Lilypie Third Birthday tickers

Lilypie Third Birthday tickers

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

No, No, No

Yelling "No!!!" is great entertainment for everyone. Addy started it, now Beckett does it as well because he thinks it is so funny. Eloise has yet to jump on that bandwagon. Addy prefers to yell it when she can actually watch herself. Like in this video she is watching herself in the reflection of the television (which you can't see). Most of time she watches herself make faces, stretch and stand on one leg but I'm so happy she now figured out how to watch herself yell...



-Just a disclaimer so my Mom stops making fun of me for posting pictures of the kids not clothed... I actually do put clothes on my kids and I don't let them run around all day just in onesies (Beckett is dressed- pants are too short- but he is dressed). This happened to be after dinner and the girls were a total mess so I stripped off their clothes before bath time. There. Maybe comment on how safety-conscious we are to let the kids run wild on the couch? That's totally legit because this is certainly not the safest activity. Funny, but not safe.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Independence Week

I wasn't too worked up before over the weather but now I'm getting a tad annoyed. Seriously, it is the middle of May and I still need winter coats and hats for the kids. Case in point- our mid-morning snack and play date at Auntie Sarah's house on Monday.



It is even doubly annoying since I can't keep clothes or shoes or socks on Ms. Addycakes. Last Friday I swear she wore six different outfits and I took out as many pairs of socks because she kept taking everything off, hiding it and then was opinionated about what she would put back on. By the time we get anywhere in the car she has taken off her shoes and socks and today while were were at Whole Foods I looked back at her and she was lounging in the choo-choo wagon with her bare feet in the air. Luckily her shoes and socks were still in the wagon. Sheesh.

Despite the cold weather I have been diligently taking the kids everywhere and slowly letting them out of the confines of the stroller or choo-choo in public places by myself. Before last week I don't know if I have ever taken them out of the stroller to walk by themselves in public or not in a fenced in area (like animals- just kidding.)
I took the kids to the zoo, of course was carrying Eloise in the Baby Bjorn and since the reptile house was empty, and they couldn't really get out the door I figured I'd let them out. I can't believe Eloise would not be scared of dark scary reptile house of all places but as soon as she saw the other two out of the wagon, she was good to go as well. I can't believe how well they did. They hung out within 10 feet or so of the wagon and followed my directions about coming back and holding hands. We did a couple loops of the house, Beckett got back in the wagon, Eloise back in the Baby Bjorn and Addy walked behind the wagon out the door. Addy walked next to the wagon for the entire rest of the visit. She never once wandered off, tried to run or made any sort of escape attempt. Beckett would get out and look when we stopped like at the lions or elephants but got back in when we started to walk again. I was of course carrying Eloise but pulling only 1 baby in the wagon rather than 2 made a huge difference and I don't think I even broke a sweat this time. We even all sat on a picnic table having a snack and watching the flamingos. Everything went swimmingly until about 10 feet from the van when Addy fell and skidded on her head leaving a big raspberry on her forehead. That's a daily occurrence for someone around here so it was overall very successful.

So successful that I let them out of the wagon a few more times last week, a few times at Whole Foods, the art museum and another time at a park in a big field where we practiced walking together and following each other. The last two trips to Whole Foods have been a little nerve wracking because Addy pooped both times. The first time we had walked there in the jogging stroller so I HAD to change her before the 45 minute walk back home. The problem was the jogging stroller didn't fit in the door of the restroom so I had to leave it outside and get all 3 to walk into the bathroom. AHHHHH, germs!!!!! Eloise and Beckett were FREAKED out being in the bathroom and the minute they got inside started to wail and the minute I got Addy's diaper off (she was screaming as well) Beckett threw himself face down in front of the swinging door. If anyone would have come in they would have squished him. There wasn't a lot I could do. I was pretty freaked out as well. Luckily no one came in and my diaper changing skills are pretty spot on so the chaos was short lived. I managed to get everyone sanitized out the door and everyone but Eloise back into the stroller. She was so freaked out I had to carry her for a bit while pushing a stroller with two kids in it and a bag of groceries at the bottom.
I had the choo-choo wagon this week when I went to Whole Foods and the kids were sitting having a snack when Addy stood up and said, "Poo-poo" and patted her bottom. She didn't have a dirty diaper but that was the first time she told me PRIOR to going- I know, she is totally ready to potty train. Then she started to point to the door of the bathroom. No way was I going to recreate the scene from last week so I told her to go and we would change her diaper in the car- drove this time.
This wasn't too much better of a scene. I had an entire CART of groceries that I normally push while pulling the wagon. My sweet Beckett was cooperating and got in the wagon but Addy refused to get in because she didn't want to sit down. And Eloise refused to get in the wagon and only wanted to be carried. I'm totally used to juggling but even I can't pull the wagon, push the grocery cart and carry two children. So Eloise reluctantly went into the seat in the cart, Beckett was in the wagon and Addy walked next to the wagon holding on. I had to walk through the store, down an elevator and through a parking lot like this. I couldn't believe it. She held onto the wagon the entire time- never once letting go. It did take like 20 minutes because she was walking so slow trying to hold onto the wagon and shuffling her feet with the full diaper but we made it.
I got a little cocky with our minimal success so today I made the fatal mistake of taking the kids to a bookstore with the choo-choo wagon. I don't know if I've mentioned this but unlike the rest of our strollers, the wagon does not have seat belts so I can't willfully keep the kids in the wagon if they want to get out. They rode the wagon in the store. I let them out to sit at a table and in the amount of time the sales clerk showed me the location of the Winnie the Pooh and Richard Scary books, the kids had about 30 books piled on the table. They were excitedly running to the shelves, pulling a book off, putting it on the table and running for another. I knew I was on the brink of losing control- the sales clerk probably thought I already had- so I grabbed a handful of books, apologized and instructed the kids to follow me and headed for the register. They did without a peep. They stood by me when I paid and they followed me out the door into the entry way where the screaming began about getting back into the wagon. Beckett, bless his heart, got in with a bribe a of new book but the girls refused. They ended up walking the 2 blocks back to the car both holding onto to a finger of one hand while I pulled the wagon. They did really well and never once tried to get away but it was pretty nerve wracking.

It's a constant battle to allow my kids independence while trying to keep them safe. I just don't have enough hands. It is a struggle to try to find activities that are manageable and safe with one adult and three kids. Their new independence is both anxiety producing and empowering for me. I love that we get out every day and do a whole variety of activities but at the same time, getting out means I'm always ON and trying to stay on step ahead of these three little smartypants kids.
Enough complaining, on to the pictures. Sorry don't have too many this week and they don't really fit the title but that kind of sums up our week- random and disjointed- because I'm totally preoccupied with figuring out and obsessing over houses. No update- YET but hopefully soon.

Like I said, I can't keep clothes on Addy. I've given up in the house. It's like the minute her clothes come off, she goes wild. Jumping....

Tumbling...

Strapping herself in the stroller and screaming for help...(that one is obnoxious)

They love to harass me in the kitchen. The minute I step foot in the kitchen they think it is time to eat which makes cooking any sort of decent meal very challenging as is trying to keep the peace while maintaining their appetite for the next meal. I found that giving them cucumber sticks keeps them happy and doesn't really fill them up. On this day I was making citrus rice so I handout out the juiced lemons. It was a huge hit.



OOOOH, that last one was sour!


We were looking at a house last week with out real estate agent and we brought the kids- only because the house was empty! As the kids were running like maniacs through the house our agent made a comment about Addy and Beckett being "thick as thieves." It's true, Beckett and Addy really gravitate towards one another while Eloise kind of does her own thing and gravitates towards me. While I usually get pictures and video of the other two doing something wild, that's not Eloise's style. She sorts, organizes, feeds people and dolls, folds laundry, is entertained by the other two and snuggles with her lovies. Whereas Addy and Beckett ham it up for the camera, getting a picture of this little imp can be really difficult because she is always sooo busy.


Poor thing would probably sleep a few hours more per day if her siblings didn't always wake her up. Here she is waiting to go upstairs for a nap.

Like I said, no update on the house yet but hopefully in the next few days...

Monday, May 16, 2011

Morning Entertainment

I don't know how I'm going to entertain the kids when/if we move from this townhouse- more on that later. Between the schoolkids ("babies" to Addy), the dog park, the firetrucks and the garbage trucks just looking out the window can be 10 minute entertainment. Doesn't sound like much but if I don't hear whining or fighting or someone is hanging on my legs begging for "cheese" for a whole 10 minutes, I am forever grateful.
Thursday it was the garbage trucks during breakfast which came to my rescue. For Beckett to sit and consume calories for an extended period of time is unheard of. He was so enthralled I kept sneaking more food in his bowl and he ate just kept eating and watching and eating and watching...


It was a red letter day for everyone when after the garbage truck left another flatbed truck with a CRANE on it came by to replace the large garbage receptacles from the apartment building. You should have seen their faces and the pointing and heard the "ohhs and ahhs." Priceless to watch and priceless time for me to get a few things done.
Not much to report on the house update. I'm still obsessed with a fixer upper I found and can't sleep because I'm obsessing over it and worried someone is going to make an offer before we can. I was MIA from blogging last week because I was busy working on what ended up being a 27-page Powerpoint presentation for Rich outlining the pros, cons, financial considerations, short term and long term plans, contractor estimates and interior design ideas for what I am now calling my dream house. Am I crazy? Without a doubt. But I like to think of it more along the lines of what Bambi calls it- I need a outlet for my creative energy. That and I really like to plan ahead so this project fits the bill. I just wish I had more time to figure out how to incorporate the charts and graphs...

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Mum's Day 2011

Rich says that Mother's Day is like my second birthday of the year. Sometimes it feels like that's how fast I'm aging. We had a rough start to the day with Addy starting to cry at 6 am. Sheesh. I never know when they are going wake up. The other day they started making noise around 7 but played until 7:30 when I went in. Then there are days like today when the crying starts at 6 am. We tried to ignore it and I even told Rich to turn off the monitor. Nice huh? We can still hear her crying in our room without the monitor so at that point the monitor was just added annoying noise.
Rich thought he heard a thump and went running in because we thought she climbed out of her crib like Beckett. Nope. Probably just kicking something. So we had an early start which was good since we went to a super popular breakfast place and it got really crowded a few minutes after we got there. Even getting there at 7:30, we still only got one high chair. We are the highchair hogs everywhere we go. Sometimes I feel sorry for the families that come behind us because we usually snatch up all the highchairs.
Our kids eat so well in restaurants. By well, I don't mean with good manners but I mean they eat A LOT. And today they ate A LOT of whipped cream and bacon. I only give them soy bacon at home so when they got the real thing, Nueskes Bacon, they went hog wild (pun intended). It's the best bacon around, even Martha Stewart agrees. Beckett of course would not eat the fat, only the lean part. As a treat, we also ordered them whipped cream with strawberries and bananas. Eloise was shoveling it in her mouth by the spoonful.
The boy loves dump trucks- way more than food.
Addy dropped her car in the whipped cream then proceeded to use the car as a utensil for eating her whipped cream. Like I said, not the best manners.

After breakfast it was maybe 8:30 and maybe 45 degrees out. Since it wasn't snowing, it was a perfect time to go to the park. Rich said that if it snows again this season our house search will continue in Dallas.
At this particular park, we park our car about 1/4 mile from the playground and walk a path on a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan. It is such a great park. And it must be a bird haven because the only other people we saw at first were bird watchers. I assume that's what they were because they were tons of people walking around with binoculars and super cool looking camera's with really long lenses. I'm sure they were thrilled when they saw our crew coming.


As with the rest of our lives, the time at the playground eventually falls into a routine. Eloise swings, Addy climbs and Beckett picks sand, dirt, sticks and whatever else he can find.








Addy must be waiting for someone to push her.
She figured out how to push herself.
Not sure that was a good idea after all that bacon...

I don't know where he got this. He likes to throw things at trees. Sticks, stones, pine cones or whatever he finds. Here he has a rock. Earlier he picked up dog poop.


Not me, I would never pick up poop!!!

They were so tired they sat down on the bridge walking back to the car.



This park is also home to one of the nicest restaurants in Milwaukee. It just so happens that in front of the restaurant and about 75 yards from our car, the meltdowns started so we had to stop and regroup with snacks. So this pictures reminds me of the Mother's Day my family took me out to eat to a really fancy restaurant... (you can see it in the background.)Seriously, why is there a picnic bench there? You are just asking for riff-raff like us to sit and gawk at everyone going in and out balancing on their heels and adjusting their stockings.

In front of the restaurant is a lawn bowling green. I guess that is what is is called. There is no bocce ball allowed. Only bowling. I don't know the difference. All I know is that it makes for really beautiful pictures. And there were a few lawn bowling balls around which made for a perfect toy.

Perfect if there were 3 rather than 2...


Love this picture. Of course they are trying to climb the fence. The day would not be complete with a few good climbs and highjinks.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Happy Mother's Day 2011

Had a wonderful, wonderful day with my babies and hubby. I would write more but I'm so exhausted. Being obsessed takes a lot of energy. I used to be obsessed with germs, now I'm obsessed with finding a house. And I found the perfect one. It is a mid-century modern fixer upper. It is a total gem but needs some work. There in lies the problem. So my plan this week is to put together a short term and long term proposal to WOW the pants off the hubby and convince him this is our dream house and a financially sound investment in this scary real estate market.
I have my work cut out for me- both with the proposal and with these amazing little creatures that every day WOW the pants off of me with their humor, spunk, determination and love they bring to everyone around them.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

New Words

I'm waiting to be scheduled for our evaluation at Children's to get Beckett and Eloise into speech therapy. There apparently is a really long wait list. Eloise pretty much still says, "Da" for just about everything but for some reason she is really good, and I mean really, really good at saying, "mama."
I can tell that Beckett is trying to say more words, even if it is just the first syllable. He still only has a handful of words but I can tell that he is processing and I know one of these days his speech is going to take off.
He learned a new word today. He can say-
Mama
Dada
Ball
Poo (this is both poop and Winnie the Pooh- actually any bear for that matter)
And today he added....

Addy's vocabulary is just taking off. This is her new word of the day (and Beckett thrown in again because he is a show off).

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Hiding

No one wanted to get dressed so they were hiding from me.

Tumbler

Every once in a while, Beckett decides to do a somersault which I think he learned how to do when tumbling from crib to crib. Unfortunately he decided to tumble out of his crib the other day and onto the floor. He ended up with a bruise on his head but it scared him enough that I'm not sure when he will work up enough courage to try it again. He never does any tumbling on command and I just have to be lucky enough to catch it.


In case you missed it, here is another one. I actually was recording what bad parents we are to let the kids jump from the coffee table to the couch and then onto the floor when I saw the elastic man out of the corner of my eye.


He is the only one who can do somersaults. Addy thinks she is when she does a log roll on the floor. It must have something to do with bellies getting in the way for the girls. Beckett is able to do things like somersaults and ascend and descend the stairs very quickly and efficiently (Rich's terms, not mine) because of what Rich likes to call his "power to weight ratio." I don't know exactly what that is and I don't think I want to calculate mine but I translate that as a compliment for Beckett if he were training for a triathlon. It's official. We are in full Ironman training mode around here.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Z word Update

I took the kids to the zoo this morning by myself which I swore I would not do until Eloise got over her fear of live animals. But then I decided that it wasn't fair for Beckett and Addy because they adore the zoo. So I packed the choo-choo in the car along with the Baby Bjorn for back up. Last time we went I had to carry Eloise the entire time while pulling the wagon which left me a sweaty shaky mess. This time I loaded up on breakfast and packed the Gatorade. I also have been talking about going to the zoo for a day or just to prepare Eloise. I eventually had to stop talking about it because every time I would mention it, the other two would go running for the gate to head outside and start throwing coats and hats in excitement.
It was a good sign that everyone seemed to recognize and chatter when we pulled into the zoo. I thought that we were golden until I put Eloise in the choo-choo and she tried to climb out and then latched onto to me and didn't let go. So I put the other two in the choo-choo and carried her in the Baby Bjorn facing me, like a newborn. She wouldn't let me put her facing out. Good thing she is a tiny little tyke because I think the max weight is 25 lbs and she fit just perfect. Even though she was snug and safe in the Bjorn she still clung to me with her arms and legs the whole time.
She was a little better, still whined when she saw animals but it is was better this time. At home she loves giraffes and elephants. At the zoo, these were the most scary along with the cows. Probably because of the size. I just felt so bad for Addy and Beckett because they really get the short end of the stick at the zoo. We whiz by the really big exciting animals and spend most of our time just walking the paths talking about the flowers and peacocks, which are scary to Eloise as well. But I found a place they all, not me, but the kids like- the reptile and aquatic house. They loved the fish, turtles, and snakes. Really? The snakes? That is my least favorite place at the zoo because it is always dark in there and I'm a little paranoid that something has escaped and is lurking on the floor.
We spent about 20 minutes in there and I think starting in the reptile house is the trick to get Eloise more comfortable because we headed into the Gorilla/Monkey house afterwards and she was totally fine. I couldn't put her down but as long as she was being carried, she was fine. Beckett loved the monkeys but he really loved the big truck outside that was putting on new roof on. That was probably the highlight for him.
Normally I'm pretty used to people staring at the triplet parade, especially in the choo-choo but today for some reason I felt particularly gawked at even though there was hardly anyone at the zoo- it started to rain the minute we got back into the car. Maybe it was just me being sensitive but today was one of those days where having triplets and trying to raise them as normal and fairly as possible was even more challenging than every other day. Some days you just wish it was easier, just simpler to go to the zoo. Today I was walking with Eloise strapped to the front of me, clinging to me like a little monkey, pulling the choo-choo with the other two, sweating and thirsty and had a moment where I caught sight of our reflection of a pane of glass. I probably would have stared too. And in fact I did for a minute or two. Then I walked away laughing. Sometimes that's all you can do.
I'm glad I did it. We will probably go back every week but it's hard. Darn hard.