Luckiest Momma In The World....

You know that quote that says something like, "It's not the amounts of breaths you take. It's the moments that take your breath away"? I had one of those moments recently. Don't get me wrong, I pretty much have those moments everyday (like when Nola comes over to me and says, "mommy" and then gives me a big hug) but this one in particular was really special. I had met my good friend Leslie and her two kids at the park. We decided that keeping the kids contained in a stroller would be the best way to get outside and actually visit without having to run a marathon keeping up with all of them. It was a gorgeous day and we had the best time. Her older son, who is I think 3, was so sweet and shared all of his fishy crackers with my three while we strolled. Towards the end of our walk we walked past a pond that had lots of ducks swimming around (well, geese actually) who eagerly approached us in hopes that we had some bread crumbs to feed them. It was so sweet. The kid's faces just completely lit up at the sight of the ducks. They can identify a duck in a picture book but had never actually seen them in person. They loved it. When we were finished with our walk and it was time to load the kids back up in the car, I took Nola out of the stroller first. I was holding her and was telling her to say "bye bye" to Leslie and her kids. Nola just smiled so big at them and said "bye" and I don't know what it was about this moment but she literally took my breath away. There she was, her face completely covered in fishy cracker crumbs, yet she was the most beautiful little girl I had ever seen. I literally cried the entire drive home and repeatedly thanked God for blessing me with these amazing children. I truly feel like the luckiest person on Earth. Do you know how many preemies out there have long term problems and complications and here I am with three perfectly healthy children? I'll never understand why God has blessed me so abundantly, but I'm so thankful. Thank you, Lord. You never cease to amaze me.

So, moving on to other things (wiping tears away!). We have a major Elmo obsession at our house. It's pretty bad. I admit, I watched Sesame Street way longer than most kids. I've always loved it and Elmo is definitely one of my favorite characters. They knew who he was in books and they have a few Elmo toys, but when I turned it on Sesame Street a few weeks ago for the first time and they heard his sweet voice, it was all over. Now, every morning after breakfast (which these days is waffles or as they call it "faffles"), they run to the TV and shout "Em-mo! Em-mo!" I know that they are technically too young for TV according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, but they absolutely love it and they are actually already learning! I've counted with them before but they didn't really start to pay attention until Elmo started counting. They can all count to 5 and sometimes even to 6 or 8! They know Ernie (Uur-nee), Bert (Booot), Oscar (Ah-car) and Grover (foe-fur) all by name. They are even starting to learn their ABC's! Again, I've counted and sang the ABC's to them countless times, but it's so much cooler when Sesame Street does it. I'm amazed at how quickly they are picking up on things and saying new words completely out of the blue. Last night Luce was looking at a book all about farms and she knew so many of the random things in there, not just the cow and the pig, like "bucket, hay, farmer, pumpkin, wheat"......! It was so cool! I was like, when did she learn this???

They really understand so much. At night when it's time for bed we'll say "It's time for night night, let's go to your room" and they'll all march to the top of the stairs and we'll open the gate. They then all turn around and scoot down the stairs feet first on their stomaches and go strait to their room (with an occasion pit stop to the bathroom in hopes that we won't notice them unrolling the toilet paper). Then, once they're in their jammies they will say "teeth! teeth!" reminding us to brush their teeth. We've been on a very strict schedule since the babies were born and they eat lunch at 11:30 everyday. I swear, the other day at 11:29 Luce said, "Eat! Hun-geee!" About 300 times a day they will hand me a book and say "read" and then settle up in my lap. Plus they are also starting to "get" things, like Maddux took his binky and put it in his stuffed Elmo's mouth or Nola will pretend that she's making broccoli ("brock-ee") with a tupperware bowl and a comb used as a spoon ("poon"). Oh! speaking of spoons, I've started gradually letting them eat applesauce with a spoon and it's gone surprisingly well! The girls are very coordinated, and Maddux is too, but he's more interested in putting his hands down into the bowl of applesauce and make a mess instead. He's all boy!

I could go on and on about all of the new things that they are doing. It's yet another reminder of how absolutely blessed we are. The Early Intervention teachers who come every Thursday are convinced that we will no longer need their services after age 2 (they automatically qualify until then). They will be officially tested next month, but all signs are pointing to them being considered "caught up". They were going through a check list last week and the kids are doing everything that they are supposed to be doing and then some. Nola has always been a little ahead of the other two so it's no surprise that she is doing things on a 36 month old level.

So, see? I am the luckiest momma in the world.