Bye, Bye Baby Bottles

Brady looks for his brothers

Now that the boys are 11 months old (TODAY!) we have dropped down to just one bottle at night. That means they are eating loads of solid food at least 3 times a day and whatever they can beg from Curt or I as we snack. :) They had their first all finger-food meal this weekend with some chicken, green beans and shredded apples. It took them at least 30 FULL minutes to eat, but they were happy and content the whole time and were willing to eat whatever strays we helped get into their mouths.

Gavin and Aidan are little beggars for my apple

Pretty much everyone is now standing to greet us when we come in their room in the morning which is pretty fun. The down side is without 2 bottles a day, it's going to be hard to get the snuggles I need since they no one likes sitting still for very long! Aidan has started a very loving game where he will sit on your lap with his back to you and then bob back and forth and bounce off of your body. Every once in awhile he will look back at you to make sure you are paying attention and he'll giggle as he continues to bounce off of you. This morning I was reading a couple of books to Gavin and had a leg stretched out on either side of him. Aidan crawled right over and took a book we weren't reading (surprise surprise!) and proceeded to lay with his head on my thigh and leaf through the book himself. Pretty adorable. It's so funny to see "adult" behaviors from these little ones.

Mom reads to Gavin and Aidan

I can't believe a year ago today I was 1) pregnant and hot as hell and 2) Curt and I still had so much freedom! One year later I am 1) NOT pregnant, but it's still hot as hell and 2) Curt and I have much less freedom. We went to a friend's pool party this weekend with the boys and in order to enjoy ourelves a little bit, we pushed their bedtime back. I don't know how often we will do that (we do pay for it with a pound of flesh), but it was good to get in a pool and to hang out with some friends, even if we were a little distracted the whole time. All 3 decided they did NOT want to be held by anyone else while we were in the pool. At least they don't weigh as much in the water, but it was still kind of a pain - and WAY too hot for any one to be out of the water. Hopefully that was just due to lots of new people and a new place, otherwise, i don't know if I can handle that clinginess for too long! :)

Sleepy time Brady . . .

Speaking of weight we have Aidan weighing in at 20+ lbs, Brady at 21.5 lbs and Gavin at 23 lbs! Gavin is 75% for his head size (giant head, like sputnik), between 50 and 75% for his weight and (don't laugh) 25% for his height! No wonder the PJs for 12 - 18 months are so long on him! We will get everyone's 411 in a month, but i think it's funny we have so much variation in one kid!

Brady and Daddy snuggle

They have also begun playing together more. Sometimes this results in giggles and good photo opportunities and sometimes this results in tears. Gavin and Aidan pretty much try to run Brady over if he is standing somewhere they would like to go, resulting in tears. However yesterday Curt watched Gavin repeatedly push on Brady while they were both on the floor and the two of them got to giggling at themselves like crazy. Gavin also went in for Aidan's pacifier, lost his balance and landed on top of the kid! yep, you guessed it - tears.

The boys love their toy from Grandma and Grandpa V!

Crawling, Standing and Falling, OH MY!

Good Morning Gavin!

Mobility is overrated. OK, maybe I don't really mean that. But as Curt said today, "the collection of bruises on our kids heads is mindboggling". The only child to not have bruises is Brady and he has scratches from seemingly non-existant nails on his face and in his ears. he must do some serious flailing of his arms while he is sleeping. Brady seems to have the greatest sense of physical self-preservation as he slowly gets on the move. He is full on crawling (even if it is more primitive than his brothers right now) but he is just now thinking about pulling himself up on things. Maybe next week. :)

Brady loves US Soccer and the Cubbies!

Gavin pretty much bangs his head into something every day. He doesn't get upset about it, but it always looks like it hurts. I saw him trying (so hard!) to slowly lower himself to the floor from the coffee table this morning. Apparently he didn't communicate his plan to his legs or his head and he bonks his chin RIGHT on the edge of the table. He didn't cry, but he did look shocked and unhappy. and he got right back up to get right back down again. Amazing. I lift weights too hard one day and I don't hit the gym for a week if i am too sore! Gavin also likes crawling under the coffee table, however it is too low for him to sit up underneath it. That doesn't seem to stop him from trying (again and again) and then getting frustrated that he can't sit up straight. one day, he'll learn to slouch. :)

Shoes are fun! Aidan and Gavin

And dear, sweet, Aidan. He is our MOST mobile and i think he just wears himself out. By the end of the day we find ourselves witnessing any number of falls that nearly always end up in tears (for more than one of us). Wednesday night we had everyone in PJs, bottles done, teeth brushed, books read - they couldn't have been MORE on the road to bed. I was holding Gavin and Curt was holding Brady on the couch and Aidan was between us standing on the floor while he slapped his hands on the couch cushions like it was the BEST thing ever. He then decides to turn toward the coffee table (he's moving between stationary objects now) and loses his balance and WHAM! SMACKS his head into the side of the coffee table. he did one of those really hard SILENT cries that break my heart every time (i really would rather a loud wail). There was a white line on his temple with ruby red spots above and below. It is now turning yellow and brown and looks like he has a line of dirt on his temple. All i can say is thank goodness for my Target shopping spree. In the US I bought a "children's" ice pack where you put the gel pack in a little stuffed animal puppy thing that is supposed to distract them so you are able to ice injuries a little bit. even I thought I was being a little nuerotic when i bought it. But aidan let me put ice on his head for about ten minutes while he played with the ears on the puppy's head.

Sweet Aidan

Gavin is off to the Dr. tomorrow. Curt and I have noticed he doesn't seem to respond to his name like his brothers. and I'm not comparing them like "oh my gosh! WHAT'S WRONG WITH GAVIN?!" it's more like a benchmarking comparison. We really spent the last week being sure we used his name a lot and spoke to him directly in his face a lot, with little change. So we are going to get his hearing checked out. Thanks to a good friend whose sister is a speech pathologist in the states, I got a free consultation this evening from her about what to ask about, what testing she would recommend and she even did a little developmental checklist over skype with me. She was very reassuring and while she thinks it may be his hearing, it seems like it may be more of accumulation of fluid, as opposed to something permanent. Of course this makes me concerned, but i'm OK (as long as things at the dr are OK'd and we feel comfortable with where to go from here). Keeping in mind of course, we know he has SOME hearing, just not sure how much.

When will breakfast be served??? - Gavin

UPDATE: after the appointment the Dr. has said Gavin is OK - he thinks it may just be he doesn't KNOW his name (i.e. developmental) which he says for a preemie is perfectly acceptable for his milestones. We are going to do a follow up hearing test (the machine in the dr's office didn't work - welcome to Doha) even though he passed the physical tests Dr. Ihab was doing (snapping fingers on the side of his head, rubbing hands together - he responded to all outside of his field of vision). The doc said that since he is on target for all other developmental milestones (both social and physical) he's not concerned now that he doesn't repond to his name. We feel good, but are still going to do the follow up hearing check with the hearing specialty center in the hospital. :)

Bad Blogger, BAD!

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? :)

How the Time Flies . . . .

Gavin, Brady and Aidan - 9 months

I keep thinking about how there are so many little things about the boys I remember now, but hadn't taken the time to write down, that makes them so unique from one another. they were already showing their little (well, now quite big) personalities developing, even at just a few months old. I decided I should take some time to write some of those things down so I can look back on this in ten years and say "yep, you always DID need more sleep than your brothers" or "yep, you always were the social butterfly!".

Aidan:
I was thinking the other day as curt was feeding him and Aidan was trying to touch curt's face, his hand, whatever he could get his little hands on that he was the first kid to really use his hands. Even at 6 weeks old, he would eat his bottles while holding his hands on his chest/belly. It was so sweet and cute and he is DEFINITELY the first one to figure out that hands are for grabbing! Aidan is still squirrely about eating his bottle, but he LOVES solid food. He loves how it feels on his hands, how it feels in his mouth, how it tastes, everything. He will reach out and grab on to the edge of the (suctioned cupped) bowl and just hold on until he gets another bite/the bowl's suction breaks free - bringing his beloved food nearer to him. Aidan was also the most vocal in the beginning. In fact, he was such a loud sleeper (random loud noises at weird intervals) that often we would rush to the room to see who was awake only to see Aidan making these noisy sounds asleep. at 9 months he is finally getting his first set of teeth peeking through and he is using his voice at all levels. He and Gavin LOVE to talk to one another through squeals and giggles and shreiks.

He is our first crawler and also has been the first one to truly LOVE standing and trying to walk. It's a pretty difficult system he has going on for crawling (he basically drags his lower body forward while up on his hands and knees) but he can get where he wants to go. And he NEEDS his sleep. When he was just a few months old and I would get up in the middle of the night to pump, I would hear him making noises and would want to try to delay the others from being woken up, so I would bring him out to the couch with me (still fully swaddled) and pump until it was closer to the time they needed to get up to eat. Sometimes I would sleep out on the couch with him because he was being SOOO loud so early - just me and my oldest boy snoozing away at 3 AM. Since his brothers are on a slightly different schedule from him (they don't get cranky if they sleep a little less than he does) we moved his crib into the guest room this week. Aidan's bags under his eyes are disappearing (finally) and he is WAY less whiny than he has been in recent weeks. He may move into the closet permanently . . . :) It does make the nursery room feel empty without his crib in there, but to see him obviously feeling better makes it worthwhile.

Brady:
Brady was the first to give us some social smiles around 3 months, but he has become REALLY shy of new people. Yesterday a LC named Inge came to buy some baby stuff and she just walked into the kitchen with me and while Aidan and Gavin just looked at her from their high chairs, Brady immediately began a high pitched cry and turned bright red until I picked him up. Then he was fine, but he was grasping me tightly until she left. He BTW, is the ONLY boy who will actually hold on/snuggle with us. Both Aidan and Gavin leave their arms straight out to the side while we carry them and they are rarely still enough to snuggle with. Brady on the other hand loves just lounging in mom or dad's lap. He is definitely the watcher. he is also our first clapper - the nannies have taught him rudimentary clapping and "giving 5". Brady practically refused to put any weight on his legs when we would lift him to try to stand, but when he decided to do it, he can stand with the best of them! He looks so proud of himself as he looks out over his play mat too! Adorable. When it comes to food, Brady is an excited eater - he laughs and giggles after every mouthful, but also let's you know when he "can't beleive you put that nasty stuff on his tongue and it will stay there until you take it off of his tongue mom".

Brady Boy is still the most chill of the three and while he CAN sit up or roll over, he seems to be most content wherever you put him last. He also has been having giggling fits lately where he just looks at you and just gets himself going like crazy! Adorable at any time, but more challenging when it's bedtime for the night. He has seemed to be the child who will dig his heels in the most - whereas Aidan and Gavin will eventually succumb to a nap, or the car ride, if Brady is unhappy, he lets you know THE WHOLE WAY HOME/TIL YOU GET HIM UP. and for someone who is so rarely unhappy, it's hard not to respond more immediately (for your sanity and his).

Gavin:
I will say Gavin's personality is like a fine wine - it has just gotten better with age. When he was home just a few weeks is when he first began doing some crying and it is a TOUGH cry to listen to. I read once that babies whose cry is staccato and stops and starts again was most often rated as a "difficult" child by parents, even if they cry less or equal to a baby with a less chafing cry. Gavin's cry is DISTINCT and was at times really hard for both of us to deal with, especially when Gavin decided to cry every time we would change his diaper. that was NO FUN at all. Gavin has definitely mellowed from his early months and his giggle is heard way more often than his cry. Gavin will probably enter a World's Strongest Baby competition one of these days - he is SO muscular! We can see his little shoulder muscles and when we tickle his tummy he tenses up and has abs of steel! He also LOVES food (see Baby Kong video) and has been our best sleeper for some time now. He still tries to stand on his tiptoes when we hold him to stand, but he can do that for a long time. Maybe he will be on pointe? He seems to be just a few steps behind Aidan's exploring, but he likes to do lots of the same things so far.

Each of the boys is so yummy in so many ways, it's hard to believe they are all ours. I was gone for the weekend in Dubai with my friend Slabas and in just the 3 nights I was gone, I couldn't BELIEVE how much they had changed! Even though I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Dubai I was so happy to see them and Curt this morning! It is such a good feeling for home to be your happiest place on earth.

And now for the obligatory pics: :)

Aidan has an abundance of love for Gavin . . .Gavin has an abundance of patience for Aidan . . .

Brady loves his chew toy . . .
Aidan hits the road . . .Gavin loves his new hat and onesie from the Slabas's - Thank You!Aunt Jenny gets people ready for bed!

THUMP!

Rough day this afternoon. All 3 boys were sitting on their alpha mat and i decided it would be fun to play a giant game of peek-a-boo with one of our large blankets. Apparently Aidan needs to see where he is in order to sit up straight because as soon as the blanket went over his head (and the other two) he proceeds to fall directly backward and i hear a loud THUMP as he hits the CARPETED floor. and yes, there was requisite pause for two seconds before he then bursts into tears. yes, I'm up for mother of the year this year (sigh).

Last night we went to the Amiri Cup (soccer) and left the boys at home. While we were there we saw what could be our future - a little boy of about 3 or 4 up WAY past his bedtime was whining and into EVERYTHING - the spit out sunflower seeds on the ground, crawling on the ground between seats, laying on his dad's lap, etc. And of course every time his dad tried to get him to hold still and watch the game he would start crying and getting even more squirrely. That will probably be Aidan the way he is into EVERYTHING he can scootch to these days. Just one more reason we are sleep nazis - No nap, Know tears. Know nap, No tears. :)

In just under 3 weeks we head to the US for a month of relaxation and vacay . . . couldn't come soon enough! and now, Proud Mom Alert: more pix . . .


Gavin in the Land of Nod . . .

Brady and his Jelly Legs

Brady Loves Daddy

Big Boy Aidan

We'll have to put creatine on Gavin's Crib (stops horses from eating wood)

Dad and his Busy Boys

Yeah, baby, yeah. Aidan

The Saddest Face in the World - Gavin

Cuz' videos are so fun . . .

Here are some recent videos of all of the boys - a few minutes to brighten your day!

Brady and his sweet voice

Gavin will be a ballet dancer

Gavin and Aidan talking to each other

A Little Bit of Everyone . . .

My First Mother's Day

Today was a great day! Curt started out being weird and it turns out it was so he could go to the store before he went to work to get me flowers and then surprise me by putting them on my desk at lunch. Awww . . .

Actually, today I have really taken some time to reflect on the last 8+ months (ok, the last year with the pregnancy) and it has brought both smiles and tears. I can't believe how lucky I am - i really do feel like i won the lottery. Even though i loved being pregnant and am sometimes (just a little) jealous of friends who get to be pregnant more than once, i also feel like we got pretty lucky. the boys get to have siblings, but we don't have to go through the sleepless nights more than once; i loved nursing, but i like not having to check the clock to make sure my chest doesn't explode from the pressure if we want to go to the mall (not that we actually get to go to the mall that often, but you get my drift); with all of the demands on our time, i really do feel like curt and i are a TEAM. Team Mom and Dad and sometimes we just get by without breaking down and arguing or wanting to cry but usually we ROCK at it (more often the latter). :)

The other night I was making prunes for the boys (damn unpitted prunes) and after having stewed them FOREVER i then had to remove the pits. Did you know prune flesh stays really hot for a really long time??? the blistered fingers are just one more piece of proof of how much i love these kids. and I was thinking as i listened to WPR archives while i de-pitted how I feel like my heart has grown to accommodate these children more than i expected it could. When I was a kid i didn't think i could love my parents any more than i did, then they got me a cat. :) then i didn't think i could love anything more than my cat, then i found a best friend. then I didn't think i could love anyone more than my best friend, then i found Curt. I KNEW i couldn't love anyone more than I love curt, and then these babies stormed into our life and took no prisoners. Their laughter just gives me chills, their crying makes me sad (OK, and sometimes I laugh because I know they are just whining) and their wriggling, warm little bodies are just heaven. And I feel so lucky to have gotten to be with them every day of their lives. I feel like I will know them best and I don't know them at all - they are constantly surprising us with their personalities and how they are beginning to interact with one another, how much they love asparagus and don't seem to know what to do with cottage cheese. they LOVE their security blankets and they love to throw their pacifiers on the floor every morning. (sigh) Happy Mother's Day! :) on to some fun, recent pictures:

Brady living it up

Aidan can't wait to see the Cubbies play!

Gavin likes his picture book!