19/20 months

 I went to write the 20 month update but then realized I missed month 19.. so this will be the 19/20 month update ;) I haven’t missed a month yet! I started this blog when I was pregnant and look how far I’ve made it. I started it almost two years ago, on 11/9/2018 when I was in the hospital not sure if these three little babes were gonna make it. Time flies, and we are SO blessed that everything turned out the way it did. 

I can not believe it’s already October! Pretty soon the holidays will be upon us. So excited for them this year - though we aren’t sure what they will look like with Covid.. we will try to keep things normal as possible and celebrate when we can with our family and friends. We started ECFE in person and are back at the YMCA now, so we’ve been able to get out more.. much needed for all! 

Elliott - 

Mr E, or Big E as he is called. My parents started that and now it just sticks. And he really is Big E! He’s still a good 2-3 lbs heavier than Samuel even though he doesn’t look it, when you pick him up he’s just solid. He’s doing really well, way better than I expected actually, with the pacifier weaning. He is only getting it at night and during naps and he seems totally fine. He is so sensitive, and plays so well quietly by himself. He loves to figure things out and will spend a lot of time focused on one thing. We are hearing him doing a little more babbling which is so fun! He is talking the least, so that is a little concerning. He doesn’t say much but is doing some babbling here and there. He is struggling a bit with his emotions (hello, toddler!) but one thing he is doing is banging his head when he gets upset. He will either bang his head on the floor or on the wall, whatever is closest to him. We’ve brought it up to his Dr and she assured us it’s normal developmental behavior, and that he won’t bang hard enough to actually hurt himself but it’s similar to how kids bite, hit or have a tantrum when they are frustrated. The advice we’ve been given is to ignore it, but that can be really hard to do. We are really struggling with him and his separation anxiety. It’s so difficult to have a child that gets so upset anytime I leave him. And of course the pandemic and lack of chances for him to separate hasn’t helped that at all, ugh. He gets extremely upset in new situations so sometimes taking him places even if I’m there he just gets really worked up. I try not to let it get to me but sometimes it’s just really hard. Especially when I have two others that love to be social and out doing things, I feel like I am missing seeing them enjoy time because I’m constantly trying to reassure Elliott. He does ok once he settles down and realizes I’m not leaving him, but it can sometimes take a while.  ECFE suggested we come up with a goodbye routine and practicing that rather than just leaving him without saying goodbye, so we are going to come up with something and try that out. 

Samuel - 

Samuel is hilarious. He makes me laugh everyday, he is SUCH a ham!! He loves to be the center of attention. My parents will FaceTime us and he and Molly are always squealing and yelling if there face isn’t front and center on the screen. Samuel has been struggling with biting.. it’s been a pretty big problem! He will be totally fine and then all of a sudden he’s biting his brother or sister. It was just Molly he was biting but I’ve been noticing bite marks on Elliott lately when I go to get him dressed. I think being tired is a trigger and also frustration. We’ve tried time outs in another room after biting but then he bites himself, which we obviously don’t want him to do. Ugh, it’s frustrating. Samuel has BIG emotions and shows them frequently. Last week, we were at Cub and he didn’t want to sit in the cart, so he had an EPIC meltdown. He was screaming and hitting and arching his back... we’ve all seen it happen at the store to someone else but when it’s you it is so embarrassing. I ended up just leaving my groceries and bringing him home. It was a hard moment for sure. 

Molly - 

Molly is a complete mix of both of her brothers. She can play independently well, but also is not afraid to get into the mix if there is something she wants. Her and Samuel butt heads a lot.. she gets very upset if she comes near her when she is doing something, but she doesn’t seem to mind if Elliott comes around. She can be super dramatic but is the best snuggler! Her and Samuel will go to anyone, no questions asked. She has loved being at ECFE and the Y! She marches in no problems. She has been babbling quite a bit and loves to point to things. Her and Tom read the alphabet book every night and she points to the word, he says it and she tries to repeat. It is really sweet. She loves her daddy, she is always trying to snuggle him when he gets home. Dad doesn’t get a second of time once he walks in the door, all three are standing by the gate waiting for hugs. She haaaates getting her hair done, it’s a battle every morning. 

ECFE has gone well, so far. Due to Covid it’s every other week in person/ on zoom, so we’ve only gotten to go to one in person session so far. We were supposed to be in person last week, but Monday evening, Sam spiked a high fever and it didn’t go down, so I brought him in to the dr. After doing a strep test and a urine test to check for a UTI, (both negative) it was just a virus and the next day he woke up fever free. So strange.  Molly had the same thing earlier this week.. tis the season for viruses! 

In other news, the triplets no longer share a room! Samuel was struggling with sleep so  we thought maybe we would try him in his own room. It’s been working well so far! We had to do some rearranging and I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. More sleep for everyone in the house is always a good thing. 

We’ve been busy doing the fall activities, we went to the pumpkin patch and got some pumpkins to paint, and are excited for Halloween. They are going to be the three blind mice! Not sure they will keep their glasses on but the costumes are cute and warm! Tom has been busy working like always and doing some side projects here and there. I’m happy we are back at the Y and looking forward to working out a few times a week. Life is crazy, chaotic, and just plain weird in 2020, but overall we are extremely lucky and blessed.