Aidan likes the new diaper bag Having a month long vacation really makes you . . . relaxed. and lazy. I actually thought i would have ambition/inspiration to update the blog once a week while on vacation - guess this just proves i am much more productive when i have more to do. I had plenty of inspiration, but little ambition. it was wonderful :)
So we had a GREAT month off, and yes, it did feel too short (for me anyway). :) Our trip to the US with super-friend Jenny went as well as can be expected for three 9 month olds who are now aware that there are other things they want to look into and nap time is WAY boring compared to a plane full of new things to explore. We were traveling for about 24 hours in order to get from Doha, Qatar to Des Moines, Iowa (including layovers in London and Chicago). I wouldn't recommend this for anyone. :)
We met Curt's dad at OHare (for him to be our third adult after Jenny headed home) and had let the boys out of the stroller to wiggle and crawl and just not be held in one place. By this point we are about 21 hours into our day of travel and Curt and I had gotten sandwiches for dinner and were sitting on the floor in one of the gates in our terminal. We had put new PJs on the boys (they were grey from all of the floor dirt on the planes - YUM!) and they were just happy to be free. I was sitting on the ground with my legs in front of me and Brady was sitting on my lap. Now this kid will sit in one place FOREVER. He doesn't move (at 9 months anyway). Suddenly, i see that he is tipping forward, but I am too slow with my reflexes and he FACE PLANTS on the extremely hard carpeted floor. He immediately starts crying (i would too) and I picked him up to cuddle him. I thought, "Man, he is either crying a lot or drooling a lot!" because my shoulder was wet. I pull him away to survey the damage and see his mouth FULL OF BLOOD (which was why my shirt was wet). OH MY GOODNESS! he develops a HUGE fat lip (Fat Albert fat lip) within minutes and is so upset. i begin crying since i can't help but feeling responsible and Curt is trying to get him to let us put ice on his lip and Brady is NOT having any of it. His new PJS are covered in blood, he is screaming and his brothers seem to be oblivious. Have you ever gotten on a plane with a baby covered in his own blood and covered in it yourself? People give you looks. All's well that ends well - his teeth are fine, he had just split his frenulum (the piece of skin that attaches the lip to the gum - VERY vascular - and now you had a vocabulary lesson).
The day after the big fall . . .
Brady likes to fly!The boys were welcomed to Iowa with a rainstorm the first night and tornado sirens the second night. While rain most days in June might annoy you all, we LOVED IT! there is nothing like being able to sleep with the windows open (no calls to prayer in the early morning) and to hear rain. the boys are also in love with nature! We would take them for walks or outside on blankets and they would just stare at the trees, wind, squirrels, grass, dogs, whatever. We also got them a frog baby pool. Aidan and Gavin were bonkers the first time we put them in it - they were SO EXCITED! Brady ended up liking it, but he doesn't like his brothers to splash him. so he would sit (no surprise there) and watch them and occasionally whine when they got too close or started kicking too hard.
Brady, Gavin and Aidan love their frog pool!
Aidan really started pulling himself up on EVERYTHING at the Kenoyer's house and really began his cruising lifestyle. Gavin has earned the nickname "Tank" around our house because he crawls THROUGH toys, his brothers, your leg, etc. He was also the pacifier bandit because even if he has one, he wants his brother's. Aidan worked out a little trick to avoid being run over. As soon as Gavin begins his death march, Aidan will spit his pacifer out on the floor. it's VERY intentional, and Gavin gets the pacifier and noone gets hurt. Gavin began pulling up about a week or so before we left Iowa, and Brady still was not crawling, pulling up, anything. I think he is just pretty chill (or he was) and so is generally happy where you put him. he did begin to get a little upset when a ball he was playing with would roll away and one of his brothers would then crawl over to play with it in front of him. I think it has finally motivated him. He is now rocking on hands and knees regularly and with Curt playing with him JUST out of his reach, he is beginning some hopping toward toys.
Aidan and Gavin like ottomans . . .Since we have gotten back home - also a VERY long day, but luckily no bloody episodes - we have been able to get back into our routine pretty well. We got another exer-saucer thing to try to corrall the rugrats since it is CONSTANT vigilance "no!" "Careful . . ." "AIDAN/GAVIN" (not brady, he's still harmless on the ground) "don't climb that!" to be sure they don't bust their head open on all of our tile floors or crack teeth on whatever they are destined to lose their balance on. the great part is they are beginning to play with one another. Aidan and Gavin will head toward our foyer and untie shoelaces or trade pacifiers or just crawl around after each other in general. Brady will begin laughing like crazy as his brothers head toward him or climb up on the diaper changing area while he's there like they are coming after him. It is ADORABLE. I can't wait for them to begin to interact even more.
Gavin likes strawberry popsicles . . .
Today I took Aidan in for a re-check on a bad diaper rash (not the roseola he got in Iowa - poor kid) and saw a set of BG twins in the waiting room as I left. I couldn't contain myself! I went up to the father sitting with them whose eyes were COMPLETELY vacant and exhausted and asked him how old they were (1 week - hence the vacant, exhausted eyes). I then told him that Aidan was a triplet and that there was a light at the end of the tunnel and that they could do it. And I really felt that! Even though some times have been tough in the last 10 months, i really do feel like it gets easier every day (well most days) and that even though there are things about life pre-children i miss, life is GOOOOOOOD. and I wouldn't change it. In fact, looking back, in some ways I feel like if I DIDN'T have three all at once, i might have been more lazy - and you dear reader, would have NO blog to read. :) so, thanks to The Boys, I'm actually chronicalling their lives. Who knew that would be the silver lining? :)
