I’ll Take 3 New Bellybuttons, Please

At Lauren, Drew and Jack’s last checkup, we discussed with the pediatrician the umbilical hernia that each of them had. We had been taking a wait and see approach over the last few years, but at this point the waiting period was up. At the 4 year point, they no longer had a chance to heal up on their own. He left it up to us when we wanted to pursue the “s” word. But, since we’ve already met the out-of-pocket maximum for our medical insurance (thanks to the kind of year we were having), this year was looking like a pretty good time to us. We decided to at least meet with the surgeon and get more information before we decided, though.

When I first told the kids that I was taking them to visit a doctor who was going to look at their bellybuttons, they all giggled. They thought it was the funniest thing that I would take them to someone to look at their bellybutton! But, then they started to figure out why their navals would need to be looked at, and they started to get concerned. Despite that, the first visit with the surgeon went pretty well, aside from Drew telling him repeatedly that he didn’t want a new bellybutton. The surgeon confirmed that all 3 of our kids having umbilical hernias probably was due to them being born prematurely. However, we were still the first set of triplets he had operated on for this. (Sadly, this isn’t the first time our family has created a first for a doctor.) But he did say their hernias weren’t that big and we could wait if we so desired, but confirmed they would not improve with time. There was a small chance they could cause them pain later, but most likely they wouldn’t get worse. He also told us to consider the reaction of other kids who might make fun of them for their large outties. So we talked about the pros and cons and wondered what we would like our parents to do if we were them. We decided to get it over with rather than wait for an unlikely but potential emergency, especially since it would only get harder for them to take a weekend off as they get older and involved in more activities. What sealed it for me was the night when Drew told me that he had pain around his bellybutton. His hernia was the largest, and I sure didn’t like to see my kiddo in pain if we could get it fixed!

We scheduled the surgery ASAP, to avoid all the rescheduling and added misery that would inevitably happen once cold season was in full swing. So our weekend of fun began on Sept 3rd (guess not many people wanted to deal with surgery during Labor Day weekend). Earlier in the week, I did some preregistration over the phone. When they found out we had recently had a Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease epidemic in our house, they wanted to reschedule. After some pleading on my part that they weren’t contagious anymore and this would cause some huge problems for our family, they finally consented to go ahead. But every sniffle from then on freaked me out, and I was scared that we would have to reschedule again after I begged them to go on! We even kept the kids inside the day before their surgery, just to keep their allergies at bay.

Two days before the surgery, I took the trio on a tour of the hospital for them to see where they would be and ask any questions. I waited until just before then to break the news that the were having surgery, to hopefully avoid any unnecessary anxiety. They were a little crazy, though, running everywhere during the tour. I hoped it was just nervous energy and not how they would act for the big day. Our tour guide was so helpful and assured Drew that he had a very nice surgeon. Drew responded with, “Is he nicer than God?” Overall, the kids took the news of their impending bellybutton fixes pretty well. Once they saw the toys they would get to play with at the hospital, and I promised them no shots (they knock them out and then put in the IVs), it was no big deal. I have to say that I was glad to hear about no needles, too. I had a surgery when I was 5 and was literally traumatized by needles for the next 20 years (until I went through fertility treatments and had to get over it)! My family can heartily verify this and are probably laughing as they read this. Another thing I learned from the tour was that each kid got to take 2 things into surgery with them, like teddy bears. That helped ease some anxiety, too.

Every day after that, the kids asked me if they were supposed to eat breakfast (they were a little confused on the timing), but otherwise, they didn’t talk about the surgery too much. The morning of the surgery went pretty smoothly and Lauren, Drew and Jack did better than I expected with the whole not eating part. Alyssa was a good big sister and ate breakfast when they weren’t around. She seemed to do pretty well with everything, too, and her only concern was that their new bellybuttons would be scary looking. But she seemed happy enough to go off to school for her normal routine and have her chicken nuggets for lunch. So, we were glad that she was in good hands, and as the bus pulled away, Drew and I headed off to the hospital (he was first in line). 

After dragging a very impatient kid through registration, we were soon in our to our pre-op room. Then Drew told me very sadly that he missed his family. But soon enough, there were 5 of us in our little room and it was back to chaotic instead of quiet. The kids had to do some preliminary prep work and change into scrubs. Drew especially didn’t want to put his on (maybe because they were peach?), but we assured him he looked like he worked at the hospital and we called him Dr. Drew. While the nurse was checking his siblings’ vitals, Dr. Drew took his title very seriously and coached his siblings through how to take deep breaths to make their pulse ox readings go up to 100% (When you are four years old, 100 is the coolest number ever!)

Things were going pretty smoothly until a fight erupted while the surgeon was having us sign papers and 2 nurses were taking vital signs and updating charts. Dave had to break up the shoving match, and the surgeon just looked at me, grinned, and shook his head. Other than that, the kids did fine with all the waiting and didn’t seem too nervous. We passed the time with lots of toys, cartoons and coloring. There was also a nurse there to help ease anxiety and make us comfortable. She was so helpful, and brought all the kids their own masks to get used to what would happen in the operating room (they wheeled them in, put the mask on and knocked them out with gas). They also got to pick a flavor of chapstick to put around the mask to make it smell good. This was a huge decision for them, but I really think it made them feel more comfortable and more importantly gave them control over something. Another really thoughtful nurse got a mask and chapstick for Alyssa, too. So we are well equipped to play hospital now, especially with all the gloves, masks, gauze and surgeons hats they sent home from the tour.

When it was time for Drew to get on the bed to take his ride to surgery, he said “I’m going to be really scared.”  He snuggled his teddy bear tightly, but was soon distracted him when we told him his bed was like a race car. I walked down the hall to the operating room with him, but it was really hard to hug him goodbye. But, since he wasn’t crying or scared that helped me. The nurses said he did really well after I left, too.

After that, Jack and Lauren seemed to have fun playing with the new toys all by themselves. At one point, a nurse stopped by and told us she just loved hearing our kids in the hallway. She said they sounded like happy chipmunks with their little voices. The surgeon came out and told us that Drew did great and soon it was Jack’s turn. The nurse told me later that they didn’t think he could do any better than Drew, but he did. He cracked everyone up by the way he held his mask on during the whole trip down the hall and didn’t remove it until he was asleep from the gas, too.

After that, it was kind of a crazy circus keeping track of everyone. Lauren was about ready to go into surgery (but happily singing “Life is A Highway”, playing with toys and watching Toy Story by herself). Then they told me that Drew needed me in recovery. When I got there, he was groggy and crying and in pain. Since he can’t have morphine (due to a bad reaction to a similar medicine), they were having trouble finding something else to control his pain. I felt so badly for him because I’ve experienced the same thing, and then he freaked a little when he saw a syringe coming towards his IV (he thought I broke my promise of no shots!). He also wasn’t too happy about the splint on his arm to protect the IV and pulse oximeter, but one of the nurses eventually talked him into leaving it alone. But the 2nd dose of pain medicine did the trick and he slept some more and was fine.

Jack came out soon after that and was put in the bay straight across from Drew (it was cute to watch them later waving to each other). Most parents don’t see their kids before they wake up, but I got to since I was already there for Drew. It was tough to see him so awkwardly unconscious. Whereas Drew woke up right away, Jack slept 45 minutes and woke up a little too wide eyed from the meds, but otherwise chipper. The nurse was very amused by him using words like actually all the time and the way he scarfed down 2 popsicles right away. It was hard to sit there and watch the nurse do her job while I waited my turn, and I couldn’t wait to give him a hug. But at least Dave was in recovery with me at that point to watch our boys sleep.

Lauren came out then and was placed next to Drew, but slept for a while in a position that couldn’t have been comfortable. Drew was asking where she was later and was comforted to know she was right next to him. They told us that she did even better than boys at being in the OR and she chatted away even when they put the mask on her. She told them all about her bed at home and the playhouse in her room and the Barbie house inside. They finally had to get started so they just gassed her out as she talked. She slept peacefully for a while after surgery, too. When she woke up and too full advantage of the offer eat some pudding (breakfast of champions, huh?). It’s amazing how little you say no to your kids on the day that they have surgery.

About that time, Drew’s pain started to break through again as he moved around to get dressed. His IV had already been taken out, and they had to call the anesthesiologist back. Fortunately, the ibuprofen they gave him worked after 10 minutes (especially for the sake of the other patients right there). I was so glad that we got to have the grandparents back in recovery to help with kids at that point. (Hospital policy is to only have one adult per child in recovery, but they gave us the rock star treatment and accommodated us once again.) It was getting a little chaotic with kids getting IVs out, getting dressed, filling snack orders, visits to the Treasure Chest and Jack bopping around talking to everyone (he was discharged before Drew’s pain took off).

Once Jack took his wagon ride out of there, it was soon time for Lauren and Drew to be discharged all at once. Before we left, one nurse told us it was a very exciting day for them as well to have the triplets there. We were so grateful for all the wonderful care they gave to our entire family, and all that they did to make it as positive of an experience as possible. Drew said several times after we left how he missed all the fun that he had at the hospital (and he’s the one that was in pain)!

We got home about 45 minutes before Alyssa got off the bus. Once she got home, it was almost like things were back to normal. Lauren didn’t understand why she couldn’t ride her scooter after having a fresh incision before she even entered the house. Kids were chattering. Fights were breaking out. New works of art were being created. And the house was full of exhausted adults who didn’t realize how emotionally exhausting the day would be. But being home just made life seem normal again. We even were blessed with a good night sleep the first night, when we were sure someone would wake up needing pain medicine.

Our only challenge now is to get the kids not to touch their bellybuttons too much. They love to lift their shirts up and say, “Do you want to see my bellybutton?” That will make the kids at preschool run out of there like they are in a horror movie! The day after his surgery, Jack told me that his bellybutton was getting coo-ul. But they are doing great now. We are off all pain medicine and all the bruising is gone. We are just waiting for the incisions to heal up all the way.

It could have turned out so differently and so many other things could have gone wrong. We are so grateful to those who prayed for our family and to God for protecting our babies. Even though I was hoping during this first post about bellybuttons that the hernias would heal up without surgery, God provided every step of the way from finances to wonderful help and support. Our lives are truly full of blessings and we are so very thankful for that.

 

God bless,

Amanda

Sick & Tired of Being Sick

When we hit January this year, I have to admit that I thought to myself “this winter isn’t so bad.” We were definitely braced for the worst, knowing that the triplets were in preschool for the first time and Alyssa was in kindergarten = a whole new school full of germs to be exposed to. We had a cold going around in December, but it really wasn’t too bad – so far.

Then about mid-January, the respiratory and stomach bugs started to hit. But, when you have little kids, having colds in the winter almost gets to be like breathing. It was a little annoying, but nothing like some of the past trials we have been through. Besides, sometimes we actually get naps out of the kids when they’re sick, even if it is in the strangest places (like Lauren sleeping on the stairs).

Then March hit. First, it started with Jack and Lauren getting pink eye. Then, a few days later, all  4 kids were on antibiotics for strep throat (we highly recommend the little grocery store clinics for such occasions on Friday nights).

Then, a week later, Drew started really getting sick (while we had all 4 kids at the dermatologist treating the Molluscum epidemic that is also sweeping our house). He got a runny nose, developed a croupy cough (which sometimes made him throw up), and got feverish by bedtime. The poor guy took 3 naps on Saturday and had a 102 fever all day. On particular nap, he just collapsed on the couch while still standing up.

Sunday morning, he woke up with a rash all over. It looked just like the one Alyssa had when she had roseola, so I figured it was that. He was feeling better by then, so then we just watched and waited for Lauren and Jack to get sick, too.

Monday morning, it was back to our normal routine and trying to pretend we weren’t tired with the switch to daylight savings time. But as we got to lunch time, Drew started to fade again and get pale. He fell asleep right away at naptime and was a limp noodle the rest of the day. He didn’t eat much and after dinnertime, and his breathing got labored. I left a message for the pediatrician, and we waited.

We were trying to at least keep Drew hydrated, and we had a good laugh after Dave accidently mixed up Drew a glass of orange Metamucil instead of orange Gatorade. The canisters do look pretty similar. Drew actually said it was “the best Gatorade ever” before we even caught the mistake, too.

The doctor called back and after hearing that Drew was taking more than a breath a second (I have learned this as a new rule of thumb), he said to have him checked out. So it was off to take Drew to the ER again. He was given 2 breathing treatments and some steroids right away, which calmed his breathing down, and he was doing a lot better. His fever had come up to around 101 again, so the nurses gave him a popsicle, which he thought was the greatest. He was also treated to a Mickey Mouse movie. Also, on the way to the bathroom, he got to meet 2 real live firemen, and they gave him his very own fireman hat. So despite being told his throat and ears were pretty red, having blisters all over from his Molluscum treatment, a rash from roseola, a 102 fever and an X-ray showing possible early stage viral pneumonia, Drew was still smiling and very excited about his very own bottle of Gatorade that he got to bring home. That kid is tough!

So, since Drew was doing a lot better, we were released to come home. I dropped him off around 10:30pm for Dave to put him to bed and then headed off to the pharmacy. Of course, there were issues with all 3 of his prescriptions, so I was there past midnight. When I got home, I found out that Lauren had thrown up soon after I left. I think Dave got the rougher end of the deal.

For the next 2 days after that, Drew seemed to improve. Then at 3:30am, Drew woke up coughing. I tried 2 of our high octane breathing treatments that the pulmonologist gave us for Jack (the 1st thing they gave him at the ER a few days earlier), and it only slowed him down a little. So finally 2 hours later at the ER, his coughing stopped. They had to give him 2 ephinidrine breathing treatments, which meant we weren’t going home that night. I was so scared on the drive there, thinking they would have to stick a tube down his throat or something. It was so good to see him stop coughing finally with the medicines they gave him.

Meanwhile, Dave was left with the realization that at 5am, he wasn’t going into work that day. I gave him some options of ways to farm out the kids and told him the first deadline was to get Alyssa on the bus. He called my mom at 5am, and as she said, “It’s never good news when the phone rings at 5am.” She was a real trooper to come over and cover the fort, while Dave rushed in to get some plans ready for a sub. When I called home with my first update on Drew, I was a little surprised to hear her answer the phone. Thanks to her help, it all worked out, and Dave was able to get home in time to get Alyssa on the bus, then took Lauren and Jack off to preschool. It was kind of fun to watch him take over my job for the day. I think he only had to hear “Mommy, doesn’t do it that way” once.

Then, Dave made it over to the hospital shortly after Drew was admitted to his room. At one point, they were considering admitting Drew to the Peds ICU, because he was so sick. He had about 5 breathing treatments in 2 hours and was on 3L of oxygen, and his levels were still only about 95%. Once he started feeling a little better, he didn’t want to have his oxygen canula in his nose, but by the end of the day, he was breathing on his own and still holding at 95%. So the doctor’s concluded that he had a really bad virus and once it turned a corner, he was doing a lot better.  A follow up X-ray also concluded that he didn’t have viral pneumonia, too. So, we went home about 30 hours after arriving. Drew was so happy to show off the balloon, book and stuffed animal he got from Grandma and Papo, though. He was so very excited about the 2 egg omelets he got to eat for breakfast.

Lauren got a really bad cold, but recovered pretty well on her own. Jack got sick with the same virus shortly afterwards. We had to call the pulmonologist and get some steroids and do some breathing treatments, but he was able to stay out of the hospital. Thank God for the preventative medicines he is on!

Then Easter weekend, Alyssa got strep throat again. Why do my kids always get sick at times like the night before Easter? Well, we went to our friendly drugstore clinic again, and she had tested positive for strep there less than 30 days before, they insisted on culturing her specimen (instead of the quick test, which give you results right away). So, that meant no antibiotics yet to kill it until the results came back several days later. Poor Alyssa handled it pretty well, despite not feeling well on Easter. So on the day after Easter, Dave was off on Spring Break and helped me to march all 4 kids into the pediatrician’s office. Only Alyssa tested positive for strep, and our doctor helped ease my fears from the clinic lady  who said she needed her tonsils out!

Things calmed down after that, and aside from bad spring allergies, we hoped the warm weather had helped us back to good health. We even got wild and crazy and started painting the boys’ room – which we had been promising to do “after Christmas” and you now know why we didn’t get to it. (More about their room later – I’m still working on the furniture.)

Last weekend, Alyssa finally got to go to a much anticipated slumber party. It was literally 2 years in the making, as she and her friend had talked about a sleepover when her friend turned 5. Well, the night before the friend’s 5th birthday, the slumber party was in full swing. I had sent Alyssa over there without much of a voice, but I really thought it was bad allergies. I felt so bad when I got the call at 9:30pm: “Your princess has a fever.” She was up to 102 and not feeling so well, as you can imagine and pretty disappointed. She had to miss another birthday party the next day, as she was still pretty puny. But, a day later, she was doing pretty well. We were lucky that none of our kids got it, and the birthday girl and her family at least escaped the fever, but did get some sniffles.

And guess what, now I have it. I have lost my voice and don’t feeling like doing much of anything but sitting. I think my kids are amused by my new “voice” but I have to say I feel pretty lousy. The funny thing is, that yesterday I was getting suspicious that something was about to happen. You want to know how? I was getting caught up on my laundry! Before each of the major things above happened, I got caught up on my laundry. I think it’s God’s way of keeping His promise to not give me more than I/We can handle. But you know what, I’m going to stop trying to catch up on the laundry for a while. I’m done!

God bless,

Amanda

Girls’ Room, Part II

So much to blog about. So little time! With a new year comes new resolution to get caught up on some blogging. Hopefully my intentions will come to fruition. It’s actually a good thing that I am so behind, because I have been enjoying life so much that I haven’t had time!

I decided to start with the girls’ room, because we are just about ready to start on the boys’ room! So it’s definitely time! To read Part I about the girls’ room, click here.

We did finally get the girls moved into their new room, back in July. They absolutely love it! Sometimes they don’t even let their brothers in. Believe it not, we still have some things to finish up, like flower boxes on their playhouse, and my Dad has offered to build them a little shelf for their books. But here it is during move in time.

We weren’t able to get the beds to fit the way that we originally planned. (I know you are shocked to hear that our plans didn’t turn out again!) Those of you who are really observant may notice that we have a different ladder, too. My Dad kindly made a new one for us as the original one went into the doorway. My Mom got the princess canopy and flower lamp for the girls. I think they just make the room! And the dresser used to be Dave’s when he was a kid. It fits perfectly, don’t you think! Papo and Grandma are so proud to see their granddaughters getting good use out of it!

Lauren couldn’t have been happier about finally being in a big girl bed like her sister. She originally refused to have a bed rail put on her bed. That very night I tried to put it up, she fell out of bed and ending up sleeping in the playhouse. But now she has outgrown it and sleeps like a big girl without it (or any diapers, too!) I also love that I can come in and kiss her cheek at night, too.

Alyssa is thrilled with her bed and all the high storage she has for her treasures. At first, the ladder was too steep for her siblings to climb up, but all good things must come to an end. There have been a couple incidents where little brothers have sneaked up there while she was at kindergarten. Anger ensued. But she has found ways to make lemons out of lemonade and now puts stickers over the marks the vandals have put on the ceiling above her bed.

There are other times, though, when the girls are feeling really generous. They let the boys come in, crank up the Doodlebops, and share their bed for a little party! I love watching them all have a good time and enjoying their new space.

It was a lot of hard work, but so worth it now!

God bless,

Amanda

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Greetings Family and Friends,       

How are you? How has your year been? Thanks to those of you who have blessed us with your own Christmas updates. We love hearing from you, and we hope to hear from the rest of you soon!

As for us, if we had to describe our year, it felt like a return to normal for us. OK-- normal for having a 6-year old and 3-year-old triplets! For example, instead of having swings, exersaucers or a changing table, our dining room now has a table and chairs in it. How normal is that? Some nights after putting the kids to bed, we just talk and watch TV. We went a long stretch without doing that! We have no booster seats at the kitchen table anymore, and our Christmas tree has no gate around it. Best of all, we were blessed to be able to finish our basement this summer, so most of the toys now reside there. So, the transition from a daycare center to home is going very well! On top of that, no one had surgery or went to the ER this year, either! That hasn't happened since 2004 for us! (Urgent care center visits for sprained knees or extracting broken Qtips from ears or don't count, do they?)

So, since we spent a lot less time at doctor offices, we were able to do some fun things this year. We attended 2 family reunions. We boldly drove the clan to Colorado (only 2500 miles in the van) to see Dave's family. We also took a trip to Canton, OH to see family on Amanda's side. After the kids proved to be so adventurous, we tried some other "firsts" with them, like a bonfire, the zoo without a stroller, a family hike, and movies. We are really enjoying this age with kids and the whole new world that has just opened up to us as a family.

As for the kids, Alyssa is now in kindergarten and absolutely loves it. We are amazed at all the things she is learning, like reading some words already and writing sentences. Alyssa and Lauren took a ballet class this summer, and enjoyed every minute of it. They were also very excited to become roommates this summer, in a pink princess garden room. Lauren, in addition to ballet, has turned out to really enjoy sleeping in on weekends (one day until noon!), puzzles, coloring and music. She walks around often singing little songs she has made up. Lauren, Drew, and Jack are now in their first year of preschool. They are learning a lot about their letters and numbers and seem to enjoy school as well. They also have done a great job with potty training (not without incidents, though), just in time for those funds to go towards the grocery bill. Drew, especially, has grown to be a voracious eater. He works up an appetite running around the house doing sports drills he invented or asking lots of questions about the world around him. Jack and Drew also took a beginners sports class this summer. While Drew couldn't get enough of learning more things to with balls, Jack seemed more interested in calculating the circumference of the balls. His curiosity continues to grow as he tell us all the things around him that are "coo-ul," and he shows a deep love for animals by pretending to be one or cuddling up with 3 stuffed ones as he goes to sleep. He also claims to have seen a crocodile when we were in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Dave continues to run some races throughout the year (including a marathon relay), although he's been sidelined with some minor injuries. He also got to return to his homeland - a Notre Dame football game this year! He and Alyssa enjoyed a trip out the FL for his cousin’s wedding, too. Amanda's health is better than ever, and she's been doing some exercise of her own and is almost back to normal (just had to use that one more time). She has also been organizing some playdates using our church’s warehouse. But the best playdate of all, was getting to see her sister and hubby (who happen to live in Hawaii) ALONE thanks to the World's Greatest Husband manning the fort. It was a great time to visit, while enjoying some much needed relaxation, peace and quiet!

Well, that should do it for our family update. We'll leave you with some favorite 2009 quotes, as we wish you a very Merry Christmas and all the blessings from God in 2010!

God bless,     

Dave, Amanda, Alyssa, Lauren, Drew & Jackson

Alyssa: "Does God have a wife?”
Drew: (while watching a robin in a tree) "He is looking for his wallet."
Jack: "This needs new batteries" (referring to a pencil that needed sharpening) 
Lauren: (suddenly in the middle of lunch) "My armpit is cold."

PS We had rounds and rounds of fun this Christmas. How about you?

A Day to Remember

Yesterday was quite a day at our house. First, Alyssa started things off by being the special helper of the day at school. She was pretty pumped and couldn't wait to hop on the bus and go fulfill her duties.

Then, the other 4 of us were off to our last Bible study meeting of the year. Every year, they do a cute Christmas program with the kids on the last day. So, we practiced the songs on the drive there, and they seemed to be looking forward to the big show. The teachers dress all the kids up like angels, by giving them tinsel halos and putting on men's white dress shirts backwards. It looks so cute! They did pretty well and didn't seem to be nervous at all for their big stage debut.

They sang 4 songs. I hope you don't mind me sharing videos of all of them, but there is so much to watch in each one, I couldn't narrow it down!

First up is "Happy Christmas Time." I love watching Jack do his motions for the song in this one. The kids look confused halfway through, because the parents started clapping before the song was over. You can also hear all the cameras clicking around me.

Next up is: "Go Tell It On the Mountain". See if you can tell from this clip which of the triplets was the squirmiest in the womb. I love the look on Drew's face, too.

Then they sang "My God is So Great." I love to watch Lauren on this video. She is so emphatic with her pointing.

And they finished with the tradition of singing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus. My favorite part is watching them bow and clap at the end.

And as if that wasn't excitement enough for the day, Alyssa was finally ready to give her first tooth to the Tooth Fairy. So she wrote a note, got a note back, money changed hands, and everyone was happy. OK, I was pretty worn out by then, but all in a day's work, right?

God bless,

Amanda

Make the Call

We have some exciting news. Guess what happened at our house this week?

Yep, that's right. Alyssa lost her first tooth! Being 5 brings lots of milestones, doesn't it?

It's been loose for a while, and I thought for sure it would fall out on Thanksgiving. But a few days later, Dave helped the process along, as you can see. She was so excited to go to school and get a sticker and write down when she lost her tooth. It's a big deal, when you are a big, bad kindergartener, you know.

Alyssa told us she wants to wait a few days before the Tooth Fairy comes, because she wants to keep her tooth. We told her the Tooth Fairy would probably leave it, if Alyssa asked for it in a note.  She's worried that the note won't be found, though! So we are still waiting for Alyssa to tell us to "make the call."

So until then, here's where her treasured tooth resides. Aunt Jill got this for Alyssa years ago, and I was frightened at the prospect of finding it. Turns out, Alyssa knew exactly where it was and pulled it out seconds after her tooth was free!

As if seeing my eldest having a toothless grin isn't enough, there are all kinds of other changes going on here! We've been moving lots of furniture around (that which we didn't break, anyway), teaching kids how to sort laundry (they appear to be colorblind so far), and getting rid of all of the booster seats (guess how many times a meal I have to say, "sit down"?), and sometimes little people use the facilities without any help at all! Most importantly, I am proud to say that today is the first day that no one had an accident! No more diapers here during the day and we are making progress at night. (In case you are wondering, we are planning an exotic family cruise with all the diaper money we will soon be saving.) Just more evidence that they are growing up fast, huh?

We hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving (we did!) and that you are enjoying the fun happenings of the holiday season.

God bless,

Amanda

Welcome to Twitterland

I want to invite you all to start following little snippets of our family craziness via Twitter. For those of you who haven't heard of Twitter, it lets you give little 140-character or less updates on your life. I have mine hooked up to the blog to update it automatically. You can hook it up to Facebook and other pages, too. If all of this lingo makes no sense to you at all, just know that you can read quick updates about our family under the section on the right labeled "Twitter Updates."

We have lots of blog entries in the works, but can't seem to find time to finish them. On top of everything, our camera broke on Easter! We have still been up to our usual antics like taking Jack to the ER on Thurs when his eyes almost swelled shut (they thought he had pink eye, but our pediatrician thinks it was just an allergic reaction). Tomorrow will be day 5 of work being done to finish our basement. We are excited, but life is keeping us busy, busy, busy. We have way too much planned to accomplish this summer, but I think we will keep you amused as usual. Until then, I hope that the Twitter updates will help you keep up with us during this super busy time.

God bless,

Amanda

Doctorpalooza and Other News-a

I have to say that we have spent quite a bit of time at doctor's offices lately. Dave had to take one day off work to get three appointments out of the way last Monday. I know, you are probably wondering what's new. Well, since reading about doctor's visits isn't the most exciting thing to read about, I'll try to summarize. But thanks to all of you who ask how we are doing and care about this part of our lives!

If you haven't been reading our blog lately, you might want to read our last couple of entries about health problems here and here.

 

The Good News

• Dave's Mom is doing very well and recovered from her surgery. She is driving and resuming normal activities again. Thanks for all your prayers!
• Alyssa went for her 5-year check up and she is doing great, too. She handled her 4 shots like a champ and didn't even cry.
• Lauren went for allergy testing and also did very well with being poked 16 times. Better yet, everything she was tested for came back negative.
• Jack's bloodwork for celiac disease came back negative and also showed a low level of allergy to milk.
• I got my stitches out and my incision is healing nicely from the surgery to repair the permanent stitches from the repair surgery of a 3rd previous surgery!
• We were part of a triplets study and the kids were examined by a developmental physician. All 3 kids tested very well on brain development and Lauren did great on the motor skill testing as well.
• With all the good news on the allergy front, we decided to try wheat with Lauren and Jack again. We are so excited that they seem fine with it now, and this opens up all kinds of possibilities at mealtime (not mention lower grocery bills).
• I went to physical therapy tonight and I have graduated, unless I feel like I need to come back in the next month. My back pain is much better, and I am weaning off 1 of my 2 pain medicines. (The kids may be disappointed about that; they love reminding me to take my medicine.)
• Everyone is over the stomach flu and starting to put the weight back on that they lost. We are so happy not to be seeing ribs at bath time!
• The developmental doctor said that he wasn't concerned about Jack's size, especially since Lauren is smaller and scored so well on the testing. This is especially good news as we had looked into high calorie drinks to supplement Jack's diet, but our insurance company wouldn't cover it as it costs $1300 a month!

The Not as Good News

• Jack had another bad breathing episode and almost had to go to the ER. (Actually, it was the same day Dave's Mom had her stroke. What an exciting New Year's Eve we had!) We were able to get a prescription for the breathing treatment that they give in the ER (which our pediatrician didn't think we would get to use at home). After a couple of rounds of that and some steroids, Jack pinked up and was able to talk without taking a breath mid-word. However, this concerns us that his preventative medicine isn't doing the job, despite recently doubling the dose. Checkup coming next month!
• The developmental doctor recommended that we take Drew for some hearing testing. We have some concerns that his speech isn't as clear as Lauren and Jack. He also had 5 ear infections his first winter, so we want to rule out any hearing loss from that.
• The triplet study that we were part of showed that the boys were behind the average in motor skills. The doctor didn't seem too concerned about it, as these are things that are learned. He also said that this was common in preemies. However, if they are still having trouble by the time they start kindergarten, we should have them evaluated again. That would be the time to seek help if they haven't caught up, as it could otherwise cause frustration in school.

No News

• We are still awaiting bloodwork to see how Jack's immune system functions in regards to previous shots. We also haven't been told his allergy levels for egg, peanut and cashew antibodies.
• We are also awaiting bloodwork for Lauren to make sure that her milk allergy is officially gone.

Other News

• Lauren is now proudly wearing "big girl panties" and is doing very well with daytime potty training. (I think I'll wait until this summer for the boys, though.)
• After looking at the budget, we think we are up for sending the trio to preschool one day a week next year. Do you know what this means!? I may have time to try to find my sanity again!!! Maybe.
• We have jumped on the refinancing bandwagon. We are hoping that our loan is approved soon, so that we can apply some of the money to finishing our basement and making it a playroom. There is hope that our house may not always look like a daycare center after all!

I look forward to the day when I don't have much to say about doctor's visits. Until then......

God bless,

Amanda

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

Christmas Greetings

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Everyone!

Way back before we had kids, we would take little adventures to see friends from college and attend weddings in cities we had never been to before. We figured we better have fun traveling while we could, as having a family would tie us down. Well, it turns out that life is much more of an adventure now than we ever thought it would be. At times it is tough, but overall we are living life in a way that we never imagined. We usually have no idea what each day will bring with our motley crew. Even beyond that, so many of you continue to bless us all the time with things like inviting us over to your pool to hang out, or offering to watch the kids so that we can go on a date. Thank you so much! You make our lives fuller and richer than we ever thought possible.

One huge gift that our parents gave us this summer was to take care of everything (with the help of friends) so that we could take a trip out to NYC, just the two of us. We had a great time , and it was fun to be part of the adult world again. We enjoyed seeing the many historical sites, eating good food, and catching a show. We also took the whole family out to Virginia (are we crazy or what?) this summer. The kids surprised us with how well they did on the 13-hour trip. We were so glad we could be there to see Cousin Erin graduate, and to have a reunion with all the family that attended the fun event.

As for the kids, we'll start with Jack, the youngest. He keeps us on his toes like none other. Finding ways to outsmart him is challenging sometimes. He enjoys figuring out how things work, like doorknobs and cell phones. He is also very friendly and often says hi to strangers at the grocery store. Drew continues to be our little athlete in the making. Balls are his favorite thing in the world and he loves to dribble, throw and hit them with a bat. He also has become quite attached to his shark hat lately and wears it almost continuously, except for when he eats and sleeps. Lauren is still our spunky, little fearless 3rd mommy of the family. She loves to socialize, and it's so adorable to watch her follow her big sister around everywhere. Alyssa is in the middle of her last year of preschool. It's fun to watch her start to figure out how to put together letters and sounds and learn how to write and spell words. She continues to be as girly as can be and loves princesses and dancing.

Dave is enjoying teaching a great group of kids this year. He also coached tennis again for the first time in 3 years (yep, it's been a little hectic around here). He has been working out a lot and doing some 5K races and his 2nd mini marathon this year. Amanda has found it very therapeutic to write about the antics of our family on our new blog. She has also gotten to know some of the ladies in her triplets group better this year. Now that life has at least stabilized, she is trying to catch up on some of the chores around the house that have been neglected the last few years. We are hoping to make our house look like a home instead of a daycare center someday.

We have to admit we are hoping that 2009 brings nothing but good health to our family. Jack has been to the ER four times in the last 4 months, including an overnight stay. He has a lot of trouble breathing when he gets bad colds. We took him to a specialist this week, and we are undergoing more testing to make sure there isn't a more serious cause. We thank God that Amanda's follow up scan for thyroid cancer came back clean this spring! Amanda also had another surgery this summer (surgery #4 in just over 2 years) to repair an incision from a previous surgery. (Dave should get Father of the Year award for all he did during her 6-week recovery.) Lastly, she needs to finish up physical therapy for some back problems, then Humpty Dumpty should be back together again.

But despite it all, including billions of loads of laundry, wiping runny noses and breaking up constant fights, we still have to say that we are enjoying ourselves. For every frustrating thing, there are three more to laugh or smile at. Seeing our kids look out for each other, learn to share and give each other hugs and kisses all the time brings us so much joy. If you are ever bored, we invite you to come over and visit the zoo and see the dandelion bouquets, knock knock jokes, and kids falling over hugging each other for yourselves!

We wish you all the best this holiday season, and hope to see you very soon!

Love,  

Dave, Amanda, Alyssa, Lauren, Drew and Jack

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.    Eph 3:20

I've Got Chills - They're Multiplying......

We did a little, er, ah, family bonding last night. It was one of those nights you shudder to think about as a parent to 4, but it appears the storm has passed. Some kids will do anything to watch Finding Nemo at 2am! Alyssa and I are the lone ones standing, although I think we have both had a touch of the bug. She served her time with something similar 2 weeks ago, though.

It's never a good day when you start it by doing two loads of laundry at 12:30am. But despite all the people up and down the stairs, pulling cribs apart and wiping them down, and the laundry room churning at full throttle right across from Alyssa's bedroom, she slept through the whole thing!

We'd appreciate your prayers for us during this rough time. In particular, we have had some concerns about Jack lately, and him not gaining weight. I took him last week to see a specialist (pediatric pulmonologist) about his breathing troubles, and she did give us some good tools to use to try to keep us out of the ER (4 times in 4 months is too much).

However, she also ordered some further testing to rule out other problems. We are awaiting the blood test results to see if he has celiac disease or if his immune system responded well to some shots he was given in the past. Most concerning, is that he will be taking a "sweat test" next Monday. This is to rule out Cystic Fibrosis. The doctor thinks that, most likely, his problems are due to childhood asthma, but we have to make sure these other issues aren't a problem. Please pray with us that all test results will come out well. We may not get the results for another month, so the waiting is tough, too.

Jack was also tested by an allergist. He took those 16 pricks in the back like a champ. We did confirm that he is officially allergic to peanuts, cashews, milk and eggs. There is a 20% chance he could outgrow the nut allergy and a 70% chance he will outgrow the milk and egg allergy. (Alyssa was allergic to milk and eggs and did outgrown them at age 3.) We also found out that he is allergic to a mold that is common in the fall. That was a very helpful piece of the puzzle. The last two autumns, we have had a lot of sickness. So next year, we will start Jack on an allergy medicine and hopefully avoid some of the past misery! Lauren has to go in next for allergy testing, as she has shown some problems with milk. There have been some serious reactions to milk in England recently, so we need to get on top of that, too.

The good news is that both of the boys seem to be over their last cold. I think that Jack enjoyed having the company during the breathing treatments, though. He's back to being the lone ranger (get it? He's wearing a mask.) with preventative breathing treatments twice a day now.

I'd also appreciate your prayers for me as I am still going through physical therapy for some back problems. I need prayers for good health in general! It's time to get on with life!

More fun stuff later!

God bless,

Amanda

The Pranksters

Way back in July, we told you about a prank that Dave did on one of co-workers involving a stapler and some jello. (I want to state that no school property was harmed in the making of that prank.) It's a friend of his, Jessica, whom he has known since childhood and helped him to get his current teaching job.  Well, to repay Jessica for his new job (8 years later), he left her the above-mentioned present for the first day of her new job as an assistant principal at another school. Here is a picture of Jessica last summer, helping us with the kiddos when the little guys were just a year old. See how comfortable she looks with triplets? That's because her sister had twins and triplets! You can't get more experienced help than that!

Jessica decided to make Dave's first day of school just as wonderful and fun-filled as hers was (I know I am a little late posting this, but you wouldn't believe what I went through to get this web friendly!)

As I said above, Dave and Jessica have known each other from childhood. So one weekend, Jessica went back home and met up with Dave's mom. From what I hear, she was only too happy to help Jessica out. So, Jessica found (with some help from his mom) some pictures of Dave as a youngster, made a flier, photocopied it, and put one in each of the teacher's mailboxes on the first day of school. That day, people kept coming up to Dave and saying things like "Thanks for the mail" or "I like your stuffed animal collection" or "You look cute laying on that couch." Dave just looked at each person like they had the wrong person, because he had no idea what they were talking about. During a break he went down to the mailboxes and this is what he found.  Nice job, Jessica!

 

 

Dave and my Mom have also had some little jokes that they play on each other, especially when it comes to politics. My mom takes the Democratic side, and Dave the Republican side. Over the years, this little battle has shown up through everything from birthday cards to bumper stickers mysteriously appearing on a certain beloved Chevy Caprice - Lord rest her soul. (They also do things like leaving the radio in each other's car tuned to an undesirable station on a very loud volume.) So, I think about 10 years ago, we made a contribution to the Republican National Party, and we have been on their mailing list ever since. We got a picture from the McCains, and I put it on the fridge to see what would happen. Sure enough, after the next time that Grammy babysat for us, this is what we found:

When Alyssa saw this the next morning, she said, "Mommy, who put those funny ears on that man?"

But all joking aside, I hope that everyone gets out there and votes, no matter what you believe about the candidates. It's going to be a historical year, no matter who wins.  I hope you will be a part of it.

God bless,

Amanda

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

Boring Old Health Updates

Let's see. I think where I last left off, Jack had come home from his night at the hospital. He recovered nicely from that cold, and the other two never got sick enough to go to the hospital. We went to our pediatrician, as instructed, 10 days later and the cold was completely gone. But, our pediatrician said that we would probably have to be cautious with the next few colds that Jack got.

Sure enough, a few weeks later, Jack got another cold. We tried breathing treatments at home, but he was wheezing again an hour before he was due for his next one. So Dave took him to the ER again. The X-rays were fine (and not nearly as traumatic to take this time), so they gave him more breathing treatments and steroids and advised that we see our pediatrician again in a few days.

So when we saw the pediatrician, he didn't like that Jack had now had 3 visits to the ER and an overnight stay in a month. So Jack is now on a preventative medicine called Pulmicort. We give it to him once a day just like his regular breathing treatments, and we'll try it for the next 3 months. We also extended how long he is on his regular breathing treatments. So after 2 weeks on breathing treatments, plus his preventative medicine, he recovered just fine from his 2nd cold.

Last week, Jack came down with his 3rd cold since he stayed at the hospital. After 3 days he started wheezing again, so we started his breathing treatments 4 times a day again. We will do that for a week, and then go down to 2 times a day for another week. Does anyone have any ideas of how to keep a 2 year old still for 4 times a day for 15 minutes at a time? Right now we are watching movies. He loves the Baby Einstein ones. The other kids like it, too, as they get to watch a movie. At least we are learning our shapes and numbers!

So far, I guess the preventative medicine is helping, as we haven't been to the doctor yet. I thought for sure that Jack would wake up the first night he started wheezing. It always gets worse at night and on the weekends! Why is that? Anyway, we are almost through the weekend and he is doing much better. All 4 kids got this cold and Wednesday was not a fun day at our house, especially with Daddy being gone at a tennis match. But, I am hopeful that the worst is over but dreading this winter!

As for me, I think I last mentioned that I had just about recovered from my surgery. I enjoyed very much being able to pick up the kids again, but it was also nice to take it easy as we went to New York a few days later. Well, about a week after that, Dave went back to school. Wouldn't you know it, I threw my back out my second full day back on the job. I couldn't even stand up straight! It was awful. It was the same feeling I had right after I had the triplets, but not as bad. So after much stretching and doing the physical therapy exercises that they taught me back then, I was able to get back to my old self.

I have had a couple of scares from my surgery incision hurting (especially when the kids hit it), but the nurse assures me that this is a normal part of the healing process. So I have been back to doing situps again, and I am starting to get a waist back. Yeah! The situps are also helping my lower back, too, which honestly has never fully recovered from having triplets.

So I am on to what I hope is my last health problem. I am not sure if I have even mentioned this (sometimes I think people get sick of hearing my health woes), but I was rearended in November and injured my upper back. They told me that because of the physical nature of my job, that it would take a while to heal. So I went back to the doctor in March, and after some tests, they sent me back to physical therapy. After several months of physical therapy, things got better, but not completely healed. One thing that was good about my surgery and not lifting was that it also helped heal my upper back. But, as soon as I went back to lifting again, the pain started up again.

So, my physical therapist referred me to a pain doctor. He did a full exam and determined that one of my shoulders is stronger than the other. So he sent me for an MRI to make sure that my back was ok. That all came back fine (except for some signs of aging - yikes!). Then when I saw him again, he put me on a new medicine to help with my pain. Then he sent me for a shoulder MRI, which I just did on Friday, so I don't know the results yet. But he said it could be something as simple as I hold a kid on my left side , so I can get things done with my right hand. I guess they see that a lot with parents who have 18 month olds. So, I will next go to an orthopedic shoulder specialist to get checked out, but probably will get sent back to physical therapy. Whew! It's a lot of hassle for me to get to all these appointments, as you might guess, but it will be worth it to get healthy again! At least this new pain medicine seems to be helping. In the meantime, I am allowed to work out my muscles from the waist down, so that is helping me to feel better, too!

Sometimes I wonder if life will seem easy with just triplets plus one, once I have a healthy body. Nah, I will still have three two year olds and a loquacious preschool to deal with! At least it will be EASIER!

Thanks for caring about our health! We'll get there with your help and prayers!

 

God bless,

Amanda

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

Jack is Back

Thanks for all your well wishes, everyone! Jack got back home yesterday afternoon. I am so relieved the worst is over. The second drive to the hospital was one of the longest of my life. I was picturing them putting tubes down his throat and hooking him up to IVs, but they didn't have to do any of that. (It was kind of funny, though, that we got there just as the night shift was coming back to work, so we had a lot of the same nurses again. I walked in and said, "We're ba-aack.") He is doing SO much better and slept through the night finally last night. He is taking a pretty good nap right now, too. He was wheezing a little bit this morning, but they sent us home with breathing treatments and some steroids and that all seems to be helping.  Little kids just amaze me. They get sick so fast, but recover just as quickly. In fact, he is feeling so much better that he is doing this. (He flips things over when he gets mad.)

Our night at the hospital was pretty rough. Jack had another one of those inconsolable fits for about 2 hours, starting at about 11:30pm. I almost got him to sleep at 1am, but the respiratory therapist came in and woke him up. He really did need some help breathing, though. I really liked the guy, as he completely explained the medicines to me, and even let me put on the stethoscope and compare my normal breathing (about the only normal thing in my life!) to Jack's wheezing. It was really neat. After that, Jack went to sleep pretty easily, so I think the trouble he had breathing was part of his problem getting to sleep. We made it through, but how did I make it for months with 3 newborns!? Two nights of not much sleep is just killing me!

When I brought Jack home, it was a happy reunion. Dave and Alyssa came out and greeted us at the car. Drew and Lauren were still sleeping. When they woke up, I took Jack upstairs with me. He got sidetracked in the hallway, though, by throwing a tantrum because I wouldn't let him into Alyssa's room. So when I got Lauren, she was pointing down the hall excitedly and said, "Crying. Jackson." When I got her out and told her to give Jackson a hug, she did and told him "miss you" and he said it back. It was so cute seeing two people under 3 feet tall talking like that. Dave said that when Jack was gone they were also pointing to his crib when they went to bed and got up and said, "Crib. Jack." They were also really quiet that night when he was gone, too.

We are doing breathing treatments every 4 hours right now. Drew and Lauren know the mask and the equipment well, and they say, "Jack's medicine," whenever they see it. Then when Jack is all done with his treatments, I have to take turns putting the mask on Drew's face and Lauren's. I'm not sure if they are just curious or jealous of the attention. They were sure fighting over the new sippy cup with Gatorade in it that Jack brought home. Luckily, they haven't fought over his new bear that he got at the hospital. Here he is with his two buddies that got him through the ordeal, his "Baba" and "Bear." (Bear's paw has a nice advertisement for the hospital on it.)

Well, now I am back to life as usual, but appreciating it much more this time. (I did end of up getting maid service in the hospital, though!) I jumped right back into insane mode when I got back home. I literally ran to get into the shower before Jack was even unloaded from the car, because Dave had to leave for tennis practice right away (he is still selecting who will be on the team this year). While I was at the hospital, Dave told me, "Something smells funny in our fridge." I think I found the two fruity-natural-penicillin-making culprits this morning. You gotta love baking soda at times like these. Next, I am off to order some crib tents, as Jack and Lauren were both out of their cribs when I got them this morning. I think you'll agree that we have tried every crib conformation possible. I am also hoping this will contain the books that Drew loves to throw at Lauren's head. Every time I go to get her, it seems like she is pointing to her head and saying, "Drew. Hitting me." Finally, I hope to find the instructions for our DVD player online. Movies are working well at keeping the kids occupied and Jack still during breathing treatments. However, the VCR choices are fewer. I am hoping they can tell me how to navigate through Spanish menus to get back to English. Then I will worry about the sound. I have a feeling they won't nap long enough for me to do all of this, though.

Life is good! Thanks God!

God bless,

Amanda

Back At Work

Well, I am back at work now. After a summer of leisure (sort of), I am back to watching the kids by myself for long stretches now. Last Wednesday, Dave went into school to get some things ready for Monday (his first official day back at school) and he had a coach's meeting afterwards. We kind of split the day and he took the kids to the grocery by himself in the morning (brave man, I know). I got to have lunch with some of my buddies from my previous career. When I got home, the kids were already down for a nap. We usually put them to bed in their sleep sacks (backwards, so they can't get them off). However, we have been having the leftovers of another stomach bug that the kids caught (the poor grandparents and other friends had to deal with sick kids while we were gone). So, the sleep sacks were all in the wash, so Dave put them down for a nap without them. Two little children didn't sleep the whole time naptime. The third, meanwhile, was sound asleep with his hiney hanging out and his diaper on the floor when I walked in to get the other two. And, nope, I wasn't lucky enough to escape cleaning up a mess this time.

While I was changing the sheets, the kids were going nutso. It's almost like Dave gave them mochas before he left or something. So the phone rang, and it was a friend from church asking me to speak at the upcoming women's retreat (pray for me!). During our somewhat deep conversation, I had to interrupt our conversation 3 different times. The first time was to break up a gang hitting incident. The second time was because they had pulled our cheap shades off the wall again. They took the roller the shades were on and were playing tug-of-war with it, having sword fights with it, and hitting each other with it. Then finally, they were fighting because they found two pairs of my shoes. But, since, there were four of them and only two pairs of shoes, a fight ensued. So while I was on the phone, I went into my closet and grabbed two more pairs of sacrificial shoes. I threw them at the kids much like a zookeeper giving raw meat to the lions. 

Afterwards I thought, you know what, I didn't miss having adventurous phone calls like that while I was in New York. I didn't think about wiping off the table and cleaning up food 3 times a day. Other people cleaned up after me! I didn't miss the whining, screaming, fighting, and disciplining that are an integral part of my day. I didn't miss times like on Friday when I was laying on the couch trying to have an adult conversation with my husband and my son came up and headbutted me in the eye. Then drooled on me when his Dad picked him up and made him say sorry. In New York, I would put things down, and no one would move them, except for the maid tidying up! (The maid!!!!) I ate hot meals start to finish, I had lots of adult conversations that weren't interrupted, and I only had to change clothes when I was the one who spilled something on them! And I didn't have to fix 3 different meals due to allergies and picky eaters. Instead, I had people cooking awesome food for me! I would sit and read a chapter or two in a book - non-stop, without interruptions, and without having to re-read a paragraph to remember what I was reading about. Now I am lucky to get an article read in the newspaper. Ahhh, boy did I need a break from all that, I mean this! Now, I get to deal with fun things like our DVD player, which now has no sound and the menus are all in Spanish (after Alyssa messed with the buttons to skip a scene on her movie). Yo hablo Espanol?

Another thing I didn't mess while we were in NYC was the war on ants. We have had a terrible time with them this year. Has anyone else out there? I can't imagine why we they would like our house, with 4 kids living here. Maybe it's because of times like a couple of days ago, when Lauren dragged the Sit 'n Spin over to the counter to use it as a ladder. She had found the grapes, but when I noticed they were way past their expiration date, I grabbed them before they got to her mouth. I know, I am such a mean mommy by not letting my kids eat rotten food. And if Jack hadn't pulled the Sit 'n Spin over earlier to turn the coffee pot on, she probably wouldn't have even known about the grapes. In case you are wondering why our kids don't just climb on the counters using chairs like most kids in America, it's because we put the chairs in the other room. That way they don't climb up and find the remote for the car and honk the horn (not that we don't do that ourselves) and do things like turn the coffee pot on! I will say one thing for the ants, though, at least they were nice enough to let Dave know where the dead rodent was in our garage instead of springing that one on me!

Did I mention how much I enjoyed having a maid clean up after us while we were on vacation. It was wonderful to come back to our room after seeing the sights and sounds and having the bed made, trash dumped, and the bathroom cleaned, including nice little V's folded onto the ends of the toliet paper. Now that I am home, I have decided that not only do my kids have new-dar, but they also have clean-dar. Clean-dar is when an alarm bell goes off in our children's heads to mess up something we have just cleaned. Like when I wipe off the door to the stove, then they come over and get fingerprints all over it. Or when I actually take time to wipe down the walls in the kitchen (this is not very often, I assure you), there are always new food spills on just those walls by the end of the day. Before we left, the kids put some really cheap stickers on the windows on either side of our front door. Well, with my I'm-all-refreshed-from-vacation burst of energy, I decided to get ambitions and scrape them off and get the Windex out. I had wrongly assumed that since these stickers barely stay on a paper for a day that they would come right off my windows. I'm sure the sun baking them on didn't help, but can anyone tell me why cheap sticker adhesive stands up to Windex but not the treacherous likes of a piece of paper?! Lucky for me, I have my trusty Pampered Chef tool, that also works great at taking concrete hardened oatmeal off the crevices of my kitchen table, too. And speaking of stickers, the other day I also found another cheap little sticker behind Lauren's ear that had been there most of the day. When I inquired why (that was my first mistake), I was told that Drew wanted to give her an earring. Again, why can these cheap little stickers stay put behind a triplet toddler's ear all day, and yet I am still left with stickers on my windows? Am I on Candid Camera?

The cribs were in this new formation when we got home from our trip (don't mind that little boy with toliet paper covering his tushy).

Why? Because when my mom went to get the boys up from their nap, and Drew was not only in Jack's crib, but bouncing on Jack's back! Just before we left, he had started doing a superman dive across the cribs, ending with a somersault landing in another crib.We tried another formation (not pictured) that also didn't work. What was my first clue? Dave asked me who was in what crib when I put them to bed after he got them up from their nap. Then we tried to go back to my mom's configuration (above) which would have been fine, except for one crib blocking the closet door. Evidentially, we put them too close, because Drew was landing in Lauren's crib again, and we weren't sure how he got there. I peeked in and saw him lean across (just the corners of their cribs were in the vicinity of each other). Then I heard Lauren grunt, like she was pulling hard on something. Then she said "Excuse us. Excuse us." (I have no idea where that came from. Maybe she thought that's what you say when you are coming through a tight space with something heavy.) Then I heard a thud and they laughed excitedly and started to play together. Mystery solved.

So now we have them in this configuration.

And check out the progress they have made on stripping the border. Jack has even made it down to the paint in one section.

We hire them out for very reasonable rates, if you are interested. I bet some of those home improvement shows could use them.

I don't mean to complain. I've just got the Monday-after-vacation blues. Except for today is Wednesday, and I've been back a week now. But I did start writing this on Sunday. But we had a pediatrician appt Monday (more on that later), and yesterday I threw my back out, and well, that's why I am finishing this on Wednesday. I really do love my kids and enjoy this crazy life we have, but I just wanted to reminisce about the good ole' days of vacation. Thanks for letting me vent!

God bless,

Amanda

PS Have I mentioned that 3 of my 4 kids now have a cold? I hope it's from the shots from Monday.

PPS How about those Olympics. I've gotten in the habit of thinking "Hey, let's watch the Olympics tonight and see Michael Phelps win a gold medal and break a world record!"