The most exciting news from the front, we are definitely headed to preschool in the fall!  Taking up 1/3 of the class, my kids will be attending preschool for 2 mornings a week beginning in September.  I’m thrilled.  Not just because I get some time away from them but also because I think they will LOVE and thrive in preschool.  I see their little minds spinning every day and I know I can’t provide the same level of organized stimulation as the “professionals”.  For a short period of time, I worked as an office manager in a daycare.  Although I wouldn’t have been comfortable sending my kids to daycare while they were infants (and I don’t find ANY fault if you are…I was just too much of a control freak with my infants), I love everything about daycare from toddler age up!  Although my kids won’t be going full-time, I know they will still benefit from the consistent “rules” and interaction with other adults.

I can’t help but share some of the pre-school open house experience.  Max and I knew we wanted our children in this particular preschool from the start.  It is an episcopal church preschool and we love the laid back faculty and environment.  So the open house for us was just reiterating our satisfaction with our choice.  For others who are obviously not the parents to triplets and not so laid back, it was a different story.  Here is an example:

After filing into one of the two-year-old classrooms, all the parents had the opportunity to meet the teachers and ask questions.  There were the obvious questions regarding potty training and packing lunches but I was more interested in asking something a little more practical,

“Can my kids come if they have runny noses?”  I asked. I was glad to hear the answer was yes.

A few moments later another hand shoots up “In your brochure you say your learning style is experiental, can you talk a little more about that and then tell me what your biggest challenge has been as a two-year old teacher this past year?”

WHAT?  I’m sorry but seriously!  This is not a interview for a private college.  It is preschool…for a 2-year-old.  No offense but I hope that child is not in my child’s class.  I can just see it now “I’m sorry Mrs. G but your little Amelia disrupted  my daughter’s experimental growth  yesterday by sticking a crayon up her nose, how are you going to solve this issue by next week?”

Hey, different strokes for different folks.

On another note; despite not caring what my kids “learning styles” are, they are doing fantastic.  Mia recently had her 18 month developmental review with her developmental team (she was being followed because she was a “small for gestational age” baby), and it turns out she’s brilliant  OK, so maybe that’s jumping the gun but she is developmentally more like 22-24 months, which explains the recent rise in temper-tantrums.   And, I have to brag on my Josie.   One of the tasks for the developmental test was for Mia to stack 3 blocks.  She succeeded of course but here is what I saw when I walked into the room later that day:

Oh Josie, your not a little competitive are you?

Other than that, we are all working on using spoons more often (me included, I’m working on not grinding my teeth and inhaling suddenly every time I watch them lift their spoon to their mouth).  We are really into dipping food into ketchup and salsa (Max and I actually had a 10- minute uninterrupted conversation while out at dinner last night as the kids dipped their waffle fries in ketchup).  We  also recently learned to jump with both feet leaving the floor at the same time.  We are NOT POTTY TRAINING ANYTIME SOON!  I can only take on so much

Overall, life seems more and more normal as the kids grow up. I am no longer “a triplet mom”.  I am Karla, who happens to have triplets, and that is an awesome thing!

Here are a few more pics of the kids and I enjoying the recent snowfall:

I cannot believe my children are 18 months old.  The past 6 months have flown by, much like life does.  I know I’m repeating myself but…I love this age!  Since my kids were about 6 months old, every new month becomes “my favorite” age.   18 months really does rock!  As wonderful as my children are, I was dreading their 18 month check-up. They are old enough to fear the doctor and the shots but not old enough to talk or reason with.  It can get messy with a singleton, with triplets…try to imagine. Here is what my pedi said when he walked into the room:

“There is nothing worse than an 18-month old check-up, except a twin 18 month old check-up.  Now, usually my joke ends there but today…”

The good news, I came prepared.  I went to Target and bought a bagful of their $1 toys.  Let’s not forget that grammy came along to lend a helping hand.  There may have been shiny smiley face stickers all over the exam room floor but at least my kids acted like angels.   Besides Mia waving and saying “hi” in the doctor’s face for the whole hour,  I was able to hold a conversation with the pedi the whole appointment.

The kiddos are doing fantastic.

Mia can’t really be called our peanut anymore.  She is about 22 pounds and about 25% for weight and height.  She has a great appetite when she slows down enough to eat.  Mia repeats about everything anyone says.  She is definitely excelling at speech, she can name every Gabba Gaba character with ease.  She is also VERY friendly, waving and saying “hi” to everyone wherever we go and even asking strangers to pick her up…gotta watch that one.  Without a doubt, Mia is a little defiant and extremely independent.  Ask her to do something and she will most likely laugh in your face.  Mia spends a lot of time doing puzzles or just being goofy.

Josie is her mother’s daughter through and through.  She is about 23 pounds and about 5% for height (she is now noticeably shorter than Marcus and Mia).   Josie is a sweetheart.  Her sensitivity is endearing.  She is constantly helping her mommy and does everything we ask..she even does things we ask her sister or brother to do (cause they rarely do them).  On the rare occasion she needs scolded, beware!  Her feelings will be so hurt she will cry about it for hours and probably hold a grudge for a few days.  Josie is also starting to talk more and more.  She loves “pretend play” and is often found in her kitchen cooking and singing to herself.  She also loves to copy mommy and “do her exercises”.

Marcus is also about 18-20% for weight and height.  As always, he remains extremely cuddly and flirtatious.  Although he rarely pauses after a major fall, he needs a lot of attention when he is sick or teething.  He loves to “figure things out”.  I often find him trying to take screws out of things or trying to take things apart.  He already seems to be following in his grandpa’s footsteps as our little engineer.  His speech is limited to a about 8-10 words but he does live with 3 other girls that love to talk….Marcus gets bored pretty quickly.  His favorite thing to do is play outside or watch TV.

It is exciting watching my babies become little people.  The best part is watching them interact.  They play together for hours, copying each other’s behavior and “words”.  After every meal they chase each other around the house.  They love hugging and kissing each other and they squeal with excitement when they see each other upon waking.  As the kids entertain themselves more and more, I am able to sit back, observe my miracles and marvel at their love of life.  They make my day!

Every year we sit down and think about how we want to better our lives.  Usually our goals have to do with health because really, what is more important?   Rightfully, my New Year’s resolution also has to do with health.

Prior to finding out I was pregnant with triplets, I was well on my way to establishing my career.  I had almost completed my master’s degree in Exercise and Sports Science and had set myself up to run a “forward-thinking” wellness business.  My triplets were an amazing blessing but they did come with some setbacks.  For two years, my career was put on hold so I could fully devote myself to my children’s health and well-being.  I am so glad I spent that time with my babies; they honestly grow up WAY too fast.

I have decided to start working again.  Fitness and Wellness education are my passion in life.  Mentally, I need this outlet.  I’m only planning part time work right now but even “thinking” about working and taking the steps to get back to it takes up free time I don’t have.  In order to re-establish my career, some things have to be sacrificed.  Unfortunately, I  will not be updating the mybabydrama.com blog as often as I have in the past.  I still plan to post regularly to let everyone know how the kids are doing, but the posts will probably be a little less frequent.  So, please bare with me as I make this transition and keep visiting us!

Of course, I’m going to plug my new website.  Also, be sure to bookmark my fitness and wellness blog!

Thanks and cheers to good living in 2010!

We welcomed 2010 at one of our favorite places, the beach.  This time we spent time with “GaGa”, “Pop-Pop” and Uncle Luke at their condo.  Despite the chilly temps, their was still plenty of fun to be had.  The joys of small toddlers is their shear pleasure in the simple things like a seashore, a massive sporting goods store, and a quirky pet shop.  My favorite thing about the beach…grandparents to entertain the kids while I sit back, read my Nook, watch hours of HGTV and enjoy some deserved peace and quiet!

Thanks “Ga-Ga” and “Pop-Pop” for a wonderful time!