Fair Trucks and 6 months

Lots to catch up on, so here goes!

Aaron and I were able to get away together with Owen for a trip to the state fair a couple of weeks ago. He had a great time, despite not having taken a nap that day (only one meltdown and one potty accident...not so bad for a 2 year old). He didn't care much about the animals, but loved the semi-truck ride (he rode it 3 times) and enjoyed the goats, the school bus, and of course, the ice cream and funnel cake. Here are a couple of pictures from the day:

In other big news - the triplets turned 6 months old on the 20th. I've tried to write this post several times in the last week and a half, but either feel asleep while doing it or got distracted in another way. It is very hard for me to believe that the babies are already more than half a year old. I can't believe we've been doing this for a 6 months and that it's been more than a year now since our lives were changed after finding out that we were expecting triplets. While it definitely hasn't been an easy 6 months, I can certainly say that it hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be but I'm sure the next challenge is just around the corner. They are all starting to teeth (I think) --- they've been drooling like crazy and starting to mouth everything. They're so much fun -- laughing, smiling, rolling over like crazy (and Grant is even trying to crawl!) and they're starting to enjoy their big brother more and more every day.

Last Friday, I took them along with Owen (and my mom and her friend Liz) to get their pictures taken. They did surprisingly well -- and here are some of the results....

Mason is such a sweet little baby (when he's not screaming from reflux pain, or teething pain, or something else that's bothering him that we're not sure of...). He loves music and will often stop fussing when you sing 'Old MacDonald' or 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' or really any number of other songs. He especially likes when I give him eskimo kisses --- he giggles when my hair brushes his cheeks. He also loves when Nana moos at him while singing 'Old MacDonald'. In fact, I'm pretty sure that's how we got this cute smile out of him on Friday. But most of all, I think he's a Daddy's boy. When he's upset for whatever reason, Daddy can always get him calmed down in a matter of seconds where it would take the rest of us a good 5 -10 minutes to stop his screaming. He definitely has the magic touch. Mason started PT last Monday, but the physical therapist only stayed for 15 minutes. Mason was not a happy camper.... his little thigh had swollen quite a bit from the vaccines he received during his 6 month check up earlier that day. He was a mess, so we didn't even entertain the idea of putting him through the stretching exercises that we'll start with him. At his 6 month check up, Mason weighed in at 13.2oz, was 23.75 inches long, and was otherwise given a perfect bill of health. We rescheduled his PT appointment to last Saturday and the therapist was very encouraging and overall felt he is showing minimal delay, if any, at this point. Mason didn't seem to mind the stretching exercises for his neck and the therapist was impressed with his strength. We're hoping that with a few stretching exercises and a bit more tummy time, he'll catch up to his siblings in no time.

Mayleah is continuing to be the happiest and sweetest baby ever. While the teething has caused her to be a little fussier than normal, she's still the champion sleeper of the babies. She continues to wake up happy, often cooing and laughing in her crib. If she fusses, you know there's a reason for it because she's just generally so happy. She also loves her music and stares intently at you when you sing to her. She gives huge smiles when she sees us or her brothers (I wonder how long her happy attitude towards her brothers will last! ;o) ). Though we try to restrict their exposure to TV, she also loves her TV and will twist her neck and contort her body to see what's on. She's rolling all over the place, but hasn't yet figured out how to get up on her hands and knees. So far, however, she's the best sitter and can sit fairly well on her own for a couple of seconds. At their 6 month appointment, Mayleah weighed the least at just under 13 pounds. She's also still the shortest at 23 inches but she finally made the growth charts! Her weight and height are less than the 5th percentile, but at least she's on the charts!

Grant has lost his old nickname 'Grumpy Grant' -- he's now pretty darn happy most of the time. He LOVES to be on his tummy on the floor and has figured out how to get up on all fours and rock. He's very close to crawling and I have a feeling that once he figures that out, we're in for lots and lots of trouble. He's definitely a more of a momma's boy and has started to show a little bit of stranger anxiety. Grant has recently taken up eating more so than his siblings and it showed at their 6 month appointment -- he weighed the most at 13.5 pounds and was also the longest at 24 inches. When I weighed him again over the weekend (not even a week after the 6 month appointment) he was already over 14 pounds.

Here are some more pictures from our professional photo shoot and from their actual 6 month birthday (pictures that I took).

And here is one of my favorite pictures from the photo shoot on Friday -- me with all the kids, and they're all unhappy, but it was a funny moment and I'm glad the photographer captured this moment for me.

And on a final note, a shout out to my friend Jennifer. Thanks, Jennifer for everything you've done for us and for the babies. The scrapbook is beautiful and the babies will always know that their Aunt Jennifer made it for them with love. :o)

And happy birthday, Trevor!!! :o) Thanks for having us over celebrate your big day.