Brief update

I feel badly that I haven't been able to update you all on the happenings around here. Things have been busy but the boys are still being their ever mischievous, delightful selves. B & E cleared the two year milestone and H continues to be charming. I have pictures of their birthday party somewhere; to mention of Miss M, who is growing at a rapid rate. While I think it's lame of me to post without pictures, I wanted to assure you they're on the way and I should have some up by the start of next week...

Turkey Tell-All

Greetings from November. I am happy to report that we are all present and accounted for- despite some ear infections (yes, I know! with tubes and everything...) and some dissention in the ranks (our junior officer has been grumbling an awful lot lately... there is not enough cheese in Wisconsin to accompany the whining we've witnessed).

I'm not exactly sure why we're not the house of joy at the moment. It might have a little to do with lack of sleep. Thanks to colds and subsequent coughs, Little E has been having trouble catching his breath. Though he must hoard it, saving it all until the middle of the night to let out pitiful (yet blaring) pleas for 'Daaaddeeee' at 12 2 and 4. And he does sound like a little old man- a wheezy, phlegmy. pneumatic old man-- but despite those fog horn wake up calls, he is in good spirits most of the time.

B has his good days and his 'I'm in danger of being put up for adoption' days (only joking... of course). He also has been battling an ear infection and sinus infection. And to top it off, also has time change and antibiotic induced diarrhea to contend with. He really hates the time change as it messes with his nap schedule fiercely. Poor guy- but when he isn't beside himself in a puddle of two induced tantrum, he is busy germily loving all over his sister- he is certainly her most loyal subject and prides himself in prewetting all of her pacifiers before they touch her lips.

After reading over this, I'm beginning to think that my children may have inherited their ability to whine from a near relative... Oh dear-- in truth, this post is a reflection of present daily life- full of complaints, germs, exhaustion and most of all humor. The humor helps of course (so does the coffee) and despite the colds and the tantrums, we've been out to quite a few places recently: the state fair, the natural history museum, local parks and malls. This may account for some of the colds, but I'll be blaming school instead. The little boys are talking-- this of course allows for more verbalization of discontent- but that's a huge improvement over a horrific, toe curling tantrum. E even manages to give orders at this point, 'No, I want you to do it!' It comes out a little garbled, but clear as bell to me and A.

So as I said, we're into November with December on the horizon. Promises of new colds, hopefully another set of ear tubes, and the Holidays are in the future. We're looking forward to spending these quality moments with friends and family, probably giving them something to be thankful about (like their own homes), and to sharing a good laugh. All I can say is bring on the Thanksgiving wine (err I mean Turkey...)!

Recap

October 2008 on Vimeo.

The No No Game

Sometime in the last few months, E became two. While he still has another month before we can celebrate his birthday, E has embraced the two with fervor. His favorite words, though he knows many, are simply: 'No.' and 'MINE!' H never encountered this stage. In fact, he still uses the word 'mine' incorrectly as he thinks it should be 'mys' following the logic of 'yours' and 'hers'. Thus, such stereotypical behavior rarely has described our boys but E is breaking the mold.

Lately, he answers all question initially with a 'No' if he likes the sound of it, or if he feels that perhaps we didn't hear him, he'll repeat it a few times for good measure. 'No! No nonono' with some vigorous head shaking thrown in for emphasis.

And he also has developed a new game for himself. As he is winding down after a long day, trying to fall asleep, you can hear him talking to himself in his crib (the soliloquy goes something like this):

E [looking up at the pictures on the wall, querying the room]: Wass that?

[long pause for sucking on fingers]: Is it a doggie?

[lightning fast response to himself]: No! Nonono! Is it a duck? No! No! NO.

Is it a bird? [when clearly it is a hummingbird that he's pointing at]: No! [chortle chortle]

Somehow, A and I find this mightily amusing. Though I suppose it will start to become irritating soon enough. Hopefully, he'll have moved on to something else by that point.

the m show

We get a lot of questions as to how the boys are adjusting to M. Not surprising I suppose since we got a lot of questions beforehand in regards to whether the boys were looking forward to M's arrival. H was really excited about M- from her birthday, her sleeping in his room, to having a gurl [his way of saying girl]. The little boys were oblivious.

H was also a little apprehensive, 'M is coming. She won't bite me?'

'No no,' we reassured, 'she doesn't have teeth. '

I'm not sure if this stems from B taking an occasional not-so-loving chomp out of his brothers or if instead it is simply H's way of processing impending danger (as he frequently looks for reassurance that various objects and/or people won't be biting him... 'That fish can't bite me!' ).

Regardless, H is excited. But somewhat surprisingly, so are the little boys. B and E are ever running around yodeling 'Baaaaaaabbbyy!' And chortling with delight at catching a glimpse of her. There has been much inspecting of head, hair, ears, nose, hands and eyes. A ritual that involves one the boys pointing out M's parts and then follows detailed pointing to everyone else's parts in the room. M's ears, Daddy's ears, B's ears, E's ears.... and so on and so forth. It is particularly cute the first time and then a little tedious as are most 2 year old's rituals. :)

Other than that, M continues to make nary a peep (yes, I know these halcyon days are numbered). She is a stellar nurser and tires herself out with all her eating. Simply said, we are enjoying her and her brothers immensely.

the much anticipated arrival of Miss M

EWT
7 lbs 12 oz
20 in

Miss M was born at 6:02 yesterday (October 2). We arrived at the hospital for our induction at noon after several delays. Things started out slowly. While we waited for my pitocin drip (the medication that brings on contractions) to be started, A read to me. My mom joined the party around 1:30 and the pitocin spiced things up at 2. Being an old hand at this induction thing (haha), I requested my epidural immediately. Not for pain, but because my doctor won't break water until the epidural is inserted. Since waiting for the anesthesiologist was the longest part of the twins' induction, I opted for sooner rather than later. The epidural team was quick and efficient; my water was broken at 4:15. Alas they must have put saline in the epidural at first because my contractions were feeling intense. By 5:15 I had gone from 4 cm dilated to 6. Yes, a lousy six. The doctors wisely suggested calling the anesthesiologist back in to increase the dose a touch. Viola that did the trick. At 5:40, I booted [kindly directed] my mom out of the room to find the nurse and the doctor. Shortly thereafter, little M made her way into the world. It was an extremely rewarding and straightforward birth.

School Days

The boys all started preschool this fall. H returned to school but joined a new class, with new teachers. He is also a in a new building and while one of this teachers from his previous class also moved to the new building (leaving the old class behind), H wouldn't give her the time of day the first few days of school. He'd hop out of the car every morning at drop off, clearly ignoring her attempts at hello, and parade into his room. I'm not sure if he was miffed that she left for a different classroom or simply didn't recognize her in the new context... Regardless though, he seems to be adjusting very well to his new room. And I'm very pleased to report that his self-reliance skills have picked back up: "Gotta clean up this mess" he'll say appraisingly, looking around the mayhem the little boys left in the living room. H is on the job.

B and E are also doing fairly well in their classroom, in great part due to the loving patience that our au pair has shown. She has helped them make this transition and now is able to drop them off with minimal (though still intense) crying jags. They have been going to school for a little more than a week and seem to be excited to be part of the classroom. Hopefully, they'll start looking forward to school soon.

All in all, we are doing well. I finished surgery and now am in the midst of OB/GYN. While I am enjoying the people and the medicine very much, I am nevertheless counting down the days until it is over and Miss M makes her arrival. Though I told A that today I delivered a little baby boy whose parents had been very much anticipating that he was a girl. A promises me that there is a law stating that ultrasound techs who get the sex of the baby wrong subsquently have to pay for that child's college tuition ;-) .... heh, let's just hope I don't have to find out if he's right.

Duty Calls

Little E-- at the children's museum--- it's a tough job pretending to be a fireman, but someone's gotta do it.

berry good

frozen berry shake gets high reviews from the boys

blondies

Well looks like my weekly posting goals have become monthly ones. But just a quick note to let you know that we are doing well. The boys have been doing lots of 'swimming' this summer. E in particular loves to be in the water. A little fish. B is also a busy fellow. He continues to give amazing bear hugs and loves to snuggle (even if in spurts). And H, he's made the leap to pottying. I'm happy to report it had nothing to do with us: he started at camp and hasn't looked back. There have been a few slipups, but he's doing great.

A and I continue to be extremely busy with school/boys/and the hospital. I've averaged 80 hours a week and it is only due to a lot of help from our amazing au pair, my parents but more than anyone, A has managed to keep the house clean, the boys happy and growing and me sane. But don't worry, I am here to reassure everyone that I am not even remotely considering a career in surgery. Hopefully, more reasonable hours are on the horizon.

summer photos

apologies

So, yes, we are all still alive and better than that, we're doing well. Things have been unbelievably busy since I started rotations- in surgery no less. But the boys have been thriving. Some updates in random order:

H starts camp next Monday. He was very excited to order a lunch box online with me (wow definitely a different way of shopping with kids). He has sort of stalled out on the potty training and since camp has a no diaper policy, it may be a short lived camping adventure. But we'll see how it goes. H has spent a large part of this month learning the words to various songs. He has a very clear, sweet version of twinkle twinkle that I hope to record before he becomes embarrassed to sing it for us. He (as well as his brothers) are in desperate need of haircuts which hopefully will happen today.

E is doing well too. He whacked his forehead pretty hard yesterday playing on the couch. Other than that, E is learning to throw balls with more success. And he loves to tell us all the animal noises he knows. He also continues to be a world class jumper and climber.

B has an ongoing ear infection, but it doesn't seem to phase him much. He and E have been dancing to music and he particularly loves 'the Lion Sleeps Tonight'. He is getting in some big molars but has been going about it rather stoically (I suspect the crib railing is taking the brunt of his teething).

M is now coming into her 30th week. She (we?) passed glucose screening without a hitch and though my belly is feeling the effects of her sugar high. While surgery hours have been long, it's been nice to have her keeping me company at the hospital.

I have tons of great pictures to show you thanks to our au pair and her amazing photo abilities. So I'll put up another post of pictures so you can see what the boys have been up to during these hot summer days.

Baby Update- Week 25

While I think I made an announcement to everyone I know and have told anyone who inquires, we have known for about six weeks that we are having a girl. This baby will also have a name that begins with an E but rather than refer to her as E2 or baby E, I'll be calling her M since it is very close second to representing her name. Anyway, Baby M is up to the usual antics: lots of kicking, flopping, and while she hasn't found her way to my ribs yet, I'm sure she will. She's undoubtedly planning multiple acrobatic feats.

This pregnancy has not been very different from the first two: I have had a lot less ECP (for those of you that spent more than five minutes with me during weeks 14-32 while I was pregnant with the twins you may remember me casually mentioning the excruciating ligament pain that was the evil pain), not really any morning sickness-- just a few green days. All in all things are going well.

We recently explained to H that we were going to have another baby and he will have a sister. 'She's in momma's belly' was the most technical I got. He eyes my belly suspiciously. The inevitable first question was, 'How'd she get in there?' followed by 'Wanna see her. We needa get her out of there.' Long Pause. 'I think we're gonna need some scissors.'

Yikes! I hope not.

Celebrating Poppa's Big Day

Poppa turned 60 in late May and this past weekend we had a little party to celebrate the big day! H loves to celebrate birthdays, loves to sing 'Happy Birthday' and LOVES to blow out (aka all over) candles. He was up for the job when it came to Poppa's cake. (Full disclosure: I only had 2 candles that I could scrounge up for Poppa's cake, but no matter, H took care of them lickety spit).

On another birthday note: while not nearly as momentous, Oakley received a postcard from the vet wishing her a happy birthday yesterday. (More disclosure: I had no idea it was the dog's birthday this month but that's why we pay the vet the big bucks.) Anyway, I mentioned jokingly to Dad that it was Oakley's birthday. Who perked right up? H. 'It's Oakley's Birthday!!' He crowed. 'Needa bake her a cake! And sing 'happy birfday too!' ' He went over to congratulate her (and probably to ask what flavor cake she'd like).

Today when we got back from school/work, we asked H what he and his brothers did. 'We baked a cake for Oakley!' He reported. 'But she dinnin share any of it. She ate the whhhollle thing.' Wow, Miss Oaks, part dog part piglet, but Happy Birthday to you nonetheless.

a little cheese with your mac?

This isn't the best photography work on my part, but the picture is too cute to pass up posting. B and E are all smiles about their lunch-- mac n cheese. I used to only buy Annie's Mac n Cheese since I felt like it was moderately more healthy... but one day, Kraft (in the blue box) appeared in our pantry. And man, was it a hit. Really, it's almost ridiculous: you ask H what he'd like for lunch, 'Mac n cheese, pwease! Blue mac n cheese!' A guy has his preferences. But I prevailed again-- I found that Trader Joe's has a great version that tastes very similar to the blue stuff...

Leader of the pack (ask H to insert motorcycle noises here)

H rules the roost round these parts. There is no question. H decides who sits in which car seats 'I want to sit on Momma's side' he announces. And he leads his brothers in minor schemes. 'We're gonna go get money and go ta Target' He tells them. 'We're gonna take the little gray car. Needa get your crocs on, BE (he condenses their initials to be ultra efficient when referring to them both). And with E with a right navy shoe on the left foot and B with the matching left shoe on his right foot-- they're off. But they only make it as far as the front door where H's plan comes to an abrupt halt as Mom or Dad foil their well laid plans. 'Nooo,' dispairs H, tears rolling down his face, 'but we needa go out. BE are ready to go!'

H can be extremely helpful too around the house. He is good at getting specific items when asked, we could practically hire him out to vacuum people's houses he's such a pro, and H keeps up a lively commentary about everything. Watching his preferences and understanding of the world unfold is amazing and yet exhausting at times too.

But that is not all that H is up to, no that is not all. He is fascinated with the letter 'H'. We went to a hotel the other day, after inspecting the front desk, he proudly declared, 'This is mine. It has an 'H'.' Sure enough, Hotel Reception belongs to H. And he likes to say reassuringly, 'Daddy, you're a good boy. I love you.' (He does not say this to his Momma... but he does point out on occasion that Momma is a girl and BE, H and Daddy are boys.) In general, he keeps us laughing out loud on a regular basis and continually amazed at what he is learning and who he is becoming.

growth spurts

B and E continue to get more advanced, more active and more independent-- summed up to say, craftier, daily. As B hones his pitching skills (he combines accuracy and speed for an exceptional toss of anything from balls to hotdog buns), E shows interest in engineering-- designing new and inventive ways to reach the kitchen sink (first onto the step stool then balancing precariously on the wheeled cooler, which he's brought in from the hall, he can juuust reach the spray nozzle and chomp on the musty smelling sponge).

B remains 'spirited' and 'opinionated' about many things. He wants to be in control and becomes 'demonstrative of his displeasure' (see below) when things don't go according to the B plan. I'd like to credit Dad with this delightful intensity that has blossomed in B, and yet, it is all so familiar to me. Most of the time I can empathize with his feelings, especially when B's plan is in direct conflict with my own plan, then it is exquisitely clear to me how hard it is to compromise your desires. Of course, as the parent and in terms of safety, my way prevails, but it makes me remember how much I desired the autonomy and freedom that I equated with growing up. Not that I wish for B to grow up any faster than he already is, but I do know that as he develops language (and negotiating skills-- just ask H, he may be on the path towards a law career) things will get easier for him (and us). In the meantime, it can be tough to be a little guy.

Work and School Updates

While not completely kid-related, on a family note, I wanted to share that A graduated with his masters degree a few weeks ago. He did really well in all of his classes but showed particular prowess in MatLab and all things radiation. His thesis defended without a glitch and he's finishing up a paper for submission.

But that left us at a bit of a crossroads: after looking for jobs in the area, we determined that without a PhD it was unlikely to find a job here. Thus the search was expanded to other cities that had a medical school... And he found a great opportunity in Madison (yes, the frozen tundra of Sconnie) and started the interview process with the company. In the meantime, he continued to look for something down here. He was offered three opportunities: to continue his education with a PhD or to work in as an imaging physicist resident here or to work as a medical physicist (with salary! and benefits! and very cool job description!) in WI.

After a lot of hand wringing and thought, he decided to stay on and do a PhD-- he should be finished the same time I am- and that will mean we don't have to move, uprooting the various support networks we have in place.

the beach

We're back from our little beach getaway. There were moments of greatness: sunny boys, the delight of the ocean! and the wawa!, and there were hairy times: B and E practicing their pitching skills as they hurled diapers, sippy cups and a few unknowns off the balcony into the unsuspecting bushes below... aye, the joys of toddlers.

All told, it was fun and as always: it's great to be back.

dropping a nap

H rarely needs a nap these days. Well, let me amend that to say, we wish H didn't take a nap. While he is certainly a little weary(some) by the end of the day without one, if he gets nap, then he's awake until 9. It's a battle to get him to stay in his room, to read books by himself, to do anything except harass us as we try to get homework/projects done. During the weekends, when H goes napless, the good times roll: easy bedtimes and footloose and fancy free nights for us.

But on occasion, the commitments of playing outsides, riding his motorcycle, and ruling the roost, catch up with a guy. And he has been known to curl up on the couch with Oaks to catch a few winks.

Adventures in Toddlerhood

The babies are full out toddlers. They are into everything. And somehow, perhaps because there are two of them, but more likely because they are unique beings, these boys are more mischievous than H. They like to get into everything. Throwing pans, lids, Tupperware, diapers, clothes down the stairs, and anything in the pantry count high on the list of favorite past times. They also enjoy being outside and spend hours on the swing set, eating sand out of the sandbox, and pulling the flowers off the various bushes around the yard. They try on mom and dad's shoes on a regular basis. And their vocabularies overlap almost completely. Both boys can say: Daddy, doggie, ball, Elliott, out, eat, apple (though B usually calls it a ball), a word that means drink (they both use approximately the same unintelligible word), blankie, book, toothbrush (again another nonsense word). B can say bird, momma, woof, and baa. E says 'more' and he knows more words than B when asked to identify things in a book.

Overall, they enjoy each others' company though they still get furious with each other on occasion. But when B is having a tantrum about something, E generally comes over to pat his head and his back with some reassuring, comforting thwacks.

Commentary by H

H is an observer. H gives running commentary on life, as it happens. 'Momma's going upstairs!' 'I'm going potty. I needa new pullup. My pullup is of Cars.' Etc. etc. The other day, E requested a class of water. 'Momma's getting E a glass of water!' H observes. I handed E his water. He wrenched it out of my hand, and noisily gulped it down. Finishing with a satisfied 'Ahh.' H, quietly watching, shouts out with wonder and excitement, 'E's a MAN!' E looks at him and grins. Ahh, boys.

an E update

Little E is doing well. He continues to love to eat, immitate H, be outside, and laugh. In fact, E has one of the best belly laughs imaginable. He has a great sense of comic timing and gets a lot of amusement out of physical comedy. He laughs at odd noises, he particularly finds any sort of 'toot' (expulsion of gas) highly amusing. If you think you can get away with a quiet little toot without getting called out on it, think again... E will let loose a giant giggle if he hears anything remotely like a fart.

spring has sprung

Now, that is finally nice, the boys have been spending lots of time outside. A few months ago, H became proficient at pedaling. He likes to ride his 'motorcycle' aka his big wheel. So do B and E... as I think I've mentioned.

H is on spring break this week and they've been spending time at the airport watching planes, at the park, and in the backyard on the swing set.

Also we are looking forward to Lala visiting next week. We've been telling H for weeks that when Lala comes, he'll be making the transition to wearing underwear. We'll have to see how our plan goes over, but I think he's ready.... (possibly famous last words...) though yesterday morning I dragged myself out of bed because H was crying, 'Help! I need help. Pee on the potty' I was amused at the sight of H precariously crouched on the toilet, the holding on for dear life.

Say Uncle!

B and B came out of hibernation for a quick visit to see their nephews, oh and to pick up a new boat. (Wonder which part of the trip was more exciting?!) We had a great time with them. Here, the boys are eating strawberries or some are eating them, others, namely B, are trying to feed the berries to Oakley....

in the genes?

Looks like B comes by Blue Steel naturally.

the evolution of friendship

The boys have begun interacting and playing together more. H is often recruiting B and E to push him in the cart or in act of extreme goodwill, to push them. It is tempered with plenty of 'No B' and occasionally a 'No E' as well. But slowly, they're learning to play. I suppose it's only a matter of time until the scheming begins...

one singular sensation

Only one little bean in there.

an announcement

Hi all: we just wanted to share the happy and exciting news with you that we are expecting a baby in early October! I've already set up a site for fouradorablemonkeys and will make the switch when the time comes. In the meantime though, I'll keep updating you here on what our sweet little boys are up to and into. (At the moment, the answer is everything!)

Busy Monkeys

Pane pain

The boys love planes. If you are outside with them for any period of time, undoubtedly you'll witness them gazing skyward.

'Go to the airport to see panes?!' H inquires hopefully every few hours. We rarely get a break in the inquires, even if we have just returned from a trip to the airport.

Take this morning. We arrive home from a morning spent watching planes from the beautiful observation lobby and H casually suggests to Dad that 'Affer nap, we go airport to see panes!!'

While at the airport, we do fun things like

1) speculate which parked airplanes will go high? 'Dat one go high! And that pane, that one go high, too!' And after dramatic pause, H (the voice of aeronautical authority) nods sagely, points to yet another parked plane and declares 'That pane get gas and then it goes HIGH!'

2) like to reminisce fondly of all the airplane rides H has taken and can remember (well that's basically one but it was a great one)

3) arguing as to when we go home. Mom: 'H, we're going to watch one more plane take off and then we're going home' Seemingly, a plane takes off every 40 minutes around that place... much waiting.... finally, I glimpse a plane coming down the runway, my scream for H to come look almost rivals that of Little E (who has an eagle eye when it comes to planes and a bullhorn cry of glee when he sees one). H: 'Where? Huh?' Catches glimpse of plane exhaust and speck of plane as it is hundreds of feet in the air. Mom: 'Okay H, that was the plane taking off let's go.' H: 'Nooooo. I want to see one more.'

Dad's Birthday

So in late news (as in a month late), we headed up to the mountains for what is now becoming an annual tradition of celebrating dad's birthday at a beautiful cabin up there. It was interesting to compare it to last year's experience to this year's: the babies at 15 months versus 3 months really weren't much better sleepers than last year. Though when they did get up, usually bringing them to bed helped. That king sized bed got cozy quickly... do they make family-of-five sized?

Anyway, the babies also were into everything. We are lucky in that most people/places we visit are fairly child proofed--- alas, mountain cabin was not. The calling card of destruction wasn't too bad this time (I think we'll be allowed to return), but it was strenuous keeping so many things out of their reach.

That said, it was great to spend time with Lala, Grandpa, Mimi and Poppa. I'm not sure the feeling was completely mutual (haha) but our wild little monkeys continue to grow and explore and soon won't be so little (and really, let's hope not so wild).

These days

Again, no pictures but I will have some soon I hope- spring break is rapidly approaching and I am already looking forward to having a few minutes to catch up on pictures, sleep, and organizing. Though maybe not in that order.

Anyway, a quick note to say that the boys are doing ok. B, unfortunately, got sick on Monday night, and even more unfortunately, they were driving back from Mimi and Poppa's house when he started puking.

B (Retch, retch): Waaah
H: 'B! Again, B! Haha, that's so funny!'
E (copying B trying to imitate the retching noises): gag, gag
B (again): Retch (followed by laughter this time)
H (laughing): Again, again! Hahaha!
E: Haha, giggle giggle.

Apparently, this carried on the whole way home culminating in B covered in vomit and H and E mightily amused. Poor baby. He had a high fever and then recovered slowly over the next day. Just in time for Dad to wake up last night at 11:30 with H crawling all over him, spreading something wet and sticky over both of them in the process. Wondering what that wet and sticky might have been? Here's a hint: it was chunky too. Poor Dad.

We spent the next 4 hours holding H as he puked over the bed, the carpet, the tile and cleaning up after him. All I can say is at least the stars aligned so as not to have them all sick on the same night. There's only so much puke a couple can handle.

Boys on the Block

The boys enjoy spending time outside. There is a little quibbling over bikes and who gets to ride what. (The babies can't actually pedal anything yet but they like to sit and scoot). All in all though, it's fun times.