Instant Play Group!!!

Don't get me wrong --- we LOVE visitors! We love seeing other babies! We LOVE play days! BUT... in the off-chance that no one else is around, we certainly do like each other's company!

I was in the kitchen, trying to recuperate from our lunch, and what should I hear in the living room -- laughter, giggles, and squeals! I rounded the corner, grabbed a camera, and everyone was SILENT. I knew it wouldn't take long for things to change!

I remember about a year ago, when I was still pregnant, Linnea, a VERY dear friend came over for a visit. She brought her adorable son, Tyler - about a year old - to visit and play with our toys. I remember watching Tyler in the Exersaucer and thought to myself, "How in the WORLD could one little body contain so much energy? I bet our kids will never be this loud!"
*Then I remembered that I should NEVER say "our children will never..." because they always do!
Well, Linnea, I think Tyler's noise level has officially been broken! Bring him over anytime - he will end up being the quietest one in the house!!!

Happy 1st b-day, babies!!!

Happy Birthday to US!

We all survived year one!  What a sweet, amazing, mind-blowing year. Never in our wildest dreams could we have imagined the journey our lives would take!  We brought home 3 little helpless bundles, relying on us for their every need! Today we gaze at 3 little people... determined, funny, thoughtful, silly... true little PEOPLE.  What an incredible gift the Lord gave us!

Last week, I was afraid that they wouldn't get enough special, individual attention when it came to their first birthday cake!  So we rounded up babies, grandparents, and b-day cakes and headed to the local park.  There were no surprises with the cakes - everyone experienced them just as we thought they would!

Morgan

Morgan really wasn't sure what all the fuss was about!  We sat her down first by her cake.  She stared... and stared... and stared. After some encouraging, she put her fingers in the cake.  She still wasn't very knocked out about the experience.  We put a small amount of frosting on her tongue.  After putting it in her mouth, she decided that it wasn't her style!  She started fussing and really wanted to do something else!  We saved her cake (the only one salvageable) and ate it later in the day :)

Madison

Our Drama queen had a very different experience with her first cake!  She eagerly grabbed 2 handfulls of cake, but then wasn't sure about the texture.  She proceeded to wipe it on her legs, clothes, face, and her hair!  After a few big bites of cake & icing, she was off to find bigger and better things to do! 

James

Our sweet boy ate his cake with as much enthusiasm as any meal! He had huge chunks in each hand at all times!  It was fun to watch him munch out of one fist, reload while munching out of the other fist, and so on!  We actually had to take the cake away from him - we weren't looking forward to a young tummy filled with blue icing on a long drive home.

Since yesterday was their actual birthday, we decided to give them each a slice, but all served at the same time.  The outcome was surprisingly similar to the first cake: Morgan wasn't interested at all and seemed frustrated that we put frosting on her fingers;  Madison wore more on her face and in her hair than she was able to devour;  James, our double-fisted eater, managed to polish off the entire piece and squeal for more :)  What a hoot!

Where's Shelby?

For those of you who were wondering, yes, Shelby is surviving! She's a pretty incredible dog!  I think for most of this year, she was trying to figure out who these new little bodies were... the ones infringing on her turf!  Well, she's recently discovered that these little ones LOVE her! They giggle uncontrollably when she runs through their bouncies, they laugh when she "dances", and they love to look for her through the window!  Shelby even waits patiently by their baby gate so they can reach through and "pet" her paw! (but she won't dare let them do the same to her tail!!!)  Last week, the 3 amigos were busy scooting around the kitchen and discovered the back door.  The all wanted to watch her, and we think Shelby enjoyed watching them as well!!!  We had to take turns at the door since we're getting bigger now - we can't all fit!  Soon after the fun with Shelby was over, it was meal time.  Shelby LOVES meal time!  Now the amigos are self-feeders, so Shelby waits patiently until the meal is over.  She is the best floor cleaner we have ever seen!  I think the poor dog may be getting tired of turkey, blueberries, and green peas, but she hasn't  complained yet :)

Madison - we have all recently discovered mango, so she is proudly wearing it on her nose!  Funny how differently all 3 eat!  Madison uses one hand at a time - she finds no difficulty picking up the food and putting it in her mouth.  She will eat almost anything offered to her!!

James - our double-fisted eater. He usually grabs food with both hands first, and then decides to eat.  When eating his fruit (blueberries, grapes, etc.), she likes to roll it around in his mouth, eat the soft inside, then spit out the skin.

Morgan - our chopsticks pro!  She uses her thumb/index finger to carefully pick up food on her tray!  She would much rather feed herself than be fed by anyone else --- hmmm... she must get that independent streak from her father!!!!  If she doesn't like the meal presented, she will ALWAYS eat yogurt (preferably strawberry!).  We KNOW she will be our picky eater.

Life sure has gotten easier now that the 3 amigos can feed themselves.  Messier, yes, but easier :)

a "Baby Fix" :)

What could be sweeter than a request from Grams for an updated posting!  "I just have to have my baby-fix before I go to bed!"  How could that be denied???

Attached are some photos of our 11-months pics.  Madison spent most of her time lifting her dress - a scene similar to her 6-month photos!  James was off to the races, seeing how quickly he could escape the photo shoot. Morgan, who had recently discovered crawling, was scooting around, trying to pick up the tiniest pieces of ANYTHING she could find! All in all, it was a very successful time!

Like usual, the day would not have gone smoothly without the help of others. Life is much easier when the ratio of baby to adult is 1:1. Grams volunteered to accompany us this particular day, and it was a good thing she did! She jumped in the middle of the photos while everyone was still happy, creating one of my favorite grandmother photos of all time! I am eagerly awaiting a speedy recovery from Maw-Maw, so she can jump in the middle of the madness as well :)

I was so excited that someone else was behind the camera so I could get involved, too!  I keep reminding myself to take as many photos as I can... that the sweet little ones will never be this small again!  The last trip to the doctor's office really hit home for me.  Madison is already at 21 lbs, 5 oz, James weighed 21 lbs, 10 oz, and Little Morgan is up to 19 lbs, 10 oz!  Every now and then, I have to look back to their birthday photos and remind myself how far they have come!  True miracles!

Enjoy your baby fix, Grams!! Sweet dreams!!

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!