Escape From Baby Jail Part II

A wise mama told me to use zip ties to keep the baby gate from coming apart.  It worked like a charm.  I assumed the next step would be for them to climb over it.  Maggie, the instigator, had long ago figured out her little toes fit in the holes.  She's climbed up on it but not over it.  

Today, they outsmarted me again.  I didn't see it happen, so I'm not 100% sure what happened.  I did see them working as a team to try to break it apart - win for this mama.  They were laughing and working together; it was so cute.  I went downstairs to check e-mail, etc.  Suddenly I heard the same noises I heard when they were playing on the fireplace.  Sure enough, they were all on the fireplace again, but the baby gate was still intact.  I don't think all three of them could have climbed over it.  I honestly think they figured out they can go under it.  They were pulling so hard to get it apart.  I think they lifted it up and one went under.  I'm not sure how they managed to get all three of them under it.  I wish I had seen it.  Well, I guess that answered my question of - what's next?

Because of their escape, I brought them all downstairs to play.  They keep scraping their toys on the wall.  I keep telling them to stop.  After one warning, the toys are confiscated.  So what do they do?  They get a new toy, rub it on the wall and then hand it to me.  Little stinkers!  

First Haircuts

I finally did it.  I cut Katie's and Maggie's hair this afternoon.  I'm sure you've all been wondering why I haven't done it earlier.  I'm not a bangs person, and I don't want the girls to be either.  Maggie doesn't like to have a hair tie in her hair, and I can't get it to stay back.  It's way too thin for a barrette, and I'm sure she'd just pull that out too.  The hair that falls in her face is very thin and I only had to cut a small amount of it, so I just got out the kitchen scissors and I did it.  Robin thought I was crazy because I wasn't doing it right.  It looked fine, so I decided to cut Katie's too.  I know I should have wet it and done a better job - make it even and all, but I think it looks cute.  After her next bath, I'm going to cut more.  Make a nice bowl cut maybe - haha.  Even as it is, I think her cut gives her a straight out of the late 70s look.

After the haircuts, Robin took the girls to the park.  Please don't judge Izzie-B's clothes.  She's a fashionista (which apparently isn't a word) - way ahead of her time.  The girls are wearing their boy onesies today, and because she is always mistaken for a boy, I needed to give her a little flair.  I wonder how long it will be until she needs her first haircut.

Out and About

We had a really busy weekend!  On Saturday, my HOM group had a get together at a horse ranch located in a state park.  It's always nice to be around other triplet and quad families.  They don't ask dumb questions.  The kids who attended ranged from 8 years old to 8 weeks old.  There were hot dogs, smores and wagon rides.  We had a great time, but 19 months is such a difficult age.  They are running in all directions.  It's hard!

The girls in the background are actually quads (4 girls - 1 missing from the picture).  They met my girls over the summer at our zoo outing.  Apparently, they've been talking about the girls ever since, and they were excited to see them again.  So cute - they're 6.

Izzie-B had some time with Patrick on the wagon ride so Robin could take pictures.

On Sunday, we decided to take a long car trip so Robin could photograph the changing leaves.  I'm not usually one to agree to car trips, but I don't know where else we can go as a family.  Total miles: 200; total time: 9 hours (9am to 6pm).

Our first stop was Estes Park.  We wanted to have a look at the Stanley Hotel, which is the setting in the movie The Shining.  However, they charge $5 for parking if you're not a guest, so we didn't go.  I've been to Estes Park so many times, but I've never been to that hotel.  Maybe next time.  I really wanted to get some salt water taffy, so we parked on the main street and walked around.  I got my taffy, and we also had lunch.  We ate on the patio.

 
Then we drove along Trail Ridge Road, which is the highest continuous highway in the US.  I think the highest elevation (on the road) is 12,178 feet.  The girls' premature lungs got a workout.  I wish we had a pulse ox machine because I would have loved to have tested all of us.  It was just too dangerous (and frankly too much work) to take the girls out and take pictures.  Robin got lots of great shots though (none of them posted here unfortunately).

Next stop - Grand Lake.  We walked around town and let the girls play on the dock.  They had been strapped in their car seats for so long, they really needed it.  It also worked out perfectly that we arrived in Grand Lake right at their snack time.  After playing on the dock, we stopped for some ice cream.  The girls had cotton candy ice cream - their first taste of ice cream.  Needless to say - they LOVED it.  It was an absolutely gorgeous day.

They would not cooperate and all sit on the bench - so this is the best we could do.

We left Grand Lake, went over Berthoud Pass and made our way home.  It was fun, but it's amazing how exhausted one can be after sitting in a car all day.

Escape from Baby Jail

Wow - these girls are getting crafty.  It all started with the removing of clothes.  Maggie and Izzie-B don't like their pants (as you can see in the pictures below - neither has her pants).  So, I started putting their onesies on the outside of their pants.  Did that stop Maggie?  No.  She can remove her pants without unbuttoning her onesie.  I don't get it.  Then yesterday at nap, Maggie figured out how to completely remove her sleep sack.  Last night, she slept in a backwards sleep sack.

Today's antics - escape from baby jail.  Maggie figured out that if she uses all of her weight and pulls down on the panels, they come apart.  Here is what I found:

On a positive note - they hadn't yet climbed INTO the fireplace nor had they put any toys in it.  OMG - what's next?

It's A Small (Blog) World

After the girls were born, I became obsessed with blogs - particularly blogs about triplets.  I wanted to know what others were dealing with and how they were dealing with it.  I found a blog called Multiples and More.  It's basically a central location for all bloggers with multiples (twins and HOM).  You can have your own multiples blog linked to the site - like mine is.

I spent hours upon hours reading blogs.  I found my favorites (not all of them are about triplets), and checked for updates every day.  Some are funny, some are insightful, some are just about triplets around the same age as my girls, some are authored by people I know and some are about children with special needs.  

There was one blog that really touched my heart - The Fisch Tank.  I immediately became a follower of the blog.  As time went on, I started to realize that the author lives in Colorado.  She would comment on the weather, the rocky mountains and locations in and around Denver.  Finally, after nearly 9 months of reading her blog, I sent her an email.  We emailed back and forth a few times, and then we became Facebook friends.  I have a general Facebook friend rule - I must have met you in person at least once to be your friend.  But, in this case, I made an exception.  As it turns out, we have a lot more in common than just living in Colorado.  She only lives a few miles from me, we went to the same college and our girls have had the same OT and PT.  A few weeks ago, I finally had the privilege of meeting her and her beautiful daughter, CiCi.

Hopefully someday we'll be able to get our entire families together.  She's a great person, and I'm so glad we have connected.

Accomplishments

I've been struggling with getting the girls off bottles.  At first, I wasn't really concerned about it.  Bottles are easy, and I just let it go.  Plus, the OT/PT told me not to worry about it until they were 18 months old.  That came and went.  I never gave them a bottle in their crib, which is what is supposed to be the worst for their teeth.

Then it really started bothering me.  They are 19 months old, and I just needed to cut out the bottles.  I had tried several times.  They all refused to take milk from anything other than a bottle.  We had no issues with other liquids in a sippy cup - just milk.  Last Friday night, I'd had it.  I decided enough was enough - cold turkey was the way to go.  It went better than I expected.  Saturday morning was another story though.  My kids are different from others in that they are more addicted to their morning bottle than their night one.  Luckily it was a weekend, and Robin was there to help.  There was a lot of crying and not a lot of milk drinking.  But I didn't give  in.

I'm now proud to report that we have been completely bottle free since last Friday night.  What's really different though?  In my opinion, not much.  I'm using the Nuby Sport Sipper.  It works like a straw, but it's not a straw.  The only difference seems to be the flow.  I'm really not sure what the big deal is.

Next up - getting them to drink cold milk.  This one is going to be more difficult.  Maybe cold turkey is the way to go.

Last week, I took the girls to the "baby" story time at the library.  My mom went with me.  It was nice to have an extra set of hands.  I wasn't sure what to expect, and I was most concerned with trying to get the girls back in their stroller.  Dealing with screaming toddlers in the library is not on my list of fun things to do.  Plus, it's not like I can just scoop them up and hurry out the door.  I'd need 4 arms to accomplish that one.  Anyway - story time with my mom went well.  So, I decided to try it alone yesterday.  It went so well.  The girls were all really well behaved.  ::knock on wood::  They wouldn't sit in my lap, but they didn't bother anyone else.  Getting them back in the stroller went nearly flawlessly.  Maggie and Izzie-B were a breeze, but Katie gave me a little attitude.  I gave her a stern look in the eye, and all was well.

Where Have We Been for the Last Several Weeks?

It's been quite some time since I've posted.  My in-laws were staying with us for 2 weeks, and I just didn't have the time to post.  My in-laws live in Indonesia, so they don't get to see their grandchildren very often.  They were here last May for a couple of weeks when they girls were only a few months old.  This year, while they were here, we were able to do a lot more.  Unfortunately, my MIL was sick for half of the 2nd week, but we still packed in a lot.

Over Labor Day weekend, Izzie-B had a high fever.  A REALLY high fever - depending upon which thermometer I used.  I came really close to taking her to urgent care, but the rectal (I know - TMI) reading wasn't quite as high, so I opted for some Tylenol instead.  The one that scans across the forehead read 105, but the rectal read 103.8.  The fever lasted for about 2 days.  It finally broke on Labor Day.  I couldn't figure out what it was until Thursday morning.  She didn't show any other signs of illness except the fever.  When she woke up on Thursday, she had a strange rash all over her trunk and neck.  I played doctor on the web, and I diagnosed her with Roseola.  It's basically a form of chicken pox or shingles.  The signs are a high fever followed by a rash on the trunk a few days later.  I called the pediatrician's office, and they agreed that's what it was but they didn't need me to bring her in.  It's contagious to other children, but Katie and Maggie didn't seem to catch it.  Unless, of course, they had a very mild case first.  They never had high fevers that I was aware of, but one of the things that can be a sign of Roseola is a febrile seizure.  Maybe Maggie did have it, and that's what caused the seizure.  I just don't know.

Speaking of Maggie, her PT has decided to refer her to a rehab (or something like that - I can't remember exactly what she said) clinic at Children's Hospital.  She thinks it's a good idea to have someone else evaluate her.  Robin is convinced she's fine, but my motherly instinct says she's not.  I'm still convinced she may have mild cerebral palsy, but I'm just not sure.  Her walking is improving, but her base (the distance between her feet) is still wide and her core is very weak.  She keeps her arms bent and close to her side for stability while she walks.  Her balance is questionable at times, and sometimes she just completely breaks down - crying, can't sit still, etc.  Her speech therapist is a bit concerned too.  I can't wait to have someone else evaluate her.  I have no idea when this will happen though.  The PT is going to contact our pediatrician first.

Here are some pictures from the adventures with the in-laws.

8/29 - Trip to the park:

Katie was pushing the swing, but it kept hitting her in the head.

9/1 - Dinner at the Yard House:

9/2 - Meeting Erik Weihenmayer:

9/3 - Golden Super Cruise:

9/4 - Tubing in Clear Creek:

9/5 - A Taste of Colorado:

9/6 - Go-Karting:

9/7 - Coors Field Tour with my mom:

9/8 - Family Pictures:

Robin's mom made these traditional Indonesian outfits for the girls when she was here last May.  We had a VERY hard time getting them to pose since we had already done so many pictures.

My in-laws left on September 11th.  They went back to California to stay with Robin's sister and her family for several more weeks.  Robin's other sister lives in France, his brother lives in Indonesia and his uncle lives in China - we have family all over the world.

Here are our shots from Monday Night Football on the 12th.  Sadly, the Broncos lost:

Now we're caught up!