Thrilled you are having a great day...

Susie

These young ladies are VERY fortunate and blessed to have you for their mom!

Great memories you are building.

It sure sounds like they're keeping you busy -- thanks for the update!

Yu know FMW, one of the beautiful things I get from your up-dates? In spite of becoming instant parents, you sound, well, normal and just like any other family with 3 kids. That is a compliment, and Kudos to you and your brave hubs.

I haven't posted anything about your family, but just wanted you to know that I enjoy reading your updates. It's nice to see parents so involved with their children. It will make a huge impact on their lives. Congratulations!

Enjoy reading about the kids. I know how hard it is to not have another pair of hands around to help out, but it sounds like you're doing just fine. I also know you'll have days when it's overwhelming. I don't know how you do it with three. One was plenty, believe me!

I think she means "cloths" (as in facecloths - although she's calling them washcloths), not "clothes". Facecloths are perfect for a 2 or 2 1/2 year old to fold.

Sorry...yes she's folding facecloths...we call them washcloths and she will be three in February.

We are starting to feel like a family. We are getting into routines and feeling like a normal family. Their room looks like three little girls exploded, when we first got them and set up their room it looked like a show room with cute beds, bookshelves and toys. Now it looks like three little girls live and play there. Our house now smells like baby shampoo and waffles.
It's such a different life for us. I think it has impacted me more. DH is still doing his job and truely unless he's home his world didn't change as much as mine. I work from home a couple hours a week where before I left the house by 6:30 and didn't get home until 5:00, I got my hair and nails done, I went to lunch with coworkers. On the weekend it was nothing for us to take off for hockey games or go out of town shopping and see shows.
Now it's diapers, bath time, school and for the life of me I can't keep the house clean or enough food in the fridge.
As stressed as I feel... I do love it and I love them so very much. I question myself constantly if I am doing the right thing by them and if they are okay. I was talking to my mom the other day and she said that feeling never goes away it just gets a little easier. I hope so!

I would never have thought to have a 2 year old help fold washcloths but that is a great idea. She must have been so proud of herself to be your helper. I remember riding on the vacuum when I was little.

>> I think it has impacted me more. DH is still doing his job and truely unless he's home his world didn't change as much as mine.

Don't underestimate the change to your husband's world. To do so would be disastrous. Whereas you used to work and contribute to a household of 2, he now is pulling all of that weight himself for a household of 5 (except for a couple of hours a week that you work from home). There is enormous pressure on him and he will need you to understand that and be sensitive to it. And don't forget that your relationship with your husband must be primary, because if that is damaged all of your lives will be damaged. You and he have a responsibility now to keep yourselves together and united as a couple raising a family.

Don't discount the impact to your husband; his world has absolutely changed a lot. He will appreciate you recognizing it and will resent it if you don't.

Fireman's wife, It sounds to me like you are doing a great job raising the 3 little girls. I remember my 2 loved to "help" even if I did have to go back and do some things over when they weren't around to see me do it. :o) I love reading your diary about them too.

Oh please don't get me wrong I know this has impacted my DH and he has been amazing! Our whole lives have changed. It used to just be the two of us...for 17 years it was just the two of us and now it's the five of us and it's hard on me when he's not here. I know he loves us and it killed him to miss Tanna's first day of kindergarten. He was a mess that night. She was fine with it and was so happy to hear from her daddy but when I got on the phone he was in tears. He knew how very much this meant to her and he wasn't able to be here. So I took videos of her getting her clothes out the night before, I took a million pics that morning so he could see it.
He is amazing. He truely is and I know he loves us and feels a huge responiblity as their daddy. I get that I do. I guess right now I am feeling like he's out in the world doing what he's always done and I'm here. I don't want it to sound like I am second guessing taking the girls...that has and will never be an issue and I love them so much it's the fact that our lives changes overnight and as much as we are feeling like a normal little family I am still getting my feet under me.

Thanks for your support and please know I get it..I do..I just miss him!

"I think she means "cloths" (as in facecloths - although she's calling them washcloths), not "clothes"."

Oh, that makes more sense. A 2y/o folding clothes on washday would be an anomaly.

FMW, I think your heart is so filled with love for those girls and love of being a mom that some day you are going to just burst into tears for apparently no reason. It's a great life!
Your DH does "get to" continue in the same work he has always done, but you might never go back to the same routine. That has many more advantages then disadvantages. Your free time is almost all completely different, but it sounds like you are quickly learning to enjoy different things now. Those "family" things may not seem like the finer things of life, but long down the road you will look back and know that they actually ARE the finer things of life.

Thank you for sharing the fun by giving us these updates.

Dilly-dally-"I was washing towels yesterday and gave her all the wash clothes to fold. " Couldn't figure that one out???
Fiermanswife-You are doing a great job and sound like a normal(whatever that is)little family.Our two year old little boy loves to clean.He always has the dust mop or broom scrubbing away.I hope he keeps it up!LOL Give them a wet wipe and they are in hog heaven! Hadn't thought of letting them fold laundry but washcloths might just be the next step.LOL

When I go down to keep my grandkids I often do laundry for them. My 2 year old grandaughter loves to help grandma fold clothes. I am sure they love helping you, too.

Just wondering what happened to the uncle you took in to take care of.

Here is a link that might be useful: uncle

Wash clothes and dish towels...she's amazing! She loves them warm right out of the dryer...I have to be careful the towels aren't super hot but when they are warm she loves to hold them up to her belly.

He lives down the street from us. He moved in to an rental house. He's not a lot of help with the girls...he can't hear very well and doesn't have a lot of patience for them. He pretty much on his own now and doing really well. He has a son that lives in Reno that comes and visits quite a bit.

Thank you for posting that, lindakathy. Interesting read.

Warm towels are the best, don't you think?

I personally love nothing better than warm towels from the dyer on a cold winter day. Makes doing the laundry seem less of a chore.

My kids all loved folding the dish towels and wash cloths when they were little. Trace is just at that age too. Wait until she wants to help vacuum! Our youngest loved to run the vacuum. Too bad he gave that up!

Trish

I sooooo enjoy reading your updates on your life and that of your family. Starting them at a young age to "help" as you are doing, is wonderful. BTW.....I've always called them "washcloths" too, not facecloths. I don't know if that is a regional thing or not. I can just picture the little one riding on the sweeper....too funny. God bless you all.

Dilly Dally, I agree a 2 year old folding actual clothes would be "a bit" unusual... but I grew up with an older brother who started vacuuming his room and otherwise being immaculate at the age of two (made it VERY hard to be a normal, messy, little sister, lol0. Guess his early obsession with cleanliness has been a benefit to all of us- he spent about 10 years as an airplane mechanic and now trains other employees, on what I have no idea!

FMW, thanks for the updates, I always look forward to them.

Two-year-olds are amazing in what they can do. My grandniece turned two in July, and she constantly amazes me. They pick up on things so quickly and easily!

"we call them washcloths"

My family has always called them washcloths, too. They're used to wash more than just your face! (Although the ones used on our faces aren't used anywhere else.)

"for the life of me I can't keep the house clean"

Was it Erma Bombeck who said that there'll be time to clean the house when the kids have gone off to college? I've always loved that line!

My 2 year old grandaughter loves to get the clothes out of the dryer and help fold. I wish she would ride the sweeper, she loves her play one but is terrified of the real one, it makes it very difficult to keep a clean house with a two year old and three shedding dogs! lol

Terrylyn-Our twins are afraid of the vacuum too.Rowdy was especially afraid and would almost become hysterical every time we brought it out.We would have to take him into another part of the house.DS brought out the vacuum the other day and they were both sitting in the chair with me. I told them to lift their feet and lifted mine to show them.All 4 little legs went straight up in the air and they sat like that until DS finished.He made a big deal of "vacuuming under our feet" so they could see the vacuum wasn't going to hurt us.Now when the vac comes out they jump on the couch or in a chair and lift their feet and Rowdy doesn't scream anymore.Maybe you could try that with your DGD.
RE:Wash cloths,facecloths etc.We always called them "wash rags".LOL

Your story is an amazing one; specially having a 9 month old who must be crawling and they need so much attention at that age.
Keep up the good work !!