Oh money tree, oh money tree!

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Oh money tree, oh money tree; where are you? The girls went to the plastic surgeon today. Yes, they were supposed to go last week and after changing their schedule and loading them up the appointment it was canceled due to the doctor in emergency surgery. At first I was so mad then felt guilty since a poor family was awaiting the results of their sweet angel in surgery. Ok so back to todays appointment. Josh had a meeting to attend and was unable to be home to help. Today I conquered something that I have feared (since my medical issues) for a long time. I got all four girls fed, dressed, ready and the hard part loaded for the appointment. It is very difficult to get two of them in the third seat of our Yukon. Anyways I did it! Sandra, Makaila and Samantha need cranial helmets. Ok not a surprise to us. The surprise comes in when we find out that our insurance does not cover them. I was quoted over the phone $2800 per helmet today. We will make things work but I am going to look darn hard for that money tree. It is a good thing that I can load the girls by myself as I will be probably doing it more often now since they will be seen weekly for six weeks. I just need to find strength in order to load and unload the stroller.

Sunday, I went through the girls clothes and realized we had 82 pairs of shorts and two tee shirts. So, we took the girls to Target to buy some tee shirts. While there I noticed that Samantha had scratched her left eye. So Monday morning I had to take her to the pedi’s office to get some ointment. The scratch was small but irritated her, as she kept rubbing her eye, she poor girl. Another project I did was down load 1702 pictures to cds since my aunt and mother in law recently lost everything on their computers. I would have cried for a month if I had lost all the pictures since 10-17-18.

I am excited that tomorrow is my appointment with the new urologist. I hope that they are able to continue my bladder shocking treatment with little or no break. I am doubtful but also hope that they have more answers for me. The next couple months will be busy for us with lots of appointments. But, if it ain’t busy around here something’s wrong!

Babe, you won't believe this!

"Babe, you wont believe this!" is not something you want to wake up to. The girls refrigerator/freezer died AGAIN! I am so angry. We have lost so much food in the last couple months. I buy the girls fruit in bulk and freeze. I also buy a TON of meat cook and freeze. This in the 4th time in the last few months that the frig has died. Last time the store was kind enough to give us store credit for a new one. We bought one that was twice as expensive and a different brand. Oh my! I can't believe how mad I am right now. So today, I had set a side to go through the girls clothes, an all day event, and can't. Instead, I need to go though and rearrange food. I am going to go through the inside refirg/freezer and put food that I won't need this week in a neighbors freezer and put the girls food in the inside freezer. Each time this happens the company promises to reinburse our food (once not 4 times). But I have not gotten the form to fill out. The company is not a small one either. It is a big company! I WILL NEVER BUY FROM THEM AGAIN. I WOULD ADVICE THE SAME OF YOU! DO NOT BUY FROM CONN'S APPLIANCE!

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79 days until the girls first birthday. I know that seems way down the road but time flies when you are having fun. Seriously, weeks fly by when you are so darn busy. So we have started to plan for the big day. Josh and I decided not to celebrate their birthday per say. Instead, we are having an appreciation party for the family, friends and support that have helped with their first year. We know that in the future we are going to get tired of princess parties and/or character themed parties. So, we are having a Texas Luau. I am so excited that my parents and all siblings will be flying in for the luau. It has been 10 years since we were all in one place. So, it is going to be amazing. I have a sister in Alaska, a brother and sister in Oregon and my parents live in Washington state. Don’t get me wrong the girls are going to have their first birthday cake but birthday is not going to be the focus, appreciation is. Or should we call it, “Thank God we survived!”?

OK onto current info. Sandra got in her second bottom tooth not long after the first one. She now can stand (holding onto furniture) for about 30 seconds. She is so strong! One big achievement for her lately is that she has decided that she likes to cuddle. I used to say that if she were a singleton I would feel deprived of cuddle time. She is so active it was like holding (corralling) a wolverine. She now just loves to be held and cuddled. Sandra has also graduated from Occupational Therapy. However, Makaila was added to development and occupational therapy. She is so attached to her thumb that she is getting behind. She constantly has her thumb in her mouth. That is not an exaggeration either. She is so content with laying around and sucking her thumb that she doesn’t explore. I tried putting a pacifier in her month and she just stuck her thumb through it. So she was sucking her pacifier and her thumb. I’d appreciate any ideas or info!

Samantha is so close to crawling! She gets up on her knees and arms, lifts her head and moves her feet forward. She just needs to move her arms and she will be crawling. She gets frustrated and ends up rolling over. But she continues to try.

We added a third meal. They get three meals and a bedtime bottle now. Breakfast is cereal and a fruit, lunch is more fruit with/without a diary and dinner is a meat and veggies. They have decided to accept chicken. They are starting to understand puffs, and Samantha is doing the best with that.

Other than that, Josh and I have been bowling almost every day. I bolwed a 278 the other day. Alright, it was on the wii but I think it's still impressive. We took the girls to the mall on Saturday, since I had some shopping to do. I don't think I will ever get used to the public attention. At least this time there were no rude comments, they were all pleasant. However, one lady wanted to take their piture and Josh told her not to. It is just exhausting answering all the questions and comments after already being tired from loading them up and all that goes with it. But as always the girls did awesome.

3 down 205 to go

Sandra got one of her teeth today! Yeah! The poor girl has been fighting getting it through. With 20 "baby" teeth and 32 adult teeth we will be getting 208 teeth. So three down and 205 to go.

Miss Sandra Please Stand Up, Please Stand Up

Sandra is so strong! I know that is not a news flash considering where she started and where she is now even with hurdles. No obstacle is too large for her. She has been able to stand with our assistance for a while. But she can now stand on her own. Granted it is only for a few seconds. But she should not be able to do this. But do not tell her she can't do it because she will prove you wrong!

Props to Samantha and Sandra

Friday the girls celebrated their ¾ birthday. Yes, they turned 9 months old. Boy, is time flying by. They had a great visit at the pediatricians. They all got good reports. The new weights/heights are:
Makaila – 17# 2 oz, 25 ½ in.
Hannah – 17# 6 oz, 25 ½ in.
Samantha – 18#, 26 ½ in.
Sandra – 14# 8 oz, 24 ½ in.

Makaila and Hannah are in the 25th percentile. Samantha in the 50th % and Sandra is just touching the charts. These %’s are with their actual age not their corrected age (6 ½ months old). So, what that means is that they are doing awesome. Size wise they have caught up. We are so proud of them. They got the go ahead for dairy and meats. They love yogurt and hate chicken. And for their birthday, they got to enjoy a little vanilla ice cream. So I am going to be trying different recipes. Yesterday, I boiled and cubed 12 pounds of chicken. Chicken is the main meat that we eat here. So I freeze one pound bags of chicken for later meals. It makes life so much easier. I also chopped up a few onions and put them in baggies. Whatever makes life easier!

A huge accomplishment this week is that Samantha and Sandrahave held her bottle for entire feedings. So now they are without prop. Props to them! Ha ha The other two can hold their bottles and will put back into their own mouths if they fall out but prefer the prop to do most of the work. We’ve tried sippy cups several times. But they do great holding them but just chew on the nipple. So we will continue to work with them. Sandra and Samantha are all over the place. It is amazing! Poor Maxine gets a lot of hair pulling and tail tugging. She is so patient with them though! We also no longer put them in their swings. Does any one need four swings? They take up so much room but well worth it while it lasted!

We actually have a quiet week ahead of us. So who knows what will actually happen! We got some rain last night and hope to get more this week. We are still on water rations, our lawn looks pathetic.

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The girls are doing well. They are eating good and growing lots (or is it eating lots and growing good?) We have tried baby biscuits with them. They really enjoyed them. I was surprised to see that they knew what to do with them. A couple weeks ago we gave them baby puffs and they didn’t completely get the idea. I just think they were too small of a piece of food. The only thing about the baby biscuits is that Maxine thinks they are dog biscuits and thinks the girls are eating her treats. It is quite funny.

Samantha and Sandra are really getting around. They roll, scoot and do whatever it takes to go places. I am constantly rescuing them from places. Sandra gets caught under the recliner and Samantha is constantly under a baby swing. It is a good thing that Josh put down the rest of the foam mats because Samantha scooted into the hallway. Makaila and Hannah are content with where we put them. They are all interacting so much with each other. They talk to each other, hold hands, roll over each other, get feet and legs tangled up, steal toys and pacifiers and just have a great time together.

We had the baby proofer proof our house. He did the appropriate gates, door latches, security doors, electrical outlets and cabinet latches. So we are as ready as we can be for when the girls are very mobile. I think having the girls downstairs except to sleep has worked out for the best.

We took the girls to Target last week. It went well until we were mobbed by the workers and we had to make a quick escape to another part of the store. Can’t we just do our shopping and not answer a ton of questions? The girls did amazing though. I am trying to get out a couple times a week while we can, since it is not flu season. It has been extremely hot here these days so we go out early after their morning bottle and are back before their lunch.

As for an update on me, I start my bladder shock treatments tomorrow. I have found a different Urologist and hope I get better care at the new office. However they can’t see me until August 5th. My symptoms are no different with my bladder. I still have numb tingly arms and legs and blurred vision (so please excuse the errors). Each day right now I am thankful I survived until Josh gets home from work, as he went back to work this week. Josh and I are counting the days until G Ma comes back for a visit!

The girls have their 9 month birthday on Friday. Can you believe it? They are getting so big and grown up! They will be celebrating at the pediatricians. They will not be getting shots this time but will be getting complete blood work ups to make show (sure) they are doing good.

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Randon Tidbits

On Friday, we took the girls to see Dr. Palmer (the best Maternal Fetal doctor ever) for my post op check. The office was excited to see the girls and we all were excited to see them. This time, I did bring my camera but they were so busy I didn't want to interrupt their office more than we already did. Today, we took the girls grocery shopping with us for the first time. It is more work with loading them and the stroller but I wanted them to get out of the house and I need the experience of dealing with the public. The girls did great, I am so proud of them.

We had a quiet 4th of July! We watched the local fireworks from our driveway with a few neighbors. The girls slept through it all! Maxine hates fireworks so we had to calm her down after. The girls wore their holiday outfits to Dr. Palmers and they messed up their dresses before I got pics. So, you will just have to believe me when I say they were stinking cute in their red, white and blue dresses!

Some new things the girls are doing: Samantha and Makaila reach up to be picked up. It is so darn cute! It is going to get hard when they all are doing it and want to be picked up at the same time. But right now it is adorable. Samantha started kissing! She smacks her lips like a kiss and imitates me when I blow her kisses. I am trying to teach her now to kiss on the cheek. She absolutely loves to be smothered with kisses on the her face. She just giggles and giggles. She is starting to really get around on the floor. She gets up on her knees and pushes her head forward. She will probably be crawling soon. She rolls around the floor the most. Hannah loves to have blankets over her face and cuddle. I do not let her go to bed with a blanket so she has learned to pull her crib bumper and pull that over her face. She is so darn silly. Sandra has been blowing raspberries all day! She does it when she is tired, happy, hungry, playing, fussy, watching tv, mad, or for no reason at all. The girls have always noticed Maxine (the dog). But now they reach out to touch her and play with her hair. Samantha even "walked" over in her Jenny Jump Up to pet her when she was eating! It is fun to watch the interactions.


Samantha is all over her crib now!

Sandra wakes up so happy and grinning from ear to ear every morning!


Makaila playing with her teddy bear in the morning!

Hannah playing Peek-a-Boo with her crib bumper!

Sandra loves to have her arm behind her head when she is not sucking her thumb!

Samantha showing off how she can hold a bottle on her own!

The girls first time grocery shopping! Thank you Aunt Debbie for the cute outfits!

Hello all! Yes, we have been away from blog world lately. No, we did not go on a hiatus (like J – K + 8). But we have had a week that has been very hard emotionally on our family. I was not going to explain but this blog is a journal for our family to look back on years down the road. So here goes:
Where to begin? Alright, first Josh’s commuter car started having electrical issues (that for some reason disappeared on its own). I got the exact diagnosis that we prayed we would not get. On Tuesday I was diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis (Painful Bladder Syndrome) which is a chronic bladder condition. Basically the nerve from my brain to my bladder that tells me I have to urinate is messed up. I am in constant bladder spasm and pain. There have been no medications to relieve the spasm as of yet. The medicines I am on cause me to have drowsiness, blurred vision and upset stomach. So, it has been difficult to care for the girls. We are rearranging the house so that the girls are downstairs for the most part of the day so I don’t have to carry them up and down several times a day. Josh has taken leave for two weeks to help get the house organized and see if we need to hire in some help.
On Friday (our 4 year anniversary) I was to start bladder shock treatments weekly to see if that helped. If it did, they were going to surgically implant a stimulator. On my way to the doctor, the Yukon decided to take control of the steering and I had no control. So the police had to help me and the Yukon is now at the dealership. Josh had to come switch cars as Samantha had a ENT appointment, where we find out that she is completely deaf in her left ear and there is no fluid and no physical findings to cause it. So, we are going to have her work with occupational therapy so she doesn’t get behind on her speech.
After a long day of dealing with tow trucks and bad news we got home to find out that we are on water ration and our refrigerator is going out again. Yes, again again, it was fixed again last week. I was told we have store credit for a new one, but haven’t the time or energy to go in this 104 degree weather.
However, Samantha did give Daddy and me an anniversary present: TWO TEETH!
On Saturday Jose, Michelle and their two kids came over to help Josh rearrange the house. They moved the playroom downstairs into the the dinning room and visa versa. They also assembled the gazebo that Josh bought for our anniversary. After the hard work (in record high temps) they made a delicious dinner and we played cards. It was nice to be able to hang out and have a good time with friends. Sunday morning G Ma flew home! We sure miss her!
So it has been emotionally and physically difficult around here! But if you look at the picture montage below you will see how we pull through! Thank you Makaila, Hannah, Samantha and Sandra for the smiles you bring to us!

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I know I say this a lot but this last week has been so busy for us. After having the girls in the kiddie pool and them loving it, we decided to go bigger. We bought a 20 foot above ground pool. Josh and I absolutely love being in the water and want the girls to grow up around the water. Maybe next year we can get back in our boat and wake board again. Our friends Jose and Michelle came over with their two boys and helped us set up the pool. Thank you so much guys! It was a very hot day here and it was a lot of work. So after the first night of Josh, G Ma and I trying out the pool we headed to the ER. Yup, this time Maxine our dog had a very swollen face and was in a lot of pain. The belief is that she got bit by a snake. They tested her blood and she had no venom so luckily it was a dry snake. She is on pain meds, steroids and an anti inflammatory. She seems to be afraid of the backyard now. The poor girl!

Since we had a good time in the pool we decided to let the girls go for a swim the next night. We waited for shade to hit the pool so it meant that they had to stay up a little late. It was well worth it! They all loved it! Yes it is added work and they have to have a bath/rinse down after but to see their smiles while in the pool is worth all the extra work. Thankfully G Ma is still here and helped out our first time.

The girls’ new refrigerator/freezer died again. This is where all their bottles and frozen baby food is stored. I am not happy about it. Last time it took three weeks to get the repairs done. That is three weeks of hand making each bottle for each feed. I hope we get it fixed faster this time. This Friday I am having surgery again. Apparently, a rare percentage of people that have a cerclage (the sewing of my cervix that helped me carry the girls for 30 weeks and 1 day) can have medical issues. So the hope is that if I have it removed, my bladder will be fixed. Thank you Lynn for all your help, even in a last minute notice, during all of my appointments and surgeries.

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Quick update on Mommy

Yesterday I had a surgery that included a cystoscopy, bladder extension and biopsy. The extension was to hopefully stop spasms for a while. Unfortunately, the doctor was only able to put in 200 cc (a very small amount). Even under anesthetic my bladder was in spams the whole time. The doctor talked to Josh while I was still asleep and told him he was going to wait for the biopsy report before he decides what to do next. He did put me on three anti spasm medicine and finally a pain reliever. With all four meds I am still in pain and having spasms. And now I feel medicated (drunk) and have to take long naps. I am very frustrated! My high risk ob recommended botox. I asked my Urologist and he said after the results of the biopsy he could refer me to someone who does that. I am frustrated and tired of the pain and no answers. The doctor was shocked that I was still in bladder spams while under and that he couldn't fill up my bladder. I feel that he FINALLY believes me about the spasms and maybe I will get some where now. I don't think he realized the extent before these last two tests. I am so glad that Josh's mom is here! But I feel so bad having to call on her. I know she loves being here but she has family and obligations in MO. So, I want results NOW! I have to wait a week for the biopsy results. Please continue to pray for us! Thank you!

Need Prayers, Overdue Update

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I know it has been awhile since you have heard from us! I first want to say that the girls are all doing amazing. Yes, G Ma is back. We did not expect her until August when Josh will be out of town for work. However, things happen and we had to call on her. I have not been feeling well for awhile now. I have been to the ER and MANY doctors appointments. Long story short something is wrong. The main issue is my bladder which has been in severe spasms for over two months now. Last week other muscles started to spasm and I feel weak. The pain and weakness got to the point where I was afraid to be home during the day with the girls. I hope to get some answers soon as I had some tests done last week. But getting results and answers are sometimes difficult. I want answers yesterday so I can plan for the future. So please pray that we get answers fast and can deal with what is ahead. If there are any HOM moms that had a similar situation after delivery I would love to hear from you!

Alright, to the girls, which I know you all want to know. They are stinking adorable. They are great medicine for me right now. They started imitating us (esp. blowing raspberries), stealing toys and pacifiers from others and make noises for a reaction from us. It is hilarious. They enjoyed the kiddie pool. Heck they all just enjoy life. We are so fortunate; they are all such happy babies.

Last weekend we got brave, real brave. We took them to the Cheesecake Factory for brunch. We got there when they opened and left before it got super busy. They did so well that we took G Ma there today. We left them in their quad stroller and they just played and had a great time. It was so nice to get out of the house and not go to a doctors appointment or the grocery store. Plus, it had been a long time since Josh and I were out at the same time, together.