Experimenting with the iPad

Today is the third day N is staying in due to an annoying low grade temp. I'm glad it's nothing more, but it's caused him to miss school - Daddy and M had a social outing to school and the flower shop to pick out my Valentine's "roses" (aka begonias) - and to cancel hosting a play date at our house today.

So now the boys and I are sitting at the table doing play dough and I'm thinking I haven't blogged in almost a week. Hubs has a me iPad, which he generously shares with me (when he's home) so I thought I'd test out its blogging capabilities. So far, it's easier than my iPhone, but typing is harder than my desktop, despite being told its just like a keyboard. Guess it will take time.

Next I,ll try to upload the play dough pics I just took. Here goes....

Not working. I can't choose the "choose image" button on this device just like I can't on my iPhone which is why they are sans photos when I blog on the phone. Surely ther is a fix for this? Is it a blogger issue or just me? Maybe Bonnie will know.

She's the awesome twin mom whose blog I love, (try insert link then have blogger tell me it won't ave due to errors) Hm, doesn't look like that like is gonna work either. Just use the link on the left of the page to check out her blog. Last month she posted about iPad apps her boys like to play and we downloaded several of them for our kids to play as a poop-on-the-potty reward when it appeared the poopy prize jar wasn't working.

Side note: Prize jar is beginning to work. M has gone several time this week and N twice, but since he's not been feeling well, he's had more accidents. Frustrating, but par for the course, I suppose. M has been choosing those nasty ring pops over iPad apps. Thank goodness there is only one left. I'd remove it, but he knows it's there.

Verdict: better than a phone blog update, but not by much. Blogs without pics are terribly boring. Maybe they'll finally nap this afternoon so I can get to my trusty rusty desktop. And I can't stand the auto correct feature- makes me look completely dumb like I can't spell, which is far from true. I won second place in the Bay County spelling bee in sixth grade. Among other literary accomplishments, like graduating summa cum laude with an English major, but iPad is no respecter of persons.

My life is weird, but good.

Potty training has stalled. All I can tell you is M is great at keeping dry, but doesn't get number two in the potty. N had 4 accidents Saturday and I was brainstorming a blog post called "progress, Regress," but then life got crazy. Hubs has been under the weather most of the weekend, so a sweet neighbor came to watch the boys last night so I could take a friend to an awesome women's ministry event at our church. Then if was freezing-raining, but we went anyway.

Everything was great while we were there and I was quite enjoying myself, knowing it was my last night "off" since Hubs was supposed to be going to JFK all week. Little did I know. In an hour's time:

My van battery died.
Friend's mom came to church to jump it.
It didn't jump.
Key stuck in ignition.
Hubs texting asking where medicine is because he's worse.
Another friend found church maintenance guy "Bill" who helped jump with his truck.
Hooray! Van starts!
Hubs textx again because he's even worse.
Roads are bad going home.
Poor neighbor stayed till 10:00 because he heard how bad Hubs was feeling. (need I go onto the details? Let's just say he was SICK.)
Find hubs white as a ghost and covered in hives.
NYC trip cancelled.
Wake up nurse M for consultation.

Everyone sleeps through the night.

I showered at 7am , lest I find myself taking Hubs to a clinic with 3 day old greasy hair.
N is whiny clingy and doesn't finish breakfast.
Taking care of Hubs and surreptitiously running to Target for meds while boys watch PBS, I come home to find N fevering.
Consult nurse M again.
Give N albuterol treatment, tuck all 3 in and go back to Target for more meds.
Did I mention our neighbors snowblowed our driveway so I'm trying to bake thank you cookies and make cute cards with the boys? No? We did that, too.
Toss more laundry in because sick people make more of it.
Sit down to eat a yogurt and check my email and blog this to you.
That's why potty training is at a standstill.
And, why my life is weird, but good.

'Tis the Season

For fevers and snot. 

I'm having this recurring dream where every Christmas, when we fly back to Michigan to spend the holidays with our families, the boys get sick with something, be it ear infections or nasty butt colds.  Wait a minute, that's not a dream - it's reality! 

What is it with Christmas, families, flying and kids?  Am I doomed to repeat this every year?  (Sigh)

The good news is, it's just a nasty butt cold this year, so far.  Last year we wound up in the urgent care with the first of two ear infections!  I think we've beat it as N has been fever free since he woke up this morning.  I think we're through the worst of it.

I'm halfway through my second day of self-imposed solitary confinement with the kids and I'm about to declare them healthy jus to get it over with.  Well, I'm about the declare M healthy so he can go have fun with his Aunty tonight.  N is still not 100%, poor buddy.

I'm sure he'll be better just in time to go back home.

Catch Up 1

Good morning, friends.  I greet each of you in the name of a steaming hot cuppa joe and two sleeping babies.  I'm painfully aware of how my blog has been lacking in recent weeks and my hope is to catch you up to speed on the fellas.

They are, how shall I say this?  BUSY!  Hubs and I wonder if other 19 month olds are this busy, if perhaps everything is exaggerated because there are two of them, or if we have a couple of wild men on our hands?  We are seriously considering starting them in gymnastics to release their pent up energy, but it appears we can't start them until they are two!

Both the guys were down for the count with an ear infection over the holiday "break," (haha, what mom gets a break, right?).  I try to post pics that depict how cute and brilliant I am our sons are, but I have to show you this one, above.  That's me and N (escaping, per usual) and M on Christmas morning.  Poor M is burning up with a fever of 101 and looked that way most of the day.  We dosed him up in Tylenol all day and took him to Urgent Care first thing the next morning.  (Did you notice they're eating Fruit Loops out of their snack traps?  They are decidedly NOT into special holiday foods!) The good news is that N is finished and M has just two more days of amoxicillin and they are both bouncing around like normal now!   

I mentioned we had a double birthday waterpark party, but I have no pics because my sisters and I have NO SWIMSUIT PHOTOGRAPHY agreement!  Taking the kiddos down the slides and splashing with them in kiddieland was a riot!  We did, however, have presents and cupcakes for the birthday girls afterward where everyone was fully dressed.

Happy 3.5!

I think "vacancy" adds a nice touch.

Happy 3 years!

Those are my only two nieces, who turned 3 - my next niece is due April 20, by the way!  They are modeling their gifts, hats made by Marigold Baby.

I hear one little guy "talking" upstairs.  I'm going to get him out while he's in a happy mood.  It makes the day go so much better!  I'll be busy for awhile, so I'm just going to post as is.  Perhaps I can put up a few more at naptime. 

Just Checking In...

I know you haven't heard from me lately...I was flying solo with the boys this week and wrapped up in all things toddler, then I had to make Hubs come home from work because I was so sick yesterday! 

I'm back in the land of the living today, and the four of us visited the library to "read" to a therapy dog!  Which was quite a hoot!  M was so excited, making his "wooh! wooh!" sound, hardly able to wait his turn to attack pet the dog!  Everyone in earshot was laughing, except the little girl who really was trying to read to the dog!  Either way, it was a fun way to spend a chilly Saturday morning.  We're off to have another adventure this evening before the freezing rain keeps us in all day tomorrow.  I'll have pictures soon!

Oh, and I'm making progress on my first crochet project - a scarf that only its mother could love!

Rainy Day Update

We've had a rather boring and uneventful few days here since the boys have come down with the sniffles.  I had to miss a Bible study group, cancel a play date, my multiples' club annual family picnic was canceled due to rain and the boys and I missed church because I just don't feel comfortable putting 4 snotty nostrils in the nursery.  We were climbing the walls with rainy-weekend-and-sniffles boredom yesterday, so we managed to go for a long walk when the skies cleared and made a Target run.  Yep, Target...the highlight of our weekend.

That being said, it seems like the worst of it has passed since we all slept through the night last night (cue "Hallelujah!" chorus).  The boys were still pretty funny this weekend, though.  See this green Rubbermaid tub?

It's for toys.  A few days ago, their favorite game was to take all the toys out, and climb in and out of it incessantly.  Nathan looked like a caterpillar going in one side, out the other, turning around, and doing it again!  He did that until Matthew climbed in with him.  Sometimes they just sat there together, then they would start shoving until one got pushed out.

Now they're on to bigger and better things.  Wish I had a pic of it, but yesterday Nathan turned the tub upside down, pushed it over to the dining room chair, and used it as a stool to climb up there!  One second he was on the floor, next he was standing on the dining room chair!  Oh, dear, I REALLY have a couple of monkeys on my hands - smart ones, at that!

Matthew can open the screen door in the living room and let  himself out onto the balcony (and close the door behind him, too!), so now we have an enormous gate blocking off about half of the living room.  It's just gorgeous.

They also have figured out how to unroll the toilet paper and play in the toilet, so now the door is always shut - that was an easy fix.  But they will stand guard beside the door if you're in there, banging and laughing (or crying) and stick their fingers under it.  If you don't close the door, they will stand at your knees/unroll the paper, while you struggle to do your business.  I've learned to hold it until naptime.

The best part is that they've learned to hug and if you're sitting on the floor, will crawl over to you, pull themselves to standing, and snuggle their heads into your chest or shoulder.  So cute...then you see you've been slimed.  Which reminds me - I need to put some clothes in the dryer.

Snot and Naners

I just couldn't take one more day of snot after my Nathan alarm kept me up from 1 till 2 am last night - after I had stayed up WAY TOO LATE watching the Olympics. (How was I to know that they were going to fill the whole night with ski-cross and then the ice skating was going to go untill 11pm?  It stops every OTHER night at 10pm for the news, so I STUPIDLY assumed it would last night, too.)  The nerve, Nathan!

We had a little family reunion in the nursery last night for a bit since Nathan's wailing woke up Daddy and Matthew, too.  Oddly, Matthew didn't seem to mind and took it as an opportunity to play with his toys, chatter to us and practice pulling up on his crib rails.  It would have been cute had it not been 1:30am. 

With his history of sinus infections, I assumed it was yet another one and packed up the boys to go to the doctor this morning.  We met a new (to us) nurse practitioner today, who, while nice enough, kept us waiting a LONG time.  Thank goodness the boys were well behaved - a bottle for Matthew and some nursing for Nathan kept them happy.  I'm SO GLAD I kept them in their Graco Safeseat carseats.  I wouldn't have been able to contain Matthew if he hadn't been buckled in - the way he gets around now, waiting for that long in the tiny room would have been like being caged with the monkeys at the zoo!

And the verdict is....

A COLD VIRUS.

I suppose I should be happy since she ruled out ear infections, sinus infections and the like.  But it just makes me feel kinda dumb, like I'm a hypochondriac-over-protective-over-reacting-hovering-mother, which I SOOOO don't want to be.  I mean, a COLD.  Duh.  I knew THAT.

She did give me clearance to take him out and about, though, so watch out, ECFE, we're going to school tomorrow!  Mommy can't stay locked inside with the monkey-boys this many days in a row!

Here are your pics today.  The monkey-boys can feed themselves little banana pieces dusted in baby cereal.

 

What's this?

Mmm...good banana!

Yummy naners!

More, please!

Two Tooth Wonder

It's been a busy week at our house - Nathan's feeling much better, the boys had their six month appointment and shots, and Nathan cut another tooth!

Nathan: 2, Matthew: 0

He loves running his tongue over his new sharp chompers!

Matthew has a little cough and congestion, so it seems like he's coming down with Nathan's crud, unfortunately.  I wish it weren't happening over the holiday, but we're dealing as best as we can.  He's a little more tired than normal, but had a fun day playing with his Grandma A, Aunt L, and Uncle D while I attended a beautiful wedding.  It was a lovely ceremony and reception, and a welcome few hours off for me!

Matthew shares a smile with the camera, Nathan making sure he's in the shot.

Sinus Infection

Poor little Nathan has been battling a sinus infection all week.  I feel for the little guy because he's having so much trouble breathing, especially at night.  He falls asleep, then wakes himself up snorting because there is so much mucus up there, so I give him saline drops and suction him out.  Sometimes I get stuff, sometimes not.  He hates it, squirming and crying, getting all worked up.  When he can finally breathe, I try to get him to fall asleep, but then he thinks it's time to play.  Later, when he falls asleep, he wakes up again an hour later.  What to do?  If I don't suction his nose, he's not going to breathe and keep snorting. So do it again, but this time he wants to eat....then play.

And this was the kid who was sleeping 12 hours without making a peep just a week ago!

Today starts day 3 of the antibiotics, which the doctor said would take 2-3 days to start working.  He seemed to feel better during the day yesterday, but last night was a doozy, so I'm believing that today the meds will kick in and tonight will be great.

Except that he cut his second tooth yesterday.

And we have the boys' six month well-baby appointment and shots today.

The good news is Matthew is being his normal, cantankerous self because he's teething with a jealous ferocity!

Not feeling well

Nothing is cute about a teething baby who's not feeling well.  Our family did not sleep much last night, so we don't have any funny anecdotes to report. Nathan is sleeping off his all-nighter, but Matthew is feeling fine and wide awake. Mom's tired.