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Cheers and Cuddles

I was looking over past posts and noticing that while I'm using this as a place to vent about the real and difficult, I am, unfortunately, not giving a full picture of our home and the three toddlers, in particular.

The first thing anyone notices about them is how ridiculously happy they are. They cheer about everything. It's lunch time! Let's go outside! Read a book! I see the kitty! They are genuinely, ebulliently joyful over the tiniest details of life. All day long. It is remarkable.

Yes, having triplet toddlers is taxing...but it is also three times the discovery and wonder and joy and unrestrained affection.

About an hour ago Jane slipped and tumbled down our stairs in a very dramatic way. Luckily I happened to be standing at the bottom and caught her before she hit bottom (the stairs are carpeted, thankfully). I held her still while I let her catch her breath and assess what hurt. As I was holding her both James and Kate came over to sympathize. I realized they were patting both my and Jane's backs simultaneously. So there I was sitting on the floor at the bottom of the stairs with one toddler in my lap and two standing next to me. A little huddle of sympathy, so genuine and sincere, I think it could've healed any wound.

And as I write this they are playing outside. One of them found a dead stalk from last year's plant and brought it in to present the "flower" to me. So then the others needed to bring gifts. Little Kate looked all around her and finally scooped up a handful of dirt. She came to the door, opened her fingers to reveal a little muddy ball, and whisper-exclaimed, "wook, mama, duht!" I leaned over and oohed for a moment and then spotted some "worm food" that it was very important for Kate to return to the worms so they could have lunch. Her eyes went wide and she looked very important trotting back outside to feed the worms.

These are the moments that fill our days. Boo-boos and sympathy, wonder and gifts, imagination and playmates. And cheering every time the cat walks by...450 times per day.

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