Hernia Repair and Meatotomy

On April 10 Brody had outpatient surgery at Primary Children's Hospital.  We've suspected for a few months that he had a hernia, and after a lot of frustrating doctor appointments (his pediatrician is on leave and it was like pulling teeth trying to get another pediatrician to write a referral to the Urologist... then the Urologist and his two colleagues saw no sign of the hernia during the visit, so I later took of picture of the hernia when it was very apparent and sent it in) that turned out to be true.  He has also had trouble aiming into the toilet when using the restroom, so the Urologist also suggested a meatotomy along with the hernia repair.

Before the operation went very well.  Primary Children's makes sure to provide lots of toys and activities to keep children happy.  Brody played with tools in the first waiting room before we registered.  As I was registering I noticed they had his hernia recorded as being on the left side, when it was really on the right.  I made sure to inform every doctor and nurse from there on out so that they weren't cutting him unnecessarily.  In the pre-op waiting room he had a great time playing in a toy car, coloring a surgery buddy and picked out cotton candy to be the scent of his gas mask.  He walked back to the operating room with the nurse happily while I had to stay behind.  He was a very brave boy.  I tried my hardest to follow his example and didn't cry until after he turned the corner with the nurse.

The surgeon reported that the operation went well and everything was repaired easily.

Post-op was rough.  Really rough.  He awoke in intense pain.  The nurse gave him dose after dose of pain medication, each time having to wait for permission from his doctor while Brody cried in pain.  After the fourth dose of pain killers, Brody felt comfortable, but was having trouble breathing from all the medication.  Once they stabilized his breathing we were moved to another room where he ate some treats began acting more like himself.  Just as we were being discharged, the pain came on again and he had to stay for another hour while they monitored him with the addition pain medication.  It was a very long, emotional day.

Brody was in a lot of pain the first day.  He woke up feeling well the second day.  And by day three he was back to playing normally.  It's so amazing how quickly children heal!

Nine Month Photo Shoot

The twins' nine month photo shoot was crazy and chaotic as ever.  We had to move the appointment time at the last minute which meant we were literally running out the door after waking up and getting all the kids fed in order to make it to the studio.  Then we had to rush the session in order to allow the babies to have a short nap before heading out for a busy day.  The results were good concidering how quickly we had to do it all.  They still don't smile big for the professional picture like they usually do, but they're super cute anyway.

Nine Month Old Twins

The twins turned nine months old yesterday.  I can't believe how quickly they are growing up.  They are at such a fun age right now.  They love to play and babble and are developing their own little personalities and little quirks.  We all just adore them!  This is what is going on with Archer and Avonlea at nine months of age.

Archer:
Archer continues to be a happy, content baby.  His favorite past time is roll around and play with toys on the floor.  He had his sixth tooth come in this month.  His teeth as so cute - big and gappy.  We tease him that he has Goofy (from Mickey Mouse) teeth.

Stats: (I will fill this in after his doctor appointment, but I know he's big!)
He has learned: to eat solid food (Mums crackers) and to wave
He likes: playing on the floor, the bouncer and jumper, eating baby food, toys, his brothers, clapping, babbling, baths and being sang to
He dislikes: being held/confined for long periods of time
Things he does/about him that makes us laugh: breaths in and out from his nose rapidly and loudly like a bull, squeals so loud it hurts your ears, slaps you, himself or a nearby object when happy, big toothy smiles and cute giggles

Avonlea:
Avonlea got her second tooth this month.  She has been a bit needy lately, even more than usual.  The girl can not get enough love and attention from Mom and Dad.  She is very happy and smiley if given attention.  She is very heartbroken if she is not given attention.  Her emotions are very dramatic!  I guess that pretty much defines most girls though, so I had better get used to it.
Stats: (I will fill this in after her doctor appointment.  She is not quite as big as Archer but it still very long for her age.)
She has learned: to eat solid food (Mums crackers), to wave and to get up on all fours
She likes: being held, cuddling, being talked to, eating baby food, the jumper, binkies, her brothers, babbling, baths and being tickled
She dislikes: not being in the same room as Mom
Things she does/about her that makes us laugh: cries so hard she can't breath just because you put her down and will quickly stop the second you pick her up again, kicks her feet when happy, big smiles that crinkle up her eyes and cute giggles

More Toddler Talk

I took the boys with me to my last eye appointment.  The doctor and I stepped into an adjacent room for a moment and we returned to find two giggling little boys.  Palmer quickly explained the giggling with excitement saying, "Mom!  We both tooted in here!"  And a few moments later during the eye exam the boys serenaded us with a rendition of "Old McDonald had a Farm."  Kids sure do make life more fun.  Here are a few other gems they've said lately.

Palmer:
Whenever I wear my glasses he informs me, "You look like a Grandma today."

A few days after Easter Palmer asked me if I knew that Jesus came back to earth.  I replied that I did know that.  He then asked if I wanted to see Jesus again.  I said I did.  Then he informed me, "Jesus is on Earth.  If you want to see him we need to look everywhere for him."  I then realized during our Easter lessons it was never explained that after Jesus came back alive and visited Earth that he returned to Heaven.  After some explainging, I think he understands the concept better now.

During a prayer Palmer says, "We are thankful that I didn't say, 'I don't like this dinner,' when I came to eat." (I said an adamant amen to that prayer!)

Brody:
While eating yogurt for breakfast, "Yogurt is good for my body.  My heart is laughing!"

When I told him to hurry into the van he said, "Wait!  I'm looking at the world all around."  Then he proceeded to look all around him, slowly taking in the scene.

Calls the doorbell a "dingbell," another idiom he took up from Palmer.  It's funny how he mispronounces the same things Palmer does.  They also both call volcanos "jalepenoes."

Recipe - Baked Macaroni and Cheese

The boys, like pretty much every kid, love macaroni and cheese.  Brody especially, would eat it everyday for lunch and dinner.  The good ol' blue box has lost a its appeal a bit for Greg and I, just because it is requested so often.  My solution?  Scour the internet for a macaroni and cheese recipe that will get both the kids and adults happy to see it on the dinner table.  And this is the recipe I found that does just that.  I've made it a couple times.  It tastes the best when you follow the cooking times exactly.  The rue is very thick, thicker than any other rue I've ever made.  But I promise it tastes the best that way, so don't bail out of the cooking time because you think it's getting too thick.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

 

8 oz. macaroni

3 tablespoons butter

¼ cup flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon dry mustard

¼ teaspoon black pepper

⅛ teaspoon smoked paprika plus more for sprinkling on top

2½ cups 2% milk

3 cups grated medium cheddar cheese

crumbled bacon for garnish

Boil the pasta until al dente, according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cool water to stop the cooking, and return to the pan you boiled it in. Set aside. While macaroni is cooking preheat the oven to 375 degrees and in a sauce pan over medium heat, melt the butter.  Add the flour, salt, dry mustard, pepper, and ⅛ teaspoon smoked paprika. Stir constantly over medium heat for about three minutes.  Stir in the milk.  Keeping on medium heat, whisk constantly for about 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens.  Remove from heat, and stir in 2 cups of the cheese, stirring until melted.  Pour the cheese sauce over the noodles and toss gently until all noodles are covered.  Add half the noodles to a two quart casserole dish.  Sprinkle on half the cheese.  Add the rest of the noodles.  Sprinkle on the rest of the cheese, and dust lightly with the smoked paprika.  Bake for about 25-30 minutes, until it starts getting a slightly dry and a tiny bit brown on top. Serve, topping individual servings with cooked, chopped bacon if desired.

Easter Egg Fun

We had Easter eggs everywhere you looked this past Easter. The boys painted a couple dozen eggs with their cousin Alyssa, myself and Grandma Nancy. They had a lot of fun, and the eggs turned out great, really bright colored this year.

The boys also had some Easter egg fun with a few egg hunts.  The Friday before Easter, they went to a flashlight nighttime hunt with their Auntie Rie, coordinated by her coworkers.  Then Grandma Nancy did an egg hunt for them in our backyard on Saturday.  And on Sunday we had family dinner at the Ridings and Aunt London organized her annual egg hunt.  They made out with a hefty haul of candy from the weekend!

The Easter bunny also dropped off a basket of goodies at our house.  Palmer and Brody each received a kite, and the family received some marshmallow peeps and Wreck It Ralph on BluRay.  Wreck It Ralph has become a favorite of Palmer and Brody.  They have watched it almost everyday since they got it and both want a Wreck It Ralph themed birthday party this year.

Strawberries and Family Ties

Avonlea has a strawberry hemangioma like Brody.  I asked our pediatrician if they are hereditary since half of our children have one.  She told me they are not.  It's just a coincidence.

No one notices what's left of Brody's hemangioma anymore since his hair covers it.  The only time it's slightly visible is right after a haircut.  But he definitely got a lot of attention over it as a baby.

Avonlea's hemangioma is quite small and flat against her skin. and it won't get any bigger from here on out.  It's located on a part of her head that is often covered with a headband, so hers hardly  ever gets noticed.  When people do spot it they usually ask if it's a mole.

It's kind of a bit funny to me that Brody and Avonlea had this in common.  I've noticed she tends to take after Brody with a lot of things and Archer seems to take after Palmer.  Avonlea and Brody are always cold, like to be coddled and snuggled, seem to get sick more often and more intensely, and both have tempers.  Palmer and Archer are usually warm, like their space, are very healthy and able bodied, are very active, and have more mellow personalities.  Maybe it's a good thing that our twins aren't the ones who are so much alike.  They are going to have to be together a lot, and everyone knows, opposites attract.