Glue & Staples & Gray Hairs (Oh My!)

There's a study that says that redheads turn gray much later in life than the average person. However, I highly doubt this study takes into account redheads that are the mother of triplets plus one. I know in the past 3 weeks, I have probably grown many new gray hairs on my head. About 3 weeks ago, I was just finishing up making dinner when I heard Marissa crying. And it wasn't the normal "he took my toy" or "she won't let me drink her juice" cry. It was a high pitched, something really hurts cry. So I ran toward Marley's room (where she was playing) as she ran toward the living room and saw blood streaming down her face. Marley, Makayla & Jack all started screaming when they saw the blood and we quickly got a rag and slowed it down and asked Marissa what happened. She said she fell on Marley's window ledge. The cut was definitely one that required medical attention so off to After Hours we went. When we got there Marissa went right up to the counter and introduced herself as well as Marley and I and told them why she was there. The nurse called up back and asked her if she could please step on the scale, to which Marissa replied, "I sure can!" and I don't think the girl stopped talking for more than 10 seconds the entire visit there. Luckily they were able to glue her head together and as of now it is healing very nicely and becoming less noticeable by the day. Though I know quite a few people who probably hope a small scar stays so they can tell the girls apart. Ahem, grandmas!

Fast forward three weeks to yesterday. All three of the babies took long, late naps. I knew this would mean a late bedtime. At midnight they were still awake and Mike went in there and told them they needed to stop playing around and get to sleep. Five minutes later I heard them all screaming. I went in there and saw a lot of blood on Makayla's bed and the girls crying, "Jack's hurt!" but saw no blood. Then Jack came up to me to hug me and I saw the blood rushing down the back of his head. They all said they were jumping on the bed and he fell and hit his head on the side of the bed. He had a very large gash in the back of his head that also required immediate medical attention. I ran to get some jeans and a jacket on (it was actually chilly last night) and grabbed a jacket and shoes for him and off to the Emergency Room we went. We got there a little before 1am and were taken back immediately. The doctor said she would have to staple his head. So they came in and put the numbing gel on it for about 30 minutes and came back and put 3 staples in it and off we went. I found it a little odd they didn't shave his hair around his cut and I feel like the staples are too far apart and there should possibly be one or two more, but I guess they know more than me! He was very brave thru it all and whined for about 5 minutes after they left saying his head hurt. He was so concerned about a baby we heard crying in the room next to us and kept asking if it was okay. Such a kind hearted boy. Today he is doing good, he only cries if he accidently bumps his head but he is very careful to try not to. He goes next Tuesday to have the staples removed.

I told Mike the other day that his beard is getting a lot of gray hairs in it. I imagine my head will look like that soon. Though I do have to say, as I told the ER nurse, I think the first trip to the ER with triplets happening at 2 1/2 years old is pretty darn good! (Though we won't count the After Hours visits that we've done because that technically isn't the ER right?) So, pray that Makayla doesn't join the head gashing club in the next few weeks. I may have to go buy my first box of hair dye if so.

Marissa heading to After Hours

Jack in the Emergency Room

Flash Back Friday!

My little girl turning 1. It doesn't seem possible that this was 4 years ago!

Update #2

Okay, as promised, an update on the little people who think they run our household. I'm not even sure where to begin when it comes to those three. They will be 2 1/2 on the 16th of this month which is pretty hard to believe. They are doing really good though. They have some of the best little personalities around and they are really amazing little people. I will go into detail on each of them individually...

Marissa. She is currently 34.75 inches tall and weighs around 23 pounds. She is the oldest of the trio and she often acts that way. Several people who have observed them playing have even asked me if she is the oldest. She is very outgoing and has no sense of  "Stranger Danger." She will talk to anyone about anything. Definitely not like her big sister in this aspect! She is a little daredevil and the one who likes to test me the most out of the three. If there is a line I tell her not to cross, she is the one with her foot dangling above that line while looking at me and smiling. She has excellent speaking skills and can say a whole lot for a two year old, some of which I attribute to having a big sister she watches and listens to intently. She recently had to have her forehead "glued" together because she fell on Marley's window and gashed it open. Even during that, she was fearless and was talking to the doctor about cartoons and puppies as he glued her forehead together. She will answer questions other people ask her and willingly go to people she does not know. I don't necessarily think this is a good thing and I make sure to always keep my eye on this social butterfly. It's funny because we used to always say we wish Marley was a little more outgoing and now I am thinking that I wish Marissa was less! She is very smart and picks up on things quickly. She is currently obsessed with Peppa Pig and asks to watch it all of the time. She is the only one of the three who will sit for an extended period of time to watch something that interests her. She loves to be the one to tell me if something happens when I am not around. For example, if Makayla starts crying when they are in their room for nap time and I go in there, Marissa will tell me and demonstrate in great detail on what happened. She has no problem bossing her brother around and often uses him to do things she either can't (like open a drawer because she knows he is stronger) or knows she shouldn't (because she knows he will if she asks.) She loves to run, especially when we are outside and she is very fast. She is a super fun little girl who definitely brings a lot of laughter to this house.

Makayla. This child proves to me almost daily that she did not survive all of the odds stacked against her before she was born by chance. That girl does not back down from anything. She is definitely the little diva of the family. She is currently 34.5 inches and around 22 pounds. She is a small little thing but that certainly doesn't mean much to her. She can be extremely loving and sweet and is the cuddler of the group, but she can be full of attitude and quite dramatic. For the past couple of weeks, instead of just saying "no" to us, it's "no way!" It is just so funny to hear this big ol' attitude coming out of this little girl. She also likes to test me, but not quite as much as her sister. Instead of looking at me smiling to see what I will do after I tell her no, she gets her feelings hurt and runs to her room pouting for a few minutes. She also speaks very well and has a great vocabulary. Makayla is more of an observer than Marissa is and this makes her a little more selective of whom she talks to. She won't go up to just anybody, but she is still pretty outgoing and is always ready to go somewhere. She is very smart and picks up on things very quickly. She is physically very strong for her size and I think she will do really well in sports in the future. She loves to play and have fun and also adores her big sister. She really likes Peppa Pig too and often asks to watch it, though she loses interest in it much quicker than Marissa. She does not sit still for very long and is usually the biggest protester at bed time. She is scared of loud noises and is not a fan of thunderstorms but luckily for her summer time is over so those aren't daily occurrences any more. She talks about puppies all of the time and often tells me we need a puppy or a kitty cat. She also likes to boss her siblings around.

Jack. This boy is hilarious. He is such a little clown and will do just about anything for a laugh. I can definitely see some talks with teachers in the future about this. He is 37.5 inches and around 26 pounds. He is long and lanky and the worst eater of the group, but he is very big on personality. He is a follower and would probably follow his sisters into just about trouble they asked. He is not the one who will lead them wrong, but he definitely will be right along for the ride! At nap/bed time however, he is the instigator and it is usually him I hear egging his sisters on or jumping up to turn the light on and play. He is incredibly sweet and always hugging and kissing either us or his sisters. He does not speak quite as well as his sisters. He speaks a lot, he just does not know how to create certain sounds (like P's or S's) so sometimes his words are unclear. He has the best laugh I've ever heard. It is a true from the belly laugh and it always makes me laugh to hear him. He still has a very big heart and will be quick to help his sisters out if they need it. He is very rough and luckily has Marley who will wrestle with him for hours. They are so hard on each other and I always worry one of them will get hurt, but they both love it. Jack's legs look like one big bruise and he usually has some sort of bump or bruise on his head. He loves sports and can throw a ball very hard! He likes to carry a toy around in his hand, especially in new environments. It doesn't have to be the same toy each day, just something random he grabs and keeps a tight hold of. He is just a very fun and entertaining little boy and so much fun to be around.

As a group, they can be more than a handful. They are currently going thru a slight obsession with poop and I can't even tell you how many times I have gone in their room in the past few months and ended up calling off nap time or delaying bedtime and going in there with a bottle of bleach instead. It is beyond frustrating- and gross- that they do this! They seem to get in the most trouble when they are not tired and all in their room, unsupervised, together. They take the mattress off their bed and turn it upright to climb up it and get things off of their top closet shelf or just to slide down. They can climb just about anything they try. Whoever doesn't think that girls are just as (and if not more) wild and crazy as boys need to come spend a day with my 3 girls. I don't think many boys could hang with them at times. I was really hoping they wouldn't be as fearless as their big sister, but unfortunately that is definitely not the case! They can be the best of friends and play together and have a great time. Some games they really enjoy playing with each other are Tag and Hide & Seek. They also love to dance together and race each other. However, they can also fight like there's no tomorrow and at times they can be overly dramatic over the smallest things. They will yell at each other and hit/bite/pull each other's hair. I often hear, "Stop it!" "No, you stop it!" "No, YOU stop it!" several times throughout the day and I am sure there are many more years of this ahead. They can also surprise me with how good they can be as a group. They are usually very good walking out in public and either hold my hand or each other's hand and they stay by me really well. They all still really love going to the Y and all of the workers there seem to really love them and always comment how well behaved they are. Potty training is going really well and at home they go about 90% of the time in the potty. They will also use the potty at the Y and often ask to use it when we are out somewhere. They definitely keep us busy and on our toes, but they are super fun little people and make life a whole lot more interesting and we realize how lucky we are to have these 4 amazing people in our lives.

Shopping at Home Depot

Worn out

Walking in to Marley's gymnastics

Mak & Marissa after having an eye exam

Makayla

Jack

Marissa

Makayla fighting a nap...she eventually lost :)

Update #1

I have been a horrible blogger. I just feel like there isn't enough time in the day to get everything done and this has been put on the backburner for quite a while. But, I want to be able to look back on these posts someday and recall what life was like at this time, so I am going to get some updates written!! Because it's been quite a while since I have written, there have been a lot of things that have happened in our lives. One of the bigger events is that my mom completed her chemotherapy. Yay for that!!! She did really well with it though the last few treatments really made her sick. She was getting an extremely strong dose of it and it surely did a number on her, but she bounced back strong after each one and we are glad to have that part of it done. She is now in her 2nd week of radiation. She will do this for 6 weeks, 5 days a week. So far she is doing really well with it too. We just can't wait for all of this to be over. She also sold her house (which was 3 miles down the road from us) and moved about 20 minutes away so between that and Mike's new work schedule which doesn't get him home until about 10pm, we don't get to see her nearly as much lately. All of the kids miss her a lot and talk about going to Mimi's house every day. Another big event that happened was I finished school!! I am now certified to teach Kindergarten thru 6th grade. I am really excited about that though we are not exactly sure when I will start working. The cost of having three toddlers in daycare and Marley in aftercare would be pretty substantial. So, we will see what the best decision ends up being. As I said before, Mike got a promotion at work and now works in the Claims Department at Progressive. He is really enjoying it so far and he has a lot more room to move up now.
Now, the main reason most people read this....the update on the little ones. I will start with Miss Marley. Since my last post, my little girl has turned FIVE! And also started Kindergarten!! She turned 5 in August and started school 2 weeks later. August was a very big month for her. She is doing great at school and really enjoys going. So far she has perfect attendance. She really likes her teacher (as do I) and she is learning a lot of new things. Her writing is getting very good and she is starting to read words, do simple math problems and many other things. As always, she is a very behaved student and I think the world would end for her (at least for a day) if she ever had her name clip moved down on the Behavior Chart. She received her first report card a few weeks ago and had all E's for Excellent. She has made a lot of new friends and we've already attended several birthday parties. I signed up to be Homeroom Mom (call me crazy) and try to juggle that along with toting three two year olds around all day and sometimes I think I bit off more than I can chew, but it's worth it to me. Marley is still in gymnastics and is now up to 3 hours of practice a week. I really enjoy watching her, but lately it seems as if I have to drop her off and come back a lot more than I would like to. The babies haven't been taking naps very well since I had to adjust the time they lay down and they usually fall asleep in the car picking her up from school and I don't want to wake them up after 15 minutes so we usually drop her off and then come back after they wake up. It's also a long time to ask them to wait patiently with not much there for them to do. They have gotten to go out and play at her gymnastics place a few times so that is all they want to do when they are there and they aren't happy when they can't. Sometimes it seems like Marley has to grow up faster than other 5 year olds, but I guess that's just how it is when you have 3 siblings the same age. She just joined the Dodgeball Team at school and really likes it. She was the only girl in it under the age of 9, but girlfriend can hang with the boys all day. I've always said she is my Princess Tomboy. She will be out digging in the dirt and catching frogs in her skirt, nail polish and high heels. Maybe that's what having two older cousins will do :) She really wanted to join Daisy's this year but unfortunately we just weren't able to. It's a really big commitment and many of the events I couldn't have taken the babies to and that's not really an option for me. They usually go anywhere I go. Hopefully next year she can join that. She is surely a very busy girl but she makes us so proud. She is very committed to school and to gymnastics and succeeds in both of them. She is still the best big sister these babies could ever ask for. She is incredibly patient with them and the four of them have so much fun together. She took them in as her Show & Tell "objects" a few weeks ago and even her teacher has told me several times what a big heart Marley has and what a caring friend she is to the other students. There are some things in life that just can't be taught, they simply come from within, and it makes me happy to see how much she cares about her siblings and friends. I always say that God knew what he was doing when he gave us Marley first. She is a wonderful example to her three babies and they adore her so much.
I am going to post this update on our lives in general and Marley and then write an update on each of the babies over the next few days. So, if you want to know what is new in the world of Marissa, Jack & Makayla........stay tuned!

First day of Kindergarten

Her 5th birthday

Marley & her teacher

Kaden, Marley & Keanu

Following big sis into the gym

My gorgeous girl