Jump, Talk. Smile, Scream

On Monday, we went to the doctor, and the boys are all doing fantastic. Dr. G is really impressed at how far they've come in such a short time. She told us they've definitely caught up, and that Ryan is the size of a six month old baby at 26.5 inches and 18 lbs. Mikey is solidly in the middle at 25.5 inches and 17 lbs. James, as usual, brings up the rear at 24.2 inches and 16 lbs. They are all growing so fast, and they are really getting very active.

Ryan is definitely playing with toys now. Tonight, he spent at least 10 minutes trying to capture the bunny hanging down on his chair. He's jumping around like a drunken pirate in the jumparoo and is having a fantastic time, although I can never seem to capture the joyous moments on film. Apparently when the camera comes out, the serious faces descend.

James is still giving us lots of vocal disagreement at various times. Today, he must have screamed for half an hour. Even after Bob changed his pants, he was still grumpy. He finally fell asleep on my lap, but he had to be in a specific position. He must be Bob's child because he is happiest early in the morning. He loves to talk to his toys and smiles up a storm.

Mikey, also known as Kicky McSmiley, is definitely our smiliest boy (although Ryan is starting to give him a run for his money). He has these great dimples and when he's happy he also opens his mouth as wide as he can and just grins. It's very fun to watch. Here he is demonstrating those great dimples.

Recently, our suburban has developed a strange knocking sound, and we've had to put it in the shop. We're still waiting to hear how damaging this little trip to the shop will be to our pocketbooks, but while we wait, we've moved the car seats into the Camry. It's a tight fit, but I'm pretty sure those car seats aren't going anywhere. Since the Camry is so much smaller, the boys screaming is much louder. Here's what happens when we stop at red lights.

One Third of a Year!

Four Months Old! I can't believe it. I have no idea where the time went or how our boys got so big so fast. They are certainly taking up more of the big chair than they used to.
Thumbs up from Ryan, Mikey eyeing James's pacifier, and James looking prayerful.

Score! Thumb in mouth.

James about to sneeze, and Mikey licking his arm while Ryan watches in amusement.

James

Michael

Ryan

Festive hats and socks to commemorate the season.

Uncle Bill & Aunt Kathy spent the big day with us. It was great to see them!

In a Galaxy Far, Far Away

It's official. We have turned our kids into giant nerds before they are six months old. On Monday, we got an email from the Cowboys for 8 free tickets to Star Wars in Concert. Bob had wanted to go when he first heard about it, but for obvious reasons, we decided to pass on $75 seats. When the offer for free tickets came, we realized that with 8 seats, we could bring the boys and have plenty of room to spread out. Mom and Faith decided it sounded like a fun evening, so the whole clan packed up and headed for Arlington. The concert was fun, but perhaps the biggest thing I didn't factor in was that we were a bigger spectacle than the orchestra. Poor Bob can't stand all the looks and whispers. I, personally, try to ignore them as much as possible, but we'd never put the boys "on show" as much as they were on Friday. The triplet stroller doesn't scream subtlety. The concert was nice, and the big screen was very impressive. We tried to check out the exhibits, but it was so packed that we only made it through the section with the fake Princess Leia. She graciously posed for a picture with the boys - giant buns and all.

The boys are enthralled by Jerry's big TV.

Mikey watching the big screen.

James takes it all in.

Ryan enjoying a comfy seat with Grandma.

Dad does double duty while Mom & Aunt Faith go for soda.

Grandma doing what she does best - talking on the phone.

Faith at the exhibits.

The whole clan in Jerry World.

Up Close & Personal

The other night, I decided to take a few pictures of the boys in their PJs. They gracefully indulged me with some cute faces. Unfortunately, Bob and I did not realize that it was going to be so cold in the house, and they all woke up from being too cold. Now, they're wrapped up and covered up to avoid any early rising. Poor guys are probably upstairs sweating it out right now.

James, loving his pacifier.

Mikey looking happy with himself.

James & Michael sporting pacifier string ties.

Ryan - life at 4 months old is pretty hard.

James, Michael, & Ryan wondering when Mommy is going to stop taking pictures and let them kick and play.

Ryan, the morning after the night of freezing and bundled up for warmth.

...And the Hits Just Keep on Coming...

The last couple of weeks have been absolutely nuts in our world. Two weeks ago, when my grandpa was in the ICU, Bob and I were told that the family needed to get there fast, so we packed up the boys, Mom, Faith, & ourselves and headed south. The boys are fantastic travelers. It helped that Mom and Faith were there to help us along the way, so we can feed all three boys at once. Our weekend in Louisiana was stressful to say the least. Bob and Faith spent most of their time at the house taking care of the boys. It was so sweet of Bob to take the brunt of childcare so that I could spend as much time as possible with my grandpa. It was good to have the opportunity to say goodbye.

Faith did not enjoy getting up early to go to the hospital, but she did enjoy a little man wake up call. Although we learned that if Faith is doing the early morning shift, she'd rather sleep than get up and put a pacifier in the boys' mouths.
Bob and Ryan in Popo Gejo's chair. Luckily he didn't know that these type of shenanigans were going on in his favorite chair.
For a little relief from the hospital grind, Bob would come to the parking lot with the boys. Grandma & the gang would head out from the ICU waiting room for a little hold time. Nothing makes life better like holding a baby. It was kind of strange to be banished to the parking garage, but we didn't want to bring our boys into the germfest in the hospital.
Uncle Kent, Uncle Frank, Grandma, and my mom spent most of their days in the hospital. I tried to go for at least three visits. Popo could respond to yes & no questions, so when I asked him if he wanted to watch the LSU game, he said yes. It made me smile.
After two nights on the floor - one intentional and one an accidental air mattress snafu - we got a bed. James and I took a little rest. The other boys were hanging out in the bed with us, but Ryan just kicked and kicked while Mikey squirmed. I've decided that when we either win the lotto or one of us gets a job, I want to buy a king sized bed - there's not much room in a queen for three little men.
While Mikey didn't want to let us take a little rest, he had no problem passing out in the living room.
On Monday, we stayed as late as possible, and I dressed the boys in the superman outfits Aunt Paula & Uncle Grant sent the boys. These are the SUPER TRIPLETS sharing an activity mat.
Once we got home on Monday night, the boys settled in to their regular routine pretty easily. They are really grooving on the jumparoos. They all like to jump until they pass out. Here Ryan demonstrates why the padded chair is essential.
All of the boys are smiling more often. Mikey has a killer smile with dimples, Ryan has the cutest open mouth grin, and James has got a subtle little smile that melts my heart. James is a talker. He is certainly the most verbal of all the boys. After our return trip to Louisiana on Saturday, we checked in to the hotel and set up baby land before heading to the funeral home. The boys were great. They definitely were fantastically behaved considering all of the myriad of ways we messed up their schedule.
After a long day of being "on show," and a mental meltdown by the young sir James which lasted about 10 minutes in regular time and several hours in the minds of his parents who were trying to calm him down amongst an audience composed of all my family, we returned to the hotel where the boys just enjoyed being able to stretch out on the bed.
There was lots of kicking and talking as all of my boys chilled on the bed post funeral. We decided to stay another night before heading home on Monday.
It was fun to visit with family members we hadn't seen in a while, and it was nice that my uncles who live far away got a chance to see our boys while they're still little. Here's a picture of Uncle Mike and Ryan. Ry looks awfully comfy.
Here are Kent & Kellie hanging out with Mikey. Faith & their daughter Katie had a great time playing together, and they both enjoyed showing off their baby skills.

The Old American Moose

Today, a great man died. My Popo Gejo, the Old American Moose, has left this world for the next, and I'm not quite sure how life will go on without him. I can't think of a single important event in my life that Popo was not here for. In September, when our boys were being baptized, Grandma & Popo Gejo decided not to come. I was shocked, and I knew that he must have felt bad because not much could keep him away from important events. The following Thursday, he went into the hospital, and he never came home. For the last month, our entire family has been holding their collective breath as we watched Popo fight for his life. This morning, he lost.
After Bob lost his job, our family packed up and headed to Louisiana to spend some quality time with my grandparents. I can't say what a gift that was. The week we got to spend with them is time I'll never forget and always treasure.
As I reflect back over all of the wonderful times I've spent with my Popo, I know there are some things I'll never forget. It's the little things that stick with you. Popo working the curse-word puzzle, collecting and recycling cans, always having great jingles for everything (it's fantastic, made out of plastic), teaching me silly songs when I was little and saving the lewd ones for when I turned 18 (Pepsi Cola is so hot, makes me peepee in the pot).
Popo was a father figure to a young girl who didn't have a dad who cared. He took thousands of pictures of me and displayed them proudly - even during my less than attractive middle school years. He always was there to hug me and give me encouraging words. I never once doubted that he loved me more than I could comprehend.
Popo taught me the value of family. I'm certain that he was happiest when we were all around. There were countless nights of us all sitting around the table, out on the patio, or on the porch at the camp talking, laughing, debating, and just generally enjoying each other's company. If we can raise my boys to be men like their Popo, I'll know that Bob and I have done a good job.
When we visited my grandparents, we all went to DI's Cajun Restaurant, and Popo and I took the boys out on the dance floor for their first dance. I just wish it wasn't our last dance. Jerry Filmore Campbell was an amazing man, and I am proud that my son Ryan bears his name.
In the parting words of my Popo, "Good Night Campers!"

Jump Around

Grandma & Papa Joe hanging out with the little guys.

Lately, the boys have been doing things they couldn't do before. Bob has been trying to put them in the Jumparoos for weeks, but now they can finally hold their heads up long enough to have a good time jumping around. Ryan has the most stamina, and he can jump around for about 10 minutes. James, if he's in the right mood, really enjoys jumping too, while Michael likes to jump for about two minutes and then he's done with that. All of the boys are sucking on their fists, and Ryan has figured out how to put his thumb in his mouth, but he tends to stick it so far down his throat that he gags himself. He's so funny because he spreads out all of his fingers so it kind of looks like he's doing some goofy hand signal rather than sucking on his thumb. Unlike normal parents, Bob and I are super excited that the boys have something other than their pacifiers to suck on. It's a lot easier for the boys to self-soothe now that we don't have to run up the stairs and put their pacifiers in every five minutes. James has moved back into the master suite since he was waking up his brothers. We hope to have him back in the nursery soon, but as he started screaming around 3 a.m. last night and didn't really settle down until 5 a.m. when everyone else woke up, his prospects for moving back in with the cool kids is looking a little slim. All of the boys have started to laugh. I love the sound of my happy little men. Mikey is by far the smile king. Bob has started calling him Kicky McSmiley since he spends most of the time he should be eating kicking, smiling, and laughing. It's great to watch, but a little hard to feed. James and Ryan have become much more vocal in the last week or two. James loves to hang out under the Baby Einstein world activity mat. He really grooves to the music and the flashing lights. It makes me happy that my eldest child is fascinated by a flashing globe (maybe he'll love maps like his mommy does). Ryan still has the worlds most pathetic cry. It's so soft and sad that when he pulls it out, I jump much faster than when Mr. I'm Here And You Better Notice NOW (James) screams. He's started to do a weird roaring cry when he's hungry or upset that just breaks our hearts. It's hard to believe our guys have changed so much in a short amount of time. Since this is our only rodeo, I'm trying to savor every second of my boys growing up, and thousands of pictures later, I think it's going well.

My favorite boys - James, Ryan, Michael, and my main squeeze.

James and Ryan ready for bed.

Mikey enjoying the Jumparoo.

Ryan likes to jump, too.

James takes a turn.

Mikey the Cool gets his diaper changed. For some reason, this child LOVES to put his arm behind his head.

Michael, James, and Ryan - some sleepier than others, but all about to head to bed.