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Granted

Tomorrow is a special day in this house. It marks three years since the triplets entered this world ...out of the womb and into that cold operating room...screaming and immediately tossed into the arms of NICU nurses.
I remember it all too well -- I was there, you know.
Since then life as we know it has completely, totally and absolutely changed. I could make a list of the changes, but if you know us personally or have kept up with the old blogs -- you already know about all of that.
As FunnyGirl, Tiny and Goldie enter their third birthday, I have found that I am getting to know them better. Shouldn't a mom -- a stay-at-home mom---know her kids by the time they are three?
You'd think, wouldn't you? Unless you're a mom of multiples this makes no sense.
With Princess, who is now 5 1/2 -- there was a bond that exists everyday....some say it was because she was nursed or she was without siblings for two and a half years...but I think it is because she was one. And we were one on one.
Last year when Princess went to preschool two days a week for two hours a day, I picked up more time with the girlies...although it was less than pleasant and surely not all that bonding. We were in the midst of potty training then.
When Princess started a two-day full-day kindergarten program this year, the time with the girlies was a bit better. Each one was potty trained when Princess started school and were more independent. They also got into more trouble. Read some recent blogs and you will see what I mean. The latest thing this week involved FunnyGirl, a chewy vitamin and a trash can. No -- she didn't throw it in there -- she dug it out -- and ate it. (sigh).
They also decided to paint the window sill in the office with a rainbow of crayons. Thank heavens for Mr. Clean erasers! And then there are the times when they refuse to eat, share or just plain get along with the other two or Princess. When all of the above happens at once it makes for a long day. What if when they turn three the terrible twos magically disappear? Yeah, right. If we want to get technical about it, they are not officially three until Nov. 30 -- their due date. They were five and a half weeks early. But lets' not be that technical.
Princess and I were discussing this morning how the girls will not be in kindergarten like her until they are almost six. The law says a student needs to be five by Sept. 1 to enter kindergarten. Since they are October babies they get an extra year with mom. Oh yay. I say that both sarcastically and sincerely with appreciation.
Every moment I get with these girls on a one on one basis I soak up. FunnyGirl is such a delight to me. She is so bright and gets a twinkle in her eyes when she and mommy have even 30 seconds together with no one else. She loves to talk and does so like she is five years old...she reminds me so much of Princess. And yet I am afraid FunnyGirl gets neglected from other people. Everyone raves how cute Tiny is and how pretty Goldie is...how Goldie is like her dad and how Tiny is just so enjoyable. Few see FunnyGirl the way I do. Last night while praying for my girls I focused on FunnyGirl and how absolutely no one knows her like I do. Not even daddy. She is such a special girl beyond words. I hope more people see past her thumb sucking and her eagerness to be near mom. She is the funniest kid I have ever known.
Goldie gave me quite a year -- potty training. But she is so independent now and wants to do everything for herself. She really loves to talk to me when she is on the potty or in the tub. She tells me the cutest stories that her little imagination creates. My favorite was when she was "reading" her children's Bible to her three stuffed piggies and told them that the donkey Jesus rode into Jerusalem was named Molly. She said Molly cried because she was hungry and "Jesus better get her some cheese!" Goldie takes all of this very seriously which makes it all so very comical. I just love how she says "Now listen, I have to tell you somethin'." And so I listen as she chatters, uses hand motions and rolls her eyes for effect. Oh, I love that kid to pieces!
Tiny is getting spunky. She was a spunky baby -- the screamer, the live-wire. Then when she was ages one through 2 1/2 she was a pure delight . She was very easy to get along with and eager to be sweet. Lately she gets an attitude and lets you know when she is ticked off in a hurry. (sigh). She does this screech that really irritates me. Yes, Tiny and I have had our moments. But Tiny is thoughtful. She is the one who thinks of others. She makes sure everyone has what they need. If one of the girls loses a toy Tiny will find it, give it to her and say "Here you go, Honey." Everyone she loves is "Honey." Even mommy. "No, no, honey. I don't want toast today. Ok?" I just chuckle. She mimics me alot. She will tell her sisters, "I said no. Do you understand?" (sigh). She told me the other day to come into her room as she was settling for a nap. She held out the palms of her hands and said "See? My hands are pretty because God made them. Sissy told me that." Precious. Tiny is just such a precious kid.
I imagine I will get more and more one-on-one moments from here on out and I know that in about 10 years I may get less...but I will take what I can get. That extra year at home when everyone else is in school will be a blessing. I think of Princess now at five and how much fun she is, how independent she is, and how smart she is. I will have that times three for a whole year. I don't have to share them with the school!
So I am blessed with everyday I am granted with each of my four children. Like the girls love to sing every night before bed "God is so good." :)

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