7 months

Helen and Ella

Helen - always ready with a smile; and I think she knows what I mean when I say "Smile!" when I get the camera out

A little play time on the floor

Ella usually pulls the blanket over her face when she eats but this time she left herself a little peep hole

Ella has her tank top on and she is ready for Florida!

Grandma feeding Alex

Grandma's precious bundles - Ella, Helen, and Alex

Grandma is teaching Ella how to cook (they made chili)

We have started packing for our big trip home. Only one week left here and then it is back to Jacksonville. So far, things are going smoothly. The babies are going to fly back with me, my mom and my aunt. My dad and a friend are going to drive the minivan and my dad's truck with all the stuff. If everything goes as planned, it should all go smoothly. I'm trying to prepare the babies for their first flying experience.

Alex is getting his first tooth! This week we were feeling his gums and finally felt the first hard edges of a tooth. I think Helen is not far behind but I have not felt any on Ella yet.

Everyone is thankfully healthy again. Grandma ended up getting sick too but hers only lasted a couple of days and then she was back in action. Let's hope that is all behind us.

We had another major milestone this week - I did my first triathlon since the babies. It may seem crazy that I would have the time or the energy to train for a triathlon right now. But training is so second nature to me, I cannot imagine not having something to train for. And when you have three babies at home, trust me, it is not hard to take an hour to go to the gym each day. The race went well - I was happy with my time. But it was also bittersweet. A lot of what I love about racing is all the friends we race with. It is not as much fun doing a race without Cecil and our regular group of friends there.

Not having anyone to talk to at the race this morning gave me a chance to reflect on what a big part of our lives triathlon is. When Cecil and I first met, one of the first things we figured out that we had in common was triathlon. Our first date was a bike ride together. Then we did our first race (Red Hills) together a few months later. That was also the year we did our first Ironman together. That was an interesting experience training for that together and then getting to experience the awesome event that is an Ironman together.

Since then, Cecil has gone on to race the Ironman two more times - including the year where he injured himself on the run and I walked next to him for most of the 26.2 miles of the run and kept him on pace so he would finish before midnight (the official cut off time). It seems like many of our best memories center around triathlon - we got married in St. Croix so that we could do the St. Croix half Ironman two days after our wedding (Cecil could not do the bike though since his bike never made it and was never seen again). And there was the true test of our relationship when Shawn, Cecil and I decided to do an adventure race together. Shawn and Cecil taught me how to ride a mountain bike but forgot that a Blue Bellied Yankee does not necessarily know how to climb over a wall. We went back to Red Hills every year for that race - including the year it was 40 degrees and no one could feel their extremities for the whole race. The Lake Tahoe Century was worth it just because that is where we met Freddy and what would we do without Freddy? The Marine Corp marathon was unforgettable - not only because Cecil and Kendall decided to walk most of it but because I took them seriously when they said they could use some cheeseburgers and french fries. Thanksgiving would not be the same without the Atlanta half marathon and what would the Fourth of July be without the Peachtree 10K?

I miss the local races with all of our local Hammerhead Triathlon Club there - we know so many people that it is more like a moving social than a race. And there are the regular races that are so near and dear to our hearts: Ironman Florida, the steam baths of St. Anthony's and Gulf Coast, the BFASTs, the Disney Half Ironman (and the death march of the inaugural year). Triathlon would not be triathlon without the Pooh Crew: Shawn, Freddy, Kendall, Cecil, and me. We train together, eat together, race together, and generally share our lives together. I'm really looking forward to sharing this with our kids too. I don't expect that they will be as enthralled with triathlon as we are, but I am sure they will have their share of early morning races cheering on mommy or daddy. And they will get to experience Disney and their first marathon this January when we all make the trip to Disney for a few days for Cecil to do the Disney marathon. Life would not be life without one or both of us training for a race.

So I had a good race today in terms of time and performance. But like I said, it was bittersweet without everyone else there - especially Cecil. There are very few races that we have not done together or at least been at the finish line for each other. The thought that kept me going today was looking forward to the day when I cross the finish line with Cecil and my three angels waiting there for me.

I thought moms were not allowed to get sick....

A rarity - Ella is smiling!!

This is what happens when you leave Grandma alone with the kids...

There are not many pictures this week because there were not many happy babies to take pictures of. I thought for sure I saw something in the New Mom's Manual for Helen, Ella, and Alex that I could not get sick during the first year. Apparently not because I caught the flu or some other nasty stomach virus this week. It figures I would catch it this week because I had to go to Florida Thursday through Saturday for a meeting for work. I barely felt good enough on Thursday to leave but I made it. Only to get to Florida and have my mom tell me that the babies all came down with it after I left. Ella was starting to get fussy and act like she was not feeling well before I left but it got worse for her and spread to the other two as well. I felt really bad leaving my mom and my aunt to take care of three sick babies while I was away. They were all doing OK, but clearly not feeling well and not eating much. Who says I am not a mom who shares everything with her babies ?!?

When all else fails when we are not feeling good? Baby Einstein!!

The good news is that the kids had their 6 month check up this week and they were all declared in excellent health (this was obviously before the virus outbreak....). Alex weighs 16 and a half pounds, Helen weighs 16 pounds 4 ounces, and Ella weighs 14 pounds. They are all doing great for their age and seem to have almost made up for their 6 weeks of prematurity. We are also allowed to stop giving them the high calorie formula that the hospital put them on when they were so tiny and trying to gain weight. If you could see their chubby little legs, I think you would agree that we don't need to be working on them to gain weight.

It's a little over two weeks until we head home to Jacksonville. We are very excited to be going home but also sad to be leaving all of our wonderful family and friends here in Ohio. Not to worry about Grandma though, she already has a plane ticket a month for the next 5 months.

Hopefully we will all be back up to 100% soon and we'll start working on some happy pictures!

Happy Father's Day! and Six Month Pictures

Since we could not send ourselves to Afghanistan for Father's Day, we thought some pictures might be a small substitute. However, I underestimated how fascinated everyone would be with their signs and that they would rather chew on them than hold them...


At least our shirts speak for us!

"Alex, that's my hand - go chew on your own!" -- Ella


3 peas in a pod - Helen, Alex, and Ella

With turning 6 months comes the pictures to document it:

Alex (holding up the load), Helen, and Ella

Alex

Helen

Ella

Ella, Alex, Helen

Alex (practicing his deep and mysterious look)

Helen

Ella

Alex, Ella, and Helen

Ella

Helen

Alex

Our First Swimming Experience

With the weather warming up, we figured it was time to take everyone swimming - to the backyard that is where I set up a blow up pool from Target. Here are Alex and Ella taking their first dip. Mixed reviews so far - at least they did not cry. Helen got in and started to cry right away. New things have always been scary for her!

Alex is trying to stay upright but this wet stuff is really slippery! At least Ella is entertained...

Alex, Ella, and Helen

Not to be deterred (I keep telling them that they will be begging me to take them swimming in a few years) we tried again a few days later - with me in the pool with them. The things a mother does.....

Here are Helen and Alex waiting their turn to get in.

Who knew that Bumbos also float and make nice chairs for the pool?

Helen is still reserving judgment but at least she did not cry this time

Back inside to play - Alex has discovered a new toy -- Helen's mouth!

Smilely, happy Helen

Alex is hanging out with Grandma

"So Mom, are we going to do something besides sit in these things all day?" - Helen

"Hey, this is a pretty cushy pillow to lay on..." - Alex laying on Helen

This week I loaded up the babies and drove down to Columbus to visit my cousin Stephanie and her daughter Grace. We had a great time and I survived my first trip on my own with the babies. Here are Grace and the babies playing.

Helen, Ella, and Alex

(Alex still needs to work on his guest etiquette - notice that he is spitting up)

Grace holding Ella and Helen next to her

This week we took Alex to Akron Children's Hospital to have a specialist look at his head. Over the past few months, he has developed quite the flat spot on the back of his head. OK, so it's not so much a flat spot as it is the whole back of his head is flat. He likes to sleep flat on his back and I think all those hours of laying in that position have flattened out his head as it has been growing. I do everything I can to keep him off his head while he is awake but it does not seem to be helping. And the treatment for this is to put him in this foam helmet that keeps the pressure off the back of his head so that as it continues to grow it will round out.

Sure enough, the doctor thought the flatness was bad enough that he should have "helmet therapy." Poor kid, he cannot catch a break. Turns out that babies with reflux, multiples, and premature babies are all at a higher risk for this so it is not terribly suprising that he has it. So now he'll have to wear a helmet - for 6 months! Since it takes about 4 weeks to make these helmets, we are going to have to wait until we get back to Florida to get his. We go home in 3 weeks! Pictures of the helmet will be forthcoming - I'm sure he is going to love these when he is older. But when he's 60 and has lost all his hair (it is a foregone conclusion that he will be bald given our family history) he will thank me for not letting him be bald AND have a flat head! (I hope....)

Rolling Over

Ella still resists eating solids but we think we may have snuck some green beans in her without her realizing what she was doing. She does seem more and more fascinated with watching me eat - maybe she just needs to see how it is done.

Everyone is rolling over now! Helen is probably the best at rolling onto her back then back onto her tummy. Alex and Ella are holding thier own though and can roll over easily if they get frustrated or see something they want.

Helen and Ella in thier matching cherry outfits (it is finally warm enough to wear summer clothes now! In fact, it went straight from cold and rainy to hot and humid)

Ella and Helen having some tummy time

Helen is sitting up!! This is a new development this week. While she looks suspiciously like she is falling over, she is actually able to maintain this position for several minutes -- then she falls over.

Some day I will actually get Ella to smile for pictures instead of perfecting this stunned look. She is going to look back on her childhood and wonder why she was always so unhappy....

Helen and Ella in their ballerina tutus - how cute are they???

Helen and Ella