Head Wounds Bleed A Lot

This morning started out just like any other. I woke up, showered, had some breakfast, checked email, facebook and twitter, then headed upstairs to wake the kids up. Due to a nagging shoulder injury I've been changing the kids on the floor instead of the changing table. I changed and dressed KJ and Elisha without incident. Then Juli came over and started to lay down, and before I could catch her, BAM, her head smacked right into the corner of the dresser. I quickly picked her up and hugged her and started to feel around her head for a bump that I knew was forming. Then I felt something warm and sticky.

I realized immediately that she had cut her head and she was bleeding, but I didn't realize just how much head wounds bleed. By the time I had stopped the bleeding the area looked like a ER. I had more blood on me than I thought was possible, Juli's hair was coated in blood, I had several rags covered in blood on the floor, blood had dripped on the floor, there was literally blood everywhere. I had to give Juli a bath to get it out of her hair, I needed to change clothes and had to clean the carpet. All from a little cut on her head, no more than a few millimeters long.

Not exactly how I wanted to start our morning.

Triplets Say "Elephant"

We just love the way the trips say "elephant". Hope this brightens your day as much as it does ours.

Revenge

Last night, as we were getting the triplets ready for bed, Juli got a taste of her own medicine. We had a scented candle lit and Juli pointed out that it was green. KJ decided to inform Juli that the candle was white. Juli started to get a little upset and insisted that the candle was green, emphatically! Since KJ was sitting in Gretch's lap, she was able to put a stop to the argument before it got out of hand.

Juli The Antagonist

It's a well known fact that siblings fight, argue, and compete with one another all the time. Usually the bigger or older sibling wins out. Occasionally the younger or physically smaller sibling finds a way to get back at the other. Our Juli, while the oldest of the triplets, is physically the smallest. KJ and Elisha often push her around because they know they can. I punish them when I see it, but if I don't see who started the fight, it goes unpunished.

Recently, Juli has found a way to get under KJ's skin that brings him to tears. She tells him he's wrong when he knows he's right. For example, when KJ says it's morning, Juli will tell him that it's night. When KJ says it's hot, Juli will tell him that it's cold. KJ knows he's right, but Juli is so insistent that it becomes a "is too", "is not", "is too", "is not" argument until KJ starts crying. Juli knows that what she's saying is wrong, and she knows it's going to get a reaction out of KJ if she keeps it up, and she has a huge grin on her face the whole time. Of course, we put a stop to the argument as soon as we notice it simply by telling Juli that KJ is right. She then happily goes about her business and finds something else to occupy herself with.

The Triplets Keep Us Busy

I know I haven't posted anything of any substance here in a while, and I'm sorry. It's been a little crazy around here. The trips turned three over the weekend, and we had a party last weekend for them. It was a great party with lots of family and friends. The weather held out for us until it was time for the kids to open their presents, which was okay with me because I'd rather have them open presents in the house anyways. The only problem was fitting forty people into our already crowded house. Somehow we managed it. I think there were some people sitting on top of one another, but nobody complained (too much).

Right now Juli is a little chatterbox. She is rambling on about one thing or another almost every waking minute. It's very cute for the first five minutes of the day, but gets very tiresome after that. She is still her polite little self, saying please and thank you at the appropriate times without prompting. It just melts your heart when she says it. She likes to snuggle in her bed with three blankets right now. I think she would take more if we made them available. She has adjusted to being in her own room pretty well, but still isn't really napping. She definitely still needs a nap, but doesn't want to do it. Juli is really into TinkerBell at the moment. She loves the movie and has the doll. That's the only movie that she'll sit through for any length of time. She's up after 15 minutes with anything  else.

Elisha is pretty quiet and reserved right now, but when she does talk, she does it with gusto. She has two volume levels, mute or all the way up. There really is no in between with her. Like Juli, she does not want to nap, but needs to. Her speech has become very clear at times. Previous to the last week, she would say her name was "Eesha" or something similar. Within the last week, it has become a very clear "Elisha". Elisha has the most stuffed animals in her bed, and I think she plays with them during nap time. She is still very much into Toy Story, especially Jessie, her favorite character.

KJ is really outspoken and opinionated lately. He likes specific things a specific way, and lets you know if something is not right. Everything has to be done a certain way, or he is an unhappy little guy. The girls have picked up on this and have figured out how to push his buttons. This makes for lots of screaming during play time. He really likes his Thomas & Friends trains. They got a train table for their birthday, and he plays with it every day. He gets very upset if a piece of track falls out of place, or if one of the girls gets in his way while he's playing with it. He also loves the Thomas movies, and will sit through almost an entire DVD.

Juli, Elisha and KJ are all growing so fast. It's so hard for me to believe that they started out as those three little babies in the NICU. We're really starting to see their personalities come out. It's fun to watch them grow and explore and interact. It amazes me how different their personalities are, yet how alike they are at the same time.

Remember When

I was backing up some pictures from my iPhone and found this picture of Juli with Elisha in the background. It might be the first picture I took with my first iPhone. I think the triplets were around 18 months old in this one.

Triplets' Third Birthday Party

This past weekend we celebrated Juli, Elisha, and KJ's third birthday party. It's really hard to believe that the three little babies that came into the world and just around three pounds each have grown into these three little people with three wonderfully different personalities. The past three years haven't been easy, and I'm sure there are many more challenges to come, but I wouldn't trade any of it for anything. Happy Birthday Julianna, Elisha, and Kevin!

If you follow the blog or my twitter feed you know that the girls really haven't been napping well, if at all. We scheduled the party just after the trips' usual nap time. Of course, being the contrary little toddlers that they are, all three of them slept well past the start time of the party. We had to wake them up. This made for some tentative little people who wanted to cling to someone familiar.

Balloons helped to break the ice a little.

Balloon!!

Juli liked her balloon quite a bit.

Everyone enjoyed the sandbox.

The swings were a big hit, too.

B posing for the camera.

KJ and Grandma having a good time with their balloon. He has such a contagious giggle.

Gretch and Juli pose for the camera.

KJ and Uncle George playing their own version of "catch".

Buster decided to dig a hole in the yard. I was really impressed.

KJ waiting patiently for his cake.

Juli's face lit up when everyone was singing to her.

Elisha was entranced by the candles.

KJ tried to put out the flame with the Jedi Mind Trick, and a little help from mommy!

Elisha waited patiently for her piece of cake.

Juli somehow ended up with two balloons!

Juli couldn't wait to rip into her presents.

KJ was overcome with joy upon seeing his Spud Trooper

The Toy Story Lego set was a big hit as well.

Elisha helping Mommy open a gift.

Elisha is very excited to get this tissue paper wrapped item!!

Juli And Elisha Reading A Magazine

I captured this video last week of Juli and Elisha reading a magazine together. I'm surprised at how long they carried on with me recording them. It was a very cute "sister" moment.

Triplets Being Siblings

We caught this fun video last week of the triplets playing on the slide. I think it really shows off the bond they have as siblings.