I Love...

{bReEnA}**I loved watching Breena learn to ride a bike a few weeks ago.  She would get off frustrated but always returned to try again.  And eventually- she got it!
**I love listening to her read to herself & her brothers- even when it makes no sense.
**I love how she digs through my laundry basket to pull out all the towels & wash clothes to fold.
**I love how much she enjoys going to school & Sunday school.  Her teacher pulled me aside at Sunday school to tell me how much she has blossomed! She sings & participates in everything.  Her preschool teacher also pulled me aside & said how much she enjoys having Breena in class.
**I love how much she loves her brothers.  I love that she tries to reason with Eli when he is being difficult.  I love that she can almost always get Toby to smile.  I love that when her brothers wake up from their naps she greets them by saying "Hi Sweetie Pie!".
**I love watching Breena color and learn to write her letters.
**I love that she offers to set the table everyday.
**I love that when I get home from work she is always excited to see me.

{eLi}
**I love that Eli is trying hard to potty train himself even though he pooped on the stool last week.
**I love when he wakes up from a nap he is likes to cuddle.
**I love his unique little voice.
**I love watching him play with his plastic animals & dinosaurs.  It makes me laugh when he puts them in time outs.
**I love his determination & the way he yells "Mommy, I DID it!" when he accomplishes a task.
**I love when he talks to Toby and brings him toys.  And I love the look on his face when he won't come near Toby because Toby is "stinky". 
**I love that he recognizes emotions and is always waiting with a hug & kiss to mend hurt feelings.
**I love pulling up to the house & seeing his tiny head poking up looking out the window at me. 

{tObY}
**I love Toby's smile- even in the middle of the night.
**I love how he kicks with delight while taking a bath.
**I love seeing his face light up when Breena talks to him.
**I love that he is a mommy's boy!
**I love that he has just discovered his feet & has learned to operate his hands.
**I love that he is very easy going and adjust well in different places.
**I love listening to him chuckle when I kiss his cheeks.
**I love that he talks to me & coos when he's happy.

(I need to give credit where credit is due...I got this blog topic idea from my sister's blog. Thanks Tina :) )

RSV...boo.

We have sure had a long week at our house. We came home from a weekend getaway on Sunday (I will post pics another time). Eli coughed the entire way home & Toby started getting a runny nose. I didn't think too much of it. By Monday Eli had developed a fever & had a nasty cold. I thought maybe he was getting bronchitis again. We already have a nebulizer at home so there wasn't really a need to see a doctor. Toby had a low grade fever as well and had begun coughing. I watched Eli's illness get worse all day on Tuesday and decided to take him to urgent care on Tuesday night when I could no longer get high temp down. He was my special Valentine's date! He was diagnosed with RSV. We went home with instructions to continue keeping him as comfortable as we could. By the time we got home from the clinic Toby was really feeling crummy too. RSV can be very dangerous in little babies under 6 months. I was sure he had it as well but was really praying it wouldn't get too bad. Poor Toby had a rough night. We struggled to eat & would cough so hard he would gag. I spend much of the night holding him in the recliner worried that he'd choke on his flem. Thankfully, when Eli is sick he usually crashes pretty hard at night & gets a full night of sleep. I took him into the clinic first thing the next morning. My suspicions were right- he had RSV as well. Often babies under 6 months are hospitalized with RSV but Toby wasn't that sick. I was able to bring him home on the stipulations that we would be seen again the next day & I would bring him immediately to the hospital if things worsened.  I cancelled my appointments at the salon & spent the rest of the day snuggling my very sick & very cranky boys.  Toby refused to nurse or take a bottle.  I was concerned with dehydration.  He went over 8 hours without wetting a diaper.  We had another extremely long night on Wednesday night.  More than once I was about ready to head to the ER with him because he would cough & choke.  Thursday morning my mom helped me take both boys back to the clinic.  Eli was miserable & Toby was nearly lethargic & refused to eat.  Eli checked out okay actually, his oxygen level was on the lower end but other than that there was nothing to be concerned about.  Eli can be pretty dramatic!  He will be sure to let you know if he doesn’t feel good.  Toby needed to be hospitalized for dehydration.  Dave came home from work & went with us while my mom stayed with Bree & Eli.  THANK YOU SO SO SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR HELP MOM!!!!  We arrived at the hospital at 11:30am.  Toby was hooked up to an IV.  It was AWFUL.  His little body was so dry it took four pricks & one hour before they were able to get an IV in him.  I stroked his little face & comforted him as best I could but nothing worked.  He was screaming & crying.  I about cried right with him.  That was by far the most horrific part of our hospital stay.  His oxygen was monitored & he was given breathing treatments every four hours.  For much of the first day he slept in my arms, too exhausted to eat.  I was so torn being there.  I did not want to be away from Toby while he was in the hospital but my heart ached knowing Eli was home sick without his mommy (even though Dave was with him & I knew he was in good hands).  My mom came up to relieve me so I could run home and give Eli some much needed snuggles.  I headed back up to the hospital & Toby & I hunkered down for a long, long sleepless night.  The next day Toby had a little more energy thanks to the fluids he was given.  He was discharged around 1pm & we were able to go home!  Today in Sunday.  It has been a full week since all this illness began.  The boys are still feeling the effects.  Eli slept from 7pm-6:30am this morning; took a 3 hour nap (I had to wake him up) and *asked* to go to bed at 7pm tonight.  His body is so tired and weak from fighting this virus.  This is his first full day without running a fever so I know he is finally on the mend.  Toby has been doing a lot of cat napping.  He prefers to be snuggled right now and I don’t blame him!  He’s had a rough few days!  I’m happy to be home with Toby & thankful the boys didn’t get any sicker.  Hoping this week is mellow & the boys ( & MOMMY) can catch up on some much needed rest!

Mellow little boy on the couch.  Bree enjoys the extra TV time she gets when her brother his sick!

Valentines Date at the Clinic!  Handsome boy!

Toby's owie IV :(

Hospital gown- smiles even when he's sick.

Our Room- I couldn't stand the thought of putting him in that crib.  So I held him all the time (except for when I was taking this picture & when the nurse offered to hold him so I could get ready for bed!)

Sleepy boy.

Getting Ready to take that IV out & head home!

An Outing

We are lucky to live in a town that has a lot to offer toddlers & preschoolers.  A new Children's Museum just re-opened in our area and we purchased a membership.  The kids LOVE it there & I do too.  It is a fun & safe enviroment for the kids to explore.  However, going with my three kids is CHAOS!  Our last visit went something like this:

We arrived a couple of minutes before it opens at 9am.  I always plan to go right when the doors open to maximize our playing time before it gets overly crowded.  I get everyone out of the van & Bree immediately starts running towards the door.  Eli tries to dart off as well but I don't trust him to stay out of the street so I hang on tightly to his hand.  He gets angry with me & refuses to use his legs.  I scoop down and pick him up with one arm while carrying Toby's carseat in the other.  When we get inside the door Breena & Eli immediately strip off their coats, throw them on the floor, & run over to the craft area.  I check us in & before I even pick up their coats I look over and see Eli by a sensory table full of water.  I utter the words, "Eli NO!"- but it's too late.  He nearly dives his entire upper body into the water.  His shirt is sopping wet.  And I left the diaper bag in the car.  I ponder whether or not it's worth getting everyone's coats back on & trecking back to the van to retrieve a fresh shirt or just let it dry- I opt for the latter.  Fortunately there are many volunteer staff members that are always willing to lend a hand.  After just two visits they already knew Eli by name (why is it that the trouble makers' names always stand out?!?).  There is one volunteer imparticular that has really taken a liking to Eli & she swooped in to keep an eye on him long enough for me to get Toby out of his carseat.  I tried to distract Eli from the water table & get him interested in something else.  It wasn't working.  A few minutes later he yelled "splash!" and water flew all over Breena & another little kid.  Eli was banned from the water table. Breena had started building with some giant foam blocks they have.  By this time the place was really starting to fill up.  Breena is extremely well behaved there which is nice that I don't need to be by her side the whole time.  A group of boys were alway building & kept taking blocks from her- their mothers were too busy drinking their lattes and gossiping to notice.  She went to grab a different block because hers had been taken & she fell.  She was wimpering & so I helped her up & ruled out any injuries.  I turned to check on Eli only to find him chewing on a rubber xylophone mallet.  I quickly went over to get it out of his mouth (Toby is strapped on my chest in the Baby Bjorn the entire time we are there).  Eli & I headed in to the 'farm' room to play with farm animals.  I thought Bree was right behind us but when I looked she was not there.  I found her in the 'zoo' room right next door.  She was sitting alone on a bench crying.  Talk about breaking a mama's heart!  She said her finger hurt when she fell but I think her feelings had been hurt that others weren't playing nice with her. With a few kisses & tickles her owie disapeared & she had cheered up.  By this time Eli was bored in the farm room & had placed three giant stuffed dogs into a wooded stroller & was RUNNING as fast as he could down a hallway.  Yikes!  I caught him just before he plowed over a little girl who appeared to have recently learned to walk.  Breena was off building blocks by the boys who wouldn't share again.  Eli had ditched his shoes somewhere in the room in order to play with some dress up heels.  I hunted them down inside a play bus.  I had had enough & was ready to leave.  We always stay for one hour when we go- and no matter how stressful it is I force myself to stay.  It's good for the kids.  It HAD to have been close to a hour by now.  I checked the time on my phone; 9:15am.  It had only been 15 MINUTES!  Ugh!  We did stick around until 10am.  I ended up taking a nap with the kids in the afternoon!  What an exhausting trip! 

A Normal Morning

This is how our mornings go lately...

4:15am Nurse Toby. Try desperately to fall back asleep. Fail.
4:30am Hear a sweet little voice say "daddy, can you snuggle me?".  Nudge Dave to move over so Bree can crawl into bed with him.
5:00am Hear the pitter patter of Eli's feet as he runs into our room.  Move over in bed carefully so I don't wake up Toby (still in my arms) or Breena.  Let Eli crawl into bed. 
5:01am Enjoy snuggling Eli- most peaceful time of the day.
5:05am Eli is bored and starts flopping around our bed.  Grab iphone & pull up a utube mickey mouse video for him to watch. Enjoy laying quietly for another few minutes.
5:12am Eli is sick of watching video.  Toby is getting squirmy.  Take both boys into the living room in hopes that Breena stays asleep.  Turn on "Little Einstiens".  Struggle to keep eyes open.
5:25am Breena comes charging out of the bedroom.  Immediately demands to hold Toby.
5:45am Eli begins requesting "Bre Fass" (breakfast)
6:00am Tell Dave it's time to get up.  Change boys' diapers and clothes
6:15am Send kids in to jump on Dave in bed. Put Toby in exersaucer and hop into shower.
6:16am Toby begins screaming because he's being ignored. 
6:18am Shower comes to abrupt end because Eli is pulling all the toilet paper off the role while standing on top of the toilet and chewing on someone else's toothbrush.
6:20am Dave stumbles into bathroom.  I quickly get annoyed that I have to share bathroom (Note to self: have at least 2 bathrooms in new house)
6:25am Eli still complaining he's hungry.  Breena also complaining.  Toby continues to scream as I quickly slap on some makeup and blow dry my hair.
6:45am Give in to breakfast demand.  Everyone head into kitchen.  I prepare breakfast with one hand holding Toby with the other.
6:50am Dave says goodbye to kids.  They each ask him at least three times when he'll be home. 
6:51am Dave leaves.
7:15am Breakfast is done.  Yogurt is everywhere.  Toby resumes screaming in his bouncy chair while I strip clothes off kids, scrub table & do dishes.
7:25am Bathtime (depending on day!)
7:30am Console Breena because she just got clocked in the head by a toy pig by Eli.  Warn Eli not to throw toys.
7:31am Ask Eli to stop splashing- wipe water off of Breena's face.
7:32am Warn Eli that if he splashes again he has to get out.
7:33am  Get Eli out of tub.  Battle him to slather on lotion & put on his clothes. 
7:40am Get Breena our of tub- clothes on.
8:00am Feed Toby & put him down for a nap.
8:15am Clean up from bath while kids play in a bedroom.  Listen to Breena bossing Eli around. Go to throw in a load of laundry only to realize I never moved last night's laundry to the dryer.  Re-wash laundry because it smells musty.  Grumbled to myself. 
8:30am Play with kids!  Eat 100 pretend cookies. 
9:00am  Tobys awake. Snack time. 
9:10am Snack done.  Pull out play doh/markers/crayons/paint. 
9:11am Chase Eli to get marker back before he write on wall.
9:12am Ban Eli from playing markers.  Listen to him throw a tantrum
9:30am Breena is finished coloring.  Time for an outing! Begin the process to leave house.  Change diapers/remind Bree to go potty/ shoes on/ coats on/Toby in carseat/ put dog potty/ check diaper bag/ looks for keys..
9:50am Go to store/library/mall/children's museum/park- anywhere to have a break from our house!
11am Head home- feed Toby. Have lunch
12pm Turn on a cartoon.  Everyone starts to wind down for a nap- finally a peaceful moment!

My Children...

Remember me? I use to write here!  Finding the time has been difficult lately.  I have made the decision to eliminate computer time when possible which means I've been lacking in the blog department.  But right now ALL THREE children are quiet in their rooms, my house is as spotless as it gets & I have two hours before heading to work.  Time for an update on our kids!

BREE
Breena is such a good big sister to her brothers!  I am always so grateful to her when she helps me out around the house.  She often calms Toby down when he's fussy just by talking to him.  His smiles are huge for her.  She gets his pacifier, sings him songs, helps with bath time, & brings him toys.  She is very sweet with Eli too, although they argue sometimes.  She is always right there offering a blankie when Eli gets hurt (often!).  She is now enrolled back into a 2 day/week preschool program that she loves!  We go together the first day & the second day she goes alone.  No tears this time around.  I am so glad I made the decision to pull her out of school back in October.  I am so happy with how school is going for her now.  Usually she is too excited to go she forgets to say good bye!  I find myself following her into her classroom to steal a hug.  I can't believe how much Breena has grown this past year.  She has learned to ride a bike.  She is learning to color actual objects & not just scribble.  She can trace her name.  She knows The Lord's Prayer.  She loves to read & paint.  She is becoming a pickie eater- some days she loves bananas other days she hates them.  She loves animals and would like her daddy to buy her a kitty or a bunny (hint hint).  She is started to sleep much better at night and only gets those nasty night terrors once in a while.  Sometimes she can be very defiant but most of the time she's a silly & sweet little three year old!

ELI
Eli has really changed a lot just in the past month!  He suddenly seems so grown up to me.  He is in his big boy bed & it is going MUCH better.  He is staying in his bed thru the night & if he wakes up he will go back down without too much of a struggle.  Eli is an early riser!  Doesn't seem to matter what time he goes to bed he's up & ready to go by 5am!  He is still using the potty on occasion- if I were motivated to remind him to go every hour I bet he'd be fully ready to potty train.  We are still doing a mommy/child class once per week.  This semester we have started separating half way through class.  Oh boy did that spark some separation anxiety in little Eli!  Last Thursday was our fourth class & the first time I left without him crying!  We are making progress!  I believe it's good for him to get use to trusting adults other than mom & dad so that's why we choose to go to these classes.  He has a lot of fun singing at circle time & playing on the slide with his little friends.  Eli's vocabulary is really blossoming.  He is now using full sentences.  His imagination it huge.  I often find dinosaurs & other play animals in a timeout for biting.  The other day at lunch he turned a Mandarin orange upside down & said "look mommy! a boat!"- he was right.  It did look like a boat.  I was blown away that his young mind could come up with something so imaginative.   Eli is entering into the terrible two's & he reminds us of that often.  He is a very emotional child.  I swore I would never be the mother that allowed her two year old to walk around with a pacifier in his mouth- but I guess that's going to be me!  Sometimes that's the only things that calms the little tike down.  Eli is extremely active.  His body is constantly in motion.  He still isn't interested in coloring- he much prefers running around.  Luckily, he loves to read.  He snuggles down in our laps at night for several stories.  Eli is charming & funny.  He definitely keeps us on our toes!  I am so excited to see what new things he will discover next.

TOBY
Toby will be five months old on Sunday *sniffle*.  I replay the day he was born often in my head in a desperate attempt to remember every detail- the sound of his cry, how he smelled, how he would curl up in a ball on my chest, the purple color of his little feet when he first came out.  It's surreal that he is five months old & will soon be eating solid food & sitting up by himself.  But at the same time it feels as though he has always been a part of our family.  It's only been five months but I struggle already to remember what life was like before Toby!  Toby is so fun.  He is starting to giggle for me.  He smiles randomly at strangers.  He still loves to be held & would be content in someones arms all day long.  Toby can roll over from his tummy to his back.  He falls asleep all by himself in his bassinet.  He won't eat very much at a time & therefore likes to eat often.  He likes to be swaddled when he's grumpy.  He smiles at Breena & Eli whenever they talk to him.  He insists on being a part of everything we do.  Toby often plays the role of 'patient'' when we play doctor!  Toby can sometimes be a mommy's boy (I'm okay with that!).  He is growing so quickly & it is so fun to watch Toby's personality shine.