Guilt?

Our triplets are now 19 months old and life has accelerated tremendously. The kids are changing daily and days are whizzing past. I want it to slow down for my own enjoyment. People now ask if it is getting easier now that the kids interact, are more vocal, and are more "independent". It is a difficult question. While when they are young and totally dependent on you, it very predictable. So, though it is a lot of hours, the schedule makes it easier to plan. On the other hand the kids are now able to do more on their own which means they can get into much more trouble, but the rewards are also greater.

Some of the dangers involve the love to climb. Initially there was a fascination with the stairs. (Though over the last month it seems Darcy has decided she would rather be carried up the stairs. Cooper still loves to climb the stairs. Bryce is variable, sometimes she climbs the stairs on her own other times she asks to be carried, but when she climbs she now likes to look around which adds to a parent's excitement). One more thing about the stairs which is beautiful and deserves some expounding. Our stairs have a 180 degree turn about 2/3 the way up. So that when you are on the second tier you can look down through the metal bars to see the stairs/ people lower than you. This access is ideal for stealing kisses from the girls. They love to bend down from the top level to kiss you through the bars when you are on the way up. It makes our hearts melt. Bryce gives open mouth kisses and Darcy closed mouth kisses both with a smile. The kid's new fetish is chairs. A few months back when they first started to crawl into and sit up in their padded Pottery Barn embroidered chairs it was cute, (and semi-safe 4 inches off the ground). They would grab a book or two and bring it to their chair, and surprisingly usually their own chair, and sit and leaf through the pages, occasionally "reading" aloud. The girls have now mastered their technique of climbing on our dinner chairs, (much higher off the ground). They sit on the chair all proud and look around for approval/disapproval. The art of coming down has not yet been perfected. This is just one of the many reasons why overall it seems like we are constantly playing defense trying to avert a major injury. (I took all three kids to the park myself and though we had a good time and no accidents, it was not easy. Mid way through my friend Steve came by with his son and helped out with the zone defense).

The kids are great and I wish I could capture all the new nuances and the changes which are happening everyday. Bryce now likes to take her clothes and diaper off in the crib during nap time, (and generally the diaper has been full). Cooper has developed an independence in that he is happy playing alone. Darcy nods with her head and torso. They all understand very complex commands which I find amazing. They all cry real tears instantly when they do not get their way. Bryce has been choosing the clothes she wears each morning, ( I am not sure how this happened, she is only 19 months old, but she loves to flick through the clothes on hangers, as if she was in a store). Darcy had a streak where before bed she always brought the same book to us to read to her, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar".

Audrey and I are going on vacation, and we think this may be our last vacation for the two of us alone for many years to come. Audrey's parents are visiting from Florida, and will watch the kids in tandem with Anabell and Ester while we are away. This is our second trip alone since the kids were born. The first trip was also a cruise. The first was a celebration of 10 years of marriage and we had a great time in Alaska. We planned this latter trip only a few weeks ago as my in-laws were going to be in town and our lives will only be getting busier with time. So while I am looking forward to the trip I am afraid to leave the kids. I know there is more and more "danger" as they get bigger, faster and more curious. I hope I am able to relax on this Western Caribbean cruise.

This post is all over the place. I need to tidy it up.

Walking

Well, we have waited a long time we can now say all our children can take multiple steps - so they are walking. It was not as I imagined it would be, though in retrospect it makes sense. As the days pass the percentage of time the kids spend walking vs crawling increases. So it is not a all or nothing process. They all crawl faster than they walk so when the feel the need for speed, they crawl. Darcy was the first to do so and she is gaining sturdiness but as I call it she still walks like Frankenstein. Cooper and his slim legs are up and about a lot. He is great pushing the "Little Tikes" stroller apparatus. He pretty much has his whole body at an angle running forward. Bryce is the last of our children to walk. It seems this may be related to her ultra flexible joints. She has her legs going in all directions. Bryce still like to be the joker and loves attention. When we encourage Cooper or Darcy for their excellent walking she can be at the other end of the room, and when she recognizes the praise. She will then stand up, all quads like a power lifter, smile and give herself claps while nodding at you and almost wink.

The kids are talking a lot more. They like to repeat words that are said. Cooper loves balls and his favorite word is "ball" after of course "dada". Cooper also says, "yeah" in squeaky high voice when he gets excited. Darcy loves saying "baby". Bryce does not yet have a favorite word I have identified. She likes making animal noises, life "woof wooof" for a dog and " eekekk" for a monkey.

Our kids have quirks. Cooper loves plants. He fights hard to get to the soil at the base of the plants we have cordoned off,(so that he can't get to them and like a crane remove piles of dirt on to the floor). Cooper loves his stuffed cows, and loves sucking on the ears. I call it Cooper's cow "crack" - he is super addicted. The blue cow's head is discolored from the amount of drool Cooper produces while sucking. Despite washing the cow over and over it does not come completely clean and does not slow down Cooper's love for the ears. Cooper loves Cheerios and cheese. When given a variety of small foods, Cooper carefully selects out the small round "o" Cheerios before eating anything else.