2½ years...what's new

My babies are growing up. It seems like all of a sudden they have turned into little people with opinions and they now have the words to voice them! Everyday I look at the girls and think that they can't possibly get any cuter and my love for them can't possibly get any bigger, but they keep getting cuter and I love them more each day.

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We are starting to wean you from your binkies and they now stay in your cribs. I'm hoping by your 3rd birthday, the binkies will be gone! You all enjoy "cooking" and each meal usually ends with you spitting your milk or water onto your plate and you pretend to cook whatever food is left. "My cooking" is what you will tell me. One of our regular weekend routines is going to Costco and then treating the girls to a Jamba Juice. What surprises us the most is how tall you are all getting. We forget that we need to push things way back from the edge of the counter so that your curious little hands don't find them.

Miss Makena

You took a brief vacation from your crib and slept with mommy for about 10 days, but you are now back in your crib. You are definitely mommy's girl and I love watching your little face light up when I come home from work everyday. You love to help mommy or daddy feed the cat and dogs and we often use that to our advantage when we need to distract you when you are upset. You love it when mommy gives you Eskimo kisses and butterfly kisses.

Miss Lissy-bear

You are such a character. Before bed, you pack up all your belongings and carry them up to your crib....my little baglady! You have started to call me "mom" and it makes you sound like such a big girl. Your sisters often call you "Sissy-bear" which makes me smile. You are a thoughtful little girl and will often bring things to us when you hear us ask for it. You'll try to wipe your sister's noses and are very concerned if someone gets hurt.

Miss Riley

You learned how to ride your tricycle using the peddles and you ride around the kitchen like a rockstar....so proud of yourself. You are talking so much and surprise me with some of the things you come up with. You love to look at the moon at night and yell "Coming out the moon." You ask for hugs and kisses repeatedly when I put you to bed at night. When I close the door to your room I can still hear you saying "hug--kiss" You have started to count which is usually in this order "1,2,3,4,6,5,7,8,9,10"

I can't wait to see how much you grow and change in the next 6 months!

Two and a half......almost

My girls will be 2 ½ years old next month and I can't believe how fast time flies by. It seems like everyday they are learning something new and watching their little smiling faces light up with excitement is the highlight of our days.

The girls are talking alot and I want to make sure I remember some of the cute things they are saying these days.

When they see daddy's beer cans in the fridge they say "Dada's juice."

Riley said "Mama's funny" yesterday, which I love. If I can't make a 2 year-old laugh, I'm in big trouble. She will also ask for a hug and kiss when I put her to bed at night...it melts my heart. Riley has also started to fake injuries to get attention....she'll say "leg hurts" or "neck hurts." She has also figured out that you take medicine when something hurts. She saw me taking Tylenol the other day and asked for some medicine (only because she thinks she'll get the grape flavored chewable Benadryl that tastes like candy). When I told her she didn't need any she pointed to her arm and said "arm hurts."

Alyssa loves to see someone in a state of undress so that she can point out they are "Knock-eed" (Naked).

The girls are starting to boss each other around, telling each other to "Hush" or telling each other "All done" or "Get down" when they are doing something they shouldn't be.

The girls are starting to show more independence. They ask for "big milk" because they like their cups with the straws instead of sippy cups. And if I try to break something in half to share between them they get SO mad and want a "big piece."

I was trying to help Alyssa down the stairs the other day and she told me "No hold hand mama."

Makena continues to be our little monkey daredeveil. She'll swing and jump from just about anything.

Elmo and the rest of the Sesame Street Characters are the latest craze in the house. We have watched "Elmo's Christmas Countdown" about 100 times already and will most likely still be watching it in July! The girls also LOVE to watch "Happy Feet" and ask for it everyday. It makes for a good distraction while I try to fix meals if daddy isn't home.

Riley and Makena have gone pee-pee on the potty a handful of times, but we are not hitting the potty-training too hard yet. Alyssa sits on the potty, but hasn't gone on it yet. She did manage to squat right next to the potty and pee on the tile floor, so I guess that's progress!

Riley
a.k.a. “Ri-Ri”

Alyssa
a.k.a. “Sissa”

Makena
a.k.a. “Kema” or “Mackey Jo”

The a.k.a. names are what the girls call each other. I don't think they could have come up with anything more sweet!

What's new?

***I let the girls entertain themselves tonight by playing with a box full of bandaids and unwrapping them one by one. I had little energy to fight the battle of taking them away and having 3 screaming kids on the living room floor. Lissy took charge of the box and would hand out the bandaids as needed. My heart melted when Makena said "Tank uuu" after Lissy gave her band aids.

***Riley will now repeat "Lub you" when I tell her I love you before going to bed.

***I have to be very careful about what I leave up on the counter because the girls are getting taller and can reach up and pull things down. I ran upstairs to put in a load of laundry and came down to find my three monkeys chewing through the peel of a banana.

***Getting naked is their new favorite game.

***Climbing onto the dining room table when my back is turned ranks right up there with getting naked. If they could combine the two, I'm sure they'd be thrilled!

***Baths are occurring more frequently. Sometimes two in 1 day.

***Pushing each other around in strollers made for their 12 inch dolls is also a preferred activity.

***Mommy and daddy have managed to see 2 movies at the theater in the last couple of weeks. AND have a nice dinner out!

***I'm only half way done with my Christmas shopping and have no idea what to get my hubby.

***My Christmas baking will start in the next week. Stay tuned for details of my favorite cookies to bake every year!

Time flies when you're 22 months old

I can't believe that my girls are going to be 2 years old in just 2 months. Everyday, I notice how much they are growing and changing. They are getting so tall and are starting to show some independence and stubborness by wanting things done THEIR way.

For example,

Mommy: "Lissy, can I have a kiss?"

Lissy: Shakes head and says "no" (but often gives me one anyway) She's already getting satisfaction just by telling me no!

The girls are starting to be more caring towards each other. Giving each other bites of their food or a drink from their sippy cup, offering up their pacifier, and starting to give hugs and hold hands. We have started to play "Ring around the Rosie" and the girls are getting the hang of holding onto each others hands to do it. Riley and Makena were running through the kitchen holding hands just yesterday. Nothing sweeter than to see your babies lovin' on each other. They are also starting to point at each other and say "sissy."

We are starting to hear more words from the girls and they are trying to imitate words more often. A few people have asked me what words the girls are saying and I always seem to draw a blank so I am going to document for the record what we are hearing in the house (Tracey, this is for you!)

mama
dada
more--sounds like “mo”
no
night-night
sissy
cracker--sounds like cra-ca
please--sounds like “me”
cat--sounds like “ca”
eyes
nose--sounds like no
nana for banana
up--sounds like “bup”
hi
bye-bye
shhh-(they put their finger up to their mouth when someone is crying)
poo-poo
boo-boo
choo-choo
go
ball
baby
spoon--sounds like “poon”
bubble
down

They know sounds for cow, monkey, elephant, dog, cat, pig, sheep, horse, duck
They will also point to their eyes, nose, mouth, head, feet, ears

Still using baby signs regularly for milk, drink, eat, please, bath, more, sleep, baby, love, blanket

They enjoy hanging out in the loft upstairs and will pile into the glider chair and sit together (until someone hits or bites or pushes them off) and watch their "Wiggles" video. Pretty scary when I find myself walking around the house singing "Hot Potato"

Bath time is a favorite activity and we can usually spend a good 45 minutes to an hour in there just watching the girls splash around.

All is good in the house right now. Everyone is sleeping great. Naps have been a little off this week. The girls have still been going down for a morning AND afternoon nap, but would only go down for 1 nap 3 days this week. Mom is cool with that as long as it is for atleast 3 hours...we'll see how it goes this coming week!

I am on VACATION for 4 weeks until school starts again in late July. I'm trying to get some fun activities planned for the girls, so we'll post some pictures of what we're doing. Their first "peek-a-boo" dentist appointment is next Wednesday. Should be fun!!!!

Goodbye 20, Hello 21

The girls will be 21 months old on Monday. I can hardly believe that time has gone by so fast! I have noticed some fun personality traits lately.....

Riley wins the award for "Mom's sweetest girl!" Just this morning, she was walking around the house with a pancake left over from breakfast and she would put it right up to her sister's mouths so that they could take a bite. She also walked into the front room with 2 binkies, one that she put in her own mouth and one that she offered up to Makena! I also watched her pick up her baby doll and give her two kisses before running back into the kitchen to find her sisters. Riley also tends to seek out mom and dad for extra hugs and kisses throughout the day!

Makena wins the award for "Mom's best climber!" This girl tries to climb onto everything and makes mom go into panic mode on a daily basis at the potential fear of injury. Recently, she has started climbing into the front seat of the stroller on her own.....this is a picture of her getting caught in action.

Alyssa wins the award for "Mom's best napper!" Lissy is usually ready for her nap after only being up for 1-2 hours in the morning. When I take her in to her crib, she looks at me with the biggest grin on her face. I tell her that I too, get very happy when I see my bed. This girl sure does take after mom in the napping department and I feel a twinge of jealousy everytime I put her down that I can't crawl right in there with her! Most of the time her naps go about 2.5 to 3 hours....gotta get that beauty sleep. Bein' this cute ain't easy!

I am always trying to keep the girls occupied while trying to foster their need to climb and get some energy out....so we borrowed Auntie Jessica's slide and have been getting alot of use of it throughout the day!

And what kid doesn't love the mud?

A few more random pictures.....

Makena & Riley
(the two daredevils trying to balance in the glider that rocks back and forth)


Makena...."Gee mom, did I scare you when I was standing up in the stroller?"

Riley & Makena, just being silly!

What do you think? Do these 2 look alike?

Triplet teamwork in action!

19 months old

The girls are finding more ways to get into trouble and keep us busy babyproofing the house as they figure out how to get into places they shoudn't be! They seem to be growing taller everyday as they manage to grab things off of the table and counter tops. We are also seeing the girls use more baby signs and are starting to hear more sounds and words. Riley's new favorite word is "no-no" while shaking her finger at us. She has also started to scold her sisters when they have done something wrong...hoping to catch that on video sometime soon.

The trio managed to squeeze in the laundry basket together AND I was able to take a picture with everyone looking at me...quite the accomplishment these days.

Makena is trying to figure out how to get the dishwasher open. Unfortunately, when I lock it to keep it shut, they turn the knob and turn it on. So far, we haven't figured out a way to outsmart them. For some reason, I don't think this will be the last time I say that!

Here is what happens when they actually get the dishwasher open....

Makena continues to be my best vegetable eater. Here she is trying out broccoli for the first time.

Alyssa managed to squeeze herself into another tight spot...not sure what she was after, but she needed our help getting unstuck!

18 months has come and gone....

And our babies are growing up!

It really is hard to believe that it has been a year and a half since they were born and all that we have been through since then. The girls have come so far. Most people who meet them would never guess they were born at just 25 weeks and 1 day gestation. We are so thankful everyday for our little girls. So what's new in the Quilao house?

The girls are now only getting one bottle a day and the rest of their milk is given in the sippy cup. This is a picture of the girls drinking their milk before bed. The best part is that they drink it cold, which means they don't have to wait for the milk to get warm and less screaming tantrums I have to hear!

Daddy likes to share his ice cream cones with the girls. They all wait patiently for their turn as he gives them all a lick!

The girls are highly amused and entertained by walking around the front room with their blankies over their heads. They look like 3 little zombies bumping into the walls, each other, and tripping over toys...while laughing, of course.

Our table in the nook has now become a mini jungle gym for the girls. They climb in between the bars and try to hang from the top like little monkeys.




This is a quick video clip of the girls playing in the table. Riley manages to get herself inside the bottom of the barstool and needs help from mom to get out!

17 months old..February 2007

Another month has gone by....the girls are growing so fast! Below is a short video clip of the girls eating dinner. I apologize that there are a few blurry spots...I took this with our digital camera, so it isn't the best video. Riley is saying bye and waving at the end of the clip.

Some of the things they are doing at 17 months........

The girls love to eat and Riley is usually asking to eat for the trio using her baby signs. They like to feed themselves, so any food that needs to be fed to them gets pushed away these days...starting to show some independence. The girls are really starting to explore the house and get into whatever they can. They love going through the drawers in the kitchen and pulling out all of the contents inside! Steve just installed a safety gate at the bottom of our stairs so that the girls can't climb up without us. Bath time is one of their favorite activities and it is challenging giving them all a bath at once, but I manage to do it all by myself most of the time.
Riley and Makena are getting their first molar in, hopefully we make it through that without much pain and tears. Makena has become attached to her blanket....not one in particular, but she carries one around when she is sleepy or carries it down from her crib with her...so cute! The girls are now pointing at objects like crazy and want to hold anything they can get their hands on. They love music and will bounce up and down when they hear it. Riley was bobbing her head while watching American Idol last week! Both Alyssa and Riley will scrunch up their nose and snort when asked, "What sound does the piggy make?" We are waiting anxiously for more spoken words (mama and cat are the two we hear right now)....

16 months old--January 2007

The girls went in for a check-up with Dr. G, our pediatrician, and the girls are doing great. Still on the light side in terms of weight for their chronological age, but when you adjust their age according to their premature birth, they are right on target. Their fighting weights/heights are as follows:

Makena--18 lbs, 11 oz /29.75 inches tall

Alyssa--19 lbs /29.75 inches tall

Riley--19 lbs, 5 oz /30.5 inches tall

15 months old

We were now officially in the holiday season with Christmas right around the corner! Unfortunately for us, this also meant that we had to restrict our outings due to cold and flu season. Our biggest fear is one of the girls catching RSV. Makena began receiving RSV vaccines monthly because her lung disease was the worst and she is the most susceptible to catch it. The vaccine is not cheap, costing approximately $1500 a dose. Because it is so expensive, there is certain criteria that children have to meet to receive it and Makena was the only one this year to get it. Thank God for medical insurance.

The most exciting thing going on in our house was that the girls began taking their first steps! Right around Thanksgiving, they all started to flirt with the idea of walking, so they all began attempting to walk away from the furniture. At first, Steve and I would look at each other and wonder if the wobbly step with the proceeding face plant into the carpet could be considered a step! Soon enough, they were taking 2 or 3 steps at a time.

Sampling new foods was also the highlight of their days. They loved potatoes, rice, chicken, bread, noodles, applesauce and bananas.

The girls in their jammies. Lissy is sporting the side ponytail.....still rubbing it in to her sisters that she has more hair than they do!

A typical day in the house, playing with their toys. I must have taken this picture in the morning, because the toys are still neatly placed in one area!

Makena is giving Riley her first dental exam.

The girls love playing with Lolo (Grandpa) Quilao. He is giving the girls a horsey ride!

The girls have graduated to taking baths in the big tub. Here they are all excited to get in.

Gotta love this picture of Alyssa...she's had one too many bottles of milk!

The girls in their new winter hats...

Cruising in their boat

Riley is so excited to run around almost naked.....she soon figured out how to rip off her diaper!

Another great picture of Alyssa. She's doing her best impersonation of a sumo wrestler.