Growing and Changing

All five of us piled into our car today and went to see Dr. Krause. The boys had their one week check-up for their circumcisions and Natalie was seen for a constant runny nose. All three kids came home with prescriptions for antibiotics. They boys are a bit swollen, which indicates a slight infection, and Natalie seems to have a sinus infection. So between giving Tristan his eye infection medication, Natalie's Dimatapp, and all three of their prescription antibiotics, when is there time to do much else? The business of life sure does multiply when you go from a family of three to a family of five!

On the upside, all three children were weighed today and all had weight gain. I wish this was a good thing for me as an adult! Natalie is now up to a whopping 29 pounds....almost into the 30th percentile for weight! I swear we're going to bring her to her first day of kindergarten in a car seat! Tristan weighed in at 6 pounds 1 ounce and our hungry boy Everett weighed in at 6 pounds 4 ounces. This puts the boys at almost the 10th percentile for weight. Granted, these percentiles are based on full term babies. Considering they were four weeks premature, I believe they're doing extremely well!

Our three kiddos.

Like I said before, life is very busy.  I remember with Natalie how extremely exhausted and overwhelmed I was. I couldn't find time to do anything and just wanted to sleep. I don't know the exact reason for the difference in the way that I feel after giving birth to these boys, but I actually feel great! Yes, of course I'm tired, but that's to be expected. I've thought of some possible reasons for this change in disposition.

Everett & Tristan

1. I felt absolutely miserable for eight months, and even worse than that for the last month of pregnancy. So now I'm thrilled to be able to sleep (when I'm allowed), move the way I want to, clean what needs to be cleaned, cook, play with Natalie, and do all of the things I haven't been able to do since last September.

2. Disproving everything people told me about having a c-section, this birth and recovery seems to be a lot easier than the previous with Natalie. Yes, the first few days were very painful and I'm still reminded of the damage that was caused to my midsection, but overall I feel great. I have a lot more energy and am able to move around really well. We go for walks everyday and I've lost almost all of the pregnancy weight. Only 8 pounds to go. Of course my body looks completely different!

Family time at the park.

3. I have amazing help! Kevin, Natalie and my mom have been absolute life savers. It will be a sad day when Kevin goes back to work on Monday! Natalie helps me so much and always wants to be part of the action. My mom helps us at night a few times a week and is always ready to come over and help us at any time. We are so blessed to have so many people who want to help us!

Gramma and her boys.

4. I'm not a novice. It's amazing how much calmer and confident I am with these boys compared to Natalie. Even though there are two, the struggle seems to be with scheduling, not caring for them. I'm not as uptight, worried or anxious. I'm able to lay them down even if they're not sound asleep. I can listen to them grunt and whine while they're sleeping and not run over and pick them up. I'm able to give them a pacifier and walk away. I don't worry about their runny nose or their spitting up. I know they are healthy, happy and that makes me the same!

Already fighting with eachother!

So, for those of you wondering how things are going here.....they're going extremely well! We're busy feeding, diapering, cleaning and cuddling, but all in all life is good. We have three very healthy children, a wonderful extended family, great friends and a supportive church family. We're also very thankful for Kevin's great job and great health benefits. After racking up over $80,000 in medical bills since March, we've had to pay a total of $200 out of pocket! Thank you tax payers! (Kevin's a government worker!)

I hear someone filling their pants......better check who the culprit is. More to come......