What are "Things that are already gone?"

The Jeopardy answer to the following list of things that I was just thinking about. As I watch the three amigos crawling around (they're all crawling like crazy - so cute!) I started to think about the things they're already done with.

The real reason this came up is because Sunday the boys had their first real graduation! They graduated from the Infants room at church to the Crawlers room. (I used to count graduating to a new size diapers, but that doesn't take much skill). So because they can all motor around - and possibly hurt other not-so-mobile babies - they move up to the Crawler room. They're going to be the little fishes in the bigger pond!

So here are a few things that they are forever done with (hopefully!):

1. Binkies - these were gone way earlier than I thought they would be. Probably around 4-5 months, the boys started losing interest one by one, pretty closely together though. There was a brief period of intense thumb sucking, but that seems to be slowing down as well. Tough little cookies!

Luke, Eli and Zach - four weeks old

2. Swaddling - This too was done around month 4, but we were sad to see it go. Swaddling was so comforting for the babies, and John was really good at it so that was his thing. We had to stop because the boys - first Zach - were busting out on their own at night. We could have got bigger blankets but then thought - where do you stop? Do you buy quilts to swaddle your 7 year old? So we let it go. Weren't they cute though?

Luke, Eli and Zach - 1 week old

3. Late night feedings - Done for months now - probably at 6 months the boys were sleeping through most of the night - we might have been doing 5:30 am feedings then. Now the boys sleep from 7:30 pm to 7 am with relatively few issues. I say relatively, because with three of them, it can seem like a lot. Probably 2-3 nights a week we have issues in the evening, but rarely late at night. It's not bad though - one-on-one cuddle time!

Luke, Zach and Eli holding their own bottles

4. Me saying "Help! They don't do anything" - I'm sure I drove a few people over the edge with my incessant worry about the kids when they were first born. Looking back, I realize how crazy that was, and I've been trying to make up for it by being fairly normal on the worry scale. Especially now when I can see them moving around and doing all kinds of cool things, I can sit back a little and say, "See? They're each so awesome in entirely different ways! Where did all that worry get me?" I need to have faith in God that although the way this life leads may not always be smooth, He will get us over any terrain. We're so blessed!



Eli and Luke romping around


Zach and Eli in their "Thing" shirts

So, I have to get my emotions under control because the boys are only 9 months old, and if I can't handle their first graduation with poise, how will we all survive the next 25 years?! I'm proud to say I didn't even sniffle at church when the lady said they were graduating - until she gave me the little card to put in their baby books. That almost brought on the flood! Hope you enjoy the new (and old) pictures!