Though it would break my heart to see it, I wanted to include this addition to the last post. I thought it was funny because Mike sent this to his co-workers to assure them that he had Braden working hard on his Daddy's programming to make up for the time Mike lost. Hee hee.
He told them that B-Man was better than his Daddy, even with one hand. ;)
He is just like his Dad. (He's actually watching his Sesame Street video, but shhhhh....don't tell anyone!)
Well, I am bummed to say that I started writing this from the hospital. Here's how my entry began:
Mr. Braden has landed here after a whirlwind cold that kick-started his asthmaticky, Reactive Airway Disease-ish, symptoms. I say them both that way because all of the doctors thus far have hesitated to diagnose him with a condition because he is too young for them to be sure...even though they are about 99.9% sure already. Now, he has bronchiolitis and needs oxygen and steroids to get through it all because of the asthma. Welcome winter! Blech. We arrived at the ER doorstep on Sunday night, Monday morning. Thankfully, we were the only occupants at 4am and were ushered in immediately. He was having such a hard time breathing, we could only wonder what was going to happen next. Our doctor told us to go quickly, which scared me even more. Yet, B was still smiling and talking to us from the car seat all the way there. His little chest was heaving with the effort, it was killing us to watch him suck air in. Even the ER docs all could not believe what good spirits he was in for his state. He was borderline hypoxic...which for us non-medical types..is bad. Very bad. We were in for a long night of breathing treatments and oxygen, wondering if it would have any effect. It was a scary night/morning/day. "Just the rest of the day" turned into "tomorrow morning" which turned into a "few more days".
If this is all news to you, B-Man has loads of issues...but I must say, all of which he is handling beautifully. What issues, you ask? I can update you now, if you'd like! Grab a seat and some coffee and let's chat. Though it will make this post a little long, I am afraid, we'll make it through together!
Of the three, Braden is the most physically sensitive one...or delicate even! Haha, that makes me laugh, because to look at him, there is nothing delicate about Braden Bug! No one believes he is a triplet - he's way too big! But....the poor guy, he has had to take the brunt of problems most triplets face and even though they are mild, they are compounded by the fact that he is soooo big for his "age" and ex-preemie status, and that he is just such a gosh-darn laid-back, good natured fella. He's not lazy, just mellow and calm. Think Jimmy Buffet. So, this "whatever, man" attitude is awesome in helping him to deal with his myriad of issues, but it doesn't help motivate him to get to the next developmental level, or through a sickness until he really wants to get there. He is working to get better now and then walking is the next big milestone for him. But he has something working against him there too.
To go back even further, we have a Physical Therapist and an Occupational Therapist working with Braden 3 times a week. They are trying to encourage better range of motion, appropriate feeding skills (no problem there!), stretching and walking, climbing, transitions (like stairs and couches) and movement in general. Gross, and then fine motor skills, to be more technical.
The other two started walking some time ago and have since been discharged. They are doing great! Life seems to come easy for them and they also have the added "benefit" of being more aggressive and motivated to move. Braden, on the other hand is a pretty mellow guy. We love that about him! As humble as a toddler can be and super smart. He is the sign language king! You can see him actually thinking about it and processing it before he comes out with something.
If I can take a moment to brag here (as if I had anything to do with these little presents God has handed us)...all three are talking up a storm, even scoring higher than their gestational age - which is awesome! No delays there! They should be talking at a 16 month old level (correcting for the two months they were born early), but they are most likely already at a 20 month level. Pretty cool. They are all sharp as a tack. Even though I am so proud to say that, it scares me a little... a tiny gang of smart, cute, organizing, connected and conniving little people. I should be afraid!
Getting back to Braden, he has always been a little more behind than his brother and sister, even more so than the corrected age bracket they score on. His eyes were crossed last year, as most babies' are, but they weren't resolving, so he had to have surgery to correct it almost a year ago. They turned out great, but recently they are turning in again. That, in itself, may be the cause of his motor delays, since vision impacts every single thing a person comes into contact with. And when you are just learning to come into contact and grasp things, you need to see it first and foremost.
That was his first hurdle.
Then, the boys got eczema terribly last fall. Their faces and bodies and heads were just covered with it and they would scratch and scratch until they bled. We had to keep them swaddled at night so they wouldn't gouge themselves. Taking them to an allergist, they were diagnosed with allergies of the feline and canine variety. At that time we had 2 canines and 2 felines, and they weren't going anywhere, so we had to prepare precautions to reduce the amount of allergens getting to them if we ever wanted them to have access to their hands ever again. ;)
The boys are also allergic to dust mites, and if you have ever been in our house, dust is probably the most prolific possession we own. So, we swapped out the 20 year old shag carpet in their nursery for a faux-hardwood look. Well, we were going for the hardwood look, not the faux part. Anyway, it's been a challenge to keep the dust and mites and pets away from the kids.
Braden is such a lover, and he seeks the cats and dogs out, draping himself over their backs and exclaiming, "Awwwwwww...". It's probably the cutest thing I have ever seen. He just about covers the whole cat with his body, the trapped feline letting out the thinnest of mewls in protest, but not moving an inch. It's impossible to stop, and even more impossible not to love seeing, as an animal lover and now a mom of one too.
B is also allergic to egg-whites, which are in far more things than I ever knew. When I heard, I thought, "Oh, bummer - I was hoping to start giving them scrambled eggs, but I guess that's out." Little did I know (or just think about it) that eggs are in pasta, custards, ice cream, any baked good, egg white washes on pretzels and some breads, croissants, meringue, SNICKERS!, frosting, mayonnaise, some dressings, meatloaf, hamburgers, chicken fingers, ricotta cheese fillings in italian dishes, brownies, french toast, pancakes, cheesecake, etc...So many things! His first birthday cake caused an all-nighter reaction. So, we know he is sensitive enough to watch what he eats.
He has not started walking yet because his right foot and leg are so tight and weak they cause him to be unstable. He cannot really put any weight on his foot, or straighten his leg out fully because it hurts him to do so. He also points his toes and then curls them down. This makes him drag his right foot when he tries to walk anywhere. These are all signs of Cerebral Palsy (CP). The therapists and doctors are questioning whether he has a mild form of CP. An MRI is the first test to determine if CP is present, which is slight brain damage, usually caused by a lack of oxygen to any given part of the brain, most likely right after birth. Since he was a preemie, and a triplet, this is probably the case. His MRI was scheduled for this Tuesday, and he would have to go under for the long procedure. Since he received steroids during his hospital stay to help decrease the inflammation, that will push his MRI back another 8 weeks. They do not want the steroids compromising his lung function under anesthetics.
So, we wait to find out what will be. But we know that what will be, will be. Nothing will change but our knowledge, since if it is a positive diagnosis, then getting him to walk will hopefully be the only challenge CP will present for him in his lifetime.
Now that you have the back story on our little man, we are now home. He spent 4 days in the hospital, or as I called it, "Hotel Children's". They had Pampers! Woohoo! Nothing but the best swag for my baby. He was as well cared for as his bum, needing oxygen and breathing treatments 'round the clock. It was torture to see him with the nasal cannula, the IV, the pulse ox all tethering him to the metal crib that was his home for days. But, like I said, he is a trooper and handled it all with the poetic grace of an old soul, as he does with everything life throws at him. I love my baby boy and am constantly amazed at his resilience.
His lungs are recovering and we are hunkering down for the winter, trying to evade some of the nastier bugs out there. Hopefully we won't end up back in the hospital anytime soon.
It's nice to have our family back together again, even if we are all sick..we are sick together.
I guess I ruffled a few feathers with my last post.
To be honest and fair to the commenters...there was a witch there (I thought your costume was "off" when we got there, MJ) and some kind of a ghost or something with makeup mostly smeared off (costume mostly off) and one adult with a full blown costume. And Kristie, who came with us as a cat, felt just like I did...pretty darn silly.
And the rest who could be considered dressed up were in Halloween shirts, not costumes. I think that's a big difference when you come in your PJs, feeling like a total slob. Anyway, just wanted to explain my point a little more, and what I was feeling. I can't change the way I felt because it was, well, the way that I felt.
I worry what is going to happen when I write the book... I hope my feelings and viewpoints will not offend because they are simply my viewpoints, my opinions, my perspective - the way I felt during a situation...please understand. :(
I guess I'm the "weenie". More on that later...
Ok, the begging can stop!
I haven't posted about Halloween, well, because it isn't really wasn't all that exciting for us. I feel like such a bad mom for not making it great, but, hey..."sumthin's gotta give!"
I used to looooove the holiday, living at home and then right after we first got married. It was so much fun getting dressed up, handing out candy and having a scary movie marathon. We used to have all sorts of Halloween parties here for the Youth Group we ran (scary, huh?), pulling out all the stops, but nowadays, it all seems like too much work. Bah, humbug...even if that's the wrong holiday reference.
Anyway, not many people come to our house to visit, usually (my family) - so we would be the only ones to enjoy the decor...we live out in the middle of nowhere and do not get trick-or-treaters either. You can't see our house from the road, so it's almost silly to even try. Christmas is another story! We don't care about anyone else, we do that for ourselves!
Once we had the kids, our precious time was commandeered to bathe, diaper, dress and soothe 3 babies. And now, well...now, we have no excuses left. I actually gave my BIL (who loves Halloween) all of our decorations a few years ago, since I thought we wouldn't be needing them for a while. So here we sit...decorationless, penniless and spiritless.
We had an idea for the kids last year that we would put into action this October 31st...well, now it's been pushed off yet another year. We just have not had the time to do what was necessary to make it work. They were going to be Bo, Luke and Daisy Duke...and their stroller the General Lee. I even found the perfect shirt for our little Daisy! But, as we neared the Big Day, we came to realize that the General Lee would never be ready to jump over closed bridges in time for the reveal. So, we abandoned that idea a week before D-Day...or would it be H-Day?...whatever.
We frantically searched for ideas for the three to fit into...we didn't want to just have them be random costumes found in a thrift shop. We wanted a theme! I thought it would be cute to copy another triplet mom from last year and do a stoplight theme... Super cute idea, but we needed the stroller to have that make any sense - and that would never fit inside a house for a party. Another idea scratched.
As I was folding their pajamas a few days before, I thought it would be cute if we all went as a "pajama party"! If I could just find robes and slippers for the three cuties (things they would use otherwise), we would be in business! Mike said no, he wouldn't do it. He was such a party pooper! He doesn't like to dress up, ever.
But I decided I would still dress up with the kids and set out to find the "stuff". My mother found most of what we needed, cute little robes and slippers... and we were good to go!
The night of Halloween is also our neice's birthday, so we set out to the in-laws and prepared to go trick-or-treating with them, cake to follow. We weren't going to have the kids dress up because they couldn't actually walk up and get candy yet - they would just be dressed in orange shirts and jeans, nothing special. Mike's sister happened to have three costumes from Halloween's past that were the perfect sizes for all three. So, we hurriedly dressed them up and rolled around the block.
Alex was Cheer Bear, Braden was a Pumpkin and Cole was Godzilla. Super cute. Instant Halloween! Just stuff them in and zzzzip! 5 minutes and we were out the door. Nice!
We walked around the block with Ellie the Birthday Girl and Clown ("curly shirley") and Robbie the Thomas the Tank Engine. It was nice, and the weather was perfect.
Mike with the "I just ate a piece of candy" guilty look...
We headed back for cake and pumpkin lattes - and the company of family. Happy Birthday Ellie!
The actual party was Sunday, so I was ready for them to be dressed up in the pajamas. I envisioned cuteness, Mike thought it was stupid. They slept really late that day, and we were super late for the party, so we decided at the last minute that we would just zip them up in the "instant costumes" again. I still went in my PJs as "Frazzled Mom", messing my hair up and frizzing it up on top of my head, circles under my eyes, etc... The whole family dresses up for the party and it's usually fun.
Well, once I got there, my costume morphed into "Trusting Schmuck".
No one else, other than all the kids there, was dressed up. I was the only one, trusting in the fact that in years' past, everyone but Mike dressed up. I didn't want to be a party pooper too, so I forced myself to find something and go. I didn't want to be picked on for my lack of holiday spirit. Well, I was goofed on... for dressing up.
Boy, did I feel stupid.
The kids looked cute, but were in their costumes for about 10 minutes at the party. What a waste! So glad we didn't actually spend time or money on their costumes, I would have been torqued! All in all, it was pretty uneventful and unspecial, sorry to say. Aren't you glad you waited all this time to hear that? ;)
Two weeks ago, the Ertel Clan got together to takes some professional pics of our awesome family. There are officially 16 of us, 7 of them kids, 6 of them under 5. So you can imagine the crazy chaos that ensues when we all get together. It's pretty nuts.
We have been taking a Christmas picture at a studio (NEVER AGAIN!) and it's a crazy fiasco in public, the entourage touring the mall before and after, looking like a small army ready to raid the town. It's previously been a "surprise" to Mom and Dad, giving them a picture of all the grandkids they currently spoil the heck out of.
This year, MJ had a friend in the biz-ness, the fantastically talented Tracy Dorr, and thought it would be great to do outdoor, natural fall photos instead. Yay! No more forced and stuffy studio pics...thank God. It was a great and beautiful day, a little cold, but nice enough. And we all got some great shots of our own families, too. We started with the big family, all 16 of us, inside and out, and then broke it down multiple times. All the kids, each family on their own, each couple on their own, and so on and so on...
They turned out amazing. What a great idea, MJ! And you know, Tracy, you are never, ever getting away. ;)
Here are the ones from just our family, with us as Mom and Dad and then just Mike and Cheryle again. I think these are officially the first pics of us together since we were dating. I think that fact might just explain the ridiculous number of them I included here.
I would love to post the other ones, I just have to find out what the rest of the family thinks about their mugs being on the Internet. And I'm not talking about coffee.
What do you think? These suckers were tough to upload, so let's leave the wonky formatting out of this.
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Don't tell me to calm down!! My baby is locked in the car....with the KEYS! I WILL not calm down...I CANNOT calm down...
Oh, what a fun day yesterday.
After church, which is always a workout (it's very stressful trying to keep 3 kids occupied, calm and quiet in a Catholic Church with no crying room - holding them the entire time), we left to go home. Ahh, home. It was a little chilly yesterday, mid 50's but a wind that whipped right through you.
Most of the Ertel Entourage were there, all 7 grandkids, Mike's parents and Mike's sister and her family. We were saying goodbye (a feat that takes us a while!) when all of a sudden the door to the truck closes. Mike goes to open the back door and says with full dread in his voice...."Oh, no."
I look over, holding Alex, and it starts to sink in what is wrong. I look at Cole behind glass, sitting in the driver's seat...the keys in the ignition.
Dear readers, you may have come to think of me as a mecca of calm, handling three triplets at home. Somehow I may have given you the illusion, through the filtered postings I write, that our life is somewhat orderly and sane. While that is the topic of a whole other post, I am here to break that facade, here today. I am not great at handling things...especially surprises. So, what did I do?
I freaked out. I screamed at the top of my lungs, not caring where I was and who heard it. In the cold parking lot, the sound carried well and Mike immediately became embarrassed. "OH MY GOD!! MY BABY IS LOCKED IN THE CAR! YOU LOCKED THE BABY IN THE CAR??! CALM DOWN? COLE IS LOCKED IN THE VEHICLE! HOW CAN I POSSIBLY CALM DOWN. NO, THIS IS NOT OK!"
Yep, that was me...Frantic Frannie. I am ashamed to admit that I totally and completely lost it.
Poor little Cole, sitting there in the car, looking out at us looking in. Mike told us it would be fine, that he had a plan of sorts. I thought, okay, maybe he is going to try and jimmy the lock somehow. He's a pretty darn resourceful guy. I trust in him when we are in stuck places such as these. He thrives in situations such as these. Breathe, calm down...relax. The weather is chilly, so he's probably better off in there. It's not 90 degrees, so he's okay for a while. Plus, it's cavernous in there, plenty of oxygen for the little guy. I had to back away from the vehicle during the screaming fit, in order to not freak out Cole. Nothing worse than wide-eyed Momma on the other side of a pane of glass, screaming like a little girl, obvious fear on my face, to get him scared.
Calmly, I awaited to hear the outlining of the Master Plan.
He looked as though he was thinking, and I was glad. He walks up to the window, looking down at Cole...and says "Push the button, buddy! Push the button!"
"THAT'S YOUR BRILLIANT PLAN?! HAVE AN 18 MONTH OLD LET HIMSELF OUT OF THE VEHICLE? BY TELLING HIM TO PUSH ON THE LOCK BUTTON?" The dam broke again after that one.
So, that's what we did. After I calmed down, yet again, I had full confidence in my button-pushin'-lovin' son...as much practice as he has had on the TV at home, he should be able to accomplish this, no problem. Though it looked hilarious from an outsider, I'm sure.
Mike and then me, faces practically pressed to the glass, pounding on the window with hard raps and then full, flat palms smacking to get his attention. All the while, screaming, "PUSH THE BUTTON, BUDDY!" He was pressing buttons, just not the right one. He was consistently locking the car, which was exactly the kind of irony that currently fits into our lives. Our brother in law stood at the ready on the passenger side of the car, in case he did happen to get lucky and actually unlock the door, we wanted to be fast, but didn't want him to fall out of the car.
We kept trying to keep his attention. After all, he is 18 months old, he had a plethora of other buttons around the cabin to press , places to climb, not to mention there were 5 chocolate covered pretzel sticks right next to him on the console, just purchased at the church fundraiser. I am amazed he didn't go right for them and forget his mission. I was so worried he would fall into the well beneath the steering wheel and hurt himself, us powerless to do anything. Scary, scary thought.
After about 5 minutes of him trying and just missing, Mike decided he needed to drive home to get the extra set of keys. He left, and almost exactly 5 minutes later...Cole did it. He pressed the button, freeing himself from the car and us from our excessive state of panic. Okay, so maybe that was just me.
Mike's plan was actually brilliant, after all.
I think I have been avoiding the public forum for this particular post because I would like to pretend it didn't happen. Move on, move past, right? In previous threads, I have mentioned my dread over the upcoming haircut. Well, it has been here and long gone, and I'd like to pretend that they never had those precious, long, luxurious locks. Shiny, golden curls and swirls that never existed...never had me in tears to be lost. There were never ringlets, growing longer and more adorable every single day. Alright, I guess this could be considered denial.
Don't get me wrong, I like the haircuts...but my babies look so different...and I miss the cute and spunky, the crazy messy, the bunch o'curls on top of their heads. Mike used to say that it looked like one of those scrunches of curly ribbons you put on top of a birthday package, plopped right at the crown of their sweet little heads. I intended to get some really nice and elegant pictures of their curls, lock them into photographic memory if they had to be cut. But that never happened. For whatever reason, I never got the chance. So, I figured I might be able to do it right before they were chopped off...them sitting in the barber chair and in perfect position to record their sweetness. Nope.
We arrived on a beautiful and sunny Sunday morning to "Joe the Barber", Mike's professional barber since birth, practically. He signed up to usher our kids into toddlerhood, armed with scissors and a cape. He is known for his speed, clearing out a waiting room in no time at all. Never a wait! And today was no different. Unfortunately, I would have liked to take my sweet time; languishing in the glow of their golden locks. I would have liked to have been able to grab the "good" camera too, take some pictures with it as well as the point and shoot...but I was lucky to get the few awful pictures I did!
Speed is never something to be cherished when it's your babies' first haircut, but it's what we got. I love Joe, but he rushed me! I barely had time to come to terms with it all before the floor was covered with their curly innocence. I think we were there for a total of 15 minutes, door to door. Mike's parents and sister MJ were there to help us celebrate the memory and we went out to breakfast afterwards...thanks, Papa!
After it all, I confess that they looked so tidy and clean, and they did great, sitting still for those 30 seconds on the chair. (kidding) But I do miss those curls, more than ever. Au Revoir, sweet ringlets...it was a pleasure to have known you, to have graced our sons' hair. If you have a chance to stop by again, please stay awhile! I will aim to keep Mike's scissors at bay, a battle I am sure I will never win.
Cole wins the coin toss and heads up first
Signing "All Done", here's the After Shot
Braden waiting his turn with Alex
The before and after comparison
Looking up at Joe, "What's goin' on here?" Look at those curls! *sigh*
Before Shot
The After Shot
Our handsome boys
The whole fam and Joe the Barber
The first official public appearance as toddlers... 
