April First

One year ago today....


That one word

Changed our lives again

We just didn't know how much

Bullet Points...

(A quick candid shot... Kiley looks a little shocked)

Here is the sweet and skinny of today (I'm just too tired tonight... more to come)

• Abby ran, tripped, dove headfirst into a dresser at 12pm. 
• Ate lunch with my mom and sister while waiting for appointment; mom later got sick from food (ugh)
• 1pm: In pediatrician office getting the gash above her left eye glued 
• 2pm-4pm Abby naps while I take care of a fussy Kara and paint the bathroom (why I feel like I need more projects I'll never know)
• 5pm: While running around outside I hear Abby say "Ow mommy! ow!" I set Kara down and see that Abby has pulled off the glue/steri-strip that the pediatrician put on. Of course it's after 5.
• I call the 'on call nurse' she says to bring Abby into the ER since the gash is over her left eye. 
• I wait for Tom to get home from work while trying to keep Abby from going nuts (just crazy tonight really)
• 8pm we get to the ER. The doctor consults with 2 other doctors about what to do with Abby's cut. They collectively decide that it would be better to leave it alone because the way she is picking at the area they feel she will just tear the stitch out and make it worse. Did I mention the doctor recognized me from before? Yeeeeeep. That's not a good sign. She did check Abby's lip to see how that was healing and we chatted about 'the joys of being a mom.' The nurse also gave me pointers on how to take permanent marker off of the walls. (Must have been a slow night) Abby impressed them with her vocabulary and they sent me home with instructions on how to care for it.... again. 
• 9pm, Put Kara to bed, Tom ate supper and I proceeded to work on painting the rest of the bathroom.
  
• It's 11:37pm... there is still trim work left to do in the bathroom... along with putting everything else back. Kiley is asleep in my arms (she slept a lot today) and Tom is telling me it is time for bed (something I agree with whole heartedly)
  
  May Tonight bring great sleep... and Tomorrow a quieter day....

Hooray for warm weather!

Babies all asleep (check); In my pajamas (check); Homework done (check); Meds given (shoot!)....

I successfully gave all three girls meds twice a day... for a week and tonight I broke my streak. But honestly I cannot bring myself to wake them up and 'shoot it' down their throats. Tonight will just have to go without and tomorrow I will start it over again.

We had a great weekend. My nephew turned two and we drove a few hours to go see him and his family to celebrate. I have discovered that driving with three young children is in no way relaxing, fun or enjoyable... but we survived four, two hour stretches and lived to tell the tale! Oh how Abby loves her cousin. They played together so well it was fun to watch. Of course there were the occasional moments where toys were taken and a wrestling match began. Sadly the air mattress we slept on was very un-airy and left us on the ground for most of the night. Something that Tom and I tolerated but the babies hated... who knew that 4 month olds could be so spoiled? lol K&K did NOT like sleeping on the floor. One of the nights I had to spread a bunch of pillows out underneath the mattress so that they could sleep on them instead...

Our nephew has grown up so much! I love the way he says "Yesssss" and "Mooooooom!" I truly truly truly wish they lived closer! Thankfully Tom's parent's are a good 'half way point' and we are able to meet up more often. We had an Easter Egg hunt in his backyard but Abby was half heartedly interested in picking up the 'balls' and her cousin was far more interested in burying them in the backyard. K&K hung out inside the house because the wind was too cold. We still had a good time watching them run around the yard.


Abby's therapy today went VERY well. The therapist was even able to get Abby to play with some play dough and she was thrilled to see how happy Abby was and involved she got. If there is one thing Abby loves it is lotion... oh how she loves the lotion 'game.' She also loves looking at the faces with the emotions. She can point out the happy face and the sad face. Mad she is still working on... but it is amazing because she realizes that the babies cry when they are 'sad'... she gets it! It is so fun to watch her learn. The therapist was also impressed that Abby counted to ten for her. Of course... she counted to three when she was 1... so ten at 2 seems normal to us.

And what about K&K... well we are holding off on solids for them until 6 months. Sad. I was looking forward to trying rice with them. Dr. D (their GI dr) said that their adjusted age (what they would be if they had made it full term) is 3 months and with the reflux/gi issues they have it is better to wait until they are 6 months to try rice. Sometimes kids with reflux can develop a food aversion if they try it too early and I guess they are just not developmentally ready for it. So we will wait. I guess it can't hurt... and it means less dishes for me. :) (This picture I think is really funny... Kiley (purple bow) has the goofiest look on her face... and Kara's is pretty funny too)

They are sleeping so-so. I think I am getting a few longer stretches for the first part of the night but the second  part of the night is still killing me. I'm hoping now that we are home that they will sleep even better. I could really use a good night's sleep. Even if it is just a few more hours! They've been on a new bottle of Prevacid for the last 4-5 days so it should be working pretty well by now. Kara is still really hoarse and I think she has the same cold type crud that I have. Hoping that is all it stays... a cold. Kara can roll from back to stomach now too! She doesn't share the same enthusiasm of doing it like Kiley does yet. I'll try to get a video of it sometime soon. They are both very ticklish and it is pretty cute to listen to them giggle. They also hate being in their carseats (FYI) I carried Kara tonight in my Beco carrier on our walk and she loved it. It was a lot easier to carrier one baby and push the other in the single stroller instead of pushing the gigantic double stroller!

Well I suppose... I've written long enough and I need to fall into bed. zzzzzzzzzzz

Kiley's video... as promised...

I'll try and get a video of Kara up soon. Kiley is now rolling all over the place. We'll lay her on her back and she'll roll to her tummy, than to her back, than to her tummy. It's pretty entertaining! Won't be long and that gate will be back up over the stairs!

"Help me! Help me!" :o)

8am and Kara and I are 'hanging out' and by that I mean she is hungry and was tired of sleeping. 8am though... that isn't bad. I can hear Abby fussing a bit downstairs and as soon as Kara is done eating I'll either have Tom come and get her or I'll go down myself.

Yesterday Abby helped me vacuum. She pushed it around the living room as I directed her. We vacuumed the living room, the hallway and later the stairs and entryway. It was a good activity, a little therapy and quite a lot of fun for us both. Thankfully the babies slept through it!

K&K's doctor appointments yesterday went good I suppose you could say. I was right about their weights, I knew they were off from the pediatrician. The funny thing is I nailed what they really were, somehow I knew. But they were both 12lb 8oz. Kara was 23 1/2 inches and while they SAID Kiley was 26 inches I think her head slipped during the measurements (oops that was my fault) but it IS hard to do measurements while holding two babies lol. But you ask, what difference do a few ounces on the scale make? Why does it matter if the diapers are clean and the scale is set correctly. Well this is why: at the pediatrician they had K&K on the charts at the 40th percentile in weights.... at the GI doctor they were in the 25th percentile. This doesn't mean there is anything wrong with their weights it just means that this really nice jump the pediatrician saw... isn't there actually. The girls are growing just fine, they are just smaller.... but they started out smaller!

As I suspected the form of the medicine is running out on me, aka it has a short shelf life so is less effective over time. Dr D seemed to like my idea of filling only one prescription at a time so that we went through the bottle faster. He gave me two boxes of the solutabs to use later if this doesnt seem to work. Honestly I hope the solution works because the solutabs are a pain. I hate chopping it in half and trying to mix it! Dr D also wanted me to thicken their milk to see if that helps with the puking... uh... sure. I can't pump every feeding. There is absolutely no possible way I could. I tried last night and got 2 oz. I haven't gotten more than 2oz in a LONG time. I'm afraid my supply would really dry up! So for now I'm going to be extra dilligent on the Prevacid and hope that it takes care of our issues.... and yes. They did puke on us last night... I think they would like it if I just went to formula but I can't and am not ready to do that yet. It's as much an emotional attachment to the girls as a needs fulfilling one. I get so little one on one time with them as it is. So no... I'm not stopping yet.

Abby has another therapy appointment today and then we will finally be done with running around. I hope it goes a lot better than yesterday. One activity that we do (that I came up with) is kinda fun. I sit on the floor and she will come tackle me with a hug and 'knock me over.' Then I lie on my back like a turtle saying 'help me, help me, help me." So she will work to pick me back up and the cycle repeats. Not only can I give her deep pressure hugs (which I think would feel good to anyone) but we get to play and she thinks it is funny. I like it when she lies on her back and says "help me! help me!" The weather has been gorgeous so she loves to go outside and play. There are puddles and most of the time she comes in wet and muddy. I felt a little bad for her yesterday because she could see the kids playing at the park and really wanted to go join them... but I couldn't let her because Kara and Kiley were upset and there were no adults at the park with the kids. She's certainly not old enough to go alone!

Well today there is plenty to do. I'm going to give Kiley another neb treatment because she is starting to really cough and I'd like to help get the junk out of her lungs a bit. I also need to get some coffee going!

Have a great day :)

Yes... this is the right blog.

I had been debating whether to change the name... and finally caved. I decided this blog was about all THREE of my girls... and our journey as a family. So for now... Crayons on the Wall.... and all manner of other joys of being parents of three young girls...

Has Spring Arrived?

Today was significantly better in many ways. It was nice to stay home and just ... stay home. That said I am still exhausted. Abby did NOT take a nap and no nap Abby= overly exhausting Abby. She just gets so naughty when she is tired. It's like she just can't handle it. Even therapies don't seem to help. Of course... she is an almost 2 year old... and no nap will make any 2 year old cranky!!! I tried to get her to sleep for an hour and a half. When I went to check on her at 2:30 she was naked... thankfully I caught her before she had another 'accident' in the crib. AND this time I REALLY used the duck tape! I need a new strategy...

She fell asleep in her highchair during supper today. It was really cute and while I SHOULD have gotten pictures my first reaction was to scoop her up in my arms and just hold her. Do you know how few those opportunities come for me anymore? She is not a cuddler nor has ever been. I really liked how she snuggled up in my arms and slept for 30 minuets... I miss holding her. She woke up hard and it took me awhile to convince her that I was holding her and that I was mommy. After her brief nap she never really recovered and by 9pm it was time for bed.

On a side note... K&K are really puking. Not spitting up, not drooling... puking. I am so tired of being soaked! Their GI appointment tomorrow cannot come soon enough in my opinion! I think they might want to up the dose (hehehe) of Prevacid. I would love it if that helped.

At least the weather was gorgeous! Abby had a blast playing outside today. She of course ended up soaked from all of the water... she was running a low grade temp this evening. Hope the antibiotic will help soon. Poor thing.

Well I hope you enjoyed the new pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them. Always something new with this crew! I think they are beautiful though (as always)

Love, a mommy of three beautiful girls...

Another day done...

Ah the adventures of a mother of three young children. Today was a daunting day but as I sit here with one sleeping cuddly baby and I watch my husband cuddle the other I think everything will be alright. Kiley and Kara got their 4 month check up today. I would post their weights and percentiles but I don't trust this office's measurements and they are being seen by their GI doctor on Wednesday so I would rather just wait until then.

The morning started off in a scramble of getting all three kids ready to go and out the door. This is the SECOND morning I have had to get up and get ready while my babies were all sleeping... then wake... *gasp* yes... I said wake sleeping babies. It breaks my heart.

What a chaotic experience taking 3 kids to the doctor is. They ask me these questions about their development and honestly I feel like a bad mom but half the time I'm just guessing as to what they are doing. Of course outside of the big things like rolling over. By the way! Kiley rolled over from her back to front yesterday and Kara is rolling from her front to back. Opposite. So cute though. I'll try and post a video of Kiley laughing and rolling over in the next post. They are both getting so goofy and are starting to enjoy playing games.

Well we survived all of the questions, measurements, exams etc etc and then I made the comment that Abby had been coughing for almost 5 weeks now and didn't seem to be getting any better. She could SEE Abby's miserableness and nose and watery eyes. What does she do? She makes me an appointment for an hour later... with another doctor....

This really wouldn't have been as big of a deal except that I would have to take them all in alone. With an Abby that is cranky, tired and hates doctor's offices... AND two babies that just got their shots and want to be cuddled fed and given love. It had to have been an act of God to get me across that parking lot, with two babies in car seats (that way at least 12 lbs each), up the stairs, into the office and through the appointment. I might have even been ok with that...

But the first thing the doctor did when she came into the room was 'yell/chastise/go after Abby" The babies were screaming, I was feeding Kara trying to keep her from making Kiley upset and Abby was sitting nicely on the doctor stool clicking the mouse. The screen/computer was locked out so I knew she wouldn't hurt anything and she really was just clicking it.... but the doctor comes on and gets upset with her! And she's supposed to be a pediatrician. I just think she could have handled the situation better. To make it better... all she did was look in Abby's ears. Why couldnt they do that AN HOUR EARLIER when we were there? SERIOUSLY. Abby has a double ear infection, but why oh why couldn't they just make my life/day 100x better by treating me with a little human kindness. It's just frustrating. I'm switching clinics Ive had enough

We finally made it home. K&K screaming. Abby needing a nap. I got her changed, sat and cuddled watching Sesame Street then put her down in her crib. After being unsuccessful with the twins I checked to see why Abby was still up. If the smell of poo ever greets you when you walk in the door... it's going to be bad. And oh how bad it was. She had it everywhere... BUT the diaper. I think I need to work on potty training more. She doesn't like sitting in it (who could blame her) But I was stressed out, overwhelmed, exhausted and alone. It was just too much. I put her in the bathtub, called my mom and cried. Then got to work. I got the bed stripped, disinfected, Abby cleaned, put in new clothes, the bed remade and Abs put down for a nap. By the time my mom came up to help all but Kiley were asleep. I was still thankful for her help because then she held Kiley while I laid down for awhile to recover.

Abby's play therapy tonight didn't go as well... but I wasn't expecting it to be great. With double ear infections I doubt I would be in the mood for it either. I have some questions for the OT on Thursday.

Tasty Tidbits:

• Today in the parking lot Abby looked out the window and said "Achy (aw-key) cowpie" ... where did she learn that?
• I couldn't get Kara to sleep until I changed shirts and wrapped her up in my previous one. Apparently she wanted to feel close to me
• Kara arches her back so high she almost flops out of swings/bouncies and her car seat!
• Abby also hates being in her car seat and makes it very hard for me to get her in and keep her in! She wiggles her hands through the straps. I might need to duck tape it so she can't get her arms out.
• Kiley is smiling in her sleep, in my arms... :o)

"It's ok Mommy"

The morning was too full. There were too many wake up calls at 1,2,3,4,5 and 6 am... and finally at 8:30 when Abby yelled "Mommmmmmmmy..... Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease" So I pulled Kiley's entertwined limbs away from me, pushed back the covers and got out of bed. Abby gave me the longest hug when I came in and she wanted me to carry her, her bottle and her baby up the stairs. Her diaper must have been a little full or positioned wrong and had leaked. We got that changed quickly!

Tom got up soon after but for some strange reason Abby was in pure mommy mode. It took awhile to get her warmed up. We went over to the neighbors to have coffee and fellowship (which was great) Tom brought Kiley and Kara over when he left for work. For the most part everyone did really well... until of course one of the other mom's left. I don't know why but Abby melted down. She went crazy. Of course I was feeding Kiley at the time and couldn't get to her right away but it took 15-20 minuets before I could get her to stop crying and screaming. Ugh.... So I should have known that walking was going to be hard. BUT... I wanted one so bad and my neighbor offered and I really like the adult contact...

So I brought the girls back over, got K&K into carseats all bundled up. Put rainboots on Abby. Got Feebee on a leash. Came outside. Abby took off for the road when a car was coming. Feebee started fighting with the neighbors dog AND our driveway is at an incline so the stroller takes off down the driveway. ACH!

Thats how my walk started.

Honestly I have to say for the most part Abby did very well helping me push the stroller and going for such a long walk out in the cold (I thought it was supposed to be warm!) But by the end she was going limp and falling because she didn't want to listen to me... once she almost ran onto the highway... and by the end I had had it...

The middle of the day went great, Abby played beautifully... we went outside again once the twins were napping (how short that always is) Abby even got to go on the swings. The evening was more difficult but I think her teeth are really bothering her. Tonight bathtime was like special mommy time to her. I washed her hair (which she absolutely hates and always freaks out.. it's hard) and then showed her how to wash mine. OHH how she LOVED it. She kept dumping water onto my head then she'd take my head in her little hands and then wipe the water from my face saying "It's ok... It's ok Mommy." Then she'd dump the water back on my hair and do it again. When she got done washing my hair she gave me the nicest hug. I still feel warm inside thinking about her telling me "It's ok... It's ok Mommy." If you ever want to see a picture of your parenting it's in those little moments when she 'mommy's you back." It's then I realize how often I reassure her and how glad I am that I do it the way I do!

I was going to give K&K a little rice tonight... but looked at the box in the cupboards and realized it expired April 2009... hmmm I think I need to toss it.... So hopefully soon we'll give it a shot. I need to get them back on their meds, this sleep thing is killing me! Well I'll leave you with a bunch of random pictures caught here and there...

Kiley loves this stuffed cow...

Abby NEEDED a picture of Elmo...

Quack Quack

Want a workout plan? Head on over to our house. There isn't much sitting and the sitting isn't long. With Abby's therapies (on top of just regular go go go Abby) there are 2 babies to change, feed, burp, entertain, put to sleep. Oh and that's right... I have a house too with laundry and dishes and fruit snack wrappers and tubs and tubs and tubs of baby clothes....

Something that I'm trying to tackle. I'm trying to put the newborn clothes away, yes the newborn as now at 4 months we are almost completely grown out of those little pj's. 0-3 seems to be the size of choice right now and I'm trying to go through and find those clothes and put them where they are most accessible. Of course this cannot be done when Abby is awake, and when she is asleep there are usually more important things to do. But it's a project in motion.

I also need to sort through things in our room (ugh). My photo things are seriously taking over my little corner of our little bedroom. PLUS I have clothes from the last three stages in my life floating around. Who really needs or wants all of the clothes from your high school/college days still? It's a never ending project 

Kara threw up 4 times this morning. Not spit up... threw up. Projectile frothing falls of sour milk. *shudder* So even though I did manage to make it into clothes outside of my pj's... I have returned to pj's. Plus the couch slip cover and my one and only pair of jeans is in the wash. *sigh* One pair of jeans... hopefully soon there will be more. Other than her puking sessions she seems to be ok... she's sleeping now so hopefully she will keep some milk down  and stop throwing up. I'm not sure why she did. She threw up twice on Tom and twice on me. 

Kiley is doing quite a bit better but still has a wicked cough. No fevers though and she seems much happier. I'm so glad that awful week is over! 

Abby is heading down for her nap with a pink teddy bear. Every time she goes to the crib it is a different animal. Yesterday Elmo made the trip with a baby diaper and a rain poncho on... by the end of nap Elmo no longer had a diaper on but at least Abby did! It was so cute the other day while we were driving home she kept quacking. I couldn't figure out why she was quacking until I noticed that every time we passed a 'puddle' or place where the water had pooled in the fields she quacked. Apparently duckies like water and that is why she quacked. It was pretty cute. She also loves to splash in the puddles. We go for walks a lot. I can't wait till it warms up so she can enjoy them more. 

Well Kara went back to sleep and I should get some things done while I have the chance. Later!

BTW my favorite picture right now... she is so beautiful!