.

we successfully got the tree and trimmings up. but that damn elf on the shelf. how are we ever going to remember to move him every night especially since we are getting zero sleep? already, bailey had an existential crisis when she saw him curled up in the ornament box.

"oh my gosh, mommy! the elf! he's in the box!!! what do we do?"

awesome. i thought quickly and moved him with chopsticks as not to disturb his magic. but of course, the next morning, another freak out. we forgot to move him the night before. matt explained that he was probably still sleepy then quickly hid him (creating yet another freak out). where'd the elf go?!

so... i made a postcard from the elf featuring a pic of him and santa. the elf (named aff) explained to bailey, bryn and cooper that he had gone back to be with santa till after thanksgiving. all the little touches i had put into the postcard (real postage, etc...) were lost on her. but perhaps we've suspended disbelief a little longer? or perhaps we've done the opposite. because bailey (sharp as ever) picked up on the fact that the left pictured in the postcard had blue eyes not brown.

parenting is always bringing new surprises. just because you've had a kid, doesn't make you an expert. and i've learned this week that just because you've had 3 kids, certainly doesn't make you a superior, know-it-all parent.

now that none of us are at the apex of our colds (thank god), we still have had a few setbacks. bryn had a bad case of diarrhea which led to a REALLY bad case of diaper rash. she was in so much pain she would shriek and scream every time she peed. luckily, i'm still on maternity leave so i was able to whisk her to the doctor where they made sure she didn't have a urinary tract infection. there she cried herself to sleep (at which point i was able to cry and let down my "it's ok baby, mommy's got this" guard). if you know bryn, you'll know she's super tough when it comes to pain. she'll fall at the park and dust herself off. she'll get 2 shots in a row and not shed a tear. so, i knew she was hurting when she was wailing this time around. fortunately, we got her the creams she needed and the probiotics for her intestines and is on the mend.

but then, the very next day, i was clipping cooper's nails (perhaps a bit too nonchalantly). i thought i was a pro at nail clipping. 2 kids down and no bleeding yet. but then... he started shrieking.. and then the blood.... i felt SO awful. it's one awful thing to have a sick/hurt/injured child. it's wholly another thing to be the one who inflicted their pain. UGH. i still shudder at the thought of what i did and can't look at his thumb without choking back tears.

last night, it was bailey's turn. i know i jinxed us when i commented earlier in the week, "you know it's funny. bailey has never had diarrhea." sure enough, bam. fingers crossed she kicks her stomach bug quickly.

perhaps all the guilt and crying is a result of post-pregnancy hormones. but any way you cut it, parenting is bitch. curve balls guaranteed daily.

but this article helped and rang true.

fun was had by all (except for cooper who slept and might have suffered hearing loss). bryn actually enjoyed the performances and pointed and clapped. bailey was waning from lack of nap and from not eating enough lunch. but… she perked back up post-popcorn. hooray for the big apple circus (which is now just a stone's throw away from our new apartment).

forgot to mention in the cooper post that at 4 wks of age, he had a tongue-tie procedure done by dr. haddad. it literally took 2 seconds and i was more freaked out than he was. but we got through it and now he will hopefully not have speech issues in the future. p.s. grandma merry (who also had the procedure done as a baby) and paw paw were there to provide moral support (for me). :-)

bryn has successfully peed twice in the potty! now it's on us to follow through. given our current schedules though, true potty training likely won't begin till spring.

the last couple years, we were able to coordinate family costumes (muppets in 2012 and fruit in 2011). this year, i simply didn't have the energy. AND bailey REALLY wanted to be princess sofia (which left the rest of us with not many options). so here you have it, a princess, an owl and a skeleton. i decided that for the next 20 years, i will be a banana bc i already own the costume. and in the sweetest gesture that brought me to tears, matt bought a monkey costume. he told me he wanted to be the monkey to my banana for the next 20 years. awww. i love my monkey.

happy halloween!!!!

i can't believe it's been over a month since the newest member of the lillvis family was born. though things have been topsy turvy, as sleepless life with a newborn usually is, things have also been pretty amazing too.

mr. cooper lam lillvis was born on september 17, 2013 at st. luke's roosevelt. he was the biggest of the 3 kids, weighing in at 6 lb 14 oz. and in one month, he gained a whopping 3 lb. the poor little guy already got a cold (in his 2nd week of life, no less) thanks to bailey's preschool germs. his newborn cough was so sad and his projectile vomiting so scary, that i cancelled our trip to california. instead, i ended up taking him to the doctor every 2 days. oh and did i mention that the whole family got the cold in the course of the last month? matt, bryn and i have gotten 2 rounds. cooper is threatening to get it again. grandma merry, grandma carol and paw paw all got some form of it too!

this time around, grandma carol was here to help out when cooper was born. my c-section recovery was much quicker than the other 2 times. i was up and walking the same afternoon. the only setback was the coughing from my cold (which frankly, still hurts my insides. ugh.) bryn and bailey have both been great big sisters. initially, brynny was ECSTATIC that we had a new baby in the house. at the hospital, i'm pretty sure she was convinced we had this baby just for her. she wouldn't let anyone else touch him and sang a song that went like this, "baby, baby, baby, baaaby, babeee!"

now, i think it is starting to sink in that this baby is ONE- not hers alone, TWO- taking away precious attention from her, and THREE- not going back.

uncle john and aunt denise came to visit after grandma carol left. then grandma merry and paw paw came to visit after that. having all the extra hands around (including and gaby's <- thank god!!) have been a godsend. i can't imagine how we would have gotten through it without all the help. in fact, i'm scared sh*%less about figuring out the juggling act now.

though life with 3 kids is no doubt going to be tricky, our love and joy has now been multiplied by 3.