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I hate taking the kids to the pediatrician!  We love our group of pediatricians and nurse practitioners, but they are usually running behind.  Well child checks with the twins takes a minimum of two hours.  Today I had to take the little man in because he was on day three of a fever over 102 and had developed a wicked rash.  I highly suspected it was just a virus, (Roseola, or Hand, Foot and Mouth), but the boy was miserable so like any parent would,  I dragged him into the doctor to make sure it was nothing else.  I pulled in, and there was only one other car in the parking lot.  Great, I thought to myself we will be in and out quickly. 

Not so fast.  We were called back before I even had time to sit down after checking in, which again was a good sign.  Instead we waited nearly 25 minutes in our little room before the ARNP came in.  I am usually pretty good at entertaining the little ones with minimal resources so we spent the time playing with the exam table paper, throwing a paper towel in the air, playing with the blinds on the window and examining different equipment in the room (tongue depressor, otoscope covers and emesis basins).  It worked for a while and then I turned to singing, but after a few rounds of "Wheels on the Bus," Caleb was ready to get off the bus. 

To make sure he didn't have a bacterial infection, he had to have a complete blood count checked, which meant a finger poke. He was such a trooper and barely whimpered during the process, but was pretty annoyed about the Dora band-aid he had on his left middle finger, and kept trying to shake it off.  Well, everything came back OK and he was diagnosed with a virus, likely a coxsackie virus.  Now what's difficult about having twins, is you know the other one is bound to get sick too...it's going to be a long week!

A Take Out Kind Of Night

Oh, Mondays...I despise you sometimes! Although we usually keep all the kids on the same schedule during the weekend, Alena usually enjoys sleeping in a little bit. Which means she is sometimes a little slow moving on Monday mornings-thankfully she remains in a good mood because she is always excited to go back to school.

This past Sunday was a little rough, as both babies thought it was necessary to wake up at 5:15AM and take a short 1 hour and 20 nap in the afternoon. Justin and I thought we were going to have at least 2-2.5 hours while ALL kids napped. He took off to Home Depot, while I worked on a few house projects. Pretty soon, DQ woke up, followed very shortly by her brother. While on my way upstairs to get him, Alena scared me half to death as she was sitting at the top of the stairs, (I'm not even sure she fell asleep). While I attempted to console two still tired infants, Alena said, "mommy, maybe you should have only had one baby?" Hmmm, thanks for the encouragement, AJ :).  I reminded Alena that God decided to give mommy and daddy two babies. Then I spent the next 10 minutes trying to explain who God was-I don't think I got too far.

Sunday night was rough too as Caleb woke up once due to tooth pain (after having both babies sleep through the night for many months, even getting up once can be difficult). Poor guy, he is getting tooth after tooth! I guess this means he will get it over with quickly. Now if only his sister were teething at the same time...well maybe that wouldn't be very fun. I'm sure once he's all done teething, she will start so I'm not really looking forward to the next couple months.

Of course this morning, the twins thought it was time to wake up at 5:15 again. This means by 6:30 they want to be held and are cranky. Justin and I have mastered holding a baby and putting our lunches together, brushing Alena's teeth, or making our morning oatmeal. Sometimes, we can set them down with a new fun, usually off limits toy, which buys us a couple minutes. Today was one of those days, where we handed them over to their wonderful daycare provider, Pinky, and walked away, after stopping to wave at the window. "Here you go." As much as we love spending time with our little ones, there are times where we look forward to going to work-I'm sure any parent can agree to this. Caleb did not feel well most of the day and had a 103.7 fever this evening. We cooked chicken grillers on the grill and potatoes from papa's garden. Well, at least we thought we were going to have chicken, until Justin came through the sliding glass door saying we needed to find a plan B for dinner. Our chicken was blackened chicken, and not the spicy, yummy blackened chicken you can order at restaurants. Needless to say, it was a takeout kind of night!

Twins-11 Months

About a year ago I was admitted to the hospital at 30 weeks gestation with pre-term labor.  I remember saying to the OB that saw me that day, "You need to help me keep these babies in for two more weeks."  For some reason, 32 weeks seemed to be an OK gestation for me, but 30 weeks was scary.  Every Monday morning when I woke up at the hospital was a milestone:  31 weeks, then 32 weeks, 33 weeks...I asked to go home a few days before 34 weeks.  I was so sick of laying in the hospital bed, (plus the crazy itching had started and I was going insane!).  My OB, Dr. Fahnlander, let me go home that day, because she knew I'd be a "compliant patient." 

I can't believe we will be celebrating your birthday next month. You just don't seem "old enough" to be 1 yet!  I am having a lot of fun planning your big day.  Yes, many people will say, "why did you go to the trouble?  They won't remember this anyway."  I think the first birthday is a big deal and you may not remember it, but I will make sure to take lots of pictures and videos for you to look back on.  This is also a big celebration for mom and dad because it means we survived the first year of raising twins!  That in itself calls for a big party! 

Lauren:  I just love your little personality!  I predict you will be our most challenging child in the future because you are stubborn and like to be catered to :).  I know you can hold your own bottle, but you refuse to.  You climb stairs like you've been doing it for months, although just recently decided to show off your skills.  You can also stand for very brief moments without holding onto anything.  You continue to be the talker and sometimes you get into some very serious arguments/conversations with certain toys.  Unfortunately, you remain a finicky eater.  Sometimes you eat great and other times, you only want a few bites of food.  You have FINALLY figured out how to feed yourself, but once again, I'm sure you could have done this weeks ago, but just now decided to show us.  You little Princess!  Favorite foods include yogurt, chicken, green beans, and watermelon.  Your daycare providers have told me that you can be a toy stealer too, (so don't always complain that your brother is stealing your toys).  You crawl right up to a friend, take their toy, then spin around on your little bottom to keep the toy away from the friend.  No teeth yet, and no sign that anything is going to pop through soon.  You sleep well and are now waking up later in the morning after we transitioned you to one nap a day.  You have less stranger anxiety than you did a few months ago and will smile your big, squinty eye smile, at complete strangers sometimes. 

Posing with Cousin Grace

 



Caleb:  As I've said before, you are all boy!  You are more aggressive when it comes to playing with toys or crawling, and love anything with wheels.  Your big sister loves to wrestle with you and you just laugh and laugh when she plays with you.  It is the best sound.  You continue to eat well and your favorite foods are chicken, watermelon, and cheese.  There is little you don't like.  You continue to be a speedy crawler and stair climber.  You enjoy cruising around the furniture or using mom and dad as a jungle gym.  No standing alone yet.  Your second front tooth finally came through, so you look less like a hillbilly.  I'll be honest, I like the toothless smiles and will miss them!  Your attention span is like your daddy's, and you move from toy to toy to toy when you play.  Thankfully, you continue to be a great sleeper. 

Playing with Aunt Pat

 



Today was one of those days where I reminded myself of how lucky I am to have healthy children.  I never could have predicted I would have the family I have now, but I love my little ones and am so thankful to have such an involved husband!  I am so glad to have family nearby as well.  Last week, Cousin Sheila and her daughter Grace, were back from California. It was great to get together with them and Aunt Pat and Uncle Will Will. 

State Fair

I have been looking forward to the State Fair for many weeks and it's hard to believe it is the end of summer already.  We decided to brave the fair with all three kids, hoping to at least make it a couple hours. 

Who would have known eight hours later we would be leaving the fairgrounds.  We had a great time and I got to see everything on my "must see list."  We tagged along with James, Emily and Rylee, which gave Alena someone to play with. I must say, they are both so well behaved! 

Cousins!

After sharing some mini doughnuts, we saw the baby animals, fed the twins, and then Alena enjoyed "Little Hands on the Farm."  We stood in line to view the butter cow, (which is way overrated), then ventured to the Varied Industries Building, (which was much less crowded than previous years).  Along the way, Alena rode the big slide with Aunt Emily, enjoyed some fresh squeezed lemonade and Justin tried a salted nut roll.

We all enjoyed lunch in front of the Bill Riley Stage while the talented young Iowans performed.  After a quick visit from the Nelsons, Alena danced with the State Fair Mascots. 

The day ended with a trip to the photography building and 4-H building while all the little ones slept in their strollers.  All day Alena kept asking to buy a balloon and I thought she had forgotten all about it when we were leaving the fair.  However, at the very last stand prior to exiting the fairgrounds she saw the balloons and wanted to have one.  She selected a Spiderman balloon, which I reluctantly paid $8 for!  We had a wonderful time and are looking forward to spending tomorrow evening at the fair again with my parents.  Hmmm, what should I get to eat this time?

Determination

Yesterday I was in line at Hy-Vee and the lady in front of me looked so familiar. It was one of those moments where you know you know someone, but can't figure out why, let alone remember what his/her name is.  It finally dawned on me and I had to say something to her so I approached her.  "I know you don't remember me, but you visited me nearly every day while I was in the hospital on bed rest."  She did remember me and immediately asked about the twins.  I filled her in, complete with recent pictures, (as any proud mom would do), and thanked her for visiting me and praying for me during that difficult time.

She is a member of St. Pius Church in Urbandale and brought me Communion and prayed with me nearly every day of those three weeks of hospital bed rest.  The few times she wasn't able to come, another member of the church was there.  I remember the first day I was offered Communion and prayers-I was sad and upset with the situation I was in, and worried about the little ones inside me.  I was seriously doubting my faith.  Day after day, I received Communion and prayers and it became part of my routine, (which is very important when you are lying in bed 23 hours a day-I'm sure I spent at least an hour a day using the bathroom as I went ALL the time!).

It is hard to believe that a year ago, I was in the hospital, staring at the same four walls for three weeks. I spent a total of 9.5 weeks on bed rest and let me tell you, it was not easy!  Many people think that lying in bed all day would be fabulous, but really it can make you crazy!  It takes a physical, emotional, and spiritual toll on you.  Physically, I lost a lot of muscle mass and just walking up the stairs once a day was challenging-I'm sure carrying two babies didn't help either.  Emotionally, as a thinker/worrier that is all I did ALL day long.  I worried about all of the things I still needed to get done before the babies came, how early would they be born and would they have any health conditions, and the stress Justin was under being a single parent taking care of Alena.  Besides doing her hair every day, I was very limited in her care, (dads should take a hair class before having a daughter :)).  I was lucky to have a lot of visitors, not every day, but most days of the week so I would at least have someone else to converse with.  While in the hospital, I learned that bed rest had also taken a spiritual toll on me and I often thought "why me?"   But every morning I would wake up, grateful to have kept my little ones growing a little longer, and thanking God.  A couple times in the middle of the night, they were having difficulty stopping  my contractions and I remember being so scared I was going to deliver that night, all alone.  But somehow, the sun would rise and I would realize I had made it to another day.  I tried to remember that God only gives us what we can handle...

My parents have always said that I am a very determined person.  They will tell the story about when I was 3-4 years old and still sucking my thumb.  One day my mom asked me "when are you going to stop sucking your thumb?"  I told her I was going to stop that day, and I never sucked my thumb again. It also takes a lot of determination to train for a marathon (or 2) by yourself.  I am thankful this is an attribute I have, because it made my bed rest a little more manageable. 

My "Virtual' Friends

A little over a year ago, I was sitting at home on bed rest when I came across this group on Baby Center. It was a group of women who were all due with multiples in October, 2012.  Soon after joining this group, a few members decided to create a private facebook page where we could all communicate together, as we all had a big task ahead-delivering and raising twins (or quadruplets for one mom). 

I honestly do not think I would have survived this first year without these ladies.  There are approximately 190 of them, but around 60-70 who are more active than others.  Although we have never met, we have this one thing in common that almost makes it seem as if we've been friends for many years. 

We have helped each other through weeks of bedrest, delivery, NICU stays, the first sleepless months, breastfeeding, and baby schedules.  To now weaning, table food, crawling, walking and helping each other plan our little one's birthday parties. 

Besides baby stuff, we have also been there to pray for each other, support each other, and encourage each other.  Many of us sent money and cards to one of the moms whose mother passed away to help pay for the funeral expenses.  We've given advice to some who needed help with their relationships, and we've helped each other get through those bad days when nothing seems to go right, neither baby will nap, and you just need a break-this is a great place to vent! 

Many of us got involved with a postcard exchange and recipe exchange, because we all know we could use some new, quick recipes.  Instead of calling our pediatrician with questions, many moms post questions online, because more than likely someone else has been through the same thing:  What is this rash?  Does it sound like my baby has a milk allergy?  What should I do for a fever of 103?  Many pediatricians should be glad for groups like these, because instead of calling them at 4 in the morning, moms are posting questions during the middle of the night on Facebook, because you know at least one other mom is probably up. 

I've also learned so much from these ladies.  As sheltered as I am, I had no idea what twerking is, but now I do and also have a detailed video on Facebook from one of the mom's teaching me how to do it ;).  Many ladies swore by their baltic amber teething necklaces and now I own two and find them beneficial.  Our moms overseas have taught us about their language, food, and lifestyles. 

What I really love about this group is how diverse everyone is and how honest we all are.  There are single moms, same sex couples and even a mom who was a surrogate who is not excitedly pregnant again.  If I ever need advice, I know these ladies will give me honest, thoughtful answers.

We've talked about trying to all get together some time in the future, and I really hope we will be able to.  Until then, I look forward to watching my "nieces and nephews" grow up! 

Sacrifices

Parenthood means sacrifices, no doubt about it. I work with a couple physicians who are married without any children. I sometimes wonder, why would people choose not to have any kids? It's possible, they weren't able to, but if we polled all married couples without children and asked them why they chose not to have any, I wonder what they would say.

Sometimes I try to picture my life without my three kiddos and think, how boring would that be! Yes, I would probably have all the time in the world to spend on myself, but parenthood also means learning not to be selfish. What would I do if I had every day/evening to myself, (except for spending time with my husband). We could go out to eat, travel around the country (or the world for that matter), spend money on ourselves, make whatever we want to eat for dinner, and find new hobbies to pass the time. As amazing as that all sounds, I wouldn't trade what I have now to experience that.

Children open your eyes to the little things, like collecting candy at a local parade and story time at the library. They make you slow down and enjoy these things. This can sometimes be challenging when I know I have a million and one things that need to be done. I try to remind myself to live for each day and each memory. The laundry, cleaning and errands can wait until I'm done being Alena's "student" or letting the twins climb all over me. When the kids are all napping on the weekends or after they go down for the night, Justin and I run around crazy trying to get as much done as possible, but by the end of the night I can sit down and reminisce on the fun moments we had that day.

National Balloon Festival

Children make our lives busy. When they are infants, they keep you busy, depending on you for every thing. Then they become mobile and we stay busy keeping them from getting injured and teaching them right from wrong. Pre-school years parents are busy molding their child into a respectful human being. During the school years, children keep us busy running them from activity to activity, finding dinner in between and helping them with homework and school projects. When children enter high school, their need to depend on their parents changes (except for money or borrowing the car). It's during these years that parents are busy worrying; wondering why their daughter isn't home by her curfew, hoping their son will score high on the SATs, and dreaming about their children having a successful future. The busyness never stops, it just evolves as children grow and it's become part of our lifestyle now.

 All parents would say there is never enough hours in the day to get everything done. I used to be OCD about many things, including keeping my house clean and in order, (thankfully Justin likes things tidy as well). After I had Alena, I tried to keep up with my house as much as I could. Yet, I realized as Justin was enjoying the little things with Alena, I was cleaning the bathrooms and picking up the toys she was dragging out. I've since learned to let some things go so I, too, can enjoy my little ones, because we all know how quickly they grow up!