Happy New Year!

The boys are now 19 months old!  I'm still in shock that we are closing in on 2.  The thought of not one, not two, but three 2 year old boys is a bit terrifying!  These boys already work together to get into all kinds of trouble.  

The boys has their 18 month check up - and everyone is doing well!

Daniel's stats:  24.7 lbs (22nd percentile); 33.5 inches (79th percentile).

Ryder's stats: 21 lbs (3rd percentile); 31.25 inches (17th percentile)

Garrett's stats: 23.5 lbs (12th percentile); 32.5 inches (52nd percentile)

Daniel is clearly built like his Daddy with broad shoulders. He is our tank and he uses his weight to his advantage as he has become our little bully!  He even pushes Maddy around, pretty successfully too!  He loves to dance and is still my blankie boy.  He loves to play ball and can climb anything.  He also enjoys shrieking like a girl!

Ryder is my tiny guy.  He had surgery to put tubes in his ears the day before thanksgiving after having 4 straight months of fluid in his ears and successive  ear infections.  The doctor was not worried about his weight bc of the recent surgery and because he had a GI bug most of the week before the appointment.  She did recommend adding some healthy fat into his diet.  He now gets full fat yogurt and cottage cheese and the occasional pediasure!  Ryder has also become my little ham, as soon as a camera appears he smiles in the most cheesy ways possible.

Garrett is my sweet boy.  He's the first to give a hug to a sad brother.  He will make sure his brother's get the same things he does before getting his own.  He hands out cups for me at snack time.  He loves to play with his baby doll and will rock her and pat her.  And is now starting to sing to her as well.  He is definitely a sensitive soul and gets his feelings hurt pretty easily.  He also loves to dance.  His new favorite thing is to shake his head no, even when he means yes!

All 3 boys are doing so well using plates and silverware to eat their meals.  Some current favorites are soup, broccoli, and meatballs.  We are working on open cups, but it's still kind of a disaster!

The biggest milestone... All 3 boys are in toddler beds!! We had a fairly easy transition at first, but then Christmas chaos and New Years set us back with the boys deciding bed time was party time.  We took a good look at our bedtime routine and after just about a week and a half of very strict bedtime, I'm happy to report the boys have been asleep by 8pm the last 2 nights with no fight and none of the boys getting out of bed!  Praying that it continues!

That is my favorite part of beds - finding the boys cuddling together!

This post is going to be long!  Let me recap the past couple of months!

Ry's surgery was quick and easy and the follow up from his surgeon has been awesome.  We are so happy with how well it all went.  And his walking improved so much after that!  His hearing has also improved, which is good.  I was really upset when I found out he had conductive hearing loss in both ears.

Morning of!  It was an early start, he wasn't amused. 

We had a busy Thanksgiving day, followed by a busy Black Friday getting our Christmas Tree! Madelynn was allowed to pick, and I am pretty sure she picked the biggest one she could find!  It was a beautiful tree (it's actually still standing, just on the deck now)!

One week following this I ended up hospitalized for 5.5 days!  I needed to have my gallbladder removed and then needed another small procedure to remove a gallstone from my common bile duct.  Fun!  The nurses and docs did a great job and my favorite nurse from maternity snuck in to see me too! :) as much as I hated being in the hospital the week before Maddy's birthday, I did manage to get lots of crafts done!  I am also so thankful for all of the people that stepped up to help Dan make it through the week managing the kids and coming to see me! We also received these awesome shirts from a fellow triplet mom, while I was there, perfect timing!

(I was planned, I wasn't, neither was I)

We managed to have Maddy's birthday as scheduled! She loved her Princess Sofia Tea Party and was thrilled that so many of her friends could come and join her!

We then had "lots" of Christmases with friends.  We are so incredibly blessed.  We have so many people in our lives who love our children.  It makes me so happy to know our children are loved!  We were able to spend Christmas Eve with Dan's family and Christmas Day at home and with my family and then more time with Dan's family.  It was a fun, crazy day!

Christmas pictures for the cards I still haven't printed!

Christmas Eve service!  Rockin' the fedoras. 

Santa came!

We had some very happy kiddos!

We started the new year off the right way with going to the Farm Show twice in one day!  Milkshakes for breakfast! Yum!

They really loved the milk shakes, potato donuts and seeing all of the animals!

We have had quite a few busy months. And I'm hoping things slow down in the next few months!  Who am I kidding, we have triplets!

15/16 Months and Halloween Happenings

As usual, I haven't updated in quite some time.

We had our 15 month check up and the boys are growing like crazy!  Daniel was 23.5lbs, Ryder 21lbs and Garrett was 22.5lbs.  They are all 30" or taller as well, but I don't remember the specifics because it was in September!

The boys have been healthy, though Ryder had to deal with an ear infection that took two rounds of antibiotics to really kick.  Thankfully it was only one or two sleepless nights in there as he is so happy typically!

The boys are really starting to talk more and are repeating sounds much more frequently.  Every now and then we get random words that seem to come out of nowhere!  

The boys love to play with puzzles, little people, cars and books.  They love reading books and will sit intently listening to their bedtime story!

They are always on the move, climbing on everything and using each other to reach things.  Ryder isn't yet walking as well as his brothers, but he is taking more and more steps each day.  I've learned that with Ryder I need to just be patient, he does things on his terms.  The newest skill in the household is that Daniel can reach the pull down door handles and provide "freedom" to his brothers... Like when they showed up on the deck while we were letting the dog out!  The deadbolt is locked all the time now!

October has been a busy month!  We started the month going to the Halloween Parade and the kids loved it!  We definitely had an advantage and got tons of candy!  Maddy was pretty happy to be a big sister to triplets that night!  The boys were even photographed for the local newspaper. :)

On a rare morning off I was able to go with the nanny to take the boys to a local farm for their fall harvest days.  The boys had a blast playing all morning!

Mid-month we participated in our town's Streets of Treats.  Maddy loved playing all of the games and again getting a bunch of candy!  She also made sure to always get something for her brothers.  She is a great big sister!

Just this week we had lots of activity!  Monday was Alumni Trick-or-Treat at my college and the kids again had a blast! Lots of activities and lots of candy!

And then on Halloween we had Maddy's parade at her school and of course trick or treat night!  

Maddy's best friends joined us for trick-or-treating, rounding out our Despicable Me theme by adding Margo, Edith and of course a tiny minion!  Even though we had a few tears over line leader responsibilities, the kids had a blast and the boys even walked for a little bit to get a few pieces of candy for themselves! :)

All in all it has been a busy month, but man have we had fun!

Oh and just because...

Did you know?

Tonight I am taking a break from my typical posts about my adorable triplets, because, well this topic deserves it...

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

In my relatively short career I have had the incredible opportunity to work at our local children's hospital on our Pediatric Oncology Unit.  I have also had the opportunity to be a part of a research team to make changes to positively affect the current treatment that those children receive during their active medical treatment to maybe, just maybe, lessen the physical effects that the current treatments have on their little bodies.  Through this I have met many amazing little ones who were the most courageous people I have ever known, all fighting for their lives.  Many of those children are still fighting with everything they have, some are currently in remission, and unfortunately more than is acceptable have lost their fight.  It is incredibly difficult to treat a child, one last time, simply for pain management, knowing that the next day that child may no longer be there because their body just couldn't take it any longer.  But I'm "just" the therapist.  I am not the parent.  As a parent, I cannot imagine the pain, the heart ache, the absolute despair that would be watching your child leave you.  As a parent, I don't want any other parent to ever have to suffer through that loss.  Which is why I support Childhood Cancer Awareness...

Did you know...
~13,500 children are diagnosed with cancer EVERY YEAR in the United States.

~1 in 5 will DIE.

~46 school children will be diagnosed with cancer EVERY DAY.

~Pediatric cancer is the leading cause of death by disease among US children under 14.

~Only 4% of the National Cancer Institute's budget goes to pediatric funding.

~The average age of death from pediatric cancer is 8.

~Childhood cancer kills more children than AIDS, asthma, diabetes, cystic fibrosis and congenital anomalies combined.

~3 out of 5 children who survive suffer devastating late effects such as secondary cancers, muscular difficulties and infertility.

~The causes of childhood cancers are largely unknown, and for the most part they cannot be prevented and are not a result of lifestyle choices.


These children need a VOICE.  Childhood cancer needs more funding for research.  Research to improve treatments and give these kids HOPE for a true CURE.  Better, less toxic treatments for today's childhood cancer patients will lead to fewer late effects for tomorrow's survivors.  I have seen the results of treatment that have caused children to need to relearn how to walk, sit, play.  I have seen teenagers lose their chance at college athletics because of the side effects of their treatment, treatment necessary to save their lives.

It's easy to turn the other way and pretend it doesn't exist... but it does and it is life changing for the child, their siblings and their parents.

Check out www.curesearch.org or www.stjude.org or www.alexslemonade.org to find out how to be a part of the cause to raise awareness and support our children, because they are our future.

Go Gold for Childhood Cancer Awareness!

It's been awhile...

I just realized that I have not posted in 2 months!  It is crazy how quickly time just seems to pass by when raising 4 crazy kiddos.  We have had a really fun summer and have one more trip planned at the end of the month!

This summer has contained pool days, a splash pad, HersheyPark, a trip to the Erie Zoo with another triplet family, the boys first and second hair cuts, and many more adventures!

They are 14.5 months and are always on the move.  Always!  Garrett was the first to learn to walk and now he is walking pretty much everywhere.  Daniel was a week or so behind him, but is also primarily walking everywhere.  They did this crazy knee walking for about a month before they actually walked... Well Ryder is doing the knee walk now, so I don't think it will be much longer before he is walking well.  He can take 3-4 steps now, but is just as content to crawl or climb on anything!  

They are starting to repeat words, but I'm a terrible mom and I'm not really sure who can say what because they all have random words at random times.  Ryder is definitely the most consistent with his signs, but he also whines when he wants something just like the other two.

They love to read and point at pictures, they love to build with their mega bloks and they love to attempt puzzles.  Their newest trend has also been baby dolls.  We had a solid week of having to carry a specific doll up and down stairs because Garrett had to have it at all times.  Fortunately Madelynn has a set of triplet baby dolls and she graciously let her brothers have them (for now at least).  We were also given a swing set by a very sweet family in our church and that is definitely one of our big favorites right now.

That pretty much sums up the summer as it stands at this point (I am sure I'm missing many things!).  I'll add some pictures and hopefully I do a better job of staying on top of updating the blog!

She's a Hershey kiss!

Riding the train... Choo choo!

Loving that they can now climb onto furniture!

First hair cuts.

Playing in the spring

Erie Zoo Adventure!  4 adults and 10 kids! (Ok it was actually 7 adults and 11 kids, but just our two families comprised the first statistic!)

13 month pictures

Splash pad fun!

New swing set!

Garrett's baby. :)

Swinging...

Swimming

Morning snuggles

Buzz cuts!

Brothers!

Family photo time, just last night!

Yep, that's about it for now! 

Climbing!

These boys have become quite the climbers!  They have figured out how to use their ride on toys as step stools. They  also utilize each other if necessary! This also means that the boys have learned a new word, "stuck".  They are constantly getting up on things and then cannot figure out how to get down!  I hear "stuck" and "uh oh" a lot these days!

One Year Old!

I know I'm a week late in posting this... Part of that is denial, the other part is that I wanted to wait for their well visit so that I had their current stats to share.

It honestly feels like a dream, I am in sheer and utter disbelief that the boys are one.  How can my babies no longer in fact be babies?  Now when someone says, "hold old are they?" I can respond with "they are 1 year old." not a random amount of months, but I can respond with a year. YEAR.  This just blows my mind.  Didn't I just deliver these babies?

The boys have had a fun birthday week.  They had a visit from both grandma and grammy on their birthday. Big sister Madelynn got them piggy banks and "cool outside chairs that are their colors, we have to get them"!  They really are cool chairs, I had to agree with her there. They were able to enjoy yummy cupcakes that were also "their colors".

Daniel in blue, Ryder in Red and Garrett in Green
Photo shoots are always an adventure!

Saturday was their birthday party... It was a 3 ring circus ;). We are so incredibly blessed to have such amazing friends and family.  The boys were totally spoiled! (No idea what to do with all of their new toys.). They loved their smash cakes and ate pretty much every last bite, so of course they required a sink bath to get somewhat clean!  I'm so happy with how the party turned out, so thanks so our awesome nanny, Abbey, and some friends Tonya, Briana and Sherisa for helping to make the day spectacular!  Both of our mom's were major players in making this birthday party happen!  Thanks to all of the other people who helped as well!  The cakes and cake pops were so yummy and surprisingly we didn't have a ton left over!  Briana made spectacular cookies that were shaped as lions, elephants, and giraffes... too bad I was only able to try one of those!

Sunday we were able to sleep in and play with some new toys (not daddy, he was a good boy and went to church to lead worship)!  After a really long nap we were able to go to my brother's house to have a picnic and spend time with family that we haven't seen in a few years!  It was so much fun and between their children, my brother's kids and my kids we had 10 kids 8 and under!  They had a blast playing in the water and just having fun!

The boys had their one year well visit today.  They are getting so big!  Ryder is trying so hard to catch up in the weight department and has jumped growth chart lines!  The "big" boys have slowed down in the weight department, but have taken off in the height department, so the doctor is in no way concerned!

Daniel:
My long haired boy!  He has the longest and curliest hair of the three and has become quite the flirt.  If I ask him if he is handsome he will shrug his shoulders and blink at me.  I think he is winking and it is the cutest thing!  He is able to stand without holding onto anything and he can sign "more" and "all done" when he wants to.  He says momma and dadda and is my only boy who uses and abuses a pacifier.  At the doctor he weighed in at 22 lbs 8 oz (43rd percentile) and was 30.5 inches (70th percentile) tall.  I am not quite sure how these preemies are in the 70th percentile for anything, but I'll take it!

Daniel Jeffrey
Photo Credit:  Jay Stover Photography

Ryder:
He remains the little guy, but man is he feisty!  He is my comedian.  He will laugh at us and will often laugh when his brothers or sister are getting into trouble.  He is my monkey and will attempt to climb just about anything, which often results in bruises!  He also has the worst stranger anxiety, which is funny because he will wave to just about anyone.  He can sign "more" and will often sign "all done" prior to eating more.  His final cue that he is really all done is placing his foot on the table and laughing.  I need to correct this behavior somehow, but it is awfully cute!  He says momma and dadda and abba (giving his abbey some love!).  Today he weighed in at 19 lbs 14 oz (9th percentile) and yes 2 oz shy of 20 lbs. and was 29 inches tall (23rd percentile).  His love for milk was shown by his low normal hemoglobin.  I had to tell the doctor that not only does he drink his cup of milk, but he typically steals his brothers.  He is determined to catch up as he eats more than the other two and steals cups at every turn!

Ryder James
Photo Credit:  Jay Stover Photography

Garrett:
He is my daring boy!  He will climb onto anything and has already figured out to push smaller objects next to taller ones so he can climb onto the first to eventually get onto the tall item.  He is standing without holding onto things and will take 4-5 steps before sitting down.  He will walk up tall on his knees all over the place, just to drive me crazy!  He says mamma, dadda, uh-oh and will occasionally say done.  He is always on the go!  He is my medium sized boy at 21 lbs 11 oz (31st percentile) and is the exact same height as Daniel at 30.5 inches (70th percentile).

Garrett Campbell
Photo Credit:  Jay Stover Photography

These boys are growing up way too fast!  They eat only table food and because they have no longer been interested in bottles we tried bedtime snack instead.  They loved it and did not even care that they didn't get a bottle.  Big boys!  It is pretty cute to see them crawl up the stairs and go straight to the bathroom to have their teeth brushed before bed though.

This past year has been amazing, exhausting, and one of the best things I have ever experienced in my lifetime.  I count it a true blessing to be their mom and I love every moment I get to spend with them!  I'm looking forward to many more years of excitement ahead!

Madelynn and her littles
Photo Credit:  Jay Stover Photography

We have lots of fun coming up this summer.  Madelynn has her first ever dance recital on Saturday.  I'm so excited!  We also have our annual trip to Dan's grandparents this weekend to celebrate Father's Day!  I think it may be the first pool adventure for the boys!

I know a lot of mom's have managed to do a 360 day photo post, and while I would love to attempt that, let's face it, I struggle with once a month, but my goal over this next year is to do 1 photo/post a week.  So here's hoping it happens!

How are they 11 months already?

I cannot believe that my little babies are very quickly turning into little boys. I also cannot believe that in just one month they will be ONE! How in the world did that happen so fast? I am in no way ready to have 3 one year olds!! This time last year we were up to our heads in boxes preparing to move and I had just started my medical leave as we were hopeful to make it through settlement on the house before the boys arrived and only through the grace of God did that happen!

The boys are so much fun and have developed such unique little personalities. Daniel is our social butterfly, Ryder is our cautious "thinker", and Garrett is our daredevil!

I have no idea how much they weigh currently, I just know that they are heavy! They are all in their rear facing convertible car seats now because I could no longer manage 20 pound babies in an infant carrier! They love their seats and Maddy likes that she can pick which boy sits in the back with her. Ryder is finally tolerating the car, he just can't be in the middle seat; only took us 10+ months to figure it out!

We have our first word - "Uh Oh". Garrett loves saying it, but only when daddy isn't listening. Otherwise they all babble constantly and there are lots of mamas and dadas, but not typically directed at either of us yet.

Garrett is also the only one standing by himself, but he refuses to take any steps. Daniel and Ryder are starting to test the waters and let go every now and then, but they are still very cautious. I know that they will get it eventually, and actually I'm kind of ok because I'm not ready to be running it different directions! They are so quick when crawling and they work together!

The boys have been loving the nice weather we have had and they are outside much of the day with big sis. They are all so tired by the end of the day that they don't even make a peep when lying them down for bed!

We have a busy month coming up with lots of activity! We have the boys one year pictures (a little early); Dan is running a 1/2 marathon and I hope to be doing a 5K; Aunt Katherine is graduating from college; cousins Addison and Aiden turn 5!; and who knows what else will pop up!

Also, thanks to God having a perfect plan for our family... I was able to leave my outpatient job and switch solely to early intervention. I am so happy to be able to continue to work as a pediatric PT, but have more time at home for my kiddos!

Please pray for us to get through this next month without too many hurdles as I transition jobs and we look forward to the boys first birthday party!