Girls Just Want to Have Fun...

Yep! Leah and I decided we had had enough of the Texas heat so we headed to beautiful Idaho for the fourth of July weekend. I got to finally experience what being a mom to a single baby is like and Clark got to experience single parenthood to twins!

Before purchasing my plane ticket, we weren't sure which baby would come with me. I weighed the pros and cons to flying with each baby and in the end, it was decided that Leah would be the winner. The biggest reason: PACIFIER. She is our only pacifier baby so I knew if a meltdown ensued, the pacifier would be a huge lifesaver. Zachary sucks his thumb and when he starts to freak, I can't force his thumb into his mouth. Believe me, I've tried. At church when he is way past his nap time and we're trying to get him to sleep, he cries and cries and cries until he is utterly exhausted. All the while, never putting his thumb in his mouth. Just a stubborn kid. So that posed a problem. Plus, he's so hyper and active there would've been NO way he'd sit in my lap for a 3 1/2 hour plane ride. He was number three on the list. Caleb was the runner up. He is so sociable and not afraid of strangers. He loves to cuddle and I figured he would have no problem sitting on my lap for an extended period of time. HOWEVER, he doesn't suck his thumb or take a pacifier so if previously mentioned meltdown occurred, there would be NO way I'd be able to soothe him. He can scream really loud too. Usually a change of scenery, walking around, or loud music helps stop his madness. All of which are not generally attainable or acceptable on a plane. Soooo....he was eliminated. Although Leah has her moments, she is very manageable with a pacifier and also loves being held. Plus, it just felt right leaving all the boys home to wrestle and play.

So the girls headed off to Idaho. As soon as I entered the airport to fly out and got in the security line, I was no longer a 'triplet mom.' People weren't gawking or awkwardly trying to catch a glimpse of our craziness which I don't mind...it was just strange that it wasn't happening. I strolled right along without any problem. I'll be honest, it was kind of an identity crisis. Whenever someone did mention Leah or ask a question about her, I usually found a way to bring up the fact that she is a triplet. I couldn't help myself! Seriously, every time. I never knew how to really phrase the fact that she has brothers that are also triplets. One time I said this:

'She has triplet brothers.' The person thought she had three brothers who were triplets. So the next time I said this:

'She has twin brothers.' Same thing happened. I mean, the boys are in a triplet set but they could be considered twins too.... Point is, I'm not sure how to say that she has younger brothers that are also triplets.

So anyway, the plane ride went great. Leah was just closing her eyes during our first take off when the one year old next to us had a meltdown which woke her up and she didn't sleep a wink the rest of the flight (while the one year old slept the entire way). When we were making our final descent, she did finally fall asleep sitting straight up. Funny. This resulted in a grand total of seven minutes of napping that day. She was exhausted! She slept like an angel that night. However, with the time change and the fact that she is usually awake before 6am in Texas, she was up in the four o'clock hour in Idaho. Yuck. Since we weren't going to be there an extended period of time, I just kept her on the Texas schedule and we did a 5am-5pm. Or close to that. Seemed to work just fine but 5am is early no matter what way you look at it.

The first thing we did when we arrived was head straight to Cafe Rio. Yes please! I have been craving a pork salad for over two years and I finally had one. Just as delicious as I remember. I also had one the day we flew back but couldn't finish it because I was anxious about my short layover in Denver (which ended up not being a problem). Bummer. Wish I could've taken it with me!

Besides Cafe Rio, our weekend was full of morning walks, hanging at the lake, playing with cousins, swinging, napping at the park, and much more. We were hanging lakeside watching others take a ride in the boat in the next picture. Leah thought staying on ground and sucking on blocks would be less risky than a boat ride.


Almost my whole family was around so we spent lots of time together swimming, eating, chatting, and even having a delicious picnic. There was a pool where we had our picnic so we were watching all the cousins and uncles swim. The pool was at maximum capacity so they were sending people away. That day was one of the first hot, non-windy days of summer.


Unfortunately, because Leah was so totally out of her element and meeting so many new people in such a short period of time, she had MAJOR stranger anxiety. She was extremely clingy and would not let me out of her sight. She wouldn't tolerate anyone else holding her so I had her on my hip for most of the time. Here's what I saw all weekend:


I asked my Mom to watch her in the tub while I grabbed her pajamas and I came back to this sad face. Her behavior was very uncharacteristic but understandable at the same time. She hasn't been away from her brothers since birth. Literally, every activity we do is together so with her being in a different house with no brothers within a foot of her was a little unsettling. Once we got back to Texas, she was back to her old self. I can't wait for my family to see Leah again when her brothers are around. I'm sure she'll be much more fun. :) Even though she was clingy, she was still as cute as ever. It was pretty cold in the mornings so when we went on walks I bundled her up nice and warm like an eskimo. I didn't come very prepared with warm clothing so I did my best.


The afternoons and evenings were so beautiful and warm. I love being outside in the summer in Idaho. You just can't beat it! One of my great friends came to visit me while I was in town and had made the cutest hats for the babies. They are called Upcycled Hats because they are made from old kids shirts! Click HERE to get to the girl's blog who came up with the idea. She has a ton of other creative stuff too. Makes me want to get out my sewing machine and get to work! My friend also made some adorable onesies for the trio which has now become their ten-month picture on the sidebar. Here is Leah in her hat before our walk.


Once I got home I got a picture of the boys in their hats. Seriously, so cute. Love.


Clark sister lent us an adorable fourth of July dress which fit Leah perfectly. She was too cute when I got her all dressed up for church.



Surprisingly, many of Clark's family members were also around that weekend (his sister lives in my parent's hometown) so Leah got to meet more aunts, uncles, and cousins as well! Pretty ironic scheduling! Best of all, she got to spend time with her GREAT Grandma and Grandpa Rudd. I was nervous because of the way she had been acting all weekend but when Great Grandma and Grandpa showed up, she was all smiles and sat on both their laps. Such a relief and blessing! She must've known what a special meeting it was. We got some great pictures (taken by Clark's Dad) and I was so grateful she got to meet and see everyone.

Clark's sister Jen, brother Bobby and his wife Amy


Can they get any bluer?


Great Grandpa Rudd telling Leah about all the yummy food he's growing in his garden. Maybe she'll be able to come help pick it one day!


Great Grandma playing Patty Cake.


I enjoyed relaxing over the weekend and seeing what kind of mom I was to one baby. I was definitely still crazy over naps and bedtime but much more relaxed about meals, eating times, taking the food wherever we were going, and whether she was finishing her bottles. I just said whatever and didn't worry about it! For some reason I just can't do that with all three. I would mix her bottle right before giving it to her and that was strange. Usually it's a nightly activity mixing 12 bottles at a time. Because I was able to relax in that way, most of the time I would leave the house totally unprepared for Leah. No diapers, formula, toys, etc... I was definitely off my game. Luckily she is pretty easy going and forgave me for my forgetfulness. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures with her and my family because as soon as I handed her off for someone else to hold, she would start crying! Bummer.

Clark and the boys survived and apparently had a great time. He would take them running every morning, he also took them swinging, swimming, and most importantly, he took them to Home Depot. You know....to get them all familiar with tools and stuff. We're thinking that Caleb will be Dad's helper in the garage and Zachary will just make messes and cause trouble. I guess we'll see. Clark called me the day after I left and said Zachary and Caleb had their first real legitimate fight. Zachary knocked over Caleb, took his toy, then while Zachary was crawling away, Caleb kicked him and knocked him over. By the end, both were crying! So sad.... Unfortunately we'll probably see a lot more of that in the future.

It was nice to get away for a few days because the minute we found out we were expecting triplets, I was not allowed to get on a plane or really travel at all. So this was the first time since we've moved here that I have left! The weekend, of course, was TOO short and it was so nice to see lots of family and friends. Can't wait until the next meeting. Let's hope it's not too far away!

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