As my husband and I were wrangling our girls into their cribs tonight, I started thinking about how our bedtime routine has evolved over the past year and a half.  The evolution is due in part to their age but always because there are three of them. 

When the girls were about 15 months old, we added reading books in their room to the routine.  I would sit in the glider chair in their bedroom with all three and read a few books.  It’s not that we didn’t normally read to them, just that they didn’t seem to have the attention span prior to that age for me to read to all three at once.  It was at about this age that delay tactics made an appearance and those have continued and evolved as well.   

Before the girls’ second birthday, they outgrew (literally not figuratively) the glider chair so we decided to have them sit on little stools in front of the chair while I read to them.  That didn’t work out so well as (mostly) Anna liked to jump up and touch every page in the book while adding some commentary which made getting through a book a very long task.  We transitioned to having them sit in their cribs while I sat on the floor (in a spot where they could all see) and read.  A few months ago, we decided that they were ”mature” enough to sit in little chairs while I sat in the floor in front of them.  This routine worked out well but within the past few weeks, we noticed that the girls have been too hyper at night to sit and concentrate on a book so we have transitioned once again.  They now each look through a book while they spend some alone time with Mommy in the glider. 

My husband and I have discussed what bedtime routines are like with singletons.  I suppose a parent would sit be able to sit in a chair or on the side of a bed with one child in order to read books to that child.  And that older children wouldn’t require both Mommy and Daddy at bedtime, freeing up a parent.  I’m assuming that it is a lot different from our bedtime.

Oh, I should have mentioned that part of our bedtime routine has always involved me rocking/cuddling in the glider with each of the girls for about five minutes alone.  They really seem to enjoy this special time partly because there is no competition.  Each has to wait her turn.  Although, for the longest time I did try to rotate the order of who went first, second and third.  Every night, Emily would tell me that it was her turn to go first.  So I guess there was a bit of competition but for the most part, their special time was uninterrupted.

Delay tactics have also evolved.  There have always been the pleas for more water and now that we are potty training, someone always declares that she has to go on the potty at the last minute.  At that broadcast, the other two announce that they have to go as well.  We have been giving in because 90% of the time, someone goes and we are in the early stages of potty training.

Our next transition will be to separate rooms and toddler beds.  Yikes!!! 

Any tips to moving to toddler beds?  How have your bedtime routines changed and do you feel that having multiples played a role in those changes? 

Sarah is the mother to ”almost” three year old identical triplet girls – Allie, Anna and Emily – who were born at 35 weeks and 6 days.   You can read more about her crazy life raising triplets at The Great Umbrella Heist.

One of the most frequently asked questions from parents of newborn multiples is, “When does it get easier?  It DOES get easier, right?”  The answers from experienced parents vary from, “When they start sleeping through the night,” to “It doesn’t get easier – the hard stuff just changes.”

For some reason, I always seem to reflect upon the changes that have occurred with my girls during the holiday season.  I have an easy benchmark with our annual family Christmas party.  My husband’s family is quite large by today’s standards.  He has twelve siblings and twenty-some nieces and nephews, most of whom are over the age of eighteen.  Because there are so many people, a hall is usually rented and the party takes place just before or just after Christmas day. 

My girls were eight months old for their first Christmas.  They could sit up and play independently but were not yet crawling.  We brought one Pack-n-play with us as I was not about to place them on the floor (of questionable cleaniness) of the function room where the party was taking place.  My mom offered to come and assist which was a tremendous help as we would have one adult for each baby.

We weren’t able to socialize much and eating was, well, you know how that goes when caring for multiple babies, but we survived.  The girls were still taking three naps a day at that age and one of their naps fell right in the middle of the time we would be at the party.  With three adults, we had the luxury of holding them for a short nap – something that normally does not take place when you have three infants.

The girls were twenty months old for their second Christmas, which made it a bit easier but also more difficult.  They were mobile and still at the age where they put objects in their mouths and got into things they shouldn’t.

My mom, again, offered to join us to help watch the girls.  It was a bit crazy as they spent most of the time running around.  They still needed to be watched very closely and I felt as if I spend my entire time there counting, “One, two, three,” to ensure that no one went missing.  After finding a few small objects on the floor, I also spent some time scouring the place for choking hazards and setting up a make-shift baby gate around the trash cans.

The Christmas party this year was much more enjoyable.  The girls at two years and eight months old are much easier to care for and we have even reached the point where either my husband or I can easily care for all three. 

The girls are more into having fun and playing versus getting into things they shouldn’t.  There wasn’t much space at the hall this year so they didn’t have room to run around, which was fine by me.  We were all able to sit and eat as a family and socialize with other family members instead of chasing around three toddlers.

What is your view on “Does it get easier?”  Are you still waiting for it to get easier or have you noticed a difference?

Sarah is the mother to two and a half year old identical triplet girls – Allie, Anna and Emily – who were born at 35 weeks and 6 days.   You can read more about her crazy life raising triplets at The Great Umbrella Heist.

I grew up with three younger brothers and no sisters.  For the most part, my toys were my toys.  My brothers wanted nothing to do with my Barbie dolls, Cabbage Patch Kids and the like.  There were toys that we shared but I do not recall any big fights or incidences surrounding sharing.

My husband and I mistakenly believed that one advantage to having all girl triplets would be toy sharing.  We thought that we would not have to worry about purchasing trucks and dolls.  Baseballs and ballerina shoes.  That was all thrown out the window when we purchased three identical doll strollers.

My girls know how to share.  Whenever other children are in our home, they willingly play and share their toys.  They have never said, “That is mine,” to another child (except for their sisters).  The issue with sharing usually surrounds one playing by herself and a sister barging in to take away a toy.  I like to think of it this way – if I was happily playing by myself, off in an imaginative world, and someone ran in and swiped some of my Little People, I would be upset too.

The girls have taken over some of the toys as their own and it is a well known fact amongst the three of them what belongs to whom.  Allie has one of the Elmo dolls and a stuffed dinosaur, Anna has some of the dolls and Em has a little lion and, most recently, the pink piggy.  There are never any arguments surrounding those toys.   

I have never completed any research on this myself and I do not claim to be a child psychiatrist but another mother of mulitples told me that an expert she heard speak about raising multiples claims that each child should have his/her own toys in order to feel secure.  Interesting…

So I am the mom this holiday season who purchased three bathtime baby dolls, three baby doll bath tubs, three baby doll high chairs, three baby doll cribs and three sets of baby doll bottles.  The girls still have many ”shared” toys and will receive more as Christmas presents this year.  I am not about to buy three sets of Little People play sets.

What are your views on toy sharing?  Do you purchase toys in duplicate (or triplicate)?

Sarah is the mother to two and a half year old identical triplet girls – Allie, Anna and Emily – who were born at 35 weeks and 6 days.  She works full time as a Tax Director for Big Financial Institution and enjoys sharpening her photography skills with her daughters’ help.  You can read more about her crazy life raising triplets at The Great Umbrella Heist.

The holiday season is here and that means that more moms and dads are going to be pulling out their cameras to take pictures of the precious little ones.  I’m not a professional photographer but I do pretend to be one on the internet at times so I’m here to offer some of my tips and secrets to obtaining the perfect picture.

First off, it helps immensely if you take photos of your little ones on a regular basis.  If they are used to the camera, they will (hopefully) start to pose for you.  My girls frequently ask me to take pictures of them.  Anna was sitting on the piano bench playing the piano the other day saying, “Mommy, I’m playing the piano.  Take a picture.”  I love when children cooperate!

We have designated a wall without furniture against it in our family room as the photo spot.  When I ask my girls if I can take their picture, they will run over and line up.

Photo time has turned into a game and they do like to pose for ten seconds before running across the room.  I know that I have those ten seconds to take the picture so I play along with their game trying to delay them against the wall for as long as possible.  As I am taking their picture, I’ll tell them that I’m going to count to three and then I want them to yell, “Hello!”  By making it a game, they play along.

{Please note that the most difficult age to photograph mulitples is 12 to 24 months, in my opinion.  Sorry.}

Another piece of advice is to get down to the eye level of your kiddos.  Parents often shoot off pictures from their own standing height.

That’s a cute picture of Emily dressed as a princess ballerina but from my height and with the noisy room, the true cuteness is lost.  I am petite (5’4″) so imagine if this was taken by someone taller.

Here is the same picture again taken at Emily’s eye level with the background clutter cropped out.

Now she is the focus of the picture.

Another quick piece of advice is to ensure that you include the entire body in the photo. Limbs cut off at odd places look, well, just odd.  Example…

Happy clicking!

Do your multiples happily pose for you?  What tricks to do you employ?  Or do you just give up on having pictures of them together?

Sarah is the mother to two and a half year old identical triplet girls – Allie, Anna and Emily – who were born at 35 weeks and 6 days.  She works full time as a Tax Director for Big Financial Institution and enjoys sharpening her photography skills with her daughters’ help.  You can read more about her crazy life raising triplets at The Great Umbrella Heist.

We are big recyclers in our house and this year that has extended to Halloween costumes.  I purchased matching butterfly costumes on sale for my girls last year fairly close to Halloween.  I was afraid that if the costumes didn’t match, I would be accused of dressing one cuter than the other two.  I know, foolish.

As the girls were 18 months old at the time, I purchased size 18 month costumes, which were a little too big but not a big deal.

 We actually had to distract them with a Baby Einstein DVD in order to dress them.  There was a little bit of fussing but once outside, they enjoyed running around the yard.  We did not actually participate in real trick or treating besides the neighbor’s house.  I felt that at 18 months old, it was unnecessary.

I wasn’t looking forward to dishing out $ for three new costumes this year, so I informed my husband that I was hoping to recycle the butterfly costumes from last year, which had been bagged up and stored in our basement.  A few weeks ago, I brought them out of storage to see if my plan would work.

1. Would the size 18 month costumes still fit my girls, now two and a half years old.
2. Would my girls actually wear these costumes without flipping out.

Success! 

Much to my pleasant surprise not only did the costumes fit (the head pieces are little snug but do-able) but the girls LOVED them.  They loved them so much, in fact, that they did not want to take them off.  Not even the head pieces (except for Allie who has a bigger head.)  Anna and Em kept insisting that Allie put that head piece back on.  They all needed to be the same.

I plan to keep the costumes after Halloween and allow the girls to use them for dress up.  Plus, there are certain items I feel sentimental with and can’t bear to part with.

Where did you find Halloween costumes for your kiddos and what do you plan to do with them after Halloween? 

Sarah is the mother to two and a half year old identical triplet girls – Allie, Anna and Emily – who were born at 35 weeks and 6 days.  She works full time as a Tax Director for Big Financial Institution and enjoys sharpening her photography skills with her daughters’ help.  You can read more about her crazy life raising triplets at The Great Umbrella Heist.

I’m one of the lucky ones.  I have a husband who not only is great with the girls but willingly helps out.  All. The. Time. 

I remember those first few months after the girls were born and how Rich would never complain about the difficulty in caring for a newborn preemie infant throughout the night while having to rise early in the morning to head off to work.  The statement “you’re at home all day and I have to work” was never uttered in our home.

Rich and I have both been working full time for awhile now so there is not much free time for anyone in our world.  We have an unspoken pact that we will allow the other alone time when needed.   At two and a half years old, it is much easier for one of us to care for the girls so we try to take turns sleeping in on the weekends.  Rich is an early riser more often than not so there have been several weekends where I have had the benefit of extra hours of uninterrupted sleep while Rich enjoys alone time with the girls.

Dividing the labor extends to cooking, cleaning and laundry as well.   We move in a fluid motion around each other when it comes to getting the girls ready to leave the house.  Between the two of us, the diaper bag is packed, the girls are dressed and everyone and thing is loaded into the van without a word spoken. 

I honestly don’t know how some mothers do it.  (I know, I know.  They do what they need to do.) I’ve read many complaints (and rightfully so) of husbands who barely lift a finger to help out.  If there are two parents, shouldn’t there be TWO parents?  I’ve been on both sides of the fence and staying at home with the kids is just as difficult as working full time. 

So before you start to think that it’s a country club in our home, I’ll give you an insight into how much free time we’ve each had over the past two and a half years.  I’ve had my hair cut five times.  I’ve painted my fingernails twice.  Rich has golfed four times.  Yeah, so no days at the spa.  No professional manicures or pedicures.  Our number one free time activity is sleep and with all the activities and chores that we need to cram into each weekend, sleep is usually the only luxury we allow ourselves.

Today, I wanted to do some clothes shopping.  Alone.  I left shortly after the girls were finished eating their lunch.  Rich cleaned up the lunch mess, put the girls down for their nap and was there to give them a snack and play with them after nap.  Although he told me not to rush, I still checked the time.  It’s a habit.  Those few hours of alone time were much needed.  Yes, I am lucky.

How is “labor” divided in your house?  Do you feel that your husband, partner, or significant other does his/her fair share? 

Sarah is the mother to 29 month old identical triplet girls – Allie, Anna and Emily – who were born at 35 weeks and 6 days.  She works full time as a Tax Director for Big Financial Institution and enjoys sharpening her photography skills with her daughters’ help.  You can read more about her crazy life raising triplets at The Great Umbrella Heist.

I have always considered myself to be a bit of a fashionista so shopping for three girls has been a pleasant task versus a chore.  Interestingly enough, I have heard moms of all boys comment that they are glad that they don’t have girls because they would most likely end up bankrupt from purchasing all the cute clothes that are out there.  Well, I’m here to tell you how I shop without breaking the bank.

In the picture above, my adorable daughter Allie is wearing an outfit, including the shoes, that cost $15.  That’s right – $15.  And those shoes are from Stride Rite.

Here are my tips:

1.  Never pay full price for anything.

You decide to check out the Old Navy website during your lunch break and notice that some really cute new shirts have been added to their inventory.  And your kiddos need some new shirts.  My advice is to wait it out.  Inventory at these type of stores has a high turnover so chances are that those new shirts will be on sale within a month.  (And yes, I know that some stores have the policy that if you buy and it goes on sale, they will refund you the difference but who has time for that?)

I have already seen holiday clothes in some stores.  It is mid-September!  Why would anyone pay full price?

2.  Know your stores.

If there is a store that you really like, then learn when all the big sales are.  For example, I know that The Children’s Place outlet store nearest to me has huge super-clearance sales during the Fourth of July and Labor Day holidays. 

And learn what those stores have to offer for discounts and coupons.  For example, some Stride Rite stores offer discounts to parents of multiples. 

3.  Sign up!

Almost all stores offer coupons and discounts via email.  Sign up!  If you want to avoid having a full inbox, set up a separate email account just for this.

Store credit cards offer several advantages as well.  You can usually receive free shipping at The Gap and Old Navy for online purchases with their store cards and after earning a certain amount of points, I now receive an additional 15% off all of my purchases just by using my Children’s Place store card.  (Disclaimer – I am not a financial advisor.  Only you know your credit situation.  I only have two store credit cards and I pay off these balances right away so as not to incur any finance charges.)

Right before the Fourth of July, I received an email from The Gap offering a promo discount that would be revealed only in the stores.  So I printed out the email and headed over the The Baby Gap outlet nearest to me.  I found three matching tops in size 3T (for next summer) and with my $5 coupon, the tops only cost $2.31 each.

4.  End of season sales.  Stock up.

I know for some it is difficult to predict the size of your children in order to buy for the future but there are some items that are basics and can be purchased during end of season sales.  Jeans, for example, are usually offered during all seasons here in New England. 

Stick to neutrals or entire outfits.  I made the mistake of buying a few mismatched shorts and summer shirts for $.99 last summer during Target’s end of season sale.  When this summer rolled around, I had to spend time trying to find matching clothes to complete the outfits without spending too much money.

5.  Be creative.

Keep dresses that are too short but still fit up top to pair with leggings or pants.

If your children are skinny, save pants that are too short and use them the next year for capris or long shorts.  Here’s a picture I took of Emily a few weeks ago wearing size 6-9 month pants from The Children’s Place.  My two and a half year olds wear them as capris.  We have several pairs of infant pants that they are able to wear as capris now.

Here is how Allie’s outfit only cost $15, including the shoes.  I purchased that ballet top at Carter’s for $1.58 (no, that is not a typo) by shopping with a coupon during a super-clearance sale.  The skirt was purchased for approximately $3 last summer at Target during one of their end of season sales.  Right around Christmas last year, the Stride Rite outlet store near me was having a huge sale where shoes only cost around $10.  I purchased 10 pairs of shoes for $100.  I bought in sizes too big.  Allie’s shoes cost $10.  Anna’s feet are slightly smaller so she can wear those shoes once Allie outgrows them.  (Dressy shoes around here don’t get much use!)

I know a lot of people shop consignment stores or MoM sales.  The consignment store in our town recently closed down and when I did peek in there once, I was not impressed with their merchandise or prices.  Maybe it’s a snobby Boston suburbs thing but there really aren’t consignment stores near us.  And the fact that I’ve been able to purchase brand new items for $.99 has caused me to not want to buy used.

What are some of your favorite stores?  How do you maximize your savings?  

Sarah is the mother to 29 month old identical triplet girls – Allie, Anna and Emily – who were born at 35 weeks and 6 days.  She works full time as a Tax Director for Big Financial Institution and enjoys sharpening her photography skills with her daughters’ help.  You can read more about her crazy life raising triplets at The Great Umbrella Heist.

we’ve figured this whole thing out!

At almost two and a half years old, my husband, Rich, and I believe that our girls are fairly well behaved.  They know their boundaries and limits and don’t push too often.  Yes, they may become a bit fussy with sitting in the stroller or shopping cart while we shop but they KNOW that we will not allow them to run around the store.  Yes, they may not like having soapy water run down their face but they KNOW that I need to rinse the shampoo out of their hair.  They very rarely have temper tantrums or pitch fits.

Bedtime is where we were having serious issues.  It really started around 18 months of age and continued downhill until a month ago.  We’ve had a bedtime routine, which has been slightly modified as the girls grow, for a very long time now.  The issue was the crying that began as soon as we left their room. 

(Mommy and her girls sharing a chair and bedtime stories back when we could all fit into that chair and the girls had no hair.)

They also started with delay tactics around 18 months old as well.

“I want more water.”

“Take my water.  I don’t want it.”

“Hugs.”

“Kisses.”

“I want a blankie.”

“No, I don’t want a blankie.”

“I did poo poos.”

“RUB MY BACK.”

We would try to accommodate their needs without falling into their trap because sometimes one of them really did need more water or really did dirty her diaper.  Without fail, they would scream and cry when we left their room.  No.  Matter.  What.  And it would last FOREVER.  Oh, believe me, we tried to let them just cry it out.  It didn’t work.

My husband and I were reaching a breaking point.  I read blogs.  I’m on message boards.  No one else seemed to be having the same problem.  I checked with a friend of mine who has twin girls about nine months older than my girls.  Her girls were fussy at night but around two years old they finally settled down.   So Rich and I foolishly believed that eventually our girls would settle down and welcome sleep as well. 

Didn’t happen.

Rich once suggested calling Supernanny.  It was sort of a joke with a bit of seriousness to it.

About a month ago, I had an idea.  I decided to tell the girls about the Sleep Fairy.  The Sleep Fairy is really little and she flies around.  She wears a little pink dress and has a little pony (tail.)  There is a bag of sleep dust tied to her belt.  When she flies into your room, she dips her wand into the bag and sprinkles sleep dust all over you to help you sleep.  Because the sleep fairy is so small, she will only fly into your room if Mommy and Daddy aren’t in there.  She’s afraid we won’t see her and step on her.

Would you believe that after telling them that story, they fell asleep without making a peep.  I thought it was just a fluke.  A one time thing.  But then it happened again the next night and the next night.  I remember saying to Rich, “ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!   THIS IS ALL I HAD TO DO?” 

Of my three girls, Allie is the biggest believer of the Sleep Fairy.  Anna is the most skeptical.  The Sleep Fairy will knock on the walls when she is ready to come into their room but can’t because Mommy is in there.  Anna likes to knock on the side of her crib herself and say that it is the Sleep Fairy knocking. 

About a week after introducing the Sleep Fairy to the girls, Rich and I happened to be watching an episode of Supernanny, which is something we don’t watch on a regular basis.  On this particular episode, Jo brought out the Binky Fairy to help four year old twins give up their pacifiers.  Even the Supernanny relies upon fairies.

Are there any fairies flying around your house?  What other tricks do you use to deal with difficult situations?

__________________

Sarah is the mother to 29 month old identical triplet girls – Allie, Anna and Emily – who were born at 35 weeks and 6 days.  She works full time as a Tax Director for Big Financial Institution and enjoys sharpening her photography skills with her daughters’ help.  You can read more about her crazy life raising triplets at The Great Umbrella Heist.

After giving birth to three baby girls at once, it’s safe to say that I was a bit excited at the prospect of having to purchase adorable outfits in triplicate.  I can honestly say that I never gave much thought to whether I would dress the girls in matching, coordinating or completely different outfits.  Because we had a closet full of newborn clothes received at my shower when I was pregnant with my angel baby, I did not purchase much of anything while pregnant.  

After the girls were born, family and friends gave us clothes upon clothes.  Mostly matching or coordinating outfits.  Now, I don’t know how you all dealt with clothing changes with your newborns but in our house, the baby wore something until she spit up or peed/pooped on it.  Any attempts at dressing in matching outfits usually ended within an hour.

And then I started purchasing end of season sale items for the next year.  If I saw three matching dresses in the size I needed, how could I not purchase all three?  It was just easy.  And then the girls stopped spitting up and peeing/pooping on outfits and dressing them alike became, well, easy and in our world, easy is good.  I run a tight ship when it comes to organizing their closet and because of that, it is too easy to grab matching outfits.

I have to mention what occurs when we venture out into the public with identical triplets dressed in identical clothes.  Well, not completely identical as they have different shoes.  I have come to the conclusion that we are not asked, “Are they triplets?” as often if they are dressed the same.  And I don’t know about you but I like to keep those questions to a minimum.  I also find that it is easier for me to keep track of the three of them if they are dressed the same and we are in a crowded place where they are running around.  (Note that this type of situation is definitely kept to a minimum.)

If I purchase clothing items that aren’t on super clearance, I try to buy nonmatching.  Sometimes only because it is fun to pick out three different outfits.  And now that the girls are a bit older, I have been trying to dress them in completely different outfits when we attend functions or parties.  I still do have that fear that someone is going to think that I am favoring one of the girls by dressing her in a cuter outfit than her sisters.  Even dressed completely differently, family members still confuse who is who.

As soon as the girls can pick out their own clothes, I will not be forcing matching outfits.  And no, I don’t think that they are going to suffer some type of identity crisis from being dressed in matching outfits now.

After being on the internet for the past two years, it appears that most moms with same sex multiples either dress their kids alike or dress them completely differently (for the most part.)  Do you feel strongly one way or the other?  Why?