Where has the time gone?

One of my New Year resolutions is to start my blog back up. I need to do it for me.  If you are reading this great but my main reason is so I can remember.  I have the absolute worst memory EVER! I love reading my past posts.  I hope by reviving this blog, it will help me to remember these days.

Where are we now??

My triplets are now 5 1/2 yrs old.  I can't believe it.  Time has really flown way to fast.  They are currently in kindergarten.  For the kids first year I decided to have them in separate classes. Colton's class is for children with hearing loss only, so Lincoln and Kota had to be split from him.  Since Lincoln is very dependent upon his siblings, I felt he needed his own classroom to find himself.  What is nice is that Colton and Lincoln's teachers share teaching duties.  For half a day they are together and it has really help bond Lincoln and Colton.

Colton has now has his cochlear implants for 3 years.  He is defiantly progressing slower than most but I know that is because he has other developmental delays.  Currently he is in speech therapy, occupational therapy and physical therapy.  It is helping but the results are just slow.  He can say about 100 words but still chooses to use sign language as his main form of communication.  He understands everything we say, he just responds back with sign.  In just the last 6 months does he talk and sign at the same time but it is very broken.  This spring we have enrolled him in additional speech therapy and since he has a summer birthday he will be repeating kindergarten.  I hope by doing this it will help him to catch up.

I stopped working back in Nov '11, not because I wanted to but because I was fired.  A few months before I was fired my manager came to me and told me I needed to make a bigger commitment to the company.  She told me that if it wasn't something I could do then maybe I should look for someplace else to work.  This is the same person who is not married and has no kids.  She calls her dogs her kids and even at times tried to compair her dogs to my kids.  They were not happy that I was allowed to take FMLA so that I could take Colton to his speech therapy.  They were also not happy that I wasn't able to stay late or work extra on the weekends.  I apologized but told them my family will always come first and I would never choose my job over my family.  After that they started keep track of everything I did and in the end terminated me for "low performance".  I know for a fact that my numbers where higher than fellow employees and I wasn't a low preformer.  At first I was upset and hurt but now I know it was a blessing.  I've enjoyed my time off and being able to spend time with my family has been great.  I look back and wished it would have happened sooner.  I missed so much being away from them,  time I can't get back. I learned so much from this experience and I wouldn't change it for anything.

Well the kids are scheduled to get off their bus and then all hell will break lose, so I had better go and prepare.

Much Love,

Tanna 

Dear Husband,

I really appreciate you taking the initiative to clean our bathroom but just spraying cleaning products on the tub and toilette w/out scrubbing does not count as cleaning!! AND when you are using products that contain bleach please refrain from splattering the bleach on my new bathroom rug and shower curtain.

I will see you later tonight because I'm off to Target to buy a shower curtain, rug and cleaning products w/out bleach.

Love,

Your Wife

School Days

Summer is over and now we are all trying to get into a new routine with the trio going off to school.

Colton has started attending the local Regional Day School for the Deaf. Since he has profound hearing loss in both ears he qualified to attend this special class for hearing impaired children. He started at the end of August and is adjusting nicely. I was worried at first due to this was going to be the first time he has ever stayed with someone besides family. He only says about 5 words and even though he uses sign language he doesn't use the sign properly so it makes it tough for stranger to understand what he wants or needs. He has been attending now for 2 weeks and everyday it gets better. The bus picks him up at 7am and then drops him off at 3:45pm. He loves his teacher and I feel that she is truly a good match for him. She doesn't put up with his fits and doesn't baby him because he can't hear. There is only one other student in Colton's class so they get lost of one-on-one attention.

Colton's First Day.

Colton playing in classroom.


Lincoln and Kota started Pre-school this past week and they go Tuesday and Thursday from 9am-12pm. I felt that they needed a chance to attend school and I didn't want them feeling left out. They LOVE school and now ask me every morning if it is time to go back.

Lincoln and Kota. They wouldn't put their toast down:)

Much Love,

Tanna

Look It's Momma

The other day, while my trio was enjoying their favorite TV show Yo Gabba Gabba, L pointed to the TV and yelled out, "Look it's Momma".



At first I truly didn't see any similarity




But then I looking at some pictures of me when I was 12, I now see the resemblance...




HAHA, I just need some blue eyeshadow, BIG hair and we could be the same person. Then and Now!!

Thanks L!

Much Love,

Tanna

Never Turn Your Back on My Trio!!!

Yesterday I made a quick trip to the bathroom, less than a minute later I came back into the livingroom to find...




There was ash EVERYWHERE!!!!! My trio was COVERED in ashes!!! Into the tub they went to get their 2nd bath of the day. It's pretty common for my trio to get more than one bath a day!!



Much Love,
Tanna

Where to start...

I'm so sorry it has been so long since I have updated my blog. It has been like 4 months since my last post, Sorry!!!! I don't even know where to start.

C is doing really well with his Cochlear Implants. He had his 2nd implant on Sept. 23 and then 2 weeks later had it turned on. The 2nd surgery was harder on him than the first. I don't know if it had something to do with him being older or maybe it was because the surgery took a little longer that the 1st.
C is slowly making progress. He is saying about 10 words at this time and understands even more. At times I don't know if we are doing enough for him. In July we decided to put C in private speech therapy. I think it was a great move for C. He has made leaps since then. I just regret not doing it sooner. The problem in our area is there are not a lot of professionals who have worked with CI kids as young as C was and is. I hope we are doing enough for him but we will keep working to do the best and get the best for him.
He is such a smart little boy. He has figured out how to communicate with us even when he doesn't know the words, but look out he had a temper!! That boy is either really happy or REALLY upset!!!! I think he gets that from his Daddy.

L and D are doing really well. They are both talking up a storm. L is easier understood than D due to D has a little lisp. I'm hoping she will grow out of that or we may have another in speech therapy.

Sorry again for my absence, thanks for sticking around!!

Much Love,

Tanna

Prayers Needed

Today precious baby Annaleigh passed away due to NEC. Please keep this family in your thoughts and prayers. My heart just hurts for them. I couldn't imagine what is must be like to loose a child but it has to be one of the worst things for a parent to go through.

http://threecheersforbabies.blogspot.com/


Please go hug and kiss your family because you do not know what tomorrow will bring.

Much Love,

Tanna

PLEASE, PLEASE Pray for this family...

Please send prayers tonight to this new triplet family. They are losing one of their precious preemie babies to NEC. My heart is breaking for them. http://threecheersforbabies.blogspot.com/

Bye, Bye

So earlier today while I was at work I got this e-mail from my Mom:

"Tanna, your dad was just leaving and he was waving and saying bye bye to the babies... all the sudden C waves right at him and looked and said "bye bye" and waved again! It was plain as day! I've never heard him actually say bye bye and know he knew what it meant, have you??? I can tell he did!"

C has had his CI since March 24, so he is considered 4 months old in hearing. He now says Mumma and Bye Bye!!


Much Love,

Tanna

We are 2 Years Old

I am sorry I haven't been posting in a long time but I have just been soooo busy with work, the kids and C's therapy. By the time the kids are in bed I am so tied I just get in bed and go to sleep.

The trio is doing great!!
L: He has become such a Daddy's boy. He LOVES his Daddy!!!! The minute his Daddy walks in the door L becomes Hubby's shadow. L is still using his own language but is really starting to use works we can all understand:)

C: He is our biggest baby weighting about 3 lbs more than the other 2, at 25.6 lbs. He has now had his Cochlear implant turned on for about 2 months. It is a lot more work that what I had first thought. Right now we are exploring more therapy options for him. I am terrified that we aren't doing enough for him now and it will effect the rest of his life. The problem is, is that really no one in this area has had much experience with a CI kid under the age of 3. Out of the 106 children in the ISD right now only 6 have a CI. In a few weeks we are going to be taking C to therapy up at Texas Tech. I pray that it is the best for him. He is doing good at wearing his implant (we have only lost the head piece once). We have the CI turned up to normal hearing range and as he gets older and is able to tell us what he is hearing the CI can be tweaked. At this point C is measuring at a 3 month old hearing level, which we are told is good since he has had the CI for only 2 months. He is vocalizing by grunting and cooing much more to communicate and just 2 weeks ago said Mumu. I walked past him to go to the bathroom., he got upset, followed me and started to bang on the bathroom door yelling Mumu. I don't think he truly meant to say Momma but I am taking it since D and L said Dada first!!

D: She is the toot of the bunch. She gets into EVERYTHING and teaches her brother to do bad things!!! You have to watch what she says around you because she will repeat what she hears!! She is saying up to 3 word sentences and can sing some of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Start".


June 22 the kids turned 2 and we had a fun Micky Mouse party. We had a great turn out of about 40 people and had a blast!! Here are a few pic's of the party and some of our summer fun.









Mickey Mouse Birthday Party




Outside Fun


Science Spectrum




Air Show






Family Reunion

Much Love,
Tanna

I am Back!!

Ok so I know it has been forever since I last update my blog but things had been so crazy around here that I haven’t found much time until now. The last time I update we had just gotten back from Disney World and had a blast. On March 24th C had his Cochlear Implant turned on. It was amazing to see him react and hear for truly the first time.
He had a typical reaction of crying when it was turned on, and I loved it because at that moment I knew it worked.
He has been back to the Doctor one other time since it had been turned on, to have it turned up. Today he is hearing at normal levels. It is a lot more work then what I thought it would be. He is doing really well at keeping the implant on and only purposely takes if off when he is REALLY mad or if he wants attention. Bother and Sister are doing really good at leaving it alone. Although, I have caught L and D a few times trying to put it on their own heads to see what was the big deal.
Right now we are working with C and teaching him to listen and really hear. Though different therapy methods we hope he will pick up it up soon. If any readers of this post are fellow CI parents I would love to have any helpful tips or teaching methods.
Well I better get back to work. I promise to update a lot sooner next time because I still have so much to write about.

PS. In the next day or so I will upload the video we took of C having the implant turned on.

Much Love,

Tanna

Quick Update

Hello all,

I just wanted to update everyone really fast before bedtime. C got out of the hospital March 1st and as it turned out his RSV didn't turn into pneumonia, he was just really dehydrated. We ended up still going to Disney World but just postponed our trip a little. I will update you all more when I get a chance.



Much Love,

Tanna

We are Still Here

C is still in the hospital but we hope to get him out today. He is off the IV fluid and off oxygen. All his test results have come back saying thathe didn't develope pnemonia but was just really dehydrated from being sick with RSV. We are just now waiting for the Dr to stop by and let us goin home. I am so ready!!!

Much Love,

Tanna

C is In the Hospital

Today while I was at work I received a call from my hubby that C wasn't doing well. As you know earlier this week the babies were diagnosed with RSV. While L and D have gotten better C has gotten worse. Since yesterday he has refused to eat and has taken about 5 oz of fluids. I left work and took him back to the Dr. Right away they said his color wasn't good and his lung sounded really bad. As they were examining him C was crying but he was so dehydrated he could cry no tears. After that the Dr. sent us to the hospital to have C admitted.
I just talked to the Dr. and they are running tests to see is his RSV turned into pneumonia. The Dr. said that it looks like C will be here until Sunday or until C's oxygen levels are over 95 without oxygen on.
So there goes our Disney trip:( Oh well that are more important things in life than Disney.

I will update more later when I have news.

Much Love,

Tanna

Two Good Things...

1) L learned to blow his own nose. WooHoo!!

2) Today I used the sign language word "Thank You" without even thinking. You may be thinking, big deal but to me it is a big deal. Since I have a son who can't hear we have to use sign language to help communicate with him.
When I am talking to C I have to remind myself to sign and when I am signing I have to translate my words to sign language in my head before producing the sign. But not today. Today when I was talking to a co-worker I signed "Thank You" without even thinking about it first. It was like the sign was just part of the word. Sign language is become a second language for me. :)


Much Love,

Tanna

We Have RSV

I had a feeling over the weekend that the babies were getting sick and when I woke up to couching and snotty nosed babies I put a call in to their Dr. When I called their pediatrician I was told that she was out sick and the earliest the babies could be seen was Wednesday. I requested an earlier spot but was told that wouldn't be possible unless it was an emergency. I wanted to tell the nurse it was an emergency because in 8 days we are leaving for Disney World but instead I told a little white lie and said that the babies had played with their cousin earlier this week and now their cousin has RSV. Once I informed the nurse the babies had been exposed to RSV she quickly made us an appointment for later that day.

Since our pedi was out sick we had to see her back up and she was an odd Dr. She came in, examined the babies by looking at them and told us they had a bad cold. Her medical advice was to just suction their noses out and they would be fine in a few days. I told the Dr. I thought they had RSV but she pushed it off like I was just being overly protective. At that point I decided to use my white lie, that we were exposed to RSV earlier in the week. She reluctantly had the nurse swab D's nose to test for RSV, all the while letting us know they just had little colds. Wouldn't you know it, my Motherly instinct was correct and they do have RSV. Isn't terrible that I had to tell a lie to get the treatment that my babies needed?

Now I am just praying that we can get them healthy by next Monday because that is when we leave to go to Disney World. Until recently we were unsure if the trip was even going happen but the Lord worked things out, making it possible. Hubby and I are probably crazy to taking 3, 20 month old's to Disney World but we have never been and we couldn't wait any longer.

Please pray that we all get healthy fast!!

Much Love,

Tanna

Important Things in Life...

Today I was going to publish a fun post but after reading my friend Michele's blog I couldn't bring myself to do it and after the loss of my friend's baby I felt like writing a more serious post.

There are events in our lives that can take only seconds to occur but can take a life time to get over. I can't imagine what it must be like to loose a child and I pray that I never do.

In my day to day life I forget how precious these 3 gifts from God truly are. Sometimes it takes a tragic event to remind me how important my family is and how unimportant the little things are. I find myself getting wrapped up in worrying about stupid things like not having enough money, or a big enough house but really those things don't matter. I would give them all up in a heart beat if it meant protecting my family.

These last few days I have been really trying to make a point to cherish these days with my family. Who know what tomorrow may bring.

I am stealing an idea from my cousin's blog (Welcome to Newmanville):

Happy things

Things that made me smile today:
-The babies fighting over a baby wipe
-L telling me he is "Poo Poo"
-C giving me some of his cookie
-D telling L "NO, NO sit down" as she pointed her finger at him.
-The babies giggling in their bed, even though they are suppose to be taking a nap.

I pray for you all and that your eyes are open to what truly is important in life.

Much Love,

Tanna

Prayers Please!

I have sad new to report today. While I was at work I got a call letting me know that a friend's baby had passed away early this morning, due to having complications with pneumonia. (I am not using their name due to I am not sure who all knows). This baby was a triplet and born about 2 months after my own babies. Please keep their family in your thought and prayers.

Much Love,

Tanna

Sorry, Possible TMI...

Sorry this post may have TMI but I need to "blog it out" and it would be nice to get some advice.
When I was 21 I found out that I had PCOS(polycystic ovarian syndrome). Due to PCOS I've always had a very irregular period and when we started trying to have a baby we had fertility issues. All my life I have never had a regular period but over the last 4 months I've had a period every 30 days and ovulated every 17th day. This has never happened to me. Gary and I want another baby but with the triplets only being 19 months old we really aren't ready to start trying for another one. BUT then again after going through all the fertility treatment I would love to get pregnant in a more natural way and do I even need to mention there being a better chance at having a singleton.

This is were I am torn and need advice. We really don't want to start trying for another baby until the summer but if we wait that long my cycle may get all jacked up and then we will have to use fertility drugs again to get pregnant. So that would mean more $$$$ and a possibility of a multiple pregnancy.

So there's my problem. What if we don't take the chance now and it never comes around again?? Thanks for reading!!

Much Love,

Tanna

It is WORTHLESS!!!

You know what I keep buying and I have no idea why because it doesn't even work?? Saran Wrap. I hate it.
The sharp edge on the box is "meant" to cut through the plastic wrap, which never works, and I end up cutting my finger on the jagged edge instead of the plastic. How does the jagged edge cut my finger but can't cut through the plastic wrap?
After I have mopped up the blood and bandaged my wound, I grab the torn piece of plastic (that is 2 sizes too big) and start to cover my leftovers. Per the description on the box, the plastic wrap is suppose to cling to the container you are covering, which is a poor evaluation of its performance. I don't know but maybe I am applying the plastic wrap improperly because I have never gotten the wrap to "cling" to my storage container.
From this day on out I vow to never buy Saran wrap again!

Much Love,

Tanna