Solo trip with the Triplets to the Science Center

Yes, I am nutz:) If you do not know that by now then you are not picking up what I am putting down:) I am after all, a stay at home Dad of Triplets. There are a few reasons that I do all the things I do with the kids....

1. Going out is WAY better than being stuck in the house with the kids no matter how much work is involved in getting out.

2. I am still a very competitive person. There is no way I am letting any singleton or twin Mom show me up:)

3. It helps me realize just how good our kids are.

So we got to the Science Center around 10am. On another note of craziness I am using the walking rope with the kids getting them into and out of places like this instead of the stroller. I feel like a mother duck and her ducklings. We also move at about the same speed as ducks:) When they are using the walking rope I am throwing out a continuous string of praise and direction: "good job, eyes front, watch where you are walking, I am so proud of you all, stay on your color..." We draw more looks and comments than we do in the stroller. The place was empty when we got there and everyone loved it. Unfortunately about 10:30 it started getting busy. After I had corrected Jackson for swinging a stick around like a bat another mother said, "Oh I am sorry, I think my child is being a bad influence." Instead of "Yes he is" I said "Well my kids are not coordinated enough yet at 2 years old and I am worried someone would get hurt." There was quite a variety of mothers there. Only one other guy, a Grandfather. Some sat in a chair and talked on their cell phone, some chased their child(ren) around worried about germs, some talked with other moms, and a rare few were actually engaged with their kids and looked happy to be there. I know, I know, it just might not have been some one's day. I did have one woman take notice and ask if the kids were triplets. Her next question, of course, was "Where is your wife?" To which I laughed and said "at work, I stay home with them." She said "I worry about my husband at home with our two for an hour, you're a stud." I have NEVER had anyone say I was a stud before. Who knew... it only takes being 38 years old, 11 years of marriage and 2 years of triplets to become a stud! Long story short William had two time outs, Jackson one and Addison had none. They all did great and even left without a meltdown!

More of Addison's "looks"

The government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.

Ronald Reagan (1911 - 2004)

Al

Multitasking Toddler

Multiple multiples

This past weekend we got a taste of how it would be to have triplets AND twins. Our twin nieces that are 6 months older than the triplets were with us and the in-laws Saturday at a family reunion. We had a great time and they had fun playing together. It was not Jon and Kate plus eight but it kept us all busy:)






If you can give your son or daughter only one gift, let it be enthusiasm.
Bruce Barton


Al

A great but busy weekend

We visited the in-laws for the day Saturday and had a great time. It was a long day but a we all had a great time and the weather couldn't have been better. We left home about 8:25 am. We had two main objectives for the day. I need to have a plan for the day for logistical reasons; how much water and food to bring, extra clothes, shoes, diapers, wipes, etc...

Objective #1: The Cemetery - One day a year everyone at the cemetery where CFO's Mother's Father is buried everyone puts flowers and other mementos on the headstones. Remember when cemeteries were fun places? The triplets had a great time! They also spooked me out quite a bit... One of the CFO's cousins died at birth, Kevin. He is also buried there in the family plot. So the kids are walking around exploring when I turn around to see them leaning over Kevin's headstone waving and saying "Hi" over and over.




See, I believe in the possibility of ghosts. I have not seen one but if you truly believe in life after death, as I do, then ghosts could be a very real possibility. OK, there was a small figurine of a child on the other side of the headstone but my kids do not say usually hello to pottery for 5 minutes. If this had been at night I would have grabbed the kids and been outta there. Wait, what am I thinking? We wouldn't be there at night, I don't even look at cemeteries when I drive by them at night:)


Next we went to the in-laws for lunch and the triplet's 6 month older twin cousins joined us. All five went down for a nap.


Objective #2: The Reunion - The CFO's Mother's Father's family (did you follow that?) was having a reunion. It started around 5pm, so we got there at 5:45 pm:) There is joke with the in-laws that they are sometimes if not frequently late for things. Yes, they read this blog, so there is full disclosure:) This use to drive me nuts. I live by the saying; "If you are 15 minutes early, you are on time. If you are on time, you are late. If you are late, don't bother showing up." I even told the CFO the flight for our Honeymoon was an hour earlier than it really was so we would be on time:) But we have an agreement in our household. If it is "her" event then I don't worry about when we get there. If it is "my" event then I control when we get there. So, when we arrive we know NO ONE. The CFO's Grandmother does but I don't, the CFO doesn't, my Mother-in-law and Father-in-law don't, the CFO's Aunt Rhonda doesn't, the twins and triplets definitely don't. But if you want to make an entrance, walk in with 5 toddlers:) Everyone is finished eating and the place goes silent when we walk in. You know how that happens in movies? Well, I just saw it in real life:) Then you could hear a murmur or two as word passed around who we all were and everything got back to normal. Soon some of the family began to play and sing. The triplets and twins got in the groove and started a multiples mosh pit in the front by the band.





We got home around 10 pm which is not bad if not for the car seat full of milk:) Seems William fell asleep with his sippy cup of milk upside down. So I needed to get it clean and drying for church in the morning.


Grown-ups never understand anything for themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900 - 1944), "The Little Prince", 1943

Al

Another Triplet day

I am going to start calling days where things go wrong a "triplet day." Well, I shouldn't say they go wrong, they just don't go as I had planned. Which, frustrates me. Whether or not I have shared my plan with any one is inconsequential in my eyes:) Everyone, especially the triplets, should know what the plan is and get on board. So, Thursday I was flying by the seat of my pants. Thank the Lord, it worked out. Since our schedule is anything but scheduled I tried mixing things up on purpose. We went grocery shopping at 8:20 am. This is going on the permanent schedule. The place was EMPTY! I loved it. Then we came home and I put them down for a nap. Ha! They were having none of it so I got them back up at 10:45 am for baths. I do baths one on one. I was in with Jackson when I heard THUMP! I look in the other room and Addison is crying a little holding a big bouncy ball but she stopped when she saw me. I chalked it up to wrestling with William over the ball, a regular occurrence. I finished with Jackson and it was Addison's turn. She suddenly had a goose-egg in the middle of her forehead. I felt soooo bad. The thumped her head on something. So I called the Dr.'s office just to cover my bases. They said a goose egg is a good sign. No throwing up and not drowsy - also good signs. I said well, while I have you on the phone.... I described William's and Addison's new unique diaper rash. Don't worry, I won't get into details. The nurse said "Let me talk to the Dr. and I will call you back." So, now baths take longer because I have to do moving picks on the two not in the tub to keep them dry while bathing the one in the tub. So much for letting them play in the next room while I give baths. Yes, I have bathed them all at once, once. No mas.

We finish up with baths around 12:30 pm and head to the pharmacy downtown to get a refill on Jackson's antibiotics. No where carries it and it is only good for 14 days. So I stop by Wendy's to pick up lunch and notice that they are all asleep. Uh-oh. Oh well, I need the medicine. Yes, they all cry when I get them up to go get the medicine (the pharmacy is in Children's Hospital, no drive thru.) But it is amazing how fast chicken nuggets warms their souls:) We get back in the van just in time to get a call from the Dr.'s office. He wants to see them. So we run by the house to pick up shoes for the kids and head to the Dr.'s office. Addison decides to grow a tail while we are waiting (what I call her poopies as you can see the bulge in her shorts.) So I change her while blasting out instructions to William and Jackson; down, no, stop touching that, please get out of the cabinet, don't put that in your mouth, etc... We leave with a prescription for an antibiotic ointment. I leave the Dr.'s office just in time for the afternoon storms to hit. Luckily the kids are not sweet enough to melt:) We dropped of the prescription at CVS and head back home. Finally they get a "real" nap and I get a chance to start dinner.

Not sure what they did but all the kids put themselves in the corner the other day:)

Insane people are always sure that they are fine. It is only the sane people who are willing to admit that they are crazy.
Nora Ephron

Al

The to-do list is growing....

We were spoiled when we lived in Dallas, especially before kids. Sure I worked 70 hours a week but we had a house keeper and lawn service. Everything looked great all the time. Then the triplets came into our life. But somehow we kept things together and the house still looked great. But that was when we were both working, had a nanny, the house keeper and the yard service. The next challenge was going back to one income (the CFO's) when we moved to Birmingham. So no more nanny, house keeper or lawn service. When the kids go to the day out program it works great. Tuesdays I do the yard and Thursdays I clean the house. When their day out program is on a break I try to squeeze everything in between naps and visitors. Their day out program is on break until September:( So my to-do list keeps growing. Normally this is not a big deal as they usually take two naps during the day. But lately they have been disagreeing on when they want to take naps. If I was a more paranoid person I would think they actually plot against me:) Wait a minute... THAT is what all their talking is about. I think it is just babbling but they are actually out to get me!

Wednesday was one of those days. Jackson and William decided not to take a morning nap but Addison was down for the count. Once Addison woke up we all had lunch. I wanted to go to the YMCA to workout and they could play. So after lunch I loaded everyone up and headed to the Y. Before I got out of the neighborhood Jackson was asleep, not a good sign. Jackson usually wakes up screaming, which he did when we got the Y. William also fell asleep on the way. So I was stupid and thought "they will be fine once they get in and start playing." As soon as I got them out of the van both William and Jackson had meltdowns. So, back in the van we go. We get home and I put everyone to bed. Of course Addison was fine and did not want to sleep.

Our two NASCAR drivers are at it again:)

Anybody who wants the presidency so much that he'll spend two years organizing and campaigning for it is not to be trusted with the office.
David Broder

Al

Triplet eating styles

We could not have gotten a better variety pack then we got with our kids. As they are all fraternal we knew they would be different but I laugh every time it is this evident. First there is their hair/eye color.


Jackson - red hair / blue eyes - he is our wild card. We think we had Great Grandparents with red hair
Addison - brown hair / hazel eyes - her hair is EXACTLY like the CFO's.
William - auburn hair (war eagle) / brown eyes - just like Daddy's

Then there is their eating styles. On the way back from Jackson's Dr. appointment on Monday I picked up Arby's for us. The kids LOVE roast beef sandwiches but they seem to like different parts of them....

Jackson likes the bread.... note the stacks of untouched roast beef. He still has the bandage on his arm from giving blood.

Addison is our little carnivore. She is actually a omnivore but she prefers meat. Note the pieces of discarded bread.

William likes it all. However he sometimes hits "reverse" when he is eating something. You can see a little pile of chewda (chewed up roast beef) on his plate.

When we go out to eat we have our bread after the meal. Seriously. We actually confused the fog out of a waitress at O'Charleys the other night. The waitress is coming up to the table with yeast rolls and the CFO jumps up and says "Whoa, can we have the bread after the meal?" The waitress stands there with a look on her face like she had never heard of such (she probably hasn't.) The CFO explains that Jackson won't eat his meal if he sees the bread. The waitress still stands there with a "does not compute" look on her face. The CFO tries again "Could you bring the rolls later?" Still no response from the waitress. The CFO goes to plan B.... She grabs an extra chair and hides the rolls next to her in the seat. Catastrophe once again averted! All the while I am about to fall out of my chair laughing while distracting the kids. We were with our house guests, Summer and Kelly, from Dallas and they watched in amazement.

My theory is that if you look confident you can pull off anything - even if you have no clue what you're doing.
Jessica Alba

Al