Valentines, part 2-4

After the Valentines dried (which took a solid 24 hours due to some, um, overzealous paint jobs), the girls signed each one themselves.  They didn't have to address them, but still...  writing their names 30 times?  Had to be split over about 3 different nights.

Emma got right down to business (of course).  She knocked hers out in 1 or 2 nights.  Of course, she has the shortest name...

Rebecca still writes capital E's and A in her name, but poor kid has the longest name, so we just let it go for now.  

They loved using the colored pens that grandma bought them.  Becca even started alternating colors...  Ah, a girl after my own heart.

I have to say I was really impressed by Julie.  I hadn't really seen her write her own name much.  She totally has the "J" down, but I'd heard her saying that she wanted to skip the "u" and the "e," probably because they are harder to write.  But she knocked them out like a rock star.

Well, she knocked them out like a rock star when she wasn't being distracted by a ladybug.

International Day

The girls' school had their annual International Day back in early November.  It was our first real "school" experience.  They started with a school-wide presentation in the gym... a tae kwon do demonstration, songs, dances.  The girls' class did a song that we'd been hearing parts of for weeks.  They had some scarves that they (enthusiastically) waved and danced a little.  Of course, the best part was when they spotted us in the audience and couldn't stop smiling and waving.

After the presentations, families had booths set up in the parking lot with information from different countries.

Lots of coloring stations.  This one was in Mexico, for the Day of the Dead.  I had to keep Julie's coloring sheet.  It's the most intent I've ever seen her on coloring and staying in the lines.  Emma and Becca finally moved on because it was taking her forever to finish.

In Italy, they made pasta necklaces.

Hats from China.

Coloring and snacking in Colombia.

There was also lots of good food.  Mama went straight for France for some crepes and cheese.  We had some good Indian food, too.  (The girls weren't so adventurous, but they ate all of the sweets.)

In all, it was pretty cool.  I don't think the girls have quite figured out the whole "countries" thing, so I don't know that they quite "got" it.

Parade

The school that the girls are in right now really tries to minimize the whole "holiday" thing, particularly religious holidays - which means they don't come home with bags of candy for Easter, etc.  (And with that being said regarding religious holidays, there's also a big warning on the school calendar that says 'no costumes or candy' on Halloween.)  But they chose July 4th as their "big" holiday that they celebrate school wide each summer.  They make t-shirts, put on a parade, and have a big bbq.  The older kids can decorate their bikes and ride them in the parade.  The youngest kids get their strollers decorated.

They were so excited for this parade, but I think they were even more excited that we were coming to see them in their parade.  They all had noise makers and were having a blast.

They walked the parade route (3 laps around the parking lot) and then gathered to sing a couple of songs that we'd been hearing bits of all week ("I love America!").

Did I mention that it was followed up with a picnic?  And that my kids love a picnic?  This was right at the start of the heat wave (and my sinus infection, as I recall), so we took our lunch down to the gym.

We left the air conditioning when word got out that there were popsicles...

And where there are popsicles, there are dropped popsicles.

Big school

Monday was the girls' first day of "big school."

We'd been talking about it, and Becca kept asking me "Are we going for a visit?  You're going to stay?  And then we go to the peanut house?"

By Sunday night, Becca and Julie were pretty excited for it.  Emma was still in denial.

Which was pretty much how Monday morning went.  It was a pretty big change to our routine:  waking up earlier, getting the girls dressed and fed, no Mickey Mouse in the morning.

Becca and Julie went right into their classroom and never looked back.  Emma?  Wouldn't go in the room.  She kept saying she wanted to get back in the car.  It was bad.  She was screaming and crying.  I'll spare you the details, but it took us about 30 minutes to get her in the classroom.  And she was screaming when we left.

I called after lunch to see how they were doing.  Becca and Julie were off and running.  Emma calmed down, and was working on some things, but every 30 minutes or so would start crying again.

We left a little early to go get them.  Everyone was sitting in a circle and Emma had tears in her eyes.

Break my heart.

Julie said her day was "perfect."

We went out to dinner to celebrate (yes, the peanut house), and Emma seemed back to herself.

I know she'll get there, but it's going to be a rough few weeks.

Drama

We found out on the 10th that our nanny is no longer going to be able to keep the girls anymore.  Her childcare fell through.

Talk about freaking out.   I was exhausted from 12 hrs on my feet at the consignment sale that night, and yet still couldn't fall asleep.  Running through scenarios in my head.  Trying to figure out how to program the On Demand to play 8 hours of Mickey Mouse Club House so I could work from home for a short time if necessary.

The benefit of this happening in conjunction with my first term on the sale committee (and thus spending WAY too many hours there that weekend) was that I had lots of friends to talk to about day cares, etc.  By Monday, I had come up with a plan...  I wanted to put them in the Montessori school.  And I had no back up.

A bunch of people asked if I'd try to find another nanny, and the answer to that was easy - - no.  I don't want to go through that process.  One of the main reasons we went with it when we did was that the opportunity was pretty much thrown in our laps.  We knew her, she knew us, she had babysat for us, etc. But I don't want to go through the process of finding someone from a pool of strangers.  Even when we hired the nanny, we were kind of ambivalent - - there are a lot of benefits to staying home, and there are a lot of benefits to them being in a group setting.

So, by no means was I upset about them going back to daycare.  I was mostly freaking out about finding spots for 3 three-year-olds at the same place at the same time.  The Montessori school had been highly recommended, by co-workers and people that they used to be in daycare with.

So, I held my breath and called first thing on Monday morning.

And had to leave a message.

I swear, that was the longest morning ever.

But they finally called back and said that they would have three spots.

Exhale.

Greg and I went in to look at it on Wednesday of last week, and put down a deposit.

And then I felt like I could breathe again.

In the mean time, the nanny said she could stay an additional two weeks, but Montessori could only hold our spots until March 5.  So that will be their first day.

We always knew that, with a nanny, there was a possibility that at some point, we'd have to scramble to  find a place for them.  But I just wasn't prepared for it to actually happen.

The story of JoJo

Let me preface this by saying that I hesitated in sharing this story.  Just so you know.

So, a few months ago, Julie farted and then said "JoJo!"

And we were like, "wha?"

And then she did it again.  Was she trying to blame it on some imaginary friend?

And then the other two started doing it.  Pretty soon Greg and I were calling them on it.  "JoJo!"

We had no idea where it came from, until we learned from a former employee at the daycare that they were at.

Apparently there was a little boy in their class.

And apparently he farted a lot.

And apparently, his name was JoJo.

So, whenever he farted, which apparently was pretty frequently, the teacher would say "JoJo!"

And even when the kid moved up a class, apparently it stuck.

So yeah.  I think Greg is secretly pleased that the girls enjoy a good fart joke.

And I guess "JoJo" is better than exclaiming "whoa!"

So, if you're at our house, just pretend that "JoJo" actually means "excuse me."

Recently, Emma started saying "No JoJo.  That Phenie! (short for Josephine, another former classmate)"

Or maybe after this, you just don't want to come to our house after all.

Change

I don't like change. I love routine. I love the feeling of control I have from predictability. Sometimes I'm sure it holds me back. Sometimes I'd probably be happier if I didn't just order the same thing off the menu every time.

Especially where the girls are concerned, I've got a pretty big fear of the consequences of changing our routine.

And yet, a few months ago, we were presented with an opportunity -- the opportunity to spend more time with our kids and less time in the car. The opportunity to get into work earlier (well, on time) and leave earlier. The opportunity to give our kids more dedicated attention and closer supervision and monitoring.

The opportunity to have a nanny come to our house every day and take the girls out of the daycare they've been in since they were 4 months old.

The decision literally made me sick. Fear of change made me sick.

It took us a couple of weeks to decide. And now that we've made it through our first full week with the nanny, I feel so much

In hindsight, it really should have been an easy decision.

School Pictures

I'll let them speak for themselves.

I've been feeling horribly worn out lately, like I'm just in a daze and trying to get through the day. I feel physically run down, mentally exhausted, and emotionally drained. I kind of feel like I've been run over by a truck. I just need a vacation ... hahahaha

The girls have been continuing to terrorize the fireplace, and I am at my wit's end. I am seriously about to buy them a big heavy kitchen play set to reward them for not listening. We did start using the pack and play for a thinking spot, and while they don't like being in there, I don't think they are getting that what they are doing is bad (although Emma has started trying to repeat me when I yell -- "BA!"). Now, if I'm in the kitchen and yell at Becca, she keeps banging on the doors until I have to go in there, and then she raises her arms to me to be picked up. It's kind of heartbreaking to know she's doing it for attention. To know that she thinks I'm not giving her enough.

Sigh.

Daycare drop offs are going down hill again. Because just starts screaming and bawling when we walk in the door of the room. Emma hangs on my legs and cries "mama mama mama" until one of her teachers rips her from my legs. Them she just keeps crying and reaching for me. (Surprisingly, Julie is ok at the moment.). It's killing me to leave them there anymore. The other kids there aren't doing this, which throws my "it's just this age" theory out the window.

I barely remember this past weekend. Greg took Julie to her first swimming lesson, and said she was ok only so long as he didn't try to let go of her. She wouldn't go to the teacher and had to be able to see Greg's face. I took Emma swimming on Sunday afternoon and she was pretty freaked out. Hopefully they will both warm up.

I think it was this past weekend that we all went to Atlanta Bread for dinner. It went fairly well. The girls each got their own spoon to eat some potato soup. It was pretty empty because we have to eat so early, so I was a bit annoyed when these women sat down close to us. Do I need to warn them? There are a ton of empty tables. But they were really nice and just wanted to sit next to us to admire the girls. They must have been on their best behavior, because the ladies stayed there the whole time.

I finally got around to making an apple crisp this week with some of the apples we picked over Labor Day weekend. It makes the house smell so good when it is cooking (especially when you are used to the smell of diapers).

One of our quick dinners involves a cheese/veg soup and some potato skins with chicken, BBQ sauce, and mozzarella cheese. I made the girls a really yummy (seriously I think it tasted better than what we ate) mush of potato, cheese, chicken, and pureed vegetables. They ate some of the mush, but really wanted to eat the potato skins. I hadn't planned on them eating them, but I think they ate more than Greg or I got. They continue to surprise me with their food choices. No one liked my apple crisp, either.

Emma has become terrified in the bath tub. I hope going to the pool didn't traumatized her. I think she doesn't like water on her head because washing her hair has been a struggle for a while now. But now she freaks out a minute or so after getting in, and just screams and stands up. I've been trying to do 2 of their baths at the same time, and her standing and yelling really complicates things.

Emma has been doing much better in her new room at daycare since Julie and Becca came over. They normally transition them a few hours a day for the first few days, but they were all doing well and there was so much drama when they tried to separate them again that, by Monday afternoon, they were transitioned. We dropped them all off together on Tuesday morning. Lots of tears all around, but at least they were together. Tuesday afternoon was the first time that Emma wasn't crying when we picked her up in the afternoon.

Things went pretty well at the consignment sale. I got some winter coats in case we need them (we can get through the bulk of winter with some fleece jackets I got on clearance at the end of last season). No costumes, though. I'll have to think about those some more. I am open to ideas... I'd like all 3 to be different, but to coordinate. Last year we did a monkey, a turtle, and a lion.

I did get the girls some clothes at the consignment sale, too. I'm pretty sure I sold more than I came home with, at least in terms of volume.

I worked at the sale on Saturday morning. Sometimes it was hard to see things go... Julie's winter coat, the outfit Emma wore for their 9 month portraits. I'm trying not to keep too much for sentimental value. Makes me realize how fast time is going.

We went out for Mexican again on Saturday, but it wasn't quite as successful as the last time. We ordered the girls their own burrito to share this time, but they weren't terribly excited about it. They still were loving the chips, though.

No family Costco trip this weekend because I was gone all day with the sale. We did get a family trip to the grocery store in after naps on Sunday.




It was cloudy all weekend (and actually rainy on Saturday), and was actually bearable outside on Sunday afternoon, so after throwing the groceries in the fridge, we took a quick trip to the park. I think the girls had fun, but they weren't drawn to the slide the way they had been in the past. (Except for Julie wanting to stand at the bottom of the slides and climb up.) Maybe because there were more kids there this time?

The girls have all been congested lately, and Julie has not slept in her own bed since Friday night. Daycare called on our way to get the girls and said Julie was running a low fever (100.2... Just below what the doctor considers a fever.). She has been cranky and clingy on and off, but her fever never went up from there on Monday night. Of course she woke up at about 9pm and refused to sleep in her crib. She tossed and turned and tried to push me out of the bed. On top of that, I had a meeting at a plant on Monday afternoon, and as soon as I walked in, my throat started burning and I got really congested. I didn't get a chance to get any medicine before Julie woke up, so I was coughing and sneezing and blowing my nose all night long. My throat was killing me, my head was throbbing, and I was so stuffed up that my teeth hurt and I had an earache. Needless to say, I got maybe an hour or two of sleep. It was one of the worst nights I've had in a long time. And don't think that Greg got off easy - I was in bed with Julie when he got home from the gym. He had just enough time to take a shower and make the lunches I was supposed to have made before Becca woke up coughing. Her coughing was waking up Julie, so Greg slept on the couch with Becca.

I fell asleep right after we put the girls in bed on Tuesday only to have Greg wake me up at 9, because he already had Becca, and Julie had started crying. I took Becca, and she was having one of her night terror episodes. I finally thought to get it on video this time for the next time we go to the doctor. It has been a while since her last one - months, probably. It's frightening because there doesn't seem to be anything we can do to help her. We just try to keep her from getting hurt as she screams and thrashes around. My guess is that it had something to do with the changes at daycare this week. I think they happen when she is either stressed or over exhausted.

She had another one on Wednesday night. It's been one of those weeks where we just can't catch a break. Greg and I were talking about it in our exhausted stupor, and agreed that, with both of us working full time, anything that throws a kink into our routine kind of has a landslide effect. Laundry doesn't get done. The dishwasher doesn't get unloaded, so no new dishes get loaded. Lunches don't get made. Showers don't get taken. (I'm just keeping it real here.) High chairs don't get cleaned. And the house in general just seems to stink. (I think it was the garlic in the garbage disposal.) I get so frustrated when I feel like I just can't do anything. Obviously we're tending to the most important stuff, and I recognize that. But it's still overwhelming. Just when you feel like you're getting your feet under you, the ground gets ripped out from under your feet. (Does that even make sense? Between the exhaustion and the Sudafed, I can't tell.)

After the milk-in- our-chairs-before-bed situation continued to degrade into trying to dump as much milk out of our cups as possible so we can wipe it up, and standing or tipping over our chairs at every chance we get, we finally decided to implement Project Storytime Before Bed. They are doing pretty well with it and are actually staying on the couch and listening to the story (lots of grabbing for the book, though). A few tears when we put them in bed after the story, but it doesn't last long. Another big change! By Wednesday night, we were tearless.

Change, part 2

We had some pretty strong storms come through on Monday. I went out to the gym after the girls went to bed, and on my way out, I saw a tree that was singed and still glowing, and some big trucks parked around it. I didn't think much of it, but when I tried to come home, the road was blocked... and the road was completely dark. I went to call Greg to tell him we were lucky to still have power... only to get his text message that the power had gone out about 20 minutes after I left. And the worst part? "We should have enough hot water for your shower." Not the message you want to get on the way home from the gym. We did, in fact, have enough hot water, luckily. The power came back on in the middle of the night. Honestly, we were pretty lucky - it could have been a lot worse. We've got a fridge full of food, plus a freezer in the garage. But we didn't open the fridge the whole time... much as I wanted a cold drink... And everything was fine.

I thought Emma had been getting a little better with her transition at daycare. She doesn't freeze in the doorway in the morning, but she still cries and runs right for someone's arms. She's also been crying every day when we get there to pick her up. I thought it was just normal, but on Thursday their EI called me and asked if I had thought about moving Julie and Becca up, too. I mean, she only spends half an hour a week with Emma, and she doesn't think it's right... I thought Emma wouldn't even notice her sisters not being there, but I think she's really having a hard time with the change. (Strangely, her hair has seemed really greasy all week... could it be some sort of stress thing?) I talked to Becca and Julie's teachers Thursday afternoon about moving them up, and they said they have noticed a change in Becca lately, too. Becca has had a few more melt downs in the hallway when Emma goes into her room. And the kids love to walk up and down the halls (with their teachers) during the day and they tell us that when Becca and Julie are walking, they try to go into Emma's room. I mean, we're all new to this triplet thing... But it seems like they are getting to an age where they need to be together. We're purposely trying to help them develop their own identities, and trying to balance that with the fact that they are part of each other's identities. I finally did call on Friday and talked with the director, and she agreed that moving Becca and Julie might help. They'll start the transition next week.

The moms of multiples consignment sale is also this weekend, and I think I tagged over 250 hangers worth of clothes. Greg has been a big help, though, because I was starting to panic about getting it all done. Lots and lots of clothes (partly because I didn't sell any winter clothes last year). I think I counted 17 pairs of 12 month jeans from The Children's Place. Seriously! Someone please buy them! I didn't bother much with toys this time around, but we definitely need to start cleaning out. Santa has already started putting out feelers for a kitchen play set.