Yesterday, for example, Mairead had to use the potty. So I put her on her little potty and praised her at length. While she was sitting there, I heard something fall over in the other room. I left Mairead to find that Ben had knocked over a humidifier that had some Vicks liquid in it, so now he smelled like vapo-rub. As I was cleaning that up, Mairead comes toddling in with her pants around her ankles and no diaper (she was successful on the potty, at least!). While this is happening, Jack is eating a crayon that Mairead left on the floor. So, if you wonder sometimes if having three toddlers is as crazy as you might think, the answer is definitely yes!
They are so much fun, though. Ben is walking quite a bit-- today he took about 10 steps in a row. He is trying more and more often. The problem is, he seems to think he can run, so he gets up some momentum and his feet get kind of out of control, but he can't stop. I really need to have the video camera on at all times so I can catch him doing this. It's a riot. He also will imitate a kiss by smacking his lips together- very sweet. He has more bruises than I know what to do with since he has NO fear and will walk or crawl or climb into whatever trouble he can find.
Jack finally started clapping today. We have been waiting a long time for him to do that! He is really good at signing 'more' and has a few very clear words. "Uh oh" is his favorite and he says it about 50 times a day. He is also very good at 'up, cracker,' cat," and a few others. He loves Molly (the cat) and she loves him. He rubs her back and sometimes when she lies on the ground, he crawls over and rests his head on her and snuggles. It's adorable.
Mairead is doing very well. Her therapies are getting underway and she has one therapy or another on 4 days during the week (Developmental, motor, speech, and group). As you might imagine, this is a lot for her (and me) and she is a bit frustrated with all of the demands we are making on her. She does seem to be responding well and does such a great job during her sessions. She is able to follow directions well, helps clean up the toys, can focus for long periods of time, and is trying to use her words more. She has a lot of work ahead of her and we are glad that we have so many skilled professionals to help. We like everyone we have met so far. Her group teacher, Mary, is also her developmental therapist, and she just loves her. Mary is very fond of Mairead and is doing a lot to advocate for her. We are so thankful that our little girl is in good hands.
I am trying to teach her to use and understand the word, "love." That is a very abstract concept and a tough one for her to fully grasp. Yesterday at lunch, I was telling her that Mom loves Jack, Mom loves Ben, and Mom loves Mairead. I was telling her who else loves her. At one point I said, "Who else do you love?" And she jumped in with "Jen!" It was so sweet. Then she added, "and Mike." I asked, "Do you love Brian?" and she said, "And Christin." I was very impressed since I didn't think she would be able to come up with all of these names. Before I could ask her another question she added, "Emmet." Emmett is Brian and Christin's dog-- apparently we love him, too. She also recognizes people in pictures more easily now. There is one of Lily on the computer downstairs and Mairead tells me that is "Will wee" when I ask.
There is so much going on in her little head and we are asking so much of her right now. I know we are pushing her to do so much, and I am glad she is learning so much and showing us how smart she truly is. Some days, though, I wish we could just hang out in our pjs all day and play and not have to worry about therapy or anything at all. I will have to make sure to have lots of 'just us girls' time as she gets a little older.
These pictures are just the boys since Mairead doesn't sit still for two seconds. I will try to make it a priority to get a few good ones of her soon!
