More to handle - 5.14 pt2

::Authors note:: I sincerely apologize for the long wait. Seriously - I just couldn't write anything! Huge and annoying writers block I guess. Just as a reminder, time passage over the last few and next few posts is very fast! And can someone tell me WHY the triplets (all born the same day/hour) do not have the same astrological sign??
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I can't believe our girls are a full year old already. It seems like just a month ago we were still pregnant and waiting for their arrival! Now they're ready to branch out, start walking and make new discoveries on their own. It makes me sad to think that they might not need me, or rely on my so much for what they need. They're growing up. Pretty soon they'll be nearly taking care of themselves! Oh... I don't want them to grow up anymore. Maybe I can head to the Science Facility and do some research on an anti aging device...

Rosetta's mind was thinking of unlikely and improbable things as she went to open the door for the only guest that could actually make it to the party. Olivia had come to see her cousins grow up. The rest of the family were too busy, but they sent their love with Olivia and she passed it on.

Soon after her arrival; Olivia, Sonia, the triplets, Rylan and his parents all gathered in the kitchen to have a small salad and some vanilla cake. The triplets had gotten very big. They also showed a lot more of their personalities as they grew.

David was quick to find that Caylin was like him in many ways. Like him, She loved to be outside, and she seemed to stem from the same nutty tree as he did. She was just as crazy. Also, like her father, her food of choice was pancakes. Her favorite color was Aqua, but she would settle for almost any light blue colors.

Caylin's Traits:

Daredevil
Insane
Loves the Outdoors

Astrological sign - Taurus

Caylin

Brenna, as her parents discovered, was completely different than the other two. She seemed to be more of a silent type. More thoughtful than chatty. She adored her sisters, and brother, but always preferred to be alone. Her favorite food was a light Autumn salad which she could eat almost every day. She didn't seem to be big on meat, but was not a vegetarian. Though she loved all shades of green, she seemed to like Lime best.

Brenna's Traits:

Loner
Genius
Ambitious

Astrological sign - Aquarius





Brenna

Dayna appeared to be the most tomboyish of the three girls. She loved hanging out with Rylan, and tried to mimic him in many ways. She liked finding and playing with bugs and she was always drawn to the more dangerous things around the house. Though she was not a vegetarian either, she cherished having Veggie Grilled Salmon for dinner any night. Her favorite color was grey, she really didn't seem to like bright colors at all.

Dayna's traits:

Brave
Athletic
Heavy Sleeper

Astrological sign - Libra

Dayna

The months following the girls' birthday were quite busy for David and Rosetta. Both of them had put their jobs on hold. David's job was completely open hours, so it was easy for him to just not go. Rosetta, even though she changed jobs when she had left home for a while, hadn't even made her first appearance. A couple of days after she got her new job, she found out she was pregnant and they put her on maternity leave, which she was still on. It wouldn't be much longer though, before she was going to attend her first day as a simple coffee courier in her new business career. If she was being honest with herself, now that her midlife crisis had passed, she didn't even want to work there. She could see nothing good stemming from it, but she wasn't going to quit yet.

Rylan had been happier since his sisters had grown up some and were able to crawl around with him. They played side by side often with blocks or stuffed animals. Though he had been potty trained already, he watched as his mother and father did the same lessons with the girls. Sometimes his parents could hear him trying to boss the girls around a little bit by telling them to get a toy, or even telling them to go potty. He was also very informative. He tended to tell Rosetta anytime the girls did anything, or needed something. She didn't want to think of this as 'tattling' but more so 'reporting'.

The first lessons Rosetta and David covered with the girls was eating solid food and using a potty chair. Three highchairs were purchased, and sometimes, the girls were on a good schedule. They would be put in their chairs for food, then brought straight to a potty. The three of them seemed to get the hang of it pretty quickly and using the bathroom was one of the first things the girls learned.

Early one morning, Rosetta readied herself for her first day at her job. As she dressed, she watched her little boy sleeping. She was going to miss him, the girls too. David was laying on the bed watching his love prepare herself, he tried to talk to her but she seemed quite distracted, which was perfectly normal.

"Hon, you're going to do a wonderful job, don't worry about that. I know you're thinking of the kids, but they're only a phone call away. You should call during your breaks. Hell, take extra breaks so you can talk to them more!"

"Yeah, I know." She replied, sticking her leg in the wrong side of her pants. She sighed and pulled them on right. "I just, I don't want to leave them. There are four toddlers in this house! Even with two adults it's been tough. Busy and tough."

David watched his wife's face crinkle up in a worried frown. "We'll be fine. I've got it all planned out."

Not meaning too, Rosetta laughed out loud. "Oh David. Really? That's what we say almost every morning, 'we've got a plan', 'follow the schedule'. Since when does that work?"

David smiled back at her. "It won't, yeah I know. But, we'll still be fine. It'll work itself out."

Rylan, who still slept in his parents bedroom, stirred in his crib. He had heard his mothers laughter and it roused him from his dreams. "Momma? Where you going? Hi daddy!" He stood up to watch his parents and ask to be let out.

Rosetta grinned at her little man. "Momma has to go out for a bit today okay? It'll be just you, your sisters and your daddy. I'll be home though, later today. I'll miss you like crazy!" She leaned over to kiss him. Glancing at her watch she said goodbye, ran to David to kiss him too, and ran out the door for the carpool waiting for her. The girls were sleeping still, so she was unable to say a farewell to them which brought a small wave of sadness and wet eyes.

Her first day of work went well for the most part, and she did just as David had suggested. She took more breaks than was allotted and called them every opportunity. Most times they didn't even want to talk to her because they were busy playing, but it brought a smile to her anxious face just hearing them in the background.

As David knew, Rosetta had been right about the 'schedule' not being followed. It was near impossible to have order in a house with four toddlers. Not to mention all the noise you have to deal with. David wasn't sure how many times he said 'No, no honey, don't do that.' or 'Stop yelling.' or maybe 'Share please!' to the kids.

One at a time David put the toddlers in their highchair, and fed them their meal. As they were eating, he would empty the potty seats if they needed to be, or pick up some toys, even though the room would be filthy again soon. When the kids had finished eating, He would, again, pull one out at a time, tickle and snuggle them before putting them down to play. Most times, by the time he got to the last toddler, the first one he had let out was wanting something. He never seemed to stop moving.

The swings they had picked up for the triplets were a huge help. Sometimes David would put a toddler or two in the swings and turn them on slow so they would fall asleep while he did walking or talking lessons with the other two.

It was a rare moment when all the babies were busy doing something and David had time to use the bathroom. His showers had turned into 2 minute rushes instead of a soothing clean. If he had a shower at all. A relaxing bubble bath was definitely out of the question. By the time he was out of the restroom (where no 'rest' was achieved) and pulling on his clothes, someone was always crying for him. He would answer the call and the chaos would start all over again.

The moment Rosetta came home, she was upstairs helping out. She missed them dearly every hour she was away. She always rushed right up to help out her husband and snuggle her babies. Trying to be understanding, Rosetta would insist that David go to the pond down the hill and try to relax a little while she took over. He always said that it sounded great, but the farthest he ever got was to the downstairs couch before he collapsed into a dreamless slumber for a few hours. Before he did that though, he would always clean up the messes that were around first. Be it a spilled bottle, overflowed potty seat, or just random toys, he would clean up the floor before passing over the babysitting job.

This day, Rylan's favorite stuffed animal - a bear knight in shining armor - was sitting in a puddle of milk so it would need to be washed. He cried when his father put it in the washer, but when it came out of the dryer fluffy and soft, the tears went away just as fast as they had come. David had felt really bad about that and tried to never let it happen again. He hated to see any of his children crying. Their tears were like acid melting his heart.

Over the next few months Rylan seemed to be getting a little to old to hang out with his sisters so much. Dayna seemed to be an exception, he still liked playing with her a lot. Rosetta and David assumed it was because she played the same games as he did, or like the same things. He appeared to be trying to help his parents with the girls more than just play with them anymore. It looked like he was trying to mature before his time and his parents wondered what could have brought it on.

 Oh my stars, how did time go by so quick? Didn't we just have a birthday for the girls last week? Okay yeah I know it was way more than a week. It just seems like all my days are running together anymore. Like there's no separation at all. It's crazy. Now it's Rylan's birthday. He's grown up so fast. Our little man. It's kind of weird that he asked if it could be just us and his Auntie for his birthday, but I was happy to oblige that request. The house is in NO shape for visitors. Sonia's seen it like this though, many, many times. she's probably used to it.

Rylan's birthday was fast approaching. He had grown so big, it was time to be thrown into the schooling system. He looked forward to it, but he would miss his family during the time he was gone. With Rosetta's encouragement though, he put on his brave face and strutted about like he owned the world, and he was ready to take it on.
His favorite food remained to be Sushi, though his second favorite was grilled cheese. Rylan liked almost all the colors of the rainbow, but black seemed to be the best to him.

Rylan's traits:

Brave
Genius
Virtuoso

Astrological Sign - Virgo

Sonia was happy to attend the small gathering for her favorite boy and tactfully didn't mention the mess in the rest of the house. She brought the birthday boy a MultiTab 600, newest edition, so he could do his homework on it. He loved it. In addition to this, he received a baseball, new bed and clothes, and a 'future claim' on almost anything he wished. The future claim could be anything too, like a favor asked of his parents or something he sees in the store that he wants.

The small get together lasted well into the evening, and Rylan had a very fun time. He rather enjoyed all his gifts, but mostly enjoyed becoming a child. That night, Rosetta and David tucked him into his new bed and Rylan fell asleep quicker than ever before. Great dreams were had, including memories from his past and thoughts for his future. What will it hold? How will school be? Should he use his 'future claim' on a guitar, or keyboard? Maybe a Violin?

To Be Continued...