7 Month Update

Time is just flying by! I thought I'd update everyone on the many changes going on. Chris and I just started a new crying it out bedtime routine. We also implemented an earlier bed time. We knew something had to change when it was 9pm some nights and they were STILL awake. We set up another crib in the other room because one can't always sleep in a swing. Nothing, and I mean nothing, is as difficult as this, not their screams when getting shots, not seeing them in the NICU, no, this is pure torture for us. I've talked to many moms, our ped, read books, and I know that this is a good thing for them in the long run. It will teach them to soothe themselves. Once they are asleep, they get a nice, restful deep sleep. The first night, Abby fell asleep before going in the crib. The boys, ugh, they cried for over 30 minutes. The next night, over 20 minutes. I thought we were making progress until last night when the cries were over 40 minutes again.

My mom DOES NOT agree with this method and has to leave the room when they start crying. She never let me cry it out and that is why I had HORRIBLE sleep experiences as a child. I would wake up in the middle of the night and scream for her. She would run to my room, sit with me till I was asleep and leave. Then it would happen all over again. This continued for many, many years. Yet, she still does not understand that this is a good thing for my babies. She's totally old school. As hard as each night is, we're not giving up. Soon we will have to do this with nap time. Right now we have no nap schedule; we're just letting them fall asleep whenever. This makes for a very tiring day for me as one is always up. Thankfully, my grandma comes over pretty much every day to help me while Chris and my dad work at our house. Which by the way is STILL not done. At least the floors are getting done this week. I don't even want to get into how much clean up we need there as the dust is inches thick.

Okay, Abby, she is developing quite the personality! She definitely knows her name and sometimes will purposely not look at you but smile when you call her name. The little stinker! She is getting great at sitting up by herself, thanks to those long arms. Her absolute favorite is our dog Bailey. She laughs so hard when he starts running around. We first thought she was crying, but that's just the way her laugh sounds. She still doesn't have any teeth, but those hands are constantly in her mouth and I know it won't be long.

Josh is our most social. It seems like the kid is always smiling. He is getting more vocal and laughs without even being tickled. He seems to be a couple weeks ahead of the others developmentally. His 2 teeth are nice and big already. When feeding him solids, he opens his mouth for the spoon. So far, his favorite food is sweet potatoes. In the morning, you will find Josh babbling and playing in his crib. It is the greatest thing to go to him because he is just in such a great mood. I think his bro and sis still haven't learned to soothe themselves because they cry when waking up. Josh barely likes to sit because he always wants to stand. When in his Exersaucer, he is constantly discovering new things. It's nice to see what he does first and know what to expect from bro and sis.

You can't help but laugh with Jack. He is still the smallest little guy, but he has one beautiful bottom tooth. I think he is in some pain as another tooth is trying to pop through. He loves, loves, loves my grandma. He's always trying to get his brother and sister's attention. I think he's our comedian because he constantly babbles and makes funny sounds. His favorite pasttime is riding on his grandpa's shoulders. He even falls asleep up there! I love seeing the world through his little eyes.

We're still doing one solid during the day, and cereal in a bottle at night. Hey, their sizes say it all! In April, we have an appt. with a gastro doc to make sure their reflux is just that, and nothing serious. They are still spitting up throughout the day. We go on walks whenever the weather is nice, but Jack doesn't care for the middle seat. I found and ordered a Choo Choo Wagon from Step 2. For those of you who don't know, Step 2 discontinued this thing and some are selling for as much as $800 on Craig's List and Ebay. I was totally lucky to find a new one at a store online for regular price. Triplet moms love this thing and opt for this instead of a bulky stroller. Hopefully our babies will enjoy it too!

Though we are completely exhausted by the end of the day and every muscle is aching, we wouldn't have it any other way!