Developing Nicely

Well, let's talk Bridget first. Bridget, Bridget, Bridget! "They" say that three is so much worse than two, and I'm thinking "they're" right. Bridget has quite an attitude. Whenever Shawn and I ask her to do something, she either says, "No", "I don't wanna," or "but". We're tired of hearing it! I mean, she'll be doing the potty dance, obviously needing to use the bathroom, and I'll ask her to go potty, and she'll say, "No, I don't have to go potty!" and work herself up into a tantrum. When she peed in the living room all over her Lego plate and lap desk, I had enough.

So I went to the Supernanny website and downloaded a reward chart. It's really cute with a pirate theme. (There were 3 themes available for download.) I got it laminated, added some velcro dots so that the Pirate could make it to his ship, and Shawn and I explained the chart to Bridget. Every time she does what we ask her to do without arguing or throwing a tantrum, the pirate moves up one space. After 10 moves, she gets a reward. We get to choose the reward. It could be a treat, tv time, a story (right away, b/c she's always having to wait for us to finish up with the babies before we can read to her), arts & crafts time, etc. She has been doing great! No tantrums since starting the chart.

Next, Shawn and I were tired of battling with her in the morning with every little thing, so I also made the "Morning and Night Routines" chart. Pretty simple. Just 6 things that have to be done when she wakes up and 6 things to do before bed. Each time she finishes a task, she puts a card on the chart. Finishing morning tasks earns her 30 minutes of tv time, and finishing night routines earns her an extra bedtime story. She especially loves the extra story! Since instituting the charts, we've had tantrum-free mornings and evenings! So Yeay Bridget!

On to the threesome.

Holly Dolly is such a skinny Minnie. She is eating well, she spits up the least and she hates the baby Zantac the most. Her eyes are an amazing shade of blue, and they are so big and round. When she smiles, she has this little half-smile toothless grin that melts your heart! If you put her under one of those activity gyms, she'll bat her hands at the toys, and even kick her feet at the toys. She'll probably be the first to roll over from her front to back. She's almost there. She has the momentum and the strength. She just needs to get her arm up over her head. When she is laying in your arms, she'll actually do a sit-up and let you know, "hey! I want to sit up and see the world!"

Mr. Liam is our solid boy. His head is SO much bigger than his sisters'. He eats the most and fusses the least. It doesn't take much to make him smile. He too has a precious smile that will melt your heart. He's starting to play with toys. He likes to watch tv. (oh no!) I played a Baby Einstein DVD for him awhile ago, and he followed the shapes and figures and smiled and cooed. When he gets sad, he makes the saddest face with his bottom lip sticking out. He loves being held by anyone who will hold him. I haven't seen Liam trying to roll over yet.

Little Miss Megan is such a little chubs. She's got enough leg rolls to go around. She has been having the most trouble with reflux, some days soaking through several outfits. She'll spit up right after feeding all the way until the next feeding. We tried switching her to soy formula and that helped a bit. I've been pretty much nursing only her for the past 4 days and that seems to help her tummy the most. She can't hold her head as still as Liam and Holly, but she's got great arm strength. She can push herself up when on her tummy. She too is trying to roll over but hasn't gotten as far as Holly. Her eyes are a deep blue now and I think they'll end up turning brown. Her eyelashes have grown in and darkened up and luckily she got her daddy's long lashes. It wouldn't be an update on Megan if I didn't mention her incredibly loud, obnoxious and annoying cry. I can definitely do without that!

As for Shawn and I. I think Shawn is getting cabin fever. He'll get out to meet his friend for lunch, and he bowls once a week and he's good for miscellaneous errands, but most of the time he's stuck inside. I'm getting out as much as I can, and I really try to get out of the house after dinner for the sake of my sanity. When I do go out, I'm usually in the car, enjoying the silence- no radio on! Even if its a quick jaunt out to pick up a few items at the store, being away for even 20-30 minutes does wonders for my soul.

I've also joined a MOM group (mothers of multiples). I've only been to one meeting, but I think I'll enjoy it. The gals recommended a quad stroller to me, and I think that's going to be the stroller we end up with. One lady said that a triple stroller is just too long, too bulky to fit in your minivan and even if Bridget won't sit in the fourth seat, we'll use the fourth seat for the diaper bag and/or other baby stuff. Once we get the stroller it's off to the zoo for me! I can't wait! Now if only spring would get here!

I was hoping to post some new photos but my SD card is flaking out. I tried to import 538 photos today and iPhoto tells me there were errors in 538 files! I really hope I didn't lose all those photos. I'm waiting for the camera batteries to recharge, then I'll try to import the photos again, and hopefully all will go well...if you see photos at the top of this post, then I will have figured it out. Wish me luck!