Three Weasels

It’s a Wolf

Jennifer — Wed, 16 May 2012 02:09:58 +0000

A few months ago the boys watched an episode of Super Why based on the story of the Three Little Pigs. They watched it and watched it and watched it…every day it was the show they picked to watch after dinner for weeks. And the story started to trickle into their play time. Every tower was built for the purpose of the wolf coming to “huff and puff and blow it down”. I would walk into the room and they would scream and run, yelling “oh no, it’s the wolf”. When they were at the museum a few weeks ago, they both stopped and pointed at a display and yelled “it’s a wolf”. Of course it’s a fox not a wolf, but they were both certain it was a wolf.

I never know if we are playing a game or not. This weekend I walked into the kitchen and growled and announced that I was a wolf. Ruslan looked at me and said in his sweetest voice “You are not a wolf, you are my mama!” In response I scooped him up and gave him so many kisses. I love that they are using their imagainations to play together and I love being their mama.

Saturday in Pictures

Jennifer — Mon, 14 May 2012 01:59:53 +0000

Mother’s Day was a quiet day spent at home. It was raining so the kids spent the day in their pjs. We really needed a day at home after several weekends where we were constantly on the go. Yesterday started with haircuts for all 3 kids followed by playtime at home and naps for the boys. We woke the boys and put them straight in the van and headed to a 3-yr old birthday party. The weather was lovely and they had fun running around outside. It was well past bedtime by the time we returned home for baths and bedtime – another busy Saturday.

Ruslan and Wyatt 3.0

Jennifer — Sat, 05 May 2012 02:26:32 +0000

I usually write separate posts about the boys, but so much of what they are doing is the same right now so it made sense to combine. The boys are playing together a lot more – they play in the kitchen, they play cars, build, etc. I love that we are finally getting the benefit of the built-in playmate.

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At night when I put the boys in bed they lie down and I cover them both up. Recently Wyatt tells me he doesn’t need to be covered up and he is usually holding a book when I leave their room. Ruslan still wants to be snuggled under his blankets before I leave. By the time I get downstairs I hear them jumping up and down and chattering back and forth at each other. One night this week Wyatt refused to be tucked in as usual. As I was tucking in Ruslan, Wyatt was telling him to get up. Ruslan was quiet and finally said, “Not yet Wyatt, wait until Mommy leaves”. I guess he thinks that he is tricking me by staying tucked in until I leave the room.

The boys had a 6:30 bedtime for a long time, any later and they would be miserable. Over the past few months they have been able to stay up later which gives us more time to spend with them in the evening. We have shifted their bedtime from 6:30 to 7:30 and it seems to be working well. They are starting to wake up a little bit later in the morning which is definitely a good thing.

They still take really good naps – about 2 hours at daycare during the week and 3 hours on the weekend. Juliana gave up daycare naps by 18 months so I am thrilled that the boys still nap during the week. If they weren’t napping I think we would be stuck with an earlier bedtime. Sometimes we have to wake them up from naps on the weekend – either we need to leave the house or it is getting too close to bedtime. This is what it looks like when I wake them up.

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We try to spend 30-60 minutes outside after dinner every day. Outside playtime includes lots of running back and forth and in circles, chasing each other, knocking each other over, playing in dirt, riding motorcycles, playing catch and in general just enjoying being outside. My main goal is to keep them moving and wear them out for bed.

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Potty Training – ha ha ha, no comment.

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Ruslan continues to eat just about anything we put in front of him including salad. Wyatt lives on a small assortment of food – waffles, french toast sticks, muffins, pop tarts, chicken nuggets, pizza, french fries - those are the staples, he doesn’t even eat macaroni and cheese. He does eat blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and apples slices with the skin (Juliana still won’t eat apple skin so I consider this a small victory). When we go out to dinner (usually Eat n Park or Red Robin), Wyatt happily sits at the table and orders pizza and french fries.

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They are fascinated with trucks and cars especially construction vehicles and garbage trucks. In the evening they will often sit with my dad and watch YouTube videos of garbage trucks. For a while our garbage pick-up was happening right before I take them to daycare and they would wait for the truck and watch them pick-up the trash. Unfortunately they are coming to our house later now so they miss trash pick-up.

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They still love to go anywhere in the car and will happily sit at the front door and wait. Scott and my dad took the boys to the Natural History museum last weekend. Their favorite part was playing on the stairs. Thanks to my Dad for the pictures.

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Their 3-yr check-up was yesterday and they both grew 2″ since their 2-1/2 check-up (Ruslan – 37″ 30th%) Wyatt – 39-1/4″ 82nd%) and their weight is nearly identical (46th%). Aside from strep throat we avoided the Doctors office since last October.

They are wild and demanding at times, but mostly they are a lot of fun. I hope that age 3 is a good year for us.

Water Fight

Jennifer — Thu, 03 May 2012 01:42:11 +0000

The boys have taken baths together since escaping the duck tub and moving up to the big tub. Recently they went through a phase where they hated baths especially Wyatt. He would stand in the bathtub and scream while I quickly washed him and hurried him out and into his pjs.

In the past week they suddenly love bath time again. They play and laugh and are in no hurry to get out. And they have discovered the joy of dumping water on each other. I usually let the water fly until large quantities start to hit the floor. Here is a clip of this evenings water fight.

Future Offensive Lineman

Jennifer — Wed, 02 May 2012 02:30:24 +0000

Ruslan runs fast, plays hard, throws a ball straight and when you get hit in the back of the head with the ball you know it. We have been calling him our future offensive lineman – something to do with his build and the way he runs.

One of our regular evening activities is to get the boys to run up and down the driveway – they love to run and I love to get the last bit of wild energy out of them before bedtime. We generally stay outside until it is time to start the bedtime routine.

We were throwing the ball up the driveway and Ruslan was running to get it and running back with it so he could throw it hard at close range. Basically we were having a good game of fetch.

After a few rounds he ran up and stopped when he reached the ball, leaned over it and threw it back between his legs. I guess we were right about the offensive lineman.

The Hiding Game

Jennifer — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 19:26:38 +0000

The boys like it when you hide from them and jump out. Well, actually they like it when they know where you are and they can see you sort of hidden and then you jump out and “surprise” them. This game often takes place in the evening after dinner. Someone hides at the top of the shrubs that line the driveway and the boys cautiously approach the area, getting closer and closer until the person hiding jumps out, and then they laugh and run down the driveway. I happened to have my camera in my hand when my Dad “hid” from them yesterday and I sat at the bottom of the driveway and watched the fun.

We Went for a Ride in A Fire Truck

Jennifer — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 01:22:31 +0000

Scott’s brother Erik is a firefighter and for some reason we never went to visit him at the station until this past weekend. The boys were so excited, they talked about it all week. Go see Uncle Erik, see the fire trucks? Saturday morning I told them that yes today was the day we would go after their nap. When I put them down for their nap, they asked again – Uncle Erik after nap? And when I went to their room to get them ready to go, Wyatt sleepily picked up his head and said – go see Uncle Erik – and then his head bounced back to the mattress, waking up from nap is hard.

They had plenty of time to wake-up on the drive and when we pulled up at the fire station and Uncle Erik walked out of the station the boys saw him and started to yell. We began our tour in the equipment room. Scott was carrying Wyatt, Ruslan insisted that I hold him and Juliana was staying close – they were excited but shy of the new surroundings. Erik started to explain how everything was stored and Juliana asked why most of the helmets were yellow and some were red. Erik explained that the bosses wore red hats and they wore a different color so when all of the firefighters are wearing their gear they can spot the leader. Juliana asked if he was a boss and once she found out that he was she was moch more interested in what he had to say and started to ask lots of questions. Juliana announced that she wanted to meet “Erik’s men” so we visited the rest of the station and saw where they spend their days and nights (24-hr shifts).

We went into the garage area with rows of fire trucks, so many different styles. Erik did a great job of explaining the different trucks and helping them in and out of the trucks as they took turns sitting in the driver’s seat. I kept a close watch on Ruslan at all times to make sure that he didn’t start pushing every button in sight…fortunately destructo child didn’t make an appearance.

Erik drove one of the trucks out into the parking lot and we sat inside and watched the water spray from the front of the truck. The boys were fascinated, I don’t think that either one of them said a word.

They loved everything and had fun exploring and had a great time! Thanks for letting us come visit Uncle Erik!

Happy 3rd Birthday Ruslan and Wyatt

Jennifer — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 17:52:47 +0000

Wasn’t it just yesterday that you slept in my arms in the hospital? And we brought you home and you fit in the bouncey seat together and slept side-by-side.

Those early mornings that you slept beside me and I would open my eyes to see one or both or you looking back. I was so tired all of the time and those quiet moments in the morning when we stayed in bed were my favorite during those early weeks.

Suddenly you were 6 months and then a year old and you kept growing and changing.

I can’t believe that you are 3-years old now. Happy Birthday my precious boys! I guess I can’t call you toddlers anymore but you will always be my babies. I love you both so very much.

Master Sergeant Connelly and His Pretty Assistant

Jennifer — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 03:07:23 +0000

Scott was promoted to Master Sergeant in the United States Air Force on December 8, 2011 and his promotion ceremony was this past weekend. The ceremony involved being presented with his new rank on his jacket. Scott asked Juliana to participate and explained that she would help him put on his jacket. Juliana was very nervous and didn’t want to do it until her Kindergarten teacher recommended that we record the ceremony and they would watch the video in class. A video of her at school…she was sold. The ceremony was held on Sunday, April 15th at the 171st Air Refueling Wing and since it was a military function it involved everyone getting up especially early.

Juliana picked out her dress and accessories and she looked so pretty. All three of the kids were on their absolute best behavior; it was like we brought someone else kids with us. We sat through several promotions and a retirement and they sat quietly. It helped that my parents were with us; Juliana sat with Scott, Ruslan was with my mom and Wyatt with me. My Dad was charged with taking pictures during the ceremony since I knew I would be holding at least one of the boys.

Juliana stayed close to me as we walked into the auditorium and then she sat at the end of the row with Scott.

After a few other promotions, Scott and Juliana went up on the stage. She stood next to Scott holding the jacket until it was time to help him put it on. I am so proud of her for going up on stage without me. I was concerned she would be too nervous and then the boys would freak out if I walked away and they would be screaming…but it was so very smooth.

While my dad was taking pictures I managed to record a video. Be thankful it isn’t more choppy since Wyatt was pulling on my arm. I love how she fixes her hair as she bounces down the steps at the end.

I took advantage of the dressed up children on their best behavior and my Dad took a family picture. Everyone is looking at the camera – win!

Since there was a retirement, it was announced at the end of the ceremony that there was cake. The boys were so excited about cake that they agreed to leave my side and walk with Scott. I love this picture I managed to snap as the four of them walked down the hall hand-in-hand.

The Final Days…Three Years Ago

Jennifer — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 02:52:26 +0000

The c-section had been scheduled for weeks so I knew that my OB appointment on Wednesday, April 15th 2009 would be the final one before the boys were born.

Before my appointment I had a monitoring session. For the past few weeks I had non-stress tests twice a week where the babies were monitored to make sure their heart rates reacted appropriately to their movements. I was always in and out of those appointments in 20 minutes – both babies quickly met the required number of measurements because they were always moving especially when I wanted to lie still and rest. The session that day was no exception, the boys happily bounced around and their heart rates went up and down. When I arrived for my session I would instruct the nurse where to place the monitors since they had been in a similar location for weeks. Both were head up – Wyatt on the right with his head up in my ribs and Ruslan on the left with his head at my side.

The Dr confirmed that both boys were still head up and we went through the plans for the next week. I would be at the hospital very early Monday morning for an amnio and then the boys would be delivered that afternoon.

Saturday morning I went for my final monitoring session. I was very uncomfortable and looking forward to the end of my last pregnant weekend. I settled onto the bed and the nurse started placing monitors and we couldn’t find their heart beats in the familiar locations – they were moved a little bit. I was surprised that they had enough room to move at all.

We arrived at the hospital early Monday morning and the ultrasound tech set-up for the amnio. She located Baby A and noted that he was head down on the left and I thought I must have misunderstood her. She confirmed that Ruslan was head down and then she checked Wyatt and he was also head down. They had both completely flipped in the past few days and I no longer felt guilty for complaining that I had been very uncomfortable. Just looking at these pictures brings back the painful memories (photo from 35 weeks, they were born at 37 weeks and 12 weeks for comparison).

And the final family pictures before the boys were born – I look crazy tired and lack of sleep was about to be taken to a whole new level…