Happy Valentine's Day to Me!

Valentine's Day 2011 started out promising enough.  We managed our morning routine with kids dressed in red and pink, and even snapped a few pictures.  Best of all, we were pulling out of the driveway at 9:00, with no crying and no screaming, from the kids or me, respectively.  The 9:00am start time was a personal best in recent weeks.  I've actually had to park and walk (gasp!) Megan and/or Bridget in to school if we miss the 9:15am cut-off for the glorious drive-thru drop-off service.  So, we were on time dropping Megan off, which is always a plus!    

Next on the agenda, with just three passengers in tow, was a call to the pediatrician for an impromptu visit.  What's more apropos for Valentine's Day besides pink eye?  Bridget was showing signs of it, and we needed to get her medicated before she infected our entire house, so off to the doctor we went, after hitting the grocery store with all three kids to get lamb chops for Matt, of course :)

Once at the doctor, I was feeling pretty good.  All three girls behaved well in the waiting room,

and Bridget was a flirt for the camera, so I knew she wasn't feeling too terrible.

Things started to go downhill right about the time the doctor (not out normal doctor in the practice) nonchalantly told me to be on the lookout for pink eye spreading to the other girls, and to bring them in should I see any signs.  I politely asked if he could take a look at Annie's eyes to confirm that she might have it as well.  He didn't even look up from his computer to tell me, "You can schedule an appointment at the front desk if you want the others to be seen."  Grrr.  Yes, I know that doctors are paid by the patient.  But, for something like pink eye?  I'm just so annoyed that he was so insensitive to the fact that it might be a little difficult to haul 2-4 kids back into the office again for a simple pink eye diagnosis.  Assuming all four girls come down with this, does he honestly expect me to shell out $80 (four co-pays) for each of them to be seen? 

Things did not go any better after picking up Megan from school and heading to Walgreens to fill Bridget's prescription for her eye ointment.  Of course, we were totally pushing it with lunch/naptime, and of course Bridget had to "really really" pee as soon as we got in line to drop off the prescription.  And, of course, Megan and Bridget were fighting over a Phinneas and Ferb birthday card that Megan insisted we buy for Daddy because "he loves them, Mommy."  (At this point, I know I heard the pharmacy tech say the ointment would be $15, but between his accent and my screaming entourage, I would find out later that we had a little miscommunication.) 

We moved our little four-ring circus to the pharmacy waiting area with Megan mid-tantrum, Bridget doing the pee-pee dance, and the babies arching their backs and trying to wiggle out of the stroller.  And, of course, it was crowded.  I wished I wasn't wearing such a form-fitting shirt at that moment.  I know everyone was thinking, "She's having another??"  I finally realized Bridget's urgency to pee, and the fact that my willing her to hold it was not working as it should.  I was just standing up to guide our spectacle back out to the car where our trusty little potty was waiting when Bridget suddenly peed all over her cute little tights, shoes and at least one tile in the waiting area.  Grrreeat.  I quickly changed her into some 18 month pants I had in my purse.  She was now undie-less and shoeless, in a tutu, with red, crusty eyes.  After mopping up her pee with a stray Walgreens ad and shoving it into the bottom of our stroller, I realized a few things:
 
- I really need to make sure I have extra undies in my purse at all times.
- Extra shoes, socks, and a roll of paper towels would come in equally handy most days.  I'm sure I could squeeze all that in there with everything else.
- This afternoon is why most people don't have this many kids.  It sucks.
- Luckily, there are more good times than bad, and this fifth baby is not doomed.
 
And, after paying $50 for the microscopic tube of eye cream that surely will not last through more than one child's 7 day treatment, I also realized I should not be quite so distracted at the pharmacy counter. 
 
The Walgreens trip was a massive failure.  But, because she got the cream (almost) 24 hours before her Valentine's Day party the next day, it was (almost) worth it to brave the pharmacy at that time of day with all of the kids. 
 
The day got better, luckily!  The girls and I got a special flower delivery, and the girls enjoyed a special meal complete with heart-shaped grilled cheese sandwiches and all of their little goodies from grandparents.  Best of all, Matt and I enjoyed our peaceful dinner of lamb chops, asparagus and red potatoes after they were all in bed!
 

 

And of course, there's nothing like this (was this really a whole year ago??)...

to remind me that time passes way too quickly to let an afternoon like that upset me for too long.

Too Cool For School

Bridget wavers between loving school, and dramatically protesting the idea. I'll often hear, "I am NOT going to school!!" over and over again, right up until the van door opens for preschool drop-off and one of the teachers pokes her head in to collect the girls. Of course, Bridget is all smiles as she jumps out of the car, with no hesitation...one of the many reasons I'm certain that Bridget will be an actress someday.

While she's in her full hysterics about NOT going to school, I can kind of see her point. We do so much of the same things at home, AND she gets to wear a tiara. And, Mommy's there, obviously :)

Today, she proved she's more than ready to move up to the Starlite Room next year while writing out the names of all of our family members, born and unborn. She's still sticking with Greta for the baby. I let her do it since it may be the only time I see that name in print with the rest of our names :)









And, after writing out all (seven!) of our names, she deserved a cartoon break. This may be the main reason she would choose home over school...


- posted from my handy-dandy iPhone, with Blogpress

Another Zoo Day

We took another trip to the zoo a couple weeks ago, and surprisingly, the girls continue to love the animal checklists that Matt made.  They didn't get tired of them all morning.  That's more than I can say for most toys/objects around our house! 

Here are the girls collaborating to mark off the animals they saw:

And, standing on one leg, like flamingos (a favorite, despite their smelliness!):

We can't forget the peanut gallery.  These two were more into the zoo than ever before.  I think they'll have their own checklists before we know it!

And, for once, I got to be the one to go on the carousel with the girls! 

Some Little News

Things around here are just about as perfect as you can expect with four little girls taking over our house.  We have a pretty solid routine that has all four girls on the same nap schedule, all girls eating the same foods, enjoying the same activities, and sleeping through the night.  We're frighteningly close to potty training Tessa and Annie, which means just overnight diapers in our very near future.  Matt and I can go out at night (with the help of a babysitter) and not worry about a baby waking or needing to nurse/pump etc. We have two girls happily in each kids' bedroom, a van that hold us all perfectly, and the glimpse of a "normal" life on the horizon.  With two kids in preschool already, we're on the verge of moving into the full-fledged "kid" phase of our life.

Perfect, right?  Right.  Except for one detail...

I'm pregnant.

(I couldn't resist this intro, a la "16 and Pregnant," my guilty pleasure reality show, even though I'm far from 16, and this baby was definitely not an "accident." Please, someone, reassure me that I'm not the only watching this show!)

So, we'll have a newborn in the house again at the end of July!  Exciting and terrifying at the same time.  This is the longest we've gone between kiddos, so having over two years between kids freaks me out a bit.  Tessa and Annie should be 28 months by then, and I'm used to much smaller gaps.  I'm hoping that this larger gap will work in my favor!  As it is, we'll have a couple months to adjust to life with five kids before the school year starts, and the baby's birth will coincide almost perfectly with the end of summer school for Matt which means he'll be home for a few weeks before his school year begins again, too.  After that, the baby schlepping begins, back and forth between drop-offs and pick-ups at two different schools.  Let's hope for an easy-going baby!

We're aiming to be surprised with the gender of the baby.  Having experienced not knowing with both Megan and Bridget, I would love to experience that again.   (We found out with the twins, more for logistical reasons than anything else, although their birth was just as exciting!)  So, we'll be waiting to find out if we'll add another girl to the little sorority here, or if it'll be a boy --- and God help him if it is!!  Having a girl would be much easier on us, in many ways, but we would both welcome the change in having a baby boy!  It's weird even typing those words!

Names are a hot topic of discussion around here.  If it were up to Megan and Bridget, we'd have these contenders so far:  Mary Helson (Megan made Helson up, and she's proud of it!), Greta Star (Bridget's contribution -- I have to admit I love Greta but I don't think it's going to happen), and Twinkle Rainbow.  Hmmm...obviously, they've given us a lot to think about ;)  It's fun having kids that understand the concept of a baby coming, and remember it on their own.  We haven't had that before!

So, without further ado, I present...Stecher Baby #5. 

His/her most recent accomplishments include allaying any paranoia of Mommy's at the first trimester ultrasound. The baby checks out perfectly and passed genetic blood work tests with flying colors. Now I can move on to worrying about something else, I'm sure.  Like...the possibility of a boy in this house!! Something (okay, four things) tell me we have a slightly higher chance of another girl. Maybe that's just the estrogen wafting around here clouding my thinking, though. 

Sunny Days

Amid reports of record-breaking blizzards on the other side of the country, I feel (just a little) bad posting these pictures from our recent sunny park days.  The fog lifted in San Francisco for a few days last week, and we took full advantage with a couple trips to different playgrounds.  It was a happy coincidence that the sunny weather coincided with the girls' preschool being closed for parent/teacher conferences.  So, Megan joined the other three for one of our park days, and she even wore shorts!  It always makes me happy to see her cute little legs in shorts, maybe more so because I consider it a victory to sway her out of a dress every once in a while :)

Our first playground trip was to Rossi Playground in the Inner Richmond with my three amigos Bridget, Tessa and Annie.  They had a blast at this park that's geared especially towards the smaller set.

And, for us, no park trip is complete without a little juice break!

One of Megan's days off was a story time day at the library, something she's missed since the school year started.  She liked being an alumni there that day, and saying hi to the fish with her sisters :)

Afterwards, we hit up Parkside Playground, otherwise known as Joey's Park.  It's not the same without cousins that live a half block away, but the girls still managed to have fun on the slides.

Four girls balance out a tire swing perfectly!

With such a fun sneak peek at spring weather, I'm keeping my "sun bag" permanently in the van, just in case.  We never know when we might need four little hats, water and sunscreen for another unexpected stop to play in the sun!

Bedtime Shenanigans

If you're ever wondering if bedtime is the right time to rile your kids up and try to get some cute pictures ... probably not.  Matt was right ;) 

Tessa and Annie - 22 months

At 22 months, the "babies" are really little girls now!  They are still very similar in a lot of ways, but have many differences.  And, just when we think we have them figured out, they switch roles on us.  They take turns being the cuddlier twin, and are both developing their own unique little attitudes.  Tessa has started to mimic some of Bridget's mannerisms, especially her dramatic pouts with her eyes closed and chin in the air.  But, they're incredibly sweet with one another.  They do fight over little objects, but seem to have more compassion for one another than a singleton would (at least in our family).  If one asks for something saying "please," the other will usually surrender what they're fighting over.  They totally get the concept of sharing and taking turns, and are already pretty protective of one another.  I can't wait to see how their little bond develops over time.

They both talk up a storm right now, with lots of complete sentences, and more words every day.  Some highlights include, "I want to get down!" "I want a granola bar." "I want my hat."  "I want gogurt." I know -- lots of want, want, want.  Sigh. Still, a lot of it is pretty indecipherable.  I'm not sure if this is "twin talk" or just normal, but they do seem to understand each other!  When Sara and I were small, our parents set up a tape recorder in our room as we were (supposed to be) falling asleep, and they got some entertaining audio of the two of us jabbering in complete nonsense with one another.  We have yet to do that for Tessa and Annie, but should!!  They babble together for upwards of an hour sometimes at nap time and bedtime.  Lots of deep conversations, I'm sure.

More than anything, Tessa and Annie are closing the gap with Megan and Bridget.  They are more a unit of four than a "big girl" set and a "little girl" set.  Just today, I realized that I can take all four to the playground without a stroller, and actually carry on a conversation with other moms while they all just...play!  I don't need to hover under the play structures to spot anyone, or coax anyone down from where they shouldn't be.  They all go down slides like pros, and the four of them run around like a little pack. 

The same is true at home.  Baby gates are only used for containment, and they all play together for long stretches with minimal involvement from me. Sure, there's usually a mess involved afterwards, but that's the price I pay for some "alone time" to do the dishes!  People often comment that I have my own little preschool with these four, but if that's the case, then I am definitely not the teacher.  It's Megan, who is alternately "reading" stories to her students, or directing activities and doling out parts in her little plays.  The babies have slipped seamlessly into all of the girls' games, and I've yet to hear a complaint from the big girls.  More often than not, they can be seen (and heard) running from one end of our second floor to the other in a little stampede, all carrying dolls, princesses, purses and various other accessories.  The footsteps are punctuated with urgent cries of, "Mommy, it's raining!  My dress is getting wet.  Hurry inside!" or, "Oh, no!  Sweetiepie, let me help you!"  The Mommy is not me in these scenarios.  At least once a day, I yell up there, "Are you talking to me?"  They may or may not call back, "No!" depending on how lost in their game they are.

So, yes, Tessa and Annie engage in lots of pretend play, but they also like their downtime - in front of their cartoons.  Dodo and Gogo, to be exact.  That's Dora and Diego to everyone else. They're not picky about where they see them.  They're equally comfortable with the TV, iPhone and iPad.  While they don't know a thing about how to operate the television remote, they are eerily adept at selecting their shows from the instant queue on Netflix on the phone or iPad.  They're limited to maybe two shows a day, but they would watch those all day if they could!

Tessa (in overalls) and Annie pause for a snap-happy mommy.  They are obviously immersed in something fun, that only they understand.  And, Dora, as always, is tucked securely into Tessa's overall pocket :)

Annie's all bundled up and ready to go somewhere...anywhere. They both love wearing their jackets in the house, at the ready should I choose to bring them somewhere more exciting than our house.

I just love these pictures, even though they're blurry, especially the last one.  The babies love to play with the curtains in their room, and get endless entertainment from them.  Tessa is in red with the Crocs, her shoes.  It's funny - most of their shoes are hand-me-downs from the girls, and they each have very distinct taste.  They never fight over shoes (so far!).

Duck and Dog, fresh from a bath!

And, I can't resist two more cute shots.  Tessa's practicing for her first school photos already :)

And Annie - just being flirty and silly.

New Year's Fun in the Snow

Living on one income in San Francisco is a tricky business, made trickier with four kids, and especially when that one income is a teacher's salary.  But, because of Matt's teaching schedule, we have a lot of family time together.  It's a trade-off that I'm happy with at this point in our girls' lives.  We make a lot of sacrifices and have to really watch our money, which means that really fancy vacations are in the distant past and maybe in the distant future. But, while we may not be able to go to Hawaii every year, we can do Tahoe!  We have my family's cabin that we're lucky to be able to use, so a Tahoe vacation is a pretty affordable vacation, both in the summer and winter, and we hadn't taken the girls to the snow in a few years.  In fact, Tessa and Annie had never been in the snow.  With Matt's three weeks of Christmas vacation this year, we had plenty of time to squeeze in a trip, and we jumped at the chance to spend a week up there after Christmas.

The first hurdle was packing for the week.  Ugh.  Tessa and Annie were very helpful in this process.

The second hurdle we faced was getting there, in the snow, with the possibility of needing chains.  Luckily, we made it through the drive without needing chains, and, once there, we settled in for the week.  We went grocery shopping the next morning, which was very handy since a major storm hit Tahoe the next night.  Our power was out for over 12 hours and we were totally snowed in.  We woke up to more than two new feet of snow, and, without power, no cartooons for the kids!!  Our neighbors came through with some entertainment, though.  They live there full time, and have to (gasp!!) work. Watching them snow-blow their driveway before leaving for work at 7am in a snowstorm provided a diversion for the girls, but truly shattered any fantasy I had built up in my head of an idyllic day-to-day life in a wintery climate.  I was suddenly very grateful for our mild weather!

Once we all decided to brave this snow ourselves, the girls had a lot of fun accessorizing, especially Bridget.

Do you think Tessa has any dimples??

These three were quite happy with their attire, which includes a lot of hand-me-downs from our Mason cousins.  We are so lucky that their girls are all a little older than our girls, and grateful that they've unloaded a lot of their snow clothes, boots, and even skis on us. 

Well, most of us were happy.  The outfit that fit Megan best happened to be blue.  Horror of all horrors!  She felt pretty picked on that she wasn't pretty in pink. I think this one may have been cousin Zach's outfit (her on-again, off-again husband), but that didn't make it any better, or any pinker.

Once out in the snow, though, and especially on the sled hill that Daddy slaved over to perfect, everyone was happy...

for about thirty minutes.  Time to head back inside again.

And, while it may appear that we spent a lot of time in the snow, the kids were more often amusing themselves indoors.  But, we made a big mistake in not bringing any toys with us!  What were we thinking?!  So, they created games for themselves, including one where they spent a lot of time in an upstairs closet that has two doors (read: so fun for the four and under set): 

Luckily, in addition to the closet, we also had Matt's laptop and iPad, and they are are quite comfortable using both:

We had such a nice time!  We're looking forward to many, many more trips like these with the girls, especially as they get older.