Egg Hunt

As Easter got closer, the kids kept talking about doing an egg hunt in the back yard like we did last year. Apparently it was memorable but I didn't lead on that I was planning it again. Thankfully my mom helped with some of the purchases and stuffing about 50 eggs since I had been feeling so worn out in my first trimester.

After we got home from church, I snuck outside to do the hiding. It amazes me how easy it is to completely distract the kids. I came in the back door and Adam said "Where were you Mom?" "What do you mean? I've been here." "No, I called for you and you didn't answer." "Maybe I was in the bathroom."

Then he started asking about the egg hunt. "What egg hunt?" "Mom, we had bags of plastic eggs in the pantry. Come here, let me show you." "Where?" "Up there, Mom." "Adam, that's some plastic grass." 

I finally told them to go outside and they saw some.

It is really funny when they walk by ones that are so obvious. Here is a yellow one right behind Sara's head.

And she kept walking right on by...

It was cute when they were sharing eggs.

See the green one by the top of the slide?

Adam didn't. Now he is heading back down the steps.

Sara found it!

And then we had the fun of opening all the eggs.

Adam just made one big pile of stuff.

Sara, on the other hand...organized piles of stickers, different kinds of candy, and money.

I'm thankful the kids know that Easter isn't just about fun with plastic eggs! Happy Easter!

Sara's first broken bone

I guess it doesn't surprise me since Sara is more of a daredevil than Adam but it was a silly accident instead of a high flying adventure! On Saturday she had just finished jumping on the neighbor's massively awesome trampoline and was getting out. As Shannon turned around to look at Adam, he heard Sara scream and looked back to see her laying on the ground.

Shannon carried her into the house, pulled all the leaves out of her hair, and tried to assess the situation as she cried uncontrollably and held her left arm. We snuggled, got some ice, and made her comfortable on the couch for a bit. After an hour she had calmed down but every time we tried to move her arm either to bend more or straighten, she would cry. It didn't really look swollen and there was no bruising but we decided to play it safe and take her to the ER.

We finally figured out that she tried to go down the ladder facing front, slipped, and her elbow hit the metal support of the trampoline once she landed in the grass.

I was thankful they moved us thru pretty quickly. They took vitals and her blood pressure was 110/68 and her heartrate was quite elevated. I told the nurse the BP was high compared to her last nephrology appointment a few days ago, which was 86/56. She said it was a sign of pain.

The doctor came in and was moving Sara's arm around and pushing on her elbow. No tears, not even a wince. The doctor asked if what he was doing hurt and she said yes. They were going to do x-rays but I thought for sure it wouldn't show anything since she was much more calm. 3 of the x-rays were no problem for her but 1 she couldn't hold her arm up without it shaking uncontrollably. The doc came back after looking at the films and confirmed her arm was broken right above the elbow. He expressed his absolute shock over Sara's calm demeanor and explained how hard he had pushed on the spot where it was broken and that would have caused a lot of pain. It had been a while since we got a reminder of how amazing her pain tolerance is.

It took 2 sets of hands to get the splint set from her armpit to her wrist.

We tried the sling for a bit but she really didn't care for it because it wouldn't adjust small enough.

Sara had only had a few snacks at the ER and missed dinner but she decided when she got home that she was tired and just wanted to go to bed. The doc had written a prescription for pain medication but Sara has never needed anything strong and she didn't want it. We gave her some Tylenol and headed up to her new room.  She needed a little help balancing on the first step of her loft but figured it out and climbed right up to tuck herself in. I told her how well she did at the hospital and that I was very proud of how brave she was. She smiled and said "Mom, I like it when you say that to me. It makes me happy." It was a very neat moment for me.

We spent the next few days working thru some logistics...how to get her dressed, whether she could go to the bathroom on her own, sleeping positions to make her comfortable. Tonight she figured out that she could rest her bowl against her cast in order to scoop her strawberry shortcake easier. The hardest task is tearing toilet paper off the roll so I have had to leave some piles pre-torn on a stool for her.

Yesterday morning I called the pediatric orthopaedic doctor for an appointment and we were able to see him this morning. They took the splint off and revealed her little arm full of wrinkles and creases after just a few days.

The doctor came in to give us the great news that the bones were aligned very well and surgery would not be needed! Then they started on the cast--can you believe she picked green?!

They put a ton of gauze around the elbow to protect where it is broken. Her elbow is huge and it was making me laugh. It is extremely heavy for her. I wonder if her left shoulder muscle will be bigger at the end of the 3 weeks of lugging that around!

We go back next Friday for another x-ray to make sure nothing has shifted and surgery is still not warranted. 3 weeks with the cast and probably no physical therapy after that. Healing of a 5 year old is amazing!

The picture below is the best x-ray that shows the break. On the left side of the base of the upper bone, you can see a black line straight thru the bone. It then goes down slightly and out the other side but is hard to see on that side.

Speaking of five...

We are going to be a family of five!

Coming hopefully as close to my October 31 due date as possible. This was my ultrasound a few days ago. The baby is just over an inch and is already sucking its thumb! More details to come...

We're Five!

I have been planning the kids' 5th birthday present since before Christmas--to move their bedroom upstairs and make it like a treehouse theme. It has been all hands on deck and a race to the finish to get it done.

Shannon and my mom painted the walls and the ceiling sky blue. One of my friends from the twins group painted a tree and wild flowers on the walls.

Grandpa George spent hours building the lofts with lots of love, through cold winter days and struggling with pain from gout in his hands. Shannon drove to Iowa to pick up the beds and was up late with Grandpa and Grandma staining.

My mom had to stain extra boards to be used for trim. Shannon installed some trim by himself, I installed some by myself, and Shannon worked on it all day with his dad the day before their birthday while Grandma Sue stole the kids away for some fun time.

My mom sewed the curtain for the closet. She also helped me move the beds in place and get the mattresses on, as well as watch the kids a few extra days so I could work on the room. I strung the rope to make a safety rail and did all the decorating.

The kids had no idea all of this was going on upstairs right under their noses!


At 7am I couldn't contain my excitement and let them see their present. For months there was a child safety lock on the door knob. Now it was wrapping paper.

Adam found his bed right away and said "It's like a treehouse!"

Sara was confused and said "You should have built a bed down low for me." We told her she had a bed and she needed to turn around. "Where?"

It was so much fun to see their excitement as they discovered more and more things.

And my cousin Emily was ready to sell her blue chairs just in time!

They kept sneaking away to their new room throughout the day--reading books in bed, carrying more things up there to decorate their shelves, and snuggling in bed with some stuffed animals. When my mom came later with her presents, they took her up there and ran ahead to shut the door before she could see. Then Adam opened it and yelled "Surprise!" They did the same thing to our favorite neighbor when she stopped by with gifts.

After breakfast we got dressed nice to open gifts from the grandparents. We kept it very low key today because of all the energy that went into doing their rooms. We just wanted to enjoy some family time.

They were very excited about all the gifts they got! Clothes and books and Legos and rain boots and Barbies and hula hoops, oh my!

Then we enjoyed some mini cupcakes.

After dinner we had our traditional birthday excursion to the NICU to deliver treats for the staff as our thank you for all they did while Sara and Adam spent 44 and 61 days in the NICU. There was a handful of staff at the window and the kids walked right up, set down their note, and said "We're five!" The nurses laughed and one replied "I remember when you were born!" I love that the kids know their history.

They couldn't wait to go to bed. I was prepared for it to be a challenging night. We got pajamas on and turned out the lights for them to see how dark it would be to get down their bed steps and make it to their new bathroom. And we tucked them in bed.

5 minutes later Adam got up to go potty.

2 minutes later Sara called for me. I stood next to her bed and she said "Mom, I just wanted to tell you something. Today was the greatest day ever!"

2 minutes later Sara got up to go potty.

5 minutes later they were whispering.

10 minutes later they were roaring with laughter and we had to go up there. They had snuck lanterns into their beds.

After an hour and a few more trips into their rooms, I had to threaten if they didn't go to sleep they could sleep in their old bed. Finally, it was quiet.

It certainly is strange to have the door to their room downstairs open and they aren't in there. The start of a whole new season of life. I remember when we were married and there was no sound of feet running in the house or belly laughs. How different life was then. Being a mom to Adam and Sara has been the absolute hardest and most satisfyingly joyous journey of my life.

Happy 5th birthday, my loves!

Indoor S'Mores

Tonight was alot of fun with the kids. Some days can be trying lately as they are learning their independence and how to push boundaries of listening. But tonight was very unexpected. I had been at work all day and Shannon left for a week-long business trip. Usually by the time I get home from work, the kids are tired and a little out of control. I got home early and my mom helped me give them baths before dinner. Then I made hamburgers, sweet potato fries, and raspberries for dinner. Clean plates all around, which is quite unusual for Sara lately. I had started a fire after their baths and they were both asking if we could make s'mores in the fireplace. It takes work for me sometimes to be spontaneous and fun. S'mores definitely sounded good to me! They were so excited!

Sara is the slowest s'more eater I have ever seen...between savoring the bites and trying to keep herself clean by wiping her mouth and fingers with a washcloth after every bite! I finally just held it for her so she could eat it and not get messy. Although she still had to wipe her mouth after every bite. She kept saying "these are my favorite!" Then there is Adam. He was done and licking crumbs off my plate before I had finished half of mine.

We ended the evening snuggling by the fire and reading books together. Teeth brushed, prayers said, kisses and hugs, and lights out to a great day. What a nice little gift!

Ninja in training

Since starting preschool, Adam has developed an interest in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. A few of his classmates talk about them, wear their clothing, and bring them for show 'n share on any week possible!

Over the past week, Adam has become extremely passionate about them. He made a mask out of colored paper. That night he and Shannon researched what one of their swords looked like and made it out of very thick cardboard. That allowed him to really start practicing his ninja moves! We watched a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles episode together on the internet and started at the beginning with Season 1, Episode 1. I woke up the next morning with an idea of how to make him a turtle shell out of the same cardboard and attach it with a belt so he could get it on and off.

And so it all began...

He spends alot of his spare time, from the moment he wakes up, practicing his ninja moves. Starting at 4pm one day he began asking "When is Master Splinter coming home?" Master Splinter is the large rat who teaches the turtles and apparently he has deemed Shannon as the older, wiser Master Splinter. Now they have their own language in how they talk to each other.

I am going with the flow and encouraging his current passion, allowing him to be all boy, even if it means I giggle every now and then. It is certainly a time that his imagination is exploding, whether that is expressed thru the creative Legos he is building or the ninja storyline he is acting out.

Ha...ooh...umh...ahh...huh...ahh hah!