Out Like a Light

One of Phoebe's most impressive traits is that she can sleep through the wild and crazy sounds her big brothers make while they're playing. Maybe if we let the boys run amok from dusk till dawn she would sleep through the night. Of course, then someone would have to stay up with the boys, so that would defeat the purpose of getting her to sleep.

I've Been Riding on the Railroad

We had the opportunity to ride this train with some friends from our neighborhood. The fellow that built and runs it does it for fun. The track ran through his yard, his kids' yards, and a handful of his neighbor's yards. It was pretty impressive.

Sadly, Peter didn't get to go because he threw a massive tantrum a few minutes before we were supposed to leave the house. Thank goodness Isaac and Grandma Bonnie could stay home with him.

Cooper had fun and Phoebe slept the whole time, so it was a win for everyone that went.

Three to One

Bryan asked me today if I've thought at all about how I'm going to take care of all three kids when it's just me by myself, with no extra family members here to help.

Why yes, yes I have.

I had a preview of what life is going to be like when that happens. Bryan had to go back to work on the day that Paige, Isaac, and my Grandma Bonnie drove up from California, which meant that during their twelve hour drive, I was on my own.

Most of the day went really well. We didn't try to go anywhere and I let Peter watch episodes of Go Diego Go on Netflix so I could take a nap while Cooper napped. (My doctor insisted that I have a nap everyday, no matter what. I laughed, then said I would do my best to comply.) Bryan was due back at 5pm and at 4pm I thought to myself that we had had a pretty good day.

And that's when the crazy broke loose.

When Bryan walked in the door I told him I was glad we had all made it in one piece. And I was serious. Peter and Cooper decided to make up for how good they had been for most of the day. I have no idea why 4pm is the bewitching hour at our house. Most of the naughtiness consisted of ignoring me when I asked them to do (or not to do) certain things.

I wonder, why is it that I can ask them to do something and they act like I'm not talking but Bryan can ask them to do the same thing and they listen? They might not obey right away, but at least they acknowledge him. What is the magic power that dads have that moms don't? Or is this something specific to my household?

I'm still thinking about how I'm going to handle things next week when it's just me and the three kids. Will I ever get dressed before lunchtime? Will we ever leave the house? Any ideas for maintaining sanity, both mine and theirs?

No Pictures, Please

Phoebe and I went to Sacrament Meeting yesterday. My goal was to wait a few more weeks before going back, but the primary was singing and I didn't want to miss that. So we got ourselves all gussied up and went. I wanted to take pictures of the very cute first Sunday dress that Nana Shari got for her, but based on her pose, I don't think she wanted me to.

Getting to Know You

Phoebe and Grandma Bonnie have been spending the last few days getting to know each other. I think they've become fast friends.

Catching Some Zzzzs

King of the Rock

Peter and Cooper and I went on a walk this week, just the three of us. It was nice to spend time with my boys. I've missed them. It was also nice to be able to walk without huffing and puffing.

We played at the playground which included pretending we were on a roller coaster. That was great fun. All three of us were laughing out loud as we bounced and leaned forward and back following the motion of our imagined amusement park ride.

We detoured on the way back home to check the mail. There are a few large, decorative rocks in the landscape of our development. The boys both wanted to climb them. As Peter reached the summit he said in a matter-of-fact tone, "Look Mommy, I can climb all the way to the top. That means I'm ready for Boy scouts."

For Your Consideration

I submit that the Baby Bjorn is one of the greatest inventions ever. It might even be considered the light bulb or printing press of baby gear, something that can revolutionize a people. Or at least a household.

That is all.

Vacation Days

I feel like I've been on vacation. A weird vacation that doesn't involve sleep. Bryan has had two weeks off for paternity leave so he's been here to help. His mom left on Saturday. For the last few weeks I've had the luxury of focusing most of my attention on feeding Phoebe.

That's why I haven't had any humorous stories about the boys. I simply haven't seen much of them.

But really, it does feel almost like a vacation. I basically sit around holding Phoebe and watching stuff on Netflix. Since she joined us I've finished the third season of Veronica Mars, watched all three seasons of 30 Rock, and viewed the beginning of a bunch of lame movies and the entirety of a handful of good ones.

If I weren't exhausted from lack of sleep, I would probably feel refreshed from all the relaxing I've been doing.

I consider myself very lucky to have help right now. I'm still trying to wrap my brain around having three children. It should have sunk in by now, but it hasn't. Maybe that's because I haven't had to be on my own with all three of them for more than an hour so far. And the second wave of help arrives this week, so I have a little more time before I'm in charge and by myself, full-time.

For now I think I'll savor the time I get to sit and snuggle with Phoebe without having to jump up and keep the boys from injuring themselves. Or each other. Or destroying something.

After all, moms don't usually get vacation days.

The Garden Awards 2010

Best Crop: The 15 pumpkins growing in the back of the garden.
Most Disappointing Crop: Potatoes, none of which ever came up.
Most Surprising Crop: Edamame! It actually grew!
Most Popular Crop: Cherry tomatoes. The boys eat those like candy.

All In a Day's Work

Things of note that I accomplished today:

• I showered
• I fed the boys breakfast
• I got Cooper dressed for the day
  
• I ate three meals
• I had a nap
• I folded a whole basket of laundry
• I spent at least half of my awake time feeding the never-full and already plumping-up Phoebe (not an exaggeration)
  
• I loaded the dishwasher
• I finished eating a sugar-free cherry pie
• I started eating a sugar-free apple pie

Yup, that's a pretty full day.

Being Girly

Her usual facial expression. Contemplating her accessory, perhaps?

The end of a smile, caught on camera. Maybe she approves of the headband.

Three Men and a Little Lady

Everyday Should Be Grandparents Day

You can't tell from this picture, but she's wearing a dress. I can say with certainty that yesterday was the first time I've dressed any of my children in a dress.

We're adjusting to life with three children, although it's been tricky because our sweet little girl absolutely will not sleep in her bed. The longest stretch we've gotten to is 15 minutes. She has quite a bit of stomach distress and I think it helps to have the warmth and pressure of someone holding her to relieve the pain. I've begun experimenting with my diet to see if something I'm eating is bothering her. Dairy is the first item I've cut-out. We'll see if that helps. In the meantime, Bryan and I have been taking turns holding her overnight so the other can sleep. This means that both of us are somewhat zombie-like in the morning.

Enter the miracle worker, aka Bryan's mom.

She's been here for the last week and we are truly thankful for her. She's been taking the boys on walks, doing projects with them, making up stories for them. That is some serious grandma awesomeness. It means that the boys don't have to deal with crazy-tired parents every morning. And that those same crazy-tired parents get more sleep than they would otherwise.

Thank goodness for grandmas.

World Premiere

I'd like you to meet someone. This is Phoebe.


She made her debut earlier this week. I'm glad she's here.

Terms of Endearment

We don't do nicknames at our house. At least, not of the shortened name variety. Peter is not Pete or Petey. Bryan is not Bry. I didn't realize how much Cooper had embraced this until a few days ago.

Peter: (Trying to get Cooper's attention) Cooper. Cooper. Cooper! COOPER! COOP!

Cooper: (Finally acknowledging Peter) I'm not Coop. I'm Cooper.

Excellent.

Snug as a Bug in a Rug

How you know you look too pregnant to be running errands:

Sample Server at Costco: When is your baby due?

Me: Well, she was due last Wednesday.

Sample Server at Costco: Oh. That explains why you've grown out of your clothes.

Um, thanks...

Water, Water Everywhere, and Not a Drop to Drink

We were at Ikea for four hours yesterday. I love the store, but that's a long time even for me. We got a couch bed (a glorified, albeit surprisingly comfortable futon) to put in the office for guests and Bryan's brother outfitted his college kitchen.

We also ate. Lucky for us, kids ate for free over the holiday weekend. This meant that the restaurant was a mad house, but the food was good and we still managed to find a place to sit.

In an attempt to stay clean, both boys ate pasta without sauce. We had a good meal and by the end only had a bit yogurt to wipe off of little boy mouths. Cooper has inherited my slow-eater-tiny-bite-taker disease (which I don't think is a disease at all) and was the last one to finish. Bryan was gathering up empty plates and forks to deposit in the dirty dish alcove. As I handed Bryan Cooper's not-empty cup we must have bumped into each other.

And the water in the cup was suddenly the water in my lap.

My first reaction was something akin to "Aghh!" It was cold and not a pleasant sensation. My second reaction, which came the moment I looked down at the water soaking into the legs of my jeans was, "Oh no, people are going to think my water broke."

Hopefully the water that spilled onto my shirt was a tip-off that it was just a spill and nothing else. And I know, who cares what total strangers think? Well, I didn't care that much, but it was still kind of embarrassing.

Baby Watch 2010

No baby yet, I should get that out of the way right off the bat. Yesterday at church a handful of people asked why I was there. And why I wasn't holding a baby in my arms. I said it was because she hadn't decided to come yet.

I'm afraid I may have misrepresented myself in my D-Day post. Yes, I am waiting for her to come on her own, but I would like it if she were here already. I'm wildly uncomfortable. Lying down is tricky because getting back up sends pain shooting up my back and down my legs. I might not look that big (I'm not sure why), but at my 40 week appointment I was measuring at 40 weeks exactly. Granted, I know people that measure ahead, so maybe that's why I seem small, I don't know. I can still walk, but not without loud huffing and puffing and some moderate waddling action. I can still follow the boys around, but I certainly can't chase them. I've tried to focus on the positive aspects of pregnancy, but that doesn't mean that it's been without discomfort.

So yes, I am done. But she's not. And I would rather do this on her schedule than on mine.

That said, if she's not here by Wednesday, my Doctor is insisting on inducing me.

And so we're saying lots of prayers that she's here by then.

Rock Band As Real Life

Espanol

Peter is very into learning other languages right now. He likes to tell us how to say things in Spanish, his current language of choice. We've been encouraging him by teaching how to say things in these other tongues. At his disposal we have Portuguese, French, ASL, and (limited) Spanish. We could also throw in Mandarin, Norwegian, German, and a lot more Spanish by calling a few family members.

We've begun his training by teaching him to count (and in the process discovered that he can't roll his R's). He's done a good job remembering what he's learned. For the most part.

On Sunday he decided to share his knowledge with Cooper.

Peter: Cooper, do you want to know how to count in Spanish?

Cooper: No.

Peter: (More insistent) Cooper, do you want to know how to count in Spanish?

Cooper: NO!

Peter: (Ignoring Cooper's lack of interest) Okay. Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve.

Me: That was good Peter. Do you remember how to say ten in Spanish?

Peter: (Pausing for a moment to think) Uh, Nathan?

No, I have no idea where Nathan came from.

D-Day

Here we are at 40 weeks. FYI, I'm totally fine with having made it to 40 weeks. Apparently I'm in the minority in that I don't want the baby out at the first safe opportunity, but that's okay. I've always been a little odd.