Go, Go, Go, Go on an Adventure

I'm not in a blogging mood but wanted to share some pictures from our day. As usual, I took a ridiculous amount of pictures during the five hours that we were out and about playing. We went to the playset warehouse for free play, then headed to Freedom Park for a picnic lunch and obstacle course. Jesse and Jack attempted to pick up a dishwasher after dinner (such a disaster!) while I bathed the babies and put them to bed.  Of course there are more details to share, but that will be another post.

Jackson the Monkey

Each baby had a turn on the trampoline

There was a perfectly secluded spot by the creek.

All four shared graham crackers, cheese, and fruit

Summer dresses

After completing the Panther's obstacle course

Silliness in the bath

Double Ear Infection

After spending Wednesday and Thursday like this, I took James (+Jackson, Amelia, and Maddie, of course) to the pediatrician.

Jackson and Maddie endured the stomach virus on Monday and Tuesday, so when James awoke irritable, feverish, and with runny stools on Wednesday, I assumed he was the next victim. He never threw up, but continued to show the same symptoms on Thursday. Thursday evening, both he and Amelia were up hourly screaming and sweating, despite receiving Tylenol. Out of desperation, I called to request the first available appointment and took all four kids in on Friday morning.

The visit was especially stressful due to crying babies and one very smart mouthed Jackson. Every time I redirected Jackson he repeated me in such an ugly way. I said, "Jackson, you need to get off of Amelia." He replied, "NO! YOU need to get off of Amelia." He rudely repeated every. single. thing.

We had to go to the sick side instead of the usual "well side", which meant there were no toys to play with.  This caused a major Jack meltdown.  When the nurse called us back, she assumed Jackson was the sick one because he was crying and laying in the middle of the floor.  She asked Jack to get on the scale and I had to clarify that the appointment was for James. (FYI, James weighed a whopping 18 lbs!)

The pediatrician quickly diagnosed an ear infection in both ears for James and prescribed antibiotics. I confessed that I had let his pain go longer than I should have and explained that I attributed it to a stomach bug or teething. I asked what symptoms I should look for and what causes ear infections.  She informed me that runny noses and colds usually precede ear infections. Since the girls are the ones who have had runny noses, I asked her to check them as well. She said that it would need to be separate appointments but I think she took pity on me.

I'm so glad she checked because Amelia also had infections in both ears.  (Maddie was all clear.) It was my turn to have a meltdown. How did two of my kids have double ear infections without me even knowing?  Am I that oblivious?  Breastfeeding/pumping has been such a labor or love and I still feel worthless that I haven't been able to keep my kids healthy.

I drove straight to the pharmacy after leaving the children's clinic. I thought the pediatrician's office was stressful, but we entered an entirely new level of hell at WalMart waiting for the prescriptions to be filled. Jackson was increasingly more irritable.  The babies were getting hungry. The pharmacists had the wrong insurance information and I had to pay then get refunded. The whole ordeal took an hour.

Thankfully, it has been three days and we've returned to our usual sleeping and eating patterns. James and Amelia are full of smiles once again. Praise God!

Gaining Independence

We've all grown up a bit in the last week, reaching new milestones and overcoming fears. In birth order:

Jackson is reaching major big boy status!  His preschool teacher confirmed that he is "100% potty trained".  He hasn't had any accidents in several weeks.  He even woke up at 3 a.m. the other night to use the bathroom.

Equally exciting, Jackson is back in his own bed the entire night.  This is a huge accomplishment as his sleep patterns have been interrupted ever since we brought the trio home.  Jesse and I exhaustedly gave in and would let him climb into bed with us, which evolved into him starting the night out in our bed.  Those days are gone, with minimal crying.

James and Amelia are loving the exersaucers and johnny jump ups.  The bumbo is only a quick fix nowadays as they both arch their backs and reach near standing positions.



These two are also wearing 6-9 month clothes.  Jesse spent the whole afternoon going through the closet and updating the babies bins with current sizes. 

I'm afraid sweet Maddie will always stay a few steps behind.  She has done a complete 180 with tummy time and rolling over, which is huge progress for her. 

The big news for all three is that all babies are sleeping swaddle free.  The first few nights

without swaddles resulted in frequent wakings, but they've all returned to their normal sleep patterns. 

I've also challenged myself with two things I've never done before that I was always nervous to do.  The first is bathing all three babies at the same time.  Another triplet mom gave the tip to lay towels down on the bathroom floor, undress the babies, fill the tub with 1-2 inches of warm water, and bathe all three.  It is SO much faster!  I didn't feel like I was able to clean them as effectively without submerging them in water, though.

The other challenge I overcame was getting out of the house using the mammoth quad stroller.  It ended up being quite the saga, which deserves a post unto itself. 

I am so proud of our little family and each of the steps the children are taking in becoming more independent.