Time Out

Last Sunday while watching football Carson and I hear our son Carson state that the football team was "very naughty." Carson proceeded to tell us the "football guys in time out!" He had heard the football official say one of the teams had called a time out. Well, I guess it's good he understands one meaning of time out, right?

Patience

No babies yet. I had a doctor's appointment on Friday, December 14 and Dr. Depew told me that I was doing well and the babies are, too. I am not ready to deliver (personally or medically speaking.) I feel I have so much to do before the arrival of the new babies. My stomach grew a lot in the last week. Last time I went to the doctor (one week and two days ago) I was measuring at 38 weeks. This time I measured 42 weeks. I am 35.5 weeks pregnant. These measurements are based on being pregnant with only one baby of course, but that may give some of you an idea of how large I am. So yes, I look like I'm ready to pop! I am feeling good. I haven't started swelling yet. Of course, I can't bend at the waist, which is challenging on a daily basis, but all things considered, this is a small and short lived "challenge."
For those of you wondering, we haven't talked about a delivery date yet. I am one month from my 40 week due date (January 15). It is best for me to keep these babies in utero for as long as possible. Although it isn't uncommon for twins to be delivered early, it doesn't mean that is what is best for them. Dr. Depew is certain that I can hold off until Christmas. This has been his goal for me all along. I would prefer the babies be born as far from Christmas as possible.

PS No we don't have names picked out. Any suggestions?

Happy Thanksgiving

We had 14 from the Patterson side for Thanksgiving dinner. And for those of you who know me well enough know better than to assume I cooked. I called in the professionals (Super Suppers) for help. I will let you know the oven was on because everything was frozen so we had to heat it up. And in my household if the oven was on cooking has occurred. We did make a few of our family favorites to add to the massive amount of food. From what my guests told me they liked the dinner so I will mark it as a success in my book. (Maybe they were just being nice to make me feel good, but I don't care.)

I was not stressed about having 14 for dinner. I was so grateful that our families traveled to Wichita to join us. Carson's parents came to Wichita as well. They ate at his sister's house, but we went over there (all of us) to see them. We had the best of both worlds, we didn't have to travel over the holiday and still got to see most of our family members.

Carson and Owen loved seeing their aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins. In fact the boys were asking me today if family was coming to see them this weekend. They were very disappointed when I told them we were on our own this weekend.

Getting ready for babies

This past weekend my mom, sister, and her two boys came to Wichita to help me prepare for the coming of the babies. Michelle and my mom were in overdrive! They really cleaned and organized my house. I feel so liberated. I believe we are now pretty much ready for babies and all the things they bring... diapers, bottles, blankets, onesies and etc. Michelle worked very hard of making the most of my limited space in the kitchen and my mom did laundry and finished up the nursery. They also organized closets and cleaned up the master bedroom. Who knew we had so much room in our bedroom?

Carson and Owen loved playing with their cousins Luke and Jake. Luke and Jake wore Carson and Owen out. It was great! It was so much fun watching all the little boys play together. They truly love one another! Too bad we don't live closer.

Hunk A Hunk of Burning Loves!

Our little Elvises successfully survived Halloween. It took a house or two for Carson and Owen to figure out what Trick-Or-Treating was, but they eventually got the hang of it. Carson
had been in Vegas since Monday, but got home just in time to go Trick-Or-Treating with us. We went to Samway's neighborhood to Trick-Or-Treat with Carson and Owen's cousins for a while then came home and hit three houses in our 'hood.

The first house we went to Carson walked right under the candy bowl to walk inside to play with the family dog. Good thing the lady who answered the door found some humor this. (I think he
thought we were going to play at some body's house.)

You would be proud of me, I actually let the boys eat one piece of Halloween candy. (I've come a long way!) Carson and Owen each got a pack of Smarties last night. (There is no need for our two crazy little boys to have all that sugar at age two! They are goofy enough without any
candy in their system.) The Elvis costumes were a hit and as far as I could tell we were the only Elvises on the streets last night.

Poked and Prodded

Owen had been running a fever of 102-103.7 beginning last Wednesday. I called the pediatrician on Thursday to see how concerned I needed to be and they informed me it was most likely a virus that is going around. They had seen kids with a 105 temperature lasting for up to five days. So I continued to give Owen Tylenol and Motrin to ease his pain and bring down his temp.

I call the doctor's office back on Friday because Owen had also been complaining of lower back pain. I hadn't put two and two together on Thursday that they might be related so decided to call to see if I needed to be concerned about the back pain accompanying the fever.

The doctor's office wanted to see us at 4:30 that afternoon. We couldn't get in with our pediatrician, but were able to get in with the doctor who stitched up Owen's head. I get a call from preschool to come get Carson at 12:30 (on Friday). They said he was running a 101 temp. So Owen and I went to get Carson.

So anyway, off to the doctor we go to take Owen. Carson (husband) surprises me and meets me there...thank goodness! The doctor was very concerned with the lower back thing. She wanted a bunch of tests and x-rays ran. They took blood, blew a vein. Then realized they needed more blood just to not find another vein. The doctor checked to make sure the pain wasn't constipation so she strapped on the glove, lubed up her pinkie finger and jammed it up his rear. Then she wanted his urine, but since he's not potty trained the only way to do it is to stick a catheter up his boy part. (Carson swore it went in 3 feet.) He also had the little scope thing stuck in his ears, nose and throat. Well this whole time while he's getting poked and prodded he's crying to go down the slide in the waiting room at the pediatrician's office. Not to mention he was scared to death and so confused as to why the doctor and nurses were hurting him again (don't forget these are the same people who strapped him down to the table to stitch up his head.)

In the mean time little Carson's cheeks get redder and redder. They discover he has a 102 temp. He pukes up mucus. The doctor said his throat was really red and swollen. They checked him for Strep throat. It came back negative. Luckily, there is nothing seriously wrong with him and gave him Tylenol to ease his pain. They do find that Owen has ear infection (his first one.)

We finally get out to the waiting area to go down the slide. Both boys are minding their own business having a great time and all of a sudden Owen grabs his crotch and falls to his knees screaming. Apparently, it kills to go potty. They forgot to warn us of this, but then told us it could continue to hurt for like two days and it they were pretty accurate. He was still in pain two days later when he went potty.

We wait for paper work at the pediatrician's office and get sent off the to emergency room (the doctor's office is closed by this time.) Owen needs x-rays. They also need to draw more blood (that they didn't get earlier.) I am too pregnant to hold Owen for blood work in the chair so Carson does it. I hear him cry for like five minutes. Carson proceeds to later tell me there was a needle in Owen's arm the whole time he was crying. They weren't able to get enough blood, but we are hoping what they got will be enough.

We wait and wait. I'm ready to take little Carson to get some dinner and as we are walking out the door they come for Owen's x-rays. Little Carson and I wait for Owen to get done with his x-rays before getting dinner (it's about 7:00pm by this time.) Well, I can't go in with him due to the radiation so Carson is in there to comfort him. Owen is scared to death and has been traumatized beyond belief by this time, but makes it though all the x-rays.

I then take the boys with me to get dinner and to head home. We were instructed by the pediatrician's office not to leave the emergency room until we have our test results in our hand, but the poor boys had to be starving. It was past 7:30 and we usually eat by 5:30. Not to mention neither ate anything for lunch and it was their bedtime on top of it all.

So, I get food and go home. The doctor on call from our clinic calls me and gets mad that I took Owen home, but I told her he was starving and that Carson was at the emergency room waiting for the results just as they instructed. She said it was useless for him to be there without Owen. They needed Owen there just in case they needed to admit him to the hospital. I told her if that was the case, we'd load him back up in the car and drive him to the hospital. I mean really, the boys (and I) needed to get home. There is only so much you can take of a waiting room no matter if you're two or 32. We were all tired and hungry. We finally get home four hours from the time we left. It was a very long day!

So, to get to the end of this long story it turns out that Owen is fine. I guess better safe than sorry...the tests were a lot for a two year old to take, but he was a trooper. They were testing him to see if there was an infection in his spine, hips, blood, and/or kidneys and for pneumonia. We are still waiting on the results of one blood test, but as of Tuesday it looked clear. That is good news.

We are all still confused what caused Owen's back pain, but are so grateful that he seems to be fine. He was almost back to 100% as of Monday. Both boys are suffering from colds, but other than that we are all doing well.

Big Boys

It's official! Carson and Owen have moved to their big boy bed. Papa and Mimi came to Wichita to paint (thanks Papa) and help put Carson and Owen's new room together the last weekend in September. The boys do fantastic sleeping in their "new Jets bed." It was a bittersweet moment for me to see them laying just like big boys in their new bed the first night.
Carson and Owen share a bed. They have found this is a much better deal than sharing a crib (like they had been doing -by choice- the last couple of weeks before moving into the big bed.) The first night in their bed their cute little heads were laying perfectly on their pillows and their feet were where they were supposed to be, too. It was so sad. I'm not sure I'm ready for them to be "big" yet. They are still my babies according to my heart, but when I see how independent they have become I know I have to let them grow up and try new things on their own. I am beginning to understand what people mean when they tell me kids grow up so fast. My babies have turned into toddlers right before my eyes.

Let's go outside

"Outside?" This question is usually asked to me at least once no later than 8 o'clock every morning. Carson and Owen love playing outside. They especially love when the neighbor kids come over to play. It is not unusual to see a crew of 3 two year olds, a four year old, a 9 year old, 11 year old, two very pregnant women and one non pregnant mother in our driveway in the afternoons.
During the day (while the older kids are at school) Carson and Owen love to play with Addie. She is a very sweet little two year old who keeps Carson and Owen on their toes. All three of them are very good buddies and play very well together. They love to ride their "cycle bikes" and play basketball. It is not unusual for Emily (Addie's mother) and I to see Addie kissing and hugging one of the boys at any given time during our outings. It is so cute when the kids first lay eyes on each other. All three will scream each other's name in a high pitch scream in glee and joy then will clap and jump up and down.

Monkey See Monkey Do-Doo

I took the boys to the zoo today. Carson and Owen were so excited to see the monkeys (...giraffes, bears, and elephants, of course.) When we were visiting the monkeys I hear Carson say "ahh ahh ahh 'tinky poo poo poo!" Translation: the monkey went poop. He was right. A monkey had just gone "#2". We walk a little further and see another monkey go poo and Owen starts in saying the same thing. The boys were very impressed to see the monkeys poop. All I heard on the way home was "ahh ahh ahh 'tinky poo poo poo!" They even shared the monkey news with daddy and couldn't wait to tell our neighbor boy when he got home from school.

What are you still doing here?

Carson and Owen started preschool (Kids Day Inn) on Friday September 14. It's every Friday for four hours throughout the school year. The boys were a bit disappointed that they didn't get to ride a school bus, but were happy about their new backpacks and new shoes.
I was pretty sure the boys would be fine when I dropped them off and they were. I walked Carson and Owen into the classroom and hung their backpacks and put their lunch in their designated spots. When I went to kiss them good bye they were no where near me and had already found toys and other kids to play with. I told each of the boys bye-bye and Carson gave me a look that said "what the heck are you still doing here?"
Carson and Owen did great and I was able to do my own thing for the first time in a VERY long time. This will be the first time I will have the house to myself in over two years. I got a couple of errands run. Maybe next week I will come home and enjoy the peace and quiet in the empty house while the boys are at preschool.

Oh Dear!

Last Friday (09-07-07) I had a sonogram with Dr. Depew while Carson stayed home with Carson and Owen. He fed them lunch and put them down for their afternoon nap. I could hear the boys talking to one another in their cribs when I got home, but didn't didn't think much of it. After about 30 minutes I heard knocking on the door. Once again, I didn't think much of it. This is nothing new. I figured Owen had grabbed a toy and was hitting the door with it. A few minutes later I hear the door knob turning. This concerned me a little because I couldn't figure out how Owen could reach the door knob from his crib (he was sleeping in the one closest to the door), but still didn't think too much of it. By now the boys had gotten pretty quiet. So I figured Carson must be sleeping and Owen was just being Owen. Then I hear more knocking and the door knob turn a few more times. I go back to the hallway to see if I can see anything under the door. I saw nothing. Again, a turn of the door knob. At this time I struggle to open the door to find two precious little boys standing as still as statues with smiles on their face by clothes and everything else that two two years old could get their hands on.
My two little angels had managed to climb out of their cribs and trash their room. They took all their clean and dirty clothes from their travel bag from our long weekend in NE, found mobiles in their closet (I didn't even know they were in there), took twenty or so shirts off hangers, took pictures frames out of the window seat, took apart their night light (I'm still looking for the light bulb), and etc. I think you get the idea. Oh, and to top it off they found baby lotion and managed squirt it all over their room. And I mean ALL over!
You may wonder what I did. Well, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but managed to keep my cool. How could I be mad? They were so proud that they did such a good job of finding so many things in their room. I put the boys back in their cribs and told them that what they did was very naughty and told them how sad I was that they trashed their room. Well, as I picked up the large mess Carson kept saying "Mommy, Owen naughty." I reminded him he was also naughty for what he helped do. The boys watched me clean up their room and proceeded to take a nap. They must have worn themselves out for as hard as they worked to get the room to look like it did.
I love my little stinkers!

Dave Matthews Band

Carson and I went to another DMB concert. Gee Gee (Carson's mom) watched Carson and Owen so we could go to Kansas City a day before the concert. We really appreciated getting away, but would have enjoyed it a little more if I wouldn't have been sick the whole time I was there. Carson and I stayed at the same hotel as the Dave Matthews Band and were able to see and even talk to just about every band member except Dave.
Tom, Misti, and Evan Wolf joined us in Kansas City on August 28th. Evan stayed with a babysitter during the concert while the adults enjoyed the evening out. As expected, the Band did not disappoint. Carson and I sat in the 11th row. I snuck a camera in this year. I figured they weren't going to question a pregnant woman (and I was right.) I hid it right under my belly and walked right through security. I thought I might as well play the "pregnancy card" while I've got it. I was able to get nice pictures and a video of the concert.
We hope that we will be able to attend more Dave Matthews Band concerts, but are afraid we will have trouble finding anyone to watch four kids. Do we have any volunteers?

Owen goes BONK!

It's official. We've got our first stitches. Last Thursday (August 23rd) Owen's head got acquainted with the corner of our fireplace. The boys and I had just gotten home from our morning walk and were picking up our flip flops before nap time. Owen went down to get his and BONK! His head hit the corner of our fireplace.
I immediately got a cold rag to stop the bleeding, loaded Carson and Owen in their car seats and headed right to the pediatrician's office. I called Carson on the way to the doctor's office to tell him what had happened. Carson then called the doctor's office to inform them we were on our way. Carson left work immediately and met us there.
Owen was a much better sport than I was. I couldn't stop crying (I cried all day and night) and he had stopped by the time we got to the doctor's office. He was a good boy while getting his three stitches. Good thing daddy was there. I couldn't handle seeing Owen strapped down to the "board." Carson stayed in the room while Owen got stitched up. "Cowie" and I went to the waiting area for Carson to play.
Carson and I realized just how close the boys are and how much they love one another and rely on each other during this traumatic event. The whole time Owen was getting stitched up he was yelling "Cowie! Cowie!" It broke my heart. I could hear his cries in the waiting area. And while Carson was sliding on the "big slide" he kept telling me "Owen slide." He wanted Owen to come out and play with him so badly that he went to the door leading to the patient rooms three different times to get Owen. Needless to say the boys were thrilled when they were finally reunited!
Owen did very well with his stitches. We got them out on Monday August 27th. Owen was a little nervous, but did a very good job of laying still. He picked the steri-strips off within three hours (they were supposed to last three days), but other than that he seems to be leaving his wound alone. I just hope and pray the scar will be minimal.

Our Family

The Wright Clan is doing well. We had a rough week last week after almost losing our dog to heat stroke and all the bad things that accompany it, but Wimpy seems to almost be back to her old self.
Gee Gee is coming down to Wichita tomorrow to watch the Samway kids then will watch Carson and Owen while Carson and I are in Kansas City for the Dave Matthews Band concert (yes, another DMB concert!) Monday night through Wednesday afternoon. We will be leaving for Kansas City as soon as my "big" sonogram is over. It is Monday morning at Wesley hospital. We are sticking to our guns and will NOT be finding out the sex of the babies. The genders really don't matter to us. We really just want two healthy babies.