Chain of Command

Being a mother is my full time job. I get up early, stay up late, and in between I am caring for all the needs of my little human beings. I couldn't imagine a year ago how much I would love my boys. 

And of course, I love my Evie. Even when I was home with just Evie, it really was a big life transition.

There was a time not too long ago when it was just Evie and me. 

 Now I am so consumed by everything, my former life of teaching and freedom seems like forever ago. 

 I learned quickly that in order to stay sane as a stay at home mama, I needed to create for myself some sort of schedule and rhythm to my days. Outings were and are a must. And I soon found after some investigation, there is really a lot to do around town with little ones.

One of those free activities is story time at the local library. When Evie was a baby, she and I would attend story times almost weekly. We would do the silly little songs and rhymes together, read books and explore the children's section. It was a great way to pass the hours. 

Evie at the library at about 15 months old

However, now with our second (third and fourth!) child, it is very difficult-almost impossible- to give them the special one-on-one treatment.  I don't feel guilty about it because I'm doing the best that I can. 

All bundled up for a late autumn walk

 I try to give the boys some of the same opportunities Evie had as a baby. One of the outings Amanda and I go on semi-regularly with all the children is story time at the Tualatin Library.  I wheel my flock of children into the little story room and each week the librarians are so so welcoming. They always tell us how happy they are to see us. 

My boys absolutely love books. Whenever I open a little book and read to them, they all hover over me. They enjoy the rhymes and songs and little activities. Even though technically it’s “baby storytime”, Evie enjoys it all too.  

Everyone wants to see the book!

I love reading to my kids.  However, the life of a triplet means they must all share the book and the person reading to them. Even though Amanda and I are a team, we are still greatly outnumbered and not everyone gets a lap to sit on. 

This week, I had Caleb on my lap during story time. Amanda had James.  Evie had the teacher (yes, she is SUCH the teacher’s pet already and always runs up to the front of the room to sit on the teacher’s lap).

 But there is always that third baby who fends for himself. This week it was Levi. He was on his own, crawling around the strollers in the corner, playing with the wheels.  

Suddenly, a sweet woman, who was there with her daughter- in -law and granddaughter, came over to me and asked if she could do story time with Levi. 

Of course! When you have triplets, you get very used to passing off your children to whomever wants to love them. So Levi sat in her lap and she put 100% effort into doing story time with him. He bounced, chuckled and really got a kick out of the musical instruments. It brought such joy to my heart to see his happy little face from across the room, and I was so touched by that woman’s kindness. She seemed to really be enjoying herself too! 

 I do long for the one-on-one time with each boy. They have such different personalities and they are all so wonderful and special. I want so desperately to give them that individual time.  I am so grateful for Amanda and the love she pours on them each day. It helps knowing someone else is loving my kids too. 

Sweet Amanda with her boys

 I savor the time I do get. This week Caleb had his final assessment at OHSU for his head. So on Wednesday morning, it was just little Caleb and me driving up to OHSU together. Even though it was just a doctor’s appointment, I really relished the time I got to just look at Caleb, to smile at him in his stroller, talk to him and hold him. 

They are growing so fast. 

As much as I want them to grow and be less needy, I equally cling on to these fleeting moments of their babyhood. 

Speaking of growing, they are suddenly pretty much done with their bouncy seats and swings. They  flip themselves out of them. Caleb pushes open the latch on the swing and has tumbled out of it. 
The other morning I came into the bedroom after giving James his bottle in his seat.  I gasped as I saw his bouncy chair tipped over, bottle leaking out on the floor and James no where to be seen. It looked like a crime scene. 

I found James, up on his knees, pestering Caleb for his bottle! 

A chain of command has developed within the circle of brothers. Its obvious  that James is the leader of the pack.  He has it all figured out. 

James is confident, extremely mobile, curious, knows what he wants and knows how to go after it. He crawls around like he owns the place, taking any bottle or toy he pleases. 

 He kind of seems like a bully actually.  He full on walks on top of Caleb to get to the other side of the room. James is the ring leader. 

Who could have guessed, sleepy James?! 

Levi is close behind though. 

Levi lookin fine, ready for the cold weather

He admires James so much. Following close at his heels, he tries really hard to keep up with him. Levi is a lot bigger and bulkier though, and moving takes a lot more effort. The two of them smirk at each other and crack each other up. 

They cause mischief. Exploring the house together, they pull out all my Tupperware, play with the broom and mops and chase the cat around. Whenever the other enters the room, they grin and grunt with excitement. 

Poor Caleb is left in the dust for now; but at least he's still smiling! 

My experience with these babies is so different. The other night I had just them at home. I sat on the couch and relaxed while they entertained themselves around me. Never could I have done that with Evie at this age! She would have demanded my attention. 

It’s probably all those one-on-one story times! 

The other night I put James and Caleb to bed and I left the room to get Levi. As I was coming up the stairs, I heard laughing from their bedroom. I peeked in and there was James, kneeling on the side of his crib with his hands on the rails. He was looking at Caleb. In the darkness, Caleb had himself propped up on his bars and the two of them were looking at each other, giggling. 

That moment was worth all the struggles of the day. Even though I can’t personally be there like I want to, I love that they have each other. They are happy babies who have learned to take on the world together.  

They kind of remind me of a herd of goats. When I open their bedroom door in the morning, they escape down the hallway together, ready to take on the day.

However, Evie is still the true ring leader of everyone. She definitely has total command of “the brothers” and they are at her mercy. 

One day though, I can see Evie and her brothers running around the house together. I know the age gap will close quickly, and the four of them with have built in best friends forever. 

Nine Months!

I’ve turned into one of those people who is absolutely shocked and amazed whenever its the first of every month. So I'll say it...
How is it November?! 

I thought I'd write an update about all the wonderfully amazing things that have been taking place inside the Patton home. 

I'll skip over all the horrible, agonizingly mundane, chaotic and exhausting moments and just give you the good ones. ;) 

 I love experiencing fall in our new home. We have so many windows in this place; the colors outside my window make the rain and dreariness not so gloomy. The trees outside my window are a deep gold color and I know it is mid fall because there is heaviness in the sunshine now. I feel like I'm truly living in November. 

This pic definitely doesn't do the view justice

We took a walk as a family this afternoon. It was one of those moments in our life as a family that I need to bottle up and revisit again, perhaps during one of those moments when it just seems impossible.

 It was a glorious late afternoon, fall day. We bundled the kids up with fuzzy blankets.  John pushed the triplet stroller (with Evie insisting she sit in the middle of Caleb and James). Levi got his own little chariot with me. We commented on the colors of the trees, stopped to look at leaves and sang goofy songs. It was one of those moments that made me pause and pinch myself: "Is this really my life?!" ....Four beautiful children, an amazing man with whom to share this all with, and a glorious fall day!!!

 Ok, I'll take this life today.

Whoa, what a leaf!

Wait, here's one with Levi too...

It's moments like these when I see glimpses of what our life will be like someday... Happy family times, traditions, laughter and long walks that don't end in tantrums or smelly diapers. 

We got a new member of the family too:

Ta da!

Meet our new best friend. John has kept his eye out for one of these espresso machines for quite some time now...and lo and behold, one day on Craiglist he found "the one." This is not  a simple relationship however. This machines has to be figured out. It takes a lot of trial and error and testing and computing to make "the perfect shot." This one is truly an art form. But like I suspected, John is figuring out all the gadgets and buttons and nozzles and he's making some pretty good caffeine bombs. 

I'm not ashamed to admit that my life pretty much runs on Caffeine and Wine right now. It's a never ending cycle, but I'm already on this hamster wheel so now I just need people to join me! ;)  
,

Oh, and let us not forget Halloween. I think Halloween can be one of the cutest holidays. Let's just forget about the gore and horrible things some people chose to display in their front yards.

 I'm talking about Goldilocks and the three bears. 

I've pretty much been planning out this costume arrangement from the moment I found out we were having triplet boys. 

I'd say Trick or Treating was probably one of Evie's top days ever!

And now let's move on to the boys. They are NINE months old and just had their nine month appointment. We switched doctors because we are so close to another hospital. It was kinda sad to leave the doctor that has been with us from the beginning with Evelyn. But, 2 min to the doctor instead of 30+ min wins.  So this was our first appointment with our new doctor.

9 Months! Woo Hoo! 

Levi, as you can guess, is the biggest boy, weighing in at 21 lbs and 13 oz! 

Caleb is 18 lbs. 3 oz and James in 18 lbs. They are right in the normal range for the average baby. They didn't even take into consideration that they were preemies! Go boys! They definitely take after their parents in their enjoyment of food consumption. 



So, Caleb has the biggest head, which to me is so funny. He's done with his helmet, but I never considered him to have the biggest head. 
Ok Caleb, what's going on in that brain of yours?! 

I am so grateful.  All of them are really healthy:  Three perfectly, growing, curious, handsome fellas. 
What more do I want?! Soooo grateful.


But Yes,the time has arrived. They are moving...well, not all of them. James is full on crawling. He is such a curious little lad. He pulls, pokes and grabs at everything. He chases the cat. His knees are raw from exploring the house. I don't know where he is half the time; but because he is a "2nd child triplet " I just assume he's ok to fend for himself. 
When I am in the kitchen, he crawls over to me and pulls at my pant leg. He's like a skinny little puppy dog. 
But I adore him, my James. 

And then there is Levi. Levi is huge. He is busting out of his infant car seat and is most comfortable in 18 month clothing. He is truly content to roll around by himself on the carpet and chuckle to himself like a little old man. 

His favorite toys are Evie's..especially fond of this Ariel doll...(shhh. don't tell his sis)

He is full on army crawling through the house. He and James corner the cat and pull at his tail. They are already partners in crime. However, Levi will let you know when he is displeased. Yikes! He already throws tantrums when he is frustrated. Usually his frustration stems from not being fed fast enough.  He is my gentle giant though, and I love love love my Levi. 

While Levi and James are getting into mischief, there’s little Caleb. Caleb is still floppy and prefers to be held and cuddled. He can kinda sit by himself...but he does roll over and aggressively grab at toys. I know he'll get there, little by little. I think he is just too interested in gazing into your eyes to really care about doing anything else.  He has two bottom teeth (along with James!) and he still has undeniably has most genuine smile ever. 

Even though James and Levi have paired off, he and Evie on the other hand, are kindred spirits. He is completely smitten by his older sister, and she with him. 
He has the most hair, and it is carrot red. He will always wear a UV shirt in the pool. But thats ok because I could cuddle with my little Caleb all day. He is simply irresistible. 

And then there is princess Evie.

 She is the queen of the her brothers. She makes them laugh, dances for them, wants to help feed them and is starting to really enjoy being around them. She talks and looks like a four year old, but she still has her utterly emotional two year old moments. She loves her one morning a week preschool because she really thrives on structure, schedule and organized activity. We are able to bake cookies together now; she recognizes her written name; she sings songs at the top of her lungs.  

She has such wonderful moments when I can see a beautiful mother-daughter relationship blossoming….but then there are still so many total meltdown episodes; I dream about the day when we can simply sit down together and discuss our issues over really strong coffee from our espresso machine.  

And let's not forget Daddy John. John is still succeeding at being a #1 family man. He is really enjoying how responsive and fun the boys are becoming. He soaks up any time he has with his girl Evie. (in fact Evie has said she doesn't like boys except Daddy) According to John, his plan is working out perfectly. 

He shows me everyday that he is committed to our family, relationship and me, til death do us part. He hangs pictures, changes diapers and makes me the best carmel lattes. I really do feel so honored to be raising our kids with him. We are a team. 

And me?! Well, I feel like I'm always in the process of being refined. 
What I’ve been learning lately is the necessity to separate the situation from my emotions. Being a woman, I am prone to getting emotionally wrapped up in Evie and her emotional outbursts. My emotions can plummet into deep despair due to exhaustion of caring for everyone.  And I can get totally drained by the expectations and demands and desires of  my own relationship obligations within and outside my family.  I am learning to view what is going on around me- the situations and problems- from an emotional distance and deal with it in neutrality. This, I believe ,is the key to keeping up my energy and my sanity.

 But everyday I feel like I take one step forward and five steps back.

Overall though, life is good. It's November and we are still living and still smiling 50% of the time. I'm looking forward to the holiday season starting. I'm trying to bake a lot of pumpkin bread... 

but I vowed not to start listening to Christmas music until after Thanksgiving.