Doughan Family

Tucker 2 Year Check Up

2011-06-27T23:07:00.000-05:00

His stats:

Weight: 28lbs (50%)

Height: 34" (just below 50%)

Usually when I go into well child check-ups they are usually quick and straight to the point...the doctor asks how it's going, and I respond good, no concerns and we go on with the routine exam. You all know the drill.

This time was out of the ordinary. I did have to talk through some concerns about Tucker. His constant runny nose and blood shot eyes.

Since Christmas 2o10 he's had a runny nose and been very congested. He's definitely had his fair share of ear problems too. We've alreay been to the ENT and the plan we came up with then (which was a month or so ago I believe) was to watch him through the summer months and hopefully he'll clear up, if not...I'll have him looked over again and we'll talk about tubes but try to hold off on the tonsils and adenoids til he's a little older.

So today, Dr. Pals begins her exam and determines he still has fluid in the ears so we did a tympanigram to make sure the movement in his ears is good. The results were sub-par but not HORRIBLE, so again we're just going to "watch" it. I feel like that's all I'm ever told with this kid, let's just "watch" it. She agrees that we're most likely dealing with allergies and recommends we up our daily dose of zyrtec from 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp. And also says that his blood shot eyes are a symptom of his allergies. The Dr. said that I can have the allergist take a look at him and test him to see what we're really dealing with. I'm not sure if we'll do this or not, although I think it would be nice to know for sure what's going on. I'll just wait and see how he does the next few weeks and then decide whether to do the test or not.

That pretty much covers all my concerns. She also checked over his birth mark that he has on his tummy and made sure it was the same size and such. She said we need to keep an eye on it, which won't be hard since it's right there on his tummy , especially as he gets older the chances that it could become melenoma is higher. That was good to know for future reference.

Now, how can I describe Tucker at age 2?

-Ornery

-Persistent

-A charmer

-A little monkey (he LOVES to climb onto bicycles that are way too big for him and can do ANYTHING at the park, a little scary if you ask me)

-Talks very well --you can definitely tell that he has older siblings, he says things like: "Let go" "Stop it" "Give it back"--notice the trend?

-Runs or hops wherever he goes

-Still sucks his thumb at bedtime

-Goes to bed at 7 and wakes up at 7 or 8am

-Is very protective of his siblings when he sees Adam wrestle them--he'll scold Adam and get right in his face and tell him what's what

All in all, Tucker keeps us very busy. It's taken 2 years for us to feel like we really are in a groove now. We're not just surviving anymore but thriving. That's such a good feeling! God's really blessed us in many ways and we'll aways be thankful for that!

2011-What a doozie

2011-04-17T14:48:00.008-05:00

**Warning** Long post

What a 2011 we've had so far. Just to recap quickly. In January, Lilly and Thatch had T&A's. From January to the Present, Tucker's nose hasn't quit running (this is a whole new post in itself). In February, we all got the stomach flu bug that his every other household this winter. And in March, Adam fell off a roof.

Yep, 2011 has been a doozie. On March 1 (I think), Adam hobbles in the front door with the help of Ryan and Brandon. My heart begins to race and I get all flustered. Now what happened, I think to myself. Not again, I think to myself. Oh Man, I think to myself.

I get the scoop: The guys were measuring some roofs for the Spring and Adam set the extension ladder up onto icy concrete at a not-so-good angle. All 3 men climb the ladder, do their thing Adam steps onto the first rung of the ladder and there he goes, along with the ladder. He remembers pretty much everything, he tells the guys that he's ok but just needs a minute to catch his breath but then realizes that he can't get up. With Adam unable to help himself and the ladder now laying on the ground, Brandon lowers Ryan to the ground-they are probably about 8ft off the ground. Good think Brandon is made of muscle and good thing that Ryan is as small as he is. They help Adam in to the truck and they ask him if he wants to go to the ER or home? Of course he chooses home. Adam starts to white out on the ride home and feels nauseous.

This brings me back to him hobbling into the front door. It was a cold day so as his hands are cold but now start warming up in the house which makes them extremely painful. His right hand is cut up pretty badly (probably from trying to catch himself on the gutters as he was falling). We get that cleaned up and then he tells the guys that his elbow feels kind of funny. We pry his layers off and find this...
Now don't let his face fool you. He's in extreme pain and can't stop shaking. I think he was in shock. We call Amanda, our friend who's an athletic trainer for the college, to come over and look at it. She looks it over and really suggests that we go in. She runs to get us some bandages and comes back to wrap it for us. She continues to tell us that she talked it over with another trainer while she was gone and he too thinks that it sounds like it could be a fracture so we should go in. Thanks again, Amanda, for helping us out. We wait around some more at home and Adam continues to shake so I say, we really need to go in. So we call Ryan, who's still working, and ask him if he can watch the kids. He graciously accepts.

We arrive at the ER and find out that Dr. Clemens will be the doctor. What a blessing! Adam goes for some x-rays. Dr. comes back in with some not-so-good news. His elbow is broken in multiple places. We think that he'll need repair in 2 different places. They make some calls into CNOS in Sioux City (to the orthopedic surgeon) and after some talk, they decide that he won't need Emergency surgery. Another blessing! In the meantime, I call Adam's parents to let them know what's going on. Connie decides that she's coming to Orange City and that she'll leave at 4am in order to get here by 8am the next morning (another blessing). Dr. Clemens also decides that he should get x-rays on his head (ended up just being a concussion), his right knee (ended up being just bruised), and his left hip (also just a bruise), more blessings! We decided that this fall could have been way worse. Imagine, a crushed elbow, a broken knee, and some head injury. After however much time passes by, Dr. Clemens puts a splint on his elbow and sends us on our way.

(This picture was taken the next morning or so but this is how he left the ER)

We left the ER hoping that we could get the surgery scheduled within a day or two. We were referred to Dr. Kensinger who is the trauma surgeon and and expert in that area for CNOS and Mercy Hospital. After a lot of waiting for the phone to ring and multiple calls from Dr. Clemens to check up on us and make sure we are being taken care of, we get a call that the surgery won't be til Monday (that's going through the whole weekend yet). Dr. Clemens finds this out and makes a phone call to CNOS to make sure that this is scheduled like this for a good reason and not just because it's a schedule reason and can't fit him in. Come to find out that the longer we wait for surgery the better it could be b/c the swelling won't as bad. However, Adam calls them back and says that we need to do it sooner than that (keeping in mind that Connie is already here in Orange City). CNOS totally understood so the surgery got scheduled for Friday, the 4th.

In the meantime, we end up calling Dr. Clemens to look at his elbow again because Adam's hand is kind of turning purple and swelling. He has us come back in, this is on the 2nd I believe. He unwraps is and checks it over and makes sure there's still no exterior tear. It was still swollen but now showing bruising too. This is what it looks like now...

Thursday afternoon we go to Sioux City for a consultation at CNOS. More x-rays are done and that's when we're really told that his elbow is just crushed. We got to see the images and you didn't need to be an expert to see that. It's now like a few minutes before 5 and we're told that surgery is being planned for tomorrow morning as long as they can get a MRI on the elbow and they close at 5. So we scurry to get that done (in a different building, but again they were gracious enough to let us in and do the scan). Dr. Kensinger uses the MRI as his road map for surgery. Keep in mind that this surgery is scheduled as Same Day Surgery.

I'm probably forgetting some details, but I think the main ones are getting covered.

We show up at 6am in Sioux City at Mercy Medical Hospital. Get all settled in the same day surgery center. The nurses ask if Adam's allergic to anything, "yep" I say, "he can't really handle codeine". "What happens?" they ask. "He just gets really irritable and dizzy." "Oh, that's just a side effect" they respond. Some more time passes by, they give him all the pills that Dr. Kensinger ordered before surgery-some for pain, some for nauseousness, etc, etc. I don't know how many, but it was a lot. He takes them and right away it happens. He feels light-headed and just wanted to crawl out of his skin. Before, he was really excited for the surgery just so that he could start rehabilitating but now he wanted to flee the building, that's how uncomfortable he was. He just has to close his eyes until they're ready for him to go into surgery. It's so hard to see your husband so uncomfortable and there's nothing I could do to help him but stay strong.

Surgery was scheduled to last 1.5 hrs. I waited in the waiting room and worked on taxes, that was a good way to keep my mind busy. I was updated personally by one of Dr. Kensinger's nurses. She came out at about the 1.5 hr mark and said that it'll be longer than expected but it was going good but just a lot of pieces to put together. It was a pretty big jig saw puzzle. She informed me that I could have a call into the surgical room for an update anytime I wanted. I did that once, I think. After 3 hrs, I was called and told they were done. I met with Dr. Kensinger and he told me that he got it all put together and then took an x-ray and found another piece of the joint that wasn't right so he had to take it all apart to fix it and then put it back together again. That's why it took so long. He said he wasted more screws on this surgery than he ever has. Adam ended up having 9 screws put in and one plate. There's a 50/50 chance that after 6 months the plate will bother him so it will need to be removed but I think otherwise it'll stay in.
Ok, so the surgery was a success (Blessing!) and he's recovering in the operating room right now. He's already very nauseous. So they're trying to have that subside before he gets moved to the same day recovery room and I can see him. An hr or so passes and I am told that I can see him. They couldn't even transfer him from his bed to the chair they usually use b/c he's too nauseous. He's so pale. The only thing he can do is sleep. He sleeps the afternoon away with them still medicating him with morohine through his IV and trying to treat his nauseousness with everything they can think of. Remember me saying that he doesn't handle codeine well? Well, now they believe me. I start to get frustrated at this point because it's nearing the end of the day and he still can't do anything but sleep and they just let him.

He finally wakes up and teases the nurse and asks if he can go home, and she believes him, she says, "yep, just ..." He stops her and says, "I was just kidding, I can't go home right now." Now, I am no nurse BUT, what nurse would just say yes to a patient who just had extensive surgery and can't even sit up without being nauseous and who has slept all day long just because he can't stand to have his eyes opened???? I was so frustrated! There are other details that had lead to my frustration at this point...
-a nurse who was frazzled right away when I came to see Adam after the surgery. As they were changing shifts she kept apologizing saying she's tried everything under the sink for him. this is the last thing I want to hear. I realize she was probably frustrated too but don't let me see that.
-the new nurse on duty now barely checked on him. I was in the room the entire time she came on shift and not once did she try to talk to Adam and see how he was doing. She just let him sleep. I realize also that he needed some sleep, but what they didn't GET was that the meds were making him sleepy, AHHHHHHHHHH!
-Once he woke up and was still nauseous, I finally had it. I asked for the patch they put on the back of his ear for the nauseousness to be removed-it was for motion sickness. Well, knowing my husband, he's tried motion sickness meds before and they just wipe him out--kind of like this.
-there were 2 nurses at the end of the day and they were very unprofessional, I asked for ice chips at one point, and watched her and she instead sits down at her desk and talks to a friend who happened to stop by, so I go out and ask again and she got the point that I was frustrated. They were also saying that they thought they were going to be out of their early that day, hello, we're still here and can hear you. We were the first ones there and are the last ones there too, I am a little frustrated too.

After a little more time passes by I convince Adam that he should try to stay awake and sit up since it's getting late, we try to stand. We didn't get too far, no steps were taken. He was too light headed. We did this a couple more times and just decide that he can't go home in this shape. We ask to be admitted.

I am still trying to be brave and strong for Adam. They take us upstairs to his room. The nurse there was WONDERFUL! I finally just totally lost it. She was very consoling and compassionate. I know I probably was more tired than anything. I knew in the back of my mind that this would probably happen but was hoping for it not to happen.

They told me that they usually don't let family stay overnight (Adam had a roommate named Howard, who was like 90) but that I could if I wanted since Howard wouldn't care (or wouldn't even know). We decide that I would rest better if I just stayed at a friend's house. So to Dave and Rebekah's I went. I slept so good.

The next morning, I show up at 8ish. He's still light headed but mildly better. He still just sleeps. We decide that the game plan is to have no more morphine since we won't be able to go home with it. He starts taking the first prescribed med (Lortab) and it just doesn't settle well with him. He gets a different pain med prescribed (Tramadol-50mg). This seems to do the trick. He starts feeling a little bit normal. The day goes well for the most part. My biggest frustration was that I felt like Adam and I had to figure it out all on our own and he wasn't even able to think straight most of the time. I told them right away that he doesn't react well to meds with codeine-all the meds they were trying to give him had codeine or codeine derivatives in them. I felt like they didn't take me seriously.

Anyway, we finally were discharged Sat. afternoon. He looked like this...
He was put into a 180 degree cast/more like a splint. Elevation was very important still.

On Monday, the 7th, we went back to CNOS and they took the splint off. This is what it looked like...
and had Adam bend his arm to 60 degrees. This was very painful for him. They just wrapped it up to protect his incision and put him into a locked brace at 60 degrees. Elevation still important.

(picture taken at Sioux Falls Surgical Hospital at Lilly's teeth procedure (another post in iteself))

Another 2 weeks later, March 21st, we had another appt. This time they unlocked his brace so that he could bend it from 30 degrees to 90 degrees. Throughout the next 2 weeks, he just worked on this movement.

Another 2 weeks later, the 5th of April, they took the brace away completely and Adam is suppose to try and stretch his elbow as far as he can (just so he feels a stretching feeling not a sharp painful feeling) to full extension and full flexsion.

He's doing well. Dr. Kensinger said he could be surprised but doesn't think that Adam will get full extension and flexsion back but as long as he's withing 5-10 degrees of that. If Adam can do most of that on his own over the next 4 weeks then he won't need any physical therapy, otherwise he will.

I don't have an updated pix now. But it actually looks like a pointy elbow now. I will update that soon.

Playing in the snow-One Last Time

2011-04-17T14:40:00.004-05:00

Thatcher and Lilly begged to play in the little snow that we had one last time.
It's so fun to see them play with each other. Most times they play well together, Lilly usually does the bossing and Thatcher is usually ok with just going along with it. (once in a blue moon, Thatcher will have none of Lilly's bossiness which in turn doesn't usually work out too well then)

They had a blast trying to have a snow fight.

I happened to be watching little Orin this day. They were having just as much fun-but only from the window. It's been great having Orin here usually a couple days a week. He loves when Lilly reads to him and when Thatcher will share his trains with him. But boy oh boy, when he and Tucker get together, it usually means trouble. I can usually find them downstairs, in the bathroom, or their favorite spot--the closets.

It Begins at age 5

2011-04-17T14:26:00.004-05:00

Lilly turned 5 in February. She already had the opportunity to attend a couple of her classmate's birthday parties so I knew that when it was her turn she was going to want to have friends over also. I was not prepared for this stage of life so soon. It seems like just yesterday that we were still making all her decisions for her and she had no will of her own. What happened?
So we scheduled a Saturday to play with her school friends. I was one of those moms who limited the number of girlfriends she was able to ask. This decision was a little difficult for her since she is our little social butterfly. I originally said 4 friends plus her would be great but she "convinced" me that she had to ask 5 of her friends, so she did. Five is was, unfortunately 1 got sick so was unable to attend.

They had so much fun. Just so I remember for future reference, they all came over around 12:30pm. They played for a while and then we did some craft projects. We put together candy necklaces and made bead bracelets. They each received their own goody bag with jewelry, candy and their finished crafts. After the crafts we opened gifts and had ice cream and cupcakes. Then it was playtime again. At 3ish we dropped them all off at their homes.
It was so fun to see Lilly play with her classmates. It's such a different kind of play that I am used to seeing with her brothers and her friends of our friends. Some of the girls did imaginative play while others just chased each other around the house.
We're looking forward in seeing how Lilly develops as she enters Kindergarten with and without some of her preschool friends.

Lilly 5 Years Old

2011-02-23T15:54:00.003-06:00

Her well check went great.

Height: 39.5" (50-75%)
Weight: 37 lb 6 oz (75%)

At 5 Years Old...
-You are such a Little Lady
-You love anything Pink
-You love to nurture your babies
-You love to play with barbies, babies, my little ponies, princesses, or polly pockets
-You love to play kitchen-coming up with all sorts of recipes
-You love to draw pictures and write your letters
-You love to go to school
-You love to dance
-You love to rhyme and make patterns
-You are the life of a party
-You are a Daddy's Girl
-You love to go shopping with Mom or Grandma
-You are starting to eat or at least try anything
-You no longer wet the bed
-You still won't fall asleep in your own bed by yourself. You fall asleep on the couch and then we transfer you to your bed (anyone have suggestions on this one: she's too scared to fall asleep by herself in her room????)
-You don't take naps; otherwise bedtime is way too hard
-You love to take care of your brothers or cousin Orin
We love you so much Lilly. We are so excited to see all the neat things God has planned for you. Keep growing into that lovely little person and remember that you can always count on God!

Lilly & Thatcher: Tonsillectomy/Adenoidectomy

2011-02-23T14:17:00.002-06:00

On January 19th, Lilly and Thatcher went in to get their tonsils and adenoids removed. Crazy is what you all may be thinking I know. However, we knew that it needed to be done and it needed to be done on both kids, so why not just be super focused with it one time instead of having to do it twice??? That's how we decided to do it the way we did, also with the advice of the Specialist.

It was quite the experience and I want to remember how it all went so if our other children need it in the future, I have reference to how we and the kids handle things.

Why the Surgeries?:
Lilly: Although, we didn't really take Lilly into the doctor every time she said her throat hurt, she would complain quite often that it did. Only a couple times we actually had her diagnosed with strep and treated for it. Throughout her life, mainly the last 2 years, whenever she had her tonsils looked at, the doctors were floored with how big they were (even healthy, they were big). At one point, I remember that she was on antibiotics and we went in for a recheck and her tonsils were still HUGE, like they said there was only 1 cm space on each side between her tonsils and her uvula. Another reason for the surgery is that she hasn't slept a full night sleep since who knows when. This could be caused by some sleep apnea-she snores more than any little kid I have ever known. Lastly, not to embarrass her, but she also wets the bed often and they say that there can be a connection to wetting the bed, sleep apnea, and big tonsils. So all these things combined lead us to our decision for the tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy.

Thatcher: Common with Lilly, his tonsils were just as big as hers. Again there was only 1 cm of space in between his tonsils and uvula. He never really complained of pain, though he never really complains about anything in life. His speech we felt like was not coming along as well as it should. When he talked, it really sounded heavy and full (kind of hard to explain). Also, he was a snorer too and ALWAYS only breathed with his mouth open. He was a very heavy breather. Like Lilly, he had been waking up in the middle of the night multiple times for a long time. I teased parents who had newborns that I wasn't even getting a full nights sleep and my kids weren't newborns.

Background Info:
I must first note that we tried to get the surgeries scheduled for the end of December, but they were swamped so we opted for January. We knew we were going to be visiting family at the beginning of January and with a 14 day recovery period, the 19th was the soonest it worked out in our schedules. We celebrated Christmas in Grundy Center until the 10th with the CA cousins catching the flu bug while we were there. I was crossing my fingers that with Lilly being in school, maybe we were immune to this bug. On Monday night (2 days before surgery I remind you) Thatcher ended up with the flu, but it was short lived. He threw up in the middle of the night and that was it, no fevers or anything. I was praying so hard that things were going to work out. Tuesday evening (the night before surgery) rolls around and poor Lilly starts throwing up. Her sickness lasted a bit longer, she was sick until about 11pm and then was finally able to get some sleep. All night long I wonder what's going to happen in the morning. Thatch and Lilly were not to have anything to eat or drink starting at midnight, so I guess we didn't have to worry about that for Lilly.

Morning of Surgery: I call the hospital right away, we were scheduled to be there at 8am. I explain to them that the kids had the stomach flu but that I think they were over it (Lilly had slept the whole night without waking up and Thatch was already fine on Tuesday). She contacted the surgeon and they said that it was my call. My gut feeling said that we'll just go ahead with the surgeries, but I was kind of second guessing myself at the same time. But I just had to trust my feeling and went with it.

At the Hospital: We showed up and did a lot of just waiting. They had 2 recovery rooms for us, but we all hung out in 1 room until the surgeries were over. Thatcher was very timid. He barely said 2 words the whole morning. Lilly was taking it all in. In fact, we had to use code words so she wouldn't get scared just talking about it. It was a delicate balance on how much I thought Lilly should know and how much to just keep to ourselves. She knew that once they took her on the really cool bed that she was going to "get" to smell the cherries in a little mask. She was actually kind of excited about that. I thought that I should at least prepare her for that much. I DID NOT mention that she was going to have an IV in her arm. Thatcher didn't have a clue about any of this.

After all of the paper work was done, they finally came in to get Thatcher first. His eyes just screamed "Mom, don't let them take me from you." I was so crushed and saddened that he was sad, but I knew that this all had to be done. The actual procedure takes just a fraction of the time that he was actually away from us. My memory has forgotten exactly, but I think that he was gone for like 1 hr or so and it only took like 5 min to do the procedure. The rest of the time is preparation and recovery. The surgeon came and talked to us about Thatcher and he said that his tonsils/adenoids were HUGE! He also said that he could tell that he had pretty bad allergies.

It was Lilly's turn next. I should mention that one of the checks that they did was listen to their lungs to make sure they are healthy and that are good to go for surgery. Since Lilly was just sick, she could hear some gunk in them, but it was low enough that it wasn't a problem. The surgeon and nurses also remembered that Lilly is a fighter, usually, so they were ready (even ready with some medication to sedate her if need be, good thing they didn't need to use that suff). Another good thing to note is that they wheeled Lilly off before Thatcher came back to his recovery room. I am not sure how she would have handled seeing him? The nurse who had been by her side the whole morning wheeled her off and usually once patients get to the surgery room the nurse doesn't even step foot inside, HOWEVER, she told us that Lilly's eyes were telling her "please come with me, don't you go anywhere." So, her nurse went in right by her side and comforted her (her nurse was named Gracie, and she is soooo wonderful, she actually knew us from church too). They got her settled and then she got to smell the cherries and she was good to go.

The surgeon came in to talk to us about Lilly. He said that Thatcher's went as smooth as can be, by the book he said. With Lilly, there was a lot of infection in there and whenever there's infection, more blood vessel like thingy's (that's a technical term by the way) attach themselves to the tonsils and so it was VERY difficult to get her tonsils to come out. Her surgery was much more traumatic than normal. Which also put her bleeding risk at a higher %. (Oh great is what I was thinking.) He also said that her's were just as big as her brother's.

In the meantime, we see Thatcher come rolling by so I scurry to his recovery room (right next door to the one we were hanging out in-joined by a bathroom). He was so lethargic looking. He had his little arm wrapped up so he wouldn't bother the IV. I got down real close to him and he looked so confused, I am not sure he was quite with it yet. Eventually, he reached for me so I cuddled him on my lap in his bed. At this point, he was trying to talk but couldn't really. He was really horse sounding. He kept trying to ask for something, but none of us could make out what he wanted. We offered him some popsicles and he ate lots of them over the course of the next couple hours. He even asked for chocolate popsicles since his dad told him he could have those after his surgery. For now, we only stuck to orange and purple popsicles and ice chips. He LOVED the eat the ice chips. After a while, he took a little nap. He continued with the ice chips and popsicles.

After I got all comfortable with Thatcher, we know that Lilly is done too. We know this because we can hear her screaming down the hall. Picture this: Thatcher comes back, all calm and just laying back while riding on his bed to the room. Lilly is the complete opposite. She's sitting up screaming at the top of her lungs. Adam went into her room to comfort her while I stayed with Thatch.

One of the things that they told us to watch for during the time that we were still recovering in the hospital was for them throwing up the blood and such. Thatcher never threw up once, however, Lilly was more coughing up junk then throwing up, but nonetheless was much more uncomfortable than Thatcher. I couldn't see what was going on with her but could hear her. It sounded much worse than it actually was after talking with Adam about it.

After the kids proved that they were doing well-they took their medicine well and it stayed down, we finally got to come home. It was probably around 2 or 3pm.

The first day home was not so bad. I have to mention that my mom was hear watching Tucker and stayed with us for 6 days and Adam's mom came to help out for 3 days or so. That was so nice to have them there to entertain Tucker so we could focus on the other 2. Day 2 & 3 were really hard. Thatcher was great. He LOVES chocolate milk so that's what he lived on mainly and so his throat never really tightened up like Lilly's did. Lilly's throat began to hurt so she would stop drinking and that would just make it worse and so a vicious cycle would begin. I had to resort to telling her that if she didn't continue to drink that we would have to go back to the hospital and get a needle in her arm so she wouldn't get dehydrated. That scared her enough to suck it up and drink or eat popsicles or do anything like that. Neither of them fought us in taking their meds which was a HUGE answer to prayer. Usually Lilly doesn't take medicine so good, but she was a champ. Even after the good tasting stuff ran out-she did awesome. I think she understood that if she took the meds that she would feel good. Throughout the next few days, they would have low grade fevers on and off but nothing that we had to go back in for.

I need to note that Adam ended up getting sick too the first night we were home so I sent him to sleep in Lilly's bed and had Thatcher in bed with me with Lilly on the floor. Lilly only got up once or twice the first night and I just had her drink some water and then after that her sleeping habits were already better than before surgery. Praise Jesus! Thatcher really struggled the first 3 nights or so. He would wake up in so much pain. I just comforted him and told myself that the next day would be better and that helped me get through it. The first night (or maybe it was the second night, I can't remember which) Tucker also ended up throwing up so while I rocked Thatcher back to sleep in my bed, I would run downstairs and change Tucker's bedding and such and put him back to bed (my mom helped me out since Adam was down for the count). This pattern happened for the next 3 days, so night 1, 2, and 3.

Their diet for the next 14 days consisted of any liquids (we would dilute sprite so it would burn their throats), popsicles (any kind you could think of), go gurt, and eventually we even could do soft meats (like sloppy joes, taco meat, mac and cheese). We had to be careful to not give them hot things.

We sent Lilly back to school on Day 6, I think. The doc. said she'd be fine if she didn't overdo herself. So she stayed in for recess and had special snacks at school.

They said that once they started feeling good that about the time that their scabs would start falling off and they would be in some more pain. That did happen in the second week of their recovery but it wasn't that bad. Adam and I kept looking at their throats with flashlights, because it was really a site to be seen. It looked so disgusting! As time went by, we could see the white film move back further and further inside their throats. After the white goes away, then the Doc. said that little pink bumps will form and it could take up to 2 months for it to completely smooth out.

We went back for checkups on Day 13, and they both looked wonderful so they were given free reign.

Today 2-23-11:
Lilly and Thatch sleep so quietly (despite Lilly's teeth grinding, that's another post). Lilly hasn't wet the bed for at least 2 weeks. She can go the night without waking up but sometimes still wanders into our room, I think it's just a habit now that we have to break. Her voice has also changed a little bit. Her cry has definitely changed, it's kind of a squeal now. For Thatcher, I remember when he went down for his first nap, he was so quiet, it was crazy. His voice changed immediately. He can pronounce words so much clearer. His voice isn't so heavy sounding now. Even though he's sleeping much more quieter, he is still waking up in the middle of the night. He probably sleeps without waking up three nights out of the week. I think it may be a habit too, but we'll see. Now that we're all healthy, it's time to break those nasty habits :)

Tucker 18 Month Checkup

2011-02-23T13:42:00.004-06:00

In January Tucker visited the doctor for his 18 month well check. Here's all his info.

Weight: 25lb 2oz (50%)
Height: 32 1/4" (50%)
Head Cir.: 18"-Tucker is our Wild Man. If he's too quite, it usually means he's up to mischief.
-He climbs on almost anything. If he can't reach, he'll find the closest whatever to stand on to reach.
-He eats ANYTHING. It's so refreshing to have one of those kind of kids.
-He is an AWESOME sleeper. He sleeps for 3 hrs in the afternoon and then goes to bed at 7pm til 8am or so.
-He bunks with Thatcher and LOVES it!
-He doesn't really play with toys yet, they're mostly just weapons.
-He has quite a temper on him. We're still trying to figure that out. It doesn't really work to spank for disobedience because he'll turn right around and hit you back. He doesn't like it when we raise our voice to him and he doesn't like to be put into his bed for timeout; however, I don't want him to associate his bed with discipline so I am not sure what to do about that one yet. I will take any advice.
-As mischievous as he can be, he can be all the more charming too. His eyes can just suck you in.
-He loves to give kisses, loves to dance, loves to be a part of the party.

Thatcher 3 Yr Update

2011-02-23T13:08:00.003-06:00

Back in December Thatcher had his 3-yr well check. Better late than never to record his stats, right?

Weight: 33 lb
Height: 37 2/8"
Thatcher...
-loves to copy his sister or anyone else for that matter
-loves to rock a bye with Mommy
-loves trains/cars/anything he can manipulate himself

-loves to have books read to him
-loves chocolate milk
-is potty training (it's taking a really long time but we're almost there)
-still wears a pull-up or even a diaper to bed
-wears 3T-4T clothing
-wears sz 9 shoes
-has a really laid back personality
-sucks his thumb when he has his blankie (aka his "nose")
-usually wakes up 1 time during the middle of the night (we hope that stops after his tonsils are out)

We love you so much Thatcher and can't wait to see what God has in store for you. You are growing so fast.

Preschooler Lilly

2010-09-11T16:15:00.005-05:00

One week is done. Lilly started school on Tuesday, Sept. 7th. She goes M-Thurs. from 8:15-11:15.

We had everything prepared the night before. I put together 3 outfits and laid them all out and she got to pick which one she wanted to wear. We have used this method every night so far, it seems to work for us.
Lilly's not much of a breakfast eater, but I try and she usually gets 1/2 a bowl of cereal or applesauce down. Seems to be ok.

Lilly LOVES to be around other kids, so she had NO problem being left there in her classroom. I heard from a third party that Adam had a harder time letting his princess go than I did. That's probably true. It is time for this mommy to have a little break!

On Thursday, Mrs. Starkenburg did say that Lilly had a case of the "I want my Mommy" towards the end of the day. I think she was just overwhelmed a bit and they did something a little bit different that day and played in the gym (due to rain) instead of outside with their 4th grade friends.

Lilly's favorite part of the day she says is snack time and recess. I guess she's not too into the learning part yet, oh well, it'll come, right?

Just before entering her school

By her room doorHer LockerThis is now how I find Lilly at night. She sacks out on the couch. So tired!

August

2010-09-11T15:56:00.003-05:00

Lilly: as girly as they come. always posing. always dancing. always mothering

Thatcher: copycat, loves outside, loves his thumb,
Tucker: mischievous, ornery, daredevil, smiley

Cabin Vacation-July

2010-09-11T15:44:00.004-05:00

We spent a week of vacation at the Heyer Cabin in Spirit Lake. It was a wonderful time and great to catch up with family that we don't get to see a whole lot.

It took some experimenting and innovating thinking to get us...6 kids 4 years and under and 8 adults...to fit nicely in the cabin but in the end it all worked out.

The cousins had so much fun together and we sisters had a marvelous time catching up...nap time was the GREATEST. It's ok to say that, right?

The dads re-sided the whole cabin and shed during their vacation. It looks so nice. Adam even got smart and started wearing his trunks with his work belt so that he could spend any time that they had in the water when not working.

I have to admit-I didn't take a whole lot of pictures, I kind of relied on my family for those. Here are a few that I did capture. Don't worry, Thatch and Tucker did come with too they just didn't get lucky enough to make the 4 pictures that I did take.

Tucker 9 Month and 1-Year Update

2010-09-11T14:58:00.009-05:00

I have been absent for quite sometime now so I have lots of catching up to do:

9-month stats:
Height: 29.25" (75%)
Weight: 21 lb 7 oz (50-75%)
Head Circumference: 17.25" (25%)

12 month stats:
Height: 29.25" (50%)
Wight: 21 lb 13 oz (25%)
Head Circumference: ??

So in all of the craziness I am not even going to attempt to distinguish his skills at 9 months of age. The most important thing to note about Tucker at 9 months is that he is one healthy little boy.

However his 12 month stats decided to go against his normal growth curve. I can't exactly remember the percentages of his numbers, but I think I am pretty close. He didn't grow in height and he didn't gain much weight either. This was kind of scary to see for a mom who only wishes for healthy kids. I was comforted by the fact that I KNOW he eats and he eats a TON, he just must have decided to grow a bit slower :)

We were encouraged to come back in a month for another weight check, but I bet you can guess it...we didn't come in. There were a few times where I wondered if maybe he does have some sort of issue and maybe he wasn't going to grow anymore...I know a little paranoid, but I couldn't help it.

At 12 months you:
-Drink solely from a sippy cup: whole milk
-Have 6 teeth (4 on top and 2 on bottom)
-Walking Everywhere (you started standing on your own at 10 months)
-Still take 2 naps everyday

You are one special little boy who can turn the heads of many people just by your adorableness. We love you so much and pray that God will continue to bless you in many ways!

His Party: The Very Hungry Caterpillar
the Cake

the Decorations:made by LillySnapshots of all 12 months
The Spread (we included food that the caterpillar eats (on Saturday) to try and get full)

FriendsThe Cake

THE DOTTED DUCK

2010-07-12T22:23:00.003-05:00

Katie and I ventured out a while back and created a company called, The Dotted Duck. It came into being because we love the products that we make and want to bless others with them as well.

Not only can you go to our website to purchase your favorite Towel Bibs, you can now go to Panache Interiors (located on 3630 410th St. ~ 3 miles north and 3/4 mile west of Orange City) and purchase Towel Bibs AND Cards. This shop has EVERYTHING! From home decor, jewelry, purses, and now Dotted Duck products.

In the near future you will find Burpies and maybe even a few new Dotted Duck creations. COME CHECK US OUT!!!!!

Cloth Diapers

2010-06-11T14:58:00.003-05:00

I took the plunge. Tucker is now in cloth diapers. My sister-in-law started Orin in them and really liked them. I let her figure out her system and work out the kinks and then decided to give them a try also.

We are using the Thirsties brand. I started with a small order of them, $60 or so. That included 6 Toddler Prefolds (unbleached) for bedtime, 6 Baby Prefolds (unbleached) for normal wear, 2 Covers (1 Duo with snaps size 2 and 1 Original size Med.), and 2 Snappies 1 Toddler and 1 Reg. I knew that I would need some smaller ones for double stuffing at night time but I had already had some cheap Target prefolds that I used as burp cloths when Lilly was little so I am using those.

Some things that I noticed so far is that Tucker doesn't sleep as long. He usually wakes up early from his naps-but most time goes back to sleep until 4pm and he's been waking up at 7 or 7:30am instead of 8 or 8:30am. I don't know if the wetness just makes him wake up or if it's something totally unrelated. For 2 nights in a row he's waken up early so tonight I am going to test it out and put a disposable diaper on him just to see if he wakes up early or not. If he doesn't, I may use cloth during the daytime and put a disposable on him at night. I will keep you all posted on my findings.

I have had a few leaks too, but I did with disposables too so I am not too concerned with that. It's been nothing out of the ordinary in my opinion.

I double stuffed the diaper the first night and didn't like how it fit Tucker. It was too bulky and I felt like he couldn't move around very good (bull legged) and it looked uncomfortable, so the 2nd night I did not double stuff it and he still didn't leak. The 3rd night (last night) he did leak a bit up his front so I may have to experiment a bit with that.

I like the duo covers because they will take me all the way to potty training without having to buy another size (since I already got size 2, with a new baby I will have to buy size 1 covers). I do like the velcro closure a bit more because it is wider than the snaps so it keeps the prefold tucked inside a little better at the top, which in turn prevents the leakage.

Laundry method: For the diapers, I take the cloth diaper pail (a garbage can with plastic big in it) to the laundry room and dump them inside. I soak them in baking soda (there's already a little baking soda in the pail for smell reasons and then I add a little more in the wash) in cold water. Then I wash them with hot water for a cycle and then rinse them in cold water one last time. I am currently using laundry detergent from Norwex, it's working well. Any detergent that has a simple formula will work well, nothing that brightens or has fillers in it (they say Walmart brand is good to use). I usually dry them in the dryer for a little bit and just hang them up to dry the rest of the way. For the covers-I just hand wash them in the sink sometimes with just water, sometimes I add a little soap and then just hang them to dry.

I feel like the extra laundry isn't a big deal for me because I am able to stay home and do laundry every day if I have to. Once my final order comes in I will aim to do diaper laundry every 4 days or so. Again, that could adjust as we go.

My final order for cloth is as follows: (for future reference) 12 Baby Prefolds (unbleached), 2 Snappies (1 Reg 1 Toddler), 4 Duo Covers (size 2, 3 with velcro, 1 with snaps).

One last bit of info so I don't forget. I decided not to cloth diaper Thatcher b/c he's almost ready to potty train-but we'll see. I have Toddler Prefolds so I could just do it anyway to save money for a little bit. As you can tell, I am still figuring things out. Tucker goes through 112-126 diapers a month. Pampers Baby Dry diapers from Diapers.com (the cheapest place I have found them) cost $.25 for sz 4 and $.29 for sz 5 a diaper. So every time I put a cloth diaper on I am saving at least a quarter. I have figured that in a little over 3 months I will have recouped all of my costs. That's exciting to me.

As Katie quoted in her blog, "they do add a whole new dimension of adorableness."

Fun with Daddy

2010-06-11T14:53:00.003-05:00

The other night while it was storming outside we got water in our basement again. We knew that our gutters must be clogged because the water was just spilling over them instead of running through them. So Daddy came to the rescue and cleaned them out for us. Thatcher and Lilly were behind him every step of the way. As he was on the ladder, the kids were 1 rung below him. My Dad happened to be here that same weekend and I told him that there was him 20+ years ago with me standing right below him. It was very cool to see (for me at least, Adam was probably thinking otherwise)

Eventually Adam let them, one at a time, up onto the roof. He told them they might as well get used to it because it'll be their job one day--working for Dad.

Dance Recital

2010-06-11T14:32:00.003-05:00

This past weekend we got to experience what dance recital weekend was all about. By no means were we as busy as some of those moms. My goodness, I learned a lot from them for what to do if or when Lilly continues with this dance craze.
Some things to remember for the future:
-Flowers are a nice gift for your child(ren) as a reward for doing their best
-Use Rubbermaid totes to lug all their stuff along-this is easy to carry and keeps all their belongings together
-Sponge curlers work AWESOME if their hair is too short for the bun. Put them in when the hair is wet and let her play until her hair dries up. Take them out and that's it. Easy as pie.
-Bring fun activities along (in their younger yrs at least) to past time in between acts. The backstage moms were wonderful in keeping them entertained by coloring, watching videos, and snacks
-Video tape their rehearsal

Lilly practiced all school year long for this dance recital and she did MAGNIFICENT! She just loves to perform. I think that I was more nervous than she was. In fact, I experienced a whole new dimension of motherhood. I had butterflies in my stomach just as if I were the one waiting to dance on that stage (I felt just like I did back in the day when I played sports), it was so strange. I didn't want her to mess up or feel embarrassed. After talking to my Mother-in-law she said that she knows exactly what I mean, as I'm sure all you moms do who have kids in activities. I was not prepared for this at all, I am not sure I like it all that much and it is only just the beginning. We'll have to see how this all plays out in the future.

Here's Lilly getting ready for her BIG night:

Fun in the Sun

2010-06-11T14:08:00.004-05:00

I feel like I say this every time, but WOW I can't believe it's been 2 1/2 months since I last posted, sorry. I feel like I am not a very faithful blogger.

Anyway...It's hard to believe it's summer time, especially since nothing's really changed for our family-as far as kids are concerned (they're not school-aged yet) and our jobs don't change with the seasons (except Adam is extremely busy). We are so blessed in many ways!

Just thought that I would update a little with our life (I will do multiple blogs to stay organized). We've been able to put our pool and water/sand table to good use in the past few weeks. We decided to nix the sand part and just fill their table with water on both sides. The kids just LOVE to play with it and who needs that sand mess anyway?

I just let Tucker hang out in his exersaucer at first because I don't know why. I did give him snacks too, but eventually he just wanted in on the fun so...

...I let him have at it, with his clothes on. He played very nicely at first.

(I just love his facial expression here)

but eventually he couldn't hold his excitement back.

Preschool

2010-03-29T11:01:00.008-05:00

Thursday was a busy busy day for the Doughan house. We had our tax appointment in the morning, Lilly had dance at noon, I had to register Lilly for preschool in the afternoon, and then we were off to Swea City to visit my family for the weekend.
I just can't believe that I am a mom of a preschooler now...and it didn't come at an easy task.

We decided that Covenant Kids was the best place for Lilly to go, along with just about every other family in Orange City (maybe I am exaggerating a bit) but you know what I mean. I had heard that people start standing in line THREE hours before the doors open for registration, so right away I thought, these people are CRAZY. So what do I do???? I ask my dear husband if he'd come home from work early and watch the kids so I could be a crazy mom and stand in line for THREE hours.

The school did put some guidelines in place this year. People could not park in the parking lot or in front of the school before 3:35pm. So I went at 2:30 and parked across the street facing the school so I could keep my eye on the door and the line (whenever it did start forming). I even brought some work to do and just hung out in my van for the afternoon.

At about 3:20 the chaos begun. I saw a gentlemen actually go into the school and then come back out while at the same time 2 more women parked it outside the front doors so I joined them. We were all standing there when the Principal came out and asked us to stand across the street until 3:45 (because that's when the grounds are pretty much cleared from kids getting out of school). So there we were, standing on the corner waiting for our ok to form our line in front of the school. Keep in mind that the doors actually didn't open until 4:30 and registration didn't begin for another hour after that.

When it was all said and done, I was the fourth person in line and I DID get Lilly into this, what seems to be, awesome school. I have no idea how many people ended up being there. I think about 40 which is the magic number. There were 20 spots open for the am session and 20 for the pm session.

So, come August Lilly will be attending preschool M-TH from 8:15-11:15 at Covenant Kids. We are so excited for this new adventure! Lilly's a bit more leery--she's scared of growing up. She just wants to remain Daddy's Little Princess.

Lilly is FOUR (Part 2)

2010-03-18T10:34:00.009-05:00

I know, it's been waaaay too long since I have last posted. I could blame it on a lot of things: tax season, three kids, babysitting, just enjoying my family, but I am not going to. It's just been too long, sorry.

I am going to let the pictures do most of the talking. Enjoy!

Some of my friends
(They all received their own personalized birthday hats)

The Cake & Gift Table

Gift Opening
Having a Grand Time

Tucker got to sport Lilly's new hair bow-don't tell Adam I posted this :)
So there you go. Lilly's now 4 and loving every minute of it. I am going to be registering her for preschool next week, I just can't believe it.

Lilly is FOUR (Part 1)

2010-02-18T16:03:00.006-06:00

I will preface this post by saying I will have to do a Part 2 to Lilly's 4th Birthday with more pictures of her actual party. We didn't celebrate with family and friends until February 19th but I did capture a couple shots of her on her actual birthday (the 16th).

It's crazy to think that it's been 4 years since we were blessed with our little baby girl.

Well she's not so little anymore but will always be our little girl. As of right now, she admits that she's doesn't want to get bigger or get married because she wants to stay being daddy's princess. It's actually a pretty serious matter to her. She's afraid that if she gets any bigger then she won't be his princess. We assure her that she'll always be daddy's princess. We'll remind her of this when she asks her daddy if she can go on a date when she's 16, well maybe more like 22???

Famous Quote as a 4-yr old: "Next Year I'm going to be 5, woah, I feel OLD" ~Lilly

Stats:
-Height: 39.5" *(50-75%)--I think closer to 50 than 75
-Weight: 37lb 6ozs (75%)

All about you:
-You wear 4T pants some 5T and size girls XS tops for the most part
-You wear size 10 shoes, although they're a little big but not bad
-You no longer take naps. You just rest (which most times will fall asleep and will wake after an hour or when I wake you up) on the couch. You go to bed much better when you don't fall asleep during rest time.
-Bedtime Routine: read books, rock-a-bye, lay in bed with eyes shut. You are comforted by the fact that you know we'll be in in 2 minutes to check on you, which 9 times out of 10 you're already asleep.
-You love to be our little helper. Whether it's helping mom cook, clean, take care of your brothers or helping dad work or do anything that involves being 2 steps right behind him
-You definitely require Lilly/Daddy time.
-You love to wrestle, draw pictures (not so much color), have picnics, boss Thatcher around, ride bike, anything that involves being outside, going places (doesn't matter where)
-Toys you LOVE: play-doh, baby dolls and accessories, jewelry/makeup, anything Princess, kitchen and accessories

We love you Lilly and can't believe that you're already such a big girl. You amaze us with the things you say and the love you show us and your brothers. You are our social butterfly and can carry the party no matter what time of day. We are looking forward in seeing what God has in store for you throughout this next year.

I'll love you forever
I'll like you for always
As long as I'm with you
My baby you'll be
~Love You Forever by Robert Munsch

Not in the Plans...

2010-02-02T22:11:00.003-06:00

So I had quite the day today.

+ = a not too fun trip to the ER

I am pretty sure that any mom wouldn't wish this for anything. I never really thought that it could happen to me, to my children.

Here's the story:
I wake Tucker for the morning. Oh, about 8:45 am or so, (tough life, huh?) and feed him his 7oz bottle. He's a champ of an eater. He finishes it with no problems. I put him down on the floor. Expecting that he will work his way around the living room eventually, I do a quick scan to make sure he's free to go-small toys cleared, paper thrown away, and too many to count hotwheels put up high.

I head downstairs to help Thatcher, who at this point is singing his own little tune, out of his crib. I am just about to put him on his changing table when I hear Tucker choking in the living room. Thatcher's diaper can wait. I run to Tucker to find him already have puked his bottle up and still gagging/choking/not able to get a good full breath. I ~~calmly~~ frantically start smacking him on his back but nothing comes up. He is able to get a little bit of breath but still is gagging pretty consistently.

I thought that maybe he got a hold of a little crumb or cracker or something like that and it was just stuck a little bit in his throat so I have my little helper, Lilly, go and get Tucker's sippy of water in the fridge. I give him a drink, hoping that will wash whatever down. Boy was I wrong. He immediately puked that up.

Lilly helped me once again by running to get my phone in the kitchen and I call Adam and tell him something's wrong with Tucker and while I am on the phone, Tucker is continuing to gag and dry heave.

Adam comes rushing home and sees Tucker and rushes him to the ER. I am a mess but am scaring Lilly and Thatcher so I regain my composure and quickly "get ready" for the day. My dear friend, Lynn, came over to watch the two eldest and I join Adam in the ER. There's no way I can stay home and wonder what's going on there.

The doctor does a chest X-ray and some other tissue test but finds nothing, but with the understanding that only if something were metal would show up. During our time in the ER, Tucker gags a total of about 30 times and throws up a couple times, and tried to nap in between all that.

After a lot of monitoring we finally came to the decision that the ENT would insert a scope into his nose and look for whatever may be obstructing his passageway. We had to wait for quite some time for that procedure to be done. By God's grace, Tucker did another one of his 30 gags, but this time it was like no other. He took a big yawn afterwards and I glanced and saw that a whole lot of saliva was collecting on his tongue and it looked pretty weird so I swiped my finger in his mouth and...
...it's kind of hard to make out, but it's a piece of celephan or plastic wrap or packing tape or something like that. We stayed around the hospital for another hour for observation. He was able to drink 9 0z of apple juice (totally new to him, but he liked it) and keep it down and showed no signs of irritation so we were free to leave. We also called off the scope procedure since he was doing so well.

Tucker was so relieved. He's gagged no more and he's back to his happy little self. I have been watching him like a hawk though and if you haven't guessed it already...
I vacummed the WHOLE house! With 2 little professional mess makers and a little one who thinks everything has to go into his mouth, I have my work cut out for me.

I am so thankful that Tucker is ok. I am so thankful that Adam was working in town. I am so thankful that we have doctors who care. I am so thankful for friends who help in emergencies. I am so thankful for the many blessings that take place without me even thinking about them.

Here's some pictures I took with my phone in the ER.

Tucker playing while being observed afterwards

Adam giving Tucker instructions on what to put in his mouth and what not to

First Hair Cut

2010-01-21T10:49:00.005-06:00

I gave in.

He couldn't see without hairs in his eyes. He has a runny nose so there was always snot in it. It was always in a tangled mess in the back. He started to look like a rock star with a bad hair do. So I gave in.

BEFORE

I had to take him by myself to The Hair Clinic and didn't know quite how I was going to hold him and take pictures of his first hair cut at the same time. So I lugged along our bumbo seat that he's pretty much too big for...his thighs are way too big to squeeze in between but oh well, one more squeeze won't hurt.

DURING

He did awesome, not a squeak from our little guy, even using the buzzer on his neck. He didn't find it all too pleasant to have all these little hairs in his mouth but we got him cleaned up pretty good.

Renae, our awesome hair stylist, claimed that she's never had to use a thinning shears on a 6-month old baby before. No kidding. She had to thin out the crown of his hair because there's so much up there.

No more hair in the eyes and one handsome little boy.

AFTER

Look What I Made

2010-01-19T15:27:00.002-06:00

I love monogrammed t-shirts, but I can never bring myself to ever buy such because then I wouldn't be able to pass it down to the next child (except Tucker lucks out this time). So I decided to use some scrap fabric that I had and some $3 shirts and try it myself. Don't look too closely. Lilly's (the last one that I did) definitely looks the best. I got better as I went. Practice makes perfect, right?

I am pleased with how they turned out...so pleased, in fact, that I may just go to a fabric store and buy some of their scrap fabric (cuter prints than what I have on hand) and try it again. Maybe monogrammed maybe something a little different, I have some ideas brewing.

Adam asked me what I loved most about doing these types of projects-is it the process of doing it? the end result? the compliments that you may receive? the fact that your kids have cute t-shirts? My answer was all of the above. I enjoy working with my hands and enjoy it even more when I don't have to spend very much money doing so.

Tucker's Teeth

2010-01-19T13:19:00.002-06:00

They are now big enough to see!

You must still be teething because you are a little on the cranky side. At least I hope that it's just teeth and not an ear infection coming on. We'll just have to see.

Tucker 6 Months Old

2010-01-14T15:45:00.006-06:00

Our little baby is growing up so fast. It seems like just yesterday that I could lay him on the couch and not worry about him falling off, or lay him on the floor and not worry that he would stick something dangerous in his mouth, or even just give him a bottle and not have to give him a bottle and babyfood

Yep, he's growing up.

Tucker's Stats:
Weight: 19 lbs 3 ozs (90%)
Height: 27.25 inches (75%)
Head Circumference: 17 inches (50%)

Schedule:
8amish (more like whenever I feel like getting you up): eat 7 ozs and oatmeal mixed with fruit
10-12: Nap
12ish: eat 7 ozs and eat a couple tablespoons of veggie and fruit
2pm: Nap
4pm: eat 7 ozs and a veggie and fruit
B/n 7 and 7:30: eat 7 ozs and then go to bed

All About You:
-You love to roll over and over and over until you get stuck
-You worm your way around to get what was previously out of reach
-You can sit by yourself for about 15 seconds. If I want you to play sitting up, I use the boppy pillow to stabilize you-You have your first ~~tooth~~ teeth. They came in at the same time on the evening of Jan. 12. You showed no signs of crankiness, just red cheeks and gnawing on anything you could get your little hands on
-You put anything you can find in your mouth. You have choked on your big sister's toys that are way too small to be left on the ground. We've learned our lesson: Lilly once again has toys that are banned when Tucker's awake. She's had this rule once already so she wasn't too upset when it got enforced once again

-You have to have 1 tsp of antibiotic a day for THREE months b/c of your ear issues
-You've had rice (makes you constipated), oatmeal (still makes you constipated so I mix it with fruit), peaches, applesauce (not a big fan), prunes, acorn squash, yams, carrots to eat. You still aren't sure about your mom mixing all your food up in one bowl, you'd rather eat your veggies first then your fruit, but I'm usually in a hurry. Sorry. You don't mind eating the home-made babyfood, in fact, you've never even had jarred veggies yet.
-You go to bed like a champ. I think that you're going to follow in your big brother's footsteps.
-You have very unruly hair. You need a haircut but I can't part with it just yet
-You love to babble
-Your sister loves to hold you and pretend that you're her baby. She holds you, "pretend" feeds you, picks out your clothes
-You still sleep in a pack and play in my walk-in closet. You could probably bunk with your sister now since you don't really make a peep in the night. I should get on that.

You are growing every day and I am amazed at how much you can do and how old you are and just everything. It seems like with Lilly, I just sat and watched and waited for her to do her next skill or her next new thing. I don't really have time for that anymore (being a mom of 3) so it seems like when I do take the time and really observe you, you have learned a new skill or have more teeth. I am in awe of you, Tucker. We love you to pieces.

Lilly's First Church Christmas Program

2010-01-06T16:08:00.005-06:00

Lilly was able to participate in our church Christmas program this year. The program was titled, "The Best Christmas Present Ever." It was held on December 13 at New Hope. Lilly had a blast and all of her practicing paid off.

I just want to paint a picture for you for a moment...

The show is about to start. The audience is quiet while the MC is talking about the program, etc, and then you hear a little voice in the background, "Hi Grandma." The audience chuckles and the little girl gets a little embarrassed.

That was Lilly. It was so darn cute!

She's such an entertainer. Even though her program is over, she still sings the songs around the house and we still ~~have to~~ get to listen to her practice CD over and over and over again.

Christmas 2009 and Tucker's Baptism

2010-01-06T15:57:00.012-06:00

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. We spent Christmas with Adam's family and then just celebrated with my family this past weekend. We ended up leaving the Monday before Christmas due to the snow and ice storm that was to come on Tuesday. I was thankful that we were able to leave town before the nasty weather came. We stayed at Adam's parent's house for a whole week. On the Sunday after Christmas (the 27th) we were blessed to have Tucker baptized.

Instead of me rambling on what we did, here are pictures that capture most of what our Christmas holiday looked like.

Grandpa reading us about the birth of Jesus

The kids with their string in hand. A tradition started by Adam's family when they were little boys. They each have their own color of string and they have to follow it from the Christmas tree (where it's tied on to) to wherever their gift is located. Let me tell you, it's quite the maze on Christmas morning.
Let the opening begin

Sorry about the eyes, but this captures just how excited Thatch was to get a broom just his size.
Frosting sugar cookies, another tradition

Making stepping stones with their feet and hands

Baptism

Our Family
The kiddosWe are so blessed!!
Grandpa and Grandma Kollasch
Grandpa and Grandma Doughan
All of the cousins have worn this same Baptism outfit and each time one is baptized we have their names added to the pant leg. Lilly's the only girl so she's the only one who's got to wear the beautiful long dress that goes over this romper outfit.

Grandpa baptizing Tucker

Thatcher is 2

2010-01-06T15:22:00.003-06:00

I know that I am way behind on blogging, but such is life. I decided that I wasn't going to fret over this blog thing, I don't need it to be a burden, It's just fun and actually informational for me for future reference.

Alright, where do I start...

Thatcher turned 2 on December 14. He's getting to be such a BIG boy. He has quite the personality. He's so laid back and easy going yet persistent when it comes to playing with his toys.
Here are Thatcher's stats:
Height: 34" (just below 75%)
Weight: 31 lb 3 oz (55%)

What are you doing at 2?

Your vocab is increasing everyday. You can speak in sentences. You love to copy whatever Lilly or we say
Some of your favorite phrases: "I did it" "You ok mommy" (or whoever may have coughed or sneezed "TV on, Diego movie" "Shoes on, off" (when you want me to take your shoes off) "Yiyi..." (Lilly) "Tatcher (Thatcher) do it"
You can jump--with 2 feet off the ground
You are not a picky eater--you'll eat anything but especially love junk food
You sleep like it's nobody's business (about 15-17 hrs/day)
You love your special blankie, but Lilly's will suffice when your's needs washing
You wear 2T bottoms and 2T-3T tops
Your nicknames are Thatch and Thatch-Man
You have this love for brooms, shovels, anything with a pole attached to it
You like to play with cars, legos, dump trucks, and balls
You're still so laid back and have cheeks that we can't stop kissing on
You sit on the potty but have never gone in it--it's ok, we'll get there:-)
You are in a crib still but in the next couple weeks will be transitioning to a big boy bed
You sleep in the basement and LOVE it, you love the dark quiet peaceful room
You're starting to want to be my little helper more and more

You're a Grandpa's boy--BIG TIME

Adam doesn't find it funny that Lilly and I play dress up and beauty shop with Thatch

Thatcher, you have become such a handsome little boy. We love everything about you, from your "ugly" cry to your sweet "You okay?" It seems like you have a heart that's so caring and giving and I pray that the Lord will continue to shape and mold you just the way He has planned.

Our Cute Centerpiece

2009-11-12T13:27:00.003-06:00

Just thought that I would share with you all our cute little centerpiece. He's sooo smiley and happy.

Crazy Daddy

2009-11-12T13:12:00.002-06:00

Funny Funny Funny Story!

Dad was going to get my pj's on the other night. Mom tells him, "There's some pj's on the shelf beside his diapers."

Here's what my dad put on me...

These clothes were not found on the shelf beside my diapers they were just "in" the same room. Crazy Dad! He had no idea that he was putting on my little brother's clothes that are a) way too small for me

and b) so dirty already with spit up. Wasn't there some kind of question in your mind like "Man, these pants are skin tight" and "Man, this shirt stinks and his shoulders barely fit through." I guess not.

I love you Daddy but sometimes you're too crazy.

Rolling Over

2009-11-12T13:02:00.003-06:00

Our Little Man is rolling over already. I can NOT believe it! He is a tummy sleeper but now has learned to turn onto his back. The first time he did this stunt was Nov. 4th and I thought it was a fluke. But now it's almost instantaneous as soon as he lays on his tummy, which makes going to sleep tricky sometimes.

For his morning nap yesterday, I just left him on his back to see what would happen, and this is what happened...

our little boy fell asleep on his back. This was a good thing except he didn't sleep nearly as long as he usually would have. For his afternoon nap, he did the same thing but once he was asleep I went in to flip him over again and he slept so well.

I have also figured out that he only likes to roll on his right shoulder so if I butt him up in the pack and play close to his right side then he ~~won't~~ can't roll over.

He's even found his thumb on occasion (like yesterday). When he does, he's just like his older brother, and will just sleep and sleep and sleep, I have to go wake him. It's so odd.

That's what's new in Tucker's life. Growing leaps and bounds each and every day in all sorts of ways. That's for sure. We are so blessed!

First Sleep Over

2009-11-12T12:50:00.002-06:00

I was sooo excited for my sleep over with my cousin Jackie-Boy. The first night my mommy tried to put me to bed at the same time as Jack but we soon figured out that was not going to work. Cousin Jack turns in early and I am kind of a night owl, so I just kept talking to him and he wasn't able to fall asleep. So this is what my mom and dad did instead: I started out going to bed in my mom and dad's bed and then once I was alseep they transfered me into my sleeping bag in my room with Jack. I had a great time spending a couple days with Jack. I miss him already. Love you Jackie-Boy!

Tucker 4 Months Old

2009-10-30T23:38:00.003-05:00

I am a BIG boy! Here are my stats: I weigh 17 lb 7 oz (97%), I am 26" long (95%), and my head is 16.25" round (50%). I am doing well on the growth chart. My head circumference percentile actually decreased from 75% to 50%, but the doc. said that that measurement is ok to fluctuate a bit at my age. "It's ok," she says. My doctor also checked my ears and I have some fluid in them (especially the right one), she said to just watch me. If I start acting different, then my mommy should call into the office to get me some medicine (my sister has ear infection problems). I am kind of congested a little bit, which may be the reason for the fluid in my ears. I hope that my body can just get rid of it itself and that I won't get an infection.

I am a VERY HAPPY baby. My mommy use to say that if I were half as happy as my cousin Orin, she'd be thrilled. I think that I am. I love to smile, love to coo, love to giggle at my siblings. It doesn't take much to make me happy. As long as I am fed and have a clean diaper I am good to go.

Sorry, my mommy didn't have time to get my red eye out

Here are some other facts about me at my age:

I love to play under my playmat
I love to suck on my fingers (I may be teething a little bit)
I wear 6-9 month clothes
I just switched to wearing size 3 diapers all of the time (not just at night), I started blowing my size 2 out--sorry mommy
I still love my pacifier
My mommy is letting me cry it out in the middle of the night if I wake up (I don't get my pacifier again if I spit it out)
I use to bunk with my sister but since mommy is letting me cry in the night, I sleep in their room or the office until I learn not to wake up--I don't want to wake Lilly up with my crying
I drink 7-8 oz of formula every 4 hours
I take 2 good naps during the day and sometimes need a 3rd in the evening
I am getting too big for my carseat bunting so mommy needs to find something else to keep me warm in this weather

My really cute birth mark on my tummy

That's about all that's going on with me at 4 months old. Enjoy the pictures that my mommy thinks she always has to take:-)

Our Little Ballerina

2009-10-30T23:29:00.004-05:00

(I finally got a picture of Lilly in her dance leotard and tights. I will take more when it's not raining outside.)

This is my first year in dance, at Robin's School of Dance, in Sioux Center. I absolutely LOVE it. I have met some really great friends. I don't tell mommy and daddy everything that I learn because I finally get to keep something to myself. I often say "well, maybe you should just come and watch me then if you want to know." It's a pre-dance class that I am in. I learn tumbling, basic dance (ballet) movements, sing songs, and have a lot of fun.

Thanks Grandpa and Grandma Kollasch for this great gift. I love you!

It's Working--slow but sure

2009-10-23T15:23:00.003-05:00

Our life has been pretty crazy lately. Adam's busy with the fall rush of construction, trying to meet a deadline for the house they're building, putting plans together for a new spec house to build yet this fall, Butlers, Converge, so on and so forth. I just have to keep reminding myself that this season too shall pass, even if it's a couple years down the road, it too shall pass.

I have been so blessed to be able to stay at home all the while with not only my own kids, but as of late, my nephew Orin-while his mommy does some subbing at the local middle school. It has been so great getting to spend time with Orin and seeing my own kids interact with him. Lilly is such a mommy.

This brings me to my main topic. Lilly. She is going through some major changes right now. She's trying to adapt to 2 little siblings and discovering her own will. Adam and I have had to really bare down and be extra consistent with her, in lots of areas of her life-general schedule, naptime, bedtime, discipline, how she talks, how she acts.

I feel like we have always found it crucial to be consistent but as she's gotten older and gained siblings, it's so much MORE important. When she directly disobeys us, she is not only disobeying us and the Lord, she is showing her siblings how to disobey. This is so dangerous, especially when Thatcher is in super copy mode. It seems like Adam & I could be kind of lenient before we would simply verbally correct her and go on. Now, once Lilly is disobedient or disrespectful she is verbally corrected and if it continues a spanking is necessary. She knows what we expect out of her and the second she deviates from those expectations, a verbal talk is needed, we can no longer shrug it off. (Her and I have had numerous heart to heart talks in her bedroom) It will only get worse and worse if the situation is not taken care of right away. I definitely feel like we are breaking her spirit--not breaking as in ruining it, but breaking as in breaking a wild horse. Does that make sense??

Now, when her attitude starts to turn negative or she starts bullying her brother, all I have to do is look at her because she knows what I expect of her. I will catch her correcting herself now. Instead of "Mommy, help me." She'll say, "Mommy, may you help me?" (even though it s/b will you help me, but I will correct that later). If she doesn't correct herself, we will say, "Lilly, try again" and she knows what we mean.

She's to the point now that she really needs meaningful attention from daddy AND mommy. We can no more just go through the day without making Lilly time. Bedtime is a disaster if we don't have this special time for her.

Those are the 2 areas where we've had to concentrate a lot of time, 1)her spirit and 2)her quality time

Lilly, we love you dearly and love the little girl who you have become. Stay strong, stay energetic and stay close to us. We love everything about you!! ~Mom & Dad

My 3-Month Old Baby Boy

2009-09-25T14:14:00.005-05:00

Tucker, you were 3 months old yesterday. I can't believe that 3 months have passed us by already. It seems like just the other day we were bringing you home from the hospital. Here's what you've been up to lately:

Not sure how much you weigh or how long you are this month???
You sleep through the night (10-12 hours)
You sleep swaddled in your blanket on your back--you're even getting a bald spot. This is something that I had to experiment with just to see what you liked better. I tried a sleep sack on your stomach, a sleep sack on your back, just on your stomach (like Lilly & Thatch), but you would still wake up a lot during the night, so I went back to swaddling you and you love it!
You love to go to sleep with your pacifier. I will sometimes have to give it to you early in the morning but then you'll sleep again until I wake you to eat.
You drink 5 oz bottles every 4 hours, except I squeeze a 5th bottle in before bedtime that is 6 oz of formula
You take 1ml of Zantac twice a day but still spit up quite a bit, but isn't cranky about it
You wear 3-6 month clothes
Your wear size 2 diapers but even blow them out once in a while
You're pretty predictable now, if your fed, not in dirty pants, & not sleepy, you are so content to just play and take it all in
You can sit up pretty good against the couch or in your bumbo
You love to stand on your chubby little legs
You love your play mat
You love your bouncy seat
You love to give smiles and laughs to the people you love

This is what your schedule for the day looks like:

8am- 5 oz bottle
10am- 11:30am- nap
11:30am- Zantac & 5 oz bottle (we wait a good 15 min after we give you your meds so that it can get into your system a little better)
1:30-4pm- nap
4pmish- 5 oz bottle
6pm-7pm-nap
7:30pm-5 oz bottle (I try to do this one a little earlier b/c I want you to eat again before bed)
9:30-10pmish- 6 oz bottle

I am still pretty flexible with your schedule, I know that it doesn't exactly follow a 4-hour schedule but it works for you and for our family.

Joyful Kids

2009-09-25T13:34:00.004-05:00

This just amazes me--time really does fly by.

I have a nephew who just LOVES cars--hotwheels & CARS to be exact. When he picked up this love for playing with cars, I remember thinking to myself, "I can't wait until my boys are old enough to 'drive' cars all around the house."

I didn't expect this time to come so soon. Thatcher was given his own money to spend and with mommy's help at Target we decided that the 10 pack of hotwheels cars was the perfect toy to buy. Thatch has been entertained for hours with these new cars! Whether it's playing with them on top of the kitchen table or even underneath the kitchen table, he's definitely happy to be with his "trucks" as he calls them.

I have so much joy seeing my kids happy. Now, I hope that I don't sound out of line here. It's not that I have to buy them new toys to be happy. I pray that my children will let Jesus come live inside of them and make them happy and joyful just as Thatcher's new 'trucks' have made
him one happy little fellow.

Thank you, kids, for being who you are. Thank you for letting me be your mommy. And thank you for being happy!

Zoo

2009-09-08T15:01:00.006-05:00

We had a blast at the zoo. The weather was so nice. I do have to say I don't think it would have been a great idea for Adam & I to take all 3 of our children by ourselves. We were blessed to have 4 other adults who were able to help us out. Thanks Mom & Dad and Christa & Drew. We had a great time.

Here's some of our favorite things that we saw:

Lilly had a great time! She was very good at following the rule: if you aren't going to ride in the stroller, you must hang on to someone's hand. There were a few times when Adam had to chase her down, but for the most part she abided. She really really wanted to see hippos but didn't and was content with the elephants and rhionos. She also really enjoyed her snow cone until the bee decided that it was his.

Thatcher seems to think that any animal that he sees is a puppy. So, we saw A LOT of puppies at the zoo according to him. He was more intrigued than I thought he would be but his facial expressions would probably tell you differently. He's so mellow (as the picture posted below shows). My favorite moment with Thatch Man was when the rhinos started to head butt. After we all gasped at the rhinos, Thatcher wanted nothing to do with them anymore. He didn't even want to see them no matter how far away we were.

Tucker pretty much slept the whole time. He was a trooper. The first photo was when we first entered the zoo. Can't you tell that he was SO excited??

Grandpa & Grandma Love

2009-09-08T14:46:00.004-05:00

This weekend both sets of grandparents got to spend time with the grandchildren. My kids are so excited when Grandpa & Grandma come they don't even really act like themselves. We are so blessed to have such loving, caring, and playful grandparents. Thank you for always being willing to play with our children and for loving them unconditionally!

Candy & Temper Tantrums

2009-08-30T22:03:00.004-05:00

Thatcher can be the most cuddly & most polite little boy there is. However, like all of us, he has his weaknesses. Candy happens to be one of them. From the moment he gets up in the morning he's asking "candy, candy" and it just breaks his heart when I explain to him that he may not have candy EVERY DAY.

We use to keep a bowl of goodies out on our table for our guests to feel like they can help themselves, but lately it has been tempting Thatcher way too much. I have even caught him standing on top of the table to be close to the bowl. (I wish I could just wear my camera on my hip so when moments like this happen, I am ready. Sadly I have no evidence of it) I decided that I would just take the temptation away. At least I thought that I was. It now sits in our pantry cupboard but every time the door opens when Thatch Man is around, he goes into his candy frenzy. Today I caught him in action with a piece already in his mouth I believe.

I have no idea how he got the bowl. Probably with the help of a chair or his older sister. I had to take the bowl away and here's how he handled it. A temper tantrum.

He spent some time cuddling with his daddy and then received some explanation that he may not go into the pantry without asking. By the time this was done, he was already drooling pink from the candy that he did manage to stuff into his mouth before we caught him.

Big Sister & Big Brother

2009-08-30T21:53:00.005-05:00

I am getting so big and can interact with my sister & brother more and more every day. They love me SO much and I love them SO much. I love to smile at them, coo at them, and even read stories with them. They love to...

Put in my pacifier

Kiss on me

Read me stories

Hold me

Lilly's Park

2009-08-30T16:55:00.006-05:00

Yesterday was so beautiful that we, as a family, headed to the park not far from our house. We are blessed to be so close. It has become known as 'Lilly's Park'. It has been great to see Lilly grow each year and become more adventurous and now be able to handle virtually everything that is there, which makes life easier when you are out-numbered kids to parents:-) but...

...there comes 'Thatch Man', our new nickname for this adorable yet stubborn little brother. He's come to think that if Lilly can do it than why can't I? This can get interesting which is why I don't dare take them to the park by myself yet. (I do believe I am getting closer to convincing myself that it wouldn't be that bad).

We had a great time. I thought that I would catch some pictures this time as I haven't shot any yet this year. Hope you enjoy.

Swings

Monkey See Monkey Do

Daddy makes me show off how strong I am. I can hang from monkey bars already:-)

So Can I
Trying out the slides in 'various' positions
Yep, that's right, "I'm flipping over"-A little scary
We didn't even know she could climb this by herself yet. She showed us!
Always exploring
Just Hanging out in the stroller, playing with my toys. Notice that I can hold my toys now. I am so big!

Just Having SO much Fun!

He's BIG (2-month checkup)

2009-08-27T12:43:00.002-05:00

Here's the stats on Tucker Harvey at 2 months old:
*Height: 23.25" (90th%)
*Weight: 13lb 7oz (97th%) WOW!!!
*Head Circumference: 15.51" (?%)

We've always had plump babies but never long babies. I was pretty shocked at that stat. Adam had the privilege of taking Tucker to see Dr. Pals for this 2 month checkup with a list of questions in hand (his idea, not mine).

Tucker's doing great. We were advised to keep him on the Zantac for a month or so longer. His feeding issues are no longer, just the normal spit up that babies can have and the normal gassiness that can sometimes happen too, but nothing like before.

I did notice that Tucker's been having diarrhea with every feeding so I had Adam bring that up at his appointment too. Doc said to not worry about it if it's not bloody and if he keeps gaining weight. She said it just is how his digestive system is working right now.

I moved him up to Size 2 diapers because he was blowing out the size 1 every time. It was very annoying and gross. I guess he's pretty powerful because he's even blowing out of the size 2. I am just going to have to strategically hold him and position him when he has a bowel movement so this doesn't happen EVERY time. Such is life and I am good with that.

We have a healthy boy and are very blessed for that.

Sunday School

2009-08-23T13:33:00.003-05:00

Lilly got to go to Sunday School for the first time today. She was SO excited when we told her the news. She could hardly wait until church was over.

Sitting in church, listening (trying to listen) to the sermon. Our conversation:

Lilly: (loudly) "Mom, I want to go home NOW"
Mom: (whisper) "We need to listen to Pastor Jeff. Besides, I thought you were going to go to Sunday school after church?"
Lilly: (loudly) "I want to go to school NOW"
Mom: (whisper) "I need you to behave like a big girl and soon we will get to go to school"

Lilly listened well and got her wish. She's growing up so fast, I just can't believe it.

Just Because

2009-08-23T12:57:00.004-05:00

Just some fun pictures that I wanted to share with you all!

All playing in Lilly's bed. So much fun.

Sporting a pretty cool hat that she found in my closet.

Thatcher feeds himself but often times it ends up all in his hair, like in this picture. But he's still so precious to us.

Throwing a temper tantrum. He's getting to be a pro at them so we're working on that with him.

Just so darn cute!

Sleeping

2009-08-23T12:32:00.004-05:00

For two nights in a row now Tucker has decided that he will let his mama and dada sleep! I have been praying for the Lord to bless us with this event for about a week now and hopefully it's here to stay. It's amazing how a well rested mama feels so much better which in turn can accomplish a whole lot more. Tucker's been eating his last bottle at about 9:30pm (I think a little later last night with the babysitters) and not waking up until 6am to eat again. It's so wonderful!

Today we decided to try the early service at church which means we had to be out the door at 8:15am to catch the 8:30am service. I ended up having to wake all of the kids up, including Tucker to get them fed, dressed, and ready to go. It was such a great night. More importantly, the kids did awesome in church (with the exception of Lilly needing a couple reminders of how to act).

Another changing event that will soon take place is transitioning Tucker out of his cradle and into the pack and play but still sleeping in our room. The pictures to follow with tell you why this event is to happen:-)

Have a wonderful Sunday!

You can't really tell from these photos, but both arms are sticking out throught the cradle spindles. He's getting SO big!

Tucker 8 weeks

2009-08-20T14:13:00.006-05:00

My Beautiful Children
(looking so innocent)

Tucker was 8 weeks old yesterday. He's growing so fast and is adjusting to our life so well. He's loved by so many people as you can see.

We got to head to Sioux City with Dad yesterday. We had a great time in Lowes which is where we spent most of our time. The kids had fun looking at brochures of tools, running up and down the aisles of lumber, talking to everyone who passed them by, and eventually even had a game of hide-and-seek going in between all of the quickcrete bags. We probably looked like wild animals in Lowes, but the kids sure had fun.

What is Tucker doing at 8 weeks of age? We're still not really on time-based schedule b/c he's not waking up at the same time each day. The consistency is that he's eating every three hours and is having a little awake time after he eats and before he naps during the day. At night he usually goes 5-6 hrs until his middle of the night feeding and then another 4 hours before his next feeding and that's when we start his day. (he has done 7 & 8 hrs between his last night feeding and morning feeding, but still inconsistent.)

So we have a middle of the night feeding (hopefully he won't need this much longer), early morning feeding, and every three hours after that. After the late afternoon feeding we usually use this time to go to the park, go visit dad, walk to the grocery store, or just play outside. Tucker usually falls asleep at some point during this time and then I wake him for a 6 or 6:30pm feeding.

Between 9-9:30pm we give him 5 oz of formula and then he goes to bed and we do the cycle over again.

Here's what I'm striving his schedule to look like:

8am: Eat 4 oz
10am-11am: nap
11am: Eat 4 oz
1pm-3pm: nap
3pm: Eat 4 oz (I know it's a 4-hr stint but he often does this already at least one time a day) Go do our errands/etc after this feeding
6pm: Eat 4 oz
7:30pm-8:30pm: nap
9pm: Eat 5 oz (also takes Zantac at 8:30pm before this feeding)
8am: Eat 4 oz

What else do you do? You are smiling, cooing, using your pacifier to go to sleep, feeding better than a few weeks ago, wearing 0-3 & 3-6 mo clothes, wearing sz 1 diapers but could probably fit in a 2 better, & discovering that you have arms and legs and have a world around you full of bright colors and moving objects.

Check back on Wednesday to get his stats from the doctor. We're excited to see how big you are!!

Helping Dad

2009-08-20T13:37:00.007-05:00

This past weekend Adam worked on the house a little bit. He's working on taking our rod iron 1960s support posts out and is going to replace them with craftsman-looking wooden posts instead. I am so excited to see how they turn out. He started the project when all of the kids were down for naps (when we do most of our projects) but was still working when they awoke so he had LOTS of help. Good help:-)

Here are some pictures of their quality time together. Even though he didn't get much done I don't think that Adam would have traded this time for anything. He was glowing just watching his kids do what HE loves to do.

Lilly reminds me of her Uncle Colin and Cousin Jack with the whole tongue hanging out of her mouth.

Garage Sale

2009-08-18T15:17:00.002-05:00

Just giving you all an update on what's been going on in our home lately.

I have been busy going through all of the kids' outgrown clothes because I am going to have a garage sale here in September during the city wide garage sale weekend. Boy, this is quite the task. I have all of the kids' clothes gone through and priced. I have yet to do my own, Adam's, and other misc. items. Hopefully I will continue to do just a little bit everyday. There will be tons of items for all different people so come on by!!!

All three of my kids have colds right now. Lilly's cold is getting better. I am chalking her's up to allergies b/c once I gave her her singulair the next day she was tons better. Thatcher I am not sure about. I am debating whether to give him some Singulair too just to see. His cough sounds terrible. This is his first ever "sickness" That's pretty good being that he's 19 months old. We think he stays so healthy b/c he's well rested. Tucker just gets congested at night when he's been laying for hours at a time. Last night his nose must have been draining into his tummy b/c he threw up all over Adam and it was very mucusey. Poor thing. His eyes are watering quite a bit, but that could be his blocked tear duct too.

Overall, we're doing pretty good. Adam's busy building a house and doing a million other things on top of that. I am just trying to keep up with everything and everybody.

Hope this post finds you all well and check back tomorrow for Tucker's 2-month update.

Tucker Update

2009-08-15T11:17:00.002-05:00

Ok. So the last time I posted I think that I had decided to not switch his formula but to see if the Zantac would work first. Since then, things have changed. I thought that my family wouldn't get assistance anymore for purchasing formula, cereal, juice, etc. but we do so my game plan changed with Tucker's feedings.

He now is on Similac Sensitive and still receives 1 ml of Zantac twice a day. He seems to be doing much better. He definitely doesn't spit up like he used to and he doesn't have quite as many fussy feeding times either. I know that now I am not really finding out what the root cause of Tucker's fussiness was but the doc did say that the Zantac won't hurt him, so I am content with doing what we're doing.

Last night Adam & I went on a double date with some dear friends so we left ALL THREE kids with a babysitter (who brought backup help too). This was the first time that we left Tucker at home with a sitter so it was kind of a big deal for us, even on our third go around. I guess that Tucker did struggle with his 9pm feeding but he did eat all 4 oz and they even got him to bed, so overall I think it was a success--Right Elizabeth???

Today Grandpa and Grandma Kollasch are coming to stay while Adam & I help some other dear friends cater a wedding, so that should be fun. Hopefully I will remember to take some pictures of the kids with their grandparents to share with you all.

Have a great weekend!!

SMILE!

2009-08-12T13:54:00.003-05:00

I captured Tucker's smile on camera the other day and thought that I would share it with the world. It's kind of tricky to get it on camera since you have to be like right in his face in order for him to get a good look at you which in turn immediately leads to a smile.

I love how my nephew, Orin, is such a smiley little boy. I pray that the Lord blesses me with one too. It's so cute when you just take one look at Orin and he immediately gives you his big flirty smile.

Here's one of many many more smiles of Tucker.

Afterthought

2009-08-08T15:30:00.002-05:00

I forgot to mention that Tucker was also weighed at the doctor's and he was 12lb 12oz--big boy and that put him in the 97th percentile!!!! WOW!! Also, I need to note that not only is he smiling adorably but he also is cooing just as adorable. That's it for now.

Acid Reflux or Formula

2009-08-07T16:54:00.002-05:00

So we just got back from the doctor and it's so hard to know what really is going on but this is what we decided to do. The doc prescribed Zantac (1 ml twice a day). We are going to be giving this to Tucker for awhile (I haven't decided what "a while" means yet) and we are going to stay on our current formula, Good Start. If the fussiness/spitting up/being uncomfortable continues, I will make the assumption that it's not really acid reflux but the formula. If this happens then I will take him off of the Good Start and give him the cans of formula the doc also sent home with me, Enfamil Gentlease that has partially broken down proteins.

I have a feeling that Tucker's going to be relieved finally and I am very greatful for that.

I will leave you with just a cute picture.

Tucker 6 weeks Old

2009-08-07T13:19:00.008-05:00

My baby boy is 6 weeks old already. I can't believe that time goes by so quickly. Things have been well around the home front. It seems like we haven't been home all that much since Tucker was born, I guess in some ways that's good and in some ways it's good to just be home for a while so that we can establish routines.

Activities that you've done in the past month and a half include: spending the 4th of July at the Cabin in Spirit Lake (just a week old), spending 10 days in Grundy Center with Grandpa and Grandma Doughan while Daddy worked there, and camping in Austin MN for the Bartolo Family Reunion. You did awesome through all of this!

What are you up to at 6 weeks old??

Eats every 3 hours 4 oz of Goodstart formula (your eating problems is a whole other post)
Sleeps 6-7 hours starting at around 9pm and then sleeps for another 5 or so after that
Spits up a lot and does not like to burp even when we give you gas drops before EVERY feeding
Loves your swing (but can't spend much time in it because your older brother will destroy you)
Is starting to smile for real (it's not just gas)

Overall, you are adapting well into our family. I wouldn't say that we've (meaning "I") haven't really gotten a good routine down yet, but we are making progress. I mean, Thatcher still has to stay in bed until 9am because I haven't figured out how to get him out earlier than that with Tucker's feeding schedule (but at least he doesn't mind staying in there for a prolonged period of time). I guess that's the biggest obstacle to overcome right now. But I think that once Tucker's feeding dilemma gets solved, we'll be able to feed him in a shorter amount of time which means we'll be able to get Thatcher sooner.

Sorry for such a long post, but this leads me to talk about Tucker's feeding problems. Pray for us, we actually go into the doctor today at 2:30pm to see if we can't figure it out.

When do you know that your baby has more of a problem than just being gassy and it just being a stage??? I think putting up with a fussy fussy baby while he eats for 6 weeks is long enough. He may have acid reflux, a digestion problem, or maybe even a milk allergy, but nonetheless he is not a happy camper when he eats. This is what I DO know:

His legs go stiff as a board after only 1/2-1 oz of formula
He has trouble burping so he just stays in pain
Sometimes I can get him to burp but then it's followed by a whole lot of spit up
So far, he has thrown up 3 times. I say thrown up because it's definitely more than just spit up because it uses all of his body to get the job done and it has just kept coming and coming and coming
He goes a day with great feedings-still a lot of spit up and not very good burps, but then the next few are terrible and the pattern just repeats itself

Hopefully we can figure out what's going on and life will seem that much easier. I thank God that I have been blessed with these three kids and I would have to say that overall I have it pretty good!!! Thank you Jesus.

I Gave In

2009-08-06T16:57:00.002-05:00

Ok. So I have been contemplating whether to start a blog or not. I decided that "NO" I shouldn't because I don't really have the time to blog, but the more I got to thinking about it the real reason was because I didn't need to start another addiction. I convinced myself that even if it does become an addiction, it will be a good source for me to look back at when it comes to all sorts of things in my life right now.

It seems to me that my life is pretty crazy at this point. I have a 3-yr old daughter, Lilly, who loves life. She's as sociable as they come and talks nonstop (I believe she got that from me). She dances better than most adults. We'll put her into dance as soon as we feel that we're in the position to do so. She definitely likes to use her motherly gifts as well. I have to say that if it weren't for her, I would have gone insane a long time ago.

Then comes our charmer, Thatcher. He's 19 months old and is learning new things each and every day. He's a bit of a mommy's boy (or daddy's) but definitely not just anyone's. (it's getting better though). Thatch makes it known when he feels comfortable around people. He'll just slowly maneuver his way to his chosen and reach up with hands and hope that the gesture is returned to him. He has a few favorites when it comes to our family & friends (Uncle Ry Ry, Andy and Brandon to name a few). Thatcher is as persistent as they come but is as equally adorable.

Last, but certainly not least is Tucker. He was 6 weeks old yesterday. I will go into detail about Tucker in a later post.

My husband and I have always been entrapreneur minded. While he stays busy with his businesses, I have started a new business with my sister-in-law, Katie, called The Dotted Duck. Right now, we sell handmade greeting cards, bibs, and burpies.

That's enough "about us". I guess that I envision this blog to chronicle the moments of being a mom, a wife, and most importanly a servant.