Look Ma, it's a minivan!

Well, we finally joined the minivan crowd over the weekend. The lease on the Envoy is up soon, and it had become increasingly clear that something was missing from our life. Specifically, sliding doors. Having done plenty of research, we headed to the Honda dealership, where Belinda was kind enough to direct us toward a fine specimen of an Odyssey.

We'll post pictures at some point. We're very happy with the seating, storage and features. Actually, it's the most feature-rich vehicle I've ever driven (not sure what this says about my automotive past). Doesn't have a touchscreen GPS or anything crazy like that, but it does have 13 cup holders and a smuggling compartment that's reminiscent of the Millennium Falcon. (Editor's note: Longtime readers will know that the goal of this blog is twofold; 1) provide real-time updates on the triplets' lives, and 2) reference the Millennium Falcon as often as possible. Done and done.) We can now fit all 3 car seats, both parents, the stroller and 1 more passenger all at once. Look out, world!

A quick note about the kids: All 3 are doing well, smiling a lot, and sleeping until at least 6ish probably every 3 out of 5 nights. Not half bad. We also think we have teeth coming in, but more conclusive proof is needed. Stay tuned.

Golf Anyone???

Hope this brightens up your Monday. Thank you to our next door neighbor, Linda, for these adorable outfits!

The Circle of Life

A big Perry family welcome to 2 new friends that entered the world today. Congratulations to Joy and Aaron on the birth of their son Penn. And also congratulations to Jessie and Justin on the birth of their daughter Lucy. On top of 2 new babies entering the world, today is our Nana Bonnie's birthday. I think we all need some cake.
But, on a sad note we are so sorry to report that our dear nanny lost her Grandma this week. Our thoughts are with her and her family during this difficult time. Because our nanny was off a few days this week, I got to play stay-at-home Mom for a few days. Major props to you stay-at -home Moms (especially of triplets). I am exhausted. Here is a little of what we did during the last few days

We made this for Nana's birthday. It did not turn out quite as planned. It is a stone for her garden with the babies' foot prints. This project was messy and harder than it looks.

As if making a cement stone was not enough, I went ahead and taught the kids how to make cookies. They may be more interested once they know how yummy cookies are.

Below is Alexander's new past time..... He sucks his thumb....ALOT! I think he may be teething. But, what do I know? Maybe it is genetic, Aunt Jaime sucked her thumb until she was like 14 :)

Lastly, we hung out in our PJ's a lot. Actually, I never got out of mine either of those days.

You... shook me... (scratch that) LET ME SLEEP... all night long

So the kids have really done a heck of a job the past 2 nights. We've been putting them down around 9:30-10  lately, and for the past two mornings, we've been able to sleep anywhere from 6:45-7:15. Which has just been awesome.

We got the idea from a book that recommends various ways to get your kids to sleep better -- from babies to preschoolers, etc. One tip was, "sleep begets sleep." While it seems contrary, putting them to bed earlier actually got them sleeping later. The author explains that, if you wait until they're so tired that they're cranky, it's too late, and they will not be able to properly wind down.

It's kind of like how Daddy needs a few minutes to read or watch TV before turning the light off. If I just walk into a dark room and lay down, it takes forever to fall asleep. But if I can read just a few pages of Star Wars: Legacy of the Force, Book 9 -- Invincible (or whatever else happens to be on the nightstand), I'm on the express train to Dreamland.

But I digress. Bottom line: this new tactic seems to hold some promise, and we're happy for whatever rest we can get.

I'm back to work after a week of vacation (read: yard work), starting tomorrow. I also saw 2 movies, which were my treat for getting so much done around the house. I really, really liked Wolverine. Great flick. Great action. Hugh Jackman is the man. Unfortunately, I can't give such high praise to Terminator: Salvation. Man, did I want to like this movie. Coming on the heels of the cancellation of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (no longer on FOX; thanks FOX), I really wanted to like it. But it just didn't happen. I didn't hate it; I didn't love it. To quote Randy Jackson, it was just okay for me. Felt like one of those movies which could have been so much better. Too bad the plot didn't live up to the action and effects. Cest la vie.

Okay, back to the kids, here's a picture of them wearing their Rock Star onesies, given to them by the Ladies Nichols (you know who you are). And, in celebration, here are The Triplets' Top 10 "Rock Out 'Cause You're a Rock Star" songs:

AC/DC - You Shook Me All Night Long

The Beatles - Revolution

Soundgarden - Outshined

Metallica - Master of Puppets

Stone Temple Pilots - Interstate Love Song

Ozzy Osbourne - Crazy Train

Led Zeppelin - Stairway to Heaven

Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit

Pearl Jam - Even Flow

Guns N Roses - Welcome to the Jungle

Rock on!!

Triple the triplets....

What is crazier than taking one set of triplets out in public?

What is crazier than taking two sets of triplets out in public?

That's right, taking 3 set of triplets out in public!

What a fun day. First we met up with Megan, Kenny and their triplets at a local deli. Megan and I met at the hospital when we were both prisoners, oops I mean patients, on the high-risk unit at St. V's. Her triplets were born 1 week after ours, and all our babies were in the NICU at the same time. All babies behaved through lunch.... but we did get a few comments (and free cookies from the manager)! A couple of people thought they were sextuplets. We had to explain that it was 2 set of triplets. After lunch we went to the park and met up with Carrie and Aaron of http://owenplusthree.blogspot.com.

Thank goodness the park was big. We scouted out our own little corner, so we did not get too many weird looks or comments... at least that we could see or hear.

Anyhow, it was so nice to get together with other families that know what this is like.

Mommy and Lila after our outing.

Daddy after our outing. Shhhhh, he has no idea I snapped this photo

New weights

It's taken all week to post this, but I finally found time. As of Monday...

Alex: 12 lb 13 oz
Brandon: 14 lb 5 oz
Lila: 12 lb 5 oz

Brandon's weight is not a typo. He's a giant. Hard to believe our little 3 lb 3 oz guy has grown so much.

In consultation with our pediatrician, we are finally phasing out the high-cal formula. And, once again, we thank everyone who supported the kids' Enfacare addiction. Your generosity is most appreciated.

Other random notes:

We seem to be making progress on the sleeping front. Alex is the best and most consistent. But one of us is typically up with B or L, sometime between 3 and 5. On the tough nights, we're both up. Did you know NBC's local news comes on at 4:30? They call it, "The Parents and Infants News Hour."

Milo's coat is extra thick and shiny due to all the spilled formula. It's like edible Pantene Conditioner for dogs.

We're moving into size 2 diapers. They're, like, giant compared to the preemie diapers. Which in retrospect are just frighteningly small.

All 3 are smiling now, Lila being the most frequent practitioner.

We're going to lunch with another triplet family on Sunday. Can't wait to see the stares.

We took the kids to Costco last Sunday. Only one person tried to touch them. There were many comments, both directed toward us and overheard as we navigated the Millennium Strollerfalcon through the aisles. Most frequent comment? "You must have your hands full!" -- said with awe and just a hint of terror.

Daddy is only batting about .200 when it comes to getting all the snaps right on outfits with, you know, snaps. Daddy prefers zippers. Daddy would keep the kids in zipper-clad jammies until age 5, but Mommy's not having it.

Mommy and Daddy had about as much chance of understanding that Lost finale as the kids did.

Jennifer Driscoll takes great photos. You should call her.

I'm on vacation as of 2 hours ago!

Happy Mother's Day

There were times when I thought this day would never come, but today I got to celebrate my first Mother's Day. My heart goes out to those friends we know that are still trying to have a family, I know how hard this day can be. I got a wonderful book from my children this morning and a coffee in bed :) Also, I got a nap. When asked what I wanted for Mother's Day, all I could think of is a nap. I am so happy to have three happy, healthy children. So, when asked, all I could think of was a nap. So, Sam took the kids to have a visit at Nana Bonnie and Papa Ernie's house for the afternoon, and I got my much-needed nap. Plus, Milo was happy to have me all to himself for a little while.

I tried to get a decent Mother's Day pic of the kids.... they did not cooperate.
These are from last weekend. The boys are in Rock N' Roll T-shirts courtesy of Aunt Jaime. Brandon has that "why is he touching me" look on his face. And Alex is looking super sweet.
This picture cracks me up. Look at Lila's expression, ha.