Happy 10 months!

10 months old today! 2 months until the big birthday! Plans are in the making already! I tried to take some pictures tonight of them......didn't go so well! They are too busy to stop and smile for me! Here are a few pictures and a video of Brady taking a few steps!

Addie and Brady

Love them!!!!!!!!!!!

10 months--for some reason they love playing in the pack and play together!

CHEESE!

Happy Girl (in her brother's jammies!)

Brady Ryan

Refused to look at me....

Cutie Pies

A few pics from the past few weeks....Enjoy Jake and Sarah :)


He fell asleep this way...



Good Morning Mom!



Hmmm..not sure what that face is all about



Addie Girl lovin life

Look mom--NO HANDS! (the diaper is clean)

Savin that for later, Colin???

Waiting for breakfast. So happy when I sleep for 10 straight hours!!

Life is good.....

The kids are still separated...and sleeping so much better. They are now sleeping anywhere from 10-12 hours at night!! Seems like there are always 2 kids that cry out in the night. But only for about 1-2 minutes. Life is good!!! I should have done this crying it out thing a month ago....

Crying it out...Night #2

I'm trying not to get too excited yet....

Brady was in bed first at 8:15pm. He woke up ONCE at 2:00 and cried for maybe 2 minutes. Fell back asleep until 6:30am!! (Ryan and I get up at 6:30 to get ready for work so this isn't really too early for us.) He was obviously still a little tired because he went right back to sleep after his bottle and got up at 7:30am.

Colin went to bed at 9:00pm. He still wasn't up when I left for work at 7:45am! (Yes, he was breathing! I checked on him before I left!) No peeps from him all night!!!! I went to bed at 9:00 after putting Colin down! Love 9:00 bedtime!

Addison went to bed at 10:00pm. As Brady was crying at 2:00am, I went downstairs to turn up the heat. Just as I hit the bottom step, Addie started whining. I stuck her binky in quick and went back to bed. Not sure if she could hear Brady or what? She slept until 6:45am!

I woke up a HAPPY camper this morning. Pretty much got 9 hours of sleep last night. Not getting too excited yet. We're going to continue to separate for several more days.

I do think our next plan to do get the spare bedroom ready for Addie. The plan was to move her in there eventually anyway. Didn't think it would be this early though. Better get your paintbrush ready, Ryan!

Just do it already!!

Brady is so close to taking off on his 2 little feet...He is so confident and I'm just dying to watch him toddle behind me! He has taken 4-5 steps at a time on his own and then falls down. He took 5 good steps yesterday while my friend Amber was here.   A few more weeks and he'll be ready I hope?! It's so fun to watch him go from one piece of furniture to another without hanging on to anything. We did get 2 toys from a few friends that help the kids learn to walk. Colin is not in to it like the other 2 are. Brady and Addie love walking behind the toys. Addie has come a long way in a few short days too. They all will now stand in the middle of the room for at least 10-15 seconds without holding on to anything. Anxious to see if Brady really does walk first...and within a few weeks?!The image of 3 toddlers walking behind me excites me!

I can never get Brady on camera but here is a little video of Addie! I'll get a video of Brady this week!

Cryin it out....night #1

Some may read this and think I'm the meanest mommy in the world....well, if you had 3 babies getting up all night long, you'd do it too!!

Let me explain....

From 3 months until 7 months old, all 3 babies slept through the night 90% of the time. Well that all changed as of about August 21st. Not sure if it had anything to do with my going back to work? It's not like their schedule really changed......and it's not like they don't know their daycare lady, Grandma!

Anyway...nights have been pure hell at my house the last few months. The kids have been getting up several times in the middle of the night. I think Ryan and I hit rock bottom on Monday night. I swear I was up every 10 minutes with someone. Ryan swears he was too. After talking to a few friends yesterday, I decided that the kids would just have to CRY IT OUT last night.......... Ryan was a little nervous about the whole ideea. I felt guilty going to bed last night knowing I would be listening to them cry in just a few hours. UGH! Brady was definitley the worst...just like I knew he'd be. BUT..we survived. We'll do it again tonight, too.

I'm thinking it's time to move Addie to her own room. I wish we had a 4th bedroom because I want to separate the boys, too. Maybe we'll start looking for a bigger house.....ha, in my dreams!

Here's how it all went down last night...

Colin was in bed 1st at about 9:15. He slept in the spare bedroom in the pack-and-play. He got up once at about 10:30 and only cried/whined for about 5 minutes. I didn't even go in there. He fell back asleep and slept until 7:30! YES!

Brady was in bed 2nd at about 9:30. He slept in his crib in his room..with the door shut tight. I knew he'd cry the loudest. He woke up at about 2:30am...and sobbed. :( I about started to cry myself. I went in after 5 minutes and tried to lay him down and pat his back. No talking. He cried a little harder and I left. I waited another 5 minutes and tried it again. Still mad at me. Finally after another 5 minutes...silence. He slept until 6:30am. Another success!


Addie was in bed last at 9:45. She slept in the pack-and-play in the living room. She woke up at 10:30 and cried for about 5 minutes. Hearing that little munchkin cry about killed me. I went downstairs, rubbed her back for 5 secounds and stuck her binky in her mouth. I didn't pick her up or talk to her. She slept until 4:30am and cried for about 1 minute and feel back asleep on her own. She didn't get up until 7:30 am!! YES! I will count that as a huge success. A lot better than getting up 5 times with her like the previous night!

Doesn't sound too horrible, right? Anyone reading this ever had to do this with their kids? How many days did it take?  We'll see how night #2 goes tonight.......say a little prayer for us!

First Haircuts!

My shaggy little puppies...I mean.. my darling little boys have had their first haircut already! I had a hair appointment on Saturday and thought I'd let the boys get a quick trim, too! Their hair was growing over their ears and they were looking a little shaggy! They sat on my lap and did just fine! Most people probably can't even tell they got their haircut but I sure can! They look so much older!! Here are a few pics. (Please pay no attention to me. My cut and color was AFTER their appointment!)

Brady getting trimmed!

Colin

9 Month Appointment

We had our 9 month appointment (technically 9 1/2 months old) for the kiddos today. I always look forward to hearing what the pediatrician has to say about the kids and their development. I try not to worry too much about their development....they can be behind the average 9 month old because they were premature. The "rule" with a preemie baby is that they always catch up by the age of 2.  I'm happy to report that Dr. Beck says we're not behind...but a little ahead of the game! He sees no concerns and was very impressed with their walking/standing abilities. He was telling us what to be looking for in the next months---pulling themselves up to a stand, walking around furniture, crawling up the stairs, etc. We've been doing that for months! The kiddos also got a flu shot (only a few tears from the boys) and had their finger pricked...without a peep. We will go back in December for their 1 year appointment!!




Here are a few updates on the kiddos!


Addie
Birth weight- 3 lbs 8 oz
9 month weight- 18 lbs 8 oz
Length-28 inch
Teeth-2
Likes-bathtime, climbing up the stairs, playing peek-a-boo, eating snacks (and not eating her lunch), her binky, playing outside, playing on the kitchen floor
Dislikes-wearing a bib and getting her nose wiped
Words-dada, mama
Doctor's Notes- Says she's very healthy and doing just fine! I worry sometimes because she doesn't eat as much as the boys and is smaller. He says she's fine! She is in the 40%ile for weight. Was impressed how well she walked with assistance.




Brady
Birth weight- 3 lbs. 14 oz.
9 month weight- 20 lbs
Length-28 1/2 in
Teeth-6
Likes-pushing buttons on the computer, dancing with his mommy, when his momma kisses the corners of his mouth, eating his fruits/veges, sticking his hands/head/arms under running water while taking a bath, pulling hair, sleeping on his side
Dislikes-getting his diaper changed, getting his diaper changed, and getting his diaper changed............
Words- dada (all day long), mama
Doctor's Notes- Also says he's doing great. Was impressed most by his walking abilities. He is very steady and walks flat on his feet. He has taken 2 and 3 steps on his own several times. He'll be walking first for sure...NOT Colin. He is in the 50%ile for his weight.




Colin
Birth weight- 4 lbs
9 month weight- 21 lbs 14 oz
Length-29 1/4 in
Teeth-5 and the i can see the 6th one
Likes-playing outside, bathtime, crawling on whoever is laying on the floor, the remote control, playing with his brother and sister, pulling hair, picking on Addie, mandarin oranges, standing on the couch to look out the window
Dislikes-getting his diaper changed
Words: dada, mama
Doctor's Notes-Most impressed by his weight and how much he's grown. Again, very healthy! He is in the 70%ile for his weight.

Grandma's Pics

I downloaded mom's pictures onto my computer and found some cute ones to post!

Love these 3!

Get me out of here!!!!!!!!!

Funniest thing I've seen in a long time.......Brady pushed Addie around!!

Addie loved sitting in this!

Grandma's attempt at a photo shoot.

Colin

The boys don't suck on the binky...just chew on it! They like to steal it out of Addie's mouth!

9 month pictures

9 months old and growing up too fast...
We had our 9 month pictures taken a few weeks ago. I was SOOOO excited to have them taken OUTSIDE........not the best idea I've ever had! The kids were good BUT wouldn't look at the camera! They wanted to pick up the rocks, eat the grass and touch anything they could get their hands on! Addie rarely even looked up. Apparently we don't let them go outside in the grass enough! Too much to see and touch! They also wouldn't give us very many smiles. Again, too much to look at to concentrate on us! They actually turned out pretty cute.

And the best part---When I went to order them, I had a few picked out. (It's expensive so I usually don't get tons and tons of pictures.) As I told him my order was complete, he looked at me with a smile and told me to get a bunch more because they were ALL FREE! Doesn't get much better than that! (The reason for being free--Our photographer at Reynold's Photography is hired by Ryan to take all the photos at The Y. He takes thousands of pictures of the kid for their sports pictures each year...and makes tons of money off of that. I think he wants to make Ryan happy so that Ryan will keep hiring him each year!) Works for me!

Our Family!

The best we could do with all 3!

Brady and Colin

Colin looks so grown up!

Love Brady's face!

Addie Girl

Love her!!!!!!!

Sweet baby boy

The only smile we had all day long!

Last to Crawl...First to Walk???

Colin was the last to crawl...but may be the first to walk? He still has a ways to go but his balance is a lot better than the other two kids. He's getting pretty good at standing without help...but doesn't act like he's ready to take a step on his own. Here is a video of him showing off his new skill!!

And a video of the kids doing their favorite thing...crawling up the stairs for bathtime!

The kids celebrated their 9 month birthday yesterday! Getting so big! Their 9 month pics should be in tomorrow. Will post them soon!

NO, NO ADDIE......

The title explains it all...

Standing on the chair.....and later fell on her head.

In the TV stand having a good time...

Playing on the laundry basket

Crawling into the basket to get up the stairs.....and was very successful. (I need a new plan.)

And just a picture to make you smile. Love coming home to this!!!!!!



RUB-A-DUB-DUB....

3 BABIES IN THE TUB!!

I love bath time...definitely my favorite part of the evening! We've retired their little blue tub and give them a bath in the big tub now. Lots of people ask how bath time goes....and they all wonder if it's chaos. Actually, it's wonderful. We have a good system going....


We start with 1 baby in the tub. Wash him/her. Throw in baby number 2. Wash him/her. Throw in the fnal baby and let them all play for as long as that will last. I actually sit on a small stool in the back of the tub. Makes it way easier to wash them. Soon all 4 of us won't fit in the tub! Daddy pulls them out 1 by 1 and diapers them and puts them in their crib to play while we deal with the other two or clean up. Believe it or not, it's not as much work as you'd think. They love it so that helps too........HOWEVER, it is a HUGE fight to get on their pj's at night! They won't sit still.......EVER.

Brady wants to join!

Addie found her binky in the tub and put it in her mouth. She is liking it more and more each day.....Not sure how I feel about it!



A boring Friday night!

Colin  (look at my teeth!)

Full of smiles (and full of shit!)

My little princess

Brady Ryan

Sibling Love

"Hey Brady...let's push her over when she's not looking!"

Our Friday night plan was to go to the football game but the rain ruined that idea. Nothing exciting going on here. We've had a VERY ROUGH 2 1/2 weeks but I'm thinking that's over. The kids haven't been sleeping through the night and wake up several times crying. My guess is that it was their teeth. They've made it the last 2 nights sleeping from 10ish to 7ish if not later. Hoping that continues because Ryan and I have been CRABBY!

We re-arranged the living room so they have more freedom to roam. The last few nights have been wonderful...they will play for an hour or even more without anyone needing anything from us! I can get a lot more done at night now! They are at such a fun age but growing up too fast! We'll be 9 months old in less than 2 weeks! (9 month pics to come soon!! Check back to see them!)

Labor Day Weekend

Had a nice LONG weekend! We spent Saturday-Monday in Marcus. Jake, Sarah and Samantha were all home so the house was full! We didn't do too much..just hung out and ate a lot! We did take the kids out to eat to a nice restaurant for the first time (other than Pizza Hut and Dairy Queen)! They were really good....we'll have to try that again soon!

On Saturday, the babies surprised Gma with a Donna Bird Birthday Cake for her 50th Birthday!

Daddy was excited for Saturday because it was the Hawkeyes first game! The boys were excited, too!

Daddy loved our outfits!

We took lots of walks while we were visiting Gma and Gpa. Look at our cute new zip-ups!