Denial

This weekend I made a trip to Buy Buy Baby (my favorite baby store that makes me want to have one more just so that I can keep shopping there) to see if I could find the next level of toddler-proofing devices.  At this point I am thinking we need wire fences, steel locks and crazy glue to keep everything in our house out of harms way but figured I would try one more store.

My reason for toddler-proofing

After searching the aisles for my favorite invention ever, the crib tent, I was still emtpy-handed so had to ask an associate.  She led me to the "Baby Safety" area and handed me the basic crib tent.

Oh let me stop here for a second to ask... where are all of the other moms like me in these stores?  Why am I always the only one with children climbing my head?  Why does every other shopper entering either have:

a) a little pregnant belly, a registry zapper and an army of women telling her what she needs
b) a huge pregnant belly and a doting husband
c) a sleeping baby with an adult to baby ratio of at least 2:1?

So back to my story (picture that I am surrounded by a, b and c category shoppers), the associate hands me the basic crib tent and I explain to her that I need the crib tent II...

Me: You know the one that completely surrounds the inside of the crib so that they cannot break out?  We have the basic model and my daughter can reach through and unzip it herself.
Associate:  Oh so your daughter needs another?
Me: No, this one is for my son.  My daughter unzips hers, my son climbs out of his crib and then into hers.  No one is sleeping.

("a" shopper looks a little pale and decides not register for safety items just now)

Associate: Wow, well hopefully this will work.
Me:  Thanks, oh, do you have door knob covers too?
Associate:  Sure, right here (showing me the basic covers)
Me:  Oh, do you have any others?  My son can break these off.  Once he is out of his crib he can take apart just about anything.

(shopper type "b" is now holding her tummy, trying to protect her unborn from my story)

Associate: Oh wow.  Have you tried these? (showing me door locks that prop the door open a bit)
Me:  That won't work, he can get his hand through and dislodge it from the other side.

("c" shopper is backing her husband, mother and baby out of the aisle as quickly as possible. If we breathe on her sweet baby, he is destined to be a robber in training as well)

Associate:  (At a complete loss as to how to help me)  I'm sorry Mam, I can't think of anything else.

So I bought my Crib Tent II and left and I must say I had a very easy time getting out of the store, it seemed that all of the shoppers just parted ways and let me get right through.

I do remember those days of denial, when you hear the stories and tell yourself that that will never be your child.

McKenna sporting her new cast (another blog post for another day)

Actually I think I still have those days, I am always telling myself how Sawyer will be my easy one or McKenna will probably skip that "I hate my mother phase" and of course all of my children will never move away but will buy houses right down the street from their mom and dad.

I guess denial is survival.

Either way, I love my little crib climbing, tantrum throwing, lock picking children to pieces and don't mind if the store parts as I walk through, it is much easier to get down the aisle with a cart, a double stroller and three kids who refuse to ride in either when no one is in your way.  

Change, change, change

We have had lots of changes in our house lately and I have had a few requests for updates on various subjects so here we go...

Toddler beds:

We put the beds up.

They played.

McKenna repeated "don't want to sleep in a big girl bed" 3 million times.

Mark put her crib back up.

Nights are great but short, naps are nonexistent.

Yesterday I entered their room to find Parker climbing McKenna's crib while she had him in a headlock and he had her by the hair, both screaming themselves hoarse.

The sibling love I had always envisioned.

Parker in his big boy bed (railing followed the next day)

McKenna:

McKenna has been doing pretty well.  She has slowly rebounded from her health scare in the spring but has never returned back to full strength.  She goes to physical therapy weekly and has braces on her feet and ankles which she tolerates really well (the fact that they are pink helps immensely).  We have also noticed that whenever she is sick or overtired that her muscle weakness along with some OCDish behavior come back which concerns her doctors but at this point we are taking a little vacation from all of the medical tests.  

The poor girl has been through enough.

High school:

Ashlyn is doing the best that Ashlyn can.  The adjustment to the expectations of high school have been tough to say the least.  She goes to school each day trying her hardest and that is all I can ask for.  

In the meantime I will continue to dream about winning the lotto so that I can create my own school that  works for her and the many other kids with autism who struggle through their education.

Ashlyn on her way to scoring a well-deserved goal at her soccer game.

P.90x:

I am on week 4.  I love the program and have seen results really quickly BUT my exercise schedule depends on the fact that my children actually sleep (see "Toddler beds").

I may be on week 4 for a while.

Lastly, I put the kids in a Mommy & Me (& Me & Me) class and they did great.  I was thrilled to find a class that would even include Sawyer.  They all surprised me with how well they did and the teacher kept commenting on how well behaved they are.  They were only good because they were in shock by all of the activity (we don't get out much) but I took the compliment and ran.  I'm looking forward to their weeks to come in the class, hoping Parker and McKenna will come out of their shells a little bit and that Sawyer will stop eating the glue sticks.

The best picture I could get of the three of them on their first day of "school"

The end of the world as I know it

I had an entirely different idea for a blog post today but that was completely hijacked by my children Parker.

It all started yesterday.

I was enjoying my 15 minutes of quiet between getting Ashlyn off to the bus and when Sawyer normally wakes up when I heard Sawyer babbling in his room.  He sounded happy so I thought I would leave him for a minute and then, for some reason, I thought he sounded louder than usual.  I headed up the stairs, realizing that I definitely could hear him too well and figured that his door must have blown open for some reason.

As I reached his room, door wide open, there was Parker on his tiptoes, feeding Sawyer animal crackers through his crib.

He looked at me blankly and said "Kenna's still sleeping, I shut the door."

Parker has never gotten out of his crib.  We always assumed he would but he never tried it.  McKenna tried it ages ago and we put up a crib tent which immediately stopped her and bought us the last year and a half of sleep.

Well now that Parker is out he just can't seem to stop himself.  He has even, in just two days of crib jumping, learned to pop off the protective door knob cover in his room and escape.

And not just in his room, in ANY room in the house.

So McKenna and Sawyer follow behind him, he opens whatever door they wish and they all stampede in, destroying everything in their path.

As we speak or as I blog, they are sitting for this-is-quiet-time-for-Mommy's-sanity enforced by never ending dvds of the Wigg.les.

Since they were about a year my kids have ALWAYS slept well.   Twelve hours at night and a 2-3 hour nap during the day.

It's over.

We are going to have to clear their room of anything that looks remotely fun to an almost 3 year-old who needs sleep, put up the toddler beds, gate the door somehow and pray that they can leave each other alone long enough to fall asleep.

I'm trying to sing the "You're Gonna Miss This" song in my head right now but it's just not happening.

I can't hear it over the lyrics to "It's the End of the World as We Know It."

Mark and the kids at the petting farm over the weekend.  (I know this has nothing to do with this post I just could not post without a pic)

Parker and cousin Gracie on a train ride. (still nothing to do with this post)

Oh and just an update from the middle of this post... quiet time has ended.  Apparently it is mom-is-on-the-computer-so-take-the-cushions-off-the-couch-and-jump-like-maniacs time.

A Potty Story

At some point last night, when my hands were more than full and no one was wearing a diaper, Parker announced that he had to go potty.  As any mom who has cleaned more than her fair share of pee off the floor would do, I told him to RUN to the potty.  McKenna followed behind him to supervise as always and just as I was wondering if the little boy pee shield was up on the potty, McKenna came out to inform me very seriously that "Parker's pee pee did not go in the potty."

I finished diapering Sawyer and headed in the bathroom.  As I was cleaning a smaller than usual puddle and Parker was emptying the two drops of pee that did make it into the potty into the toilet I looked up at McKenna who concentrating on the whole scene with her hands on her hips and a wet stripe going down her dress from her chest to her knees.

Apparently she was in the line of fire.

I wish, wish, wish the camera was in reach for a picture but I just couldn't get to it.

Here is my picture for today but I had to cheat.  Today was not a good day.  My poor Sawyer was sick and miserable and the only time the doctor could see him was during our coveted naptime so everyone was either sick and crying or tired and crying ALL DAY LONG.  I kind of figured no one needed a sick baby/crabby toddler/frazzled mom picture today and found a cute one from the other day instead.

Keep us in your thoughts that the little sunglass-wearer does not get her brother's virus.  The last time she was sick was when everything went downhill and she lost so much coordination and strength.  She is in rehabilitation now but doctors are still trying to find a diagnosis and until they do we really don't know how her body will respond to another illness so I am hoping that we can keep her healthy!!!!

A few things...

Boy I went from a post a day to nothing, huh?

Luckily my month of pictures ended Sunday because that is when my mommy marathon of no one napping at the same time began again.  It is Thursday afternoon and this is the first time I have had a chance to sit at the computer for more than a minute all week.

Before I distract anyone with pictures I need sleep help.  My little Sawyer is totally against sleeping.  For the most part I have created my own problem because it is SO hard to get him to fall asleep on his own when little people are climbing my leg as I am trying to put him quietly in his room and I cannot let him cry it out.  For some reason the kids can sleep through each other wailing 5 feet from their crib but cannot sleep through Sawyer crying down the hall.  So a crying Sawyer makes for no napping or night-waking two year-olds and MUCH less sleep for us.

Anyway, with that long explanation, I need a good sleep program or book that does not involve crying it out.  I followed "Healthy Sleep, Happy Child" (or whatever that is called) to the letter with the bigger kids and they are great sleepers.  I'm afraid I am creating a monster here.  A cute, sweet little monster but definitely one who is not interested in sleep.

Since we are on the subject of things I need I'm looking for recommendations on some kind of climbing/jumping/sliding, safe for two-year-olds, contraption that we can keep in the house.  Oh and an organic, free of all the junk, kids soap/shampoo that smells good.  So far everything we have used has no scent and I miss that baby shampoo smell (although I'm sure that is where all the chemicals come in).

I think that's it, on to the pics...

I don't know why, I just love this picture. They were sharing water with two straws which was a big hit, and shortly thereafter a huge disaster...

Look at my perfect little children smiling while cleaning the flood they had just created.

Oh My Ears

Today was completely full of whining. Everyone had a runny nose and a case of the whines. To top it off there was no napping.

Nothing like a little sleep deprivation to add another level of intensity to the whining.

Thank goodness Mark was home, he took the kids out for some fresh air and they had a blast and the whining was over for a short time. Until it was time to come inside of course then their was whining with a little mix of kicking and screaming.

Here are pics from our whine-free hour (a picture from any other part of our day would not have been pretty).

Bedtime

The kids' day was coming to an end and I realized that I had not taken a single picture for the blog today. I have managed to get one up each day of February so can't stop now. Luckily, my great photographer of a husband started snapping away at bedtime and I had more than enough to pick from. I love nights when they are having so much fun that we forget what time it is... much better than the ones when I am ready for bed long before everyone under the age of 3.

No time to blog

It is 7 am and I am blogging now and blogging fast because this is the only time I have. No one is napping at the same time anymore and every minute of the kids' waking hours is spent taking our house apart. I honestly can not believe how much trouble my kids can get into. Nothing is safe. Is it because there is more than one 2 year-old mind working at all times? We have child-proofed everything and are now contemplating living in an empty house until this phase passes.
They pry off the door knob protectors.
Pull the plug covers out of the wall.
They can open the freezer and the fridge.
They can reach the lights, the countertops and playing in the bathroom is more fun than any water activity I could ever create.
Yesterday they discovered the switch that turns on the fireplace, very exciting.
AND we still haven't even put up the tree yet, I can only imagine what fun that will bring to our days.
BUT I did get to watch them witness the first snowfall yesterday and we all cheered Sawyer on while he tried to roll over and in between diaper changes and food flinging I get all the kisses, "wuv you" mommies and hugs I can handle.
Some day I will have all kinds of time to use the thousands of hours of comp time I have banked but for now there is no other job that provides such great benefits.
Sawyer is up, the mommy marathon begins...

We love crib tents!

Right around the time that Sawyer was born McKenna decided she wasn't interested in sleeping in her crib anymore. So she didn't start climbing out, she started flinging herself out. She was falling and hurting herself everytime so ultimately, everytime we heard her cry to get out we had to get her so that she wouldn't fall and hurt herself again. I'm sure you know where this is going... Ms. McKenna learned that we would come get her if she cried, started doing it every night, we would get her and try everything possible to get her back to sleep which usually resulted in Mark driving her around in the car until she couldn't stay awake any longer, fun, fun, fun! I had heard about crib tents from a few other moms so we ordered one as our last hope for getting back to some kind of normal bedtime routine and it worked. I was afraid McKenna would be scared of it or not want to get into bed but as you can see below it has become the latest and greatest toy in our house. Who knew being confined to your crib could be so much fun??

Baby Brain

So I was trying to thinking of a creative name for this post or a cute story to share and I've got nothing. I thought I was starting to recover from "Baby Brain" because lately I can at least remember my name and don't long for a nap all day but apparently it is still in full swing. So here's an update on the kids and some cute pics, sorry I'm not more entertaining :)

Parker and McKenna are both turning into great little talkers. McKenna is putting three and four words together and starting to sing songs in the sweetest little voice and Parker, ever the performer, will say anything you ask him too. They are also signing like crazy, the "Baby Signing Time" videos have been the best thing we ever purchased! They are into everything, every time I think the house is completely baby-proofed they find one more thing. And they fight... face-grabbing, hair pulling, no sharing fights. I thought they would just be sweet and loving to each other forever! They are still sweet and loving but just have there moments, lots of them.

Sawyer is almost 3 month old already and is the cutest little guy. All of the kids love him to pieces, I don't think he is ever alone for a second. Someone is always trying to touch him, kiss him, feed him Cheerios or sit on his lap :). He looks so much like his siblings. I can't wait to watch him grow up but am in no hurry, I LOVE babies and since this is our last I'm cherishing every moment.

Ashlyn starts 8th grade in less than two weeks. I truly can't believe she is so old. She has been a great helper around the house this month and I will miss the extra set of hands when she goes back to school. She also started soccer on Tuesday and loves it. Special Olympics puts on an amazing soccer program and they make all of the practices and games such a great experience for the players. I have always loved the organization but now that Ashlyn is participating see first hand what amazing work they do. So if you are ever looking for a place to donate time or money Special Olympics would be my pick!!

Silly smile from McKenna

Handsome man

The many faces of McKenna, look at her in each of these pics...

He's moving so fast I have no idea what's in his hands

Uncle Keith and the kids (this one is for you, my little blog follower, Gracie)

Daddy and his little ones

And an attitude shot before we go

Everyone's asleep!

All the babies are napping at the same time so I am blogging as fast as I can before someone wakes up! Sawyer is a month old already and everybody is doing great with him. He seems to have adjusted to our crazy, noisy house pretty well. The poor little guy has terrible reflux so has trouble sleeping but other than that is a content, happy baby. Parker and McKenna continue to be fascinated by him and Ashlyn is a great big sister. Here are a few pictures of the last few weeks. None of Ashlyn as usual... she continues to run from the camera!

Little cutie

Parker with his "I'm not doing anything" look

Their version of "helping"... we have since started putting Sawyer in his seat inside the crib for his own protection :)

Kisses from everyone, I love this picture!

Sawyer is home!

Well, Sawyer has been home since last Friday but this is my first chance to update the blog. Somehow things have gotten much busier around here and if it is between sleep and the blog I usually pick sleep! He is a great baby and the kids are all adjusting to him really well. Here are a few pics of his homecoming...

The kids and Mark taking me home

"Get me out of here Daddy."

So handsome

Heading out of Special Care

In the car with Mom

Parker checking out his new brother and McKenna pretending this isn't happening :)