Monday, April 28, 2008

Looking For Some Attention

Brian has a new game.

Last week, as he sat in his high chair playing with a plastic "key chain", he accidentally dropped the toy onto the floor. The resulting "CRASH!" startled him, and he began to cry. I rushed over to pick up his keys, and handed them back to him, sneaking in some kisses and cuddles, too.

He stopped crying and returned to shaking and rattling, cooing and drooling, while he happily played with his key chain.

Before long, the keys once again slipped from his grasp. Again, the crash. And again, I stopped cooking long enough to retrieve his toy.

After repeating this cycle a few more times, he caught on.

"Aha!", his little grin seemed to say. "When I drop my key chain, Mommy comes back! She gives me kisses! And attention! I can interrupt her again and again and again. What power!"

So now, when I hand him a plaything to keep him occupied, he shakes it once or twice, hangs it over the edge of his high chair for a few seconds, and then...CRASH!

My limit for this game is about ten retrievals per toy, but Brian is merely warming up after this amount of time. This is when his older siblings come in quite handy.

"Beth!", I'll call. "Can you pick up Brian's toy for him?"

She cheerily acquiesces for the first few times, but after repeatedly climbing onto the floor after his toys, bumping her head on the table each time, she loses interest. At this point, I move on to Amy, who is infinitely more patient with this sort of game than either of her sisters. She will repeat the cycle for a good ten minutes before finally sighing in frustration and moving on to another activity.

Erin is a good "closer". By this time, Brian is beginning to tire from all the shaking, rattling and dropping, so after a few last crashes, the game comes to an end.

I am frequently asked whether I worry that Brian, as "number four", gets less attention than his sisters did when they were babies.

Nope. Definitely not.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Is There Anything More Fun Than...

...Taking four little ones out for a morning at the zoo, followed by a picnic lunch?

...Hearing their shrieks of excitement when we finally found the lions' cage?

...Watching Beth push her face up next to the lemurs' glass wall, and seeing her jump out of her skin when a lemur pushed his nose right up to hers?!!

...Helping Erin find the sloth bear hiding in the bottom of his cage, and seeing her eyes grow huge when he began walking closer to us?

...Seeing Erin and Amy cuddled up on Daddy's lap while eating their peanut butter sandwiches outside on the grassy park next to the zoo?

I'm sure there are some things just as fun. But tonight, I can't think of a single one.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Sandbox Chatter


This warm weather came upon us so quickly that we were not prepared with summer footwear for the girls. Last season's sandals are much too small to be worn now, so yesterday the girls had to attend their cousin Alyssa's second birthday party wearing their black, winter party shoes with their summer sun-dresses. So, this morning we ventured out on a shoe-shopping spree, and above you can see the "play shoes" that the girls picked out. They also each chose some white sandals, and we all had fun choosing Brian's very first pair of shoes!

This afternoon the girls donned their new shoes, and headed outside for some fun in the sandbox. Brian sat happily in his swing while the girls filled buckets and designed castles. Sandbox-play always seems to soothe them, and, except for a few minor sand-throwing incidents, they played wonderfully together. Eavesdropping on their chatter is quite enjoyable, and below is a short excerpt (Erin's quotes are all in capitals to emphasize how LOUD she is):

AMY: When we're all grown-ups together, will Brian be a grown-up too? Or will he still be really little?

BETH: (sounding exasperated) Of course he'll be a grown-up too. We're not THAT much older than him. He'll probably be bigger than us, even. Boy grown-ups are usually bigger than girl grown-ups.

ERIN: WILL I BE A GROWN-UP TOO? WILL I, BETHIE? WILL I, AMY?

BETH: Yeah.

AMY: I have gorgeous curls. Everyone says so.

BETH: Hey, I have an idea. When we're all grown-ups, let's all save up some money, and we can buy some things for each other. We'll buy each other the things that we want most of all. Okay?

AMY: Yeah!! That's a great idea! I'll save up my money and buy you a camera, Beth. A real camera that works.

BETH: Wow, that would be so cool. I'll buy you a camera, too.

ERIN: YOU BUY ME SOMETHING, TOO? I WANT BINOCULARS. I WANT BINOCULARS. I WANT BINOCULARS. HEY! NO ONE'S LISTENING TO ME. I WANT BINOCULARS.

AMY: What about Brian? What should we get him?

BETH: I know! A cell phone! All boys have cell phones when they're grown-ups.

AMY: Now I can't wait to be a grown-up!


While my vision of their future doesn't necessarily include cell phones and cameras, it's essentially the same dream. I would love nothing more than to see them stay this close as the years go by.

One day, they will be grown-ups. And, I pray that when that time comes, they will all still care this much about each other's happiness. Whether Erin needs a pair of binoculars or just someone to help her through life's struggles, I hope that her sisters and brother will always be there for her.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

It's Like Riding A Bike...


Last Fall, Erin's legs were just a tiny bit too short to reach the pedals of her little pink tricycle. She watched with jealousy as her big sisters careened around the driveway and the street on their bikes, while she tried desperately to rock her bike forward. Now that the warm weather is upon us, the girls are back out on their bikes, and lo and behold, Erin must have grown quite a bit over the winter. She now can reach the pedals without difficulty, but the coordination that is required to pedal a bike still eludes her.

This afternoon we set out for a short bike ride after school, with Brian in the stroller and all three girls on their bikes. As Beth and Amy flew back and forth on the streets, Erin became more and more discouraged.

"It not working, Mama!", she shrieked. She frequently hopped off the bike, and, like a good auto mechanic, she checked the tires, the steering, and the seat.

"That a little bit better now", she would then say. But alas, her repairs were inadequate, and the bike still refused to budge.

I gave her push after push, and as the pedals forced her little feet around, she would shout, "I'm doin' it, Mama! I'm doin' it!!" Then, when the bike began to lose momentum, her frustrated voice would call out, "It stopped workin' again, Mama. Fix it!"

She never gave up, though. Even when the bike tipped over sideways, and she took a nasty fall onto her knees, she jumped back up. "I not cry. I a big girl", she declared stubbornly. Then she tried again. And again. And again.

It won't be long before she gets the hang of it. Before we know it, she'll be flying down the street alongside her sisters. She's quite a fighter. And that's one of the many things that I love about my little Erin.

Friday, April 11, 2008

"Sibling Gym Class" At The Y

WHAT THEY SEE: A large, soft pit filled with colorful plastic balls...perfect for jumping and rolling around in.
WHAT I SEE: Germs, Germs, Germs.

WHAT THEY SEE
: A brightly-colored plastic balance beam where they can practice jumps and spins, perfecting their daring moves en route to the 2020 Games.
WHAT I SEE: Another broken tooth, a split lip, or a broken bone.

WHAT THEY SEE
: Complete and utter injustice, as a little boy pushes Erin out of the line and hops onto the slide ahead of her.
WHAT I SEE: An impending, screaming meltdown, that requires a quick distraction towards another activity.

WHAT THEY SEE
: An exciting, rousing game of ring-around-the-rosie with friends.
WHAT I SEE: Germs, germs, germs...the little girl holding Amy's hand has been coughing and sneezing all morning.

WHAT THEY SEE
: One of their favorite events of the week...time to laugh and get together with friends.
WHAT I SEE: One of my favorite events of the week...time to laugh and get together with friends, while watching my daughters happily playing together.

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Amoxicillin...Take Two!

Last night Brian finally slept through the night. Really, truly slept through the night. A full eight hours...a very, very rare event around here.

Unfortunately, we didn't awaken feeling quite as refreshed as you might think, because Amy spent most of the night trotting in and out of our room, tears flowing, as she complained of ear pain that just wouldn't respond to Tylenol. Her fever was unrelenting, and sleep was eluding her. (Luckily for me, she seems to think that Daddy gives the best back scratches at 2am, so she demanded his presence at her bedside throughout the night). Each time we would begin to drift back to sleep, her blond curls would reappear, and her sobs would awaken us again.

And so, this morning I piled the kids into the car, and we returned to the pediatrician's office. He confirmed our suspicions of a double ear infection, so now Amy's bottle of Amoxicillin sits in the refrigerator next to Brian's medicine. This afternoon, Brian and Erin took long naps, while I sat on the couch and cuddled Amy. Her cheeks were bright red with fever, but she wore her princess tiara and Cinderella dress, while we watched a princess movie that she has viewed countless times already.

Our household felt peaceful at last.

Peaceful, that is, until I went to awaken Erin from her nap. She sat up in bed, cheeks bright pink, and let out a loud wail.

"My ear hurts!" she cried. "My ear hurts!!"

Here we go again.

Sunday, April 06, 2008

Daddy's LIttle Girl



Last night was the annual "Father-Daughter Dance" at Beth's school. Beth wore her Easter dress, complete with a gorgeous wrist corsage, and Daddy dressed up for the occasion as well. Beth was beyond excited about her evening out with Dad. It was quite difficult to get her to stand still for some photos (note that the horrible haircut from last winter is finally starting to grow out!!) An exhausted but very, very happy Elizabeth arrived home at 10pm, the latest she has stayed up since Uncle Danny's wedding last summer! Dan reported that the event was quite a success, with a hundred little girls dancing the night away alongside their friends, while the Dads sat and chatted on the sidelines. Daddy managed to steal his date back for a few slow dances (Butterfly Kisses was one of them!), and he even managed to videotape some of Beth's dance-floor moves for me to watch at home. (I can't post them here because there are so many other children in the background, and I wouldn't want to put them on the Internet without permission).

Today a very cranky Beth awoke at 6:30am along with her sisters, and there were a few minor meltdowns as the day wore on, but now she's tucked into bed once again. Dan mentioned seeing a few Dads on the dance floor last night with two or three daughters all slow-dancing together, as he himself will be doing in only a few years. We know that those difficult teen years will sneak up all too quickly, so it's wonderful to have events like this, where Daddy and his little girl can dance the night away together...and share a few butterfly kisses at bedtime, too.

Friday, April 04, 2008

Brian's First Meal

I know that posting these videos instead of taking the time to WRITE a blog entry is a bit lazy of me, but tonight is my first overnight shift at my new job, so I am heading off to bed now to try to get a couple of hours of sleep before work. Of course, staying up all night is not really much of a novelty for me at this point! If I'm going to stay up all night anyway, I might as well get paid for it...!

So, here's Brian's first taste of "real" food, on Easter Sunday. I especially love the face he makes when the spoon first enters his mouth. Note that he closes his eyes with each spoonful...I'm not exactly sure why he does this, but that's still part of his feeding routine.

Wish me luck tonight...and Dan could probably use a bit of good luck alone here at home, too...!

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Feverish nights once again...

I apologize for the lack of postings recently, but after almost a full week of "up-all-night" with a wailing Brian, I must take this opportunity to praise the powers of that wonder-drug known as amoxicillin. After three doses, Brian's ear infection seems to be improving, and last night he finally slept peacefully. Getting vile-flavored medicine into this baby has been quite challenging, since he refuses to take a bottle from me. After many attempts at dropping the antibiotic into his cheek and watching him spit it right back out, I tried mixing it with his rice cereal. Each bite was followed by a dramatic, contorted face of horror from my little guy, but we eventually managed to get the medicine down.

Of course, the incredible-growing-baby never missed a meal while he was sick, and he weighed in at a whopping 18.5 pounds at his four-month checkup last week! (In his defense, he was actually four and a half months old at the time...) I see no need to visit the gym at this time, because I have developed very strong arm muscles simply by lugging his car seat around town...