Dentist & randomness!

A random Thursday night movie & slumber party.... just because we can.

 Dentist appointment!  Logan wanted to go 1st.  He hopped right up there.  Didn't move.  Didn't shed a tear.  He did awesome!!

 Liv went next.  She wasn't so cooperative as last time.  Some tears were shed, but at least crying means you open your mouth wide ;)

 Hayden was last.  He of course cried again.  Not as bad as last time for the cleaning, but lots of tears for the dentist.  This time at least I got him on the chair instead of having to hold him on my lap.

 Thankful for Grandma GG for coming with us!!  Its a 2 man job for sure!

Good news is... no cavities!  We need to floss more... or, um, at all.  Its just a PITA.  Bad parents!  But at least we brush well!

Livi: teeth, bite, etc. look great!
Hayden:  He didn't mention the overbite this time, but Hayden didn't cooperate much.  I know its there.  If he bites together when I brush his teeth I can't get to his bottom ones to brush because of it.
Logan:  Will continue to watch those top few teeth that are so small.  And hope nice ones grow in under!  And I will now start putting more $$ into my Health Savings Account, because, & I can't believe I never noticed this, but he has a major underbite!  Like bottom teeth go over his top teeth & hit his top gums when he bites all the way together overbite.  And that will apparently plant us at the orthodontist by age 7!!  Barf! 

Walking to the park in our newest ride.  Gotta love free shopping in a friend's garage! 

 I always said I would have a lilac bush in my back yard.  We had this little, ratty, old bush that was brown & dead looking last fall when we moved in.  Jeff wanted to dig it out & toss it this spring but I told him he had to wait & see how it grew this year first.  And by God... Look!!

Its a beautiful lilac bush!  I can't believe it!

EYES

Her eyes.

I mentioned she had a follow up visit, but forgot to say how it went. 

She does so good.  Sits still.  Puts her chin up on the thing for them to look & shine lights in her eyes.  Follows directions.  Looks here & there where she should.  Doesn't bat an eye for dilating eye drops.  Now if only she would talk, even a single word!

We went up one step in each eye's prescription.  My first thought was "seesh if we keep going up in prescriptions, by 12 she'll be blind!"  But Dr. Chapman says this is "stable" & said that if this is all her eyes have changed in a year, we don't need to follow up for another year.  This August she will be 2 years post eye surgery.  {That seems absolutely insane by the way}  I should have asked more questions, in regards to what the odds are this consistent change in prescription will slow.  Or if you expect more prescription changes for a certain period post-op.  But I was there by myself with all 3 kids & I was just excited to have left there with all of their equipment still intact. 

Her eyes stay very stable with her lenses on.  Dr. Chapman said she held a great focus with both eyes with glasses & was able to easily switch back & forth between eyes if one was obstructed.  So that's great news.  Glasses off, eyes still turn in.  Mostly the left, but the right does some too.  And that just means she is trying to focus when her glasses are off & can't.  So if we don't keep her glasses on & she is struggling to focus... the worry is one eye will become dominant & she will loose vision in the other.  Which is why I spent a little extra $$ this time for a little something extra. 

We're getting a much needed new pair of glasses.  And I want to get a 2nd pair too for a spare.  Especially since we won't follow up for 12 months.  I just need to let our Health Savings Account build back up a little bit after the last few sick weeks & recent trips to Urgent Care first.  They are doing something awesome for us (enter the extra $$ I spent) & putting magnets in her lenses.  Magnets you say, Katie?  Why?   Yes Magnets.  And with those magnets, some "clip on" sunglasses that are magnetic & just stick right to her glasses.  The few nice days we have had outside this year, the boys want to wear sunglasses, so she understandably does too.  But I don't want her going all summer without wearing glasses.  And I don't want to buy a whole pair of prescription sunglasses.  And I hate transitions lenses.  So this was our next best option.  Hopefully it works out as great as I'm hoping! 

Speaking of Urgent Care, Hayden's finger is looking a lot better.  Still wonder what that was from? 

Onward 2.5 weeks of sickness

Hopefully this is the end.  The final top off of our 2.5 week spree of sickness.  Cause I'm over it.

Livi told us off & on this weekend that her left ear hurt.  They all have had runny noses & some coughs.  But she never really ran a continual fever, or got super crabby.  She ate.  Drank.  Slept.  Played.  Not typical ear infection activity/behavior.  Then today, she was crabby all morning, so I fully intended on calling Dr. Fran post eye-exam, but we went to the eye doctor for her 6 month follow up & from then on, she swore her ear was all better.  So I skipped the trip to see Dr. Fran & chalked it up to itchy-allergy ears.  Then... she woke up from nap bawling that her ear had big owies.  Temp 98.3.  But she was clingy.  Crying.  I felt bad I hadn't taken her in earlier, and now the problem was, its 4pm.  Meaning we took a trip to Urgent Care to get her ear checked out.  And sure enough, ear infection.  He said it really didn't look too bad, but since it was bothering her, said it was worth treating.  When we got there at 6 when they open, somehow her temp spiked up to 102!  So I wonder if maybe there was just some fluid back there the past few days making it achy & we really just caught it as it was brewing?  So 10 days of Amoxillin for my one non-allergic child.

And, since we were going in, we figured we just as well make it a 2-for-1 deal. 

We were outside playing right before heading to Urgent Care & I saw something on Hayden's finger.  I thought it was a booger (which from my booger picking boy would come as no surprise).  However when I grabbed his finger I found a puss pocket, honestly, about the size of a pencil eraser.  It was huge & awful!  So I squeezed.  He screamed.  And the puss shot out.  It was awful.  I scrubbed it with soap.  He screamed.  I tried to look around a little bit for anything in it.  Nothing.  And it continued to just drain & drain & drain fluid. 

Just by looking at the "hole" in the middle of that swollen lump, you can see how wide the puss pocket was that erupted out of there.  I have no idea how long his finger had been like this.  He didn't say anything!

So we took him on in too.

The doctor there didn't want to start him on any antibiotics just yet, but said to watch it close for 2 days & if its not improving by then or shows any signs of worsening at any point, get back in to see a doctor. 

Theory #1) Bug bite.  Which Hayden denies.  

Theory #2) He scratched at the rash bumps enough last week when he was sick, that something got infected

Theory #3) He got some sliver/splinter/sticker in our yard work the past few weeks & it festered up.  The doctor asked specifically if we had rose bushes.  The bushes in front of our new house do have thorns, but I don't think they are roses.  He said to watch for any rash around that site, because rose thorns can carry a fungus that you can contract if you inbed a thorn from them.  Lovely. 

Whatever it is... its nasty!

By evening, after some peroxide & Neosporin, it looks quite a bit better already. 

He doesn't have a fever.  And I'm sorry Hayden if it hurts a little, you're not getting any Tylenol or Motrin, because I don't want to mask any fever incase this thing turns out to be more infected. 

On a brighter note, bath tub fun.  The boys found & arranged these letters all on their own.  Livi was not in the mood for playing.

Completely backwards, but otherwise perfect. 

Actually a whole lot better than I expected!  I see a H, A, & Y.  And you could say the 9 is a backwards e & the upside down U he said was an n.  So just missing the d.  Actually, surprised me.  Maybe he will get it yet.

Jeff's staying home sick with them tomorrow.  Good thing he had a few sick days left.  Who would have thought after our healthy winter, we'd have such a sick "spring."

Toy Room

Its not completely done yet, but picture worthy at least.  I'm pretty much in love with the sunshine that this room brings to my life. 

 

Toy room before....

West wall

East wall

 You can see in the bottom left corner of the picture the flimsy white wire shelving we used for most of the toy storage. 

During....

A huge shelving storage plan. 

Then there was stain.

And this week the toys got piled in the middle of the room for some painting action.

 YELLOW!!!  It was so dark in there, it took more or less 3 coats to cover it all!

Well.... come on it & check it out.

 BOOKSHELVES!!  LOVE. 

 The moveable shelves need some stain yet, but I was too anxious to get them in.  I was tired of drowning in a sea of toys.  See those Legos up on the 2nd from the top shelf.  Ha.  Now they have to ASK to get them out & I can enforce other toys picked up first.

 He even drilled holes for pegs to move the shelves to adjust as they grow & their interests change.

 We hung up a bunch of the stuff from the kids' old bedroom & toy room.  Don't mind the outlet & light switch.  Replacing those is still on the to do list.

 East wall.

However, I feel like we need an upgrade from the tired old brown bins.

 A little kitchen corner :)

I was a little worried that building those shelves out & taking a foot out of the floor space the whole length of the wall would shrink down the room too much.  But its amazing really how much bigger it seems in there.  Having space to store things upward... and the bright color.  Such an awesome investment! 

 

Before...

 After...

Before...

 After...

 

I'm so in love!  Its just so bright & cheerful!  You can't help but be happy in there!

The ups & downs of 3.5

This age can be so much fun.  The rate at which they learn things is just astonishing.  And I'm having a blast lately watching them role play "mommy" "teacher" "chef" etc.  Its funny to see myself through their eyes.  And they are getting to the point where they can be helpers.  Putting things in the dishwasher, hamper, folding laundry, etc.

Olivia came home with her name written on the back of her paper again Friday.  Love.  She got the OLivi & then the a is below the O.

Amazing given that late-October when they started at school, she could only identify maybe a handful of letters.  When Miss Beth told me by the end of this 3's class, their goal is for kids to write their name, I was terrified that I was throwing my kids into something they were not ready for.

Then back in January when Logan learned to spell his name.  I figured, maybe they really were ready for this whole preschool thing?

And now Olivia is more or less writing her name & spelling so much more, I'm just shocked.

Its just awesome!

Now if we could just get Hayden past H!  And if I could convince him that there is infact NOT an "X" in his name!  He swears by it & argues with me almost daily that YES there is an X in his name.  If I help him remember that A comes after his H, he can often follow up with Y & D.  Then trails off A.  X.  L...... really he doesn't care.  He's just not that into the details like Liv & Log.  Actually I think he confuses A & X.  We've started praying for a football scholarship for him :)

However, its not always sunshine & rainbows.  Not al fun & games...

Someone once told me that they think the 1/2 years are the hardest.  Whatever age, 2, 3, 4, its the 1/2 year that somehow is so challenging.  I might have to agree.  Oh 3 1/2.... you are officially a lot of work.  We have reached a new point of pushing buttons & trying limits.  Attempting to negotiate with irrational-ness. 

There is a constant battle of trying to enforce to them that they have to stick to their choices.  We are not going to get out of the tub 15 times to get a different toy when you change your mind.  Or put on 3 different pairs of shoes before we leave the house.

I really enjoy the days when I have to get out of my 7 minute shower 3 times to break up fights.  Verbal, physical, or especially those involving teeth marks.

We aren't going to fight about which parent can or can't put on someone's PJs.

We aren't going to throw a 20 minute kicking & screaming tantrum because you were not the "toothbrush winner."  Meaning you didn't get to brush your teeth first.  Or because you weren't the "Pajama winner," or the "pee winner," or the "up the stairs winner" or any other freeking kind of winner.  I admire your competitiveness dear Logan, but its quite enough.

And lying.  How do you explain lying?!  Everything is always "just pretending."  I was just "pretending" I had to go pee 3 times after I was tucked in bed to drag it out for 45 minutes.  I was just "pretending" that I had that toy first.  I was just "pretending".......

The battle of....  Get to bed Hayden.  "I want mommy to tuck me in."  Get back in bed Hayden.  "I need daddy to tuck me in."  Get in bed now.  "I don't want mommy or daddy to tuck me in."  ..... ended like this.  Not quite sure who won?

And tattling.

And drop down, drag out 30 minutes of tears, because I flushed somebody's pee for them.  Or I handed them their sippy cup after I filled it up instead of letting them "get it by myself" off of the counter.

Raising three 3 year olds is....mentally..... exhausting!!!

And we are still working on poop.  I don't know how many times I'm going to say this... but we have a new handle on the Logan poop business.  After Easter, he reverted right back to his only poop in a diape ways.  And he'd hold it all day & apparently poop right after he went to bed.  Then sleep in it all night & I was washing his sheets & PJs constantly because they smelled so badly.  The boys' room smelled worse than 5 16 year old boys.  So we have started enforcing that he can not to go bed until he poops.  Luckily HE LIKES & NEEDS his sleep.  Sometimes it takes 15 minutes worth of tears to get him convinced to even go into the bathroom... but the last few days we've been telling him if he doesn't hurry up & poop, he can't be the {damn} toothbrush winner.  That's working amazingly well.  On nights he does poop before bed, he is probably 98% waking up poop-less.  On nights we loose the battle, its poop pants by morn at a 100% rate.  We'll just keep going with this have to poop before bed rule & see if it slowly becomes routine for him to poop in the pot.  His poops are also pretty hard.  So I started giving him some pedilax, which I don't think is helping one little bit.  But he asks to take "poop medicine" each night before he sits on the pot.  Maybe when they are gone I'll just replace them with some SweetTarts?  If it convinces him to poop, I'll give him whatever poop pill he wants.  But I do need to find something to loosen them a bit. 

Oh three.and.a.half.... you are both bold & beautiful.  May we all survive to see 4!

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The last 10 days

We have been sick on & off now for 10 days.  And I have a stiff neck from sleeping on the couch!  It has more or less just been one kid at a time, that's why its dragging out so long.  Last weekend was Logan's GI flu & 36 hours post-flu of a fever.  Then Wednesday night Hayden's apparently never ending croup/rash/respiratory virus started.  One trip to the pediatrician to check out this rash & 2 days of steroids for his stridor.  This past weekend was Olivia's turn for the GI flu, followed by a 24 hour fever.  We all slept in our beds for the first time Sunday night & the kids went to school Monday... and made it through until close to 5 when they called us to come pick them up because Olivia had a fever.  Good thing Jeff was already on the way to get them.  She coughed through the night last night, but seems fine this morning.  I'm not sure if we are passing around 2 different bugs or what?  But I am tired! 

In between puke, snot & coughs, we tried to get out for some fresh air, since we actually had spring like weather around here the last several days.  Try to get some sunshine to blast these sick germs away. 

Sick Hayden :(

 Rash, head to toe!

 Playing on their LeapPads.  Olivia can spell her entire name!!  First, Middle & Last!!  (She can spell both of the boys' names too!)

 Park

 Hats. 

 "Shake milks" from the Burger King Drive through.

 A trip to Walgreens to re-stock on supplies.

Grandma & Grandpa Siebert came Saturday to bring us some good farm dirt for our garden.  Grandpa & Grandma Maas came to visit too.  Logan was healthy & Hayden worked through his cough. Poor Livi snuggled with the girls inside with a cold wash cloth on her head to keep her fever out of the sun. She was pretty toasty that day.

Hayden is such a hard worker. 

 Logan helped with the dirt too.

  But he took some breaks to play some T-ball too.

 Hayden just kept digging.  (And coughing)

 Such a fun afternoon with their grandpas!

We didn't want to take our germs & share them with all the other post-preemies at the March of Dimes walk.  So we just represented from home this year.  I'm bummed we didn't make it. 

Monday's papers from school.  I know this is Logan's!  Look at his perfection!  He has amazing fine motor coordination. 

 This is Hayden's.

 I know it's his because of all the 'H's on the back.  That's a LOT of 'H's!!

 And this is Olivia's. 

 I know this is hers because of what is on the back.  Do you see what I see??!!

 

 Here, let me help you.....

They aren't all 100% in the right order.  And the line down on her 'a' is on the wrong side.  But I'm pretty darn proud!!

   Love my post 30 weeker preemies, both healthy & sick.  And I love all the snuggle time I have been able to get out of my big kids this past week, but I'm ready for healthy!