Eleventh Hour

Eleven Months Old! Our boys next picture in the big chair is going to be their One YEAR photo. I can't believe how fast the time has passed. In iPhoto, there is a setting that lets you see the last year of pictures. At this time last year, I was very pregnant, and now just a short time later, my sweet babies are climbing, crawling, and all but walking around the house. I have enjoyed every single second of it. My mom told me when I was pregnant that every age of your children was the best age. I didn't really understand what she meant until now. I loved the cuddly baby phase, but I'm also deeply happy with the open-mouth kiss phase. Of course, I can't seem to get James to give me kisses, but my love monkey Michael and my cuddle bug Ryan are all about the slobbery kisses. I'm sure that James will come around soon, but he's just too busy to stop for lovin'.
Tragically, this is probably the best photo I have for this month. The boys were very active and there was an unfortunate spill and a couple of brotherly tackles to keep us hopping. We took the picture right before we dropped Daddy off at the airport. While Bob was gone this time, I'm pretty sure Ryan spoke his first sentence. Bob called the house, and I said "it's Daddy." When I put him on speaker phone to talk to the boys, I swear that Ryan said, "it's Daddy." That boy is a genius. As are his older brothers. James's favorite thing to do is push the cute little walkers that Patricia gave us. He screams with joy while he's moving, but when he runs into immoveable objects, he screams in outrage. I have started walking his route with him to facilitate the joyful noises and limit the outrage, and now he stops to look at me, as if to say, "where do you want to go now, Mommy?" Michael is so sweet, but he does have quite a set of teeth he likes to show off. Somehow, my boobs and his brothers' heads seem to be his favorite victims. Michael LOVES hair. I can't begin to describe his obsession with the silky strands. He fondles his own hair while he drinks his bottle, he caresses my hair (which is always tightly strapped to my head in protection), and if I leave my hair down, he trills with delight. All three of my boys are just absolutely amazing. I can't imagine how my life would be without them, no matter how hard I have to work to keep up with them.
James tries to offer aid and comfort to his baby brother while Michael just wants to get this photo done and get back to playing.
Ryan was not up for a picture session. He jumped off the chair and bumped his head, thus putting him in a somewhat unhappy state.
Michael enjoys getting James in a headlock. Unfortunately, Dr. Teeth seems to really enjoy the chomp. Although I think he gets a little of it back as I discovered some definite Ryan teeth marks on his arm after bath time today.
James, "Come on Michael, let me just show you this one wrestling move I learned. I promise it's a good one."
James loves to talk - usually loudly and quite vociferously. I can't even begin to describe how much I love his open mouth photos. It's the one sign that this mini-Bob shares some genes with his mamma.
The face of an angel, the head grab/bite move of a ninja.
Ryan makes a move for the ground as he declares that this photo session is over.

Helping Out Around the House

For some reason, as the boys get older, Mommy seems to work much harder. I know that people say as they get older, multiples get easier, but I haven't found that to be true. It's just different, and I never seem to get to sit down for more than five minutes. The boys have started helping me around the house.
Here James is helping Mommy do laundry. He does such a great job of pre-treating the stains before we wash.
Michael dusts the tables and cleans the glass for that newly fingerprinted clean.
Ryan picks up the books and toys. Every Mommy needs a toy taster.
Here the gang helps Mommy by cleaning up the dog hair off the kitchen floor. No matter how often I sweep, they still seem to be able to pick up handfuls of Duke's hair and they seem to love putting it in their mouths. After all that hard work, it was time for a toy break.
James loves pushing things. He is getting to be very good at getting chairs across the kitchen as well as his toys.
Michael wonders why plastic bananas seem to stay fresh so much longer than store bought ones.
Ryan likes to turn everything upside down - and then climb on it. I'm pretty sure of all my children, Ryan will be the one to climb Mt. Everest.

Lookin' Out My Front Door

Lately, the boys have been very interested in what is going on outside our four walls. Tragically, except for the occasional grocery outing or restaurant, we don't leave the house much. Just the thought of loading them into the car sends shivers down my spine - especially since we have the new seats, and you have to bribe them with animal crackers to stay still while you buckle them in. Their favorite hang outs are looking through the glass doors we have on our front and back doors. They especially love looking out the back door when Duke is outside. They jockey for position, and the other day, I caught James and Michael trying to shut Ryan in between the glass door and the back door (when I fussed at them, they gave me those innocent angel smiles, but I'm pretty sure they knew what they were doing as poor Ryan howled in protest).

James takes Momo for a ride. "This is how you make this chair rock, Momo. Do it like I am."

Michael is happy to have James for a resting spot. "It gets so tiring standing here, let me just lean on your shoulder for some support."

Michael takes command of the rocking chair. He knows that chairs are for sitting in (or at least he's humoring mommy for a minute or two before he does a swan dive off said chair).

This pose makes me think of those movies when prisoners are behind glass, and they touch the glass to make contact with their visitor. Either that or they are at a Sting concert singing along to "Free, free, set them free."

Ryan likes to bang on glass - be it door or table top, the resounding noise of flesh hitting glass is quite fantastic in his opinion.

Alright boys, put your hands up and spread 'em.

Scarface and His Henchmen

Last week, Mom & Grandma went on a cruise and Bob had meetings in Utah. In order to maintain my sanity, Bob and I called in Grandma Newhouse. We had a lovely time with her. The boys were so happy to have her in town to play with. I think that Grandma Kathy had no idea how much more active her little men had gotten since Christmas. They are everywhere, all the time.
One of their most recent tricks is to stalk you for food. Don't eat in front of the Newhouse Boys without planning to share. Daddy's cheez-its are no exception. Another obsession is Daddy's hat. For weeks, Bob's hat has been hanging on the back of one of the barstools. James, in particular, has been obsessed. He stretches and strains to get the hat.
On Thursday night, Grandma Kathy watched the boys while Mommy went to visit her good friends from Sam Houston. Poor Grandma had to go to the potty, and unlike when I head to the throne room, no entourage followed. Apparently, James, Michael, and Ryan all were hanging on the stool attempting to acquire the coveted prize.

The monkeys managed to pull the entire chair over and in the process, James got the hat and a pretty impressive scratch on his face. It's getting better every single day, and I don't think it will leave a scar, but poor Grandma Kathy feels horrible. I say it builds character and gives us a story.

"Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die!"

Michael, kicked back getting his bottle held by Grandma. Life is good.

Window watcher. Ryan loves to see what's going on in the outside world with the added bonus of trying to climb up on the windowsills.

The Rascal James.

Michael makes a quick stop in the jumper. He loves to jump, but he's not so keen on the restraint.

Ryan plotting his next feat of greatness. What next? Stairs? Dog water? Daddy's office?

A Perfect 10

James, Michael, & Ryan are ten months old. They are always on the move - in opposite directions. This month's photo was only thanks to the efforts of Momo & Aunt Faith. I'm not sure how much longer they will allow me to contain them within the big chair. There are way too many places to go.
Despite their youth, bribery is an option, but you'd better have a quick trigger finger on that camera.
"Mom, why do you look so crazy? I've only tried to jump off this chair 20 times in the last 3 minutes."
No, really, we'd rather be on the floor playing with our toys. Come on guys, let's go. She can't catch us all.

Momo & Aunt Faith use reason and restraint in the quest for the perfect picture.

James, the no longer toothless wonder.

Michael, still the love bug with the good hugs.

Ryan the Red - explorer extraordinaire.

Momo & her main men.

The "handlers" pose for a picture with the stars of our show.

In the Name of Love

On April 24, 2009, I had a doctor's appointment in Grapevine. I'd been home on bedrest for about 10 days, and I was whining to Bob about being cooped up in the house. He spent most of his time trying to make me follow the doctor's orders, but despite his best efforts, I couldn't just lay around all the time (I tried, I really did, but dishes were in the sink and I was lonely on the couch by myself). I thought since Bob was driving and paid the copays at the doctor's, I'd leave everything at home, including my purse. It was a normal appointment, but while the nether-regions were being probed, I had a couple of contractions. Dr. G asked us to wait out in the waiting room while he talked to Dr. P, and in a matter of moments, I was being wheeled down the hall and admitted to the hospital - without an ID or an insurance card.

I'm pretty sure the next eight and a half weeks were the most frightening and challenging weeks of my life. At 25 weeks, I knew that my babies could not be born yet. They needed to cook a lot longer. So, I did what they told me to do. I sat, got poked and prodded, collected buckets of my own urine, learned to regulate my turb pump (and learned to trust Bob to help me change my site), and spent endless hours with my bare belly covered with jelly and monitors.
This face was worth it. As he gradually moved closer to my left thigh and was so low that they had to look at the top of his head vaginally, I became extremely connected to tiny little Baby A. If I spent too much time on my left side, he'd kick me until I would turn over (quite a feat for a woman the size of a beached whale).

This face was worth it. Michael, Baby B, was known as butt-boy. He'd curl up in a ball and push his bottom against my hand as he moved across my right side. I spent endless hours just patting his tiny little tush.
This face was worth it. My sweet little C-Monkey was very elusive. He sat at the top of my belly right below my chest, right next to my heart - both literally and figuratively. He never stayed on the monitor. I think my fingers still have cramps from trying to keep his little squirmy self on the charts. Ironic that he's still keeping me hopping.

Despite the fact that I'd prefer to pluck my own eyeballs out rather than ever be pregnant again, every single second was worth it. My three little men are absolutely amazing, and I can't even begin to imagine my life without them. It's true that your life experiences shape who you are, and a large part of who I am today was formed in room 213 at Baylor Grapevine. I learned there how to be patient, how to trust others, and that my husband is more amazing than I realized - he's my rock & the best dad in the world.

It's the Small Things

James, Michael, and Ryan have gone mobile. Everyone keeps saying, "Just wait until they start walking." Hmph, I'm pretty sure I'm doing a fair amount of chasing them down now. One of their favorite places to hang out is at the window. Not that there is anything worth looking at, but the windows make great noises when you slap them, and the sills are perfect for attempting to climb.
The boys LOVE the animals' water dish. I think that Ryan might be Ponce de Leon looking for that fountain of youth. That boy has a homing device located in the water bowl. I bought a couple of gates off of Craigslist, but neither of them work, and it's pretty difficult to completely block off the kitchen. I'm currently using baby jail in the gap as I have realized that the baby jail concept is fantastic in theory but horrible for someone who needs large, open spaces free of clutter.
Another source of endless entertainment is the dog bowl. The boys love to spin it around on the tile and make lovely noises with it. While Ryan heads to the water, James goes for the bowl, and Michael is usually stuck holding on to some piece of furniture (he hates to let go and fall, so a lot of times, I have to move him or he'll stay in the same place for hours).
Duke is not so fond of the mobile children. Not only have they invaded his bed, taken charge of his bowl, put their grubby hands in his water, they also invade his personal space. This prompts barking from Duke and yelling at Duke from Bob and I. Despite these inconveniences, Duke still loves cleaning up after meal times and getting good pets from the boys.
Lately, my very well behaved sons have decided that they would rather flip flop in the diaper changer instead of laying in one place and let Mom do clean up. This has made for some creative diapering. Standing, reclining on one side, bottoms up are all new ways of having one's diaper changed. James is by far the squirmiest. I've found that distractions are key. Debi gave us a fantastic lady bug & caterpillar brush & comb set that is very exciting to chew on/bang on the wall. The electrical nasal aspirator that sings is also in high rotation as are the various creams located in the pockets near the wipes. What can I say, I change tons of diapers a day, and I'm desperate to make my life as easy as possible.
While some one is "on deck," usually the other two are hanging out in the playpen below. It's great excitement to jump and make the playpen squeak.
Since Bob has been home for a few days, the boys have taken to escaping from the living room in stealth mode, bypassing the stairs (which all of them are learning to climb - James can make it up 5 steps before he stops), and heading straight for Daddy in the office. Bob says that the smiles on their faces as they round the corner of his desk and see him is just priceless. I'm not sure how much work Bob is able to do, but the boys sure do love spending time with Daddy. I mentioned closing the doors, but no one seemed to find that an appealing idea.In the last few weeks, our schedule has changed a bit. We have gone to three meals a day, and our after lunch time in the jeeps has become very irregular. The boys do love their jeeps, but lately, their favorite thing to do is rip off the mirrors and throw them on the floor. (Note James has completely denuded his jeep). The boys are sleeping until about 7:30 or so, and they are content to stay in their room until 8. They get a bottle, play a little, and then we eat breakfast. Lately, they would rather feed themselves, so I try to keep their trays well stocked with tasty finger foods. After breakfast, they get clean diapers and clothes, and then we play until 10:30 or 11 (during which time they seem to open the poop gates - today, I changed James 3 times between breakfast and lunch, Ryan twice, and Michael once). They usually take a nap in the three playpens that are in our bedroom. I've decided that I'd rather have the boys in the bedroom during the day. It makes it easier to check up on them as I do housework and/or sit on the couch and recover from the morning. After naps, it's time for more bottles and lunch, diapers, playing, and attempting to visit Daddy. Sometime around 3 or 4 they will take another nap, but they are taking such long morning naps that it's rare to get two naps. About 4:30, they have another bottle and we start dinner around 5:30 or 6. Some days we take a bath, and then they are in bed by 7 pm. They are sleeping through the night perfectly. I'm pretty sure I couldn't have asked for better kids.

Our little monkeys keep us hopping, but I sure wouldn't trade it for the world. Strangers always seem to think that we are overwhelmed by our kids, but really, our days are busy but they run pretty smoothly, and I never feel like they are unmanageable. Although I have to admit, some days by 7 pm I'm so tired I can't think, but it's worth it.