The weather is getting warmer so it was time to break out the triple play wagon, a Hanukkah present from Nana and Papa. I’m so excited to use the wagon for walks and other quick outings.

Similar to the pop beads, Amaya’s thumbs found the holes for the wagon canopy.

There was also time to play with the big, big box.

We finally gated our stairs, so now our landing can serve as another play space for Steven, Sammy and Amaya. Sammy is like a little puppy. He was so excited. Go! Go! Go!

We discovered that Sammy can climb stairs! Who knew!?!? He loooooooves it.

Steven wasn’t quite as enthusiastic.

Sammy is so happy!

And Amaya’s goal is to terrify me. She’s totally safe but that doesn’t stop me from gasping.

Brushing teeth is a least favorite activity for me so we’re working on teaching Steven, Sammy and Amaya to brush their teeth on their own. Practice, practice, practice!

We’re practicing with spoons! Since they weren’t spoon fed purees, this is new for everyone. Once again… practice, practice, practice!

Aaaaaaand, we’re trying to see if Steven, Sammy and Amaya are ready to sit at the table and eat. Our high chairs adapt to toddler chairs with a secure harness so we’re giving it a shot. They sure are cute sitting there!

Here’s what the seat looks like. I hope they fit in it for a while. They’re a great height for the table.

Occasionally, I like to take photos of sleeping babies. When I visit at night, I start with Sammy, move on to Amaya and then Steven.

Sammy and Pickle

Amaya and Kacey

Steven

And Mortimer, who Steven evicts every night and every nap before he falls asleep

Steven!

Mr. Steven is getting his mommy’s curls.

The spikes are all his own, though.

Waving at his image while waiting for a FaceTime connection.

Hanging out in bed with me while I work.

Steven is so curious. He’s into everything and he wants to explore everything. Even a simple glass. He was so happy to just get to check it out.

And, for a brief, brief moment, standing!! He was so excited about the Mountain Dew bottle that he didn’t realize he wasn’t supported. 🙂

Sammy!

Amaya!

Where’s Amaya?

Peekaboo!!

Perched on a step stool. We couldn’t get her down!

Reading together

Hanging out with Nana

Making up her own table rules

The sight that greets me every morning.

As always, corners get crowded.

Everyone loves looking out the window. Even in the dark.

Playing together

Bedtime bottles

Visiting with Nana this weekend!

Nana makes us laugh!

Playtime with mommy & daddy

And mommy snuggles!!

I’ll leave you with more videos.

Today, Team Cline ventured out for our first family lunch out. We have all eaten out together, but we’ve never all dined together. So much fun and easy. EASY!! I packed up the car during morning nap & called ahead so they had a table set with 3 high chairs. We just took the double stroller and Jason carried Amaya. Easy peasy!!

Waiting for our food!

French toast and eggs!

Steven made friends.

Amaya made mincemeat of her placemat.

Sammy had quality time with daddy.

A woman who works at the restaurant remembered us from when we used to go there last spring & summer. She told us that she was hoping it would be our family when she heard they were setting up a table with 3 high chairs. How neat is that!?! What’s fun is that last summer I tried to imagine what it would be like to take Steven, Sammy and Amaya to Deadwood once they were old enough to sit at the table with us. Fun, fun, fun!

Due to random circumstances around an allegedly stuck drawer, everyone got to wear Amaya’s shirts on Monday. I think Steven and Sammy look great in pink! The exercise really highlighted how early clothes are gendered.

Steven isn’t sad about his shirt, I promise. He actually feels quite confident in trucks and flowers. Megan had to tell him “no” and it didn’t go over well. 🙂

Fortunately it just took a little redirection to get back on track.

We opened up the nursery bathroom to Steven, Sammy and Amaya. Previously, they only went inside for bath time and there was no free play. At 13 months, they’re stable standers and it seems like it’s time. Only supervised, for sure, but they love it in there! Sammy is getting good at flushing the toilet. And he quacks when he goes in because he associates the bathroom with his rubber duckies.

Since these photos were taken we’ve removed the humidifiers and the rest of the extraneous stuff to make the space just a touch safer.

These are just cute photos of everyone at snack time. I can’t get enough of their smiles.

Steven!

He really likes this drum.

Steven has curls

Sammy!

Amaya!

Pop beads!

ET Phone Home

Amaya is taking a very important call.

Story time!

Planning their great escape!

Fun with plastic bottles

<3 <3 <3

This week, have a peek into our activity garden. It was Steven, Sammy and Amaya’s first birthday present from Megan (and Mike!) and, despite the fact that they have an entire room to play in, they somehow all end up in this one corner crowded around and inside.

Is that funny or what?

I have a lot of individual photos this week. First up, Steven. Oh, this boy can smile. How can one person be this sweet?

He’s still doing great with his honey bear straw cup.

Steven still isn’t crawling on his hands and knees with regularity but he’s getting better and better. Also at planking! He said that if Savta can do it, so can he!

Steven’s first PT appoitment was on Friday. I was in Cleveland on a business trip but I was able to join his appointment via FaceTime. It felt great to be able to participate, even from a distance.

As soon as Steven heard my voice he came right over to the iPad!

Steven still doesn’t get into a sitting position by himself. He can sit and get out of sitting but not into sitting. The physical therapist isn’t really sure why that is because she thinks he should be able to. We’ll work on that.

Our PT also noticed that Steven rolls onto his right ankle, somewhat significantly. She thinks he’s going to need shoes with some kind of orthotics so we’ll talk about that in more detail at his next appointment.

But, overall, he’s doing great. These are all minor, correctable issues. I’m so grateful for early intervention services so that we can address them so early.

Now, the Sam Man!

I really love this picture of Sammy.

Legitimate bed head. He woke up from his nap about ninety seconds before I took this photo.

Someone’s a daredevil!

And a cuddle bug.

He never has his hands free when he crawls around.

Sammy thinks carrying 2 donuts is for babies. Big kids carry THREE.

Amaya!

Two things here. 1. She’s talking on the phone. 2. She loves wearing pop beads on her thumb. Both are adorable.

Amaya with her pop bead and Sammy with his 3 donuts.

Amaya has started playing peekaboo! The catch is that she’s still figuring out that you hide by covering your face. Often, she just puts her hands on her head.

No independent standers yet but Amaya’s close! She just needs a wall behind her for a bit of support.

Today, Amaya told me she wanted to play some hoops. And that she wanted to do it in a dress with a mohawk. I was happy to oblige!

Yesterday, Amaya and I took a mommy/Amaya time out and had some fun in front of our bedroom mirror. It was so cute. She was so fascinated by all of the reflections. At one point I was handing her something and she kept trying to grab it in the mirror.

Back to everyone…

A video of us wapping up dinner. Not glamorous. 🙂

I took a picture of what our playroom looks like when it’s cleaned up, and after Steven, Sammy and Amaya have been at it.

And here are some photos we took before I headed out of town on Tuesday.

Have a good week!

Last but never least, Steven and I had our solo trip to NY this weekend. Just like with Amaya and Sammy, it was amazing to get that one on one time with my Bobo.

It was very early (6:15am!) when Steven and I set out for the airport. He was a trooper but I think he might have prefered his warm, comfy crib.

When our flight was delayed, Steven suggested we grab a quick breakfast at an airport restaurant.

He wants you to know 2 things:
1) His eggs and buttered toast were delicious.
2) His mommy wiped down every surface with alcohol wipes. Somewhat obsessively, in fact.

Steven made friends at the next table over. In fact, he made friends with pretty much everyone we met in the airport and everyone on the airplane.

Time to go!

He’s got his toys to keep him occupied.

A successful flight and just an hour late to Nana’s house!

We love that Auntie always comes to play when we’re in town.

Steven NOT dunking his basketball. 🙂

Family photos!

Meanwhile, back in the Land of Cheltenham, Sammy and Amaya were busy having fun.

Fun family time continued on Saturday.

While, in the Land of Cheltenham, Amaya and Sammy were taking good care of Daddy and Grandma Sunshine.

In the afternoon, we all packed up to go spend some time at Aunt Sara & Uncle David’s house.

Where we learned my grandmother can plank! (Seriously. Look at this.)

And got in lots and lots more playtime.

And next thing I knew, it was time to come home! So sad to leave NY but so happy to return to Jason, Sammy and Amaya.

Together again!

Plus more from the week!

It seems like a lifetime ago, but Nana was still visiting at the beginning of this week.

Steven

You may have noticed that Steven’s cup doesn’t look like Sammy and Amaya’s. He was having trouble with the Lollacup and another triplet mom suggested this training cup that her daughter’s speech therapist recommended. It’s amazing. Steven went from drinking an ounce or two of milk/day to drinking 11 ounces. I’m so proud of him! (And, in case you’re curious, you can check it out here.)

Sammy

Zombie Sammy!

Sammy quacks!

Amaya

The big news this week is that we’re down to ONE bottle/day. ONE! This photo is of the last day Steven, Sammy and Amaya had their morning bottles. They’re doing great with the transition. We just have bedtime bottles remaining. A far cry from the days of 24 bottle feedings/day!

Happy Valentine’s (Yester)Day, everyone! We had a lot of fun taking photos. Steven, in particular, was very excited to get his hands on some caramel chocolate.

Amaya was saaaaaaaad when we took the chocolate away.

As a reminder, here’s last year’s Valentine’s Day photo. What a difference a year makes!

My mom is visiting so, after the photos, we took the opportunity to let Steven, Sammy and Amaya roam free. With one baby, it would be reasonable to give them time to explore the house, supervised of course. With three babies, it’s pretty much impossible unless you have three adults, as well.

I think they knew to enjoy the moment while it lasted!

Nana got in her share of playtime.

And cuddle time.

So did I!

Steven, Sammy and Amaya had their first turn signing a card. For ME!

I’m a lucky mom. <3 <3 <3

Today, Nana had more time for cuddles with Steven, Sammy and Amaya. These babies love their Nana!

I’m not sure what got into me but I decided to give Steven, Sammy and Amaya some forks at lunch today. TOO YOUNG. They’re at an age where they definitely understood that they’re for eating but don’t have the motor coordination to use them properly. So they were mostly a distraction. I wonder if it’s actually more difficult for them than other babies because we never spoon fed them purees. They’ve never actually eaten off a utensil yet! It was amazing, though, to see how much they understand.

Here’s our Bobo

Brothers!

Sammy

Sammy, when he doesn’t want to do what Megan’s asked. (In this case, fix his legs.)

Amaya

Have a great week!

e

We had a big snowstorm on Sunday night which resulted in a snow day for me! We all had so much fun! Here are lots and lots of pictures of our day together.

The boys piled on mommy.

Amaya found Sammy’s donuts.

Lots and lots of playtime!

Steven cracked himself up trying to feed me his food.

And Sammy broke free!

Daddy didn’t have a snow day but, don’t worry, he got in his time with Steven, Sammy and Amaya this weekend!

And Sally got her time, too. We let her in the playroom but we need to prop open the gate so she can leave easily. The last thing we want is a panicked cat trapped with 3 one year olds. She really is amazing with them, though. Very patient and she doesn’t view them as a threat. Steven is particularly enamoured with Sally.

Even the big teddys got hugs. How cute is this?

It was a BIG week for our schedule. This weekend we did 2 huge things – we introduced cow’s milk and we cut out one of our 4 daily bottles in place of milk and snacks.

We started off trying whole milk yesterday. I think it was a hit.

Then, today, we cut out the 11:20am bottle and replaced it with milk and a snack (blueberries). Amaya and Sammy do really well with their cups. They drink well and often. Steven knows how to drink from his cup but he shows less interest and also tends to spit most of his water or milk into his bib. We’ll keep an eye on it. It may not be an issue once he learns that his cup is his only option.

On Tuesday afternoon I flew to NY for work so, Wednesday morning, these faces greeted Megan when she arrived a bit early to help us out.

Another triplet mom had the great idea of letting Steven, Sammy and Amaya explore snow – indoors! Megan did this with them on Tuesday afternoon, while I was away.

Sammy had trouble figuring out that he did not enjoy eating the snow.

Snow!

And, in case anyone was wondering, I went to NY for an opportunity to join Martha Stewart on her SiriusXM radio show to talk about Fathead’s Martha Stewart Wall Art Decals. It was a really cool experience and a ton of fun.

Some more pictures from the week.

Bathtime!!

My triplet moms and I have a secret sister exchange for the year and these new winter hats were a secret sister gift. So cute!

We have a bobsled team! Or luge! One of those winter sports that needs a bunch of people in a line. And our team is ADORABLE.

Steven

He loves standing! He still can’t get himself down but these days he’s standing everywhere he can.

Sammy

He looks like such a big boy in this picture.

Sammy learned how to play peekaboo. He has so much fun and is so proud of himself!

Messy, messy, messy

Sammy borrowed Daddy’s chef’s hat at brunch.

Amaya

In my attempt to help Steven and Amaya get used to going to sleep without their suckies, I gave them all stuffed animals. Steven has a monkey and Sammy has a puppy. We got Amaya Kacey the Cow. She’s a hit!

Amaya fell and hit her lip. Look at her sad, sad face. 🙁 She recovered quickly, though.

But this is how Amaya looks when she’s watching her Daddy. Soooooo happy!

And, finally, brother & sister! I think this photo needs a caption contest. 🙂

It’s weird. For the babies’ first year, everything was the anniversary of conception or a positive pregnancy test or OMG TWINS and then WTF TRIPLETS! Anniversaries of pregnancy milestones and gestation dates. Now, I’m remembering last year with Steven, Sammy and Amaya. They were still in the nicu on Super Bowl Sunday and I remember going to bed right after the (amazing) Bruno Mars half time show. This year, they’re all asleep in their nursery where they belong and Jason and I are having a quiet Super Bowl Sunday together.

We had a great week. On Saturday afternoon, Team Cline went to Mason to visit Grandma Sunshine. It was a long time in the making and we can’t wait to go back. Sherry baby-proofed her family room and we brought our baby jail to keep Steven, Sammy and Amaya contained. So much fun!

During the week I took photos of sleeping babies. On Tuesday night, after their one year check up, we went cold turkey and said goodbye to their pacifiers. It’s been a rough week, maybe rougher on me, because I don’t do well when I hear them so sad and know it’s because of a decision I (we) made. It’s okay, though. They take longer to fall asleep but they’re still sleeping well through the night. In an attempt to help them self soothe, we gave them lovies in their cribs and, tonight, stuffed animals. Another milestone. Stuffed animals in their cribs!

Here they are, sleeping like babies. Haha.

Here are a few photos of Steven, Sammy and Amaya enjoying some homemade turkey/broccoli mac & cheese. It’s the first time I ever made real mac & cheese and it was delicious.

Photos of Steven from the week. Our Bobo is doing a great job pulling himself to standing.

Steven helping his Daddy. He’s so proud.

Tonight, Steven rolled over in his boppy by himself! It requires a lot of core strength because of the angle he’s at and he did it! I’m so proud. He’s such a tough guy. Even though he might be a few beats behind Sammy and Amaya, he’s fearless. He’ll climb on anything.

Sammy. Our charmer charms.

He was soooooo funny rolling around with his sleep sack.

And in his daddy’s chefs hat. (His legs are in a W, you say? It’s bad for his hips, you say? We know, we say. We’re working on it. But isn’t he cute???)

And showing off his abs.

And looking so grown up!

Our happy, sassy Amaya.

She’s such a character.

Oh boy, does Amaya want to walk independently! She’s very close to standing unsupported and I’m ready for her to take off into a sprint any day now.

Finally, morning time with Steven, Sammy and Amaya.

We have big, growing babies!

Steven – 3lbs 9oz at birth
Weight: 19lbs 5oz (17th percentile, up from 12th percentile at 9 months)
Height: 29.5″ long (32nd percentile, up from 21st percentile at 9 months)

Sammy – 3lbs 14oz at birth
Weight: 20lbs 7oz (34th percentile, up from 23rd percentile at 9 months)
Height: 31″ (87th percentile, same as 9 months and 6 months)

Amaya – 3lbs 14oz at birth
Weight: 21lbs 12oz (77th percentile, up from 58th percentile at 9 months)
Height: 30″ (77th percentile, down from 78th percentile at 9 months, so we’ll call it a wash)

It was a big day on a few other fronts. First, we got our MMR vaccines today (plus chicken pox and Hep A). I’ve been waiting and waiting for this day. And, we had our first taste of peanut butter! I was very nervous about allergies so I gave them each a taste before we went into the doctor’s office. So far, so good!

We’re now in the process of ending their suckie use. (Pacifiers.) We went cold turkey with Amaya today and will do the same with Steven tomorrow. Sad, sad, sad. They’re so cute with their suckies and I feel like a mean, mean mom. But the time has come so we’re giving it a shot. After this transition, it’s bye bye bottles!

Yesterday, they all had early intervention evaluations. They’re doing great. Mostly meeting full term milestones with just a few exceptions. Amaya and Steven will get weekly services for verbal communication and Steven will get physical therapy, likely weekly, for gross motor. Sammy just gets a once/month visit for receptive communication but I think that’s mostly about his willfulness than any delays.

Way to go Steven, Sammy and Amaya! Next appointment is at 15 months.

See you Sunday! 🙂

Some new moms have breast feeding goals (1 month, 6 months, a year). I had a blog goal. I wanted to blog every week for Steven, Sammy and Amaya’s first year. And I did it! It’s actually hard to believe but I did it!

Throughout the year, I wasn’t sure how I would approach year two but here I am again. Another Sunday, another blog. For now, my goal is to continue week by week and see where it takes me.

We’re going a bit out of order here. Ages ago, Jason got all the fixings for a Sunday omelet station. This was the first week he set up shop. When I say that it was the best thing ever, I mean EVER. Steven, Sammy and Amaya were captivated. And the mushroom, broccoli, onion, feta omelets were great, too! (Plus BACON for mommy & daddy.)

Also, today, a video from lunch. Steven was grooving to the Glee version of Like a Prayer and you can see Sammy showing off his newest skill – waving.

Steven, Sammy and Amaya’s first birthday feels like ages ago now but we really left off the night of their party so there’s a whole week of adventures to catch up on.

Last Monday, I had a work vacation day so I had a bonus day home last week. Sara and Charlie got in some final time with everyone before they headed to the airport with Gene.

Amaya was very lucky! Big cousin Charlie made her this cool picture frame for her birthday.

She also had the perfect hand me downs for the day before a birthday girl. Seriously, this shirt is so cute and we happened to also have these warm up pants from Charlie that worked perfectly.

Amaya walked around the house, showing off her cool outfit and even cooler skills.

Megan gave Steven, Sammy and Amaya this awesome activity garden for their birthday. We love it!

It’s also perfect for a Savta puppet show!

We all had some lazy time  & play time together…

And then we got down to the hard work of arts & crafts. I haven’t finished the project, and I think it was better in theory than reality, but it started with their footprints on canvas. Even if the project doesn’t turn out, the crafting was fun!

Tuesday was BIRTHDAY!! I still can’t believe I have three one year olds – both that they’re one and that there are three of them. It feels like yesterday that we saw those three embryos at my 8 week ultrasound.

Nana & Jason and I all got in some birthday morning cuddles before we had to head to the airport and the office.

The highlight of their birthday, though, was a visit to Detroit for a birthday lunch at Hard Rock. Thanks to Megan, everyone even wore shoes for the first time!

The pictures are dark because of the restaurant lighting but we had a great time. Steven, Sammy and Amaya ate macaroni & cheese with grilled chicken and tried their first french fries. (Well, Steven just examined the fry. Sammy and Amaya dug in.) My colleagues Ginny & Molly joined us and the whole thing was very, very special. I’m so grateful that Megan is up for any challenge.

Here are some photos from the week.

Steven is pulling up to his knees in his crib so we finally lowered his, too. And his first tooth is really poking through. I’ll miss that gummy smile!

Steven had a rough day during the week when he didn’t want to eat and, seemingly, wasn’t feeling well. Here’s sad Bobo. 🙁  Pitiful, isn’t it?

Fortunately, it didn’t last long!

Birthday night, Steven and Daddy had some fun time and some cuddle time.

Spinach face!

He’s getting very adventurous! Look where he climbed, all by himself!

Here’s Steven climbing on a chair that my dad made for me when I was a little girl. It’s in their nursery closet and is a perfect step stool to reach their books.

Finally, it looks like Amaya has been teaching Steven to go suckie hunting!

Daddy & his boys

I don’t have as many random photos of Sammy this week so his incredible, infectious smile is going to have to fill you up this week. Love, love, love his toothy grin.

Amaya started the week wearing a new shirt, compliments of cousin Charlie. She loves it.

On Thursday night, Anna babysat so Jason and I could go out for an anniversary dinner. Here are Amaya and Anna, reading together.

She loves to read!

And wants all the books!

Finally, for Amaya, the newest outfit from Charlie. I’m kind of obsessed with these pants.

I’ll wrap it up for the week with some group photos. Seriously, how did the blog post get so long this week? Every week I say it will be a short one and then, here we are!

Steven, Sammy and Amaya playing in their activity garden.

Ready to start their day

Having an important chat with daddy.

Finally… playing with the exact same stuff at the exact same time, in one corner of their playroom, as if there isn’t a complete room full of toys for them. 🙂

Our one year checkup is on Tuesday. Can’t wait to get their stats and percentiles!

As part of our birthday celebration, we did family photos at our house with a local photographer, Daphne Doerr, who also did our amazing cake smash photos.

Here are our favorites!

Family photos wouldn’t be complete without Big Sister Cat Sally.

As always, thanks for the love and support –
Joanna, Jason, Steven, Sammy, Amaya and Sally