We are finally getting some sleep around here...not a lot, but it's getting better. The kids get a bottle around 7, and the last one is usually asleep by about 8. We almost always have a holdout who just doesn't want to go to sleep. I would say that 9 out of 10 times, it's Will. He actually tries to keep his eyes open as wide as possible to avoid going to sleep. I can see that he's tired, but he wills himself to keep on going. By the time he falls asleep, we are exhausted.
Overnight, we have also made some progress. I have given up on going to the kids when they cry. They need to stop being such big babies. It's time for tough love. Will usually wakes up once, occasionally twice, but he is now in a pack 'n play in the guest room. Abby wakes very rarely, but she's still in a pack 'n play in the office. Marie still sleeps all night long in her comfortable crib in the nursery. That's her reward for being the best sleeper.
The last couple of nights, I have thought that Abby is going to wake up because she is teething. Her two top teeth are coming in, and they are looking big. She may be my little buck toothed beaver. So far, she's been sleeping very soundly through it all. Keep your fingers crossed that it continues. She is, however, miserable during her waking hours. Her little eyes are just all droopy. It's so pitiful.
They are all now pulling up and cruising. I can't believe it when I see them all standing. Was it really just a year ago that they were born? It's like their little lives are on fast forward.
They are eating a little more food, although Will is still slightly eating retarded. He chokes on basically anything solid or chunky and proceeds to vomit whatever he ate. I guess we'll talk to the doctor about that at their 1 year check. The girls love their little finger food, and I can tell Marie is getting close to not letting me spoon feed her anymore. I think she's seeking her eating independence. She just isn't eating quite well enough yet on her own so I have to keep forcing the spoon.
They are understanding more and more these days. I speak to them in Spanish, and they are really getting it. It's so funny. Abby is obsessed with ceiling fans. When she walks into a room that has one, she immediately points to it. I always tell her it's the "ventilador," and now, I can ask her "Donde esta el ventilador?," and she will point up to the ceiling. I can also ask her, "Donde esta Dada?," and she'll point to Billy or scan the room to find him and then stare at him. She's a child genius! I've also worked on ball, which is "pelota," and I can tell them to "Busca la pelota" (find the ball), and they will crawl right over to the balls we have in the playroom and pick them up.
Speaking of my Spanish with the kids, Billy is also now learning infant Spanish. For so many years I've wanted him to learn, and it's now that he's trying to get it. I guess he might as well learn with the kids. I'm sure they will pick it up much faster, though, since they hang on my every word, and Billy tends to tune me out quite a bit.
Abby and Will have recently been crawling with their bellies off the ground. They will start in this position, and then, if they get in a hurry, they drop down to their tummies and scoot again. I guess they find that to be a more reliable and quick form of transportation.
We had a play date with Cousin Chloe today. Chloe was not crawling yet, and Liane was actually discouraging it because she did not want to have to deal with a mobile baby. It was just much easier for her to have her sit in one place. Well, I guess after seeing the triplets move around her playroom and use all her toys with reckless abandon, she decided she needed to learn how to move her fat little butt. Liane called me this evening to complain that my children taught Chloe bad habits. Apparently, she crawled for the first time shortly after we left. So much for just sitting still...Chloe is now on the loose!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Diarrhea (again!)
Last Saturday, we had just another great morning in the day of triplets. I was in the kitchen emptying the dishwasher, and Billy calls out that he needs me immediately. I walk into the family room to find him holding up Abby at arms length and making a face. She has brown all around the butt of her outfit, and he says, "Quick get him," and motions to Will.
I quickly turn my attention to Will to see that he has brown all over his HANDS! Abby has leaked poop on the floor, and he has decided it might be a good idea to play with it. In the meantime, Winnie runs over and starts to try to eat it off the floor. Could this really be happening at 7 a.m.? This day was not getting off to the right start.
Luckily, Will still hasn't gotten the whole idea of picking things up and putting them in your mouth to eat. He gets puffs, fruit, and basically anything I give him to eat plastered all over his hands, and then, he holds out his hands and screams to indicate to me that they are dirty, and he would like for me to remove this slimy stuff. He never tries to get any of it in his mouth. Now, with the poop on his hands, I was thrilled that he had not met this developmental milestone!
Also, thankfully, Marie was not home, or else she would have also been in the middle of that mess. She spent the night at Marmie's house last Friday. Therefore, we only had 2 babies to clean up, one dog to shoo away from the poo, and one section of carpet to clean. Easy enough...it's all about teamwork.
That poopie episode quickly turned into a day full of poops. Abby and Marie had all out diarrhea and a lot of it! Will held up fine (diarrhea free) all weekend, but as soon as it cleared up for the girls, he came in strong with is own case. Now he's throwing up and pooping like crazy. Good, smelly times at the Zeigler headquarters!
I quickly turn my attention to Will to see that he has brown all over his HANDS! Abby has leaked poop on the floor, and he has decided it might be a good idea to play with it. In the meantime, Winnie runs over and starts to try to eat it off the floor. Could this really be happening at 7 a.m.? This day was not getting off to the right start.
Luckily, Will still hasn't gotten the whole idea of picking things up and putting them in your mouth to eat. He gets puffs, fruit, and basically anything I give him to eat plastered all over his hands, and then, he holds out his hands and screams to indicate to me that they are dirty, and he would like for me to remove this slimy stuff. He never tries to get any of it in his mouth. Now, with the poop on his hands, I was thrilled that he had not met this developmental milestone!
Also, thankfully, Marie was not home, or else she would have also been in the middle of that mess. She spent the night at Marmie's house last Friday. Therefore, we only had 2 babies to clean up, one dog to shoo away from the poo, and one section of carpet to clean. Easy enough...it's all about teamwork.
That poopie episode quickly turned into a day full of poops. Abby and Marie had all out diarrhea and a lot of it! Will held up fine (diarrhea free) all weekend, but as soon as it cleared up for the girls, he came in strong with is own case. Now he's throwing up and pooping like crazy. Good, smelly times at the Zeigler headquarters!
Friday, June 19, 2009
Boys and their balls
I'm not talking about baseballs, basketballs, footballs, etc. I'm talking about their actual balls, or shall I say sac, scrotum, nards, beans, nuts? Whatever. Will's obsession with them and his winky has already begun. Why does it start so soon?
Whenever I try to change Will's diaper, he reaches down and grabs himself. Fine, I get it...it feels good. However, when he has crapped himself, and it's everywhere, I don't want him to reach down and grab a handful of poop. Inevitably, this happens almost daily now.
I guess I have to get used to it. This behavior will now last the rest of his life. Hopefully not the grabbing a handful of do-do, but the whole messing with his willy is going to just get worse.
Speaking of terms for male anatomy, I have a funny story from our beach trip with Marmie. Mems was talking on the phone to someone about a broken toilet in one of the units she manages, and she said it needed a new ball-cock. I turned to Billy and said, "Mems said cock and balls." Well, Mems heard me, and she asked the lady on the phone, "It's called a ball-cock, right?" Then, Billy and I lost it. We started laughing uncontrollably. Mems started laughing too, but she was trying to make a serious call, and she had to hold it in. She kept telling us to stop, but she couldn't stop herself either.
Again, I have to ask: are we mature enough to be parents? Shouldn't we be able to hear silly words without cracking up? We're going to be hopeless when the kids say things they shouldn't. We'll just laugh.
Even though we aren't mature enough to have kids, we do, and here they are:
Sisters just hanging out on the couch. They look so big!
We decided to take a dip in the baby pool today to cool off. It was in the mid 90s here. I put a bathing suit on Marie, but Billy said we could go all redneck and have the others half-naked since we were in the backyard. They had a great time splashing around.
We used our choo-choo wagon for the first time this week. Isn't this thing hilarious? They really enjoyed the ride. Do you think we got noticed walking around the neighborhood with this thing?
They all love this little corner of the playroom between the couch and the wall. They like for us to chase them, and they will crawl into this corner to hide. They peak out from around the couch and laugh hysterically when they see one of us. They are just so interactive now. We are having more and more fun everyday.
Since I had a picture of the girls without Will, I had to get a shot of him solo. Doesn't he look adorable? Not like the kind of boy who would grab himself every chance he gets.
Whenever I try to change Will's diaper, he reaches down and grabs himself. Fine, I get it...it feels good. However, when he has crapped himself, and it's everywhere, I don't want him to reach down and grab a handful of poop. Inevitably, this happens almost daily now.
I guess I have to get used to it. This behavior will now last the rest of his life. Hopefully not the grabbing a handful of do-do, but the whole messing with his willy is going to just get worse.
Speaking of terms for male anatomy, I have a funny story from our beach trip with Marmie. Mems was talking on the phone to someone about a broken toilet in one of the units she manages, and she said it needed a new ball-cock. I turned to Billy and said, "Mems said cock and balls." Well, Mems heard me, and she asked the lady on the phone, "It's called a ball-cock, right?" Then, Billy and I lost it. We started laughing uncontrollably. Mems started laughing too, but she was trying to make a serious call, and she had to hold it in. She kept telling us to stop, but she couldn't stop herself either.
Again, I have to ask: are we mature enough to be parents? Shouldn't we be able to hear silly words without cracking up? We're going to be hopeless when the kids say things they shouldn't. We'll just laugh.
Even though we aren't mature enough to have kids, we do, and here they are:
Sisters just hanging out on the couch. They look so big!
We decided to take a dip in the baby pool today to cool off. It was in the mid 90s here. I put a bathing suit on Marie, but Billy said we could go all redneck and have the others half-naked since we were in the backyard. They had a great time splashing around.
We used our choo-choo wagon for the first time this week. Isn't this thing hilarious? They really enjoyed the ride. Do you think we got noticed walking around the neighborhood with this thing?
They all love this little corner of the playroom between the couch and the wall. They like for us to chase them, and they will crawl into this corner to hide. They peak out from around the couch and laugh hysterically when they see one of us. They are just so interactive now. We are having more and more fun everyday. 
Since I had a picture of the girls without Will, I had to get a shot of him solo. Doesn't he look adorable? Not like the kind of boy who would grab himself every chance he gets. Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Hamming it up!
I had to share some especially cute pictures!
They all love to stand. This little table lights up and plays songs when you push buttons. It's intended for one baby so you can tell it's a little tight with the trio crowding all around it. Sometimes, one will get super-possessive and just hunch over all the buttons and crowd the others out. That's when fights, screaming, slapping, and biting break out. Madness!
We started trying the feeding table again last week, but it didn't go over so great. They were grabbing each other's hair, slapping, poking in the eyes, etc. We quickly decided to move back to our highchairs. I think the table is going to be great in a couple of weeks when we try coloring. It will be good to have them contained so that they don't color all over the place. We can also do play-dough here. It will be a great activity table.
They all love to stand. This little table lights up and plays songs when you push buttons. It's intended for one baby so you can tell it's a little tight with the trio crowding all around it. Sometimes, one will get super-possessive and just hunch over all the buttons and crowd the others out. That's when fights, screaming, slapping, and biting break out. Madness!
We started trying the feeding table again last week, but it didn't go over so great. They were grabbing each other's hair, slapping, poking in the eyes, etc. We quickly decided to move back to our highchairs. I think the table is going to be great in a couple of weeks when we try coloring. It will be good to have them contained so that they don't color all over the place. We can also do play-dough here. It will be a great activity table. What is with Abby's little leaning forward pose? Notice Marie's bed head? There's an even better shot of it below.
Monday, June 8, 2009
The Beach!
We just took our first family trip to the beach, and whoa, was that ever an adventure! Gone are the days of relaxing vacations. Now, it's mass chaos!
We took off on Sunday morning after their breakfast. However, it was a little later than anticipated because we (well, Billy) had to load up the car. We ended up hitting the road around 10:30 a.m. The kids were fine for the first couple of hours. They played for a while, babbled, and then fell asleep. However, when they woke up, they wanted to eat. We had to push through to Montgomery to find a decent place to eat with them. They cried for about the last 30 minutes.
In Montgomery, we went to Cracker Barrel. Yes, this is a "decent" place. Suck it if you think it's not. It's Alabama, people...slim pickins. They had a few minute wait so I set the kids up outside in a shady, grassy area and fed them lunch there. It was their first picnic! I saved their dessert for when we sat down because I knew we would have some down time between when we ordered and when our food arrived. Feeding them is a perfect way to keep them occupied.
Inside the restaurant, everyone stared at us and commented on our "3 boys." Abby and Marie have earrings! Why do people think they are boys? Okay, so their hair doesn't do them any favors, but still, c'mon now.
Billy and I took shifts taking each one to the bathroom for diaper changes. Then, we each took a turn going to the bathroom. They behaved beautifully through the whole meal. They are such fake angels!
When we got back in the car, they played for a while again and then fell back to sleep. When we were about 45 minutes from the beach, they started to fall apart. I only had a few toys in front with me, and every time I would give them something, they would throw it. I was giving them anything and everything to keep them busy...my watch, Billy's watch, empty water bottles, my cell phone, etc. Anyway, we made it there, but we were a bit frazzled.
As soon as we arrived in our condo, we trashed the place. Basically, we unloaded all of our baby stuff, and it was everywhere! It was like Babies R Us had exploded in there. It made it so much worse because it was all crammed into a small space.
That evening, we went down to the "lily pad," which is a little area with water fountains and very shallow water. Abby took to it immediately. She was all smiles. Will liked it fine, but Marie had a meltdown. She started twisting her ankles and wrists and making the face where she lifts her top lip, crinkles her nose, and sniffs air rapidly.
As far as the beach went, we only made it out there once with the babies. It was such a production! Billy set up a tent for us. Then, we had to get the babies in their swimmer diapers, put them in bathing suits, spray them with sunscreen, pack their beach bag, and get ourselves together. Needless to say, we didn't make it out to the beach until a little after 10 a.m., which is their nap time. Will and Abby are a bit more flexible about their sleeping, but Marie NEEDS her beauty sleep. After all, her nickname is little bear because she loves to hibernate.
Abby and Will played in the baby pool that we brought down to the beach, but Marie just cried. We started to get worried that Marie was going to have to spend the entire vacation indoors because she was so deathly opposed to all bodies of water. I just couldn't understand because she LOVES her baths.
It turned out she was just tired every time we took her to play. After one of her marathon naps, Billy took her to the pool alone. He worked hard to get her used to the water slowly and before long, she was happy playing in the water. Way to go, Dad!
Not only did we get some good times with the babies, but Billy and I also got some good date time. Mems took care of the babies so that Billy and I could go out to dinner together. She also watched the kids for us a couple of times so that we could go to the beach and relax. It was great having her there to help us so much. However, she had a rough vacation. Sorry, Mems!
Here are some pictures of our adventures:
Abby relaxing after a morning at the pool.
Our condo full of baby crap.
The babies having lunch.
Will playing in the lily pad.
Staring out the window of our 18th floor condo.
Dad and Abby were exhausted after a morning at the beach.
Family fun!
Will looking cool at dinner. We took the trio out to dinner one night at the beach.
The baby pool at the beach. Abby proceeded to dive out of it when she was all wet, which was super nasty because she got covered in sand. She also tried to eat sand a few times. Yummy.
Marie finally relaxing in the water.
Marie and dad out on the balcony.
Everyone in the pool on their floats. Marie loved the float with the turtle. She would hold on to that thing and peak around it's head. Will and Abby just floated along peacefully.
Will and Abby are having fun splashing at the lily pad, while Marie is being held by daddy.
We took off on Sunday morning after their breakfast. However, it was a little later than anticipated because we (well, Billy) had to load up the car. We ended up hitting the road around 10:30 a.m. The kids were fine for the first couple of hours. They played for a while, babbled, and then fell asleep. However, when they woke up, they wanted to eat. We had to push through to Montgomery to find a decent place to eat with them. They cried for about the last 30 minutes.
In Montgomery, we went to Cracker Barrel. Yes, this is a "decent" place. Suck it if you think it's not. It's Alabama, people...slim pickins. They had a few minute wait so I set the kids up outside in a shady, grassy area and fed them lunch there. It was their first picnic! I saved their dessert for when we sat down because I knew we would have some down time between when we ordered and when our food arrived. Feeding them is a perfect way to keep them occupied.
Inside the restaurant, everyone stared at us and commented on our "3 boys." Abby and Marie have earrings! Why do people think they are boys? Okay, so their hair doesn't do them any favors, but still, c'mon now.
Billy and I took shifts taking each one to the bathroom for diaper changes. Then, we each took a turn going to the bathroom. They behaved beautifully through the whole meal. They are such fake angels!
When we got back in the car, they played for a while again and then fell back to sleep. When we were about 45 minutes from the beach, they started to fall apart. I only had a few toys in front with me, and every time I would give them something, they would throw it. I was giving them anything and everything to keep them busy...my watch, Billy's watch, empty water bottles, my cell phone, etc. Anyway, we made it there, but we were a bit frazzled.
As soon as we arrived in our condo, we trashed the place. Basically, we unloaded all of our baby stuff, and it was everywhere! It was like Babies R Us had exploded in there. It made it so much worse because it was all crammed into a small space.
That evening, we went down to the "lily pad," which is a little area with water fountains and very shallow water. Abby took to it immediately. She was all smiles. Will liked it fine, but Marie had a meltdown. She started twisting her ankles and wrists and making the face where she lifts her top lip, crinkles her nose, and sniffs air rapidly.
As far as the beach went, we only made it out there once with the babies. It was such a production! Billy set up a tent for us. Then, we had to get the babies in their swimmer diapers, put them in bathing suits, spray them with sunscreen, pack their beach bag, and get ourselves together. Needless to say, we didn't make it out to the beach until a little after 10 a.m., which is their nap time. Will and Abby are a bit more flexible about their sleeping, but Marie NEEDS her beauty sleep. After all, her nickname is little bear because she loves to hibernate.
Abby and Will played in the baby pool that we brought down to the beach, but Marie just cried. We started to get worried that Marie was going to have to spend the entire vacation indoors because she was so deathly opposed to all bodies of water. I just couldn't understand because she LOVES her baths.
It turned out she was just tired every time we took her to play. After one of her marathon naps, Billy took her to the pool alone. He worked hard to get her used to the water slowly and before long, she was happy playing in the water. Way to go, Dad!
Not only did we get some good times with the babies, but Billy and I also got some good date time. Mems took care of the babies so that Billy and I could go out to dinner together. She also watched the kids for us a couple of times so that we could go to the beach and relax. It was great having her there to help us so much. However, she had a rough vacation. Sorry, Mems!
Here are some pictures of our adventures:
Abby relaxing after a morning at the pool.
Our condo full of baby crap.
The babies having lunch.
Will playing in the lily pad.
Staring out the window of our 18th floor condo.
Dad and Abby were exhausted after a morning at the beach.
Family fun!
Will looking cool at dinner. We took the trio out to dinner one night at the beach.
The baby pool at the beach. Abby proceeded to dive out of it when she was all wet, which was super nasty because she got covered in sand. She also tried to eat sand a few times. Yummy.
Marie finally relaxing in the water.
Marie and dad out on the balcony.
Everyone in the pool on their floats. Marie loved the float with the turtle. She would hold on to that thing and peak around it's head. Will and Abby just floated along peacefully. 
Will and Abby are having fun splashing at the lily pad, while Marie is being held by daddy.Thursday, June 4, 2009
More Videos
Here are Abby and Marie doubled up on the baby swing at the park:
I'm teaching the kids new tricks in Spanish. I tell them to clap in Spanish (aplauso), and they do it. I ask them who says no (quien me dice que no, que no), and they all shake their little heads. It's hilarious. I'm working on waving now. I say, "Hola!," and Abby and Marie wave. Will still claps. He's a little confused. I'll film that one when they have it all worked out. In this video (below), Billy is trying to get them to do their tricks, and you can see his head shaking. Abby looks totally disinterested in his request. She's all caught up counting her fingers.
Here is Will swinging:
Here is everyone eating lunch and getting super messy:
We are currently at the beach so I'll have some pictures from that when we return. This has not been a relaxing vacation, but it's been an adventure! We are learning a lot and figuring out how to do this along the way. Many thanks to Mems for providing us a free place to stay and helping care for the little ones. We don't know how we would have done it without her.
I'm teaching the kids new tricks in Spanish. I tell them to clap in Spanish (aplauso), and they do it. I ask them who says no (quien me dice que no, que no), and they all shake their little heads. It's hilarious. I'm working on waving now. I say, "Hola!," and Abby and Marie wave. Will still claps. He's a little confused. I'll film that one when they have it all worked out. In this video (below), Billy is trying to get them to do their tricks, and you can see his head shaking. Abby looks totally disinterested in his request. She's all caught up counting her fingers.
Here is Will swinging:
Here is everyone eating lunch and getting super messy:
We are currently at the beach so I'll have some pictures from that when we return. This has not been a relaxing vacation, but it's been an adventure! We are learning a lot and figuring out how to do this along the way. Many thanks to Mems for providing us a free place to stay and helping care for the little ones. We don't know how we would have done it without her.
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