Our First Fourth

We love the fourth of July! Most years, we spend it with the Gardennismith clan in Ft. Walton. This year was extra special because we got to take the boys to meet everyone (well almost everyone Greg and Tara were busy having a baby, so the boys will have to meet them and their little ones, Hudson, Esther, and new baby Sophia, at Christmas). This year was also nice because it helped us break up our move from Greenville. It meant we were "homeless" for a little longer, but well worth the trip. We were also able to time it so we missed traffic coming and going to Florida for the 4th, so the boys did really well in the car since it was a short trip.

10 adults and 8 kids (all under 6) 

Pops, Will, Amanda, John Bryan, Matt, Kip, Archer, Brian, Christy, Waylon, Robin, Andrew, Alden, John, Bailey, Erin, John and Hurley

The boys loved their first pool experience. They all took to the water well and liked to kick their feet in their little floats.

In the pool with mom and GG

They looked like professionals in their swim diapers 

or as Jay put it, "the worlds worst swim team."

We took over the den at GG and Pops.

We had lots of help feeding babies.

A good time was had by all.

Aunt Erin and Alden

Mom with Andrew and Archer

Sweet Alde Bear

Andrew and his Pipswquiz

Archer with his helmet attachment (aka fun for parents)

Happy 4th from our patriotic cuties!

Six Months

Weights

Archer:    15lb 1oz

Andrew:  15b 1oz

Alden:     16lbs 10oz

Lengths 
(at their six month well visit which was actually at 6 1/2 months)
Archer: 26.5 inches
Andrew: 25 inches
Alden: 26.5 inches

Food

Food just got a lot more complicated and fun. We upped solids to twice a day. The fun part is the boys have now added (in this order) peas, carrots, sweet potatoes and apples to their preexisting buffet of rice cereal, squash, avocado, and green beans. They usually split about 10 ounces of veggies/fruits between the three of them (or 3.33 oz) at each feeding. We've taken a break from avocado though because the fat was tough for them to digest. We feed solids at their 10:30ish and 4:30ish feedings. The complicated part is the effect this had had on milk. We started giving them what amounts to a half bottle after their solids. This means they now take a big bottle in the morning (amount 1), a half bottle at 10:30 (2), a regular bottle at 1:30 (3), a half bottle at 4:30, and a big bottle with rice before bed (4). That's four different bottle amounts for 3 different babies meaning that making bottles take a little bit longer when you have to measure out 12 different amounts with different mixtures of breastmilk and formula and rice and slippery elm (the miracle cure we have found for Andrew's gas) into 15 different bottles (whew!). I am sure there is an easier way to do it, but not without wasting breastmilk and formula, and I work hard for that breastmilk and hate paying for formula. Among the three of them, we waist enough as it is.

Super Dad feeding all three!

Trying to keep milk off Archer's helmet

Don't know what we would do without the Twin Z

Everyone patiently waiting their turn.

Archer is all smiles at feeding time

Andrew is our champion eater

Don't leave any food on the tray or Alden will attack it

We love our high chairs

Diapers

Size 2s

Clothes


Archer and Andrew: 3-6 months

Alden: 3-6 and 6-9 months

Right before we moved, I unpacked the 6-9 for Alden. His stomach was showing in 3-6 month tops, but it also shows in 6-9 months, so maybe he just has a long torso. I kind of like Alden being a little ahead in clothes. It helps stretch outfits further since right now we still rely on mostly hand-me-downs from friends and shower gifts :) Speaking of, since I haven't bought coordinating or matching sets of anything, I am always excited when I can coordinate them. Specifically, I love it when their pajamas have a theme. He are some shots of me torturing the boys in the morning:

Dinosaur Jammies

Blue Stripe Jammies

Sports Jammies

Truck Jammies

Navy Jammies

Personalities and Tricks

Archer is doing great in his helmet. We had a really cute monogram sticker,
but it wouldn't lay flat on the round helmet, so we had a redesign

Either way the kid is pretty adorable!

When we go to the park, Andrew is more often than not in the carrier (while the other boys are in the stroller) usually because he is both the lightest and fussiest, because of that he gets to wear a baseball cap.

The only thing cuter than a baby is a baseball cap is a baby in a backwards baseball cap!

Alden is becoming more and more active and more and more smiley

But don't doubt his ability to sleep anywhere.

One thing that has amazed me this month is how they have all kind of caught up with one another in terms of their individual strengths. These boys, who we once thought couldn't be more different, are starting to interact more with each other and as a result seem to be rubbing off on one another. They all have their own distinct voice and cry, but they have recently started making each other's noises and faces, so that something I thought of as distinctly Andrew, we will see/hear Alden do and vice versa.

Something that is distinctly Archer is his Forest Gump impression. You know the one where Forest does an impression of his principal. Yeah, Archer can do a great Forest Gump (hehe).

One morning, while I was pumping and Jay was putting away bottles, the boys were in the front room sitting in their walkers. This is kind of our morning routine (keep them occupied for 30 minutes or so after their bottles while we start the day). The boys have been using their walkers as chairs for quite a while now, but have only recently started being able to propel themselves forward and back. They have also only recently been able to reach or take interest in the built-in toys on the front of the walkers. Anyway, one morning Jay and I suddenly heard the song on one of the walkers play followed by a host of laughter, which surprised us both since we hadn’t pushed the buttons for them. Alden had finally figured out that he could reach and activate the music on his own. The other boys were very impressed and sat mesmerized by Alden's talents as he DJed for them for the rest of the morning. It was absolutely precious, and I know we have many more fun moments like that to come.

Some days being a triplet is hard:

Like when your brother has to go to the doctor, and you get dragged along....

...or when mom takes too long to put your brothers to bed and your pass out on the chair

...or when mom takes too long to put your brothers to bed and you pass out of the chair

...or when mom won't stop taking your picture
just because you and your brothers are all wearing sheep pajamas

...or when you and your brother have to nap in the bathroom doorway because
you won't stop fussing and mom needs to take a shower (nice photobomb Wrigley)

...or when mom thinks it's funny to cuff you and your brother together

...or when you get put in the laundry basket because mom
won't stop doing laundry just because you are fussing

...or when mom piles us up together because it's cute (best photobomb ever Wrigsman)

Sometimes being a triplet is fun

You have someone to endure tummy time with...

...or two someones to endure tummy time with

...you have someone to jump with

...and bathe with

...you have lots of pretty babysitters to take care of you (Kristina)

...you have lots of pretty babysitters to take care of you (Jordan)

...and you get awesome story time with dad

Activities

This month was all about visitors!  We spent our last weeks in Greenville and welcomed lots of special visitors.

Grandmas and Grandpa needed one more trip to Greenville
and the boys wore their RTR bibs for he occasion 

And we went to the farmer's market!

Shanna, Michael, and Eli came all the way from Virginia to visit

Eli loved talking to the ducks in Falls Park

Elizabeth (Archer's godmother) and Emmy came to visit

The boys took Elizabeth and Emmy to lunch at Smoke on the Water
and then they showed them what good shoppers they are!

Bo, Regan, and Baby G (who we now know is a boy) came to see us

The daddy-to-be got lots of practice

Regan is a natural

We had another fun playdate with Raz and Jesse

Even at their house, a group picture was a little tricky.

We love their mom Charity

Miss Kristina came too

We loved their toys and their backyard

We definitely need swings like this when we get to Alabama. We're gonna miss the Yost family!

Lauren and Cade came to spend the night with us!

We went to the Children's museum and played on the water table... 

...and sat in a saddle

...and walked in a bamboo garden

...and slept in our carrier

...and slept in our stroller (under a wish tree)

...and looked cool in the light machine

...and played on the giant light bright (coolest thing ever - someone please make us one)

Cade had fun with baby toys

....and impersonated a triplet.

and we went to the park! Such  a fun visit!

Then we moved the boys to Ala freaking Bama! We brought the boys and their stuff down south a few days before our trip to Ft. Walton for the 4^th, which you can check out here. We spent a few days at Baba and Steve-O’s where the boys just happened to celebrate a half birthday! Grow boys grow, but time slow down.

We made it!

Just a few things

Six Month Pictures