Does it seem odd that we were in the National Enquirer back in December and we never knew?  I guess I don't mind that we were, but it does irk me that they couldn't get the boys' names spelled correctly and they messed up their birth order, etc...

Wearing our cute "Vans" socks- they match Daddy's shoes!

Sometimes we hold hands when we're playing.  Sometimes we pat each other's heads.  It's all in a normal day for us!  

In fact, the other day Sidney and Jenson were playing on an activity mat together.  I was sitting next to them and turned to help Elliott with a toy... when all of a sudden Jenson started SHRIEKING.  I turned around to find that Sidney had Jenson's ear in a death grip!  I literally had to peel Sidney's fingers off of Jenson's ear one by one because he was gripping it so tightly.  Needless to say, we're discovering our hands around here and enjoying getting to use them, even if our brothers don't always appreciate that detail.  :)

Our hands are almost always in our mouths these days!  Sidney sucks his thumb, Elliott sucks on his fists, and Jenson likes to suck on a couple of fingers.

Elliott's not happy about something!

Morning naps

Don't cry Sid!!

Elliott's BIG eyes

Who needs pants?!?

(L to R: Sidney, Elliott, Jenson)

Bedtime stories with Daddy.

Hello Puppy!

(Jenson and possibly Sidney's thigh)

Another moment to tuck away and remember in my heart- Jason had two of the boys in our room with him a few nights ago before their bedtime while I was getting the final one dressed and ready in the nursery.  I'd heard Jason's two babes fussing but since I was occupied with the other, I got distracted.  When we went to join our daddy and brothers, we found two little babies TOTALLY enraptured by the bedtime story Jason was telling them.  Not reading a bedtime book, mind you, but telling them a story.  Jason later told me that the boys had gotten fussy while he was reading them a book, so he switched to telling them the story of "how they came to be our babies".  It was such a sweet, precious moment and I will just treasure it...

"Momma!  Pull my pants down!!!"

(Jenson)

Elliott, Sidney, and Jenson

Elliott, Sidney, and Jenson

I literally cannot resist taking pictures of them during their morning nap time!

This was supposed to be playtime, but it turned into nap time...

We just might be ready for our Bumbo chairs!

(Jenson, Elliott, Sidney)

Bibi's in town!  Here's Bibi (Brittany's mom) reading to the boys.  Bibi is Swahili for "Grandmother".  

On a side note, we were invited to participate in some research studies at UC Davis's Center for Mind & Brain in their Infant Cognition Lab, so we went on this past Monday (I think every baby born in the Sacramento area is invited, so this wasn't anything specifically related to the fact that we are triplets).  Bibi came with us, and it was so strange to hear the research assistants at the lab referring to her as "Grandma".  I never call her Grandma, and I never speak to the boys about her without calling her Bibi.  Anyway, the boys had a fun time participating in the research studies and I was fascinated by the process.

We now have our sunglasses for playing outside!

(Sidney)

Bibi & Sidney

Jenson & Momma

AND we have new sun hats for the summer!

(Elliott)

Sometimes when you're shopping with babies, you will do use whatever resources are around you to entertain them and engage with them

(Jenson)

My mom and I took the boys to the mall in Roseville, CA yesterday to look for some things for the boys.  Another example of life coming full circle- this was the same mall that Jason and I walked around in shock/fear/disbelief for two hours after that first ultrasound where we found out we were having triplets.  I was able to point out to Mom where we had been standing/sitting/crying when we called different family and friends to let them know about our news.  Kind of surreal to think about what has transpired and changed in our lives since last May.  As my dear friend Jen announced to me a few days ago-

"Having met you eight years ago, I could not have guessed that this is what your life would look like now."

Agreed, Jen.  I totally agree.

Who could have ever guessed that I'd be married to such an amazing man and we'd have three amazing little boys to hang out with...  :)

Fun outside!

Another wonderful few days in the Deen household, although we didn't actually spend too much time "in" the Deen household over the last few days.

The Sutter Mothers of Multiples program has added on a new thing- an outlet group!  As far as I can tell, it's a support/educational group for moms who have been enrolled in the program that now have children between the ages of 0-12months.  Last Friday was the first meeting ever, and I am so glad that I went.  It was wonderful to get to listen to and talk with other multiple mommas who are facing some of the same challenges and joys that I am with our boys.  I brought our babysitter with us to help keep an eye on the boys.  Technically the meeting was held during their nap time, but true to form, they all chose to wake up and play during the meeting and I was so thankful that Makayla came with- the boys love her.

I CAN'T WAIT for the next meeting!  It was heartening to know that I'm doing alright in regards to taking care of my peanuts.  And I don't say that because I'm comparing myself to the other moms and finding them lacking- far from it.  But it was heartening to go to the group because I was able to see that I'm not alone in this craziness that is the world of multiples.  The challenges that I perceive that I have?  I'm not the only multiple momma thinking and worrying about them.  The joys of getting to have three little munchkins?  We all have them!  The facilitator had us each take turns sharing what is the greatest challenge that we're currently dealing with.  I voiced mine (worrying about how much individual attention each babe gets on a daily basis), but the ones brought up by others could have just as well come from my mouth too.  We also shared how we deal with them, which gave me some ideas for improvements around here.  But then... we shared our joys.  The joys of multiples!!!!!  It can be so easy to focus on the challenges, but strike me down if I ever forget to celebrate the joys!  What is the saying- joy shared is joy doubled?!?  :)  I can't argue with how exciting it is to see all three of them smile and grin at the same time.  How amazing it is to watch them interact and coo at their brothers.  How wonderful it is to witness them learning something new or reach a new developmental milestone...


We had some nice warm weather over the weekend, so the boys and I ventured outside.  While we've gone for many walks outside around the neighborhood (our first one ever, with Jenson and Elliott, was on the day Elliott came home from the hospital!), we've never spent time really "playing" outside.  But Friday afternoon was so wonderful, so I packed us up and we headed out to the front yard for our afternoon bottles and playtime!  And we enjoyed ourselves so much that we did it some more over the weekend.  It's so important for the munchkins to get used to being outside- after all, I've already set the goal for us to go camping this summer at least once!  As the weather starts to get warm and stay warm, I anticipate that we'll spend more and more time outside and less time cooped up inside.

First ever bottle outside!

Playing

Elliott

Jenson

Sidney

Smiles on Saturday (Jenson)

Sticking his tongue out to imitate Momma (Jenson)

Elliott

Sidney grins!  This kid is ALWAYS smiling

And this is how you get three babies safely out to the front yard for playtime.  We go to the front yard for two reasons- to avoid "doggy land mines" in the backyard and to interact with neighbors who are out and about.  But I probably shouldn't just leave babies unattended in the front yard while I'm ferrying their brothers out to join them.  So the solution?  Load up a stroller in the garage with their stuff (blankets, toys, hoppy pillows, bottles, burp rags, diapers, the kitchen sink, etc.), load the munchkins, and wheel it ten yards from the garage to the front yard...

How do you get these looks onto a baby's face?

Close the garage door and the noise will shock them!

Napping outside- Momma needs to

get us some sun hats!

(Sidney, Jenson, Elliott)

We LOVE to be read to!  We start our day being read to

and then end our day with bedtime stories.  This pic actually

shows one of our favorite books to read/sing in the morning!

(Sidney, Elliott)

Tummy time with Daddy

(Sidney, Elliott, Jenson)

Costco trip

The boys and I ventured out to the Costco together yesterday by ourselves.  I'm getting pretty good at taking the boys out by myself.  I work really hard at it- lots of prep work required!  I joke around and say that a trip out of the house for us needs to be planned like a military invasion, but it doesn't feel like that's too far off the mark.



Here's what a typical outing looks like for us...

I keep the diaper bag perpetually packed and ready to go.  This is actually a lesson my sister taught me- such a good idea!  I just refill everything when we get back to the house from our outing when it's fresh in my mind as to what I used while we were out.  But sometimes I decide to throw in some extra toys, activity mat, etc. depending on where we're going.  Are we going to be gone long enough that we might need a bottle?  Gotta grab three!  And are six diapers going to be enough, or should I grab more?

I have to get the infant seats out and lined up with hats, blankets, and toys.  I have to move the car to get it parked in a spot in the driveway that allows me to easily load all three infant seats.  What stroller am I going to use?  Have to make sure it's in the car!  (I have multiple strollers to accommodate our needs, so decisions need to be made)

And then I have to get the boys ready...  I try to feed them and change them right before I leave so they're as content as can be when we leave the house.  And heaven forbid that I leave an errant dirty diaper somewhere where a dog could get at it, so I really have to make sure that I don't leave any of the boys' things anywhere inappropriate, which includes making sure none of their blankets/toys/play mats are on the floor (the dogs are quite wonderful with the boys and their stuff, but I'm not going to tempt fate).

And then I have to get the boys into their infant seats- not an easy task but I'm getting pretty darn good with all the practice I'm getting.  And then carry out the seats one at a time to the car, click them into place, and go back for the others...  Meanwhile I always worry that someone is going to try to steal one of my babies out of the car while I'm inside grabbing another baby to bring out.  Pretty sure that's a unique worry that only moms of multiples get to have as there is no really good way to get them all out at the same time short of having assistance.  And when I'm out at the car strapping the first few babies in, I worry that the house door might have locked behind me, stranding my other children inside...  Neurotic.  I think the word we're all thinking right now is neurotic.

And once we're on the road, that's when the real fun starts.  The boys like riding in the car, so we lucked out in that respect.  Can you imagine how tough it'd be if they didn't?  I am usually singing along to the radio, which they don't seem to mind too much.  But occasionally, one of the boys will decide that he's just not that happy in his seat.  And while I can usually identify who it is right away by listening to their cry, I frequently forget which position they're in in the back seat.  So now I'm doing the good ol' reach back and trying to "feel" who's crying.  Heaven forbid it's the munchkin who's sitting right behind my seat- I'm not sure even Gumby could get to that one safely while driving!

Once we're at our location, I try to park at the end of the parking lot.  One, it allows me to get a little exercise if I have to traipse farther with the boys.  Two, it usually means that there is less traffic going by as I'm trying to wrangle babies out of the vehicle, which is equal to "safer" in my mind.  This is usually the point that I recommend getting a bowl of popcorn, pulling up a chair, and just enjoying the show as I commence the baby rodeo.

We have a triplet stroller, but it doesn't use the infant seats, so I have to take all three peanuts out of them and strap them into the stroller if I use that one (so while we aren't using that one a ton yet, we definitely will be down the road!).  My usual combo for errands right now is this: I take my double stroller that I can put two infant seats in and put the third baby in a carrier on my chest.  Anyway you slice it, it's probably hilarious to watch me get us out of the car and ready to move.  I try to rotate which munchkin goes in the carrier as well- gotta try to be fair!

Once we're in the store, things go pretty normally, at least for us.  I throw my merchandise in the bottom of the stroller or in one of the infant seats.  I don't think I'll be able to do that (setting the merchandise in the boys' laps) for too much longer because I just anticipate that at some point I'll forget that I put it there, check out, go to walk out of the store, and set off alarms.  And you know that I will fully try to place the blame on one of the munchkins because who could ever get mad at them?!?

The thing that I have really learned with these trips is that I need to make sure I plan for extra time to accommodate the curious people out there.  We have yet to make it through a store without being stopped multiple times by people with questions about the babes.  I don't usually mind this too much yet- after all, I love the boys getting any attention that people want to show them.  I prefer that people ask about and fawn over the boys (the stars of the show!) versus complimenting me on how well I appear to be doing with them (I don't take compliments well sometimes).  Most people are good about not trying to touch the boys (It's flu season people!  Keep your cooties to yourselves!), but they don't always extend that courtesy to the boys' blankets/toys/seats, which just ensures that I'm going to be washing stuff when we get home.  It would never occur to me to touch a strangers' kids or their stuff, but I can understand that someone might forget that courtesy when they're faced with something unique like the boys.

And as you can tell by this blog, I LOVE talking about my boys!  I'm tempted sometimes, however, to come up with a polite sign to put on the stroller with the answers to the most common questions we get...

"Yes, they're triplets."
"All boys!"
"Nope, no fertility treatments."
"Yes, we love them!"
"Yep, they keep us busy!"


It still fascinates me that triplets fascinate other people as much as they do.  I wouldn't say that the awe and wonder of triplets has passed me by, but here's what I think-

I've subconsciously moved away from thinking of the munchkins as "the TRIPLETS" in my head/heart.  Instead, I've come to think of them as "my three sons with their individual personalities and spirits".  And since each of my sons is absolutely amazing and incredible, the triplet thing has become less and less important to me...

Tummy time!

(L to R: Sidney, Elliott, Jenson)

3 months old!

We celebrated the boys being three months old yesterday.  It's hard to believe that our sweet little pumpkins are already three months old!  Where has the time gone?  On the one hand, we've been awake for a lot of it (you don't sleep much when you have babies in your house!) so you'd think the time would have seemed to go very slowly.  On the other hand, sleep deprivation will do strange things to you...

The boys are literally growing up in front of our eyes.  They're able to track people moving though the room.  They're smiling at everyone now.  They're fascinated with brining their hands to their mouths and trying to eat their fists.  They love being cuddled and having playtime.  They're wearing clothes sized 3 months AND some sized 6 months.  They're just getting too big too fast!

And the boys decided to celebrate turning three months old in their own special, coordinated way- by having all three of them roll over for the first time on the same day!  I'm not quite sure how these little munchkins came to the conclusion that they should all do it on the same day, but I just picture them having a little meeting in their cribs at night after we've gone to bed and putting it to a vote!  :)

Anyway, we had a lovely day with them...

This is one of the sweet faces we get to wake up to everyday

(Sidney)

This is what " 3 months of handsome" looks like

(L to R: Sidney, Jenson, Elliott)

Hanging out on our tummy time blanket

(Elliott)

Sometimes we take a tiny break during tummy time

to just relax and enjoy not having our pants on

(Sidney)

Hanging out in Momma's lap- how sleepy

does Jenson look?!?

Hard to tell, but Elliott's resting his

head on Sidney's for a little nap

Sidney is telling Momma a funny story

Happy smiling Jenson

Elliott was helping me get things done on the computer

Sometimes we play a little too hard!

(L to R:  Elliott, Jenson, Sidney)

We worked pretty hard all day to get video evidence of the boys rolling over.  Sidney was apparently very resistant to being filmed and I wasn't able to get him on video until just before bedtime, even though both he and Jenson rolled over during our first tummy time session of the day.  But I made a rather amateurish "movie" late last night for your viewing pleasure.  I might recommend keeping the volume on the lower side.  Some chick is all excited and laughing during the video- don't ask me who she is and why she keeps referring to herself as Momma...  :)