There's Got To Be A Better Way

Have you ever taken three kids to the crowded pediatricians office before? I had that wonderful privilege today. Usually my mom feels sorry for me and meets me at the office to help with the babies. One time she even showed up with a bag of Cheetos (my babies love Cheetos). It's amazing how smoothly things go when she is with me. She is amazing, but today she had her own patient to take care of. My dad isn't feeling well and she needed to be home with him. So, I was on my own. As I sat in the office today and tried to keep my children under control, I was reminded of all the things that don't make sense at the doctor's office.

* Why does the receptionist get personally offended when a time she suggests doesn't work for me? I'm sorry, but nap time is sacred and yes, I do need three appointments all at the same time. I have three kids and they all need to be seen.

* Why are there never enough seats for the people they have scheduled? I have the added privilege of trying to find room for my monster double stroller also, because I have to be able to contain the twins if they get out of control. I'm always in every body's way.

* Why was I scheduled at 10:00 when clearly I wasn't going to be seen until 11:00? If they always run late, maybe they should schedule less patients.

* Why when they call someone back can't they close the door behind them? My one year olds don't understand that they can't follow them until their name is called. All they see is a way to escape and a new room to destroy.

* Are the healthy kids really safe from the sick kids when they are separated by two rows of chairs and a fish tank? And why are there no toys over on the sick side? Most sick kids end up on the well side because their parents can't keep them away from the train table and playhouse. There may as well be toys on both sides. At least then only the sick kids are sharing germs.

* Why do they even bother with the white paper they stretch across the table? Is it supposed to keep things sanitized? How can it when every baby destroys it? Maybe Lysol wipes would be better.

* Why in the world are there stairs to get onto the table? Then I get to spend all my time trying to keep my babies from falling off the stairs. When there are two babies fighting for the stairs, they just push each other off.

There's got to be a better way. Maybe we can go back to house calls. I think that would be wonderful! Well, anyway, Dalin got his two prescriptions for both swimmer's ear and an inner ear infection, thanks to his ear tubes. Matthew and Micah both got a shot, but were troopers and didn't even cry. Hopefully it will be awhile before we go back!!

Rub-A-Dub-Dub My Twins are in the Tub

One of the hardest things for me to having two newborn babies was bath time. I wanted them to enjoy their bath and wanted to be able to play with them and read to them like I did when Dalin was little. I quickly realized the bath time was not going to be a fun time until they were older. It was one of those things that could not be done with both babies at the same time, which meant that one baby was in the tub spending time with mommy, while his brother was ignored and screaming. It became a very rushed chore! It was a chore that I usually saved for a time when Grandma Mell was over to help because it was so much easier with help.

As the boys got older we bought little bath seats for them that leaned back in the tub. I was then able to bathe them together which I thought would solve the problems. Well, that only created new problems. Now the bath was OK, but when we were finished, I had two, wet babies who both needed diapers and clothes on. Again, one baby was dressed, while the other cold baby screamed.

And so it went, each milestone solved one problem but created a new problem. When they could sit, they were too unstable to have a wiggly brother with them, so they would fall over into the water and scream. When they could stand, I couldn't get them to sit down so they'd fall face first in the water or sit on their brother which led to screaming. And of course we always had the problem of dressing one baby while the other wet and cold baby screamed.

Finally, now that they are almost 17 months old, bath time is finally fun. We still have our moments, but things are finally better. Last week they had their first bubble bath. Wow! What a treat! They were fascinated by the bubbles. They have also started to wash each other's hair which is just adorable! Life is interesting with two babies, especially at bath time, but it is also a lots of fun!!

What do you do when it is 114 degrees outside??

We swim!! Everyday, we can be found in the pool. It has been interesting to learn how to swim with two babies, but we do OK. They love to be in the water and love to scare me by walking around the edges of the pool.

Dalin is a good enough swimmer that I don't have to worry much about him. Even his friends are great swimmers! He loves to spend time swimming with his buddies from the neighborhood!

The Tooth Fairy Sure is Busy These Days

Dalin lost another tooth last weekend. He carefully put his tooth is his special tooth fairy box and anticipated what would await him in the morning. Well, as usual, the twins were up all through the night, so when Dalin came running to find me at 5:30 in the morning with his tooth fairy box, I was not awake enough to understand why he was so sad. It took me a few minutes to realize what had happened.

He went to his tooth fairy box when he woke up to find that his tooth was still inside and no money had been left. I very confidently explained that it was still night, really, even though the sun had started to come up. "Maybe the tooth fairy is running late! She may still come! Go back to bed and then check your box when you wake up again!" Sure enough, at 7:00 in the morning, he woke up again to find money in his box and his tooth gone. Man, that tooth fairy sure stays busy, luckily she made it!

Father's Day!

I couldn't let the weekend go by without paying a small tribute to the two "Dads" who I admire most! First is Bryan, the most wonderful father I could ask for and the father who gets the most grief from me. Because there is so much going on right now at home, there is not a lot of time for me to tell Bryan how much he means to me and our boys! We could not survive without him and all that he does for us. I tease him way to often about being my fourth child, but I must admit that he is a lot of help at home and my three boys absolutely love him. All of them have a very special bond with him and want to be just like him! He has really tried to give them everything he ever wanted as a child plus more. We love you, Bryan!

The other "Father" I truly admire is my own Dad. In December he underwent a triple bypass heart surgery which saved his life. The surgeon was originally not sure he could operate, but had a thought that he needed to do something to save my dad. His life was spared and we have a little more time to spend with him, which I think is wonderful! I have two little boys who need a few more years to spend with their grandpa in order to have memories of the person he is and love he has for his family. I have always been a "Daddy's Little Girl" and always knew I was my dad's princess! I love you, Dad!

Everyone is Healthy so we are Out of Here!!!

Bryan and Dalin were suppose to camp together the weekend that the twins went to the hospital. Bryan has sworn since then that we were all going to camp the minute the babies were better. It took about a month, but finally, we were ready to attempt a campout with two, one year old babies and their big brother.

Last Friday, we headed up north with a very fully loaded toy hauler! My family including my dad and younger brother's family, came with us and we all had a blast. Dalin rode his quad all weekend and even built his first camp fire with the help of his daddy.

The twins, well, they ate quite a bit of dirt! I could not keep them clean, even with showers in the evenings. Maybe if I sprinkle a little dirt on peas or green beans at home, they will be more appetizing. They also loved playing with the 88 cent flashlights we bought them. We all loved spending time with Grandpa Elmo, especially the babies. The followed him around all weekend!

There is one Less Bee in our Backyard

Poor Micah cannot catch a break! Yesterday we were all out in the backyard. Dalin and I were in the pool and both babies were playing with their water toys on the cool deck. A little, old bee flew over to see what was going on and decided to get a drink of water from a puddle on the cool deck right next to our twins. I didn't want to startle the bee, so I slowly started to get out of the water so I could move the babies away from MR. BEE. As I did, Micah took a step in the wrong direction and landed right on the bee. He immediately started screaming and so did his big brother, Dalin, who saw the whole thing. We all knew exactly what had happened. Micah had been stung by the bee.

We all scurried inside while Micah screamed. I removed the stinger, gave him some Tylenol and Benadryl, and called Bryan. He left work early again, to come home and help with our kids. He didn't bother telling his boss what had happened, because with everything that has gone on lately, he didn't think he would believe him. Luckily, Micah is OK today and now we know he is not allergic to bees. (I'm trying hard to find a silver lining here.) Things have got to get better around here very soon!!

Apparently we are Feeling Better

Dalin and I had a rare occasion to eat lunch together last week without the twins. They had already eaten and were playing in the play room. We were eating pizza and talking about things he wanted to do this summer. It was nice to spend time with my very neglected six year old. After several minutes I noticed how quiet it was. The twin were not in the play room any more.

As I went down the hall to find them, Matthew was walking back toward the play room. I patted him on the head and asked where Micah was. I kept walking into my bedroom and found Micah playing with a truck near our bathroom. I also immediately found a trail of toilet paper. Apparently they had a blast while we were eating. I yelled,"Matthew!! Micah!! What did you do?" They both came running to me with big smiles as if to say, "Look what we did!! It was so fun!" Apparently, they are feeling better!!