walking

Here's Dylan walking! Can you believe it? We're in trouble!

1 yr corrected

This is something I wanted to do for their 1st Birthday, but with the holidays and such I didn't get a chance. Since the babies are 1 year corrected today I figured now would be a good time. You can really tell how much they've grown. I got teary eyed just putting it together.

The babies had their well baby visit today, here's the new stats...

Dylan 15 lb 14 oz, 28"

Ryan 13 lbs 9 oz, 26.77"

Ava 13 lb 9 oz, 26.97"

Dylan is finally on the growth chart, for the very 1st time. He is the 1st to make it. Too bad the only thing that was on the chart was his head circumference. At least that's a start!

Enjoy the pictures!

Here's the diapers the babies used in the NICU. For the first month they were there these diapers were big on them. Below is Ava modeling one of the big diapers.

Here's Dylan, look how much he's grown.

Here are some pictures of Ryan. With his cute little blue hat. Look at how much he has grown. The pictures were taken on 3/3/08 & 3/12/08, except for the one with the Sprite bottle it was taken on 1/19/08.

Here are a few pics of Ava in her 1st dress. I tried to get her to leave the dress up against her to get a picture of it, so much for that. I put the dress on her Cabbage Patch Preemie doll so you could still see the difference. These pictures were taken on March 9, 2008.

fighters

make way

Dylan is walking, not full on walking but darn close. He will walk about 7/8 ft then drop to his knees and crawl. Since this started Saturday, Ava is standing more and more. She's starting to let go of things and try to stand on her own. Tomorrow I plan on getting some video of Dylan, so check back!

spring

I was looking around the yard today, and look what I saw.... The 1st signs of spring!

another one

Two posts in one day...Holy Cow, I'm on it today.

The babies are all doing pretty good. Today I have been making phone calls like crazy. They all have to have follow up tests done, and I didn't realize til today that March is almost over. Where the heck have I been!

Ryan has to have a CT scan, an ultrasound of his kidneys, a hearing test, and a well baby check up.

Dylan needs a to have a vcug done, along with a follow up hearing exam, a new patient visit to a gastro doctor and a well baby check up.

Ava has to have an ultrasound of her kidneys and ovaries, an ultrasound of her brain from the bleed, an evaluation from speech and physical therapy, a hearing exam and a well baby check.

All of the babies appointments have to be done by April 27th!!!

Delaney has to have a physical done for Kindergarten, she needs to go to a specialist for her tonsils and adenoids. Meanwhile her old Dr's office is giving me a hard time getting her records sent to the new Dr's office. I don't see why it takes up to a month to have it mailed over or for me to pickup! Crazy huh?

I go April 13th for the whole kidney stone crushing. Fun. I'm hoping it will be a breeze, because I have somewhere to be that night and Delaney's kindergarten assessment is the next day. I don't know anyone who has had it done before, so I really don't know what to expect.

Well I gotta run and make more calls....here's some pictures to enjoy!

funny one

The other day I took an unexpected picture of Delaney, she saw me coming and turned and smiled. A few minutes later she looked a bit worried. I asked her what was wrong, she replied "Are you gonna sell me on Craigslist?" I laughed so hard, I think I worried her a little more.

So today I was actually posting some baby stuff on Craiglist. She walked over to ask what I was doing, when I told her I was putting some things on Craigslist the look of fear came back again. She started to cry a bit and said "You can't sell my, cause if I wasn't here you wouldn't remember to put ketchup on your eggs." I laughed again! Where does she come up with this stuff.....I don't even eat eggs!



Gotta Love her!

coming through

Last night Dylan walked about 5 ft, without any help what so ever. He didn't even stop to catch his balance. Oh no, here we go! Hopefully sometime today I can catch him on video and post it.

funny story

After Ryan's nap today, I got him out of bed, sat him on the living room floor as I went into the kitchen to get him a bottle. He followed me into the kitchen, when he was crawling across the wood floor in the dining room I noticed that there was a wet streak behind him. So on the kitchen floor I checked him over. I unbuttoned his sleeper to find he didn't have a diaper on. I started looking everywhere, in the crib, in the living room. I found it in the foot of his sleeper.

I changed him and left him in his diaper, while I went to get the other screaming kids out of bed. I completely forgot to put another sleeper on him. I was busy cleaning up pee, and throwing clothes in the washer. Meanwhile Delaney got up from her nap and walked into the dining room when she saw the little nudist. She yelled down the steps to tell me that Ryan was completely naked and splashing in a puddle of pee. He has figured out how to pull the straps off the diapers even through clothes....I guess it's time to invest in duct tape. =)

He's gonna kill me when he's 16!

best gift ever

SO today is my birthday. Yeah, I know Friday the 13th. Greg gives me a hard time about it because I was born on "Friday the 13th" and Shelly has the word "hell" in it. I wonder if that ever crossed my parents minds. Truth be told I was named after a can of beans. Thanks guys. Never have I actually had green beans and Shelly beans, but I bet their wonderful!

The day started out perfect!!! The babies slept ALL night, can you believe it? All night! Thanks kids that was the best gift ever! They even slept in til 9, again can you believe it?!?!?! They were all pretty good today, they all took naps. What a great day. Karma finally came knocking on someones door..,,I had been waiting and waiting for that. =) Delaney had tumbling today, Greg and I took the trio with us. It did them some good to get out of the house for an hour. We just had dinner and Greg and I have a sitter, so we're going to a movie. Oh and I have flowers peeking out of the frozen crunchy dirt...wonderful sign that spring is coming. Today has been a nice change from the last few weeks. I really hope maybe my luck has changed.

quick one

This will be a short quick post.

All the kids are cranky, very cranky.

Greg and I haven't slept in 3 nights.

Dylan has the worst diaper rash I 've ever seen, been to the Dr's and nothing.

Ryan, good God I have no idea what the hell his problem is these days. His cry is so annoying! It just about puts me over the edge! I think he just woke up all the others, great a 35 min nap.

Delaney all of a sudden has to comment or correct everything I say or tell her to do today.

Ava is just a little ball of attitude, guess she doesn't want to be out done by the others.

I am counting down the hours til the FACT/NICU meeting tonight.

Anyway....
All 3 had their last (hopefully) Synagis Injection this morning!!! woo-hoo.
Here are their new stats.

Dylan

15 lbs 2 oz.

7 teeth

4 top teeth, 3 almost 4 bottom.

Ava

13 lbs 1 oz.

6 teeth

3 top, 3 almost 4 bottom.

Ryan

12 lbs 15 oz.

5 teeth

2 top, 3 bottom.

It's official, Ryan woke them all up. The rest of the day is gonna be great! Note the hint of sarcasm there?!?!?

what she thinks of me

I got this sent to me on my facebook page,I thought it was pretty cute. So here's Delaney's answers!

Delaney age 4

1. What is something mommy always says to you

"Good Morning"

2. What makes mommy happy?

"smiles, when I clean up"

3. What makes mommy sad?

"not cleaning up"

4. How does your mommy make you laugh?

" a goofy face"

5. What was your mommy like as a child?

"good"

6. How old is your mommy?

"27, but she tells me 25. She's not getting any older"

7. How tall is your mommy?

"uummm I don't know"

8. What is her favorite thing to do?

"change poopy diapers"

9. What does your mommy do when you're not around?

"watch babies"

10. If your mommy becomes famous, what will it be for?

"because of umm, she has 3 babies"

11. What is your mommy really good at?

"art"

12. What is your mommy not very good at?

"ummm I don't know"

13. What does your mommy do for her job?

"watch the kids"

14. What is your mom's favorite food?

"Apples, chocolate covered strawberries"

15. What makes you proud of your mommy?

"when you dance with me"

16. If your mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be?

"Dora the explorer"

17. What do you and your mommy do together?

" well we take walks at the mall, we go shopping, make things for the nursing home"

18. How are you and your mommy the same?

"Because we used to have the same color hair, we both like chocolate, we both like the beach, and we both like dolphins"

19. How are you and your mommy different?

"Cause mommy changed her color hair"

20. How do you know your mommy loves you?

"because she always says I love you lots and lots with all my heart, and she makes me sandwiches"

21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?

"to bed or dance with me"

one more

Here's one more pic from Dylan in the Hospital. Again cell phone quality. He was soooooo bored. We were using everything for toys...doesn't he look amused?! hahaha.

100 & updates

This is my 100th post. In honor of that I will have some interesting tidbits for you after the updates.

To start, Dylan is home from the hospital. He is doing so much better. He still has diarrhea, but the Doc informed us that it could last for up to 2 weeks....fun. The entire house smells like Dylan's poo. Thank goodness it was 70 degrees today, I had the windows open trying to air the baby poo smell out. Dylan got his first wagon ride as we left the Hospital. The Hospital has wagons you can use for discharge. Since Delaney was there to bring Dylan home, she insisted on using the wagon. I LOVE this picture of the 2 of them. As I was pulling the loudest wagon ever down the hallway, Delaney informed me that My double D's were too heavy and making the wagon squeak. Double D's being "Delaney & Dylan" I just had to laugh.

I love this picture, Can you see Delaney's stitches?

Delaney had her stitches taken out on Friday. She didn't cry a bit getting them in, but she was scared to death to have them taken out. She was pretty upset she didn't get to keep them. It looks good. I really hope her scar won't be too bad. And if it is....there's always bangs.

Before the stitches came out. Sorry for the poor quality...it's from my cell phone.

Ryan & Ava are doing good. They have been a bit cranky lately, but we've all been having a rough week, so we'll let'em slide for now.

I went to the urologist Friday. I have to go have a outpatient procedure done really soon. I have to go have xrays done to see exactly where this big stone is placed. Lets all pray that it doesn't give way before that. I am so nervous about it moving before they can crush it. So thanks for the skiing invite Laura, but I just can't take a chance of a good fall knocking it loose. Plus with the week scratch that MONTH I'm having, I would be pretty much guaranteed to break something.

So 100 posts.

We go through...

100 Diapers in about 5/6 days.

100 jars of baby food every 6/7 days.

100 wipes in just a few days (we use them for everything)

100 trash bags in about 2 weeks.

100 loads of laundry in about 33 days.

100 dollars..ha, I won't even go there!

Dylan is still in the Hospital. They saw some issues with his bowels. Since he had NEC in the NICU they would rather be safe than sorry. Surgery came and looked at him today. They don't think it's anything major, and that he'll probably have issues with this the rest of his life, so we will really have to watch him if and when he gets a stomach bug. Also his electrolytes are still not balanced right and he hasn't eaten or had a BM, so just to be safe he's gonna stay one more night (finger's crossed!)

The other 3 have the same thing going on minus the vomit. I pray to God I don't get it. I'm headed down to the Hospital to stay the night with Dylan again...Here's hoping for a better night!

My parents are whooped from watching the kids. You know I feel bad dumping them on them, but I don't have anyone else. I know their nerves are running thin and I don't think they'll ever gonna wanna watch'em again. Sorry Mom & Dad, but Thank You for being there for else. One of these days Greg & I are going find the best gift for you guys!!! =)

Alright gotta run back down to the Hospital! Wow this is my 99th post....Hopefully the 100th will be a lot better!

when it rains it pours

Dylan, not to be out done by his sister, decided that today it was his turn for attention. He woke up early in the morning dry heaving. Then started vomiting, then diarrhea. Yuck. Then Ava and Ryan started the same thing. At 5pm we were encouraged to take Dylan to the ER. He's been there all night, and now they are going to admit him. He is dehydrated and has some swelling of his abdomen. Because of his history with NEC, they took some xrays to find that he's full of gas. Greg is down there now waiting on a room. Once he gets a room we will switch shifts.

I never thought having 4 kids would be like this. I never thought about them all being sick at the same time. I never thought that when one puked the other 2 would come rushing to see what came out, and try and play in it while I'm trying desperately to clean it up and keep them out. All I gotta say is they better love me when they get older!

Tomorrow the babies are supposed to get their last Synagis shot, Delaney has parent teacher conferences and the roofing supplies are being dropped off. Thursday/Friday the new roof will be put on. Friday I go to the Urologist for the big kidney stone, Delaney gets her stitches out and she has tumbling. What a week. Like I said before....They better LOVE me when they get older.

weekend rundown

Here's how our weekend went.



Friday: Delaney had tumbling, then off to a friend's house for a few hours before the tastefully simple party. Greg went to the car show in Cleveland with 3 of his guys friends. I went to a Tastefully Simple party with Delaney. My parents watched the babies.



Saturday Morning (Greg's surprise party day) I wake up at 5 am with kidney stones. I say I'm going to champ-it out at home...haha right. My Mom took me to the ER, Greg came down and my dad watched the kids. I came home went to bed passed the stone at 8:35 had to have Greg at the party at 9. I still have a dime sized stone left, I have to see a Urologist Friday. =(
On the way home from Greg's party at 1 am, I hit a skunk. So I ran the car through a car wash to try and get the smell off...no such luck.

Sunday: Greg and Erik pull out our dining room window and put sliding glass doors in. There was a small problem with the doors that made it take a bit longer than expected. So I had to stay the night at my parents house with all the kids.

Sunday/Monday??? All 4 of the kids got up and didn't want to go back to bed. Finally everyone but Dylan was back to sleep, so I put Dylan in bed with me in the hopes that he would go to sleep. I fell asleep and Dylan decided he was going to jump off the bed. So back to square one. After Delaney was at school. I headed home to clean up all the dust from the day before.

Monday: Cleaned all day. Greg had to run to home depot because the door is still leaking air. He dropped me off at Walmart so I could grab some groceries real quick. My Mom was at home with the babies, Greg came over to pick me up. He came inside while I finished up. We walked out to the van and the parking lot lights weren't on. Greg and I both joked that because of the recession they couldn't afford to put the lights on. It was cold and windy. Greg opened the back of the van, I started to unload the groceries, Greg raced over to the side of the van to get Delaney in. He opened the sliding door and the wind took the door right as Delaney came around to get in the van. The van door cracked her right in the face. There was blood everywhere. He ran her back inside to call 911. The ambulance came and looked at her, her bleeding had stopped so they thought it would be best for us to take her to the ER.
We get there and they were packed, but because Delaney wasn't acting right and got the shakes they took her right back. She had to get stitches, and she has a bit of a concussion. Poor girl, she didn't even cry when she got her stitches put in. I became a bit queasy when they spread open her wound to check her skull. My poor girl.

We're all home now and Dylan just got up again. I really hope that will be it for the night. I swear I think we have been cursed. So all but Greg & Ava have been to the ER in the last 2 weeks. I can only wonder whats next???