8.30.2013

Five Things

There's been a lot going on in my life the past couple weeks. Here's a quick Five Things to get you up to speed. Because I know you were worried you were missing out. ;)

1. Eight kids
My mom brought her other four grandkids (all different ages) over to my house a couple weeks ago. We entertained them all in the playroom, I made 12 grilled cheeses (plus chips, fruit, etc.) for everyone's lunch, plated all their lunches and fed eight kids at two tables, gave my nieces and nephews little goodie bags (the bubbles entertained them for 30 minutes!), handed out blue jean quilts so the older kids could watch an animated movie while the quads napped then had one more round of play time before the big kids went home. I was genuinely touched at how the big kids were so excited to play with the babies and how well they did. The big kids repeatedly asked how long the quads were going to be napping and when they would wake up. Finally I asked why they were so interested and they replied, "Because we miss them!" My favorite line of the day was my six-year-old nephew, Levi, asking to hold Trystan then upon me placing her in his lap, he said with a grunt: "This is the big one!" 


2. Harrison's surgery
My little man is now 15 months old and finally was due up for his circumcision surgery. We did not have this done at the hospital after he was born because of his prematurity and his rough start, so it was a no brainer to wait until he was older. We briefly contemplated not having him circumcised at all but the social stigma that comes with that and the whole "Why am I different?" question that will come with group baths with toddler friends, sports and locker room scenarios and, eventually, grown up dating and love life (that will NOT happen until he's 35, right!?) led us to strongly feel this was the right call. However, I had two minor panic attacks while at the hospital with him because I hadn't really been in that setting since the babies came home from the NICU. Everything was all too familiar again and just seeing him with the monitors and an IV, laying in a bed was very, very difficult for both me and the husband. We were both with him all day, which started early and ended late, but he did fantastic and was home by that evening. His recovery is going great and a few more days and he'll be himself again.


3. Champagne brunch
Some of my best girl friends got to come see the house, say hi to the babies and hang out with mimosas and brunch food on a recent Sunday morning. There's only a few of us pictured below since we didn't think to take a photo until some had left, but it was a very special occasion to me nonetheless and a welcome opportunity to spend some quality time with some of the most special girls in my life. We all have various life paths now and some live in different states, but we all manage to stay connected and get together occasionally throughout the year! I met all of these girls through my club synchronized swim team I joined when I was 7 and swam with most of them for 11 years. Lifelong friendships were cultivated and we've been a "team" ever since.


4. Smart toddlers
The babies really are growing. They're pretty much toddlers now, though it's hard for me to refer to them as such. I can't believe they're now 15 months! All have been walking well for several months now, they babble a lot and are really starting to express themselves even more and are desperately trying to form a few words. Trystan can say "doggie" and Harrison will occasionally repeat "blue" when we say it. We've been working on more sensory-oriented activities as I'm able (I have an easy one to share soon!) and have started reviewing color and shape flash cards as well as regularly using bowls and plates at meal time. They are getting smarter with their toys as well, and have really starting getting the hang of cause-and-effect. We got them a little toy work bench and today Trystan was taking the large plastic screws and pushing them into the holes on the work bench. I was very impressed!


5. Sick toddlers
We have officially had our first round of sick babies. All four got a cold a week or so ago and it's been hell on my daytime stamina. Just wiping four super runny noses every five seconds all day long is exhausting. Then keeping up with medicine, dirty diapers, hydrating everyone and giving TLC to four clingy, grumpy kiddos is hard. The nighttime process alone is so much more complicated. We get everyone fed as much as they'll begrudgingly eat then change them, apply Vicks to their chest, give them medicine, plug in all their humidifiers, get teethers and fresh sheets and sleep sacks (I change these out often when they're sick) and rock nearly all four to calm down before sleep. Whew. I truly hope this is almost over. Add in Harrison's surgery recovery and it's been a doozy...


Hope you've had a fab week. Next up on the blog: my new Mongolian chicken recipe and it's delish!
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7 comments:

  1. Hope the kiddos are finally on the up & up! There is NOTHING worse than sick babies unless it's sick babies + one healing from a circumcision :(. And tomorrow I am totally making the banana cookies! mmmm!

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  2. Glad we could be a part of everything but the champagne brunch! The high light of MiMi Camp was Quadville!! This was officially Sam, Faith and Levi's favorite day!

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  3. So happy Harrison did well,the picture of Mike holding his son so close brought a tear to my eyes.
    Hope the kiddos are feeling better,and you have a great weekend!
    Thanks for sharing:)

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  4. Love the gates around the leather recliners lol. Hope thy are all on the mend.

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  5. My goodness, illness x 4 must demand all your stamina! Hoping for a quick return to health for your family. How lovely though that you're getting to the stage of first words.

    You might be interested to know that in the UK only 9% of men are circumcised. I have never heard the issue discussed - it's basically a non-issue for parents here, and never mentioned by doctors to new mothers - and I was so curious after reading this post that I looked up the statistics.

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  6. Ugh! It's so hard when the kids get sick! i like for them to share everything...but germs! I hope this next week is easier on you and that you get some sleep!

    Also, I'd love for you to link this up with my Little Things Thursday post. It closes at midnight tonight, but I put it up every week. I'd love to see you linkup at some point if you get a minute (I know, haha!) :) http://www.abeautifulruckus.com/2013/08/the-little-things-thursdays-37.html

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  7. Eight kids, that's a cinch for you and me right? J/K! It looks like the big cousins had a great time with the quad squad!
    I hope everyone is on the mend! Surgery and sick babies makes it rough for mom.
    I'm having a hard time with the "toddler" lingo too. My babies are just starting to walk, but they are growing up and not so much "babies" anymore.

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