August Slideshow

New Album

Just wanted to let you all know I added a new album to our mccann pics. I'm also working on a new slideshow, as planned, this time with captions! I got some good pictures over the last week. Everything is going well in the McCann house! We've started the countdown for Megan's first day of school. After the kindergarten roundup, her enthusiasm increased quite a bit!

I also added a new link. The babies are seen by a teacher through the Birth to 3 program, and the agency is called A Step Ahead Pierce County. In the last edition of their newsletter, something I wrote was published. I plan to write something for each newsletter, time permitting, so I thought it would be fun to add the link.

Thanks everyone!

Off to College

Elizabeth and Tori ( aka Auntie Biz and Aunt Tee Tee) are heading off to college, so we got together for a special lunch this past week. Of course, I had to get some pictures of the kids with their anuties :-)

Hailey is enjoying being fed banana cream pie from Auntie Biz.

Molly is having a word with grammy about why she doesn't care for the pie like her sister :-)

Quick take a picture, everyone's looking!

The whole group!

Auntie Biz and Andrew enjoying a snuggle!

Molly and Aunt Tee Tee, smilin' pretty :-)

We love you aunties!!!

We had a great time this summer hanging out with Auntie Biz and Aunt Tee Tee. I am especially thankful for all their help with the kids and we will certainly miss them. I'm counting down the months until they return in December for Christmas! And thank you for introducing me to Chipotle! I can't wait to eat there again when you are home :-)

Swim Lessons

Well, we finished a second round of swim lessons with Megan this week and Hailey's first session. I must say, Hailey is a water bug! She absolutely loved being in the water and even practices some of her skills at home in the bathtub. Megan made good progress this time around, but still needs to conquer her fear of putting her face in the water and jumping in from the side. We are moving into soccer now, so swimming will come again probably in the spring. Here are a few pictures to show you the fun we had.

This was a common scene at every lesson....the instructor trying to convince Megan she would be just fine if she jumped in.

Eventually, we all gave up and decided a "drop" was the best approach. Megan agreed to go along with it.

The beginning of the drop....

And a smile at the end!

On this particular day, the class was working on water safety, so that explains the life vests. The funniest part of this class was that at one point, it was made up of 3 Megans. My Megan, one other student named Megan, and the instructor.

This is how Hailey entertained herself during Megan's lessons....climbing!

It was a lot of fun to be in the water with Hailey and she did a great job. My arms definitely got a workout though, trying to keep her above the water and sitting on the side when it was time.

The smile you see here is pretty much how she looked the whole time.

She always carefully picked a toy for playing. It had to be just the right one.

One of the exercises was to throw the toy and have your child practice swimming towards it.

We always practiced blowing bubbles. Hailey hasn't quite got the blowing part, but is having a great time putting her face in the water, especially in the tub and our little kiddie pool at home.

More practice swimming to the toy.

The instructor seemed to really enjoy Hailey. I think it was the smile. So on the last day she got to spend some time with her doing one of the circle songs.

I'm looking forward to our next session, when I will hit the water with Andrew and see what he can do!

Links

I've added a list of favorite sites, including our Photobucket albums. I'm in the process of trying to organize and upload pictures. I'll let you know when I add new albums. The Everything Triplets I came across by accident, but there is some funny and interesting stuff there.

Busy Babies

Well, these little ones are certainly keeping me on my toes lately! I got some pictures of all the tricks and games they've been learning and mastering. I think if I could spend the entire day just sitting on the floor watching them interact, I would never be without entertainment. It's very heartwarming to see how they all three are coming together and enjoying each other's company. And big sister Megan is definitely filling those shoes nicely. When I listen to her get after one of the babies, she sounds just like me! Nobody had to teach her how to be a big sis :-) I know the babies will miss her when she goes off to kindergarten in a couple of weeks!

Hailey has decided that she needs to climb anything and everything within her capabilities. She especially likes to climb onto anything that will serve as a chair, such as this box. She's fearless and quite skilled, so we have to keep an extra close eye on her.

Let me explain this next batch of pictures. Molly was sitting on the floor and Hailey, as is customary of her, made her way over and proceeded to lay down so that her head was in Molly's lap. (She likes to make sure she's the center of attention, no matter who the audience is.) Molly decided it was a game and started poking, pinching, and, well, hitting her sister on the face. Surprisingly, Hailey just layed there and laughed and laughed! I found myself laughing out loud with them! It was quite a sight! I was actually kind of proud of Molly for being so aggressive.

Of course, Hailey won't be outdone, so when she was done getting her beating from Molly, she decided to head Andrew's way and do a little damage of her own. While Andrew was laying on the floor, Hailey went ahead and placed herself on top of his back and just waited there. Eventually Andrew tried to get into crawling and ended up giving Hailey somewhat of a piggy back ride. It was rather cute!

After the piggy back ride, Hailey started wrestling Andrew to the ground. Here is one shot with Andrew going down! This is a game they have been playing quite regularly now.

Hailey and Molly are busy getting some more teeth. I counted, and we've cut 12 teeth total between the three. Andrew has 6, 3 on bottom and 3 on top, Hailey has 4, and Molly has two. I thought the two of them in this cart was just too cute to pass up.

The idea behind the cart is that Andrew and Hailey would use it as a push toy. Well, when their teacher brought it out and tried to get Hailey to push it, can you imagine her reaction?? Tears....apparently she had other plans for the cart. Clearly, Andrew was happy to help out his sister! Andrew loves anything with wheels and spends a lot time inspecting how they work and trying to get them apart. Can we say "all boy"???
Molly's newest skill that I'm so thrilled about is pulling up to knees. I put her to bed the other night and when I came back up with Hailey, there Molly was, peaking over the railing of her crib just looking around. It was the cutest thing ever. Well, now that she knows how to get up, we are working on teaching her how to get down. I tell ya, she never ceases to amaze me :-)
Hailey finally enjoys crawling through the tunnel. Just tonight she and Andrew were chasing each other over and over. Who needs movies or T.V. when you have triplets?

Overall, things are good right now. Molly is eating pretty well and gaining weight. She's up to 13.10. Everyone is healthy and we have been enjoying the nice weather! We are just finishing up swimming lessons, so I'll post those pictures soon!

Swimming Day

This past weekend I took the kids to our friends' Laurie and Brooke's house for a some swimming fun. The little ones had a great time in the kiddie pool while Megan and Brooke enjoyed swimming in the bigger one. We enjoyed a delicious lunch that Laurie prepared and just had a nice time in the sun, hanging out with friends. Of course, my thought was that the babies would take a nice, long afternoon nap when we got home. That didn't go quite as planned, so after trying for about an hour, we ended up heading to my mom's for more swimming, this time Tim, Megan, Hailey and Andrew cooled off with my mom in their pool! It was a great way to spend a beautiful summer day :-)

What happy swimmers. Molly will occasionally tolerate a sun hat, but Hailey will have nothing to do with one!

Our 5 kiddos altogether! I anticipate many pictures like this in the years to come :-)

Andrew, getting a mini shower from the big girls! He sure is a tolerant little guy!

Laurie, serving up the delicious BBQ salmon and yummy rice! I felt like I had a gourmet lunch, and I didn't even have to cook. Thanks Laurie :-)

Could this little girl be any cuter?

Andrew is contemplating the big pool.

We tried out one the floaties with Hailey and Andrew. I think the big girls had a great time, while Hailey wanted nothing to do with it and Andrew just sat back and enjoyed the ride :-)

The big girls had fun running around, playing in the Crazy Daisy! Oh, to be a kid again :-)

Well, that was our weekend. If you didn't catch the previous post, check out the slideshow! I finally figured it out!

Pioneer Park Slideshow

Well, finally, after several attempts over the last couple of months, and about 3 hours of interrupted time today, I finally figured out how to put a slideshow into a post. I don't normally like to toot my own horn, but for someone as technologically illiterate as me, I'm fairly proud of myself! My next step....adding captions! Hope you enjoy these pictures from our last Pioneer Park Playdate with Emma, Gracie, Elyse, Christy, Ryan, Brooke, and Laurie! The rest of the pictures can be viewed using the following link:

http://s305.photobucket.com/albums/nn215/mccannpics/

Updated Info

Well, as you know, Molly completed another swallow study last week and, as I suspected, she swallows beautifully. Basically, that means she is deamed, once again, to safely feed orally. So now the ball is back in Molly's court. We all know what that means....Molly does what Molly wants. To her credit, however, I do have to say that she has improved over the last couple of days. She's been taking 3-4 ounces at every feeding, as long we distract, encourage, play it up, whatever we need to do to keep her eating. I've also switched her from a #2 nipple to a #3, so she really has no choice but to eat. The milk pretty much comes out in a slow trickle and she has to work very little to get any in her mouth. It seems to be working. I did have to finish her off this morning with just an ounce through the NG tube, but that's not bad in a 36 hour period. And, the best part, she is now up to 13 lbs. 7 oz. The doc. is very pleased with her weight gain, so the orders are to continue what we are doing until her follow-up in October. At that point, we will assess how much she is taking orally vs. the NG, and discuss the option/necessity of a

g-tube. I know many people are probably wondering why we are putting it off, and the answer is complicated. It seems that just as I reach a point of resolution that she needs a g-tube, she suddenly decides to eat better and gain weight. I think Molly likes to push things just to the limit and then pull back! She's a funny bucket for sure :-)

As for the other two, Hailey is very close to walking. She has taken as many as 4 steps before falling forward, and is regularly taking 1-2 steps. The OT is wanting her to show more effort in standing herself up without assistance, but we think it won't be but a week or so until she walks! This will certainly add a whole new dimension to my day, but I will certainly celebrate the fact that one of my 24 week triplets is walking. I'll take whatever challeges come with it :-)

Andrew is becoming much more confident on his feet as well. He cruises to wherever he wants to go and is starting to squat and stand, and do little dancing motions while standing. He even seems to want to jump now and then. He continues to take many spills throughout the day and currently has a nice bruise on his forehead. I guess this is what having boys is like, or so I've been told. He could possibly be taking steps in a month or so, but we'll see. I'm sure he'll think he can walk much sooner than he actually has the skills.

And once Hailey starts, he'll have a nice role model to learn from.

At the moment, everyone is healthy, which is a blessing, and we are gearing up for the beginning of the school year. I had an epiphany of sorts the other day. For the first time in almost 5 years, I actually felt like a mom, a real mom. Not just someone with kids. I took Megan school shopping and all these memories from when I was kid came to me, and I realized, Wow, I have a school-aged child and now I have to really be a parent! Yikes! This might be my toughest challenge yet. Wish me luck :-) I can't wait to post pictures of her first day! I think she already knows what she's wearing. Typical, isn't it? I even got to enjoy the very same conversation I had with my mom when I was a kid-"Sorry, but you have to wait until school starts to wear your new school clothes." I think she asks everyday if she can wear her new shoes. I actually enjoy being on the other side of that conversation :-)

Well, I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying this last bit of summer weather. I have a request for all you faithful prayer sayers (is that a word?) Some friends of my family just delivered their second child after a pregnancy filled with complications and many ups and downs. They are facing a very long road of surgeries, challenges, and emotional stress. They are at Children's in Seattle and are just beginning this journey. If you could send up a prayer for Josh, Rachel, little Joshua, and baby Lucas, that would be wonderful! I've added a link to their blog if you want to read up on their story, The Wakefields. Thanks so much!

Just a few pics

This week during therapy, the kids had a chance to play with a new wagon/cart that was supposed to offer assistance with walking. Well, when Hailey saw that Molly got to ride in the cart, she was none to pleased! On came the faucets until we let her sit in it. Imagine what followed, nothing but this beautiful smile. So, she rode around in the cart while Megan lovingly pushed her.

Here is Andrew working hard to operate a remote that really belongs to nothing. It's a nice compromise, and it allows him to practice using his pointer finger.

Molly, hammin' it up as usual! Tim had a little fun with the camera last night while Megan, Hailey and I were at swim lessons. Maybe Molly will grow up to a model for "small" people :-)

Take care everyone!

Music Playlist

Hey, check out my playlist at the bottom of the page! There are lots of songs to choose from, just click the one you want to hear while reading up on the McCann family :-)

Baby Dedication

Well, the day finally arrived for the triplets to make their debut at church. We've been waiting a long time for this day and it was nothing short of exciting. Of course, in order to make it happen, we needed our entourage on hand! We had several family members join us, as well as our special friends Heidi and Jeff and Jeff's daughter Danielle. Our good friend Tricia was also there to help out by taking pictures. I tell ya, going somewhere with triplets is always a group effort :-) Pastor Mark did a great job with the dedication and I imagine for him, it was a treat to see these tiny babies growing so big. He came to visit them in the hospital early on when they were still very tiny and very sick! This was definitely a special day, full of reminders of God's faithfulness and your continued prayer and support for our family. It always amazes me how truly blessed we are.

This picture shows about 1/2 our combined, extended family.

I thought this picture of Hailey was precious!
Aunt Tee Tee and Andrew
We tried to get a shot of the three, but as usual, one or more was not in the mood to cooperate!
After the service we all went to lunch at a local favorite restaurant, Mama Stortinis. We enjoyed spending time with family and eating delicious italian food. I learned three new things about my babies and food. Andrew likes Italian cheesecake, Hailey likes lasagna, and Molly loves Half and Half! Hey, at least they all eat something :-)

The greatest thing about this restaurant is that they cover the tables with white butcher paper so the kids can color away to their hearts' content!

Hailey is enjoying some yummy bread!
Molly enjoyed drinking from a big kid cup!
And here is the proof!
This day turned out to be perfect in many ways and we are especially thankful to all of the people who have been with us from the beginning! It will be such a joy to watch these babies grow and become strong, confident people of their own!