Look Ma, No Hands!

After much hard work, we finally captured all 3 kids just standing around. They do it all the time now. Their balance has improved a lot. Also, all 3 babies are now taking a few tentative steps before falling down. I think we are right on the edge of walking. But capturing this milestone on camera in near impossible. Kurt's Dad got a few good pics of the boys but Sarah has eluded us. I finally snapped one with my phone. It's a little blurry, but you'll get the idea. Here's to mobility my babies!

Easter Then & Now

Easter 2010 was a beautiful spring day. The babies were just 3 months old and we were still adjusting to life at home with 3 infants. We dressed the kids in their Easter finest and toted them off to church in their infant carriers. They pretty much slept through the entire service and through most of the day!

Fast forward to Easter 2011...

Now we have busy, silly, funny, crazy toddlers! We opted not to take them to church this year as we are still not comfortable putting them in the church nursery and they are too wild to sit with us in the service. Once they are 2 and past the preemie "danger zone" for RSV, pneumonia, and other dangerous diseases, we will feel more relaxed about putting them in the nursery. So Nana watched them as we headed off to church. After a wonderful service, all the grandparents joined us for a delicious lunch. After lunch was over and the kids got up from their naps, we opened Easter baskets. Between the 3 of them, they had 9 Easter baskets! The kids had a blast playing with everything and enjoying some treats! It's amazing to think how much the kids have changed in the last 12 months. What will they be like next Easter?

Easter 2010

Easter 2011

Jake's 1st Haircut

For the past few weeks we have barely been able to look into our own kids' eyes (a teeny bit of exaggeration). The hair on each of them has become so shaggy it hangs down in their face and over their ears. So we decided tonight was the night to get it taken care of. Sarah and Luke have both had cuts before, but this was Jake's first time. He fussed a little as the lady trimmed, but overall he did really well. Check out his new cut. All three have fresh new looks just in time for Easter. The pics are before, during, and after Jake's trim.

Splish Splash

Ok, before I get into my post, are any other bloggers having trouble with your posts not recognizing your spacing and indentation? Aaarrrggg...I am so frustrated right now! I spend all this time typing out a perfectly good blog post just to go and publish it and realize the publisher has just jumbled everything together in one big heaping mess! So please bear with me as I work through these technical difficulties. [Big Fat Paragraph Space Here In Case Blogspot Does Not Recognize That I Am Starting A New Paragraph Now!]

Today we decided to throw all 3 kiddos in the bath at once. We've been bathing them one at a time in their inflatable duck bath which we graduated to after growing out of the infant tub. Now we are growing out of the duck too so we decided just to use the plain tub. We were nervous as we tried this with the kids at around 9 months with disastrous results! (See October 6, 2010 post) But the kids did great! They were a little apprehensive at first but then just had fun playing with all the toys. Both Kurt and I were so proud. Enjoy the pic of the munchkins enjoying their "big kid" bath time.

15 month stats, taking the doctor's advice, and one tired daddy!

There's a lot going on in the Koenig household so this is going to be a post full of all kinds of things- some related and some not. First up, the trio's 15 month stats: Sarah- 22lbs. 10ozs. and 31 inches long Jacob- 24lbs. 8ozs. and 31.5 inches long Lucas- 23lbs. 4ozs. and 31.5 inches long All of these stats are right on track with other 15 months olds. That means if we were measuring them by their full term date (other 13 month olds) they would be well above average. So the doctor is very pleased with their growth. He would like us to work hard on remembering to brush their teeth at least once per day. He also wants us to start teaching them how to scribble with crayons. That's a fun one! Also, he was not happy we were still giving the kids a night bottle. So we promised to cut it out completely and now we are on day 3 of being "bottle free". It hasn't been easy getting the kids into a new routine but we are getting there. My friend Ashlea (who has twins) suggested giving them a sippy cup at night while I read them a story. Which has an added bonus of giving me more time to read to the kids which was a goal of mine anyway. Score! This week was a very busy one for me with work and after-work events. Tuesday I met my high school friends for drinks and dinner at Eclipse de Luna in Buckhead. I always feel bad abandoning Kurt with the kids after work since he's already had them solo all day. But he graciously told me to go so I did. We had a great time. It was so great to catch up with my girls. Then Thursday was my monthly Moms of Multiples club meeting. Again, Kurt urged me to go even though it meant yet another night of solo daddy duty. This time the kids were crazier than usual and I got a text during the meeting saying "HELP!". When I got home this was the scene. It seems all 3 kids wanted to be picked up and cried to be held at the same time. I'm not sure how he did it but this is some expert multi-tasking. Kurt was ready to pull his hair out! We got the kiddos settled down for the night and Kurt took off for some down-time. He is a trooper! This coming weekend is my brother Terry's and his fiance Sara's wedding. This will be a crazy busy weekend but will also be a lot of fun. Congrats! I'm sure we will have lots of pics to post soon.

Sippy Cup Leashes

There I was standing in line at Babies R Us trying to balance the giant box of Pampers (the biggest one in the store) with my other items, when I saw it out of the corner of my eye. It was a bright orange package with "SippiGrip" written on the outside. Suddenly I flashed back to last night's dinner and I started to feel my blood boil as I remember how I picked up their cups at least a dozen times per child. This product I see is a leash that tethers the sippy cup to the highchair, stroller, or whatever. I'm initially skeptical but it's only a few dollars so I'm willing to give it a try. But I'm only buying the one in case this is a bigger gimmick than a wipes warmer. I take it home and try it out. It's a miracle. At first the kiddos still attempted to toss their cups to the floor. But when the cups just hung there within reach instead of making that satisfying "thud", thereby mocking the defiant toddlers, the game lost its appeal. So the next day I went out and bought 6 more. You can never have enough of a genius invention! Now our meal time is much more enjoyable for mommy and daddy. Occasionally, one will still test the waters by tossing their cup, but it just stays on the side of the highchair like a loyal friend waiting to be pulled back into service.

Off to Callaway

This past Saturday, we loaded up the crew (along with Big Daddy and Mimi) and headed to Pine Mountain to Callaway Gardens. It was a beautiful day. Our first stop was to have a picnic lunch. The benches were just the right height to serve as tables for the triplets. Us "big kids" had BBQ chicken, green bean casserole, potato salad, biscuits, and more. After lunch we headed over to the butterfly house. It was a little too crowded to maneuver the triple stroller so we didn't stay long in there but I think the kiddos liked all the butterflies. Afterward, we hiked the Rhododendron Trail with the trio. Unfortunately the rhododendrons were not yet in full bloom but they were still pretty. We wrapped up the afternoon hiking the Azalea Bowl. It was fun, but pulling the triplets in the wagon was exhausting. We took turns pulling, but some of those hills were a killer! We were barely even outside of the park on the ride home before all 3 of the kiddos were sacked out. We had a super busy day! The kiddos got their nap in but not Mommy and Daddy. Someone had to drive! It was worth it though.

15 Months

Yesterday the trio turned 15 months. Still no walking yet. But we are getting close. Last night Sarah tackled the stairs and climbed them all by herself. She couldn't let Lucas do it alone. Jake is still not sure about the stairs. He thought about it though. Next week we go for their 15 month check-up. I sure hope there are no shots! At least we are done with the Synagis injections. We had those every month during cold and flu season to prevent against RSV. I'll post their stats after the pediatrician visit next week. Until then, I thought it would be fun to again post the triplets' pictures now and the ones from one year ago. Enjoy!

The Joys of Three

There are too many days to count where I am envious of my girlfriends who just have the one baby. They get time just to focus on their one child. I feel like my hugs, my time, and my attention is always divided by three. Their one child gets it all. While we're busy bathing three, dressing three, feeding three, and changing three diapers, they are reading stories and rocking their babies in their arms. But not today. Today is the day when I get to make others envious because I have three. As I was getting ready for work this morning, Sarah woke up and began crying. I could hear her in her crib on the baby monitor. I thought about going in to get her and bringing her into the bathroom with me as I finished getting ready. But just as I had decided to go get her, I could hear Lucas wake up and begin "talking" with his sister. The two of them were babbling back and forth. Although it was just babbling, here is how my mind decoded the conversation: Lucas: Sarah, what's wrong? Sarah: I had a bad dream Lucas: It's ok sister, it was only a dream. I am here now. Sarah: Thank you, I feel much better After a few minutes of baby talk, the two of them settled down. By the time I left for work, they were back dozing or just quietly playing in their cribs. This actually happens quite a bit. We don't always have to rush into the nursery in the morning as the trio keeps each other company. That means Mommy and Daddy get a little more time to sleep. And to a parent that is priceless!