1, 2, 8, 11, or "Weird Things My Kids Say and Do"

Having a houseful of babies and toddlers is taxing.  But it's also decidedly funny.  Here are a few examples of the weirdness going on in our home right now:

1.  Counting.  For some unknown reason, when the kids count out loud they say, "1, 2, 8, 11".   From time to time they get the numbers correct, but inevitably it all comes back to 1, 2, 8, 11. We'll even be out somewhere and Daniel will randomly blurt out, "1, 2, 8, 11!".  Always 1, 2, 8, 11.

2.  Naked Running.  Ok, so the parents mom started this one.  But it's part of our Bedtime Routine and I'm not touching it.  Our kids go to bed very easily without crying, and I'm sure Naked Running has something to do with it.  The routine is: get undressed, run naked through the house, put pj's on, stories, prayers, and bed.  You leave out the Naked Running and everything else falls apart.  (Clarification:  No adults have ever, or ever will, run naked through our house.  The KIDS do the naked running!)

3.  Spicy Shoes.  Last Sunday on the way to church Joe informed us he had his "Spicy Shoes" on.  Then everyone had to have their "Spicy Shoes" on.  Still trying to figure that one out.

4.  Mommy, ask question.  Joe started this as a delay tactic at naptime.  He'd try to ask as many questions as possible so I had to start limiting it to one.  Not really too strange, until Dan picked up on it and Dan doesn't get what a question is.  So he'll say, "Mommy, ask question."  Then he pauses for a few seconds and looks around trying to think of something to say.  Then he just states a random fact such as "Like screwdrivers" or "Diego over" when we haven't even been watching TV. 

Look for "Weird Things My Kids Say and Do, Part II" in the near future . . . !

Naptime Readers

A few minutes after I put the kids down for afternoon naps, I usually sneak back upstairs to spy on them.  This is what I saw today:

Oh how I love it!

Even Mikea appeared to have been reading. (Not that she doesn't like books, it's just that lately she's been sneaking all kinds of toys into her bed during naptime.)

But then I noticed something curled up in her hand:

Not loving that.

Early Literacy

I don't like the baby to be out of my sight when the big kids are up and about. It's not that I don't trust them . . . well, yes it is because I don't trust them. They wouldn't intentially harm him, they just don't understand that infants can't eat goldfish crackers and don't want to play with big kid toys. But the other day I just had to get some laundry put into the dryer. Mind you, it's not like the laundry area is even really a separate room. There's no door and it's only about 10 feet from the living room. I was gone for less than a minute, but when I returned to the living room I found this:
You've got to love their intentions!

The Impossible

Getting a picture with all three kids looking at the camera and with their eyes open is next to impossible. So this picture is a rare gem indeed:Each time we come home from somewhere the kids now have the ritual of sitting by the front door while they wait for us to get the baby and multiple diaper bags, shopping bags, and whatever else is still loaded in the van. I've tried countless time to get a picture and yesterday was the first time I succeeded. Can't wait to try it with all four!

The Little Mother

Mikea is already practicing for the day when she has 500 babies of her own. Yesterday she figured out how to carry two babies at once. The baby on her back is tucked into her shirt. (Several weeks ago we saw a monkey on TV carrying a baby on her back and Mikea and Joe both wanted to try it.) I don't know about feeding a baby with a screwdriver, but you have to give Mikea credit for multi-tasking. (By the way, it is an extremely realistic-looking TOY screwdriver for those of you questioning my parenting choices right now!) :)

Better than New

Dan's procedure went smoothly Friday morning. We went to the hospital at 6:30 and were home by 9:45. After his ID bracelets were attached he kept holding out his arm as if he couldn't use it. He even tried holding and reading a book with one had. It was too funny.

When Dan woke up from the anesthesia he was quite the grouch. He was crying and kicking and hitting and demanding more juice every time he finished a cup. Poor little guy. I didn't want to give him too much because the anesthesiologist said he might throw up, but the nurses kept bringing me more. I think they wanted him to stop screaming and for us to leave. But once I got him dressed and he understood we were leaving the hospital he calmed down.

Now he's on the mend with the assistance of some pain meds and should be better than new in a few days!

What Did You Just Say?

If you visit our household on any given day, you'll probably hear the words "no" and "mine" more than you thought possible. It was over a year ago that Joe's speech therapist taught him to say (or sign) the word "mine", and I guess it's no surprise that Dan and Kiki learned quickly what a useful word it is.

They use other words of course, like water, ball, doggie, etc. But lately I have been amazed at some other words they are starting to use. With Daniel, it was when he said "animal" at the beach. Dan is the least talkative of the three, so that's why it was such a surprise to us. Fortunately he doesn't seem to have the same issues Joe does with forming letter sounds, so we think he's just naturally quiet.

Joe's expressive vocabulary is really starting to take off. He'll attempt just about any word you ask him to say and last week he said his first two -word phrases "Kiki plate" and "Joe big". On Saturday he was playing with a plastic container with a flip top lid. He kept saying "ma-naise" over and over, until it dawned on me he was saying "mayonnaise". The container was an old mayonnaise container. The funny thing is, I don't remember calling it that. Maybe once or twice. It's certainly not a word I use every day.

Last night as we were getting ready for bed, Kiki pointed to my shirt and said "a-mo". It sounded very similar to how the kids pronounce "animal" and "Elmo", but there were no pictures of animals or Elmo on my shirt. What was on my shirt? The Alamo. Here's one more little funny story about Kiki. I am trying to teach the kids to say "excuse me" when they pass gas. The other day when this happened, Kiki got a little excited and confused and instead of saying "excuse me" she said "choo-choo!"

The great thing is that they all seem to be learning from each other. I can't wait until they start having conversations with each other. I can only imagine how funny it will be.

Finally, this picture has nothing to do with this post, but I think it's adorable and who couldn't use a little adorable on a Monday morning?

Craft Day

Yesterday I was feeling guilty about not doing enough art activities with the kiddos so I took a deep breath and brought out the paint. Joe did a great job and was remarkably conscientious about not getting paint here, there, and everywhere. (He has an odd tendency towards neatness. Odd to me, at least.)To be expected, the other two were more interested in playing with the paint than actually painting.

Kiki was likewise covered in green and blue paint.

In the afternoon we made lion masks:

Hmmm, so they look more like tigers. . . oh well. Dan and Kiki weren't really able to do much by themselves and somehow I ended up covered in glue when we finished, but they all had fun and that was the point!

Clothes Capers

It seems like every time I go to get the kiddos up from nap I have a surprise waiting for me. Last week it was Dan's crib pushed across the room and earlier this week I found Joe trying to climb into Kiki's crib (I think he learned his lesson because his leg got stuck between the slats and he had to be rescued).

The surprises also take the form of wardrobe malfunctions. Take Dan, for instance:


He's smiling for the picture, but he was near hysterical when I discovered him this way in his crib. The shirt was so twisted it was stuck and he could hardly move his arms.

Joe has also had some wardrobe mishaps of his own. This is what I found after nap on Tuesday:

Like Dan, he was also crying because he couldn't get the dress off by himself. I'm impressed he was able to even get it on. This incident led to our first discussion on gender-appropriate attire.

Kiki has clothing issues as well. But hers involve taking off her shorts and diaper and running around bare-bottomed; therefore, no pictures! :)

Life With 500 Toddlers

Life with our children continues to get more exciting by the day. Earlier this week Dan and Kiki decided to redecorate their windowsill and wall with orange marker and pen. Joe never did anything like that when he was their age. However . . .

Yesterday when I went to get the kids up from their naps this is what I found:

You are correct if you're thinking that doesn't look like the best place for Daniel's crib. Joe, who usually is very good about staying in his bed, decided to rearrange the furniture and took Dan along for the ride. I could tell by the laughter coming from the room that they all thought it was great fun.

And of course, they are fascinated by toilets:
So far all they like to do is watch it flush, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time before we have to call the plumber.

And while most days I have moments where I just want to run away from the screeching and screaming and fighting, every single day is also overflowing with laughter and joy and silliness and love. I am still awe-struck at the gift God has given us in these three beautiful children!

All Hail the Sprinkler

I have no idea what they were doing, but the other day when we let the kids play in the sprinkler all they wanted to do was hold golf clubs and bubble wands towards it as if it were some magical force. They refused to run through it even though we showed them how.

One Night, Two Kids, Two Visits to the ER

The title says it all and I'm so tired I don't even know if I can tell the story but it's a pretty good one so here goes:

Midday Sunday in the midst of dealing with Joe's sudden illness, Billy noticed "something" in Kiki's nose. I couldn't tell what it was, but Billy eventually figured out it was a piece of foam from a book we had given the kids for Easter. She had been chewing on the book as usual and apparently bit off a chunk and decided to store it in her nostril. We tried everything we could think of to get it out, but it was pretty far up there and Kiki soon had enough of us holding her down and would cry so much we were afraid the foam would get sucked higher. It didn't seem to be bothering her and her breathing was fine, so we decided to wait and see. By Monday morning it was still exactly where it was the day before so Billy made an appointment to take her to the doctor. Her doctor said he did not want to try to get it out and referred Kiki to the ER. A few hours later they were finally able to see the ER doctor who only took 10 seconds to extract the foam from Kiki's nose. Now here's the good part: If you've been around Kiki any length of time, you know that her favorite word is "up". Up, up, up, she always wants to be picked up. In fact, as Billy was laying her down on the hospital bed she kept saying "up". Here is the piece of foam that was stuck in her nose:

Yes, it says "up". Actually it is the middle of the word "puppies", but still. Her favorite word.

By the time Billy and Kiki got home it was almost 10:00. I had been home with Joe and Daniel, and Joe's fever was rising despite the Tylenol I had given him. He was still not keeping anything down and seemed to be growing more weak and lethargic. We decided it would be best to take him to the ER rather than waiting until the morning. Since Billy had already done ER duty once that night, I knew I had to be the one to take Joe. Long story short, he was diagnosed with an ear infection and another four hours later we were home. The doctor seemed amused that we were the same family that had been in earlier.

Not wanting to be left out, Daniel took it upon himself to vomit in his crib last night and fill his diaper with diarrhea. Right now he and Kiki are fighting and screaming at the top of their lungs. Joe is spending his morning on the potty chair and I am just trying to keep up with the dirty laundry and keep it together until reinforcements arrive. Or at least until nap time and I can take a breath.

Little Green Guy

A leprechaun arrived early at our house this morning. I'm going to try to keep him around until tomorrow. He's kinda slippery, though.

Drama at the Dentist

Over Spring Break all three kids had check-ups at the dentist. (Thanks to Aunt Kellie and Melissa, I stayed home and enjoyed some quiet time alone.) From what I understand, Joe was very cooperative during his examination, which didn't surprise me because he always earns praise from his doctor during medical visits. Dan was a little frightened, but followed directions and did a great job as well.

Then it was Kiki's turn. Dear little Kiki. Apparently she clamped her mouth shut and refused to open it. After the dentist pried it open, Kiki used her tongue to block the dentist from getting her fingers into her mouth.

The dentist said she had never seen a child do that before. And that doesn't really surprise me.

Rash Wednesday

Just when I thought this house was finally rid of the various sicknesses that we've endured during the entire month of February, Joe has broken out into an ominous-looking rash. It started on his face a couple of days ago, but I thought it was just dry skin. We had ventured out to the rodeo last Friday night, where there was a chilly wind and dust blowing around, and I thought that probably caused the redness on his face. But today the ECI lady noticed Joe had little bumps all over his belly. She cancelled the visit and suggested we take him to the doctor. I can't get him in until tomorrow, and in the meantime I hope it doesn't spread to the others.

Listening To Her Conscience

Several weeks ago while we were visiting my parents, my mom observed Kiki reaching up to grab an object from the window sill and then quickly turning to see if the rest of us were watching. My mother remarked, "That little girl's got a conscience, but she's not listening to it!" It was a funny moment, and there have been many times since where Kiki deliberately does something she knows she's not supposed to do, looks at me, and then laughs deviously.

But recently Kiki has been showing signs that she's starting to listen to the voice in her head. The other day she became angry because Daniel had a toy she wanted. Kiki bit down hard on a pillow and raised her hand to hit Joe (the hapless victim who happened to be closer to her than Daniel). But instead of hitting him, Kiki hesitated, looked at me, and said, "No!". She then gave Joe a hug instead of a smack. Imagine that!

A New Game

Since playing "Mystery Baby" was so outrageously fun, let's play "Mystery Substances on Daniel's Face"!

Ready? Let's begin.

Our first substance is a blue, somewhat trasparent material:

If you guessed "markers", give yourself one point. If you guessed "Crayola Beginnings Markers, Baby Blue" give yourself an extra bonus point.

Ok, on to substance #2: Pinkish chunks of color layered on top of the blue marker. Hint: The material is waxy.

The correct answer is: "crayon".

On to Substance #3: No hints on this one.

Yes, it's Play-Doh. Yes, it also ended up in Dan's mouth.

How'd you do? The point is to illustrate the hazards in doing arts and crafts with the kids. Dan and Kiki eat EVERYTHING. Joe loves to do "projects", and the other kids are old enough to want to join in, yet too little to handle the materials properly.

Finally, Dan asked that I include one more question in the game. It's not a mystery substance, but a mystery character. Who is he impersonating in this picture taken last year?

The correct answer is: Harry Potter. Thanks for playing!

Super Sick Sunday

Little Kiki developed a runny nose, cough, and fever this past Friday. We attempted to call her doctor Friday afternoon, but the phone number we had no longer worked and Information had no listing under the doctor's name or the clinic name. Weird. The acetaminophen we had been giving her finally started to work, but her temperature was over 103 again this morning. So at 8:30 Billy took her to the ER where she was evaluated and given medicine for her cough and congestion and an antibiotic.

For these past three days Kiki has wanted nothing but to rest and be held, until finally this evening she perked up and started to play. She even danced to the music during the Kitty Half Time Show of the Puppy Bowl (I am not a Bruce Springsteen Fan so I switched to Animal Planet during half time of the Super Bowl.)

It hasn't helped that I've been sick as well, mostly with a hacking cough that forces me to sleep sitting up at night. Not too fun. Fortunately God blessed me with a wonderful husband who not only took Kiki to the ER, but got up with her several times Friday and Saturday night, brought his sick grandmother soup and medicine on Saturday, made sure I had the medicine I needed, and took care of those other two little kids running around this house. I'm on my own tomorrow, but at least I've been able to get some rest this weekend.

New Skills

Yesterday I needed a quick distraction for the kids so I could get started on supper. So I tossed a doll and a diaper to each child and informed them their babies needed a diaper change. I've done this before with Joe and it's hilarious to watch him attempt to put the diaper on the doll.

Imagine my surprise when about 5 minutes later Joe brings his doll to me with the diaper put on correctly, sticky tabs and all!

Other than pinning the doll's arms to her body with the diaper, everything else was positioned correctly. I will be sure to tuck this memory away to let Joe's future wife know he mastered this skill at age 2 and will have no excuse for not helping to change his own children's diapers.

A "Normal" Life

Life almost seems normal around here these days. My memories of life a year ago are a blur, not only because of the day-to-day care of a 16-month-old and two infants, but because of the endless doctor visits (for shots, sickness, and pink eye), ECI visits for Joe and Daniel, CPS case worker visits for all three, CASA worker visits for Kiki, visits from our case manager, and taking Kiki to see her mother. We still have people coming over every week, but not nearly as often as before.

So now you are wondering, "What do they do with the extra time?"

Well, we wear bowls on our heads:

We help make coffee:

We clean the floor:

We dance on the table:

And sometimes we have to go to Time-Out:

All perfectly normal, typical activities in our household.