Happy Easter!!

If I look up at my calendar from the past week, it's completely bare.  I think it's the first time it's been empty since the boys have been home so we had a nice relaxed week at home.  We had a nice visit from Auntie Josée who got to cuddle all three of the boys and another nice visit from Auntie Sarah but since she has her own little boy to cuddle at home, the boys were already asleep when she came over (thanks for the cookies!!).  Josée is having her baby shower next Sunday so we can help her prepare to welcome her little baby girl Dia into the world.  It should be a great afternoon to spend some time with the girls!  The weather had finally starting turning for the better so I was able to go out for some nice walks and get my boys some natural vitamin D.  We went for a walk on Tuesday with Matante Véro and Sébastien at Irishtown nature park.  I hadn't walked that trail in forever!  Aside from having to turn around due to flooding of the trail, it was an amazing walk!  Nothing better than breathing in the air of trees and nature.  There was soooooo much flooding in town this week, it was crazy.  Gabe, being a delivery driver, had to get creative in his routes this week!

That was Crowley Farm road this week... for those of you not from around here, there isn't supposed to be ANY water where you see water.  This sucked because that road was the main way to get to one of our main cross city roads... This is just one small examples of how bad the city was this week due to flooding.   

There was nothing too exciting this week as far as the babies are concerned... I mean, other than the fact that every day with them is exciting and different in its own way...  Jacob decided he no longer wanted to sleep on his stomach... or his back...  He learned to flip from stomach to back and seemed to like that game but he didn't want to sleep on his back so he'd wake up crying so that I'd flip him back over on his stomach and the vicious cycle would start over... and over... and over... When Thursday night finally came and I knew Gabe would be able to take over for the night to give me a night off, I was pretty happy.  I hadn't had a sleepless night since before the boys started sleeping through the night so this week was rough!  I know I'll probably have a few more rough nights this week as Jacob still hasn't figured out what he likes or how he wants to sleep.  He slept on his back all night last night so that was great but tonight, this doesn't seem to be a solution he likes.  I just keep hoping he'll learn to flip himself over on his stomach from his back then he'll be able to get into the position he likes best without Mommy or Daddy needing to get up five thousand times a night to flip him over to the position he just got himself out of... We even tried putting him on his side and that seemed to work... for an hour.  We even put a pool noodle under his crib sheet so that if he tried to roll over, he couldn't, but he just shimmies himself until he's on his back... a position HE DOESN'T LIKE!!  Baby brains confuse me!!  I'm just happy his brothers have been sleeping great on their back so I don't have to flip x 3 all night!  Poor little guy...  He's currently yelling his little lungs out and doing the running man in his crib because he's on his back... don't worry, Daddy's on the case.  He just put him on his side... we'll see how long that lasts... I wish I could just figure out what he wants but of course, I can't read his thoughts!  I think that's the worst part of this baby phase... just not knowing.  I can tell whose cry is whose, but I can't tell what they mean... I mean, I know the difference between a tired cry and a distress cry but I can't tell the distress cries apart... When you've changed, fed, played with and loved your baby and he's still crying his little eyes out, it's tough not knowing what he needs... Most of the time, people around me will say he's tired or he's got cramps (that's the most popular one) and of course, sometimes, especially with Zach, cramps are it but how do we know for sure??   The tell tale signs aren't always there...  Who knows, maybe sometimes their bum hurts or I stubbed their toe on something (we all know how much THAT hurts, I did it at least 3 times today... once even on my sister's toe... who does that and how does that happen?!?).  You just never know so you do the best you can.

We discovered this week that Zachary loves dancing.  My mother had him in her arms walking around and she just started dancing and his eyes lit up and he had the biggest smile I'd ever seen on him.  Zachary is my serious little dude so to hear him squeal (that's how we know he's really happy) and give a sort of giggle was seriously the best part of my week.  He especially loves to shake his booty!  I tell you, he gives us a workout because the moment you stop going up and down while shaking his bum, his serious face returns and he's pretty bummed out.

As for Samuel, there's not much new to report in his happy life... Unless it's five o'clock and he's into his fussy time, that kid is seriously the happiest kid on the block.  I can put him on his play mat under his mirror and he can stay there for hours playing with his toys, his hands, or just looking at himself and smiling all the while running a marathon.  It normally doesn't take much to get him to smile and he now loves to stand up (assisted of course) and having conversations with me.  Of course they consist of different types of grunts, but they're definitely conversations.  

The boys had their first Costco trip this week.  I was scared because I knew that it was going to be super packed with mostly older retired people (it was Thursday before the holiday weekend... people panic) and I knew that anywhere I go where there are a lot of people, we become a freak show... I was pleasantly surprised!  Although we WERE sort of freak show and we stopped to talk to many different people (mostly because we couldn't move due to Costco style traffic jams), most of the talks were positive ones.  I must have heard the sentence: "You certainly have your hands full." at least a dozen times or "You're brave" (as though I had chosen this...hehe) or even "God certainly blessed you didn't he?".  One guy said "I have three as well but I had mine all at different times so I don't know how you do it..." and I told him that I'd rather have them all at once so that every baby milestone is done and over with all at the same time.  Gabe and I were having supper at the Pump House on Saturday (thanks to my parents in law who love to babysit and give us afternoons/nights out to just be a couple) and we got to talking about how happy we were that we had all our children at the same time because we won't have to start over again.  We decided that due to our financial situation and how tough the first pregnancy was that we wouldn't/couldn't have any more babies so we won't get to go through the newborn phase again, and once we potty train the three (how FUN that'll be... I can't wait to write THAT post...), we won't have to go through it again.  Sure, parts of that also makes me sad because I absolutely loved the feel of my naked babies sleeping on my naked chest knowing that I was helping them breathe.  I loved the fact that they could just lay there for hours and we would sleep together and I'd wake up and they'd still be on my chest dead asleep... I miss those days and it makes me sad that I can't get back to it... or that I won't get to do it again, with a little girl maybe??  I'll just have to cuddle with other people's newborns... There are at least three little girls that will be born this year that I'll get to cuddle. :)   There are always two sides to every coin so I can't say for sure that having them all at the same time is the best thing as there are advantages and disadvantages to both situations.  My mother always taught me to try to look for the silver lining in every situation and I've certainly taken her advice when it came to dealing with the realization that I would have three human being to raise at the same time.  

We had a family filled day today for Easter.  My parents had set up an Easter egg hung for my nieces and had hidden three eggs for the boys so we had them "hunt" as well... haha... It'll be much more fun next year!  Hopefully they'll all be walking by then and understand a bit about what's happening when it comes to hunting for eggs :).  My in-laws came over to help for the night feed (and brought us supper!!) and brought the boys their 1st Easter Easter presents.  Gabe and I got chocolate which makes this girl a happy girl.  I remember when my sister and I were young, we always wanted the crunchy kind of bunny and we always got the super solid one from our Mémères (it was the cheapest one... when you have like twenty plus grand children, you go for cheap!!) so we'd always melt the chocolate, add Rice Crispies to the melted chocolate, put it back in the mold (if it had one, otherwise, we'd just leave it in the cups) and we'd freeze it.  We had our crunchy chocolate after all!  I'm looking forward to doing all those kinds of things with the boys.  As much as I want their lives to go as slow as possible so that I get to be with them as long as possible, I'm excited for all the things they'll get to enjoy... like Easter egg hunting and melting chocolate and all those fun things!  Looking at all the fun Easter times on Facebook makes me excited for what's to come!

Here are some pics of the week:

Hanging out on the deck after a nice walk... Samuel, of course, with his tongue ALWAYS out!  

Just hanging out on the chair Mommy

This was mere minutes after my mother left... the only way they would stop crying is if I had both of them in my arms and bopped up and down... This girl can't do that for longer than five minutes so after I took a picture to send to Daddy with a text that said "I don't know what to do anymore", I put Zachary in a swing and let him figure it out (it only took him 5 minutes to fall asleep) and rocked little Jacob.  

This was my poor attempt at trying to catch Samuel in action.... he LOVES to lick us! 

I can't sit pretty good in this Mommy but I'm not too sure I like it... 

They are starting to notice each other more and more... it's pretty darn cute!  

Do we think Zach was tired?

or Jacob?

Samuel rocking the thumb suck

My little monkey with his little monkey

Here is my Jacob doing his favorite thing... watching TV!  I try to not have it on too much because he'll hurt his neck just trying to look at the damn thing!  

A sour looking Sam... this doesn't happen too often!

Zachary... my ever serious little guy... but when he smiles, he does so with his whole entire being...

Superman!!!!!!!

Zachary's ABS OF STEEL!!

After their Easter egg "hunt"... notice their singular egg!  Good job boys!  (or me...and Cindy...and Mamie)

This is where the boys hung out while we had our Easter brunch :) 

Jacob was NOT loving this photo shoot... and what's with the random egg between Zach's legs?  Who knows.... Believe it or not, this was the best pic I got... Happy 5 months boys!! 

Zachary rocking his 1st Easter bib from Mémère & Pépère Arsenault

He slept all the way through his feeding tonight and then woke up screeching as soon as he touched his crib mattress... go figure!  

Just take my picture and let me go to sleep please Mommy... 

Just in case you're curious... Jacob has been sleeping on his side, his back resting on the pool noodle, since Gabe went in to see him earlier... I wonder what time he'll wake up and realize he hates this??  

As always my friends... 

and

HAPPY EASTER!!!! xoxox