The triplets do the Tango

OK, they are not really dancing but it is hilarious. First Addison and William started holding hands and running from room to room. Then Jackson joined in the fun. I am just glad I got the camera from downstairs before they stopped. We had a few collisions during the melee but a great time was had by all.




Not being able to sleep is terrible. You have the misery of having partied all night... without the satisfaction.
Lynn Johnston


Al

How to give bad tasting antibiotics to a toddler for up to 42 days

We are VERY happy that Jackson only has to take oral antibiotics as the alternative was IV antibiotics from home. I have noticed an interesting difference between the oral and IV versions of this antibiotic.

• IV: GREEN poo. When I say green I mean Enterprise Rent-A-Car green. He is a company man after all:)


• Oral: "Normal" color poo but he has the trots, bad. You know the green apple squirts, the chocolate faucet, liquibowel, the runs, or my personal favorite - mud butt.

• He takes the antibiotics three times a day: 8am, 4pm and 12am. Yes, midnight. We were told by everyone at the hospital that it tastes AWFUL. The CFO and I tasted it. It is not great but I have tasted much worse, some of which was medicine. Oh, come on... you know how it is being a guy. All it takes is some guy saying "WOA! This tastes terrible!" and what does any other guy who still has his man card say...."Here, let me taste it." It does have a bad after taste. So we took the advise from the medical professionals and it is working so far. OK, the CFO took the advice and then passed it along to me in that special way that only a wife can. What, you think I listen to Doctors and Nurses? Yes, I am still a Man:)
  
  So here is the process:
  
• Measure out 8.3 ml of the antibiotic
• Mix with 1.3 ml (approximately) of cherry syrup from pharmacy
• Get half of mixture in medicine dropper (will only hold 5 ml)
• Get a spoon (toddler size) and chocolate syrup
• Get Jackson and give the above in the following order
• Chocolate
• Medicine
• Chocolate
• Medicine
• Chocolate
• Medicine
• Chocolate
• Refill medicine dropper
• Chocolate
• Medicine
• Chocolate
• Medicine
• Chocolate
• Medicine
• Chocolate

Easy, right? Well, for the midnight dose you have to a little more. Here is the "Get Jackson" part of the midnight dose.

• Sneak into kid's room. They are all in the same room.
• Get Jackson, Glow Worm, and blanket
• Take him to playroom and change his diaper. This usually wakes him up. It would wake me up:)
• Give him a balloon. This gets him in a good mood.
• Then follow the rest of the instructions.

The only caveat is that after all this he is not ready to go back to sleep, as you can imagine. So I lay down with him on the couch and we wrestle/sleep for a while. Some nights it is 30 minutes, others it is four hours before he will go back to bed or the pack and play. But look on the bright side... I probably only have 39 more nights of this:) But it still beats the hospital!



To achieve the impossible dream, try going to sleep.
Joan Klempner

Al

The Triplet Doctor is in...

Tell me where it hurts:)

Trying to get your rest in the Hospital

Did I mention how great everyone was at Children's Hospital? They almost make getting sick or hurt worth your time, almost:) They not only have enormous empathy for the families under their care but they are also there for the right reason. Everyone we talked with said it was their calling. As one Dr. put it... "You don't go into Pediatrics for the money:)"

Sleeping was not easy in the hospital. Anyone who has been in the hospital or stayed with someone in the hospital knows what I am talking about. Here was an approximate schedule. I say approximate as we were a bit sleep deprived and time seemed to become more flexible rather than consistent.

5:45 am - the phlebotomist came to draw blood. I got bonus points for using the correct term in the hospital:)
6:35 am - the orthopedic surgeons would visit
7:00 am - vitals taken
8:00 am - the Nurse would administer the IV antibiotics (took 20 - 40 minutes)
8:20 am - breakfast arrives
8:40 am - the hospitalist (our Dr. in the hospital) would visit
11:00 am - vitals taken
12:20 pm - lunch arrives
3:30 pm - vitals taken
4:00 pm - more IV antibiotics
6:20 pm - dinner arrives
10:30 pm - vitals taken
12:00 am - more IV antibiotics

Notice that there are no scheduled nap times:) The CFO and I rotated nights and we were both there during most days.

The CFO tries to get a nap. Jackson is having none of it:)

Daddy and Jackson settling in for the night. Well, at least until someone comes in the room:)

To be great is to be misunderstood.
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882), An Essay on Self-Reliance

Al

We had a 5% chance of having Triplets and a 1 in 5000 chance of having a bone infection

Yes, we are beating the odds:) 1 in 5000? Seriously.... That is the same odds of dying of electrocution in your lifetime. Did I mention that electricity and I do not get along, for good reason it seems. You may be asking yourself "How do you keep a 22 month old entertained in a room for four days?" Oh yeah, he does not like to watch TV:(

This was our room. No, Jackson did not spend much (any) time in the crib (baby jail).

Children's Hospital has these cool wagons for taking kids for rides. Since we were on "contact restriction" we couldn't leave the room but he still got to play with the wagon:)

Rubber gloves aren't just for health care workers:)

His favorite toy was the stethoscope. We actually got to take it home with us!

I've wrestled with reality for 35 years, Doctor, and I'm happy to state I finally won out over it.
Mary Chase (1887 - 1973), Jimmy Stewart in "Harvey", 1950

Al

Praise God, Jackson is FREE!

The final diagnosis was osteomyelitis (a bone infection) likely caused by Staphylococcus (Staph). From one doctor's description any cut, bug bite, scrape, splinter, ANYTHING that breaks the skin leaves us open to this sort of thing. And people thought I use to be paranoid about the kids, this is like pouring gas on that fire:) It gets in the bloodstream and then can end up in the bone. He said that at any given time they have 15 - 20 kids with bone infections. We were truly blessed that it was a minor one. Most are not minor.

Definitions:

Minor Bone infection: temp of 100 degrees, some discomfort, 4 days in the hospital, IV antibiotics while in hospital, 6 weeks of oral antibiotics 3 times a day, weekly blood tests run until his Sedimentation Rate is back to normal.

Major Bone infection: temp of 105 + degrees, lots of pain, 10 days + in the hospital, IV antibiotics in the hospital, you go home with a port or a pic line so the patient can receive IV antibiotics 3 times a day for up to 6 months at home.

I will post more about our 4 days in a room with our 22 month old this week.

To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to knowledge.

Benjamin Disraeli (1804 - 1881)

Al

A Doctor's vocabulary vs. us common little people talk...

OK, so Jackson and I went to the Doctor on Tuesday morning. The Doctor said "Well, to be on the safe side, let's do a bone scan on him." I have since learned that there were a few things I did not read into this statement..... Here is what the Dr. says and what everyone who is not in the medical profession finds out later about what the Dr. tells you.

• Dr. - We'll send you to Children's Hospital for a Bone Scan.
• Us little people - They are referring us to the Nuclear Scanning Department at Children's Hospital
• Dr. - They will inject a contrast that will show up on the scan. It is harmless.
• Us little people - Injecting a radioactive material at the nuclear scanning department does not jive with "harmless" in most worlds.
• Dr. - A Bone Scan is a precautionary measure to aid in the diagnosis of your child.
• Us little people - A Bone Scan is two part procedure that takes about 3 hours. It includes injecting the radioactive contrast into your child right after they tape him down to a table. Not kidding, tape. Note to self, tape holds a child in place quite well. Then they scan his legs for 15 minutes while he screams his head off most of the time. You then get to come back in 2 hours for a whole body scan which includes a lot more tape and screaming. But luckily they don't need to inject him again. Too bad, he could have been a glow-worm for Halloween:) Oh yeah, they also decided they needed an X-Ray.
• Dr. - If they find anything we will treat it with high-power antibiotics.
• Us little people - If they find something you will be admitted immediately to the hospital so you should wear comfortable clothes and have a plan of what you will do with your other two kids for the 7-10 days you will probably have to stay in the hospital. Oh yeah, also, you will probably be on contact restriction so your child cannot leave the room and everyone who comes in will be gowned and gloved. AND there will be a big sign on you door about this so you feel like a leper. You can leave the room only to leave the hospital. No taking advantage of all the cool, fun stuff they have to offer. You will be stuck in a room with a 22 month old toddler who has an IV in their arm. AND every time they happen to fall asleep we will come in to poke, prod or do something that will make your toddler more angry:)

All that being said our Doctor and the people at Children's Hospital are a true Blessing from God and have been great! More funny stories and some pictures to come.

A synonym is a word you use when you can't spell the word you first thought of.
Burt Bacharach (1928 - )

Al

Jackson update

Thank you for your prayers! A quick update. Depending on his blood work in the morning he may be able to come home this weekend! Everyone's prayers and the antibiotics are working!

I hope to get back on a regular posting schedule soon. I will have one in the morning.

Through God all things are possible,

Al

Will post soon.....

Sorry for not posting. After a bone scan Jackson is in the hospital receiving antibiotics. The CFO and I will be tied up for a bit.

Keep him in your prayers,

Al

Daddy's little girl....

Yes, Addison is getting quite the attitude but she is still my little girl:) Yesterday she was pitching a fit in the grocery store. Water? No... Cookie (animal cracker)? No.... So I broke out my emergency supply of Sunkist Fruit Snacks. I rationed them out to get me through the checkout. Once back in the van I had more things to work with. Ball? No... Toy? No... Cup? No... Then it hit me.... Bag of cookies? Yes! She smiled the whole way home, little control freak:) She opened and closed the bag, eating one each time.

Pics from the weekend. Thank you for the dress Aunt Ra-Ra(Rhonda)

I believe in looking reality straight in the eye and denying it.
Garrison Keillor (1942 - )

Al

City kids gone country

The CFO is always telling me that I am a city boy:) What tipped her off you ask? We were hiking in North Carolina while we were still dating. The hike took us and our dog through a cow pasture. Yes, our dog decided to have a cow patty bath and yes, I had to give her a bath in a stream of freezing water. But that was not made me a "City Boy." It was my comment when we got close to the cows. I said "Man they sure do have big heads!" She thought that was quite hilarious as growing up she knew not to befriend the boy cows as they were not meant to be in this world as long as the female cows.

Well, we are trying not to raise "city kids." So when we go to see the in-laws they get learned on how things werk in the country:)

In the pictures that follow... Jackson follows his Great-Grandmother into the garden but quickly calls for back up from William. Not sure what happened to our Dog as William seems to have his harness with him. William grabs the "loot" while Jackson (the feisty one) watches his back.

Life is far too important a thing ever to talk seriously about.
Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900), Lady Windermere's Fan, 1892, Act I

Al

A REAL night out!

We went to Athens this weekend and had a GREAT time! We dropped the kids off at Mimi and Granddaddy's (my in-laws) Friday night. The CFO took a half day so we could get out of town around 3pm and beat traffic. My brother-in-law and his wife also dropped their twins at the Grandparents. This was the first time they had all five. Did I mention that I believe insanity runs in both our families:) So the four of us, after our multiple-ectomy, headed out to dinner at what I call a chop-chop. You know, one of the Japanese steak houses where they cook the food in front of you. We had a great time!


We got to stay up late catching up with each other and we stayed at their house so we got to sleep in! Saturday afternoon we headed back over to the in-laws for a cookout and some fun with the kids. Probably the funniest part of the weekend was Church. I know, I know, Church should not be funny but with triplets it often is... After EVERY prayer, song, and even the lesson you heard them... YEAH!!!! and lots of clapping. I almost cried I was laughing so hard. The humor was compounded by the fact that we sit near the front (3rd row) of the Church and it is a small Church. It was very ironic that the lesson was on self esteem. I mean come on, anyone who spoke had their own cheering section yesterday. God works in mysterious ways:)







Democracy is a process by which the people are free to choose the man who will get the blame. Laurence J. Peter (1919 - 1988)


Al

Got milk?

Want to make something funny?

I have learned that when my kids are grumpy all you have to do to start them climbing out of their bad moods is to put something on my head. This of course does not hold true for Jackson, our true red head. His bad moods are best left alone to be filtered out by time. If he gets to the snorting, animal noises, flailing on the ground stage we are looking at about 10 - 20 minutes.

The triplets too have learned this trick and use it all the time. I think Jackson did something wrong right before this picture. As you can tell, it worked, I have forgotten what he did:)

Never try to reason the prejudice out of a man. It was not reasoned into him, and cannot be reasoned out. Sydney Smith (1771 - 1845)

Al

Jackson's foot

Did I mention that I was talking to the Doctor's office yesterday and they said they would call back with an appointment time? Well, they didn't. So during breakfast this morning, 8:10 am, I called the office to see about getting an appointment. She said how about 10:45 am. I said great, even if that is during their nap time. Remember, flexibility is the key to survival:) Then she said, wait, you already have an 8:15 am for Jackson. WHOA! I said I would be there ASAP. Lucky for me, unlucky for the CFO, she was not feeling well and was going in late. She let me take Jackson in and she kept William and Addison.

They took us right in when we got there. Our Doctor is GREAT!!! He poked and prodded. Talked about this and that. Asked about this and that. Ordered some blood work.... Long story short.... it might be a bruised bone but nothing major. He should be back to normal, for Jackson, by next week. He is 110% boy so I am sure we will be back to the Doctor a lot during his life with bumps, bruises, stitches and maybe even a break.

Have a great weekend!

A bad Friday is better than a good Monday any day of the week. That is unless you work weekends.

Al

Bring out the gimp....

Some people may remember that line from Pulp Fiction. Let me assure you, this is different:) Last weekend Jackson started favoring his right foot. So we looked and he had two small splinters in the side of his right heel. We tried to get them out but he protested so much we quit. Well, he kept limping so I said, get'em out. The CFO dug one out once we had him in his car seat. Note to self... if you cannot hold your child down, the car seat can. The smaller of the two was deep and did not want to come out. So I said let's see how he does. He kept limping. So on Tuesday I waited till I had him in his car seat and I got it out. But he is still limping.

Next step... we are headed to the Dr. Today, if they can squeeze us in. Both the CFO and I think he is just scared to put pressure on the foot from previous pain but it is better safe than sorry. I have looked, pressed, and felt his foot numerous times. I have looked under fluorescents, incandescents, halogens, and even direct sunlight. I don't see anything that doesn't belong. Maybe the Doctor can align the Hubble Space Telescope to see if anything is in Jackson's foot.

On a funnier note, I think the CFO, G-Daddy and I all got hand, foot and mouth from the kids. They (you know who "they" are) say that it is rare for anyone over 10 yrs old to get it but my throat hurts and I have blisters on my tongue. That is the last time I believe the CDC's website:)

Gotta love dinner time:)

You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm.
Colette (1873 - 1954), in New York World-Telegram and Sun, 1961

Al

Some days it would be better to be in Management...

I often say that staying at home with triplets, while very demanding, is better than being in management. Well, the other day I told someone that and they said "but you can't fire your kids." That got me thinking, a rare occurrence these days. What are some of the upsides to being in management (then) vs. a stay at home parent (now)?

Sick Days
Then - I got to take a day to recover, a.k.a. sleep in, play video games and watch movies
Now - I now know why the kids were grumpy for the last week, I have what they had.
Meetings
Then - I loved meetings when I worked. Nothing was a bigger waste of time and ate up the day. In one of my last positions we even had pre-meetings to discuss the meeting!
Now - No meetings but there is a lot of one on one counseling:)
Coffee
Then - I could go get a cup of coffee whenever I wanted. Heck, I could go get coffee with someone and chat for a while.
Now - Scramble to get a cup down in the morning. Rarely is it still warm when I finish it.
Delegation
Then - I always told the people that worked with me that if it looked like I wasn't doing anything it meant I was doing my job.
Now - Delegating often creates MUCH more work than just doing it. OK, they do throw things away, well they throw EVERYTHING away:)
Being in the know
Then - I often knew what was coming up at work.
Now - Anyone got a crystal ball?

But even with all that in mind, staying home rocks! I mean just look at the rewards...


Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
Ferris Bueller

Al

Toddler truths and rules....

I have tried several times, in vain, to explain to the kids that their day would be much better if they just follow a few simple rules. First I laid out some given truths they had to come to terms with:

1. If Dad gets his coffee before they wake up that makes EVERYONE'S day better:)
2. 22 month olds need a lot of sleep or they will be cranky
3. Toddlers that behave at the dinner table get to have fruit (they LOVE fruit) and sometimes a cookie
4. Toddlers that don't behave at the dinner table get to watch everyone else eat their fruit
5. Toddlers that REALLY misbehave at the dinner table get to watch everyone else eat a cookie (Nilla Wafers) and their chair is pushed back an arm's length from the table
6. Blocks, sippy cups, and other hard toys hurt when they hit people.
7. Hitting, pushing, pinching, shoving, and kicking do not feel good to the other person resulting in the offender going to time-out without passing go.
   

Then I laid the rules on them. I am flexible, I didn't put them on stone tablets or anything:) So I will take anything I can get that resemble these rules.

1. Sleep till 7am - refer to truth #1
2. Take a 2 hour morning nap - refer to truth #2
3. Do not turn your plate upside down at the table - refer to truths 3 - 5
4. Only throw things that are soft - refer to truth #6
5. Be nice - refer to truth #7

When someone makes you mad, laugh at them. It makes them much madder than you are:)

Al

G-Daddy leaves town...

G-Daddy (my Dad) just left this morning after being here a week. So now it is back to the routine, or to what passes as a routine around here:) You never know with the Triplets. One day it's two 3 hour naps, the next I am lucky if they take even one 2 hour nap.

He is already missed by all:(

Al

School Day!

Well, it has been two weeks since the kids have been in school or at the YMCA. Between the week their school was closed for the 4th, friends in town and their hand, foot and mouth disease
they have not been away from us. I really like being with them but my household duties have been taking a hit. The yard looks a mess, behind on laundry, need to dust, barely keeping up with vacuuming and the countertops are a mess.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that everything goes well at school. The not so good news is that they only have two more weeks of school before a five week break. Not sure how I will get everything done then:)

Jackson enjoying himself at the Science Center. Other than this, he really did have a good time.

Addison looking like a model:)

I gave up golf years ago, there are much cheaper ways to get frustrated for four hours,

Al

Back to the Science Center with G-Daddy

My Dad (G-Daddy) has been in town since the 9th. We went back to the McWane Science Center with the kids and had a great time. We even made to another floor before leaving:) Yes, the boys are wearing the same outfits as last time:) I refuse to work on getting stains out so our "going out" wardrobe is ever shrinking. I mean, they are kids.

Help people save time... tell them how the movie ends:)

Al

Little miss attitude...

Well, my perfect little daughter has changed on me. Dang that Father Time! Addison was our eye in the storm that is Triplets. She could be relied on to be calm and helpful. Now she has added another dimension... attitude.

• She does not want a cookie, she wants the bag of cookies.
• She does not want her blueberry pancakes, she wants my blueberry pancakes. Little does she know that I just put hers on my plate, cut them and feed them back to her.
• She does not just want a matchbox car, she wants the car, not one of the trucks.

She has also perfected "the look." She has several.

Jackson having fun with G-Daddy.

William wants more:)

Hire a devious accountant; it's like giving yourself a raise:) From Life's Little Destruction Book,

Al

Don't bring me down....

Don't bring me down....

This is what I want to tell a lot of people. You know the ones I am talking about. I frequently have to fight the urge myself. Someone tells you good news and you want to shoot it full of holes like swiss cheese. Oh, I know, not you:)

This is most evident in two distinct phases:

1. When you are pregnant. Examples are as follows.....

• Congratulations, I had a friend who gave birth to her triplets at 24 weeks and they are still in the hospital.
• Wow, triplets. I saw where they usually have medical problems.
• How far along are you? Oh, I had a friend who lost her baby around then.

2. After your kids are born. More examples...

• How long did you carry then and how big were they? Yeah, I carried mine xx weeks (longer) and they were xx, xx and xx pounds (bigger.)
• How old are they? Are they xxx (doing quadratic equations) yet? Mine were at that age.

I am as competitive as the next person. No wait, I am more competitive than them:) But do we really need to keep bringing everyone down? A few observations about all these people that think they are smarter and better at everything than any of us...

• Not everyone uses their turn signals... some people have had lobotomies.
• Some people drive slow... it is easy to forget what the skinny pedal on the right is for.
• Lots of people only have one hand to drive as they talk on their cell phone with the other one... many people think that BLUETOOTH is something you see a dentist for.
• It is OK to wait until you are at the drive-thru to decide what you want to eat then change your mind, twice.... McDonalds, Wendys, Taco Bell, Chic-fil-a, and Arbys are new to so many people they don't know what they serve until they get there.
• It is OK to wait until the clerk tells you how much money you owe before getting out your wallet... many retailers are now just saying "this one is on the house" so you might not need to pay. Don't even get me going about people going through an entire purse for the exact change and if they pull out a checkbook I may just have an aneurysm!

Whew... I fell better now,

Al

Bite, bite, bite.....

That is what I hear when I try to eat. I have always told them that I will never get mad at them for wanting to eat/drink or going to the bathroom. Anyone who has had a premature child in the NICU knows what I am talking about. You PRAY for them to eat and you want wet/dirty diapers so you know everything is working correctly.

Addison and William ALWAYS want a bite:)

Jackson is feeling MUCH better and is back to his old red-headed self:) Hand, foot and mouth disease is not fun for anyone.

Shut up or do something about it,

Al