Last week started off with a bit of sibling love. There’s so much fighting over toys and position that it’s amazing to see the counterpoint to the rivalry. Apparently this was all unprompted, too.
Tuesday morning, both Amaya and Sammy wanted ponies. And both wanted their May May.
As part of our plan to Bulk Up the Bobes, we added cottage cheese as a snack option. Amaya does so well with her spoon and, of course, it’s my biggest child who most enjoys the cottage cheese.
Lately, Steven, Sammy and Amaya have been very interested in our cars. In particular, they really want to see daddy’s car. One night this week I was able to coordinate with Jason ahead of time to be sure the kids would see his car drive up to the house. You can see them waiting, almost patiently. When Jason arrived he pulled up in front of the house to flash his lights a few times. It’s amazing what can thrill two-year-olds, though it also reminds me of watching my dad’s car (white VW Rabbit) pull up to and away from our house when I was little.
Thursday morning, Megan’s friend came by with 6 month old Aria. (Photos shared with permission.) Everyone was interested, Amaya in particular. I think she wants a baby sister. Which is not a hint. Just a desire that she’s going to have to live with, unfulfilled. Sorry Amaya!
My baby feeding a baby!
Everyone was oddly excited to watch Aria’s diaper change. You can sort of see Sammy standing behind the changing table. “Change baby diaper.”
On Friday, Anna came for a play date with Ben and Sam. (Again, photos shared with permission.) The kids all play so well together! There’s almost less fighting than when it’s just Steven, Sammy and Amaya. This week, Megan and Anna decided to have the kids make their own pizzas for lunch. So cute!!
They all got dough to pat, pat, pat.
Next came tomato sauce.
Time to add some cheese!
And we have 5 personal pizzas!
They were a huge hit.
Here’s just a bit of the mess 5 toddlers can make. Honestly, it’s not much worse than the mess that 3 toddlers make.
On Saturday morning, Steven needed to wear his shoes but they were up on a counter. I asked Amaya to take a step stool over to get the for us. Which she did. This turned on a light bulb for Sammy. He realized he can take the step stools to turn the lights on and off. Smart guy! He’s having so much fun with it. Of course it didn’t take long for Steven and Amaya to join the bandwagon. It’s a good thing we have childproofed the switches they shouldn’t access.
We were hoping to go visit Grandma Sunshine but the wind knocked out her power (boooooo) so, instead, we went to the mall for pizza. We love pizza! Sammy even took an opportunity to ride in the coin machine cars. I was so proud of him. Sammy is usually the most reticent with stuff like that but he was the only one who was even willing to go near them. Amaya didn’t want to leave the wagon and Steven didn’t even want to watch Sammy in the cars. Way to go, Bubba!
Besides hand holding, there’s been a lot of care of one another this week.
Sammy was lying on the floor and Amaya covered him with a blanket.
Steven had a difficult time waking up from his nap so both Amaya and Sammy came over to make nice and rub his back.
The kids love “Abby Dabby” so I looked for some Sesame Street videos on YouTube. They’re not quite ready to follow a story line but they did love seeing their Dabby! Totally mesmerized.
There are moments like this were Sammy is all Jason.
Here’s Steven this week!
Trying to change channels with his “mote”.
Mommy and Bobo
One year ago, on our way for a weekend in NY together. I remember when I thought he’d be using Honey Bear forever.
Sammy this week!
Look at how this kid lounges.
Amaya this week!
On Wednesday I received my special 2014 Triplet Mama t-shirt. These were made special for my triplet mom group and have our birth year on the sleeve. I didn’t get to wear it, though, because it was immediately appropriated by Amaya.
Amaya in her first time out. 🙁
The ever-present water bottle dangling from her mouth.
And, finally, Steven, Sammy and Amaya watching their daddy prep the deck for spring.
This weekend, Steven and I had a special Mommy/Bobo trip to New York. It was joyous from start to finish. Steven was a champ when I woke him early to head to the airport. We arrived at 6:30am for our 8:30am flight which gave us enough time to check in and stop for breakfast in the terminal.
Steven is so aware of everything around him. I swapped seat with him because he noticed the tram over his shoulder and kept watching for it. “Train. Train. Train back. Train.”
I forgot to bring a bib and a bib is a must with Steven so we improvised. I wore one, too, in solidarity.
Meanwhile, back at home Sammy and Amaya were ready for a quiet(er) day at home. These kids don’t skip a beat!
Steven was nearly apoplectic when we arrived at the gate and he could get a good look at the airplanes. Everyone around was enjoying his narrative. “Plane. Big plane. Big Plane. Little plane. Truck. Man. Bus. Man in truck. Big plane. Truck. Little plane.”
This age is so much easier for plane travel. Steven was able to sit in a seat, occupied by the seat belt, while I installed his car seat. It helps that he’s independent enough to stay put and let me do my thing. The flight itself was a breeze. We ate the rest of our breakfast, played with our toys and drew on my iPad. Easy peasy!
We arrived at Nana and Papa’s houses in time for lunch and naps, followed by visits from Auntie, Team Goldberg and Savta. (Fa Faf!)
Back at home, Megan started to introduce these cool 10- 15 minute phonics videos to the Sammy and Amaya. Thank you, YouTube!
Sammy was excited to wear Megan’s hat!
At bedtime, I was the lucky one. Chase and Charlie slept over and we had some time to snuggle before everyone went to bed. I wasn’t far behind them and had the travel treat of sleeping in the same room as Steven. I love early morning when he’s awake talking to himself. “Fireman. Policeman. Policeman car. Dust pan.” lol It’s delightfully random and a great way to (sort of) get into his head.
Saturday morning was playtime in NY and MI. Savta, Auntie and the Goldbergs all came by to visit with us. In MI, Anna was there to give Daddy a break.
Steven is strong.
All weekend, Steven was obsessed with these kitchen gloves. Obsessed. He was so darn cute wearing them.
Hugs with Nana
Playtime with Nana
Hanging with Uncle Dave, Aunt Sara and Charlie
Gloves! Steven would run to this side of the house and show us his gloves. Then he’d say “Other side!” and run to the other side of the living room, through the dining room, and show us his gloves again.
“Other side!”
Fun with Papa!
Fun with Savta!
This is about as cute as it gets. Anna sent me these photos of Amaya and Sammy walking around the house holding hands. HOLDING HANDS. Be still my heart.
Helping Daddy with the groceries
Someone is ready for a nap!
Saturday afternoon we had a special treat and were able to meet up with my cousin Mike and his duo – Jake & Naomi. We went to ride the carousel at The Source and then out for dinner. Steven loved the carousel. He had to ride it twice!
In Michigan, Daddy had his own adventure! He took Sammy and Amaya to visit Grandma Sunshine who was recuperating for surgery at Aunt Annette’s house, with a bonus visit from Aunt Ouize.
On Sunday morning we had a few hours to play before I had to head to the airport with Steven.
At home, Amaya and Sammy were ready for us to return. Every time I go away, Anna finds these amazing outfits I didn’t even realize I had. This one, courtesy of cousin Charlie, was a perfect fit for Valentine’s Day.
Again, in the “awwwwww” category, Sammy had to poop and was struggling so Amaya comforted him. If my heart hadn’t already exploded, it would now.
Steven and I arrived at the airport at 10:30am and, once again, he was a champ. We had Shake Shack for lunch and Steven very carefully wiped down his table before he ate.
See that sticker? Steven was deputized by the TSA. Deputy Steven!
On the plane, Steven narrated the entire trip. He had his vehicles from Aunt Sara to keep him occupied and I’m pretty sure he talked non-stop. I dozed a bit and, every time I woke up, he was still at it.
Next thing we knew, we were HOME! It was a perfect visit to NY. I’m so grateful for the one on one time I’m able to spend with my kids.
Here are a few more pictures of Steven from the week.
Megan was off on her honeymoon this week so we had a whole host of people taking turns caring for Steven, Sammy and Amaya. The plan was for a nice, calm week but those plans decided to laugh in our faces.
Monday started off well enough. Stephanie came on Monday morning and spent the first half of the day with the kids. We’re so lucky to have Stephanie in our baby sitting mix! The kids love her and it’s obvious that the gift of caring for kids is strong in Megan & Stephanie’s family.
If you look closely, you might be able to see the flush rising in Amaya’s cheeks just before lunch. By the time they woke from naps I was home and Amaya had a 103.5 fever. I could feel it the minute I took her out of her crib.
Before Tylenol, she was sad little girl. For a little while the Tylenol did it’s work and Amaya was back to her usual self, playing with Grandpa Homey & her brothers.
The love of helping in the kitchen has evolved to a deep interest in watching the kitchen faucet run. They jostle for position and can stand there for a startlingly long time just watching the water. Now that they move their stools around we have to be extra careful about cooking on back burners when they’re awake and continually reinforcing not to touch the stove, ever.
Unfortunately, at bedtime we took Amaya’s temperature and it was up to 106, tested on 2 different thermometers. I called the after hours line and the nurse recommended I take Amaya in that night to be sure there was nothing serious going on. You can see how bad she felt. Poor little thing.
Off to Mott Children’s ER we went. When we put her in the car in the dark with Casey and Bunny, she thought she was going to the airport, lol. The girl knows her routine!
In a rookie move, I showed up with Amaya and a diaper bag but no stroller. I’m so lucky she’s big enough to sit in one of their wheelchairs or I’d have been holding Amaya for a loooooong time. We checked in at 8:45pm and were told it would be a while. Kids were puking everywhere (“pook”, as Amaya says) so we found a back corner to sit for the duration.
After about an hour and a half, the newest dose of Tylenol was really working and Amaya’s fever was down to 102. With that, she was ravenous. I had snacks in the diaper bag and she at them all. A bag of dried apples, a bag of yogurt bites and half a can of peaches. It was incredible. She was also wiiiiiiiiiide awake. Time ticked on and Amaya didn’t fade a bit. In fact, for about an hour and a half, I walked in circles around the the waiting room because she wanted to go, go, go. Around and around and around and around. In the process I managed to see Frozen for the first time. Around and around and around and around.
Dried apples.
Yogurt bites.
Not so excited about the olives.
“Go, go, go, Mommy!” You’d hardly know she’d felt so terrible just a short while prior. Or that a 102 fever could make such a positive change in a girl from where she’d been earlier.
We were finally called back at 12:20am. They did a nasal swab for flu and a cursory exam. The doctors had some concerns about dehydration but we got Amaya to drink and pee and, at 3am, we were finally discharged. The feeling was that it was just a virus that was presenting itself with a high fever. It was a long, long night for both of us. When it was finally time to leave, I’m sure my face looked the same as Amaya’s.
When we got to the ER I thought ahead and did two things:
I called Stephanie to see if she could come early the next morning. The plan had been for her to come at her usual time for music but I worried we’d get home late and I’d need to get some extra sleep. The good news was that I already had a vacation day planned to stay home with the kids while Megan was away.
I called Jason and asked him to set up a travel crib in a guest bedroom. If we got home late and Amaya needed to sleep in, I didn’t want her in the nursery with the boys.
Thank goodness for planning ahead! I never imagined we’d be getting to bed at 3:45am! Amaya slept for about 3 hours and then came into bed with me for a little while longer. She was a mess all day, though. She still had a fever and the interrupted sleep did not work in her favor. I was very lucky to have Stephanie and Ron around so I could just sit and cuddle Amaya while she slept.
By early afternoon, the boys’ fevers were creeping up, too. We were not in good enough shape to have our snacks at the table so we employed the “special circumstances” rule and sat on the sofa watching fishies during snack time.
You can see we’re not doing so well.
At dinner, a sad Sammy really wanted me to call Daddy. More special circumstances and a call with daddy during the work day. Who can resist this face?
Finally, bedtime. By bedtime, Amaya’s fever was mostly down and it was Steven and Sammy who needed a little extra tlc.
On Wednesday, Jason held down the fort. It was a mixed bag of moods but definitely a trend in the right diretion.
During naps, Nana arrived to take over for Thursday and Friday. She knocked at the door and Steven alerted Jason, “Lady. Front door.” That’s not a lady, that’s Nana!
Grandpa Homey left that morning so, with Nana’s arrival, it meant that we could maintain a 1:1 ratio once I was home from work.
By Thursday morning, the tide had really turned. Thank goodness! What probably helped was an incredible night’s sleep. My 7am wakers slept until almost 9am!
Amaya was ready to start the day… in her brother’s pants.
Nana was a huge help on Thursday. SSA had their 2 year well-check scheduled for Friday and there were still a few items left to cross off on their ages & stages questionnaire. A big one was determining whether or not the kids could string objects. A new game!
We also had to see if the kids could mimic drawing a line on paper. Check. Check. Check.
Friday, we all headed over for the big appointment.
We had a good two year appointment and NO shots!
Here are the stats!
Steven:
24lbs (6th percentile), up from 21lbs 13oz (17th percentile) at 18 months
32.5″ (10th percentile), up from 32″ (33rd percentile)
Steven was a tough one to measure. We do measurements standing now and he wasn’t having it. I had to hold him to get a weight. When we later tried it on the baby scale he was just 23lbs. His height was equally difficult to get but I think it’s in a good range. I was told that standing heights are often shorter than lying down heights so it’s not surprising that the change isn’t much. He’s fallen off his growth curve a bit, though, so we’re going to add more healthy fats to his diet and go for a weight check in 3 months.
Sammy:
26lbs 8oz (33rd percentile), up from 23lbs 5oz (36th percentile)
34.5″ (58th percentile), up from 33.25″ (76th percentile)
Amaya:
25lbs 6oz (33rd percentile), up from 23lbs 14oz (66th percentile)
34.5″ (72nd percentile), 33.5″ (92nd percentile)
Amaya has really thinned out as she’s grown and gotten more active. My fluffy little infant isn’t such a fluffy toddler. Amaya and Sammy measured the same height and Amaya is a little taller than Sammy when they’re standing next to each other so, while I’m not sure which one is off, take those heights with a grain of salt.
Just a few more fun photos from the week.
The kids enjoyed some deconstructed tacos. Steven is a master of the MESS.
Amaya loves her “dippy”. (Sour cream.)
Sammy loves his chips!
Cowboy Sam-Man!
Saying “cheese” for the camera.
Amaya loves playing dress-up with her fun hats.
Her baby doll is walking. 🙂
Before Nana left on Saturday, she had a chance to get in a bit more quality time with Steven, Sammy and Amaya. We played a game where the kids knocked on the french doors to the playroom and we invited them in to play. It went on for a long, long time. “Who’s there? Oh, Sammy!! Come on in!” It’s amazing what can entertain 2 year olds.
Nana’s phone has an app where they can push the buttons for animal and vehicle sounds. It’s endless entertainment.
Watching Daddy watch basketball. Sally is getting more and more comfortable with the kids. She used to keep her distance but, more and more, is navigating in the same space. It’s nice to see.
We were blessed with a lot of great birthday presents for SSA. To help them enjoy the gifts, we decided to give them to the kids a few at a time. Yesterday we opened gifts from the Karsch family. So much fun! Some books from Usborn, one of our favorites, and a really cool Melissa & Doug color matching game.
Amaya got in some great snuggle time with Daddy.
To wrap up a long week. the whole family went out for brunch today. Sweetener and creamer to keep us busy while we wait for our food.
Jason and I had the “great” idea of trying to let SSA stay up later to watch the Super Bowl with us, or at least a little bit more than bedtime would normally allow. It was nice for a hot second but I think the takeaway is that regular bedtimes are a good thing for two year olds.
Steven, Sammy and Amaya are enjoying crafts more and more these days. Play-doh is a current favorite, along with kinetic sand. It’s so neat to see them engaging with crafts more deliberately. There’s imaginary play and they can also use the toys/accessories now.
Apparently I have to live with the fact that play-doh colors are going to get all mixed together. That’s a tough one!
Everyone is still enjoying music class. Anna joined with Ben and Sam so the kids are able to see their new friends outside of play dates.
The Extreme Coaster remains a hit. I can’t wait until it warms up and we can get one of our own for the backyard.
This little face just slays me.
On Wednesday, we had a re-do on the birthday lunch that we had to cancel on their actual birthday. The kids got downtown with Megan and we went to the Hudson Cafe. I’m so lucky to have three 2 year olds who eat out at restaurants so well. The only drama was my doing when I spilled an entire glass of ice water all over Amaya. She rolled with the punches, though, and fortunately there was a change of clothes in the diaper bag.
Celebrating TWO!
I think what really made everything better for Amaya was bacon. She loooooved the bacon. She wouldn’t let go of the bacon!
After lunch, we had a few minutes to stop and visit my office. Amaya? Still holding bacon!
It was a great visit. It’s always a lot of work to coordinate during the work week but it’s such a treat to see Steven, Sammy and Amaya in the middle of my day.
With all of the car drama, we’re lucky that Megan can fit three seats in her car!
On Friday, Ben and Sam came with Anna for a play date. It’s really cool that Megan and Anna both enjoy getting together with everyone. I love that SSA have a chance to socialize with other kids. They talk about Ben and Sam and I’m told that Ben & Sam call them the “trippos”.
The adventure continued on Friday, first with a visit from Grandpa Homey! Yay!! Everyone loves when Grandpa Homey comes to visit.
And I had a special weekend planned with my amazing triplet mom friend, Hannah. She came to visit from Baton Rouge and it was so, so special to have her here.
Grandma Betsy couldn’t visit this trip but FaceTime always helps with that.
To help this weekend, Anna came back on Saturday and Sunday mornings and, on Saturday, she surprised me with pigtails for Amaya. It’s almost too much to take!
Steven, Sammy and Amaya spent a ton of time looking at photos of Ben & Sam on Anna’s phone.
Anna also had craft time with the kids. First play-doh, then kinetic sand. We’re working on keeping the sand on the table.
The amazingly mild winter continues and Hannah and I were able to get out for a walk on Saturday afternoon. It’s almost unthinkable! Out for a walk in January in Michigan. Amazing.
With so many adults around, there was a lot of attention for everyone.
I read a new book to Amaya and Steven.
Hannah got in some snuggles with Amaya.
Daddy looking at photos with Amaya and Sammy.
Grandpa Homey loved on everyone, here Sammy and Amaya captured in photos.
I will admit I’m a little obsessed with this next picture. The kids have really started trying to get involved in the kitchen. They want to see what I’m cooking and want to participate when they can. They’ll carry their stools over to see as much as they can. I was making chili this morning and Steven, Sammy and Amaya were so excited to help me prep. It’s really special.
The best part of cooking the meal is eating it. Steven picked at his chili. Amaya used her spoon to eat two full bowls. And then there was Sammy.
Sammy. That was fun to watch. (Not as much fun to clean up.)
Here’s Steven this week!
Sammy, this week!
Amaya, this week!
Helping Megan make eggs.
Megan is off in the Caribbean with Mike so Jason and I will both have some time home with Steven, Sammy and Amaya this week along with some fill in help from Stephanie and a visit from my mom for Thursday & Friday. Friday is SSA’s 2 year well visit. I can’t wait to find out how they’ve grown.
This week was BIRTHDAY week for Steven, Sammy and Amaya! TWO!!
I was off from work on Monday and got to spend the day at home with Nana, Savta, Megan and the kids. We had lots of creative play during the day.
Nana and Amaya reading
Savta and her Sam Man. At it again.
Push nose…
Get tongue!
We opened our birthday present from Megan and Mike. It was just what we need to be sure our kitchen is stocked! A grocery cart and food! It’s so much fun seeing SSA get into the concept of opening gifts. Though Amaya still thinks they’re all for Ha-ka.
When Megan was putting the cart together, she had to hammer in some pieces of the wheel. Steven saw this and, when he got his hands on the wagon, he tipped it on it’s side, got his hammer, and mimicked the same fixes that he saw Megan doing. It was awesome. This is such a great, creative age.
Of course Sammy and Amaya wanted to get in on it, too!
We also had some fun with painter’s tape. First up were shapes. Find your shape and stand in your shape!
Then we moved on to a line. Turns out 2 years olds really like walking a line.
In the afternoon it was time for haircuts. Oh, boy! I’m glad I had 2 reinforcements. I’ve done it on my own but it’s nice to have the extra hands. Sammy did pretty well this time but Steven lost his mind when the hairdresser sprayed his hair with the spray bottle. Lesson for next time – wet the comb, not his hair.
Unintended adventure came our way on Tuesday when our van was hit by a truck while Megan was on the way to music class with the kids and Stephanie. Just awful! The good news is everyone is okay. The bad news is our van is in the shop along with my car that’s been under repair since I had my accident the first week of December. Hopefully that’s it for Team Cline and Team Megan for a long time!
Here’s everyone bundled up, waiting for Daddy to come rescue them.
Steven can tell you all about the accident. Man. Truck. Boom. Boo boo. Lools (Wheels). Policeman.
If only that was the end of our adventurous week. Tuesday night, Megan came down with a terrible stomach virus. By 1am, I had it. Shortly after was Amaya’s turn. This meant we were all down for the count on the big BIRTHDAY. At least, Megan and I were. Amaya recovered by morning and Daddy stayed home with the birthday kids to celebrate their day while I spent the entire day in bed. I’ll have a do-over birthday lunch with my not-so-baby babies next week.
Here are Steven, Sammy and Amaya on their birthday!
Happy Birthday, to you!
I still love bath photos. The day will come when my kids can’t bathe together so I’m enjoying it now because they’re adorable together.
Megan put everyone to hard work cleaning the floor. Free child labor!
We have new birthday play doh that came with very age appropriate toys. SSA really got the hang of pressing shapes into the play doh. The hardest thing is keeping them at the table with their crafts. Everyone wants to run around with play doh and crayons and kinetic sand. Not happening. (Well, mostly not happening.)
Another triplet mom has a son who also loves planes and she had the great idea of showing YouTube videos of airplanes taking off and landing. It was a hit! Airplane! Airplane! Airplane!
Jason was home sick on Friday so he had to go into the office today. He managed to get a bit of quality time before he left.
When it was time to leave, Steven and Sammy walked him to the door.
And everyone lined up to watch Daddy’s car drive down the block. I have distinct memories of doing the same thing as a kid. I can picture my dad’s VW Rabbit parked in front of the house, watching it drive away.
Sometimes, when I’m alone with SSA, they all want my attention at once. Or they don’t all want my attention but I need to get something done and they don’t want me out of their sight. Today the distraction was toilet paper. Always effective for about 20 minutes of independent play.
It was a crazy week! Car accident. Sally has a UTI. We all got sick. Turning TWO. Jason and I had our 5 year anniversary. There may still be a mouse in the house. But here we are, living and laughing and as lucky as can be. Happy Two, my loves!! And happy FIVE, my #1 guy.
Here is Steven this week!
He’s the first to grasp the idea of sleeping with his head on the pillow.
With Steffie
The new play doh set came with this small purple shovel. Steven loooooooves it. He doesn’t want it out of his hand. Well he lost it somewhere in the house. We all spent about 45 minutes looking for it. “Shovel. Find. Mama. Shovel. Shovel. Find.” Eventually I had a moment of inspiration and looked inside the record storage compartment on their record player. I should probably get a back up shovel stat.
Sammy this week!
Watching fishies
“Say Cheese!”
Amaya this week!
She’s so serious here but there’s something I just love about this photo.
Two hats!
First Dolly got a ride, then Amaya.
And a wrap up of this week’s blog with a mommy/kiddo selfie. Have a great week!
Today Steven, Sammy and Amaya are two! TWO! How on earth did that happen? I swear I was just pregnant.
I am endlessly grateful for the joy, laughter, tears, stress, and love these three children bring to my life. Jason and I are lucky, lucky parents. Happy birthday, kiddos!
We’re just three days from TWO and, today, we celebrated Steven, Sammy and Amaya’s 2nd birthday!
Their party was at the Funtastic Play Center in Canton, MI and it was a ton of fun. It’s a great space for a party full of two years olds but also has enough to entertain older kids, as well. The party theme was Sesame Street given recent fascination with Elmo, Cookie Monster and “Abby Dabby”.
We got in a quick family photo before everyone arrived.
Sesame Street sweets!
Playtime!
Nana and Sammy
Uncle Austin, Aunt Dena and Lavinia came all the way from Pittsburgh to celebrate with us.
Grandma Sunshine and Sammy
Something upset Steven and, while he was crying, Amaya came over to hug him and rub his back. It was precious.
Megan and Amaya
Sammy and Savta (“Fa faf”)
Grandma Sunshine and Steven
Amaya and her buddies, Kayla and Makenzie
Our attempt at a group photo. Amaya wasn’t having it and Sammy wasn’t too thrilled either but it’s great to have a photo of most of our amazing guests!
Funtastic has a great back room for food and cake. They are closed to the public on the weekend so we had the whole place to ourselves and the staff really went above and beyond for us.
Big kids eating their birthday lunch.
Nana and Grandma Sunshine!
Savta, with her baby’s baby’s babies.
Cupcakes to celebrate TWO! Steven, Sammy and Amaya loooooooved their cake.
We had a great time! Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate with us!
Steven, Sammy and Amaya received a number of wonderful gifts from friends and family. We’re opening them over the course of the week and tonight we opened gifts from Grandma Sunshine and Aunt Annette. It’s so much fun to see them get excited about presents!
Wrapping up the visit, Steven and Amaya cooked for Aunt Dena and Lavinia.
Nana got some Steven cuddles.
And a familiar sight – Sammy on Savta’s lap. <3
Here are some more photos from our fun family weekend.
Papa reading to Bobo.
Savta reading to Sammy and Amaya.
Nana reading to Aunt Sara.
Sammy is obsessed with his Fa Faf. Wherever Savta goes, so goes Sammy. It’s beautiful.
I love how complete at peace both Savta and Sammy are in this photo.
Papa reading to Amaya.
Playtime with Aunt Sara.
Sammy and Savta. BFFs.
Out for dinner! SSA devoured their fried pickles, mac & cheese and chicken with a side of chips and sweet potato fries.
Just a few more photos from the week.
The kids love watching for snow blowers and snow shovelers outside. They like it even more when it’s daddy doing the shoveling!
Can you spy daddy?
We have a love/hate relationship with baths. Everyone’s going through a phase where they hate when I rinse soap from their hair, Steven most of all. But they love playing with the running water from the faucet.
Busy kids entertaining themselves.
Music class started up again for the winter. Thank you Aunt Sara and Uncle David for this session’s music class!
We’re in countdown mode to TWO. I thought I’d be less emotional than their first birthday but here I am, nearly a blubbering mess at the thought of Steven, Sammy and Amaya’s 2nd birthday. I don’t know where time goes. Everyone says “don’t blink” or “the days are long but the years are short” and it’s so very, very true. I feel like it was just yesterday that I could feel them all moving inside me. Now here they are – fully formed little people with preferences, interests and opinions.
We’re still loving the fish here in the Land of Cheltenham. When Jason got home from work on Monday, Steven heard the garage door and said, “Dada. Home. TV.” When Jason walked in the door, Steven said “Fish. TV. On. Please.” We could not resist. We watched the fish at least three times this week.
Sammy, comfortable on the perch.
Steven loves the perch, too, but on his tummy.
This pose killed me.
Stephanie joined Megan on Tuesday morning to take the kids to Funtastic. Last visit before their birthday party! I’m hoping that all of the time there will help them feel comfortable next week when we celebrate TWO.
Stephanie and Sammy
Stephanie and Amaya
This week we were also lucky to have an overnight visit from Grandma Sunshine!
We got some new magna tiles this week. Of course Jason and I needed a play date to test them out. They’re mommy & daddy approved!
We had story time with daddy. He’s lucky he has a big lap! Everyone is a bit more squished for mommy story time.
This is so cute I can’t take it. Amaya stood on her stool and helped Megan make their breakfast. She was so proud of herself!
Steven wanted in on the action, too! I can’t wait until they’re just a touch taller and can really participate in the cooking.
When I was pregnant with SSA, I met Bethany through my 2014 triplet group. We live locally and Bethany delivered her trio 11 days before I did. She and her family have been in the blog a few times and they’re back in celebration of their 2nd birthday! TWO. I need to keep saying it over and over again because it doesn’t seem possible.
Here, Sammy, Amaya and Steven had the perfect seats to enjoy their pizza.
Steven loved this stuffed dog and, after a short adjustment period, their real dog.
With Bethany. I’m so grateful for the friends I’m making on this journey.
This morning, Steven decided a kitchen drawer was a perfect step stool. It’s not. He kept falling off, even when Amaya wasn’t pushing him.
Fortunately, we have real step-stools.
And of course Sammy wanted in on the action.
We’re working on our music skills. What toddlers don’t love drums? And maracas? And bells?
Megan does most of our photoshoots but I love these sweat shirts and wanted to try to get a picture.
Sammy has mastered the art of smiling for the camera. Look at that little face. He even taught me that I should tell him to say “cheese” instead of asking him to smile.
Here are some photos of Steven this week.
Last to wake from his nap.
Selfie with Megan
Itsy Bitsy Spider
Sammy, this week.
Smiling for the camera!
Say Cheese!
Sammy picked up his toy phone, put it out in front of him, and started saying “cheese”. Pretend selfies! So we turned them into real selfies.
Amaya, this week.
Amaya and Kasey.
Poor girl has a cold this week. I think she looks worse than she felt but her nose and eyes were running all afternoon.
Amaya’s version of “cheese”.
Last photo for the week! Earlier, probably because of emotions over TWO, I was looking at photos from when SSA were first born. I saw this photo of Steven and immediately recognized this little face from a photo I took just last week. Love, love, love.
Happy New Year! 2015 was pretty spectacular though I think it will always be hard for any year to compare to 2014.
Thanks to some party wear from daddy, we were able to celebrate the new year in style!
What a difference a year makes!
The whole gang.
We celebrated New Year’s Day with brunch at Bricks. We arrived right when they opened and had the entire place to ourselves for most of the meal. One again… easier and easier and easier. We’ll see how that holds up when we have full fledged 2 year olds but, right now, going out to eat with Steven, Sammy and Amaya is a great time.
Amaya and Steven were somewhat patiently waiting for Sammy to finish eating.
Saturday we had a play date with my friend Bethany and her trio, born just 11 days before SSA. We’ve met up a few times, most recently at the pet show where the kids rode horses.
I wasn’t sure how I was going to get the kids into Bethany’s house. There’s a little snow & ice on the ground so we couldn’t all walk in. It’s a new place so it wouldn’t go well if I took them in one by one. I ended up borrowing Bethany’s wagon from her garage. Easier than bringing one myself and it was a familiar experience for Steven, Sammy and Amaya, even in a new place. It’s a small detail but one of those things to think about when you can’t fit all of your toddlers in your arms.
The thing that really surprised me about the play date was how easy it was. There was minimal fighting over toys and only a few tears (when a toy CAT truck started moving on it’s own). Amaya was the first to go off and explore the new toys. Sammy sat on my lap and Steven stood by me for a bit but, eventually, they were comfortable checking everything out. I was able to drink my coffee and only spilled on Bethany’s carpet once.
Earlier in the week, Jason had some days off from work. This is his view upstairs when he’s hard at work in the basement. Dada! Daddy! Dada!
The kids love to play piano with their dad.
Now that the holiday madness has settled down, we put together this super cool race track from Aunt Anita. I think I like playing with it as much as the kids, do.
We also started to play with playdoh for the first time. I’m not sure Steven, Sammy and Amaya quite know what to do with it yet but they’ll get the hang of it over time.
Grandma Sunshine got SSA this easel as a Hanukkah present and they love when we spell names. They take our hands and walk us over to the letters. Their favorites to spell are Abe & Nancy. Chase, Charlie and Megan get some love, too. Today we also spelled Savta. Everyone is enamored with the “i”s and Steven can identify O and B. I honestly had no idea that they could start learning letters at this age.
There’s nothing like some greek yogurt fun with your salsa verde chicken and tortillas!
Steven, this week!
This is a puzzle that has a magnetic bug net to pick up the pictures. Steven got the magnet concept right away, and learned the names of all of the bugs in the puzzle. Thanks to cousins Michael & Rachel for this puzzle and the rest of SSA’s Hanukkah gifts!
Steven had a rough morning today. He’s in a “play” phase. So much so that he threw up his milk because he wanted to play, not eat.
Here he was crying because he erased the house he asked me to draw for him on his magna doodle. Every time I drew it he’d erase it and every time he’d erase it he’d cry. It reminds me of when Chase was little. One day he was making a tower with his blocks. Every time he built it he’d knock it over and every time he knocked it over he cried.
Classic Steven face.
We still enjoy watching the fish. Steven got comfortable.
Sammy, this week!
Sammy told Megan that Big Teddy had a big poop and needed a diaper change. <3
Steven, Sammy and Amaya are talking up a storm. I really can’t get over it. Steven, in particular, is in the middle of a word explosion. He was a bit behind Sammy and Amaya but he’s saying everything these days and probably has the most consistent verbal monologue. Steven and I were out together this morning and he narrated the entire visit. “Car. Go go. Home. Man. Orange. Ball. Animal. Play.” This morning we looked through an alphabet book together and I couldn’t believe how many pictures he could verbally identify. More and more, Sammy and Amaya are starting to string words together. In the morning I raise the shade and turn on the light. Sammy will say, “Light on. Dark out.” He also loves to repeat us saying “goodness gracious.” Amaya has a nice string of “do its.” “Amaya do it. “Mama do it.” “May May do it.” It’s so much fun to hear the kids talk and express themselves.
On Monday, Nana was still visiting so she and Megan took SSA to Funtastic. It was their 4th visit so hopefully they’ll be comfortable when it’s birthday party time. It’s such a great space for kids with an awesome toddler area but also a big climbing space for big kids!
Everyone was fighting over the packing material so Nana suggested a parade.
On Tuesday, it was time for Nana to go home to New York. SSA will tell you that she went home on an airplane. “Nana. Home. Airplane.”
There was no music class last week but Stephanie came by anyway to spend the day with the kids. They love their Steffie.
A new gift we love is a xylophone. I’m pretty sure I had this when I was their age. Though I think mine made noise when you pulled it. I’ll gladly take this version.
We know how to relax in the Land of Cheltenham!
Selfies with Megan!
On Christmas Eve, Jason got home from work early enough to wake the kids up from their naps. There’s nothing quite like a surprise opportunity to read with Daddy!!
We love holding hands these days. Fortunately, Daddy has big enough hands to hold everyone’s at once.
Another new activity are these little squeezer things. They’re supposed to help with fine motor skills and, seeing them in action, I can understand why that is. The kids have to learn the motion of squeezing to open and releasing to close. Sammy got that down pretty quickly. It’s more complicated to try to pick up a pom pom. I think we’ll be able to play with these for a while.
Saturday, Christmas Day, was a fairly lazy day.
We took funny face selfies!
We made cushion seats.
We held Daddy’s hand for some Daddy play time.
We FaceTimed with Grandpa Home Home and Grandma Betsy.
We capped off the day with a Chinese dinner out. It’s been a little while since we all went out to eat as a family! For three almost 2 year olds, I’m so impressed with how well SSA do in restaurants. The big transition is that we can now use regular restaurant plates. Bit by bit, the details are getting easier. We may be about to hit some terrible twos but at least we know the logistics are more straight forward than they used to be!
Steven wanted to hold Daddy’s hand while they ate.
Sammy was flirting with a woman at a table behind us. I’m told he looks like me in this picture. Agree? Disagree? Let’s say AGREE!
On Saturday, Anna came to spend the morning with us.
It turns out you can make a great hat out of Mommy’s mail.
SSA love to help Daddy with his projects. Here they were helping him remove the legs from this table. Hopefully the novelty won’t wear off too long before we need to put them to real work. 😉
Steven, Sammy and Amaya have watched very limited tv to this point. In the fall, we started watching football with the kids. I think there was a chance they’d think that’s all the tv shows. Yesterday we found some 4K content on our new tv and all watched a 25 minute program featuring underwater sea life. SSA loved it. Fish! Fish! Seal! Man, Amaya loved the seals. I think we’ll be able to watch this again (and again).
Today Steven and I ventured out to Michael’s so I could get something framed. As I mentioned earlier, he narrated our entire trip. It was so cute. Steven really wanted to play (“Play! Play!”) so, after I was done, we walked around the store together holding hands most of the way. I let Steven pick out one toy and he picked this orange football. (“Fa fall”.)
Also on his list was this orange My Little Pony plush. We left the stuffed animal behind but I think Steven and I might share the same favorite color. 🙂
Amaya still loves to build with the magna tiles. She’s a very busy girl!
And, finally, here’s Sammy enjoying headphones from Aunt Ouize. If I ask him to take a picture, he comes around to my side of the phone for a selfie.
