Karen's at the airport!!

Yesterday we went to the aqauarium. It's the one at Fair Park. Then, we went to Spring Creek BBQ for dinner. Karen and her little girl Autumn stayed at our house last night. It was a lot of fun! We talked til almost midnight. We had to get her to the airport by 5:30am. We ended up being 30 min late, we got there at 6am. Hopefully, she'll get on her plane ok.

It was the first time I've ever driven to DFW. It wasn't too bad. I hit a snag on the way back. There was a sign that said that the toll tag gate was closed or something like that. So, I go to another gate. Apparently, I went to the wrong gate. I was totally confused. So, I get a lovely $17 bill. I have NO clue why I'm being charged $17. Bill is going to call and find out what that's about.

Man!!! What a couple of busy days!

Friday, my friend Naomi and her little girl were to meet at my house and then go for lunch with a bunch of ladies from my parenting board that I frequent.It started out as a hectic morning. Boys were cranky and I couldn't get anything done. I couldn't even get dressed. Ronin ended up puking all over himself so I had to give him a quick bath.

But we finally get there and had a blast!! After lunch, we went to the mall. One of the gals, Karen, is from WI. She's the gal who makes the bows that Kalynn wears. We all had such a blast!!

Today, we all met up again at the Dallas Zoo. We had a picnic there and I enjoyed hanging out with them again! While we were there, Ronin started to get a rash all over his face. I noticed a little bit of it on his tummy but it wasn't significant. While at the zoo, it got worse. So I called the o/c Dr and she said to give him some Benadryl. I mean, he was acting fine, no fever, just had a rash all over him. So we went home and gave him the Benadryl. It looks like it's clearing up.

We get home, and I'm not feeling very well. Turns out that I am running a fever. And then I check Kalynn and she's running a fever. I'm sure it's the sun..It was HOT out today.

Yup, I'm still up. Ronin won't go to sleep. He's with Bill, happily playing with his rings and the remote.. I don't know what the deal is.

And, Kalynn is up too. She refuses to go to bed. I put her to bed around 8-8:30, we have a routine. Mom says "Don't let her" But HOW???? I've done about everything except tie her to bed. I took things away, spanked her, ignored her,take her back to bed without eye contact or talking to her nothing has worked. I just don't know what else to do with her. I can't say "If you get up again, you can't do this tomorrow" because by then, she would've forgotten what she did. And that would be pointless. So, I'm just at a loss. I'm tired, and frustrated. The only one who's asleep right now is Ryker. But if Kalynn keeps screaming and throwing fits, he'll be awake soon too.

I've been trying to clean house too. I got most of it done, just gotta straighten up the livingroom (again) and mop and sweep the kitchen. That is if the kids will let me.

OK, gonna go check on Bill and Ronin.

Good evening!

We had a pretty good Dr's appt!! The Dr was super nice. In fact the entire office was super nice! I felt at ease with Dr. Sweet. I felt like I didn't have to defend my choices, especially since I sorta go against the mainstream on things. She even mentioned she liked their diapers LOL So, I'm really happy about my switch.

Stats:
Ryker is 16 lbs 11 oz...weird because yesterday, he weighed 5 oz less than that. But, hey, I'll take it!! He is 26" long. He's in the 50th percentile for weight,and I think 25th? for length?? I don't remember.

Ronin is 14 lbs 3 oz, just like yesterday. 25" long. He's in the 10th percentile for weight, and 25th percentile for length.

So, I am feeling really good about bf'ing them. I am very proud of myself..that my body is nourishing TWO babies. It's funny that people think that for some reason, I won't have enough milk for them. Of course I will. Works on supply and demand, they feed, I make milk. Generally that's how it works. There's no special milk fairy that determines how much milk I make.

Then, they got their shots. Poor Ronin. He ALWAYS gets a reaction from them. He always is really cranky and runs a fever. Poor baby. Of course, I didn't have enough Tylenol so I had to run out and get some. Doh!!

Their next appt is 9 months!! Which will be July!


Off topic...I have this stupid commercial stuck in my head..It's that Starburst Berries and Cream one. Berries and Cream!! Berries and Creeeaaaaaaammmmuh! ARRGH!

I hope everyone is ok!! I saw Garland and I'm sure Forney was getting yucky weather! We didn't get anything except maybe 10 minutes of heavy rain.

I ended up going to my bf'ing support group. Ronin is now 14 lbs 3 1/2 oz, which is 2 oz/week which is right where he should be! Ryker didn't gain anything but Mellanie (the LC) said that after 6 months, their growth slows down so it's normal not to have a gain some weeks. So, bf'ing is continuing to go well!!

Tomorrow, the boys have a Dr's appt with the new pedi. I hope she's as good as Mellanie says she is.

Also tomorrow is a LLL baby carrier show and tell. I don't think people realize that there are more carriers than Baby Bjorns and Snugglis (which aren't very good for a lot of people). I won't be able to go and bring my stash of carriers because of the Dr's appt.

Bill is working summer school this summmer. Which means I can put Kalynn in swimming lessons!!!! I am going to sign her up on Bill's next paycheck. Swim lessons start May 29.

Anyway, gotta go finish my diaper load.

Ok, I think I figured out the problem with my diapers yesterday. You have to wash them first and now they are not ginourmous on him..

My attempt with the Chinese prefolds

With the cover:

I've been kinda sad about how I look. I HATE my body. I feel so fat. It makes me really sad that I had worked my butt off a couple of years ago, and lost weight. I got down to 150 and was wearing 8's and 10's. I was happy with where I was at. I got pregnant with the boys and gained 60 lbs. I lost 30 lbs of it but I am still 30 lbs over where I was. The whole losing weight while breastfeeding just doesn't ring true for me, which sucks. I used to run and I used to love it. It sucks that I have to start all over again. I went from running 3-5 miles 3-5 times a week to barely running one mile. I know I eat like crap, fruit is so darn expensive. I don't have the time to make healthy dinners like I used to anymore. And exercise..I am so tired by the end of the day, that the last thing I want to do is exercise.

I was looking for some workout clothes for me to wear and found the clothes that I wore before I got pregnant. M's, 10's, so depressing. I honestly wasn't expecting to be this big after pregnancy. I thought the biggest size I'd wear was a 12. HA. I only wish.

But, Sunday and yesterday I did go exercise. I am going to do the Couch to 5 K program again. That's what I did when I started to run a couple of years ago. Just 3 x's a week for 20 minutes. I am hoping since I ran for a bit before I got pregnant, that maybe it won't take me very long to get back? I mean, I am not expecting to run a 5 k in the next couple of weeks or anything.

I forgot to mention a few days ago that I have a double ear infection. I woke up with a bad ear ache. Went to the Dr and I had an infection in both ears.

Today, not sure if I will go to the meeting. We're supposed to have yucky weather, and I am not going to be caught out in that, by myself, in the van with my boys, especially with the talk about hail, damaging winds and the "T" word.

Tomorrow, are the boys 6 month appts with the new Dr. That previous Dr that I didn't like? One of the ladies from ECI (early child intervention, if kids are behind in speech, motor, etc) said that she had her and didn't like her either. In fact, the nurses at the hospital I delivered at didn't like her either. I should've switched earlier.

This weekend, a friend from WI is coming into town. Friday, we'll be meeting for lunch, then Saturday is the zoo, Sunday, not sure, but she will be spending the night with us. Monday, I'll take her back to the airport.

Anyway, I need to go stuff the pockets of the boys' diapers and do some other housework.

We had Kalynn's ARD today. She is no longer in speech! She goes next week so the teacher can give her a "graduation" and so the kids will know too. Kalynn has some good friends there.

After that we went to the elementary school to register Kalynn for KINDERGARTEN!! I can't believe it!! We toured the kindergarten hallway, and the class. Where did my baby go!

In diaper news, I got my prefolds, covers and snappis in. Umm..I tried it, but I can't figure it out..If I go tomorrow, I'll have one of the gals show me.

And one more thing! I was cleaning up a bit and I saw Ronin on ALL FOURS!! He went forward once and then fell down LOL But OMG, I couldn't believe it!!

A couple of pictures.

I decided to play with Ryker's hair..
The baby mohawk




baby spiked hair

Good morning! Last night was really great!! Both babies slept through the night. Ronin woke up around 5am and Ryker woke up around 7:30!

Journey spent the night with us on Friday. Overall, it went pretty well! They were both so sad when Brandon came over to pick up Journey. Even though they fight like sisters, they both really enjoy being together.

Not much else is going on! Monday is Kalynn's ARD, then I'm going to go by the elementary school where Kalynn will be attending. Then, Tuesday is my BF'ing group, and then Wed, are the boys' appts.

I came across some really cute sayings about NIP (nursing in public). They were on t-shirts and onesies and I'm SO tempted on getting them.

-If breastfeeding in public offends you, feel free to put a blanket over your head and finish your meal in the restroom

-If you're afraid that you may see something, feel free to put a blanket over your head.

Just love those. I've been getting really good at it I think. What really bothers me is that people think of the most extreme flashing of boobage and that's what they base their anti-NIP opinion on. I can assure you, that most nursing moms do NOT want to flash everyone, we just want to feed our baby. And I really don't like it when people say "Oh, do you want to go in here and nurse?" Why? For my comfort or yours? If I want a place to nurse, I will ask. And I have since sometimes Ronin gets too distracted.

Anyway, I better run. Ronin's fussy.

We went to the meeting this morning.

The Dr. was very nice. I felt at ease with her. She explained the testing, and what tests were done. She is certain that she has ADHD but she was to defer the diagnosis til she's in school (since the behaviors have to be in 2 settings and she only goes 2x's a week). She suggested starting medications and doing behavior management, because she believes that she could fall behind if we don't intervene now.

Some of her results were skewed due to her impulsivity. She is really low on fine motor skills, but average on most things. She did however say she is in the high average for prelearning skills, which is good.

So, she gave us some strategies to work on with her. I asked her about her defiance and you would find a high level of defiance with kids with ADHD.

Anyway, that's pretty much it.

Just a few things on my mind..

Last weekend, Kalynn talked about Gigi. I don't think she understands that Gigi is gone forever. She was saying how much she missed Gigi and how she wanted her to come back. It's so hard to explain that to a small child. I felt so bad and I almost started to cry. I miss Grandma a lot too.

Tomorrow, we have an appt with the Neuropsychologist. She did some testing last month and tomorrow we are going to find out the results of the test. She is also going to help us come up with some tactics on how to handle her behavior. There are times where I just feel at a loss of what to do. Like my "bag of tricks" is running out. I am trying my best, it's just difficult to know what to do. And when she misbehaves, I feel like that's a reflection on me, like I suck as a mom. I'm TRYING. I guess that's all I can do. Just drives me nuts when these little teeny boppers try to tell you how to be a parent because they worked in a friggin' daycare or that they babysat (just on message boards I've noticed).

Then Monday, we have an ARD for Kalynn. The speech teachers are thinking about dismissing her from the class (which is GOOD, means that she is doing so well that they don't think she needs anymore help). After that, I'm going to register her for KINDERGARTEN!!!!! Wow, I can't believe that it's getting so close. We'll see if I cry the first day.

Last night was another rough night. Ryker pretty much nursed all night (hooray for side lying! ) which is something he doesn't usually do. Ronin woke up several times to nurse as well. So, I looked on kellymom (it's a great BF'ing resource) and 6 months is a prime time for a growth spurt. So, I'm hoping that's what it is and it'll pass by in a few days.

Another reason why I think it's a growth spurt because Ryker is REALLY cranky, and he's usually easy going.

Acronyms cause I know y'all are going to be confused LOL
CD-Cloth Diapers
FB's-Fuzzi Bunz
SB's-Swaddlebees (similar to FB's)
CPF-Chinese Prefolds..Diapers that people normally think of minus the Gerber plastic pants

I'm liking the CD's! The SB's are a bit small (they are the light diaper that Ronin has on in one of the pics) Ryker will probably outgrow them in a short while. They fit Ronin well though. I've got a couple more FB's, and covers on the way. I am also expecting some more covers and the CPF's. The laundry hasn't been too bad. At the end of the day, I just take my pail and dump everything in the wash. I air dry the diapers. The inserts I have to dry in the dryer. Although I wish I had a bigger stash so I wouldn't have to do laundry every day. Next time I go to Plano, I want to go by this store in downtown. They sell CD's. Otherwise, I have to buy them online.

I'm a little annoyed at the Dr's office. The boys need to get their 6 month check up. I have been unhappy with our current pediatrician so I wanted to switch. The LC that runs the BF'ing group recommended this particular pedi. Well, she's in the same group as the current one but at a different location. So, I called and they want to know why I am leaving the current pedi, and you can't just switch locations. So, they are going to call the current pedi and tell her why I'm leaving before they will let me switch locations. What a bunch of bull. If I get anymore crap from them, I'll just find yet another pedi.

OK, I guess I better go to bed.

Pictures!

This is from the picnic Monday:

Just random pics with their new dipes on.

Last night wasn't too fun. The boys kept waking up. I don't know what is going on. I don't know if they're learnig a new skill or what. We kept having to get up starting at 4 am. Not fun, especially with 2 babies waking up at different times.

I need to clean! Kalynn's in her room for "quiet time" and the boys are taking a nap.

I got some more CD's in today. I got some swaddlebees. They are similar to FB's-they're pockets. I went ahead and got some Chinese prefolds. They are similar to what our parents used on us. FYI, if anyone is reading this and want to CD, I have been told to NOT get the Gerber ones that you'd get at Target or Walmart. They are not as absorbant. I also got the snappis and some covers called Proraps. Wonder if mom will remember how to fold those cloth diapers? LOL

I was thinking too, if someone wanted to CD and be REALLY cheap? I'd do the prefolds for sure. They're less than $2/each. They go from 15lbs to 30 lbs. Then get the covers. Bummis have some really cute covers, and still aren't as pricey as the pocket diapers.

Also, if one were to go with the pocket diapers, you can go to Walmart and get those microfiber towels in the auto department for the inserts.

There are so many kinds, but I'm not really familiar with all the rest..

Hopefully, I won't need anymore for quite awhile.

Got my FB's today!!

Yesterday was pretty good! Allie had her shower yesterday. She got lots of cute stuff! I thought it was a great turn out. Speaking of which...Allie, you can have my Playtex bottles if you'd like. I also have the liners too for the 8 oz bottles. In fact, I have a big old plastic bin of them, I can bring them when you get close to your due date and you can see what you want (I have cheapy plastic ones, Avents and Playtex, plus I want to wait to see if I'll use them)

Here's a picture of the Exersaucer too:



I'm almost done with my CD stash. I also got some swaddlebees which are similar to FB's..I am going to get some of the flat diapers and the snappis. There is a girl in my bf'ing moms group who can make covers for them. And then that will be it for the next couple of years.

Tomorrow I am going to take Kalynn on a picnic. She's been DYING to go on a picnic, but it's either been raining or too cold. Tomorrow's supposed to be in the 70's so I am planning on going then. She has it all planned out in her head so I'm going to get a list from her and we'll go shopping for it in a bit.

Plans for this week. Just my BF'ing support group. Saturday, I have a bday party for one of little girls in our support group. Then the next weekend, a friend is coming in from WI and we have an 'action packed' weekend! Woohoo!!!

Just really quick..Allie, remember I was telling you that you don't have to use pins anymore on the prefolds? These are what I was talking about: They're called Snappis

We had our NF clinic appt today. Kalynn's MRI is stable!!! Yay!!! There is concern about her behavior though (big surprise). The neuropsychologist wants to make an appt with us to talk about her report from last appt on March 14. Her teachers were supposed to fill out some questionnaire and we just got it back (she didn't have school one week, then only one day the next week)

Went to dinner with my dad for his berf day. It was nice being with the family. I wish I lived closer. In fact, I was telling Bill that maybe in a few years, I'd like to move back closer to Garland.

I have decided to cloth diaper. Acronyms first:
-CD cloth diaper
-FB fuzzi bunz

I am getting some FB's, which is a kind of pocket diaper. They have a pocket in the middle where you put a microfiber towel in it. It's REALLY easy to use. I talked to a mom about BF poopies and CD'ing, she said that you don't have to rinse them out, only if it's really bad. So, all I have to do is just pop them in the wash.

And buying them new can be a little bit expensive but the way I look it at is this. You can resell them (they don't stain, you can't even tell they've been used. And the size I got, you can use them for quite awhile (M's are from 15 lbs to 30 lbs). The huge box of disposables will run you about $15-20. I go through those boxes in about 2 weeks. That's $60/month. $60 x 12-$720 the FIRST year. Compared to say 12 FB's which is about $200 and those should last for more than a year.

Anyway, I better go..Fussy babies


ETA: Umm..apparently, I can't do simple math..It's actually $40/month x 12= $480 (or more) in one year. The Medium FB's will probably last me for a couple of years since it goes from 15 lbs to 30 lbs. Or at least it will Ronin.

What a day!!

Today, OT came out to evaluate the boys.

Ronin's fine and gross motor is at 5 months, which is great considering they were 6 weeks early. But his oral motor skills are weak. His tongue tired out too easily. So, he qualifies for services.

Ryker's gross motor is at 5 months, and his oral motor is good. However, his fine motor is at 3 months (he's 6 months). So he qualifies for services too. So both Ronin and Ryker will be getting OT.

The BF'ing mom's meeting went well. Ronin gained 3 oz. Mellanie (the LC) was happy with that, since at 6 months, weight gain slows down and that is smack in the middle of what he should be gaining. She also showed me how to support his tongue and cheeks while nursing, and that should help him nurse longer. Ryker gained 6 oz! Holy crap! He is now 16 lbs 6 oz.

OK, I should go to bed now.

We had a pretty good weekend!!

Saturday we went to go see my best friend since 5th grade. She lives in IL now, but was in town. So we visited over there for a bit. They enjoyed seeing the boys! They are so much interactive now! After that, we hung out at mom's for a bit. Then went to dinner for my dad's bday. Other than the hour long wait, it was pretty good.

One thing did bug me though. Some dude dropped a quarter and walked out the door. So, Bill was going to give it to Kalynn. He was about to get it and then some other dude grabbed it. I thoght that was pretty low. I hope he feels good about that.

Sunday, we did a little Easter Egg hunt in the house (we just get plastic eggs and fill with jelly beans or as Kalynn calls them "jello beans" ). Then went to Ida's house for Easter dinner.

Today, we went to David's Bridal to get Kalynn's Flower girl dress ordered. I remembered from my wedding, it took quite awhile get things ordered. Well, turned out that they didn't have the dress in her size. The lady said none in the entire nation. So, I called Kindra. Kindra's mom called me back and said that there was a 6. Called the store in McAllen and told me that they didn't. FINALLY about 8pm this afternoon, there was the size she needed and they are going to have it shipped here. It's a gorgeous dress, I'm glad that they did have one. Here it is:
http://davidsbridal.com/flowergirl_detail.jsp?stid=2315&prodgroup=11

We need to get it altered. The 4 was too short, but fit her in the shoulders. The 5 was the right length but the shoulders are too big.

We have a busy week coming up ahead!!

Tuesday, OT is coming out to check Ronin's suck. But, I'm not really worried about that anymore. He's doing SO much better with nursing. Then, I have my bf'ing moms meeting at 7.

Wed, Kalynn has an MRI

Thursday, NF clinic

Friday, Cathy is coming into town so I plan on going over there (if the weather permits)

Oh and one more important thing to mention!!

My boys are 6 months!!! I can't believe it! And that also means 6 months of nursing! I'm really proud of myself of sticking with it. There were many times that I almost quit. Especially with the lack of support from the pediatrician. If I listened to her, she would've sabatoged my efforts. She told me that most of her twin moms don't succeed in BF'ing. Well, gee, I wonder why!

Anyway, I better hit the hay.

Today was a pretty good day. I got up this morning in a cleaning mood (yes, mom, I said "clean" hahaha). The boys are in a good mood usually in the AM and Kalynn played out side. I cleaned the livingroom, our room (and made the bed!), and both bathrooms. Kitchen still needs to be done, but that's Bill's job.

After that, Kalynn and I went to McDonald's for Mommy and Kalynn time. We wouldn't be able to have that time this weekend since we're going to be pretty busy.

When Kalynn went down for a nap, I went to Kohl's to get me an Easter outfit. I hate going clothes shopping for myself, especially for tops, well, I'll just leave it at that. Of course, I had to get the kids something too.


Oh and in exciting news...My sister Allie is having a GIRL!!!! Congrats Allie!!! I'm really excited. So, there will be 3 boys and 2 girls. Cool. I'm excited about the boys get to have cousins close in age! I wonder what Kalynn's going to do with all these little kids!

More exciting news..ALL THREE KIDS ARE ASLEEP!!! Finally decided to put Ronin in his own crib. He's been sleeping so well. I had just kept him in the cosleeper since I was nervous about him sleeping on his tummy. But today, Bill made up the crib and it's going well so far! I guess we'll see how long they'll sleep. I'm excited about having our room to ourselves!

Gotta rave about those Hyland's teething Tablets!! Poor Ryker was so cranky so I popped some in his mouth and he's now taking a nap!

Ronin is nursing better. Hopefully, we'll have a good weight gain. It's been 2 weeks since he's started the Prilosec. Mellanie said that her little girl had reflux and this chiropractor worked wonders with her. So, I'm going to give her a try.

I bit the bullet and decided to start solids. I was going to wait til they were 6 months old, but eh, it's only a few days away. I gave them some squash. Their faces were priceless! It looked like they weren't sure what to think about it LOL. I just used one jar between them and they ate about half of the jar each. I need to wait a few days before I start another food to watch for allergic reactions.


I also decided that I really want Kalynn to take swimming lessons this summer. Especially after what happened last year. Kalynn LOVES swimming. Aunt Linda had a swimming party. Kalynn was on the raft, and I was swimming her around. I told her DO NOT MOVE. She didn't listen and went into the pool. We were in the deep end (my feet couldn't touch the bottom) and I got her just in time. I swam with her to the shallow end. She was ok, thank goodness. But I think she needs swimming lessons for sure.

I guess that's about it. I better get going.

So, I think Ryker is teething..3 words: Hyland's Teething Tablets.. I used them with Kalynn and they worked well with her. So I used them with Ryker to see if they would help. They did and he actually took a nap! He had been cranky all morning. But we'll see how long it takes for him to get a tooth. It took Kalynn FOR EVER to get a tooth. She started teething pretty early if I remember and she was 8 months when she got her first tooth.

I'm kinda bummed that it's going to be cold for Easter!! I got the boys some KNIT polos (not cotton, I learned my lesson!) and some pants.. Good thing too since of the weather. I think I need to get Kalynn a sweater for her dress, since it's sleeveless. Or....I could get her another Easter dress...Hmm... Maybe not since those things cost $$.

I think I'm going to change the title, if I can..

What a night!!!

So, I go to my BF'ing group. Ronin didn't gain anything :( I was bummed. But Mellanie (the LC) said that since he had a huge gain last week, that she's not worried about it. Plus, he probably grew in length. She also said that he looks really good, and filling out nicely. So, I guess we'll see what happens next week.

We were about to leave when one of the girls said that the storm was coming in. So, we stayed put. Then, we heard that there was a tornado headed our way. I start to FREAK out. We all head to the bathroom. The sirens go off. I swear, I was going to puke. Finally, the sirens stop and we get out. It started to rain and have pea size hail. I stayed put since it was still raining. Finally, it was safe to go so we left. I got home ok. So, that's enough fun for me.

I probably should go to bed.

Uggh, I can't sleep. My allergies are driving me nuts.

Today was a lot of fun! My brother had a bday party at my dad's house. It was nice being with family. I always love being around family. The boys got lots of attention too! Gabbi just loved holding them, which was a huge help! Kalynn was actually pretty well behaved for the most part. She had her moments, of course, she's 4. But, she really did pretty well. We even went to the park. The pool was open, and Allie, Gabbi and I were all drooling over it. I LOVE swimming!

Ryker was fussy, but he finally fell asleep and took a nap. We were a little afraid that it would mess up his night time but it didn't! He went to bed without a problem. Even Ronin and Kalynn went to bed without much of a fuss.

Nothing else really this week. Tuesday is my BF'ing moms support group, but that's pretty much it. Curious about how much Ronin has gained..

I'm hoping to clean the house tomorrow. The kitchen is a horrible mess. Kalynn has all of her art supplies strewn over the table.

OK, I'm going to bed in hopes of getting this Prince song out of my head. It's the song Controversey and one part says "People think I'm rude I wish we were all were nude" (umm, Prince, trust me, you don't)

Anyhoo, nighty night.