Tagged

I was tagged by my internet friend MaryBeth over at: https://foursillysisters.blogspot.com/ She tagged me a looong time ago, and I'm just now sitting down to do this. Sorry MB!! I'm to go to my 5th folder in my pictures file and select the 5th picture and tell you about it. Here it is:

This is my sweet Ellie, around 18 months, when she was just getting into wearing any jewelry she could find. She was so excited to get a necklace and a matching bracelet that she wore them both for days. Looking back over all the pictures was amazing. I can't believe that my little 2 lb babies are 2 1/2 and are doing so well. They never stop talking and making up stories. They love the fort we made this weekend and kept pretending that the Big Bad Wolf or Swiper was coming to chase them. Amazing little minds.

In other news, I will be going back to work full time next week. Jack and I decided that with the nature of this market and with him being in mortgages, that it was best to have some security until (hopefully) this economy sorts itself out. I have two girls who will alternate days taking care of the kids at our house. We are also seriously contemplating getting an aupair, so if any of you have advice about aupairs, please, please, please share!!!

Toddler's Creed

I cannot take credit for this, but it is sooooo true!


The Toddler’s Creed

If it is on, I must turn it off.
If it is off, I must turn it on.
If it is folded, I must unfold it.
If it is a liquid, it must be shaken, then spilled.
If it a solid, it must be crumbled, chewed or smeared.
If it is high, it must be reached.
If it is shelved, it must be unshelved.
If it is pointed, it must be run with at top speed.
If it has leaves, they must be picked.
If it is plugged, it must be unplugged.
If it is not trash, it must be thrown away.
If it is in the trash, it must be removed, inspected, and thrown on the floor.
If it is closed, it must be opened.
If it does not open, it must be screamed at.
If it has drawers, they must be rifled.
If it is a pencil, it must write on the refrigerator, monitor, or table.
If it is full, it will be more interesting emptied.
If it is empty, it will be more interesting full.
If it is a pile of dirt, it must be laid upon.
If it is stroller, it must under no circumstances be ridden in without protest. It must be pushed by me instead.
If it has a flat surface, it must be banged upon.
If Mommy's hands are full, I must be carried.
If Mommy is in a hurry and wants to carry me, I must walk alone.
If it is paper, it must be torn.
If it has buttons, they must be pressed.
If the volume is low, it must go high.
If it is toilet paper, it must be unrolled on the floor.
If it is a drawer, it must be pulled upon.
If it is a toothbrush, it must be inserted into my mouth.
If it has a faucet, it must be turned on at full force. I
f it is a phone, I must talk to it.
If it is a bug, it must be swallowed.
If it doesn't stay on my spoon, it must be dropped on the floor.
If it is not food, it must be tasted.
If it is food, it must not be tasted.
If it is dry, it must be made wet with drool, milk, or toilet water.
If it is a carseat, it must be protested with an arched back.
If it is Mommy (or Daddy), it must be hugged.
I am toddler!

Pictures will be downloaded tonight or tomorrow and will be posted soon!!!

Diva

In my last post, I mentioned that Lily seems possessed. She does, but in lieu of the word 'possessed' we are going to use 'diva.' It sounds nicer. She's been getting 4 teeth in and I believe that that is the reason for some of her diva behavior, but by no means am I going to put it all on teething. She doesn't get off the hook that easily.

Once, she woke up at 9:30pm crying. Jack and I were watching TV and I decided to check on her. When I opened the door and went to her, she began screaming like a diva. Hands and legs were flailing and I thought she was going to bust a vocal chord, she was screaming so loudly. I rushed her out of the room so her brother and sister wouldn't wake up. She wriggled out of my arms and fled down the hall like a banchee, I mean, like a diva. She ran screaming all the way down the hall and didn't stop until she ran into a pile of to-be-folded laundry at the end of the hall. She fell into it and then began scratching at the walls. She wouldn't be comforted and nothing I could do would have helped at that point. I've experienced this diva behavior before and know how she works. I stuck her ina pack in play in our spare room and let her get all of her screaming out. Jack and I cracked a bottle of wine and turned up the TV for a while. After about 10-15 minutes, I went back in knowing full well that she'd fall into my arms. I got it right and she cuddled like she hadn't seen me in days. She watched some TV with me and Jack and then we put her down and she fell asleep instantly.

Another diva episode happened about two weeks ago. She wanted a toy that Ellie had and I told her that she needed to wait until Ellie was done with it. Diva Lily came out fast and furious. She ran up to me with "that look." I told her that she needed to be careful lest she hit or scratch me and land herself with a spanking and time out. She controlled herself, but flew over to the table and was getting ready to push everything within reach off of it. I reminded her that she can be mad, but she cannot destroy anything. She let out a diva scream and flew over to the leather footrest and scratched it. The 4 long fingernail scratches will fade over time. I find it hard not to laugh during these episodes because I now that nothing is wrong with her, but she becomes so angry and often hits the point where she just can't even control herself.

She is just a love, but she throws quite a temper tantrum. Don't you just wish that sometimes you could put on a show like that too and just let all the frustrations out without being judged or scaring your young children? I do.

So, I know I'm behind. I've never been a journaler and in fact, I clearly remember in 5th grade, we had our journal books and each morning when we arrived, we had to sit and write a paragraph about whatever. I hated it. I never knew what to write and if I was thinking about it in my head, then why should I write it down and more to the point, why should the teacher be reading it? I'd love to write a book with helpful hints about triplets because there is nothing out there. Sure, Happiest Baby on the Block and Babywise are great, but how does it work and how is everything different when you have 3 babies instead of 1. Believe you me, there are many differences. The idea of writing a book and getting the profits sounds great, but I'm not a writer.

Anyway, here are some recent pics. By recent, I mean within the past 6 months, since I blogged last. I've actually been busy cleaning tomato out of carpet and sunscreen off pots and pans.

Liam was a frog-turtle. The story behind that new species is that I bought him a turtle costume from Babystyle and he loved it. Later, he changed his mind and decided that he wanted to be a frog. Too late, but luckily he believed me when I told him that he was a frog, but looked like a turtle. He said a "frog-turtle" and it fit perfectly. Lily was a flitting ladybug and Ellie was a bee. They were miserably sick that week, but were so beyond thrilled that thye just had to knock on a door and someone would just give them CANDY! They couldn't believe it. I couldn't deprive them because of a fever.

Lily caught on fast to the whole holiday. We had been on our cul-de-sac and then covered the cul-de-sac behind us. We had hit about 16 homes and on the last one, Lily marches up the door and as soon as the lady opens the door, my well-behaved child yells, "I want candy!" I was so proud.

Look at the look on Lily's face. She still can't believe that she gets to eat candy. She was so excited. I still feel that way when I eat it. Candy makes me happy.

More to come. I promise. I'm into it now. All my pics are downloaded. I've got to tell you how Lily seems possessed when she gets really really mad, our flights to and from CA for Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving and the snow we've been playing in. Oh, and the switch from cribs to toddler beds.

I'm Back

I know it has been a while. There's been a lot going on around here! For one, I started working. I'm working 3 very part time jobs, but it is keeping me busy. I love them and it is actually nice to get out of the house. Two of my jobs are on weekends or evenings, so Jack is with the kids. My other part-timer is on Wednesdays and I have an awesome sitter who comes and does endless art projects with them. You know, the art projects that you dream about doing when you have kids, but when you actually have kids, the mess and clean-up involved is just too much sometimes. Yesterday, she collected leaves, cut out a tree from a box, painted the tree, had the kids paint the leaves and then hot-glued the leaves to the tree. First of all, I would never have even thought of that and secondly, it wouldn't have turned out as cute as hers did. Oh, she does the art projects and takes wonderful car of my kids even with her 1-year old daughter whom she brings each time. Gotta love it!

Here's how the week has started:

Monday: I had to get to a triplet group meeting (Jack was out of town) so our next door neighbor was coming to babysit. I had 20 minutes til she came. I was making dinner and on the phone making a Dr. appt for Ellie. I took out some ingredients to make a salad for the kids, but when I went to get the 40 grape tomatoes, they were gone. I could have sworn I took them out, but maybe I had put them back in when I was opening and closing the fridge. Oh well. I went to the playroom to get the kids and lo and behold, all 40 of my tomatoes were spread around the playroom CARPET and smooshed. It looked like they stomped to their hearts' content on the tomatoes on my carpet. And, for a bonus, there was pulp and seeds in their hair. I have never been so mad at them! I get frustrated, yes, but never livid, can't-breathe-mad. After a short rant, I told them to get to their kitchen chairs pronto.
I had 15 minutes to clean the floor and at least start dinner with them before the sitter came. I had to pick up all the tomatoes, pulp and seeds and then got out my awesome carpet stain remover and sprayed away. After about 10 minutes, I went back to the kitchen to get them their dinner.
All the time I'd been cleaning, they had been sitting in their chairs, SILENT! To have 3 2-year olds sitting silent is a miracle. I proceeded to give them their dinner and lecture them. They ate for 10 minutes in silence. I'm not kidding!!! A full 20 minutes of silence!
Ellie said she was done so I got her down and knowing that she was the one who pulled the box of tomatoes down, I got down on her cute little 2-year old eye level and told her, "Don't you ever take anything off this counter again. I'm not mad anymore."
She followed up with, "Mommy all done mad?"
"Yes, baby, I'm all done being mad."
Liam pipes up, "Mommy happy!"
"No, baby, I'm not quite happy yet, but I'm not mad."

Tuesday: They were playing happily in the kitchen with all the pots and pans, so I took a few minutes, meaning probably 4 minutes total, to run upstairs and do a load of laundry. Just as I'm coming back down the stairs, Ellie says, "Mommy clean hands?" Uh-oh. There was a white creamy substance all over her hands and as I turn the corner in the kitchen, there is a chair pulled up to a counter and pots and pans all over the floor. Wait....the creamy white substance is all over the pots and pans too, and my cupboards, and Lily and Liam. As a result of my master detective skills, I deduce that they have pulled the sunscreen off the counter, unscrewed it and wiped it everywhere! Note to self: sunscreen does not come out in the dishwasher, nor does it come out if you use scalding hot water and dishsoap. If you're invited to our house for dinner, the dinner you are served may have a slight sunscreen taste. The excess wine that we will be serving will take care of that taste.

Wednesday: I went to work and maybe stayed a little later than usual. :)

I'll work on getting pictures up.