I think I've titled a previous post after this Alexander McCall Smith novel (
Blue Shoes and Happiness - 8th in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency Series). But this picture really shows it:
I made blue pancakes for the girls last weekend, and Lucia told me she wanted to put a face on them. So I pulled out the chocolate chips and started to add eyes, nose, mouth. Lucia thought I was going to use raisins, so was SUPER excited about the chocolate chips. I thought "DOH!" If I had only known she expected raisins, that is for sure what I would have used! Oh well, the girls LOVED the pancakes.
This family is so super fun! We are so blessed and I feel that way all the time. Strangely enough, other than the frustration of trying to get out the door in the morning to get the girls to preschool, and the occasional late nights when the girls have napped past 3:30 (it takes me SO LONG to get everyone down for nap that if they are all sleeping, it is very hard to bring myself to wake them up!) - three has not been so bad thus far (KNOCK WOOD!).
When the girls are both home, they play together so well that it is not hard to have time for John Paul. When just Magdalena is home, she entertains herself a lot. And she is peeing on the potty now! Though we still have accidents (esp #2, or if you don't get her there in time), she will pretty much go every time she sits on the potty. She will use the big potty with the insert, but prefers the little potty, and to pour it in the big toilet herself when she is done. As soon as she goes, she is SO proud of herself - saying "LOOK!" and pointing. Magdalena has also really taken to listening to "The Sound of Music" soundtrack, so we pretty much have it on all the time at home. :-) The girls spin around while JP watches them fascinated, and I cook dinner. Whenever a new song comes on, Magdalena says "THAT one!" - it's like she's telling me that she loves that new song. It's very fun (though I admit to getting slightly sick of hearing the same songs over and over and over again!).
Also, I have hired a twice a week afternoon babysitter so I can get out for a run. One of Magdalena's preschool teachers (who actually has an MS in Elementary Education) comes over now on Monday and Wednesday afternoons for an hour and a half so I can go for a run each day. Then my folks come on Thurs/Fri and I can get out for a run or walk those days too. And I'm hoping to start "long-ish" runs on the weekends again. My goal is to run the Race for the Roses in early April - NOT for time - then maybe the first Rock and Roll half in Portland this May - MAYBE for time :-). Anyone ready to start training - albeit very slowly at first?
People told me a few things about having three. First, I heard from several people that going from 2-3 was harder than even 0-1 in some ways. I can agree with respect to the logistics (like getting out the door! - have I said that before?). But in terms of knowing what you are doing with an infant, having two older ones play together, and loving the ever-so-fleeting infant stage, this transition has been much better than I expected. I am loving so many things about it! And second, with respect to my own body, everyone who has had more than two says that it is harder to get your body back after the third (and especially after the - GASP - fourth, if we go there!). I definitely agree with that. By the time the girls were 6.5 weeks - around Thanksgiving for each of them - I was back in all my old clothes and only a few pounds up on my pre-pregnancy weight. This time around I am not yet in my old pants (jeans are more forgiving), and still about 8 lbs up on my pre-pregnancy weight :-(. Oh well, slowly but surely, I guess. I figure that as long as I keep exercising, keep those Christmas MnMs downstairs, and lay off the wine during the week (Alex and my new thing is to only drink on the weekends unless it is a special occasion), the weight will come off soon enough. The shape, though, I can't make any guarantees. Those of you who saw me there at the end know how HUGE I was, and that extra belly skin unfortunately doesn't just evaporate into thin air! I should be thankful that I have never gotten stretch marks!
But enough of that lamenting, I should again focus on our blessings. JP is SUCH a good baby - rarely cries, and smiles and laughs at me and everyone else more regularly now. He seems to especially love Lucia and Apa these days as fixtures for his smile. He only has about an inch of space left in his bassinet, so we will be transitioning to the crib soon. Two months is Wednesday, and we have a dr appt that day, so I will get his measurements then. Sleep fluctuates - two nights ago he slept from 9:30 pm to 5 am! I think that is basically sleeping through the night! But then last night it was 8:30 to 2:20, then up again at 6. So I can't count on a full night's sleep, but compared to lots of other 8 week olds, I know we are very blessed. After his 2 month, I think I'm going to start having Alex go in if he wakes up before 4 am and stick the paci in his mouth to see if he'll just go back to sleep for at least an hour or so before I get up to nurse him.
JP also holds his head up really well nowadays, and he is great at tummy time. He "talks" to us all the time as well, and loves to move his arms and legs around. He has a little cough right now - surely thanks to the girls and the virtues of preschool, but it has not dampened his spirits. Overall, just a sweet sweet and wonderful baby, and our whole family is just in love with him!
More photos from our last few weeks:
Lucia decided JP needed a baby too:
Playing in the snow a few weeks ago (I was devastated that after MLK day off, both Tues AND Wed were snow days at our preschool!):
Magdalena, JP, and me - M was MORE devastated than me about not being able to go to school - she kept saying every morning, "I want to go to SCHOOOOOOOOL!" and when Lucia went on Thurs and Fri - her days to stay home - after dropping Lucia in her classroom, she tried to drag me by the hand to her classroom, saying "I want to go to the classroom!" Poor kid! Thank goodness we were back in session this week!
Magdalena loving on JP:
Three kids (M with her "eye bandaid" - she still has to wear it as her last appt showed some improvement, but not the same vision in each eye yet):
The girls got this My Little Pony tent for Christmas, and love it!
And more pots and pans for their kitchen - Magdalena was making me broccoli and cheese:
A not-so-rare smile from JP:
Mid "sentence" (uhhhhh!!!!)
Lucia helping JP smile:
He doesn't need any help in these pics:
Magdalena loves him too, though she doesn't stick around long enough to get him smiling:
JP in the gymini - he loves it! And is so long already too!
Had to snap this photo of Magdalena and JP from yesterday morning - behaving so well together in the Sunroom while I washed the breakfast dishes (Lucia was at preschool):
Ama and JP:
We made pudding the other night, but Magdalena refused it, asking instead for applesauce:
Lucia helped out by eating both hers and Magdalena's share:
No words necessary:
So glad that all is going so well! JP is very adorable and looks a lot like Magdalena to me. What a sweet, genuine smile :))
ReplyDeleteYou sound great and all look great. Well done Mama. Glad you have time for yourself too. I see both a little bit of both Lucia and Magdalena in JP from that last shot, really cute.
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