Merry Christmas!

Hello, well we had another first Christmas this year. It was obviously Abby's first Christmas and it's hard to believe that Matthew experienced his first Christmas last year! Seems like we've had them both much longer. We had a lot of gift opening, eating, playing and other festivities to keep us busy over the past few days. On Christmas eve morning we had our family Christmas. I had put together little gift boxes of candy and toys for the kids from Santa and when I went downstairs with Matthew (at 6:15ish) the first thing he said was "Big Bird!" and pointed to the Sesame Street coloring book by his Santa box. Sam came down later and didn't notice anything for awhile. We started breakfast, then he looked around and saw the Santa boxes, "Train boxes! Mommy what are those for?" Jason and I looked at each other...are we going to tell them it's from Santa or from us? Do we want our kids to believe in Santa or not? After a few moments, Jason said, "Santa came!"

Sam ran over to his box and was excited to find some Thomas underwear. The excitement of underwear quickly wore off when he saw...candy canes! "Candy canes, candy canes!" he shouted excitedly. "Santa brought candy canes!" We had been reading a book about candy canes and he was obviously excited to try the real thing. We opened one for him and he tasted it and said, "It tastes so much better than my toothpaste!" Yes, Sam, they are similar, but I think candy canes are better too. Sam ripped open his gifts, but Matthew opened a gift then was done. He took some convincing to continue opening presents. I'm sure next year will be much different for Matthew, but this year when he got a new toy or book, he wanted to look through it, not tear paper off of boxes. The highlight of the boys' gifts was a train set which they have played with extensively. Abby got some clothes, books and a few soft toys which she seems to be enjoying too. Enjoying for a two-month old baby means that when you hold a toy in front of her she stares at it and might smile.

We went to church on Christmas Eve with Grammy and Papa and Uncle Brian's family. Matthew was giving us a workout as he did not want to sit for and hour and a half. Eventually he was taken out with Jason and I held Abby, who had slept through most of the service, but decided she'd had enough by the time we sang Silent Night and she screamed through Silent Night as I was stuck in the middle of the pew with people holding candles on both sides. Oh well. Sam was pretty good and was being entertained by his cousins for a good portion of the service. We opened more gifts and ate more good food at Grammy and Papa's and the kids were all overwhelmed by toys and clothes which have been played with a lot too. Abby cried a good portion of the evening and the boys were unusually loud too. I guess that's how they were handling the excitement of Christmas.

Christmas day we went to IA and had the Reese Christmas with Grandpa Duane and Grandma Verna and the rest of the Reese crew. Abby was, well, a little crabby, but had a few smiles for people when she wasn't crying or trying to sleep. The boys enjoyed playing with Grandpa and Grandma's trains and tractors and had races throughout the house. We ate a lot of food and after a wonderful dinner, the boys filled up on cookies for snack/supper. Between the two boys they probably at at least 10 cookies, if not more.

Christmas night we stayed with Grandpa Don and Grandma Sue. Abby and I slept in one bedroom and she had a pretty good night, waking at 4:15AM for a snack, then back to bed for a few more hours. Jason and the boys slept in the other guest room. Well, Matthew slept in the walk-in closet, which is an upgrade from his previous lodgings (the laundry room). We forgot Matthew's blankie in MN but convinced him that it was fun to sleep with a special blanket that Grandma Sue had for him. He was ok with that, but definitely missed Blankie. Sam was supposed to experience his first time sleeping on the air mattress on the floor and Jason was going to sleep in the bed, but after Jason put Sam to bed on the floor (around 8PM), Sam tucked himself into the middle of the bed and fell fast asleep. So when Jason went to bed (around 10PM) he ended up on the air mattress on the floor. Enjoy this now, Sam, because when you get older, I have a feeling you will be booted from your coziness and end up on the floor.

We opened more gifts with Grandpa Don and Grandma Sue and Uncle David's family Monday morning and Jason, Abby and I visited Jason's aunt Norie too. The boys got some Cars and tractor gifts which are favorites at this time and have also been extensively enjoyed along with their other gifts. We arrived home yesterday afternoon to a house full of new toys and new clothes. It was a wonderful Christmas! I will post pictures soon, but the camera is missing from being packed up...somewhere...Such as it is these days!

Some pictures

I have a slew of pictures that I've been meaning to post for a while (as well as a few posts that I've been meaning to write for awhile...), but here are some pictures from the past two weeks.

Here are some good ones of little Abby...

And some not so good ones trying to get the three kids together...(that would be Sam's rear end in the upper left of the first picture)

And now some outdoor fun...Sunday it was 47 outside, so we made the most of it!

When Abby gets bigger...

Sam, You are big into telling Abby what she gets to do when she gets bigger. So today you greeted Abby, by saying, "Look, she has wake up eyes!" You say that whenever Abby's eyes are open and she is awake. Then you usually follow that up with something like, "Oh, she's so cute!" or "Abby, you are the cutest baby in the world!" Sam, you are so cute too.

But today, you were telling Abby about her future. You started by saying, "Abby, when you get bigger, you can share a big bed with me at Grammy and Papa's." (Sam spent the night at Grammy and Papas earlier in the week). You told Abby that she could stay with you, but Matthew had to sleep in the crib. I guess we know who your favorite is these days. Then you told Abby about milk. You said, "You'll get to drink regular milk when you are big too. And strawberry milk. And chocolate milk. And syrup milk." You are such a good big brother. Other than you like to talk to Abby about two inches from her face, you're pretty good and loving. Someday that may change, but I hope your deep affection continues for a long time. Love, Mom

Running errands

Running errands has taken on a new look lately. Mostly because I have three small children rather than two. I wrote a year ago about going to the grocery store with the two boys and now, a new layer of thought has to go into going to the grocery store. I still haven't figured it out, but I'm working on it. Some may wonder why I go at all with all three kids, why not go in the evening or on the weekends? Well, there are three reasons why I actually rather go during the week with the kids: 1) it's something to do during the day, 2) I don't like crowds so that rules out the weekends and 3) I'm too tired (so that rules out evenings).

Anyway, the first question is when to go? I used to go right away in the morning after we got dressed and ready, so around 8 AM. But Abby tends to like to nap around that time, so do I go anyway, hoping she'll nap while we're shopping or wait until she's done napping for the morning? Last week I went after her AM nap, so around 10:30. She didn't make much of a fuss on the car ride to the grocery store, which was a nice change, but she definitely made a fuss when we were in the store. I barely made it through the produce section before she started fussing. Soon her fussing turned to crying, then screaming. Red-faced, breathless screaming. I went through the produce and dairy as fast as I could all the while hoping she would ease up. But she didn't. I tried talking calmly to her, rubbing her tummy, anything to get her to calm down. All the while I was hoping the boys would stay in the car attachment in the front of the grocery cart. They did, so that was nice. Of course, of all the days I'd rather not run into someone I know at the store, I ran into a friend from the Y by the milk and she hadn't seen the baby yet, so I got to show off my screaming, red-faced princess. Eventually I had to take Abby out of her carseat and she immediately calmed down. I carried her on my shoulder, pushed my cumbersome cart with one hand and quickly tried to get necessary items, leaving the remainder of my list for another time. Of course, there were few checkout lanes open, and the people in front of me had very full carts. I was flustered and sweating and trying to hold Abby and keep the boys in line, but was not being very successful. Matthew grabbed a Snickers and tried to chew on it (wrapper and all) and Sam squeezed past my cart and was working his way up next to the other customers in front of me. Oh me oh my. Thankfully, after a few minutes a new lane opened just next to where I was and I was able to quickly make it out. in. one. piece. without. going. insane.

Anyway, after Abby's nap didn't seem to work and we'll probably not try that anytime soon. Well, moving on. The next layer of planning that goes into planning for the grocery store trip is when am I most likely to get a big cart (either one with the two seats facing each other near the back of the cart, or those cute cars attached to the front of carts. Generally, the best time to snag a big cart is early AM. Then the boys can ride in the car or special child seats and Abby goes into the basket and I place groceries in the seat of the cart or on the bottom. This really limits how much I can get, but it certainly cuts down on impulse buying. The kids cut down on browsing, as who can really browse around anywhere with a three year old, one year old and baby? Anyway, when I went to Target last week there weren't any of the big carts available (although I was there early, a little after 8), so Sam had to walk. Oh dear. Sam walking in Target is just not good. Every aisle has fun and neat little temptations. I had to get some mailing supplies and a few aisles down was the party aisle. I quickly grabbed my mailing stuff and Sam ran into the party aisle. I emerged into main walkway just as Sam emerged carrying a huge star pinata. Put it back, Sam. Don't touch, Sam. Stay here, Sam. Sam. Sam. Sam. Can you pick some snacks, Sam? Oh dear. I had to give him a job to give him some focus. He was like a kid in a candy store. Apparently a kid in a Target isn't much different.

Ok. So, running errands is different these days. Why do I put myself through this? Part of it is probably because I like the challenge. Come on, I can do this, right? What am I trying to prove? I CAN DO THIS, RIGHT? I can do this. Three small kids? I can do this. If I can make it through a trip to the grocery store with my three children, I can conquer anything!  Next, Mt. Everest.

Coinciding naps

After a morning of being out and about (actually we just went to MOPS --Mothers of Preschoolers--at church this morning) all the kids are sleeping and they have all overlapped for nearly 2 hours! Wow! I am experiencing some new found freedom and don't know what to do with myself. I've so gotten into my head that I will be interrupted in moments that I rarely start any project more complicated than making grilled cheese, but alas, Abby is napping longer and better and the boys, as always, are being good little nappers.

So I've been browsing for yarn on the web for a while, keeping on thinking I will be interrupted at any moment, and alas, I am still browsing yarn without interruption. Had I known this would happen, oh the cookies I could have made, the dinner I could have prepped, the workout I could have gotten...if only I had known.

This napping break didn't come about without turmoil, though. After MOPs we were driving home around 11:45 and Abby was, (as she almost always does) crying/screaming for most of the trip. She stopped a few miles from home and I hoped she had fallen asleep, but when we got home, she was wide awake. I brought her into the house and got the boys inside. She proceeded to scream and scream while I got the boys out of their coats and shoes and went to the bathroom. Matthew proceeded to cry and cry as he was super hungry. Sam was also out of sorts as he had peed his pants on the way home. That's how it goes these days. I prioritized: Sam undressed, pick up Abby, feed Matthew, and went about taking care of my kiddos. Sam was undressed and clothes thrown in washer. Abby was screaming (face bright red by now), Matthew was crying. I got Abby out of the carseat and she immediately calmed down and pretty much fell asleep on my shoulder as I started to put together lunch. What can I put together with one hand, I wondered, as I didn't want to put Abby down quite yet to make sure she was fully recovered from her crying/screaming outburst. I pulled out yogurt and graham crackers. At least they were getting protein, dairy and carbs. Sorry, boys, no veggies or fruit for lunch. That's how it goes these days. Matthew calmed down. Sam was still half naked, but at least out of dirty pants.

I swaddled and changed Abby, took her up to her crib which immediately produced sleep. Wow. THat in and of itself is a miracle. Brought Sam some new clothes and helped him get dressed and dished out more yogurt and graham crackers. Then I sat down with the boys and enjoyed some peace and quiet. Uh oh,the two little ones just woke up within moments of each other. Back to work.

What's your type?

Back to streaky posting...maybe because I'm back to work these days. Meaning it's just me and the kiddos, no Jason or my mom to help me out. So I'm tired and somewhat stressed and burned out. And it's only been a week! Such is life with three blessed little ones!

Anyway, so I've been reading and web surfing in my "free time" in a desperate attempt to help Abby sleep better. The thing is, she's a great sleeper at night (slept in her crib some this past week) and wakes once or twice, but her naps are atrocious. She has a very hard time winding down for naps, then she gets overtired and screams. And she gets so worked up she has a hard time napping. So she screams some more and gets more and more tired. What a vicious cycle. My "research" has led me to pull out the book, Secrets of the Baby Whisperer which I've had since Sam but haven't really used much or paid attention to. The author writes about how to pay attention to and learn about your baby's specific temperament and needs and cater your responses to them accordingly. She writes about five "types" of babies and although I don't think kids fall exactly into five categories, it has been somewhat helpful in understanding Abby's temperament.

Of course, I've classified the boys too and here are how the kids are classified, at least according to the Baby Whisperer. Sam was an "Angel Baby". He was pretty mild, easily transportable, fell asleep anytime, anywhere, in any situation and would sleep for a long time. At two weeks, we gave Sam a pacifier, put him in the swing (wide awake) and he would fall asleep on his own at bedtime and sleep for 4-8 hours. He has since outgrown his angel wings. Matthew would be classified as a "Textbook Baby." According to the author, Textbook babies are very predictable and do things "by the book" or reach particular milestones when they're supposed to. I used to say that one could set their clock by Matthew's self-imposed schedule. He naps for 1.5 hours. He goes to bed at 7, he gets up at 6. He too was pretty easy as a baby, once we figured out that when he yawned, he was ready for sleep. Now we come to Abby. It's pretty early yet, but I think she would be classified as a "Spirited Baby." These babies have very strong likes and dislikes and let you know it. They have a hard time winding down and seem to fight sleep. Yes. That describes Abby lots of time. Jason and I are trying to figure her out, but she definitely keeps us on our toes. "Typical woman" is what Jason says.

I never knew how hard having kids would be, but I tell you, it was much easier getting a Ph.D.