Saturday, February 28, 2009

Random Picture Challenge 7.0

September 2007
Picture 11
I love this picture of Noah. He was watching the "big kids" in the bounce house - Emma, Austin, and Aidan - jump around. In the next picture, he truly looks like he is trying to get inside.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Wordless Wednesday

These are my favorite pj's for Noah. Steve affectionately refers to him as "Little Hef" when he wears them. Daddy worked late last night, so Mommy got the jammies out...hehehe.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Two Boys + Mischief = ER

I will survive. I will survive. I will survive. I just have to keep repeating this to myself.

Last night, I was getting Hannah's diaper changed and Noah wanted a new toy opened. I was in the process of opening the new toy and Ethan brings to me a nearly empty bottle of Pepcid Complete. He had to get a step stool, take it to the counter, climb on the counter and still reach for the bottle, but he found it and got it open. He was starting to spit out some of it because he wasn't sure he liked it anymore. I quickly went to find Nathanial who still had one in his hand and screeched when I tried to get it away from him. Poison Control, here I come....again.

So I called Poison Control. Usually when I call, they ask all the questions and then quickly say, watch for these signs and if they don't show up, they're fine. This time, I was met with silence. Then, I was put on hold. On hold!! She came back in about a minute and said get them to the nearest ER for charcoal immediately. Apparently, the Fentadine in it causes heart arrest and because we knew there were at least 15 tablets missing, but had no clue who had more, they both had to have it.

Poison Control was supposed to call the ER, but it took them longer to call than it did for us to get there. Nathanial and Ethan each had to have 1 gram, which equaled 5 mls, of activated charcoal. My mind was racing as to how we were supposed to get this in them. Never fail - they love taking medicine. And apparently, that extends to activated charcoal. They took it great.

Then we had to sit there for an hour and a half while they monitored the boys' heartrates and watched them. They got chocolate milk (a first) and two popsicles each (another first) to help them get rid of the icky taste. We were told they may get sick from the charcoal, but they didn't.

This morning, everyone is doing better. Ethan did get sick at some point during the night (he's full of it this morning) and he's looking a little more pail than Nathanial but he's up and about.

Austin was a fantastic help last night. I knew I wasn't taking two little people to get charcoal by myself and asked if Austin could stay home with Noah, Hannah, and Aidan. We assumed at that point, we'd go, get the charcoal, and come home. Austin stayed home with them and did fantastic. By the time we got home, Hannah was in bed (she takes a nap around 7 every night and he put her in bed for it), Noah and Aidan were fed, and Noah was also fast asleep in bed. I was shocked he thought of all that! He found a can of chili in the pantry and paired that with hotdogs (the only reason we keep canned chili around) and pretzels for supper. I'm very impressed with him and very proud of him for thinking of everything and doing so well when I really couldn't concentrate on all that.

Hopefully, this will be the first and last time for all of this, but somehow, with these three, I doubt it.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Triplet's Two Year Check Up

The triplets had their two year check up today. They are doing well, with really the only concern being their speech. Since we are already taking care of that, everything else seems great. Nathanial has yet another ear infection, so Dr. B (ped) called Dr. B (ENT) to confer about what to do. He is now on an antibiotic and his ears were cultured again and Dr. B (ENT) wants to see him in two weeks for a follow up. I wish spring would hurry up and get here. Incidentally, Noah's left tube is out now. He hasn't had as many infections as the other two, but he's had his share of them for sure.

Nathanial's stats were:
Height: 33" (roughly 15th percentile)
Weight: 25.8 lbs (~ 20th)
Head Circumference: 18.5" (~ 10th)

Ethan's stats were:
Height: 33 1/4" (~15th)
Weight: 26.2 (~25th)
Head Circumference: 18.5" (~10th)

Noah's stats were:
Height: 32" (~3rd)
Weight: 25.2 (~15th)
Head Circumference: 19" (25th)

Nothing real shocking about any of that. Ethan is a brute, and we knew that. Nathanial was a little surprising because he doesn't seem that heavy. Noah Noah is tiny and I knew it. We've affectionately called him "fat boy" since he was itty bitty (because of his cheeks), but in the last six months I've been looking at him and realizing just how petite he really is. We should probably stop, but now it's a term of endearment with him.

We meet with AEA about their speech evaluations next week and will see what they recommend. I still am praying that they qualify somehow.
They also finally got their MMR shots today. They were NOT happy about that. I'm just glad it's over with. They are still sleeping soundly after getting home...guess we should get them up soon!

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

On My Soapbox: Larger Families

I read an article that was posted on February 8, NY Times article "And Baby Makes How Many?" I am just getting to it, but I have the benefit that all comments are now closed, so I was able to print them all out. I was going to wait to blog about this until I had read through all the comments, but 1/3 of the way through, I get the gist of what they all say and am too disgusted to wait any longer.

Since having the triplets, we have gotten a LOT of comments about having a lot of kids. Because we have the extra freak show of having triplets along with the fact that we have six (gasp!) children total, people are sometimes too in awe to be too rude.

I am blessed to live in an area where larger families are not uncommon. I have a friend who has seven - she had her sixth and seventh a few months before we had the triplets. I know another mom who has six boys. I know many, many women with three or more children. It's actually pretty common in this area. Thankfully. Because I do not hear the comments that I read this afternoon.

I am appalled that people honestly think that because we are a larger family, we are a "drain" on social welfare programs and the environment. One person actually had the gall to say that "unless you lived on a farm, have "Oprah money" or have a former nun as a governess, then you have no right" to have more than two children because you can't possibly afford them. What?!?! These people consider themselves educated, but they know nothing about the financial state of most larger families. Unfortunately, Nadya Suleman has done a lot to perpetuate those beliefs (and I am not going to get into her - that woman needs a whole lot of prayers and that's all I'll say on the subject) and nothing to help people see that families who choose to have more than two children are normal, hard working people.

Steve and I both were floored that the Speaker of the House (Nancy Pelosi - a mother of five) made the comment that we should have condoms in the stimulus package to "help reduce government spending." Know what that means??? Population control for "poorer" families...they shouldn't be blessed with children because they can't afford them.

Here's a few interesting facts about our family to debunk some of the myths.

As for the environmental impact:

We recycle everything we possibly can - and have since long before it became the "popular"thing to do or we had this many children. I was a member of S.A.V.E. in high school and feel very passionate about doing my part to reduce our carbon footprint.

We cloth diaper Hannah full time and cloth diaper the triplets part time and are working on building up enough stock to do it full time. I am concerned about the amount of diapers I have put into landfills and am working at reducing it greatly. Aidan was the only child of mine that was not cloth diapered at all...and I am ashamed to admit that.

We compost all scraps that are compostable - and use our compost in our garden. My kids love helping with it.

We garage sale and use hand me downs for our children. Not because we can't afford to clothe them in new clothing - we can. I feel passionately that we live in a highly wasteful society and my garage sale bargains are proof of it. I find almost new (and sometimes new) clothing at sales all the time. By using hand me downs until they are at the point that noone can use them anymore, I am reducing the amount that gets thrown away. Oh, and when they aren't wearable anymore? They make excellent rags for cleaning.

I use natural cleaning products (Simple Green, Green Works, and homemade with vinegar, baking soda, etc) whenever possible - including in my laundry. I also have learned to dilute many cleaners - they are just as effective, less harsh, last longer, and have a less toxic effect on the earth.

Yes, we drive Bertha and she is huge and a gas hog. However, she sits in the driveway if we are not full. We do not go about with Bertha without having a full load because that's just silly and wasteful. Many people choose to drive SUV's with only one or two children - or none at all. (Case in point, we bought Bertha from a family with two children.)

My children share bedrooms (another gasp!). This means we do not live in a huge house with unused rooms - we use every square inch of our home.

As for our finances:

We are not on any type of assistance. We do not receive welfare, we do not receive food stamps, we do not receive WIC, we do not receive housing assistance (we own our home), we do not receive any state health insurance (we have our own health insurance that we pay), we do not receive free/reduced lunches. Not only do we not receive any of this, we do not qualify. That would mean, for those unable to infer, that we can afford the six children we have. We also do not have any debt, minus our home. We have no credit card debt, no furniture debt, no vehicle debt - nothing except our mortgage.

Our children get to participate in other activities just like children with one or two children. Aidan is in baseball this year, Austin has gone to camp multiple times through our church and Boy Scouts, Austin went to Acquire the Fire, they do not miss out on opportunities just because we have six children. If something comes up that they really want to do, we do everything possible to make sure they can do it.

As for our time constraints:

My children are well loved. Many commenters felt that families with more than two children never got one on one time. We are in a unique situation (triplets) and I can still say my children get one on one time. I take one to the store with me. I make dates with my children for different things. I take one to a movie. I take one to the library. I read one a book. And beyond that, I spend a lot of time with my children as a family, also. I read to them, I tuck them in at naptime and bedtime, I pray with them (also whenever they are stressed or need extra prayers - I set aside time to do that), I get down on the floor and play with them, we eat all meals as at least a partial family, we nightly have supper together as a whole family, we play games, we go on walks, the list goes on and on...my husband and I spend more time with our children than most families with one child do. We take vacations together, we go places - I do not sit at home and quarantine my children 24/7.

My children know they are loved and know they are taken care of.

Education:

I am not uneducated, as many people believe to be the case in larger families. I am not "stupid" or ignorant. I am of slightly above average intelligence. I am a homemaker and I am very proud of that fact. My husband is a professional with a great job in a field he loves and has a college education. He is brilliant and by no means could ever be mistaken as "ignorant."

I believe that people today are very selfish and have been conditioned to think that if you do not have the newest, biggest, best whatever, then you just do not matter. I pray my children never have views like that on life. It's an empty existence, that's for sure.

To close, I am quoting on the of the comments from the article because I completely agree:

"Societal norms of today have lost the family friendly foundation that built our great nation. Our kids are suffering and our society has lost it's way because of it." (made by a mother of one)

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Random Picture Challenge 6.0

Today's Random Picture Challenge 6.0 courtesy of 4 Little Men and Girly Twins
January 2007
3rd picture

Ah, now THAT'S attractive! This is, hopefully, the biggest I will ever get in my lifetime. My third picture in January 2007 happened to be taken about a week before I gave birth to the triplets. I was 35 weeks exactly in the picture. I wanted to take one more before I gave birth (the difference week to week at that point was HUGE), but I happened to be told two days prior to scheduled date that I had to go then.


Friday, February 13, 2009

sick, sick, and more sick

Noah started the sickies in the house last week. I took him in on Friday because he was just miserable. High temp, nasty cough, runny nose - the works. And with him, I always worry about RSV. Dr. B didn't think he had RSV, ran a strep test (negative), and we were sent home to do fever management and see if he got better. If he didn't get better by Monday, we were supposed to take him back in. His fever was down a touch on Monday, so Steve opted to wait until Tuesday. He's gradually gotten better and now seems to be back almost 100%. The biggest sign he was sick? He likes me...he cuddled with me, he loved on me, he wanted me. Pretty good indication he wasn't well. It was nice and he's still actually cuddly with me.

Enter Ethan. Tuesday night, he starts with the nasties. I decided since nothing was different, I wasn't going to take him in. Then, yesterday, his nose had the green nasties. Not cool. Biggest sign he was sick? He was being good.

And now, Hannah. Wednesday, she didn't seem to be doing very well. Then she spiked a fever and was just miserable. Same symptoms, except her nose is clear. She just sleeps and sleeps and isn't nursing well at all.

So, I took them in yesterday. I figured Ethan probably had a sinus infection with the greenies and all and Hannah I was again concerned about RSV. Ethan more than likely has a sinus infection, but we are seeing if his body will fight it on it's own without the introduction of antibiotics. I have a prescription on hold at the pharmacy that I can fill if I need to, but I don't think I will need it.

Hannah has all the symptoms of RSV, so she ran the test. It came back negative. Today Hannah is even worse than she has been - except she has a pretty low grade fever, not real high. But she's wheezing, having massive coughing spells, can't nurse because she can't breath, her nose is so runny - she's just miserable. I feel horrible because there is nothing I can do for her. I keep doing the Tylenol/Motrin thing and she is slathered with Vick's Baby Rub, but she's still very uncomfortable. I guess as long as the test was negative, I'll wait until Monday to call again - but that's rough because I want more than anything to take her in again today.

Nathanial is now also starting to show symptoms - he has a little cough and clear runny nose, plus a low grade fever. Ahh, the joys of having lots of kids!

Please pray everyone gets better, quickly!

Monday, February 9, 2009

Color Scavenger Hunt Walk

Because the weather has been just beautiful (high 40's and 50's), we have been able to take a few walks. Today, we took a Scavenger Hunt for Colors walk...specifically, the colors Aidan is working on in Preschool - black, white, brown, blue, and red. It was fun.

Our walk was filled with TONS of brown - like lots of fun, muddy, brown puddles to jump in: And, of course, lots and lots of white snow everywhere still
We saw the neighbor's red, white, and blue flag blowing in the wind:Aidan got out his red with white and black Harley Powerwheels at the end of the walk We can't forget the white with brown trim and black tires bus - affectionately known as "Bertha"

The white and brown bare tree branches were very pretty for a change

A red with white writing wagon and black wheels that (oops) got left outside way back in November


The red fire hydrant



Lots of black tires at the tire shop

Aidan's red, white, blue, and black bike

Blue steps; blue and white bucket; white post at the vegetable stand a few blocks away

Aidan's blue and black helmet; our blue stroller, Nathanial's blue coat


A red and white sign on a brown post


Saturday, February 7, 2009

Random Picture Challenge 5.0

Here's the random picture for today.
March 2008
5th picture from the end

This was actually one of the few times the triplets all played together nicely - with no fights. They got into the game cabinet and were fascinated. I cannot believe how bald Noah is!!

Friday, February 6, 2009

A Poem

This poem appeared on 4 Little Men and Girly Twins and I loved it! She gave her permission to reprint it, so here it is.



my house is spotless, except when it's not picked up
my bathrooms sparkle, except after boys use it
I make a nutritious meal every night, except when we eat out
my children are not loud, except when they raise their voices
my laundry is always done, except when we wear clothes
my children obey the first time, except when they don't listen
the dishes are always clean, except when we use them
my toddler is potty trained, except when he wears a diaper
my spelling and grammar is perfect, except when I don't double check it
my children don't eat sugar, except when we have treats
we always use cloth diapers, except when we use disposables
my children cloths always match, except when they don't
my children always go to bed on time, except when they stay up late
we don't watch TV, except when we watch a movie
my children don't break dishes, except when they drop them
my children put their toys away, except when they leave them out
we read a bible story everyday, except when I forget
I never say anything wrong, except when I misspeak
I am never late, except when we're running behind
I am never stressed, except when I have too much to do
my marriage is perfect, except when I don't make it a priority
my children never act out in public, except when they are being unruly
there is no chaos in our house, except when we are home
I am put together everyday, except when I don't take a shower
my hair looks perfect, except when I have a bad hair day
my babies sleep through the night, except when they wake up to eat
my windows are clean, except when little fingers touch them
I always finish my to-do list each day, except when I don't get it done
I am not selfish, except when I put myself first


I live my life for Jesus
I love my family
I am a sinner
I am not perfect
I am a regular mama
I can not do it all on my own
I am learning everyday
I do not know everything
I am just like you

Random Picture Challenge 4.0

Here's my random picture for today(see 4 Little Men and Girly Twins). The challenge was the 44th picture in November 2007. (I'm a little late and not doing it for Wordless Wednesday).

I am pretty sure this is Ethan. Sitting with Daddy at Austin's 4H banquet. It was taken November 11, 2007.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

The Boys and Their Cake

We had a pretty low-key birthday yesterday. The boys' "real" party won't be until the 21st, but I wanted to celebrate their actual birthday, too. Ethan had a follow up for his ears. Thankfully, there is no more tissue in his ears, so no surgery. Yay! Then they had their first Happy Meals (not first McDonald's - just the first time they each got their own Happy Meal). Then we came home and gave them cake. Not a real healthy day by any means, but we're back on track today.
Noah, Ethan, and Nathanial - trying to get a quick picture of them with their cake.

My battery died, so of course they had to start digging in while waiting. They loved each getting "Happy Birthday" sung just to them. This was Noah's turn. Digging in - yummy!

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Happy 2nd Birthday, Nathanial!

I love how silly you can be. You bring joy into our lives and are so funny. You also love to cuddle and just sit quietly by mommy sometimes. You do like to get into trouble with your brothers, but your silly smiles makes it very hard for anyone to stay mad at you for long.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Thano!!

We love you!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday Ethan!!

You are so kind and sensitive. You like to get into things with your brothers and you always keep mommy hopping. You can be silly and you can be serious. I love your smile and the way you cuddle with me. I love watching you build things and how much care you put into it.

We hope you have a wonderful day! Happy 2nd Birthday, Ethan!!

We love you!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Noah!

You have come a long way in two years Noah. We have been so blessed to have you in our lives and you are such a joy every day. The way you giggle about almost anything makes everyone around you laugh. You always make sure your brothers are OK when they are sad and are so protective of Hannah. You are such a great big brother and so loving!

Happy 2nd Birthday!

We love you, Noah Noah!!!