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With three children, 3 year old twins Kaylee and Karissa and one year old Lena, life is a bit hectic! But with a wonderfully supportive husband, a great babysitter and some special friends it is all possible.

Monday, December 26, 2011

For now, We will hold them

Last week, Kaylee had her first temper tantrum.  I am not sure what set her off, but it ended with her screaming and crying for about 20 minutes in her crib when she was supposed to be taking her nap. I tried to console her, but it just seemed to make things worse, so I left her alone.  Finally she quieted down and fell asleep.  About 30 minutes later she began to cry.  But her cry was different, it was no longer angry and frustrated, it was just sad.  So, I picked her up from her crib, sat down and rocked her.  She never fell back to sleep while I held her, but she was relaxed and content and so was I.  After a while I told her it was time to return to her bed and sleep. She did so without protest.  Luckily, for that whole time I rocked her, no one else needed me and I could devote all that time to Kaylee,which is probably exactly what she needed. 

As I was rocking her I was reminded of something a patient once told me.  "Children need to be held for such a short period of time before they are ready to move on. We need to be thankful for every moment we can hold them." 

With three very young children, Eric and I do a lot of holding and since they out number us, many times one of us is holding two children.  I no longer lift weights, I lift babies.  The endurance of my left bicep is pretty amazing!  Some days it seems like all we do is rotate which child we are holding.  Sometimes when we take them for a walk all they want to do is get out of the stroller and be carried.  And sometimes they just need to be rocked. 

I am looking forward to the days when they are all older and we can get out of the house for longer periods of time without having to return for lunch or nap time.  When everyone can put on their own shoes and coats and it doesn't take 15 minutes just to get to the car, and another 5 to get everyone buckled into a car seat.  When we can go to amusement parks and on waterslides, take them to the movies, let them try a fun run, or take them camping.  We are just not ready yet.  So, for now, we will hold them, whenever they need us, until they are ready for the world.

Friday, December 23, 2011

Five Guys Burgers and Lies

A few weeks ago we decided to treat ourselves to take out from Five Guys Burgers and Fries.  For those of you who have never enjoyed their food, it is kind of like fair food, greasy!  But it is really good and I had a craving.  So Eric and Kaylee were sent to pick up dinner. 

They returned with a paper bag filled with cheeseburgers and french fries for everyone to share.  (Before you send the nutrition police, Karissa and I steamed some broccoli to have as a side.  Burgers, fries and broccoli...hmm, what would you eat?)  Anyway, after we had everyone safely strapped into their chairs, we gave each kid, excluding Lena of course, a few french fries, part of a cheeseburger and lots of broccoli! 

The paper bag the food came in stayed on the table because it was still filled with french fries.  We didn't want Kaylee and Karissa to know this, because if they did, they would (like most of us) eat french fries until their little bellies were ready to burst.  So, once they had finished their fries and predictably asked for more, we calmly said, " fries are all gone."  They seemed to accept this, until I reached for the now greased soaked paper bag to remove it from sight. As I picked it up the remainder of the fries fell out onto the table, exposing us for the liers we were! 

Everyone ate their fill of fries that night, broccoli...not so much!

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Life with 3 under 2

We are 7 weeks into life with three children under the age of 2.  Somehow, at this moment, all three of them are sleeping, so I better hurry with this post becuase I have no idea how long this will last.  I should be getting the laundry from the dryer, mopping the floor, picking up the numerous items that are not where they belong and trying to get a nap in myself, but that can wait!  Maybe if I procrastinate long enough it will get itself done. 

Anyway, life with two 22 month olds and a 7 week old is...busy.  Fortunately, Doris, our wonderful nanny comes 4 mornings a week.  She is here to help me, or watch Karissa and Kaylee while I take Lena to appointments, do errands etc.  She is a lifesaver.  She helps with laundry, dishes, mopping the floor and picking up toys.  By the looks of our house it is not hard to tell which days she is not here!! 

Basically the goals for this period (and I have no idea how long "this period" will last) are to meet everyone's needs: eating, sleeping, diaper changes, clothing, cuddling, holding (mommy up, up please) and getting out of the house occasionally.  

To complicate things, Eric started a new job when Lena was 1 1/2 weeks old.   He is still doing home care Physical Therapy, but for a different agency. The job is going well, but it requires some paperwork time in the evenings and learning a new territory. (ie: getting lost on winding back roads with signs that say "open ford" ahead.  He assumed the road was open for Ford vehicles because he drives a Ford Focus so he proceded, but soon realized he needed a 4 wheel drive Ford and had to turn aroud!  Twenty years ago he may have tried crossing, but he is now older and wiser.)  Hopefully this new job become easier and faster for him soon and he will have his evenings free to help with picking up toys, relaxation and planning our kitchen renovation...yes, another new project coming soon...more on that in the months to come.  Now, he has to finish the shed he started building last weekend! 

For now, we are basically ready for Christmas.  We managed to get our Christmas cards mailed and the shopping done. Thankfully, Amazon.com exists, otherwise everyone may have received a box of diapers for Christmas.  Clean ones if they were lucky!   We are even going to try to put up a Christmas tree tomorrow and cross our fingers that no one pulls it down on top of her sister. 

I am writing this post to remind myself when I look back years from now and I believe I am just too busy with shuffleboard, bridge and volunteering at the library, that sometime in my past I was just a bit busier!

Happy Holidays!  Love, Laura, Eric, Kaylee, Karissa and Lena