Vacation all I ever wanted....

Friday I get a much deserved break and am going to see a friend in Chicago. I cant wait!! I am looking forward to hanging out but the thing I am most looking forward to is the drive ALONE!!!Four glorious hours all by myself. No crying, whining, poopy diapers, no fighting, or saying "NO!!". If I want to eat I can sit and eat and dont have to get up for any reason other than to pay the check and leave. Oh it sounds so wonderful. Then when Sunday rolls around I get to drive back alone in my Jeep. I can blast music or sit in silence, who knows but it will be nice. Then its back to reality. Hopefully DH will survive. He has never been on his own with the boys for more than an evening. He got his weekend "fishing" with the boys last weekend but ended up being sick and sleeping in a hammock all weekend. Sounds like heaven to me to sleep without having to get up with the boys. He was not so amused and is very disappointed that he drove for hours to get to the lake and then to get sick and not enjoy it. Oh well at least he got away.....

Teething Monsters

I am totally exhausted. You are probably thinking then why is she writing this and not sleeping, well its cause I had too much Dr. Pepper and now am wired. The boys are teething. Not a big surprise, its just very trying on dear old Mom. I am sure they arent too keen either. The problem is that Ian wont go to sleep at night without me snuggling him into submission. Its been going on for about a week. I am so tired of him being up past 10pm. His bedtime is 8 on the dot and always has been. I am not sure if he is acting crazy because he is teething, or because he is very moblie and crawling all over everything, or is having a growth spurt. Whatever the cause its making me nuts!! He has also started with separation anxiety and I cant even walk out of the room without him freaking out. I am just thankful that the other two could care less if I were in the room.

I have considered buying a baby sleep book but am thinking that I will lose sleep trying to read it cause I can only read when they are in bed. Does anyone know of any good solid books that can help me quickly? I dont think most of the books I have seen apply to mulitples and seem to be unrealistic when it comes to dealing with sleep issues. Could it just be because he is teething or am I doomed forever??? Are the other two going to do the same thing and then no one will sleep again?

Come on top teeth push your way through those swollen gums and give me a break!!

The Great Baby Race

The Great Baby Race July 2006

The boys made it to their first birthday!! I had no doubt they would, well sometimes in the beginning I did, and it was fun. We went to Grandma's house for Easter and she had presents for the boys. They didnt really know what to do except to chew on the huge ribbons from the packages. Then off to a friends house to celebrate with some honorary Aunties and Uncles. I used to be a nanny for the family and spent most of my 20's and early 30's with them. All five kids were there and it was so much fun. They love the boys and it was great to see them having fun with them. They are such great kids and young adults.

Monday we all went to the NICU to see our beloved nurses. The boys brought them cupcakes in honor of the birthday. They also wore onesies that had their letter on them. Ian was "A", Spencer was "B" and Oliver was "C". They also had their time of birth on the back of their onesies. The nurses really got a kick out of it!! I did it for them. For those who dont know what I am talking about when there are mulitiples they are known as Baby A, B, or C. Depending on how many there are. You get the picture. Anyway I was so happy to see them, and they were thrilled to see the boys. I really do miss those wonderful ladies. When we were there I mentioned that I would love to come in and talk to Moms that are stressed about their babies and what is going on in the NICU. One of them mentioned that there was a Mom there right now that was freaking out because her son has BPD and is about to be discharged on a monitor and O2. They wanted to show her Oliver, who had serious issues with BPD, so she could see that babies do survive and grow up like other kids. I immediately said to bring her over! She was so sweet and asked tons of questions and then asked if I wanted to meet her son, which of course I did. Her sister and Mom were there as well and had many questions which I answered and I gave her my phone number. We live in neighboring towns. Later the next day DH called and said that he had lunch with the Nurse Manager of the NICU and she thought it would be a great idea to start a support group in the NICU because they didnt have one. So I am on it!! It's not that the nurses didnt give me tons of encouragement and support but it would have been much different hearing from another Mom who's child had the same issues. So I am excited.

The Great Baby Race April 2007

Thursday the boys had their one year check up, immunizations, and blood draw. They, of course, didnt like the shots, but did amazingly well with the blood draw. The only one that fussed was Ian and it was because Daddy was holding him tight and he wanted to be free!!


So we had a very busy week and I am sure someone is going to come down with a cold soon..........

The results are in.....

Tuesday went better than I could have expected. The boys are really coming along. Ian is now 20 pounds 10 oz. He was 2 pounds 2 ounces at birth. Spencer is 18 pounds 15 oz. He was 2 pounds 14 oz. at birth. Oliver now weighs 16 pounds 10 oz!!! He was 2 pounds 3 oz at birth. The Neo was pleased with their weights, lungs, and development. No more Pulmicort!! No more meds of any kind. She complimented DH and I on keeping them out of the hospital since they left the NICU. It was nice to hear. I told her that she was the one who I listened to eventhough she didnt think I heard what she was saying. We had lots of problems with communication in the NICU. I also told her that I was very pleased at the way she took care of the boys and of course how she treated DH and me even if I was kicking and screaming the whole time. I was such a pain in the ass in the NICU when things werent going well. I just wanted the best care that my boys could get so they would survive to see their first birthday and beyond. Well they made it, well almost, its not Sunday just yet! :)

I am so in awe of the past year. It seems just like it was yesterday that they forced their way into this world 13 weeks too early. I was so unprepared for the feelings that I would have for them. I was so worried that I wouldnt love them as much as I would a genetically related child. How WRONG I was. I dont think I could love them any more than I already do.

One year check up with the Neonatologist.......

Tomorrow the boys are going for their one year check up with the Neonatologist. I am always aprehensive when it comes to taking them to the doctor, especially her. She is a great doc but we have had our problems in the NICU and beyond. Last time we saw her was right after Thanksgiving. The visit was good and there were no lectures just nice words of praise for DH and me. Which is great but this visit will be a little different. Ian is doing fine no developmental problems at all. Spencer has a 15% delay with his gross motor skills but working in the right direction. He also has some feeding issues that the OT will help us with but we wont see her for a few weeks. Oliver is the one that has always been the slower of the three. Not sure if its because he is the youngest, by a minute, or because he was in the NICU the longest and had the worst problems with BPD. Whatever the case he needs to have OT and PT. The PT said that he has a 38% delay but is showing signs of doing what he is supposed to be doing for his age. OT didnt say what kind of delay he had but said that he would need some therapy. There is a meeting next week to go over who needs what with all the services. So I am a little nervous as to what she will say. I am not really sure why I worry, cause to be honest we arent seeking any services from her hospital and going to the competing hospital that our Ped has priveldges at. And this may be one of the last times that we see her.

I suppose its just part of PTSD surfacing again. Its much better than it was and I am on Zoloft which really helps. Its just the feeling of being helpless again and wanting my boys to be alright. They say that by age 2 all preemies catch up to their peers. I have found many people who refute this statement. I know there isnt much I can do about what affects the boys but it still is hard. I am trying to be informed as much as possible and keeping on top of their problems, such as the myriad of services that just evaluated them. So I guess I am doing all the right things. All I can do is when I see a problem rally the troops and get them the help that they need.

Whatever the is causing my aphrehension at least I get to get out of the house tomorrow and talk to adults!! That's always a good thing. :)

Here is a new pic of the boys all together. Ian is the one on the floor, Ollie is in the chair on the right and Spence is on the left. Dont they look happy......