Raising Parents

windowsill

2011-09-15T15:19:00.000-05:00

We took the kids to Story Time at the library today. I'm glad to report that they didn't even take over the class as they tend to do in group settings. This windowsill at the librry was just too great of a photo opp to pass up. I love this photo of Lainey-wearing a dress clutching onto her race car.

2 pears.. and a finger

2011-09-15T14:37:00.000-05:00

there's 6 of us

2011-09-10T14:24:00.000-05:00

Our shift from a family of 5 to a family of 6 has actually been as smooth as we ever could have hoped for. It really does seem like our lives have been much calmer since Edison arrived..largely in part because I have actually taken friends and family up on their generous offers of help. And Will is the best dad and husband ever. And I suppose because this is our second/fourth time around. Anyway, life with 4 kids under the age of 2 is exactly as crazy as I anticipated, yet so so much more wonderful!

Edison at 2 weeks - already weighing 9 pounds 8 ounces.

Willie Grace helping out with snack time

Rare shot of Edison with open eyes

Connie, being the incredible friend she is, left her little ones at home to come help take care of ours for a week. We all had so much fun with her here and were sad to see her go.

Will with the crew

Lainey loves anything that can be a hat, except for actual hats of course.

Oscar helping Edison out with the swing.

first bath

2011-08-29T20:48:00.001-05:00

Edison needs to graduate to the baby bath already - his first bath in the sink and he's already too big! It's hard to believe that Edison was born at the same weight as his siblings were at 2 + months.

welcome home baby boy

2011-08-24T12:57:00.001-05:00

What a big day. Our little Edison came home. This time around, on the same day as me even. It brought back so many memories of having to leave the trio in the NICU when I was discharged. The house was painfully empty that first night. Well, 19 months later, our house felt anything but empty on our first night home!

I took this shot of Will and Edison just before leaving the hospital-Edison looks like he needs some reassurance that going home is a good thing!

big sister time

Edison, meet your siblings

2011-08-24T04:13:00.001-05:00

It was so much fun introducing each of the kids to Edison. As is with every new experience, they all had very different reactions.
Oscar was the first to meet his brother. I think he likened Edison to talking Elmo because he would just laugh at every movement and noise Edison made, especially when he pushed on his nose. His attention quickly turned to all the new 'toys' in my hospital room and seemed to be just fine with me holding a baby (we were a little worried about that with Oscar!).

Lainey came in second to meet Edison. She was definitely the most put off by this new baby. She wasn't too impressed with me either. My poor girl even seemed a little scared. Now that she's had some time to take it all in, she's chosen to mostly just ignore Edison, though she will give him a kiss every once and a while.

Willie Grace has been absolutely enamored with Edison since the second she saw him. She just sat with me holding Edison for the longest time, giving him hugs and kisses. She's the calmest and sweetest she's ever been in her whole life when she's around him -- much to our surprise!

While Edison and I were in the hospital, Will would go home each night to take care of the kids - I should say help Gram take care of the kids! Thank you Joanie for making Edison's arrival such an easy transition on everyone, especially the kids. I will always treasure the first quiet nights in the hospital with our sweet sweet Edison.

Edison Allen has arrived!

2011-08-23T13:06:00.005-05:00

Our sweet baby boy arrived on August 22nd at 2:18pm. He's a healthy 8 pound, 7 ounce, 21 inch long baby with a head full of dark hair. I hope to write his whole birth story at some point, but the short version is that I went into labor and was admitted to the hospital Sunday evening and on Monday afternoon after 2+ hours of pushing, Edison made his way into the world, sunny side up. He is just as sweet as can be and I love him with all of my ever growing heart. He is the most perfect addition we could have ever hoped for.
Edison is named after his late great grandfather, S. Allen Unger, an incredible man who we hope inspires him every day.
Here are just a few photos taken after he was born. Our wonderful photographer friend, Brooke, was there during his delivery, so we will have more to share soon - not of the delivery of course, but of Edison!

19 months: before baby #4

2011-08-20T21:31:00.003-05:00

The girls have become such good friends this month. They just love hugging on each other and playing these sweet little games that send them both into giggle fits. It may have something to do with Oscar going through a biting phase... but they don't want to have much to do with him. It all works out because he doesn't really want to have anything to do with anyone except mommy this month. I think he knows something BIG is going to change very soon.

at the children's museum. tea time for one.

We have to stop to smell every flower Oscar spots. Not such a bad thing to be reminded to do!

Willie Grace's 1st haircut

2011-08-01T21:09:00.002-05:00

Even though she has the least amount of hair of the 3, she won herself the 1st haircut after waking up looking like this.

Much better!

18 months

2011-07-28T13:33:00.002-05:00

I know there are always plenty of shots of the kids at the table.. but sometimes it's the only time they are still enough to get a picture

Willie Grace is crazy. Sweet, but crazy.

Oscar worn out from an afternoon of swimming

triplet party!

Willie Grace seeing if she likes this set better.

Oscar and Jack swapping tips on how to put up with 2 sisters.

weekend of visitors

2011-07-24T13:33:00.003-05:00

Our dear friends Stevie and Jaclyn got married this weekend which meant we had some visitors in town. Champe and Katie came back from Zurich - we were so glad to have them stay with us for a bit of their time back. We wish so badly they still lived 3 houses down from us... but are so happy for them to be loving life as expats in Switzerland.

The wedding was fantastic and Jaclyn looked amazing - wish I had some pictures. This was Katie and I before rehearsal dinner. Will and Champe after a run one morning.. looking very alternative in their lifestyle

My mom came in for the weekend to spend some time with the kids and conveniently take care of them while we had wedding events. We spent one of the mornings at a park with a splash pad - as hot as it was, we thought the kids would love the water, but they just wanted to climb on a playground that was much too big for them.

Oscar ran in for a minute - only to retrieve a ball.

The girls first dresses made my their Grammy. They'll fit perfectly next spring. We hope these are the first of many!

Our friends from Nashville who were in for the wedding came over before their drive home. We did our best to wear their kids out by bringing out the bounce house.

The River House

2011-07-18T22:31:00.001-05:00

Our first driving family vacation was to La Casa Rio, near Wimberly. Will's parents along with some of their close friends built this treasure just before Will was born. Will's favorite childhood memories are of his summers spent here so it's a very special place to him. We hope it will be the same for our kids. It was great to have D there with us and some friends from Austin were sweet enough to make the trip over to spend some time - thanks Neal, Dominique & Mike! We drove at bedtime so this shot is when we got there.

Every turn was a new adventure. Between our long nature walks and swims in the river, the kids were beyond worn out!

Willie Grace's hair camouflaged

Oscar kind of got away from us and made it down this slide just in time for me to snap a shot of him flying off the bottom. He was SO proud of himself!

17 months

2011-07-05T20:05:00.002-05:00

Gram makes swimming with 3 toddlers look so easy!

This was the kids' first dip of the summer in a real pool. Lainey is the fish of the 3. She can't get enough of the water. Oscar loves it one minute and is skeptical the next... WG could care less if she ever saw a pool again and is much happier having a poolside snack.

Mima is so sweet to have us over to swim in her pool AND help us chase kids around. I just don't know how she does it all while still looking so fabulous at the age of 97!

at home in our much smaller pools...

4th of July

2011-07-04T21:13:00.009-05:00

It was a great day spent with D at our house. Who needs to go anywhere when you have pig tails, inflatable swimming pools, sprinklers and messy Texas BBQ?!

Uncle Will's and Caroline's party

2011-06-21T21:32:00.011-05:00

Will's and Caroline's birthdays always make the summer more fun. This year Will avoided a princess themed party and got away with a slip-n-slide party instead. These cousins have such fun together.

Summer Trip: South Dakota

2011-06-18T22:38:00.001-05:00

We headed on to South Dakota to visit my Grandma Della Mae. Unfortunately, she landed herself in the hospital before we got there, so we took over her hospital room and wore her out! Surprisingly, Oscar only hit the nurse-call button once. Grandma is the toughest little lady with an incredible sense of humor - even after a rough surgery. My Aunt Colette and cousin Brandi were there too to make for a great visit.

The minivan with the door open was our rental car. This is what we walked out to after spending a few hours in the hospital (one of the kids had the keys on the way in and must have hit a button). 10 days worth of luggage for 5 people, my purse, laptop, etc. were all still there and untouched. Ahhh to live in a place where people treat each other right. I miss South Dakota dearly!
Since it was lunch time, we had a quick parking lot picnic. It took Oscar all of 2 seconds to pour out the entire box of goldfish.. and another 2 seconds for the girls to join him in stomping on them. Rental cars are a great thing!

Our next stop was the Niederauers in Sioux Falls. George is such a fun and busy boy - Oscar is just like him, just a year and half behind! And Ainsley is an absolute sweetheart who let our kids steal toys from her the entire time without a peep. I'm hoping the next time we are together she'll fight back a little more.

Will and Connie on our double date night out - a great way to finish our trip. Well it would have been - we actually finished our trip with Lainey vomiting in her cousin's carseat again as we were pulling up to the airport to fly home... and then came home to a very warm house with a broken air conditioner.

Summer trip: Nebraska

2011-06-17T20:27:00.002-05:00

We decided to take another trip to the Midwest this summer since we likely won't be traveling much after baby #4 arrives in August. This trip started off with Oscar having explosive diarrhea as we were going through security (somehow this was the first time in his life to ever have diarrhea). We found it interesting that when you go through with clean, sweet little infant triplets the TSA staff is happy to hold a baby for you, but when it's a toddler with poop up his back and down his socks, they let you know it is absolutely against all their policies to hold a child even for a second or touch a stroller. So Will is holding this poopy kid trying to collapse 2 strollers to get through security while I'm holding 2 kids (7 months pregnant) trying to get all our other stuff through. I'm pretty sure we acted as a good form of birth control for some onlookers. After a quick flight we were greeted by the kids Aunt Heather in Omaha... and 20 minutes later, Lainey projectile vomited in her cousin's carseat. It was only fitting then that Willie Grace vomited in her pack n play crib at bedtime. Thankfully each kid had only one episode of 'output' that day and the rest of our time in Nebraska was filled with lots of fun with the kids' Aunt Heather, Uncle Dustin, cousins Brogan and Parker, their Grandparents and Great Aunts Judy & Marilyn. The kids were introduced to their first trampoline, water table, sprinkler (love at first sight), bank and meat locker (Will's favorite place in rural Nebraska).

LOVE Parker's feet!

Yoga pose in the morning sun

Gram's birthday at the zoo

2011-05-20T22:05:00.001-05:00

Our first trip to the zoo was on Gram's birthday.. and the highlight was watching the giraffes, her favorite - can you tell?!

16 months old and having fun

2011-05-19T20:40:00.001-05:00

The shelf really does hold up to 70 pounds. Will thought we should test it out on the kids before the pots of herbs.

It's always a race to the top of the stairs with these 3. Lainey often comes in last, but always looks back to see if she beat anyone.

Our safety girl, Willie Grace, still loves the skateboarding helmet.

Lainey patiently waiting for dinner.

The girls and their friend Susanna Lane ready for the park with their hair in pig tails.

Menil Park with Brooke Schwab

2011-05-07T22:13:00.002-05:00

Easter

2011-04-29T21:42:00.002-05:00

sand box

2011-04-27T21:13:00.003-05:00

silly afternoon with friends

2011-04-24T20:31:00.002-05:00

We love it when our friends Neal and Dominique come in from Austin..they always have lots of energy for the kids and food for us. WG led Neal around the house most of the afternoon and ever since she rarely walks anywhere without holding one of our hands.

Being silly at the table

Oscar's new can't-contain-my-excitement face.

at the park

2011-04-20T20:18:00.001-05:00

The kids love the park - what toddler doesn't? So we spend a lot of time there. They love it even more when their very good friend Susanna Lane is there... She's sporting the floppy hat and sunnies below. Their time on the monkey bars was their dad's idea... Willie Grace, being the monkey she is, would have hung on them all day.

Oscar is getting a brother

2011-04-07T20:31:00.002-05:00

I know he could have handled growing up with 3 sisters, but I'm sure he'll be happy to have a brother instead. This pregnancy has been different in every way from the triplets - so different we even found out the gender this time. Turns out it's pretty fun to find out early!

knee surgery

2011-03-28T20:45:00.001-05:00

The good thing about Will having his 5th knee surgery in 4 years is knowing this is his last... the bad part is is that he's out of options of this one doesn't stick. Fingers crossed. I'm not sure how's he's endured all theses surgeries - he's much much tougher than I am. Fortunately both of our moms were able to help us hold it all together. When I feel like my babies are getting too old, too independent, too fast I can really appreciate still needing my mom & mother-in-law - it gives me hope they will need me for a little while longer too.
To give Will some much needed recovery time, we spent some time at the Children's Museum (no pictures of that though) playing outside and doing some art projects.

Islay

2011-03-15T19:44:00.002-05:00

Happy 4th Birthday Islay! Thanks for a great party sweet girl.

Lainey is getting used to wearing hair clips to keep the crazy curls out of her eyes.

Rodeo

2011-03-09T20:37:00.003-06:00

We went to the Rodeo! Actually we went to the kids zone of the rodeo... the petting zoo and 'farm' is all time we could fit in before the kids were wiped out. We rode the rail to get there - Lainey thought it was great fun while Willie Grace seemed a little skeptical.Oscar was a little slow to warm up to the animals and had this look on his face the entire time. The girls were excited to get their hands on the goats and loved watching the kangaroos jump around.After a 10 minute nap Willie Grace was recharged!

February beach day

2011-03-04T20:24:00.000-06:00

The weather wasn't the best, but considering Uncle Tony, Aunt Katie and Sam were visiting from Minneapolis we were determined to have a day at the beach. The kids had fun regardless and Sam had a chance to play in sand instead of snow!

Menil Park

2011-03-01T21:22:00.000-06:00

Last month we spent a couple of sunny afternoons at our favorite park. The kids looove having open spaces to explore..

Willie Grace stopped to eat some sweet potato fries with me - I finally satisfied my latest craving... that's right, baby #4 is on the way, due in August!

Uncle Austin, Caroline and Carter joined us for a while to play.

14 months

2011-02-28T20:48:00.001-06:00

Oscar spent most of his awake hours wearing cowboy boots this month...even as he learned to kick the soccer ball. He was especially happy if he had his boots on and one his green hightop chucks in each hand. The girls had some very silly moments during meal time...

Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T21:12:00.002-06:00

13 months

2011-01-29T21:22:00.002-06:00

Will got the kids helmets after he started taking them on little skateboarding adventures. They love these helmets and fight over wearing them while they are playing... which is certainly not a bad thing they way they climb/fall/fight/play.

The kids made their first trip to Ikea. We had to be creative in getting around with them and seemed to manage pretty well... though we won't likely be doing it again!

Smiley boy

2011-01-28T20:41:00.001-06:00

Oscar was the first to get hurt on our coffee table. It didn't take him long to get back to his happy self.

Birthday Party!

2011-01-10T21:49:00.000-06:00

The trio giving their new tri-tricycle a ride.
thanks aunt kimmie & uncle austin!

Lainey takes the driver's seatwhat else do you do with leftover cupcakes?!

I didn't get a shot of all the babies' friends who came to their party, but we did manage to get some of their triplet friends. Notice not one baby is looking at the camera!I love that Lainey put her arm around Jack to comfort him through the photos. First boyfriend?

Thanks all for making their 1st birthday and their 1st year so much fun!

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T20:05:00.001-06:00

We rang in 2011 with some festive attire though we were all asleep long before midnight. The next morning the kids had fun with a new wagon they got for their birthday. Back and forth back and forth back and forth...

they are 1!!!

2010-12-29T21:11:00.000-06:00

What a day. A happy happy happy day that we all made it ONE year! Talking to my best friend today I had to admit that I was an emotional mess about the babies turning 1. Mostly because it all just went too fast. Waaaaaay too fast. And they're not 'babies' anymore. I remember feeling like my heart would just burst if I had any more joy in it last year at this time and have pretty much felt that all year long (not that there haven't been MANY other emotions overwhelming me at times). I just watched the slideshow of the babies' NICU stay. I think I cried even harder watching it now than I did the first time I saw it. It must be the music.

www.studiobimages.com/slideshows/Davis

What a wonderful journey these kids have taken Will and I on in 2010. We're looking forward to seeing what 2011 will bring!

these are some random shots from the last few weeks...

more birthday pictures to come after their 1st party this weekend.

12 months

2010-12-29T20:29:00.001-06:00

LaineyOscar with our wonderful nanny, Mayra.The girls waiting for Oscar to push them

Willie Grace has been on a hat kick this month.. as long as we are inside.. outside, she won't keep it on for a second.

Christmas Eve & Christmas morning

2010-12-25T21:17:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-23T22:20:00.000-06:00

pieces of art

2010-12-19T12:55:00.000-06:00

Willie Grace Oscar

Lainey

Family Trip part 2: Nebraska

2010-12-08T20:06:00.000-06:00

After leaving our friends in South Dakota we continued our journey to Omaha. We were able to spend some quality time with my brother Dustin & Heather and their little ones Brogan & Parker. While we were there two of my former coworkers from the Children's Hospital came over with each of their youngest kids for a wild playdate. Oh how I wish I still worked with them - I miss you girls dearly!

Reese and Oscar became quick friends. They sat like this with these funny expressions for the longest time.

Lainey was soooo happy after eating Aunt Heather's raviolis
Nice work Oscar

Our niece Parker, who is always smiling

We finally made our way to my parents' house where we stayed for the remainder of the trip... and things got even cozier as we joined my other brother Tony, Katie and their little guy Sam. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and early Christmas together. The last holiday we all spent together Sam was the only grandbaby... 3 years laster there are 6!
Willie Grace waving hi on Thanksgiving

Oscar is picking up on his cousins love for trains

Lainey is obsessed with putting her finger through things so my Aunt Judy thought we should give her black olives... sure enough...

Willie Grace will climb onto and into anything she can

The cold weather was a little tough on Oscar's cheeks

Christmas fun in stripes and polka dots

To end our trip we celebrated my parents' 40th wedding anniversary with a party full of family and dear friends.
Silly man Sam all ready for the party

My fabulous Broekemeier cousins with the trio
Finally meeting their Great Grandma Della Mae
Cheers to Mike and Mary for many more years of happy togetherness!

Family Trip Part 1: South Dakota

2010-12-07T21:54:00.000-06:00

We did it! We went on our first family trip and it went better than I ever could have hoped it would. We flew to Omaha where Uncle Dustin and Aunt Heather greeted us with lots of hugs and a minivan full of carseats. We then made the 3 hour drive to Sioux Falls to stay with our dear friends Connie & Greg and their 2 little ones, George and Ainsley for 5 days.

We checked 3 suitcases for an 11 day trip - this was a big deal for us as we packed in 2 carry-on suitcases for our 3 week wedding/honeymoon in Belize...turns out it's pretty convenient checking a suitcase. Anyway, we were impressed with how gracious everyone was to us throughout the whole journey. While waiting at our gate we met the sweetest set of triplets - 2/3 of a set anyway. 2 girls were flying in to spend the weekend with their other third, as they called him. It was so fun to hear their stories of what it was like growing up as a triplet. I hope our 3 have such positive things to say about their childhood someday!

Oscar was a little stunned when he woke up from his nap.

We spent most of our time inside being entertained by the kids and enjoying C's fantastic cooking - perfect vacation to me! Grandma Sheils even came by for a visit to make it complete. I think George was happy to sneak in a few extra snacks when our kids were eating. Next time we're together Ainsley will be joining them at the table.

WG and George both displayed a great deal of patience during this interaction. Later that day WG let George push her around in his block cart.

The boys needed some time outside one icy morning. Oscar had a blast zipping down the drive way in a box. George was giving his dad a hand up the slippery slope.

Fred, a friend since college, was in town from Minneapolis - I haven't seen him in a couple years, so it was great to spend some time with him too. Thankfully he loves kids! G was posing for the camera and was making Fred pose too.

that's right Oscar, load the dishes

do these make my feet look big?

Ainsley and Lainey looking as sweet at they really are.

and finally our attempts at a group shot

No, this post isn't over yet! During our time in SD we drove up to Brookings where my best childhood friend lives. Amie and Travis just welcomed their 3rd baby, Coen. We were so fortunate to be able to spend time with them and meet their new little guy...and even see Amie's mom Gloria. Lydia was so helpful with the babies while Maxwell kept everyone entertained. Oscar was all giggles zooming around with Travis on this car.

stay tuned for Family Trip Part 2: Nebraska

Fall fun

2010-12-02T21:06:00.000-06:00

Lisa is here! Or was here. A month ago already. I'm waaaay behind on updating. One of my best friends came in from Edmonton Canada to spend time with our kids while leaving her 2 little ones at home. We had a great time and even went out for a bit of a girls night at BRC, where else?! When I talked to her the other day it was -18 there. I think she might need to come back in January to warm up.

(photo taken by Lisa) Oscar is a crazy man at the table

Willie Grace and Lainey are in matching outfits along with their sweet and spunky little friend Susanna Lane. We are very lucky to have a friend who is a childrens clothing designer. I heart Mis-Tee-V-Us childrens clothes! Susanna Lane comes over to play on Thursdays as our nannies spend the day together with all the kids.Miles making himself comfortable on Lainey.

I can't remember why Lainey ended up in the sink, but I think she enjoyed having her own bath for a change.

Now that the babies can climb out of their bath seats and the bathtub, bath time is back to being a 2 parent job.

What is it about kids and baby gates.. don't they know there is a whole playroom full of fun things to do behind them?!

OOOOUCH. Lainey needs to work on being nice to her grandpa.It's always a little crazy when Uncle Austin & Aunt Kimmie and Caroline & Carter come over to play!

11 months

2010-11-29T22:08:00.001-06:00

photos by brooke schwab

2010-11-13T21:40:00.000-06:00

happy halloween

2010-10-31T22:44:00.000-05:00

a zebra, a cat and a pig who are more difficult than ever to photograph..

double trouble

such a sweet little cat

Okay enough with the attempts at taking still pictures as they clearly don't want anymore of them!

The babies had a special Halloween treat today when D rolled up in a '55 Chevy. This car was bought new by their great grandfather, Pop, 55 years ago and thankfully D has worked hard to keep it running and looking this good. The kids will never get to meet Pop, but they will get to know a little bit about him through this fabulous car.

Like any kids would do, they fought for the wheel and tried to peel out of the driveway.

weekend away

2010-10-12T20:37:00.000-05:00

Will and I spent our first nights away from the babies - and we didn't even go to the same place! I went to be with my best girlfriends in Phoenix while Will went on his annual surf strip to CA with his friend Billy. For those of you who know both Will and Billy, you are probably as surprised as I am that they ever make it back home from this trip. It is not surprising though that Will didn't take any pictures.. So I will share a couple from my trip.
This was our 8th year since college to go on an annual trip as a group...and every year someone has been pregnant... this year that was Andrea. Once her little boy arrives that will be 15 kids between us all... and even though I was the last to have kids, I managed to out-kid them already:) Thank God I had all these years to learn from them -- I wouldn't be half the mom I am without them!

up high: Andrea, Lora, me, Connie, Roxie. down low: Lisa, Julie.

Snap back to reality - BABIES. So who took care of the kids?! My parents flew in from NE to take over our household/baby duty. Thank God for them! The babies were as happy as happy could be with them and I was even calm and cool about leaving... which I know shocked more people than just me. If not for them, I don't think I ever would have left for a night much less 3. Anyway, it's the first time anyone has had a real taste of our life with triplets and I must say it was very validating hearing how exhausted they were! Even though it was hard to be away I loved knowing they were having a blast with 'grammy' and 'papa'.

I just realized that I never published a post in June when my girlfriends came to Houston to meet the babies.. and help me get some sleep and sanity. I love this picture of them with the babies. Lora w/Willie Grace:Andrea w/Lainey:Roxie w/Oscar. Awh. They were so little here...

Will was on baby duty while we had a fun lunch at BRC, Will's newish restaurant that he and a few other guys opened earlier this year.

waking up from a nap

2010-10-10T22:00:00.001-05:00

9 months on 9.29

2010-10-05T23:06:00.000-05:00

Here we are at 9 months already. As we hit the 29th of every month and wonder where the time has gone, we also realize just how much easier life has become. This month, though, we aren't quite sure that's the case. Willie Grace officially started crawling and 2 days later, Oscar followed her lead... so having 2 crawlers who dart across the room (and off the bed and towards the stairs and into the dogs' water bowl) in a flash has changed things. And that's just 2 out of the 3. We can only hope Lainey stays immobile for a little while longer. Given her personality, we don't think that will be a problem.
The 9 month weigh-in:
Lainey - 20.1 pounds, 75th percentile height, weight
Oscar - 20 pounds, 50th percentile height, weight
Willie Grace - 17.7 pounds, 25 percentile for weight, 50th percentile for height
They were so happy eating paper at pediatricians office

I'm so proud to see them sitting up on this exam table... at their first visit here, they were still less than 5 pounds.

A few weeks ago I stopped breastfeeding the babies so I guess you could say that I am finally starting to feel like me again. I'm not really sure what I thought it would be like pumping/breastfeeding triplets for almost 9 months, but I now know that I can pretty much do anything.

Anyway, these little monkeys have always been very good eaters so it's no surprise that they are gobbling up almost anything I put in front of them. Tortillas and scrambled eggs have been the favorite foods of the week...oh and cucumbers, but blueberries and carrots are way more fun to photograph.

Lainey, my little helper

this little man is something else

more?

Willie Grace prefers to feed herself big kid food. Apparently baby food is for babies. She's pretty sure she's 6.

Lainey looks so innocent and unintentional when she drops something...of course she is just testing to see if we will pick it up again and again... and again.

It finally cooled off here so we've been spending a lot of time outside

Oscar is learning a tough lesson that he has to share the swing

my boys

double triplet trouble

2010-09-19T21:52:00.000-05:00

As if one set of triplets doesn't cause enough trouble of their own...

We met this wonderful family about this time last year... neither of us knew just how different our lives would be getting together one year later.

These precious 3 babies are just a month younger than ours. It was so fun to learn how much the personalities of our baby As, baby Bs and baby Cs mirror each other - even both of our laid-back baby As suck their thumbs. It looks like Skye and Willie Grace are going to be the trouble makers while Jack and Oscar just follow their sisters lead.

The line-up: Jack and Oscar (baby B) Lainey and Findlay (baby A) Willie Grace and Skye (baby C).

day at the beach

2010-09-07T23:06:00.000-05:00

We had quite the family adventure at the Gulf on Sunday. We came home with loads of sand and lots of pictures. I quickly learned that chubby babies with sunscreen on attract a whole lot of sand!

coffee break

2010-09-06T22:58:00.000-05:00

We were up at Will's favorite coffee shop last week...

Ahhh new ceiling fans to look at

Not exciting enough for Oscar... so he took down Willie Grace. Lainey was not impressed with his behavior.

back at home for some playtime..

Oscar is such a BOY - he loves to toss his sisters around and anything else that he comes across. Hmmm to think that this is just the beginning. In this picture I had just grabbed him before he could take Lainey down by her hair. He's learning quickly how to charm his way out of trouble..wonder where he gets that?!?

Lainey is so incredibly laid back.. if someone takes her toy (or Oscar yanks her hair), she will happily play with her fingers (she does her own hilarious version of itsy bitsy spider). We hope she will always be so calm and content with the world.. her happiness is pretty much untouchable. It's amazing what I learn from this sweet girl!

The girls were flashing their shiny blues with some funny faces.

Lainey

their outfits might match...

2010-09-05T20:23:00.000-05:00

but their personalities certainly do not!

I had to add this one of Lainey - she's been obsessed with this hat and cries when I take it off of her.

knee surgery...again

2010-08-21T20:58:00.000-05:00

Will finally got a much deserved couple of days off daddy duty... all it took was him having knee surgery in order to get it. This was his 4th surgery to try to repair his acl. His 3rd surgery was a little over a year ago - I'll never forget it... It was the day after we found out I was pregnant with twins (before we saw baby C on the sonogram) and the day my all-day 'morning' sickness began. Anyway, this last surgery was to prep him for his 5th surgery in a few months where he will actually have both knees operated on. Poor guy. Let's hope #5 works! The kids were giving him a pep talk before surgery...

Oscar and Lainey showing their love

you're going to be one crutches? but how will you carry me?!

We are so lucky to have such fun-filled days of having 3 very silly and very busy babies who love to play and are still working hard at learning how to crawl. They really need to work as hard at learning how to share toys.. the fighting has already started.

My favorite thing to watch is these little moments they have with each other where they seem to be formulating their own language.

can you tell who the ham of the family is?

walking 3, bathing 3

2010-08-09T12:21:00.000-05:00

WIDE LOAD - no room on the sidewalks for us

fastest way to cool off after a hot Houston walk

around the house

2010-08-08T20:43:00.000-05:00

sitting in their favorite chairs waiting for food

you can see here Willie Grace is finally getting hair

car time means nap time for Oscar

I wish I could remember what they were looking at here

story time in our reading chair

sitting under their own first monkey painting

stepping out

2010-07-26T08:24:00.000-05:00

Not surprisingly, we don't leave the house much with the kids. It's great to get out with them, but when we get home we almost always say, we're never doing that again! ...until the dust settles and the next event comes up that we just can't miss.
We took the babies on their 2nd restaurant experience, Beavers, to celebrate our dear friends Billy and Cara's wedding. It was so great to be with friends outside of our house!
Congratulations BroCo and thanks for inviting all of us!

Oscar and Lainey hanging out with Dina and Billy

Willie Grace wouldn't smile for me,

but I know she was loving every minute she got to be with Katie

We also made it out for the 4th

when 'D' (grandpa Billy) said he was making gumbo,

we headed over for his best batch yet.

the babies in their red white and blue onsies from Gram -

like real little people

2010-07-18T12:48:00.000-05:00

We all survived the first 6 months! The weigh in:
Lainey: 18 pounds - 75th percentile for height and weight
Oscar: 17 1/2 pounds - 50th percentile for height and weight
Willie Grace: 16 pounds - 25th percentile for height and weight

I am proud to say that they are all rolling over, sitting up with no help for a few minutes at a time, saying maaaamaaamma, jumping like crazy monkeys and all the other exciting 6 month old stuff.
As their dad says, "it's like they're real little people now".

Will and I have realized that life will never be as easy as it is right now so we are savoring every day that the babies sleep 11-12 hours a night, take 3 good naps and do NOT crawl or walk.
mesmerized by the dogs

Now that they are 6 months old, the babies have also started eating some 'real' food and testing out sippy cups.

Meal time is no small affair around here, but it's a lot of fun.

Oscar contemplating his cereal

Willie Grace is mostly interested in watching her siblings eat

Lainey waiting her turn

This series was supposed to be in the stripes post...

better late than never!

another birthday in the family

2010-07-03T21:31:00.000-05:00

Our niece, Caroline's birthday is the day before Will's... and being the sweet girl that she is, shared her Toy Story birthday party with him.
Only an uncle's love...

Willie Grace with her Great Grandmother Janet

Uncle A and WG

Aunt Kimmy making Lainey giggle

We finally got a few shots of the Davis cousins together.

I think these pictures capture each of them perfectly!

sadly, Carter ended up on the floor after this shot:(

stripes

2010-06-21T15:41:00.000-05:00

Lainey

Willie Grace

Oscar

Happy Birthday cuz!

2010-06-21T14:47:00.000-05:00

The babies' cousin, Carter, turned one at the end of May... my how fast a year goes...and how fast this little guy has grown! Aunt Kimmy hosted a great party as usual. Thanks for having us!

I can't believe I didn't get any pictures of the babies with their cousins. We will at Caroline's birthday party this weekend...

Here's the birthday boy showing off his dance moves.

Oscar was excited to put on a tie for the occasion..

'check it out'

'Well, what do you think?'

The babies were really excited to be there... they just couldn't handle the excitement for too long and had to borrow Carter's crib.

fun at 4 months

2010-05-22T10:14:00.000-05:00

Oscar stunned by the camera

Oscar will sit in his bumbo chair all day as long as he has his

Vans to look at - he's obsessed with these shoes!

there's always a funny face in this crowd

Willie Grace being Willie Grace...

Lainey is all smiles and giggles until the camera comes out

Lainey is getting the hang of her johnny jumper

Okay...I think she likes it

Last night I finally did it - I seperated the babies for the first time (they've been too big to all share one crib for a while now). Turns out, it was much harder for me than it was for them. Lainey and Willie Grace shared a crib in their room and slept through the night as if they had done it a thousand times before. Oscar on the other hand, stayed in our room, waking up a few times as usual. I think Will is ready for Oscar to join his sisters in their room...we'll see how long it takes Oscar and I to be ready!

Oscar deserves a little extra attention though - he had surgery this week to repair 2 little hernias. He did so well and was quickly back to his smilely self. He did seem excited to get a new elephant out of the deal.

Oscar can turn into a real bear after a bath. Aheh aheh.

The girls looove to splash in the bath!

May has been such a fun month with the babies! They even got a new cousin Parker Faith Steffen and a new friend Ainsley Quinn Niederauer this month... good thing Oscar already has 3 older boy cousins!

life just got a little easier

2010-05-07T23:23:00.000-05:00

did I really just say that?! The day Lainey turned 4 months (8 days ago) she consistently started sleeping through the night... so both of our girls are sleeping from 9pm to 6am. Incredible. This is good for a number of reasons, one being that they are getting too big to all share a crib.. so the time has come to move the girls into their own cribs in their room...at least that's the plan for this weekend.
What about Oscar? Our sweet little boy he has figured out that he can get as much one-on-one time with his mom and dad as he wants between 1am and 5am. So much for sleeping through the night. It looks like Oscar is going to have to continue sleeping in our room until he can join his sisters without waking them up.

At the babies' 4 month check up Oscar took the lead in weight at 14 lbs, 14 oz. He is in the 50th percentile for weight & 25th percentile for height.

always happy & full of smiles

Lainey was close behind him weighing 14 lbs, 9 oz so she is in the 75th percentile for weight and 50th percentile for height.

Willie Grace is maintaining her petite figure weighing 12 lbs, 4 oz putting her in the 10th percentile for both weight and height.

At the babies' 2 month check-up Lainey and Oscar were barely plotting in the 3rd percentile and Willie Grace wasn't even on the chart, so they've gained A LOT in the last 2 months!

Life also got a little bit easier for us now that I have cut my hours back to work 3 days a week. YAY!!! I'm so lucky to be home with the babies 4 days a week and to keep a job I love.

me and my girls

I remember last year's Mother's Day ...

I was just hoping that someday I would be lucky enough to be a mom.

Turns out I was... and it's even better than I thought it would be!

Happy Mothers Day to all you moms!!!

first of many

2010-04-12T20:09:00.000-05:00

The past month has been full of firsts for the babies...

Willie Grace was the first to sleep 8 hours through the night... hopefully Lainey and Oscar will follow their little sister's lead.

Oscar was the first to smile… such a happy boy

Lainey was the first to laugh - one of the sweetest sounds I've ever heard other than their newborn cries.

So far, she'll only laugh for her dad. He is a pretty funny guy.

The babies' cousin Carter came over for their first playdate.

He's 7 months older and 18 pounds bigger!

George was the babies first friend to fly in from South Dakota. He was able to get in some baby practice before his sister arrives in just a few weeks. We had so much fun with him here!

Willie Grace takes one to the chin

Willie Grace is playing it cool

Oscar was all smiles in his muscle shirt

womb mates

2010-04-03T18:06:00.000-05:00

ohhh the personalities of these 3...

onesies courtesy Sam Steffen

big changes at 10 weeks

2010-03-09T17:02:00.000-06:00

Will has stepped down from his position as the family blogger.. so not only did I go back to work this week, I also took on the job of blogging again. Seriously, if only we could buy time and sleep.
Going back to work at the hospital this week was incredibly hard. I wish I could have been at home longer, but being on bed rest for 10 weeks prior to the babies' arrival cut my leave short. There have been many tears shed... to my surprise they've only been from me, not the babies.
We were lucky to find a wonderful nanny, Myra (thanks Anne!) who takes care of the babies 4 days a week while I am at work. She is super sweet with the babies and is very patient with Will so I think she is going to work out great.

Will takes a shot at feeding all 3 at once. This only works for a few minutes before it's time to burp.

I just can't get enough of these sweet moments

Someday we will get a picture of them with their eyes open

What is it about babies feet?!

After going for a walk they were exhausted!

Willie Grace and Lainey did not like this round of pictures.

Poor Oscar was almost eaten by Lainey!