Not Ready For Primetime

Meg has this rule that we must get out of the house on the weekend, even if it's REALLY cold outside.  I get it.  The babies get bored in the house.  They need adventure, even if dad is finally just getting to relax for a little bit. 

Unfortunately, we're in between class season for the girls.  Their "Monkeys-in-Motion" class doesn't begin for another couple of weeks and, while Cafe-n-Play is fun, it's also expensive!  So, where do we take our babies?  To the mall.  It's an endless maze in which we can get lost for hours.  Ok, actually AN hour before our girls get bored there, too.

This time, we were going for broke.  Not only were we going to intentionally delay their nap so that we could eat, we were going to subject the public to our trio.  We should probably do this more often, but we rarely take them out to eat.  Usually, we're eating on the go if we're out and about, but we hardly ever sit down together, outside of the house, for a meal in public. 

We found our favorite pre-baby spot--Panera Bread.  My mouth began watering when I started thinking about which U Pick 2 combo would be sacrificed at the expense of my hunger.  We found a spot in the back, thinking that it would be away from the pack, but we were not alone.  We wrangled up three high chairs and took up an entire table meant for 10.  Meg was bold and went for the grilled cheese sandwich for the girls.  Now, if you've never head a grilled cheese sandwich at Panera, you probably don't realize that they use about 10 slices of cheese per sandwich.  Hey, I love cheese, but when it comes off of the grill and gets handed to a one-year-old, watch out!  The cheese is so runny, the bread has no choice but to part ways, each taking a 50% stake in its cheese.  It's not very grabbable (is that a word?), but Sophie and Maddy dug in, cheese oozing through their fingers, while trying to stuff it in their mouths.  Izzy watched with a smile on her face and she mocked her silly cheese-eating sisters.  I'm sure she was quite embarrassed to be seen with those two mess-makers.

By the time it was all over, the sandwiches had visited the ground a couple of times, the kids were full, the chairs were a mess, and there were no more people sitting around us.  Where did they go?  Why would they leave?

Conclusion, we're not ready for primetime yet.  Someday soon, I know, but just not now.  For now, we'll stick to eating in the stroller and throwing the food and drink off our trays at home.  Until next time...

Momma and her baby ducks








I think Sophie was playing grilled cheese frisbee at this point


Meg kept trying to make Maddy smile with food in her mouth.  Well, she got what she expected.



Izzy, working her way around the table


Maddy, working hard on her lower jaw tone!




We're not ready for this yet, but almost.  It's sitting right in the middle of our mall.  Next trip.  Maybe.

What's Better Than Slides and Grandpa?

Right before Christmas, my dad came to visit for a few days.  He still lives in Raleigh, NC, but I'm thinking there's a good chance he'll be living near us within the next few years (hint, hint dad if you're reading this). How could you stay away from these girls after all?

My dad unknowingly assumed the brave responsibility of helping me with the girls for the weekend before Christmas.  Meg had to leave town for a couple of days to begin packing up her mom's house since we found a buyer!  Of course, her leaving coincided with all three girls getting sick...again (it's amazing how the timing of that works out).  Now, I pride myself on being able to take care of these girls myself, sometimes.  However, this time around, I was no match for three sick toddlers.  Personally, I don't think it was all me.  Even with my dad here, we just couldn't keep these girls happy.  I knew exactly what they needed. 

I wish I could tell you that I found a way to get through it.  That I'm the type of dad who can handle anything.  Instead, I called my wife, frustrated and in somewhat of a panic and, basically, pleaded for her to come home a day early.  To my surprise, she had already left a couple of hours earlier and had planned on surprising me with her early arrival.  Needless to say, I was ecstatic when she walked through the door.  It wasn't just me though, the girls turned in to these completely different little ladies when they saw her.  There's just something about mom.

All in all, it wasn't a total failure.  It's always good for me to get a fresh reminder of what Meg goes through on a daily basis.  It reminds me that she's her own backup and reinforcements.  Obviously, I play my part when I'm home during some of the evenings and on the weekend, but in our girls' eyes, she's always numero uno.

After a few days, my dad got, what I'm sure was, a well-deserved break from the babies and some time with his own mom.  This time around, I remembered to break out the camera and I'm so glad I did.  I love looking back at pictures of me with my grandma and I'm so glad our girls will have a chance to do the same when they get older.

By the way, one of the girls' presents this year was a medium HUGE slide.  It was supposed to be the next step up from the one that's about 10 inches off of the ground.  Apparently, there is no such thing as a medium slide.  It's either they can touch the ground and the top of the slide with their feet at the same time or they appear to be climbing Mt. Everest, ready to jump from the top.  Fortunately, they're all having fun with it, except that time when two of them bonked heads at the bottom.  Besides that, it's great.

Sophie, ready for the morning's first slide trip


Sure looks like fun to me!


Maddy, questioning her decision to let us help her climb the steps to the top






You probably can't tell, but Izzy actually had a blast, especially when the ride was over


Maddy got more daring each time down


Not sure what he said, but it sure was funny




Even happy babies get tired




Izzy and Grandpa, sharing some cuddle time on Christmas Eve morning






If I recall, this crying had absolutely nothing to do with the slide, but started just because she wanted to

Happy New Year 2013!

After about a week-long hiatus, it's time to acknowledge that it's January and finally time to get rid of my holiday-brain.  Honestly, things still seem too relaxed for it to actually be real life.  It's not that life got any less busy over the holidays, it's just that the corresponding pressure that always accompanies our busyness didn't seem to have the same effect.  It was a great feeling.  It was also great to really get to spend some QT with Meg and the girls.  There is a part of me that feels good to be back at work, but I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't thinking about all of my ladies all day long.

As we enter 2013, I can't help but think about everything we accomplished in 2012.  2011 was a difficult year, but 2012 definitely ranks as one of the busiest in our lives.  Maybe it will always be that way.  Maybe I'll always write that the year just ended was busier than the one before.  For now, all I have under my belt is my first full year of being a father to three baby girls, and everything it entailed, while also trying to be the sole income earner for our family, as well as a good husband.  I'm sure I could improve in all of those areas, but I'll leave that topic for a future post.

There were stressful times (sicknesses and surgeries) and sad times (death of Meg's mom, Sharon), but we also got to experience so many good times (the girls' first vacation, their first birthday, their first steps, the end of bottles, sleeping through the night, Sharon's wedding on the beach, etc).

Meg and I are beginning 2013 with a fresh perspective.  We're adapting, and will always be adapting, to being the parents of growing and changing toddlers.  We still consider ourselves extremely blessed each and every day we get to spend with our girls.  We both know that life can change on a dime.  Every hour, every day, and every week, we are thankful.  Every cry, every tantrum, and every poopy diaper, we are thankful.  2012 proved that innocence and loved ones can be lost in a minute and that even the very young are not immune to the craziness that exists in our world. I WILL do better at cherishing every moment and every experience I'm lucky enough to share with our girls.

The girls begin 2013 with hopes of getting more teeth, trying new food, figuring out what's on the OTHER side of the gate, being photographed less (not going to happen), everyone eating solids TOGETHER (that means you Izzy), getting off of all meds, figuring out what happens when mommy and daddy sit on the toilet, going crazy in their new bounce house, and saying their first "real" words.

For now, I'll leave you with the reason we now need to go buy gates for the staircase, courtesy of Miss Sophia.



Maddy, discovering her love for grilled cheese


Sophie, sharing in her sister's love of grilled bread and fromage


Izzy, taking steps with the walker over to mom (she's getting quite fast!)


All of the girls were sick over the Christmas holiday, which produced an unexpected result.  Izzy, who normally turns her head away from all food, seemed a little interested in this squishy stuff her sisters were eating.  While she was sick, we were able to keep her hydrated, but her gag reflex was overly sensitive and she wouldn't keep her formula down.  So, it appeared that she was quite hungry.  She didn't go overboard with it, but she actually put her mouth towards the food and kind of rubbed her face around in it.  It's not eating, but it's definitely the kind of progress we love to see!









We've been giving Sophie and Maddy some chicken and spinach-filled ravioli lately.  While this picture looks like she grabbed it out of the trashcan and is very excited about it, I can ensure you that she brought it with her.  What I can't tell you is when we cleaned our trashcan last.  Yuck.





Meg, taking care of her tired baby




Sophie is going through a phase where she REALLY wants to see what's happening on the island when we're making dinner.  It's pretty difficult to hold her and cook, so now she has a seat.  Though her legs are getting long enough where she can almost stand up with the her high chair strapped around her waist.  Not sure what we'll do next.



Honestly, it's amazing how she slows from 100 to 0 mph if we left her sit up there with us.  All of the girls have amazing eyes, but for some reason, Sophie's just really seemed to be glowing on that particular day.



Miss Izzy, practicing getting up early on Christmas Eve


Even though we'll occasionally still try to fit them individually in the sink, it was time to move to the big bathtub.



Sophie, just a little excited about bath time


"Rubber ducky, you're the one..."




"Hey, we're naked over here!"




So, it was actually getting cold in our kitchen.  In order to save air vent grate, we had closed it and covered it up with the rug leading out to the patio.  From time to time, the girls would remember it was under there, lift the rug, steal the grate, the proceed to scare us by sticking their limbs down the hole.  Enough was enough!  We opened up the vent and warm air rushed out, immediately warming up the kitchen.  There was only one option to keep our sanity-painter's tape, though duct tape would probably work, too, though it might leave some residue later.  So far, the girls haven't figured out how to peel off the tape and now go over to the grate to let the wind blow their hair around :)

Izzy, analyzing the best way to get the tape off


Maddy, letting the grate work her up a new hairdo


With Miss Izzy, we've started the weaning process from her Sildenafil.  If you recall, she was taking it to help relieve the pulmonary hypertension they were seeing from her lungs not being able to get enough oxygen to her heart.  When we began with the med, the blood vessel wall loosened up, allowed more oxygen-rich blood to get more easily to heart.  Her energy levels jumped and she became more active.  The docs now think she's grown enough to get the oxygen she needs without the med.  We're on a six-week weaning process.  We're already two weeks in to it and there's no sign of her slowing down.  If anything, she seems to be speeding up.  One second she's in the kitchen.  I turn around and two seconds later, she's crawled across the family room and is pulling up on my leg!



Great Aunt Mary got the girls a Laugh & Learn Love to Play Puppy for Christmas.  They love it so much, I was debating on whether to go buy two more.  Then I thought to myself, "at some point, they really need to work on their sharing."  The point is, they love this puppy.  So much so that I find myself singing songs that the puppy sings.  How lame is that?







Lastly, I still have a post from my dad's visit before Christmas that I haven't posted yet, but we had some additional visitors between Christmas and New Year's Day.  Grandma and Grandpa Carrick spent the week with us and got their triplet fill.  Probably enough to last them a couple of months :)