Where to begin? Let’s start with visitors and events as this is my excitement. Last weekend was super busy. The grandparents from Eric’s side were in town for a wedding and stayed with us. Last Saturday I hosted my BFF’s baby shower and I think everyone had a really good time celebrating that day with her. Eric took the kids over to our friends’ house, and while they were screaming and crying pulling out of the driveway, they had a blast once they were at M & L’s house. On Sunday Eric’s family came over for brunch and the kids played with cousin Lane. Wow! I can not believe how advanced that little boy is. He is one month older than P and C and can speak in full sentences. He can have logical conversations with people. Big difference between our daily life of saying “huh? What? I can’t understand you!”. Also it was interesting to see how Lane pretty much un-child-proofed our house in a millisecond. Good indication of what’s to come. I so wish that everyone lived closer and we could hang out with family more often. Other than that…we had a play date this past Friday with our NICU nurse’s son at their house. It took about 5 minutes before everyone was tearing through her toys and roaming her house checking everything out. It’s always fun to play with new toys and her house was better than Toys R Us. The best toy which we need to get because even Drew was dying to play…was a Step 2 roller coaster. They couldn’t get enough of it. They also loved her cat. Even Paige was squealing over the kitty.
Please take a close look at Moxie before she has an unfortunate early passing. She keeps puking on our carpets and I’m sick of her. Could be because she eats a TON of people food off the kids chairs. Speaking of chairs….ever since Lane was here and I would say “time to eat”, Paige would jump into the chair that Lane ate at. I could tell she was over her highchair so we transitioned her to a booster at the table. She loves it and eats with a plate very well. I transitioned Cole too even though he wasn’t showing any signs he wanted to eat at the table. Sometimes I wonder if holding Cole back waiting for him to show he’s ready isn’t detrimental to his development. But he’s not ready to eat at the table. He wants out of his chair right away and is constantly spilling his plate/bowl. He’s just not as advanced in some areas as Paige.
Other developmental issues: Drew is amazing!!! He is so smart and advanced. He eats with a spoon/fork. He can stack blocks/rings. He can sit on the ride-on toys and use his legs to move. He just went downstairs today for the first time on his own without me showing him how to do it. He just gets things so easily. I think he’s saying a few words but it may be just wishful thinking. Our speech therapist commented that Drew is imitating two word phrases comparing him to Cole who just learned that skill. That gives you an idea of the delays P & C have to deal with. Drew is so close to walking but alas I don’t know if he’ll figure it out before his birthday. He’s going to bed slightly awake and he’s okay with it. He’s sleeping through the night, maybe waking up once or twice, but I don’t go to him and he falls back asleep within 5 minutes of whining. I love this kid.
We had our haircuts yesterday. Drew had his first trim and I cried. Isn’t that dumb? It just seems like everything baby about him is going away. He’s over the breast, getting haircut, talking, my baby’s growing up. I can’t believe it’s been a year already…and in other ways I can’t remember not having him here. Getting back to getting our haircut….Paige has been sitting on my lap to help her remain calm, but yesterday she sat by herself for the first time. Okay…I had to hold her hands and it took me a while to get the feeling back in my fingers when she was done with me. But she did it and I was proud of her.
Other appointment and other boring news: we saw the pulmonologist for Cole’s growth as our peed suggested. We were super late and they almost wouldn’t see us. I almost had to bring on the tears for a sympathy appointment! But they were pretty nice about letting us be seen and the pulm dr was like “why are you here?” me: I don’t know so you can tell me that we don’t need a g-tube. him: I think you do. me: bummer. Basically he said not only would tubing Cole for extra calories help his lungs, but it would help his brain. Kids need fat for brain development. The first five years are super important. Why wouldn’t we want every possible opportunity for Cole’s brain to be great? Plus I’m tired of watching Cole eat like a bird. A bird eats more than Cole. We were supposed to see a nutritionist at the same time as the pulm dr, but he said that would be a waste of the nutritionist’s time since Cole doesn’t eat. Made sense to me.
Other boring news: we got a new OT. I’m so excited because we love our old OT who’s last day with us is Thursday. She is moving to another state. We are going to miss her. Our speech person told me last week she may have only two more weeks with us because she’s accepting another job. And our PT is moving us to once a month. Aagh. I think I may be going into a panic because summer’s coming and I have nothing for us to do all day long. I need to talk to my girl J and see if she’s coming back to us. I want someone in the afternoons so we can get out of the house and take classes or go swimming in the backyard. I need more hands!!! Where’s all my volunteers like Jon and Kate plus 8?
We’ve been fighting a 24-hr virus the last five days or so. Cole had it first, then Drew, then Paige. When Paige had it, she was up moaning or coming out of her bed every hour. Uugh. She was fine last night, no fever, but she still got up every hour. Uugh. I’m exhausted, I can’t imagine how she feels. Speaking of sleeping and Miss Paige…one night I wanted to sleep really good so I took the same dose of melatonin that she would take. Holy cow. I was knocked out for about an hour where I didn’t want to move, couldn’t keep my eyes open. It was too early for me to fall asleep so I made myself stay awake. Then I got so freakin’ jittery and wired. No wonder Paige was crazy sleeping. We took her off it from that night on which was about 2+ weeks ago and we noticed no difference in her sleeping. (well, except the last two nights with her fever).
So this whole time I’ve been typing here Paige has been sitting next to me on the sofa singing. She is so cute. Drew and Cole have been acting like the cool boys they are playing with balls and their dragon tunnel. Nikki–we love the tunnel too. Please send us the tent ASAP if you can!!!! Okay…got to go. Drew has been way off Mommy’s ideal nap schedule. He’s been napping at 10am now a days instead of at noon with P and C. Not good for Mommy, but I think he does it so we get one on one time. Anyways, Drew is really tired today so we may be taking an even earlier nap.
Posted in: babies
Will send it this week!
Nikki - You are not supposed to comment on the blog or talk on the phone on Sundays. Don’t worry, I won’t tell Greg!
Wow sounds like so much fun!!! So g-tube it is huh. When will he be getting it? How much is Cole weighing now??
Surgery not set in stone yet, still have a few more doctor visits before we decide. He’s about 23 pounds.
ohh good. I hope he doesn’t have to :0( Caitlin has about a month on them I think she was born in December P& C are in Jan and Cole weighs more then Caitlin. Caitlin only weighs 21.6 lbs and I am sure she has lost from her surgery. So Caitlin will be 2 1/2 yr in june. We just took Caitlin’s bottle away and it is helping her eat more. What about if you guys gave him periactin? That has done wonders for us and their are quite a few kids on it that are doing well I think.
We had such a great time also. I know the g-tube sounds sucky but it’s so true what the doctor said. The fat is so important to the growth of the brain. Good luck with that. We’ll all be hoping for great results. I wasn’t playing about watching the kids for you guys while you enjoy sin city. Come anytime. Also, we all got sick too. All three vomiting. It was fun!
My youngest was born just a few months after your triplets and my son has had very similar issues with eating/gaining weight that Cole has. Up until my son got his gtube last August, he & Cole had almost identical weights and heights, even. Before he got the g-tube, I was feeling the same way you do now ~ as though it was the worst thing ever & I wanted to try to avoid it at all costs. But I have found that it’s actually been a good thing for us to have. Your doctor was correct when he said the brain needs fat to develop optimally. My son was developmentally delayed in every domain (gross motor, fine motor, adaptive, receptive/expressive speech & social) prior to getting his gtube, but now he’s age-appropriate for everything except expressive speech.
Tubes aren’t without their own set of hassles, but I can honestly say that I’m glad we gave in and got my son one. It’s made a huge difference in his development and growth. I think it’s a really good thing to help a kiddo reach their genetic potential and if a gtube is necessary to get to that goal, then so be it. It’s not a permanent thing, so I can deal with it for a few years.
I’ve often read your blog and thought Cole would benefit from a gtube, but I never had the guts to say anything. I’m glad your doctor is suggesting a gtube and I hope you choose to do the procedure. I know it’s a bit scary, but I truly believe you’d be really happy with how it would help Cole.
P.S. I will also share that one nice side benefit of having a gtube is giving medication ~ no more fighting with a kiddo to get nasty-tasting stuff down their throat. Just put it through the tube and flush with water! Easy peasy! That is the one thing I will actually miss once my son doesn’t need his tube anymore.
P.P.S. If you visit my site, you’ll see there is a link to the right of my blog with pictures from my kids’ surgeries. If you look at the pictures in the August, 2007 album, you’ll see what the PEG tube looks like and if you look at the September, 2007 album, you can see what a Mickey button looks like. Cole would have the PEG for about 6 weeks and then it would be changed for a Mickey button. Maybe seeing pictures will make it less-scary for you. I’m hoping, anyhow.
Wow - so much going on! For comparisons sake, our girls are still saying less than 10 words each, and rarely putting 2 together (except “go car” and “bye-bye woof-woof”). At home on the scale, both girls weigh 23.5 lbs - which is odd because I still think Ivy is bigger. At the doc’s, Lessa weighed in at 26 w/ clothes and shoes (so 23.5 isn’t far off). Eating continues to be a battle for both of them, but none of our docs have ever gotten to the g-tube suggestion.
I am convinced that your Cole and Paige are so far along because of all the support you HAVE had! Our OT discharged both girls in February (through the schools), and only Lessa is receiving PT 2 x’s a month (through the schools). We are now receiving speech (through the medical route) 2 x’s a week per child (at different times - in an office) and have been on a waiting list for Lessa to receive PT for 3 months now.
We still go to school once a week and have a teacher visit once a week; so most every morning now has an activity - and there’s only an hour or so between naptime and dinner time, so afternoons are booked. I look forward to the warmer weather so we can be outside in the evening after dinner and before bedtime!
What’s with these marathon posts? I can’t have Chasing Babies up on my monitor all day long at work. People will think I’m a pedophile. Please, for the sake of my job…shorter posts! I have 3 kids to support!
I was curious what P is weighing in at? A lot more than 23 lbs?
BTW, BEST BATCH OF PICS EVER! Poor Moxie. About once every couple of weeks I feel the same feelings of ire for our dog. More annoyance that she constantly scavanges, patrols endlessly, and licks the carpet where a pea landed a week ago (and was picked up/eaten).
Paige is maybe 27, 28 pounds. Haven’t weighed her in awhile.
Interesting….23 lbs? Why a feeding tube?
My son is almost 3 (June 1st) he is hovering around 23 1/2 - 24…doesn’t eat either, and I spend a fortune on pediasure. I am frustrated beyond belief. He is so tiny, skinny, scrawny, etc. I too hate that he will not eat….today he has had about 5 goldfish, and one small bite of yogurt, and 1/2 of a chicken nugget. This is a normal day. Somedays not even that.
He just started talking about 2 months ago. It is funny, cause he had Early Intervention out for his 2 1/2 year eval, and he tested 9 months behind in expressive language. By 31 months, he was talking up a storm, just a month after the eval. Now, just months later, I wonder why we have a therapist coming each week! It is amazing really. He will be done with therapy June 1st, when he turns 3.
I don’t know you, but stumbled on your blog some time ago. You seem like decent people trying to make a nice, albeit hectic, life for yourselves. But as a veterinarian and dog-lover, I have to comment on Moxie. You need to not ignore her. She is old and vomiting is not normal for any dog. You made a commitment to her when you got her, and that remains even once you have children (your choice, not hers). I’m sorry, but you need to get her to the vet, and not be “sick of her.” She didn’t ask for the predicament she’s in. What if someone ever said that about a child, and meant it? Good luck with *all* of your little ones.
Cindy - has anyone talked to you about a g tube? We’ve now seen 4 different doctors and they have all recommended the g tube based on Cole’s statistics and eating patterns.
Dr. C - I’m really not sure what to say here. This is a blog about our kids, not dog. If you knew us, you would know how to read between the lines when we post about her. And comparing our kids to our dog, please.
i agree with dr c. about the dog. i can certainly understand being frustrated with your dog, and i am frequently frustrated with my own. but i would NEVER say something like that about her. also, if you read dr. c’s post you would see that he/she was not comparing your dog to your children. the dr is simply trying to make the point that instead of being frustrated and cracking thinly veiled jokes about putting her to sleep, you should be looking into why she is having these problems. i read the post and had to reread that section a few times because it comes off as simply heartless. i really feel bad for your dog if that is how you deal with her apparent illness. if you do not have the time or energy to look into these issues, then you should find someone who can. sorry, but just because we do not give birth to our animals does not mean that we are not responsible to provide them with health and well being. it would be unfathomable to put a human to sleep because they are staining the carpet, yet, its somehow perfectly acceptable to entertain that thought about a dog? its still a life, and she still could be suffering. if you cannot see that then you clearly lack compassion.
Meg - you crack me up. You obviously don’t know us, so I suggest you don’t read our uncompassionate blog. Go away.
Eric, only once a tube was suggested…when he was an infant, because he was never able to take in more than 3 oz at a time—but that was before we knew of the rare heart defect he had. I have brought him to many doctors, and everyone just says as long as he is not losing weight, which at this point he is losing or staying the same–then he is fine. Endocrinologist bascially sent us away after one appt…said he sees and obviuosly healthy child, running around, playing, etc, good skin tone/color, and despite his tiny size is not malnourished looking. I took him for feeding therapy twice, they said because he did attempt the different textures, he did not have any sort of issues there. The GI doc discharged us a long time ago, really once we knew he did not have reflux (the double aortic arch was the problem) and had a normal upper GI, he did not need to see him. Pulmonolgist we have not been too since summer (when he had a bronchoscopy—he has tracheomalacia from the double aortic arch)…and honestly our pediatrician has just never been very concerned.
He did eat 1/2 a hot dog for breakfast this morning. I was very excited.
I would guess Aiden is about 36 inches tall, so his height is average—I think 55th percentile or something. He used to be 10th, so he is growing in height. His shoe size is still 6, and he has tiny hands and feet. He is almost 3.
Very frustrating! I am going to talk to my pediatrician when he turns 3, see where we are at with the weight, and maybe take him back to a specialist again. The endo said he has 16 years to worry about growing. Thankfully he at least has been consuming pediasure the last year and a half, so I feel that fed his brain. The thing is he has been so healthy this year, especially compared to the last two cold/illness seasons. Even his wheezing has calmed down so much this year…knock on wood because April was horrible for us last year with a 1 week hospital stay for him—but he has been healthy! Only missed maybe 2 days of preschool due to illness. I did not think he would even be able to stayin preschool. So you would think with all that he would gain.
Husband freaked when I mentioned a tube. he certainly does not lack energy…so I guess that is the important thing.
I think it’s important to recognize that whether or not a child needs a g-tube is not primarily dependent upon their weight. A 23 pound child can still be suffering from nutritional deficit that in turn affects their brain and thus, their overall development.
The fact that 4 separate GI’s have recommended a g-tube says volumes to me.
Good luck in making the decision, Tobie & Eric. It’s easy for me to say what I think you should do based on the small slice of your life that I’ve been privy to see, but I also am well aware that there could be a lot of other things going on with Cole that you haven’t chosen to blog about and those things could influence your decision. Regardless, I am confident you will do what’s best for your son just as you have done all along!
Okay, I lied, it was 3 doctors, pulm, gi, and endocrine. We’re still meeting with a few people and will have a decision in a few weeks. Totally agree, it’s not just weight that’s a factor. Every kid is unique! Plus our medical community out here is very involved.