colley family

day 2

2012-02-14T23:19:00.003-05:00

what can i say? day 2 was a lot better than day 1.

but, seriously now, how could it NOT be better than day 1?

steph was sick, so we were on our own.

had to make a quick run to the grocery store for dog food. upon arrival at said store ethan oh-so-poignantly reminded me that "you should've brought the shopping list." yes, thank you, oh wise one.

cute frog hats were a must for the grocery store trip.

after groceries, we had some lego time.

we had some rocking out time.

we had some rolling around time.

and we had some nap time.

we also got a couch delivery from ikea, which i was very, very excited about.

until i realized i had to put it together.

FIVE packages of terror and evilness.

so, we took apart some packages.

and then i had the sinking feeling that there were no directions.

lovely ikea thought of that and has online download. awesome.

uhm, LOTS of online downloads.

directions in hand, the boys wanted to help. they actually did a really good job helping.

eventually, we had to eat some dinner. tonight, we got to eat TOGETHER! woo hoo!!! (flashback to last night when ethan had to eat dinner in his room.)

and then there was some PJ time and book time and TV time and prayer time.

and then a little work time for me.

and then, back to the couch. it was taunting me at this point.

getting there... sort of...

feast your eyes upon the progress below! i feel like i've accomplished some HUGE MAJOR milestone.

the rest of the cushions will have to wait until tomorrow.

woo hoo! new couch!!!

oh, and did i mention that i let the boys leave their playroom a MESS?!

i did... because they were being happy, nice boys.

and happy, nice boys ROCK!

day 1

2012-02-13T22:36:00.001-05:00

dan is off telling people how great gore suture is (because that's what they used to fix up luke's tricuspid valve).

so, while he's off bragging about how cool luke is and how cool gore is and all of that, i am here... with FOUR. LITTLE. BOYS.

these pictures are going to make it seem like it's all fun and games.

because that's what i'm supposed to do on a blog.

fun letting luke & landon run around free.

until luke and landon started getting a little cranky. so they took a nap before dinner.

fun doing a little valentine's project for miss steph.

until ethan started throwing stuff all over the kitchen.

fun with elijah eating a dinner made for champions: chicken nuggets and mac & cheese!

fun making baby formula with elijah.

until he got a little crazy and slopped some of that priceless mixture on the kitchen counter.

fun playing in the dark with elijah, luke & a truck with lights and music.

until ethan yelled from upstairs that the truck was annoying him.

and why was ethan yelling from upstairs, you ask?

well, that's where he spent ALL NIGHT.

yep, that's him standing up there with his arms crossed in defiance.

elijah came up strong with this awesome set of pictures, so that made the day end on a good note.

and this helped too. we call it "the fancy drink." yum!

new hats

2012-02-12T15:02:00.001-05:00

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I luv these guys!

2012-02-07T19:44:00.001-05:00

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how can it be?

2012-02-05T22:51:00.005-05:00

the twins are going to be ONE in just a few weeks!

i am in shock.

astounded.

befuddled.

how did the time pass by so quickly?

how did that tough, tough first year just seem to vanish?

well, i know we have the scars -- all of us -- to prove that it happened.

and yet, even though it was hard, even though it was almost impossible at times, i am so grateful for it.

i LOVE our two little, baby boys. they are such an amazing, fabulous, unexpected, undeserved gift.

and if it means that i get to keep them and watch them grow and hug them and kiss them and laugh with them, then this last year was so very, very worth it.

ha ha ha!

2012-02-04T18:47:00.001-05:00

Dan's comment: "hasn't Luke been through enough in his short life?"

my response: laughter!

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random pictures and updates

2012-01-30T22:13:00.003-05:00

look at me! i'm so cool in my hunting pj's! (thanks, rachel!)

and look at me this way! oh yeah! i'm awesome!

and then there's landon, being oh-so-serious...

elijah saved up tons of money!

heaps of it!

so he could buy a DSi, which he did. because he's amazing.

and he named his pokemon character "luke."

aaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!! soooooo cute!

(and then we bought him a case because he dropped the DSi two times in the first day. ugh.)

and at some point we all had dinner out at some restaurant -- all SIX of us. still seems weird to say that. luke is kind of behind and beside ethan, if you're wondering.

hmmm... where were we???

dan figured it out! don pablos. phew! in all actuality, i don't even remember this happening. but the picture is fun.

kids kuts

2012-01-27T21:33:00.000-05:00

all four little boys got haircuts at kids kuts. such a great place and the two women there are just so nice.

landon got rid of his baby mullet.

cute babies feeding themselves

2012-01-26T22:27:00.001-05:00

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WOW!

2012-01-25T21:25:00.002-05:00

THE TWINS ARE 11 MONTHS OLD TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

woo hoo!

celebrate!

jump & shout!

yay, luke and landon!!!

and another one...

2012-01-20T21:37:00.001-05:00

another great story by the same author

fabulous!

good article

2012-01-20T21:19:00.001-05:00

i like this because i don't know of any stay-at-home mom or working mom who doesn't struggle with their decision. we all want to do a good job and raise good kids.

good article called "friendly fire"

(ok, i'll admit that i skimmed it because it's long and i don't have a long attention span. but it's good.)

my favorite part:

[if some women didn't stay at home, who would] "wait with [my son] in the parking lot when I forget to pick him up? ... Who would knock on my door and tell me that my keys are still in the front door, the doors to my van are open, and my purse is in the driveway?

awesomeness

2012-01-20T17:55:00.000-05:00

look who's sitting by himself!! (luke)

look who's standing!! (landon)

the ball

2012-01-16T21:44:00.001-05:00

i got this ball to help me exercise.

it looks like a nice exercise ball, doesn't it?

and then, it started mocking me.

and it only got worse.

and worse.

and now, it just sits there and taunts me.

one day i will teach that ball who's boss.

one day.

but, uhm, not this day.

xbox from santa

2012-01-15T09:46:00.000-05:00

we are having a lot of fun with the new xbox kinect.

(although i'm lazy, so i haven't been having as much interactive fun as everyone else.)

check out elijah in the background. he joins a little way into it.

a conversation

2012-01-13T22:35:00.000-05:00

ethan: do you love my butt?

mommy: i do love your butt.

ethan: do you love elijah's butt?

mommy: i do.

ethan: do you love daddy's butt?

mommy: i do.

ethan: do you love my eyes?

mommy: yep.

ethan: do you love my body?

mommy: of course. it's a fabulous little body.

ethan: [smile]

mommy: you know what i don't love?

ethan: what?

mommy: that bruise on your face.

ethan: thank you for not loving my bruise.

man, i love that kid.

p.s. see former post if you want to know about the bruise.

battles

2012-01-09T20:49:00.000-05:00

landon

versus

the crib

the crib wins!

ethan

versus

the couch

the couch wins!

(dinosaur vs. bedtime)

landon, the not-so-picky one

2012-01-07T23:19:00.000-05:00

we are now convinced that landon will eat just about anything.

a magazine? yum!

some uncooked, mushed up carrots? he wants more!

his dad's cereal? looks good!

nilla wafers are one of his favorites.

his brother's lollipop seemed to entice him also.

but, the one that really got us was dill pickles! yep!

while his expression doesn't seem overjoyed, that's because he had crammed the whole thing in his mouth and was chewing/sucking on it.

he loved them.

they gave luke the shivers. he squeezed his eyes shut and shivered his whole body.

but not landon.

ethan's first movie-theater movie!

2012-01-02T21:24:00.002-05:00

the older boys saw "tintin" and had SUCH a good time!!!

i took the younger boys shopping, and we had a good time too

luke was pumping his little feet in time to the music as we walked around old navy. i caught a few seconds of it.

new year's eve

2011-12-31T22:02:00.002-05:00

we got bagels for lunch and snacks at wawa (of course).

and then we took the kids to the park. it was colder than we expected.

we even ran into a friend there. craziness.

we went to friday's for dinner. it was an early dinner because we were slightly afraid of the new year's eve crowds.

and then, just to be slightly redundant, i took one last 2011 picture of everyone.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

cute song - happy new year's eve!

2011-12-31T21:43:00.001-05:00

leading up to christmas

2011-12-30T21:06:00.003-05:00

i feel bad mentioning christmas, since i STILL haven't shown our thanksgiving pictures or shared any news.

but things will just have to be out of order. i apologize.

welcome to my brain.

before christmas, luke & landon had their 9-month checkup with the pediatrician (and got a shot, ick).

and luke had his cardiology follow up.

all went great!

luke got an echocardiogram, EKG and blood pressure. even with his slightly leaky tricuspid (reinforced with gore suture! woo hoo!), he is doing fabulously. no build up on the right side of his heart. YAY!!!

playing with the paper -- always a favorite past time

getting his EKG --sucking on his cute little fingers for comfort. (the EKG doesn't hurt. i promise! although those darn stickers are a little nippy.)

elijah got to wear PJs and a cute santa hat his last day of school before christmas break.

and when he got home, he showed me his reindeer food.

so we put that out in the yard christmas eve (or rather, dan, elijah and ethan did. too cold for me to venture out. too, too cold).

we got some presents in the mail. they were wrapped in awesome green bubble wrap, which the boys LOVED.

on christmas eve, we let the boys open one gift. they picked each others'.

so ethan wrapped his gift for elijah.

and elijah wrapped his gift for ethan.

and they had a great time unwrapping and playing.

they had a little bit of a challenge with going to sleep christmas eve, but isn't that kind of expected?

still, waking up at 5 because of a missing blanky (ethan) and 6 because of a stuffy nose (ethan again), was a tad much for me.

10 months!

2011-12-28T21:43:00.002-05:00

i forgot to mention that the twins turned TEN MONTHS on christmas day!

woo hoo!

happy 10 month birthday, sweet boys!

new highchairs in november

2011-12-26T21:32:00.002-05:00

this is from november and i forgot to post it. it's just too cute. they'd just gotten new ikea highchairs.

i can't believe how much they've grown up since then. such a short time!

luke is in the stripes on the left and landon's on the right in the blue.

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;\&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

celebratory dance, homework and play time

2011-12-26T21:26:00.001-05:00

that describes it all! cute, cute guys!!! this is a few days before christmas, which is why elijah's sucking on a candy cane.

Merry christmas and happy holidays!

2011-12-25T00:47:00.001-05:00

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Elijah's second hot chocolate

2011-12-23T13:48:00.001-05:00

"i didn't like it when I was 5, but I like it now that i'm 7."

- elijah

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ordering online

2011-12-20T22:14:00.001-05:00

i think ordering online is one of the best inventions ever.

but, you have to make sure you mail to the correct address.

yes, this is very important.

otherwise, your poor husband may have to traipse across town, talk with the nice people who bought your old house, and politely ask them for any packages that may have arrived NOT addressed to them.

yes, this COULD happen to you.

just sayin'.

explanation

2011-12-18T11:36:00.001-05:00

so... pictures are awesome because i can capture a moment in time. and this weekend, these happy moments have seemed pretty short. but... i'm trying to focus on the good stuff and not the drive-you-crazy-frustratingly-annoying-and-exhausting stuff.

artistically happy ethan

2011-12-18T11:34:00.001-05:00

this was ethan's version of "happy." it sure is cute even if it isn't smiley.

happy landon

2011-12-18T11:33:00.003-05:00

happy elijah

2011-12-18T11:33:00.000-05:00

Happy Luke

2011-12-18T11:16:00.001-05:00

I wish this wasn't blurry, because it's so fabulous!

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Tent

2011-12-16T23:13:00.001-05:00

Elijah took (dragged) the babies into the tent and they were all sooo happy!

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Luke is using the force

2011-12-16T23:11:00.001-05:00

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TODAY, one year ago

2011-12-15T21:54:00.004-05:00

we were having laser surgery to save the twins.

WHOA!!!!

i LOVE luke and landon and feel soooooooo blessed to have them.

i LOOOOOOOOVE them!!!

tonight, the twins had nilla wafers for the first time.

it went pretty well. no choking. no coughing. only a little spit up. very cool.

and, not to be out-done, ethan dressed like his dad today. awesome!

Two babies at the doctor

2011-12-14T22:19:00.001-05:00

The twins had their 9-month check up today. Dr. A was pleased with how well they are doing. Yippy!

Luke is over 16 pounds now! approximately four times his birth weight.

Landon is almost 20 pounds, five times his birth weight!

It's time to party!

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fun reunion

2011-12-12T22:08:00.000-05:00

dan and i went to a terrific bank one reunion. that's where i worked about 7 years ago. the reunion was really a lot of fun!

we got to go out on a friday night, laugh, have a few drinks, catch up.

and then we got to go have a fabulous dinner -- JUST THE TWO OF US!!!

wow -- great night!

busy

2011-12-12T22:03:00.000-05:00

LIFE IS BUSY!!!

so, when all else fails and i want to keep you all informed, i will post a cute picture. :)

enjoy!

landon is up front & luke is a little further back.

sorta looks like they're in jail, doesn't it? a nice jail, but still...

Luke's first bagel!

2011-12-11T15:55:00.001-05:00

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This says so much

2011-12-05T22:53:00.001-05:00

Do you see the glint in ethan's eye? Do you see it?!

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bagels and a tree

2011-12-04T17:26:00.001-05:00

landon had his first bagel today! we let him kind of gnaw on it. it had butter, so ethan approved.

yeah, he made that face and shivered.

but he kept reaching for it when we took it away from him. so we think he wants to keep trying.

AND! we got our christmas tree!

good times :)

Restful morning

2011-12-03T22:56:00.000-05:00

Sent from my cell

other happenings

2011-11-27T20:03:00.001-05:00

smores by the fire - yum!

elijah and ethan in one of the tree houses at longwood

luke & landon in their new ikea high chairs

At longwood today

2011-11-26T22:38:00.001-05:00

Such a nice day!

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happy thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T22:20:00.001-05:00

yippy! we have sooooo much to be thankful for!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY!!!

a lot has happened in a year...

last november 23rd - found out that things weren't going as well as the doctors would like

last november 24th - had a huge, long appointment at CHOP

last november 27th - doctors decided we need an amniocentesis

last december 13th - found out we needed to have the twin-to-twin procedure

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO thankful luke and landon are here.

sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo thankful we made it through the last year.

sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo thankful elijah and ethan did such a good job with all the craziness.

and on a trivial level, i'm really grateful for port. it's yummy! :)

elijah

2011-11-20T21:26:00.001-05:00

we had elijah's parent-teacher conference on friday.

we were a tad nervous because we had a bit of a rough start with his first grade teacher.

(an aside: we didn't disagree with any behaviors she noted to us. i just had a hard time with the flavor of the feedback, ascribing a maliciousness to elijah that i have never noted. but i'm hoping we've gotten beyond that now.)

elijah got rave reviews. he's doing so great. he still needs some help with paying attention, but that's nothing unexpected.

by the way, did i tell you this kid is doing addition, subtraction AND multiplication?! all on his own. and HE'S EXCITED ABOUT IT!

fabulous.

one of the things elijah's teacher showed us is a story he wrote about his cousin, justin.

really, really sweet!

man, i love this kid.

Cutie patooties

2011-11-19T14:45:00.001-05:00

Sent from my cell

surgery day (this past wednesday)

2011-11-18T21:10:00.001-05:00

we started off at wawa, of course.

a really nice nurse checked us in and then we waited. with empty stomachs.

then they got changed into some really cute gowns.

landon - "did you just touch me?"

luke - "who me?"

then it was on to the surgeries.

landon was first. we got to hang out with luke while we waited.

some waiting...

and then we got word that landon was all done.

isn't he so cute and sad looking?

he was discharged super fast and got to eat some yummy sugar water. mmm, mmm...

cute little landon got some morphine and he was still a tad stoned after getting discharged.

then about 2 hours later, we got news that luke was done. woo hoo!

a short time after that, we got to go home.

THE SAME DAY!!!!!

the boys have been doing a fabulous job with their recovery. they are amazing. my little heroes!!

follow-up for luke (who had a more extensive procedure) is the monday after thanksgiving.

then we are DONE with surgeries!!!

WOO HOO!

YIPPY!

Done

2011-11-16T22:31:00.001-05:00

We are all home.

It was a little crazy when we first got home.

The two older guys were all pumped up, sharing about this and that at high volume levels.

The two younger guys took that opportunity to wail like banshees.

Everyone got more or less settled... eventually.

After dinner, we heard some giggles from both babies, which was fabulous!

All children are now asleep.

And we are done with surgeries!

Woo hoo!

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it's the final countdown...

2011-11-15T22:07:00.001-05:00

i just heard that music playing on the TV and it seems especially fitting.

this

it!

the last procedure!

our arrival time is 7:30 am wednesday at CHOP.

Fall fun

2011-11-14T08:05:00.001-05:00

Longwood gardens

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movin'

2011-11-12T16:59:00.001-05:00

landon is soooooo cute!

Ethan

2011-11-11T14:05:00.001-05:00

The other night after bed time ethan came out of his room and looked at us seriously.

"i need a little alone time in the morning. I just wanted to tell you that.

Yep. Alone time.

He's four.

Priceless.

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last friday

2011-11-07T22:21:00.000-05:00

last friday, i woke up and got a shower and got dressed.

sounds exciting so far, doesn't it?

oh yeah.

parrrteeeee!

i walked elijah down to the bus stop. i think ethan went with us. it was pretty!

then the babies and i headed off to CHOP.

yep, CHOP.

what was it this time?

it was prep for the LAST PROCEDURE! woo hoo!

this is them, hanging out, being cute (and slightly dazed) in the waiting room.

this was an easy one. no blood work. just some weights, measurements, a stethoscope, LOTS of questions, a few forms, and that was about it.

then we got to drive home.

minor backup in the garage...

out into the sunlight...

and then drive...

drive...

and drive some more...

the twins and i were pretty tired, but we still managed a stop at target.

next procedure is scheduled for november 16th. it is OUTPATIENT!

and then WE ARE ALL DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOO HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dr. seuss

2011-11-05T21:12:00.001-04:00

Thing 1 and Thing 2, by elijah and ethan (thanks to trish).

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halloween

2011-11-01T22:01:00.001-04:00

we went to the newark halloween parade this past weekend too.

and they had a little thing at the bagel place shopping center but it was COOOOOOOLD!

we took them to the children's museum after freezing outside for a little while.

they made some friends with a little boy batman and a little girl lightening mcqueen. and all four of them had a great time playing hide and seek.

7 billion

2011-10-31T11:43:00.002-04:00

supposedly there are now 7 billion people in the world.

well, you can't say we haven't done our part. ;)

updates - lots of 'em

2011-10-29T21:49:00.003-04:00

i realized i've been a bit remiss in updates lately. so here goes.

elijah had his 7-year checkup last week.

he did a GREAT job and was thrilled that he didn't need any new vaccines. he is 50 pounds and has 20/20 vision. fabulous!

and just so that i wasn't worried he's growing up too fast, he played in the tiny toddler icecream truck outside of babies r us the same day.

i said, "don't you think you might be a little too big for that?"

he said, "no."

luke & landon's consult went really well. the doctor was super quirky but he's a director of something or other, so he's got good credentials.

(funny picture of landon. he was hanging out in my lap trying to grab my camera/phone.)

luke has to get special approval because of his heart. but we should be able to get that scheduled sometime this week.

they can do them the same day and it's an OUTPATIENT procedure! woo hoo! no more overnight stays!

i've gotten a few questions about their next (AND FINAL) procedure. and, well, let's just say that it's urology related. i'm not sure if they'd appreciate it if i add any additional details -- especially when they are 16 and some friend stumbles on this old blog.

ethan has been having a little bit of trouble with his clothes. this has been going on for several years. but we finally decided that we simply need more than

1 pair of pants

and

2 shirts

to work with. we can't wash them every night. and we can't fight about it every morning.

so, in typical ethan fashion, he ended up spending all day in his room because he didn't want to wear the other 6 pairs of pants or 10 shirts we offered.

that was exciting.

this is ethan hanging out with his bud, carter. this is on a day when he DID come out of his room.

today it snowed.

and sleeted.

i really, really, really dislike winter.

Snow in october?!

2011-10-29T10:37:00.001-04:00

And a clone trooper & general grievous in our yard.

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Love this!

2011-10-28T17:40:00.001-04:00

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Whoa!

2011-10-25T21:01:00.001-04:00

Luke and Landon are 8 months old today!!!

Happy birthday, beautiful boys!

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next up...

2011-10-24T21:40:00.003-04:00

luke and landon have one final procedure that we are hoping to get through this year.

why this year? well, we just want everything OVER, for one.

and, secondly, next year's benefits are crummy!

we were able to get a consult at CHOP on thursday afternoon.

wish us well. we may have to take the whole troop again -- taking elijah out of school early AGAIN. ugh...

life is crammed right now. and i'm just having trouble keeping up.

laughter

2011-10-23T20:57:00.001-04:00

please forgive the VERY messy bed. this is just too good not to share.

Teeth!

2011-10-22T15:09:00.001-04:00

Luke has a tooth!! So cool! His first, which explains the drool.

Landon has two on the bottom & two coming in on the top.

Ethan had a good dentist appointment on friday.

The rest of us have no exciting teeth news.

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luuuuuuuuke!

2011-10-20T22:34:00.002-04:00

the follow up went GREAT!

dr. f was very happy with luke's recovery. there is NO ADDITIONAL FOLLOW UP needed for this procedure / issue / thing. luke is good to go!

woo hoo!!!

all 6 of us went because the appointment was late in the day. that's always exciting.

elijah and ethan playing on electronic equipment. (ethan's slightly dejected because i had to "borrow" his electronic equipment to take the picture.)

that's landon with dan. i was holding luke while taking the picture. i love to multi-task. landon is eating the paper, sharpening those 3 1/2 teeth of his.

CHOP has clone troopers. betcha didn't know.

ethan cut my head off. not sure if it was on purpose or by accident.

elijah protecting luke.

B level parking, which we dream about at this point.

darn parking fees!

and everyone was well behaved.

WOW!

follow-up for luke

2011-10-19T22:45:00.001-04:00

we have luke's surgery follow-up late thursday afternoon at CHOP.

we made it through another day!

2011-10-18T21:28:00.002-04:00

elijah had a green day.

ethan had a green day.

luke had a green day.

landon had a green day.

dan had a yellow day. he yelled and hit someone at work.

sandra had a red day. she bit someone.

but we made it!

YIPPY!

crazy

2011-10-16T21:29:00.005-04:00

so i was beginning to think, "hey. we're doing pretty well. handling this luke stuff, ethan stuff, general life stuff. cool."

and then i had a dream that i broke luke's arm off.

just like a little action figure.

his arm popped right off.

and i freaked out and started screaming to call 911 and put his arm in ice.

oh yeah. i'm doing great.

;)

monday's update

dan said that the posts without pictures don't stick with him. so i decided to add an illustrative picture...

i don't want to lose my reader base, after all.

new crib

2011-10-15T23:01:00.000-04:00

we went to ikea today and got a new crib.

the twins have been sharing one with just a little bumper between them. no, it's nothing homemade like a piece of cardboard or anything. it's actually made for twins.

but poor landon was getting smooshed up against the rails. he just didn't have enough space. so i did a little research and we went to ikea.

luke is using the new crib and is doing really well so far.

yay for ikea!

everyone was a little weary by the end of the trip, but overall, it went well. elijah and ethan had fun in the ball pit. did you know that ikea has a kid area? yep, you can leave them there for an hour of kid-free shopping. well, sort of kid free. we had the twins. we couldn't leave them there.

sleep well! good night!

soooooo cute it hurts

2011-10-14T22:37:00.000-04:00

~ landon ~

back to normal

2011-10-14T14:09:00.001-04:00

no, things aren't back to normal. but it just felt good to type it.

luke is still pretty needy. of course, that's totally normal, but it can still be a little tough. he's doing soooooooooooooo well, though!

ethan has been FREAKING OUT the last week or two. it's like he reverted back to his 2 year old self with tantrums and yelling and throwing things and... ugh...

but yesterday was a better today. and today has been an even better day.

elijah has been a trooper through this whole thing. wow!!! and so has landon! amazing!

i got to celebrate my birthday again with some YUMMY cake!

and the twins had a little meeting after dinner.

empty brain

2011-10-12T22:40:00.000-04:00

i don't have much to say tonight. kinda tired. but i wanted to share some fun pictures just because i love to share fun pictures.

enjoy!

luke & elijah

landon & ethan

landon &dan

elijah

a gift from some awesome friends

pediatrician

2011-10-11T21:57:00.003-04:00

i LOVE our pediatrician!!!

we had a follow-up appointment with her today, and she was so happy with luke's progress. and she gave us some good suggestions, like motrin instead of tylenol for his pain. he was soooo much happier after having his first dose. YAY!

luke did a great job. and was even happy and sweet when we stopped by babies 'r us afterward to pick up some supplies.

he is sleeping soundly and happily right now and i LOVE that!

p.s. i just re-read what i posted and realized that i REALLY need to start studying a thesaurus or dictionary or something. my word choices were kinda lame. but hopefully it came through loud and clear that luke was happy, his doctor was happy, and all of that made me very happy. ;)

thankful

2011-10-10T17:37:00.005-04:00

as i listen to my tired little luke crying right now -- because he wants to be held and not nap by himself -- i am thinking that he is crying with two healthy lungs. how absolutely fabulous is that?!

of course, i'd rather that he NOT cry and use his two healthy lungs for laughing and breathing and that sort of thing. but i'll take whatever right now.

yes, yes. i want to go and pick him up and hold him forever. but i actually just did that for about 45 minutes and it's time for him to nap. but, man, i really want to just go cuddle with him.

he's had a good day. he's sensitive and not quite himself. but he's doing really well. and we're all soooo glad he's home. his brothers are glad too.

we're thankful to the family and friends who are here helping us out and to all of the ones who've emailed and texted. THANK YOU!!

Home and recovering

2011-10-09T23:37:00.000-04:00

It is fabulous to have luke home! Absolutely fabulous!

I got to cuddle with him a whole bunch.

I got to stare at him.

I got to have him here. At home. Where he belongs.

Somehow though I always underestimate the recovery. Don't get me wrong. Luke is amazing and doing really well. And did I mention that he has TWO lungs!

But just seeing him in any pain. Any fear. Any sadness. It's just really hard.

But I cannot discount all of the amazingness of this whole thing and all god has done for us!

Sent from my cell

Going home!

2011-10-09T15:08:00.000-04:00

We are on our way home! Yippy!

Only down side was running into people smoking right outside of the hospital. Right where luke & I were waiting to be picked up. Luke who just had surgery. Right next to the no smoking signs.

All I can say is that those people are lucky to still be among the living.

Uhm and I think I scared dan with my rage.

Soooooo glad luke is going home!

Sent from my cell

Sunday a.m.

2011-10-09T08:37:00.001-04:00

Luke looks so great.

They are actually hoping to send him home TODAY!

Yay god & yay luke!

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Saturday 1100 pm

2011-10-08T23:27:00.001-04:00

I got to hold luke and feed him tonight. Awesome. Just awesome. (except for fighting falling asleep while holding him!)

Luke is also now clothed. No more naked surgery patient!

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Saturday night

2011-10-08T20:54:00.000-04:00

Sent from my cell

saturday 7:30 pm

2011-10-08T20:33:00.001-04:00

Epidural came out! (on purpose)

luke needed an extra dose of meds for pain, but he's doing well. We got some awesome squeals, smiles, and wiggles afterward. So, so great to see "luke."

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Visitors

2011-10-08T16:35:00.000-04:00

Sent from my cell

Saturday 425 pm

2011-10-08T16:26:00.001-04:00

Luke got the chest tube out! Woo hoo!

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1210

2011-10-08T12:36:00.001-04:00

Two of the brothers and dan arrived. Paaaaarty in luke's room!

Luke gave elijah a small smile. First since his surgery!

Boys were good and quiet, playing on my phone and nook.

Taking a lunch break.

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Sat 1050 am

2011-10-08T11:19:00.001-04:00

"Look, mom! No oxygen!"

O2 came off. Woo hoo!

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Saturday morning

2011-10-08T08:09:00.001-04:00

Luke looks good this morning. Had to do a new IV during the night. He's sleeping right now. Pain has been kind of tough off & on, but he's doing well. Swelling is down too. He is amazing.

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1019

2011-10-07T22:33:00.001-04:00

Are you ready for an absolutely amazing story?!

Luke still has BOTH lungs!!!!!!!!!!!

BOTH OF THEM!

After the procedure, Dr. F sat down with us and said that things didn't go as planned. He was smiling so I figured / hoped that was good.

"I didn't take out his lower left lobe. His lung looked good."

What?!

He commented that we are probably used to Luke being unique... (And how!)

Turns out, Luke had a diaphragmatic sequestration.

That means that the lesion was actually outside of his lung!

So Dr. flake removed the lesion and NOT Luke's lower left lung!

Get this! When they went to do the procedure thorascopically, they had to deflate one lung. When they did that, Luke had an unexplained arrhythmia. So they backed out and had to open him up.

Because they opened him up, Dr. F was better able to diagnose that Luke's lung was perfect. And the lesion was actually below the lung.

Amazing!

Absolutley amazing!

Dr. F said that he'd like to think that the outcome would've been the same either way but he felt much better that they went in and opened him up.

Wow!!!

Sooooooooo fabulous!

Luke's sleeping now. So glad. He was in a bit of pain earlier.

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630

2011-10-07T19:39:00.000-04:00

Luuuuuuuuuuke!!

Soooooo good to see him!

Sent from my cell

random stuff from today

2011-10-07T17:31:00.000-04:00

Pic of our view at lunch, a really strange show we watched with luke before his procedure & dan hanging out with luke...

Sent from my cell

445

2011-10-07T17:02:00.001-04:00

Just talked with luke's surgeon. Luke is doing well. They are putting an epidural in to manage his pain.

Amazing turn of events. I'll explain more later. But luke is good and we'll get to see him in the next hour. Can't wait!

Doctor expects he'll be here at the hospital until monday or tuesday.

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424

2011-10-07T16:26:00.001-04:00

nurse's update: surgery is done. Closing up now. Takes about 30 minutes. He's going to the NICU when they are done.

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318

2011-10-07T15:24:00.001-04:00

Just got an update from the nurse: once the surgeon went in, he decided to do the more invasive version of the procedure, saying that was the safest way to proceed.

We're bummed, but we're glad they are doing what's best for luke.

Currently watching a little boy pour his bottle out on the floor while his mom plays on her computer.

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215

2011-10-07T14:25:00.001-04:00

Update from nurse who was in OR at 2:05: luke went to sleep easily. Prepping him now - IV, breathing tube.

I'm coping by gorging myself on chocolate chip cookies. Dan is crunching ice.

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140

2011-10-07T13:42:00.001-04:00

Luke just went back. Really nice nurse carried him to OR. We met anesthesiologist & surgeon.

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1227

2011-10-07T12:29:00.001-04:00

Been back in the prep room for a bit. Poor little guy is hungry but being so cute!

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11:35

2011-10-07T11:41:00.001-04:00

In pre-op waiting room. Luke is wonderfully oblivious and so so sweet.

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Beautiful

2011-10-06T22:02:00.001-04:00

Luke...

My beautiful boy!

Latest is that his surgery is at 11:30 am.

Thanks for the prayers and thoughts and support!

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Boys

2011-10-06T19:33:00.001-04:00

Love these guys

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pre-op

2011-10-05T22:09:00.002-04:00

luke had his pre-op appointment today and did a great job.

he's up to 13 pounds and 14 ounces now, which is terrific.

the blood work was the worst part of the whole thing. ugh. poor little guy. turned his face BRIGHT red!

the surgery is scheduled for 220 minutes and tentatively for 8:40 am on friday.

luke de buke

2011-10-02T21:28:00.000-04:00

so, i've been putting off thinking a lot about luke's next surgery.

this one isn't as serious as the last one.

the hospital stay should be shorter than the last one.

he's bigger now. heartier.

i shouldn't be worried.

he's nigh indestructible! look at how far he's made it. remember back around thanksgiving when they said he might not make it?!

but here we are... my 7 month old precious little baby who smiles at me and wiggles his whole little body and loves to cuddle and is just so, so very sweet... he's going in for lung surgery. and i just can't quite think about it without shuddering and welling up.

his prognosis is excellent. the surgeon has done this a million times. and god is totally watching out for this little guy.

but still... ugh.