Part I: Half a Million Dollar Babies...

As the babies' birthday time has approached, I've definitely had a full heart reflecting on this past year and all the blessings our family has received. I've heard mentioned before that some people think having multiples is sad because the babies don't get nearly as much love and affection as one baby would. Love is funny in that way though. You can love someone more and more everyday and never run out! Having three babies hasn't split the love we give...it's just multiplied it and allowed us to love more than we ever thought possible. Three times more to be exact!

We were scared last summer. Scared that all our precaution would be for not. That the babies were going to come too early and we would have a frightful road ahead of us. Then the fear turned to impatience as we were just SO READY to have my triplet pregnancy be over. Then the impatience turned to annoyance. Annoyance with doctors and nurses who kept interrupting, poking, prodding, pushing, asking questions, stating the risk of having babies prematurely, etc... Then the annoyance turned to relief as we reached 32 weeks and knew our babies' chance of survival was far greater than ten weeks before. Then the relief turned into anxiety as I was being wheeled into the delivery room to meet our trio. Then our anxiety turned into joy as we heard each of our babies cry for the first time. Then our emotions came full circle because we were very scared again. Scared that having three new babies at home was going to be the craziest time of our lives. And believe me, it was. Now one year later, our fear has turned into complete exhaustion. :)

I remember everything so clearly about the day they were born. It was a little rainy and my Dad was flying in that afternoon so I was worried about his flight. Clark's sister's family was also stopping through Dallas so I was nervous for them to see how big and awful I looked. I watched my normal shows (Home Improvement and According to Jim) that morning and then I had an unexpected visitor! My next door neighbor had just talked to Clark and found out why she hadn't seen me in a couple months. She rushed to the hospital as soon as she could to see how I was. We had a great visit and when I saw her a couple weeks later, she had knit the most beautiful blankets for the babies. A few hours after she left, my Dad arrived! I was so glad to have family around because that meant that my time in the hospital was soon coming to an end. I still had nine days left before my scheduled c-section. We talked for a while then my perinatologist came to do his weekly exam. Because I had been seen by this doctor so many times, I knew everything he evaluated at each exam. I even knew all the acronyms he used so that I would be able to tell if something was wrong (his assistants would transcribe what he was saying). When he got to Zachary's amniotic sac he said to his assistant that the deep spherical pocket was 1.7 cm. I knew that was bad because it should never be below a 2. He went on with his exam but I knew a discussion was coming. Once finished, he got up and started walking out! Then he turned around and asked how I would feel if I had to give birth that day...if risking early delivery would be preferable to Zachary taking the risk because of his low fluid level. I replied, "I feel fine about it if you do." Then he left. My hopes were not up by any means because I didn't really know what he was implying. A few hours and a piece of peanut butter toast later, I received a call from my OB. He said that he and the peri had talked and felt that delivery should happen right away...as in the next two hours. Zachary needed to come out as he had only grown one ounce in the two weeks prior and was obviously not thriving. My OB was slightly concerned that I had just eaten but figured bread and peanut butter wouldn't be too big a deal (typically you fast before a c-section and because I didn't, everything came back up post surgery). We decided to proceed anyway. Once I hung up the phone I put my hands in the air and said, "we're having some babies today!!!" My Dad had been napping and I startled him by my shout out. He was probably super confused.

Then...it was like a whirlwind. My room was bombarded with people...nurses, doctors, an anesthesiologist, delivery nurse, prep nurse, phlebotomist, registration secretary, etc... I was signing papers, having my blood drawn, and getting an IV all at the same time. An IV that was inserted improperly TWICE. Three times a charm I guess. During all the commotion I started contracting every 2-3 minutes for the first time in my pregnancy. Finally, I got up and went in the bathroom so I could breathe for a second. Clark's sister arrived once the whirlwind died down so I was able to say hi and take some pictures. We were glad they randomly happened to be there for the big day. Then I was wheeled out of my room...NEVER TO RETURN AGAIN! It was so liberating although I was nervous for the surgery. Try bending forward while pregnant with triplets for an epidural insertion. Not so easy. She kept telling me to bend more but I literally could not. So that process took longer than I would've liked but eventually I felt numb and just enjoyed lying FLAT on my back as opposed to my side. Clark joined me at my head and we all know the rest. Three cries for three babies. Unforgettable.

This past year has been, like those couple hours before delivery, a whirlwind. Those first few months are still just a crazy blur for me. The babies were so little and fragile then. I specifically remember those months being particularly hard because we couldn't really ENJOY the babies. We wanted to...we wanted to hug and hold each one as long as possible. But with so little time for anything else, it was more of just getting them fed and getting through the day. Diapers, feeding, diapers, feeding, diapers, feeding. No sleep for the weary.

Clark and I were recently talking about how I was crazy this last year. I can laugh about it now but seriously, I was crazy. For example: He would swaddle a baby then I would reswaddle because I never thought he did it tight enough. Every time he fed and burped a baby, I always spewed out correcting comments on how to do those tasks. The babies bottles were boiled everyday for fear that one of our tiny angels would get sick. There were two lists kept 24/7 of diapers and bottles and I would review them everyday. When I poured bottles, I measured and remeasured to make sure I was pouring EXACTLY the right amount of milliliters. We NEVER deviated from our feeding schedule otherwise I felt like things were out of control. Leah first, followed by Zachary 30 minutes later, then Caleb 30 minutes after that. The list goes on and on of how neurotic I was about everything. I use the word 'was' lightly because old habits die hard. :)

I always knew I was a little uptight during my college years as far as things needing to be organized and micromanaged. When these babies arrived though, that part of me kicked into hyperdrive. I'm so grateful my husband is patient and understanding. He kept me grounded and still encourages me daily. We've actually seen such a positive change in our relationship since the babies arrived. Usually the stress, lack of sleep, and differences in parenting styles can be cause for conflict. However, we feel more like a team, working together in every aspect. Always on the same page and constantly discussing solutions to tough problems. We've been a team since we said 'I do' but it has felt so much more solid this past year. We've enjoyed experiencing this change and are closer as a result.

It was really really hard for me to NEED help to care for the babies in the beginning rather than just want help. I HAD to rely on others because I just didn't have enough hands or energy. Before the babies were born I, along with other multiple moms, had this superwoman complex and I felt like I could do it all! Then reality hit and like I said, we NEEDED help. Our wonderful families sacrificed and joined us in the craziest months of our lives. We could not have done it without them. Most nights I would stay up until around 6am when someone would relieve me and I'd go sleep for several hours. Without an extra set of hands here, I would not have been able to do that. Feeding around the clock or sleep training requires 100% attention and there was no time for napping during the night. If there was, it wasn't a good nap. We basically lived in pajamas around here for at least four months. We never took the babies out on errands or walks because when all was said and done, there was only about 30 minutes of spare time between feedings. Plus, back to my neurotic ways, I was terrified someone might get within five feet and breathe germs all over them.

Then the smiles came, the rolling over, the curiosity, the big eyes, the laughs, and the enjoyment. After getting them to sleep through the night, it was a whole different ball game. Although our help had all left and we were on our own, things were so much more manageable with a good night of sleep.

I think it's safe to say (for me at least) that having ONE baby with severe reflux was FAR more difficult than having three babies in general. I'll never forget me and Zachary crying together after I'd worked so hard to get a few ounces in him and then him projectile vomiting all over. I've never dealt with that type of frustration and feelings of defeat in my whole life. Because I was dealing with it four times a day, everyday. It took a long time for me to come to grips with the fact that he is just a DIFFERENT human being with different metabolism and a different body. I tended to cluster the babies and expected them all to do everything the same. He will likely just be slim his whole life.

Having the trio experience their individual stranger and separation anxiety has been interesting. I wonder sometimes if having just one baby would make me more sympathetic of the behavior. For some reason though, when two babies are playing fine and the third is having a freak out because I've left the room or crying because we have a strange visitor, I get impatient and wonder why the third can't behave like the others. Again, I have to remind myself over and over and over that these are three DIFFERENT individuals. I need to appreciate their separate needs, fears, and personalities.

Once the babies transitioned to two naps a day (around eight months), I felt like life became so much simpler. That along with when the babies dropped their bedtime bottle (10 months). I like those transitions when all the sudden everything seems more streamlined. We had more spare time between naps and went out everyday to do something. Walks or swinging at the park in the morning then somewhere else in the afternoon. Often times we'd return home and I'd be covered in sweat from all the loading/unloading/stroller lifting/etc... but it was ALWAYS worth it. Lots of people would say, "I'd never leave the house if I had triplets!" or "I'd scream all day with three babies around!" For MY sanity though...we made sure to leave the house everyday. Rain or shine. One morning we went on a walk in the pouring rain because I don't like missing a day outside. It was actually kind of refreshing!

When everyone finally learned to crawl, it was such a great transition for me. I didn't lift the babies nearly as much because they could just follow me to the dinner table or the bath tub. That didn't mean they weren't crying the whole way there but at least we were all moving. I just can't wait until they can all hop up in the car by themselves and lock themselves in their seats.

Clark is an amazing Dad. He loves wrestling with the kids and making them laugh until they cry. He loves building towers for them and helping them learn new things. He loves including them in his morning routine or in his projects outside. As nervous as he was to have kids, he has been one of my greatest teachers. This has been a busy year at work for him and he has excelled more than ever. I'm just so proud of him...and of us. We had NO idea what to expect with three babies and we're just happy to have survived!

I definitely wouldn't say that this first year has been extraordinarily difficult. That's me talking in hindsight though. The babies sleep well and leave lots of time in the evenings for Clark and I to relax. This year has had it challenges and ups and downs. I'd say it was more physically demanding than anything. I have a feeling that the next couple years are going to be more emotionally/mentally demanding. I think I'm up for the challenge. Like I've said before, anything is easier than lying in a hospital bed.

So here's my top three triplet survival tips for the first year:

Don't think about the money. If anyone knows me they know that I am VERY VERY frugal. Probably more extreme than most people. If I had actually sat down and thought about all the dollars we were spending on diapers and formula, I would've gone crazy.

Just get up and go. Sometimes you can start to feel bad that you didn't have the 'normal first time mother' experience. So all that means is just get up and go do the things you would normally do! Go to the park, swing, go on walks, go to playdates, go to the library, etc... Obviously improvisation is necessary and it is A LOT of work, but get up and go to feel normal. I don't feel that I've missed out on anything had I just had one baby (except for maybe storytime at the library because they want you to keep your baby in your lap at all times...ya right).

Join a support group. It sounds weird and maybe you aren't that type of person. But there is nothing like having a conversation with someone else who has multiples. Just a deeper level of understanding and empathy. NO ONE understands better than someone else who is going or gone through the same thing.

Ya...our whole pregnancy/birth/NICU experience cost half a million dollars. Amazing how fast things add up and amazing what a difference insurance makes. We're charging interest though and expecting a full pay back from the kids by the time they are 18 years old. :)



PART II: BIRTHDAY FUN!

Splashin...

I almost cried this morning because it rained. Oh how I love the rain...especially after two months of temperatures over 100 degrees. It actually hadn't started raining when we went on our walk but when we were a couple blocks from home, the torrential downpour began. We were stuck under a tree that wasn't providing nearly enough shelter. An older lady took pity on us and opened her garage for us to get dry and wait for the rain to stop. We were soaked!

Point is, I like the rain. When it's not raining however, we have to go find our own relief from the heat. Swimming, as I mentioned earlier, isn't a great alternative anymore because of the babies desire to move around. We decided to try out a local splash park this past weekend to see how they would like that.

We took our large shade canopy which was a lifesaver because there was no shade at the park otherwise. All our pictures are from the smaller fountains, of course, but there were some bigger fountains as well. The park wasn't too crowded...just a few kids running around. So we were happy to get wet and let the babies crawl around.






As you can imagine, Zachary LOVED it. He was drenched and had water in his nose and eyes. He would crawl around and splash in the puddles. He was having the time of his life.


Caleb was equally impressed with the water spouting out of the ground.


Although he was having a good time in the water, Caleb discovered the strings on his pants and sucked on those for the remainder of our time there. He loves strings. It's so weird.


Leah, on the other hand, was totally over it. She didn't like the way the ground felt so that limited her crawling. She wouldn't wear her glasses so the sun was bothering her and she does NOT like water being splashed in her face and eyes. So she took off and watched over the shade canopy for us. Just sucked on some toys and watched her crazy brothers. Again, anything with the slightest bit of risk or excitement is not for her.


We had a great time and everyone lasted about 45 minutes. Pretty good! We'll definitely have to try it out again before the parks close on Labor day.

So here's my funny stranger encounter of the week:

I was at Babies R Us buying a glowing sea horse for Leah's crib (she's having comfort issues lately and cries when we leave the room) and I ran into a nice couple from another country who had a one year old of their own. We chatted for a second and then all the sudden the mom puts her baby in my cart. She was laughing and loving that her baby was partying with us. Her husband was majorly concerned about my thoughts on the matter and kept asking if I was fine with the situation. I assured him that it was fine thinking that they'd take their baby out at any moment....

but they didn't.

They just kept marveling at the fact that their baby was standing with other babies and how cute it was. Caleb gets annoyed with others get up in his personal space so he started to get flustered and I said we should probably get going. That's when the Dad finally took their baby out and we parted ways.

Just so funny. That was definitely a first. I mean, it's quite the party going on in our cart but I'm not sure there is room for anymore. :)

Next up...birthday posts!

The Big Six...

Another multiples play date has come and gone. This one, however, consisted of a lot more baby chasing! All the babies are on the move with about half already walking. Taking a picture was a bit more tricky because one-year-olds do NOT like being forced to sit in one place. We tried to have an older sister sit with them but even she couldn't be the baby whisperer to so many rowdy babies.

Our three are closest to the back corner. Zachary is facing the camera crying. Leah is sucking on a ball and Caleb is turned around trying to climb out.


It's always nice going over to another house because the babies are totally entertained with all the new toys. When it was time to leave we had to pry the babies away. The hosts of the playdate were lucky we didn't just leave them there! This get together was a pool party but because our nap time didn't allow us to be there for the first hour, we thought everyone would've been done swimming. When we showed up though, no one had gotten in yet! So we all just put our feet in and let the babies splash.

Zachary was loving the fountain and kept screaming and waving his hands.



Once the kids got tired of just sitting still, it turned into a wrestling match trying to keep Leah from destroying the plants, Caleb from eating the rocks and dirt, and Zachary from falling in.


Here's our attempted family photo. Leah is undressed because she kept whining and whining and whining. I thought she wanted to get in the water but that just turned her whining into crying. Not sure what her deal was.



We had a good time despite the hot weather and wild babies! Thanks Amy!

Later that evening, we called over a babysitter and the husband and I went out to have an early 6th anniversary celebration. Since our 5th anniversary consisted of a 20-minute wheelchair ride through the halls of the hospital, we decided that this year we needed to go do something we'd never done before. We first thought about doing a couples massage...then we thought about doing dinner plus a 30-minute plane ride over Dallas. Finally, we decided on an activity. We went out to Spring Creek BBQ to eat some decent Texas brisket then headed off to watch the FC Dallas major league soccer team play! We were excited to just hang out and watch my favorite sport. Clark was a champion and endured my glory day stories, opinions, and comments throughout the whole game. The high temperature for that day was about 107 degrees so by the time the game started it had only cooled off to about 100.

IT
WAS
HOT!

If felt like we were in an indoor arena with no air conditioning. Just stifling. Nobody at the game seemed to mind though so we didn't either! FC Dallas lost 1-0 but it was a good game nonetheless. We brought a little water spray fan that saved my life. In those types of situations, paying an atrocious amount of money for a cold bottle of water isn't given a second thought.


One more year of marriage in the books. Let's hope this next year isn't quite as exciting. :)

Just in case you were wondering...

this is what you would see if you ran into me at the grocery store. Yep. I'm one of 'those' people. The mom with all her kids in the cart ripping stuff off the shelves when she's not looking. Throwing stuff on the ground, etc...



My grocery store visits are starting to become pretty predictable. Usually I get comments on the trio and I make some joke about how I collect babies as I walk through the store. The cashiers usually joke about how the babies can't be scanned and won't show up on the receipt. I get at LEAST a half a dozen comments about how I have my hands full and that I need a bigger cart. Today though, I had a conversation I've never had. I was at the farmers market and a man was being very complementary about the babies.

Then he said, "they look like they are really close in age..."
Thinking he was making a joke I said, "you mean closer than a minute?"
Then he said, "oh...I was thinking months. They all came in the same grouping?"

Funny. I like talking to people like him that ask questions and don't always make assumptions.

Anyway, putting the kids in the cart now is SO easy for me. Although I don't have a ton of room for groceries, it sure beats juggling car seats and pulling a stroller.

I have felt like such a bad mom this week because of all the falls/tumbles that have been occurring. I just can't physically be by each baby when they take a tumble. Lots of time it's on the tile because they are pulling up on everything (usually stools and chairs) but aren't very stable. We've now moved our play area to our front living room that is carpeted to try and avoid any massive head injuries. Even doing that though, they still manage to find a way to bang their head on something. The piano bench, the corner of the wall, or even the tile in the bathroom. I was wiping Zachary's nose in the tub a couple nights ago and the next thing I know, Caleb (who was leaning up against the wall of the tub) had lunged himself forward head first onto the bathroom tile. It was bad. I seriously felt terrible.

Like I mentioned, they can all pull up on the piano bench and push the keys. It's really cute and usually whatever I am playing is drown out by the low notes being played by a baby. This next picture is so cute...it's not even funny.

They are practicing for their one-year old recital! They'll be playing, "Mary Had a Little Lamb." :)



Pictures like this just remind me that even though I can't be there for every little bump and bruise, I think we're all going to be ok.

Three Babies Movin!

This past week with Caleb has been rough. He's been crying a lot and getting frustrated at his inability to keep up with his siblings. The other two would be playing with him, then leave to play somewhere else. That's when the screaming ensued. He just felt like everyone was leaving (he has severe separation anxiety as well).

Then....

one day he crawled and pulled up. Like he had had enough and just decided to do it! He's really good at crawling too...seems like he's been doing it for a while now. HOWEVER, he's pretty bulky and has problems moving quickly. His reaction time isn't great either so he has a ton of bruises on his face from falling on the tile. I was actually embarrassed to take him out today thinking someone would assume I had hit him. No one turned me into CPS luckily.

Here's the big guy on the move!



Now that all three of them can crawl, story time feels like Planet of the Apes. They are crawling up my arms, clawing at my face, pulling my hair, sucking on my shorts, biting me knee, drooling all over, etc... It's pretty wild. Really though, they usually corner me and I have to hold the book high in the air so they can't attempt to destroy it. We always have a good laugh and Clark snapped a picture of the chaos.


Here's a picture from our latest swimming adventure. Lately the babies like to sit on the edge more than be in the pool. We're teaching them how to lean forward and fall into our arms. Leah WILL NOT do it. Not a risk taker. Zachary is all over it. You barely have time to set him on the ledge before he's leaning toward the water! Caleb will do it with a LOT of persuading. He's pretty cautious. Amazing how different they are from each other!



Crawling has instilled a new sense of independence for the babies. Unfortunately, this independence has made our swimming outings miserable. They HATE to be in their swimming floaties because they can't really move at all. They have no freedom...they just have to sit there so after about 10 minutes of crying, we call it a day and get the babies out of the pool. They are fine if you hold them one at a time but that still leaves a third baby crying to get out which ruins all the fun. After our last swim of ten minutes, we got the babies out and got them dressed. They were all super happy to be out of the pool so we snapped some photos.



Swimming has been fun but seriously, this heat is insane. After 7am we don't go outside because it's suffocating. Please please send some cooler temperatures our way soon!

P.S. One more month of formula...HALLELUJAH!

Summa Summa Summatime...

There has been a lot of water, swimming, and baby nakedness around these parts lately. Mostly due to the fact that it's boiling hot here but also because Clark has had some time off work! He has been taking the last part of his paternity leave and we have been so spoiled having him around these last few weeks. I know, the babies are almost a year. He didn't use all his leave right after the birth because the babies were in the NICU and then we had moms here to help. Soooo.....he used it this month which was perfect!

If there is one thing you know about Clark though is that he LOVES to be outside and he LOVES swimming. Besides wanting to build a pergola and spend time with the kids, he wanted to relax and swim. Fortunately for us, our friends just down the road have been taking an extended road trip this month and asked us to pool-sit! Of course we agreed and have been swimming as much as possible. They have a nice, big magnolia tree that shades the pool and keeps the babies out of the sun. Because of the heat here, the pool is about 90 degrees. Perfect for me! The babies usually only last 30-40 minutes but we rotate them in and out of the pool to try and keep them entertained. Lots of work for us but it's nice to cool off during the day.

Zachary is sitting in Leah's floatie, Caleb in the middle, Leah on the right, and Clark under the water trying to position them for me! :) Leah has the most sensitive eyes and squints even in the shade but she would not keep her sunglasses on for this picture.

Some days when we just weren't feeling up to all the loading, unloading, changing, drying, and changing again....we'd just fill up our own pool in the backyard and beat the heat that way. The luxury of our backyard is that we just throw the babies in naked! No changing, dressing, or swim diapers involved. So great. Think what you want...but it's hot here and it's our own backyard. Anyway, they loved having lots of room to crawl and move in the water and played with spatulas and whisks ( I didn't want to walk all the way to the bathroom to get bath toys :).

We love this picture because it totally shows each baby's personality. Caleb finding the nearest string to suck on, Leah just learning how to crawl and gathering everything in her path, and Zachary right up in your face being the life of the party.

I have some naked butt shots but we thought we'd spare the babies and give them SOME privacy in their infancy.

Now that everyone can kneel, pull up, and sometimes stand, they are all OBSESSED with doing that in the tub. By the time we get them out, they are all dry because they've been standing the whole time. They love to hit the wall of the tub, throw toys over, and laugh at each other. We just let them all hang out until someone falls over causing a domino effect. This results in lots of crying and usually someone can't recover from such a trauma. Typically bath time ends at that point.

We have a couple fish puppets that the babies love so we put on a show while they stood in the tub. We got lots of laughs! Who would've thought that we'd be such entertaining puppeteers!

Sadly work and real life has to resume again. We'll sure miss Clark's energy and creative ideas to keep the babies entertained. We've loved all the swimming and sun but we'll be glad when it finally cools down here!

Facts of the Week...

With the babies approaching the eleven-month mark, things are getting alittle more crazy/fun everyday. Here are some fun facts from this past week:

#1) Leah is crawling! She is slow and very wobbly but it was so exciting to watch her realize what she could do and how impressed she was with herself. She obviously takes second to Zachary in the crawling department which puts Caleb third by default. Poor guy. I guess someone has to come in last. We can tell he is getting progressively more frustrated with himself because of his inability to get around. Hopefully with the other two moving he'll just get the picture and start going! We're pretty proud of Leah though!

#2) The bedtime bottle is gone, done, eliminated, banished. We used to feed the babies some veggies and cereal before their bath and then give the bottles after. It came to a point where we were fighting with all three babies just to drink anything for that feeding. They weren't interested, too full, overly tired, etc... Who knows. I was tired of the battle and of throwing away unused formula. Sooo....now we do three bottles a day (6am, 11am, 3pm), two meals (8am and 5pm), and a snack (1pm). I make up for the formula they're missing from that eliminated bottle by mixing it into their food or offering a sippy cup with their meals. This has been helpful because they need to master the sippy cup anyway since bottles will be disappearing very soon. Let me tell you, one less bottle a day is a dream. We just feed them dinner, bathe them, and they are off to bed. Love it.

#3) Leah is back on reflux meds. I know, I just can't escape the throwing up; though my odds of being rid of it have never been good with three babies in the house. Zachary has completely outgrown his reflux and projectile vomiting. I never thought that time would come. I've been waiting for Leah to outgrow her reflux but it has seemed to worsen with each passing month. She never vomits but is a constant case of spit up ALL day. On our plane ride to Idaho she spit up ALL over the chair in front of us, all over my arm and shirt, and all over the bag. LUCKILY, the passenger next to us was spared. I called the doctor and she put her on Prevacid which has made a VAST improvement in the past few days she has taken it. We're definitely happy about that but hate having those pills on the counter again.

#4) Leah received a CT scan. Remember a long, long time ago when she had that lump under her chin in the NICU? The ENT came to examine the lump and ended up discovering that one of her airway passages was completely closed (the nurses would try and get a feeding tube down into her stomach and could never get it through her nose). Her condition is cogenital and we were lucky both passages were not blocked because she would have had major breathing difficulty after birth. Point is, she received a CT so that the doctor can determine whether the blockage is from bone or cartilage. That way we can make a more informed decision of the procedure that will help open that airway. We can't wait for that day. Poor girl....only have one working nostril. How miserable. Here she is at home after the CT scan with all our bands and her cutsie smock. She was pretty delirious coming out of anesthesia and cried a lot but after about 30 minutes was feeling pretty good again.



#5) Caleb is awesome. It's a fact. I mean, look at this picture:


#6) Caleb's early waking just might be cured! We love Caleb. Like I said, he's awesome...but what's not awesome is the fact that he is usually awake one hour before the rest of us. This is usually around 4:45am-5am. Normally I wouldn't mind but considering he is the loudest baby ever, he wakes everyone up which makes for a really terrible morning. We've endured this for 6+ months trying everything from more food at night, crib toys, later bedtime, etc... Nothing seemed to work. Recently I have come across something called 'wake to sleep.' Basically it is just readjusting a babies sleep pattern to they no longer wake at their normal intervals. We have tried this for the recommended three-night period and have seen some positive results already! Of course some mornings he does still wake early but it is not near as bad and he actually plays quietly. Cross your fingers he will continue to improve!

#7) Lastly, my handsome, hunk of a husband built us an incredible pergola in the backyard. It's been hot here, like REALLY hot. Over 100 degrees everyday with lows in the mid-80's and humidity that envelopes you when you step outside. Regardless, he has put lots of time and sweat into this project so our family can enjoy our back patio with shade and privacy. He has climbed the ladder about 1,000 times, measured and cut and measured and cut, and painted; all with only a few times of asking for my help. He is so talented and loves doing projects like this for our family. There are a handful of finishing touches he wants to do so we can't wait until it is all the way complete!