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THE MCTRIPLETS
McTriplet Mommy |
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STILL SO EMOTIONAL?
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Feb 12, 2008 08:16pm (EST)
Wow - something happened Sunday night that hadn't happened for a while. If you're wanting an update on the boys or words of wisdom in regards to my children - skip to the end. This blog is about me. 
Extreme Home Makeover Sunday was a local story and was, therefore, ALL over the news for hours before the show aired so we were glued to the TV. My husband knew the dad as he used to work with his ex-wife (the dad's ex-wife, not Scott's ex-wife  ) - who doesn't like to see not only someone local - but someone they KNOW - on a national tv show??? The dad in the episode was a Marine who lost his leg and is also now a single dad. They redesigned the house to make it more accesible for him let alone how cool they made it for his kids.
Many of you know that my husband was in an accident at work when I was six weeks pregnant and his leg had to be amputated because of his injuries. Man, watching that show on Sunday - I completely lost it. I haven't cried like that about his accident - three and a half years later - in so long. Sometimes these things just *get* me. My husband and I are both very positive people, his accident and everything surrounding it made us 300% closer - truly. We were madly in love before - but we are so close now and can talk about things I know people who have been married 50 years can't quite talk about.
But, honestly, it is very hard sometimes. So many times (probably most of the time) I don't really think about his disabillity much. He is my husband. I am even more in love with him (if that is possible) than the the day we get married. He has proven time and again that he is an absolutely incredible father, husband and friend. But when I see those commercials of couples walking hand in hand in the sand on the beach or playing in the ocean, of dads teaching their kids how to play soccer and slide into home in baseball, of families in the pool togther - our family videos just won't ever look like that. My three year old kids know the word "prosthesis" and "crutches" (heck - guess Shonda's kids know what cruthces are!) because these are things my husband uses every single day of his life. When it is "their day" - part of what they get to do that day is help Daddy put on his prosthesis, screw in the "plug" on the side after it is on, get Daddy's clothes out for him and bring them to him - I just wonder what they'll think when they're older. Some day their friends are going to see Scott's leg (he loves how "industrial" it looks and lives in shorts 9 months out of the year) and ask them about it. I hope they are strong enough to "stick-up" for their dad - just like I hope they stick together on any of their challenges like vision. I think it is incredibly fortunate - and unfortunate - that Scott's accident was before they were born. They never knew their daddy without his prosthesis - that is so incredibly sad to me. But they didn't have to "endure" his accident - I can't imagine three ten year old boys having to be told their father was in an accident like that.
Now let's get one thing straight - we are a family of five. A complete family of five. I am the wife of a man who was nearly killed 3 1/2 years ago in a terrible industrial accident. I am the mother of a 23 week and 2 26 week preemies who, statistically, shouldn't have all of their siblings to share a room with let alone who incredibly smart and unbelievably healthy they are. I am always "scolded" by my therapist that I qualify things like "but... things are good" or whatever it is - like I don't have the right to be upset about things. But when I have very, very dear friends who are going to bed tonight having lost someone who should be going to bed tonight under their roof - it seems trivial to say, "My husband can't go swimming in the ocean with our three kids," but Sunday's episode of EHM got me.
Deep breath.
Okay - if you are looking for that update on the boys... geez, they're ornery. Naughty, naughty, naughty. Last night I led my first conference call with our family team commitee. I got off the phone, checked on the boys, and picked the hpone back up to call Denise.... I walked in to the boys' room and they were all three nekked, the beds had been stripped, and someone (Sullivan was SO proud!!) had pooped on the floor then smeared it on the walls. Wonderful. Tumbling tonight was a nightmare. Fun! But darn they're smart - Lorne told me today after I asked him what he did at school, "I finger painted!" I asked what color he used and he said, "Well... (all mysterious like)... not wellow (yellow),... not blue,.... not green.... RED!" It was so cute - like he thought I'd start guessing or something.
They are so darn cute. Sullivan's favorite phrase right now is, "I be right back..." like he needs to let me know every time he leaves the room. His speech is still so hard to understand but it is getting SO much better.
Still waiting on auth for Isaac's GHT shots - it's been about a month and they said it'd take about a month so should be soon. I'm anxiously anticipating/dreading that call that they'll be out soon to teach us how to do the shots.
Take care, all - thank you for your constant support.
Kara
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Posted by McTriplet Mommy | Comments: (13) | Permalink
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HEAVEN ON EARTH FOR A THREE YEAR OLD...
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Feb 03, 2008 12:43pm (EST)
Oh. My. Goodness! I was a bit nervous Friday as Isaac was not feeling well. I was so afraid our fun day may be canceled! But, no, he was feeling better... and we all went to the "Elmo Show" yesterday!!!
As Scott put it - it was "purely enjoyable." Usually when we do things like this - even if they're super fun, there is a HUGE stress element in wrangling three three-year olds that sometimes we almost wonder if it was worth it. Yesterday the boys were SO good. They were mesmerized by the show - they hardly moved!! We had a GREAT time - Lorne was probably the most in to it. He kept shouting to the characters as they came on stage, "Hi, Cookie Monster!!" "Hi, Zoe!!!!" Absolutely adorable.
Isaac wasn't feeling 100% and sat and watched, but didn't really participate much (though he is singing along to the itsy-bitsy spider in the pic below). Sullivan was pretty good - until we ran out of snacks! It was great - really, really great.
In other news I have to make a shameless brag on my "oldest"... yesterday he was putting together an alphabet puzzle. My boys, by "necessity", can recognize their names or at least the first letter of their name. Nearly *everything* is labeled - their coats, their shoes, so they are very good at recognizing their letter and their brothers' letters.
So - Lorne found the "L" in the puzzle and said, "L for Lorne!" and he also found his brothers' letters... he then proceeded to find the, "Z for Zachary!" "E for Elizabeth!" and "S for Spencer!" - his friends from school. Heck - I would have been impressed if he would have recognized the letters "Z", "E", and "S" (well - he knows S and I...) but he named his friends whose names started with that letter! What a smartie.
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Posted by McTriplet Mommy | Comments: (11) | Permalink
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BLAME IT ON THE RAIN...
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Jan 25, 2008 05:20pm (EST)
... it was sort-a fallin'. Blame it on the stars that shine at night.
Or maybe, blame it on the wonderful bonding I had with the girls this weekend. The kind of weekend with the kind of girls who you can talk about *anything* with and not be judged. The kind of weekend that you leave emotionally drained (in the BEST possible way) because you've talked your heart out.
Or maybe, I blame it on my husband who is the most wonderful man I know. Maybe I'll blame it on the fact that when he wraps his arms around me - I feel so incredibly safe and secure and comfortable to talk about *anything* and know that he supports me.
I'll definitely blame it on the fact that I haven't gotten much sleep lately.
Whatever the cause - I had a big ol' breakdown last Sunday night. I was upset about the boys, about Isaac's growth hormone test results and what that means to our family. I was upset about the fact that we were down to the last bag to Lorne's pump and, since Monday was a holiday, we were treading very thin ice as to whether we'd be able to adequately feed our child dependent on a feeding tube for the next two days until we got our next delivery. I was upset because Lorne has been complaining lately his "button hurts". I was impressed - and deeply saddened - that Lorne is now able to hook up his feeding pump entirely by himself. And, honestly, I was mentally and emotionally drained from taking care of the three most adorable, wonderful - and ornery boys I know.
Just seems like it should be "over" already. The medical stuff I mean. I know that I will always be a parent - oh how I love that. I think I am really starting to get why my parents waited up for me when I was 20-some years old and home from college. I would most certainly and definitely NOT want to not be these boys' mommy. It seems almost silly to me - over a YEAR without a hospitalization, surgery or anything at all "major" that this comes now. But come on - they are THREE! Shouldn't we be "past" prematurity already??!!
I am so incredibly blessed. I *do* know this. But - it just upsets me some times that when I pictured my life with my 2.3 children - it didn't involve pre-braille and O&M training and feeding tubes and parent administered growth hormone shots.
I am a positive person. I am (and boy do I want people to really KNOW that I am!) an incredibly self-sufficient and independent person. But these things have been bothering me lately.
Blah. I feel terrible complaining - so many people would give anything to be in my shoes... to *have* the opportunity to feed their three year old through a tube or to give shots to their three year old son - because their child is no longer with them. So take this with a grain of salt... I hope I am not offending.
On a *totally* different and WAY positive note - I got to meet my soon-to-be Godson for the first time yesterday! His big sis, Georgia, is our Goddaughter and we are blessed and honored to become Palmer's Godparents on Sunday. How could life *not* look peachy?! My goodness they're adorable... my Goddaughter who is going to be TWO next month is way bigger than ANY of my kids! I mean - okay... she is WAY off the charts (the other way!) so it is a totally unfair comparison... but still. The boys LOVED "baby Palmer" - my goodness. SO cute to see them with him!!
Okay - I'm over it. Time for Chinese food and a drink or two... tomorrow is the Miss America Pageant - woohoo!!
1-24-08 Georgia and Palmer visit
kara palmer
kara scott georgia
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Posted by McTriplet Mommy | Comments: (11) | Permalink
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BACK TO TUMBLING - HOW FAR THEY'VE COME
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Jan 22, 2008 02:29pm (EST)
Tonight we go back to tumbling. The boys are VERY excited. They can't wait to run and jump and scream and yell and stretch... my how far they've come.
When we left the NICU (actually - right after the boys were born) we learned they were "automatic qualifiers" in our county for the Early Intervention program. Because of their birth weights and time spent on a vent and/or c-pap, there was no qualification process - we just had to call and set it up and the therapists would start coming.
First we just had our developmental therapist. Then we added OT. Then vision therapy... PT.... speech... the list goes on. Each week we welcomed into our house various therapists for almost a dozen hours. And as hard as it was to coordinate, to keep up (and to keep the other two entertained while the third got one-on-one therapy!) my boys totally excelled because of it! We had a great group of therapists who communicated with each other and with us. It was great.
Tomorrow we're having our next LIVE CHAT on early intervention. Stacey (quadmom25) will be our host and early intervention teacher Melissa Zavorski (formerly pjsmom) will be our special guest. If you have any questions, concerns, anything to offer to others - please join us!!
Take care,
Kara
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Posted by McTriplet Mommy | Comments: (5) | Permalink
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TUMBLING AND TEST RESULTS
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Jan 16, 2008 05:29pm (EST)
Last night was our first night of tumbling class at the rec center. It was all right. I think the boys had a BLAST - and boy did they go to sleep quickly! Me though... it was *totally* unstructured and with three year olds (ten of them) - it was mass chaos. One mom finally stepped in and said, "Why don't you guys go wait for your turn over there by the wall?" and all the kids lined up nicely.
There was a balance beam, a trampoline, they learned some easy tumbling moves (somersault, headsteand, etc.) and did some dancing. It was, if nothing else, absolutely adorable!!!
This afternoon about 4:00 the dr from endocrinology called. Isaac does, in fact, have a significant growth hormone dificiency. She said some children they advise to wait and see what happens as they grow and get closer to the growth curve. She said in Isaac's case - this was highly unlikely. I'm almost relieved that he failed the test *so* greatly. It's not like he is just a tad below normal or that he is on the low side of normal. Makes the situation pretty cut and dry in Scott's and my opinion. His other blood tests (CBC, thyroid level, etc.) were all great. His X-ray at our first appointment to check his bone age was also completely normal.
All of this points towards growth hormone therapy. Shots. Ugh. Really - if it's going to help him, I'm all for it - just like any other therapies they've had along the way. One of my best friends is diabetic and has had insulin shots since she was a baby (and the dr compared the needles to those thin ones diabetics use). She said it was "no big deal" and I would hope, by the time he hits adult hood, he would think that. We want to give him every advantage we have in our power. He has SO many other odds stacked against him... if we can help him, we want to.
I already see the teachers, our friends, our families even Scott and I totally babying him. He is so freakin' adorable and his personality certainly has something to do with it - but, as he gets older, I don't want him babied. When he enters kindergarten and first grade - I want him to be treated as a kindergartener or first grader.
But now - oh, my. I am going to call the dr tomorrow and let her know that we would like to go ahead with it (when she called I told her I'd like to talk with Scott about it first). I asked Isaac if he wanted shots to get shots to make him big and strong and he said, "Yeah!!" Of course he doesn't understand it - he doesn't know that he will be taking these shots every night and for years - possibly even in to adult-hood. But he did tell Daddy when he got home, "Mommy's going to make me big and strong!" I'm terrified to have to inflict such pain on my son.
It takes a few months for all of the paperwork, insurance, etc. so we won't be starting right away. I can't say I'm looking forward to it - but I'm hoping it really makes a big difference for him.
s i stretch
stretching
lorne beam
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Posted by McTriplet Mommy | Comments: (14) | Permalink
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ALLS WENT THAT ENDOS WELL
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Jan 10, 2008 04:43pm (EST)
Wow, this morning's endocrinology appointment was a *total* non-event. We had to bring Isaac in at 8:00 and fasting. He wasn't all too happy about skipping breakfast but I explained that the doctor said his stomach had to be hungry when we got there and that was really enough of an explanation! It's so funny, "The doctor said," is working more and more around here. Lorne HATES when we have to patch his eye but me saying, "I know, I don't like it either, but Dr. O said we had to," makes him *almost* cooperate!!
We had a bit of a "mix-up" with a prescription we were supposed to get for a "numbing cream" since he needed an IV this a.m. and we weren't able to get it so I was VERY nervous about my "baby" getting stuck - but they had this great "cold spray" (body refrigerant!) that I guess numbs the area a great deal. Isaac still wasn't too fond of the IV.
So - he got his IV and they gave him an oral medication which was part of the test - but I guess one of the side effects is it makes you very drowsy. So - we put in Cars... and Isaac fell asleep. He woke up a few times when the nurses came in to draw blood (which they were able to do through a "magic button" in his IV and not stick him each time) but really slept for almost three hours. He woke up with about half an hour to go and I put Cars back on (I had turned it off when he fell asleep and watched "big girl" TV!) and then we were done! We walked down to the cafeteria and got some lunch.
It was really anti-climactic. "Bring your adorable - but ornery and rambunctious three year old boy in fasting and have him sit for 'three hours' (which, you know, is more like four hours when you include check-in, prep, clean-up, etc.) while we draw blood." does NOT sound fun. But it really, really went well. The nurse said the dr should call us about the results within two or so weeks but I am so glad the test is over - the anticipation was ten times worse than the morning was!!
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Posted by McTriplet Mommy | Comments: (16) | Permalink
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EYE EXAMS
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Jan 07, 2008 08:28pm (EST)
Today Isaac and Lorne had eye exams. I almost wish I hated our doctor (who is ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!!!) because I *hate* these appointments. 99.9% of the time, the news is NOT good. Today was no exception. The news was not horrible... no retinal detachments, no surgeries needed, no major problems - but their prescriptions changed again. So their eyes got a bit "worse" and we got new prescriptions. The boys were GREAT - oh my goodness, absolutely wonderful. We were at the hospital for nearly two hours - and I seriously wasn't even stressed out once. They were SO good - we didn't take a stroller at all, just walked in holding hands and they played with our toys in the hall and ran around - we even got several compliments on their behavior! And they fought - literally *argued* over who was going to go FIRST at their appointment! They *wanted* to sit in the doctor's chair! Oh, they're getting so big.
So - their prescriptions are actually a bit hard to figure out... the boys' prescriptions are in large part because of their cataract surgeries. Not necessarily to correct their vision - but since they had their lenses removed because of cataracts (Isaac - both lenses, Lorne, "just" the right), they need artificial lenses - so that comes in the form of glasses. But their prescriptions did change. And, luckily, insurance covers new glasses as of December so we're excited to get those!!! Oh, how I *love* new lens day. Those new, scratch-free, clean lenses... it's better than clean sheet day!!
Isaac's prescrition is in the +20s in both eyes now, Lorne's left is -15.something and right is in the +20s. For those of you who don't wear glasses or contacts - here is a slight comparison. My vision is not all that bad. Bad enough to need glasses (per the state) to drive - but I can get up in the middle of the night and read the clock and use the computer. My prescription is -1.5 in each eye - and I cannot legally drive without correction. Scott's is a bit worse, like -3.5 in each eye. So - the boys' scripts are like more than ten times that. I'm still dealing with this...
This is just one of the many reasons I work so hard with the March of Dimes - prematurity doesn't end when (if) those sweet babies leave the hospital. It's on-going. Often - forever.
Hope all is well with my friends and family in Share-land! Isaac's visit with endocrinology (to check his growth hormone levels) is Thursday. I am very nervous.
Take care,
Kara
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Posted by McTriplet Mommy | Comments: (9) | Permalink
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