Diapers and Day Trips

I wanted to wait before I said too much about it. Sure, before the boys were here, we told everyone we were going to do it. I wanted to get several months of using them under our belts before I started bragging about how if we can do it with triplets, then anyone can. I'm talking about cloth diapers. When we found out we were having triplets, my second heart attack came from the thought of how much diapers would cost. I went on the Sam's Club website and found out that diapers are costly. That's when a friend of ours introduced us to Bum Genius Diapers. Now, we go through around 36 diapers in a 24 hour period. That's average. At that rate, we would be spending around $250 a month on diapers. Couple that with the fact that you are putting lots of diapers in the local landfill. I know I have talked about this before, but we would be looking at around 1080 diapers a month that we would be throwing away. For those of you with one baby, that's around 360 diapers a month. That's a lot. That's 4,320 diapers in a year. Fortunately, there is an alternative. Now, everyone you talk to will tell you that you are absolutely insane for trying it, but I'm telling you it's not only possible, it's not really that hard.

Check out this website:

BUM GENIUS DIAPERS

When you use these, you will not only save lots of money, you will be saving the environment. What do you need? Well, we had a big sink installed in our utility room right beside the washer. I would say the total cost on it was around $250. You will save that in your first month. What's next? Well, before you have your baby, register for diapers for your baby shower. That's right, while you are shaming all of your friends into buying you stuff for your baby, shame them into buying you diapers. It's not that big of deal. By the way, the baby shower system in this country is about as close to pure communism as you can get.

Okay, so I think each Bum Genius diaper costs around $20.00. Having 12 of them is a good number, so you are looking at around $240 for the diapers. That's no big deal at all. You are already seeing the savings. You may want to get more. Maybe get 20. Who cares? You're saving money, you're helping the environment. The sink and the diapers are going to cost you around $500. Sure you are going to use some water and electricity washing the diapers, but that cost won't touch the cost of disposables.

Now the big question.

How hard are they to wash? Not hard at all. Obviously some of the diapers are going to need to be rinsed out in the sink. I wear rubber gloves and try not to throw up when I'm doing this, and if I can do it, then ANYONE can. I have a very weak stomach. Washing them is pretty easy. Throw them into the washer and wash them on cold with no soap. Next, run them through the hot heavy duty cycle using this soap:

Rockin' Green Cloth Diaper Detergent

Throw them in the dryer, and then you are done. It's that simple. We even take these diapers with us when we head out of the house. Yes, we do have some disposable diapers on hand for emergencies, but we haven't gone through very many at all since the boys came home.

Now, Pampers and Huggies can go away.

In other news, I must say that the boys are really starting to be a lot of fun. The other day we went down to Town Lake here in Austin. The Colorado River runs through downtown, and it is absolutely beautiful down there. There is a place for dogs to run and Tess had a good time swimming in Town Lake.



She also had fun posing with the Austin Skyline in the background:


Stevie Ray Vaughan was one of the greatest guitar players that ever walked the earth. There is a statue of him beside Town Lake. We had to take pictures.


Oh, we have kids too:


Carrie wanted to get some pictures of the boys with the Austin Skyline in the background. Sometimes, triplets don't cooperate.

Actually, triplets rarely cooperate at this age. I can make the dog do pretty much anything.

That's right. She'll sit there forever. She is a very good dog. However, when it comes to triplets, Zane is the only one that would look at the camera.

Don't think for a second it was because I asked to him to look up at this precise moment. They will stare at you and smile until the camera comes out, then they are face down and usually crying. Sometimes in a really good moment at home you can get this:

This next picture is from this morning. Mornings are very nice around here. The babies seem to be morning people. It's from the hours of 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. that they scream bloody murder.


Carrie and I can handle the diapers, the laundry, the feedings, the mixing of the formula, the making of the baby food, the endless bottle washings, the dishes, the holding, the changing, and pretty much everything else that comes with triplets. The one thing we have trouble dealing with is the yelling. I swear that I'm going to have serious issues for the rest of my life with the blood curdling screams that these three can produce. It wears you down. They say water boarding is torture. It probably is. However, being locked in a room or a car with these three screaming at the top of their lungs is a different kind of torture. The screams work their way into your brain and drive you literally insane. Carrie and I will be riding in the car, staring straight ahead and doing our best to ignore the nightmare in the backseat. We try not to take it out on each other, but it is difficult. At this point you want to throw the ownership of the children onto your spouse. I might say something like, "Your kids are loud." This feeble attempt at humor is not met with the laughter you might expect. It's usually not met with anything. The volume of the screams seems to intensify. The boys feed off of each other and push themselves to higher and higher volumes. When they finally stop, it's the best sound on earth. The other night we had a much needed night out alone. For the first twenty minutes neither one of us said a word. We didn't listen to the stereo. We just drove in absolute beautiful silence. Silence is a beautiful gift here in the land of triplets.

Jump Jumps

I'm not sure what they are actually called, but in this house we call them jump jumps. I have heard them referred to as exersaucers, but I don't know if that's even right. I don't even think that exersaucer is even a word. Whatever. Anyhow, the jump jumps are the center of the triplet universe and without them, raising triplets would be virtually impossible. We use them all the time and pretty much for everything. When the boys get up, they go in the jump jumps. After they eat, they go in the jump jumps. Sure, we hold and play with each boy, but while you're holding one, the other two have to do something. Another awesome triplet family passed us down two jump jumps. Ryan, the other triplet Dad helped me load them up in the triplet mobile.

As we loaded up the Fisher Price Rain Forest Jumperoo, he said to me:

Ryan: This is the best one that they make. Your boys will love this one.

Me: Really. Oh.

I had no idea what these contraptions were or how vital they would become to our existence.
Here is a picture of what is really the Aston Martin of the Jump Jump World.

Here is an Aston Martin:


The key to these jump jump is the fact that the suspension starts from way up high. Note the dangling parrot and the dangling frog or whatever that is. There are also things that spin and make noise and drive you out of your mind. Not only are all those things annoying, but it plays music. When you add a loud baby to the jump jump, it looks like this:


This boy is very happy. Jump Jumps can also be used to take naps. Sometimes you just jump so hard you have to sleep for a while.


Up until yesterday we only had one Fisher Price Rain Forest Jumperoo. This was unfortunate. The boy who was lucky enough to get into this jump jump really owned the day. The other two jump jumps, while nice, just aren't the Jumperoo. It got to the point to where the other two boys would sit in their inferior jump jumps and scream bloody murder at the baby with the Jumperoo. Yesterday we got lucky and found a used one for cheap. Now we have two Jumperoos. This is awesome. However, I can feel that we are going to need a third.

Here is Cade in the third Jump Jump. The other two are in the Jumperoos, while Cade is here. This is a fine jump jump that someone is letting us use. We are grateful, but if you leave a boy in it too long, you are going to get what we call a meltdown. There is nothing worse than a triplet having a jump jump meltdown.



We have learned this lesson all too well. Now, we have discovered another thing about raising triplets. If one boy starts screaming, they all start screaming. One baby will prove to be the ringleader. If you can quiet the ringleader, the other two will automatically get quiet. I find that strange.

Here is Cash, who is often the ringleader. They take turns actually, but Cash is pretty loud and so is Cade. Zane will hang in there, but I'm starting to think he is a bit more reserved than his brothers. The jury is still out.

Sometimes at the end of a long day of jump jumping, watching jump jumping, and being a dog listening to all this, everyone needs a nap.

A New Year

The triplets passed from the year of their birth 2010, to 2011 with little fanfare. Their projects included the following:

Slobbering all over the place.

Yelling and laughing.

Jumping up and down in their "jump jumps".

Smacking things and yelling when they can't get things in their mouth.

This is pretty normal behavior for babies that turned 7 months old on January 2nd.

Unfortunately, the behavior of Mom and Dad has not been so normal.

Mom and Dad's behavior has been erratic and unfocused. During December Mom and Dad decided several things.

The conversation went something like this:

Carrie: Hey, don't you think we should strip all of the kitchen cabinets, repaint them, and basically remodel the whole kitchen in 10 days?

Mike: Sounds good to me! By the way, the band is going to record a new album starting in December.

Carrie: Great! Oh, and another thing, in 10 days we are going to have 6 members of my family here for Christmas. I think we should make some really complicated meals and really get stressed out about how they turn out.

Mike: I can stress with the best of them! I'm going to head outside and make the house look like Clark Griswold decorated it.

Carrie: I REALLY like the 7 foot Santa Claus we got.

Mike: Me too! I need to go borrow a ladder from the neighbor. If you hear a big thump, it means I must have fallen. Call 911 if that happens.

Carrie: Sounds good. I'll try and call if I hear you fall. I'll get started on making the house clean from top to bottom.

Mike: Oh! I almost forgot. We still have those three kids to take care of.

Carrie: I'm sure we can manage. They are only 6 months old! How hard can it be to remodel, clean, cook, record, and decorate?

Mike: Not hard at all!

At this point, the "Leave it to Beaver" theme miraculously started playing and we smiled and went about our business. Everything worked perfect and there were absolutely no problems. The kitchen drawers didn't break and send Dad into a fit of cursing. The cabinets were very easy to sand and paint and didn't need 3 or 4 coats. The pipes didn't explode under the sink and force us to cut off the water to the entire house. The entire house did not have a layer of dust on it from the sander. The pressure to complete everything didn't send us into episodes of sobbing uncontrollably.

We are thankful none of THAT happened.

The boys went to get the final installment of their RSV shot series last week. Since they have to be weighed to see how much medicine they get, we found out that the boys weigh the following:

Cash 18 pounds 3 ounces
Zane 17 pounds 9 ounces
Cade 17 pounds 15 ounces

As far as their development is concerned, the boys are changing everyday. They can do more and more things such as holding their own bottles.





Unfortunately, the kitchen re-modeling process was a little tough on Zane. His role was that of a supervisor, and unfortunately, he fell asleep on the job.


The boys are rolling over, sitting up, and seem on the verge of crawling. Often times, this is the view you get when you walk into their room to see what all the commotion is about.


Each boy is learning the guitar. Since they are advancing rapidly, I thought what can a few crazy expectations hurt? I say start living vicariously through them now.


Last night, for the first time ever, Carrie got a picture of them laughing all at the same time. Note that Zane's shirt is soaking wet. Not only do the boys slobber really well, they have also discovered spitting. We go through around 304 bibs per day.



Although they "rarely" also known as "never" sit in their Bumbo seats, the great Austin photographer Neely Brook got a good picture of them doing just that.


She also captured what may be my favorite photo of the boys so far.

Also, I would like to thank the fine folks who make the television show Yo Gabba Gabba. Without Yo Gabba Gabba, things wouldn't go as well as they do around here. Our boys LOVE Yo Gabba Gabba. All three of them can be having a serious meltdown, and BAM, put on an episode of Yo Gabba Gabba, and then everyone is happy. This allows Mom and Dad to actually get things done. We have set up the DVR to record every episode. Just play them over and over. They don't care. As long as they can see and hear the show, all is right with the world.

Finally, you have the Creasey side of the family that came and visited for Christmas. You could also say they rescued the kitchen remodel.

Christmas Pictures

Photos are important. They allow us to document the progress that we make in life. Carrie has an eye for photographs and a definite interest. We decided that she should pursue that interest. We knew we needed a good camera to help us document the progress of our three boys. A couple weeks ago we got the camera. It's pretty complicated as far as I'm concerned. I don't even know how to turn it on. Fortunately Carrie does. So, today we jumped in head first into the world of photographing babies. Despite what you might think, six month old babies are not exactly cooperative. Believe it or not, it is pretty difficult to get them to look at the camera at the same time, or look at the camera at all. I'm not convinced that they even realize that it's the holiday season. They don't seem to be aware of the fact that literally hundreds of friends and family members are excited to view their holiday pictures. They seem very unaware of the fact that they are without a doubt, mildly famous.

We dressed up the boys in their jeans and Chuck Taylor shoes. We combed their hair and put the best shine on them that we could. Next we drove down to a local park where photographing both babies and older people is commonplace. It's a nice park with cool stone structures and good lighting. Why not share some moments with you. Here is one attempt at getting the whole family at once.

Note that 2 out of 3 babies are not happy. Zane isn't crying, but he looks far from happy. Mom and Dad aren't crying either, but we were ready to.


This next photo is when Mom and Dad decided it was best to just throw in the towel. As you can see, 2 out of 3 babies are extremely upset.

We tried some other pictures, and this one would be great, except for the fact that Cade was letting us know exactly what he thought of the whole day.

Some of them turned out pretty good. This one happened to be on a park bench. Carrie's mother went along with us, and being the good sport that she is, laid down behind this bench at one point and offered to hold the boys up for the photo. Unfortunately, the bench has slats and she was easily noticeable in the photos. I'm very sad to say we don't have any with her laying on the ground, but here is one that worked.


I know what you are thinking. Try some individual shots. This made sense to us also. I held them up in the air and Carrie took some pictures. These actually turned out pretty good. These boys smile all the time. They laugh and smile at everything. Except for when these pictures where taken. You would have thought we had canceled their first Christmas.

Here is the family photo from the park that turned out the best. There are definitely things that Carrie would change, but I think all in all we got lucky on this one.

After getting all ready and going to the park, we got our very angry boys back to the house to do the 3:00 p.m. feeding and try and regroup. I put them on the couch and instantly we get something like this.....

It's not really even fair. This is just the couch. No cool park bench. No neat outdoor Austin winter sun. Not even anywhere near what Mom had in mind, but hey sometimes people are just happier when they get to hang out on their own couch.

After the boys ate and we took these couch pictures, we decided to head out again. This time we went to The Domain here in Austin. The Domain is a very cool collection of shops and restaurants near where we live. Carrie had heard that there was a Santa Claus there. Of course, we wanted to get the boys with Santa, but what were the odds of this happening? We figured that one of them would be scared. One of them might throw up on Santa, or they would all scream bloody murder as soon as they hit the old man's lap. I knew we were really rolling the dice, and you could see the looks of shear terror that hit the faces of the people working for Santa. I think they were like elves or something.

Elf #1: Uh...triplets huh?

Carrie: Yes. We want to get their picture taken with Santa.

Elf #1: Uh..Wow...at the same time?

Carrie: If we can, but it's a crap shoot.

Elf #2: Wow. We'll do our best.

At this point Santa gets out of his chair and walks towards us. We had the triplet stroller in the Santa line. I had just resigned myself to the fact that this probably wasn't going to go well. They hadn't exactly been cooperative before, and now we had Santa to contend with. In addition to the stress that the two elves and Santa were adding, we had attracted a gallery of onlookers. There was a whole crowd of people around anxious to see if we could pull this shot off. Santa was a bit nervous. He told the story of the one other time he had posed with triplets and they all started screaming. We assured him that we knew he could do nothing. The whole thing was a gamble. We got the boys out of their car seats and placed them in Santa's lap. The elves all made noise and Mom and Dad both tried to get the attention of the boys and have them look at the camera. The crowd held its breath in anticipation. Then, like a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth, the boys pulled off their first Santa shot. The two elves gave each other high fives as we put the boys back in their car seats. Santa was extremely pleased with himself, and Carrie and I were just stunned.

In the end, Santa Claus makes everything okay.

Six Months Old

The boys turned six months old on December 2nd. That's quite a milestone. At this point we are used to the routine. We are used to the work involved. We are used to being always a bit tired. Personally, I'm not used to babies screaming, and after six months I'm pretty convinced I never will be. All things considered, they don't scream that much. They are generally pretty happy little fellas and they let us now when they need something. All this aside, sometimes they scream for no apparent reason. Last night right before his bath, Cade decided to scream for about thirty solid minutes. After a while, I decided that if you can't beat em, join em. So I decided to scream along with him. I tried to time my screams to coincide with his. I wanted to make him feel like I was on his side, and if he was trying to be heard, I was going to help him. I held him and watched his face to get the timing right and as soon as he started yelling, I did too. I even tried to make the same facial expressions he did. After a few minutes he figured out what the game was, and he ramped up the intensity of his yelling. I did the same. Then instead of me being on his side we had us a real screaming battle going on. If it was a yelling contest he wanted, then I was going to give him all he could handle. I figure my lungs are bigger, and I thought I could out last him. I tried my best to mimic his cries and match his volume. I figured I could be louder, but of course I didn't want to hurt his ears. In the end, I had to give up. Apparently this was a contest he was not going to lose. In the end, he cheated. Somehow, he got his two brothers Cash and Zane in on the game. That was just unfair. I will have a yelling contest with them one at a time, but not all three. That's just not right. During a pause, Cade said something to the other two in their triplet language, and Cash and Zane rushed in to help their brother. They worked hard to fill in any gaps that Cade was leaving by taking a breath. The three of them worked seamlessly in tandem to create a barrage of constant screaming that completely overwhelmed me. I sat on the couch utterly defeated. I have a feeling that's not the only battle I will lose to these three. Apparently they plan on cheating, so game on. I got news for them, we aren't raising a bunch of cheaters around here. Who do they think they are? The Yankees?

We went to the Doctor for their six month check up. Cash weighs 17 lbs 3 oz. Cade weighs 16 lbs 14 oz. Zane weighs 16 lbs 3 oz. They are in the 95th percentile as far as the weight of a premature baby is concerned. On the full term baby scale they all fall into the 50th percentile in all categories except length. They are a little behind there, but it doesn't seem to matter. Cash and Zane have both flipped from their stomachs to their backs and Cade will probably do it at any moment. They smile and talk to each other a lot.

There have been quite a few changes around here. We have altered their feeding schedule a bit. Here is what it looks like now.

7:00 a.m. - 8 ounce bottle of formula

11:00 a.m. - 8 ounce bottle of formula along with cereal

3:00 p.m. - 8 ounce bottle of formula

7:00 p.m. - 8 ounce bottle of formula along with a solid food (last night was green beans)

They now sit in high chairs and eat. I can't believe that we are on to solid food. Very soon they will eat solid food with every bottle. Probably this weekend. I'm not sure.

I ran some numbers which is fun for me for some reason. These numbers are approximate, but I think they paint a larger picture of what exactly has been going on in this house. Since they were born we have done this:

5400 diapers

2700 bottles

Yes, the first two months we had NICU Nurses helping us out. That was a huge blessing. They helped us ease into the transition. Now it runs pretty much like clock work. It's a bit of extra work using cloth diapers, but we just fold them while we watch television. Carrie is now making all the baby food herself, which will obviously help us save money and make sure that the boys are getting good stuff all the time.

The cool thing about being a parent is that you get to make all the rules. They have no idea what is what. They will go by your rules as long as you make them. For instance, we used pacifiers for a while, and then they kind of lost interest in them. We thought this was great. Since then we don't offer them pacifiers. By now, they have forgotten that they even exist. The biggest rule is that nighttime is for sleeping. We make a quiet environment around the house from about 8:30 p.m. until 7:00 a.m. The do very well with this. We have been very strict with maintaining a schedule and that surprises me. Carrie and I are not known for self discipline. However, we know that for our own survival we must stick to our guns and teach the boys that things will run a certain way around here.

The boys are having their first Christmas this year. This is the first year that we will not be traveling to Kansas or Illinois. We have the perfect excuse. If you want to come, then come. We aren't driving anywhere. So we decorated the house. I wanted to get a twelve foot Santa Claus, but Carrie talked me into the seven foot version.


Now for some current photos:



The boys like to play on their mat.




Here they are watching T.V. in their "Jump Jumps". We limit them to 6 to 8 hours of T.V. per day.



They notice each other.



This is with their buddy Alexander Morgan.



They love to hear the bluegrass music. I agreed to shave the beard for Christmas photos cause I'm lame.



I'm not sure what was going on here.



Eating is a messy business.


This is Zane.


This is Cade.


This is Cash.

So, things roll merrily along around here. We are very very lucky that our boys are so healthy. They have had quite the impact as one would expect, but things are pretty much as they were before. Carrie lets me think I'm in charge and I'm good with that.

Five Months

On November 2nd, the boys turned five months old. They are growing at such a rapid rate that I'm afraid to blink because I might miss something. They are now laughing and smiling and it really feels great to interact with them. Their personalities are really coming out and they are a lot of fun.

I haven't written a blog in some time, even after I promised to do so. The fact is, it doesn't seem like there is much to report. The other thing is, I don't want to sound like I am complaining or ungrateful. This is going to sound bad, but we are in survival mode. Trying to survive from one day to the next day. The roller coaster of emotions brings highs and lows at such a pace that your brain is simply pushing your body from one moment to the next. Sometimes I feel like I am watching myself in a movie. I'm playing the part of me. I find myself doing things and moving from one task to another. I see Carrie doing the same thing. You just go. You just do it. You can't procrastinate or put anything off. These things must be done.

Example:

It's 5:00 am. The boys get fed at 6:00 am. One boy starts to scream and you wake up. You lay there for a minute hoping that he falls back to sleep. Soon you realize that he won't. All you want is that one precious hour of sleep before you have to get up. Just one hour. The thing is, he's not going to give it to you. You get up and go into the nursery and look in his crib. You pick him up and hold him and then decide to change his diaper. You turn the light on low, cursing under your breath. Then he breaks into the biggest smile and laughs. He looks up at you and you can tell without a doubt that he loves you. You aren't tired anymore. The adrenaline that kicks in when your boy smiles at you wakes you up and kick starts your day. Sure, you went to bed at 12:45 and haven't had much sleep, but it doesn't matter. The roller coaster just hit a high point. So, you get the other two up and start feeding all three boys. Start the coffee. Throw the diapers in the washer. Finish up and watch the boys jump in their exersaucer units. You laugh as they look like they are running on a treadmill. You smile as they talk to each other in some weird triplet language that tragically they will forget when the learn English. Roller Coaster is still way up high. Then you put the boys back to bed and head to work. Roller Coaster coming down. At first, it was hard to concentrate at work knowing Carrie was home facing all this alone. It's easier now as you get used to being gone, but there is a constant worry that comes with being a parent that simply can't be explained. After work you head home and walk into what is usually a very loud house. Loud. Crazy loud. Bath night is really loud. They hate baths. Hate.

Your life is a balancing act. Work. Home. Work. Home. Work. Home. Home. Work. You learn to make each moment count. 3o minutes to strum a few chords on the guitar is a gift. For Carrie taking a shower is like a trip to Hawaii. Oh yes. Before triplets you were married. Married with just each other. Now, married with triplets. Your marriage takes a back seat to the babies. By backseat I mean that sometimes it can feel like your marriage is being dragged along the highway on a chain that is attached the bumper of the triplet mobile. Personal pursuits? People need to define themselves with alone and leisure time with friends and with their spouse. You just gotta plan these things and make them happen. Thank God for Carrie's Mom. The help she provides cannot be overstated. Family is very important. I forget that we are here seeing the progress everyday, and the majority of both sides of our family don't get to do that.

Carrie and her mother recently took the boys to Illinois. They drove the thousand odd miles there and back. The boys are road warriors. Keep the Guns 'n' Roses cranked up and it's all good. Feedings had to be done in places like Bram's and McDonald's. I was with the band and didn't make the trip with the boys. Being away from them is very unnatural. They left on a Tuesday and I left the next morning. On Tuesday night, the house was deathly quiet. I didn't like it. These boys have integrated themselves into our lives to the point that we don't know what we did before they got here. We simply don't remember and it doesn't matter.

We have a person very close to our organization who said, "Those boys chose you to be their parents."

My response?

"Wow. They must be dumb."

They chose us. Everything in life is a choice. You chose to be a good parent or a bad parent. You chose to be a good person or a bad person. You chose to be married and committed to your family. You chose to serve something larger than yourself. You chose to be a positive force on your immediate surroundings. You might have days when you fail, but you have to pick yourself up the next day and do better. Lately, it feels like I fail a lot at being a positive force. I get down and feel a bit sorry for myself. Okay, I feel a lot sorry for myself. I get tired and feel guilty about being tired. I think of all the things I need to do and I feel overwhelmed. If I think about it all at once the pressure can get to me. Then I come home to my wife and boys and realize that I have everything.

Carrie chose me. I chose Carrie. Those boys chose us.

Then we dressed them up like Elvis for their first Halloween.

Baby Gear

Carrie went with an expectant triplet Mom to Baby's 'R' Us on Saturday. My fellow triplet Dad Ryan said today, "They should have tissues at the entrance to that place. That way all the scared parents can wipe away their tears as they look at the ridiculous expensive crap you don't need." I wasn't allowed to go along on the trip with the expectant Mom. Why? Good common sense on Carrie's part for one. Second, I would have been a very bad influence on the proceedings telling her exactly why she didn't need a baby air purifier for $129.99. This is a message to Keith and Stephanie who are expecting triplets or to anyone who is:

Do not worry. You don't need half the crap people say you need. Baby stuff is everywhere for free. We haven't purchased hardly anything. Swings, clothes, bibs, towels, tubs, rattles, bottles, you name it. Don't let this stuff scare you. Tons of it got passed down to us, and we will pass it on. There is no need to spend good money on stuff they will use twice.

Back to Baby Stuff:

There are plenty of things that I have to complain about as far as baby stuff is concerned. The first thing is the baby monitor. Now, there are plenty of houses where a baby monitor is required. Ours doesn't happen to be one of them. The baby room is nine steps from our bed to their door. How do I know this? I just counted. However, we do have a baby monitor. Why? Cause if you don't have one you are a bad parent or something. I can tell you one thing, we can hear the boys scream without the monitor. It's easy. The monitor simply amplifies the sound. It actually gives you some sort of weird delay on the screams. You get it from the monitor, and from the actual baby at the same time. Why am I mad about the baby monitor? Well, the thing totally screwed me over the other night. Here's what happened.

I fed the boys at their 10:00 p.m. feeding and took the monitor to bed with me placing it on the nightstand on my side of the bed. Now, the thing beeps when one of two things are happening. It beeps if the temperature rises above 79 degrees, and it beeps when the battery is going dead. For some reason, the battery life on ours is getting less and less. Before, you could get a good six hours out of a charge. Now, it's like two hours. Anyway, I'm a deep sleeper. I spent a lot of years on the road with a huge party going on around me and I found a way to sleep through anything. Anyway, the battery was going dead on the baby monitor and it was beeping. Carrie wakes me up and tells me about it. I look over and hear the thing beep. In my sleep addled mind, I thought, "Hey, you better charge it up. If you don't have it in here with you, you are a bad parent." So, I go to put it on the charging base which is in the boys room of course. I open the door and fall over the chair that sits in the room. I crash into the dresser which holds the charger. This of course wakes up all three babies. I place the monitor on the charger, make my way back to bed, and try to go back to sleep. Well, the babies I had awoken were having none of that. I spent the rest of the night trying to get them to go to sleep. The whole night sucked. I basically use the baby monitor to see what temperature it is in the room. The thing is a piece of crap.

The next thing I would like to address is the snap up pajamas that seem to be common place. Snap up pajamas? I mean really. There are like 18 snaps on one of these things. Zip up pajamas are where it's at. Who wants to wake up at three in the morning and have 18 snaps to contend with to change a diaper? I think it's a cruel joke. Furthermore, if you start wrong and snap in the wrong place, you have to start over again. Meanwhile the baby is getting more and more agitated. Babies don't just stick their legs out and allow you to slip their pajamas on with ease. No, they make things difficult by kicking and crying. I completely understand. Do adults have pants with 18-20 snaps on them? No they don't. Half the time when I put their pajamas on, all the snaps don't get snapped, and the bottom of the pajamas is showing a lot of diaper. What if your prom date had 18 to 20 snaps? A teenage boy would go insane.

The next one might get me into trouble, but here it goes. Baby Videos. I happen to think that baby videos are bunk. The boys have several baby videos, and the cinematography on the things is laughable. We have one that looks like a dude with a hand held Sony Video Camera filmed some toys and overdubbed some music. Most of these things just go for big colorful objects. I admit, our boys seem to like them. This is a good way to occupy them for a bit. They stare at the big objects and listen to the music. My theory was that ANY video would work. So, on Saturday, which was my day to be Mr. Mom, I tried a Jeff Beck DVD. For those of you who don't know, Jeff is probably the greatest living guitar player on earth. Anyhow, the boys LOVED the show. Cash was dancing, Cade was smiling, and Zane threw his arms around to keep time with the music. I like the Baby Beethoven DVD. Why? Classical music is awesome and I want our boys to be exposed to it. Some of those other videos are really low rent.

How are the boys? The boys are awesome. We went to the doctor for their four month check-up, and it went very well. The boys all weigh around 14 pounds 10 ounces. They are doing a great job catching up from being born premature. The cool thing is, they are starting to smile and recognize us and each other. Look at this face.

If this is not a reason to get up in the morning, I don't know what is. This is Cash by the way. He is still the biggest weighing in at 14 pounds 13 ounces.

Here we are at the Doctor's Office.



This is Cade and Cash waiting for the Doctor to finish up with Brother Zane.

This is Zane. We found out at the Doctor that Zane may have a hernia that might require surgery. He will see a specialist on November 11th. We are a little worried about him, but if he needs it, this is a minor procedure. However, no one wants their kid to have surgery, but it could be so much worse.


Finally, I have to salute my lovely wife. As I mentioned before, on Saturday I played Mr. Mom. Carrie did some things with friends as well as getting all her hair cut off. I really like it by the way. Anyhow, I did everything on Saturday by myself, or most of it anyway, and it's a job. The boys and I did well on our own, but Carrie does this by herself everyday. I'm lucky to have such a beautiful wife who is a great Mom. Taking care of three babies is extremely difficult. It requires extreme patience and understanding with yourself, your spouse, and the babies. I'm very lucky to have a great person to go through this adventure with.