Simple Pleasures

Today I took Liam and Ciara to see "Elmo Grows Up" at The Theater at Madison Square Garden.  It was our first foray into the world of live kid's shows... and, it just might be our last.  Here's the deal -- that fluffy red monster has a voice that could peel paint off walls.  I swear that even Ciara was rolling her eyes through most of it while Liam was just feigning interest so as not to disappoint me as I asked if he was having a great time.  He wasn't.  She wasn't.  But even so, they wanted all the trinkets and tchockes that were for sale... cotton candy, popcorn, Elmo ballons, Elmo activity books, Elmo water bottles -- you get the picture.  And, it's not pretty!

Here's what I learned from today's outing:  I learned what my kids really love -- they love train rides.  They love adventure -- even if the form it takes is ducking through the turnstiles on the subway or holding hands while racing through Grand Central at rush hour.  One of the highlights of the day was following Liam's suggestion to ride the escalators in the Grand Hyatt.  Why were we in the Grand Hyatt you wonder?  To use the bathroom, of course!  This is actually a great tip for any city-bound day out with the kids... do NOT seek out the restrooms in train stations, gas stations or Starbucks.  DO seek out bathrooms in the pristinely clean and very nice hotels that can be found on virtually any street corner in New York... a few of our favs are at the Waldorf, the Mandarin Oriental and now, thanks to the escalators, the Grand Hyatt.

In any case, I think what made riding the escalators such an exhilerating experience for them was simply this -- it was their idea and I listened to them.  For a change, I followed their suggestion instead of dismissing it with an authoritative "not now, maybe later, no, can't do it, babies are crying, it's time for bed, I have to go, you have to go, just can't do it!" Words can't do justice to the lovely, simple pleasure it was just to hold their hands and watch them squeal with a combination of joy and nervousness each time we hopped on and off the "magic stairs".  I think the last time we had such a carefree moment was when I gave in to an ice cream request one day this summer despite the fact that it was "close to dinnertime/going to melt/a bad idea/you'll get a bellyache," etc.

So, should your tots ever see a commerical for "Elmo Grows Up", "Disney on Ice" or whatever the show du jour is, I suggest you "just say no" -- and then hop on a train and see where the day takes you. While you're at it, listen to what your kids have to say -- I'm going to try to do so more often myself.

Snow Day!

I'm not sure it would be fair to say that our little Cubs truly enjoyed their first major snowstorm.  Truth be told, I'm not sure it would be fair to say that I enjoyed it either!  It took us at least three times as long to get ready as the total amount of time we spent outside. There were more than a few tears shed as I wrestled them into bulky boots, cumbersome coats and mittens that only stayed on for minutes. 

It's kind of cute -- and let's just admit it -- pretty funny when you see a bundled up baby toddling along in the snow until he inevitably hits the point where he "falls and can't get up."  The thing is, while it's funny at first with three of them, it immediately becomes a rather significant logistical issue when there are three tots flailing face-down in the snow while their big brother and sister are sailing down the street in an unsupervised sled!

All in though, it was a great day and the memories will be of the goofy toothy smiles, first tastes of snowflakes and Liam and Ciara pulling the babies in a sled. 

However, another more ironic memory that I can't help but share will be this... as the snow swirled, the wind blew and the temperature dropped into the 20s, the US Postal Service stayed true to their mission and delivered the mail despite the severe weather... I suppose our mailman knew that he was delivering a very special package that would warm the hearts within our humble home.  You got it folks -- the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue!  Fortunately, Liam and his pal from down the street were too busy creating signs that said "No grrls alud" to notice but, Des couldn't help but be taken by the scantily clad babes.  I can't say I blame him given that I spent the day looking like the Abominable Snowman... and, just might spend the night that way too.  In any case, for now I'm just grateful that there's only one guy in the house who cares about this esteemed annual issue... just imagine the fights that will break out when Des, Liam, Kevin, Declan and Cormac all want to get their hands on it!  They'll probably need an arctic blast like the one we got today to settle them down... until then, well, back to the blissful memories of babes in sleds.

Where's WaWa?

Last night, we were defeated once again by an unwanted game of "Where's WaWa" that our little cubs take great joy in torturing us with. To understand the logistics of "Where's WaWa", you first need a brief history of the WaWa.

When Liam (now 5) was just weeks old, one of my friend's sent us little blue dog-shaped blankie -- you might call it a lovey or a security blanket or, as we called it, a "woobie."  Liam instantly took to his "woobie" and we violated every rule in the book as we peered into his basinette, watching him sleep... with his beloved woobie OVER HIS FACE.  We knew that we weren't supposed to put anything in our newborn's bed.  We knew the SIDS police would have us arrested... and probably should have!  However, since we hadn't slept for more than three hours at a stretch for at least six weeks, we were exhausted and we were desperate.  So, we left Liam with his woobie and we all slept through the night. 

Liam slept with that woobie on his head for years -- and, when he started to talk, one of his first words was "WeeWee."  We were confused at first but quickly figured out that "WeeWee" was "woobie" and before we knew it, the name stuck.

Then along came Ciara... who, after many sleepless nights, finally got a WeeWee of her own.  Hers was a little pink lamb and she took to it instantly... like Liam, she put the thing on her head and effortlessly went off to the land of nod.  It worked like a charm and we chuckled for months over the admittely bad joke that Ciara was the only girl on the block with a WeeWee... until, of course, she started to talk and one of her first words was "WaWa."  No WeeWees for this young lady! 

Everytime we left the house, instead of last minute checks like "is the oven off? did you lock the door? do you have the diaper bag?"  Des and I always asked "do you have WeeWee and WaWa?!" ... because we knew that wherever we went, we would be doomed if WeeWee and WaWa weren't along for the ride.

Fast forward to the birth of triplets.  Frankly, I've always been pacifier-averse because selfishly, I don't want to be getting up ten times a night to pop the binky back in the baby's -- or in this case, babies' -- mouth!  As you might imagine, to us WaWa's equal sleep and as such, they were on the top of our wish list when the cubs were born.  Thankfully, this wish was granted.  Kevin took to his "Puppy WaWa", Declan to "Monkey WaWa" and Cormac to "Lion WaWa."  All three of them blissfully suc,k snuggle, chew and cuddle their WaWas as they drift off to sleep.  It was all going really well until a few months ago when they started to play "Where's WaWa?" well after the midnight hour. 

As they toss and turn and flail about as only a baby can, their WaWa's get "lost" -- maybe it's at the top of the crib while they're at the bottom.  Maybe it's fallen -- or, more likely, been pushed -- through the crib slats.  Maybe it's tucked between the crib slats and the wall.  Wherever WaWa may be, if it's not safely ensconced beneath a snoozing cub, that cub is wide awake and wailing... and will not rest until WaWa has been returned. 

Much to my dismay, we're now up at various points in the night goin' on a WaWa hunt. Des has been known to mumble in sleep-deprived stupor "Can't they find their own f-ing WaWAs?!!"  while I shamefully pretend to be sleeping.  Bottom line, perhaps a paci would have been eaiser but, more often than not, the WaWas still equal sleep... for at least a few hours.  And, while I certainly don't enjoy our games of "Where's WaWa" at 3AM, I have a funny feeling that it just might be one of the things I end up missing.  Until then, I look forward to the day these guys start to talk and come up with a name of their own for their sweet bedtime buddies.  

In case you'd like to introduce your little one to the joys of the WaWa, you can buy one at:
http://www.kookoobearkids.com/Blue-Lamb-Snuggle-Friend-Blanket/productinfo/00050015BL/

While they were sleeping...

Much to my own disbelief, as I type this, there are five kids, one husband and one large dog peacefully snoozing -- and snoring -- away.  Truth be told, there's a part of me that's just a bit bitter that all around me are the sounds of peaceful slumber since I too would welcome a well-deserved nap.  That said, there's another part of me that's overjoyed to have a rare quiet moment and the opportunity to get things done without tripping over babies or promising for the hundredth time, "just a minute Liam and Ciara!!!"

As silence envelops the Lyons Den, I've crossed a fair amount off our (ok, really it's MY) ambitious weekend to-do list.  Balance checkbook and pay bills.  Check!  Update calendar for February.  Check!  File bills and organize 2009 tax folder.  Check!  Buy gifts for next weekend's birthday parties and baby shower.  Check!  Start laundry.  Check! Locate Netflix movies for return mail tomorrow.  Check!  This one, by the way, gives me great pleasure in checking off the list because, as my Netflix queue just confirmed, we've had The Incredibles since July 17th!  And, the worst part, of course, is that we didn't even watch it since Liam deemed it too scary after the first five minutes.  Incredible, indeed!

I suppose what I should do next is start dinner... although, I'm quite tempted to just settle in and settle down for a few moments myself.  As always, it was a whirlwind weekend, kicked off by the "Cubs" 15-month visit to the pediatrician on Friday.  The doctor's visit reminded me once again of how quickly the time flies by.  It reminded me of how much I will miss about these baby years... and, how much I won't!  In a nutshell, I will NOT miss cutting grapes into six pieces and blueberries into fours.  I will NOT miss spit up, baby cereal or my constant state of snot-covered shoulders. I will NOT miss the sobs of teething or the "age of peril" as the babies attempt to swim in toilet boils, ignite themselves on the stove and swing from the bookshelves.  But, I will miss the irresistable appeal of a little tot saying "Uppie".  I will miss those awkward open-mouthed wet kisses.  And I will definitely miss the thump-thumps of speed-crawlers and the pitter-patters of little feet.  And, although I have missed a lot of sleep, well, I know it's all just part of this fleeting phase and I wonder if next Sunday, I just might join in as my pretty ones sleep. 

Amazing Things

In the past week, I've twice encountered the notion of "amazing things can happen" and it's really resonated with me.  First, it was Conan's last show -- which, for the record, I didn't watch live despite my best efforts to stay awake, but did TIVO and boy, am I ever glad I did.  Rather than dazzle us with his comedic talent and ascerbic wit, Conan decided to deliver an inspirational and seeminlgy genuine message. It was time he could have used at NBC's expense, delivering one last shot before he rode off into the Hollywood sunset.  But instead, Conan used his moment to inspire today's youth by imploring them (dare I say us?) that if you are "kind and work hard, amazing things will happen."  I was impressed that he took the high road and thought to myself that these are truly good words to live by.

My second encounter with a phrase involving "amazing things" occurred today as I went to NY Presbyterian for my annual exam.  There was a big banner above the door with the hospital's logo "Amazing things are happening here."  I remembered when the triplets were born and they had just unveiled this new corporate slogan. I thought to myself "Wow, three amazing things really did just happen here!"  Walking in the door today was a very different sensation though... without a big belly in front of me or a bunch of kids and babies next to me, well, I was just like everyone else.  Gone was the sense that I was a part of the amazing things happening there.  It was replaced with a sad feeling that my amazing thing had already happened -- against all odds, and with many thanks to the great doctors at NY Pres, I gave birth to three healthy babies.  So, now what? 

I don't know if it's age or hormones or what but I find myself really contemplating if my amazing thing has already happened or, if I'm kind and work hard, are there yet more amazing things ahead of me?  Ever the optimist, I suppose I'm in the camp of the latter.  Most certainly, amazing things have happened in my life -- and the babies are really just one example.  When I think about it, my life in general is fairly amazing -- I've got healthy kids, a great husband, a job I like, incredible friends, a supportive family and hobbies that I'm passionate about.  With this in mind, I'm now convinced that amazing things in my life aren't simply in the past tense -- there surely must be more to come... especially when I remember that amazing things need not be life-changing events but can be even the smallest of accomplishments in any given day... a baby taking his first steps, a 3 year old taking her first gymnastics class, a 5 year old learning to read -- these are the amazing things in my life and I'm now confident that if I'm kind and work hard, there will be many more.