The Good, The Bad, The New, and the Dead

We’ve had a great fall this year and had a lot of fun with the kids. They have a way of letting you know which events they really like, too, by asking to repeat them over and over again. We have a few such activities that have started to become annual events for us – giving ample opportunity for more adventures to find us.

The GOOD

One of the kids’ favorite events that we have gone to several times is at the hospital where we just got 3 new bellybuttons. Every spring and fall, they have a big FREE carnival, complete with bounce houses, all kinds of wild and domestic animals and free lunch. In the fall they give out free pumpkins, too (unfortunately 2 of the 4 have now disappeared). At the face painting booth, the kids were excited to make their choices. Alyssa requested an iguana and Lauren a flower. The boys got a little more unique with Jack requesting Elmo on his hand (so that he can see it) and Drew asked for a house (complete with a sidewalk, tree, sun and clouds). It was almost worth the hour wait to see that!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another highly requested tradition we started last year is a fall hike at a local park. It’s so exciting to go empty-handed now and leave the strollers behind! We went on a beautiful warm day with the leaves showing off their gorgeous colors. Back in the days when I was pregnant with Alyssa, the first shirt I bought her said “Hiker in Training.” Now I feel like we’ve lived up to it a little bit with our new tradition. We had a great time walking around, taking it all in, and nature put on quite a show for us (or we must have just been there at mealtime). We got to see a hawk make several unsuccessful bids to make a squirrel his next meal. We also got very close to another squirrel that was working very very hard to crack open a walnut for its chow.

Also, way back before we started having kids, we started visiting a local pumpkin patch every year (I went there as a young kid, too). Through the years, my Mom, sister and Dad have been able to come with us. This year my Dad joined us. We were able to enjoy our normal routine of taking a hayride out to the pumpkin patch, checking out the log cabin built in the 1850’s, petting the farm animals (and feeding a goat), and sitting in the “Cinderella carriage.” The kids seemed to have the most fun with the straw maze and bales of straw all stacked up for the kids to climb on. The triplets (minus poor allergic Jack) were able to try their first elephant ear this year. The first time we got one for Alyssa there a while back, she said, “Who would want to eat the ear of an elephant?” It was a big hit, though, and the kids had a great time.

THE NEW

This year we also got invited to a fall party at the place of one of my old high school friends. It was fun to see people I haven’t talked to in 20 year (where does the time go!?) and watch our kids play together. We also got to go on a hayride there and eat some good chow. But I think the highlight for us was seeing our first ever pumpkin cannon. Here’s a video for you to the “Punkin Chunkin” in action for yourself.

THE BAD AND THE DEAD

Some of you may remember this post about the annual field trip the preschool takes to the apple orchard. I don’t know what it is about that place, but I’m beginning to think all the preschool field trips there are cursed (good thing this year was the last one!). We were running a couple minutes late to leave the house and ut oh, the van door didn’t open. The battery was dead. In the garage. Someone had left the lights on. Poor Dave got a panicked call in the middle of a class he was teaching, asking him how to get the van into neutral. Long story short, my awesome neighbors rescued me. We never did get the van in neutral (and I even had to borrow one of my kids’ flashlights, because the batteries in mine were all dead, too!). We had to take a shelf off the wall just to pop the hood. The other side of the garage was full of all kinds of stuff we had to move out of the way to get my neighbor's truck in the garage. Our batteries were on opposite sides, so we strung 2 sets up jumper cables together. But we did get to our field trip – just in time for the trio’s class to get off the hay wagon and end the field trip. <sigh> So, I let the kids play on the playground for a bit to make up for it. Despite being told not to, they ended up stealing some apples off a nearby tree and 2 of them chomped away. When I told them we had to apologize to the cashier and pay for them, I immediately got tears from the nonconvicted thieves. Secretly, I was glad to see their repentant hearts, but I felt for them, as I remember well that pit in your stomach when you have to make amends. One kid told me he was afraid that the police would be called and haul them away. But, eventually, we made things right again and I bought some goodies for the neighbors that rescued me earlier. Always an adventure when we are around!

I have a ton of pictures from all of these events that I was going to put in a slideshow, but, let’s face it, I’m not going to get to it. I still have stuff from this summer I want to blog about like visits from family, the boys’ new room, the basement finally got finished (a YEAR ago), swim lessons, the big birthday party… Someday……

Hope you are enjoying what’s left of the fall and getting done the most important things – spending time with family.

God bless,

Amanda

http://four-and-no-more.blogspot.com/

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.

Appointment Update

Hi everyone! We're doing pretty well, and this is going to be a short journal entry because a certain 2 year old (who by the way decided not to nap today) wore me out mentally and physically today. Have you ever had one of those days where you just want to go in the backyard all by yourself and just scream? My day with Alyssa was like that.
Anyway, the doctor appointment went pretty well today. Baby A and Baby C passed their tests within minutes, but Baby B (a boy) didn't show signs of practicing breathing. What on earth does that mean? Well, we hope it means nothing. Baby B was pretty active, so it passed its amniotic fluid, fine motor, and gross motor tests, but it didn't "practice" breathing. When they "practice" breathing, they're really just taking in amniotic fluid. They don't start breathing oxygen until they are born. So, because Baby B was so active, the doctor almost just told us to come back in a week, but to be safe, we're going back on Monday to check on Baby B. What if Baby B isn't practicing breathing on Monday? We have no idea! So, we're just trusting God that He has everything all worked out and that His will will be done. Sooo.....please pray that Baby B "wakes up" for the appointment on Monday, and that he practices breathing.
On a lighter note, our brother-in-law (Ben) is visiting with us for a few days because his cousin is getting married. So, Alyssa was very excited to see her Uncle Ben tonight.
Well, that's it for now. See, it really was a short journal entry. Please keep praying! God is good!
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.

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.

From A Dad's Point of View

Hi everyone, Dave here. I thought since the boxes of bon bons were gone, my favorite soap (Days of Our Lives) is over, Alyssa is sleeping, and The Apprentice doesn't come one for another 6 hours, I'd write a little journal entry myself.
One of our favorite all time movies is Mr. Mom, and I watched a little of it yesterday. In the movie the Dad and Mom are arguing over the dad's lack of taking care of himself and the home. The Dad responds by saying that his brain is now oatmeal, because he has yelled at Kenny (his young son) for coloring outside the lines and he now gets excited about watching the same TV shows his young daughter watches. Due to my recent role of being Mr. Mom, I can totally relate to him. I often have been singing the Veggie Tales song in my head, and I've argued with Alyssa as to whether or not her book shows a sun or a moon or whether the crayon she has in her hand is pink or purple. I know I'm right!
With Amanda on bed rest, I need to know where things are in our house. One struggle I have is knowing what on earth the difference is between a nightstand, vanity, dresser, chest of drawers, and a cabinet. Don't even get me started on what the heck a kradenza, a secretary, and an Armour are. When I roomed with guys in college, I never had problems like this. Wasn't everything either a cabinet or a dresser?
Also, we guys apparently have problems finding things. Today, Amanda wanted her conditioner. I searched for it, and I didn't find it. It was right there on the bathroom counter. But, in my defense, the label was facing the wall, not me. For guys, if things we're looking for isn't 3 feet in front of us, it's not there. Amanda asked for some more Kleenex boxes, so I went down the hall to the closet. I looked up and down the closet, and I didn't see any. Later, she went down to look and returned with 2 boxes. Apparently, she expects me to move things when I'm actually looking. As long as I can find Amanda's medicine and a rambunctious 2 year old, I'm good.
So, watching shows like Mr. Mom has been somewhat therapeutic for me. Another toy I use for "mindless therapy" is my plug in Mrs. PacMan game, but some 2 year old left it on and the batteries are now dead. Hopefully, this weekend when my mom and dad come up, I'll get some therapy at a local golf course, while Grandma watches Alyssa.
Well, Alyssa is still sleeping and Oprah isn't that good today. I thought you may be interested on how we Mr. Moms survive while trying to take care of a mommy and a 2 year old. For one, like Michael Keaton in Mr. Mom, shaving is low on the priority list. Cleaning bathtubs? No problem. A gallon of bleach costs 69 cents and does wonders. Cooking? I cooked 3 lbs. of taco meat before church on Sunday to chow down on throughout the week. My laundry? Since I'm a stay at home dad, I don't worry about laundry anymore. It's usually 3 o'clock in the afternoon, and I'm still in a t-shirt and boxers. Once the laundry pile gets above Alyssa's head, I'll wash it. Free time? Golf with dad when Grandma can watch Alyssa. Shopping? Give Alyssa a blue sucker at the grocery, and she's content. Energy? A pot of coffee and a 2 liter of Mountain Dew. Exercise? Hmmm... still working on that one. Does chasing a 2 year old count?
Overall, things are going pretty well. As you may or may not know, I'm off of work through the end of the school year (June 1). Next year, I won't be coaching tennis due to my apparently "booked" schedule in the fall. My friends at work threw me a baby...party. (Guys don't do showers). The staff at my school is the absolute best, and I feel like I have the best teaching job in the world, even if we still don't have a contract this year.
To wrap up my first entry, I must say that I have the best wife in the entire world. God has blessed me with a fighting, courageous women who wants nothing but the best for her three babies. Without a doubt, she's quite a woman. In fact, she even gave me a Colts draft update while I was giving Alyssa a bath, and she watched Rocky I-IV on a TNT marathon a couple of days ago. Isn't she the greatest wife? God has blessed us with soooo many things, and He gets all of the praise and glory. Please know how much I appreciate all of your prayers and support for Amanda and me. Until next time!
Dave

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

All is Well

After a few days home, we are now settling into our new routine. Dave is now a master at using all the home monitoring equipment. We had a couple of sessions of high numbers of contractions (around 8-10 an hour). Amanda is "allowed" to have 4 an hour without any problems. But after those two episodes, they went ahead and increased her medication, and the contractions seem to be under control again. She is still coughing and very short of breath sometimes, but is feeling better. All the good sleep at home has helped immensely.
This has been a very difficult and long week for all of us. We would like to express our sincere appreciation for so many of you who stood with us through this time. Thanks for the flowers, phone calls, visits and meals to help us out. We could really feel your support, almost like you were there in our hospital room, cheering us on that we could do this for a while longer. Thanks so much! What would we do without you? We love you all very much! It is a little discouraging at times to think that we need to stay pregnant and go through all of this MONTHS longer, but with your support and God on our side, we know that we can do it!
A quick note about Alyssa. She seems to be taking all of this very well, although we're not sure how much her little mind understands. Amanda had a coughing spell today and she said, "Mommy's coughing and doesn't feel good." She comes to check in on Amanda often and has gotten more attached to her Daddy then ever. Thanks for all the love and attention you have given her, especially at times when we just couldn't. She still does all kinds of cute things to make us laugh. Today she was watching the Sound of Music (one of her new favorites). She later went up the stairs from a sitting position just like Gretel and sang "the sun has gone to bed and so must I."

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

Happy Anniversary

It's hard to believe that today is our 9th anniversary! It seems like 2 lifetimes ago that we got married. We definitely feel more than 9 years older than we did that day. Little did we know what life had in store for us! We certainly never would have guessed triplets!
We finally got a pretty good night's sleep last night, but Amanda woke up with her heart racing. Her resting heart rate was around 135. It felt like her heart was going to come right through her ribs.
The resident stopped by and said her breathing was pretty good and she could take a real shower! He said not to worry about the racing heartbeat, but suggested we call the terbutaline pump people. We did, and they lowered Amanda's doses, which helped tremendously.
The doctor came in and said that he felt Amanda was already starting to get pneumonia when she came in (laying in bed continually for 2 days from the Mag didn't help, either). This probably was what started the contractions, but he felt that they were well under control now. He gave us a wonderful anniversary present, that we could go home! Amanda is now on strict bedrest. She can only get up to use the restroom, take one shower per day, and to visit the doctor. Also, the showers all have to be sitting down, as she could easily faint from the medicines she is taking (they dilate the blood vessels and steam makes this worse).
As we were packing up to go home, we found out that Monique was having her babies today, too. It was quite a happy day for all of us! Hopefully someday soon we can get all of our babies together to celebrate.
Shortly after we got home, a nurse came to help us set up our home monitoring equipment. Amanda is to monitor her contractions for an hour every morning and night. This information is transmitted via the phone line every morning. We also talk to our nurse then and tell her Amanda's blood pressure and pulse rate. Also, if we are worried, we can send in a monitoring session anytime and check to see if everything looks ok. If needed, the nurse can advise us to take additional medicine (after consulting with their pharmacist). Between all of this equipment and changing Amanda's terbutaline cartridges 1-2 times a day, and his previous experience with giving fertility shots, Dave is becoming quite the medical professional!

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

You've Got Pneumonia

Amanda woke up Dave around 1am breathing hard and very short of breath. We called the nurse and she put Amanda on an oxygen mask for an hour, while we waited for the residents to get out of surgery (yep, both of them were doing C-sections, so no doctors were available). They wanted Amanda's oxygen levels at around 94%, but she was only able to keep them up that high while on oxygen (they dipped below 90% at times without). The resident ruled out fluid on the lungs (a possible side effect of the Magnesium Sulfate - Mag). She put Amanda on oxygen just through the nose and ordered an inhaler. She also called our doctor at home in the middle of the night for further direction. (Boy were we glad we weren't the ones to make that phone call!)
Around 4am, a big machine came into the room, almost like a big dinosaur coming in to take over. A nice man announced he was here to take an X-ray. Poor Dave had fallen asleep again and had to get up and leave the room. Amanda needed some convincing that this was safe while pregnant as well as necessary. But what can you do when the big dinosaur is already in there!?
The inhaler arrived and helped a little, but Amanda was still very short of breath. It was hard to take deep breaths through her nose, as she was fighting a cold. The doctor came in a few hours later and said it sounded like a respiratory infection, but he hadn't seen the X-rays yet. Then he said the beautiful words, "Today I am going to transition you to the terbutaline pump." This meant that Amanda would soon be getting off of the Magnesium Sulfate - way before expected! He also prescribed some antibiotics for her.
Later that day, the resident came by to do another ultrasound. That was the first that we heard that Amanda did have pneumonia. The babies were doing well, though. The girl was moving around the most and her heart rate was around 130. The boys both had heart rates around 150. During the ultrasound, our fertility doctor also stopped by to see how we were doing. It was good to see him and catch up a bit.
Later in the afternoon, a lady came by to show Amanda how to use her terbutaline pump. Terbutaline also works to slow or prevent contractions, but has the opposite side effects of the Magnesium Sulfate. It causes the heart to race and a lot of jitteriness. The pump works much like an insulin pump. A tiny catheter is put into the thigh, with the site having to be changed every 5 days. A thin tube goes from the catheter up to the pump and the pump is placed in a small pouch that is worn around the clock. It even comes with a special pouch for shower time. The pump delivers a low dose of terbutaline all the time, with a bolus (booster) doses every 4 hours. These can all be adjusted as needed to keep contractions under control.
After that Amanda was taken off the Mag (only having to serve 30 hours of her 72 hour "sentence"). The IVs came out and they cut back on monitoring fluids, etc. The fog started to lift and she was breathing much better. After 12 hours on oxygen, her lungs were now able to keep up on their own. We had a little party in our room that night with Monique (whose room happened to be next door) and we watched American Idol. The doctor stopped by, but wouldn't commit to when Amanda could go home yet.

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

Back in the Hospital Again

Over the weekend, Amanda had a couple more episodes of cramping, but they went away. But by Sunday afternoon, she was getting contractions that were stronger and more frequent. After playing "should we call the doctor or not?" we finally did. He sent us to the hospital right away to get checked out.

When we walked up to the hospital, our friend from our multiples class, Monique, was out front. She walked in with us and helped Amanda get into a wheelchair. While Dave was getting Amanda registered, Monique decided to wheel Amanda up to the second floor. They didn't hear the registration lady and Dave say "Wait, Come back!" Getting off the elevator it must have been quite a site for the nurses. Down the hall came Amanda in a wheelchair with her belly full of triplets and Monique pushing her, with her belly of twins (almost ready to be born). The teacher from our multiples class was on duty and asked Monique if she called all her friends from class to come visit her or something. (Monique had been there for a week and was bored while "trapped" at the hospital.)

They took Amanda to her room and started monitoring for contractions. Amanda was afraid this might be a bunch of hype for nothing. But they soon saw that she was having a lot contractions, some of them 3 minutes apart. The resident checked her out and agreed they were pretty strong and would contact her doctor.
Soon we heard those dreaded words we hoped never to hear, "Let's put her on the Mag." This referred to Magnesium Sulfate, a drug that is only given by IV in the hospital. It relaxes all of the smooth muscles in the body (sometimes even those in the eyes). It can have some really bad side effects, so they closely monitor everything while you are on it. Because of the muscle weakness, they don't let you out of bed except for restroom breaks. They started with a booster dose (bolus) right away. Amanda felt like fire was going through her veins, far worse than any fever. Fortunately, this was only for about 20 minutes, then they dropped down to a dose 3 times lower. Amanda did experience the weak muscles and being hot she was told about. She felt like she was in a deep fog, but was surviving OK on the medicines. Luckily, her eyes were spared and she could see fine.

The good news is that the contractions stopped almost immediately after the Mag was started. If labor couldn't be stopped and the babies would have been born at this point, they wouldn't have survived. It was a scary time, to say the least. The doctor had a couple of options to treat Amanda, but decided to use the "big gun" in case the other option wasn't strong enough. Amanda was also given a second medicine, Indomethacine to also help stop the contractions (she was given this after her cerclage, also). She was prescribed 7 doses of the Indo and 72 hours on the Mag. The first night, Amanda had to sleep with a blood pressure cuff on one arm, which took measurements every hour. On the other arm, she had both IVs running in and a pulse oximeter on her finger (this measures pulse and oxygen levels; it makes you look like ET with its red light on the end). Somehow she managed to get a little sleep with being this wired but not much.

As stressful as this all sounds, God really gave us His peace that everything was going to be ok. This was further reinforced when many of our neighbors, friends and Amanda's parents were able to quickly clear their schedules to watch Alyssa. This freed Dave up to be at the hospital as much as possible to be an advocate for Amanda. When you are in the hospital, you really need someone there for you!

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

Ch...Ch...Ch...Cha...Changes

Today is Dave's first day off work. We were so blessed that his school let him take extended leave so that he could take care of the other 5! It will be good for him to go from 2 full-time jobs down to 1. His girls love having him home, too. His school has been incredibly supportive of our family during this time. They threw a wonderful surprise baby shower for him before his last day, too. We are so thankful for them and humbled by their generosity!!!

We also want to send out a huge thanks to all the friends and our parents who helped us with watching Alyssa for the last 2 1/2 weeks. We don't know what we would have done if you hadn't been there for us. You went beyond the call of duty to help us out so much with everything from meals and laundry to little touches to make Amanda more comfortable during bedrest and checking in to see how we were doing. Please know how much we appreciate all that you have done for us!

Another change is that last weekend we became minivan owners. Our conversion to being suburban yuppies is now complete. This was another huge blessing and gift from God for us. It's kind of scary to see now where our 4 kids will sit. It makes it that much more real. It's also much nicer of a van than we had ever dreamed of owning. A million thanks to some very precious people that helped make this happen for us.

Dave is also working on painting Alyssa's room, so that she can move up to a "big girl bed". (Dave is giving up his beloved Notre Dame room for his little girl.) Then the real fun of setting up two nurseries will begin. We are so thankful for the many generous friends who have donated boy clothes and other baby gear to help us get started. God provides again!

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