January is going out like a lion! That whole lamb and lion thing really can be applicable to any month. And it applies to January.
I cannot believe how cold it has been.
O.K. on to topics that people are really interested in.
I took a nap a dinnertime because I didn't feel well. Due to being really cold, a headache and a really sore knee. I got up to eat some peanutbutter toast. The babies were all over me, so I only put peanut butter on one piece and then gave them the other dry piece of toast to tear apart. After they devoured that, they circled around me looking for my weak spot. Matthew and John sprang and crawled/climbed on my lap and got a bite of my toast. I pulled off a piece and gave it to John. John gave it to Brooke and I didn't see what she did with it. About 10 minutes later I looked at her and found that she had a red spot on her cheek and her eye was puffy. She was rubbing at her face and I washed it off thinking she had gotten something on her face and eye. A few minutes later some hives started appearing on her cheeks and her eye looked worse. I gave her benadryl and then called Nurse direct. They told me as long as her lips/throat weren't swollen that I didn't have to take her in and that I should just watch her overnight.
I should have listened to my instincts and stayed away from those allergen type foods until they were three. I did that with Jacob, but everyone told me I was being silly. So, now I know better and will listen to what my motherly instinct is telling me.
The kids decided that they like my Special K with berries cereal and they beg for some when I'm eating it. So, I threw some on the table for them to snack on.
Jacob is having a great time today. His cousins Katie and Sam are over to play for a few hours. It really breaks up the day for him and gives him something to look forward to.
This was the conversation when Jacob was eating a late dinner tonight.
Jacob: Brooke! Stop licking the table!
Brooke is sitting next to Jacob on a regular chair with her mouth on the edge of the table. She looks up at him but doesn't take her mouth off the table.
Jacob: Brooke! The table isn't food! Stop licking the table!
Brooke takes her mouth off the table, but her mouth is still left in the same position, open and her tongue is hanging out (kind of).
Jacob: (Turns to me) Mom! Brooke is licking the table.
Brooke still is sitting there with her mouth open, poised to take another lick at the table. She has this very innocent look on her face. Not the normal gleem in her eye that she's going to do what she WANTS to do!
I just watch with this dumb smile on my face because I feel like I'm raising a bunch of animals.
I don't have many regrets in my life. But in regards to my children, there are a few BIG ones.
1) I wish I would have tried harder to breastfeed the babies instead of just pumping. I realize that they got the great nutrition, but we missed the great bonding moment. I breastfed Jacob and it was such a great experience (so I can compare the experiences). On the other hand, I did what I had to do to survive the early months and this is what worked.
2) I wish that I had more time with Jacob. I think he plays well on his own, LOVES the babies and loves to play with them. But we went from 100% Jacob to probably 10-15 % Jacob. He gets the short end of the stick a lot. (Whatever that saying is) I try to play with him when the babies go to sleep for naps or for the night, but that is also my cleaning up time.
3) I wish I had enjoyed the babies more when they were infants. I think I was just too overwhelmed by taking care of three infants that HAD to be fed every 3 hours and HAD to get their medicines exactly at the same time and everything else that was so repetitive... That I, myself, didn't have the time to just sit and hold them. Luckily, friends and family did that for me...
4) I wish I had slept more when I was pregnant and on bedrest instead of trying to get everything done before they were born. Napping is such a luxury...
Jacob's sunday school teacher sent this note home with him.
Jacob,
You are such a joy to have in Sunday School! You are such a great listener and helper. You are my best singer. I love your comments! When I asked, "What dangers are there in the river for Baby Moses?" You replied, "Sunfish and Bluegill!" How true Jacob, how true!
I laughed and laughed over this bit. I think I'm still chuckling! Sunfish and bluegill. What's on your mind Jacob!
BTW, for those of you wondering, I've been using Metallica song titles and my title for my blog the last few days. Yes, its either really clever or a little odd of me. Probably both.
My heart skipped a beat today after reading Jacob's school newsletter. Our church voted to have all-day kindergarten with option for sending children for a 1/2 day.
I've been dreading this since the moment I had a baby. Sending him away for someone else to guide and raise. Its bad enough it will be 5 days a week, but ALL day?
Quite honestly, he's the youngest of his class of eleven being born in May. I think physically he could keep up in the kindergarten curriculum, but emotionally he's probably lagging from the other kids. Most of the kids were 5 by the time November hit. He's 6 months to 9 months younger than most of his classmates.
I have a parent-teacher conference this week with his pre-school teacher who will also be his kindergarten teacher. I guess we'll discuss it then.
I'm still in my pajamas. They don't match exactly. It is snowing outside. Scott is working patrol and doing some video IQ stuff. A different neighbor snowblowed our driveway. He must have heard that I blow kisses.
Check out the new flickr pictures. Just go to the flikr link under websites on the bottom left of the blog.
The babies were more subdued today, just walking around and checking things out. A lot less trouble then yesterday. My favorite pair of blue jeans split down the backside. They were so worn that there are about two or three more holes that had started, but the one on the backside busted out first. I'm still not throwing them out.
Then, Matthew was more clingy today around dinner time. Well, I know why. The very minute Scott walked out the door to go back to work at 7 p.m., he was throwing up in the Step 2 climber all over that, the blankets and the rubber mats that are in the dining room. Of course he threw up A LOT. And then the other babies wanted to check it out. So I'm trying to wipe Matthew up and get him out of the mess while trying to keep the other babies from touching it. I'm gagging and gagging and trying not to throw up while cleaning it up.
Jacob was a big help in keeping the babies out of the area, even if he did kind of tackle them... I'm still doing laundry 4 hours later because I had to wash everything twice. I hate the smell of puke.
On the way home from school Jacob and I were having one of our deep conversations. Jacob had to bring something oval today and he brought an oval shape from a puzzle. He told me what other kids had brought. Then as we were driving, we were looking around to see what else was oval. I named, "eggs, watermelons, footballs." He corrected me, "Footballs aren't oval!" Mom "What shape are they then?" Jacob, "They are football-shaped!" Mom, "A football shape is an oval shape!" Jacob now screaming, "NOOOOO! Mrs. Micheel (Jacob's teacher) said footballs are NOT ovals!" Mom, "Well, if Mrs. Micheel said that then I'm not sending you to school because she's wrong!" A few minutes later as we are naming more of "Jacob approved" oval shapes. Jacob says, "There are oval houses in Tanzania." This causes mom to look away from the road, right at Jacob. "Tanzania? Tanzania!" Jacob says matter of factly, "Yep, oval houses in Tanzania." What in the heck??? Where did that come from? I'm guessing Mrs. Micheel... or or or...
Well, I'm alive. I made it through the day. So did my mom who watched the rugrats most of the day. And the kids only ended up with bumps and bruises. :) Brooke rolled down the stairs and John fell down a few stairs. But since we have a quad, its only 7 that I have to worry about. We put the gate at the top of the stairs so they couldn't explore the bedrooms and bathrooms. The variety of gates we do own wouldn't work at the bottom of the stairs going up because of the open staircase. I did buy one today that is only 27 inches high, but when I put it up Brooke turned into Rosemary's baby and shrieked like.... well, she was possessed. So I took it down.
They really had a good time today and we found a few more things to child proof. Its hard to get work done though when they follow me around like puppies. I wish they were like puppies and would clean the floor after a meal.
Ah huh! I think I got them good today. I've been to Babies R Us twice and have bought the whole safety section.
I found a TV Guard that fits over the TV buttons. The other TV guard that is the clear piece of plastic doesn't work because the TV is curved, but the guard is not... So, I think I fixed that problem! I shrieked like a little girl when I put it on I was so excited! (I am doing a dance in my head!)THERE WILL BE NOTHING FOR THEM TO PLAY WITH ANYMORE!
As for the entertainment center, I found this lock that goes on flat appliances like fridges, drawers, and Entertainment centers. It can only be opened a little bit, but I don't think they'll be able to get their grimy little hands in to take out CD's or play with the cable box anymore! Another interesting discovery is that Duct tape does take off the finish of particle board of entertainment centers. Also note the duct tape over the on button. I put a Tupperware cup cover on top of the on/off button and then duct taped it over the button so the little monkeys couldn't get at it. It has worked for about two months now. (Click on picture to enlarge)
Next step in the journey of triplets, more running space for their cabin fever. We've now given them access to the main level and gated off the stairs. I hope they enjoy their freedom and respect their boundaries. No climbing on the table or something like that...
Some people can't handle the pressure of change
in our house. Hunter Dan was found laying on the floor
without his pants surrounded by the fowl he hunts.
Also in the picture was six (SIX!) different prescription medications. His masseuse found him this way because he missed an appointment. Such a sad state of the nation.
The 200 Disc CD player got broken into today. The banditos took out all but a few of the CDs and threw them around the living room. Mom was the judge and jury and sentenced them to 15 minutes in their crib while Mom and innocent Matthew picked up all the CDs and then Duct taped the doors shut.
They can work on their fine motor skills by picking off the tape until I get some knobs put on and then a lock that they can't open.
I was in the shower today (Yipee!) and I heard Jacob singing in this falsetto voice. I got out and he was sitting in my bedroom sweeping with his broom singing, "His shoes don't fit because his feet are so BIG! His socks don't fit because his feet are so BIG! He doesn't wear a coat because He is so BIG!" I asked him if he made up the song and he sang, "Noooooo" He walked off singing and sweeping, "Jesus can't fit in his pants because he is so BIG! He doesn't wear a coat because he is so BIG! etc...."
I think God looks down on my children and just smiles.
Well, we got more snow. I wish it would have warmed up a little more. Instead Jacob and I just had icicles hanging from our noses. I didn't want to go out and shovel, but knew I had to because Scott was busy arresting some no-do-gooder punk and he'd be working a lot again this week. Before kids (BK) I never cared about what my driveway looked like. And I wasn't about to go out in the COLD and shovel. I hate using the word hate. But I really, extremely dislike the cold. I live here because this is where I was born and this is where family is. So, back to the story... picture this... tracks in the snow on one side of the driveway. The truck parked on the other side of the driveway near the garage. Pristine, virgin snow on that side. I start shoveling and Jacob is busy shoveling the sidewalk. After a couple of minutes, I realize that its really, really cold. I don't feel like doing the whole driveway even though it looks like a nice day with the sun shining and little wind. Its still 2 or 7 degrees. Since I have to take Jacob to school, I decide to just shovel out in back of the truck so I don't pack down any more snow. I'm shoveling and shoveling and getting colder and colder. I near the end of the driveway where the snow plow has gone through and its probably a foot deep. The neighbor kiddie corner to me is out snow blowing. He finishes his driveway and goes to clean up my next-door neighbors driveway. I wistfully look his way every now and then. I fall short of waving him over since I am probably 1/2 his age and feel foolish asking for help since I've never talked to him. I struggle to lift up the heavy snow at the end of the driveway. The snow blower is getting louder. I look up to see the neighbor walking towards me, but on the other side of the street. I smile with my dopey hat, and fluffy scarf, hoping my eyes are as pitiful as the pajamas I'm out shoveling clothes in. I smile at the man again and he comes over and starts snow blowing the driveway. He starts working on the other side of the driveway that I hadn't touched. As he comes back I sign, "thank you" to him. And he waves at me. I realize he probably thinks I blew him a kiss because the sign for thank you is to touch your chin with your hand and move it away from your chin toward the person. When you have a scarf on and dopey hat, that also could be taken as a kiss that is blown to another person. Soooo, he either thinks I'm flirting with him or, or, or I'm nuts.
It really doesn't matter to me, as long as he comes over again and does my driveway.
Tough, tough day. Other people have tough days. They are dealing with critically ill family, loss of job, special needs children, health issues, financial problems, and other really life altering things.
So my tough day falls into the "I'm blessed with healthy children, however they are driving me nuts" category. Specifically Brooke and John.
If its not one thing, it is the other. They would go from one spot to another touching, climbing, unplugging things just to watch my reaction. Over and over again. My back would be turned dealing with Brooke and then John would crawl behind the TV and start unplugging things.
So, the whole "no" thing was getting old, the distraction idea was thrown out after a few tries. Next comes the old crib. I hate to use the crib as a punishment because thats where they sleep, but I leave the light on when I put them in there and zip up the crib tent. Brooke was in her crib about 4 times today and John was either 3 or 4 times. You'd think they would learn. And on top of this they would try to get out of their highchair and stand on the highchair or crawl on the table. Over and over again.
I do remember having problems with Jacob at this age, but these things Jacob NEVER did. He threw toys or got sassy to be put in time out.
I am so defeated today. Its one of those days that I think, "its o.k. to cry." Thanks for the advice Ann.
Jacob kept telling me today, "mom, those babies are a lot of work!" "Mom, I help you watch the babies!" "Good thing I'm here to watch the babies!" What a darling. I am very lucky!
And Matthew, sweet Matthew who just plays with toys and isn't looking to climb to the top of the TV.
Here's a Q & A of triplet/multiple questions that Scott or I have gotten in the past two years.
#1 Question "Where you on fertility medicine?"
Yes, I was on fertility medicine. Clomid 50 mg. I have endometrosis, my symptoms were coming back and I wasn't ovulating. Dr. Acosta gave me the low down on Clomid. 5 to 8% chance of multiples (and later I found out 1/2% chance of triplets). AND, I was on the lowest dose.
#2 Question "How do you handle it?"
God gave us them and I'm hoping he also gave us coping skills. I think I'm an organized person and that helps a lot because as their caregiver you have to keep schedules, right things down, keep them on a schedule of sorts so you can get things done. We are blessed with family right here in the area. We have awesome friends that help out too. Our church stepped up and had a diaper drive, meals for about the first 5 months, and we still have a few people who love to come over and get some triplet love.
#3 Question "Do they sleep in the same room?"
They have always slept in the same room, but separate cribs. They have crib tents over their cribs so they cannot climb out. They don't seem to wake each other crying. Although sometimes naptime can be hard if one doesn't want to go to sleep and the other two do. I have no plans of separating them until they ask that they want separate rooms.
#4 Question, "Can you breastfeed triplets?"
Yes, you can. I have a friend that has triplets that does breastfeed her babies and has not had to supplement. I was blessed with high-production milk glands and was able to pump for 13 months. (I was runner-up at the Wisconsin state fair '06 and '07) Because the babies were premature and in the NICU, they got used to a bottle and to leave the NICU they had to take 60 mls (2 ounces) for 24 or 48 hours. Well, its hard to work on breastfeeding in the hospital when i was only there for one feeding a day for each child. I had to take care of Jacob. And then when I got home, I realized how hard it was to teach a child to nurse while listening to the others cry. So I did what I had to do and just pumped. They also needed a supplement to gain weight, so this was the easiest for us to mix the milk with the supplement.
#5 Question, "When did you find out?"
I went for my regular 16 week appointment and I was measuring big. The doctor said I was measuring like I was 24 weeks along versus 16 weeks. Sooooo, it could have been the wrong due date, twins, or something else like a tumor or growth.... I got the 2:45 appointment the next day for an ultrasound and Scott and I went. I blogged previously that's when I found out that we'd be parents of triplets and we did find out that day that there was 2 boys and 1 girl.
I'm glad I didn't find out sooner because I would have been paranoid about everything. I was sick from week 5 to 12 throwing up and really nauseous. Then at 12 weeks I got an electrical shock unplugging a computer and I was scared that it may affect the baby. But, they were meant to be...
#6 Question (or statement) I can't imagine! No you can't.
#7 Question "How do you feed them all at once?" Easy. Really. The best way to feed two at once are to sit them in bouncy seats on either side of you and feed them. Usually you have a faster eater than the other so then you just burp one on your shoulder or sitting up and keep feeding the other.
#8 Question, "Are you done?" (Having multiples really opens the door to some thoughtful (or thoughtless) questions.) Depending on my mood, sometimes I say, "No, I'd like to have more." Or I say, "Four healthy children is enough for me." Or I say, "I always wanted to have my children close together, so I had them a minute apart."
#9 Question, "How do you tell them apart?" I STILL get this question a lot. Well, if its got an outtie, its a boy... or in Jacob's words, "John has the standup hair", Matthew is bigger, and Brooke is a GIRL!
And finally, some of the things that I could not do without... God, family, friends, Medela Pump N' Style, swings, Jumperoo, the burrito hold, Zoloft, HoMedics noise machine, Runabout Triple Stroller, disposable diapers, NUKs, my planner, alone time with Scott outside the house, Laurie Berkner DVD, Ultimate Baby Wrap, Superyard Gate, Duct tape, Robeez shoes, harnesses, Leap Frog Musical Activity Table, exersaucers, crock pot to warm up bottles, and the DVR.
First of all, this weather is for the birds. I think this is what hell frozen over would feel like.
Noses are running, eyes look a little less bright, more whiny, and definitely more lap time. I was really surprised that last night they slept the whole night through without me getting up once to find a NUK or diaper rag or cover them up.
Brooke was really subdued today. She sat on the couch or my lap most of the time and wanted to be covered up by this pink blanket. It was really cute. Then this afternoon if the boys were sitting or laying somewhere, she tried to cover them up with the blanket too. Its nice to see her nurturing side.
Johnny on the other hand, you either want to strangle him or kiss him to death. He was normal until later this afternoon and then he kept taking the tape off the entertainment door and getting inside and pushing buttons. He'd do anything to attract attention. Beating up on Matthew, touching things he wasn't supposed to. He spent a little bit of time in his crib today. He has now learned how to climb out of the pack-n-play so now that's not an option for a time out. Yesterday he climbed/fell out right on his head. Then later tonight he and I were doing the monkey baby thing and he was hugging me and giving me kisses and making kissy noises. I told him that I would remember him being like this instead of his previous behavior.
Matthew was his normal sweet self until the end of the day and he got really whiny and clingy, yet didn't want to sit on my lap.
They all got medicine for their cold and hopefully will sleep like babies! :)
DaDaDaDantDa DA! Go Pack. Alright, I'm a Packers fan, but on the scale of crazy Packer fans, I'm a zero. This last week I've seen a lot of odd things. Fans waiting hours and hours to shovel Lambeau Field and even those who were turned away still stood waiting because they got a chance to be inside the stadium. Tickets going for $$$ in zero minus weather. People coming from all over the world to see the game. I got to go to the game 11 years ago when the Packers beat the Carolina Panthers to go to the Superbowl. It WAS really exciting and you could feel the energy and excitement before and during the game. But it was zero degrees then and I think I remember I had on something like eight layers that day. I do have my nifty green and gold scarf yet from that game. However, Jacob uses it now.
A little tripletness for today's blog. John and Brooke woke up today with runny noses, a little bit of a cough and they sounded congested. So the good momma that I am, I gave them some cold medicine (the kind that hasn't been taken off of the shelves) before nap time and bedtime tonight. I think Matthew started feeling bad too because he was uberwhiny, so I gave him some too. So there was a lot more cuddling today than normal. This is the time that I just don't have enough room to cuddle all of them. Today when Matthew and John woke up from their naps, they both laid in the same position, heads turned the same way, one arm curled up, the other at their sides, and they listened to my my heart beat. Its great being a mom. I wish I was sick instead of them.
Scott's busy getting bad people and will be for a couple of days so its just me around here to bring calm and order to the clan. If I believed in Evolution I'd think that John was directly related to the ape and a distant cousin to the caveman. What is with his hair? Where did his joy for life come from? Why does he insist on hugging/tackling his brother and sister? Does he always have to put his food mat in his hair? Why does he drool so much? Why does he make loud and obnoxious noises and shriek really really loudly? He would be perfect for some type of study...
On Monday, Dr. Phil had on a family that was out of control. The 17 year old and the mom yelled and screamed profanities at each other and got physical with each other. The mom was over-the-top. Dr. Phil's wife Robin had a chat with the boy and his mom. She had tears in her eyes when she said her piece. She said something like this, "When I speak to my sons, I have only love and kindness in my voice. I have never looked at them and said terrible things. I have never raised my voice to them." And went on to say something like her boys were not perfect, but near perfect in her eyes.
Welllll, did I feel like the bottom of the barrel. I had just gotten done yelling at Jacob for something. I know I need more patience. I pray for it every night. Maybe those non-christian religions that pray five times a day are on to something there...
So, I'm feeling bad and realize that I should treat my children with love and kindness. And be as polite to them as I am with strangers. I'm feeling like a bad mom. Although I really don't yell all the time. And when I get really frustrated with the kids, they go in the pack-n-play or their cribs for a time out from me. Jacob goes in his room or sits the stairs.
An hour or so later, I'm changing Matthews diaper. He's wiggling around trying to get off the table and I'm doing my best to hold him down with one arm, keep his hands out of this privates, and wipe him and put a new diaper on. During this time little monkey Brooke was climbing up the changing table and was opening the desitin and trying to put it in her mouth while clinging to the changing table. Then, THEN! John started playing with the TV buttons again. The channel got turned to a channel that had fuzz and the noise just went up about 50 decibels. (O.K. I don't really know what that means, but it got LOUD.)
So I yelled, "John, get away from the TV! Brooke get down!" But partly because they wouldn't have heard me over the roar of fuzz. And I realized then that Robin McGraw never had to deal with multiples and I suddenly felt better.
Well, time to clean the carpet. I left a "big gulp" on the end table today and John got a hold of it and he got himself, Matthew, the couch and most of the carpet. I did a hasty job of cleaning it today because I had to load the babies up in the old family mobile and pick up Jacob from school.
Today, I felt like I had more patience than other days so I got the babies and Jacob in the kitchen and got out the stencils and markers for Jacob and the washable colors for the babies. We colored for about five minutes peacefully before John tried to eat them. Then Brooke and luckily Matthew just colored with them. Then they threw them soooo we stopped.
Also - more pictures if you go to the flickr link were added this week!
Alrighty then, how about this. There is so much noise in my house sometimes that I can't even think. I realize that this would happen to people who have four singletons too. So I really am looking at this parenting thing with new eyes.
I really need to get my mom an "I'm sorry" card for the way I was as a youngin'.
Today, I took time to reminisce about my baby Jacob.
My very first ultrasound was scheduled for January 14th, 2003 after I was done with work. I remember downing 20 oz of water and hurrying to the appointment only to have to wait, and wait, and wait.
I know now that the 2:45 p.m. timeslot is left open everyday for emergency ultrasounds. And that day, someone had the emergency timeslot, which made us wait. (I think I took up that timeslot a few times with the triplets.)
So, Scott and I waited and finally got in for our much anticipated ultrasound. I remember being pretty excited but not really knowing what I was looking at. The ultrasound was in 2D or 3D (not 4D like the triplets) and I could make out some parts - sucking on thumb, curling up, etc... then the magic moment happened. The tech asked if we wanted to know the sex and OF COURSE we said yes! She asked what we thought we were having and I said, "a girl" knowing that the last three or four generations of Callaways have been male-dominated and my chances were unlikely... She showed us the bits and pieces and said, "its a boy!" She took some snapshots of the parts and other lovely profiles and that was it. 45 minutes of seeing our baby boy for the first time.
It was the coolest thing! But honestly looking back at the pictures, I wouldn't have been able to tell if it was a boy or girl. The triplets were totally easy. I think the very first picture of Matthew was of him squaring off to the camera.
Jacob and I had so much fun tonight. He waited and waited for the babies to go to bed. He had put the jewelry up in the kitchen and wanted to put it away. So I got out all the bags and put the jewelry in the correct plastic bags. The cutest thing is that he would make comments about the jewelry. He even wore his "daisy" ring I got for him. Its actually a toe ring, but fits on a child's fingers or a pinkie finger. There was a red and white swarovski bracelet that he forgot to get out and he hugged the bracelet to himself and said, "oh, this is my favorite!"
He's really such a fun little boy.
So Brooke was the last baby to go down tonight. John being the first since he really got my goat because he kept purposely spitting his milk out all over. Matthew went to bed after John stopped crying, which was about 20 minutes later. John was standing up crying - with his Nuk in- so I laid him down and rubbed his head a little. Just so he knew I loved him. I was still mad at him, but you know the saying, "hate the sin, not the sinner."
Jacob and I put a puzzle together that he got for Christmas. It was a Melissa and Doug giant puzzle - 100 pieces. We had a lot of fun. O.K. I laid on the floor eating pour over Cheddar popcorn and watched him put the puzzle together. But after I was finished I did help. He's really good at putting puzzles together. I have a feeling he's going to be strong at math-related things because he can put puzzles together by looking at the colors and what the pieces look like.
Then he got ready for bed and I rubbed in some Burt's Bees Wax hand salve into his hands (no socks) and he went off to dreamland!
Picture this... early 1990s, MTV, a video playing with a fish flopping on the ground, slowly asphyxiating itself and then a dude playing the piano at the close of the video? Remember that one? Its Epic by Faith No More. I heard the song on the radio today and remembered almost every lyric! I even remembered the parts that were distinguishable then! You know...
You want it all but you can't have it! Yeah, Yeah, Yeah! Its in your face but you can't grab it! Yeah, yeah, yeah! Whats it? Itsit? Lalalalalablah blah BLAH!
So with age doesn't always come wisdom. I still can't understand their lyrics without peeking inside the tape cover.
How come I can remember a song from 15+ years ago and not remember my grocery list?
Another interesting observation about toddlers is that they find whats on each other's plates a lot more interesting to eat than whats on their own plates. Even if it is the same EXACT thing. Matthew and Brooke were nibbling off each other's plates this weekend when they were sitting by each other. I tried to point out that each of them had the same green beans on their plate, but they wanted to reach over and take what each other had. They found this quite amusing and they did eat a lot.
Well, gotta go! Jacob wants to have a jewelry show tonight. He asks almost everyday when we are going to have a jewelry show. He loves to set up the jewelry and display it. However, he does balance this "behavior" out with setting up a racetrack with poker chips for his cars to race around in.
22 lb monster who pulls hair, bites mama, slaps and laughs in big peoples face. Also likes to tackle brother and sister and throw peas. Drools a lot and likes to pull off diapers. Likes to drink milk and then spit it out onto his shirt and other people.
Why do things from our childhood hold great memories for us, but when we try them again or revisit the site its not the same?
I used to look forward to the mail around my birthday when I was younger. I'd look for that yellow postcard from Shakey's that said, "Happy Birthday" and if I came in the week of my birthday, I received a free personal pizza and a drink. So my parents would take us all to Shakeys and we'd get a pepperoni pizza and some Mojos. When I was younger, I loved Mojos. Mojos are basically a potato sliced really thin, battered and then fried.
As a young adult, I have revisited Shakeys. And usually then I'd get the buffet. And on the buffet there was unlimited Mojos. They were good, but they weren't what I had remembered.
Some other things that have fallen short are: Tang, Voltron, the Snorks, Land of the Lost, Slinky, sledding, Tangy Taffy, miniature golf, buffets, jelly shoes, perms, feathered bangs, cream soda, Avon bubble bath, Rubik cube, Twister, Aquanet, and the list could go on and on.
But there are a few things that are still as good as I remembered them. Root beer floats, corn on the cob, Thundercats, Pac-Man, Bay Beach, playing in the sandbox, swinging, my grandma's Banana Bread, Husker-Do, and I'm sure more will come to me as I go to bed tonight.
So tonight there was about five minutes of getting along on my lap. Matthew was looking at the book Carl's Birthday while Brooke and John were trying on my headband and giggling. Many of you probably are asking, "How do you fit three babies on your lap?" Weeeelll, either by sitting crosslegged and have one on each knee/leg and one sit on your crossed feet or you can kind of sit/lay and have them sit along your legs, lap and torso area.
After the babies went to bed, I had Jacob on my lap. He had been whiny all day and you HAD to play his way. Well, he was wiggling to get off my lap so I grabbed his legs and put him in a pretzel hold. I THOUGHT he was laughing and squealing when I pretended to eat his foot and tickled behind his knees, so I kept doing it. I happened to peek at his face and he was beet red and his eyes were puffy. He was crying. So I let him go and between my laughter I tried to apologize to him that I THOUGHT he was laughing and I wouldn't have done it if I knew he was crying. But it was hard to be sincere looking at his beet red face and listening to him scream. Well, I tried to have a nice moment with him.
Well, I found my earring I lost in the computer room. However, it was bent out of shape. But that's the nice thing about sterling silver. Its pliable enough to bend without breaking.
Scott picked up his truck that had a internal makeover... new brakes, a tune up, something else with the engine or transmission. The cost had a comma in it. Sigh...
For those of you that come over or may in the near future, it is now safe to use our bathrooms. Jacob helped me clean the bathrooms a few days ago. Actually, I should say I helped him clean the bathrooms since he did about 80% of the work. I make him stay away from the toilets because I don't want him touching the toilet and then not washing his hands after. I JUST WANT HIM TO LEARN TO PEE IN THE TOILET SO WE DON'T HAVE TO CLEAN THEM SO MUCH. (Yes, I know what it means when you capitalize all words. I AM yelling.)
He also used the wet swifter jet on the kitchen floor today. And washed up some new toys, and shoveled, and picked up his toy room. Where do I get more of these? Oh wait, I forgot about the monkeys...
The babies for about two minutes all sat on my lap and got along. For two special minutes, Matthew looked at his book, Brooke in the middle shared a book with John. Then it was back to normal. Brooke doesn't like to be touched and wants the lap to herself so she gives John a shove in the chest. John tries to take away the book while at the same time tries to lay/sit on her. This pushes Brooke into Matthew who is unhappy because he just got pushed off my lap.
Brooke not liking to be in the middle has started since birth. Every time we took pictures of them when they were little, Brooke would be crying if she was in the middle. So usually it was Matthew or John. She just wasn't meant to share space in the womb with anyone else. Too bad girl, at least you don't have hand-me-downs.
I've seen Brooke, push, pull, pinch, and hit Matthew and John. I've seen John push, pull, tackle, sit on and hit Matthew and Brooke. But until today, I never saw Matthew push anyone. He pushed John when John took away some duplos that he was playing with. He does try to pull toys and books away, but he has never tackled, hit, pushed, pinched or done anything like the other two. I'm surprised that my kids don't bite each other. I heard that biting is a big problem with multiples since they are together so much. I bite and push Scott if he is on my side of the bed.
This morning I woke up to the sound of heavy boots going up and down the stairs. Jacob had gotten up before me and saw that it had snowed. He got himself ready. He put a t-shirt on, left his pajama bottoms on, put a hat, scarf, two different colored mittens, his boots and his coats on and was ready to go outside to shovel.
Scott told him he had to wait until I got out of bed to go outside so I could watch him from inside. Well, I got out of bed and saw him ready to go and told him to go outside. He was outside for a whole hour shoveling the driveway and sidewalk. I came out to help him for a little while and when I went back in, he thanked me for helping him.
Sometimes I under appreciate my son. He is such a great helper. I'm very lucky God gave him to me.
However, I am willing to hire him out to others as long as you supervise and make sure he doesn't go to closely by the road. He will even bring his own shovel. Payment can be wired to his T Rowe Price bank account for high school and college.
Another change in luck for me! The whole family has to switch doctors because we switched to Network insurance this year. My OBGYN's nurse called me when she got my request and said that as of 1/1/08, Dr. Acosta takes Network too. YIPPEE! I'd really like to keep the people that have intimate knowledge of me down to a select few. So I'm really happy I don't have to switch!
Some things really get my goat. Some things make me see red. Some things are so annoying I want to strangle someone.
1) People who take up the whole aisle when shopping that you have to stop and "ahem" or say "excuse me" so they move. 2) People who walk on the wrong side of the aisle or mall when they should follow stand American road practices. And then they walk in the middle so you can't get around them. 3) People who cannot make up their mind over the simplest things. Red or blue, sugar no sugar, buy or sell. 4) People who think their children walk on water and can do NO wrong.
So, number 1 and 2 happened to me today, but number 4 pushed me over the edge. Jacob had swimming lessons again - Shrimp class for the third time. His class was full, three boys and three girls. Lots of new faces in the class, particularly a little angel named Ava.
The children follow Miss Stephanie over to the far end of the pool. They sit on the side, feet dangling, and wait patiently for their turn.
The order of children, Kurt (its his 3rd time too), Jacob, Parker, Turner or Hooch who just turned 5, and then the girls, little blond girl (her first time), girl with pigtails and then little princess Ava.
Ava's mom and friend/nanny were standing behind me. I mean directly behind me. I was sitting in my chair and could feel their breath on me. So I leaned forward so just in case their shallow words oozed onto me, I wouldn't catch it.
It first started by the two of them talking to each other with their conversation going something like this. Friend/Nanny "Isn't she cute?" Mom "She is so ready for this class! She is such a good listener!" Friend/Nanny "Oh, look at her! She's so good!" At this moment her daughter was crawling around on the side of the pool, trying to play with the pool vent and then facing away from the teacher and standing on her head. Yes, she was trying to do headstands by the pool. I don't make this up, I just report it how I see it. Friend/Nanny "She is sooo good! She's putting her hand by the vent! Isn't that cute?" By now the teacher has told Ava to sit on her bum a few times. This takes attention away from the other children and slows the class down. Mom "She loves Little Kitty. I think I'm going to get her goggles. Do you think she needs goggles?" Friend/Nanny "The only way she'd wear those things is they are Little Kitty and they have to have glitter or diamonds. " Miss Stephanie now has little Ava in the pool trying back float her. This kid is so uncomfortable she looks like a stiff octopus in the water. She's twisting and turning and not looking at all like a jr. Olympic swimmer. Friend/Nanny "Isn't she good? She is so good!" Mom, "Look at her! She's such a good listener! Her pigtails are so cute!" Friend/Nanny "She got her pigtails wet" Miss Stephanie has now moved on to another child and left Ava. Ava now is touching the other pig-tail girls hair and splashing her legs. Friend/Nanny, "How deep is that pool?" "That looks like 2 Feet" She says this about 4 more times. Regulation pools have the depth stamped at each side of the pool. I guess she cannot read or does not have any common sense.
So you see why I wanted to strangle them? First of all, if my child was misbehaving and disrupting the class that badly, I would be embarrassed, not totally oblivious to what shes doing. I'd also have a talk with my misbehaving one after the class. She was very uncomfortable in the water and she really didn't want the teacher to touch her. Yet her mom and nanny/friend thought she was soooo good. And I forgot to mention all the talk about her swimsuit and how cute it was. And the pigtails.....
Okay, I've taken a long cleansing breath and gotten the bad our of my system.
John has not forgiven me for cutting his hair. He has been trying to pull mine out all day long. Jacob felt his hair needed a little haircut and cut a clump out in front. Luckily he has my thick hair and it really isn't too noticeable. It was my fault too because I forgot to put the scissors away in the bathroom. I can own up to my mistakes on the rare occasion that I make one. :)
I finally did it! It was time to cut little Johnny's hair. He is 21 months and 6 days old. Jacob was 25 1/2 months old after his first hair cut. So Johnny's good at growing hair.
I put him in his booster seat and the second
after I cut off his rat-tail in back he starts crying
and crying. I hadn't even picked up the razor yet...
Scott asked Jacob, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Jacob answered, "A Haircutter." (Now that's a surprise to both of us) Scott said, "Will you cut my hair for free?" Yes was the reply. Scott asked, "Will you cut boys and girls hair?" Yes was the reply.
A day later the same questions were asked by Shell Dinter and I. Jacob's answer was still, "A Haircutter." Shell said, "Don't you mean a barber?" And Jacob scowled at her and shouted, "NO, a haircutter." (He gave her that, did you not hear me the first time look) And why does he think we're deaf and has to shout everything? Shell or I asked, "Will you cut boys and girls hair?" and he sassily replied, "NO! Only boys!"
So obviously he really needs to work on his people skills if he wants to get any tips as a haircutter.
Tonight, as I was cleaning up, I watched the show Medium. The show was about a little boy who got away from his dad in the toy store and was kidnapped and then killed.
Everyone's worst nightmare and I HATE watching these types of shows. I know it happens, I know there are bad people and things out there, but it really hits home now that I have kids.
It sometimes keeps me from going out by myself with just the kids because "what if" one breaks away and runs somewhere? What do I do with the other two or three if Jacob is along? Some places aren't so stroller friendly...
I think Scott and I have a fear of more things with his job being a detective. He comes across some weird and horrific stuff. Both of us have a fear of predators and its not just strangers. Many predators are family or friends of the parents of the child. How scary is that???
So for all those predators and pedophiles out there, this one is for you.
We put our fence in our yard because of you. We lock our doors because of you. Our children don't go to daycare because of you. My children will not be allowed to ride their bikes alone or go to the park with other kids, because of you. They will always be supervised at practices and group activities because of you. We have guns in our house, because of you. But my children can never by 100% safe, because of you.
Since this blog is public, its scary to think that there could be some sick people out there looking for pictures and things to get off on. The nicest thing I can say about that is that I pray God takes care of you and puts you in the place you deserve.
This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing. I'm new at stuff like this... well, kind of. So I hope everyone can view them! And if you can't by clicking on this Flickr link, go to the bottom left column under favorite websites, its also listed there!
Blog blog, blog blog blog, BLOG! This word has become a regular in my vocabulary. Pretty soon I'll be talking about bluetooth and Wii or whatever it is called.
Crazy crazy world we live in and its always changing. AND, speaking of change, today we brought up the Step 2 Kangaroo Climber that had been in Jacob's playroom for the babies to play with. They loved it! So much that they were fighting over it. (No surprise there) Brooke found something new to stand at the top of and dare us to come get her. Matthew and John tried getting through the door at the same time with little success. BTW, we had a great day for napping! John took an almost 2 hour nap and Brooke and Matthew took an almost 3 hour nap.
It was a much needed change as they don't have very many toys to play with. Don't look to closely in the pictures I post because you'll see the few toys that they do have scattered around. Can you believe that we pick them up twice a day? Before nap time and then when the babies go to bed.
We got the hat box out again today and the babies had so much fun trying on hats. (See Flickr pictures post)
Jacob is now getting sick. He came home from Grandma Callaways today with a fever. I gave him ibuprofen and some cold medicine and within 20 minutes he was up supervising the babies. I was holding him in my arms, cradled like a baby, right after he got home. He was crying and moaning. I striped him down to his underwear and was waiting for Scott to get his pjs. The babies came over and did what primates normally do to others of their kind. Matthew and John start picking at Jacob and then pinching his back. Brooke just kept snapping the elastic on his underwear. During this Jacob starts crying and moaning more and I think the babies were concerned, however their ways of showing it needed some work. Jacob was too sick to appreciate their "concern" however, I found it hilarious. Jacob didn't like my laughing when he was feeling so bad. And by the way, he insists that he doesn't have a fever, just a cold.
Fishing report from Black Otter Lake. Winds from the ESE 5 to 10 mph. Clouds lifting in the early a.m. for variable sunlight throughout the day. Ice Conditions good. 8 to 10 inches thick and water clear and cold. Various fish can be scene on fish camera, however fish were not hungry today. Scott caught a couple bluegill and Jacob caught one bluegill. Was a lot of work with minimal success.
And while the big boys were fishing, my babies and I were at home. Johns fever was gone today, but I did go to Sam's Club to get some Tylenol just in case. Luann came over to watch the monkeys while I was gone. The babies each took turns putting this High School Musical purse over their heads and wearing Brooke's purple crocheted hat. John decided that Luann should put the purse over her head and I was surprised he didn't try to put the hat on her. But he did give her a kiss. He can be such a sweetheart for small moments of time. We have to cherish these times.
This afternoon I brought out a box of hats because the kids were fighting over Brooke's purple hat. They were so darn cute! There were sunhats, baseball caps, floppy hats, etc... and they were all tried on and analyzed. John and Matthew just laughed and giggled at each other putting on hats and playing their own version of peek-a-boo. John had his Steve Irwin hat on and he couldn't have been cuter. John went gangsta as he wore his hats backwards. Now, I would have loved to post pictures or have video of this event, however the camera and video camera were in possession of my husband, Scott. Since I didn't have either I called Mark and Luann to witness the cuteness. Scott was over at his parents house taking pictures of our beloved boat to sell it. I love that boat, having ordered it from the factory, picking out options and color schemes. However, there are some downfalls to my beautiful boat. 1) Its a Ski boat and not a fishing boat 2) It weighs two tons and sucks the life out of the truck 3) It takes a lot of gas 4) Gas is very expensive and will only get worse this summer 5) When fishing from the boat, only a few people can fish comfortably due to the design 6) It barely fits in the garage
So Scott's looking for some aluminum thing that has aerated fishing things and storage space and stuff. It won't have a sunpad, or a swim platform or nice ladder off the back, it won't have a wake board tower to hang from... There are some fish and skis out there, but its like going from a nice sporty car to a minivan. Its deja vu!
I think this is just a sign that we are getting older or that we have become boringly practical.
Today, Brooke was pretty funny herself. She likes to climb on top of the speaker next to the TV and try to grab stuff on top of the TV. Then she likes to dangle a leg off or just stand on one leg likes she's going to walk off the speaker. Problem is that its 16 inches or so off the ground and that a huge step for someone under a yard. She does the same thing on the couch and chair too. I don't want her to fall and hit her head on something. Brooke has a lot of characteristics of someone who is infamous. She swings one arm when she walks, she stands very stiffly and will point with her arm, she can stare you down very easily. Another similarity between this person and Brooke is that they share the same ancestry - they are German. She's blond and blue-eyed and he liked blonds with blue eyes. She can be mean as they come and so could he. However that's about where the similarities end. She was not out to conquer the world or torture and kill millions of people, just her brothers. I saw her today take Matthew down by his hair. I didn't even realize that he had long enough hair that she could pull him down by it. Poor kid, hes so passive, he just laid there and screamed as she tried to pull him around. I did intervene and held Matthew and gave him kisses and hugs. He's probably 4 to 5 pounds heavier than her, he really should use that to his advantage.
Its funny how my eye twitching stops when the monkeys go to bed.
I think my cold has passed on to John. He's got a fever of 101.1 So I gave him some Tylenol and an hour later it was down to 100.6 He's in a good mood, but just a little more cuddly than usual. Which means he's a monkey's baby (facing in, arms and legs wrapped around midsection of mama).
Matthew didn't take a nap today. He screamed and screamed when I put him down. So I rocked him to sleep and then put him down and he did the same thing again. Then I tried putting him down a couple of hours later... with the same results.
So, I'm hoping its going to be an earlier bedtime tonight for ALL my kids and so Scott and I can get some stuff cleaned up. O.K. probably Scott will do more than me. I'm pretty wiped out because my head feels like a block of cement. But Together Everyone Achieves More!
Since my post a few weeks ago, I've been feeling a little guilty about not giving the babies playing time in the bathtub. So I've increased that time from about 2 minutes to 5 to 7. It gives them time to play with their new bath toys (thanks to Cindy, Matthew's Godmother). They love to take those alphabet foam letters and put them on the wall and off and in their mouth and out. John tries to drown the wind-up floating giraffe. Matthew isn't interested in the wind up toys and Brooke just holds them in her hands and then tries to put them back into the netting.
Another interest bath observation is that Matthew must be really, really thirsty when he's bathing because he stands up and licks the bathtub walls. Which right away make me think that I need to clean them more often. He's the most content to sit and play in the bathtub. On the other side of the spectrum is my little Johnny. If you pour water on him or over his head he flips out and starts wiggling and standing up and giggling and is out of control. So he's basically a slippery moving target to try and get clean.
I'm late in blogging tonight because I had to go to jail for insider trading. Not because of my prior job as an equity trader, but because the Chance card in the Monopoly game sent me there. Jacob and I spent our alone time tonight playing on-line Monopoly. He likes it when the jail truck comes and takes the person to jail. Either he's following in Scott's footsteps or he's evil.
Jacob has been very trying today. He doesn't want to go to school, he doesn't want to go shopping, he doesn't want to go to swimming lessons AND he wants me to go to work and Scott to stay home. I've heard that about four times this week. I've also been hearing a lot of "You're wrong and I'm right!"
Now if I want to hear that constantly I would go back to work! I mention that I used to trade stocks for a living. I worked for a year after Jacob was born and a couple of people that whined and got sassy with me must have rubbed off on him. As much as I miss the challenge, I've got different challenges at home.
Speaking of challenges, it seems like the babies are always testing me and Jacob can be the team captain of disobedience. How does bedtime take over a 1/2 hour to get ready. So I "thought outside the box" and set a timer for a race. And it worked! He was ready in six minutes. But why should I re-invent the wheel when it comes to parenting. I think there should be a book that all of us moms can just go to that section and get ideas from other moms. Then I could just go to the section Throwing Food or Defiant Child or Getting rid of Nuks.
John was CRAZY today. He was jumping on Matthew, taking Brooke's things and generally just making everyone else around him unhappy. I think sometimes he is so happy and excited he doesn't know how to express himself. So he tackles Matthew or comes up and smacks me in the face and then gives me a big hug. He kept taking Brooke's NUK today or books she was reading or trying to steal her shoes, which were ON her. I heard Matthew cry countless times today when John was really just hugging/tackling him and Matthew's face was ground into the floor. John even got Jacob a few times with bumping him in the face or being rough.
Resolutions are just a ploy by fitness companies and diet companies to make money. Resolutions are just the final straw by someone thinking that if they tell the world or blog it, they'll shame themselves into following through. Resolutions are for the weak, the lazy and the disorganized public.
I have made the following resolutions:
I will live a healthier lifestyle by only smoking outside of the house and taking Oxycontin on a full stomach.
I will live a healthier lifestyle by watching The Biggest Loser and its re-runs.
I will promise to make more meals in the microwave.
I will not talk on the telephone, yell at the kids and drive at the same time.
Well, my day started off at 5 a.m. being awoken by screaming. Little helpless Brooke wouldn't open her eyes to find her own NUK. So I gave that to her and then Matthew started screaming. I laid him down and gave him his diaper rag and went back to bed. Matthew screamed on and off until the other babies awoke at 7:30 and I got up. Not sure what his problem is, but he's going to be sorting it out by himself in his crib. With me being sick, I need my beauty sleep and not someone screaming in my ear just because he wants to be by me. So, with that said, I think the rest of the day has gone kind of the same way. Brooke has been throwing temper tantrums all morning, Matthew just starts screaming when someone looks at the same book as he is. Johnny is his normal self. He choreographed the food riot this morning at breakfast and was his giggly self today. Jacob also must not be getting enough sleep because he's been very sassy and loud all day. We were eating lunch and he said he had to go to the bathroom. He came back about 10 minutes later and said, "I washed my mouth out with soap because I've been naughty." Now, I have not threatened a soap washing for at least a year. I've found other punishments that work just as well. But I know he overheard my sister telling my nephew that he'd get his mouth washed out with soap this weekend, and I guess he fixated on that. So I asked him which soap he had tried because we have regular antibacterial soap and the pump soap from Bath and body in the bathroom. He had tried both and didn't like the soap in the silver container, the other foam stuff tasted better. It was pineapple flavored. So folks, there you have it! The results are in! If you want to get your kids good, use the regular Soft soap antibacterial kind and not the fu-fu flavored stuff from Bath and Body. The other couple of memorable things that came out of Jacob's mouth this weekend are: "Dude" ( I think he got that from Scott's friend ice fishing) and he used it correctly when he was playing with some toys. And as we were cleaning up for the night getting the babies ready for bed, they were at the TV again. Scott and Jacob were doing something and I passed by Jacob who had just noticed the babies were at the TV again. He muttered, "stupid little babies" and went to go get them away from the TV. Again, I don't say stupid in the house because that's not a kind word and have never uttered the phrase, "stupid little babies." He must have gotten it from someone else or maybe TV. And I know he doesn't feel that way because he's always playing with them and mothering them, it was just something he had heard.
O.K. I confess, I do say stupid in the house but not in front of Jacob because he's a repeater. I TRY to be a living example for my kids, and try is the key word...
The pictures are of Jacob's big catch on December 31st, of John and Matthew sitting in the book box together, a close-up of John, a picture of Matthew sitting in a chair reading and of Brooke throwing a temper tantrum on the floor (isn't it cute?). Of course I can't get them uploaded now... so I'll do it later.
