WAG Debut

We did it! We successfully brought the triplets to church! 11 weeks after they entered the world & 7 weeks after the last one was home, we ventured off to Church. It helped that the triplet's feeding schedule has spread out to 3 1/2 hours and church falls right in the middle of that span. It also helps that church doesn't start until 10 am. Still, we did it. That's not to say we didn't hit some resistance: not the greatest night of sleep, unexpected massive spit ups causing a need to redress a child (not that massive spit up is ever expected...it's just you don't expect it from Cole. Ava, yes. Cole, no.), a must-ask-1000-questions Zoe, and of course, a very...very...very slow moving Ty.

I apologize to any of you who may not have been in attendance for the event...but it went well, so you can rest easy...it will most likely happen again next Sunday!

Moronic Move

Okay, here it is served up on a silver platter...your opportunity to bust on me for a lifetime:

Who will ever know why, but Monday morning, I decided I'd try on my wedding ring! Keep in mind, I took my ring off 2 months into my latest pregnancy (triplets) so that it wouldn't need to be cut off when I eventually swelled. I mean, I was SO swollen with Zoe, I was SURE I'd swell early with the triplets.

Okay...back to Monday...I hit a little resistance when I got to my knuckle, but I always did, so I just proceeded on...say it with me...MORON! Immediately, my finger began to swell and turn a LOVELY shade of blue. Lindsay (our Nanny) was quietly giggling in the living room and slowly beginning to panic. Not me, I calmly called my favorite neighbor who promptly told me my options, as she saw them: ER or Jewelry Store. I thought I'd call a store (who wants to pay the $75 ER Co-pay for a moronic move?) Here's how the conversation went:

"Hi! I have a hypothetical question for you"
"Okay"
"Hypothetically speaking, say a new mom of 2-month old triplets attempted to put on her wedding ring and well...hypothetically speaking, let's say the ring was pretty tight."
"Did this Mom try all the home remedies to get it off?"
"Yup...hypothetically...ice...lotion...oil...cold water...sticking her hand in the freezer...NOTHING would get it to budge...hypothetically...and now her finger is turning a lovely shade of hypothetical blue..."
"Then this mom should get to the ER or come into our store before her finger falls off!"

So I did! The store was right around the corner and the jeweler really struggled to get the clippers between my finger and the ring. After about 10 tries and a bunch of "mini" clips, the jeweler was able to pry the ring off. I guess it's a good time to get my rings sized, what do you say? Of course, I had to wait more than 3 hours before I could go back and get the ACTUAL size of my finger measured...and even then, my finger was still swollen. 24 hours later, there was still a bright red "ring" around my finger.

...And to think the ring was taken off so it wouldn't have to get cut off...Ironic, right?

Two Months Later

Well, we've survived two whole months! And we must be doing SOMETHING right because they're sure growing...

Cole - 12 pounds (actually, in his book, the nurse wrote, "11 lbs, 15 3/4 oz.)

Eli - 10 pounds, 9 ounces

Ava - 8 pounds, 3 ounces

Do I REALLY have a 5 year-old?

(sorry it's out of focus...it was 6:45 am before leaving for the bus)

Yes, I do! And apparently, once you're in Kindergarten, birthdays take on a life of their own...

BIRTHDAY #1...9/18/07 - Zoe's official birthday

Making sure to avoid all allergens, Ty & I brought the (apparently) uber-cool birthday snack of "Number Donuts", something I had NO idea existed, to school for snack time. And to think that I was just going to bake some "funfetti" cupcakes and bring them in. But no, that's not what Miss Zoe wanted. So, I called up Dunkin Donuts and requested 2 dozen donuts in the shape of 5's. Choosing a flavor was an act of congress...but finally, Zoe chose 1/2 chocolate frosted and 1/2 strawberry frosted. BOTH with sprinkles. I was fully prepared to pay an arm and a leg for these donuts but was pleasantly surprised: they cost the same as a regular dozen donuts!

BIRTHDAY #2...9/22/07 - The Princess Tea

Being that I recently had a major life change (a.k.a. "The Triplets"), there was NO way I was hosting a 5th birthday party here at the house. After a lot of research (and some serious heart attacks after looking at prices) Zoe and Mommy agreed on a YMCA party. A princess tea. The girls came dressed up as their favorite princesses and they had their nails done, put on make-up (which they got to take home), colored a crown, made a bracelet, & decorated a wallet. Then they had a tea party complete with Apple Juice Tea a & Sandwiches with the crusts cut off. They worked off those calories with a fashion show for those of us that stayed. Then they had cake and called it a day. Phew...I'm tired just writing all that. The beauty of it? I didn't have to plan, set up, bake, host, or clean!!!!!!!!!!!

BIRTHDAY #3...9/23/07 - Family Birthday Lunch

Are you kidding? 2 celebrations isn't enough? Zoe gets a THIRD? A friend of mine was always proud to celebrate her "Birthday Week" and now I'm seeing where that came from. This is CRAZY!!!!!!!!! Nothing too crazy...just some tacos. I baked a sheet cake (could it get easier?) and let Aunt Shannon & Zoe ice & decorate it. Zoe, of course, put a large "Z" on it. Ty climbed up to look at that cake and quickly noted, "Ooooooooooh, Zoe, HANDsome Z!"


All this to say...Praise the Lord we only celebrate birthdays once a year!

Super Mom I Am Not!

This is for all my friends that laugh at me and tell me that I'm Super Mom because I "have it all together" and I just had triplets...

HA!

I soooooooooooooooooooooo don't have it all together!

It's almost 10am and I'm still in my PJs. It's been one of those weeks where I start something, get distracted, take care of the distraction, forget I had started something, start something else, notice the original project I started, let IT distract me, go work on that, forget that I started a 2nd project...etc. You get the picture!

See...case in point...I'm writing on my blog and I SHOULD be...
* Folding Laundry
* Freezing Bagels
* Preparing Bottles
* Buying a Birthday Present (party tomorrow morning)
* Making Beds
* Loading the Dishwasher
* Putting Away Breakfast
* Coloring with Ty
* Writing Thank You's
* Vacuuming Kitchen

Let's just say my "To Do" list sure isn't getting any smaller these days. For every one thing I cross off (which is a major celebratory moment) there are 3 things I'm putting on it!

Well, today I'm determined to change that! Maybe because I had to dig through the dryer to find clean underwear for Zoe this morning. Apparently, my dryer can't handle two wash-loads at once, because Zoe's underwear was still slightly damp...so I got out the hair dryer to finish it up so Zoe could go to school. I may have started something though...she seemed to enjoy the toasted bun feeling. =)

Okay, enough with this distraction...I have work to do people! I can't just sit around entertaining you all day with stories of the craziness on DeBaun Avenue!

Have a great weekend...

For at least the next 13 years

Yesterday (Tues., 8/4/07), I was finishing up the triplet's 5:00 am feeding when I heard it: the quiet whisper of a 4 year old, "Momma, is it time to get ready for school yet?" I couldn't believe it! It was 5:30 in the morning! "No, Zoe, close your eyes and try to go back to sleep. I'll wake you up in a little while." Figuring that would work, I got in the shower and got ready for my day. When I got out of the bathroom, I noticed a shadow sitting on the love seat: Zoe! "How about now, Momma? Can I get dressed NOW?" Sure enough, we no sooner got Zoe into her new outfit and she was skipping down the hall, bounding down the stairs & practically levitating into the kitchen for breakfast. I could barely get her to eat 3 spoonfuls of cereal before she grabbed her backpack and started for the door. Convincing her that her hair needed to be brushed, I was able to get her back from the front door. But that was it, I couldn't put her off anymore. By 6:30 am, Zoe was sitting on the front step waiting for the bus to come!!

Around 7:00 am, the bus driver walked down our street and met us at our house. Unfortunately, living on a dead-end street has some downfalls. Apparently, a 52-passenger bus can't turn around down our street and our driveway is too narrow for the bus to pull into. So, my little kindergartner is going to be picked up up the street. I guess we'll figure out how we'll manage that in the rain, snow, & during Shane's business trips later. And by "we", I mean "me". The bus driver said Zoe & I could wait at the curb in front of our house...when the bus pulled into the intersection and opened it's door, Zoe could run down the street and the driver would wait for her. Okay...I'm getting off topic...

Zoe IMMEDIATELY took off for the bus and barely stopped long enough for me to take a picture. I think you'll be able to tell from the picture just how excited she was to go to school.

She chose the seat right behind the door and buckled in. It wasn't until this morning that I found out why she likes that seat: "I can get off fast, Momma & I get to say 'hi' to everyone when they get on the bus!" Does she take after me, or what?

As the bus pulled away, there she went...my baby...off on the bus for her first day of school...waving at me out the window of her bus! And lo & behold...I DIDN'T CRY! Go me!!!!!!!!

5 hours later (yes...5 hours) the bus dropped off my little girl. Grinning from ear to ear, she stopped at the bottom step of the bus and asked if she could go back tomorrow. (Did she think we'd gone through all this hoopla for ONE day?) I assured her there were PLENTY of school days ahead of her!

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UPDATE: 9/5/07
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This afternoon, I was greeted by a 16 year-old that took over Zoe's body! She came off the bus all exasperated and dramatic, "Mom...it's been a really long day...I don't want to talk about it...and please don't give me any projects...I've had so many projects today..." Not even a "Hi Mom! What's for lunch?" How crazy is that? Then she called Shane and told him how "horrible" the library was because she had so many tough choices to make. I guess picking just one library book is a bit traumatic for a (almost) 5 year-old. Boy, this year sure is going to be fun...

Together Again...

HOLY COW...I've got 5 kids!!!!!!
With all the babies home from the hospital, I didn't waste much time getting them together for a picture. It'd been two weeks since I had the babies together, and I'd NEVER had all 5 in one room, so this was exciting. A friend gave us these outfits and they screamed "take pictures of us". So, being the camera freak that I am, I obliged. My next project is to find rugbies for Zoe & Ty. =)

small (Ava)...medium (Eli)...& large (Cole)...