(Just about) 22 months

I can't believe the boys will be 2 in 2 months! Where has the time gone. The boys love that the house is free of gates. I still don't think we would have survived had we taken them down any earlier, but it was good timing for their age/needs/development. They have gotten over the initial obsession with the new spaces, thankfully. They love eating with utensils (although they are still mastering this) and we are working on eating more of our meals as a family, with everyone eating the same food. (We're doing great if it happens half the time, but we're getting there!) And today was the first day that I saw the 3 of them make up a game, play together and take turns! They would run from one to the other and end in the play room, diving on the white chair, with their legs flying high behind them. When one boys diving on the chair, the other two would wait for their turn! Win and Wes also played their first game of catch - throwing a bow back and forth to each other. Well, since they weren't really "catching", it was really a game of "throw".

Winston

Winston likes to ride his car around the house. He also likes to hoard toys, often walking around with at least 3 things in his arms. The two activities are often combined, with him piling "stuff" in the seat of his car, so it overflows so much that his seat doesn't sit level. It's an hysterical site! I often put on "doodah" (a dvd) while I cook dinner, but Win is not that interested in watching tv. It is so cute because he'll ride his car into the kitchen to help me or just sit in a chair and hang out with me. Win has gotten so much better about stealing toys or being overly physical with his brothers. He will often bring toys to Wes & Charlie if they are without, and we now focus on hugs and kisses instead of pushing and tackling. I was blown away when I put Win the scale on the bathroom and when it said 26.2, he pointed to the digital numbers and said 2!

Wesley

I'm convinced that everyday is a parade to Wesley. Whether he is in a car seat and sees someone as we drive by, in a restaurant, or in the wagon walking through a store, he always waves and says "hi". And it's a persistent hi - he's not satisfied until the other person says hi back (which is tough when you're driving by). And he'll then introduce his brothers "Cha-da and Win-win". It is so cute! Other adorableness...He always drinks the milk out of cereal bowl before eating. When outside, he always has a rock in his hand (as with Win). Always. He runs everywhere. From a standstill, he will start pumping his fists, high kick his legs and take off, even if its to get to the other side of the room. So the game of chase is big in this household. Wesley also likes to keep the pack together. When one of his brothers is ignoring me and say, not coming down the stairs to the car when asked, I can't use the "okay, we're going to go without you". Because the moment these words leave my lips, Wes reverses course to go get the missing brother.

Charlie

Charlie loves books and "doodah" and would watch dvds all day long if he could. Elmo is huge right now. He is learning and using new words every day. I just hung some family photos in the hallway, and every day will point out and name all of their cousins. Today Charlie saw a card that had a different photo of Christian and Alex (as he ran away from me as I was trying to grab him change his diaper) and he kept saying over and over "Christian Alex, Christian Alex". I couldn't get over that he made that connection! We were also reading a book today and he saw a guitar. He immediately pointed to the kitchen and said "Chick Fry". What he is saying is Chicken Fried, which is their favorite song (by Zac Brown Band). In the video, which they watch on my iPod, they play the guitar. Again, the connections! He also knows most colors and now likes to say "green cup" or "yellow spoon". He has also learned (can identify) the letters C and Q - which he pronounces "clue" and has counted "1, 2, 3, 5, 6". Who needs 4!

One thing that I need to get a video of is their "Brothers" song. Rob made up a song, which we all sing at the table, while holding and swinging hands. It goes like this:

Brothers, brothers, we are brothers
Brothers, brothers, we are friends
Brothers, brothers, we are brothers
Brothers, brothers, to the end.

Nanna & Poppa!

Rob's parents (Nanna & Poppa) came for a visit last week. We had a great time taking the boys to a few parks and out for walks. The boys got to taste lemonade for the first time, as there were multiple stands open in the neighborhood. We also enjoyed a family dinner out at one of our favorite local restaurants, Wild Willy's. The boys are getting so much easier to take out to dinner - they drink out of straw cups, keep their (paper) plates on the table, scream less, eat more, throw less food on the floor. Nanna & Poppa even watched the boys last Friday so that Rob and I could go out to dinner to celebrate Rob's birthday. It was wonderful!

But wouldn't you know, I failed to take a single photo of their visit!

Happy Mother's Day!

I am so blessed to be the mother to these three beautiful men!

Rob and the boys got me a hysterical card that had two crying babies on the cover. On the inside it said "Aren't you glad we weren't twins?" Yes! I can't imagine life without any one of these boys. We had a wonderful day together - blueberry pancakes, church, a walk, dinner with Grammy & Poppy. And I didn't change a single diaper!

Attempting to live gate-free!

After pulling down all the gates for our Derby party, I have been obsessed with the idea of finally opening the entire house to the boys. First, we opened up the dining room. They have loved chasing each other in a circle: through the dining room, down the hall, through the kitchen, back into the dining room, repeat. The gate to the stairs kept falling down, so we moved it a few steps up. The boys spent the morning just sitting on the open stairs. The living room is currently gated off while we build shelves in a hall closet for the books that are in the triplet danger zone.
Wesley, Winston and Charlie (Right before I took the photo, I said "smile" and Win and Charlie actually did! Two out of three isn't bad!)

Cake!

My parents (Grammy & Poppy) watched the boys last weekend, while we threw a Kentucky Derby party for the neighborhood and enjoyed a visit from one of my dearest friends, Lizzie. It was such fun! If only we caught a photo of Rob in his seersucker suit and bowtie and me in my Derby hat! When we picked up the boys, Grammy had made my favorite birthday cake, which the boys loved.
Wesley

Winston

Charlie


My parents have taken a birthday photo of me with daffodils every single year. The story goes that when my parents left for the hospital (to have me) the daffodils hadn't bloomed yet, but when they returned home with me, the daffodils were in full bloom!

Win chatting on Rob's Blackberry (He quickly figured out how to program speed dial!)

New haircuts and toys!

I have been searching high and low to find outdoor toys for the boys. With a few days last week in the 90s, we have tasted summer, and the boys are loving playing outside. So after their haircuts, we pulled out their new cars and chalk and playing in the driveway. (Our wonderful neighbors are letting us borrow a huge gate to keep the boys in the driveway - a must!)
Charlie in the "minivan" - complete with faux wood stickers.

Winston showing off his new shorter locks

Making a break for the crackers

Wesley. Put a suit and briefcase on him and he looks like he's driving off to work!

Outside with Grammy & Poppy

First (real) haircuts!

Winston's and Wesley's hair had become so long, I'm sure it was hard for them to see. I had cut their hair at home on two occasions, but this time we needed to bring in the professionals. It was time. So Poppy came over to help me bring them to our local Supercuts. The boys only cried for the first half (it all started when they sprayed their hair), but once they realized they had lollipops (a first), all was good.
(Wesley on left, Win on right)

Wesley

All was better once he tasted the lollipop! He kept saying "nummy nummy".

Winston

Win overhearing the ladies in the back saying how cute all the boys are! Notice Charlie just hanging out in the background.

Charlie loved this experience. He hung out, watched the haircut show AND got a lollipop.

Stop to smell the roses

Rob got me a beautiful bouquet of flowers for my birthday. When the boys saw it, they kept saying "flower", so we decided to give them a rose to smell. Win and Wes did a great job taking turns!
Wesley & Win

A great day sandwiched between two very bad days

I had a wonderful birthday last Friday. I woke up to the smell of my favorite coffee brewing, and got to sit down with my four favorite men for a breakfast of bagels with lox, cream cheese, capers, red onion, and lime. Valerie came for the morning and I left to treat myself to a pedicure and a few (fun) errands - like buying cupcakes! I spent the afternoon at the park, meeting up with a friend with twins and other twin moms. (The boys were hysterical. Wes kept finding and handing rocks to a random grandfather. Charlie wanted to stir his stick in another girl's sand bucket - she was not happy with this. Even when I got him a bucket of his own, he only wanted to play with hers. And Win joined us in the sandbox and proceeded to throw sand on the girl's mom, which she thought was funny.) After the boys went to bed, Rob got take out from our favorite Thai place and we proceeded to play with my gift - a Wii!

So backing up, the day before had been very trying. The boys were just screaming left and right, starting fights, throwing tantrum after tantrum. But the kicker was when (in his crib) Win decided to pull down his diaper and pee everywhere. Covering about a quarter of the room. And all this was before 11am.

But I would have traded everything for that awful Thursday, when on Saturday, I woke up with the stomach flu. Thankfully, it only lasted about 36 hours, but it knocked me out. And thankfully, it was a Saturday, so Rob was home and able to care for the boys without any help from me. But all is better now!

The Sickhouse...again

The boys have been fighting a cold for the last few weeks. They had runny noses and low-grade fevers that would come and go. So we didn't really worry about it. (I even called the pediatrician when Charlie started complaining about his ears, but they said it was nothing until he had a high fever.) So when Wes and Charlie spiked high fevers on Thursday and Friday, we decided to take them in for the doctor's sick hours. It was going to only be the two of them, until Winston started wheezing and barking (cough). After 2 hours of waiting, we were seen. Turns out that Charlie and Wes just have a cold - thankfully no ear infections. But Win, on the other hand, might have croup. We were given a steroid to reduce the swelling of his airways and sent on our way, reassured that the boys would be okay.

So later that night, we went to a Red Sox game with our dear friends Adam and Jen. It was a gorgeous, warm night, complete with the best seats we've ever sat in at Fenway - 12 rows directly behind home plate!! The only downside to the evening was learning that while we were off enjoying ourselves, Wes' fever had spiked up to 104.7! A record in this house. Valerie (our wonderful nanny) handled everything beautifully. The boys slept on and off through the night, and Rob was up with Wes at 5am. They are still struggling with their fevers, so they have enjoyed a morning in their pajamas, watching doo-dah (videos). Hopefully they will all start to feel better soon!

Easter hats, part 2

Apparently the boys will wear Easter hats. Just not the ones we bought for them. They have enjoyed wearing their Easter baskets as hats.
Wesley

Winston and Charlie

Boys will be boys

While we were out at my parents' house, they brought out the Barbie van that I used to play with as a child. The boys found a new way to play with the van - to get in and drive it! I love that these two images of Wes and Win are like mirror images: one hand on the wheel, one arm out of the van.
Win

Wesley

Easter eggs

While the boys were napping, we hid plastic eggs (filled with goldfish) throughout the house. Once they realized they were filled with food, they opened and consumed the eggs immediately.
Win was a master at finding the hidden eggs

Charlie opening an egg

Wesley about to eat his fish

Easter driving

We spent Easter weekend with my parents (Grammy & Poppy). This allowed us to go to the baptism of our dear friends' daughter on Saturday night (as well as sneak in a rare dinner out in Harvard Square). Easter was filled with worship, naps, great food, laughs, and outside playtime (despite the 39 degree weather!)

Grammy borrowed these great cars for the boys. The loved driving around (often backwards) and bumping into each other.

Charlie

Wes

Win

Traffic jam

Easter hats

So last Easter, we caught this adorable photo of the boys in their Easter hats. In an attempt to capture their cuteness this year, we put the boys in their Easter hats and sat them on this same love seat. Who were we kidding! The hats were immediately torn off, and they quickly jumped back down the floor.
Easter 2008

So Plan B: just get ANY photo of them in their hats. We bribed them with an M&M to put their hat on. Here is Winston getting his bribe.

Charlie's best photo

And Wesley, crawling through the table, with the dog's rawhide in hand

It will be years before they all take a photo together. I hope we can take a family photo...someday....