Not a Wordless Wednesday

We've had quite a week. Three medical emergencies, in addition to a couple of scheduled checkups/procedures.

Last Wednesday, Carter had his three-and-a-half-years post-op for his (ear) tubes. Can you believe they've been in for 3 1/2 years already? I don't remember life without them. Actually, I do. And I am thankful he's had them - and been healthy for that long! Well, last April, both tubes were half-way out of the ear drums. The doctor decided to give it one more six-month stretch, thinking they'd surely dislodge the rest of the way in that time. One did (hooray!), but the other did not. So it's time to have it removed, which means a surgical procedure identical to the one that put the tubes in his ears. It's scheduled for the week of Thanksgiving.

Thursday, I took Carter to the ER for precautionary x-rays following a playground accident.

Sunday morning, we got the kids all bundled up for church. I dressed the babies, grabbed a pair of socks for each, but did not put the socks on them because everyone else was waiting for us in the van. I threw the socks into the diaper bag, so I could put them on at church. (And am thankful that I stopped short of putting on the socks, because I probably wouldn't have noticed what caught Jack's eye.) When we got to the parking lot, Jack caught a glimpse of Grant's foot. It looked like he had a big wad of lint between some toes. Upon further review, it was a hair tourniquet. We took the younger three back home (Carter hates missing church, so Uncle Brad and Aunt Meredith graciously offered to let him stay, and bring him home after) and performed minor surgery on Grant's toe. We were able to cut the hairs/threads with a tiny pair of manicure scissors, so that it was no longer wrapping 360 degrees around. But the hair was still embedded. By this time it was after 11. Based on my experience at the E.R. on Tuesday, I thought I was better off waiting until the after-hours pediatrician opened at 1, than waiting in the emergency room. Especially since the boys eat at noon anyway. So the after-hours ped was able to remove some additional hair. (She had betadyne and smaller tools that we didn't have.) She wasn't 100% sure it was all out, but was pretty confident. We were given orders to watch it closely over the next 24-48 hours to make sure the inflammation was improving, and to treat with antibiotic ointment (neosporin or triple cream) every few hours (e.g. every diaper change) to help prevent infection. It has, thankfully, been steadily improving since then. The photo is from Sunday evening, after we saw the pediatrician but before the wound started showing much improvement. The lasceration is not at the bottom of the toe - that's where some blood and betadyne gathered in the groove - instead, it is the faint line you see at the location of the lower knuckle.

Tuesday afternoon, Carter and Ellyson were playing in the living room while I wrapped up some afternoon baking. I was hurrying to get pumpkin bread into the oven before waking G&G for their 4:00 feeding ... though it was already 4:00. The big two were jumping around. I heard a "thud" and Ellyson screamed and then went silent. I put down the utensils in my hand and asked Carter why she wasn't crying while I ran in to check. He was hovering over her and said "she is." They both sometimes cry so hard, they hold their breath momentarily. Well, she apparently fell off the ottoman, then held her breath crying, and made herself pass out. Cold. Limp. Non-responsive. She came to about 30 seconds later, while I was on the phone with 911. The paramedics came and checked her vitals. They offered to transport her, but said it wasn't serious enough that they HAD to take her. She just needed to be checked out by a doctor. So I asked if I could just take her on my own - it was now 4:30, she was slowly regaining her energy, and I needed to get someone to the house with the three boys. Jack headed home, and got here about 20 minutes after I finished nursing. I took her to the emergency room (I'm becoming an ER frequenter ...) and she got the all-clear. The official diagnoses were "fall" and "breath-holding spell". She has been back to her normal, energetic self ever since.

So I guess this week, I'm hoping for a wordless Wednesday. Happy Halloween!

Boo at the Zoo

I almost overlooked posting about Boo at the Zoo. We made our third annual appearance the other week. Nana and Papa Jack went with us, and Jack (returning from a business trip) met us at the zoo after landing at the airport.

It's always enjoyable. And the kids don't receive an abundance of candy, which is nice. Ellyson took a little while to warm up to the idea, but got the hang of trick-or-treating once she realized she was getting treats in return. :)

Stop and Smell the ... Spitup

Four years ago, I wanted nothing more than to be a stay-at-home mom. Carter was in daycare, and I was sitting in an office cubicle 40 hours a week, wondering how he was doing and what I was missing out on. I thought that if I could be home with him, I could spend so much time with him ... holding him, seeing him smile ... you know, all that cute baby stuff.

Fast-forward four years, and I am a stay-at-home mom. Except, it isn't quite how I imagined it would be. I feel like I never get to hold my (new) babies, because there are so many begging for my attention! I can't sit and play with Carter because there's laundry and dishes to be done, babies to feed and diapers to change. But I have started making a concerted effort to live in the moment with the kids. To stop, really see them, and just enjoy that I am here with them. Because these days aren't going to last forever.

Some day, Carter ...

Won't want to be tucked in to bed.
Will be too cool to carry a stuffed Peter Pan wherever he goes.
Won't be home to cuddle on the couch for afternoon quiet time.
Won't consider "little LEGOs" to be the best.thing.ever.
Will learn to hold back when he runs, rather than ploughing forth in unencumbered joy.
Won't beg to sleep in his sleeping back on our bedroom floor.
Won't hold my hand for no reason other than to tell me he loves me.
Won't dream of spending the weekend hanging out with his daddy.
Won't plead to ride in Daddy's truck.
Will realize that Mommy and Daddy don't know everything.

Some day, Ellyson ...

 

Won't have chubby little toddler legs.
Won't waddle when she runs.
Won't be so tired that she falls asleep on the kitchen floor.
Won't be consoled by simply climbing into my lap for a few minutes of singing.
Will stop carrying Minnie Mouse everywhere she goes.
Will stop calling her daddy (even though she can say his name) "mama".

Some day, Grant and Graham ...

Won't gaze into my eyes with pure wonder.
Won't cry, wanting only to be held.
Won't smell like spitup ... or baby wash.
Won't be able to wrap all their little fingers around one of mine.

Another first!

We had another first in our house this week ... Carter's first x-ray!

Thursday afternoon, I was driving to pick up C and E from preschool (it just so happened that Jack was home on a sick day Thursday, so I had put G&G to nap before I left, and did not take them with me) ... when Carter's teacher's cell phone number popped up on my caller ID. As a parent, you know that's never a good sign. It's either behavior or sick/injury. Turns out, there was a playground accident and Carter landed on his shoulder, at the bottom of the slide. He was screaming and crying hysterically. I was able to give them his weight and a verbal go-ahead for a dose of ibuprofen. Since I was already en route, I got there pretty shortly after.

I picked up Carter and E, and drove directly to the emergency room. His teachers and I didn't think his arm seemed broken (he was able to wiggle his fingers, and had some range-of-motion in his arm, but was afraid to lift it). So to make sure his collar bone was okay, and that nothing was popped out of joint, I took him in for an x-ray. Even though Jack was home, he wouldn't be able to take care of Ellyson (or the twins once they woke up at 3:30), so I took E with me, and he called in his mom to come and help with the babies. Her work day ends mid-afternoon anyway, and was already familiar with how to prep frozen breast milk for them, and how to handle the diapers for the study we're currently participating in.

When it was all said and done, C and E really behaved pretty well under the circumstances. I had very few resources to entertain them for three hours (and only one clean diaper for Ellyson), and they did okay. By about two hours after the accident, Carter wasn't really even favoring his arm anymore, but we were already committed at that point.

His x-ray looked perfect. He had to be a big boy and go to the x-ray room by himself (with the nurse, of course) because I couldn't take Ellyson there with us. The doctor diagnosed a sprained muscle in his shoulder area, and offered a sling. But by that time, he was acting like he was no longer in pain, so I declined it. Another dose of ibuprofen at bed time, and he was back to normal.

Yes, they are on the floor at this point. Not my first choice, but Ellyson had already thrown one full-fledged tantrum. We just washed up really well after ...

Elbow Grease

I decided last weekend that my "maternity leave" is over. The boys hit 12 (and now 13) weeks, so if I were working outside the home, I'd have gone back no later than a week ago Friday. So it was time for me to strap on my work gloves and stop being lazy. My words, people. I guess lazy is relative. I mean, I don't even sit to eat breakfast or lunch half the time, because I'm taking care of kids. And I rarely sit except to nurse the babies and to have my afternoon rest time with Carter. But still, I hadn't really done much cleaning around the house since the boys were born (did organize the garage a few weeks ago!) ... it's pretty much just been laundry and dishes. Don't get me wrong ... diapering three, nursing two and feeding two more, plus a dishwasher full of dishes every single day, and 10-11 loads of laundry per week ... adds up. But for 12 weeks, I'd been using that as my excuse to do little of anything else.

Inspired by my cousin's cleaning schedule, I sketched out (in ink) on our family calendar, which cleaning chores I would be tackling each day. And then I spent a minimum of one hour each morning focusing on that chore. Monday, I did the bedrooms: toys/suitcases/clutter put away, floors vacuumed, linens changed. Tuesday was tubs, toilets and tile: all four toilets and bath tubs, six sinks and the master shower, plus the tile bathroom floors. Wednesday I tackled the kitchen - including soaking the grates from the cook top.

It is challenging ... and I had to sacrifice my afternoon nap/rest time. So by 3:00, I'm dragging. But I feel better knowing that I'm getting the house clean (maybe not tidy, but clean). I also decided I will try to hold/wear one of the twins while I'm doing as much of that housework as possible (obviously not while I'm scrubbing my shower; they can't even be in the room with those fumes). But they really don't get held as much as I'd like ... so multitasking is part of my soluton there.

I'm hoping the schedule is something I can actually maintain long-term. 

Three Months

Yep, G&G are three months old today. We haven't had drastic changes since last month, so I'll just post the updates.

Both weigh about 12 pounds. This is based on my weigh-myself-with-and-without-them method. Puts them in the 10th percentile, which is in line with their weights last month ... so gaining right on track. Still comfortable in size 1 diapers and size 0-3M and 3M clothes, though their little toes are busting out of their size 1 sandals now.

 

Grant: still our social one

Both are sleeping through the night (from their 8 p.m. feeding until their 8 a.m. feeding), most every night now. Hooray!!

Grant is becoming more and more a thumb-sucker, while Graham still likes his passy. Grant also is the easier feeder, while Graham continues to need a little extra attention to focus on the task at hand. (Maybe this is why Grant is gaining weight a little faster than Graham?) Both are still on a four-hour (8 a.m., noon, 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.) nursing schedule.

Graham: still our serious one

That's about it. Still co-sleeping in their crib, in swaddles. We'll possibly switch from swaddles to sleep sacks in the coming month, but I won't split them into separate cribs until they really show me they're inhibiting one another from sleeping. And even though they sometimes scoot and push the other up against the crib rails, that's the exception for now.

Helping in the kitchen

This week and last, I made batches of homemade peanut butter balls. Carter was pretty eager to help with making them (I let him roll half of each batch all on his own, and even refrained from re-rolling - they don't have to be perfectly round!) ... and later, with eating them.

Corn Dawgs

Friday before last, the kids' preschool had their fall field trip. For the second year now, we went to Corn Dawgs (for those of you not familiar with it, Corn Dawgs is a fall festival type place ... a corn maze, small pumpkin patch, and lots of fall activities for kids).

Carter loves it. He remembers going last year, and the year before. Ellyson is lukewarm on it. She hasn't quite garnered the appreciation that Carter has. But she did ride the cow train with me (a tight squeeze ... like Pink Elephant tight!), rode the giant slide with Jack, sat on the edge of the inflatable jumpy pillows, and then played endlessly in the corn box (like a big sand box, but filled with dried corn kernels) while Carter continued to jump and ... I don't even know what else.

Thankfully, Jack was able to go with us. If he hadn't, I would have had my hands full.

Before heading out: Buzz, Jessie and Woody

Carter's pre-K class

Jack and E on the slide

Carter on the cow train

E in the corn box

More fun in the corn box

E and our friend

Old Blue Eyes

While Carter's Away ...

1.) Ellyson will play.

Who says girls can't play with action figures??

2.) And G&G will plot to overthrow him ...

Graham is the mastermind ...

But Grant is fully agreeable.

Toolbox ...

... of the not-so-handy man.

Wordless Wednesday

Superlatives



Most likely to play hookie in order to sleep in Mom and Dad's room.





Most likely to skydive from an altitude of 25 miles.



Most likely to marry his high school sweetheart.

 

Most likely to be a star athlete.

 

Violated

I know Grant is our snuggler. But Graham is starting to feel a little violated.

Friday Funnies

While Carter was sick a couple weeks ago, and we were at the pediatrician's office, she asked me if he was eating much ... and then asked if he's drinking enough. I told her that he's doing fine with drinking, getting plenty of water and Gatorade. Carter piped up with "And I can drink Sprite!" (Thanks, that's really what I wanted to tell your doctor, C! But she just laughed. She has three relatively young children, and she definitely gets it.)

And, as previously appeared on my Facebook page ...
[setting is our kitchen table on a Sunday afternoon]
Carter: Mom, what are we gonna do on Saturday?
Me: I don't know. Let's worry about that later. We have a whole week of work and school to get through first.
Carter: Well, except you.
Me: What? Why except me?
Carter: Because you don't work anymore.
[Stifled laughter from Jack.]

Word of the Week: Apples

Monday was a school holiday, so I wanted to do something fun with the kids. I've been wanting to take them apple picking, but the weekends just didn't work out last year ... and this year wasn't looking much better. I decided a school holiday would be a good opportunity. So we invited our friends along, packed up the van (two infant seats, two toddler seats, a backless booster seat and two moms), and headed to the North Georgia mountains (two-hour drive each way).

The two older kids - Carter and his friend - had a blast! They probably picked about 15-20 pounds of apples (more?? maybe??) between the two of them, and the moms picked a few pounds also. Ellyson seemed to enjoy the outdoors, until she got tired and hungry (who can blame her?). And G&G hung tough until 12:05, when I looked at my phone and realized they were at four hours, 20 minutes since their last feeding. Thankfully, the Moby wrap serves as a cover also, since I left my nursing cover in the van! I did have to nurse one at a time because I had trouble loading both of them properly in the middle of the orchard. But we made it work.

The weather was perfect for fall - overcast, breezy and about 50 degrees. I finally got to use the vinyl weather shield for the double jogging stroller, that I received last Christmas!

All the kids ... momentarily still for a photo.

B picking some golden delicious.

 

C and E enjoying apple cider donuts.

 

The haul that came home with us ... half the total picked.

Sleep Training

I have started the process of training the twins to sleep. You know, not just to cat nap whenever the mood strikes them, but to actually take long naps, and to sleep at nighttime. We are past the phase of "survival mode" and have entered the "Mommy needs to sleep more than three hours at a time, and would like some free hands during the day" phase. So, time to start sleep training.

The shift to four-hour feedings helped. With the first two kids, I did the opposite. I nursed more often during the day in order to get more milk into them during the waking hours, so they wouldn't need as much at night. After reading about teaching them to drink more at one time - thereby stretching longer between feedings, I tried it.

I decided to make this leap just before 10 weeks because Graham was seeming to never be entirely hungry at feeding time. After a solid week of pushing him to eat every three hours, I decided it was time to stop catering to Grant, and to instead push him onto Graham's schedule. Graham adapted more easily, but they both did fine. They simultaneously switched from a six-hour long-stretch overnight, to an 8-9 hour long-stretch at night. Wonderful! Graham also is occasionally sleeping through that 4:30 a.m. feeding, meaning he makes it the full 11-12 hours overnight! Yay! I'm sure Grant won't be far behind. But honestly, the 4:30 feeding isn't so bad. It means I can get up, nurse (at least one of them), pump, and then jump on the treadmill, shower and dress before Carter gets up at 6:45. Yes, it's an early morning. But sometimes, having a quiet morning (and an early-morning run), is worth it. I just take a nap while the others are napping.

So that's how feeding and overnights have shifted. Not bad. Next up: naps.

I am actively forcing them to take a long afternoon nap in their crib. Swaddles and all. They are also taking a short morning nap ... either in car seats, or the pack-and-play, or Boppy pillows, or on my chest. And they usually take a very short evening nap as well, around our dinner time - again, napping in the living room. But in the afternoon, I put them in their crib, swaddled, for a minimum of two hours. They don't sleep the whole time. They wake and fuss, sometimes even cry. And if they cry for more than five minutes, I go in and rub a belly or turn on the mobile, or give a passy. But 99% of the time, the fussing lasts less than five minutes before they fall asleep. They might fuss again 30 minutes later, but we just repeat the process. Eventually, we will get some solid afternoon naps going.

So we have a good, sustainable schedule going on, I think:

8 a.m.: wake up and nurse ... followed by sleep/wake time as the boys' individual needs may require (Grant sleeps more than Graham)
Noon: nurse ... followed by afternoon nap time (or at least, more sleep than wake time), usually in the crib
4 p.m.: nurse ... followed by more wake time versus sleep time
8 p.m.: nurse ... and then to bed

Do you know how long it took me to get their older brother and sister on schedules like that? C was four months old (and 16 lb, 10 oz - I checked) when his doctor said "you know, he doesn't have to eat every three hours now, and he doesn't have to nurse when he wakes at night either." And Ellyson was ... well, 6-8 months old when we finally made the switch from three hours to four hours. And, ahem, (10) months old when she started sleeping through the night.

Wordless Wednesday

Fifty

Today would have been my mother's 50th birthday. But she passed away almost seven years ago. I won't pretend that I was close to her in the last few years she was alive. Her illness put physical and emotional miles between her and her children. But I do have to wonder ... with all that the last 12 months have brought ... both my sisters' weddings, one sister moving across the country, the twins ... what it would be like to have her with us. Not the person she was at 43, but the person who was there for my childhood. Not wishing for it, just wondering ...

Visits from the North

Several of my relatives from up North came in last weekend. They hadn't met G&G yet, and they hadn't seen E since last fall. (Some of them saw Carter, Jack and me at my sister's wedding last December, but Ellyson did not make that trip with us.)

My dad and Graham ... they both later fell asleep

I made sure to snap a few pictures of my grandmother with the babies. When my grandfather passed away suddenly last fall, we realized we didn't have any pictures of him with Ellyson, even though he had met her once. I really could've kicked myself over that. So I've made a point to make sure we have pictures of family members with the babies.

My grandmother and Grant

It was wonderful having extra hands, willing to spend a few hours holding babies for me. With four small children, two hands just aren't enough to cuddle everybody. Even four hands aren't enough! So they are welcome to visit any time. :)

One of my aunts and Graham

Another of my aunts and Grant

And while everyone enjoyed cuddling the babies, we also enjoyed some big-kid play. My dad brought some plastic tube things for Carter. The two of them, and my aunts, had fun building an old-fashioned intercom (which, despite Grandpa's insistence, will not be placed with one end in C's room and the other end in my room) ...

Old-fashioned intercom

... and a make-believe swimming pool ...

... and spyglasses and other gadgets.

Thumb Sucker

Ellyson showed early signs (first month or two) of possible thumb sucking, but then she took to the pacifier.

Grant may be our only legitimate thumb sucker. Only time will tell. But at 2-1/2 months, he's still not much of a pacifier fan (he will sometimes let someone hold it in his mouth for him, but even then ... not always). However, he leaves hickey marks on his forearm (and on Graham's), and has definitely started using his thumb in place of a passy.

Movin' On Up

Grant and Graham finally had their two-month checkup. Here's their size update. I've adjusted the percentiles to reflect that they are actually 10 weeks old, not two months old.

Grant

Length: 22-1/2" (10%)

Weight: 11 lb, 5 oz (10%)

Graham

Length: 22-3/4" (15%)

Weight: 11 lb, 4 oz (10%)

By comparison, their one-month weights and heights were in the fifth percentile ... and their birth weights and heights ranged from 2-5% (Grant's weight) and 5% (Graham's weight), to 5% (Grant's height) and 15% (Graham's height). So they are not only gaining size, they are gaining at faster-than average pace, surpassing many same-age babies. The pediatrician is impressed.

Carter and Ellyson, for comparison, were 13 lb, 14 oz, and 11 lb, 6 oz, respectively. However, those were actually at two months ... so at 10 weeks, comparing apples to apples, Carter would have been closing in on 15 pounds, and E would have been about 12-1/2 lb.

In other news, since their two-month checkup, we have moved to a four-hour feeding schedule (still nursing), and have repeated some eight- and nine-hour nighttime stretches ... though, until last night, they never did that on the same night. Last night, they did! Though Carter woke me at 1 a.m. because he was lonely. << sigh >>

How in the world did we so quickly get to here ... 

Two months old

 

 ... from here??

Three weeks old