A new word

We've been so busy at the Brouwer house that I haven't posted anything lately...sorry!  Life has just been a little crazy getting ready for and enjoying  Christmas.  We had a great time celebrating Christmas with the boys and spending time with our families.  They really didn't get into the unwrapping part as much as we thought they would.  They REALLY enjoyed the new toys part.  :)  They've been playing non-stop.  Reese cries every time we make him put toys down to eat or take a nap.  Poor guy just wanted some new things to play with.  It's fun to watch them play with "big boy" toys.  It's amazing how much they pretend already.  Reese cooks in their new kitchen and says, "hot!" 

They are all starting to really expand their vocabulary as well.  They say things like "hot", "ball", "block" (which sounds a lot like ball to me) and Noah is really into telling people, "No!".  We've also been teaching them a new word.  We've been teaching them to say, "baby".  We've been teaching them to say this because that's the gift we are getting as a family this year.  A new baby!  Baby Brouwer #4 is due to arrive in June. We are so excited to welcome this baby into our family.  Yes, baby, as in a single baby.  We have loved the incredible experience of multiples, but we are also really excited for the experience of a single baby.  I'm sure the boys will be all over (literally, all over) the new baby.  We talk about the baby to them and show them the ultrasound and they smile at it, but obviously they have no idea what is about to happen in our house.  I'll post the ultrasound picture below.  We feel so very blessed to experience yet another miracle. 

On the mend

It seems as though we are starting to see some improvement in the boys.  I ended up taking Noah to the pediatrician on Monday after seeing the Dr. at immediate care on Sunday.  She asked what was going on and I filled her in.  She's not crazy about immediate care and didn't really like what they did.  She didn't like that they gave him Tamiflu after seeing him so briefly and she was not happy that they didn't give him a breathing treatment.  She walked up to him and could immediately hear him wheezing.  She asked me about anyone in our families having asthma.  I told her that yes, it does run in my family and our nephew on Nate's side had it.  She said that he probably has it too.  She said at this age their really isn't a good test to say for sure that he has it, but listening to him she could tell.  So, I held him down while he kicked and screamed during a breathing treatment.  He sounded immediately better after the treatment.  So, we came home with a nebulizer.  I was dreading giving him his next treatment, but after the first time he was fine with it.  Now he sits for pretty much the whole thing.  Go figure!  Either way, it really helps him a lot.  He coughs so hard when he plays to hard or lays in bed.  Poor guy.  :(  She is hoping that since he has it this young he'll grow out of it by preschool or so.  We hope so too!  The other 2 have been coughing and had the runny nose too, but it seems to be going away now.

On top of that I thought Aiden might have pink eye.  The Dr. said it was a good possibility and that pink eye can refer to so many eye infections.  She said most of them will go away on their own with time.  I just happened to have the medicine at home from when Reese had a clogged tear duct.  When they all started passing it around I started putting the medicine in all of their eyes.  Shhh.  Don't tell.  I know you aren't supposed to do that, but you try taking care of 3 boys with pink eye and some other respiratory virus.  Sometimes you do what you have to in order to maintain sanity! 

Other than that we had a great Thanksgiving.  No surprise Aiden didn't even make it through dinner.  It was nap time and that is one boy that does not appreciate missing his nap.  He loves his bed more than any child I have ever seen.  We had a great time spending the day with Nate's family.  The boys loved climbing up and down (and sometimes falling down) their stairs.  Now on we go to Christmas...the Brouwer house will be "treeless" this year.  Can you imagine a tree with these 3 around?? :)

Poor boys

The boys have yet again come down with something.  I almost can't believe it.  Noah woke up with what seemed like a cold on Saturday.  He cried during the night and was up early crying yesterday.  At about 6:30 I put him in our bed.  As soon as I put him in bed with us I realized he was having a hard time breathing and was wheezing.  He was pulling in really hard to breathe and was breathing fast.  Our Dr. has said before that faster and more shallow breathing is normal to a point when they have a cold.  The wheezing was what really bothered me.  So, my mom came over and off we went to immediate care.  They diagnosed him with viral bronchiolitis.  They gave him Tamiflu and a steroid to help with the wheezing.  I asked the Dr. if he thought Noah could have asthma.  He said because it's the first time bringing him in for it he wouldn't say so yet, but it could be.  It does run in my family, so I wouldn't be surprised.  So off we went to buy some more crazy expensive medicine (thankfully we get reimbursed for most of it by Nate's union).  The pharmacist knows us as soon as she sees us now.  We went from the boys being so healthy to getting so many things.  The other 2 have some sort of cold or something too.  Aiden's eyes are also quite red and puffy and gross so I'm bringing him in to make sure he doesn't have pink eye.  I'm hoping the Dr. can get us in right away.  The last thing we need is to spread pink eye around the house!

Despite another round of illness I am determined to stay thankful.  These are all minor things that will pass.  We still have an incredible amount to be thankful for and I will acknowledge those things instead of dwelling on the frustration of another illness.  If I don't get a chance to blog again I want to wish everyone a "Happy Thanksgiving!".   Count your blessings and be thankful for all you have!

It's been too long...

I know.  It's been too long since I last updated this.  We've had a lot of little things keeping us busy lately.  Dr. appointments, phone calls with insurance and Dr. offices (this is constant!), etc.  So, here's a little bit of what has been going on.

The boys had their 15 month check-up about a week and a half ago.  I still can't believe they are that old already.  Anyways, they are continuing to grow like weeds.  Reese is still the peanut.  He's 1 1/2 inches shorter than Noah.  :)  The Dr. was impressed with how much they are talking and their development in general.  Her comment was, "Wow.  They are really busy."  If only she know what it's like at home.  All in all they had a great visit.

Aiden had a check-up with the GI Dr. about his reflux.  He has been doing so well that she said we can take him off of his medicine and we don't need to return unless there is a problem.  Such great news!  She was the second to last Dr. we see at the University of Chicago.  Reese has a check-up with a surgeon in the spring and that's the last one.  It is sort of sad though.  We have such a strong connection to that hospital.  It's a weird feeling to be so attached to a hospital, but they've done so much for us. 

We also had the boys on an antibiotic for 3 days.  The parasite that they had just wasn't going away, so the Dr. put them on an antibiotic.  Thankfully things have been great since then.  I even had to do a phone interview with the county health department about what they were exposed to right before they got sick. 

The boys have been quite busy doing things to make my life even busier.  I will include a couple of pictures of those activities at the end.  If you wonder what I do all day just imagine the things a little boy can come up with and then multiply it by 3. 

Finally, Aiden started walking!  I was really starting to worry.  One day he just let go of the couch and walked.  He's still crawling  more than walking, but he's well on his way. 

Now the pictures....

They took every single kleenex out of the box and shredded them.  I found bits of kleenex for many days all over the house.

 Noah is tall enough to reach things on the table, even when we push them far in.  He took down the bag of newspaper and they worked together to shred that as well.

 They like to push each other on ride-on toys.  Sometimes it gets too wild and the guy riding gets tipped off the toy.  :)

 Reese LOVES to build.  He spends a lot of time building with these blocks and with big legos.

 Of course the laundry basket is always a fun place to play.  It's especially fun when there is laundry in it that can be spread all around the house. 

No longer babies

Life has been quite busy, so I'm sorry for the lack of updates.  My brother got married on the 13th.  It was a great day!  I've never seen a bride and groom smile and have as much fun as my brother and his wife did.  We had a great time celebrating with them.  We also gained a nephew that day. My now sister-in-law has a son who is 9.  He is such a sweet boy and we're happy to have him as our nephew!  It was so awesome watching them come together as a new family. 

We've also been trying to get answers and finally get over the boys having intestinal issues (to put it nicely).  Noah still isn't able to have too much dairy, so he's drinking soy or lactose free milk.  Ugh.  It's so much more expensive than milk.  However, it means he doesn't have an upset stomach, so it's worth it.  Nate and I took in stool samples for Aiden and Reese yesterday to show that they have the same thing (c diff) that Noah does.  We're sure they do, so now we wait for the official word.  They will probably all be on antibiotics to get rid of it once and for all.  I can't wait to be rid of this!  On a side note Nate and I laughed so hard while attempting to fill the specimin containters with poop.  As Nate said, "The things we do for our kids.  Unbelievable."  Yes, it was unbelievable and it was also hilarious.

I also have come to the realization that our boys really aren't babies any longer.  Noah is walking all over the house (as of last week) and Reese is starting to.  Aiden talks like crazy.  He can now say Noah, which he says Oah; Moo, which is Ooo; and Reese, which is Eee.  Reese is also saying hot.  Just this morning I asked Aiden if he loved Reese and he went and gave him a hug and kiss.  I almost cried.  There is nothing sweeter than when they love on each other.  For as much as they fight over things, especially toys, it's so fun they love on each other. 

I guess I'm both happy and sad at the realization that they are doing more.  It is so great that I get to be here all the time watching them learn new things.  They are so much fun now.  As much as I miss them being little babies I really don't miss things like not sleeping and constant bottle feeding.  Someone asked me the other day if it gets easier.  I said, "No, it just gets different".  I know, poor grammar.  It's true though.  There are still 3 little boys who need me constantly.  None of them can put on their own shoes, walk to the car, put on a coat, go to the bathroom.  They still need their food cut up, to be put into their beds, etc.  It does get easier in the sense that they can play and entertain themselves.  It just constantly changes.  Who knows what will change by the next time I update this!

Boys are gross

Boys are gross.  Yep, it's true.  They do such gross things that I almost can't believe it sometimes.  Just yesterday I walked into the boys' room to get them out of bed and there was a stray piece of poop sitting in Reese's bed.  He took his diaper part way off and a little turd rolled out of the diaper, down his pants leg and into the bed.  I checked his hands and mouth because it would not be at all unusual for them to eat a piece of poop.  I wish I could say I was lying, but Noah has picked up poop before.  This is probably how to contract illnesses like parasites.

Speaking of Reese removing clothing he is now into taking off his socks.  No matter what socks I put on him he takes them off and then chews on them.  Gross.  I find his soggy little socks all over the house.  He throws them out of bed most days.  Last night I put him in one piece pajamas so he couldn't take them off.  I hate the thought of his feet getting wet.  He still enjoys taking one arm out of a long sleeve shirt.  I found him with one arm out of his shirt after naptime last week.  Don't be surprised if you pass our house and see him running outside naked in a year or so.  It will probably happen.

They are learning so much lately.  It's very clear that kids know more than we think.  They have 1 show that they watch and are in love with.  It's called, "The Wheels on the Bus".  A dragon drives the bus and they go all around the town.  When the boys want to watch it they start doing the round and round motion that the kids on the show do.  It is so darn cute!  Aiden continues to find ways to climb onto the couch and other places he shouldn't be.  Reese is so skinny he can twist and turn until he's standing in his highchair.  Noah scowls at everyone and everything and even rolls his eyes on occasion.  When I tell them to say cheese Aiden says, "eee!" and smiles as wide as he can.  So funny.  Aiden is also saying, "Oah" for Noah.  If you drag out the syllables and say it to slow he says, "No, no, no" like someone is in trouble.  He is also starting to say "Moo" when I ask what a cow says.  He yells Lue (more like Woo) when our dog barks and puts his hand to his ear and says, "Hewo" like he's talking on a phone.  He is our verbal child.  Noah is good at things that require gross motor skills.  Reese is the best at things that require fine motor skills.  He watches every move we make and repeats it, no matter how much attention to fine detail it requires.

The final funny thing they do is this...When we say, "Time for bed" and open the baby gate they all crawl up the stairs.  It has made life so much easier.  Instead of carrying each one upstairs they can get up there on their own!

Life

We were excited to finally be getting over all of the illnesses that have plagued our house since July.  No one was having intestinal issues, although Noah is still not drinking milk.  He is drinking lactose free milk because he can't digest regular milk at this point.  Well, we know better than to think it's over.  Now all 3 have a cold.  Oh boys.  It's nothing bad or serious, just an inconvenience.  That means that can't be in the nursery or anything again.  It seems like it's been forever since we've been to church as a family.  I'm trying to be positive and be glad that they all have it at once and aren't passing it around one at a time.

It's been fun to watch the boys learning and growing so much lately.  Noah and Reese are starting to become more confident and letting go of things to take some steps.  Aiden is still not really interested.  He takes one little step and then starts crawling.  They are all good crawlers so it's much faster than trying to walk somewhere.  Aiden has learned how to get onto the couch.  We were keeping the remotes on the back of the couch so they couldn't reach them.  I walked into the living room after being in the kitchen and saw him sitting on the couch holding both remotes.  He also gets the batteries out. Needless to say the remotes have a new home.  Reese has been teaching Aiden how to open the baby gates.  Every day they seem to learn something new, for better or worse.

Today marks the end of Nate working out of town.  He has been working in Wisconsin for 4 weeks.  He has been leaving on Sunday night and coming home on Thursday night.  I have had my mom and cousin stay overnight, just so that I'm not alone.  Today is his last day.  It's not ideal to have him out of town, but it's work.

The next few weeks are very busy for us.  We have a couple of weddings coming up, including my brother!  We're very excited!  I'm also going to be a sub at Highland Christian 2 weeks from today.  Gulp!  This is my first time as a sub.  It's a resource room which is what my job was before.  I'm sure it will be fun to get back into my old job for a day.  I realized how difficult it would be to work though.  Lining up people to watch the boys and thinking about all that I'll have to have ready is exhausting! :)  Anyways, if you don't see much from me in the next few weeks that's why!  We'll be a little crazy around here.  Isn't it always?  

Time out!

It's true.  Time out has started at our house.  There was just no way around it.  Our kids are naughty.  Recently the favorite thing to do is shake a lamp.  They look at me crawl over to the lamp, shake it and then look back at me as if they're saying, "What are you gonna do about it?".  After attempts to tell them, "No", redirect them, scare them by saying something like, "Ow!" they had yet to be phased.  One night I had enough.  I grabbed the offender, I believe it was Noah, and buckled him into a chair.  He was less than thrilled.  It seems to be helping at this point.  They are very clearly testing the limits.  They also throw little fits.  They arch their backs when you hold them, scream, Reese hits his head on the floor or crawls around with his face on the floor and kick their legs.  I remember talking to our pastor about the concept that we are born with sin and how some people just can't believe that.  Have children.  You'll believe it.  I did not teach them how to be naughty, but they most certainly are.  The amount of hitting, pushing, hair pulling and screaming at each other is almost unbelievable at times.  Wow.  I just made them sound awful. They are not always that bad!  They just have moments where they totally melt down...times 3.  It can get a little crazy!

They are also getting teeth by the mouthful these days.  Reese is on his way to 12 teeth.  Noah is holding steady at 6.  Aiden finally got his top 2, which puts him at 3 total.  He has a bottom tooth that is there, but can't seem to cut through the gums.  I'm starting to worry a little because it's been that way for weeks.  Poor kid.  I think we'll keep trying to get it through by chewing on things.  It's just amazing how different they are!

Monkey see, monkey do

There is a lot of monkey see, monkey do going on at our house these days.  The boys are constantly watching us and each other to learn things.  They often teach each other naughty things, like opening a drawer and tearing it apart or pulling cords out of the wall and handing it to the other guy to chew on.  Reese is especially observant.  He has learned how to open the baby gates and take the outlet protectors out of the wall.  He also learned how to get his arm out of a shirt and even started pulling it over his head.  I'm sure I'll walk in a room and find him completely naked soon (he already knows how to take off his diaper).  They also learned how to move things in order to get somewhere.  They move chairs all the time!  Aiden also used a basket, which he turned upside down, to climb on the couch.  I was so worried they would have developmental delays (can't help it, I'm a teach at heart).  I think I can let that fear go now.

We have also been dealing with intestinal illness (to put it nicely) for 5 weeks.  Ugh.  It's been frustrating.  Finally week the Dr. wanted to run some tests on Noah.  He's been the worst, so we brought him in.  The tests showed that he has something called C. Diff.  There is a longer name, but I don't remember it.  You can google it.  :)  He probably got it from being on an antibiotic, which killed all the good bacteria in his gut and caused the bad bacteria to grow out of control.  He also has something called Crypto.  There's a really long name for that as well.  We were told to look it up on the CDC's website.  It's never good when your pediatrician tells you to look something up on the CDC's website.  We did and it turns out it's a parasite.  Awesome.  He either got it from water or from Lue.  Our guess is Lue.  A lot of kids get it from being in a daycare.  While our house looks like a daycare it is not one.  So, he must have contracted it from water or a pet.  It has no treatment other than giving it time to work out of his system.  So, for now they can't be around little kids or a group of kids.  Just when we were starting to have play dates and do fun things, we're essentially stuck!  Oh well, this too shall pass.

Baby steps

I could probably write a novel today I'm so behind in updating our blog.  I'll try not to write quite that much.

I'll start with our incredibly fun trip last weekend.  We went to Indianapolis with my parents.  We went to the zoo, the Children's Museum walked around the city, ate (a lot!) and just had fun.  We even swam, which Aiden wasn't in the mood for and Noah and Reese loved.  The first night was a little rocky.  It took twice as long to get there because of a truck fire.  That totally threw the boys off and they didn't go to bed until 11:00.  The second night the fire alarm went off at 2:00 am and briefly at 3:00 and 4:00 am.  Thank you person who was cooking after a night of drinking.  Luckily the boys slept well despite it.  Other highlights include losing Aiden, who opened the door, which was propped open, and took off in the hallway and Reese learning how to open the door.  He was just tall enough to reach the handle and could pull it down and then pull just hard enough to get it to a point where he could swing it open and crawl out.  They are learning too fast! We also had a chance to go out just the 2 of us.  The whole trip was wonderful.  We really didn't want to come home.

The next exciting (and scary) thing in our house are the first steps.  Reese will take 1 step.  He is not our risk taker, which surprises me, and doesn't want to do more than a step.  Noah took a step last night and then the next time 4 steps.  He pretty much runs instead of walking.  It's so funny to watch his feet move so fast.  Aiden has absolutely no interest in walking.  You can find him climbing on everything all day long.  He can almost get himself up onto the couch.  Stay tuned for the first broken bone or cracked open head.  I'm sure it's just around the corner.

Finally, today is a day of incredible significance in our house.  It's a day of celebration and remembrance of a year ago.  Do you know what it is?  One year ago today I held Reese in my arms and stared at his lifeless face.  He was completely limp with a peaceful smile on his face.  I thought this would be the day we would have to remember losing our child.  I am so thankful that that is not what we remember today.  Today we remember a miracle.  We remember the way 2 police officers quickly jumped into action and discovered the problem.  We remember the way he was rushed by a police escort to the hospital.  We remember the peace we felt when we were transferred back to University of Chicago.  We especially remember the kindness of the surgeon who added Reese onto an already packed day so that our little boy wouldn't have to wait to eat any longer.  It is certain to be a day filled with emotion.  It really started to hit me last night.  This day could be so different.  How do we ever thank those 2 men who were able to think so fast and get him breathing?  We've thought for a year and have come up with nothing.  There is no appropriate way to thank someone for saving your child.  I wrote a letter to them to express our thanks and hope that they understand how special they are to us.  I am so thankful that the Lord saw fit to let us keep our child.  Our crazy, often naughty, little peanut Reese is alive and well.  Say a prayer of thanks today that we're celebrating and not mourning. I know I will.

I have finally looked through all of the pictures that were taken at the party (my wonderful sister-in-law took them for us).  Here are a few of my favorites!

It was a great party!!  The boys had so much fun that they went to bed at their normal bed time and slept until 7:45 the next day.  It was so nice for us! :)

In other news Aiden is now saying, "No, no, no" and "No, mine."  Noah has learned to roll his eyes.  Reese is refusing to sleep through the night.  Ah yes.  They are certainly testing the waters.  I just didn't know it would happen so soon.

A party and a check-up

The past week and a half have been very busy for us!

The boys had their fabulous first birthday party.  It was a 3 ring circus.  Seems fitting, right?  :)  They had a blast!  Reese ate most of his smash cake, Noah ate a lot of his and Aiden only took a few bites (too tired by that point).  They weren't really into opening presents, so I did most of that.  They love cards though, so they looked at cards more than anything.  I promise to post pictures soon!

They also had their 1 year check-up.  Their growth has really slowed down now that they're moving.  Noah is by far the biggest at 30.25 in and 21 lbs.  Aiden is in the middle at 29.25 in. and 20 lbs. and Reese is the peanut at 28 in. and 18 1/2 lbs.  He's so tiny compared to Noah!  She said they all look great and was surprised at the level of activity.  Ah, yes.  Something we experience on a daily basis.  They are into EVERYTHING!  Nothing is safe. They can even open drawers.  Something that I'm learning with multiples is that they learn together.  When 1 can't do it they work together to figure it out.  It's a mixed blessing for sure!  I'm glad they're learning, but frustrated that they terrorize the house.  By 9 o'clock one morning they had played with dirty socks, flip flops, dog food...the list went on.  She also gave them an order for a hearing rescreen since they were preemies and in the NICU.  I'm fighting this out with insurance right now, because they don't want to pay for it.  That seems to be a theme lately.  I spend a lot of time on the phone arguing with insurance companies and billing departments.  She also recommended that we have Noah's eyes checked.  We've noticed that when he focuses one eye moves to the middle more.  Nate's eyes do something similar.  We figured better to have it looked at and be wrong than assume nothing is wrong.  If he does have a problem we hope some sort of vision therapy will help and avoid the astronomical cost of glasses like Nate's.  So, that appointment is on Monday.

Well, the boys are sleeping so I need to go tend to my Friday duties..cleaning like a madwoman while I have some time to myself.  :) 

Happy birthday boys!!

It's hard to believe that almost exactly 1 year ago, down to the minute, our boys were born.  At 10:16 Aiden was born with a loud cry.  At 10:18 Noah was born with a loud cry.  At 10:20 Reese was born with a little cry that sounded more like a sheep.  :)  It was such a relief and a joy to have them here.  I can remember that day so vividly.  I can remember when they rolled me to put me onto a different bed to go to the recovery area.  I was sure they were going to roll me right off of the bed.  I can remember telling Nate to go see the boys and leave me to my misery as I regained feeling and was sick.  I can barely remember going down to see the boys and only holding Aiden.  When I watch video of that day I don't remember that a nurse had to help me hold him because I was so tired and weak.  What a flood of memories!  What I remember most is when they came in to tell me I was going into the OR after 2 other c-sections.  I looked at Nate and said, "Well, I guess now we know when their birthday will be." 

Today I am happy to have them turn one, but a little sad that my babies are growing so fast.  I feel like I can't blink or I might miss something.  I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to stay home and watch them learn new things every day.  Today we will do some fun things to celebrate.  This morning they had pancakes, sausage and strawberries..a favorite breakfast for sure!  We're having 2 of their cousins over for a "pool party" in our baby pools and a special lunch and special supper.  Saturday we will have some family fun with Nate and next week Saturday is their party.  I'll be sure to post pictures of all of the fun activities that we do.  I will, of course, be taking pictures of everything.  I wish we had more pictures of the day they were born, because there are things I don't remember and things I didn't get to see.  Today I will take as many pictures as I can.  I don't want to miss or forget anything about such an incredible day.  It's a big day for them, but a big day for us as well.  By the grace of God we've survived our first year with multiples!  It's been a bumpy road at times, but we're still standing.  When we talked about having kids before the boys we always thought we would have 2 kids.  Suddenly we had 3 at once and realized we're not the ones who get to decide that.  That's why on the boys' birth announcement we put this verse, "for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago" (Isaiah 25:1b).  This is not something we planned or thought we would ever experience, but we sure are glad that in perfect faithfulness we were blessed times 3.  What a great gift!! 

Happy 1st birthday to our 3 wonderful blessings!!

5 years ago...

Tomorrow is a big day in our house.  It marks 5 years of marriage for us.  5 years!  I almost can't believe it.  I remember how it felt like that day would never come.  Then it was over so fast!  The many wedding pictures that were in our house have been mostly taken over by pictures of the boys.  Some still remain and I love to look back and remember what a great day it was.  The past 5 years have surely matured us.  The past year, obviously, more than any other has been a great test.  Many couples who have multiples divorce.  There are many different statistics that I've read, none of which are not good.  For us it's been so many other things as well.  Some small things, some big things.  I am so happy to say that not only have we made it through the most difficult year, but our marriage is even stronger than when it all started.  When you have 3 babies at once you will either be divided or united.  We chose to be married, we chose to be parents and we choose to do it together.  Is it always easy?  No.  We choose to see the positive as often as possible.  The last 3 weeks have been especially hard to stay positive.  So many things have gone on here, including things I haven't posted about, that have been difficult.  We just remember that we are not doing it alone.  Without God in charge of our lives we would sink.  I often think about the passage from Romans 12 that was read at our wedding. It says, "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.  Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."  Lately we need a lot of hope, a lot of patience and a lot of prayers.  Life has thrown a lot at us. 

We are really looking forward to spending a night out this weekend remembering all the ups and downs of the past 5 years and looking forward to, Lord willing, many more years of wedded bliss.  With the journey of the past 5 years, I can hardly wait to see what's in store!

The sickness continues!

It's been another crazy week around here.  I'm certainly ready for things to slow down!

Monday Nate was home because of us being in the ER all night with Reese.  He doesn't get sick days, so he tries not to take days off.  He was home though, so we caught up on sleep and caught up on things around the house a little bit.  Tuesday started off a little crazy as well.  Noah caught "the bug" that put Reese in the ER.  After I got everything cleaned up and sat down to eat breakfast I heard a dripping noise.  It was coming from the hose that's attached to our toilet to spray off the cloth diapers.  The bathroom was soaked and water was dripping into the basement.  Thankfully our neighbor was home and not only fixed the leak but cleaned up the mess for me.  I was beyond thankful for that!  Wednesday was great.  I had some time out of the house!  (more on that another time).  Thursday things got crazy again.  I got sick!  The worst case scenario had come true.  There was no way for me to take care of the boys.  In an odd turn of events Nate had been called off for the rain.  He was able to take care of the boys.  Thank goodness!  I think it made him appreciate how much I do every day.  :)  I'm on the mend today.  Feeling much better this afternoon. 

All in all it just seems like the past 2 weeks have been madness!  I'm looking forward to feeling better and getting back to normal.  Here's to hoping this virus leaves our house!  I have disinfected every square inch and it still lives on! 

And on it goes

Things seemed to be on the upswing around here on Saturday.  Reese still wasn't himself, but the nasty diapers were few and far between.  We thought we were in the clear.  Saturday night he threw up and just clearly wasn't feeling well.  We got him to drink a little pedialyte and put him to bed.  Sunday morning he looked horrible.  He was extremely lethargic and not very alert at all.  I called our pediatrician who said to push fluids and get him to the ER if he didn't get better.  My mom came and took care of him while the other 2 slept and we went to church.  When we got back he looked a little bit better.  So, we ate lunch and decided to see if he improved.  He really didn't want anything to eat.  After lunch he was screaming and inconsolable.  That was it.  We went in.  Let me tell you, this did not come without a lot of consideration.  Going back to the hospital we went to when he was a little baby and had just had his episode was not something I looked forward to.  We went in though and it was certainly not a great experience.  The nurse who helped check us in was the nurse who took care of him last time and I was unimpressed to say the least.  I had to do a lot of praying for patience.  We got in to a room and after being there for an hour and a half I finally called in a nurse (no one had even checked on us, not a Dr., not a nurse).  I asked how long the wait would be and told them we were ready to leave and go somewhere else.  I don't like being "that mom", but he really needed to be seen.  They convinced me to stay and told me the Dr. would be right in.  She came in and ordered an xray of his belly and a blood test.  They couldn't get blood, which meant they couldn't get an IV in either.  They said he really didn't look very dehydrated though.  They came in later and said the xray showed a distendid bowel and possibly an obstructed bowel.  They told us they didn't have good pediatric surgeons and wanted to send us elsewhere just in case it got to that point.  So, off we went up to Comer Children's Hospital.  Of course we had to take an ambulance just in case.  For those of you keeping track Reese has taken 3 ambulance rides.  We got to Comer where things were immediately better.  They took an xray which showed intestinal irritation, but no obstruction or anything of that nature.  They said his intestines were irritated from his belly issues and that he just needed fluids.  So with fluids, rest and a little food we were finally discharged at about 4:30 this morning.  So, we spent about 16 hours between 2 ERs.  We are so thankful that it wasn't more serious than he was.  I am waiting to see whether or not we need to follow up with the pediatrician, which I'm guessing we will.  So, from here we'll just have to wait and see. 

Hand, foot and mouth...x3!

Let me start by saying this week was full of crazy days.  I'll start with the good of the last week and a half and then get to the bad and the ugly.

Last week we took the boys to a parade for the 4th of July.  They were great!  I would post pictures, but I'll talk more about that later.  It was hot, but it was fun.  We also did a little birthday shopping on the 4th.  Lots of mixed feelings there.  We also got a swingset!!  Our neighbors were done with theirs and generously offered to give it to us.  They gave it to us last summer and even bought us baby swings for a baby shower gift.  This week they, along with some help from guys at our church, put it up.  I can't wait to spend many days out there playing!  The boys love swings, so we are very excited and grateful.  I also had a great visit from a friend who just left a little bit ago.  (Nancy, I'm sitting, aren't you proud :))   Another great thing is that Noah started clapping this week and Reese got his 7th tooth!  Aiden is still working on tooth number 2 and Noah has 2 teeth.  It's fun to see all the differences!

Now on to the bad and the ugly.  Saturday night Reese had a fever.  It was 101.7.  He still had a fever Monday morning.  Thankfully I had help available on Monday.  So I left Noah and Aiden home with our neighbor Megan and then the boys' Oma Marry (an honorary grandma).  Long story short he had hand, foot and mouth disease.  The Dr. told me that Aiden and Noah would almost certainly get it.  Sure enough by Tuesday Noah had a 102.7 fever and Aiden a 101 fever.  Hand, foot and mouth causes a rash, fever and blisters in the throat.  Nasty!!!  So soft diets and crabby boys followed.  Just when I thought things were looking up Reese had a tummy ache this morning (nasty diapers, enough said).  I cried.  It was the 3rd time I just had to break down and cry this week.  In addition to all of this our computer got a virus and crashed, which also means our home phone won't work.  A couple of other things happened in the mix as well.  It was hard to have a positive outlook this week.  The hardest part of all is that my parents were on vacation this week.  My parents live less than 5 minutes away so it's never a big deal to have her come over.  I've learned how much I miss having her close to me and how much I wish Nate's parents lived closer (they live about half an hour away).  I'm thankful for great neighbors and great help that we can call when we need them, but I still need my mom.  That being said here's what I realized through all of this.  I need to be more thankful for the fact that I normally have healthy kids.  This is temporary and will pass.  I will be more appreciative of our parents.  They sure put up with a lot raising us!  Finally, I've remembered that along with the hard part of having multiples, we get 3 times the kisses, hugs, giggles and love.  I just need to put that into perspective sometimes.  This too shall pass!!!  Let's just hope it's soon.   :)

Noah's heart

Last week Thursday was the big day for finding out how Noah's heart was looking these days.  I was afraid we would never make it there because of traffic!  There was a big accident right in front of us that completely stopped traffic on 94.  After following some people going the wrong way to get off the expressway we found a way to get there just on time. Phew!  It was one appointment I really didn't want to reschedule.  I just wanted to know how he looked.  After at least 30 minutes of trying to get him to hold still for an echocardiogram they had enough images.  They gave him a toy for being such a good boy.  Ha!  :)  Dr. Trivedi came in smiling and said his heart looked perfect!  Relief!!  She said we never have to come back to the cardiologist.  So thankful!  She congratulated me on having 3 big healthy boys.  Noah weighed in at almost 21 lbs. and is almost 30 in. long.  He is a big boy!  It was emotional to see the ultrasound and hear his heartbeat on it.  It took me back to a year ago when we loved having all the ultrasounds to see our boys and heart those beautiful little heartbeats.  I could have cried.  I think the fact that they are almost 1 is starting to hit me and remind me of how much we've been blessed.

If you tell our boys, "No", you will get 3 very different responses.  Tell Aiden no when he is doing something wrong and he'll give a little smile and continue to do what he is not supposed to be doing.  According to my mom he gets that from me.  Tell Noah no and he'll stop what he's doing.  He may shake his head no and smile or if he's tired he'll stick his lip out further than any lip in history.  Tell Reese no and wait for the drama. He will bury his face in the back of his hands and sob.  It's almost comical.  It has been so interesting to see how they all develop and respond differently.  They grow so much from week to week developmentally.  Noah is saying "ball" and throws a ball around and then chases it.  All 3 are standing by furniture, with Reese starting to hold on with one hand and even starting to let go.

We had a blast having a sleepover at Grandpa and Grandma Brouwer's house this weekend.  We did a family garage sale.  The boys LOVED being with their older cousins (and so did I! Such great helpers!) aunts, uncles, etc.)  June was a busy and fun month.  July is a much slower month during which I hope to just relax and have fun with my little guys.

It's a zoo!

It is an absolute zoo around here these days!  At least it feels that way.  The boys are really on the move these days and tend to move like a little herd of animals.  It is hilarious.  The only time it's not quite as hilarious is when they gang up and do something like knock a kitchen chair over.  It's a miracle there are no broken bones in our house yet.  They push each other over, crawl over each other and just cause general chaos.  They are also into everything.  In the last few days I've caught myself saying things like "We don't eat magazines!", "Don't eat the bank statement!", "No dog food!".  Reese actually had a few nibbles of dog food after breakfast this morning.  They tear things apart, unfold laundry, make a mess and stand up against the door so that I can't get in.  Ah, yes.  They are boys.  :)

On a completely unrelated note I was interviewed for our town's newsletter yesterday.  I submitted a story about 6 months ago and they had room to put it in the letter for July.  It's a hometown heroes kind of thing.  I felt like the 2 officers who saved Reese deserved more than just a letter in their file and an extra day off.  So, I told the story yet again yesterday.  The reporter loved the idea of honoring them in a more public way.  It will be in the July issue.  Maybe I can get her to send me an electronic copy and I can post it.

Tomorrow is a big day for Noah.  He will hopefully have his first and last appointment with a pediatric cardiologist.  When he was born he had a little opening in his heart.  This is something that normally closes before a baby is born, but since they were premature it didn't have time to close.  Most of the time they close on their own and nothing needs to be done.  Our pediatrician has kept an eye on it and thinks it's closed.  We are praying that is the case.  I think they next step is just medication, so that's not a big deal either.  The worst case scenario is surgery.  I hope and pray we don't ever have to put one of our kids through surgery again any time soon.  So, tomorrow we hope to hear good news and make this the last ever appointment to a cardiologist.  Prayers are appreciated for this (and always..for everything!).

Finally I wanted to share what the boys and I did for Nate for Father's Day.  It turned out too cute not to share.

In case you can't tell, it's says DAD.  :)

Pictures!

I promised some pictures of recent events, so here they are! Here are a few of the first time the boys went swimming (in kiddie pools, in the backyard) 



Next is a nice family picture from the day my cousin got married. We were dressed up, so we figured we should capture the moment that I wasn't covered in food or snot. :) 
'

The last picture is of a picnic I went to with the boys today. (A big "thank you!" to our friend, Sue, for going with me) It was a multiples picnic. I went to school with many of these ladies! It was a great time to get together and realize we're not the only ones who lead this crazy life of raising multiples! It was a blast!

Sorry about the pictures that are sideways.  I couldn't figure out how to turn them once they were loaded and I was too tired to reload them.  :)  So, tilt your head and enjoy!

Summer days and a look back

The past week has been busy and fun for us.  We've gone to the park a lot, including the splash pad near us.  We went to a wedding and the boys came to the after party.  We've just been busy.  I'll be sure to post pictures and write more about our events next time.  I also had a big first for myself.  I got all 3 boys in the car and went to the bank and to get air in my tire...BY MYSELF!!  That is a huge accomplishment for me.  You may be thinking that I am crazy.  What's the big deal?  If you have ever had multiples or kids close together you get it.  Packing up and getting everyone in the car is a ridiculous amount of work.  I did it because our week was going to be crazy and I knew those 2 things really just needed to get done.  Was it worth the work?  Yes, it was.  I felt like after 10 months I was a little bit more like a normal new mom.  Mark that down as a milestone for me.  :)

Last week my mom printed out our caringbridge journal for us.  Yesterday we were rereading some of what we had gone through.  We realized that this coming Saturday marks 1 year since I was admitted to the hospital with preterm labor.  Wow.  What a scary time in my pregnancy.  Then we read about the last few days and the day they were born.  I cried.  What an unbelievable day.  We were beyond ecstatic to meet our little boys.  They were so healthy and beautiful.  Then I read about Reese and how overwhelming and difficult the days surrounding his emergency was.  I realized something.  I thanked a lot of people, but never specifically my dad. He was at the hospital with me while I sat and cried in the ER.  He was such a great support for me while I waited for Nate to get there.  I will never forget one conversation we had.  Through my tears I told him it was the worst day of my life.  He looked at me and said, "Or the best".  He was right.  I still had my little Reese with me.  He was going to be okay.  What a great reason to give thanks!  Having my dad there with me was something I'll never forget.  So, thanks Dad!  What a great way to remember how much he's done just before Father's Day.

On a similar note I've been reading a book (very slowly) called The Miracle of Kindness.  It talks about how to look for people with a need and that 90% of the work is just showing up.  It's true.  There have been people who have been here for us all along and most of what is important to us is that they just show up.  There is nothing more difficult than when someone says I'll be there or I'll bring you a meal or I'll do that and then they don't come.  It makes it very difficult to ask for help (which is already difficult).  It encouraged me to really think about what I offer before I offer it.  I'm really looking for people who can use a helping hand and a way that I can feasibly help out.  After all, we've been in a season of need and know how it feels. So, look around.  I'm sure you can find someone in your life or even someone you don't yet know who could use your help.

On the move!

Well, all 3 boys are on the move.  Aiden army crawls like a crazy man all over the house.  He prompted us to put up gates, put in outlet protectors, etc.  He is into everything.  Reese is doing a cross between an army crawl and a regular crawl.  He gets tired of how slow his regular crawl is and goes into the army crawl.  Noah is doing the traditional crawl and it is hilarious!  Every movement is very intentional.  He thinks hard about every time he moves a hand or knee.  It is the cutest thing ever.  I love watching all of them move around.  They have also suddenly figured out how to go from crawling to sitting.  I was convinced they would never figure this out (okay, I knew they would eventually it was just taking a long time in my mind).  It's like they all of the sudden looked at each other and decided it was time to do it.  Aiden still lays on his side more rather than getting to sitting.  He looks like a model laying on his side.  Ha!  He generally pulls himself to his knees by things like the bouncy seat and then sits.

They are also graduating to big boys foods.  Thank goodness!  I was getting pretty tired of grinding everything up, including things like lasagna (it does not look nearly as appetizing when it's pureed).  We've starting cutting things up really small and letting them pick up their food.  Aiden is thrilled.  He wants to do everything himself.  They are also drinking out of sippy cups at meals.  Wahoo!  They still have an afternoon "snack" bottle with their yogurt for snacktime and a bottle before bed.

People ask me if it makes me sad that they're crawling and eating like big boys.  In short, no.  I love watching them learn knew things.  I LOVE that we can do more with them now.  They love going on the swings at the park.  That is so much fun to me.  I love watching them giggle as they swing back and forth.  I love that we can put them in the grass with a ball and they crawl around after it.  I loved when they were little and I could cuddle them whenever I wanted.  They didn't try to get away from me then.  :)  They are just so much more fun now.  I love to watch them play and move all around.  I'm also asked if I look forward to walking the way I looked forward to crawling.  NO!  That will be much more difficult for me to handle.  That's a big step in mobility.  They get into a lot now, imagine what they will get into then.  Oh my.  What 1 won't think of the other 2 will.  I'm asked often if I still have a lot of help.  Yes and no.  It depends.  I have 3 afternoons a week that I generally have help for a couple of hours.  Wednesdays I have my mom and other days there are people that I can call if need be. I am beyond grateful for the people who help me on a regular basis when they could easily do something else with their time.  I love having them here.  Generally speaking though the days are just me.  Is it hard?  Yes.  Do I sometimes wish I had more help so it would be easier to get things done?  Yes.  At the end of the day though I do my best.  If I didn't finish everything on my list for that day, oh well.  If the boys are well taken care of and I've survived the day I consider that a success.

I was thinking this week about how much we like to share our "journey" with other people.  We get a lot of enjoyment out of seeing other people interact with and love our boys.  Watching the boys with their grandparents, aunts and uncles, our friends and even people who are just amazed at the miracle of triplets is so great.  That wasn't as easy at first.  We live in a world where everyone is very private.  I can remember when we went through Reese's "episode" and surgery I had a very hard time understanding how it effected other people.  I just wrap my brain around the fact that it was hard on other people.  That probably sounds selfish, but that's reality.  It took me time to realize how hard that would be if I experienced it from a different perspective..aunt, sister, or otherwise.  So now that I see how much they can bless people around them I work hard to make sure we share what we have been given.

9 month stats and a visit to school

Last week Thursday the boys had their 9 month well-check at the pediatrician.  Wow. That pretty much sums up our visit.  To start here are there "stats":  Aiden is 28 inches tall and weighs 19 lbs. 15 oz.  Noah is 28 1/2 inches tall and weight 21 lbs. 8 oz.  Reese is 27 1/2 inches tall and weighs 18 lbs. 2 oz.  Those are some big numbers! Noah's weight can no longer be charted on a low birth weight scale!!  He was WAY above the 95th percentile for weight.  She was teasing him that he is obese on the preemie scale.  Who would have ever thought?!? My 3 and a half pound baby is off the charts!  Too funny.  She was very impressed with their interactions with her and their ability to verbalize.  She is just overall very impressed with their progress.  We were a little concerned that Reese would need a helmet.  His head is still flat in one spot in the back.  She said there has been enough progress without that she sees no need for one.  Phew!  That's a big expense that we don't have to worry about.  They did have to get 1 shot.  It was the first time Nate was there for a shot.  He was able to hear the sad cries along with me.  It made me feel better that he had to comfort them this time.  Noah barely cries because he has enough meat on his leg.  Reese is especially thin and has very little fat on his legs, so he cries the hardest.  I was also concerned about Noah's ears.  We stopped the medicine from his ear infection almost as soon as we started it because it was hard on his system.  She said both ears are a little pink, but that we should try to let it clear up without antibiotics.  I was happy about that!  At their next visit they will get a referral to have a hearing re-screen (they were screened before they left the hospital and passed).  We will also have vision testing done (for sure on Noah).

I also had to go to school this week and clean out my classroom.  It was so hard!  It was a lot of mixed emotions.  I was happy that I am now able to stay home with my boys.  I was sad because I loved what I did and loved the people I worked with.  I know this is a new stage and my life and I am really enjoying it.  Probably the best part of being a stay at home mom is making my own schedule.  I get up when I want, get dressed when I want, do what I want during the day.  Don't get me wrong, it's a TON of work to stay home with them, but it definitely comes with some pretty great perks (especially that I get to spend all my time with my guys!).  My friend Donna, who was our reading specialist at school and retired last year, came with to help me.  No, I still can't go anywhere alone.  Who knows how long it will be until I can.  I was very grateful she was willing to help!  We had a great time visiting!  Here are a couple of pictures.  The first one is of Aiden sitting in the front seat with me while we ate lunch.  The second one is (left-right) Donna holding Reese, Nancy (my friend who is the speech pathologist at school) holding Noah and me holding Aiden.  Next time I visit they'll be running around like maniacs!  They are all mobile and crawling to some degree now.  Let the madness of movement begin!

Continued...

I was having some issues with my last post, so I'll continue with a whole new post.  Anyways...

We also participated in the March of Dimes March for Babies.  The boys were great and we had a great time!!  We walked in honor of a baby named Camryn who died of a heart defect.  We looked around and saw many "in memory of" shirts and people who had babies born early who live with many disabilities.  We felt the same feelings we felt many times sitting in the NICU.  It's a mix of emotions.  It's joy that we made it through and now have 3 healthy babies, but a sense of guilt that we came away from this with 3 healthy babies and some people lose their 1 baby.  It's a constant reminder of God's faithfulness to us and the reality that things could be so much different for us.  We are blessed!!!  (notice the 3 exclamation points) :)   We also learned that we can keep raising funds for the walk.  So if you would like to support us in memory of Camryn and to celebrate the health of our boys the link is:   http://www.marchforbabies.org/mbrouwer

Yesterday Nate didn't work so we took advantage of the nice weather and had a "family fun day".  We went to the Michigan City Zoo, walked by the beach, had a picnic at a park and went to the outlet mall.   It was a fun day with lots of sunshine!

Last but not least here are some things that the boys have learned recently:  Aiden is army crawling all over the house.  Noah rocks on hands and knees.  Reese drags his legs behind him and pulls himself to where he wants to go.  Reese and Noah are waving "bye bye".  Noah has joined Reese in shaking his head "no"  (it's cute now, but I know it won't be soon).  Aiden says "Mom" a lot!  They all say "Dada".  Reese has learned how to take off his diaper (that child is too smart for his own good!).  We were missing most of our pacifiers.  We found 7, yes 7, in between Reese's bed and the wall.  Oh boy.  We are in trouble when that one grows up.  :)  

Well, that's about all for now.  I'm sure I missed something, but I'm really itching to get outside in this nice weather!  

So much fun in one update!

Again it has been too long since I wrote an update.  Last week was absolutely crazy around here.  I was so busy that I hardly had time to think.  So, this week I'm catching my breath and updating about the fun of the last couple of weeks and posting pictures of some things that have happened recently.

Just before Easter the boys got their very first haircut.  They didn't mind a bit.  My sister-in-law cut their hair (she does hair out of her house-so nice for us!).  She did a fabulous job and they loved it!

Reese before (and half asleep)

Reese after..I told you he loved it!

Noah after

Noah before (and excited

Aiden before

                                    

Aiden after

Busy

The last couple of weeks have been so busy around here!  Here's a little recap...

Reese had a check-up with the surgeon.  It went great!!  Dr. Liu couldn't believe how much he's grown.  He was shocked to learn that he's the smallest.  :)  He's very happy that we didn't put in a g-tube (feeding tube that goes directly into the stomach).  Reese has done great without it and it's one less complication to worry about.  Most kids that have a Nissen get a g-tube.  We often look at Reese and can't believe how fortunate we are.  Things could have turned out so differently.  One of the first things I asked when he was brought back to Comer was whether or not he would have brain damage from not breathing for however many minutes he was gone.  They said there was no way to tell until he was older, but that he looked okay at the time.  Last week we found out that he's not only okay, he's developing better than expected.

They all 3 had an appointment with the developmental specialist. This is an all day affair.  My mom came with me.  We left at 9:00 so the boys could nap on the way to the hospital.  They had appointments at 10:45, 11:15 and 11:45.  By the time we fed them lunch, ate lunch and drove home it was somewhere between 3:00 and 3:30.  Long day!  They did great though.  They are developing at or above their chronological age.  They have until the age of 2 to catch up in growth and development.  They are there and even past in some respects.  Their language skills are especially ahead of typical development.  Reese is the furthest with language.  In short they look terrific!  That's part of why we are doing the March for Babies next Sunday.  We were blessed with 3 healthy babies.  They were born early, but we received great prenatal and neonatal care that they have done remarkably well.  Anyways...

Things were starting to slow down when Thursday night Noah would not sleep.  He slept with us part of the night, in the bouncy seat part of the night (he really does not fit in there).  By Friday night he had a 102.3 fever.  Ugh!  It seemed like his ear was bugging him.  So, off we went to immediate care.  It was already about 9:00 when we got to immediate care.  The wait was well over an hour.  We loaded back up..I should clarify that Aiden and Reese stayed home with my mom and dad.  We went to another immediate care where we walked right in.  A mild ear infection was all they found.  They gave him an antibiotic and we finally got home at about 11:30.  Last night his fever was 102 again.  Hopefully he kicks this soon!

This was sure a long update!  If you're still with me here's the latest on their growth...
Aiden- 28 in.  18 1/2 lbs.
Noah 28 1/4 in. (one foot of growth since birth!!)  21 lbs. (17 lbs. gained!!)
Reese 26 3/4 in.  17 lbs.  (our peanut)  :)

Praise the Lord for big, healthy boys (who all now say, Dada)!

A few of my favorite things

As I go about my day I often think of things that I love and things that I don't love so much.  Here are a few.

Things I love:
1.  Naps..specifically long naps.
2.  Cleaning and organization.  I especially love vacuuming.
3.  Belly laughs.  Those laughs that seem to come from their toes.
4.  The way the boys "talk" to each other by screaming, babbling and coughing at each other.
5.  How excited they are when I get them out of their beds in the morning and after naps.
6.  Coffee.
7.  Toys.  How would I keep 3 kids occupied without a variety of toys.
8.  Netflix.  It's a cheap way to get shows we wouldn't normally be able to watch because we don't have cable.  Watching Jon and Kate Plus 8 makes my life look so simple!
9.  Folding laundry.  It's like therapy to me.

Things I don't love:
1.  When Reese is tired and refuses to nap or sleep in his own crib.
2.  Getting up in the middle of the night.  I am not one of those people who enjoys getting up and snuggling in the middle of the night.  I love my kids, but I need my sleep.  Please don't bother me between the hours of 10:00 and 6:30.  :)  I'm a much happier mom when I get my sleep (and lots of it).
3.  Changing crib sheets.  Worst. job. ever.
4.  When strangers ask questions such as whether or not our children are products of IVF and whether or not we're done having children.  Some even tell us they hope we're done.  It drives me crazy!!

Well, laundry is calling my name.  It has to get done today (it is laundry day after all) and tomorrow the boys all have an appointment with the developmental specialist.  Hopefully they are on track!

Easter (continued)

Perhaps I'm a little biased, but I think they turned out great!! 

Finally I just wanted to put in a little reminder that we are participating in the March for Babies.  Our boys have done so well despite the fact that they were born 7 weeks early.  Any continued advancements in helping preemies is another step forward.  If you would like to support the team we're walking with the link is: 
http://www.marchforbabies.org/s_team_page.asp?seid=1759571

Easter

The past week has been pretty busy at the Brouwer house.  We took the boys to church for the first time since they were baptized in October.  I was a little crazy on Saturday night (to say the least).  It was a lot of planning and preparing to get us all out of the house on time.  We made it and the boys were great!  It was so nice to bring them with us.  Will we do it every week?  No way.  We had them sit with us-still pretty leary about germs.  Noah and Reese slept most of the time.  Aiden was too nosy so Nate took him out and he eventually fell asleep in the back of church with Nate holding him.  The craziness of the day caught up with them on Monday.   To say it was a long day was an understatement.  By the time Nate got home I was ready to lose my mind.  We left the boys with my mom and went to the grocery store just to be able to get away.  I never thought I would say the grocery store was my escape.  Tuesday and Wednesday were so much better!

Yesterday my mom and I took the boys to have their picture taken in their Easter outfits.  We haven't had their picture taken professionally since they were 8 weeks old (again, germs.  Picture places are like germ factories).  So, we dressed them up and took them in.  They did great!  Here are a few: