Can't Blame a Girl for Trying

I was determined to get out of the house today. The weather has been crappy on and off for weeks, Joey has been miserable with a runny nose, cough, ear infections, etc. And the babies are still portable and usually content to sit in their car seats or stroller while Joey plays at the park. That was NOT the case today. Within minutes of arriving at the park Olivia was crying. I take her out of her seat to discover that she has had a major blow out. Easy fix, right? Just change her diaper, wipe her up, and put her in the extra set of clothes that every mom is supposed to carry in the diaper bag. Slight problem: No extra set of clothes. (I should have left at this point.) It gets worse. Katelyn begins to cry, Olivia is now naked and hungry, and Joey seems to be enjoying himself on the playground. So, I decide I'll wrap Olivia in a blanket, nurse her in one arm and hold the bottle for Katelyn in the car seat with the other arm. Well that did not go as planned. Minutes into this feeding frenzy Joey decides he needs everything he can think of. "Nack (snack), Maaa (milk), Waaa (water)..." So I throw some goldfish crackers at him and wish that I put everyone back in the car a long time ago. Now I'm so far into this mess I don't really know how to get myself out of it without everyone unhappy and in tears. Joey is now soaked- the bottom of the slide was wet, he is also covered in damp and sticky sand, Olivia can't latch on because I'm moving so much to deal with the other two, Katelyn's bottle won't stay put, and I'm beyond frazzled. So, I just ditch all efforts to keep everyone happy and pack them back in the car despite LOUD protesting from all three. We got home and it took me a good hour to meet every one's needs. The best part was finding the pretty drawings that Joey made on the kitchen table with his crayons! Now it's naptime. Ahhhh.

Fun With Stickers

Joey finally found something that his sisters are useful for: decorating with stickers! Olivia was so cooperative, she slept through the whole thing. Even when he climbed right on top of her to get a closer look at Big Bird.

He Looks Like a Hobo

I think not eating for 2 weeks has taken its toll on Joey. When I went to get him from his nap yesterday he had creatively pulled one arm out the top of his onesie. I took a picture because he looked so funny standing there like that, and it wasn't until I just uploaded the pictures that I noiced that you can see all his ribs. Not to mention that his size 18month clothes are so baggy that they are falling off of him. So my mission for the week is to get the child interested in food again...

Cautiously Optomistic...

Last week I bought a baby sleep training book with the intentions of starting "Baby Boot Camp" in a couple of weeks. I began reading the book to get familiar with what I'd be up against. It focuses on following the baby's natural rhythms and promises 12 hours of sleep at 12 weeks of age. It is not a crazy cry-it-out method, and it does not require rigorous scheduling, so I really feel that it fits my parenting philosophy quite well. Apparently Katelyn has been reading this book while I'm not looking because last night she slept for 8+ hours straight!!! I usually have to wake her every night after Olivia gets up and I finish feeding her. But last night I took a chance in going back to bed after feeding Olivia because Katelyn was so soundly sleeping. And when Olivia woke me up at 6am and Katelyn was still sound asleep I was stunned!!! Could this be too good to be true? Probably. But I am seeing a light at the end of the sleep deprived tunnel.