Maine

We have spent the past week in Maine at the beach. I have been spending a summer week or two in Maine since I was born as did my father when he was a child. His family would pack up their car and make the 5 hour trek on a single lane road to an island at Robinhood Point. There they would spend the entire summer and my father would roam the island by himself (he was around 5 or 6 at the time)! Since the boys turned three in June, I figured this would be the start of them really remembering things from their childhood and I wanted to share my summertime memories with them. Like walking down the beach to the jette in search of little crabs to trap in a sand pail. Or going to the Scoop Deck for ice cream as we ran for the door to escape all the mosquitoes. And visiting the York Wild Animal Farm (which seemed larger and much more exotic to me then than it does now).

The weather could have been better but the boys didn't mind. As long as it wasn't raining, they wanted to be at the beach "kicking the waves" as Aidan says.

And Gavin spent the whole week snubbing me and being a total Daddy's boy. One day we went to our favorite fish store to get take out. We had called ahead so we figured I could just hop out and get our order so we wouldn't have to take the kids out of their carseats, etc. Well, the order wasn't quite ready and when I came out the door, I could hear Gavin screeching from the car. I asked Sean what the heck was wrong with him and he said "He told me to leave you at the fish store and just drive back to the beach house." This became the theme of the week as he wanted to leave me everywhere we went from then on. Gee, thanks Gavin. Also, on the beach I could not get a decent picture of him because he refused to look at me. And when he did look at me, I got the 'What are you doing here' look.

This was Ciara's first Maine vacation and she couldn't have loved it more. I remember when the boys were her age on their first vacation. They touched the sand with their hands and immediately pulled them back, a look of disgust on their face. "You expect me to sit on this?" it seemed to say. Not Ciara. She had just started really toddling a few days before we left and as soon as you put her down on the sand and she got her footing, she was off for the water's edge.As I mentioned, the weather was not the best. When the sun is out in Maine, it is absolutely beautiful. Sun shimmering on the water, gentle ocean breezes and warm sand between your toes. But if it is overcast and rainy, it is the dreariest place on earth. Cold, damp, raw. But, again, the kids didn't mind and even ran through the water one day, sweatshirts and all.

As much as the boys loved the beach, they loved having their cousins downstairs just as much. Every morning, they were chomping at the bit to go down and see them. But usually before we got the chance to get them dressed and go down, my niece and nephew were already knocking on our door eager to see the boys and Ciara. My niece is at the age where she just loves babies and she couldn't get enough of Ciara. It was great having playmates there for the boys and they all loved spending timeon the beach together.

As we pulled out of the driveway of the cottage, Gavin was wailing about wanting to stay at "the beach house". He cried a good 30 minutes and finally fell asleep for the rest of the ride home. Aidan, on the other hand, liked his vacation well enough but was ready to go home to his own stuff and veg out on his favorite chair.

I wonder what next year will bring...

Random things they say...

I wanted to write some of these things down before I forget them. They say so many things during the day that make me stop and say "I have got to remember this".

This morning Aidan and Gavin asked for a snack and chose raisins. Now, I know Gavin does not like raisins but he insisted that is what he wanted. So Aidan finds Gavin's box of raisins and I overhear the following conversation:

A: Gavin, here's your box of raisins.
G: I don't want it. You can have it.
A: No, I have my own box.
G: I don't want them.
A: What should we do with them?
G: Give them to Mummy. Mummy will eat them.

Alright, that isn't that funny but I am constantly amazed that they are actually having their own little conversations. They are getting so big.
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Yesterday, Aidan wanted more milk so he follows me around asking for it. It was near nap and he was tired and I was flipping through the mail before going to get his milk. He kept saying "Can I have more milk please?" and I absent-mindedly said "Yes, yes...just a second" and then he says to me "Sir? Sir, can I have more?" Where the heck did that come from?
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Ciara was up in her crib fussing before falling asleep for her morning nap. Aidan comes up to me and tells me that Ciara is crying as if I couldn't hear her. I said "She is just trying to fall asleep". He said "No she is saying (changes his voice to a high pitch) 'I don't want to go to sleep. I want to play with my brothers.' Cute.
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This one is kind of mean of me...the boys have this cheetah mask and I put it on today and snuck up behind Aidan and tapped him on the shoulder. When he turned around, he starteld a little bit but then laughed. The next thing I know I am in the kitchen and Aidan comes out with the mask. I ask what he is doing and he said "I am putting this in the trash so you won't scare me anymore". Can you tell I've done it more than once?

So there you have it...a couple of vignettes more for my memory than for your reading enjoyment I suppose. I am afraid I am going to forget all these cute, funny little stories and I won't recall how they were as small children. Does every mother have this fear or am I the only loon?

Mama!

Ciara has been saying Mama for a few months now. In the very beginning I wasn't sure she really meant me or if it was just that pre-speech babble. Then my brother was holding her and I walked by and she most definitely looked at me and said "Mama!". So now, Mama is just about all she says. All day. Every day. In different tones and inflections to get her point across.

In the morning, she happily babbles and plays in her crib for about 30 minutes: Mamamamamama (I just woke up and am happy right now). Then she questions: Mama? Maaaamaaaa? (Are you there? Are you going to come get me anytime soon?) Then demands: Mama! MaMA! MAMA!!! (I am ready to get out of here now!)

When I leave the room while she is playing with her brothers and she suddenly realizes I am gone she crawls to find me all the while saying "Mama...maamaa...". When she is tired she crawls up to my leg and lifts her arms up to be cuddled. "Mama". The best is when I return from an errand and she has been with her grandparents. I walk through the door and call out "Hello?" and she makes a beeline for the front door with a huge grin on her face and a happy "Mama!!".

Perhaps the funniest though, is when her daddy gets home and walks in the front door. She crawls right over to him and gives him a big smile and says "Mama?". We're working on that one.

Any reservations about preschool are gone, gone, gone

I have been feeling melancholy the past few months because I registered the boys for preschool in May. Where did my baby boys go? I dragged my feet sending in the first tuition payment while I made up my mind. Did I really want to send them off into the world? Did I really want their world to expand beyond "Mommy"? In May I was teetering back and forth. Maybe I'll just keep them home, I thought. But then I finally just sent in the payment so there was no going back. And boy, am I glad I did. My boys have turned into small Napoleans since they have turned three. Manners that I used to pride myself on have gone out the window only to be replaced by demands. "Get me a juice box." "I want more crackers." and the worst "Gimme it!". I am shocked and appalled. And looking forward to shipping them out two days a week. I can now spend a little quality time with Ciara who cannot talk back to me...yet.

My son, the ar-teest

For the past several months, Aidan has found joy in sitting at his table for upwards of an hour (amazing for Mr. Short Attention span) coloring with crayons and markers. My sister pounced on this and bought the boys all kinds of art supplies for their birthday. A whole Rubbermaid tub full in fact. She herself is an artist and so I think she is trying to foster their creativity in a way our mom never fostered hers. Nothing against my mom, of course, but she had her own issues with self-esteem which she passed on to pretty much all of her 4 kids. Even if we were really good at something (like my sister and her art) she never really encourtaged it. But, I digress...

So, in this box was stickers, pom-poms, finger paint, crayons, markers, glue sticks, and paper. Oh, the paper. She bought them "real" artist sketch pads in a few different sizes. When I protested that those were too nice for them to just scribble in and fill up in a day or two, my sister shushed me and said she got them at a discount art supply store. Well, ok then. But now, those are the only things that Aidan wants to color in. He even uses the term sketch pad. "Mummy, where is my sketch pad?" I have tried substituting some little pads of paper I have found here and there but, no. He must have a sketch pad. So now almost every week we make a trip to Michael's to buy him and his brother (who really doesn't care what kind of paper he draws on but must have exactly what his brother has) the smallest sketch pads they make because those are the size Aidan prefers. And they must be the exact ones that Auntie got him. I am now coveting those 40% coupons you get in the mail every week for Michael's and I have my parents and in-laws on the look out for theirs.

Got any to spare? lol

Because every girl should have a few dolls

Or six. Or 7 if you count the "authentic" Irish ragdoll Ciara got for her birthday (which I think was quite expensive so it will probably sit on a shelf until she is 12). I bought Ciara a soft, plush doll for her first Christmas. The boys then gave her their doll that I had bought for them. Ciara happily chewed on the doll's extremities and the boys were excited that she clearly enjoyed their gift. Then, my 8 year old niece came to Ciara's party on Saturday with her arms full of 4 baby dolls she doesn't play with any more and was passing on to her.

I had a feeling my house would be overrun with dolls. I just didn't realize it would be so soon.

Birthday Cupcake

Good to the very last drop!

One

My baby girl turns one today! How is it possible that exactly one year ago today she lay in her hospital bassinet sleeping, oblivious to most everything around her and now she is taking first steps, saying first words and charming the pants off of us every day?

In Aidan and Gavin's birthday post, I explained how my pregnancy with them was very special for different reasons than Ciara's. That is because Ciara's happened naturally, all on its own, without any medical intervention. I will never forget how worried I was that we would have trouble conceiving again and I was in such a rush to do it. I was on a biological timetable because of these weird cysts I get on my ovaries. It was a strong possibility that these cysts could comeon and I would lose one or both ovaries.

So, when the boys were about 7 months old, I got pregnant and had a miscarriage. That at least gave us hope that we could conceive on our own. But, after another 9 months of trying and no pregnancy, we headed back to our fertility doctor. When we met with him I remember saying how I didn't feel our family was complete and we wanted to try again. He said "Well, if you have another set of twins, will your family be complete?". I was kind of annoyed at that comment. As if he were saying I should be happy with the two beautiful boys I had and be content with that. Well, of course I was happy with my boys but I also felt that our family was missing someone. I can't explain it--just a feeling of not being "done". We left there and I was feeling kind of down. Little did I know that the whole time I was sitting discussing all the medications I would need to take again to get pregnant, I already was! We found out the next week that we were expecting again and the rest is......Ciara. lol

Happy Birthday!!

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First steps

Ciara took her first steps today! She's been standing for a couple of weeks now and last week started to put one foot forward but would promptly fall down. This afternoon, my sister put her down and I called to her with my arms open and she took about 4 steps over to me! She had the funniest look on her face almost like she had no idea what she was doing or how to stop. We tried to get her to do it again while I had the camcorder out but of course she wouldn't. Think she'll be walking by Wednesday?

Daddy's on bacation

This week Daddy is on bacation as the boys call it. They are so thrilled to have him home and every day when we wake up Gavin says "You think you're staying home today?". He is becoming a Daddy's boy.

On Monday, we visited a zoo about an hour west of Boston. They boys really had a good time and it was set up nicely where you could see some animals, then maybe do a little rest stop, see more animals and then play on the playground, see some more animals...you get the idea. We spent about 3 hours there and all three kids did great until the very end when Gavin started to melt down because he wanted to be carried and not ride inthe cart we spent $8 to tote them around in. All in all, a good day.

Tuesday we took a ride up to Maine and went to the beach. I hate going to the beach unless we are staying there (which we will be doing for a week in August). I just hate feeling all gritty and sticky and having to drive home that way. The first beach we stopped at was packed because it was high tide and everyone was crammed on the small strip of dry sand as far as we could see in either direction. So after changing everyone, packing up the carriage, slathering with sunscreen we spent about 10 minutes there and decided to drive a little further to another beach. The boys freaked because they thought we were leaving, Ciara was a little cranky because she was hungry and I was a little cranky because all the kids were. So we decided to have lunch first and then hit the beach. We went to a little take-out place that also has tables. We all had seafood of some sort and Aidan snagged some of my shrimp again. Then he gets up, squats down and says "The pee is on my leg!" He had a swim diaper on and peed and evidently they do not hold a lot of moisture (which defeats the purpose of "swim" diapers, no?). Thank goodness no one else heard. So we finally got to the beach about 2:15 (after leaving the house at 10:30) and we left at 3:05. It was more me than the kids who wanted to leave, really. Ciara wanted to be held and she was all sandy and gross and getting me all sandy and gross so we announced the beach was closing and that was that. The boys had a blast in the water, though, and I can't wait to spend a whole week up there!

Which brings us to today. We went to the New England Aqaurium which was a total waste of time and money. Again, it was packed and Aidan was really bored. Gavin loved looking at the fish in the humongous tank which is the center of the aquarium but Aidan was freaked out. It was kind of funny, actually. I think the highlight of the outing was the giftshop. We then decided to go to lunch and take the boys to a "real" restaurant. They were excited to go but when we were almost there, Gavin started complaining his belly hurt and kind of crying. Next thing we knew, he threw up. First time ever in his little life, poor kid. I think it was a combination of the heat, not eating, sucking down a juice box and then getting in the car. After he did it, he was fine but we didn't risk the restaurant. We just came home.

And tomorrow is Thursday...I think we need a rest-at-home day to recover from this bacation so far.

Champagne taste on a beer budget

Yesterday, my mom and I took a ride with the kids up to Essex to get fried clams. Yummm. We do this a few times during the summer and everyone enjoys it. Aidan and Gavin eat fish and chips just like on one of their shows, Balamory. And, Ciara had her first taste of fish yesterday but she didn't seem as thrilled with it as her brothers.

So, we get the boys their fish and my mother and I get a fried clam plate and a shrimp plate which comes with french fries and onion rings. Aidan loves onion rings and so he reached over and grabbed one. Or so he thought...it was actually a fried clam. Before I could say anything, he popped it into his mouth at which point I expected him to spit it right back out. But he ate it. And then said "Mmmmm." and reached out and grabbed another. This from the boy who basically lives on hot dogs, tater tots and fish sticks. Then he reaches over and takes a shrimp off the plate and eats that, too! I just cannot believe my eyes. My mother and I were just staring at each other as he continued to pop fried clams and shrimp in his mouth as if he were eating popcorn. Even Gavin, the boy who eats everything, wouldn't try it.

So now that he eats them, is he going to ask for them when we go to the fish store? I don't even think I knew what a fried clam was until I was a teenager and even then, my parents wouldn't let me order it in a restaurant in case I wasted them. I mean, right now a fried clam plate in New England is about $18 (!) while a clam roll is about $12. Um, I don't think so. Aidan can stick to fish or hot dogs and can skim the occasional clam off his mom's plate.

Oh, the heat

It is so freaking hot here. There are all sorts of heat advisories right now to just stay inside and not venture out as the air quality is so poor. But guess where I was today in the height of the heat? Yup. Target. Yes, yes, I know....my mother already called and left a message on my machine: "Where can you possibly be in this heat? I hope you don't have those kids outside..." But I had to go to Target because guess who was found at the top of the kitchen stairs (aka The Stairs of Death because they are kind of unfinished) eating a nugget of cat food? Little Miss Ciara. Yes, that's right. She is now fully mobile AND climbing up stairs. All my other baby gates are in use so I had to go out to get one more for those awful stairs in the kitchen. And the kicker? They didn't have the kind of gate I wanted after schlepping the kids in the car in 95 degree heat. Stupid Target.

Oh, and we are supposed to get horrible thunderstorms when the cool front moves in later today. Gavin is going to be petrified. Poor guy.

Look at those legs!

I must now admit that, yes indeed, Ciara is a chubby baby. I have been denying it for some time now. Why, I don't know. I guess I envisioned myself with a petite little girl. Not that being a chubby baby is a bad thing. In fact, I think that is a pre-requisite to being a baby. lol

Intelligence

I have all three kids signed up with Harvard University's Lab for Developmental Studies. From time to time, they call when they are doing studies that fit my kids' ages and I bring them in for a "game" and then they get a prize. No big deal, but I just thought it would be interesting. So we all went yesterday and they were doing a study with Aidan and Gavin's age about counting objects. It is difficult to explain so I won't, lol. But they told me that the whole thing would last about 20 minutes or "until the child got bored". So, Aidan was up first and he lasted about 8 minutes. He was not answering their questions, he was crawling under the table looking for more animals (they were using small animal finger puppets in the study), he was looking at the Winnie the Pooh figures on the wall. It was actually kind of funny and I was chuckling to myself the whole time but also a little embarrassed. Now Gavin on the other hand, was a whole different story. He sat, listened to what the woman was asking him and pretty much stayed on task for about 20 minutes. At one point he was touching each animal and counting which is a skill that even some of my previous kindergarten students could not do. (I believe one-to-one correspondence comes around age 4 or 5). At another point during the task, he was humming Mozart while placing the finger puppets in a box. (Thank you Little Einsteins!) When we were walking out of the room, the woman running the study told me she thought he was advanced. I agreed that I thought what I saw in there was advanced too, but that I was his mother so of course I would think that.

I was thinking more about it on the way home. More specifically I was thinking about Aidan and how he had the attention span of a flea for that particular task. I was also thinking about how other people may view him based solely on a performance one specific time (such as the woman and this task). With Aidan, if it does not interest him then he will not even try to perform any sort of task. But, if the task does interest him then he will sit and be engaged for up to 30 or 40 minutes. And so now I am worried that when he gets to school, his teachers are not going to view him as "smart" in the traditional sense. I am not saying that Aidan is not smart. Not at all. He is very smart in certain areas. He has a great vocabulary and is into art and music (he also hums classical music like his brother). But ask him his letters and numbers and sometimes he won't even answer me. It is almost like he couldn't be bothered, he has other things to do.

There is a great book called 7 Kinds of Smart by Thomas Armstrong which talks about multiple intelligences. The book is divided into chapters such as "Music Smart", "Word Smart" and "Picture Smart" and as the names imply, discuss the many facets of intelligence within these categories. I had to read it in college while student teaching and I hope it is still on the course booklists.

And I hope Aidan and Gavin's future teachers have read it.

A scene from Sixth Sense

Gavin scared the crap out of me (again) today. Some background: About a year ago, Gavin had come out of his bedroom, looked up to the third floor, raised his hand and said "Hi". I looked and no one was there. Also, the psychic I visited recently strongly feels there are spirits here.
Back to today:

We are playing up in the playroom on the third floor. All of us plus the dog. Ciara is playing with her toys, Aidan is playing with a car and Gavin is building with blocks. Gavin happens to be stationed right across from the doorway. He looks at me and says "Something is coming." I asked him what and he answered "Bugs." which is his newest fascination. No, there's no bugs up here, I tell him. He goes back to playing and then says again "Something is coming. I want to shut the door." Now, I am ashamed to admit that I am very easily spooked especially when I am home alone with three small children. But I try to play it cool and just say "No, we can't shut the door or else Finn won't be able to get out and he'll bark." To which Gavin replies "But I don't like the ghosts". Aaaaaaah! Then he says it again and I am practically peeing myself but trying to remain calm and announce that it is snack time and we are all going downstairs right now.

Now that I think of it, I feel silly but I wonder what goes through his head. We don't talk about "ghosts" and they really only watch PBS or Noggin so I am not sure they would pick it up there. Actually now that I think of it, there was a Backyardigans episode the had a haunted house in it but they haven't watched them in ages.

Let's hope it was just a very vivid imagination.

Make it stop...

I just cannot stop singing the Little Einstein theme song all. day. long.

I hum it while I am making dinner. I sing it out loud as I change diapers to make the squirming stop. I hum it again as I fold clothes. It runs through my head over and over as I try to fall asleep at night. And, perhaps most disturbing, I belt it out in my best American Idol-esque performance during car rides.

It is a catchy little tune, though....

CHEESE!

Sometimes they surprise you

Normally Aidan and Gavin are completely at odds in everything we do--what show to watch, what to have for lunch, what to play with. I often here them scuffling with each other in the living room as I feed Ciara in the kitchen. "Get offa me!" "No. No. Noooooo. Muuummmy!!!" "Hey! I was usin' dat!" (usually followed by a small thud and a loud cry) and so on.

Yesterday they got along so well that I had to hold back a tear or two. It was lovely. They wanted to watch the same show in the morning. They ate breakfast quietly together without picking the food off of each other's plate and feeding it to the dog. They played (somewhat) cooperatively. During our playtime while Ciara napped, Aidan wanted a snack but Gavin didn't want to leave his blocks. So the two of us went to the kitchen and Aidan opened the fridge (a newfound skill) and found a cup of blueberries from the night before. He took the cup and I went back to the playroom with Gavin, thinking Aidan was right behind me. I realized he wasn't and called him but I could hear him coming up the steps already. He had two cups in his hand and handed one to his brother and said "Here. I got you some blueberries." Gavin said "Oh, thank you." and then they both went about their building. I was so in awe that Aidan took it upon himself to get another cup from the cabinet and pour some of his blueberries in there for his brother.

Then at lunch, Aidan kept hounding me for pickles and olives--the one thing he will eat if he doesn't like what is being offered at lunch. I was trying to get lunch for them, for me and feed the baby who was fussy in her high chair. I kept saying "One second", "Hang on", "Just a minute" and finally Gavin said "I'll get it for you!" and went over to the fridge, opened it and got both containers. Of course he then proceeded to try and open the pickle jar while I was frantically running across the kitchen saying "No, no! It's going to...." Spill. Well, at least he was trying to be helpful.

As we went on our after dinner walk, Aidan recounted the day to my husband. I overheard him "....and Gavin spilled pickle juice but it was OK. 'Cause why? It was an accident."

I just had to write about their great day yesterday because, of course, today they are at each other's throats again. ...it was nice while it lasted.

11 months

My baby girl is 11 months old today!! I just cannot believe how fast this year is going by. It is making me sort of sad as she is our last child. Why can't I just be happy and enjoy the days with her? No, I have to get all melancholy and think how she is growing up so fast and I'll never have another little newborn again, etc. etc. etc. There I go again. Somebody slap me.

We're going on a trip in our favorite rocket ship...

Aidan loves the Little Einsteins on Disney. I bought the Little Einsteins audio cd which has the theme song and the dialogue and music from some of the episodes and that is all Aidan wants to listen to in the car. I liked it at first but now it is driving me batty. He knows the theme song word for word and it amazes me to listen to him sing it. I am trying to capture this on tape but somehow he senses when I am going to get the camera and then just does his half-assed performance.

His love affair with Little Einsteins all started about 2 1/2 years ago with its predecessor, Baby Einstein. As a new mom, with twins no less, I thought it was the best thing in the world to plunk them down in their exersaucers for 30 minutes in front of Baby Einstein so I could get dressed and make myself presentable (and maybe check my emails ). Hey, at least it was educational, right? Little did I know that Baby Einstein would become the bane of my existence. And also a source of guilt as I became aware of how much he loved to watch tv. As they grew, so did their dvd collection. Baby Mozart, Baby Van Gogh, Baby DaVinci, Baby Neptune...we have them all. This is all that the boys would request and as they began talking, Aidan would walk around clutching the dvd cases saying "Stena". At first it was cute. I even wrote it in his baby book. Then it got kind of annoying as we realized he was being obsessive about the whole thing. He wanted anything and everything Baby Einstein--books, toys, music cds. And we, like suckers, bought it all. He still holds a special place in his heart for Baby Einstein. But, he is getting bigger and needs to broaden his horizons and so he has moved on up to the Little Einsteins. I still feel kind of guilty that he spends a lot of time watching but it is not as if that is all he does. We go to the library, play in the yard, have a "no tv" time, build with blocks. And...how many three year olds do you know who hum Mozart while they are coloring? Or recognize "Starry Night" upon seeing it in their aunt's office and remark "Oh, that's Van Gogh"?

Thank you Baby Einstein.