This was the title of an article in the Sept. 14, 2009 Newsweek.  The author interviewed Lise Elliot, who claims many of the studies that report brain differences in male and female babies are mostly “cherry picked”.  She claims how we perceive children shapes how we treat them and therefore results in gender differences in future brain neurology and behavior .  I’m no expert in the area but here are a few pictures that are unique to Marcus that may dispute her claims:

Unfortunately, I have decided to not include the pictures of the poop that ends up in the bathtub or floor every month or so  from Marcus.   Maybe I’ll send them along to Lise Elliot and see how I should alter my “perceptions” of Marcus to avoid future mishaps.

Some things never change:

Like the love for tv time:

Or the love of breaking into the cupboard and getting into our favorite foods:

I don’t like clutter.  Our house is pretty bare and I like it that way.  Although my house could be an at-home-daycare (and I kid you not, one of my neighbors just found out the three children running around the backyard all the time are all mine), we have done a good job of keeping toys confined to the playroom and the kids room exclusively.  This allows our living room to be a place Max and I can relax without being surrounded by toys.  But that is about to change.

The kids LOVE the climber they got for their first birthday.  We kept it inside for many months and it was a huge hit.  We decided to move it outside to free up some space and the kids barely looked at it.  I guess there is way too much else to do outside.

For several months it sat outside collecting leaves and bugs.  During the recent non-stop rain, we brought the climber back inside for our own sanity.  Wouldn’t you know, the climber is again a favorite toy.  The problem is its size.  The only place for it is the middle of the living room since our small playroom is already jam packed with stuff.  So, we have decided to sacrifice our toy-free living room for our kids utter delight with having the climber back inside.

The thing is, Christmas is right around the corner.  I am getting them a play kitchen that is going to have to go in the living room.  It’s time to face the consequences of having three toddlers:  our house is finally going to be taken over by toys.

I use to always make note of the current style trends when I flipped through magazines. I may not have rushed out to buy a pair of leggings as soon as I saw Kate Olson sporting a pair in People, but I definitely would keep them on my radar. My professors made a big hoopla when I started to wear comfy Merrels with my jeans rather than heels (I was ~ 5 months prego with the trips) but now I’m not pregnant but I wear my Merrels almost every day. I rarely have the chance to flip through a tabloid and I never sit down and read fashion magazines. And unfortunately I spent more time cleaning up spit-up last winter than shopping the Banana Republic clearance rack or Bluefly.

Fortunately, there are other outlets to discover today’s styles besides women’s magazines, tabloids, and “What Not to Wear” that are more accessible to a busy mom. It’s called your children’s clothing. My girls outdress me most days of the week, it’s a travesty. They have the hottest looks of the season, every season and are rarely dressed down for a day we stay at home. I must admit there are days I walk into my daughter’s closet and am jealous of their wardrobe. Let me make this clear, my kids do not even have lots of expensive clothes. Most of their wardrobe is from the clearance rack of Target, Carter’s or TJ Max. They just happen to have the latest looks by default…every season they grow and need a new wardrobe.

So this morning when I decided what tights my girls would wear today I made the decision to attempt to clear out my closet and browse the clearance section of some of my favorite clothing websites. Wouldn’t you know, I somehow ended up buying my girls some adorable winter jackets at a bargain and no clothes for me.

So now, I think I’m going to try searching Victoria Secret’s clothing line. Please don’t tell me they have a Baby section there…

When toddlers LOVE something, all they want is that something.  When 3 toddlers LOVE something, you go through a lot of SOMETHINGS:

A bout of mum-mum snacking

My kids have always LOVED their milk.  This half gallon jar was full before I poured their dinner milks.  We go through about a gallon every 1-2 days.

Everyone has been asking me to update.  I know, I’m a little behind.  Things have been busy.  After a week at grammy’s, the kids came back home.  No more laying around the house and doing nothing.  Right…actually, I have been working a bit again!  Not personal training, that would be difficult right after surgery (although I wouldn’t put it past me).  Rather, I am developing some curriculum  for a certifying agency.  It sounds like more work might come my way which is fabulous since I won’t get back to training for a few months.

Although the kids are back, I still need help since I have been given strict instructions NOT to get on the floor with the kids or pick them up until my next appointment.  So, Max is in charge mornings and evenings and Grammy P is here during the days.  The Grandparent G’s came this weekend to give Grammy P. a break.  The whole family has been a huge help in keeping the kids busy, they hardly notice I’ve been around a little less.

On top of that, my PC laptop is out of memory so I’m trying to learn the logistics of the much more efficient Mac.

My tt recovery has been a little rough since the kids arrived home.  I feel great.  Nothing a little extra strength Tylenol can’t handle. But, it is REALLY hard not picking the kids up. Three toddlers is a lot of toddlers. Even with 24 hour help, one or more are falling down, fighting over a toy, or just need a cuddle.  The grandparents cuddles are the best but sometimes the kids just want their mommy.  Don’t tell my doctor but I’ve stole a few cuddles.  On top of that, when one of the kids is about to fall down the steps, the mother in me cannot help but reach over and catch them.  Don’t tell the doctor that either.  For anyone considering this surgery, I do recommend waiting till the kids are older.  I’m doing my best not to pop a stitch and ruin my doc’s job but I’m not doing a great job of following the rules.

My progress report so far (besides what my doctor doesn’t know) is great.  My surgeon said my muscle separation was among the worst he’d seen.  4″ all the way up through my ribcage.  So there wasn’t much protecting my organs from the outside world.  I needed this surgery.  I’m healing fine and have had no complications.  My drain came out last Thursday.  I will have to wear compression garments for 6-8 weeks.  I go back Monday for “the talk”.   I expect to hear “after 2 weeks you can do whatever your body feels like doing but no lifting anything heavier than 10 lbs.”.  Since  I feel like I could go out and run 5 miles, my doctor is going to have to give me more specific and stricter instructions than that.

I’m posting some pics but you have to read a little disclaimer first:

I know the results are impressive BUT I still don’t recommend it for the everyday gal who has a “pooch”.  I will have a nasty scar, I still have some stretch marks and my skin prunes a little when it is lax. I recommend running 5 miles a few times a week to get rid of your pooch rather than this surgery.  If you decide on this surgery, at least wait till you are down to and maintaining a weight you are happy with.   For me, I am at the weight I have been at for the past 15 years (besides the pregnancy and one bout of chubbiness right after college) For me, the difference between the before and after are striking enough to be worth it.

Here I am 8 weeks pregnant with the triplets.  This is the closest “before” pregnancy pic I have.  (Note: If you ever intend to get pregnant with multiples (please don’t), take a close-up pic of your tummy first.  It will never be the same).

Here I am before giving birth

Here is what you have been waiting for, my post-triplet belly.  Otherwise known as, “that is what triplets will do to you”

And here I am 8 days post tummy tuck, muscle repair, hernia repair.  Remember, I am far from heeled.  But yes, my doctor is a genius!

Today is a much better day.  I have switched to the lower pain medicine and am able to get up and walk around easier.  The pain is more of a soreness, like I did too many sit-ups (ok, more like I was punched in the gut too many times).  I still can’t stand up straight and am still draining too much fluid for my drains to be removed.  I was able to wash my own hair and change clothes this AM so at least I feel clean.  So far, I have been sleeping surprisingly great.  I am a side/stomach sleeper so I thought having to sleep propped up on my back with my knees elevated would be a problem; however so far, I’ve been sleeping peacefully.

The hardest part is definitely not picking up the kids.  Grammy has had them at her house since Wend. night.  They love going to Grammy’s and they are doing great.  Grammy brings them over during the day so we can visit.  I can read them stories and play a few games but can’t really hold or hug on them yet.  This weekend, Gramma and Pop-Pop G are coming to town to give Grammy a break.  Next week Max is going to be in charge in the AM and PM and Grammy will just come over during the day to help.  Hopefully by Week 3 I will be in much better shape.  Although I’m still not allowed to pick up the kids for a few more weeks, I will at least be able to get down on the floor with them so they can climb into my lap and we can all go about our normal activities.  That means by Thanksgiving, I should be almost good as new.

Is this worse than a c-section?  Yes, the pain is definitely worse than my c-section pain.  Of course, I’m not working off the adrenaline of no more bedrest and 3 newborns.  I still think the c-section was a breeze.  This, not so much.  But it isn’t awful and the meds help tremendously.

Am I happy with the results? -  Right now, my tummy is numb, bruised, swollen and red. Plus my new belly button isn’t healed.  So, essentially it looks nothing like what it is going to look like in several weeks to months.  But despite the mess, it is still better than the saggy, creped bowl of jelly from before.  They say a tt is hard to recover from because of the length of the recovery and the long wait for the final results.   If I just had a pouch I wasn’t happy with before, I could see how I may be unsatisfied right now.  However, despite the puffiness my tummy is no longer saggy and wrinkled and that is worth it already!

I will have before/after pics in a few weeks but this is what you get for now: