3 weeks (and going solo during the day)

Today marks 3 weeks that Gabriel has been part of our family - and we are ALL making a great transition to us being a party of 5. Jon went back to work today, and so far we are all still in one piece. I think Jon gave the twins a pep talk about being good to Momma last night, as they have been mostly sweet boys. (Only one major fight - over a book - and only one brief meltdown at lunch. But come on, for toddlers that's EXCELLENT.)

We came up with several ideas to keep all three boys happy and SAFE while I am so outnumbered during the day. The first is the beloved Pack N' Play. The twins LOVE "baby Bubba," but they are 19 month old BOYS, so that doesn't mean that they always remember the difference between "lovin' on" and banging over the head with a Little People toy!

Thus, the Pack N' Play complete with the top so that toys cannot go flying in. I mean, Mommy has to leave the room on occasion (no, I am NOT going to wear a diaper, although that was one suggestion), so this will assist me in keeping Gabe safe when I am not around. We tried it out this weekend with Jon still here to see if it would work:


Introducing all three boys to their parents' Pack N' Play idea.


Looks like it's a hit! Jacob and Caleb love to go over and "talk" to Gabe in a hilarious high pitched "baby talk." Imagine them lying on the floor next to the Pack N' Play saying "bub-ba-ba-ba..." in a super sweet high-pitched tone! hehehe

Another life saver: The Ultimate Baby Wrap.


Not only do Jacob and Caleb like to be carried in in, but we've also found it to be a hit with Gabe. (Yes, this summer even all pregger I was able to carry my almost 30 pound boys in it it is so comfy!)


Gabe is quite a snuggler, so this is perfect to keep him appeased yet have my hands free!

And to wrap it up (no pun intended), a couple of cute pictures and stories of the week for all three boys:

Caleb and Whataburger ketchup!

I seriously think love of ketchup is hereditary, and Caleb got it from me. We only let him try it recently, but the boy gets a huge grin on his face each time. His Mommy is actually obsessed with Whataburger ketchup... not sure WHY it is SO GOOD! Well, we gave him Whataburger this week (yes, I gave my baby child Whataburger - call the "Bad Mommy Patrol"), and he went NUTS for the ketchup and even picked up the container and began licking it all out. He thought it was hilarious and so do we.



By the way, that is avocado on his plate untouched. He normally loves avocado, but I suppose a Justaburger, fries, and ketchup would trump avocado in my book too. After all, Mommy didn't eat a veggie with HER meal either!


But Caleb soon figures out that he can DIP his avocado in the ketchup to maximize the amount of ketchup that he can use. (*Ugh*)

The boys learned a couple of new words this week. One of them was a phrase that they picked up yesterday: "Go Cowboys!" Nope, not kidding! I have to try to get it on video next Monday night. It's too cute to hear a little toddler put both hands in the air and say "Go Cowboys." So it's not too clear yet, but we know what they mean! The other is "fish." They have never eaten fish (other than Goldfish) nor do we own any pet fish, but Jacob spouted off with the word "shish" the other day! I finally figured out after looking at this picture, his favorite little picture book that we read over and over and over has a fish in it! So now we are working on the "f" sound to make it more of a FISH than a SHISH! It's improving. ;-)


Jacob looking at a "shish" and star"shish" in his book!

The twins got a present in the mail, and it sure made Jacob one happy boy! How fun for them to each gift in the mail along with some new, beautiful handmade bibs with matching burp cloths for little Gabe!


Thanks to Albert, Kris, Lillie, and Madeline if y'all are reading this!

And a few of little "G-Man." He is growing before our eyes!