First thing to note, when inviting two 4-5 year old girls to sleep over at your house with your 4 year old, is that you should keep ear-plugs on hand. Then, expect no opportunity to sit for more than two minutes at a time. For mothers of triplets ... WOW! You guys have risen above my already high opinion of your capabilities.
To be fair, the girls played very well together with the usual amount of smallish squabbles being amicably solved between them. And OK, so only one of them ate their dinner, but they were excited and in a new place and it was fun for them all to spill it, wipe it, bin it .... and therefore not eat it! The slow realisation that I would lose this war, began with the decision to retreat from my hardline of the two recalcitrants having to eat 10 more bites, down to 5, down to ... "You know what, just have your lolli-pops, now. It's OK".
"Actually, they're called Chuppa-Chups," Olivia said matter-of-factly, with just the slight air of condescension toward my ignorance.
They played Teachers, reading each other stories and taking turns at the eminent position. They got every toy out that they could and put them all back in the wrong places, and I wondered why this irked me, given that I have nothing in its place ever! So I stopped telling them to keep it neat and let them mess as much up as possible.
Alyssa and Olivia both confessed to being 'eating-machines' and I think the funniest thing was when Alyssa ran down to 'my end' and leapt agilely to the couch, flopped herself down and said brightly, "Hi Kate! Hmmm, my tummy's all growly."
I, concerned she was feeling ill, frowningly inquired as to such.
"No, silly! I'm Hungry!"
I gave them watermelon, then yoghurt and then, thinking I was going to need to resort to Tiny Teddies and ever-fearsome of the impact on chocolate, spied my salvation. Glistening there on the platter were tubular bars of gold. Literally, bananas are like $13.98 a kilo, but as an option for young, growly tummies - GOLD!
They were playing and it was getting late. None of them looked like fading out.
I noticed that Foxtel was plying Toy Story 3 and I made the offer for them to all come down 'my end' and join me for cuddles on the couch and a calming movie session. They agreed with alacrity. Amazing! I was certain they'd all roll their eyes.
Two squished together on the single-seater and the third next to me. Then, as it hadn't quite started, and the ads were "Boring", we took some photos for posterity. They had stacks on, they made faces, they were happily modelling before me. I'll load 'em up to facey later.
So we settled in. Alyssa climbed up for first cuddle and Rosie snuggled into me. I kept my hand over on Olivia's hand as I didn't want her to feel left out. She moved and started to climg on board too, usurping Rose's position who cracked it for a bit and sulked back on the single-seater. Resolved this in fairly short order.
Despite some ups and downs for playing, we were going pretty well until Olivia requested pink-milk, and I replied in the negative, advising that water was what was available at this time of night. She cracked it, moved to the other couch and when I inquired as to what was wrong, she said, with lower-lip quivering and eyes-brimming, "I want my Mummy!"
"OK, darling, would you like me to call her to come get you?" I replied with the sinking feeling of failure.
"No."
Um, well ..... "Would you like a cuddle with me for a while?"
"Mm-hmmm".
Whew!
So Rose and Alyssa watched happliy from the alternate couch and Olivia and I sat closely together, until the end of the movie.
They compliantly retreated to the bed, we'd set up together - Queen size fold-out with three pillows and a doona.
"My Mum, always reads me a story. My Mum says I can't wear knickers to bed. My Mum says, I have to go to the toilet before bed."
"All good ideas," say I. And such matters were organised.
I read the selected stories from an awkward perch across the end of the fold-out. I had tried sitting on the end of fold-out, but it sagged alarmingly, so I though best to spread the weight as though I was getting out of quick-sand. I read the first story and 4 hours later after many patient requests for them to just listen, we came to the end and began the second story. They were more quiet now and starting to droop the eyelids.
Alyssa announced, "I am going to go to sleep now, Kate."
"Ok", inward whooping with delight.
Olivia and Rose listened to the end and then I tucked them all in, gave kisses and cuddles, promised to leave some lights on and that I wasn't far away. I noticed the glistening in Olivia's eyes and I asked her what was wrong, but she wouldn't respond, so, hope being the only strategy left, I kissed them all again, and went down 'my end'.
Two minutes.
Heard the snuffle, then Alyssa and Rose the elephants came stampeding down towards me, shouting their concern, "Olivia's crying!"
"I know," and I walked calmly towards the bed with arms placatingly and hopefully warmly outstretched to gather her for a cuddle. The others clambered back in to bed and I asked them to stay there and try to sleep while I helped calm Olivia down. She wasn't crying. She was howling. A low-loud guttural howl from the depths of her little tummy.
"I'll call your Mummy, darling. It's OK."
"No, I don't want to go home!"
Um ... so I sat on the couch, perplexed and not knowing what to do. Rose and Alyssa came down with requests to move the Teacher's Chair from the end of the bed. In the Bedtime retreat, I gethered them all into my bed and promised to stay there with them. The three lined up and I lay horizontally across the base of the bed. Rose then joined me. The cat then joined us.
Alyssa fell first. Phew.
I watched as Rose and Olivia just stared emptily towards the ceiling, and prayed fervently for sleep to descend upon them. I saw Olivia's eyes close. Thankyou Universe. And then I looked into the face of my angel, who wrapped her arms around my neck, kissed me and whispered, "I love you," before closing her eyes and allowing the peace of sleeep to fall across her beautiful face, with its little freckles standing out over her cheeks.
I was awake.
For the rest of the night, really.
Every sound struck the still of the night like a knife striking me in the heart. I worried they'd fall out of the bed, each time they wriggled. Olivia wriggles a lot. She twisted herself sideways and nearly kicked Alyssa out, until I manouvered her back into position. Alyssa didn't snore as she had promised, but she did fart. Short, sharp, staccato farts breaking the silence.
Sleep just wouldn't come. I looked at the clock and didn't know whether to be happy or sad that it was 3AM. Happy that I had more opportunity for maybe 3-4 hours of sleep, or sad that it was a lost cause, and wishing it was time to get up.
Anyway, I must have had some sleep, as awkwardly perched with my bum and feet hanging out the sides of my bed, Rosie's feet pressed into my tummy and her arms flailed over my face and whacked me in the eye. Good sleep.
We woke about 7AM and got up for breakfast and TV. I kept feeding them and assisted with some dispute-resolution.
An uneasy truce .... no, that's not true. An easy peace presides and I think for them we can call it a success. For me, as long as I get a Nanna-nap later on it should be fine!
They can come again, when they're 20.
xo
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