Small Update

I went to the dentist today. They temporarily filled the crater until they can see me again and get a full mouth of x-rays. That way we can make our laundry list of everything that's wrong and make a plan. As far as the broken tooth they are talking about implants, shaving the bone, crown...I'm thinking that tooth will just be pulled.

The twins were put to bed at 9:15 tonight. No TV, no getting up to walk around. I also spent about 30 minutes following them around this evening yelling at them in an attempt to keep them from having a late day nap. Something worked...by 10p they were both asleep. I know that's still late...but it's not 1am!

I'm at my wits end...

The twins just wont go to sleep.

Before Max was born they would go to their room at 9pm and be allowed to watch 30 minutes of TV. They would usually fall asleep during that time and then wake up around 8am the next morning. They would have an afternoon nap about 50% of the time.

Since then...aggravation!! The routine got thrown out the window. Between my parents living here for 3 months and a new baby who initially cried from 8p-midnight, they ended up going to bed later and later. What usually happens now is the kids get put to bed about 9p and depending on their behaviour get the 30 minutes of TV. But they don't fall asleep. K will usually fall asleep first around 11p while S sometimes is still wandering around the house at 1am! They will sleep in until 10-11a if I let them. But with school potentially starting this fall I need to get this fixed!

I have tried multiple things
-yelling, screaming, threatening a spanking if they don't stay in bed.
-removal of the TV completely
-forcing an afternoon nap, thinking maybe they were over tired.
-not allowing an afternoon nap.
-waking them up earlier - two days a week S has speech which means we get up at 7a and even on these days they stay up late.
-cutting out dietary stuff
-allowing them to sleep on the floor in my room/not allowing them to sleep in my room
-baths before bed
-moving bedtime up even earlier...ie 8p

Nothing is making a difference. As I type this at 11:30p I can still hear them wander. The TV in their room is off, the lights are off, I have completely ignored them since putting them down at 9:30p. They get up and get a toy or move to the couch...few minutes later back to bed. Also, by the time I wake tomorrow morning, one or both will be in my bed. They share a room, but that can't change. I have no more space to separate them. Toys have always been in their room, but again, unless I just get rid of them, there is nowhere else to put them.

Any ideas...I am tired and the kids need to get back to a normal routine.

Well $h!T

You remember that root canal I had when I was about 12 weeks pregnant? The crappy job they did since I was pregnant with the understanding that I would go and get it done correctly with a crown as soon as M was born. The one that I completely ignored until tonight when it shattered into a million pieces.

Yep.

I now have a huge crater in the site of my mouth. I an beyond lucky that at least there is no pain associated with this, but it will be such a pain in the ass to now call around to a dentist tomorrow and try to have it repaired. I work Thursday/Friday and I'm thinking other than assessing the situation there wont be much done tomorrow. So I will have this at least until next week as I believe it will now just have to be pulled.

Fun, fun, fun!

Overheard in the Car

K: S, grandma says I can't marry you.
S: That's OK. I am going to marry Rachel.
K: But S, I need to find someone to get married.
S: You just need to find a boy.
K: Maybe I will ask Will and Carter to marry me. I think Will.

Priceless.

High's and Low's

Today started out well, but I was near the breaking point near the end.

The twins have been talking about wanting to go on a picnic. All week I promised that I would take them, and today was the day. We packed a lunch and went just around the corner to the park. It was nice a sunny with a cool breeze, so the temperature was perfect. The twins had a blast, M, not so much. I'm glad we went though because overall I enjoyed myself.

K running :o)

S and M. S was thrilled that they had matching shirts!All three goobers!

The challenging part today was M. I have no idea what is wrong with him, but he was miserable all day. He cried when I held him, he screamed when I put him down. He didn't want to sleep, including his afternoon nap, which I also depend on to get some rest. Nothing made him happy and by about 4p I could tell that I was getting very stressed out.

I texted my sister to see if she would come to hold him while I got away for a few minutes, but she wanted to go to dinner with her friends. This hurt me a little, but she is only 20 and has no idea how stressful a crying infant can be. By 8:30p I was pretty much done and put Max to bed. He went to sleep fairly easily and so far is still sleeping. I hope whatever was bothering him is gone tomorrow, as I'm not sure I have the strength to do it again tomorrow.

It really sucks because I get so stressed with him crying, but then I feel like crap because I don't want to be around him and he is this helpless baby who obviously has something wrong with him. Definitely not a great mommy day for me.

4 Month Stats

I forgot to post these after M's doctor's appointment on Tuesday.

He is 15pounds (50th percentile) & 25.75inches (75th percentile)

He checked out fine with no problems. He also received three vaccines with two being shots. The first shot went in and M just looked kind of confused, but didn't cry. We didn't get so lucky the second time around. He recovered quickly though. The twins came with us and enjoyed seeing M getting worked up and not being on the receiving end of the shots.

April 10th 2009

I can't believe I forgot this anniversary! I guess I was busy :-P This was the day I got my BFP with Max. Already over one year ago I knew the thing I had been wanting for over a year, and had been working hard to get was starting to grow within me. Only 39 weeks later I would be holding my perfect little M.

My, how much life changes in such a short period of time!

Breast Milk

So, if you are a frequent reader of my blog, you know that breastfeeding the twins was a nightmare. They never latched, I had to exclusively pump, and I never made enough milk for the two of them. They were always on some amount of formula from the very beginning.

Well my breastfeeding experience has been the complete opposite with Max. He nurses great and I have had an abundance of milk. The deep freezer I have is almost full. I have approximately 1500oz of breast milk in the freezer and I freeze about another 70-100oz a week. I haven't had to touch my frozen stash at all. But with this abundance, I am experiencing a space issue. I was getting to the point of either dumping my milk, or buying another freezer.

Well I mentioned my dilemma to some friends and as a result, I am now helping to feed two more infants! Both moms suffer from inadequate glandular tissue so are unable to breastfeed. One mom just had her sixth child and has relied on donated breast milk for all of them. I was able to give her 200oz right away, and I have kind of committed myself to giving her all of what she needs. The other mom is pregnant with her second and also used donated breast milk with her first. I have offered her 100oz to help build her stash (the baby isn't due until June) but made no promises for further donations.

Just in case you are wondering, I am very upfront and honest about the meds I take and both moms are okay with them.

It's just kind of ironic that I didn't make enough for two babies when I had them, and now I am making enough for three (sort of ) :o)

Sadness

In the last week 3 women I know have lost their twins pregnancies. They were all in the first trimester, but it is such a loss for each of them. Two women are SMBC, like myself, and have had very long, hard roads to conception. One lost one twin a few weeks ago, and then the second this past week. The other had a few US only showing a single baby and then about two weeks ago...surprise...TWO! They also identified sub chorionic hemorrhages at that US which is what they think led to the miscarriage this past weekend. I had two of these hemorrhages with my twins and I guess I'm lucky they didn't turn into anything other than some minor bleeding.

As sad as the above is, it's even sadder that I know a fourth women who is pregnant with twins. She however, is an IV drug user, who has no job, is a total leach on the system and is one of the most self centered and rude people I know. I just don't understand a world that would take the twins from three potentially wonderful moms, but leaves this sorry excuse with hers.

Finally Some Smiley Pics

Max is just about the hardest child to get a picture of him smiling. He is a super smiley baby but as soon as the camera comes out, he fixates on it, and I can never get a smile. Well today he was in a super good mood and I got some great shots. I hope you enjoy!

Why Copaxone Sucks

On Friday night I gave myself my daily injection. They always hurt, but this hurt more than usual. About 3 minutes after I gave my injection I got up to check and there was a dark red/purple mark about 12 inches long from my navel to my pubic bone. I freaked out a little but then it started to fade so I figured it was just a skin reaction. Well fast forward to Sunday and this is what my belly looks like.

For size reference it is about the size of a dinner plate. I must have hit a pretty big blood vessel. I have bruised pretty good before, but never anything this big or deep. I have a good size hematoma that I hope decides to absorb on it's own, and not give me any further problems. I am soooooo sore. My pants hurt and when the baby wants to stand or his legs get active....ouch.

Remind me not to inject in that spot again!

I Gave In

And judging from the response, I think M is glad I did.

He Seems So Much Older!

This is what I hear on a daily basis. It hurts me every time I hear it as it reminds me of how fast my baby is growing.

M really does seem wise beyond his 4 months. And while this post may seem like a 'I think my kid is a genius' post, it's really not. I'm pretty confident that he's not a genius...but there are things that I have noticed that make me think, that at least for now, he has matured faster than the typical 4 month old.

From an early start people have always said he acted 'older', seemed more aware and alert. At just 2-3 weeks old he would track me around the room. If I put him on the bed, he would move his head to follow my movements around. If he was held by someone else and heard my voice he would immediately turn to find me. He often fussed in other people's arms and then became happy when I took him. Currently he is already making strange with people he doesn't know, and if held by family, I must be where he can see me, or he starts to cry.

As far as vocalization, he has also started this early. By two months he was cooing regularly, laughing slightly and mimicking. If I said 'hi' or 'mum' a few times, M would say the same. If I make a high pitched sound, M will repeat the sound. He 'talks' constantly. Maybe these skills aren't as early as I think, because the twins were speech delayed and didn't start this until MUCH later.

M has already mastered the art of manipulation...which K is the master of, so maybe it's in the genes :-) Again, at just 2 to 3 months of age M had figured out that crying got what he wanted. When I put him down he would cry and cry, but the second he saw my face, he would stop crying and put on big grins and start cooing. He wants to be held all the time, but not just held...walked. If you are holding him and sit down...the fussing begins.

Eating...I had fully planned on not feeding M solid food until at least 6 months, if not 12 months. Right now he is doing wonderfully with breast feeding, but the little guy is FIXATED on food. He watches every bite that goes in your mouth. He reaches for his and gets excited when he see it. This reaction does not come with toys, book, keys, whatever else I might have in my hands...only food. Yesterday he actually slammed his hand into my bowl of cereal and tried to put a handful into his mouth before I caught him. He got majorly ticked when I removed the cereal from him hand and the only thing that calmed him was making him think I was feeding him by putting an empty spoon into his mouth. Tonight, while at walmart, I bought some rice cereal. I am torn. On one hand I don't want to start it, but on the other he seems to want to eat so badly that I think he is probably ready for it.

Physically M is pretty much on target. Rolls from front to back, but not the other way (of course he would need to be on the floor for that) likes to stand assisted all the time, still pretty floppy when you sit him up (but he does well in the boppy chair and exersaucer) tries to pull himself into a sitting position if you put him on the floor. He is nosey as all get out so anything you do with him he needs to be able to see around.

I guess all in all he is doing well. Growing well and although not a genius, he does seem to be an intelligent little guy :-)

Are You My Co-Co-Nut?

While pregnant I always imagined that K would be a great big sister. She would be maternal and want to help and hold her little brother. She would ooh and aah over him and be a little mama. Surprisingly, that is not the case, and it is S that has come out to be the super big sibling. Not that K doesn't love Max, she does, she just doesn't seem to bother with him much.

Watching S interact with M is heart warming. Sometimes it's like I fall in love with S all over again when I watch him with M. S absolutely loves being a big brother. He helps with dressing, getting diapers, whenever M fusses he runs to find him a soother. While S is a little leery of holding Max, he loves to 'babysit' him while I do the dishes, cook dinner, etc. Another favorite of S's is to sit and sing lullaby's to M while I rock him to sleep at night. When we sing "Mama's going to buy you a ...." we always substitute S for mama.

S also loves to play with M and make him giggle. I'm not sure where S came up with it, but he shakes little M's belly while saying "Are you my little Co-co-nut?" over and over while M just giggles away. It's an amazing thing to watch.

S has truly surprised me in his new role. He has embraced better than I ever could imagine. S is an AWESOME big brother and Max is beyond lucky to have such an amazing guy in his life. I hope this bond continues through out childhood since they will be the only two 'men' in the house, they will definitely need each other.

Wordless Wednesday :)

4 Months

Sigh, my little guy is four months old today. The time is flying.

He is definitely teething. The poor thing is constantly chewing on his hands, drooling and still a little fussy. We're just trying to ride it out as most things I have tried don't seem to make him feel any better. He is very alert and strong. He wants to see everything that is going on around him. He is always curious to watch what the twins are doing and you can tell he wants to jump right in there with them.

He is pretty much sleeping through the night now. Most nights he goes down around 9p and wakes between 7-8a. I am so lucky in this respect! I love a child who can sleep!! Too bad the twins still wake during the night. It's funny, my four month old sleep through the night and most mornings I wake to K in bed with me and S on the floor next to my bed.

M is cooing up a storm. He loves to 'talk' and S claims he can understand him. S still loves his little brother so much more than I ever could have imagined. It is beyond cute to see S interact with him. K, surprisingly, doesn't seem as interested with M, but does like to cuddle and love on him occasionally.

Everything is pretty much going as smoothly as possible. Life is busy and hectic but what else could I expect with three little ones?

I Think Everything in My House is Broken

~ Downstairs AC....clogged to the MAX with dog hair.....$220
~ Internet not working for 36h. The Router is Broken...will just surf on the desktop as I can't afford a new one right now.
~ Cordless Phone...totally dead....will replace it eventually.

So...what's next?

Still My Mini Me?

I think M and I still resemble each other a lot, however I don't think as much as we did :) I almost see a little of K in me at this age. Here is M and I at about 3 months old.

Easter at Grandma's!

We spent today at Grandma & Grandpa's to celebrate Easter and Ya-ya's 20th birthday. The weather was beautiful and the kids had a great time playing outside in the yard, jumping on their inflatable and helping Grandma plant some flowers. We spent the whole day. Had a great lunch, leftovers for dinner and then a long drive home. It was a great day!