Shocker...

For a couple of months now, Addi has been complaining about intermittent belly pain.  It hasn't been anything severe and she acts like it's more of a hiccup in her day than anything else...she kind of lays low for 20-30 minutes and then she's back up and running.  And she never missed any school or anything like that.  In fact, it kind of coincided with the start of preschool, so I thought that maybe it was some kind of stress reaction to beginning school and for whatever reason, she was just a little nervous about it.

Over the course of the past couple months, I've had her in to urgent care.  On each visit, an xray was completed which showed that she was constipated.  After the first visit, we made some diet changes, tried pushing more fluids, etc.  After the second visit, we started giving her a mild laxative.

Finally, I was able to get her in to her primary doctor three days ago.  She had actually lost weight since her 5yr old well child check.  So Dr. K wanted to start by running some labs.  She said that with kids who have this kind of persistent belly pain and who actually have weight loss, she just likes to rule out Celiac Disease.  I didn't think much of it...

I received the phone call yesterday that Addi's antibodies came back glaringly positive for Celiac.  I was floored.  I was at work when I received the call and immediately I couldn't focus.  I was sad.  I was angry.  I was in disbelief.  I was worried.  I was many, many other things.  As it turns out, the pediatric GI doc was coming into town yesterday (she does outreach services here).  They were able to get us in right away.  So I left work and pulled Addi out of school to see this new doctor.

Dr. C gave me some information on Celiac Disease and we talked a bit about it.  Because having celiac disease would be a lifelong dietary change and because she is so young, the doctor wants to do some further testing to be 100% sure that this is what we're dealing with.  I actually put Dr. C on the spot and asked what the likelihood is that Addi's lab results gave us a false positive.  She said that with as high as Addi's values are, the probability is extremely low.  Bummer.

So that's where we stand.  I'm still experiencing a large range of emotions.  At one moment I feel so defeated, sad and angry.  The next moment I feel like this is just another *little* hurdle in life and I look forward to the challenge of helping Addi on this journey.  But not long after, I feel helpless once again.  Oh yeah...the whole family also has to be tested because celiac disease has a genetic link.  Since I was already in the office today, Dr K (the girls' pediatrician) ordered the labs for me.  So I should find out in the next couple of days about myself...and in all honesty, I'm actually hoping that I have celiac as well.  Then I can help normalize it for Addi - "see, mommy can't eat gluten either, you're not alone."

15 month appointment

Well, little miss had her appointment yesterday.  Pretty uneventful.  She's now 22 pounds 6 ounces and 32 1/2 inches tall.  She received 4 shots and as always, she was amazing.  Very, very little crying.  In fact, she more or less just whimpered and by the time I picked her up, she was done!!  She's such a tough little girl.

The only concern I had about Emmi was her lack of talking.  The twins were both late talkers as well, so I'm really not terribly concerned, but felt as though I should address it just in case.  She says a handful of words...mama, dada, Daisy (one of the kitties) and ball.  But that's about it.  Well, as we were addressing this minor concern of mine, Emmi started poking at her belly button.  So I kept saying, yes, that IS your belly button.  And then Dr K asked "where's your nose?"  She promptly pointed at her nose.  I then asked her where her head, ears, mouth and eyes are (followed again by her belly button to make sure it wasn't just a fluke).  She quickly identified all of those body parts - to which Dr K said "um, yeah, she's absolutely fine."  Just like the twins, her receptive language is AMAZING and it's just that her expressive language might take a little bit of time.  Dr K was impressed because she said that they don't worry about toddlers knowing ANY of the body parts until at least 18 months...and in our quick little sampling, Emmi identified six of them flawlessly.

Next appointment is at 18 months!!  Oh and in case you're concerned about the above picture, no, she was not crying.  That's her whining face.  That's her trying to make me feel bad for not giving her what she wants...albeit, sometimes the face works and I cave.  However, this time didn't.  She wanted me to help her climb up onto the dining room table.  Ummm, no ma'am!!

Halloween 2013

Halloween morning.

Emmi got tired of pictures....

And went to sit in the fridge.  Which by the look on her face, she knew she shouldn't be doing!

The "fairy butterflies" getting ready for trick or treating!!

The little ladybug, too.

Group pictures are never easy!!

And we're off!!!

Be careful what you wish for

So this weekend, Emmi had been throwing up.  I really couldn't tell if it was because she had a tummy bug or if it was because of her cough.  All of the kids have had some pretty nasty colds.  And Emmi was triggering her gag reflex while coughing and then ultimately, throwing up.  Yuck.  Poor kiddo went through plenty of clothing changes!  And of course, I went through plenty of clothing changes as well.

But anyway, it seemed to have all started with her coughing fits.  However, by the 2nd day, it seemed like she was throwing up at other times too, not just when she coughed hard.  This continued for both Saturday and Sunday.  Well yesterday while I was at work, I was telling my nursing coworker about how Emmi was throwing up Friday through Sunday, but I wasn't sure if it was cough related or tummy bug related.  She said, "well, if you end up vomiting, we'll definitely have our answer!!"

Not long after that conversation, my cell phone rang.  It was daycare.  I couldn't answer it because I had a patient in front of me.  Within seconds, the work phone rang...that's when I knew that SOMEBODY was sick.  Sure enough, they called to let me know that Addi had thrown up.  Ugh.  This was right around 11:00.  So Nate went to get her from daycare.

My coworker and I had a little laugh about how we now have our answer as to what was wrong with Emmi all weekend!!  As the day wore on, I turned to that same coworker and said how I actually hoped that by the end of the day, daycare would call to say that Livi had thrown up.  I had two lines of thinking there.  1) If it's going to be in the house, get it in and get it out...fast.  2)  Livi is inevitably going to get it, if she holds out much longer, she may miss Halloween festivities at school and may not be able to go trick or treating.

Well at 2:00, my cell phone rang again.  Sure enough, Livi had thrown up!!  I was both relieved AND overwhelmed!!  Relieved for the above mentioned reasons, but the thought of going home to a bunch of vomiting kids...yuck!

Luckily, it didn't last long.  They each went to bed a little early last night.  And by this morning, they were both feeling great and went to school.  So ultimately, I think Emmi's episodes probably had to do with both the tummy bug AND her cough.  The twins' sickness lasted about 4-6 hours each.  Emmi's lasted 3 days.  So I think she started with cough-related vomiting and then she eventually added a tummy bug.

Oh, who knows.  But definitely be careful what you wish for!!

Miss Emilia

She's such an amazing little girl.  Full of so much sass, funny, smart, interactive, stubborn, lovable, engaging.  Just amazing, I tell ya.  Her latest thing to do is to give hugs.  She loves, loves, loves giving hugs.  The twins get multiple hugs a day, as do I.  At bedtime, after we're done reading our bedtime stories, she has to hug both Addi and Livi twice...she has to go to one bed, give a hug.  Walk to the other bed, give a hug.  Then repeat the process.  She'd probably continue for a third and a fourth round as well, but I call it quits after the second time and pick her up to carry her out.

The cats are also shown plenty of affection...probably more than they would care for!  But they're actually pretty amazing with her.  We couldn't have asked for more patient cats, especially Daisy.  Whenever Emmi sees her laying on the floor, she walks over by her, grabs her around the midsection and gives her a big squeeze.  At times, she tries to lay on top of her.  Poor Daisy almost looks like she's going to be smothered!!  So I pull Emmi away, pick up Daisy to put her somewhere where Emmi can't reach her...but she immediately jumps back down and lays right out in the open again.  She secretly must love the attention!  Dory isn't quite as patient, but she's also still a young cat.  She'll usually bat at Emmi (in more of a playful manner) and then run away.

And let me tell you, outside of the hugs that Emmi showers on Addi and Livi, she sure does love her sisters!!  On Mondays when the big girls are in preschool for the afternoon, Emmi and I chill out at the house for a few hours (or run errands if need be).  The minute I ask her if we should go get her sissies, her face lights up.  She starts giggling and then she inevitably finds her coat and brings it to me!!  We can't get in the car fast enough!  Of course, once we get to school, the girls get yet another hug from Emmi!!  Yes, she loves her big sisters!

5yr appt update and faces of Emmi

The big girls had their 5yr appt on Monday.  Both of them are now 43 1/2 inches tall.  Adalyn weighed 38 pounds and Alivia weighed 40 pounds.  Developmentally, they're doing great!  Both passed their vision tests with flying colors.  Livi did fabulous on her hearing test.  Addi struggled with some lower pitch sounds, so after her first hearing test, Dr K removed her ear tubes that have been sitting in her ear canals for a year and a half (she had tubes placed in April 2011 - by May 2012, both tubes had fallen out of the ear drums and were sitting in the canals...apparently the stubborn little things still refused to fully fall out!).  Anyway, after Dr K removed the tubes, we repeated the hearing test.  She's still struggling to hear some lower tones but nothing too alarming.  So we'll just recheck next year.

Lastly, they had their 5yr/kindergarten vaccinations.  Addi handled it better than I expected.  Livi didn't handle it quite as well as I had foreseen.  She was just a bit more sad than I had anticipated.  She kept telling me that she "didn't WANT to get her flu shot."  Even a couple days later, she kept reminding me that she didn't want to get her flu shot.  I kept reminding her that it was already done and we can't go back and change it.  They actually received more than just the flu shot - DTaP, polio, MMR and varicella.  Overall, they're doing well.  They still insist that they like going to the doctor...they just don't like getting flu shots!!

Making faces at me.

The smiles don't get much bigger (or cheesier!) than this!

Trying to tell me what she wants in the fridge.

Look who found the leftover birthday cake!

Happy 5th Birthday!!

I cannot believe that these little 6 month old belly dancers are now FIVE!!

 

Seriously, where does the time go?  It honestly doesn't seem like that long ago that I was on bed rest with these two little girls.  Oh how they have changed my life.  Their little (or rather, big!) personalities bring multiple smiles a day to my face.  I'm in awe every day watching them develop into the young children that they're becoming.  Their knowledge, their ability to tell stories, the uncanny sense they have to know when you just need a hug, the way they nurture Emmi and love on her...it's all simply astonishing.  Happy 5th Birthday to a couple spectacular little girls!!!  Now slow down!!!

 

Their birthday cake.

Their favorite part of their birthday!!

Okay, maybe cake is their favorite part!!

Look who's walking!!

She's been taking a few steps here and there for WEEKS...she just didn't have any interest in actually walking.  Apparently, she just wanted to wait until she was pretty much proficient at walking before she would really attempt to do so!  Because today, she took off.  All the way down the hallway without falling.  All the way back.  Then we went outside because Addi and Livi wanted to go for a bike ride, so I put her in the stroller.  After quite a bit of grunting, I took her out of the stroller...yes, she wanted to walk.  She's definitely a walking machine now.

Here's the proof!!

Even though she was focusing, she knew the flash was coming!

So proud of herself.

A pause in the action to attempt a bathroom break-in.

Another little break...those tiny legs get tired!!

Jazz hands!!

Mom says just put your head down and go!

Little stinker

Emmi.  Stinker.  A couple words that you never think will ever be in the same sentence when your baby is just a few months old.  First of all, I think she might be on the goldfish and milk diet.  Those seem like the only things she will reliably eat.  She even refuses some of her prior favorites - mandarin oranges, raspberries, pancakes, cheerios, string cheese, yogurt, etc, etc, etc.  I know that kids go through weird food stages, in fact, I distinctly remember the twins going on a hot dog and cheese diet!!

However, I'm dealing with something I've never dealt with before.  If the twins were served something they didn't want, they either ignored it altogether or they would drop it on the floor..."drop" being the key word.  Not Emmi.  This child WHIPS the food across the dining room.  There's essentially a six foot radius around her highchair that's not safe from flying food.  She'll throw it overhand, chuck it behind her, swipe it to the side, etc.  She's definitely exerting her independence, but I just wish that independent streak would be a little cleaner!! 

She's now up to 11 teeth.  The four front teeth on both the top and the bottom, and then 3 of her molars.  The bottom right molar is super, super close to popping through.  Hopefully it comes soon because she's been a little restless at night and I'm pretty sure that that's why.

Her "uh-oh" face...usually after she's done something she knows she shouldn't.

Oh yes, did I mention that the little stinker also spits water now?  Yeah...here's that face too.

And then the little devious smirk afterwards!!

Field trip excitement

The girls were so excited to go on their very first field trip as preschoolers.  They were counting down the days until they got to go to the apple orchard.  Finally, the day arrived!!  I don't think they could get dressed fast enough!!

This afternoon, I was watching the clock and I knew exactly what time they were set to depart school for the orchard.  As the time approached, my excitement for them increased.  And as today wore on, I became incredibly anxious to pick them up from school to hear all about it...then my work phone rang.  The teacher, Miss Julie, called to tell me that Addi was stung by a bee.  Her first field trip and her first bee sting - all wrapped up into one day.  Poor girl.  The teacher assured me that she was in good hands as one of the chaperones was a registered nurse, so she took Addi to the bathroom right away and gave her some TLC.

When I picked the girls up, I was surprised by the fact that Addi said very little about the bee sting!!  The girls were overflowing with their excitement...mostly the fact that they got to ride a "big yellow bus!"  Addi told me that she didn't sit with anyone on the bus because she liked having a seat to herself.  Livi said that she shared a seat with one friend on the way to the orchard and sat with a different friend on their way back to school.  And that right there sounds exactly like my kids...Addi is my little independent child and Livi is my "share the love" child.

I think the apple orchard itself took second place to the fact that they were able to ride on a school bus.  In fact, I was asked several times already tonight if we can get rid of our van so that we can ride the city bus!!  Um, no kids, sorry.

School Kids

As of today, it's official.  I have school aged kids.  The girls were so, so, so excited for their first day.  They're in the afternoon preschool class which starts at 12:45pm, but they probably asked me at least a dozen times in the morning if it was "time to go to school yet."  They were so anxious that they couldn't sit still!  Finally the time came.  And when that happened...then they decided that they might be "too shy to go to school."

Anyway, they grabbed their backpacks, we loaded into the car and we were off!  Addi was a little bit more hesitant than Livi was.  Livi was pretty pumped up to meet new friends.  She immediately sat at the table in her classroom so I could take her picture and she even asked her teacher if she could take a picture with her!  On the other hand, Addi didn't want to sit at the table and when she finally did, she wouldn't smile.  When Livi was having her picture taken with her teacher, Addi didn't want to join...but once she saw Livi wasn't being shy, she finally jumped right in!

When I picked them up, they were full of smiles.  They asked right away when they get to go to school again.  I really, truly think that they are going to have a blast.

You can just see their giddiness in this picture!!

I didn't even realize it until I downloaded the pictures that they were holding hands.  They really are best friends.

Happy Birthday!!!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Elli!!  Forever in our hearts and forever loved.  I'm sure you celebrated with some pretty special people up there.  Love you, sweetie!!

Precious little peanut just shy of 3 months old.

End of camping 2012

We went on our last camping trip this weekend.  The girls had a blast, as always.  They did a little bit of swimming, played mini golf, made new friends, rode on a golf cart, played on the playground, made s'mores, skipped rocks and plenty more.  The weather was a bit erratic.  One day it was super, super hot.  The very next day we had to break out the long pants and jackets!  I know it's just a matter of time before they start hounding me about going on the "bus" again.  And I don't think they'll be impressed with my answer...when the snow comes...and then melts.

The girls played choo-choo train in the water with their new friend.

Emmi enjoyed her water time too!

Whenever the tongue comes out, you know she's focusing!!

We're still working on their overall golfing form!!

Big changes ahead!!

Let me start by saying this...

All three girls slept through the night last night!!  Say what?  Yes, it's true.  I think this might just be the first time ever.  Livi is never a problem.  She's a pretty gosh darn good sleeper.  Not the best bed partner in the world though - the little girl is ALL over the place.  But she reliably sleeps through the night.  However, Addi and Emmi are not entirely fond of the thing we call sleep.  Addi usually comes into my room around 2 in the morning proclaiming that she's not tired.  And Emmi gets up a couple times a night for something to drink.  But last night they all coordinated their efforts!!

So in less than two weeks, the big girls will be starting preschool.  That is so incredibly unreal to me.  It doesn't seem that long ago that I was laying on the couch, 24 hours a day on strict bedrest, trying to make sure that they didn't make an early arrival.  And now they're off to school. 

In preparation of starting school, I had them write their names the other day.  I was just curious to see how they would do.  They did amazing!!  Now I'm really curious to see what it will look like at the end of their very first year of school.  But here is their impressive work...

Dancing Queen

Emmi has really taken a liking to music lately...well, I'm not sure if it's really a liking to music or just my singing.  Which is odd.  Very odd.  I'm a terrible singer.  But the twins have a few books that entail me breaking out my not so pleasant singing voice.  And whenever Emmi hears it, she starts rocking back and forth and bouncing up and down.  Such a precious peanut.

She's currently up to 9 teeth.  She has four on the top, four on the bottom and one molar on the top.  Poor girl tends to pop through more than one at a time.  One time she cut three new teeth in one day and this last time was two more.  Yikes!  She actually seems to tolerate teething pretty well.  She's never been feverish with teething (knock on wood) and her fussiness is actually quite minimal...to the point where I can't really say "oh, she must be teething."  She might be a little more restless at night, but that's about it.

Here are a few recent pictures!!

My soon-to-be preschoolers!!!

And sweet little Emmi.

Holy Temper, Batman

My sweet Emmi.  Where did you go?  Never in a million years would I have expected the insane amount of screaming and tantruming this child does at such a young age.  If she doesn't get her way, she gets mad.  And not just a little mad.  I'm talking screaming so loud and so fiercely that you seriously think your ear drums may burst.  Then there are the attempts to hit or pull hair...she has ended up with fistfulls of every female in the house.  And if reprimanded, sternly told "no" and removed from the situation, she doesn't waste any time throwing herself onto her belly and crying.  Yeah, I never, never would've predicted this!  She's been such an easy going, laid back, go with the flow baby.  So this all surprises me!!

The twins handle her well though.  When she ends up with a fistfull of hair, they don't freak out on her and push her away.  They just holler for me so I can release their hair from her tiny fingers.  They share with her as much as possible.  Obviously, being almost 5 years old, they play with things that Emmi simply cannot have.  So then we all just deal with the screaming fit for a couple minutes before she forgets what all the fuss is about!!

She still is a tender little girl though, don't get me wrong.  It's just those few times throughout the day when she gets mad...she definitely gets really mad.  Otherwise, she still likes sharing.  Whether trying to feed me, the girls or the cats, or giving a toy back to her sisters, or giving me my phone when she sees it on the floor.  She is still SUCH a joy.  And loveable and a cuddlebug, etc.  She's just expressing a side that I didn't fully expect!

Hang tight...the blog is coming back

Ok, so I've taken a 6+ week hiatus.  However, I've been jotting down notes for the past month and a half about the things going on, milestones, teeth, A FIRST BIRTHDAY, preschool readiness, etc.  I just haven't exactly put it into paragraph format.

The intention is to write up the posts dating back to the 1st week of July.  The dates will reflect when those events were going on, not the date I'll actually be posting (probably sometime in late August).  That way, in a few months, it will look like I've never missed a beat!! 

Sooo.  When you all of a sudden see new posts appear, make sure to read all the way back to July.  I'm hoping to be posting 4-5 for the month of July and another 4-5 for the month of August.  Stay tuned.....

A Birthday party in pictures...

Waiting ever so patiently.

Gift opening time!!

Trying to read the directions?!?

So happy with her new toy.

She sees the cake coming!!

Dig in baby girl!

Yummy.

Smash!!

What did I do?!

Woo-hoo...all done!!

Peek-a-boo, all clean again!

Maybe her belly isn't full yet?

Pretty little birthday girl.