Kiss 'Em: They're (Part) Irish

While many Irish eyes won’t be smiling until the 17th of March, there was a lot of fun to be had this weekend. The city of Alexandria holds their annual St.Patrick’s Day parade in the first weekend of March, and fortunately we had the best weather our region has seen in months!

Donning our green, we – with the company of Grandpa Jack – took the kids to Old Town.

There, we saw many dogs readying for the “fun” dog show,

ate lunch at Pat Troy’s (one of our favorite St.Patty’s Day spots),

 

 

 ran and played along the waterfront,

watched several airplanes take off and land from the nearby airport,
and enjoyed the sights and sounds of the parade (epecially Morgan who danced to the music and asked for "more" when each band passed).

The day was one of the babies’ longest outings (we left home at 9:00am and got home around 3:30pm), but they did fantastic . . . and slept on the way home.

It is so empowering when we can enjoy the same things other families may take for granted – like a parade. There are so many logistics to consider when setting out for a day like this with one toddler, but add two more to the mix and the planning alone could be enough to send you over the edge. What (if any) strollers will we take that will fit on the narrow city sidewalks? What restaurant will have three high chairs AND an environment conducive to toddlers? Did we pack enough snacks, drinks, diapers, wipes, jackets, change of clothes, etc…? The list goes on and on, but we actually felt – dare I say it – normal this weekend. And above all, we LOVED being together.

And below are the rest of our day's pictures:

Like Morgan, Landon has excessive pronation of his feet causing many of the same problems as his sister experiences.

Here, you can see how his knees come together as his feet & knees turn inward.

And as I mentioned in Morgan’s post below this one, we waited for Landon to start walking, allowing ample time for his muscles to strengthen and develop. But it was time now to have him fitted for orthotics so while Landon napped in the car, we drove to Potomac, Maryland to see Ed at Shoe Train. (Seriously, if you're in the market for kids' shoes and/or orthotics, this is THE place to go.)

I have a fondness in my heart for this kind man. Not only does he know all there is to know about kids’ feet, shoes, and orthotics, but he has such a way with the kids. It’s not often that someone can near Landon – let alone manipulate his legs and feet – without evoking pure fear and loud shrieks. To my surprise, he not only let Ed do his job, but he laughed and talked about it the entire time.

Landon was on the fence - his needs in between two types of orthotics. In the end, though, he was put in Crickets with a toe piece, just like Morgan was.

It's clear just how much more aligned his little body is in these two pictures.

I'm so thankful that Ed has devoted so much of his life to providing a service like this to families.

These Shoes Were Made For Walking

Morgan has excessive pronation of her feet – both in her heels and the front of her foot. As a result, she has “knee knock” and deviation of her big toes on which she’s formed calluses. If you ask me, I STILL think she’s got the cutest little legs ever!

Here, you can see how her knees come together as her feet turn inward.

One year ago, both of our PTs were comfortable waiting to see how Morgan’s foot muscles would develop. So we waited, and she learned to walk. But still, she needs orthotics. While she could have been measured in the office and the orthotics ordered & delivered, it actually made more sense to take her straight to the source. So this morning, she and I set out to Maryland and met with Ed, the same gentleman who fitted my sister for orthotics more than 20 years ago. Without a doubt, he knows his stuff; all he “does” is orthotics, he has many years under his belt, and the kind sole (no pun intended) goes to shoe conferences. So I was at peace knowing Morgan would get exactly what she needed.

Morgan sat; he manipulated her legs and feet.

Morgan walked; he watched.

Morgan stopped; without hesitation he said “Crickets”.

So Morgan was fitted with three-piece orthotics called Crickets. The first two pieces fit together like a hand and glove, and will provide her feet and ankles with some much-needed support, and will in turn help correct the positioning of her knees. The third part is a toe-piece and it will properly position her toes.

Although Morgan was incredibly drawn to the sparkly shoes, we left with orthotics and a pair of shoes perfect for her needs AND took the opportunity to donate her “gently used” shoes to Soles for Souls who will in turn send our shoes to Haiti.

Can you see the difference in her legs?

I sure can, but it's most obvious when you see her walk now!

We had plans for the rest of our day, but got sidetracked. See, this venture took us to the neighborhood where I grew up. In some ways it looked the same, but development was obvious. The mall, for example, was still there but has had a face lift of sorts. The ice rink is still open, but now not far from a new strip mall, restaurants, and shops. My heart was happiest, though, to see C.J. Park. Yes, Morgan and I stopped at the park on the way home. I had to as I rarely make it to our neighboring county. I have so many fond memories of visiting the park with my dad and sister where we spent countless hours climbing, sliding, running, playing, riding the train, and frequenting the snack bar. Countless hours forgetting about life and instead enjoying each other’s company, loving, laughing, smiling, hugging. Sure, today the train was closed for the season, the equipment has clearly been updated, and snow covered the ground. But one thing remained the same . . .

Porky The Litter Eater! The most exciting garbage can I have even thrown my trash in to - seriously. At every visit to the park, my Dad would patiently allow us to take our garbage to Porky. When you put trash in his snout, a vacuum allows him to “inhale” the contents and he then thanks you with a kind message about keeping the park clean.

I look forward to all the memories John and I will create with the kids, and hopefully one will include a trip to my favorite C.J. Park. And maybe one day my dad will join us.

Here are a few more random shots from our morning out. Landon, it's your turn Friday.

I Know What You're Looking For . . .

You're probably looking for pictures from what should have been an INCREDIBLY fun playdate at JW Tumbles with four other triplet families. Well, you'll have to wait because our kids are dropping like flies. Morgan has been throwing up, Landon has the other kind of belly ache, and Hayden is crabby, tired, and clingy - - - she's just barely hanging on.

We "Heart" Auntie

We "heart" Auntie Stacy so much and dropped by to see her and my dad at work on Thursday. Unfortunately, Grandpa Gary wasn't there so we'll have to visit again, but we did snap this picture with Stacy's phone.

(It's a camera-phone picture, sorry.)

And when we got home, Morgan kept asking for her Auntie.

Can You Feel The Love?

Winter. Oh, how I loathe you. It’s a new found loathing, though. See, as a school teacher I admittedly loved the unexpected and occasional day off – either staying in my jammies all day or getting out for lunch with the girls. But I have a new job now, stay-at-home mom, and blizzard-like snow does not grant me time off like LCPS once did. In fact, it makes my job that much harder. See, we respectfully kept our germs to ourselves for eight weeks, got healthy and ready for outings to resume. Then Blizzard #1. Then Blizzard #2. Just as we cautiously resumed life, accumulating snow is expected tomorrow. But, we did manage to visit with Ruth, Jason and Ella, as well as with L, S, and T last weekend (and have no pictures to show for it), we Tumbled until we could Tumble no more this week , and we’ll enjoy the company of four other triplet families on Friday at a mega-playdate. And with temperatures reaching 40 degrees today, we’ll go for a walk around the neighborhood while anticipating spring and summer - daily playing at the park, trips to the lake, attending outdoor concerts, swimming, going to the zoo, maybe go to the airport to watch the planes take off and land. I’m even thinking we might attempt the aquarium. Who knows. All I DO know is that we want these kids to experience EVERYTHING possible. It’s easy with three of the same age to say “It’s too difficult”, but our kids didn’t ask to be triplets and as such we don’t want them to be shortchanged.

Recent “highlights”:

• Our final visit with “the county” was on Tuesday, February 23. While our nurse and PT wanted to discharge the kiddos months ago, I begged them to keep us on as long as legally possible. Yesterday was “that” day. The kids are doing great and have officially been discharged from Early Intervention.

• Orthotics. (Let me preface this by saying we have TWO Physical Therpists. One is assigned to higher order multiples & preemies by the county. I will refer to him as Mr.J. He visits us every two months to assess the children’s development and mention anything of worth. We also have a private PT who Landon saw regularly to work on low muscle tone. I will refer to her as Ms.S.) Anyway, Mr.J is not one to rush any child into orthotics although he once made and sold them. Instead, he’d much rather give each child the time for their foot muscles to strengthen on their own. Ms.S is in that same school of thought. But both are in agreement –Morgan and Landon MUST be fitted for orthotics, and the sooner the better. We’re scheduled to go next week, and here’s the crazy thing – the man who will be fitting both kiddos also fitted MY SISTER nearly 25 years ago!

• Morgan has over 100 words in her vocabulary. Hayden’s not far behind, and we have not yet counted Landon’s but he will tell you a story like none other – one with gestures and the greatest facial expressions ever. If you can’t understand it, that’s YOUR fault (or so he thinks).

• The kids often call me by name. If Hayden calls me “mama” and I don’t respond quickly enough, she reverts to “mama mama Debbie”. While I was at an appointment the other day, I’m told that Landon stood at the front door calling out “Debbie Debbie Debbie”.

• Our breakfast menu has expanded to include cereal - - - in a bowl - - - with milk - - - and a spoon - - - self fed by three toddlers.

• The children show little interest in potty training, but I put them on the potty anyway. You know. Just in case.

• There’s still A LOT of interest in undressing so we put the children’s footy pajamas on backwards (we did buy Mookie Moos, but they are footless so we’ll use those in the spring and summer). Recently, John and I walked in to the nursery to find Morgan’s PJs on the ground and Hayden handing us her diaper saying “dirty dirty”.

• Hayden can take her diaper off - - - through her clothes.

• We’ve made the best of this winter by doing several crafts. Our most recent include hand print hearts, ripping paper and creating heart mosaics, and using cotton balls on photos of our house to remember the blizzards of 2010.

• Our Valentine’s Day was fairly low key. John shoveled the porch which was much needed. Unbenownst to me, this would be endless entertainment for H, M, and L who even shouted “HOORAY” when Daddy made his way up the porch stairs. My wonderful husband did, however, pick up a fantastic dinner from Morton's Steakhouse for us to enjoy once the kids went to bed.

• Hayden LOVES her baby doll. For a while now, she's carrier her around from place to place, and of course to sleep. But now she's making sure that Baby is included in everything. Most recently, I was giving Hayden some teething tablets and she INSISTED her baby get some, too. Seriosuly insisted and would not walk away until the baby got her medicine. She also "high fives" the baby doll and asks that we do the same. Yep, even asked Mr.J from "the county" to show his love to Baby.

• Since the kids boycott any form of confinement, we got rid of our primary strollers and kept just our joggers.

• I’m fairly certain that all three littles have their two year molars coming in. Clingy.

• Today we got the kids dressed up and spent the morning out. First, we stopped by to see Aunt Stacy and Grandpa Gary at work. While shy at first, the kids quickly warmed up and took over the place, laughing, smiling, and running. Then we went to the mall where the kids enjoyed a small taste of freedom - no strollers.

• It’s been years – seriously- since I’ve been to the movies. Last weekend, though, I managed to escape home long enough to see “Dear John” with some good girlfriends (oh, and indulge in Johnny Rockets).

• Sadly, our good friend and nanny, Becca, is moving. We’ve known since we met her that graduate school was in her future. I guess we sort of thought she’d fall so in love with our family that she’d forget about her life’s dreams. Not so much. She’ll be moving out of state, and while we’re sad to see her go, we’re thrilled that she’s pursuing a career (in Recreational Therapy, sort of like Occupational Therapy) that will help SO many others. That said, yes we’re looking for another nanny, but it’s incredibly difficult to “replace” such a good friend. We love you, Becca!

s.NO.w. more!

We just moved from our old website to this new one BUT you can still visit our more comprehensive family site at www.thegrowingcunninghams.webs.com. There you will find our complete journal from pre-pregnancy to the babies at 20 months old.

• 
  
  Snowpocalypse.
• 
  
  Snowmageddon.
• 
  
  Snowtorious B.I.G.
• 
  
  Snow.M.G (A spin off "OMG")
• Snow-verkill

These are just a few of the names being assigned to what is plain-stakingly "The Blizzard of 2010".

What else is plain-staking about the above mentioned storm? Nearly 30 inches of snow right outside our door. Being stuck. At home. No power. Three toddlers. Three, now healthy, toddlers. Those now healthy toddlers? Well, they have A LOT of energy to burn after eight weeks of being down and out. Oh, and while my hero John shoveled us out, I was sick. Sick, inside, with three healthy, energetic, toddlers. Joy.

(Many thanks to Dad and Daphne who offered to feed us cookies and keep us warm at their house. Fortunately, power was restored before we braved the treacherous roads.)

But we were prepared. Thanks to Peapod, our groceries arrived early on Friday morning with all the essentials - milk, bread, eggs, pantry food, etc. But my snow-prep work was not done so I headed to Target. Shopped. Emptied the contents of my cart on to the belt. That's when the cashier looked at me, as the impending storm shook locals to the core, and asked "is it someone's birthday?" To which I replied, "No. But being snowed in with three toddlers require storm preparation on a different level - - - new toys." With that, I went home, unpacked some goodies, and stashed them away only to be revealed when a distraction was much needed. And I must say, I'm pretty proud of one purchase in particular. See, the kids LOVE cell phones, but they're particular and prefer flip phones, which neither John nor I have. Toy phones don't hold a candle to real ones - think of them as money-down-the-drain-because-they-don't-fool-my-kids. I found Trac-Phones. They were $14.00 flip-phones and come with NO contract; instead it comes with a calling card that you CAN activate (which we of course did not do).What I'm getting at is that we bought each of them a really inexpensive phone with no service, but that still lights up, beeps, and rings. HUGE hit!

So, we're inside. Still. Facing what the meteorologists say are "the coldest temps of the season" and more snow on Tuesday. Fantastic. *Packing bags. Moving to the Keys. Frozen drink(s) in one hand and a shovel in the other - a small, plastic, toy shovel that comes attached to the sand castle shaped bucket.

*We're not really moving, but it sure is tempting.