10

Double digits! Ten months. Two little months shy of a whole year since these babies came into the world. It's hard to believe. The past ten months have gone by so quickly and these babies have grown up so much. And they are so fun. I honestly feel like all babies should be multiples. That's how fun they are. They play together and entertain each other so good. I love watching them interact with each other. They are always playing peek-a-boo with each other behind the curtains, tossing toys back and forth to each other, giving each other piggyback rides and having their own little conversations. They are all best friends and when you add Marley into the mix, they can definitely keep you entertained. They each have a lot in common, but they also have characteristics that makes them unique. Let's start with Jack. He's my cuddler. He is truly the sweetest boy and he is still so happy all of the time. He smiles and laughs at everything. He can crawl really fast when he wants to and pulls up on everything and is often the one his sisters choose to hang onto and let him drag them around. He loves playing with any kind of ball. He will sit across from you and throw the ball back and forth with you 20 times in a row. His dad thinks a baseball career is definitely in his future. Let's hope he is right! He claps, waves and is notorious for using his head to plow into things, including people. He seems to realize his head is his strongest weapon. He still hangs his tongue out all of the time and drools the worst of the three. He loves singing and will say, "La, la, la" all day long. He has said a few words, but that is by far his most used. He still has no teeth and not a whole lot of hair, but it'll come in time. He is such an easy-going little guy and has a giggle that is infectious. Then there is Marissa. She has become my quiet little talker. Her little voice is so soft and sweet when she wants it to be. Her newest thing is saying "Bye bye" while waving to you. It is one of the cutest things and makes me smile everytime she does it. The other day she did it and then crawled off like she really had somewhere to go. She is getting really good at standing alone and has even taken a few steps on her own here and there. She is my messiest eater and loves to rub food in her hair and all over her face. She absolutely adores her big sister and follows Marley all over the place. The two of them like to have squealing contests and they both crack up laughing within seconds. She would do anything to be able to do everything her big sis can. She has four teeth now. Last up is Makayla. She is becoming a little trouble maker! She is all about climbing now. One of my biggest fears was that the triplets would take after their big sister and like to climb things. Two of them were showing very strong signs that they will indeed be climbers and the past few days, Makayla has made it very clear that she will get to what she wants no matter how high up it is! Somehow she learned how to climb up on the couch. I left the room for two minutes and I came back and she was sitting up on the couch with the biggest smile on her face. She is still pretty little and the couch is big and it's leather which doesn't give much traction. All I can think is that she stood on one (or both!) of her siblings to get up. She can climb out of her seat at their table and be standing in her seat or climbing onto the table in a matter of seconds. The girl is going to give me gray hairs! She has two teeth but the top two are probably going to break thru within a few days. She loves to squeal and giggle and she is usually the one jumping on her brother or sister's back for a piggyback ride. It is so funny to watch. She puts her hands on their back and when they crawl around she crawls behind them hanging on and just moving her legs and laughing. She is still the toughest one of the bunch. If a toy is taken from her she (loudly) lets everyone know she is not happy. If she grabs something from one of her siblings, she has learned to take off with it so they don't get a chance to grab it back. She is very fast and those little arms and legs can move so quickly! She is also getting good at standing on her own and took a couple steps on her own. She likes to give her brother a hard time and often fights over toys with him. I can only imagine how it will be a few years from now! It is so fun to watch these babies learn and grow. I sing the alphabet song with them everyday at lunch and now they really interact with me when I'm singing. They will clap and dance and at the end I get a round of applause from all of them. Their little faces light up when I start singing that song. They still love their big sister so much. They are starting to understand so much and get upset if she gets in trouble. The other day she got sent to her room and Marissa cried her little eyes out until Marley got to come back out. It is hard to believe they can pick up on things at such a young age. They all know that when someone says, "Yay!" that they should clap. They know what "Stop" and  "No" mean, though that doesn't mean they don't just continue what they were doing with an even bigger smile on their face. They each know their names.They all reach for me to pick them up when they want to be held. It's the little things like that that make me realize how much they are learning and growing. These babies are on the verge of toddlerhood and they aren't slowing down no matter how much I ask them to!

Jack

Marissa laughing

Marley really wanted a picture with her brother

Smiley boy

Makayla

They loved riding the horsey

Jack did too

Climbing on the couch when mommy leaves the room is FUN!

My little gymnast

Marley & her friend, Kailey, a few weeks ago

No stopping us now...

Today was one of the best days we've had as a family in a while. My birthday is on Saturday and I told Mike all I wanted was to spend a day at a theme park. We go to theme parks a lot but I just think you can never get enough of them! Marley has been to Disney World a whole lot of times in her short little life. She has always been such a good "theme park kid." She loves rides. She loves shows. She loves animals. She doesn't even mind waiting in line. We always felt so lucky that she was so good when we took her places. I've been wanting to take her and the babies to the Zoo or Busch Gardens for a few weeks now. My husband wasn't quite as anxious as me to take three 9 month old babies out all day to a place that is totally outside of their norm. But, I wanted to go to a theme park for my birthday so guess who won?? And it was awesome. We had so much fun and the babies were so incredibly good. I still can't believe they behaved so well. Not one single tear, no meltdowns, no fussing. Nothing! They looked a little worried when we first got there. A LOT of people kept approaching us and asking questions and talking to them and getting right up in their faces and it was starting to scare them. I took Marissa out for about ten minutes and she had the tightest grip on me that she possibly could. Jack fell asleep within five minutes and slept the first hour or so. That's my Jack. Makayla was fine just sitting up by her brother and holding her juice cup for dear life at first. I think they really had no idea what was going on. People asked to take pictures of them. People brought their kids up to them. I must have heard the expression that moms of multiples hear ALL of the time, "Your hands sure are full!!!" atleast 50 or 100 times in the first couple of hours. I honestly couldn't say how many times we were stopped, pointed at, given sympathetic looks or told how blessed we are. But, it's part of life now and I have learned how to just smile and keep walking and not let them stop me. If I do stop, the crowds swarm, and it's hard to get away. I am so proud of my babies for how well they behaved today. It was definitely a risk. These babies aren't nearly as "cultured" as your average 9 month old baby. Other than their pediatrician's office, the mall and a few other places, they really haven't seen much. So, asking them to sit in a stroller for the entire day, where it's 20 degrees warmer than what they are used to, eating and napping at different times, and then dealing with a million new faces that want to see the spectacle that is triplets up close and personal time after time after time, is asking a lot and they had every right to fuss a little. But they didn't. And that is so awesome because we realized we can still have a really fun day at a theme park with all kids in tow. Getting everyone ready and getting all the bags packed was quite a task, but it was well worth it. And, the new stroller is so awesome. It is much easier to steer and turn than the previous one and I think the babies were so comfortable because they had each other nearby. Even at home, they stick together. They are all best friends and who better to have by your side than your best friend when you are face to face with a cheetah? Or just a bunch of strange people who seem to think three babies at a theme park is the best attraction there is.


Marley & Kailey...BFF's

The girls LOVED the log flumes

Mike & Joe taking the girls

Tired out!

These girls had a blast!

Being cute is quite tiring



Lunch break



Tyler and the triplets waiting for their big sisters to ride