Cattle Congress

We just recieved a call from Austin's 4H leader and Austin was chosen to go on to the next level, which is Cattle Congress, for his Paint Bag presentation!! So that is awesome! It's the level below State fair and I am not even sure he is eligable as a junior to go to state. We're really proud of him. We get his evaluation form tomorrow along with his letter, so we can see where he can improve and what he did well.Also, I got on video tonight the babies talking to each other finally. Noah was really excited when he was speaking to Ethan and Nathanial was getting in on the action, also. You can see that on the dropshots site.That's it for tonight!

Summer Fun

We have been very busy the last couple of weeks and it seems instead of a relaxing summer, we will have a very busy one. Austin had Camp Invention last week and this week and had a lot of fun with that. He invented a “new” space station. The idea is that you go and take apart an electronic item (this year, a record player) to discover how it works and then rebuild it into something else. You also learn about different scientific things, how patents work, the invention process, and all sorts of stuff. Our school really encourages it for all students, but it’s almost mandatory for the TAG students. He loves going and I believe this is the last year he’ll be able to go. Austin also had his 4H Communication Day presentation today. He did a Working Exhibit on paint bags. He found the idea on Kid Concoctions and he loves to do them at home, so it was a great idea. We thought we had a lot of it figured out a while ago…he printed out his ideas, supply list, steps, posters, everything on Sunday so all we had to do was actually put it ON the display board. Easy, right?? Not so! We started around 7 last night and did not get finished until 11! It took forever, but it did look pretty good when we were all done. He received a merit ribbon today after he finished and was asked to do it at the county fair in August, so that was great! They are even willing to make arrangements for him because the working exhibit time is half way through his rabbit show, but they are willing to let him come late and do it. He is very excited. I put pictures of last night’s fiasco and today’s presentation on www.dropshots.com/5boysmom. I have decided I will be using that for pictures from now on.Aidan is, well, Aidan. He is so sweet sometimes and sooo ornery others. I cannot figure out if it is because he is trying to assert his independence or what. It can be very trying and then, just as fast as lightning, he will be his sweet little self again. It hasn’t helped that the weather has been extra icky, either. It has been hotter than blazes and then, suddenly, last night, it was storming really bad and today also. He started swimming lessons on Monday, but has actually had only two lessons, only one of which was in the water. Monday it stormed so they had a safety lesson, Tuesday was a swim meet, Wednesday in the water, then last night Tornado and Thunderstorm warnings killed it. He is actually doing really well.Nathanial is getting very close to rolling! He is now whipping himself onto his side and trying VERY hard to roll all the way. He just needs to move his arm out from under himself! Ethan has the back to front roll down perfectly and is trying to perfect his back to front. He gets stuck halfway and also needs to move his arm! Noah has got it down both ways and is deciding it is an excellent way to get across the room! Not so great!! They are all grasping toys when you put them in their hands and Nathanial and Ethan will even grab at toys themselves and hold on. Which also means they pick up EVERYTHING they find and it immediately goes into the mouth. I think they are all teething. They are all drooling and putting everything in their mouths and chewing on things a lot. Noah is very cranky, but the other two are really good.I think I am either slightly insane or really stupid (haven’t decided which yet!), but the boys and I are going to stay a week at Shawna’s in the beginning of July! We are all very excited. I am a tad nervous about the babies and Austin, but I am sure it will be a lot of fun. Steve always works the month of July non-stop (even holidays and weekends) because of year end, so we never see him. I thought this year instead of staying home, we would go away. That way he also doesn’t have to worry about being home for us at a certain time (which is usually very late). We are planning on going swimming, to the River Museum, and the Madison Zoo! I know it will be a lot of fun!The day after we get home from Shawna’s, Austin goes to Boy Scout camp for 10 days! He’s very excited. It will be his longest stay away from home, but last year he went to Webelos camp for four days and he has been on three weekend BS campouts in the last few months, so he’ll be fine. He also still has his Monday group that he goes to and the 4H fair to look forward to. So glad to have his Communication Day done!!!That’s about it for now. I hope everyone has a great 4th of July and we’ll update when we get home!

4 Month Doctor Visit

Nathanial, Ethan, and Noah had their 4 month check up and shots Friday. :( They all cried when they got them, Noah screamed for a few minutes. He wasn't happy at all. Thankfully Steve's sister went with us so I didn't have to go alone. We will not start solids until they are six months for a few reasons. I think that's the earliest I want them to due to prematurity and also then I don't have to do cereal at all. I do not want to do it; I haven't with either of the other boys. Troy was fine with us starting directly with avocado. Other than them staring intently at us every single time we eat, they don't really seem ready to start, either. They are still fine with their formula and do not act hungry when they are finished. Apart from Noah's reflux (we increased his meds), everything with them is great! They are all developing normally. None of them are rolling very consistently at all yet. Ethan rolled early, then quit. Nathanial has never rolled. Noah has rolled a few times (according to Austin). Nathanial and Ethan do not squeal yet or laugh. Noah laughs, though. Troy said not to be concerned about it, because when we account for them being early, they are doing everything they should and even a lot of stuff most "normal" 4 month olds do. They are getting really big! We thought that Ethan was getting pretty tubby and closer to Noah than Nathanial, but we were wrong. Ethan was 24 1/2" and 13 lbs, 10 oz. and his head was 16". Nathanial was 24 3/4" and 13 lbs, 6 oz. and his head was also 16". Noah was 23 1/4" (short little fella!), and 14 lbs, 10 oz., and his head was 16 1/4". So they are all growing really well! After the shots, Nathanial and Ethan slept most of the day away as did Noah at first. Then he screamed for about 3 hours again, but we are not really sure that was due to the shots at all. He has been cranky for the last week and drooling A LOT. I asked if he could possibly be teething and he said yep. So we think that is what is going on. He was cranky again yesterday and today and he just chews on my finger...hard. Everything he picks up, he sticks in his mouth, also. Poor little guy! They are all grabbing stuff and picking it up....on purpose! It is so exciting to see. We started putting stuff in their hands a couple of weeks ago and they would hold on, and then look at it funny like "how did that get there?" Now, they are grabbing things themselves and staring at them and beginning to figure it out. They stare at their hands and have discovered them, also. It is so neat to watch! However, they are also picking up stuff that they shouldn't have because we keep forgetting they are able to. Gotta watch them ALL the time now! Today Noah had a hold of a hard plastic tie thing (like they attach toys with)...thankfully I was right next to him and saw him as soon as he picked it up. Aidan turned FOUR on Wednesday! I cannot believe he is that old already! We had his George (Curious, that is) party yesterday. Much as I wanted a George (Bush, that is) party, he wasn't going for it! He had a blast. Austin and Aidan received a bounce house (early present for Austin) and Aidan just loves it! I do not want to see what our electric bill will be this month! His cousin Emma was here, so that was all he really even needed to have fun. Then last night we went to the neighbors for a fish fry (I refrained from the fish). So all in all a pretty good day.Austin is at a Boy Scout campout this weekend, so he missed the party. He made the choice to go to camp, which was fine by us. He is canoeing this weekend. I'm anxious for him to get home to make sure he didn't go down river! He'll be home sometime late this afternoon, but I am pretty sure he is having a lot of fun. He starts his weekly intensive Asperger group and Camp Invention this week. He has Boy Scout camp (week long) in July. He also is doing a bunch of stuff for 4H (fair and Communication Day). He got more rabbits yesterday, so he needs to start working with them now so they show well. One of them is especially calm already...I think she's the one he should show for his showmanship. And one of them is pretty ornery so hopefully he can get her to calm down. He usually can. Steve's still working on the roof to the back building so he can set up a rabbit house for them all. He is keeping one hutch outside and then four cages inside the building so he has a place to house all of them once they wean! So far Austin has 7, with 5 being in one cage (mama and babies). I started putting pictures on a different website...I can upload larger pictures, so it will be easier and there is more room. It is www.dropshots.com/5boysmom.

Boy Scout Advancement

Noah went back to the pulminary specialist in Iowa City. All the steriods really did was cause a lot of side effects (screaming, bright red cheeks, very uncomfortable), so we cut the dose in half per doctor’s orders. It didn’t help any, so they did an EKG, which looked “funny” and recommended we follow up with the pediatric cardiologist. We did that last Friday. They called Wednesday and said they would “probably” do an echocardiogram, so to have Noah fast from 3 am until his appointment “just in case.” When I went in, his breathing had improved from Monday and they said the murmur they heard they believed was a flow murmur and they said the EKG can be funky because the chest walls are so small, so they didn’t think they would do the echo. Then she asked family history of heart problems and decided that they had better do the echo. The PA didn’t really think they would find anything. They put him to sleep and told me the medicine was just to make him “drowsy” but he was OUT. They took an hour to do the echo and it was just silent. I figured that was either a good thing or a bad thing. Then finally, after waiting another 30 minutes, the pediatric cardiologist came in with the PA and said that structurally, his heart was fine and everything was where it should be. He does have a heart murmur between the upper two chambers of his heart, but that will close eventually, and is very normal in infants. The flow to the right side was worse than the left, but again, just a negligible amount. However, his lungs kept getting in the way of his heart, which the doctor found “interesting.” He kept on saying that. And they still found evidence of Resperatory Distress Syndrome. He said he believes from the size of the lungs and the way they got in the way, he probably had mild pulmonary pressure that will also resolve itself. Finally, he decided that although nothing individually is major, it is a combination of everything that is causing his breathing issues. So he said with everything they found, it is all minor enough to not warrant any further treatment or visits. Yippee!! He is fine! I was so relieved after him throwing so much at me that it really is nothing to be concerned about. Nathanial and Ethan are still doing well. All three of them smile all the time and talk quite a bit. Noah is the biggest talker, but the other two are catching up. Nathanial and Ethan are further ahead physically. They roll and wiggle around quite a bit and Noah is more content in one spot. He is starting to move quite a bit, though, too. Their little personalities are coming out more and more all the time. Noah is the fussy, very needy one of them. He likes to be held and if he is awake and not being held or paid attention to in some way, he can get pretty upset and pretty loud. Nathanial is pretty laid back most of the time, but can get very feisty if things don’t go his way. When he is eating, he wants everything *just so* or he gets feisty and if he wants attention and isn’t getting it, watch out. Ethan is extremely laid back and just kinda takes things as they come. When he gets upset, it is way more a hurt cry and not angry or feisty, and his little lip goes out. It is so neat to see how different they are! I can FINALLY tell Ethan and Nathanial apart most of the time! Ethan has a longer, more narrow face and still has pointy ears, while Nathanial has a more round face and rounder ears. Of course, if all else fails, tick them both off and see who gets more upset quicker! And it doesn’t hurt that Nathanial still has a red toenail!!Austin made his official advancement to Boy Scouts last Monday. He received his Arrow of Light, so I was happy about that. He has had a lot of fun already and really enjoys it. He went to the middle school with his class Monday. He was able to meet three of his teachers, the guidance counselor, and the principal when we went. He felt a lot better seeing familiar faces in the crowd and realizing he wasn’t just going to be thrown somewhere where he knew noone. He refused to go out in the hall during class switch time when I went with him, but he had no choice when he went with his class. His teacher said he looked pretty stricken and just looked directly at the person in front of him. He will adjust to it, we know, but it will be hard for him at first. Steve and I met with the guidance counselor, his current teacher, current school nurse, and his psychologist on Monday and that went really well. There were just some schedule issues I wanted to get figured out before school starts and I felt like we were FINALLY listened to and I think it had a lot to do with Dr. Paul being there. Steve and I decided whatever he charges us for coming up will be well worth it! Austin and I are planning on going up quite often during the summer to walk through his schedule and get used to the building. At least all the sixth graders are on one floor.Aidan is Aidan…always keeping us on our toes! A couple of Sundays ago, he was going UP the steps to go to bed and tripped and his tooth almost went all the way through his lip (it was translucent from the inside to the out, so I knew it was deep), so he and I made a fast trip to the ER. He ended up with four stitches and he pulled two of them out by Monday afternoon. Tuesday he fell again and it looked nasty, so I hauled him in to his doctor again. He decided it was better to just take them out and deal with any future bleeding with pressure. It has actually done really well and is completely healed now.

Noah Update

Noah went back to the pediatrician in Waterloo last Monday and his breathing was not any better, so he referred us to Iowa City. We went to see that doctor on Friday. The good news is, he does not have Cystic Fibrosis which was mentioned to us on Monday. He was tested as a newborn and they had those results when we went for our visit. So that was a relief. We still don’t have any idea what is really going on, but we have narrowed it down to a couple of different causes. Most likely it is caused by having been a preemie. When a baby is still in utero, they have cells in their lungs that are usually gone by the time they are born. Since Noah was born early, his body did not have time to get rid of those and he still has too many. So now, he is working extra hard (breathing fast) to get them out. This would be great because he will outgrow it as he gets older. They repeated another chest x-ray and he still has signs of RDS (Respiratory Distress Syndrome), most severe in his upper right lung. He is now on a higher dose of oral steroids for 10 days. He was supposed to take double his old dose, twice a day, but he started having side effects. We were told if those developed to stop the evening dose and give it to him once a day. We didn’t know they were side effects, but he had bright red cheeks and was really cranky again. Well, the cheeks were a side effect, but so is cramping, so we think that’s probably what was happening. If he is not better in 10 days at his next appointment, then we will go to the pediatric cardiologist to see if it is possibly congenital heart disease. We really don’t think it is that, but the doctor wants to be positive he doesn’t miss something. He has a slight murmur, but he believes it is a flow murmur, not a structural one. I had a heart murmur and Austin had a heart murmur and then after it closed, developed a rapid heartbeat and is on medicine for that. So, technically, it could be that, but that is still pretty out there in theory-land for now. And his blood pressure was elevated when we went, also, so that’s another concern. We go back Monday to decide our next step. The babies were baptized yesterday and it was beautiful. Nicole Reynolds sang for us and did a fabulous job. We wanted her to sing “Give You Wings,” which is a hard song to sing, but she nailed it and it was awesome. I got the chills while Pastor John was baptizing them and during the song. You could really feel the presence of the Holy Spirit and that is an amazing thing when it happens. It was just awesome! They were so good, too. Noah cried a little bit as he was being baptized, but not near what I thought he would!We go to tour the Middle School and meet the counselor and teachers tomorrow with Austin. We are doing this tour, then the orientation, then he will ride the bus once or twice, then hopefully another tour during the school day and several during the summer. This will hopefully help Austin’s transition go a little more smoothly. It is already difficult for him and he has been talking himself into it already. It seems weird to think that he is already old enough to be in middle school and I will not have any kids at the elementary next year! Aidan is also starting preschool next year in the afternoons three days a week. I don’t know what I will do with myself! I suppose by then Nathanial, Ethan, and Noah will be keeping me even busier!Nathanial, Ethan, and Noah are all smiling away now and talking a lot. It is so awesome to watch their development and is much faster than I realized. I can’t believe how much they are already growing!