Seriously!?!?!

The boys haven't even had a chance to get over their croup/RSV virus & we've ALL caught a stomach virus :( Fortunately only 2 of us are vomiting (so far) & the doctor has called in zofran to help with that.

Bless our pediatrician, she is so sweet & patient with us but also so understanding when it comes to having 3 sick kids.

I'm over this flu season already & I'm not even sure it has officially started yet? September???

That's all, I've got to get back to washing puke & diarrhea covered everything...

Flash Back Friday

Look at those baby faces!!! (& chubby bellies)

Caden, Garren, Kellan, 9 months old.

Operation Toddler Beds ~ Week 2

This week started week 2 of the boys in toddler beds...

Last night we tucked the boys into bed, I was going to read to them but Kellan was crying about going to bed & I didn't feel like yelling over him, so I put the book away & took my place on the floor between their beds. At first everyone layer down & I thought thankfully this looks like its going to be an easy night... I thought too soon! The boys started jumping in their beds & then into each others beds. My back ached from laying on that floor every afternoon & every night, some nights all night long due to the boys being sick & waking throughout the night. I was too tired tonight. My patience quickly left me & I got up & walked out of their bedroom. Donna asked what was going on & I just said I cannot do this tonight. She reminded me that out plan wasn't o lay in their every night until they went to sleep & that they had to learn to stay on bed in their own & go to sleep. I agreed, I guess with Caden & Kellan being so sick & having trouble at night I just got sucked in & forgot the initial plan. So I watched from the monitor and as one got out of bed I went in & put him back, after a couple times of me going in, Donna took a turn at it, then I went in, then she went in & then finally... They went to sleep :)

Eason trying to wake Caden for a doctors appt...

So today for nap time I rounded the boys up into their room, got them each in their own beds & said night night. Garren was missing his lovey so I knew I'd have to go back in which worked out for today. I left closed the door & went to find Garren's lovey, I took it back in just in time to see Caden dive back into his bed. I then noticed Kellan was missing his pacifier, so agin I walked out, closed the door & went to find a pacifier. I walked back in again just catching Caden not getting out of his bed, lol...

I kissed them all again & said time for naps, go night night. I walked out, closing the door & headed to our room to get the monitor. I pick it up just in time to see Garren sneak into Caden's bed, so I go back in, put Garren back in his bed & tell him that's it, time to go night night. He cried for a couple of minutes & they were all out! :)

Garren not budging...

Last night the plan was again to read a bedtime story & say goodnight & leave. The story didn't happen do to crying again. We gave hugs & kisses, tucked everyone in, said goodnight & left. Besides the tears, it went really really well. The boys stayed in bed, they cried... Kind of like the early days of being put in their cribs. (I was never a fan of crying it out & they never cried for more than a couple of minutes, just letting us know their protest to going to bed) about 20 minutes after we left I spotted Garren crawling across the floor, lol... He grabbed a book & jumped back in bed. A few minutes later Caden was standing in front of bed, he looked like he was trying to decided what he could get away with. Donna went in at this point & tucked everyone back in. We didn't hear from them again after that until 8 o'clock this morning :)

Eason gave up on Kellan & just joined him :)

Hopefully it continues to go well. I am happy with the progress they have made staying in bed & sleeping all night with the exception of being sick. 

Rough Week

Donna sent me out this yesterday morning. I didn't have anyone to meet or any place I really needed to go so I decided to take the dogs to the beach for a walk.

Caden, Garren & the sick one, Kellan

Kellan & Caden

It's been a bit of a rough week here, last Monday started with Kellan coughing & just being cranky, Tuesday he was quite miserable & his cough was worse & he had a fever, by the time I got him to the doctor on Wednesday in addition to his cough, general misery & fever his nose had also let loose. Everything sounded & looked good on the inside & it was decided he had croup. There isn't a treatment for croup as it is a virus & just has to run its course. The next couple of nights were hard on him as his cough kept waking him up & he was having a hard time resting (in turn, so was mom!)

Caden's ER worthy look

He was happy with his ride until I pulled

out my phone to take a photo, lol...

Caden entertaining himself while

waiting for his test results

And right back to his spot on

the couch when we got home

Thursday morning Caden woke with same cough Kellan had, since it was most likely the same thing I didn't call the doctor. His other symptoms kicked in quicker than Kellan's though & by Sunday he was in really rough shape, crying every time he coughed or sneezed & not getting any rest. Donna & I decided he should be seen, so I took him to the ER. The doctors comments were "his breathing sounds tight, his lungs sound clear, his right ear is red & so is his throat." She suggested we run tests for the flu, strep, RSV & do a chest X-ray, so we did. He tested positive for RSV :( but everything else was fine including his chest X-ray. The ER doctor said to follow up with his pediatrician to keep an eye & hopefully keep it from going to pneumonia. 

I started giving Caden & Kellan breathing treatments after we got home from the ER (the dr there said it might help) & they both took the longest naps they had had in a week. They also slept better Sunday night than they had in a week. They did wake up at 3:30 am hungry but they haven't been eating well & barely touched their dinner so I gave them some graham crackers & milk & they went back to bed & slept until after 9 this morning. They look much better than they have & aren't coughing as hard but they still have runny noses & now Garren does too, he's also tugging at his ear :(

Lots of crying :(

Amidst all of this sickness the boys have been screaming & crying pretty much non-stop. They are fighting with each other, whining over their own misery, not eating, & needing to be held constantly! I was at my wits end by the weekend & it wasn't near over yet which is why Donna sent me out this morning. 

High tide!

Eason & Haddie after a nice

walk in the rain on the beach

The dogs & I had a nice but rainy walk on the beach. Eason chased the water as the waves came & went, Haddie ran from the water as it came up, lol. They both enjoyed running in the sand & just getting out for a while without the kiddos.

The boys all went to see Dr J this morning and so far we have no ear infections but some redness & fluid so I will keep my eye on that. Caden still has some tightness in his chest so I will continue the breathing treatments on him & hopefully everyone will be back to themselves in the next couple of days!

Flash Back Friday

Caden, Garren & Kellan's first week at home. 

All sleeping together in a pack n play bassinet,

look at all the extra room around them! 

Where did my preemies go?!? ;)

I'm a little early with the Halloween theme but I couldn't wait! I'm excited about the coming season & holidays. I think the boys will really enjoy Trick or Treating this year & picking out pumpkins & going on hay rides... maybe not dressing up so much but that won't stop us from trying :) I hope you enjoy the new blog decor'! Happy upcoming Autumn :)

Operation Toddler Beds

We decided to transition the boys to toddler beds this past weekend. They don't climb out of their cribs or even try but while we were on vacation they did climb from one pack n play to another. Technically they are all too big for pack n plays & if they even lean on the side they tip over. we got through vacation by strategically placing them so that they were against a wall & holding each other up bit since we travel pretty often we thought it was best for them to learn to sleep in beds so when we are at the grandparents we don't have to worry about them climbing, flipping or falling.

Donna is SOOO excited that we won't have to lug heavy pack n plays that take up valuable storage space around anymore!!!

This is how the boys' beds have been set up since they started sleeping in their own cribs, the hated being separated initially & this was how we worked that out. I tried separating them to give them more floor space to play in their room but none of them went for it. Hopefully we will be able to make some changes once they get the hang of their toddler beds :)

Donna & Garren taking off the front of the cribs

& installing the toddler rails.

Donna, Kellan & Garren attaching fasteners

to the toy box so that it stays closed

The finished product

(yes, those pictures are crooked,

the room belongs to 2 year olds!)

The First night was good! :) I wasn't sure what to expect out of the boys. We did our usual bedtime routine, "hey boys, it's time to go night night." They run in their room to get in their beds, only this time they jump in themselves & then jump out of their beds & take off running running down the hall... We got them all back to their room convinced them to get back in their beds & repeated the bed part over & over again until no one was trying to get out anymore. We stayed in their room with them, sitting on the floor making sure they stayed in bed, then we switched to "lay down & go night night" until each of them stayed laying down, then it was just a waiting game... They sang, bounced, played footsies & finally fell to sleep. The entire process took an hour and 45 minutes. Caden woke up crying at some point in the early AM hours but didn't get out of bed, I went in & laid down next to his bed & he laid down & went right back to sleep. They didn't get out of their beds when they woke up, they just played in bed like they usually do.

Nap #1, I was more nervous about nap time than I was bed time, at least I had Donna to help at bedtime. I wasn't sure if they would over take me at nap time or not, lol... They did good though. They pretty much had the staying n bed part down but Caden did try a few times before just giving up & going to sleep. It was an hour & 20 min until the last holdout gave in & went to sleep. Caden was out after 30 min. Garren about 40-45 min & Kellan decided he would give it his all & tried to get out of bed & then he tried throwing his stuff out so that he had an excuse to get up & get it. I stayed consistent & he finally gave in.

Caden (foreground) Kellan (background)

Garren

Haddie found the beds comfy for her own little afternoon nap :)

The second night was good too! How long did it take before they were all asleep, well who knows? I think it was about an hour & 15 or 20 minutes but Donna & I both dozed off & woke up about 11pm, lol... At least the boys weren't having a party around us! Everyone slept all night uninterrupted & when they woke in the morning Kellan joined Caden in his bed & they played until Garren woke up a little later. I showered & then set them free, I mean opened their bedroom door since it has a knob cover on the inside & they haven't figured out how to rip it off yet.

Nap #2, WOOHOO!!! The boys got in bed, only persistent Caden tried getting up a couple times & all 3 of the boys were sleeping in 35 minutes!!! I had hope that by the end of the week I would not be laying on the floor in their bedroom anymore waiting for them to go to sleep :)

Kellan

Garren

Caden

The third night also went pretty well, not as well as nap #2 but I'm going to guess everyone was asleep in under an hour or so. I sat with the boys alone this time as Donna thought maybe bedtime was taking so long because she was there & the boys are always a little more wound up with her. I fell asleep again though so exact time is a questionable again along with who went to sleep first. Caden didn't disappoint though, he tried sneaking out of bed a couple times before giving in for the night. It has always taken a bit longer for the boys to wind down at night but I'm still hopeful that I won't be hanging out on the floor every night for too long.

Nap #3 didn't go as great as yesterday. Kellan who is sick with croup went to sleep pretty quickly but Caden & Garren played & played & played & got themselves a little smack on the butt for not staying in bed (Caden) & for screeching at the top of his lungs (Garren.) They both finally gave up & went to sleep right at the 1 hour mark.

So that's what is going on here during sleep times this week. I think that it's going well? At least once they go to sleep they stay asleep & when they have woke up in the middle of a nap or at night they've stayed in their bed & gone back to sleep on their own, so really no complaints from me :)

Finally... Speech Therapy

The boys finally started speech therapy Yesterday. What a long process that was! It took 4 months from the time the pediatrician referred them & they got their evaluations until they actually started.

I'm just happy it has started & look forward to the progress it brings. Caden & Kellan have started talking more, still not where they should be but more so then they were. Even Garren is talking more than he was but he didn't qualify for therapy.

The therapist, whom we will refer to as Miss A came for the first time yesterday. I wasn't really sure what to expect of therapy or how the boys would react to her since Caden & Kellan are both pretty shy. Surprisingly Caden took right to her & played right off the bat. She brought a shape sorter out first & they played with the shapes, naming the colors & shapes & placing then in their slots. Kellan wasn't feeling well & just wanted me to hold him. Garren of course was right in the middle of it all! :)

After the shapes she sat on the floor & brought out some flash cards. The cards had objects & animals on them, she would ask things like what it was, what sound it made, what color it was & what it felt like. Kellan again wasn't of interested until the end but Caden & Garren played along well. Lastly she brought out some bubbles & suddenly Kellan came to life! All 3 of the boys LOVE bubbles! They say "bubbles," they sign bubbles, they love blowing bubbles, popping bubbles & chasing bubbles!!! Miss A was finally able to get Kellan talking. By the time she was done all 3 were saying "more," "bubbles," & "please." They didn't say all of it together but would say &/or sign 2 of them together sometimes.

Miss A was also good with telling the boys "no" or to "wait" & "that's not yours," "that is Miss A's," & she also had them helping her "clean up." The boys listened & followed her instructions really well. I was quite happy with that & hope to be able to get them all to start helping put things away when they are done & to leave certain things alone even when it is at their level.

Miss A will be visiting us twice a week which I hope means we will see improvement really fast!

Happy Birthday August & Liam

We had the pleasure of attending our adorable little friends August & Liam's 1st Birthday Party on Saturday.

Liam

The boys had such a good time bouncing in the bounce house, running around the backyard (playing in the dirt) & playing with the other kids in the playroom. They also LOVED the cupcakes, eating them icing first just like their great grandma would.

The boys made a couple of new friends, one that is just as obsessed with Thomas.the.Train as they are & the other a sweet little girl who also has 2 moms.

August :)

Liam and August were the cutest little guests of honor & were so fun to watch eating their little birthday cakes. 

Liam

August

Garren made quite the exit when we were leaving, yelling "bye bye, have a good day" to everyone & then he proceeded to walk around hugging & kissing everyone goodbye, lol! He is such a little nut!

It sure has been fun watching these little guys grow since we met them 8 months ago & we look forward to the adventures the next year has in store for them & their mamas!

Happy Happy 1st Birthday Sweet August & Liam!!!

First Visit to Chuck.E.Cheese

While we were at my parents in Orlando we took the boys to Chuck.E.Cheese for the first time.

The boys absolutely loved it!!! It was quite a bit different than I remember it from my childhood. There was more for little kids than I had expected.

Pizza!

Garren wasn't sure about this ride at first but then he

wouldn't get off of it & rode it 4 times in a row, lol

Caden was ready to ride but Kellan was smitten with Barney :)

Kellan holding Barney's hands

Ridin' the rides!!!

I think Kellan is ready to be a jockey, lol

Garren cruisin' with Chuck E

Caden liked the games :)

A boy after my heart with ski-ball!

Garren did a little dancing...

Actually he did a lot of dancing!

Kellan liked the flying bicycle too!

And so did Caden!

It was a really fun night, a little exhausting chasing the boys around but very much worth it!

Friday morning as we were getting ready to head home Garren started saying "cheese." I thought he was asking for cheese to eat but then he'd do a little dance move & say "dance." I finally figured out he was asking to go to Chuck.E.Cheese & dance. This kid seriously cracks me up!!!

Thank you Grandma & Grandpa for such a fun treat!!!

Another Trip...

On Donna's first day back to work after our long 2 week vacation she got an email informing her she needed to attend a training class in Tampa the very next week. The training class was an entire week long :(

She really wasn't note resting in being away from home or work for another week but her only other choice was to attend the class in Houston the second week in October. Well she really wasn't interested in going to Houston & October would have been a really bad time since my sister's baby is due mid October :-/

Donna was also uncomfortable leaving me home alone with the boys for a week, with no help or family close by. My solution to that was to go to my dad's in Orlando for the week. I have lots of friends there & would have my dad & bonus mom home in the evenings for a little relief. I would also be close enough to take the boys to have dinner with Donna mid week.

So Sunday afternoon the boys & I headed to Orlando, the drive was uneventful.

Kellan with a snack, a drink & watching video on the drive

Playing in the dirt at Grandma & Grandpa's

Caden with his dirt covered face

An outdoor bath to get rid of all that dirt

Kellan snuggling with Grandpa

Monday my dad was off work, so he went with us to get a few groceries. He & Marie (my bonus mom) always keep us well fed & stocked up on snacks & treats when we visit, so this trip I decided I'd cook dinner since they would both be working.

A little pool time with Grandpa

Tuesday I decided the boys & I would hang out at the house, play in the yard, swim & get a good nap. I had big plans for Wednesday!!! :)

Wednesday we headed to Tampa to see our triplet BFFs. 

I've mentioned my good friend Jennifer before, we met online when we were both pregnant, we spent many late nights chatting while feeding 3 hungry babies & we still talk just about everyday while chasing crazy 2 year olds around. :) The kids all get along great & I think Jack likes to have some male bonding time with the boys since he is outnumbered 3 to 1 by girls. It's also nice for Jennifer & I to be able to have a face to face conversation every once in a while. About 2:30 Jennifer had to pick up her oldest daughter, Marley from school. I was going to sit with all 6 kids while she went to get her but my nap dictator, Kellan sounded his nap alarm (screamy sort of cry) just as we were discussing it, so I decided to take the boys for a ride so they'd cat nap while she took her kiddos along to pick up Marley. We met back up for a little more playtime & then I headed to meet up with Donna for dinner.

A bunch of kids with a bunch of gadgets!

Caden checking out what the girls have

Jumping!

Playing outside

Snack time

Their friends wore them out...

& they seem to have worn their friends out too :)

Thursday the boys & I slept late after getting home late Wednesday night. We played at the house again in hopes of another good nap day (they are hot & miss when we are away from home) because grandma & grandpa had a treat for us after work... Post on that to come :)

Kellan discovered the dishwasher & thought

it made a nice step up to the counter

Friday we headed home right after breakfast & as much clean-up as I could do while being chased by 3 2 year olds undoing everything I tried to do, lol... It was another uneventful drive & we are all happy to be sleeping in our own beds again.

Eason enjoying having a seat off the floor