Day 35

Happy Halloween!

Our feet hit the floor at 6:00. Figures...it's Saturday and we don't have to work today. Lol. I got up with the girls so Pete could 'sleep' in a little bit. I know that we don't ever really go back to sleep because when the girls are up - no one sleeps!

I hung out with the girls for an hour or so after they drank their milk and had a poptart. I should have been getting them dressed for the day - I totally forgot that the girls had to be at MyGym @ 9:00! Ahhhhh. It's ok - once Pete came downstairs we made a mad dash to dress the girls and get out the door by 8:15.

We stopped to pick up my mom so she could spend some time with the girls and give us an extra body at the gym to keep an eye on the girls. The girls always have fun at the gym. We left the gym and went to visit Pete's sister Rosemary real quick before heading home to put the girls down for a nap.

While the girls napped - Little Brother, Kristin, Pete and I all packed some stuff up into the cars so it could be brought to storage. There's never enough room when you have triplets!

Then we all took showers and when the girls woke up we had lunch and headed back out. We went to West Hartford Center. There was a show going on with some college students that were performing some songs, drama and other things. The girls were loving the singing. Then we walked over to StrideRite (our original destination!) to buy shoes for the girls. They all got new shoes and walked out of the store with them on. This was great for me. I thought for sure it would be a hassle to get them to give up their 'old' shoes and put on new ones. But with all the 'oooooh's and ahhhhhh's' and 'those are soooooo pretty!' comments - they were totally all about the new ones. ;-)

Then we walked over to Barnes and Noble where the girls played with the train set they have while I found a few new books (can you ever have enough books?). Then it was back to the car and off to Friendly's for dinner.

Girls did great at dinner...even had chocolate milk (for the 2nd time ever!). Then we all came home and played hard before getting into pj's, brushing teeth, reading books (not the new ones though) and then in bed! Emily actually talked to herself for a good 1/2 hour before going to sleep. Hmmm...chocolate milk maybe? Haha.

Now Little Brother, Kristin, Pete and I are watching the game (well...it's delayed - but hopefully it'll be on!) and playing Scrabble while handing out candy to all the trick-or-treaters.

Oh...we didn't dress the girls up this Halloween. Maybe next year. The neighbors should actually thank me. If the girls knocked on their door and got candy tonight...they'd be knocking every single day @ 7:00 in the morning when I'm trying to get them in the car to leave for work thinking that they'll get candy!

Day 34

Our feet hit the floor at 6:30 this morning. Girls got up - we got 'em dressed and then got ourselves ready. Friday's are Fun Friday's with Uncle Joey.

Kristin and Joey slept over so they could be here to see the girls' smiling faces bright and early! Lol...and boy did they.

Off to work Pete and I go. I took Little Brother's car so he could have the van because the girls had a Halloween party today. Fun Friday included a Halloween lunch.

Pete left work early and met everyone at the halloween party. The girls had fun running around and playing at the party.

Mommy brought home KFC for dinner and the girls ate it up. We gave them a bath after dinner and then it was brush teeth, read books, and to bed.

Day 33

Today was a rough day all around. Not blogging material though. The girls did well today - and tomorrow is another day. I'm not doing a blow by blow tonight. Instead...head over to MckMama's blog and just pray for Stellan.
http://www.mycharmingkids.net/

Day 32

Our feet hit the floor at 6:30. Late. The girls all woke up at 12:30 last night screaming. We went in there and picked them all up for about 2 minutes (just long enough to help them calm down) and then we put them back in their cribs. It didn't take them long to fall back to sleep. This morning we had to wake up Hannah and Emily at 7:00. I don't like having to wake them up but I was bringing them to Pete's parents again so we needed to get going.

Pete got them dressed today and gave them their milk while I got ready to go. Then we were out the door by 7:20 (not much time from the when Hannah and Emily woke up!). I dropped them off and went to work.

Worked.

Picked up the girls and came home. Little Brother was here and he had made dinner! Yeah! We all had pasta and then we needed to give the girls a bath.

So it was bath, pj's, brush teeth, read books and then in bed. Now we're all just hanging out. The girls are sleeping and the Yankees game is on!!! 1st game in this World Series...let's go Yankees!

Day 31

Wow...a full month of blogging every single day! I'm impressed - didn't think we could pull it off...lol.

Our feet hit the floor at 6:00 this morning. All of us came downstairs, I got the girls dressed and Pete warmed their milk. I don't think they really need it 'warmed' but it goes down easier when it's not ice cold - so we'll just keep warming it. ;-) I got ready for work and then was out the door with the trio by 7:15 to bring them to Pete's parents house.

Dropped the girls off, went to work, worked...and got an email at 4:00 that was reminding me about dinner plans I made with some of the moms from the website I work for. Hmmm...wrench! Totally forgot about dinner and it's bath night and the girls aren't home. I email Pete and decide...we got this. I leave work at 4:45 and the girls were ready to go when I got there. They had their shoes and coats on and were waiting at the door! We jump in the car and drive home...slowly.

Get home, eat dinner, take baths, pj's, brush teeth, read books and then in bed. Then I ran to get changed and headed out the door to meet the moms.

It was a great dinner. I had some reservations at 1st (who wouldn't...I was meeting a few moms that I had only spoken to online before!). It turns out...they are all really nice and I had a wonderful time.

Now I'm back home and need to get the girls packed for tomorrow at Pete's parents again. Pete cleaned up while I was gone - thankfully! Now it's time for sleep.

Day 30

ugh... It's Monday. Daddy doesn't like Mondays. Up at 5:45am and hit the snooze button. We get the girls downstairs at 6am and change diapers and give them some milk. Donna comes at 6:15 and the girls cheer for joy when they see her, its been a couple weeks cause she was sick the week before. Michelle gets ready for work then comes down and I go up to get ready while she changes the girls into their clothes for the day. My mom comes in as Donna is preparing breakfast, no time for small talk I have to leave for work. I was really busy at work today so I didn't check in on the girls alot. They had fun playing with my sister who stopped by in the afternoon and Hailey tripped hitting her head, talk about having a rough couple days. Monday means school for Michelle and I come home and make dinner for the girls. They were wild good thing my mom and sister were there otherwise it would have taking forever to get dinner ready. After dinner I get them changed in their pjs and off to bed they go. We read a book to calm them down and they went to sleep without a fight. They were tired. Now it time to clean up and do some Facebooking until Michelle comes home from school.

Day 29

Our feet hit the floor at 7:00. Love lazy Sunday's! We got up and had some milk and cereal. Then we all played and just hung out and eventually Pete made a nice big breakfast of eggs, toast, tater tots, sausage and most importantly - coffee. At 9:30 we put the girls down for a nap. Usually they don't go down until 10 or 10:30 but Emily had a 'date' today with Auntie Jenn and needed to be rested and ready to party by noon. We ALL slept for 2 hours (yup...Pete and I went back to bed too). Then it was time to get up and have some lunch before Jenn picked up Emily.

I didn't get the girls dressed until right about noon...lol. After Emily left - Pete took the girls to his parents house to drop them off so we could both clean the house and get some stuff done. I stayed behind and cleaned like crazy. We use EVERY INCH of space in this house...so of course - every inch of it gets dirty. But even after spending the whole afternoon cleaning...there's still more to do. It's ok though - I feel like it's good enough for me! Our house is lived in...so be it if it's messy.

Oh - I also put away all of the girls laundry. I really wish someone had told me BEFORE having kids that the only time I would be allowed to put away laundry would be when the kids are sleeping. If I knew that beforehand...I would have made their closet in another room. Pete redid their whole closet (it's a walk-in) so that there's plenty of room for all of their clothes, diapers, wipes and other stuff as well. But really - we would have maybe redone our closet or one in the basement if I knew that I'd never be able to put their clothes away! Live and learn.

Emily came home (with a bucket full of candy!) and then we went to pick up Hannah & Hailey. Hailey took a fall right off the chair and smashed her head on the floor. Oh boy. It was a bad hit...worst she's taken yet. And I'm sure it won't be the last. Ugh - the days are full of so many 'near misses' that when something like that does actually happen it makes my heart stop. She's fine though. We came home and played some more before having dinner and then the usual bedtime routine.

Pete went back to his parents house for dinner after the girls went to bed. While he was gone I worked on a presentation I have for one of my classes. And now we're watching the Yankees game! But it's time for bed. We have to work tomorrow and we're both sleeeeeeepy.

Day 28

I love the weekends! We woke up at 6:00 (of course...because it's the weekend lol). Came downstairs (when I say we came downstairs - that means that the girls slide all the way down on their tummy with me walking backwards so I can catch them if they fall and Pete at the top because sometimes they want to go 'down' more than once and climb right back up again).

We decided that since my mom and Little Brother were going to the gym with us - Pete didn't have to go. He had some other stuff he needed to do and this was a good opportunity for him to take care of it. So the girls and I headed to pick up my mom and brother and off to the gym we went. They had a great time as always. Hailey needs more work on being nice to other kids. She's so willing to share space with her sisters but heaven forbid anyone even look at something she wants and it's like she turns into the devil child. She screamed at some little boy today simply because he got too close to her balance beam. I hope it's just a phase and I really hope other parents understand!!!!

After the gym we came home to take naps. My brother was still here so Pete and I ran to the store real quick.

We got home and it was time for lunch! We thought about taking them out but it was raining and cold today so we stayed home. We did go for a quick walk when the rain let up but we got caught...it started raining again before we got back. It was fun though!

Then it was time to play with playdough. As much as the girls love playdough - I really really really wanted to finger paint. We hadn't done that yet so this was a great day to try it out and see how it went. Hahaha.....

So finger painting turned into body painting. I had already gotten the girls down to just a diaper before we started painting so it was no big deal. It was really me that instigated the body painting since I started painting the girls myself. Then it was bath time!!!! Pete was kind enough to get their bath ready within minutes and we threw the girls in the tub and cleaned 'em up!

Then it was time for dinner, pj's, brush teeth, read books and in bed. Although - I have to say that Hailey is sitting next to me as I write this. The girls went down early tonight (they were exhausted) but she wasn't ready for bed just yet so she's getting some two on one time. That's right - she has mommy AND daddy all to herself right now. ;-)

In a little bit I'm headed to a friends house to help her with her daughter's Halloween party. 20 13 year olds...oh my!

Day 27

Our feet hit the floor at 6:45. Let's just say we hit the floor running today. I simply helped Pete get the girls downstairs before running back up to get ready for work. Little Brother (aka: Uncle Joey) slept over last night. So when I was ready for work the girls and I all went downstairs to wake him up and say 'let's go! mommy's late!'

Little Brother came upstairs to take over and as soon as I put my jacket on Hailey started to whine and wagged her little finger and said 'no no no mommy, no!' Aye...it broke my heart but I know she has fun on Fun Friday's and she was especially cranky this morning. So I gave some extra love and went on my way.

Worked.

Came home and had dinner, baths, pj's, brush teeth, read books and in the bed.

What happened on Fun Friday? The girls ate their usual HUGE breakfast, took naps and then they went pumpkin picking again. We already went this weekend but they went to the Orchard again today and got more pumpkins. They were putting stickers on them when I came home. And they were in GREAT moods. Let's hope they sleep all night. We have the gym in the morning.

Pete and I are going to watch a movie tonight ;-)

Day 26

Our feet hit the floor at 6:00. Yup. We were on time today! We did the usual - get up, take turns getting ready and then it was out the door for me and the girls. They went to Pete's parents house today.

Pete and I worked. Didn't really talk too much about stuff - just about buying a house. We are really hoping the gov't comes through with revamping the bill to allow all homebuyers the $8000 towards a home. Right now it's only for 1st time homebuyers and we already 'own' the condo so we don't qualify. We'll see.

I picked up the girls (and got stuck in lots of traffic which sucked). Came home, had dinner, played for a bit. Pj's, brush teeth, read books and bed.

Then Pete had to leave to go get new glasses. He doesn't like the one's he bought so he wants to get different ones. While he was gone I cleaned up and did some laundry.

Now the Yankees game is on and they're not doing so great :-(

Off to bed..........

Day 25

Our feet hit the floor at 6:20. Usual morning ritual on the days that I take the girls to Pete's parents house. The girls decided to take their babies with them today. It was a nice day so they were able to get outside and play while Pete and I worked, worked and worked some more.

I went and picked them up, came home, ate dinner, play time for a bit and then the usual night time routine. Pj's, brush teeth, read books (we let Hannah read to us tonight) & in bed. They're sleeping - we're tired.

I was going to work out but didn't. Pete and I cleaned up a bit and then spent some time on the computer.

If you read through the past 25 days of this blog you'll notice a trend. And that's a routine. We're not 'robots' or militant. But we do keep to very strict routine when it comes to the girls. When we realized we were having triplets there was a lot to talk about. One of those things happened to be about how we're going to have to make sure that life is as easy as possible for all of us. One thing that I read over and over again while on bed rest was that kids are creatures of habit. They will transition much easier to new things if they can rely on some other things to be the same. And they take things much easier when they know what to expect. It makes sense. EVERYTHING is new to them. Every little thing that we take for granted - they've never seen, felt, heard, tasted or experienced before. I can't imagine what it's like for them. So by keeping a schedule and a routine - it really does make life easier on us as a family.

The girls have slept in their own room since day one home from the hospital. And they've had their own cribs since they started moving around a bit. (I'd have to check their blog for the exact month but I think it was maybe month 3). Before that - Hannah & Hailey shared a crib and Emily slept in a pack-n-play. Pete and I moved our bed into their room so that when it was time for us to separate from sleeping in the same room - the girls wouldn't have to make the transition of moving rooms. We just moved our bed back to our room.

I've tried to feed them all at the same time since early on. Of course when they were really little and needed to eat every 2 hours we would stagger their feedings. But I'm talking about meals when they eat in the kitchen...and only in the kitchen. One of us sits down with them at breakfast every morning and we all sit down together as a family for dinner at night. Sure - one of us could use that 1/2 hour to be getting stuff done. But family time is more important to us than anything else. The girls expect it now. Especially Emily - she likes to help herself to the food on my plate. Somehow it tastes better even though it's usually the same thing that's on her dish...lol.

Eh - that's just a little more info on our days as a family with triplets. Most days are very routine. Especially during the week when we're working. And there's always something more to do. Laundry is never done. The bathrooms are forever screaming for some bleach. I clean the kitchen the same way every night and yet the next night I know I'll be back on my hands and knees scrubbing the food off the floor from dinner time. I don't mind it though. It's worth it...every minute of it.

I certainly couldn't do it without Pete. He's not the usual husband from what I hear. And he's learned how to multi task better than me at times! If you knew him - you'd know this was a feat that should be in the Guinness book of world records. ;-)

Day 24

Girls went to bed at 5pm and got up at 6:30am. :) Michelle took the day off today to spend the day with the girls. Daddy had to work. They met Grammie at the diner for breakfast and then they went to their other Grandma's house to take a nap. Mommy and daddy had an appointment to look at a house they had found that was for rent. The house was not what we want. We picked the girls up and headed for West Hartford center to walk around and get some ice cream. The girls had so much fun. First we strolled into Starbucks for a coffee and then it was over to Ben & Jerry's. We all shared a cookies 'n cream ice cream. After the ice cream we walked over to an area where we could let the girls walk around, they get bored being strapped in their wagon. We took a few pictures and then headed in to Barnes 'n Nobles. The girls love looking at books. We took them out of the wagon and they played with a Thomas The Train wooden play set and Emily found a couple books she liked. We left at 4 o'clock and headed for home. While the girls were napping at grandma's house Michelle went to Target and bought the girls a bunch of stuff. Play Dough, stickers, baby dolls with strollers just to name a few. When we got home the girls saw the babies in the strollers and proceeded to push them around the house until dinner was ready. So cute. The day ended as usual. Dinner, bath, brush teeth, read books, and bed.

I should have said that's where the girls day ended. It's only 6pm mommy and daddy still have a lot to do. Daddy put plastic on the bedroom window, to keep the cold out, while mommy cleaned the kitchen and made an arts 'n craft drawer. After I finished with the window I got online to check email and do a little Facebooking. Michelle did some laundry and then it was her turn with the computer. Now its 9pm and we both want to go to bed. We'll see how many things we "just let me do..." until we finally get in bed. My guess is we'll be in bed by 10pm.

Day 23

The girls slept all night last night ;-))))

Our feet hit the floor at 7:00 this morning! The girls not only slept all night but they slept for 13 hours straight. I love them for this right now...lol. We didn't have to work today because the girls had their 18 mo well baby visit. Yes - we're 2 months behind but it's ok.

We all got up, ate breakfast and took our time getting ready. We didn't have to be out the door until 9:15. We made it out on time and got to the doctors office right when we were suppose to. This is a minor miracle as you can see how often we run on time.

The appt went well. The girls had their flu vaccine and one other vaccine. We held off on the varicella and MMR again. No need to rush these since they're not in daycare. They only cried for a minute after their shots...I had a plan. It was a plan that was well thought out...

You see - 2 weeks ago I 'introduced' the girls to a yummy little thing called Dum Dum lollipops. It didn't take long at all for them to know that this would be the yummiest of yummy. So today - after their shots I pulled out a 'pop pop' for each one of them and would you believe there was complete silence...followed by happy little purring children? They even said 'bye bye' to the doctor as she was leaving! I love when a plan works out well.

Then it was home for lunch. The girls slept for 1/2 hour on the way home so napping was out of the question.

I had to leave for school at 3:30 and Pete took over the trio by himself from that point on. He claims it went well...and since the house wasn't in shambles when I came home...I tend to believe him. The girls went down at 5:00 for the night since they didn't take their usual long nap today.

I got home from school and Little Brother was here cooking dinner...love it! Now it's time for Pete and I to get some shut eye. I have tomorrow off and Pete has 1/2 day. We're gonna have some fun with babies!!!!

Day 22

The girls slept all night for Uncle Joey! So he says...hmmm.

Pete and I got home and all was under control!! That's why you gotta love having a little brother like mine ;-)

Girls took a 2 hour nap and when they woke up Pete and I decided we needed to get out of the house. It's raining and cold though. So we headed to the mall. They have a Disney Store and the girls LOVE it. When they see the big Mickey face on the outer part of the store they get sooo excited.

We get to the mall and I change their diapers so they're nice and dry while we walk around. We have them in the wagon - there's too many people to let them out and run around since they don't hold hands. We stop for a pretzel...and the comments/questions start right away. For some reason today - it seemed like an unusual # of people asking their names. I don't get it. Why on earth would you want to know what we named our children? You won't remember when you leave here! But it's one of the many questions we get asked. I am usually tolerant and pleasant for a while. When I start getting irritated I know it's time to go. Here's a list of questions people ask on a regular basis: (and answers that I'd LOVE to give....but don't)
What are their names? (Why do you care?)
Are they identical? (Why does it matter?)
Are they natural? (What business is it of yours?)
Did you have help? (to which I usually respond "my husband had a lot to do with it!")
How do you do it? (really? You have that much time???? Cuz I'll tell ya.........)
Can I take a picture? (This I really do answer NO)

And comments people say - some direct and some in passing:
Wow! You have your hands full!(I always say "and my heart too")
Oh...that one is different (while pointing at Emily)
God Bless you! (I say "He already did")
Better you than me!
I can't even imagine!
Oh - another Jon and Kate huh? (this one REALLY irritates me)

Oh - and little while ago we took the girls to the Big E and a passer by said to me "That's a bit much don't you think?" with a look of disgust on his face at the girls in the wagon. I didn't reply. I figured it wasn't worth it.

This is what Pete and I go through on EVERY SINGLE TRIP WE MAKE - the grocery store, the mall, Walmart, Target...you name it. We take the girls everywhere we go. That's how we roll. And some days are easier than others. And some people are nicer than others. We'll never stop taking them - and I'm sure the comments will get fewer as the girls get older. The wagon does attract a lot of attention - how couldn't it? It's freakin adorable...even I know that.

We go through the mall - hit a few stores, spend a little bit of $ and then make our way to the Disney Store. We let the girls out of the wagon to go through the store...and they have a blast! Emily picked up a Mickey doll that was bigger than her and was carrying it around like she owned it. The best part of the store? We get to leave everything there and blow kisses while we say goodbye to Mickey! I know it won't be that easy for long...but I'll take it while I can get it!

Then it was home to eat, take a bath, pj's, read books and in their cribs. They're sleeping - and I'm praying ;-)

Now I have homework to do. I have a project due tomorrow that I completely forgot about. Ooops!

I'm going to work out and then homework...I've already done my housework. There's a lot of work going on here!!!!! LOL

Day 21

Hailey woke up at 1:00. She wasn't having an all out crying fit - so I checked on her and noticed she dropped her bear out of her crib. I went in, gave it back to her and then I went back to bed.

Our feet hit the floor at 7:00! That's right...they slept in on a weekend! Yippie! But not so much. That gave us only an hour and 15 minutes to get out of the house. We had to be at MyGym for 9:00 and we were picking up Brianna (my friend's 13 y/o) on the way so she could help us with the trio. No big deal...I just skipped my shower today lol.

We had so much fun at MyGym as usual. Then we went to visit Titi Rosemary (Pete's sister) at work. After that we headed home for naps. While the girls took a nap - I left. Brianna and I went to get her sister Alex who's 7. You see...on the way home from the gym we decided that since today it WASN'T raining...we were gonna go to the pumpkin patch! And since my friend is in the middle of moving - I figured I'd take her kids (what's 2 more?) and let her focus on unpacking and cleaning. We had way more fun than she did...that's for sure.

When the girls woke up we all ate and headed out. Of course Uncle Joey made it here on time to catch a ride with us. ;-) We went on a hay ride and picked out pumpkins. Emily is very attached to hers...I'm surprised she's not sleeping with it tonight!

Then it was home to eat dinner, take baths, brush teeth, read books and hit our own hay! It was a good day. The girls were kind of fussy at random times. I think they're getting their back molars for sure and I know that's not fun for them.

As I write this - I still have my friends 2 kids. She's coming to get them and then I'm jumping in the shower (finally!). Then...Pete and I are going out! Uncle Joey is babysitting the girls (they're sleeping now and hopefully won't wake up). Ahhh...you think Pete and I are going out together though right? Yeah...we should - but we're not. He's headed in one direction with friends and I in the other. It was a last minute thing for me. Pete has been planning to hang out with friends tonight for a while. The plan was for me to stay home and relax. But you know - sometimes a girl needs some fun too!!!!

No worries - I've got another babysitter lined up for another night on another weekend so that my baby and I can actually hang out together. We might actually sit down for a meal and eat the whole thing without sharing a bite or letting it get cold!!!

Adios folks........

Day 20

Emily & Hannah were up from 11:30 - midnight last night. We checked on them once and put them back in their cribs. They cried for 9 straight minutes after that but then slept for the rest of the night.

Our feet hit the floor at 6:30. I'm not even gonna comment on our late wake ups anymore. lol
Pete brought the girls downstairs and I got right in the shower. Joey and Kristin spent the night so I didn't get them dressed today. They bought the girls new outfits and I figured they'd enjoy dressing the girls today. ;-)

I threw dinner in the crock pot before leaving. Chicken, carrots, onions and a bouillon cube. Love the crock pot!

I went to work unwillingly. Fun Friday's are always tough because I want to stay home and play. I know the girls are going to have a blast and I don't want to miss out on it. But I went to work. And they had fun. They built a fort today. And they posted rules. I'll put that on their blog though.

I got home and Pete was making rice to go with dinner so I put the girls winter coats on them and Joey and I took them out for a walk. Sort of. They mostly stumbled...their coats are really big and puffy...lol!

Then it was time to eat, play for a bit, change into pj's, brush teeth, read books and in the cribs. They're sleeping - and of course I hope they stay that way for the night.

Now Pete and I are going to sleeeeeep early tonight. I'd love to stay up and watch the Yankees game but I just need sleep!!

Day 19

They SLEPT all night last night!!!!!!!!

Our feet hit the floor at 6:15. The morning usual - I dress the girls, Pete warms their milk and then I shower and get ready for work. Switch - Pete gets ready while I play with the girls for a bit. Then it's off to work. His mom is coming here today so the girls are staying behind. Although - Hannah had her shoes on because she thought she was leaving. It was cute...lol.

Uncle Joey (my brother) & his gfriend Kristin came at 1:30 to watch the girls so his mom could go home (who doesn't need a break from 3 kids every now and then?!?!). I get home and the girls were semi cranky (the witching hour....).

We eat, take baths, pj's, brush teeth, read books and in bed. They're sleeping!

Pete and I cleaned up and then I went to visit my friend again - the one who had the baby. Again...he's soooo cute!

Stopped at the store to buy milk on my way home. Came home. Worked out. Little Brother and Kristin are here - they sleep over on Thur. nights because they watch the girls on Friday's. They brought DQ Blizzards. Did you catch the part where I said I worked out? Grrrrr....totally destroyed by eating some of the pumpkin pie blizzard. Worth every calorie though! ;-)

Now it's time for bed. Hopefully the girls sleep through the night again. Pete noticed a back molar coming through in Hailey's mouth. I guess 2 year molars CAN come early. Hmmm...

Day 18

Hailey was up last night at 1:00, 2:00 & again at 4:30.

Our feet hit the floor at 6:20. Forget rushing. I can barely move. I'm exhausted. All 3 downstairs to get dressed for the day. I take a shower while Pete feeds them and then we both get them in the car. They're going to his parents house today.

I drop them off. They never have a problem being dropped off. Sometimes Emily is a bit clingy when we get there but I give her a few minutes to get situated and then she's fine. The love being there (once Hannah starts talking she may tell a different story because of the dog next door but that's a whole other blog in itself).

I get to work on time. ;-)

Work. Leave to get the kids. Come home. Eat dinner, change into pj's, play for a bit (pig pile on mommy!), upstairs to brush teeth, read books and then bed. They've been sleeping soundly since. I hope it stays that way.

Pete and I cleaned up and then worked out. Now it's time to relax and then get some sleeeeeep.

Day 17

Hannah was up from 11:30 - 12:00 last night. Not bad considering the week...but still not good.

Our feet hit the floor at 6:30. I swear one day we'll get up at 6:00 and be on time for once. We had to wake the girls up...figures. I took a shower while Pete got them ready for the day. Then we were out the door and off to his parents house. I dropped the girls off and got to work as soon as I could. Late for a meeting. Oh well - so goes life with kids right?

Worked. Got the girls a bit early today and headed home. They were in GREAT moods tonight. We had dinner, gave them baths, pj's, brushed teeth, story time and off to bed. They've been sleeping since 6:30pm. I pray they sleep all night.

After they went to bed - Pete cleaned up downstairs and I left to go visit a friend who just had a baby. He's adorable. Precious precious precious.

Home to blog and chit chat with Pete a bit and now we're off to bed.

Today was a good day. Oh - but Hannah fell when we got home and busted her upper & lower lip. Blood everywhere (we're use to this now...it's about the 30th bloody mouth they've had so far). And now her lips are swollen. Poor thing kept pointing to them tonight and saying 'boo boo'. Melts my heart. Oh yeah - and Emily fell out of the front door today. Pete was carrying Hannah & Hailey out to the car and I didn't shut the screen door all the way. Emily leaned on it and fell face 1st but luckily she put her hands out to catch herself. No bruises but she scared the daylights out of me. Ugh...you can't keep them attached to your hip but you can never be too safe either.

Day 16

Hailey was up last night from 11:00 - 1:30. No sleep...again.

Our feet hit the floor at 6:45! What!!! That's 45 minutes LATE! We didn't hear the alarm of course...we were tired. Pete didn't have to work today so that took some of the pressure off. I jumped out of bed and ran downstairs. Donna comes on Monday's and she's probably sitting on the porch! Not exactly - she was peering in the window next to the door. Oh Lord I'm gonna be so late. I helped bring the girls downstairs and that was it. No time to get them dressed. Their clothes were already out so someone else was able to do that. I had to jump in the shower and get ready for work. Then Pete jumped in the shower real quick.

I pretty much just kissed the girls goodbye since I didn't have time to play.

Got to work on time (what?). Worked. Went to school. Came home to sleeping babies.

Pete has a totally different version of today since he was the one home with the girls all day. He can edit to add info if he'd like. But...

Time for bed. Pete and I are both tired.

Day 15

Doing the blog early tonight...it seems to be a 'chore' more than a fun thing to do this evening. The girls didn't sleep last night. Between the 3 of them they were up most of the night. Pete and I got maybe 4 hours of sleep...total - and not consecutive. Last night was officially the worst night of our parenthood thus far. I think it was acceptable when the girls were infants for them to cry all night. But now that they know better...it becomes less acceptable and wears my patience quickly. The neighbor banged on the wall. I don't know if she thought that would quiet the girls down but all that did was make me even more angry. She's lucky I was too tired to slash her tires...because last night - nothing was beyond me. I don't get it. I don't know why the girls were up and please know - there wasn't anything wrong. As soon as we picked them up they calmed down. At one point...all 3 of them were in our bed. They weren't sleeping of course - how could they?

Our feet hit the floor at 6:00. Today's plan was to go to the pumpkin patch. Scratch that. No sleep and cranky babies means we're not going to attempt something like that. We took a nap early today...all of us. Usually the girls take a nap between 10 and 11. Today we all went back to bed at 9:00 and slept for 2 hours. The girls woke up cranky again. OMG

We decided to get out of the house and head to a family party. No better way than to share your misery with family right? The girls weren't great - but they certainly weren't cranky. They did surprisingly well considering the amount of people that were there. They are getting better at dealing with over stimulation. We left the party at 4:15 (15 minutes later than we planned). Everyone was like 'where are you going? You're leaving already?' YUP! We're on a schedule and apparently we're not ready to deviate from it yet.

So we got home, ate dinner, gave the girls a bath, brushed teeth, read books and in the cribs they went. They're currently sleeping. My hope is that they stay that way all night long.

Oh - wanna know how desperate I was today for some peace and quiet? When Pete was taking a shower the girls were just whiny and clingy...OMG if one of them didn't want to be held then another one did and I was only one person! I gave them a LOLLIPOP TO SHUT THEM UP! Yup...I caved. I did the one thing I swore I would never do. You bet your ass I did. Stuck a dum dum pop in their little hands and said 'sit down and be quiet' and guess what? That's exactly what they did. I got 15 minutes of pure silence. And in that 15 minutes I packed their bags and cleaned the kitchen.

It was a tough night and a tough day. These are the days when I swear Pete and I are alone in the world. No matter how much you explain to people how hard it is sometimes...they'll never understand. I'm not one to give up on things and I certainly am not one to lose my patience over small things with my girls. But today was just horrible. And some of the problem was that Pete and I were both at the end of our rope. Usually if one us is having a bad day - the other one can take over. But today - the babies had us both worn down.

Hopefully tomorrow is a better day.

Day 14

Ugh...as I write this Hannah is having a complete nuclear meltdown in her crib. It's 10:21 and she's been up for 20 minutes now. I've gotten her up to change her diaper and put her back to bed but she refuses to calm down. I'm one of 'those' mothers who won't give in. There's nothing...and I mean nothing wrong with her other than the fact that she wants to be held. How do I know this? Because I'm her mother - that's how. She quiets down the second you pick her up. She'll put her thumb in her mouth and lay her head down on your shoulder. And as cute as it sounds...it's just not something we can do with triplets. She's losing her voice from crying and I'm losing my mind. I've turned the sound off on the monitor but of course you can hear her through the house. Probably could hear her down the street. She's woken the other two up as well. Lovely. I'm just gonna continue writing...she'll settle down - it'll take some time but she will. She's over tired tonight - and it's our fault...we'll get to that in the post.

Our feet hit the floor at 6:00am. The girls slept all night last night. We started the morning off as if we had to go to work. We got the girls downstairs, dressed and fed while we alternating showers and getting ready for the day. We had to leave by 8:30 for the girls 1st gym class at a place called MyGym.

Out the door by 8:30 (on time!) and get to the class. It was great...the girls were good and the class was really put together well. Very age appropriate and very clean as well. The class was from 9 - 10. After the class we walked over to CVS to visit Pete's sister Rosemary where she was working. Then we took the girls down the street to Pete's parents house so they could take a nap there while Pete and I went shopping. Usually we take them with us - but they really needed a good nap today because they're still getting over their colds.

We went shopping and came home to unload everything...and I decided to take the kid free opportunity and clean like crazy. Then we went back to his parents house to hang out. His sister Stephanie was coming down to visit and his dad was cooking dinner. So we made the decision to stay...hindsight is always 20/20 right? It was a bad move as we now know. We KNOW better than to keep the girls out later than usual. Especially since they're just getting back on a schedule after being sick. We didn't get home until 7:00. The girls were great the whole time...no fussing or whining. But an over tired child is not a fun one. And those of you with children know that when they're over tired...it just means that the night will be restless.

That's where we're at right now. The girls went down 7:00...a full hour after their usual bedtime and now we're paying the price as all 3 of them scream in their cribs to be picked up, held, coddled, loved and snuggled. But that's not how it works here. We have changed all 3 of their diapers. They need nothing....except sleep. And we know that the only way they'll get good sleep is if they're in their own cribs.

I'll end it there. It was actually a really good day. But I'm totally bummed right now. I'm pissed off that I didn't just put my foot down and say 'no' to dinner. I guess I was just sick of always being the bad guy to have to say 'no' and just this once I wanted it to work out. I could kick myself in the ass right now because of it. And here's the kicker...I think his dad was rushing through dinner because he knew we needed to leave. And we rushed through eating dinner because we needed to leave. So in the end...did any of us actually enjoy dinner? It was really good...it always is. But next time I think we'll plan better for this. I'm going to take my video camera and let the world listen to our misery and what we deal with when we just let our guard down for one day. One day is all it takes. We should know this by now - but I guess the only way to know if they're ready for a schedule change is to play with it right?

Ugh....

Day 13

Girls were up again last night so Pete and I didn't get to sleep until around 1:00 this morning. Our feet hit the floor at 6:30 - yes we're late. We get the girls downstairs, I dress them while Pete gets their milk warm. He feeds them while I shower and get ready for work and then we switch. Little Brother slept here last night so I wake him up at 7:30 because I need to leave. I go work and the day is uneventful.

I don't usually check in much on the girls on Fun Friday's...I know they're having 'fun' and doing 'whatever' with Uncle Joey and sometimes Kristin (if she's not working). All 3 of them took a 3 hour nap today (yeah...nice of them to be able to catch up on their sleep during the day). And Emily bit Hannah & Hailey today. She broke the skin on Hailey. Grrrr...this gets me sooo freakin' mad.

I get home at 5:00 and as soon as I come in Hannah & Hailey are saying 'boo boo' and pointing to their bite marks. We eat, take baths, pj's, brush teeth, read books and in bed. Not a peep out of any of them.

Then Pete and I come downstairs to clean up. I washed a load of the girls laundry and we both worked out tonight. Now...it's time to watch the rest of the Yankees game. ;-) We have a packed weekend ahead of us so I hope the girls are feeling better tomorrow. If not - we'll be cancelling plans and saying 'sorry'. Time will tell....

Day 12

3 sick kids that didn't sleep last night. Got up (did we even sleep?), work, home & bed. No energy to blog. Good night.

Day 11

Girls slept all night last night. Our feet hit the floor at 6:30 (yeah...we should really get a better 'wake up' system going). Pete's mom came here today so there was no rush to get out of the house. Girls seemed to be in really good moods. Hannah and Emily are sick. Emily still has a rash all over and Hannah has a runny nose and cough. Hailey won't be too far behind them I'm sure.

I go to work, work, leave work and come home. It was 5:30 when I got home and Pete was cooking dinner. I figured I'd take the girls for a quick walk since they hadn't been out all day. I put them in their wagon and we only walked for about 20 minutes - it was way windy outside tonight. We ate dinner, got into pj's, brushed teeth, read books and went to bed.

I left to go visit a friend who had a baby while Pete stayed and cleaned up (thank you baby!). Now I'm home - and we're both listening to Hailey cry. The girls are unsettled because they're sick - and I think Hailey is now getting stuffy. Oh boy....

Day 10

Day 10 is brought to you by daddy. Today started at 6 am. Got to get up and no fooling around today the girls go to my parents house. We got everything ready on Sunday so it was no problem. The girls were on the road by 7:15am. After Michelle left with the girls I called my mom, wished her a happy birthday (today is her birthday) and told her the girls are on their way. Then I jump in the shower and get dressed for work. I picked out clean crib sheets and placed them on the cribs so I can change them when I get home. I go downstairs and empty the trash, pick up their toys, and have a bowl of cheerios. It's now 7:55am where does time go, no time to make lunch today I need to get to work. I grab my phone and jump in my car. Luckily I am only 5 minutes from work. I get to work in record time, pour myself a cup of coffee and log in to my computer. A few minutes later I decide to go get a bagel with cream cheese from the cafe. Not much happening this morning, I email Michelle, and surf the Internet (shh don't tell). I go to McDonald's for lunch. Some might say nasty, I say tasty. The girls had a great morning they had a yummy breakfast and went outside and played for an hour. At about 2 I call to check on the girls and Emily woke up from her nap with tiny bumps on her legs. I ask what she had to eat and she didn't have anything new so I tell my mom to watch it and I'll call to check in a little bit. I am now totally freaking out on the inside. What can it be, I start thinking of all the places we took them over the weekend and try to think what they had to eat the passed few days. My mind is spinning this is "Baby Cakes" what is going on. I email Michelle to let her know what is going on she replies with a few questions that I didn't think of like did my mom change their cloths and she is reacting to the different detergent. Of course I get busy at work as all this is happening my anxiety level is super high now. I need to call my mom but my work phone keeps ringing. I talk to my mom and now the rash is on her face, back, and legs. I go over everything they ate, touched, and wore with her and there is nothing new so I am lost as to what it could be from. Emily likes to put everything in her mouth so I am thinking all kinds of things. Michelle called me and we decide to keep an eye on it. I start to relax when my mom calls me and says we should bring her to the doctor because now she has redness behind her ears and her nose is red. I don't ask about the significance of this I just take it as my mom knows what she is talking about and I call Michelle and tell her we need to take Emily to the doctor. She calls the doctor and goes to my parents house to get Emily. I call my mom and tell her to have Emily ready its 4 and she needs to be at the doctor at 4:30. I leave work at 4:15 and head to my mom's. Hailey and Hannah are playing in the hallway with cars that look like animals. Michelle and Emily come back from the doctor, its just a virus. We pack 'em up and head for home. We feed them, bath them, and put them to bed. A little late tonight we really wanted to give them a bath so it was 7 when we put them to bed. Oh and the crib sheets...I just put them aside I'll change them tomorrow.

Day 9

Our feet hit the floor at 6:00am. The girls slept all night - not a peep. We do the usual of getting them up and dressed and fed. Then I shower and get ready for work and then Pete does the same. Donna came today so she was here around 6:30. She's a huge help because she reads to the girls and keeps them occupied so Pete and I can get our day started. She even changes their stinky diapers if they need it (that's a true friend right there!). Pete's mom is coming here today so there's no hurry to get out the door.

I leave for work at 7:30 and get there on time (an unusual occurrence these days). I'm anxious all day because I know a friend is having a baby today and I'm just waiting to hear the news.

Nothing eventful happens at work. Pete and I email about how we need to buy the girls an indoor playscape type thing so they can get out some of their energy during the colder months. Oh - I went to the mall during lunch (a frequented place during my lunch hour). I also got a call from Sarah at MyGym and she has rearranged her Saturday schedule so that we can fit the girls into one of the classes there. Pete and I talk about whether we want to spend the $ on this and we decide that we do. It cost $126 for 4 classes (plus we get one free). That's the total cost. Each class is an hour long. So in the end - it's just over $10 an hour per child. I think that's totally worth every penny. They gave us a huge discount - full price for one child, 20% off the 2nd child and 3rd one free. Not a bad deal and I was very impressed with this place during the open house. We'll see how it goes - we start classes this Saturday.

After lunch I get an email from another friend that she heard our friend had her baby and both mom and baby are doing well. So excited for her!

I leave work at 3:30 to go to school. Ugh...school is really torture for me but whatever. I get though it. I call Pete during my break and he says the girls did well today. They were sleeping when I called - so that's good. I got out of class around 9:00...drove home and here lots of peeps coming from the girls. They're restless for some reason. Unusually restless...not waking up fully but just kind of whining in their sleep. Teething? Upset stomach? Sick? Your guess is as good as ours. Just hope it's not a long night.

With my friend having her baby - it brought back so many memories of when the girls were born. I remember so vividly the days and nights spent in the NICU. How tiny they were. How they couldn't be out of their isolettes for more than 15 minutes at a time because they would lose their body heat and burn too many calories trying to stay warm (unless I was doing Kangaroo Care with them). The planning of people to come and visit. These are things people take for granted. If I knew someone was coming to visit the girls - I wouldn't hold them or take them out of their isolettes...I'd let whoever was visiting hold them. The exception was Hailey. My peanut was too small for even me to hold for a while and when I finally was able to hold her...I was the only one. She didn't like to be held either...it was too overstimulating for her. I'm so glad those days are over and so glad my friend won't have to go through those days herself.

Sometimes I use these very memories to get me through a rough day. Other times I just reflect on them and how lucky Pete and I are to have 3 healthy baby girls. And deserving. And yet there are other times when I can't revisit these memories. It's almost like - when I'm having a rough day - the memories bring me back to reality and remind me that things could be much worse. But when I'm having a great day with the girls...if those memories come to mind for whatever reason - it reminds me that things were much worse. I don't know how to put it into words really. When people ask how we do it - it's simply 'one day at a time' but looking at those days...even Pete and I don't know how we did it.

Day 8

Ahhh...sleep is a wonderful thing. The girls slept from 6:30 last night until 7:30 this morning. That's right - 13 hours straight and not a peep out of them.

Our feet hit the floor at 7:30 - and we're rushing! We have to all be at church by 9:30 and we need to be packed for the entire day because we aren't coming home after church. So we get downstairs and we all eat breakfast. Then while I get the girls dressed for the day - Pete goes and takes a shower. I try to get some stuff packed in their bag but they're not being very cooperative this morning. They keep fighting over a toy we brought back from Jen's house on Friday. Pete comes downstairs and I run up to shower and get myself dressed.

We make it out the door and on the road by 9:25 - just in time to get to church for the 9:30 mass!

Church ends at 10:45 - it was a long mass. The girls were good (thank you very much makers of Cheerios). And we have to go home. We need to bring the girls picnic table up to MA with us so we need to stop at home and get it...and the camera cuz I forgot it. So we decide to give the girls a snack while we're here before we hit the road. It's only an hour drive but they'll sleep on the way up.

We leave at noon to get to MA and only hit a bit of traffic. So we get there around 1:30. My grandmother has a play scape at her place so the girls are having a ton of fun hanging out with Gramps Robbins going down the slide. At one point another little girls came along and was about to go down the slide when Hailey almost bulldozed her while screaming at her. The poor little girl. She was 3 times bigger and 5 years older than Hailey - but apparently the slide was "Hailey's" slide and no one else should have dared go down it. I gave Hailey the stern 'you be nice' talk and let the little girl go down the slide. She got to the bottom, looked at me and said "that girl is crazy" and walked away.

Both my cousins showed up with their kids (minus Daniel...he had a game today). It was a very nice day spent with family. We all ate dinner - even the girls ate spaghetti...which they've always just turned their noses up to before so I guess it's just my cooking...lol. And we had to leave early as usual - the girls need to be on their schedule. Lately we've been flexing on their naps by letting them sleep in the car if we're going for a long car ride. But at night...they need to be in bed at home by their bedtime (or close enough to it). This is something many people don't understand - but also something Pete and I don't budge on.

When you have triplets that sleep through the night (with few exceptions of course) from 5 months on - you don't mess with their sleep schedule. No matter how much people beg us to stay somewhere...we always say no. We just can't. If we let the girls off their schedule - we're the ones that have to deal with the consequences. It won't be like this forever...and we keep reminding each other of this. It's just the way it is for now.

We get home around 5:30, feed the girls dinner, give them a bath, brush teeth, read books and in their cribs. Hailey threw her bear out of her crib. Usually I'd just go right back in there but she was really throwing a fit. I waited about 15 minutes and finally she won. I went back in and gave her the bear...but then I walked right back out. She finally settled down and went to sleep.

It sucks sometimes to be a parent of triplets. Tonight I would have loved to just pick Hailey up and cuddle with her for a while. There are times when I'd love to let them sleep in my bed. And times when I'd love to just hold them as long as they want to be held. But we simply can't. If we let one sleep in our bed - then they all sleep in our bed. That's just not possible. And of course with three of them - we can't hold just one of them all the time. It's hard to find the balance. Hannah needs a lot more attention than Hailey & Emily need. So we make sure she gets it. But there are just little things that we miss out on that other people take for granted. It was the number one thing I was afraid of when the docs said there were 3. I was afraid I wouldn't get that one on one time with each one of them that other parents get with just one baby. And I was right. I don't get that time. But there is so much more that Pete and I get - so it all balances out I guess.

After the girls went to sleep - Pete cleaned the kitchen while I cleaned the living room. Then I folded the girls laundry and got their clothes ready for the next 2 days. Tomorrow is my long day so I have to get things ready for Monday and Tuesday. Little brother came over for a bit to visit. I love when he just stops by to hang out. He wasn't here for very long - but it's nice that he comes to hang out. Makes me feel special. ;-)

I finished the laundry and started writing this blog. I'm laying on the floor (I started off sitting while I was folding laundry) and Pete gave me the best back massage ever. It's the small things in life I suppose. ;-)

Today was a great day. I think this blog needs more detail about what Pete and I talk about/discuss during the day rather than just the motions of what we've done. I'll try to work on that a bit more. Things like how we decided today that the girls don't actually need toddler beds. We are going to just put their mattresses on the floor and empty out their room. All that will be in their room is their bedding and mattresses. We thought it would be easier for them (and us) to maybe have sleep overs (for anyone willing to take them!) if they get use to just sleeping on a mattress. Plus - it'll save us $ not to buy 3 toddler beds of course. But it's things like that - we talk about them in passing. But no one knows about it...it's just something we discuss. And something like - Pete was all stressed out about church lasting longer than we thought today so we were a bit 'behind schedule' and he started to get cranky about it. He turned all drill sergeant on me and starting just barking out things that were going to happen. I just had to remind him that we were going to have a good day and we didn't have to be anywhere at any certain time so if we're a bit late - it's fine! He reminds me of things like this sometimes too. It's easy to get caught up in having to do things on schedule and being determined not to lose 5 minutes. But today...we could afford the 5 minute break. And it was nice.

Day 7

Yippie! The girls slept through the ENTIRE night last night. They went to sleep at 7:00 (we were late getting home) and slept until 7:00 this morning! (insert big cheesy grin here). So...

Our feet hit the floor at 7:00am. We all went downstairs and had some milk and cereal...and coffee. The girls were in great moods. By 8:00 the girls were playing. Pete and I were being lazy so we hadn't gotten showered and dressed yet. I ended up texting Lucy to see if she wanted to meet us at Friendly's for breakfast at 9:00. She agreed! Not many people are up that early so I was excited that she was coming along. Pete and I get the girls dressed and pack their bag. We were out the door by 8:45.

We had breakfast - the girls were great as always. They ate like piggies as always too. Taking them out to eat is actually stress free for us. They have never given us a problem and it gives us something to do on a rainy day like today. Plus - I love when people come with us because it gives us time to visit!

By the time we left it was time for the girls to take a nap. We all went home and the girls went right down. My friend Lucy stayed here to watch them while Pete and I took a quick trip to West Hartford to pick out some new frames for his glasses. He needed new lenses and wanted me to see the frames he chose before he actually bought them. We buy his frames and order the lenses - they should be in soon.

We got home about an hour later. My friend left...and I followed her. She is moving and I wanted to see her new house. So I took a trip over there and was doubly excited because Little Brother is there helping to do some of the work on the house - so I got to see him too. The house is nice and I can't wait for them to move in because it has a yard and we'll be there hanging out and playing!

I got home just after Pete brought the girls downstairs from their naps. They took a 3 hour nap today and are in great moods...still! So we eat lunch and checked my moms website real quick and someone had posted something about a place called MyGym. They were having an open house today and it would be free for the kids to go and play. So we went and played for free!

We got there and the people working there were so nice and so willing to help out. One of them took Hannah and was like 'we're going to play!' The girls had a blast...and I think Pete and I did as well. The place was literally right next door to CVS where Pete's sister works so we walked over there to say hi. The girls were so excited to see her.

Then we got ourselves back in the van and off to the grocery store we went. We shopped and shopped and shopped. The girls ate cheese from the deli and I always bring a snack (who doesn't want to eat when they're shopping?). So they ate their snacks and drank their juice while I pulled the wagon and Pete pushed the cart.

We get home and unload the kids and groceries. Then we feed them dinner, give them a bath, brush teeth, read books and in their cribs they go. They're sound asleep in no time. Pete and I come downstairs and clean. After cleaning I work on my mom site for a bit, facebook a bit, email a couple people, talk Little Brother into bringing blizzards from DQ to us and now we're all sitting in the living room - waiting for me to finish this blog so we can play some Scrabble.

Today was a great day. I love the weekends because I feel like I get so much time with the girls. They really are great kids and they are freakin' smart too. Hannah put her own shoes on today...alone...no help. That was a proud moment for both Pete and myself.

Day 6

Hailey woke up last night. Before the girls went to bed Pete and I decided if they got up that we would change them and put them back to bed. Not even bringing them in our room. Well at 2:15 Hailey was up. She didn't go right back to sleep so I got up, brought her downstairs and changed her then put her right back in her crib. She actually fell right back to sleep for the rest of the night. Our feet hit the floor at 6:30am. We're not late - because I have the day off. We get the girls downstairs and fed - Pete goes to take a shower and gets ready for work. I tried to convince him he should stay home with us but he really needs to go in for 1/2 the day because he's working on a big project. I don't push it - I know he's been busy at work. After he's ready I jump in the shower real quick because I've decided it's nice out and there's no way I'm staying in with the girls all day!

Pete leaves for work and I text my cousin Jen up in Mass to see if she wants company for the day. She's home! And she'd love for us to come visit! Yippie!!! I get the girls dressed and all their stuff packed (we take a lot of food when we go somewhere!). We leave the house by 9:45. It wasn't too much to get them out the door - they usually want to walk to the car themselves but today they ALL climbed in the wagon and wanted a ride. Better for me because I was alone so it only took one trip to load the car!

The girls slept for about an hour in the car and when they woke up I anticipated a whole lot of crying. But to my surprise - they woke up and were just happy for the rest of the ride! We got to my cousins around noon (we hit a bit of traffic due to construction). The girls were fantastic the whole time there. They played so nice with Christopher (he's 2) and they all just did really well today. We took them for a walk and they saw cows for the 1st time too. ;-)

We left around 4:30 to come home (I had to turn around a few min after we left because I realized I forgot my camera!). We didn't get home until 6:30 (more traffic). The ride home wasn't as pleasant as the ride up - Hailey cried almost the whole way. She was just annoyed with having to be in the car so long I think. Pete had dinner ready when we got home and the girls ate and went to bed no problem. I hope they sleep all night.

Pete had a different kind of day obviously. He took 1/2 day at work because he had a guy coming to the house to look at a broken baseboard heater. The guy was scheduled to be here at 12:30 but didn't show up until 2:00. He worked on fixing the heater but needed to replace it. Final cost - $242. I'm in the wrong business. But at least it's fixed...now we can continue to pay $426 a month for our electric bill!! (insert sarcasm here).

All in all - it was a good day. I'm hoping to go to bed soon and get some sleep. Still trying to make up for the lost sleep during the week!

Day 5

Well Hannah & Hailey were up again last night. They woke up screaming at 11:00. I gave them a few minutes and then went and got them both. Pete got up with me and we held them for a few minutes then brought them downstairs to change their diapers. I can't figure out why they're getting up. There's nothing 'wrong'. I know this because they quiet right down as soon as we pick them up. So we put them back in their cribs after they're changed and of course they're crying. I can hear Hannah calling for her bear - she threw it out of her crib. So I ask Pete to go in and pick it up for her. He comes back to bed...with both babies. I'm like 'what the hell?' He said Hailey was so angry that she was banging her head against the crib. She does that when she's mad - doesn't matter what kind of bruise it leaves...she'll just keep doing it over and over and over again. So we calm them down and then put them back in their cribs. We decide the only reason they're crying is because they want to sleep in our bed. That's NOT happening. Hannah cried - scratch that - she screamed for the next 7 minutes straight. 7 minutes is a very long time when your baby is screaming 'mama! mama! mama!' It kills me. But I'm not letting them sleep in our bed. They finally fell asleep for the rest of the night at 12:39am. That's 1 hr and 39 minutes.

Pete and I fell asleep around 1:00 after this little fiasco. Then my phone vibrates at 2:00am. It's not good. My little brother text me to say that my dad is in the hospital. He fell in the middle of the night and broke his ankle in 3 places. They had to call an ambulance and he's having surgery in the morning (this was all last night so we're already post surgery now). I have a conversation via text with my brother for the next 20 minutes. I finally fall asleep around 3:00am.

Our feet hit the floor at 6:00am. My mom calls to tell me about my dad - she doesn't realize that Joey had already told me in the middle of the night. I tell her to keep me posted on what's going on. Pete and I bring the kids downstairs and he actually changes them and gets their milk this morning so I can go right upstairs to shower. I get ready and come back downstairs and Pete goes up to get ready. Donna is here. She was sick Monday and came today instead. She's a God send - I can get other things done while she keeps the girls busy. And they just adore her. I get the girls dressed for the day (and do their hair!). Emily goes up to Donna and says 'uh oh' because she doesn't have a ponytail sticking up from the top of her head. Lol - it was funny.

Pete's mom is coming here today so we don't have to get the girls in the car. We just hang out here until it's time to leave for work.

Work - comes and goes. I get a text from my mom at 10:00 saying that my dad is going in for surgery. I meet my brother Peter at the mall for lunch - he's buying me lunch for my bday. I get back work just in time to hear that my dad is finally out of surgery and in recovery but my mom won't be able to see him until later in the afternoon. Pete and I don't really talk much over email - we were both really busy today. Some stuff about the girls really. My friend Jenn came to visit them this morning and then Kristin came and stayed with them the rest of the day so Pete's mom could go home.

I leave work at 5:00 and get home at 5:30. All 3 are at the door waiting for me. I love seeing this. It melts my heart. But as soon as I get in - I know we're in for it. Hannah is just a bear. They all only slept an hour and 1/2 today - that's 1/2 the time they've been sleeping. Pete has dinner ready so we feed them and they play with their ketchup. Hannah decides she wants to use the ketchup as body paint tonight. Good thing it's bath night. They finish eating and we give them a bath, get them in their pj's, brush teeth, read books and in their cribs. Hannah is flipping out. It takes her 25 minutes to calm down and go to sleep.

Pete and I clean up in the kitchen and then since Kristin was still here - we decided to go do some errands. I had to go to the bank to make a deposit (I do my banking thru the ATM so I don't have to worry about their hours) & I needed to get gas in my van. I also did some of the girls laundry. I still hadn't washed their jackets.

Oh - the dryer made some weird noise last night...we think the belt is going but not too sure. We have a guy coming tomorrow to look at a baseboard heater in our kitchen that's not working - so I'm just going to ask him to look at the dryer while he's here.

Pete and I decided together that if the girls wake up tonight and we have to get them - we're not going to bring them in our bedroom. We'll change them if they need it but then they're going right back to bed. We don't ususally get them when they wake up but this past week has been unusual for them for some reason.

I have tomorrow off. I took it off thinking that Pete had the whole day off. But he doesn't. He only took 1/2 the day so he could meet the guy to fix the heater. Oh well. I'll have fun here with the girls! Hopefully we sleep tonight...