Silas is 3 months old!

It's hard to believe that Silas is already 3 months old.  Time really needs to slow down or I think I'm going to miss so much.

Here's a little about Silas' personality and what he can do:
 - Just like Gabe, Silas is a big boy.  At the current moment, he can wear some 6 month clothes (although some of the snaps pop out) but is most comfortable in 9 month clothes.
- His hair is beginning to curl and this time, I'm letting it even if it looks a little wild.
- At 5 weeks old, he rolled belly to back about 15 times on 3 separate days but he hasn't done it since.
 - He loves to suck on his hand.
 - Whenever you put him on his belly for tummy time, his hand goes into his mouth and he puts his head down; he is a belly sleeper after all.
 - He coos and oohs all the time.
 - He recently figured out how to squeal and loves to do it especially when his brother and sister are sleeping.
 - He just started laughing and it makes my heart melt.
 - He is ticklish, especially under his arms.
 - He loves to play in his play gym and he frequently pulls the poles down.
 - He knows his mommy's and daddy's voice and will almost "break his neck" to follow it around the room.

I am so in love with this little guy.  I can't wait to see what God has in store for his life.

Sickness, Sickness, GO AWAY!!!

Sunday night, Eden developed a new rash.  This one looks like a sunburn on the back of her legs and little red bumps everywhere else.  The twins were already scheduled for a doctor's appointment Monday morning so we went and showed the doctor her new rash.  We explained that this one seems to itch a lot more than the last one and that it is quickly spreading.  He is unsure if she has caught a virus through the open sores left by the last rash or if she is having an allergic reaction.  Eden has been on 2 different antibiotics for about 8 days so I'm reluctant to accept the allergic reaction diagnosis.  He tells us to use a cream for the itch and lotion twice a day and to call if it gets worse.

Well it got worse, a lot worse! 

Monday night, Eden ran a fever of 100 and couldn't stop clawing at her skin.  She was so uncomfortable she would cry unconsolably.  So first thing Tuesday morning we were back in the doctor's office.  They sent us to the lab for blood work to check for strep although they are almost positive it is an allergic reaction to one of the antibiotics.  We are ordered to stop the antibiotics and she's put on Prednisone which has many terrible side effects.  The doctor is so concerned that he gave us his personal cell phone number to call if she gets worse.

We are pleading for family and friends to pray for comfort and healing.  She is so pitiful and it's hard to watch your child in pain.

Not quite the Valentines Day I had in mind . . .

 Here's how I thought today was going to go . . .

I'd return to work as usual, Daryl was going to take the twins back to the doctor for a follow-up and since they are doing better, he was going to take them to the babysitter's house.  After work, I'd pick up the kids, take the twins to Daryl's parent's house, and then Silas, Daryl and I would enjoy an early Valentine's Day meal at Olive Garden.

Here's what really happened . . .

I returned to work as usual, Daryl took the twins to the doctor but they didn't think they were getting well fast enough so they were immediately sent to a dermatologist.  The dermatologist saw the twins and diagnosed them with scabies, a mite that burrows into your skin.  The treatment?  A 5 day plan of bathing, applying a cream, washing EVERYTHING in your house, then at the end of the five days another bath and cream application.  After the doctor's appointment the twins go home for a nap that they fought to take, I left work late because of a long meeting then stayed longer because I had to write sub plans to stay home with the kids the next day.  When I got home, the twins were ill because they didn't nap well but they still went to Daryl's parent's house for dinner.  Daryl, Silas, and I didn't get to go to Olive Garden but we enjoyed a little peace and quite while the twins were gone.

 Daryl surprised me by sending me flowers and chocolates at work.  This completely made my day; I love that man so much!

Today is Silas' first Valentine's Day.  He is such a sweet boy!  We are so blessed to have him in our lives!



My maternity leave comes to an end



I can't believe 8 weeks have already come and gone.  Tomorrow I have to return to work and I honestly would rather stay at home with my kids.  Sure, we had days where we all needed a break but we worked through it and learned a lot from each other.

I tried several different activities with the twins.  One of their favorites was playing with egg shells.  I gave each of them a container of shells and a wooden spoon.  They both liked the way they felt when they cracked open but they soon realized that a spoon wasn't enough.  Cars, hand and their little feet found their way into this messy activity but they had fun!







We also painted for the first time during my maternity leave.  It began with the Color Wonder paints that only show up on the Color Wonder paper.  Then they got this easel, paints, and paint brushes for their birthday so we had to test it out.  The first time we painted, Gabe found a car, drove it through the paint, and then onto my white bedspread!  Luckily, it's washable paint so it came out really easily! 

The twins learned 2 new songs, Deep and Wide and The Itsy Bitsy Spider.  They fell in love with the books, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" and "Click, Clack Moo Cows that Type."



One of my favorite parts of my maternity leave was watching Gabe and Eden love on their new baby brother.  Silas is very laid back and easily took a part in our lives.  He ooos and cooos constantly when awake.  His best awake time is in the afternoons when the twins take a nap.  I think he did this on purpose so he can have Mommy all to himself.  I loved our quiet afternoons alone and will miss those the most.

As is life with 3 children, we can't go too long without some type of sickness.  The Thursday before returning to work, Eden and Gabe started showing signs of a rash so the next morning, we went to the doctor.  The doctor told us that Eden had hand, foot, mouth disease (which makes sense because we played with a friend that caught it) but that they both were having an allergic reaction to something on their bodies.  The weekend got rough . . . Daryl and I had to take turns keeping Silas at Rock and Carol's house because hand, foot, mouth is very contagious and terrible for babies, the twins weren't getting any better and sleep wasn't happening at our house.  I called the doctor twice on Saturday but they assured me nothing more could be done.  On Sunday, I was determined that they were going to see Eden and once the doctor took a look at her, she knew the previous diagnosis of an allergic reaction was wrong.  The twins were put on 2 different antibiotics for strep and staph because they weren't sure which was the culprit.  Only after 1 dose of the medicine I can tell a big improvement and I feel much better about returning to work.

There's no doubt, we are blessed beyond belief.  I know there's a reason we haven't sold our house and I have to work but God is in control and He is taking care of us!