Just a glimpse..

..of how much energy we have every. single. day.

I have been waiting to say this aloud for fear of backsliding but.. we are officially 100% potty trained and have been for a good few weeks now. I am talking about Ada of course but it's nice to use the we isn't it? They are both in their big girl undies all day and all night. No more pull-ups.. they have been keeping these dry for awhile but I was just too nervous to leave them off while they were sleeping. They are so used to wearing the regular panties now that if you try to put a pull up on them it's very uncomfortable so.. what the heck right? Feels nice to have two out of disposable underthings.. finally. Just a shade under a year.. well done Ms. Ada :)

The dairy free thing really isn't that bad.. but the no chocolate no coffee thing is about to kill me. I don't need the coffee anymore.. I just WANT the coffee.. and the chocolate.. the dark chocolate from Trader Joe's .. just a bite.. I thought carob was going to be a good substitute but I think it still bothers her since every time I try to eat some she gets fussy a few hours later when she is feeding. Le sigh. Oh well.. I will eat chocolate again.. some day. I can't believe she is almost 4 months already. The girls were ready to eat solids by this point... I don't think she is.. I might even wait until 6 months this time. She seems pretty happy right now so .. we will go with it until that changes.

I recently read "The Help" and I was so hooked I finished it in 2 days. Loved the book.. but then... kinda hated the way it ended. Predictable and sort of dullish considering how spicy the rest of the book had been.. parts of it anyway. Anyway I was even more disappointed in the tiny bit of the movie that Stephen found online. I kind of hate it when I read a junk food book and really like it then.. it ends with some bland ho-hum cliche.. like Skeeter getting a job in NYC..? Really? Was I the only one that was bored with this? I dunno.. the last book that I was that attached too was "The Time Traveler's Wife" and I bawled on the subway when I finished it. I was so hoping for a few tears and that feeling of homesickness for the characters that have become a part of your thoughts. I almost felt a little embarrassed for being so attached that I couldn't put it down.. since when I did it was in mild disgust. Am I the only one that felt this way about this book? Anyone have any good suggestions for something that won't disappoint the way this one did?

Cut

This morning they begged me to cut their hair to look like mine.. really! I hesitated for a bit.. then thought.. what the heck! They were so excited.. maybe a little more excited than I was.. but not much.







"Hold my shoulder like you love me Ada."

Yes, I am glad I did it. Yes, I saved every ringlet. Yes, I cried just a little bit.

There was a tense moment there before I actually cut Ada's hair when Margot decided she wanted to keep hers long. I thought that would actually be cool, since they would finally look different. As soon as Ada was finished and bouncing down the stairs to show Oliver her new hair cut.. Margot changed her mind and they are doppelgangers once more. Pretty sure this is the first time they haven't been identical for any length of time.. even if it was only 5 minutes.

.. as the day draws to a close..

.. I sit and reflect on a few phrases that left my mouth today..

"What am I doing?! I am trying to survive that's what I am doing."

"If you wake up your sister, so help me, I will paint you both green!!!"

"I do NOT have 'Dora' hair!"

"Girls we are not going to make it through this day.. without Jesus! "

"Ada put Margot's blanket back over her broom or you are going to time out!"

"Margot! Leave Ada alone.. she doesn't want your lollipop!!!"

Goodnight all.

Quick One

Guess who...

Life around here with 3, 3 and under has been just about like life with 2. Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!! Anyone with more than 2 knows that just isn't the case :) Honestly though, now that Frances is a little older and past most of her drama, she is such an easy baby. She loves to just sit in her seat or on her blanket and watch our world go by those baby blues. She still has significant issues with reflux (no spitting up just a lot of pain) so I have stopped dairy, soy and caffeine (which includes chocolate..) and that seems to help. It has been a challenge but one nice side effect is that I have become a much more disciplined person.. and .. drum roll please.. my migraines have all but stopped. Could it have been dairy consumption all the time? If so I may never eat another bowl of ice cream.. and be ok with that. It has been a new experience to try and find the protein needed to nurse the baby and not have any come from milk and cheese .. or soy products. I have made peace with Trader Joe's canned tuna. A can of tuna mixed with relish for lunch with crackers and carrots... smells like cat food but it is a super protein boost. I am also eating lots of boiled egg whites.. yeah .. don't invite me over for lunch... you could smell my food a mile away. BUT if it helps her eat and not be in pain.. I will do it as long as I need to. Since I now have to be so conscious of my food intake, I have started treating myself to a few more treats that I usually buy. Like kale, lots of avocados and dairy free treats from Whole Foods. Yes, I like to snack on kale.. snack on it.. tell me you aren't jealous. I have also started swimming again. At least 18 laps (1/2 mile) each time.. my buddy T is my new pool partner and our sweet husbands watch the kids so we can go. Heaven. So far it's twice a week.. starting to want to make it a nightly event.

The truth? Life with 3 is about as crazy as you might imagine it to be. We have longs stretches of sanity followed by storms of insanity. Right now the girls are sitting next to Frances reading her books and being little angels. Yesterday this time I was dragging them both upstairs to get dressed, kicking and screaming, while calling out "Girls!!! We are not going to make it through this day... without Jesus!!!!" Roar. Today I am still fresh from showering at the gym late last night.. a long luxurious QUIET shower. Yesterday I hadn't showered since my last trip to the gym (Monday) and I was avoiding my own reflection. Meanwhile all 3 of my children were clean and dressed adorably. Isn't it funny how you do that? Can't take the time to get yourself together but you can spend time putting your children's hair in pigtails.

... and now Frankie is crying for a nap and Margot needs me to help her find her caterpillar.. life marches on.

Three Years

Dear Margot,

Today is your birthday!!! You are 3 years old. This is my favorite recent picture of you. When I asked you why you liked to stand with your hands on your hips you told me "puz (because) that's the way mommies stand". You are my little mommy. You take such good care of your baby sister. You are so gentle and patient with her. You have lots and lots of babies. Today your favorite baby is your new puppy from Uncle Page and Aunt Jenny. Yesterday you took your puppy to Marbles in your backpack. I had a conversation with you yesterday about your favorite things. You told me that your favorite color is black and yellow, your favorite animals are cows and turtles, your favorite food is spaghetti, your favorite person is Ada and your favorite house is our house. Your hugs and snuggles are filled to the brim with love. Your excitement about life is contagious. Every day you grow more patient with yourself and others. You love to paint and draw with anything that makes a mark. You can already use the mouse to navigate Netflix and Youtube and you like it put back in a very specific place after you are finished with it. You are always busy doing something and whatever that something is you take very seriously. You love to jump. You jump over toys on the floor, off the bottom step, over the thresholds in the house, off your bed.. you sometimes just jump to get around! You love to read books. You like to do everything "by a self!". When you think you need help you don't hesitate to ask for it. You sleep so hard at nap that you wake up with wet curls plastered to your forehead. You are completely potty trained and have been since we did that first two weeks of bootcamp back at Christmas time. You are a great helper. You always put your dishes in the sink after meals and clean up any spills you make all by yourself. When I think of you I remember that little shy baby in my tummy, who never showed her face to the ultrasound. That little baby who I was worried about and decided to have a C-section to make sure you arrived as easily as your sister. I think of the serious little baby in her bouncy seat, contentedly playing with toys while I tried to soothe your fussy sister. I think of you setting your mind to a task.. like learning to put yourself to sleep.. and working at it until you have it mastered. You are still that way and pray you never change. You are a joy. You are a joker. You are my precious daughter and I couldn't imagine a better life than being your mother.



Dear Ada,

Today is your birthday!!! You are 3 years old. This is my favorite recent picture of you. You are the tiny one at the front of the line in the purple shirt. Daddy told me you led the parade of kids down the stream. This wasn't your first time as leader either. You have been starting games and leading kids around a lot this summer. Ada you are my little outgoing lady. You love people and love to talk to people, whether they are listening or not! It takes you forever to finish your dinner because you are talking so much you don't take time to chew and swallow the food on your plate. You love to tell stories just like Margot. You love to describe everything that happened in a day or event. Every detail. You are an amazing big sister to Frankie. You never go to bed without kissing her good-night. You are so gentle with her and she loves to hear you sing. Ada you live life on fast forward. Always headed to the next big thing. You wake up in the morning asking to go "bye bye". If you could spend every day of your life going wherever our little red car is headed that day you would be in heaven. You love going to Daddy's school and doing painting and drawing in his classroom. I had a conversation with you this morning about your favorite things. You told me your favorite color is pink, your favorite animal is a pink horsey, your favorite food is pink ice cream with pink icing, your favorite house is a pink baby house.. you said you didn't like our house and that you needed a pink baby house to live in. You wear your pink Hello Kitty flip flops every day.. even when you are in your jammies or just in your undies before bed! You prefer to wear "baller-nina" dresses rather than shorts or anything else. Comfort is the key to your wardrobe.. comfort and color.. and twirl-ability. You can navigate the computer as well as Margot and are so patient with her requests for you to put the mouse in her special spot. You are a hugger! When you are sad, sometimes all you need is a big hug and snuggle to get your head back on straight. You are a good listener. You love to dance. You love to take care of your babies . You ask me "why" about 856 times a day and don't get upset when I give up with a "I don't know honey." and a sigh. You just respond "Oh Mama.. that's ok!" You can jump off of just about anything and are always up for a challenge. You are always kissing my face and touching my cheek with a soft little hand. You come and hold my hand when you think I am sad. When I think of you I think of my little baby, my first baby, the first baby that I saw. I think of you fussing and snuggling and struggling to get comfy when you were little. I think of the triumph I felt when I could get you to sleep. I think of you standing up in your crib for the first time. That day I had so looked forward too and there you were, standing all by yourself. I think of your first steps, the way I just put you down after a diaper change and you just started walking.. 6 steps before you plopped down. I love you more than I could ever express and being your mommy has been such a joy.

60 seconds of Frankie