Greetings-

My brain clicked on, so before I hopefully fall back asleep, I figured I would provide the ever curious with an update on th3 tods.

These days:

• Michaela is binkie free – daddy ripped it away and put gun range earmuffs on to deal with the hour long tantrum, but after distracting her she never looked back. Now she says ABCs all day long and strings together more words. She can also count to 10 with ease.

She is highly organized. She likes to collect things and cart them around, and arrange and stack stuff in orderly fashion with precision.

Michaela is going through a fashion phase where she puts on as many clothes as she can find. And she adores shoes when she has them on. It’s a nightmare getting them off of her! 

• Emma is still Emma. Still chatty, always practicing talking. She is capable of repeating big words clear as day. She’s the sensitive one of the group. She is our master pouter. Sometimes we tell her no, and she immediately pouts and brings on the water works. She doesn’t require as much discipline as the other two. She would have been a dream baby as a singleton. If I could sum her up with one word, it would be balanced. She is a beautiful little girl destined for great things I’m sure! Emma fancied the binkie on occasion at night to help her sleep, so when I ripped it away from Michaela, I had to secretly give it to Emma for 2 nights straight before she was done with it. Secretly was key because Michaela knows the sound of a binkie so I had to make sure I didn’t let any of the plastic handle touch other plastic – lol

• Christopher is really blossoming. He’s shed all his chub and is a very handsome boy now. He has developed a love of trucks and enjoys comforting his big sisters. I like that he is compassionate and thoughtful. He will do very well with the ladies as a result 😏. He loves to play with trucks these days. His vocabulary is improving now that he can string a few words together. Generally he is a shy boy. I’m guessing he will end up being over 6 feet tall given how long he is and how quickly he has grown. 
• We are essentially done with bottles. The girls don’t get them any more. Christopher only gets one in the morning. I will look for a sippy cup that allows him to lay back. Out of all the sippy cups we have go figure none accommodate his style in the morning lol. The bottle 🍼 warmer is on its last leg anyway and will be chucked when he’s done. Should be any day now lol
• Potty training has been going well…for the girls. It’s not a race, but Emma has nearly caught Michaela (48/43). I sit them on it first thing in the morning if I can get everything off them without causing a morning tantrum and keep them from walking around first thing and realizing they need to go. It’s been tough because they were all sick recently and we lost some momentum, plus phasing out the bottles meant I needed to adjust the morning routine a bit. Timing is the key but it’s still early so I don’t really get frustrated with them. Not too many poop on the finger offerings as of late, either, but I’m sure that phase will return lol. Christopher isn’t too interested at the moment. His count stands at 8. He cries when I put him on it, BUT he sits there the whole time at least. 
• The next big milestone will be the toddler beds. This will be challenging for sure. We deal with the standard night terrors with all 3, and there are some nights (fortunately it’s rare) when it’s hell on wheels, but we manage. We are getting the rooms in order for this important transition. They all still have the ability to wake one another up with the loud crying but sometimes one or more are able to sleep through it – it’s rare with these hardwood floors, though! 

The girls may end up sharing a room given the layout of this house. We have 4 bedrooms but the 4th bedroom is isolated from the other ones. The girls get along better now for the most part and seem to prefer to nap close together 

Are the twos terrible? What do you think? 😜 But imagine what ages 3 and 4 will be like with these three! If you’ve spent any time around them you know they pack a wallop now  – energy required! They’ll be talking clear as day by age 3 and 4 and have opinions and desires they will make known. And they’ll be eating even more! This isn’t easy, but it’s clear to me that we were chosen for this path. 

Up next, a trip to the Bay Area to see some good friends and have a play date. In the meantime, they will do what they do best – play hard! 

Best,

M.