September | 2012 | Here's Where the Story Begins

Sometimes I feel like I’ve only blinked a couple of times and BAM! — I have three year olds. And just when I think we’ve settled into a good groove of consistency, some form of change-up enters the equation, the blinker goes on and we’re hanging a quick right. It really makes my head (and heart) spin. Not in a negative way whatsoever, even when it’s a tough one, just maybe a little teary-eyed as I watch my babies grow up. We have very recently entered the realm of the non-napping day.

I repeat: NON-NAPPING day.

Lord. help. me.

Okay, that’s possibly a bit too dramatic because for the one or two days each week that they decide there’s no way in hell they’re napping (or 3-4 days per week for M), they’ve generally stayed in their room and played quietly or “read” their books (M is partial to my cooking magazines too) for about half the allotted nap/rest time. I say ‘generally’ because yesterday included jumping on their beds, taking every last stuffed animal and baby doll out of the baskets from their shelves and an awful lot of back-talking by C when I reminded them that they need to stay in their room until their clock turns green. This little clock, that we’ve been using consistently since earlier this year, has been a complete lifesaver for us.

In lieu of a blaring alarm, the clock base glows green when the wake-up time (that we set) arrives. The feet of the clock also speak the time when pressed, so when they’re older it will help them learn to read the clock hands. The girls know that if that clock isn’t green, either during bedtime or nap time, they are supposed to stay in bed, the exception being a potty break. It really has worked like a charm and has also allowed us to eavesdrop on some darn cute sisterly banter in the early morning hours.

The non-napping days definitely leave me a bit more frazzled by the dinner hour, but we’re all working to adjust. At this age they can be reasoned with to a certain point, and they do want to know more and talk about the ‘why’ behind certain rules and processes around the house, such as nap/rest time, and out and about. We intentionally never used baby talk with the girls when they were little and I really enjoy our more “grown up” conversations now, at times still teetering around that very fine line of “too much adult talk” with little ones. That point alone has been probably the best piece of advice I have absorbed from the few parenting and discipline books I’ve paged through over the past couple of years. Too much talk and back and forth, as if speaking to another adult (particularly when they’re misbehaving), is usually nothing more than an exercise in frustration because after all, you’re trying to have a somewhat serious conversation with a preschooler. And do they get it all? Nope. Of course not, how would they? A difficult lesson that both the Hubs and I have learned many times over as we balance our desire to openly communicate with them and foster independence, yet still be the parents, the disciplinarians and the end-all-be-all authority.

So the re-shifting continues as we maneuver around the latest turn and as much as I do miss the mental downtime (and blessed silence) that a good nap time brings for me, to peek in on M and C mid-chaos, up-to-something, spazzy excited because of their non-napping day, and thoroughly enjoying themselves, well I can’t get too bent out of shape.

I’m a bit behind on this one, but over Labor Day weekend we trekked an hour south to tackle Seaworld. Between driving around in circles on the way out of town trying to find a Panera for breakfast (crappy directions on our phones), and a vomiting child (M – carsick, we think… ew) I wasn’t sure we’d actually get there. But we braved on and it was a fantastic day. It was warm and sunny but just breezy enough to keep it comfortable and a certain set of three-year olds were total troopers throughout the long day (10am-6pm) AND without naps.

Ready for the Shamu show – we opted for the splash-free zone.

Feeding sea lions – the one on the rock was a show-stealing loudmouth who “yelled” at us until we fed him. They have the sweetest little faces! But the birds were really aggressive – guard your fish carefully!

Admiring sea turtles

Up close and personal with sharks, through the tunnel below the water

Watching the dolphins with their trainers. We tried for the dolphin show a couple times but it filled up quickly. It’s first on the list for next time.

A sleepy polar bear made an appearance just as we made it into the Wild Arctic exhibit. We also got a glimpse of beluga whales and walruses.

We rounded out the day with the sea lion (and sea otter) show, which was a goofy parody of an SNL episode.

On the not-as-exotic front, but highly entertaining was the Pets Rule show, which showcased talented dogs, cats, pot-bellied pigs and a few other random non-sea creatures hamming it up for the audience. The girls both love doggies so this was a big hit with them. No photos, probably because I was too busy laughing at the antics.

Just before leaving we indulged in ice cream (in souvenir Shamu bowls for the chickadees, a fond reminder of the souvenir baseball cap bowl I slurped cereal from – and fought over with my brother – during many an elementary school morning), and M and C got to pick out a stuffed animal to take home. I was holding out for maybe a penguin or a turtle, but they both chose the polar bears. One might think C is being attacked by her fluffy new friend here, but alas it’s just her Daddy’s silly personality coming through. Both girls were asleep before we got out of the parking lot, and were in bed a full hour early after we got home.