Changing Things Up

You've just got to do it...you simply have to change things up a bit. Our babies have a good routine down when it comes to the big things like eating and sleeping, but when it comes to exploration and play, variety is the name of the game. I talked to my good friend who specializes in early childhood development and she enjoys "setting up an environment" for the next morning the night before for her twins. I got off the phone with my progressive San Fran mom and thought "Catherine, you're creative, get into it!" Not that I'm not "into it", but sometimes mornings can be tough for a tired mom and my creative juices just aren't flowing yet, no matter how many cups of coffee I've had.

So, for a tired mommy on a Monday morning, I either take a deep breath and come up with something new or I pull from the activities currently in the rotation. These could last 10 minutes or 10 seconds, so I just keep 'em coming.

Here are a few that we like to do:

"Cheerio Shake": put Cheerios in the snack cups and let them go wild. They love the sounds and eating/playing all at the same time. Mantra= sweep later
"Pillow Pile": I take cushions & pillows out of the tv room, relocate them to our big room and pile them up into a tower. They love pushing them around.
"Orchestra Conductor": Simple, I turn on Mozart and act like a conductor. Two out of three wave their arms along with me/the music
"Babies on a Blanket": weeeeeee! I lay a blanket on the floor which all the babies immediately sit on. Then the fun begins as I pull them around.
"Couch Climbers": (shown above) Reposition the pillows & cushions of the couch all over the floor and as mini towers on the couch. This makes our tv room into an obstacle course.
"Dance Party": Duh - turn on mommy's favorite music and let loose. Each baby gets their turn to dance in my arms while the others groove on the floor.
"Coin Shake": (shown above) Put coins into metal water bottles, make sure the lids tight and let them enjoy the loud clanging.
"What's in the Toybox": this is a another obvious one, but I have to remind myself to do it. I sit on the couch next to the toybox and take a toy out one at a time...placing it at a different location on the couch. They just stare in disbelief and rediscover old toys.
"Closet Explorers": Open the closet door. It's the easy. Of course, inspect the space and make sure it's safe, etc.
"Winter Gear": (pic shown w/ hat) I have a bag in the closet filled with winter hats, scarves, gloves, etc. Unzip that baby and put it in the middle of the floor for some "unpacking" fun

We Survived RSV

It's been a while since I've posted a blog entry. Well, much has happened since my trip to Pittsburgh with Charlotte, but this post is about surviving a bad long respiratory cold in our house.

First, Baxter got sick. He reintroduced me to long nights rocking my babies to sleep in the nursery. This cold brought on A LOT of mucus (gross) and we had tons of saline on hand and our aspirator by our sides at all times. I will say though, it was nice to have my baby fall asleep in my arms again... some sweet moments for me as I sang to Baxter and rocked him into his slumber. We've worked very hard at establishing their abilities to go to sleep on their own, but when a baby needs you when they're sick, that innate maternal instinct comes through.

Well, then Alton soon got sick too. This was difficult because, not only was it two sick babies, but Alton had an ear infection and he is also a bit needier than the others. This made things much harder. I started to hear a wheeze and called the doc's. They did not have an appointment open until much later that night, so they sent me to the ER. Enough said. Alton tends to hold a grudge with Mommy, and he would not make eye contact with me the next day. At our follow-up doc appointment the next day, I was sent home with a nebulizer for him. The pic is Daddy giving him his night treatment.

The ER tested for "RSV" which is a bad respiratory cold for adults, but pretty serious for babies. If they were under 4 months old, they would have been admitted. I remember the doctors talking very seriously about RSV since our babies were preemies and they all got two doses of the synegis vaccine (somewhat uncommon).

Finally, Charlotte was sick too...of course. She hit us with a bang after her first nap with the amazing high notes that she hits when she's really upset. My mom and I agreed that she won the prize for "most pathetic" since she would crawl into our laps and just rest her head. She too had an ear infection.

SOOOOOO - We survived! Not without Daddy, Mommy, and Grandmom getting sick though....but we did survive. Lesson = sick happens and you just deal with it. I actually walked away with some nuggets of loving memories of long nights snuggling my little schoompies.

A Roadtrip to Pittsburgh

It was time to visit my college girlfriends from Pittsburgh for some catching up and to meet their new family additions. My friend Amy, a mom of 8 month old twins, was back on the east coast from San Francisco and Jenn lives in the 'Burgh with her four children, including her littlest Juliet. It was so nice to see my old gal pals and spend lots of time chatting and sharing tons. So much has changed in our lives since first meeting in Andrews Hall our freshman year, and knowing that we have each other as support is priceless.

So yes, once again, I packed up three babies and that goes with them for another road trip last week. Only this time everyone was separated and each of the boys stayed with the grandparents (Alton with Grammie Lita & Pop Pop Bill and Baxter with Grandmom Judy & Grandpop Al); Charlotte came with me for some real "girl time".

It was a logistics miracle, but we got it done. Kreg dropped off Alton in New Jersey on his way into work on Tuesday and Grandmom took Baxter home Tuesday evening after a full day of helping me get ready for the trip. Charlotte and I headed to Philadelphia first thing Wednesday morning to pick up my dear friend Jen and her 4 month old daughter, Sydney. Are you exhausted yet, because I am just typing this. Well, it turns out that the car ride went very well with Jen & I and our little girls. I think Charlotte & Sydney chatted about clothes, binkies, toy preferences and the likes in the back of the mini. Jen was such a good sport since they were so far away compared to her normal traveling routine... but perhaps the "gotta do it" outlook from a triplet mom was beneficial? I know that being with an amazing singleton mom rubbed off on me since I'm wiping her face a little more often these days. ;)

I could go on and on since this experience was a growing one for all involved, but I'll spare you. I do want to say that it was so wonderful having everyone back in one house together again. I'll be honest, it was a nice break taking care of one little laid back Charlotte for a few days, but our crazy day-to-day family of 3 one year olds, 2 parents, 2 Grandmoms, and one little dog is the most awesome reality one could ask for. I am so thankful.

Snapshots with Mommy

After we dressed the babies in cute little sweater outfits yesterday, my mom said "now sit down with them, Catherine, and let's take some pictures!" I think they turned out great! We rushed out the door for our walk after they started to melt-down ... next time we need to get Grandmom in there!

Winter Walk in Doylestown

We simply had to head outside today because the weather was wonderful. Grandmom & I enjoyed a stroll with the babies in Doylestown; stopping for a bite and chatting with folks walking by. What a beautiful day!

Step Aerobics!

These days we "climb up the wooden hill" before each nap and bedtime. We've decided that the work out helps with a good nap... now if only mommy would attend a step aerobics class or two. ;)

Here's a shot from this morning's stair climb. I was a tad nervous taking it since I'm tackling this morning solo and the babies were turning to look at me while climbing. YIKES!

Peek a Boo!

Man, who doesn't love a good game of "Peek a boo" every now and again. Well, the Jones triplets get at least 2 good rounds of this favorite game a day with an adult; but also love playing it with each other. What better place to play than behind the super-exciting curtains? They make me laugh.