Saturday, June 25, 2011

Things My 3-Year Old Says...

"She giggles when I step on her..."

Sheer panic set in when I heard that phrase!  I never actually did see what it was that Piper called stepping on her, but everyone was happy ad smiling.

Poor Finley-Piper thinks of her as a baby doll that she can play with and Finney just loves every minute of it!  Finney is bound to be one tough cookie when she gets older.

A Taste of the Future?

So I look at this weekend as a taste of what could be.  Jeff left Friday morning to celebrate a childhood friend's bachelor party.  I'm "single-momin' it" for the weekend.  Luckily for me, I've got awesome kids.  Sully and Finley actually took a two and a half hour nap this afternoon-might have been longer if I hadn't had to wake them to get Piper to a birthday party.  After days like today, I can't stand the fact that I'm not with them more!

It's funny-there are pros and cons to everything.  Daycare can't seem to get them to sleep at the same time-hell, days I wonder if they aren't struggling to keep them eating on the same schedule!  Somehow (despite their early arousal this morning) they were on an awesome schedule today...I wonder if we might be better off in this instant keeping them home.  Then on the other hand, I don't think Piper could live without seeing her best bud Veda every day!

And Piper...I swear she is just smarter than the average bear!  She is GREAT at manipulating Jeff and I when we're all here together, but when it's just me she's a little angel.  I suppose I probably shouldn't admit that until Jeff actually comes home-I've probably just jinxed myself for tomorrow morning!

Things have been a little chaotic lately, to say the least!  It's funny how things work out sometimes.  More than a year ago I threw my name in the hat for a stay-at-home job.  Three weeks ago, I finally got the call.  Unfortunately, it doesn't appear to be enough to sustain me to stay at home with the kiddos.  Oh well...I have hope that the work will pick up!  The downside...three kids + two jobs = one very tired momma!

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Fun Fact of the Day: Diaper Rashes Suck

Diaper rashes truly suck!  Jeff and I are both fair-skinned people so, of course, we produce fair-skinned people.  Our fair skin makes us that much more susceptible to skin issues-Jeff even had a little skin cancer removed two years ago.  One of those "issues" is diaper rashes. So far Sully has been pretty lucky but Finley certainly takes after Piper.  A little pink diaper rash goes to red, angry and blistered in a matter of hours.  With Piper, I literally tried every rash cream I could find (including every prescription I could manage to get the doctor to write).  The only thing that has truly worked is my home made cream...cherry Maalox and Aquaphor!

Try it...it works!

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Why Do Boys Pee Standing Up?

So the other day I took Piper to her ENT for a follow up on the tubes in her ears.  We had an incredibly long wait that included more than one trip to the public bathroom on the second floor of the facility.  During one of these trips, Piper turned and stood facing the toilet, put her hands down near her fully clothed crotch, swayed her hips back and forth and smiled, "mommy, this is how boys pee".

I'm not sure if I should laugh at the perspective of her three-year old observations or cry at the fact that my three-year old knows that boys pee standing up.  Do all three-year old little girls know that?  I'm all for an open door policy, but I'm not sure that includes the bathroom door.  Of course, to make it easier for the kids at daycare to get into the bathroom and to remember to go, the bathroom door is always propped open (there's a separate bathroom attached to every classroom).

Her observation was followed by the question of "why"...why do boys pee standing up?  I was somewhat floored by her observation and question that the only reason I could think of was "because they do".  She sees me change Sully's diaper, so I know she knows that boys and girls are different.  I just wasn't ready for her question...I can only imagine what she'll come up with next!

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Our First Trip

We survived our first trip out of town!  We always made a point with Piper  to start traveling immediately.  In fact, we took our first eight hour trip when she was just eight weeks old.  Boy was that easy compared to last weekend.

We made our way from Lexington to Cleveland last Friday.  Per our request, none of the kids were allowed their normal naps in hopes that they would sleep the majority of the trip.  When I got off work I frantically came home and finished packing (which, I think I packed enough clothes for the little ones to have stayed a month), loaded the car and picked up the kids.  Unfortunately, this process took so long that Finley passed out at daycare.  When I got there, I couldn't actually wake her up but managed to convince her to eat a bottle in her sleep.  Sully on the other hand was awake, but so tired he couldn't eat.  Then there was Piper who was so excited that she asked nearly every five minutes for the first hour if we were there yet...classic!  What once was a five hour trip took us a little over six hours.  Everyone slept a good portion of the way and it was really just the last hour that Finley was a little on the fussy side.

The weekend was awesome.  We had a great time visiting family, old friends and the zoo.  Piper had so much fun playing with her cousins, she passed out face first in the middle of the living room floor Saturday night (and no, no alcohol was involved on her part!)  The party went on around her until close to 3 am.

The trip home is where the fun came to a screeching halt!  Piper cried for nearly the first forty-five minutes that she didn't want to go home (and when I say cried, I actually mean screamed).  When she finally stopped and fell asleep, Finley started; shortly there after, Sully chimed in.  About an hour and a half into the trip we made our first stop to feed the little ones.  They ate...a little.  Then we got back on the road which started the sequence all over.  Piper cried.  Finley cried.  Sully cried.  It was just a matter of time before the dog started howling and mommy felt the need to cry.  Lets just say that my stomach isn't quite as "iron" as it was before I ever got pregnant.  I get carsick, thus the desire to  cry!

Three more stops, a few more tears, a little tylenol and some very loud music and we were finally home!  We survived and we know now we can do it-we just may wait a while before we voluntarily do it again though.