Christmas Count Down

Wow. Hard to believe that nine days from now and we will be celebrating the most awesome time of year.

I have to brag on my Douglas, today at school he had a Christmas program where the teacher had recorded what Christmas means to him, his response was We celebrate Christmas as Jesus's birthday, presents are just an added bonus.. I could not be more proud of him..

Kalie spent last weekend making a present for mommy, she showed me the box it is in and is very excited to give it to me. In fact yesterday when I told her we have ten days till Christmas she said Yes mommy, ten days till I can give you your present. She is more excited about what she is giving me than what she is getting.

John Michael siad he is going to make me something tomorrow. Can not wait to see what they come up with..

This past weekend John Michael and I spent the weekend in Mississippi for a family funeral. I am sad to say that I lost my dear Aunt after a struggle with heart disease. She lived a very long life and will be greatly missed. JM was awesome all weekend. We had a lot of time in the car to chat and and talk about the things around us. He was so sweet all weekend, I think it did him a world of good to have some one on one time. Something they rarely get.

So far this holiday season I have taken KR to see the rocketts, she loved it and will be taking the boys to The Polar Express tomorrow at Stone Mountain.

Have a blessed Christmas everyone..

Prematurity Awareness Month.

I can not believe that today is the last day of Prematurity Awareness month and here I am just posting about it.

I want to start by thanking everyone who has ever walked in the spring March for babies event. Thank you for the time and energy you put into raising money for such a wonderful organization. An organization that is the leader in research and advancement for these tiny babies. Every penny counts in helping to ensure that fewer and fewer moms to be have to experience the heartache of having a premature baby. The more we learn, the more we research the better chance these families have for some day bringing their baby home from the NICU or even better ensuring that pregnancies do not end too soon.

Now my story.. In early October of 2003 I learned that I would be having not one but three babies. the more I read and talked to doctors the more I knew that my babies would be brought into this world early. My high risk doctor performed a cerclage at 11 weeks. At which time I went on rest, he never really called it bed rest just rest. My bi-weekly doctors appointments soon became weekly appointments and things were going well. Then out of no where I developed a kidney infection that placed me in the hospital. I was 30 weeks by then. five short days later I was in labor and my babies were born at what was 31 weeks.

From the start everyone looked great, everyone but mommy that is. I had a double transfusion due to loosing too much blood. I was able to see the babies when they were three days old, trust me that was hard. They were so tiny, 3 lbs 4 oz (Keith Douglas) 3 lbs 7 oz (Kalie Rose) and 3 lbs 11 oz (John Michael). When the kids were five days old we had our first "call" from the NICU. The doctors had detected something on Douglas's brain. He had several cyst in his white matter, but I was assured it was not a brain bleed and that he should out grow them.

They had braddies, false alarms, failed car seat test a transfer to a new hospital but overall my experience in the NICU at Lutheran General Hospital and Good Shephard was not a bad time. It was hard. I will never forget the first day I left them in the hospital. I was still so weak and in so much pain. But the pain I felt in my heart for leaving them by far was greater than that of the surgery.

I went to see them every day and every day when I left them I left assured that the doctors and nurses were the best there were around and that my babies were happy, safe and well cared for.

Before I knew it my time in the NICU was over, but the worry and stress never leaves you. The first year is scary, you have to keep them healthy and they were so tiny any cold could put them in the hospital.

Douglas did return soon after coming home he had a bowl obstruction and we learned he was allergic to milk.

It was a scary year at times but it was also one of the most awesome times of my life.

So next time you look at your baby that came at 40 weeks be thankful for the long pregnancy and remember it only takes your time to walk for babies..

Turkey Day is on the way

Turkey day, or should we say Thanksgiving will be here soon. The kids call it Turkey day, which they got from their Aunt Kristel whom called it the same. They are all three very excited as we have company coming in to visit for the week. They can not wait to see their granny, but what they do not know is that their BreBre will be here as well.

We had a great week at school this year, JM had a program and all of us ate lunch together afterwords. We had a picnic on the school grounds. They were all three very excited about us spending the time together.

Life is changing for us, they are at a point in which they want to play with their friends more, they get off the bus and off they go. I spend my afternoons chasing them down and making sure they are not causing trouble. I sometimes can not believe how big they have gotten or that they are now so independent.

We have started decorating for Christmas, everything with the exception of the trees are up. We will do the trees when my mom gets here on Tuesday, or Wednesday. She will enjoy doing that with them and it will be a nice family thing to do together.

Thanksgiving day will be spent with good friends, she is cooking the Turkey and I will handle the Ham and sides. The kids will be playing with their friends and will enjoy the day. I can not wait, it should be a lot of fun this year.

Last year resulted in a broken ankle for me, which was why we had the surgery in September. Lets be hopeful that this year we will not have any visits to the hospital.

All three children did a book this week at school on the things I am thankful for, to see it through their eyes is so amazing. All three said they are thankful for their house and mom and dad..

Have a blessed week all.

So proud of Kalie Rose

Today on the way to the movie I had the following conversation with my precious little girl.

Mommy, a boy in my class said there is no God, I told him there was that you do not see him but you feel him in your heart. He then told me there is no Jesus. I told him there was to that his birthday was at Christmas and we have a big party for him.

She then asked me why he said there was no God or Jesus when there is. I tried to explain to her that some people do not believe in God or Jesus but as Christians we should share his love with them.

She said well I told him that there is a God and Jesus so I am a missary (how she said it) like those people we learn about at mission friends.

You have to love hearing about the love of God from a child.

One step forward, two steps back

It seems like the next shoe is going to drop any minute now so to speak. We have been doing so well, JM has adjusted to school well and loves his teachers and class mates. He even claims to have a girlfriend. Things are going well. He is not getting in trouble and is learning. Our parent teacher conference went great.

Well today was a conference with his OT (private OT) counselor at school, School OT and School ST. I had one shocker. Do not get me wrong I honestly expected one of them to have another diagnosis, I just honestly hoped and prayed that it was not JM. He has so much stacked against him as it is. So now my sweet boy has been diagnosed with Dyslexia, his run down now includes. SPD (sensory avoider and Seeker at times), Aspergers, PPD NOS, and now Dyslexia. We are going to also be doing blood work to test for Fragile X as well.

It is funny, when they were born Douglas had several cyst on his brain, the doctors told me to expect him to have problems in school. That chances were he would be main streamed but he would not be my straight A student and may struggle with some things, spelling, math etc. So far he excels in everything and my sweet little man has a more difficult time. I am at a point that I dread going to the doctor with him as I wonder what they will diagnose him with next.

I love my little man so much and just want him to not have to struggle so much with everything.

I am sure most of you understand that..

Life is back to normal..

All three children are returning to normal now, swine flu has moved through the house, it still lingers with my husband and I. Odd all the news reports say that it is hitting children much harder and yet the two of us have suffered much worse than the triplets did. Which I am glad it turned out that way. I would much rather my be sick than them any day. It is so much harder when a little one is sick.

I had parent teacher conferences yesterday and was plesently surprised at how things turned out. First their grades were awesome. JM had the most areas in which he needs help (which was no big surprise) and the areas that he needs work are things that I already knew he needed extra help on and is getting at school and home. The teachers love him and say that he is very well behaved and that other than typical boy behavior they have had no issues with him. I am so happy that he is adjusting so well and doing so well in school. I was so worried that I would get reports home and be called to the school often due to him not doing well. His teacher's in fact said that had I not told them and if not for a few minor personality things they would have never guessed he had aspergers. I attribute this to him being in therapy since he was one years of age and all of the hard work he has done over the past several years to learn to deal with all the sensory input.

Douglas had a great report as well, he had 3's on everything with the exception of two things, address and patterning. I am so proud of my little man. The teacher said he gets the giggles so easy and has such a contagious laugh. She also said he seems to be a care taker, I was aware of this and will need to work on him doing things for himself and not giving up his things for his brother and sister. I want him to be happy and not always worry about everyone else.

Kalie Rose, like Douglas had mostly 3's with a handful of 2's, the teachers love her and call her their fashion princess of the class room. (big surprise there) the things she needs work on were no big surprise to me either. She is such a smart girl and is doing so well.

Again, all and all I am very proud of the three of them and how well they are doing in school. They all seem to have adapted very well to being in the new school, to being in separate class rooms and to the longer days.

got this award from Silvergirl
It's my first award really :) and thank you so much for this.
To accept this award, here are the rules: Post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Now, as for my newly-discovered blogs whose owners are in every way lovelier than I am, I am passing this on to:

Azys Syaiful Anwar

Sai

Herby

Ken

Akisha

Malou

Dilip

Coach Marla

KM

Priya

Andrew C. Lam

Kmaram

All About Healthy

Sandi

October is National Sensory Awareness Month..

I have not forgotten that this is the month in which we have elected to educated the world on Sensory Awareness.

October is National Sensory Awareness Month with the theme “Come to Your Senses.”

This is the fifth year that SIFocus.com will lead and sponsor this national campaign to raise awareness regarding sensory integration/sensory processing disorders. I am posting this because I am VERY familiar with SID or SPD as a mom of a child with sensory issues.

Read more about sensory processing disorder at SIFocus.com – In fact, if you know a child who cannot sit still, you may start reading about it for the child, only to discover that you have it and that is why you may do some of the things you do.

SI Focus encouragers people that October is the month for working within your own community raising awareness in your schools, among neighbors and within your family.

Swine Flu update

My boys are doing very well, they have been on thamaflu for some time now and doing breathing treatments three times a day. I thought that JM was without fever yesterday but at bed time his fever went back up. He has been fever free most of today. Douglas has been running a low grade fever today.

Kalie got off the bus yesterday with a fever, we started her right away on thamaflu and breathing treatments. I have started to feel bad and am running a fever, right at 100. My husband is not running a fever but is feeling run down and tired.

We are hanging in there and hopefully almost to the end of this with the boys.

Thanks for your continued prayers and support

My Very Wanted Child

My Very Wanted Child: A Parent's Poem by Ginny Lapporte, Is an awesome book that was given to me when I learned that my pregnancy was viable. As many of you know I struggled with infertility prior to becoming pregnant with my wonderful children. If you have not had the opportunity to read the book you should look it up. It is a great book to read to children and one that you can keep close to your heart.

The poem is written by a mother of twins whom suffered from infertility as well, while the book touches on how much the children were wanted, long before she even became pregnant, it does not mention infertility. It is a very touching book for anyone who has desired to have a child for a long period of time, who has suffered through infertility or has chosen to adopt a child.

I was able to find copies of it for sale on Amazon so I am sure it is still out there.

This post is not paid for in anyway, I read the book last night to my daughter and decided to share with my friends here.

I hope that you will find it to be an awesome read, and that you will cherish the book as much as I have.

Swine Flu times two

My boys started running a fever yesterday, D's has gotten as high as 104 and JM has stayed around 102. They say it feels like something is in their nose and there is nothing there and that their stomachs hurt. So we will spend the next five days hydrating them and keeping their fevers down. It is going to be an interesting week to say the least. Please send your prayers that things go well and we do not end up in the hospital.

I will update everyone on how they are doing, but my post will be short this week as my focus will be on the boys.. Lets hope and pray that Kalie stays healthy..

What to do with my time?

Now that is something I never thought I would say again. The past five years of my life has been devoted to my children. I have been busy making sure they have everything they need, running them to therapy, school and various events. Now they are in school, they get on the bus at seven and get off at three. I have so much time and not much to do. I have put my name at the school to volunteer in the classrooms, lunch room etc.

In addition I have started to help out at the church every day for two to three hours, doing various office work that is needed. I just started this week and am very blessed that I have some thing to do other than clean house all day long. While to some it may not seem like much, shredding documents, cleaning the sanctuary, and preparing the bulletins, it is still God's work and I am sure that our family will be blessed by my being a small part of making our great church work and run as it does.

School is going great for the kids, really great. John Michael has had some minor issues over the last few weeks but nothing that is too concerning.

Update on my surgery..

Had my doctors appointment this morning and got my crutches taken away from me.. Yea.. I have never been so happy to walk in my life. I have four more weeks in the boot prior to starting therapy. I will then have six weeks to six months worth of therapy depending on how well I progress.

My scar looks great, according to the doctor. I think we are well on our way to being back on my feet and back to normal. I have to say that it was worth it to have the surgery, while I have been bored out of my mind at times, it has given me the chance to evaluate what I want to do when I grow up. (ha!ha!)

The kids have been great through all of this and will be very happy to see that mom is walking around yet again.

Thanks again.

Having a hard time getting going this morning!

For some reason this morning everything seemed to go wrong, from my sleeping late, to Kalie not wanting to wear what daddy had picked out for her and ending with not one but three glasses of spilled milk it has just been a morning from hell. I am not even sure it if it worth going back to bed to start over again. (with the fear that it would just be worse)

On a good note I am going to lunch with my husband today, something we have talked about doing since school started, yet I have not found the time to make it down to where he works. In fact I will be leaving in about an hour. I hope to get a jump start on my Christmas shopping while I am out.

The milk has been cleaned up, the kids are off to school and I have had my morning shot of caffeine. I guess all in all things have to go up from here. Right!!

Edited to add...

Well my day did not get much better, I went to get the regular flu shot at my husbands office and then to lunch with him. By the time I arrived home I had a migraine headache, that has stayed with me for most of the day. I have not been able to check emails or work on my Christmas PTO project, that I have got to get organized and soon.

Thank goodness for awesome neighbors that invited me and the kids over to play. They could see that I was in bad shape and suggested that I go lay down in the guest room. I took her up on it and was able to sleep the headache off. Lets hope that tomorrow brings better things for us.

Kalie at school, JM on the bus

It seems that Kalie has found her voice. For the longest she would not talk, would not sing. She was even thought to have selective mutisim for a while. (she went through an entire year of preschool without talking at all while there, she would just smile)

well since last Thursday she now has had three notes home from school for talking.. How do I not be happy about this, the child I never thought would talk at school is talking up a storm. I will talk to her if it becomes a problem but right now it is not an issue in my mind.

Now onto JM and I am sure this is related to Aspergers, he is having a hard time on the bus, does not want to sit right and sits really close to the boy beside him. We are moving him for the third time this year. He is getting moved to by the window, same seat and Doug will be beside him instead of their friend. I hope this will help him not to squish poor L. He still has body awareness issues and a need to be right on top of everyone. I am not sure what I can do to help him with this. We will resume therapy next week, (took a break because of my surgery) I hope she can help me to address this.

Child Proofing your home.. A guest article

Article Title:

Childproofing Your Home

We often look at our young children from our vantage point – standing above them, and not seeing the world at their eye level. We see things around the house from our point of view. Because of this, we often fail to see the dangers that abound right in front of our kids, in the corners they can crawl into, in the to places they can reach with their hands and knock things off and in the crevices and holes they can poke their fingers into. Try this experiment – go on your hands and knees and crawl around your home and try to go into the places where your baby can likely go into and poke around. Pull on cords and cables, reach up into the table and see what you can knock over. Look for uncovered electrical outlets and other hazards. You are sure to be surprised by what you will discover. Kids can crawl or run around and explore their immediate surroundings, so it’s important that we check and see the house from their perspective to make sure everything is safe.

Childproofing the house not only means making it safe for babies or small children. You might be surprised to know too that one third the total injuries resulting to death in kids aged 14 and under is unintentional injury at home. One of the top ten reasons that kids aged 3 and below visit the ER is household injuries. Approximately 70% of young children who die of unintentional injuries at home are under 4 years old. It’s not surprising that young children are subjected to these risks at home because it is there where they are found to spend most of their time.

The best way to make sure that children are kept away from possible injuries is supervision. We need to supervise them in the home and outside of it. However, even the most vigilant and watchful parents cannot keep their children always out of harm’s way. It is essential to make your house childproof and set up child protection aids in the kitchen, bathroom, living room, stairs and hallways, nursery, bedrooms, yard and garage.

Remember that even the best childproofing efforts are not a substitute for responsible parenting. Even the slightest distraction can allow your children to wander about and fall into trouble.

http://www.ownadaycare.com/providers/ Ownadaycare.com is a great resource for anyone that is wanting to start their own day care, from free lesson down loads to day car jobs listings to resources for starting your own center.

Please take the time to visit them and let Stephanie know how much her article has helped you.

Big Steps in our house

Douglas is my oral sensory child, he is a very picky eater. In fact he gags on certain foods and will vomit if you are not careful. He has slowly been warming up to eating eggs, and last night he asked for them. He only took three bites, but it was three bites of something he has never put his mouth before. This is a huge baby step for us.. A really big one

Second JM has a loose tooth. He is so excited about losing his first tooth, and of course the other two are very jealous.

Feeling like a slacker mom

So since school started I have not been that involved in their school. I thought it would not be fair to them for me to be room mom of one class and not one of the other ones. So I did not sign up for that, I was worried about how they would handle my being in their room to help out so I have not volunteered. I have not gone to have lunch with them as I wanted them to adjust to being in school first. So basically I have done homework, and well that is about it.

I do communicate with the teachers and have tole them that if they have things I can do at home to please send it, as well right now I am kind of not able to move around that well. I am thinking that starting when I can walk again I may start to volunteer and help out more. I feel like I need to be more involved in their school and what they are doing.

I just have no idea where to start.

Okay pity party over..

Sweet Birdie and PlainlyJanes

I just have to brag on this site that I have stumbled upon. I love having unique clothes, one of a kids and not something that you will find in your local department store. As a result I have spent a great deal of time on etsy, one of my favorite sellers is Sweet Birdie. She makes great quality merchandise for mom and her children.

Her site can be found at

http://host.pappapak13.com/~sweetbir/

and her blog is located at


http://www.plainlyjanes.typepad.com/


Her work is truly unique and high quality. You can not find a better made dress/or skirt around. You will not be disappointed in your selection.

Latest pictures of the trio..

I am not taking pictures as often as I once was, we seem to be so busy that I forget to grab the camera. I feel like I am missing so much by not doing so. I hope to get back in the habit soon of taking pictures of the kids.

Life goes on..

I am so tired of being cooped up inside and am so ready to get back in the swing of things. I hope to spend some time this week out on the back deck at least. I am still non weight bearing, so anywhere I go I will be on crutches. I am not up for that. I am not really a fan of walking on those things.. but I may have to venture out, at least to lunch this week.

In fact I may suggest that my husband met me for lunch one day this week. Now that sounds like a plan.

The kids are doing real good with mom not being able to move around. They have been helping me out, bringing me things and helping me clean things up (maybe that is the silver lining to all of this)
In addition I think my husband is starting to get the idea of what all I do around here.

This week is more of the same, the kids will have school all week. Thank goodness we were not more effected by the flooding in the state. My prayers go out to those that were. It has been a stressful week for those of us that live here in Georgia, I can not watch the news feeds without crying, even now a week later it still makes me cry. I am not even native to Georgia and I feel such heart ache for the state and for those that have lost loved ones in this great flood.

Have a blessed Sunday..

Home from the doctors office!!

Just got home from the doctors office, the preop nurse screwed up, I should not have gone in for at least 14 days, but before we learned this the post op nurse had already taken out my stitches and removed the soft cast.

I have about 20 steri strips across the incision that is hideous looking (nice) and will be non weight bearing for two more week (thank God for the roller board and crutch coozies)

I go back in two weeks at which time I should start PT fun times...

I asked when I should expect to be running, he said six months so my goal or running the peach tree next July fourth may be out of reach. I will just have to pick something else to set as a goal and I will depend on all of you to help me to reach it...

My saving grace over the past week

So over the past week I have had to resort to crutches and a roll about to help me get around the house, do things etc.

The roll about was a loaner from a friend of mine and I have to say it has truly made life easier for all of us. With crutches you can get off balance and fall easier than you can with the roll about and it allows me to get around the house with more ease.

In addition to that my mil was thankful enough to get me what is called crutch coozies, they are awesome come in all sorts of colors and styles, even leopard print. Gone are the days of wrapping wash cloths or dish cloths around the tops of your crutches to keep from hurting your arms. Now you just need to get crutch coozies to save you the fun of being seen out with dish cloths around your cruthes. I have pimped out my crutches so to speak.


So here are pictures of the items I am talking about, and a picture of my foot. I am very happy to say that this very hot, soft cast will be removed tomorrow and I will move on to the walking boot. However I will remain non weight bearing for some time.

The site for the crutch coozies is http://www.crutcheze.com/.

I am not getting paid for these post, or reviews, this is simply an account of what has helped me with the hope that it can help others.

Thanks again for reading.. I will update after my doctors appointment tomorrow.

SPD advice and help from Homeschool101

This is a response to my last post and I think it is so well written and such great advice for parents dealing with SPD, and the "help" we get from others that it needed to be shared with everyone.


One thing I can say to this post is this: I know your pain when those talk behind your back, I have seen it first hand as I family with Special needs and a friend of mine has two with SPD. My reply to you I hope will encourage you to ignore what has been said even tho it can and will upset you. Turn with a smile and walk on.There will be times to address and times to look the other way. An other thing you and others can do is educate and make everyone aware of SPD.

There are some pretty rude people especially in todays world. I encourage you to find a way of comfort and security for you and your family and educate along the way. I have often thought about remarks said by others and ways to help educate or even get smarter with those bad mouthing by counter acting with educational humor. By this I mean find some way to humor with education to rude cruel remarks. Depending on the situation will determine your reply.. I can think of loads of ways to stop people in their tracks and turn the tables so that they are the ones feeling ignorant for their comment as well as feeling your pain.
By educating those as often as you can I assure you it can be a huge slap in the face to those bad mouthing or unaware and less understanding. The more educated others get the more they will begin catching themself or others in the bad mouthing and turn from a negative way to a positive way.

I also want to encourage you in one thing. There are children with the special needs all over. Each need an unconditional amount of love and support including dicipline. Many with Special are able to give all the above and others shy away from the dicipline using the disorder as an excuse to dicipline less. We all have to be dicipline at some point in order to grow and properly learn or experience in life. I am not saying you may be one, but keep in mind those who do do this also help make matters worse for parents like yourself. I have seen this and heard this often by those around me that I know personally with special needs. God love them all, they dont realize that they are hurting them by not showing the dicipline needed. All children are gifted and special in their own unique way. Some require more of everything then others do even in Special needs cases. Tho circumstances maybe different for some, ignoring or over looking because of a Special need disorder is no exception. These children will only love you more and learn to respect you as their parent as any parent trying to raise their children right in the nutty world we are in.

Just love your babies, Shelter them and raise and discipline how you feel is best and pray for direction on how you can educate others of the challenges you face on a daily basis.
Most importantly do not let every little thing get under your skin.

There are times when you honestly should be blunt in replying and there are times that you should lovingly turn your cheek. AS for your family maybe you could gather them all together for an evening of fellowship and share your feelings as to how they feel about you and your family and parenting. Then give them some education to all the challenges you face and disorders you are dealing with.

The only way you will get the support you need is by educating others. Good luck friend and God bless you.

"I am not a bad mom, Please do not judge me"

So many times I feel like screaming this at the top of my lungs, the looks I get the comments that are made behind my back. It is one of the problems of having a child with SPD and or Aspergers, people, strangers look at your child and how he or she is acting in public and they go right to the assumption that you are a bad parent.

I see the looks on their faces, the looks in their eyes when they see my children acting differently from their children. When I have to bring Douglas something to eat to a party because he has oral sensory issues, when JM gets fixated on something and can not let it go and cries, or whines for thirty minutes because it is not something he can have. When we are at a public event and Kalie does not say a word the entire time we are there.

My children, like all other children, with SPD and Aspergers look normal, they walk, they talk, they listen and yes they do things that normal children do. But they do have issues, they do have things going on inside their bodies and minds that we do not understand. Things we may never understand. Do not judge me as a mom when you see me do something that you think is out of the ordinary, do not judge me when you see my children act in a way that you think is not normal. Do not tell me I am a bad mom, do not tell me my children are the way they are because of something I did.

We know more today than we did 30 years ago, children do not come into this world a blank slate so to speak for parents to mold and turn into functioning adults. They are born with personalities, yes we have an effect on it, yes things we do effect the people they become. But some of these precious children are also given to us with a mind and body that does not work like everyone elses, things happen and while yes they develop into great young people, and later adults because of the work we as parents do, this wonderful children and adults have so much to over come.

Instead of judging me, help me and not by giving me unwanted advice. Try and understand what a day in my life is like, try and understand the struggles we are going through and do not ever tell me there is nothing wrong with my child, that the only thing wrong is my parenting skills. Do not dare tell me that my children are like they are because of me and that if I were a better parent they would not be this way.

It hurts the most when it comes from family members. My children have been diagnosed by not one but three different doctors, and yet I have some who say there is nothing wrong and I am just making excuses.
To them I say thank you for your input but really keep it to your self.

God has blessed me with three wonderful children, three children that I love, adore and would not trade anything for. I wish things were easier for them, I wish things were different and they did not have these struggles. I wish strangers would not stare, I wish strangers would not make rude comments. I wish people would just open their eyes to these children and these parents. Instead of judging us, help us.

John MIchael's art work.

Well just 24 hours ago I was asking for advice on JM and his bed wetting, it seems that had I just waited a day I would have had the confirmation that I needed. Today the kids did not go to school, as they were closed due to the floods in Georgia, thank goodness we were not part of the flooding and nor was our school, just a safety thing for flooded roads.

So today the kids did an art project, they each drew pictures, Kalies was the typical kitty and her, dougs was bulldozers and dirt, JM's was what his little mind thought was going on with mommy's foot, it was a serious of pictures and in one of them I was in bed and had only one foot. I talked to him about the pictures and he said he did not know why the doctor cut my foot but it scared him.

So we reassured him that mommy was okay and that my foot was healing and the doctor cut it to make it better.

So the poor man is worried and stressed about mommy.

I am going to take him with me to the doctor on Friday so he can see them cut the cast off and put the new bandages on, so maybe he will see that mommy is okay.

Wetting the bed.

About two weeks ago JM wet the bed, I thought well he just had too much to drink and did not wake up, changed his sheets did not make a big deal about it, then last week it occurred again. So we made some changes and said we would make sure he goes to the bathroom prior to going to bed, no big deal. Well this morning he was wet again, that is once a week for the past three weeks. He has never wet the bed before, in fact none of them have. This is new to us.

I am not sure if something is bothering him, if it is related to my surgery, if it is school or if this is just part of aspergers and part of our life now. I hate to think of him going through this and waking up scared and ashamed. I have to make sure that my husband knows not to make a big deal about it, the last thing I want is for him to be made to feel bad about an accident.

So we are now going to make sure he does not have liquids after a certain time and that he goes to the bathroom prior to going to bed. Poor guy...

Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. He is now five years old and like I said this is a "new" problem, we did not even have this problem when we were potty training him. So please any ideas..

Three days post surgery doing well

I am starting to get my energy back and am able to move around better, I am three day sin and would give anything to remove this soft cast from my let, it is going to be a very long six weeks.

My pain is much better, I have not been waking up at night and seem to be making it longer in the day time without medication. Which is a good thing.

The kids are enjoying their time with nana, they watched Notre Dame play with us yesterday, KR was so cute in the end when they managed to win the game. I wish I would have had a video camera on to film her. It was priceless.


So I have another day in bed, or resting, not moving around very much this is getting old fast. You can only watch so many movies and read so many magazines.

Friday will be here soon and I will get to move to the "smasher" as the kids call it. After which I will have one to two more weeks of non weight bearing.. fun times..

One day post surgery - Ankle preaneal Subluxation Surgery

My big day was yesterday. We arrived at the surgery center at 6 in the morning after check in I was given a mixture of medication to help keep me calm and happy, wish I could have those happy pills at home...

Before I knew it I was in the OR and then waking up in the recovery room. The entire procedure took about an hour, I was then in recovery for an hour before I was allowed to go home.

Once home I went right to bed and sleep all day. I was woken a few times to be given medication and went right back to sleep after words.

It was a very uneventful day. I was not in a great deal of pain, thank goodness we were able to stay ahead of the pain.

I woke up last night around two am and was hurting, and itching. I took some benedryl and my pain meds and was able to get back to sleep.

My foot is in a soft cast and will remain there till Friday when I will move to the smasher as the kids call it, or the hard boot. I am very happy that I do not have to be in a true cast for six weeks.

The children are being very sweet, they all brought me a hand made card yesterday, they were so proud of what they had done and I have to say that they did a great job and were all so sweet to me. They even let me use their coveted blankets..

Thank you again for the continued prayers and support.

Childern learning "more" than I want them to learn.

I knew it was going to happen, as children go off to school they are exposed to different nationalities, different kids of different back grounds, families that have different rules etc than what we do at home. In previous years they have been in a private church ran preschool, so my concerns were not as great as they are now.

I am sad to say that in the short time they have been in school they have picked up some new behaviors and learned some things that we are having to unlearn at home. To start off my weekend Douglas was very proud to show me that he knew how to flip people off. Granted at age five he has no idea what he is doing nor what it means. I sat down with him (when we got home from church, as this is where he showed me his new skill) and explained that while it may not seem like it to him that doing that is not a very nice thing and not something that we do. He went on to tell me who in his class showed him how to do this and that this "friend" thought it was funny. I told him that if his friend did it again he was to simply tell him that what he is doing makes God sad and it is not a nice thing to do. I am proud to say that when he got home on Monday that he said he informed his friend that he was making God sad.

Then Monday morning as I was getting JM's clothes out he informed me. " Mommy, Morgan from my class gets behind me and pulls my underwear up my but" so now a girl, of all things, is giving my JM a wedgie, again JM thought it was funny and laughed about it. I spoke with him and told him that this was not a very nice thing to do to your friends and he should tell an adult when she does it. I then had to of course tell him that it was not something that was acceptable behavior for him to do either.

Kalie came home yesterday telling the boys they were fagots and to suck her balls. Now she did not hear this at school it came from a friend in the neighborhood. I am very good friends with the mom and know that I need to say something to her. I just do not know how to approach her with this, we are very good friends. And I know that the person that said it has some issues, I do not want to add to her plate so to speak, but on the other hand I have to let her know that her son is saying these things around the young girls.

Now how to explain to Kalie that well she does not have balls and that neither of these sayings is acceptable.

I am also having issue sright now with JM saying Stupid and Frikin, so Frikin is not really that bad but it is the context in which he is saying it. I have tried many things to get him to stop and would love suggestions on things that have worked for you.

Thanks again, Constant reader


on a side note, please say prayers for us on Thursday, that is our big surgery date.

So proud of Douglas, he does listen after all

We have new neighbors moving in and with new neighbors comes moving trucks. Late yesterday afternoon the driver of the moving truck unconnected the back of the truck to leave for the day. He will return this am to finish the job.

Douglas and his best friend were playing, riding their bikes in front of his friends house. (a side road beside our house that is a culdesac) The truck did not turn down their road, but my sweet boy heard him crank up the big rig cab and immediately got off his bike and went behind his friend and pushed him out of the road and into the drive way telling him we have to be safe the truck is coming. He then went back and got his bike. The truck cab did not turn down the road, that does not matter, in my opinion what Douglas did was awesome. He did not care about his bike, just his friend.

The most important thing to him was his and his friends safety. I could not be more proud of my little man.

Safety camp did a world of good for the three of them. So when you think they do not hear you, that they do not understand or that they just do not care about safety, think again. They are listening and it does sink in.

On another note about them "hearing you" I already talk to them about drugs, smoking, alcohol etc. about two months ago we were at a local park and they saw someone smoking, JM looked at me and said very loudly, Mommy that is gross, it makes him stink and his lungs are going to turn black and he will die.

I am a strong believer in telling them often and telling them early on in life that smoking, drinking and drugs are bad, no child is too young to here these things in my opinion and it is something we should preach from an early age with the hope that when the time comes it will be instilled in them that this is something that we do not do. It worked with my baby sister, all I can do is hope and pray that it will work with my three. I have seen what that road in life can do to someone first hand, I have an older sister who is a drug addict. So please tell your children, and tell them often.. Just say NO....

Surgery _ Ankle Peroneal tendon subluxation and Primary ATFL Ligament repair

Yes it is as bad as it sounds. Next Thursday I will be going under the knife to finally repair an ankle that is well past the time to get fixed. The final straw occurred last November when I fell while walking with the children.

We were walking around the block after eating Thanksgiving dinner and when I went to take a step my ankle was no there, this is a common problem of mine with my left ankle. I injured it when I was in highschool and have continued to injure it since. This will in fact be my second surgery on this ankle, lets hope this one does the trick.

After my last fall, which resulted in a break and a grade three sprain (my third one in three years). As a result of the fall it was determined after doing an MRI that I have in fact split my peroneal tendon, the doctor says it appears it is cut from top to bottom and that I have no ligaments attached to the bone any longer. His exact words, "I do not see how you are walking"

The procedure is expected to take right over two hours, we will arrive at the surgery center at 6 in the morning and I will be home later that day. I will be placed in a soft cast for two weeks, at which time I will move to a walking boot, however will not be able to be weight bearing till I reach the six week mark. I will undergo extensive therapy during this time which will continue till six months post op. At which time I should have an ankle that is better than new...

Lets hope so as I am tired of being in pain and having to limit my activities for fear of getting another sprain.

So what am I going to do after I am healed. My goal is to start running, which is something I have never done. I want to run a marathon, or at least a half marathon. I want to get back in to shape and start taking better care of myself. So much of my time and energy has been spent taking care of the triplets over the last 6 years that I have forgotten to do the things I love and to take care of myself.

So next Thursday morning say a prayer for me, the doctors and my family that all goes well with the procedure.


The pictures are from Last November when I had the last injury.

Walking in the park!!

For Memorial Day Weekend we deiced to do things as a family, we have spent so much time this summer with friends that we have not done much with just the five of us. What a relaxing weekend we had.

The kids were all very excited about spending the day with just us, we made plans to go to Swanee Mountain and hike the trail and then have a family picnic. It was a fun filled day that was full of exploring our world and getting to know about things in the woods. They loved hiking the mountain, seeing the trees, squirrels and various bugs. It was a lot of fun seeing who could find the most Grand Daddy Long legs.

Needless to say when we got home everyone was worn out, but it was a very much needed hike. It did all of us some good to just be together as a family and enjoy all the great things nature has to offer us. Not to mention that mom wanted a chance to walk the beautiful trails one last time before my surgery. It will be a long time before I get to make the trip again.

Good week at school

We are having a much better week at school this week, the kids seem to have been going through an adjustment period and now they seem to have settled into a new routine and are used to things. They really enjoy going and are liking their teachers and new friends that they are making.

Life seems to be setting in for us again, getting into a routine, every day things seem easier.

I went to Appleseeds yesterday and am going to create a word wall for them, to help them learn their site words. I will post pictures once I am done. In addition I got bob books and site word books. I had Douglas and Kalie sitting to read them last night. I got a site word card game that I am playing with JM. He learns better this way.

Who knew that it would mean I would be going back to school as well.

Now to the fun part, I will be having ankle surgery in two weeks, my MIL is going to come and care for the kids. I am not 100% sure of all the details of the surgery yet, just that it can not be avoided and after six months of intensive rehab I will be back to knew. I will post more about the procedure as I learn more, I have a doctors appointment soon to go over all that will be done and why.

Not a very good week.

I have had a very stressful week. It started out great, the kids were doing good, they did their homework with no problem etc. But things started to go down hill on Tuesday, JM had a BAD day at school and it continued after he got home. It was all in all a very tough day for him.

Wednesday was much better for him but not for me, I think that things are starting to hit me like a load of bricks. Them being in school, the diagnosis, my husbands new job just life.

Thursday, today, JM had a great day at school but I learn that he is having bad days on the bus. Every day this week there has been an incident with him on the bus. Now I have to go in and have a talk with the school concerning his behavior on the bus. Then in tumbling tonight he had one melt down after another. It just seemed that nothing was going according to the way it should in his mind. As a result he lashed out, cried, kicked and screamed. Thank goodness Elmo is so great with him.

Then I check his book bag and it was the straw that broke the camels back. A note home from his resource teacher. He needs special classes for reading and math. I here this is normal for kids with aspergers and to be honest I expected it but getting it and reading it, even when you expect it, makes it all so real.

So I sit here with "mommy juice" trying to take it all in, trying to come to grips with my new reality and to deal with that big brick hitting me upside my head. I guess this is what my close friend meant not so long ago when she was so worried about me and worried about how I was doing. I guess I was in more denial than I thought I was. But then again that is what denial is.

Lets hope that tomorrow is a good day for him and for me.

Un-Plugged

Who would think that not having cable and internet for three days would have such an impact on someone. Friday night we had a bad electrical storm in the area and as a result we lost internet and cable till late yesterday afternoon (Monday). This incident helped me to see how much we depend on this service it also showed me that I really do not need the internet as much as I think I do. I spent so much time with the kids playing outside and we even all went to eat dinner, seeing how there was nothing else to do, as my husband said. We had a great weekend as a family. So I challenge all of you to turn off the computer and television and spend time talking to your children this week.

As a family we have committed to be unplugged for a certain amount of time every week, we will not answer our phones, my husband is not allowed to check his crackberry and I have to stay off my computer. We will have family time.


On another note, school is going great for the kids. JM is adjusting very well and they are thriving on being in separate classes. I think that right now the person benefiting the most is Douglas, he told me mom. I do not have to worry about JM and KR now. He is my caretaker of the three. This is giving him the chance to be a happy boy, a fun easy relaxed child.

Other than that there is not much new in our household this week.

What a wonderful afternoon.

I had such a sweet experience with the children this afternoon. After dinner Kalie Rose told me "mommy, you go sit down and have a rest I will clean" Then the three of them proceeded to clean the kitchen and keeping room. Every toy was picked up, John Michael swept the floor, Douglas picked up all the markers and crayons, Kalie was busy picking up the clutter. Before it was over with the table, kitchen counters and even kitchen chair were wiped down with wipes, not a crumb on the floor and I did not have to lift a finger.

I have no idea what I did to deserve this today, but you know now they are in trouble because well they have just proven to me that they can do it, and of course I paid them when they were finished, they each got $.50 because they did not have to be asked and they did so much. Heck they even put my shoes outside where they go.


Then the funny thing happened, I was putting Kalie Rose into bed, we had read a story where the girl gets a gerbil in the end of the book, she said "Mommy. if you let me have one of those I will keep him in his prison"

I think she means cage..

Oh forgot to mention when they went up to get ready for bed they cleaned their rooms and bathrooms.

what wonderful children I have.

Conversation with an old friend. - Mamma Bear

I ran into a n old friend this past week, she apologized for losing touch with me and for not being there when we got JM's diagnosis. She acted as if I should have lost it, like really lost it when I was told. She was surprised at my resonse and seems to think that I am not letting it sink in. I assured her that I was well aware of what this meant for him and our family. She just kept apologizing to me, asking me about my support network and what was I going to do.

The best way I can answer this question is that I am going to get up tomorrow, I am going to get dressed, I am going to get the kids dressed and I am going to live my life. I have no choice in the manner. I do not have time to lose it. I have to be my children's advocate, I have to fight for them and the fight is only beginning. I know that I will have days that I do not feel like getting out of bed, I will have times that all I want to do is cry but I also know that in order to ensure that my children have all that they need I need to be strong.

The therapist I go to for the kids, she has been with us since the kids were two years old, calls me mama bear and has me talk to some of her new moms in the practice and has me talk to them about what they need to do to help their child. She say I am strong and encouraging and she uses my children as examples all the time, examples of how far they have come. So if I have to be known as Mommy bear the tough one then I shall be.

Daddy!

It occurred to me that I rarely post about their dad, my husband the man that helped to make all of this possible.


K really is a great father, he goes above and beyond for me and the children. I could not ask for a better husband or dad for the kids. He is always there, helping every steep of the way, always has been. He never blinked when I needed him to get up two or three times a night to help me with feeding them when they were babies, then as they grew he continued to change diapers. help with potty training, help with what ever I needed help with. Even now at the age of five he feeds them dinner every night and puts them to bed. He also does bath time.


I do not believe we could have a better father for the kids or husband for me.

Do not get me wrong we have our moments, like all married couples we have out times, our fights, our issues. Having multiples has not always been the easiest thing in the world, there has been fights, times that we were so tired from lack of sleep that we could hardly kiss good night (much less anything else) Then there is the stress of having three babies at once, premature ones that puts so much stress on a marriage, the hospital visits, then the sleepless nights.

Through it all K was my rock, the one thing in my life that was constant and secure during all the hard times was K.

So while I may complain about him from time to time, while I may not always show how much I appreciate all he does for our family he is the rock that keeps me going, a great husband and an awesome father.

First week of school

This has been such a big week for us and it has been a good week. Our family, the triplets, have taken a new step in life and have begun a new journey. For the most part it has been a great week. Mommy has found that she enjoys the quiet of the house and being able to get things done without the stress of the kids.

The kids are thriving at school, they get up wanting to go and excited about what new things they will get to do during the day. They are making new friends and memories. I am so proud of them and of what they have accomplished.

It does not seem possible that they are old enough to go to school. Just six years ago I was starting my cycle of shots that lead to the positive pregnancy test that resulted in finding out that our family was growing by three and not one.

It has been an amazing journey to get to this point. Do not get me wrong there were times that all four of us were sitting on the living room floor crying or that I was singing at the top of my lungs to try and get two of them to stop crying while I gave one a bottle. Then I learned to sit on the floor and give all three a bottle at the same time. So while it has not always been easy it has been well worth every hard day, every tear that was shed and every stressed out evening. I would not trade the past five years for anything. But in saying that I must say that I am really enjoying this next phase of our life, I am going to enjoy being able to do some things for my self for a change to be able to be something other than the triplets mom.

Gone are the days of the rude statements, I am glad it is you and not me, ON My Triplets did you did IVF, or my goodness what were you thinking. Now I have a quiet house, I have kids that seem to really love school ( I know it has only been a week) and I have me time.

I have no idea what I am going to do with all of my spare time, I am sure I will come up with something.

Thanks again for reading.

Day three of school and a note home from a teacher

We had tons of rain today so the kids were not allowed to play outside, instead they stayed in their rooms and did centers and played games. Which is fine, the kids know how to play games. The only problem being that JM does not handle taking turns well. He gets frustrated and sometimes acts out. You guessed it he did not like playing games today and tore a chutes and ladders game.

So tonight off to target I go to replace the game, I am going to make JM pay for it out of his allowance money so that maybe he will learn a lesson from this.

He also has his first homework, he has to write his name several times. Wish me luck with this one..

Kindergarten Rocks..

What a great first day of school we all had. I got some much needed rest, visited with friends over a moms breakfast at my house and the kids loved every minute of it.

They got off the bus all grins, smiling from ear to ear and chattering up a storm. They could not get it out fast enough. Their favorite part was lunch.. They loved picking their own food and sitting with their friends.

The best part, no one cried, not even mommy. Okay I think daddy got a tad teary but that was it. I am so proud of my big kids.. Where on earth has the time gone

It seems like they were just babies and here we are going off to school for the first time.

I think I am going to enjoy my peace and quiet for a while.

So all that no sleep last night was for nothing..

Now I am exhausted and they seem tired as well, so the first day took it out of all of us. I think we will all sleep well tonight.


I did put them in different classes and they did great today with it. Kalie was my biggest concern, I was so worried she would cry and be sad, but according to her teacher she was talking, and participating in class and music. So it seems all is good with the decision to have them separate.

Tomorrow is our big day.

I would be lying if I said that I have not wanted this day to come for some time, do not get me wrong I want this. I need this, but a part of me is still sad. Sad that this 5.5 years has gone by so fast, that they are old enough to go off to school and will be riding the bus tomorrow. It is so hard to believe that this time has gone by and that they are going to be leaving me tomorrow.

They have not been my babies for a very long time, this is just a big step for all of us. So tomorrow when you are having your coffee think about me, say a little prayer that all of us get through this day, even if a tear or two is shed.

My babies are making a very important step tomorrow, one onto a big yellow bus.


This picture was take when they were two months old, they had not been home from the hospital for long. They have come such a long way in five years..

Open House night at school

Who knew there was so much stuff for kids in kindergarten. I had one hour to met three teachers, the speech therapist, ot, and sign them up for lunch and get their agenda's. I felt like I was the tornado running through the school, which if I must say was a mad house.

Now I must get organized and everything ready for Monday morning, it seems to never end.

The boys were very excited about their class rooms, in fact their favorite part was the pencil sharpeners. Who would have thought that a pencil sharpener could be so much fun. To my five year olds they were.

I am very excited about their teachers and where their class rooms are located. Kalie is sitting at a table full of blond hair little girls. She will love that. I hate that she did not get to go last night but then again it would have just been that much more fun for mommy had she been with me.

Douglas and Kalie have their first homework assignment. Yes, I am serious. Douglas has to place items in a small white bag that represent who he is (train and helicopter I told him we should put a picture of him, Kalie and JM as well. Kalie has to do a picture story, pictures of her family and favorite things.

So the fun begins.

Fun Filled week with my boys

Kalie is spending the last week of freedom (for them) at her grandparents so it is just me and the boys. We have been so busy.

We started our week by going to see Aliens in the Attic. Let me just say this is the funniest movie, they laughed so hard at times It was a wonder they were not hurting. Yesterday we were off to the water park and today we will be seeing G Force. I have to get the "Boy" movies in while little miss is away.

Tomorrow we are having a water day with the neighbors, getting out our pools, water slides and yes water balloons. I am trying to have an action packed week for them for their last week home.

I talked with their teachers this week, all seems to be a go for next week. We will have a chance to met them Thursday night. Wish me luck. Three teachers in one hour..

Well one week before school starts and I cried.

I have been saying all this time how happy I am that school is starting, how ready I am for them to go and for me to have a break during the day so I can finally do some things for me and start taking care of myself for a change. Last night when my husband and I were talking about school, open house and their first day I started to cry. I have no idea where it came from, because like I said I am ready for this.

Maybe it is just everything finally getting to me, J.M.'s diagnosis, Douglas and his Mono and Kalie Rose being gone for a week next week. I took the time to let it all sink in and had a good cry. I think that we all need to do that from time to time and I guess last night was my time.

We had our screening this week at school, to determine what they already know and what they have yet learned etc, while we were waiting I had my first incident with another child. All three of them have a speech delay as a result of the sensory issues and well I had one as a child as well. I had brought along color wonders (which by the way is a gift from God to all parents) as well as color wonders coloring books, I just happened to have enough for other kids to color with them. (hey I have triplets I have to be prepared) and of course other kids asked to color. I said sure. So on the floor in the front foyer of the school were six five year olds coloring. Douglas said that he likes to slide, but it sounded like lide as he does not say his S words correctly, then JM said something and did not say it as it should have been either. One little boy proceeds to start making fun of them. Seriously a five year old bully. I then sat on the floor beside him and explained that not everyone says things the same way, not everyone looks the same and that some boys and girls can not walk, others can not talk or hear and that it is not nice to make fun of them. I then told him that if he can not play without making fun of others he will have to go back to his mom. His mom just sat there, within five minutes he does it again. So I ask him to go back to his mom, he tells me I can do what I want to do because I am smarter than those kids. I then take him by his hand and lead him to his mom. Explain why he can no longer color with my children and tell her that I would appreciate it if he would apologize to my children. She got all huffy and said she could not help it that her child was more advanced. I almost slapped her right there.

The other parents in attendance came over and apologized to me, by this time there were eight children coloring, excluding the bully, whom has now been left out of the children playing. A teacher saw most of the incident and praised me on how I handled it. The other mom however was asked to speak to the counsler about what had occurred and from my understanding told that they would have to come up with a solution to this situation as the behavior would not be tolerated in the classroom. (go School for taking action right away)

I am just shocked that at age five I have to be concerned about bullies and someone picking on my children. So the battle begins..


For those of you that do not know color wonders is a great product put out by I think Crayola, it is markers that will only write on certain paper. No matter how hard a child tries they can only write on the color wonders paper. My children have been using them for as long as I can remember, it helps to ensure that none of my walls, floors, furniture etc gets colored on. You should give them a try if you have not. And no I am not being paid to blog about them.. I truly do love them. I have yet to try the paints, yes they have finger paints, but I may be getting some soon. I will let you know how it goes.
http://www.crayolastore.com/category.asp?NAV=COLOR&.



Today we will be doing an art project for the start of school, I will post it tomorrow..

Douglas.

My little man has been running a fever since Sunday morning and today he finally had a new symptom that was well worth of a doctor visit, he complained with his throat, so off we went. After a strep test which made his throat bleed and a negative result it was time for a blood test. Poor little man already did not feel good and he had to have a finger prick.

But in the end we got a diagnosis, he has Mono, I have no idea whom this adorable five year old has been kissing but apparently it was one of the little girls in the neighborhood.

So my goal over the next few weeks is to keep my all boy calm and not being to active or adventuresome.

Keep his fever down and make sure he is still eating enough and drinking plenty.

Like I have said before it never ends in my house, it is always something.

I need Mommy juice now.

On our way to school.

Today was their first step towards our first day of kindergarten, well not mine but theirs. We all rode the bus this morning to the school and had a meeting with the head of transportation. As they have attended safety camp they were already aware of the rules of the bus etc, this was more a way to met the school bus driver, learn where their seats are (right behind the driver) and to see what they will do the first day of school.

They are very excited about going and well mommy is excited that they are going. I need the break and am ready for some time to my self, as you can imagine.

Tomorrow we go for the school screening and then on August 6th, we will get to met the teachers and see where the kids will be sitting in class. So we are down to the last two weeks before school. I have the supplies, and clothes for them, now is just the waiting game.


I had shirts made for them for the first day of school, Kalies is pink, Douglas is Green and JM is Blue (their favorite colors) on the front each say kindergarten rocks. They will be so cute in them..

Thursday we have therapy for the first time since our dx of Asperger's syndrome, the therapist are glad that we finally have a dx for him and now have the write rx for his treatment.

Today was a rough day for JM he was out of sync, nothing seemed to calm him down, he was all over the place, active wise and just would not sit still. I had to remove him from the cafeteria during the school meeting and then again at the dentist. It seems he is too wound up today, needless to say they are all napping now. I think this is a result of being off schedule from our trip this past weekend.

Thanks again..

More Great Pictures of the kids

How we got here.

So we have already had a very long journey with our triplets and yet we still have so far to go. In the recent past we have had some changes with our lives and with what our future holds. I have been asked a few times how we got to this point, how we got the diagnosis of Aspergers PDD-NOS and what were the first sings.

To answer that I have to go back to when the kids were small. They were in fact just over a year old, they were babbling just fine and doing great. But things started to change for us at about the 15 month mark. We were already getting therapies for the children as they were so premature, 31 weeks and three days. I however, at this time started to notice that John Michael would get so upset about things, if he did not get something he wanted, if he was not picked up first and some times his responce to what was going on was over the top. It occurred to me that he was not calming himself down once he got upset. I brought this up to our therapist, and after many conversations and a few more visits we determined that all three had Sensory Processing Disorder.

What brought us to this conclusion was that they would not walk on grass or sand in fact anything other than the floor in our house the would freak out. They would not get their hands messy, did not like the texture of certain foods in their mouths or on their hands. Would not finger paint, would scream if you tried to get them to do so. And then there was Douglas always jumping, always pushing something, he needed the high impact. JM on the other hand avoided many things.

I have to say that JM was my easiest baby till this point, in fact he was so easy that he was a joy to have as a baby, Douglas on the other hand was my needy baby, cried the most, had colic, and digestive issues. JM just kind of hung out and Kalie Rose was my observer, she watched everything else that was going on and caused trouble when she could.

JM was the cool baby, he loved his swing, his bouncy seat and did not cry much at all, in fact he cried more when you messed with him than any other time.

Fast forward to 15 to 18 month time frame things started to change, he was getting more and more upset and nothing I could do would calm him down, he was more aggressive than the other two, he would lash out more, scream more etc. We did therapy we worked on things and when he started talking at age three things got much better. I thought well he just could not communicate what he needed to me, now he can we are all good.

And we were for a while, but then it started up again, he would get fixated on things and not be able to let them go, he recently cried for two hours because I did not have twizzlers in the house. I took everything out of the pantry trying to find a substitute. The kicker is, I now always have them and he never ask for them. Go figure.

There have been other things, he is reserved around others, does not make eye contact when he feels he is in trouble or is being confronted by someone and he talks in a sing song voice, he in fact sounds just like Elmo.. Nice right???

He is however, a very bright young man, he is smart, writes his name, knows his numbers, his ABC's and so much more. He loves music, and hates sports he is happy, kind and caring. So while we have some things to work on he is a very special young man whom I adore.

So here we are, five years later and doing all we can for our little miracles..

Thanks for reading, yet again the ramblings of a overtired mommy.

Two Steps forward, one step back.

I knew that today was coming for some time, after all I am the one that made the appointment for JM. He went to see a developmental ped today, first time in two years. We were going for a second opinion, looking for answers to things that well just make us scratch our head.

I knew going in what I was going to be told, but hearing it and knowing it is two completely different things. I have not had the chance to talk to many people about this, in fact just my husband and immediate family. So bear with me.

For some time we have had our doubts that John Michael only had sensory issues, he just seems to get so fixated on things, can not let things go, gets so upset and can not calm himself down. Discipline that works for the other two does not work for him, in fact it makes things worse. He cried the other day for two hours because I did not have twizzlers in the house. Yes two hours, nothing would get his mind off of it.

So I was thinking Aspergers, PDD-NOS, another words that he was on the spectrum. So while I knew this I did not know this. Today I was told this by two different doctors and a ABA therapist. SO I guess this means I have no choice but to accept it and to move on from here. To get him even more therapy and to make certain that I am there to fight for him every step of the way.

Our journey has changed today, changed a good deal. Our road down this life is going to be different, yet he is still the same child tonight that he was last night. I just hugged him tight, took him to dinner and got him ice cream.. Something special for my little man.

The next step, we are going to have the other two evaluated as well. I do not think they have aspergers, that they are simply sensory, but the doctor wants to test them and do genetic testing. The Marcus institute is one of the leading researching institutes for Autism and Aspergers, they are currently doing a study comparing siblings, seeing how they are triplets, they are a perfect fit for the study. This means that we will get some therapies for free.. (thank goodness..)

Thank you for your continued prayers and happy thoughts.

These next few days may be hard on me and well the rest of the family. Any advice or ideas will be greatly appreciated.

How do you do it?

Really, like I have a choice. Let me see I get woken up every morning by KR and JM, normally around 6:45 and then well I just do what I have to do I have not really got a choice in the matter, what do I just not do it?

I get asked this all the time and like any singleton mom I do what I have to do, I get up, I change their clothes make their breakfast and off we go for our adventures of the day. We play outside a great deal of the time and watch very little television. In fact if it were up to them we would be outside within minutes of waking in the morning. I have to make them wait till a decent hour. Which to them is 7:30. I have yet to get out of my pj's by that time. But they are kids and they love the outdoors, what am I going to do say no stay in and watch television.

So out we go.

Seriously over the years I have been asked "How do you do it" so many times, to be honest I just do, I do not know anything else and well I do not have much choice in the matter. Like you and every other mom on the planet, I do what I have to do. I love my kids, I love my life and I do what it takes to get through the day.

Some of the other statements that have been said to me over the years.

Are they triplets - Well yes they are
Are they identical - Well no, two are boys and one is a girl
Did you have them at the same time - Well not really, I had them minutes apart.
Did you do drugs - not then but now yes, okay seriously it is none of your business nice stranger that I saw in the mall how my children were conceived.

Are they natural - No, they are alien children
I am glad it is you and not me, well if you think that way I am glad it is me and not you as well
God Bless you, he already has
Did you do IVF again this is very personal do not ask a stranger this question They do not ask you if you had sex last night

I could go on for days, these are just some of the things that Have been said to me the worst was in Target one day, I was in line checking out the kids were small and we were in the limo runabout stroller. The lady behind me asked about the stroller and if it folded up. I said no, it goes on a hitch on the back of my car. She got a odd look on her face and said

"hmm, I guess there is nothing easy, smart or economical about having multiples, most less triplets"

I was at a loss for words, the cashier heard the entire thing, this is the same cashier that we used on our weekly trip to the store. She said something in response to her for me. The lady had four kids, stair steps and the kids were all screaming pitching fits etc.

the cashier said: You have four kids, your youngest is yet a baby, you still have one other in diapers your oldest is six years old, you have at least two more years in diapers, she will be out of diapers in a year or so. You have been in diapers and had baby crap out in your house for what six years now. what is smart, easy or economical about that, and oh her kids are always happy, smiling and never acting as yours are.

I clapped..

So there are idiots out there that say things that hurt us, say things that my children hear, things they should not hear. Thanks for the ignorance, till now it has not "hurt" my children, but they are now at an age in which it can so please if you see us out, thank about what you say to me, thank about how it can effect my children. Do not ask me things like "What else is wrong with your kids" yes someone asked me this..But that is a different story.

Pictures from this summer, riding our bike, swimming etc