This beach towel was a wedding gift from my BFF, Sarah, and her family. It’s perfect for Rob and I when we get to the beach, but it mostly hangs out in our closet. This morning, when 2/3 crib sheets, the pack-n-play sheet, the playmat, the two quilts used to widen the playmat’s area and three baby pajamas were assaulted with baby spitup, I was left scratching my head with how to entertain three squirmy monkeys without needing to worry about rotating in and out of jumperoos.
This is brilliant. Also, it’s adorable!
(Toby, Eleanor, Callista)
The lighting is never right, the timing is never right, the amount of time is never available, wah wah wah. My sad trombone and I have a zillion excuses for why I haven’t shown more photos of the babies’ room. Here, however, are a few I quickly shot yesterday morning while my trio hung out in Toby’s crib.
Busy, busy, busy! My new dSLR camera will be here sometime this week, and we’re wrapping up our week with our second (and possibly final) appointment with the developmentalist.
Here’s a clickable list plus a wee bonus at the end. Pip pip, readers! I hope you’re all fantastic!
Kitchen:
First Years carousel-style drying rack
Stainless veggie/fruit steamer (for steaming solids)
Kitchenaid food processor (for pureeing solids)
Crock Pot (for warming bottles)
OXO bottle brush (great for bottles because it’s firm)
Munchkin bottle brush (great for pump parts because the sponge squishes more to get into smaller spaces)
Dawn (tried generic dish soap, and it didn’t clean breastmilk fat!)
Nursery:
IKEA Gulliver cribs (x3)
Safety 1st mattresses (x3) (great ratings, super light and easy for quick sheet changes)
Clothing hangers (folding takes too much time)
iPod & dock – we use my old, 3rd gen (2nd?) iPod and a cheapie Magnavox dock
Receiving blankets (use them as towels, burp rags, changing pads – anything)
Living room:
Fisher Price open-top cradle swing(s)
Fisher Price newborn-to-toddler vibrating rockers (better than bouncy seats)
Boppy pillows (for relaxing, feeding, propping – even if you aren’t a baby)
Activity mat (no specific brand – I bought ours for $4 at a consignment sale)
Foam puzzle mat – another consignment find
Getting out:
Graco Snugride (we have the 22 lb. seats because, come on, we all know I won’t want to lug around 3 35 lb. babies in seats)
Snap-N-Go stroller (1 single, 1 double for us)
Baby carrier(s) – I currently use knit and woven wraps, an Ergo and a Babyhawk mei tai
Breastfeeding (I’m still compiling an entry spun off of that one entry):
My LC’s phone number
Quick-grab foods
Laundry:
Homemade detergent for cloth diapers
All free & clear (same thing our NICU used)
white, distilled vinegar
Maytag Bravos washing machine (our dryer is a base-model Kenmore we bought in 2004)
Eleanor, Toby, Callista
Toby is the first of the trio to bust out full belly laughs (tonight!), and I was lucky enough to have my iPod Touch nearby to catch some of them on video. I also got Callista practicing her “PFFFFFFFFFFFt” and some of Eleanor chattering. Super cute. Super fun.
Toby is on the mat, Callista is in hot pink and Eleanor is in pale pink.
Holy crap.
I prayed my babies to sleep. That and some silent woo-sa-ing are the only things that kept me from running out of my house, yelling like a crazy person.
We had an interesting weekend. Nap strikes were plentiful. We’ve been going strong with fairly easy naps for a while now, a sweet relief from earlier. I hoped this weekend was a fluke. Then today’s first nap hit, and Toby was up about 90 minutes before he usually wakes. Then the second nap hit – this current one I’m holding my breath through.
I just ran/tiptoed out of the babies’ room, hoping the floor wouldn’t creak, I wouldn’t accidentally close the door with a sound, the dog wouldn’t click-click-click with her nails as I exited, the cat wouldn’t meow, a pin wouldn’t drop.
My mom was here to help feed the babies. When they showed signs of sleepiness, we started putting them down. Eleanor went first, and she seemed to be peaceful. Toby was next, and he seemed fine as well. Then the telltale sounds rang out over the monitor – loud and quite obviously coming from babies who are on their backs (they sleep on their bellies).
Eleanor and Toby have been flipping themselves over then getting mad or excited that they aren’t on their bellies anymore. Neither emotion is conducive to sleeping. Knowing getting the babies to sleep would be a complicated ballet, I told my mom she was free to go if she wanted. I wouldn’t be able to give suggestions or instructions while trying to figure out what I was trying to do.
Alone with them in their room, I set forth on my quest. Flip Toby and Eleanor back over. Pat butts. Soothe fussing. (They flip back.) Flip one back and pick up one. Bounce holding one while patting the other’s butt and watching Callista, propped up on her elbows and watching/listening to the chaos while blowing raspberries (the no-tongue kind, just with her lips) and saying, “OOOOOOOh.”
She’ll fall asleep once the other two cease with their shenanigans.
Bounce. Pat. Flip. Pat. Bounce. “PFFFFFFFFFTTTTT. OOOOOOOOOh!”
Finally, Toby quit fussing in my arms and was quiet. I laid him down and gently patted while he wiggled his arms and head into position.
One down, two to go.
Pick up Eleanor. Bounce. Find a position that doesn’t make my firecracker mad. Bouncing is making her mad. Swing back and forth. Position her hand so she can suck her fingers. Swing. “PFFFFFFFFFFT.” “OOOOOOOOOOOh.”
Finally, silence. Before I can even set Eleanor down in her crib, Callista has put her own head down and started sucking her thumb. Brother and sister are calm, so she can relax. Lay Eleanor down, pat her butt while she finds her fingers. Step back. Watch. Back away. Watch.
Calm. Silent, except for two little girls sucking away at their fingers/thumb and their iPod, filling the empty space with Rockabye Baby! Lullaby Renditions of Journey.
“I’m forever yours / Faithfully”
