Medical Updates on Everyone

It has been a rough few days. Luckily for us, everyone is still sleeping thru the night and taking great naps!

Jess is having nebulizer treatments 4X a day and still is hardly eating. Her nose is not nearly as runny and she seems to be on the mend and hopefully in the next day or two she should be back to her normal self. I have no word yet on all the bloodwork. The doc said it may be early next week before we know anything, so I am trying not to worry too much.

Logan is getting nebulizer treatments 2X a day and still has a bad cough and seriously runny nose. His appetite is also way down, so I know he feels yucky. I also hope to see him improve over the next day or two. He also started a new very bad habit this morning - biting! It is not even 9 am already he has gotten both Will and Jess on their arms while they fought over toys! Luckily no skin was broken, but I really need to get our "time out" area ready and start using it!

Will has been the best, but even he has a runny nose and keeps getting low grade fevers. He is also not really eating anything and is extra clingy. I hope we don't need to add treatments for him, but I have a mask and meds ready.

Dave is getting some kind of cold. His throat is killing him and he even took some nightime medicine. He hates taking meds, so I know he feels bad.

I hurt my right knee a couple weeks ago and it has been killing me. I had a MRI on Sunday. I have a decent tear in my medial meniscus and am being refered to an orthopedist for treatment. Most of the info I have tells me that a surgery is probably in my very near future. Not looking forward to being laid up, but definitely need to have it so that I can keep pace with three very active toddlers!

Lucas is the only one not having any problems. He is doing really well in school and is even on the middle school track team. His first meet is next Monday and he will be doing the javelin, shotput and discus since his running is not quite up to snuff. He gets his uniform today and is excited. He has practice 3X a week and takes the late bus home from school.

OK, that is the latest from here. Hope everyone is having a great week and if not, remember tomorrow is Friday! LOL

Monday Update - 18 Month Doctor Visit - A Long Day

OK, today did not go as planned. We got up on schedule and I had the kids out the door by 9:40 for their 10 am doctor appointment. I had to park in the farthest lot and was very thankful for our choo choo wagon. We were at the health center until almost 1:00pm! I will go into more detail in a minute, but here are every ones latest stats for their actual age not adjusted.
William
height: 31.1 inches (10-25%)
weight: 19lbs 15oz (<5%)
head circ. 19.25 inches (75%)

Logan
height: 32.5 inches (50%)
weight: 21lbs 4oz (<5%)
head circ: 19 inches (50-75%)

Jessica
height: 29.9 inches (5-10%)
weight: 18lbs 1oz (>1%)
head circ: 18.75 inches (75%)

Will is doing well for the most part. The doc wants me to add some extra fat to his diet to help him gain weight. She is also a little concerned about his speech delay and some oral issues with feeding and wants him in speech therapy. He had to have a finger prick for a lead test and another blood test.

Logan is actually not just having teething issues - he is sick. The doctor diagnosed him with the early stages of bronchiolitis. We have to give him 2 nebulizer treatments a day for the next several days. He also has a speech delay and needs speech therapy. His hernia is still there and we just play the waiting game until October. He also had his finger pricked like Will for tests.

Jessica is really sick. She had really not eaten much this weekend, so I was thankful for the appointment. It turns out that she has a worse case of bronchiolitis. Last year, it would have meant a hospital stay, but for now we can treat her at home. WOOHOO! We have to give her 4 nebulizer treatments a day and push liquids. She had a treatment while we were with the doc and it did wonders for her lungs. The doctor was not as concerned about her minor speech delay because she signs and says a few words, while the boys just sign a few words. Her main concern was Jess' illness and her actually losing weight and falling off her curve. Til now, Jess has never been on the growth charts, but has always had a good curve. The doc ordered a bunch of tests to help figure out what is going on. Jess had the finger prick for the same tests as the boys, but she also ordered a stool specimen and lots of blood work. Jess kindly pooped while we were getting the boys' physical done so that was no problem, but the blood work became an issue. Her veins are so tiny, the lab techs at the base could not get it to work and I had to take her after nap to the actual hospital to get it done. Even at the hospital, we had to wait almost 45 minutes for a NICU nurse come to take an arterial sample, because the lab tech said her tiny veins would keep collapsing after she was only able to get barely enough for one test! We were there for almost 2 hours to get 3 little tubes of blood! Poor Jess has been a trooper all day and is finally sleeping peacefully.

All in all, it has been a rough, long day and I am ready for bed. If you are interested, I did a search on WebMD and this is what they say about the kids illness.

What is bronchiolitis?

Bronchiolitis is an infection of the bronchioles, the small air passages in the lungs. It is common in young children and is the leading cause of serious lower respiratory illness in infants.

What causes bronchiolitis?

Bronchiolitis is usually caused by a virus, especially respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and frequently occurs in the late fall to early spring.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms of bronchiolitis include runny nose, cough, and fever. After a few days, your child may experience shortness of breath and/or breathing that is rapid and labored with wheezing.

A severe infection in infants may cause a noticeably increased breathing rate.

Symptoms of bronchiolitis may last 3 to 4 days. Most children recover within a week.

How is it treated?

Home treatment to manage the symptoms of bronchiolitis is usually all that is needed. Have your child drink plenty of liquids to avoid dehydration. If your baby has a stuffy nose, it can be helpful to use a suction bulb to remove mucus. Acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) may help ease discomfort.

The doctor may suggest bronchodilator medicine if your child has shown the tendency to have allergic reactions (atopy). In severe cases, your child may need to stay in the hospital or get extra oxygen.

18 Months Old !!!

It seems truly impossible that my babies are 18 months old and officially toddlers! It makes me a little sad, but excited for all new toddler milestones at the same time. We have an 18 month well baby appointment on Monday so I will do an update post with their new stats during nap time.

To tide you over til Monday-
We had a late Easter party today with one of the playgroups we attend. The weather was fantastic and everyone had a great time. My sister gave me a great idea for a treat to bring - Peeps in Ponds. They were super easy. I used white chocolate dyed blue to make the ponds and stuck the peeps. What do you think?

Toddler Trouble X3

Remember those pics with the playroom all nice and neat? Well, this is what it looks like after the triplets are playing in there for just a few minutes!

And why does lunch taste better on the floor? Lately everyone is having very picky meal times and this lunch Logan and Jess decided they really were not hungry so I took them out of their chairs and they preceded to eat the lunch they threw down on the floor! While they were eating off the floor, Will was actually trying to use a spoon!





We may have had a breakthough! Look who's finally starting to use utensils! They still finger feed lots, but at least they are trying! LOL!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA!! WE LOVE YOU!!

Monday Morning Update

OK, it is back to reality for me after two weeks of having Dave home to help with all the daily stuff. I have been spoiled! Dave is back at work this morning and Lucas is back in school after his week off for Spring Break!

Thursday we went up closer to Hartford and did some shopping. We ate lunch at the Rainforest Cafe. This is an awesome restaurant! It is decorated totally like you are deep in the rain forest. It even has a "rainstorm" every 30 minutes complete with thunder and lightening! The best part- no one cried during the storm! Well, Logan did a little the first time, but otherwise it was a huge hit.

We spent most of Friday in Boston. The weather was great and everyone had a fun time, until it was time to drop Vani at the airport. It was really hard to say goodbye. She came and fit right back into our family almost like she never left. The kids loved playing with her (even Jess came around)and Dave and I realized just how much we had missed her! Vani, hon whenever you want to come back and visit our door is always open!

The rest of this weekend pasted by rather uneventfully. Swim lessons went fairly well on Saturday after a week off. The weather was nice and we worked on the mess in the garage. We took all our Superyard gate sections and made a huge play area to keep the kids safe while we worked see -

The pic doesn't do it justice - the play area was HUGE! The kids had a blast!

The last bit of major news - all three babies( I can call them babies for only 1 more week - 18 months old is Saturday - yikes!)are cutting new teeth - even Logan! We have had some fun bouts of fussy and clingy babes with some low grade fevers, but so far they all seem to be coping. Logan is cutting 2 molars, Jess is also working on 2 molars and Will is cutting a canine tooth.

Anyway, that's it for now. Except in case I don't post tomorrow or I forget- have a great birthday Aunt Jen! Have a great day!

Photo Frenzy!

I know that I have been slacking a bit with updating the blog, but we had a major computer issue- no internet and then Vani got here and we have been extra busy enjoying our time with her!

Lucas has spring break this week and Dave took leave so the whole family has been around and we have been doing some fun stuff - a turkey fry and egg hunt on Easter, a trip to the Mystic Aquarium one day and then the Roger Williams Park Zoo today. The weather has been great and the kids are loving the playtime outside on their new climber or getting rides in their choo choo wagon! I was able to locate one from another triplet mom in Rhode Island and they love it!

It's getting late and we have another busy day planned for tomorrow so I'll leave you with lots of random pics taken throughout the week. I will try my best to be back to regular posting starting Monday - promise! LOL Enjoy!

HAPPY EASTER!

Hope you all have a great day!

Look What Dave Surprised Me with -

Dave came home for lunch to surprise me for my birthday! He brought me lunch and flowers and he has the rest of the day off! He had been planning this for quite some time and that is why he did not say anything this morning! Now I feel stupid- LOL! Anyway, hope you all have a great day!

Lollipops !

I did not want to leave off for the weekend with that last post, so here is a bonus double post today! Last night was bath night so after dinner we decided to give the trio an extra special treat - lollipops! I had bought a bag of organic lollipops awhile back and just had not had the nerve to try them. They were a huge hit!

Even the Simple Things -----

Can be extra hard with triplets! It is not even 11am and already my day has been a very rough one. My agenda was to get Dave and Lucas off to work and school, feed and dress the trio and be out of the house by 8:45 to get to the library for 9:00 for the start of registration for a babies and books class for 12-24 month olds. Sounds simple right? Well, Dave and Lucas were no problem. I got the trio fed and dressed by 8:40. I get the kids in the van at 8:45. It also has to be raining so I have to get the stroller on the hitch and try to put together something to keep the seats dry. I run and get trash bags and put them on the seats. OK, it is now 8:50 and we are finally off to the library. We get there at 9:10, I get everyone out of the van and into their stroller seats - which still got a bit wet - and run out of the rain into the library at 9:15. I go to the children's area, all of us soaking wet, and what do they say - " how old are they?" I say 17 months then comes the best part - "class is already full." What the F! It is only 915!! I am so mad and frustrated that I don't even reply I just turn the stroller around and leave the library! The triplets are all crying now because they wanted to stay! I got home and just called the library. I tell the woman who I am saying I was just there to get the trio in for class and when is the next registration and can I call in to register. She tells me that they take a break for the summer and the next class is not til fall! She then says that they don't take phone registrations on the first day, but the next day. I said what good does that do me - class was full in 15 minutes this time! She really does not say anything. I say thanks anyway and hang up.

I have been having a really rough time lately and this was just another blow. I feel like all I am is a nagging housekeeper and nanny. I have not been able to get my body back in shape. Dave and I have not done anything as a couple lately and even when we are together we are not together if that makes any sense. Today is also my b-day and do you think Dave or Lucas remembered to say anything to me this morning? Big fat NO!

OK, it feels better just to get that all off my chest! Sorry you had to read all that, but thanks for "listening"! I love my life and family and do not want you to get the wrong idea!

I am really excited for my German daughter Vani to get here on Sunday! We have lots of fun stuff planned and can't wait to spend time with her!

Promise to be back to more normal posts on Monday!