Closing in on Two Months

Some may say "Wow! Two months already?". I say..... "Wow, it seems like it has been more than two months!". Everybody comments on how big they are and how time is flying. I'll let you in on a secret. When you are at home with two newborns and a three year old time does go by quickly in the sense of not enough hours in the day to get everything done, but when the boys need to be fed every 3-4 hours day and night, diapers need to be changed, clothes need changing, baths need to be given, etc, etc, etc, it really does not feel like time is flying by. Maybe when the boys are able to easily go 4 hours between feedings, sleep more soundly at night and are able to be awake without crying, maybe time will feel like it's flying by. As for now, each day is pretty much the same. Life is on hold and I sometimes feel like a prisoner in this never ending cycle of bottle making, feeding, diapers, laundry, dishes, cleaning/picking-up, and trying to actually spend some time with Natalie. I never understood why people wanted to "get away" and do nothing on vacation. I've always wanted to travel somewhere so that I could "do" something or see something new. I have to admit that right at this moment, I understand the desire to go somewhere and do nothing.



They just can't leave eachother alone.

 Now, don't get me wrong. I wouldn't change the fact of having three incredibly healthy and loving children. And yes, I know that I'll look back at this time and wonder how it went by so quickly, but right now, today, at this moment it seems like a long road ahead! I have a lot of people helping so it's not that I'm overwhelmed by the amount of work to do, it's just the cycle of doing it over and over again...and again....and again...and again. I long for the time when the boys can interact with us and eachother. I have to admit that even with Natalie I was not a fan of the newborn stage. They are cute and are definitely miracles, but I'm more of an "infant" and toddler kind of person. Maybe that's a bit selfish, but I'm not trying to sugar coat anyting!

Unhappy babies on the 4th of July

As the boys approach their two month milestone, they've grown tremendously and are continuing to change. As of a week ago, Everett weighed 9 pounds 8 ounces. Knowing this, we're assuming Tristan is at least 11 pounds! I had to take Everett back to our wonderful doctor because he was still struggling with his snorty nose. It always sounds like he's congested, yet we can't ever get anyting out of his nose. He struggles to breathe when he eats and snores like an old man when he sleeps. Our doctor referred us to an ear, nose and throat specialist to probe into a possible cause. We visited Dr. Theil yesterday and I believe Everett may still be traumatized by the visit (I know I am!)! Dr. Theil took a long probe and inserted it into Everett's nose and down his throat. You can imagine how much fun that was! I was wearing a cranberry colored shirt, and his poor little face was camoflauged into it during the procedure. The findings were good and bad. I was hoping it was nothing serious, but "fixable". It turns out that it's not serious, but it's also nothing that's very fixable at the moment. Everett's soft pallette hangs down lower than most people's, therefore it vibrates more. When asked if there were any snorers in the family I had to laugh. Kevin snores like a freight train! So we can blame that on Daddy. I asked the doctor if she could cure Kevin's snoring and she said she could try.....I see an appointment in the near future! Also, since Everett has a recessed chin/jaw, his poor tongue does not have much room in his mouth so it has to fall back further. So the combination of the pallette hanging down and his tongue being pushed back causes them to irritate each other and make him congested. He should grow out of the soft pallette issue mostly, but he'll always have that problem. Dr. Theil just said that since he makes so much noise we'll always know where he is. I guess that's the silver lining! She mentioned that we might want to take him to a maxilofacial oral surgeon at some point to correct his jaw. She told us to start saving our pennies.

Tristan discovers the mirror and sees a handsome boy!

Between Everett's jaw and Natalie's missing teeth, we may have to have a dental fund started before a college fund! So far Tristan is just fussy, but nothing medically wrong......still waiting for his "ailment" to appear! I think his ailment is simply a bad temper and impatience. I wonder who he gets that from! 

Natalie's 4th of July new pool.

Sicne we spend so much time caring for the boys, Natalie many times has to wait for attention. I know older children go through this, but it doesn't make it any easier to know that it's normal. Kevin and I are leaving the boys with their grandmothers on Friday to take Natalie to "A Day out with Thomas" in Snoqualmie. She loves Thomas the Train and I couldn't resist buying tickets for the exhibit and train ride. I was a sucker and bought the conductor's package that comes with an engineer's hat, a lanyard with a Thomas train at the end and a Thomas the Train whistle. I can't wait to see her reaction when we arrive. I also can't wait to get out of the house!!!! Did I just say that?! We plan on hitting the oulet stores and visiting with my cousin's family who lives in Snoqualmie while we're there. They're creating quite the buzz with their little boy dancing at a recent Mariner's game. It's been a long time since we've seen them and I'm excited to finally catch up.

Speaking of cousins, Natalie said yesterday that she has two cousins. She asked how many cousins Daddy had. I told her two. Then she asked how many I had. Oh boy! I couldn't tell her so I started telling her all of their names. You can imagine her first reaction of "Wow, that's a lot!" to her utter boredom and eventual walking away from me! She'll learn one day that having a large family is more exciting than just listing names!

Ava and Natalie helping Papa open his birthday presents.

One more Natalie"ism" before I sign off..... During a recent trip to Costco, Natalie and I were pushing the cart back into one of the parking lot stalls. I turned quickly and lost my balance and bumped into her. Here's the ensuing conversation:
Me: Oops! Mommy lost her balance.
Nat: (Looking very inquisitively) Where did it go?
Me: Where did what go?
Nat: Your balance. Did you leave it in the store?
Me (lauging) No. When you almost fall down you say that you "lose your balance."
Nat: But where is it? I think you left it in the store. Maybe we should go look for it.
Me: Yes, maybe we should, but it's late and we need to get home.

So from now on, Costco not only carries bulk items, but it also has Mommy's balance!

Tristan and Everett at 8 weeks

Tristan (on left) was fussing, so this is what I found when I went to "save" him. I don't know who the culprit was!

Hurry and take the picture so we can feed them!