Monday, February 11, 2008

lucky, lucky, lucky day

I have really been debating whether or not to buy Henry an exersaucer.

On the one hand, it would provide a safe place for him to sit and play; on the other hand I don't want to "stick" him in something and not allow him ample opportunity to practice his creeping and crawling skills.

Also on the other hand, I've had reservations about forking over $80.00 for something he will outgrow in less than six months. And do I really want to take up a valuable corner of our house with a big plastic contraption?

I had an exersaucer for the triplets. I also had a jumperoo. And a walker. Each of these items were sold for a fraction what I bought them for, about three months before I found out we were expecting Henry. Since Henry has been on the move, I've been barricading him behind folded-up gymnastic mats and our ottoman. If necessary, I'll put him in the small playpen for containment.

But today, after he toppled over and smacked his head on the floor, I decided that I needed to get something to keep him entertained during those times I'm chasing a child down to put their shoes on.

So, I loaded the kids up and we took off for Babies R Us. All told, this outing took me a solid two hours and a lot of hassle. Because when you go in to a store like Babies R Us with three three year-olds and an infant, your three-year olds are going to think that everything is for them to touch and lick, and you just might want to make sure you took an Excedrin beforehand.

Even though I rapidly searched through the boxes to be sure that I was purchasing one that had minimal cuts and tears, when I returned home, I discovered that there were critical parts missing. As in ... the legs that hold the thing up were gone. So, this is going back to the store and we're not getting another one. Because when I opened the box and looked at it, I determined that we really don't have the space for this monstrosity and $80.00 is too much money for a bunch of plastic that I'll be lucky to sell for $15.00 at a yard sale. When the baby needs to be contained, he can go in the playpen we already own.

I love it when my logic comes full circle and it feels like I just found four $20.00's in my wallet.

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Elizabeth flipped bunny in to the toilet today.

For her sake, it's extremely fortuitous that this happened while we were at home and not at Babies R Us. If bunny went for a swim in a public toilet, there are no guarantees that he would have come out again. Even in our own toilet, I briefly considered telling her that bunny was going to live with Nemo and Dory.

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Doulala sent me an e-mail today informing me that my etiquette school post that I deleted last week was still in her Google Reader. So for those that missed it and wished they hadn't, read on. And for those that didn't miss it, but wish they had ... here I am doing push-ups with my little workout buddy.



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Very little grosses me out anymore.

I mean, I've got triplets that are in the midst of potty training. There aren't very many things that are as unpleasant as what I have to face several times a day and I've become rather accustomed to the ickiness.

I've removed huge poop pancakes from the inside of underwear, caught my children dipping their toy fishing rod in a used potty chair in an attempt to "catch a fwish", and have used public restrooms with three kids who have been known to open the tiny little trash can and pull out what they thought was a small kaleidoscope. Because I guess if you don't know any better, a tampon applicator does kind of resemble a toy.

I went in to potty training thinking that it would be easier and probably less painful to pull my bottom lip over my head. Make no mistake: I still believe that. Although, I'm not nearly as disgusted with the potty-training process now as I was when this whole thing started 16 or so months ago. I guess I've just resigned myself to the fact that this is my life, after I cleaned poop out of our Weeble-Wobble Tree House and off the carpet an untold number of times.

Remarkably, I have never gagged. But, I have called Charlie at work and said something along the lines of "I'm cleaning up the carpet from one of our children and I seriously don't remember the last time we fed them corn."

Having children has made us incredibly aware of bodily functions for bodies other than our own. I will excitedly show my husband the contents of a Q-Tip that was swirled around the outer ear of our child after their bath, and I'll gasp in awe when my husband shows me what he suctioned out of our child's nose during the height of a cold.

So this morning, when I came galloping out of the bathroom yelling "Whoa dude, check this out!!" and then proceeded to display the clog that had been prohibiting me from breathing through my left nostril for the past 24-hours ... I didn't even think about how unromantic my behavior was until after I showed my husband the contents of my Kleenex.

I'm not sure when exactly it happened, but sometime during the course of my motherhood, I've turned in to an 11-year old boy.

14 comments:

  1. Jen,

    Although they are nice to have around for the times that you need to have Henry safe and playing, you are right...exersaucers are huge and expensive. By now, many kids I know are already bored being "cooped up" with the same ol' toys that the exersaucer provides. If you go back on your decision and want to buy one, you could always go on craigslist or to a consignment shop that sells gently used kids stuff...you'll pay a fraction of the price that you would for a new one.

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  2. Try potty training rewards. The audio and chocolate treats were powerful incentives to fully potty train our son. I sat him down and showed him the push button he could push after using his potty telling him he is a Big Boy and that he would be able to open a door and find a surprise really did the trick.He would use his potty and say where is Bobby. That is what we named the little boy on the outside of the packaging. He loved pushing the button and hearing he is a Big Boy and then opening a door to find a chocolate treat. He was peeing and pooping in his potty within a week. I even keep one in the car to encourage him to tell me when he has to go because he loves pushing the button so much. Have a look and see if you think it will work for you and your triplets. www.pottytrainingrewards.com

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  3. Can't blame you for returning the exersaucer... but I just wanted to let you know that I saw one yesterday at our local Sam's Club for $55. It was the Baby Einstein one. Do you have Sam's there? Maybe Costco has one? Just a thought... might save you a little money and give Henry a place to hang out safely. Good luck!!

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  4. Well I think it was pretty funny. Oh no, does that make me an 11 year old boy rather than a 55 year old woman??

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  5. You are right, there's no way an Exersaucer is worth paying full retail price. Maybe you can find one for $20 at a consignment store? Do you belong to a families-of-multiples group? Try sending them an email "wanted" ad, in case somebody has one they want to sell. Or even would lend for the 6 months he might use it.
    By the way, I liked the etiquette story!
    And yes, a special bed on the living room floor is our standard treatment for vomiting children. If you have a pile of old receiving blankets, they are great for covering the immediate area, and for quick clean-ups. Hope the virus is gone for good now.
    Best wishes,

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  6. Just a thought on the exersaucer, but you could look on Craigslist.

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  7. Those little baby giggles are so precious! Like anon said, I would suggest buying one second hand from a gently used kids store or from a neighbor or friend with an unused one.

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  8. potty training is one of my greatest nightmares. I'm hoping that one day the triplets wake up and are just using the potty so that I can avoid it all together. Potty training our four year old was PAINFUL.

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  9. Jen,

    I can't give you much advice on the excersaucer. My daughter loved hers, but you're right. They are HUGE and not a cute feature to the living room decor.

    I did want to tell you that you look GREAT though. Seriously...have you lost all your baby weight already? Way to go! Your voice sounds like it's still on the mend. Take care of yourself!

    Laura

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  10. Already been said, but I wanted to add my two cents - buy USED! Seriously, there is no reason not to on something like that unless you have money to burn. And the majority of us don't.

    An exersaucer, used sparingly, is a great tool to keep little hands busy, stretch those legs, and keep baby safe at the same time. Like most other things, used as intended, and not as a baby sitter, is a great asset for everyone.

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  11. Hey how about a used one? Well that was my great idea, but lots of people got to it before me.

    For potty training we did a congo line type dance/song after the successful use of the potty. The song goes like this "Pee pee in the potty, Pee pee in the potty' over and over. This can be modified to "poopy in the potty, poopy in the potty" --you get the picture. If you can get everyone to do it together, it can be hysterically funny.

    I am also very big into sugar free lollipops as rewards. Kids don't know the difference, but they don't rot teeth. I just have to remind myself to keep them a special treat instead of handing them out like, well, candy.

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  12. Don't tell anyone; especially my husband (or the boys) but I think... I'm ------- IN LOVE!!!!

    Love, Marg.

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  13. Be happy you didn't get the saucer. My daughter got sick of being trapped in hers younger than your Henry is now. Once she could crawl (at 6 months), she wanted no part of it, except to play with the toys from the outside. It was so big, we folded it up and stuck it out of the way. We recently tried it again, just for long enough for me to shower. She's really too tall for it, on the tallest setting, at 11 months. It was a great trap for a couple of months, but we really didn't get to use it for long. Pick one up used if you can, but otherwise stick to the pack n play you already have.

    I'm a newer reader and I love your blog!

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  14. I had a thought - I was going to say 'ebay all the way, baby' as regards the Exersaucer, but then I did think about 'Zwaggle.com', as I am sure that Henry is growing out of stuff you can trade in, and I know there are a couple of exersaucers on there going spare. Worth a shot?

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