Bright Spot

I thought I'd remind myself that life can be fun tonight.


It's been a long few days. I'm trying hard not to complain. I'm not the only mother of five. I'm not the only mother of triplets plus two. I'm not the only mother with sick kids. I'm not the only one that wakes up 1000 times a night. I'm not the only one not getting NEAR enough sleep. I'm not the only one frustrated with their lack of weight loss. I'm not the only one sick of the TV writer's strike. I'm not the only one struggling to teach their children manners. So...I'm trying not to complain.

Last Sunday, my sister-in-law & brother-in-law and their three kids came over after church. It was almost like old times (almost meaning they have a baby nine days older than the triplets...and they lived with us for awhile before these four little ones entered our lives). It really was a lot of fun to have them over. At one point, Shannon took Zoe out for an hour or so and they found these great "lollipops" for the big kids. Sammy, Noah, Ty & Zoe all thought they were HYSTERICAL with these lips!

Q & A with Z & T

Yesterday was one of those days. It flew by...and not necessarily in a good way. I was a tad frustrated: I felt like everyone was a little sick with a little something, but no one had the same "something". Zoe's getting over whatever it was..."random 2 hour sore throat, headache, 18 hour one red eye, & tiredness". Ty has "green nose, sleeping only cough & puffy red non-pussy eyes". Cole has "smoker's cough". Eli has "even after nebulizer wheezing". And Ava has "drippy nose". Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I so want to bring them all into the doctor's office and say., "Go to town. Work 'em all up!"

PLUS, it was the night before Zoe's library day and OF COURSE her library books disappeared. We looked high and low and couldn't find them. SO frustrating! I know we just saw them the other day. How can they disappear?

So last night, I scooped myself a nice big bowl of Breyer's Mint Chip Ice Cream and topped it with a good amount of maraschino cherries. (Shhhhhh...don't remind me that it's January and I'm supposed to be dieting and trying to lose weight. Didn't you hear me, IT WAS ONE OF THOSE DAYS!) I sat down on the couch to watch the harsh entertainment of the American Idol auditions, and I popped open my laptop to read through my favorite blogs!

One of my blogdictions posted about her day at home with 2 of 3 triplets home sick. She had a great idea and I'm going to steal it (hope that's okay JMom). She asked her triplets all the same questions. Then, without any edits, she typed out their answers. So I'm going to try it! Maybe it'll help me keep life in perspective.

Here goes:

Zoe's answers...
What is your favorite thing to do? Play with Karalyn
What are you good at doing? Painting & Coloring
If you had ten dollars, what would you do with it? I would spend it on pretty clothes
What are you afraid of? Bears, spiders, snakes & trees if it's really windy
Who are your best friends? Kaylee, Karalyn & Ty
What is important to you? God, Mom & Dad, & my bracelets
What is your favorite book? The Three Little Pigs
What is your favorite food? Grapes & Pizza
If you could change your name, what would it be? Karalyn or Cara or Jenna
How do you show your family you love them? By respecting them & hugging them & being nice to them & that's all
What do you want to be when you grow up? Um...a doctor
Why? Because...um...I...want to see people
What are you thankful for? My house & the swingset
Tell me something about God. Um...He loves us


Ty's answers...
What is your favorite thing to do? Watch TV with Mommy
What are you good at doing? I'm good at doing my homework
If you had ten dollars, what would you do with it? I'd give it to somebody...actually, I would buy something wiff it.
What are you afraid of? I'm afraid of bears & alligators & all that scary stuff...& even giants
Who are your best friends? Um...Mommy & Daddy
What is important to you? Clean up your room & play computer & ride my bike
What is your favorite book? David and Goliath
What is your favorite food? Mac & Cheese
If you could change your name, what would it be? I'd like it to be my normal name
How do you show your family you love them? By hugging them & kissing them
What do you want to be when you grow up? I wanna be Derek Jeter & Jorge Posada & an astronaut
Why? Because they're my favorite Yankees
What are you thankful for? I'm thankful for the house
Tell me something about God. He loves us

Why?

A friend of mine recently wrote a post on her blog about a mystery buzz on her Phone. Well, Alejandra, I can relate. Only, there's not quite as MUCH mystery surrounding this buzz. The source is quite obvious - - - AVA! So where's the mystery? It's in the fact that somehow she's learned to tell time. For the past 4 nights, she has woken up on or about 3am. And last night was no different, it was exactly 3:01am. She doesn't cry. She doesn't fuss. No, she lays there talking...LOUDLY...to herself. After about 5 minutes, it becomes a bit more of a whine. 5 more minutes and it's a fuss. 5 more and it's an out and out cry.

Historically, I'm a mom with the mindset that I should let Ava work it out...she'll fall back to sleep on her own, right? Just leave her be. Afterall, none of the triplets are effected by any noise made in or around their room, usually. But at 3am, the boys start stirring when the princess begins to pontificate. So I try everything: flipping her, patting her, rubbing her, you name it, I try it. I stop just short of feeding her. She doesn't need it!!!! She finishes her 6-7 oz. bottle with a half scoop of cereal before she goes to bed. That should last her until the morning, but it's not! And as I type, tonight she's curled up on Daddy's lap, rocking in the glider, playing the "I'm not quite ready for bed" card. So maybe tonight, things will be different. Maybe tonight 3am will come and go and I'll get to snooze on through it! I'll keep you posted!

* Update 1/22/08 - Ava slept through the night, but unfortunately, I didn't! Apparently, Ava taught Cole to read time before she went to bed. He took up her cause and woke precisely at 3:04am. He went back to bed pretty easily, though.

A Day in the Laugh...

As you can imagine, life around here is NEVER boring. Some days are more difficult than others, but recently, I've found a way to stay grounded. I've started writing down some of the funny things that come out of the mouths of Zoe & Ty. It also really helps me to read the quotes over when I'm really stressed and frustrated with them. In reading them back, they aren't quite as funny because, well, "you had to be there". Their facial expressions are what make most of the humor. But just for fun, I thought I'd share a few of them with you...

• Mom, can we watch Chicken Little? I love when he yells, "The fall is skying, the fall is skying..."


• Tandyland is Spanish for Candyland.


• After holding Ava for a few minutes longer than she wanted, Zoe asked, "Mom, what apparatus should I put Ava in?"


• Ty asked for help longing into his Webkinz account, but when it got time to put in the password, he held out his hand and said, "Okay Mom, I can handle this..."


• "Ty, what'd you learn about in Little Lambs?" "John the Baptist...and our story was about him, too!"

And then there are some things, that aren't said...just done: Today, I took Zoe to a birthday party, so Shane was at home with Ty & the babies. He let Ty dress himself. Tonight, as I was getting them ready for bed, he was struggling getting his shirt off. At first, he wouldn't let me help him, but finally gave in. He had his long sleeve Pajama shirt on UNDER his long sleeve t-shirt...ALL DAY! And then when he took off his sweat pants, he revealed that he'd chosen NOT to wear underwear today! Can you imagine? I was CRACKING up!!!!!!

3 VERY Different Personalities

Eli: "Hey guys, I heard this really funny joke..."
Cole: "This guy never shuts up!"
Ava: "If I close my eyes and pretend to be asleep, maybe they'll go away"

Time for a little something more

Cole (a.k.a. "Frank the tank") has been getting cereal in his nighttime bottle for a few weeks now. After a rather long night in CT when Cole consumed 16 oz of formula (8 at bedtime and 8 at midnight) we decided we needed to "thicken up" that last bottle. During the day, though, he still has been getting 6-7 oz. every 4 hours.

HOWEVER...

Saturday, he started fussing 3 hours after a 7 oz. bottle. ARE YOU KIDDING? In the words of "Cool Shannon", Cole's ready for "Surf & Turf". Since I was a tad frustrated, I decided to attempt cereal. He was so hungry, I had to give him 4 ounces of formula just to calm him down first. I put him in the highchair (that he fills quite nicely, unlike A & E). Then I gave him about a dozen spoonfuls of cereal. I've no idea how much actually was consumed but a good deal of it dribbled down his chin & onto the bib.

I'll be honest, I'm scared out of my wits for the move toward cereal! I love the schedule of bottles. I'm used to the routine! With my other two kids, the cereal switch wasn't a big deal...you just adjusted the feeding schedule based on how long it was before they were hungry again. As far as how much they were given, well, I just gave them spoonfuls until they turned away. But now we're talking 3! Where do I start? How much do I give? How often? All three at once? One at a time? One bowl & spoon? Three bowls and spoons? Do they get a bottle as a chaser? An hors d'oeuvre?

For now, the saving grace is E. With all his extra needs, I'm not even attempting to make the switch now. BUT...if in the coming weeks, you don't see me very often...it's because I just couldn't hack the stress of the change...I'm at home, in a dark corner, curled in a ball, rocking back and forth, humming "Mary Had a Little Lamb"...

Murphy...gotta love him!

Have you ever felt like "just one thing" can't go wrong at a time? I guess that's Murphy's Law, right? Well, today, Eli was the unfortunately recipient of good ole Murphy! For awhile now, he's been a little under the weather...coughing, congested, wheezing a little, but it's January. This is what happens in the winter. Kids get colds. And thanks to the FDA, there's now nothing Mom's can do about it...until the child is 2 (& even then, it's questionable). So, aside from snorting saline drops, and a few random hits of Tylenol, I've just kept filling the humidifier and encouraging Eli that "this too shall pass". Even our nightly prayer time has become a little repetitive, "...and Lord, please help Eli to feel better in the morning...amen."

Last night, things just didn't seem right. Anyone who has had the privilege of meeting Mr. Eli knows that he smiles at the drop of a hat and rarely cries. Not last night. He was rubbing his head and face (okay, obviously I missed key sign #1...it was his EAR he was rubbing...hint hint) and when we put him down for bed he really protested (very unlike him...sign #2). Then this morning, when I got him out of bed (after sleeping through the night for 11 hours straight, let me add), he had "boogers" in his eye (sign #3). Silly me, I really thought it was just from his nose that he had smeared all the way up his face.

After a morning bath, he wouldn't let Lindsay or I leave him alone in a room. Not in the swing, the bouncy chair, the saucer, the jumper, the play yard, nothing...he just kept crying. That's when I called the doctor.

Sure enough, poor Mr. Eli has it all: ear infection, bronchial something or other (requiring the ever popular...now purchased...nebulizer), and a virus in his eyes (it's not pink eye, but might as well be). I left the doctor with 4 little pieces of paper in my hand and headed straight for the pharmacy.

As if life with triplets wasn't quite crazy enough (read: constant diaper changes, feedings every 4 hours, entertaining them and switching their toys every half hour or so) plus the addition of a Kindergartner and her homework and an almost 4 year old that is CONSTANTLY asking questions, we now need to add to Eli's daily routine the following:

Eye drops, both eyes, 3x/day for 7 days
Antibiotics, twice a day for 10 days
Nebulizer, every 3 hours, until the chest clears

And I'm supposed to keep all this straight HOW????

Super Dad!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This week, Shane had his annual trip to CES in Las Vegas. My mom came down to stay with us while he was gone. So between her and Lindsay, the kids and I were fine. The week seemed to fly by. Shane got home yesterday afternoon and we were ALL ecstatic to see him! Even the triplets seemed a little more hyper.

But this is where it gets good...

About an hour after getting home (souvenirs dutifully handed out). Shane decided he wanted to take the kids out so I could have some "alone time". He said he might take them to his parents, or even out to dinner. All of a sudden it hit me...he means all 5! Sure enough, he packed them all in the car, loaded in the stroller and grabbed the diaper bag. Before I knew it, he was pulling out to of the driveway...

...and there it was...

...silence.

Two hours later (around 7:30pm) they pulled back into the garage. All of them were accounted for...none were crying...not even Daddy. He had survived his first solo trip out with 5 kids! You'll never guess where he decided to go for his first outing...THE MALL! Yes, you read that right. Shane took the kids to the mall. I say he's the man!!!! Apparently, I'm not the only one, either. The 50 women that stopped him in the mall agreed! He said he only had two issues: 1) Zoe & Ty decided (at the same time) that they both had to go to the bathroom (the stroller doesn't quite fit in the family bathroom) and 2) the people at McDonald's struggled taking his order...they were distracted by the babies!

Road Trip!

Christmas is all about family, right? In the past, we've had our family time (the four of us) here, then moved on to Midland Park to Shane's parents. Then, when all was said and done, we'd drive up to CT Christmas night and have "Christmas Morning" there on the 26th. Even when they were in IL, Shane and I flew out on Christmas night...or maybe it was the 26th...I can't remember (but then again I can't remember what I had for dinner last night). It's tradition. And, it's a great way to get time with both families! Great plan...I think...

12/25/07...7am...

Only 3 kids awake, but 2 of them are not going to wait for presents! Predictably, the "Big Kids" loved all their presents. Shane LOVED his new drill (Men...give 'em a power tool and they're ecstatic. If I got a power tool for Christmas...I'd NOT be happy!) And the babies...well...they loved their bottles! =) Ava celebrated Christmas by rolling over! Now we're all officially rolling (although they choose not to use this skill very often).

10am...off to Midland Park...
More presents, more happy Big Kids, more oblivious babies!

With presents done at Nana & PopPop's, it's time to start thinking about the next step in the plan: CT. In the past 5 months, the furthest I've gone from my house is 20 minutes down 287 to the new Target. Shane ventured south to LBI with Z & T, but the triplets and I stayed home. But not for Christmas! I was determined to go to see my parents. I mean, it's not a third world country. If I forgot anything, they have a Walmart 5 minutes down the road! And with all their connections, Mom was able to get a bunch of the baby stuff on loan for our visit (i.e. a swing, a bouncy chair, an ultra saucer, an extra pack & play, etc.) The problem was, I hadn't packed anything ELSE yet...and packing for 5 kids and 2 adults for 2 nights in CT is no easy task. So, I sacrificed the post-presents nap and went home by myself and packed for an hour and a half. It's AMAZING how much you can get done when you're by yourself and you're used to having 5 others demanding your attention!

4pm...back to Midland Park...everything in the hallway for Shane to stuff into the car when we come home for the 15 minute "stuff switch" (i.e. dump the stuff from Nana & PopPop's and grab the stuff for Grammy & Granddad's). Made it back in plenty of time for dinner! =)

6:30pm...left MP and headed home...

7pm...on 287 headed north...kids all in PJs...

8:45pm (shhhh...it's supposed to take 2 hours, but Shane's a lead foot)...Made it to Grammy & Granddad's...

Not the most fun car trip I've ever taken up there, but not bad. The babies were great. Not a peep. Zoe & Ty, however, did the "are we there yet?" every 5-10 minutes! Ugh!!!!!!!! Our time in CT was great. The babies visited a bunch of their "supporters" and Zoe & Ty got some great time with Grammy & Granddad: Ice Skating, Kids' Museum, Hide & Seek, etc. We capped it all off with dinner at Uncle Tim's house. Z & T love Uncle Tim's cat...who hides the minute they get there...

Next year should be interesting...huh?