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!! :-)

The road to recovery....

Austin's surgery was a success on Wednesday.  He will wear an eye patch for the next few days as his eye recovers.  The doctors were able to remove the 3/4 inch cyst from the corner of his eye as well as the mole on his head with no problems.   There were fears the head surgery might have to be done a second time, but they were able to get it all in one shot.    He was a very good boy throughout the day, and the nurses/doctors were impressed with how brave he was. 

He did get sick to his stomach a few times during recovery so we ended up being at the hospital for about 8 hours total, making for a long day.    Might have been the anethesia, or the popsicles and 7-up he slammed down when he was finally able to eat/drink something after 20 hours without.

Austin was given Versed prior to being taken back to surgery.  Versed is a benzodiazepine, a drug that causes relaxation, sleepiness and can cause a partial or complete loss of memory during the use of the drug. This is the third or fourth time I think he has been administered this in his short life.   Although it is always a serious situation, he is an absolute riot for the 15 or 20 minutes from when he takes the drug until he is taken back for surgery, or in a few cases, a CT scan.  His speech slows down to about 50% speed, he gets the giggles, and he starts giving us a favorite hits medley of everything important in his life, namely his trains, various books, and a few select toys.  Every two minutes or so he will also stop and loudly exclaim, "It's dark in here,".....even though we are in a bright room at the time. 

On a side note, Kettering Hospital has the best darn cafeteria I have ever come across.   Courtney and I had a delicious meal that would not have to take a back seat to many fine Dayton restaurants.  I was surprised by the incredulous looks I received from the cashier when I inquired about whether a reservation was needed for Saturday nights, as I had hoped to take Courtney back there for our anniversary.  Oh well.......

Here are some pictures of our little man.....

Our pirate.....

stitches on his head

Big Brother

Big brother Austin is having surgery tomorrow morning.  He has had a quarter sized spot on his head since birth that appears to be a birthmark, but the doctors actually call it a mole of some sort.  They have suggested having it removed before it causes problems later on.  Since he is already going to be under, we figured why not throw in a second surgery.  He also has a good-sized growth in the corner of his eye that gives the appearance of a blocked tear duct.  It's not that, but instead termed a orbital dermoid cyst.  He will have that removed as well.  

Courtney went to great lengths to coordinate two surgeries at the same time to save her little boy from going through two separate traumatic events.  I would have never even thought it possible, but she made it happen after many phone calls, consultations and appointments.

We will head to Kettering Hospital tomorrow morning at 9:00am for the 11:00am procedures.   He will be able to come home tomorrow after recovery.  He is not allowed to eat or drink after midnight, so we kept him up until 10:00pm for a Thomas/Chuggington/Sesame Street marathon.   Hopefully that will make the morning go better.

It has been about two years since he had surgery in May 2010 to remove part of his lung as a result of the bronchopulmonary sequestration issue he had.  Although he is a healthy kid, it is amazing the odd surgeries he has had to have in his 2 3/4 years.   Makes us appreciate how blessed we have been in that regard with the triplets.         

Rub-a-Dub-Dub, Four Kids (and mom and dad) in a Tub.......

We generally give the triplets baths twice a week on Wednesday and Sunday.  It is usually a mixed experience.....the boys don't mind it, but Ryleigh tends to cry loudly.  The. entire. time.

Sunday was a challenging day, so when bath time arrived, we got the bright idea to mix it up and take a family soak in the master bath.   Like many things around here, it was equal parts entertaining and stressful. 

Austin always enjoys the rare treat of bathing in mom and dad's bath.  He excitedly was first in, and naturally, within seconds, proceeded to unleash what appeared to be half a day of pent up urine upon our freshly drawn tub.   Eventually we squeezed 12 arms, 12 legs, 60 fingers and 60 toes into the bath (sorry, no pics).    Surprisingly, keeping three squirming babies above water, while a two year old practices his back stroke proved to be manageable.  The pleasant surprise was that Ryleigh did not cry and actually enjoyed her family bath.  I'm sure we will attempt it again some time soon. 

Reminiscing...

Saturday I was putting our Christmas pictures in our photo album. I had filled one up as a result and started to flip through. The album starts with pictures from when the babies were born (yes, a very large album). It amazed me to look back on those pictures. One that struck me in particular was me holding Ryleigh a few days after birth. She was curled up in the fetal position on my chest. Her little bum and feet were in my hand, up on my chest. Her little head was nestled on the bottom of my neck. So tiny. A sharp contrast to now. Cayden woke early yesterday morning due to congestion. He fell back asleep on me and I just left him there. His feet and bottom rested on my lap. His head was on my shoulders. By comparison to day 1, these babies are just huge. They really do grow so fast.

9 months is quickly approaching (this coming Friday). So hard to believe we are quickly coming to one year. They've been hitting some major milestones lately, with both Gabe and Ryleigh crawling forward. Ryleigh promptly started to crawl into laps and pull herself up to standing. She will even take a few steps if you hold both of her hands. We are in trouble! C ayden is content to watch it all from a sitting position - which for him is legs spread and arms out to his sides. He is more interested in balancing. Of course he tries to crawl and has conquered reverse. All in good time Cayden!

As of last Wednesday, Ryleigh weighed in at 15 lb 13 oz, Cayden 16 lb 10 oz, and Gabe has regained the lead at 16 lb 11 oz! Size wise, the boys are always neck and neck. Although they still look very similar, their personalities are really starting to help tell them apart. We've had a lot of visitors lately and Cayden has won the 'most laid back baby' award each time. He has no problem holding down the couch and watching football with the guys. Ryleigh is too busy for such things, preferring to crawl around and see what else is going on. The minute she gets bored, or stuck, she will let you know. Gabe just enjoys jumping away in his exersaucer and flirting with the ladies. Yikes. Their nanny was sick today so I had the pleasure of spending the day with the trio. Today was the first time they all 3 wanted in my lap - with Ryleigh and Gabe crawling up themselves and Cayden just reaching out his arms and crying till he got held too. It was amazing how quiet it got once they all 3 were there - oh yes, it can be done! One on each leg and one in the middle and we were all happy. At that point they all looked at each other as if to say 'now what do we get her to do?!' Oh the fun we are in for.....

A quick thank you to Nana and Grandpa Sowers who watched the whole crew yesterday so that Jon and I could go see the Buckeyes beat Michigan. It was such a treat to have some time to spend together. Happy Birthday Big Daddy!

Results

As  expected, Ryleigh takes home the first Cayden John Baby of the Week Award. 

Baby of the Week

Court and I decided last night to begin a Baby of the Week contest.  Best sleeper, eater and overall behaved baby will take home the crown and gain the coveted acknowledgedment on the refrigerator.  While Connie will be placing her vote at close of business on Friday, Courtney, Austin and I will each vote Sunday evening.  This will come as an absolute shock to those who know the trips well, but little Ryleigh Roo may have a slight lead and seems to be inching away from Cayden.  Cayden is pretty much baby of the year and has no peers......my sisters nearly ripped his left arm off when it was time to choose a baby for an overnight stay in November.  However, Rye has cleaned up her act this week, big-time.  She has slept later, ate better, and required a little less attention.....not to mention she has far and away the best hair.   I even tested her tonight by putting her in her crib while wide awake.....and we didn't have to return (crossing fingers as of 11:00pm).    Gabe appears to be teething and dropped out of the contest within 45 minutes. 

Stay tuned as this epic battle continues.....

On a side note, i was preaching to Courtney this evening how Rye was a serious contender for the baby of the week.  Shortly thereafter, Austin proclaimed that his sister was "not a chicken tender."  I gazed at him dumbfounded as the dots were not connected right away, until Courtney figured out that he thought I said his baby sister was a "chicken tender", not a contender.   Maybe, you had to be there.......

More blog updates forthcoming........soon.

Easily entertained......