Triplet Giggles, Triplet Terror!

Hearing your baby giggle for the first time is almost as priceless as the first time they look at you and smile for real (not just because they have gas!)

At first, my husband and I loved making the babies laugh just so we could listen to their little giggles. They each have a different giggle, too. Kian’s is warm and fuzzy and has a little bit of a growl to it.

Vivie’s is light and airy and full of mischief. And Kai, well Kai’s is just an outright guffaw most of the time as he puts every bit of emotion he has in his tiny body into it.

Once upon a time, we used to tickle their tiny tummies just to hear them giggle. Now-a-day’s, I have figured out that tiny baby giggles often mean trouble!

As the babies grew, I would learn that their giggles meant more than just an amusement for mummie and daddy! My kids love to revel in each other’s misfortune and their giggles often signify that one of them is in a compromising position!

You have to remember, that most multiples are born with a means of communication amongst themselves. Some say they have their own language, and there are sets of multiples out there who have confirmed this as true as adults. My kids will often sit in a triangle in their play-yard quite obviously having a conversation amongst themselves.

I cannot always understand them, but they seem to find each other hysterically funny. Then there are the days when I feel like an outsider because all of the sudden that conversation will stop and all three sets of little eyes will be staring up at me as if I am interupting something. I may be over-reacting, but it seems like they are giggling at me as they go back to their little conversation!

These conversations of theirs are the basis of what triplet terror really is. You have to understand, that having triplets is much different than having kids of different, yet close ages. Multiples have an uncanny ability of working together, sometimes in silence, to achieve a common goal.

Often times, their endeavors involve working together to build piles of toys that would serve as stairs for them to climb up on to things to either escape their play-yard or reach a toy that has been put up out of their reach for one reason or another! I am sure they have their reasons, but as a mom, I also have mine which is generally their safety! It's those giggles that are the most frightening.

Sometimes a bad case of the giggles can just mean that Kian was gullible AGAIN and lost the tantalizing game of “Let’s throw everything out of our crib into the center of the nursery!”

The object of the game of course is to fool your sibling into emptying the entire contents of their bed onto the floor so that they do not have anything left to play with while falling asleep while only appearing to do so yourself to make it the game seem more appealing to the others!

All the while, the initiating sibling is only appearing to energetically race you to the finish while secretly stockpiling a favorite toy or two in the front corner of the bed, hidden by the baby bumpers!

Then the winners get to sit and giggle at the loser who is now terribly sad because teddy and blanket are now on the floor and his bed is empty and everyone else has something to sleep with!

This giggle is usually accompanied by the loser’s sad little whimpers, thus signaling to the mummie or daddy on duty that it is time to play tidy up the nursery AGAIN! Of course this sets the stage for yet another round to begin once the parental unit leaves the room!

Other times, I have gone into the nursery expecting to have to re-distribute teddy’s and various other wubbies only to find that one of the babies has managed to get themselves very stuck in the slats of their baby beds and that their distress is the root of their sibling’s giggling.

Then there are the giggles that are non-stop and peppered with little “Yay’s!” here and there. This giggle usually means that the triplets are chasing each other around in their own little ways, playing tag of sorts in the play-yard.

Usually Kai is toddling back and forth as fast as he can while Kian crawls after him and Vivie slowly meanders around the outside of the play-yard rail, waiting for Kai to forget that she is there so she can catch him and give him a great big bear hug.

The same set of giggles can mean that they have decided to play “Let’s tidy up the play-yard” in which case they usually are finding creative ways to unload their toys on the outside of the play-yard in various ways.

Watching Kai try and pick up the super huge cloth covered ball that is almost the same height that he is can be very fun to watch. He even sometimes does this whole atlas thing where he picks it up with both hands and raises it over his head before trying to toss it over the rail.

Then there is the mischievous little giggle that most often occurs while the babies are having lunch or dinner. This giggle usually is accompanied by one or more of they saying, “Kitty Cat!” over and over again.

If I am quick enough, I can usually catch them holding out bits of meat trying to lure the animals over to their feeding chairs so they can pull on their tales and ears! They really do love their cats and the dog, but I am not too certain that the cats and dog really appreciate those extra weighted tidbits that the babies are offering!

Often times, it is innocent enough. They always giggle when they are busy boingy-ing in all their various boingy ways. They giggle when they are trying to make friends with the people in the grocery store.

Don’t get me wrong, I really do love to hear my babies giggle. It’s just that I have learned that in my house, it’s much the same as when other mummies hear nothing but silence. It usually means that there is TROUBLE brewing and that I had best be very vigilant with the babies. I never know WHAT they will come up with next!