Seven Years

Seven years ago today at 10:14 (Hannah) and 10:15 (Hope then Addie) we were blessed beyond measure. I honestly had no idea what we were in for in the months ahead, but I learned immediately how unconditional love feels.

Gary & I told the girls last night what we remembered about that morning. Prior to their birth, my most vivid memory is of getting prepped for surgery and specifically getting that horrible epidural that made my nose bleed. I remember being introduced to all 20+ doctors & nurses early on and having an anesthesiologist perched next to my head telling me everything was okay. Hope was the one who came into the world screaming. Hannah made a little squeal, but I don't remember Addie crying at all. After recovery I was wheeled through the NICU on a gurney so I could see all three girls. I have to admit that one of the things I remember feeling most grateful for that day was that I was no longer having to go to the bathroom every 10 minutes. Isn't that bizarre? Anyway... There were certainly dark, scary days after their birth and days when I was scared beyond my wildest dreams, days spent tearfully holding one hand on a rump and one hand on a head, hours spent praying, singing and waiting for improvement. There were also little victories that we delighted in as though they were major accomplishments. The move from oscillator to regular vent for Addie was a big deal. The oral feeding of a few drops of milk for Hannah was big news. Hope being calm for an afternoon was huge news (I remember one day when Hope's nurse spent the greater part of her entire shift with one hand on Hope's head and the other on her rump in order to keep her calm - she was always a drama queen!). Even for all the difficulties, I wouldn't trade the experience for anything in the world. We have been blessed in so many ways because of these phenomenal little angels. I am still amazed that God has entrusted us with the task of raising these three phenomenal souls. Happy Birthday Eeny, Meeny and Miney (aka the Pair and a Spare!)! I love you more than sleeping on a rainy day! :)

Jayhawk Football

I married a K-State Wildcat who might actually bleed purple. That's probably why it amazed me when he accepted the 8 tickets he was given to yesterday's KU/OU game. I never in my wildest dreams imagined that we would EVER go to a KU football game when they weren't playing K-State. We took the twins (Hannah was totally disinterested) along with Jim, Donna, Jonathan and my friend Nancy. It was so much fun! The girls were in absolute awe during the entire game. I'm not sure they said three words, but they took in everything. We were five rows from the field toward the south end zone and had a great view. I asked them on the way home last night what their favorite part of the day was and was told by both of them that the game itself was the greatest thing. It was so much fun to see them experience that. I hope we can convince Hannah that it's a fun thing to do next time. Meme said that Hannah spent the first half of the game perched in front of the TV saying, "Go Jayhawks!" Her dad thinks he has really failed miserably now that all three girls are Jayhawk fans, and especially since the twins' first football game was spent in a sea of crimson & blue and not purple. Now, if we can just get some KU basketball tickets... :)

15 Days and Counting

The girlies are counting down the days until their birthday! They're putting in requests for presents (thank goodness!) and I have one - yes, just one - gift bought so far. The whole "sick for two weeks" thing put me a little behind. Now that I think about it, I probably need to do some cake baking this weekend. I might also need to nail down what cakes I'm decorating this year. At last check, Hannah wanted a T-Bone the dog (from Clifford) cake, Hope wanted a chocolate lab (woo hoo, no problem there - chocolate frosting!), and Addie wants a Rainey the yellow lab cake. On the plus side, I won't have to mix a ridiculous number of frosting colors and they're all reasonably easy to decorate. On the minus side, I have to bake and decorate three cakes. I guess that's the price I pay for having three kiddos with the same birthday. The joys definitely outweigh the difficulties! :) I'll have to talk Meme into make frosting since my stand mixer decided at some point this year to just give up and die.

The girls have today and tomorrow (along with the weekend, obviously) off of school. We're planning to do some cooking and crafty things while we have some time to do that. A friend of Gary's called last night to see if we wanted his 4 tickets to the KU/OU game Saturday, so he's going to go with Jim & Jonathan. He wants me to go as well, so if it all works out I will go too. It would be fun... I'll let you know what happens! :)

Another Monday

Well, against all wishes (mine included), the girls are at school this morning. I'm just sending them for half days this week (we only have 2 1/2 days of school this week anyway) in an effort to try to keep them from crashing. We went for a short walk yesterday afternoon that left everybody coughing, blowing and generally tired. At this point, I think it's best for them if they increase their activity slowly.

In the short time that they're gone this morning, I'm washing at least one bed, making a quick trip to Wal-Mart, and going to the library to get them some fun new books. It'll be a good surprise, I think. Hopefully I can get everything done by then...

We're now counting down the days (18 as of today) to their 7th birthday. I have done no shopping yet, but I do have an idea as to what they're going to get. It doesn't seem possible that they're already almost 7. I feel like they should be around 3. Time really does fly when you're having fun! :)

Thanks, but...

All three of the girls were playing with the Lite Brite a couple days ago and the twins were giving Hannah only as many pegs as they thought she needed to have in her possession at any given time. I overheard her say, "Well, thanks, but that's not enough." It made me think about how often I must say that very phrase to God. While I'm certain that the twins were being more frugal with their giving of the pegs due to their desire to be ornery, I'm certain God graces me with good things in moderation - for good reason. Right now, for example, I am thinking just how much I would like to feel good again. I'd like to not feel exhausted after every little thing. I'd like to not get headaches so easily. I'd like to be able to sleep it off and wake up in the morning bouncing off the wall. I'm essentially saying, "Well, thanks for the slight improvement, but that's just not enough." It is enough. We have made it almost through this bout of flu without any truly horrible results. It is enough. It all depends on whether I stop to count my blessings before I speak.

As for the medical update, we are all 5 on antibiotics now. Yesterday morning Hannah began complaining about her ear hurting, so we called in to get her some meds. I'm thankful that we were able to get all of us on antibiotics. I know that with time and rest we will begin to feel better. And, as our health improves, hopefully the state of the house will as well. We've just been keeping our heads above water around here lately. The laundry has been done consistently, the bathrooms are clean, the kitchen is clean, but the "stuck at home and need something to do" clutter has definitely come out to play. We're trying to get things put back into their places, but until we're all better it probably won't happen. Oh well...

Cautiously Optimistic

I think we might actually be showing a little improvement this morning! It's big news. I almost hesitate to say it too loudly. Hannah spent the night with Meme last night and had a good night. The twinks stayed home and had a pretty good night as well. Addie woke up at some point when it was still completely dark and blew her nose for roughly 10 minutes. Okay, maybe it wasn't quite that long, but it sure seemed like it. I woke up feeling pretty good but am noticing that the fatigue is quick to rear its ugly head. We've got plans to make a chocolate pie today. We're planning to make a double batch of homemade chocolate pudding so we can have some of it by itself while it's still warm. It sounds wonderful right now...

One good thing about being sick this week is that the weather has been dreary the entire time since we got sick. There has not been one sunny day. I like cloudy days, maybe even more than sunny days, but I'm ready for a sunny day and a healthy day. Maybe soon...

Latest Update

So we all went back to the doctor today. I just wasn't convinced that any of us were improving, and I'm really tired of feeling sick. Even though I had a negative flu test last week, the doctor we saw today thinks that we have definitely had the flu. The twins and I all now have secondary infections in our ears, so we're on antibiotics for the next 10 days. He said Hannah looks good at this point, so we're just in a holding pattern with her. Gary's on meds too, so we should begin feeling better relatively soon. The doctor said the flu symptoms should go away in 7-10 days, but the fatigue can last for 2-4 weeks. That's the medical news...

Last night I fixed tomato soup & grilled cheese sandwiches for supper. While doing that, I had a flashback to the cafeteria at St. Luke's. We lived at the hospital for almost 2 months after the girls were born and spent many meals in the cafeteria. More than once I had fantastic grilled cheese sandwiches for a meal. I'm not sure if they were fantastic because it's hard to screw up a grilled cheese sandwich or because it was a comfort food and I needed comfort. Regardless, the memory of watching the man fix it, eating it and the smoothie I typically had with it live with me, although they were not really conscious memories until last night. It's so strange the way things can be buried in the deep, dark corners of my mind and then surface just from a smell. I definitely feel like God knows when I need or can handle memories like that and reveals them to me at just the right time. I'm so thankful for that.