Helmet heads...

Well....apologies for the lag between posts....if you can believe it, I uploaded the first batch of picture on the 27th of February...my intentions were good...exhaustion and time...well, they got the better of me. Regardless...here we are!

It's been a few weeks now since the dreaded day (okay my dread really) that Jer returned to work. As many of you know, we opted to not pursue a nanny at this time and rather, have Jennifer in play-school/day-care 2 days a week. I'm happy to report that we are all doing quite well. Jennifer is enjoying her day-care -- she goes on Mondays and Fridays. There are a lot of kids there, so it is taking her a bit of time to get used to, and known to, some of the kids there. She's a real trooper though and is adapting very well to the transition. She's home with me and the three babies for 3 days a week. These, admittedly, are busy busy (busy busy busy) days...however, I think we're all surviving and actually having some fun during our time together! For those of you keeping tabs, it has been SOOOOOO cold here in Calgary for the past few weeks. Because of that, we've been limited as to how much we can get outside to play, walk etc. To keep ourselves entertained (and on track), we try to maintain a pretty rigorous schedule. Jennifer and I take some time to play downstairs while the babies have their first nap of the day and then usually do some kind of craft project during the babies second nap of the day....yesterday and today, we actually were able to get outside and breathe some "fresh" air! We all felt so much more restored afterwards -- in fact, Jennifer did NOT want to come in!

I should also say that we survived Jer's first out of town trip (4 day work trip to Winnipeg) and owe a great big THANKS to Grandma Judy who kindly, and selflessly took the time to come out and hang with the girls and I. What a task she took on...4 am wake-ups to feed babies then on deck again at 7:30am for the go-go-go of our day. It was a great help to have her here and we send our Thanks!! 

The babies are all doing very well. We've noted a slow but steady trend upwards in their sleeping patterns...we've been having to get up sometime between 4-6 am usually to feed them however, for the past 2 weeks, they have been sleeping until 6:45 or 7:00am...this is great for Jeremy as he is up early (5:30am) to get off to work in time....for me, it has forced me to become proficient in feeding all three babies their morning bottle at the same time! There's nothing like a little pressure to force you to come up with a solution....we're muddling through, and for the most part, have had success at feeding all three their bottles at the same time (for those of you asking why I would do this...it's all about saving time....time is so precious in this house). The day unfolds from there and we've been seeing equally growing trends for better and longer naps as well. Ahhhh....all our hard work and persistence is paying off for all of us. The babies are happy (generally) when we put them down and happy (generally) when they wake up....SWEEET! Of course, now that I've put this down in black and white, it will change....yikes!

They've had their little headbands now for almost a month and adapting to them well. For those not familiar...the headbands are for cosmetic reasons only -- and will assist to "reshape" their heads as they grow. They all have slightly misshapen heads due to torticollis or preference to sleep on one side only and the bands will correct this. So, they are doing well and not minding the bands at all. What I thought would be very onerous, has actually been quite easy. They wear them for 23 hours a day with a one hour break during which time I wash their hair and the helmets.  Both Jer and I believe there are already some subtle differences notable...although this just could be our hope that we haven't done this for naught!

All the girls continue to increase their mobility -- Emily has made to biggest advancement over the past 2 weeks. She's really taken to the rolling and can be found pretty much anywhere in the living room or kitchen. She has also been spotted trying concertedly to get up on her hands and knees -- GREAT PROGRESS! Heather has mastered the commando crawl (using arms to drag herself on her belly) along with her preferred method of rolling to get herself around. She can quite often be found in the kitchen hanging around the fridge or dishwasher playing with Jennifer letters. She too is working hard at rocking on her hands and knees, and for now, it is anyone's guess who will crawl (hands and knees) first.  Caitlyn has discovered that if she follows 'the voice' that she hears, she will find a person! She followed Jennifer and I into Jennifer's bedroom today...much to Jennifer's (and Caitlyn's) delight! Caitlyn is using her size (smallest of the three) to her advantage and can move like "lightning" across the room to something or someone she is interested in.

I'm sure there is much more to update however, it fails me at this time. We're off to another feeding clinic appointment for Emily...still lagging on her solids intake. Another RSV vaccination next week in addition to a follow-up at the head-shape clinic. Overall, the appointments have really settled down and, in fact, I find they are quite manageable right now - even though I take them by myself now.

So...here are a few pictures from some of our fun times together....enjoy...

Happy Mornings...

Crazy funny face!

Hangin' with my sis...

All eyes...Heather!

Our little fairy...

Who wants milk? Caitlyn and Emily...

A rare occasion for them all to be staying on the towel together (Caitlyn, Emily and Heather)

Raspberry (Thhhcchhh)!! Emily and Heather

I still have the star...ha ha (Caitlyn)

happy girl - part one....Cailtyn

happy girl...part two...Heather

Mischief.....

are....

...who....US??? (Cailtyn - back and Heather - close)

...don't look at me, I'm innocent!! (Emily)

Heather's favourite "hiding"spot...

Miss Ham of the year...Caitlyn

What...I'm reading under here! (Heather)

Helmet head...Heather

Helmet head...Caitlyn

pretty precocious Jennifer....

...in her upside down world

making banana muffins...YUMMY!!

how do you like our hats?? Heather and Emily

...hmmmm I wonder if I could get a cool hat too? Jennifer with Heather and Emily

Loving and lovely

Play time in the day time...

a monkey for a monkey...Emily back, Cailtyn front...

Life is good...and messy...Emily

...Caitlyn

...Heather

We are family....we are love!

Jennifer and Emily worked the peas over together...quite a mess!

...Heather toe to toe in the mess department!

Cailtyn...well she's just happy to have a spoon!

...a rare glimpse of Grandma Judy on camera....

...having last minute cuddles with Emily...

...before sadly returning home to the Island.

Lovin' life with sisters...part 1 (Heather and Jennifer)

Lovin' life with sisters....part 2 (Cailtyn and Jennifer)

Arrrrrr matey...I'll make ya walk the plank if you steal this toy

....hmmm look at that...it's the camera again!

Cailtyn showing off her sitting prowess...

...and stealth moving skills...

Mama and Heather....self portraits...

...it's amazing what can fit in (or come out of) a dresser

helmet free...for one hour only (Cailtyn and Emily)

Caitlyn doing her "super girl" pose!

Emily gearing up for her super girl pose...

Mischief muffins....Emily, Heather and Cailtyn

The wrestlers...Heather and Cailtyn

The many faces...and smiling eyes of Heather...

Early morning practice ...with groupies!

"bed" time...Emily, Cailtyn and Heather

Emily...taking in the music!

Heather is on the move....

...always....and ALL WAYS!

Jennifer tackle manoeuvre...Heather is down for the count!

The favourite toy of all the girls...(Emily)

Just wind her up and she pops right out!

...that's all folks!

So...thank you for your continued interest in how we are doing, the ongoing support, good wishes and words of encouragement. We couldn't do this without a "community" of support that has surrounded us.

We're trying to live each day to the fullest and revel in the miracles four that surround us.

wishing you joy, wishing you laughter...until next time

Jan