Busy Bees

We've been busy bees lately!  Lots of play dates and outings over the past couple weeks.  Here's what we've been up to!

Saturday, July 12 - Spent the morning at the Farmers Market in Black Bob Park.  We walked there in the stroller and apparently drew enough attention where we had strangers taking pictures of us.  Got a handful of goodies...fresh peaches, corn on the cob, green beans, some carrot cake, and chocolate chip cookies.

Sunday, July 13 - Went swimming at Auntie Lisa's pool and had a blast! Our first pool experience wasn't the best, but now that the water has warmed up, we kind of like the pool!  Ollie in particular is a little water baby!

Monday, July 14 - Had our weekly play date at our house with cousins Dakota and Juliana.  We didn't end up leaving the house because it rained that day, but still had lots of fun!

Tuesday, July 15 - Went to Deanna Rose with Auntie Lisa and the Muehlmeier girls.  This day was absolutely beautiful!  Nothing like a high of 72 in the middle of July!  Deanna Rose was packed though, so we ended up leaving a little early and walked down to Sonic for a treat.

Wednesday, July 16 - Went to the zoo with Sarah and Noah.  Many of the animals were hiding that day, but we still had a fun time walking around.

Thursday, July 17 - Play date at our house with 5 month old twin boys.  I met this girl, Christine, at one of our multiples group Happy Hours.  She and I have been talking for a while about getting together.  She brought her two boys over for the afternoon.  They were so cute!  I'm kind of mad at myself that I didn't take any pictures while they were here!

Friday, July 18 - Got our new wagon!  We took it out for a spin in the neighborhood.  Mommy, Daddy, and all three boys love it!

Saturday, July 19 - Went over to the Geslings for dinner.  We got some pizzas and hung out with Sarah, Justin, Noah, Jenni, Scott, Lisa, and Spencer.  Mr. Ollie was a little out of sorts so I had to take him out on the deck for a while for some Mommy/Ollie time.  He liked riding around in the Cozy Coupe.  We're starting to realize he's a bit of a Mama's Boy in settings away from home.

Sunday, July 20 - Had Auntie Lisa and Sarah over for dinner.  We did a little Italian night.  I made pasta, Sarah brought over garlic bread, and Lisa brought salad and dessert.  We let Daddy out for the night and just hung out.  Unfortunately, bed time ended up being a disaster.  I think we're cutting molars and everyone seemed to be very unhappy that night.  No good.

Monday, July 21 - Had our weekly play date with Dakota and Juliana.  It was pretty hot outside, so we decided to fill the baby pool up and splash around on the back deck.

Tuesday, July 22 - Went to the Parents as Teachers play group for the first time.  They do these twice a week, every week.  I've never been because I found it a little intimidating to go with all three boys by myself. Fortunately Auntie Lisa had the week off work, so she went with us.  I always find it interesting to watch the boys in social settings.  They don't yet really socialize with other kids much.  I'm hoping to open up more opportunities for this.  Out of the three, Lucas seemed to feel the most comfortable to venture away from Mommy and find something to play with.

All in all, most of our outings have been successful.  We've had a few fussy moments, but I think it's important to get out of the house and see the world!  I'm proud of myself for keeping so busy!

12 Month Check Up

Today the boys had their 12 month check up.  I had Auntie Lisa go with me to help out so Daddy didn't have to take the afternoon off work.  We did measurements, shots, and we chatted about each boy.  Here are the boys current stats:

Oliver now weighs 21 lb 10 oz.  This puts him right at the 50% on the regular growth chart (75% for preemies).  He is 29.3 inches tall which is in the 25% on the regular chart (75% for preemies).  His head circumference is 19 inches which is close to the 95% on both charts.  So we've got ourselves a short chunky big-headed 1 year old.  I love it!

Nolan weighs 18 lb 3 oz.  We are still just using the preemie chart for him as he hasn't yet hit the regular growth chart yet.  This weight puts him between the 5-25%.  He is 29 inches tall (25-50%) and his big ol noggin measures 20 inches around (over the 95%).  While he certainly has a huge head, the rate of his growth has slowed down a bit, so our doctor is not concerned.

Little Lucas weighed in at 17 lb 2 oz today, which put him at the 5% for preemies.  He actually weighs less now at a year than Oliver did at 6 months.  He's just a tiny little thing! His height is 28.5 inches (25%) and his head circumference is 19.25 (95%).  We discussed ways we can up calorie intake for Nolan and Lucas to hopefully help them grow.

The best part about today's appointment was that our doctor had a student shadowing her today.  When the nurse asked if we cared if she came in to observe, I told her that was fine.  But then she told me that the girl knew us.  It turned out it was our favorite NICU nurse, Ashley.  Ashley was Oliver's nurse for his first four days of life.  She was amazing.  She was there for many firsts.  She was the one to hand us Oliver the first time we got to hold him and give him kangaroo care.  She helped us change our very first preemie diapers and even snatched up my camera to get a picture of James doing it.  She was the one who wheeled me back down to the Mother/Baby ward that night I got really sick up in the NICU.  Many weeks later, she was our nurse again.  She's one we'll never forget.  Seeing her today was just awesome.  She hadn't seen the boys since they were in the NICU, so it was pretty cool for her to see how far they've come.  I had to get a picture with her (and of course Dr. Brunner) before we left.

With all the ups, there's always got to be some downs.  And today that was each boy having to get three shots.  It gets harder as they get older.  It used to be they'd only cry for about a minute, but this time I could tell it really hurt all three of them.  They cried...a lot.  And I just wanted to snuggle all three of them at the same time and take away their pain.  It makes me cry just thinking about it.  As I peeled away 9 band-aids this evening, I decided this is one part of being a triplet mama that I could do without!  Triple the hurting babies = no bueno.

First Birthday Party!!!

This past Saturday our sweet boys turned one.  We had a backyard bash to celebrate with 50 of our closest family and friends.  The days leading up to the birthday, I was a little concerned about the possibility of stormy weather, but aside from some wind, it ended up being a really nice day.

We decorated with a green, orange, and blue (the boys' colors) and had a dachshund theme.  For someone who isn't real crafty, I was very happy with how things turned out.  I certainly owe a special thanks to my friends Sarah and Lisa who helped me out with everything.  I also decorated with some sentimental photos and memorabilia.  I strung their monthly photos on a clothes line above our fireplace and then also hung up their coming home (from the hospital) outfits in the dining room.  I made a #1 collage out of over 100 of my favorite photos of the boys.  And I put up a NICU memory wall with photos of them in the NICU, their hospital hats, a preemie diaper, etc.  It may have been a little sappy, but I thought it was important to display how far they've come.

The party itself was nice.  It was so good to see everyone and the boys got some great stuff!  I think everyone who came would agree that the best part was the cake smash.  All three boys enjoyed their cake but Ollie REALLY got into it.  The kid seriously ate the whole thing.  It's a miracle he didn't end up getting sick.

I'm so thankful for everyone who came to celebrate our special day and to those who would've liked to have been there, but couldn't be.  The day was truly a celebration...not just for our boys, but for us too.  We survived the first year!  For someone with triplets, this is a pretty big deal!  While this past year certainly had its challenges, I wouldn't have changed any of it for the world.  My heart is just so full of love for these sweet baby boys.  Now, I just wish they would stay this little forever...

Photo collage of our favorite pictures of the boys

"ONE" photos and dachshunds made by Auntie Cole

Coming home outfits

NICU memory wall

Pinterest Photo gone awry

Ollie looks adorable, Nolan looks unsure, Lucas looks bothered

Just too cute

Yum!

Nom nom nom

Cute little Smurf

Life is good!

Covered in orange

And....done!

What was left of the Smurf's cake

Annihilated

The aftermath

12 Months/1 Year

I cannot believe my babies are already a year old.  This year has been one I'll never forget.  While it's certainly been challenging taking care of three babies (often by myself), I have just loved spending my days with these boys.  I'm so glad I'm able to stay home with them.

So what are these young men up to these days?  A lot!

We don't have any walkers yet, but considering they were preemies, I wasn't expecting them to be walking by now.  We do, however, have three cruisers.  All three love to make their way around the couch and terrorize the poor dog.  They like to stand at their activity table, and Ollie in particular, likes to push it across the room.  Nolan will use the little push walker to help him "walk".  I still think he'll be the one to take the first unassisted steps.

We're all jabbering up a storm.  In terms of actual words, all three say "dada".  Ollie also says "mama", "titi" (auntie), and "uh oh".

Lucas and Nolan are finally sleeping better.  I'd say most nights we're sleeping through the nights.  They've also started sleeping in a little, which is nice.  Instead of getting up around 6:30, it's usually closer to 7:30 or 8:00.  Mama has no complaints about that!

The Asher boys are also getting to be great little eaters!  I may have previously mentioned that I was a little worried about Lucas and his eating.  This is no longer an issue.  He loves to eat!  All three boys are self feeders and most the time eat pretty well.  And we got to try our first sugar on our birthday.  These boys (especially Ollie) just annihilated their cakes!  There will be more on this in their Birthday Party post.