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Parenting Three

three kids

Things I love about having a five-month-old:

  • Gorgeous smiles
  • The way she kicks her legs to show her excitement
  • Her obvious adoration of her big brother and sister (Johnny can get her to laugh more than anyone – or anything – else)

Things I love about having a two-year-old:

  • Watching him learn new words every day
  • Seeing him play with Emma and clown for Lily
  • Hugs, hugs, hugs

Things I love about having a nearly-four-year-old:

  • Hearing her narrate more and more of her world
  • Watching her teach her brother and sister
  • Her passion for learning new things

Lessons learned:

  • Crossing a parking lot with three small children requires great mental and physical acuity.
  • It’s harder for children to sneak out of the car if you make them climb out by crawling through the tunnel under the rear-facing car seat.
  • The surest way to get a toddler to be gentle with a baby is to be gentle with the toddler.

MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.

19 thoughts on “Parenting Three”

  1. Yes, I love having a 5 month old too. And I’m fascinated how fascinated she is with her older sister.

    To second the ergo person – I always wear Penelope when we are out. I have a 5yd x 30in piece of cotton jersey that is the best baby carrier ever, and means that I have two hands still. ALso, it means that I don’t abandon her in her stroller in a store in my sleep deprived addled state. Major bonus! :-)
    .-= Katherine´s last blog ..Salt Watercolors & Starch Peanuts with Tempera =-.

  2. I totally relate to having kids crawl under the car seats. It also just helps in our urban environment to have all my kids climb out of the same door instead of dealing with lots of street traffic. But then I was surprised to see Asher climb OVER Leila in her seat. I wasn’t as fond of that method. :)

  3. We love every thing that you write-It is so fun to hear and to read your wisdom–the kids are adorable and they do all resemble one another in their beauty. LOVE

  4. Elisa | blissfulE

    Ooooh, and I have to comment again to say I LOVE the picture in your header at the moment of the line of horse-drawn carriages in Vienna. Amazing!
    .-= Elisa | blissfulE´s last blog ..homemade bleach wipes =-.

  5. Elisa | blissfulE

    All true! Nikki is hemmed in by two rear-facing seats, and I didn’t realise how helpful that is until just now. I wear Vi on my back when we go places (she’s big enough for the Ergo now, yea!) so I still have one hand for each kiddo, or even carry Michael and have Nikki help me “carry” my beach chair, for example, which is really just a way to hold her hand remotely. Even with all this, parking lots are very tricky, I agree.
    .-= Elisa | blissfulE´s last blog ..homemade bleach wipes =-.

  6. Valerie @ Frugal Family Fun Blog

    You really hit the nail on the head with this post! Very well said, and the kids are exceptionally adorable. I keep asking myself, “can they get any cuter”??
    .-= Valerie @ Frugal Family Fun Blog´s last blog ..Fun Igloo Picture =-.

  7. Yes, it really does require great mental and physical acuity. I found making them hold hands was the best solution. That and they had to hold on to the stroller when I was using it.
    .-= Ticia´s last blog ..More awards =-.

  8. I love these posts, and the picture is just gorgeous. It’s amazing how the siblings look… well, like siblings :)
    .-= Natalie´s last blog ..The Math Box – Measuring Size =-.

  9. I cracked up at the car comment – we had the child lock on Conner’s door, but he figured out how to switch it. I’m having to be more watchful of him when I park the car!!!

  10. Amen. Especially the last one about gentleness. What happy, happy children you have! Mum always said you could tell happy children even from just photos. True. I remember how weird it was to be out on my own with three when they were little. Three is the number that outnumbers the number of hands you have. And if there is an unergonomic carseat to hold, it gets even harder. But once Lily is out of her carseat and can be held upright in one arm, Johnny can hold your other hand and Emma can hold your purse strap and you can actually manage a decent pace without holding up traffic! It gets easier by the month, MaryAnne! And you’re doing so well already! Imagine how piece-of-cake it will feel in the summer when there aren’t those horribly bulky (and time-consuming) winter coats and fall-off-mittens to deal with!
    .-= LiEr´s last blog ..Dress for Winter III – A Very Simple Jumper =-.

  11. It’s so true that you have to be gentle to teach gentle. I kept trying to get Ingrid to pet the cat gently but she would always hit, then I watched my husband playfully hit the cat so the cat’s butt would go up in the air. Suddenly I realized how much ingrid watches us!!
    .-= Amber Liddle´s last blog ..Stupid Cats =-.

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