Thursday, May 24, 2012
At the Risk of Sounding Like Someone I Know
The day after my last post I made, my tonsil pain started flaring up again. It's looking more like this can be blamed on the gluten as well. Google search results (because they are just reliable as a visit to the doctor, right? Right? ;) )with the words "tonsil" and "gluten" are numerous. The tonsil inflammation and pain lasted a few days, but yesterday I noticed it had completely subsided. Thank you, sweet baby Jesus. I had been battling it off and on for nearly two months. Hopefully it stays far away.
Before when I went paleo I would give myself one cheat meal a week, and it always contained gluten. Always. I did it so I "wouldn't feel deprived". When I had those meals the only real side effects I felt were bloating and brain fog. But it was always in my system, I suppose, since it can take up to two weeks for your body to get rid of it.
I've had a recent love affair with a jar of chocolate almond spread from Trader Joe's. Thankfully we finished the jar off yesterday. I won't be buying that again any time soon. It was delicious, oh so delicious, but I don't want to be planning my days around when my next spoonful will come. And the sugar content was a wee bit over the top.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Personal Diary
I think I'm going to start using this space as a personal diary. Today I've wondered for the first time if I really do have a medical gluten intolerance, or even Celiacs Disease. Maybe, maybe not. Maybe I will peruse testing in the future, for now I will just self experiment.
I've been gluten free before, back when I was training in the gym and following a paleo diet. I never in my life felt physically and emotionally better than that period of time. But life with a family got in the way and I fell back into the gluten-filled habits that I had grown up with.
Recently, I've re-introduced myself to paleo and training. This time the kids came on the paleo ride with me(it has had amazing effects and benefits for Evan, but that's another post for another day). A few days ago, I ran to the store to grab a rotisserie chicken so I could pack some in Evan's lunch the next day. It was late enough at night that the deli had been shut down, so I hit up the pre-cooked, pre-packaged area of the meat aisle...and dum dum dum...I didn't do my job and read through the ingredients list before throwing some sliced, cooked chicken and steak in the cart. Today I opened up the steak for a quick lunch, while heating the meat I flipped the bag over and started reading, and found that it contained yeast, a.k.a. gluten, a.k.a. that evil bastard known to cause inflammation and a plethora of other things.
Not wanting to toss a five dollar bill in the trash, I willingly chose to eat it anyway. About thirty to sixty minutes later, I started to feel a somewhat familiar pain that starts in my knees and radiated out through my calves. These symptoms typically show up along with a bizarre, tingling, painful, pins and needle type of numbness in my feet, hands, and elbows. I always assumed that when I felt like this in the past that I was becoming dehydrated. Today, I know that is not the case, as I've consumed nearly 3/4 of a gallon of water. For the first time, I can actually document that I consumed gluten and developed these symptoms shortly after. I will for sure be keeping this in mind for future occurrences. Perhaps it is gluten related, perhaps not. I'm hopeful that time will give me more clues, but for now I'm going to take some ibuprofen to ease my obvious inflammation.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
It's Done
We've already had two full days with all three boys here at home during the day with me. It isn't as bad as I was working it up to be in my head. Granted, they are probably watching more tv than they should be. Actually, there's no "probably" about it, they ARE watching too much tv. Hopefully I'll get better at trying to keep them occupied without turning to Bubble Guppies and Yo Gabba Gabba for entertainment. I need to also work on our lunch options. I doubt they'd enjoy the constant rotation of mini corn dogs, fish sticks, and chicken nuggets - I want better for them, that stuff is all junk.
Evan's last day went pretty well on a personal level. I didn't cry as much as I did on the twins' last day. I guess it prepped me pretty well. I got a huge knot in my stomach as we turned onto the road where there school is. Something about knowing it was the last time we'd make this trip. We took all three boys in and got in a few more goodbye's with Brennan and Carter's teachers.
Since it was Ev's last day we decided to have him celebrate with his class by ordering pizza for lunch. I think they enjoyed it. Miss Sarah was so sad to see Evan go and was crying in front of all the kids, which made them worried. She waited until we left to read the card I wrote out for her. Want to guess how I know that?
We took pictures of all the boys with each of their teachers and amongst the hustle and bustle of making sure we had everything of Evan's cleaned out we forgot to snap one with Miss Sarah. Fortunately I realized this when we were walking out to the parking lot so Ev and I headed back in. Miss Sarah was pretty upset and was telling me about how she just had just finished reading her card. She really liked it and we captured our last picture of the two of them.
I don't think Evan fully understands that he'll never be going back or visiting with his girlfriend Rhiannon again. He's already said he wanted to go back once. I expect this to pick up in frequency in a little bit and then die down as he starts to forget about them.
We're doing well here at home though, despite the near constant fighting. But that's certainly nothing new. On a positive note, the ladies at the gym daycare were excited to see them. Miss Mariyln (who is probably 70 or 80 years old) even remembered their names, and they haven't been there since early last July!
Brennan and Miss Jenn
Brennan and Miss Michelle
Carter and Miss Jenn
Carter and Miss Michelle
Evan and Miss Kelly
Evan and Miss Sarah
Evan's last day went pretty well on a personal level. I didn't cry as much as I did on the twins' last day. I guess it prepped me pretty well. I got a huge knot in my stomach as we turned onto the road where there school is. Something about knowing it was the last time we'd make this trip. We took all three boys in and got in a few more goodbye's with Brennan and Carter's teachers.
Since it was Ev's last day we decided to have him celebrate with his class by ordering pizza for lunch. I think they enjoyed it. Miss Sarah was so sad to see Evan go and was crying in front of all the kids, which made them worried. She waited until we left to read the card I wrote out for her. Want to guess how I know that?
We took pictures of all the boys with each of their teachers and amongst the hustle and bustle of making sure we had everything of Evan's cleaned out we forgot to snap one with Miss Sarah. Fortunately I realized this when we were walking out to the parking lot so Ev and I headed back in. Miss Sarah was pretty upset and was telling me about how she just had just finished reading her card. She really liked it and we captured our last picture of the two of them.
I don't think Evan fully understands that he'll never be going back or visiting with his girlfriend Rhiannon again. He's already said he wanted to go back once. I expect this to pick up in frequency in a little bit and then die down as he starts to forget about them.
We're doing well here at home though, despite the near constant fighting. But that's certainly nothing new. On a positive note, the ladies at the gym daycare were excited to see them. Miss Mariyln (who is probably 70 or 80 years old) even remembered their names, and they haven't been there since early last July!
Brennan and Miss Jenn
Brennan and Miss Michelle
Carter and Miss Jenn
Carter and Miss Michelle
Evan and Miss Kelly
Evan and Miss Sarah
Monday, February 28, 2011
Two Down, One To Go
So somewhere within this last month we made a huge mistake. We told all of the boys' teachers that Tuesday would be their last day. Tuesday, what we were thinking was the end of the month. Not so much. I finally pieced it all together on Saturday when I saw an International House of Pancakes commercial for National Pancake Day, which happened to be on TUESDAY, March 1st. I'm the kind of crazy that just for a split second wondered if it were possible that a date error got past an entire large corporation, marketing company, and editors. And then reality sunk in. And then the panic. I seriously stressed out over this for the remainder of the weekend due to the fact that having my babies attend their last day of school was making me an emotional basket case.
So this morning, before we took the boys to their classrooms, we stopped at the front desk to see if by any small chance they had the room and kind hearts to let us have Tuesday as our real, official last day. They quickly noted that that was fine. Going into this, I knew that there are state laws that require a 4:1 student to teacher ratio. And also, knowing what a fantastic school the boys were in, that there is a massive waiting list. Naturally, I was worried that the replacement kids were starting their enrollment on the 1st. And rightfully so. Except that Kevin and I are complete morons.
All was right with the world, things were working out in our favor. We dropped off the boys, I headed home to get some things together and have some breakfast and then went to Target for some nice thank you cards for the teachers. I was finishing my purchases and on the phone with Kevin when school called. Brennan had thrown up. Not once but twice. He didn't have a fever and was feeling and acting completely normal, but because their policy is that if a kid throws up more than once they need to be sent home, they asked me to come and pick him up.
I get to school, pick him up, make Carter angry because I didn't take him with me and proceed to have a discussion with Miss Michelle about what kind of cupcakes and how many to buy for the twins' going away party tomorrow. We leave, we go to the grocery store. I was just finishing up with finding my items and heading to the front of the store to be checked out when I get a call from Kevin. He had just got off the phone with Mr. Kyle who regretfully informed him that indeed the ratios would be off tomorrow and that the twins last day was again officially today. Evan was somehow spared and is able to return to school tomorrow for a proper send off.
Instant sadness, seriously. I almost cried right there in the middle of Dierberg's. It isn't the end of the world, but I wasn't prepared for an "ending" like this and it caught me completely off guard emotionally. I went back to the bakery section and put the cupcakes back onto the shelf and was near losing it the entire time. We went back home and I put Brennan down for a nap.
Later that afternoon I met up with Kevin to go pick up Carter and Evan. The twins' teachers were also not expecting things to happen so quickly. They had to get everything together, including their memory binders together with final entries, in just an hour or two. They were pretty crushed by it too. There is just something so incredibly sad about packing up the diapers, extra clothes, bed linens, and artwork knowing you're never coming back or that you won't really see these people again. There were tears a plenty as I tried my best to fight them back. We took a few pictures of the boys with each teacher. Technically we'll get to see them again tomorrow when we drop off and pick Evan up, but we said our formal goodbyes today.
It's so strange, this is the first chapter in any of my kids' lives that we are closing. And to have to do it for all three of them at the same time is just awful. I feel like we're moving far away, forcing them to leave all of their little friends and start over. I know that 18 month old kids don't really have friends at this age, but that doesn't make it any less traumatic for me.
Tomorrow's going to be a rough day because Evan DOES have friends, and in all likelihood he'll probably never see any of them again. Heartbreaking, just heartbreaking.
So this morning, before we took the boys to their classrooms, we stopped at the front desk to see if by any small chance they had the room and kind hearts to let us have Tuesday as our real, official last day. They quickly noted that that was fine. Going into this, I knew that there are state laws that require a 4:1 student to teacher ratio. And also, knowing what a fantastic school the boys were in, that there is a massive waiting list. Naturally, I was worried that the replacement kids were starting their enrollment on the 1st. And rightfully so. Except that Kevin and I are complete morons.
All was right with the world, things were working out in our favor. We dropped off the boys, I headed home to get some things together and have some breakfast and then went to Target for some nice thank you cards for the teachers. I was finishing my purchases and on the phone with Kevin when school called. Brennan had thrown up. Not once but twice. He didn't have a fever and was feeling and acting completely normal, but because their policy is that if a kid throws up more than once they need to be sent home, they asked me to come and pick him up.
I get to school, pick him up, make Carter angry because I didn't take him with me and proceed to have a discussion with Miss Michelle about what kind of cupcakes and how many to buy for the twins' going away party tomorrow. We leave, we go to the grocery store. I was just finishing up with finding my items and heading to the front of the store to be checked out when I get a call from Kevin. He had just got off the phone with Mr. Kyle who regretfully informed him that indeed the ratios would be off tomorrow and that the twins last day was again officially today. Evan was somehow spared and is able to return to school tomorrow for a proper send off.
Instant sadness, seriously. I almost cried right there in the middle of Dierberg's. It isn't the end of the world, but I wasn't prepared for an "ending" like this and it caught me completely off guard emotionally. I went back to the bakery section and put the cupcakes back onto the shelf and was near losing it the entire time. We went back home and I put Brennan down for a nap.
Later that afternoon I met up with Kevin to go pick up Carter and Evan. The twins' teachers were also not expecting things to happen so quickly. They had to get everything together, including their memory binders together with final entries, in just an hour or two. They were pretty crushed by it too. There is just something so incredibly sad about packing up the diapers, extra clothes, bed linens, and artwork knowing you're never coming back or that you won't really see these people again. There were tears a plenty as I tried my best to fight them back. We took a few pictures of the boys with each teacher. Technically we'll get to see them again tomorrow when we drop off and pick Evan up, but we said our formal goodbyes today.
It's so strange, this is the first chapter in any of my kids' lives that we are closing. And to have to do it for all three of them at the same time is just awful. I feel like we're moving far away, forcing them to leave all of their little friends and start over. I know that 18 month old kids don't really have friends at this age, but that doesn't make it any less traumatic for me.
Tomorrow's going to be a rough day because Evan DOES have friends, and in all likelihood he'll probably never see any of them again. Heartbreaking, just heartbreaking.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Success!
Operation: Big Boy Bed is a raging success. I really have no idea what was so different about this last round of trying to get Evan into his own bed, in his own room. Things went relatively smoothly throughout the entire process. I don't really have any complaints.
The majority of nights he doesn't even leave his room anymore. He knows that when we say it's bedtime that he needs to walk himself into his room and climb into bed. He usually has minimal fussing and quiets down once we leave his room.
Recently Kevin and I have come to a pretty big decision together regarding my "career". The twins have been non-stop sick it seems and I was missing more days of work than I was actually there. The boys were miserable, I was miserable, I felt guilty for not being able to be at work and have others fill in for me constantly, and the Goddard School location we send them to was making out like bandits during all of this.
I am no longer working, I kind of, sort of resigned. I think my boss/brother-in-law was relieved to have the opportunity to hire someone more reliable than I was am at the moment. Our daycare requires thirty days notice, and somehow it worked out that we gave them our notice just before the beginning of February. The three boys will continue there until the end of the month. I'm really, really sad about this. I know that they all love staying home with mommy. I'm super excited to go outside and play with them with the weather gets warmer. I'm looking forward to fun little field trips to the zoo or the park.
I'm terribly sad about the three of them losing their friends. Not so much for the twins, since well...(you other moms of multiples know) they always have each other. But Evan has been at Goddard since the very first day our location was in business. To say his teachers love him is quite the understatement. The teachers in the next class up always call "dibs" on him before he's even old enough to transition. They say he's a great student, always helps out, and is very nice and friendly with the other kids. It's extremely rare when they have a problem with him, and usually on those days the teachers suspect that something is up and he isn't feeling well. Seriously, they LOVE him! Miss Sarah almost teared up when she heard the news, but is happy that she has the rest of the month with him. She even mentioned keeping in contact with us because there is a big end of the year party where the kids all have a "surprise" for the parents and she didn't want him to miss it. One of the pre-K class's teachers was in Ev's class when we shared our news and she also got a little teary eyed, mentioning that she had already claimed him for the next school year.
I'm getting a little emotional right now. We are so fortunate to have the people that watch our kids really care for them and hold a special place for our boys in their hearts. Brennan & Carter's teachers are awesome too. Just this morning when we dropped them off and left the room I caught a glimpse of Miss Michelle giving B a really nice hug...it looked like a hug I would give him when I'm proud of him for doing something great. Miss Michelle and Miss Jenn have told us they were sad about losing the boys as well. We'll definitely miss all of them.
I'm spending these last few weeks at home by myself (since I'm not working and still sending the kids to daycare) getting things prepped for the fast approaching state of constant mayhem. I'm having a local company purchase and deliver the expedit bookshelf from Ikea (the closest one to us is almost 300 miles away) so I can keep most of the crafting items, toys, and any other daily necessities organized and in one place. I've already had a small, kid sized table and chairs set delivered and assembled and placed in our dining room, being subbed as a play room. Now I'm in search of a playful rug to put underneath of the table so our carpet doesn't take too much of a beating from food, paints, crayons, etc. Anyway, it's kind of nice to divert my emotions and make a really fun room to spend our days in.
The majority of nights he doesn't even leave his room anymore. He knows that when we say it's bedtime that he needs to walk himself into his room and climb into bed. He usually has minimal fussing and quiets down once we leave his room.
Recently Kevin and I have come to a pretty big decision together regarding my "career". The twins have been non-stop sick it seems and I was missing more days of work than I was actually there. The boys were miserable, I was miserable, I felt guilty for not being able to be at work and have others fill in for me constantly, and the Goddard School location we send them to was making out like bandits during all of this.
I am no longer working, I kind of, sort of resigned. I think my boss/brother-in-law was relieved to have the opportunity to hire someone more reliable than I was am at the moment. Our daycare requires thirty days notice, and somehow it worked out that we gave them our notice just before the beginning of February. The three boys will continue there until the end of the month. I'm really, really sad about this. I know that they all love staying home with mommy. I'm super excited to go outside and play with them with the weather gets warmer. I'm looking forward to fun little field trips to the zoo or the park.
I'm terribly sad about the three of them losing their friends. Not so much for the twins, since well...(you other moms of multiples know) they always have each other. But Evan has been at Goddard since the very first day our location was in business. To say his teachers love him is quite the understatement. The teachers in the next class up always call "dibs" on him before he's even old enough to transition. They say he's a great student, always helps out, and is very nice and friendly with the other kids. It's extremely rare when they have a problem with him, and usually on those days the teachers suspect that something is up and he isn't feeling well. Seriously, they LOVE him! Miss Sarah almost teared up when she heard the news, but is happy that she has the rest of the month with him. She even mentioned keeping in contact with us because there is a big end of the year party where the kids all have a "surprise" for the parents and she didn't want him to miss it. One of the pre-K class's teachers was in Ev's class when we shared our news and she also got a little teary eyed, mentioning that she had already claimed him for the next school year.
I'm getting a little emotional right now. We are so fortunate to have the people that watch our kids really care for them and hold a special place for our boys in their hearts. Brennan & Carter's teachers are awesome too. Just this morning when we dropped them off and left the room I caught a glimpse of Miss Michelle giving B a really nice hug...it looked like a hug I would give him when I'm proud of him for doing something great. Miss Michelle and Miss Jenn have told us they were sad about losing the boys as well. We'll definitely miss all of them.
I'm spending these last few weeks at home by myself (since I'm not working and still sending the kids to daycare) getting things prepped for the fast approaching state of constant mayhem. I'm having a local company purchase and deliver the expedit bookshelf from Ikea (the closest one to us is almost 300 miles away) so I can keep most of the crafting items, toys, and any other daily necessities organized and in one place. I've already had a small, kid sized table and chairs set delivered and assembled and placed in our dining room, being subbed as a play room. Now I'm in search of a playful rug to put underneath of the table so our carpet doesn't take too much of a beating from food, paints, crayons, etc. Anyway, it's kind of nice to divert my emotions and make a really fun room to spend our days in.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Voodoo? A Curse?
What is going on in this house? It's the million dollar question that I'd really, really like answered. Brennan came down with croup last Thursday night. I took him to the doctor Friday afternoon to get him some steroids. Dr. Y is nice and understanding enough to know that Carter will follow closely behind and gave us more meds than B needed so that C would be covered too. Carter got his first dose Sunday night when his croupy cough began. They've both had fevers since Saturday and neither Motrin nor Tylenol can get them to break.
Last night we started Operation: Evan's Room. He's been sleeping in our bed for almost a year now. Don't ask how that happened, it boils down to being crappy parents, Evan's anxiety, and his abilities to play us like a fiddle. We went to see Dr. Y about this Monday.
I guess the majority of this turn around is in my hands since I"m the stricter parent between the two of us. Last night was the first night and I was digging myself a foxhole and preparing for the worst. Which turned out to be not bad at all. Ev whimpered a little and began to cry when it was time to drop the bomb, but I was firm and I think he understood for once that Mom meant business. Plus, it helped that I turned his doorknob around yesterday to where it locks from the outside - and he sat there and watched me do it and seemed to get the severity of what was happening.
He went down without a fight. Are you shocked, because I was. Talk about that kid throwing me for an awesome "holy cow, this can't be real" loop! All night I was expected something to go completely awry, and it never did. He made his way into the doorway of our room three times though. Never made a sound, Kevin or I would wake up and notice him standing there. Kind of creepy. But, I would get up and walk him back to his room where he'd lay his head back on the pillow without a protest.
Hopefully tonight goes just as well as last night. But, I'm going to err on the side of caution and Murphy's Law and not count my chickens before they hatch (enough cliches for you?)
Maybe things are starting to turn around for us? I'm really not sure why the twins keep getting sick, and everyone else around here for that matter. But I hope we've paid our dues and are back on the track to healthy living soon.
Last night we started Operation: Evan's Room. He's been sleeping in our bed for almost a year now. Don't ask how that happened, it boils down to being crappy parents, Evan's anxiety, and his abilities to play us like a fiddle. We went to see Dr. Y about this Monday.
I guess the majority of this turn around is in my hands since I"m the stricter parent between the two of us. Last night was the first night and I was digging myself a foxhole and preparing for the worst. Which turned out to be not bad at all. Ev whimpered a little and began to cry when it was time to drop the bomb, but I was firm and I think he understood for once that Mom meant business. Plus, it helped that I turned his doorknob around yesterday to where it locks from the outside - and he sat there and watched me do it and seemed to get the severity of what was happening.
He went down without a fight. Are you shocked, because I was. Talk about that kid throwing me for an awesome "holy cow, this can't be real" loop! All night I was expected something to go completely awry, and it never did. He made his way into the doorway of our room three times though. Never made a sound, Kevin or I would wake up and notice him standing there. Kind of creepy. But, I would get up and walk him back to his room where he'd lay his head back on the pillow without a protest.
Hopefully tonight goes just as well as last night. But, I'm going to err on the side of caution and Murphy's Law and not count my chickens before they hatch (enough cliches for you?)
Maybe things are starting to turn around for us? I'm really not sure why the twins keep getting sick, and everyone else around here for that matter. But I hope we've paid our dues and are back on the track to healthy living soon.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
A Non-Update Update
What's new you ask? Nothing and everything. More sick kids, but I think that's just a given now. A couple of weeks ago that nasty stomach bug that's been sweeping the country hit our house. We all succumbed to it one by one like a game of dominoes personified. Then things got better. I went back to work, the boys returned to daycare, I had surgery to get my adenoids removed, I WENT BACK TO THE GYM(!), the house got cleaned, the Mt. Everest sized pile of laundry was tackled, did I mention that I went back to the gym?
I was so excited to make my grand re-entrance into my little world of health and fitness after 3 months of doing nothing but surviving one ill kid after another. It was my grand scheme to do a few one-on-one sessions with Jordan first to get me back up to a level where I could keep up with the class. That first workout back was rough, but I suffered through it and it felt wonderful. I was in pain for the next three days, but it was that glorious pain of knowing you did something fulfilling for yourself. And then the dominoes started falling again.
Brennan wasn't sleeping well for two nights and both twins had fevers. Kevin came home from work on Monday with an ear infection, the flu, and something else that he couldn't remember (sounds about right...) Then Evan started with the diarrhea and the twins followed suit shortly after. I was the only one still standing unscathed. I knew better. I knew it was coming, but for three days I single handedly cared for every member of our family. Changed every diaper, fed every meal, you get the picture. Kevin pretty much stayed in bed and slept. On Wednesday I started to feel it, the flu had definitely taken hold of me.
At this point Kevin had to buck up and deal with the crappy hand that had been dealt and take on the role of Mr. Mom. He did pretty good. Everyone survived, but I think the kids have now seen every episode of Yo Gabba Gabba available On Demand and on our DVR about 10 times now.
Thursday morning I felt the digestive pyrotechnic show starting to spark so I tried to quickly make my way to the bathroom. I remember thinking to myself that I was really lightheaded. And then I found myself on the floor near the shower screaming in shock and pain. I fell on my tailbone. I went to get it checked out later that night and thankfully it isn't broken, but I did jam it badly. Actually, I'm permanently disfigured now. The very tip of my tailbone has an extreme curve, almost 90 degrees. Ouch. My consolation prize? A prescription for percocet and an awesome doughnut pillow. Yeah, the ones you see old people with. I laugh at it, but it has totally been a lifesaver and I'm sure it will further prove itself to me when I'm at the office sitting in a chair for 8 hours a day. I hope the pain dwindles soon, otherwise I'm not so sure when I'll make it back to the gym.
I was so excited to make my grand re-entrance into my little world of health and fitness after 3 months of doing nothing but surviving one ill kid after another. It was my grand scheme to do a few one-on-one sessions with Jordan first to get me back up to a level where I could keep up with the class. That first workout back was rough, but I suffered through it and it felt wonderful. I was in pain for the next three days, but it was that glorious pain of knowing you did something fulfilling for yourself. And then the dominoes started falling again.
Brennan wasn't sleeping well for two nights and both twins had fevers. Kevin came home from work on Monday with an ear infection, the flu, and something else that he couldn't remember (sounds about right...) Then Evan started with the diarrhea and the twins followed suit shortly after. I was the only one still standing unscathed. I knew better. I knew it was coming, but for three days I single handedly cared for every member of our family. Changed every diaper, fed every meal, you get the picture. Kevin pretty much stayed in bed and slept. On Wednesday I started to feel it, the flu had definitely taken hold of me.
At this point Kevin had to buck up and deal with the crappy hand that had been dealt and take on the role of Mr. Mom. He did pretty good. Everyone survived, but I think the kids have now seen every episode of Yo Gabba Gabba available On Demand and on our DVR about 10 times now.
Thursday morning I felt the digestive pyrotechnic show starting to spark so I tried to quickly make my way to the bathroom. I remember thinking to myself that I was really lightheaded. And then I found myself on the floor near the shower screaming in shock and pain. I fell on my tailbone. I went to get it checked out later that night and thankfully it isn't broken, but I did jam it badly. Actually, I'm permanently disfigured now. The very tip of my tailbone has an extreme curve, almost 90 degrees. Ouch. My consolation prize? A prescription for percocet and an awesome doughnut pillow. Yeah, the ones you see old people with. I laugh at it, but it has totally been a lifesaver and I'm sure it will further prove itself to me when I'm at the office sitting in a chair for 8 hours a day. I hope the pain dwindles soon, otherwise I'm not so sure when I'll make it back to the gym.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Santa, I KNOW HIM!
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?
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?
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!
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