The "WOW" Factor..Is it triplets or sextuplets?????

This is such an exciting post for me.  Several months ago a mom came across my blog and sent me a message saying that she lives close and that our triplets were all near the same age.  Her name is Jen and she has 3 beautiful little girls (to match up perfectly with my little men)  They are Avery, Devyn and Zoey.  They have the biggest eyes and the best checks ever.  Avery , Devyn and Zoey are 7.5 months old so they are a weee bit smaller than my boys.  

We have met up once before and decided that we needed to do another outing but this time with the babies.  We all loaded up and met up at Great Lakes Crossing.  Oh my did we ever have fun.  Jen and I had so much to talk about that it was literally a leisure stroll around the mall.  We did not go into any stores and stopped only for a tear or a bottle.  The babies all did great and we received a lot of attention.  There were people stopping the middle of their sentences as we walked by.  Many people thought that they were sextuplets and I was the helper.  Jen and I would talk and laugh and we stopped often to answer questions or let people admire our little miracles.  I really can't wait to do this again soon.

We had to grab a photo of this rare moment.  While this lady took our picture there were people gathering around us.  I loved having another triplet mom there to share in the stares with. 

Memory Is Not What It Used To Be

This past week was a crazy one and lots happened in my world.  I usually wake up in the morning and realize that I have a lot of things going on but for the most part I am a stay at home mom with limited outside activities so as long as I manage my castle I am doing good.  It is when I have to leave my castle is when my things get crazy.....

Thursday morning came and it was parent teacher conference day so I knew I had that on my plate for the day.  I went to bootcamp and got home at 6:30am and jumped in the shower because of the 1pm appointment I had with the boys teacher. (lots of details to lead up to my point) I even did my hair after my shower.  I get all the kids off to school and I am cleaning up the house and waiting for Marcia to arrive. (Marcia is my amazing sitter and she picks Mairin up from school and brings her home and then watches the babies for the afternoon).  Oh and it gets better...the kids only have a half day of school too so Marcia brings lunch for all of them.  I take off around 12:10 and I remember driving and thinking..where shall I go first.  I ended up going to Costco for a couple of things.(not even my normal ..mac daddy shopping ..just a few things) I do a lot of looking around at Costco..no hurry...no worries...I check out and load my stuff in my truck and as I am thinking of what to do next I have this feeling of ..I sure have a lot of time today...hummmm seems weird.  I start driving and it hits me...OMG!!OMG  I look at my watch as I am ready to get sick to my stomach.  My watch reads 2:09pm.....My conferences for Eamon and Liam were at 1pm and 1:20pm.  OMG OMG what do I do now.  Ok..Heather think..relax it is ok.  I called my Aunt Myrna.  "Myrna I am one of those moms"  What did you do?  I missed the boys parent teacher conference.  "GASP"! Myrna that is not the reaction I was looking for but you just confirmed how bad this is.  She said.."Oh no Heather it is ok but you should go up to the school and see if you can pop your head in.  I headed up to the school and walked into the school office with my head hanging low.  They asked how they could help me and I said I needed a piece a paper to write my teacher a note since I missed my conference. 

You have got to love the office staff and how good they can make you feel.  They were wonderful and started in with , "Don't worry about it" "We have all missed them"  and on and on.  They were really sweet and I was able to write my note and be on my way.  I sent an email that evening to the teacher and Mrs Kreyger let me come in the very next morning at 8:15am.  thank you Mrs Kreyger....

The rest of the day left me a little shook as I just couldn't let it go but eventually I got over it.  Friday was another blunder of dissappointment as we were heading out to see the movie "Precious" and as we get to the theater we see that we have the wrong week and the movie is not starting until next Saturday....uggggggg

I made up for all of my blunders for the week by leaving the house at 10am on Saturday for a day at the spa ..thanks to my husband for a great gift certificate and my sister for some babysitting while David had to be gone. I didn't get home until 7:30pm and when I did get home I could smell that aroma of clean kids. David and Heidi had given baths/showers to all 6 of them.  What an amazing ending to a great day. 

Homework and Baby Gates

On Monday I kept Eamon home from school because he had a cough that I just didn't like.  It was one of those coughs that you just know if someone hears him they will think, "I just don't know why that mother sends that kid to school with a cough like that".  Yep I am a huge sucker for what "other people think".  Eamon seemed fine all day and didn't have any fever or anything.  Liam got off the bus promptly at 4:10pm and as he ran inside and slammed the door he was slightly out of breath and telling me, "Mom I went ahead and did Eamon's homework for him" I said "You did what?" "I did Eamon's homework for him on the bus".....bless his little heart.  Liam wanted to help out his brother and had no idea that that was not helping his brother. I had Liam erase everything and he said he was sorry several times...I think he finally realized what he had done. 

The other morning I was in the kitchen (as usual) and the older kids were ready for school and they were playing on the computer and watching some TV.  I did a count for the babies and located one in the family room watching baby einstein, one sitting under the kitchen table playing with a toy and the 3rd one was in the living room attempting to get inside Stella's cage (Stella is my sisters dog). I went back to what I was doing and I swear it was not 2 minutes later when I hear Mairin calling me saying "Mom ...come here Fintan needs you". I respond with "Mairin where are you and what is wrong?" She is standing at the top of the stairs with her hand over her mouth laughing with Finn at her feet.  I bolted to the top of the stairs saying to myself "holy crap what is he doing up there"? My 10 month old little triplet has completely figured out how to climb the stairs all by himself.  I really didn't believe it until I let him try it in front of me...Yes it is true he has no issues going up with out any help or guidance.  Time for more gates.

Growing Old Gracefully..11 Kids Over...Another Triplet Mom and Odds and Ends

I know this is a little off topic but I just had to share with everyone something that I find to be a bit rare.  My wonderful Aunt Myrna married late and life and she waited for Mr. Right...Uncle Harry ended up being Mr. Right and they have been a match made in heaven ever since.  Myrna organized a formal party to celebrate his birthday.  Harry has not and would not tell anyone his age until this past Saturday.  Check out how good my Uncle Harry looks at an amazing 80 years old.  We had an amazing night celebrating his birthday.

The kids did not have school on Friday so I decided to go ahead and just have a blowout playdate.  I decided to invite over 3 of Mairin's little girlfriends and let Eamon and Liam each have a friend over.  We had a great time and they were a great group of kids.  I got out some different activities so that they could keep busy going thru my so called "stations".  I had play dough in the kitchen, beading in the dining room and stamps, crayons and stickers in the living room.  It really worked well and the girls moved together and the boys moved together.  I will definately keep my eyes open for crafts and activities for future playdates.  I served pizza for lunch and I had all 7 older kids around the table and the 3 babies in their high chairs.  I was busy doing something and I start to hear the bang on the table and I look and see all the kids starting a beat on the table and singing .."we will ...we will rock you "  Liam is leading the crowd with the verse (that he really didnt know the words to) it was one of the funniest things I have heard in a long time.  That is when you look around the room and say ..."holy crap I have a ton of kids here".  It was fun and actually my house was in great shape when everyone left.  It is all about rules, activities and good kids.

Now we need to talk about my new friend Jen.  Jen found me while searching for triplets and noticed that we must live close after reading some of my blog posts.  Jen is the mother of triplet girls and lives probably 10 miles from me.  Her triplet girls are 4 months younger than mine and she delivered at the same hospital, dealt with some of the same doctors and best of all...we get along great.  We started talking over the internet..than we chatted on the phone and we finally met last week.  We both put our triplets to bed and we met up at the "Rusty Bucket".  2.5 hours later I felt like I had met someone who I was able to talk to about a common pregnancy, triplet issues and all the other things that go along with multiple babies.  Jen was so sweet and we were both able to share our ideas and thoughts on parenting and what works.  We are going to meet up at Great Lakes Crossing (mall) on Wednesday with the 2 sets of triplets in tow...this is strictly for the shock factor.  You rarely see triplets and you really rarely see 2 sets of triplets and the moms hanging out.  I will go ahead and update you when all of this stuff happens.

Halloween

The Mott Halloween Party #6.....a huge success.  We had a ball on Saturday celebrating and trick or treating.  The beginning of the day started with wind and rain and I was a bit nervous as to who would be showing up but by the time 5:30 came people were rolling in..ready for some serious candy highs.  I changed the party up a bit this year and extended the invite to some west maple friends.  We had tables out, fire going in the fire pit, lots of food and plenty of child and adult beverages.  At 6:30 all parents and kids headed out down the street for candy gathering.  We started as a group of 40 plus people and then slowly spread out based on the ambition of the kid.  The older kids started running and didnt stop until they were done. The middle age little ones had to stay close to the parents,  the little little ones had to be walked up to the houses and then there were the crew of stroller pushers bringing up the rear and holding the road down. 

The evening got rollin after the trick or treating with lots of snacks, pizza, subs, drinks for kids and adults.  The kids ended up playing in the backyard or in the basement and most of the adults gathered in the garage or by the fire.  The very best part was that my brother and sister in law came over and helped.  Tom stoked the fire while we were treating and Pam took charge of the babies so that I could enjoy myself and make my rounds around the party.  David and I spent several years going to Tom and Pam's house for Halloween but now their kids have grown up and we decided to invite them over to start over with young kids again.  Pam got her baby fix and she ended her evening at our house by tucking the babies into bed.  A huge thanks to Tom and Pam (oh and Stephen and Maddie and friends) for all of your help and for your love of the babies.

 Mairin wanted to be batgirl this year and she was really good at being a batgirl.  Eamon and Liam decided to be Mario and Luigi and I couldnt leave out the babies so they were skeletons. 

Late Night With Colin

We ended up going to Stanton for the weekend and I left David and the older boys home while Heidi, myself, Mairin and the trips headed north for a weekend at my mom and dad's house.  The first night went great and the babies all slept well.  Saturday night was a different story.  Crazy Colin woke up at midnight and that little stink would not go back to sleep.  I sleep in adjoining rooms so I hear everything.  I tried everything from giving him a bottle, massage, tylenol and nothing was working but as soon as I held him he was fine, put him down and he cried.  At 1:30 I decided enough was enough and I put him down and dragged the pack n' play into another adjoining room that we call "the workshop".  This room is heated and it is just a big room with a workbench, laundry, storage and odds and ends.  There are no windows so it was completely dark.  It didnt take long for Colin to give up and finally go to sleep.  The following morning I was sleeping peacefully when I heard Declan so I got up and got him.  I thought I should go and check up on Colin in the workshop.  I walked in and did not turn on the light but proceeded to feel around the pack n' play and no baby to be found.  (Hummm mom must have gotten him already...huhhhh wonder how she found him. ) I went upstairs and mom immediately says to me, "I heard someone crying so I went down there and I couldnt find where the crying was coming from"  I started laughing..mom then tells me "Heather you will not put him in the workshop again" I answer with ..Oh yes I will mom, this kid will wake up the whole house if we dont. 

This is where triplets are a different breed.  What you might do for a single is different than what you do for 3.  You have to make a decision when a baby is crying.  Do I let the one cry it out and risk waking 2 others or do I go in and give a bottle.  I struggle on what to do and depending on which baby is crying depends on what my next play is. Colin is very determined and can cry a long time, Finn can cry and then go back to sleep and usually Declan can and will sleep thru anything.  Needless to say ..Colin is my little one that I think has the strongest will of any of my kids and I just can't wait to see all of the things he will challenge me on in the upcoming years.  He can be such a little stinker but he is soo darn cute.  

Overall it was a great weekend as we got to decorate cookies with my Nanny and I got a good nap on Saturday. 

When Does The Pain Stop

I have officially completed 2 full weeks of bootcamp as of today and I am still sore. My trainer is either really good or I am just in the worst shape ever.


Alarm goes off at 5:00am and I snooze until 5:09am when I get up and head out the door. The training site is just 2 miles down the road so I don't have a lot of time to wake up on the way. The workout is from 5:30 to 6:30 and there are 5 of us that have been braving the outdoor weather and showing up to be abused. We do everything from skipping to jumping to suicides. Every muscle in my body is sore. There are places that hurt that I did not know existed. I am terrible at situps (I am going to blame that on my babies and 3 c-sections) I am terrible at push-ups (I am going to blame that on the fact that who has time to work out your shoulders). The worst part of my day is waking at 5am and the very best part of my day is driving away at 6:30am. I feel terrible that I have not been writing as much as I should but I struggle to stay awake past 8:30pm at night and of course I dread the early morning wake up. I hope to keep the bootcamp going as long as people are interested so lets keep the fingers crossed

The triplets are doing very well and I was able to do some yardwork yesterday while the trips played inside the trampoline. Several people drove by and I saw them pointing and laughing.

I got a call from a local triplet mom this morning and I am very excited to meet up with her next week. We live 6 miles apart and she has triplet girls that are only 4 months younger than my trips. We will have so much to talk about.

Tellin My Story To Everyone

Do you ever go about your day and as you see people ..wonder what is their story? I am constantly reading bumper stickers and trying to decode license plates. I made my own story public on the back of my Expedition several months ago.
The best part of this sticker is that I have noticed several times while stopped at a light that someone behind me is laughing or raising an eyebrow. At first I would forget that the sticker was there and then when someone would pass me they would always sit up in their seat, look at me and then almost want to look in my backseat. It took me a minute but then I figured it out. My sticker of all these kids just makes people curious and I think they want to see what a mom of 6 really looks like.

The other day I was at a light and I was looking out my side mirror and I saw a lady on her cell phone, pointing to my vehicle and I could totally read her lips...."yahh this vehicle in front of me has this sticker on it and it has 3 olders kids and they also have 3 babies"...I would have loved to be in her car to hear the whole conversation. The other side of the coin though is that people will definatley look at you funny if you are driving really fast, passing the right and being a moron. Thank goodness I am not a smoker..can you imagine the looks I would get. People assume that all 6 kids are in the car ..all of the time anyway. I love my sticker and it is custom and you can share your story with people and make your own via ebay. Search..family car stickers. TGIF

Fighting Triplets..Starts So Early

The triplets are now 10 months old and I feel like the fighting has already begun.

I keep all 3 babies in the family room with all of their toys and I often give them a bottle on the floor. They can hold their own bottle so it is pretty easy. Colin on the other hand needs to be strapped into his carseat because the kid cannot stop long enough to eat. Once I buckle him in it is like he knows he can't get out so he gives up and drinks his bottle.
Declan and Finn are drinking and all of a sudden one of them whip their bottles and they roll over and start crawling towards the other. Finn will go up to Declan and grab his face and try to see if he can dig out Declans eyes with his fingers. Declan will tolerate it for a moment and then he rolls over and then they both head for the carseat to get back at Colin for beating them up earlier in the day. They get on each side of the carseat and they start rocking the carseat. Before you know it they flip Colin back so he is tipped back far enough so that he is helpless. He is just starring up at his brothers as they are holding on and balancing against the carseat handle. I will walk into the room and they are all laughing. It really cracks me up.

They are really good at going thru and over each other rather than going around. I allow it because I guess I figure it will make them tough. When one of them has discovered a cool toy it only takes moments before the other 2 are hauling over to the spot that has the cool toy. Colin will crawl over his brother like his brother is merely a piece of landscape. Finn will climb over another and will stop only momentarily and glance at the brothers face and then continue on. Declan will go over someone if that someone isnt moving. Declan usually is not in a hurry to get anywhere unless I put goldfish on the floor. I catch myself telling them to be nice and thinking they need to share. (yep little ahead of myself ...10 month old polite, sharing and nice boys...NOT)

Eating has really ramped up in the last several weeks. These babies are out of control when it comes to eating. I don't think they would stop if I didn't stop them. They are not crazy about wet food that has the wet feel but if it is dry they are all over it. They love the breakfast bars I give them, manderine oranges (if I feed it to them...they squeeze them to hard if I let them do it) mini goldfish, saltines, pears, toast, squash and of course they still like their baby food in a jar.

Colin has 3 teeth (2 top and 1 bottom) and he eats very fast and is very good at it. He makes the lip smacking noise and makes me laugh everytime. Declan has 6 teeth (2 top and 4 bottom) and he is a good eater. I think he is willing to try everything and eats slower than the rest. Finn has 4 teeth (2 to and 2 bottom) He is very texture sensitive. He makes the worst faces when I give him cold things. He would rather just sit there while I fed him pureed baby food.

Colin is doing the 5 second stand with no assistance. When this kid walks ...my life is over....

Hallo...weekends At Cedar Point

Another eventful weekend for the Mott family. We left early Saturday morning to go to Cedar Point for their Hallo..weekends. David and I took the older kids and Heidi graceously stayed home and watched the triplets. We met up with 18 other Mott's so it really was a perfect overnight trip. Aunt Pam took a stroller for Mairin and wanted to "Make all of her dreams come true" so whatever Mairin wanted...Aunt Pam said "sure Mairin". I cannot figure out why my 7 year old ...2nd grade boys had literally no fear. The first ride we went on was The Demon Drop. Are you kidding me..I was scared to death when that ride was over. They ended up riding the Gemini, Iron Dragon, Blue Streak and the Mean Streak. David took them on some other coasters as well but I swear they would have ridden every ride there if there weren't such long lines.


Here is the clan of the Mott's. By this point everyone was ready to get riding some rides so it was the last of the group pictures of the day.



Cousin Colleen was a cool cousin when she decided to ride coasters with the boys. Colleen is also one of my favorite babysitters. She started watching Eamon and Liam at 3 months old and now she has a real job so I only get her on weekends. Yep good old Colleen is great at handling all six.

Mairin parked herself at Snoopy Land and loved every minute of it. Aunt Pam had lots of snacks too so she was in heaven. Little Margaret was there too so Mairin got to be a little mother too. Mairin wanted her face to be painted as a butterfly so here the girls are showing off their paint jobs.

We stayed until midnight and by the time we got out of the park and back to our hotel it was 1:30am....It was a late night but we all had fun. The kids were beat and there was no fighting or anything..they entered the room and crashed.