Two Years Old!! (x3)

We made it...we have three two-year-olds!! Alexis, Jack, and Faith have started to become more like little kids than babies and the quote, "The days are long but the years are short" rings true to me now. During the first year of Alexis, Jack, and Faith's lives I did not feel this way as the days flew by with bottle feedings, diaper changes, laundry, dishes, and formula making, yet our babies weren't developing very quickly and therefore time seemed to be going so slowly. But since our kids starting walking last September, time seems to have gone quickly as they somehow went from babies to toddlers in the last eight months. Some days being at home with three toddlers is really tough, but other days are really fun, and we are so thankful for each of our babes no matter how crazy and long the day feels. I wrote a blog post about each of our kids last week so I won't go into detail about each of them in this post, but I did include some of their "Two-Year-Old Stats" below.


The Start of Summer Time

A friend mentioned to me recently that you have about 18 summers to enjoy with your kids before they go to college, which really puts the short amount of time we have with them into perspective! Our first summer with our trio, in 2013, was not a typical summer. Between June 7, when our babes were born, and August 6, when Faith came home from the hospital (she was the last home) we didn't really do anything besides spend time at the hospital with our babes. Of course we wouldn't have had it any other way as we wanted to be there with them, but it feels like we missed an entire summer. 

Last summer was fun as we were able to go on a couple of vacations and climbing trips, but for the most part we were still in the baby phase so there wasn't a lot the babes could do outside. 

This summer, though, will be extremely different as our kids love playing outside and they seem to be the most happy out there. We already joined our local YMCA with an outdoor pool and we took the kids there for the first time Monday. We didn't really know what to expect since the kids hadn't been in a pool since last August and they have changed so much since then, but we were really surprised when Jack and Faith both cried when we took them in the water! Last year Jack loved to be in the pool, and both girls enjoyed it once they had been in several times, but they must not have remembered how much fun it was last year. Alexis was much more interested in the pool, which was surprising since last year she was the most timid. We look forward to many more pool visits in the next few months!

Hanging out as far away from the big pool as they could get!

Checking out the kiddie pool. Alexis was the only one that actually got in and she didn't want to get out, even though she was shivering since the kiddie pool isn't heated.

Faith would only touch the water with her fingers and toes.

Jack wouldn't come close to the kiddie pool at first since he got so upset when we brought him in the big pool, but once he realized he could just play in it with his fingers he didn't want to leave!

Alexis loved it!

This summer will also be different as Micah leaves tomorrow for Alaska and he will be gone for 20 days. His goal is to climb Denali, weather permitting. He has put in four months of intense training so he is physically prepared and he has spent a lot of time figuring out which gear he needs and which foods will be best to eat on the glacier and while (hopefully) climbing Denali, but even with the best preparations no one can control the weather. I am excited for his trip as Denali is a lifelong goal of his and, even though it means time away from me and the kids, we decided together that this was the best summer for an attempt in the lives of our kids since they are still at an age where they won't realize he is gone for such a long time and they aren't involved in any activities of their own yet.

While Micah is gone I will have a rotating crew of family and friends in ABQ to help me with the kids, for which we are extremely thankful. First my parents will be here for awhile, then Micah's mom is coming out for a few nights, then my friend Katie will be here for five days, and then Micah's mom will come back with his sister and her three boys. Having people in town will not only lessen my workload, but it also gives me something to look forward to as the days can get monotonous. I'm sure we will enjoy many summer activities with all of our guests!

Two-Year-Old Stats

Weight: Weight-wise our kiddos are still small, which has been a source of stress for Micah and I as we have tried many things to get our kids to eat more. Our pediatrician is definitely not concerned about our kids' weights, and honestly I think part of it has to do with genetics as Micah and I are thin, but society wants kids to be heavy so it's hard not to compare. At their 2-year well-child visit on 5/28/15 (10 days before their actual birthday), their weights were as follows:

Alexis: 22 lbs 10 oz (20th percentile)
Jack: 21 lbs 8 oz (3rd percentile...he's on the chart!)
Faith: 22 lbs 5 oz (16th percentile)

Height: Alexis and Faith are getting quite tall as they are both around 34.5 inches, which puts them in the 68th percentile for 2-year-old girls. Jack is 32.5 inches which puts him in the 5th percentile.

Teeth: Somehow the girls have caught up to Jack with their teeth. Jack has 14 teeth, Alexis has 12 plus all four cuspids have broken through her gums, and Faith has 12 plus two cuspids have broken through her gums. Our kids seem to be late bloomers as far as teeth and hair are concerned. The girls just got their first haircuts a couple of days ago!

Size clothes: We are all over the place with clothes since length doesn't matter as much with shorts and skirts. Believe it or not, I tried some of the 12-month size shorts and skirts on the kids and they still fit so they're are wearing them again this summer! One great thing about having small kids is that it takes much longer to outgrow clothes! Some of the shirts the kids are wearing are 24 month or 2T, though, so they all fit into a wide range of sizes right now.

Eating: I am so happy to reiterate that we are officially done with bottles. There was a point that I thought we would never actually be done with them. The kids are also very excited about drinking from open cups, so we are letting them do that more and more. It is hard for them to resist them temptation of spilling the liquid all over the floor, though, so right now we have been sticking to water.

Naps: Naps are crazy right now as some days I have one or two kids that don't nap at all  and other days all three sleep for 3+ hours! It is hard for me to have such unpredictable naps since I am a planner and I really enjoy getting stuff done during nap time, but I know there will come a point when no one will nap so I am trying to enjoy the three hour naps when they come! Also, up until a month or two ago it was very easy to put everyone down for a nap. By the time 12:00 noon came around they were all really tired and they lined up at the gate so that I could take them upstairs. Now they run around downstairs after lunch and they never want to lay down for a nap. Lately it seems to take Alexis a really long time to settle down and fall asleep as well.

Bedtime: Really no change since last month. It still takes awhile for the girls to fall asleep some nights, but that is totally fine with us as long as they are content in their room, which is usually true.

Words: It is now common to hear two or three word phrases from Alexis, Jack, and Faith. They say simple phrases such as, "mommy go bye-bye," "baby hungry," and "water table," but I know this is just the beginning and the summer will be filled with many more phrases.

New Things: 

• "Insurance Claim" biting: We definitely have biting issues at our house, and now all three have seemed to realize that we give attention to the kid that got bit, so they have started to stick their fingers in each other's mouths to get attention / sympathy. They're trying to outsmart us!

• Tantrums: These are out of control, especially for Jack right now. Pretty much anything can set off a tantrum and there's not much we can do but weather the storm.

• Volunteering each other: Throughout the day I often say stuff like, "Who is ready for a diaper change?" They used to be a pretty cooperative and come to me to get changed, but now they have started volunteering each other by name when I ask the question. The other day when they were taking a bath I asked who was ready to be washed first, and Faith said Jack, Jack said Alexis, and Alexis said Faith. Oh boy!

• Want to walk everywhere: Most two-year-olds are allowed to walk into stores, walk around parks, and basically travel on their own two feet as they are able. But with three two-year-olds it's a little complicated since I can't really trust that they won't run into the street, in front of a car in a parking lot, or run away from me at the zoo. But they definitely WANT to walk, so we let them do this whenever we can (i.e. I have an extra adult to help me wrangle!).

• Calling "Mommy" or "Daddy:" For some reason it has taken our kids awhile to catch on that they can actually call for us instead of just cry, and now they have started to do that when they wake up in middle of the night or when they can't fall asleep at night. Part of me likes this as I have always been worried about being the most important person in our babes' lives since I had to bond with three babies at once, but it's also a bit frustrating at times to hear, "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!" from multiple two-year-olds when I can't help all of them at the same time. The other night Alexis was having trouble falling asleep so I went in to intervene and when Faith realized that I wasn't going to pick her up as well she started yelling, "Daddy! Daddy!" Smart girl.

• "Reading:" Although I don't always read to our kids as much as I would like because it often turns into everyone getting frustrated (my lap is only so big!), they definitely understand what it sounds like when someone reads a book. During their bedtime snack all three seem to prefer looking at books on their own and pretending to read aloud, instead of having one of us read to them. It's super cute to have three little two-year-olds reading aloud at the same time.

• Trying to count: All three definitely understand what counting is and they often try to count on their own or count along with us. They will catch onto true counting soon.

I'm sure there are other "new things" that have come up in the last month, but it's getting harder and harder to keep track of their development now that Alexis, Jack, and Faith seem to be catching on to things so quickly!


Here are some photos from the last month:

Micah's birthday was May 16 and he wanted to try taking the kids on a climbing day trip again. We knew it would be a challenge since we wanted to go to El Rito, which isn't very toddler friendly, so we asked Micah's parents if they could meet us there since it's halfway between ABQ and their town. Plus, Micah's dad climbs so it would give him a chance to climb as well. We also met up with some friends for the day, which was fun, but unfortunately we were still really distracted by the kids even with the extra help! Our kids definitely don't like to sit still, which can be dangerous at a crag, so we are going to wait a few more months before we try something like this again! At least it was memorable!

Ready to hike up to the crag

Jack watching Daddy climb

Me, our friend Jen, and Micah's mom hanging out with the kids. They were only sitting still because they love watching Jen's dog!

All three are starting to figure out how to climb the mini wall in our backyard (part of our slide). We look forward to the day that they can climb with us.

Jack

Faith

Alexis can climb too, but she also likes to say "poo!" (aka: peek a boo)

And here are some random photos...

Selfie with Faith

Boxes are always fun

The first kid up from their nap often gets to "type" so that I can keep working at the computer, if needed. This works like a charm! On this day Micah was home too, so it was extra special to be "working" with Mommy and Daddy!

Trying out the teeter totter at a park (A, F, J)

The kids went to their first brewery as our friend's work was having a fundraiser there. They were captivated by the music (and the bag toss game), and they were very upset when it was time to go home for dinner.

This is one of the girls' current favorite games. They say peek-a-boo around a chair and giggle hysterically. Unfortunately this has also resulted in at least one nasty fall so we have to make sure it doesn't get out of hand.

Practicing steps at our friends' house. These steps are perfect for practicing since there is plenty of space to regain their balance before moving to the next step.

"See? See? See?" The girls were very curious about Micah's coffee.

I'm usually able to find a triple cart in the parking lot at Target, but on this morning I wasn't so lucky so I loaded all three in the regular cart to get them into the store safely. They thought it was fun, but they were ready for the more comfortable seats on the triple cart when we got inside.

Backyard fun, and super cute expressions.

Faith with her two doggies.

Two-year-old well visit. They only stayed in the wagon for a little bit. Then they all wandered around the room, touched everything, and laid on the floor multiple times (without their clothes on since the doctor needed to look them over). No wonder the girls caught a little bug a few days later!

Post two-year well visit appointment (and shot!) milkshake. I've gotten in a very bad habit of stopping at Chick-Fil-A after every doctor's appointment since it's close to the doctor's office and there isn't a Chick-Fil-A near our house. Now I have to treat the kids too as they won't let me get away with eating or drinking in front of them! 

We hardly ever get to carry the kids down the stairs these days as they want to walk down themselves. Micah has a stuffed animal in each pocket as the kids are insistent that we put the animals there when we walk downstairs ("Pocket? Pocket?")

Biker Chicks (A, F)

We have been using the water table pretty much every day since it's gotten hot. The only downside for me is the multiple changes of clothes throughout the day as everyone ends up soaked.

Jack loves the hose. I think we should start setting up a sprinkler for him, but I feel bad about wasting water like that in the desert.

Alexis enjoys "typing" as well.

All lined up watching Daddy prep blueberries for breakfast. Chairs at the countertop is becoming the norm at our house.

We have been enjoying a fun weekend celebrating Alexis, Jack, and Faith's birthday with both sets of grandparents in town. We are so thankful for FaceTime as our kids know exactly who their grandparents are, even though we don't live near either set, since they are able to interact on the phone so often. I will post about our birthday weekend soon!