Thursday, January 29, 2009

Panic

I never intended on sending the kids to preschool. It just wasn't something that we thought about. I have an extensive education that includes early childhood education and psychology. My thoughts have always been that I can teach them just as well as someone at a preschool who *doesn't* have a degree. I've always had this thought that they were just glorified daycare centers. Well, Jason has asked a few times about preschool. I'm not sure where this is coming from, except that maybe his mom has asked, but I figured if he's curious I'd look into it. My other thought was that it would be way too expensive for us (anything over $100/week for both is too much). I have been researching preschools here in the area for a few weeks now and nothing really caught my attention. So, I turned to my neighbors who have small kids. I've talked about our wonderful neighbors before, I'm sure. We're extremely fortunate to have the network that we do, and I recognize that. H&B have their daughter, Peyton, who just turned 4. We were going to sit down with them and talk about the adoption process after the loss of our first baby. They send her to a great daycare facility down the street. So, no thoughts on preschools. There is one mom, in particular, that I look to for advice and I respect her tremendously. She has a very similar parenting style and beliefs similar to mine. It turns out, she sends her boys to the same facility as our other favorite neighbors. So, there are four kids who attend this preschool. I asked K for some feedback today and she sent me a long e-mail with info in it, along with the website information. As I sat there looking at the photos of the school and the classrooms, I began to cry. Suddenly, the thought of sending the kids to school (just two days a week, for three hours each day) has put me into a full blown panic. My heart is racing and my palms are sweaty. But, you know what? My view has completely changed about the programs out there. This school has been around since 1950 and was the first kindergarten in town until the county went to k-12. It is a very popular facility and the waiting list can be long. Registration starts next week and the fees are extremely affordable. ($160/mo for T,TH 9-12 class) They have a science class, school pictures, Dad's day, and all sorts of other cool things. The bonus to this is that the kids would be in the same class as one of K's sons who is 6 months younger than E&E. The other upside to this is that I'd have a few hours each week with just the new baby (what in the hell will I do with just one infant?!?! How do you take care of one baby?) and the kids will have an opportunity to learn and participate in activities outside of the house, not to mention peer interaction. I keep them busy, but wouldn't it be nice to have more structured play away from mommy?

Why does this tug at my heart strings so much? I should be jumping at the chance and much more excited about this, I think.

I'm going to call tomorrow and set up an appointment with the head of the program. We may not even be able to get a spot until later on. I'll never know until I try, right?

Update: We've decided to hold off until they're 3 because of finances. We can either put this money towards paying off debt or sending them to this facility twice a week for a few hours a day, and right now, the debt needs to have priority. We're signing them up for a swim class and tumbling through the rec center, instead, which is $78 per class. I'm leaving this here, though, to remind me of these feelings later on.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Aye, yay, yay...

So, we've been instituting time-outs for a while now. I think I mentioned somewhere here that I was concerned that we were doing something wrong because they actually go to their time-out chair willingly, most days. Apparently, I'm using time-out waaaaay too much because last night, Figgy picked up her baby doll and was babbling away about something as she walked to the time-out chair and put the baby in the chair. She stood there, like mommy does, and "explained to baby why she was there" in her best mommy voice. Every once in a while, she'd turn around and holler something else (I tend to yell if one of them tries to get up too soon). Ahhhhh! I had to get up and walk out of the room because I was laughing so hard.

The other latest development in her attitude? If she is told to do something she doesn't want to do (get off the dining room table for the 1,000,000,000th time), she stands with her hands on her hips and screams, "NO! MOMMA/DADDY/GRAMMA MEAN!" I told her the other day that she really should get used to it now because she's got another 16 years of this mean mommy.

The Professor has become someone I barely recognize. He is such a monster lately! There is a lot of throwing going on, a lot of pushing/hitting/biting and a lot of being mean to the dog. He has spent a good part of today in time-out because he has been pushing Figgy to the ground and throwing things. The last time he did this, I took all of his toys away for the day.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Ethan's update.

So, the last time we saw the specialist at Children's Hospital for Ethan, the last thing he said to us was, "He's not 100% cleared, but I'm confident it is clearing up and there is no need to see you anymore." It left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth because I felt like *I* wanted to keep seeing him until it was 100% cleared up. But, I tried to have confidence in the fact that I had researched this doctor for several months before we saw him and knew that he was the best in the area. If I can't do anything right, the one thing I can do right is pick the best doctors for my kids when there is something wrong. So, I tried to remember that and to keep in mind that he knows what he's doing. But, there was always that thought in the back of my head of, "What if..." Anyway, Ethan has been the sicker of the two kids for a long time. He gets these fevers and I started journaling to keep track of them and it seemed to occur every six weeks, like clockwork, and would range between 102 and 104, rectally. No other symptoms, except a high fever and lethargy. He would, literally, crawl up on my lap and sleep on me all day long. When I'd move him to play with Ellie, he'd sleep on the couch. What 1-2 year old does that? So, I mentioned it at his 2 year appointment on January 9th. She felt as though the fevers and his kidney history warranted another battery of tests. We're pros at these tests since he had them so much during the first year, so it's not a big deal (until they start sticking tubes up his penis and then I lose it). We went this morning and Ethan was PHENOMENAL. I have to say that because I'm so proud. In fact, the only reason we know as much tonight is because Ethan laid completely still for 30 minutes and allowed the guy to get really good scans and monitor the urine output through the ureter to the kidney and bladder. Anyway, it seemed to be okay and they sent us home. Until 7:30 tonight when our doctor called us and asked if we had some time to talk. Ethan has dilation of the left kidney (always was the problem side) and the urine is basically backwashing. In addition to all of that, they found a new problem. I'm not sure if it was always there and there was no need to mention it or if, now that he's grown a bit, the issue is more pronounced. Basically, when the urine flows from the ureter to the bladder and kidneys, it branches out into (essentially) tree trunk type things. It looks like fingers going from the ureter to the organs. Ethan has too many, which is causing a problem. I'm not sure what the fix is for that, other than going in and taking a laser and "chopping" off some of those branches. I have to go pick up his test results tomorrow and make an appointment with the specialist, then we'll see what he has to say.

I'm kicking myself in the ass right now because I KNEW I should have pushed the issue a year ago when the doc told us that we didn't have to come back. I swore I'd never let a doctor push my mother's intuition down, again. Bah!

Sunday, January 18, 2009

National Air & Space Museum

The Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA.

We took the kids to the UHC today, to see the airplanes and just walk around. My husband is a WWII geek, so I walked the museum with the kids and he hung out reading all the stuff about the planes. The moment we walked in (I've been before, but none of them have), I was thrilled with our decision to go. It's always hit or miss with them at this age, so I wasn't sure what reaction we'd get. But, Ethan just started squealing and let out lots of oohs and ahhhs. (Right along with daddy, of course.) Ellie loved it, as well. It's a $12 fee for parking but free to get into the building, which is cheaper than what it started out to be. When they first opened, it was $18. There is an observation tower where you can go and watch all the planes land at Dulles. Unfortunately, the two men there wanted to argue over whether we'd be allowed to take our stroller, so we opted to not go up. The director was going to allow it but the elevator man wouldn't. I guess he needed to feel powerful and exert what little power he does have. I don't know. *sigh*

My favorite part of the museum (a huge airplane hangar) is the section devoted to the space program. The Enterprise is docked there. It's phenomenal and quite impressive as you first walk into that section.

Ethan became quite excited and started screaming, "MICKEY, MICKEY!" I couldn't, for the life of me, figure out what he was talking about until I looked closer and realized he was looking at this:



A few other shots from today:


After naps, we took the kids over and got hair cuts... :( Ethan looks like a little man now and his little curls are gone. Elizabeth got a bob-type cut and her curls have bounced up. It's adorable! Afterwards, we walked over to Champps to grab a bite to eat and my Figgy found herself right in her element surrounded by her type of people. It was the last quarter of the Philly/Arizona game and every single time people would get loud and cheer, she'd stand up and scream right along with them, clapping the entire time. The child had no clue what everyone was so excited about, she just knew they were her type of folks! LOL! My little man, however, was not so excited about all the excitement and spent a good deal of the evening sitting on gramma's lap. Poor guy. :(

Tomorrow is Ethan's initial scan for the return of his hydronephrosis. We'll have to be there at 10:30 to get all checked in and I had to have a good laugh when I got the instructions. They don't him voiding for an hour prior to the scan. LOL! Yeah, right. How do you stop a (just turned) 2 year old from doing that? I told the woman she was insane and that I'd certainly do my best (not give him any liquids in the morning) but that I couldn't promise anything. He'll want his milk first thing with breakfast.

That's it from our neck of the woods. It's Innaugural weekend here in DC, so we're staying very close to home (read: no further than 3 miles). Jason wanted to go downtown to the Natural History museum today and I told him he must have hit his head on something because today was the concert on the mall. He, apparently, didn't think it would be "that crowded". Boy, was he mistaken. I'm so glad I vetoed that idea! :)

Amber, I imagine you guys are sticking on-base for the next few days, too!

I can't believe we did this, but...

I'm laughing my head off right now because I never EVER thought I'd be going to one of these. We couldn't pass up the deal that we got for the Monster Truck Jam at Verizon Center next weekend and Ethan has been screaming every time the commercial comes on because he wants to see the trucks. So, we shelled out the $25 for two seats for Jason and I (the kids are free under 3) and ended up with lower bowl tickets in the last row (which we love!). The Professor is going to be so freaking excited. LOL!

And, for Princess Figgy, gramma got us tickets to Disney on Ice on Valentine's Day - FRONT ROW, CENTER! Tickets were only $30 a piece, but the kids have to have their own seats. So, it was quite a bit more expensive once you throw in fees and such.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Update on baby #3.

Okay, so this whole pregnancy has been a roller coaster of surprises for us. I think most of you that read this have struggled with fertility (and still are), so you'll understand. I was told at the age of 18 that I'd NEVER have children. The Navy was adamant about that. There was never a diagnosis because they never took the time to really delve into it. After all, what could an 18 year old possibly need to know about her reproductive system? I tried to push, but was always told, "It's just a mess in there." Without handing out TMI, I never did try to avoid getting pregnant for 12 years. I met my husband and it suddenly became a priority for us. After losing a baby in the latter part of the first trimester, we became desperate and I remember my ob sitting down across from me, taking my hands, wiping my tears and promising me it would happen. We aggressively sought a diagnosis and underwent three surgeries before having that final dx of polycystic ovarian syndrome. We drilled my ovaries twice. I went through a few other procedures and several months of fertility meds before deciding to stop the meds because they were having such a negative effect on me (side effects). We had been off of the meds for a month and a half before getting pregnant with the twins. It was, by all accounts, a very uneventful pregnancy. There was always that question of whether it was my body that hyperovulated on its own or if the meds were still in my system. Either way, we never thought about birth control because pregnancy was something that seemed impossible on our own. After another loss, we moved on and decided that we'd try again when the kids were in kindergarten. We talked about me going back to work this year and putting the kids in a good preschool/daycare program here in the area. The kids learn in a farm environment surrounded by animals and such. Anyway, I digress... Surprise! We're pregnant. Life moves on and we embrace the news, albeit with much fear and uncertainty because of finances and our living situation.

The pregnancy, much like the twins, has been uneventful. I suffered severe morning sickness until somewhere around the 17 week mark, then had a blissful 4-5 weeks off, and jumped right back on the morning sickness wagon. It was just like the twins. Now, while I was pregnant with the twins, I experienced a moment of intense fear when the time came for the diabetes screening. I took the test and had an appointment with the specialist the next morning. So, I was in a wait and see window about the outcome of the screening. What I remember next isn't as clear, but I know that the specialist had me in a state of sheer panic because he told me that he was certain I had gestational diabetes based on what he was seeing in the ultrasound. I never did get what he was saying, but my mom reminded me tonight that I spent the next two days crying because I was sure I had gd and that I had done something wrong. Well, as we've come to realize in this house, the doctors aren't always right and my blood sugars were actually in a very good spot.

Fast forward to this pregnancy, shall we? I'll admit right now that I haven't taken nearly as good of care of myself as I did the first time. I have two toddlers to chase after. I've not gained any weight at all, because of the hypermesis. In fact, I've lost another 2 since my last appointment but I'm certain that's because of the norovirus. I'm not a sugar fiend...never have been. In real life (before pregnancy), my blood sugars are actually low. My blood pressure is always at a great level and, unless I'm sick, never gets above 118/60. I'm not the picture of health, by far though, as I have a good 50 pounds on me that I've gained over the years. This pregnancy has been fairly uneventful, otherwise. I've consistently measured between 4 and 6 weeks ahead of my due date, but that was always explained away because I had full-term twins and my uterus was stretched to hell as a result. Lots of twin moms I know experience the same thing and look much more pregnant than they really are. I had my morning exam with my ob and had blood drawn for my glucose screening. In the afternoon, I headed over to the maternal fetal specialist (I'm seeing him because of my thyroid condition). We've seen them four times now. The first two times were really odd as I went in at my 6 week (or so we thought) for the nt screening. They measured the baby and told me I was a week off in dates, though that is impossible because the date they have me at can't possible match up with a conception date. There are four possible dates that can be used for reference, and this is not one of them. But, whatever. Science isn't a perfect art, right? So, I had to go back 2 weeks later for the nt screening. The next appointment was at 20 weeks, followed by this one. Everything was as it normally is. The tech scanned me, took pictures (finally!) and did measurements. She told me that the baby is large and weighs approximately 2.5 pounds. It should weigh approximately 1.5 pounds. She covered me up and went to get the doc, who came in and looked everything over. He started the conversation off just as he did with the twins and told me he's positive I have gd. I ask him to elaborate and he explains that the baby is too large for its gestational age and that I have a generous amount of amniotic fluid in the sac. I explain that he was dead wrong about the gd in the twins and ask if it's just possible that I grow large babies. I'm on track with this one, based on his measurements and the growth track, to have a 9-10 pound baby. He won't discuss anything with me until the test comes back on Monday/Tuesday and that he'll want to see me immediately after the results come in. He'll begin monitoring me every 2-3 weeks.

As any neurotic mother would do, I've gone to pubmed to do some research about excess amniotic fluid and one thing keeps coming up - a pregnancy that started out as an identical twin pregnancy early on with a case of TTTS, which would explain the large amount of amniotic fluid in the sac. The idea is that the surviving twin now has all of his/her fluid in addition to his/her brother/sister's fluid. The other thought (that makes sense) is that the baby has stopped swallowing his/her amniotic fluid because the kidneys aren't producing/functioning correctly. Ethan had/has hydronephrosis and it was detected around this point in the pregnancy. Of course, I could very well have developed gd this pregnancy and he could be right. I'm hoping to God that he's wrong, again, though.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Thursday

My guilty pleasure is my parent magazines. I don't necessarily find the articles to be helpful or pertain to my situation, but occasionally I'm surprised. Tonight, however, I found myself drawn to an article called, "Mad at Dad," and it was phenomenal and true to life for me. The one part of the article that I zoomed in on had a great quote and I could have written it! "We love our husbands-but we're mad that we spend more mental energy on the details of parenting. We're mad that having children has turned our lives upside down much more than theirs. We're mad that these guys, who can manage businesses OR KEEP TRACK OF THOUSANDS OF PIECES OF (ARBITRARY) SPORTS TRIVIA, can be clueless when it comes to what our kids are eating..." My other favorite quote? "He gets to focus on one thing at a time. Meanwhile, I'm trying to cook with human leg warmers clinging to my shins."

Ladies and gentleman, that is my life! I'm so thankful that I'm not the only woman/wife/mother out there who can relate.

"As mothers, we think nothing of stirring a pot of noodles while setting up a refrigerator-repair appointment, sorting mail, and helping a child with his weekly spelling words. And it annoys us when our husbands act put-upon or overwhelmed when we want them to handle a couple of things at once."

A few fun finds in the magazines this month that I may have to actually purchase or think of purchasing...

Animal Scramble
"Animal Scramble features an electronic hand-held tagger shaped like a giraffe and four fist-sized friends (a monkey, parrot, tiger and elephant). The giraffe calls out which animals kids should run to and tag and tracks the amount of time taken to complete each course."

I've been a freecycle fan since my neighbors introduced me. I hate the idea of throwing things away. I go to craigslist or my husband's work intranet, first, to try and sell stuff. If that is not successful, I've been setting things aside for a yard sale that will probably never happen. But, a few sites recently caught my attention...

Zwaggle.com is a kid-focused flea market where you pay with points that are earned by signing up and unloading old gear.

Swaptree.com is a site where you can post books, DVDs or games and will help you find other items that you can trade for.

Freepeats.org is a site where you can post or find baby and kid gear locally.

My neighbor recently came to me to ask what kind of sippy cups we're using because she's not had any luck with the stuff they've tried. Everything, as we all know, seems to spill. The soft spouts were not an option in our home as the kids immediately learned to bend the plastic and finger paint with their milk on the glass table tops. So, the cups we've come to love and that I recommended were the Gerber Graduates Sip & Smile Spill Proof Cups. As with anything toddler related, they are not fool-proof. There are the occasional spot spills and the kids can both tap the cup upside down on the glass to finger paint. But, they both also tend to carry their sippy around the living room upside down and the liquid doesn't spill that way.

The other share I wanted to pass on tonight was a tangle-free spray. Figgy has my hair. Fine and snarly. Just like my hair, we can't condition it all the time because it weighs it down and she ends up looking like she stuck her head in a grease pit. I was looking for something, anything, that would help us after baths with her long, curly, fine hair. This stuff is a miracle for us! It doesn't weigh her hair down and it leaves it feeling soft the rest of the week.

Hmmm...I had more I wanted to talk about tonight but I'm drawing a blank. CSI is on and my attention seems to be wandering back to that. Hubby is out for a rare night with the guys, rocking out to Metallica at the Verizon Center. (Blech! I'm not a heavy metal fan.)

The kids had a particularly rough day today and I'm afraid that will dictate a particularly rough night. Figgy was up and screaming by 6:15, which is considerably earlier than she normally wakes. Both were out of control all day long and very fussy/whiny/argumentative. This usually carries into the middle of the night when they wake up screaming for no apparent reason. *sigh*

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Out of my daughter's mouth...

So, last week it was a pitiful whisper from the backseat..."I said please."

Today, we were dropping my husband off at work and we gave each other a kiss goodbye. Miss Figgy, from the backseat, pipes up and says, "Awwwwwow!" LOL! My husband walked into work with a bright red face and a good chuckle for the day.

She has quite the sense of humor. :)

Friday, January 9, 2009

2 year check-up

(This is a primary copy/paste from RM with an update about Ellie that I didn't include there...)

I have to preface this by saying it all started out well and the kids are doing great! :) It was a bit bittersweet as the doctor that we've been seeing since we started the practice at 6 weeks old is no longer seeing patients. She was juggling both jobs as doctor and CEO/administrator of the practice and it got to be too much. So, she turned all of her patients over to this doc that we saw today. Coincidentally, we've seen this new doc two times during sick appointments and she was my next choice for a doctor. We're thrilled with her and, more importantly, the kids seem to love her as much as they did their other doc.

Ethan is 33.5" tall (25th%) and weighs 28lbs (50th%). His head circumference = 19.25" (50th%).
Elizabeth is 32 3/4" tall (25th%) and weighs 26.8lbs (50th%). Her head circumference = 18 3/4" (50th%).

We started with Ethan and his mysterious high fevers. I've been keeping track in a journal and they come on out of the blue every six weeks or so. They range from 102 - 103, rectally, and he has no other symptoms (other than being incredibly lethargic). Since Ethan has the history of hydronephrosis, we've decided to rule out a recurrent problem and have another ultrasound and nuclear screening done at Children's. At our final appointment with the nephrologist and urologist, we were told the problem was 95% cleared and there was no need for a follow-up. I wasn't thrilled with that, but didn't question the docs. Now, of course, I'm kicking myself. We talked about his anxiety in social situations (nightmares for two days after being at anyone else's house). When we go to the playground, we're usually the first and only ones there for about 10-15 minutes. When it gets to the point that there are more than about 5 or 6 other kids, he stands completely still as if frozen, and starts to breath fast. He won't/can't move. She feels it's a normal response for some kids and that he's going to be our shy child. He's growing really well and she's pleased.

Our Elizabeth. Oy! She is a handful, I tell ya. We went through the normal check-up questions and got to the issues at hand. On Monday, she started pulling at herself and saying, "Ow, pee pee." Last night, when she peed, you could tell it almost hurt her. So, I was afraid she has a UTI. Well, in order to tell that, they have to catheterize her. I am normally a very strong person for my kids, but that was so hard. The doc commented that she's never seen a 2 year old as strong and feisty as mine, which was funny (not at the time). She had two nurses holding her legs down and I was holding her head and arms while the doc tried to cath her. She tried for five minutes. Ellie sobbed and was hysterical, begging for her to stop and asking for Ethan. Ethan, meanwhile, was trying to push his way between the doc and nurses to climb up on the stool to see her. I tried so hard to not cry, but couldn't help it. I finally asked her to stop and she agreed. She had a second option, which is what we ended up doing. She attached a bag to her vaginal area, inside of her diaper, and told us to go to lunch and come back later on to check and see if she had peed. We went up the street to see Jason and my mom for lunch and made sure Ellie drank a lot. She had 12 ounces of water and we were there for an hour and a half. We went back to the dr's office and she had not ONE ounce of urine in the bag or diaper. So, we went home and they slept. She pees a lot when she naps, so my hope was that she'd have something in the bag after nap. They woke up at 5:15 and we went to my husband's work, then straight to the docs office. First of all, our doc was supposed to leave work at 5:00, but called us at 5:40 to see if things were okay. Turns out she wanted to hang around and see Ellie instead of having another doc see her after hours (they're open until 9:00). We got there and wouldn't you know it? The nurse that reapplied the bag the second time didn't do it right. Ellie had lots of urine, but it was all in her diaper. *groans* So, we'll have to do this all over again.

I do have to tell you a funny part of the day...when she saw Jason and my mom, she ran up to them and said, "Bad pee-pee doctor." LOL! On our way to the cafeteria, she told anyone who would listen that same thing. My poor Elliebug.

The funny thing is that the doctor affirmed what we've known all along...that Ellie is an unusually active 2 year old. She will not play with any one toy for more than a few minutes at a time. Her day is mostly spent running from one end of the house to the other end, playing on occasion. She is our social butterfly where Ethan is our shy kiddo.

She wants them started on vitamins (she says she recommends it for all of her 2 year olds) with a B-12 additive because they're not big meat eaters. She also gave us the green light for peanut butter and 2% milk.

They still seem so underweight to me, but she's very happy with their personal growth charts. They never do tell me the %tile that they fall into, but her nurse did this time and wrote it on their paperwork. She also assured me (as did the previous doc) that the national %tile is really not one to look at and that most docs are shying away from that model. She pulled out their chart and they're right on track for what they've been doing since birth, and that's all I care about. :)

I guess I'm doing okay at this whole "mommy" job, after all.

Sunday, January 4, 2009

They survived. They had to!

You know, I have to go on record and admit that I don't give my husband nearly enough credit. You'd think I would have figured it out when the kids were 2 weeks old and I had emergency surgery. He survived, they survived, and all was fine. I grumble and groan about how he falls asleep on the weekends in the morning and about how I've had to, essentially, train him to help me get things together when we go somewhere. But, he really stepped up to the plate this weekend and I have to give him kudos for that.

Saturday morning, around 4:00, I woke up not feeling so hot. I fell right back to sleep and was up shortly before the kids arose at 7:45. I hopped in the shower and immediately started throwing up. Not so unusual for me since I'm back to having morning sickness in the morning... But, I fed the kids their breakfast and took a bite of a banana and a sip of ginger ale and ran to the bathroom. From that point, I started throwing up every hour on the hour. I didn't get any food into my belly for the entire day. Every time I would try and take a sip of a drink, it would come back up within ten minutes. I got to the point, since my stomach was empty, that I was bringing up that yellow, icky bile. The last straw was when my dear husband ran out to get popsicles and I tossed one within 5 minutes. I couldn't keep down an ounce of liquids at this point and had tried everything, including an ounce of pedialyte mixed with an ounce of water (hey, it's good enough for the kids, right?). I called my ob and she had me head straight for l&d. I checked in and gave them what little I had of a urine sample. While hooking me up to check the baby and take my vitals, the urine came back and I was severely dehydrated and they were sure my kidneys were in the process of shutting down. So, I was admitted on Saturday night and hooked to an iv. The good news in all of this was that the baby is fine and just as stubborn as his/her brother and sister in regards to the monitors. I had been worried since there wasn't much movement during the evening, as there usually is, but once those monitors went on? The statement from the nurse was, and I quote, "You have an extraordinarily active baby."

Within 5 hours I had gone through two bags of iv fluids and was hooked to another. They administered several rounds of iv anti-nausea medication and I slept for an hour or so at a time. I was unable to keep liquids down when offered, so we finally stopped the torture at 5:30 this morning and they allowed me to sleep for 2 hours. Breakfast was brought into my room (whole wheat toast) and I couldn't stand the thought of eating. By 2:00, I was able to keep chicken broth down and my fever had gone down from the original 102 to 98.6. My ob came to check on me late this afternoon and released me this evening.

Can I tell you all a secret? I loved that time to rest and recoup. As much as I tried to rest upstairs in our bedroom, it hard for me to hear the kids calling for me and crying because daddy just wasn't doing it the same way as mommy. I honestly think the day and a half in the hospital did me more good, not just in terms of the fluids that were pushed, but because of the rest that I got. But, with that, I have never been so happy to come home and have those two little people come tearing across the living room and throwing themselves into my arms.

I'm still tossing my cookies, but I have enough fluids on-board to keep me going for a while. I'm able to keep down a few ounces of fluids at a time, so that's a step in the right direction. The thought from the hospital is that the norovirus made its rounds through the house and I was the next lucky victim. Let's hope it has made its departure and we'll return to normal this week.

Friday, January 2, 2009

Yes, I'm going to go "there".

Nothing annoys me more than a mom of (a) singleton(s) telling me what I'm doing wrong or what I did wrong with my twins. I don't care whether you have 10 singletons or a set of "Irish" twins (what the hell is that, anyway?...you have two singletons). Unless you have a set of twins, you will NEVER get it. I don't care if you various members of your family or your bff has a set of twins, you still won't get it.

But, that said, ranking right close to that is a mom who has several singletons and is now pregnant with twins thinking it's going to be the same as when she had her single baby.

Let me tell you something, and let me be very clear...I do not know ONE parent of multiples that did not put their kiddos on some sort of routine/schedule say they are happy. In fact, every parent I know that did not do the routine/schedule is now BEGGING for help with STTN. I don't know one parent who put their kiddos on a routine/schedule that is not at peace with their decision. I have parents of singletons who are seeking ME out to ask me about schedules. Everyone I know is highly impressed by the fact that my kids (for the most part...as you have read in the past, we have our issues from time to time) seek out their cribs at bedtime. They put their toys away during the 5-minute warning and climb the steps to their bedroom every night. They have their routine and it works. They sleep 12+ hours at night and 2-4 hours for naps. If I had not established a routine when we came home from the hospital, I know I would never have survived. My MARRIAGE never would have survived.

I do not, nor will I ever, understand women who seek help during the night from nannies so that they can sleep. Why on earth did you ever have a baby to begin with if you're going to hand him/her/them off to someone else, other than your spouse? That's like good old Donald Trump and his newest trophy wife, who put their newborn on an entirely different floor at Trump Tower with the nanny. Why have that baby to begin with?

So, to sum up my pissy post tonight:

Unless you are currently raising a set of twins, keep your freaking opinions to yourself because you have NO idea how ridiculously stupid you sound. And, please, don't tell me how long you've dreamed of having twins and how fun it would be. Did you dream of the financial strain it brings? Did you dream of the marital issues it causes? Did you dream of the extremely high divorce rate that having multiples brings? Did those dreams show you how taxing it can be on your body? How about how dangerous it can be to carry multiples? Oooh! How about that dreamy NICU stay, terbutaline pump and sheer discomfort? Oh! And how about those lovely stretch marks? Fun, fun, fun!