You're All My Favorite

By: Sam McBratney

Once upon a time

there was a mother bear,

a father bear,

and three baby bears.

A first baby bear.

A second baby bear.

And a third baby bear.

Whoever tucked them in at night 

always said the same thing to them:

"You are the most wonderful baby bears

in the whole wide world!"

One night, after Mommy Bear 

had tucked them in, and after she had said,

"You are the most wonderful baby bears

in the whole wide world,"

the baby bears began to wonder.

"But how do you know?" they asked

their mommy bear.  "How do you know

we are the most wonderful baby bears

in the whole wide world?"

"Because your daddy told me,"

said Mommy Bear.

"When your daddy saw you on the night you were born, he said - 

and I remember it very well - he said,

'Those are the nicest baby bears

I have ever seen.

They are the nicest baby bears 

anyone has ever seen!'"

That was a good answer.

The three baby bears snuggled

down as content as could be.

But one day, the first baby bear

began to think.  He wondered if the

other two bears were nicer than he was.

They had patches, after all,

and he did not.  Maybe his mommy

really really liked patches.

And the second baby bear began to wonder.

Maybe Daddy loves the other two

more than me, she thought.

They were boy bears, after all,

and she was not.

And the third baby bear 

began to worry.

I'm only the littlest, he thought.

Everybody's bigger than me!

So that night the three baby bears asked their daddy bear,

"Which one of us do you like the most?

Who is your favorite?

We can't all be the best."

"Yes, you can," said Daddy Bear.  "I know you can

because I heard your mommy say so.  When she saw you" - 

and Daddy Bear picked up the first baby bear to give

him a cuddle - "she said, 'That is the most perfect baby bear that

anyone has ever seen.'"

"Even with no patches?"

"Patches don't matter at all,"

replied his daddy,

as he tucked him in.

"And when your mommy saw you" - Daddy Bear

picked up the second baby bear - "she said,

'That is the most perfect 

second baby bear that

anyone has ever seen.'"

"Even if I'm not a boy?"

"Girl or boy, it makes

no difference," said

her daddy, and he 

hugged her tight.

"And when your mommy saw you" - Daddy Bear

lifted the last baby bear into his arms - 

"she said, 'That is the most perfect third

baby bear anyone has ever seen.'"

"Even if I'm the littlest?"

"Biggly or littlely,

we love you just the same.

So there.  Three favorites.

You're all my favorites!"

And the best baby bears in the whole wide world

went to sleep as happily as could be, because

that was a good answer, too.

Happy Father's Day to our favorite Dad!

Quiz

One of these children is in time-out.  

The other does whatever the other does, even if it means sitting in time-out (and even mimics fake tears).  

Which do you think is which??

"That" Mom

Ever hear about the Polar Express train ride?  If not, I hear it is AMAZING and the most fun, coolest thing ever!  The whole one-hour ride is set up to be just like the movie, complete with hot cocoa and a visit from Santa.  The kids are even encouraged to wear their pajamas.  Rudy was SO into the movie Polar Express last Christmas.  I attempted to get tickets for the train ride some time in November, but little did I know, I was WAY late.  Tickets go on sale June 1 at 12:01 am and sell out by 12:05 am.  Seriously.  So last November 2013, I set an alarm on my phone for June 1, 2014 at 12:01 am.  Having just gotten home with a newborn baby and all, I wasn't quite on my A-game (and still am not!).  I remembered I had to get tickets, but I forgot to bring the computer back to bed with me.  Oh well.. I could just get them on my phone, right?  Wrong.  The website to purchase the tickets has a drop-down menu with all the dates/time options (there are only about 10).  As one sells out, it disappears.  I could hardly pick a date without it being sold out by the time my phone got to the next page.  But alas, I had a group of tickets!  … and an allotted 8 minutes to complete the purchase before they were released.  No big deal.. got my info in and see "Processing…" for 2 minutes… 5 minutes… 8 minutes… 10 minutes… 15 minutes… so I hit refresh and sure enough, my tickets were gone.  And wouldn't you know it, no more tickets were available!  I was texting a friend through this and she was on an iPad having the same problem.  I was so angry!  How did that just happen?!  I was up!  I had an alarm set for 7 months!  I should have had tickets!!  I was so worked up that I couldn't get back to sleep right away so I started scrolling through Facebook.  It only fueled my anger to see moms posting, "Got my Polar Express tickets!!" and "Can't wait for Polar Express!!" etc, etc.  

For whatever reason I looked back on the event page again and there were more dates available!  I jumped out of bed and ran for the computer… at this point John got startled and asked, "What's going on?  What's wrong?  What are you doing?  Where are you going?" --- sad that he could ask so many questions before I got out of the room, not a very fast runner!!  But I couldn't even slow down to answer!  I got to my computer and was able to get the tickets!!!  

I text my friend again and we figured several people must be having the same problem with their device, which is why dates were showing up available again… so we strategically timed her canceling her "processing…" page and me refreshing for available dates so I was able to get her family tickets as well (her computer wasn't working, so you can imagine her frustration!).

  

What a stressful 30 minutes that was!  The things we go through to make lasting memories… for us parents because our kids won't remember :)

Just wait until one of my kids wants the hottest new toy for Christmas or until we plan that trip to Disney (that they WILL remember!)… I can only imagine how stressful that will be!  (oh and fun!)

Flying Solo with Three Kids…

I recently had my first solo day with all three kids.  John's first day back at work after each of our kids has been born has always been a difficult one for me.  It is the first day our new life seems "real."  It also has always been the hardest for the kids with one less adult around to give them attention (and considering they have gotten pretty used to having their dad around and were LOVING it). 

We started out our morning with our newest favorite activity - watering the front plants.  We fill up a bucket of water, which requires going to the back courtyard to use to hose and then carrying it through the house to the front.  The kids love to help.

Then they each use a smaller cup to fill up repeatedly and pour on the flowers.  We usually do 2 buckets, and we fill a good 30 content minutes.  Ben joins us outside and we all enjoy a little fresh air (and if I'm lucky, this is a great time for a cup of coffee!). 

Update:  We no longer can do this activity because the kids began pouring the water on themselves instead of the plants and also started to run off of the front patio…but it was fun while it lasted.

The kids spent the majority of the day fighting.  I took them out of the house to go to the grocery store and that went well.  But they are going to have to learn to adjust to having just me around!  Unfortunately, until I get used to juggling all three, there are a lot less places I can take them by myself. I am working on coming up with projects and activities at home to help keep them happy and occupied.  They definitely act up the most when they are bored!  I remember how intimidated I was by taking Avery and Rudy out by myself, even when she was an infant and as easy as could be.  So I know I will get there, it just takes some time getting used to!

Look how innocent and loving they seem… looks sure can be deceiving! 

Otherwise, it was just a normal day...

hanging around, playing with our toys and Baby Ben.

The days can go pretty fast when you are taking care of three kids.

And that evening Gran joined us - which is always a huge help and such a treat (for everyone!)

Ben after his bath… love that hair!

The night didn't go as smoothly as I had hoped, but it could have been much worse.  Gran left after Avery went to bed, and Rudy was just about asleep on the living room floor.  I let him lay there for a bit, but as I attempted to move him back to his room, he woke up and freaked out.  I tried to get him to stay in his room, but he wasn't settling down and it was just about time for Ben to eat… so what's a mom to do?

Rudy took up residence in Dad's spot for the evening… and slept all night (even through Ben's feedings).  

I was worried he would think he could sleep in our bed any time now, but he surprisingly hasn't even asked or tried to when John has been home.  Unfortunately, I can't lay in bed with him for hours at a time when I have a newborn that eats irregularly at night (although I am lucky and it's usually only once, it varies between the hours of 1 and 4 am!).  And at this point, as long as we are all getting sleep, I give up.  I just keep hoping this is a phase and he will be back to his room and sleeping alone sooner or later.  I don't know what else to do, and I'm too tired to try and force anything at this point.

Overall the first day wasn't so bad.  A few trying moments and frustrated times, but we have good kids and it will only get easier.  It was emotionally a lot easier on me than with either of the other two kids.  Maybe I just didn't have time to really think about it this time around!  And thankfully John was home for the next 48 hours!  

Our First Week at Home

When we pulled up to our house, the kids were outside waiting for us.  They couldn't wait to get a peak at the newest addition...

And were so sweet rocking him together.  They were singing, "night night" together, too.  Melt. My. Heart.  (I attempted to get video but it didn't work out)

Taking turns holding "bee-bee"/"bay-bee" 

So blessed.

We put the bassinet by the fireplace ledge and the kids love to perch on it and watch their brother sleep or help me change his diaper.  Avery is especially good at getting diapers for me and throwing them away.  The first few days at home, she was constantly checking the bassinet for him.  If I had him in the other room, she would get so concerned that he wasn't where he was supposed to be.

Rudy loved holding his brother those first few days.  He wanted to hold him while he watched his shows.  We were so impressed how long he would sit still and hold on to him… up to 30 minutes at a time!  

Snuggle time!

Taking care of a newborn is exhausting!…even for these two!

Isabela came to visit and she sang Ben a special song that she made just for him, and it put him right to sleep!

But otherwise, it has been pretty much business as usual!  The kids still love playing outside… so Ben comes along!

Avery and her snakes/spiders!

Sweet, peaceful sleeping baby...

…with a cement truck in the background.  That's normal for newborns, right?!

Ben has been a really, really good baby.  He sleeps most of the time and I have to wake him up to eat usually.  He rarely fusses or cries, mostly just when he gets a bath or a diaper change takes too long.  He doesn't mind getting moved around in his sleep or taken here and there.  One night we took the kids for a walk and John said, "You never would have put Rudy in that (the Baby Bjorn) or left the house with Rudy when he was only a few days old."  And he was right.  Nor would I have risked disturbing the sleeping beast for fear he would wake up screaming!  But Ben gets picked up in his sleep and off he goes!  But it doesn't phase him.  I don't know how we got so lucky.  LeeAnn said, "God only gives us what we can handle, and he already gave us Rudy!"… so maybe that's it :)

And speaking of Rudy… he has been quite a handful, and that's putting it nicely.  Considering Ben really hasn't required too much attention, I'm surprised at how much he has been acting out.  We keep going back and forth between "we have to do something" and "he's adjusting and this will pass."  His sleep habits are horrible.  He refuses to fall asleep unless someone is laying with him and he wakes up in the middle of the night and won't fall back asleep unless someone is with him.  And some mornings he wakes up way earlier than usual, which makes for a difficult day.  He's back to sleeping on the couch for naps and falling asleep in the living room before going back to his bed.  His attitude could also use some serious adjusting.  He doesn't listen.  At all.  It's a vicious cycle.  He doesn't get enough sleep so he acts up, but you can't force someone to sleep… especially Rudy.  And the harder we try, the more he resists and the less sleep he gets…which makes him act up, whine, etc.  If we keep him entertained or busy, he does much better.  But with a new baby and a 1-year old, he can't be the center of attention all the time, especially when John goes back to work and the visitors aren't so frequent!  I don't want to be giving him too much of a break, and I won't for much longer, but it was never this bad before.  John and I were getting so frustrated and worked up, but we had to step back and remind ourselves that although we were ready to be "normal" again, we can't expect the kids to act normal after just a few days of coming home.  People write entire books on bringing home a new baby… I figure we give them a couple weeks and if things are still difficult, we will come up with a plan and stick to it.  My heart wants to give him more time to adjust to everything new that's been going on and to settle back into a routine after the craziness that our lives have been for the past month with all the outside activity and stress it caused John and I… but my head knows the way things currently are can't last, and its just not good for anybody.

One particularly stressful afternoon that we attempted to make Rudy sleep in his own room… he was doing all he could to show us how mad he was for having to be in there, even dramatically throwing Tom Brady into the hall

Avery on the other hand has been fine.  She's been a bit more grumpy at times and will come to me for attention and some snuggles, but it could be much worse… especially considering how attached she was/is to me.  She is still sleeping great and does her thing during the day. 

Some kids are effected more by a change in schedule/routine/etc and Rudy is one of those.  As well as he does around large groups and activity, he has to have consistency at home or he just falls apart.

But enough of the negative times… being home has also had its great times, too!

We had Ben's one-week check-up and he did great!
One week stats:
Weight: 7 lbs, 10 oz (39%)
Height:  21.25 in (94%)
Head: 34.8 (41%)

Sleepy baby

…and sleepy kids!

Lots and lots of time spent outdoors.  John was attempting to power wash the driveway (it has been a horrible period of day after day of falling tree parts … I don't know what term to use… but we are wanting to seal our new concrete but it has been impossible with the amount of stuff that falls every day!) and the kids had fun splashing in the water!

We also took some time getting our pond up and running.  We picked out several new fish!

Rudy insisted on holding them… I'm still not quite sure how we made it home with all swimming fish :)

Getting the fish "acclimated" 

Ben was really impressed, too, as you can tell...

Setting them loose!

And giving them "lunch" - Rudy refers to every meal as "lunch" - said with a strong "ch"

Even more excitement followed that day as Tony, Patrick, Dawn, and Kate came for a visit!! 

Check out these yummy and awesome cookies Aunt Dawn the Great made for us!

We spent one morning at the zoo...

Checking out the monkeys!

Of course Ben made the trip too and slept the entire time on my chest...

Precious :)

Fearless Avery...

Rudy said, "Mom, me rest 2 min" and found a little spot to do just that.

If I could morph these two pictures together, I'd have one really great picture!

Avery's favorite exhibit!  Half the group couldn't even stand by the glass, but not Miss Avery.  She was all smiles checking out the live snake!

We also spent one morning doing yard work and planting flowers (I wonder if we will ever finish the outdoor project?!).  We had to stop by the Farmer's Market and the kids love the lawn ornament section, especially all the little ducks.

Hallelujah!

And Tony and Patrick brought us some fun new water toys!
Running through the sprinkler with Uncle Tony...

…and making water balloons with Patrick.  Poor Patrick.  We learned the hard way that we should have filled a bunch of balloons in advance because these kids have about zero patience.  He was going as fast as he could, all while Avery asked repeatedly, "Mine?  Mine?"  (Ever see Finding Nemo?  Some times I feel like I live in that seen on the dock with all the pigeons… "Mine. Mine. Mine.")

Dad just couldn't resist jumping through the sprinkler!

Avery's face when we first attempted to put the water balloons away...

So of course we had to get them back out!

…that's much better!

Ben just snoozing through it all...

Show time before bed!

Ben's kind of party...

And our weekend wouldn't be complete without a little baseball!  Uncle Tony was announcing for Rudy, "Rudy Cicci up to bat…"

We all got quite a laugh when it was Tony's turn and Rudy shouts, "Toe Cicci up bat!"

Uncle Tony was sure to get in a little time with Sis and her frog

and with an awake Ben! 

It was very sad and disappointing when our guests had to leave and it took a couple days for Rudy to stop asking for them… if only they could live closer!

  

But so far, life with three hasn't been all too bad.  

John had to leave for a couple hours so I broke out the last of the water toys -- it's amazing how entertained kids are with a bucket of water and a couple squirt guns!  First couple hours alone: Success!

We had Ben's newborn pictures done and tried to get some family ones at the same time.  It was by far our worst photo shoot ever.  Not so much the actual pictures, how our photographer got some good ones out of them is beyond me (I'll share some soon!), but the kids were being so difficult.  It didn't help that the first time slot we had got rained out...when we were on our way there!  We were all dressed and ready, packed up, and in the car when it started raining.  So we tried again for 8:30 am the next morning.  Rudy and Avery wanted nothing to do with it.  It's not all that surprising for Avery, being a shy girl and all she has never been much of a fan of a photo shoot, but Rudy was so uncharacteristically uninvolved.  Neither wanted to cooperate or do anything we asked of them.  Something tells me it's not going to get any easier when Ben is mobile! 

Of course once we were home they were as sweet as ever to their baby brother...

…and full of smiles!

Except for Ben…he was back to sleeping peacefully

Being out and about or of all our visitors, the most common comments are, "Look at all that hair!" and "You forget how small they are…" 

Yes and yes!… and I don't want him to get any bigger… time can slow down now...