picnic?

With lunch/nap time quickly approaching, I strategized the best approach for making it home from the grocery store with three cranky kiddos. In a desperate attempt to keep my sanity, I aimed the car-cart in the direction of the snack isle. Once back at the car, in the 90 degree heat with two kiddos in tears, I let Brett and Lydia free and told them they'd get crackers when they sat in their car seats. That accomplished, with Reggie still confined to the backpack carrier, I turned the car on, set the AC to high, hit play on the DVD player, unloaded the groceries, and put the car-cart in the cart stall. Back to the car for another round of cheese crackers, it was now time for a round of diaper changes. We were all thirsty, and Lydia had spilled our community water bottle, so I opened up a gallon of milk, poured it in the bottle, and the kids took turns fought over it while I changed diapers and continued to pass out crackers.

Does that classify as a picnic?

Other than the non-spill-proof water bottle with milk in it, it worked out pretty good - although, not my proudest moment as a mother. Brett and Lydia did fall asleep on the 10 minute drive from the grocery store home, and I successfully transferred them to their beds. Reggie managed to stay awake, which was perfect, since he is the least likely to transfer. He sat in his highchair and had a little more lunch while I carried the groceries in and put them away, and then he was also off to dreamland!

Pictures of our vacation and the big birthday celebration coming soon...

mountain of diapers

Yes, I'm writing two posts about diapers in a row. It basically consumes my life right now.

In two days, we are leaving for our five day trip to Packer's training camp. (And, believe it or not, I am already packing!) Most of the time, we are not devout enough to use cloth while traveling, so here is the mountain of diapers I am taking with us. Six diapers per kid per day equals 90 plus a few extra. Also added to the stack are 5 nitetime dipes each for my boys because I don't want to deal with wet beds. Rounding off the mountain is what's left of our package of swim diapers. Glad we don't go through a mountain like this at home!

(That's about $35 worth of diapers.)

what I learned

I am copying my blogging friend, Ruth's, idea from her post about her recent vacation. Last week, Bryan was going on a longer-than-usual business trip, so I decided to take the kids out to rural South Dakota to visit my grandpa and his wife for a few days.

Here are some things I learned during our trip:

1. To estimate travel time, for every two hours of driving, add one hour of stopping.

2. Traveling on rainy days is faster; traveling on sunny days provides more opportunity to get out and stretch at roadside parks.

3. Lydia will go down any slide her brother goes down, no matter how high it is.

4. Don't expect to make any progress with potty learning (or even maintaining) while traveling. Just buy the pull-ups and reduce the stress level.

5. Brett is an okay bed partner, but unlike his dad, it takes him a long time to fall asleep.

6. It is not the end of the world to have 3 children meltdown simultaneously at a small-town restaurant after a long day of traveling - everybody was already staring anyway.

7. When staying in a camper with toddlers, always lock the door to prevent anyone from falling out the door onto the ground.

8. Don't let the toddlers see you lock the door, or you may find yourself locked out of the camper.

9. Sometimes a mid-trip seating arrangement change is all that is needed to restore peace to the vehicle.

10. Pinwheels are a lot of fun on a windy South Dakota day.

11. When you show up at a McDonald's in Watertown, SD with 3 very small children and an overwhelmed look on your face, the manager will take your order at your table and bring you your food. You will also be gawked at the entire meal.

12. Brett really likes horses...

13. ...but not toy ones.

14. Even if you pack all the kids' in-season clothes, you still will not get a 4 day break from doing laundry.

15. Grandpa has an awesome garden, and can still fix anything.

16. Next summer, Bryan should not miss out on all this fun.

benefits of babywearing

Watch CBS News Videos Online

There are often reports in the news that I want to blog about, but by the time I get around to it, it seems like it's pointless. Even though this story hit the headlines in March, I am still going to post about it. What frustrated me about this story (not the particular one posted) was that babywearing in general got a lot of bad press (rather than just the specific products being recalled).

If you have been around me much in the last 2.5 years, you have probably seen me wearing a baby. I wore Brett a lot his first few months to promote bonding. For a baby who has become familiar with the rhythm and sounds of one mother in the womb only to be placed in another mother's arms after birth, it is particularly valuable for the new baby (and Momma) to bond in this way.

Baby Brett in The Ultimate Baby Wrap

Then, of all my babies, Lydia was worn the most because she was an incredibly high needs baby. Her first 3 months of life, she was being held 22 hours a day, and we had a 1 year old to take care of as well. At that point, it was a means of survival and keeping my sanity. One day, my wrap was lost, and I had a meltdown because I knew I could not make it through a single day without it. We had to go out and buy another babywearing option that same day! I purchased a snugli soft frontpack because it was inexpensive, and it worked out great for quick, short wears with a light baby, but I still preferred my wrap for longer wears as it was much more comfortable. I was still wearing Lydia on a regular basis when we adopted Reggie! And Reggie has loved being snugly wrapped to me as well. On the day of our homecoming, Reggie stayed close to my heart as I flew home from Georgia. Reggie has since become too heavy for the Ultimate Baby Wrap I loved using with all my babies, but I was not done wearing him! Because, with him, the biggest benefit (in addition to bonding) is it gives me a place to keep him close while I keep up with two busy toddlers. It is also a place for him to be when we are out shopping because there is no more room in the cart!

So, I did some research, and invested in two more babywearing options that would work with heavier babies. The first is another wrap, but it is not stretchy like the Ultimate Baby Wrap; it is constructed of a woven gauze material that gives baby and Momma more support. There are many different ways to wrap the baby to you. Reggie likes to be wrapped tummy-to-tummy, while Lydia likes to be carried in a hip carry. Similar to the kids' "Sunday shoes", I call this my "Sunday wrap", because I think it is so pretty!
The second is an Ergo soft supportive carrier. It's faster to put on than a wrap. We've all heard that you get what you pay for. Well, I've found that to be true with baby carriers. And this product was worth every penny! It can be used as a frontpack or a backpack. Due to his weight, I can only wear him about 15 minutes in the front, but I've worn him on my back for a couple hours no problem! And I have done everything with him on my back from hanging clothes to dry to literally crawling through the "ant hill" with Lydia at the children's museum! He never fusses when he is in there. He is always perfectly content next to Momma.

Bryan also does a lot of babywearing. He prefers backpacks and often wears a baby while doing yard work. This weekend when we went to the farmer's market, he wore Reggie and I wore Lydia, each in a backpack, and Brett got pushed around in an umbrella stroller. That was way easier than trying to maneuver a triple stroller or keep track of a toddler in a crowd!

No, I could not have survived the last 2.5 years without babywearing. And it's not babywearing that is dangerous. Babywearing has been around since the first mom had to multitask! It is a few products and some unsafe practices that are dangerous. I had a sling when Lydia was a newborn (that has not been recalled) and I was never comfortable with how scrunched she was in it, so I stopped using it. Just like with anything else, we must understand how to use the product safely and be aware of it's limitations.

the poop report

On no particular day last week, Bryan arrived home from a long day at work and as soon as he walked in the door, I talked for a good ten minutes - giving him what has now been coined "the poop report". It started out with a detailed description of Brett's potty learning for the day, followed by a brief statement on Lydia telling me when she had pooped, and finally ending with a "Reggie had a 'regular' day".

Is it really true? Have I really become one of those moms/wives who has nothing to talk about besides her child's poop? And here I go - even worse - blogging about it! But, in reality, the mom of a two-year-old spends a great deal of time fretting about her child's potty learning.

And we do have an interesting challenge - potty training the oldest of three. Having cruised the titles and descriptions of many potty training books, and not finding a single one to address this issue, my friend suggested - once I figure it out- I should write a book entitled "How to Potty Train Your Oldest of Three (without a Bathroom on the Main Floor)". Hmm...I don't think there would be much of a market for it.

Yes, it's been lively. We've already had a couple incidents where somebody got to the (full) potty chair before we did. But the good news is, with fingers crossed, Brett is potty learning with enough success that we're going to keep at it.

And so there you have it. The poop report. No pictures.

...although I'm tempted...

sometimes a girl...

...just needs to take a shower.

you know you have enough little ones when...

(1) You put all your kids in the cart and have no room left for shopping.

(2) You pack three diaper bags when you go to church.

(3) Getting kids dressed and diapers changed feels a lot like an assembly line.

(4) You have a sitter lined up for every Tuesday to cover doctors appointments.

(5) Family walks around the neighborhood seem like a parade of baby equipment.

(6) "I'm going to the store," is always followed by, "Take one with you".

(7) You don't miss a beat when reading "Goodnight Moon" and have a toddler bouncing up and down, blocking your view of the pages.

(8) Conversation at the dinner table revolves around the "party in my tummy". "Are the peas going to go to the party in YOUR tummy, Brett?"

(9) Your car, home, and heart are full to capacity!

oh my how life has changed

Looking back on it now, this post is pretty funny. (Okay, if you went back and read that, I just have to say both Bryan and I can set up and take down a pack-n-play in under a minute now- and I have learned to appreciate cold coffee.)

It's true that you think you are busy with one baby. Until you have two - under two.

And you are busy with two under two no doubt. But the third one makes it pure insanity at times.

For example, every weekday morning around 8:45, Reggie is ready for his nap. Usually, Brett and Lydia go with me to put him to bed on the second floor. Brett races ahead of us because he loves to play with the sink in the bathroom. Lydia climbs the stairs dreadfully slow and I follow her close behind with Reggie in my arms. When we finally get to the top of the stairs, Lydia veers to the left for the toilet paper. I drag the two toddlers out of the bathroom and into Reggie's room and close the door so they are somewhat contained. I try to give Reggie a couple minutes of transition time in the rocking chair instead of just plopping him in his bed. It goes a little something like this:

"Jesus loves me, this I know, for the..."

"Brett, no playing with the blinds."

"...Bible tell me so, Little..."

"Lydia, stay out of the closet."

"...ones to him belong, They are weak, but..."

"I SAID get out of of the closet you two!"

"...He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves..."

"Brett leave the night light alone."

"...me. Yes Jesus loves me. Yes.."

[Lydia pulls the drawers out of changing table. They pull all the diapers out.]

"JesuslovesmefortheBibletellsmeso."

Reggie is plopped in his bed. I clean up the mess and tell the kids to say "night night" to Reggie. That is an example of an ordinary day. I'm still too angry to write about what happened today.

Other days, I choose the leave-my-toddlers-unattended approach. Then I am even more hasty because I'm afraid of what's happening while I'm gone:

Poor Reggie. I remember sometimes lingering a half hour putting Brett down for a nap - reading and singing to him...

40 minutes

I've timed myself a few times, so I can start to plan ahead a bit, and forty minutes is about how long it takes for me to get out of the house solo+3. That doesn't include getting ready for the day or feeding anyone (our morning routine takes 1.5-2 hours!) It is just changing 3 diapers, going to the bathroom myself, checking the diaper bag, putting on 3 coats, 2 hats, one snowsuit, and 3 pairs of shoes, two trips to the car with kids, buckling 3 into car seats, and putting a stroller in the car.The loading and unloading of kids and strollers has gotten much easier since Bryan removed one of the seats in our car. I have room to get all the kids in the car and out of the cold while I am buckling them in one by one, and I don't have to remove a car seat to pack the triple stroller.

Of coarse along the way, I have a million interruptions. A lot of time could be saved if I had the power to put two children on "pause" while I got one ready - and that includes bowel movements - by the time the third diaper is changed, too frequently, I have to go back and change the first again!

The other day while I was getting everyone ready, the phone rang. A lot of times, I don't answer the phone, but I was expecting a call, so I answered. I heard a series of beeps and thought it was an automated call until I also heard the babbles of a toddler. I hung up, slightly amused that some other mom out there did not have control over her 2 year old.

When I went to put Brett's coat on, I discovered that he was playing with my cell phone in the other room. HE was the one who called me!

musical beds

It feels like we've been playing a game of musical beds since Reggie came home (actually, since Lydia - our cosleeper- was born- but that's another story...).

If you have not been to our house, let me describe the layout. It is a small circa 1927 home with two stories and a finished basement. The first floor has a kitchen, living room, dining area, and medium-sized bedroom. The second floor has a master bedroom, small bedroom, and bathroom.

I've never been crazy about having kids on the first floor, while we are on the second floor, especially since we've had our home broken into (thankfully, we were not home at the time). Had life gone according to our plan, we would have moved sometime after the first child and before the third child. But we're still here, and making things work with a little game of musical beds!

Before we welcomed Reggie into our family, Brett and Lydia were sharing the upstairs bedroom. It was a little crowded, but it worked out okay. There was no way we could fit a third crib in that room, so once Reggie grew out of the bassinet (in our room), with no other option, we moved Brett and Lydia to the first floor bedroom, and Reggie got the second floor bedroom to himself.

Around Christmas, Brett started expressing his inner acrobat, and we determined it was time for a big boy bed. Reggie's crib converts to a toddler bed, so last weekend, Reggie's bed moved downstairs for Brett, and Brett's bed became Reggie's bed.

We discovered the first two nights after the transition were too good to be true when by the third night Brett was enjoying his freedom a little too much and significantly disrupting Lydia's sleep. Thursday night, Brett ended up in the pack'n'play in our bedroom (which is always set up for naps and situations such as this) of which he climbed out of every ten seconds until he was finally too tired to climb out again.

We figure Brett needs his own room until the new-found freedom wears off. So, last night Bryan moved the mattress of Brett's/Reggie's bed down, and Lydia slept in Reggie's room, and Reggie slept in the pack'n'play in our room! I think this will be the arrangement at least for the next few weeks. Sometime soon, we anticipate making the second floor bedroom Lydia's bedroom, and the first floor bedroom the boys' room. I haven't told Bryan yet that I want Lydia's crib to remain her crib, which will require disassembling and reassembling two cribs.

We are of the opinion that cribs are very poorly designed and are certainly not built to endure the rough treatment they get from our toddler son. But I think by the time we are done with cribs, Bryan, who has reconstructed one of ours already, will have the expertise to design a high-quality crib free from concern of recall.

And then maybe we can move.

no walk in the park

Yesterday was so beautiful! Sixty degrees and sunny - that's rare for November in Minnesota and definitely rare for fall this year. I actually got to hang two loads of laundry on the line!

I needed to go to the grocery store for a few items, which is no simple task solo +3. My biggest challenge is I have three under old-enough-to-sit-in-the-cart-without-being-strapped-in. That leaves me with two options:

(1) Pray hard that a "car-cart" will be available. In this scenario, I buckle all three kids in their car seats, drive to the store, drive around the parking lot searching for a cart with a car in front for Brett to ride in. Then, if I find one, I park next to it, attach Reggie to me, buckle Lydia in the little seat facing me, buckle Brett in the car, do my shopping, unload the groceries, buckle the kids back into their seats, drive home, unbuckle three kids- two get carried to the house- and one runs away from me, and the groceries are still in the car.

(2) Take the triple stroller. With this option, I put Reggie in his carrier, buckle Lydia in, then buckle Brett in, then take Reggie's base to his car seat out of the car, fold the seat down, shimmy the stroller between the seats, put the seat up, reinstall Reggie's base, click Reggie in his spot, drive to the store, take Reggie's carrier out and set it on the front seat, take the base out, fold the seat down, shimmy the stroller out and set it up, take Brett out of his car seat and put him in the stroller, take Lydia out of her car seat and put her in the stroller, take Reggie out of his car seat and attach him to me, shop (can only buy as much stuff as I can fit in the stroller basket), and then repeat all of the above steps when I get back out to the parking lot.

Not liking either option tremendously, and wanting to spend the day outdoors, I decide to walk to the store with the kids and triple stroller. This is a big day, because the stroller is not newborn friendly, so it is the first day I put Reggie in one of the stroller seats. Lydia sat behind him, and behind that there is a spot for Brett to sit or stand, but not an actual seat with a back.

We have been practicing having Brett walk along with us around the neighborhood, so Brett starts out walking. Concerned about Reggie's feeding schedule and three diapers reaching their saturation point, I quickly grow impatient with Brett stopping every time he sees an interesting leaf or hears a dog bark. Brett finds a stick he grows attached to, cries every time he drops it, and for some unknown reason finds himself incapable of retrieving the stick on his own--requiring me to do so for him. I try putting the stick in the stroller basket. He's not satisfied, and continues the drop-cry-helplessness cycle every 15 feet until I decide even a big tantrum in front of the neighbor painting her deck is worth it, and I buckle him on the back bench. Fortunately, he concedes as long as he can have his stick. Although he continues to drop the stick every so often, at least I am walking faster now, and barely need to stop to pick it up.

By the time we arrive at the shopping center, Reggie and Lydia are happily riding, and Brett is falling asleep, nodding off, and nearly falling off his little bench. I consider my options, wishing I had brought my wrap so I could attach Reggie to me. It would be impossible to push the stroller and a cart. I decide to try Lydia on the bench seat and Brett in a regular seat where he can snooze comfortably. That plan fails miserably. So, I switch them back, at which point, Brett becomes quite alert and discovers he can escape the stroller every time I stop. I complete my shopping as quickly as possible and exit the store. Brett returns to his sleepy state. I try everything to keep him awake, and just in time, he looks up to see me passing by the playground. He points feverishly, saying "Help me, help me..." Still worried about Reggie's approaching mealtime, but loving the sunshine, we stop and enjoy 10 minutes of fall bliss on the swings and slides. Brett is not ready to go when I demand it, and many tears are shed, but we are back on the road toward home. Two blocks from our house, Reggie starts to scream and continues to do so until he is fed.


Our errand ($10 worth of groceries) took 2 hours. But, overall, we all enjoyed it and it was a nice way to spend the day. I'm sure people wonder why we would ever even attempt to leave the house solo +3 with the work that it involves. But this is not a temporary situation for us. Our reality is that there are a lot of challenges that come with all the joys. It takes a good dose of caffeine, humor, and determination to get through each day and keep our sanity. And we find it is easier to keep our sanity if we work at going about things life-as-usual, even though there is nothing usual about it.

confessions of a busy mom

Life with three is certainly a challenge, and it is all-consuming. It's a juggling act, and at least once or twice a day all the balls are dropped and shear chaos overruns the house. I've had to throw my ideals out, and come to terms with the reality that my kids will grow up eating oreos instead of fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies.

Here are some random confessions of the reality to motherhood for me:

With the exception of dirty diapers and rags, sorting laundry is optional. Everything gets washed on cold.

I let my kids watch TV. Sometimes even as a babysitter.

On the crazy days, breakfast and lunch get cleaned up at the same time - during Brett's nap in the afternoon.

Reggie drinks his bottles warm, cold, and anywhere in between.

I have been known to close the door on a mess (broken glass, overturned potted plant...) to be dealt with hours later.

Because Brett loves to read so much, I put a few books in his crib with him, so he can read them when he wakes up.

At least once a week, I will put the kids in their associated containment seats and wash my hair in the kitchen sink (it's quick and I can still hear them if there's a crisis). My mom did this when I was a kid, but I didn't realize it at the time that she would have much preferred a nice long shower or bath.

I pretend not to notice a lot of behavior that I'm not crazy about. I think it's more important to be very consistent about a few rules (regarding safety) than inconsistent about a lot of things that really aren't that critical.

When in a pinch, leftover minute rice, corn, and shredded cheese mixed together is "lunch". (And Brett ate every bite!)

I'm never too busy to read or play with my kids. Well, sometimes I am, but I will definite choose it over vacuuming.

I caught Brett just before he rode Reggie's bumbo down the stairs.


I'm the "Worst Mother Ever" moments. I think every mom has a few. I have a lot. Yesterday was no exception. I had ventured out with the kids to purchase a Little Tikes slide from a craigslister in Shakopee - about a 45 minute drive in busy city traffic. It was a bit hectic packing up all the kids and the slide and while putting Lydia in her car seat, I was distracted by the fact that Brett had the opportunity to run into the street, even though there were no cars in sight. About a half hour into our drive back home, I look into my little "see what your kids are doing behind you" mirror, and I see Lydia peeking back at me. It took me about .3 seconds to process this information (that Lydia, being both under 20 lbs and under one year old, should be facing backward, and, when properly restrained, not have the ability to look towards the front of the car). Currently driving on an 8 lane interstate at about 65mph, I freaked out! I cringed as semis buzzed by me and watched as Lydia happily bounced around with her new-found freedom. It was the longest 2 minutes of my life before I could safely pull off the interstate to buckle her properly.

I think my kids have extra guardian angels surrounding them!

Huh???

Since bringing Reggie home, we have discovered a whole new level of reactions from the public when we are out and about. We are quite the amusement!

I can't pass up sharing one particularly comical interaction I had yesterday. I tried out my new-found independence with stroller #6 and went to Micheal's for a picture frame solo +3. Brett and Lydia were loaded into the stroller and Reggie was in my front pack when two older ladies were also walking into the store.

They started out with a typical, "Wow! You're busy!" and then started telling me about their kids, etc. They asked the ages of my children, and I told them.

That's when one of the ladies smiled and asked, "Do you need me to tell you how this happens?" with a chuckle.

Huh???

stroller #6

I purchased our sixth stroller this week. I was going to line them all up and take a picture for this post, but I've been a little busy lately...plus Bryan got sick of tripping over them and put a few of them up in the rafters of the garage.

Here's the run-down:

The first stroller I purchased was the huge "travel system" variety that comes with a carrier car seat. It is the only stroller I purchased new, but I ordered it on clearance for $100 including the car seat.

We also have two umbrella strollers, both purchased at garage sales for a total of $5.

Last summer I purchased the Combi side-by-side double on craigslist for $80. I love this stroller because it is light-weight and small for a double stroller. But Brett is going through a hitting phase, and he likes to pick on Lydia. And Reggie doesn't like anything that involves not being held, so the Combi is currently in the rafters.

Early this summer, we purchased a double bike trailer/stroller off craigslist for $65. It is also in the rafters : ).

It was apparent that we needed a tandem stroller that seated 3. Shopping for a triple stroller was tricky because there isn't enough of a market for them for stores to have them in stock for you to test drive. We also are not planning to replace our car any time soon and there is no such thing as a small triple stroller. We decided on the Joovy Big Caboose if we could get it in our car. It has two regular size "stadium" seats that face forward, and then in the back there is a bench seat for your toddler to sit, or has the option to stand.

It retails new for $376, and I was thrilled to find one on craigslist for $150. I told the lady if we can get it in the car, I'll buy it, and we figured out a way to get it in! It is not exactly easy to maneuver, but it gives me the freedom to get out and about on my own.

That's $400 that we've invested in strollers. Not bad, considering we could have spent that on just one.