Busy!

Ok I'm making myself write on this darn thing if it kills me. As you all probably know my kids have been sick, I've had a lot of clinical hours and we are getting to the final countdown to graduation. Combine this with a few health annoyances on my own end....

All of this equals one very tired mom.

After 6 days of fever I finally decided enough was enough and brought Abby in... they diagnosed her with Bronchitis and a sinus infection and put her on an antibiotic. Goodness I hope that means the end of this! I cannot handle many more days of sick kids. Thankfully I have had a lot of help from my mother and mother in law. (and the grandpas too... we can't forget them)

I'm starting to watch K&K's verbal development a little more and really trying to push them to use more words. Out of nowhere I suddenly was like... they are 17 months old... and speak like 12 month olds! (where did the time go?!) I know our pediatrician warned me that with the combo of a lot of ear infections and them being part of the multiple club ... they were at a higher risk for it.

Want a complete list of the words they say? Kiley: Baba, Mama, Dada, Ba (Bath), Mum ... and bumpa?
                                                                   Kara: same... with no thrown in
So ... what? Well it's not a (Oh my gosh!) worry type thing. It just means... hey pay attention your girls are not picking up words like they should be on their own and you need to get working with them on this.

Darn them and their twin language lol. They understand what WE are saying with no problem, they comprehend a great deal. It's the SPEAKING part they don't do. They know those words and perhaps a few more... but we probably only here them here and there, and not all in a day. National Speech and Language Assossciation says they should be starting to put two word phrases together and know at least 10-20 works plus names...

From everything developmentally it's not the number... it's the track. Are they doing this, but just slower rate then kids? Nope. I can't remember the last time they picked up a new word.

But anyways. I'll talk to the pediatrician about it, we'll work at it... they'll be fine.
-----

And then Abby, oh my gosh is that kid learning like crazy! She problem solved today and it was amazing to watch. She took the kite I made her, grabbed a Tupperware container, placed the string in the Tupperware, placed a rock at the end of the string and then dropped the kite over the edge so that it would swing in the breeze. She was so excited.

We also met a little girl in the park today, her and Abby played so well together I thought they were the same age because they both acted similarly. then I found out the other little girl was an entire year younger. Wow.

(funny story: Abby-sitting on the couch near me. I hear little toot sounds and ask: "Abby are you tooting by me?" she replies, "No mommy, my bottom's just making noises")

hahahahahaha

We are enjoying the nicer weather

Butterflies and Babies

The weekend draws to a close and I feel a little sad. I enjoyed the time with my girls and I hate being gone from them for such long hours. But I only have a few more of these left and I will be finished with yet one more thing so that I can graduate!

Kara was very fussy this afternoon when we went out to my grandparents place, I hope that she isn't coming down with something and that it is just teeth. There were several points where she just cried and cried and cried. Kiley was a little fussy too but not quite as bad as Kara.

Abby is still doing well with potty training, she had a bit of an accident out at the farm but that was my fault for not showing her to the bathroom when we got there. Oops! Naughty mommy!

We re-arranged the girl's rooms and I'm wondering if that was a mistake? The room downstairs IS bigger and fits two cribs and dressers much easier than the upstairs room. We discovered heater vents and opened them up so it is warm enough for them to be down there. My main motivation is that Abby is now closer and I can put her back to bed easily. I also wanted it to be easier for her to play in her room and to have a little sanctuary where she can go if she's overwhelmed.

Of course ideas usually are better when they are just ideas. We did switch things and I'm so thankful for the help of my parents  & brothers and sister. (they made quick work of it) But now I'm feeling a little bad because the twins cried and cried when I left them down there... and Abby cried and cried because she wanted to go back to her room, she doesn't have her butterflies... etc.

Perhaps I made a mistake.

At least the snow is starting to melt... and warm weather won't be far away...

Spring???

Spring is coming and none too soon! My twins are restless and ready to run, and run, and run... and did I mention run? Of course our backyard right now is 1/2 giant snow drift and 1/2 giant puddle. Mix in a little dog... and you get the picture folks.

Besides we haven't found the swings yet and the little shopping cart is only just beginning to appear.

We did go for a walk this afternoon, Abby walked part of the way, splashed in puddles and then rode the rest. The twins... well they complained, stole each other's hats... and then pulled each other's hair. Seriously they were just out to get one another

It was a wee bit windy... and at the end of our walk Abby freaked out and ran inside because she was afraid of the wind. I still don't know why.

Potty training by the way is still going very well. We have now discovered that urine makes the water turn yellow... and that it isn't good to drink. (Don't ask and I won't tell) One or two accidents here and there, usually just when we get distracted going over to someone's house and forget to go.

Abby asked me the other day where her new baby sister was.... I told her she didn't have one and she was very sad. Watch out mother's of unattended babies... my daughter is trying to claim one! Perhaps because she keeps seeing all these babies I'm doing photos of lately....

Kiley and Kara are getting molars in and are like bipolar teenage girls (look they even want to drive!)... Happy! MAD... Happy! MAD... SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD.... HAPPY!

MAD.

(Kiley shutting Kara in the dog kennel)

Ibprofin takes the bite (look at me I'm funny) out of it but they are still pretty miserable. Hopefully they poke through soon so we don't have to endure this much longer. Kara still has a massive spoon fettish... she calls them "UM" So if she comes to you for "UM" it's probably a spoon not "MUM" which is food.

They are also eating really well out of bowls with utensils. Who knew? Guess I should have trialed that sooner. Oatmeal has been the popular dish of the last few days. We are also officially out of bottles HURRAY! No more pushing in the nipples and spilling their juice/milk! We are still doing a bit of experimenting to see which they like best. In a way I miss the bottles because they were a fantastic comfort thing for the babies- they cried, i gave them a bottle (I know bad...)

Abby is still very insistent that we go swimming soon, I'm thinking of looking into swimming lessons for her but  haven't found one I like quite yet....I'm also enjoying painting on Abby's wall... I like crafty things, they are like little stress relievers... lol (I think it's turning out really cute... I have some work to do yet on it tho)

The letter P!

Poo in the tub... poo on the stairs... screaming babies and a phone call from my husband telling me the computer repair guy was stopping by in an hour.

There are toys everywhere, a giant dishwasher box is sitting in my entryway, table is covered in breakfast and last night's supper, you get the picture.

I cried...

Then put the babies in the highchair with a snack and turned on Cinderella and cleaned like a madwoman. The house was presentable by the time he arrived with his tools... right in the middle of lunch. The twins were covered from head to toe in spaghetti and dancing to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Abby promptly began to ask the repairmen tons of questions, "How do computers work?", "What is that!" "Abby help too?"

He got his share of my kids before he was out of here! But the computer is fixed, we had porkchops for supper and  I got the girls down for their nap.

We spent the rest of the afternoon playing with my Grandma (The girl's great grandma) at this Science Center near our home. The girls love it and Abby just has a blast. Perhaps we will have her birthday party there or something similar. She would have a blast lol.

Trials and Tribulations... or just a car ride with three kids

We survived the gauntlet of six(ish) hours in a car with three small children. I believe we were all on the brink of a sudden plunge into craziness as we pulled into my brother and sister in law's house. With the exception of one or two or three stops... ok maybe more than that... we drove straight here. One of the stops I'll tell you about if the time arises, a few were bathroom breaks and one was at a rinky dink diner that we pulled into to do a neb treatment on Kiley.

Poor thing was really wheezing and working hard to breathe, it was try a neb or head on into a clinic/er. Thankfully after pinning Kiley down and holding up the mask to her face she got the medicine in and fell asleep not long after it kicked in. She seemed to be doing better for the most part after that. We did have to do one more once we got here and her older cousin was very concerned about the fact I was pinning Kiley down and holding this steaming noisy mask up to her face. I read later on the package of directions: "Try to breathe in deeply and calmly... oops...

Currently Abby is sitting on the couch with me... and no one else because she happened to wake up... again and didnt want to go back to sleep. She is telling me about how the storm made a mess and wants to know how we are going to clean it up. I'm not really sure where she picked up the bit about the storm, knocking down trees and such. Of course the heater kicked on and she told me that the train was coming?

But back to our trip, we were able to meet our beautiful new niece and Abby was able to see her other cousin whom she has been dying to see for the last few weeks... and who turned out to NOT have taken her swimming pool. (Where she gets these ideas...) She was a little scattered yesterday and I had very low hopes for our potty training... just too long in a car even with frequent stops and then she was too excited to be coming to see her cousins. We'll probably work on it more when we get home again.

Abby is now warming my feet with her feet... because they are cold. Hers are the cold ones.

Kara was the best out of all three yesterday, just haaaaaaaaapy and playing and loving life. Her carseat was stuck facing the back too! Silly little girl. She even did her little "Hah Hah Hah" and evil genius growl later. Oh and her new cousin... she looooves to go see her and pet her head and say "niiiiiiice" Kiley didn't ever really notice her but that is ok, I'd rather her not be around the new baby much just in case.

                                                           *Kara*
Well Abby is telling me it's time to get off my computer. I'm not sure what we will be up to today other than that I hope to do photos of Baby L :o)

Going Strong

Accident Free ALL DAY

What a quick study my little girl is lol

We'll see what tomorrow brings but still awesome!

Beginning of the Potty Wars

Oh no, I'm one of those parents.

Abby is potty training and I'm so excited! I have the princess panties, training pants and travel potty all in hand... along with a bucket of candy for victories. Checking out all the potty things it had a similar feeling to shopping for a new baby... hahahah

And she took me completely by surprise! I had been giving all three of the girls a bath (since they were really cranky and bored) I had taken the other two out and were getting their diapers and clothes back on when Abby walks out of the bathroom.

"I pee'd in the potty... just like mommy!" Sure enough... she did! So I thought, hey why not try panties.

About 20 minuets later she went into the bathroom and did it again! I was thrilled.

She has certainly had her share of accidents but going potty is on her mind and she has gone quite a few times. If she's willing to try I'm willing to give it a go. It's not the ideal time for me but we'll make it work. Ach she is growing up!

K&K are sick too with this nasty virus that makes them cranky, I think I have the same thing so we are all miserable together. Hopefully we are all healthy by the time we are off to meet our new cousin/niece!

Spring come soon!

Goodness I think I've meant to blog now twice... and kept getting distracted by those loveable hugable girls.

Another day of lecture (Oh I'm counting them down) The long hours of learning about various forms of cancer... but the day got so much better when I took my girls out for a walk this afternoon. The weather was almost in the 50's and we headed off to the park. Of course everything is a muddy mess but Abby was able to swing for a bit. I parked both babies in front of her, so that every time she would swing close they would giggle.

Sadly that was about all we could do at the park with it so wet and me not being able to push a double stroller through very wet snow very far. But I think they all enjoyed the outing and Abby chatted the whole way there and the whole way back. I had forgotten I think how much I love going for walks with my girls, I can't wait for Spring!!!!

Abby went to bed pretty well again tonight... she played for awhile but eventually decided she was tired. I sat down there by her door for about an hour.

Kara isn't feeling well again... haha... unbelievable sometimes. It must be a virus since she is already on an antibiotic. Hopefully she isn't sick this weekend when i travel off to see a friend...

On a positive note... I've lost pretty much all of the spoons that were in the drawer. Or should I say they have been hidden by a certain troublesome twosome... looks like I'll go hunting before bed.

(Photo of the flowers Tom gave me for Vday- at sunset... ahhh) lol

Saturdays are Nice

My girls are all growing up so fast! The antibiotic seems to be kicking in and the noses aren't green, the babies are slightly happier, and this all makes the mother happier. :o)

Abby has been telling us many things about mermaid shoes and her princess ducky and several other long long long stories. In fact ... I can hardly find a time where she is not talking. Hahahaha. It's cute though and a lot of it is very entertaining.

Abby's latest thing is rubbing noses with you. I laughed when she did it with me... so now she laughs whenever she rubs my nose with hers. And get this! Bedtime... struggles right? Well last night she was so so so so sad I went upstairs (instead of sitting outside her door) I told her goodnight and tucked her in like 5-6 times. I had even tried deep pressure with lotion thinking maybe she was having a harder time falling asleep because she was too wound up. Nope, no luck. Finally I just let her cry till she went to sleep. Well tonight I told her that as long as she stayed in bed I would sit outside her door. She was out in 20-30 minuets. No struggle, no getting upset, no fighting her... etc... just wonderful Abbyness.

We'll see if it works again, the real test is whether it lasts a few days. But I would love for it to work!

The weather has been beautiful, almost 40!!! I had to open the windows to air out the house some. SO nice. I cannot wait for Spring. I hope we can take a walk tomorrow sometime ;o)

(don't they just look thrilled- This is from the other day when Abby, Kiley, Kara, Feebee and I went walking... I think it wears me out more than it does them)

K&K Tidbits: 

Kiley is always the first out of the crib in the morning and at naps... why? I don't know... perhaps it's because she is almost climbing out when I get in. Kara on the other hand thinks it is funny when I 'chase her down."

(Kiley)

Kiley loves loves loves to spin in circles. She will spin and spin and spin until she is so dizzy she just 'stands there' wobbling... or she falls down.

Kara loves to carry around blankets and will actually carry them up against her face or in her mouth. Sometimes she'll just lay on the floor holding it or burying her face in it. (so cute)

(Kara and one of her many many many blankets)

They both weigh 24 lbs now ... hard to believe isnt it. :o) My little munchers!

I've discovered they are hiding my spoons... I found some in the clothing drawers in their bedroom... and one under the sofa... and another in the toy box... I also saw them sneaking them out of the drawer the other day. Apparently they can reach them now... no wonder we never have much for silverware...

Why do I post at midnight?

Short post, need to get ready for bed ( I wonder how often I say that)

Still struggling with Abby not wanting to go to bed, it took us almost 2 1/2 hours of fighting to get her to go to bed. She also hasn't eaten anything the last few nights? Coincidence? Any thoughts?

My mom had a hard time getting her to take a nap this afternoon too... took almost two hours then too, and then she only snoozed for an hour.

I'm noticing more and more 'twinspeak' from K&K... might have to work with them a little more to make them talk to us with "english". They've also picked up a nasty habit of 'popping' in the nipples of their bottles. Looks like we might be moving onto sippies permanently...

I had a wonderful day, I did well on a test and recieved the preceptorship (internship) I wanted. It felt good to do well on a test that I thought I failed (I got a 95!!) crazy...

Well time for bed, I have CPR renewal tomorrow and will need to keep up with my girls. K&K start their next course of antibiotics- hopefully this will clear up whatever we keep getting. Kara didn't look like she felt well at all tonight either.