Antsirabe girls do Chicago!!

There are some friends with whom no matter how much time has passed, you just pick up right where you left off. That's how it is with my Antsirabe girls. Always will be.

We had SO much fun catching up, sleeping in, shopping, eating sushi, reminiscing and laughing.

I came home feeling so rejuvinated and I was only gone for less than two days!

Time spent with great friends is just plain good for the soul.

Mom (about to be) on the loose!

Holy moly did this week kick my butt. Here are a few highlights:

I spilled red wine all over our white linen curtains. One of our few "splurge purchases" a few years back. The curtains were laying on the ground waiting to be hung and I somehow managed to drop an entire glass so that it hit almost every panel.

The babies have been SO fussy, having trouble sleeping, clingy, just not themselves. We hired a lovely high-school age young woman to help us for the summer but the kids are.... let's just say... having trouble transitioning. I think the thought bubble above their heads would read, "Who the heck are you and where is our Amelie?!" I know they'll adjust but until then it's been so hard. It breaks my heart to see them so sad and confused.

In a moment when all the kids were needing me and I couldn't immediately grow more arms, Finn managed to climb up on the couch and spill my coffee off a shelve. I thought it was high enough. It wasn't. Luckily it was cold but it went all over the couch. Again, cream linen (obviously these color choices were made pre-kids! haha)

Colin threw up 8 times in the car- and then was fine. Not sure what happened there.

Colin and I went to the Farmer's Market with a huge list and I couldn't buy anything because I'd forgotten cash. Then I came home and realized I had sixty dollars cash in my pocket.

The babies threw my slipper into the bath tub during bath time. I find bath time to be sooo hard to manage alone. It really takes two people, no? Anyone with triplets in agreement??

Lastly, Colin keeps occasionally saying, "Get this guy out of my house!"  in front our new, lovely, young mother's helper. Please God I hope she stays!

We're still adjusting and our week reflects that.

But in the meantime, I am meeting up with three of my dearest friends from my days in the peace corps for a girl's weekend! It's been in the works for about six months. Some of us haven't seen each other in years. Once upon a time we all lived in villages close by each other on the high plateau of Madagascar and now we all have children/ families/ jobs in different parts of the country. I can't wait to catch up with them and laugh while re-telling old peace corps stories over wine.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Shuma, me, Candace and Shelli.... wow.... this almost seems like a lifetime ago now

I'm a boy mom!

Well, it's official. I have FOUR SONS! Did I ever imagine typing that? No! But then again, I never thought I'd have triplets either.

I must admit that growing up I always pictured having a daughter. I've even had a girl name picked out forever! When I learned that our triplets were all boys, I was more shocked than anything (btw I read that the chances of having 4 fraternal boys in a row are around 12 percent). I always pictured having at least one daughter, playing barbies, store, house, shopping for cute clothes, and then having a close adult relationship like the one I share with my own mother.

Being a mom to four boys was just not something I ever imagined. However, when I picture four brothers so close in age all running around together doing their boy thing (maybe Saturdays spent watching Notre Dame football, rough housing in the family room, star wars, Harry Potter, soccer), it makes me smile. It's a dream come true but one I never even knew I had.

I'm reminded again of what a returned peace corps volunteer told me when I was 22 years old, on the day before I flew to Madagascar to live in a remote village for two years. He said:

"Whatever you're imagining your peace core experience to be, I can promise you one thing. It will be different. My best advice is to just go with flow and enjoy the journey. If you go against the current, you're just going to have problems and frustration. Instead, be like a cork in water and go with flow. It will take you to a destination far different than what you ever imagined. But guess what? It will be even better".

I'm a blogger!!

All my life I've keep a journal. Well, not all my life, but certainly during periods of transition. I kept a journal when I was 13 after my brothers, parents, our dog and I moved to Michigan from NY. It's not easy starting a new school at 13 years old! I digress....

I kept a journal when I left for college, and later, during my 2 years in the peace corps. There was something so cathartic about writing out my thoughts and experiences. I remember feeling so clear about who I was, what I wanted, and knowing that I'd have a record of the moments that really mattered. Journaling allowed me to express, to adapt, to vent and to grow. Of course, when you're living in a small village in Africa, you have a lot of time to write and think..... and write and think. But since moving back stateside, working full time, seeing my Dad through cancer, meeting the love of my life, trying to be a good wife, going to grad school,  buying a house, and now raising a little man..... somehow journaling got put aside. Where did years 25 through 32 go?! I know what I did... it's what I just listed. However, I don't remember as many moments as I wish I did. Journaling forces one to slow down and think, take in, process. Now that I have my little man, I am determined to record this time. 

I love my husband. I love my new little man. Being a mom is the biggest thing that's ever happened to me. I cannot get over that this tiny little man, this amazing creature with my eyes, my husbands lips and a smile to melt your heart has come into our life. I wasn't prepared for this sort of love. But it's here and I'm going to do my best to be the best mommy I can be for him. 

Back to why I'm starting this blog....I do feel like I'm in a state of transition. There is life before March 4th, 2009 and there's life after. And as much as I love this new creature and feel blessed beyond measure to be able to stay home to care for him, it's hard work. Motherhood forces you to grow and reflect in ways unimaginable before. I look at him and see him growing and changing right before my eyes. I am too.