Cheeseburgers, Blueberries & A Bittersweet Moment

Well it finally happened, we passed our really awesome Peg Perego Triplet stroller on to another triplet family. We really haven't been using it recently, with the weights of the boys & their shifting & moving it had gotten really hard to maneuver around in stores & at doctors appointments. So I put my mommy/baby emotions aside & listed it. I do love that we are able to pass along many of our triplet items along to other triplet families!

We could never THANK YOU enough Aunt Pat & Aunt Rosemary for the amazing gift of our stroller!!! I don't know how we would have survived the boys' infant-hood without it, especially me, on my own. It was the only way I was ever able to leave the house on my own with 3 babies. I was very emotionally attached to it, remembering Donna assembling it while I was still pregnant with the boys & bringing the boys home from the NICU in it. That stroller has seen a lot of miles between FL & NC. I hope the new family cherishes it as much as we did!!!

I think she had much less grey hair here, lol

 My teeny tiny boys

The new family lives a few hours away so we traveled to meet them & make the exchange. In all the hustle & bustle of getting ready & out the door I forgot To pack a lunch for the boys. There was nothing around where we were on the highway except McDonalds. The boys have never eaten anything from there before so I wasn't sure what they would eat, I hoped they would eat a cheeseburger opposed to chicken nuggets but I got both just in case...
They LOVED the cheeseburgers & actually ate it as a sandwich instead of all broke up into small pieces. (Caden doesn't like to take bites of full sized food) they were super easy & mostly mess free to eat on the go. I won't be rushing out to buy them more cheeseburgers anytime soon but I was pretty excited that they ate something new & different & EASY!!!

The boys also retried whole blueberries this morning & low & behold Garren couldn't get enough!!! This is the kid who spit out the mashed up blueberries in his yogurt :-/ Haddie also enjoys blueberries & Garren was sure to share a few with her :)

Labor Day Weekend & More "Firsts"

My dad & bonus mom came up Saturday morning to spend the weekend with us, while I had great plans for the weekend, it was just too hot & humid to be outside for too long. So Saturday we got a couple things done around the apartment since we had a couple of extra pairs of hands to wrangle the boys. We have wanted to add a little color to the walls, but painting has proven challenging with the boys, so we took advantage of having a little help & got at least a.little color added to the dining room. Marie also helped me rearrange the boys furniture in their room & organize their clothes, now to just get rid of some of the stuff they have outgrown.

After dinner we decided it was time for the boys' first swim in the big pool...

Kellan loved it! No qualms about it, he went right in & started kicking around, he leaned his head back in the water & even attempted the floating position all on his own. He also really liked standing in front of the jet. Lol...

Caden was pretty unsure at first, he cried a little but eventually warmed up to it. He liked being in the raft the best & towards the end he was comfortable enough to lean back & attemp to float.

Grandma & Caden

Grandpa & Kellan

Garren also had no issues with being in the water, he even attempted to let go & swim, of course he sank & his face went into the water but even that didn't seem to bother him much.

Mommy & Garren

A rare occasion... A photo of me with Caden.

Grandpa & Kellan

Caden & I

Thursday night when I was out getting groceries for the weekend, I stopped in Goodwill. I've been keeping an eye out for wooden dining room chairs to hold booster seats. Our dining chairs are fabric & we didn't want to put the boys on them. Well Thursday I finally scored 3 chairs for a whopping $9.99, so Friday I put the high chairs on Craigslist & Saturday while we were out getting paint we stopped in Target & picked up booster seats. Sunday morning was the boys' first meal at the table. It was different for them & has taken a little getting use to but it's so nice to not have to squeeze between the table & the high chairs & even nicer not washing high chair trays!!!

Caden, Garren, Kellan

Garrens expressions are so funny, he's like really, are we doing this again, pictures while we're eating?!?!?

Caden is a happy camper!

Kellan doesn't care where the food is
as long as there is food!

Sunday we took dad & Marie out to St Simon's Island.

 Kellan, Garren, Caden, Grandma & Grandpa

 

 

And Sunday night Marie & I made homemade pizzas!

Another rare photo, myself & Marie

Marie

The finished products

Monday was sort of a lazy day, we hung out at the apartment while dad & Marie got ready to head back home.

It was a fun fun weekend, I always love seeing the boys with their grandparents & it is so fun watching them intract with them, make my heart warm :o)

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...





13 Months Old

I had this delusion that once we hit the big 1 year milestone that time would slow down... It was a delusion!!!

Of course time has not slowed down, not one bit!!!

So here we are at 13 months old & what a month it has been...

 Kellan

 Caden

Garren

Apparently when babies turn 1 they instantly develop opinions, about EVERYTHING!!!

Eating has become quite challenging for the 3 of them. They each want to feed themselves which is great, except for they chew veggies very well & therefor don't digest them well. So I've been experimenting with different foods that I can make with chopped up veggies in them. Quesadillas & quiches work well & are well loved by the boys. The other challenge is that they don't all like or want the same foods. Caden is obsessed with any kind of bread (bread, waffles, tortillas) & cheese. While Garren likes his fruits & veggies. Kellan is not hard to please, he will eat anything & everything including his brothers leftovers. No wonder he has taken over the biggest baby spot :o)

Here are the boys trying Jello...

 Kellan

 Caden

Garren

The boys drink all of their milk exclusively from straw cups, they still get one bottle of formula a day. Transitioning from bottles to cups was no problem at all. It was more breaking my habit than it was theirs. Bottles are just so easy & when they get one, they sit back & relax & drink pretty much the whole thing, they were occupied for a little bit & I could get other things done real quick, like letting the dogs out & getting breakfast ready. All 3 of them had been losing interest in their bottles for a while so I just stopped giving them to them. I put milk in cups & set them on a blanket on the floor when they wake up (in the morning or from naps) & then when they go into their highchairs to eat we bring the cups along. Once they're done eating they don't usually want anymore to drink & that is that. Once they don't need the formula anymore I will just stop that bottle.

Kellan crawling over for a sip

The boys have also become very determined or better yet, stubborn, they are Taurus's after all. When they want to do something or get something they will do all they can to achieve it, even when being told no or even being blocked from it. If we take something from them or one of them takes something from the other, they scream as load as they possibly can. Garren has taken to throwing himself backwards on the floor. It only took him a few times of doing it to figure out he was only hurting himself & now he does it a little slower as to not hit his head so hard, lol...

Since their birthday Kellan has cut 3 more teeth, a 3rd on the bottom & his 2 top front teeth. The poor kid ran a fever on & off most of the month with a runny nose, croupy cough & of course loose stools. I'm almost sure it was all due to teething (except the cough, I think it came from the runny nose.) He would wake up in the middle of the night crying either from teething pain or fever, so he spent several nights in our bed. Caden has also cut his 2 top front teeth & had on & off fevers, runny nose, croupy cough & diarrhea :o( He spent more days uncomfortable than nights but got plenty of extra attention too. Garren's top front teeth are "right there." I can see the whites of them pushing on his gums. They are causing him plenty of discomfort as he spends a lot of time chewing on things or just pushing on them with his thumb. He has also had on & off fevers, runny nose & diarrhea, but no cough. He has had a few late nights getting some one on one time with Donna & I, he has always been out night owl so I don't think it really has anything to do with teething.

All three of the boys are cruising the furniture & trying to stand on their own. They will squat down & stand back up without hanging on to anything & they will walk across the room hanging on to someones fingers. They love any toy that makes noise & they love banging items on the tables, walls, doors & tile floors.

Garren

They are each super lovable & will crawl over just for a hug or sit on our lap for a minute. They've been interacting with other for a while now, but it just gets better & better all the time as they discover new games to play with each other, kiss & hug each other or comfort one another when someone is upset.

Caden & Kellan

Being a mom truly is the best job ever, being a mom to multiples has got to be the ultimate mom promotion!!! I can't think of a better way to spend my days than with these 3 amazing boys, or my nights for that matter :o)

What's On Our Trays & In Our Bottles These Days...

I decided a few days before the boys 1 year check-up to make the switch to milk, this way if the boys had any issues with it I could talk to the doctor about it then. Well it turns out I jumped the gun a little bit. With the boys being 11 weeks premature, Dr H wanted to keep them on formula until they were 15 months. The boys had done well switching to milk & had had no issues with it. So we decided to give them 8oz of formula a day and 8 - 10oz of whole milk. She just wants to make sure they get the vitamins they need to support their growth until they're 1 year adjusted age. I also give them Poly Vi Sol, a liquid multi vitamin, everyday in their morning bottle.

Speaking of bottles... the boys are also making the transition to straw cups very well. Garren especially, he will take a bottle first thing in the morning with the other 2 boys but after that, he just wants it in a cup, even his evening milk :o) Kellan & Caden are drinking well from a cup during the day, but still want that morning & evening bottle.

Just how Garren is feeling about his bottle these days

 Garren having a snack

Caden enjoying his Mum Mums

The boys are eating just about everything we eat now, with the exception of tomato sauce & anything with nuts. I had to go back to chopping their veggies roughly, they weren't chewing them well & weren't digesting them. So I just chop them to a chunky salsa consistency & they eat them up. All three boys are self feeding really well & holding a spoon or fork during meals. They love eggs, blueberry waffles, cheerios, grits, cheese, yogurt, beans, rice, pasta, chicken, shrimp & beef. Turkey & pork are ok but they can't get enough of the others!!! They also prefer veggies to fruit :) I have found gluten free pancake/waffle mix & gluten free pasta. I also bought some quinoa to try instead of cereal. I'll let you know how that goes.

The boys trying out strawberries for the first time...

Caden

 Garren

Kellan

Kellan, Garren & Caden trying Mexican food,

they couldn't get enough spanish rice & refried beans!!!