Well it's finally arrived...the snow has fallen gently upon Calgary. It's really quite beautiful. I must admit there is nothing quite as peaceful as the first fallen snow - it's so quiet, brilliant white, icy-cold and so fun to walk in with a 3 year old.
I know that some of you have been waiting patiently anxiously for this blog (you know who you are). As per usual, it has been a busy couple of weeks and the time seems to rocket past. By the end of the day, I'm usually quite spent and need to completely crash. For some...aka Jeremy, being in front of the computer could be considered a "crash". In fact we have a name for it in this house - its called "goobing" - I'm not sure where that came from but it seems to have stuck. Anyway, a long winded way of apologizing for not writing this sooner. So, here I am writing in the middle of the day -- honestly, I should be napping with the babies!
So, what have we been doing you ask? A little bit of everything. We've been on our own for a couple of weeks after a wonderful visit with friends Jenny and Archie - the highlight of this visit for Jennifer (my Jennifer) was she and Archie fixed our dryer, which had suddenly gone kaplooey. She was very proud! The highlight for me...Jen and I quickly sewed up 3 bunting bags (the halloween ones) just in time for the cold weather to hit! It was great to see and catch up with great friends so thank you to J & A for all that you did. We also caught a brief glimpse of another dear Jennifer (the Wah variety) last night. What a treat to see and catch up a bit with her: thank you for taking the time to come and see us!
Little Jennifer seems to blossom every day into an amazing little girl. She is so curious, articulate and bright. We're always rolling over laughing at a "jenniferism". What a delight to watch and interact with her. She continues to have increasingly more interest in her sisters. She wants to interact with them so much. She is a wonderful little helper for Jer and I, always willing to lend a hand whether it be helping feed the babies or helping us entertain someone who might be fussy. She loves to share her toys (briefly) with the babies and is ecstatic when one of the babes giggles at her antics! Her latest love is the snow. She absolutely must get out in it every day (so far) despite the dramatically low temperatures (-15 this morning...that's 5 degrees for you south of the border) - anyway we're having a great time and making the best of the cold weather. The one downside to Calgary snow...it doesn't make good snowmen...too dry.
Caitlyn seems to have "come into her own," as Jeremy describes. She is growing stronger every day - able to last the longest of the three on her tummy and is working on rolling from back to front. Over the past week we have noted some great advancements - she's found her toes and seems to enjoy chewing on them. In addition, she has found her giggle! There had been reports from our support worker that Caitlyn giggled; however, we had never heard it until yesterday... WHAT a sweet sound! Caitlyn loves hanging out with all of her sisters and, in fact, becomes quite upset when she is left on her own. Her greatest pleasure is to suck on anything that might come into range of her mouth: this might be her sister's hand, a nose, a blanket or a toy. She is the most tactile of the three babies, always wanting to reach out and touch whatever is before her. She's come to adopt a favourite toy - we call him "red dog" - she enjoys grabbing one of the many rings on this toy and shaking the dog around. She is a bundle of energy and a delight to be around!
Emily - sweet Emily! Emily continues to lead her two infant sisters in the feeding and, I believe, the weight department. This is one efficient girl. She is a happy soul and is always willing to offer up a gigantic smile. If we're lucky, her smile comes with a delightful giggle. Emily has let one of her secrets known, and that is her ticklish spot - right under her chin. If the time is right, we can illicit a delightful round of giggling just by touching this magic spot - how fun! Emily is the most articulate of all three babies - when she is not sleeping, she is chatting. There are times when we are very sure she has said "hi" to us. This social skill is wonderful in so many ways - except when it's time for her to go to sleep. She becomes so enamoured with the sound of her own voice (like father, like daughter...) that she keeps herself awake (I'm sure I don't know anyone else like that!) Emily's favourite toy seems to be what I call the "thingy-ma-jig" - a colourful ball of plastic rings or, a napkin although is quite happy to settle for her fingers.
Heather! We have seen great strides of improvement with Heather. She has struggled with her feeding; however, has proven to be determined and eager to overcome her challenges. Heather has caught up to her sisters (well, almost) and is doing well to finish the majority of the milk we offer to her. Heather is truly a bright light and a sheer joy to know. She is ever so eager to offer a gigantic smile when she's greeted in the mornings and her trend is to continue this throughout the day. She is honing what is becoming an absolutely infectious laugh that can stop people dead in their tracks. If she doesn't capture us with her laugh, she'll get us with her eyes that seem to find us wherever we are. She is probably the most socially engaged of the three. Besides her big sister Jennifer, her favourite toy right now is a large black and white ring which she grabs onto and chews. She's a girl that likes simple things - not complicated.
There continues to be frequent appointments for the three babies - the latest to the physiotherapist to assist us with strengthening their necks. Another doctor's appointment and weight check early next week and then on and on.
There continues to be frequent appointments for the three babies - the latest to the physiotherapist to assist us with strengthening their necks. Another doctor's appointment and weight check early next week and then on and on.
Our days are long but our joy is deep. How thankful we are for each one of our beautiful girls and for everyone who has been with us along the way. So now that you've gotten this far, I'm sure that you'd like some recent pictures...
Jennifer and friend - Austin climbing trees (late October)
Mama and Heather enjoying the tree climbers...
Emily, Caitlyn and Heather - never tiring of Brown Bear, Brown Bear.
Caitlyn, Emily and Heather - tummy time again!
Emily and her gigantic smile!
Caitlyn and her mischievous look...
Heather and Cailtyn getting serious....
Emily getting playful...
Three happy frog(ettes)....H, E, C
Story time for H, C and E
...again Mama, read it again!
Caitlyn, Emily and Heather...
Happy Heather...
Energetic Emily...ready for a nap.
The tireless trio on their tummies.....H E C
...and in their swings...Emily, Heather and Caitlyn!
bliss...
Pride...
Heather, Emily and Caitlyn practicing some sitting skills...
...or at least leaning skills.
Beautiful Heather...
Cute little Caitlyn...
Green frog, green frog what do you see?...
...I'm readin' a book to them Mommy!
Hangin' with my girls...
Really?...we're still in our PJ's...(Cailtlyn and Jennifer enjoying a cuddle)
Heather and Caitlyn enjoying some pillow talk...
Papa with his sweet hearts....Heather and Caitlyn
Heather learning a new skill of reaching out while on her tummy...
Emily trying out some funny faces!
Heather....mastering the reach...
Caitlyn strengthening her back and tummy muscles...
Jennifer and Jennifer catching up on a read together!
Jennifer proudly displaying the beautiful blankets made by friend Jennifer and her daughter Elena...thank you thank you!
So that's it for now....after many interuptions while writing this blog, I'm finally done about 30 hours after I began...sigh. It really is the art of the possible around here...
hoping you and yours are well...goodnight.
Jan
Thanks for the update. We get a bit anxious when we don't hear anything from Calgary. Are they cute or what. Lovely babies and a very cute little girl. Better that Jennifer is a bit younger. She will in time not remember a time when there weren't three extras. Lux asked her Mom the other day if they could have a baby sister. When Claire explained that you just can't order up a sister and that it might be another brother there was a long pause and then a small voice from the back seat of the car..."You know Mom let's just forget about it. It isn't that important"
ReplyDeleteYou are both wonderful to be taking all this in stride.