thank you, Pa

The motorized police motorcycles were a favorite of the triplets... thank you, PA!

(more chistmas gift pictures to come...)

38 weeks

We just hit the 38wk mark.... less than 2 weeks to go!!! (hopefully!) All is going well with my weekly doctor appointments... Please keep me in mind for a healthy and safe delivery!

Christmas Prep

This was the first "big" Christmas that the kiddo's were able to experience... and even then, they still didn't quite "get" it.... I think as parents we had more fun than the trio.... although they DID love opening presents... no matter whose they were!

christmas eve... getting santa & rudolph's food ready

christmas morn... before presents

a glimpse into the future

If I wasn't there to witness it, I wouldn't have believed it... as I hung up the phone at dinner (Daddy called to check in) I looked around at my three darlings and see that not 1, not 2 but ALL THREE were on their play cell phones... talking away.

I NEED to set some rules... now... if we are ever going to enjoy a "quality" family dinner together!

(who invented those dang things anyway?)

enjoying our bday gifts

Again, we say THANK YOU to all of our friends and family that shared in our birthday. The triplets LOVED their birthday presents... and we had to rip the packaging open on each one so that they could play and enjoy at that very second. :)

(Poor Mary...we made them take a nap before opening the presents and she wasn't quite awake yet when we started.... )

birthday bash

We had a big birthday bash that we shared with our cousin, Joe, this past weekend. (Joe turns 2 next week...) We rented out Bay Village Community house... added a bounce house and ride-on toys.... mixed it with food and a visit from Santa... and we had some VERY happy kiddo's!

Thank you to everyone who came and shared in our day. We really enjoyed seeing our family and friends! Good Times!!!

chuck E cheese

On Monday, Dec 7th we treated the trio to ChuckECheese for their real birthday. Daddy, Pa, Lolo, Lola, Aunt Hilary, cousins Thomas and Joe... and even Uncle Mike came to celebrate. It was a huge hit - they love playing with all the toys and games!!!

happy 3rd birthday!

thanksgiving prep

The girls had quite an enjoyable time with Aunt Michele making the Thanksgiving Day pies.... we hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving!

baby G is growing!

Not one of my FINER beauty moments, but I thought you'd like to see a picture of how big the baby is... (and yes, I saved you from viewing it with my shirt up and bottoms down... no one needs to see THAT again!) I am about 33wks in this picture... (34+wks at present)



and of course we can't forget Nov of 2006: http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/5664/905893671873317/1600/649421/11.23%20003s.jpg
(and you thought I was going to put the BIG picture on!)

update

Thought you would appreciate a little "update" on the garcia 3.... (not much longer that I will be able to type that!)

GABBY
Gabrielle: "DAAAADDDYYY.... did you bring up the toilet paper?"
Dad: "yes"
Gabrielle: "thank you, Daddy."
Gabby also recently showed me that she can "connect the dots" that I drew on a piece of paper. She loves to talk and has THE BEST facial expressions/animations when she is telling a story.

MARY
You need to earn Mary's trust. She likes to step back and observe the person/event before jumping in....(unlike Gabby). Once she feels comfortable, you can be her BEST friend. She is also still our best eater and isn't usually picky about what Mommy serves. She gets frustrated easily when she can't do something that she wants to do... and is still our "hoarder" - which means her purses, back-packs, and bags are filled to the brim with "stuff."

MATEO
He is a "player." He pretends he can't hear you...until you get mad and then he jumps to attention. He loves to have his sisters take care of him and will often get them to take his coat and his shoes off for him.... He is very detail oriented and loves to thumb through toy magazines - focusing on dino's, trucks, and building blocks. (He can literally stare at a page for 5 minutes...just taking it all in.) He is starting to talk more and the word most often heard out of his mouth is "sworry." (His version of sorry.)

outdoor fun with my cuz'

It is a little hard to see them, but all 5 took off to the top of the hill at Linden Park....

(We definitely have some "follow the leader" going on in this group...)

All 5 with the pile of leaves in the Cleveland Metroparks

Actual leaf fight in the Cleveland Metroparks

Pa putting the grandchildren to work.... and he wonders why they couldn't "fill a bag?!"

big kid beds

For about 6wks now, we have had MAJOR sleep issues. Naptime is almost non-existent and I have tried everything imaginable to get them to just be quiet for a short period of time... everyone needs some down time - even if it isn't to sleep!

To top it off, the trio were climbing out of their cribs and into each others'.... which was a safety concern in and of itself...

With baby G due in Jan we knew we had to either make the switch to "big kid" beds now... or wait it out anotehr 8mo. We opted for now.

Although it hasn't improved their sleep issues, they were extremely excited to pick out their own sheets and love having their "bunk beds." Hopefully we can get everyone settled into a routine and KEEP them in their beds before the baby arrives.... whew!

more than I can handle...

This is why the Good Lord only gave me three!

fall days....

If anyone truly knows me, then they would know that I am BIG on traditions. Fall used to be a very fun time in the Schwartz family when I was growing up. The leaves changing colors (my Mom often referred to W.182 (a street lined with trees on the tree lawns) as the "golden arches" when they would burst with yellow).... apple picking, leaf fights, hay rides, pumpkin picking, halloween... all the good stuff.

So, of course now that I am back in Cleveland, I want to... no- correction - I NEED to do these things with my children.... it is important to me.

Hilary and I took the 5 kids down to the metroparks (oh, how I have missed the valley in my 7 years away!) and had our own leaf fight...pictures on the cell phone so those will be uploaded at a different time... but below are just a few of the fall events that we were able to squeeze in, amongst the flu...

and if this is any indicator of where my "traditional" bones are leading me, then the kiddo's better watch out for Christmas!



Pupkintown USA... the Schwartz traditional spot for taking a hayride and picking your own pumpkin. Unfortunately, their crop of pumpkins was not good and we were only able to enjoy the hayride....

Halloween.... I skimped out and let the trio wear costumes that we had already acquired over the year.... princess's for the girls and a power-ranger for Mateo. Lou, his brother Mike (and his wife Alysia) took the trio around the hood while I passed out candy... They lasted about 1/2hr... due to the presence of dogs... man alive we need to get them over this fear!

i'm a big kid now....

okay... no harsh criticisms for posting this... (and I even covered up the good deed!) But heck, I am a VERY VERY proud Mamma at this point.... Gabby is 90% potty trained.... and above was the very first time she did #2 in the potty. She realized by herself that she had to go....sat down....and then called for me when she was done...

She is still doing pretty good with the potty - just diapers at nap and bedtime.

If only her siblings would show an interest... sigh. 1 out of 3 ain't bad....right?

don't try this at home

I like to call this "controlled chaos." And yes.... they really mean it when they say that all a child needs is a big box!

almost there...

Just waiting on the final ok from Lou that the pc is "up and running" and we'll post some pics!!!

They are growing by leaps and bounds...talking (and yelling) up a storm.... thinking for themselves... and - my favorite - learning the ART of negotiation. "JUST ONE more, Mommy....... pweeeeeze?"

sisterly love

During my nightly visit to the sleeping trio I was surprised to find the "sissy's" sleeping in Gabby's crib, together. So peaceful- and cramped. I was tempted to move Mary back to her own crib (in order to prevent a meltodwn from happening at 230am) but opted against it... and they did, indeed, sleep through the night together. This morning, upon questioning as to why they were in the same crib, I was told - "so we could play together." Awwww.

pc is down

Our pc crashed yesterday - so I won't be able to upload any pictures for a short while.... but we sure have been busy!



- Gabby is getting very good at using the potty. Just a few days ago she did both #1 and #2 and couldn't have been more proud of herself! (of course I caught a picture!!!)

- We had a wonderful fall leaf fight with our cousins, Joe-Joe and Thomas

- We have been having enjoyable Sunday dinners with the Schwartz side of our family... and the trio LOVE having all the family over... (the attention and spoiling doesn't hurt)

- Baby G (as we have dubbed the new born baby) is growing right on track

and much much more... pictures to come soon!

in denial

I'm not quite sure what I was thinking....Not only did Lou and I come down with strep in early Oct, but then in mid-Oct a bug circulated with our cousins... then I had a horrible GI bug.... Lou never seemed to really get over the cold/strep he had going on.... another round of flu with our other cousins... but I wasn't going to make them live in a bubble. We went to story time at the library, visited Pa at the hospital and went to stores..... and yet I thought - "the trips had their flu shot (as did Lou and I) and will be fine." WRONG! This week, all 3 came down with the flu and in full force. Poor kids... but at least now they can verbalize what they are feeling and understand the concept of being sick. If only I could have stopped them from giving it back to me...

personalities

Who are these kids??? They are growing up so, so fast! They have conversations with each other... enjoy tormenting each other (today, Mary insisted upon putting her head/face on Gabby's shoulder at the grocery store while Gabby screamed "no, get her off of me" the entire time) .... and love to hug each other. It goes without saying that they have a special bond... and that although they each have their own personalities, they are also "one". How special is that?

take 1

take 2

take 3

take 4

daddy time

There is no better feeling than coming home to find the family playing so nicely together. The trio were enjoying some gooooood "daddy time" while dressed up in costumes... (thank you, Aunt Cas - for all the dress up clothes!)
Mary is in a clown costume and Gabby is dressed up as "baby bop" - Barney's friend. They sure can't get enough of their "dadda!"

apple picking

The trio loved apple picking last year in Charlottesville, so I thought that I would venture out alone with them... (well, it was with the westlake PTA, so I guess I can't say that I was totally alone....) and head on a field trip to an apple orchard out in Amhurst, OH. They had lots and lots of pumpkins, a hay maze (yes, that was fun with my big belly... trying to figure out how to get out of there!) and the main attraction - a wagon ride out to pick our own apples! We had a blast!

no greater treasure than a friend

Probably THE best thing about being back in Cleveland is that we get to spend time with our family and friends. Finally, the "names" and "faces" are matching up.... and the trio are recognizing and remembering all of our loved ones. Above is a picture we took this past Friday with our friends- Adam & Isabella Higgins.