One-on-one time

Each week, I try to do alone time with each girl. My friend, Ruth, asked me why and how I did this.

I do "one-on-one" time because both the girls and I really like it. It makes me even busier, but it's so worth it. I have to do work during not work times (e.g., late at night/early in the morning) so I can get some free time during their waking hours to get this to happen.

I enjoy getting to just concentrate on one of them at a time. They are all at different stages and they have different needs. (They are all so young and all need so much.) I feel I don't really "see them" when we're all together because it takes so much of my energy to corral/herd them, I can't actually enjoy them. (It's not so bad when we're home, but if the 3 girls and I go out by ourselves it's really hard!) They also have different personalities and like me to pay attention to them in different ways. I feel that I can't give them what they need when we're all together all the time.

For example, when I'm with all 3, I find that I am very impatient with N because she's the oldest. Yes, she's the oldest, but she's just 5. She's not that old. However, I expect her to be able to almost take care of herself because three so young is hard! I don't think that's fair of me, but I can't split myself and be 2 (or 3) people to deal with 3 little ones. Miss N doesn't usually act old...In fact, I think that we have an "average age" in our house of 3. T is (nearly) 1.5, K is 2.75 and N is 5. If you add up their ages and divide by 3, the average is a little over 3.

T is the most amazing little 1.5 year old (granted, I might be a little biased, but she is very smart). She acts MUCH older. Miss K acts as I would expect from a 3 year old, and Miss N, when she's around her sisters acts like she is 3. The acting younger than she is thing drives me CRAZY. I used to get really mad. Now, I get annoyed and tell her that she is DRIVING ME CRAZY. She realizes that she isn't doing something good and we get a good laugh out of it. Sometimes she acts her age and sometimes she doesn't. I enjoy hanging with Miss N more alone so that I can see age 5 and not age 3 coming out of a 5 year old. (That is VERY annoying!)

(Gah, I'm having trouble writiing right now because K is howling about not wanting to go to bed.... This hasn't happened for a while, but she's getting worse about going to bed now that she's potty-trained... She's doing the get out of bed to go to the bathroom thing cause she nows I CAN'T say no to that. But then she gets overly tired and then she is a bear and then I want to scream. MWH is putting her back in bed to save me from having to get upset. He is so patient.)

Ooooh... I digressed there... Anyway, I really enjoy my time alone with each girl.

For the month of January, I was having a really hard time getting much alone time with T. I was soooo missing her. This week, I got to spend a little time with her alone on Thursday and Saturday morning. I was so happy! She and I hung a lot this weekend. I took her on a walk today. We bonded. She is my littlest girl. She is my sweet T!

Miss K and I do gymnastics together on Wednesday mornings and EVERY morning she wakes up at least 1/2 hour and usually more like an hour and 1/2 than her sisters. She comes and snuggles with me for the longest time and then we get up together. She gets a lot of mommy time.

Miss N and I get some time alone on Monday nights and then again on Friday nights. I pick her up early from school and we hang until her sisters come home.

Wednesday's are my longest day** away from T now... and they are hard on her... She will sometimes wake up in the middle of the night Wednesday-->Thursday because she misses me. I go down and hold her and snuggle because I have missed her too. I am working hard to always get time in the afternoon on Wednesday to hang with her.


**In case you care/were curious...My Wednesday
K and I have her gymnastics class in the morning and T isn't usually awake before I go. (T is sleeping until 10:30 or 11 am on a regular basis lately. Sweet sleepy girl!) Then when I get back I can see T for about 1/2 hour and then I have to change and go to the class I am teaching.

I sometimes can get an hour or 2 in the afternoon with K and T while N goes to her art class. (What, I haven't told you in great detail about N's art class? She loves it! Remind me to tell you later.)

Wednesday night, I go to my aerobics class. I NEED my aerobics class. It's good for me. Then it's almost bedtime for the girls. I usually get to see them before bed for an hour or so. I am now trying to make it so I don't have to work on Thursday mornings (usually) so I can hang with the girls for a while then after me feeling like I don't get enough time with them on Wednesday.