Leah, Emma and Claire (and Jen and John)

On April 16th it will be 4 years since I was taken off work to incubate. I had 7 weeks to myself and then my new job began. It has been the most challenging job I have ever had. I’m not sure I was truly meant to be a stay at home mom but I wanted the best for them and when the girls were preemies, and Claire was an infant, that was me. My idea of what it was all about was not at all what it turned out to be…and I knew it wasn’t all donuts and Oprah. I have reached levels of frustration I never thought possible before I had three little ones. I have dreamed about quitting and getting a day job but then I’d come back to reality and realize we weren’t ready and that my ‘work’ was finally paying off in ways I could actually see and believe for myself.

I was also lacking on ideas on what I wanted to do when I went back to work which didn’t help. I have no desire to do what I used to do. I just don’t think it would work with our family. I needed a job I could do from home or close to home and I wanted to work part time, be home at a decent time and most of all not mess up the girls’ lives because I couldn’t hack staying at home with them. Pretty big dreams.

So back in January I started a part time technical writing course. I figured it could be a career that could work for me with my experience. The plan was for me to do the course over the next year and then look for a job that met as much of my criteria as possible. And then a job fell in my lap, with all my criteria. I would be stupid to turn it down.

I start tomorrow. It’s three days a week and very flexible. I will work from home 2 days and go into Toronto on the third. The girls are going to go to the neighbour (who I have been watching watch kids for nearly 3 years now). On the days I work at home I will continue to take Leah and Emma to preschool. The other two days a week I will be home with them.

I am really excited about this. I feel a bit guilty about how excited about it I am but then I think that this will make me a better parent. I need a break and I truly believe all three of them will be fine without me - particularly because home care allows them to stay together. If I didn’t believe that I wouldn’t do it. John’s parents are here this week so I can focus on my first week and not worry about how the girls are adjusting. The true test starts next week.

 I have a whole different perspective going back into the working world - particularly since my job will have to end when I’m back on mom duty. I really hope I like it.

Claire didn’t eat in the night last night. First time she’s done that since birth! She did wake up once in the night but I managed to settle her. She was restless after 6am but I wouldn’t give in to being tired and we got up and she had toast and fruit.

It’s progress but I’m not silly enough to think it’s going to be the end of waking up in the night for food.

From the pictures you can probably tell we spent Easter in Windsor at John’s parents. John, Claire and I left on Sunday. Leah and Emmaspent the week with Nana and Papa and will be back in time for school this afternoon. We’ve talked to them everyday on the phone and they definitely do not miss us. They’ve had a packed social calendar with lots of visiting, a trip to a restaurant geared towards kids and tea parties, and Grandparents that played along with their 10th birthday and made them a cake!

Back in Oakville things have been very peaceful. John took Wednesday off and we ploughed through some list items. Claire has been really enjoyable. People keep on asking me if she misses her sisters…while I think she’ll be thrilled to see them, I don’t think she is missing them all that much. She has been following us around a lot more. It’s been nice to have a week with just her.

March Break Snow storm (we can see grass now!)

St Patrick’s Day

Emma is all about making silly faces when she sees the camera.

Blowing (and catching) kisses

Closing their eyes and waiting for the egg hunt to start.

Silly faced family

The beloved Jeff and Stevie

Buds

Claire on Bert

Easter bath

Trying out their flowergirl dresses. Yes, they were all over this.

Bunny Claire

Bunny Emma

Bunny Leah

Claire trying out Leah’s bed

Late as usual.

Hair:
Getting longer. Still pretty straight. Not as red.

Teeth:
No more.

Eating:
She spent most of her 13th month sick so the eating was pretty dismal. We thought we’d reached a new low when she’d only drink milk and eat bread. Then she got the flu and went off absolutely everything for a few days. She definitely lost weight - just not in her cheeks!

Sleeping:
She had a hard time sleeping with her cold and then she had a hard time sleeping through the dry heaving. It was a rough month on the sleep front but it settled down near the end. She started going longer at night and we had the first of one bottle nights.

She is going to bed after 7 and sleeping in her crib (in our room) until we go into bed. She is a ridiculously light sleeper and she wakes up most nights when we come to bed. When she was taking 2 bottles she would take one at around 11 and then another around 4. She then settled in to going back to sleep without milk and getting her bottle at around 1am. We had a couple more up for 2 hours in the middle of the night stupidity which makes us both very hesitant to even attempt to try and get her to sleep without milk. It is encouraging that she is making progress.

She gets up around 7am. Usually she wakes up (with the rest of us) when her sisters hop out of bed and come looking for someone to get them breakfast and turn on the tv.

Napping is still inconsistent. She usually only naps for about 1 hour a day. She was not so good at napping in the car.

Getting around:
This month she started walking. She hardly ever crawls anymore and she is getting quicker by the day. She also loves climbing - especially the stools we have for the girls in the bathroom. Her favourite is getting up at the counter, finding a toothbrush and brushing her teeth (yes, it is no mystery to me how the flu spread like wildfire around our house).

I am finding her walking the hardest adjustment we’ve had yet. The girls were 17 and 18 months before they walked and they knew how to listen. Claire does not listen and she could care less if you walk off without her. Combine that with her stubborn nature and we’ve had a few screeches of anger when she’s been picked up. Picking up the girls from school is much more challenging now wich Claire in tow.

Fun things she’s doing:
-running away giggling when you come after her
-waving her finger and saying no no no no
-sticking her tongue in and out over and over again and giggling
-finding stuff we ask her to get
-pointing to things she remembers in her book
-playing more with Emma and Leah as an actual participant
-refusing to drink out of a straw cup/nuby cup/sippy cup
-kissing and hugging us
-colouring and drawing when I let her. She can get the lids off the crayola markers no problem.
-throwing a ball
-getting everyone’s shoes from the front door and putting them on
-helping me get her dressed by giving me her arms etc. Trying to put clothes on herself (socks/shirts).
-she’s added a couple new dance moves now that she can walk
-riding the ride on toys/fillnig up the shopping cart (we have another hoarder…)

Personality:
She continues to be very easy going. She adapts well to new situations and new people. She is happiest when there are other kids around.

She is still very stubborn and we have seen her temper when we take stuff away. She can do the going limp and screaming thing and I just gently put her on the floor and walk away. She is also very persistent and will do things over and over again even though you tell her to knock it off.

She’s still very sweet and a big Mom suck which is nice for me. She has perfected MOMMY as well as the whiny tone. I can start to see what it’s goign to be like once she really gets in on the action with her sisters. We will be busy!

I’m almost scared to write about this.

 It’s been a long week. After my last post Claire barfed some more…and then some more. By morning she was laying in bed (beside John who was now puking) staring at the ceiling. I called the doctor and took her in just to be sure. He checked her for all the awful things that could be wrong with her and said as long as I could get her to perk up and drink she’d be fine.

Slowly throughout the week everyone recovered. Leah was back at school on Wednesday and Claire was able to go into nursery on Thursday. Call me a bad mother but I enjoyed having two hours off from her. She’s learned how to really hug with this illness and has also turned the MAAAAMMMMMMMIIIII calling up a notch.

I admit we let out guard down. I was out last night and when I walked in the door John was running up the stairs and I could hear Claire crying through the monitor. I took my coat off and got upstairs just in time for her to Stand by Me barf in John’s face. Poor thing although John has a really hard time with vomit and I did start laughing at one point because he had a chunk in his eyebrow. As payback, Claire proceeded to overflow her diaper on me. I should just get a biohazard sticker for our front door.

She started dryheaving about 15 mins later and I thought for sure she was taking another turn but she fell asleep and stayed that way for 5 hours. She woke up fine and has been fine all day. We were full of dread in the night. We dropped the 3 of them off with Drew and Jen yesterday and went to the movies. On the way home (4:30pm) Emma fell asleep. She did not wake up and we put her to bed. She got up at 7am this morning. I thought for sure she was going to start throwing up again but she’d fine.

So there’s our week. It was great. I will always remember it.