Day 8: Hold Steady

Whew, I'm exhausted. Potty training is not for wimps. I had an OB appointment this morning and Dr. C asked how I've been feeling. "we're potty training the boys this week," I answered.

As a father of 5, the youngest a set of twins, he just smiled and said, "Good luck,"

He did say his girls "got it" faster but the boys were slower, a theme that nearly every parent ahead of me repeats.

So I'm just grateful that M is doing so well and that we are seeing more cooperation with N, who has not had an accident today! We 're just holding steady today. No major problems, 1 accident, no major breakthroughs. I'll take it.

Here's a funny, non-potty training story. I had a "Julie and Julia" moment last night. If you've seen the movie or read the book, you know Julie gets upset because she has to bone a duck. When she finally does, she's dressing the duck in the living room, talking to Julia as she watches the same procedure and follows along. Because Cub did not have the whole cut up chicken I needed for a recipe, but had the whole chicken on sale for .99/lb., I decided I'd do it myself. I've roasted whole chickens before, but not cut them raw. How hard could it be?

Oh, gross. It was full of gizzards and guts! I had to look up "how to cut up a raw chicken" in my Better Homes and Gardens "Bible" cookbook, and read it aloud, following the photo guide! The crunching sound of the knife through cold chicken tendons made me gag! However, when I finished, it looked just like the "whole cut up" chicken I usually buy for twice the price! Now, I'm pretty proud and looking forward to our Chicken in a Pot" dinner simmering away in the crock pot right now. Yeah, I'm totally a butcher.

By the way, Baby 3 is healthy, strong, and doing well. My weight and blood pressure check out well, and I go back in 3 weeks for the blood glucose test. I don't feel diabetic right now, so hopefully I can avoid it this time!

Dacryoplasty Day

Following any general or intravenous anesthesia, or if you are on any pain medication, avoid alcoholic beverages, driving motor vehicles, or operating hazardous equipment for 24 hours.

We had a really hard time keeping N from operating his garbage trucks, tow truck, helicopter and bus this afternoon, since he wasn't allowed to operate them according to his post-surgery instructions.

The dacryoplasty was a breeze and N was an absolute gem.  Even though he wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything after midnight last night, he never once complained or even asked for a drink.  I felt justified in not breaking him from the pacifier (or eebie, as he calls it) today!  However, because everything has to be fair here, that meant M wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything either!  We whisked them from their cribs straight to a waiting DVD in the van, never mentioning food.  Whew.

Checking his 02 level before surgery

Waiting for the anesthesiologist

Little tiger gown...so cute!

Our little boy was so brave - he never cried once!  He really seemed to enjoy all the attention he was getting from both of us, once he got over the fact that his brother was staying with a friend while he was not.  The nurse gave him little tiger pants, too, but they were so humongous that she decided his sweats were better! 

I got to go in with the surgery team and hold him while they put him to sleep.  He only wiggled a little in my arms and we sang "Jesus Loves Me," while he fell asleep.  I think the anesthesiologist was a little fuzzy on the words, though.  For my busy little boy to suddenly go limp in my arms was the most bizarre feeling - because he NEVER does that - it's more like wrestling him to sleep if we try holding him!  I only had a second to lay him on the surgery table and slide his lovie blanket into his hand when they whisked me out of the room.  Of course I cried a little. 

Hubs was surprised to see me so soon - by the time I used the restroom and tried to crochet a piece - unsuccessfully I might add - maybe 10 minutes, the procedure was over!  N's doctor had threaded a wire into the left eye's tear duct to stretch it out - that's all it was.  The doctor reported that the surgery went well, gave us some instructions and his phone number in case of a problem, then it was over.  All we had to do was wait for him to wake up, which only took another 15 minutes or so.

He was very cuddly, tremendously thirsty, and a little confused, I think.  I certainly remember the outrageous thirst I felt after my c-section and was prepared with a big cup of apple juice for him.

As I type ten hours afterward, it's like nothing happened at all today.  And that's just the way it should be.  Thank goodness he can go back to operating all his hazardous equipment tomorrow!

Eye,eye,yiyiyi!

N is going to be getting that goobery left eye fixed in the near future.  He's been struggling with a blocked tear duct since the day he was born.  Poor fella has been on so many eye drops/ointments in 20 months I've lost count. 

We had a goober-free summer and fall and thought he'd outgrown it, that the tear duct had opened up as he grew, but since the boys came down with a wicked (!!) cold at Thanksgiving, it's back. 

Yesterday was N's second visit to the ophthalmologist, where we were told that while the procedure is not necessary, as in, he could live without it, but we'll be dealing with it every winter because it's partially blocked.  Meaning, as long as the weather is good and he's healthy, the duct can handle the drainage, but as soon as the air dries up, the eye waters more, and he catches colds, it'll back up, then get irritated, goobery, red, and then infected.  And the church nursery worker will continue to tell you that he's got Pink Eye and give you that look that says how dare you drop off your highly contagious kid in here and infect everyone. Even though he can't.

I'm waiting on the scheduling center to call me and set it up.  Everyone says it's a simple, easy procedure, and that putting him "under" is not a problem, that he'll bounce back in a day and not feel any pain, but still....

(Sigh) I know we will all be better for it on the other side, though.  So here goes.

What's Up, Doc?

My boys are officially toddlers now.  They had their 18 month appointment yesterday.  (I learned that it becomes official at 18 months from my cousin Kristi at ...and Baby Makes Three!)

When it comes to doctor's appointments where they have to get shots, I call in the reinforcements, aka, Aunt L. This is what she was doing with one boy while I sat with the other and the doctor discussing developmental milestones and health issues:

That's my boot and N's leg on the left as I talk to the doctor.  He squirmed out of my arms and under the chair to retrieve a bulldozer.  Aunt L. was zooming the trucks into the opposite wall (see the red and yellow trucks behind him?) to keep M occupied.  They were happy as clams all naked and crawling on the tile with their trucks while we waited for her to show up - but don't worry, grandmas, I think the heat was set at 80 degrees - Aunt L and I were sweating by the end of this!

N weighed in at 25 lbs, 4oz, putting him in the 42nd percentile while my featherweight M made it up to 22 lbs, 12 oz, in the 12th percentile.  Watching his figure, I guess.  Doc says it's okay, though.  Whew!  They are a little on the short side right now: both are 31 inches, in the 15th percentile.  I think they'll sprout, though.  You won't be short forever, guys.

Best Buds

After receiving a clean bill of health, aside from run-of-the-mill colds, the fellas were ready for their shots.  Okay, they weren't all that ready, even though I did warn them they would be getting them on the drive there, reassuring them that, while it would hurt, it wouldn't hurt long, and they'd get treats for being good.

They were good as gold!  Okay, M didn't cooperate with the physical exam and needed to be bribed with a pre-shot treat, but it paid off because N saw that his brother got one afterward and he complied with ease to get a dum-dum  He's no dum-dum.  He'll do anything for a treat!

Did you say treat?

But then I had to follow through with the shot treats, so Aunt L pulled a second stash out of her monster purse. And guess what? N was so good, that HE DIDN'T EVEN CRY!  Even though he got poked TWICE! What a good boy! 

M did cry, but just for a minute because Aunt L's fruity juice gummy treats magically appeared and suddenly all was forgiven.  The fellas were so good (and we had time to spare before dinner) that we rewarded them with a trip to the library.  See, even though I bribe them with candy, I do provide healthy rewards: the library!  Do I seriously have the best kids in the world or what?  What kids think the library is a reward?  Mine, I'll tell you.  Mine.  Because there they have.....

CARTS!

Which sounds just like "cars" to M, his favorite thing in the world!  This suckers are the best invention ever, just ask my boys:

We should do ads for the library or something.  Guess what book M picked out?  Thomas the Train!  I actually think he loves trains more than cars right now.

Choo-choo!

All of that took place after we got up at 5am EST, flew from MI to MN, drove all over the Metro return E to her home and getting us home by 9am CST.  Whew!  And we still had to do dinner and baths afterward.  Just a day in the life of our little twin engines.

9 Months Old!

Finally, they've been alive longer than I was pregnant! If pregnancy was the longest 9 months of my life (ok, mine was 8, but who's counting?) then the last 9 months have been the fastest!  Yesterday we took the boys to their well-baby appointment for the big weigh-in.  The results?

 

Ever the clown, Nathan won't lie still on the scale.  He's a big, healthy 18 lbs, 10 oz and has stretched 3 inches in 3 months to 27 1/2 inches!

So serious!  Matthew lies still to make sure the weight is done correctly because he wants to be sure he's the "big" brother again.  And he is at 18 lbs, 11oz!  He's the "shortie" this month, though, at just 27 inches.  

Both boys received passing grades - they're hanging in there at the 20th percentile for weight, which is excellent because they started below the 5th percentile at birth!  Way to go, fellas!

We received all kinds of paperwork at the appointment, so I was reading it last night.  One suggestion was to give baby a spoon to play with during feeding.  Genius!  Maybe that will keep them from swinging at the spoon while I feed them!  

Lesson One: This Is A Spoon

Tomorrow, Lesson Two: This Is The Business End

Baby Mum Mums

We are still recovering from a long Christmas and New Year's trip to Michigan to visit the families.  In fact, when we arrived at MSP on Saturday morning, we drove straight to the boys' pediatrician's for Nathan, who has another sinus infection.  Steve and I couldn't help but laugh about how weird our life is as he fed me Burger King hash browns and orange juice while I nursed the babes in the front seat of the minivan in Burger King's parking lot while it was below zero outside to get to the appointment in time.  Truth is stranger than fiction!

Good news, bad news at the clinic: the good news is that after just 2 days on the antibiotic, Nathan was showing improvement and is sleeping through the night again - Hallelujah!  Bad news is that we found out our beloved Dr. VanRoekel passed away on Dec. 27th after her third battle with cancer.  We didn't even know she was sick, since she was diagnosed around Thanksgiving, just days after we'd seen her for the boys' 6 month well baby visit.  Her obituary was published in the Pioneer Press on Dec. 30th.  We will miss her.

We've spent the last few days reorganizing our lives back at home.  As of this writing, there is still one suitcase left to unpack and one load of laundry waiting to be tossed in the dryer.  The boys are napping, though, so I had to write while I could. 

Since Matthew has started to put his hand in his mouth with every bite of baby food, I decided to try giving them the Baby Mum Mums again, a treat my sister had told me about - one she learned from her Malaysian husband.  We found a box at a Wal Mart in Kona, HI, in October, so I picked them up, but the boys didn't know what to do with them.  Until now!

We like Mum Mums

Yes we do!  We like Mum Mums

How about you?!

Going to the Doctor

Yesterday was the boys' six month well-baby appointment.  I can't believe they are already six months old!  First things, first, the weigh in.  Drumroll, please...

Matthew now weighs 15 lbs, 1 oz and is 25.5 inches long!

Nathan is 15 lbs, 4 oz, and is 24.5 inches long!

You read that right!  Nathan outweighs Matthew now - look at that belly! They are already turning into the little baseball players that Great Grandpa S. has been praying for; Matthew pitching with his long limbs and Nathan catching with his low center of gravity!

After the weigh-in, measurements, and the once-over came the shots.  Of course we don't have any photos because Daddy and I had our hands full of two very unhappy babies.  They really wailed this time, which may have prompted the nurse to give us Tylenol samples on our way out!  I took the freebies, but I swear I DID give them Tylenol before the shots.

They were real troopers and seemed to get over the shock quickly with a little snack.  Gosh, I'm already bribing them with food.  Guess I need to keep it up because even though I think they're enormous, they are hardly on the weight charts at 15% for 6 month olds.

Both boys had the last word, though.  We had to drop a vehicle off at our mechanic's afterward.  While I was waiting in the van for hubby, I smelled a stink and changed Nathan's poopy diaper in the back row - another day I'm glad for the minivan.  Got all packed up, ready to go home...wait, it's still stinky in here.  You guessed it, Matthew had a present for us, too!