TX Multi Mama's

New TV show premiering tomorrow on the WE channel about moms of multiples featuring moms from the multiples group I belonged to in Dallas. So very excited to see the show I'm even having a viewing party for it! Awesome previews and clips about each mom if you go to the link.


Must see for anyone who likes reality TV or wants to see what it is like to have twins, triplets or quads!
Tuesday, December 27th at 7 pm Central, WE TV

Merry Christmas 2011

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How to decorate a tree- 2 year old style

We bought our tree Thanksgiving weekend. I'm all about the real live tree. That's what we always had growing up and that's what I want every year. Last year if you recall we had a miniature fake tree because we didn't have any room in our townhouse. Also, the kids were still pretty destructive (like they aren't now, HA!) so I made all of the ornaments out of paper thinking they would last one year and then this year we would be back to the real thing. Funny thing is that I really liked our tree last year with all paper ornaments so I decided to use the paper ornaments again mixed with our other breakable items.
When we went to buy the tree the kids were crabby and all out of sorts plus it was cold and rainy with no snow so it certainly was not the tree picking parting I had envisioned. We were walking around in the lot and all the kids did was huddle together and oogle the snack Addy had smuggled out of the van. They had no interest in wandering around a tree lot and I kind of forgot to talk up the Christmas thing so they had no idea what we were even doing.


They did like the free blue pine cones that came with a tree purchase. Here's a triplet perk- most customers get one per tree. We got 3.

Someone (Eloise) was not happy about the glitter on her hand.

Inspecting our selection

Eloise doing the freshness test- breaking branches to release the incredible pine aroma.

But you can't decorate the Christmas tree unless you are properly attired. right?

I pulled out all the unbreakable decorations and just let them have at it. They really were not able to hook the ornaments on the tree but they came up with their own creative team effort.


Addy was the organizer pulling out ornaments and beads out of boxes and bags as fast as she could.

Handing off to the other two for their artful placement.


I had to intervene once they found the pine cones and just started to throw them at the tree and retrieve whatever didn't stick and start over. That was fine until Addy found the glass balls...

We lost a couple ornaments in that battle but what is a good tree decorating party without a few accidents and emergency sweeping?

Eloise has such a good eye. She could see a few bare spots and added a few finishing touches.
\
And one more thing, right there...

Finished product- notice the stockings stuffed in the branches?

I added 40 feet of home made hand colored garland and we are good to go. My favorite tree ever.

2.5

Two and 1/2 years old? Where has the time gone? Oh right, most of it has been spent doing laundry. Just kidding but that is the way it seems lately. I swear I spend at least and hour a day folding laundry. Now that the weather is colder and they wear more layers and have become much more finicky about their attire it is like my daily laundry has doubled. Not like 2 years ago when I could do 2 days worth in 1 load because their clothes was so little. But then I was also making 24 bottles at a time. I think I'll take the laundry over the bottles.
The big news is that Beckett said a 4 word sentence. I just got off the phone with his speech therapist and they think he has made enormous progress and think he will be all caught up by the time he turns 3.
Just for the record, it is a very difficult sequence for kids to use any vowel other than the letter U after the consonant F. So for example the words FIX, FOX, and FROG all sound like another word that I'm sure he doesn't know that starts with FU..... Pretty funny- for now.
This is what he said- "My birthday coming soon." Then Addy said, "Mees too!" and Eloise said, "Mees too!" Mees is the word they use for mine. I don't think they understand they share a birthday; they just want ANYTHING anyone else has.

As you may have noticed, we have a pretty spectacular wallpaper scene of the Left Bank in Paris on the wall of our breakfast nook which leads to lots of conversations about traveling and going to various places. They think hotels are just the best thing ever and just love the idea of going to various places and talking about what we would see there. One day Addy was upset about something and on the verge of losing it and she looked up at the scene on the wall and said, "GO THERE!! GO THERE, NOW!" and burst out crying. It was like going Paris was the only thing that would make her feel better. Sometime I feel that way too sweetheart.
So we did. We went just like that (thanks to the hand of their father in the spirit of the best left bank artist.)
They loved it. That's the beauty of 2.5 year olds.

Santa is a no go

Guess we should have mentioned the whole Santa Claus thing prior to the drive to see him. First I spring on them the whole "you can walk up to people's houses and yell Trick or Treat and they give you candy thing" and then I say they can't do that anymore and then I make a big deal out of turkey and they eat it and throw up multiple times and now I start telling them about this guy that brings toys down the chimney to "good" boys and girls and he drives a sleigh with flying reindeer and there are elves and whatnot. They may have lost faith in my stories because they are just not buying it.

But, they still believe that giant beetles, woolly mammoths and dinosaurs exist. I haven't told them my whole "extinction" story yet.


Beckett is just going to be furious when he hears this one. Currently his favorite exhibit at the zoo is the shrub in trimmed into the shape of a brontosaurus.

Thanksgiving 2011

I love Thanksgiving. I love the food, the football, the family, the leftovers. I love that everyone in our family, extended and otherwise, has their own thoughts on what the Thanksgiving tradition should be. Some like ham AND turkey, marshmallows OR pineapple on the sweet potatoes, stuffing OR dressing (I don't know the difference), Packers OR Lions? Really that last question was just to see if you were paying attention because this is really a no brainer. How about that schoolyard smack down?
I was referring to the Packer game but here is Isaac giving Oliver the old 1-2 count. Really? Pick on someone your own size.

This year we took the kids on Wednesday night to my mom's house and had Thanksgiving in Green Bay. The kids love to talk about Mimi's house and they love going there. When we ask them what they want to do in the morning, more often than not one of the kids will say they want to go to Mimi's house. They love to look at pictures of themselves at Mimi's house. When we can't see the moon at night they think that it is at Mimi's house. So we thought this would be a pretty big hit, which it was, but I always forget how hard it is on all of us to be out of our normal routine. They went to bed late on Wednesday and Rich had to sleep on the floor in their room because they were super freaked out about being in their pack n' plays. Especially Eloise.
Mmmmm, I love the flavors of Thanksgiving if I haven't mentioned it before. I woke up to kids running around screaming downstairs and the smell of sage stuffing. Traditionally we eat later in the day but for some reason it was really important to be eating the meal WHILE the Packers played so we ate much earlier- this is Green Bay after all. Here are the guys helping out in the kitchen. (Isaac, Oliver, Steve, Rich, Eloise and Jim)

Eloise is more of a daddy's girl every day.

This seems totally absurd but when we started to put the food out all of the kids (6 kids 5 and under) ran to the table and were begging to eat so rather than the adults at the big table all of the kids sat at the big table with the food while we just kind of stood around and watched and took pictures.


It really worked out great because the kids only lasted a few minutes then they took off to play and then we could enjoy our meal.

All of that food and all that Beckett wants is two pickles and a half of a roll. This kid just breaks my heart. Eat boy!
On that note, we had a bunch of blood tests done on Beckett to see if he had some food allergies or Celiac or liver problems or anything that could pinpoint why he not gaining weight at a higher rate. All of his labs came back normal which is great but now we have to just keep offering food and try to not make meal time a struggle.
Phew, that is better. Beckett is obsessed with dinosaurs (see the shirt?) and pretty much the only way to get him to eat is to pretend to be a dinosaur. Even on Thanksgiving.


The girls could not keep their hands off of the relish plate. I think Eloise had like 20 olives on her plate at one point so we had to remove it from the table. Then they proceeded to fish off of their neighbors plate.

I think in every picture I have Eloise is stealing from Addy's plate.

Oh no, tryptophan coma!!!!

Just kidding, it is part of the new 'touchdown' dance.

It's all fun and games until someone pukes. And that is exactly what happened about 8 times starting at about 6 pm. Poor little Ms. Addycakes was so miserable. I had to change my clothes twice, hers about 4 times and the tablecloth once. At one point she ran over to the toilet, lifted up the lid and toilet seat and wrapped her arms around the toilet and made retching noises that were clearly fake. Then said, "Can't puke Mama, can't puke." She was probably nauseous and didn't know what to do. All I know is that girl ate a whole boatload of pickles for Thanksgiving. It was a pretty miserable night for everyone not to mention that Eloise was so freaked out she refused to sleep in her pack n'play and would wake up and scream every time we tried to put her in. At one point in the middle of the night all three kids were up crying which hasn't happened in forever. Why is it when kids are sick all they want to do is drink milk. Addy was begging for milk all night and that was the last thing I was about to give her. I've learned my lesson with milk and pukey kids.
Anyway, it seems that we are all finally back to normal after both Rich and I had something during this week as well. Ugg. We had a really good two year run of essentially no sickness and it seems that we are just getting hit hard this year. Probably because now our kids are around a ton of other kids at the JCC or Eloise at school so I guess we are now in the circle of germs. Better now than when they were little.
Up next- what do you get when you let 3 two year olds decorate the Christmas tree?

Shopping on Black Friday

Trying to move past Halloween

Addy is in mourning over Halloween being over. She still yells "trick or treat" at least once a day hoping I'll give her candy. I'm trying to get them to focus on the upcoming holidays and forget about Halloween. I don't think they will get the idea of giving thanks quite yet so I asked them today what makes them happy. This is what I got-
Addy- kitty cats, babies
Eloise- babies, dada here, sissy (Aunt Sarah)
Beckett- hippos
Beckett should have said dinosaurs if he really had his thinking cap on. He has to wear dinosaurs every day. If his pajamas have some sort of dinosaur on them then he refuses to take off the shirt and wears it under his regular shirt. Fine with me. I put two shirts on him anyway and this just saves on my laundry load. He can recognize and name various dinosaurs, correct you if you incorrectly name one and frequently we can only get him to eat protein if it is "T-Rex meat" or if he is a T-Rex eating his meal. Also, if you ask him any questions about eating his answer is always "dog poop" or "dog food" no matter what the question may be. If you ask him what a certain animal, any animal, likes to eat he says "kitty cats." Apparently all animals eat kitty cats.
Beckett is also obsessed with sweeping.


This happens to be a kid broom and dust pan but I also give him the Swiffer and a large mop every once in a while in the hopes that he can be useful. Please don't mind the heart leggings he is wearing. I really have no problem with him wearing girl clothes. I don't encourage it but if he wants to wear something, I have bigger battles to fight on a daily basis.

I'm not sure what Rich or the kids are going to do with themselves once we actually have dining room furniture. Right now the dining room has turned into a race course, a place to build forts, a driving track for the cozy coupes and on this day a...well I don't know what it is. All I know is Rich puts the kids on a blanket and pulls them around in circles on the floor.
Forwards-


And then backwards

Until they look like this...

They love it. I may have to hide all the blankets because Addy now will pull a blanket down, put it on the floor and yell, "Beckett, pull!!!" and get super ticked off when no one follows her commands. She's very bossy. Wonder where she got that from?
For example tonight after bath she had a blanket on the floor and didn't want Rich or I to touch it. She was all snuggled up in it and if I got near she would say, "Moob there, mama, moooob." (translation- move over there Mom, move.) They all have trouble with their v's. She thought I was going to let her go to sleep on the floor. Nice try. She's bossy, but I'm bossier.
The other night they were all snuggled up, actually SHARING a blanket before bedtime stories. Yes, I know they all look a little cross eyed and crazy but to get all three in one picture is rare. Also, it is a good look at the totally G R O S S lovies they cling to at bedtime.

I am aware that Beckett still has a pacifier. It's only at bedtime and sometimes if he has a super messy diaper that is going to take some time, nose plugs and a whole box of wipes to deal with.
Almost every night I yell, I mean, ever so sweetly remind Rich that after bath is quiet time and time to settle down and get ready for bed. I tell Rich but I guess I forgot to tell the MONSTER that always attacks them from under the blanket!


All the kids are very concerned about any sort of mark on your face or body that might even slightly resemble an "owwie." Rich so cleverly taught them what a zit is and how to go about popping it. Another super quiet and relaxing before bed activity.

That is just a warning for anyone who we are going to see over Thanksgiving who might have any sort of blemish on their face and wonder what my kids are trying to do to them...

Time Out Doesn't Work

Tonight I thought I was giving the kids a treat by getting them dressed in their pjs downstairs but they were not cooperating. It got to the point where Addy had a choice to come and get her pjs on or sit in time out. She chose time out. She voluntary walked over there and sat down. Then she showed me her butt and and spanked herself.
I tried to get Beckett dressed next. He said, "No mama, time out." Then walked over to another time out chair and sat down. I thought it was pretty funny that they both put themselves in time out so I got out my camera. Once Addy saw my camera she yelled, "Cheeeeese!"

At that point, you just kind of need to give up and admit you have no control which is what I did.

A Very Brave Woman

This week Eloise started her 3rd week of school and I started my 2nd week of work. When I dropped her off on Monday she started to cry and stomp her feet and I did my normal sprint out the door. When I came back to pick her up she was smiling and playing WITHOUT a lovie in her mouth. They said she cried for about 5 minutes and then started to play. She is transitioning much better than they expected and we are seeing just amazing improvements with her speech and general demeanor.
Now that we have Eloise on the right track it is time to start to focus on our sweet Mr. Beckett. His weight has always been a concern and now that he is getting seen weekly by a speech therapist, she is able to pick up on some patterns that make her think we should get a physical therapy evaluation. He has always had low muscle tone but he should be getting stronger in his core which does not appear to be happening. You wouldn't really notice it because he is so energetic and strong for his size. But his arms and legs are strong because he is compensating for a weak core. Also, he has some low tone in his face/mouth muscles which is why he drools some and may need more help with forming some sounds. All of this along with his very lean frame lead us to our pedi on Friday for a weight check and just a general check in on her thoughts. She thinks that he would really benefit from going to in class therapy with Eloise and frankly was surprised that they didn't think he qualified. I would love if he would be able to go to class and do his speech therapy and PT if needed at the same time. We'll see. That would be ideal because at this point we have some sort of therapy 3 days a week.
BTW- here are the weights:
MR. BECKETT 23lbs, 11 oz (still not on the charts :(
ELOISE 25lbs
ADDY 28lbs
I originally was thinking that we would potty train her this weekend but I think that we will wait until this week and probably after Thanksgiving. She shows great interest and now will go pee in the potty and has had some dry diapers so I think it is time. BUT, all of the kids had a rough day today and I have a feeling the rest of the week might not be back to normal. That is because I went back to work and today was the first day that the kids had their regular nanny all day.
First let me say that last week was my first week back to work after 15 months (but who is counting). It was quite the role reversal. Our regular nanny would not be starting until this week so Rich was playing tag team last week with a sitter who could only work limited hours. She was here maybe 4 hours a day and Rich had the other 5 hours. The first day I was petrified what I would come home to but it was amazing. The dishes were done, the house was clean and the kids were happily playing- albeit without their hair brushed and wearing some outfits that looked like they were put by someone who is color blind. Usually by about 5 at night my patience is gone and I'm past the point of putting up with any crying or whining and just generally fried. But so far every night when I get home I have so much more patience and am truly enjoying my children which is exactly what I had hoped for. It helps that I just love my new job. I was a little nervous going back to work because I loved my last job at Baylor so much I figured that going forward would be a disappointment. If I had taken a job in a similar role I probably wouldn't have been as happy. But this is a little different role and with more emphasis on the nursing so right now is a great mix. I am practically giddy every morning getting ready for work and feeling like a "normal" person again.
Today was the first day for our regular nanny, Yesenia. She is the brave woman I am talking about. Our kids love her and she has been babysitting a few hours a week since we moved here but a few hours is a totally different story than 10-11 hours a day. Also, the thought of taking all three out into public or to a restaurant or to get all three in and out of the car for Eloise's school pick up is probably terrifying, especially after today. Today no one napped for her. They just screamed and jumped and threw toys the whole time. I didn't hear that they stripped naked but I'm sure some nudity was involved. I feel so bad. By the time I got home they were exhausted. Everyone was exhausted. Addy started to cry as soon as she saw me and clung to my hip for a good hour after. So Yesenia is a very brave woman. It's not an easy gig. But tonight when Rich and I were putting them to bed we were all saying "goodnight Mama, good night Beckett..." They all said, "Good night Senia." as if remembering everyone important to them that day. It was really sweet. Now if I could just get her to come back...

Anyway, I haven't taken too many pictures with my regular camera in the past few days so here are some oldies but goodies.
Addy loves to sit in the doll strollers and yell, "BEEEEECKETTTTT,push." Sometimes she can convince Eloise to do the deed which is pretty cute to watch since normally Eloise pushes around her Pooh bear and lovies.
She was using her lovie as a blanket for Addy and then gave her a Pooh because Addy said, "Baby cry." This is the joy of multiples. Right here. When I sit back and watch this kind of stuff it blows me away.

One of the things that our speech therapist has said to give Beckett to help his jaw/mouth muscle tone is fruit leather or licorice- basically things that are very chewy that he has to work on. Halloween presented a great opportunity.
Milk Duds anyone?



And there's the drool. Poor Kermit didn't know what hit him.

After trick or treating we let the kids rifle through their candy and eat what they wanted. Then the candy fest was followed with a festive orange meal, courtesy of Bama (aka Bambi) to combat the sugar high. Here we have tomatoes from Papa's garden, a pickle (not orange), squash, pita bread, BBQ chips, and Sloppy Lennies (like Sloppy Joe's only made with lentils rather than beef) and apple cider.
Speaking of candy, all of the Halloween candy, all 12 lbs of it, is officially gone. Once my will power broke down and I was eating 15-20 candy bars a night it was time for it to go. I told the kids they ate it all and they've since long forgot about it. Phew. But my thighs haven't.

These pictures were from a few days before Halloween when they were in the dress up mode. Eloise is quite fond of accessories and this day was obsessed with this headband.

Grocery shopping and feeding real or pretend people real or pretend food is a favorite so this is their impromtu picnic with Pooh and friends.

Beads, check. Headband, check. Purse, check. Tutu, check. Ready for the picnic!

Takes a lot of guts to mow the lawn in this outfit.