Friday, January 30, 2009

Triplet's Photo Shoot




I decided to have the triplet's photos taken today. We had the first time slot of the day, and two managers doing the photographing. I started preparing for the big event at 6 am. I showered, got dressed, had breakfast, served Bridget her breakfast, got Bridget dressed, did her hair, fed a baby or two, changed a baby or two, got the diaper bag packed, and started getting the babies dressed in their outfits. Shawn finished dressing the babies so that I could finish getting myself ready. At 9:20, Liam decided he was hungry. By 9:45 we were out the door. 

The photo shoot went well, Megan was the most difficult. She got hungry near the end. We got some very cute photos that are posted at My Mobile Me gallery.

After the photos were purchased, the 6 of us went to the food court to grab a bite for lunch. The babies had been fed while waiting on the photographer, and were happily sleeping in their strollers. It was nice to eat lunch with both Shawn and Bridget and without hearing a baby crying. It's been a long time since that's happened. 

When we got back to our house, Grandma Joan and Grandpa Bill were there. They helped out with the babies today. Shawn was able to get a little work done, and I got most of the laundry put away. 

Early afternoon: Bridget took a nap!  Yeay!

When dinnertime rolled around, Aunt Tina, Kaitlyn and Ann joined us and Grandma and Grandpa. It was nice having dinner at the table with everyone, and again, no crying babies. Well, Megan cried a bit, but Auntie Tina took care of her. Bridget and Kaitlyn enjoyed eating dinner together, and were holding hands at the table and screaming and screetching because they were so excited. Ann just watched and soaked up everything. 

The majority of the evening B and K played together, having fun, hooting and hollering, while the adults struggled to hear each other. Despite the ruckus, it was a nice evening. 

Kaitlyn invited Bridget over tomorrow to play, so Bridget is very excited to do that. Shawn and I invited Brenda and Paul over tomorrow night to watch the UFC fights. So as long as the babies cooperate, it should be a pretty nice day!

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Inauguration Day & Sandy's Birthday






Well today we witnessed history with the inauguration of Barack Obama. The 6 of us watched the event with Aunt Noreen in our living room. Though Bridget was more interested in having Noreen read a book to her than watch tv, and the triplets, of course, were sleeping. 

It was nice visiting with Aunt Noreen. Bridget got two more birthday presents, that she immediately played with. Bridget and I played two games of Memory, and when Noreen left, Bridget put together the puzzle that Noreen gave her.  She also has been addicted to her Tag books that Aunt Tina got her for her birthday. I think she's logged at least 5 hours of playing with her Tag book today! 

Little Miss Bridget also took a 3 hour nap today! Probably because she woke up at 5 am when the babies were up to feed. Today was a great day for a nap because it gave Shawn and I time to feed, change and clothe the babies for our trip to Grandma Joan's house. We had to wake Bridget up in order to leave on time!

So then we went to Grandma Joan's to have pizza with the birthday girl, Aunt Sandy. Of course, we had Phil's Pizza, the world's best pizza. Aunt Judy and Uncle Len also stopped by, and Ann was there too, since Tina, Dave and Kaitlyn are enjoying a vacation in Disney World. (Hope they are having lots of fun!)

After a very yummy dinner, Shawn and I snuck out to the mall so that Shawn could get some new jeans and pants. (His current jeans are horrid!) We got to the mall only an hour before closing time, so we had to move fast, but it was still nice to get out together. I think that was the 2nd time that Shawn and I got out on our own since the babies were born. And this trip to Grandma's was only our 6th outing as a family of 6. (Yes, for now, I AM counting because it's so rare!)

When we got back to Grandma's, it was feeding time. So Grandma, Shawn and I all fed a baby, and Grandpa took over for Shawn so he could warm up and pack up the van. I think we finally got out of there around 10:30 pm. Much too late! Bridget passed out in the van, as did the babies. I thought about napping, but I had napped on the way up, so I wasn't tired. 

When we got home, we unpacked, got bottles washed and ready, and before we knew it, the babies were hungry again. Such is our lives these days! I can't wait till they space out their feedings a bit more. 


Monday, January 19, 2009

First Outing




 
The six of us went for our first outing today. Of course, we went to the mall. We all love the mall! It only took 2 hours to get ready to leave by feeding the babies, packing the diaper bag, packing up the van, and getting Bridget ready. Good thing the mall is only minutes from our house!

Megan rode around the mall in our single stroller, while Holly and Liam shared our double stroller. (We will get a triple stroller when they can sit up.) It was nice to get out for a few hours. I had forgotten that Aunt Tina was planning on stopping by our house to drop off Bridget's birthday present (she forgot it yesterday), so she ended up meeting us at the mall a bit later. We all had dinner together, and of course, Bridget, Kaitlyn and Ann had lots of fun together. 

Both Tina and I found some great deals at Kay-Bee Toys, since they're going out of business. Other than that, we mostly window-shopped. Afterwards, the girls got to play in the play area, then we all headed to our house for awhile. 

Poor Bridget was WAY TOO TIRED, and she ended up throwing a HUGE tantrum while playing the Cinderella game with Kaitlyn. So unfortunately, Bridget missed out on some of the fun, since she was sent to her room to calm down. Kaitlyn helped by holding a baby during this time. Auntie Tina also pitched in with feeding the babies and changing diapers. 

We now know that we can survive a 3 hour trip out of the house. I just hope the triplets are always this well behaved when we're out!

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Birthday Party

Just a quick thank you to everyone who attended Bridget's party. She had a great time and really enjoyed all of her gifts. We've been playing with all the new toys, and putting new clothes into her dresser drawers. 

She's so cute, she always wants to know who got her what. So if she's getting dressed in the morning, she'll ask, "Did you buy me this shirt, Mom? Is it from Target?" and I'll have to give her the details of where the shirt came from. If it was from me, she'll say, "Thanks for the buying me this shirt, Mom." It's really cute! And her memory is flawless! She'll remember everything I tell her. So I'm looking forward to conversations with Bridget about her new birthday clothes!

Also, thanks to everyone who cared for Holly, Megan and Liam during the party. It's nice to get a break! Thanks to Grandma Joan for letting us borrow her house for the party. And great cake, Tina! You did a wonderful job on the Glass Slipper cake!


 

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Bridet's Winter Program

Today was Bridget's Winter Program for day care.  It was originally scheduled for a Saturday in December, but the weather was bad. That turned out good for us because we wouldn't have made it to the previous date. But today, Shawn offered to stay with the babies so I could watch Bridget's performance. 

It was very cute! Each classroom sang a song or two.  The littlest kids just shook bells to the tune of jingle bells while the older kids did more elaborate dances and hand gestures to holiday songs.  Bridget's class sang Rudolph, Jingle Bells, and S-A-N-T-A. She actually sang the words too! I was very proud of her.

After the show we had a cookie, talked about the show, and headed home. It was very nice to spend some time alone with Bridget. I think we both miss all the time we used to spend together while I was home on house rest.  On the other hand, I wished that Shawn and the babies could be there too.

I've posted photos and a very poorly shot video of her performance in My Mobile Me Gallery. Sorry about the video. The room was crowded, and it was hard to keep my hand steady. Bridget's behind the two boys at the far right side of the stage. 

Friday, January 9, 2009

Photo Session


First thing this morning I took Bridget to Sears for her three year photos.  My mom and dad were coming over to help Shawn out with the triplets while we were gone. 

Bridget did very well though she was very disappointed that her favorite photographer, Mr. Josh no longer worked for Sears. After almost 2 hours at Sears, we walked through the mall, and Bridget picked out a special treat: pretzel sticks. She really enjoyed her treat, and after that we headed back home.

Grandma and Grandpa were busy with Megan, Holly and Liam when we got home. Grandpa had also swept off the deck, shoveled the driveway, and took out all the garbage from the cans in the house! What a nice surprise. 

We all ate lunch together, then Grandpa hung up a magnet board in Bridget's room. She really liked that too. Now she had her own place to play with alphabet magnets, and her Hello Kitty and Strawberry Shortcake magnet dress up dolls. 

Before we knew it, it was dinnertime. Grandma and Grandpa joined us for dinner. Bridget liked entertaining our guests with her stories. After dinner, Bridget went to sleep, and Grandma and Grandpa headed home. It was a very nice day for everyone!

Photos from today are posted in My Mobile Me Gallery.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

cleaning out the closet




I've been cleaning out the triplet's closet for days now. Trying to wash, fold, sort, and find storage for all the wonderful clothes that people have bought or passed on to us. I'm very grateful for the clothes, but I'm sick of doing laundry! And seriously, the babies have plenty of clothes in all sizes from preemie through 9 months. 

We've been very lucky to have had Aunt Barb and Uncle Pat spend a good part of the day with us yesterday. This allowed Shawn some time to run errands, and I was able to go to my district office to fill out paperwork. I then stopped by PHSCC for a very brief visit with the office workers and math department. It was nice to see familiar faces again, and good to know that they haven't forgotten me.

Today we were lucky to have Auntie Anna and her friend Megan over to watch Holly, Liam and Megan while Shawn and I took Bridget to her 3 year visit with the pediatrician. It took an hour before we were even called back to the exam room. Of course, Bridget's doing well, but we knew that. She's officially 32 lbs. and 37.5 inches tall. That puts her right smack dab at the 50th percentile. Bridget was very quiet during the exam, so Dr. didn't hear her talk at all, and asked if she's trying to put together sentences yet. Shawn and I had to laugh at that. "She tells us stories!" He asked if she's trying to draw circles instead of scribbling. "She's drawn faces of family members with eyes, noses, mouths and ears!" Dr. said drawing a face with features is a 4 year old milestone. (Yeay, Bridget!)

So then he said she's due for a hepatitis shot and urine sample. Surprisingly, she handled the shot with just a little whine. No tears. I think I was closer to tears than she was! Getting the urine sample was interesting. I tried to get it first, but she couldn't go. So she downed some water, and peed in the cup for Shawn. She was so proud that she ran down the hallway, right past the room where I was waiting, screaming, "I peed in a cup, Mommy! I did it!" The nurses got a kick out of that.

That was our morning. In the afternoon and evening, I tackled more laundry, and storing of the baby clothes. Shawn grocery shopped for the week and took out lots of trash. Bridget had lots of fun playing with Aunt Anna. 

Anna got Bridget ready for bed and read her bedtime stories, which Bridget LOVED. Before we knew it all was silent in the Morris house. WHEW! Thus, I was able to have a few minutes to play online. 


Saturday, January 3, 2009

Triplets: In Numbers

Statistics for the week of December 27, 2008- January 2, 2009

0 hours of free time Shawn and I have per day.
1 of the largest canisters of formula every 3-4 days.
2 loads of dishes (at least) we do a day in the dishwasher.
2.5-3 hours of continuous sleep at night.
3 infants in our house.
4 children three and under in our house.
4 hours between feedings at night.
7-8 feedings per baby per day.
8-9 hours per day spent feeding babies. (That's 8 hours for me AND 8 hours for Shawn!)
10 loads of baby laundry per week.
15 total loads of laundry (at least) per week.
50 minutes was the shortest time it took to feed the babies overnight.
70 minutes average time it takes to feed the babies overnight.
136 bottles per week.
146 diapers per week.
countless photos taken per week!

Anyone looking for a way to help out?!? Here's a few ideas:

--Take Bridget off our hands for an hour or two. She is a big help to us, and she tells us she loves the babies, but she also could use some extra attention. There are many times a day she asks to do something with Shawn or I and we have to tell her "not now" because we're caring for the babies. She loves reading books, playing games, and doing arts and craft projects.

--Help watch the babies in the day time so Shawn or I can catch up on sleep or housework. 

--We can always use diapers (newborn or larger) or formula (Similac Isomil Advance or any soy based formula, powder or liquid).

--Volunteer on a Thursday night. Shawn bowls Thursday nights, and I need someone to help me survive feeding the triplets and putting Bridget to bed.