count

Last night at supper we were trying to get the boys to count the crackers on their plates.  Logan and I counted "1-2-3" and then I asked him what came after "3" and he said, "GO!"  :)

leap

What a week.  And it's not over yet.  We kept thinking the boys were getting better, but then someone would have another fever.  Logan still had a fever Monday morning, so we took him to the doctor.  He has a slight ear infection and is now on antibiotics.  The doctor checked Caleb, too, and his ears were fine.  Although, then that night he got another fever.

I am SO glad that's only the second time ever we've had to go in to the doctor for a sick visit.  Oh my.  I started to think we were part of some experiment where they were watching us and waiting to see how long we'd just sit and wait in the exam room while they cranked the temperature (I watched the room temp go up a couple degrees while we were in there, and to me it felt like twenty degrees...).

I started feeling sick Sunday evening, and gradually got worse on Monday.  I was pretty miserable by the time we were sitting in the sweat box of an exam room waiting for the doctor.  So, Monday was bad.  Tuesday was bad.  Today was slightly better, but not a whole lot.  I'm supposed to get extra rest right now.  Ha!  As if just being sick wasn't bad enough, let's throw in two sick toddlers, and third trimester discomforts.  But, I'm not complaining.  Okay, maybe I am a little bit because it's been a pretty rough few days, but I do know it could be so much worse and we'll get through this.  :)

Anyways, back to the boys.  Overall they seemed quite a bit better yesterday and today.  Although, tonight Logan was pretty wiped out.  I guess he's still just needing some extra rest.  And he's still been VERY cranky.  Whining about everything and nothing at all.  Side note, he weighed in at 27 lbs at the doctor.

Yesterday Mike took Caleb in for his follow-up visit to the surgeon.  Everything's looking good!  Phew!  That's a big relief.  We couldn't really tell by looking at him if things were still in the right spot or not, so we were a little nervous.  I guess there's one little spot where the incision isn't healed up completely, but it should be fine after awhile and it's nothing to worry about.  It must be bothering him today after having the doctor check it because he's complained a couple times about it hurting.

Very thankful for my wonderful hubby and mom who have helped keep this house afloat the last few days!  Monday and Tuesday I was too sick to function much, so it was great that I could call in for reinforcements.  Today I did manage to survive the whole workday on my own.  :)

bummer

Okay, so the boys falling asleep so good last night may have been a fluke because apparently they were coming down with something.  I have two pretty sick little boys today.  :(

last & first

A few photos to document the transition to big boy beds...

 Logan and Caleb excited about the sheets they chose for their big boy beds.

 Logan's last night in his crib (2/22/12).  Cozy.

 Caleb's last night in his crib.  Many of the photos I have of him now consist of him saying "I see, I see!" - wanting to see the back of the camera.

 Logan's first night in his big boy bed! (2/23/12)

Caleb's first night in his big boy bed!

So far so good.  They've been in bed about half an hour and I haven't had to go in there once (Mike left for basketball).  Now that it appears we've made it through the first bedtime, I'm curious to see how things go in the morning when they wake up!  

tidbits

The boys, especially Logan, are kind of starting to sing.  They're learning songs in Sunday School and we try to sing the same ones at home, and now they have a couple favorites.  "B-I-B-L-E" is often requested (they don't get the letters right, but we know what they mean when they ask for it...), and "This Little Light of Mine" (which they call "Let it shine til Jesus comes").  They'll sort of sing along to a few lines of some Veggie Tales songs we listen to in the car.

Logan can count!  I can't remember for sure, but I think a week or two ago I heard him get up to 4, but then over the weekend at Great Wolf Lodge we were going down the stairs and he got up to 6!  And then I think he sort of got up to 8.

Last night we went shopping and the boys each got to choose sheets for their big boy beds (which will be delivered tomorrow).  I scouted things out and gave them 3 choices so we didn't end up with something totally crazy like Sponge Bob or the like (which they've never seen and hopefully never do...).  Caleb chose Thomas and Logan chose a construction equipment theme.  I checked back a couple times before paying to make sure that's what they wanted and they didn't change their minds.  We're pretty sure, though, that there will be a little bit of a fuss once the sheets are on the beds and Logan sees that Caleb has something different...

fears update

The current concerns/fears we currently hear about are about the "giant pickle" and "moose comin".  The "giant pickle" is from watching Veggie Tales (Dave and the Giant Pickle), and we hear about how it's "only tv" (since we've told them that several times), and "giant pickle has an owie" (from falling down).

Friday night after the hotel's clock tower show (waste. of. time.) we kept hearing about a "moose comin".  Now after repeatedly reassuring them it wasn't, we keep hearing "no moose comin".

Logan swimming

GWL

We returned yesterday evening from a great weekend with some of my family at Great Wolf Lodge in Sandusky, OH.  Caleb and Logan had lots of fun, which means that Mike and I had fun, and they did SO much better in the car this time than our last road trip a few months ago.

The boys were pretty excited for the whole week before the trip.  We had talked here and there for a while that we'd be going swimming sometime, but they really latched on to the idea about a week before.  It probably "helped" that I had them try on swimsuits to see what we had that fit right now.  So, they were very anxious to go and we talked alot about it being warm water, indoors (as opposed to the ponds we see outside that are cold right now), no fish, and they'd list what family was going to be there.

Friday morning we hit the road with my parents in our van, and we managed to hook up with my brother and his family a little ways down the road (cell phones are great).

Got to Great Wolf Lodge by mid-afternoon and hit the waterpark as soon as possible.  The boys were SO excited when we were finally getting on swimsuits and then headed down there.  They had a couple hours to play before we left for supper.  They had lots of fun, and Logan especially was sad as we left, he kept crying, "No going, no going!"

 Going down the slide in the kiddie pool.

 Logan playing in one of the fountains coming out of the floor in the kiddie pool.

 Covering the fountain.

Playing with one of the streams coming out of the 'tree' in the kiddie pool.  There was one stream where they could reach the source and found they liked to put their finger over it and make it spray (they are their father's boys)...

We walked next door to Steak'n'Shake for supper (hello, SLOW service), then came back and just hung around for a bit.  Bedtime went halfway decent - not great, but certainly could have been worse.  We brought sleeping bags for the boys, which we had "played" with a few times at home, but they hadn't actually slept in them yet.  We (mostly Mike) had to lay with them on the floor to get them to sleep, and it took awhile (Logan was really fighting it even though he was obviously tired), but by 10pm they were both sleeping and slept fine the rest of the night. They woke up a little early the next morning, but nothing too crazy.  

Saturday was a full day at the waterpark!  Caleb and Logan were thrilled in the morning to go back there.  We got there right at 9am when they opened, and didn't leave until about 5:30pm!  The boys took a couple breaks in the afternoon to sit and have some "quiet" time (they took turns sitting on Grammy's lap), and warm up (Logan was turning blue and shivering and still didn't want to stop...), but otherwise they played hard all day!  Mike was probably having more fun than them - he is more than thrilled that it looks like we have a couple water rats.  :)  I hope they don't grow out of it or hit a scared stage later.

Even though both Caleb and Logan love the water, it's fun to see how they're still so different.  They both had lots of fun in the kiddie pool, but Logan loved swimming in the big pool with Mike, and Caleb loved going down the big yellow slide with Mike.  I took Caleb in the big pool a couple times, but generally he just didn't want to go in there.  And, Logan did go down the big yellow slide a couple times, but didn't seem to enjoy it as much and Caleb was asking to go again.  (And he'll still tell you that he had to hang on to the handles on the tube in order to go down - that's one of the rules.)  They also both had fun on a couple smaller slides (bigger and faster than what's in the kiddie pool, but not real big like some of the others).

So, yeah, Logan can swim!  Sure, he has a lifejacket on, but he does pretty well for a 2-yr-old.  :)  Mike started out having Logan swim to him from the wall just a few feet, and it didn't take too long and he was swimming across the pool!  No help whatsoever, just kicking and using his arms on his own, going after Mike saying, "I get you!"  :)  I'll post a video in another entry.  And, yes, Mike did try having Logan swim without his lifejacket on, and that didn't go so well.  He's not ready for that yet.  :)  BUT, it doesn't bother him or scare him a bit to go under water!

I got a few stares and comments thanks to walking around in a bathing suit with this big belly.  And, I did try to go down one slide that I thought was perfectly safe, but wasn't allowed.  That was a pleasant walk squeezing past everyone on the stairs to get back down...

Here's a few pics from Saturday:

 Caleb playing with the stream he liked to put his finger over and spray...

 Caleb taking a rest on Grammy's lap.

 Mike and Logan in the big pool.

Heidi taking a snooze.

Saturday night we ate supper at one of the restaurants in the hotel.  It was nice to not have to go out.  Caleb, Mr. Energy Go-Go-Go Doesn't Stop, fell asleep at the table!  Out of the corner of my eye I thought his head was a little low and wondered what he was doing, I looked over, and sure enough he was nodding off.  So cute.  Especially since something like that is so out of character for him.  My sister had her hands free so she held him while I finished eating, then I got to cuddle my little goober a bit while we walked to our room and then I put him to bed.  Logan stayed up for a bit yet.  A few of the grandkids had storytime with Grammy and then Logan went to bed.  He fought it again a little that night, but was asleep by 9pm instead of 10pm.  :)  Both boys woke up a couple times in the night, and in the morning Mike and I woke up to Caleb calling for "Daddy" and trying to get out the door!

Sunday morning we had a little more time in the waterpark, then we checked out and hit the road.  Had a pretty good trip home!  For awhile there I was dealing with lots of requests from the back (snacks, toys, etc.) but eventually Caleb took a nap, and then later on Logan took a nap.  For the last half hour the boys (especially Logan) were irritable/restless, but that's totally manageable considering the rest of the trip went well!

 Caleb and Mike coming out of the big yellow slide.

 Logan and Mike coming out of the big yellow slide.

 Me and my boys.  This was in the pool at the bottom of the other slides they really liked.  The got to the point for awhile where they didn't want my help getting out - would brush me off and not hold my hand.  They are growing up too fast...

 They really enjoyed these slides.  Logan would get the best smile on his face.

 Logan swimming to Auntie Shell.

Caleb stepping on the fountain.

Great trip and can't wait to do it again!

1 + 1 = 2...right?

I always love seeing how sweet my kids look when they are sleeping, but I especially enjoy it at the end of a day where the terrible two's were in full force for BOTH of them.  For those of you doing the math, one two-year-old plus another two-year-old doesn't mean I've just got two kids to try and parent, having them together just compounds the challenge so it's really more than just double.  BUT, it can also be more than double the fun!  :)  This just wasn't one of those days.

I sat at the table and ate my lunch while two boys on either end of the table sat turned away from the table, screaming/crying/whining in "time out" until they could calm down.  It took awhile, but eventually they were able to rejoin me and that was much more pleasant.  :)

And now they're sleeping so peacefully - ahhhhhh.....

good day

Yesterday was an all around nice day!  I really wanted to take advantage of having some time at home to get things done (since the clock is ticking louder and louder...), and I did actually manage to chip away at the mess in one of our upstairs rooms (which needs to be done so that we can clear out what will be the baby's room).  Although, at one point in the morning I did tell Mike it shouldn't be surprising to me that I accomplish so little during the week when he's at work, when on a day that we're both home with the boys it's still very difficult!  They were pretty cranky yesterday.

After lunch we went out and bought big boy beds!  I've been looking around for a bit and not finding what I wanted, but finally we found something we liked at a reasonable price.  Yay!  Now the bummer is we just have to wait for delivery.  I'm excited to take the boys shopping for sheets, though.  Hoping we can find something they are excited about, but that isn't totally cheesy...  :)

And then last night Mike took me out on a date!  Today marks 8 years since he popped the question.  Too bad we can't go to the same restaurant we went to that night (it's now closed), but there's plenty of other places to choose from.  We went to Boatwerk's in Holland, and then out for coffee.  Showed up back at home soon after the babysitter got the boys to bed - that's the best, get a break from the work of putting them to bed, but can still relax at home - ahhhhh....

fears

Logan especially is really starting to have some fears.  He's talked different times lately about certain animals not coming in the house, but it's really seemed to turn into more of a scared thing lately.  I've had a couple bedtime talks with him where he gets started on the subject (I think once it was bears, and last night it was "creatures"), and has a definite look of concern on his face.  And he'll say things like, "No creatures get you", "No creatures house", etc.  I keep reassuring him that there are no creatures, and plus we've got Daddy, Sadie, and Macy around to watch out for us.  Poor thing.  I think I may need to put some of the Dr. Seuss books away for a bit, but otherwise I don't know what would be getting him worried about this all of the sudden.

baby

Had another ultrasound today.  They took a closer look at baby's heart just to make sure everything looks normal, and he checked out good!  At first he wasn't cooperating real great, and I think there might have been a few shots they would have liked to get a better view of, but there are no concerns.

Also, he's measuring 3lbs 8oz.  That's a little big, but completely within the realm of 'normal' - especially considering Mike and I's height.

surgery

Caleb's surgery went great yesterday!  He slept in a little bit, which was great since he got to sleep late the night before and that also meant less time awake at home not being able to eat...  Here he is on the way to the hospital.

He really did well almost the whole time at the hospital.  He was very polite with the nurse - answering questions, and not complaining when she had to "hug is arm" (take BP) and do things like that.  Once you get checked in you're put into a room to wait until surgery time.  The nurse is in for a bit at first, and then there's also a child specialist of some sorts (don't remember her exact title) that comes to talk, but there's still a fair bit of time to kill before surgery.  They have a very nice play area that we couldn't go to because Caleb had a runny nose.  :(  But, they brought us some toys and we watched Curious George.  At one point Caleb was getting a bit antsy and starting to act up, but overall he did great.  Thankfully at that point they came with some paper, crayons, and stickers, so that occupied him until it was time to go.

 The nurse taking Caleb's blood pressure.  She also had bubbles to help distract him.  

Miss Mimi talking to Caleb about his mask (he's hanging onto it).  She had him put chapstick on the inside to help it smell good, and we practiced taking deep breaths in it.  She also had an id bracelet just like Caleb's to put on Sadie.  They kinda know what they're doing over there.  :)

One downside of the whole thing, only ONE parent can go with the child when they are being put under the anesthesia.  Really?!  How are we supposed to choose?  Somehow Mike was nice enough to let me go, even though I know he really would have liked to be there.  A couple of the nurses weren't sure if a pregnant woman could go back there, but they checked with the anesthesiologist and he said it wasn't a problem.  Caleb enjoyed the ride down the hall on his bed.  And then he did great going to sleep.  They said kids usually resist it, but he didn't fight it at all.  Looked a little unsure when we were in the room and he had to lay down on the operating table (and insisted on still hanging onto his box of crayons), but he let them hold his mask on and was even saying something to me at first, but then his eyes rolled back and he was out.  :)

Ready to go!

The doctor said it could take an hour to an hour and a half, so Mike & I went upstairs to grab lunch and bring it back to the waiting room.  After finishing our lunch we were just settling in for the wait when they told us he was done already and the doctor would give us his report.  The doctor basically told us that everything went great, and then we had to wait a bit more for Caleb to wake up.  That didn't take as long as they told us either.  And Caleb woke up like such a sweetheart.  We'd heard from various people that children often come out of anesthesia agitated and upset - the nurse even said 99% of kids are that way.  But, he was very calm and sweet.  Gave each of us a kiss.  :)  Within a few minutes he was awake enough to go back to our other room.  After a bit they let him have some juice - it was hard to keep him from guzzling it, but after the first couple times he didn't put up a fuss.  He spent awhile waking up more and once they saw he was doing well and tolerating the juice we got ready to go home.  When we left I rode in the wheelchair with him, that worked out nice for me!

 Still groggy.  And just like his mother, doesn't want anyone to really touch him - very hard for Mike.  :)  Hard to see in the pic, but Sadie got a mask to wear just like the doctors!

On the ride home.

We were hoping Caleb would sleep some when we got home, but no luck.  He stayed quiet on the couch for a bit, but then had enough of that.  He started getting very cranky and irritable.  Poor kid really didn't feel good and didn't even know what he wanted most of the time, it was very hard to pacify him.  He did eat some and handled that fine.  He worked himself up into a pretty good fit when we were putting his pj's on for bed (took both Mike and I to pretty much wrestle him), and he cried/screamed for awhile.  Finally got him to calm down and then fall asleep.  Phew.  He slept good all night, other than when I went to check on him at 1am he had a dirty diaper and was soaked thanks to everything we let him drink earlier so he needed a full clothing change.  He went back to sleep real good though, unlike myself.  :)

Caleb woke up a little early today, and definitely didn't seem to be feeling bad at all.  Didn't even give him any medicine all day other than this evening he started acting like he was hurting.  Great to see he's recovering so well, but apparently one day of having things different made him think he could really test the limits today.  He was extra temperamental and was really pushing the normal boundaries today.  Was very helpful to have my mom around for awhile this morning.  After naptime today we thought we were going to have a repeat of yesterday evening, but he calmed down after awhile.  It's been a little hard keeping him from activities that would not be good for him right now, but hopefully he gets used to it.  

big first

Most of you reading this know that tomorrow Caleb will be having outpatient surgery.  So, tonight we dropped Logan off at Mike's mom and stepdad's and now it's just Mike, Caleb, and I at home.  Feels strange!  Strangely easy, that is.  :)  This is the first time the boys have spent a night apart.  Caleb is definitely aware (mentioned Logan's carseat being "all gone" from the car, and talks about him being at Grandpa and Grandma's).  He knows he's going to the doctor tomorrow, but that's about it.  It's not like he has a reference point for what surgery is.  I don't want to scare him, but didn't want to just spring it all on him either, so up to this point we've just told him he's going to the doctor where he got to have a sucker and look at the cool picture of balloons last time...

He can't have any food or drink after he gets up in the morning, so I made a surefire meal tonight (macaroni & cheese and hot dogs), and he's had a few snacks.  He seemed like a bottomless pit tonight, so hopefully we make it through the fasting okay.  Surgery was originally scheduled for first thing in the am, so I hadn't been to worried about this part of it, but we've already been pushed back a couple times and are now scheduled for almost noon - hope they're running on time!

He'll be put under general anesthesia, so of course that makes us a little nervous, but it's a pretty routine procedure and I've heard from a few people that the doctor is great - we only met him once and he seemed like a nice enough guy.  I'm really not sure what to expect for recovery time.  Kids usually bounce back pretty quick, and that seems to be how Caleb is in general, but he'll have to be careful for a while, so it should be interesting keeping him out of trouble.  :)

Other random tidbits from lately: the boys have definitely become very opinionated.  When listening to music it has to be "Bob & Larry" (Veggie Tales).  Also, I found a movie on Netflix a little while back about helicopters that I thought they might like - watched it for the first time last week and they LOVE it.  Problem is, it's a super cheesy, ultra annoying movie made in the 1990's (but really looks like it was done in the 1980's).  Song gets stuck in your head and you can't get rid of it.  And of course the movie has been highly requested.

The boys are really growing up and doing more on their own now.  They usually climb into their own carseats (unless we're in a hurry, and then they get upset that they didn't get to climb...), they get in and buckle their own booster seats at the table, and they take their coats off on their own.  They do great clearing their cups and plates from the table, and usually do a very good job picking up toys.  The other day I carried someone up the stairs and they felt really heavy - then I realized it's been ages since I've had to carry someone up the stairs!  Today we went to the store (got a couple new toys that will hopefully aid in keeping Caleb sitting still after surgery) and I got a parking spot right out front of the store, but not near a cart corral (generally a must).  When we walked out of the store I held Caleb's hand and had bags in my other, so I told Logan to hold Caleb's hand and we walked out that way - they did great and it worked!  Sunday was a beautiful day and we took the boys for a walk in the park.  It's great that we can just go for a walk with them, not needing the stroller for something like that anymore.

I truly have enjoyed every stage with the boys.  I am really getting a kick out of having conversations with them now and just listening to them talk and hearing the things they observe.  Sunday at the park we heard a woodpecker and saw a couple rabbits, so I've heard alot about that the last couple of days.  Caleb would like to climb a tree to see the woodpecker.  :)  Right now Caleb is telling Mike how he ate muffins today.  Which brings me to some of my favorite words right now - Logan calls them "fuffins".  Caleb calls elephants "efelants", which I love, but find myself slipping into...

The other day I picked out colors for the baby blanket my mom will make for baby.  Yikes!  Can't believe it's time for that already.  I've got so much to do...  Here's a pic at 27 weeks.