"T & D + 3": Summertime!

Ahhhh...the Dog Days of Summer. I used to think that referred to the heat making you pant like a dog. I now realize it was coined by someone with toddlers. From dawn to dusk, I work like a dog. Don't get me wrong-I love it. I just find it ironic this is my summer "vacation"...it used to mean sunbathing and sleeping in. Now it means sippy cups and pulling my hair out thinking of ways to keep three one-year-olds entertained for longer than ten minutes. All joking aside, it has been awesome being home with them again. They are at such a fun age-crawling all over you and getting into all sorts of trouble! We've settled into a bit of a routine again-but we have reserved Tuesdays for Family Field Trips with Daddy! Our first trip to the Mystic Aquarium was great-although we picked one of the hottest days last week. We weren't too concerned until we realized only a few things are indoors-the poor babies were all puffy and damp, but they had a blast looking at all the fish!

Our other great adventure was our trip to Maine Fourth of July weekend. Dave's family friends own a cabin on a lake in Casco, and it is a tradition for his whole family to gather there on the Fourth of July. It's usually very relaxing and peaceful...this year not so much. The Gentilcores (our family friends) were so generous to have us as guests-they gave up their master suite since it is the only room that will fit three pack n plays, they gave up peace and quiet, and gave up on trying to tell me to relax...it's fighting a losing battle. It's a vice of mine that I've fought my whole life, but it's gotten worse since having the babies. I have a little bit :) of a control issue, and if one thing doesn't go as planned, some would say I tend to go off the deep end. I thought I had gotten it under control, but given the looks on everyone's faces in Maine, I haven't. It really was a great time though-the babies loved exploring the cabin, and Sophia, turns out, is part mermaid! The boys weren't too sure about the water-maybe scared or it was too cold-but Sophia was fearless! She loved floating around in this "mommy and me" tube that Aunt Amy got us-she sits in one end and I hang on the other. It was so cool!

Grammy Denier lives on a lake, so we ventured over there this week to hang out. Her lake is much warmer than the one in Maine, and also more shallow. No one was afraid this time-Cameron and Sophia splashed around like little fish, and Evan had a blast as long as you were holding him.

One battle we continue to face is Cameron's sleeping habits at night. Starting around two months ago, he began waking up at night, and not being able to soothe himself. For a while we broke down and took him into bed with us. This no longer works. He wants to sleep on his tummy, but there isn't enough room for that in our bed, so he flops around like a fish out of water-which keeps everyone up. It's gotten progressively worse over the past few weeks-from happening once or twice a week to every night, and taking him longer and longer to settle down. Last night was Armageddon in our house. He woke up around 11 pm, so I took him into bed like we always do. An hour and a half later, he was still up and bouncing around. Dave tried taking him downstairs and holding him like we do when we put him to bed...no luck. We even set up the pack n play in the dining room but we couldn't stand to listen to his terrified screams. Finally around 2:30 am we were delirious and at our wits end. I told Dave we weren't doing him any favors keeping him with us, and to just put him in his crib and let him cry. He had been up for over FOUR HOURS! We turned off the monitor, shut our bedroom door, and prayed. Thankfully the other two didn't wake up, and after half an hour he passed out. Half an hour after that he was up screaming again, but I must have passed out because I don't remember anything else until Dave's alarm went off two hours later. Needless to say, we are both running on fumes today. I figured this was a sign telling us we need to let him cry it out every night. I just don't know what else to do. Now that you've listened to me bitch for a while-or maybe you just scrolled down to the pictures-let's face it that's why you're really here, right?! Can't say I blame you!

OUR DAY AT LAKE POCOTOPAUG WITH GRAMMY DENIER AND NAUNIE