Cayden

Cayden, or Cay-Cay

12 short months ago, Cayden was the unchallenged baby of the year, by far.  I think Roo wins that contest currently.  Cayden is the leader of the nightime brigade, checking the bedroom door every 10 minutes or so for an opportunity.   Cayden and Gabe are close in the same way Austin and Roo are, unfortunately, they do most of there interacting after hours, in the dark. Seeing the looks on their two faces when they get caught coming out of their room at night is priceless, they know they did wrong, and immediately turn around and haul their little butts back up into their beds......only to repeat the process minutes later.

Cayden is our best talker, not many more words than others, but he speaks very clearly.  One of my favorite things about Cayden is he puts a lot of heart and emotion into anything he says.   You ask him what a cow says, and he will lay a "moo" on you better than any cow I know, with a lot of passion coming through on his face.   Same with train sounds, best "choo-choo" in a three state area.  Cayden can put a puzzle together like nobodies business, his cousin Jared thinks he is a puzzle-savant.    

Cayden is a lot more aggressive than he used to be. If you give him information he does not want, he has no problem walking up to you and giving you a smack. And Cayden throws the best fits, full body, loss of all ability to stand, tears-a-flying, out and out fits. Its hard not to laugh.  



meal-time fit

Cayden is still a thumb-sucker...the last one to hang on to pacifier or thumb.  Cayden does it with flair though, thumb in mouth while twirling or pulling the hair on the side of his head. 

Some of the adventures Cayden enjoyed the last year were trips to Traverse City with all grandparents, Cincy Zoo, Jumpys in Troy, Boonshoft, Sauder Village and many trips to see grandma and grandpa in Anna, indian lake or delaware.  


inspecting the lights at nana's

Just like Gabe, getting rushed and hugged by Cayden at the end of a long day of work makes it all worthwhile.     Love my Cayden, Happy Birthday.

Gabe

I think it was Uncle Jay that coined Gabe as Gabe-tron, and unfortunately, it has stuck a little bit.  He is still Gabey to many.

Gabe is still rough and tough and leave little doubt in how he feels about something.   He is quick with a cry, smile or punch.   Gabe likes to put together puzzles and he still loves to read books. Overall, Gabe is our best eater, still chomping away when the other two (three?) have resorted to throwing their food on the floor and ripping their bibs off. Gabe loves to be outside, loves to swing and go up and down the slide to the point of exhaustion.

Gabe was the first to move to a big boy bed, which he did in mid February.   He tested his freedom for a bit,  leaving the bedroom at night and heading down the hall, but within about 5 days he was trained and more or less stayed in bed, with Cayden sleeping in a crib beside him.   However, 6 weeks later he found a running mate when Cayden was freed from his shackles.   They have really tested us for the last 6 weeks.   We have tried many different things, but it takes a good hour for those two to settle down and drift off to sleep.   That hour includes 4-5 attempts to open the door and leave the room as Courtney or I stand guard outside the room holding the door shut (all to tearful howls as they are not set free to roam).  

Still the wanderer, Gabe is quick to head in the opposite direction of everyone else.   Whatever is going on here, there must be something much better over there.  If we are playing in the back yard, he wants to be in the front yard.  We went to the zoo last week, and he was first to jump into the goat area, and within minutes we found ourselves separated by 40 yards, Gabe all my himself, surrounded by a half dozen goats.  He was in heaven.

Gabe (and Rye) both stopped using their pacifiers a few weeks ago, fortunately, without great difficulty.    Prior to that, his pacficier, was a best friend, at least at night.  

Gabe gave us one of our biggest scares to date, when during vacation, he went tumbling down a set of 20 wooden stairs at our rental home.   In Gabe-like fashion, he shook it off within a few seconds and didn't miss a beat. 

Gabe is a big time grandpa's boy.   You put mom, dad and either grandpa in a row, and Courtney and I are fighting for second place.   "Poppo, Poppo" he loves to say.  

As I said before, Gabe does not pull any punches, you always know where you stand, for better or worse.   When he sprints to greet me when I come in the door at night, or first grab him out of bed in the morning, his bear hug, and greeting of "dada" makes everything in the world right.   Love ya Gabers, Happy Birthday.

Terrible Twos Times Three - Ryleigh

The triplets, now known around our house as "The Littles", turn two years old today.   We thought we would bring the blog back to life to commemorate.   Looking back, there have been a lot of changes in each of these three the last year.  

RYLEIGH - Still most often called Rye or Roo, Ryleigh continued to show the most personality as she marches towards two years old.    Rye likes to put her little index finger to her lip, in a pensive manner, as she is constantly pondering her next move.  You can see her little mind just a spinning as she moves to her adventure.

Rye shocked us when in late November, she settled down on the potty and proceeded to go pee.   A few times a day she will try to go, and about 50% of the time she is successful.  She especially enjoys her "potty lesssons" with Austin where early evening they wil disappear into the bathroom and he will provide her meaningful guidance as to what to do.  This lesson usually ends with a lot of water on the floor after they wash their hands.  It is funny to watch, because Austin takes it oh so seriously, barking out directions.

Ryleigh is best at following directions and understanding what we are trying to tell her.  She probably falls in the middle in terms of speaking, more clear than Gabe, but not as strong as Cayden.  She still adores shoes and clothes.   When Courtney introduces her to a new outfit, she sprouts the biggest smile and blushes red from the overwhelming excitement.   The last few months, when you are changing Rye's diapers, she intermittently commands "powder" or "cream".  But to Roo, it is not just cream, it is "Keeeem !", which for some reason, makes me laugh every darn time.  

Roo is the last of the three still in a crib.  She has taken a few naps in a bed, but seems to be still okay with a crib.   The difficult transition (and by difficult transition I mean absolute. living.  hell.)  (more on that later), has made us not so eager to move her to bed.  Rye developed into a much better sleeper the last year, she is usually the first asleep at night, and is pretty good about not waking up before 7:00.......most days.   Of course, some nights she can lay in bed talking to herself..."mama" "dada" "bunny" "bunny" for two hours.  "Bunny" might mean "Barney"...we are not certain.

Ryleigh and Austin play the best together.  We don't hesitate to send those two up to the train room together to play.  Introducing one of the boys though, usually results in a train up somebody's head.  She most assuredly takes after and tries to mimic and impress her older brother.  When Austin developed an unusual fixation in pointing out and discovering his toejam, it wasn't but a few days before Rye would sit on the floor, take off her socks, pick at her toes, and mutter "jam".... "jam."

Rye has a sweet tooth.  She likes her "num nums", as she likes to call them.  She is a pretty good eater overall, not letting the extra hurdle of sitting between her brothers and getting picked on and prodded much of the meal. 

Roo is more shy than Cayden and Gabe, but is getting better about quickly warming up to strangers, or family she hasn't seen in awhile.   Instead of screaming, she will get real close to mom or dad, and peak around the corner, flashing her big smile, until she determines it is safe.  Rye reminds me of my other favorite girl more and more each day, both in looks and mannerisms. 

Moreso than the boys, Rye still likes to be held quite a bit as she lets you know "Up".   There is no better feeling in the world, than grabbing Roo a little after 8:00pm, having her bury her head in my neck as we make our climb up the stairs, singing our little bed-time song, getting my good night kiss, and softly laying her down to sleep for the night.   I love you Rye, Happy Birthday from Dad.   

Happy Birthday from Mom

So hard to believe our little Austin is 3 years old today.   He is growing up so fast.    It is so fun to see him learning and exploring, more and more each day.  We took a family vacation a couple weeks ago to Traverse City, Michigan, and he had a blast playing on the beach and taking paddleboat and kayak rides.  Like his Mom, he loves to be outdoors!  One day while we were there we took the kids to a Children's museum.  There was an art section at the museum and Austin had his first experience with scissors.  Surprisingly, and happily, there were no lost fingers involved and he loved to cut paper up.  So weird to see our little guy using scissors!

He has grown up so much lately.  Austin has really taken to his role of big brother.  He loves to hold his babies hands and help them learn to walk.  It is so cute how he gets excited and says "Good Job Gabe!  You can do it!"   Austin also gets such a kick out of feeding the babies – including cheerios and some of his own food.  Such a difference from the little guy who was perplexed when these babies started to move initially and wanted his toys!  Of course sharing toys is still causing tension but it is getting better and is so fun to see him play with them and vice versa. 

                                                             Austin and his Ryleigh-Roo

Austin's latest talent is giving people what he likes to call 'movie' kisses.  This involves him wrapping his arms around your neck, pulling you in close, and planting a lingering kiss.   He has realized that this little move is received with laughs and will often get Mom or Dad to be a little less angry with him :-)  As he likes to say, it is 'absolutely, positively, ridiculous'. 

Thomas the Tank Engine remains one of his favorite toys and loves to read books.  He has also introduced his siblings to Barney in the last week and likes to show them how to become completely drenched when you are anywhere near water.   This week he will start swim lessons which is very exciting.   Austin has no fear when it comes to water so this should prove to be very valuable!

Overall, Austin is a fun loving, smart, and energetic little guy.  He is turning into a wonderful big brother and a helper to Mom and Dad (when the terrible 2s and 3s aren't interfering).   I love watching him grow and am so blessed to be his Mother.  Happy Birthday Austin!

Happy Birthday #3 Austin

Austin's third birthday is tomorrow.  We will have a family party on Sunday to celebrate with everyone.   He is quite the little boy and so much fun these days. 

The last year had its share of challenges for our guy with the trio being dropped into his life.  We worked hard to give him attention, and family and friends were great about making him feel special.  Still, when we are out in public, the triplets are often treated like the Beatles.  There is a lot of gawking, some picture taking and just general curiosity by Joe Public.  Austin takes it all in stride and seems genuinely proud of  "his babies" or, as sometimes he calls them, "The Chiplets" (too much Alvin and the Chipmonks movies lately).  As the triplets have become more mobile the last few months, they have began to invade his space (and toys) in a major way.   He generally greets them with cautious love, and, at times, a forearm shiver.  The last few weeks they have even taken to pulling his hair when he is rolling around with them.  He shows great patience and generally calls for us to come help extract his follicles from their clutches. 

Austin is smart.  Not just, "my kid is smart" smart, but truly very, very bright.  He will get a new 50 page book on a Sunday, and three days later finish most sentences and absolutely call you out for skipping page 39 ("nope, missed a page daddy, go back").  He can whip his way around an ipad like nobody's business.   He will remember visitors vehicles and point them out when he sees the equivalent drive past. 

Two of the best parts of my day, everyday, is getting a hug from Austin when he first wakes up and then again as we say good night.   Looking forward to celebrating this weekend and excited to see what the next year will bring for our big boy.  Happy Birthday !

Birthday Wishes from Dad

You would think everything around here is rainbows and lollipops after reading Courtney's birthday wishes.  I will go ahead and share the truth. 

Ladies first....Ryleigh has so many nicknames, she is Ryleigh, Ryleigh Roo, Rye, Rye-Rye, Roo, Molly Woo (I can't explain the origins of this one), Woo, Lady Roo....it goes on and on.  I now am in a position where I can concur that everyone should have a daughter.   One. daughter.   I can't imagine a house with two Roo's.  Rye is like the court jester of the house, bee bopping around, posing, dancing, squealing.   Its hard to not laugh when she is smiling to beat the band while at the same time tears are pouring down her little face....all because she went from no attention (tears) to full blown attention (smiles).   Roo is as regular as a sailor.  If it is 8:15a.m., you can set you clock by her having a pants full of poo.  Lately Rye has taken to waving, and like everything she does, she does it with style.  At times, you would think she is the Queen of England.....on a float at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade....up for re-election (yes, I know Queens aren't elected).  Rye is ALWAYS awake first, like she doesn't want to miss anything.  Her morning cries from her crib bring me equal parts dismay and joy.  Dismay in that she didn't sleep just a little longer....joy in that we get to bring her downstairs and share in everying that is Roo.  On the best of all days, she is still sleepy and will spend 15 minutes getting her last winks in while laying on my chest.  Rarely happens, but when it does, it is about the best thing in the world.  Rye will be the protector of the boys, even Austin, as they grow up, guaranteed.   I'll go so far as to say she sent the boys home from the hospital a few days ahead of her, just so we could focus on them and find our way before she joined the show.  I am proud to be your daddy Roo.   Happy First Birthday!

What is there to say about Cayden.......  Cayden is the "good baby."   Of this, there is no question.  When it comes time for mommy and daddy to get away for a night, there are literally fistfights over who gets Cayden (on second thought, maybe it is just avoiding Roo?).    Content more often than not, first asleep, last awake, most laid back.   He has his moments, but almost always they seem to be when the other three are behaving.  When Rye and Gabe are giving us trouble, and we are at the end of our rope, Cayden will lay down in his crib and not say a word or go right to sleep....seemingly saying "You guys have had enough, I'm not going to add to your woes."   The biggest challenge with Cayden is often simply changing his diaper.  He twists and turns and contorts and writhes his little body into a pretzel, making it quite the challenge.   Cayden seemed to catch on just a little slower than Rye and Gabe when it came to eating, talking, crawling, etc.  However, when it came to walking and taking a few steps, he shoved the other two aside and was first on his feet.   I look forward to the coming years when we can grab your brothers, ditch the chicks for a day, and go get into some trouble together.  Thanks for being such a good baby.  Happy First Birthday Cayden!

Gabers....Gabe is a pretty good baby, not causing quite as much trouble as Rye, but alas, he's no Cayden.   Gabe likes to jack with the cat ....all the live long day.  When he is not messing with kitty, he picks on Ryleigh during their meals while sitting in the triplet table.  If you were in another room during meal time....you would hear "Gabe!"  "Gabe!"  "Gabe!"  as he pulls off Ryleigh's bib, or attempts to, constantly.   He likes to push the limits in whatever he does, often ending with him looking back over his shoulder at mom and dad for approval (or disapproval).  Gabe is not one to fall asleep right away.  Once you sit him down in his crib, he is back on his feet in seconds, surveying the room, talking trash to Cayden in the adjacent crib.  He will do this first thing in the morning too...accompanied by a Gregorian like chant of "Bah, Bah, Bah, Bah" as he indicates his request for a bottle.   Gabe is rougher around the edges than his siblings.  While Cayden and Roo were crying when I fired up the weed whacker the other day, Gabe just said, "Electric, really Dad?"    Gabe loves to be outside....wagon rides, swings, in the van, anything outside is better than anything inside with this kid.  It's been a great first year little man, looking forward to the days and years that follow.  Happy First Birthday Gabe!

Happy Birthday Gabe !

Our adventurous baby-Gabey. Its hard to believe you are one year old today. 12 months ago you weighed in at 3 lb 9 oz and 17 inches long. You were in the middle in terms of weight and height, and were the second one born - a minute behind Cayden and a minute before Ryleigh. Of course it was you who decided it was time to come into the world as it was your water that broke. Being the baby on the bottom of the pile, you most certainly were running out of room as you were constantly sitting on or kicking my bladder.



After birth, you struggled with apneas and bradys (pauses in breathing and drop in heart rate) which is why you were in the hospital for almost 40 days. You did the best in the hospital and were the first one the doctors and nurses started to talk about sending home. Your biggest discomfort in the hospital with a sore bottom - which the nurses try to heal by airing it out, which was quite a sight! You thrived once you got home and the sore bottom quickly went away within a few days. At first, you were able to share a crib with your siblings but you tended to like having the crib with Cayden as Ryleigh tended to wake you both up (perhaps a sign of things to come as you both kicked her out just a few months ago officially!). Of course there were also many nights were individual bouncers just worked a lot better.

In most things, you stuck with your 'middle child' line up and were the second to do things such as crawl and get a tooth. You are super active and enjoy moving all over the place fast. Like Ryleigh, you quickly figured out how to crawl up the stairs and were constantly trying to climb them when you thought no one was looking. When someone yelled 'Gabe' as you made an attempt, you pause, look at the person, and then turn around and recommence your climb. It seemed like a fun game to you to see how far you could go.

You are defintely more rough and physical than your brother. You love wrestling with Austin, laughing hysterically when he blows on your belly. You also love to knock over towers of blocks and make a lot of noise. You will constantly chatter all day long - including when we go for wagon rides in your choo-choo wagon.

Like Ryleigh, you prefer a pacifier to a thumb. It helps you get to sleep at nap and nighttime. And you are completely fine taking it from Ryleigh whenever you see her with one, and then using it yourself.  Your first word was "dada" but you have also said "mama". Of course, you only say "mama" when you are upset and crying!

One of your favorite pastimes is chasing Nala around the house. She seems to enjoy it as once you catch up to her, she will move a few feet ahead and watch as you catch back up. This will usually continue until you manage to grab a fist full of fur or her tail, at which point the game is over. This reminds me so much of how Austin was (and sometimes still is)!

You are starting to outgrow it, but occasionally we still put you in the exersaucer. You got hours and hours of entertainment out of that thing. You were the first one to figure out what 'jump' meant and to follow that command. It was so cute to see you jump, jump, jump, and giggle. The best was when you and Cayden were opposite of each other and laughing as the other guy jumped.

Like Austin, you have the best belly laugh when I tickle your sides, behind your ears, blow on your belly, or kiss your neck. You will laugh and laugh -grabbing at my hair and not wanting me to stop. In many ways, in addition to looks, you are very similar to how Austin was as a baby.

 Your hair is the darkest of all 3 of you. Perhaps you will have dark hair like your Dad.

Like your siblings, you love bath time. Now that you can sit up and play with toys, you love to crawl around chasing the floating toys.

Lately you have really taken to playing with Cayden. Although you will sometimes play independently, you can often be found sitting near him or standing up at Austin's train table together. Much to his dismay, you both have taken quite a liking to his trains - often dismantling the track and using them to teeth on. The track and trains seem to provide you both a lot of comfort in getting your four teeth.

Ryleigh, Gabe, and Cayden

Gabe, I am so blessed to be your mama. I love you so much. I have loved every moment with you during your first year. I look forward to the lifetime ahead!

Happy Birthday Cayden!

Our sweet Cayden. Its hard to believe you are one year old today. 12 months ago you were the biggest at 3 lb 13 oz but the shortest at 16.5 inches. You and Gabe have taken turns at being the biggest but you are currently in the lead, holding it only by an ounce or so.



After birth, you struggled with apneas and bradys (pauses in breathing and drop in heart rate) which is why you were in the hospital for almost 40 days. In the hospital, you came down with a virus and seemed to struggle to recover so much that it appeared you would be the last one to go home. It was almost like you knew when there was talk of Gabe going home first. You suddenly made a quick turnaround and managed to leave the hospital on the same day as Gabe. You thrived once you got home. At first, you were able to share a crib with your siblings but you tended to like having the crib with Gabe as Ryleigh tended to wake you both up. Of course there were also many nights were individual bouncers just worked a lot better.

You are such a sweet baby. You are my cuddle bug. Perhaps because you were the one in the middle of the pack before being born, you are definitely comfortable and happy being hugged on. You give the best hugs of all your siblings and nothing gets you to smile more broadly then when you receive a big tight squeeze. When I walk you to your crib at bedtime you wrap your little arms around my neck tight and hold onto my neck. It is so sweet, but makes it really hard to put you down. I just want to stand there and hold you forever. I usually linger by your crib and hug for a minute before putting you down. I just can't get enough of your cuddles.



Overall, you have seemed to have the most laid back personality of your siblings. When we have company over, everyone comments on how content you are to play or sit and watch. Our guy friends have declared you the best baby as you are very content to sit on the couch and watch tv with them. You are definitely our tv watcher. There have even been a few instances of you drinking a bottle on your boppy pillow and bending over the boppy backwards to see the tv - at the same time never letting go of the bottle!

Unlike your siblings, you don't have much use for a pacifier but prefer your thumb. You will occassionally suck on your thumb when sitting on the floor but mostly you suck on it when you are napping. Perhaps this is why you have always been the best sleeper as that thumb is always handy!

You and Ryleigh will often fight over my lap. And if the other person is trying to barge in, you will both start crying as you do not like to share my lap. Even having one of you on each leg does not suffice and you will let me know it.

For the longest time you were so content to lay around and play with whatever toys were in your reach. You seemed to have no motivation to learn to crawl. But all of the sudden, just like leaving the hospital, you suddenly turned around and learned to crawl. In fact, you promptly pulled yourself up to standing and were the first person to take a step. We won't be able to take your calm manner for granted as you are quick to prove people wrong already!

You are starting to outgrow it, but occasionally we still put you in the exersaucer. You got hours and hours of entertainment out of that thing. You and Gabe figured out how to jump very quickly. It was so cute to see you jump, jump, jump, and giggle. The best was when the two of you were opposite of each other and laughing as the other guy jumped.

You love playing with your siblings, especially Gabe. You two will fight over toys and crawl over each other without a cry or scream. Its almost like you got used to being in each others way before you were born and figure it is just part of how things are. When you wake up, the two of you will often chatter back and forth - as if telling some story or plotting some secret. You also enjoy playing with big brother Austin who will blow on your belly and have you laughing so big.

Cayden and Gabe

You love bottles but also solid foods. Only peas gave you pause at first. You can't seem to get enough of food these days. As we start to think about transitioning to sippy cups from bottles, we have started to not warm the milk as much. You seem to be the most sensitive to this change - constantly taking your bottle in and out of your mouth, as if to say you it just doesn't taste right. You do the same thing with cold fruits and other solid foods - although you will still eat it, your face shows your discomfort.

Your first word was "dada". Pretty appropriate as you look a lot like Austin did as a baby and you have Dad's ears (with a small bump on the inside of the outer top edge). You were also the first baby to figure out how to immitate vibrating lips. That noise entertains you quite a bit and is one of your favorites to make.

Cayden, I love you so much and cannot wait to see what fun lies ahead for you. You are such a sweet heart and I have loved every moment with you during your first year. I look forward to the lifetime ahead!

Happy Birthday Ryleigh!

Our busy little Ryleigh-Roo. Its hard to believe you are one year old today. 12 months ago you were the smallest at 3 lb 8.8 oz and remain the smallest today at just over 18 pounds. You were born the tallest at 17 1/4 inches and have kept pace with your brothers from a height perspective thus far.



The day we went to get an ultrasound and find out genders, we knew we would be happy no matter the results. Of course, when the first two were declared 'boys', I started to get very nervous! I remember a definite feeling of relief and joy that there would be at least one little girl. During my pregnancy, you were the most active. Being the one on top of the pile, your movements were very distinct and constant. And you have not stopped moving since you were born. Even in the hospital incubator, you would stretch yourself out and break free of the blankets (like in the picture above). Like your brothers, you struggled with apneas and bradys (pauses in breathing and drop in heart rate) which is why you were in the hospital for a few extra days than your brothers, approximately 40 days in total. It seemed like as soon as they left, you were anxious to get out of there yourself and it was only 2 days later before you joined them at home.

Like your brothers, you thrived once you got home. At first, you were able to share a crib with them but you tended to like having the bassinet by yourself when you were all staying in Mom and Dad's room at first.

You were the first to do most things, including saying 'Ma-Ma', crawling and standing up. We were honestly shocked when you weren't the one to take the first step, and in fact were the last. Since we introduced real food you have been the most adventurous, including a dill pickle as you can see below. Of course that includes anything and everything you find on the floor. It has become our nightly tradition that you assume your position underneath Austin's chair at dinner time as that is usually where you tend to find a decent buffet each evening.



Like Gabe, you love your pacifier. For the most part, you only use it during nap and bedtime but if you happen to see Gabe wandering around with it, it isn't long before you crawl over and pop it out of his mouth and into yours. He generally will return the favor and this will continue until someone drops it and you both forget about it.

Like your brothers, you have four teeth. You all got the bottom two first (in the same order) and then the top two. You were the first to get a tooth and the last to get the fourth tooth.

You have such a cute personality. In the NICU the nurses noticed how aware and alert you were, even as a newborn preemie. You would look around for long periods of time, while most preemies just sleep. The nurses noticed how you liked attention and checking things out. In the first couple months (and even to this day), if you are upset and crying, someone looking your way will get you to smile from ear to ear - just happy to have attention. You enjoy playing with your siblings sometimes, but are also very independent and like to play with toys by yourself. You don't appreciate when your siblings take your toys away from you, which is usually exactly what they try to do when they play by you. Since they are bigger, they can usually steal toys away from you but you are becoming more determined to prevent that from happening. You now move toys away from your siblings reach more quickly, and if that doesn't work, you scream loudly and someone comes to the rescue.

You seem to really appreciate music. Whenever a musical toy is turned on or a song comes on, you will bob your head. You also really enjoy climbing the stairs. Unlike with Austin or even your brothers, you can't crawl past them without trying to go up. You quickly learned how to get up, and then realized you couldn't get down, so you would just cry till someone rescued you. As a result of your fascination with the stairs, we had to block off all the stairs which we never had to do with Austin.

About two months ago you discovered the many uses of your pointer finger. You now use it to feel things and pick up things, especially food. While your siblings usually grab things with their whole hand, you take your time to use just your pointer and thumb. You enjoy picking up the tiniest things- even pieces of hair you find on the carpet. You have motivated us to clean up more and more.

Physically, you are very different from your brothers and definitely all girl. Your eyes are lighter blue than their eyes and you have Nana's long second toe. You also have a very unique cry which gets the exact responses you want. And you use it too. In the last couple months you have used it to get your own bedroom as you kept waking up your brothers with it and you have also used it to get Mom's attention (or alert others that you would prefer Mom). You have become quite the Mama's girl and are getting a reputation for it as well!

Recently after your baths or getting food cleaned out of your hair (because you love touching your hair when eating), I realized the bottom of your hair looked curly. And it has become curlier with each passing day. I think it is so adorable. I'm excited you might have wavy hair like mine. Your brothers appear to have very straight hair so far.

Ryleigh, I love you so much and am so proud to be your mama. You are such a cute baby and I have loved every moment with you during your first year. I look forward to the lifetime ahead!

Weekend Getaway

Austin, Courtney and I were able to get away for 24 hours on Friday/Saturday of last weekend thanks to some family members joining forces to watch the trio.  We first headed to EnterTRAINment Junction in West Chester Friday morning for a few hours.   This is a really neat place with supposedly the worlds largest indoor train display.  They featured Thomas quite a bit....and if you have Thomas....you are a friend of Austin.   He was overwhelmed as he ran from display to display shouting out "more trains!" periodically.

After getting our train fix, we headed to Great Wolf Lodge in Mason, near Kings Island, for an overnight stay.  Great Wolf is an indoor water park. 

Austin has always liked the water, but we were both surprised how quick he was to jump on the slides no matter the size.   He went on little slides, big slides, a very fast family raft ride, a lazy river and the wave pool, never once showing any apprehension.

We hit the water park when we first got there, again after dinner, and one more time Saturday morning before heading home.  In between there was the arcade and story time with Violet the Wolf Friday night.....

It was a memorable 24 hours and great to have some rare one on one time with just Austin.  He was totally wiped out and struck the following pose for most of the ride home.

Praying for Rain....I mean....Trains



In need of prayers it appears.......

When Courtney or I take Austin to bed, we make sure we say some short prayers each night with him.   On nights I put him to bed, I usually ask him who he wants to pray for.  Prior to coming up with a couple of different family members or friends each night, he always leads off with one his trains to get things rolling.  Sometimes Thomas, other times Percy, even an occasional Emily.  I had never prayed for a train before, but it comes naturally, we usually just ask Jesus to keep their wheels clean and protect Sir Topham Hatt.  He has become quite diligent about it too, as there is no turning the lights off prior to a few good prayers.  He demands it. 

A new chapter

For about a month now we have been enjoying everyone crawling and pulling up to standing, which has really helped the self-entertainment factor. Gabe decided to stand without holding on to anything this past week. Our days are numbered before we start to see some walking! Yesterday the kids went to the doctor for the, hopefully, last RSV shots. Gabe and Cayden weighed in at 18 lb 1 oz each. Ryleigh weighed in at 16lb 13 oz. They are 52 lb 15 oz of fun these days. There is nothing like coming in the door and being swarmed by 3 crawling babies and one almost 3 year old who will fill you in on everything that is going on. And he will also tell you what he wants to eat.

Speaking of eating - they are doing a lot of that lately! At their 9 month check up, we got the all clear to start eating anything except things which trigger allergies. The babies didn't have to be told twice. Their menu has expanded to include chicken and noodles, cheesy potatoes, puffs, and ground beef with cheese, just to name a few. This week we made, and they ate themselves, an entire box of macaroni and cheese - as well as a collection of fruits and veggies in addition to their 4 bottles a day. I wish I had Ryleigh's metabolism!

In addition to growing, everyone now has at least 2 teeth. Oddly enough, they all got the same two first - the bottom front teeth. Gabe decided to one up his siblings and has gotten a third, top, tooth. Thankfully he prefers a pacifier to chewing on his siblings. Cayden on the other hand has taken to teething on the train table, much to his big brother's dismay.

Thanks to this unseasonably warm March we have gotten a reprieve from the inside of our home. The babies are loving taking their choo choo wagon out for a spin and took quite well to the swing set too. They have easily adjusted to daily walks with the warm weather. And as you can see, they ride in style...

Austin likes to wear his shades upside down

Cayden

Gabe

Ryleigh

Every day around here is filled with new adventures. One classic incident occurred just the other day when I was home alone with all four. With the nice weather, we had the windows open. Earlier in the day while we were out for a walk I had noticed a solicitor walking around the neighborhood. Of course by the time he rang our doorbell, I was mid-way through changing a dirty (and by dirty, I mean a very messy #2) diaper from one of the babies. Since the window was open by the front door, Austin decided to check things out for himself. He said hello and the guy asked whether his Mom was home. To which Austin replied 'Yes, but she's busy'. The guy said 'okay' and turned to leave. At which point, Austin cheerily hollered out 'She doesn't need any help! Bye!' My little angel!! :-)