First dip in the pool!!!

Summer has officially started!!!  Tommy and Cole bravely went for their first (chilly) swim yesterday and they had a blast.  With their new "water wings" the boys can swim in the pool without mommy or daddy holding on to them.  They are awesome!  Best investment ever.  The boys can also stand up in the shallow end on their own which is great.

Overall, I am really excited about our summer in the pool!  We have an instructor coming to the house twice a week for swim lessons starting in July and I can tell that the boys are ready to learn.  They are already practicing their doggie paddle and kicking their feet.  They are going to be great little swimmers!

After a whole bunch of jumping, splashing and kicking, Tommy declared that he "was frozen like a popsicle" so we ran to the hot tub to warm up.  It was so much fun!  Looking forward to lazy summer days swimming, going to the beach and playing with my best pals!

Mischief

I walked out to the cabana at the end of the day...just before dinner...after a long day of preparing for our annual BBQ....waiting for Kevin's arrival home from a business trip...to find myself SLOSHING in two inches of beer!!

After an interrogation, I learned that Tommy had pulled the tap on the keg-o-rater (it's a baseball) and when beer spit in his face...he ran!  Never said a word to mommy.  So...needless to say...over 100 beers emptied in a continuous flow ALL over the cabana while I gave them a bath.  The bar, bathroom, rugs...it was a disaster.  Did I mention we're having our annual BBQ this weekend?

We are STILL cleaning up.  The beer spill was so bad that it leaked down into the basement.  Let me just say....that the oldest, stinkiest bar room could not compete!!  Today, Kevin made Tommy get his piggy bank, open it up and pull out money from his Disney savings to pay for the damages.  It was classic.  No man likes to part with his $$$!  Tommy laid two dollar bills on the counter at the checkout while Cole looked on.  Hopefully, a lesson learned.  It's time for locks...certainly didn't think this would be necessary at the age of 3!!

Last week it was a visit from the police...this week major beer spill...what next?  Tommy is our "Curious George" for sure...and he is on a roll!!

5 Reasons I know Tommy needs attention....

1. Whenever I am holding Grant, there is an immediate need for mommy to do something that requires TWO hands.  Juice refills, shoes re-tied, wipe his bum, etc.

2. This afternoon at lunch, he looked me in the eye and dumped his juice all over the floor.

3. Grant was crying for his bottle today and while I prepared it, Tommy marched around the house with his hands over his ears saying he couldn't "hear" anything.

4. After dinner, he bit the tip off his marker and spit it on the floor.  This was AFTER he colored all over my window and woodwork with it...and AFTER I had told him that coloring time was over.

5. While I was feeding the baby, Tommy snuck into the living room and ate 5 hershey kisses from the candy jar.  Wrappers and all.  How do I know this?  He walked up to me...opened his mouth and showed me the wrapper remnants.  Lovely.

Time for mommy and daddy to start strategizing!  I pulled him aside tonight after the marker incident and asked him why he had done it.  He explained that during our reading time, I had to stop reading his police book because the baby was hungry and that made him angry.  So we had a big talk and came up with a code word that he could say that let's me know he is feeling bad.  When he says it, we are supposed to designate a time (immediate or future) when the two of us can sit down and spend some quality time together.  We'll see how it goes!

Grant Updates

Grant is growing like a weed.  It's crazy!  A few weeks ago, I sadly packed up his 0-3 months clothes and pulled out all the 3-6 months.  This morning I took one look at him and realized he may only have two more weeks at best in this size.  It's crazy!  

At nearly 4 months old - Grant is chatting up a storm, laughing, having giggle fits and stares adoringly at his brothers...just a sweetheart.  He is still freakishly strong.  He can sit without any support for 10 seconds at a time...sometimes longer.  And the jumperoo is already getting daily workouts.  He loves it!  We have to stick a towel in there as he is still so little...it's pretty funny to watch.  

The other new development is that he is rolling everywhere!  When I go into get him in the morning, I never know where I'll find him in the crib.  He can roll completely onto his side and *almost* over.  But he knows that rolling even side to side will move him across the floor.  He'll do it to get to a new toy.  Pretty smart, right?  I think so.  

He is like a St. Bernard in the drool department.  Kevin is convinced he is teething as he always has his hand in his mouth lately.  Who knows?  I can't feel any teeth buds, but he is digging sucking on those fingers.  Time will tell.  Overall?  He is a healthy, happy and relaxed little guy.  We are SO lucky!  

Now...if we could only convince Tommy that the new baby was a good thing.  Things are getting pretty interesting in that department.  You should SEE what this child can come up with to try and get mommy's attention!!

The Hold-Up

My neighbors must be shaking their heads in wonder.  Our local police, fire and ambulance are kept VERY busy with the goings on at our house as of late.  And wait until you hear about our most recent brush with the authorities!

The other night we were gearing up for bedtime and Cole and I were in the bathroom getting ready for bath time when I noticed Tommy wasn't with me.  "Tommy...where are you?!?"  With that...our home's security system starts blaring with an alarm.  I jumped up...ran to the panel and immediately punched in our code and it silenced...but there was a strange code on the screen.  Hmmm...what does "99" mean?

Moments later, Kevin walked upstairs with Tommy in tow.  His head was hung low...guilt written all over his face.  I explained to him how serious it was that he had touched our alarm and that we could get in trouble with the police if we sent "false alarms".  I was hoping that he would be too afraid to do it again.  He wasn't looking too impressed...and then...the police arrived.

Want to know what a code "99" means?  It means we are being "held up" and it automatically called the police department.  Kevin went outside to greet the officer and he was thoroughly questioned.  The officer wasn't fully believing the story and asked to come inside.  Tommy...watching this all through the window...screamed.  "I don't want to go to jail!!!"  And immediately climbed up my body and started to cry.  We made our way downstairs where the officer took one look at Tommy's death grip on me and realized we were safe and it had truly been a mistake.

He explained to Tommy that he could never do that again...and a woeful little boy nodded his head.  The officer then went out to his cruiser and returned with two police badges for the boys before wishing us a good night.  Poor Tommy was still sad at bedtime...clearly an event he wouldn't soon forget.

His brother, on the other hand, clearly wasn't as affected.  Cole *actually* said to me..."Mommy?  So if I push the button will we get more badges?!?"  Oy vey!!!!

Toe Cheese

Okay...I know the headline is disgusting...but this is Tommy's new OBSESSION.  A few weeks ago, Kevin was dressing the boys and Tommy noticed some lint between his toes.  "What's that?"  He asked.  "Toe cheese." Kevin replied.  Ever since?  This child is obsessed with checking his toes to make sure they are clean.  So much so...that during his seizure incident...when we were in the ER and he was still not "with it"...he was checking his toes for lint.

His obsession with cleaning out "toe cheese" has now brought his focus to Cole's toes.  It's like watching little apes cleaning each other!!  Cole used to scream...but I think he also realizes how serious Tommy is about this so he just submits.

Hmmm...is this the beginning of OCD?  Should I be concerned?  Let's just hope he doesn't start asking kids at school to take off their shoes and socks.  OY!

Happy Birthday Uncle Joey!

Our worst nightmare...

Well...I lived my worst nightmare yesterday.  Tommy had a seizure.  I walked into the kitchen and found him on the floor, eyes rolled back, blue lips, gagging on his tongue and completely unresponsive.  I grabbed him, the phone and called 9-1-1.   As soon as I turned him on his side, he started vomiting.  It was horrific.  He wasn't trembling at all...I had no idea what was happening and only a mother can fully understand that kind of panic and terror.  Luckily, the EMT's were right up the street and arrived within minutes.  

My neighbor ran over to watch Cole and Grant until my parents arrived and off we went to the ER.  When we arrived, Tommy's temp was 103.5.  They controlled the seizure, gave him a super dose of medicine to bring down his fever and we waited it out.  He had a febrile seizure which is caused by a sudden spike in temperature.  According to the doctors, it is something that happens to 1 in 20 children...so it's common.  But seeing my Tommy like that...that is NOT common...not something I ever want to experience again.  It was heartbreaking.  It took my poor baby about two hours to return to his happy go lucky self.  Even then...he was exhausted and confused.  He slept for a good portion of it.  Here you can see his little flushed cheeks.  Still feverish.

Just when we thought it was all over, I came home to find Cole lethargic and spiking a temp of 102.6...then Grant started in on it.  The temperature spikes have to be the craziest part of it all.  One minute the boys are happy and cool...then the next?  Feverish and miserable.  After a memorable trip to the doctor's (Kevin is away so my parents came with us for support) we learned that all three boys have the flu.  Grant has the mildest case (as usual) and they gave him Tamiflu to help prevent it getting any worse.  Tommy and Cole were in the thick of it.  

Everyone slept in mommy's room that night.  Grant beside us in his bassinet.  This was how they looked when we surfaced in the morning.  It was a long night.  Poor Cole needed two baths to bring down the fevers.  At 3:30 we were all up drinking milk and watching cartoons.  Despite it being a long one...we snuggled and really had some cute moments.  My best pals.

I think we're on an upswing finally.  It's 11:30 on Tuesday night and I think that the fevers (knock on wood) have left the building!  Thank goodness.  Let's hope we never have to relive that again.  Thank god it wasn't anything serious...and I have my little guys on the mend!

Cole loves his numbers!!

He's always been my numbers man.  :)  Cole's new favorite thing is adding and subtracting.  Here he is showing off his math skills.  And of course his favorite number is 5!!  It's his birthday!!