23 months 6 days

Day 706. Last night it was going on 2 am before I went to bed, and Emmy came to me before 6 am. I never got a nap today, and so I'm very tired as I'm starting to write today's update.

By 7 am we were done having breakfast, and I took them downstairs, where we were worshipping God, and then I got their Bibles out that they immediately grabbed to look at them. When Randy came, I went upstairs. It was only 7:30 am. I cleaned up and then sat down to do office work. Sonja already arrived at 10:20. Thankfully I did not have to cook today, and so I could work until just before 11 am. At 11 am I called everyone upstairs for lunch. Emmy was already pretty cranky.

They ate the leftover pasta from yesterday, followed by icecream with pear sauce. Then I cleaned them up and put the boys to bed, while Sonja went back downstairs with Tammy. Emmy was really tired and crying for Sonja. I comforted him, and he fell asleep pretty fast. And so I put Tammy earlier than ever to bed. I thought she'd be up for a long time, but was surprised to see her fall asleep pretty quickly. Randy went to the grocery store, and even though he was gone for a long time, they were all still sleeping, when he returned. But not for long.

Sammy woke up first, and I took him downstairs to Sonja. Emmy was crying before I was back upstairs, and I picked him up and handed him to Randy, who sat down with him. Then Tammy already woke up, earlier than usual, and a few minutes later they were all downstairs with Sonja, already by 2 pm. At 2:30 I called them upstairs for the afternoon snack. Emmy went straight for the balcony door, and Sonja sat down outside with their food. I cut up some fresh fruit I put out there, and they ate it all. They want their food freshly cut, rather than fruit that was cut at an earlier time. They ran around, having fun, and getting bites of food. I was trying to continue working, but soon found myself playing with them. It's possible to run in a circle upstairs, and I kept showing up right in front of them as a surprise which made them laugh out loud.

Then they all went downstairs, while I was hoping to get some offic work done. But not for long. They were crying for me, and clinging to me, and so I decided to spend my quality time hour with them right away instead of before making their dinner.

We went outside our apartment. Randy had given Sonja an apple, and Emmy got a hold of it and started eating it. I don't give them whole apples, and it was surprising to see how well they were handling it. Of course Tammy wanted it too, and so they passed it back and forth between them, with one always impatiently asking to have it back. I finally went to the kitchen to cut it in half and get another apple for Sonja. They both ate all the apple they had in their hand.

Then Emmy started playing ball with Sonja, and he had so much fun. He was kicking it with his feet, as well as using his hands to throw it. Tammy was running around, and Sammy was with me. I had to constantly move him to keep him happy. Everyone was happy, and an hour before dinner-making time, I left them to go upstairs. It seemed a good time to do so. Randy took my place, and I took a picture of them all from the balcony. It shows you how huge the sandbox is.

After a short time Randy came upstairs with Sammy for something, and the other two had followed him upstairs, crying. They were all tired, and wanted Mommy. I soon realized that it was not possible to get work done. Everyone stayed upstairs, and they went out on the balcony. Sonja was making Sammy jump on the trampolin while he was lying on his back, and he was also taking steps while she was holding him upright.

And then Randy came to tell me what he had just witnessed. A few minutes later I got to witness it myself: They are able to climb up our balcony wall! We've had our balcony door open at night to let the cool air in. That won't be possible any more. Every morning around 6 am they'd been going out on the balcony having fun, while we were still in bed. No more!

Because they were so cranky and tired, I started making their food 10 minutes early, and they also sat down to eat 10 minutes early. Tammy was throwing a fit for no apparent reason, and so I got her out of the chair, and then she was fine. They went into the bathtub and had fun with the faucet, while we were feeding them, when Emmy pooped into the water once again. The fun was over then, with Emmy crying and wanting out, and the others as well. Emmy was too tired anyway to eat any more, and I had Tammy in my arms feeding her, while putting food into Sammy's mouth who was on the changing table. Emmy was with Sonja and just waiting. Once they were all done they went to bed.

And that was not the happy end, rather the beginning of a difficult evening. Tammy and Sammy were crying for at least half an hour, while Emmy was at first watching and then just fell asleep. Tammy was throwing a fit, wanting to be held, while I could never figure out why Sammy was crying. He usually just falls asleep and rarely cries at bedtime. I picked up Tammy, and she quieted down in my arms. After a few minutes I asked her if she'd go back to bed, and she agreed. Then I picked up Sammy who was crying, and Tammy immediately burst into tears. I guess she was jealous. So both were crying again, and the whole thing started again from the beginning. I picked Tammy up again, she quieted down, and willingly went back to bed. I did not pick Sammy up any more. A few minutes later they were all sleeping. Finally.

I got myself something to eat and went back to work. I started writing this early, but have struggled with my eyes falling shut while doing so. Now it's 11 pm, and I still have to clean up before going to bed.