Updates and Bowling

Update time!

First off, Hayden is doing excellent. She is back to her usual healthy self. We are so grateful to the Lord that her breathing troubles went away quickly and that she recovered without any issues. I feel so blessed and humbled that we have access to such wonderful medical care. I am still amazed that my preemies, born at 30-weeks gestation, received such advanced medical technology that literally saved their lives.

Potty training continues for the girls. As posted a few weeks ago, their MDO program requested that they wear Pull-Ups at school so now they are wearing them at home too until they start pooping in the potty. They were keeping them dry but, over time, Hayden has begun to use it more like a diaper (although she does tell me right as, or after, she goes). They still stay dry and wear panties at night. We're not forcing the issue, and we're just going with their flow for now. (Hmm, pun anyone?)

My last update is that, in addition to the one day the kids go to MDO, we now have a second day that only two kids attend. So, on that day I get to have one-on-one time with each child on a rotational basis. It is working out wonderfully and the kids love their special day with Mom! Here's Madison with me at the grocery store.

Earlier this month we joined my brother's family at the bowling alley for Hayden, Payson and Madison's first bowling experience. They were obsessed with the bowling balls and there were at least half a dozen pinched fingers by the time we left.

It took a lot of commands on our end to keep things going: it's your turn, it's not your turn yet, stand behind the line, watch your fingers, put the ball back. I am thinking this should easily improve with experience and age.

Here are all of the kids cheering for Keith after he bowled a strike.

Although they bowled on their own a few times, the kids mostly used the ramps. Check out Hayden's form - what great follow through!

Payson's turn.

Daddy was a great coach. You would think the kids wouldn't need coaching with the ramps but they still managed to roll the balls off the side and to cause fouls by leaning against the ramp. Here goes Madison!

Madison and Addison taking a break from the game.

Unfortunately it was a bit of a rough evening, despite the excitement, as there were several of todder-sized tragedies that led to quite a bit of whining and crying. Here Aunt Negeen is comforting a distressed Hayden.

Recently we went to a super-fun birthday party at a play place that had train rides, electronic animal rides and all sorts of fun little things to do. Madison and her girls, Abbie and Claire, rode the train together.

Hayden and Payson excitedly rode in the caboose!

The kids patiently sat by their friends as they waited for their turns on one of the rides.

These electronic animals were a bit bazaar but the kids loved them!

Also this month the kids played air hockey for the first time. It was neat to see them playing a game together and learning how to act and react in a competitive 2-player style game.

BBQ weather has arrived, and we recently grilled out with some friends. I just love this picture of Juliet and Payson! Just moments before he was feeding her beans from his plate. How romantic!

Hayden Hospitalized

Last weekend Hayden woke up whining and crying around 11:00 pm one evening. And again around 1:30, 2:30 and 4:00 am. It was then that we noticed that she had labored breathing (short, fast breathes), was drawing in her rib cage muscles to breathe, had a fast heart rate and was wheezing. Just a few hours later, she and I were in the pediatrician's office where she was receiving breathing treatments.

She was soon admitted to the hospital after the doctor determined that her symptoms only temporarily improved after each treatment. Hayden's sweet Daddy had just flown out-of-town and was at his destination just a few short hours before he was on the next flight home.

The first day in the hospital was a rough one with treatments every 1-2 hours but that evening was worse. Hayden was exhausted with all of the lack of sleep and when she was at her breaking point she started crying, "I want Madison... and Payson." She finally fell asleep at 10:20 pm only to have her oxygen level drop less than 15 minutes later. Next thing she new, she had a stranger sticking little prongs up her nose and tape to her face. It was a nasal cannula, of course. She would proceed to pull it out and resist wearing it for the next few hours. The nurses were trying to fix it around 1:00 am when Hayden ripped everything off and threw it, along with every pillow, lovey and blanket, off the bed and onto the floor. She was screaming hysterically and would not let anyone, not even me, get close to her. Once she calmed down, I was able to convince her to wear the cannula, but only after her baby doll received one first. We both slept much more peacefully for the rest of the night despite the recurring breathing treatments.

Hayden did such a great job in the hospital despite not feeling well. It helped that she couldn't wonder very far with her tubes and wires.

However, Hayden was still very much herself and still at least as energetic as an average toddler. Just as I was thinking about how subdued she was during our stay, the nurses commented on how energetic she was. Little did they know how active she is when she feels well!

Besides the entertainment Hayden received by the doctors and nurses and all of their gadgets (she told the admittance lady wearing a yellow hospital mask that she looked like a duck), I kept Hayden occupied by periodically giving her new little toys, painting her toenails and ordering her lots of good food.

Hayden was released the next day and we continued the breathing treatments and antibiotics for another six days. She grew to love her Dinosaur and looked forward to turning on the machine herself. She was so cooperative - even during the overnight treatments - and was just a really great patient overall. In her first hour home, Hayden told Madison, "Miss you." And Madison replied, "Miss you too" as she leaned over to kiss Hayden's arm.

There was inconclusive test results as to what caused Hayden's asthmatic episode, but it was likely a bacterial infection or allergies. We will be keeping an eye out for this kind of reaction in the future and will be praying that she does not develop asthma.

Thanks to all of our friends and family who kept Hayden in their thoughts and prayers this week!

O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A

Last weekend we had tickets to the much-anticipated OU/FSU game so I loaded up the kids (more on that later) and we hit the road. Since we were already in town for the game, I got lucky that the Theta reunion was that same weekend. That night I met up with 30 of my sorority sisters, many of whom I hadn't seen in almost a decade!

It was so fun catching up with everyone! Nearly everyone was married, the majority had at least one child, and there were some seriously interesting career paths being taken.

Me and the Hollywood Housewife, Laura, catching up.

I always love a good conversation with Olivia and Taryn, both adding to their families any minute!

The next day I was in awe to see how awesome Campus Corner is these days. Cool restaurants, fun boutiques, Starbucks... we had nothin' compared to what they have now. You would think we've been gone 20 years!

Keith and some of his friends found pre-game entertainment by playing catch over the street and through the trees with strangers. Just like Keith's friends, passers-by couldn't get enough of it. In the words of one of Keith's friends, "Effectively we're appealing to the universal man-emotion of wanting to play catch all the time. It's that simple."

Beautiful. Just beautiful.

The kids spent the day at Aunt Chelsey's (thanks everyone!) and Payson was so excited to talk about how Daddy and I went to a football game.

As always the cousins thoroughly enjoyed their time together (as did the adults!).

I just love this picture of Emma and Hayden with identical expressions. The sleeping situation was a little rough as the kids just kept climbing out of their pack 'n plays to play, play, play. For one nap, Hayden ended up sleeping in the hall because she was causing such a ruckus!

Hayden, Payson and Madison loved their cousins' toys. I was especially tickled when I saw Madison grab a toy microphone, put it to her mouth and lean infront of the mirror while singing, "You've got a friend in me" from Toy Story! So cute!

We were honored to be a part of Chloe and Mikayla's baptisms! It's amazing to see another generation of Christ followers in our family. What great role models they are for their little cousins!

Celebrating in pure Hayden fashion, Hayden savors every last lick of cake.

Keith and I have traveled many times with the kids and no matter what time of day (or night) we leave, it never goes well. Keith was sure that we would never get a DVD player, and I was hoping to put it off as long as possible.

However, once we discovered that I was going to be driving to Oklahoma with the kids alone and that Keith would be meeting me there, we both had a change of hearts. The day prior to leaving I purchased a dual-screen DVD player.

Fifteen minutes into our trip, and into Toy Story 2, the first fit began. An hour in there was a huge argument over the volume, whether the DVD should be on or off, and what show we should watch. I was beginning to believe that we are simply doomed on road trips.

The kids didn't get their full amount of sleep on the trip and were worn out from all of the activity (in a good way!). After prayers were said and fingers were crossed, I turned on Nemo and off we went. Thanks to a nice overcast sky, the mood was right and within 15 minutes Hayden fell asleep followed by Madison and Payson. With every passing minute I was in disbelief that they were still sleeping. They slept for a full 2 1/2 hours and woke up right when the bright setting sun appeared. And the DVD player kept them pretty well entertained as we drew closer to home.

I'm a Big Kid Now

Although we've had a very tough month with potty training, I have managed to catch some cute moments on camera. This picture is of the three of them enjoying Fla-Vor-Ice one evening back in the diaper days before I had to cut off liquids two hours before bedtime. I went inside to grab something and came back out to find that they had all lined up their chairs and were sitting shoulder to shoulder as they talked and giggled.

The kids' pretend play and imagination has been taken to the next level this summer. Every once in a while the kids get into a groove where they are super focused as they play house together. They are very active as they run around the house collecting specific toys or food items that they think of at the moment (i.e. phone, keys, cupcake, baby doll bottle, etc.) and they are (gasp!) very sweet to one another. They share and trade their toys and use their sweet voices as they play. They fight constantly so it is such a joy to see them get along so well. And Payson would literally bring over every toy in the house if I didn't stop him!

The girls are obsessed with their baby dolls who are always "sleeping," "eating" or "in timeout" as I am told, or they are being pushed around in their baby doll strollers.

Madison has a grand imagination and she often goes off to the playroom by herself where she gets deep into her own play story and can get very upset if you tell her that it's time to eat, leave, etc. She needs lots of advance warning. I often find her feeding her baby, singing her to sleep or talking on the phone.

Hayden continues to pave her own way through life. She is energetic, intense and very confident in herself and her desires. While sometimes we go head-to-head on important matters, there are many times that she gets to rule her world, at least for a moment. Here she is wearing not one, not two, but three tutus just because she can.

Hayden thinks outside the box so I was surprised when I saw that she wanted to wear a basic fairy princess costume one day. She was twirling around until she got dizzy, and she just knew that she was as beautiful as she and I thought she was.

Payson is my big helper ("May I help you with something, Mommy?") but the girls get fulfillment out of helping as well. Here is a picture of Hayden loading the washing machine. Her own spin? She's wearing a pair of vinyl gloves. I have a box of them for cleaning up messy situations and she has to try out everything she sees grown-ups do or use.

The kids are now unloading all of the flatware from the dishwasher by themselves and putting them in their appropriate places. They love doing it, and I love when they do it too!

Had to get a close-up shot of Hayden on her tippy toes as she works hard to reach in the back.

Keith was working on the dishwasher while the kids were eating lunch. Payson watched for a moment and then quickly said he was "all done" as he pushed his plate away. He was so eager to get down and help Daddy.

We went to a barbecue over Labor Day weekend to see some friends that were in town. The kids had a great time and warmed up to the new faces quickly. It's so nice to be around a group of new people and not have them clinging to our legs the entire time. On our way home Hayden was whining, "I want to go back to Barbecue's house!"

We didn't have our swim gear so Payson sported his Grover undies and the girls borrowed swimsuits. They were quite social and got in the water with Lane and Hud as Keith and I watched on.

Hud is playful like Keith, which Madison loves, so he and Madison bonded right away.

While taking a family potty break we noticed that Madison was no longer in the bathroom with us. I called out, "Mad-i-son?" And right then she popped out of the built-in hamper smiling and giggling her head off. That little sneaky girl had found herself a hiding place!

Potty Training update:

So, the title of this post has double meaning. Anyone remember the song, "I'm a big kid look what I can do. I can wear big kid pants too. And I can pull them off and on. Mommy, Wow! I'm a big kid now!"

Are you singing it in your head right now? Well, unfortunately the girls have yet to master pooping in the potty so their teachers have asked that they wear Pull-Ups at school. Now that Hayden knows that they exist in her world, we can't exactly keep them from her the other days of the week. Nor do I really want to as I am so tired of cleaning out panties! So, the girls are now wearing panties or Pull-Ups during the day depending on what they want and what time of the day it is (i.e., if it's poop time!). They always sleep in panties since they stay dry all night. Bazaar, I know. Pull-Ups and panties by day, panties by night. Has anyone ever heard of a child potty trained at night but not during the day? Probably not many.

It's been a while since I've posted my DMN blog posts, so here's what I got:

Dishing out daily deals

Making the shot count: how to capture great photos of your children

A Mom's identity