So much for a relaxing weekend...

Happy Memorial Day!

We're at the beach, we love the beach! Community living with the extended family is awesome because my kids are spoiled by everyone who loves them so much.

However, by Saturday afternoon M had a fever of 102.9 - good times. Started pumping her full of fluids and motrin. She was up all night Saturday night, eventually having an accident on the bedroom floor.

If M was sleeping, A was up because she was having nightmares. She was yelling in her sleep "No! I don't want to wash my hair!" And then "No M! Get off of me!".

And then if both girls were asleep, C would decided he was hungry and was demanding to be breastfed.

Sunday was better. M's fever went down to 102.3, everyone took a great nap from the lack of sleep the night before and I even got to lay in the sun and get some much needed color.

Then Sunday night came and everyone went to bed happy and healthy. Yeah right. A decided she would stay up all night puking. WTF. And then this morning M woke up with pink eye.

Happy Memorial Day!

Please shut the door...

When I was about 10 it dawned on me that when my mom had to "powder her nose" she always left the door open. One day I asked her why she did this. She informed me it was habit because when we were little she couldn't shut the door for fear something would happen to us. Easier to have the door open and watch our every move. Now I was only about 10 when we had this conversation and of course I thought she was ridiculous.

Fast Forward 20 years later and I'm "powdering my nose" with the door open everyday because my kids are crazy. Awesome.

Foot Note - soon after our conversation, Linda started shutting the door. She no longer keeps the door open (unless she's babysitting my kids)

It's been a year.

So about a year ago, I forced M into potty training. We found out we were expecting number 3 and in no way wanted 3 kids in diapers. So M became potty trained. She did really good. Its been a year! Wow. Except she won't poop on the potty. I can count on one hand how many times she has been successful pooping on the potty. Everyone said to wait, she'll get there, don't force her, don't embarrass her etc ect.

So she and I had an understanding. If she had to poop she was to get a pull-up and do her deed. I wouldn't help her. Of course I always had to help clean her up. It dawned on me a few weeks back to just tell her there were no more pull-ups. So she and I talked and we agreed (yes I negotiate with my 3 year old) that we would not be buying any more pull-ups. When this stash runs out, we're pooping on the potty! She was excited, she let everyone know.

We've been pull-up free for about 5 days. M has shit her pants twice and has not bothered to try and poop on the potty. I'm so mad at her, seriously and truly so angry with a 3 year old. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Such a Tough Life...

C taking a nap on the couch. Such a relaxing morning while his sisters are at school :)

Who needs a swing-set!

If you've been to our house and played in our backyard, you know we don't lack things to play with. HUGE swing-set, bicycles, power-wheels Jeep, balls, bubbles etc etc...So you can imagine my confusion while enjoying a beautiful Sunday morning in the yard with my family as I watched A roll a giant trash barrel across the yard and then climb into it. Then she invited M to join her. Needless to say both children got a bath before lunch. Now that's a sign of a good morning outdoors.

Thanks for your help...

I work one (sometimes 2) days a week for my dad. They money's great and I call Friday's "MY DAY OFF" - meaning no kids!! Well, I don't get out of work until at least 6 PM, and then I have to collect the kids from my mom's and then get home. We're lucky if we're home by 8 PM, which means bed time is always a little later that night. Last night was no exception and when I walked in the door with the kids at 8, Todd was already home (THANK GOD).

I'll admit, when I saw him, I checked out. I had already mentally decided that he was going to be dealing with the kids, I just didn't tell him :) So as soon as we're in the house, M decides she needs chocolate milk. She goes to the pantry to grab the Nestle Quick and brings it to her father. Next thing I know..."LAUREN, HELP! WHAT DO I DO?!?!"...

M had dropped the container of Nestle Quick, and for lack of a better word, it EXPLODED all over the floor and all over M. She was surrounded by a cloud of chocolate dust. What did I do???? LAUGHED SO HARD I ALMOST PEED MY PANTS. Todd was literally tripping over himself as he tried to figure out the best way to handle the situation, A was staring at her sister in awe and then decided she wanted to join in and jumped in the cloud. That lasted all of 2 seconds before Todd pulled her out. I'm still off to the side laughing. I tried to take a picture and literally wouldn't let him clean her up until I thought I got a good shot, but I took the pic on my blackberry and the system was full or some crap and I didn't get the shot. And the video camera wasn't charged so that depressed me even more.

Still laughing. And then Todd decides the best course of action was to vacuum M. Great idea actually. At first M was HORRIFIED, but then she laughed and laughed. She enjoyed it so much she started bawling when Todd was finished because he didn't vacuum her socks. Still laughing in corner and giving a friend the play by play over BBM.

Todd did great! Even washed the kitchen floor after he finished vacuuming. When all was said and done, he looks at me and says "Thanks for your help"- but we were both laughing.

What is that smell...

A few weeks back I invested in a $0.99 spray bottle to help with A's unruly hair. Great investment, makes "styling" the hair so much easier. Well, M & A LOVE the spray bottle and LOVE to play with it, which usually results in very wet children and very wet floors. So I TRY to make sure it is out of their reach, but that doesn't always happen.

Its been kind of chilly here in New England the past few days, and I refuse to put the heat back on. So they have a high tech space heater in their room for nap and bed time. LONG STORY SHORT...its nap time, C and I are on the couch feeding (I swear that's all we do these days) and I can smell something funny. Its a smell I recognize, but its not registering in my brain quickly enough (may have still been slightly hung over from Burgoyne's wedding).

When I finally do register the smell, I toss poor C on the couch and RUN into the girls room. I find my little angels spraying the space heater and laughing hysterically as it smokes. FML. So no more space heater, they can freeze. And how the hell did A get out of the crib without me knowing? This could be serious trouble.

And just to clarify, it really is a high tech space heater, its more or less a fan that blows hot air. Its not like one of those box looking things with heated coils, I would never leave anything like that around for my angels to burn themselves. And lets face it, if I did, my house really would burn down.

I'm thinking I need a toy too...

Took A to Target this morning so that she could pick out a toy. If you poop on the potty, you get a toy! As we're driving to Target, M is trying to rationalize to Todd and I why she thinks she should be able to get a toy too. We just kept telling her when she pooped on the potty she could pick out a toy. Well then we get in Target and she starts trying to influence A's decision on what toy to get. A stood her ground and got exactly what she wanted, a new baby doll. Very cute.

Happy Mothers Day!

Happy Mothers Day to all the moms out there! I'm celebrating by nursing a hangover. Not fun with 3 kids.

We had a busy weekend, but it was fun! A pooped on the potty! She beat M to the punch and is going to the store to pick out a toy later. Maybe that'll light a fire under M's ass and she'll join in the fun.

C is rolling over like a champ! No more guilt!

Another Baby!

My BFF had a baby yesterday, her first. Welcome baby MJB! What a day! I was scrambling around all morning trying to figure out how I was going to get into MGH to see her! But I have an AMAZING support system who is always willing to help me out. So much so that I made it into the hospital twice yesterday! Special shout out to my hubby, my mom and my sister in-law for making that possible.

I'm going to be really ambitious and try to get in there tonight. I may even take M with me. I told her if she's good all day she can come. Anyone want to take bets on whether or not she gets to come?

She did it!

Pictures tell the story. I don't know who initiated the mess, but I'm sure they both had something to do with it.

Good Job!

Its been a great couple of days for M. She has been sleeping without a pull-up for 4 nights now. Wakes up dry every morning and goes right to the potty! Yesterday she finally managed the swings. She was psyched and I ran to get the video camera. However, I had the camera on the wrong setting and the file is too large to download on the blog. But I got it up on facebook if you're that interested. And then this morning, instead of coming into our room and waking us up, she got dressed and climbed into A's crib. When I awoke at 8 and found them playing in the crib I asked M why she didn't wake us up and her response was "Well, A was sad so I got in her bed and made her happy until you came to get us." I told M that was really nice of her. She looked at me, rolled her eyes and said "I know..."

So my husband posed the children and snapped a photo. Uncle J is doing a great job holding C up (not really). Shoppers Cafe, my children's favorite play ground!

Where did you get the Sharpie?

Today is a busy day. A good friend is getting married next weekend, so we're celebrating her bachelorette today and tonight. Well, logistics were going to be tricky with babysitters, nap time, and me trying to be in Boston by 3. So, the best plan of action was to bring the kids to my mom's and nap them there and I could get ready while they napped.

So I'm hustling to pack everyone up to get to Nanny's. I put the girls in the car. They like to do "the top buckle" of their car seats by themselves. So I tell them to do their buckles while I get C. So, I go back in the house to get C and back out in the car M has buckled herself into A's carseat. No big deal because A is now psyched to sit in the "way back" of the minivan by herself. And A decides to celebrate by writing all over the interior of my 9 month old car with a Sharpie. I WAS IN THE HOUSE FOR 30 SECONDS.

AND A QUICK UPDATE FROM MY EARLIER POST - M threw the toy at C while he was sleeping. She blamed it on A but the truth came out while I was telling my mom what happened.

I'm so ready for my night out with my girls!!! I'm calling my little brother to come get me in Boston when I become legless. He just doesn't know it yet.

Tummy Time?

I've been slacking with the baby and his tummy time. I'm reminded of this every time my brother's son, who is 2 weeks older than C, rolls over. Then last night, we watched a video of my cousin's baby in Wisconsin rolling over. She's a month YOUNGER than C. So I felt like a bad Mommy.

So this morning, while M & A were eating breakfast, I left C in the living room on his daddy's big quilt surrounded by toys. He did great. Kicking, head up, lots of cooing. Then the girls finished breakfast and asked to watch TV. Set them up on the couch, told them to leave C alone. C had so much fun on his belly, he passed out! First time sleeping on his belly. Again, I told his sisters "LEAVE HIM ALONE".

Silly me left the room to call my mom. Chit chatting with my mom about my guilt of having to "pump & dump" three Saturdays in a row when I hear a high pitched scream coming from C. Well, A decided it was time for him to wake up and threw a plastic "Little People" off his head. THIS IS WHY I HAVEN'T LEFT THE POOR KID ON HIS TUMMY.

We'll try again tomorrow.