though he is only doing this for new people or at least people he doesn't see everyday (he doesn't do it just for his moms.) So I have not been able to catch it on camera yet but, I had to document that it's happening, maybe I can get a photo by their 10 month update which is just 4 days away (I better get writing!!!)

He was flapping his hands right before I took this photo... I tried!

He's cute anyways & growing a ton of hair recently.