Three boys, 10 months old

It recently hit me that each boy has had longer hair at this age, 10 months. I know it sounds silly but it hit me when someone made a comment about how Bishop has a lot of hair. It's true he does. He has more then either Dane or Gage had at 10 months old but I believe Dane also had more then Gage at 10 months old. So, lets compare 10 months for each boy!

Gage at 10 months

Dane at 10 months

Bishop at 10 months

All I know is I have 3 of the most handsome men on this planet!

They're amazing little people

Today as I was switching out laundry I had Dane in there with me. He's become my little "mama I wanna help!" guy. As he was helping me sort and put towels into the washer after we pulled out the diapers he was talking to me. I mean, not toddler jibberish but actual talking. He has this sweet little voice and  once I stopped paying attention to the laundry and listened to him he was actually carrying on a conversation. He was telling me about his toy car that he had with him. The wheels and the color. How it goes fast. It then dawned on me how well his sentences were and how fast his vocabulary just seemed to sneak up on me. I listened to him and agreed his car could go fast and fast as well as it had lots of wheels. He then wanted to see the washer fill up and as he said "mama, i see, i see!" 

I have always known his vocab jumped big time once we finally broke him of his bink. But I guess I never realized how big it had grown. Looking back I tried to remember how Gage's vocab was at 2 and a half. Now, I know not all children are the same and boy do my kids live to that standard. They are definitely their own people but I was looking for the common in all children of the age group, the basic level. I have a video of Gage around the same age and he was chatting to himself. Looking at it I can't remember him having this big of sentence structure or maybe it's just the video. Gage spoke wonderfully at this age. Maybe it's because I was just taken back on how well Dane has grown in less then a year? Or how he's just really catching on to things around him.

I cut his hair today and realized as well he often refers to himself in the 3rd person. I find it quite adorable. Don't take any of this as I don't pay attention to what my  kids say, I do. It just seemed to be one of those days where I went back and said "Whoa! There is a lot more then I initially thought!" Children are amazing creatures like that. Anyways, back to the hair cut story. As I was prepping his hair, getting it combed so we didn't have snags he kept insisting he sit. Or as he said "Mama, Dane sit. No standing, it hurts." I convinced him to stand though as it made it much easier to get his hair cut properly. Sneaky mama I am. He just wanted to sit and be tricky. He comes by it honestly haha. As I was cutting the hair off he became very concerned. He saw the hair fall and repeated "Dane's hair! Look mama, Dane's hair!" and I thought the cutest one was when it landed on his tush and he told me. "Hair is on Dane's butt mama! Get it off!"  He then went into his silly racing mode where he goes from the entry way to the kitchen, back and forth, back and forth.

He's growing up. We are nearing 3. I was looking at him and remembering when he was Bishop's age. How did we get to almost 3 already?! Then on top of that, I was having more thoughts about how I am going to have a Kindergartner this fall. Time seriously does fly by. Gage was Dane's age when I was pregnant with Dane. How can he already be 5 and going to school this fall? How can we be there already? How can Bishop already be testing the boundaries of standing and trying to crawl by using all four's instead of using his hands and knees. How are they growing up so fast? I don't know but they're doing it. They're amazing little people. They bring the biggest smiles to my face every day, even when they're such goobers. Believe me, they can be big goobers. They are my goobers though. They are my bug loving, booger eating, fart joking, sweet, snuggling baby boys. All 3 of them. They'll forever be my baby boys.

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.

Robert Munsch's "Love you Forever" our favorite book.

Chubbo Bubbo

Today was Bishop's 9 month well baby check up. I took a poll on my facebook to see what people thought he weighed just based off my profile photo. Two people guessed correct. Bishop is 21lbs, he is in the 50th percentile for his weight and he is 28" long and in the 50th for that as well. His curve ball just blew up recently. Thank goodness! She is very happy with his progress and how great he's doing. She said everything sounded great and is happy with his progress on milestones and weight.

Dane has been super clingy today. Very mama oriented. Which is great but definitely odd. He's not normally like that. I will take the snuggles that I can get so I won't complain. He wasn't acting any different feeling wise just has been attached to my hip pretty much. We watched Booty and the Beast or since he just directly asks for Beast most of the time. Followed by Pinocchio. Dane went down for a nap and Gage wanted to watch Pinocchio again so we did. I don't get my kids and their wanting to watch several movies at least twice a day haha.

Weather was beautiful! Love this weather and temp. Loving being able to have my windows open and have a decent cool breeze go through. Heart it.

Well, going to go cuddle up with the injured husband. Goodnight!

Photo blog is updated as well.

An update to the D-Man

I waited until Jason got up for the day to discuss what would be done. He watched him and agreed that it wasn't right. He wasn't putting any weight on it at all. He would get around by sliding around on the floor or doing this crab like crawl. Definitely favored that leg. My mom brought Gage home from spending the night and we asked what she thought. We all agreed to take him to the ER. It just didn't feel or seem right. We don't know how he hurt himself but not standing or putting any weight on it wasn't right. Especially with it coming on so fast.

So, we devised the plan on who was going where and with who. Since Jason works tonight we had to make sure just in case (our ER is notorious for leaving you there hours on end) that he had a car to get to work with. So he dropped my step-dad off at home, kept their truck with Gage's car seat in it. My mom and I then took off to the ER with Bishop and Dane. I went armed this time with diapers, coloring stuff and toys.

Surprisingly it didn't take forever to get back into the room. Met with the Dr and the nurse, they told us what they were going to do first. Another set of x-rays but this time unlike urgent care they were going to do from foot to hip. We went back for those, they came back clear. The Dr still wanted to make sure there was nothing more going on, so they ordered blood tests and an ultrasound on his hip, just to make sure there was no fluid built up. They drew the blood and then we went back for his ultrasound. There was no fluid in his hip, which is good. Came back to the room, the blood tests came back clear. Great! They drew another vile for 2 more tests that would take a bit longer to get the results for. That wasn't fun.

So, with the x-rays clear, the ultrasound clear, the blood work clear (minus knowing the other two results) everything checked out fine. But we still don't know why a perfectly healthy 2 year old would just suddenly stop putting weight on one leg. So, we are to call the Orthopedic office on Monday and set up an appointment with them for a follow up. They have ruled out anything broken and checked for infections, nothing of those kinds. Its quite possible its a muscle inflammation. So they gave him a shot of and please forgive me if I get the name wrong, I believe it was Trodal? Something similar to that name. It is supposed to help with the pain and inflammation.

So this is where we stand. We have ruled out anything that could be very serious, infections, abscess or broken bones so far. We will hopefully find out more when we meet for the follow up at the Orthopedics office. It's very scary to not quite know what is going on with your child. More so when this child has gone from perfectly healthy to suddenly ill so fast before. I feel more protective over him because of what has previously happened to him. But thankfully no abscesses or anything serious that kept him hospitalized. I feel much more comfortable with the ER visit then I did the urgent care. They ran tests I wanted them to run, everything came back fine.

So hopefully we get the whole 100% okay when we see the Ortho and just find out that he has an inflamed muscle. He was feeling a bit better when we got home but he ate dinner and went to bed. Poor kidlet has had enough.

Glad I decided to go and make sure that it was nothing more serious.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Dane!

November 28th, 2008 Dane was born. He came into this world after 15 hours of labor, born at home as my first successful VBAC. Dane came into our lives and hearts and has kept them so warm ever since. He is our 2nd born, just 6 weeks shy of being 3 years apart from his older brother.

He healed me knowing my body wasn't broken. His birth was long and but definitely wonderful. We have since moved out of the house he was born in. I'm still torn about that. We were outgrowing the house but leaving the home I had him in, tore at my heart. It still does. I miss it a lot. I know it seems silly to some but the connection to when you birth your child at home (to me at least) is strong to the house.

Anyways, today he is 2. Two! It's so crazy to think that time has flown by so quickly. He was 1 week late, due on my husbands birthday but decided to hold out for his own. We called his birthday (honestly we have with all 3 boys birthdays too!) and he decided Black Friday would be an awesome day. I did my shopping online while in early labor. So we didn't miss out too much on some great deals :)

I just can't believe he's 2! I can't. He's so bright and ever since he gave up his bink his vocabulary has just taken off. He talks in 3-4 word sentences, he asks for things directly instead of grunting. He picks up words daily and is just amazing. Definitely still our chunkamunk. His 2 year well child check up is on the 1st, so we'll know his for sure weight and height then. He was 30lbs on our scale but that has a mind of its own.

Oh gee what else. He loves both his brothers, so gentle with Bishop and tackles Gage. He doesn't up with his crap haha. They now have bunk beds so he's in his big boy bed. Loves Woody and Buzz, Ni Hao Ki-Lan, Dora and Diego (Which he calls go-go) and is in love with Trains. As well as cars. We bought him 2 Thomas DVD's ($5 a piece, you can't beat that) and a ni hao ki-lan color wonder as well as a 140ct mega blok set. He'll be in tot heaven. He loves to watch The Polar Express because of the Choo-Choo Train.

My baby boy is two! I am so thankful that this birthday he is healthy! Happy Birthday to my sweet snuggle bug chunkamunk trouble. You came into this world and brought such joy to us all. You continue to do the same every day, even when you are being a little goob. Your giggles and full out big belly laughs are contagious as well as your gorgeous smile. You will do great things on this earth baby boy. I am proud to be your mama and I know daddy is proud to be your daddy. Your brothers love you dearly. Stay you Dane, you will do great things.

An hour old

6 months old

His 1st birthday

1 1/2 years old!

And TWO!

Today is a big day for me

Today is a big one, Mr. Bishop is 6 weeks old today! I know, I know you probably think I'm crazy and actually have every right to think so. I however am very grateful for today. Today marks 6 weeks of successfully breastfeeding AND he is gaining weight! That and right there, that is what I am so happy about. He's gaining weight. He's getting fat, pudgy, rolly polly like. He's not losing or staying at one steady weight. This means a lot to me. It means it's working. It means he's getting all the nourishment and filling his belly from breastmilk.

Now, you are probably wondering why I'm so ecstatic. If you don't know (which I'm sure few of you don't) is because I tried breastfeeding Dane. At 6 weeks old, Dane wasn't gaining weight. He wasn't losing. He stayed at a steady weight that eventually started to become concerning to his doctor. She who is very pro-breastfeeding was uncomfortable with how he wasn't gaining. With how he didn't seem to be getting enough to fill and nourish him like he should. It made me feel like a failure, like I couldn't do this one thing right. At 3 months we started supplementing but at 6 weeks she started taking notice in his weight gain or really lack of.

My biggest fear when Bishop arrived we would suffer the same that we did with Dane (photo of him at 6 weeks to the right). Once Dane started to supplement he flourished. He gained weight so fast that he went from our skinny little baby to the nickname chunkamunk. He self weaned at almost 9 months. So he had some, not  lot at then and the formula was his main source but we made it far even if it wasn't just me.

So yes, 6 weeks this time around with the weight gain, the fat face, legs, thighs, wrist rolls and chunky tummy, yes I am happy. Very happy. I think I have every right to be. The struggles we had with Dane broke my heart and now i get my chance at success. I wish everyone who wanted this could experience it.

Our next nursing milestone is 3 months and at this rate I have no fear that we won't make it and he won't be even fatter! I have hope and that hope will keep me going. So yes, laugh at me if you must but this makes me feel good inside. It makes me feel happy that its going great, that we're getting the bond I wanted with Gage and lost with Dane. I feel like we finally got it right. Ups and downs are always there with nursing. Bishop and I have had ours but he's been like a pro from day one. No issues latching and surpassed his birth weight by 3 weeks. As well as the weight Dane was at, at 3 months. They weighed the same, if you need an idea of how the weight difference was. At 3 months Dane weighed what Bishop weighed at 3 weeks, they were both the same weight at birth.

So I feel I earned this and cannot wait until we earn our 3 month award as well :)

ps, a little side note - the outfit bishop is wearing both parts are 3 months old and he fits just fine in them. Dane never would have at that age!

6 weeks!

Saying Goodbye to the bink

Time to say goodbye to our old friend the bink. It's a lot sooner then we had planned honestly but he seems to be doing very well. He started off by chewing 95% of the binks he had and we told him, when you chew and break the last one they're gone. No more. He however lost his last bink and we cannot locate it. So we kinda were pushed into the no more bink situation sooner then we thought we would be. Dane seems to be handling it like a champ though! He took a nap yesterday sans bink and even went to bed without one. He was supposed to take a nap without one today but the whole nap thing didn't happen. He did just go down to bed without one and so far no peep.

He's doing very well, a lot better then I figured. It may sound bad but the bink was his comfort item. He adjusted so well to Bishop being here that the bink seems to just be another thing of the past. Which is good. He did not ask for it once today which I figured he would. Nope. I'm so proud of him! He's doing so well with this. 

So, Goodbye bink! I hope you make another baby happy like you did Dane.

It's the great pumpkin! Or not..

October is by far probably my favorite month out of the whole year. Where we live the tree colors are changed, the air is crisp and the temps are nice and cool. Its my ideal weather. If only it could be like this all year. Comfortable and beautiful. Ha, if only! This past weekend was a very good one, one we haven't had in a long time. Saturday we got the boys their halloween costumes and then had my mom and step-dad over for homemade pizza and a few rounds of Euchre (you-ker). Jason and I beat their butts by the way, but thats another post to brag about.

Sunday we decided since we knew this would be the only time this month we'd have extra money to do it, we'd go to the pumpkin patch. This is one tradition we do yearly. I grew up going with my mom and apple picking as well that it was something that I wanted to continue with my children. It's fun going out in a tractor into the fields to search for your perfect pumpkin, instead of going into a grocery store and just grabbing one.

We had a great time, everything came together how we wanted. Dane was cute because he was afraid of the big tractor as it came back to pick us up. He held onto me and Jason got a photo of him. He looked so afraid! Gage had a blast picking out the gigantic pumpkins. He kept wanting to take them home haha. We finally settled on 3 pumpkins. Gage got the biggest, Dane the medium and Bishop the smallest.

Both boys enjoyed the tractor ride and Bishop slept soundly in the moby wrap. It was an all around good day despite a few setbacks, we all had fun. Oh and got some very yummy donuts and cider!

I love this time of year because of these things. Making special memories for my boys that I had when I was growing up. Each year it'll get better and better. These are memories I want my boys to have forever.

See the rest beyond this link!

Life with three..

Yesterday Bishop turned 2 weeks old! I cannot believe it. I have slacked in writing in here but honestly, can you blame me? I have two wonderful big kids and an adorable newborn. My hands are full! We seem to be falling into a routine as a family of 5 but we know hiccups will come and go. It's all apart of adjusting to a new baby in the family.

Jason is back at work and so my days pretty interesting, haha. Gage is my biggest help. Bishop is 100% breastfed so we nurse a lot during the day. During the last two months of my pregnancy I taught Gage how to get his own drinks and snacks (with my permission of course) to be a bit more help. He loves the new found independence as well.

Adjustment is going well all around, both boys have taken to Bishop quite nicely. Gage is ecstatic to have a baby in the house. This time is much more exciting for him because he can understand it better and the super big helper. Even if that means to keep Dane downstairs in the playroom for a few. He's a great help. Dane adores Bishop. We thought jealousy would be there from the get go but it isn't. We know it will show up sooner or later, we're not naive.  However he loves to soothe him, give him a bink when he cries and just love and kiss him. He's too sweet with him.

I'm surviving. I'm finding my way with 3 kids. I've always been told going from 1 to 2 was hard and from 2 to 3 was easy peasy. It is easy so far but I will say there are bumps there in the road. We're getting over them but it's a bit difficult. Each day we tackle at a time. Gage's help is wonderful, he loves to help. I still want him to do his own thing so he doesn't become like my own little constant helper. I hope to be in our routine completely soon. We're close, we've got our mornings down pact. Our days are still falling into place since Dane is getting up earlier we're adjusting around his naps. On top of it all, Bishop is in a growth spurt and I think Dane (well I  hope..) is finally cutting his 2 year molars.

Life is good, changed but good. All for the better. I love my 3 little men :) Changes are no fun, especially for little kids but I do have to say they're doing so great. Sometimes I think better than I am haha.

However it is definitely time for bed so Goodnight all! I'll leave you with the first photo of all 3 of my beautiful boys together :)

No longer the baby

Please note, this was written yesterday 8/16. However it was posted today.

Last night was a long night for Dane and I. Since my MIL was visiting, Gage camped out in the playroom with her and that left Dane to sleep in their room alone. So, in order to have him adjust and have fun himself we let him sleep in his big brothers bed. Around 4am he must have rolled off the bed. It's a low twin bed but enough to startle him. I heard him tumble and start to cry so I went to check and make sure he was okay. Got him back into bed and sat with him for a few. When I thought I was in the clear I got up and left. He wasn't having it so I sat back down. It was this time I realized shortly he won't be my baby anymore. I mean, he'll always be my baby, but he won't be the baby anymore.

Sitting on the end of the bed and his little feet wiggling around, trying to get comfortable. It made me think, these feet are still so tiny but they soon won't be the smallest in the house. I'm having a hard time grasping this and coming to terms that he won't actually be the youngest anymore. I had more time for the preparation between Gage and Dane, then I do Dane and Bishop. The spacing between the older two is almost (seriously 6 weeks shy of) 3 years. These two, will be 20/21 months apart. A lot less time. We got pregnant with Dane the month after Gage turned 2. So yeah, big leap of difference. One was easier to prepare for.

It's quite strange to think soon our family will have another one added. We've always wanted more kids. Its just weird to actually have it happen against our plans. I know that it'll be like he was always there and a perfect fit. Its just weird to think. We're days away from him making his appearance and days away from Dane not being my littlest anymore. He'll be a great big brother I know it. Just like Gage is a great big brother. He has a wonderful brother to model.

Now, its time to get those last little baby snuggles in before we have a new baby in the house. Am I ready? I don't know. I don't think I'll ever be ready for 3 and two of them under 2. Soon I'll have a 5 year old, 2 year old and a baby under 1. Crazy. I'm not ready but the jump is right there!

Ready or not, here we go.

Fathers Day

Happy Fathers Day!

I hope all you fathers out there had a wonderful day with your families. I want to do a quick post to honor my husband, the awesome, loving, caring father to my two almost three boys :)

I love you and they do too!

Jason and Gage ♥

Jason and Dane ♥


I can't wait to add Bishop and Jason's photo!

Midwives and Well child visits

Lets start with my midwife visit. I was 29 weeks and 4 days (image is 29 weeks. I'm now 30.) along and had to pee like nobody ever had to pee before haha. I know this is a bit TMI (too much info) but honestly, normally I forget about my appointment and go before we leave. Duh, doesn’t work very well for myself that way.  So this time I actually remembered and I had to pee so badly I bolted for the bathroom when we got to our midwives house.

So since I was in there, I did my urine test and weighed myself. With all our stress I figured I had put on weight. I know stress can cause you to lose weight but I admit, I’m a stress eater. I didn’t watch what I was eating. I managed to lose 4lbs. That is great! A big shock but actually great.

We went into our meeting and it was nice. My midwife was happy with my weight loss and we talked about all of what is going on. My BP was still very good! Surprised but a good relief. I have honestly felt I would have ended up in pre-term labor with all that was going on. My midwife even thought so and we were just both thankful I haven’t.

She then went on to check up on Bishop. His heartbeat was 142bpm He was head down and his back facing my left side. Which is good, meaning he’s in an anterior (facing my back) position and that is what we want for labor. She suggested I do knee rocks in order to open my pelvic bone and if I can manage it, to see a chiropractor again. I’m going to check into it and make sure I can get in with her again. I was at that appointment measuring 31 weeks. Which was interesting because I always measured on time. Oh well, I know it really doesn’t mean anything significantly so we’ll see. Jason feels he’ll only be a day “late” I hope so!

All is well, which is all I want. She did have a student there who is going to school to become a physician’s assistant. I am hopeful that with her witnessing natural home births it may lead her to being open minded. She seemed really nice and will be at our birth for Bishop.

Now onto Dane’s 18 month well child visit. It went really good. He again was very well behaved. He seems to be getting better at this haha. His weight was 27lbs and he is a smidge under 2’9”. His head was 18.5” round. When his doctor came in she said his weight and height did go down some but isn’t concerned. It is a normal thing for kids to fluctuate with their weights. I figure it also was because he was just recently sick and didn’t really want to eat. He would but it was very little.  He is developing just as he should for his age and that’s great. He loves helping get undressed but thinks getting dressed is a game haha. His words are growing and his favorite at the moment is No. He had his leg check up which I posted about a while ago and we discussed what happened at that appointment. So we’re hoping that the leg will fix itself and just basically waiting to go from there.

So that is my appointment update J boring I know. I have a post to do for tomorrow, well now actually today. I am going to get some sleep though, my wonderful bed is calling my name!

xx Marisa

Surprises and Sickies

So, I'm late on updating our blog and I do apologize! This post is basically about two things, a surprise and two sickies.

Life lately has been, hectic. Stressful, frustrating, unnerving, living in limbo basically. I have one absolutely wonderful friend. We go back, what, thirteen years? She's been there by my "side" through a lot of things in my life. A great friend and is just an awesome person.

With all that has been going on in our lives she has been there, to listen to me vent/cry, rant - whatever it was, she listened. I do the same for her and about 90% of the time we have the same mind on life. Anyways, she sent me a wonderful package. My mom got it at her house and brought it over to me, I loved it!

Now, we have not done anything for Bishop yet. It's been hard given the circumstances and sorry, I won't be able to go into them right now. So if you don't know, hopefully soon you'll have the full story. Anyways, we've been in a position where we could not plan out rooms and such, or even really put anything together. Bishop is going to be a summer baby and the other boys were winter babies. I saved all of their clothes and yet here we are with a summer baby haha. Jason and I were getting things out a few weeks back during all the moves and it hit us. We have nothing summer related for a baby! Well, we do, but not in the right age for the season.

She was so wonderful to send us a small package of things for the baby and even some Australian play money for the boys. Oh and I got some candy haha. Her seasons are different then ours (she lives in Australia) and so she sent us a few small newborn outfits. I adore them! Absolutely adore them. My mom loved them as well. We also got a beautiful adorable polka dotted Elephant for him.

I have some photos that I will post at the end of the entry. But Zoe, we thank you so very much for the wonderful package. You are honestly an amazing friend and one day hopefully our lives will cross and we can finally meet. Or you know, when you're in the states, drop by MI - duh! Its funny to think how far our friendship has grown in these years. Who would have thought it would have lasted this long? You truly are a wonderful friend beyond amazing. You're one of my closest friends, well, you knew that. I love you dearly! We all do <3


---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----- -----

The sickies. Ah, my sickies. It was odd that it came out of nowhere. Last Saturday (the 5th - see, I am behind!) Dane started out fine. He was himself, playing and being trouble. We were playing outside and he was doing just fine. All of a sudden he had a dirty diaper and i went to change it. It was obviously a bad one and I put ointment on it. From there I noticed a change. I thought maybe his tush hurt and he was just being a bit sulky about it. So we cuddled outside while Gage played and Jason worked on a set of stairs for the back door.

Something was off. All of a sudden he was burning up. His head, back, tummy, under his pits and back of his knees. It was seriously too hot to the touch. I took his temp; 101.3°F. I know its not too high to be so concerning but he started showing other signs that didn't sit well with me. He all of a sudden was lethargic, breathing short and fast (if that makes sense. It was hard to describe), jittery and his heart was racing. You could feel how fast it was going. He also was making this odd noise. I sat with him for an hour inside (started at 5pm and we came in at 6pm) mentioned it to Jason and he checked him out. I told him something in me didn't feel right. Right there he told me to go to Urgent Care.

I don't normally panic over sicknesses. The last time I had a gut feeling Dane ended up being hospitalized for a week with an abscess in his neck. Then had surgery on it to drain it. So when my gut says go, we generally follow it. I'm just very thankful that this time it wasn't so serious. We were in Urgent Care and his vitals came back to his heart rate being much faster then it should be for his temp. I forgot to ask what his fever temp was. The doctor told me that what she could see what he had was viral. So a viral bug. She said for his vitals, she wanted us to stay another 20 minutes to give him Motrin and retest the vitals again then. Dane was seriously not himself. We honestly do not call him trouble for nothing. He was super snuggly and laid on the table in the room. He snuggled his blanket and actually fell asleep! That never happens with the doctors. He sat still for her exam, again, something that never happens!

They tested his vitals again 20 minutes later and his heart rate thankfully went down. His fever however didn't break. We were sent home with it being a viral bug but in the back of her mind she was not ruling out the possibility of it being the start of pneumonia. His lungs were clear and his oxygen levels were good though. But she said it could still be a possibility. If he got worse to come back. Thankfully he got better. It took about if you look at it really 3 days total to get better. We flip flopped between tylenol and motrin for him. Kept him hydrated, gave him easy foods to eat. He slept so much. On the 2nd day of it all he took a 4hr nap in his bed in our room (moved him away from Gage to avoid him catching it.. ha) and then another 3 hours on me. That was not him! He was so irritable at night too. Jason and I got no sleep during the duration he was sick but he is much better so no sleep was worth it.

Gage finally caught it. He thankfully beat it much quicker then Dane. He went down for a nap on Tuesday (unlike him) and woke up burning up. Sure enough like Dane; it struck out of nowhere! So we started the same treatment process with him and within 2 days Gage was back to himself. Thank goodness. Having sickies is no fun. I hope I can handle it when I know I will have 3 sick kidlets in a row. I'm sure I will! I am just very thankful that Jason and i escaped it. I don't know how I would have been handling it being 28 weeks at the time.

I have my 2 healthy happy boys back and I am so very thankful for that!

Here are the surprise photos + 1 belly picture from 28 weeks and 5 days :) One will be on the main page and to see the rest click "read more>>"

xx Marisa

(follow this link!)

A Sunday "Adventure" (image heavy.)

This has been a long weekend due to the holiday today. With all going on in our lives we wanted to get out of the house, spend time with the boys. Just the four of us. We spent a few hours in the morning trying to figure out what we could do that would be fun for all of us but didn't cost a lot of money. We came up with going to the Dunes.

Where we live is a gorgeous area of the state. However, being a tourist town prices are jacked up during summer and it can make those on a budget a bit difficult to do things there. So, we sat down and talked it out. Decided that since we're not that far from Lake Michigan, we'd head out to the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes. Its only $10 for the park fee and its good up to 7 days. So thats a slight perk :). We packed up the boys, some drinks and snacks, bought some sunscreen (which I have been meaning to do!) and headed out.

Many years ago, in a state now called Wisconsin, lived a mother bear and her two cubs. One day, as they were in the woods gathering food, a fire broke out. All of the animals, including the mother bear and her cubs, had to leave the forest. The mother bear and her cubs swam across Lake Michigan to the state we now call Michigan. It was a very long swim. Soon, the two cubs grew very tired and fell behind their mother. When the mother bear came to the shores of Michigan, she climbed to the highest point she could find, a large hill made of sand, and waited for the cubs. She waited and waited and waited. But her cubs could not make the long journey. Instead, the Great White Spirit, who watched over all the animals, turned the cubs into two islands. The mother bear, who soon grew tired, saw her two cubs in the lake and knew that the Great White Spirit had taken care of them. She soon saw the two islands in Lake Michigan. Knowing that her cubs were safe, she soon fell fast asleep. Today, the cubs are known as North Manitou Island and South Manitou Island. Their mother, who the Great Spirit covered with sand to keep warm, now watches over her cubs from her spot atop the giant hill made of sand. We call her Sleeping Bear Sand Dune.

We left a bit later in the day, around 2:30pm I believe. It was a Sunday though and no plans to do anything early the next day anyways. Dane was a bit antsy in the car but did better going there then back. He's not a car baby. Gage, fell asleep 5 miles outside of our neighborhood! Kid was conked out.

This is where our whole "adventure" began. Mind you, we've never actually traveled this way by ourselves. We have always gone with my mom and step-dad, never paid attention to the actual route. We did a quick look up on the internet before we left. No real directions - ha, yeah, that should scream trouble right there. We kinda went out of our way haha, passed right by where we wanted to go. Both of us saw it but never really put two and two together. Yup, we're idiots. We admit it! In a way though, it was nice. Such beautiful scenery. I wish I had taken more pictures then I did but in a moving car, not quite as easy and I wasn't going to ask him to pull over. Dane was in the car and awake, that would have equaled screams haha.

We turned around and *gasp* he ASKED for directions! This is the 2nd time in my life I have ever witnessed a male asking for directions. But then again, i was sitting next to both of them in the car telling them to ask for the damn directions because we're freaking lost. This time, we felt like idiots though haha. However, what's done is done and we finally made it to our destination.

Gage was getting antsy and upset. Understandable but a whiney 4 year old can get old at times. This started to be one because of how he was whining. I was determined to make it up to him so I didn't let his mood ruin mine.

We pulled in, paid and went on our merry little way. Where we passed by our first marker. The covered Bridge. I left the little booklet outside that describes each marker .. I probably should have brought it in haha. Anyways we went through and up to the main destinations. To view the Dunes and Lake Michigan. I have been here several times and still the view of the lake is beautiful. Especially when you go on a day we did, clear skies, just all around wonderful. The first one we stopped at, a view of the Dunes was just awesome. I don't ever personally recall going there, I may have when I was younger or such. I just don't have my own recollection of it. Taking the boys there was fun. Them seeing it, more so Gage because hes at an age where he'll remember. He's been there once before, when he was only 7 months old. But now, he can enjoy it in his own little 4 year old way! Here is a picture of Gage standing in the same spot 4 years later.

It's neat to be able to take him back there. I do wish I had the old photo saved onto this laptop. I'd share it for reference. This trip also lead to it being Dane's first time there and his first time seeing and feeling sand. It was pretty neat. Gage didn't take to sand kindly the first time like Dane. It was cute trying to see Dane walk on it. All in all this trip was nice and honestly, a much needed break from our daily lives with the constant unknowns and stress. Taking the boys out, spending time with them and leaving everything else behind at home was what I believe we all needed. I took a ton of photos and wish I had remembered to bring my tripod, so no actual full family shots of us all. Sad day. I am happy we went and Gage loved playing in the sand. We think we brought half of it back with him in his pockets and shoes. So I will end this with pictures from that day. Not all of them have uploaded and I'm slightly annoyed by that but right now, I have other things in my life that are a bigger worry then a few pictures not being uploaded! I will add them once I can get them on here. 

xx

Marisa

The rest of the photos are under this "read more" link - so just click on that.

Wordless Wednesday: Brothers, then and now.

Summer, 2009

Late spring, 2010

A long day traveling

Today has been a long day. We woke up early and finished prepping everything we had to take with us for the trip downstate. Mainly snacks, drinks, lunch and dinner. Dane's appointment was at 2pm but we had to be there by 1:30pm to fill out paperwork. We left ahead of schedule and it gave us extra time for lunch. We arrived a few minutes early for the appointment, answered the usual questions for the receptionist and then sat down.

Finally called back, actually maybe 10 minutes of waiting, really quick anyways. He was weighed at 28lbs and his height is 33inches. Waited for the doctor to come in and see him. This is where it got frustrating, the wait time. This one was shorter then the 2nd, but I'll get to that in a few. She came in and saw him, stretched his legs, measured between his tibia's. Had him stand, lay on his tummy and then had him walk and run. We had to use the help of the big brother to get him to walk and run where she needed him to go. She came back in to the room and started talking to Jason and I.

She gave us an idea on what is going on and wanted the other doctor to come in look at Dane. After probably 30+ minutes of waiting on him after seeing her for 5 minutes it was a bit frustrating. We understood because he was with another patient. I was more annoyed at the fact they came in to tell us we weren't forgotten about but he was finishing up with another patient and a minute later he walked in. You couldn't have come in 10 minutes before? My kids were restless, my big pregnant butt was sore and we had just had enough. The room was stuffy as well.

Im not really trying to be a complainer but by that time we were just done, haha. Poor Dane was the most, you could tell he wanted a nap but we couldn't let him fall asleep. He finally came in and started talking to us. Wanted for us to tell him why we were there and such. We told him because of his one bowed leg and how it was a concern of ours. He was very nice and understanding, very friendly as well.

He explained to us that what he has is normal. They measure between the tibia's and he like I already said is still in the normal range, just at the higher end. We were told that most kids out grow it by 24 months old. So we are supposed to go back in 6 months for a clinical check up. They did say that if he seems to be outgrowing it or fully outgrow it by/before then we can call and cancel our appointment. If it gets worse, to call sooner or stays the same to come back and they will do further x-rays. So, this is where we stand.

It is answers, not complete 100% answers but those will come in time. Its all just a matter of his leg either fixing itself on its own or getting worse, staying the same where we go back and see further from there. We were warned that if it does fix itself, which they do think it will, he will become knee knocked/knocked knee (which ever it is) before it completely is fixed. So, it is nice to be warned about that or else I probably would have come up with more worries haha.

What he has is called Left (the affected leg) leg tibial torsion. It is normal, just tibial bowing of the leg. So we're hoping he outgrows it! I couldn't imagine making the 2 hour drive again with not one, not two but three kids. Bishop will be here by his next appointment date.

I do want to do some mom bragging. I am very proud of how Gage behaved today. He was so well behaved, well mannered and just over all a good kid. We thought at first with just the nature of today he'd have some problems but he didn't. We brought my laptop so the boys could watch a movie while we were going down and then back. He ate well at lunch and really didn't complain.

Sure he had a few moments but honestly, what 4 year old isn't going too? If he didn't, I'd be wondering where my child was! I am just so happy and proud of him. He has been doing so well and today just really showed how well he's done. It wasn't an easy trip, all in one day unlike our others where we'd drive the distance and stay for a few days. It was up, into the car for 2 hours, in a doctors appointment for almost 2 hours and then straight back into the car. We stopped for lunch and potty breaks but he did so well. I'm just love him so :) oh and I love that picture! He wrote it all by himself!

That was Dane's appointment. I'm happy with the outcome and we have time to see if we will have to go back or not. Fingers crossed we don't! I am also just proud of my Monkey Man. He's getting so big.

xx
Marisa

A change in plans

The other day I got a call from the Orthopedic Surgeon's office that we have to visit for Dane's leg. They were calling to reschedule his appointment, at first I figured great, they'll reschedule it for later. Considering by then it was already set up for October! Thankfully not. However the reschedule is a lot sooner then I thought it would be. Like, the 25th of this month. Yeah, big change.

So, that means I have a short amount of time to get everything ready. It would be easier if the doctor was in our town but I have to drive 2 hours to see this surgeon. He used to practice where we live but moved his office 2 hours away. So its our only option to drive that far. It won't be that bad but still not ideal in my mind. However we're one step closer to getting an answer on his leg.

I tried to get a decent photo of it the other day but couldn't quite get it. Its hard when he's an energetic 17 month old. I am unsure of what will take place during the appointment, but they did say in the letter to be there a half hour early to fill out paperwork and then to expect the appointment to last as long as 2 hours. So, it will be a long day. 2 hours to get there, a half hour to fill out paper work, possibly 2 hours for an appointment then another 2 hour drive home. That'll definitely be a busy day. I need to make sure everything is prepared for the car rides both ways as well has having snacks, toys, possibly a movie some how. I have to occupy both boys. With my luck we'll get on the road when it's Dane's nap time so he would sleep the whole time. Fingers crossed.

Here are 2 pictures of his legs from 2 days ago. One is very bowed, you can tell. That's the one we're dealing with and then one adorable picture of him.

Marisa

Insurance and Specialists oh my!

It feels like as of late I have only been updating on Dane. Its only because more has been going on with him then Gage. Gage is doing awesome. It's actually quite amazing to see how great he is doing. He is starting to learn reason as well, which I think is a good and bad thing haha.

However, I wanted to update on Dane and all thats been going on. We finally got the call yesterday about when he'd go see the Orthopedic Surgeon/Specialist. It's farther in advanced then I had thought it would be. We are set up for Wednesday October 13th to see him. It's at 10:30am but we have to be there 30 minutes before. It's about a 2 hour drive so we'll be up early and leaving early. Not looking forward to that, mainly because Bishop will be here by then. Granted he should be almost 2 months old but hauling 3 kids to this isn't going to be a picnic. My mom said she'd go with me, so I think we have enough advanced notice for her to take the time off.

I handed in everything for the insurance. Hopefully it'll be straightened out quickly.

The weather is beautiful here. Wednesday the boys and I went for a walk around our neighborhood. It was nice and beautiful. I think we may go again today, if my ankle isn't killing me too much. I was attacked by frozen chicken that night when I opened my freezer door. It is swollen and bruised. Still hurts today. I seem to have an issue kicking it when I'm in my sleep. Wonder if I strap my other leg down if it'll stop, ha. Right.

The husbandman has been working hard. Gage gets so excited to see him when he comes home during lunch and then for the day. It's nice to see him so excited to see daddy. Our schedule was so different before he got this job, now, its nice! He's gone during the day and home at night. He used to be home during the day and gone at night. I hated it, the boys hated it. Now you can tell when daddy comes home, mama is nobody, well, until dinner time! Then I'm needed again, haha.

Its amazing how things have turned out. From major upsets to wondering if we would be okay. To here we are, happy, building a house with two healthy boys and a wonderful surprise boy on his way. I had my ups and downs on feelings but knowing life will be okay, makes me okay. To make sure the boys have what they need is all that matters to me and they have it.

However, Gage's latest thing is to make sure you know he's bored haha!

It's been awhile

Lots of things have been going on this past week. I'm hoping this coming week is low key, however my hopes are not very high.

Monday I took Dane's to have his legs x-rayed. While waiting to be called back I was looking over the sheet the Radiology receptionist gave me. It was easier to read then the one attached to it from my son's doctor. Well, considering it was typed and not written. Anyways - it said that there was 'Suspicion of one leg being shorter'. Why did we go get his legs x-rayed? Well, because he's had one badly bowed leg for awhile now and it was not getting better.

My other son had two bowed legs and they fixed themselves around 21 months. However, D's wasn't getting better and it was only the one leg.. so, my concern was there. It lingered as we passed 1 year and at his 12 month check up his doctor said to keep an eye on it. There wasn't a lot of concern on either of our ends then. I kept watching and the leg started to become more noticeable. It affects how he walks, how he runs and even how he stands.

So, we were told to have him get x-rays and then we would move on to the next step. A referral to an Orthopedic Surgeon. Issues with that is unfortunately we no longer have one in our hospital. So we will have to travel 2 hours to see this one. I mean, in my sons best well being I will travel as far as I have to, don't get me wrong there. I'm just glad that it isn't winter anymore and I won't have to drive in crappy snow to get there.

We're currently in the waiting game on hearing back. I tried contacting the doctors office on Friday but had no luck getting ahold of anyone.

On top of that, when we found out we were having a boy I was told I might need to have another scan. Okay, that happened with Gage. They couldn't get all the heart chambers in good images so we had to go back. He was too wiggly for them. This tech focused a lot on ds1's heart. I'm telling myself its nothing, it may have been a bit too soon to get any good measurements. That's my hope anyways. She took a small video clip of his heart to send to the Radiologist to look over.. it just makes a parent nervous. I am waiting to hear back on that as well.

At least ds1 is a good comic relief! He's discovered telling jokes. Well, a 4 year olds version of a joke. However - it helps make the hard things go away and we can just laugh. He's so bright and smart! He can count to 5 in Spanish.

I'm not ready to let him go to kindergarten. Granted, i have one year left of him at home before he can start but not ready! Nope. The thought of him being ready next fall saddens me. He's my biggest baby, hes my first born. How can i let him go to school? I can't.. I won't.. wait, yes I will but I can say that I won't haha. I know he'll have a blast.

We are trying out Pre-K again on him this year. Only 2 days a week and full days. That way it helps prepare him somewhat for kindergarten.

I blame it on the pregnancy

Ah pregnancy, I forgot (haha no pun intended) how stupid it can make me. Friday I promised Monkey we would make cupcakes. Nothing from scratch, just a box so not so fancy but easy enough for him to be helpful and have fun. That's the point of cooking with your 4 year old right? Well, our first try didn't become the success I was hoping because well, my brain failed me haha. I don't know why but for some reason I read the instructions (which are beyond simple!) as instead of 1 1/3 cup water to do 1 1/3 cup veg oil! Yep, so, thats what I put in. That much oil! As soon as I went to read the instructions on the next measurement I realized my big 'oh crap' moment. Head meet wall, hello! I had to sadly explain to my over excited co-baker that we'd have to scratch this set of cupcakes and wait for daddy to bring us another thing of oil (Because duh, i used the last of what I had haha) and a new box of mix. Poor kid was sad.

However, daddy came through and we got our mix and oil back! So back to baking we went and he was the best big helper ever. Hey, this time I put in the right measurements of ingredients also haha. Monkey mixed it and poured everything in. The most I did was cut open the mix bag and crack open the eggs. These were his cupcakes.

After we got it all ready we put in the cups into the baking pan and then, they got the beaters. I had to document this part on camera haha. It's not often that Trouble gets a taste of sweets. Very rarely he'll get something small here and there but I remember enjoying this part with my mom and I figured hey, why not? I couldn't believe how he actually took care of eating it haha. It was a mess yes but he actually attempted to get it all in his mouth and not all over his body. Trouble loved the treat as well.  We loaded the cupcake cups and popped them into the oven. Big kid was too excited and couldn't wait for them to be done to frost them. Silly kid. He had to wait anyways!

Here are some photos of the boys enjoying the beaters and our final product!

With Love