Dad of the Year

During the holidays we get a chance to (hopefully) slow down and remember what is important in our lives and reflect on all of our blessings. As I have reflected this season, I am struck be how blessed we are to have four beautiful and healthy children. They are growing so fast and bring so much excitement to our lives. I have also been blessed with a wonderful husband and our babies have been blessed with an amazing Dad.

Not only can he handle our little herd, but he does it willingly and with amazing patience. Jon has an amazing way of keeping the babies calm and distracted.  Granted, he can hold them all at the same time (see below) which does wonders for distracting them. However, despite a stressful full-time job, he is willing to watch the kids on his own so that Mom can get some much needed away time with her friends or let Mom go to Florida with Austin for a long weekend to visit her sister, leaving him with the 3 babies. It takes a super Dad to be able to pull that off.

Even though things are stressful, he goes out of his way to make things easier for me and the kids, from sending flowers and being supportive of my decision to return to work to taking time off to take Austin to the zoo and ride on Thomas the Train. The kids and I could not have asked for a more loving and devoted Dad. We love you Daddy!

 Dad balancing Ryleigh, Gabe, and Cayden

Austin and his Daddy

Memorable Moment

Last Saturday Jon and I were able to take Austin to a Christmas party Santa also attended. Austin was not a bit shy about telling the big guy what he wanted (mainly trains from Thomas & Friends). Austin was rewarded with a present on the spot - low and behold, Hiro! (One of the Thomas & Friends trains for those of you not in the know). Needless to say, Santa is now high up on Austin's favorite list of people and he is proudly showing his train off to all who are interested. It was definitely a moment we will remember. Hard to believe Austin is old enough to be able to really enjoy the magic of Christmas. Thank you to our neighbors who watched the trio and helped make this memorable night happen!

Growing personalities

It is hard to believe that 6.5 months have gone by. The babi3s are really growing and starting to develop their own personalities.

Cayden is the biggest, having achieved 14 pounds 1 ounce as of his 6 month check up on the 9th of November. He will play with rattles and jump around in the exersaucer but is all business when it comes to napping - which might be how he is the biggest. He is especially good at taking naps in the van, the only one Austin can't seem to wake up with his shouting out things we are passing ('Field!') . Cayden is ready to chat at any moment, and won't hesitate to chat with his toys if no one else is around. He is also fascinated by the tv - I think we have found our next couch potato! At first, Cayden didn't seem to like cereal but he has really taken to it now, if you can get him to stop chatting long enough to eat a few bites :) We have been practicing sitting the last few weeks but Cayden is far more interested in standing. Even when it is bath time, he is trying to stand!

Gabe is pretty easy going and was 13 pounds 12 ounces at the last check up. He loves to smile. He will smile the second you look at him with this half smile that highlights the dimple he got from his Dad. Watch out ladies, he is cute and he knows it! Gabe has always seemed to like cereal - darting forward in his chair everytime he sees a spoonfull coming (which makes a giant mess). Of course, he often wants to smile at you too, again making a giant mess. One of Gabe's favorite activities is the exersaucer. He loves to jump and gets his legs going so fast that it looks hilarious - and he finds it very funny too!

Ryleigh has the most personality of all of the triplets and was 13 pounds 5 ounces. She finds it difficult to squeeze daytime naps in while trying to make sure she misses nothing that is going on. Recently she has taken to squealing in order to get attention. As soon as you look her way, she breaks into a wide grin. Even if Ryleigh ends up being a tom-boy, we know she has some girl in her! Unfortunately she has picked up one of her Dad's traits - once we switched to all formula a week ago, she has become very spitty. But don't worry, it doesn't slow her down anymore than it did her big brother when he was a baby. Austin has taken to dancing and playing for the babi3s. Ryleigh will laugh and giggle at his antics - she finds him hysterical.

There seems to be an odd connection between Gabe and Ryleigh in particular. If one cries out, the other one puckers his bottom lip and cries shortly thereafter (unless Dad intercedes and says 'put that lip in there'!). Same with laughter - if ones giggles, usually that gets the other one going. Cayden will sometimes join in on the crying or laughing but it takes him a little longer to react to those two. The only exception to this observation is at night when the boys are too busy sleeping to pay Ryleigh's cries any attention. I figure they have reacted all day and are worn out from all her daytime cries :-)

Overall they have been amazing babi3s. Knock on wood, we have had a few nights when everyone has been able to sleep till at least 7:30 am (from about 8 pm) without needing to be consoled. It is hard for Jon and I to figure out how we got here - and definitely don't know how we got so lucky! We have both had the opportunity to be alone with all four kids in the last few weeks. It is quite a sense of accomplishment to be able to say you can take care of all of them on your own. Of course, we better know how since they are our kids! They definitely have a super Dad, who can handle four kids at once and is willing to do that often so mom can spend some time with friends.

As Thanksgiving approaches, we want to say a special thank you to all the friends and families who have helped us with meals, bottles, cleaning, words of encouragement, and time to get out of the house. We have been incredibly blessed with all the support and could not have come this far and be as sane as we are without it. Thank you!

The many faces of Ryleigh

Trick or Treat!

A short video of our farmer's first stop trick-or-treating with his animals.

Adventuring

As October winds down, I will remember it as the month we got busy living and headed out and about with our small army.  Prior to October, our trips with the trips +1 consisted of Labor Day travels to mom and dad's in Anna and Courtney's parents at Indian Lake, doctor appointments, and church for baptism and one service.  I don't recall any other excursions.

During October we were able to do the following:

• Church with Leslie, Taylor and Zach
• Fulton Farms to pick pumpkins
• BW3 for dinner on Friday October 14
• Meijer for groceries on Sunday October 23
• Visit to Dad's office
• Several trips on various errands as mom or dad would take one of the babies along
• Mom of the Century travels to Delaware, Ohio, alone with all four kids, to see her family

Grocery shopping at Meijer went pretty well.  We had two carts.  Ryleigh and Cayden in car seats in dad's cart, one on the base, and one up top.  Austin and Gabe rode in mom's cart.  Somehow we found a way to squeeze our purchases in too.  Cayden is apparently partial to Kroger as he spent 1/3 of the time crying.  We really didn't receive many incredulous stares, as we were separated quite a bit trying to expedite our trip. 

Dinner at BW3 was also a success.  We took Aunt Abby, who stayed with us several nights during her Fall Break from college, along which made it possible.  The boys were not phased by the new environment, however, Lady Roo (as she occasionally likes to be called these days) spent a good part of the time being held by mom.  The lights, noise and people proved to be a little too much for Miss Social to process.  Gabe gives two thumbs up to the Sam Adams Octoberfest on tap at the Troy location. 

Court's trip to Delaware went very well.  She left Friday afternoon during nap time and returned Saturday during the same time.  The babies were good in the van and Austin kept her entertained pointing out every field, truck, and cow for the 80 mile journey.  Court sent Dad to the riverboat Friday night to bring home more diapers and formula money.  Mission accomplished.

Finally, we were also able to take many walks in the subdivision the last week of September and first two weeks of October as the weather improved.   The community playground and Stone Lake were two of our favorite destinations.  As the weather cooled and rains came the last two weeks of the month, our ability to take walks at night has ended.  We both cringe as a long, cold winter approaches that will leave us home bound most of the next four months.  Hopefully we are still able to get out and about from time to time. 

Current Weights

Per the home scale.....

Gabe  13 lbs 
Cayden  13 lbs 1.5 ozs
Ryleigh   12 lbs 10 ozs

I think 8 ounces is the most that has ever separated the triplets, with the non-identical, identical boys liking to stay within an ounce or two. 

Bellying Up

This week we test drove our new triplet table. This was a generous present from several of our neighbors.  The babies seemed to enjoy sitting up and checking things out.

The first taste of cereal went okay - Ryleigh definitely liked it the most. Gabe liked it until he decided it was too much work. Cayden was not impressed. Maybe another day...

Cayden, Gabe, and Ryleigh

A pumpkin-picking good time.....

We recently went to Fulton Farms with the entire Stangel family to pick pumpkins in what is an annual tradition.  A few pictures from the outing -

Takin' it easy

Looking for the perfect pumpkin

Austin meticulously painting his pumpkin

A Grand Idea

Courtney got together for dinner and drinks last Friday night with three fellow triplet moms from the Dayton area.  She came home with some good advice, including one idea that was soon implemented -

This system of using blankets to prop bottles and letting the babies feed themselves has accelerated the feeding process when only two people (or one) are at home.   Instead of individually feeding and burping and holding all three, one person can monitor all three and pick them up intermittenly for burping.  The babies have adjusted well to taking many bottles in the above manner. 

Five month achievements

As the babies turn five months old, many milestones have been reached, including the all important sleeping through the night. This has also been the most chatty month we have had. Gabe is by far the most chatty. He must be following Austin's example, who never seems to stop talking these days. Ryleigh is quick to let you know she is not getting enough attention- and smiles from ear to ear as soon as you turn her way. Cayden was the first to laugh - when Mom planted dozens of kisses on his neck. The five months stats, as taken at home:

• Cayden - 12 lb 5 oz, 23 and 3/4 inches tall
• Gabe - 11 lb 15.5 oz, 23 and 1/4 inches tall
• Ryleigh - 11 lb 10.5 oz, 23 and 1/2 inches tall

One of the most enjoyable milestones they have reached is smiling and laughing. Nothing can make you smile faster than a smile on a little one! And here is the proof:

Austin on his way to see Thomas the Train

Ryleigh is all smiles for anyone giving her some attention

Cayden has a half smirk - probably for all the silly things we say to him to get him to smile

Gabe cracking up during a 'photo shoot' (the occasional day when Mom dresses them all in matching outfits and attempts to get good shots of the crew).

Shenanigans....

As the triplets turned 5 months old the other day and we were discussing how far we have come, it made me think about how challenging things were when we first brought the kids home. It wasn't that long ago that we were getting up every 3 hours to feed the babies and now we are down to four times in a day. We still have the very challenging 6:30 pm to 8 pm hours every day but it helps to think that it could be much worse. Jon and I are even starting to get brave enough to try to handle that 'witching hour' on our own. Here is a pictoral of one such attempt...

Pay no attention to the chaos Austin was allowed to make in the background and the upside down baby, everyone was happy for at least a few minutes! The picture should come with a warning - this works until it is time for the babies to burp! The only other attempt at feeding two at once worked better, mainly because one of the babies fell asleep. Of course, when all else fails - just distract them:

Austin thought this was pretty cool. Poor Gabe (in the middle) wasn't so sure of it.

-- Courtney

Summer Fun with Austin

Our thomas the train outing referenced in a prior post went well.  We had a great time and Austin still talks about riding that train.   A big part of the outing was to give him some time with just mom and dad.  That being said, Courtney and I couldnt help but laugh about what happened shortly after arriving at the event site.  We sat down to eat lunch in a tent where a magician was performing.  The crowd was very, very sparse....excluding us, there were about another 5 adults and 5 kids.  The magician first pulled a girl from the crowd to assist him....she was named.....Kayden (sp).  A few minutes later he pulled a little boy......he of course was named Cayden too.  We got the heck out of there at that point, before a Riley and a Gabe were introduced to the crowd. 

Today we took Austin to the Cincinnati Zoo.  While it was sort of a gloomy day, the rain held off and we had a great time checking out a large variety of animals. 

Sleeping like Babies

In the day or two after the last update, the early, early morning bottle was successfully eliminated for all babies.  A typical night is usually as follows 90% of the time:

• Last bottle starts at 7:45pm, and all babies asleep in their cribs by 8:45pm
• Anywhere from 3:30am to 4:30am - Cayden and/or Gabe cry out and need turned from their backs to their bellies, but are back asleep in minutes.  There was a period of 5 or 6 days where it was so consistent, it was scary, 4:28, 4:30, 4:32, 4:29, etc.
• Anywhere from 6:00am -7:15am - Ryleigh is the first awake and in need of some attention.  

They have followed Austin's lead in being great sleepers for us.   Although we worked really, really hard in getting them on the above schedule, with much pain along the way, we know we are very lucky.   This is reinforced any time we talk to other parents of infants and hear some of the horror stories.   The book "12 Hours Sleep by 12 Weeks Old" by Suzy Giordano was a great resource for us.   I'd recommend it to anyone having trouble getting their infant to sleep through the night.  Many great principles to consider, even if all aren't implemented.   

While the above may make it sound pretty easy, the hours of 6:00pm - 7:45pm are generally pretty, uh, challenging.  The triplets take the opportunity each night at this time to let us know they are still running the show. A lot of fussing, whining and crying during this time frame is normal as they wind their day down and wait on their last bottle.  This time period usually coincides with Austin's second wind for the day which just adds to the fun.  

We haven't weighed the babies in a few weeks, but I'm certain each are between 11.5 and 12.5 pounds.  We will get some official results tomorrow morning. 

Is this thing still on??

The triplets will be four and a half months old this weekend.  Their belated 4 month check up was Monday, and they weighed in as follows:

Gabe  11 lbs, 6 ozs
Cayden, 11 lbs, 6 ozs
Ryleigh, 10 lbs, 11 ozs

They are all healthy with no major concerns by the doctor. 

The boys have now joined their sister in sharing many smiles.  There is also frequent cooing amongst the three of them.  They have all rolled over, with the slimmer Ryleigh the most frequent.

6oz-7oz Bottles are now given at 800am, noon, 400pm, and 800pm.
They get a 3.5 oz bottle in the middle of the night anywhere between 4:00am-5:00am. 

Courtney took some video of the babies and Austin yesterday while I was at work.  The highlight was Austin climbing on top of the TV stand (who is in charge when I'm not home?) and at one point falling off pretty loudly and out of sight, but unhurt.  As Austin witnessed this on video, he got a tremendous look of concern on his face and pointed to the TV and exclaimed, "He got hurt....he got hurt."  It took several minutes to explaiin to him that the little boy was okay....and, indeed, the little boy was him.  I suddenly don't find him to be so smart.

Gabe and Ryleigh had their longest stretch between bottles last night....making it from 7:45 to 5:30am  I guess that could be considered making it through the night, but we are waiting until they make it to 8:00 a.m. to declare that.

We are taking Austin to Lebanon, Ohio this morning to take a ride on a real life Thomas the Tank Engine.  He has been looking forward to it, and we are happy to be able to get away for a few hours with just him for some extra attention.   

Have a great weekend !

The Help

As we near the end of summer, we near the end of a lot of our overnight helpers. Thankfully this coincides with the babies getting down to one nighttime feeding which is currently 4 am. Aunt Abby (self-proclaimed 'Favorite Aunt') has headed back to college but not without a couple weeks of diapers changing and middle of the night wake up calls. We will definitely miss her help! We are hoping to see her back occasionally because, lets be honest, 3 babies has to be less stressful than studying optical engineering.

This blog would not be complete without a major shout out to Nana Sowers, who has spent multiple weeks in our zoo, helping to tend to our little monkeys. Here she is basking in the summer heat. Hopefully she will keep coming as often as she can, as we have greatly appreciated her help.

Nana is perhaps the smartest of our help, occasionally bringing back up in the form of Great Grandma Yoakam. Great Grandma seems to have a nack for keeping the natives calm.

Thank you to all of our friends, neighbors, and family who have provided meals and a helping hand with bottles and entertaining Austin. We greatly appreciate it and it has helped to make this challenging time a little easier.

---Courtney

Got Milk?

The answer is a resounding yes, as you can see below. The babies will turn four months tomorrow. After much debate, I have decided it is time to slow down the milk factory. As you can see below, we should have enough to keep us going for at least a little while ;-) Anybody thirsty?

- Courtney

Taylor the Terrific

Our niece Taylor stayed overnight with us last week to help with the babies.  She is only 10 years old, but was mature beyond her years....setting her alarm clock for 300am to get up and help Courtney and I with the night time feeding and doing the same at 800am. I am still trying to figure out where she gets the pep in her step at 300am.  She is also responsible for bringing the phrase, "Ryleigh is going to blow" and the subsequent,  "Ryleigh blew" to our house....as she anticipated her cousin throwing up.

Heading for the border (Indiana.....not Mexico)

Long time between updates.....

When I last wrote, the trips had just started their transition up to the nursery.
It is going pretty well, the boys do well sleeping each night from 900pm until they eat at 300am., enabling Courtney and I to get a good block of sleep most nights.
They are fussy off and on from 400am to the 800am feeding though.

Ryleigh was doing the best for awhile sleeping in her crib, but has a very bad cold, so she has been sleeping in her car seat to help her breathe.  She has also been a major handful at some of her feedings, particularly the 800pm feeding.   She has her own little binge and purge routine going on....throwing up a big portion of her meal at 800pm.  We think it has to do with her severe cold.  Hopefully, she can put that behind her this weekend and we can get back to normal.

Courtney and I are heading out of town this afternoon for a 24 hour getaway to Indianapolis.  No big plans, just dinner and a night in a nice hotel to get some R&R.  Many people are pitching in to make it possible for the short trip, of which we are thankful. 

Hopefully some more updates, and pictures next week. 

Moving On Up (to the Nursery)

Last I wrote we were starting to implement the new schedule that involved removal of one late night feeding.  It has gone okay and they have been on that schedule for 8 nights now.  Not as seamless as the prior reductions, as the stirring usually begins 530am-600am and sleep is choppy from then until the 8:00am feeding.

Our big event this week is the move from the living room / master bedroom, upstairs to their cribs in the nursery.  Night one, Sunday, was a partial success, as Ryleigh made it the whole night with no intervention.   Gabe made it, oh, about 3 and a half minutes before beginning to scream.    He has not been feeling the best the last day, so we decided not to push it and returned him to the familiarity of the living room, with mom or dad couch-side.  Cayden was somewhere in between, doing well betweem 900pm and 200am, but more fussy thereafter.  As I type, everyone has been up in the nursery sleeping well without intervention for the first 90 minutes tonight.  These babies are good at adjusting, and I am confident by the weekend, they will all be doing well in the nursery. 

Courtney and I took Austin to the miami county fair tonight.  He was able to see / pet pigs, goats, sheep, cows, rabbits, turkeys, ducks, and horses.  Courtney's mom braved and survived the trips while we were gone.

Last weekend went well as friends Lisa and Jason and their one year old Ryan spent the day and night Saturday with us helping with the babies and hanging out.    We also had the rare chance to go out to dinner Sunday night as Austin's babysitter, Courtney B., and her mom, came over and watched all four kids for a few hours.  We had a relaxing dinner at the local Japanese restaurant and even enjoyed a couple of much needed Sapparos. 

A Mother's Perspective

We've had plenty of wonderful factual insights from Dad (thank you Jon!) - but it is about time for the Mother's perspective. And that of course means discussion of thoughts and feelings. As the babi3s are now over 3 months old, we are starting to get glimpses into their unique personalities.

Cayden is our resident cuddler and mover. He will wiggle his way to the side of the crib or next to a sibling, looking for a sense of security when he is napping. As the one who was in the middle of the heap before being born, he seems to have gotten used to always having someone nearby. He is also the 'old man' of the group. Not just because of being born first, but also because of the wrinkly forehead that is his favorite expression which dominates most pictures. His expression makes the observer think he has already lived through a lot. Having witnessed his brother and sister kicking his head during one ultrasound, I can see how he feels.

Gabe is the best napper. All of his 'beauty sleep' may be how he maintains his title as the largest of the three. Despite his size, he still doesn't have control of his limbs and has been known to land punches or kicks at unsuspecting siblings as he gets very excited to be free to blankets and bouncy seats. Like his little brother Cayden, Gabe loves tummy time. However, it often turns into an unplanned nap.

Ryleigh is awake the most, constantly watching what is going on around her with her big eyes wide open. Unfortunately this means she is taking in all of big brother Austin's mischeif and may account for all of her funny facial expressions as she watchs the chaos around her. Ryleigh will fight sleep in order to ensure that she doesn't miss any of the action. Ryleigh seems destined to follow in her Aunt Abby's footsteps as the 'sheriff' - the person who will ensure that no deed (particularly the bad ones) goes un-noticed. Speaking from experience, this is going to be disheartening to her brothers.

--Courtney

14 weeks old

The trips turned 14 weeks old today.  They had a doctor appointment this morning and weighed as follows:

Gabe  9 lbs, 13 ozs 
Cayden  9 lbs
Ryleigh   9 lbs
They are not little preemies any more.

Austin went to the doctor Monday and wants the record to show that he weighted 27 pounds.

The doctor was pleased with the triplets progress and did not have any concerns.  They all still run in the lower percentiles for height and weight, even on a preemie adjusted schedule.  Austin was always in the lower percentiles for weight too.

Last weekend was rough, as Ryleigh was running a 103 temperature early, early Saturday morning accompanied by a lot of crying.  Fortunately, she was feeling better by Saturday night and it appears it wasn't passed on to her brothers.

In the most significant event, the babies made it Monday night with only one late nite feeding.  They ate at 800pm, slept until 2:00am when they ate again, and then held off until 7:15 am. The sun seemed brighter this morning as a result.  Unfortunately, Courtney does not get the same relief as she has to stay on a regular schedule for pumping milk.

The babies each have had a few monstrous spit-ups in the last week as they adjust to their increased intakes.  Cayden even shared the love with his Aunt Abby last night who is in town helping this week before going back to college. 

Austin is having more and more fun with his brothers and sisters.  The extra weight noted above is needed as they try to fend off his well intentioned advances.  He is always wanting to share some hugs and kisses and the occasional tickle.   He loves to call his sister Ryleigh Rooo, each time resulting in a smile from mom and dad.

Providing an enormous help with some delicious home made meals the last few weeks were Aunt MaryAnn, the Asburys, the Dosecks, the Nolls, the Burts, the Seigles, and Grandma Stangel.

Weight Cheque

Today marked the three month birthday for the babies.  No cake, no ice cream, no party......just milk, lots of milk. Hard to believe 13 weeks have come and gone.

As of Friday, the trips weighed as follows:
Gabe  9 lbs, 3 ozs  (gained 24 ozs in 21 days since last doctor appt)
Cayden  8 lbs, 14 ozs (gained 19 ozs in 21 days)
Ryleigh   8 lbs, 11 ozs (gained 21 ozs in 21 days)

The next doctor appointment is Tuesday, August 9th.  At this pace of growth, the doctor should be very pleased.

We have been working hard this week so far to cut out one of the two night time feedings.  This is being done by gradually reducing the ounces they receive at 4:00am.  Hopefully, a week from now, we can report that they are down to one late night feeding. 

Our biggest adventure to date happened Saturday when we took the triplets to church accompanied by my sister Leslie and her two kids.   They did great, barely making a sound through the entire service (the triplets, not the Nolls). 

Austin went to Idle Hour Ranch with his grandpa at the same time.  Idle Hour
At this point in his life, he prefers goats to the Bible.

outfits by Carmen Canan

Baptism

The babies were baptized Sunday at St Patrick in Troy in a private ceremony.  They all did great with no tears. 

The deacon offered Austin a chance to splash a little holy water on his brothers and sister.  He was shy and wouldn't do it.....but....15 minutes later..... he changed his mind and was baptizing anything that would move including numerous cousins.

Here are some pictures from the day -

The recently baptized and big brother

Stangels

Sowers

Ryleigh, Leslie Noll & Keith Doseck

Cayden, Abby Sowers & Jason Prenger

Gabe, Kelly Sowers & Jay Sowers

Cayden from Kentucky

Weathering the Storm

The babies will turn 12 weeks old tomorrow. 
We've also reached the point where they have been home as many days as they were in the hospital. 

As of Friday, they weighed as follows:
Gabe  8 lbs, 10 ozs  (gained 15 ozs in 14 days since last doctor appt)
Cayden  8 lbs, 6 ozs (gained 11 ozs in 14 days)
Ryleigh   8 lbs, 3 ozs (gained 13 ozs in 14 days)

This past weekend we reduced the number of feedings from 7 to 6 and increased the amount at each feeding to 4 ounces.  Give or take 15 minutes, they eat at 830am, 1230pm, 430pm, 830pm,  1230am and 430am.  They have taken to the change well.

Night times have been much, much better the last few days, as we have worked hard to make sure they have been awake more during the day.  A book we read talked about all babies going through a difficult period that lasts two weeks anywhere from 8 to 12 weeks old.  The author refers to it as "The Storm."
We don't remember this from Austin, but we definitely had some thunder and lightning with the triplets.  Thank goodness we had overnight help with Chris for two weeks and Kelly for two weeks to help weather the storn.  Court's mom also spent a couple weeks with us in July and is always such a huge help.  Couple that with a lot of help from Court's dad, my mom and dad, all our siblings, various great aunts and many of our neighbors and friends......and...... we are keeping our heads above water.

We were treated to some awesome home made meals the last few weeks from Aunt Lois, the Kriskos, the Hensleys, Grandma Stangel, and the Fox's.  As Austin finishes the main course, he has taken to hollering for "Dessert!' as someone always seems to have baked something tasty for us. 

Courtney and I were even able to leave the house and go to dinner together for the first time on the 16th, as the Klopfensteins came over and watched the triplets and Austin for a couple hours to give us a much needed sanity break.

We are still working on potty training with Austin.  He has amassed quite the collection of pee stickers and will go in the potty a few times a day.  A friendly warning from him regarding impending #2's still eludes us usually though.  He did go one time in the potty though.  In addition to holding babies, he also has moved on to helping hold bottles and participating in the burping function....and, just yesterday, he was happy to jam a pacifier in his brothers mouths when they started to cry. 

Finally, the trips were baptized yesterday.  Everything went well......I will save details and pictures from that for another post this week.

Here are a few pictures from recent weeks......

Cayden, Ryleigh

Various babies

The Quiet after the Storm

Saying Goodbye to Aunt Kelly

Court's sister Kelly headed back to Florida today after spending most of the last two weeks at our house helping us with the babies and Austin.  Kelly works at an animal conservancy in Florida.  She is used to taking care of turtles, fish, and snakes but transitioned quite nicely to three newborns and a two year old.   She said that feeding a baby is not much different than a turtle, just more burping.

Austin had a ball with his aunt the last few weeks, and can't wait for "Keckie"  to come back soon.

She gave up her relaxing vacation days to spend time in our non-relaxing environment and we are eternally grateful to the self proclaimed Baby Whisperer.  

Thanks Kelly !

Mind Numbing Stats

The following happened at our house each week in July.

147 bottles are given.
This can take 25 minutes to 40 minutes depending on time of day and baby.  On average, I would say 30 minutes per bottle, so 74 hours a week.  This is generally split amongst three people with visitors, family/friends staying overnight, etc.  So, we are each spending close to 25 hours feeding bottles in a week per person.  Wow!

Roughly 210 diapers are changed (excluding Austin).
If you figure 5 minutes per diaper from beginning to end, that would be 18 hours per week spent changing diapers.