Santa, this dude's everywhere! Evan missed seeing Santa back in 2008 because I was (a) pregnant [unknowingly with twins] and (b) lazy. I have continued to feel guilty about it for two years, I mean we even took Brennan and Carter their first year to see him and they were barely six months old - hellooo cold and flu season. And then it hit me, we were running out of time.
Santa is of course super busy this time of year. You know, managing the elves and whatnot. But we are super busy still in our perpetual, never-ending survival mode. I decided I didn't want to miss the pictures with the Jolly Man for the twins' second Christmas too. Off we went. To the mall. Less than a week before Christmas. With three kids.
On the way there Kevin called his parents. He was calling to make sure they were okay since his Uncle Vito (yes, that's his real name) called the night before saying he was concerned because he couldn't get a hold of them. It turns out we couldn't get them that night either, hence the call Sunday morning. He shared our plans for the morning and they decided to invite themselves along. Don't worry, it all worked out okay - they offered to pay for the pictures and for lunch. Sweet!
We got to the mall around 9:30 since the stores open up at 10. I assumed Santa would be offering his services at that time too, but I assumed incorrectly. I guess he was dealing with an elf strike or something because he jingled his buns into the mall's North Pole promptly at 11. We made do and everyone survived, but I did almost mame Carter with the stroller once. Okay, twice.
The picture turned out better than I anticipated, but like most things nowadays, I went in with nearly zero expectations. It's easier to be pleasantly surprised then, trust me. Everyone was looking at the camera, but we captured a tally of zero smiles. Nothing says "Merry Christmas" like three expressionless faces. Oh, and just for the record our Santa keeps track of every set of multiples that grace his lap. Last year he had 160 sets of twins, 9 sets of triplets, and 1 set of quads. I wonder if he can feel his legs at the end of the day or season?
Monday, December 20, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
So That's What Space Looks Like
I think I very well may have dropped off from the face of the earth. Somehow I survived without my space suit, although with recent events I also wish I would've had a Hazmat suit!
What's (not) new you ask? Sick kids, you know, the usual. The first year of daycare stuff really sucks when there are two of them. Yes, I'm complaining about this AGAIN. Stomach bug and random fevers and colds for the kiddos, same stomach bug, sinus infections, dizziness and other fun stuff for mom. That's what my life has been for the past 2 months. Literally, there was an occasional day of work thrown in there, but by no means was this the norm.
I've been battling vertigo and had a CT scan done at the recommendation of my ENT. The scan didn't show any further signs of sinus infection, but the Dr. did notice some enlarged adenoid tissue. I was scoped in the office and heard "well that's *interesting*" from the doctor. Never awesome news, right? He's not sure if it's adenoid tissue or not, since it was showing in a weird manner, but either way "it has to come out". I'm having surgery on the fifteenth and am kind of freaking out more so about being put completely under. This will be my first surgery other than my c-section with the boys, which I was awake for.
I haven't been to the gym since sometime around October 5th, with sick kids and all it's just hard to squeeze in that hour of the day when Kevin is crying at the mere thought of dealing with all three of them in that state. Feeling kind of crappy, but it's probably also pretty dangerous to lift heavy weights over your head when your head feels like it's drunk.
My ENT also had his audiologist do a test to see where the dizziness is coming from, whether it be neurological, etc. The good news is: I am not crazy. The dizziness is real and I have scientific proof. The bad news, there's still not much they can do about it. I'm still waiting for a call back from the doctor to hear what he says about it after he reads my report.
The boys (sickness aside) have been doing well. Evan is growing into being quite an awesome older brother. It was a struggle there for a long time, but now he's great at sharing and apologizing when he does something bad to them. He even likes playing with them! It makes me all squishy inside. It's moments like these that make me happy to have three boys. I don't really know how a sister would fit into that equation, probably with lots of tears and blood.
What's (not) new you ask? Sick kids, you know, the usual. The first year of daycare stuff really sucks when there are two of them. Yes, I'm complaining about this AGAIN. Stomach bug and random fevers and colds for the kiddos, same stomach bug, sinus infections, dizziness and other fun stuff for mom. That's what my life has been for the past 2 months. Literally, there was an occasional day of work thrown in there, but by no means was this the norm.
I've been battling vertigo and had a CT scan done at the recommendation of my ENT. The scan didn't show any further signs of sinus infection, but the Dr. did notice some enlarged adenoid tissue. I was scoped in the office and heard "well that's *interesting*" from the doctor. Never awesome news, right? He's not sure if it's adenoid tissue or not, since it was showing in a weird manner, but either way "it has to come out". I'm having surgery on the fifteenth and am kind of freaking out more so about being put completely under. This will be my first surgery other than my c-section with the boys, which I was awake for.
I haven't been to the gym since sometime around October 5th, with sick kids and all it's just hard to squeeze in that hour of the day when Kevin is crying at the mere thought of dealing with all three of them in that state. Feeling kind of crappy, but it's probably also pretty dangerous to lift heavy weights over your head when your head feels like it's drunk.
My ENT also had his audiologist do a test to see where the dizziness is coming from, whether it be neurological, etc. The good news is: I am not crazy. The dizziness is real and I have scientific proof. The bad news, there's still not much they can do about it. I'm still waiting for a call back from the doctor to hear what he says about it after he reads my report.
The boys (sickness aside) have been doing well. Evan is growing into being quite an awesome older brother. It was a struggle there for a long time, but now he's great at sharing and apologizing when he does something bad to them. He even likes playing with them! It makes me all squishy inside. It's moments like these that make me happy to have three boys. I don't really know how a sister would fit into that equation, probably with lots of tears and blood.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
We're a Family
We're a family - we share, that's just what we do. This week Brennan and Carter were nice enough to yet again share their sickness with me. But seriously, who could resist kisses from two of the world's cutest one year olds?
The month of October has not been kind to our family and I'm ready to move on to November. And for that matter, I'm ready for the impending holidays so that we are that much closer to Spring and welcoming warm weather. Although, it has been unseasonly warm in St. Louis this year. It's a lovely 70 degrees outside right now - but Mother Nature can't fool me, she'll blow her cold fronts in here at the drop of a hat and never look back. That's the way it is around here, this area is kind of known for it's wacky weather...tomorrow's supposed to be in the 50s. I can almost feel the cold wind and snow.
Despite that previous paragraph, I really am looking forward to Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. This Sunday, Evan will be dressed up as Thomas the Tank Engine, Brennan is the monkey that Evan was nearly two years ago, and Carter is the cutest little Elephant I've seen around these parts. The original plan was to have them all dressed up as circus/zoo animals since that's how we feel nowadays. I swear there's a clown creeping in my shadows playing circus music 24/7. Evan was going to be a giraffe, but out of the corner of his eyes he spied that dreadful Thomas costume.
I don't have a beef with Thomas, but this particular costume is so cheap looking. But...I'd rather have a happy Thomas than a grumpy giraffe. And consequently pictures with (hopefully) three happy kiddos. Happy Trick or Treating!
The month of October has not been kind to our family and I'm ready to move on to November. And for that matter, I'm ready for the impending holidays so that we are that much closer to Spring and welcoming warm weather. Although, it has been unseasonly warm in St. Louis this year. It's a lovely 70 degrees outside right now - but Mother Nature can't fool me, she'll blow her cold fronts in here at the drop of a hat and never look back. That's the way it is around here, this area is kind of known for it's wacky weather...tomorrow's supposed to be in the 50s. I can almost feel the cold wind and snow.
Despite that previous paragraph, I really am looking forward to Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. This Sunday, Evan will be dressed up as Thomas the Tank Engine, Brennan is the monkey that Evan was nearly two years ago, and Carter is the cutest little Elephant I've seen around these parts. The original plan was to have them all dressed up as circus/zoo animals since that's how we feel nowadays. I swear there's a clown creeping in my shadows playing circus music 24/7. Evan was going to be a giraffe, but out of the corner of his eyes he spied that dreadful Thomas costume.
I don't have a beef with Thomas, but this particular costume is so cheap looking. But...I'd rather have a happy Thomas than a grumpy giraffe. And consequently pictures with (hopefully) three happy kiddos. Happy Trick or Treating!
Monday, October 4, 2010
A Shopping Gripe
Those of you who are friends with me on Facebook have already heard my gripe for the day, so sorry if you hear it again here.
I hate those days that I desperately need to get to the store on my "day off" also known as my day home with the kids, also known as my not-so-day-off. I need to make a few stops today and I'm trying to decide if I'm feeling brave enough; one to Sam's or Costco, another to the regular grocery store, and another to our local Target. I really would love to get this done during the day while Kevin's at work, but as those of you with two or more small children know, easier said than done.
I've got a three year old that has two options: (1) walk or (2) sit in the big, basket portion of the shopping cart and be surrounded and squished by shampoo and tampons. Inevitably, if he's actually chosen to sit in the basket, he gets maniacal and has the increased urge to stand up in the cart while it's moving, risking a nice goose egg for him and onslaughts of starring from strangers for mommy.
If he chooses to walk it's pretty much guaranteed that he'll make a mad dash to the toy aisles leaving mommy behind in between the toilet paper and Lysol sprays with two screaming babies. I've yet to totally lose him in a store, but I honestly feel like that luck is rapidly approaching an unsafe danger zone. I'm just waiting for the day to hear a page over the intercom system stating that somewhere in the store a failure for a mother is missing her firstborn son.
This is all assuming I've been fortunate enough to score a cart that miraculously seats both of my one year olds in the first place. The Target we frequent hasn't jumped on my list of "stores I adore because they cater to moms with more than one small child" - no double carts (that aren't broken, anyway). So B & C usually end up with one leg bent and smashing their little manly bits into their intestines while the other leg dangles freely through one of the leg hole openings. At least half of their bodies are comfortable. :insert sarcastic eyeroll here:
As you can imagine, this arrangement interferes with the personal bubbles of even the smallest of mankind. A few minutes into our trip to hell elapse and I have reached my threshold for screaming and whining. Then the true madness starts - the biting. Oh, the biting! They both lean into the other and chomp down on anything they can get a hold of; a shoulder, some fingers, even a cheek or nose - no discriminating for the Wibb boys, they take whatever they can get, so long as it ends in tears. (The suffering of blood relatives apparently makes them their happiest.)
Usually by this time I am doing my best at giving evil glances back to the slew of onlookers we've developed as we try to race about the store in a last-ditch effort to grab everything on the list before someone reports me to CPS. There are always those few "helpful" people that like to joke and make comments like, "Wow! You've really got your hands full, don't you?" and delay your trip to the checkout counter by a couple of seconds more.
And most likely, an astounding 99% of the time we end up forgetting the number one reason we went into the store in the first place, whether it be diapers, milk, or maybe even Advil for the kid-induced headaches that are a daily occurrence. I know, you're jealous!
I hate those days that I desperately need to get to the store on my "day off" also known as my day home with the kids, also known as my not-so-day-off. I need to make a few stops today and I'm trying to decide if I'm feeling brave enough; one to Sam's or Costco, another to the regular grocery store, and another to our local Target. I really would love to get this done during the day while Kevin's at work, but as those of you with two or more small children know, easier said than done.
I've got a three year old that has two options: (1) walk or (2) sit in the big, basket portion of the shopping cart and be surrounded and squished by shampoo and tampons. Inevitably, if he's actually chosen to sit in the basket, he gets maniacal and has the increased urge to stand up in the cart while it's moving, risking a nice goose egg for him and onslaughts of starring from strangers for mommy.
If he chooses to walk it's pretty much guaranteed that he'll make a mad dash to the toy aisles leaving mommy behind in between the toilet paper and Lysol sprays with two screaming babies. I've yet to totally lose him in a store, but I honestly feel like that luck is rapidly approaching an unsafe danger zone. I'm just waiting for the day to hear a page over the intercom system stating that somewhere in the store a failure for a mother is missing her firstborn son.
This is all assuming I've been fortunate enough to score a cart that miraculously seats both of my one year olds in the first place. The Target we frequent hasn't jumped on my list of "stores I adore because they cater to moms with more than one small child" - no double carts (that aren't broken, anyway). So B & C usually end up with one leg bent and smashing their little manly bits into their intestines while the other leg dangles freely through one of the leg hole openings. At least half of their bodies are comfortable. :insert sarcastic eyeroll here:
As you can imagine, this arrangement interferes with the personal bubbles of even the smallest of mankind. A few minutes into our trip to hell elapse and I have reached my threshold for screaming and whining. Then the true madness starts - the biting. Oh, the biting! They both lean into the other and chomp down on anything they can get a hold of; a shoulder, some fingers, even a cheek or nose - no discriminating for the Wibb boys, they take whatever they can get, so long as it ends in tears. (The suffering of blood relatives apparently makes them their happiest.)
Usually by this time I am doing my best at giving evil glances back to the slew of onlookers we've developed as we try to race about the store in a last-ditch effort to grab everything on the list before someone reports me to CPS. There are always those few "helpful" people that like to joke and make comments like, "Wow! You've really got your hands full, don't you?" and delay your trip to the checkout counter by a couple of seconds more.
And most likely, an astounding 99% of the time we end up forgetting the number one reason we went into the store in the first place, whether it be diapers, milk, or maybe even Advil for the kid-induced headaches that are a daily occurrence. I know, you're jealous!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
I'm still alive :)
It's been a while since I've even checked in here. Sorry :( The babies haven't been sick in quite a few weeks, so that's good. Evan's finally starting to come around to them and treat them nicely (most of the time). Evan's getting bigger and smarter by the day, I swear this kid amazes me all the time.
Our Parents As Teachers rep came over last week for a visit with the twins and Evan was doing a puzzle in the floor. Ms. Jenny noticed how quick and efficient he was at putting it together and made the comment that what he was doing was at a first grade level.
I also tried something new with him three nights ago and he did surprisingly well at it. We brought up his art easel from the basement and I spelled out words on the dirty chalkboard with my fingers to see if he could trace over them - and he did awesome at it! I think I'm going to purchase one of the preschool learning books for him that have the letters to trace so they can learn how to write. He's also doing basic addition and subtraction. Seriously, so stinkin' smart.
The babies are doing great and are growing so much; they're such big boys! They both have a nice handful of words and really like playing with their shape sorters. Their appetites are out of control and they are still out-eating Evan most of the time. They don't really have many foods they don't enjoy.
Things are going great with working out still and I'm down to 132 as of this morning. I went for a tummy tuck consultation on Wednesday to see how much money I need to save up. Ugh, seems like getting voluntarily sliced across your stomach has a going rate of about $9k around here. The doctor said I was an awesome candidate since I've lost a ton of weight and that in her opinion I was at my ideal body weight. She was also really impressed with my abs and said she has never seen a person that's had multiples keep their abs as intact as I have, almost zero separation. And to think my stomach was measuring nearly 60 weeks pregnant at the end. I was spared in one area, at least.
It's always great hearing how you can be an inspiration to others in real life. Today a coworker told me that she really looked up to me for making the healthy lifestyle changes and that she is starting to get back into health and fitness too. It never gets old when you see people changing their lives because of the improvements they see you doing in your own. And then there are the coworkers who are afraid to tell me what they had for their last meal because they think I'm secretly judging them :P (I'm not) If there's one thing that I believe whole-heartedly, it's that you really have to want the change you desire down to your core, with every ounce of your being. If there's even the faintest of doubts, you are almost certainly setting yourself up for some form of failure.
I struggle with my food choices every day, and I still slip into some slight binge cycles and mindless eating, but after I do (and I inevitably feel like crap emotionally and physically) I try to ask myself what caused it and what I learned from it.
Last night was a candy corn binge. I told myself I could have one. And then another. And then another, and before I knew it, I had the entire container sitting in my lap going for handful after handful. And then I felt sick to my stomach. What did I learn? That I really can't have "just one" - it's nearly impossible.
Our Parents As Teachers rep came over last week for a visit with the twins and Evan was doing a puzzle in the floor. Ms. Jenny noticed how quick and efficient he was at putting it together and made the comment that what he was doing was at a first grade level.
I also tried something new with him three nights ago and he did surprisingly well at it. We brought up his art easel from the basement and I spelled out words on the dirty chalkboard with my fingers to see if he could trace over them - and he did awesome at it! I think I'm going to purchase one of the preschool learning books for him that have the letters to trace so they can learn how to write. He's also doing basic addition and subtraction. Seriously, so stinkin' smart.
The babies are doing great and are growing so much; they're such big boys! They both have a nice handful of words and really like playing with their shape sorters. Their appetites are out of control and they are still out-eating Evan most of the time. They don't really have many foods they don't enjoy.
Things are going great with working out still and I'm down to 132 as of this morning. I went for a tummy tuck consultation on Wednesday to see how much money I need to save up. Ugh, seems like getting voluntarily sliced across your stomach has a going rate of about $9k around here. The doctor said I was an awesome candidate since I've lost a ton of weight and that in her opinion I was at my ideal body weight. She was also really impressed with my abs and said she has never seen a person that's had multiples keep their abs as intact as I have, almost zero separation. And to think my stomach was measuring nearly 60 weeks pregnant at the end. I was spared in one area, at least.
It's always great hearing how you can be an inspiration to others in real life. Today a coworker told me that she really looked up to me for making the healthy lifestyle changes and that she is starting to get back into health and fitness too. It never gets old when you see people changing their lives because of the improvements they see you doing in your own. And then there are the coworkers who are afraid to tell me what they had for their last meal because they think I'm secretly judging them :P (I'm not) If there's one thing that I believe whole-heartedly, it's that you really have to want the change you desire down to your core, with every ounce of your being. If there's even the faintest of doubts, you are almost certainly setting yourself up for some form of failure.
I struggle with my food choices every day, and I still slip into some slight binge cycles and mindless eating, but after I do (and I inevitably feel like crap emotionally and physically) I try to ask myself what caused it and what I learned from it.
Last night was a candy corn binge. I told myself I could have one. And then another. And then another, and before I knew it, I had the entire container sitting in my lap going for handful after handful. And then I felt sick to my stomach. What did I learn? That I really can't have "just one" - it's nearly impossible.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Screw you, daycare germs!
We knew it was inevitable, but didn't expect it to happen so soon. I have been a very busy mom these past few weeks. As soon as the boys got their one year immunizations they developed slight fevers. Fevers = no school. As soon as the low grade fever cleared up on Carter he went back to school. However, Brennan's didn't go away, it got worse and, at times, was in the 104s. I was home with baby/s for nearly two weeks when I finally got to go back last Friday for the first time. And then the weekend happened...and Carter spiked a fever. He's home with me while his best friend and brother is away at daycare.
It kind of makes me sad to think they haven't been together much going on three weeks now. Last night was awesome though. Early in the evening their new squeaker shoes came in the mail and of course we had to see what the boys would do with them, so we put them on their feet and watched on in amazement and pure joy. They LOVED them! Squeak, squeak, squeak...all throughout the house, so cute! I joked with Kevin that we need to keep them on them all the time so we'd know where each on is, kind of like a bell ;)
Just before bed time I was in their room changing their crib sheets when they both came walking in. They immediately started up a baby version of hide and go seek and it was the.most.adorable thing I have ever seen. One would duck down behind the cabinet I keep the sheets in and then pop out causing them both to squeal with excitement and bubble up with giggles. Can you imagine the cuteness that ensued when they did this over and over again?
Evan's third birthday is tomorrow (Wednesday). For his birthday this weekend we got him a puppy. He's a 12 week old Dachshund and Evan name him "Steve Blue". Nice, no? He's the cutest little guy and ever since watching those two play together that first afternoon I haven't regretted the decision of a puppy versus an older dog one bit. They have the same energy levels and they both adore playing with each other. Simply put, we are quickly realizing you can't come between a boy and his dog.
It kind of makes me sad to think they haven't been together much going on three weeks now. Last night was awesome though. Early in the evening their new squeaker shoes came in the mail and of course we had to see what the boys would do with them, so we put them on their feet and watched on in amazement and pure joy. They LOVED them! Squeak, squeak, squeak...all throughout the house, so cute! I joked with Kevin that we need to keep them on them all the time so we'd know where each on is, kind of like a bell ;)
Just before bed time I was in their room changing their crib sheets when they both came walking in. They immediately started up a baby version of hide and go seek and it was the.most.adorable thing I have ever seen. One would duck down behind the cabinet I keep the sheets in and then pop out causing them both to squeal with excitement and bubble up with giggles. Can you imagine the cuteness that ensued when they did this over and over again?
Evan's third birthday is tomorrow (Wednesday). For his birthday this weekend we got him a puppy. He's a 12 week old Dachshund and Evan name him "Steve Blue". Nice, no? He's the cutest little guy and ever since watching those two play together that first afternoon I haven't regretted the decision of a puppy versus an older dog one bit. They have the same energy levels and they both adore playing with each other. Simply put, we are quickly realizing you can't come between a boy and his dog.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
The hands of Jesus
Did I ever tell the story about the hands of Jesus? I don't think I did... Kevin's family always gets together on Christmas Eve every year. This year Aunt Carol and Uncle John were hosting. They have a very lovely house, filled with very lovely things and not an inch of the place is child-proofed.
We had somehow managed to go the entire night without so much as bumping the couch cushions (even with a rousing game of tag between the older boys and Evan). Just as we were packing everything and everyone up to leave, Evan decides now's the time to really make an impression. A tantrum ensues and mid-tantrum Thomas the Tank Engine is launched across her sitting room.
Earlier that evening the ladies of the family were all oohing and aahing over Aunt Carol's beautiful ceramic religious scene, all of the big players were there. These lovely works of fine crafted art were, as it turns out, also conveniently displayed at the perfect train catching height.
I watched in slow motion as Thomas took flight, he was headed right for Jesus himself! Sure enough, Thomas lands ON Jesus and with such great force that even the Son of God could not keep his hands attached.
I see the praying hands of Jesus shoot across the room and into an unknown resting spot. Many searching eyes had great difficulty finding Jesus..'s hands. I finally spotted them in the corner and now it was time to explain to Aunt Carol what had just transpired.
She was very understanding. I offered to buy her a new one, but she declined and said he was "just being a kid". Gotta love Aunt Carol, such a kind, soft heart. Talk about an embarrassing moment in parenthood. How many people can say their kid broke Jesus? On Christmas Eve?
We had somehow managed to go the entire night without so much as bumping the couch cushions (even with a rousing game of tag between the older boys and Evan). Just as we were packing everything and everyone up to leave, Evan decides now's the time to really make an impression. A tantrum ensues and mid-tantrum Thomas the Tank Engine is launched across her sitting room.
Earlier that evening the ladies of the family were all oohing and aahing over Aunt Carol's beautiful ceramic religious scene, all of the big players were there. These lovely works of fine crafted art were, as it turns out, also conveniently displayed at the perfect train catching height.
I watched in slow motion as Thomas took flight, he was headed right for Jesus himself! Sure enough, Thomas lands ON Jesus and with such great force that even the Son of God could not keep his hands attached.
I see the praying hands of Jesus shoot across the room and into an unknown resting spot. Many searching eyes had great difficulty finding Jesus..'s hands. I finally spotted them in the corner and now it was time to explain to Aunt Carol what had just transpired.
She was very understanding. I offered to buy her a new one, but she declined and said he was "just being a kid". Gotta love Aunt Carol, such a kind, soft heart. Talk about an embarrassing moment in parenthood. How many people can say their kid broke Jesus? On Christmas Eve?
I'm an addict. There, I said it!
It all started innocently, in the morning rush. It was hard getting in a proper Paleo breakfast, so I relied heavily on the use of chocolate protein powder and fruit, and nuts. Sounds okay, right? That's until my trainer suggested I try putting a spoonful or two of instant coffee into my shake in the morning if I'm sleepy and dragging ass. It's safe to say this is a crutch now and I need it every day. This morning I even used the coffee maker and brewed my morning fix because, well, because I didn't have a protein shake for once. I actually had time to cook some eggs. Aren't you proud of me?
Brennan woke up early this morning and I could tell that he wasn't quite acting right. I felt his head, but couldn't really get a gauge on how hot he was because my fingers were icicles. I asked Kevin to feel him and got the "he feels fine to me" response. More not acting right. More fussing. More tears. And then just as we were about to leave Brennan pooped. While Kevin was changing him, I figured we might as well check his temperature, his behavior was sending off quiet little red flags in the back of my mind. Sure enough, his temp was right at 100. So I'm home with an ill little B-bear today.
I'm enjoying the snuggles and responsibility of just one baby. It's so easy, even when he's sick. In fact "I laugh at your one baby". Okay, that's just something the MoMs on our message board used to say, but it's kind of true. I guess the trip MoMs laugh at our two babies, but I digress. There's always someone out there who has it more difficult, so I don't really like to complain too much in real life.
I'm just glad they aren't all three home with me today with the yucks. I'd probably be pulling my hair out about now and dreaming of doping them up with Benadryl. By the way, that was a joke, we don't even have any in the house, so you can hang up that phone you have in your hand about to dial CPS. ;)
Brennan woke up early this morning and I could tell that he wasn't quite acting right. I felt his head, but couldn't really get a gauge on how hot he was because my fingers were icicles. I asked Kevin to feel him and got the "he feels fine to me" response. More not acting right. More fussing. More tears. And then just as we were about to leave Brennan pooped. While Kevin was changing him, I figured we might as well check his temperature, his behavior was sending off quiet little red flags in the back of my mind. Sure enough, his temp was right at 100. So I'm home with an ill little B-bear today.
I'm enjoying the snuggles and responsibility of just one baby. It's so easy, even when he's sick. In fact "I laugh at your one baby". Okay, that's just something the MoMs on our message board used to say, but it's kind of true. I guess the trip MoMs laugh at our two babies, but I digress. There's always someone out there who has it more difficult, so I don't really like to complain too much in real life.
I'm just glad they aren't all three home with me today with the yucks. I'd probably be pulling my hair out about now and dreaming of doping them up with Benadryl. By the way, that was a joke, we don't even have any in the house, so you can hang up that phone you have in your hand about to dial CPS. ;)
Monday, July 26, 2010
Oh, Monday
Today was busy! I woke up at 6 a.m. to squeeze in a shower and throw in some laundry. After I was finished the babies were up, so I threw on some clothes and started the usual routine. I think I'll start getting them ready on my "day off", also known as Mondays, using the same schedule we do on work days. It ended up really nice having Kevin help get everyone up and dressed for the day so I wasn't rushed for my morning gym appointment.
Today I set another personal record, I dead-lifted 140 lbs! I keep moving up, and I love that feeling of accomplishment and growth! I took Jordan's advice and got some Chuck Taylor-esque shoes (after his second time suggesting it) that have flatter soles. He said to ditch the running shoes, so I did, and I'm finding the weight lifting much easier to do now that my body's balanced and not literally on my tip-toes. So much easier to "push through the heels", which actually makes the weight feel a little lighter.
The boys had their one year well baby visit today. I had to take Evan in with me, so you can imagine the chaos of two walking little ones and one rambunctious bigger one. It was total madness in that exam room! I can only imagine what it sounded like to people passing by. I felt like I was going to implode at any given minute. We all survived, but not without the littles in tears from their two shots (each). They both have some great stats for twins, who are usually on the smaller side even if they were born term. Brennan measured in at 21 pounds, 10 ounces, which is the 26.62 percentile, and 30.5 inches long, 65.55 percentile. Carter is 22 pounds, 3 ounces, the 34.87 percentile, and 31 inches long, putting him at 78.53%. Evan was always about 50th for weight and 90th for height, though recently he's slowed down and moved down on the charts.
There was also a trip to Target thrown in after the gym. Talk about an exhausting day! I definitely work a lot harder staying at home with the boys than a day at the office.
Today I set another personal record, I dead-lifted 140 lbs! I keep moving up, and I love that feeling of accomplishment and growth! I took Jordan's advice and got some Chuck Taylor-esque shoes (after his second time suggesting it) that have flatter soles. He said to ditch the running shoes, so I did, and I'm finding the weight lifting much easier to do now that my body's balanced and not literally on my tip-toes. So much easier to "push through the heels", which actually makes the weight feel a little lighter.
The boys had their one year well baby visit today. I had to take Evan in with me, so you can imagine the chaos of two walking little ones and one rambunctious bigger one. It was total madness in that exam room! I can only imagine what it sounded like to people passing by. I felt like I was going to implode at any given minute. We all survived, but not without the littles in tears from their two shots (each). They both have some great stats for twins, who are usually on the smaller side even if they were born term. Brennan measured in at 21 pounds, 10 ounces, which is the 26.62 percentile, and 30.5 inches long, 65.55 percentile. Carter is 22 pounds, 3 ounces, the 34.87 percentile, and 31 inches long, putting him at 78.53%. Evan was always about 50th for weight and 90th for height, though recently he's slowed down and moved down on the charts.
There was also a trip to Target thrown in after the gym. Talk about an exhausting day! I definitely work a lot harder staying at home with the boys than a day at the office.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
News
These past two weeks have been pretty stressful for me. I started back at work and have been tired from that, trying to keep up with the gym and eating right while I'm at work, and also my dad had another cancer scare. He had went to his regular doctor for his yearly check up/physical and found out that his prostate had doubled in size the past year. Normally this isn't too great of a cause for concern, although it is still a marker that something could have been wrong, but coupled with his cancer history the doctor was extremely worried.
I cried myself to sleep for nights on end after hearing the news. My mom had done research and found that patients with CLL (chronic lymphatic leukemia) that also have prostate cancer usually have a survival rate of less than five years. I was devastated and sent up many prayers that everything would be okay.
I was to the point where I wanted to know, but I didn't want to know so that if his test did come back positive I could be in denial and pretend like it didn't happen for a few days more. I don't like talking to Dad about this stuff because I know it upsets him, so I waited for the right timing when I called down to speak with Mom about it.
I finally gathered up the courage to ask a few nights ago when I called them back after getting a message from Dad checking to see how his grandkids were(she sounded like she was in a good mood). Negative! I have NEVER been so relieved in my life! Even when the cancer diagnosis was new and the doctors were still trying to figure out exactly what kind he had; there was a strong possibility that Dad's cancer was an insanely fast progressing kind that would give him very little time with us.
Kevin's mom has the same kind of cancer as Dad (CLL) and she has had it for a few years now. They caught hers really early too and she has yet to need treatment because it is spreading so slowly. I hope my dad's in the same boat. When we first found out, his doctor told him that his goal should be to live long enough with the cancer to pass away from something else...old age, car accident, whatever. I pray every night he's with us for many years to come and that this evil disease doesn't get the best of him.
I cried myself to sleep for nights on end after hearing the news. My mom had done research and found that patients with CLL (chronic lymphatic leukemia) that also have prostate cancer usually have a survival rate of less than five years. I was devastated and sent up many prayers that everything would be okay.
I was to the point where I wanted to know, but I didn't want to know so that if his test did come back positive I could be in denial and pretend like it didn't happen for a few days more. I don't like talking to Dad about this stuff because I know it upsets him, so I waited for the right timing when I called down to speak with Mom about it.
I finally gathered up the courage to ask a few nights ago when I called them back after getting a message from Dad checking to see how his grandkids were(she sounded like she was in a good mood). Negative! I have NEVER been so relieved in my life! Even when the cancer diagnosis was new and the doctors were still trying to figure out exactly what kind he had; there was a strong possibility that Dad's cancer was an insanely fast progressing kind that would give him very little time with us.
Kevin's mom has the same kind of cancer as Dad (CLL) and she has had it for a few years now. They caught hers really early too and she has yet to need treatment because it is spreading so slowly. I hope my dad's in the same boat. When we first found out, his doctor told him that his goal should be to live long enough with the cancer to pass away from something else...old age, car accident, whatever. I pray every night he's with us for many years to come and that this evil disease doesn't get the best of him.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Aaaaand we have a breakthrough!
Today started out rough. The boys woke up at around 5:30 so I got very little sleep. Thankfully it was a day I don't go into work. However, that means I have all three boys with me on my own. I was scheduled for a session with Jordan at 11, our normal time, but now that I have to take all of them in with me and not just the babies it literally takes up my whole morning just getting us all ready to get out the door. Today I was too tired to even think about doing all of that, so I canceled, camped out, and set up fort here at home.
The babies have been so moody and fussy lately, and Evan's harsh hands don't help the situation. Today the brawls were out of control and we had constant crying in the house. I couldn't shake the thought of something being wrong when it came to their health, so we had an impromptu meeting with Dr. Y today. She said they have a cold, but said that in her professional opinion their hysterics are probably due to the major changes we've put them through the past few weeks.
Since my day was particularly difficult, I called Kevin around lunch time and had a heart-to-heart with him about how I feel like when it comes to the babies I do 99% of the work and that I just couldn't keep up with it all anymore. I think he finally understood where I was coming from and later when I called to see if he could leave work a little early to come and sit with Evan while I took Brennan and Carter to the pediatrician. When he got home he hopped in the van and said it would be easier on me if we all went so that I wasn't dealing with two angry, fussy babies on my own. After we got home, he cleaned the kitchen and told me to take a break - and was dead serious.
He took the folding table and chairs out of our breakfast area and dining room that has been there since the week before the boys' birthday party and brought our dining room table back in, but put it in the kitchen instead. Our old kitchen table only had four chairs and isn't big enough for the whole family now. We took the highchairs out to the garage and set the booster seats up on the chairs and pulled them up to the table.
I cooked dinner and everyone ate together at the kitchen table and the four boys (daddy included) had fun keeping busy while the food was cooking. Evan even played nicely with the babies and brought them toys without us asking him to. He even picked up the sippy cups the boys were throwing to the ground every five seconds. Evan ate some dinner(!) with a little coaxing and the boys chowed down. I cleaned up the kids, chairs, and tables while daddy did the dinner dishes. After that we all played together and had tons and tons of giggles and laughs before putting Brennan and Carter to bed for the night.
I hope things continue to be this good! What a great evening, the stuff you dream about your life being when you have kids. :)
The babies have been so moody and fussy lately, and Evan's harsh hands don't help the situation. Today the brawls were out of control and we had constant crying in the house. I couldn't shake the thought of something being wrong when it came to their health, so we had an impromptu meeting with Dr. Y today. She said they have a cold, but said that in her professional opinion their hysterics are probably due to the major changes we've put them through the past few weeks.
Since my day was particularly difficult, I called Kevin around lunch time and had a heart-to-heart with him about how I feel like when it comes to the babies I do 99% of the work and that I just couldn't keep up with it all anymore. I think he finally understood where I was coming from and later when I called to see if he could leave work a little early to come and sit with Evan while I took Brennan and Carter to the pediatrician. When he got home he hopped in the van and said it would be easier on me if we all went so that I wasn't dealing with two angry, fussy babies on my own. After we got home, he cleaned the kitchen and told me to take a break - and was dead serious.
He took the folding table and chairs out of our breakfast area and dining room that has been there since the week before the boys' birthday party and brought our dining room table back in, but put it in the kitchen instead. Our old kitchen table only had four chairs and isn't big enough for the whole family now. We took the highchairs out to the garage and set the booster seats up on the chairs and pulled them up to the table.
I cooked dinner and everyone ate together at the kitchen table and the four boys (daddy included) had fun keeping busy while the food was cooking. Evan even played nicely with the babies and brought them toys without us asking him to. He even picked up the sippy cups the boys were throwing to the ground every five seconds. Evan ate some dinner(!) with a little coaxing and the boys chowed down. I cleaned up the kids, chairs, and tables while daddy did the dinner dishes. After that we all played together and had tons and tons of giggles and laughs before putting Brennan and Carter to bed for the night.
I hope things continue to be this good! What a great evening, the stuff you dream about your life being when you have kids. :)
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Mom's day off!
Originally, I was supposed to start work this last Tuesday, but the powers that be were still finishing up some loose ends so I was told I'd start on Wednesday instead. We had already given daycare the green light on starting the babies on Tuesday so I had a day all to myself yesterday. I thoroughly enjoyed doing absolutely nothing but goofing off online and making a trip out for a manicure and pedicure. The house is a pigsty and really needed to be cleaned, but I was sure to give Kevin advanced notice that the odds of it being picked up when he got home were not in his favor. He actually didn't have a problem with it and knew I really needed a day to myself.
The babies did really well for their first day of "school". The only hiccup the teachers ran into during the day was when they woke up from nap time - I think they freaked out a little when they realized they were on cots and not in a crib. Both boys are little piggies and ate more than Evan did at lunch and they seem to be playing better with each other and every one else than they do when they're at home. I'd call that a successful first day!
Those loose ends at work are still dangling around, but supposedly they are being taken care of and I'll start tomorrow. So here I sit, still doing nothing and the house is still a mess. I guess I know what my plans are this afternoon. I also have my first evening session with Jordan tonight, so we'll see how my body handles a later time frame. I'm a little scared, the gym is pretty crowded during those hours and I'm used to working out when it's practically empty. I hope people don't mind hearing me cry, scream, and complain!
The babies did really well for their first day of "school". The only hiccup the teachers ran into during the day was when they woke up from nap time - I think they freaked out a little when they realized they were on cots and not in a crib. Both boys are little piggies and ate more than Evan did at lunch and they seem to be playing better with each other and every one else than they do when they're at home. I'd call that a successful first day!
Those loose ends at work are still dangling around, but supposedly they are being taken care of and I'll start tomorrow. So here I sit, still doing nothing and the house is still a mess. I guess I know what my plans are this afternoon. I also have my first evening session with Jordan tonight, so we'll see how my body handles a later time frame. I'm a little scared, the gym is pretty crowded during those hours and I'm used to working out when it's practically empty. I hope people don't mind hearing me cry, scream, and complain!
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Is it me?
Seriously though, these last few days have been rough and I honestly can't tell if it's things I've said/done, if it's the other people not hearing or understanding what I'm trying to say (which also could mean that I'm not communicating my thoughts well), or a combination of them both. But enough's enough already. I try not to piss anyone off and by doing so end up pissing people off. Aaagh. I'm so frustrated.
Kevin put the remaining two cozy coupes together tonight so tomorrow should be fun for the boys, as long as it isn't too hot to go outside. I feel like shutting myself away for a while to enjoy the last day or two I have with them before going back to work.
Kevin put the remaining two cozy coupes together tonight so tomorrow should be fun for the boys, as long as it isn't too hot to go outside. I feel like shutting myself away for a while to enjoy the last day or two I have with them before going back to work.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Birthday Party Pics
Just a few pics from their party...I finally uploaded them from my camera today. I'm really sad we didn't get any more than the few we got. Kevin and I were both so busy we completely forgot to get the camera out until it was time to give them their cakes. I didn't even realize it until my mom pointed it out tonight, but we didn't even sing them "Happy Birthday"! I didn't get any of the few decorations I did and hardly any of the guests...not even any good ones of the boys in their Thing 1 and Thing 2 shirts. I was all over the place and way too busy to even think about it.
Without further ado...
Without further ado...
Birthday Babies!
It's official, today the boys are one year old! What a year! We had their party on the third and it went pretty well. The boys loved their cakes, Brennan especially - he had it everywhere and the whole cake was almost gone by the time we took it from him.
This morning luck was with me and I happened to look at the clock right at the exact minute Brennan was born. I gave him a kiss on the forehead and wished him Happy Birthday. A minute later I did the same for Carter.
The boys are getting pretty close to walking more and more. They take steps in a row by themselves and can get a few feet without help, but then they lose balance and topple over. I think we'll have full-time walkers pretty soon.
Evan's home with me again today. We let my mom and dad borrow the car seat out of Kevin's truck so he could spend the night with them last Friday. When we left their house yesterday we forgot to grab it and it's such a pain to take Evan's seat out of the van since you pretty much have to take one of the babies' seats out to get to it. So he's here sitting next to me on the couch playing with his Elmo doll.
These days at home are coming to an end and I'll be returning to work in the very near future. I wasn't quite prepared when my father-in-law came to us to inquire about me coming back as soon as possible. I don't really want to get into details, but I had finally submitted to what I thought was going to be my future for the next 4 or 5 years: being a stay-at-home mom until they were all in school, so it took me a few days for this to really sink in. Daycare is just so expensive, but it looks like we'll be forking over some serious dough and making things work.
My diet went in the crapper this weekend and I gained a pound back from eating crap. The sad part is, it wasn't even worth it because eating junk makes me feel so gross now that my body isn't used to it anymore. Hopefully I'll see the scale go back down tomorrow morning. Now some good news, at my last workout I dead lifted 135 pounds - it felt pretty awesome to see two of the big 45 lb weights being added to the bar instead a bunch of the smaller weights.
This morning luck was with me and I happened to look at the clock right at the exact minute Brennan was born. I gave him a kiss on the forehead and wished him Happy Birthday. A minute later I did the same for Carter.
The boys are getting pretty close to walking more and more. They take steps in a row by themselves and can get a few feet without help, but then they lose balance and topple over. I think we'll have full-time walkers pretty soon.
Evan's home with me again today. We let my mom and dad borrow the car seat out of Kevin's truck so he could spend the night with them last Friday. When we left their house yesterday we forgot to grab it and it's such a pain to take Evan's seat out of the van since you pretty much have to take one of the babies' seats out to get to it. So he's here sitting next to me on the couch playing with his Elmo doll.
These days at home are coming to an end and I'll be returning to work in the very near future. I wasn't quite prepared when my father-in-law came to us to inquire about me coming back as soon as possible. I don't really want to get into details, but I had finally submitted to what I thought was going to be my future for the next 4 or 5 years: being a stay-at-home mom until they were all in school, so it took me a few days for this to really sink in. Daycare is just so expensive, but it looks like we'll be forking over some serious dough and making things work.
My diet went in the crapper this weekend and I gained a pound back from eating crap. The sad part is, it wasn't even worth it because eating junk makes me feel so gross now that my body isn't used to it anymore. Hopefully I'll see the scale go back down tomorrow morning. Now some good news, at my last workout I dead lifted 135 pounds - it felt pretty awesome to see two of the big 45 lb weights being added to the bar instead a bunch of the smaller weights.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
A new adventure
Brennan has been munching away at his crib rails lately and it's starting to get bad. Carter is doing it too, but he doesn't seem as chomp happy. I started looking into crib teething guards to protect the wood, but our cribs are really thick and most products out there don't work well. I turned to etsy, thinking maybe I'd try to purchase something handmade. Each set was $75 dollars! I then thought to myself "well, they don't look that hard to make..." and decided to research the cost of sewing machines. I found one on Wal-Mart's website that was only available online, but was only $80, plus shipping, which was a whopping 97 cents! It also had rave reviews from amateurs and professionals, so I decided to take a leap of faith and make the purchase.
The machine came in today, so naturally I was pretty excited to get all of my supplies purchased. I packed up the boys and found a fabric and craft store in the next town over. We pulled in, I got the boys out of the car, into their stroller, and then into the store only to realize that they were moving. There was pretty much nothing in the store; 75% of the shelves were completely empty. I looked up and saw a sign that said, "come visit our new location!" and had the address listed. I then take the boys back out to the car and punch the address into the GPS.
We make our way to the store, boys packed into the stroller and walk in, only to realize they haven't even opened this store yet. I was really disappointed. This whole trip had already taken 50 minutes and I had nothing to show for it.
From there I decided to drive to Wal-Mart. I remembered seeing supplies there, but couldn't remember if they had fabric or not. I loaded up on all of the essentials, but they didn't carry any material so I was SOL on that front. I'm happy they at least had most of the basics that I needed to get started though, and I probably ended up spending less money on them there than at some specialty store.
A few of the girls from the message board suggested I try looking for some other stores and gave me a few names. Turns out the next town over has two of the bigger fabric and craft chains in addition to the one I had no success with. I guess we know where my field trip for tomorrow is going to be. :)
The machine came in today, so naturally I was pretty excited to get all of my supplies purchased. I packed up the boys and found a fabric and craft store in the next town over. We pulled in, I got the boys out of the car, into their stroller, and then into the store only to realize that they were moving. There was pretty much nothing in the store; 75% of the shelves were completely empty. I looked up and saw a sign that said, "come visit our new location!" and had the address listed. I then take the boys back out to the car and punch the address into the GPS.
We make our way to the store, boys packed into the stroller and walk in, only to realize they haven't even opened this store yet. I was really disappointed. This whole trip had already taken 50 minutes and I had nothing to show for it.
From there I decided to drive to Wal-Mart. I remembered seeing supplies there, but couldn't remember if they had fabric or not. I loaded up on all of the essentials, but they didn't carry any material so I was SOL on that front. I'm happy they at least had most of the basics that I needed to get started though, and I probably ended up spending less money on them there than at some specialty store.
A few of the girls from the message board suggested I try looking for some other stores and gave me a few names. Turns out the next town over has two of the bigger fabric and craft chains in addition to the one I had no success with. I guess we know where my field trip for tomorrow is going to be. :)
Monday, June 28, 2010
I'm back, baby!
I actually made it to the gym today! Jordan ended up charging me for just one of the three sessions I missed last week due to the plague that was in our house. We started things off with a set of 10 squats, then moved on to cleans with a 20 lb ball. After that I did some new, weird stretch against the wall. I immediately saw the benefits of it though, so that gets a thumbs up.
The exercise of the day was the clean and jerk. I started out with just the bar, 45 lbs. and progressed up to 75 lbs! Jordan was extremely excited for me and was really happy with my results - he usually doesn't get the opportunity to teach this to most clients.
The workout of the day was 9 minutes total; 3 minutes of sumo dead lifts with just the bar, as many as I could do in 3 minutes. Then I went immediately into 3 minutes of kettle bell swings, and then 3 minutes of push ups. I only ended up with around 120 reps for the entire 9 minutes, so it was a pretty crappy "score", but my hands kept cramping up into something I like to call "the claw". Three hours after I was done working out I was still having problems with them.
I'm going back tomorrow at 11:00 for another session, then again on Friday. I must be a glutton for punishment.
Today after taking the boys outside to swing, I brought them in for diaper changes. I finished with Brennan and sat him on the floor in our bedroom. I had Carter up on the bed and was halfway through his diaper change when out of the corner of my eye I see Brennan smack his face into the the corner of our bed frame. Of course he cried, so I picked him up (Carter was still half naked on the bed) and I immediately noticed blood in his mouth - a ton of it. I kept my wits about me and didn't panic. I'm actually really good in situations like this. I put him down for just a second so I could put Carter down on the floor (still no diaper on) so that he wouldn't fall off of the bed.
I picked Brennan up and took him to our bathroom and started to clean his mouth out with water to see where the injury was. After much inspection, I finally found the source - he had torn his top frenulum; that little flap of skin in between your lips and gums. I took him to the kitchen to grab a cold, wet paper towel and let him chew on it, by this time the bleeding had almost stopped. I brought him back into the bedroom, looked down, and noticed a dark, moist line coming from right in front of where Carter was sitting and stretched out about a foot in front of him. He had peed on our newly cleaned carpets. Awesome!
The exercise of the day was the clean and jerk. I started out with just the bar, 45 lbs. and progressed up to 75 lbs! Jordan was extremely excited for me and was really happy with my results - he usually doesn't get the opportunity to teach this to most clients.
The workout of the day was 9 minutes total; 3 minutes of sumo dead lifts with just the bar, as many as I could do in 3 minutes. Then I went immediately into 3 minutes of kettle bell swings, and then 3 minutes of push ups. I only ended up with around 120 reps for the entire 9 minutes, so it was a pretty crappy "score", but my hands kept cramping up into something I like to call "the claw". Three hours after I was done working out I was still having problems with them.
I'm going back tomorrow at 11:00 for another session, then again on Friday. I must be a glutton for punishment.
Today after taking the boys outside to swing, I brought them in for diaper changes. I finished with Brennan and sat him on the floor in our bedroom. I had Carter up on the bed and was halfway through his diaper change when out of the corner of my eye I see Brennan smack his face into the the corner of our bed frame. Of course he cried, so I picked him up (Carter was still half naked on the bed) and I immediately noticed blood in his mouth - a ton of it. I kept my wits about me and didn't panic. I'm actually really good in situations like this. I put him down for just a second so I could put Carter down on the floor (still no diaper on) so that he wouldn't fall off of the bed.
I picked Brennan up and took him to our bathroom and started to clean his mouth out with water to see where the injury was. After much inspection, I finally found the source - he had torn his top frenulum; that little flap of skin in between your lips and gums. I took him to the kitchen to grab a cold, wet paper towel and let him chew on it, by this time the bleeding had almost stopped. I brought him back into the bedroom, looked down, and noticed a dark, moist line coming from right in front of where Carter was sitting and stretched out about a foot in front of him. He had peed on our newly cleaned carpets. Awesome!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Sick
So we quickly figured out that the babies' problems this weekend with the lack of sleeping was due to a virus. They had diarrhea while we were down there, but I honestly thought it was from my parents feeding them nothing but fruit all day long. Hellooooo fiber! But it turns out that was not the case.
Evan ended up catching it as well. Yesterday morning he woke up and said his butt hurt. I thought he was just constipated, but a minute later figured out I was wrong. This horrible smell quickly filled the room and I checked his pull up (thankfully he wasn't in underwear since it was right after he woke up!) It was like poo soup had flooded his pants. I took him into the bathroom, and once again, thankfully there was no dripping or leaking because we had just had the carpets cleaned the day before! As soon as I opened up the side of his pull up it was like the levee broke. It was everywhere! Even on my pajama pants. Sorry for the grossness if you're still reading!
I got him cleaned up and a new pull up on, there was NO WAY we were going to chance it with underwear. Daddy left and called school on the way out to tell them Ev wouldn't be there. Ten minutes later, as he was laying with me in bed and watching Dora, he puked all over my mattress and blankets.
The rest of the day went okay, but just as I was thinking he'd get to go to school tomorrow (they have a 24 hour rule), he had another bout of diarrhea. He's here with me again today and seems to be doing just fine.
I however am not doing so well on the workouts this week because of this stupid virus. I missed my session on Monday and Jordan was kind enough to reschedule me for Wednesday...and then Evan got sick. So now it will have been a whole week since my last workout when I go back tomorrow. It's going to suck so bad!
Evan ended up catching it as well. Yesterday morning he woke up and said his butt hurt. I thought he was just constipated, but a minute later figured out I was wrong. This horrible smell quickly filled the room and I checked his pull up (thankfully he wasn't in underwear since it was right after he woke up!) It was like poo soup had flooded his pants. I took him into the bathroom, and once again, thankfully there was no dripping or leaking because we had just had the carpets cleaned the day before! As soon as I opened up the side of his pull up it was like the levee broke. It was everywhere! Even on my pajama pants. Sorry for the grossness if you're still reading!
I got him cleaned up and a new pull up on, there was NO WAY we were going to chance it with underwear. Daddy left and called school on the way out to tell them Ev wouldn't be there. Ten minutes later, as he was laying with me in bed and watching Dora, he puked all over my mattress and blankets.
The rest of the day went okay, but just as I was thinking he'd get to go to school tomorrow (they have a 24 hour rule), he had another bout of diarrhea. He's here with me again today and seems to be doing just fine.
I however am not doing so well on the workouts this week because of this stupid virus. I missed my session on Monday and Jordan was kind enough to reschedule me for Wednesday...and then Evan got sick. So now it will have been a whole week since my last workout when I go back tomorrow. It's going to suck so bad!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Sleepless in Dittmer
Yesterday Kevin and I had a large list of things we needed to get done around the house before the boys' birthday party on July 3rd. We sent the babies off to my mom and dad's house. Actually, I woke up, packed their bags, and drove all three down there by myself with the intention of Kevin getting an early start on his outdoor chores. The heat index was supposed to be somewhere around 105, so it get's hot early. It's an hour drive down there, I spent half an hour visiting, and then another hour on the road going back home to start the chores. I fully expected Kevin would have had a few things crossed off of the list by the time I got back.
Boy was I wrong. He went right back to bed after I left, got up for what I presume was a window of about fifteen minutes to shovel down some cereal, and then went back to bed. I was fuming when I came inside to find him snoring and snuggled into the covers.
Anyway, the plan was to hammer out our housework, and drive back down to my parents' place to spend the night. We had to go back down because they had tickets to an event with some of Dad's coworkers. Little did we know we were about to walk into the fiery pits of hell. It turns out the babies had only napped about half an hour the entire day. They were completely over tired and over stimulated. We managed to get them off to bed for the night pretty easily. Around 10 o'clock we all headed to bed. The babies were each in their own pack 'n play, and Evan was in between Kevin and I...but we were all in the same bedroom. Can you see where this is going?
Their house has ridiculously high vaulted ceilings and hardwood floors throughout. Noise travels quickly and loudly no matter what room you're in. Mom and Dad got home around 11:30 and the babies stirred a little bit when they came in, but nodded back off to dreamland pretty quickly. About an hour later, Uncle Nate came strolling through the door and the babies woke up again, except for this time they refused to go back to sleep.
Kevin and I continued to fight them for the next half hour to forty five minutes when Kevin finally got pissed off and sleep deprived enough to strap them into their car seats and go for a drive. I didn't argue with him, but knew what the end result would ultimately end up being, there was no stopping him at this point anyway. He ended up driving half an hour in both directions and got back home a little after two in the morning.
I was still in bed with Evan while he was on his night drive, but didn't really sleep well. I couldn't shake a very worried feeling I had that since it was so late and that they could all end up in a bad accident or something. They were fine and my prediction was right; the second he got them into the house and laid in their beds they started wailing again. We tried for another fifteen minutes to settle them when I realized they were both wide awake. I took them into the living room, turned the light and tv on and let them play with their toys on the floor while I fought to stay awake.
They were so tired; constantly rubbing eyes and laying their heads down, only to jerk themselves around, pull their own hair, or poke at my face to stay awake. Finally at around four a.m. I decided to turn off the tv and light and hold both of them while rocking in the recliner. It was inevitable, just as one would start to nod off, the other one would start in on a yet another desperate attempt to keep their eyes open...waking up the other brother. I fought them for forty five minutes when finally they were both to the point where they were so exhausted all they could do was sit, squirm, and scream at the top of their lungs. I was getting to the point where I was running out of options.
Thankfully PawPaw finally heard them crying and came out into the living room. Gammaw followed shortly after and they took the babies from me so that I could try to get some rest. At this point it was within minutes of turning 5 o'clock. It was a little longer before I remember noticing that the cries had stopped. I guess they eventually got them both down (see how much simpler things can be when there's a 1:1 ratio?) and took them back to their bed.
They woke up around 8 in the morning and you could still tell from their faces that they had some catching up to do on sleep. However, they continued to laugh in the face of restful zzzz's and protested every time we tried putting them down for a nap. It has been a horrible battle with them this weekend.
We put them down tonight at 6:45, gave them a bottle, put on their night time diapers, laid them in their cribs and shut the door. One of them cried for 20 or more minutes, but we knew we just had to let whoever it was just go at it. Going in to check on them would have just started the whole tear filled, painful process all over again. Here's to hoping they stay asleep for the night and wake up well rested.
Boy was I wrong. He went right back to bed after I left, got up for what I presume was a window of about fifteen minutes to shovel down some cereal, and then went back to bed. I was fuming when I came inside to find him snoring and snuggled into the covers.
Anyway, the plan was to hammer out our housework, and drive back down to my parents' place to spend the night. We had to go back down because they had tickets to an event with some of Dad's coworkers. Little did we know we were about to walk into the fiery pits of hell. It turns out the babies had only napped about half an hour the entire day. They were completely over tired and over stimulated. We managed to get them off to bed for the night pretty easily. Around 10 o'clock we all headed to bed. The babies were each in their own pack 'n play, and Evan was in between Kevin and I...but we were all in the same bedroom. Can you see where this is going?
Their house has ridiculously high vaulted ceilings and hardwood floors throughout. Noise travels quickly and loudly no matter what room you're in. Mom and Dad got home around 11:30 and the babies stirred a little bit when they came in, but nodded back off to dreamland pretty quickly. About an hour later, Uncle Nate came strolling through the door and the babies woke up again, except for this time they refused to go back to sleep.
Kevin and I continued to fight them for the next half hour to forty five minutes when Kevin finally got pissed off and sleep deprived enough to strap them into their car seats and go for a drive. I didn't argue with him, but knew what the end result would ultimately end up being, there was no stopping him at this point anyway. He ended up driving half an hour in both directions and got back home a little after two in the morning.
I was still in bed with Evan while he was on his night drive, but didn't really sleep well. I couldn't shake a very worried feeling I had that since it was so late and that they could all end up in a bad accident or something. They were fine and my prediction was right; the second he got them into the house and laid in their beds they started wailing again. We tried for another fifteen minutes to settle them when I realized they were both wide awake. I took them into the living room, turned the light and tv on and let them play with their toys on the floor while I fought to stay awake.
They were so tired; constantly rubbing eyes and laying their heads down, only to jerk themselves around, pull their own hair, or poke at my face to stay awake. Finally at around four a.m. I decided to turn off the tv and light and hold both of them while rocking in the recliner. It was inevitable, just as one would start to nod off, the other one would start in on a yet another desperate attempt to keep their eyes open...waking up the other brother. I fought them for forty five minutes when finally they were both to the point where they were so exhausted all they could do was sit, squirm, and scream at the top of their lungs. I was getting to the point where I was running out of options.
Thankfully PawPaw finally heard them crying and came out into the living room. Gammaw followed shortly after and they took the babies from me so that I could try to get some rest. At this point it was within minutes of turning 5 o'clock. It was a little longer before I remember noticing that the cries had stopped. I guess they eventually got them both down (see how much simpler things can be when there's a 1:1 ratio?) and took them back to their bed.
They woke up around 8 in the morning and you could still tell from their faces that they had some catching up to do on sleep. However, they continued to laugh in the face of restful zzzz's and protested every time we tried putting them down for a nap. It has been a horrible battle with them this weekend.
We put them down tonight at 6:45, gave them a bottle, put on their night time diapers, laid them in their cribs and shut the door. One of them cried for 20 or more minutes, but we knew we just had to let whoever it was just go at it. Going in to check on them would have just started the whole tear filled, painful process all over again. Here's to hoping they stay asleep for the night and wake up well rested.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
I did it!
Woke up this morning, hopped on the scale and saw a b-e-a-utiful number: 139.6! Squee! Of course by the time I ate and put on shoes and workout clothes I was about three pounds heavier, but I still saw the number. Jordan forgot to take measurements at the beginning of our session, so we did it at the end instead. You know, after I'd sucked down an entire bottle of water during our workout ;) and the gym scale showed 144.0 I guess that's pretty in-line with my scale at home (like I said, after shoes, food, and workout clothes...and we can't forget that whole bottle of water ;) ). Super excited; lost another inch from my waist and another half inch from my arms. My body fat went from 25% last month to 22%. Jordan said he'd love to see 20% next month and 139 on the gym scale. I think I can do it. And I'm getting so close to my goal I can almost taste it. I want it so badly.
Today I did 21 sumo dead lifts in a row, unbroken, one after the other with no resting. Ho-lee shite! The workouts we do apparently all have names. Today I did Helen (giggle): 1 lap around the building, 21 sumo dead lifts, 12 push ups - all times 3. Just for the record, Helen is a bitch! Trust me, you never want to meet her, unless you want to lose weight and build muscle...then you kick her ass!
I'm throwing around the idea of going in for a tummy tuck consultation soon, just to know what they can do for me and how much I need to be saving up. There are a few places that have free consultations, so I think I'll try one of those first. Generally, what I'm seeing is that they start around $6k. I'm sure mine would end up being more, there's a lot of hanging skin that spreads well past both of my pelvic bones towards my hips. Some places offer financing though...which I'm sure we could always go that route as long as the interest rates aren't through the roof.
I hope this day continues to be fantastic and I can keep this momentum going!
Today I did 21 sumo dead lifts in a row, unbroken, one after the other with no resting. Ho-lee shite! The workouts we do apparently all have names. Today I did Helen (giggle): 1 lap around the building, 21 sumo dead lifts, 12 push ups - all times 3. Just for the record, Helen is a bitch! Trust me, you never want to meet her, unless you want to lose weight and build muscle...then you kick her ass!
I'm throwing around the idea of going in for a tummy tuck consultation soon, just to know what they can do for me and how much I need to be saving up. There are a few places that have free consultations, so I think I'll try one of those first. Generally, what I'm seeing is that they start around $6k. I'm sure mine would end up being more, there's a lot of hanging skin that spreads well past both of my pelvic bones towards my hips. Some places offer financing though...which I'm sure we could always go that route as long as the interest rates aren't through the roof.
I hope this day continues to be fantastic and I can keep this momentum going!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Going Solo
Today I got myself and the babies fed, changed, and into the car to head to the gym because I *thought* I had a session with my trainer, Jordan, today. I was wrong. I realized it as I was warming up on the elliptical machine - I remembered having a conversation about this week doing Monday and Thursday instead of our usual Wednesday.
No harm, no foul. I made lemons into lemonade and decided to give this working out on my own at the gym thing a try. It helped that my trainer wasn't even there. I would probably have just left if he were because I would have been super intimidated. I still was, but I mustered up enough courage to do some of the exercises we do together. I think I got a pretty good workout on my own, but there's no way I can push myself as hard when he's not around screaming at me ;)
Tomorrow when we meet up, I think I'll have him take a little bit of extra time walking me through some of the prep processes of the free weights so that I can attempt dead lifts, cleans, push presses, and all of that other crap by myself. He said he really wants me to start getting comfortable doing these things on my own anyway, so I guess it's time to really start focusing on the small details.
Jordan said ideally, he'd have me do workouts like the ones we do together on my own and ditch the cardio at home all together since our workouts usually incorporate it in there and will do more for me. So, I've already told Kevin I have a gym wish list. In a perfect world, I'd like to finish off a room in the basement for working out...with a rubber padded floor, big mirrors on the wall (no, I'm not that vain, they really do help you when trying to make sure your form is correct), a Smith machine and rack, and a set of kettle bells and free weights - along with the treadmill and other small things we already have.
I was also prepared to weigh in and take measurements today and was super bummed that I haven't broken through the 140s yet when I checked myself this morning at home. I'm seriously getting pissed. I'm literally teetering on the line, this morning on my scale I was 140.6. Point effing six...come on already, throw me a bone stupid scale! It feels like I've been stuck there for a little over a week.
Hopefully, if I drink enough water and take care of myself today, when I wake up in the morning that .6 will have magically melted away. We'll see!
No harm, no foul. I made lemons into lemonade and decided to give this working out on my own at the gym thing a try. It helped that my trainer wasn't even there. I would probably have just left if he were because I would have been super intimidated. I still was, but I mustered up enough courage to do some of the exercises we do together. I think I got a pretty good workout on my own, but there's no way I can push myself as hard when he's not around screaming at me ;)
Tomorrow when we meet up, I think I'll have him take a little bit of extra time walking me through some of the prep processes of the free weights so that I can attempt dead lifts, cleans, push presses, and all of that other crap by myself. He said he really wants me to start getting comfortable doing these things on my own anyway, so I guess it's time to really start focusing on the small details.
Jordan said ideally, he'd have me do workouts like the ones we do together on my own and ditch the cardio at home all together since our workouts usually incorporate it in there and will do more for me. So, I've already told Kevin I have a gym wish list. In a perfect world, I'd like to finish off a room in the basement for working out...with a rubber padded floor, big mirrors on the wall (no, I'm not that vain, they really do help you when trying to make sure your form is correct), a Smith machine and rack, and a set of kettle bells and free weights - along with the treadmill and other small things we already have.
I was also prepared to weigh in and take measurements today and was super bummed that I haven't broken through the 140s yet when I checked myself this morning at home. I'm seriously getting pissed. I'm literally teetering on the line, this morning on my scale I was 140.6. Point effing six...come on already, throw me a bone stupid scale! It feels like I've been stuck there for a little over a week.
Hopefully, if I drink enough water and take care of myself today, when I wake up in the morning that .6 will have magically melted away. We'll see!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Woohoo!
Great news! For our anniversary, Kevin and I decided to drop the kids off at Nonna's house. Pawpaw was tired, so Nonna had Aunt Shari come over to help. It really is a lot of work watching all three, especially in a place that has so many things that aren't meant to be touched or played with.
We headed a little ways down the road to the mall and decided to eat at The Cheesecake Factory. I still stuck to a paleo dinner; had steak and some fresh steamed broccoli...which I had to sub out for, it came with mashed potatoes. Not so paleo friendly ;) I was a good girl and didn't order any cheesecake either, but I did order a Blue Moon wheat beer, which according to my trainer IS a paleo beer. I'm not entirely sure on how true that is, though.
Before Kevin got home from work that night, I was trying to find something nice to wear. Well, it's quite evident that I hang out in pajamas and work out clothes 99% of the time, because when I was trying stuff on everything; quite literally EVERYTHING was too big.
I also wanted to mention that Kevin left work early and went to pick up some flowers for me. Evan helped pick them out, which was pretty obvious; some of them were neon orange :) Orange is Ev's most favorite color. He also picked out a balloon for me - it was a Dora ballon that said "feliz cumpleanos" LOL! And, it later became apparent that I was not the balloon's true owner, Evan was.
Anyway, back to the story. I had no clothes, but put together something that fit decent enough with a belt to keep my pants up. After dinner we went into the mall and Kevin said it was okay for me to start looking for some new jeans. I knew the Gap always has awesome jeans and knew they would be worth the splurge.
I found a few pairs I liked in the size I thought I was fitting into. I took them to the dressing room, put a pair on, came out to where Kevin was sitting in a chair and one of the cashiers, Ryan took one look at me and said in a totally fantastic, sassy tone "Oh honey, no, no, no, no, no. Those are too big on you! You're going to have to go down a size...what size are those?" I responded with, "Really? They're eights...they're too big?"
So then Ryan filled me in on how jeans should fit. I think I must have been wearing them in the wrong size my whole life ;) He went back to grab a bunch of different styles in a size 6. A SIZE SIX!! I seriously almost cried in the dressing room. I was a size 14 just 6 months ago. Ryan was so incredibly helpful, and if I could have taken him home with me for future shopping trips, I totally would've. We walked out with a couple hundred dollars in jeans, but I'm not anticipating getting too much smaller than what I am now. There's just too much stretched out skin to go down another size, I think. But can you imagine if I were to get a tummy tuck (which by the way is the plan in about 2 years)? I'd probably in all reality be a size four right now.
My trainer is super proud. The highlight of my weekend was when Kevin admitted to checking out a girl from behind that was a little distance away and then realized that it was ME! I'm finally feeling good about myself again!
We headed a little ways down the road to the mall and decided to eat at The Cheesecake Factory. I still stuck to a paleo dinner; had steak and some fresh steamed broccoli...which I had to sub out for, it came with mashed potatoes. Not so paleo friendly ;) I was a good girl and didn't order any cheesecake either, but I did order a Blue Moon wheat beer, which according to my trainer IS a paleo beer. I'm not entirely sure on how true that is, though.
Before Kevin got home from work that night, I was trying to find something nice to wear. Well, it's quite evident that I hang out in pajamas and work out clothes 99% of the time, because when I was trying stuff on everything; quite literally EVERYTHING was too big.
I also wanted to mention that Kevin left work early and went to pick up some flowers for me. Evan helped pick them out, which was pretty obvious; some of them were neon orange :) Orange is Ev's most favorite color. He also picked out a balloon for me - it was a Dora ballon that said "feliz cumpleanos" LOL! And, it later became apparent that I was not the balloon's true owner, Evan was.
Anyway, back to the story. I had no clothes, but put together something that fit decent enough with a belt to keep my pants up. After dinner we went into the mall and Kevin said it was okay for me to start looking for some new jeans. I knew the Gap always has awesome jeans and knew they would be worth the splurge.
I found a few pairs I liked in the size I thought I was fitting into. I took them to the dressing room, put a pair on, came out to where Kevin was sitting in a chair and one of the cashiers, Ryan took one look at me and said in a totally fantastic, sassy tone "Oh honey, no, no, no, no, no. Those are too big on you! You're going to have to go down a size...what size are those?" I responded with, "Really? They're eights...they're too big?"
So then Ryan filled me in on how jeans should fit. I think I must have been wearing them in the wrong size my whole life ;) He went back to grab a bunch of different styles in a size 6. A SIZE SIX!! I seriously almost cried in the dressing room. I was a size 14 just 6 months ago. Ryan was so incredibly helpful, and if I could have taken him home with me for future shopping trips, I totally would've. We walked out with a couple hundred dollars in jeans, but I'm not anticipating getting too much smaller than what I am now. There's just too much stretched out skin to go down another size, I think. But can you imagine if I were to get a tummy tuck (which by the way is the plan in about 2 years)? I'd probably in all reality be a size four right now.
My trainer is super proud. The highlight of my weekend was when Kevin admitted to checking out a girl from behind that was a little distance away and then realized that it was ME! I'm finally feeling good about myself again!
Friday, June 11, 2010
Five Years
Five years ago today I married my best friend. We've definitely had our moments of frustration, anger, sadness, and joy - as with any marriage. Time has really flown by. Looking back on our wedding day, that version of me would never in a million years have guessed what our future would hold. I definitely would not have thought we would be blessed with three of the world's most wonderful boys...or that we'd have all three with less than two years between them. There are many curve balls in our lives, but that one was the biggest we've survived together so far.
There are many sources out there that say the divorce rate among parents of multiples is sky high. After making it through nearly a year with our boys - I can say from experience that I understand why. Having two small beings that depend on you for their very survival; to feed them when they're hungry, change them when they're soiled, kiss the boo boos when they fall, and hold them tight when they simply just need you...for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, and for a lifetime, is extremely challenging, difficult, and tiresome. It leaves you in a state of panic, exhaustion, and frustration...which can all be detrimental to a relationship. That's not even taking into consideration the financial and emotional situations that come along with multiples, or the (social) life that you are supposed to carry on outside of your family.
This year has definitely been the height of stress in my life, but it has also been the height of happiness - even those times of Kevin and I wanting to strangle each other are far outnumbered by the good times this year has brought with it. Let's face it, there aren't a lot of mothers and fathers out there who were blessed enough to be given the opportunity to raise two or more kids of the same age together. It takes something special that not everyone has. Obviously, Kevin and I were deemed worthy enough by the powers that be, and we couldn't be more thankful. And I cannot imagine riding this crazy roller coaster that is our life with anyone else.
Happy Anniversary, Kevin!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Coming Out of the Closet
We are slowly trying to get everything ready for the boys' first birthday party - we're having it at our house. At first I figured a lot of people wouldn't show up; we are an almost two hour drive for a lot of my family and it's on a holiday weekend. I guess I figured wrong - almost everyone, to my knowledge so far, plans on coming. So now I have to figure out where to put 30-40 people in my house.
Need your house de-cluttered, deep cleaned, and detailed? Schedule some major event to take place at your place and invite a shit load of people. You'll be panicking weeks in advance and tearing your house apart so that you can put it back together in an eye appealing manner. Problem solved. ;)
Our house is in that state of massive filthiness right now. You know, the kind where you are cleaning out one room and shit ends up piled in another? Oddly enough though, that stage is the madness before the place really starts to shape up. Once all of that crap has found it's rightful new home (whether it be the trashcan, basement, etc.) you instantaneously have a clean and organized home.
Today I decided to tackle our bedroom walk in closet. A lot of my family have never been here before, and that means everyone will want to see what lies behind every.single.door. Our closet is juuust big enough to contain our clothes and then a massive amount of junk that didn't seem to have a proper place. Making it a not-so-walk-in walk in closet. First I pulled out all of the blankets, (our linen closet is insanely small and they don't all fit) and decided they probably need to be washed again since I hadn't really inspected the inner depths of the closet's remaining contents. So, into the laundry pile they went.
After removing that bulkiness, I found: a few old diapers (newborn size!), old magazines, shoes I haven't worn in 5+ years, wires and cords to unknown electronic gadgets, safety pins, a screw, a small desk fan, a lamp, a breast pump and all of it's accessories, a large box of miscellaneous stuff, parts from the boys' pack 'n plays, nursing pillows, a pregnancy pillow, a grilling cook book, all amongst other obscure items.
It's all in one of two places: the trash, or a pile at the stairs waiting to be taken to the basement. The closet looks great now though! Next is tackling the rest of our bedroom and bathroom, which shouldn't take long at all. From there it's all in the details...dusting, vacuuming, cleaning baseboards, power washing the deck, scrubbing toilets, etc. And a little over 3 weeks to go. Not so easy when you have 3 kiddos nipping at your heals the entire time, but I have faith we (okay...I) will get it done in time.
Need your house de-cluttered, deep cleaned, and detailed? Schedule some major event to take place at your place and invite a shit load of people. You'll be panicking weeks in advance and tearing your house apart so that you can put it back together in an eye appealing manner. Problem solved. ;)
Our house is in that state of massive filthiness right now. You know, the kind where you are cleaning out one room and shit ends up piled in another? Oddly enough though, that stage is the madness before the place really starts to shape up. Once all of that crap has found it's rightful new home (whether it be the trashcan, basement, etc.) you instantaneously have a clean and organized home.
Today I decided to tackle our bedroom walk in closet. A lot of my family have never been here before, and that means everyone will want to see what lies behind every.single.door. Our closet is juuust big enough to contain our clothes and then a massive amount of junk that didn't seem to have a proper place. Making it a not-so-walk-in walk in closet. First I pulled out all of the blankets, (our linen closet is insanely small and they don't all fit) and decided they probably need to be washed again since I hadn't really inspected the inner depths of the closet's remaining contents. So, into the laundry pile they went.
After removing that bulkiness, I found: a few old diapers (newborn size!), old magazines, shoes I haven't worn in 5+ years, wires and cords to unknown electronic gadgets, safety pins, a screw, a small desk fan, a lamp, a breast pump and all of it's accessories, a large box of miscellaneous stuff, parts from the boys' pack 'n plays, nursing pillows, a pregnancy pillow, a grilling cook book, all amongst other obscure items.
It's all in one of two places: the trash, or a pile at the stairs waiting to be taken to the basement. The closet looks great now though! Next is tackling the rest of our bedroom and bathroom, which shouldn't take long at all. From there it's all in the details...dusting, vacuuming, cleaning baseboards, power washing the deck, scrubbing toilets, etc. And a little over 3 weeks to go. Not so easy when you have 3 kiddos nipping at your heals the entire time, but I have faith we (okay...I) will get it done in time.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Three things
So, there are three things, okay..three exercises that I HATE. Just three, the rest I simply tolerate; there is no love going on there. Burpees, running, and wall balls. Today's workout involved TWO of them. That must be what hell is like, only there I'm sure the devil would have thrown in all three with a few others that I don't like as much. I'm starting to think my trainer is a sadist - he's pure evil. ;) We started out with ten body weight squats, ten push ups, ten body weight squats, and ten more push ups. We also threw in a set of ten weight assisted pull ups in there. Then we worked on my dead lift some more. I got up to 120 lbs this time! Then the exercise portion with: 21 sumo dead lift high pulls (pull the bar up to your collar bones), 21 wall balls, and 21 burpees. Then the same exercises, but in sets of 15 and then in sets of 9. Afterward, we finished up with a few planks. I was beat; totally exhausted and drenched in sweat. Thank God someone took and/or broke his stop watch a few days ago, otherwise I would have been hearing "x minutes and x seconds! Come on, you gotta hit this hard. Let's see some intensity!" Barf!
Two of our big televisions aren't working, but honestly I find it kind of nice. It's making me get more stuff done around the house and I feel like less of a lazy bum - even though I usually just have it on to make it feel like someone else is home with me. Which is why I guess they both gave out on us - endless hours of being on all of the time.
I'm catching up on laundry (didn't ever think that was going to happen). Yesterday, I think I did a total of 9 loads. And that's with two babies up my ass every waking second of the day. They are having some MAJOR separation anxiety problems. I leave the room to go put something away and it sounds like one (or both) of them got their arm ripped off and then smacked with it.
Brennan's also figured out how to break through our barrier to keep them out of the kitchen. This has totally left me scratching my head and thinking "what next?" *sigh* I guess we'll finally have to put some locks on the cabinets - which we didn't even have to do when Evan was little.
Despite getting so much done these past two days, the house looks totally destroyed again. It's mostly dirty dishes and clean laundry (Kevin's - he can put his own shit away!) The mess combined with no tv and 24-hour tears and screams makes me want to leave the house for the day, but I don't want to mess with their schedules. Plus, like stated above, I'm exhausted. I'm a prisoner to my own home today.
Two of our big televisions aren't working, but honestly I find it kind of nice. It's making me get more stuff done around the house and I feel like less of a lazy bum - even though I usually just have it on to make it feel like someone else is home with me. Which is why I guess they both gave out on us - endless hours of being on all of the time.
I'm catching up on laundry (didn't ever think that was going to happen). Yesterday, I think I did a total of 9 loads. And that's with two babies up my ass every waking second of the day. They are having some MAJOR separation anxiety problems. I leave the room to go put something away and it sounds like one (or both) of them got their arm ripped off and then smacked with it.
Brennan's also figured out how to break through our barrier to keep them out of the kitchen. This has totally left me scratching my head and thinking "what next?" *sigh* I guess we'll finally have to put some locks on the cabinets - which we didn't even have to do when Evan was little.
Despite getting so much done these past two days, the house looks totally destroyed again. It's mostly dirty dishes and clean laundry (Kevin's - he can put his own shit away!) The mess combined with no tv and 24-hour tears and screams makes me want to leave the house for the day, but I don't want to mess with their schedules. Plus, like stated above, I'm exhausted. I'm a prisoner to my own home today.
Monday, June 7, 2010
What a day!
So as if my day wasn't wonderful enough (see last post)...it actually gets a little better, with a small wrench thrown in there. Bad news first: we are in the middle of a hair pulling crisis. Carter has a problem; he loves to pull Brennan's hair...and bounce while he's pulling it. Brennan cries every.single.time, poor little guy. So a lot of my day is spent pulling two babies apart and as soon as I separate them they are right there back together again and going at it.
I'm really at a loss with what to do. You can't discipline him at this age, they aren't even a year old yet. There's no way he knows that what he's doing is wrong. I redirect and redirect but no matter what the behavior still continues. I firmly tell him no and shake my head. So what does he do? He gets a huge smile on his face and shakes his head back at me. The thing is, that when you redirect him and pull his hands away, they literally go right back up to Brennan's head as soon as you let go of his hands. Over and over and over. I'm so tired of it all.
And now the good news: Evan has been doing pretty well at potty training on those rare occurrences that we try with him. He stayed home with me one day last week, so I decided to put him in some big boy underwear. He only had two accidents the whole day. One was a poop, which he has never done successfully on the potty, so no surprise there. And the second time was Dad's fault - he wasn't paying attention and I was in the kitchen fixing dinner.
Tonight after Evan got home from school I put him in some big boy underwear again. Even though he was protesting against them and practically begging for a diaper. So onward with the underwear we went and soon after he was telling us he needed to use the potty. I took him into the bathroom and sat him down. He peed on the potty, so we did a round of high-fives and hugs, washed up, and went into the kitchen to get his "special treat".
A few minutes later he had that look on his face, so Daddy rushed him into the bathroom again. After a little coaxing, he actually pooped on the potty for the first time. We are so proud of him, our little boy is growing up! :)
I'm really at a loss with what to do. You can't discipline him at this age, they aren't even a year old yet. There's no way he knows that what he's doing is wrong. I redirect and redirect but no matter what the behavior still continues. I firmly tell him no and shake my head. So what does he do? He gets a huge smile on his face and shakes his head back at me. The thing is, that when you redirect him and pull his hands away, they literally go right back up to Brennan's head as soon as you let go of his hands. Over and over and over. I'm so tired of it all.
And now the good news: Evan has been doing pretty well at potty training on those rare occurrences that we try with him. He stayed home with me one day last week, so I decided to put him in some big boy underwear. He only had two accidents the whole day. One was a poop, which he has never done successfully on the potty, so no surprise there. And the second time was Dad's fault - he wasn't paying attention and I was in the kitchen fixing dinner.
Tonight after Evan got home from school I put him in some big boy underwear again. Even though he was protesting against them and practically begging for a diaper. So onward with the underwear we went and soon after he was telling us he needed to use the potty. I took him into the bathroom and sat him down. He peed on the potty, so we did a round of high-fives and hugs, washed up, and went into the kitchen to get his "special treat".
A few minutes later he had that look on his face, so Daddy rushed him into the bathroom again. After a little coaxing, he actually pooped on the potty for the first time. We are so proud of him, our little boy is growing up! :)
Haus
As my husband would say, I'm "a Haus"...remember the big dude from the tv show Bananza? Yeah, probably not. Anyway, I've always been good at moving furniture around and the likes. Today at the gym we started with the typical reps of body weight squats, then reps of cleans with a 20 lb ball, etc. Then we headed over into the world of weights. We worked on my dead lift and got the motions pretty perfected. I slowly worked my way up to dead lifting 115 lbs! Holy crap! I'm a Haus! ;) He never tells me how much weight I've got on the bar, I always have to ask. And I usually do so AFTER finishing the set so that I don't psych myself out and get all worked up into a panic of "you can't do this!" From there we went into the workout portion and I did 10 inverted rows (chest HAD to touch the bar every time and my legs HAD to be straight or he wouldn't count it) and then 20 body weight squats, which also had to be perfect to count; in a series of 5 cycles. We finished off the session with 100 25 lb kettle bell swings and a good arm stretch since they were killing me by the end.
I also weighed myself this morning. I'm 7 lbs from goal! Just SEVEN pounds! This is huge, because just a week ago I was really struggling to stay on my game and eat right. I had even gained 1.5 lbs back. And now within a week of tweaking and getting back on the ball I've lost that 1.5 plus another 2.
This morning was wonderful - the babies slept in until 8 o'clock! This let me get my morning together before they woke up. I was able to shave, get into my workout clothes, and eat a good breakfast all while being uninterrupted! It was fan-freaking-tastic! Hooray for a good day!
I also weighed myself this morning. I'm 7 lbs from goal! Just SEVEN pounds! This is huge, because just a week ago I was really struggling to stay on my game and eat right. I had even gained 1.5 lbs back. And now within a week of tweaking and getting back on the ball I've lost that 1.5 plus another 2.
This morning was wonderful - the babies slept in until 8 o'clock! This let me get my morning together before they woke up. I was able to shave, get into my workout clothes, and eat a good breakfast all while being uninterrupted! It was fan-freaking-tastic! Hooray for a good day!
Friday, June 4, 2010
Zoo-rific
PawPaw Gammaw are using vacation days for the rest of this week. Yesterday they went with me and all three boys to the zoo. Somehow all 6 of us and the monstrous stroller squeezed into the van. We left the house about 10:30 and I figured we'd better stop to get Evan something to eat, since he didn't have much for breakfast. I got him a chicken nugget Happy Meal with apples and a milk and decided I'd get myself a cheeseburger Happy Meal. I ate a few fries, and they actually messed up and gave us two...but we used them to keep babies quiet and occupied during the drive. Evan ate his entire meal, and then almost my whole cheeseburger. It was all for the best, since I really shouldn't have even ordered it.
We got the brood unpacked and all the crap on board the stroller and headed into the zoo. First we stopped to see the bears and Evan wasn't super impressed. As we were walking to the penguin exhibit the train went by and he got really excited - he wanted to ride Thomas. He seemed to enjoy watching the penguins swim underwater through the glass and liked that one was showing off for him and trying to splash him with water. Carter liked them as well. Brennan...well, he was a really good boy the whole time, but wasn't into anything besides people watching.
After exiting the penguin exhibit the train went by again and that sealed the deal. Evan had to ride NOW! So we waited in line with our tickets and we just missed fitting on the first train to pull in. Then the second train came and didn't even let anyone on, but just then they brought out another train from the garage - and it was blue. Perfect! Evan really did think it was Thomas! You'd think that as excited as he was that he'd enjoy the ride, right? Not really, he kept his eyes closed or his hands over his eyes the majority of the time.
We made our way around to see the apes, and the snakes and lizards, and then the monkeys. Then we headed over to Big Cat Country. Mom and I were worried about my dad and his diabetes, so we decided to stop and get him and Evan some ice cream. Evan wanted a popsicle and it was H U G E! And of course he got angry when it started melting and we had to take it away.
After that we checked out all the antelope type animals and the giraffes and eventually made our way over to the Children's Zoo. He played around a little inside and was a little hesitant to pet the guinea pigs and bunnies, but he managed to do so for a few seconds. We headed back out to the water fountain play area and tried to get him to play in the water, but he refused. Carter definitely seemed into it though, so we took his clothes off and let him splash around in his diaper. He had a blast.
It was getting late and we were all tired, so we decided to call it a day. All three kiddos were snoozing in their car seats before we even left the parking lot it seemed. It was a great trip and the babies' first time at the zoo. I was so impressed with all of the kids and how well they handled being out in the hot sun for so long.
We got the brood unpacked and all the crap on board the stroller and headed into the zoo. First we stopped to see the bears and Evan wasn't super impressed. As we were walking to the penguin exhibit the train went by and he got really excited - he wanted to ride Thomas. He seemed to enjoy watching the penguins swim underwater through the glass and liked that one was showing off for him and trying to splash him with water. Carter liked them as well. Brennan...well, he was a really good boy the whole time, but wasn't into anything besides people watching.
After exiting the penguin exhibit the train went by again and that sealed the deal. Evan had to ride NOW! So we waited in line with our tickets and we just missed fitting on the first train to pull in. Then the second train came and didn't even let anyone on, but just then they brought out another train from the garage - and it was blue. Perfect! Evan really did think it was Thomas! You'd think that as excited as he was that he'd enjoy the ride, right? Not really, he kept his eyes closed or his hands over his eyes the majority of the time.
We made our way around to see the apes, and the snakes and lizards, and then the monkeys. Then we headed over to Big Cat Country. Mom and I were worried about my dad and his diabetes, so we decided to stop and get him and Evan some ice cream. Evan wanted a popsicle and it was H U G E! And of course he got angry when it started melting and we had to take it away.
After that we checked out all the antelope type animals and the giraffes and eventually made our way over to the Children's Zoo. He played around a little inside and was a little hesitant to pet the guinea pigs and bunnies, but he managed to do so for a few seconds. We headed back out to the water fountain play area and tried to get him to play in the water, but he refused. Carter definitely seemed into it though, so we took his clothes off and let him splash around in his diaper. He had a blast.
It was getting late and we were all tired, so we decided to call it a day. All three kiddos were snoozing in their car seats before we even left the parking lot it seemed. It was a great trip and the babies' first time at the zoo. I was so impressed with all of the kids and how well they handled being out in the hot sun for so long.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Back to the Stone Age
Looks like it's back to the Paleo diet for me. And honestly I'm kind of feeling good about it. Workouts feel a gazillion times harder when I'm eating any other way, even with Weight Watchers. I always feel like I'm going to pass out in the middle of my tabata exercise regimes.
So this week I decided to experiment and eat Paleo for breakfast and for my pre-workout snacks. It worked! Don't get me wrong, I still have a pretty hard time (and if I didn't that means it'd be time to make it harder anyway.) But, I make it through them without going hypoglycemic and without feeling like I'm going to drop to the ground.
Today we started off with 10 body weight squats, then 8 push ups, and then again...10 body weight squats, 8 push ups. From there we did a few dead lift squats with a 20 lb ball for practice and moved up to dead lifting with a bar and weights. I have no idea what weight I ended up with by the end, but it was a lot...maybe around 85-90 lbs would be my guess. From there we moved into the workout portion: a lap around the entire building plaza, and back inside to do 10 dead lifts with a bar and weights (around 65-70 lbs?), and then 15 sit ups - FIVE times and in under 20 minutes. I finished with about 45 seconds to spare, but was seriously wondering if I'd finish within the time constraint.
Later in the day I took all three boys for an afternoon walk. Pushing them around is no joke. Evan's 30 lbs, the babies are each over 20 lbs, and then the weight of the stroller which is nearly 40 lbs. Add to that the fact that Evan likes to "go fast" and frequently yells out for you to (and doesn't stop yelling until you at the very least start to jog), and this mama was extremely tired at the end of the day. I hope I can stick it out with the diet this week, it'll be challenging to say the least. I have to bring in a stupid food journal on Tuesday to my next session too. It sucks, but there's a reason for it, and that reason makes it work so I can't argue. Too bad, the Rib America fest was calling my name. Maybe next year ;)
So this week I decided to experiment and eat Paleo for breakfast and for my pre-workout snacks. It worked! Don't get me wrong, I still have a pretty hard time (and if I didn't that means it'd be time to make it harder anyway.) But, I make it through them without going hypoglycemic and without feeling like I'm going to drop to the ground.
Today we started off with 10 body weight squats, then 8 push ups, and then again...10 body weight squats, 8 push ups. From there we did a few dead lift squats with a 20 lb ball for practice and moved up to dead lifting with a bar and weights. I have no idea what weight I ended up with by the end, but it was a lot...maybe around 85-90 lbs would be my guess. From there we moved into the workout portion: a lap around the entire building plaza, and back inside to do 10 dead lifts with a bar and weights (around 65-70 lbs?), and then 15 sit ups - FIVE times and in under 20 minutes. I finished with about 45 seconds to spare, but was seriously wondering if I'd finish within the time constraint.
Later in the day I took all three boys for an afternoon walk. Pushing them around is no joke. Evan's 30 lbs, the babies are each over 20 lbs, and then the weight of the stroller which is nearly 40 lbs. Add to that the fact that Evan likes to "go fast" and frequently yells out for you to (and doesn't stop yelling until you at the very least start to jog), and this mama was extremely tired at the end of the day. I hope I can stick it out with the diet this week, it'll be challenging to say the least. I have to bring in a stupid food journal on Tuesday to my next session too. It sucks, but there's a reason for it, and that reason makes it work so I can't argue. Too bad, the Rib America fest was calling my name. Maybe next year ;)
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Them Boys Got Skillz
Brennan is a master at the "How big is Brennan? SOOO BIG!!" game and Carter has perfected the patty cakin' part of Patty Cake - and he l-0-v-e loves my family's version where we "toss 'em in the pan" while letting them fall backwards.
Evan put on an impromptu concert for us tonight. He sang the entire ABC's...twice. Then he sang a moving rendition of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and ended with a rousing version of Itsy Bitsy Spider. Each song ended with him clapping for himself, so cute.
Yesterday night before it got dark Evan decided he wanted to go outside and play. I really didn't care that he wasn't wearing pants, just a shirt, diaper, and his sandals. However, a problem arose when he decided Daddy should be the one to go outside and play with him. Yeah, Daddy had already begun the winding down portion of his evening and he also was a member of the no pants club.
The following conversation took place:
Evan: Dad, I want to run outside!
Dad: I can't go with you, I don't have any pants on...
Evan (in a matter-of-fact tone): Well neither do I!
I looked at Kevin and immediately started to crack up. This kid is really starting to say some hilarious things. Just this morning he told me that he wanted a popsicle. I told him we'd have to eat our lunch first and then we might think about it. He then informed me that he wanted one of the cupcakes that were sitting on the counter. I again reminded him that we'd need to eat a good lunch before we have any sweets.
He comes back at me with this: "But Mommy, we eat the popsicle and cupcake now and then we can have a good lunch tomorrow!" He had that "sweet as pie, aren't I a genius for thinking of this great idea" look on his face. Clearly very impressed with his own brainstorming abilities. Where does he get this stuff?
Evan put on an impromptu concert for us tonight. He sang the entire ABC's...twice. Then he sang a moving rendition of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and ended with a rousing version of Itsy Bitsy Spider. Each song ended with him clapping for himself, so cute.
Yesterday night before it got dark Evan decided he wanted to go outside and play. I really didn't care that he wasn't wearing pants, just a shirt, diaper, and his sandals. However, a problem arose when he decided Daddy should be the one to go outside and play with him. Yeah, Daddy had already begun the winding down portion of his evening and he also was a member of the no pants club.
The following conversation took place:
Evan: Dad, I want to run outside!
Dad: I can't go with you, I don't have any pants on...
Evan (in a matter-of-fact tone): Well neither do I!
I looked at Kevin and immediately started to crack up. This kid is really starting to say some hilarious things. Just this morning he told me that he wanted a popsicle. I told him we'd have to eat our lunch first and then we might think about it. He then informed me that he wanted one of the cupcakes that were sitting on the counter. I again reminded him that we'd need to eat a good lunch before we have any sweets.
He comes back at me with this: "But Mommy, we eat the popsicle and cupcake now and then we can have a good lunch tomorrow!" He had that "sweet as pie, aren't I a genius for thinking of this great idea" look on his face. Clearly very impressed with his own brainstorming abilities. Where does he get this stuff?
For Justice
Today Justice's family said their last goodbyes as they laid him to rest. The girls from the Moms of Multiples board decided to pay our tribute by wearing blue and blowing bubbles up to heaven. We blew our bubbles at the same time his service started and so did many others. It helped us all to feel a part of this day and to be there for our friend, Tiffany and her family.
Wearing our blue
Evan playing with JW
Bubbles floating to heaven
Wearing our blue
Evan playing with JW
Bubbles floating to heaven
Monday, May 24, 2010
Swimming
The boys went "swimming" in Pawpaw Gammaw's pool - okay, so it's a hot tub. It's getting quite cramped with the three of them in there now, but Evan did good with sharing the space. And he's still using the floatie! The babies really loved it and Brennan actually got in this time and stayed in for quite a while.
I was going to add a video, but since I've never done that on blogger before, I'm having a difficult time saving it to my computer to upload. It was taken on my cell phone. Hmmm...
I was going to add a video, but since I've never done that on blogger before, I'm having a difficult time saving it to my computer to upload. It was taken on my cell phone. Hmmm...
Friday, May 21, 2010
A Small Answered Prayer
Last night after one of my many break downs I decided to look for an inspirational quote that would bring me peace and solace. I came across this quote that really spoke to me in that moment and I immediately felt a calmness wash over me:
When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight. ~Kahlil Gibran
I thought that maybe there was a slight chance that Tiffany, Justice's mommy, might see it and that it might bring her to a special place as well, if even for a moment, so I posted it to my facebook status. I checked her blog this morning and lo and behold the first entry since the post detailing his unfortunate departure was this very same quote.
Perhaps she found it on her own, perhaps she saw my facebook page, but it brings me a level of comfort knowing we found something special within the same exact words in such a dark time.
When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight. ~Kahlil Gibran
I thought that maybe there was a slight chance that Tiffany, Justice's mommy, might see it and that it might bring her to a special place as well, if even for a moment, so I posted it to my facebook status. I checked her blog this morning and lo and behold the first entry since the post detailing his unfortunate departure was this very same quote.
Perhaps she found it on her own, perhaps she saw my facebook page, but it brings me a level of comfort knowing we found something special within the same exact words in such a dark time.
A Heavy Heart
Yesterday a dear friend of mine lost her sweet 20 month old boy, Justice. He was born at just 27 weeks and had some lung issues since his birth. A few days ago he developed cold like symptoms and was eventually admitted to the hospital. Once there he was placed into a coma and placed on a ventilator. Sweet JW had kind of been there done that when it came to the whole hospital scene, and pulled through each time, but this last one was just far too challenging for him.
His mother, Tiffany, seemed in good spirits earlier in the day, all things considered. Not one of us from the online forum we all belong too knew that things had begun to take a turn for the worse. After word got to us all that he had passed we sat with tears streaming down our faces, blankly starring at our computer screens - it all happened so quickly and unexpectedly. The doctors had told her there was nothing more they could do for him and that she should simply hold him.
This is the part I struggle with the most. Can you imagine living through and surviving those words? On one side I'd be thankful to surround my baby in my arms and love for his last moments on this earth, but on the other side I would know that this was it. The beginning of the end. All I can think of is that you would just have to be present in the moment, tell him how much you love him and will always love him and be there for him, while the world crashed down around you.
Sadly, none of her family was there with her in his final moments. She sat completely alone after he passed. It just breaks my heart in every way possible, and I send her all of my love, hugs, support, and sympathy.
The message board we belong to means a great deal to everyone who is a member. We have such a great loving support network that is pretty impenetrable. You mess with one of our MoMs and you are sure to pay the price. On the flip side, when one of us grieves, we all grieve and pull together for one another.
Literally within hours of the tragic news a fund had been set up. Within minutes that fund had over $500 in it. I have never been so saddened and proud to call myself a friend to this wonderful group of ladies.
Thank you MoMfia girls, I don't know where I'd be without each and every one of you! Sweet little Justice, may your wings carry and protect us all.
His mother, Tiffany, seemed in good spirits earlier in the day, all things considered. Not one of us from the online forum we all belong too knew that things had begun to take a turn for the worse. After word got to us all that he had passed we sat with tears streaming down our faces, blankly starring at our computer screens - it all happened so quickly and unexpectedly. The doctors had told her there was nothing more they could do for him and that she should simply hold him.
This is the part I struggle with the most. Can you imagine living through and surviving those words? On one side I'd be thankful to surround my baby in my arms and love for his last moments on this earth, but on the other side I would know that this was it. The beginning of the end. All I can think of is that you would just have to be present in the moment, tell him how much you love him and will always love him and be there for him, while the world crashed down around you.
Sadly, none of her family was there with her in his final moments. She sat completely alone after he passed. It just breaks my heart in every way possible, and I send her all of my love, hugs, support, and sympathy.
The message board we belong to means a great deal to everyone who is a member. We have such a great loving support network that is pretty impenetrable. You mess with one of our MoMs and you are sure to pay the price. On the flip side, when one of us grieves, we all grieve and pull together for one another.
Literally within hours of the tragic news a fund had been set up. Within minutes that fund had over $500 in it. I have never been so saddened and proud to call myself a friend to this wonderful group of ladies.
Thank you MoMfia girls, I don't know where I'd be without each and every one of you! Sweet little Justice, may your wings carry and protect us all.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
I Forgot To Mention
we sent the boys' DNA off to have evaluated by a lab so that we would know for sure if the boys were identical or not. Several medical professionals had told us it would be beneficial to know, so we bit the bullet and paid for it out of pocket.
We got the results last Friday: monozygotic; commonly referred to as identical :)
We got the results last Friday: monozygotic; commonly referred to as identical :)
Surgery
The boys went in yesterday to get their tubes. We woke up at five in the morning, which is completely unheard of for both me and Kevin. To say we were tired was an understatement.
Evan had his school's spring concert the night before. Pawpaw Gammaw were there and so was Nonna. I'm not sure if it was the age he's at right now or the pants we put him in (he didn't like them), but when the curtains opened up and the music started playing all Evan could do was stand there and cry...through both songs. I didn't even bother with taking pictures, besides all I had with me was my cell phone. There's another story there, but for another day.
After the concert Evan went home with Nonna so we wouldn't have to wake him up and drop him off so early. He stayed that night and also last night and did really well at drop off this morning. From what I hear - no tears, absolutely unheard of for him.
Anyway, check-in at the surgery center was at 6:30 a.m. we got there and all got our bracelets on. I was assigned to Brennan and Kevin's designated baby for the day was Carter. We found out there was one patient ahead of us, but they were running on time.
Brennan was up first at 8 o'clock. It seemed like just as soon as the nurses whisked him away that the doctor was coming back into our room telling us he was out of surgery and in his recovery room. Everything was perfect with his surgery; they did find some fluid behind both eardrums, and once he came-to and gave the nurses a few rounds of good vital signs he was brought back and placed into mama's arms.
We were told all of these stories, okay nightmares, about what happens to kids when they come out of anesthesia. Most kids will scream and cry and thrash about, confused and angry about what had just taken place. Brennan didn't do any of this. He was brought back with a bottle of juice (his first time having it) and was happily sucking away, even cracking smiles behind it. No crying, no whining, and no wiggling about. He was absolutely wonderful; you wouldn't have even guessed he had just been in surgery.
A few minutes went by while they cleaned and prepped the operating room for Carter. They soon came back and got him, and daddy and I were focusing all of our energy on keeping Brennan occupied. It felt like it was taking a little longer for a doctor or nurse to come tell us he was out and doing okay, so immediately my mind started to suspect something was up. I kept myself calm and a few minutes later the doctor walked into our room. Surgery was successful, but they did run into a slight hiccup.
It appeared that Carter was just starting to get over an ear infection, which we didn't even know about, and that his right ear had some fluid in it and the doctor had a little trouble getting the incision in the eardrum, as it had a "gritty" texture to it, which caused it to bleed a little. Regardless, everything went fine and the surgery was a success. When they brought him back to our room he already had fluid draining from his ear. Poor thing.
Carter's recovery was a different experience than his brother's, but it wasn't terrible. And nothing like what I had chalked it up to being like in my head. He was a little fussy and would occasionally break out into mild hysterics, but he did so well overall. Having the bottle of juice really helped get his mind sidetracked.
We were discharged just three hours after checking in at 9:30 a.m. The boys instantly fell asleep and remained that way as we approached our house. I convinced Kevin to drive around so we drove, and drove, and drove because we knew once we stopped there would be no getting them back to sleep; it was best to just keep going.
After getting home and waking up, it seemed like any other day with the boys. Crazy busy and with it's ups and downs, but definitely nothing but normal - they were completely back to themselves making for one happy mama :)
Evan had his school's spring concert the night before. Pawpaw Gammaw were there and so was Nonna. I'm not sure if it was the age he's at right now or the pants we put him in (he didn't like them), but when the curtains opened up and the music started playing all Evan could do was stand there and cry...through both songs. I didn't even bother with taking pictures, besides all I had with me was my cell phone. There's another story there, but for another day.
After the concert Evan went home with Nonna so we wouldn't have to wake him up and drop him off so early. He stayed that night and also last night and did really well at drop off this morning. From what I hear - no tears, absolutely unheard of for him.
Anyway, check-in at the surgery center was at 6:30 a.m. we got there and all got our bracelets on. I was assigned to Brennan and Kevin's designated baby for the day was Carter. We found out there was one patient ahead of us, but they were running on time.
Brennan was up first at 8 o'clock. It seemed like just as soon as the nurses whisked him away that the doctor was coming back into our room telling us he was out of surgery and in his recovery room. Everything was perfect with his surgery; they did find some fluid behind both eardrums, and once he came-to and gave the nurses a few rounds of good vital signs he was brought back and placed into mama's arms.
We were told all of these stories, okay nightmares, about what happens to kids when they come out of anesthesia. Most kids will scream and cry and thrash about, confused and angry about what had just taken place. Brennan didn't do any of this. He was brought back with a bottle of juice (his first time having it) and was happily sucking away, even cracking smiles behind it. No crying, no whining, and no wiggling about. He was absolutely wonderful; you wouldn't have even guessed he had just been in surgery.
A few minutes went by while they cleaned and prepped the operating room for Carter. They soon came back and got him, and daddy and I were focusing all of our energy on keeping Brennan occupied. It felt like it was taking a little longer for a doctor or nurse to come tell us he was out and doing okay, so immediately my mind started to suspect something was up. I kept myself calm and a few minutes later the doctor walked into our room. Surgery was successful, but they did run into a slight hiccup.
It appeared that Carter was just starting to get over an ear infection, which we didn't even know about, and that his right ear had some fluid in it and the doctor had a little trouble getting the incision in the eardrum, as it had a "gritty" texture to it, which caused it to bleed a little. Regardless, everything went fine and the surgery was a success. When they brought him back to our room he already had fluid draining from his ear. Poor thing.
Carter's recovery was a different experience than his brother's, but it wasn't terrible. And nothing like what I had chalked it up to being like in my head. He was a little fussy and would occasionally break out into mild hysterics, but he did so well overall. Having the bottle of juice really helped get his mind sidetracked.
We were discharged just three hours after checking in at 9:30 a.m. The boys instantly fell asleep and remained that way as we approached our house. I convinced Kevin to drive around so we drove, and drove, and drove because we knew once we stopped there would be no getting them back to sleep; it was best to just keep going.
After getting home and waking up, it seemed like any other day with the boys. Crazy busy and with it's ups and downs, but definitely nothing but normal - they were completely back to themselves making for one happy mama :)
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
New Toys
I noticed the boys were showing more willingness to make attempts at walking unassisted, so I went downstairs to get some of Evan's old walking toys. While I was digging through the corner that contained the numerous rubbermaid containers of toys and baby stuff I came across Evan's old tents and tunnels. I grabbed them up and dusted them off; I suspected all three of the boys would be excited to see them. They were! Evan jumped right into them and Brennan and Carter followed immediately after.
In my eyes these things are worth a million dollars, easily. It is the one place that all three can touch, interact, and play without Evan screaming bloody murder. They all get along great, provided they are all physically in the tents and tunnels. If one little toe is on the outside, they are no longer on protected ground and the treaty has been broken - it's an all out war, usually consisting of Evan wailing that one of the babies is "hurting" him as he pushes on their head or chest and knocks them over.
I didn't get any pictures of Evan, he was happily playing with other baby toys at the moment...
Brennan, he has the most wonderful smile and dimples, even behind that paci:
Carter, he's been my cuddle bug lately (probably due to teething):
Brothers and best friends. Carter on the left, Brennan on the right:
In my eyes these things are worth a million dollars, easily. It is the one place that all three can touch, interact, and play without Evan screaming bloody murder. They all get along great, provided they are all physically in the tents and tunnels. If one little toe is on the outside, they are no longer on protected ground and the treaty has been broken - it's an all out war, usually consisting of Evan wailing that one of the babies is "hurting" him as he pushes on their head or chest and knocks them over.
I didn't get any pictures of Evan, he was happily playing with other baby toys at the moment...
Brennan, he has the most wonderful smile and dimples, even behind that paci:
Carter, he's been my cuddle bug lately (probably due to teething):
Brothers and best friends. Carter on the left, Brennan on the right:
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Mother's Day
Yeah, so today is supposed to be Mother's Day...and it turned out fan-freakin-tastic. Yesterday we got everyone up at 6 a.m. so that we could all be ready and out of the door by 6:50 and in the QT parking lot to meet my parents, brother, and grandma. We were heading out to Kansas City for my brother's graduation. Did I mention we have a doctor in the family now? No? Well, guess what? We have a doctor in the family now ;) He's not a physician or anything, but he is a Doctor of Pharmacology and he already has a job waiting for him making WELL over 100k per year working in the Pharmacy at a Kansas City area Wal-Mart. I'm sure it will be nice to be single and making that kind of dough. Do you think there's any chance that we can become his new favorite charity?
Anyway, back to the story. All three boys did great on the trip out there, through the graduation ceremony, and even at the fancy restaurant we went to have dinner and celebrate at. I had some of the best wine I've ever had and literally was feeling tipsy after just one glass...my mother was loaded off of her butt because she pretty much had half of the bottle, possibly more.
That evening we took the boys swimming in the hotel pool. It was very nicely laid out. They had a hot tub, which we did not get to enjoy, a separate kids pool that was maybe 3 ft deep and then another separate pool for the big "kids". The kiddie pool was a tad cold, but Evan got in and went right into having a good time. He actually used the pool floatie I bought him, which I could not believe considering last year he wouldn't let you get within five feet of him with one of those things. Best dollar I ever spent - he had so much fun. I also bought the boys some basic baby floaties to sit in. Carter got in first and we were expecting a reaction but got none. We thought for sure he'd have a problem with the water temperature, but sure enough, he was fine with it. He stayed in almost as long as Evan, who we had to drag out of the pool when his lips changed color to a lovely shade of blue.
Brennan? Not a fan. Upon dipping his big toe in, he immediately went into hysterics. We tried to put his whole body in and let him warm up to the idea, but he wanted no part of it. Out he came and we tried at least once or twice more to get him into the pool for some fun.
It was at this point the jinx was laid on us. Mom, Dad, and Grandma all reached a consensus that the boys should be great sleepers that night. Brennan and Carter, always out to prove you wrong, apparently caught wind of the news and in true twin fashion devised an evil plan in their secret twin language. They went down in their pack 'n plays fine. There were a few times I woke up to place a paci in a mouth or two, but they were doing pretty good all things considered.
I remember waking up at 2:30 a.m. to one of them screaming yet again. Operation: Sleepless in Kansas City was officially in progress. That screaming must have been in secret twinspeak and the official call to action. With one single cry the other half woke up and starting mimicking his brother. Kevin and I both grabbed a baby and tried our best to soothe them. Our efforts were fruitless and we gave in bringing them into bed with us.
I feel it is important to note that our bed was a standard sized double bed. Not a queen. Not a king. A standard sized double bed. Yes, you did the math correctly - that's FOUR human beings in one small amount of square footage all trying to steak claim to a comfortable enough space to catch some sleep.
We ended up getting up and down several more times that night equalling one tired mom and one tired dad...and one tired Uncle Nate who was (alone) in the other double bed in our room. I vaguely remembering trying to be funny at 4 a.m. and halfheartedly "threatening" to throw them over the balcony.
At 5:30 Kevin had had enough of a bad situation. He was somehow able to convince his baby (Carter) to throw in the towel and fall asleep. My baby (Brennan) had no intention of waving the white flag of surrender. While I was in the throws of a baby thrashing about and screaming at the top of his lungs while in my arms in bed, Kevin told me to leave and take the baby to the living room portion of our suite. He informed me that I could sleep on the couch while the baby roamed around and played. Yeah, because that's safe! It had a separate door and everything, thank God, but was most definitely not baby proofed. I was obviously up for the day at that point. I figure I probably got around 4 hours of broken sleep that night.
I guess it was about that time that I realized today was Mother's Day and it was off to a pretty shitty start. It didn't get any better...Evan almost got lost in the hallway after he followed me out of Mom and Dad's room without my knowledge. I went into our room and shut the door behind me, meanwhile my 2 year old was wandering around nearly in tears wondering where the hell his mommy went.
Carter cried for an hour in the car on the drive home before finally falling asleep. After we got back into town we went straight to the In-Law's to give Nonna her holiday time. We were exhausted, but me even more so since Kevin at least got a little extra sleep. I didn't even get a card today. Oh well. I know my boys love me and that I do the best I can with them and that's all any of us can ask for.
It was just another typical day for me, nothing special and just a small step away from being a slightly controlled, extremely chaotic, borderline disaster. Seems about right.
Anyway, back to the story. All three boys did great on the trip out there, through the graduation ceremony, and even at the fancy restaurant we went to have dinner and celebrate at. I had some of the best wine I've ever had and literally was feeling tipsy after just one glass...my mother was loaded off of her butt because she pretty much had half of the bottle, possibly more.
That evening we took the boys swimming in the hotel pool. It was very nicely laid out. They had a hot tub, which we did not get to enjoy, a separate kids pool that was maybe 3 ft deep and then another separate pool for the big "kids". The kiddie pool was a tad cold, but Evan got in and went right into having a good time. He actually used the pool floatie I bought him, which I could not believe considering last year he wouldn't let you get within five feet of him with one of those things. Best dollar I ever spent - he had so much fun. I also bought the boys some basic baby floaties to sit in. Carter got in first and we were expecting a reaction but got none. We thought for sure he'd have a problem with the water temperature, but sure enough, he was fine with it. He stayed in almost as long as Evan, who we had to drag out of the pool when his lips changed color to a lovely shade of blue.
Brennan? Not a fan. Upon dipping his big toe in, he immediately went into hysterics. We tried to put his whole body in and let him warm up to the idea, but he wanted no part of it. Out he came and we tried at least once or twice more to get him into the pool for some fun.
It was at this point the jinx was laid on us. Mom, Dad, and Grandma all reached a consensus that the boys should be great sleepers that night. Brennan and Carter, always out to prove you wrong, apparently caught wind of the news and in true twin fashion devised an evil plan in their secret twin language. They went down in their pack 'n plays fine. There were a few times I woke up to place a paci in a mouth or two, but they were doing pretty good all things considered.
I remember waking up at 2:30 a.m. to one of them screaming yet again. Operation: Sleepless in Kansas City was officially in progress. That screaming must have been in secret twinspeak and the official call to action. With one single cry the other half woke up and starting mimicking his brother. Kevin and I both grabbed a baby and tried our best to soothe them. Our efforts were fruitless and we gave in bringing them into bed with us.
I feel it is important to note that our bed was a standard sized double bed. Not a queen. Not a king. A standard sized double bed. Yes, you did the math correctly - that's FOUR human beings in one small amount of square footage all trying to steak claim to a comfortable enough space to catch some sleep.
We ended up getting up and down several more times that night equalling one tired mom and one tired dad...and one tired Uncle Nate who was (alone) in the other double bed in our room. I vaguely remembering trying to be funny at 4 a.m. and halfheartedly "threatening" to throw them over the balcony.
At 5:30 Kevin had had enough of a bad situation. He was somehow able to convince his baby (Carter) to throw in the towel and fall asleep. My baby (Brennan) had no intention of waving the white flag of surrender. While I was in the throws of a baby thrashing about and screaming at the top of his lungs while in my arms in bed, Kevin told me to leave and take the baby to the living room portion of our suite. He informed me that I could sleep on the couch while the baby roamed around and played. Yeah, because that's safe! It had a separate door and everything, thank God, but was most definitely not baby proofed. I was obviously up for the day at that point. I figure I probably got around 4 hours of broken sleep that night.
I guess it was about that time that I realized today was Mother's Day and it was off to a pretty shitty start. It didn't get any better...Evan almost got lost in the hallway after he followed me out of Mom and Dad's room without my knowledge. I went into our room and shut the door behind me, meanwhile my 2 year old was wandering around nearly in tears wondering where the hell his mommy went.
Carter cried for an hour in the car on the drive home before finally falling asleep. After we got back into town we went straight to the In-Law's to give Nonna her holiday time. We were exhausted, but me even more so since Kevin at least got a little extra sleep. I didn't even get a card today. Oh well. I know my boys love me and that I do the best I can with them and that's all any of us can ask for.
It was just another typical day for me, nothing special and just a small step away from being a slightly controlled, extremely chaotic, borderline disaster. Seems about right.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Round 2
The sickness has now passed it's way around and made it to Evan. We got up this morning and as I was making bottles for the babies Kevin appeared in the kitchen with Evan curled up in a ball in his arms. I was instructed to "feel his head" and sure enough - hot. I finished making the bottles and took them to the boys while Kev took Evan's temperature: 101.3. I gave him a dose of children's Motrin and set him up on the couch with his green blankie (the one he chews on), his Thomas blankie, his "brown clues" pillow (it has brown paw prints on it that he thinks are Blue's clues), a cup of juice and a bag of fruit loops.
Throughout the morning chaos, I'd frequently feel his forehead to spot check his temperature and it always felt a little warm, but not crazy hot. Eventually it was time to put the boys down for their morning nap and these past few days have had me incredibly exhausted, so of course I was really jonesing for a nap. I packed up Evan's camp and brought it into the bedroom. I set him up with an episode of Team UmiZoomi while I dozed off for a few minutes. I was actually able to squeeze in almost half an hour - not quite as long and refreshing as I really was in need for, but I'll take every spare minute I can get.
The babies woke up and were ready for lunch. Evan wanted to stay and watch some more Nick Jr, so I left him in our bedroom. After I got the boys all set up with their highchairs and food I went to check on Evan and ask if he was hungry. I cracked open the door to find my bug passed out sprawled clear across the middle of the mattress. I figured I'd let him be since he probably wasn't hungry anyway.
About an hour later I hear a very pathetic, "mommmmmy, moooommmmmy...." coming down the hall. I was in the kitchen when he found me and he practically fell to the floor of exhaustion. I picked him up and he was a little ball of fire. I rushed him over to the thermometer and boom - just like that he had gone from barely a fever at all to 103.4 in about an hour. It had only been 5 hours since his last dose of Motrin, but we didn't have any Tylenol in the house so I decided to give him another dose an hour early. It brought things back down to a somewhat decent level and he started acting kind of normal again.
He seems pretty fine as long as he's doped up. But, man, can you tell the second the meds start to wear off - poor guy completely crashes. I hope tomorrow is better for my little man, he's had it pretty rough today.
Throughout the morning chaos, I'd frequently feel his forehead to spot check his temperature and it always felt a little warm, but not crazy hot. Eventually it was time to put the boys down for their morning nap and these past few days have had me incredibly exhausted, so of course I was really jonesing for a nap. I packed up Evan's camp and brought it into the bedroom. I set him up with an episode of Team UmiZoomi while I dozed off for a few minutes. I was actually able to squeeze in almost half an hour - not quite as long and refreshing as I really was in need for, but I'll take every spare minute I can get.
The babies woke up and were ready for lunch. Evan wanted to stay and watch some more Nick Jr, so I left him in our bedroom. After I got the boys all set up with their highchairs and food I went to check on Evan and ask if he was hungry. I cracked open the door to find my bug passed out sprawled clear across the middle of the mattress. I figured I'd let him be since he probably wasn't hungry anyway.
About an hour later I hear a very pathetic, "mommmmmy, moooommmmmy...." coming down the hall. I was in the kitchen when he found me and he practically fell to the floor of exhaustion. I picked him up and he was a little ball of fire. I rushed him over to the thermometer and boom - just like that he had gone from barely a fever at all to 103.4 in about an hour. It had only been 5 hours since his last dose of Motrin, but we didn't have any Tylenol in the house so I decided to give him another dose an hour early. It brought things back down to a somewhat decent level and he started acting kind of normal again.
He seems pretty fine as long as he's doped up. But, man, can you tell the second the meds start to wear off - poor guy completely crashes. I hope tomorrow is better for my little man, he's had it pretty rough today.
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