I swear I will look like a granny in a years time.

I was talking to the husband (while driving home from school) when I hear a cry. I look in the rear-view mirror and see that Matty is holding one of his ear.

Matty: I broke my ear, Mommy. It hurts! Waaaaaaaah!
Me: (I instantly saw him holding a lollipop stick in one hand and panicked.) WHAT DID YOU DO?!!!!
Matty: I broke my ear, Mommy!
Me: Did you put that stick into your ear?
Matty: Yeah!! waaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh
Me: (talking to the husband) Matty stuck something in his ear and he's crying. WHAT DO I DO?! WHAT DO I DO!?!?!
Hubby: Pull over. Check his ears and see if there's blood or anything, then snap a finger beside the ear and see if he can hear it. Call me back after you check.
Me: (trying not to freak out) OK. I'll pull over. Bye.

I jumped out of the car and went in the back to check, but didn't see anything. I started whispering into Matty's ear and snapping my finger. At this point, Matty starts to laugh. I guess he's OK after all. If I wasn't slightly hysterical, I think I'd be laughing at myself too.

I swear these kinds of occurances age me instantly by 5 years. Had I not been First Aid certified, I think something like this would age me by 10 years. You don't believe I have First Aid training? Well, I do. Trust me. The knowledge is back there somewhere.

Katie the Giggler

The girls are looking out the window and looking at the trees sway back and forth. Why? Because there's nothing more exciting than to watch trees sway and hope none of them snap and fall on our house. Oh yeah, and there was no power (for 4 hours!). That's why. So while Daddy tries to "organize" his tools, and Big Bro paints in the garage, the girls and I stare out the window.

Katie giggles every time I tap the window. Jojo doesn't think it funny at all. To each her own, I guess.

I'm Worried and Relieved.

As I opened Katie's diaper to change her, I found something that looks like a picture of a girl's head. Hmmmm. Was my mind playing tricks on me? I called in the hubby. The hubby looked and said, it was a sticker of a girl and left. As if it was an everyday occurance.

I stared at it a moment longer. I'm worried that somehow Katie is getting a hold of stuff she's shouldn't have, or is being fed stuff she shouldn't have. And I'm also relieved that she's able to pass things that shouldn't be ingested in the first place.

I shudder to think what else I would be seeing in the girl's diapers from now on.

"I want a baby brother."

I was making small talk with Matty after we got home from school yesterday.

Me: Matty, do your friends have baby brothers and sisters?

no answer

Me: Do you have brothers and sisters?

Matty: No.

Me: You don't?

Matty: I want a baby brother, Mommy.

Me: What? Why? Don't you like your sisters?

Matty: My sisters are getting old. I want a baby brother.


We realy don't know where he comes up with these things. Really. It's not like the hubby and I go around the house discussing having another baby. I'm a year behind on my sleep, so I have a long way to go before my brain could even function well enough to discuss another baby.

It was 70F Outside!

On Tuesday, it was 70 F. Yup. It's like summer! So I took the girls out for a walk in their stroller for the first time!

I thought they would end up flopping around from side to side, but apprently, they have grown bigger from the time they were born 8 months ago. How did that happen?! They fit in the stroller perfectly and enjoyed the warm windy day.

But before we even left the driveway, I get a call on my cell phone from the preschool.

School: Matty had an accident.

Me: (the word "accident" conjured up all sorts of bad images, but I tried not to freak out) Is he OK?

School: They were in the playground and he tripped over his own feet and hit his head on the playground stairs. He has a good size knot on his forehead.

Me: IS HE OK? Is he still crying? Is he confused?

School: He's not crying anymore. We gave him ice and he's behaving just fine. I just wanted to let you know.

I called the husband since he got off of work early today and was going to pick up our son. I told him Matty had just fallen and hit his head and has a good size knot on his forehead.

The picture in my head came nowhere near the real thing. It was a like a head growing out of his forehead. This picture was actually taken the day after, so it had already shrunk.

And the title of "Honorary Mommy" Goes To...

I bestowed the title "Honorary Mommy" to my husband this weekend. And it's not just for show either. You know when a celebrity is invited by their alma mater and they show up and all of a sudden they get an honorary Ph.D.? No, it's not like that.

Jojo, as mentioned on my previous blog, refused to nurse. Every time I put her on the breast, she cried. And oh, how she cried. You would never suspect such a sound coming from such a tiny little girl. Well, 14 hours past since she last nursed, I was getting a bit worried and didn't know what to do. That's when the husband suggested that I pump and give her breastmilk via the bottle. I already thought of pumping to relieve the inevitable engorgement, but it didn't occur to me to try to feed Jojo through a bottle. But once the husband suggested it, I thought, DUH I'm sure she'll take the bottle because the milk comes out faster without much effort.

But then pumping proved to be too much. The girls had to be on the nebulizer every 4 hours (each session lasting 20 minutes), and then I nurse one, and then pump for the other. Then I also had to clean the pump. The twins feeding was no longer sync and there was barely any time to sit.

Then the hubby had another bright idea. He said, that maybe while Jordan was feeding, I should take the bottle away and immediately put her on the breast. And that worked again! No more pumping!!!

So, for coming up with solutions (that usually only moms think about) that make my life easier during these trying days, the husband becomes an honorary Mommy. His ideas attest to his involvement in parenting our children. What a great guy. I mean, he talks about breastfeeding with women at his job! How many husbands do you know who can talk about the ins and outs of breastfeeding and not get embarassed about it. Really.

The next day, Jordan was still fussy when I put her on the breast. And since she took to the breast the previous time, I stopped pumping. I put water on the bottle to get her to suck on it, but she didn't want water. Oh, great. I thought I need to start pumping again just to get her to suck on the bottle so that I could transfer her to breast. GROAN.

I jokingly told the husband that I am taking back the honorary title and he got upset. Hmmm. I really meant the title as the ultimate compliment, and apparently, he did too. For the rest of the day, I had to reassure him that he could keep the title.

So, hubby, this one is for you. You deserve it!

What a Weekend

So much happened this past weekend, I don't even know where to begin.

Let me start with Katie's bronchitis. Or so we thought it was bronchitis.

Jan. 25th, Friday - Daddy and I took Katie to the doctor after she's been wheezing for 2 days. The doctor put her on antibiotic and sent us home with our very own nebulizer. She was to be on Albuterol every 4 hours though the weekend. By Monday, though she was still wheezing, it wasn't as bad.

Jan. 31st, Thurday - Jordan was starting to cough. By 11am, she refused to breastfeed. By 2am, she still hasn't breastfed and so I was beginning to worry. Daddy suggested that I pump because she may take a bottle. Sure enough, she took it.

Feb. 1st, Friday - Jordan and Katie are due for their RSV shot, and Katie is also due for a follow up with her bronchitis. Since we're already there, I decided to have Jordan checked out. First of all, the doctor said Katie's wheezing wasn't any better and that her antibiotics wasn't working. To top it off, Jordan now has the same thing. They were given new antibiotics and were put on Albuterol and Palmicort (a steroid).

By Friday night through Saturday, even Daddy was up with me in the middle of the night. I nursed Katie, while Daddy had Jordan on the nebulizer. When Jordan was done, he took Katie on the nebulizer, and I pumped so that I could feed Jordan through a bottle. It was a very long Friday night and very long Saturday.

Feb. 2nd, Saturday - Jordan finally takes the breast, making life a bit easier. Daddy suggested that I take away the bottle in the middle of the feeding and I quickly offer the breast. It worked!
We had to resort to this trickery for the rest of the day. Oi!

Feb. 3rd, Sunday - Katie is no longer wheezing, so I have weaned her off the Albuterol. But she's still on the steroid. Jordan still sounds like she's smoking 4 packs of cigarettes a day, so she's still on continuous round of Albuterol and steroid.

Today Jordan is only wheezing intermitently, but Katie is wheez-free.

Phew.