Kindergarten Physicals

I started to post theses in my previous summer shenanigans post but decided they deserved a post of their own.

April (the boys birthday month) & May were a bit busy with birthday parties, my own medical drama & end of the school year. June we were busy traveling for vacation. I finally got around to getting the boys 5 year well checks/kindergarten physicals schooled & done in JULY. I'm such a slacker they couldn't even get in with their doctor & had to see a nurse practitioner. I don't usually mind but prefer seeing their doctor for annuals, especially since 2 of the boys had issues I needed to discuss.

Anyways, we got them done & just in the knick of time for school, lol
We decided to take them individually this year since last year was a bit chaotic.

Caden

Caden was first up. He's super healthy & growing just right. He is slowing down a bit which was expected after growing so big so fast for so long.

His measurements were:
Height 45.5" - 86th %
Weight 44lbs - 69th %
BMI 14 - 34%

The NP emphasized drinking 3 glasses of milk a day & getting them to dentist since they haven't been yet & will likely start losing teeth soon.

Caden got the last 2 vaccines he needed to start school & is happy he won't need anymore until the 7th grade.

Garren

Garren went later in the same week that Caden went & saw the same NP. He is also super healthy. He is still on his growth curve & continues to grow at a more 'normal' rate.

His measurements were:
Height 43" - 50th %
Weight 39lbs - 34th %
BMI 14 - 30th %

Garren also got his last 2 vaccines until 7th grade & received the same emphasis on milk consumption & getting to the dentist.

We have noticed that one of Garren's tes.ti.cles seem quite a bit larger than the other. We knew there was suppose to be a slight difference but weren't sure just how much so I asked the NP about it. She also thought it was pretty significant so she called in a doctor to take a look. It was determined that he has a hy.dro.cele & we were referred to a pediatric urologist. We had an appointment with the urologist at Nemours Children's specialty care Tuesday. He does in fact have a hy.dro.cele but it isn't causing any problems right now. we are just suppose to keep an eye on it & it if become commutative  we'll take him back & he'll have to have surgery to remove it & hopefully avoid a hernia. Right now it stay in place & doesn't move or travel.

Kellan

Note to self; take Kellan first next year! He is the most nervous of the 3 boys & by the time his appointment rolled around the following his brother's he had heard all too much about the shots he would get & was as nervous as could be. Not good for an already anxious kid :(

Kellan's appointment was with his preferred doctor. He saw her for his stomach aches, that seized to exist once school was out. We talked a little about his anxiety. I think over the course of the summer he has worked out some of his fears so we decided to see how he does starting school this year before we pursue any additional help for his anxiety.

He is also healthy & slowing down in the growth dept.

HIs measurements were:
Height 45" - 81st %
Weight 42lbs - 61st %
BMI 14 - 22nd %

Kellan had his last vaccines until 7th grade too & is OH SO HAPPY about that!

There you have it. Three healthy & happy (to not anymore shots for a long time) boys!

Throwback Thursday - Birthday Countdown... FOUR!

One week until our boys are 5 years old... let the hyperventilating begin, lol...

We dropped the ball on having professional 4 year old pictures done last year so here's one of the only pics taken at their party last year.

The boys' Toy Story (k), Spiderman (g), & Thomas (c) cakes

Throwback Thursday - Birthday Countdown... THREE!

 
Garren

Caden

Kellan

 
G, C, K

Throwback Thursday - Birthday Countdown... TWO!

Caden

Garren

Kellan

Throwback Thursday - Birthday Countdown... ONE!

I'm sort of in denial about the boys' upcoming 5th birthday. How can 5 years have gone by already?!?

Well since it cannot be stopped I have decided to reminisce a little with a Throwback Thursday post each week until the big day. Here are the boys diving into their their very first birthday cakes at their 1st birthday party... 

Caden

Garren

Kellan

And since the boys want to invite the whole town birthday party planning & prepping is in full swing.

Kellan's Follow-Up Appt

Kellan had a follow-up appointment last week to see how the reflux medication was working. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to help after all. He had about a week maybe of relief & then went back to complaining about his stomach hurting. The good news is, he hasn't had any vomiting since starting the medication so we are going to continue using it while having some tests run & eliminating the little bit of dairy he still eats, yogurt mostly & cheese occasionally.

The doctor ordered some blood tests (this ought to be fun) to rule out crohn's & colitis & to test for celiacs & some autoimmune diseases. She said crohn's & colitis are unlikely since he doesn't have diarrhea but she wanted to go ahead & rule it out while we were doing blood work.

So while we wait for our blood work results we're doing a trial of dairy free eating & hoping for an answer to Kellan's tummy troubles.

Reflux... Again

I feel like a horrible horrible mother having let this go on for so long.

Kellan started complaining about having a stomach ache probably in October. It was usually associated with something he didn't want to do... going to school, cleaning up, getting ready for bed & so on. He wasn't doubled over or exhibiting any symptoms so I just listened & watched. I started to think that he was suffering from anxiety, he was getting upset when he would complain about his stomach but it was still happening when something he didn't want was going on. I talked to Donna about talking to his doctor about it.

Then about 3 weeks ago, Kellan threw up kind of randomly. His teacher told me a stomach was going around at school, so I still didn't think much about it. Last week he woke up a couple hours after going to bed crying and complaining about hurting all over, then he threw up. He had a high fever that night so I thought that stomach bug had finally really gotten a hold of him or that he had the flu. Aside from a fever & lethargy he was fine the next day. Then a few days later he was sitting on the couch watching TV & said he needed a bowl to throw up in & you guessed it, he puked!

I called the doctor the next day & they had me bring him in after school. After talking to Kellan, finding out where his belly hurt, & examining him, she suspects that he has reflux... again. All 3 boys had reflux as infants, Kellan had it the worst & was over a year old before he was able to stop taking the medication. The doctor put him back on a prescription for reflux to see if it resolves his tummy trouble. We will follow up in a month to see if its helping.

On one hand I hope it's as simple as reflux but on the other hand, I hate that he has to take medication everyday for it. If it is in fact reflux, it explains some other things like why he wakes up through the night, his aversion to tomato sauce & the reason he only eats the crust & toppings off of pizza. We've already seen a slight improvement in his nervousness & irritability, thankfully!

Midnight Trip to the ER

Monday night Kellan woke up around midnight Gasping for air. All he was doing was making a youbarking noise every time he inhaled, he was trying to cry & begging mommy/MomMom help in the scariest, wheezing, gasping for air voice I've ever heard. His color wasn't good, a sort of grayish-blue so we decided he needed to go to the hospital. We didn't want to wake the other 2 boys so I took him while Donna stayed home with Caden & Garren & tried to get some sleep.

It's actually been a little while since any of us have been sick. We had a rough start to the Fall & have a history of staying sick through the Fall & Winter. We all suffer seasonal allergies & have had constant colds, sinus & ear infections the past few years. This year I decided something had to give & while researching essential oils for something else I learned it has great immune boosting effects too! I didn't need much convincing since none of the allergy medications were doing the trick & I was spending what the start-up kit cost every month on over the counter medications & prescriptions trying to keep us well.

We were all still sick when our start-up kit arrived & I immediately set up the diffuser & added some theives essential oil to it while I read up on what else we could use & what benefits they would have. The bugs we had had to run their course while the oils went to work boosting our immune systems but since then, early September, we have been bug free here, well until now.

I've seen a lot of friends posting on fb about them or their children having the flu or pneumonia or just reoccurring coughs & colds. I have to say, Kellan having croup was kind of a surprise. He had a fever over the weekend but no other symptoms, he just woke up Monday night in a bad way & since being treated at the hospital with steroids & an epinephrine breathing treatment he's been fine other than a croup cough, not that it's any fun.

Kellan in the ER

Compared to the previous 3 years Sept to January is a pretty good run for our family. There isn't a medication for croup as its a virus & they only treat breathing difficulties if they present so since being in the ER, I've been running the diffuser with oils to help breathing, healing & keep our immune systems up. Obviously essential oils don't keep us from ever getting sick but they sure have cut down on the frequency we do & have kept us from passing stuff around & around between us.

Considering the ineffectiveness of this years flu vaccines & the severity of the flu, I feel good knowing we have the added protection on essential oils.

Kellan relaxing the day after his late night excursion

If you're interested in essential oils or would like to chat about them feel free to shoot me an email, I'd love to chat & even share some samples :)

Kellan & Garren's NICU Graduation Anniversary

Three years ago today (well this past Sunday now since I've slacked on getting this posted) Caden's time as the only child at home was up. Kellan & Garren joined their brother at home just 3 days later.mt was good we didn't have too much time with just one baby at home, because 1 was pretty easy compared to 3 & we wouldn't have wanted to have gotten too use to that, lol...

Garren

Kellan

Kellan, Garren & Caden ready to roll out of the NICU

Caden, Garren & Kellan in all loaded in the car heading home

This first few weeks are a blur, we literally just existed for the boys, pumping, feeding, changing, sleeping & doctor appointments was about we accomplished during that time. 

Kellan

Kellan & Garren have also grown into quite extraordinary little people. Kellan is still our baby of the group. He's sensitive, emotional & very attached to his moms & brothers. Kellan is super smart & like Caden learns things very easily & quickly. He's loves a good time & a good laugh & unfortunately has an electronics addiction. It's not that he has to be on his tablet or watching TV 24/7, it's that he can't not touch them. We will put a video in & just as the movie starts he runs over & opens the DVD player. He loves buttons I guess & just can't help himself when it comes to pushing them. He also loves Thomas the train, Woody & Buzz Lightyear & of course Cars. He's pretty artistic & will sit & paint or color the longest of the 3 boys & he's our biggest, pickiest, but biggest eater. Kellan can still be shy but will talk to any child that comes around, his first line is always "how are you doing?" It's funny to hear in his little voice. He is a lover & cuddler, he's likes to squeeze right in the middle of everyone or sit right on your lap. He loves his brothers and always tries to wake them up even though they sleep longer than he does.

Garren

Garren is our little spitfire! And that is putting it mildly, lol... He looks & acts so sweet & innocent at first & then his true colors come flying out faster than you know what hit you, and he has probably literally run smack into you! He's wild, fearless, loud, bossy, argumentative & funny but he is also so sweet & caring. He's quick to kiss a boo boo or help his brothers up when they've fallen. He always looks out for them with others & translates when needed. He calls everyone honey or babe. He is his Mom Mom's boy for sure, when Donna is home he doesn't let her out of his sight. He's smart & more mechanical than his brothers, he is usually our little mr fix it when a toy comes apart or one of the boys can't figure out how to work something. He also loves to color & paint bit only has the attention span to do so for about 3 minutes. He NEVER STOPS MOVING if he does then he's asleep in about 60 seconds. Garren is the only one of the boys that has taken to a stuffed animal & he still carries around a lovey (& sucks his thumb - I already know he will need braces!) when he gets hurt he insists he needs a bath to feel better but can usually be soothed with an m&m or 2 :)

I couldn't imagine what life would be like with triplet boys & now I can't imagine life without them. They keep us on our toes for sure but they fill us both with so much love & joy!

THREE YEARS OLD!!!

It's so hard to believe that these amazing little boys have been with us for 3 years now, yet sometimes it feels like they've been here all along & it's difficult to recall what life was like before them.

The boys sweet Triplet BFFs!!!

Well here is what these crazy boys are up to lately...

They have come so far verbally! It seems they never stop talking now, lol... Caden is more assertive in his speaking, beginning or ending his sentences with "mommy." "Mommy more milk please?" Or "I'm ready to get out of the tub mommy." His tantrums have cut down significantly since he has been able to communicate so much better. :)

Since they are talking more they are expressing some of their knowledge more, saying colors instead of just pointing to them, singing their ABCs instead of just identifying the letters, counting anything & everything, finding & calling out shapes in random objects. They also love to identify animals & make their sounds along with other objects like fire trucks & airplanes.

Strangely the more the boys talk the more they sign. I didn't start out teaching them to sign because of their speech delay but it did help out in that situation. When the boys started speech therapy it was said that as they start talking more they would drop the signing but just the opposite has happened & they are picking up more & more signs, combining signs, Kellan even signs his ABCs.

Caden; 1, 1.5, 2 & 3 years old

Their is no shortage on curiosity here. Garren & Caden ask what everything is & Garren asks what's it for. Kellan is more quiet & just looks at things, opening & closing them, driving them back & forth, really getting a good idea of how it works. All 3 of them get into everything & they've gotten really good at getting to where they aren't suppose to be. As if it wasn't bad enough when they learned to open or take down the baby gates, now they can put them back up too, so if I'm looking for one of them and see the gate still up I usually don't suspect they are in that room but not now! They will take the gates down, sneak into the room & put it bak up without making a peep, it's the silence that gives them away every time!

Adventure is a hot commodity for the boys too. Even Caden who was apprehensive to even climb on the playground equipment & go down a slide is now diving head first on his belly down the tallest slide he can find. Kellan has become a runner, though that is really NOT a good thing! He's really scared me a couple of times when he has run out doors of places we were shopping! He WILL get a harness & leash if he does that to me one more time! Garren is just a little daredevil, climbing up & hoping off of whatever & now leading his brothers right along with him.

The boys have been very challenging the past couple of months but I think (& hope) we are over the hump now & things are calming down. The boys wanted to test EVERY SINGLE LIMIT & pitch the most horrific tantrums when they didn't get their ways. Listening was also a huge challenge but is getting better with some old fashioned counting, 1... 2... 

Kellan; 1, 1.5, 2 & 3 years old

Keeping them busy has also helped a lot. We got somewhere to play everyday, a playground, (we have some good ones here) the tennis courts to chase some balls or just run or we travel a little for someplace new, indoors or just different. I usually save new/indoor places for bad weather days. 

I'm also planning to start a preschool homeschool curriculum soon. We've been working on letter sounds, sight words & the boys started trying to write letters on their own so we're running with it. Garren's learning style is different than Caden & Kellans so that's why I want to start with a curriculum. He needs a more hands on approach (like his mommy) than his brothers who seem to learn things by just seeing or hearing them a couple times.

The boys have a new obsession now, well since Easter. They had a few random items with Toy Story characters on them & had been inquiring about who they were so for Easter we got them the DVDs.we took them to pick out their birthday gift from us just knowing Garren would choose Jessie & Caden & Kellan would choose Woody. They completely surprised us & all 3 chose Buzz Lightyear! Kellan does have a little figure he picked up someplace that he is calling Woody, it's not actually Woody but we won't tell him that, lol...

Garren; 1, 1.5, 2 & 3 years old

Thomas, & Lightning are still a big par of our days, they have not lost their love or interest in them. Actually they also picked out some new train tracks to add to their current ones for their birthday too.

We are looking forward to the boys starting some sports & other activities soon, now that they are 3, they are all so active & busy i think they will really like soccer, gymnastics & t-ball! 

All 3 of the boys are so rough & tumble! They keep bumps, bruises & scrapes most of the time. They've turned our home into a giant wrestling ring or obstacle course! they really REALLY need a back yard!!! All 3 of them are also incredibly loving! They love to hug, kiss & cuddle, even with each other. When anyone gets hurt they are quick to offer a kiss & hug. With their big smiles & dimply grins they make it very difficult to get mad at them.

And of course we are looking forward to being a diaper free household in the near future too! Potty training has gone really well so far, Garren & Kellan have it down & Caden is "trying" he asks to "try pee pee in the potty?" & we of course let him. It's hit & miss for him though, I think he just doesn't have the feeling understood yet but he will in his time.

***This post is really random & all over the place but these are little details about this age that I want to remember so I wrote them just as I thought about them :)

It's Easy...When They're Ready!

Very wise words from a fellow blogger with 4 boys (& a girl) of her own!

When they're ready, potty training is easy.

Kellan woke up Monday morning & decided he did not want to wear a diaper, he wanted to 'pee pee on potty' & that is exactly what he has been doing! 

Garren wanted to run around in the buff while potty training & it worked out well for him so that is what I'm doing with Kellan also. Kellan is more interested in underwear though & wanted to wear a pair yesterday. We gave it a try in the morning but he couldn't get them off fast enough & had an accident (his only one) standing next to the potty chair. He was so upset about it even though I reassured him it was ok. He went without undies the rest of the day but when he's ready to try wearing them again I'll have him go shirtless so it's easier for him to pull his underwear down. 

He's been very independent & hasn't needed any reminders from me. He also tries to go when I ask him to before nap time, bed time or if we are going out. 

While Garren decided on his own & was pretty easy to potty train also, he's had his quirks. I'm kind of in disbelief how easy it has been so far with our usually quirky Kellan! :)

A couple weeks ago Kellan decided he had to have a hat on when we went out, no matter what the weather was & it's been in the upper 70's & 80's recently. Here are a few pics of his 'hat of the day' 

If you're on Instagram you can see more by finding me, springtrips or #kellanshatoftheday 

Flash Back Friday

Kangaroo Care with Kellan

Stitches...

I just spent the evening in the ER with Kellan.

He tripped & fell spliting his eyebrow open on the TV table.

Donna stayed home with Garren & Caden. While we both wanted to be with Kellan it just didn't make sense to take everyone to the ER, keeping them up past their bedtime & exposing them to hospital germs.

Kellen cried quite a bit when he fell, even though it wasnt a hard hit I just knew there would be blood. By the time Donna got home & we decided it warranted an ER visit, he had calmed down. When I left with just him, he & his brothers had a meltdown, poor boys aren't use to being seperated.

He did well in the waiting area although he would say "all done" every so often. They got us in pretty quickly & it took the doctor 2 seconds to determine he needed stitches vs glue. It was a wide gash through his eyebrow.

The actual stitching was horrible, Kellan wanted to wiggle & get up so they had to strap him down, which REALLY upset him!

But he scored a new soothie & afterwards all was right with the world again.

Looked like 5 or 6 stitches inside & 4 stitches outside.
We go back this weekend to get them out. The doctor said 3 to 5 days, I prefer sooner rather than later and hope he doesn't have a scar, although I'm sure boys think scars are cool :o)

He Finally Did It!!!

Kellan 

The first to sit up, crawl, pull up & cruise the furniture has finally decided to join his brothers & WALK!!! {@ 15 months 3 weeks actual, 13 months adjusted}

 

He isn't super steady yet, but at almost 30 lbs it's a lot to balance & coordinate, lol... He has been persistent this week going from just a couple steps on Monday to as many as 10-12 steps today. 

It is a good thing they are finally all walking to because they are really getting too heavy to tote around, especially during the times one of us has to carry two!   

 

 

Just in case you think life gets crazier with walkers... It actually gets easier when you have multiples :) I no longer have to pick each one up & carry them one by one to where I want them, crib, high chair, etc. now I say "time to eat" & they walk right up to their high chairs, or I say "nap time" and they all walk to their room. It's SO nice to NOT have them contained in one area & have to run them back & forth one by one!!! Also now in restaurants, instead of holding them all & breaking our backs waiting for a table & 3 high chairs, they will stand with us. Right now Garren will even walk beside us, it won't be long before the other two are just as steady :)

And Even More Baby Steps...

Without realizing it, Kellan has been standing unsupported & even taking 1 or 2 steps.
There is no effort going into it & I don't think he thinks he can do it yet. With both of his brothers walking now & our furniture finally being here, I'm hoping he is encouraged to start trying to walk.

He sure is cute though in his John Deere hat & cloth diaper ;)

Did I Really Say "GO!!!"

It sure didn't take long for Kellan to go from crawling to climbing!!!

Remember this photo of Kellan?

 Well it sure didn't take long to turn into this!

GO!!! ...{Kellan}

Kellan is officially crawling. He is still a little unsteady & falls to his tummy every 3rd or 4th step but, I have had to really keep my eye on him or he disapears...

He's really curious about the other areas of the house now & he made it to the kitchen 4 times today & in the pups water bowl once. He cornered Haddie twice, which was very comical & has crawled to the opening of the hall to just stare down it. It must look like a long way to go because he heads back to the living room from there.

Kellan is also learning to climb. Right now it's just on top of toys & Eason but, he is eyeballing the coffee table quite often & has tried reaching for objects on it.

 We are working on baby proofing NOW!!!

 Eason offering a little encouragement kiss

He gets really upset when he can't figure out how to get up there

 Eason is such a good sport, he hangs in there with the boys even when they are all over him