Yesterday I took the 3 kids to the doctor. This is kind of a pain because I now have 2 that don't walk, and my doctor's office is the most inaccessible place in the world - how ridiculous is that? Anyway, there are 2 steps that are unavoidable and I would never be able to get the sit & stand up them, and once inside there isn't enough room in the exam rooms for the big stroller anyway. So I put Ruby in the wrap, Declan in the umbrella stroller, and Talia walked like the big girl she is. I thought I was pretty smart and everything was going smoothly, but maybe I didn't look quite as together as I felt, since some stranger in the waiting room totally felt sorry for me and helped me get shoes and coats on the kids when we were leaving!

At each stage the kids go through, I think "This is the best it's ever going to be. There will never be a time when it's more fun than this age." And then Talia gets a little older, and does a little more, and makes me laugh a little harder, and I change my mind and have a new favourite age. Yesterday after we got home from the doctor's office, she made herself a stethoscope out of plastic rings and gave all her babies check-ups. Sometimes I can't believe how smart she is and how much she just knows already. Although, I guess any woman she meets who gives her a rare treat of a sucker is probably pretty important to her, ha ha.

I really love that Talia and Declan are each other's constant companion, and spend so much time playing together - even though they gang up on me now. Here's our conversation from lunch the other day:

Me: Tal, who's your best friend?
Talia: Ummmmmmmmmm.... (pretending to think really, really hard, with a big grin on her face.)
Declan: Deckie!!
Me: (full of outrage) WHAT?!? Not Deckie!
Declan: (giggling) Daddy!!
Me: (still outraged) EVEN WORSE!! What about Mommy?
Talia: Iss okay, Mommy. You be Wooby's best fwiend.

The Fifth Time's A Charm

Now that all our company/help is gone, we've settled into a nice little routine here. I get the triple nap out of these kids most days, which is a nice break even if I don't sleep myself. Talia has gone through a couple of stretches where she's a little hit and miss on the nap, but lately she's back to napping almost everyday. If she doesn't nap she stays in her bed for some quiet time, looking at books or playing with some quiet toys. Today Talia was up a little bit earlier than usual and looked completely exhausted all morning, so I thought the triple nap would be no problem today. After lunch I packed my 3 little Rainedrops away in their beds and settled down to have some lunch and catch up on the PVR. Within 10 minutes, all was quiet..... then the phone rang. By the time I got off the phone, Talia & Declan were having some kind of dance party in their room, and before too long I heard the pitter-patter of Talia's flat feet.

The first time she came out, I sent her back to her bed.

The second time she came out, she was wearing her shirt from this morning and pajama pants. I sent her back to bed.

The third time she came out, she was wearing pajama pants & a non-matching pajama shirt. I sent her back to bed.

The fourth time she came out, she was wearing a pajama shirt and 12 pairs of panties. I sent her back to bed.

The fifth time she came out, she was completely naked. I gave up completely and turned on Caillou. She laid down on the couch and was asleep within a minute. I'll take it.

3 Raine Circus

Yesterday was the big test - Rainer went back to work, assorted grandparents are all gone home, it was just me and the 3 for the whole day.

We had plans to go to Kids Spot with friends of ours, but when that didn't work out I decided we would just stay home. The morning was crazy busy but good. I got up before the kids so I could get showered, dressed, and eat something. The kids ended up waking up one at a time, so it was easy - I got Declan changed and eating breakfast, then Talia showed up in the kitchen, and by the time I had her eating Ruby was awake and ready to nurse. I don't think I really sat down all morning, apart from nursing, so it went really fast. After lunch I put Ruby down for a nap while T & D were watching a show, then Declan went down, and finally Talia. Ah, the triple nap. Then I was finally able to sit down and I even remembered to eat lunch!

After naps, we were busy getting a little surprise ready for Daddy. His birthday came while I was still not allowed to drive, so I hadn't been able to get out and get him anything. We went out for lunch earlier this week and went to the mall so he could pick out his own present, but he didn't end up finding anything he was looking for! So yesterday while Ruby & I were running a few errands we picked up a little something for him so his birthday wasn't such a giant bust. Talia was excited to help make a nice card for Daddy, Declan was not excited in any way, and Ruby - well, she's 3 weeks old, she doesn't even know what her hands are yet, so how excited could she be?

Ruby's gift to me for her Daddy's birthday was a 7 hour stretch last night, 15 minutes of nursing, and then a 4.5 hour stretch. I feel like a million bucks! I really hope she's still gaining well, since she's such a sleepyhead. I hate to wake up a sleeping baby to feed them!!

Two Weeks

Can't believe it's already been 2 weeks since Ruby was born! She's slipped into our family like she's always been here.

Talia loves her, she likes to show Ruby everything she's playing with ("See, Wooby? Lookit me!") and likes to read to her as well.

After Declan stopped screaming whenever he saw her, it seems like he's forgotten about her completely. This morning he was scooting around the floor on his back (think back crawl, but on land) and when he bumped into poor snoozin' Ruby (who was hanging out on a quilt on the floor) he burst into tears. He occasionally rolls a ball to her when she's sleeping on the floor, but he's not impressed with the way she just lets it bounce off her back. Apart from that, he hasn't been interested in her at all. He's just been thrilled to have assorted grandparents and Daddy around for the last 2 weeks!

Ruby is another super mellow, easy baby. I know she's only 2 weeks old and I may be jinxing myself with this post, but she seems to be just like her brother and sister were. She's very content, hardly makes a peep, and loves to sleep. She's been pretty consistent and giving me a 4 hour and 6 hour stretch at night since her second or third night home. (We really get far more sleep than a couple of people with 3 kids under 3 have any right to even hope for.)

It will be sad to see G&G go home this weekend, but will also be nice to settle into routine with our little family of 5.