Pumpkins, Puppets & Playgrounds

This morning Max wanted me to read lots of books - nothing easier than that?!
...not with the twins around! Iris and Eli love to eat books, especially the ones Max picks out and when it started to turn into a fight I had to find something everyone could have fun with.
A 3-year-old who wants story time. Two 9-months-olds who want action.
I looked around and saw all the stuffies lying on the floor ... and it came into my mind:

A PUPPET SHOW.

A story for Max and moving stuffies for the babies, perfect.
So I kneeled behind the couch making up the story of a lonely, angry dragon Wilson who gets nice because the little lamb Hanna becomes his friend and makes him laugh.
Everyone liked it so much and since Max loves to repeat stories over and over again this "game" lasted until the babies had to take their morning nap.
After Bob the Builder, a puzzle and some "trick-or-treat"-practice for Halloween Stephanie came over to pick up Max for a trip to the playground... and off he went!
The rest of the morning went by so fast: I picked up the house, went to the little playground with the babies and had a coffee at Starbucks.
Soon it was nap time for everyone and guess what? At 2:00pm all three kids were sleeping!
I did the dishes, got the afternoon snacks ready and prepared the art project for this afternoon:
Paper pumpkins to get our house decorated for Halloween.
I cut out the pumpkins and Max made them cheeks and colored them.
After we finished we went to our playground. On the way back home we saw the moon glowing and all of a sudden Max asked me:"Is there a moon in Germany, Nina?" "Yes, it is everywhere. Isn't that so nice... my mommy sees the same moon as you and I do.", I answered. We walked on and Max didn't say anything about it anymore until we came to our house. He sat down on the porch looking up to the moon shouting out:"It is beautiful, Nina!".


Spread the love,
Nina

P.S. I love you, mama.

Thursday, 10/18/2012

Yesterdays Team Day started off a little rough: Iris and Eli didn't feel like playing because they were tired or even a little sick. They started crying every time I tried to put them back on the floor to play and since there are two of them it simply was impossible to keep everyone happy. So after 30 minutes of trying I decided it would be best to just go upstairs, give them bottles and put them down for their morning nap... all while Max is watching his favorite show: Bob the Builder!
After a 25 minutes of Bob the Builder, three books, rushing from one room to another and uncountable times of picking up a crying baby - and putting her back down just to start over - they finally fell asleep and Max and I could start to actually play for the first time that morning.
We played with the little cars and the Town Hall we've been building last week, we changed tires, went to races and helped broken cars to get towed. I love playing pretend games with Max because he always brings up a new idea, story or aspect but at the same time he is able react on an idea or story of me.
The game had to end when the babies woke up again and Max went to the park with his babysitter Stephanie. On Team Days she picks Max up to go to a park or the museum and puts him down for his nap after they had lunch.
While Max is gone I try to pick up the house a little bit, go for a little walk with the babies and just snuggle and play with Iris and Eli. Eli often plays with Max' favorite yellow digger and I think it is so special for him because he knows he is not allowed to play with it all the time.

Iris and Eli get more interactive and sillier with every day! Yesterday they both were on one side of a play-tunnel and every time one of them took a look to see whose on the other side they started to giggle and laugh at each other. It was so funny to watch them!
After all the playing and lunch it is time for everyone to nap...or a least try to nap!
Max has been very good in at least trying to nap and rest in his room for a while. Yesterday he tired for one hour when I heard a desperate call over the baby monitor: "Nina, I can't nap, I really tried.", so I went upstairs gave him a hug and took him downstairs where the babies were still playing. After 15 minutes of playing together the babies got cranky and I thought it would be a good time to take them upstairs for their nap - but Max was awake and I didn't want him to watch anymore TV, so I said: "Max, I think it is time for the babies to sleep now. Can you open the doors for me so we can bring them upstairs for their nap, please?", not sure if I would get the answer I needed. I got even more. I got so much I didn't even know what to say because Max answered: "Sure! I will help you open the doors and read a story and sing a song so the babies can fall asleep and then I will go back downstairs and play by myself, okay Nina?". And that was exactly what he did. He picked the book we would read to them and he sat on my lap in front of the babies cribs starting to sing "Twinkle, twinkle" quietly, so they could fall asleep...holding my hand. I was so very thankful for my little big helper, I almost started to cry.
But of course the babies started to scream the second we left the room. Oh no!
So I read another book to Max, went to check on the babies, read another book to Max, checked on the babies when Max asked:"Can I go downstairs and play by myself?"
"Yes."
- What choice did I have? Max had been incredibly patient and helpful and even though I knew it wasn't safe to let a three-year-old play alone on the first floor while I am on the second floor I felt like the right answer. So he went downstairs and I went back into the babies room trying to settle them. After 5 minutes they calmed down and I quietly went down the stairs to see what Max was doing. I was nervous.
For no reason at all! Because what I saw was a perfectly fine child sitting in the kid-corner playing with his trucks all by himself. No screaming for someone to play with him, no frustration about a car that is not staying where it should. Just a happy little boy! I was so very proud of him.

Preparing the art project

I went inside and we played together for a little while. Then I told him about the art project I wanted to do with him and his little brother and sister after they would wake up: edible finger paint.
He jumped around me and started to giggle "I'm, I'm, I'm SO EXCITED, Nina!".It made me so excited and happy, too and we started to get everything ready so when the babies would wake up we could start right away! Max taped big pieces of paper on to the table so the paper wouldn't move around while the babies are painting. Then he helped me to mix flour and water together. We scooped the batter into 4 bowls and 4 plates and started to mix the food coloring in so we would have different colors to paint with.
To make the waiting time until the babies would wake up a little shorter we played our fireman game. Max and I are fireman and we get calls from people who need help. It is my very favorite pretend game to play with Max because he simply has the best ideas why people would call the fireman.
Yesterday a woman called us because her guitar wouldn't play anymore. We helped her by turning our hose into a guitar singing a song to her. Or because someone found a porcupine on the street and we had to put on gloves to move him and build a big leave pile to make him a nice and cozy home.
Max imagination has no end and to me there is nothing more fun and exciting than when he takes me with him on one of his adventures!
When the babies finally woke up everyone felt ready for the art project! It was such a success!
I wasn't sure how to show the babies the idea of painting but they did great: I poured a little bit of each color on their paper in front of them, took their hands and just smeared the color over the paper. They loved the feeling of it and especially Eli seemed to like it. After a little while Iris started to rip of little pieces of the paper and eat them: the end of the project for the babies!
Max kept on painting for 30 minutes which was perfect because I was able to clean up the mess and give the babies their afternoon bottles.
After everyone was done painting we all got ready to go to the playground. Max decided to take his bike and couldn't wait to leave! Just when we got outside Scarlet and Sam came home from work and the little trip to the park turned into a whole family activity. Max was in heaven!
When we came back home Max jumped around in the living room and was so full of joy. I had Eli on my lap when Max came over to me and said:"I have a secret!", then he whispered in my ear: "I did a good job today." "Yes Max, you really did. I love you." I replied.

Spread the love,

Nina.

A Max-And-Nina Day!

"...no babies today?" is always the first question Max asks me with a big smile on his face when I come downstairs on Wednesday mornings. I try to make Wednesdays very special for him. With special I don't mean a big event or anything fancy - I just play every single game that comes to his mind and give him a "we-have-all-the-time-in-the-world"-feeling.
We often do art projects, play a lot of his favorite pretend games like going on a bear hunt or caring for our babies and learning them how to go to the potty or trucks. After one or two hours he usually is ready to do something else than playing inside.
So today we decided to go to the playground across the street from Whole Foods (our supermarket). He was excited to go there and walked all the way what made me feel very proud since Max isn't a big walker. We climbed up and down the leathers and tunnels and slides, flew up high in the air on the swing and roasted marshmallows over a fire after running away from the fox.
When it was time to go home for lunch I told Max he was allowed to pick out a fruit at Whole Foods we would have with our sandwiches for lunch. He chose green grapes and watermelon, YUM.

Picnic Lunch

Once we got home we prepared our lunch plates and took them outside in our backyard and had a little picnic. We read books and Max told me how he wants to own a tow truck later.
After lunch he and I raked up the leaves for a little bit and then it was time for Max to nap.
He was incredibly tired today since he woke up at 5:30 this morning.
Maxi fell asleep right away and I had time to pick up the house: laundry, dishes and toy-sorting are always waiting for me as soon as I have the kids down.
At 4 o'clock Max was still sleeping so I went upstairs and woke him up since we had swimming at 4:30! Max and I go to the swimming classes at the Boston University which is a 15 minute walk from our house. Max gets more comfortable in the water with every swimming class and so I don't want to skip classes even if I give him a hard time in waking him up. I always get everything ready, then wake him up and just pack him in the stroller, give him a little snack and he has the 15 minute walk to really wake up.
Once we are there the sleepiness is gone and he is ready to splash and kick and jump in the water. We always have such a good time and Max gets better and better! He is very brave and even puts his head underwater. Max and I always stay a little longer in the water after the class and play that I am a dolphin or that we have to swim away from the sharks or collect diamonds in the water. It's just so much fun to be there with him and see him get more comfortable with every time we visit the pool. It gives me so much to see him being proud of himself and of the things he can achieve when he believes in his strength and willpower... like I do.
Because he always has such a hard time waking up I promise him a treat for after-swimming: going to Panera Bread to get a pumpkin cookie - and a coffee for me! So on our way back we always stop at the bakery and Max gets his cookie (I'll take a picture of it next Wednesday!) and I get my coffee. A quick stop at the little playground near our house and the Max-and-Nina-Day is over.

Before I came to the States I think being patient was my biggest weakness but the kids taught me that sometimes all it takes to make a change happen is being patient and having a calm soul.
Every Wednesday I learn how much patience and kindness can do and how you should never underestimate the power of a smile. Even if you are in a really big rush you should never give the kids that feeling. They are kids. For them time does not exist. And that is a good thing.

Right?

Spread the love,
Nina.

Tuesday, 10/16/2012

I got some exciting news: Eli is almost walking!!! He can already take a few steps and loves walking around holding my hands. My guess is that he will be able to walk by next week!

Every Tuesday is like old times: Only the babies and I stay at home. I love this kind of day so much because I always get to see how much the babies can learn in just one week whereas on the other days their learning progress kind of gets lost somewhere in the usual chaos.
I was stunned by how interactive they have gotten since last week. They are so close to talking and try to repeat some of the words I say like "ball" or "nein, nein". Sometimes I even think they say my name "Nananananana". Also they now interact with each other and I feel like they have their own language. They laugh together when they are being silly and give hugs or fight... a lot! Iris and Eli have gotten so coordinated with their hands lately, too! Iris loves banging blocks together. She is very proud to be able to do this and thrilled every time I pick up blocks, too and join her.
Today we also went to the playground and were there for 30 minutes which is a very long time, at least for me because everytime I turn around to check on one babies the other one is about to get in trouble which sometimes almost gives me a heart attack! Iris still sticks every leaf she can find on the ground in her mouth and Eli is just fearless: He climbs up on every ramp or surface he can reach. But at the end we all went home alive and I got to get myself a coffee at Starbucks on the way back.
Here are some pictures I took today:

Love, Nina.

Team Day... just a usual monday!

For Max there are 4 kinds of days: A weekend day, a school day, a Max-And-Nina-Day or a Team Day. Team Days are 2-3 times a week and mean that all the kids are at home with me! When those days first started Max kept on saying he would not like Team Days or being a Team but with every Monday or Thursday he gets better in sharing attention and toys and in finding games everyone is enjoying. Or at least go to a place where the babies can't reach him if he doesn't feel like playing with them. 
Activities we found everyone is enjoying are:

•  Playing Circus: Everyone does a trick. Iris is very good in pretending she is a dog. Eli can clap his hands and sometimes take a step. Max is a very fast runner and loves tumbling around in the playroom. I always do handstands and wheels. Max calls my tricks "Big tricks"! After each trick we all sing a song and clap our hands.
• Hide-And-Seek: Max and I hide somewhere and the babies need to find us. Eli often feels lonely and starts to cry if he doesn't find us right away but Iris is very brave: she keeps on looking everywhere until she finally finds the spot where our voices come from. Max is always very very proud of his little sister and impressed she is able to find him! He often dances around her and cheers at her or gives her a hug.
• Passing a ball: We sit in a circle and spread our legs. Everyone gets a turn with the ball. The babies have been amazingly patient waiting for their turn and get so excited when the ball finally rolls into their laps. They clap and hold onto it for a little while. Then they try to pass it back to Max or me which is kind of challenging for them because they don't always know how to let go. They get better at it each time we play it. 



Eli follows his big brother everywhere.

• Dancing: Max and I love to dance and since 1 week the babies are able to join us. We hold hands and build a circle and sing songs while dancing. It often ends in a crash because Max gets to excited and starts to go around too fast. But still everyone seems to enjoy it and it is just so nice to have the babies actually participate in a game. 

• Going to the playground: The hardest game for me. Two babies crawling around between all those climbers and dangerous things and a three year old who wants me to watch all of his brave moves and strong climbs... I wish I had eyes on my back and at least 2 more hands. Or the ability to be in two places at the same time. But it is a lot of fun for the kids and especially Eli loves it! He is fearless and tries to climb on EVERYTHING. He gets so mad at me every time I tell him it is time to go home and put him in the stroller. 

So this is pretty much what we do together all morning and afternoon. Of course there are some Snack breaks and special just-Max-and-Nina-time in the kid area. Also Max is allowed to watch 20 minutes of Bob the Builder while I feed the babies and put them down for their morning nap. Today Bob the Builder showed us how to build a playground... 

It is so beautiful to see how the kids are getting closer to each other every day, trying to play with each other, smiling and talking and singing or giving hugs when tears are falling. 

Everyday I can see and feel so much love and it makes me so happy to see the three kids being able to be a team more and more.

Here are some pictures of our day:

Spread the love,
Nina.

Lunch time.

Max is a very picky and slow eater and doesn't like to sit still for longer than 3 minutes. That is why lunch always is the most challenging part of the day, for both of us. To make those 20 minutes of lunch time a little easier I tend to only put food he likes on his plate but of course a lot of those are full of sugar and not nearly as nutritious as fruit or veggies.
That is why I tried something new last week:
I took a cookie cutter and made heart shaped apple slices and a peanut butter sandwich that looked like a gingerbread man. I told him a story of a little guy "Max" (the sandwich) who went apple picking one day and ate them all up. Within 5 minutes all the apples were gone and the sandwich was fun to eat, too: "I'm eating Max' legs, arms, head...".
The lesson I learn with Max every day is that with kids the most important thing is to make everything less serious and a little more fun. It doesn't have to be a fancy lunch plate. Sometimes it is just a little more silliness at the table. A story while eating.
There is no need to promise sugary treats if the kid has trouble eating that tiny baby carrot on his plate.
Offering some extra play time before nap can do the trick, too and can make him get the last energy out!
Most important is always to be patient, kind and loving.

Spread the love,
Nina.

About

Two days ago 3-year-old Max had a tough morning. He got upset quickly and not even playing with his favorite yellow truck could light up his mind. So I asked him what made this morning so bad.
"Because I didn't want to wake up." he answered me.
I ended up telling him that I feel the same way sometimes and how it is all about trying to turn
yourself around on these days.
After a minute I added:"See on such days it takes me a long time to get out of my bed, too. But then I come downstairs and I see your smiling face and suddenly everything seems a little better."
"Why?" he asked.
And I said: "Because I love you. I love you so very much."
He smiled and started to giggle and I gave him a kiss.
Max was perfectly fine after that little talk and the rest of the morning was much easier.

For Max it probably wasn't a big deal and I'm sure he has already forgotten about this conversation.
But when I told Max about his smiling face and that I love him, it made me realize how true and deep those words are. How bright my days are with Max and his younger sister and brother Iris and Eli. How much I love each giggle and smile and being silly. How sad every tear they cry makes me.
It is pure love and love is something you should always share.
That is why I started this little dairy.

Be part of our adventure!

Spread the love,

Nina.