Fleeting moments

Grandma Linda has come and gone and it's hard to believe how the last week has just flown by. We managed to stay pretty busy with company in town. We went to Mommy and Me dance class, enjoyed some playground time, spent a family day at the mall and driving around showing Linda the Westchester sights, attended church, and met with speech therapists several times. Garrett and I got out for three (THREE!) dates while Linda was in town! One night was even a date in Manhattan with some friends--a special treat since it was a late night and we're not sure we have any babysitters yet who would be able to stay into the wee hours like Linda could. It has been a very packed week.

We did have quite a bit of down time as well though, and it was really fun to watch Linda with the kids. She was clearly soaking up every minute with them and didn't mind kicking Garrett and me out the door so she could get some exclusive toddler time. And the kids really warmed up to Linda quickly and hung on like little monkeys the entire time she was here. There's nothing like a grandma's love! I don't know when we'll see family again, but we're so fortunate to have had a nice long visit this time around.

The kids are pretty beat after a week of fun. We managed to stick to their normal routine pretty well but I think the excitement of having Linda around still wore them out. I think it'll be pretty easy to get them back on track though. During therapy today they were showing the signs of a long week, but they are still progressing really well in their sessions. In fact Amelia, Abigail, and Gabriel all started to say the word "ball" just a few days ago, and they've been working on approximations of "open" for a week or more already. Abigail is mastering the sign for "help" and Amelia and Gabriel are both getting better at answering yes or no questions with a nod or shake of the head. We are definitely making progress.

I can't wait for them to really catch on to the talking and start offering words spontaneously. Another word, sort of, that they are catching on to is "choo choo" for train. We live near train tracks for the Metro North line and we have commuter trains going by our place throughout the day. Now, when a train rattles by on the tracks outside the kids will start pumping their arms up and down like they're blowing a whistle and they'll say "choo choo" over and over. It's pretty fun. In fact it probably looks kind of goofy from the outside, the way for a few moments everyone in the house, adults included, drops whatever they are saying or doing to start pumping our arms and whistling like trains. The things we do without inhibition to make our kids finally speak!

I'm loving the other indicators, besides speech, that show my kids turning into little people. They are all good at holding hands now so a trip across the parking lot to the car rarely involves everyone in strollers. Now we usually have at least one, often two little ones holding our hands or helping to push the stroller to the car. I'm amazed at how quickly they catch on to the rules of conduct we set for them. When they first started learning to walk to the car we quickly decided that holding hands in the parking lot is a rule. They either hold our hand, ride in the stroller, or get carried. They didn't like begin forced to hold hands, but when they learned that that was the only way to use their little legs they quickly decided that it's worth it. I love that. Not the holding hands in particular (thought I love that too), but I love that they learn so quickly and so far my kids seem to really be very amiable and cooperative. I'm convinced that rules and parameters are a good thing, and it's really been exciting to see how effective they are, at least so far. I figure it's easier to teach them limits from the beginning than to try to impose them later on when they already have a strong will of their own. So far so good.

When a root canal begins to look appealing...

On Monday I went in for my first of several appointments to get a root canal on one of my molars. I've never had so many dental woes as I have in the past few months. It started late last fall when I discovered a piece of one of my molars had just broken off. Just like that. One day my tongue wandered to the back of my mouth and oops, there it was. A missing piece. The dentist told me I would need a crown, but on last year's insurance a crown would have practically swept us off into bankruptcy (well, not quite). Garrett and I decided to sign up for new dental insurance, wait until the new year when it would go into affect, and then get a cheaper crown. Which I did. Unfortunately, the crown didn't do the job. My tooth still ached and it was determined that a root canal was in order. So now that's underway. All this to say that what was most striking to me in this whole process was that when I scheduled the root canal and was told that it would take two to three visits to complete, the biggest part of me was annoyed because it's really hard to find daytime child care and dentist offices are not exactly kid friendly so I can't take them with. But there was a much smaller part of me that actually thought "hey, three brief mornings away from the kids. I could take a book and read for ten minutes in the waiting room. I could listen to the radio in the car or just sit and drive and think about quiet things!" And those thoughts were pretty appealing. So even though the reason for those times away is that I have to go have certain nerves forcibly removed from my face, there was a part of me that saw a silver lining. You could call me an optimist. Or just a rather worn out mom.

In any case, given my level of fatigue I have to say I am delighted that Grandma Linda arrived for a visit last night. Garrett's mom got into town and she'll be here until next Tuesday and it's a winning situation for everyone involved! Last night the little ones were in bed by the time she arrived at our apartment, but this morning things have been wonderful. We already took a jaunt to a movement and dance class offered through my MOPS group, so we got some time for fun and socializing and tasty food. All the kids quickly warmed up to grandma. In fact I think Gabriel has already decided she is not allowed to go home next week; she's just too much fun to have right here with us. I'm looking forward to a few days of help and rest. And watching a delighted grandma with delighted babies isn't too shabby a way to pass the time either.

Only the brave enter here

We have a bookshelf with two drawers at the bottom. The drawers can be removed, leaving gaping holes at the base of the shelf. The other day Garrett found Gabriel with his head stuck in one of those holes. Not exactly stuck I guess--he could easily get out--but I think he was a bit flummoxed by what to do once head was inserted. Apparently that one experience, though at the time rather upsetting, was not enough to deter him from exploring the bowels of the bookshelf once more. This morning I caught it on video:

For those of you who like videos. . .

I can hardly blame you if the only reason you come to my blog is to see the videos. These moment are just too fun to pass up. Here's a fun game of peek-a-boo with Amelia, along with a glimpse of some sibling on sibling conflict. Thankfully this one required minimal damage control.

Cabin fever

Is spring finally on it's way? Today the temperature got up to somewhere around 50 degrees, and I heard it's supposed to hit 60 on Wednesday. I hope this is truly the beginning of the end of winter. I'm itching to get out of the apartment, to be able to go to the playground or walk to the library or to just wander downtown. I don't know if I'm kidding myself that warm weather will make all that possible. Well, okay--possible, yes. But likely? Or enjoyable? I don't know. Amelia, Abigail, and Gabriel have gotten to the stage where being strapped into anything is just about the end of the world. Once they are buckled and moving they usually manage all right, but peace is usually tenuous and fairly brief. I am definitely struggling with feeling tied at home because it's just so hard to go anywhere. Some of my friends from MOPS went to the aquarium in Norwalk, CT last week for an outing and it was so frustrating to feel like I couldn't go because how am I supposed to contain three toddlers in a big public place like that and enjoy myself and allow other people to enjoy themselves in the process? I can handle a playdate at church or some other contained and familiar environment, or the playground where people expect kids to run wild and crazy, but I'm still not brave enough for much of anything more ambitious than that. Not on my own.

Garrett and I even agonize over what to do with the kids on the weekends when he is around to help. Today we made our second trip to the local Burger King. The picture is Gabriel making himself comfortable at one of the video game consoles they have. Seems to be one step up from McDonalds because it's cleaner (well, the first time it was) and not as busy. And the kid play area is completely contained, so they're not able to disturb everyone in the main area of the restaurant. That's all well and good, but I am anxious to start frequenting venues that don't involve fast food and sticky seats. I am hopeful that this upswing in temperatures really lasts and I can at least start getting outside on a regular basis, even if it's just for a brief walk and a breath of fresh air.

It's ironic to me that I am feeling especially cooped up these days, since the past few weeks I have had more interaction with the outside world than most since we have been working with our speech therapists, which means even if we don't leave the house we at least have something planned four days a week. Or maybe the reason I'm feeling so cooped up is that I've been reminded of what it's like to interact with people from beyond the walls of my home and I like it. I wondered if the four-day-a-week therapy schedule would feel overwhelming or too busy, but so far it's been great. I like having something to wake up for, having a reason (besides personal satisfaction) to take a shower every morning, having something "productive" happen during the day. I think when the weather is consistently inviting it will be more tempting to have a little more flexibility in the schedule, but as it is, with no car and mostly dreary weather, having someone knock on the door almost every day of the week is a treat.

And an extra bonus: the kids are responding! No one is quite speaking in full sentences yet--they say not to expect that until at least the third week--but all three little guys are more vocal these days, trying out new sounds. Abigail is learning to say "yes." And they are all using more gestures to communicate as well, including nodding, head shaking, waving, and signing the words "more" and "hungry." They don't all get it to equal degrees, but I am greatly encouraged to see changes happening. The therapy sessions are fun and upbeat and the kids clearly love them. Gabriel, always the socialite, has been happy to work with Sharon one on one a couple times so she's been able to get some concentrated time with him without the girls distracting him. Abigail is more hesitant to spend any time alone with Sharon, but in her last session on Wednesday she did get a few moments while I came and went with the other two. We are all trying to be flexible to see how it will best work to give the therapists one on one time so they can make the most of their time, but also be realistic about keeping the other two kids away and also trying to allow me to be involved in each session. We are working out kinks, but so far so good. Amelia really likes Carolyn, which is great. I'm a little surprised that she actually seems to verbally clam up a little when she is around, but it's clearly not because she is uncomfortable. She smiles a lot when Carolyn is around and loves to play with her, so I hope it is just that she is still adjusting to the concentrated nature of the play and that she will loosen up soon. I am still encouraged that Amelia is making good progress, since she is experimenting and opening up along with the others during non-therapy time. She loves to wave hello now, which is lots of fun. Today at BK she was playing in the tunnels and waving at me through the plexiglass with her big bright toothy grin. Priceless.

TGIF

This has been a busy week! People always ask me how I do it with three toddlers. The answer, plain and simple: I don't know. There are a lot of days when I don't know how I do it either. This has been an extra busy week with lots of activities and changes. I think the tumult is good sometimes--I certainly didn't have time to get bored--but with more on the agenda there's less wiggle room for little kids who have a rough night's sleep or a crabby morning to recuperate with a longer nap or a mellow day at home.

Everyone started speech therapy this week. I am so excited to have that up and running! Gabriel and Abigail are working with one therapist and Amelia is working with another, though this week they were all involved with both therapists so everyone could get to know one another and build a certain amount of comfort with the new visitors. Down the road I hope to have all three kids working with one therapist. Right now, as it worked out with scheduling, we have therapy sessions scheduled four days a week and I have to be flexible with some lunch and naptime routines so the timing, while certainly workable, isn't ideal. I'm hopeful that we can find more optimal days and times in the not too distant future. But aside from scheduling challenges, it looks like we're off to a good start.

I really love Gabe and Abby's therapist. Her name is Sharon and she is really great. She obviously works well with kids and has a great way of engaging everyone, but beyond that she seems warm, professional, and just plain sweet. I could see being friends with her, if that kind of thing naturally develops. If it doesn't I'm fine with that too; I just like her and am excited to have her working with my kids. Amelia's therapist is less appealing to me on a personal level and I was a bit turned off by her initial visit. She seemed a little abrupt and off-putting, almost a little rude. But I do think it's kind of unintentional, like maybe she doesn't have the greatest adult people skills, but she proved to be pleasant enough as the sessions went on. And to her credit, she also did nicely with the kids so I think she will be fine.

The sessions were all fun to watch and participate in. It's all play based and so far it just seems like these new people come into the house with big Santa Claus type bags of toys and we all hang out and play and sing songs and stuff. We're working on eliciting more sounds out of the kids by elongating and exaggerating word pronunciations and using lots of repetition. The playing keeps the kids interested and engaged, and hopefully provides impetus for them to interact and reciprocate both behaviorally and vocally. I was encouraged to get reinforcement for a lot of the things Garrett and I already do, like encouraging them to try using words to ask for what they want and even using sign language to communicate clearly instead of just pointing or grunting or shrieking. I want to develop an ear for my kids' efforts to speak. There were several times when Sharon or Carolyn picked up on vague tones or cadences in Gabriel's babble that could be him actually trying to articulate something resembling words. I could hear it a little when they brought my attention to it, but it made me realize that there are times I'm sure my kids are trying to communicate and I'm just not getting it, or not even realizing that they are really trying. Overall I'm just feeling great relief to have the experts in and working with us now, and I'm excited to see the results as they come.

Other than speech therapy the week still felt busy. I can't wait for the weather to warm up so we can get outside more. This winter has gone on long enough. We had another snow storm last Monday that dumped about a foot or so. It was mostly gone within a couples days and things have warmed up, slightly, but we haven't had real outdoor weather for months. Last week I tried taking everyone to the playground one sunny day. I just couldn't bear being inside for one more day. Gabriel and Abby and Amelia all loved it, until I think the cold snuck into Abigail's bones because after a great time on the swings with squeals of delight and smiles all around, she soon started crying unconsolably. That was the end of our morning adventure and I had to take my three little popsicles inside. Now that it's March I hope spring is truly on its way!