Monday, May 30, 2011

....Memorial Day.....

.....when we arrived at the park on the first long day of the holiday weekend, we were thrilled to see that the water was spraying.....the buckets are out, the water shoes are strapped on, the bugs are enjoying the damp and humid mist in the air and the warm breeze smells of summer.....

.....again, after working for two plus hours to get everyone up and at 'em, it didn't bother me to have to turn around and come back fully loaded with the summer gear.....in fact, it was a pleasure......summer is finally here to stay......


.....call it my Florida roots, but I love a warm breezy day......I watched the girls play in the water; filling up their buckets, dumping them in every space they could find, spooning water on the plants with their shovels......they washed their feet every time a minuscule piece of pollen landed on a toe or an ankle from the soft breeze and as I chuckled at this scene play out continuously, I thought to myself, this is so easy......winter was hard.....and like I said in my last post, I know things will eventually click and we'll be wheeling out of the house in record time by July......but as we are still adjusting, I have to confess that throwing some sunblock in my bag and tossing some crocs in the bottom of the stroller has certainly been a treat......and I am appreciating and loving the ease of preparation for departure......

.....and this sweet boy couldn't make things any easier for me.....he fusses when he's hungry or when the girls are giving him some rough love and he's had enough of the wet willies or hot breath in his eye balls.....because the new thing is getting as close to his head as they can and whispering, little buddy is sooooo handsome.......awh, Brody Austin......you are soooo handsome......all while they smother his head with their hands and mouth.....and I must confess that sometimes even when I know he is irritated, I allow the girls to love on him one more time because it's so entertaining.....sorry, Brody......


.....even when you cry, you are just too irresistible......you are so incredibly loved in this house......



.....and the weekend was kicked off with a nursery school field trip to the zoo.....it's one thing to go with friends and neighbors, but another thing to go with 10 three and a half year olds......


.....I don't think you could get the smile plastered off my face.....








.....the little ones had such a good time.....gasping at new things to see and feeding off one another's excitement....and Elsie completely surprised me when it was time to choose her ice cream treat......my pink and princess loving pixie belted out that she wanted the spiderman ice pop.....I had to ask three times to make sure she was sure.....

.....and she was very happy with her decision....



.....but hot, sticky, hungry and tired all equal meltdowns and one by one, the class started dropping like flies......and when I saw some signs that we had one brewing, we called it a day......



......and we made it out just in time for Elsie to throw herself on the sidewalk on 5th Avenue and refuse to get in the cab.....she has about 22 more years until she learns that Momma knows best and she was not happy to be going home....but within 20 minutes from the sidewalk episode, my girl was snoring in her cold, dark room.....

.....and speaking of cold, dark rooms.....we decided that at the ripe old age of 6 weeks and 5 days, it was time for Brody to start sleeping in his room, opposed to ours......when we were first time parents, Stefan and I were adamant about not having babies in our bed......we had Elsie in her crib at three days old, which looking back is quite extreme.......I laugh as I remember saying out loud that I didn't want her to get used to sleeping in our room.....hysterical to me now because what 3 day old knows where they are?.....seriously, I think they can see six inches in front of their face at that point....but it's a controversial topic in the Mommy world and I do not judge others for co-sleeping or deciding to keep their children in the family bed.......but it wasn't for us......we wanted our bedroom to be reserved for only us.....it's hard enough to find time to be a husband and wife when raising children......conversations are interrupted constantly, utter exhaustion leaves little energy for daily recaps after the house is quiet and the sky is black, and it takes effort to ensure we are Stefan and Tracy in some capacity of our lives, opposed to Mommy and Daddy......there are days I don't even know what is going on in the world, other than what Dora episode came on at 7pm......and that doesn't help for adult conversation.......

....well the third time around, I am definitely becoming a softie because I did not want to put Brody in his bed....but Stefan made some good points and I bitter sweetly prepared his crib for his first night......and as I placed him to sleep, I thought I may have gotten a small smile, telling me, it's okay, Momma.....I'm ready to be here alone.....after all, I did have all the bedroom doors open, the baby monitor inches from his little body, with the volume on the maximum setting.....and that is probably extreme too because our entire apartment is pretty quaint...but his semi smile put me at ease and made the whole thing slightly easier.....



......well, needless to say, the night did not go well......Brody was up three times, which was a shocker considering for several days prior, he was giving me a 7 hour stretch at night.....another tally mark under the easy, awesome baby category......so the first words out of my mouth to Stefan when we were all awake and moving from our morning brew was that it didn't go well and Brody needs to come back to our bed.....and this conversation took many different intervals throughout the day to finish, as we would get sidetracked or busy......and when we finally finished weaving through the discussion, the decision was made that he would be staying in his bed......and it was unanimous.....maybe subconsciously I wanted the night to go poorly because not only did I move him out of our bed, but I also decided that he didn't need the swaddle or the bassinet, either......or as Stefan would jokingly put it, I just tossed him in the crib in a sleep sack......

......well, the cozy bassinet in his crib the following night worked like a charm.....and he even did it without the swaddle, which is another thing I don't have to wean in the future.....tally mark two for easy, awesome baby.....and it is nice to have a clear view of my husband from my pillow, opposed to having the bassinet between the two of us.....but for the record, I'm definitely becoming soggy by the third child because I miss Brody in our bed too......

.....and to be fair, it's all three of them collectively that are wearing me down.....I am fully aware at how fast time is passing by and before long, they will all be too big for our bed......so we welcome the occasion of one of them creeping in to nestle close or the sick child that needs the extra attention.....it all goes back to savoring every minute of time......


.....and savor the summer, we will.....it's a short span of balmy, hot weather in NYC and we plan on enjoying every minute of it......







.....and although we couldn't possibly top celebrating our American heros the way we did last year, we still remember and take time to think about the sacrifices that have been made so we can enjoy our many freedoms......


.....Happy Memorial Day.....

Friday, May 27, 2011

.....baby steps......

......it's been a year since we were hit with the ick......and it came back again this May with its unwelcome guest, the 104.7 fever.....and although the first time I read Callie's temp it blinked a bold 105 at me, for some reason I was very calm because she was alert, not lethargic.....and when the tylonol and motrin doses were not working their magic to cool down my girl, I knew the tried and true luke warm bath and popsicle trick would work like a charm......



......and sure enough, she dropped to 103.8 by the time I wrapped her in her towel to pamper and love on her aching little body.....so it was no surprise to me, since the girls share everything, that Elsie started showing signs of the ick at 3:30 am the following morning......


.....she was a happy little sick person, pulling out her smile when she saw the camera......until I told her that she was too sick to go to her school picnic.......and as her fever climbed to the 104-point something numbers, she became more concerned with sucking on her pop to relieve her drained little tummy than shedding tears over jump roping with her best gal pal in Central Park......



.....and when the blisters in the back of the throat appeared, I had to do something to make this dose of the ick a tiny bit joyful......so when they could eventually keep down the liquids, we busted out ice cream for dinner......there has to be some silver lining of being sick and stuck at home.....


......and we waved to our friends from our kitchen window instead of joining them for fun......because the sorrow of sickness at this age is missing out on outdoor play and the friends we love......


.....but it was short lived......

......once we were fever free for a good 24 hours, we were back at it.....and luckily, our little man stayed healthy.......despite toddler fingers constantly being prodded in his mouth, belly button and ears......

.....all in the name of love, of course......



 

.....and it's been great to have a spring baby......getting three kids fed, groomed, dressed, loaded and locked in the stroller with our baby attached to my chest in his carrier all in the 70 degree weather has been a gift......my record time in getting all three out the door certainly needs improvement, but we are taking baby steps......literally.....and for the record, I am out the door in two and a half hours start to finish, without tantrums, dressing meltdowns (when everything pink is in the dirty clothes, which is pretty much always) or having to change just as I'm walking out the door because I am covered in spit up......yep, we're taking baby steps alright......

.....but overall, I'm feeling good.....one baby step this week was taking my first road trip alone with three kids......again, getting out the door was the hardest part and minutes into our hour journey, I realized the tantrums and meltdowns on the walk to our garage were from utter exhaustion of a very busy week......


.....but a cat nap can do wonders.....and it lights me up to watch my babes play with their good friends and find the simple joy at special highlights like running around in fresh cut grass or enjoying driveway toys with our suburbia family......



......and never one for liking the scene of being left out, Callie chased the red mustang until the older girls relented and finally gave her a turn.......



......and then you couldn't get her out of the car......she was happy to be ridin' shot gun, man handling the radio station like nobody's business......




.....and just as play dates go with two Mommas and six kids between us; we always find time for a quick picture, about a hundred 30 second conversations, leaving us with at least a dozen stories that we never finish.......lots of fetching and fixing, lots of wiping and watching......but we always have a toast......because even though it's crazy, and fun, and hectic and so busy that we nibble on a few cold pieces of garlic bread and pizza and a salad wilted in dressing that was poured on an hour ago for our dinner, if you could even call it that, it's pure bliss..... 










....and pure bliss also means having a PJ party in the car......I have learned to get the little ones ready for bed, even if we are leaving for home late afternoon because you never know the traffic with the bridges and tunnels......



....and it's a good thing my three little ones were all ready for sliding into soft and warm sheets because we hit traffic alright......and rolled back into the city close to 10pm......causing my girls to be so tired the next morning, they wouldn't get out of their PJs or off the couch.......

.....and being that it's summer and I have less time for negotiating and I am tired.....a lot.....I did something I do well......I bribed them....


.....yep, klondike bars in the tub at 9:30 am.....



....it got us moving, it got us clean (after we drained all the mirky water and really scrubbed) and it got us back into the rhythm of what was in store for the rest of our week.......







.....and there were still tantrums and melt downs and tears as the week marched on.....we take each new day at a time.....we are slowly moving back to what used to be normal for all of us.....everyone is adjusting to the beauty of Brody.....we are sleeping better, yet still overly tired.....we are still out and about, although at our snail pace......and it wouldn't be honest to say that the girls haven't felt a slight shift in their lives......but they are resilient.....I am practicing patience and empathy......and when it comes down to it, it's all just a phase.....the ying and yang of life that gives us easy and care free times to savor and appreciate and the days that can be longer, draining and quite exhausting, really......the ones that give us the gift of appreciating when we are blessed with a delightful, pinch me is this a dream kind of day......
.....but ying or yang.....I'll take them both......because they all add up to the grand prize......



......the memories of creating our blessed and beautiful life......