On your Mark, Get Set, Go!!!

So many moms tried to warn me... they tried to tell me how fast time goes by.  I should have listened more closely when they told me to enjoy every single minute when they were little - they DO grow up so fast!

I got a little teary-eyed when James, my hubby, came down the stairs and announced that he lowered Morgan's bed - the last bed upstairs that was still as high as it was when the 3 amigos first arrived home.  Good thing he DID lower the bed - she has grown by leaps and bounds this week alone!

Here's the latest:

Morgan - In less than one week, she has mastered crawling on her hands & knees (skipping the army crawl), pulling up to her knees, and can sit up on her own after lying down.  When we stand her up, she can balance herself while holding onto only one of our fingers!  If her brother or sister takes a toy away from her, she can now chase them down to get it back!  She wakes up much earlier, excited to start crawling for the day.  Once she is on the floor, she lays flat, giggles, and kicks her feet - we think she is so excited about crawling that she isn't sure what to do!!  Her tooth-count is four now, and her favorite meal is yogurt!!!

James - What a ham!  He cruises around the room chasing both of his sisters.  He can pull up to a standing position, and pulls up on anything that stands still long enough.  Although his favorite place to stand is at the window, he also loves standing in his crib during nap time OR at 6:00 in the morning, calling out to his sisters & trying to convince them to start their day as well!  Favorite book?  Brown Bear!!!  After reading his favorite, I tried switching books, and he let me know very loudly that he wasn't a happy boy!  "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see?"  That phrase can fix James anytime!

Madison - Otherwise known as the bulldozer!  Madison not only is pulling up to a stand on anything she can find, she is starting to inch her way down the wall or gate.  She has also figured out how to lower herself to the ground if she isn't comfortable standing anymore! She still crawls over James & Morgan, but can also be found crawling over their baby furniture, pulling books off the shelf, and rearranging items in storage bins!  Madison recently learned "ARMS UP!" and will smile every time she is asked to show off :)

Scary thought - the next time I update our blog, I will probably be breaking the news that someone is now walking!  We're sure the other 2 will be close behind!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Our Valentine Update:

We wanted to pose on Valentine's day with some special gifts

given to us by Sofia, a favorite friend of the triplets.

Morgan posed sweetly by the window, eager to please, her giraffe tucked safely nearby.  Her tooth count as of today is 4! She received the first of her upper-teeth on her 10-month birthday, and they were not giving her an easy time!  Morgan will probably skip the "Army Crawl" - she's on her hands & knees trying to figure out the hand-foot coordination.

Madison would have nothing to do with a stuffed animal as long as a book was close at hand. She turns pages, laughs at the pictures, and makes up her own words! She is proudly pulling up on anything available and standing as long as her little legs will let her!

James was fine sitting for photos, but spent his time flinging his stuffed animal around as he watched his fish swimming on the TV DVD.  Notice his shirt - Mama's Boy.  I told him not ever to forget it! He is still proudly showing 6 teeth, but furiously cutting #7.  James CAN crawl on his hands/knees when he chooses, but finds it faster to do the Army crawl when he is keeping up with Madison.  He is pulling up to his knees easily, and figuring out how to stand as well.

The babies received a Valentine card with a quote from Winnie the Pooh:

"Sometimes," said Pooh, "the smallest things take up the most room in your heart."

May your heart be filled with things of ALL sizes!!

We're Behind the Aggies!!!

Gig 'em, Aggies!!!  Thanks to the sewing abilities of Aunt Noel ('89) and the photography expertise of Aunt Laurie, we have some ADORABLE photos of the kids!  We are proud to present 3 members of the A&M  class of 2025!!!

Rub-a-Dub-Dub...

3 men in a tub

and who do you think they are?

OK - I can't BEAR to use the word "the Butcher" to describe any of my kiddos, so we'll use their real names!

Madison

  She now has 5 teeth & is also referred to as our bulldozer, crawling over anything that gets in her way (often her brother or sister).  She is pulling up to her knees, and with assistance, can stand... yikes.  Sweet, laughing, happy little Madison!

James

James, our baker, is always cooking up something! He is now proudly showing off 6 teeth!  He is perfecting the Army crawl across the floor, and gets angry when he can't beat Madison to the toy-of-choice.

Morgan

Quiet, peaceful Morgan.  She still has her 2 bottom teeth, but we keep waiting for her top teeth to appear any day!  She is happy playing by herself --- I guess it isn't often they have any "alone time", so she enjoys what she can get!  Morgan isn't crawling yet, but can sit up longer than Madison or James!  She is the first to start clapping!

All 3 are happy and getting over their second cold - this one much better than the previous.  Maw-Maw, their grandmother, is preparing for knee surgery!  They are looking forward to her quick recovery so she can continue to get on the floor and play!

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We're 9 Months Old!!

Today was a milestone for us!  We celebrated our 9-month birthday with a trip to the doctor for our check-up!  We received our hepatitis shot, a routine blood test, & the latest measurements!  Here's the scoop:

Madison
19 lbs, 11 oz
28 1/2 " long


James

19 lbs, 10 oz

29 1/2 " long

Morgan

17 lbs, 4 oz

27 " long

Stay warm this week :)  We'll be bundled up, too!

Happy New Year!

We hope 2010 has found you safe, healthy, happy, & loved!

We started off the New Year with a bunch of coughing, teething triplets, little sleep, and lots of caffeine!  The latest tooth count in the Stone home:

Morgan - still holding with 2 on the bottom;

Madison -  2 on the bottom, and 2 brand new ones that came in with her cold;

James - 2 on the bottom & 3 on the top (one which came when the runny nose started).

The babies are still recovering from nasty, shared colds, but doing well otherwise.  Madison is perfecting the Army Crawl across the floor.  She ends up in the hallway, exploring the master bedroom, or hiding under the high chairs in the kitchen!  Don't worry - we are watching her all the time... ALL the time!

James and Morgan are starting to get on their knees and rock - the precurser to crawling.  What a sight that will be when our 3 rolling Stones aren't just rolling anymore.

With some assistance, everyone can sit up!  Morgan is actually the champ at sitting before falling over!  James prefers to roll or bounce in his jumper, & Madison wants to discover new rooms.

We'll keep you posted as we continue to baby-proof our home!

Merry Christmas!

Hard to believe as I sit and type tonight that we only have one more day in 2009!  Where has the time gone?  We were lucky to have spent our Christmas holidays surrounded by family and friends!  Holiday meals were enjoyed by both sets of Godparents and their children.  Trent and Emily discovered the joy of jumpies as they read Chicka-Chicka-Boom-Boom to the babies.

Then on Christmas Eve, we got the children ready to attend Christmas Eve service at the church.  Funny how getting 3 children fed and dressed while James and I tried to do the same could be so tiring! After we were loaded into the mini-van, James and I laughed and thought we should get the rest of the night off! 

We attended service with Grams, Pops, & Uncle Jon.  We are finding that attending service is slightly more challenging now the babies are mobile --- they don't want to sit still for long!

After the beautiful service, we headed to the Stone house for dinner and gift exchange. 

James and Pops were busy solving the problems of the world...

Morgan and Grams enjoyed "toying" around...

And Madison enjoyed riding Koda, our new present from Uncle Jon!

After a late night, we were on the way home with visions of... well... we were pretty tired, and I don't think sugar plums were dancing in our head!

Christmas morning --- time to see what Santa left under our tree!  The three babies opened presents together as the Byrd family came over to watch.

Although they loved the toys, I think they were more fascinated with the sound of tearing paper & the shiny ribbons!

Next we went across the yard to my mother's house for gifts.

I think Christmas shopping next year may be easier.  Boxes can be empty as long as they are covered in paper that crinkles when you tear it and tied with shiny ribbons :)

Exhausted babies were put down for a nap soon after our Christmas lunch was finished.  Here are just a few of my personal favorites from the holidays...

Dad reading to the girls

James playing with his cousin, Tyler, and enjoying his new fish toy

 Madison showing how the paper was much more fun than the gift inside

What an Amazing year!  We have been blessed with so much this year - we're looking forward to 2010!

Baby Play Day!

The babies enjoyed another "play day" this weekend! 

Friends Jack and Sydney came over for a little Christmas gift-exchange.

Here we see the babies after a day of playing --- looks like everyone enjoyed their day!

Here is the next shot in our progression.  Notice Sydney (in the red, middle), Jack (far right), and Morgan haven't really changed positions!  Madison, however, has managed to crawl over

her brother who has started a meltdown...

the meltdown continues as we see Madison's legs changing direction, fleeing the scene of crime...

And she is off too see if Sydney needs help opening any presents!

Hope you enjoy the season surrouned with family and friends --- just don't crawl over them on the way to check out the presents under the tree :)

Gifts Under the Tree!

Last night I tried to wrap presents in "my favorite room" - surrounded by babies in jumpies (see earlier post)! I quickly found out that James wasn't fond of the paper - not sure if it was the sound, color, or the fact that he was tired. He soon ended up in my lap, and the wrapping experience was over! One present down, countless more to go! Morgan LOVED the empty cardboard wrapping tube - we would talk through it and she would just kick, jump, & giggle! Madison was amazed by the entire process --- paper, ribbons, tape --- she'll be in the very middle of it next year!
I also realized that the present I was wrapping wasn't nearly as exciting as the little ones watching the ordeal! Christmas definitely isn't about the presents UNDER the tree, but the people in life that surround the tree during this special time of year!
The "front row" gifts under the tree are actually boxes filled with bricks! We made a "wall" so the little ones couldn't destroy the other packages. We've only had a few ripped papers and crinkled bows, but the babies have enjoyed every minute.

Our tooth count for the week is 8! Madison has her 2 bottom teeth. Morgan decided she didn't want to be left out and showed us her two bottom teeth 2 weeks after big sister. James has pulled into the lead with 4... 2 bottom center and 2 "fang" teeth on the top. We are waiting for his top center teeth to pop out any day!

We Give Thanks...

Thanksgiving--- one word that can stand for so many things! What do we give thanks for this year?
We thank the Lord for the miracles He provides --- obvious and subtle --- He is awesome.
We are thankful for 3 healthy, happy babies who bring joy into our lives every day. I like to go back and see our April posts of 3 fragile new lives --- proof that prayers, love, and rocking chairs work wonders.

We give thanks for family and friends who surround us, making life sweeter with every visit.
We are thankful for the men and women currently serving in our military, protecting our many freedoms 24 hours a day!

On a sillier note - we give thanks for disposable diapers, for plastic baby food containers, and mega-packs of batteries... for digital cameras that capture a million photos, just so we can get "the one" that we imagine... for DVR so we can have a never-ending supply of Barney, Dora, and Wonder Pets... for Brown Bears, Rainbow Fish, and a Very Hungry Caterpillar... for jumpies... for first teeth... and for belly laughs!

Don't forget to count your MANY blessings this holiday season!