Weeks 41-42 with Triplets

More room to roam.

Spring Break Enhancements

Week 41 was Spring Break from school for the triplet’s mom, so they didn’t spend much time in the daycare.

This gave me the opportunity to make a few changes for the betterment of the babies, and myself.

First off was reconfiguring the playpen. This was primarily motivated by their love of looking out the window, but we soon discovered additional advantages.

I thought about giving them access to the windows but there were outlets, registers and window cranks that seemed unsafe.

The new layout also gave me room to move the changing table and laundry basket (behind the toy bins). Using an extra playpen gate and left over panels I was also able to restrict access. The babies have been attracted to the diaper pail and laundry, so this resolves that issue.

Wanting to give the trio more access to the dining room and kitchen area required additional babyproofing.

Magnet locks from Safety 1st were added to dangerous drawers and cabinets. I prefer these over the clips because we can disable them when the babies are not around. A clever suggestion is putting a simple white dot sticker on the doors/drawers to show where to place the unlocking magnet.

Finally we had one more stairway to block. It’s an unusual location because the top step notches into the room.

The other barrier on this floor does not open easily, so I wanted this to function as a gate. After originally designing a custom gate out of wood, I discovered that lumber prices are still exceedingly high and not a practical building material right now.

I found these garden/pet fence pieces at the hardware store for a fraction of the price. Using scrap lumber and a few odds and ends, I wound up with a decent solution.

The pool noodle at the bottom closes enough of the step gap to prevent escapes or serious injury.

Accepting the Need for a Screen

In previous posts about the daycare I discuss the lack of a TV. Nothing judgmental, there just wasn’t a TV in that room before the daycare and we were doing just fine without one.

In recent weeks, however, we have struggled keeping the babies focused during bottles. I was constantly juggling bottles and wrestling wee ones to get tummies filled.

Over spring break, my daughter reminded me how magical Hey Bear can be as a distraction. If you’ve never heard of Hey Bear, it’s a YouTube channel with animated fruits and veggies dancing to catchy songs.

Moving furniture around in the daycare gave us a logical space to hang a TV, and Hey Bear has transformed our feedings… for the moment.

It’s the only time during the day when the TV is on, otherwise we’re listen to music.

Nine Month Checkup

Mom took advantage of Spring Break to schedule the triplet’s nine month checkup.

Nothing big to report, other than the babies are very healthy and growing amazingly fast.

I’ve been going to appointments as a helper. No surprise that the bigger and more mobile they get, the harder it is keeping them contained and entertained.

Standing and Walking Practice

Each of the babies has their own personal goals. For Bear, it’s army crawling as fast as possible to keep up with his sisters. He’s also building strength and coordination pulling himself up to stand.

Melon is focused on free standing. She is constantly pulling herself up on furniture or people, finding her balance and letting go for as long as possible. Her best attempts are good for at least a ten count, and she’s getting better every day.

Bean is also working to free stand, but wants to stay one step ahead of the others with her walking skills. Walking along furniture is common, and Friday she had a successful stroll with the walker.

Because you can only get so far in a straight line, Bean also had some success turning her walker.

Now we just need to keep her siblings out of the path during practice sessions. After all, the play side of the walker is one of their favorites toys.

Fun with Photos

Have you ever taken a photo and thought, “that totally looks like an album cover”?

With triplets, it’s inevitable to get a good band photo now and then.

This week we had one of those moments when I snapped what I thought was going to be a cute picture of them playing nicely together.

Do you agree this looks like cover art?