Florida Wedding

Hi everyone, Dave here...

Alyssa and I had the pleasure to travel down to Orlando for my cousin's wedding in March. We had a great time there, and it was fun to watch Alyssa travel on an airplane for the first time since she was a baby. If it were up to Alyssa, she probably would've packed for the trip a week or two before we actually left, unlike her dad, who waits til the last minute and packs everything under 5 minutes flat. We were fortunate to fly down to Orlando with Grandma and Papo (my parents), and we all enjoyed watching Alyssa get so excited. Even though we parked in what seemed to be about 50 miles from the airport in the economy lot, the shuttle got us to the airport in one piece.

 

A few days before we left, Alyssa had to go to the BMV to get an ID card to travel, and she thought she was hot stuff with it. She had her backpack with wheels carry on with some books and other things to preoccupy her (thanks Grammy!), and I had a few Sports illustrated magazines to read (March Madness time!), so all was going well, until...

"Do as I say, not as I do" should be a motto for me in terms of giving out parenting advice. I did two "no-no's" on the airplane with Alyssa. The first thing I did was tell her that when we take off in the airplane to go up in the sky, her ears may pop and it could hurt. Alyssa already has big, green eyes, but when I said the words "pop", "hurt", and "ears", her eyes bulged out with panic, and she began to whimper. I taught her how to hold your nose and blow to make her ears feel better, so she proceeded to practice this for about 15 minutes straight while we were on the runway. You're probably thinking, "just give her some gum" right? Well, Alyssa seems to swallow gum after about 20 seconds, so I got her some fruit snacks. But, I forgot to tell her to wait and eat it while we were ascending in the airplane. So, I'm sitting in my seat reading an article in SI, and I look over and see Alyssa devouring a huge bag of fruit snacks while we're parked. Thankfully, her ears didn't "pop", and according to Alyssa, she said they just felt a little weird.

The second no-no was a bathroom incident with Alyssa. First off, the bathroom is a perfect size for only one 5 year old. But, she was a little nervous going by herself, so I went with her. So, what did wise daddy tell his little princess? "Alyssa, make sure you flush the toilet (you need earplugs for those toilet flushings!), or else you'll get sucked out of the airplane, and you'll have to flap your arms really fast to meet us in Orlando." Yes, I did say that, and yes, Alyssa's eyes bulged out again, and yes, I have a tendency to joke around way too much with my family. After she realized she wasn't going to get sucked out of the plane, she felt more comfortable going potty on the plane.

We finally made it to Orlando, and we had a wonderful time. My brother, Mike, and his family also flew down, so it was great seeing all of them, too. We all wish Amanda and the triplets could have come, but there was just no way it could have worked. Had the triplets come, I'm fairly certain they would've knocked over the wedding cake, screamed during the vows, picked a fight with some other 2 year olds, ran on the dance floor screaming during the first dance between the bride and groom, and Florida would've categorized them as a Category 4 hurricane. Before you start feeling sorry for Amanda, please know that she's going out to Hawaii this summer for about a week ALL BY HERSELF!!!! Pray for my kids during that week! :-) My brother Mike's two kids, Will (4) and Paige (almost 2), along with Alyssa, danced the night away on the dance floor. All three of them danced and danced and danced, and it was awesome to see them get along so well.

 

The day after the wedding, we all went to SeaWorld, where we saw sharks, manatees, alligators, and of course, Shamu. That was an exhausting day, but we loved it. Before we left, my Uncle Bob and I got in line for the big roller coaster. We waited in line a few extra minutes just to get to the front, and man, was it awesome! I hadn't been on a rollercoaster for years, and I loved it! Alyssa, Papo, and Grandma also went on a kiddy rollercoaster ride and loved it.

One of the best parts of the trips was after we returned home. We got off the plane and walked towards the baggage claim, and we got to see Amanda, the triplets, and Grandpa waiting for us. Seeing their smiling faces just made my day! That's it for now. Until next time...

Houston, We Have a Website Problem

Hi everyone!
We hope all of you are doing well. Due to the website problems, we haven't been able to log on for awhile, and we obviously haven't been able to keep you updated on things. To be honest, not a whole lot has changed. Amanda is REALLY uncomfortable, as the babies are now getting bigger and bigger, and there's just not a lot of room left. Her contractions have been under control, and she continues to amaze me with her positive, selfless attitude. I'm very blessed to be married to such a strong Christian woman.
So, many of you are probably wondering...How much longer? Well, if I knew, I would tell you. My hypothesis (yes, science geek is back!) is that it'll be in the next week or 2 at most. The doctor will probably do an amniocentesis (they get some of the amniotic fluid from each of the babies' amniotic sacs) to test to see how well their lungs are developed. If they are all developed, then the babies will most likely come out. So, please keep praying for Amanda and the little ones.
Lately, we've had a flurry of activity in our household. We've had visits from Uncle Ben, Aunt Caroline, Aunt Fran, Great-Grandma, and for two days now, we've had the joy of having Uncle Bob (who is presently putting together an aquarium swing. Thanks!!!!) and cousin Erin at our house. Our family and friends have been incredible to us, so please know how thankful we are. Alyssa has loved all the visitors, and she feels so comfortable with Uncle Bob and Erin that she decided to play soccer in the backyard with just a diaper on. (Hey, it was like 100 degrees in the shade today, and she spilled blue icy stuff on her princess Barbie jammies.)
Alyssa continues to be a joyful blessing to us. I've been teaching her about Jesus, and lately, I've tried to get her to tell me where Jesus lives. So, I point up to the clouds through her window and say Heaven. One time I asked her, and I pointed through the window again, wanting her to say Heaven, and she said that Jesus was on the window.
Another funny instance is I gave her some cheese lately. Now, Alyssa loves cheese, as do I. So, I was cutting some Habenero Hot Pepper Cheese (her Uncle Mike would love this stuff), and she wanted some, but I told her it was spicy. She's had "spicy" chicken strips before, so she somewhat understands what spicy means. Anyway, I gave her a little piece, (Yes, another stupid dad decision!) and the next thing I see is a little 2 year old girl not quite understanding why her mouth is on fire. Little whimpers were coming out of her mouth, and she then asks me for a paper towel. She takes the paper towel, and starts licking the paper towel to "wipe off" the hot stuff on her tongue. Now, one of my favorite movies is Dumb and Dumber with Jim Carrey. In one scene, they dare each other to eat an incredibly hot pepper at the same time, and it obviously about kills them. To cool off their blazing tongues, Jim Carrey grabs a ketchup and a mustard bottle, and squirts them on his tongue at the same time to get some relief. So, I guess we had a Dumb and Dumber moment (I sure do have a lot of these!) with cheese lately.
Well, that's about it for now. I'll give another update after Thursday's doctor's appointment.
Until next time...
Mr. Mom

This was copied and edited from our previous website, on Babysites.

Baby B Passed!

Hi everyone!
As you could tell from the title, Baby B "practiced" breathing during the ultrasound today. We're very happy about how it went, and on Thursday we'll do it all over again with another round of biophysical tests. Amanda is doing pretty well physically, but laying on a bed for so long is starting to get to her. If you've never seen the Bill Murray movie, Groundhog Day, you should, because it sort of reflects what Amanda's days are like. In the movie, Bill Murray keeps reliving the same day over and over again. Needless to say, Amanda feels as though each day is the same. To her credit, however, she is unbelievably positive and willing to do whatever is needed to take care of the babies. She often says that the more she has to "suffer," the less the babies have to suffer when they come out.
Alyssa still continues to make us laugh and cry throughout the day. A couple of days ago, she and I went to visit one of my best friends (James). We had lunch at a Subway, and afterwards, we went out to James' car. He travels with his big lab doggy, Pete. Alyssa loves doggies, so she went out and had fun petting Pete. After a few minutes (yes, she has the attention span of a flea), she stood behind me as I was saying my goodbyes to James. Well, the next thing I hear is a male stranger mumbling about something being yucky. I turned around to see my 2 year old with her hands in the cigarette can, holding about 5 cigarette butts. I ran over and told her to drop them immediately, which only made her upset. Usually, I try to reason with her about these things, but holding 5 used cigarette butts in her hand just made me want to vomit, so I threw them back and told her to never, ever touch them again. The screaming and kicking which ensued was quite the site to see, let me tell you. I'm not sure if she thought the cigarette can was a miniature sandbox or what, but that was pretty nasty. Although she briefly had nicotine stained hands, she was able to go home and see her Uncle Ben, who is visiting for a few days for a wedding.
Well, that's about it for now. Please keep praying for Amanda and the babies.
Take care. Until next time...
Mr. Mom

This was copied and edited from our previous website, on Babysites.

Happy 4th of July!

Hi everyone!
We hope you all are enjoying a peaceful 4th of July. I've been praying to the Lord that Amanda's delivery date would be at least July 4th or beyond, so I'm thankful to God that He's blessed us with a "long" pregnancy. July 4th is one of the best holidays, because it lets us reflect on the blessings God has given this country. I look forward to the day when I can explain to Alyssa and the triplets that we live in the greatest country on earth, and that the freedom we enjoy so much here came at a huge price that is worth fighting for.
"OK, enough Patrick Henry, how's Amanda doing?" Amanda is still hanging in there, and I'm constantly amazed by her positive attitude. She's been on bed rest for about 3 months now, and I think it's safe to say that most of us would go coo-coo by then. The babies will again have biophysical profiles this week (they're every week from now until they are born), so please pray that all goes well and that they all pass their tests like they did last week.
How's Alyssa? She is...well...Alyssa. She's a funny and cute little pile of energy that never ceases to amaze me. Over the past 5 days, she's gotten to hang out with all of the grandparents, and everyday continues to be an adventure with her. Yesterday, Mommy (bladder infection) and Alyssa (sore tummy) weren't in the best shape, and Alyssa has had some pretty big blowouts. One resulted at 2:30 a.m. last night, but she seems to be doing better. With all of these blowouts, though, her tushy gets pretty sore, and since I dedicated almost an entire journal entry to her last "diarrhea episode", I won't bore you with any more details, but I am a bit nervous...ok, terrified... on how tonight's bath will go.
Speaking of baths, Daddy did a dumb thing a few nights ago. Alyssa gets a kick out of seeing daddy blow bubbles from the bathtub water and making funny noises. Well, I thought I would do something different, so after I blew bubbles, I drew in some water in my mouth. I was going to show Alyssa that I could "spray" water from my mouth like a water fountain. (We're still trying to teach Alyssa how to spit her toothpaste from her mouth, so I view this as a learning experience for her!) My plan was to "spit" the water right past her face in a nice stream. For whatever reason (can I blame it once again on being a guy?) I chose to aim about 2 inches from her face (again, not thinking clearly). Obviously that was a little too close, because I ended up spitting water right in her eye! She was just shocked that her good ol' Daddy would hurl water right in her face. Good one Dad! So, once again, I tried to be funny, and I ended up making my 2 year old upset. Now, everytime I go to blow bubbles in her bath, she's going to hold up a washcloth so she won't get showered with Dad's spit. Poor thing.
Alyssa has been scared of getting in a pool, so this incident couldn't have helped any. Yesterday, however, she seemed OK with water because she liked getting sprayed with the hose. (It was in the high 80's/low 90's up here yesterday). We went out to water some of my tomato and pepper plants, and Alyssa started to try to drink the water coming from the hose. Because she was in her Elmo jammies and they got wet, she wanted her Elmo jammies off. So, it was quite a sight seeing little Alyssa running around in the front yard with just tennis shoes and diapers on, and she enjoyed getting sprayed with water. (I'm not sure how the neighbors reacted seeing a half-naked 2 year old playing with water, though.)
Well, that's about it for now. The next update will be Thursday to let you all know how the doctor appointment went. Take care and enjoy the fireworks tonight. (Due to our DST time change, Alyssa will be in bed before the fireworks starts, so we're going to watch Elmo's fireworks on PBS at 8:00.)
Until next time...
Mr. Mom

This was copied and edited from our previous website, on Babysites.

Babies Get an A+

Hi everyone!
All the babies passed their tests today, so we definitely continue to thank God and give Him the praise and glory for continued good health for Amanda and the babies. We weren't sure how long the appointment was going to be, since they allow 30 minutes for each baby, but it took about 40 minutes total. To "wake up" the babies, Amanda chugged an apple juice and downed a Nutri Grain bar. Like I said in my previous journal entry, the ultrasound tech tests for amniotic fluid levels, gross and fine motor movement, and breathing abilities. The "hardest" one to find is breathing ability (because babies don't practice breathing very often), so the criteria for the test is breathing for 30 seconds every 30 minutes. That's the main reason why some of these tests can last so long.
They also measured the babies, and it looks like our little girl now has the lead, weighing in at a whopping 4 lbs! Baby B was 3 lbs 11 oz, and Baby C was 3 lbs 13 oz. Now, relatively speaking, they are still "small" babies. Alyssa was 7 lbs 2 oz when she was born and we thought she was little, but with the possibility of having premature babies, we were excited when they finally reached the 1 lb mark. So, to see them all around the 4 lb mark, we're very thrilled and thankful to the Lord. The doctor told us that if the babies were born today, they'd be in the NICU for about 7 weeks, and it would cost about 1/2 a million dollars. Thankfully, we have insurance, and we've almost reached our out-of-pocket maximum.
As a dad, I get stressed out at these appointments because I feel like everything is totally out of my control. Many "nervous" people like to chew their nails. Not me. I chew my shirt. As a kid, I used to chew on my shirt, which would leave behind a big, nasty wet spot. Over the past few months, I think I've reprised this habit. I do have enough sense, however, to not have coffee or Mountain Dew before these appointments.
Amanda's contraction numbers per hour are still doing "well," but they are getting stronger. Sometimes, at home, she'll say out of the blue, "Owww!!" (Another reason why I'm chewing more shirts than ever...Guys never want to hear their wives in pain while pregnant.) When she informed the doctor about this, the doctor decided to increase her medication amount a little bit, so hopefully that'll help.
Thankfully, Grammy was able to come over to help watch Alyssa, so the appointment was very calm and peaceful. One of the nice things about not having Alyssa with us at the doctor's office is that I get to read some magazines in the waiting room. Now, I've mentioned the Mr. Mom movie quite a bit, and here's another example of how I'm like the actor in the movie. In the movie, Michael Keaton (Mr. Mom) has an interview lined up after he's been let go at an auto plant. He's in a waiting room with some other guys who are looking for a job, and they end up talking about recipes, and Mr. Mom asks one of the other guys if he can get a certain recipe from one of them. How does that relate to me? Well, believe it or not, as I was driving to the doctor's office, I started getting excited about the fact that I could look at some magazines and find some new recipe ideas. Sports Illustrated? Nah. Sporting News? Nah. ESPN the Magazine? Nah. Give me a Good Housekeeping or a Better Homes and Gardens magazine, and I'm set. Pathetic, huh?
In family news, my mom, Anne, has a big day today because she's now "retiring" from over 30 years at the newspaper. She's very deserving of retirement, but I'm sure her readers will miss her food columns quite a bit. I say "retiring" because she's now going to be a full-time Grandma with the triplets, Alyssa, and Will (my brother Mike and Laurie's son). So, congratulations Grandma! Papo and Grandma are coming up this weekend for a nice visit (please, no rain!!!), and I'm also excited since they're bringing some Shyler's beans (yes, I get excited about beans), pulled pork, and some Donut Bank coffee and donuts.
Well, I need to go wash some sheets that a certain 2 year old got chocolate on. Thank you all for your prayers and supports, and please keep praying!
Take care. Until next time...
Mr. Mom

This was copied and edited from our previous website, on Babysites.

Almost 30 weeks!

Hi everybody! Today, Amanda had a doctor's appointment, and everything looks great. Tomorrow, she'll be at 30 weeks, so we're very thankful to God for blessing us so much.
At next week's appointment, the ultrasound tech will start doing biophysical profiles (BPPs) of the babies. Are you going to get all science-y on us again Dave? Not really. Basically, they'll check to see if each baby is developing the way he or she should. They'll look at whether or not they're practicing breathing, how much they move, what the amniotic fluid levels are, etc...Each baby gets 30 minutes to "pass" the test. If a baby seems "stressed" (not moving much, not practicing breathing, etc...) they may decide on getting the babies out, but they'll do another biophysical profile a day or two later to double check. Sometimes, the baby may be sleeping, so it will "fail" the test because it won't be moving too much. Hopefully, all of our lil' ones will pass with flying colors, and they'll stay in Mommy's tummy a bit longer. Next Thursday will be a bit stressful, so please pray that all goes well, and that the babies are as healthy as can be.
Speaking of stress, parents need breaks to regain their mental and physical strength. In particular, 2 year olds with curly hair named Alyssa can wear a dad down. Thankfully, Grammy and a friend of Amanda's have helped watched Alyssa this week, so I (and Grandpa) can get some stuff done around the house. Usually, housework is stressful, but considering the alternative (chasing Alyssa all over creation), it's actually a bit relaxing.
Lately, I've been noticing some signs of stress that needed to be dealt with. I knew something was wrong when I made some OJ for Amanda and went to put it in the microwave to be nuked. Then, I gave Alyssa her bottle of vitamins and kept the one pill I got out for her in my hand. I knew I was really in trouble mentally when I got stressed out from listening to one of Alyssa's children songs as we were driving. I think it's called "There's a Hole in the Bucket," and it's basically a dialogue between a little boy named Henry and a little girl named Liza. The boy keeps complaining about why he can't fix his bucket, and the girl tries to fix his problems. The boy constantly comes up with whiny excuses, and by the end of the song, I about took the CD and flung it into a pond. I felt like yelling, "HENRY, JUST FIX THE DANG BUCKET!!!!" Liza has enough at the end of the song, too, and tells Henry that he's just plain lazy.
The next example shows why I needed a break or else I was going coo-coo. While sleeping, I had a dream that I was in my hometown where I grew up, and I was at a childhood friend's house. This was one of those scary-type dreams, because I knew I was being "watched" by someone outside the house. Now, this dream would've been labeled a nightmare had my "stalker" been Freddy Krueger (Nightmare on Elm Street movies) or the hockey mask wearing Jason Vorhees (Friday the 13th movies). Apparently, my stress level was at about an all time high, because I couldn't even get stalked by one of these cool movie star psychos. Heck, I would've even been OK with getting stalked by the little Chucky doll. But noooooo!!!! I have another type of stalker after me. In my dream, I carefully walked outside to find out who was stalking me, and lo' and behold I find out that my stalker is none other than....David Hasselholf!!!!!! Are you kidding me????? The Knight Rider and Baywatch star is now in my dreams!!!! AAAUUUGGHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I may need my sister-in-law (who's a psychologist) to help me figure out that one.
Please don't think I don't like David Hasselholf. Hey, in the 80's, Friday night was the best night for TV. I had the Dukes of Hazzard, Knight Rider, and Dallas to watch. He was one of my TV heroes, as he cruised around in that cool Pontiac Firebird Trans Am (KITT). But come on!!!!! See what happens to my brain when golf with my dad gets rained out? The negative effects last for weeks!
Well, enough about my psychotic episodes. Remember, just like in the Mr. Mom movie, my brain is oatmeal. But, I wouldn't want it any other way. Despite the struggles of raising a 2 year old, she is a wonderful little girl with a tender heart, and I absolutely love and adore her. The scary thing is that she's a carbon copy of me, and I see my own mannerisms in her. Amanda usually says, "See, she's just a little you."
Well, that's about it for now. Until next time...
Mr. Mom

This was copied and edited from our previous website, on Babysites.

Alyssa and the Firetruck

Hi everyone!
Hope all is going well with everyone. This is one of the longer journal entries, so grab a Coke and relax. A quick update on Amanda...she has a doctor's appointment tomorrow, and she's overall still tired, but she has periodic days of having a bit more energy. As for her pneumonia (try to spell that one phonetically), her cough is slowly but surely going away.
As a stay at home dad, I am starting to get into the routine of being a full-time dad. The first few weeks were very trying, but I think I'm getting the hang of it. Usually, on most days, Alyssa and I go to the park to play. A few journal entries ago, I told you that the park had slides made from a plastic that can totally electrocute you from static electricity. The negative to that is obviously the huge shock you get, but the positive is that you go really fast! Today was a July-like humid day, one that makes you sweat by just going out to get the newspaper. Well, increased humidity means increased friction. Thus, when Alyssa first went down a 15 foot slide, she went about 4 feet and stopped. She scooted her little butt down, and then I went. Needless to say, if Alyssa went 4 feet, then I went about 4 inches. So, the park wasn't much fun.
Adjacent to the park is one of the local fire departments and a pond. Alyssa and I went looking for fish and frogs, and we saw one big frog. Then, we went to look at the big red firetrucks. Some of the firemen told us to come on in, and they showed us some of their big engines. One of the firemen gave Alyssa a little fire chief hat, a fire department bracelet, and a firetruck playing card. I was a little hurt that I didn't get a fire chief hat, but Alyssa is a lot more charming than I am.
After the park, we usually run an errand or two, and then it's time to head home for the last half of Sesame Street (Elmo's World occurs then). Then, it's a little bit of Mr. Rogers, lunch, and nap time. Nap time usually lasts around 2 hours, and I either try to do some chore or take a nap (my preference), too.
Grammy (Amanda's mom) came over today to help plant some flowers. The flower responsibilities used to lie with Amanda, and I have neglected the flowers/weeding a bit, so she was a huge help. I also think I've figured out a way to get Alyssa to help with the chores, too. She has a little blue bucket, and I was dethatching some spots in my yard. My goal was to have her pick up the old, nasty grass and dump it in the trash from her bucket. Well, she didn't seem too enthused about it, so I showed her how to stuff dethatched grass in her bucket, and for some reason, she loved it! She actually thanked me a couple of times, so my point is that the Tom Sawyer method of getting people to think that chores are fun may just work. "Hey Alyssa, let's see who can pick up all the toys first!" "Alyssa, because cleaning up your room is so fun, please let me do it tonight, OK? No, daddy, I want to do it!" If it works ,it works, right?
She now absolutely loves the vacuum, too! Granted, when I turn on the attachment thingy, I try to vacuum up her tushy, and she just cracks up laughing. Today, though I missed her tushy and somehow stubbed her toe, which led to quite a cry. She also likes using the big broom, even though it's about 3 times bigger than she is. Now, if I could only get her to sweep dirt and not play ride em' cowboy on it, it'd be perfect. Hey, can you imagine if I can get all 4 kids doing all the chores by the time they are like 4 or 5? Baby A...do the dishes! Baby B...take out the trash! Baby C...fix me a chicken pot pie! Alyssa...find daddy's remote! Ah, I can see it now. Alright kids, Notre Dame football is on TV now, so go play with mommy for about 4 hours. Hmmm... wonder if mommy will go for that one?
Well, that's it for now. Oh yeah, I tried one of those Sudoko (spell?) games, and I about lost my mind. I started playing it way to late in the night, and by the time I realized it was going to take well over an hour to solve, I was determined to not let this thing beat me. Oh yeah, it was an "Easy" one, too, which made me feel even more ding batty, but after about 75 minutes of chewing my shirt, and telling Amanda how stupid and frustrating these dumb puzzles are, I finally finished. If I had a match next to me, I'm sure I would've torched the game to smoldering ashes (yes, I'm competitive). And, now, for some unexplainable reason, I want to do another one! This is how people get addicted to things! They mess with your mind until you're hooked! Remember, It all goes back to the journal entry on how Mr. Mom's brain was turning to oatmeal. No mushy brains for this dad!
Until next time...
Mr. Mom

This post was copied and edited from our previous website on Babysites.

Happy Memorial Day!

We hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day! Amanda and I look forward to the day when we can teach our little ones how blessed they are to live in the greatest country on earth.

How about some updates? Amanda has started to take iron pills due to her anemia. It's working a bit, but she's still pretty drained. The babies are really moving around, and today Amanda's tummy morphed to a unique shape, due to someone's tushy (Baby B- the hyper boy) sticking straight up.

Alyssa hasn't felt very well lately. She had diarrhea about five days ago, and she's felt warm the last day or two. Last night, she had a fever of 100.1, so I gave her a lukewarm bath and some Ibuprofen to get the fever down. She slept almost 11 hours last night, and I think she's doing a lot better now.

A couple of cute things she did today: First, she wanted to make little "poopies" out of playdoh (she's definitely my daughter, huh?), so we had some fun with that. Later, right before her nap, she decided to put on one of daddy's boxer shorts. They were just slightly too big, so she had to settle for her little princess jammies.

Dad (me) is doing pretty well. Thanks to Grammy (Amanda's mom), I was able to play some golf (my stinkin' hook is back! Not good!) with some friends yesterday, and not only did she give me some valuable R & R, but also she helped straighten up the house! Thanks Grammy!

In a previous journal entry, I expressed my frustrations with the naming of different pieces of furniture (armoire, dresser, secretary, kradenza, etc...????). Today, I learned how glad I am that I'm a male because it took me about 10 minutes to put away one of Amanda's skirt outfits. "Just put in on a hanger, dummy!" you are probably saying to yourself. You would think it would be that easy! Apparently, in the woman world, there are skirt hangers??????? Who on earth invented these things? Are there blouse hangers, too? Dress hangers? Sock hangers? What world do women live in? Males just have plain ol' hangers! One hanger works for everything! As Charlie Brown always says, "Good Grief!" Of course, I couldn't find a skirt hanger in her closet, and I couldn't find one in our spare bedroom (not gonna have one of these for long!). I guess a skirt hanger has a little clampy thingy for the skirt. Well, Alyssa has a bunch of toddler hangers that have little clampys. So, I suggested (I was totally serious, too!) that I get one of Alyssa's hangers. No such luck, says Amanda. So, I had to find a skirt hanger with a skirt already on it and double up. I bring one out to her, and it's a skirt hanger that won't double up well!!! Are you kidding me???? Now, I had to find a skirt hanger that doubles up well???? I couldn't find a skirt hanger, much less one that doubles up well!!! I finally found one that doubled up well (still confused on that one), and then I fled downstairs and watched some manly A-Team on the TV Land station. Next time I have to hang up laundry, I'm going to get another woman to do Amanda's because I just don't get it.

Well, that's it for now. Some of our friends from church (Kim and Wayne) brought over a lasagna dish with fruit that just looks awesome, so I'm going to start getting that ready.

Until next time...
Mr. Mom

This was copied and edited from our previous website, on Babysites.

Good Day!!!

Yes, today was a pretty good day with Alyssa. Amanda is doing well, but she's pretty tired from the anemia. We're now at 26 weeks, so that's a very good thing. Amanda continues to keep her mind sharp by playing Sudoku, the game where you have to match numbers accordingly. She's very smart, so I don't want to go up against her with any of the puzzles, because she'd kick my tail.
Like I said earlier, Alyssa had one of her better days today. A couple of funny instances today: First, we just finished shopping at a store where she always gets a blue sucker. When we got into the car (she climbs into her seat by herself now- she wants no help!), she dropped her sucker in the worst spot on her car seat. It dropped on the fuzzy material thingy that goes right in front of her main attachment clip. So, I had to defuzz her blue sucker. 500 feet down the road, Alyssa starts whining/crying (which she honestly very rarely ever does in the car). I turn around, and the blue sucker is now in her hair, and she doesn't know what to do. So, while driving, I reach behind to her and just yank it out of her hair. Apparently, that's not a good thing to do, but hey, it worked. Amanda later asked me if I held her hair roots down before I yanked it out, and I just said, "huh?" When confronted with a problem to solve, guys don't think, they react, which isn't always a good thing. So, once again, I "dehaired" the blue sucker for my little princess.
We finally got home, and Alyssa had lunch. For some reason or another, she decided to put her milk bottle in time out. Not sure why, but it was pretty cute. Later on, we had a pretty non-eventful trip to another grocery store. The only bummer was that their donuts weren't up to standards for tomorrow's Donies with Daddy, so we had to make an extra trip to another grocery store (they sell donut holes, one of my favorites!).
Well, that's it for now. Have a great weekend, and we'll see you all again next week. Please keep praying for Amanda and the babies!
Until next time...
Mr. Mom

This was copied and edited from our previous website, on Babysites.

Steak Anyone?

Well, today was quite the day with Alyssa.
Before I get to that, a quick update on Amanda. Tomorrow, she'll be at the 26 week mark. Today, she had a doctor's appointment, and everything looks great. It's amazing to see how much bigger the babies are on ultrasound. We used to be able to see all 3 at once, but now we can only see one at a time.
Taking Alyssa to the doctor's appointment is a headache in itself. She loves pushing the elevator buttons, which is fine, but once we get to the exam room, complete boredom apparently sets in. She usually turns on the water faucet to wash her hands about 10 times, even though we try to tell her that her brothers and sister are on TV. The exam room has a bathroom, and she likes going inside and shutting the door. For some reason, she gets freaked out about opening the door from the inside and starts crying (which is weird since she can open the door from the outside with no problem). Even though she panics, 30 seconds later, she'll do it over and over again.
Back to Amanda... she had a bunch of tests done last week, and she aced most of them. She's a bit anemic (low iron in the blood), and that's pretty common in triplet pregnancies. The babies are getting the iron they need, but momma is getting a little sucked dry. So, I take that as a hint that I need to step up as the grill chef in the family and do some more grilling. I just hate the idea of grilling more steaks, burgers, brats, etc... Actually, she'll be on an iron vitamin, which should help with the anemia. Other than that, she's doing pretty well.
Back to Alyssa...everyday, I think I could write a journal entry on my adventures with her. Yesterday, we went to a park to play. I ran ahead of her to get to the slide (yes, I like playing at the park, too), and all I hear is Alyssa crying. I turn around to see that she fell into the mulch. Apparently, two year olds don't know that they have to close their mouth when they fall, seeing that I spent the next 5 minutes picking out mulch chunks from her mouth. The park is a pretty small, but nice, park. One of the problems with these new parks is the type of plastic they use to build the slides. Every time we go down the slide, we build up quite a bit of static electricity, and whenever I hit the ground, I get a nice little shock. Usually, I try to touch something (to get rid of the shock) after I go down the slide, but sometimes I touch Alyssa and give her a pretty good zap. It's kind of funny, because now Alyssa yells to me, "No shock!"
Tonight, during bath time, Alyssa was playing with this duck thing that we have on the faucet spout. Well, she accidentally hit the shower button (yes, once again) and cold water came pouring down on her. Talk about Jekyll and Hyde! She's nice and calm, playing with the ducky as nice, warm water streams out the faucet. Then, seconds later cold water comes down on a two year old, sending her into a panicked frenzy. Great way to get her ready for bed, let me tell you.
Alyssa has been quite the handful lately. Have you ever seen the original Superman movie with Christopher Reeves? There's a scene where everything has just gone wrong (Lois Lane dies, earthquake hits, Lex Luthor's scheme is apparently working, etc...), and he's just had enough. Angry to the point of losing it, Superman just flies up with a gigantic yell and gets away from it all (until he fixes everything a few minutes later). So, tomorrow after Alyssa gives me green eyes (turns me into the Incredible Hulk), I'm going to look up to the sky, scream, and fly away. Then, after I jump up 2 feet in the air (a soaring vertical is not a gift I have) and realize I can't fly and get away like Superman, maybe I'll try Flash's (or Forrest Gump's) superpowers and just run.
But, I love my little 2 year old more than anything, and I guess we'll just continue our adventures tomorrow. Until next time...

Mr. Mom

This was copied and edited from our previous website, on Babysites.

Alyssa's Sore Tushy

Amanda update- For the past few nights, Amanda has had a few more contractions over the "limit" of 4, so the nurses are going to be monitoring her contraction #'s closely to see if her medication needs to changed. Last night, she was given an extra dose, and it calmed things down. The medicine she's on eventually will not be effective. In simpler terms, the receptor sites in her body get full with the medicine she's on, and the medicine doesn't do it's job anymore. As a result, we'll probably have to go to the hospital again to "flush" her system out, so that the medicine will work again. If it works and the medicine is again effective, she'll get to go back home. If not, she'll stay in the hospital until the babies are born. So, it's something that we're expecting, but again, we'd like to stay at home as long as possible.
How about an Alyssa update? Well, her tushy is pretty red because she has some virus that makes her have a pretty bad case of diarrhea. Now, when a two year old has a sensitive tushy, there is nothing like wiping her butt for the 20th time in one day. A hockey mask, a chest protector, and oven mitts are all prerequisites for changing a 2 year old with severe diaper rash. Tears flying out, arms swinging, legs kicking, and screams of horror all come at you at once. I honestly believe that if I had a toddler translator, I would've had to put Alyssa in timeout for cussing me out. Apparently, it's impossible to convince a 2 year old that wiping her tushy will make the rash go away quicker.
I also learned that sore butts don't want to go into a soothing bath either. I've used this analogy in another journal entry, but have you ever tried to put a cat in a bathtub? Another analogy...Do you remember when you were a young kid, and you fell and got scraped up pretty well, only to have your mom pour some chemical on you that felt like high-powered sulfuric acid? You think I'm joking don't you? Next time Alyssa or one of our triplets have diaper rash, I'll let you come over for the fun experience. If I'm going down, I might as well bring some of you along with me. Amanda, hearing the fits of rage coming from Alyssa's room, even came in to help calm her down, and I was so thankful (yet mad at her for getting up) she came in to help. She truly is a supermom!!!
The tushy was better today, but she still hates getting wiped (and trust me, I don't like wiping!). The doctor actually told us to dry out her rear end with a hair dryer, and Alyssa loved it! At first it scared her, but after I was a little goofy with it, she joined in and let me dry her off with it. The night ended pretty sweetly, too. As I laid Alyssa in her crib, she handed me her Care Bear and told me to give it to Mommy. That act, along with her normal routine of praying for Big Bird and Cookie Monster, helped me to get mentally ready for tomorrow's adventures with her.
So, the night ended pretty well. That being said, I'm still pretty nervous about the tushy adventures tomorrow. I'm thinking that if it's still sore tomorrow, I'm just going to give her a wipe, and tell her from 10 feet away on how to wipe her own tushy. Chicken? Heck yeah, I am!
Well, that's it for now. Until next time...

Mr. Mom

This was copied and edited from our previous website, on Babysites.

Alyssa's New Room

Hi everyone! Not a whole lot to report today. Amanda is doing pretty well, and her contractions continue to be 4 or less per hour, which is where the doctors and nurses want them. It seems like this pregnancy started sooooo long ago, yet we're just weeks away (hopefully around 10) from seeing our three babies arrive.
Knowing that time is running short, I've been tackling the job of painting Alyssa's new room. Her new room replaces my old Notre Dame room, which was painted blue and gold and was adorned with Notre Dame memorabilia. Since Alyssa is taking over the room, I guess I'll have to make my new science room (it'll be finished by September) a Notre Dame room. I love picking on my students who are Michigan fans anyway. Her new room is a light apple green color to go along with her butterfly theme. Have you ever tried to paint a light color over a dark color? Let me tell you, it's not very fun. Even with 2 coats of primer (which was even colored light apple), and 1 coat of paint, the blue still comes through in some areas. I've been "painting" the room for approximately 1 1/2 months now, so hopefully I'll get it done fairly soon. I bought a 2 liter of Mountain Dew to get me fired up during Alyssa's nap so that I can finish painting.
Well, I think that's it for now. Tomorrow morning is "Donuts with Daddy", where Alyssa gets to have a donut for breakfast (and dad gets 2), so I'm going to bed now.
Take care. Until next time...
Mr. Mom

This was copied and edited from our previous website, on Babysites.

Amanda's Doctor Appointment

This morning, we went to Amanda's doctor appointment, and we knew it was going to go a lot more smoothly than the last one. Why, you ask? Dropping off a 2 year old with a friend does wonders when going to a doctor's appointment. Instead of trying to entertain Alyssa or chase her all over creation, I actually got to read the Sports page in the waiting room! I take for granted the sweet little things in life like reading the newspaper in peace.
Anyway, the appointment went pretty well. They measured the babies, and the ultrasound tech told us that each baby weighs 1.6 pounds. In a few weeks, more fat will be produced which will beef them up a bit. One of the really neat aspects of this ultrasound was how real the babies looked. We could see their eyes and everything, and it even looks like the baby girl has a similar shaped head like her big sister. At the end of the appointment, Amanda had a glucose test (to test for gestational diabetes), and we'll know the results in a day or two.
We were able to drive our "new" minivan to the doctor's appointment, since Alyssa wasn't with us (we haven't installed all the car seats in it, yet). The minivan drives wonderfully, and even though we all say we'll never get one, it is a very nice ride. For those of you who don't know my car history, I used to drive an 89' Chevy Caprice, and boy, did I love it! My first car was an 81' Chevy Caprice, so when my Mom offered the '89 to me (the air went out, and her town is UNBEARABLE in the summer without air) I jumped to the opportunity of having a newer Caprice. The Caprice was actually my Grandma's, but when she died, my Mom drove it. So, it was a three generation car, and it will dearly be missed. Anyway, we now have a Honda Odyssey, and it will serve us well as we travel with a crew of 6!!
Well, that's it for now. Until next time...
Mr. Mom

This was copied and edited from our previous website, on Babysites.

Bathtime with Alyssa

Hi everyone. As Amanda and I watch American Idol, I thought I'd write a quick journal entry. Not a whole lot new on our front. Amanda still has the cough, so it's cut down on her phone time. Amanda has a doctor's appointment tomorrow, and it should be a longer visit since she has a glucose test, and they're doing a bunch of measurements of the babies. So, tomorrow's journal entry will fill you in on how that went. God has blessed us so much, and again, please know how much we appreciate your support and prayers.
I thought I'd give you a brief view of how our nights go here in our household. For a long time, Amanda and I would switch off getting Alyssa ready for bed. I think it was easier when we did that, because I would just do what Amanda did. Getting her to take a bath, read a story, etc... took about 30 minutes for Amanda. I was never that fast, but now that I put Alyssa down every night, something has happened to my routine. Nowadays, if I get her down in under an hour, it's a miracle.
Usually, it goes something like this: Alyssa doesn't want to come upstairs to take a bath, it's impossible to undress her, she constantly wants to see Mommy, it takes forever to get her to go pee pee on the potty, and when I finally get her in the bathtub (ever tried to put a cat in a bathtub? Alyssa is just a hair easier at times), she wants her Big Bird toy, her floating letters, her cups, bubbles, and milk. Then, I get to shampoo her hair and rinse it. That's tons of fun, seeing that she likes water being poured on her head about as much as cats like being dunked in water.
Tonight, as she was taking a bath, I turned the water on to shampoo her hair, and guess what happened? A rubber ducky covered the water spout. Apparently, it hit against the shower knob which activated the shower. Now, it had to have been about 10-15 minutes since the water had last been turned on, so can you imagine the cold water coming down on a 2 year old kid from the shower? Fun, huh?
Once I got her out of the bath and dried, it was time to get her diaper and jammies on. For normal people, that takes about 3 minutes. For me, it took about 15. Then, we went to say nigh night to Mommy. The stalling continues, because she snuggles up with Mommy. Now, I'm the bad guy because I had to take her away from Mommy. Once we got to the bedroom, it was time to read a couple of books. This also took more time than I could imagine, since she had to pick out the specific book to read.
After we read books, it was prayer time. A couple of months ago, we started to encourage Alyssa to pray, and it was sooo neat to see her start praying. Granted, her prayers are usually for Big Bird and Cookie Monster, but we're really excited about her willingness to pray to God. When we ask her who loves her more than anyone, she says Jesus. That brings such warmth to our hearts, as we want her to put her trust in Christ as her Lord and Savior when she gets old enough to understand. So, after prayertime, it's time to put her down, and as long as she has her pink elephant (Bie) and her blanky, she usually falls asleep within 30 minutes.
As much work as this is, I truly do love being with her, and I feel closer to my little girl since I'm able to spend more time with her. So, I wouldn't trade it for the world.
Well, that's it for now. Until next time...
Mr. Mom

This was copied and edited from our previous website, on Babysites.

Thursday's Doctor Appointment

Amanda had a doctor's appointment yesterday, and it went pretty well. All of the babies have a strong heartbeat, and Amanda has now reached the 24 week mark. Why is that important? The 24 week mark usually is the date where babies have a chance to survive if they are born. Granted, we'd like the babies to stay in as long as possible, but we feel blessed to have made it this far. Our next long term goal is 28 weeks. Ideally, we'd like to go at least 32 weeks, so I'm praying for July 4th or beyond. Maybe we'll call one of the babies Freedom or Liberty.
The doctor has told us that it's a matter of time before Amanda returns to the hospital. So, please pray for Amanda's duration at home to be a long one! Due to her ongoing struggle with pneumonia, she still has shortness of breath and periods of coughing. The doctors says that she'll have those wonderful side effects for a good amount of time.
As for Alyssa, she is just the cutest little goofball ever. Last night, she tried to drink both of her sippy cups (milk and water) at the same time. She is becoming quite the Energizer Bunny. The kid NEVER stops!!! While we were sitting in the waiting room to be called, Alyssa looked at a magazine for about 4 seconds before she wanted to explore everything. We went up and down the elevator because she likes pushing "butts" (buttons). In the exam room, she washed her hands about 5 times and used up a box of tissues to wipe off her hands. While going to throw away the tissues in the trash, what does Alyssa decide to do? Tickle mommy's unsuspecting feet while she's laying down on the exam table! You might be saying, "Just hold her!" Playing pitch and catch with a wet, slippery bar of soap is easier than holding her. As we were leaving, Alyssa playfully pushed the nurse (whom she adores by the way) in the behind. Leaving took about 3 times longer than it should have, since Alyssa loves hitting the big blue handicap button which opens the doors.
When I feel my blood about to boil, I tell Alyssa to shape up since I'm getting green eyes (That's the first sign of David Banner turning into the Incredible Hulk.) Now, though, she thinks the green eyes gimmick is funny, because now she'll say she has green eyes and is getting crazy. I can't win. She is quite the little helper around the house, though. She loves giving mommy her Boost drinks, and she loves unloading the dishwasher. Now, if I could only get her to fold laundry and cut the grass.
Well, that's it for now. Until next time...
Mr. Mom

This was copied and edited from our previous website, on Babysites.

Mr. Mom Strikes Again!

Hi everyone, it's me again. Quick update on Amanda... She's doing pretty well. For the most part, her contractions are where the doctors want them to be (4 or less per hour), so please keep praying for her. The babies are pretty hyper, too. I was touching Amanda's belly today, and Baby C jumped around, bumped my hand, and totally startled me. My ensuing shriek probably scared the baby, but it was sooo cool to feel the baby move so much.
Do you want to hear another Mr. Mom story? Today was Alyssa's first dentist appointment. Amanda has been to every doctor's appointment with Alyssa, so she was a bit sad not to see her first date with the dentist. To my delight, the office was decorated with memorabilia from my alma mater. They had a light switch, a poster of where our basketball team played, and numerous other sports stuff. So, the dentist appointment started off pretty well.
Then, being a male caught up with me. Apparently, you are supposed to brush a 2 year old's teeth before you see a dentist. Because as I was playing with Alyssa, I noticed chunks of crackers smothered in the crevices of her teeth. She was also drinking soy milk in a sippy cup, which is a no-no to dentists because it contains sugar and is supposed to be given to kids only during breakfast, lunch, or dinner. (In my defense, we give Alyssa soy milk anytime during the day because she's sensitive to milk, and we want her to get her daily allowance of calcium.)
As beads of sweat started to form on my head, the unthinkable happened. Alyssa climbed up on a chair. No problem, right? WRONG! She climbed up the chair on the side, and it began to tip over. Of course, I was a tenth of a second too late as she fell to the ground, while being bonked on the head by the chair. Now, the sweat was really starting to roll, because about every female dental worker (there must have been at least 25 of them) came over to see what happened. I could see the pity in their eyes saying "Oh, I'm sorry little girl that your Dad is here and your Mommy isn't."
Fortunately, she wasn't hurt, and the actual dentist appointment went really well. She was quite the little ham, and I was actually told to teach her how to spit (so she doesn't swallow too much fluoride from the toothpaste)! Just like Mr. Edwards did to Laura Ingalls, I get to teach my little girl how to hock a loogy (spit). The Grandmas are gonna love that one. As we were checking out, I sat Alyssa on the counter. She did her usual cute things like saying bye bye and blowing kisses. However, she decided to let a loud stinker which vibrated the counter. Nothing like letting the world know she's my girl! I pretended to be embarrassed, but deep down I thought it was absolutely hilarious. Since she did so well, we went to McDonald's for a Happy Meal.
That's it for now. Again, please continue to pray for Amanda and the babies. Take care. Until next time...

Mr. Mom

This was copied and edited from our previous website, on Babysites.