Aunt Melinda and Thanksgiving

Bode 2010

Gianna 2010

Happy Thanksgiving, friends!  I am super excited today.  I went to the grocery store and bought all my Thanksgiving food. Tomorrow, my dear sister Melinda arrives!  I can't wait to see her!

It is a holiday near and dear to my heart. One, because I love Thanksgiving. Two, because my mom and sister always visited during Thanksgiving. My mom (and sister) would cook the entire Thanksgiving meal in our tiny, sparsely equipped kitchen - no easy feat! But my mom did it, wonderfully and without complaint.  Bode was just 7 weeks old on his first Thanksgiving, and my mom and Melinda were there.  They were also there for Gianna's first Thanksgiving, too. And, Melinda will be here for Nico's first Thanksgiving, too! I have many happy memories of Thanksgiving in California, mainly because my mom and sister were with us.  

Last night, I talked to Bode and Gianna about Aunt Melinda visiting. We talked about what we will do (go to Starbucks, Congress Park, the park...) and what we would eat for Thanksgiving (turkey, brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, etc.).  Bode and Gianna are excited for Aunt Melinda to visit, too.

This year, it is going to be sad without my mom.  But I am so happy that my sister will be here with me! 

Melinda and Gianna 2010

I'm so excited to see Melinda tomorrow!

xo

Thanksgiving

This year, we celebrated Thanksgiving a little early.  I roasted a turkey breast, cooked green beans, brussels sprouts, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, black olives and pumpkin pie (store bought).  I have to say, I have no idea how I pulled this off with 3 children! I was so nervous about getting it all done, and surprising RWF.  And I did!!!  Thanks to Nico for napping like a champ on Saturday, and to Bode and Gianna for playing so well on their own.  I think I really surprised RWF, too. 

I didn't snap any pics of dinner. I was just so happy sitting at the table, surrounded by my family and with good food to eat.  There were some mental snaps that I took, like the one of Gianna stealing olives off of RWF's plate.  She was so funny. She got out of her high chair, walked over to his side of the table and without even looking at RWF, took one olive off of his plate, ate it, took another olive, ate it and repeated until they were all gone. RWF looked incredulous and asked me, "Do you see this?"  Yes, I do and it is hilarious.  Another mental snapshot would be when I served everyone a piece of pumpkin pie.  I turned to grab napkins, and when I passed them out, I saw that Bode had picked up the pie in his hands and started eating it, pointy side first.  And then Gianna followed her big brother's lead. And then RWF said, "When in Rome," and picked up his pie with his hands and ate it.  (I ate mine with a fork.)

As our usual custom, we went around the table and each person said one (or more) thing that they are grateful for.  Then we stated which food of the Thanksgiving meal was our favorite.   RWF stated that he loved the sweet potatoes, but also thought the brussels sprouts were good, too. I said that the brussels sprouts were my favorite.  Bode said that he liked the turkey the best.  And Gianna couldn't/wouldn't tell us  her favorite, but judging by how much she ate, we think it was the sweet potatoes (or, olives!).

It was a nice little weekend.

Watching "the game" after Thanksgiving.

In other news, Nico is getting so big!  He weighs 12 lbs 2 oz now.  Bode had an appointment with the pediatrician on Thursday. I snuck Nico onto the baby scale when nobody was looking (so, he was also clothed instead of bare naked).  I was dying to know how much he weighs.  He certainly feels heavier these days.  He has more 'heft' when I lift him. He does not fit so neatly on my chest when I burp him.  But he is oh-so-snuggly still, and I just adore him!

Sunday morning Nico and I lounged in bed a little longer than normal.  Bode joined us.  Nico just adores Bode, and always gives him smiles.   I think  he knows that Bode is special.  And then RWF came in from working out and joined us. We talked about our day ahead, and it was a great way to start the morning. I'd love it if all our mornings started out that way.

Gianna started riding her bike this past week. And now, that is all she wants to do. "Ride bike! Ride bike? Ride bike? Go ride bike!"  It is really cute. 

I am SO BIG! RAWR!

Twins

Triplets

Friday, I was thankful to one of Bode's teachers for talking to me.  There I was, nervous (again!) about Bode, toes gripping the edge, feeling my way with my back against the wall, fearful and tearful, and his teacher talked me down from the ledge, in her low, soothing voice. And my dear friend in Texas calmed me, too, when I confided in her.  This was all done over email, but even still, I could hear her voice and it was just like we were sitting across from each other. Everything is okay...just the normal nerves that come (and go) with being a mommy. We mommies have to stick together!

Friday afternoon, I was feeding Nico and my feet were bare and freezing.  I asked the baby sitter if she had seen my socks (because I had kicked them off earlier).  She said that she had not and went on her way. A few minutes later, she came back with a clean pair of socks, and put them on my feet for me. And then she gave my feet a vigorous rubbing to warm them up completely. It was such a sweet, unexpected gesture. 

And that is just a sampling of what I am thankful for this past week.  I am looking forward to this week, the actual Thanksgiving Day countdown begins!  I am lucky because I get two Thanksgivings this year! 

Are you ready for Thanksgiving?

Happy Monday.

xo

Miss sparkle shoes

Gianna spied these shoes on a recent shopping trip and immediately wanted them.  I couldn't resist them either! They remind me of Kate Spade, but without the Kate Spade price tag (obviously).

She wore them all day & night. I know that she felt special. I want some fun shoes, too.
Happy Wednesday, and treat yourself to something fun.
xo

These boots were made for walking

Don't you just look at these pics and hear the opening beat of Nancy Sinatra's These Boots Were Made for Walking?

You keep sayin' that you got something for me. Something you call love. But confess.

These boots were made for walkin' and that's just what they'll do....

Happy (rainy) Tuesday, friends.

xo

Nico: 8 weeks

Dear Nico,

Well here we are again. Another milestone week. Yes, I know...I know that every week is a milestone for you (me).  And yes, I realize I skipped week 7.  But I was busy. Yes, the three of you keep me very busy. But I'm paying attention to you, and your milestones.

Here are some highlights:

- just like your two sibs, you are a swing baby. This is where you chill and really, this is the only place that you will sleep. 

- no schedule yet

- you like tummy time and you can lift your head. You're strong.

- you're out of Newborn sizes and wear 3 months now (yikes!).  I still don't know how much you weigh or how big you're getting, because of the ped's stupid rule about seeing you at 2 months (what? who does that?)...but we have an appointment soon.  I guess the fact that you've grown into the next size is a good sign.  I was sad to put your Newborn clothes away. Another milestone (sigh). Truth be told, I was even more sad to think that this is my last time to put a baby into Newborn sized clothes.

- you're crying with tears now, which just kills me. But if you cry long enough, there they are. I don't want to see tears on my baby's face!  Sometimes, I just can't get to you (even when I really, really want to) because I have to finish my shower, finish changing Gianna's diaper, or something that needs to be done before I can get to you. Happily, you usually quiet down as soon as I pick you up.

Sharing "tummy time" Gianna's baby

Happy 8 weeks, my little love.
Love,
Mommy
xo

First REAL outing

Mom, we're bored.

Today I took all three (3!) of the babies out on my own.  Bode was in desperate need of a haircut.  I decided that it was "now or never" and made it my mission to get the haircut done today.  

I'm definitely out of practice on taking an infant/baby out.  I had a "diaper bag" (note: my personal feeling on "diaper bag" is ick and ugh and please, no) but I left it in the car.  So when Nico spit up on me (twice), I had nothing to wipe it up.  

We went to our usual "kids" hair cut place, which is about 20 minutes up the road from where we live. I was already nervous about leaving the house with three of them, but add in a 20 minute car ride and the stress level increased more.  

I fed Nico before we left. Right after I fed him, I yelled at Bode and Gianna to put on their shoes NOW, HURRY, WE HAVE TO LEAVE.  Nothing like a stressed out mother to get kids moving.  Ha.  They ran back to the playroom, found toys and enjoyed themselves while I shoved Nico into  his carseat.   I was hoping that Nico would fall asleep after the feeding.  But he just fussed and squawked.

Finally, I got Bode and Gianna to put on their shoes and get into the car.  I buckled them in and Nico's cries became more insistent.  So I pulled him out of the car seat and fed him again, in the car. The garage was freezing cold (temps in the 30s today) but I had the car shut up.  It was still chilly in the car while I fed him. How am I going to do this in the winter time?

After another feeding (Gianna and Bode sat there in their car seats patiently for awhile, and then, naturally, became antsy and "When are we going?" annoying), I put Nico back into his car seat.  "Okay!" I announced as I hopped down to go to the driver's side of the QEII.

We set off.  The drive went well because we were on the highway for 20 minutes.  Nico doesn't fuss when the car is moving. It is when the car is stopped that he starts grinching and screeching.  

We got to the hair salon.  Of course, there were 2 kids ahead of Bode and Gianna so we had to wait. Nico decided that he needed another feed (enough already!).  I am modest and prefer not to breastfeed in public. But after having Gianna, I realize that if I am to ever leave the house, need to make peace with breastfeeding in public.  I try to be very discreet.  I have a cover, but to me, that just screams, "LOOK AT ME! I'M BREASTFEEDING!"  so I usually just drape a swaddling blanket over my shoulder.  

This is what I did in the hair salon. I put the blanket over my shoulder and proceeded to just act natural.  This little boy was watching Nico the whole time.  When I started breastfeeding, he stood before me and just stared.  It wasn't that he was staring at me.  He was staring at the blanket. When I finally met his gaze, he looked at me plainly, as if to say, "I know that there's a baby under that blanket."  It was like I was trying to pull a "Now you see him, now you don't" on this little boy and he would not be fooled.  He looked over at his dad and said, "Baby." And his dad agreed, "Baby." Thankfully they were called up for a haircut.

So the most interesting thing (oh, wait, did you think that was it?) is that Bode absolutely freaked when it was time to get a hair cut. He has never done this before, even when he was little.  This time, he started acting weird. He wouldn't look at anybody.  He started doing these jerky movements with his arms and legs as he walked around.  He walked off.  When I called him back over and told him, "No, Bode, you're getting your hair cut now." he started crying. Full-on crocodile tears, red-faced, snot free-flowing from the nostrils and heaving breaths.  What the????  I was so confused (and honestly, irritated).   "No, I don't want to!" he cried over and over.  I had the lady cut Gianna's hair instead.  Then we tried again.  Again, tears and hysterics.  

Then I remembered his stitches.  The scissors must have reminded him of the e.r. and getting stitches. So I talked to him about it. I reminded him that it was a hair cut and nothing more.  He sat in the chair. But his body was tense and stiff.  His shoulders were up around  his ears.  He flinched every time the lady came near him with the scissors and would reach his hands out to stop her.  She stopped and said, "I can't do this if you're going to do that. I could hurt you." Not the best thing to say.  So I asked if I could hold his hands. Bode let me hold his hands and I tried talking him through it. I told him what she was cutting and how it was looking great. She didn't cut it the way she normally would.  She just cut what she could, because I asked her to make it as quick as possible. 

We got through it.  But it was not fun.  

Here are the results: 

Before

After

Her curls are going bye-bye

Before

After

I feel bad that I got so irritated with Bode's crying.  It's just that I get twitchy and nervous when he acts "weird."  I worry that there is a behavior issue. I am so glad that I remembered about the e.r. visit and the stitches. I hope that is "all" this was about and that Bode returns to his fun-loving, salon-going self next time.
At least I made it - my first trip outside with all three children.
High-fives all around!
xo

If you take a toddler to the emergency room...

....she's probably going to want to touch everything.  She's going to touch the door handles, the step stool, the table, the floor...every possible dirty thing available to her in the room.  (I thought about asking the dr. to give her a tetanus shot, just based on what she had touched in the e.r. alone.)

While we waited, I got tired of telling her to stop.touching.everything.it'sdirty!!!

I came up with this genius idea:  have her wash her hands while we wait.

Most 2 year olds love water.  Gianna  had fun washing her hands a million times while we waited. I had no reservations with the amount of soap she used or the fact that the water was free-flowing for 20 minutes or so. Wasteful, yes.  But the least of my concerns at the time. I was busy nursing Nico anyway and didn't have hands to entertain Gianna. The sink and some soap helped me out in a pinch.

This was a great diversion while we waited. And waited. And waited. My two year old has a possible  concussion*?  No problem! Take all the time you need, we will wait!

Gianna really was fine. We did have to wait forever and this did make me very angry.   Had she not been fine, I would have been a different animal.

We left the e.r. at 7:40 p.m.  And I still had not voted.  I was planning on voting when RWF returned home from work.  Gianna was zonked, but also kind of hyped from the whole e.r. experience. Nico was exhausted, crying, and needing to cluster-feed himself to sleep STAT.  The temps were in the 30s, not exactly a balmy night for a stroll with my children to the local polling place.

But I knew if I did not stop at the polls on the way home, I would not make it out again. 

I walked in, children in tow, and there was a lovely warm fire going in the living room clubhouse (the polling place).  The  ladies at the polling desk all looked sympathetic and clucked their tongues at me.  I must have looked horrible. And my babies probably looked like zombies themselves, up way past their bedtime. They all peeked in at Nico, nestled in his car seat and coo'ed over his little baby self. I explained that we had been in the e.r.  I did not say this to garner sympathy.  I simply was embarrassed that my children were out at the late hour. I said that I simply wanted to explain why they were out at 8 PM on a Tuesday night.  

The ladies  became even more sympathetic...toward me!  Clearly these were all mothers:

"Oh you poor thing. Is the child okay?"

"Oh my goodness, you must be exhausted."

"Do you want something to eat? We have food, cookies..."

One of the ladies simply got up and walked off.  She sidled up to me a few seconds later, pressing small packages into my hand.  "Here," she whispered "You need this,"  I glanced down.  Two packages of chocolates just for me. Had she handed me a dirty martini, I would have knocked it back eagerly.  But the chocolates? Bliss. I had a "reward" waiting for me once the babies were asleep.

Another lady had me sign in, then presented me with a ballot. She thanked me for taking the time to come out and vote. I walked over to the voting stall, children in tow.  I voted quickly and submitted my ballot to the electronic machine.

Civic duty over, I really wanted to just cozy up to the fire and let these nice ladies take care of me. One duty done. I still needed to get the babies to  bed.

(Yes, he is sleeping on his stomach. Do not judge. Do not call CPS. I was sitting with him the whole time.)

Grateful for the kindness of ladies/mothers. Grateful to live in a country where I can VOTE. Grateful that my baby is okay. Thankful for the good e.r. doctor and staff (and insurance!).
Happy Super Tuesday, and to all a good night.
xo

* While outside, Gianna fell backwards, bumped her head and briefly passed out. I called her pediatrician and was of course directed to take her to the e.r. immediately.**

**"Immediately" in my book was many minutes later. "Immediately***" after I had fed Nico, had Bode change out of his pjs (which he had been wearing outside without a coat - mother of the year! Vote for me!), made snacks and bottles for the e.r., found my wallet, threw diapers, blankets, change of clothes into a bag, etc.  etc. etc.

***Gianna was acting fine which is why I took the time to do these things before leaving for the e.r. "immediately"

Grateful

Since we are now in November (how did that happen?) and Thanksgiving is fast-approaching, I started thinking about gratitude.  I am grateful for small things every day. I really do take a moment each and every day and think  of something that makes me feel grateful.

At first, I thought I'd keep a gratitude journal, as often cited by the "experts."  Then I thought I'd like to just blog about little things that I'm thankful for, for the entire month of November. I'll post about the "things" I'm grateful for at least once a week for this month.

It is Fall, but today feels more like Winter, with a high of 39 and low of 23 today!  I'm thankful to have a warm house with power, and coats, hats and mittens to keep us extra warm when we venture outside:

Bode leaving for school this morning

Gianna sliding at Bode's school this a.m.

Of course, these cold temperatures make me think of the people affected by "Super Storm Sandy" and I hope that everyone is keeping warm and dry as repairs are underway.

I am thankful (of course!) for my children, who are so loving and fill our house (and hearts) up with laughter, joy, and love:

Gianna hugging Nico

"All done!" she said and let go of Nico.

I'm thankful for my baby. I saw babies being evacuated from a NY hospital on the news during the hurricane. Nothing made my heart more sad that evening than to see those little babies in their isolettes being moved to ambulances during the storm.  We received our itemized invoice for the c-section the other day.  Reviewing that crazy list of charges, I am thankful for insurance and good health:

My lil pumpkin's footie

I'm thankful for a partner/husband/friend who has supported me during my postpartum phase, and taken such excellent care of our children when I simply do not have the energy.  Despite working long and hard all week, RWF comes home and works all weekend, too.  During a feeding at 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, I remembered that we had signed Bode up for soccer, which started that day.Then I forgot about it again, until 7:30 a.m.  RWF was working out when I ran up to him and told him that he had to take Bode to soccer in 45 minutes.   He happily took Bode to soccer, and then took both Bode and Gianna out to play multiple times over the weekend.

So big

Explaining a drill to me

That is a small list of things I am grateful for this past week.  I'll try to keep a list so as to not forget those other special moments that I tend to forget.  Won't you join me? Think of the things that you're grateful for, and  pause for a moment to appreciate it.

Happy Monday, friends.
xo

Happy Halloween!

I had high hopes for Halloween. They were quickly dashed yesterday morning.  Our baby sitter "surprised" Bode by walking into the house with a monster mask on! (She lets herself into the house early a.m. because I am usually occupied.)  

So there Bode was, sitting at the dining room table eating breakfast by himself when a "monster" walks through the door. 

He screamed so loud. I ran out of the room. Bode was running toward me. We crashed into each other. He was in tears and screaming.  I had no idea what had happened. I did know by his scream that it was a "scared" scream and not a "hurt" scream (yay for mother's ear!).  

Then, our baby sitter turned the corner, looking sheepish and holding up a monster mask.  Bode screamed some more. 

(I was so angry at the baby sitter.  I have no idea what she was thinking! But, I guess she wasn't thinking!)

I sat with Bode, wiping tears and talking about Halloween, masks, costumes and trick or treating.  Bode was so upset and swore off Halloween for the year.

Here are some pics from yesterday:

Gianna, being a "ham" for Halloween

Nico, in a "Brooke" costume

Lil' monster

At first, after the "monster scare," Bode said that he didn't want to go to school. I was worried that he didn't want to go because he was afraid to drive to school with the baby sitter/monster.  He finally left for school (and arrived at school about 30 minutes late).   At school, his teacher read a sweet Halloween story, "Five Little Pumpkins" (we have a copy at home) and they did a Halloween craft.  Bode came home with his creation - a pumpkin that he painted with glitter paint.

My pumpkin

Bode's pumpkin

Ham

Ham & Cheese

"It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown"

I tried talking about Halloween with Bode again.  But Bode wasn't interested in Halloween at all. He didn't even want to wear his costume around the house.  We sat and watched "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" as our Halloween fun.

Nico napped, and I was able to make dinner. Hooray!

I made homemade chicken "nuggets" (chicken breasts, cut into strips and breaded), mac & cheese, and broccoli.

While I was making the mac & cheese, I thought of my childhood Halloweens' past.  Every Halloween, my mom made hot dogs and mac & cheese for dinner. I think it was a "night off" for her that she probably really looked forward to, because my mom rarely took a night off from cooking.  I remember sitting at the dinner table, in front of a kid's dream meal, and not being able to eat a bite. I was SO EXCITED to go trick-or-treating that I couldn't eat a single bite. I remember my mom asking me to just eat "three bites," and then "two bites" and then, "one bite" and me, whining back, "I don't want to," or "I can't!"  I was so excited that I really could not eat.  I remember the excitement of the night, consumed with thoughts of what was just outside our front door waiting for me (trick-or-treat! candy! costumes! being outside!).  I remember how hard it was for me to sit there until my mom gave up and told me that I was excused.  I'm going to try to remember that feeling. I will try to remember it the next time that Bode, Gianna or Nico (or all three) have an exciting activity that prevents them from eating. I'll try to skip the "one bite" negotiations, and just let them go.

Maybe next year, we'll be sitting around the dinner table and none of my children will eat dinner, too excited with anticipation of their first trick-or-treat.
Happy Halloween!
xo