Vermont...Here we come

We are leaving bright and early tomorrow morning for Vermont. It should be a fun trip. Both my sisters and all the kids are also coming. That's 8 kids with the oldest being 9. Needless to say we are also bringing along alot of beer! This is our annual trip to Vermont for 4th of July. We are lucky to have Uncle Bill and Lee invite the whole crew up to their vacation house in Killington. (well, I am not sure they have invited us in years but we all just keep coming back!)

It will be nice to have a few days of nothing. I thought we were going to leave earlier but it didn't work out that way. Instead, we went to Maggie's yesterday to see Aunt Juanita and the beautiful Miss Corinne (or Baby Rinne as the boys like to call her)

Some of Maggie's relatives were over from Ireland and we went to visit them. They brought them over the cutest Irish Soccer outfits I have ever seen. We got them on Saturday so the were able to wear them yesterday. The only problem??? The shorts are white. Yep, white. And yesterday they decided playing the dirt piles was there favorite past time. NEedless to say, after dirt piles and ice cream they were no longer white. But I was able to bring them back to their clean state with a little work!

I took the boys for haircuts today. This is the first time Ciaran and Colin got haircuts without a complete meltdown. I was shocked and so happy especially since I was by myself. They look so cute. Poor Cormac, he wanted a haircut but doesn't need one so we pretended to cut his so he didn't feel left out.

Here are some pics from yesterday at Maggie's house.

This is the three in the morning at our house. I tried to get a pic of all three (i should have gotten out the doritos!)



That's Cormac being silly!


Corinne in her bikini! How stinkin' cute is she???


Colin after the dirt pile. HE actually ate it!


Those are sprinkles on Cormac's face from his ice cream. Neatness is not his specialty!


Ok, I am off to start packing for our trip. Lord knows how much CRAP we will bring with us

Have a happp and safe 4t of July!

The majic of Doritos!

How do you get three 2 year olds and 2 non listening dogs to sit still for 30 seconds?????? DORITOS!!!! Check them all out sitting together. Please remind me of this when I am trying to take my Christmas picture next year. Granted the cushions are off the bench and the house is a disaster but all five subjects are IN THE SAME FRAME and no one looks terribly miserable! I didn't even think the boys would like Doritos but apparently no so. I knew the dogs would like them because, hey, they have been known to eat dirty diapers so I am thinking a Dorito is an upgrade from poop!


We headed down to Maggie's for some of the weekend. It was ungodly hot and somehow we never even made it to the beach. Um.... wasn't that the plan? We did have a nice dinner on the deck followed by ice cream at Circus Time. All was well until the CLOWN came out. If you have been reading my blog you will remember Cormac has a tremendous fear of clowns. He ditched his ice cream and clamped onto me so tightly I didn't even need to hold him. I had to take him outside while she made balloon animals for Ciaran and Colin. She was kind enough to send one out for Cormac. The car ride home sounded something like this Cormac:" No more clowns" Ciaran:"mickmack scared clowns". Colin: "red doggie balloon" This was repeated over and over again. I guess Colin relly doesn't care if Cormac is scared. He just wanted his balloon.

Cormac enjoying himself before Bozo showed up!



Colin jolly as usual


Ciaran digging in..


Yes, those are my babies (ok, boys, toddlers, whatever) all sitting at a big table eating ice cream by themselves.

We went to the marina this morning to check out the boats. One of our favorite past times. We saw some fish, a star fish and a crab swimming. You can imagine the excitement. Here they are checking out the water.





And we tried to get me the boys and grandma. This was the best I could get. (I didn't have any doritos on me!)

A Shitty Day...LITERALLY

I heard the boys wake up this morning and they were all chatting in their cribs. I hop out of bed to take a shower while I had a minute. When I come out of the shower I hear "Colin BIG Poopy". Ok, that's not too out of the ordinary because Colin always does big poopy and tells you. But for some reason I felt the need to go in and check what was going on. Well, Colin had did a BIG poopy and proceeded to take his pajama bottoms off as well as his diaper. I have heard so many moms tell me about this phase of toddlerhood. I think just yesterday or the day before I said to myself that I can't believe they haven't done it yet. I was lucky. He only had poop on his hiney. He had folded the diaper the way I do so no poop was getting all over the place. There was one runaway turd laying in the crib but not too bad.

I take the dirty diaper downstairs and I as I get to the kitchen the smell of not human poop overwhelms me. The dogs had crapped in the kitchen twice. I was so aggravated. It stunk so bad. I can deal with toddler poop but giant dog poop makes me gag. So, now, i have to clean up the dog crap while colin is still naked in his crib.

I head the boys into the bath since they can always use a bath. The day is much better since. We headed to a new playground I found. It is completely enclosed and totally made for toddlers. I can go by myself and let them all out. They all listened when it was time to go and got in the stroller. (ok, I did mention I had lollipops in the stroller! but I didn't give them to them before so they sort of listened!) A mom commented when I was leaving "I can't believe she got all three of those boys in the stroller and I can't get ONE to leave the playground!" (ahhh, the wonder of the lollipop!) We went to Target,our favorite hangout, and at "pizza pie" as the boys like to call it!

It's now 1pm and everyone is asleep. Quiet on the homefront. Tonight is my bookclub, ok, "beerclub" and I plan to really enjoy a few frosty cold beers. Just typing that makes me want one!

So, the day was actually great so far other than the shit!

Here are just some videos from yesterday. This is Ciaran and Cormac playing. Ciaran was tickling Cormac to make him laugh. You can see how much fun they have together. At one point Ciaran is pinching Cormac but he thinks he is tickling him.



This is Ciaran pushing Colin in the wagon (in the living room). Cormac interupts to tell me his letters. At first I don't realize he is telling me his letters. They normally don't play in the living room. You can see how quickly they trash the room!




Here are some pics from yesterday too. Just in case you can't tell I am TOTALLY loving borrowing my mom's camera. It takes awesome pics and amazing videos and it's so easy to upload. (don't worry, mom, I know I have to give it back!)


Colin just waking up from his nap. He always giggles when he wakes up.


Ciaran pointing to an airplane


Cormac getting ready to go down on the slide on his belly

Ciaran or should I call him my lil' salami sandwich?

I was vacumming this morning (my first mistake) and the boys were playing in the living room and dining room where I was cleaning. I left the dining room for two seconds and I turn around and almost an ENTIRE bottle of Olive Oil is all over the floor. Did I mention the Olive Oil was from Costco?? You know the GIANT bottle!! No, I didn't take time to take pictures because I didn't think it was too cute at the time. It was soaking into my hardwood floors. Now, who is the culprit? The title of this post is misleading. If could ONLY have been Colin because he is the only one who can OPEN twist tops so far. But somehow, Ciaran was the one wearing the olive oil. (Now he smells like a Salami sandwich or a breaded chicken cutlet I can't decide.Frank's favorite sandwich is Salami and Mozzarella with olive oil and vinegar) SO, Ciaran and Colin went straight to the time out chairs which was a blessing because how in the world could I clean it up with three munchkins running through it. Cormac was no where near the scene of the crime so he wasn't in any trouble. There was no time for a bath because Joan was arriving in about 10 minutes for Cormac's therapy. So, Ciaran will be Salami boy for the day. I might just take a bite out of him! On a lighter note, his skin is so soft. I might have to start moisturizing with Olive Oil.

The Duke and a lil video of Cormac

When we were having the babies tons of people wondered what the dogs would do when they met the kids. Lots of people asked me if I was going to get rid of them. That thought never crossed my mind and I thought it was strange people would even think the idea. I guess if they were mean dogs I would have had to think twice but they are real lovers so I wasn't worried. The dogs ignored the babies for a long time. Without me ever saying a word they never walked into the nursery unless I told them they could enter. Most of you know the dogs and are probably shocked to read this since we all know they are wild. But I guess they just knew. As the boys got bigger the dogs were more curious. Once they started eating food all bets were off and Duke and Duchess had found three new best friends. Of course, there is the occasional steeling of a cracker out of the boys hands and that leads to a tearful "Dukie or Duchie did it". But it usually ends happy. I know I must spend a lot of time calling them bad dogs because one of the first two word phrases any of the boys said was "bad dog". If you ask the boys if the dogs are good or bad they say bad. Since they don't know what the word bad means it's just them repeating my words. But cute all the same. Anyway, all this to show you how the boys and the dogs play together. Ciaran likes to think Duke is a Horsie. Duke just loves any attention he can get, even if it means someone riding him!  


Here's a little video of Cormac. He's chatting away. I think I am asking him his name and his brother's names.

Our new friend, Zak

The boys have a new friend, Zak. He is about 6 months older than and they had a blast playing on Saturday. Zak had a ton of cool toys the boys never had seen before. They ran themselves ragged and slept on Sunday until almost 8:30 in the morning. I think we need more playdates with Zak.

Here is a slideshow of the boys with Zak. You will see some of his cool toys. (well, in one pic Cormac is on a motorcycle. That's not one of Zak's toys. That's a real motorcycle!)

A year ago yesterday!

Make sure to scroll down for the some pics.

I meant to blog this yesterday but we had such a fun packed adventurous (more on that later) day I didn't have the time or energy.

It was one year ago on June 21st the Lawrence family had one of the hardest days of their lives. Cormac had his blateral Cochlear Implant Surgery on June 21, 2007. Easy date to remember since it's Trisha' birthday. We then had the long 3 week wait until activation. It was the longest day of my life (even longer than the day the boys were born. That only took 45 minutes) Cormac's surgery took almost 7 hours. Frank and I just waited and waited. One is never so frightened as to hand over your child for surgery. Especially, when it involves drilling in the head. I remember walking him back to the OR and holding him. Praying it would all be OK. It just had to be OK. I could never forgive myself if it wasn't OK. Frank said I could only go in and hold him if I promised not to let him see me cry before he was sedated. I put on the happiest face I could muster and held that little boy until his eyes closed. At that point all bets were off. I lost it completely but the nurse was kind enough to tell Frank I didn't cry until he was asleep.

We then waited the seven hours until we could see him. When we went into recovery I was not prepared for what I saw. Cormac was so swollen he couldn't open his eyes. So at this point he couldn't see or hear. My heart just broke and I immediately went to hold him. At first they wouldn't let me but at Frank's insistance they quickly handed him to me. He laid on my chest and slept for the next 2 hours. Even though he couldn't see or hear he KNEW it was me and I would take care of him.

We were moved out of recovery and into his room for the night. We did not have the best experience with nursing care. They would only let me stay and not Frank. Basically, I sat in a chair with Cormac on my chest for 12 hours. No one came in to check on us. I couldn't use the bathroom because I wouldn't leave him alone. It was a horrible night. The nurse call button I pushed all night apparently wasn't a clue enought I needed help. ANyway, I finally carried Cormac and pushed his IV pole into a nurses meeting and demanded someone pay some attention to us.

We were home within about 24 hours. His recovery time was much shorter than one would think. I do remember he wanted to stay outside the next day. He just wanted to sit in the grass. He looked like Princess Leah with the bandages on his head.

Cormac had just started walking before his surgery. But the day after he walked around the hospital pushing his IV pole. He has been running ever since.

While it was one of the hardest days in my life I now know the impact that day has had on our lives. As the years progress the impact will be greater and greater. Cormac has the sweetest, softest voice you have ever heard. He loves to talk and listen and learn. He is your typical 2 year old. He says "I love you". He makes jokes. He gets jokes. Today he was roaring like a lion at the zoo and howling like a wolf. He told me he wanted "more yellow school bus". All because of his Cochlear Implants. He is no longer on the outside looking in. Yes, he is still deaf and will always be deaf. Yes, he will have some struggles in his life his hearing peers might not have but I think this will only make him stronger. Cormac has a speciall purpose in life. I strongly believe this in my heart. I can't wait to see what this purpose turns out to be. I think Cormac will somehow change the world. Or at least change the parts he come into contact with in his lifetime. Each day he educates strangers when they see him. Just the other day someone said to me "what are those on his head?" I said "he is deaf and has bilateral cochlear implants". She says "but wait, he talks just like the other two". I say "exactly. That was the hope". I think Ciaran and Colin are better for having Cormac as a brother. They will learn not all people are born the same but it doesn't mean they are any less "normal" Anything is possible. They are constant speech models for Cormac. They are his best friends and they will always take care of each other. They are the first to try and put his "ears" back on when one falls off. Ciaran can find a lost magnet in seconds. (I think this is because he usually is responsible for taking it off in the first place!)

I have lost count of the number of words Cormac says and understands. I am supposed t still be tracking this but when the numbers get so high it's hard to remember them all! We have out one year evalualtion next month.

This year has flown by so quickly. So much has happened. I know I have never been so certain we made the right choice for our son.

Cormac heads to the hospital. This was his first time in Frank's car


In his hopital gown waiting


This is what he looked like after surgery. He was NOT sleeping. He literally could not open his eyes for 12 hours


The next day on our front lawn. Happy as can be.

My thoughts today

We are driving in the car and are driving past the firehouse. To the boys pure joy the firetruck was backing into the firehouse. In unison, the three start saying "ooo eee ooo eee" (the sound they make for a siren after a year of listening therapy for Cormac!!). Anyway, the fireman gets out of the truck in all his gear and Colin says "oooeee man instead of fireman! So cute. It cracked me up. He can say fireman but decided to call him oooeee man instead.

I think the question I get asked the most these days is "are they all yours?" Or it's at least second runner up to "are they triplets?" I always chuckle when someone asks me this question. Granted, I could be babysitting or have borrowed an extra from a neighbor but 99.9% of the time the boys are dressed in the same clothes so it would be a little strange to watch someone else's kid but make them dress him just like mine! A woman I met today in the park said she felt it was an "honor to meet me and my beautiful boys". One comment like that makes up for all the idiotic comments I usually get. Oh, and she also thought I was no older than 25!!! Did I say she might be my new best friend?????

I have planned a fun afternoon. We are going to have a waterballoon extravaganza in the yard. Which reminds me a a little story from this morning. I leave the park after doing my jog while pushing the kids. We headed to the dollar store, oh, what a treasure this place is for us. Ciaran picked out a horse, colin picked a motorcycle and Cormac a spider. There is only one problem with the dollar store. Not carts outside. they have the stupid pole on them so the carts stay in the store. Sounds nice for them but now presents the issue of getting the three of them across the parking lot without a stroller. (I only had the triple jogger and it doesn't fit thru most doors.) Our trip in was very successful. We all held hands and it went smoothly. Our return trip to the car carrying two bags of dollar treasures, holding three kids hands AND the nice man was kind of enough to give them a balloon a piece. You do the math..... I have two hands there are two bags, three kids and three balloons they want to hold and I KNOW ARE GOING TO GET BLOWN AWAY and cause many tears. I tie the balloons to my bag, hang the shopping bags off my wrist and at this point have to convince all three they are STILL HOLDING their balloon and I am not helping in any way. We must have been quite the spectecal. Luckily, everyone's listening ears were on and we made it to the car.

Frank has been working like crazy this whole week. It's feast or famine with the overtime so when it's available he can't pass it up. I have been flying solo all week with Frank making it home just before bedtime except for Wednesday. He missed the boys that day. Basically, I am doing 13 hour shifts alone! Today, I can tell they are missing Frank. He will be home by 7 so he will get some time with them tonight.

POOPY and White donuts!

So, Ciaran, who has yet to pee on the potty, decided to poop on the potty today! Go figure! I am sure it was a fluke and am not counting on it happening again but it's a start! He was so excited he could barely contain himself.

Today, I was taking Cormac to school and we made our usual stop at Dunkin Donuts. He always gets a munchkin or two and I get some OJ and a vanilla frosted. I never really liked donuts but really I just want the frosting and could care less about the donut. Anyway, I digress. I decide to skip the munchkin for Cormac and get him a glazed donut. He is happy as can be. The kind lady also through in two munchkins. (one powdered and another chocholate) I get him in the car and we are driving and I hear him saying something to me with his mouth stuffed with a glazed donut. He is handing me the glazed donut and saying "white donut" over and over. I guess he decided he wanted the powdered donut. This might not be so earth shattering to most people but to me it's pretty darn amazing. He is really using his words together. And he knew to say he wanted the "white" one and not the "brown" or chocholate one. He also said it so clearly. The wonder of the cochlear implant. If he was born just a few years earlier I probably would have never heard him say "white donut". So, the simplest little things he says really could make you cry!

I love how they now talk about everything. It seems there is always something to say. Colin's new favorite phrase??? "ree ree (ciaran) did it! Gotta love it!

The day from HELL!

I should have blogged this yesterday when I was still living it but I was too stinkin tired to deal. Sunday night Ciaran was up most of the night. He wound up sleeping in our bed which means zero sleep for Mamma! So, I knew Monday was going to be rough with no sleep. I have totally forgotten what it is like to be sleep deprived. I think I am totally spoiled since the boys have slept thru the night since they are 4 months old. Anyhow, Ciaran was in a terrible mood since he didn't sleep well. Apparently, some demons entered Colin and Cormac's bodies overnight. I had three little hellions all day. I rarely complain about my days because most days are good. But GOOD GOD they tortured me yesterday. No one wanted to eat. No one wanted to do ANYTHING they were supposed to do. We did go to Target and they were very well behaved. COnsidering all I was doing was burning a picture CD (don't even get me started on the whole camera situation). It took forever but they were fine. Nap time was a welcome moment. I could no longer stand the whining. It was just constant. I finally figured out what was wrong with Ciaran. He pooped right before nap and it was like a weight was lifted off his shoulders. He was skipping around as happy as can be after. Mind you, I have yet to figure out how someone so small could poop what he did! Gross, I know, but this is my reality.

I had to go to Shoprite yesterday afternoon since Frank was working 7-7 I had to bring the boys. I was a little leary since they were crankly. But they surprised me and did great. When we go home it was another story. They got a bag of pretzels and poured them all over the kithcen floor and proceeded to walk on them. They blew thru the living and dining rooms like three mini tornadoes. All this while i made them a dinner a I KNEW THE WOULD JUST LOVE! HA! Who am i kidding??? Of course, they wouldn't eat dinner. Not a single frigin' bite. I was so aggravated. They love chicken and cheese BUT NOT YESTERDAY. I was so happy when Frank got home last night. We watched TV and of course the boys turned into the perfect ANGELS for Daddy. Bed time was good as usual.

Today, so far, things are great. Happy little boys who ate their food. They went to Stroller Strides with me and played after for about an hour with the other kids. They were exhausted and barely madet he ride home. I think the moral of my day yesterday was just keep them out of the house. They get into too much mischief in our house and are bored. When we are out they are always so good.

Lord knows what the winter will be like and we are trapped indoors. I am already dreading it and it's only June!

On a happier note, here are some pics of the boys. Since my camera met with it's demise I have been using my moms old camera and it won't download to my computer. It's a royal pain in the butt. Hopefully, I can get a new camera soon.

Some changes to the blog

I was trying to be "fancy" and the entire blog got screwed up. I was able to fix most of it but all of my links and pictures have to be reposted. What a major pain in the ass. That will teach me to mess with it again. I did figure out how to post a picture in the title so I guess it's worth it.

I will work on getting all the links back up to my favorite sites and blogs. It all takes time. Time is something I seem to have little of these days. Today was one of those days I was looking forward to the boys nap. I should have KNOWN better. It's always on those days things don't go as planned. They happily went to their cribs and all was silent. I was just enjoying the peace and quiet when Ciaran started fussing. I left him for a few but he is persistant. I thought he was asking for milk. Going against my norm because I just wanted to rest, I gave him milk in his crib in a sippie. Nope, he didn't want milk. For the life of me I couldn't figure out what he was saying through the tears. When I finally figured it out he was saying "michael". WHen he fell asleep for his nap my nephew Michael was here. He woke up and wanted him. When I told him he left. He went ballistic. THere was no talking him down. At this point he was starting to wake Colin and I swear I was going to lock him in the closet! Cormac, well, he can sleep through anything since he can't hear without his implants. He's the lucky one. I finally gave in and took him out of his crib. I put him in my bed and it lasted all of ten minutes. It was play time.

I am wondering if it is just my children or if others have this same issue. I think I have the dirtiest kids in the world. I swear, I could bathe them three times a day. We played in the yard today. Now, I always thought it was because we never could get grass and they were playing in dirt. MAkes sense. But now, after all of Frank's hard work we have a really decent lawn back there. Makes NO DIFFERENCE. They still look like they took a dirt bath after five minutes. Am I the only one? Can anyone else chime in here and let me know I am not alone. Is it a boy thing? I just don't know but there is NO SUCH THING as skipping a bath in this house. I am thinking I must just start hosing them off in the yard!

Hearing Journey...

I am feeling like I have been neglecting one of the purposes of this site. It is supposed to document Cormac's hearing journey. As crazy as it sounds and with all we do sometimes it is hard to remember to document his accomplishments. I know, I know, sounds terrible but it isn't. It all just seems so normal to us at this point. He talks and he says things and he continues to progress along the same lines as Ciaran and Colin so sometimes it's hard to remember to "take notes". Each day I do marvel at the things that come out of his mouth. I am amazed at the words he understands. Here's a funny one. I have NO IDEA how he knows this. Cormac walks up to me and starts rubbing my shoulders like he is giving me a massage. (He's pretty darn good at it too!). He walks away and I say "Cormac, Mommy needs a massage". He comes right back and starts again. ???? Massage??? How the heck does he know that word? It's not like I am getting massages squeezed into my hectic schedule. But, none the less, he heard this word at some point and knows it.

I have to take some more videos of him talking. My girlfriend just said to me today. If I didn't see the magnets on his head I would have no idea he couldn't hear. I think that is the greatest compliment I can receive. I guess all the hard work he does is paying off. He says new words every day. He is also expanding the amount of words he puts together. He rarely says one word at a time any longer. It's "mommy, drive", "Olin's turn", "Ciaran, owie nose". He is still signing the words he knows but we haven't been signing any new words.

I think the hardest time I am having at the moment is the pool/ocean. The implants can't go in the water. At the pool on Saturday he had to be "off" the entire time. THis saddens me. I think he will miss out on things. Not to mention he can't hear me if there is something dangerous. A lot of people also talk to him and I have to explain he is deaf. I totally love the opportunity to explain to people he is deaf and hears with implants. I always love the chance to educate those around me. But then again, most of the time they can't tell because he reads lips SOOOOO well he could fool you. And he is able to answer without his implants on. At the moment it is probably harder on me because he doesn't seem to care. But I know in the future this will be an issue. He will want to hear when he is with his friends at the beach. Just keep you fingers crossed they can develop a waterproof implant quickly. Many parents have come up with ways to "waterproof" the implant but I haven't tried it yet. I think I might soon. It's not like he is swimming. MOstly just splashing and playing but you never know if he will fall down and soak himself and all that expensive equipment.

I am going to make an effort to focus more on Cormac's progress. I know years from now I will appreciate having a place to look back and remember.

On a side note, Colin and Ciaran say just about everything now. But I have noticed this between all three of them. They don't actually "talk" to each other. They will say "no, mine" or "my turn" but they don't have conversations. I guess they are a little to young to talk to each other. I can't imagine how cute it will be when they start having conversations. They do however, talk ABOUT each other. Colin is always quick to say "ree ree did it". Ciaran was crying today because he wanted "mickmack to play" and he couldn't at the time.

On a STRANGE note. We were at the park today. I was teaching my first Stroller Strides class. I just finished loading the boys into the van and was putting the stroller away. A woman says to me "do you have triplets?" I say yes, and continue to put the stroller in the back. She says "can I look at them?" I was a little taken aback. Did she think they were going to look different than other children? Did they have tails or horns??? I wasn't quite sure. It was a little weird I have to say.

Sizzling weekend

With the weather so hot we were looking to go somewhere indoors this morning. We decided to go the The Liberty Science Center. I had not been there in years and it was a fun trip. It is very hands on for the boys. We also got lucky because today if you were a Bank Of America customer you were allowed in for FREE!! Can't beat it! We started out by going to the indoor small zoo. Mostly, snakes, reptiles and things like that. They LOVED it. They really loved the turtles and the giant Monitor. Next, we went to the exhibit that taught about germs. They had the GIANT nose, I mean, almost as big as one of the kids, and it sneezed when you walked by to show how far a sneeze can travel. It startled me because it made such a loud noise. Cormac got so upset. He started saying, "Bye Bye, mommy drive" all while waving at the giant nose. He wanted me to take him home. I felt so bad for him. I picked him up and his entire body was trembling. It just kept sneezing and sneezing. I got him away but you could hear it across the room (God, bless his little heart, he COULD hear it across the room) I should have just popped his magnets off so he couldn't hear it but I didn't even think of it until now! I had to take him into another area. Took the poor kid about 1/2 hour to recover!
We left that exhibit and it took him about 1/2 hour to fully recover. He kept saying "bye bye, drive, mommy". We were finally able to distract him in the I explore exhibit. This is geard towards 2-5 years olds. It had tons of hands on activites (painting with water, a ball pit, a big tub filled with rice and they could scoop it and play with it. The rice was their favorite activity. If it wasn't so messy I think I would set one up at home! Maybe in the backyard if it ever cools off enough to go out there!

Choo Choo Train and a flight of stairs.....

Need I say more? That is what Ciaran decided to do yesterday evening. It is one of the motorized trains that goes around the track. I have no idea what possessed him to do it. Luckily, it is only 5 stairs but he was bleeding pretty bad from his nose and mouth. I took him to the ER because I really thought he had broke his nose. They did xrays and a cat scan. The doctor said because he landed on hard wood on the back of his head and the train landed on his face he wanted to do the CAT scan. Little trooper never shed a tear at the hospital. He took xrays and went into the CAT without crying. They gave him a lot of stickers!

He didn't break his nose but resembles Rocky after a good fight! He is all black and blue and swollen. All the people in the ER said, with three boys they will probably know us on a first name basis. Makes me a little nervous.

Frank said while we were gone Colin and Cormac kept asking for Ciaran and saying "Ree Ree owie choo choo" (Colin and Cormac call him Ree Ree)

This was all happening while we were supposed to go and visit Grandpa in the hospital. But instead I went to another hospital with Ciaran and no one was able to visit Grandpa. TR is out of the ICU but still in the hospital. I think he might be sent home tomorrow. Frank says he looks great and seems back to normal. Quite amazaing after suffering a heart attack a few days ago.

Pray we can avoid hospitals for a while.

On a positive note, Colin peed on the potty for the first time on Thursday. He really didn't know what happened it was all luck but we had a big party. Who knew my life would be so exciting I would be throwing a potty party?? It was exciting and funny. Colin sat on the toilet and in order to do this he had to be totally naked. WHen he finally went you should have seen the look on his face. He could not have been prouder. CIaran was watching and got so excited for Colin he leaned over and kissed him on the chest and hugged him. It was a one time deal. But I guess you have to start somewhere. Today was Cormac big day. He asked to sit on the toilet and nothing happened. He got off and put himself back on after stepping into the toilet and he went! He seemed like he knew what he was doing because he got back on the toilet. We all celebrated and the boys were given a smartie as a reward!

We are headed to the pool this afternoon because it is ridiculously hot.

Stay cool

Say some prayers.

Frank's Dad, TR, had a heart attack on Tuesday afternoon. He is in the ICU as of today since they did an emergency stent. We were able to see him and talk to him yesterday and he was doing well. He really didn't know what had happened to him. The doctors said the intervention done in under 90 minutes is what saved his life. When he arrived at the hospital he was in the midst of a major heart attack. Very scary. We need Grandpa around for a long time. So, if you can, say some prayers for him.

As for the kiddos. Ciaran let himself out of his crib this morning even with the crib tent. I had no idea he was out except I heard him yelling "bye Daddy" as Frank was getting into his car to leave for work. I opened their bedroom door and Ciaran very sweetly said "hi, mommy!". Colin proceeded to start yelling "Ree, Ree, Out, no, Ree, Ree, out, no! Colin calls Ciaran ree ree and he was not so happy Ciaran was free and he was still trapped in his crib!

Cormac had school today and they were working on children knowing their own name when asked. I wasn't sure what he would do but I was happy to find out he answered with his version of "cormac" and was also able to say the names of all the kids in his class. He is so funny. He always asked me what everyone's names are, even strangers. They also made yogurt smoothies and he was the only one who drank his smoothie. We have a smoothie almost every day so I guess he was used to it.

Not much else going on. We were supposed to go away this weekend but have decided to stay home.

A wild weekend

My weekend started out by going to see Sex and the City on Friday night. All total it was seven ladies. We even drank some Cosmo's. The movie was great. I was pleasantly surprised. I watched Sex and The City but I wasn't some crazy fan. The theater was PACKED with women. I think two men were in the entire theater. (those poor men. I am sure their wives made them go!) It was the strangest phenomenon I have seen in a while. Droves of women in packs in a theater. It seemed like most of them don't get out much! I couldn't help but laugh. I mean, I have three two year olds and I still manage to socialize with people other than my two year olds! But it was also nice to see so many women out together to have a good time. I will say at the end all you saw were light from cell phone all over the theater. I am guessing everyone was calling to check on their kids and husbands. Or the husbands were calling to see when Mommy would be home!

We headed to Belmar to Grandma's house Saturday morning. We got a late start (remember I had cosmo's the night before!) Tommy, Juanita and Corinne were up from Texas. Ciaran, Colin and Cormac had been practicing for days to say Aunt Juanita, Uncle Tommy and Corinne. I think they did a stellar job! They just love Corinne and kissed her all weekend. Now onto the interesting Saturday night we experienced.

Juanita's sister, Jackie, asked us (tommy, frank, juanita and myself) to go out with her on Saturday night. She is on the lookout for a new girlfriend. Her and her girlfriend broke up a while ago. So, we agree to go to a gay club in Asbury Park. It was all about having some drinks and enjoying each other's company. We went to one place first and it was called "cruisin" (I think). Anyway, it was an all male bar. Except for a few women. We were enjoying our cocktails and haning out when out of NOWHERE two male strippers are behind the bar dancing. They were wearing practically NOTHING. One had a leapord print thong, the other little boy shorts. Ok, we were all a little freaked out by this but we found it amusing. Next thing you know, they are walking around ON THE BAR. Mr. leopard print thong (it was purple) squats behind Frank at the bar. Frank had his back to the bar so he didn't have to look! The guy taps Frank on the shoulder and says "hey, how are you?" Frank looks the guy in the face because if he didn't look him in the face he would have been looking directly at the purple thong and says "I'm good, how are you?" Frank slowly turns around toward me and Mr. Leopard print thong man realizes Frank isn't about to put money in his thong and walks away. At this point I am so hysterical at the whole situation I can barely contain myself. Of all the people for him to approach it was Frank. It literally took me an hour to recover!

We decide enough of the male bar and hit a club. We had a blast. We mostly listened to Cher. We were prewarned by Jackie we would hear alot of Cher at the club. I think we got home somewhere around 3 am. (Grandma was home with her 4 grandchildren) The boys were kind enough to sleep until almost 7. We went to the beach for a while. Played in the sand. We headed back up north and went to a BBQ at a friends house. Lot of fun jammed into one weekend.

My camera broke last weekend and I had to borrow my mom's but I can't download the pictures. If I figure it out I will post some. And for those who are wondering NO I don't have a picture of Frank and Mr Leopard print thong!

Aquadoodle...a new favorite word

If you don't know what this is and you have children you should invest in one. We haven't played with it in a while and I am wasn't even sure if the boys remembered what it was called. I was WRONG. Today, I am in the playroom and Cormac is pointing and saying something. And I mean, he was really trying to say what he wanted. I wasn't really paying attention at first and then I realized he was saying AQUADOODLE!!! It wasn't exact but pretty darn close. I couldn't believe it. This is a four syllable word and he got all four syllables! He was so stinkin' happy when I took that Aquadoodle out he couldn't contain himself. I also think he was feeling a bit proud because he told me what he wanted, I understood and gave it to him.

Exhausted....Escapees...

My week went something like this:

Monday: Holiday. Up at at 6am after no sleep. Home from shore by 10am. Go to parade and have lunch. While everyone else naps I have to do the grocery shopping.

Tuesday: Art Class at 10am. Clean house, do laundry from long weekend, get dinner ready because I have to be at CPR training from 6-10:30 which means leave the house by 5 and get home at 11

Wednesay: Normally, I would take Cormac to school but I was too tired. Went to Stroller Strides Class at zoo. Came home, cleaned house (again), did more laundry, had CPR training again. Home at 11

Thursday Have meeting with Cormac's teacher and case worker from the county. Have to develop plan for next 6 months of what we (me and Frank) would like to see him accomplish. Tonight I have to head to Staten Island for My Lil Tees business.

Friday: I plan on going to the grand opening of my friend's Stroller Stride francise in Hoboken to lend some support. I am also donating a t-short for the raffle. Good for business. Friday night I have plans to go to the movies with the girls.

Saturday: Tommy, Juanita and Corinne are up from Texas. We are going to the beach to spend some time with them.

So, I will not have been home one night this week. Somewhere in these days I still had to take care of the boys, plan ahead and start packing for the weekend, do some shopping, continue to clean the house, make breakfast, lunch and dinner and countless other things I do in a single day.

Bottom line.... I am exhausted. I am still paying the price of going out on Saturday night and not sleeping. This week would have been a cake walk if I wasn't sleep deprived. I have to admit I can no longer function after only get two hours of sleep. Funny, some how I functioned for months when the babies were born with NO SLEEP!

I should probably be sleeping right now but instead I am posting on the blog.

On to a different topic, Cormac's IFSP went great. He is doing wonderful and continues to progress as he should. He is really starting to use 2 and 3 words together. My personal favorite? "daddy, stinky poops!" Hmmmm... .where did he learn that from???

The boys all call each other by different names. I guess that can't say each others names yet so it comes out differently. Here is the run down:

Colin calls himself "Ollie", he calls Ciaran "ree ree" and Cormac "mickmack"
Ciaran calls Colin "ol" and calls Cormac "mimmack". He doensn't call himself anything.
Cormac calls Colin "olin" and calls Ciaran "earin". He calls himself "mickmack"

I wonder if any of these nicknames will stick. I have to say I find myself calling Colin "ollie" and Ciaran "ree ree". Not sure why but I do. I call Cormac Big Mac.

My Lil Tees has a new look. Please check it out and remember to pass it along to friends and family. We have added a bunch of new options for personalized tees, onesies and hats. We are very excited to start marketing to the boutiques. We should be ready to start shortly. If you know anyone who would be interested in selling our wares at their store please feel free to have them contact me directly.

Oh, one last thing. Today while I was vacumming I had the boys downstairs with me. They were playing in the living room while I was cleaning the kitchen. Even with the vacuum running I noticed it was suddenly tooooooo quiet in the house. I look into the dining room and GONZO! We had three escapees... They got the slider open and let themselves into the backyard. If you would have seen them take off. They were all barefoot and in their jammies. They ran to fast. I know they can't get out of the yard or hurt but I still would not let them unsupervised in the yard. The only safety hazard is the deck stairs (and of course the loving bombs the dogs drop!). But by the time I saw them they were already in the grass. I wish someone else could have seen them. They were so happy!

I think that is it for now. I am too tired to think of anything else!

It's been a busy week

We headed down to the beach for the long weekend. We are so fortunate Maggie lives so close to the beach. Now, if I can just convince the boys to sleep past 5:45am it would be great! I don't know why but they get up so early down the shore. At home, they are never up that early. I wouldn't mind too much but we went out on Saturday night and didn't get to sleep until close to 3am. You do the math! Not alot of sleeping going on.

Trish, Dan and the kids along with Cailan came to meet up on Sunday. We all headed to the beach. Seven kids and four adults. I know what some of you are thinking. Doesn't sound like an enjoyable experience. I wasn't too sure myself as we made the the short two block walk to the beach. But as it turned out it was awesome. Frank and I were actually able to sit down in chairs while the boys played in the sand! This is a huge change from last year when sitting was not an option. Granted, the water was freezing and no one wanted to go into the water but it is a step in the right direction. Ciaran, Colin and Cormac just played in the sand and with each other for over 2 hours. The only fly in the ointment was we had to LEAVE the beach at some point. I let the boys stay up past their nap and they were not really into leaving. Colin was wonderful and just hopped in his stroller. As long as he had his sand truck. Ciaran was crying and wanted to walk and push the stroller. Not too bad but it's hard to have him walk and push a triple stroller when you also have beach bags and chairs. Cormac, well, he was a total disaster! He was screaming crying "ocean, ocean, ocean". I swear, all I wanted was for this boy to talk. I am so happy he can. And even in the midst of a minor melt down all I could think of was "I can't believe how well he says 'mommy ocean'!!" and "mommy walk" and of course "mommy down!" Yes, it was not so great he was crying and upset but I really didn't notice. All I could hear was the sound of his voice adamantly telling me he did not want to leave the beach and was not happy!

On Monday we came home early to avoid the traffic. We went to a Parade in town and the boys were fascintated by all the trucks, sirens etc. I wasn't too sure how Cormac would do but once again, he just went with the flow and seemed to really enjoy it.

I took a ton of pictures and created a slideshow. I am glad I took all these pics because my camera broke on Sunday night. I am so pissed but I knew it was going to break soon. I guess I will just have to get a new one!

Here is the slideshow. The pics are from Friday night at dinner and the rest of the weekend at Maggies

Article written by Mom of a deaf child

This was sent to me today. I thought I would share it with others. I think at one time or another all parents have experience the feelings she shares in this article.


From world of silence to high-tech hearing
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Huntsville Times Complete silence. Can you imagine? Turn off the television. You probably can still hear the refrigerator hum in the kitchen.

Insert earplugs. You can still hear your own breathing.

But for 12,000 children born deaf each year in the United States, there are no lullabies, no birds singing, no comfort from mommy's voice.

Just silence.

Silence was the world of our daughter, Riley, until she was nearly 2 years old.

We had suspected something for a couple of months, but we preferred to embrace denial.

How could anything be wrong with our sweet baby? Family and friends said there was no way she could be deaf. She turned her head toward us, she responded appropriately, and she babbled.

She was so good at feeling vibrations and reading our faces that she had all of us fooled.

May 7, 2003, changed our lives.

Grief, guilt and anger

"She's never heard your voices. She doesn't even know her name."

The audiologist's words knocked the wind out of us. We were devastated and in shock. Even though we had concerns, we weren't ready for the diagnosis. Our perfect little girl was deaf - severe to profound hearing loss.

Our hearts were crushed. It was like the child we thought was ours didn't exist.

Grief hit us hard. All the songs we had sung, all the "I love yous" we had whispered - she had heard none of them. That was the hardest thing to take. Did she even know we loved her?

Then came the guilt. How could we not know that our child was deaf? We knew people wondered that about us, and some even said it out loud. We just didn't know. How could this have happened? No one in our family was deaf. Was it something I had done while I was pregnant? Had we done something wrong after she was born? Why had we waited so long?

The anger was next. Why had the nurses dismissed the second failed hearing test so easily? Why hadn't her pediatrician noticed anything? C'mon! A little help here, please?

Finally acceptance came. We channeled our guilt and anger into providing Riley whatever she needed to hear and communicate. We set up appointments with a geneticist, an Auditory-Verbal speech therapist, an Early Intervention specialist, our insurance representative and an ENT surgeon. The time for tears was over. We looked ahead to Riley's future with our chins up and shoulders squared.

Cochlear miracle

Two weeks after her diagnosis, Riley was fitted with high-powered digital hearing aids, and she started A-V therapy, which teaches children to listen and talk.

We also met with a geneticist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, who told us after testing that Riley's hearing loss was caused by the Connexin 26 gene. Both my husband and I carry mutations of the recessive gene. Finding out the cause was a relief, and knowing it wasn't our fault freed us from a lot of our guilt.

After seeing that the hearing aids were not powerful enough, we began the process of getting a cochlear implant. On Sept. 16, 2003, Dr. Audie Woolley at Children's Hospital in Birmingham did the surgery. On Oct. 9, 2003, our little girl heard our voices for the first time.

I wish you could see the video: She turned bright red, looked around, found us and started clapping and laughing. It was the most amazing thing I've ever witnessed.

Five years later, Riley has two cochlear implants and is about to finish kindergarten. She understands almost everything, and her language skills are catching up with normal-hearing peers. She plays soccer and softball, loves playing with other kids and loves to read.

Our daughter is a normal 6-year-old - she just has some colorful ear accessories.


Tiffani Hill-Patterson is a Times copy editor. To read more about her family's journey, visit www.soundcheckmama.blogspot.com. Reach her at tiffani.patterson@ htimes.com.


Cormac's hearing loss was diagnosed very early but they had a hard time confirming the diagnosis. I think back to the first year of his life and I get so upset knowing he heard NOTHING. I can't imagine how lonely that time must have been for him. I know in my heart we did everything we could for him as soon as possible but I wish it could have been sooner. I wish he could have heard my voice before he was 13 months old. I wish he could have heard the laughter and joy in our voices because of him (and his brothers). Most days I try and not think about it. I focus on the present and the amazing future ahead of him. But there are always those days when it creeps back into your head. When I look at pictures it is the hardest because I see how small he was and just thinking he would be laying there with no access to sound just breaks my heart.

He is one smart little cookie who says new words every day. I can't imagine what he would be saying if he had heard for those first 13 months.

At Cormac's group class on Wednesday we discussed Fish Oil for speech development. I started giving it to the boys a while ago and really noticed the difference. Below is a link to the product we use:

http://www.drsearsfamilyapproved.com/?utm_source=AskDrSears.com&utm_medium=store&utm_content=A&utm_campaign=StoreLink

Tour Bus Stop

This morning we had art class. Since it is so close I took the stroller instead of driving. We were walking on a semi busy road and a Senior Citizens bus was driving past. The driver literally stopped the bus and all the old folks on the bus were waving and yelling "hello" out the windows. It was so hilarious. Sort of reminded me of the bus tours in Manhattan. I can hear the tour bus leader giving the tour "and on your left is a set of triplets being walked in a stroller. Yes, the are all boys, no, they aren't identical, yes their mom's hands are full and she is busy all the time, yes, she sleeps at night because the boys sleep at night" Ha!! It was so funny to see them all staring out the bus windows. I was in a good mood and so were the boys so we all waved like the good performing circus show we apparently are!

Random pictures from the weekend

Check out Colin sporting my wedgie sandals. They go great with his look, don't you think???

 

Now watch him get around in them. I swear he could play baseball in heels!

 

They are all yelling "DADDY" in this picture. You can see how delighted it makes Frank in the background

 

And the rare shot of me and the boys. I am never in the picks since I am always taking them

 

The last few days.

These past few days have flown by. Friday we went to a new playgroup. The boys had so much fun playing with their friend Kennedy. This is the same Kennedy from art class who Ciaran kissed at the last class. They all call her "nennedy". Super cute. Saturday we were out of the house all morning because Frank was working on the the basement. Yep, he's still working on it. It was supposed to be done before winter (ahhh, last winter) now it was supposed to be done for Mother's Day. Hmmmmm, maybe NEXT Mother's Day! Anyhow, since he was going to be tied up all day I took them to Stroller Strides in the morning and a craft fair in the park.

Today we were all up and out of the house by 8:30am. Headed to Lowes for some new garbage cans. Yep, we live an exciting life! But you know you need new garbage cans when the garbage men ACTUALLY take them with the garbage! Now, I did sort of run one over with the van and it had quite a few holes.... We get all the way to Lowes and take all the boys out and they were CLOSED! I totally forgot in Bergen County you can shop on Sundays. We only went to Lowe's to avoid Home Depot. But you know where we headed next? You guessed it? The frigin' home depot. I would not get out of the car and just sent Frank in for the cans. He got us two of the ugliest, industrial looking garbage cans. I mean, they are only cans but man, they are the worst I have ever seen. I think I can run these over and they still wont break.

We headed to the zoo after. We screwed up with Lowes and don't you know, we get to the zoo at 10:10 because it opens at 10am. WRONG! They now open at 11 on Sundays but their website has yet to be updated. Now, we had to wait 45 minutes with the boys asking why is wasn't opened. We did the zoo with no stroller. This was a first. The three amigos walked the entire zoo holding our hands. I was so impressed with how well they did today. We took a ride on the train. The new carosel opened and we rode the carosel. They LOVED it. Cormac cried so hard when we got off the carosel. He wanted to stay on.

On to something funny. Well, at least I think it's funny. Colin is obsessed with trucks. However, when he says truck it doesn't quite sound exactly like truck. I know you are all thinking it sounds like the "f" word. I would be happy if it did. What he says ryhmes with sock and starts with the letter "C". If you remember his other favorite word is dirty. So, he walks around all day saying "dirty *ock". We went out to dinner on Friday and in the restaurant their were pictures of trucks. He proceeded to say this over and over again while Frank and I nearly peed our pants. He also like to say BIG truck. You get the picture. Sounds more like he has the mouth of a truck driver! Hopefully, he will get the TR sound soon!

You never know what tomorrow brings...

I half expected to find someone's crib in a state of disgust but to my pleasant surprise I was greeted only by smiles and "hi mommies" this morning. No cribs to clean, no emergencgy baths. Just our usual selves. Which of course means they are back to being crazy. Cormac still isn't quite up to par so he is a little slow and mushy. We ate some Cheerios and milk. We had some juice. Even some pizza for lunch and I am keeping my fingers crossed. I decided for the weekened I am just going to feed them really fattening foods since they all look skinny to me from not eating for days on end.

So, after my unexpected morning I got to thinking. Like the title of my post says "you never know what tomorrow brings". You can always hope for the best but sometimes it might not quite work out that way. But you can count on tomorrow to bring you something entirely different. I think that is how I want to enjoy my life. Just living for the days and hoping for more tommorrows. I don't know nor can I predict what the future holds but the little tomorrows sure are wonderful. Even the tomorrows filled with poop and puke are better than no tomorrows. And when I look back most of my tomorrows have been filled with hope, love, joy and happiness. Sure, some days I know what tomorrow will bring if I have something to attend but I don't really mean appointments or school or classes. I mean the time we get to spend with our family and friends. The unexpected little wonders that occur daily in my life. Just today Cormac said the work alligator as clear as can be at the zoo. That was a great moment. Just today Ciaran and Cormac held hands in the car on the way home. That was a great moment. Just today I brought the boys into my bed and we all cuddled for an hour. That was a great moment. Just today Colin said "daddy does stinky poop". That was a hilarious but great moment.

What does it all mean? I think I will live for today and look forward to all my tomorrows regardless of what they bring because at least I have another tomorrow!

The poop and puke continues

I woke up this morning to hear Ciaran saying "poopy mommy". I go in to get him and pick him up and realize I put my hand in poop. He had pooped so much it soaked thru his PJ's and was all over his crib. It was disgusting. As I am trying to figure out what to do next Cormac says "Yucky Mommy" and I look in his crib and he had puked all over his crib. I have no idea how we did not know he thru up. I guess he did it early this morning but wasnt too upset because he never cried or made a peep. The rest of the day wasn't too bad. Ciaran hasn't pooped again and their has been no more puking. Colin is on the mend because he wanted to eat today. I took Ciaran to the doctor because he really hasn't eaten much and I was afraid he would get dehydrated. He lost over 1/2 pound. Ciaran is already my skinny one. He does not need to lose any more weight. I think he is also feeling better. He ate some dinner and it didn't come back out (yet). Cormac is still under the weather but since he got it last he will be the last to get better.

I feel so bad for them when they are sick. I just want to be able to make them better but I can't. One highlight to them being sick?? I don't really have to make any meals for them!! I am hoping tomorrow we are back on track. But you never know!

One Pooper + Two Pukers= A lot of laundry!

Well, Cormac finally puked this morning. I knew he would not escape this illness. Ciaran continues to poop like nothing I could ever imagine. Colin has puked since yesterday but he hasn't had anything but toast and pedialyte. I feel so bad for them. I have to say other than the fact I know they are sick and I don't ever want them to be sick today has been one of the most relaxing days. We are all just laying around on the couch. They aren't running around or playing like crazy. We didn't go out and usually that means they get a little stir crazy. Not today. Colin slept until 8. Got up for an hour and went back to sleep until 11:15. Got up and went down again at 1 and slept until 3:45. Ciaran took a three hour nap and Cormac, is still sleeping (it's 4pm and he want down at 1!)

So, yes there was a lot of cleaning up bodily fluids but the flip side is we really snuggled a lot today and that is always the best. As I type this Colin and Ciaran are downstairs with Frank laying on his lap watching Noddy. Laying down and watching TV NEVER HAPPENS IN THIS HOUSE. These boys are much too high energy to sit to watch the TV. When they do watch tv which is very rare they watch it as they are doing something else. Now, that could be playing, jumping on the couch, wrestling. You name it.

Strange how you would think a day like today would be awful but really it was so nice. Maybe I really have lost my mind (LOL)

Here are some pictures from Mother's Day.







Trisha and the kids





It is now 8pm and everyone is asleep. No more puking and Ciaran has actually stopped pooping. I am hoping it is the end but since Cormac just started I am not so sure.

Murpy's Law!

Having triplets I always tell myself don't get over excited about an event or going somewhere because then if it all goes haywire you won't be dissappointed! Luckily, I followed this advice this morning. Here is how the day started:

Boys were up early. All climbed in bed with me and actually said Happy Mother's Day or some version of it. They were extra huggie and kissy. We had breakfast and played and all was well on the homefront. Dressed them in the extra special Mother's Day outfits because we were going to be photographed for The Mother's Day Project. A local photographer photographs moms and their kids for part of an online art show. He donates his time and we were lucky to get a spot. The kids were in a GREAT mood. We drive their and just as I am about to park the car Colin pukes all over himself and his extra special mother's day outfit and the car. Not wanting to give up I forge ahead and manage to clean him up and the puke and he actually looked perfect. You couldnt even tell except his shirt was wet but it was drying quickly. I am psyced now. Colin is fine and clean everyone is smiling let's go take some pictures. We get to the studio and try to walk in the door. I have no idea what the hell happened next. Colin and Ciaran start FREAKING out saying "NO NO NO" They lay on the floor and say "outside". Cormac was going with the flow at this point. We take them all outside in an attempt to regroup. The photographer comes outside with us and tries to take a few photos. Ciaran and Cormac at this point are happy and sitting on my lap on a bench. Colin just refused to come near me. He wanted to be with Frank but Frank was not in the picture. (remember, the MOTHERS Day Project). The lure of lolipops after about 10 minutes got Colin to come to the bench. He took a few shots and we attempted to go inside again to no avail. I have no idea what the pictures will look like but I am sure they suck! But hey, what can you do. I have to admit I was a little disappointed but I know Colin didn't feel well and they are three two year olds. It is hard to predict what will happen. THat said, it is totally out of character for them to be unhappy. THey usually are laughing and smiling. I guess they weren't feeling well or something.

The rest of the day went off great. I hosted and we had a great time. Colin had one more episode of puking. And it was MAJOR. He didn't seem to mind and kept on going after we got him in some clean clothes.

This is my third mother's day and I still can't believe it. Time sure flies. I will post some pics tomorrow. Too tired tonight.

I am a sap

Today I took Cormac to school. Maggie stayed with Ciaran and Colin and Robin relieved her. I leave Cormac for 2 hours but stay in the building with the other Moms. When we went back to get the kids they usually did some type of art project. Today it was for Mother's Day. It was a beautiful poem with his hand print. I nearly lost it in the school. I started crying like a baby! Just typing this I could cry thinking about it. I can't believe how emotional I get from the smallest things when it comes to the boys. It had his little hand print on it. I tried to read it to Frank over the phone and got hysterical all over again. He told me he would see it when he got home so I didn't crash the car crying! Who knew I would become such a sap?

On a funnier note, I have been thinking about all the things I say in a day. Some things I repeat several times. Most things I say I would never predicted would EVER come out of my mouth. I thought I would compile a list of quotes I have said and share it with you all.

"Stop touching your brothers penis, you have your own" (Never thought I would say this!)
"Don't let the dog stick it's tongue in your mouth"
"Dont stand on the table"
"chairs are for sitting" (this one is constantly repeated since apparently I gave birth to monkeys and not children)
"I can seeeeee YOU"
"Give it back to your brother, he had it first"
"Do Nice"
"Cormac, your ears fell off" (I don't mean his actual ears but we call his implant his ears, even though we are not supposed to)
"Colin or Ciaran can you put Cormac's ears back on?" (They try and are just about to be able to do it)

AND MY ALL TIME FAVORITE????
"Please don't put your finger in the dog's butt" Yep, these words have come out of my mouth. Never in a million years did I think I would ever say anything close to this statement!

I know there are plenty more but they are escaping me at the moment. I am tired and thinking I just need to crash.

It's been a few days

I left the boys from Friday at nap time Friday until Sunday night! Actually, they were sleeping when I got home so I didn't see them until Monday. This was the first time I have left them for longer than a day. I missed them terribly but I think I needed some time to miss them and have them miss me. When I finally saw them on Monday it was so awesome. They were totally excited to see me and the hugs and kisses were better than ever. Where was I? I went to Chantilly, VA. Not the most exciting place on earth but I was there for a reason. I have become a Stroller Strides instructor. Now I can work out and bring the boys with me. Couldn't be a better fit. I worked my butt off this weekend. I was so sore from working out so much but it feels good.

Frank was solo with the boys. They all survived and had a good time. I was a little nervous leaving them but I knew they would be fine. I talked to them on the phone and they actually talked back.

I met some amazing and inspirational women this weekend. All were Moms who wanted a way to stay home with their children and help other moms stay with their kids while they work out. I am so glad I attended the training.

I swear in the two days I was gone they boys started talking more. It's all two words together now. I have been waiting for this to happen. Cormac is even stringing two words together. The phrase of the day? "more bus". They wanted to see more buses. It has been repeated over and over again.

Art class was this morning and as usual we made a mess of ourselves. Which means we had fun. I will be picking up our first project on Wenesday and will take some pics and share.

Cormac lost a magnet off his implant in the car on the way to art class. you would think I could just find it. No such luck. I spent their first our of nap time searching through the van for this frigin magnet. It drives me insane. I decided I might as well vacuum while I am looking for it. I COULD FEED A SMALL COUNTRY WITH THE AMOUNT OF FOOD I CLEANED OUT OF THE CAR!!! THis is no joke. Between the carseats, the floor and the back where I put the strollers it was an endless supply of food. At least I know if we ever get stranded and I haven't cleaned the car in a while we wont starve to death! I have never been known to have a clean car but this is ridiculous! Anyway, I found the magnet in the garbage bag I hang in the car. Lord knows how it got there but at least Cormac will be hearing in stereo again!

Batteries + the Toilet

Just in case you are wondering they are not a good match for each other! Colin (also known as the child safety lock master) let them all into my bedroom while I was in their room getting socks. In less than a minute they found old batteries in the garbage basket and had them in the toilet. Ciaran and Colin's sleeves were soaked up to the elbow. Cormac was not involved in this incident. Luckily, I got there before they flushed. I had the unfortunate task of battery retrieval.

We had a great therapy session with Cormac. He is really coming along. Starting to string words together. I try and be tough on him and make him talk for what he wants. Most days I am successful. Other times, it's just hard for me to always have him "perform". Sometimes I think to myself "If I were him, I would need a little down time". So, I ease up a bit.

Speaking of down time, I am going away tomorrow without Frank and the boys. I wish it was for fun and excitement but I am going to become a certified instuctor for Stoller Strides. This is my first time leaving the boys for longer than 24 hours. I will not see them from 1pm Friday until Monday morning because my flight doesn't get in until later on Sunday. I am not one to stress about leaving them but for some reason I am a little anxious about this trip. I know they will be fine and they could use some quality time with Dad. (He will be flying solo for the weekend) It's just so strange to leave them. I am excited for some time alone and to get my certification but at the same time have mother's guilt! I know, silly, but this is my reality. I just keep thinking they will wake up 4 times and I won't be there. Will they find this upsetting? Will they ask for me? Is it better not to call them and talk to them for fear the will freak out? What will their little minds be thinking when I am gone for so long? Will the think I am never coming back? Will they be mad at me when I do come back? The questions are endless and I have to say until they are older and can understand when I leave I will always come back it is tough to leave for a long period of time. Don't get me wrong we have left them but when they were younger I think they didn't really know? Now they can ask for me.

I have been giving them a little pep talk all week long and encouraging them to be their wild and crazy or maybe even wilder and crazier selves while I am gone to Frank gets the full impact of being alone with them for a few days.

I think I need to go away to be able to miss them. It will be like a tune up. Rejuvenate me until the next time, if their is a next time!

Who are these masked men???

We were playing with Playdoh tonight and Frank makes the boys masks. Cormac calls them glasses. But as you can see they get the biggest kick out of it! 
 
 

A new outlook, well sort of...

I decided this morning when I woke up today was going to be a better day. I would not let breakfast set the mood for the day. They will eat if they are hungry. If not, well, then they won't eat. I gave them their milk first thing this morning while I put away their laundry. We played and then the time came to go downstairs for breakfast. I mentally reminded myself if they got crazy the meal was over. End of story. No second chances. I might have given myself the upper hand because I bought these new oatmeal breakfast bars which are less messy but what can you do. Everyone sat and nearly finished their bar. Close to the end I could tell chaos would soon begin and I called it quits. A nice HAPPY breakfast.

We ventured to Costco for diapers and wipes. When don't we need diapers and wipes??? We had a monumental moment. I got all three out of the car and they all stood and waited and we all held hands and walked across the ENTIRE Costco parking lot into Costco to get a cart. This is a HUGE advance for our gang. Normally, I have to go get a cart and bring it back to the car and put them all in before going inside. My big boys are finally getting it. It may seem like nothing to most of you but to me it's a huge event.

While at Costco a woman approached me to ask about Cormac's implants. I was TOTALLY prepared for this woman to blast me because she was hard of hearing (I could tell by her speech). Low and behold, this woman tells me she has bilateral implants. SHe received one ear 3 years ago and the second ear about a year ago! She was so sweet and nice and was so excited to know Cormac was able to be implanted so young. She wore hearing aids her entire life. She was probably in her 40's. She told me how GREAT her life has been since she was implanted. While it was tough to get used to at first she says her life is so much better. She can talk on the phone, hear in crowds and doesn't get lost in the background noise. I just LOVE when I randomly run into someone who has such a wonderful story to share. Her name was Maddie and before we left Cormac said "Maddie" for her and she was just blown away. Just reassures me the decisions we made for Cormac are the best possible decisions.

We went to get my Mom to go pick up her car and stopped at the park for a while. They had a blast. Of course, there was one spot on one slide with water and Ciaran knelt right in it. We had lunch in the car. Yogurt smoothies and some cheese and crackers. (Second meal of the day, stress free!!!) I think I am on to something!

It is now 3pm and my children should be sleeping but Ciaran and Colin are having a party. God bless Cormac, he is blissfully sleeping through all the mahem. They can party all they want but they will stay in those cribs until close to 4pm.

One more meal time to tackle today......

It's just one of those days

Let me see. It started out fine. The boys slept until almost 7:30. We played a little while and then went down for breakfast. The last few days mealtime is just a disaster. It really can ruin the day especially since we need to do it three times a day. I swear these kids are on hunger strikes. They won't eat anything. I made them scrambled eggs. Let's say Duke and Duchess were thrilled this morning. I didnt even give them milk before hoping they would be nice and hungry. My plan did not work.

I cleaned up the kithcen and vacuumed and mopped the floor brought the boys upstairs and got everyone dressed for the day. We had to be at art class by 10am. They seem to enjoy art class and today we painted. And when I say painted I mean they painted themselves, each other, their clothes. Ciaran even had paint in his ears. Ciaran was really into the painting today. He has some very strong ideas of what colors and what he wanted to paint.

There are other children in class who sit and paint. Not true of the triplets. I can't figure out if they are just younger. Or if they had one on one help like the other kids if it would be different. I guess I will never know because I will never have a one to one ratio. THis saddens me more than anyone realizes. I think some of the frustration during the day is based soley on the lack of one to one interaction. SUre, I know most other children don't have two other children to play with all the time. I know they are happy but it just makes me feel like maybe they are missing out on a lot of what toddlerhood has to offer. They don't get to run around when we go to the park because I am usually by myself. They don't get to walk through the zoo because I can't watch them all. I want them to have as normal a life as they possibly can but some things are just not possible. I have started using the monkey backpacks and I can hold the tails. This gives them freedom but I am not too sure how I feel about "walking" them.

Anyway, I got off the topic. We came home and had to have baths because of the amount of paint on them. We got dressed in new, clean clothes. We had lunch. Again, a source of frustration. I have adopted a new rule. Once the lunch gets out of hand and food starts getting dropped on the floor the meal is immediatly over for the offender. I think they should learn quickly that food is for eating and not for playing. I just can't take the disaster three times a day.

So, just to recap, between 7:30 and 12:30 this morning I changed 9 diapers, undressed and dressed the boys twice, gave them a bath, fed the breakfast and lunch, mopped the kitchen floor once and vacummed it twice. Oh, yeah, and somewhere in there I managed to get them all in the car and take them to art class.

All in a days (well really a 1/4 days work) Lord knows what the afternoon will bring!

Here are the future Picasso's!!
Colin
 
Ciaran
 
Cormac
 
All three. If you are wondering what they are doing? You can't see but there is a cat that comes in the art studio. They love it. Not so sure the cat loves it.