"Are they triplets?" That is the question we've been asked when out and about these days. Oh, how I wish they were. I would have loved to have carried Dusty and Sonya in my womb with Carolyn!
People are shocked when they hear that Dusty and Sonya are even older than Johnny.
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| Johnny 5, Dusty 6, Sonya 5 1/2, Carolyn 21 months |
I will tell you that John and I do FEEL like we have triplets during meal times. Well at least like twins because Carolyn usually feeds herself. At times she even helps Sonya and Dusty. I have to get a video of it because it is too cute. We are trying hard to S-L-O-W down Dusty and Sonya. If we put a plate of food in front of them they just shove it all into their mouths as FAST as possible.
So for right now we put a piece of food on their utensil or help them to do it. Then we have them hold the utensil to put it into their mouths. I think Sonya is part chipmunk. She can fit a lot of food in those cute cheeks of hers so we have to make sure her mouth is empty. Dusty eats with an open mouthed posture so much of his food ends up on the bib, clothes, table, and floor. Unfortunately, he is not used to chewing because he was fed so quickly at the orphanage - he didn't even have a chance to chew before the next spoonful was coming!
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| They LOVE food! Can you tell? |
Drinking is the toughest mealtime task, though! Dusty and Sonya don't know how to use a straw or "sippy" cup. They only know how to drink from a cup. This may sound great, however, they are used to "chugging" a drink while backwashing, spilling and sucking lots of air in the process. We also learned that they do not stop drinking or let go of the cup until all of the liquid is gone. Now we help to hold the cup and only put in a very small amount in order to control the "chugging." One thing we are not sure how to remedy is getting Sonya NOT to put her tongue UNDER the cup when she drinks. Try it. I don't know how she can drink like that!
Dusty and Sonya love to eat and drink. We enjoy watching their expressions as they try new and tasty things. There are very few things that they won't eat. It is interesting that they don't care for water or milk. They have big appetites and are very disappointed when they have eaten everything and the plate is empty. We are happy that this fussing is happening less and less because of learning that meal time will come again soon enough. It is fun to watch their reactions when they hear us working in the kitchen. They start to get very excited and happy. If you are eating something - Sonya will find you! Then she will look at you with those big puppy dog eyes...
We have many things to teach Dusty and Sonya during meal times. Although the most important thing is to teach them that EVERYTHING comes from God! We need to thank God for our food and invite Jesus to be our guest at the table. Our Lutheran-German mealtime prayer always ends with:
"Come Lord Jesus, be our guest, and let these gifts to us be blessed. Amen." "Gesegnetes mahl ziet."
Blessed mealtimes, blessed children, blessed parents, blessed family!
