Look Ma, No Training Wheels!

 Taking a hands-off approach to bike riding lessons, when the kids wanted their training wheels off this spring, I removed one each.  M and N have spent the last two months riding around on one training wheel, learning how to balance and turn.

 Thursday last week we had a whole day of nothingness planned, so I asked them if they were ready to take off the second wheel - they'd been asking for a while, so I knew the answer would be YES!!

 I packed a bag with snacks, drinks, a first aid-kit, and a wrench, and we walked down the block to a nearby church for some extra room to ride. It wasn't too warm yet in the morning, so I had them change into long pants and sleeves just in case of major durfing.

 But that wasn't even necessary!  I showed them how to use the yellow curb at first to balance and push off, since their feet don't quite touch the ground if the bike is upright. They rode in giant circles and through a huge puddle created by the city guys washing their trucks next door.  (See above)

 The kids were naturals!  I only had to demonstrate a couple of times how to push off and stop, and they are pros!

 We spent the rest of the day riding around our house, N singing, "I'm doing it without training wheels!  I'm doing it without training wheels!  Hahahahahahaha!"

 The best part of all?  I didn't have to chase after either one, holding onto the back end and running for dear life.  Not. Even. Once.

There was one injury, I should mention - C scraped his right knee when he fell running after his brothers.  It required a band-aid from the box, but you can see how it's already healing, with the help of a snack and a juice box.

Happy 5th Birthday M and N!

A Lesson from Grandma

Caring for my dying grandmother is something special. It's an honor, really, but not one I've earned or hoped to achieve. 

Some of my shifts have been difficult and physically demanding. Almost all are confusing, trying to figure out what it is she's saying, to whom it's being said, in which decade she's existing at that moment.

Tonight she's been very quiet and peaceful, a welcome change, perhaps due to her healing hip and change in pain medication.

She talks about Grandpa, who passed away in 2006. She's told us she's mad at him for leaving her alone. Can't say I blame her. I'd probably feel the same way if the love of my life for 60 years went before me. She said they were "buddies." I asked her to tell me about him, how they met, what they did. She smiled and told me about dancing and bowling with him. I learned you never stop loving your one true love. 

She asked tonight about her kids. I went down the list, telling her how happily married all three of her children are, how they all have kids who have kids who have kids, and that they are all alright. She says if they are alright she won't worry. I reassured her several times they are. Almost every time I'm here she asks me where they are. I learn you never stop being a mom, even when you're a great-grandmother. I don't think she asks about them when they are here. No matter where her dementia takes her, she seems to know that that I am FROM them, but I am not ONE of them. 

She wants to call her mom. Her mother passed in the 80's, when I was a child. I have faint memories of her. Photos, really. Noni passed almost 30 years ago, and still she wants to call her. I learned you never stop being a daughter, ever.

Wife, mother, daughter. 

Even though her mind and body fail, love does not.

"Love never fails," 1 Corinthians 13:8. 

Happy Birthday C!

 Friday was C's Second Birthday!  We celebrated our special boy's day with a lunch outing and our first zoo visit of the year!  Above, C's smiles and claps as we sing Happy Birthday at Panera after lunch - he can polish off an entire kid's meal by himself now!

After riding the train and the carousel, M and N hopped into an old time truck at the zoo and C hopped up, too, saying, "cheese!" all the while.

Sunday afternoon we threw a big birthday party for all three boys - all our moms and grandmas were here, too, so it was the perfect Mother's Day/Birthday Party.  I don't even mind that it's raining today because the weather was so perfect - sunny and 80!  It just doesn't get any better here.  Below, C has his first Faygo - he was drinking everyone else's so I just gave in!

 Each boy had his own cake - C went first and blew out both candles by himself.  Everyone cheered and he was all smiles!

 Below, Hubs helps C open his gifts - well, a few of them.  C retired shortly after this shot for his afternoon nap while we resumed the celebration for M and N.

Little C is such a wonderful treasure and gift of love to us.  C, we are so in love with you and proud of the big boy you are becoming.  Happy Birthday, my little love!

Easter, ER, Garage Sale, Grandma....

What a month April was!

Many were the hours spent prepping for the Garage Sale of the Century at my in-law's house. Many were the treasures discovered in the garage, shed, and basement. Many were the dollars made by my mother-in-law, who slapped her knee and laughed herself silly every time someone gave her money "for junk that was just cluttering up my house!"

In two weeks, the remnants of her sale will be moved to my house for our town's "treasure hunt days," and she can park in her garage again, the goal of our efforts.

Easter came and went in a flash this year! We decided to tell our kids the truth about the Easter Bunny, and explain what the holiday is really about. I fretted about it for days, but the kids just asked, do we still get baskets? Of course, they are from mom and dad, we said. Ok, they said. I'm glad we started with the bunny, I think starting with Santa would have been harder.

My Grandma took a spill in her assisted living apartment last week, landing her in the hospital where it was discovered she broke her pelvis. Nine days later, I'm typing this on her love seat, watching her sleep because she can't be alone.  UPDATE MAY 5th: She's not doing very well.  I'm going in for my 5th shift in 5 days this evening.  Pray for her physical comfort and peace. 

In those nine days, I assisted with the before mentioned garage sale, then took N to the ER Sunday night for wheezing and shortness of breath, a road we traveled half a lifetime ago with him. He was diagnosed with viral pneumonia, given a bunch of meds, and the kids and I were essentially quarantined at home the entire week. I did not leave or property for 4 straight days, some kind of record.

During those 4 days, we celebrated Aunt L's birthday with homemade streamers and a store bought cake (because my range wasn't working). She's a respiratory therapist and coached N through his albuterol treatment like a pro that day.

Then the appliance repairman discovered what I, my husband, and our landlord did not: the range was unplugged! But only halfway, supplying enough power for the clock and lights, but not enough for the heating elements. Good news: we don't need a new range. Bad news: no one thought to check the outlet.

There is theme here, for on top of all that, we had no internet this week! Being house bound with three kids and no Netflix (we have no cable) was a challenge, but also a blessed relief for me from their favorite show "Busytown Mysteries." (My twins mimic Pig Will and Pig Won't so accurately that if I could delete the show from Netflix I would. Also it's VERY high pitched and every character's voice grates my nerves. Not to mention it's just banal. Watch it, you will agree). Hubs got home from his week long business trip last night and went to fix the internet this morning- he discovered the power cord in the "off" position.

What power cord? I asked. I'd been trying to fix the internet all week. Okay, for a day, until L told me something is going on with Charter and their modems because she had no internet either.

The one under my desk, behind it, along the wall, he said.

Huh?

C must have crawled under there and turned it off, he said.

(Sigh)

C has come into his two year old self a couple weeks early! He figured out how to climb the bunk beds, but cannot get down. He steals my iPhone and runs away with it every chance he gets, so I have to hide it...if if you receive a nonsense text from me, C has the phone, if I don't reply to you, I've hidden my phone from him and am searching for it because I can't find it either.

There you have it, what's been keeping me away from blogging, and I will post this just as soon as I get back home because guess what?

No internet at the assisted living apartment complex either!

Teeth, teeth, teeth, Titanic!

Last Monday, M and N had their pediatric dentist consultation appointment: results were as stated in my last post: M needs 2 silver caps, N needs 3 fillings (and has 2 more spots to watch).

Tuesday I bought ACT and a hundred little flossers.  They are getting better.

Wednesday they got in on a cancellation to get  the work done.  I was pretty nervous.  You may remember I was no fan of getting my own crown done in January, although I dare say that it was worth it in the end.  I was unsure of how my sweet fella would take it.  And N was just terrified of getting a shot (thanks, Berenstain Bears Visit the Dentist) and I nearly had to carry him to the chair because of COURSE he was chosen to go first.

I allowed them to take a "stuffie" with them because I wasn't allowed to stay in the room.  Not sure why they are calling them "stuffies" suddenly because we've never used the term, but N was crying that he had fewer "stuffies" than M this morning and filched some out of a rarely-used toybox to get even.  Now the bunks are covered with mostly meaningless "stuffies" that they've collected from all random places.  Weird.

Twenty minutes later N was literally bouncing into the waiting room, excited to play with his prize - a toy soldier with a plastic bag parachute tied to his head.

M wasn't at all nervous, likely becuase N seemed so happy, and marched back holding onto Koala-ie, the "stuffie" who made the cut due to me nixing the 3 foot long caterpillar.

M was bouncing around when he came out, too, looking nothing like the way I felt minutes after my crown.  Poor buddy actually got a pulpotomy, which is a baby tooth root canal!

The fellas threw their army guys all around the waiting room while I scheduled their next appointments for the end of April because only half the work was done that day.

I gave M a dose of acetaminophen in the van for the ride home, despite him saying he felt fine.  I knew it was coming and wouldn't be able to reach him for the 30 minute drive.  Sure enough, about 15 minutes later, he was whimpering and whining in the back, wondering why his "spiderman" tooth hurt so bad.  (I don't know why it's "spiderman" either, but he keeps calling it that and we aren't allowed to brush or floss it, which I do understand.  I'm sure it's still sensitive.  Don't touch Spiderman Tooth!  Okay, Okay!)

After the local wore off, M was back to his normal bouncing self.  N didn't seem phased at all - they said he didn't get a shot, just the laughing gas.

THEN, the next day, Hubs found N's bottom tooth was loose after dinner!  We were pretty surprised and had to explain the whole thing.

At Friday's playdate, I overheard the boys' friend K saying, "Let me explain the tooth fairy basics!" and proceeded to fill them in.

Then at lunch, less than 24 hours after loose tooth was discovered, N bit into his grilled (soy) cheese sandwich and it fell out on the floor!

K found it and we kept it safe in a baggie to give to the tooth fairy.  Until N swiped it, tried to put it under his pillow, lost it, and we had to search the carpet with a flashlight to find it.  It was small!

TF gave him a golden dollar.

Which he wanted to spend right away - on a cupcake!

So Saturday Hubs took the twins out for a celebratory first tooth losing cupcake.

N chose a peanut butter and jelly cookie.

Whew.

Can't wait to do it all over again!

M and C posing with the "Kings Crown" sticker devotional we do at bedtime. 

M showing off his silver crown.

N showing off his missing tooth.

Oh, did I mention the kids are fascinated with the Titanic?  Yes, the 102 year old ship that went down KILLING over a thousand people!  I'm trying to keep it rated G, but how do you explain this tragedy?  They wanted to watch it on Netflix, and wouldn't you know there are a half dozen shows?  I chose the IMAX one where they explore the wreckage, so there would likely be no recreation of a thousand people drowning.  Oi.

Fillings, Flossing, Caps and Crowns

More dental work for the A family coming up this week...

We now have a pediatric dentist. M's cavities are so bad, they're not even in the cavity category anymore. He's getting two crowns tomorrow- if all goes well and the worse tooth can be preserved. And N is getting 3 fillings.

Dr. B explained this sometimes happens with premie twins - the enamel doesn't completely develop.

Yesterday Hubs said, "I had 4 silver caps as a kid."

Say what!?

I guess that means it's not ALL my fault, then- oral hygiene was not at the top of my priority list for most of 2012.  M is the one who broke his water sac at 35weeks, 3 days, and Hubs' faulty teeth genes are at work in M's mouth.

Still. I feel bad. My crown experience in January was less than awesome and my poor kids are just terrified of  the shots that Brother and Sister Berenstain get when they visit the dentist.

My moms were comforting, though...MIL says that hubs and Aunt L had terrible teeth as children but their permanent teeth were just fine. My mom told me tonight she didn't brush our teeth regularly before age 3 - we've been brushing the twins' teeth (mostly!) since age 1.

Still, I feel bad. I bought ACT and flosses for the kids today in hopes that their summer cleaning nets us zero cavities.

In typical fashion, however, after getting all 3 kids' teeth well brushed and attempting an ACT swishing lesson wherein N swallowed his and C nearly dumped my Crest complete, flosses were forgotten.

Sigh.

I feel like this spring I'm getting an education in motherhood all over again. Now that I'm long past breast feeding, baby food and sleep training, I'm entering a whole new world of big kid parenting, mostly, their medical maintenance!