May Fluff

Ham Sandwich, anyone??

This is Little D having a tantrum (he scoots backewards when angry)

William is obsessed with hats and will make one out of anything

Playdates and House Stuff

So my head is swimming in preparation for all this involved in getting our house on the market.

Spoke to my boss today about a timeline. Met with the lender again this morning, getting started on the pre approval process (to buy after we sell).

I did decide we are going to stay in the house while it's on the market. There's no telling how long it will take and we can't afford to throw the amount of money necessary on interim housing, especially without knowing what the interim will be. We will simply have to have restricted hours or by appointment only - not my first choice, but really the only thing that is going to work.

Fortunately, most weekdays we are all gone at work, so shouldn't be an issue. We will be getting rid of most of our existing stuff, living in a staged house. I am a bit nervous about this aspect - but trying not to stress out too much. I figure with the money I am saving on interim housing, I can splurge, have it painted, etc. and have it professionally cleaned weekly, which will take much of the stress off of me.

We gave my boss an approximate timeline of having the house semi empty-ish by July 15th. Hopefully to market by August. We shall see, we shall see.

Reading over the loan app is so daunting, I can't even tell you. I'm in the business and it's overwhelming me.

The twins' playdate yesterday was really nice, I'm glad I went. It was in a very posh neighborhood about 20 minutes south of me (and when I say posh, I mean 3 million dollar homes). The woman had a park like yard (15 sq ft lot -- looked it up -- one of the perks of my biz) and could not have been nicer. She had her nanny in attendance, as did a few of the other mothers - if that gives you any indication of the dynamic. That said, they were all incredibly sweet and welcoming, particularly the hostess.

As I had only corresponded via email with the hostess, I was curious as to the correct pronunciation of her name - Ja'Nien. JA-NEE-YEN? JA-NYUHNN? I spent almost too much time than I'd care to admit pondering this one.

I was picturing an exotic, sophisticated brunette, but was greeted by a perky, short blonde named "JA-NEEN" from L.A. Ohhhhh. Janine. Alrighty then!

The boys did well, considering this was their first attempt at socializing with babies their own age. The mostly gnoshed on cheerios and goldfish, then climbed atop two baby lawn chairs. Climbing is their new favorite pasttime.

There were a few women there who live closer to me and also had 3 year olds in addition to their twins. They all encouraged me to bring Sofia to the next playdate, so I may. I'm not sure I want to take that on as she's been such a pill lately, but we'll see. I'm definitey glad I went and will go again. It's a perfect day and a perfect time, so can't ask for much more than that.

First Playdate for the twins

So we are going to a playdate with the twins. Or, shall I say, I am. I'm not sure how I'm going to handle both of them alone, but fingers crossed it goes smoothly. Half of me just wants to flake, but the other half knows I need to at least go and check it out. It's about 20 minutes south of me, so not exactly convenient, but is all twin moms. That said, most of them are first time moms, so I'm not sure how I'll mesh. I don't have Sofia today (thank you, preschool!) and Steve will pick her up and they can go to the park.

I'm hoping the boys take an afternoon nap today, but not getting my hopes up. I hear David babbling as I write this and we are supposed to "leave" in about half hour. They have been having quite a lot of fun today, playing, dancing, climbing, throwing food, etc. Both of them have taken some steps today.

I made some progress. Cleaned out my refrigerator and pantry. No small feet around here. Baby steps.

Need a new blog name

Ok, so technically, I know I need to come up with something other than "Twins and a Toddler, Oh MY!" MY life with 3 under 3 - because a) I don't think Miss Thang can be categorized as a toddler anymore and b) I technically don't have 3 under 3 anymore.

I don't know, 3 under 4 just doesn't have the same ring to it. *shrug*

The URL is 3 kids in 2 years, but that's so generic.

I need something clever, smart and funny.

Until I think of something, 3 under 3 it is.

Welcome to My Life

A rough morning...This post is for anyone who foolishly thinks I have it "all together" --

The morning started with William screaming for no discernable reason, then my attempt to get him changed and dressed, discovering he was soaked to the gills because Daddy hadn't put his overnight dipe on last night. GRRRRRRR. As I'm doing this, Sofia is simultaneously clinging to my leg, whining for me to find her Barney Christmas DVD. (This is her favorite thing to watch, no matter how many times we try to hide it and hope she forgets about it, she just keeps on asking for it.) Somehow, I manage to get David changed and dressed (he's also soaked) and move the troops out.

We finally all made it to the living room, where Sofia demands to sit on my lap, which sends David into a frenzy of jealousy. He proceeds to dramatically throw himself on the floor, face down, crying and scoot backwards, angrily. When I say "Come to Mama, David," he gets more enraged. It would be funny if it weren't so frustrating.

I finally put Sofia down (whining ensued, natch) to go rescue David, then attempted to hold both of them, which was entirely possible, were it not for David wanting NO part of that. He wanted me all to himself and wasn't afraid to show it. Unfortunately, so did Sofia. It was only the mention of French Toast Sticks that ultimately got Sofia off my lap and everyone into the kitchen.

And where was my DEAR husband during all this, you may wonder? Oh, sleeping. Yeah, sleeping. Standard. In his defense, he handles the bedtime stuff. That's our deal. If I have to handle the waking, he does the putting to sleep.

After breakfast, the boys then figure out how to climb up onto Sofia's toddler bed (David first, then William copies him), then stand up!! So there they are, standing on the bed while I'm attempting to find the $50 temporal thermometer I just bought (William felt warm). Naturally, David falls off, but surprisingly is no worse for the wear and laughs it off, gets right back up.

Once the boys are gone with Steve, it's time to get Sofia ready for school which resulted in yet another no holds barred tantrum with Sofia. She didn't want to get her jacket on and after a huge struggle that involved my attempts at humor, distraction and bribery in no particular order. ended up with her in time out and in tears, myself close to tears. I tell you, I don't know how much more of this I can take.

I know it's rough for Sofia - going through this transition with the twins being more mobile and turning into little people - but I'm almost at the end of my rope. Time outs don't seem to be working at all. I need some advice, book or technique recommendations, some tips from anyone who has BTDT in a similar situation and lived to tell about it. The first 3 months will all 3 was probably the hardest time I've ever gone through and this is nowhere near that level, but lately, life's been a little more stressful than I would like. This is really, really, hard.

I do have all 3 kids tomorrow, so that should be fun (yeah, that's sarcasm). Maybe having Sofia home will help, maybe she is missing me, maybe it'll make things worse as all 3 fight for my attention, I am just so clueless at this point. I am going to try and focus on some PTing tomorrow, since we'll be homebound. I do have a playgroup for twins I'm supposed to go to in the late afternoon, hopefully Steve will be home in time for me to go.

My Guilty Pleasures

Ok, so a little tv talk to start the week.

I watched Jon and Kate a bunch last night. God, I love that show. She absolutely inspires me.
I could not believe how she flew with all the kids to Utah. WOW. Just the thought! Then again, they didn't bring carseats and had a passenger van with carseats installed already waiting for them on the other side, so that's a huge deal. Probably a perk of being who they are. If I had that sort of service while traveling, I'd definitely fly with all 3. I guess it could be arranged for the right price. Still, carseats aside, it was a major undertaking!! That woman is so organized and really holds it together, considering the stress level and planning involved. She's a rock star.

I love how she insists on making sure the kids have fun life experiences, no matter how difficult or frustrating it is for her and her DH. She said the reason she is like that is because she never had fun experiences as a child and the reason DH is like that is because he did - I could really relate to that.

They also showed them going to their church - which they rarely talk about, but I know is a large part of their life.

I could learn a thing or two about running a tight ship. Kate is so in control with the kids - some would say too much -- but I tell ya, the way Sofia has been running us ragged, throwing tantrums if everything isn't exactly to her liking and just generally becoming uber high maintenance - I'm thinking I could use a little Kate Gosselin Mojo to reign her in. I'd love to know how the twins were when the sextuplets were born, how she handled jealousy issues. I'd love to pick her brain!

Oh and the season finale of The Office! Brilliant, just brilliant! Best show on tv. (sell, scripted, that is)

Very excited for finale of Lost this week. I have been spending a little time trolling my old Lost boards, seeing what all the smarty pants super geeks are theorizing this week. Most of the time, I come away thinking they have too much time on their hands, but sometimes there is a little gem of info in there.

I'm just Going to Blame it on Mommy Brain

Today was ridiculous.

I got up super early and did a bunch of stuff before the kids woke up at like 7:30. I was ready to give myself a high five for being ahead of the game, when everything went to pot.

Steve drives off with the boys. Sofia and I prepare to leave and can't find the car. I thought it was stolen! Then, I remember it's at my office, where we left it the night before...So, have to call Steve to come back and get us, which he was none too happy about.

Together, we take Sofia to PS and I realize I forgot the poor kid's lunch. Also, can't find the keys to my CRV (parked at my work). Steve takes the twins to DC, then goes home to find the keys and get Sofia's lunch and can't find the keys. Turns out, he says, they were on top of the van and flew off on the freeway. Ay-yi-yi. So, he can't find the spares either. I go home and find them in about 2 seconds. He literally had torn apart the entire house - and I found them on the floor in like 2 seconds.

With my thoughts on houses, e. coli and such, I just don't know where my brain went.

Pre-summer fluff

Some fluff of the kids - It was near 100 here last week. In an effort to not completely melt, we tried to get out of the house as often as possible. The local park was a madhouse, but we had fun.



David -- drop it like it's HOT!

My sweet Yum Yum

The boys looking pensive in the heat

Daddy and Little D

William and Sunglasses

Her mother's daughter

So apparently the e. coli strain I had is multi drug resistant, meaning it's resistant to most oral antibiotics. I am on Bactrim, which is the one they say should work. Should. It seems to be, so fingers crossed that continues to be the case.

***
So we're having some behavioural issues with Sofia. She is being incredibly disobedient, tantruming, talking back, etc. Time outs are not working. Positive reinforcement (what little there is of it) is not working. Distraction is not working. This kid is stubborn, she is her mother's daughter and a fellow Taurus. (My nickname growing up -well into my twenties- was "Testa Dura" which means hard in the head in Italian...you get the picture)

My simple analysis of the situation is a) the inconsistency in her schedule and b) competing for attention with the twins and c) the natural burgeoning independence that comes with being a 3 year old.

The fact that I've identified the root of the problem doesn't seem to help the situation. Our schedule isn't likely to change anytime soon. I always manage to make special time for Sofia and at least 2-3 times a week. In fact, if anyone needs more attention, it's the twins. They always seem to get the short end of the stick and it breaks my heart at times.

I guess all I can really do is ride it out, try to keep things as consistent as possible and make sure my attention is distributed as evenly as possible, within reason. So, basically doing what I am doing, which obviously isn't working. lol.

No one ever said this was going to be easy.

Nasty bugs

So, yeah the urinalysis came back as having e.coli.

I'm assuming that is what the stomach ailment was as well since it's what obviously infected my urinary tract, but will ask doc when I speak to her (spoke to nurse, doc out Mondays). I feel sort of vindicated now, not such a whimp after all when I was moaning and groaning and feeling like death warmed over. Steve was like "You're still sick!???"

Can't wait to tell him it was freaking E-COLI!

My Husband the Packrat

I just spent the last 6 days with some sort of awful, gastrointestinal yukkiness that I can only liken to dysentary, coupled with near 100 degree heat (sans a/c) and one of the most ragingest UTI's I've ever had (and I've had a few). I checked my urinanalysis results online (love that!) but think I need a degree to decipher. I did play dr. Google and methinks it's pretty clear I have an infection, so good thing I went in when I did. From the likes of the virulence with which it attacked all that entered my digestive tract, I'd say it was something nasty. The full results of the culture should be back this week.

So today - whew - the weather has cooled somewhat, the antibiotics are kicking in and things are starting to resemble normalness.

All that is going through my mind at this point is the Wonder Pets anthem (the phone! the phone is ring-ing). It is stuck in my head like some sort of mommy-fog-brain mantra. My hot face is sunburnt to the color of a Gala apple (thanks to walking in a parade in the midday sun while taking Cipro) and I've yet to have dinner at 9 p.m. but I just took a shower and am looking forward to a good week.

We ventured out to Gilroy today to check out homes today. Steve seems to think that we could move there and he'd be closer to work, I could do the SAHM thing, etc. Well, yeah, Gilroy is off the table. It's way too rural, way too middle of nowhere and way too pit-like for my liking. I think Steve is bummed out that I didn't like it, but I can't live somewhere like that. Especially staying home. The more I think about it, the more I realize the smart thing is to buy here and stay working 3 days. I think that would afford me the greatest amount of overall balance and make sense for both our jobs.

So then Steve tells me I can go ahead and get the storage unit and he'll start taking stuff over this week. I remind him that we need to pare down, have the garage sale, then debrix box, THEN decide what size storage unit we are getting. He proceeds to tell me we don't need a debris box, we don't have that much debris. I point to the garage (which is approximately 1000 square feet filled to the gills with his crap). We then start to argue about whether or not he will be keeping the contents of said garage.

He says he's not getting rid of any of the useless old furniture, video tapes (seriously? video tapes?), a rolltop desk, a round coffee table and any number of useless things that are taking up space that we don't have. I told him we are not spending $ to store garbage. Harsh words, I know, but COME ON!! When I said we were getting a storage unit, I meant for our house belongings. That stuff is not following us to the new house. It just can't. It's all about the kids now, not saving videos of Eric Clapton from 1982.

I am married to a packrat. A packrat in serious denial. This is going to take some wifely finessing of the highest level. I must go plan my strategy now.

House 'o' Tauruses

So Mother's Day. One would think it would be kind of a big deal around my house. Notsomuch.

I did receive a card and a little trinket Sofia made in preschool and that was quite enough. What did I really want? Honestly? A big screen TV.

Truth be told, there's been a lot going on. With our trifecta of birthdays (Sofia 4/25, me 5/1 and Steve 5/9) it's been a whirlwind of a month. By the time Mother's Day hits, I am ready for a nap. It was the same last year and I suspect it will be this way every year. Just call us the House 'o' Tauruses.

I remember my first official Mother's day in 2005. It fell on or near my birthday, if I recall. It was a gorgeous spring day and I was in sheer bliss with my beautiful, long desired, baby girl. My friend brought me white cake with whipped cream frosting and strawberries, my favorite kind. And champagne! I was breastfeeding and on Vicodin for the c/s, but I remember taking a few sips and thinking how happy, how truly fulfilled I was. That was a good Mother's Day.

This year, we all just hung around the house, which was nice too. I checked out some storage places for pricing, bought moving boxes at Home Depot and did a bit of cleaning. This is my life now and I have no complaints.

Baggers and Texters

Now that I've turned 40...(yes, happened last week. Did some partying. Saw a band, drank too much. Was fun. But I digress....) I feel that I can be cranky old broad. Here goes...

Ok, so a couple of things I need to get off my chest. WHY THE HELL DO BAGGERS CLEARLY NOT RECEIVE ANY TRAINING? I don't understand, baggers used to know how to bag. Now, they don't seem to have a clue and it DRIVES.ME.NUTS. I mean, it really, really bugs. They put all the heaviest stuff together, my bags break, soaps and cleaners in with food, mix dry goods and not dry goods, I could go on. I mean, COME ON PEOPLE. At the risk of sounding like a control freak, I would prefer to bag myself. I can't tell you how many times my bags have broken. All the more reason to go to Trader Joe's where they have paper bags with handles. Then again, I've had a few bags overstuffed there as well. It seems to be universal.

My other big pet peeve is when my DH puts items (paper towels, coffee, etc.) on the highest shelves in the kitchen, which I'd estimate to be about 6.5 feet up. There is no way I can reach these and god knows, every second counts in my day. I don't have time to go find a stepping stool. I just think him being tall and all, he just doesn't stop to consider the fact that he's married to a woman who's 5 3" with short arms.

Ok, so my final peeve. The lack of customer service out there is astonishing. My experience yesterday at Best Buy was no exception. I wasn't expecting much, but I've had better experiences there. First of all, I had to approach 3 salesmen to help me when there was no one in the store. I could barely understand the guy as he mumbled things to me. He didn't explain things well and was answering his own cell phone ("yeah? what's up? working" was the conversation I had the joy to listen to) while waiting on me. I was ready to walk out, but at that point, was so invested in the whole thing, didn't have the energy. The best part was when I was changing my plan and he asked me if I text much. (I know it's generational, but I just don't get the texting thing. Email yes. PMing, yet. Texting? Notsomuch. )

I could tell by the look on his face that he already knew the answer. You poor, clueless old broad was all over his face. He was talking in terms of 100's of texts per month and I answered about 2 per month. Guess I won't be needing the "unlimited texting" package.

That single moment made me feel older than anything I've experienced thus far.

Haircut for one, please?

Last few weeks have been intense. I turned 40, Sofia turned 3, my head is spinning. Later this week, Steve's 48th (can you believe it?)

Good times were had by all on Friday night when we went to watch "Hot for Teacher." Drinks were consumed. To say I was hurting on Saturday would be putting it mildly. Ah well, you only turn 40 once, right?

I did get my long desired Blackberry (a.k.a Crackberry) and am in love with it.

But enough about me.

The boys are like little elves. They follow each other everywhere, are into everything. There isn't a gate or obstacle they can't get around. Sofia was never much into that level of exploring/destroying, so this whole boy thing is a new one for me. No walkers yet, but I think we are very, very close.

We decided to give David his first haircut this weekend. His little head just couldn't carry off the huge hair he was starting to sport. It hadn't reached mullet status yet, but it was looking a bit Liza Minelli-ish for my taste. We decided to leave William's as is. His large head size (not to mention shape) really needs all the hair it can get to conceal. Plus, it still looks pretty cute the way it is.

I am a licensed cosmo, but male cutting is not my forte. Still, I gave at it while he munched on snacks in the high chair. He did well for most of the cut, but at the end was pulling away from so I did the best I could. It'll do. He doesn't look like a baby anymore. *sniff sniff* He looks like a little man!!

BEFORE AND AFTER

Now that the boys have different hair, they look even less alike, further confusing people when we go out in public. We like to mess with people and tell them William is our adopted son from Nicaragua. Sometimes it's Afghanistan. Just depends on our mood.

David had another asthma incident, looks like this is going to be an ongoing thing. Thank god they have so many meds available (unlike my childhood when they shot you up with adrenalin). Then again, not sure pumping the kid up with steroids is any better. Ah, well. He's better, that's all that matters. We have an appt with an allergist (for the possible peanut allergy) in a few weeks.

It's been a while since I got some "good" shots of "the brothers," so here goes with some fluff.

Mommy and David

Daddy & David

Daddy and William

William with Sofia's Dorothy the Dinosaur hat (he's a little obsessed with hats)

We were invited to a birthday party for one of Sofia's school BFF's this weekend at Happy Hollow. It was so much fun, what a great little zoo for the little ones. It closes in July for over a year while they refurbish it. It's going to be amazing when they are done. They have small animals there (lemurs, meercats, goats) so Sofia kept asking where the tigers were.