1 Year Old!

Crazy to think this was a year ago. Our lives were changed, blessed and thrown into chaos! You can read all about their birth here. Before I get into the party, here's some pics of the last month before my babies turned 1.

11 months shot - Isaac, Ailah and Dylan

Playing in water. Splish splash splosh!

They LOVED going into Amali's room and standing up on her little couch......but they also liked pulling her already messy room to bits so I had to put a gate on it. I also have found all 3 at various times up on top of her toy box (white one that Ailah is leaning on) so I thought I needed to put a stop to that!

First time drinking out of sippy cups. I have no idea why I did it on carpet.....??

Walker races! Dylan was the first to start using these but it wasn't long before they all got into it. Funny though, if he is about to run into something/someone, Dylan stops and cries! He loves it!

Finger painting. Before.

During.

This does NOT taste nice mum.

I do NOT like this mum!

After.

Garden cart rides around the farm.

And their BIG day! (And my big day!)

It's a tradition in our house to serve pancakes on birthday mornings, and they of course need a candle in them. It was so lovely that Jordan and Amali were right into this as it made it even more special. I tried to video call Dan but it was playing up.

I love the looks on Isaac's face!

Happy Birthday Isaac!

Happy Birthday Ailah!

Happy Birthday Dylan!

Yum yum! Buttermilk pancakes with a teeny bit of Maple Syrup and a dollop of cream!

Now, I had been cooking for WEEKS. Cooking, freezing, cooking freezing, cooking, freezing...you get the picture. I did have approximately 100 people (babies-adults) coming. Yes. I know. I'm a little mad. But it was also a huge thank you to those people. At some point in the last 2 years they had been there for me, our family or our children. It was a fantastic day. It was busy. I didn't get to talk to people for half as long as I would have liked. But I did get to talk to everyone!

Now, like most people, this time I kept telling myself 'I will not be trying to finish decorating the cake as people are arriving'. And you know what - I had it finished the night before! That's a first for me. My first tiered cake. My first fondant cake. My first time ever at creating fondant figurines. I was damn proud!!!!

Did I mention that I made the fondant myself too?

I tried to make the figurines look like the babies (or children, they looked a little older). Dylan on the right with a few little curls and a higher forehead/slimmer face.

Ailah in the middle and Isaac on the left with straight hair and a rounder face. Their outfits give you a sneak peek into what they were wearing too!

Party morning arrived and I was feeling really organised. Not stressed at all. I had a list of things that needed doing and I wasn't afraid to delegate to anyone who turned up early! Mum arrived early to help out, Dan had flown in the night before, Emily Black (you remember my birth photographer?) was arriving on a 12 hour fly in fly out trip (aren't I lucky?!) and my bestie, Taryn and her mum also arrived early. I had them blowing up helium balloons, attaching name badges, putting table cloths out, putting food onto plates, setting up the jumping castle, picnic rugs, chairs, tables, play pens.... you name it - we did it!
I growled at Dan a few times. Seriously, I'd already told him to please just say yes if I asked him to do things. But no, he had to add in his 5 cents worth each time. Or say no. So quite a few expletives got thrown his way.
Of course the only thing that I hadn't done by the time people began turning up was myself! No time for a shower, just a quick change and some make up and away I went!

The invitations said 'follow the dots', so the big kids and I made these signs and I put them out Saturday morning.

This is our driveway. Mum and all the kids put coloured dots along the fence line too!

We had the newspaper come to take pictures of us, I'd done a phone interview the day before with the same reporter that had interviewed me after their birth. You can view the article here. We didn't make front page this time, only page 5, but you can see the cool biscuit display with all the kids names on them too. These were given out instead of party bags. It took so many takes to get the pics as all they wanted to do was grab the figurines off their cake!

Happy Birthday to you....

 

Here you can see the inside of the cake! It worked out great, I wanted to show off the dots on the inside so I cut a big piece out of each layer - trouble was I didn't have any idea where the colours were....and of course all 3 layers showed blue and green dots! Hence why you can see I spun the top layer around and cut it again! 

Isaac loved the cake - as did everyone I spoke to. I was stoked that it was so moist, and stoked the huge bottom tier was perfectly cooked in the middle - it took 4 hours on 120 degrees!

And the cake smash!

There was about 30 people watching this behind Emily, I was surprised that they didn't get shy. I had to encourage them to smash up the cakes, Ailah only took cream (coloured whipped cream smashes better than buttercream icing) from Dylan's cake for ages! I was a bit mean in the end, I smooshed a bit onto their heads - they did not like that!

We asked our guests that if they wanted to, they could put in for this awesome play cubby, or they could buy presents. We were so blessed! Here they are with all their pressies, so many gorgeous ones! Thank you all so much guys xxxx

What's all the fuss about mum?

I wanted to take the time to thank people. I KNOW I'm going to forget someone. I'm apologising in advance for that now!

My husband. For being with me on this crazy journey (maybe I should say 'dragged along by me'), for (mostly) supporting all that I do/want/ask, and for sacrificing so much working away in Melbourne.
My mum. For everything you have done and will do. From the texts 'pls get milk' to babysitting, to yard work, to taking Amali to ballet. There is so much!
Kerry. For all your hard work you do around here. For watching/holding/playing with babies.
Nana. For always asking 'what can I do?' Even though I always say nothing!
Dad. For all the work you have done around here!
Anita. My amazing nanny. What I would do without you I have no idea. You know x
Taryn. For forgiving me, for putting aside your tough times, for being with me, for chats, for baby sitting, for all of it x
Erin. For the countless times you have picked Jordan up, dropped him home, made me dinner, taken Jordan to soccer training/games, for bottles of wine. x
Karen and Katy. For also picking Jordan up/bringing him home many times x
Laurie, Mel, Sky, Bernie. For being great friends who I love!
Aunty Jenni and Aunty Vicki. For cleaning, baby holding, washing up, bringing washing in. x
My HOMmies. You know who you are and you GET it!
The NASS mums and dads. For cooking me dinners, offering assistance and always a smile.

I KNOW I've forgotten people - I'm sorry!!!!!!


Did I mention that the day after the party I got really sick? Of course. That's what happens when you burn the candle from both ends for weeks. I'm still sick, getting better but it really knocked me flying.
But you know what - the party was great and the food was awesome! So it was all worth it in the end.

364 Days Old!

This time last year I was settling into bed with a huge belly. Now the belly's not so huge but I am only just settling into bed for the night!

My babies are 1 tomorrow. 

I've said it before and ill say it again - it has gone SO fast. This is just a quick post. I'll post more after the weekend when the party of the year is done and dusted. This party has consumed me for well over a month. I do love it but I swear on Sunday night I'll be in bed asleep at 7pm. No cake baking, sausage roll baking, biscuit icing, dot cutting out, fondant kneading ,  lamb koftas shaping,  quiche filling, or patiently waiting for jelly layers to set.....no more. Phew!

Here's a quick trip down memory lane at what I looked like a year ago:

Yup. The afternoon before I had them I lunged Amali on her pony, Princess. As you do when you're 34 weeks and 4 days pregnant with triplets. 

This one was at 34 weeks. 

Remember these wonky belly pics? Little monkeys. 

I seriously MISS this amazing belly. Strange, I know. It's making me teary just thinking about it. 

But I now have 3, amazing, healthy and adorable 1 year olds (so strange to type that!) to fill that yearning. For now. 

A huge shout out to a fellow multiple mumma Jacinta, who carried her twin boys to the same gestation and gave birth on the same day! 

Happy Birthday to the gorgeous Bo and Sage xxxx

  

Almost 1!

Wow. This whole first birthday thing is coming at me faster than a speeding train! I am so excited! I think I'm prepared and organsied for it, we'll see by Thursday this week, I may not be so calm by then....

I've been prepping food for weeks and freezing it (slight hiccup with a freezer that died but crisis averted thankfully), the cakes are baked and ready for icing later in the week, the face painter is booked, the yard will look nice, balloons are ready, tables and chairs are organised (thanks Anita!), kids have been farmed out for the night before (thanks Taryn!), and their clothes are almost finished (thanks again Anita!).

 Cake pops for the cake                       Biscuits for the thank you gifts

A sneak peak at the boys vests - made by my fabulous nanny Anita out of the same material  Ailah's dress is made out of!

There is a lot more to do. Dan will fly home on Friday night before the party (which is a good thing!), and if he gets too stressed on Saturday morning I'll remind him how important it is to have the front paddock slashed prior to the party! That will get rid of him for a bit hehehehehe!

We have A LOT of people coming. Actually, due to the fact we will have 5 sets of triplets and about the same amount of twins, the child:adult ratio is about the same. The big kids will be kept busy with sack races, egg and spoon races, running races, face painting and jumping castle. This will hopefully leave the adults in semi-peace. Because everyone knows that a first birthday is really all about the parents hey? The little kids have a very large play pen to play in hehehehehe! Don't worry, we'll throw them some food every now and then!

I can't believe the changes in my munchkins just this last week. Ailah can say na-na (banana) and meow (for a cat). Dylan is speeding along on his walker - I had to get 3 as they fought horribly (thanks Mandy!) but gets very cranky before he hits something as he hasn't figured out how to turn yet! Isaac is babbling so much now, he looks at the big kids and has a conversation with them - much to their delight! And they are all beginning to get the confidence to let go and stand by themselves.

We've had a bit of sleep regression lately, Ailah seems to only sleep for 40 minutes to an hour twice a day but she handles this ok, the boys on the other hand are horrible with the small amount of sleeping time. But it's just a phase. That's what I keep telling myself anyway!

 First finger painting session!

10 months to 11 months

Hi there.....it's been a while. Let me introduce myself.....nah, just kidding! Seriously, I uploaded these pics over a week ago. Dan's away, it doesn't take long for me to tidy up at the end of the night...then I sit down with a cuppa and Facebook. So wonderful and so time consuming. I have made amazing, life long friends (who I have never met) via Facebook, had crap put on me by stupid American women with nothing else better to do, and watched one of my wonderful friends be driven off Facebook by the same women, yet I keep going back for more. It's ok, I've got thick skin and as you know, I'm super positive and couldn't really give a toss. 

Anyway.....moving on. 

In 3 weeks, almost to the exact time right now, my babies will turn 1. Yes, it has gone mind blowingly fast. I cannot fathom how quick this last year has gone. How am I going? Awesome. I think the best thing is that I'm happy. I laugh. I smile. I enjoy them, and Jordan and Amali. Is it always so rosy? Nope! But I'd say 80:20 ratio. I talk to them in silly sing song voices that keeps me upbeat too, they laugh and smile and I'm just loving it. We go places. All the time. I'm rarely home for more than 2 days in a row. Some people don't understand, they wonder if it's worth carting them around ect ect ect. Well, it is. I'm still enjoying my life and all of my children's lives. What's the point of complaining about how long it takes to get in the car, or how much stuff you need to take? This IS my life now and there's only 1 thing to do - embrace and enjoy it.

And by these photos, you'll see that I am.

 Watching big brother Jordan at swimming lessons

 Look at us! We have all been standing for ages now and can sit down unassisted.

 And we love it when our Daddy comes home!

 She got up there all by herself. She's my monkey. I'm going to have to watch this one.

 Did I also mention she's also the messiest?

 Dylan

 Isaac, the second messiest.

 Told you she was a monkey

We took off to the Gold Coast for 4 nights to stay with Daniel's family. On the way down we went to the Brisbane Museum and Science Centre. Babies were so well behaved and the kids loved it.

 Here's their 10 month photo, I've already taken the 11 month so will post that in a few days.

 3 little helpers!

 Isaac crawls around like a little bulldog with his arms wide and is usually accompanied with a 'ra ra ra' as his hands hit the ground.

 Ailah is the fastest although Isaac is catching her more and more.

 Dylan likes to take his time and take everything in. I found him on top of the toy box today though....

 Her first pony tail! Thanks Anita!

 More cuddles for Daddy. Dan is only home 1 week out of 3 and I must say, he's certainly improved a heap with helping out when he's home now!

 Dylan through the tunnel....

 Ailah through the tunnel.....

 Isaac through the tunnel! They love this tunnel and go back and forth waiting for each other to come through, super cute to watch.

 Dylan, Ailah and Isaac

 Whoever taught Dylan to wave is going to cop it! Oh wait...that was me. He does NOT stop waving. But it is super cute!

 Nice cool weather allowed me to put these snuggly outfits on them for some outside play.

 Our little out door jail. We leave the back door open and they go in and out as they please, they love the freedom of it and going up and down the little step.

 Peek a boo!

 The Trama family frown.

And in their little playmat come tunnel come cubby. They are such a joy at the moment. Life is great.

Crawlers!

Yup, 3 crawlers! This was the first time Dylan had crawled and I'd never seen Isaac do this either! Well, Isaac is only commando crawling but, he's getting there! Ailah is finally up on all fours, crawling properly. It is honestly so cute watching Dylan and Ailah crawling together, I can't wait until they all are. Yes, I can hear you all saying 'What! You want them to crawl?!' - yes, I do! I love this stage, they'll drive me batty I'm sure, but it'll be a fun batty....in a 'hide in the cupboard and drink wine' sense. I'm sure. I think.

We've been rather busy building a large undercover area......which I've been taking loads of photos as construction has been happening.....to have just deleted them on the camera *internal screaming* but, I'll get over it!

All I hear out of Dylan and Isaac's mouth is da-da and da-dee. Come on boys!! He's only here 1 week out of 3! Ma-ma ma-ma ma-ma!!!!! Ailah is just a tad cute, she tries to crawl away when I go to pick her up and thinks it's hilarious. Isaac loves to have a cloth nappy square placed over his head, then pulls it off and laughs to my 'peek a boo'! Dylan can wave! It is adorable! Tonight when we were video calling Daddy he waved as soon as he saw Daniel on the screen and not long later said Da-da. I'm not counting it as his first word (I don't unless it is said in context), I'll wait to see if he does it again or if it was a fluke. But I bet it made Dan's day.

So I did their 9 month (gasp - 9 months!!!!????) photo shoot, which I was pretty proud of! It was a week late but I loved my idea to use their funky shag rug as the backdrop. You will see that again I promise!

There were LOTS of horrible shots. 2 babies that are moving around and 1 who turned super grumpy the moment I aimed the camera on him is not a good idea - but perseverance is a good thing, so here you are.

 Isaac, Ailah and Dylan

 Note the bath toy in Isaac's hand. The only thing that would keep him from crying.

With our fantastic Nanny away for 2 weeks (back today - woohoo!), they got to come to swimming lessons. Thankfully there is a room that I can sit in and they can watch the kids swimming. They loved it!

They love this toy that Grandi got them - Isaac tries to push the other two off so he can have it to himself - did I mention he's our bully? Loves taking everything the other 2 are playing with and he always wins tug of war.

Love, love love this pic. Daniel hasn't even seen it yet. Gee he's a bit of a spunk!

Just a normal thing for AIlah. She was a monkey in a past life. I am in big trouble with this one. She is a major climber. I even found her on top of one of those clear storage boxes. Yes, on top. On her hands and feet. Eeeeek!!!

I've started birthday party planning. It's going to be big. I've never done the whole 'over the top matching thing' - generally it's fairly matching but not crazy lady - this however will be one of those parties. It's not everyday that your triplets turn 1!!! Stay tuned........

Remembering

I was going to write this post all about the people I encounter on a daily basis, the rude, the kind, the stares, the pointing....feeling like a bit of a freak. But, I've decided not to dwell on the negative at this time. I want to tell you how lucky I am. How lucky I am to have my babies.

A year ago I asked you all to pray, send love and thoughts to my friend in the states. At 3 days ahead of me, carrying triplets as her first babies, we had a great connection. For whatever reason - God, fate, mother nature being unkind, she did not get to keep her babies. The anniversary of Ryker, Tommy and MaryElizabeth's birth and death is tomorrow. And I sit here with tears streaming down my face thinking of my friends pain.

So, MF, this one is dedicated to you. You and your beautiful angel babies who were too sweet for this earth.

I am lucky to have healthy babies. 2 + 3 = 5 babies.
I am lucky to watch them grow, learn and adore the world around them.
I am lucky to look up from preparing dinner to 3 sets of eyes watching my every move.
I am lucky to feel a little hand grab my leg and try to pull herself up.
I am lucky to wipe up 7 little wee's during nappy free time, just after I have mopped.
I am lucky to strip Ailah's filthy 'commando crawling' clothes off at the end of the day.
I am lucky to watch my older children play, shriek and laugh at the antics of their 3 younger siblings.
I am lucky to shovel endless amounts of food into their hungry little mouths.
I am lucky to wait patiently (most times) while they guzzle down my breastmilk.
I am lucky to clean 3 high chairs 4 times a day.
I am lucky to have survived Isaac's incessant screaming as a small baby - he's now the happiest one.
I am lucky to have children that sleep really well - most times.
I am lucky to watch endless teeth appearing through swollen gums.
I am lucky to rinse out pooey nappies (remind me of this when I complain).
I am lucky to watch 3 babies laugh when I do a fake, exaggerated sneeze.
I am lucky to watch Dylan happily play by himself without a care in the world.
I am lucky to hear soft snoring from them all night long.
I am lucky to see 3 little heads snap around when I walk through the door.

I am lucky.

Many others are not. And not just those who have lost triplets. To all the mums who have angel babies, my heart breaks for you. Sometimes I complain about being tired, or wanting more 'me' time, or just complain - but I, and others, need to take a breath and think - I am lucky - my children are here.

Thank you for reminding me.

xxx