YAY!

A friend of Lee's from work invited us to go out Saturday night! Finally, a night out with adults. Their daughter is going to keep the babies and Austin is staying with Grandma. They used cloth diapers on their kids, so I'm especially excited to show off my stash! I have no idea what we're going to do. A walk downtown and probably hit a bar or club. And I'm so nervous! It's not really my scene, and I certainly cannot dance, so the evening should be interesting. I'm sure Chloe will be fine, but I do worry about Will. He just isn't used to leaving Mommy.

On a different note, I've started altering our daily routine to match Austin's new school schedule. Now the babies can take a nap while he's at school, and be up in time to pick him up. Which saves me so much grief! Now if Chloe would just fall into place I'd be all set. However, this little princess has plans of her own. And none of them include sleep. One day I will sleep through the night again, completely uninterrupted. And it will be heaven. Until that day, my zombie-like state of grogginess- which happens to match my zombie-like complexion- will just have to suffice. I'm learning to function quite efficiently on a few short hours of sleep.

It's been too long

I can't believe it's been this long since I posted, things have just been crazy. The kids got sick (again), we're trying to get Austin ready for school and Lee is going back to school. We've had doctor visits and interviews. I've been exhausted. Now both babies have a bad rash I can't get rid of. First we thought it was yeast, but the treatment isn't helping. They're very uncomfortable :( So life has been a little hectic. Hopefully in the next few weeks things will settle down and life can return to somewhat normal.

My kids are so sweet!

Both babies were being extremely difficult tonight. FIghting sleep and screaming. I could take no more. I put Chloe in her crib and Beautiful in the big bed and left them to CIO while I made a bottle and snack. Suddenly they got VERY quiet. I sneak in, and Beautiful had gotten out of bed, sat next to the crib, turned on the crib gym music and was rubbing Chloe while "singing" her to sleep. Once he was satisfied she was asleep, he just walked back to his bed and layed down.

I sat there by the door trying not to cry loudly. He was so sweet! They are generally inseparable, so they always make each other happy. He was adorable trying to sing.

My Complete Stash

Sorry it's been so long

The past couple weeks have been so hectic! All three kids got sick, then the babies ended up with pneumonia. Not fun! Once we got them all better, Will got a pretty serious burn on his stomach. Also not fun. Lee was off work the last week for plant shut-down, so we've been having family time. We took the kids to the water park one day. They had a blast! I got started sewing some stuff, but haven't gotten much done since I haven't had time. Today I went out with my mom and sister. It was a nice girl's day out- without the kids! While shopping was very frustrating, it proved fruitful. I got some jeans and a couple shirts and new pair of shoes! I have yet to see an occasion to wear my new clothes, but the day will come! And, perhaps MY most exciting news, I finally got the rest of my cloth diaper order! YAY! My stash is finally complete! I am happy with it, though I'm planning on sending a few to fellow mom in need. We don't use them much anyway. Pics to follow, but that's the short version of the past two weeks.

I finally found ....

A website that sells Tomme Tippee bottles for a reasonable price! Chloe loves these bottles and they fit perfectly in her hand, but they are impossible to find. The few sites I've found them either don't have any in stock or the price is double! These are awesome bottles for breastfed babies as the nipple shape is closer to a mother's natural shape. They are super soft and don't bother when she's teething! The website has so many baby products, including my favorite gDiapers in color two packs and the hard-to-find pink ruffle. I'm officially addicted. My husband can't work the gDiapers though, so I think I'll order more bumgenius all-in-ones just for him. I'll try anything to get him to change a diaper!
I'm massively addicted and obsessed with cloth diapers. They're so cute, and there's so many styles to choose from! And I really like the fact that if I don't like it, I can sell it and I haven't lost a bunch of money- unlike the 30 opened packs of disposables! I hate seeing all that wasted money just sitting around.

For less exciting news, both boys are sick. Austin has an ear infection and Will has a cold. Austin will be better within a week, Will tends to stay sick for a while. He's been so cranky- the only thing that made him happy yesterday was sitting in top of the kitchen table eating grapes from a cup. He refused a plate, but the cup was fun! Hopefully all the kids will sleep better tonight- I'm exhausted! Chloe was up until 4am, and Will woke up at 6. Mommy needs a nap!

I've realized...

My kids have taken over my life. If I want to run to the store, I have to think if it's really worth getting three kids dressed, loaded, and unloaded then taking them in the store, repeat. I no longer think "What do I want for dinner?" anymore. It's turned into "What can I make for the kids?" And as I sit in my newly cleaned house, I realize they have taken over that too. My living room is a mass of baby products, my kitchen has transformed into baby-proof zone and I step over toys daily. I dream of what my living room will look like as my kids grow. No longer will there be two highchairs, a bouncer, a swing, a pack-n-play...soon these will be replaced with backpacks and school books, sneakers and gym bags, and crowded with friends. And when I think of teenagers taking over my house, I much prefer the baby things. Though I can't help but think how much space I'll have. There won't be an entire cabinet dedicated to bottles and baby food. There won't be a closet full of diapers and crib sheets. And, someday, there will no longer be three overflowing toy boxes. I don't want to rush the baby phase, and I try to enjoy every possible moment with my precious little ones, but my mind tends to wander. What will I do with my time when I'm not playing peek-a-boo and changing diapers all day? I suppose I will go back to work one day, but for now I'm enjoying my kids. Even if it means having a cluttered home.