This Crazy Thing Called Life: 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!