Whirlwind trip to the Emergency Room

So where to start....

First a small back story on "the cuppy" & why I did what I did. A few weeks ago, like always, I fixed the boys cups & we headed out. When we got home I couldn't find Brily's stupid cup ANYWHERE, I hunted and searched the Suburban high & low... No cuppy anywhere! So I assumed that when I was loading the boys back into the truck it had rolled out & was lost forever in some parking lot. I have since bought new cups, it's been that long.

Yesterday I was cleaning out the truck in preparation of N's arrival & what do I find? Brily's sippy cup, it had rolled under the folded down back seat. It had been in there for over a month with chocolate milk in it. Yep, that is disgusting! I brought it in and washed it out, filled it with soap & bleach, sat it at the back of the counter & planned to stick it in the dishwasher today.


SO.... This is where it gets bad!


We got home from Church & the boys were playing. I walked around the corner to see B drinking from "the cuppy" that was full of bleach! I flipped out, snatched the cup, threw it in the sink & crammed my finger down his throat to try and get him to puke the bleach back up before it absorbed. About that time he began to struggle & got to where he couldn't breath. (More on why in a moment) I then headed out the door & to the E.R. I got outside & realized I didn't have any shoes on, ran back in & then ran to the truck while screaming at Jake to get Jace and follow me to the E.R. because B had just drank bleach.

I flipped on my flashers & drove way over the speed limit to get him to the hospital, he was still gasping & in between gasps was spitting out a frothy like spit-up. I was driving like a mad woman to get him to the E.R. poor baby was so scared he just kept looking at me with the most terrified look. I was trying to stay calm, but was about to break!

When we got to the E.R. they had the Emergency door locked (evidently hospital policy) I began beating on the door, no one was hearing me. That is when I lost it and began to breakdown, just before I turn to go to the main entrance some guy see me & slowly walks over. I was freaking out & the guy was taking his sweet time. He opened the door & I just walked past him telling him what had happened.

By this point B was able to breath a little better, but was still not himself. They got him all hooked up & some fluids to get the taste out of his mouth. The doctor came in & after telling him what happened, he explained that the bleach itself was not enough to hurt him, but the fumes is what causes the airways to close.

So he was going to be okay! WHEW! I think the doctor was more afraid that I was going to have a baby... Brily ate a BIG huge popcicle & was bouncing back to his old self. Jake arrived & brought B some clothes because he only had on a T-shirt & shoes when I swooped him up & left! I tell you they are always naked!

We are all better now & trying to finish getting ready for little miss! That is our Whirlwind trip!

Less than 24 hours I will be a new mama again!!!

Yes, you read that right! Tomorrow, MONDAY MAY 23rd I am heading to the hospital to have my baby girl!!! I cannot believe it, it has flown by so fast that it makes me incredibly sad!!! I have had a wonderful pregnancy & am going to miss all of the little rolls & kicks. It's hard to believe this is the LAST day I will be pregnant! 


I am over the moon though with excitement to be having a little girl, our family of five will be complete! I have finally quit nesting like a mad woman, there are still a couple things that I wanted to get done, but I know come Thursday when we get home they won't matter. 


I don't think the boys really know what is all about to happen, but I know they will be so in love with their sister! We took a couple of pictures yesterday, I cannot wait until she gets here & have family pictures taken. :) I need one of those ridiculously large pictures plastered on my wall. 




The last few visits have been very uneventful, I am praying that the C-Section goes the exact same way! Remember me tomorrow morning, I am sure that I will be a nervous wreck! 

My last pregnancy update ever! 

(That's sad to write) 

I carried you to 39 weeks 1 day.

My guess is you will weigh 7 pounds 1 ounce & be 21" long.

I suspect you'll have a head full of hair like your brothers did. 

From the ultrasound images you will probably have your daddy's cute little nose.

I PRAY you have your daddy's long eye lashes. Mommy now has short & thin eyelashes since she had your brothers & you. 

I only gained 25 pounds with you. Quite a BIG difference from J&B, I gained close to 50 with Jace & probably 60 with Brily. Mommy was a beached whale!!!

Mommy has a seamingly swell pregnancy with you, no complications except for my kidney issue. Thankfully no high blood pressure or diabetes. I did have to take a lot of vitamins, but that's nothing compared to last two pregnancies!!!

I will be glad when I don't have to wake SIX times a night to pee! Oh, I am REALLY looking forward to that! I know I'll probably still get up 6 times a night with you for a while, but thats okay. 

Thank you again everyone for you support, prayers & encouragement! I am receiving my reward tomorrow for all the hard work ;) I cannot wait to post pictures of the little Princess!!!!

Here is our maternity picture from yesterday! 

How did this happen?!?! 36 Weeks!!!!

So, I say this every single time, but how did this happen?!?!?! How am I already 36 weeks??? I should be like 15 weeks or so it seems, but NO I am 36 weeks pregnant. I have had a really wonderful pregnancy, I am so very thankful. Everything is going so much better this time , unlike it did with the boys. I of course had the typical morning sickness & little things, but I haven't had any pre-term labor, no hospital visit (*minus my graceful fall). Jake said the other night that this pregnancy was totally different considering with the boys we had been to the hospital twice to have my labor stopped & I was already on bed rest with B by this point. I have NO swelling, very few braxton hicks (compared to the boys), only normal pregnancy issues! 


I am sooo very thankful that my womb is closing up shop on a good note (ha ha). Pregnancy can be miserable & I'm glad I can enjoy this. 


So here is the "Appointment bullet style" 

Appointment Highlights 

• I lost 3 pounds!!! Whooo Hooo! I have gained a total of 22 pounds! I am totally proud of this because with the boys I was a beached whale... 
• I have vertigo, I thought it might have been my blood pressure but it was just fine (thankfully). My poor grandma has vertigo & Meniere's disease  and bless her sweet heart, it's ANNOYING! Constantly feeling like you are drunk or just spun around 100 times on a baseball bat.
• Miss Neeley is measuring right on schedule. Her heart rate was 140's

Pregnancy Highlights

• I'm not sleeping so well but that's expected.
• Appetite is fair, no "real" cravings.
• I have been having terrible night terrors/nightmares. I wake up breathing very hard, heart racing & in a total panic. I hate the feeling!!! It takes me a while to actually "wake up" from them, so I lay there mind racing & cannot get them out of my mind. *I'll add to the bottom the crazy dream I had last night! 
• No swelling this time! Previous pregnancy I had elephant feet, talk about a conversation piece. 
• Leg cramps are a lot better, they only come occasionally. I got on the other morning that had my foot all crooked & I couldn't walk. It would have been funny if it didn't hurt so stinking bad! 

So, now for my terrible dream. I dreamed that I was on a farm with the boys & there were cow in a field next to us. I was standing talking to a old family friend & looked over to see the boys go under the fence into where the cows were. I started yelling for them to "STOP!!!" because there were baby calves & I knew the heifers would hurt the boys. So I took of running, big and pregnant. I got across to where the boys were & they were surrounded by cows. I was trying to shew the cows away but they were not going, it was almost like they were smelling me (weird part I know). So I preceded to hit one frightening them. The boys were within arms reach but they were behind a cow, I couldn't get to them. I was yelling "Help!" the entire time. So when they all jumped one cow stood up on his hind legs & fell backwards onto the boys. I was frantically trying to get the cow off of them & rescue them. When the red cow moved the boys were both laying there limp. The looks on their faces, from the dream, still haunts me today. I picked B up & he was all limp, I just knew he was hurt bad from the cow & I saw hoof prints on his chest. I was sobbing & screaming for help. At that time I woke up & was in a full on panic attack, I was frantically trying to find the boys (who were sleeping next to our bed.) I immeadeatly had to pick them up and make sure they were okay. Then, like I said, I couldn't get awake from the dream. It kept replaying in my head & I had such a guilt that I didn't pick up Jace at the same time & try and save him. I felt terrible, the look on their faces & them laying there limp just haunted me! Needless to say, I didn't go back to sleep for a long time. :( I have always hated bad dreams & that pretty much takes the cake. And yes, in case you were wondering... I am crazy! 

Rewarding

Let's 'face' it, boys are extra hard to keep clean. Dirty faces
are pretty much a given around here. Fingernails too! 

Days like today are hard, everything is missing, everyone is tired & hungry, rain is pouring for the 5th day straight, fresh out of milk & mommy is not feeling well. I hate days like today, I wish my house stayed clean, my dishes stayed washed & tummies never got hungry. Unfortunately I would be unemployed if that were the case. Although parenting is hard some days, not a day goes by that it isn't rewarding & gratifying. I am crazy about my boys, none the less. Nothing is sweeter than looking into their sweet faces, precious smiles & the warm fuzzy feeling it gives you. I love to watch their personalities shine through, they are so different! 

Even though I have bad days just like everyone else, I wouldn't change a thing; except maybe the weather :) I love these two, I am really trying to savor every last drop of them, I know here in FOUR weeks or less my attentions will be divided again. I am so happy for her though, she's going to be a lucky little girl to have such great big brothers! They are equally excited for her arrival, Jace tell me every time she sees my stomach roll, "I think she wants outta there, Mama." 


Even though my house goes unkept, my laundry piles up & dishes don't always get done right away they will only be little once. I use to worry before I had B that I was taking Jace's 'babyhood' away. Little did I know I gave him the greatest gift ever, A little brother! They are B.E.S.T Friends, inseparable! I hope they are that way when they are 15 & 16 and too big to spank. I'll look back a pictures & smile about the goofy things they said or did, like "Bri, ook at Mama & cheese."


I am really the lucky one to have such wonderful kids! 

A day in the life...

 It's been crazy around here, I am trying to get ready for a Garage Sale, Jace had his Pre-School screening & well Brily is being his crazy self! I am still pregnant, obsessed with Etsy & constantly making something. I think it's beginning to annoy Jake, oh well! I did make a really delicious dinner last night, I'll put the recipe at the bottom.


 I also wanted to share a video of Sadee, it is hilarious!!! A few nights ago we had some company, it's been abnormally warm so we had the windows & doors open all day. So, of course the bugs flood the house, Sadee hates bugs! Some how a wasp got in & it was on the kitchen floor. We kept hearing her scratch at the floor & growl, after further inspection we noticed the wasp. She would paw it & I assume it would stink her, she was getting MAD! She would growl, bark & paw some more. When she had finally had enough she tried to eat the wasp, that is when I got out my camera and this is what happened.... *Don't mind my dorky/half fake laugh in the middle* And just so you know, no animals were harmed or injured in the making of this video. Also, don't send me some link or nonsense comment about the risks of dogs & wasps. She's fine! 


 ETA: Blogger will not add the crazy video, I now have to upload it to YouTube & then here. It will be posted shortly! :)


ETA: Here is the video! 

  Jace had his Pre-School screening last Friday, I think he did good. He surprised me with a lot different things I didn't know he knew. He was able to point to all the colors, but black & gray; we have never really worked on colors. He did really good cutting out a picture & we don't use scissors either. He did have a classic "Jace moment" when she asked him if he could count. He put his finger to his chin & said "Um.... Not exactly" *sigh* What am I going to do with him, he does know how to count. I was honestly afraid that he would stand up & say "I don't lub this anymore" if they got to something he didn't like.   We don't know if he will get in or not, they are suppose to mail us a letter in a few weeks. She did say that he tested fairly high for his age, I may get my wish after all.


 Brily is wonderful, as expected. He is such a good boy, Jace is too but B is so calm & well behaved when Jace can be a little high strung & dramatic. I wonder where Jace gets it?! Ha! Bri has started this new habit of waking up in our room. He is a sneaky little toot, he waits until he knows it's safe & we are asleep. We send him back to his room if we are awake & he knows it. The other night I got up for the 20th time to pee & kicked him in the head, I had no idea he was there. Whoopsie! He didn't wake & I felt terrible, so I left him sleeping in the floor. He also knows not to get into bed with us because we will send him back, so it's like he hide at the end of the bed or by the doors. The next night he ended up in front of the closet door, then the bathroom door snuggling with some dirty clothes. Saturday night we had all the windows open & in the night a big gust shut our door. When I woke up my first thought was "I bet B is upset that he couldn't get in here last night." I opened our bedroom door & there laid Bri. I started laughing, he was as close to the door as he could snuggle his little body. Usually when Jake gets up for work it wakes him up & he crawls in bed with Momma, I can't say I mind snuggling with the little booger. He is doing seemingly well with potty training & hasn't had an accident in a LONG time. He wakes up almost every single morning dry & will wake up in the middle of the night to go pee. Jace is a totally different story, he has no desire to stay dry at night & never wakes to pee. Just goes to show you who is a light sleeper & who is the heavy sleeper. Two boys, fourteen months apart, yet different as night and day! They are, thankfully, best friends!!! 


  Neeley Kayt is doing great, as far as I can tell growing like she should be. I still have the annoying kidney pain, quite a few Braxton Hicks & back contractions. I have a weird new symptom, my pinky & ring finger on my left hand are numb. They are not completely numb just like a dull numb, half way down my finger. I have never had it before, but I am assuming something is pinched somewhere. I assume it will go away, just like the kidney pain after delivery. 



  I still have a lot, A LOT to get done before she gets here. I am looking at 5 1/2 WEEKS TOPS until her arrival. I have a slew of things I need to accomplish, including her nursery. My list is growing & all I can do is stare it & hope it gets done, I should get on the ball!!! My poor dining room table is covered in projects that I want to do, need to be done & are half done. I need to get Maternity pictures taken soon so I can get my mother off my back. I need to mail out invites for the baby shower, thank you cards from Jake's family shower, finish paying off a credit card before N gets here. See, I am drowning here, instead of treading water & keeping up I just seem to be adding more to my list. I should make a "goal" for the weeks to simply accomplish everything on the existing list & only add things to 'next weeks' list. Wish me luck, no laughing!! 


  

Gratitude....

Every morning I wake up, pull my crazy hair into a pony tail, wipe the sleepies from my eyes. Why do I get up every morning & do all that I do??? I do it for these boys, they are my world.

Brothers, Best Friends, Comforter, Snuggle Buddies & Play Mates 

I am so grateful they are mine!

Bowling

Tonight Jake & I didn't have any plans, we (I saw "we" lightly, I held the light & got the ratchet extender thing ha!) had spent fixing the fuel pump in Jake's truck. It was another successful fix, thank God! So when we finally rounded up the filthy little boys, we decided to go out to eat. We went to the new little restaurant  here in town. They boys devoured a plate of blueberry French toast, Jake had country Benedict & I had some delicious ribs.

  After dinner Jake suggested we go Bowling since we hadn't done anything as a family in a while. It was a cold dreary night here & the boys were SUPER excited. We got the BIGGEST kick out of Bri, he sometimes says his "O's" funny. Well he was calling it Boooling, he was dragging the "O" out into a real long "O" sound, instead of a short "O". We could not stop laughing, I kept asking him where we were going. It was almost like he had a little British accent.

  The boys were so excited about the rockin' neon "booling" shoes & picking out their balls. They have a little metal ramp like contraption that helps little ones bowl. The boys & I took turns "booling" since I didn't think I could bowl 2 whole games by myself & still be able to walk tomorrow.

   I've said before that Jace has a huge imagination & comes up with the cutest things out of no where. Well tonight after he bowled & knocked down a bunch a pins, we all cheered. The little stinker took a bow, it was so cute I almost died!!! Where does he come up with these things?!?! Seriously the kid is a comedian!


  I think it's safe to say we all had a wonderful time. We bowled 2 games & the boys played a game of air hockey. I begged Jake to play a game with me, but he declined. If you ask me I think he was scared I would whoop him. Ha! I wish I would have had my camera, total #momfail on my part. I think for my birthday (hint to anyone reading that doesn't know what to get me) I want a point & shoot camera that I can keep in my purse. (Thank you in advance hehe!) 

  Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend! The Jace is watching Astro boy, Bri is snoozing & Jake went to play pitch. I am of course blogging :) Have a wonderful Sunday! I hope the sun is shining in the morning!

I am WAYYYY behind (31 weeks)

Second post in one day, Whoooo diddly! Actually, I wrote the majority of the last post the other day & didn't have time to finish it & hit publish. I did though want to do a pregnancy/life/everything in general update! So, here you go,

31 Week Doctors appointment update (bullet style again, it works & why fix something that isn't broken hah!)

• Princess is perfect, she's busy & she's growing right where she should be.
• I did not gain any weight HALLE-freakin-LUJAH!!!! I guess passing on all those sweets paid off, even though I DID eat some of mama's pie & Pioneer woman's Apple Dumplings.
• Due to continuing kidney pain & debilitating charlie horses the doctor thinks I may have a electrolyte imbalance. She just added a few vitamins to my prenatal & said that should help a lot. Also suggested drinking Gatorade to get some potassium.
• I go back in two weeks, it's going by sooo fast!!!!

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far along: 31 weeks 2 days

Size of the baby: Still the size of a Squash

15.2-16.7 inches, 2.5-3.8 lb. (7 months)

Total Gain/Loss: Let's just say last month sucked & this appointed I didn't gain any. Win some lose some :)

Maternity Clothes: Yes

Gender: It's a Girl!! We finally decided on a name, Neeley Kayt.

(If you ask me how to pronounce her middle then you need basic letter pronunciation skills. Sound it out... AND no "T" does not make the sound "Tee" it akes the sound "Ta" )

I signed her name on a birthday card this week so, it's that official. hah!

Movement: Girlfriend is a mover & a shaker. She can really get wound up & kick for hours!

Sleep: Ugh, Insomnia hit & hit HARD! The past few night I either cannot fall asleep or I go to sleep and wake up at 3 am and stay awake for HOURS! I am sooo over that business!

Cravings: Not a lot this week, I have been trying to be good.

And for Life, it is going. We have had our fair share of car trouble this month. Jake finally was able to fix the #1 problem we had when we bought Big Black. We knew it when we bought it & that is why we got such a good deal. Turns out it was caused by the same thing that ruined the computer in the truck. When the previous owner had it, the battery exploded & leaked acid all over the place. Well, ate through some wires, one shorted out the computer & the other was the ground pulse to the 8th injector. The injector was not actually bad it so it was a cheap fix once we figured it out. But the battery was still bad, it finally just QUIT going to Monett (just a day or two after we fixed the wire, totally coincidental) . My brother brought me the battery from Jake truck, mind you it had ALSO been going bad. Well it made it to Monett & back to Purdy, then QUIT! By this point I was beyond frustrated. Jake had to come & jump it, it started and went about 4 miles, quit again. Repeat, Repeat, Repeat... 6 times I died coming back to Cassville, finally limped it into Carquest & BOTH batteries tested bad. Just my luck! We got new bigger batteries & viola! Everything is peachy keen, except for the fact that Jake fuel pump finally bit the dust, he is replacing that today! I am so over car trouble!!!!

We sold the bass cat, you know this boat. I was a little sad to see it go but not the payment & insurance. Believe it or not Jake already has yet ANOTHER boat, but it was WAYYYY cheaper & WAYYYY less to maintain. I call it a "John boat" & he corrects me every single time, I stand corrected calling it a Aluminum boat. Maybe he will keep this one and stop this excessive buying, trading, selling habit he inherited from his father. Jake also joined a "Cigar club," I get quite a kick out of it & he doesn't think it's as funny. Oh well!

We have made absolutely NO progress on Neeley's room & it is about to make me crazy. We are in the process of finding a form of storage, we are looking at both a building or a reefer trailer. We just have a few weeks to find it. I might temporarily store things in my mom's garage, just don't tell her! *hi, mom!*

The boys are doing WONDERFUL! They haven't made me crazy yet, although they have attempted a time or two. I PROMISE I am going to have a post on them very very soon! Jace did burn his hand yesterday on a halogen light. It looks terrible, but he IS leaving the bandage on- Praise Jesus!! Bri is just being Bri lately, he spilled a whole bowl of cereal in the floor just this morning. He keeps me on my toes, little stinker!

Well until next time... All my love...

P.S. I got a new e-mail address mrskloss@gmail(dot)com

I will no longer be using whitney(dot)scentsy@gmail(dot)com

Tales from the Pregnant Momma

**Not to be confused with "Tales from the Crypt" My mother & brother use to watch that & I do believe it is the root cause of my debilitating fear of the dark. Ha, moving on**

Earlier this week I was flipping through the local newspaper & saw the public notice for "3 & 4 year old Preschool Screening." It caught me off guard, my heart sunk & my fears arose.

Jace will turn 4 on June twenty eighth, we intentionally decided to delay the start of school for two reason. One, we do not want him to be the baby of his class, boys do not mature as fast as girls. I just want him to be a "kid" as long as he can. School is quite a responsibility now & I didn't want to rob him of his childhood. Two, We wanted him to only be one year apart in school from Bri instead of two. The way their birthday falls, they could have been 2 years apart. They are the best of friends & I didn't want them to be too far apart in school.

Now most of you know I have a severe case of "Momma Bear syndrome," I also have a mad crazy temper that lays dormant. Two things really make that volcano of emotions erupt, road rage & when someone messes with my boys (or family for that matter). I am pretty positive I could be boarder line neurotic. I am not the mad psycho anymore (kidding, sort of) but more the protective, worrier type.

Back to the other day, I start thinking of Jace starting school & sadly say to Jake "Preschool screenings are coming up." Naturally his cold, heartless response is, "Wonderful, you better call and make an appointment" *heart break* I can feel that warm sensation that slowly creeps over your face before you start to cry. I almost couldn't talk, I knew if I did I would start to cry. I remind Jake how much I DON'T want to send the boys to public school. I have tried numerous times to talk him into home schooling or finding a private school to send the boys to, it all falls on deaf ears. One night when my mom & mother in law were both here we were ALL ganging up on him. It did absolutely no good, he wouldn't have any of it, his main concern is money, money, money. And while I understand that with today's economy money is tight all around, but I am almost to the point that I would give up everything to be able to provide the "best" for my babies.

I kept trying to remind him that they are not going to school with the same "type" of kids we went to school with, the majority of the kids in our town are now raised by parents with substance abuse, they are physically & emotionally abused, neglected & that scares the ever living daylights out of me. They are going to treat their classmates the same way they are treated at home. And while my heart breaks for those children, I do not want to subject my babies to that. I don't think he understands that the boys will be around those children more than they will us. They will soon become their influences & no matter how well you "raise" your kids, they will follow there influences. Unfortunately we are from one of the biggest "drug area's" of the country. Meth is horrible around here, all drugs for that matter.

Let me make one thing clear, I am not against public school, I attended public school all of my life. I am just worried that the peers are now entirely different that they were when I attended school. I remember my kindergarten teacher taking mischievous students into the wall & paddling their behinds. Now days, if teacher even look at students the wrong way parents go crazy.

I guess what I am getting at is that if any little moron decided to pick on Jace, because we all know he is so tender hearted; I might break their neck. Also, if they come home & have learned "something" that isn't curriculum related like drugs, sex, bad habits, etc. I might also kill someone. We have worked hard to raise good, polite, respectable kids & I don't want some punk ruining that. Jace has such a wild imagination & I don't want that to end. I also don't want him to be made fun of because he wants to wear rain boots every SINGLE DAY!! I just don't think I could handle seeing him come home with tears in his eyes because someone was mean to him or hurt his feelings. While he is a boy & loves to play rough he is not "mean & hurtful," he would never say something to hurt someones feelings.

So even though I basically sobbed & cried about sending him to school, Jake wants nothing to do with my ideas. I guess I need to put my big girl panties on & give it a shot. Jace is more that excited at the idea of going to "school," I just don't think he knows what he's getting into. I am going to make an appointment & have him screened. He may very well be too smart for pre-school & he may be first in line, I don't know. What I do know is, the second time (because everything deserves at least ONE chance.) He will be out, we will then weigh the options, at that point I will have a good argument to stand on with Jake & he cannot say "we didn't even try it."

Until then, I will be a nervous, worrying wreck! I may end up bald, with ulcers & in a padded room but we are going to TRY... Key work TRY..... *sigh*

Here goes nothing....

*editing to add: While I would worry just as much about Bri, he is a totally different kid. Period! He is stubborn, bossy, NOT tender hearted. Nothing phases that boy & while I would never want him to be picked on & bullied, he is more like momma & would just take care of it himself and give the kid a black eye. HA! I know I should laugh but it's the truth Bri is like me & has my attitude while Jace is more like Daddy & tries to be nice to everyone & befriend everyone. Jake is not one to wear his heart on his sleeve like Jace he is soft hearted like Jace & very caring & compassionate... Maybe Bri & I need a little work. Now, what will this little miss be like.... Oh BIG sigh, I feel the gray hairs growing in as we speak... *SOBS*

Bedtime routine update:

Well, last night did not go exactly as planned but it was a step in the right direction.

I got home from a meeting & Jake tells me that Jace stuck something in his ear. Well, CRAP! So I start questioning him & he says it hurts "weally weally bad mama, right here" (points at right ear). Well my mom just so happened to be working last night (she's a nurse) so I took him down to the hospital & had her look. Indeed he has a bulging ear drum and it was bright red. I contemplated taking him over to the E.R. & checking him in, but they had just received patients that were in a roll over accident. So I came home, grabbed Brily & headed up to Urgent Care.

I really was really impressed with how quickly they got us in & out, they were all business no waiting! Brily has had the same symptoms minus the ear pain & I assumed it was viral. I went ahead and took him because if it was not viral I would need medicine for him as well. Well luckily it was just viral on Brily's part. But, poor Jacer boy has a bulging ear drum & an bad ear infection. The doctor asked me if he got them frequently & he doesn't. This is actually his first ear infection, she said it did not look good. They filled his Rx there & gave him his first dose, we loaded up and headed home. It took us longer to drive to UC than to be seen.

So on the way home I called Jake & told him to get the bath water ready. We got home & instantly put the boys in the tub. Jake bathed them while I made something quick to eat since we didn't have a very big dinner, only a snack before we left. I could not send them to bed hungry. They ate, we brushed teeth & took medicines. Then for the fun part, they were in bed at 9:40p and they were NOT pleased with the fact that they were not getting to watch a movie. I knew they were both sleepy because they had played hard that day & they only slept for maybe 10 minutes in the car. I couldn't really control that, no matter how hard I tried if they want to sleep they do. So I kissed them goodnight & left the room, with in minutes someone had to "potty." After a little chat to inform them that if they did get out of bed again, they would be in trouble. Well it wasn't 10 minutes & the door was opened again. Jace was up playing & had the light on. So he had to face the consequences, he was not pleased, he did stay in bed though. Just a few minutes later Brily got up & had the light on. (I left the t.v. on the blue screen for a night light until I could get to the store to get a different one.) Poor B, sometimes he is so afraid of the dark & I am pretty certain he has bad dreams. So when I open the door he instantly started crying, I didn't have the heart to spank him. I just told him that he needed to get into bed & that he was fine, brother was right there.

At that point I needed to get in the shower, it was 10:30p. I was in there probably 10 minutes & when I got out they were asleep!! YAY! I didn't have to cave & turn on the T.V. & it only took one warning & getting onto each of them once for a success! (Yes, I call last night a success! No T.V. was in itself a success!!!) They still slept pretty late today Jace was up at 10:30a & B was up at 30 minutes later, I blame the daylight savings for that.

Let me tell you though, their mood is 110% better, they are actually snuggling right now in the recliner watching a episode of Astro boy. Much nicer than them trying to strangle each other. Jace did get into a little mischief today, he decided to grab a permanent marker that I didn't have put up & jazz himself up a bit. He also colored on a piece of paper & hang it proudly on the refrigerator. Haha! I couldn't really get on to him, he was more upset that I wouldn't wash it off of him. He also colored his nails & if you know Jace he is ANTI-nail polish. So I teased him a bit about being a girl with painted nails (even though he looks Gothic with black nails haha!).

So one step in the right direction! Hopefully tonight will go just a little better & I will be pleased :)

Sleep... It's a hott mess...

The boys have always been very good sleepers, I cannot remember a time that they wouldn't just lay down & sleep. We have never had to "Cry it out" or anything like that. And they LOVE to sleep, even as wee babes they would sleep many hours, wake-up, eat & straight back to sleep.

Here a while back we allowed the boys to have a T.V. in their room to watch before bed. (I assume problem 1) We only let them watch about 30 minutes during the day but at night before bed they can watch a movie. (And please for the sake of all that is good and wonderful do NOT lecture me on how a T.V. will fry my kids brain! If you know these two you have seen the wild imagination they have, they are not one bit behind.) We also use it for night light purposes- I know that any night light that would be plugged in would be throughly examined & little fingers would probably be black from electrical shock. Most of the time, if he didn't have a 4 hour nap from 5-9PM B would fall asleep rather quickly. J on the other hand does not, he watches the entire movie. (See: PROBLEM) Then he will come in & ask us to change the movie that is over.

We have never been real strict with a bed time routine... EVER! I stay home with them so we would put them to bed whenever we went to bed & they would wake me up in the morning. And it never failed, every single Sunday morning, it's like they know Jake is home & they wake up at 8am just to aggravate him. We do not have a "set" bedtime or a routine really. We put on nighties (read:overnight diaper), brush teeth, take vitamins & allergy medicine, give kisses, start movie & they hop into bed lights out.

As of right now they do not nap, why do they need to when they sleep 10-12 hours a night. I would though like to implement a "rest time" of some sort. Again, with a newborn it is going to be wild crazy. I think it would be good for them to have time to chill & myself as well. And NO they do not have to sleep, but they would need to play quietly in their room and chill out for a while. No longer than 30 minutes if they are not asleep & they would be woke up after an hour & a half. I cannot do the 4 hour naps RIGHT before bed time.

Sure, while it is all unicorns & daisies to sleep in until 11am, but I was up until after 2am trying to get the little monkeys to calm down, lay down & relax. It's like up, down, up, down, door open, slam door, door open, "mommy, I gotta potty," back to bed, door open, light on, tv up, "mommy, I have to poo," back to bed, light on, jumps on bed, light off... It's a never ending vicious cycle for hours. Ending in me having to be a mean Momma & get on to them. Then I was up umpteen MILLION times to pee. The inner insomniac in me has trouble going back to sleep after I up. Also, we really need to be getting to bed earlier, my dear sweet husband has to be up early & going fighting with the boys is normally left up to me for the most part. It does make it really hard for him to get up the next morning at 5:30a to go to work when he doesn't fall asleep until after midnight.

So today we are on "No Nap Status" I am gong to take them to the park and wear their little hineys out. And hopefully implement the following night night schedule. I am also going to implement new "rule/consequences" and "daily schedule."

1. Start at 9:00p
2. Brush teeth & take medicines
3. Use potty & put on "night pants"
4. Tucked into bed by 9:30p

Simple enough, Right?! We are going to have to quit the movies cold turkey. I think it will mysteriously break tonight-wish me luck. I do need to get a very kid friendly night light that they hopefully will not bother.

I am not one for big change & I am not good about making a schedule & sticking to it. Hopefully this works, we really REALLY need it to. Both boys have been in terrible moods today are absolute bears! J has thrown numerous fits, hitting brother, etc. B has spilled a whole box of spaghetti in the floor, stolen toys, beat his brother with the fly swatter & they have only been up for like an hour.

I never claimed we were normal, sane, or functional. We are what we are... borderline side show. All we need is a talking dog & one 6 legged cat. (**Side Note: I did see the CUTEST 2 legged chihuahua on television last night. My heart almost exploded it was so freaking cute. It just bunny hopped around on it's back feet. Jake could tell I was totally googly over the silly think and make it clear that I was indeed delusional if I ever thought we were getting another animal. HA!)

And they are at it again, fighting over a Happy meal toy. Evidently it is time to load up & head out!!! Hopefully they cheer up, especially Jace, he is his mother all over again, such a morning person. Well, forget I ever said that last little bit.