Trio

Being the youngest has it’s challenges and rewards.  In some cases, they are the same…

After much fuss, Delaney finally found a spot that comforted her. Patient Grandpa just seemed to know. No fluster, no pass off—just welcome calm and slight adjustment after adjustment until she was settled peacefully on his shoulder. A very nice break for both of us, I think!

Delaney has no sleep schedule.  I never know when or how long she is going to sleep.  The only constant is that she seems to fall asleep for the night around 8:30-9 pm and that she wakes up in the morning at 5:30 for a short time and then nods off again until 7:30 am.  Everything in between is very unpredictable.  Sounds harmless, but it does make it difficult to plan out the daily routine.  Reading books before naps/quiet time, fixing meals, trying to find time to exercise, cleaning, finding small, sporadic periods of time to spend with the older kids individually, even eating—all are a challenge.  I am anxious for her to settle into a pattern so we can all feel more settled.  I readily accept that I will have an underlying feeling of fatigue for the foreseeable future, as her nightly 2-3 wakeful periods continue—a state that I know contributes to my frequent frazzled tendencies, which makes everything all that much more difficult to balance.  But, for myself, I would much rather have the daytime schedule than sleep a continuous eight hour stretch.  I can manage sleep deprivation, but routine deprivation is my biggest challenge.  Am I rambling?  Probably so….  But, Miss D did just fall asleep, so now it is time for pilates.  After that, is anyone’s guess.

Magnolia fountain from T on Vimeo.

There are days that I really feel for Delaney. She is frequently literally surrounded by her two siblings and is constantly bombarded with affection. Although they both adore her, they also have a hard time understanding the impact their enthusiastic (for lack of a better word) behavior has on her. I though that Cole had it rough in his early months, but Delaney has that multiplied by two! At least I can be comforted knowing that it is intended to be positive affection. It’s no wonder she spent the first seven weeks of her life sleeping around the clock!

As a sleep-deprived mom of three children under five years, sometimes life gets hard whether or not it need be. This week, a number of things have come up that have left me unsettled, at the foremost the loss of a family friend. Thankfully, I have a wonderful family that picks me up and gets me centered. Tonight, we packed another impromptu picnic and headed down to the Bethany fountain that the kids love, for some family fun together. It was a wonderful, beautiful, relaxing evening. Amazingly, we had the whole place to ourselves. Delaney laid on a blanket next to me on the grass and was perfectly content for the hour and a half we were there. The kids ran in the fountain with Rick. Watching them, I couldn’t help but think how lucky they are to have such a silly daddy who always puts them ahead of everything else. We have such a good life. And, it is so wonderful to know that.

There is no better way to start and end the day…

When I ask Cole what his favorite part of the fair was, his response--everytime--is Playing the drum, drum, drums! So, here he is, playing the drums a the Pioneer Village.

Drums from T on Vimeo.

Untitled from T on Vimeo

And, here he is feeling the vibration of the drum...

I could probably edit this and the next entry (Music Man Part 2) into one with just two videos, but I just couldn't decide which videos to omit, so I broke it down into two different posts.

Cole has been impacted by music since he was three months old, when he would smile up at me from the Baby Bjorn throughout Franny's music class. When he began signing, one of his key communications was asking for music first thing in the morning. This was later replaced by a very sweet Music, please! If the radio isn't playing in the car, he will definitely let me know. Now, music is continuously playing at our house like a soundtrack; and, almost any kind of music will evoke some kind of reaction.

Yesterday, at the fair, we ate lunch and listened to some live music in the grove. It began with the tapping of his hand, followed by the tapping of his foot. Then, a little clapping and little head bobbing...

Cole rockin' at the fair from T on Vimeo.

As both Cole and Franny get older, it is interesting to see their individual personalities emerge.  Franny is an unquestionable daredevil, braving all the fair rides and asking when she can go upside down on the bigger rides.  Cole, in contrast, opts to keep both feet on the ground.  He patiently waited as Franny went on her rides, but then, finally got his chance to participate with this hammer game.  His sweet personality so charmed the operator, that he gave Cole an extra turn and two high fives.  Cole was very excited when he got to pick out his prize.  Such fun!

Starting when Franny was just a year old, the Clackamas County Fair has been a very special tradition that we enjoy with Auntie Noelle.  Every year encompasses some of the same fun while adding something new and different.  But, whatever we do doesn’t really matter…it is fun time we spend together.  And this year was definitely that.  We stayed until we were just too tired to keep going anymore.  Very special times with a very special aunt.  Thank you, Auntie Noelle for such a special and memorable day!

Who knew that new PJs could be so much fun?

We spent a perfect summer evening at the Arboretum—beautiful blue skies, light breeze, and temperatures in the mid seventies—absolutely ideal for our hike and picnic.  After dinner, the kids enjoyed some running around time.  A simple outing, but simply wonderful.  Just the way summer should be.

Franny has been talking non-stop about being Cinderella for months. Today, she and her daddy bought her costume, and she has been wearing it ever since. She also plans on wearing long gloves and wearing her hair up just like Cinderella. To say she is excited is an incredible understatement! While she usually resists posing for a picture, in this case she was very accommodating. I can’t wait until her light-up glass slippers arrive in the mail…

During her ride on Gator yesterday, Franny and Grandpa stopped to eat a few blackberries. You may not be able to see the berry stains on her chin, but her smile clearly shows how sweet they were!

I am very fortunate that my kids seem to have fun pretty much wherever they go and whatever they do.  For Franny and Cole, even running the aisles at Fry’s Electronics has proven to be a fun excursion.  So, if you plan on meeting friends at the Pirate Park and later moving to a neighborhood fountain, for water fun and a picnic lunch, you know it’s going to be a very fun morning.  And so it was! 

Unfortunately, I don’t have pictures of Cole sticking his head in one of the fountain’s geysers or Franny playing with her friends at one of the button-activated sprayers.   These were priceless moments that my camera missed as I took care of Delaney.  But, that’s the reality of having three kids and learning to balance.  Fortunately, being with friends makes balancing so much easier—VERY special thanks to my dear friend J, who rescued Cole when he fell—picking him up and bringing him to me even though he was soaking wet, while I was feeding Miss D, and to my other dear friend W, who held and calmed Delaney as I tried to snap a few last-minute pictures down at the fountain.  Very special friends.  I don’t think I was able to finish a conversation with any of them today, but just being with them eases my frazzled tendencies and helps me keep it all in perspective.

Delaney Reese has now been with us for two months. With two older siblings, she really endures a lot, from being on the go to being endlessly kissed and hugged to having her pacifier shoved into her mouth from all angles (not to mention the two older siblings fighting over who will do the shoving). In spite of all this affection, she does seem to be a happy baby—we get lots of coos and smiles, and she is quite content most of the time.

Although I now can’t imagine life without her, the memory of her birth is still very vivid in my mind. It is very calming and emotional to remember the joy of delivering this healthy and beautiful little girl. It is also an incredible joy to wake up to her sweet face every morning. How lucky we are!

The other day, I went in to find Franny and Cole playing with blocks. Franny quickly told me that she was building the Ross Island Bridge and her cars were going to use it to go to Sellwood. We do live in a city of bridges, which are of enormous interest to little kids, but Franny seems to have a knack for knowing Portland bridges and where they go. She is always asking about what bridge we are crossing when we are en route somewhere. At age two, Franny pronounced to everyone at her music class that we drove over the Fremont Bridge to get there. Since then, she has also picked up the Marquam (it goes to OMSI and the Lucky Lab) and now, the Ross Island. I have a feeling she’ll add the Hawthorne to her list before the summer is out. Now, if she’ll just figure out that they all cross the Willamette River--not just the Fremont. Even so, at age four, she already has a better sense of direction than her mother.

Wish you were here.  They are so amazing.  You would adore them.

Our big adventure for the week was to the Enchanted Forest. How do you get there? I-5 South to Delaney Way to Enchanted Way! We got there just minutes before they opened, and--with the exception of the Timber Log Ride--enjoyed minimal lines and crowds. We also brought Grandma and Grandpa along, which made it all the more fun.

The highlights:

The big hit of the day was going down Alice’s Rabbit Hole on Storybook Lane. Before heading home, the kids went back to run through some more. They probably could have stayed there all day…

There was also the Old Lady and the Shoe slide…

Enchanted Forest 2 from T on Vimeo.

Panning for gold in the Western Town and exploring the Indian Caves…

Hanging out with Grandpa and Grandma…

And lots of other rides and fun…

Everyone had a great time. This was our first trip with the kids, but we all agreed that it would become an annual summer tradition. Needless to say, the ride home was very quiet!

Although we were all technically on vacation this week, Rick still worked, Franny still went to preschool, and both kids still went to most of their regular scheduled activities. This did mean, however, that we were able to spend some one-on-one time with Cole that we have never had the opportunity to do before. And while I think he prefers to have Franny around, there is a certain level of competition between them and I think that he did enjoy being the focus of both his parent’s attention for a while.

We had fun going on walks, eating breakfast out, and enjoying a couple of our favorite neighborhoods. I don’t know when we will have the chance to have this kind of time with Cole again, so I am glad we really maximized every minute of it. It was special times for all of us--he is an amazing little boy and we absolutely adore him!

With stopped going out to eat with the kids several months ago.  We agreed that we would start again once Cole was more willing to cooperate.  A couple of weeks ago, we tested the waters and were pleasantly surprised; we have since enjoying dinner and breakfast out quite a number of times.  It has been a lot of fun, and I think the kids especially have enjoyed breakfasts out; we have discovered that Franny loves pancakes and Cole loves bacon!  We have also discovered that not everyplace has kid-sized portions, and we sometimes have to take some home…

Of course, a two year old is a two year old, so there are still certain unavoidable realities.  I think you can guess where Cole  is sitting in this picture…

The last time we saw rain was on July 13th—nearly a month ago. That’s a long time for Oregon, even with our beautiful summers. Needless to say, a little rain wasn’t going to stop our planned bike ride this afternoon. Unfortunately, it started to rain a little to hard to take Delaney out in the stroller, but the kids enjoyed a short bike ride. In the trailer, they were able to stay dry--Rick, on his bike, wasn’t quite so lucky.