Chase's Surgery

Bright and early this morning, Nick and I took Chase to a Children's Hospital for his hernia surgery. We were so thankful to have a girl from our church come over at 6:30am to watch the other two for us, so that we could both be with Chase.

Chase became a little leery of the whole thing when we asked him to put on a dress, but I think most males would be suspicious of that. He enjoyed the cars he could drive around in the pre-op area.

One of the pastors at our church came by to give Chase a little bear and pray with us before he headed back for surgery. It's always nice to have a calming person nearby (thanks Pastor Lisa!). As more and more people came by to discuss what was going to happen, Chase grew more and more quiet. When it was time to head down the hall he didn't want to ride in his bed, so instead Nick carried him. Chase of course cried when it was time to part ways in the hall, so the nurse carried him the rest of the way instead of trying to get him to ride on the bed.

An hour later the doctor came to the waiting room to tell us the surgery had gone as planned and what to expect for recovery. Sadly for Chase, he'll have to skip swim class this weekend. As soon as Chase was awake and recovering we were brought back to see him. This is where it took a yucky turn... The nurse informed us that being pumped full of fluid on the IV had triggered massive diarrhea. Uh oh. Chase's eyes kept welling up with tears but he wouldn't say a word to any of us. I think he was just overwhelmed with the whole thing. Poor kid!

Due to the diarrhea (which the nurses suspect is from Rotavirus, not the flu) we stayed a little bit longer in recovery to make sure he wasn't getting dehydrated. Since coming home, Chase has had some Sprite and some crackers and seems a tiny bit perkier. He's now zoned out on the couch watching Veggie Tales while his brothers nap in their room. Here he is at the table eating crackers...

Just makes you want to gently hug him, doesn't it?

Thanks to all of you for the prayers of peace and calming you sent our way! We felt them for sure. Now just pray the boys finally get over this ickiness!

Surgery Scheduled

I just got the call from the Children's Hospital and we have a surgery time for Mr. Chase. Thankfully he's healthy enough to go in tomorrow! Surgery will be around 8:30am tomorrow, so prayers would be appreciated. It's a routine procedure to repair the hernia, but he will be under general anesthesia which is nerve-wracking for this mommy.

That's about all of I got to share this morning! Expect a picture heavy (and maybe a video) post tomorrow to tide you over until I can get home and do a surgery update.

Little Photographers

This weekend Chase asked if he could take some pictures with my camera. I let him and in the process opened up a can of worms! Now the boys always want to take pictures! Behold the work of three little photographers (using a 50mm lens that does not have auto focus, so most everything is horribly out of focus)...

 

  

  

  

  

  

Oh, and how utterly miserable does Mr. Chase look in this picture from yesterday afternoon?

 

I took him (along with the other two of course) to the doctor yesterday morning where he was diagnosed with a double ear infection and a nasty case of pink eye. Poor boy!

Not Really A Saturday Savings Post

I know my Saturday morning post is generally all about grocery shopping, but I also know I usually post on Friday mornings too and that just didn't happen yesterday! So today, I bring you a potpourri of stuff...

Baking Fool: I'm a baking fool this week! In fact, as I write this post I have the first part of two batches of Whoopie Pies in the oven. Business has been good for Valentine's Day, for which I am so thankful!

Chase's Hernia: Yesterday afternoon I took Chase to the Children's Hospital for a consult appointment about his hernia. We have a surgery date set for about a month from now. The biggest challenge will be keeping him totally healthy in the days leading up to surgery!

A Borrowed Lens: A triplet mom friend is letting me borrow a lens for my Nikon! I've had fun messing with it the last 24 hours or so and will post some pictures next week here and this weekend on my 365 Blog (probably later today)!

Grocery Shopping: I did half of my grocery shopping yesterday and will do the second half on Monday, which is why I decided to not bother with a full Saturday Savings post today. Price Chopper is having a nice President's Day Sale on Monday, so I'll be heading there to get some good deals on cereal, potatoes, laundry detergent and frozen veggies (among other items on sale). Yesterday I picked up Dole Salad Blends for .99 each, chicken nuggets for $1 and frozen blueberries for $1.88. I also picked up some more Organic Milk at Whole Foods. Holy moly, I wonder when the sticker shock of that will wear off.

Oh and I must share this fun grocery trip I took last weekend! HyVee was having another one of their 2 day sales, so I made a special trip to the HyVee closer to home in order to take advantage and to look for the Organic Pears that were on sale but not carried at the HyVee I had visited on Friday. Get this: I walked out of HyVee with 20 containers of Danon yogurt and a 3 pound bag of Organic Pears and paid only $2! How? The pears rang up incorrectly so I got them for free and with my two coupons and the great sale on yogurts my total was $2! Sweet! You know what? Those pears rang up incorrectly again yesterday (they're on sale all month) so I again got a bag of free organic pears! Woot! Woot!

Don't Forget: You only have two more days to enter the giveaway of the week! I'm giving away a whole set of organic insect killer! It's safe to use around your pets and kids and it does the trick! There aren't many entries yet, so your odds are good right now... enter HERE! Monday morning we'll announce the winner and a new giveaway!

Picture Palooza

Before I get to the pictures I want to give you a quick health update. My MRI on Friday was about as much fun as you would expect. Yesterday I met with a neurologist to discuss the results. You'll all be happy to know my brain is normal! The neurologist performed some random tests in her office and found me to be "perfect". Ahh, I loved the praise of yesterday! She did notice though that it looked like there was a tiny hole in the temporal membrane in my ear. She said if I have even a tiny bit of fluid leaking into that hole that could be what's been causing all this. She referred me to an ENT to have it checked out. She also suggested I could take some Benadryl each night before bed and it might help dry up any fluid that's in there. You know what though? Sunday and Monday I didn't have one lightheaded spell! That hasn't happened in 3-4 weeks! If this continues then I'm going to cancel the ENT appointment at the end of the week.

Alright, on to the pictures! First up, pictures from when I got desperate....

 

Yep. That would be the boys' bounce house IN my living room!

  

  

Then, this past Friday we got a bunch of white, fluffy stuff. You seriously should have seen the snow when it was coming down! The flakes were some of the biggest I'd ever seen. It was gorgeous and it piled up fast. The boys had a ball playing in it and I had a ball taking some pictures of the beauty in my backyard.

 

  

  

  

This was the last picture I took of the boys - Nick had taught them to throw snowballs at me, so when this masked Jackson came at me with a snowball I decided it was time to put the camera in the house.

  

  

Oh, and I know I've been slacking on my 365 Blog. I have a bunch of pictures, I just haven't had time to load them. I'll take care of that during nap time today!
 

3 Giveaways in 3 Weeks

I have some fun stuff planned for you all for the rest of February! Each week (starting today) I'll have a new giveaway here at Three Times the Giggles. Next week the giveaway will be from an Etsy shop, and who doesn't love Etsy?! The week after (the week of the 22nd) will be a little something for the elementary aged girls in your life. This week (post can be seen below) is a giveaway for your home - Organic Insect Killer!

Also, a huge thank you to all of you for participating in Cans for Comments! I was a little worried at our numbers going into Friday, but then you all went crazy Friday and Saturday and more than doubled my numbers all the way up to 65 for the week. I had 3 friends pledge to match my donation, which means your 65 comments over the course of the week have resulted in 260 non-perishable items being donated to various food pantries! Well done!

I'll post an update tomorrow morning about my MRI and Neurologist appointment (happening today). Thanks for letting me know you're thinking and praying for me. It means a lot :)

MRI

This morning I will be having an MRI of my head. For the last 5 weeks or so I have been having seemingly random light-headed spells. They hit at random times, last for anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour or more and nothing seems to help them go away faster (food, laying down, water, etc.). They don't worry me so much as annoy the crud outta me. I haven't been able to work out for weeks because of these darn "spells" and I'm tired of it.

A week ago I finally went to the doctor about it, as these "spells" were no longer hitting just a couple of times a week, but were now up to several times a day. The doctor ran several blood tests on me (CBC, glucose, thyroid and for anemia) but they all came back clean. Her next suggestion was to have an MRI done on my head and meet with a neurologist.

While the MRI is this morning I won't actually find anything out (I assume) until I meet with the neurologist on Monday afternoon. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers. I want to know what's causing these and I want it to not be serious. I'll keep you all up to date.

Now, I don't want to end your week on a total downer of a post, so how about we turn this around with some adorable pictures and some exciting news?

 

Chase 

(yep, that's the bouncy house IN my living room! I'll post more of those pictures next week)

 

Tyler

 

Jackson & Tyler

The exciting news? I will be giving away a different item each of the next three weeks on my blog! I'll have something for you, something for your home and something for your kids (if you have elementary aged girls). Fun times are coming to Three Times the Giggles!

Keep those comments coming! Today and tomorrow are your last days to comment and we are waaaay behind where we should be (based on previous CFC's). As of today we're at 29 comments, so 29 non-perishable items to be donated to a food drive!

3 Hours of "Fun"

Yesterday between the hours of 10:30 and 1:30 was, um, "fun". For the last week the boys have had nasty colds. Last Friday night in fact I ended up taking Tyler to our doctor's walk in clinic because he had runny nose, bad cough and had just spiked a fever of 102.5. Turned out he had an ear infection in one of his ears. Whew! Dodged the H1N1 bullet there! (They've only had dose one of that shot, so aren't fully protected yet.)

Fast forward to Wednesday and Jackson and Chase are still miserable, aren't sleeping well because of the coughing at night and now are increasingly irritable. It was then that I decided they might have ear infections too (my kids don't often run fevers when they have one, so sometimes it's hard to tell). So I called the doctor's office and set an appointment for the next morning (and was also able to move Tyler's weight check and ear infection follow up appointment to that day to save myself an extra trip).

Usually Nick is able to meet me for these appointments, even the last minute ones, but yesterday he had meetings all day and just couldn't pull himself away. We got to the office on time, the boys were SO well behaved. No one protested getting on the scale (sometimes they do), they climbed in and out of the Choo Choo when I asked them too, they didn't turn the computer off in the exam room (yep, they've done that before) and then they didn't protest when I told them they couldn't have their lollipops until we got to the car. They all calmly walked from the Choo Choo into the lobby bathroom, all used the potty AND didn't go crazy touching everything in the bathroom.

Oh and before I continue - the health part? Tyler's ear infection was not better, in fact he now had one in both ears, so he's on a different antibiotic now. Chase had ear infections in both ears as well and Jackson had one in only one ear. The really excellent news of the day though? Tyler is gaining weight again! WOO! He gained a pound and a half in the last 6 weeks and is now up to the 25th percentile instead of hovering between the 10th and 15th. The doctor is very pleased with his progress.

Ok, so after such a successful solo trip to the doctor I marched out of that place with my head high. I loaded the boys into the car, gave them all their lollipops and went to the back of the car to open the hatch so I could put the Choo Choo in. Here's where things went south.

The hatch refused to open! All the jiggling, locking and unlocking and kicking in the world would not open the hatch. I finally had to release two very sticky  boys from their car seats and have them sit in the front (which resulted in very sticky controls, doors and steering wheel) while I removed two car seats, folded down half of the back seat and shoved the Choo Choo into the back that way. Awesome. Then I put the car seats back, wrangled my sticky boys back into their seats (during which they added stickiness to my leather coat) and headed for Target.

By the time we reached Target (to get their prescriptions) it was 12:15. 45 minutes past lunch and now 15 minutes past when they usually go down for a nap. After dropping off stuff at the pharmacy I wheeled our very full cart (of kids, not food) to the "cafe" and ordered some not-so-great chicken tenders to share.

Finally, 3 hours, a broken Jeep and $100 later (yep, that's how much antibiotic for 5 days for 3 kids runs ya) we were home and finally going down for nap time.

I sat at the table and down a Diet Coke and life was good again.

So sorry for the lack of pictures lately. I think my camera is dying a slow death. Don't worry though - I'm working on a remedy! 

Cans for Comments is up to 52 comments! Tomorrow is the last day - let's finish strong! Don't forget to visit the other blogs that are participating too - comment there and help folks all over the country! 

Memories

Eight years ago today we all witnessed the horrific attacks on innocent people here in the United States. I was in college at the time (Messiah College in PA to be exact) and was filling in for an absent DJ at our college radio station (I was the student General Manager at the time). I can still vividly remember the faculty adviser coming into the studio with a print out from the AP saying it appeared a plane had accidentally hit one of the World Trade Center buildings in New York City. He said I could report it if I wanted to and that we should keep an eye on the AP wire to see if anything developed.

A few minutes later more developed for sure. News continued to stream across the AP wire and it became apparent I would have to start talking about it on air. The next 90 minutes I was on the air passed in a blur between trying to maintain composure on the air and then rushing into the adviser's office during songs so that I could watch the TV coverage of what was going on in NYC and then Washington DC and finally western Pennsylvania. I remember feeling sympathetic and amazed at the composure of those covering the events on TV - I was a nervous wreck and shaking like a leaf but could hide behind a microphone. These TV reporters were visable and had to work even harder to hide their fear and confusion!

I remember in the weeks and months to follow seeing flags everywhere, bumper stickers, hats and shirts saying we would never forget and a general influx of American pride. Where did that all go? Don't forget the men and women who protect our country both here and abroad. Don't forget the police officers and fire fighters who daily put their lives on the line to save people they don't know! If you see one of these folks, thank them for their service.

September 11th now also has a sweet memory for Nick and myself... two years ago today we finally were able to bring a child home from the hospital! You can read that story here.

Jackson & Nick 2 years ago today

Jackson & Nick today

Health Update: I apologize for forgetting to update you all yesterday! Wednesday the doctor diagnosed Tyler with an ear infection in his left ear, Jackson with one in his right ear and Chase with ear infections in both ears. We also were given a renewal for the boys' inhaler and were told to share amongst the 4 of us as needed. They seem to be slowly on the mend now that the antibiotics have kicked in and I'm feeling fine with the exception of some pesky chest congestion. Here's hoping by the end of today they're really doing better because we have lots to do this weekend!

It's Outta Here! - Video Clip of the Week

I so enjoy being proven right. I told Nick this summer that we should get the boys a t-ball set for their birthday. He shot the idea down and said the boys were too young and they'd probably just use the bat to hit each other.

This past weekend he was proven wrong. Attached to the new bouncy house is a t-ball set, and it's probably the favorite part of the bounce house right now! I'm not sure who taught it to them, but in this week's video you can hear Jackson yell "It's Outta Here!" every time he hits the ball!



Health update: The boys have a dr. appointment this afternoon. The cold moved quickly into their chest and I'm hearing way more rattling and wheezing than I'm comfortable with.

TP Trouble

The monkeys are getting taller. I guess they get it from their dad. Over the last few months Nick and I have had to push stuff on the counter farther and farther back. If one of us is cooking on the stove and the boys are up, we use only the back burners. The reach of the monkeys is far too long now!

Last week, after flying through 3 boxes of tissues in a week we moved on to a roll of toilet paper. I thought I had it pushed back far enough, but apparently not...





For those who have been asking, Jackson is doing great now! He started to perk up late last weekend and is acting completely like himself. Suddenly though in the last 24 hours Tyler's nose has started to run again. Who knows where this germ came from because we haven't been out and Nick and I lysoled all their toys just 3 days ago. Hopefully it's a fluke!

Re: the poll about the new background - 63 of you voted and 69% of you can see the monkeys just fine. I'm going to stick with them for now until I can find something just as cute that all of you can see!

Signs of Spring

Spring has sprung here! Just look at this....


Yep, those are my spring bulbs popping up already! A few of the trees in my yard are starting to work on buds too. I normally love spring, but this year I think I love it even more.

We've been stuck inside all winter for which I ultimately am thankful! The boys hadn't been sick since Thanksgiving until I had to take Chase to the Dr. yesterday because of a double ear infection and even then he wasn't "sick", just tugging at his ears a lot. Keeping the boys home this winter for their health has taken a toll on my sanity though.

This past weekend was gorgeous, so Nick and I jumped at the opportunity to let the boys play outside. Friday we took them to the park and Saturday we just played in the backyard. After the boys' nap on Saturday we set up the Step 2 Coaster that was handed down to us. The boys had a blast on it! The Video Clip of the Week tomorrow will feature clips of them using the coaster, so watch for that.

Semi-Lock Down

It's that wonderful time of year again.... Cold, Flu and RSV season. Yipee! Last year we were under strict orders to keep the boys home with the exception of doctor's appointments. Due to their prematurity (and yet not preemie enough to qualify for the RSV Synagis shots) they would have had a really rough time recovering from RSV and likely would have ended up in the hospital.

This year is slightly different in that the boys are quite a bit bigger and are very healthy, so would have an easier time fighting off RSV should they contract it. That doesn't mean it would be as easy for them as it would be for a full-term toddler, but it wouldn't likely be as devastating. Taking this into consideration we aren't going under full lock down like last winter, but we are taking some precautions.

For the bulk of cold and flu season we will not be bringing the boys to church. Two weeks of being home with sick kiddos was enough for me this month. No more plastic food sharing for my boys (that's what happened last time they were in the nursery)! We also ask that anyone that comes over is healthy - that's a no brainer though really.

Thankfully for the sanity of this mommy, I have been told it will be ok to take the boys to the store or the mall as long as I keep them away from excessive germs (so no playing on giant plastic fruit at the mall). I'm so glad I have the option this winter to load the boys up in the Choo Choo at Target or the mall. I think it will do wonders for my attitude!