2009 rewind

In the past, New Years Eve was all about who we were going out with, where we were going and watching the clock strike midnight. It was about looking forward to the next year and entering that next chapter in my life, whatever that would be. This past New Years Eve was a little different. Alex and I decided to have a quiet night at home, just the two of us. And in the days leading up to the new year, I found myself looking back at the past year. Here are some of my memories from 2009. They're not all "good" memories, but things we'll never forget.

- New Years Eve a year ago, I remember Alex, my mom and I were giving the babies baths at midnight while the rest of my family was out on the patio watching all the fireworks around us. This was before we had the babies on a schedule so bathing at midnight wasn't too odd at this point :)

- We used to look so forward to the 3 nights a week we had our night nanny, Lula. It was the only nights we got to sleep and we never heard a peep out of the babies when she was there. I don't know if that's because we were so tired or she was just really good at her job.

- The difficult decision to stop pumping after 3mo. Complete exhaustion had taken a toll on me and while it was hard to stop, I'm glad I was able to give them mostly breast milk for the first 3mo.

- I remember when Astrid brought Alex and I some yummy chili and cornbread for dinner one night and watched the babies so he and I could actually eat a meal together. Then she helped me put them down to bed so Alex could get some much needed sleep. She sat with me and gave me the strength to let the babies cry it out and learn to go to sleep, for that Alex and I are truly grateful! Astrid has become an invaluable resorce for navigating the trials and tribulations of raising triplets. And she's become a good friend :)

- Bottle propping. It really needs no explanation.

- I miss laying them down in one place, leaving the room for a minute and coming back to find them all exactly where I left them. Now they are practically running everywhere!

- When Ava got the 1st tooth, I actually teared up. It was like it hit me all of the sudden that they were growing up.

- I vaguely remember what our living room used to look like. In the past year, our house has slowly been taken over by babies. Our bedroom is the only "normal" room in the house, free of toys, gates and babyproofed cabinets.

- I remember how frustrated Mia would be when learning how to crawl. But once she got the hang of it, she was everywhere and all the fussing just disappeared.

- When my poor little boy had to get a helmet :( While it was a pain to drive him across town for his appointments, I kind of enjoyed just being out with 1 baby. It was like a glimpse at normalcy for moms of singletons. Which leads me to my next memory....

- The numerous pity parties I had for myself. It was a hard year adjusting to life after 3 babies. Going grocery shopping once a week has really been my only time out of the house in the past year. And even then, I would notice all the moms in the store with their 1 baby and find myself annoyed at how easy it was for them. But my goal this year is to become more comfortable taking them out places and even trying a few outings by myself. I know it can be done!

- I remember giving the kids eggs for the first time and discovering Mia's egg allergy. To this day, I am so thankful she was being fussy that morning and didn't actually eat any. Now we avoid all egg products and have an epi pen just in case.

- Watching Andrew take his first steps when he was 10mo old. Mia walking just a few weeks later and then Ava.....well.....I think she didn't like watching her brother and sister fall so much so she just waited until she was ready just a week before she was 13mo.

- I remember their first photo session before their birthday. The kids were in no mood for pictures and it took a lot of work to get some smiles, but I LOVE their pictures.

- Their 1st birthday! Watching them tear into cake for the first time and trying to open presents. I know their 2nd birthday will creep up on me before I know it.

- Alex's parents visiting for a month. They last saw the kids when they were 6wks old and got here just before their birthday. They bought them little soccer balls and got them to start dribbling them (we're going to try and get this on video, but every time we get the camera out, they get distracted). They taught Ava how to blow kisses so she now says Bye, waves and blows a kiss. We were able to take them to the park for the first time since we had one baby per adult. We've tried going back with just 2 of us and it's not easy!

I know there are many more that I'm forgetting right now, but I'm ready to make some new memories. 2010 is going to be a great year and I can't wait to see what's in store for our family!