Saturday, February 28, 2009

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Costco is a fun, but busy place to visit on Saturdays. The girls love trying the many samples. Today while Elizabeth had her mouth full of some sample, Emma did something to annoy her. Elizabeth made screaming noises at Emma to express her displeasure. My automatic response was, as always, "Please use your words." Elizabeth looked at me and said remarkably clearly through her mouthful of food: "I can't use my words. My mouth is full."

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Baby Laughs

Both my babies laughed for the first time this week. Maddie laughed on Wednesday and Annie on Friday. I'm so glad. We've been trying hard for a week or two to coax out those first belly laughs. Maddie laughed for Ryan. I felt really bummed that after taking care of her needs all day long, she laughed for her dad without him hardly trying. How rude! But then Annie laughed for me on Friday when Ryan was at work, so I had to call him and brag. At least one of my babies likes me. :o)
So, at least my week wasn't a total drag with the babies being sick. It's amazing how that one little thing- the twin's first laughs- make my week better.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Whew, What a Day

I think it's probably good that you don't always know what your day will bring at the beginning of the day. Otherwise, I might have just stayed in bed today.
Yesterday morning I called my doctor's office about the Hib shot the twins have yet to receive from their 2 month check-up. The nurse finally graced us with a call today about 1 pm. She said they got 5 doses in, so I could bring them in at 3:30 to get the shot. Finally! At that time I set up the twin's 4 month check-up (which should happen in two weeks) but they can't see the both of them together until March 16th! Good grief.
That said, today was long. Up at 7:15, feed Annie, get Emma and Elizabeth up, Emma dressed, breakfasted and out the door at 8:05, get Elizabeth situated with Curious George (on PBS) with her chocolate milk, feed Maddie. I finally get my breakfast at 8:45, now having been up for 1 1/2 hours. Put the twins down for their nap at 9 and 9:30, respectively. Get Elizabeth dressed, we read/color/rest (me) until 10:30, when Maddie wakes up crying. Thinking she's hungry, I make up two bottles and sit down to feed her. She doesn't want it. I try again at 11, but she cries and gags when I put the bottle in her mouth. Then Annie wakes up hungry and I feed her. Try feeding Maddie again; it's a no-go. More crying. I try gas drops. Not helping. Tylenol. Same non-result. I just hold my crying baby and talk to Annie. At this point, Elizabeth is getting frustrated by the crying and the lack of my attention and starts acting out. She throws half a bag of diapers all over the living room floor. Then she pretends our couch is both a trampoline and a jungle gym. (It's times like these that I rethink my position of being a stay-at-home mom.) I put Maddie in the Moby wrap, make lunch for Elizabeth, put Annie down for a nap, make and eat my lunch and Maddie falls asleep in the Moby wrap. I don't dare take her out, for she isn't crying anymore and I do NOT want her to wake up. So I unload the dishwasher and load it back up with the stuff on the counters, then I sit down to read while Elizabeth watches Mulan. Maddie is still attached to me and sleeping quite well. At about 1:45, she wakes up and I assume the Tylenol must have kicked in, and the crying is because she is so hungry. Make another 2 bottles and try to feed her. She will not eat. That's when I start freaking out. It's been 6 hours since she last ate, and the twins are very regular about wanting to eat every 3 hours. So, I call the doctor's office back and wow! they found a nurse to talk to me just like that. So I explain what's going on, how she has no fever but won't eat. Yes, I've tried the Mylacon drops and Tylenol and she's still having a hard time. "Well, I wish you had told me this when I talked to you an hour ago." Hold the phone. I did not just get chewed out by the nurse, did I? "Well, she was asleep an hour ago and I assumed the Tylenol had kicked in." So, the twins shouldn't get their shots today and they can't see Madeline at all. I should take her to the ER. What? That's an expensive visit, don't ya know. Then I call Ryan and appraise him of the latest happenings, and he agrees to ask around to find a new doctor. And lo, he finds one who can see a sick 3 month old on the same day. Hallelujah! In the meantime, Maddie is CRYING, CRYING, CRYING as I try to feed Annie and talk to Ryan on the phone. Oh, and did I mention Elizabeth vying for my attention. AAGGGHH! Ryan got home, picked up Maddie and took her to the doctor. I got Annie and Elizabeth happily watching a Baby Einstein movie (yah, I know, another movie, but it was just one of those days) and I took a shower. Then I got the dishwasher going, switched laundry, folded and put away two loads and wondered what was going on with Ryan and Maddie. So I called him (now it's 4:30) and he said he'd been to the hospital to do blood work and a urine sample and he was back at the doctor office and waiting for the result. So I made dinner, fed Annie yet again and Ryan called again at about 5:30 saying she's ok, he's setting me up with a check-up appt for the twin's actual 4 month birthday (not two weeks past) and coming home. Maddie has swollen tonsils, but probably as the result of the cold they've both had for the past 3 weeks. She's not badly dehydrated and he finally got her to drink a bottle at 5 pm. Her white blood count doesn't suggest she has an infection, but if she gets a fever they will definitely put her on antibiotics. By the time Ryan gets home, it's 5:45 and he's supposed to leave for a Priesthood Leadership Mtg at 6:10. He decides to take pity on me, as the girls are quarreling over who gets to put forks on the table while Annie fusses and Maddie cries. He called his carpool buddy to inform him that he's staying home. THANK YOU RYAN. I was really thinking about putting Emma and Elizabeth to bed at 6:30 if he'd gone. After dinner, we decided it was a chocolate chip cookie sort of evening, but alas! We had no chocolate chips in the house. How does something like that happen? It was a travesty needing to be rectified. Safeway to the rescue!
Now it's 8 pm, Emma and Elizabeth are in bed. I have Maddie sleeping in the Moby wrap again and it's quiet. I just may survive.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Baby Faces

I tried to get a picture of Annie and/or Maddie smiling. They have such great smiles. Alas, this is what I ended up capturing on my memory card: no smiles. They are too interested in the flashing silver box to smile at mom. So here are some of their other expressions. Maddie crying.
Annie

Maddie yawning.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

The Fashion of Miss Elizabeth

We have a pink hula skirt that Elizabeth wears on her head and calls it her hair. She loves to have pink hair. I think maybe it is time to retire some of our dress-up dresses like this one. There is a slight problem with the waist-line, or lack of one. Forgive the shot of her pretty pink underwear. She thought she was beautiful and wanted a picture taken.
I keep socks that haven't been matched, or just don't have matches in the bottom of the laundry basket. Elizabeth took it upon herself to wear the equivilent of about 5 or 6 pairs yesterday. It was too funny not to take a picture.

And then today she did it again.