Yesterday

She smiles! For the camera, even!

I once read a Dear Abbey letter written by a single person, wondering why her stay-at-home mom friend never seemed to have time to chat. After all, how hard can it be?Abbey's response was lovely: in a nutshell, it's because it takes the mom 45 minutes to do what it would take someone else 15--if it's even possible--and that if, by remote chance, the mom encounters a moment of silence, she might really want/need to keep it silent. For her own sanity. In the spirit of that post, here's the rundown of a typical day in our household with a new baby (as opposed to when there's not a new baby, in which case there are more grocery outings and field trips).

When do I start? How about at the beginning:

They really are little angels. Most of
the time, anyway. 

12:30 a.m.: Naomi starts fussing. I feed her and change her diaper in the dark with one eye closed in hopes I'll be able to get back to sleep that much faster. Fortunately, I do not also need to change her sleeper this time. Other times, I might not be so lucky.

2:30 a.m.: Naomi. Same routine, except Naomi is a little tireder this time, and falls back to sleep faster.

3:30 a.m.: Again., but with no diaper change.

5:00 a.m.: And again, but with a diaper change because last night I didn't and the baby and I both paid for it.

Aunt Jo gets to hold Naomi!
And Naomi gets to be held
by Aunt Jo!

6:00 a.m.: And again. No diaper. Naomi is tireder and falls asleep faster each time. I am more awake and fall asleep more slowly each time.

7:01 a.m.: Matt and I only rarely set an alarm nowadays, as Matt's current rotation at work is pretty flexible. So it's usually at this time that we're greeted by a little girl in a footie sleeper and with an armful of stuffed animals. Sometimes bouncing around, sometimes crawling into bed with us and staying put for a bit. Either way, it's time for us to get up and start the day.

7:20: Both big girls are usually up playing by now. The baby is still asleep, tired out from waking up all night. I gently mention to the big girls that breakfast is at 8:00, and they need to get their routines started (potty, getting dressed, putting PJs away and, for the bigger one, making her bed and brushing her hair. That's it.) in order to have time to eat. If it's a preschool day, I remind them that we don't want to be late. I walk off to get myself ready, and they stay put.

Uncle Jim, too! Naomi is a very
passable baby.

7:30: One big girl is half undressed, the other is playing. They might be fighting. Either way, virtually no progress has been made. I tell them, "Time to get ready!" and give them each a step to work on.

7:35: No one has moved. I speak up again. No one moves. I begin to doubt my own existence.

7:40: I'm still trying to rally the troops, and the baby wakes up. So now, I'm getting myself ready, changing and smiling at the baby (after all, these are the best smiles of the day!) and supervising the big girls.

7:50: After some more prodding, each girl has about half of her responsibilities done, but one is carefully making a bead design using tiny beads while the other is scattering tiny beads across the room. I tell them it's almost time for breakfast and that I'm going downstairs because the baby and I are both hungry. The big girls have now had half an hour to complete six minutes worth of responsibilities.

Pajama party to watch the Charlie
Brown Christmas special! But then
we couldn't find it, so we watched
Berenstein Bears instead. My kids
are so TV deprived that they care
not what they watch, as long as
they are watching, and they didn't
trust me that the Christmas special
wasn't scary, anyway.

7:52: I have finally managed to calm down hysterical preschoolers, terrified of being left upstairs alone. They are now ever so slightly more motivated, and in the next five minutes I'm able to push , pull and drag them through the remaining steps. I try to keep the mood light--after all, we have a whole day ahead of us. (If it's not a preschool day, I loosen up on the timing a bit--but not too much or I'll pay for it the next preschool day.)

8:02: I see that the kitchen is dirty. It was (mostly) clean last night. But now it is dirty again. The girls have finally made it downstairs, and are playing. I remind them if that if they'd like breakfast, now is the time. There won't be another time. They must eat now. They start gathering bowls and spoons. Both are able to pour milk using Milk Pitcher, one of the household's favorite possessions--so they can actually pretty much fix their entire breakfast themselves.

8:20: Everyone has eaten at least something. If it's a preschool day, I start the process of hurrying them up to brush their teeth, and out the door (a huge undertaking in itself). I try to intersperse my directives with pleasant conversation so that I'm not 100% grump. I would tear my hair out, but it's all falling out already because I just had a baby. Naomi, by the way, is playing happily on her playmat, all but ignored as I finish the early morning's tasks.

Approximately 13 new babies have
been born in our church. Naomi
and the only other girl have decided
they'd better stick together.

8:30: Today is not a preschool day, so now the kids are leisurely having another bowl of cereal, walking back and forth to the kitchen even though I remind them they have to stay at the table to eat, while I work on cleaning up the counter and play with Naomi. I start to relax.

8:40: We're done with breakfast! And dressed! Our teeth might even be brushed! I delightedly tell the girls that they can now play while I do my "Mommy work." Finally, I don't have to nag anyone anymore!

8:43: The girls have stopped playing and are bored. Apparently, all the playing for the day has already happened. They: come this close to hurting each other, jump on the couch and/or follow me around, asking for crafts and stories and, generally, to be entertained. I would feel bad for them and cave, except I just spent the last hour and a half trying to get them to stop playing. I convince myself that I'm not going crazy, and am not a bad mommy, and tell them that we will read and play together when my work is done. Work before play. A life lesson we relearn every hour.

Naomi loves her play gym more than
both of the others combined. Now I
know what they are for. I almost did
not bother to get it out. Bat, bat, bat.
Swing, swing, swing. Whee!

8:50: Kalina and Elise follow me upstairs while I put Naomi down for a nap. They want to see her diaper and climb in her crib. Because they are just bored to death. Then, Kalina goes into her room to play with her beads, and Elise follows either her or me. She mentions that she's "tired." I try to sympathize, but not over-sympathize, lest that pave the way for more complaints.

9:00: I'm straightening the downstairs, planning the laundry and remembering odd things that need to get done while Elise sits on the couch with her blankie. She's tired. And bored. Kalina wanders down and sits on Elise's blankie. Elise screams. But then the next minute I've managed to get them to be friends again, and they play nicely for a while. I empty the top rack of the dishwasher, put something in the mail, run laundry downstairs and wipe out the sink, spattering the conversation with common phrases like, "No throwing stuffed animals into the fan!" and, "Your sister probably doesn't want ice cream on her head." Soon, someone accidentally gets a tiny bit hurt. Again, I try to sympathize without over-sympathizing. It comes out a bit fake.

9:25: The situation has deteriorated again, so we bake! Muffins, cookies, biscuits for dinner--you name it. We love baking. If we just really don't need any baked goods, chances are we'll clean up the floor and vacuum, since no one else has any better ideas. They don't like the cleaning, but they do love hitting the vacuum while it's running. I don't love it quite so much.

10:00: It seems that we just finished breakfast, but it is snacktime, which really only Elise needs. They ask for candy, I give them a banana and a muffin we just baked. I empty half of the bottom half of the dishwasher while running back and forth refilling water glasses.

10:10: The baby is awake! We all troop upstairs and give her a bath. The big girls help by carrying her clean clothes and diaper into the bathroom, and then by staying out of the way. I impress upon the big girls how important it is to stay put while I'm bathing the slippery baby, lest they be banished from the small bathroom and, apparently, the only interesting that is happening right now.

10:30: I feed the baby. The girls are bored (again) so we read a few stories, and then I offer to play with any or all of the following: blocks, Little People, puzzles, games, ponies, Duplo, any other toy laying around.. But the girls only want to do impossible things, like sew a table for their stuffed animals, or watch TV the rest of the morning. I decide to just play with Naomi, who has just started to bat at toys and can do so seemingly endlessly.  Elise joins me on the baby playmat and after setting the playmat up with new toys for Naomi, Kalina flips through library books. I escape to switch out the laundry and work, again, on the breakfast and muffin dishes. Everybody's happy! Magical.

11:00: I have decided that the fridge needs cleaning, even though the dishwasher is not yet empty and there's wet laundry sitting in the washing machine. Naomi is gnawing on her front carrier while I check the freshness of certain Tupperware containers. The girls are bored. As usual, I have a dozen incredible suggestions, but they are all rejected. I pull out one of my favorite strategies-of-desperation: I assign them a small task to do, like cleaning all the toys out of the living room (there are about five). All of a sudden, Elise is pretending to be a baby bunny, Kalina is pretending to be the bunny's owner, and they're playing happily! They are so cute! I can finally finish cleaning up the kitchen, right before it's time to make lunch! I'm ever so slightly annoyed when the girls actually finish their task (no nagging required, for some reason) and wait for me to come up with something else amazingly fun to do.

12:00: I'm not really sure how the rest of the morning was spent, between baby caretaking, the occasional chore, and some playtime. But here it is, lunchtime. We all chat and eat together, then since they take insanely long to eat, I start cleaning up the kitchen (notice a theme?) while reminding them to stay on their chairs. I am like a magnetic force, and they are the little magnets, though, so it's really hard for Elise, especially, to be in a different room from me. Even though we can talk and see each other. She bounces back and forth until she's finally "done."

12:30: I remember that piano practice with Kalina usually goes better earlier in the day. She only grumbles a tiny bit as she makes her way to the bench. I try to keep Elise from pounding the keys while Kalina is practicing. I'm usually holding the baby at the same time, so this can take some acrobatics. After this, I'm usually good for a few stories, or pretend vet clinic, or whatnot, if they ask me. Or cleaning up the kitchen if they manage on their own.

1:15: Elise doesn't often nap anymore, but we do all have "quiet time." I try to have all three girls do quiet time at the same time, but that doesn't always work out. Either way, I usually have to interrupt happy playtime to start our quiet time--although I do try to wait for a natural break/fight, since happy playtime is so rare some days. Oh well. After 15 minutes of more prodding, I'm reading a story to Elise while Kalina looks on (and sometimes Naomi). Then I play a bit with Kalina in her room before her quiet time.

1:40: My quiet time! I answer the phone for only Matt. I switch out the laundry, throw anything left out from lunch into the fridge, and attempt to sit down. I answer emails, blog, work on freelance work, look up anything that needs to be looked up (like new craft ideas), make important phone calls, space out a bit, etc. But mostly, I sit down--because I might not be able to again for a good seven hours. It's quiet.

2:00: Elise has wandered into Kalina's room, they have hurt each other (real or pretend), and I'm upstairs dealing with it. No, they're not allowed in each other's rooms during quiet time, so I'm not very sympathetic. For the record, I don't actually care whether they're in each other's rooms for downtime as long as I don't hear about it, and can sit down. Usually they actually play really nicely up there--probably only because they think they're not allowed.

2:15: Naomi wakes up. My quiet time is over, but it's still fun to spend time with just my cute baby! I go back and forth, cleaning up the lunch dishes and laughing with the only kid I don't have to nag on a daily basis (yet).

2:40: The big girls come downstairs, downtime over. They want crafts and stories. Mommy has other ideas, though: the sun is shining and it's supposed to rain for the next five days, so we're going outside. I prod the girls into their shoes (coats are optional: it is a problem that will work itself out very quickly) and we all try to have fun in our yard for at least 20 minutes or more. Sometimes this is really hard for some reason. Maybe I'm just not a fun person? Maybe I'd be more fun if anybody ever liked my suggestions or cooperated.

3:30: We have come in for snacktime. The girls want cookies. I give them Goldfish, walnuts and apple slices. I actually finish cleaning up the kitchen. For the second time today!

4:00: When the baby goes down for a nap in the afternoon, I really do pull out a craft or other activity and do my best to sit down and enjoy it with them, whether my Mommy Work is done or not (is it ever really done?). If it involves painting, however, the situation, which has started nicely enough, and for which I have very high hopes, quickly deteriorates into, "Don't squeeze all the paint out!!!" and, "Elise, paint belongs on the paper, not your face!" Which is probably why she continues to paint her face/hands next time. I do love seeing what Kalina comes up with, though, and I can't help but laugh with Elise at all the things she finds to laugh at, including her own mistakes. Wise child.

4:30: I send Kalina upstairs to put away her laundry while I clean up the craft project and Elise gives her ponies a "pony bath" in the bathroom sink. Sometimes around this time the neighbor girls convince Kalina to play outside, sometimes a couple of them end up at our house and I find myself watching a couple extra kids (albeit older ones) and trying to keep them quiet while the baby sleeps. I never know what, exactly, my afternoon will be like. Either way, I'm likely to turn on some music.

4:45: If there are no neighbor girls, Kalina is likely to be found hoisting a miniature sea turtle into her pretend castle using a strand of beads, having put away about two pairs of socks. She wants help: I mention that I already helped her by washing and sorting it. On a good day, it takes her no longer than 15 minutes--on a bad, she can stretch it out for an hour. I'm hoping that one day she'll learn the obvious lesson in this. I ask Elise to straighten up her room (mostly so that poor Kalina isn't the only kid working). Elise happily finishes the job in five minutes. So I know the problem isn't me...

5:30: The baby's back awake by now, so I'm likely to be feeding her and thinking about dinner. We still have some frozen meals, so I rarely cook on weekdays (we also eat leftovers from the weekend, when I do cook). But it takes a good 20 minutes to heat up a meal for four, plus prepare sides and drinks. Kalina colors amazing abstract pictures while Elise tries to sneak tastes of dinner and makes jokes.

5:55: Daddy is home! I always wonder what he thinks of us when he walks in the door. Sometimes, two pint-sized cuties are rocketing toward him, sometimes they're jumping around in the other room, oblivious to his entrance, and sometimes they're playing very quietly upstairs and the house is silent. He tries to tell me about his day, while the big girls try to climb him and tell him about theirs, while I try to listen to him and respond in meaningful ways, keep the baby happy and answer the big girls' questions and make dinner. It's the most intense five minutes of the day, and sometimes it puts me over the edge. Everything calms down when I can convince Matt to save the details for later when I'll be able to pay attention a bit better, and he and one or more of the children troop upstairs so he can get changed.

6:15: Dinner. Also, commonly, a baby naptime, so I wolf my food and put a cranky baby to bed while Daddy, thankfully always in a good mood (having gotten to sit down during the day), chats with the big girls.

6:45: I'm working on dinner dishes and general cleanup--and even breathing once or twice. Matt takes the girls up for bathtime, or if it's not a bath night, plays with them a bit. I follow shortly to do the hair-washing. We all have something we hate in regards to kid-care, and this is his. I totally get that, and I don't mind. It does take some more nagging, but my skin is pretty thick by this time in the day.

7:20: I run around taking care of the baby and helping finish up the big girls for bedtime. This is quite a process sometimes; other days it goes quickly.

7:40: Matt takes one child and I take two, and we start bedtime stories. With any luck, the big girls' lights will be out before 8:00--or by 7:30 for Elise if she hasn't napped.

8:15: I'm feeding the baby and trying to wind her down. Elise asks for water. Kalina kicks the wall.

8:35: I start the process of settling the baby to sleep. In a dark room. Exhausted. I try not to fall asleep myself, and think about how I'm going to spend all my free time before bed.

8:50: The baby seems to be asleep! I go downstairs, finish a few tasks, and sink into the recliner, chocolate in hand.

8:55: The baby is crying. Up to settle her.

9:00: Matt comes in to finish telling me about his highly intellectual day. I try, again, to pay attention.

9:15: I sit down and relax! Possibly watch TV. Possibly just stare off into space, or the netherland that is the Internet.

9:35: I decide I better go to bed.

9:55: Matt goes to sleep with earplugs and a sleep mask, lest he wake up (which is fine--at least then one of us isn't so sleep-deprived their vision is blurred. Still, some days I wish I could be the one with earplugs and a sleep mask.). I lay down to read a bit. The baby wakes up. I go in to settle her.

10:15: Sleep!

11:15: Baby

And then I do it all again tomorrow! And the next day, and the next, and the next...until they're in college, it seems. And then I will miss it.

[Note: The past three nights, the baby has only needed settling about four times! I don't, however, count on it lasting, and this post reflects what has been normal for the past couple weeks.]

Now, let's pretend I get fed up with all the alleged boredom sometime during the day, and take the girls to the park. It goes something like this:

Me: Who wants to go to the park?
Elise: Me!
Kalina: Not me.
Me: Well, we're going--Kalina, we'll do a craft or something later. Let's get shoes on for the park!
No movement.
Me: Kiddos, grab your two things (they get to take two toys along for the ride), and shoes and coat.
The kids wander in opposite directions and get distracted.
Me: Looks like you'll be sitting in the van with no shoes on at the park! Too bad! (I'm not, actually, kidding. I have no problem getting out with Naomi at the park and leaving two shoeless big kids in the van.)
The kids know I'm not bluffing, and start moving. Fifteen minutes later, we're at the 1-minute-away neighborhood park. We drove in case of inclement weather, plus the fact that Naomi needs frequent naps.
Me: Yay, the park! Have fun you guys!
Kids: We'll just sit here with you.
Me: Um, no. You can sit at home. Go! Run! Play! Why don't you ____ (insert any of a dozen fantastic ideas I would've/did love as a kid)?
Kids: No.
Kalina: I'm ready to go home.
Finally, Elise wanders off to look for pillbugs, and Kalina eventually consents to help. They completely ignore the equipment, preferring, instead, to climb all over the furniture at home.
Two minutes later, Kalina gets hurt and decides to just sit. To try to salvage the situation, I hop up and help her hobble around, looking for pillbug food or whatever. In this way, we eek out something that could be considered "fun." Interspersed with lots of sitting and general boredom, and lots of amazing rejected suggestions by yours truly.
A while later, Me: It's almost time to leave, but we'll play a little bit longer. Simon says...go down a slide!
I wish I'd tried Simon Says earlier, because within five minutes the girls are happily playing together, and look like they could do so for quite some time. But the baby is already past due for her nap, and the big girls had plenty of time to have fun if they'd chosen to.
Me: Time to head home!
Kids: Nooo!

Mommyhood: trying to get little people to do what they don't want to do. A million times a day. But I really will miss it.

November bright spots

What I'm thankful for.

Where did November go? It's almost as though I slept through it. Except, strangely, it would be more the opposite...

At any rate, this dark month was brightened by my three little cherubs ("cherubs?") and probably a little too much chocolate.

We kicked November off by introducing Thankful the Turkey, a large paper turkey that lived on our dining room wall and reminded us, by his colorful feathers, that despite cloudy, rainy, cold days when the sun seems to set shortly after our afternoon snack how much we're grateful for. "Fairies" made it up there twice in some form or fashion, and "family and friends" not as much as was deserved. We're also thankful for God and the wonderful things he does (not to be confused with the Wizard of Oz) light, bumblebees and honey, a warm house, crayons and stickers, stuff that we like, things to drink, the new boat, stuffed animals, Thankful the Turkey himself, and much, much more. So much more that Thankful the Turkey eventually bloomed a fully and vibrant tail of colorful, thankful feathers.

Our real Thanksgiving pilgrim meal!

Most of November comprised Naomi's third month of life. She started chewing on her hands, sleeping shorter stretches at night, smiling and talking more, and even laughing, although she was hoarse the first couple times so I couldn't actually hear it. She is still pretty mellow when all her needs are met, and loves to stare at the world around her. Naomi still manages to eek out naps in the carseat when she absolutely has to, but she is not happy about it and needs to be swung or bounced in it for it to happen. Try bouncing 30 pounds of carseat for 30 minutes sometime.

Plus, Naomi has a new trick! Come from far or near to see the amaaazzzinnngg....naaaappppiingg....baaaabbyyyyyyyy!!!!! That's right, Naomi can fall asleep all by herself--sans pacifier, even. As it turns out, November is even darker when spent patting and shushing a baby in a dark room, but the reward is fit even for Thankful the Turkey's plumage. A reliable crib nap that takes all of five minutes to procure has saved the sanity of the entire household--including Naomi, who was getting pretty annoyed with a mommy who couldn't get the whole nap thing right.

Who caught who?

I've been told I even make it look easy. "What an easy, happy baby!" They tell me. Happy, yes. Easy, my foot. Just ask the majority of November.

November got darker when both Elise and Naomi contracted quite bad colds--sending poor Naomi to the doctor, even, due to a temperature. They recovered, as did Naomi's happy napping.

The brightest part of November was, of course, Thanksgiving. Most of our company hadn't yet arrived on Thursday, so we celebrated by watching the parade and welcoming Uncle Tom and Grandpa. We cooked our best guess at a real pilgrim meal: fish, cornbread, hand-shaken butter (our churn was out of order) and green beans. Never mind that the fish was already breaded, frozen and from a box. The girls happily assumed the role of "pilgrim children," sharing a plate, eating with their fingers (to Elise's delight) and standing at the table instead of sitting. Kalina managed to hold to the rule of not talking unless spoken to, but Elise, even after practicing all week, lasted less than 30 seconds.

We dedicated Naomi and Elise at
church!

By Friday evening, a full grouping of family was in attendance for the first time in a long time, so spirits were high. The big girls broke prior eating records by sampling and even downing turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, a little corn casserole and cranberries. Maybe next year they'll appreciate my stuffing? We played games, petted Poky and generally had a wonderful holiday. Naomi hung out on the laps of various family members, glad for the cozy warmth.

And so it was, despite November's best efforts, a wonderfully bright month. Here are a few other highlights:

Matching in purple!

Aunt Nancy meets Naomi, and vice
versa!

Naomi instinctively knows Uncle Tom is
pretty funny.

Next to Thankful the Turkey and
Naomi napping, our "bunny trail"
is one of my proudest Mommy
accomplishments.

Look how cute!

Me and my littlest!

An Aunt Debbie hot cocoa party!

Some serious puzzling with Uncle
David.

The Aunt Debbie easy chair!

Look at those cheeks!

A little too much celebrating?

We're so glad Poky brought Aunt
Nancy to visit!

Our Halloween in pictures

Happy Halloween! Our day was packed with treats (and at least one trick!). Here's the rundown:

If you look closely, you can see our little fairy waving at our
little unicorn during their preschool costume parade.

Kalina participated in a class production of The Big Pumpkin,
as performed at the home for visually impaired women across
the street from preschool. Both Grandpa and I agreed that she
was the best performer, despite her nerves that she would
mess up or forget her line, which was "Drat!" She's since used it
frequently in everyday conversation. And by the way,
there's no chance she would forget it: every child had the same
role and the same line. The best part, as I told Kalina later,
was her giant smile as she came up to have her chance at
picking the big pumpkin.

The kids finally figure out how to pluck the big pumpkin
from the vine: cooperate!

They also sang some sweet little Halloween songs.

Naomi dressed as a ladybug for Halloween, and also put
on a smile. :)

Elise thinks that dot markers are facepaint. I
had to leave the room to laugh hysterically into
my hands before I could (gently) scold her. I
think she knew I was bluffing when I pulled
out my camera--never before have I felt the need to
get a picture of her making a birthday card. She
totally knew my story was a cover-up, and could
see the smile in my eyes as I cleaned her up
after the picture. Trick or treat? That is the
question!

A flower fairy and a unicorn headed out into the
rain for trick-or-treating with Mommy! We were
the only ones, but that meant we got extra
candy (not that we needed it).

Naomi's first Halloween!

We bypassed the usual kitten pumpkin and opted for a fairy
and a unicorn. Daddy's an amazing pumpkin artist.

When you tell a 3-year-old, "No treats until
we're home" (mostly because it's raining), she
takes you literally. Elise dug into the Tootsie
Roll she'd been eyeing just one step inside
the front door. 

Cute things

Elise and Woolly

One of the worst possible things that can happen if you're a caterpillar is to be found by a young child who is, in fact, interested in caterpillars. Especially if you're fuzzy or, woolly, in the case of a certain woolly bear caterpillar that used to live in our yard, but now lives in a small bug cage that gets carried place to place by a toddler. And given rides.

Poor Woolly, as we call him! Elise is beyond delighted with her new pet, found for her one evening by Daddy. She loves to hold him and does so as often as possible, either taking him out of his cage inside the house when she forgets that it's against the rules (no holding bugs in the house!) or frequently asking to be taken outside so she can hold him and watch him inch up her arm or on her shirt. She's surprisingly gentle when she has to pull him off to drop him back in the cage, although we usually let Kalina do the task, just in case.

And we use "him" loosely--for a while, it was a girl caterpillar until Elise realized we didn't really know for sure. He's been to the park, as well as for multiple rides in the van, our toy grocery cart and our toy car. He's been down slides, and he's been spun in circles many times. We gather fresh food for Woolly daily, and Elise is aware that at some point we'll have to release him. Hopefully he will survive long enough for that reward, as he's been quite the trooper.

The big girls were fighting
over who got to hug the
baby. The baby won.

Elise to Kalina: "If I saw a kitten I would run outside...I would ask a grownup, then run outside and bring in the kitten as quickly as possible."
Kalina to Elise: "If I saw a kitten, I would bring it inside and paint it rainbow colors. Then I would go over it with some shiny stuff so it shines."


Naomi has found her hands and her voice! She also smiles on request if you ask nicely and she's in a good mood. So now her pastimes are: staring at the world around her, very contemplatively; sucking on her fists and cooing out adorable little conversations.

She visited the pediatrician last Monday (the 21st) for her two-month appointment and weighed 9 lbs. 7 ounces, and was 21.5 inches long. She's tiny! The baby did not mind the examination, despite the fact that she'd finally fallen asleep mere seconds before the nurse asked me to undress her and get her ready to be weighed. She did mind the shots, very much. So much that I actually called a friend to pick up some infant Tylenol for me, which she very kindly did. What kind of mother of three doesn't have infant Tylenol?!?

Aunt Debbie gets to hold
Naomi!

We traveled to my cousin's wedding! In a different state! Five hours away! And survived to tell about it! It was hard, but not as hard as it could've been. In short, the baby slept through most of it!

The big girls loved the trip, and especially the hotel stay. Matt and Elise decided to sleep in Grandpa Tom's room, which Elise turned into a mini-sleepover. Long after the light had been turned off, she was still chattering away about how sleepy she wasn't, and had both the guys cracking up every time she opened her mouth.

Kalina, on the other hand, was happy to turn out the light and go to sleep--she takes after her mommy!

What does Elise do when
faced with a table full of
Hershey's kisses? Eat
them as quickly as possible,
and raid neighboring tables
for more.

The wedding was lovely--Elise's favorite part (and probably Kalina's, even though she's less vocal about it) was the endless supply of Hershey's kisses on the tables at the reception. They also liked the desserts, potato chips and punch. What's not to like? Naomi did not like the wedding--it was too loud and there was no place for her to relax. She was thrilled to be back in our somewhat quiet hotel room, and even happier to be back on her playtime blanket at home.


The big girls and I have a shaky, unofficial agreement. They can visit each other in their rooms at downtime as long as I don't "know" about it. That means even if they get into a fight, achieve minor injuries (and believe me, our injuries are usually quite minor) or spill caterpillar excrement on Kalina's carpet. I need to figure out what to do about this, but I'm buying time by pretending I don't know about it.


And that is all for now. Happy Halloween! Pics to come!

Aw!

1...2...3!

Starting to smile a couple
weeks ago!

There were a lot of things I fully anticipated when expecting my third child. I knew that Elise might feel more displaced than Kalina (and to adjust my parenting style accordingly), that I would be likely to allow snacking in front of the television out of desperation, and that there would be no naps whatsoever for me.

And there were things I didn't know: that many times when I left the room for a second Kalina would quietly assume the role of baby-watcher, that Elise makes up lovely lullabies and that Naomi would not be able to function without being swaddled until she was a month old.

But one of the very most surprising things about having a third child is this:

It's not that hard.

Some of Naomi's biggest smiles have
been for her sisters. Kalina noticed/
decided that Naomi likes to be
patted on her tummy.

I should probably only whisper that rather than shout it from the mountaintops, as I don't want to make the mommies of one or two children cry. To them, I would say that it's actually harder to have just one or two, at least at first.

I should probably also qualify my statement: it's not that hard because I have plenty of help. We're unashamedly living off frozen (homecooked) meals and the kindness of others. If that weren't the case, I probably wouldn't even have time to write this blog in the first place, so you'd all be left wondering. Probably for years.

Here's why mommying three isn't nearly as stressful as mommying one or two:

Sisters enjoying their blankies
together.

As a new mommy with one child, you have no clue what you're doing. Every new development throws you for a loop, plus you really don't know whether they'll ever sleep through the night (or speak in more than one syllable, or quit being terrified of lint, or wear more than one specific pair of shoes, or say "thank you" without being prompted, or whatever the current struggle is). You also feel like you should be able to parent perfectly. Hah! The jokes on you, and you spend your first year or so learning that.

As a veteran mommy with a new baby, you are torn completely in two as you try to balance the immediate needs of two demanding little people. Your older child instantly has to learn patience, sharing and all those other tough things that stymie even grownups (and mommies themselves), while you effectively grow an extra arm (or the nearest you can possibly come to that). You just feel bad for everyone all the time.

More smiles! We can't get enough!

As a mommy of three, I watch my older children play cutely together while I try to get the sweet new baby to smile. Then they come over and help me, and the baby smiles on all of us. It's not so bad. I also have no grandiose ideas of good sleep (nor need of it in my old age), and everyone's well used to waiting patiently, or at least waiting.

(It's also not always quite so good, although I've only faced tears from all three at once, once.)

With three small children, the days are as interesting as they are long. With one, I can now see that life was a bit...quiet? Now, I'm constantly entertained--even if some days are more drama than comedy.

One of our biggest challenges is the drive to and from preschool. Getting out the door on time? No biggie. Keeping the baby from squalling the entire trip, so we don't have to yell to each other to be heard? Nearly impossible for most of the first eight weeks of the baby's life.

One of Kalina's new
favorite hobbies: baby
holding.

Things have improved on that front, however. Naomi doesn't yell quite as loudly if she's swaddled (or is at least more likely to go to sleep), and for an easy $12 a swaddle blanket that works in the car was delivered to my doorstep. (This is one of many reasons Target and I are good friends.) I've also very recently learned one trick of keeping her happy in her carseat--if I hold the carseat and swing or jiggle it gently, she calms right down and often goes to sleep. This is not possible, of course, in a moving car, nor is it good for my back. But I've learned that the condition of your back inversely correlates to the quality of your mothering.

We also get just plain bored. The baby's young age, plus the stress she endures every car trip, keep us home except when absolutely necessary. Even on preschool days we can pretty much only stare at each other after about 4:00, as Mommy is out of ideas that only require one hand and won't create a giant mess (having used up all the really good ones weeks ago), and the kids resist my brightly marketed but still lame attempts of, "Let's make a block city!" or, "Who wants a coloring page?"

I would be much more fun if I weren't trying to soothe a baby who has never really liked the hours between 4:30 and 10:00, but then, so would a lot of things. Not that she's colicky--she just isn't a late afternoon/evening kind of a girl. My current best strategy is to lure the children to the front yard with snacks, and then hope the neighbor kids can play, or at least that one of the girls will turn up a new pet pillbug, which can keep us busy for a 30 minutes, if it survives that long (or even if it doesn't--our pillbugs are often quite "sleepy").

But really, these are very minor things. Babies are now a piece of cake (still confusing at times--I just give up sooner), and preschoolers can be tamed. While we aren't usually (ever?) able to complete Pinterest-worthy crafts and take Pinterest-worthy photographs of them, make our own flax seed-based meatballs for the freezer or spend a full day at the zoo, we can make hedgehog pictures out of leaves, add flax seed to the ultra-easy muffins we were making anyway and walk to the park on a nice morning. Not too hard at all.

In fact, some would even say we're having fun.

Happy 3 to Elise!!

Birthday morning!

Cute little 2 1/2-year-old Elise. We all just loved her--although she would be quick to correct you if you called her that. "No, I'm big!"

Yes, Sweetie, you are big.

Bigger than her years. Elise will confidently strike up meaningful conversations with anyone--not letting her small stature deter her from speaking as an equal, and asking real questions. She understands patience and sharing better than most kindergarteners. Her sense of humor keeps us laughing with her, not at her. Elise keeps up with the big neighbor girls and Kalina's friends, completely clueless that she's kind of too young to really be able to do that very well.

"Happy birthday to me!"

No, in fact, Elise seems to have no idea that for many people, 2 1/2 means tantrums, whining, making giant messes and breaking stuff. Not that she's not capable--she simply has many better things to do. Most of the time, anyway.

And now she's three! For us, that's meant three years of pure sunshine in our house. Elise is about as pleasant a little person as one can be--sweet, sincere, easygoing and pretty much hilarious.

The ever-helpful big sister. 

And what else? Elise's jumping skills are unmatched, as is her arm strength, as is her smile. She can count to 18, as long as she skips anything after 12. She takes singing and dancing very seriously, often solemnly making up words to songs about upstairs and downstairs, puppies, and more, as well as performing "ballet." She "reads," "writes" and draws pictures using much more imagination than realism, but the realism is certainly on its way. Elise loves to participate in any project or activity--but she also knows when to ask for help, including from God Himself. She knows how to follow rules, but also thinks it's pretty entertaining to break them--even if Mommy doesn't. She loves people, and is comfortable with kids and grownups of any age, except, possibly, pre-verbal toddlers, who she likes to chase relentlessly (we're working on that). But she's equally happy playing on her own--or, more likely, with her animals or her favorite little doll, Ellie. And she'll listen to stories for more time than I usually have to sit down and read them.

Were you wondering what was in the
dog-shaped package in the first picture?
It's Hoppy Bunny!

Elise loves a little bit of adventure, but not too much. Some of her best adventures happen in her mind with Pink Bear--they duo is often known to catch a family of snakes, deer, bears, etc. on their way home from work and put them in cages. Or drive to a hotel for a vacation. Or fly to the moon.

In fact, as you'll find if you ever have a conversation with her, Elise and Pink Bear have lifetimes worth of experiences and adventures spanning every possible topic. She'll confidently tell you stories to match and surpass anything you've ever done. So if you rode in a hot air balloon, she probably did too. And ate ice cream while on board, and talked to a bird, and then it turned into a boat and they went under water and saw a shark. And Pink Bear was scared, so they hid, and then threw purple rocks at the shark. And so on.

Kalina took this picture of me
and my birthday girl!

She's happiest when pretending to be a baby animal--usually a kitten, bear or penguin, and can spend entire days "in character," happily indulged by her big sister.

And, in fact, Elise is very often happy! She always has been, and I hope she always will be.

Elise at three often lives in two worlds--the "big kid" world and the "little kid" one, which often involves stretching back into babyhood on soft pink blankie, holding soft pink bear and recharging. Aw!

As you can see, we've so much to celebrate in little Elise!

A tea party with the new tea set!

And it was quite the celebration. Marked by Grandma and Grandpa's arrival in town the night before, the morning launched us into a flurry of activity as we opened a present (a "Hoppy Bunny" Elise can bounce on), welcomed Grandma and Grandpa, and got Kalina out the door for preschool. And for a few hours, Elise had Grandma and Grandpa all to herself. The weather not being particularly friendly, Elise decided she wanted to take them to the mall play area, where she showed off all manner of tricks, particularly her amazing jumping skills.

A low-key afternoon of playtime and purple-frosted graham crackers led into evening, when Daddy's return home from work kicked off the big celebration. And what are the top two things on any 3-year-old's mind when it's her birthday? Presents! Cake! She dug into both with little restraint and few manners, which I probably hadn't done a good enough job preparing her for. There's always next year--or Christmas--right?

We all enjoyed sitting back and watching her, except good-natured, ever-helpful big sister Kalina, who easily forgets that Elise really is big enough to help herself to her gifts. Not that I can blame Kalina--after all, the gifts were every big as exciting to a 5-year-old as to a 3-year-old. Elise weathered the "help" in stride, as did Kalina weather the gentle admonitions of, "It's Elise's birthday, Sweetie!"

And fortunately, when you share a house with your favorite playmate, you know that you'll get to share in the spoils when it's all over. My favorite comment of the evening: "Kalina, we got some Little People!" Because isn't everything more fun with a sister?

The fun could've lasted all night, but we weren't about to let it, knowing we had several big grandparent-filled days ahead--and a rainbow kitten pony party with a couple little friends!

Elise and friends at her party

Nothing says 3 like rainbows, kittens and ponies--not, at least, according to Elise. We'd planned her party for Saturday morning and invited two sets of sister, all roughly near Elise's age (actually, one is almost Kalina's age but gets along great with Elise). The night before, the younger of each set had to bow out due to illness. With enough distraction, however, Elise was still excited.

Now, why would I be crazy enough to let my 3-year-old have a themed birthday party with friends despite the fact that there's a newborn in the house? I'm not sure of any reason other than that I probably am a little crazy. Besides, it's not really any harder to plan a tri-themed party than a single theme, and lots of the supplies and activities (and even the playlist) could be reused from Kalina's.

Not sure I've ever seen him prouder.

In fact, Elise has been planning her party ever since Kalina started planning hers, a fact that not only pretty much forced me to give her a party (because how could you tell a 3-year-old who thinks she's 5 that she can't have a birthday party even though her sister did three months ago?), but ensured the rainbow paper chains and extra party hats didn't get tossed. I began stocking up on pony napkins, kitten plates, and more, making sure each theme was well represented. Easy-peasy.

We'd filled treat bags and made lemon cupcakes, and pretty soon we were welcoming guests. Our first activity was to fill pony necklaces with layers of rainbow-colored sand. Rainbows and ponies. Check and check.

Pinning the tail on Rainbow Dash,
and winning!

Then we moved on to Pin the Tail On Rainbow Dash (a favorite My Little Pony pony). Daddy provided the stunning artwork for this activity, a feat he was as proud of as his thesis. And rightly so! The only mistake, according to Elise, is that Rainbow Dash wasn't purple like she'd wanted. Because Rainbow Dash isn't, in fact, purple. And then we did the Rainbow Walk--back by popular request.

After some pizza, we pulled out the cupcakes. The kids' cupcakes were topped with My Little Ponies, courtesy of ebay. And the uproar began. Each child singled out a pony they wanted, and while there were no arguments, the sugar-filled treats' desirability rose exponentially.

We could barely convince the girl that we needed to put candles on her cupcake, light them, sing to her, and have her blow them out before she could begin the process of choosing her cupcake, plucking off the pony and licking the frosting off. (Appropriately, this is how each girl claimed her pony. She licked it.) How do you convince the birthday girl to wait through all the once-fun-now-tedious traditions before claiming her prize? Certainly not with a timeout. We barely managed. And the house didn't burn down, either. Elise sang Happy Birthday the loudest of everyone there before digging in.

Order of operations: 1. blow
out candles. 2. take
cupcake.

After a few presents and some final playtime, it was time to say goodbye. Another great year, and another great party!

Special thanks to Grandma for holding the baby in a dark, quiet room the ENTIRE time so that Mommy could join in Elise's ENTIRE special party--and Naomi would survive it germ-free! We saved her a pony.

Special thanks, also, to Kalina, who patiently watched as Elise received all the attention, most of the gifts and the first turn for everything, and who mostly politely allowed other people to choose various goodies she'd earmarked, and who through it all, once I believe choking back disappointed tears, managed to smile graciously and help her little sister enjoy a lovely third birthday.

Does Elise feel 3 yet? She does not. "I still feel like I'm 2 1/2." Elise mentions every so often that she's still growing into 3.

I suppose when 2 1/2 is so much fun, there's no hurry to be 3! I'm not in a hurry, either.

Happy birthday Elise, love you!

World's Cutest Baby version 3.0
1 month old!

Pediatrician visit!

Naomi had her 1-month appointment! (1 month of sweet newbornhood--gone. 1 month of new baby smell--gone. 1 month of sleep deprivation--gone. You win some, you lose some.)

I've learned that Naomi does not like the car after all. Not even a little bit, as Elise would say. Naomi is happiest (read: the only time when she is not crying) when she is swaddled and held while the holder is actively walking around and possibly bouncing; or eating, or asleep. She also doesn't mind the five minutes after a diaper change. Unfortunately, these conditions describe a car ride not at all, unless she happens to be asleep, which she finds mighty tricky unless she's swaddled.

As we'd been to preschool twice and Target once already before the appointment, Naomi had had a stressful morning (as had I).

She didn't mind the scale, and she didn't mind the exam table too much. The rest of the trip, except for the brief amount of time I was able to get her to sleep in the waiting room, she minded very much.

Especially the shot, as everyone in the entire office and waiting room soon found out. A sympathetic stranger helped carry the carseat while I tried to console my littlest and wrangle my middle away from rolling around on the germy floor or hurting my oldest. Success eluded me. This was not a shining moment, but it was a very long one.

All the misery aside, Naomi now weighs an even eight pounds and is 21 inches long. Growing like a champ, but still in newborn clothes (cute!). Her mean diaper rash has finally found a solution. The doctor wondered if she'd smiled, yet, and I think she has--a couple days ago I noticed a grin that I couldn't quite attribute to just gas. Or maybe it was just because I really, really needed it to not just be gas.

After her shot, Naomi took a giant nap or two, and was finally back to her usual self by evening, when I held her for five hours straight (minus diaper changes) to keep her happy. And when Naomi's happy, we're all happy!