Ah yes, another post right on schedule. As always.
It’s seriously been a full year and some change. It feels like both an eternity and like it barely happened. That’s probably because things kind of blur together these days. But hey, that’s having triplets during a once-in-a-century pandemic.
So, yeah. How are things? Great question. Good, I guess? I get asked versions of this a lot. Honestly, I tend to fumble on the response. The girls are bigger, they’re kind of mobile, and are starting to communicate. Thanks to all that developing, they’re better at just kicking it, which makes things easier. Of course, they also get bored pretty quickly, which makes things harder. Overall, I think I can say things get better near the one-year mark. They reliably sleep—big win. Well, except when we got to experience one-year sleep regression with three babies at once. They also have a bit of a personality. Also fun, except when it’s not. It’s different but better.
There’s a lot more to say about the goings-on, but I assume if you’re actually reading this, you’re really just interested in looking at babies. So, with that, let’s look at some babies.
Mallory
Mallory has proven to be the most chill and friendly of the girls. She doesn’t have the same stranger danger thing going like her sisters. I can’t possibly imagine how that could backfire. But hey, it’s fun for now. One big highlight is she’ll bop her tiny head to music which is adorable. She’s also by far the most mobile which is a lot less adorable and more of a liability. She’s real close to walking and can briefly stand on her own.
Taylor
Taylor continues to miss the part where she’s not an only child. At least she’s pretty precious about it now. She’ll cycle through all the gestures she knows to get attention. This is typically deployed around bedtime, which is a super blast. She is also our first talker. Her word? “No!” I’m sure that’s a strong indicator of how things are going.
Hannah
Real talk Hannah is pulling ahead in the figuring shit out game. She was the first to learn how to hand you a toy on request or put them in a box. It only takes her a few attempts to learn how to do something. Prime example, she learned that pushing buttons on certain toys makes them play music over and over and over and over. Luckily those toys have on/off switches. This all makes up for the fact that she is the tiniest by far. She’s just so little.
Lots of pictures below:
New skills thanks to being one.
Here’s the thing, thanks to being pretty dang early, milestones are gonna be hit and miss compared to a full-term baby. Also, I have no idea what’s normal by month either, considering this is both the first and last time I’ll experience life with 14(ish)-month-old babies. Caveats out of the way here we go!
- They can all stand themselves up when holding onto something. I assume this is a precursor to walking. Mallory was again the first to get this but the others followed quickly. The return to earth from standing is basically to just drop on their butts. They’re getting there.
- They all have a few teeth coming in. I realize this isn’t a skill so much as a catalyst for crying always. But hey, it’s a milestone.
- Like I said, Taylor figured out the word “no” the others are on their way with babbling always. We’re trying but they just haven’t nailed it. They are starting to figure out some hand gestures though.
- Other skills they’ve learned is to hand you whatever they’re holding on request. I hope drilling that one in pays off. So far the only outcome is the girls eagerly handing you things at random hoping for some praise.
- Mallory is slowly learning to high-five.
- Taylor will pat the closest sister’s head or back if you say “there there there.”
- I’m supremely confident I’m missing a whole lot, but it all kind of blurs together. Let’s move on.
Eating.
Bottles are over. I was given the impression that weening them would make life so very easy. This was a lie. It’s a whole process.
The first challenge is finding things they’ll actually eat. And by that, I mean they all will eat. There are so many things that one baby (who will remain nameless, but she’s very extra) doesn’t like but the others are into. Sorry, buds. I’m not preparing special meals to cater to preferences when there are three of you.
Next, you have to find something you can make in bulk and reheat. Because, you know, three meals x three babies. It adds up fast.
With all that in mind, I’m convinced they would happily eat nothing but sweet potatoes and bananas for the rest of their lives.
Their way of letting you know they’re full is to start flinging food around. I feel like there are more subtle ways to let us know it’s time to wrap, but whatever.
Oh, an egg allergy popped up too. That’s fun.
Attempting a trip with the girls.
We made the misguided call to try and brave a trip to Fredricksburg with the sisters and the girls. It was a total disaster. They were generally ok during the morning, but once the fuss set in, there was no going back. While I knew small kids thrived on routine, I never fully internalized how important it is, especially when they can’t exactly communicate or receive communication. My advice is, don’t travel with triplets until they’re at least two. I’m just picking that number, by the way. It remains to be seen if it actually counts.
The positives? They got to splash in a pool which they love.
Other wins? I managed to score a bunch of Whataburger condiments at HEB. There are zero HEBs up on the Northside of Dallas.
Other stuff so I can finally wrap this and stop putting it off.
At this point, we’ve pretty much ceded control of the house to the girls, with a few areas strategically blocked with baby fences. Basically, it’s just the places that are far too much of an undertaking to baby-proof right now. Their determination with overcoming obstacles is impressive. Newly acquired climbing skills are in direct response to, say, putting a box in the way of a forbidden zone. We tried blocking off a playroom, but they just get bored too fast and want to wander.
A super cool bonus benefit to letting them wander more is having to switch to all-natural cleaners. No more almond-scented floor cleaner. Goodbye bleach. Now it’s just a world full of vinegar. If a cleaner is non-toxic and actually going to clean, brace yourself for some vinegar.
Finally some quick hits:
If something happens that startles Hannah (for example, pulling down the diaper bin for the fourth time), she’ll scurry off before working through her emotions. It’s pretty funny to watch her rapidly crawl away.
Apparently, a “fun game” is dropping something out of reach so you can pick it up for them, then repeating forever.
They love climbing into things. Like boxes, or toy bins, or the dog’s crate if you forget to close it.
Somehow we got lucky, and they never got into pacifiers. I’m ok with this.
There are bite marks on just about anything within a tiny arm’s reach. Including another sister’s arm.
They are exclusively interested in whatever toy or object a sister or you are holding. I really had high hopes they’d be excellent at sharing since they have never known anything else. But nope. Not the case. Did I drop my bottle? No worries, my sister has one I can take. Is my sister literally holding an identical toy to the one I’m being offered? Better pull that one out of her hands. Should I grab a snack from the cup in my hand or pull it out of my sister’s mouth? You get the picture.
They do seem to get along pretty well, though. Especially in the mornings, they’ll just babble to each other and laugh as they try to get in each other’s cribs.
Kay, that’s all I’ve got. See you in probably too long again!