The truth...

...is that I've simply forgotten to post for the past couple weeks. It hasn't even crossed my mind in the usual "Ooh, that would make a good blog post if only I had time to write it up" way. It didn't strike me till I opened my web browser and saw the old post just how long it's been. Such is life.

Jake is playing basketball this year and enjoying it. He has only one practice a week, but usually two games. His team has a decent record so far, though nothing astronomical. All the kids play and they seem to have a good time doing so, so I like to watch it. One kid on the team is absolutely tiny, but can sink three point shots like there's nothing to it. Jake does a great job defending; he's the only one who actually keeps his hands up and in his opponents face without fouling.

Sara's homework keeps her busy most days from school to bedtime. She's taking an elective algebra course this year that requires a lot of extra work at home (for her as well as Nathaniel and me helping her!). She like the math, though, once she gets it, and she's participating in the Math Counts competition again this year. Today, though, she's home in bed sick. It's the first time that's happened for her, and of course it falls on the day of the 8th grade retreat, so she wouldn't even have had to do any real school work. I'd have been incredibly bummed at her age, but she's taking it in stride, drinking her tea and juice and nibbling toast like a pro.

The girls are, well, a challenge. They fight a lot these days. And whine. But mostly they're doing great and just being three and five year olds. I try to remind myself how often I fought with my sister, and that it doesn't mean they'll be horrible to other kids at school. It's just that we take out our frustrations on our family, for better or worse. Marianne and Ruth are both hugely improved on their potty training. I'm a little embarrassed to have to use the term "potty training" with respect to my five year old, but it's been a long journey with her. Both girls are doing great now, finally. They have occasional accidents, but only occasional. Hooray! All three girls are working diligently on their absurd Christmas lists so they can get them sent off to Santa. Why shouldn't a girl want THREE new baby carriers? And a kitten? And a horse? And just for fun, round out the list with a water gun and a toy poisonous snake. These girls are creative in their requests. It makes it hard on Santa to figure out what the heck to bring.

As for me, I'm staying very busy. Meg is growing like a weed and sleeping through the night regularly, both of which make my life much easier and less stressful than it could be. On the other hand, I had an appointment with an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor last week and and was informed that I'm a prime candidate to start on hearing aids whenever my vanity will allow. Ouch. Apparently the sooner I start, the more brain function I get to keep to be able to maintain good understanding and processing of sounds down the road. Don't worry about me, I'm not deaf yet or anything. But I do have to have people repeat themselves more often than I like, and since that appointment I pay more attention to every little thing that I'm not catching, and it makes me sad. These are not my grandma's hearing aids (literally - hers are very different). If I hadn't just told you all about them, I might be able to wear them without anyone ever knowing they were there... but still. The cost and my conceitedness hold me back. I'll be thinking about it, though. Maybe in a year or so when we've saved up a few thousand dollars for them. For now, I'll just ask you to repeat that one more time, please.

Play clothes

Less than a week ago, thanks to some unseasonably warm November weather, the girls were decked out in shorts and t-shirts for a long walk around the neighborhood. Today it's in the low 30s and drizzling. I layered Ruth up with tights under her jeans for a walk this morning, and she was still complaining of being cold by the time we got home. We had to cheer ourselves up with hot cocoa, heavy on the marshmallows. Amazing the difference a week can make. (In truth, I could have written this same post a few days ago when the cold spell first hit. From 75 degree highs to 35 degree highs in 48 hours or less. Yeehaw!)

8 weeks

It's been a couple weeks since I posted pictures of Meg, and this girl is growing like a weed. A couple days ago I tried three outfits on her that she'd worn just a week before, and she was too long for all of them. Bye bye 0-3 month clothes! We're moving right along. She's eight weeks old tomorrow, and with her two month check up coming this week, it's not so crazy that she's growing, but it's still surprising and a little sad to see the baby be replaced by a big girl day after day.
Chilling on the changing table. Like most babies, she finds it a comforting place to be. Good changes are made here.
On the verge of waking up this morning. She sleeps on her stomach most of the time now, and in a hat on chillier nights when I get paranoid about her staying warm. She's working hard to suck on her fist. It's that squirmy effort and the successful slurping sounds that wake me in the night or morning when she wants to eat.
Enjoying her Tiny Love mobile for 15 minutes while I bake a cake for tomorrow's parish bazaar cake walk. She squirms and stares intently at the crazy animals as they swing toward and past her. You'd think the freaky colored farm animals would scare a kid, but she seems to love them as much as Marianne and Ruth both did.
Talking to Daddy after dinner tonight.
Right now, as I type, all smushy-faced on Daddy's shoulder while he reads a book. The other girls are playing crazy make believe games in the living room calmly for the moment, but if history is any teacher, it's a lull between fights. Soon someone will not be sharing well, or someone will have hit someone else or pulled her hair. When I look at Meg now, I'm reminded me of how peaceful and easy they are at this age. Babies may cry and fuss and blow out their diapers (I chose not to snap a photo of that little incident today), but they can't get themselves into trouble or hurt each other or talk back. Meg is growing quickly, but I have this time with her as my bitty girl, and I'm working hard to notice the quiet moments with her and cherish them.

I warned you...

...that I'd forget to post the answers to that meme. Check the original post now, and you can see the answers after each quote of lyrics.