Sunday, June 21, 2009

Happy Father's Day


I write this blog but there's a Dad doing lots of work in the trenches, too, and he really doesn't get the accolades he deserves. He works hard every single day without complaining and loves his kids with his whole heart. I remember watching his rookie hands in the NICU with that first diaper change. (I laughed so hard the camera was shaking as I captured the moment) Now, he changes and feeds all three without breaking a sweat, just like an all-star. He reminds me every single day how blessed we are to have our kids, so on this day I'd like to tell him how blessed I am that he's their father.


There's also a grandfather here daily singing, "Heads, shoulders, knees, and toes" with no shame and all the appropriate hand gestures just to get three giant smiles. (and it works every time) Poppy is such a wonderful grandpa.
If I know anything for certain, it's that the men in our lives are the very best around, and our children will be better off for it.
Happy Father's Day to all dads.


These babies are so lucky to have such great men in their lives.




Happy Father's Day.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Bath Time



















Griffin






Braddock
Braddock is in the foreground here




Bath time happens every day at about 5:30. First we feed them their oatmeal and vegetable. There is no question about whether or not they need a bath after they've eaten! All three like to eat now. Braddock is by far the most excited about it and the messiest but both Julia and Griffin are not far behind in the messy category. Lately they are trying to grab the spoon and shove it all the way down their throat. Here I am trying to wrestle a spoon away from a 10-month-old baby (that's right, I said 10 months. June 12 was their 10-month b-day...so weird how that crept up) I often have trouble getting the spoon back and they are only going to get bigger and stronger.
There's no particular order on who gets the first bath. We try to remember who went first the previous day and switch it up. Sometimes it's whoever is squawking the loudest. We just start stripping them down and plopping them in the water. Right now we're using the sink. They outgrew the tub that fit in the sink awhile ago. Next stop will be the bathtub in their bedroom but for the love of my back, we'll use the sink as long as they still fit. I lay out three nighttime diapers, three onesies and three sets of pj's before I start to keep the process moving right along. In the tub all three love the faucet to be turned on and they stick their tongues out to catch the water. They are splashing all around now and they are slippery little suckers, too, so we have to hang on tight.
After they are clean and before the diaper, each one gets a baby massage. This would be my favorite part if I were a baby, so we try never ever to skip this step. After they are dressed, their hair gets combed, they go into their seat and it's on to the next one. This is the busiest time of the day in our house without question. It's kind of like a car wash with one car being cleaned and the other two in line outside getting prepped. When all three are clean, lotioned and dressed, they watch a Baby Einstein DVD. The silence when they are watching is golden! This gives us time to get the bottles ready for their last feeding of the day and to clean up from bath time. At the end, it's time for a deep exhalation....and then it's on to the laundry or to feed the bottles if they are starving or something else I forgot to do.

Monday, June 8, 2009

playing catch-up







We're so far behind, so I'll just start to recap and catch things up and not bother with the excuses!



These are pictures of the improved playroom that we're LOVING! Christy worked so hard and the kids love it!! I don't think I properly have thanked her here, so I am doing that now. We'll file it under better late than never.


So what is new? Julia sits up with assistance. Braddock is now straining to do the same and Griffin is developing his core muscles so as to not be left out. I awoke to Braddock screaming three nights ago and lo and behold, he was on his belly. (Not how I put him to sleep) He's a roller now, too. I think he was a little alarmed at how he ended up face-down but as soon as I turned him on his back, he went right to his tummy again. Julia is mobile even though she's not crawling yet. In the last few days, she rolls herself wherever her little heart desires. I put her on the floor in the playroom and bam, she's out the doorway. She'll roll to a toy the boys are playing with, take it and roll away. I see flashes of what the toddler years that are fast approaching will be like. Just today while on his tummy, Griffin started really reaching all around him as if he wants to figure out this crawling thing, too.
The amazing thing for me is how quickly things change. Last week we had another NICU follow-up evaluation and they told us to really work on the sitting....if they weren't sitting in another two months, we will start looking into getting some help for them. This week all three are starting to sit. They are at different stages but progressing so far. They have all grown beautifully according to the neonatologists, therapists, and nurses who are following their progress through this NICU clinic. There aren't sweeter words to hear for any mother but especially for a mother of 28 weekers. Bill and I remind each other every day how truly fortunate we are to have such healthy kids.
I will post again very soon with more pictures of what we're up to this week.