Keatonism Tuesday!

Happy Keatonism Tuesday!!
*****
"I bonked my head bone."

I asked Keaton to go pick out (warm) clothes for school. He came back with a short sleeved shirt with 'Big Brother' on the front. After going back and forth with him about picking out a warmer shirt, he said, "But I need to wear my big brother shirt so people don't think I'm a toddler!"

To his brothers: "The future of your life is good."

To me: "Do you have a headache? Take some Advil!" (Didn't realize he knew what that was!)

"I ate the skin of the crust."

"Snakes eat people if they smile."

Taking his fleece vest out of his dresser drawer, "I could wear my life jacket!"

"Rudolph is the best. Like hot chocolate that we drink."

"I like Nik because he doesn't pull hair."

"Daddy, may I eat my candy cane while I'm on your head?"

Rowan tried to grab Keaton's granola bar with nuts. I told him not to let him touch it, just in case he's allergic. K: "Maybe he's allergic to snacks."

"The bad part about fevers is when you really have one."

To Rowan, who was screeching: "Probably the people in Mexico could hear you, Rowan!"

"Nik just got a big man burp."

Casey, teasing Keaton: "Who is in my rocking chair?"
K: "Me. Keaton. Your son."

We gave Keaton a choice on what sweater he would wear to see Santa. He was standing in the living room, blowing his nose, when I asked him, "Can I see which one you picked out?" Holding up the Kleenex, "Yeah, I got two really big ones!"

November Keatonisms

Because Mommy keeps forgetting to update the blog regularly...sorry, folks!
*****
"Thank you for me!"

Where is my Gamehawk (Gamecock) train?

When I get big, I want to glue the wings on airplanes. I wanna live by the airport so I can walk to work.

My good decisions went to another house.

Wonder Woman wonders.

Allergies: You have to get a new nose. God will get a new one for you. Haha, no he won't! I forgot!

That doesn't make sense, because it's senseless.

I can't finish my milk because I don't have enough pressure in my body today.

Did your phone go to heaven? Are there phones in heaven?

I want to eat snow for dinner.

*****

Me: That's a nice sticker! (On his temple)
K: Thanks. It's on my brain.

Me: I think we had a misunderstanding.
K: You did. I didn't.

Christmas is not a holiday. Christmas is a season.
*****

"How do we marry ourselves?"

"You are a nice human, Rowan."

I told someone I as going to text my mother in law. Keaton overheard.
"How do you text your mother in law?" (Looks at the phone.) "I'll just press snowflake (* button) so I couldn't call."

"I see the moon out my window! It must have followed the directions to Nana's house!"

He was shaking his head back and forth, being silly instead of eating his lunch. I asked him to stop. "My magician in my head that makes me go fast is wobbling my head."

We were talking about different types of cars. I told him we have a Honda now, and we used to have a Toyota.
"I have a toy yoda at home."

Our friend Jake said the babies have baby orangutan hair. I thought it was funny, and showed Keaton a picture of some cute baby orangutans.
"Are those my baby brothers?"

"I like my head staying together. If people's heads don't stay together, their eyes fall out."

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse was on. Mickey: "You wanna come inside my clubhouse?"
K: "Yeah, but I'm not in the T.V., Mickey!"

"Hot chocolate is the best thing. I want to put it in the bathtub with marshmallows and drink it all."

Keatonism Tuesday

*****
"Do they have a potty and snacks in Carolina?" (As in, the entire state of South Carolina...)

"You carved a spider on your pumpkin. Don't worry, Mommy, it's not real. It's pretend."

"Friends that are together make wrong decisions and not wrong decisions."

Casey: "Keaton, would you mind turning down the volume of your voice a little bit, please?"
K: "But inside my body, my voice is really loud."

"Be careful not to smash any nuts, because some squirrels and me wanna make pancakes."

Naming butterflies: "I'm gonna name this one Vitamin, and this one Drop of Ice Crystals, and this one Light up Lightning, and this one Ishani, and this one is Dusty, and the little butterfly is named Bulldog."

"Inside the seashell it says 'I'm a wave' over and over and over."

"Okay Nik, I know you're having fun, but were going to stop playing like this now so you don't rip my shirt. Okay little brother?"

"Turquoise & turquoise make turquoise."

Casey said someone's name.
K: "That's not a healthy name."
Casey: "What makes a name healthy?"
K: "Rainbows."

Me: "You have so many crayons, I'm not sure what to do with all of them!"
K: "Color."

8 months & Keatonisms

"This is gonna be a master waffle."

K:  "I put my little dinosaur inside my book, now it is my check mark."
Me: "Book mark?"
K: "Yeah! Book mark. That's what I meaned."

Me: "Which brother is this?"
K: "Nik."
Me: "How do you know?"
K: "Because he starts with an N."

"Santa only brings presents to little kids and big kids, not adults, Mommy."

"Apples mashed in applesauce makes more applesauce."

"Where does he sleep? Does Daddy have a home in Greece?"

Nana: "All the big people are going to bed."
K: "But Mommy is a little people."

"Hi, super duper Mommy!"

Papa: "It's okay, we are flexible."
K: "Mommy's not flexible."
Nana: "What does that mean?"
K: "It means we're bony."

"I love you and I like you. You always will be a good boy Nik."

Casey threw away a plate into the trashcan. "If you throw Nik into the trashcan we won't have anymore Nikolaus."

"A bee put pollen in my nose."

To me: "I get to keep you."

"Yeah! I concur, Daddy."

"Mommy, you're something else."

Me: "Do you know who sings this?"
K: "Florence and the Machine. Is she really in the machine, Mommy?"

"It's okay if I'm dirty. Dirty is part of my job."

(Coughing) "It went down the wrong throat."

"Can I have cookies for breakfast?" (That's my kid! No doubt about it!)

"What is the Equator for? Is it to open up Earth?"

I took a picture with my phone. "Can you send that picture to Daddy? How does it get to him? Does it fly?"

There is a surety in one of the Frog and Toad books called The Corner, where Frog wants Seeing to come, and his farther says it is right around the corner, so Frog looks around many corners until he finds it. Keaton's comment after the story: "Why did they go around the corner? Why wasn't it on the side?"

"Why does the water doesn't go down the drain?"

"Mommy, you don't say bad words. Daddy does." (Haha! If only he knew!!)

"Why do kids don't go to jail?"

Me: "You should sleep like Snoopy. He's a good sleeper."
K: "No he's not, he doesn't sleep. He's a stuffed animal."

"Can you bring my brother to me? I don't know how to fly."

"May I have some vegetables, Daddy good-cooker artist?"

"Baby (brother), you can touch my brain!"

"Mommy, soup and poop rhyme!" (loudly in Walmart)
*****
I think that has caught you up on Keatonisms for the past 2 weeks. I'm really slipping these days!

The little guys are 8 months old now...which is crazy. Nik is starting to get up on his knees now and scooted himself backward a few times yesterday. I'm fairly certain Rowan said "mama" last week, maybe by accident, but I heard something like it and have a few times since! They both have two bottom teeth now. And I don't have to stop nursing them if I drink enough protein shakes, long story short. Yay!

Fun little people.

Ashley

New Stages

Tuesday Keatonisms:

"I don't like to shave my legs."

"He's my cuddling boy." (Rowan)

"I really like your thinking, Daddy!"

"Mommy, I really like you! You're short. I just like you."

"I'm gonna have a store, it's called The Fixing Store. We fix babies at my store too, Mommy."

To my Mom, on the phone: "Now you're gonna talk to my brother Nik. [Puts the phone to Nik's ear, waits.] Nik isn't saying hello right now."

"I hear something in my ear. I hear your voice, a little quiet voice in my ear."

"You are a good Mommy. Even when you get upset and yell sometimes, I know you always love me." **This one brought tears to my eyes. 15 minutes later, he was telling me he wanted to go to time out. Lol...

"I really like you. I really like everyone. Some people maybe I don't like, if they are mean. But you are my friend. I like you. I really like you, that's why I like you."

Me, about a toy I had to take away from him. "You might get it back sometime this week."
K: "It's sometime this week right now!"

Me: "Alright, buddy, it's time to stop running around naked."
K: "I'm not running, I'm walking around naked."

"I'm a go-getter, like Daddy!"
 *****

 So, Keaton is going through this strange stage where instead of sleeping, he begs to go to Time Out... gets out of bed 10-15 times... screams and hits the bed when I take toys away from him because he's playing when he should be sleeping... etc. I tried the Super Nanny approach last night and just calmly walked in, led him to his bed, didn't say a word, and tucked him in. That worked okay until I was feeding the boys on the couch in the living room, and Keaton got up and I couldn't get up to lay him down again. I will be so glad when this stage is over!

The twins are going through this wonderful stage where I believe they are done with their nighttime feeding. Just in time! With the exception of Sunday night (when I had the stomach flu and Casey was on a plane to Greece), they have slept until at least 5 am. They are eating less often during the day, and seem to be enjoying their solid foods a lot. Of course, the worrier side of me keeps wondering if anything is wrong (the logical part is like, 'Why? You are getting sleep for once, calm down!') but the worrier side is annoying and won't shut up. So... we'll see. But I'm happy not to get up every 3 hours anymore. 

Casey's in Greece, and De is coming today for the rest of the week. My parents visited two weeks ago. I love having the company, and I didn't realize how much I wish we could live closer to home until I'm stuck by myself with the boys and am throwing up all night. Sunday was the worst night I've had in awhile, but my amazing neighbors bailed me out and took all three boys from 9 a.m - 2 pm yesterday, allowing me a 3 hour nap and some recovery time.  I'm glad it was a quick stomach bug... but boy did it foil my plans to gain more weight! I still haven't gotten my appetite back 100%, but I'm at least drinking a lot of water and Gatorade to try and stay hydrated. Hopefully the worst is over for our household.

I think that's about all for now! I think I forgot to note that my blood tests came back 'stable', so I'm meeting with my lactation consultant on Thursday to see what my game plan should be about nursing the boys. I trust she will lead me in the right direction.

More later!

-Ashley

No more nursing? :(

So the last post was so long that I decided to update on other happenings, besides the funny things my oldest says. :)

Here's what is on my mind right now. It's about nursing, so if you have no interest in it, it may be best to skip this post.

It looks like I'm going to have to stop nursing the twins, because they are taking too much of the nutrients I need to stay healthy. I would have to eat 4000+ calories each day just to maintain my current weight, let alone trying to gain any. Nursing is something I wanted to do for the first year, to keep them as healthy as possible (especially since big brother will undoubtedly bring germs home from school). So my option may just be to pump (which I'm not thrilled about because I'm kind of lazy and hate having to wash so many bottles, etc., all the time). The doctor mentioned pumping and supplementing the bottles with extra calories for the boys (sounds like the first couple of months of their lives). I'm bummed. I'm waiting on a call from my doctor today to see what my blood test results were from yesterday. I'm nervous that they are going to find something wrong with my thyroid or worse. The consequences of continuing to nurse are pretty straightforward- there really isn't much of a way to do it (unless I somehow were able to eat all the time). I don't want to hurt myself long-term, of course. Getting bone fractures and heart problems really doesn't sound like anything I'd like to have. So I guess we are moving on to the next chapter of feeding these big guys. I'm sad, but feel like it's probably a good time to move on... especially with Rowan's two little teeth coming in, and Nik working hard to get some of his own.

I hate that they are growing up so fast. But we'll work it out. Not sure what is ahead for all of us!

-Ash

September Keatonisms

It appears that I completely lied when I said I would try to continue with weekly updates... because although I thought about it every week, something would ultimately come up and it wouldn't happen. Is anyone still out there? I have a ton of Keatonisms to catch up on after a whole month.

*****
I bought the Essential Michael Jackson CD collection, and we were listening to it in the minivan (judge me if you want!). Keaton likes the songs where MJ was in the Jackson 5 best, but always says "I want some little Michael Jackson." Lol... Also while listening to the CDs:
K: "Mommy, what's this song called?
Me: "It's called Bad."
K: "I don't want to listen to bad things."

Keaton asked where his fish Happy was. I panicked, thinking the fish had died. Then Keaton saw him swimming and said, "Oh, there he is! Earlier he was unavailable."

Macchiato, atmosphere, and crescendo are all words he said randomly to me yesterday. I guess I'll thank Little Einsteins for that one.

Discussing Casey's birthday:
Me: "Daddy will be 33 on Monday." K: "How old will he be on Thursday?"

K: "Why did you shake your hands?"
Me: "To get the excess water off of them."
K: "I did too, Mommy! To get the X X water off my hands."

"They give you the constructions." (instructions)

"What's an apple-tizer?"

"Mommy, I wish that I could reach the moon so I could show it to you."

Leah Remini called Ellen Degeneres a bitch. I was afraid Keaton was going to repeat it. He said, "Why did she call Ellen a fish?" Ohhhh thank goodness...lol

Casey, to Keaton: "Do I smell like cologne?
K: "No, you smell like a turkey." Me: "Haha, Happy birthday, Daddy!"
K: "Yeah, happy birthday, turkey!"

"Mommy, call 866 for Velcro." (Feldco commercial)

"I'm jumping off the wall if I have dessert."

(I blew my noise.) "Mommy, I have to have ear phones, because your blow is really loud!"

"My oatmeal is not a meal."

"Me too, ninja girl."

Casey, talking about feeding the twins: "I'm gonna start them on peas."
Keaton: "Peas and carrots, carrots and peas! Book come out, please please please!" (Super Why)

"Rowan, you're funky."

"I'm going to be a Daddy soon!" (choked on my cereal)

"You look funny! You're funny, with your blue eyes." ?

Me: "You were not the best listener today."
Keaton: "But I'm the best kid!"

K, looking at a guy dancing around in a pig costume: "What does that pig have?"
Me: "A drink."
K: "Is he drinking Diet Coke?"
Me: "I dunno, maybe."
K: "Wow, that's a cool pig."

"Mommy, how do you do Pinterest?"

"Mommy, some day may we go to the desert?"

"Mommy, are you retired?"

At bedtime, I told him a story about dressing up in my Jayhawk costume in elementary school and going out to greet the Jayhawks at Forbes Field when they arrived home after a tournament. I told him they put me on TV, waving with a crowd of fans.
K: "How did you get home?"
Me: "What do you mean?"
K: "How did you get out of the TV?!" 

My Mom, to Keaton: "Grandma is old and forgetful."
Later that day, Keaton yells out: "Grandma's old and forgettable."

Me: "Keaton, how much driving have you done?"
K: "A little bit."
Me: "What did you drive?"
K: "A grass airplane. An airplane that cuts grass."
Me: "A lawnmower?"
K, full of enthusiasm and surprise: "Yes, a lawnmower!"

Casey sent this one to me:
Riding in the car along Rte 30:
Casey: "Keaton, what is that?"
K: "It's corn!"
C: "It's not very healthy corn."
K: "Maybe it's steak?"
... Enter conversation about where steak/hamburgers come from.

Keaton was talking to my Mom and I about a boy from school that he is not friends with anymore. My Mom asked him why they weren't friends. K: "He decided to have a conversation with me about rollercoasters and witches."

"Mommy, my brain hurts."

"Grandma gave me a breath vitamin." (Tic Tac)

"Goodbye Mommy. You're going to India to see your cheese faucet." (No freaking idea, guys.)

To my Dad: "Funny Grandpa-ologist."

K, coloring on his menu at breakfast. "Mommy, where's the green crayon?"
Me: "I dunno."
My Mom: "Maybe the waiter ate it."
K, yelling to the waiter: "You didn't eat it, right sir?"

"People that wear orange shirts get hungry a little bit, that's why they eat lollipops."

I was sitting next to Keaton at the movie theater yesterday, and he was being so still and quiet that I got concerned about him.
Me: "Are you okay?"
K, remembering the theater rules of no talking, "Be quiet, Mommy!"

K, to me, as I was nursing Rowan (sorry if TMI!): "Does Rowan bite you?"
Me: "Yep. He has two little teeth, and they hurt sometimes!"
K: "Then don't feed him."
 
 Hopefully I'll get to update again before October is over!

-Ash 

Keatonisms and weekly catch up

Keatonisms from the last week:
*****
Someone said he was spoiled rotten. "I'm not a spoiled robin!"

K: "Mommy, are you old?"
Me: "No, not really, buddy."
K: "But you're not young. You were never young." (?!?)

"I'll be a good Daddy sometime." (Hopefully a very, very long time from now, sir!)

About one of his brothers: "I have more teeth than him so I can say more."

To brother: "I will never leave you. I will never let you go." (This one got me a little teary eyed. He can be so sweet! Especially to his baby brothers.) I also heard him telling Nik yesterday, "I really like you, brudder."

We were talking about our neighbor Mike who just moved away to college. I told Keaton that Mike didn't live with his Mommy and Daddy anymore. He got very concerned about Mike and said, "Who are his Mommy and Daddy at college?" (Scott & Barbi, you get to answer that one. ;-))

Trying to convince Keaton that he wanted to go to sleep. Me: "Look, Snoopy is already sleep." K: "No he's not, Snoopy's eyes are always open." (I stand corrected.)

About butterflies eating nectar. "They drink connecter?!"

Keaton saw Casey making S'mores, but he couldn't remember the name so he yelled out very enthusiastically, "Yay!!.......THOSE things!"

And last but not least: We were talking about why he is hot and sweaty all the time: "Sometimes I don't wanna be a furnace, but I'm a furnace."

*****

We officially transitioned the twins to their crib over Labor Day weekend. It was... good and bad. Bad because it's a much longer walk to get them when they wake up and are hungry or fussing.The house is also a total mess, because we had to move a bunch of things out of the office to put the crib up. Good because I got a bit better quality of sleep. Also good because, well, they are not sleeping in car seats anymore! The boys have taken turns since Saturday being the "fussy one" at night. I normally end up on the couch with one of them sleeping next to me at some point of the evening, just so I can get a decent chunk of sleep (read: more than 30 minutes). In general, Rowan can calm himself better than Nik, but Rowan has either not been feeling so great, or is going through another growth spurt/getting another tooth. He hasn't been my happy little guy as much the past few days. But, no fever or anything, so I think growing is to blame. Nik has been happier while awake, and even woke up sweet and smiling yesterday when I went to get him from his crib.They switch roles sometimes, which amuses me. And they still take turns napping more often than not, so I get to spend alone time with each of them. It's nice to bond with both separately. Rowan loves to smile, is very ticklish all over, cackles hysterically, sticks his tongue out almost all the time, and entertains himself well. Nik is more emotional, and likes to be comforted. He really loves when people pay attention to him, and lights up when he smiles. He also lights up when he realizes Casey, myself, or Keaton are looking at him, and will sometimes let out a loud squeal! He's the better eater of the two, as far as solids go. He acts like he's been eating solids for months. Rowan is more skeptical, and makes hilarious faces when trying new food. They are both sweet little men. They love playing with their big brother, and they are overjoyed when Casey comes home from work. They are starting to like their car seats a bit more (meaning they aren't crying all the time, especially at stop lights). They seem to really like going out, though, because they are almost always very good whenever we go anywhere. I'm a proud Mom- of all of my boys. Seeing Keaton become a big brother has brought out an even more amazing side of him. I'm enjoying this crazy season of our lives!

Busy month ahead... I'll try to keep up the weekly updates!

-Ash

6 month checkup & Keatonisms

Rowan may be the youngest, but he has passed Nik up in height and weight! Nik is 24.5 inches and 13 lbs...Rowan is 25 inches and 13 lbs 7 oz. They are finally on a growth chart! And their heads are the same size- 16.5 inches- if anyone at home is taking score.

They have this incredibly frustrating habit waking up every single hour this week, for some reason. Teething I think is the biggest reason, but they got shots yesterday, so I know they are more sensitive. Rowan also blessed me by spitting up in my hair at 4:30 this morning, so it looks like showering will be more of a priority today. Haha...

They seem to be right on track and do not have any delays that we can see right now. In fact, in most ways they are actually ahead, especially for being preemies! These two are strong and determined little guys, no doubt.

*****
Keatonism time...

"Can we get a unicorn?"

"Is everything made with cheese?"

"Can I wear nothing to bed but my feet?"

"Can I go on the bounce-O-line?" (trampoline)

I showed him a picture of a friend's new baby. "Why did they just have one baby? I got two babies. I wanted twenty babies, though." (This is not the first time he's said this!)
*****

Life is going well...fast, but no complaints (besides sleep deprivation). A few other notes: Keaton's school started a car line, so I don't have to get out of the car when dropping him off in the morning! It is glorious. Yesterday I wore my pajamas! No more taking the twinsout of the van. I'm lovin' it.

Keaton grew two shoe sizes since SPRING! I hope the recessive tall gene kicks in...if he keeps it up, he'll pass me up easily in elementary school!

That's all for now!

Ash

Six months old, and Keatonisms

I missed a ton of Keatonisms this week...here are a few I managed to write down!

"How do we weep willow trees?"

Nana De: "Look, there's a golden retriever coming!"
Keaton: "Where's the sparklies? He's not very sparkly."

"I'm a boss. I Skype messages on my laptop."

"Little brother, I'm a doctor too, like Daddy! I'm going to go do my doctor stuff now, with my doctor things."

Also, the little ones turned six months old yesterday. SIX MONTHS OLD. They are going to be sitting up soon. Sweet little squishy men are growing like weeds. We go for their 6 month checkup next Wednesday. More stats soon!

Here are some pictures from the past week. We had a blast at the Air and water show Saturday with the Hetricks. The weather could not have been more perfect! Speaking of weather...yesterday while driving back with the boys after going to Blackberry Farm with Janine and Dawson, Keaton and I saw a dust devil in a field just off the road we were traveling on, very near our house! I posted a video on YouTube (not sure how to link it right now from my phone) but I'm sure I'll probably never be that close to one ever again. It was pretty neat!

That's all for now!

Womb mates

We recently thought we may have screwed ourselves over by not transitioning the twins to their bassinets or cribs yet. They had been sleeping in their car seats since they came home from the NICU, because of their severe reflux. Trying to get them to sleep laying flat had proven to be very difficult at every attempt. They would wake up screaming after only 20-30 minutes. That was when we put them in separate bassinets. Last night, my genius husband thought we should put them in the same bassinet. It worked like a charm. They woke up a little more frequently to eat, but slept so much better and longer than I thought they would at all. The womb mates are back together! They just napped together and went almost an hour before waking up for lunch. Woot! Progress is a beautiful thing!

-Ashley

Words from a ranting Mom.

Now that the Keatonisms are posted for the week, I need to rant. Sorry in advance.

Let me first state the obvious. Everybody is different. Every BODY is different. Pregnancy and childbirth affect women in totally different ways.

I know I'm not alone here, but this is tough to talk about, mainly because people judge me immediately when they find out I've had twins, let alone 3 children. I carried all my boys right up front, and lost most of the baby weight fairly soon after having them. Neat. It is what it is. I didn't follow a plan, or do much, other than run around like a chicken after the babies were born. I nursed all of them, so maybe that helped the pounds come off... who knows. But I also didn't gain a whole lot of weight with them when I was pregnant.

This is not humble bragging, nor is it complaining. It is simply stating that EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT. I have had women I didn't know (and some I do) tell me they "hate" me because my body "bounced back" after having kids. Someone I know and love told me I need to have more babies because I don't look like I had any. But before you scan me up and down (especially if you don't know me) and want to know how I could possibly lose all the weight, etc... just know that it is a very awkward, delicate conversation to have with a mother. I feel guilty, and again- AWKWARD, about how I apparently look to everyone else. I simply don't know what to say. I sometimes say "Thank you." I sometimes make it just as awkward and say things like, "Yeah, well you haven't seen me naked... there is definitely proof I had three kids." Why do I care so much? Well, why does everyone else seem to? Women are a tricky breed. I feel like I have to be especially careful in what I say, because people can get so easily offended. So maybe I look "normal" again (whatever that is!). I also look tired as heck (have you seen the bags under my eyes?). Nursing twins makes you hungry as heck, almost all the time. I eat frequently. Do I eat healthy things? Nope. Not often, at least. And that will probably come back to haunt me when I visit my dentist and later in life when it has a detrimental effect on my health.

I have come to accept the fact that I am a small person. But as I always say, I am the size of a 4th grader. I don't think that's something to be jealous of! Being mistaken for a kid more often than an adult? Not so much fun. Would you be jealous of gestational diabetes and 14 weeks of bed rest? I should hope not! But it was reality for me.

Please don't read this as me trashing myself, either. I am more comfortable with myself now than I probably ever have been. There is plenty of room for improvement, but I feel confident enough to post things like this, now. I am too worried sometimes about what others think or say about me. I am learning, over time, that people who are negative do not have a place in my life, because they make me negative, too. I don't need to be in 'poisonous' relationships with people who judge me and talk about me behind my back. I've found out recently that a few people I thought were my friends fall into this category, and it's really disappointing. But I'm out of middle school (thank goodness) and am glad to move on. That doesn't mean it doesn't bug me to no end that people don't like me for really shallow reasons, but I also realize that I don't need people like that in my life anyway. Sad that it took me 30 years to figure that out, but I'm glad to have learn the lesson at all.

If anyone else out there has a good comeback for "you don't look like you've had any kids" or "I wish I looked like you after having kids"... etc... please feel free to post. Until then, I guess "thank you" will have to suffice... no matter how unsatisfying.

-Ashley

Words from the 3.5 year old

Keatonisms from the past week... he is officially three and a half. Time, why are you flying by?!?!?!

*****
"When I was little, I liked Superman and Spiderman."

Listening to the radio..."I like 30 Minutes to Mars."

"You are Captain Pretty and Gorgeous, Mommy. Daddy and my brudders and me are Captain Handsome."

Me: "What would you like for dinner?"
K: "What are my options?" (he sounded so adult when he said this!)

Me, 8/12/13: "You are three and a half today. You will be four in six months."
K: "Can I get chicken nuggets for my birthday?" (As in, for his present...)

K: "I need to grow so I can drink coffee!"

Keaton asked why I changed the radio station so quickly, and I told him I didn't want him to hear bad words in the song. He told me to just tell him what the bad words are so he won't say them. Riiiiight.

Observations on the road: "Mini vans are square like dice."

In his sleep: "Mommy get me some money!" (he later told me it was for the goggles at the zoo...?)

On the phone with my parents, "Don't push the waffle button!" (#)...lol

About his brothers: "They use baby words. I use big boy language."

Randomly and loudly as we are leaving Target: "Mommy, are we going to jail?" ???

K: "Mommy, why don't we have a dog or cat?"
Me: "We will probably get one some day, but we don't know if your brothers will be allergic to them or not." 
K: "Oh. Do you think Happy [our Betta fish] will be allergic, too?"

And...August.

Some Keatonisms and pictures...

To me: "You have rosy cheeks because you've been running everywhere like a chicken!"

Me: "I'm going to a meeting."
Keaton: "With Dr. Suess?"

K: "Did my baby brudders break your tummy? Were they born in your lungs?"

"My brothers don't have feet to walk yet."

K: "Is it a boy or a girl fly?"
Me: "I'm not sure how to tell."
K: "Boy flies have boy parts where they go poo poo and potty, girl flies don't."

Talking about the cockpit on his new airplane toy: "Is this the cocktail?"

Sitting down next to me on the couch, with a big sigh. "I feel like I have a baby in my tummy."

Teething Twins

If things weren't going fast enough...the twins are now 5 months old, and both got their first tooth last week, within a few days of each other. This time Nik was first... I discovered his tooth Saturday the 27th. Rowan's appeared Monday the 29th... Lower right front. It has been tough, with lots of drooling and crying. Actually, Nik has been almost inconsolable this morning. The kid has quite a set of lungs! Poor, poor babies. There is a reason teething happens when they're young and can't remember it later. If only the parents could block it out!

In other news, the twins are gearing up to try solid food soon, possibly this weekend. They watch us eat (like dogs do...watching each bite we take and following the fork...moving their mouth when we chew...it's funny!). They are outgrowing their 3 month clothes now, too. My boys like to eat! They are trying to sit up, and enjoy playing with toys now. We like to put them in their Bumbo seats and give them toys to play with and bat at. I think Keaton enjoys this new phase...minus the teething.

Keaton is going through a tough phase right now, too. He's been very argumentative lately. He's gotten into a bit of trouble at school. Is it a surge of hormones? Is he growing? Who knows. Three is worse than two, I do know that. But he's also hilarious, when not going through turmoil. Here are some Keatonisms since my last entry:

To me: "Your hair looks crazy right now. It looks like a sprinkling pancake." My hair has been called many things, including 'bulletproof'. Not sure what to take from this one. LOL...

"Holy Mack-Er-AL!"

Yesterday, watching the Today Show: "Mommy, that brown guy that talks to men and ladies and babies is funny." (Al Roker)

He's having trouble distinguishing "girl" from "Grill". So of course, when he heard Girl on Fire by Alicia Keys, he started yelling/singing, "This grill is on Fiiii-yeeeeeerrrrr!"

Keaton: "Mommy, there's a jumping, flying spider in my play kitchen!"
Me: "You're on your own with that one, buddy! Let me know when you kill it!" 

"If I run and I fall down, I will have a fat tooth."

"Mommy, you look like a blue dark ghost."

"My pants are not doing the correct thing that I want them to do."

K: "When it is another tonight..."
Me: "You mean...tomorrow night??"
K: "Yes, that's what I meaned, Mommy! Good job!"

I was trying to tell him to take care of his eyes (i.e. Do not shine a flashlight in them.) K: "If my eye falls out, will I get a new one?"

I was pretending to sleep, and Keaton was playing with his cash register. "Mommy, how many dollars will wake you up?"

"Do we need some wine for our banana bread?" Lol

Me: "Where did we park, Keaton?"
K: "Wherever the black minivan is." ...true...

*****

Until next time...

-Ashley

Kansas Trip

So... we just got back from Kansas. If you are reading this, and in Kansas, and we didn't get to see you, my sincere apologies. We tried very hard to see as many people as possible without overdoing it, and I think we may have anyway. It was the twins' first time to Kansas, and they met a good deal of their extended family. It was a whirlwind trip, but well worth it. I have no idea when we will be home again, but I already miss it.

We went for a number of reasons- 4th of July, Casey's extended work trip to the UK directly after, and Dad and Valerie's birthdays. I had to split my days up, since Keaton is still taking a good nap in the afternoons, so it allowed a bit of a break mid-day to regroup. Still, with all the help from family, I feel like it's taking a few days to fully recover from the non-stop running, visiting, and travel in general. I have bruises all over my legs from getting the boys and their gear in and out of the van. I stopped counting at 18. I have so many bruises, I almost started to look tan. Yikes!

Keaton had a blast, no doubt about it. He rode the train and carousel at Gage Park, visited the zoo with his aunts and Grandma & Grandpa, went to Chuck E. Cheese with Nana & Papa, watched movies, played in the sprinkler, got a ton of new toys, and some KSU and KU clothes (his current favorite... he will wear nothing else if they are clean). He said some pretty hilarious things, too. Here's a compilation:

*****
K: "Why do girls curl their hair?"
Me: "To look pretty."
K: "For boys?" (How does he understand this already?)

K: "Your full name is Ashley Broke Hetrick."
Me: "I'm not broken."
K: "Your middle name is broken!"

"When I get big and old like Mommy and Daddy, I can drive."

Grandpa: "I'd like to buy this baby." (Rowan)
K: "He doesn't cost anything...He doesn't have a tag on himself."

"Mommy, I hear my brudders being quiet."

"I'm a big drinker." (of water, I hope...)

"I wanna be Papa. When I fix airplanes I will call myself Papa."

"Mommy, you look prettier than the whole world!"

"Mommy, ask me '¿Como estas?'"
Me: "¿Como estas?"
Keaton: "Bien, you too?"

Me: "Sometimes people have triplets, that's three! Can you imagine having three baby brothers?"
K: "I want 20 baby brothers."
Me: "You're gonna need a new Mommy, then. That's a litter."

At the table while the family was playing Apples to Apples, he overheard someone say, "That's weird."
K: "You're weird. Everyone is weird. OH my GOSH!!" LOL

"K-E-A-T-O-N spells wall."

"Someday when I get big I will plant a blueberry bush, a blackberry bush... a burrito bush. And I will grow food for everyone in Kansas and Kansas City and Illinois. Someday when I'm big I can grow a lot and a lot. Someday I will grow potty on a bush." We made need a lesson on what can and can't grow out of the ground...

"We went to the state of Morocco."

Driving from Iowa into Illinois...
Casey: "We're in Illinois, Keaton!"
K: "Yay, that's where my house lives!"

Keaton was pretending to serve Casey coffee. He wanted Casey to 'buy' it from him.
Casey: "Does six dollars give me a lot of coffee?"
K: "No, 20 dollars gives you a lot of coffee." Logical already. Especially with the price of coffee these days!

"This song is Little Black Submarines by The Black Keys. That song reminds me of Nana when she was little."

"I have gas. It's like stinky air." Indeed.

"My body makes gas into my tummy, into my bottom, then I make pancake circles!" LOL... where does he come up with this stuff?

I know I missed so many... like when he was taking an order for drinks for my parents, and Dad said, "I'd like apple juice"... Keaton said, "Okay, I'll get your orange just for you!" LOL! He is an absolute trip. He was a total ham. The Keatonism book may have just expanded by 3 or 4 pages.
*****

Rowan rolled on July 7th at the Hetricks, and Nik rolled on the 11th at Aunt Margaret's house, in front of family. The twins are officially mobile. I am freaking out. I'm sorry that Casey had to miss it. I got to spend some good quality time with family and friends, which was a nice distraction since Casey was gone almost the whole week. He gets back tonight from another trip, and then hopefully he won't leave again until sometime in September. I have even more respect for my friends who are single parents. I don't think I'm cut out for that, it takes more patience than I have ever had.

Speaking of that, I wish I had more of it. I know this is a theme for some time now, but I really am struggling with it with Keaton. I can handle two babies... it's the 3 year old part of Keaton that I struggle with most. I feel guilty because I feel like I yell at him all the time. I hope that's not really the case, and I don't think it really is, but it's still difficult to balance everything. I need some good quality time with him. He really is such a good kid... so why do I feel like I get so easily frustrated with whining, crying, or being a typical 3 year old in general? I don't want to scar him. I don't want him to be afraid to talk to me, or feel like I was never fun. I want to smack myself in the face sometimes. I want someone to shock me every time I tell him 'no', so I can learn. I know these are typical things parents with more than one child face... heck, maybe even parents with one child. But I really feel like I need to be a better Mom to him. I adore that kid. It's not his fault he is a little more needy right now... he's got two brothers to compete with. Every time we are out in public, people stop us- about his brothers. It never fails. I took all 3 of them to Walmart last night, and I think we heard "God bless you" about 4-5 times by various people that witnessed me with three kids. (Before I forget, we were out to lunch with De & Keith's friends and their two kids, and a lady stopped by our table and said she felt sorry for me. I told her not to... then she mentioned something about me having 5 kids... she thought the other two were mine! WTH????) People, don't feel sorry for me. I love my boys. We are (usually) having a blast! Yes, I am frazzled. (This is apparently a good word to describe me, according to my family while we played Apples to Apples. Agreed.) Yes, I am tired. But I wouldn't change my family situation for anything. Yes, I would love to live closer to home. Yes, whenever we go out, it's chaotic. But that's just US. Don't feel sorry for me!!! I may not have planned having 3 kids, but I wouldn't trade any of them. Yes, even the 3 year old. ;-)

The Kansas trip filled my cup. I miss it already. I'm kind of sad to be home. But I'm happy to have our own space, our own bed, and our own routine again. I hope to visit again soon, though. Maybe not by vehicle next time... longest road trip EVER. Totally worth it.

-Ash

July 4th, and Rolling Rowan

Our 4th was filled with family, food, fireworks, and fun. Can't ask for more than that!  I'll post some pictures...we are enjoying ourselves (especially Mr. K!)

Rowan rolled from tummy to back for the first time today! And now...I panic. My babies are starting to get mobile. Ahhhh!

Short post, but I wanted to update so I don't forget.  :-)

Ash

18 weeks, (4 month check up), & Keatonisms

Keatonisms from the past week:

(He's a little obsessed with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse...)
Casey: "It's like mini lettuce."
K: "It's like Daisy lettuce."

Keaton, to me, because I put my hair back in a ponytail: "You look purdy. You look like Daisy's ponytail on TV."
**

Me, to Casey: "Is that kid in Hot Tub Time Machine?"
Keaton, the parrot: "Why is that kid in hot tub sound machine?"

Keaton asked me a question, and I didn't know the answer. "Is that a Daddy question?" (Most of them are...)

While picking up pizza the other night, Keaton yelled this out in front of the restaurant: "Wow look! It's a big pizza picture! Let's take our ceiling fan down and put the pizza where the fan is!" ??

Daft Punk song Get Lucky was on the radio (oops) and he listened for a second. "Why is he saying Mexican lucky?"

Frustrated because he was not listening to me:
Me: "When are you going to listen to me?"
K: "Tomorrow." :-P

Me: "Your shorts are on backwards."
K: (Does a 180° turn) "Now they're the right direction!"

Keaton went from calling Nikolas "Nik" to "Nickel" and now..."coin". Lol

Personal fave: "Mommy, are you sweet or spicy?"

 *****

After a night of intense cluster feeding (Read: I saw the clock every single hour last Tuesday night, which brought back memories of bed rest), the boys were apparently binging for their weigh-in Wednesday at the Pediatrician: 4 month checkup stats: Nik is 10 lbs 9.5 oz, 22 3/8 inches...Rowan is 10 lbs 11 oz, 22.5 inches. They are only on a growth chart for head circumference (2 and 3%, respectively)...but it's the first growth chart they've hit so far! They are making great strides to catch up, and are more than triple their birth weight! They are gaining at least an ounce each day, so they must be about 11 lbs this week. AND, I no longer have to boost their bottles with formula... in reality I hadn't been giving them bottles twice a day as I should have been anyway, and they are still packing on the pounds, so Dr. Tang told us we are in the clear and no longer need to do supplemental bottles if we didn't want to. WOOOO HOOO!!!!! (Nursing moment ahead, just to warn you.) I do not mean to sound (fill in the word with whatever adjective you'd like) here, but I am so glad not to have to do bottles anymore. Nursing is so much easier in my opinion, and I'm glad not to have to clean bottles all the time. They were taking over my sink and drying rack. I am really glad that both boys took to it, and that we are having success. I will do it as long as I possibly can. I thought it would be impossible with two, but what I am finding out currently is that not much is impossible with these two. Difficult, yes. Tiring, yes. But not impossible. So we're going to just keep going.

Keaton is absolutely awesome with them. He loves them so much, in fact, that he is starting to get protective of them from US. Yesterday after Casey got home from work and was spending time with all three boys, Keaton got upset with him because it was "his turn" to talk to his brother. He sits in the middle seat in the minivan, with one brother on each side, and holds their hands. He was basically helping me parent them yesterday. And I have cute video of him 'reading' to Rowan, which was too adorable for words. I need to get that on YouTube ASAP. It melts my heart whenever I see him interact with them, and especially when they smile and interact back with him. He loves to entertain them. Yesterday he was sitting with Rowan while Nik napped (because usually while one is awake, the other is sleeping) and I ran to the mud room to get some batteries. I heard Rowan belly laughing, harder than I had ever heard him laugh before, at Keaton. It was absolutely precious. I wish I could have gotten that on video, too, but I'd need a reality TV crew in here to really capture all the little fun moments the brothers have together. They are too much fun. I really feel like things are finally starting to seem... dare I say... easier? They aren't crying as often, are awake and aware, are becoming less 'bobble-head' and more controlled with their movements. They are very opposite, in that Nik makes more facial expressions and may or may not be a bit on the fussy side, comparatively, where Ro is very laid-back and smiley. He doesn't open his eyes as wide as Nik (which is one way I can tell them apart), but he really only seems to get upset if he's tired/overstimulated, or has an upset tummy. Nik, on the other hand, is my wild card. He is very happy and smiley one minute, and the next he is having a meltdown. This could be interesting as time goes by! But they are no more like they were in the womb, and more like I thought they would be. either way, they are very fun little dudes, with an amazing big brother. We are enjoying our boys. :-D

Last night, the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup for the second time since we moved here. I am officially a fan. I never thought I'd be a hockey fan, but I can't help myself. I don't know much about the sport- still learning the rules, etc., but I DO know that I would never want to be an NHL referee... being on ice, without pads, around all those big, burly dudes slamming into each other with all that testosterone... NO THANKS. I've got enough testosterone in my little house with my boys.Keaton tried tackling me the other day and I was ready to tap out. I've gotta get a bit tougher before they all start wrestling each other!

Well, I suppose that's about all for now. Fun times around here. I am homesick and ready for our big Kansas trip soon. In fact, I'm pretty sure I left my brain there in November. So ready to be home!!!

-Ash

17 weeks old, more Keatonisms

Our chunky little men are triple their birth weight now, and are doing wonderfully. Smiles, coos, and even laughs are frequent around here now. Keaton loves when they do any of the above. They still sleep quite a bit, and cry less and less all the time. I am still waking up at least twice a night to feed them, but they seem to be stretching their feedings out to about 3.5 hours now, so I get more solid bits of sleep... usually. It feels like I blink and they are awake again to eat, which makes the night fly by, but the day kind of drag on sometimes. It's good, though. They love to be swaddled and put in their swings, and they will take extended naps (usually) while doing so, so I have been able to get a tiny bit more done around here. Soon, though, they will start getting mobile. I find myself having small moments of panic over this. How will I manage going out and doing the things I do now when they are bigger, moving, and awake more often? It is anxiety-inducing sometimes. I know we will get through it, and I know it won't happen overnight, so I'm grateful for that. I am just becoming more aware that this may be the easiest stage in general. So glad for gradual transitions when it comes to having three kiddos.

The countdown begins... 15 days until we leave for Kansas! I am already there mentally, and have been for some time. I believe the 14 weeks of bed rest and knowing that I couldn't be home for Christmas this year really threw a wrench in my system. I miss being home. I really can't wait to bring the boys home and have them meet their extended family. And we get to be home for almost 2 weeks, so I'm really excited to have time to plan things out and maybe even relax a little bit. Casey will be gone to the UK for one of those weeks, so it allows the boys and I to stay a little longer. I can't imagine a week here in IL without Casey! He's got a lot of travel plans coming up before the end of the year, so I'm hoping to enlist help either here or at home during those crazy times. It seems like every week, someone at work wants him to go on another trip or conference. I'm glad he's a hot commodity, but I also know it's hard for him to be away so often from the boys, especially while they are so small and change so much. We'll make it through, though.

Keith & De came up this past weekend, and help us paint the bedroom in the basement. I really like the color a lot, and Casey and I only have one more coat to do before we are finished with that room and can start on the bathroom. This time a week ago, we barely had drywall... now we have an almost completely finished room! It's exciting. By Fall, we should have a finished basement. It's come a long way in 5 years!

Father's Day went well, I think. Casey was excited about his gifts, and just as excited as I was about the Periodic table of elements board game I got him (which is a lot like Scrabble, only you make words with the symbols from the elements). We had a fun brunch with the Hetricks at Eggs, Inc in Bolingbrook before they flew home. I'm glad they were able to come help, and I'm glad Casey enjoyed his day. :-)

Keatonisms, as promised:

We were at Home Depot with Keith and De, and I was pushing Keaton in the cart. We went past some multicolored duct tape. One of the rolls of tape had mustaches on it, and I pointed it out to him.
Keaton: "Nana has a mustache like that!" (????) Later: "Nana drives a mustache like that!" Then it hit me- Nana just bought a new Mustang, and Keaton got the words confused!

Keaton was counting how many adults and children their were in our group. "There are four adults. Daddy, Mommy, Nana, and Papa." I asked how many kids there were. "Four- Keaton, Nik, Rowan, and Papa."

I put one of my old shirts on Keaton so he could hang out in the basement while De and Casey were painting. I thought it was funny that he was wearing my old t-shirt from ~4th or 5th grade.
Me: "Keaton, can I take a picture of you wearing my shirt?"
Keaton: "No, today is not a picture day."

Random: "Papa is a workin' man!"

Me, to Casey, about wanting to paint the bathroom downstairs but not knowing how to do it by myself while at home with the twins: "I'm not sure how to paint."
Keaton: "You use a paintbrush, Mommy."

"Tooty Fruity is my favorite. I like fruits, but I don't like toots."

Keaton: "My airplanes are invertibrates."
Me, mind blown that he even knew how to say that word. "No they aren't, honey."
Keaton: "But they don't have any bones!" (Can you tell my kid enjoys school??)

Until later!

-Ash

10 pounders, Keatonisms, and other randomness.

Rowan & Nik: Officially 16 weeks, and TEN POUNDS. We had a meeting with lactation this morning, and they totally blew my mind. They are also taking about 4 ounces now. Lots of eating and growing going on over here!! Another first: Rowan weighs more than Nik... only by one ounce, but it's still never happened before, even in the womb!

They've now outgrown almost all of the newborn clothes, are in size 1 diapers, and have had to move the straps higher on their car seats. Craziness. They are sweet, happy little people. Nik is the more emotional of the two. When he smiles, his entire face smiles, too. I love it. Rowan is all cheeks, and sticks his tongue out when he smiles. He likes to laugh, and he's a much better sleeper now. He has something strange going on with his eyes, and we have another appointment with an ophthalmologist tomorrow to see what's up. Every time he wakes up, his eyes are almost matted shut, and crusty. Hopefully it's nothing serious, maybe just clogged tear ducts or something. Other than that, though, he's a happy little man. I love watching them smile and flirt. I've even heard a few laughs here and there. I love this part!!

Other things: Long overdue Keatonisms! I think there may be some repeats... sorry in advance!
*****

"I have to send the money back to somebody because the soup is not good."

"I want my face to be an oval. It won't fall apart that way." (No clue why the kid is talking so much about face shapes lately! Haha...)

Casey: "What would my clown name be?"
Keaton: "Daddy McDonuts"

Me: "Can you make a square?"
Keaton: "No, I'm making something similar. It's a salami."

Neighbor: "Can you draw an I?"
Keaton: "Yes, I can." (Draws an uppercase I.)
Neighbor: "Can you draw a little I?"
K: "Yes!!" (Draws a small uppercase I.)

Looks at his crayon. "It says 'Boogie Green'. It's green like boogies."

"'Stupid' is a bad word to say. My brudders don't say 'stupid' because they don't have teeth."

"If you take your hair and your mouth off I would call you the moon." No clue where that came from.

Playing with his helicopter: "They are really bad hurt! It's a mergency!"

Neighbor: "Watch out, tiger!"
Keaton: "He's not a tiger! He's Evan!"

"On my 2nd birthday I will be 4, then I will be 5."

"We got a new flag, and we hung it up on our house. Then it was an American house."

"If my chair falls down, my head will break off."

To Casey: "Push the go button, copilot!"

Me: "Can you put the clothes into the laundry?"
K: "Yes I may, sir!"

I was getting all three boys into the house, and I propped the door open with Nik's car seat to make it easier to get the other two inside. Keaton walked through the door and said, "Thank you for holding the door, brudder! That was really nice of you!"

K: "Can I have one more donut?"
Me: "Yes."
K: "How about 20 more?"
...kid after my own heart...

Patting my stomach: "There's nobody in there anymore. Did my brudders break your tummy? Where did they come out from?" (I avoided that topic... haha!)

"Heaven is kind of a different place. Where is Heaven? Is it on Saturn?"

Me: "Keaton, I can't hear you."
K: "My voice is talking, Mommy."

"When I move to my new room, can the walls come with me?"

*****
Keaton is potty trained now. He has the occasional accident in bed overnight, but he blew my mind last week by going into the bathroom, taking off his wet clothes, putting on new underwear, putting the wet clothes into the laundry, and THEN waking me up. So proud of this guy! He's growing up too fast!!

Keaton has a very very big crush on a girl in his class. "When I get older, I want to marry Alena. I will ask her. Do you think she will say yes? I will have to get her a ring. Can I have toys at the wedding?" [Serious sidenote: I was talking to Alena's mom and telling her this Keatonism, when another mom walks up and says, "Well, at least you can be thankful he likes girls! It could be the other way." I looked at her and said, "And I would be okay with it if he didn't." The comment bugged the heck out of me. Mind your own business, lady! And he is THREE YEARS OLD! I digress. Hopefully that lady gets her head out of her butt soon. Although I had another run-in with her at school this morning and she asked me if the babies, who were sleeping and had their heads drooped to the side, were one month old. I told her they were almost four months, and she said, "Oh, their necks just aren't strong enough yet, I guess?" Has the woman never seen a sleeping kid? Even adults can have their heads fall to the side when they sleep sitting up. Calm down, woman. Ugh!!]

What else can I tell you about Keat? He's at summer day camp now. So far he's enjoying it a lot. I've been taking him in the mornings to school, with the boys. It's tough, but we manage somehow. I am completely worn out by the time I get home, but it's nice to be a part of the school again. I've missed them.

In other news, our basement is getting drywalled this week! (Is that a word??). This weekend, Keith and De are coming to help paint. Things are starting to happen more quickly around here! By the end of Summer, we should have a fully functional basement. I'm pretty stoked. I haven't really helped at all, but I hope to be able to help with paint, at least. It's crazy to see it with walls now. Things are really coming together!

I can't think of anything else to update about. I'm sure I'm missing a lot. I'm working on a book of Keatonisms, and hope to have it completed soon- the first edition, at least. That kid cracks me up... and hopefully he'll enjoy a book of things he used to say. :-D

Until next time!

-Ash

Finding Sanity

The little boys are 3 months old (14 weeks, to be exact). They are getting chunky! I love their cheeks and chins and squishy thighs. They are smiling and cooing and we've even heard a laugh or two. It's getting really good over here. Sure, I could use more sleep... but they are spacing out feedings closer to 4 hours at night *most* nights, so I'm getting around 2.5 hour chunks of sleep. Maybe I should just say I nap a lot, because saying 'sleep' doesn't feel like it does it much justice. SOMEDAY, I will sleep again. And it will be glorious.

Anyway, the smiles and laughs are making all things much better. I have also figured out that swaddling them tight and putting them in their swings works wonders... this week, at least. I have been able to get a bit more done around here. Every little bit helps. I wish I would have thought to do the swaddle/swing thing earlier. We are making it work, though!

As usual, where ever we go, we have a following of people who crane their necks to see the boys, have 20 questions, etc. I can't really go anywhere without being stopped by someone. But those of you that know me, you know I don't mind it. I kind of feel like I was put on this planet to experience things and share them, in hopes of helping someone in the same situation. I met a girl today at the grocery store that is pregnant with identical twins, and is going to the same specialists I went to. (She also has a toddler.) I gave her my number in case she has any questions. I hope to keep in touch with her. She has the same type of twins I had (one placenta, two sacs) so she is very likely to have to go on bed rest. I want to be able to help out any women out there that have to go through it. While I have a hard time remembering what it was like to sit in once place for an extended period of time these days, I also know that I want to take whatever I learned from it and help others in any way I can. I still want to volunteer at the hospital in the antepartem unit someday, or be a part of the parents of multiples panel through the hospital... just reach out and try to encourage people who may be in the same situation. I feel like it's sort of a responsibility of mine to try to help.

Anyway, things are going well. This is Keaton's last week of regular school before summer camp, so it's Spirit Week. Casey has been busy with work, so I've managed to take Keaton to school the past two mornings. That's not to say that I've been the most pleasant Mommy as I am not the most cheerful person before 7 a.m....okay maybe 10 a.m.... but whatever. Keaton is diaper-free as of three weeks ago, and he had a great streak last week where he went 4-5 days without an accident! Tuesday morning, however, he woke up before 6 and had peed the bed. We had to change his clothes, his bed sheets, etc., and by that point we were both awake enough that going back to sleep wasn't an option. I was a grumpy bear of a Mommy that morning. I put myself in check this morning, though, and although he woke up early (no accident this time) he attempted to go back to sleep in our bed but the babies woke up and wanted to eat, so we were not so lucky. I tried to be more patient today. I really need to work on that. But today was successful, I think.

Yesterday was Crazy Hair Day for Spirit Week. Keaton opted for the Einstein look. Today was Favorite color day, but his purple KSU shirt is officially too small. He wore his Superman shirt because he informed me that today red is his favorite color. The shirt is blue. You do the math. I have learned that toddler logic is something all its own, and I try not to question it. He knows what he wants, and unless it's going to hurt him, I usually comply! He's getting to be such a big boy. He has grown so much in the last month or so! He is completely into 3T clothes now, and almost in size 8 shoes. That seemed to happen overnight. Tomorrow is Sports Day, and he's very excited to wear his Jayhawk outfit. I'll try to take pictures.

Casey and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary last Friday! We went out Saturday to The Melting Pot for a delicious dinner. Ten years. Time flies! He got me a beautiful necklace and set of earrings. I proudly wore them on our date Saturday. It was nice to dress up, even if we turned back around after 3 hours, came home, and put on pajamas like nothing had happened. It was fast, but fun, and definitely worth it. My friend Michelle and her boyfriend Ryan babysat the boys. It was our first time away from them, but technically we were right down the street... still, it was good to get away for a short time and spend quality time together! We don't get that very often around here. Understandable, right? It's craziness with three little boys. But oh, so much fun!

Casey has been super busy with work. He traveled to Boston last week (MIT) and had a lot of fun collaborating with them. He may be going overseas in early July, so we are hoping to get some extended time with our family while he's gone. It's so nice not to have to take off work for things like that. I am ready to be in Kansas... ready for the boys to see their family... ready to change things up a little bit. Now that we are getting out and about, I'm not anxious about putting the kids in the van and getting out. I've even done it with all three of them, which sometimes feels insane... but Keaton has been really good anytime we are out. He likes to hold onto the stroller while we walk. He is an excellent big brother, and I am so glad these little boys have such a neat guy to grow up with!

I guess there isn't much more to tell right now. I'll try to update more often, but I keep saying I'll do that and I never end up doing it! So here's to trying. I'm not even sure if anyone is still reading!! But if you are... thanks!! :)

-Ash & the boys

Rowan

Swaddle & Swing!

Pouty Ro

Crazy Hair Day

Smiley Babies!

Flirty Nik

Nik relaxing with Daddy

12 weeks, Keatonisms, and milestones

The boys are 12 weeks old today! At the weight check last week we found out they are as close to the same weight as they have ever been, even in the womb. Nik is 7 lbs 11.5 oz, 20.25 inches long, and Rowan is 7 lbs 9 oz, 20 inches long. They are even bigger than I thought! The doctor said to just keep doing what we are doing. They haven't hit the growth chart yet because they are still so far below the curve, but he expects them to around 5 months.  Until them we will keep supplementing their bottles with formula so they can pack on the pounds.

Keaton reached a milestone overnight: he slept all night in his bed without having an accident!  He has been wearing a diaper at night even though he is totally potty trained during the day. He will go to the bathroom by himself and even wipe correctly (usually). We felt that it was time for him to get out of diapers completely. It's tough because he is a very hard sleeper so he doesn't normally wake up and realize he's going or got to go. This could result on a lot more laundry in the near future, but it's worth it if he can learn the sensation and wake up on his own to take care of it. He's such a big boy now.

It is adorable to e'er him interact with his baby brothers. I asked him last week to bring me a diaper, and he brought an entire unopened box! He gets really excited when his brothers look at him or grab his hand. They are starting to coo and smile now, so he gets really excited to witness that. Yesterday they were both doing well holding their heads up during tummy time, and he was right there cheering them on. I can't wait until they start laughing...he will become their main source of entertainment, I bet. He loves being the clown.  :-)

Speaking of clowning around, here are some Keatonisms...

"We have a mystery, Mommy."

To me: "Can I do it please, pretty girl?"

Asking for strawberry shortcake: "Can I have some short strawberry cheesecake please, Mommy?"

"You smell like poop."

"Those bricks are the color of Bruno Mars."

"My nose is not breathing really well."

Singing the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme: "It's the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse! Come inside...and see my toilet."

"Every girl is purdy and every boy is handsome."

"In my ice cream shop I made a pineapple, that's why I'm a doctor. By Sandra Boynton." What??

"You are pretty because you look like you have flowers in your hair."

"C: You're not being a very good listener.
K: I'm a good listener on Mondays and Fridays!"

Nik started throwing a fit while I was trying to get him to latch: "Maybe he doesn't like the food."

"Oranges make orange juice. Do donuts make donut juice?"

*****

Mother's Day was very nice this year! The boys got me donuts and my favorite coffee, then got me two gift cards-one for a shopping spree, and one to go out with the girls for dinner and drinks! Then that night they took me out for sushi. It was a great day. My boys really know how to spoil me. I plan on going shopping today, I wore a hole in the knee of my favorite jeans and I need to replace them. Kohl's is calling me.  :-)

I think that's about all for now.

Until next time,

Ash

11 weeks, Keatonisms, on the mend.

The boys are 11 weeks old today, and are doing great! They are growing like crazy. They can wear most newborn clothes now, and only a few things so far have had significant room for growth...otherwise they are more then double their birth weight now! We have an official weight check tomorrow at the Pediatrician.

Keaton and I had a fun day yesterday. The boys were not as fussy as usual, which allowed us time to play a lot more. He was a great helper, even volunteering to clean in the dining room and kitchen. Thank goodness he's apparently gotten his father's desire to clean! We also went outside and transplanted some red and yellow snapdragons in the front bucket. (See pictures). There was one extra so he got one for himself, and is pretty proud of it.  :-)

Recent Keatonisms (hopefully no repeats...he's been on a roll lately!):

I want some wine beer.

Great Grandpa's face isn't round. It's more like a square.

When my baby brudders grow up, they will be people.

My potty smells like corn. Because it's yellow.

...the city of America.

Daddy had surgery because we don't want anymore boys.

Nana: Keaton, how'd you get to be so amazing?
K: It's because I know all the planets.

Why do birds fly like airplanes?

When will my baby brudders get eyebrows?

Can you help me? By Sandra Boynton

Peanut butter and jelly sandwich, by Sandra Boynton

Mommy, you look really cute! Why?

I like the taste of dogs and cats.

We have a mystery, Mommy.

Can I do it please, pretty girl?

(strawberry shortcake) Can I have some short strawberry cheesecake please, Mommy?

You smell like poop.

Those bricks are the color of Bruno Mars.

*****

Finally, on Friday night I started feeling a little off and decided if I felt the same upon waking up Saturday that I would to go to the doctor... It's a good thing i did. I found out I have strep throat. When Keaton found out he started crying and said, "Now you will have to go on bed rest again..." Poor guy! Luckily that was (obviously) not the case. I didn't show many symptoms of strep until after I started taking the Amoxicillin. Saturday afternoon I got a fever and felt like a car hit me. Fever broke that night, and Sunday and Monday I've felt better all the time. I had more energy yesterday than I did Thursday, Friday, and Saturday combined. Hence all the productivity. Poor Casey had to take up the slack this weekend and even had to come home early Friday because I was so exhausted. Glad all of that is over. I wore face masks all day Saturday and most of Sunday until I wasn't contagious anymore (24 hours, according to the doc). Luckily no one else has shown signs of getting it. Not a very fun weekend around here! I'm glad to start the new week on a better note.

That's all for now!

Ash