Triple Sensation: Puddle jumping and Potty Training!!

Our week has been filled with some of the ordinary and not so ordinary. The not so ordinary consisted mainly of Jennifer waking up at 3:30am one morning last week and not going back to sleep. After 2 hours of intermittent crying, I made the unfortunate decision to bring her into bed with me. This was unfortunate because Jennifer treated this as "party time." It's amazing what adrenaline can do in a 2 year old. At 6:30 she announced that she needed to use the potty and so, of course, I got up to take her. Once there, she firmly declared that, "now that I'm up, I'm not tired any more" and decided for both of us that we needn't go back to bed or sleep. Given that I am writing this now, I am happy to say that we all survived the day despite our collective exhaustion.

We had a lovely visit with Grandma Margaret last week. She was delighted to revisit all four girls and, as usual, was a great playmate for Jennifer who was constantly at her to "come play in my room, 'kay?" This, of course, came over more as a directive rather than as a question but Grandma Marg, for the most part, was very willing to oblige. We said our goodbyes to Grandma Marg and returned our minds to the everyday.

The everyday right now consists of trying to entice/lure/coax/interest/mentor/model Jennifer into using the potty. Those of you who know her well know that she is very bright, with a mind of her own. Many days, she is having none of our invitations, knowing full well that she can choose her own time when she is good and ready to take to this significant milestone. Interestingly, she asks to sit on the potty frequently but has what I have learned to call many "dry runs." For my (and Jeremy's) part of this exercise, I have been challenged in every way to conjure up patience and calm when all out chaos and very late bedtimes surround us. I'm sure you can picture it: just as Jeremy and I are fully engaged in baby feeding, happens to be the exact time that nature calls upon Jennifer, at which point she calls upon us (very appropriately I might add) to help her to the potty, only to announce after a period of sitting for a time that in fact "no, I don't have to go. I'll just go in my pull-up later"...AAAAAGGGGGHHHHHH! This is repeated several times a day. We had a great success last night though; after all books were read and she had finally climbed her way into the crib, bribed her Mama for a book or two for her crib, she announced that she needed to use the potty. Of course, there was a moment of hesitation in my mind...do I go with this and extend her bedtime again or make a call and have her stay in bed...Well, I made the right call as she had a major success!! She was so excited and we were so excited that we almost had a party! I think we were all relieved! As this is a significant occasion, we marked it by going to the store today and buying some "big girl underwear." What a thrill for her and all the marketers who knowingly plaster "DORA the Explorer" all over so the 2 year olds will eye it right away and demand that those are the underwear they absolutely need....GRRRRR.

Delighted Jennifer with her "big girl" purchase!

It's been quite rainy here, however, given our early rise the other morning, it's been my goal to get Jennifer outside each day. One day, we donned our raingear and headed outside for a great "puddle hunt and jump." We found some great puddles that we both jumped into with glee over and over again. The rain came down around us and we were just as happy for it!

Caitlyn has been a delight to us all. She rarely cries except to call for some social attention. I think she not only looks like Jennifer but also that she will likely be of a similar temperament as well. She has a wonderful smile that captures your heart along with an enticing giggle which I believe is her way of talking to us. She is getting much stronger and is able to hold her head up during tummy-time for quite a while.

Cailtyn during mat time

Emily continues to show us her fiery spirit juxtaposed against a lovely gentle and comical side. She is the chatterbox of the three babies and can go toe-to-toe with Papa in any conversation. She has a great smile which lights up whenever she sees our faces. She leads her cohorts in the feeding department, although this week all the girls have been "off" their game somewhat. Her neck has been kinked over to one side (although not as badly as might appear to be the case in the photo below, in which she just happened to loll over to one side), and we are working to gently stretch it to the other side several times a day.

Emily doing a "lean over"

Heather...sweet Heather. She is the cuddle queen. Always willing to give and receive cuddles. Heather has the most beautiful eyes which are constantly searching you out and once locked on, can draw you in with her gigantic smile. She too likes to talk, more in coo-like sounds. She likes to challenge us though and chooses her feeding times to do this by consistently not taking her share of the milk. Ahh but her sweet nature makes us forget this quickly.

Heather having tummy time

What joy. What delight. I only wish there was more time in every day and more of me (and Jeremy) so that we could spend more time with each of our girls. The days go quickly and I often close the day feeling that I wish I had been able to play/cuddle/snuggle/read etc. a little more today. I take heart in knowing that tomorrow is another day and another opportunity to spend time together...