Happy Nine Month Birthday Babies!

Baby ABC shirts...all smiles!

The babies are nine months old today. I feel like a broken record saying "time flies" but it really has. Life is still ridiculously crazy busy but I feel like we're in a groove now. Our routine is very defined (most days anyways!) which has helped a ton. It's hard to believe how fast they are changing. Below are pictures from this past weekend in Champaign. We love Rory and Christina (Christopher Rory photography) and how they capture the babies. I'm a little bias but I think the pictures turned out great :-) We tried to get a picture with Kyle and the babies but he wasn't having any of it. He was a total wreck so I gave up on the idea. Maybe we'll try again when they get their one year pics. Here's the lowdown on the triplets:

* They love to eat baby food, Gerber stars and Cheerios. It's so fun watching them pick up the stars/cheerios with their sweet little fingers. Amazing how quickly they've mastered the art of picking one up and getting it in their mouths. Every so often one gets stuck to their face...priceless.

* All wearing 6-12 mo clothes and size 3 diapers

* Drinking four 7 oz bottles each day and trying out their sippy cups with dinner

* They go to bed around 8 pm and wake up around 7 am

Ryan

Crawling like a mad man. If he sees something he wants, he'll be across the room in no time! He's still doing the army crawl but it's working for him :-) He's the best sleeper, going down no problem and waking up and playing quietly in his crib until we get him up. You still have to earn his smile but is so sweet when you get one! He's starting to get a little stranger anxiety these days. He has the strongest legs and still LOVES to jump! He's my tall, skinny boy who loves to eat anything and everything. As you can see from the picture, he also loves to suck on his lower lip. He knows how to turn on the charm when he wants something but also can cry and scream when you walk out of the room! I still think Ryan is going to be my patient, mild mannered child...here's hoping there's at least one of them!

Brooke
She is our "chunky monkey". She's short with lots of edible rolls on her arms and legs. I love that her belly sticks out of several of her 6-9 month shirts. My friend Samantha's daughter Mallory had the same sweet belly that I always thought was the cutest thing...now I have my own little Buddha :-) Brooke hasn't figured out the crawling thing yet, she'd rather sit or roll over to her back and play with the toys you set there for her. She's not as solid or muscular as the boys. She's finally been sleeping in her own bed, thank GOD! It's so nice to be able to spread out in my bed and just have Ed and Macey to contend with! I miss cuddling with her at night though. She has the sweetest smile and LOVES to talk. She's saying mama and lots of other babble. I'm sure it's just ironic but when I walked into the room the other night she said "mama!". Soon enough she'll be saying it clearly, whining it, etc!


Jack

Look at that smile?! Jack is our LOUD one. He doesn't know what his "inside voice" is yet but we can't wait for him to find it. He'll be sleeping and all of a sudden start screaming (aka crying) or do it when he wants attention. And unfortunately, the poor guy is still spitting up!?!? Adding food to his diet has only caused the spit up to change colors which isn't so great for clothes or carpet! We keep thinking he might grow out of it, sometimes I think it might last until kindergarten!? I can't wait for the day until it ends. Jack is also a great army crawler. He's trying to crawl on all fours and often makes a few moves then falls down and goes. He is the first to go from his stomach to a sitting up position.


Feet picture - still a favorite!

All smiles...

L-R: Ryan, Brooke & Jack

The new blog header is also from this session. I love how Jack and Brooke are holding hands :-) It's hard to imagine life before their arrival anymore. We are truly blessed.