Mrs. Independent

I pride myself on being independent. I worked hard in high school with very little support from parents and earned a full scholarship. I completed undergrad and graduate school with no debt. I paid off my car by myself.  I've never felt comfortable asking for or receiving help. I like to challenge myself to do everything by myself. Sometimes it's admirable; sometimes it's a fault.  Either way, I promised myself when I was pregnant that I would not become a hermit once the triplets were born. There's a lot that goes into getting three babies and a toddler ready, but it has become second nature. Still, I managed to do two new things this week by myself with the kids.

The first challenge was going grocery shopping with all four kids. It was so much easier than I anticipated thanks to the kids' cart. Since everyone sits unassisted, I just put the girls in the front of the cart and the boys sat in the back. Jackson was in charge of the grocery list.

Maddie's legs are so skinny she fit securely between the metal. Amelia was strapped in the buckle. I could have (and perhaps should have) worn Maddie in the Ergo, but she was in a playful mood so I wanted her to sit with everyone else.

The second new adventure we had was eating at IKEA. I regularly feed the babies their bottles while we are out, but now that I committed to giving them three solid meals a day, I wanted to still be able to go out and about during the afternoon.  I picked Jackson up from preschool and headed off to our favorite Swedish store. We took advantage of one of many family restrooms for a not-so-quick potty/diaper change break.

Jackson was genuinely helpful by pushing the cart with our tray of food while I pushed the stroller. He found it hilarious that Clifford was able to go for a ride.

Since we have IKEA high chairs at home, I knew the babies could sit well and eat from the table. They split a plate of Swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes.

Jackson ate the same. I love IKEA food because it is cheap ($2.99 per kid's plate), tasty, and there is a variety of organic and vegetarian options. Jackson ate in the kid's area while I set up highchairs at a table across from him.

I lost count, but our IKEA trip was surely a record-breaker for the number of people who stopped and commented. After lunch we strolled around the kid's playrooms. I let all four kids play in the tents, tunnels, tiny chairs, mats, etc. At one point there was literally a dozen people crowded around saying, "Wait! Those are real babies." "Oh my God, there are three of them!" "Would you look at those doll babies! How much do they cost?" and on and on. It was the first time we had a true audience.

I was so proud of Jackson. Despite needing to be redirected several times, he listened and followed my directions.

I had some apprehensions about the logistics of taking all four kids grocery shopping and out to eat. Now that we've had successful experiences, there's no stopping us!