I'm Moving!

Adventures with Three Girls is moving to my very own, self-hosted site (I'm like a grown-up and stuff). It was part of my Mother's Day present. (The other part was surfing lessons, which I will blog about on my new site, maybe even pictures.) You can find me right here.

http://www.adventureswiththreegirls.com

I can't figure out how to take my followers with me, but I would love if you would subscribe to my new site (pretty please) or follow me on Twitter @advenwith3girls

I'd love to hear what you think of my new site. I'll be changing things around in the next few weeks, and I'd love some suggestions. Do you like my theme? I have another I can't decide. I'll try this one for a couple weeks then switch and see what everyone likes better. Let me know, because I love comments.

Same blog, new address. Hope to see you there.

And so it begins

Thursday Penny was cranky and clingy and having a hard time sleeping. She woke up four times that night. Not to eat, she just wanted to be held. Very unlike her. She's a mellow, easy going baby who rarely cries and sleeps like a dream (probably like most third children). She was also really congested. In fact, she seemed to be getting worse instead of better from the virus that has infected our house. So, off to the pediatrician for the third time in a week. (By we, I mean all three girls and me, since Sean was working.)

I was expecting that it had become pneumonia like the other two girls. She even had a low grade fever. So, I was surprised to find out she has her first ear infection. Why I was surprised is beyond me. I should have known. You see, my kids get ear infections. Lots of ear infections.

Samantha got her first at 9 months old. Then 6 more in the next 9 months. The ear infection cycle, if you're lucky enough to be unfamiliar with it, goes like this. Cranky baby who had a cold three to five days ago, to doctor, ear infection, antibiotics for ten days, back for recheck, half the time it's clear, the other half it's ten more days on pink stuff, another recheck. Two weeks later, another cold and repeat. If you do your math, we're visiting the doctor three times in a six week period for nine months. Then, at 18 months, they stop getting ear infections.

Ella got her first at one month old. She had seven in a year, sending us to the ENT for a consult about tubes. Since the infections were clearing with antibiotics, no tubes. She also stopped getting them at 18 months.

So, why I was surprised that Penny has one is a mystery. Of course she does. She's overdue really. I don't understand why my kids get ear infections so easily. There are a lot of "Facts" out there about ear infections that just don't hold true for my kids.

Fact 1: Breastfed babies get far fewer or no ear infections.

Really? I can't imagine how my kids could possibly get any more ear infections, unless they just didn't clear at all. And my kids are breastfed, not formula fed, not bottle fed, breastfed, for an entire year.

Fact 2: Teething has nothing to do with ear infections.

Hmm. Other than Ella's first ear infection that she got as a result Samantha's first act of sharing (her cold), all my kids' ear infections correspond strongly with teething. Pretty much guaranteed we'll have ear infections when they're teething. And the infections miraculously stop as soon as their one year molars and canine teeth are in. Suspicious to me. Oh, did I mention Penny is getting her first teeth right now?

So, if you're keeping score of my kids' health this week (I'm sure you have nothing better to do), the stats for the week are: 3 fevers, 3 trips to the doctor, 2 pneumonias, 1 ear infection, 1 nebulizer for Penny's wheezing (did I mention she's wheezing, too?), 3 amoxicillin prescriptions, and 3 trips to the pharmacy.

If you're having a hard time finding me I'm probably at the doctor. I'm considering getting my own extension.

Heathens

I have come to the conclusion that my children are heathens. There is just no other explanation.

Today, we came home from our walk and, as usual, I let them into the backyard with the dog. I brought the stroller with sleeping Penny into the house. The baby woke up, I got her out of the stroller, and went to feed her on the couch. Our couch is near the sliding glass door to the backyard, giving me a place to watch the girls.

I looked out and saw two, stark naked children, sitting in the sandbox, rubbing sand onto themselves and into each other's hair. I'm trying not to stress about every thing and just let them be kids sometimes, so I let it be. Nothing a bath couldn't fix.

Penny finished eating and needed a diaper change. When I returned to go into the yard with the girls (and after 3 kids, I change diapers fast) I found they had scaled the lattice supports to the gazebo over the patio and were batting a decorative glass lantern back and forth, about six feet off the ground, still naked.

I couldn't let that one go as it was clearly unsafe. So I yelled at my naked heathen children to get their little booties down before they broke their necks. I was then informed that Samantha had decided to pee in the sandbox. Heathens.

My only hope is that bath tonight taught them why one shouldn't go naked in a sandbox.

Conversations with my children: Butterfly Thingy

I had this conversation with Samantha today.

Sam: Mommy, where is my butterfly thingy?

Me: What butterfly thingy?

Sam: The butterfly thingy with the thingy and the thingies!

Me: Sam, I have no idea what you're talking about. What thingy?

Sam: The thingy! You know, the thingy for the horse.

Me: What horse thing?

Sam: No! Not the horse, the butterfly thingy! For the horse thing with the motorcycle thingy.

Me: You mean the remote control for the pony motorcycle?

Sam: No! The butterfly thingy!

Me: The butterfly shaped remote control for the little motorcycle?

Sam: Yea! Where is it?

Me: I don't know. It was on the table this morning, is it still there?

Sam: No! Keep looking, Mom! I want it!

Me: Uh, no, you keep looking.

Sam: (rolling eyes and storming away) Ack.

Green Thursdays: Green Cleaning

You probably think carefully about what you eat, reading labels to avoid trans fat, hydrogenated oils, high sugar content, and high fructose corn syrup. When given a choice, you probably opt for products with ingredient lists we can pronounce. Maybe you even buy organic foods to limit the chemicals you put in your body.

But do you think about all the chemicals you use to clean your house? Think about all the places you spray or wipe chemicals every day: kitchen tables and counters, bathrooms, mirrors, wood furniture, probably even your kids' toys. Then you touch them, put food on them, your kids put them in their mouths. The thought of it definitely made me think about what I choose to clean my house with.

There are a variety of greener products you can use to clean your house that are non-toxic, biodegradable, and widely available. These are every bit as convenient and ready made as conventional cleaners, but won't leave the chemical residue around your house.

You can also make your own cleaners cheaply with household ingredients. Water and white vinegar can clean just about everything. You can find recipes here and here.

The newest option I'm intrigued with is Activeion's ionator. This rechargeable battery powered spray bottle uses only water. It basically charges the water molecules which, according to the company, is as effective as other cleaners at killing bacteria and viruses.

Skeptics of the device say water alone is actually an effective cleaner, that the charge doesn't last long enough to actually hit the surface being sprayed, and that plain water would test the same. We really don't need to use anything else to clean with, we've been conditioned to think we need more that just water to get things clean.

I'm working on getting one of these things to try out. I'm fascinated by it. I'll let you know if I do how it seems to work. Plus, it's like a gadgety power tool, so maybe my husband would get in on the cleaning.

What do you use to clean? Do you have any great homemade cleaning recipes? Anyone try or have an ionator?

Wordless Wednesday

Thought I'd share the cuteness that is my children today. Enjoy.

Penny




Ella



Samantha

Super Breastmilk

Samantha, Ella, and Penny all got sick this week. As usual, Typhoid Sammy brought some funk home with her from preschool. She had a 102-103 degree fever starting last Tuesday night until Friday night. I took her to the doctor Friday and was told she had mild pneumonia. On antibiotics she went. She's on the mend and acting her old self again.

I've been waiting for the other two to get sick all weekend. Finally, Sunday night they both spiked a fever. We went to the doctor with both yesterday, and Ella has mild pneumonia. Not Penny. Ella needs antibiotics too, not Penny. Today, Ella still has a 99-100 degree fever, Penny does not.

I have to ask myself why the four month old, with arguably the weakest immune system, managed to get the least sick. I've decided it must be the breastmilk. Go antibodies! Too bad the one making the milk doesn't reap the benefits as well. I'm nursing a nice phlegm-y cough, too.

What are they thinking? Soap

I told Ella to go wash her hands. A few minutes later, this was the result. I wiped the soap out of her eyes prior to the picture.

Baby socks

The girls are always pulling off Penny's socks. They think it's hilarious. Penny likes it too. She squeals whenever they do it. It drives me nuts because they run and throw them somewhere and then can never remember where they are. I have a lot of single socks waiting for their match to come home.

Today, I decided to outsmart them and not put socks on her. They can't take them off if they aren't there.

As I was hanging up clothes in their room, I heard Penny squealing and the girls laughing. As I went to investigate, Samantha yelled, "Run, Ella! Run!"

I was passed in the hall by Ella, carrying a pair of little pants and a diaper. Penny was lying on the carpet, kicking and smiling, naked from the waist down.

I am currently missing one pair of pants and one dirty diaper. Tomorrow, Penny will be wearing socks.

Photo via Flickr: Baby socks, originally uploaded by Ak4suna.

Snooze

There are two kinds of people in the world: those who hit the snooze button on their alarm and those who do not. My husband is a snoozer. I am not.

When we moved in together I brought with me the alarm clock I'd had since seventh grade. It got me where I needed to go, on time, through junior high, high school, college, and veterinary school. All without ever having hit the snooze button. Not once. I honestly had no idea if it worked. I found out the first morning Sean had to go to work. It did indeed work. And, did you know, you can repeatedly hit the snooze button? Every nine minutes. Over and over and over. I didn't then, but I do now.

Sean sets the alarm for a half hour early so he can hit the snooze button at least twice, and up to four times and still get to work on time. I can now go back to sleep after the first snooze, but when the second one goes off, I turn off the alarm and hit him. Otherwise, I won't be able to sleep again.

This week, Samantha has been in our bed because she's been feverish. Turns out she has pneumonia. Antibiotics seem to be helping. She is now so big and spreads out so much that our little queen size bed is uncomfortable for all three of us. She prefers her daddy when she's sick, so I've been sleeping in Sammy's bed or on the couch.

Without me there to prod him, Sean has been late to work everyday this week. This morning, I found him asleep with the clock buried under a pillow. Apparently, it wouldn't quit going off.

How about you, are you a snoozer or a non-snoozer?



*Photo courtesy of Alan Cleaver