Introducing the Children

Today is Friday and oh, am I glad. It hasn't been a bad week, but I like hanging out with Allen, and it doesn't seem like we saw each other enough the last few days. I am spending the day packing and straightening up the house so we can go see his parents for the weekend. I don't quite understand why it takes me so long to pack, but maybe it's that I have to get all the laundry clean, folded, and put away so I can pull the clothes out of a drawer (or pile) and put them in the suitcase. Plus, I have to wait until the babies are awake to get their clothes, but it is challenging to step away long enough to do that. Will is packed, and all my clothes are in the dryer, so I am half way there.

Last week I got tired of putting Will in nighttime pull-ups just to have him intentionally wet them so he could stay up longer (to change clothes). I got really frustrated when he woke up at 6:30 am and watched cartoons and wet the pull-up because he didn't feel like walking 20 feet to the toilet. So I solved that problem right away -- we took away all the pull-ups. The first night he cried because underpants weren't for sleeping in, but he stayed dry. The second night, he wanted to see what would happen and he got wet and I changed the sheets. I didn't actually change them, I pulled the top layer off (fitted sheet + waterproof pad) and under it was another layer all ready to go. When I had the triplets, someone suggested layering the sheets to make changing them easier, and I've found it works great for big kids, too. I make a sheet-lasagna but putting a waterproof pad, fitted sheet, pad, sheet, pad, sheet. Usually I have three layers with the lightest color on the bottom so I know when I'll need to make the bed again. Right now I do not do that with the babies because they pull the sheets off and I don't need 3 layers of wet sheets in a pile on the floor. Back to Will, he stayed dry all week. The pull-ups are being stashed until the little boys need them. I am calling it potty training round 1 - done. Now three more to go.

I was writing to my friend, Allie, and telling her about the kids' personalities. I thought it would make a great blog entry, especially since they are changing so quickly. So, without further ado, let me introduce you to my pride and joy:

Will is 4 1/2, as he proudly tells everyone who looks his way. I am not good about setting up play dates, so all his friends are at school. He does preschool two days a week during the school year. Right now he really likes Indiana Jones and Star Wars (thanks to Wii games that he plays with Allen.) We are thinking about karate for the fall, but we haven't signed up for any sports yet. He is reading a bit now, and likes to do art projects. Will is usually a great helper. When the babies are crying, he will try to comfort them (even if he just puts a Baby Einstein video on.) When we all sit around reading, he will read to a baby while I read the the other two. Will enjoys being a superhero -- dressing up as Spiderman, Batman, Buzz Lightyear, or whomever he creates in his vivid imagination. The jokes flow freely, one of his favorite being "What do you call a fish with no eyes?" Answer: "fsh" He also loves knock-knock jokes. They still are along the lines of "Knock-knock", "Who's there?", "Yatch", "Yatch who?" "Yatch bless you! Har-har-har! Isn't that funny!" Usually, I don't get the jokes, that's one I do get. Will still fights us at bedtime: I'm not tired, read me one more book, I want another lullaby, I need a drink, please one more drink, just a little drink, I need to go potty, I need to go poop, I am afraid of the light bulb, the cat is in my room. It gets old, but the times he goes straight to bed, it is too quiet.

The babies are going to be 2 in October -- has time flown by! All the kids are so different, yet share some similarities. Ben is our active one - he loves to climb, run, and jump. He knows no fear (well, he is pretty scared of the vacuum and an old glove, for some reason.) He loves animals, and right now he really likes lions, bears, and elephants. He likes to pick up the Little People animals and make them roar. He will hold on to several at a time and carry them with him. Ben is not a picky eater at all, in fact, sometimes I have to make sure he really is a little boy and not a shovel the way he piles it in. Ben also really enjoys books and always brings me one saying, "read read?" This little guy can keep himself happy for a long time just playing by himself. Sometimes with dinosaurs or trucks, often with the kitchen set and dress up clothes. He almost always has a hat on. Ben has calmed down quite a bit in the last month or two. Maybe I've just gotten more comfortable handing his situations, who knows. He still climbs across the kitchen table -- already great a geometry, realizing the hypotenuse is quicker than walking around the table to his cup. Some days, I find he has climbed a chair to try to turn the door knob to get outside, other days, he is content to sit in the windowsill watching birds or neighbors. Ben is pretty easy to deal with at bedtime. He loves his bath, even putting his face in the water to blow bubbles or drink (yuck!). Give him his blue fuzzy blanket and he'll pop his thumb in his mouth and lay on his tummy.

Maddie is a girly girl -- sometimes. She likes the sparkly dresses and heels and baby dolls. When she is feeling blue a doll can cheer her up. When she cries for no apparent reason, we find a baby doll for her and she cuddles it. She likes to read, too. Maddie always has Ben-bites on her, and now some of Jon's are showing up. It isn't that everyone picks on her so much as it is that she steals what they are playing with and runs away with it. They bite her because she can be mean. Maddie is the one who can be the bully, but she is the one who can make the others laugh the most, too. Sort of our monkey in the middle. Maddie hates cheese, but loves fruit. Everything in between, it just depends on her mood. Our little girl likes to read to her dolls. She will open a book and babble, including the same voice inflections we have when we read that particular story to her. She also likes to sing, and will serenade us on car trips or at playtime with the tunes we recognize, and occasionally the words. Her latest has been the ABCs and I can definitely identify it by the tune, but she also says some of the letters at the right time: A, buh, C, deeeeee, ... H, . ... double U, ess, I, Z! Like I said, recognizable. Although I love having a girl, and love to put pigtails and clips in, Maddie will not stand for anything in her hair. As soon as I put them in, she yanks them out. When I have pigtails in, she hides the bands under her tongue. For now, I give up, but I'll try again soon. Maddie is a blankie baby, too. Her favorite is her pink fuzzy Pooh blanket, but if she can't find it, she will be perfectly happy stealing Ben's blanket from him. She sucks her fingers unless she is copying Will or Ben, in which case the thumb is in. When strangers say hello, she puts her head down and pouts, or just quickly turns the other way. It seems we have one shy one in the bunch.

Jon is often quiet, but can be such a ham. He knows just the smile to give us when he might be in trouble, and he knows how to push his lower lip out enough to get what he wants. Jon is the kid I can count on to share to make others happy (often, not always, of course.) If I need sippy cups distributed, he will make sure everyone gets one. When it's time to pick up, he is a great little helper. Jon is really good at the fine-motor skills -- putting GeoTrax together, building with blocks, clipping seat beats together. He loves the buckles, and will spend quite a bit of each day connecting the seat belts on the high chairs after each meal. Jon is the cuddly one and he, too, loves dress up and books. If you ask him if he is happy, he will break out into his version of "If you're happy and you know it." From him, the words are "Happy! Happy! Clap, clap, clap, clap! AMEN!" and yes, he shouts "Amen!" It really makes his mama happy. It is funny that Jon is cuddly with me, because with his siblings, he wants his space. He hates when Ben falls on him and holds him down, and he usually isn't crazy about Maddie's hugs. Is it because he was the top baby in utero -- the one with all the space he could want (that my lungs weren't occupying)? He is happy to give kisses to Ben, Maddie, and Will, but the hugs seems to be saved for the adults in his life. When we are in public, Jon gladly waves hello and goodbye to strangers. At home, we can ask him for a smile, and he grins a huge,toothy squinty smile that brightens up everyone's mood.

No pictures for now. I have been hating my digital camera lately -- maybe it's lived its life, but even new batteries won't hold enough power, and it takes forever to focus, so I usually miss the moment I meant to snap. Very frustrating. Now I am back to shopping for another. I have mixed feelings -- on one hand I would like one that can take great photos (DSLR with lenses to have to buy, too) on the other hand, I'd love one that would fit in my pocket when we go places I don't want to juggle a huge camera. I have been trying hard to convince Allen we "need" both. I am taking recommendations if you have any.

To those of you who know the kids, feel free to leave comments about anything I left out.