Baby Steps

I still can't believe that we've survived our first year with triplets... and two other needy little tykes as well! People constantly ask me "how do you do it?" and the answer, quite frankly, is that I really don't know! The time has passed so quickly that it's all a bit of a blur. Ok, a major blur. But if I try to recall how it is that a year (at this point, thirteen months, to be exact!) has suddenly passed us by, I suppose there have been two keys to survival:

1. A sense of humor. While there were (and still are!) days when it all just falls apart, we've found that the best antidote is to just laugh. Frequently. We find that we're (all SEVEN of us!) often at our wits end at dinnertime. Des and I are tired and cranky (well, I am, anyway!); Liam is absolutely shot; Ciara is demanding attention -- most often by crying/howling/screeching over some minor offense like "my toe hurts!". The babies are crawling and tottering and rolling on the floor simply looking for a little love which, while the dinner is burning and the other two are fighting, is hard to come by. Then, inevitably, the crying starts. All three babies, perhaps with Ciara chiming in as well and then Liam whining to be heard above the din. It is at this point, on a good day, that Des and I just look at each other and laugh. Really really laugh. Because truly, the scene in our kitchen is absurd! And if we don't laugh, we might cry or scream or whine or yell -- which, we've learned the hard way, is stooping to the level of our five under five -- and believe me, this is best NOT to do! So, when all else fails, just laugh. Out loud. Like you mean it. And, if your house is like our house, soon you will all feel better.


2. Take it one day at a time. As an admitted super-planner, this doesn't come naturally to me but, I've gotten better over the course of the past year. While I'm still no pro at being "in the moment", I've gotten better at accepting each day as it comes. And also, accepting that my plan for the day is quite often bamboozled by circumstances completely beyond my control. Like when we missed the football game for my 20th high school reunion last week because one of the tots came down with a fever. Or like realizing that a day at the beach is, no longer "a day at the beach"! If think too far ahead, I start to freak out. For example, we now go through about five gallons of milk a week. At least. So, I wonder, how much milk will be consumed when they get bigger? What will happen when they're teenagers? They are going to eat us out of house and home! This leads to the remarkable revelation that one day, they will indeed be teenagers! And then they will drive. And then I'll be up at night worrying about them all making it home safely -- instead of being up at night checking temperatures and administering doses of Motrin and Tylenol.

Which brings me back to the present and reminds me to just take it one day at a time. To approach this amazing road that lies before us with baby steps -- a good lesson to remember as each of our babies is starting to take his very first steps.

Where does the time go?!

It is well past the time I promised myself I’d be in bed as I once again wonder… where, oh where did the day go? How have three weeks flown by since I last updated this blog? Well, let’s see. Here’s a brief snapshot of the past few weeks.

One little lady proudly turned “free” and was pleased as a princess to celebrate at Cupcake Kitchen and Build-A-Bear with two equally adorable little pals. One of the more amusing moments for me was when a lady saw us leaving the mall and asked “Wow! Are they triplets?” When I chuckled and responded “No, just friends.” She said “Phew! I was going to say, you must really have your hands full!” Ah, if she only knew…

Three little “Cubs” officially turned one and were the jolliest of party guests as family, friends and neighbors joined us at the park for birthday cake, some festive live Irish music and cool, blustery weather that was more than a bit reminiscent of Ireland itself

Our anniversary coincided with Columbus Day and although we did manage to make it out for lunch, we had to chuckle when Liam asked during the typical dinner mayhem that night “hey, when are you guys going OUT for your anniversary?” Well Liam, when you’re old enough to babysit the other four kids, I suppose! ;)

Speaking of dinner, we now officially set the table for seven. Yep, seven. Four chairs and three high chairs crammed in with five tots whining, wiggling and weasling out of eating their vegetables. The joy of abandoning the formula when the babies turned one (which was supposed to translate into dollars aplenty!) has been replaced by the cold hard realization that these kids are going to eat us out of house and home! With five under five, dinner tonight consisted of a large roast chicken, a big pot of mashed potatoes, about a pound of string beans and almost a gallon of milk. To our dismay, there are not enough leftovers to satisfy any of these voracious Cubs! (For the record, there’s a good chance that a few glasses of wine were consumed as well… ;)

Then there’s bedtime – just try brushing the teeth of FIVE overtired tots recovering from a prolonged and ugly Halloween buzz. It’s not surprising that Liam and Ciara think they can do it themselves but really, I wasn’t expecting any sort of attitude from a trio of one year olds who just yesterday sported costumes as both precious pumpkins and cuddly cubs (pictures to follow!). The point is, it takes a LOT of time to brush five sets of teeth!

Amid all this commotion, my life outside our little Lyons Den has gone bonkers. Work is crazy busy and I’m once again traveling – in the past two weeks, I’ve been to Chicago twice and Pittsburgh once. I’ve stood up my running partner twice because I literally don’t know what day it is. I’ve been the lucky recipient of 10 stitches in my back as yet more skin cancer was removed – which reminds me to remind you, WEAR YOUR SUNSREEN. My optimism has not paid off in this regard – I have learned the hard way that I will not get tan. As Ciara likes to dramatically put things, “never ever in my whole life!” Although, she’s typically responding to a declined request for Noggin…

So, with days filled from the top to the bottom, it’s no wonder that several weeks have just flown by in the blink of an eye. Or, for that matter, that 20 years have suddenly flown by and my high school reunion is next week! I’m pretty sure that I can’t be that old and that there must be a typo somewhere on the eVite I received. But, if I’m to believe what my friends and high school diploma tell me, It really has been two decades. I’m sure I won’t be the only one who is shocked at how quickly the time has flown by...