Three Bosses

This afternoon Kaylee was playing a game with me, (I have no idea what is was called), but it involved sleeping and being quiet and that was fine with me.  So when she told me to sleep I settled back on the couch and closed my eyes and pretended to sleep.  Granted 2 seconds later I had to open my eyes to check on Lena and make sure she wasn't about to pitch herself head first off the couch and immediately I was told by Kaylee that I was supposed to be sleeping.  So I promptly closed my eyes. Back and forth we went.  And in the 3 minutes and 42 seconds it took to play the game I realized I live with 3 very demanding bosses.  ( I believe I knew this the minute the twins were born, but this is the first time I am admitting it)

My three bosses: (ok, the list below is mostly about Karissa and Kaylee, but Lena is watching closely...)

1.  They insist I pay attention to the task at hand no matter what other distractions I may have. (Even if that distraction means certain peril for another member of the family)
2.  They expect to get what they want right now, no matter what I am doing. 
3.  They won't take no for an answer.
4.  If no continues to be the answer, they will let me know, and everyone else within a 3 mile radius, just how unhappy they are.
5.  They will try to make a bargain with me about just about anything including the number of bites of broccoli they take, how much longer they can stay in the shower and how many books are read at bedtime until they wear me down and I give in out of sheer exhaustion. 
6.  They are on to the next project before we have finished the first one. 
7.  They delegate any task they don't want to do....picking up toys, picking up clothes, putting their shoes away to me or Eric without a second thought.

And so it goes.  Of course they are the cutest, silliest bosses we have ever had and they really keep us laughing!!

Potty things

Ever since Karissa and Kaylee were potty trained at about 28 months, I have spent a lot of time in the bathroom.  I now know the intricate details of the inside of just about every playground bathroom in the area, not to mention the few restaurants we dare to take out crew as well as many discreet spots where they can pee outside when a bathroom is not handy. 

I also spend a lot of time in our own bathroom, holding hands while said business is being completed, wiping (no more details necessary), helping to get clothing on, helping to get clothing off, encouraging the process along and whatever else is needed.  Many times I get to sit on the floor while someone is "going" and doesn't want to be alone. Now I know they can go on their own, they just don't often want to.  So, just when I decide to give in and I plan to stay in the bathroom to offer moral support I am told they need "privacy," please close the door. (Of course when I need to "go" it seems like all three kids view this as the perfect time to sit on my lap.)

So imagine how happy I was the other day when both Karissa and Kaylee were in the bathroom "going" at the same time (one on the big potty and one on the small potty) apparently not concerned about "privacy," and shouting "The Grand Old Duke of York, he had 10,000 men.....
I had a full 6 minutes before I was needed to do potty helping things! 

But, as luck would have it, Lena has now decided that potty time is fun and if Kaylee and Karissa do it, she should too.  So now my little 16 month old will walk down the hall toward the bathroom saying "pee."  And guess what, more bathrom time for me!  Maybe diapers aren't so bad after all!

Since it has been so long since I have written anything on this blog I will give a quick update and move on to now.
I spent 4 weeks in Malone this fall with the girls while Eric began yet another house project, this time tearing apart the basement to fix a leak and update the early 70's look ie: paneling.  When we returned to Charlottesville at the end of November I went back to work part time at a small private outpatient clinic called PT Plus.  We have a wonderful babysitter who stays with the girls while Eric and I are both working.  I work two mornings and two afternoons a week which works out to about 4 three hour days.  Not too bad, but it does add another layer of chaos to our busy lives.....

On February 25th 2013 Kaylee and Karissa turned three effectively negating our 3 children under the age of 3 classification.  And with Lena's first birthday happening on 10/28/2012, we no longer have any children under a year!!  It doesn't miraculously change how needy each child it, but it sounds a little less busy!   

It is amazing  how much our lives have changed in a year:

March 2012:  Lena was still waking up to eat 3-5 times a night and I was pretty exhauster
March 2013:  Lena pretty much sleeps through the night with only an occasional need to be soothed
March 2012:  Kaylee and Karissa slept in pack and plays, Lena in her crib
March 2013:  Lena in a crib, Kaylee and Karissa in toddler beds
March 2012:  Three kids in diapers
March 2013: Lena in diapers, Karissa totally potty trained, even at night, Kaylee only needs a pull up at night!!  Lena interested in the potty and has used it several times......oh boy.
March 2012:  Bedtime for Kaylee and Karissa 7:00 pm, Lena who knoew
March 2013:  Bedtime for all three 8:00 pm, Lena can't get out of bed, Kaylee and Karissa can, it is now 8:52 and Kaylee has just gotten out of bed for the 6th time.......
March 2012:  Lena was rolling, Kaylee and Karissa were learning to jump on 2 feet
March 2013:  Lena walking, trying to run Kaylee and Karissa getting faster and learning to jump on one foot, jump off the wall into the pool, jump off furniture, jump off us, jump off walls
Mrach 2012:  Lena had no recognizable words, Kaylee and Karissa talking in sentences
March 2013:  Lena has over 60 words and starting to put 2 words together, Kaylee and Karissa talking in paragraphs....talking and talking and talking......and talking!
March 2012:  I believed that in a year I would have it all figured out
March 2013:  I think in a year I will have it all figured out

We are a busy, crazy sometime chaotic family, but it it amazing to see how much changes in a year, or even a few months.  We are so blessed by our little ones and I am so thankful we have each other.  More blogs to come!   

Just too Busy!

I can't believe it has been 4 months since my last post.  Wow!  I really meant to keep this blog going on a regular basis.  It looks like I have some catching up to do.  On May 5th all three girls and I traveled with my parents back to Malone for and extended stay while Eric did some renovations on the house.  We ended up staying in Malone for a five weeks.  We had a great time, although we all missed Daddy!  Upon our return, the house was a bit of a mess and the renovations were not done, of course, but at least the kitchen was mostly completed and very functional.  (We had to warm up our dinner in the microwave which was sitting on the deck, but by the next day Eric had the new microwave, stove and dishwasher installed!) 

Eric on the other hand did not have such a good time while we were gone, and who would?  He had to work full time and try to complete as much of the kitchen and porch renovation as possible in a very limited amount of time while trying to cover for 2 people who were out on leave at his job. Talk about bad timing!  But gradually the project is getting done, although it looks like we will be headed back to Malone for awhile this fall so things can be finished. 

Lena got her first tooth in May at about 6 1/2 months and her second about a month later.  She is now crawling on her belly at 9 1/2 months.  She love to follow her sisters around as much as she can and finds them very funny! 

Kaylee and Karissa are potty trained!!  This happened about a week after we returned from Malone and took only a few weeks.  Phew, I was pretty worried about that milestone, but they were ready.  I now get to visit many public bathrooms.

We have had a lot of fun going to pools and spray parks this summer.  It has been pretty hot here in Virginia.

We had a great time on vacation with in Malone in the beginning of August and got to see many friends.  It was Eric's first time back home since we left last year!!

"I yike butter"

Toddler talk is very entertaining most of the time!  (Toddler whining on the other hand...not so much)  So as Kaylee and Karissa continue to add words and phrases to their speach I want to take the chance to write down some of my favorites. 

Recently while on a walk we picked buttercups (the flowers!).  I held the flower under each of their chins and apon seeing a yellow reflection told them that they like butter.  Fast forward to a couple of weeks later, the girls were in the stroller when they saw some buttercups.  So Kaylee started to yell "I yike butter, I yike butter" and continued to do so until we picked her some of the flowers.  I am not sure if she remembered the phrase, of if she really thought the name of the flower was I yike butter! 

As you may be able to tell, right now all L sounds come out as Y sounds.  For example:  Yellow = yeyyoe, Loud = Youd, Little = Yittle, you get the picture. 

Karissa calls her tricycle her bidabycle!
When Kaylee doesn't want the window rolled down in the car she says "no windy"
Karissa will sometime say that's Mise (for mine) We think she got that from hearing that's yours, and translated it to mise. 

When they want help they ask use to "help you"

right now they love to sing twinkle twinkle little star, abc's etc.  They have made up a song to the tune of twinkle twinkle little star where all the words are baby Lena over and over again.

Their names for each other are Kaydee and Kwissa! 
When they don't like their food they tell us "No yike it" and often take it out of their mouths with their fingers and hand it to us!  Yum...

Lena

Lena is now 5 months old.  She is a happy, happy baby!  She gave us her first smile at 6 weeks and she first laughed out loud at about 3 months while being entertained by her sisters.  She rolled from her tummy to her back around  3 1/2 months, but didn't do it consistently until 4 months.  She also rolled from her back to her tummy at 4 months, about 2 hours after I told her doctor she hadn't done it yet. 

She continues to wake up twice every night to eat, and needs to be settled back to sleep without eating a couple of time during the night as well.  (Making for a set of tired parents!)

We recently got a johnny jump up for her and she loves it!  It is a great place for her to play safely when Kaylee and Karissa are running around. 

We recently discovered she has a milk protein allergy, so that may explain why she was occasionally extra fussy, but as long as I don't eat milk products, she is fine.  (I will be looking forward to a nice piece of pizza in about 4-5 months!)

We started solid foods, rice cereal and prunes at about 5 months.  Lena isn't really thrilled about any of it yet, but we will keep trying.  Oatmeal cereal was next and today we tried peas....she is not too sure about any of that either!!

Lena loves attention and often laughs at her sisters' antics.  Kalee and Karissa love to hug and kiss her and love to make her laugh, especially when I am changing her diaper. 

Life is still a bit nuts with two toddlers and an infant, but so far, so good!  Everyone is healthy and happy (most of the time!) and we hope to all be sleeping a little bit better soon! 

It will be ok!

Last weekend I once again found myself fretting about how long and how frequent Lena's naps were.  Lines from books I had read about sleep continuously marched through my head "Sleep is important for brain development" " Don't keep a baby up any longer than 2 hours because she can't handle it" " you will need to sleep train her if she is waking up more than 3 times a night at this age", and on and on it went.  Needless to say I was not having a very fun weekend!  Then... an Abba song started playing on the Pandora station we were listening to and my stressful sleep thoughts were replaced with happy childhood memories of dancing to Abba records in my parents living room.  (Mom is a big Abba fan!)  I realized that I turned out ok even if mom never worried that I had been awake for more than 2 hours.  (did you mom?)  Later that day I thought, what if I had never read a book about babies and sleep?  Would my maternal instincts kick in and would I figure it out on my own?  Would I know that I should let her sleep when she is tired?  Would I be happy that she took a nap at all and not worry about where, when and how long? Would this parenting thing become just a little less stressful?  Maybe my Type A self would be able to relax a little more and stop looking at the clock, and instead be able to fully enjoy the dance party in our living room! 

This post is to remind myself that I need to keep things in perspective.