Nursery Tour

Here are a few peeks into the boys’ nursery. Our whole house looks to nature for inspiration, and to make it more “baby friendly” we started with the Carter’s Tree Tops Collection as our guide.

It’s simple, clean and it makes me smile every time I see it!

DIY Nameplates above their bed

Lanterns above their bed, kind of like a giant mobile!

Where the sweethearts will sleep until they're bigger

DIY art to go along with our woodland theme

Changing table- with the very first book we bought them on the shelf above

Clothes hamper- the inspiration for it all!

A few other key pieces not pictured here…

1) Dresser- babies need tons of storage for all of their little clothes, blankets and supplies.

2) Diaper Genie- we use this for dirty diapers, and a normal trashcan for just wet diapers

3) A glider- a comfy place to rock them, cuddle them and read them stories.

4) A bookcase for all of their stories- I read them a new one every night.

5) A small desk lamp- I leave this on while they sleep so I can see them when I “check in” on them, but it’s not as bright as a regular fixture.

The Triplets

This is Merlin….

He was our baby before the twins came, and when they were born, he was eight months old. He’s sweet, energetic, loyal and a little bit crazy. We actually got him after we found out we were pregnant, but my mothering instinct had full blown kicked in and I needed something to take care of, and eight months seemed too long to wait. Crazy, I know. During pregnancy we had to house train him, teach him how to use a leash, and we took him to obedience training. We see him as practically a member of the family, and try to treat him as such. One of my biggest worries is how he would handle the twins, so here’s what we did to prepare:

• Tried to train him as well as possible. He’s not perfect, but he has greatly improved, and will continue to get better with age.
• I let him wander around and smell the babies room before they came home- it wasn’t a restricted area that he wasn’t allowed in, but he did have to learn to be careful.
• We had him learn to be alone sometimes in another room, something he’d have to experience sometimes after the babies were home.
• We had him groomed so he’d be clean and he’d have dull nails that couldn’t scratch.

Once the babies were born:

• We brought home some burp cloths for the NICU that the babies had been using so he could smell them.
• As soon as we walked in the door with them, I let him smell their seats. I was just as excited to see him as ever, and I didn’t want him to feel left out Lady and the Tramp style.
• The first time someone held a baby on the couch, I held Merlin next to them and gave them a bunch of treats. I wanted him to associate the babies as a positive experience.
• I let him show them love by kissing their feet, but I let him know that kissing them on the face was not okay.

How he’s adjusted:

• He LOVES the babies! A friend called them “The Triplets” and I think I’ll keep using it forever. He loves to kiss them (we stop him when he wants to make out with their faces) and he keeps bringing his toys and leaving them in their seats.
• He wakes up with me in the middle of the night if they’re crying, or to help feed them. I call him their big brother, and you almost think he understands and takes his job very seriously.
• Once, when my hands were full with one crying baby, the other one started wailing. I told Merlin to go help him, and Merlin licked the baby and he actually stopped crying. Who knew he could be so helpful!
• A friend of ours helps SO MUCH by taking Merlin on a two mile run every morning. He’s getting used  to running with a stroller, something I hope to do in the future. This also helps him use up some of his endless energy, and makes him calmer for the rest of the day. It’s the biggest help ever!

I love these three boys, and I can’t wait to see them grow up together, play together, and protect each other!

The Triplets having tummy time!

Ewwww…. kisses!

First Road Trip

Our first road trip was brief, but successful! We drove three hours from where we live to be in Houston with our family for a little less than 24 hours. Here’s how we accomplished it:

-Left right after a feeding. I sat in the backseat between the babies just in case they needed anything. They cried briefly, for maybe 30 seconds, but that was it- champs!

-Got there just in time for grandparents to feed them while we ate and unpacked. Thank goodness for family!

-Packed everything they needed in one diaper bag, and had them sleep in their carseats. They’re totally used to this because we always have them sleep sitting up because of reflux. The alternative would be a pack n play.

-The next day another set of grandparents got to hang out with them while we went to the Houston Texans Training camp. It was really fun to be there, but by the time it was over at 10 it was HOT!

-Went to lunch, hung out for awhile, and left right after another feeding.

Overall, it was a super brief visit, but just right for our first time traveling with the boys! They did a great job, and it was fun to see our family.

Gavin snoozing on the way back

Diaper Bag

I’m the type of person that doesn’t like to be caught unprepared… so we try to account for as many situations as possible with our diaper bag. We have two in case we take the babies different places, but we usually fit it all in one. Here’s what we’re toting:

Columbia Diaper Bag
10-12 diapers
1 package wipes
4 burp cloths
2 onesies
2 blankets
bulb syringe
2 bottles with water in them
1 formula dispenser, ready to go
gas medicine
hand sanitizer
changing pad (came with the diaper bag)
plastic bag for dirty diapers
extra pacifier
toys

Let me know if we’re missing anything!

As a rule, I restock everything as soon as we get home, so that if we’re in a hurry the next time we leave, we’re ready to go. I don’t always feel like doing this, but it’s totally worth it!