Molars galore!

It's been a CrAzY last 4 weeks! They kids have been cutting molars left and right. Just to give you an idea in the last 3 weeks we got 6 molars! They all have their top first molars. Of course, they are cutting both bottom molars now. I was hoping for a break between the top ones and the bottom ones, Grrrrrrrrrr. On the bright side, it will be great to be done with the first molars. I just hope that the second molars will take a several months before they start popping in. Besides molars, they are also cutting more teeth, they have runny noses, runny stools and to top it all Armando has his first ear infection (BOTH ears). It's been chaos around here.

On a more exciting note, Armando did his first TWO steps on his own! Yay!

Arianna standing and being silly:)

Alea didn't want to stand without the help of the couch, that silly girly:)

Armando standing without the help of the couch (Arianna right beside him crawling).

I finally figured out a way to take a picture of all three;) From left to right Armando, Arianna, and Alea.

This is their favorite hang out place;) I have books there and they love to seat there and flip through the books or bite each other. LOL

Armando has been home for a year!

Armando came home on July 5th, 2008. It was very easy to add Armando to the routine that we had established with Alea. He is our laid back, easy going baby:) He only fussed if he was hungry; otherwise he would just hang out on the floor taking it all in. Today is a different story, he still doesn't fuss, but he "runs" all over the house with his push toy. He is a maniac behind the wheel, Hahahahaha. He has gotten very loud as well. He likes to babble all day long and sometimes at night too. Because of that, he got his own room so that he can "sing" and "talk" as much as he wants without waking up his sisters.

Armando is the most ticklish of the three, laughing from just looking at my finger mimic the tickling movements. Armando is doing so much these days, that it's hard to recall everything. Things that he is doing are: pushing his toy everywhere, playing I'm going to get ya (he crawls as fast as he can and squeals when I'm chasing him), sooooooooo big, pat-a-cake, peek-a-boo, looking for Frankie, waving bye-bye, saying Da-da, Ma-ma, Uh-Oh, putting things in and out, pushing toy tractors, kissing (He lovesssssssss to kiss), climbing on things, standing without holding on to anything, etc.

Daddy and I think that if we only had Armando, we would think that Parenthood is a piece of cake and that we were the best parents ever, ha. We wouldn't know that we just got lucky with an easy going baby. Armando is our cuddly bug and he will go to anybody that wants to hold him. He isn't shy at all. Armando is a good balance to the chaos in this house:) We love him to pieces:)

As I said in Alea's post, pictures speak louder than words.

July 2008 (3 months old)
And then there were two! Armando on the left chilling and Alea on the right going bonkers! This was the typical case, Ha.

Armando on the left and Alea on the right.

Enjoying the glider for the first time:)

First bath. "Not bad, Mommy. I like it better than those sponge baths that I had at the NICU."

Just hanging out in his car seat (I don't have pictures of the first day because my batteries were dead, :(

Hanging out with Mommy:)

August, 2008 (4 months old)Reading with Mommy

Playing in the bouncie

September, 2008 (5 months old) Loving the swing

Hey! This is a cool chair for me:o) Love it!

October, 2008 (6 months old) Do you like my pirate facial expression?

Brrrrrrrrr, it's cold here! I'm keeping toasty warm under this blankie:)

That's funny Mommy, tell me again:)

November, 2008 (7 months old) Saying goodbye to Auntie Alpha:( Can't wait to see you again:)

December, 2008 (8 months old) Look I can sit on my own now:) Cool!

Christmas 2008. I'm ready to party! Bring it on:)

January, 2009 (9 months old) Hmmmm, I don't know what to think of this baby rice.

Butter nut squash is A LOT tastier than that rice;) Love it!

February, 2009 (10 months old)Hanging out at Grandma's for her birthday:)

Hey, I can get under the couch. Love it down here:)

March, 2009 (11 months old)Look at me, standing in my crib:)

My favorite place to hang out:)

April 2009 (12 months old) Uh-Oh, I guess that mobile got to go;)

Love the new car seats:)

Pooped after his birthday party:)

Say cheeeeeeeeeese

Tasty cracker! Yum!

It's so bright! But I love it outside:)

Birthday picture:)

May 2009 (13 months old) Love hanging out outside with Frankie:)

Refreshing juice after enjoying the swings at the park.

Hey, I'm a little scared, but I love to swing:)

June, 2009 (14 months old) This is wicked! At lot bigger than our kiddy pool at home:oP

Do we have to leave the pool?!

It's so sunny that I need my beach hat:)

I'm the coolest kid on the block, just check me out with my sun glasses:)

Armandito mi amor, este año junto a ti ha sido increiblemente maravilloso:) Tú llenas nuestros dias de sonrisas, carcajadas con todas tus ocurrencias. Al refleccionar sobre este año me parece increible lo bien que estas y que gracias a Dios no te has enfermado con nada serio. No me imagino mi vida sin ti, mi muchachito precioso. Eres tan dulce y especial! Mi corazón rebosa de alegria con solo verte y oirte "hablar." Le pido a Dios que continue bendiciendote con mucha salud y felicidad:) Asi como también, que me ayude a criarte conciendolo y que cuando seas un adulto seas un hombre de bien y provecho para la sociedad:) Te amo mi amor! Tu mami:)

Arianna "walking" ;)

Leti, my niece

She is a courageous young lady, traveling to the US for the first time alone. She came to meet and spend time with her cousins this summer. It has been an adjustment for our family to have a pre-teen in the house:) She loves hanging out with the babies, but like all 12 year olds, she loves TV, sleeping in, the pool, relaxing, etc. Even though she is bold enough to travel alone, she tends to be shy.

It's been fun to have her try and do things that are so common in America, but not so much back home (Dominican Republic). I've been cooking American foods for her to try. So far so good in that department:) Also, she has been helping with things around the farm. Here are some pictures:
We went fishing. It was the first time for the both of us. We didn't catch any fish, but we at least learned how to cast the fishing pole;)

Having a picnic at the park, after visiting the zoo.

Mowing for the first time ever (this is her favorite thing to do as far as chores go).

She even rode in the tractor with uncle Mike.

Lot's of laughs with the kids:)

Before coming to the rural part of the country, she spent a week with my aunt (her great aunt) in Orlando. She got to go to Disney world almost every day. I'm wondering how rural US compares to Orlando? Hahahahaha

It's been a year since Alea came home from the NICU

Alea came home on June 14th, 2008, weighing 4lbs 12Oz. This little peanut sure had us on our toes from the beginning. It was SO scary to bring the first one home without all the 24/7 nurse care that she had at the hospital. The first night I slept on the floor by her crib, just to make sure she wouldn't stop breathing. She didn't come home with any special equipment, but I was used to to all the wires and monitors that she had in the NICU. It almost seem unnatural to have this baby with nothing hooked up to monitor her heart rate, oxygen level, etc.

Some people say that they loved EVERY baby stage, but I have to admit that I did not like the first couple of months of triplets baby stage. Just picture this, when all the babies where home we were feeding 28 bottles in a 24 hours period and at least that many diapers change, not to mention the lack of sleep, etc., etc., etc. But I do LOVE the stage that Alea is in now:) She is SO MUCH fun. She is a silly silly little girl. Alea is climbing on everything that she can get her legs on, lol. She loves to climb onto her little rocking chair, the swing, the lower level shelf of the bookshelf, up and down the stairs, Daddy's legs, etc. She is cruising like crazy, pushing her little toy all over the house. She is not a crazy driver like her brother, but she sure knows how to turn the toy around to keep going:)

Let me see if I can remember all the things she is doing now: clicking her tongue, waving bye bye, playing patty-a-cake, SOOOOOOO Bigggggggg, peek-a-boo, saying mama and dada, looking for Frankie (our dog) (If we ask her "where is Frankie" she looks or crawl to the window), making lots of cute noises and funny faces. Alea can also stand without holding on to anything.

Alea has the stronger personality of the three, but she can melt you with a silly face and a big smile. She can be very friendly if she is in the mood, HA. It has been a wonderful year with her at home and I wouldn't change anything:) She has changed and learned so much in the last year!

I believe that pictures can talk louder than words, so here is a series of pictures of Alea from the day she came home month by month until now.

June 2008 (2 months old)
Finally coming home

What a cute little peanut! We had to get her a preemie car seat because she weighted less than 5 pounds, yikes!

She has always been Daddy's little girl:)

After her first bath:)

Cuddling with Grandma

July 2008 (3 months old) Loving the bounce.

Screaming in the boppy.

August 2008 (4 months old) Taking a nap in the glidder.

Making her pouty face (this is one of my favorite pictures).

September 2008 (5months old) Sucking her thumb while taking a nap in the swing.

Smiling at Mommy.

October 2008 (6 months old) Wearing her witch outfit (hahahaha).

November 2008 (7 months old)Sitting up for the first time:)

December 2008 (8 months old)Laughing with her Santa hat:)

January 2009 (9 months old)Having her first baby food.

Starting to enjoy baby food (lovesssssssss butter nut squash).

February 2008 (10 months old) First pigtail:)

All bundled up, ready for bed!

First time drinking out of the sippy cup:)

March 2009 (11 months old) Standing in her crib

Smiling, smiling, smiling:)

April 2009 (12 months old)

Switching to the next car seat (not happy about the change).

Birthday picture

May 2009 (13 months old) Loving Cheerios

June 2009 (14 months old) Loves to get in the toy box and hang out:)

Climbing into the swing

Hanging out at the park

Alea tu eres una niña super especial, no me imagino mi vida sin ti. Este año ha sido maravilloso a tu lado. Te amo mushisimo. Me encanta como me sonries en las mañanas cuando voy a buscarte a tu cuna. Se me aguan los ojos de solo pensar lo chiquitita que eras y lo grandota y preciosa que estas ahora. Dios nos ha bendecido grandemente y le pido que continue bendiciendote para que continues creciendo fuerte y llena de salud:) Te prometo amarte y cuidar de ti toda mi vida asi como tambien guiarte por el camino de nuestro Dios. Que el Señor te bendiga mi muñequita. Muchos besitos! Te amo! Tu mami. I'm looking forward to the years ahead with you:)