Can it be, they're now 3?!!

Not so long ago, on a cold December night, this very uncomfortable mama became the mother of 3 beautiful babies. Kayla, Braden and Daniel came fast and furious and before I knew it, I had two sons and a daughter. When your babies start life in the NICU, it's hard to get to know them right away. I felt so distant from them the whole time they were there. Sure I knew they were mine, I knew I would take them home. But it was hard to really connect when feeding tubes and oxygen masks are constantly in your way. But when we took our trio home and really settled into daily life, that's when the bonding started. I began to discover all the wonderful ways that God knit these beautiful children together and gave to me as the best Christmas gift ever. So yes, it is time for my annual reflections on these three, so please excuse the ramblings of this proud mama. :)

Kayla girl showed her personality early on. As any girl, she developed her opinions early on and was never afraid to make them known. She laughed easily and loved to dote on her brothers. She became mother hen early, ordering the boys around before she could even put sentences together. But also loving them so tenderly that it has often brought tears to my eyes. Kayla is a helper, a friend, and she wants everyone to be happy. She will extend a hand to a stranger and loves to tell everyone what is on her mind. She catches on to things quickly too (my first and only to be potty trained so far). Kayla also gets so excited about even the smallest things. Her face lights up and you just melt as you see her eyes sparkle. I love my Kayla for marching to her own beat, for her energy and charisma. I pray that God will use all her gifts in a big way as she continues to grow.


Braden was all boy right from the start. Even as a baby, he had a deep, throaty laugh, and hands and feet the size of mittens. He has always kind of been the leader of the pack. He did most things first and Kayla and Daniel loved to mimic his every move. Braden also knows what he likes and doesn't like very quickly and doesn't have a problem telling you that. He is greatly amused by his brother in particular, and enjoys roughhousing with daddy as any young boy would. Braden has shown incredible strength and resilience too. Even as he continues to struggle with seizures, he has always been an incredible patient, wowing the nurses and doctors with his patience and calm composure. He is Mr. Manners around here too with please and thank yous that can't help but make any mother proud. My prayer for Braden is that all his early challenges and trials will shape and mold him into a strong godly man who stands firm in His faith.


Daniel, my silly boy. He was always my smiler, the big flirt with the camera. I still have a hard time taking a bad picture of this kid! He was squawking and growling early on, already for his own amusement. He loves to laugh, and he really has one of those contagious ones that's hard to resist. Daniel, like his father, is also a boy of intense concentration. I used to think maybe I needed to get his hearing checked because my voice was so easily tuned out. But I've learned that Daniel is often in his own world, consumed with watching how something works or engrossed in his world of pretend. He is also my high energy boy. Who knew one kid could make so much noise! He's a one man band, and whether he's playing his makeshift drum set, playing his toy guitar, or singing his favorite songs, music seems to be in his soul. I'm anxious to see what God does with my talented boy. I pray that his passion for life will grow into a big passion for God that will be contagious to everyone he encounters.

And look how they've grown!!

 

First Birthday

 

 

Second Birthday

  

 

Just a few weeks shy of their 3rd Birthday

 

At 3 years old, the Hess trio is going strong! Unfortunately this Christmas, they came down with the flu so we are having a very quiet and not so exciting holiday. But we're thankful to be together. We're thankful for wonderful family and friends. And most of all, we're thankful for the incredible love of our heavenly Father, who loves us more than we're worthy of. Blessings to all of you this Christmas!!

Fall Fun!

It's amazing what changes in a year! Last year we never made it apple picking, we spent a short time at the pumpkin patch and trick or treating was about a 10 minute process. THIS year, we had to tear the kids away from the apple orchard, spent 6 hours at the pumpkin patch, and made it all the way around our block for trick or treating! Wow! We had a very busy, but very fun October. I just love this time of year. And it was made even better by the warmer temperatures that we enjoyed for a lot of the month.

It is definitely hitting me more and more that the kids are going to be 3 soon! The world of pretend has taken over at our house and they keep themselves so entertained playing school bus or tractor ride or grocery store. They insist on doing so much on their own too. From putting on shoes to turning on lights, I hear a lot of "I do it, I do it" around here. Potty training is coming along for Kayla too as she has gone 5 days now with absolutely NO accidents. She's so proud of herself and I couldn't be happier! Now, I just need the motivation to start on the boys....ugh, just when I get one down the messes will start again! We also plan on switching the kids to their toddler beds this weekend. Yes, amazingly they have remained in their cribs all this time, but in the last week or so, Daniel has climbed into Braden's crib multiple times (their cribs are next to each other), and Kayla took a flying leap out of hers, so for safety purposes, I think it's time! It makes me a little sad I must say. But I guess this happens a lot in parenthood, excitement for what's ahead, but just a little pull on the heartstrings about what you're leaving behind.

Here are a bunch of pics cataloging our busy month. Love to everyone!

Playing on the school bus with cousin Mya!

 

All Aboard!!! Mimi & Grandpa treated the kids to a fun train ride.

 

 

 

Cousins and Grandparents made the day extra special

 

 

Pumpkins as far as the eyes can see

 

 

We had a great time at the apple orchard with good friends, Christina & Richard & Baby Jack

 

They each downed at least 2 whole apples! So grown up!



 

Halloween 2012

Daniel (Thomas the Train), Kayla (Snow White), and Braden (Blues Clues) were trick or treating pros by the end of the night. :)

Vacation in the 'Burgh!

Vacation! I had been crossing the days off till we got to head back to Pittsburgh. It had been over 3 years since I had been back and I was dying to see my old stomping grounds again. So Labor Day weekend, we loaded up and headed out for a week long vacation. The 10 hour road trip out went extremely well. We only stopped 3 times and the kids held up great in the car with the help of crayons, stickers, books and oh yes the savior of the trip, the DVD player! After a long car ride out, we arrived at my Aunt's house and begun a week of visiting with family and friends. Each day was pretty jam packed with trying to see everyone, but we really had a blast. The kids were so excited to play with new friends and new toys, so it was a great change of scenery for everyone. Here are a few pics from our trip:

Posing with the scarecrow at the county fair.

 

 

 

Having fun at the Pittsburgh Children's Museum

 

 

 

We got to see lots of old friends and the kids loved having new playmates!

 

 

All tuckered out after a great trip

Hand in Hand

This is one of those moments that God gives me to sustain me through the challenging days. We caught these three strolling through the backyard the other day and just talking up a storm. I'm so thankful for these little moments, when I am reminded of the incredible blessing of having 3 two-year-olds. They may scream at each other, take each others toys, and push each other down, But at the end of the day, they are truly best friends, holding on to each other as they learn and grow.

Meeting Baby Carter

The next best thing to being a mom (& wife) is being an Aunt. I love spending time with my only niece, Mya. She is such a sweetheart and the kids LOVE playing with their cousin. And now, my sister-in-law has provided yet another playmate, Baby Carter. I just love him already and can already envision him wrestling with the boys! We took the kids over to meet him last week. They were so excited, but once we got there, they weren't quite sure what to make of him. But at least we got some good snapshots to capture the occasion. And then it was on to playing with Mya's toys of course. :)

Kayla gets a closer look at her new cousin, she loved holding him!

Braden's not sure what to do here...

And I'm not sure Daniel even knew he was holding a baby.

Summer Fun

Yay for summer! Although, I know many of us are not feeling so enthusiastic these days with the sweltering temperatures and lack of rain we've had over the last few weeks. But now that we can actually step outside without melting away, I'm glad for nicer weather so the kids can get OUT of the house! We're pretty much getting into what some have some graciously called "the terrible twos". I don't know what exactly to call it since for the most part, my kids play well together, but there has been definite streaks of attitude and tantruming that have lately struck a new high! But attitudes aside, I'm finding the secret of keeping the fighting at bay is just to keep us busy. Play dates - bring it on, visits to the splash park - yes please, petting zoo, pond or just the grocery store, getting out is the key to sanity. :) Yesterday we made a trip to a little petting zoo in Wheaton and the kids LOVED it! It was perfect for their size and FREE, so it was really a win-win all around. I forgot to bring my camera, but here's a pic from my phone of them looking at the ducks. Their favorite part was actually just running over the little bridges.

In other news, we only have 2 kids in diapers now!! Kayla girl has been a champ in the potty training department and with the "#2 exception", she pretty much has it down. The first week almost killed me with all the accidents and I was about to give up, but she hung in there and it finally clicked. The boys were major cheerleaders for her as I gave them a treat too when she went potty. :) It started to be that as soon as Braden heard the toilet flush he was asking for a treat. That's my boy! The boys really have no interest in it yet though, although we had great aspirations of Kayla just teaching them once she was trained. :) So we'll hold off on them for now. But we are rejoicing in the small victories and noticeably less trash.

Music has also been a big part of our lives these days. The boys are OBSESSED with drums. If it looks like a drum stick, they feel the need to play and they are banging on just about everything around the house. It has become rather loud around here! Daniel has even taken to setting up his own little drum set complete with strainers and bowls he can find in the kitchen. Amazingly he just did this himself one day! It probably helps that their Uncle Brian, whom they all idolize, plays the drums. In fact Daniel likes to pray for Uncle Brian and his drums every night before bed. :) So although it is loud around here, I'm happy to have kids who seem to really enjoy music.

We are rejoicing that Braden has reached the 4 month mark since his last seizure! He is still on medication and I always have emergency meds with me just in case, but all in all he is getting stronger and stronger. He'll continue to be monitored by our neurologist for the next 2 years and the hope is to eventually wean him off the meds, but for now we are just so thankful for his good health. God is good and has answered so many of your prayers. Thank you!


I'm including a bunch of pics below of this and that. I know the blog has been lacking in lots of updates! I was really hoping that as they got older, I would be able to slow down a bit but so far the opposite has been true. Oh well, I wouldn't have it any other way. :)

Daniel's homemade drum set

Day at the Petting Zoo  

Making Uncle Dave proud.

Mother's Day and Father's Day Pictures 

Braden comforting an upset Kayla

Easter and Other Updates

As always, we're a little late in getting pics up, but hey better late than never! We had a great Easter this year. The kids had their first time hunting for Easter eggs. We weren't sure if they would really catch on, but they got the hang of it in no time and loved running around the yard searching for eggs. In fact, the eggs and baskets were the hit of the day. This is the first Easter that we were actually able to have an Easter egg hunt outisde. Easter in Chicago usually still means winter coats!


Look Mya, there it is!


On the Hunt


The kids are doing very well. They are talking so much now, many times in full sentences. This of course can be a good and bad thing, but mostly they just have us laughing. Here's a quick update on everyone.


Kayla is quite a chatter box. She will go on and on about anything and everything. She especially likes talking about pretty dresses and pretty shoes. Look out daddy, this girl is going to love to shop! She is starting to play dress up too and loves trying on shoes and hats. She's taken an interest in getting herself dressed too. Wow, that will make such a difference when they can dress themselves. I can barely imagine! Kayla is also mommy's helper. If I'm cooking, she is right there wanting to help. If I'm dusting, she actually knows where I keep dust rags and will dust right along with me. Hmmm, I wonder how long this will last??? I'm soaking it up now!


Daniel is our singer and musician. He is constantly singing every song he knows and often is playing the drums at the same time. If he hears a song playing, he immediately runs to get his drums (which could be his play drums or any spoon that can double as a drum stick). I really do think he has an ear for music though. Even when I have a CD on for them, a lot of times I will just find him sitting and listening. It will be interesting to see how this grows. Daniel also has the best laugh. The kid has started cracking himself up and can laugh at pretty much anything. He still thinks Braden is the funniest guy around and I just love seeing Braden do whatever silly thing he can to keep Daniel laughing. Music to my ears!


Braden is still our man in charge. He is not afraid to state his opinion and tell everyone exactly how things should be done. He remembers routines and the way we've done things and he will remember so many details. In fact, there have been several times that he reminds me to give him his medicine! He is a very independent guy, which clashes with Kayla and Daniel when they want to join his fun. But he is starting to pretend more and the other two will join whatever game he is playing and they all enjoy that. I see an awareness in Braden too. He really understands what's going on so well and I love that I can tell him something and I know he gets it. He is definitely very aware of his little world!

In health related news, Braden is doing very well. He has continued to have mild seizures about once a month or so, but we are working with a new doctor and are optimistic about the game plan for him. His condition is not serious, and while we haven't found an underlying cause for the seizures, the doctor suspects that he he will outgrow them. So we wait and pray that God will heal him from all this. And we are continually thankful that he is doing so well.

So that's the latest on the Hess crew. Three busy 2 year olds make for two very tired parents most of the time. But we're having fun and feeling blessed every day that we get to be their parents. :)