Our Little Italian Criminals

It's not every day you see your children in a police car and laugh about it! Unless they are the one driving the car, it's usually a bad thing. But, I'll get to that in a minute!

We were at the Italian Festival last night, yummy smells wafting on the air, everything from Italian sausage smothered in sauteed peppers and onions, fried ravioli and stuffed hot banana peppers wrapped in a salty, baked dough. So good. The gooey pizza, the overstuffed cannolis sprinkled with chocolate chips, the steak sandwiches loaded with melted cheese, mushrooms, onions and peppers - this is why we live in Buffalo! This is why we put up with the never ending slushy winters and the lame waterfront development. These summer food festivals make it all worth while. The artery clogging good times are what make us proud to be Buffalonians!



We fed the kids a few firsts last night, breaking them into their glorious heritage.
Hey, they get hummus and ground brown rice cereal every other day of the week, so a splurge was in order! First, dessert! They sampled a delicious (and egg-free!) strawberry gelato. Cold and extremely satisfying on a hot day. Then came an ooey-gooey, super-thick cheese pizza from Campi's, a fantastic representation of this essential festival food. They loved it, snacking down bits as we walked around scouting for more. Next, we gave them the basic Italian sausage link, with a few peppers thrown in for more flavor. They thought it was so-so, I think, since they were paying more attention to the crowd than the food. For anyone that knows them, this is a big indicator that they are not in love with it. They drank their milk, alot of water, and with the food already in their belly, they seemed done for the night! We bought a few cannolis, an absolute necessity, even though the price was somewhat disturbing this year. $4.50 for one tiny cannoli! Crazy. We bought 4.



We snuck back to the car to enjoy our delicious desserts and see how the kids liked their first taste! We put the kids in the back of the truck so they could stretch their legs and play a bit before leaving while we set up the feast. We bought a cannoli just for the kids to share and we figured they would devour it, looking to us like little mooching puppies for a share of ours...but I think they were so full, they weren't even interested in a bite! I had to practically force feed a finger-full to each one of them. I wonder now if it was too sweet for their palates? They haven't really had anything like it yet, I am a little gun-shy about introducing sweets, since it just starts the proverbial ball rolling... They grimaced, and puckered and smacked...and eventually wanted more...but just a tiny bit - the little tummies were full, so it was time to stop eating for today.





Ok, back to the police car...

Before we purchased the cannolis made of gold, we had an interesting and memorable encounter with the Buffalo City Police. Eating our own dinner on a barrel in front of one of the squad cars, an interested policeman came up and asked if "they were triplets?" "Oh My God! That's amazing", he exclaims. He thought for a second and asked the kids..."do you want me to turn on the lights? That would be fun!" We answered for them with a resounding yes...Braden bug still loves lights - he is enthralled and mesmerized by them anywhere we go, even Target, go figure. So, he put them on, the red beacons spinning for our kids' amusement. Pretty cool of them.



Looking like he had a spark of genius, the cop then asks if we would like to take pictures of the kids in the car, in the front seat, holding on to the steering wheel... We were a little taken back, "ummm...ok...?" It was a little odd! But we recovered from our awkwardness and said of course, we would love it!

They were grinning and laughing already (the cops, I mean!). Cole was first...he loved it, no hesitation - he was funny, bouncing up and down in their seat. Mike took a picture from the side and then through the windshield. Too funny.



B-Man was next, loving the lights, he goes in and gets his photo op. He smiled a bit too - I think he liked it!



Then Alex's turn - she was hilarious. She started to giggle, and giggle - she thought it was the funniest thing...looking around the whole car, the nosy rosy that she is, every time she did a sweep of the interior or caught our eye, she would laugh. Then she realized that we were all staring and laughing at her being so cute...and that set her off even more..you know how she is with attention! The more, the better! We were a captive, adoring audience.




Then one of the cops showed Braden, who I was holding, his handcuffs. A new toy! He instantly grabbed them, but they are a lot heavier than they look, so he had a hard time holding on to them. The policeman asked if he would like to have them put on him! Ha ha! I couldn't stop laughing! My son is 15 months old and already in handcuffs - this has to be a record for the youngest and cutest apprehension. He looked adorable and was giggling hilariously.




It was all too funny, and a great memory for us - I can't wait to show the kids when they get older!! Maybe it will scare them out of future trouble... ;)

Lazy, Hazy Days

I had so many pics, I thought a slideshow would be a better choice - enjoy!

Summer's here! The weather has been so changeable this year, I thought I might just clarify that this is, in fact, summer.

The kids received a pool from Aunt Erin for their birthday and we finally had a chance to use it. One of those crazy hot days when you want to do nothing but lay there and let the heat go by. No energy, sweating, hot, miserable...unless!...you have a pool. Then, unbearably hot weather is a chance for some quintessential summer fun!

They loved it, but of course, we were a nervous wreck. I kept wondering what a toddler's natural, instinctual reaction to being dunked underwater was. Do they know to hold their breath? Or are they going to be shocked and gasp, letting all that water in? I was a little scared. Plus, Mike set up the pool while I was changing and slathering the kids with sunscreen, so I didn't see how he was doing. When we all finally got outside, he had made a common rookie mistake - he filled the pool up way too much. When I say way too much, I mean, about a foot of water! He said we couldn't really empty it without a lot of trouble, so let's just try it and see. Next time, we can fill it less.

That was actually what made it so hard! The water came up to their chests. Luckily, we had Grandma Ertel over to hold the third baby, because in the pool, covered in sunscreen, they became like wriggling, slippery octopus. They were all arms and legs, slipping and sliding, falling over, face almost in the water, oh!, we caught you, splashing and sliding all over the slick pool floor. No fun for a kid who "just wants to go"! We were holding onto all three with death grips to rival a vise. Everyone was wet. Even if we weren't all in the pool!

Cole, who has a sensory "thing", didn't really like the wetness of the water; he just wanted to get out. Braden kept falling over suddenly, so we had to watch him like a hawk...and Alex wanted to stand, surprise surprise! The wet plastic pool with it's floppy inflatable slides wasn't exactly an easy environment to stand up in without help. After a while, the kids got the hang of the new slippery surroundings and were moving around somewhat deftly. Pretty soon they were all nicely wet, happy and cool, splashing and squealing with glee.

Cole forgot that he hated the water and started to splash around. Alex had mastered standing and was moving on to balancing herself on the sides, also splashing happily! And poor Braden (or should I say poor Mommy and Daddy), he got a face full of water, so he was a little stuffy. He did one of his little back dives, so quick no one had time to catch him, and he went down under the water. Here it was, my fear realized, what is he going to do? He never closed his eyes, his mouth stayed open, writhing underwater, he looked so scared. We pulled him up right away, but it was all in slow motion for me. He looked like he was drowning and I couldn't get to him fast enough. He came up, spluttering and coughing and rubbing his eyes...but otherwise fine. He whined a little, but never even really cried! After a minute, he was happily splashing with grandma again, you would never know that he had a traumatic experience just 60 seconds before. What a resilient little guy! We were so scared, and I think he was too - but he got over it right away. Obviously, it spooked both Mike and I.

Mom and Dad Ertel got them these really cool sunglasses that have a velcro strap to hold them in place, and it was our first run with them on. B-man was the only one who tolerated them for long - he looked so adorably cute. A baby Tom Cruise...well, a baby Tom with blonde hair. I just about melted when I saw them on him. You might too, so be careful!

We had a nice day, letting the kids get their fill of the pool, cool down some and play together on a blanket in the grass afterward. Their first experience was a big hit! Thanks for the pool, Aunt Erin! It's something we will get a lot of use out of this summer...if it stays summer, that is! And, of course, my darling rookie husband will remember to fill it much less.

To Cut or Not To Cut?

The dreaded haircut is fast approaching and the gloom is setting in. To be entirely truthful, it is only dreaded for me, but a welcome event for Mikey. He cannot wait for the kids to "look more tidy". We are both at odds with one another, semi-maturely realizing each other's points so that it doesn't evolve into a full-blown fight (thankfully). His stance: ...well, have you seen his hair? 'Nuff said. My POV: with the short cropped style he will want for our boys, I know this will be the last time in their childhood they will have luxurious curls. *sigh*

I am aware that most mothers get weepy eyed at the prospect of the first haircut, and I have been wondering why I am so attached to these locks... Thinking about it made me realize that this is yet another phase we will be leaving...the beautifully wild and delicate first hair that symbolizes everything baby - the complete essence of all that is the pure and innocent infant - defined by a simple curl. Once that goes away, they will be all boy - all boy that will be screaming and walking and wrestling and sticky. Eating bugs and throwing stones, offering boo-boos and tantrums in stores. The sweet cooing baby that slept in my arms will be gone, in one seemingly harmless snip.

Of course that's not how it is...our children don't magically transform themselves from vulnerable babes to raging toddlers up on that barber's chair...but the memory certainly does! At that moment, we have to accept that things have changed, and that they will continue to change. The mothers being the only ones affected, clearly sentimental about the growing up of our babies that has to be done, this rite of passage is held off until we are ready.

I am ready for them to be toddlers, in fact - despite the dread sounding in that last paragraph - I am really looking forward to it, in a way, because I get to be home with them. But this makes me hold them back for a second in my memory, full of nostalgia and yearning for that special baby stage, saying..."ohhh, remember when...?"

I do realize that they all need a haircut soon...taking them to church has been difficult to keep them presentable. They are lucky they are so cute, so that no one will notice the "Alfalfa" sprout at the crown of their heads! ;) The hour is full of me licking my hand to smooth down the cowlicks of the boys...which bounce right back the moment it dries. Boing! So hard to control, we have stopped really trying to. Do you think they need a haircut? I know Alex does...but she will be the only one to escape the shears! I think I have Mike held down for a few more weeks at least, but it won't be long! Luckily, I have a few people in my corner cheering me along, keeping him at bay. When we are ready, Mike's barber, actually named "Joe the Barber" (wonderfully exuberant and hilarious guy!) has offered a special day for the boys to get their first cut. He will open the shop for us on his day off, and he says, "bring the grandparents, the video camera and some pastries. We'll make it special!" It's a date! But only when I'm ready. ;)

Alex, who desperately needs a barrette...

Mr. B, not so bad yet, just a trim over the ears and on the top...

and "Crazy-Hair" Cole...

Oops! Comments were off...

So, for the last few months, I have been wondering if we have any readers out there! Since starting up this site to journal, I haven't really gotten any feedback about the posts on here, so I was becoming a little worried, wondering if we had left everyone back in MySpace... ;)

Today, like a smack in the forehead, I have realized that I had our blog set up incorrectly...so, the ability to leave comments was restricted only to readers who had their own blog. A big oops, since I was longing to hear from somebody...anybody!! I am my own worst enemy sometimes. So, if you are out there...and you want to leave us a comment on any of the posts...please do so! I would love to hear from you. And now, you actually can! *giggle*

Thank you Kristie and Christine for leaving us a little line this week - you were our first and the reason why I started to look into all of this! ;) Thankfully, the "problem" is fixed.

Coming Home; One Year Later

Here's yet another "backwards" post... I will be posting some current ones in the next few days, I promise!

The kids were in the NICU for 19 days after birth, so they came home on May 9th, 2007. This year, on that day, both Mike and I remembered (almost too late) that this was a very important day for us! The day our training wheels came off... the day we were solely responsible for these little lives... the day it all hit us that it was time to step up.

We arrived home to see Mom and Dad Ertel patiently (and most endearingly) waiting for us in the driveway...waiting to document this monumental day - and perhaps more importantly, to be there for us. Emotionally as well as physically! They knew we were scared out of our minds...this was the first night we were alone in charge of all their needs, and it was going to be a tough ride. No more nurses to hand them to if something got dicey...if a monitor started to sound, if they looked like they were choking...Yikes! Sometimes I wonder how we were able to get through those days without having a breakdown of some kind.

We drove up, getting out of the car full of excitement and trepidation and Grandma and Papa took this picture for us; the first image of our new family at our own house:



This year, at the last minute, we decided to have another one taken, to show just how much has changed. (This explains my lack of makeup or presentable clothing/hair, ugh!)



It is amazing to see the difference in the kids in this first year - it's just awesome:

Alex




Braden




Cole




All three




What a difference a year makes! I vividly remember sitting on our front deck, quietly rocking in the swing, enjoying strawberry shortcake in the sublime glow of a warm spring sunset. A gentle and mild breeze caressing our nerves. We never imagined their first night home could ever feel this good! Relaxed, we were listening to Mom and Dad who were reassuring us that we would be okay that night, that if we needed any help to call, no matter what time it was. But we actually felt good; lulled into complacency by the unseasonably warm evening and the comforting sugar rush. We had put the kids down easily after their first feeding, all was quiet, all was calm, all felt right. For the first time since their birth, we felt confident we could do this on our own! We were home. But that is how shortcake and sunsets and cheerleaders can make you feel - warm and fuzzy...bolstering your confidence, however fleeting it may be.

Not surprisingly (well, maybe to us), that night was one of the most difficult nights we have ever endured...yet bottom was still nowhere to be felt...we had a way to go before we shared the worst of it! But it was an eye opener...and I will never forget that last relaxing, dessert sharing memory - the calm before the storm..."How bad could this be?"

;)

Happy Feet

This was somewhat of a major milestone for our little guys and gal, so I am posting this even though it happened a while ago!

Since the kids are getting therapy to help reach their developmental milestones (to help catch-up, really), we had been getting advice on when they should be getting shoes, what kind would help them, hinder them, etc... So, the advice garnered was to find the old fashioned kind of baby shoes...the cheap, ugly (but great, apparently!) old, plain baby shoes. Thinking they should be easy to find at a major retailer, I set out to find 3 pair. Well, wouldn't you know, they were impossible to find! I searched for weeks, with the urgency of needing shoes and their first birthday impending, I was coming up with absolutely nothing.

Lucky for me, I had an ace in my pocket! Actually, that makes it sound like I planned what happened next, but it was sheer luck and love from our wonderful family. My mother-in-law had decided that since the kids all had very wide feet (the Ertel feet!) coupled with the fact that they needed good stability in their first shoes, her and Dad Ertel wanted to get the kids Stride Rite shoes for their first birthday. Wow! I was thinking, what an awesome gift!

We set out a week before their birthday to the mall, hoping to find a good pair of walking shoes for all three. I was a little worried how expensive they might be, after all, Stride Rite was a great quality brand, but pricey. I didn't want Mike's parents to spend so much money on something so transient!

We arrived at the crowded mall, Mike's dad proudly rolling the stroller through the masses. Up in the elevator, the "oohs" and "ahhs" and "how do you do its" abound.

Proud Papa


We make it to the itty bitty Stride Rite, only to realize that our massive stroller doesn't fit into the store with so many people surveying the shelves. We laughed a little and went in to "sign up" for a fitting. So many customers, we had to be put on a waiting list. Yikes! The moment of truth had finally come...the price check.

Waiting our turn


Picking up the first shoe I see, my mind is screaming at me, but I keep these few thoughts to myself. If anyone has ever shopped for or for a moment even been in a Stride Rite store, you know just how expensive a piece of leather can be. It is downright sickening. Did they have to strip the leather from a rare baby cow in Istanbul? How can they be this expensive??? Now, I am a girl of simple things. I like garage sales, consignment stores, freebies. In other words, I am seriously cheap. I just about fainted when I saw the price of the first pair I picked up! Simple, plain white baby "prewalkers". $22 a pair. Times 3. Whoa! For shoes they will grow out of faster than you can blink! I need to sit down. Then I picked up the next pair. Holy Moses! $48 freakin' dollars! WHAT?! I felt like I was going to throw up, casting away any social pressure to dampen the shock and disgust I was feeling at that very moment. Eyes wide with shock, squealing at Mom Ertel in protest.

I kept asking...are you sure you want to do this?? I was worried before we even left the house that this was too much to spend, and now that I know the price was more than double what I was expecting, I felt immeasurably guilty. Sweat beading on my forehead... feeling queasy in my affluent surroundings. Looking around at all of the other patrons who were purchasing 3 or 4 pair for their 8 year old kiddos...just because they liked them. Not for the merit of quality shoes to help them learn to stand and walk (what I am telling myself is the only reason we are buying!)...just because they were cute. Heck, if I could afford everything I thought was cute, I'd also be able to afford 3 nannies and a summer home in Southern France. Sign me up!

I was whirling with the thoughts of so much money and the envious people watching when we were called to be fitted. A nice lady helped us to learn the sizes of our babies with the standard foot measurement gauge. The boys, we already guessed, were a Size 5, Triple E width. I had no idea a foot could be that wide! On top of wide, they are also thick and puffy on top, making for a difficult fit.







So, she gave us our options for our wide foot boys, which were a whopping two different kinds. White or blue. Wow! I guess that made our job easier, though! I was getting a little nervous about the choice, since they have so many kinds of shoe. Besides different colors and styles, they have velcro or laces, prewalker, standing and walker! Can't they be all things for that price? I wanted to ask this question so badly, but decided it might sound a bit belligerent and bitter. So, I held my tongue and chose white for Cole and blue for Braden.

Braden, showing some leg


My new blue shoes!


Cole's turn


Showing off his new white beauties...


Grandma, wrangling the other two


The beaming boys


Alex, on the other hand had normal feet! My family's feet are nothing but normal, so we will see what happens as she gets older. The boys already got the Ertel Foot Curse, so Alex will most likely get stuck with the Collins Foot Curse. lol... Big feet, big toes, and lots of problems. Let's hope she stays the way she is now! We chose the darling white with pink flowers. So cute.

Princess in her White and Pinks


All in all, it was a very productive day...the kids love their new shoes and so do the therapists. The kids love to play with each other's, perhaps thinking that these are the newest toys of the month! The shoes do help them stand more surefooted and flat, give them more balance and challenge them to deal with them as they crawl. They are a wonderful investment and should last them the whole summer. Thank you Mom and Dad Ertel for this wonderful gift! We are truly grateful for this offer because it is helping the kids so much with their progress and it is something we would have never been able to do for them. And they are so darn cute!

Grandma and B


Papa and B


Grandma taking a picture of Cole and Cole!

For the Love of Avocado

I have to admit, I l-o-v-e avocado. Despite Mike's disgust, I cannot get enough of the great green goodness! I remember watching a popular survival show on Discovery Channel a few years back; one where the host was struggling to get back to civilization (purposely lost in some remote area), and "teaching" you; the viewer, comfortable in your armchair, how to get out of any sticky situation and maybe even live well amidst certain death. Each show amazed me; how he knew all the little tricks from making a raft of vines and driftwood to just how much protein is in an ant...I was pretty impressed with this guy. Even though he empowered you to remember these little tidbits (just in case), I never really wanted to be in the same predicament he plunged himself into weekly. That is, until one show...he was lost (again, deliberately - oy!), I believe on one of the Hawaiian volcano lava flows...barren...extremely hot...extremely dangerous...and then he happened upon a cluster of trees. An avocado forest. Oh. My. God. This wasn't survival...this was HEAVEN! Talk about the easiest show he has ever done! I think I would have just stayed there, gorging on avocado, building a rescue sign out of the peels and pits. Take your time!

Anyway, now that you have my general feeling for the amazing monounsaturated miracle fruit, I can continue (well, start actually) my story! Much to my absolute bliss, Alex has inherited the blinding avocado love gene. Yahoo! Someone to share the fun!

I have been a big believer that kids will eat and love pretty much whatever you put in front of them on a consistent basis. I have come to realize that we have a lot of control over their eating habits and food preferences. And I am taking this job very seriously! I have to believe that I, myself, do not love whole wheat bread and crave mac and cheese mostly because I grew up on all the "bad stuff". No offense to my parents, because they had no idea that high fructose corn syrup would end the world at the time, but I became accustomed to eating junk food, carb-laden comfort food, pop, etc. So, my thinking is that if I pump them full of anything and everything healthy and natural (while I can!), that they will never have to "re-program" themselves to eat right.

That being said, I have been giving them lots of good "funky" stuff to try - avocado, hummus, tofu - along with lots of fruits and veggies and lean meats to round out the meals! Braden is allergic to egg-whites...so that is also prompting me to go with as natural and as raw as we can find...so as not to worry about the hidden-egg ingredient discovered post-meal. His allergy has forced me to really start reading that sometimes long and scary ingredient list on the back of the package and after that, I want to change our diet as well. When I say scary, I mean scary. What the heck is BHT? It's in way too many things. And that is just the beginning of the need-a-chemistry-degree-to-know-what-I-am-ingesting "awakening". I have come to realize that it's actually just easier and better to eat something without a label. Like an apple. ;)

So, back to the avocado. mmmm....oh! sorry! Just getting hungry there... All three really like the avocado - swiping the cubes up faster than I can throw them on the tray. But Alex was even funnier - I caught her using both hands to greedily gobble up all she could fit in her mouth! I saw that her tray was empty, and she was about to put the last piece in her mouth, so I plopped a few more cubes down. Before her hands got to her mouth her eyes lit up and she scooped down for more, trying to fit more in her hand. I then noticed that she already had two pieces in each hand but she couldn't wait to get more! She dropped all five cubes and started kicking wildly, grunting in excitement and frustration. She wanted them all - and NOW! It was too funny...and she ended up getting everything on her tray.

They have all liked everything we have put in front of them so far - let's hope the trend continues! The only problem is that it's all starting to get so messy. Mike and I aren't really big on the mess..especially times three! We are both clean freaks in our own ways. (Most people who know me would NOT describe me as a clean freak, but it does bug me nonetheless!) It takes almost as long to clean them up as it did for them to eat! Braden has learned "peek-a-boo"...unfortunately, he loves to do it when his hands are smeared with jelly or spaghetti sauce. After the avocado tonight, he was close to resembling a giggling Incredible Hulk with 6 tiny teeth. ;) Try not to laugh at that.

The Hulk, green eyebrows and all....


Little Miss Alex, super messy girl


And Cole bug...actually not so bad today!