The Sacred Triple Nap

In their first year I remember reading that at around 2 - 2.5 years their naps will become longer;  this seemed like forever away.  Well, TADA, it's here!  We've got ourselves three marathon nappers which is totally awesome.  I put them down at 1pm and they sleep until 5pm; during which I sit on the couch and eat bonbons (AKA laundry, clean, garden, make phone calls, etc.).

The tricky thing with the 2 year old nap is that it's hard-earned and when not achieved it can be terrible.  Three 2 year olds without their naps usually means multiple triple tantrums later that day which is virtually impossible to deal with when I'm caring for them alone and am out and about.  Needless to say, I'm a bit of a "Nap Nazi" and follow the below little rules to achieve "The Sacred Triple Nap".

1)  Run them Ragged - We almost always get out of the house and into a park in the morning.  I have my go-to fenced in parks for when I'm alone and other special parks when the Grandmoms are helping.  If they have a skinned knee, they'll probably nap well.

2)  No Sneeky Snoozing - My three don't transfer from car-sleeping into a bedroom nap.  Some kids can, but mine do not.  This means that no one can accidentally fall asleep in the car... not even for two seconds.  If I'm more than a 10 minute car ride from the house (I have some girlfriends who live 30 minutes away) I save their snacking for the car (they need to be hungry) and dole out yummy treats every 15 minutes (this means stopping and re-snacking them).

3)  Lay Down the Naptime Rules - We have four naptime rules.  1) stay in your own beds 2) no hitting 3) no biting (I'm sorry to say we have one that has bitten) and 4) no excessive jumping.  Sometimes they want to play and don't fall asleep right away, but vigilance is the key here, so on rougher days I have to make a few visits for re-napping.  Another triplet mom posted "The Name of this Game is "MOMMY WINS!", after she won a long battle to get her kids down for a nap.  It really made me laugh. 

4)  Go for a Drive - Okay, it's not ALWAYS going to be a great nap day.  When I know they're tired and it's starting to unravel I pack them up and take a long drive out into the country.  This happens once in a while and is actually kind of nice.  In this event, I have to walk away from the house (we have a project-house that we just moved into) and enjoy some music as I explore new little roads and towns.  I often stop the car and take pictures like this.

aaaaahhhh, bath time

I used to fear bath time. Bath time equaled one too many slippery babies with way too much water. Each bath ended with my being completely exhausted and sweating from nervous energy and physical exhaustion. I could never consider doing it alone and it was a problem. Don't get me wrong, it was really cute at times, but I still feared it. That said, my babies were often slightly dirtier than other babies, but somehow the 2 year mark made all the difference for change. Perhaps it was a self-fulfilling prophecy that I created saying to myseld, "they're 2 now and they can all take a bath together and it will be fine." Perhaps. 

I recently took them up to the bath and everything changed. Suddenly they had the ability to control their bodies without the threat of knocking themselves or each other over, they were joyous and completely freaking out with excitement over the water, and they were totally happy and needed very little from me. That was the thing. I was able to sit back for a moment and watch. I was not stopping one hand from reaching for the faucet while catching another from slipping under while still watching one more out of the corner of my eye. I was actually stepping away and watching my three joyous two year olds enjoy a bath; enjoy the sensation of sitting and splashing or feeling droplets hit their faces when they accidentally turned on the shower. Suddenly this motherhood moment that I felt like I was somehow missing out on turned from "AAAAAAAHHHH BATH TIME" to "aaaaaahhh bath time".

Happy 2nd Birthday Alton, Baxter and Charlotte

It's been forever since I've done a blog entry, but I'm going to try to do one per week moving forward (at least for the their next year). My next post will be a general update on all that we've been up to, but right now, I just want to wish my three hilarious toddlers a very happy birthday. When I stop amidst all of our chaos and think back on everything, I can't help but feel amazed and grateful for how healthy they are and how much they've grown. We love you Alton, Baxter, and Charlotte.