A Screaming Contest

There is nothing better to distract you from the Texas heat than three screaming babies. Usually, they take turns, and we never have more than one baby screaming at once. Normally, it's pretty easy to get them to stop. A pacifier instantly quiets them most of the time. Every now and then, you have to go with the pacifier/swing combination. We have also found that the Pack and Play is their favorite place. Thank you very much to our friends from New Braunfels for making that lovely donation to the cause. Carrie and I often remark at how lucky we are to have such quiet well behaved babies.

This all changed yesterday.

Yesterday, there was no stopping anyone from screaming. I couldn't believe it. You would have thought they were being tortured. It didn't matter what we did or where we put them, they screamed bloody murder at the top of their lungs. Carrie and I had no idea what to do.

Mike: What's the matter with them?

Carrie: I have no idea.

Mike: They are clean, they just got fed, and they burped. What the story?

Carrie: Are they hot?

Mike: Let's take someone's temperature.

We took Cade's temp. 98.4 is pretty normal.

Mike: I wish they would stop.

Carrie: Me too.

Mike: I'm starting to think that they are just bad people.

Carrie: They might be.

Mike: I'm serious. They might just be real jerks, and we are just finding out about it. We haven't known them that long.

When all else failed, and the screaming contest was at its loudest I decided to join them.

I stood in the middle of the living room and started screaming too.

"If it's a screaming contest you want babies, I will give you more than you can handle."

I screamed as loud as I could for quite a while. This caused the dog to start barking. However, the sound coming from the babies was drowning us out, and Tess and I were losing badly. I turned up the volume and started screaming more. I wasn't going to give up. I decided to jump up and down while screaming. I'm not sure why, but this got Tess even more into the contest. She was barking pretty good, and I was yelling continuously. The babies sensed they were being challenged, and the kicked their volume up a bit. Eventually, Tess and I collapsed on the couch thoroughly beaten be three eight pound babies.

The boys celebrated their victory in the screaming contest by taking a victory scream lap that lasted about two hours.

Mom was not having any fun.

Eventually, after their 10:30 feeding during which Dad lost an argument with Mom in the third round, they calmed down. Mom and Dad's nerves were shot.

I hope today is better. The boys are eating a lot and we can't believe how much they have grown just in the last week. This goes so fast. I just went and looked at them while they are sleeping and it occurred to me it won't be long before they gang up on me and beat me into submission. It won't take much.



This is the boys in the Pack and Play Unit. They love it. Yes, we know babies aren't supposed to sleep on their stomachs. Yes, we are right there watching the whole time. No, they don't sleep like this at night.



This photo is from the night I learned to feed all of them at once. Yes, I am paying close attention to make sure they don't choke. You are right, it might not be a good idea, but come over for a pre-feeding screaming concert and you would do the same thing.



This is the boys in their bouncy seats enjoying their pacifiers. Note how they all put their left hands in the same location, and turn their heads the exact same way. Anyone know which baby is which? Me neither.