DeBauche Baby Christmas 2012

Just a year later, this Christmas was already worlds apart from Christmas 2011.  A year ago, Izzy had just come home from the NICU five days earlier and we were still getting up every four hours for feedings. 

This year, the girls gave us the best present they could possibly give--they let us sleep in until 7:00am.  Seriously, no one made a peep.  Something very un-baby-DeBauche-like.  They were even pleasant at breakfast!  It was a Christmas miracle!

Honestly, I think they're still a little too young to get it.  I mean, I don't think they really understand much about the excitement of presents and the anticipation that accompanies waiting for Christmas morning.  For those of you who are saying to yourself, "Isn't he forgetting about the TRUE meaning of Christmas?" I am not.  My guess is that they'll understand and look forward to opening presents long before they understand what Christmas is really about.  Don't worry, we'll get there.  However, until they're old enough to get it, we're going to make sure that every Christmas morning is as fun as can be because, before we know it, they'll be big kids and we'll be longing for them to be small again, with all the excitement that being a little kid brings.

Meg, Sophie, Izzy, Maddy, and I all hope you had a wonderful and very merry Christmas!

Pre-present breakfast time


A bunch of babies who can't wait for the gates to the presents to open.  Kind of reminds me of all the moms you see on videos, rushing to get in to the stores the mornings after Thanksgiving and Christmas.



My dad was with us for Christmas morning, so we had someone to take some photos of all of us






















Miss Maddy




Izzy, thoroughly enjoying her wrapping paper


Maddy and Grandpa Mike




Izzy, learning her numbers


Maddy, getting her feet rubbed by mom


Sophie, out of control in the family room.  Just look at how she tossed that ottoman on to the couch without even breaking a sweat!


My Christmas wish is that I hope this is the last Christmas where we have any pictures of needing to feed with the G tube


My beautiful wife


It looked like a clip from the "The Birds" in our back yard


Izzy and Shallee


The fam




Ania




A very excited Shallee!


Maddy, tasting her way through the presents


Setting up a gate with a stepping bar really defeats the purpose


Good 'ole Sophie One-Shoe




Meg, Izzy, Sophie, and Kelly


Maddy


Look at those long eyelashes!


The Smith family - Steve, Kaden, Keegan, and Kelly


I wanted to get at least one picture of all three girls in their Christmas dresses, though at this point in the day, they were being extremely uncooperative

Keep Those Pants Up!

We're getting ready to enter the danger zone!  Sophie has now figured out how to take her pants off.  She's also realizing that, sometimes, a surprise awaits if she sticks her hand down the back of her diaper.  Gross!  Here's to hoping that I don't have to break out the duct tape.  Let's hope that the other girls don't try to emulate this behavior.  The last thing I want is to step on a "surprise" when I'm half awake.



"No Sophie No!"


Funny how bottoms are wrinkly when you're young and old :)




Sad that she has to put her diaper back on

Nana Comes For Christmas '12

As Christmas grows near, so do the guests that come to shower our girls with kisses...and that's a good thing!  It's good for a couple of reasons.

Primarily, it's great that we're able to capture so many memories of the girls with their friends and family.  I'm sure your parents told you what kind of things you were doing when you were one, well, if they remember.   Surely you don't, do you?  These little ladies will form memories when they get old from looking at these photos and reading these stories.  After a while, they'll even try to figure out if what they're remembering is based on an actual memory or if it's just from these photos.  Funny how that works.

The second, and most important, reason is because we don't have to drive anywhere!  For years, without kids, we were the ones that had to travel for every holiday.  Now, everyone comes to us!  This doesn't mean we won't take trips in the future, it just means that, for now, we can enjoy these holidays with memories filled with family and not the crazy trips that typically accompany getting to see your family.  Though, some would argue those memories are just as important.  Those "some" probably don't have triplets however.  We'll get there.  Just not yet :)

Last weekend, my mom (aka Nana) came to visit on her way to Virginia from Oregon.  She stayed for a few days to fill up her triplet tank until she comes back our way again.  She was just here a few months ago, but the girls have grown leaps and bounds since then.  As I'm sure she would attest, it was a completely different visit.

Sophie likes giving kisses now.  A little too freely actually.


Izzy, smiling with Nana


Maddy, getting in a giggle or two


Is she pushing down or pulling up?  You make the call. (hint: look at her face)






Our pretty little lady


Izzy's starting to stick up for herself a little more.  We've been letting the girls "work things out" when they both want the same toy and Sophie, being a little bigger, would usually out-muscle one of the other girls.  Well, not so fast my friend.  Izzy's using her booty to stake her claim and Sophie doesn't like it one bit.



Nana and Sophie working on blowing kisses


Maddy, working on the xylophone


So, I thought someone just forgot to wipe the sweet potato dinner off of Maddy's face.  Alas, we found out that we're feeding Maddy too much "orange stuff" and it's turning her skin orange!  Go figure.



Maddy, excited to see Meg, lunges in for a kiss and hug (no, that's not a straw coming out of her glass)


Yes, there are gates in almost every pic with the girls




Saying their goodbyes...