Balls, Biting & Bugs

Despite the fact that there are over a hundred toys to play with at our house - whatever someone else has - instantly becomes what everyone else wants.

This is human nature.

Of course it makes no logical sense for us to have three of everything for a few reasons:

1) We don't have the room;

2) Generally speaking - the kids get bored of what they are playing with in 10 minutes;

3) Having three of the same item would not solve the problem. Part of the dilemma is wanting what you don't have.

So, we're working on the concept of sharing.

Within the past week, the babies have become very proficient at throwing. Suddenly, they love to throw and they have figured out that almost everything, can be thrown.

They throw blocks, books, balls, little cars, little people, sand, dirt, water, stuffed animals ... and of course food.

Which means that meal time at our house has turned in to the biggest disaster imaginable.

Today, the object of desire was a ball.

The babies really love to throw a ball, because it bounces and depending upon what they throw it against, it comes back to them.

The problem with throwing a ball when you are a 20-month old triplet, is that once it leaves your hands - it is fair game for two other babies to pick up - and quickly waddle away with.

The notion of something you were enjoying and playing with just seconds earlier, being swooped up and enjoyed and played with by someone else ... is no good.

No good at all.

And rather than your mother stepping in to help, she reaches for her camera ... well, that makes the situation even worse.

I've attached a series of photos, which were taken over a span of about four minutes.

This is the scene that unfolded ...

First Elizabeth had the ball. (Note: William had a ball too, just not the ball that Elizabeth had.)

Then Carolyn.

Then William.

Then Carolyn.

Then Elizabeth.

Then Elizabeth was bit on the ear by William, who quicky regained control of the ball, before his mother put down her camera and put him in time-out.

Elizabeth got the ball back.

Carolyn was still dismayed at having lost the ball in the first place, and Elizabeth brought it back and gave it to her.

Sharing is a Success!

With all these lessons in "sharing" ... biting has become common place.

Actually, William and Carolyn bite each other and Elizabeth with great frequency. Elizabeth is never a biter, but is often the bitee. Typically, I can stop the biting before it starts. I possess this ability of sensing the pending bite because it usually happens whenever we have one (1) object that everybody wants.

In those rare instances when I can't stop the bite before it happens ... I always know when it has happened. I also know who did it, because the biter is standing off to the side with their hands up to their mouths and their eyes open wide ... while the screaming bitee stands a few feet away, covered in saliva and teeth marks.

If my kids biting each other wasn't enough to worry about ... it appears that with all this warm weather we've been having, bugs that are suppose to live outside - are starting to migrate inside.

Actually, not all the bugs.

Just the big, black wolf spiders with huge fangs and hairy legs. In the past 3 days, we've killed 6 wolf spiders. In. Our. House.

I placed a call to the Bug-B-Gone company and they'll be coming out on Wednesday.

This sets off a whole new set of worries because although I don't like the idea of huge wolf spiders in our house ... I also don't like the idea of spraying "Methyl-ethyl-death" which will require us to vacate the premises for the better part of a day.

Even though my research has shown that the pesticides are safe once dry - I'd much prefer to teach the bugs to stay outside.

I mean ... if I can teach 20-month old triplets how to share ... the sky's the limit ... right?