I was not looking forward to this winter. It was difficult enough to get out with three small kids - now I have four and its next to impossible. The cold weather and snow have also been deterrents. Kids (small ones) don't see the need for mittens/hats/scarfs until they are outside and feel the cold - until then they are happily or not so happily pulling them off as I put them on someone else. Baby Hannah , as she is called by her siblings, is too small to be outside for very long. Also, it takes a lot longer to get anywhere and it has come to a point to where it seems like anything extra is a tiring thought. I've found myself thinking "There is no good time for this..." frequently (even thinking this as I write) and other things that need to get done are left alone as I squeeze in that one inconvenient thing. But doing the bare essentials only all day every day would soon swing me into depression ....its a loosing battle sometimes. So, that means I don't really get out at all, unless I'm walking the dog. Yes, we have a dog! I was so excited even though I knew it would add to craziness. I think walking the dog this winter is helping me stay sane in a way. I forget how nice it is to be outside , even if it is freezing cold :).
Highlights from this month include; watching Abby be her crazy self and singing. I love her singing. Better her singing then her screeching- she has been doing a lot of that lately. Abby sounds like an annoying parrot in the bathroom - it just echos in your head. I was treating myself to reading a book while eating breakfast the other day when Abby came up to me and quietly told me she had "poopted on da floor" . I got her to point out the trail she had made and regretted not noticing that she had taken off her diaper. On the plus side , she is showing early signs of being ready to toilet train :) . While I was changing her one day she told me she wanted to "pee on da toiwet"- I let her go ...only to have her come back screaming and wet. She had peed all over the floor in the bathroom and then slipped in it. I also noticed that she peed all over my clean clothes I had put out for myself :( (I really wasn't expecting her to actually have to pee) . Sarah and Abby enjoy sitting on the toilet and the princess potty we got them, but they rarely manage to squeeze anything out, if they do they get a candy. Nathan can mostly toilet himself. I've learned that a hands-off policy is best for him, mostly because he won't have it any other way. Nathan gets 30 minutes of computer time as a reward for peeing or pooping on the toilet. He still goes through several pull-ups a day but has gotten better.
Hannah is teething , slowly it seems. Soon we will see top and bottom teeth. It seems like babies disappear when teeth come and toddlers take their place. I don't regret Hannah growing up, I am in fact looking forward to seeing what kind of person she will be, but I do feel some angst at seeing my last baby on her way to toddler- hood. Hannah is a very big baby. Sometimes I have clothing items that fit her and Abby at the same time and I think Hannah could be in a size 6 diaper while the rest are fine in a 5. When giving Hannah a bath I usually get one as well because she likes to splash ... a lot and she can splash pretty good with those fat little arms. The other day I was getting soaked while bathing her and commented on it - Nathan who happened to be in the tub as well at the time (he usually prefers to take a bath alone now) jumped out and tenderly started drying me off with a towel. Nathan has such a tender heart - I hope he learns to guard it well as he grows up.
Yesterday I took the kids to the library program they have in the morning - I had forgotten how slippery it was until I saw my children slip and fall with every other step ... it was like an AFV montage "how many kids will slip and fall in one minute?". It was also very difficult to pull the wagon (laden with two girls, library books/movies and a diaper bag) over chunks of ice and snow- my back was not happy with me and still isn't. We had to do a crash course on walking on ice - walk carefully , slowly , SLOWER!, slide your feet!... I think it took us an extra 15 minutes to get there. I've been trying to do exercises to strengthen my lower back , but they seem to be one of the "there is no good time for this" things lately. Rarely do even 3 out of the 4 nap at the same time and even at night I often have one of them to take care of. I was hoping to get by with walking the dog and the occasional acquafit class but that does not seem to be cutting it.
Well - this post has been a little random , but it was the best I could do today. I have to stop and get the monkeys some lunch before they destroy the couch and living room.
