Oh boy, OH BOY!

So this climbing thing has gone into overdrive. The boys went from 0-60 in about one day. I have spent the better part of the day removing them from precarious situations. At one point, David got caught in a drawer - that he was trying to climb up. I turned on the vacuum cleaner and apparently, he was so profoundly frightened that he toddled to the bedroom and was trying to climb on to the dresser to get away from the noise. I found him crying hysterially.

Also, William learned how to climb up on to the couch. He was pretty darn proud of himself, let me tell you. David tried in earnest to copy his every move, but alas my little nugget's little legs were too short. William did try to stand on the couch, I told him to sit down and he listened for the most part. He's gotten very good at getting down off of things backwards. Amazing how quickly they learn.

I am definitely going to have to do some major baby proofing here. I never had to do it with Sofia. We just cordoned off certain parts of the house. She never climbed things, opened drawers, got through the gate, climbed up dressers or onto tables. This is new territory for me, this boy thing and I am now beginning to understand why people laughed and offered sympathy when I told them I was having 2 boys.

On a Sofia note...she drew an F today!! Repeatedly! I was shocked. Granted, it looked more like a tic tac toe, but I got the idea. She asked if I wanted her to make one, so I said, sure. And there it was. I guess she learned it at school. I was very proud. She also came home with the same panties and pants as this morning, so yey to that.

Tomorrow we leave to visit the BIL and cousins for the weekend. Should be fun.

Oh boy, OH BOY!

So this climbing thing has gone into overdrive. The boys went from 0-60 in about one day. I have spent the better part of the day removing them from precarious situations. At one point, David got caught in a drawer - that he was trying to climb up. I turned on the vacuum cleaner and apparently, he was so profoundly frightened that he toddled to the bedroom and was trying to climb on to the dresser to get away from the noise. I found him crying hysterially.

Also, William learned how to climb up on to the couch. He was pretty darn proud of himself, let me tell you. David tried in earnest to copy his every move, but alas my little nugget's little legs were too short. William did try to stand on the couch, I told him to sit down and he listened for the most part. He's gotten very good at getting down off of things backwards. Amazing how quickly they learn.

I am definitely going to have to do some major baby proofing here. I never had to do it with Sofia. We just cordoned off certain parts of the house. She never climbed things, opened drawers, got through the gate, climbed up dressers or onto tables. This is new territory for me, this boy thing and I am now beginning to understand why people laughed and offered sympathy when I told them I was having 2 boys.

On a Sofia note...she drew an F today!! Repeatedly! I was shocked. Granted, it looked more like a tic tac toe, but I got the idea. She asked if I wanted her to make one, so I said, sure. And there it was. I guess she learned it at school. I was very proud. She also came home with the same panties and pants as this morning, so yey to that.

Tomorrow we leave to visit the BIL and cousins for the weekend. Should be fun.

Twin-a-pa-looza

So both boys are officially walking. It's a new day in the K$$*e house. If we thought we needed a bigger house before...They're new thing? Climbing. At the risk of sounding sexist, I'm going to wonder out loud if this is a boy thing? Sofia never did this, not this early and not to this extent. If they see something, they climb it. It's like it's innate!

I remember a friend who had the same situation as us (3 under 3) telling me in the darkness that was my post partum period..."It gets easier, then it gets hard again, then it gets easier again, then harder again..." I didn't want to hear that at the time, I only wanted to hear "easier." He was soooooo right. I think we're in one of the harder phases. One day at a time.

So here are some pics from a friend's birthday party on Saturday. 4 sets of twins in attendance, it was Twin-a-palooza! All my kids and my friend's twins on far left and right.




David sizing up his new friend.

David doing what David does.

Twin-a-pa-looza

So both boys are officially walking. It's a new day in the K$$*e house. If we thought we needed a bigger house before...They're new thing? Climbing. At the risk of sounding sexist, I'm going to wonder out loud if this is a boy thing? Sofia never did this, not this early and not to this extent. If they see something, they climb it. It's like it's innate!

I remember a friend who had the same situation as us (3 under 3) telling me in the darkness that was my post partum period..."It gets easier, then it gets hard again, then it gets easier again, then harder again..." I didn't want to hear that at the time, I only wanted to hear "easier." He was soooooo right. I think we're in one of the harder phases. One day at a time.

So here are some pics from a friend's birthday party on Saturday. 4 sets of twins in attendance, it was Twin-a-palooza!


All my kids and my friend's twins on far left and right.

David being the boy that he is.

David sizing up his new friend.

David doing what David does.

Sofia goofing around at home in the blistering heat of last week.

William doing a hat dance.

Check, please!

William multi tasking.

The twins' 1st peer birthday party!

Today was yet again, hot. Still, it was a smidge cooler - well, not really cooler, but breezier - than yesterday, so hopefully tomorrow will be even cooler.

We went to a 1st birthday party for a friend of mine with twins. I believe there were 4 sets of twins there, which is always fun. Even met a fellow member of the 3 under 3 club, which is always a treat. It's a very exclusive club, dontcha know.

The boys spent most of the time climbing all over the little kid picnic table or (in Sofia's case) pilfering food and beverages. I'm learning more and more that it really is better to have 3 adults when going out to things like this (like Baby Loves Disco last week). You really do need 1 adult per kid. Of course, Steve is MIA half the time, so that's part of the problem. With William walking, it literally is like needing to be in 3 places at once. Definitely getting more challenging.

THANK GOD Dianna is coming with us to Disneyland. Despite how stressful it is going to be, I am very much looking forward to it.

Sofia is still using the potty, stayed dry all day. I am so happy with her, hope it keeps up. I did have to throw away a half filled sticker chart to show her I meant business when she misbehaved repeatedly today. I know it was due to major sugar and lack of sleep, but she was throwing things and acting like a crazy person. Making mental note - sugar intake, watch closely.

Weather gods, if you are listening? Please send some fog this way. I'm done with the heat.

3 for the Price of One Doctor Visit

Good news:

So the potty sticker chart thing is continuing to go well. Sofia has stayed dry 2 days in pre-school, pooped on the potty every day and even stayed dry for a 45 minute drive to San Francisco, both ways. I do have a little Baby Bjorn potty seat to keep in the car, just in case, fully prepared to have Steve pull over if necessary. We need to get one of those piddle pads to protect the carseat (making mental note).

Bad news:

I think we are giving the boys wayyyyy too much milk. Doc said no more than 24 oz per day and I thought about it and realized that between wake-up at 7, breakfast and coming to the docs, they'd each already had 24 oz by noon. Yikes. They eat a lot (well, mostly William does) but I suspect they might even more if I cut down on their milk intake. I think it's becoming a habit for them, sucking on the bottle. If we switched to sippies, they'd probably drink less milk. Then again,I don't want David to miss out on any calories, so jeez, what to do.

The problem is they refuse all sippies. I have tried every sippy on the market; Playtex, Nubies, Target brand, etc. They take a sip and throw the sippy on the floor. We even tried the Born Free bottles (kind of a bottle/sippy hybrid) that are $13 each and that one flying through the air too. I guess we're just going to have to go cold turkey on the bottles and they'll just adjust.

All had shots. The boys cried bloody murder, satiated only by a ba of milk, Sofia didn't.even.flinch. That girl is one tough cookie. (that's my side :P)

Their stats

Sofia (3 years, 2 months)
Weight: 33 lbs (66th %tile)
Height: 37.5 inches tall (48th %tile)

William (15 mo) my tank (these percentiles throw me because he's such a chunk and solid) Weight: 22 lbs 6 oz (19th %tile)
Height: 30 inches (14th %tile)
Head circumference: 51 inches (greater than 97%tile - no shocker there)

David (15 mo) - My little nugget
Weight: 20 lbs 3 oz (3rd %tile)
Height: 29.5 inches (6th %tile)
Head circumference: Can't remember!! But it was WAYYYY smaller than William's.

3 For the Price of One Doc Appt

Good news:

So the potty sticker chart thing is continuing to go well. Sofia has stayed dry 2 days in pre-school, pooped on the potty every day and even stayed dry for a 45 minute drive to San Francisco, both ways. I do have a little Baby Bjorn potty seat to keep in the car, just in case, fully prepared to have Steve pull over if necessary. We need to get one of those piddle pads to protect the carseat (making mental note).

Bad news:

I think we are giving the boys wayyyyy too much milk. Doc said no more than 24 oz per day and I thought about it and realized that between wake-up at 7, breakfast and coming to the docs, they'd each already had 24 oz by noon. Yikes. They eat a lot (well, mostly William does) but I suspect they might even more if I cut down on their milk intake. I think it's becoming a habit for them, sucking on the bottle. If we switched to sippies, they'd probably drink less milk. Then again,I don't want David to miss out on any calories, so jeez, what to do.

The problem is they refuse all sippies. I have tried every sippy on the market; Playtex, Nubies, Target brand, etc. They take a sip and throw the sippy on the floor. We even tried the Born Free bottles (kind of a bottle/sippy hybrid) that are $13 each and that one flying through the air too. I guess we're just going to have to go cold turkey on the bottles and they'll just adjust.

All had shots. The boys cried bloody murder, satiated only by a ba of milk, Sofia didn't.even.flinch. That girl is one tough cookie. (that's my side :P)

Their stats

Sofia (3 years, 2 months)
Weight: 33 lbs (66th %tile)
Height: 37.5 inches tall (48th %tile)

William (15 mo) my tank (these percentiles throw me because he's such a chunk and solid) Weight: 22 lbs 6 oz (19th %tile)
Height: 30 inches (14th %tile)
Head circumference: 51 inches (greater than 97%tile - no shocker there)

David (15 mo) - My little nugget
Weight: 20 lbs 3 oz (3rd %tile)
Height: 29.5 inches (6th %tile)
Head circumference: Can't remember!! But it was WAYYYY smaller than William's.

Snapshots of Our Life

Walker Texas William

So it's official. We have 2 walkers. William is off and running, with Little D not far behind. He couldn't let big (little) brother show him up and decided to get in on this "walking" actione.

So far, it's been ok with 2 walkers. Of course, give me a week or 2 and I'll be complaining in short order. Chasing after 2 kids going in different directions doesn't sound fun, but having to shlep and hold 2 toddlers isn't fun either, so we'll see. Right now, it's just downright cute.

So other stuff:

Having all 3 kids in the same room to sleep was getting a bit crazy (Sofia was waking them up and keeping them up until 9 and beyond) and encouraging all sorts of shenanigans, so being the sleep nazi's that we are, we had no choice but to move Sofia out of the nursery. As anyone who's been to our house knows, there aren't too many options for space, so instead of moving Sofia into the "shack" (kidding, I kid), we moved her toddler bed into our bedroom. After a few rough (on me) early mornings (the light was waking her up) it's working out quite well. That girl has always loved her sleep and once she's out, she's *out.* They boys are back to going down without a huge fuss and she is now going to bed much easier as well.

It's a temporary situation, I keep reminding myself of that. We are in the process of clearing out the house and putting stuff in storage to get it ready to sell in either late summer or fall. It's a process. I plan on taking some time off in the next few weeks (sans kids - thank you, Laura) to really dig in and get some things done. How I am going to have a house on the market with 3 kids is beyond me, but it has to be done. We plan on doing restricted hours, appointment only, etc. In this market, wish us luck, 'cause we're going to need it.

Oh yeah -- Sofia is now in the midst of potty training! She went to school with panties today -- for the first time -- and stayed dry. Huge milestone. Huge. We're using a sticker chart...She starts swim lessons in a few weeks and other than a weekend trip to Sacramento, we plan on having a "Staycation" this summer, concentrating what little free time we have with doing what needs to be done around the house - which is a lot.

We Have Walkers!

Our Little Date

So tonight, Sofia filled up her sticker chart again. I promised her we could go to the Bookstore and buy one book, so we had a little date. Twist my arm to go to B&N.

I felt sort of daring and let her wear panties on the outing. This is a big step for me, always fearful of an accident. I finally just tried to chill out. I mean, what is the worst thing that can happen? She'll have an accident? I brought extra shorts and panties. Changing a dipe is a pain in the butt, so if she has an accident, I'll change her panties, big woop!

We went to the bathroom as soon as we arrived at the bookstore and as soon as we returned home without any accidents. Yay!

Sofia mostly played with the train set they have there.

We sat and had a cookie and milk in the cafe in B&N. As I love any excuse to go to B&N, I think we may have to do this more often.

Cutest moment -- her announcing to the Cafe employee "I'M WEARING PANTIES!" at the top of her lungs. The lady got quite a kick out of that.

Another funny moment, a few weeks ago, I was sitting on the potty and Sofia was in the bathroom. She turned to me, patted me on my shoulder and said "Take your time, mommy."

Sticker Charts and Iced Cream

As of Saturday, we have instituted a sticker chart system in our house. Done out of frustration and admittedly, without much forethought, I didn't download any cute templates, just grabbed a piece of paper, made some stars for the stickers to be placed on and explained the system to Sofia.

The system is Sofia gets one sticker for every time she uses the potty. She can also earn a sticker for getting herself dressed, helping mommy, listening to mommy, etc. Fortunately, my little diva caught on pretty quick and was exclusively using the potty all weekend, including when we went out all day. Her diaper stayed dry and I could not have been more pleased.

Her reward for filling up a sticker chart is either going to the bookstore to buy a new book or going to get an iced cream. I'll let you guess which one she picked when she had filled up her chart by Sunday night!

We ended up going to dinner with all the kids and I let her order a Sundae. Of course, this led to her saying Sunday, Monday, Tuesday (makes perfect sense) which was pretty funny.

We now have a new sticker chart and she is only 2 stickers away from going to the bookstore for a new book.

I'm not naive enough to think this will work forever. Her being 3 and all, I realize that once the novelty wears off, I'm sure she'll lose interest, but I'm trying to keep it fun and keep her engaged, so we'll see.

It's certainly helped the potty training. She is now telling me when she has to go and wearing panties at home (no accidents). I do take her to the potty every 45 minutes or so, so it is requiring a lot of work on my end, but it sure was nice to only use one diaper the other day!!

Wish us luck.

My Big Old Rooster

So Father's Day was really, really nice. It was bittersweet as it was the 2nd anniversary of my father's death, but I tried not to dwell on the sadness too much. I am trying to focus on the positive aspects of my life, as it's all too easy to get caught up in the negative or difficult.

This photo was taken at Sofia's preschool on Friday. They had a little "soda party" for the dads, which I thought was cute. I honestly could look at it forever. A few people have recently said to Steve that looking at Sofia is like looking at him, the female version. I think this picture is a vivid example of that.

I know I rag on poor Steve quite a bit. He procrastinates, he never does anything until I tell/ask him to, he sometimes isn't as helpful as he could be during challenging times with the kids, etc. but I have to say - he is an amazing father. Ingrained in him from his strong Irish/Jesuit roots is a deep sense of right and wrong. With Steve, there are no shades of grey. With some things, this can be a source of debate. With parenting, it just works. Much like myself, he thrives on routine, sameness, schedules, consistency. We are so different in many ways, but in this way, this core part of us is the exact same. Home, family, security, stability - that's what life is about for us. While others are off exploring the world, we are entrenched at home, enjoying the peace. I think it is what drew us to each other. That and the lack of an immediate family and the desire to create one.

I love him for being the living incarnation of the grown-up-boy-next-door. I love him for getting up and making my coffee just when I need it most. Or showing up with Starbucks on a whim (notice a trend, here?) I love him for sleeping on the couch for almost 3 months last summer while I recovered from pneumonia, handling all night wakings for the twins. This is a man who was a bachelor until he was 43, but instilled deep within him was the desire for a family of his own. He lost both his parents years ago, but their legacy of hard work, family and the importance of love and humor in your life is something he has carried with him always.

Happy Father's Day, Steve. I love you, we love you and look forward to many more years of this crazy journey we're sharing together.

****

And on a lighter note...

Sofia asked him today why his "Hair is upside down." (I'm assuming she meant because it was sticking straight up, thanks to a bad haircut he got last week) She said he looked like a "big rooster."

Touche, my child, touche.

Living in a Shoe

We live in a small, 2 bedroom house with 3 kids. It's a cute-as-a-button, little pre-war cottage, but ever so tiny. Storage is minimal as I suspect people just didn't have a lot of stuff in the "olden days."

I try not to whine about it too much because I realize that there are generations of women in the world who have lived and continue to live with multiple children and family members in small houses, shacks and mud huts. Certainly if they could make it work, we can make do with our current situation. Still, most of the time, I feel like the lady who lives in the shoe who had too many children...yada yada

We are planning on selling the house and buying a larger house. That has been established. We are in the process of preparing the house for sale, which is a long and arduous process with my working outside the home half the time and having 3 chilren running around "the shoe" the other half of the time. All that said, it will happen, it has to happen, it's just going to take some time.

We moved the twins (from our bedroom) into Sofia's room about 2 months ago. At first, it seemed to be working. They went to bed early, she went to bed about an hour later, sometimes waking one of them, but nothing too bad. Now, they don't seem to want to go down and by the time I put her in there, all 3 of them are up to all sorts of shenanigans until sometimes 9 p.m. We're used to a 7 p.m. bedtime around here, that's how we *roll* so this just doesn't fly. In an effort to prevent me from going off the rails of the crazy train, we've been trying to strategize a way to make this work.

As a last ditch effort, I officially moved Sofia's toddler bed into a corner of our bedroom yesterday. This is by no means an ideal situation, but my options are limited. Sofia was thrilled, of course, thinking it was some special slumber party escapade with Mommy. Other than Mango laying claim to her bed out as his new lounging pad and a warm little body creeping on top of me at 5 a.m., the first night went pretty well. The boys fell asleep early (thanks to limiting them to one nap) and woke up late, most likely due to some accumulated sleep deprivation.

Anyhooties - until we sell the house and purchase a bigger one, this is how it will have to be.

As a sidenote, my boss did drag me to look at 3 houses yesterday, the twins in tow. The first was huge but would need at least $200k of work (not happening), the second one was perfect except for a huge, empty pool in the yard. It would need to be filled in and from what I hear, this can be quite expensive. The third house was home in probate and had what can only be described as "old person smell." From what I could see, a little old lady had lived there quite peacefully. It was all original but boy, that little old lady was neat as a pin, she was.

Climate Best by Government Test

I don't like heat.

I am half Italian and half Irish, but for the most part have inherited the Irish genetic makeup. My skin is a combination of pasty, pink and freckled (which I tend to conceal with self tanner on occasion), my cheeks flush at the first sign of heat or humidity and I tend to sweat a lot. Lovely. In fact, I have terrible memories of 8th grade PE when I'd return from running laps and all my classmates would marvel at how red my cheeks were. They would stay that way for the entire period of social studies and it was quite traumatizing.

I'd like to say it's pretty darn hot here this week. In the 90's. We re spoiled in this area weather wise with the summer average being maybe just under 80 - in other words, perfect. This is an area with pretty temperate weather year round. A local slogan is "Climate best by government test" which says it all. When it rises to the 90's, I become a very cranky mommy. Since this is a rarity, most homes here are not equipped with air conditioning. It's quite miserable. We manage to get by with fans and keeping the house closed up all day (typically cools by evening when that ocean breeze and fog - 8 miles away - kicks in, but in the meantime, ay-yi-yi).

Chasing after kids in 90 degree heat with no a/c is torturous for me. And it's hard for me to clean under these circumstances. It's all I can manage after a long day of work (where there is mercifully some a/c) to wash dishes and bottles, throw in some laundry, sweep the kitchen floor (mop if I'm feeling particularly ambitious) and tidy up some toys before either surfing the web or watching a little mindless television and hitting the hay.

I know I can't really complain as the East coast is in the midst of a nasty heat wave, humidity and all, but at least most of them have a/c. I can't even imagine what that would be like without a/c. My cheeks flush just thinking about it.

We have a few events this weekend so I'm hoping it's not hot as Hades. I'm ready for some 75 degree weather, now, oh weather Gods.

Daycare

So, I don't think I've ever mentioned my daycare situation here. My 3 year old is in preschool 2-3 days a week and my twins are cared for by my sister in law. It would seem to be the perfect situation in that family is my day care provider, but honestly, it's far from perfect. She is located about a half hour away, so this involves my husband driving the twins there and picking them up 3-4 times a week. It is a royal pain in the butt and I'm incredibly thankful that he takes this on himself as his job in sales allows him the flexibility to do it, mine doesn't.

As imperfect as the set up is, I really don't have an alternative as the cost of 3 children in (non family) daycare would make it prohibitive for me to work at all. As it is, 75% of my salary goes to daycare costs. It's not that we need the 25% that's left that much. I mean, we do, but probably could make do without, it's the fact that my employer is providing great medical coverage for myself and the kids that I stay. We had 5 hospitalizations last year (between myself and the kids) and are visiting some sort of doctor every other week or so (no exaggeration), so top notch medical insurance is definitely a huge priority for us.

My husband has Kaiser through his job and it looks like they are going to allow him to add us to his coverage, if we want. I am so torn on this issue as it gives someone else the control of our medical. What if he loses his job? Then what? Still, I think at a certain point I am going to have to take a leap of faith as being covered by his plan might enable me to stay home with the kids or at the least cut my days to 2 or 3 days per week. I work 3.5 days now and it's hard. I think 3 days might be just the right balance. We.shall.see.

New blog header

You may have noticed that I changed the title header to "Twins Plus One," life with a dolphin, a princess and a monkey.

We can no longer say "3 under 3" so we are now joining the world of Twins Plus One.

David is a dolphin because his voice and cry reach levels of pitch that only a dolphin could replicate.

Sofia is a princess for - well, obvious reasons.

William is a monkey because he resembles one (in a cute way) and he climbs everything!! The other day, he was getting off Sofia's bed and had one arm hanging on the crib, so he just hung there for a few seconds. He honest to god, looked exactly like a monkey hanging from a tree branch.

How do you do it?

Ooh, rough weekend. Fortunately, we are all on the mend but cranky, sleep deprived kids and mommy this weekend. Suffice it to say, all house stuff has come to a standstill. But it's a Monday, so new week, new start.

I am so spoiled with sleep, I know this. I will say that when people ask me (as they always do) "HOW DO YOU DO IT?" I never know what to say. I always sort of shrug and smile.

I mean, what do you say? I have no f'ing idea and don't think I do that great of a job most of the time, anyway? It's really f'ing hard and sometimes I just want to run away and join the circus? People don't want to hear that. Now, I know.

I manage to keep it together because of the schedule, the predictability of their sleep. I know this because as soon as this falls out of sync, I don't handle it very well. This is one of those times and I am not handling it well. Their schedule is all out of whack and I need to get it back on track.

Wheezing and pooping and puke, oh my!

File last night under "You know you're a mother when..."

Had to take David to the ER at 1 a.m. - fun, fun, fun. He was in quite a bit of distress w/his breathing and cried - screamed, really - for 45 minutes straight, inconsolable. I didn't know what else to do as the neb treatment didn't seem to help.

We walk in the double doors of the ER, every single person's eyes are on us and at that exact moment, David puked all over me, the floor, himself, etc. It was quite a sight. Obviously, they took us right away. It was actually pretty quiet, I don't think there were many people there at all.

Fast forward another neb treatment and some prednisolone and we were out of there an hour later, David blowing kisses to everyone and waving goodbye. He was flirting with the nurses and respiratory therapist.

Finally got to bed and was woken up at 7 a.m., Sofia literally standing in my face. "Mommy," she said, "I have a poopy in my pj's"

Oh did she. Poop all over herself, her legs, her pj's. It was vile. I usually like to have my coffee before dealing with record blow outs but alas, that is how my day started.

Steve is playing a gig tonight, so I'm praying tonight will not be nearly as eventful.

Going off the Rails on a Crazy Train

It's been a few days since I have blogged. I was on such a roll, too!!

The kids are all sick and I am definitely coming down with it as well. I was home with all 3 kids for 2 days this week and you know what? It was manageable. I hadn't been home alone with all 3 in quite some time and was pleased that I was able to juggle it without going completely insane. There were a few hairy moments (aren't there always?) but Sofia seemed much more agreeable than usual which makes me wonder if a lot of her acting out is just wanting more of my time and attention.

We attempted to go out to dinner last night with all 3 children. Not only was it a dinner, but a sort of formal-ish dinner, celebrating my brother in law's promotion to Battalion Chief (had been a Fire Captain). We actually have gone out with the 3 kids in the evening before with success, but it's always a crap shoot. To make matters even more tenuous, the boys had skipped their afternoon nap, so I kind of knew going in that things could quickly go downhill.

The promotion ceremony took much longer than I anticipated, coupled with close to 2 hours of mingling and congratulations for all the people receiving promotions (and their friends and familes). By the time we reached the restaurant, we were about 3 hours into the whole experience. The boys had done the hold,-put-back-in-stroller-give-Snack-Trap-with-goldfish rotation at least 10 times by now and were quite restless. Meanwhile, the restaurant wasn't knocking me out with their service, seemingly ill prepared to handle a crowd of 30 in a private room. I waited and waited for them to bring bread - anything to distract the boys. The highchair straps were broken (both of them) and it being a sort of shi-shi place, they only had the 2.

Meanwhile, Sofia was in rare form, grabbing all the silverware around her and clacking it together at the most inapppropriate times. I finally got some milk for the boys and they were such a mess and so starving by this point that they would drink a little, throw it to the floor, drink a little, throw it to the floor. I saw where this train was headed and decided I was ready to get off. Steve was shmoozing with a musician friend sitting next to him, clueless as I tried to juggle the antics of 3 starving, tired children. I figured it was better to leave before we ordered the food as I suspected we'd be leaving in the middle of dinner. I felt really bad, but I was *done* *done* *done.* I like to think I am pretty good in these situations, but I just needed to go.

As we were leaving, they were bringing in the bread, approximately 45 minutes into the experience.

In the end, it was McDonald's drive thu for us and you know what? I'm ok with that. One thing that I've learned being a mom of 3 little ones is to always have a Plan B and keep your expectations pretty low.

The boys didn't get to bed until close to 9 p.m. and William kept waking up crying, so I brought him in our room, where I calmed him and he slept the whole night.

People were so funny at the ceremony, lots of commentary on the 3 kids.

We got "Wow, oh they're not twins, are they?" and

"They're pretty close in age, huh?"

Yeah, I'll say. About one minute. That's pretty close, right?

We Love Peanut Butter

So, we offiically have walkers!! Both David and William have taken 2,3,4, 5 steps and are getting really close!! In fact, William did walk across the room the other day, so our life is about to change...again!!

Sofia continues to be a DIVA to the 100th power and I've pretty much decided I am not too *fond* of 3.

Taped this little video last night.

Peanut Butter, We Love Peanut Butter!

I love it as it captures

a) a typical evening for us

b) the personalities of all 3 kids

3) dynamic between the kids.

Oh and the irony of it all is that WE CAN'T HAVE PEANUT BUTTER!

We Love Peanut Butter

So, last night was awful, getting Sofia to bed. Ugh. Typically, getting her dressed in the a.m. is also a battle. Today, I got her clothes and told her if she could get herself dressed, I'd give her a jelly bean. She got herself dressed pretty quick (with a little help) I'm clearly not above bribery.

Taped this little video last night.

Peanut Butter, We Love Peanut Butter!

I love it as it captures

a) a typical evening for us

b) the personalities of all 3 kids

3) dynamic between the kids.

Oh and the irony of it all is that WE CAN'T HAVE PEANUT BUTTER! :)

The crazy lemonade lady

Just to give you an example of how ridiculously in the clouds my head is...

Last week, I went to get my Large Light Lemonade from McDonald's (a daily staple) and paid the guy, then drove out without stopping at the p/u window.

Truth be told, this is not the first time I have done this.

I did go back and get it and yeah, I could tell they were all laughing at me.

So now I'm super self conscious getting my LLL - I just know they're like "Hey! It's the crazy lemonade lady!! Wonder if she'll forget today!"

We Have Too Many Stuff

Had a good weekend. Low key, which was nice.

Went to a local art and wine festival Saturday, it was fun. Watched a band, ate too much kettle corn, etc. Sofia danced like a little crazy person, it was pretty cute. Sunday just hung out at home, went for a walk with the boys.

I should have been packing stuff, but there simply wasn't an opportunity. I need to make a list of what I need to pack so that I can focus, focus, focus.

Sofia continues to be a terror, constant power struggles, no advancement on PTing, talking back, etc. I'm feeling pretty defeated at this point. David has become incredibly needy the past month or so, always wanting only me to hold him, pick him up, etc. William is still pretty happy go lucky, unless you take something from him and then he is a bear. Overall, I've been in kind of a funk for the past few weeks. Hopefully coming out of it as I need a clear mind to take on the tasks of the next few months.

Both boys have been taking 1-2 steps for the last week. Yesterday, William just decided it was time to really start walking. He just upped and walked across the room, a few times! He was smiling and so was David, so then David couldn't be upstaged, he started to do it too.

WE HAVE WALKERS!!!! I'm not sure why I'm excited by this, but there is nothing more thrilling than watching your baby walk for the first time. Bittersweet, for sure.

Sofiasms of the week (and so timely) "Mommy, we have TOO MANY STUFF!" Touche, young one, touche. (I think she may be modeling dear daddy on this one)