Christmas; Round 2

Friday, while Donna worked I scurried around, getting all our laundry done & packing for a few days of visiting our parents in Central FL. Two of my sisters & their families were already at my parents & planning to leave Saturday afternoon, so I wanted to have everything packed & loaded so we could just get up & go Saturday morning to get there in time for a 10 am brunch.

Saturday morning we woke up early, quickly got dressed, got the boys in the van & the dogs & then couldn't find the cat... Donna searched & searched... Apparently Miss Murphee wasn't feeling a trip to grandma & grandpas house :( I finally switched with Donna (she hung out in the van with the boys while I searched) I went though each room closing doors behinds me so she couldn't switch up hiding places. I finally found her under the couch, I didn't think she could fit under there anymore? I reached under for her but she moved further away, I finally had to turn both parts of the couch on their backs so she couldn't keep running from one to the other & I was able to corner her in the hall. We were 45 minutes late leaving at this point not to mention it was raining & traffic was heavier than normal :(

I text my bonus mom letting her know we were on our way but late & not to wait for us. Our drive was uneventful but we were an hour late & my bonus sister & her family had to leave just before we arrived so we missed them. 

The boys were excited to see grandma & grandpa & their aunt Autumn, uncle Steven & cousins Chandler & Nadia. The boys all played & we visited & ate a bit before opening Christmas gifts.

Little Miss Nadia loves her Aunt Da! Caden & Garren showered her with kisses & she finally took a cat nap.

Autumn & our dad, Chandler & the bedding set we got him, Caden & Kellan with MomMom opening their new small appliances from Aunt O & Uncle Steven, and Grandma & Grandpa.

Chandler opening a gift for his baby sister, a Cabbage Patch

Doll from us & the boys opening lots of gifts including a

Thomas train track from Aunt Meg & Uncle Aaron & a bowling set from

Grandma & Grandpa.

A Violet pet for Nadia, chandler opening some slippers from Grandma & Grandpa & Caden admiring the new Thomas track.

Garren playing with his new mixer, Uncle Steven, Me & Nadia, all the boys & Autumn holding up a cute dress that Nadia got.

Chandler opening a wooden train track for Grandma & Grandpa.

Donna in shock over the boys getting a guitar/keyboard, lol...

 

A little selfie fun for Nadia & I & showing off her

baby rolls with Aunt Da.

The kids loved everything and I love my new king size crock pot! My sister & her family had to head home that afternoon & we headed to Donnas parents for a little more Christmas fun. The boys were spoiled more with toy golf bags, teddy bears, more trains, books, puzzles & Christmas cash :)

We stayed with Donna's parents for a few days. It was the first time we had since the boys have been out of cribs. Donna's mom always gives up her room for us but we still had to come up with a makeshift bed for the boys. A couple years ago I bought a Pea Pod for my nephew who had a hard time sleeping in a pack n play so I though why not a jumbo size pea pod, a small 2 person tent? So that is what we used. We could have used an air mattress but we wanted something that at least partially blocked the view of everything in Grandmas room they could get into. The tent with a memory foam pad in the bottom & all their blankets from home worked perfect.

It rained for most of our time there but we did sneak in some time outside. We good the boys tricycles hoping they would be able to ride then on Grandma & Grandpa's long driveway. Garren was the only one interested though, Caden & Kellan just wanted to play in the sand (big shocker there!) & be chased around the yard. Garren did master pedaling though with the help of a slight slope in the driveway & he had a great time riding!

We forgot their helmets at home

Monday Donna had to go into the office (the closest one to us which happened to be her old station) for a few minutes so the boys & I rode with her. When she finished what she needed to do we went looking for a fast food place with an indoor playground for the boys. It was muddy outside from the rain. We found one & stopped. A lady with 4 kids came in right behind us, when they were all playing I noticed 2 of her girls looked to be the same age, then a third one came down the slide & I thought they could be triplets. When their mother came back I asked & sure enough, they were & it was their second birthday. The last time we were down & went to a playground, there was another set of triplets. How funny is that?!?

This morning we loaded up & headed back to my parents to spend New Years with them before heading home.

 

I hope you all are having a wonderful New Year too!!!

First Trip Sans Cribs

Donna had a training class back in Orlando this past week, so the boys, the pups, the kitty & I all packed up & headed down with her to get some quality grandparent time in.

 

Trains, trains & more trains!

Thanks Aunt Meg for leaving these at Grandma & Grandpa's.

I was a little nervous about how this trip would go since the boys are no longer in cribs (or pack n plays.) my parents recently got a bunk bed with a full size bed on the bottom bunk. There is also a crib & a toddler bed there but I knew the boys would want to sleep together since that is what they are use to now, so we put them all in the bottom bunk & hoped they would go to sleep & NOT discover the ladder that led to the top bunk. They actually did fantastic! They didn't take any longer to go to sleep than they do at home & they slept uninterrupted all night & even slept in a bit. I was SOOO relieved it went well & they didn't wake up & roam the house all night, lol...

My dad took a couple days off to hang out with us while Donna was at her class. The first day we took the boys to the nearest mall to play in the play area & have some lunch. We ran into another set of triplets there, 2 girls & a boy. They were  a year older than the boys, I don't know why I am hung up on it lately but the boys were quite a bit bigger than the they were. I know the boys are big, I should just accept it, get over it & stop comparing their size to kids older than them! I will, eventually ;)

The boys had a lot of fun playing, there were a lot of kids their age (or at least size) & they played really well with everyone, helping the girls climb up & taking turns sliding down. Poor Caden though, as soon as we got there he went running into the playhouse & nailed his head on the doorway. He was about 3 inches too tall to just walk/run through it, he walked through carefully, bent over the rest of the time :)

 

PLAY TIME!!!

Friday we headed out to Donna's parent's to visit with them. We haven't been down to see them since they returned from NY in late October (we were awaiting Miss Nadia's arrival.) we spent the morning with them, had lunch & got back on the road to head back at nap time & hoped for a decent car nap!

Our friends, Aunt Pat & Aunt Ro were at my dad's when we got back & we spent the afternoon playing with them & our other dear friend Sandy.

 

Grandma helping the boys up :)

Saturday Donna was suppose to teach part of the class she was attending but she needed to return home to attend a funeral for one of her employee's daughter. My dad rode back & forth with her while my bonus mom hung out with the boys & I. We ran around, shopped & had lunch before heading back to the house to make dinner & a couple casseroles for Sundays dinner at Donna's mom & dads.

Kellan LOVED that spiral slide!

TWINS!

Twin beds that is :)

Recently we kept finding the boys snuggled up together in their tiny little toddler beds. They not only didn't fit in the beds well, they also exceeded the weight limit when piled up together. We had planned to get twin beds after the first of the year but decided we should go ahead & get them now.

We initially just got 2 twin beds & put them together. We thought since the boys wanted to sleep together anyways that getting 2 wouldn't take up their whole room & also saved us a little cash. While they did all fit & sleep together once they were asleep, 2 beds didn't provide enough room if one of them was ready to sleep & the other 2 were still playing around. 

 

We went back & got the third bed. We tried them individually for a night or two but still found the boys piled up in one together, so we pushed them all together & it has worked out perfectly so far. We haven't found actual beds (frames) we like yet so the boys are just on mattress & box springs on the floor. We do need to get them up off the floor to limit the running & jumping on the beds. The boys act like we just got them a big trampoline!

It has been a bit of a transition switching to twin beds. The boys don't lay right down & go to sleep anymore but they aren't up all night either. They play & wrestle around about a half hour or so before finally falling to sleep. Sometime we have to go in & remind them it's bed time or tell them to get back in the beds but overall they are are doing great.

We'll see how our upcoming trip to FL goes, it will be our first trip out of cribs :-/

Operation Toddler Beds ~ Week 4

We are the midst of week 4 & things really couldn't be better.

I was quite scared of how this transition would go. I've read & heard all kinds of horror stories but once the boys understood that bedtime meant not getting out of of bed, there really hasn't been much resistance. A few times someone has emerged from their bedroom 10 or 15 minutes after going to bed but we directed them right back to bed & after a short protest of tears they were sleeping soundly.

This weekend we had a few early mornings... The first morning I didn't think much of it, Kellan woke up about an hour early. We just hung out quietly in the living room waiting for his brothers to wake up. The next morning Caden & Kellan woke up around 5am, that is VERY early for us so I directed them back to bed. I had to lay in their room with them to get them to lay down & not play. The 3rd morning all 3 of the boys came waltzing out of their room at 3am. Again I sent them back to bed & laid in their room to make sure they went back to sleep or at least stayed in bed.

I asked in a triplet group on fb if anyone else had experienced this after switching to toddler beds & a few people said they had & that they put a door knob cover on the inside of the door so the boys couldn't just waltz out & wander the house. That is exactly what I did on the 4th night but the boys slept all night that night & last night so maybe it was just a short phase or perhaps a fluke? Donna wasn't crazy about 'locking' them in their room in case any of them ever really needed something but we have a monitor we can see & hear them on & our room is right next to theirs. I just don't want them to get up & get into something that could hurt them or better yet unlock the exterior doors like they love to do so much.

So I think it's safe to say Operation Toddler Beds has been successful but the real test will come in a couple weeks when we travel to Grandma & Grandpa's house... 

Operation Toddler Beds ~ Week 2

This week started week 2 of the boys in toddler beds...

Last night we tucked the boys into bed, I was going to read to them but Kellan was crying about going to bed & I didn't feel like yelling over him, so I put the book away & took my place on the floor between their beds. At first everyone layer down & I thought thankfully this looks like its going to be an easy night... I thought too soon! The boys started jumping in their beds & then into each others beds. My back ached from laying on that floor every afternoon & every night, some nights all night long due to the boys being sick & waking throughout the night. I was too tired tonight. My patience quickly left me & I got up & walked out of their bedroom. Donna asked what was going on & I just said I cannot do this tonight. She reminded me that out plan wasn't o lay in their every night until they went to sleep & that they had to learn to stay on bed in their own & go to sleep. I agreed, I guess with Caden & Kellan being so sick & having trouble at night I just got sucked in & forgot the initial plan. So I watched from the monitor and as one got out of bed I went in & put him back, after a couple times of me going in, Donna took a turn at it, then I went in, then she went in & then finally... They went to sleep :)

Eason trying to wake Caden for a doctors appt...

So today for nap time I rounded the boys up into their room, got them each in their own beds & said night night. Garren was missing his lovey so I knew I'd have to go back in which worked out for today. I left closed the door & went to find Garren's lovey, I took it back in just in time to see Caden dive back into his bed. I then noticed Kellan was missing his pacifier, so agin I walked out, closed the door & went to find a pacifier. I walked back in again just catching Caden not getting out of his bed, lol...

I kissed them all again & said time for naps, go night night. I walked out, closing the door & headed to our room to get the monitor. I pick it up just in time to see Garren sneak into Caden's bed, so I go back in, put Garren back in his bed & tell him that's it, time to go night night. He cried for a couple of minutes & they were all out! :)

Garren not budging...

Last night the plan was again to read a bedtime story & say goodnight & leave. The story didn't happen do to crying again. We gave hugs & kisses, tucked everyone in, said goodnight & left. Besides the tears, it went really really well. The boys stayed in bed, they cried... Kind of like the early days of being put in their cribs. (I was never a fan of crying it out & they never cried for more than a couple of minutes, just letting us know their protest to going to bed) about 20 minutes after we left I spotted Garren crawling across the floor, lol... He grabbed a book & jumped back in bed. A few minutes later Caden was standing in front of bed, he looked like he was trying to decided what he could get away with. Donna went in at this point & tucked everyone back in. We didn't hear from them again after that until 8 o'clock this morning :)

Eason gave up on Kellan & just joined him :)

Hopefully it continues to go well. I am happy with the progress they have made staying in bed & sleeping all night with the exception of being sick. 

Operation Toddler Beds

We decided to transition the boys to toddler beds this past weekend. They don't climb out of their cribs or even try but while we were on vacation they did climb from one pack n play to another. Technically they are all too big for pack n plays & if they even lean on the side they tip over. we got through vacation by strategically placing them so that they were against a wall & holding each other up bit since we travel pretty often we thought it was best for them to learn to sleep in beds so when we are at the grandparents we don't have to worry about them climbing, flipping or falling.

Donna is SOOO excited that we won't have to lug heavy pack n plays that take up valuable storage space around anymore!!!

This is how the boys' beds have been set up since they started sleeping in their own cribs, the hated being separated initially & this was how we worked that out. I tried separating them to give them more floor space to play in their room but none of them went for it. Hopefully we will be able to make some changes once they get the hang of their toddler beds :)

Donna & Garren taking off the front of the cribs

& installing the toddler rails.

Donna, Kellan & Garren attaching fasteners

to the toy box so that it stays closed

The finished product

(yes, those pictures are crooked,

the room belongs to 2 year olds!)

The First night was good! :) I wasn't sure what to expect out of the boys. We did our usual bedtime routine, "hey boys, it's time to go night night." They run in their room to get in their beds, only this time they jump in themselves & then jump out of their beds & take off running running down the hall... We got them all back to their room convinced them to get back in their beds & repeated the bed part over & over again until no one was trying to get out anymore. We stayed in their room with them, sitting on the floor making sure they stayed in bed, then we switched to "lay down & go night night" until each of them stayed laying down, then it was just a waiting game... They sang, bounced, played footsies & finally fell to sleep. The entire process took an hour and 45 minutes. Caden woke up crying at some point in the early AM hours but didn't get out of bed, I went in & laid down next to his bed & he laid down & went right back to sleep. They didn't get out of their beds when they woke up, they just played in bed like they usually do.

Nap #1, I was more nervous about nap time than I was bed time, at least I had Donna to help at bedtime. I wasn't sure if they would over take me at nap time or not, lol... They did good though. They pretty much had the staying n bed part down but Caden did try a few times before just giving up & going to sleep. It was an hour & 20 min until the last holdout gave in & went to sleep. Caden was out after 30 min. Garren about 40-45 min & Kellan decided he would give it his all & tried to get out of bed & then he tried throwing his stuff out so that he had an excuse to get up & get it. I stayed consistent & he finally gave in.

Caden (foreground) Kellan (background)

Garren

Haddie found the beds comfy for her own little afternoon nap :)

The second night was good too! How long did it take before they were all asleep, well who knows? I think it was about an hour & 15 or 20 minutes but Donna & I both dozed off & woke up about 11pm, lol... At least the boys weren't having a party around us! Everyone slept all night uninterrupted & when they woke in the morning Kellan joined Caden in his bed & they played until Garren woke up a little later. I showered & then set them free, I mean opened their bedroom door since it has a knob cover on the inside & they haven't figured out how to rip it off yet.

Nap #2, WOOHOO!!! The boys got in bed, only persistent Caden tried getting up a couple times & all 3 of the boys were sleeping in 35 minutes!!! I had hope that by the end of the week I would not be laying on the floor in their bedroom anymore waiting for them to go to sleep :)

Kellan

Garren

Caden

The third night also went pretty well, not as well as nap #2 but I'm going to guess everyone was asleep in under an hour or so. I sat with the boys alone this time as Donna thought maybe bedtime was taking so long because she was there & the boys are always a little more wound up with her. I fell asleep again though so exact time is a questionable again along with who went to sleep first. Caden didn't disappoint though, he tried sneaking out of bed a couple times before giving in for the night. It has always taken a bit longer for the boys to wind down at night but I'm still hopeful that I won't be hanging out on the floor every night for too long.

Nap #3 didn't go as great as yesterday. Kellan who is sick with croup went to sleep pretty quickly but Caden & Garren played & played & played & got themselves a little smack on the butt for not staying in bed (Caden) & for screeching at the top of his lungs (Garren.) They both finally gave up & went to sleep right at the 1 hour mark.

So that's what is going on here during sleep times this week. I think that it's going well? At least once they go to sleep they stay asleep & when they have woke up in the middle of a nap or at night they've stayed in their bed & gone back to sleep on their own, so really no complaints from me :)