"The Triplet Mom"

Yeah, not posting much on the blog...

2010-01-11T08:08:00.002-06:00

I've become addicted to Facebook...most of my updating about family life is being done there...
if you're a member of Facebook, friend me and check out my Facebook here...
http://www.facebook.com/gottriplets

If you're not a member of Facebook, join!

p.s. I'm also on Twitter... @gottriplets

Vacation

2009-07-08T18:03:00.003-05:00

I'm finally back from 'vacation'. This was a difficult vacation for all of us, as my grandmother, my mother's mother, died soon after we got there. We didn't get to see her before she died, but my mom did and my great aunt (from Florida) got to see her the day before she died.
Vacation was put on hold for awhile while arrangements were made and things were tended to.
Stan and I sang at her funeral just as she had asked me to for so many years.
I miss her -- going to Indiana will never be the same.

One year ago today....

2009-05-11T12:46:00.002-05:00

One year ago today life stopped for a little bit. I cried more than I ever had in my whole life. I've never been so scared or felt so helpless. One year later, miraculously all is well. Hannah has her eye, and with the help on a lens implant and glasses, her vision. It has been a year long journey that had a relatively happy ending. I want to thank everyone who helped us a year ago and that continue to help us today. I've learned that your life can change in an instant...so grab on to the good times while they're here!

Easter Pictures

2009-04-22T17:16:00.003-05:00

Hannah

Sarah

Emma

Happy birthday girls!

2009-04-21T07:22:00.001-05:00

9 years ago tonight was the scariest and best day of my life. My little girls were born! It's always a little post-traumatic for me...but hopefully having donuts with candles in them and special lunchables will soften the blow for me....

Pictures soon!

Daddy-Daughter(s) Dance!

2009-03-24T08:20:00.001-05:00

Just a quick picture...

A day off!

2009-02-24T08:33:00.003-06:00

The girls have today off, so they are going to grandma's to have a little fun. I'm sure they'll have a blast. Myself, I have 2 doctors appointments in a row. The fun of being a grown up!
Here are some pictures of the girls making their own ice cream cakes at Coldstone Creamery!

Hannah's Cake

Sarah's Cake

Emma's Cake

A Valentine Flashback

2009-02-12T07:58:00.001-06:00

They must have been about 3 in this picture
(bad mommy, I don't have them dated!)
Aren't they the cutest!
Hopefully this weekend I'll get some current pictures!

Just a quick post

2009-02-03T18:27:00.002-06:00

Hannah's Glasses are Here!

I think she looks cute as a button!

She is having a new lens made with the bifocal portion (long story)

but she is thrilled to have them!

A long overdue update

2008-12-18T18:34:00.003-06:00

Well, since my last post things have been insane. Stan has been in an out of the hospital during the last 3 weeks. He was in with the high blood pressure readings. Those got under control, but we think that he picked up a NASTY pneumonia that landed him back in the hospital less than a week from when he was released! He stayed another 3 days! His kidneys were doing some scary things and he wasn't responding to oral antibiotics, so he got a bunch of IV antibiotics and a kidney biopsy. We had the biopsy to 1) tell us how much of his kidneys were damaged beyond repair; 2) tell us exactly what disease we were dealing with (was it the same one he was diagnosed with 15 years ago or had it morphed into something else?) and 3) give us a treatment plan. He came home from the hospital last Friday and (thankfully!) has been feeling well and is back at work.
The biopsy results came in today, and, in the exact words of the doctor, "It was better than I expected". Whooooo hooooo! His kidneys are only 25% scarred, the disease is still membranous nephropathy and the nephrologist thinks that with proper management of his blood pressure, his function will go back to near normal. If not, we 'know' this disease and will probably use the same treatment protocol as 15 years ago - cytoxan (an oral chemotherapy drug) and prednisone (a corticosteroid). It sounds scarier than it is, as Stan's only side effects were moodiness! I'll take that, considering the nephrologist was thinking kidney transplant within 2 years before the biopsy! Now it looks like we'll have LOTS of time before that!!!

I have another patient to report on, Hannah. She had her last appointment with the eye surgeon. Her eye has healed nicely and the lens is exactly where it should be! Our next step is to go to a pediatric opthamologist and get her fitted with glasses (her vision is 20/200 right now). It's another miracle in our lives.

Thank you to all those who prayed, brought dinners or just sat with me!! This came out of nowhere and really derailed me for a little bit. Hopefully, 2008 is behind us and 2009 will be hospital free for the Markuns (unless I get a boob job!!)

More 'excitement'

2008-12-01T06:46:00.001-06:00

and I use that term loosely. Stan is currently in the hospital, and has been since Saturday night. Seems he missed a few blood pressure pills and his pressure skyrocketed (believe me, that won't happen again!). He is stable, but his kidneys are doing some odd things that are being looked at a little closer.
Never a dull moment here...

Busy, busy, busy

2008-11-23T20:27:00.004-06:00

This has to have been one of the busiest weekends in a long time! Friday, I took Hannah (all by myself) downtown for surgery follow-up. I am happy to report that all is fine and I survived the parking garage. Our van is so talk that the antenna scrapes the ceiling of the garage - every cross beam. It's just a little nerve wracking!
Then, I had bunco! Hooray for bunco!
Saturday morning I took my car to be looked at ( it's making a really weird noise ). No one can figure out how to fix the noise, but I needed a new serpentine belt. Aack!
Next, on to my house to pick up the girls and to high tail it to Sam's to pick up my nephew's birthday cake. Then, onto Ransom's 4th birthday. Unfortunately the girls had a birthday party to go to at 4, so we only stayed for a bit, then I took them to the party and I came back to the party. After Ransom's party, I picked the girls up from their party. And that was Saturday!
Sunday was church, Generations of Faith, book reports, Wal Mart any getting Stan's van tuned up and my serpentine belt on.
I'm tired!

Surgery is over

2008-11-15T15:57:00.006-06:00

It was a grueling day. We arrived about 45 minutes early and were told that the patient that was supposed to go ahead of us was a no-show, so we could be bumped up. We thought that meant we'd get out of there even faster. Well, that was not meant to be. First, the surgeon couldn't get there until noon at the earliest, so we couldn't start too much earlier. Secondly, Hannah fought the anesthesia (again!) so after a million arguments and tears she ended up having to have an injection of versed instead of just drinking it. I got to wear the full Elvis surgeon jumpsuit and take her back to the OR, I think she was pretty mad at me most of the way there.

Hannah before the fight to drink her medicine

The surgery took much longer than expected, almost an hour longer. We're still not really sure why. The good news is that they were able to get the lens in her eye without using stitches (which apparently is a big deal). She only has one stitch which is where they made the incision to put the lens in. That stitch may never have to be removed, so we may be done with all this anesthesia stuff for good!

The bad news about Hannah having to get the injection is that it took MUCH longer for her to come out of anesthesia. We were allowed back into the recovery room at 2:30, and she didn't really wake up until 4:30. The good news about the injection is that the added medication meant that she woke up very peacefully. No thrashing, screaming or fighting. Just some irritation that she had the pulse ox, EKG leads, IV and shield and gauze on her eye. She had some apple juice, a Popsicle and graham crackers and we were on the way home.

It took us 2 hours to get home...nothing like rush hour traffic on a Friday :-(

Once we got home we had some Panera, went to bed, and got up at 6:30 to go downtown to get the gauze removed and have her eye checked.

Hannah in great spirits on the way to have the shield and gauze taken off

The doctor said all looks well, she has 90% vision in that eye. She has some astigmatism which will most likely have to be corrected with glasses. No biggie.

Now on to fight the insurance company!

Everything seems worse at 2am

2008-11-14T02:25:00.003-06:00

Its 2am and I'm the only one awake. I hate that. I don't want to wake Hannah (who is sleeping with me in the hopes that she'll sleep in - surgery isn't until afternoon and she can't have anything by mouth after midnight) so I'm worrying. Not the most productive thing in the world to do, but at least it's quiet.
I just want the surgery to be over with and to have us all snug in our beds again.

2 more days??

2008-11-12T12:52:00.007-06:00

Well, we are hoping that in 2 days Hannah will have had surgery and this will all be behind us.
Monday morning I woke up with a 'don't get on the plane' feeling about the surgery that stuck with me all day. Now I know why. Tuesday morning greeted me with a phone call from UIC stating that Cigna had denied coverage for the surgery. A billion phone calls and one super secret authorization code later, I thought all was fine. Nope. This morning, another call from UIC. The authorization will not cover anything but doctors visits, therefore the hospital and the surgery in it are not covered. We were specifically told, when we applied for the Continuance of Care, that ANYTHING the doctor authorized would be covered, including surgery. So, a barrage of phone calls has been made, Stan has called his HR people and I wait. I wait with eyes swollen from crying and a stomach full of knots wondering if this is going to be covered. Wondering if we're gonna bite the bullet and pay the out of network costs, or tell an 8 year old who just wants to see normally again that she has to wait.
I hate insurance.

Countdown to surgery

2008-11-07T14:04:00.005-06:00

7 more days until Hannah has her lens implantation surgery. I can't believe we've been going through this for 6 months. Since May 11th, Mothers' Day, to be exact. If I sit down and really wallow in it - it sucks. It's not fair. I'm angry. I feel betrayed. I try to be a good person/mom/wife, follow all the rules, do as I'm told and this still happens.
Then I have to stop myself and remind myself how blessed and truly lucky I am. I have three beautiful, healthy (except for that eye thing!) children that were brought into this world against all odds. Even when they made it to being born, the odds were still about 10% that they wouldn't survive and 30% that there would be something 'wrong' with them. All three of them beat those odds.
I am blessed, too, that I have such a wonderful group of friends who rallied around me when Hannah got hurt. They will never know how deeply touched and awed I still am by all they did for me. I am a giver, and it is almost impossible for me to take. They knew this, and they made me take anyway.
Yep, life isn't fair. Things happen. I guess I am slowly learning that things can happen for no reason at all and it's what you do with the results of that happening that count. Right now I'm counting my blessings and counting down the days until another chapter in this story is finished.

Book Reports

2008-11-04T08:42:00.008-06:00

Yes, 3rd grade is the year of book reports. We've just started our first ones. The girls have to make a presentation and a visual aid (in 3rd grade language, that's a poster).

Here are some pictures of their works in progress...

Hannah read Laura Ingalls Wilder's The First Four Years

Sarah read Patch the Perfect Kitten

Emma read Flat Stanley's Christmas Adventure

I don't recall asking my parents to google things for book reports! Or to do a google image search to get pictures! LOL

I think they will do fine!

Halloween 2008

2008-11-02T06:43:00.008-06:00

I didn't get a whole lot of pictures, but I was able to get them to stand still for a few!

Emma as a vampire with her vampire husband

Sarah as a witch (a dead witch she told me)

Hannah as Miss America

Here's their whole class:

I must have a sign on me

2008-10-30T13:52:00.009-05:00

that says, "Mess with me! Make me panic!"

As I was leaving the house this morning, the phone rang. I didn't answer it, but checked my messages on the way to work. The message was from the eye clinic at UIC. They were calling to remind me that I had an appointment tomorrow to fill out paperwork for Hannah's surgery on the 14th, oh, and Cigna is not contracted with us anymore and when we called them they said you would have out of network benefits which means you'll be entered into our system as a self-pay. Pardon me? I called back to UIC and explained that I had filed a Continuance of Care form and had gotten the approval for in-network coverage through Jan 1. She said they had no record of that and when they called Cigna they were told there was no record of that either. Now I have the letter giving me approval. I know right where it is. I call Cigna, with guns drawn. When I finally get a person, they check it and, yep, there it is. I ask her to call UIC, of course she can't do that. I call UIC back, explain that I am just calling to follow up and if they call Cigna they'll get all the approval information they need. She proceeds to look it up and says, "I don't know what the problem is, the letter is right here and HAS BEEN FOR A MONTH." So she's changing the billing back to in-network and my heart rate is slowly returning to normal.
Don't these people understand that when they call and deliver a mistake like this it literally puts people into hysterics???

Gonna blog more....

2008-10-29T08:07:00.008-05:00

or at least try to! That is my "Halloween Resolution". Perhaps it will help keep the anxiety level a bit in check. Maybe not.
Today I am fascinated by a continuing issue in our house. Every single morning my children (and I call them that because they are mine, can't deny it) are SHOCKED, SHOCKED I tell you, to realize they have to do the following:
1. Get dressed
2. Eat breakfast
3. Pack a lunch
4. Put their shoes on
5. Brush their hair
6. Brush their teeth
7. Put their coats on

Every day is like a surprise party here. I think I will start saying things like, "Girls, get dressed. SURPRISE!!" "Eat breakfast -- SURPRISE!!"

It must be nice to have every day be a new, exiting adventure with all kinds of intriguing tasks. Unfortunately for me, every day is like the movie Groundhog Day.

p.s. Here are pictures of Emma in her new glasses (or being arrested)

I wanted to let you get the full effect of the green fronts and purple sides

:-D

Why I dislike Halloween

2008-10-28T13:04:00.003-05:00

I know Halloween isn't until Friday, but I'm dreading it. Why? Is it because of the obscene amount of money I spend on three costumes? Nope (thanks, Mom!) The neverending doorbell ringing? Not even close. The signal that fall and winter are really here? No.

For me, Halloween signals the end. The end of any real 'free' time I have. There are, from now until after New Years, approximately one kajillion things that need to be done, parties to attend, gifts to buy and wrap. It seems that Halloween, with it's necessary costumes and candy purchases, signals that end for me. And there isn't a thing I can do about it (unless I go on a caramel making strike this year, which I don't think would go over well with all those I have gifted (read addicted) over the years). Sigh.

Guys don't make passes...

2008-10-22T08:12:00.004-05:00

Well, it's started. The first of the Markun girls will be getting glasses. For reading the board at school ONLY. Emma is thrilled and picked out a pair with green frames and purple temples. The other girls are already jealous...they don't need to worry, I'm sure it's only a matter of time before they all need glasses, and besides, Hannah has her sunglasses!

p.s. A big thanks to Kelly for pointing me to these cool new backgrounds! Let me know what you think of this one!

Ever have one of those days?

2008-10-20T16:06:00.005-05:00

OK...in the grand scheme of things today wasn't that bad, but it was one of those days where everything just kept piling up...
First of all, 2 out of the three girls could not find their gym shoes. Of course it is PE day and it is the end of the world if they don't have their shoes. Where the shoes go, I do not know. We ended up having to make do with older shoes...of course the minute they got home they were able to find their shoes. Uugh. As 'punishment' they had to clean out the bench where the shoes are supposed to be stored of all shoes EXCEPT those that they now wear.
Then I got off work early, which was great! However, I decided to stop to get my favorite candy...Runts. Unfortunately I stopped at three stores and could find NONE. NONE!! BIG EMPTY SPOTS WHERE THEY SHOULD BE.
I was forced to order them from Amazon.com in bulk.

My name is Laura M. and I am an addict.

Oh, and then did I mention that it rained? Sure, rain, no biggie. Except that I have to pick the girls up from school and we have a substantial walk to the car. And it didn't start pouring rain until 3:28....and the girls get out at 3:29.
Welcome to my little world of tragedies....none horrible, but annoying nonetheless.

WE HAVE A SURGERY DATE!!

2008-10-08T16:14:00.002-05:00

And, equally as important, WE HAVE INSURANCE APPROVAL!! Whoooooo hooooooo! November 14th is the big day...please keep us all in your prayers!

Picture day - yikes!

2008-10-03T07:01:00.003-05:00

Today is picture day. Shouldn't be a big deal, right? WRONG!! Have you seen the order form for picture days lately...allow me to explain....
there are 864 possible choices for your personalized portrait package! That includes adding on extra photos or getting names added to your wallet sized pictures. (Kelly, you may have to check my math!) It took me a good 1/2 hour to decide what package...colored background (which is $4 more) or grey, how many 8x10s? 5x7s? 3 class pictures or just one? Pay for the super deluxe package to get the CD? Get retouching? Oh my God! The INSANITY! In the end, I decided on one of the lower end packages that had my 'requirements' - 1 8x10 for their school book, 2 5x7s for the grandparents and a class picture. Total damages....$108. The good news...the picture companies have entered the year 1990 - you can pay online rather than sending in a check in that funky envelope that never seals properly.

THIS is why I have headaches!!

2008-09-23T16:08:00.002-05:00

So, after 2 days of calling the surgeon, I was informed today that he is ON VACATION THIS WEEK!!! Something they could have just told me YESTERDAY!! I am so mad I could (and did) cry! Now on to the appeal process with Cigna to see if we can get the procedure covered after October 1st. Thanks to everyone for all the good thoughts...save 'em until further notice!

More surgery...

2008-09-21T18:24:00.002-05:00

Yep. More surgery for Hannah. Hopefully she will have a lens inserted on Friday that will permanently replace the lens that had to be removed due to the cataract. We tried to use a contact lens to correct her vision, but she was, let us say, not receptive. We've been trying for almost a month to get her to do it, but she just can't/won't. The surgery is a last resort, but should restore her vision to a 'normal' level. Why the rush to have the surgery you ask? The hospital where her procedures are performed will no longer be participating in our insurance network as of October 1st. We've applied for an extension, but if we can just get it done before the cutoff we'll be in that much better shape.
So, once again, we'll be off early Friday morning and home that afternoon. Hopefully this will be the last of the surgeries.

One of the best things about triplet 8 year olds is...

2008-09-08T16:04:00.001-05:00

SLEEPOVERS!! This weekend the girls were invited to a sleepover. From 5:30 pm until 11 am we were childless. I have to say, it was a bit strange sleeping in a house with no children. I think that has happened here only 1 or 2 other times! When we got up in the morning Stan offered to go get donuts and I had to remind him we could BOTH go...there were no kids here that needed to be supervised!! Whooooo hooooo! I think I could get used to that....

Happy birthday to me, I'm a hundred and three...

2008-09-05T06:09:00.002-05:00

At least I feel that old! I can't believe I'm 38. 38. It just sounds ancient. I don't feel 38, but all the evidence is there:
1. Grey hair -- it's coming in at an alarming pace. Thank goodness for haircolor!
2. Aches and pains -- I still haven't recovered from our trip to Great America. There is a spot in my back that may never be the same!
3. I have three children!! Three EIGHT year olds -- where did the time go??

I can't believe I'm a full fledged adult, let alone a 38 year old. Is this what they call a mid-life crisis??

First Day of School!

2008-08-24T08:18:00.005-05:00

I can't believe the summer is over! The girls had their first day of school last Thursday. Everyone was very, very excited to hear that they have Mrs. Held as their teacher this year! I think I was more anxious than they were!
Here's a traditional first day of school shot!

As you can see, Hannah is still wearing her sunglasses and probably will for a while. We had an exam under anesthesia the Friday before school started and was able to be measured for a contact lens. The contact lens specialist was wonderful...he is a pediatric specialist and was very, very knowledgeable, not only about the eye element, but the psychology of injured children, too. We are taking it slowly and hopefully she will be fitted for a lens in the next week or so. This should help with her sensitivity to light as well as give her eye the ability to focus.
I am back at work 4 days a week, and loving it!! :-D

More Hannah news

2008-08-12T10:01:00.003-05:00

Well, things aren't going to be as simple as we anticipated. We are going to have to have another exam under anesthesia -- hopefully to be scheduled before school starts. They should be able to measure her vision and get a contact measured. There is some debate as to whether she will need to wear glasses as well as a contact for a 'bifocal' effect. We'll see when she gets fitted for the contact.
On the fun side, we all went to Great America and had a blast. Stan, Sarah and Emma rode all the roller coasters! Hannah and I preferred the more sedate rides, but still had lots of fun!
School starts the 21st - I know I can't wait!

Another Hannah update...and iPhone news!

2008-07-21T06:20:00.003-05:00

Hannah had another exam under anesthesia on Friday. I was all ready - even had gotten a prescription for some Valium for her so she would be calm when we went into the procedure room. Well, so much for planning ahead. I gave her the Valium at 6, since her appointment was scheduled for 8. Plenty of time to 'get happy' and still be happy! Wrong! They were running 2 1/2 hours behind schedule. By the time it was time for the procedure the Valium had totally worn off (it was only 2mg). The upside was that we had WONDERFUL anesthesiologists this time. They were patient and even gave Hannah's baby a mask to wear. The transition to the mask was much smoother this time. They also gave her something so when she came out of it she was a bit less combative - still definitely angry and combative, but not for as long.
Results - all stitches are out, we 'graduated' from the trauma surgeon and are moving on to the lens doctor. We will also be going to the pediatric ophthalmologist to have her vision evaluated soon...we know she can see, we just don't know what the 'measurements' of the distortion are yet.
I have been thinking a lot about this injury. I am hopeful that things will be as close to normal as school approaches (and it's on it's way soon). I hate that my little girl has become so introverted and shy...mostly because the light irritates her eyes. I miss her being happy and carefree.
Now, for something completely different, after much careful research and whining on my part, Stan let me order the new iPhone 3G. When it became apparent that I was going to lust after every iPhone I saw, and that he could get away with an anniversary/birthday gift all in one, AND our cell phone bill would only go up $5 a month, he relented. I have been waiting with baited breath for it to ship since last Sunday, and, this morning, it has shipped and should be at the store tomorrow after 3pm! I can't wait!

Hannah update and Vacation

2008-07-10T12:40:00.001-05:00

Today Hannah had another check up. We're going to have another eye exam under anesthesia next Friday and hopefully get the last of the stitches out. She is also now patch/shield free, much to her dismay. It's going to be a big adjustment for her. I also asked that she be given something before her exam to settle her down so we don't have a repeat of the hysteria from last time. Hopefully that will help.

Now for the fun stuff...we spent 2 weeks in Syracuse, IN at my mother's cousin's house on the lake. It was a blast.

The girls favorite part was the beach...and the playground there...

Emma and Hannah loved the Amish bonnets I bought them in Shipshewana...

And my FAVORITE part was going here:

as seen on Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

I had the Philly Chili - super yummy!

We had so much fun...even Great-Grandma played Nintendo Ds!!

By special request...

2008-07-03T14:56:00.002-05:00

Some pictures of Baby (and Hannah)...

Today's exam

2008-06-20T13:33:00.002-05:00

Well, this was the most taxing procedure to date for mom! I had to walk Hannah down to the exam room and hold her down while they got the mask on her and she was NOT happy about it. I am sure that later in life she'll be telling her therapist that I restrained her and let them gas her. This mommy stuff is hard! Then, upon waking she was the most agitated she has been...I don't know if it was because she only received the gas portion of the sedation (no IV this time) or what, but when she woke up she was MAD. She was screaming that her eyes were stinging and she wanted to be home on her own couch. They got us out of there without her even having to drink anything. Usually we have to wait until she's had a Popsicle or something, but I think her screaming was on everyone's nerves.
The GOOD portion of the day -- her eye continues to look wonderful. Today they took out 6 of the 9 stitches (which means we're going to have at least one more of these!). The trauma surgeon said that he could have taken all 9 out, but they like to leave a few in a bit longer to establish that it is truly healed and that they haven't missed anything. Her retina looks good, as it has since the accident. The capsule where her lens was removed is still well formed and complete, meaning that when she is older they'll be able to slip in a lens with no stitches. That is a really big deal. Here's a neat fact...most of us wear sunglasses to protect our eyes from UV rays...Hannah's artificial lens will have the UV protection built in!
Thanks for all your prayers!

A great appointment!

2008-06-11T16:38:00.003-05:00

First, to all those who have called that I haven't called back, I'm sorry. I'm just swamped trying to keep things afloat! Know that I appreciate it, and I really have meant to call you!

Today's appointment was great. Hannah's eye looks great, no sign of infection or opening of the wound and she is still able to see, and could even see farther this time.

We got the green light for swimming and spent the rest of the day at the pool! Hannah swam like a fish! It was awesome to see her acting like her old self. I was starting to get worried about her...she'd been pretty depressed and sleepy...I'm glad the 'happy Hannah' is coming back!

We go back on the 20th for an eye exam under anesthesia. They contemplated trying to get a good exam while she was awake, but based on the trouble we've had just getting cursory exams in the office, I felt that anesthesia would be our best bet. I wanted to be sure that they get a complete look at all that's going on in the eye, as well as give the trauma surgeon who stitched her eye a chance to see if the stitches are close to removal stage.

So, things here are good, and getting better. We're looking forward to spending lots of time at the pool now!

A huge miracle!!

2008-06-04T11:19:00.003-05:00

We went for another check today at UIC and HANNAH CAN SEE!! She saw when the doctor put fingers in front of her eye - a HUGE improvement from before when she couldn't see anything but shapes! Needless to say, we are all elated.
We also got lots and lots of good news regarding summer! The doctor sees no reason why Hannah can't swim (yeah!) after next week's appointment and also gave us the green light for our vacation at the end of June and Great America later in summer! The best appointment yet!!
So, thank everyone for their prayers - they certainly worked!! Better than I ever expected they would! I ask that you all keep some very special people in your prayers...there is a little girl in Hannah's class that is having tonsil/adenoid surgery soon, a little boy in my triplet group with leukemia, a little girl in my triplet group that is also having tonsil/adenoid surgery, mom in my triplet group who's husband is gravely ill, and my college roommate's husband who was in a bad car accident and is now blind and in rehab for lots of orthopedic issues. If your prayers did wonders for us, imagine how much more you can all do!
p.s. a special thanks again to all my bunco ladies and triplet moms...you have no idea how much you have touched me and I hope that someday I will be able to give back!

A long day, and a small miracle

2008-05-31T17:14:00.002-05:00

First the long day. We had an appointment downtown at 8am, so we left at 6ish. We forgot that it was Saturday and arrived downtown with about, oh, an hour and 15 minutes to spare. So I wandered around Food 4 Less and bought some totally unnecessary snacks (Cosmic brownies, anyone?) and then we went to our appointment. There were a few others there, interestingly, all had had surgery on their right eye except for one person. Fridays must be right eye days.
Hannah was a little agitated during the check (can't say that I blame her) but all looks good for now. No signs of infection and the retina is still staying right where it should be. All good news.
Now for the small miracle...which, to me, is a huge miracle.
Some of you know that Hannah has a 'baby' - which is one of those lovey blankets that has a bear head and a pink blanket for a body. She's had it ever since she was born, and it has been her constant companion. Well, we lost Baby (Hannah has named it Baby). We looked everywhere at home, I called everywhere we went after her last doctor's appointment, every store, EVERYWHERE! No luck. I was sick at the thought of having to send her into surgery without it, but we did and she held up fine.
Now for the miracle...today we went to Cracker Barrel after her appointment (it's her favorite thing to do after her appointment and has become routine). I called Cracker Barrel twice after Baby went missing and Stan called there once, each time we were told she wasn't there. Today I had Stan take the 'replacement' Baby (which is a lamb) and ask at the front desk if anyone had turned Baby in. Lo and behold, Baby was there. I am sure that the entire restaurant thinks that I am out of my mind. I was sobbing. I am so glad that Hannah has her Baby back. It meant so much to me and I was sick that it was gone. I really felt that I had let her down. Now Hannah is resting comfortably with Baby on the couch, a worker at Cracker Barrel is probably contemplating some sort of lawsuit against me because I hugged her and cried so much, and all is right with the world. For now, at least.

It's over...and we're pooped!

2008-05-30T15:37:00.002-05:00

The operation went swimmingly. Her lens was removed, along with the cataract. What does this mean? Well, for now, she isn't going to be able to see much of anything except light and shadow. Since your lens focuses the light on your retina, missing a lens means there is no focus. For now. The prognosis is good for her to be first fitted with a contact and then an intra-ocular lens that is permanent. We have to wait until the trauma stitches heal and she gets a bit bigger for the permanent lens, but it's all good news.
We're all very tired from our early morning Chicago excursion, and have to return tomorrow at 8am! Don't doctors ever sleep???
A giant thank you to my bunco moms who are taking care of dinners this weekend! I couldn't do this without you!

Today is the big day

2008-05-30T03:26:00.002-05:00

We have to be downtown at 5:30, hence the insane hour of this post. Please say a prayer that the surgeons are guided by God's hand and that Hannah has an easy recovery. I will try to keep everyone updated as soon as possible as to the outcome.

A little something to get me to tomorrow...

2008-05-29T07:27:00.001-05:00

"Let nothing disturb thee; Let nothing dismay thee; All thing pass; God never changes. Patience attains all that it strives for. He who has God finds he lacks nothing: God alone suffices." from St. Theresa of Avila

Anxiety is setting in

2008-05-27T07:07:00.001-05:00

at least for me... I am really anxious about the surgery on Friday. Maybe this is compounded by the fact that we have no idea what time it is yet...we're waiting for scheduling to call. It's just getting really rough around here...keeping one kid calm and letting the others enjoy the beginning of summer. I'm tired.

Good news / bad news

2008-05-19T16:30:00.002-05:00

The good news is that Hannah had a great 1/2 day back at school. The bad news is that the doctors want to do the lensectomy and cataract removal as soon as possible so we are scheduled for surgery on the 30th. It breaks my heart that she is going to have had 2 surgeries in a month! It also will put quite the wrench in our lake cottage vacation, but we'll work around that. The harder part is going to be that the pool is right down the street and it sounds like swimming will be off limits for at least a month after surgery. Sigh.

Back to school

2008-05-19T05:39:00.001-05:00

Well, today is the day. Hannah goes back to school. I think I am more nervous than I was her first day of kindergarten! Hopefully all will be calm...she has a doctor's appointment at 2:15, so daddy will be picking her up early (before lunch) and taking her downtown and I will be picking the other girls up at school. Please say a quick prayer that all goes well today (this is the lens doctor) and we can get the next surgery scheduled and done quickly.

One day at a time...

2008-05-17T10:42:00.004-05:00

Things are getting slowly back to normal here...with a hearty dose of chaos. Last night the girls had a birthday party - a Webkinz birthday party. They had a great time, all three of them. I was a little nervous since there were so many kids in such a small place...but things were fine.
Hannah had a difficult time this morning since her sisters went to the park...I took her with but she soon realized that sitting off to the side doing nothing wasn't fun, and the tears began. We're working on our homework now, since the house is nice and quiet.
I want to thank again everyone who has called, e-mailed, brought dinners, sent flowers and a really cool fruit arrangement, and a special thank you to the bunco moms who had a masseuse waiting for me at bunco last night!
Also, my college roommate's husband is out of ICU and has actually been able to be wheeled around! Way to go, Steve!
Lastly, I wanted to share this prayer that one of my 'triplet mom friends in cyberspace' sent me:

Prayer to St. Lucy
Relying on Your goodness, O God, we humbly ask You, through the
intercession of Saint Lucy, Virgin and Martyr, to give perfect
vision to our eyes, that they may serve for Your greater honor and
glory.

Saint Lucy, hear our prayers and obtain our petitions.
Amen

Update from today's visit

2008-05-16T15:42:00.003-05:00

Today's visit went well...the eye injury is healing as well as can be expected. No signs of infection, no signs of leakage. There is some distortion of the lens due to the stitches, however. What does this mean? It means that the lens is going to have to be removed sooner rather than later. We knew the lens would have to be removed as part of the cataract removal, but we didn't expect that it would be this soon. We meet with the lens specialist on Monday.
The best news...Hannah gets to go back to school! She can't go to PE or outdoor recess, and has to wear her eye shield and sunglasses, but she gets to go back to school! She is going to have a half day on Monday, because of the eye doctor appointment, but she gets to go back to school!
Can you tell I'm a bit excited to have some normalcy back??

Countdown to follow up appointment

2008-05-16T06:37:00.001-05:00

Our follow up appointment is at 8:45 this morning. I am nervous. Please keep us in your prayers.

Another non-eventful day

2008-05-14T19:45:00.002-05:00

Today was a very calm day. We went to Wal-Mart, rented some movies, and basically took it easy. Hannah has been such a trooper...not even complaining about the eye drops 4 times a day! 2 more days until our next appointment...I am eager to hear what the doctors have to say - I am hoping it is good news.
I am very grateful to all who have helped out...it is all so appreciated. I am worn down but trying to keep a good face for the kids...sometime I'll be able to collapse, but it won't be for a while! So for now I just keep swimming and trying to keep my head above water. Thanks for all the good thoughts and prayers.

Non-update

2008-05-14T07:26:00.002-05:00

A non-update is good. We had an uneventful day regarding Hannah's eye. She is such a trooper...doesn't fuss at the eye drops that she has to have 4 times a day, the sore throat from the breathing tube from surgery, any of it. She is much braver than I.
Other than Hannah's eye, we did have some 'eventfulness' - we went and got new tires for the car, had lunch with grandma and grandpa and picked out new DS games for her sisters.
Once again, a giant thank you to everyone for all of your kindnesses. I am overwhelmed. A special thank you to Anne from bunco for dinner and all the special treats for the girls, Reza for the yummy desserts, Heather from church for the wine, balloons and bears for the girls and for bringing dinner, Carolyn for keeping 'taco Tuesday' and bringing tacos for dinner last night, Deanna and Jeff for the beautiful flowers and teddy bear, and Sandra and Tracy for meeting me at the library and listening to me babble. If I have forgotten anyone, I am sorry! All of these things are making it a bit easier to get through this. I just keep remembering that it could be so much worse.
On a side note, please keep my college roommate's husband in your prayers...he had a terrible car accident over a week ago and is just now off the ventilator. Pray that he has as uneventful a recovery as Hannah has been having.
Once again, I am overwhelmed by your caring, generosity and love.

Scary, scary, scary

2008-05-12T18:19:00.002-05:00

Here's the latest update:

For those of you who don’t know, Hannah injured her eye on scissors on Sunday. She had a 2 ½ hour surgery that day. We were transferred from Edward Hospital to UIC for the surgery and the ambulance driver was my best friend growing up's brother! We went back to the eye clinic at U of I Chicago and so far all is well. They checked to see that the wound is stitched tightly and that there is no more leakage from the globe of the eye. They also did an ultrasound of her retina and all is well there, too. So, for now, we wait. Hopefully her eye will heal well enough that she will have better sight than she has now, for now she can see just shadows and movement. She has to be out of school for a week (to keep the eye from being jostled as well as keep infection far away) and we have a follow up appointment downtown on Friday. I’ll be staying home with her all week.

It has just hit her this evening that this is going to be a long time and that her eye might not ever be the same. It’s heartbreaking to see your child hurting so much. I am trying so hard to keep this in perspective – at the end of the day, I have a little girl who will be just fine. Eyesight isn’t that important, and she still has 100% sight in her other eye.

A big thank you to Jeanne, who has been keeping you all updated. It’s hard for me to write because writing it down makes it so much more real to me.

Another big thank you to my church bunco group, who are bringing meals this week. All of your calls and concern and prayers are so appreciated.

Please keep the whole family in your prayers – I have one little girl who is scared she won’t see and two other girls who are feeling a bit neglected. This triplet thing is HARD!!

The Eighth Birthday

2008-04-28T07:50:00.002-05:00

Birthday number 8!

The eighth birthday weekend has been a blur! We had a billion things to do. The girls had their very first sleepover birthday party at their friend, Lainie's on Friday night. Then on Saturday, they had their 'kid' party at Aunt Nina's Sweets and Treats. An awesome party! Then Saturday night, we had our family party. Sunday was Church, First Communion Class, and trying to get to play with all our new toys!

Hannah, Sarah and Emma making their own cotton candy!

The cupcakes!

The birthday girls!

Making pucker powder sticks, choosing candy for decorating cookie pizzas, decorating cookie pizzas

Singing 'Happy Birthday'

Pieces of Eight

2008-04-21T06:22:00.003-05:00

I can't believe that they're eight. Eight! Those were the kids that I was in complete awe of when mine were babies. Those were the moms that I thought had everything together and were total pros at parenting. Eight. When they were born, they didn't even weigh 8 pounds (cumulatively!!). I can't believe the lovely people my little 2lb 2oz, 2lb 4oz and 2lb 2oz babies have become.
I will never forget the day they were born...it was one of the best/worst of my life. Best because after so many years of heartbreak and trying I was finally a mommy! Worst because my health was in serious jeopardy and so was theirs for a while. Thank God things all turned out fine. I am truly blessed.
So, yesterday we had a special dinner and they got their Nintendo DSs a day early (so they could spend a whole day playing with them). Tonight is Culvers fundraiser night at their school, so we will be going there and (gasp!) their teacher will be there on their birthday!!!
Then cupcakes to dance class on Tuesday and a lull until 2 parties on Saturday.
Happy Birthday, Hannah, Sarah and Emma! I love you so much!

My attempt at being Acette of Cakes

2008-04-13T18:23:00.005-05:00

I finally got to trying to make toppers for the girls cupcakes for their party. My hands and tongue are black from tinting icing black.

I am hoping that these will come right off the parchment paper once they are dry and stay in one piece.

UPDATE!!
They came of the parchment beautifully this morning!

Just keep swimming...

2008-04-08T06:34:00.006-05:00

So many things are going on! This week the girls have a half-day on Wednesday and Thursday and a day off on Friday. Thank goodness for grandma and grandpa or that would be 3 more days of work coming off last week's one and the week before's entire week!! I've convinced my parents (I hope!) that they really need some intensive quality time with their grandchildren after being in Europe last week. I don't think they're buying it, but are humoring me anyway!
The next month is going to be a blur...the girls' birthday is coming up faster than you can say "Hairspray!" and we have both a kids party and a family party planned. Then on May 10th, they have their First Communion, which opens up another can of worms. Dresses have been ordered for weeks, and are on backorder. After much stalking, I finally got notice that they shipped this morning! Whoo hoo! Now, just to plan a party! Thank goodness for my girlfriend Karen's boyfriend, Mike! He works at Vienna Beef and has become my beef connection for all of my entertaining needs :-D
Just to illustrate my OCDness, here are pictures of the girls' invitations...

The family invitation (yet to be mailed!):

The class invitation (I printed it on hot pink cardstock and cut it out in the shape of the can:

The envelope for the class invite:

I have yet to start the First Communion invites, but I think they'll be a lot easier!

Get ready to 'awwwwwwwwwwwwww'

2008-03-31T17:00:00.003-05:00

The girls (and Stan) at the Daddy/Daughter dance...
l to r - Emma, Sarah and Hannah

Theyyyy're (going) baaaaaaaackkk!

2008-03-31T07:40:00.002-05:00

Vacation is over. I never thought I'd be glad that vacation ended, but today I am. Back to school, back to work here we come!

When triplet worlds collide...

2008-03-28T09:27:00.010-05:00

We went to visit the other 2 sets of triplets I watch. The girls were thrilled...the babies, well, not so much! It was totally chaotic trying to get a picture of all 9, so at one point we gave up. Here are some photo highlights...

Spring break may break me!

2008-03-25T08:29:00.003-05:00

I am going to lose my mind and it is only the 2nd day of spring break. The fighting in this house is unbelievable. Everyone wants to do what the other person is doing all the time. I am thinking of building some sort of Habitrail and separating them. Perhaps that will stop some of the fighting, or at least mute it behind (vented) plastic.

You'd think that being with toddlers all day would be a difficult job...it is, but trust me, almost-8-year-old girls is harder. At least it is today and was yesterday.

We have lots of things 'planned' for break - going to the eye doctor, haircuts, visiting the babies that I watch, having a sleepover. All of this crammed into 7 fun-filled days.

Perhaps the fact that I am going through Starbucks withdrawal every morning isn't helping my attitude. I stop at Starbucks almost every morning when I am working -- since I am on break, no morning Starbucks. Perhaps I could get them to deliver. I am, however, excited to read about their new program for registered card holders. You can read about it here.

I've been tagged!

2008-03-13T10:55:00.003-05:00

HERE'S HOW YOU PLAY. ONCE YOU'VE BEEN TAGGED YOU HAVE TO WRITE A BLOG OF TEN WEIRD, RANDOM THINGS, FACTS OR HABITS ABOUT YOURSELF. AT THE END, YOU CHOOSE FIVE PEOPLE TO BE TAGGED, LISTING THEIR NAMES AND WHY YOU CHOSE THEM TO BE TAGGED. DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE THEM A COMMENT "YOU'RE IT" AND TO READ YOUR BLOG. YOU CAN'T TAG THE PERSON WHO TAGGED YOU. SINCE YOU CAN'T TAG THAT PERSON BACK, LET HIM OR HER KNOW WHEN YOU'VE POSTED YOUR BLOG SO HE OR SHE CAN READ YOUR ANSWERS.

I majored in Trumpet Performance in college.
I once shared a sauna with Pearl Bailey.
I once played on the same stage (at the same time) as Doc Severinsen.
I used to be a financial aid counselor.
I worry all the time about everything!
In college, since my husband and I look so much alike, people thought we were brother and sister (ewwwww....)
I am known as 'Drunk Laura' among those in my church bunco group
I sing a mean "Ave Maria"
I still re-read Laura Ingalls Wilder and Beverly Cleary books.
My friends jokingly call me "The Triplet Whisperer" because I nanny for 2 sets of triplets

I tagged:
Reza because I'm pretty sure she'll do it :-D
Kelly, Monica, Mishelle and Deanna because they are the only other people with blogs besides Theresa that I know!!! :-D

Crazy busy

2008-03-13T05:45:00.004-05:00

Things have been crazy busy. Crazy being the operative word. Last weekend was the girls' school carnival. I had to be there for set up Friday night as well as work the booth all day Saturday. No biggie, right? Well, it wouldn't have been aside from the following:

Emma woke up Friday night screaming that there was a bubble in her throat that was going to pop and it hurt
I wasn't feeling all that hot myself
When Stan went to Start his car on Saturday morning all he got was a clicking noise (unexpected weekend expense of new battery - $80)
Emma went to the quick care and has strep (again). (unexpected weekend expense #2 - $20 copay)
I came home and passed out immediately
Stan forgot it was daylight savings time and almost missed church where he had to sing for me because I was, by this time, dying sick
I went to quick care once I got the girls to CCD at 11, I have strep. (unexpected weekend expense #3 - ANOTHER $20 copay)

The good news is that we are all on the mend. Emma perked up right away with antibiotics and I took Monday off work to recover and not spread strep to three little people! So, we're all feeling better...broke, but better!

Day off?? What's that??

2008-02-28T15:56:00.002-06:00

Soooo...for those of you who know me, I have been working 5 days a week. Due to some circumstances, I will have a number of my Thursdays off (yeah!). Here's what I did today (remember, my day off :-P )

Took the girls to school
Went to my girlfriends to drop off promised jeans
Went to my sisters to drop off promised shoes and baby food
Watched my nephew while my sister went shopping
Went to 2 different Office Max stores (and took my dad) to get $2 12 packs of sharpies (YES, I made my dad buy the limit for me!
Went to the dentist and had a root canal (OUCH!!)
Went to 2 different pharmacies to drop off my 2 prescriptions so I can use coupons for 2 gift cards
Got gas
Picked up one prescription, will make hubby go out for other one tonight
Picked kids up from school

Who would have thought a day off could be so busy!!

Did you jiggle the cable?

2008-02-21T17:21:00.002-06:00

So we have been having some difficulties as of late with our DirecTv...my husband has tried everything from repositioning the dish to replacing pieces of it to no avail. The downstairs TV was working fine, but there was no signal to the TV in our bedroom. He was switching cables in the basement and I asked (innocently) if he had checked to see if the cable had fallen out of the box upstairs. He hadn't, and, lo and behold, the cable had fallen out of the wall. TV is back!

So many wrenches in the works!

2008-02-20T06:56:00.002-06:00

So, Emma hasn't been feeling well, but wasn't running a fever. Note to self: next time she says she has a sore throat, take her in right away. Stan took her in yesterday, she has strep and an ear infection. I don't understand how she can have both of those and no fever, but I guess she does. The nurse practitioner said she needs to stay home today, too...much to her chagrin. It's 2nd grade music night and she has a solo. I told her she could go tonight...that the doctor said that if she had 4 doses of her medicine she would be fine. Grandpa is coming down to watch her today...hooray for retired grandparents! Everything gets complicated when you have one down!

A mom night

2008-02-18T07:45:00.001-06:00

I braved the floods and rain last night and went out with 3 of my girlfriends. We had dinner at Johnny Rockets and went to see the movie Juno. It was really, really good! And I'm not just saying that because it was written by someone who went to my high school - which added a lot to the movie for me. There were characters that I thought I could identify...and the plaid skirt that she wore was just like our uniform skirts!
It was nice to have 'grown up' time...I really needed it!

Just when I thought...

2008-02-13T06:33:00.002-06:00

I could just boycott the coldness and darkness of winter, we get more snow. MORE SNOW! We don't need anymore, thank you very much! I am toying with the idea of putting tanning lamps in my bedroom, that's how much I miss the sun. However, there is supposed to be a heat wave today -- 23 degrees and sunny. I'll have to break out my capris...

I am officially boycotting the rest of winter

2008-02-12T06:15:00.001-06:00

I can't take the cold, dark, dreariness anymore. I quit. I am going to a warmer location until June. (I wish!)
Seriously, the weather is taking it's toll on my psyche...I think it's time for a trip for margaritas...

C-c-c-c-cold!

2008-02-10T11:24:00.000-06:00

It is so darn cold here! It's ZERO out. Meaning the windchill is about negative a billion. The walk from church to the van was enough to make my eyes sting and my face hurt. I am staying inside today and making mashed potatoes and gravy. Yummy and warm.

Morning chaos

2008-02-08T08:06:00.000-06:00

Why do the mornings have to be so full of chaos? It's the same thing every day...breakfast, dressing, tooth brushing, backpack packing, lunch packing...you'd think we'd have it all down by now. Nope. There are always tears about something...sigh. Someday maybe I'll figure it out.

This whole parenting thing...

2008-02-07T06:31:00.000-06:00

is really hard. Anyone who tells you it's not is a liar. I was talking with a girlfriend of mine and we were both comparing notes about how inadequate we feel and how everyone else (Britney excluded) seems to have it all together. You know what, they don't. Maybe they're better at keeping house or doing crafts with their kids or whatever, but there are things that I do for my kids that they can't do for theirs. I have decided that for Lent I am going to try to stop feeling like a bad mom and concentrate on the things that I do well for my kids. I am the only mom they have, so they don't know what everyone elses mom does better, right?
In the words of my mother, "Bad moms don't worry that they're bad moms. Good moms worry."

The storm that never was

2008-02-06T06:53:00.001-06:00

Well, yesterday the weatherpeople were warning us that a severe storm was coming...lots more snow...high winds, the works. So far, nothing. Originally the snow was to start at 10pm, then 4am, now they're saying 9am. We'll see. At least there isn't a snow day!

If you don't like the weather...

2008-02-05T06:51:00.000-06:00

I am seriously wondering about all this weather we're having! Yesterday I woke up to snow, drove home in fog, went grocery shopping in fog/rain and it rained late last night. Supposedly it's supposed to SNOW again tonight which means all that standing water will freeze. It's like someone is spinning a wheel of weather and laughing at us!
We had a busy day yesterday...I had to go through all the paperwork from the missed day of school. It's amazing how many notes, folders to sign, etc. there are!
Let's hope for a calm weather day today!

Long weekend and more snow!

2008-02-04T06:37:00.000-06:00

I can't even believe that we got more snow last night! It was really bad...snow came down really hard and really fast. We got about 3 more inches here. Now it's foggy and wet...just in time to get ready for school!

Be Careful What Your Kids Wish For...

2008-02-01T05:30:00.000-06:00

The call came at 5:05 am from the school's automated service. Snow day. So it looks like we'll all be home today (except Stan, work never closes!). We've got quite a bit of snow and lots of blowing and drifting. At least the girls' field trip to the ZOO was yesterday!

A crazy weekend

2008-01-28T06:40:00.000-06:00

Ever have one of those weekends where you have a billion things to do and nothing really gets done? Yep - that was my weekend. It seemed that every plan I had made was upturned by 'something' - a kid that didn't feel well, an accidental nap (gasp!), my husband having to play Saturday mass at Church, my sister in the hospital...
Yep, my sister is in the hospital. She was having back pains on and off for about a week and went to the doctor on Wednesday. They thought she might have a kidney stone, but thought it might have passed. They were wrong. Yesterday she ended up in the ER and they did a CAT scan. The stone is an 8mm stone. Under 4mm they say you'll pass it on your own. 5mm has about a 50/50 chance and anything over 6mm they have to do the shockwave thing and break it up. So, she'll be having that done, but I'm not sure when. I talked to her last night and she was very *happy* -dilaudid will do that for ya.
I did get to babysit for my niece and nephew this weekend for a bit...most of the time one of them was sleeping. :-D

It's a New Year...and almost February!

2008-01-26T18:18:00.000-06:00

OK - so I've been a bit behind. I haven't blogged since before the New Year and it's already almost February. Things have been super hectic. School started again. Work started again - 5 days a week for me. I am taking a hip-hop / tap dance class on Tuesday nights. It is hysterically funny, but I am having a blast. My girlfriend, Sandra, is in the class with me, so I don't have to look silly alone. The girls are as busy as ever...school, dance class, birthday parties, church choir and this year is their First Communion. All of this makes for a tired and busy mommy!

Christmas - 4 down, 1 to go...

2007-12-29T07:38:00.000-06:00

So, Christmas has been a very, very hectic time around here. We have had, so far, 4 Christmases (party at my mom's with my dad's friends from college on Sunday, opening gifts at my mom's on Monday, Santa dropping in on Tuesday, going to Milwaukee to see Stan's grandmother on Tuesday) and have one left - Christmas in Joliet with Stan's family, but we hold that one off for New Years day.
We'll be having our traditional New Year's Eve party that's not a party. Everyone with kids is invited to come and bring the kids with. We'll eat pizza and snacks and watch movies all night. If I can get things together (ha!) I'm going to try to clear out space in the basement so the kids can vanish down there and play. The girls best friends that are twins are coming so they are over the moon.
I am soooooooooo looking forward to school starting again and going back to work. I miss my routine!

We're 5 for 5

2007-12-20T05:41:00.000-06:00

Kid #3 succumbed yesterday. At least we'll have all the fun of puking over before Christmas and I think the girls will all make it to their Holiday Party at school tomorrow.
I am tired, but actually slept through the night (well, 6 hours of sleep!!). I could use about 30 more, but that will have to wait until tomorrow night. I am off now (6am) to go to the 24 hour Wal-Mart for some supplies that I forgot for the girls craft for tomorrow and then hopefully the post office opens early and I can get some flat rate boxes to finish my Christmas shipping...

'Tis the season

2007-12-19T02:07:00.000-06:00

For the stomach flu! It's running through our house right now, which explains why I am up at such a crazy hour (2 am). I started it off last Friday, Hannah followed on Saturday, Stan yesterday and Sarah about 1/2 an hour ago. Sigh....only one more kid for it to run through. At least we should be done before Christmas...

Guess who we saw today?

2007-12-01T17:41:00.000-06:00

Best Christmas Photos Ever

2007-11-26T07:48:00.000-06:00

Rest assured that this will not be the picture you get on your Christmas card,
but they turned out so nicely that I couldn't resist!

Soooo busy, will try to post more soon!

Upon further review

2007-10-07T11:53:00.001-05:00

Sarah got 7 stitches, not 6. Here are the pics...

Never a dull moment

2007-10-06T10:03:00.000-05:00

Bear with me, this is gonna be a long one!
So, yesterday I was at work and my cell phone rang. I checked the caller ID and it was the school nurse. I answer and it isn't the school nurse, it's the secretary. She's calling FOR the school nurse to tell me that Sarah fell and cut her head open and that someone needs to come take her to the ER as soon as possible. The nurse can't come to the phone because she is 'working on Sarah'. OK, so my mommy sick feeling kicks in. I tell her I am going to call my husband because he is closer to school. I call Stan, tell him to high tail it out of work and go get her and to call me as soon as he sees her. I tell my boss (who, thank goodness was home and it was almost time for the babies to go down for a nap) that I have to go. I call the school back and ask to talk to Sarah and the playground supervisor answers the phone in the nurses office. I ask her if it's bad (I know her from hanging out waiting for our kids to get out of school) and she says that I need to come. Now. OK - now I am in super panic mommy mode - she has a bunch of kids and wouldn't say that unless it was bad. So I call Stan, tell him to bring Sarah to the Edward Hospital Urgent care and that I will meet them there.
After the longest 20 minute drive of my life I get there and start waiting. I call Stan and he says that I should make sure they have a CAT scan there in case x-rays are needed. X-rays? I can't take it!! So I go in and check, and, for future reference, they do have a CAT scanner.
He pulls up with Sarah who will not walk...she wants me to carry her. I grab her and run into the urgent care and the woman at the desk tries to get Sarah into a wheelchair and she wants NOTHING to do with it. She is screaming and yelling that she's OK, she doesn't need a wheelchair.
We get into the room and the nurse takes a look at the wound. It's HUGE. About the size of a quarter, and about an INCH deep. Blood is everywhere. Sarah is freaking because she can't take the sight of blood.
The doctor comes in and does a thorough neuro exam and Sarah passes (thank God!) with flying colors. He tells the nurse to prep Sarah for stitches, so she gets out the cotton ball soaked in lidocaine and puts it on her wound. After she does this, I asked Stan to go confirm with the doctor that Sarah truly didn't need an x-ray because she had been being a bit combative and unlike her normal self. He goes out to check, I get Sarah settled again and we start to watch Dragon Tales.
Stan comes back in and says he's going to go sit in the lobby for a minute, does he look pale? Then, BAM! He passes out. Falls right to the ground. Nurses are running in, the doctor is running in, I get Sarah off the bed and run out to another room. She is screaming that her daddy is dying, I am trying not to freak out and trying to get her away from there AND find out what the heck is happening to my husband.
The nurse comes in and tells us that it looks like the combination of the lovely 90 degree heat here and the stress of getting Sarah taken care of (plus the gore of the wound) probably all added up and caused him to faint. She said it happens most of the time to the dads (apparently we moms are made up of tougher stuff). I tell her he is on blood pressure meds, she doesn't seem concerned.
The doctor comes in and assures me Stan is OK. At this point I am losing it, and Sarah is trying to comfort me and apologizing saying that all this is her fault. Poor baby.
Then they get ready to stitch her and Sarah freaks out, screaming, thrashing. They get her calmed down but have to go ahead and inject the anesthetic into the wound because it was too deep for the cotton ball. She freaks again. By the time they start stitching she has calmed down enough and I am holding her legs down and sobbing. I get it together by the time they finish - 2 internal stitches and 6 (blue!) external stitches.
I collect my husband, who insists he can drive home, and make him get in the van with us. Then we go to pick up my other 2 girls, who, thank goodness, went home with my girlfriends' girls.
After all this, my other girlfriend took me to get the other van from Edward's parking lot.
I am glad yesterday is over.

Busy, busy, busy

2007-10-03T06:11:00.000-05:00

Things are sooo busy around here! I feel like I never have a minute to catch my breath. Part of the increase in activity is that I am working not one, but two jobs now. I watch the triplets that I watched last year three days a week (they are 13 months old now and a blast!) and I watch another set of triplets (they are 10 month old boys) 2 days a week. So I drop the girls at school, go right to work, leave work and go right to pick the girls up. Then there are all the after school activities...it's crazy! However, the jobs are perfect in that I can still drop off/pick up the girls and I have no worries about childcare. The occasional day off of school or illness can conflict, but usually grandma and grandpa are glad to have the girls that day!

A little story to illustrate how my week has been...

2007-09-27T17:06:00.001-05:00

So...yesterday I went to work, went to the grocery, picked up the girls and brought them home. They had choir last night, so I made them do their homework right away and at 5:15 we went to Wendy's to get dinner. After dinner we went right to choir. I met my girlfriend, Carolyn, there and we were sitting in the vestibule chatting when I decided to put my feet up on the chair.
When I looked at my feet.....

I was wearing.....

2 different shoes!

That's pretty much how my life has been in a nutshell lately.

Feeling very efficient today...

2007-09-15T17:48:00.001-05:00

but very tired. I have completed the following today:

got up at 4 with daughter #2 who refused to go back to sleep
cleared off the 'counter of death' in the kitchen
made a coherent grocery list after searching the ads
went grocery shopping and forgot nothing on said list
browned 3 lbs of ground turkey
crockpotted 4 lbs of chicken breasts
made 2 lbs of macaroni noodles
packaged the above for freezer/fridge
went to the eye doctor
took girls to birthday party and picked them up from said party
made a plan for the week's dinners

I am tired.

I made ParentHacks.com!

2007-09-12T07:45:00.000-05:00

I made parenthacks.com again! It's one of my favorite websites!

http://www.parenthacks.com/2007/09/meal-orders-red.html

I made the paper!

2007-09-05T07:51:00.001-05:00

And on my birthday, too :-D

Click here

Teenagers!

2007-09-01T07:10:00.000-05:00

So, I'm driving from work to pick the girls up at school. I go through a neighborhood where the speed limit is 25, and I am being careful (since I saw a million cops in the neighborhood on my way to work) to go 30. There is a car behind me with 2 teenage boys in it. It seems to be following me closely, and it's really aggravating me. I pull up to a stop sign and the car pulls next to me (on the left). I assume he's just going to pass me because I am driving *too slowly*. He signals to me to roll down my window and I am all ready for some sort of argument or taunting about driving a Maxi-van... I roll down my window and the kid asks,
"Does GGG 2000 stand for girl, girl, girl born in 2000?" (that's my license plate)
I answer, "Yep!"
The kid says, "That's cool!" and then signals for me to go ahead.
Darn teenagers! I get myself all ready for a rumble and then they pull that!!

Hi ho! Hi ho!

2007-08-28T08:04:00.000-05:00

It's back to work I go - with a twist this year! Not only am I watching the triplets I watched last year (they'll be a year old on the 31st) , I have added a new set of 9 month olds that I will be watching 2 days a week at least through September! I know, I'm crazy! But, I really love being with the babies (well, toddlers now!) and it's a great fit with the girls' school schedule! So far, so good :-D

We have liftoff!

2007-08-23T11:45:00.000-05:00

I now have 3 second graders!!!

Hannah

Sarah

Emma

Sarah

Emma
Hannah

ONE MORE DAY

2007-08-22T08:17:00.000-05:00

One more day until school starts! I can't believe it. I went to parent orientation last night, oh my gosh! I hope I am able to keep up with all the paperwork! The girls' school went to an A-B-C-D-E schedule for their 'specials' (music, art, pe and health) and initially the girls' were in different groups, but their new teacher realized that might be a little much for me, so they will all have the same rotation. Dodged that bullet!!

It's getting closer...

2007-08-15T11:50:00.000-05:00

The girls got their classroom assignment today. They are all in the same class, with the teacher that was my first choice. So far, it looks like it's going to be a great year! We are going shopping this afternoon for clothes and shoes...it's that time of year!

Backpack Shopping

2007-07-27T08:24:00.001-05:00

School is just around the corner...we went backpack shopping last night. The girls got new backpacks and lunch boxes. Let the countdown begin!

The girls also got a new cousin this week, Pierce Henry was born on Wednesday.

Home from Vacation

2007-07-12T12:37:00.000-05:00

We're back from vacation. It was lots of fun, but now there is a period of 'grandma withdrawal'. The girls got used to having grandma and grandpa around 24/7 and it's been a little tough for them. I am just trying to get unpacked...there is still is stuff everywhere, but I'm slowly making my way through it. Little by little, I'll dig out...
We've been spending time at the pool, but, alas, there are no sea shells to search for like at the lake.
When does school start again??

Latest pictures

2007-06-26T15:35:00.000-05:00

Here are some of the latest pictures...

This is one of my favorite pictures ever! One of the moms who was helping at Bible School is also a reporter and she took it on the grounds of our church.

Double the triplets!! Hannah and Sean, Sarah and Luke and Emma and Charlotte.
These are the babies I watch while my babies are in school.

Hannah making a fashion statement....

It's T-ball Time!!

2007-06-17T20:09:00.000-05:00

Summertime, summertime, sum, sum, summertime

2007-06-13T08:51:00.000-05:00

Summer has been thrust upon me, and with it, three children 24/7! Aaack! I'm finding some sanity by taking them to the pool almost every day and the park district (God bless those people) have a free program twice a week in the mornings. The kids get to do crafts and play games, lots of fun stuff! Next week, Vacation Bible School!

The end of the year crush

2007-05-12T07:55:00.000-05:00

It's here - the end of the year crush! The girls have started t-ball, and their ballet recital is this weekend. Not to mention that there is something assigned to a letter of the alphabet for every one of the last 26 days of school! Then there's Field Day, the family picnic, the field trip to the zoo....so many things to keep track of and prepare for! Part of me wants school to be over, but there's also a part of me that is not too excited at the prospect of having the girls home all day, every day all summer!!

In the hallway with an entire elementary school

2007-04-26T16:50:00.000-05:00

Don't you love tornado season? I was helper mom today and there was a sighting, so we all were in the hallway :-D

It was a long, hot time, but thankfully, there was no tornado.

Birthday Party Pictures - click below

2007-04-22T17:40:00.000-05:00

Make your own | Click to play