Stuck Together

The last few days it has been between 50-60 degrees here before the next snow storm moves in. Usually we take full advantage of these little breaks and spend them at the zoo or on a playground, but not this weekend. Head colds have taken over half the family, so we are stuck inside for a little R&R.

Trying to keep things calm and quiet, we built a big Thomas set up in the living room... normally not permitted. Tristan thought it was a special treat and played so well for the

whole morning. The other little munchkins were just happy to be so close to Tristan. You would have thought he was one of the Beatles when he actually came and sat among them. At first there was surprise and delight, which quickly turned to "get a lock of his hair!"

Hopefully we are all on the mend just in time for the freeze tomorrow and big snow tomorrow night. Great.

(Ian in Red, Finn in Green)

The Boys at 7 Months

I love these seven month old babies!!

They are so much easier and more fun to take care of than six months ago. Both of them are all smiles and love to sit and play and amuse each other. Could I be reaping some of those benefits my grandmother told me about?

Both boys are sitting up really well and now enjoying dinner each night. They are sleeping better at night and giving me a bit more rest. Just when I thought I had missed something and could not remember what I did with Tristan to get him on a napping/feeding/sleeping at night schedule, the boys started to do it naturally. I thought "oh yeah, that's what we let Tristan do, too." I'm not all hippee "let my baby name itself when they are old enough to choose", but I do so much enjoy watching the natural workings of a baby's body and mind to grow and develop. The more I relax and take my cues from them, the easier it all flows. The boys are in their own beds now, so I have to walk sideways around my room, but it's worth it to give them their own space. Oh, I can feel a good nights sleep coming any day now!

Don't let these cute and civil pictures fool you though. When these two get too close, they pretty much attack each other. It's not a pretty sight, and it is a glimpse of years to come.

A bit about my boys:

Ian is the one that likes to be cuddles and held. Ian never lets us go too long with out reminding us that we need to slow down and snuggle a baby. His smiles are precious and make you feel so wonderful because he really makes you work for them. Waiting until he can do something really well before trying it is more his style. Finn tried sitting up first, but when Ian did it he just sat up straight and didn't wobble. Ian is also the one that starts trouble. He is the one at 6am blowing raspberries to wake Finn up and get him laughing and blowing raspberries back, and then Ian goes back to sleep leaving me to deal with Finn. He quietly steals the pile of toys the babies are playing with. I have no idea how, but he always seems gets them!

Finn is ready to rain smiles on anyone who will look in his direction. His favorite person is Tristan for sure. Just a glance from that big boy sends Finn on his way to the best day of his life. He is a little more laid back and content to play by himself. When he looks at toys you can hear the bubble above his head saying, "What does this do? How does this work? I want to taste that!"

When did I get voted "the mom"?

When I was growing up and something tough needed to get done, my mom just did it. We would always tell her, "that's why we voted you "the mom."
This morning I packed little Finn up and headed to the best children's hospital in Denver for a small surgery. I have never had any of my kids need care on this professional level. I had been nervous for this day since Dr. Steitz told me he would need this when he was only a few days old, and now the day had come.
Finn and I had a good two and a half hours in our pre-op room waiting for all the parties to arrive. He was happy and inquisitive about everything and everyone in the room. Once the nurses left and the small room had been explored, it was nap time with mom until the doctor came. Because he is not a year old, I was not allowed to go back with him to the OR but the surgical nurse was nice enough and he even carried Finn down instead of wheeling him to make him feel more comfortable.
Then the waiting began. I started my "time killing" plan by going down to get some breakfast and stopping by the gift shop to get Finn a Teddy bear for being so brave (or was it something for me to cuddle while I waited impatiently?).

Back up in the waiting area with my breakfast, iphone, and 45 minutes down I thought I was doing pretty good. Then I heard it. It made my heart stop for a moment. "Finn's mom? You have a call from the OR." I actually did not want to take the phone from her, as if that would make the news I heard any better? Turns out they just had a hard time putting an iv in and they were just now starting the procedure. Great. I had used up all my "time killing" field trips.

The waiting room in a pediatric surgical unit has got to be one of the worst places to be. I don't really want to ever go again. Every time the door opened, we all looked up in hopes that it would be our doctor's face. Everyone is on edge and we are all in the same boat. Luck for us, all the workers at the hospital get why we are there and are really nice about our nervousness. I did okay for an hour and a half and then it all hit me.
Why were they not out yet?
Why have I not heard?
The panic attack increased and it had grown so slowly that I hadn't realized what was going on. My chest was tightening and I was really having trouble breathing. It took about 15 minutes, a walk to get water and lifesavers, a trip to the bathroom to tell myself I was now voted in as "the mom" and I better pull it together. That was enough to at least keep me breathing and to stop me from bursting into tears as soon as I saw the doctor.
Finally, the doctor came out and reassured me that Finn was fine and we talked about the recovery. After what felt like forever, the receptionist looked at me and said, "would you like to go back and see Dylan now?" I wanted to say, "if it gets me closer to Finn then yes!"
More waiting.
Once it was my turn to go back, I could not move fast enough. I was literally dropping my stuff as I was collecting it. To be honest, I was ready to abandon all of it and just go. As I walked to the back I could hear crying, but quickly found out it was not Finn. He was still sleeping. He slept for a long time, waking only for the picture. His vitals were fine and they said they didn't need him to stay awake, they just needed him to eat. I made a bottle, popped it in, and they sent us on our way.

Now it's all about the spread sheet of the obnoxious number of meds/doses that he needs for the next 48 hours. That is a full time job by itself. I usually have both babies over night, but Neil was nice enough to take Ian for the next couple of nights while Finn needs me most. Here is to fast healing, low pain, and hopefully never sitting in that waiting room again.
I never knew how hard some of those "mom" moments were. Sorry, Mom.

Finn grew up over night!!!

I don't know how it happened, but Finn went to bed a true baby and woke up a whole new kid! He had rolled over before and dabbled a bit with sitting up, but today it's like everything just clicked. He sits on his own for many minutes without tipping back and plays with the toys in front of him with true purpose, not just sticking them in his mouth. How did this happen? I feel like it was a gradual change with Tristan. I'm just glad that Ian didn't choose the same night to start doing all these new things. I don't think I could have handled losing two "true babies" in one night!
Finn was sitting on Neil's lap in the kitchen while Tristan was playing with a "bat and ball." We suddenly noticed that he was laughing at something intentional, and that thing was Tristan! As soon as Tristan figured out that he had an audience the action really kicked up! Another first for Finn and all in this one long New Years Day!