Meredith's first father-daughter dance

It seems like only yesterday my dad was toting me to my father-daughter dance.  No really, it does.  Am I old enough to have a child to be sending off to her own....I guess I do.  Sniff....Sniff.   So Saturday night was the big date.  We ordered the dress, grabbed some last minute shoes, borrowed some very costume jewelry from the babysitter
(unbeknown-st to me....thank you very much Carrie.)  And we did a sprinkle of makeup....and I mean a sprinkle.  Although someone....uh-hm Carrie....also gave her a little of that, so she also put on a sprinkle before I got a hold of her.  But none the less I have to say my baby looked beautiful and like a little lady.  She glowed with excitement and came home beaming from ear to ear over how much fun she had. 

Her dad was also very excited about his date and said he looks forward to doing this again and again and again.

My baby girl.....getting too big too fast.

Getting her dad to do the famous Meredith pose.

Pinning on his boutonniere

And attaching her corsage....today father/daughter dance....tomorrow prom.

Her first dance date was a double date too.  Here is she is with her gorgeous little friend Grace.

With their dads ready to head to the fancy restaraunt....Olive Garden.....girls choice!

I'd say she was having a good time.

Dancing with her friends.

They had a table where she could make a mask.

And here is the room full of girls and their dads....well the dads are somewhere right?   I guess they are like thirteen year old boys and stand around the perimeter of the room too.

When she got home she was just as excited as when she left and a little bit tired.

She started showing me how she danced.

And then she broke out in a rap song of some kind.....Peace out baby!

Cowboy day at school

On Friday Meredith had cowboy day at school.  This was actually our second cowboy day, since we jumped schools mid-year.  But that's okay because we have the cutest cowgirl gear around.  The kids not only dressed like cowgirls and cowboys, but they also ate cowboy food.  I signed up to bring Capri Suns because we all know how those cowboys LOVE Capri suns.  I also volunteered to bring anything they may be lacking for their cowboy meal, the teacher asked if I minded bringing some corn-beef hash.  I had no clue what that was.  I used the wonderful tool of  facebook to send her teacher a message asking what it was and where one might find this particular cowboy food.  Luckily this stuff came in a can and was easy to find.  My little cowgirl even tried it....she is so NOT her mama's daughter, because I wouldn't have even attempted it at her age or now. 

The rest of her cowboy meal included baked beans, bread, beef jerky and an oatmeal raisin cookie.....and don't forget that Capri sun....a very important part of a cowboy meal! 

Here is my little cowgirl....HEE HAW!

And her baby sister just sat in awe watching as she did her posing.  So we let her get in the next one.  She is so hunched over because her latest method to move from here to there is to scoot her booty on the wood floor while sitting up.  She leans over, moves her hands forward and then pulls her booty and chunky thighs forward.  It's adorable!  Here is the world's best big sister and her baby.

Enjoying her cowboy lunch at school.

And here is cowboy day at her old school back in September....I have to say she is a really cute cowgirl.

And this is what she looked like the first time she wore this cowgirl get up.  My has she grown.

What she says....priceless

How was school today bug?

"It was good, but Mrs. Parvin wasn't there because her son was sick."

Oh that's too bad, who was your teacher since she wasn't there.

"Well it was Mrs. Lisa and Mrs. Katie.......and Mrs. Bustitute."

Mrs Bustitute?

"Yeah Mrs. Bustitute!"

Mrs. Bus-ti-tute.....do you mean Mrs. Substitute?

"Oh yeah, that's it!"

Since you've been gone...

Since you've been gone.....well since I've been gone, but the song doesn't say that so.....since you've been gone...here is a little of what you missed.  Condensed.  Trust me...you want the condensed version.  And because blogger and I are disagreeing over which orientation my pictures should be, this is now really condensed.  Damn you blogger!

Noah turned three and had a shark party to celebrate....

It was a join birthday party with his girlfriend Bella and all 6 of our kiddos matched...

Margot started eating baby food...and by the look on my face it must have been pretty tasty!

We once again took the kids to the north pole tea at the Roosevelt.

Noah was Joseph in a play and Bella was Mary.

For the most part Joseph sat still, but then......well he's three come on.

And they were the cutest Mary and Joseph ever, I think the star might have been a little jealous.

We made it to Christmas Eve Mass.

The guy in the big red suit and boy did he deliver...

and deliver.....

and deliver....

and deliver!

We snuggled and giggled and played, the entire two weeks Meredith had off for Christmas break.

Margot started sitting up by herself.

The kids took a train ride with Josh and got some funky looking cute train hats.

They were a tad excited about this experience.  Margot and I traveled by Yukon to pick them up from the following train station.  They beat us there, thanks to On-star.  That is a post for another day.

Dear Meredith

Today I spent the day at your school and I have to say I am so impressed.  You are at "real" school now.  You have a full day complete with recess and lunch and I was honored to be a part of it.  I was so amazed by you.  You are smart and considerate.  You are kind and compassionate.  You are well mannered and good natured.  You answered when you were called on.  You waited your turn.  You did your work diligently.  You ran and played when it was time.  You laughed and smiled.  You mingled with friends.  You ate your green beans off your cafeteria plate before you ate your pizza (and now I'm wondering if you really are my child).  You made sure to show you mom just what a great student you are.  I am so proud of you.  You are everything I could ask for you to be at four and half.  I can't take all the credit for that, but it makes me think that your dad and I must be doing something right.  I hope that it continues.  I hope as you get older we don't fail you as parents.  I hope we continue to help you grow and nurture that wonderful spirit of yours.  I'm so incredibly proud of my big girl and I love you!

In hiding....

I've sat down to blog in the last couple of months a million times, but each time I got up right after logging in.  Because blogging, like my life, has become overwhelming.  I mean it's not that I don't have much to say, it's that I have too much to say.  Life is changing rapidly  here and while I am now confidently treading the water of being a mom of three.  Every now and then our pediatrician life throws us a huge tidal wave.

Lots has happened....lots of changes....lots of news....lots.  So I figure if I don't just jump back in, there will never be a good time to start blogging again.  It amazes me how much one more child can add to your plate.  Life with two was pretty great and pretty easy.  Not to say moms of two have it so much easier than me.  I think it all has to do with what's on  your plate.  My life with two was easy.  Three tikes has spread me so thin I don't know if I can do it all.  Granted Margot has more doctor appointments than your average bear and Meredith suddenly and unexpectedly made a huge school change.  We went from a small playschool to a preschool at a real school.  Those few things alone have added so much to an already full plate.

I mean between doctor appointments, dental appointments, kidney stones, field trips, Christmas programs, lunch dates with mere, drop off and pick up and meetings for the various organizations I belong to, I don't know how much more I can  handle.  And so it was at that point I had to start cutting things from my to do list.  Blogging was one of the things I put on the back burner, along with baby books, housework, baseboards, and laundry.  But when the whole family wore dirty jeans to a birthday party and Josh wore dirty scrubs to work, I decided the laundry had to be permanently put back on the to do list. 

Blogging did not make it back on the to do list, but I've missed it.  And I'm sure you have missed hearing all about my so called life.

So let's start with a few updates....

Margot

She is 6 quickly approaching 7 months old.....I guess that is tired speak for 6 and a half months old.  She is sitting with minimal assistance, she is cooing like a champ, she is eating like a champ - when she is not sick.  She loves her baby food and thinks puffs are great too.  We have come a long way with my little Margot.  She has been in more specialist office in the last 6 months than the other two tikes put together.  She has a diagnosis of congenital hypothyroidism and we have an appointment with a pediatric neurosurgeon in March.  She is a pro at having blood drawn for lab work and that just breaks a Mommas heart.  She is the worlds best baby.  She sleeps in her baby bed all by herself.  She falls asleep on her own, but will also let her Momma rock her.  She loves toys, keys or anything she can get those little chubby fingers around and when she does it all goes straight to her mouth.  She laughs uncontrollably at her big sister and hides in fear from her brother.  She loves him, she just really loves it when he doesn't torment her.  She loves to nurse, however she prefers to do it at 9pm, midnight, 3am and 6am....because the daytime is way too busy to stop and eat.  If it is time to eat and we just can't for whatever reason she is totally cool with that and will wait  patiently.  She's my shoulder baby....meaning she will fall asleep while I'm holding her by laying her head on my shoulder....that is a first for me and I freaking love it!   Laid back doesn't even begin to describe my smiley, happy baby girl.  If I could be guaranteed 4 more like her I'd beg Josh for 4 more....kidding Josh....kidding....well sort of.  I'd beg for just one more.  Her favorite toy is a pink rattle.  Her favorite snack is puffs I guess or breast milk.  Her favorite food is sweet potatoes.

Noah
Noah is a little over 3 and right smack in the middle.  That is my Noah.  He is in the middle constantly, he is shuffled to all of his big sister's activities and all of his little sister's doctor appointments.  He walks to the beat of his own drum.  He goes with the flow, but makes it known he is going with it because it is his choice.  He does nothing quietly and if he does...you can bet the middle of the oreos are gone.  I feel bad about the him being in the middle.  I strive to make sure he gets as much attention as the first who is always experiencing something new and the baby who needs lots of attention.  Noah is smart.  He gets things.  He can watch something for a minute and he has figured it out and if he doesn't, he will ask.  He has the vocabulary of a 5 year old....I laugh when I think about how I had him evaluated for speech.  He is my only child who never shuts up.....EVER.  He is constantly telling you something, asking you something or talking to himself.  Surprisingly he never runs out of things to say.  He loves the colors green and white.  LOVES them, even though he will say his favorite colors are pink and blue....because that is what his big sister says.  He adores his big sister.  Most of the time, like 98% of it, they are best friends......the other 2% I want to run away screaming.  He loves school and is fiercely independent.  He can drive a power wheel like no body's business.  My neighbor thinks he is a better driver than most of the other cars that drive through my neighborhood.  His listening skills need major improvements and he will tell you that. He will randomly tell you throughout the day that he loves you for no reason.....and it will melt your heart.  He loves to be social and isn't really shy, although he's not super outgoing either.  He's right in the middle, which is a great place to be.  He has the absolute best personality.  He wakes up extremely happy and has everyone around him in stitches all day.  He rarely gets angry, but when he does watch out.  He's a ham bone and so loved.  His favorite toy is a toss up between trains, his fire engines and his big 18 wheeler.  His favorite book is "The little engine that could."  His favorite snack is Oreos.  And he recently decided he hates bananas, but when he gets that you wont' give him any other snack but a banana, he WILL eat it with gusto.  His favorite food is spaghetti and meatballs.

Meredith

Meredith is 4, but soon to be 5.  Most of her little friends are already 5 and that is devastating to her.  She is now in pre-k 4 at the local Catholic school here.  She wears a uniform and goes to school for far too long each day.  It still makes me sad to think about it and I'm sad all week long and can't wait until friday of each week when she is home.  We moved her mid year, which is hard, but she has adjusted way better than I ever thought she would.  Her teacher said she is doing great and making friends.  She can write her full name, she can read various sight words, she can recognize color words and shapes.  She can write her numbers.  She LOVES computer time at school and also LOVES music class.  She doesn't like to color and she will tell you that.  She is not fond of her new school, because it's long and frankly I agree.  Moving her to a new school was one of those decisions as a parent that you don't want to have to come across.  We moved her for big reasons.  Big reasons that kept us up late at night.  We made hard decisions that we knew would not be easy to follow through with, but we did.  Because we knew that, that was ultimately the best thing to do for Meredith at the time and because that is what parents do.  I hope one day she realizes why we made them.  Because right now she still doesn't want to go to  her new school in the mornings....and that is hard.  She loves to play school at home though.  She loves to read and write.  She loves to be the teacher and hold  up flashcards for me and noah ALL DAY LONG.  While I play along with it....let's just say Noah is not a star pupil after about 2 minutes.  She loves to dance.  She can come up with a song and choreograph a dance in no time.  She's got lots of rhythm.  LOTS.  She is a great helper.  She can change a diaper and believe it or not is always willing to help me out with the younger two tikes.  However when it comes to helping herself, she still likes to be the baby at times.  She's shy....painfully shy.  She's just like I was, so I know she will be okay and outgoing one day.  She's not a morning person and she definitely has her mommas mood.  While Noah may be all smiles, Meredith is all attitude...it just depends on the day of the week.  She is still very much a mommas girl and that is okay with me.  Her favorite colors are still pink and blue.  Her favorite singer is Madonna.  Her favorite toy is her barbie dolls right now.  Her favorite book is any book, my child has a serious addiction to reading....she is her mother's daughter.  I will often catch her reading to her brother and sister and her brother will sit intently listening to her.  And no she cannot really read, but she can pick out sight words out of lots of books.  By reading I mean she has most of her books memorized.   Her favorite snack is anything with sugar.  Her favorite food is Chinese or shrimp pasta and dessert.  My baby lives for dessert. 

My kids think I am the world's best cook.  I wanted that written down for proof....in case they ever change their mind.  So there we are...all caught up.  HARDLY.  But I will be back and give more updates.  I PROMISE!

The memories I want to last forever

Tonight my little man made a very big milestone....no not potty training....we did that a few weeks ago.  No tonight marks his second night of going to bed WITHOUT his pacifier.  The pacifier I dreaded taking away for a few reasons....

1. I am pretty sure he was more addicted to it, than his sister was, if that is possible.
2. My hands are pretty full and this was one more thing I was putting off.
3. There was no Disney world trip planned to try and bribe him with.

However Mimi and Poppa came to the rescue with number 3....no we aren't going to see Mickey Mouse....but they did promise to by my boy a "shewiff car" that he had been eyeing in the toy store for his birthday IF he got rid of the paci.  And I was not sure who was more excited....Noah or Mimi.  Noah was pretty stoked someone agreed to get him a "shewiff car" even though he already has a gator.  And Mimi is always excited when she gets to spoil her grandchildren...which she does quite well.

So yesterday, Mimi kept all 3 tikes while I went to a meeting.  When I got home they showed me a bag of pacifiers.  A bag that Noah had willingly collected and put his pacifiers in.  He then gave them to Mimi to take home.  Later on that day he found one....under his bed...he put it in his mouth....and when I found him he told me that Mimi forgot one....then he asked me to hide it with him under his covers so Mimi and his Daddy couldn't find it.  I guess he knows who lets him slide in the family....me.

I laughed and then I took his paci and said he could only have it at night time OR I could call Mimi and give it to her so he could get his sheriff car.  He told me to give it to Mimi and so I took it downstairs and hid it. 

That night he went to bed.....WITHOUT a pacifier.  And he slept all night WITHOUT a pacifier. 

At 7am the next morning, Noah was ready to call Mimi and report his news.  And as promised Mimi and Poppa picked him up from school today and took him to get his sheriff car.  He then stayed at Mimi's that afternoon to work on it with Poppa.  When I picked him up around 3, the sheriff car was finally finished, however it needed to charge for 24 hours before it could be driven.  Explain that to an almost three year old without any tears.  He was genuinely heartbroken as was his Poppa seeing this.  Poppa promised that as soon as the sheriff was full of gas he would bring him over the next day.  And with that promise we finally got him into the car to head home.

Tonight Noah went to bed at his usual time again without a paci.  However he got up three times to use the bathroom.  Finally after asking a fourth time to go potty in an hour, Josh told him no and the tears started flowing as well as the "I want my paci" cries.  My heart broke a little, but I knew better to give in.  He did it the night before and now he was the proud new owner of a sheriff.

So I laid with him and his daddy laid with him and we both listened as he cried broken heartedly for his paci and the sheriff he never got to ride today.

I finally asked him if he wanted me to tell Poppa to bring his sheriff back to the lady at the toy store and I would go get him a paci and he shook his head no while sobbing "no I a big boy."

Right now my two favorite guys are upstairs sound asleep side by side and neither one of them has a paci.  These are the memories I don't want to forget and the stories I want to one day tell Noah.  How much everyone loved him and wanted to celebrate this accomplishment.  How very proud of him we were at what may one day seem as very small accomplishment....because today, right now....this is huge.

My favorite halloween face...

Hey Margot, it's halloween.  Let's practice your "I'm scared face"

Is that the face I use when I see Noah coming momma?

Yep that's the one.

Okay here you go....

How was that momma?

Perfect!

Family

My family is so normal and cute might I add. 

My little Who Dats!

We start raising them to love the black and gold really young 'round these parts!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from the pumpkin patch.

 Here is a quick family picture.

And here is what happened 10 seconds later when we told Meredith and Noah they were finished with pictures.  Whoosh there went Margot.

My brain has left me and other things....

I'm still here, my brain I'm not so sure about.  For instance my husband bought me this gorgeous bag from my favorite store....

I know it's gorgeous and I love it, however it fell apart 2 months after owning it.  Well the entire purse didn't fall apart, but the gold clasp did.  And then it looked like a gorgeous purse that had a hole in it, I know, that part sucked.  Mainly because I drooled over this purse for months weighing in on whether or not I should fork out the dough for it.  I asked various friends and night after night looked at it online and in catalogs.  Finally after many nights me going back and forth with Josh as to whether or not I should buy the purse he had heard enough and ordered the damn thing.  That's a man for you.  It arrived when I was in the hospital with Margot a day after she was born.  My good friend brought it up to me so that I could actually hold the bag I had been agonizing over for months....screw the new baby.

And sadly two months later the bag broke.  I almost cried, but I've had lots of other things to cry over the past couple of months, things that put the whole bag breaking in perspective.  So I called the company who sold me the bag and they sent me a prepaid shipping label to return the bag to them so I could receive a refund.  I am toying with the idea of buying the exact same bag again since the company had such great customer service, but first I have to make sure they get the bag.

This is where the whole losing one's brain comes in.  I brought the purse and prepaid label to the local UPS store today to ship back like the store instructed me to.  I had to buy the box, which really ticked me off, but I did.  Then I threw the purse in the box, closed it up, put on the the shipping label and left the store.  I have no idea how or if the company that sold me the purse will ever know that it came back from me because.....I included no paperwork with the purse, not even a sign that said you broke my heart with your cheaply made clasp.  Nothing.  So this major company will get a box with a purse in it, in approximately 4-5 business days and I am sure they will think "stupid people."  Because an hour after I left UPS I was thinking stupid ass....where in the hell is your brain.

I called the store to tell them this today....their response...."oh my!"  My response...."surely this can't be the first time it's happen....I just had a baby....she's still getting up two times a night....my kids are wearing me out....I feel like a chicken running around with my head cut off....I hate that saying too"

As for my brain, I'm betting it's laying on my pillow and probably been laying there since that night that I decided that three kids ages 4 and under was a fabulous idea and talked Josh into giving it a go.  Oh I kid.  I love me some Margot.

But in all honesty I really have lost it.  I mean three kids whose butts constatnly need wiping, whose faces constatnly need cleaning, breakfast/lunch/and dinner need making, there is always a mountaing of laundry, a fire to put out and someone always needs to go potty.  I often wonder back to when it was just Meredith and try to remember what I did with all that *free* time.  Life is busy....very busy.  And some days it is 9pm before I can even just catch a breath.  It's hard to imagine what three kids so close in age are like, unless you have three.  I love it when people without three try to tell you they know where you are coming from.  I politely smile, but inside I'm thinking...."you have no freaking clue!"

I know life will get easier, I know at some point the three of them will be roaring out the door without a second for me.  I'll miss them being babies at that point I am sure, but right now I'm just surviving the day and doing the best I can.  So if you see me driving down 98 with my tailgate open....honk for me to close it and then just laugh with me.

What he says....so Noah

MOMMA....I go ow-side.

No baby not right now.

Puh-weaz Momma I go ow-side.

No, noah we are not going outside...we are leaving to go to school in a minute.

I go ow-side and I no in and ow.....okay I PWOMISE!

******

MOMMA! because everytime he says this he screams it

Momma...can you turn on da wight in da payroom....cause I a wittle person dat can't weach!"

*****

When you guys come inside I'm going to throw both of you dirty birds in the tub.

No Momma....don't frow us....put us in gent-LY!

******

Momma....I wove you....you da best momma!

What she says....in the hospital room

Upon seeing her sister for the first time, she screamed....

"Where's her legs...she don't got legs...SHE HAS A TAIL!"

After laughing hysterically, we explained that she did indeed have legs, she was just in a gown and wrapped up in a blanket.  She calmed down when I showed her two cute, little chubby legs.

*******

Upon seeing her momma for the first time since having the baby....

"Mom do you got ANUDDER BABY IN YOUR BELLY?"

"No, I just had the baby"

"Well den who is in your belly?"

"nobody"

"Well it sure looks like anudder baby!"

And that my friends is what you call honesty.

The Chaos

Even taking family photos with tikes is chaotic now!  This is the one and only we have of all of us, except for in the hospital.  Partially because as soon as we got everyone positioned in their matching outfits, the camera broke and partially because cooperation from three tikes is never going to happen simultaneously.  It's the way it works here.

Look at the hospital pictures if you don't believe me...chaos at it's best...that's how I would describe life now, good chaos.  These are our two family photos, I LOVE them.

 

Life really isn't bad, I mean it as chaotic as all get out, and still as crazy as this post, but not bad....it's good old fun chaos.  In fact I decided to change things up a little bit since Margot has come around.  Like my ass never hits the sofa anymore during the day.  And as you can tell from my blogging, it hardly ever hits the computer chair.  I do sit here often  and play bejeweled blitz, my biggest vice.  Mainly because I can do it with one hand while nursing and because Margot loves to watch all the bright colors moving so quickly.  It has nothing to do with my addiction to it at all...it has everything to do with nursing and Margot.

Other things I have started doing is making the bed!  I know, I now have three kids to get out the door on time, 2 lunches to make and I all of a sudden decided I cannot leave the house without the bed made.

I read two books and joined a book club.  I am sleep deprived and exhausted, but yet I stayed up very late several nights in the last two months to finish two books, The Help and The Castaways.  Both books I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend.

I also had someone plants tons of shrubs and bushes in my backyard that I am now have to water daily.  Just a few more living things, depending on me to take care of them.  I suck at gardening and anything green.  I am taking bets on how long these plants will live. 

I stay on top of the laundry or as on top of the laundry I can.  It is a never ending process and I never see the bottom of the basket, however everyone is always wearing clean underwear these days and not turning them inside out.  I've also enlisted the help of my children with this....hurry and run to call the child labor agencies on me.

I accepted the invitation to join the Junior Auxiliary. I think it is a wonderful organization that does wonderful things for the community. I added one more thing to my very full plate.

I once again, like the ladies on Wisteria Lane, am in the garden club. It hasn't helped me one bit in the past with my gardening skills, maybe this will be the year it does, if not I will go to the meetings and eat bon bons, like all the other stay at home moms.

I developed a new method for letting one know their gas tank is empty. I didn't find the light that most car manufacturers install to let one know an effective method at all.

I decided to tackle potty training my two year old.  It's a slow process and I am not doing so well....neither is he.  I'm going to blame it on the diarrhea.  Yeah that sounds good doesn't it.

I've decided the 8lbs of baby weight that won't fall off  looks good....I'm loving it.  My gym won't let me drop off Margot in the child care room until she is 6 months old.  I am currently scouting out places to get her a fake ID.

I have taken up the practice of letting people cook for me and my family and then devouring every last bite.  It went on for at least 5 weeks after Margot's birth.  I am so damn blessed to have such fabulous friends. I'm considering a 4th baby just so that I won't have to cook for 5 weeks again....kidding Joshua!

I now have a wake up time of 4:30am.  I'm not complaining because at least I'm not setting an alarm to wake my baby up like I was having to do.

I have taken up "spending time in doctors waiting rooms" as a hobby, I do it at least once a week, here are two of my favorite people doing it with me. 

I am becoming very well versed in the the condition of congenital hypothyroidism.  It has been many a topic of conversation around here lately.

I dispense medication like I have an RN behind my name instead of an SLP.


I enrolled my tikes at 2 different schools, because I thought waiting in two different car lines all the way across town from one another would be awesome...it's overrated, but they are both loving their schools and teachers, so I am confident I made the right decision for each of them.

I ate lunch with an adult friend with no kids for the first time today in well over 2 months.  Then I had to rush out and pick up kids at 2 different schools, but it was a nice change of pace to only have to worry about feeding two people instead of 4 and having an adult conversation while doing it.  **I realized after publishing this and talking with the friend I had lunch with, that I counted eating with just Margot as eating by myself.  Yes one child feels like being alone, three feels like a damn circus.

I let my kids take responsibility for putting on their own shoes in the morning.  Sometimes we go to school like this.  Yes, we both knew they were different, it's just what he chose to wear.  He is expressing his sense of style and creativity.  I was picking my battles.  Roll with it, I did.

I've become addicted to sister schubert's yeast rolls....they are so not helping my 8lbs.  But I cannot resist buying them in the grocery.  At least I've contained myself to only fixing them every other night!

I let my kids have a lot of say in what they are wearing these days.  Call it lazy, ridiculous, absurd or you can just call it smart parenting like I do.  His sister picked the outfit, he picked the hat, and I picked the lime green crocs to go with it.

I've also let them start fixing their own hair....it helps on days when we got like 30 seconds left to get out the house before I miss the car lines at both the schools.  And if I miss them I would have to get out and walk them in....in my pj's.....that is my motivation people....CAR LINES!

 

So that is an update on me I promise to give one on each of the kids this week too.  And here is one of my butter bean, because she is too cute for words.  She is literally growing right out of her bouncy seat.  I stinkin' love it!  Although she is getting way too big too fast!

A milestone

Yesterday my Noah reached a milestone, a big one.  He pooped on the potty, for the first time.  Awesome!  He got his beloved "tree" truck that he had been eyeing at our local toy shop.  The tree truck that he had been talking about for weeks and debating as to whether or not it was worth putting his little cheeks on the toilet seat to make some poop.

Well yesterday he did and he was handsomely rewarded with this....

And last night as I was tucking him and his tree truck into bed, he proclaimed...."my twee twuck is my best fwiend"  and who is one to argue with that.

And right now that tree truck may be his best friend replacing Hiro of the Rails for the time being, but this little girl comes in at a close second.  I know because he also lets her play with the tree truck too.

Notice I said he pooped in the potty yesterday.  Then last night he came down with an awful case of diarrhea and it has been running its course all day.  We haven't pooped in the potty since the first time.  I guess now we will now have to start all over.  And he already has his sights on a new "horse truck" to match his "twee twuck".

Congential Hypothyroidism

Do you know what that is?  I didn't either when Margot was born.  In fact, I had never heard of it at all until she was 9 days old.  That is when her pediatric endocrinologist gave us her diagnosis.  It's been a whirlwind adventure in her sweet 8 weeks of life, but we are finally adjusting and headed down this new path.

When Margot was born she was a happy and healthy 8 pound baby girl.  Everyone commented on her beautiful coloring and how sweet she was.  When we left the hospital she had lost a few pounds like all babies do, but I wasn't concerned at all.  When we went for her two day post hospital weight check and she had lost even more weight, despite nursing well, I knew right away something was very wrong.  Call it mother's instinct, but I knew, I just didn't know what.

Eight days after Margot was born, we had taken the big tikes to my mom's house to go swimming.  Margot and I stayed inside and rested while Josh and the kids had a ball, it was just a normal, fun, relaxing day.  When we got  home from the pool about 3pm. our little world was turned upside down.  We had a message on our answering machine from a pediatric endocrinologist office regarding Margot's appointment.  I was confused....endocrinologist...Margot....what the hell.  I think those were my exact words.  My heart dropped, because that mother's instinct kicked into full gear....I had known something was wrong, it was like a sixth sense.

The message was as follows....and yes I can repeat it, because it is a message I'll never forget....

"Hi this is the Dr. M's office calling from the Children's specialty clinic, I was calling to set up Mar-"gots" appointment (really no one pronounces it Margeaux....it's always mar-got, yes mom you were right, but still I don't care, I love the spelling I chose.)  You have an appointment tomorrow (Thursday) at 11:00am, if you cannot make that I have also set one up from Friday at 1:00pm, but the doctor feels it is imperative that you be here tomorrow if you can.  Please call us back to confirm at this number..."

Can you say I was freaked out, confused, scared and everything wrapped into one.  Margot had not seen her pediatrician or anyone else with MD behind their name except her dad, since we left the hospital when she was 2 days old.  She had been continuing with weight and Bili checks, but we had not seen any pediatricians, so needless to say we were more than stumped as to why we needed to suddenly see a specialist.  No clue. 

The first thing we did was call the specialty clinic to see if the appointment was really for my sweet, perfect baby.  It was.  We then asked why?  The receptionist said for her thyroid.  We asked if she was sure it was for Margot, because we were not informed about any thyroid problems.  She said yes. 

We then called our pediatricians office.  Dr. B was out of town.  Her office did not have a clue why we were being sent 2 hours away to see a specialist.  There was nothing in her chart.  We got no where.  Josh did find out which pediatrician referred her, and after many tears and phone calls, Josh realized she failed her newborn screen for hypothyroidism.

The tears started flowing.  I was so ignorant when it came to congenital hypothyroidism.  I knew nothing about it.  I had no clue and was so afraid of google.  I called a friend of mine and the tears started flowing and even though I couldn't even talk to tell her what was wrong, I didn't need to.  She just cried right along with me, until I calmed down enough to explain things.  Sometimes you just need a good cry first.

We headed up to see the pediatric endocrinologist that will now follow Margot throughout her childhood.  She was only 9 days old and already in a waiting room for a specialist, never what you want to have to do with your newborn or any child for that matter.  After waiting about two hours we finally saw Dr. M.  He walked in and explained that based on Margot's newborn screen she was being diagnosed with congenital hypothyroidism.  Apparently a normal THL number for her thyroid would be 0.8  and hers was about 178.   He didn't even repeat blood work to make sure, he immediately started her on a daily thyroid medication that she will require for the rest of her life.  He also explained that this occurs in 1 of 4,000 babies and predominately in females.  He also explained how nothing I did or did not do during my pregnancy caused this  to happen, it just occurs during fetal development.  It didn't relieve the guilt that I had inside, not even one tiny, little bit.

He gave her the first dose of medication right there in the office, it kind of took me by surprise.  Shouldn't we do more testing?  I mean look at my sweet baby, she was perfect!  Medication, daily, seriously.  I couldn't even wrap my head around this a little bit.  I was scared, I was confused, I was in denial.  Because although I was sitting there in the room, with a specialist, listening to all the information, part of me was still thinking this was not real.  The test results were not hers, this was just a mistake or a really bad dream.  This didn't happen to me, this happened to one of the other 4,000 families. Dr. M just kept talking, I caught bits and pieces, I listened as he explained how very important taking this medication is, and how important it is that she get this medicine daily and at the same time every day and how it needed to be taken on an empty stomach. And there I had something more "tangible" to worry about.  An empty stomach, how in the hell do you give a newborn who is nursing every 2 hours and not really on any type of schedule medication on an empty stomach at the same time daily.  I finally had something smaller to wrap my head around.  I didn't need to worry about hypothyroidism or the long term effects, or if it would cause problems during her pregnancies one day, or how would she do taking this medication as an adolescent or in college, or if it would affect puberty or if she would fight obesisty.....  I could worry about the here and now and how in hell I was going to get this medication in her and on an empty stomach.

He also explained how taking this medicine daily and at the right dosage is especially critical in the first three years of life for normal brain development.  And that we would closely monitor her dosage this year due to how rapidly babies grow this first year.  And then he explained how it is also important for the rest of her childhood for normal growth and development.   And in my head I was still thinking about getting it in at the same time on an empty stomach....would 9am work best or 4pm or 9pm....I was in denial.  After going over all this with Dr. M, we headed home with our new prescriptions, samples of medication, a return appointment to recheck her levels, a headache and a heavy heart.

Margot is now two months old, we have been back to see Dr. M for her follow up and have received some very good news.  Her THL numbers are now normal, her thyroid levels are within normal limits, we are doing the best we can with getting the adult pill crushed in water down her and on an empty stomach, she is reaching age appropriate milestones on time, and she is getting chunky.  I cannot tell you how very blessed I feel about all this good news. 

So yes, throw all that on top of being the momma of three tiny tikes and just trying to survive the day and it is enough to drive you insane.
All that being said, I am now in a better place.  When I got the letter from Dr. M Friday letting me know her levels were all normal I felt like the elephant that had been parked on my chest for the last two months had finally got off of it and I could breathe.  It hasn't been easy.  I've thought about getting on medication myself.  I've been in a constant state of shock, denial, heart ache and very anxious.  But I've gotten better and feel like I am not returning to normal or to my new normal...I'm still adjusting to three, but it is good.

Life threw us for a loop, we are going down a slightly different path than the one we set out for and planned for with our baby girl.  And while the path is not better or worse, it is only different, it is still taking some navigating to meander through.  I know I am very fortunate, and that this could have been much worse, I hate hearing those words.  I'm not sure why.  I hate that Margot will need to take a daily medication forever and yet thankful that such a medication exist.  I hate that she needed to go to a specialty clinic at 9 days old and yet I am thankful they caught it so early.  I hate hearing that at least what she has is treatable when I tell people her diagnosis and yet I am so thankful that it is.  I hate when people say I told you everything would be okay when I tell them our recent good news and yet I am so thankful things are turning out to be okay....actually they are more than okay, I am the mother to three beautiful babies and I'd say life is pretty damn good.  I'm not sure why I hate those things....I just do and I'm just being honest.  I'm getting it off my chest along with that elephant.

So there is an update Internets.  It's been a long two months.  Lots of ups and downs and somersaults in between.  I'd love to share some updated pics, but in true third child fashion I really don't have any of Margot.  And it's not because my day is too busy to snap a quick photo although most days are, it is because my camera is broke.  And because I can't find my other one.  I promise to get some of her on here soon, because she is so damn cute.

I also apologize for my abscense...again.  It took me a long time to get this post up here.  There is so much I wanted to say about it, but at the same time so much I didn't' want to say.  I was wanting to make sure I was in a good place first and finally I am.  Rejoice with me in her good news and I promise now I am back.

THREE!

It's been a while, what can I say, being the mother of three is a lot busier than I ever imagined.  Well three that are stepping stones and all under 4, because in some way or another they all still need the momma.  The one and only momma and no one else will do.

Let me describe three....so you can get the mental picture....

Three is standing at the back door trying to put the smallest in the car seat to get ready to get donuts, trying to answer the questions being spit out by the other two about can we leave now?  when are we going?  where are we going?  are we getting chocolate milk?  can I get sprinkles?  is the sky blue?  can  we get a pet dinosaur? can we take a trip to the moon?  all while consoling the crying.....scratch that....now screaming infant, who doesn't' really want to get in the car seat and go to get donuts.  Nope that infant would rather just be held all day at home, because she can't even eat the dam donuts.  So you finally console her and are about to buckle her, but at this point your 2 year old has grown so impatient he has unlocked the lock and deadbolt that you have constantly told him never to do and it is at that exact second that you remember that you forgot to turn off the alarm... the alarm whose speaker for the siren is located on the wall of the mud room that you are currently standing in with all three kids, approixamately 4 feet above you, in a room that is 6ft by 4ft and it is at that split second that you hear the door open and that tiny mudroom is instantly filled with the most awful, loudest, screeching noise you have ever heard.  The only thing louder is the wails from the infant who has projectile spit up all over you and your hair in fear, and is now using her tiny palms and fingers to grab on to you for dear life....screw that car seat.  The other two have now wrapped their entire little bodies around your two legs and aren't sure if they should cry or not....but surely they are beyond terrified and I am pretty sure the 2 year old has now shit in his diaper.  And you are frozen, because you are covered in spit up, and can't move due to the two kiddos who have firmly attached themselves to you and make it increasingly difficult to walk.  The alarm pad is 2 feet away....you are pretty sure you ear drums have blown and you now have a migraine from the noise at 7:30am....and you are thinking that at any moment someone is gonna throw you a break and scoop in and make it all better..... and then you realize you are the momma..... now the momma of three....and life is always going to be some sort of alarm just blaring in your ear waiting for you to fix it.....because the momma fixes everything....no breaks coming your way.

In the end we got the alarm turned off  and told the alarm company we didn't need any rescue vehicles, I explained to the tikes, who never realized we had such a cool feature before, what it was for.  I didn't use the whole it is to make sure intruders never enter the house speech....I went with the....it is to make sure that you guys never open a door to go outside without me knowing speech.  I'm a mom...of course I gave the latter explanation.  I then got the infant and myself cleaned....the infant who also had the shit scared out of her literally and it was all up her back....and then I reloaded everyone back into the car seats and headed to get doughnuts...eventually we were all sitting at the table enjoying our sprinkles and chocolate milk, it just took a hell of a lot longer than it would have taken with one tike or even two...but that's my life now....THREE!  Welcome to my new journey.  I promise I'm back...I think I've been missed, based on the various emails to please post on this blog again...well I've missed you too internets!