Happy New Year

Sort of... Michelle has a double ear infection.  I guess its not just 2 year olds that get 'em go figure.  The girls are napping and when they wake up we are off to my parents house for New Years fun. 

Jump N Jammin'

I took the kids to Jump N Jammin' today - it ROCKED.  It was really an awesome time.  After that we headed to my friend Lucy's house - and stayed there the rest of the day.  I plopped my sick butt on the couch and didn't move - she took care of my kids for the rest of the day.  :)

I'm still stuffy and congested and miserable so I'm now going to bed.

Made it to the mall

But made it to the mall...for 6 hours straight I did nothing but shop.  I didn't even stop to eat - I grabbed a pretzel and ate on the go.  The girls went to Pete's parents house - otherwise I never would have gotten that much shopping done.  It sounds like I'm a shopaholic but really - I hate shopping.  I just tried to fit it all in at once because I was kid free. 

Sleep - for the girls

We didn't make it to the mall today.  I woke up feeling worse than I have in the past 3 days.  But the girls slept 12.5 hours last night AND they took a 3 hour nap today.  We made it out to play in the snow for a little while.  I couldn't take them sledding because it's a 2 man job (one to push them and one to catch them!).  But we shoveled and made some snow angels! 

SNOW DAY!

Luckily Pete already had today off.  We got a considerable amount of snow finally!  1st real storm of the season.  We took the girls out earlier in the day to play in the snow.  Hannah & Hailey pretty much just complained the whole time that it was cold and windy.  Emily on the other hand was all for it!  She helped me dig out our cars and even helped with a few of the neighbors cars as well.  She had her own 'shubble' and I let her get a bucket of sand to throw down when we were done. 

After their naps - we decided to take them back out and go sledding.  This time they were ALL into it.  But not for very long.  Hannah & Hailey once again pulled out their Diva cards and decided it was too cold and too windy to play.   It was fun while it lasted though :) 

Pete took down all the xmas decorations yesterday - including the tree.  Today - we cleaned up the house, found places for all of their toys and got organized.  It feels great to finally have the house back in order (even if it's only going to last until the girls wake up tomorrow morning). 

Lately the girls have been sleeping very well at night and not waking up until around 7 in the morning.  And what Pete and I have been doing is one of us gets up with them while the other stays in bed for a couple extra hours of sleep.  Then we switch.  So I got up this morning with them but when Pete woke up and came downstairs - I went back to bed for a couple more hours.  It sounds crazy to do but it's been helping me feel better and keeping me more relaxed.  I don't really go back to sleep (how could I with 3 screaming toddlers running around with all these new toys?!?!) but I get to relax. 

Tomorrow Pete is headed back to work.  Depending on how I feel - I might venture out to the mall with the girls.  We'll see how it goes. 

Merry Christmas!

What a whirlwind of a few days.  We had plenty of cookies, candy, parties and gifts.  But most of all we had lots of family time. 

We started the holiday with a family xmas party up in MA.  That was amazing this year.  There were so many people that we didn't expect to see and a table set for royals!  The girls had an amazing time playing with their cousins and it was nothing but perfect.

Then came xmas morning.  We had a houseful here as well.  My mother, sister, niece and 2 brothers slept over.  Brother #3 showed up at 6:00am before everyone woke up.  I think he would have slept here too if we had room (he opted for his bed over the living room floor and I sure don't blame him).  All of the adults were wide awake before the kids.  So funny!  I think we were more excited than the kids were. 

Once they were up we all opened tons (too many if there is such a thing) of gifts.  Then we enjoyed the usual fried dough and coffee for breakfast.  Followed by short naps for the girls and then it was off to xmas #3!

We went to Pete's parents for the rest of the afternoon/better part of the evening.  There is always good cooking over there so we ate a ton and enjoyed more family time.

We were suppose to have xmas #4 today but I'm not feeling great.  I think the stress of the holidays finally caught up with me and pulled me down for the day today. 

The girls had SO MANY gifts that we actually kept some stuff for their bday.  It's insane how much stuff they got.  On their absolute favorite list?  If I had to choose top 3 it would be 1: Sticky Post It notes (really...I'm not even kidding - these things are EVERYWHERE!) 2: Little tin banks with Chuck E Cheese coins and 3: their very own Leaptop Laptops (so they can work with Mommy).  This is just today though.  Tomorrow - there will be a new top 3 list and the list will continue to change everyday until they move out and get married. 

Pete took down all of the xmas decorations today so that the kids weren't too confused.  They already woke up this morning and wanted to know why there wasn't anything in their stockings.  I even took their stockings down last night so they weren't hanging up!  I'm not sure they understand the concept of time yet so telling them Santa isn't coming for another year is just way too complex for them. 

Now that the stress of xmas is over...it's time to start planning their 3rd BIRTHDAY!  Yes...my babies are turning 3.................

2 days left!

Santa is coming in just 2 short days!  The kids are excited - and so are we :)  They've been really good lately so I do believe that Santa is going to be really good them.........

Ok Ok Ok!

I get it.  I've been told to dust off the blog.  It's been nice not 'having' to blog every night.  But I always think about it.  I want the girls to be able to read about their whole life when they get older lol.

I quit my job...permanently.  No. More. $. For. Me.  But the work load has quadrupled.  By this I mean - I am a Stay At Home MOM (Mother Of Multiples).  I work harder now than ever before in my life! 

It's been good to be home.  But the wear and tear of no adult contact has had it's effects.  The girls have made some huge progress in terms of attitude and whining (2 things I absolutely can not tolerate).  They are genuinely happy and they are sleeping better as well.  This isn't to say they weren't being taken care of in a great way before.  It's only to say they are on a better schedule (and stricter schedule) and it's working out better for us now. 

The holidays are here.  And it's a sad year for us.  My dad is gone and won't be here to enjoy the 1st xmas in over 15 years where we've all been together.  By all I mean - my 3 brothers, my sister and myself.  It's been rough.  But with keeping so busy - it takes my mind off things.  I have family - and for that I'm thankful. 

The girls have been (knock on wood) healthy.  They had a rough patch a little while back but they pulled through and so far so good.  Although Hailey has started to have a runny nose today...hope it doesn't turn into much! 

Had surgery on my wrist - still stiff (way stiff) and sore.  But in physical therapy and have a monstrous thing to wear at home a few times a day. 

Having trouble getting my insurance coverage through Pete (one state agency doesn't want to seem to work with another!).  I am only covered thru the end of December so hopefully it'll all get straightened out before then cuz Lord knows my body does some freakish things at the most inconvenient times! 

Potty training sucks so I gave up. 

I'm waiting on a date to have the girls evaluated by our birth-3 program for some speech therapy.  They have their own little language but they also have some hang ups that I want to get taken care of while they're young.  Nothing big...just enough to be concerned about.  Ie:  Stinky Smelly Skunk = Tinky Melly Kunk (notice they drop the S).  But no worries - they sure can say SANTA!  (LOL they drop the consonant when it's followed by another consonant but not when it's followed by a vowel).  I have no idea if it's 'normal' or not but the Birth - 3 program will do an evaluation for free so I'm gonna use my resources. 

Sleep.  There's never enough.  Laundry.  There's always too much.   Balance.  Something I can't find between the 2.  I'll keep working.............

Still Tired

I wake up thinking about when I'll get to sleep again.  I don't know if it's because I'm not working out and my body is in desperate need of some energy that way - or if it's because I'm simply not getting enough sleep.  Probably a combination of the 2...but the end result is still the same.  I'M TIRED! 

I gave my notice last week at work.  It SUCKS to say the least.  But it all comes down to what's best for the girls and that means me being home with them.  I think the one real reason I'm not happy about leaving work is the money and benefits.  I'm fine with being home with the kids, I love the freedom of doing what I want and going wherever we want to go.   But it makes me wicked nervous to know that we will be living on one income, spending more than we make, not knowing where the future will take us.......

But we'll get through it as we always do.  Together as a family. 

Good girls

The girls were really good today.  We all had a great day.  Maybe the Elf will leave something in the stockings tonight.

Post about Santa visit on the girls blog

http://luccotriplets.blogspot.com/

Break Time

I'm taking a break from the computer!  I'm not taking a long break - maybe just a week. 

I'll be back soon.....

Sunday?

How can it be Sunday already?  It feels like Thanksgiving was just yesterday.  Today we dropped the girls of at Grandma's house so we could do some shopping.  We hit the mall and grocery store got alot of x-mas gifts and food.  Tonight the girls are sleeping over Grandma's house and we are gonna get 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep, thank God.  I can't remember the last time we got a good nights sleep.

Gone Shopping

Yes - I'm doing it.  For the 1st time in my life - I'm going to stand in line and shop.  I'm hoping to score some major cheap deals on toys.  So - I'll be at Toys R Us. 

Girls - You have no idea how much I love you.  I want you to be happy with Santa and his loot on Christmas day.  And although Christmas is way more than gifts...I'm no fool.  It's all about the list you've given to Santa for the next few years.  So this tired momma is gonna trade sleep for toys tonight. 

And my dear husband has already agreed to get up with the girls tomorrow.  :)

Exhaustion

Do you know what it's like to be sleep deprived?  I don't mean to go out drinking one night and then take the next 3 nights to recover.  I mean - every single night for a week straight I want you to set your alarm clock to go off in intervals of 2 hours then 3 hours. 

Go to bed at 10pm. 
Wake up at midnight. 
Go back to bed at 12:45. 
Wake up again at 3am. 
Back to bed around 3:30.
Wake up at 5:00. 
Go back to sleep around 5:45 and get out of bed for the day at 6:30.

This is a rough draft of what our week has been.  I think I'm delirious. 

When the girls were 1st home - I would stay in their room for 12 hours at a clip.  Changing, feeding, pumping, sleeping, changing, feeding, pumping, sleeping.........in 12 hours I would sleep 4.  I don't think I was even this delirious then.  I'm not sure what has changed.  But I'm too old for this shit! 

On a better note - someone told me tonight their neighbor had QUADS.  And then had another one.  Ok - so someone IS worse off than us!!!!  I'll sleep on that.  (I mean...who would have MORE after FOUR?).  I think sometimes I really am delirious.  Did I say that already? 

RSV

I'm too tired to post tonight.  Hailey was up again last night.  Finally at 3:30 this morning - I brought her downstairs to the couch.  Pete had to work so at least one of us should be able to sleep. 

I brought the girls to the doctor today.  Hailey was suppose to have an appt for a preop for her surgery on Dec 1st.  That's not going to happen now because they are sick.  When I brought them to the doctor 2 weeks ago - Emily had an ear infection, Hannah & Hailey both had a sinus infection.  We opted (with the doctors advice) to treat only Emily.  The other 2 still had pending c-diff tests.  The tests needed to come back negative in order for them to be on antibiotics for the sinus infections. 

The tests did come back negative.  But I talked with their doc and we decided to go the 'wait and see' approach.  If they got worse - I would bring them back and she would prescribe the antibiotics.  Well they didn't get worse...until the cough started a couple of days ago. 

To a mom of a full term baby - a cough is probably just a cough.  It means a child has a cold and it'll run it's course.  To a mom of micro preemies - a cough makes her heart skip a beat.  My heart was skipping.  They've never had this cough before.  And it wasn't croup.  And it wasn't the normal course for their sinus infections.  I know what the 'normal course' is because they've had at least 12 sinus infections between the 3 of them this year alone.  The cough is what concerned me.  So at the doctor today - she checked out Hannah & Hailey and sure enough - they have RSV. 

This is the virus that scared the shit out of us when they were infants.  This is the virus that the insurance company pays $13,000 PER VACCINE to prevent.  The girls received this vaccine their 1st RSV season.  We were denied the following RSV season (same as flu season) due to the fact that the girls had no other complications other than being micro preemies.  So we had them on LOCK DOWN.  No visitors, no trips, obsessive hand washing......the list goes on.  This lasted until they were 2.  Age 2 was the 'golden' age when we could release them from their bubble. We avoided the virus until now. 

Luckily - they are older and their immune systems are stronger.  But I'm giving them their bubbles back for xmas.  And xmas is coming early. 

http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/lung/rsv.html

Sleep

I got 4 hours of it last night.  Hannah & Hailey were in our bed - both were coughing so bad they were choking & Hailey threw up.  Then they were up 5:00 this morning.  That's WAY TOO EARLY.  But it is what it is.

So we got through the morning.  My mom came to visit and made us all breakfast.  Then at 11:30 we went down for early naps.  The girls slept 2.5 hours and I slept for 2 hours.  It was much needed for all of us!

After naps we headed to the park with LB where we fed the ducks and played on the playground.  When we got home Pete was here so we hung out, ate dinner and then they put more ornaments on the tree.  I watched lol. 

Oh at some point I gave the girls a bath this morning.  And Emily also fell down the stairs head 1st.  My mom went down the basement stairs and all 3 of the girls wanted to follow.  No problem - I yelled out 'one at a time!' because I know how they can be.  Then I quickly realized that yelling wasn't going to cut it so I wandered over to supervise.  What I saw was Hannah and Hailey at the top of the stairs and Emily came from behind.  She pushed Hannah so that she could go 1st down the stairs.  Well Hannah fell back against the door and bounced back into Emily which in turn pushed Emily head 1st down the stairs.  I did some super human mom move and somehow grabbed Emily's feet so she didn't fall all the way down the stairs.  But she did manage to smash her face against one of the steps (they're carpeted thankfully) and she busted her lip open.  There was blood everywhere, she was screaming, the other 2 were standing there in shock, and I was searching for the ice pack in the freezer.  Couldn't find ice so I grabbed a popsicle (well 3 of them).  My mom cleaned up all the blood off the stairs, I cleaned up all the blood off the kid and all was well.  Except she has a pretty big busted lip now. 

Sunday

How is it possible to run out of time!!!!  There's always just so much to do. 

But there's always time to put up the Christmas tree - which we did today.  :)   Well really Pete did it with the girls while I took pictures from the couch lol.

CERT

CERT = Correctional Emergency Response Team

CERT ≠ Cell Extraction Response Team

Early post today

The girls woke up twice last night.  That's better than 3 or 4 times so I'm not going to complain about it.

I will complain however that they woke up at 5:30.  Grrrrr - It's SATURDAY.

Pete took the girls shopping with his mom and dad.  The girls got new winter boots, hats and slippers (and 30% off for being triplets).  They're all at his parents house - and I'm home 'cleaning'.  Lol - or blogging. 

Andy is coming over to babysit tonight so Pete & I can go to a game night at a friends house.  I'm tired and already don't want to go simply because I want to sleep.  I know I'll have fun though.  So we're gonna go - and after the fact I know I'll be more than happy that I went.  I do it all the time.  I make plans - and then don't want to follow through and usually it's because I'm exhausted. 

Which is why I don't make plans!  Well not often anyway.  This time I'm happy Pete is included in these plans because often times we're separated by default.  Someone has to be home with the kids.  So I'm thankful for Andy (and made him PB fudge to prove how thankful I am) and I'm thankful that there's a game night tonight. 

What I'm MORE thankful for - is that my trio are healthy enough for us to leave them.  That's a major accomplishment in itself these days. 

Off to clean - for real this time.

TGIF

The girls and I had to go to my brother Pete's graduation today.  He graduated from his CERT training (correctional emergency response team).  The morning was smooth as ice.  The girls even willingly took early naps.  It was when they woke up and I only had 45 minutes to get them out the door that they decided to have meltdowns all at different times.

Hailey didn't want to wear her dress.  Hannah wanted the tights Hailey was wearing.  Emily didn't want to wear black shoes.  The meltdowns kill me.  When I'm time restricted - it's hell.  It just turns into a screaming match.  I scream at them - they scream at me.  Nothing works.  Somehow the lunch that I put in containers to bring with us got lost (I found it under the table behind a bag AFTER we got back).  So the kids had crackers and grapes for lunch (their snack that I brought). 

Of course once we got there - they were angels.  That's ALWAYS the case.  Put on a nice show for those around us - but act like little hellions for mommy at home.  Don't get me wrong - I'm thankful that they can put on their wings when we're in public.  But really - the horns need to go permanently. 

The meltdowns didn't cease for the day.  Once we were back in the car after graduation - Hannah finished her fruit snacks and wanted more.  I was driving.  I couldn't give her more.  She wanted more.  I was driving.  She wanted more.  Get it?  She screamed ALL THE WAY HOME.  It was a 25 minute drive.  She earned herself a time out and NO more fruit snacks.  So then it went from 'I WANT MORE FRUIT BITES!' to 'I DON'T WANT 'IME OUT'!  over and over and over again.

When we got home, parked the car and all got out - she was still screaming.  By this point my blood is boiling.  So now picture me - trying to stay calm, praising Hailey and Emily for being so good, getting all 3 of them out of the car...and as we're walking across the parking lot Emily is running and falls pretty hard.  At the same exact time a big truck drove by and scared the sh*t out all of them.  So now I have Hannah & Hailey practically pulling my pants down while Emily is on the ground bleeding 3 feet out of my reach. 

I'm not gonna lie - I wanted to throw Hannah because she was on my nerves so bad.  I pretty much peeled the 2 of them off me in a hurry to get to Emily.  She was fine - but skinned her knee and her hand.  Ripped her tights too...the only pair I have for her!

Get inside - put Hannah in time out (I only put her in for 2 minutes but she ended up staying 5 because she didn't hear her own timer go off due to crying).  Gave Hailey more fruit snacks and made a cup of coffee. Found the grilled cheese containers under the table.  Fed it to them. 

Then counted down the minutes till Pete came home...........................................

Another long day!

Man this week is just kicking my butt.  I feel like I've done nothing but run!  Today was a great day with the girls though.  For 2 nights in a row they've slept all night without waking up.  Pete helped the girls and I get out of the house on time today.  I had a doctors appt for my wrist - then headed to the PT dept and the whole process took just over an hour.  And the girls were GREAT.  No complaining from them! 

After the appt we headed to the mall to see SANTA.  I wasn't sure the girls would even go near him but we agreed that we could just wave and say hi.  We were at the mall 1/2 hour before it officially opened (it opens early for mall walkers but most stores aren't open).  So we headed to D&D to get some breakfast.  Then we were off to the middle of the mall for a photo shoot.  Yup - a photo shoot.  It's decorated with a lot of xmas stuff and since I've been a frequent flier at the mall this week I knew that it wouldn't be too crowded.  We were just finishing up some photos and SANTA himself was coming down the escalator!  The girls were a little hesitant at 1st but I put on my happy face and acted like a fool right there in the middle of the mall.  I was acting SO EXCITED to see SANTA!  OMG IT'S SANTA!  I CAN'T BELIEVE HE'S HERE!  OH I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE HIM AND TELL HIM WHAT I WANT!  And since kids get all their vibes from us - all 3 of them got really excited.  Santa saw how nervous they were so on his way by (we were right at the bottom of the escalator so he had to walk right by us) he stopped and asked the girls for a high 5.  It couldn't have been more perfect.  They all gave him a high 5 and then we made our way over to his station where Emily sat on his lap and the other 2 were happy to stand in front of him. 

I love it when a plan works out..............(said by Pete). 

Time

Where does it go?  It's after 10:00.  I'm tired (what's new) and there's still so much to do.  Pete and I are just getting home so I'm keeping this short.  The girls and I have to get up and out by 7:30 tomorrow morning.  So I need to get off the computer and get ready for tomorrow.  :)

Oh Emily

Emily is so needy when she is sick.  The past two days she has been a hand full.  "I can't do it" when you ask her to do something or "I can't move" when you ask her to stand up.  "my bunny" every five seconds.  "I need to sit on the couch".  So glad I get to go to work. 

Sleepy

I'm really sleepy lately!  Probably cuz the girls are just waking up so many times at night.  Although last night they slept ALL through the night.  We went to bed at 9:00 (yeah that's right!) and we didn't get out of bed till 6:30.  Whaaaaaaaaaaaat!!!!!!!!!!!!

But I'm still tired.  So this post is short and sweet.

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY to MEME and her identical twin sister SHUSHI!!!!!  *(so yeah - I can honestly say YES - IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY). 

Sunday Funday MEday!

Today was a planned ME day.  Once we were all up (bright and early thanks to the girls) Pete took a shower and got himself ready while I got the girls ready.  I saw them out the door by 8:15!!! 

They all went to Pete's parents house for the day.  I stayed behind and got a TON of stuff done.  I cleaned for 3 hours (more like scrubbed with my bottle of bleach).  LB was here and helping to clean as well. Then I took a shower and got out of here to head to a basket ball game.  Alex's game was amazing!  She didn't score but she sure did have some assists.  She's a great player and considering she's only 8 and this was her very 1st game - I think she's got a promising bball career ahead of her! 

After the game I headed to the mall to use a coupon at Yankee Candle (I love that place).  Then it was off to have some coffee at Rita's.  After coffee I headed to Target and then to Walmart - both places to return stuff.  Then I hit up the grocery store.  Back at home - where dinner was in the process of being cooked by my older brother.  I did more cleaning (making beds with clean sheets and just odds and ends - there's never an end to cleaning). 

Pete and the girls came home around 6:45 - a bit of a late night for the girls.  So we hung out for a bit before giving them baths and getting them in bed.  They were in bed by 8:00 and sleeping soundly. 

It was a GREAT day.  It did make me wonder what I did with all my free time before kids. 

Weekends

What are weekends?  They fly by so quickly when they are here that I almost miss them!  Hannah woke up a couple of times last night - she's been having a lot of nightmares lately and since she sleep walks - we get up to check on her to make sure she's not climbing into bed with one of her sisters.  (She'll get up out of bed and think she's getting back in her own bed but really is getting in bed with one of the other 2). 

Once we were up - we had to get dressed and get moving.  We all ventured out to get the oil changed in the car (there's a McD's next door to the dealership and it has a play yard).  After we came home from that it was time to take naps.

Nap time came and went and then - the girls went to a Princess Birthday Party with LB (but not for LB).  lol
They were so excited to talk about it when they came home!  They had a lot of fun although I'm told they were a bit shy at 1st.  That's usually the case anyway.  But they warmed up and they came home with lots of loot from the party.  There was a pinata and instead of the girls grabbing candy when it broke open - they grabbed the whistle blowers.  And they were certainly not shy to show me how they work when they got home.  Hannah was blowing that whistle right up until bed time.  I think we'll have to find more for their stockings :)

Friday

We had to get up and moving today.  Hailey had a doctor appointment so we dropped Emily and Hannah off at Grandma's house and took Hailey to the doctor.  She was loving her one on one time with us.  After the doctor we took her to Friendly's she loved it, no sisters to compete with.  I had to go into work so we picked up Emily and Hannah and went home.  I headed to work and the girls took a nap.  After nap Michelle took them to the park and CVS.

We did it.

wow we made it through the day.  Emily still has a fever and now I, daddy doesn't feel good.  Hannah and Hailey were not that crabby today even with sinus infections.  Emily got up in the middle of the night.  She was hot so I gave her medicine and a sip of water and we laid on the couch.  After we all got up we went to Costco to get much needed supplies.  We had lunch there and I let the girls try Sprite.  They didn't like it they took one sip and said to thank you.  I think the bubbles bothered them.  This Costco is right next to a Coco Keys indoor water park with a huge slide that comes out of the building then back in.  Emily was sleeping in the car as we got there and then all of a sudden we hear from Emily "That not scare me".  She was looking at the water slide she didn't take her eyes off it as we drove by.  After we got home the girls took a nap and so did I man I feel like crap.  Mommy took them to the park after nap and then she made dinner and then we gave them a bath and then we read books and then we put them to sleep.

Fevers

Last nights sleep cycle wasn't any better than the night before.  Except this time - Emily woke up at 3:00 with a fever of 102.1 - after some Tylenol and sleeping on the couch next to me - I took her temp again at 8:00 and it was 103.2.  Since she already had an appt at the doctor at 9:30 - there was no need to call.

I got all 3 there and figured since I was there - they can check out Hannah & Hailey as well because they've been kind of congested and stuffy for a few days.  Turns out they ALL had fevers (I don't take their temp unless they're burning up), Emily has an ear infection and the other 2 each have a sinus infection. 

Emily's fever held steady between 103 and 104 (at one point it was 104.5) for the rest of the day.  This is WITH Tylenol and Motrin.  In the summer this would have been a no brainer - throw her in the pool and cool her down!  But today - it was only about 40 degrees so the pool wasn't an option.  Rather than risk the tub (a dangerous activity with 3 cranky toddlers and only one set of adult hands) we had some 'water play' fun.  I gave them each a bucket of cold water and opened up a box of macaroni.  Who knew they could cool off AND have fun at the same time?  They enjoyed putting the macaroni in the water and taking it back out again.  It was only time to call it an end to the fun when they started throwing hand fulls of water at each other LOL. 

On that note - in the pics on their blog you'll see a blanket on the table.  I keep a sheet and blanket that I use for pretty much EVERYTHING.  The blanket was on the table today because I knew how much water would get spilled and I needed something big enough to soak it all up (without having to stand over them with a towel).  When they paint or color or use play dough - I usually use the sheet.  I'll throw it on the ground outside or on the floor in the living room.  I'll use it to cover the table in the kitchen or even in the grocery cart at the grocery store (ok only once I had to that but I was glad I had the blanket in the car!).  Point being - this keeps me from having to worry about any mess they make.  They can make a mess all over themselves (they're washable!) and all over the blanket or sheet because I don't care if those get stained.  It saves our carpet and table from mass destruction!!!!! 

Hopefully they'll all wake up feeling better tomorrow.  It's been a rough week and it's only Wednesday. 

sleep?

The girls have been waking up every night, several times a night.  Last night I told myself I would make sure I remembered when they woke up.  Here it is:

I went to bed at midnight.  Right before going to sleep - Hannah woke up (she had a nightmare).

1:00 - Hailey woke up

1:30 - Emily woke up

4:00 - Hannah again

4:30 - Hailey again

5:30 - All of them were up for the day

It's like having newborns all over again.  I'm exhausted.  Pete's exhausted.  And to top it off - I think I have the flu now. 

Guess when I got my flu shot?  TODAY!  I tried to get it before but my insurance company wouldn't pay for me to get it at CVS so I had to make an appt at work at occupational medicine.  Today was the 1st appt they had.  I called 2 weeks ago. 

I'm going to look at the bright side...throwing up will help me jump start some weight loss. 

Snow

We woke up to a coat of slushy snow today.  I grabbed 3 buckets and a shovel and went out to get the kids some snow that we could play with in the house since it was way too cold out (and way too early).  The 1st thing Emily said was 'I eat it?'  Lol...yeah - you can eat it baby...but never eat the yellow snow. 

Pete had to leave for work by 7:00 today so it was an early start to the day.  After he left we played with the snow, ate (snow and breakfast), played with toys, ate more (the girls ate like little piggies today!) and eventually made it to nap time. 

After nap we colored eggs.  We had some egg coloring kits hanging around so we put them to use on this cold snowy day.  Who says eggs can only be colored on Easter?  We're an 'outside the box' kinda family! 

After we colored eggs we took a short drive to get out of the house for a few.  Then back home where Pete joined us shortly after.  We all had dinner and then it was time for baths and bed. 

The girls drove me NUTS today but I think it was me not them (for once).  Eh - tomorrow is another day.

Again!

I forgot to do the blog last night!!!! 

The girls and I went to Chuck E Cheese yesterday for Christina's bday party.  It was a good time for everyone and it tired the girls out so they took nice naps.

Last night after they went to bed I was just hanging out in my pj's.  My uncle text me at 10:00 to say 'meet me at Rookies'.   Rookies is a sports bar that's right down the street from me.  So I changed out of my pj's and met him there!  The rest is downhill from there.  Let's just say I had a great time - although I'm paying for it today.  And a big thank you to LB for coming to get me and saving me from walking home :)

Today...was a blur. 

The girls woke up, ate, took naps, played, and went to bed.  Not all at the same time but that pretty much sums it up. 

Ooops

I did post yesterday - just on the wrong blog.  Sorry!  But here it is:  http://luccotriplets.blogspot.com/

Today was another lovely day with cranky kids.  Emily is unreal lately.  She claims to not be able to move when she's on the floor. She'll say 'I'm stuck, can't get up.'  Or 'Can't move, help'  Sometimes it's funny but most times not really because she usually does it when it's time to do something. 

We went out to lunch with Owen and my brother Peter.  He called to see if we wanted to go to Stew Leonard's and surprisingly enough - it was really entertaining for the kids!  So we grabbed some food and ate in their dinning area then headed home.  The girls took naps - and it wasn't too long before Pete came home from work.

Off to meet my sister and niece for dinner at McD's (they have an indoor play area...gross but it lets them get out some energy).  We spent too much time there and ended up getting home really late.  So they're finally sleeping.  They did sleep all night last night so hopefully it's the start of a trend lol

Really?!?!

After the girls kept us up all freakin' night last night (for NO GOOD REASON) other than 'I want mommmmmyyy!' just to turn around and say 'I want daddddddyyyyy!'  Mostly Hailey.  She drives us NUTS with her attitude.  She will win any screaming contest hands down.  Even against me!  And she does not give up for anything.  GRRRRRRRRRR

Then this morning - as tired as I was since they were up until 12:30 screaming and then woke up at 5:30...I stumbled my way to getting them clothes to wear.  Well Emily refused to wear the shirt I picked out for her because it had pockets or polka dots or some crazy thing.  I picked it out of the laundry basket of clothes that I had just washed...she wore this SAME shirt 2 days ago!  It was JUST FINE 2 days ago.  GRRRRRR

So we manage to get through our morning and they woke up from their naps in pretty decent moods.  We waited for LB to get home from class and then we headed to the mall.  We had to do some shopping for Christina since tomorrow is her bday.  Well for some no good reason the mall turned into meltdown city for Hailey.  GRRRRRRRRRRR

We get home and Pete had dinner ready.  We ate, changed the girls into their pj's (another argument from Emily because she didn't want the pj's I chose) and then it was time for bed.  Bed time has been a battle lately.  The girls just cry and ask for me then ask for Pete and although we leave the room and say good night - they end up at the door screaming and eventually we have to go back in their.  GRRRRRRRRRRR

It's not easy to just let them cry because there are 3 of them and if even one of them is sleeping - while the other one is screaming...we don't want the one that's sleeping to wake up.  Plus Hailey is an angry little child so she becomes self destructive.  GRRRRRRRRRRR

Letter to my toddlers

Dear Hannah, Hailey & Emily,

I'm sorry.  I apologize for not knowing that even though the color red was acceptable for a shirt color yesterday - it no longer is acceptable today.  I am sorry I put your left foot in your pants 1st instead of your right.  I'm sorry I gave you the purple cup when you really wanted the yellow one, only to change your mind (after I caved and gave you the yellow) back to actually wanting the purple because that one is 'yours'.  I didn't know.  I also was unaware that sharing a couch cushion with you was conditional upon your mood. 

I'm sorry I took you to the park with 'too many' slides instead of the park with 12 slides.  And I assure you I didn't know that the Dora pajamas were too tight.  I'm sure they'll fit just fine tomorrow though!  I didn't know you wanted your socks put on before your shirt and I will do better to remember next time the order in which you prefer to get dressed. 

I apologized to the mailman, neighbor and neighbors dog on your behalf today.  Apparently they are no longer your friends (they were your friends yesterday so we were to assume that this was still the case today).   My bad. 

I will throw away ALL of the purple pop pops and the broken ones as well.  They shall be replaced with only the best of what you want....for the moment. 

Should you all decide to change your mind about anything else, or deem it necessary to point out my oversights via nuclear meltdowns - it will be ok with me.  Because I love you :) 

Love,
Mommy

Happy Halloween

Trick or treat!!!  The girls had a blast going trick or treat.  We took our 3 Princesses to 3 of our neighbors houses, yes only 3 houses.  We wanted to give them a taste of what Halloween is all about but they didn't need to circle the neighborhood.  Then we brought them to Grandma's house to spend the night so we could hit the town.  Well, Titi and Bobby took the girls trick or treating down 2 whole streets.  The girls had the best time.  Emily and Hailey got right to work they said trick or treat, got their candy and were ready for the next house.  Hannah had a little trouble she would just stand there after getting her candy.  Don't know what she was waiting for but all 3 of them filled their buckets and were so proud of their loot.  Of course being 2 year olds they can't eat all the candy so I'll be glad to eat it all, lol. 

BEARS

The girls were bears today.  I don't know if it was due to their flu shots yesterday or what.  But they were no fun to be around for most of the day.

We did manage to get out this morning with Lucy and Alex.  We headed over to TJMaxx where Lucy bought Hannah her winter coat.  We were suppose to go out to lunch after that but there was NO WAY I was taking these guys anywhere except home to bed! 

When they woke up I thought they would be in better moods.  NOPE!  So we ended up taking them to the park to burn off their crankiness (it worked for the most part).

Then we hit the 5:00 mass on the way home. 

Now they're sleeping and they better stay that way all night!  And they also better wake up in better moods. 

Fun Friday with mommy

Fun Friday started with a flu shot for the girls.  They did great not one tear and they got their pop pop.  Then they hit the park for some playscape fun.  After lunch they went down for a nap and mommy cleaned and cleaned.  No rest for supermom.  Then in the afternoon Jen and Christopher visited.  Christopher and the girls played all afternoon.  When I came home from work I helped get dinner ready and we all ate some yummy food.  The girls were wiped out from the fun packed day, and so was mommy.  Christopher and Jen left and it was bath, brush teeth and read books, now the girls are sound asleep. 

Story time & Dance

I brought the girls to story time today for the 1st time.  It was great because there were actually other kids there (even a set of identical twin girls a little younger than the trio).  The woman was dressed up like Cat in the Hat!  She read them a book, then they had some craft, then they were handed a musical instrument to march around the store with (we were at Barnes & Noble) and the parade ended at the cafe where there was someone waiting to hand them a cookie! 

After story time - we came home and the girls took a 2 & 1/2 hour nap.  That left NO time to get ready before leaving for dance.  So they literally woke up, got changed and we were out the door.  Went to dance where they participated for a little bit towards the end of the class.  Of course they were willing to show off their skills of being able to do somersaults. 

Then it was off to McD's for food and fun with Grumps.  The girls just love that germ infested play scape.  They also love hanging out with Grumps :)

Hump Day..

In the 'working' world - Wednesday = Hump Day.  In the 24/7 world - Wednesday = what day is it again?  Point being - they all blend together.  And rather than looking at days in terms of deadlines or what needs to be done - it's looked at in terms of what day is story time at Barnes & Noble and what day is Dance again?  Not negative changes - but changes all the same. 

Pete had to be to work early today.  We got up early for once - so he got to work on time for once.  I was able to shower before the girls woke up which was great.  When they woke up we had breakfast and they desperately needed a bath.  They didn't get one last night because we got home so late.  So I threw their tiny butts in the tub and gave them a bath.  It was fine bathing them alone.  Usually it's a 2 man job but they're getting old enough to understand the dangers of the tub.  Hitting their head one too many times was probably key to their understanding.  Not that I walked away from them at all...I wouldn't consider it.  But being able to focus on washing one while the other 2 play is a blessing in itself.  YOU put 3 of your kids in the tub and let me know how much fun it is :)  Oh - and let me know how dry you are in the end LOL

After bath the girls were getting on my nerves - truth be told I woke up in a horrid mood.  So I'm sure they were being fine but I was the one being critical.  Anyhow - I had enough of their comments of  'I can't do it!'  'Mommy help meeeeeee!'  'Mommy YOU do it for me!'  Ugh.  DONE DONE DONE  I finally threw their clothes at them and simply said 'Tags go in the back.  Get dressed or you're going to Grandma's house NAKED!'  And at that point I think I really meant it. 

Emily's response was to continue playing.

Hannah's response was 'Uh oh...I no be naked mom!'  And she started to get herself dressed.

Hailey's response - she was dressed, tags in the back...in less than 3 minutes.  She then proceeded to help Hannah.  Hannah was putting her pants on backwards which I don't really care about but Hailey knew and so she took Hannah's pants off and said "No Poodle - dis way" 

Emily was getting dressed at this point.  She had her pants on her legs but claimed she was 'stuck' and couldn't stand up.  Hailey finished helping Hannah and ran over to Emily and helped her stand up.

They all needed minimal help getting their shirts on so I helped.  But in the end I learned something.  I underestimate their abilities.  I'm always in such a hurry to get to the next part of our day that I just DO things for them.  It's easier for ME if I get them dressed.  It takes much less time and patience.  But at the same time - I'm taking away...rather withholding...their independence.  And independence is something that I want them to have. 

See - sometimes it helps to wake up raunchy!

Poodle = some pet name they've all picked up for each other.  I have no idea where they got it but they all call each other Poodle now.  Mostly it's "c'mon poodle!"   

Indian Summer

I love it!  The girls and I went for a long walk this morning.

I had a meeting with some people from the Attorney Generals office (they came here when the girls were sleeping).

Then we went to hang out with Alex after school and helped her do some homework.  And we played outside and even stayed for dinner (how could we say no to some good home cookin' from Rita!!!). 

We stayed out way past our bedtime but that's the good thing that comes with getting a little bit older...the girls can handle a change in schedule every now and then.  Tonight was well worth it :) 

Oh boy

The girls and I had a great day.  The weather was nice so we took advantage and went for a long walk this morning.  After their naps we went to the mall just to hang out and then stopped by to see Rosemary.  She was kind enough to do some shopping for the girls (whenever I need anything - she's there to shop!).  So we had some stuff to pick up and then headed back home. 

The 'oh boy' part comes from someone else's kid tonight though!  After the girls went to bed I needed to decompress and headed over to a friends house.  She had 2 kids - one of them is 8.  And said 8 y/o has a book report due on Friday.  She chose a rather lengthy book to read which I have no doubt she can read.  However; she only ready 1/3 of it so far!  The book report is due Friday!  OMG!  So the night was spent prepping her on how she's gonna finish and be able to hand it in on time.  She's a smart kid but didn't make such a smart choice leaving this to the last minute. 

Is this MY future?!?!  Am I going to have to read the books my girls are reading?  Am I going to be doing reports and math problems until I'm 90?!?!  A bit of a stretch I know...but the meaning is there.   Seriously part of me wants to map out their academic future right now.  Meet the teachers, get the assignments and just get started!  LOL  At least this will ensure 'we' are not behind.  Because let's face it - it's not just the kids that get the homework! 

PS:  I spelled 'academic' wrong before the spell check.    Oh boy....................

..........

The worst is that I'm still not over burying my father.  I don't get time to go and see him as often as I'd like (I don't take the girls there).  I cry A LOT and it sucks.  I can't stop thinking and focusing on his last moments in the hospital bed.  I wish I never saw that.  I wish to God that he had passed peacefully and we were never in the position to have to make that life altering decision.  I wish I didn't have to see the people that came to grieve and I wish I had more time to tell him the things I'd like to say. 

There was a lot more to this post but most of it got deleted.  I think I just need some sleep right now.

Saturday

Weekends are fun - and I'm loving the warmer than usual weather lately.  Today the girls slept until 7:30 WHOOOOO HOOOOO!  We didn't have plans for the day just hung out.  We went to the park before nap - then after the girls took naps we went out and played for a bit.  Now they're sleeping :) 

Fun Friday

Today the girls and I went to visit Pete's dad at work.  They LOVED showing off their cuteness and being the center of attention :) 

The rest of the day was spent chillin' 

Daddy's new plan

Our Morning routine isn't working.  Time for change.  The girls used to get up at 5:30am now they get up at 7am so we do too.  No more.  I need to get up at 6am and in the shower so after I have time to watch the girls while Michelle takes a shower or help get the girls ready if they are going somewhere, and still get to work by 8am.  I have been rushing like a chicken with its head cut off and getting to work late and it puts all of us in a bad mood.  Also no more fast food at lunch, I'll bring my lunch to work.  At night after the girls go to bed, no more farmville.  I'll be working out every other night now.  Bye bye soda hello water.

Moon Dance

Today was wicked busy!  I had an appt to get my stitches removed (the incision is infected but some antibiotics and time should take care of that), then I had some errands to run.  This was all done sans kids as they were home and Pete's mom was watching them.  Then it was home to play and get the girls ready for the day (the morning started off rough so the girls were still in their pj's when I left).  They took naps, I cleaned and folded laundry.

Then it was time for DANCE!  Yay!  Or not.............  They didn't dance.  I'm not surprised.  It'll take time. But they looked cute :)

After dance we met up with Grumps at McD's before the drive home.  They ate and played...and played hard.  They even went in that disgusting gross filthy lovely nice clean indoor playground McD's sports.  

On the ride home the following conversation took place:

Hananh: Turn the music down it's too loud!
Me:  Ok - sorry.  I'll turn it down.  (we were playing a game and singing so the loud music was part of the game).
Hannah:  (as serious as could be) I want to talk to you.
Me:  About what?
Hannah:  The moon.
Me: (laughing) The moon?  What about the moon?
Hannah:  I'm just going to go there.  *please note - she was soooo freakin' serious about this
Me:  How are you going to get there?
Hannah:  In this car! 
Emily: (instantly crying...a real cry)
Me:  Emily what's wrong?!?!
Emily:  Emmie no wanna go to the mooooooooon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Me:  (laughing so hard) Emily honey - we're not going to the moon.  We're gonna go home and see Daddy.
Hannah:  I'm going to the moon. 
Hailey:  Not me. 

Needless to say - we came home.  No moon dance for us tonight. 

Bullied

Happy Hump Day.  The girls and I kept a low profile today.  We needed to catch up on some sleep so we stayed home and slept!  We all took naps and then just to get out of the house we headed to the car wash (1st time for the girls).  After that we headed to the park. 

Hailey had her 1st bully experience at the park today.  All 3 of the girls were running up a long ramp over to a slide, sliding down and then running back to the beginning of the ramp.  Hailey got separated from the other 2 at one point and stopped to wait for them.  She was standing right in front of me.  On the ramp was a little boy - maybe a little younger than the girls but he was bigger than them.  He looked Hailey right in the eyes, pointed at her and said 'NO!' basically telling her she can't come up the ramp.  Then he proceeded to spit at her.  I didn't move a muscle.  I wanted to see how Hailey reacted.  IT BROKE MY HEART.  She put her hands over her eyes and pretended she didn't see him.  And then she wouldn't go up the ramp. 

What I wanted to tell her to do:  You go tell this punk to back the f*ck up and move over.  And make sure you push him off the ramp while you're at it. 

What I actually said:  Hailey - what he did wasn't acceptable.  Just say no thank you and go around him. 

By that point Hannah & Emily were at the beginning of the ramp ready to run up and I asked them to wait for Hailey.  But she still wouldn't go.  Ugh.  You just can't fight every battle for them.  And they have to learn to fight their own battles.  She did eventually end up going by him after a bit.  And his mom came over.  I never said a word to her...I knew I didn't have to because he told her to 'go away' when he saw her.  But her reply was 'I can't go away - I need to make sure you're not being bad.'  That says it all. 

The rest of the day at the park was nothing but fun. 

Tomorrow we're going to try to make it to dance...

Good day

Today was a good day.  Girls spent the day at Grandma's. 

Monday?

Man - today didn't seem like a Monday for some reason.  The night last night was R O U G H to say the least.  The girls were up between 10 - 2 and Pete and I just didn't get much sleep.  These are the nights I feel like no one in the world understands what we go through sometimes.  But - it's our life and no one else should have to understand. 

The girls woke up like nothing happened last night.  Ugh if I could only let things go so easily.  Maybe I can learn from them.  Christina 'slept' over last night (she ended up going down to LB's room and sleeping with him down there - she wasn't able to sleep through the chaos of the girls screaming).  Pete left for work and the girls and I woke up Christina at 8:30.  We had plans to head over to my brother Peters house for breakfast.  We didn't get out of the door until 9:45.  Getting 4 kids ready in the morning - WOW.  One more kid added to the bunch doesn't seem like much but it is.  It wasn't chaotic - just busy. 

We had breakfast with Pete (and Owen) and then headed back home around noon.  See how the time flies by?  It felt like we just woke up but at this point all I did was get us all ready & go hang out with my brother!  We came back and all of us took naps (me included) and when we woke up we decided to go the mall.  Pete was coming home from work early so we waited for him...then all took off to the mall. 

The mall was super fun today because we went to a different mall and the girls got to ride a choo choo train (not their wagon...lol - this one was real).  They had a small train taking kids for rides around the top floor.  It was really cool and the girls all enjoyed themselves. 

Then we came home, Christina went home, the girls got baths and went to bed.

I had to go to the store for some bandages for my wrist (and let me just say - I came home without them...because for some reason I bought everything else in the store EXCEPT what I actually went there for!).  I heard Hannah and Hailey talking.............hmmmm.  They should be sleeping - it's already 8:30.  Something told me something was different.  So I went upstairs and what did I find?  I found Hailey in Hannah's bed with her.  The 2 of them were laying down and talking to each other.  Ahhhh it melted my heart.  How sweet.  Pete and I were curious to see how long it would take for them to realize they could easily climb into bed with each other.  I did break up the buddy system though.  Hailey went back to her bed and they fell asleep shortly after.  Oh - and Emily was zonked at this point. She loves her sleep :)

Sunday Sunday Sunday

Pete had to do some work on his car.  So as not to be in his way - the girls and I spent the day away from home - and left Pete to do his thang.  It was hard to get motivated this morning but we managed to get dressed and out the door by 10.  We headed over to my friend Lucy's house and started the morning there by making banana pancakes.  Alex and Brianna were there so the girls had fun playing with them while Lucy & I had COFFEE!  We left there and headed to Toys R Us...no better place to make a Christmas Wish list! 

I really have been meaning to get the kids there so I could see if they were ready for some of the things I had picked out for them.  We can take tricycles, helmets and big wheels off the list.  We can add My Little Pony interactive noisy toy things though!  LOL  They were drawn to the My Little Pony section and mostly to the things they were able to play with that talked, whistled or made some loud obnoxious noise.  They also love coloring - so the Crayola section was stimulation overload for them.  It's hard to choose the things I think we will get the most use out of - especially knowing how expensive these things are when you have to buy them new.  I'm a BIG fan of used toys.  I was also recently reminded of how on their 1st Christmas I wrapped empty boxes just so it looked like we had tons of stuff when really we didn't.  Hahahahaha (I'm STILL laughing at this!). 

Christmas is really weighing on my mind.  Last year I think I did a post about how I just can't keep telling people 'no' and accept what people give to the kids.  Just say 'thank you' and move on.  Because I am EXTREMELY thankful for anything we receive.  But there has to be boundaries.  And I'm convinced already that xmas and bday's in this house are going to be pure gluttony.  I don't want it to be that way.  The girls are SPOILED ROTTEN by everyone they know.  They come from a big family and we have a lot of close friends.  We have had 3 BIG bday parties for them EACH year (and probably will each and every year going forward).  We have a minimum of 3 Christmas parties to attend every year as well.  I don't want these 2 holiday's to become all about presents and getting things.  I have to start thinking now about how we're going to prevent this from happening. 

The girls did great today being out all day and not having the chance to take naps.  They didn't have one melt down - not a single one.  And they also went to bed and right to sleep at 6:00 tonight.  Extra bonus for us!!!!

Saturday

Today flew by.  Girls got up about 6:30am.  Before we knew it it was 11am.  The girls took a nap, we put our new choo choo wagon together (review coming soon) and took showers.  After the girls got up we headed to Grandma's house for dinner. 

Fun Friday

Fun Friday with me isn't as much fun as it was with LB but hey - so goes life.  The girls and I took a walk this morning and after their 3 hour nap (yes...3 full hours) we sang and danced (trying to get them use to some loud music!).  We also watched the building next to ours get power washed - that was fun for the girls to see.  Carl is sleeping over tonight.  Hopefully he'll sleep till 7 like the girls have been lately :)

Go with the flow

One thing I've learned since having kids is that if you get worked up over change - you're gonna lose your mind.  You MUST go with the flow and make things as easy as possible in every situation. 

I had a post op appt this morning at 8:00.  My mother in law came here to watch the girls and I was up, showered and out of the house by 7:30.  (It felt great too).  After my appt (thing went well) I headed to Target because the girls needed leotards and tights for their very 1st dance class today.  Then it was back home to the girls to make sure these things fit right and we were ready for dance. 

I bought 5 leotards.  I knew one would fit Emily.  I bought 2 sizes each for Hannah & Hailey.  I will return the 2 that don't fit...but needed to make sure they had something for today.  My own fault for waiting until the last minute but so goes life sometimes.  The wedding, then surgery - dance took last place. 

They tried them on - loved them and didn't want to take them off.  Great!  We're off to a good start because tights aren't something they wear everyday so this could have gone the opposite direction.  I've got a good feeling this is all going to be perfect.  They went right down for naps today with the promise that as soon as they woke up - we'd get in the car and head to dance class.  And that's what we did...but we detoured to get my friend's daughter 1st.  I wasn't sure how much help I would need having the 3 of them in the class so I opted to get my friends daughter and have her help me out.  The girls can get pretty cranky (aka: pissy) about someone being in the car with them so all the way there I kept saying 'We're going to get Alex and then we're going to dance!'  They got excited - I got excited...yay! 

I get there....and no one was home!  Her grandfather took her to HER house and was waiting for me there.  I was waiting at her grandfathers house!  Mixed signals turned into lost time and we ended up missing the dance class.  I DID consider just leaving and going to the class without Alex.  But the girls were so excited that as soon as I started pulling out of the parking lot they flipped out.  "Noooo!  You forgot Alex!!!!!!!!!"  So I called and said we wouldn't make it to dance, waited for Alex, came back home with all 4 of them, Pete ordered pizza...and we enjoyed the evening at home hanging out.  The girls didn't really care they missed dance.  They were just as happy to stay in the dance outfits and hang out at home with Alex.  So no worse for the wear (I have no idea what that phrase even means).  We'll try again next week to make it on time :) 

oh the pain

The girls had a good day.  Michelle single handily, literaly, took care of the girls today.  She had some help but only for a few hours.  Her hand really hurts today and its all black and blue now.  She goes to the doctor tomorrow.  The girls collected leaves outside and glued them on paper.  Ofcourse they thought the glue sticks were chap stick.  lol  Well its way to late for me to replay the whole day so good night.

OUCH

still......in......pain

sweet

the girls did awesome as flower girls

best wedding we have been to in a very long time

i'm typing 1 handed - had surgery on my left wrist

peace out

Happy Wedding Day!!!

Today Nick & Sara are getting married!  Yup...on a Sunday.  Because............the date is 10/10/10!  The girls are going to be the flower girls :) 

So we're busy getting ready - and hopefully Sara and Nick aren't nervous (but I'm sure they are).  They're going to be great together. 

Congratulations Nick & Sara!  You will have ups & downs, good and bad, laughs and tears...but most of all you will have each other. 

What a day

Wow, daddy got his butt kicked today.  I don't know how mommy does it all day every day.  The girls were really good all day but they take a lot of  energy out of you.  AND boy does time fly.  The girls and I made blueberry muffins for breakfast.  I gave Hailey an egg, she said " I crack it" and slammed it down on the table.  I laughed and told her not to worry I'll clean it up.  I gave her the egg.  Then I let all 3 of them put the muffin cups in the pan and stir the batter.  Later in the day Michelle and I were talking about getting a play climber or something to keep the girls entertained during winter.  Michelle called her cousin Jen to see what she had and found that Jen had a play house we could have.  Not only did she have one for us but she said she could bring it to us today.  While the girls took a nap we cleaned the living room and made space for the house.  Once Jen got here, with Christopher, I washed the house while all the kids played.  Once clean we put the play house in the living room and the girls love it.  Somehow the afternoon flew by.  Jen and Christopher left.  Uncle Andy came over in the mist of the moving of furniture.  It was now 6pm and the girls need to eat, get a bath, and Michelle needs to leave she has a dinner to go to.  I got the bath ready while Michelle got the dinner ready.  Team work.  Uncle Andy and I gave the kids a bath and put them to bed with no problems.  Now I need sleep.

Sleepy

Short post tonight cuz I'm sleepy!  And Hannah keep waking up so it might be a long night.  The girls did GREAT at rehearsal last night.  I can only hope they keep their good spirits and cute attitudes for the actual wedding.  Only time will tell though. 

We had a great day today and since they didn't take naps today - they went to bed early.  Something I'm planning to do right now..............

Early post today!

Before I post about today - I totally forgot that in yesterdays post I should have included a great big...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA to Pete's mom!  Yesterday was her birthday - and although they're going away this weekend we're hoping to get together when they get back. 

Tonight - the girls and I are headed to the rehearsal dinner.  Actually - only I'm going to dinner.  I'm driving the girls to the church to practice for the wedding...then Pete is going to meet me there after he gets out of work.  He's going to come get them and we'll trade cars so he can bring them home and I can go to the dinner.  They are all gonna eat McD's on the way home :) 

The girls are still sleeping - and have been for 3 hours now.  This is after they slept for 13.5 hours last night!  They went to sleep at 5:30 last night and didn't wake up until 7:00 this morning.  Then they went to sleep at 11:30 for their naps and it's now 2:20 and they're not up yet.  I'm going to have to wake them up soon though....gonna take us some time to get ready for tonight! 

Oh and I'm OH SO VERY FREAKIN' EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Why you ask?  Ok maybe you didn't but I'm gonna tell you anyway - the girls start DANCE LESSONS next week!  Yippie!!!!!  My cousin Kate owns a Dance Studio - KDCP up in Massachusetts.  We're not only going to get the best of dance lessons - but we're gonna be able to hang out with family at the same time.  The best of both worlds if you ask me. 

And the wait goes on and on and on and........

With no 'job' to report to - waking up and getting ready in the morning is a slow process now.  This morning was no different.  Pete and I wake up around 6:30 - 6:45.  We get the girls, head downstairs and I've taken over the morning routine of making their milk and getting them dressed.  The getting dressed part isn't high on the morning priority list lol.  Also - since we opt to sleep in a bit...I have to shower after Pete leaves - which means I can wait until the girls take a nap and then shower.  Or I can (and do) have them watch a video on the computer in the bathroom while I shower.  Then I move the computer to our bed & let them finish watching their video while I get dressed. 

Today - Hailey REALLY wanted to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse BABY GOOFY!  (Insert cute toddler voice saying BABY GOOFY PLEASE!).  I just wanted to have my cup of coffee.  She was so cute and persistent that I said fine and we all went upstairs where I showered and dressed while they watch their show.  I thanked Hailey for this later because...

I had been talking to a friend that works in the ortho dept where I need to have my ganglion cyst removed.  I was trying to get my surgery scheduled for this month (the pain sucks!) and she was trying to make this happen.  At 10:30 I got a phone call asking if I could be in Avon by 12:00 (it was a 40 min drive).  The girls were still in their pj's but luckily - I was showered and dressed :) 

I said yup - made the appt, hung up the phone and yelled down the basement stairs to LB that I need help!  He got the girls dressed while I got their stuff ready to go.  We were out the door in less than 15 minutes.  We got to the doctors office at 11:30 and.............waited.....and waited......and waited....and left to go get the kids McD's for lunch.......and waited and waited......until 1:30. 

It was a long wait.  But I have to say - the girls were EXCELLENT.  They weren't whiny or cranky AT ALL.  That's a long time for them to be couped up inside and not go stir crazy.  I won't lie though - I was hoping to be rescued.  This was one of those times when I would have gladly taken someone up on a 'I can come and get them' offer. 

But we made it through the appt - and made it home...without naps!  By 5:30 they were fed, bathed and sleeping for the night.............................

The days blend

That's how I feel being home with the girls.  The days just seem to blend together.  It's not bad - it's just different from being on a schedule and having to clock in 5 days a week.  I don't feel rushed...that much is for sure. 

Today we tackled a trip to CVS and then S&S.  My mom came along too so it didn't take us nearly as long as it would have if I were solo.  Got some stuff (forgot some stuff), came home, ate lunch and put the girls for a nap.  Hannah woke up 45 minutes before the other 2.  She was super excited to get some one on one time.  I let her help me do everything.  She set up snack by placing fruit bites on all their plates one at a time.  She helped me put a load of laundry in the washer.  She helped me get the mail.  She also helped me wash the paint off the pumpkins...so we could repaint them.  I love washable paint :) 

Then she also helped me wake up the other 2...lol.  Once they were all up we ate snack and when I asked if they wanted to help bake brownies they said NO!  Huh?  They were still pretty sleepy (on a rainy day like today - I can't blame them).  So I did the unthinkable.  I let the TV watch them (thank you Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for being on in the afternoon!) and I baked brownies.  The girls were being so good that I even had time to clean the kitchen and make dinner as well! 

Once Pete got home - I took the girls for a walk and when we got back it was time to eat!  We ate, enjoyed some brownies and then it was PLAY TIME! 

Now they're sleeping.  And we'll do this all over again tomorrow. 

Letter from a child with Autism

Someone posted this on FB - I found it enlightening and thought it was important to pass on.

Dear Family and Friends-



I understand that we will be visiting each other for some get-togethers this year. Sometimes these visits can be very hard for me, but here is some information that might help our visit to be more successful. As you probably know, I am challenged by a hidden disability called Autism, or what some people refer to as Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD). Autism/PDD is a neurodevelopmental disorder which makes it hard for me to understand the environment around me. I have barriers in my brain that you can’t see, but which make it difficult for me to adapt to my surroundings.


I may seem rude and abrupt or silly and out of control, but it is only because I have to try so hard to understand people and at the same time, make myself understood. People with autism have different abilities. Some may not speak, some will write beautiful poetry. Others are whizzes in math (Albert Einstein was thought to be autistic), or may have difficulty making friends. We are ALL different and need various degrees of support.

Sometimes when I am touched unexpectedly, it might feel painful and make me want to run away. I get easily frustrated, too. Being with lots of other people is like standing next to a moving freight train and trying to decide how and when to jump aboard. I feel frightened and confused a lot of the time. This is why I need to have things the same as much as possible. Once I learn how things happen, I can get by OK. But if something, anything, changes then I have to relearn the situation all over again! It is very hard.


When you try to talk to me, I often can’t understand what you say because there is a lot of distraction around. I have to concentrate very hard to hear and understand one thing at a time. You might think I am ignoring you – I am not. Rather, I am hearing everything and not knowing what is most important to respond to.


Get-togethers are exceptionally hard because there are so many different people, places and things going on that are out of my ordinary realm. This may be fun and adventurous for most people, but for me, it’s very hard work and can be extremely stressful. I often have to get away from all the commotion to calm down. It would be great if I had a private place set up to where I could retreat every time I go to get-togethers.


If I cannot sit at the meal table, do not think I am misbehaved or my parents have no control over me. Sitting in one place for even five minutes is often impossible for me. I feel so antsy and overwhelmed by all the smells, sounds, and people – I just have to get up and move about. Please don’t hold up your meal for me – go on without me, and my parents will handle the situation the best way they know how.


Eating in general is hard for me. If you understand that autism is a sensory processing disorder, it’s no wonder eating is a problem! Think of all the senses involved with eating. Sight, smell, taste, touch AND all the complicated mechanics that are involved. Chewing and swallowing is something that a lot of people with autism have trouble with. I am not picky – I literally cannot eat certain foods as my sensory system and/or oral motor coordination are impaired.


Don’t be disappointed if Mom hasn’t dressed me in the best clothes there are. It’s because she knows how much stiff and frilly clothes drive me buggy! I have to feel comfortable in my clothes or I will just be miserable. When I go to someone else’s house, I may appear crabby. Things have to be done in ways I am familiar with or else I might get confused and frustrated. It doesn’t mean you have to change the way you are doing things – just please be patient with me, and understanding of how I have to cope. Mom and Dad have no control over how my autism makes me feel inside. People with autism often have little things that they do to help themselves feel more comfortable. The grown-ups call it “self-regulation” or “stimming.” I might rock, hum, flick my fingers, tap a string, or any number of different things. I am not trying to be disruptive or weird. Again, I am doing what I have to do for my brain to adapt to your world. Sometimes I cannot stop myself from talking, singing, laughing, or doing an activity I enjoy. The grown-ups call this “perseverating” which is kinda like self-regulation or stimming. I do this only because I have found something to occupy myself that makes me feel comfortable. Perseverating behaviors are good to a certain degree because they help me calm down.


Please be respectful to my Mom and Dad if they let me “stim” for a while as they know me best and what helps to calm me. Remember that my Mom and Dad have to watch me much more closely than the average child. This is for my own safety, and preservation of your possessions. It hurts my parents’ feelings to be criticized for being over-protective, or condemned for not watching me close enough. They are human and have been given an assignment intended for saints. My parents are good people and need your support and not rude remarks.

Gatherings are filled with sights, sounds, and smells. The average household is turned into a busy, frantic, festive place. Remember that this may be fun for you, but it’s very hard work for me to conform. If I fall apart or act out in a way that you consider socially inappropriate, please remember that I don’t possess the neurological system that is required to follow some social rules. I am a unique person – an interesting person. I will find my place at these celebrations that is comfortable for us all, as long as you’ll try to view the world through my eyes!


-Author Unknown




I do not know who wrote this, I do feel it can help so many, Bless the child that wrote this letter.

Pete's home!

After a looooong weekend - Pete is finally home!   We all had a great day.  Lots of people came to our house to meet so we could all head out to the pumpkin patch.  We had fun on a hay ride and then picked out some big and some small pumpkins.  Tomorrow we'll be painting the pumpkins (for the 1st time...cuz the plan is to paint them everyday lol). 

365+

So today I was thinking "I wonder how long I've been doing the 365 blog?"  Because my plan was to blog everyday for one year straight.  And I did it (sort of).  I missed a few days back in March when I was in the hospital.  And there were a couple of days when Blogger was down.  But - I started the 365 on Sept 27, 2009!  That means it's been over a year!!! 

But - I'll continue to blog.  I think it'll be nice for the girls to read when they're older (or until they ask me to stop blogging about them...). 

Today the girls woke up on the WRONG SIDE OF THE BED to say the least.  They were up at 6 and from that point on it was just pure whining and crying and tantrums.  I had plans to hang out with my friend Lucy and her 2 kids today.  At 9 we started getting ready.  I brought the girls upstairs to watch their video on the computer while I showered.  Then after I showered and dressed - I got them dressed.  But throughout all of this they were still being so wicked cranky.  In the back of my mind I was saying 'they should really take an early nap and we shouldn't be going anywhere' but I really wanted to get out of the house.  So I convinced myself that once we were out of the house they would be fine. 

Usually it doesn't take me long to get us all ready but it took me 2 freakin' hours today.  By the time we were ready to walk out the door I was spent.  They were each on my last nerve.  I got them to the car, buckled them in and yet they were still crying.  I lost my flipping mind.  I unbuckled them, brought them kicking and screaming right back into the house, upstairs and put their little butts in bed.  Hailey was screaming at me that she wanted her blanket which was in the car.  By the time I went to the car and came back in - they were ALL sleeping.  And they slept for a solid 2.5 hours.  And so did I.  I knew better.  I should have gone with my instinct that they were too tired to try and get them to do anything or go anywhere.  They're only 2 - they can't tell me that they're tired...they rely on me to read their behavior.  But it was ME that wanted to go.  And I was just as tired as they were to tell the truth. 

When they woke up - we were all in much better moods.  We got up, got changed and left right away.  We met Lucy and her kids at Friendly's for lunch and then the girls went to spend some time with Titi.  I took full advantage of being trio free and hit the store for diapers, pull ups and wipes. 

After picking up the girls and coming home, LB helped me feed them, give them a bath and get them to bed.  They're now sleeping soundly :)

Pete is coming home from his camping trip tomorrow.  Yay!!!

Rainy Days

What a rainy day today.  It rained pretty much all day long.  The girls and I didn't go anywhere today.  We stayed home and just hung out to play.  We said goodbye to Pete this morning - he's off to VT for the whole weekend on a camping trip.  After that my mom came over for a little bit and then when it was nap time - we ALL took a nap (me included).  When we woke up we had some lunch and hung out some more.  The rain let up a little bit and at one point I had the front door open.  I know better than to leave it open without propping it so that the girls can't shut it (they love to slam it shut).  I heard the door slam and Hannah scream...her finger was completely shut in the door.  I thought for sure that when I opened the door her little finger was going to just fall off.  But luckily it didn't and I think it's just going to be a bad bruise.  Thank God for tiny fingers...they fit in the darnedest places...including door jams.  And thank God for cousins and aunts who call you back when you send a 'have you dealt with broken fingers?' texts.  I really didn't want to have to bring the girls to the ED.  I hate that place to begin with...and to have to bring all 3 on a rainy day would have sucked.  We iced her finger and put a band aid on it (she insisted - even though it didn't bleed lol). 

The girls went to bed easier than I thought they would tonight.  I thought for sure they would throw a fit because Pete wasn't here but I've been telling them all day that he's camping and they seemed to be ok with it.  They went right to sleep (with the promise of being able to call Daddy in the morning and waking him up lol).

Being home with the girls is....

Actually turning out to be quite fun and entertaining.  Today's escape took us to Walmart in the pouring rain.  POURING...as in - I got soaked just going to get the car to bring it closer to the house so the girls wouldn't get as soaked.  Rather than let them all walk and get soaking wet - I took them one by one under the umbrella.  Smart right?  But being the genius that I am - I didn't think about how I would get them from the car to the store though!  It was still pouring.  I had choices of course.  I could have turned around and gone home.  But then we wouldn't have gotten the things we needed/wanted.  I actually parked the car, climbed into the back seat (so I didn't have to get out and get wet again) and said out loud (but more to myself) "How am I gonna get you guys in the store...."  Emily doesn't skip a beat and says "Mommy - bring one at a time!"  Oh...duh - why didn't I consider that.  I can just leave you at the front door, come back, get Hailey, leave her with you (if you're still there) at the front door, come back, get Hannah and then we can all go about our merry shopping trip.  Right.  Plan C: wait out the rain.  That's not happening - so move to Plan D! 

Lucky for me - the guy parked next to me just showed up with an empty cart and left it next to the van :)  It was soaked so I couldn't just put the girls in there.  I grabbed a blanket from under the wagon the way back of the van (that took some strength since the wagon was on top of it lol).  Unbuckled the kids and got them all scrunched up in a bunch on the floor.  Opened the door, jumped out, threw the blanket in the cart, threw the kids on the blanket, threw the umbrella over the kids and VOILA!  We had a cart tent - 3 kids inside and they were ALL dry!  We did have to scratch a few things off our list since I didn't consider not being able to utilize the entire cart lol.  But the girls were more than willing to hold the following items:  marshmallows, goldfish, blueberry muffin mix and paint.  The rest went under the cart.  Oh - and the one item we desperately needed that brought us out in such a storm to begin with?  Lactaid...and they didn't have any.  Ahhhhh well.  It was well worth the trip.

Tomorrow - Pete is off to VT for the whole weekend.  Looks like the girls and I are gonna have to have a slumber party!

Happy Birthday

To me! I am taking the day off from blogging :)

Stick a fork in me

I'm sick.  Head cold, sinus infection...whatever it is - it's kicking my royal ass.  I also had some dental work done last week - and today my mouth is throbbing like crazy.  Add to that a trip to the girls doctor to get the flu MIST only to arrive and be told the girls have to have the injection.  And only 1/2 dose.  So we have to go back next month for the other 1/2.  That wasn't fun.  And now they're in bed crying that their 'boo boo still hurts'. 

The doctor also filled out my paperwork for work - and I'll have to be out 4 - 6 weeks.  That's IF the antibiotics work the 1st time and the 2nd round of testing comes back negative.  (The CDC requires 3 negative tests to consider the child negative of the c-diff and no longer contagious). 

With that said - the girls were (and really have been) very good.  Their attitudes are completely different lately.  They seem to be using their words more and more and whining less and less. 

They're doing better with going potty ON the potty and letting me know when they have to go.  They are wearing diapers though because with the diarrhea I don't want them to feel discouraged or upset about having an accident in their big girl underwear. 

The best part of today was later tonight we decided to ditch baths and go for a walk instead.  LB and I took the girls a different way than we usually go and we just ventured further than we anticipated.  What we also didn't anticipate was the torrential downpour that we got caught in!  We all ran (the girls were literally walking with us...no wagon!) to a big tree and hung out there for a minute before we decided to just head back home in the rain.  We didn't get far before Pete showed up with the van to rescue us.  We all jumped in the back, I threw Hannah & Emily in a car seat...no straps - and had Hailey on my lap while LB was sitting on the back of the seat that was folded down.  (We were in the complex...no worries).  But what's REALLY funny is just as Pete started to pull away - the CD player started playing a song that starts with "We all buckle up real tight...."  HAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!    It's a song about going for a car ride and making sure you have your seat belts on!  Irony at it's best.   The girls won't remember our walk tonight.  But I will :) 

Mid day post to vent!

So I spent MANY hours getting stool samples from the girls.  MANY.  I had to collect 4 tubes for each child...3 times.  That's a total of 36 tubes of sh*t.  Guess what we found out today?  The lab - Quest Diagnostics - labeled all but 2 with Emily's name!  I labeled each one individually - how the *f* did they mess it up?  I work at a hospital...I know better than to make those kinds of mistakes.  I made their job easy by labeling each one with their name and date of birth.  I had 3 lab slips - one for each child.  I guess the only mistake I made was putting it all in the same bag.  But what the hell am I suppose to do?  I have so much crap to carry that putting things in one bag just makes sense.  I assume that people will do their job and check things MORE THAN ONCE to get it right.  GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR   So now - I have to collect more shit because they're not sure they even labeled Hannah's & Hailey's right!  (What we're thinking is they labeled all of them with Emily's name, then found the names on them - and realized there were 3 different kids so they just put Hannah's and Hailey's name on whatever one to make it look good).  Lovely huh? 

We brought Pete lunch today and hung out with him for a few.  The girls are still running low grade fevers (hovering around 100).  They're sleeping now - when they wake up we'll be baking orange, pumpkin sugar cookies. 

Durham Fair

Was much fun!  The girls were really good even though they didn't take a nap.  They LOVE riding the school bus.  :)

Pete stayed home today - sometimes we have to split up to get things done and since my mom & LB were willing to hang out with us today it just made sense for Pete to stay behind.  He got a lot done while we were out of the house.  The girls went on rides for the 1st time today too!  They loved the cars...just sat in the car and the ride went around and around and around and around and........lol.  They went on the teacup ride - Emily will tell you she didn't like it.  She won't be lying.  They also went down the slide.  Emily loves slides but she'll say she didn't like this one.  She won't be lying again.  (I think she hurt her arm somehow). 

On the 'sick' front...we'll be back at the doctor tomorrow.  Emily's rash isn't better.  And when I tried to give them their meds this morning - Hailey & Emily threw them up again.  It's so weird because it's instant...the meds don't have time to do anything.  So we'll need to get some new meds for them.

They slept all night last night 6 - 6.  Hoping we get the same tonight since they went to bed at 6 again.  I'm headed to bed shortly because I'm sleepy myself!

Reaction

Emily was throwing up most of the night last night.  This morning she threw up before taking her meds and Hailey threw up after taking her meds.  They both have rashes on their faces (not bad...but red, raised bumps).  I called the doc on call and he suggested not giving the 2 of them their antibiotic for today.  He also said to give them some Benedryl and another medication for the nausea. 

The rest of the day went smooth. 

I'll be honest - I'm exhausted just thinking that I'm going to be home with them for a few weeks.  They need more structure than I feel I can give them.  When I'm home - I'm so focused on getting 'things' done...and as we know - things are never done.  So it's always a juggling act.  Today for instance - Pete went to take a shower.  I was in the kitchen cleaning up all the vomit off the table, chairs and floor and the girls were in the living room playing.  I'm not sure how much time went by when I realized it was QUIET.  Panic struck in me instantly.  Quiet might be good in another household - but NOT this one.  Sure enough - I peek in the living room and my 3 toddlers had vanished.  Where might they be?  Oh...said 3 toddler thought they were adults and ventured out onto the porch - with their Tinkerbell chairs and they decided to 'look for turkey's!'  Ugh.  It was a matter of a minute maybe between the 'panic' and when I actually set eyes on them.  But hold your breath for a minute and you'll realize just how long it can be.   Luckily they were all sitting quietly in their chairs watching through the railing for a turkey to go by.  Turkey's.  That's what they were looking for.  I swear the only thing missing was a cup of coffee in each of their hands. 

So rather than be mad at them (they didn't do anything wrong...if I didn't want them out I should have locked the door), I grabbed my own chair, my cup of coffee, threw down my rag and went to chill with my babies.  We spent a good hour out there before coming in. 

Being home with them worries me because I'm not sure I can teach them what they need to be taught!  How do you teach colors and numbers and names and animals and and and and and..........I'm not a teacher!  What if they go to pre-k and can't write their names?  I know I'm taking it to the extreme but you get my point. 

meds

Getting the girls to take their meds is becoming a project.  Up to this point - we have had very few problems getting them to take any kind of medication.  Occasionally one of them might put up a fuss but for the most part - it's been a fight over who's gonna get it 1st!  This new med their taking tastes awful so they're not so easy to be 1st in line anymore.  So far I've had to give 6 doses (x3) + 2 rounds of double doses due to throwing it right back up.  So 24 rounds all together.  This is day 2.  We have 19 more days ahead of us.  I have tried giving the meds 1st followed with an M&M (this is usually the way we get them to take 'yucky' medicine).  They threw this round up.  So we tried the meds followed by yogurt.  It worked but they didn't like it any more.  I've put food coloring in the meds to make it 'fun'.  I have put the meds IN applesauce and also IN yogurt.  I have tried giving them a 'chaser' of M&M's, candy corn and again - yogurt and applesauce.  Tonight it was green meds (it's fun and they are more into taking their meds when they can choose what color they are) followed by chocolate milk in shot glasses.  Yes - actual shot glasses.  Again...it's fun.  They also had straws cut to size these shot glasses thanks to LB.  They took their med, drank the milk and chased it all down with a mini snickers.  Nothing came back up.  But I can only assume this will work once and probably won't work again so I'm already trying to think of new ways to get them to take their medicine.  How on earth do you get kids to take medicine?!?! 

I talked to the doctor today and the girls will considered contagious until they finish their antibiotics and the symptoms don't come back.  No school and no play dates.  POOP (literally).  I'll be home with them.