Beach Days

We've been spending a lot of time at the beach the last couple of weeks. Lake Tahoe is amazing--I can't believe how lucky we are to live so close and I can't think of anywhere else that I would rather live. And the kids seem to love the lake as much as I do!--This summer has been so much fun because the kids can easily spend 5 hours on the beach, digging, jumping, wading and just being kids. And the baby has been wonderful---happier than anything while playing in the sand and when she needs to nap, I just pop her into my front carrier and she'll snooze for 30 minutes or so and then be ready to go---she's great. Granted, it's a lot of work for me to take the kids to the beach by myself--but we do it a number of times a week, so I've got my system down and it's totally worth the effort.

Today, we headed to the beach with Dave and it was so nice to have an extra set of hands on the beach! We had a great day.

Operation Chunk-Up Louisa

We needed to put some weight on this little girl. A little over two weeks ago, I took Louisa to the doctor for a nasty cold--when she was weighed, the doctor and I noticed that she had only gained 8 ounces in three months--definitely not adequate weight gain for a growing girl! Louisa eats very well but obviously isn't getting the calories that she needs. So--we started adding a considerable amount of calories to her diet---adding formula and oatmeal to her baby food (initially this was really hard for me--Louisa is breastfed and I know that breast milk is the best for her, but I'm really not up to pumping at this point--so I copped out and bought some formula), feeding her a ridiculous amount of baby yogurt and giving her a number of spoonfulls of cream cheese!

We had a weight check at the doctor's office today and she has gained 1 lb 4 oz in 17 days! She now weighs 14 lbs 4 oz---still tiny but growing well. Go Louisa!

Mornings

Mornings can be ridiculously chaotic at our house---everyone wants / needs something NOW---drinks, breakfast, diaper changes, a ridiculous number of trips to the potty, clothes picked out, clothes changed, sunscreen on every square inch of three little bodies, snacks packed, extra clothes packed and oh yes, Louisa likes to be held 24 hours a day. It's stressful and not my favorite time of day. But even in the mornings there are glimpses of peace--I've been working out very early a lot of mornings and when I arrive home at 7 AM or so, all three kids have been in bed with their daddy--the girls snuggle and Elliot jumps. It's pretty precious.

Once everyone is herded out to the family room, the real day begins---Elliot gets extra hyper and the kids start playing, playing, playing. The interaction between the three kids is so cute.

Finally, The Beach

This Spring has been unusually cold. Last year, we were on the beach by Mother's Day--but not this year. In fact, the weather has been pretty wretched until recently. But I think that summer is finally here. The kids and I headed with a friend to Cave Rock today and it was great---the kids played and played and played. Louisa was a great sport and happily played in the sand---this child puts nothing in her mouth, nothing---not even food---it's pretty amazing---I sat her in the sand, and she just played with the sand, picking up little rocks and everything, but never once put anything in her mouth--crazy. Laney and Elliot had a blast playing with their buddy, jumping into the water, running everywhere and rolling around in the sand.

After the beach, we headed to another friend's house to play in the sprinklers and slip-and-slide. No one napped today and the kids were exhausted, but again, super well behaved and very happy.

Aces

We went to our first Reno Aces (minor league baseball) game. I must say that I was pretty impressed--and not with the actual baseball playing-I hardly watched a single play-this happens when you take three little ones to a game, but with the stadium and the experience as a whole. I'm not sure what I was expecting---but the stadium was super nice--complete with a bouncy house and little playground. We bought general admission tickets (throw-your-blanket-on-the-lawn)-which was very, very smart---we really only sat for a few minutes. The weather was perfect and Laney, Elliot and Louisa were very well behaved---which made for a very, very nice day.

Summer Camp

Delaney finished up her week at summer camp (held at her preschool in the mornings) and loved every second of it. This girl totally thrives on stimulation and activity, and summer camp was right up her ally---going from one activity to the next. She did a ton of art projects--which she loves and wants proudly displayed all over the house. Each day, she came home totally filthy--covered from head to toe in paint, shaving cream and everything else---and happier than anything. It was so nice to have a week that truly kept her busy and happy. If they offered another week of summer camp, I certainly would have enrolled her. Now, it's up to me to keep her busy and happy--wish me luck.

Survival

Despite the odds, my parents survived their visit. Yes, my mother spent a full day in a hotel bed and spent several days feeling queasy, and yes, my mother needed an antibiotic for a sinus infection within a day of arrving back in Pittsburgh. Everyone gets sick after visiting us--it's really quite the phenomenon. Grandma B and Pepah's visit didn't exactly go as planned but we made the most of it. We're excited to see them again in July!

Back To Blogging

Yes, we survived the move. Really, with the help of good friends, it really wasn't that bad. And it was soooo worth it--we're truly enjoying our new house and it felt like 'home' within days.

Since the move, we've been sick. Like constantly sick. Laney had a nasty stomach bug (are there any stomach bugs that aren't nasty??), Louisa had a bad cold, Elliot had a bad cold, Laney had a bad cold, Louisa had another bad cold, I got a stomach bug, and Dave got a stomach bug---we're still waiting to see if Louisa and Elliot get the plague. Aunt Lynde came out to visit and also got the stomach virus--on her flights home to Richmond; she got swine flu (literally, she tested positive) within a day of visiting us in November, so I think that it's safe to say we've been stricken from her list of desirable places to visit. Thank God my parents have been visiting and have been so unbelievably helpful--I actually was allowed to have a sick day and lay in bed instead of trying to make it through the day with three little ones. Still, I feel very badly--there's nothing like traveling about 2500 miles to be thrown into a house full of vomiting and snotty noses.

Still, we've managed to have some fun over the past few weeks and have reached a number of 'milestones'! Read on!

Bike Riding

For Laney and Elliot, bike riding has become a big thing. Laney has had a bike since she was a little over two years old but has just recently started to take an interest in really riding it. She was a little sensitive that most of the kids could ride a bike with ease. In true Delaney fashion when she decided that she was ready to learn, it came fairly easily. She is very proud that she can ride her bike around the block.

Elliot can pedal but still is figuring out how to really get going. He's been super patient and often pushes his bike around the block (with helmut on, of course!) when he gets tired of pedaling.

ALL Undies, ALL The Time

That is--all the time, except for bedtime. When Laney got the stomach flu a couple of weeks ago, I figured that it was a good time to potty train Elliot--it might seem like not-the-pefect-time, but for me, I figured that if we were going to be stuck at home for a few days, we might as well bite the bullet and put that little boy in undies! It really has gone very well. There have been a couple of issues; however, as Dave reminds me, we don't want his buddies to read this when he's 12, so I'll pass on the details.

I have a 'have no fear' approach to potty training---all undies, all the time (excluding bed time). No pull-ups, no wimping out and putting him in a diaper because I'm worried that he'll have an accident on the train ride / at the birthday party / in the stroller..... It certainly wouldn't work for everyone and I don't know if I would really even recommend it, but it works for me.

Bath Time

Louisa has recently graduated from her baby bathtub to the big tub. This was a super easy transition although she looks so, so tiny in that big tub.



AND, she has started to occasionally take a bath with Elliot--this made me a little nervous as Elliot can be very hyper and wild in the tub, but he's been great while bathing with Weezy and tells himself, 'Be nice to baby, be nice to baby, be nice to baby'. Super cute! Now, if I can just get all three of the munchkins in the tub at one time, I'll be really multi-tasking!

Sweeties

Summer arrived this weekend---and really, it's about time, considering that our Spring was so chilly and un-spring-like. Louisa is now stable enough to ride in the wagon with Elliot and Elliot is now big and strong enough to pull Louisa around in the wagon---now this is nice! They were adorable. There are very few things in this world that make Weezy happier than her big brother and big sister. And yes, Elliot is not wearing any pants or shorts---this happens when you're 2 1/2 and are in the midst of potty training.

Something More

Well, I suppose that Pepah and Grandma B are getting a little more than just germs during this visit---lots of tickles, snuggles and smiles too.