Meals on Wheels

Most Moms I know are excellent multi-taskers. They can juggle house chores, bill paying, play dates and doctor appointments while feeding, changing, and caring for their children. On most occasions this means wiping noses and behinds, cooking meals, opening juices boxes, gluing toys together, finding lost socks and shoes, and basically saving the world all while talking on the phone and checking emails. I even know some Moms that are able to update their Facebook status during Labor!!

There are some tasks however that require more attention than others. These tasks are far and few between, but there are exceptions to the rule, driving is one of them. Yes, you can talk on your cellphone, eat and drink your coffee at the same time as you sing songs and tell stories and break up fights. You can even pass out snacks and retrieve fallen toys with your bionic arms. But, one thing you CANNOT do is feed a baby. Well, maybe you could, probably you really shouldn't for a multitude of reasons.

Well, my children have a hard time understanding that theory. They think I should be able to do everything, instantly. I remind them that I AM NOT MAGICAL, even though it often seems like I am, LOL!!

So, the other day I picked up the boys from school and loaded them into the Mom Mobile. Just as we pulled out of the parking lot, Princess Bean woke up. She had been sleeping for 3 hours and was starving!!! She let us know it too, loudly!!

The boys immediately started yelling, "She awake!! She hungry!! Feed her!!"
I explained that I would feed her when I got home. But, Luccio thought that was unacceptable, so he kept saying "Feed her! Feed her now!" I calmly said, over baby's screams, that I would have to feed her at home.

Luccio said, "Oh, you forgot your boobies??"

Uh, no- I am DRIVING!!!

Gingerbread Meltdown

The exhaustion finally caught up with me yesterday and it wasn't pretty. I felt like I was running a leg of the Amazing Race. The task was to get myself and 3 kids out of the house by 8:30 am and deliver the boys to their field trip at Gingerbread Village on time. Well...I woke up at 6 am and fed The Princess. But, I was so tired from having been up on and off all night that I fell back to sleep. I was woken up again at 7:15 by the boys. The race was on...

I fed and dressed the kids and took a quick shower. Ahead of schedule the Princess was up and demanding food. I still needed to get dressed, "pump" and pack bags. So I enlisted Luccio's help in giving his sister a bottle. He did great! Of course more milk was on her clothes than in her belly, but she went back to sleep and that was good!

At 8:35 I loaded everyone into the Mom Mobile, only 5 minutes behind schedule. Not bad!

I had the directions to the Gingerbread Village that the teacher had given us. It was located in the hall of a local church in an area of town that I have driven through A MILLION times.

With that said...

We drove in circles for 30 minutes. The street that the directions said I was to turn onto did not exist, I drove up and down the main road and could not find that road!! I kept getting to the area where I thought it was and there was a ROAD CLOSED sign so I kept turning around and starting over. My cell phone was not charged so I couldn't call the teacher whose number is on the directions. UGHHHHH!!


I was supposed to have them at the field trip by 9 am, they were only going to stay there until 9:30, finally at 9:05 I pulled over and asked a guy sitting in car for directions. He said I could follow him and he would drive me there. Thank you!!!

He drove us to the wrong church -there are 4 in the center of that town and none were Gingerbread Village!!! I was panicking. Now it's 9:10 am.

I pulled into a parking lot and see this older woman get out of her car. Mercy, that poor woman!! She wasn't expecting me to say the least. I got out of my Mom Mobile, I thought I was calm (and sane.) And then, all of sudden I am talking to the poor woman and crying like a loon!!! I tell her I haven't slept through the night in almost 2 months and I am exhausted and I can't find the Gingerbread Village and I have two 3 year olds who are now 15 minutes late for a 30 minute field trip. I can't disappoint them and I can't find the church... and on and on...

The woman looks at me and says, "Honey, it's ok. It's right across the street."

OMG!!! How embarrassing!! The driveway of the church is right at the sign where it says "Road Closed." I drove past there numerous times, so focused on the road being closed I never saw the GIANT sign that says the name of the church right there!

So I quickly dry my eyes, reapply lip gloss and race the kids out of their seats and into the building. We made it and it's only 9:20!!

We spend 10 minutes looking at Gingerbread Houses and then its time to load them back into the car to take them to school. Luckily other parents and even the teacher had gotten lost too, so I am not the only one. Although no one else looks like they have been crying on the shoulder of strange old ladies in the parking lot across the street.

On the way to school Luccio says, "You crying Mommy?" I tell him "No, not anymore."
And he keeps asking me, "You crying Mommy?" No, sweetie I have recovered thanks!
Then Cenzo says, "I cry when I wet my bed."

We arrive at school, I open the door and there is a fake fireplace the teachers have hung on the wall. It's covered with handmade paper stockings. Stockings that the kids have decorated. Stockings that the kids were supposed to have made for HOMEWORK!!! Yes, the first homework assignment of their school careers and I completely forgot to do it with them. I unpacked it from their bookbags last week and stuck in on top of the fridge. Real nice!

Luckily I walked in with a Mom Friend and she didn't remember either!! Thank God!!! I am not the only one!! We commiserate with another mom in the parking lot who forgot too!! We decide to hand the projects in the next day and act like that is when it was supposed to be due!!

So, now I am "That Mom." The mom with more kids than hands to hold them. The mom who shows up late to field trips and forgets homework assignments. The mom who is wearing mismatched socks and has puke on her shirt. The mom who so desperately needs a cup of coffee its like being in the desert without water.

In the words of Kate Gosselin, "It might be a crazy life, but it's MY life."

And I love it! I wouldn't change it for all the sleep in the world!! I just hope that if my kids end up in therapy someday recalling a "gingerbread incident," they will agree!!!

Better Than A Towel

The boys seemed to have gone from babies to big kids overnight. They have hit a new milestone too- pillows!!! I wasn't sure when to introduce pillows. I spent the first 2 years petrified of SIDS and keeping everything out of the cribs. Then they turned 2 and they started piling all their stuffed animals in bed with them at night and even have graduated to blankets covering them. Then a couple weeks ago they had colds and I propped their mattresses up with towels so they could breathe better. They thought that was the greatest thing ever!! They were fascinated that towels were under their mattresses and even asked if they could have an extra towel "to fold into a pillow." Poor deprived boys have been sleeping on their towels for weeks now. But, Grandma took pity on them and bought them pillows!!! So the other night they went to bed with their new pillows and Luccio snuggled onto his pillow and sighed, "Ah, that's better." And Cenzo agreed, "Yeah, that's much better than a towel."

The First Breakfast

As you can imagine, with a new baby in the house there have been lots of questions. Since the boys are only 3, I wasn't quite sure what they would understand about the pregnancy and then arrival of their sister. So we told them simple information like there was a baby growing in my belly that would soon be their baby sister.

Well, they wanted more info than I was prepared to give. So sometimes I had to get creative and think fast and be as honest as possible. They wanted to know, "How did the baby get in your belly?" Well...the Holy Spirit of course. "How is it going to get out of your belly?" Well...The doctor will take it out. "What tool will the Doctor use to get it out?" Well...OMG, I have no idea! A scalpel maybe??

You get the idea, the questions go on and on, especially since taking Isabella home. Lots of questions about her day to day care about feeding, changing, and bathing her, etc.

So last night we are at a local Christmas Festival and on our way out we stopped to pay homage at the Nativity. The boys greeted Baby Jesus and Mary.

And they had some questions...

Luccio wanted to know if he could sit on the ceramic cow? Easy answer-NO!

Cenzo walked up to Mary who was standing over the Baby Jesus. And he wanted to know,
"Does she have milk in her boobies?" Ummmm......

This reminded me of a retreat that I went on that was held at a Franciscan Friary. In the dining room was a huge painting of The Virgin Mary nursing Baby Jesus. One of Friars joked, "You have heard of the Last Supper, well this is the First Breakfast."

The Thankful Thing

I read a fantastic children's book called, The Most Thankful Thing by Lisa McCourt. It tells the story of a mom looking back at her life through a scrapbook with her daughter. She tells the little girl all about her favorite moments like going to summer camp, the prom, her wedding etc. But, in the end the thing she is most thankful for is her daughter. I love that!! It got me thinking and feeling sentimental. Over the Thanksgiving holiday I was reflecting on how people, places and experiences have impacted my life and what has been the most important. Nothing compares to the moments I have shared with my family. I was so grateful to be able to spend the holidays celebrating with my family and friends. And most of all I am thankful for my three beautiful children, true blessings!

The boys were reflecting on what they are most thankful for too. It was talked about at home and at school, so they really seemed to get the concept. They came home from school with paper turkeys they had made and on them their teacher had written what each boy had said they were thankful for. Luccio's said, "I am thankful for my toys." And Cenzo's said, "I am thankful for my Daddy." So cute!! That made Hubby's day!!!

That night Cenzo was sitting with Hubby and I. And out of the blue he said, "I love my Daddy." It was so heartwarming!!!

Then he looked at me and said,"Mama?" I replied, "Yes..." in anticipation of what adorable words he would say.

He said," Mama, I don't like you anymore, I only love my Daddy."

Well...there you go.

Falling For You

One afternoon Hubby raked a giant pile of leaves in the back yard. The next morning when I took the boys outside they were thrilled with the "surprise" Daddy had left for them!! They spent 2 hours jumping in the pile and laughing!!! It was a beautif

ul Fall day and I am so glad we got outdoors to enjoy it!!

Cenzo had to bring his "magazine" outside with him. It's actually a KMART catalog that came in the mail. He has been carrying it around for weeks now deciding on what he wants for Christmas.

We tried to delicately explain that Santa only brings one special gift per child so he better narrow down his list.

Where Oh Where??

Where did the month go?? My little Princess is already 1 month old!! How did that happen? It seems like maybe a week or 2 ago I was still pregnant! The first 20 weeks of the pregnancy seemed to drag along slowly. I was very nauseous and anxious. I wanted some kind of guarantee that all would turn out ok so I could relax and enjoy being pregnant! And after a nightmare pregnancy with the boys, this pregnancy was a very healing experience. I did get to enjoy it and relax once I got to 24 weeks. Greg was home all summer and took care of the boys and we put the nursery together so everything was set. But, once September came it all went into fast forward. Greg went back to work, the boys started preschool, I was going to the OB twice a week (sometimes more) and before I knew it October arrived. The swelling started, my blood pressure went up, I was in and out of the hospital and on bedrest at home. And then the Princess arrived, we celebrated Halloween, and the rest is a blur...

-Cenzo and Luccio LOVE their baby sister! And they are having a great time at preschool! They went on a field trip to a local farm and walked through a Corn Maze, it was so much fun!!

-Isabella is healthy and growing! She had lost some weight after the birth and now she regained it plus some. She is already over 9 pounds. She is eating every 3-4 hours and sleeping nicely. Although she sleeps best in the her swing in the middle of the chaos in our living room OR if she is being held. At night when its too quiet its nearly impossible to put her to sleep in her bassinet and so I hold her as much as possible. I feel like she is only this little once and its flying!! So at night I have been sleeping in the couch and holding her. I know its a bad habit to get her into but she is just so little!!! And she is such a cuddle bug. I figure there is plenty of time to break her of the bait and get her sleeping alone in her little bed. It took a while with the boys too but they are fantastic sleepers so I am not too worried.

-Yesterday my mom took Isabella and Grandma and Papa came here to watch the boys for us. Hubby and I went to the movies to see New Moon! It was great, i really enjoyed it. And it was true to the story of the book. I still LOVE Edward, but Jacob certainly gave him some competition!! We went out to dinner after and I nearly fell asleep at the table. Ughhh!! The exhausted just set in around 7:30 and I couldn't;t keep my eyes open. I am still recovering today! LOL! But, it was nice to go out on our own. I did miss the kids though and since I am nursing I felt the pressure to beat the clock and get home in time for the next feeding because I knew I had only left enough milk for 2 bottles. I still have to work on coordinating that part of it;

All in all everything is going so well!! We are settling into life again. And as Thanksgiving approaches I am counting my blessings! And in the exhaustion I keep reminding myself it will get easier and i will eventually get to sleep again, it just may be a couple of years...LOL

Mama's Helpers

Vincenzo and Luccio are very excited about being Big Brothers. They are really enjoying their new roles as caretakers.

Luccio is very nurturing and concerned. He doesn't like "Baby Sister" to cry. He will run and her pacifier aka "Wubba" and bring it to her and he tells her "It's okay Baby Sister, it's okay." Or he will demand that I "pick her up!" "She hungry, she want her milk! Hurry!" And he is always telling her, "I yuv you Baby Sister." The other day he helped Cousin Nikko feed the baby a bottle, he was so proud!

Cenzo is very gentle with "Baby Bean." He talks to her in a soft, loving voice. And enjoys helping to feed or change her when possible. The other day he helped me give Isabella her first bath. He got all the supplies set up and filled the tub with soap and water. Then he carefully sponged her hair and body. It was so cute!! He kept telling her, "Don't worry Daddy is here." LOL!! I had to remind him he is her brother. But, the difference didn't quite sink in.

It is so interesting to watch my baby boys become big kids. I am seeing how old they really are and how much they understand. Its is a unique experience and so much fun to be a part of as they grow into their new roles and next phase of life.

Family of 5

Now that we have our beautiful boys and our little princess our family is complete! It was such a blessing to take our baby girl home to join her brothers in the chaos that is our household now!! I sat here the other day just taking it all in. The boys were running around, Luccio was playing with his fire engine with real sounding sirens and Cenzo was playing guitar and singing at the top of his lungs. And in the midst of it all, Isabella was screaming full force because she didn't want her diaper changed. And I had to take a moment to Thank God for all the craziness!

I remember one day in November of 2005 Greg and I visited my Grandfather in his nursing home and we left in tears. We had just been through a miscarriage and the holidays were upon us. Visiting with Gramp reminded us that in the end all you have is your family. Kids, grandchildren, even great-grandchildren surrounded Gramps in his last few months. Greg and I left the nursing home wondered, would we ever have a family of our own??

Here we are 4 years and 3 kids later!! I went to the cemetery yesterday with the boys to visit Gramps and remember him on Veteran's Day. And I thought about what a long journey it was to get here and how grateful I am for all of the blessings in my life!

I am really enjoying watching the boys become big brothers and adjust to life with Isabella. they are so proud of her and love showing her off to everyone. And they are always telling her how much they love her. I know there will be ups and downs and days where I will question my sanity with 3 young children running about. But, I do know that in the end this time with my family is priceless.