Our Kids

So we are working on our nighttime routine, which really doesn’t exist. I let Landis nurse whenever she wants during the day and night but I don’t think I do as good a job at night because I am half unconscious. So Jace is helping me and last night went pretty good. She ate at 10:15, 1:15, 3:15 and 6:15. Jason took her from 3:45 to 6:15 and kept her happy and sleeping, he was sleeping off and on while he held her. I was happily dreaming away and waking only when she squeaked, but Jace was an ol’ pro and was able to get her right back to sleep.

We even went out to breakfast this morning which was great. I am using a Moby wrap and I love it, Landis seems to like it too. I just wear her everywhere we go and I keep her swaddled most of the time we are out and about, it seems to keep her calm and asleep. I have these great wraps from Kiddopotomas that swaddle her up and I can even use them in her carseat which is great. All in all she is a dream child just like her sisters were.

The girls say a lot, sometimes more than you want, here are their favorite things to say:

Where are you going? (this is when I am getting dressed and not going anywhere)

What are you doing?

Is she okay?  (this is Piper asking about Landis)

What have you got in your mouth? (this is when I am trying to sneakily eat chocolate)

What Lela watch on my puter?

What Lela watch on the big TV? (I get this one about 80 times a day)

Lela watch DVD?  (I get this one about 100 times a day, okay so I am exaggerating on the last two but it is A LOT)

What is that noise?

Those are the things that I hear everyday multiple times along with Lela need to go potty, Piper need go potty too and other essentials.  Most days I also get to hear “Love you” which is always nice even when Jason tells them to come and tell me:)

Well it’s Landis’ 3-week birthday and it’s taken me this long to post something on her own blog. I’m not off to a great start as a dad, but I’ll keep working on it!

The way Landis was brought into the world was quite different than how Piper and Lela were introduced, but equally as exciting, in my opinion. It all started when the doctors became a little concerned about how Landis was growing. Her abdomen was lagging a bit… nothing huge, but something to be watched.

So they got Mystique to go in for ultrasounds at least once a week, more often twice a week. This started, I think, around week 32 or 33 or her pregnancy. It was a busy time, but Mystique was always there doing her tests.

On the day of Mystique’s 36th week of pregnancy, we went in for an amniocentesis to see how Landis’ lungs were progressing. This was around 9am or so on Friday, September 28th. One of our favorite doctors did the procedure and we were sent back home/work to wait for the results.

As it so happened, at work that day my group was having an end-of-quarter bash at a bowling alley in the afternoon. Because Mystique dropped me off at work after the doctor’s appointment, she picked me up at the bowling alley around 4pm with the girls. About three minutes into the ride she said, “So… we’re having Landis at 10pm tonight!”

Yowza! I guess the doctor had called her about 10 minutes before she got me, said the baby’s lungs were good, when did we want to have her? Mystique, not one to procrastinate, said “tonight!”

So we hurriedly called my parents, setup some babysitting for that night, and Mystique and I went off to the hospital, arriving around 8pm. Of course Mystique was a blast to be with… the nurses all immediately fell in love with her. We had a lot of fun while we waited. I got a kick out of the anesthesiologist, but I’m not sure Mystique was a fan of him.

Anyhow, right around 11:15pm or so we finally got into our operating rooms. It was just about the coldest room I’ve been in outside of a meat locker. Our doctor was nice enough to provide Mystique some warm blankets while she was prepped for her shot, and then he also draped one over my shoulders. Nice fella.

This time around with the c-section I had a much better view of things and I was more comfortable with standing up and watching. I tried to convey some things to Mystique since she was way more aware with this birth. It was really interesting watching the whole thing. But the best was when Landis finally came out — the knot in her cord! When the doctor held her up he said “Well, that explains it” and there it was in plain sight — knot. It was tight, it looked more like a pretzel knot. But that’s why Landis’ abdomen wasn’t growing, she wasn’t getting all the food from Mystique!

After that I went back with Landis where she was weighed, looked at, etc… Mystique rolled in around 20-25 minutes later, and there we were… 3 of the happy 5.

I finally went home around 2am to relieve my parents. They were just hanging out in the house, looking tired, but pretty darn happy. And so was I.

Mystique mentioned a little while ago that while Piper has gotten rid of her nap-time diaper, she still wears a nighttime diaper, “just in case”.  We’re fine with that — Piper’s handling the potty-training on her own time and she’s really doing a fantastic job of it, so whatever it takes.

However… sometimes I do get some fun experiences with her. One time last week Piper came into our room in the morning to wake me up.  She did that by saying, “Piper go poo poo.”  “Easy enough,” I thought.  “Let’s go potty!” I said… just as I noticed she was not wearing a diaper.  And she was walking kind of funny.

“Where’s your diaper”?  “Piper took it off!”  “Oh boy!”, I said

So I walked out of our room, scanning the room for that diaper.  Nothing.  I walked towards their room… and there, by the door of their bedroom, was a diaper sitting in the middle of the hallway.  I’m not sure, but I may have smelled it at the exact time I saw it.  That was a fun cleanup.
Then, the other morning, as I was brushing my teeth hurriedly to try and get ready before the girls woke up, Lela came wandering into our bathroom and announced that Piper had gone potty in her diaper.

“Ok,” I thought… just a wet diaper.  “Ok, thanks Lela.”  I said… just as Piper rounded the corner holding her diaper by two hands… and walking kind of funny.
It was not just a wet diaper.  It was a full diaper.  Full of… yeah, that stuff.  So I took it from her and we walked back to her bedroom for a change and some cleanup.  The funniest part though, was Lela… as Piper got to her room, from the doorway I heard Lela say (in classic Lela fashion), “Look at Piper’s BIG BUTT.”  I laughed.  Out loud.

Ahh, these girls.  Gotta love ‘em!

jason

Okay so when it comes to vaccines and such I am a bit on the granola side.  But everyone has been bugging me to get the girls a flu shot, mostly everyone is Jason, LOL:)  Not really but there is a lot of pressure from your ped etc. to get one A) because the girls are still considered preemies and high risk and B) we live in a highly populated area.  So I bit the bullet today and we all got flu shots, minus Landis.  It was funny because I expected Lela to lose it but after the initial prick she was placated by a bag of homemade trail mix and a free toy from the nurse.  Piper, the one I expected to brush it off, is walking around like she has a peg leg which in itself is hilarious.  Then Lela mocks her for her peg leg and mimics her.  Just goes to show that I don’t really know by kids at all, LOL!  I figure that is a feeling that you have through out life though.

Well we went back to the doctor today for our weight check, Landis not me thanks goodness:) She is a whopping 5lb12.5oz! Yipee, Yeah for me! The doctor was surprised that I could get her weight up that much with just breast milk, I guess all those one hour feedings and late night snacks are paying off. Yipee! She is doing really well and so am I, it took longer than I wanted for us to get into some sort of groove but we got there finally. All days are not perfect but it is all tolerable now. Everything else is looking good too. She has a clogged tear duct but Piper had that as well and it is pretty normal. All her bloodwork came back normal, her 10 day PKU is great (that is the new baby check up) and Dr. M said she looked like a new baby. No more jaundice, she is nice and pink. Sigh……

Well Piper has moved on and no longer wears nap time diapers.  The thing with Piper is that if she gets to wear a diaper she will pee in it so I decided that she would just stop wearing them during naps and I would live with the consequences.  So far so good, she has been good as gold.  The other day she told me she had to poo so before her nap I put her on the potty and she decided not to poo.  So I told her no diaper at naptime remember, but she stuck with her no poo stand.  After about 10 min in bed she came out of her room with a diaper and asked to have it put on and she was walking funny.  I figured I was fixin’ to get my just desserts but to my surprise the funny walk came from the bit of poo that she was squeezing between her cheeks to keep it from coming out.  She did not mess in her bed or in her room she was holding it back.  Suffice it to say we got to the potty, relief was achieved and back to nap we went with nary a hitch.  She was so cute and proud of herself.  I am pretty pleased that both of the girls are trained before three.  Lela has been for over a year and has not worn a diaper in FOREVER, Piper took her time but came around quickly many months ago.  Piper is clinging to the nighttime diaper but that is okay with me.  I am so proud of my girls.

The girls are up to a lot of things.  Mostly getting really dirty because we can finally play outside.  Piper has not concept of dirty and when she gets done playing outside I might as well go and stand in the “free cheese” line because that is what she looks like, a little street urchin:)  LOL!  Totally cute but with wet dirty streaks down her face, filthy pants, chalk dust all over her, rocks in her pockets, dirt in her shoes…..the works.

The girls have also started eating lunch, before they were just snackers but we have moved the large meal of the day to pre-nap.  They are also joining us for dinner and honestly it is more stressful with them attending than before when they would be otherwise engaged and Jason and I could enjoy dinner.  Now we have to deal with them at dinner and so far it ain’t been good.  That leads me to the other development with the girls, the “I did not want my noodles there I wanted them there” and on and on.  Less strong willed or easy going people might actually break down under the constant reminder that you are obviously not up to the high standards the girls have for parents!  HA!  I know it is just the beginning and I have heard when they are teens we will really feel like we have lost control….oh what we have to look forward to:)