Crazy People

I know I'm a bit crazy (my kids caused it) but some people are worse than me. I'm addicted to Craig's List and watch it all the time and today I saw something I have never seen before. A lady posted an ultrasound photo of her baby boy and wrote this...

I am not asking for any compensation for my baby. I just want it to have a good home. I do ask that you meet with me and my lawyer to have the paperwork written up. I would also like to meet with you and see what type of people you are. I am not going to be prejudice or anything with this adoption I just want the best for my boy and I know that I cannot give that to him. Please contact me if you are serious about wanting to adopt a baby boy

Oh my! I quickly responded to her message and told her there are many people that would want to adopt but she needed to go through an agency, not Craig's List, to find the right home for her child. I flagged her message as well.

I've sold many of my baby items on Craig's List but I have never listed my children. I still can't believe someone would do this. I'm curious if she will reply to my message.

"See my tonsils?"

 

"I'm Pretty"

 
I tried getting Madelyn to say "I'm Pretty" but it comes out more like "uh pi-pe".

Whooooosh........

 

Expensive Toy vs Cheap Toy

I know exactly why now the well known toy manufacturers make it so hard to get batteries in and out of their toys. I caught Madelyn today with a battery in her mouth. She had taken the back off of a cheap toy and pulled the batteries out and had one in her mouth. Yes, I freaked out. The battery was not chewed but this could have been really bad. This toy now has a place in the trash can. I'll remember this next time I'm searching for an itty bitty screwdriver to take a back off to replace batteries.

My Newest Best Friends

 
Aaaahhhh, fresh laundry again. My new washer and dryer arrived today, has been installed and already working on its first load. My old set was 11 years old and ready to retire. It's been moved five times at least from apartment, to apartment, house, storage (apartment in between had a set already there), and this house. I actually have a guy picking them up and giving me $40 for them. They do still work, just not well, and definitely not for a family of six that runs the machines all day long. I got this old set right out of college and the only repair that's been made was one small part in the washer cracked and Tony was able to order that part and fix it himself. I got my money's worth out of that set. Now we'll see how long this pair will remain in our home.

Think we need a bigger wagon???

 

Funny Feet

 
 
Andrew insisted on wearing these red shoes last night after Tony got him ready for bed. If he wasn't silly enough in pj's that were too short, blue striped socks, he adds the red shoes to the attire. Andrew insisted on wearing them also. I tried to take them off once and out came this squeal that would have made a deaf person turn their head. Later on in the evening one shoe fell off so I hid it beside me. Andrew was saying "where do?" (where did it go?) and was walking all around the living room, foyer, kitchen looking for his lost shoe. It was definitely the funniest thing I had seen in a long time just listening to him jibber-jabber and running aroung with one shoe on. I later threw the lost one in the middle of the room and Andrew was excited he yelled "a Sehw". I was laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes and wish so badly I had recorded this. It was just one of those things you'd have to see in person. I can't describe how hilarious it was. He's definitely our special child - crazy, funny, yet mean with a short temper. Gotta love him!

Then and Now

Earlier I posted Easter photos of our four kids. They've changed so much in the past year. Check out last year here.

Does he look excited or what?

 
Logan found in his Easter bucket this morning that the Easter Bunny left a pooping candy chicken.

Logan's Egg Hunt at School

 
Friday, all Kindergarten classed had an egg hunt BUT they were only allowed to pick up 16 eggs. Logan ended up with 17 but we later shared it with another kid. Most of them couldn't count and would stop at 11 or do what Logan did and get excited and skip numbers as he was picking up eggs.

Pre-Easter

 
 
 
Taken at my mom's house Saturday during our family only egg hunt.

Happy Easter

 

First Visit with Speech Therapist

Today a new therapist came to visit Madelyn and to introduce herself and get to know Madelyn. She asked me why EI had not referred her until now and I told her our County's CDSA didn't refer to Speech Therapist until they are two. She isn't two yet but I pushed for this sooner plus had the boys evaluated after their 2nd birthday so she got in on it too. In other words, we should have been seeing this person since Madelyn has been in the EI program for her oral motor skills. She will be coming once a week working with the muscles around Madelyn's cheeks, inside her mouth and lips. The goals are to make her speech clearer, improve muscle tone in her face, and hopefully teach Madelyn to keep her tongue in her mouth and not drool all the time. She also recommended a dentist but we already have an appointment with a pediatric dentist in May.

Madelyn was using our normal Playtex sippy's and the therapist recommended I switch to the sippy's with straws. Madelyn forces her bottom jaw forward and her tongue out when she sucks on these sippy's. Using the ones with straws with force her to use the muscles inside her mouth which will in turn strengthen her facial muscles. I don't like the straw sippy's b/c they are harder to clean but I'll do this for her.

She also mentioned how Madelyn uses her mouth to breathe. She stays so snotty and congested she has to breathe this way. I told her about all the meds we have tried, removing adenoids and putting tubes in her ears, etc. She agreed with me that seeing an allergist was a great idea. Until we can get this problem solved with her nose, she's going to continue to use her mouth to breathe which delays improvements to her facial muscle tone. I'm definitely looking forward to what this allergist has to say about our girl.

HELP How do you Stop a Ripper?

 
I can't stand this anymore. I'm so tired of cleaning up messes b/c Madelyn has the need to rip up stuff. Today it's chicken. I gave the tots three chicken strips cut up into small bite sizes and this is what Madelyn did with hers. She has ripped them to shreds. Nate ate his and Andrew didn't touch his like always. I am making her pick each piece up now and put it in a bowl. This is crazy. Is this being a girl, a toddler or is this some sort of pyschological issue we need to address with her doctor? Every day I'm cleaning up something she's ripped up. Why does she feel the need to do this all the time?

Some Things My Family Can't Do Without

I've done my last load of laundry for the day. Unfortunately, my laundry is still piled halfway to the ceiling. I ran out of detergent. Most families would jump in the car and head to the store and buy more at this point. For me, I'd rather just see this pile for a little longer until Tony or myself can go to the store alone. I can't even jump in my car now with the three youngest b/c I have one carseast disassembled since Andrew upchucked again all over his seat. The cover to it is in the washer now. I'd have to wait for it to finish washing, dry on its own (would tear up in the dryer), assemble the seat back together, install it back in my car, get the three ready and load them all just for a bottle of detergent. It's not worth it.

So this made me think about other things my family can not be out of....
1. Detergent
2. Bananas - It's not good when one starts screaming for "nannies" b/c then the othre two hear and they start.
3. Milk
4. Diapers and Wipes - right now I'm down to the last wipes container
5. Tissues - for Madelyn's unstoppable nasal drainage
6. Waffles - favorite breakfast food at this time. Waffles and Milk are the first words of the day
7. Dishwasher soap - I know I could wash all of them by hand but I'd be washing sippy's for hours. I Love Dishwashers!
8. Ear plugs - okay, so this is optional but I typed this as they all screamed at the same time running in circles chasing each other. I don't have any but there are times these would definitely come in handy.
9. Sense of humor - Tony has enough for all of us but if I didn't have some, I wouldn't make it through the day with three toddlers.
10. Cribs - Why do people keep asking me when I'm going to put them in toddler beds? When you've got three, they stay in cribs until they crawl out. By Logan's second birthday we started working on transitioning him to toddler bed. Not with these three. No way. I need sleep. I need them to be in their rooms at night and know they are safe in their cribs. These cribs are staying.

There's more I could add like the washer and dryer that goes with the washing detergent, which by the way we're getting a new set delivered next week. My eleven year old machines are retiring at our house. They just can't keep up with our family of six. Thankfully I do not have to go to a laundry facility to do my laundry. I'd have to get my own truck to haul our laundry there and need cranes to carry the loads into the facility. So that may be exagerating a little but there are days I think my laundry pile never gets smaller. I asked another family of six last week how they keep up with laundry and the answer was "We don't." That's not what I wanted to hear.

Getting Cupcakes Should NOT be a Logistical Challenge

I knew all year long that when Logan's classmates had birthdays at school, most parents send in cupcakes for all the kids. I have been planning to do this also. I emailed the teacher this morning just to make sure they ate the cupcakes during their lunch time and was told yes. I knew I had to take store bought cupcakes (something I previously posted about) only b/c the stores tend to include ingredients and hopefully they are coming from clean environments. What I didn't know until today is that beforehand I'm also to send in carb count and serving size. Logan has a classmate with diabetes so I understand why they ask this of parents.

What many don't understand is how difficult of a challenge this is for us. While eating supper tonight, Tony and I had to plan out HOW we would pick-up these cupcakes from school. If I picked these up the evening before, I'd probably have to have room in our refrigerator for two dozen cupcakes. We don't always have this space nor can I guarantee no one in this house will damage these goodies while they sit here at our house.

Picking the cupcakes up the same day doesn't work so well either. Tony has to work. That means I would have to take all three kids to the grocery store. Most grocery stores do not have buggies to seat three which would mean I would have to pull a buggy with the cupcakes and push a buggy with the kids in it. Nah! Don't like that idea. If I order from BJ's Warehouse, I might can get a cart that seats our three that doesn't involve any of them sitting in the larger area of the cart and then pick up the cupcakes and put them in the cart so I can get back out to the car.

If I can successfully pick up the cupcakes with three kids in tow, then I have another challenge - how do I get the cupcakes to the classroom? I can't leave the kids in the car. I can't put them in a stroller and carry the cupcakes. It takes both hands to push a triple stroller. I can't trust they would walk with me or follow me if I carry the cupcakes. I can't guarantee I will not drop them while trying to tote these kids to the classroom. I am known for my clumsiness without three distractions, so adding them into the picture the probability of an accident occurring is high.

I shouldn't have to hire a babysitter so I can go to the store and pick-up cupcakes and deliver to Logan's classroom.

Why do some of the simplest tasks turn into difficult challenges when three toddlers are involved?

Follow-up on Yesterday's Stubborness

Today is going to be a better day. I went into Madelyn's room with milk in a sippy like every morning and guess what I got? "Milk, Please." I didn't even ask her to say it. She did it all on her own. After I uncovered her face which was under lots of hair stuck to her face via snot, I got lots of precious smiles. Now that's my girl. She sees an allergist on 4/2...YEAH!

Why is Madelyn so stubborn?

Early this morning around 4am I think it was Madelyn started in on her screaming. I've learned if I go in there, try the hold and cuddle, lay back down that the screaming never ends. We let her be for a while and she eventually quits. This morning was no different. However, when I was getting up all the kids this morning she looked extra tired like she never did go back to sleep. She was also stripped down to a diaper. Every morning I take sippy's to the cribs when I get them out. I ask them to say "Milk Please" if they don't say it before I go in. Andrew never says it but the other two always do. Madelyn refused this morning. Not only did she refuse, she gave me evil eyes. I also had waffles already this morning when I went in there and she almost always says "WAFFLES" really loud but this morning, NOTHING. I think she didn't sleep after her screaming episode. I tried my best to get her to say her words. I did all the things I've seen her therapist's doing. Nothing. I can't get a single word from this girl. BUT she can scream if I leave the room. What's up with this? I changed her clothes and diaper and I have put her back in the crib to see if she would go back to sleep and get more rest. There's no crying. I don't want her off schedule but I don't want her being a stubborn, mean little girl either all day. Why is she not sleeping through the night?

Last night at a Mother's of Multiples meeting one of the new moms mentioned she took one of her twins to an allergist. He's four months old and discovered he had all kinds of allergies. I got the name of this doctor. I don't think I'm going to take the advice of the pediatrician or ENT and wait until Madelyn is three to be tested. We need to know now. Maybe this is part of why she isn't sleeping b/c she's so congested and has so much drainage out of her nose. We need medicines or we need to know if there's something we should avoid.

Parenting is not easy. Parenting multiples is REALLY not easy.

This isn't what it looks like....

 
Just wanted to see if everyone else had the same reaction Tony and I did when we saw this drawing Logan came home from school with today.

ps. It's a mommy feeding her baby. Still not acceptable for drawings (at least it wasn't what I thought it might be which was definitely worse) and had to have the talk that some things should be left private.

One fell off ....and then there were three little monkeys

 

Four Monkeys

 

Our Special Child

 
 
Sometimes I think Andrew had to have been a mix-up in delivery room b/c he's so different but I do have photos that proves he is our child. Nate is so much like Logan and how Logan acted in his baby/toddler days. Those two are almost identical in looks. Andrew on the other hand is different. He knows how to crack me up and drive me insane at the same time. Today he was watching his wiggles sitting on his bucket and yesterday he was trying on diffent clothes and shoes way too big for his feet. I think he might be a clown when he grows up.

Teaching the kids how to hunt for eggs

 
 
 
Before heading to a public egg hunt, I wanted to see if the little ones would actually try to find eggs today and put them in a bucket so I sent Logan out to hide them in our backyard. The twins LOVED it. They were very excited. Madelyn got one egg and that was enough. She wanted to swing with her bucket and that's it.

Not letting my kids loose in this...

 
No matter how much the kids sometimes get on my nerves, we were not letting go of hands nor letting loose from the stroller. A local church had this idea of a egg "drop" - a helicopter was going to drop eggs from a helicopter. They advertised way too much and had too little security and not even close to a big enough area for this turnout. It was probably an hour wait for a jump on the bouncers which thankfully Logan chose not to go on and forget even thinking about the line for free drinks and food. We got there, walked around the field and decided to truck it on outta there before the helicopter came. The area for age three and under was already blocked off and had eggs laying on the ground but it was such a small area that I was sure kids would be pushing and injuries were going to occur. A neighbor called me after it was over and said it was a good thing we left. She said kids were crying all over the field b/c they had lost their parents. I think we'll be sticking to the back yard egg hunts this year.

Gross but so darn cute

 
Found some interesting photos on my camera this morning. Our live-in teen that was here this week took some photos using my camera and I came across this one.

A tiny update...

Yesterday Madelyn was evaluated for speech therapy through our local early intervention program and the first test performed she did not qualify but the therapist performed another questionnaire b/c she felt Madelyn SHOULD qualify just for the sake of her poor muscle tone in her face and she did qualify. (The twins were tested during the same time and they passed too.) The entire time these ladies were here today, Madelyn hung her tongue completely out of her mouth and drooled all over herself. She has been getting better with this but for some reason when she gets distracted by other people or we're out in public, she looks like a thirsty dog panting for water. I was asked about her eating habits and when I told them how messy she is they said it's b/c she is used to being wet under her mouth and chin so she knows no difference when food has dribbled all over her face. Makes sense to me. She's also still biting her tongue at night when she sleeps (and sleep is another problem we're dealing with lately - lack there of).

Both ladies here were surprised she was not at the age of two yet based on her size. One of those is the social worker we've delt with for the past year but the other one saw her for the first time today. Madelyn also had a really bad runny nose today while those ladies were here. The tubes and adenoidectomy didn't help that part and the ENT recommends waiting until she is three to test for allergies. After the ladies left today, her nose went back to slightly dripping so it made me think she's allergic to something they might have been wearing. I don't know what to do for her. A runny nose every day of your life has got to be annoying.

Next week we visit a pediatric dentist to get his opinion on her teeth and mouth structure and if he has suggestions about her tongue problem and poor muscle tone around her mouth. This was recommended by our pediatrician.

Andrew also saw a doctor yesterday - Pediatric Gastroenterologist. He was an acid reflux baby and still is. We never know when it's going to happen but when it does, he can vomit across a room or fill up half the back seat and car seats in my car. This doctor said 95% of acid reflux babies grow out of this before age of two. He may be the 5% that continues until age four BUT he would like to run a scope down his throat and see if there's something else causing this such as an allergy or structural problems. I hate to do this to him but I also hate cleaning up vomit all the time.

We got lucky this week and have a live-in "nanny". A friend of our's daughter is on Spring Break from college and staying with us. We put her to babysitting yesterday twice and then after the kids were in bed, Tony and I went out to eat ALONE!!! We had the opportunity to give a new restaurant a try - first time trying Thai food. While our "nanny" was watching Nate and Madelyn today (while I was taking Andrew to the doctor) Madelyn had one of her famous diaper blow-outs. Of course I laughed b/c "A" got stuck with cleaning it up. I left at a good time - YEAH!

Madelyn is back to having sleep issues again. We temporarily moved her to Nate and Andrew's room and gave "A" her room since we have a twin bed set up in Madelyn's room. I though this might help with Madelyn's sleeping problems and maybe she would feel more secure in a room with her brothers. Nope. She's still waking up through the night and crying and also crying very early in the morning. I really don't know what to do to help her sleep through the night peacefully. I also need her to stop crying so early b/c it's waking up Logan too early and he really needs his sleep for school.

I'm still trying to move back into our home. It's a mess. Moving is hard work. I am hoping to get more boxes unpacked today so I can eventually pull my car back into our garage. We used our garage as a storage unit for several months. I also painted one room this week - our dining room which is in the process of officially being called our home office. We don't entertain so a dining room was not as useful to us as a home office. If I even pull the room together I'll post photos. I love the color I chose and it's starting to look more and more like a home office now instead of a dining room.

I also have a new plan for preschool this fall. Since we're not moving, I had to look into new places. A local kids gym is owned by a set of twin parents so they sympathize with the costs of twins. They have a two days a week, three hours each day preschool and they have a pay for one twin get a twin free so I'd only have to pay for two of the three two-year olds. It's not really a structured class room type setting some preschools are but they focus more on music, exercise, and singing. We think this might be the best option for Madelyn to help her gain more muscle and be more active (she still doesn't run - quick wobble walk) plus she loves music and loves to dance. I think the boys will like it too b/c they have lots of play equipment and space to run. And even more important - I get a total of six hours a week to take a break from three two-year olds and have some Mommy time. Yeah!

I always thought my photos looked funny....

Since we're moving back into our house, one of the things I have missed the most is all my photos on the walls, bookshelves, and other places. Today I've been putting back and hanging more upstairs in the playroom and the kids rooms. Nate, Andrew and Madelyn are loving this. They've had to name everyone in the photos. Nate said "Na-na, Bo-bo (Logan), Drew-drew" so fast probably 10 times in one breath before I stopped him when he was looking at one frame. Madelyn and Andrew mostly love looking at Bo-bo pictures. BTW, Bo-bo is a nickname Logan came up with for Big Brother. They have giggled and laughed at everybody. I caught Andrew holding one frame of Tony and Me with Logan when he was a baby and he was kissing it the picture. Awe, so cute. I have one problem with all my pictures - not many printed and framed of Madelyn (tons of them stored on the computer). I've never taken her for professional photos either. Guess I need to get around to that soon. I did today switch out a few old ones and replaced them with some photos that include her that I've taken with my camera. My house is becoming my home again.

YES SIR

 
We enrolled Logan this week in Tae Kwon Do.

Out enjoying the nice weather today.

 

We're Not Moving

I emailed this out but in case I forgot anyone...

We are taking our house off the market. Tony's boss is allowing him the opportunity now to work from the Wachovia office off Harris Blvd which is about 10 miles from home (maybe less depending on the route taken). This is the office we originally transferred here for. Since the builder in our neighborhood has been selling homes for less than what we would be able to sell ours for, we are almost certain we will not be able to sell, at least not right now. We really hoped to move back to the area we moved here from but we have made the decision it's better for us to stay right now. Finally, Tony is in a position he can come home when I need him home and lately that's been a huge help to me since all the kids have been in and out of the doctor's office every week all year long, and if you've ever dragged three one-year olds to a doctor's office at the same time, you know exactly what I mean. He also now has more flexibility in his hours which is a great benefit to have with kids in the family.

This was a tough decision to make b/c our heart was into going back "Home" but we have to do what's best for our family right now. We're not saying we'll never move back but for now, we're staying where we are.

I miss these days

 
 
 
I went to bed early b/c I was so tired but then I couldn't sleep. I was thinking about two years ago today. Two years ago I laid in bed hurting so bad in my back and aching all over to discover the next morning all that pain was back labor. Even the doctor on call ordered me a prescription pain killer on the 2nd. He didn't believe I was in labor either. This was the last time I would ever go through labor and delivery again. I remember that pain all too well, but I would do it all over again. There's nothing like a newborn baby, and two years ago I got two of them at the same time - double joy.

There are days I wish the boys and Madelyn were spaced out more in age. I feel like I miss out a lot with each one individually. We chose to continue the adoption after I became pregnant b/c our daughter was already in our hearts. At the time we made that decision, we also thought Madelyn would be older than the twins. Wait to referral got longer and longer. If Madelyn's birthday is what is recorded, her birthmother and I were pregnant at the same time and probably conceived around the same time since the twins were due April 10th (Logan's birthday). I can't image how a mother can give up a child when I know how wonderful it is to give birth and to see and hold a beautiful baby. How did Madelyn's mom give her up like that? I am grateful she did b/c Madelyn wouldn't be home with us, but I am upset with her at the same time for not being a true mother to her daughter. I don't live in China. I don't understand why.

I know I will not give birth to any more children. It's upsetting, but my family is complete and I have come to realize that. We will probably never adopt again. Four children is a lot. Three the same age is really tough. I want to get out of this stage of survival mode but I miss the baby stage so much already. Nate and Andrew have grown up so much and are getting more handsome every day. Madelyn in a year has blossomed into a beautiful, little Asian girl. Our babies are growing into little men and a little lady. When I look back at all the old pictures, I just want to cry. Not sad, but happy tears.

Happy Birthday my baby boys, Nathaniel and Andrew. Even when you are old, you'll still be my babies. I love you so much!