June 2011

Just about pictures from my camping trip

by Full House MOM on June 28, 2011

So I managed to take 339 pictures during our yurting trip this past weekend. Four days, three nights, six families, 13 kiddos, and the sun was shining the entire time! I think that justifies it for me. Right? And with three kids being my own, that’s only 113 pictures of each one, so that’s not terribly bad, right? Okay, so I’m thinking that’s a bit extreme, but I’m hoping some of you will pipe in that you take that many pictures in one day. Who’s with me?

Sadly, as I look at my photos, I’m thinking of all of the missed shots I really wish I had taken. Because 339 isn’t enough, is it? Sure wish I’d captured a photo of the youngest in our group, 18 month old Boden, petting the one little dog in our group, Gordy. I had secretly hoped that the cooler opening, bagel stealing raccoon would show up again so I could snap a picture of it, too. And there were so many opportunities to capture a crow or two pecking at our leftover scraps, but I guess I was too annoyed at their early morning cawing to think about the picture opportunity at the time. I desire these last two photos only because I did manage to witness this squirrel climb onto our table, grab a piece of graham cracker and high tail it up a nearby tree to gloat about his success right in front of us.

We were warned, but boy, were these critters fast acting!

I really wanted to get a shot of each family together, but only ended up getting three out of six complete family pictures. Not terrible. I did capture everyone from our group numerous times, just not in their complete family units. I won’t complain about that, though.

I have to admit that I really, REALLY desired an all group photo, but I didn’t even bring it up this time, thinking about how well we’d all gotten along up to that point and not wanting to ruin it and be the one to destroy the perfectly complete happy memories for one shot that logistically was almost impossible. Not completely impossible, but considering the only place we were all together was at the campsite either early in the morning, chugging our morning brew at 7 AM, or right before/during dinner with hungry, overtired children (and adults) to feed, I just wasn’t going to push it. We did take a few group kid shots, but there isn’t a single one where all 13 children are all together, but that’s okay. I’ll live. This time.

Kim S.
Addicted to photo taking opportunities and scrapbooking.

{ 0 comments }

Meet the Board: Sionainn M.

by Full House MOM on June 27, 2011

The day before I got my positive pregnancy result, I picked up a Willamette Week and my Free Will horoscope read:

After studying your astrological omens, I closed my eyes and asked the spirits for a psychic vision that would symbolize your imminent future. The scenario that came up was a pair of toddlers dressed in fine purple satin garments and wearing golden hats. They looked like a prince and princess, and were wandering around inside a ritual circle about ten yards in diameter, drawn with white chalk in a green meadow. Vases of cut flowers and statues of gods and goddesses ringed the circle. So what does my vision mean? Maybe this: Two magnificent possibilities have recently been born or will soon be born. You should cast a protective spell around them, letting them amble and dally within a proscribed area as their magic ripens.

Now Free Will has not always gotten things right (hello, love life?!?) but I do have a pair of toddlers…a prince and a princess. We don’t do much wandering in ritual circles and they have never donned purple satin garments, but I love watching their magic ripen.

Advice to New Moms:

Advice should be more helpful than stressful, so keep perspective as you consume others’ advice (either voluntarily by reading a parenting book or involuntarily in the grocery store) and realize every family and child is different. As a single mother by choice, I freaked out when I started reading all the twins books. They all emphasized how much additional help you need, in addition to your partner. Having recently moved to Portland and not having any family in town, a 1:2 adult to baby ratio from the outset was looking very scary and these books were just stressing me out more. Make the most of the resources you have but don’t freak out if you don’t have the funds for overnight help or all the extra assistance you might like. The little things people can do to help you do add up and you will make it through this and be able to sleep sometime in the future.

Also, revel in each stage of your children’s development. Each stage comes with a challenge (or so) but also has something so special you wish you could bottle it up. So don’t wish for any stage to pass quickly…because they do that all on their own.

Favorite things about having multiples:
Too many things to list here…but one of those melt your heart moments was when the babes first smiled at each other. They looked at each other, locked eyes and each busted out the world’s biggest smiles. They had figured out what I had known since before they were born…we are so lucky to have each other in our lives.

Sionainn M.

2011 FHM Treasurer

Mommy to Siobhan & Quinn, 2 years old photos by: www.catchlightsnw.com

{ 0 comments }

Meet the Board: Savanna M.

by Full House MOM on June 21, 2011

I always wanted to be a mom and I always wanted to have a large family. My husband and I had decided to start trying to have kids shortly after we started dating . . . not initially realizing all of the fuss that we were going to have to go through to get there. We tried for a year to get pregnant on our own and the next two years I spent taking all different kinds of medications and seeing many different doctors, including fertility specialists. At the end of our last cycle of medications I went in for the pregnancy test and blood work. I received a call later that day with the results. The nurse calling told me that she had good news and that we were pregnant! She mentioned that my blood test results looked normal for early pregnancy and that they didn’t anticipate that I would be pregnant with multiples.

I was ecstatic to be pregnant. I went into the doctor’s office a few weeks later because I was having a reaction to fertility medication. My entire body was swollen; I had gained 30lbs and couldn’t feel my legs. They did an ultrasound and showed my pregnancy on the monitor; one black blob.

The next day, which happened to be our one year wedding anniversary, I went back to the doctor’s office to have a procedure to reduce the swelling and fluid build-up. As the doctor gave me an ultrasound my husband and I joked about how we would someday tell our child about how we spent our first anniversary at the doctor’s office. I wasn’t paying attention until I finally looked over at the doctor and the ultrasound monitor.

There were THREE black blobs on the monitor. THREE healthy heart beats! THREE!! Needless to say we were shocked!

When we left we immediately called our parents. Both of which argued with us thinking that we were just playing a joke on them. We would need three of everything; three cribs, three car seats, and a new car that would be large enough for a triple stroller.

My pregnancy overall was pretty uneventful. I worked full time until 26 weeks when I decided that I was ready to slow down. Two days later at an appointment my cervix started to shorten and my doctor put me on modified bed rest.

One of the great things about having multiples, and being a “high-risk pregnancy” is that I was getting ultrasounds at every appointment so I was able to see my babies growing and having healthy heart beats consistently. At 30 weeks my blood pressure skyrocketed and I was hospitalized for preeclampsia.

I lived at St. Vincent’s for the next five weeks. To keep busy (and my sanity) my friends and family would come and take me out of my room. My doctor gave me permission to leave the floor in a wheelchair, so I would go outside to get fresh air or go have dinner in the cafeteria with my husband. I learned how to crochet, did word-searches, played my husband’s video games and watched movies.

At 35 weeks my doctor decided that we had waited long enough. The babies were at the point that they were not going to be an “automatic NICU admission” so we made all of the phone calls and family came in from hours away. I delivered Jordin Timothy, 4lbs 14oz, Jiovanni Bradley, 4lbs 10oz, and Arriyonnah Margaret, 4lbs 1oz. Arriyonnah was admitted to the NICU for observation because of her weight.

It was one of the strangest feelings I have ever had, to know that I had given birth to three babies but to only be able to see two of them. To not be able to snuggle her and hold her close to me, to not be able to feed her and do what mothers are supposed to do. I was not able to see her until the next morning when I was allowed to get out of bed. My husband was able to spend a lot of time with her and would bring pictures back to me. The boys were healthy and went straight back to our room with us. Less than 24 hours after being born, Arriyonnah was brought back to our room with us and she was doing great.

Two days after giving birth we were all released from the hospital. The hospital gave us one cart for all of our stuff and one cart to roll the babies out on. My parents met us at the hospital and we filled their car with all of our stuff and we filled our car with our new family and home we went. I don’t think that my husband had ever driven so carefully.

Today the “babies” are 2 ½. They are super busy and learn new things every day. It is amazing to see little pieces of ourselves in them. They communicate with each other in their own way; they have opinions about everything and are not afraid to express them. They wake up each morning and hug each other and give kisses. Our struggles are no longer about feeding and schedules but about potty training and finding moments to give them each alone time with mommy and daddy. Our days are filled with joy, love, excitement and chaos . . .
But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Advice to New MoMs: LAUGH! Sometimes that’s all that you can do!

What do to with an extra hour a day: I would spend it with my husband…just the two of us. Between the kids and both of us working full time we hardly ever get a moment to ourselves.

Savanna M.

2011 FHM Secretary

Mommy to Jordin, Jiovanni, & Arriyonnah

{ 3 comments }

Shasta’s Blog: Outrageous Fortune: I ♥ my husband

by Full House MOM on June 19, 2011

>Wanted to share this loving blog post by a fellow FHM member, Shasta. She has a terrific husband, as do many of us, who not only give us breaks we need from raising multiples, but also pitch in around the house after working full work weeks.

Happy Father’s Day to all of our fabulous Dads!
Outrageous Fortune

{ 1 comment }

Happy Fathers’ Day to Dads-to-be

by Full House MOM on June 16, 2011

My partner Ken and I have been together for over 20 years, and have finally decided to start a family. We could have gone the adoption route, but have seen too much rejection, long waiting times and disappointment, so we decided to hire an egg donor and surrogate instead! It took a while for us to agree on the right egg donor and surrogate, and after making those decisions, it took another 5 months to prepare the two girls for the embryo transfer! At first, we were going to split the eggs, and freeze Ken’s embryo, and transfer two of mine. The chances of both embryo surviving is not that great, so we figured that after the first transfer and birth, we would transfer Ken’s embryo a couple of years later. At the very last minute, we decided to transfer one embryo from each of us, and hope that both would make it! We are now about 20 weeks into the pregnancy, our surrogate is doing an amazing job, and both babies are doing great! We found out that we are having a boy and a girl, and it will be fun to see who has the boy and who has the girl, although each will be both of ours! We are naming them Nico and Kate, and although we won’t be official dads this Fathers’ Day, we certainly feel like we are and are so excited to actually be dads soon! We are so grateful to the amazing technology available to make this dream possible for us!

Excited Dads-to-be Ken & Beat

{ 5 comments }

A Dad’s Perspective on Making it Work at Home

by Full House MOM on June 15, 2011

I work a compressed work week. This means I work Sunday through Tuesday night and every other Saturday night. At first I thought this was going to be a bad deal for my family, all I could think about were the things that I would potentially be missing out on. I never thought about the one on one time I would be able to have with our kids on my days off. I have talked to a couple of other parents who work a similar schedule to mine and have their kids in day care for their days off. This was not a thought that ever went through our minds, and I am glad this plan has stuck.

My first week home alone with our kids was an eye opening experience to say the least. They were 6 weeks old, my wife was finally feeling well enough to go back to work and it was my time to grab ahold of the reins by myself. I was in our bedroom changing my daughter while talking to my brother in law (who works at the same place I do) on the telephone. He was checking in seeing how my first couple of days by myself with the kids was going. I was telling him about all of the cute things they are doing and how it’s a lot of work but it is definitely worthwhile. I turned from my daughter on the changing table to grab a diaper, holding her feet up and making sure she was not going anywhere. Suddenly my side turned a bit warm and I thought that was odd. Well she apparently was not done with that diaper yet and decided to unload all over my side and most of the bed. The first thought that came to mind was “how can such a beautiful girl make that much of a nasty mess?” Having my brother in law on the phone did not help things much since he heard a reaction out of me and asked what was going on. Not thinking I told him and the laughter ensued, and continued for a while later once I was back on shift at work.

When my wife was pregnant with the kids I would often put music on in the living room while she rested on our bed. Apparently the kids enjoyed it because they would be having their own dance party going while the music played. Their enjoyment of music has not passed and I am happy about that. Listening to them sing songs that they hear, and making up new ones is always entertaining. From the Lullaby song, to Super Why they love them all.

Our family enjoys riding ATV’s at the Oregon dunes recreational area in North Bend. Our kids love camping and it is now a much better time for our family than it once was. All of these stages we go through make us appreciate them a bit more. On our first camping trip we lasted one night, it was too early for us and none of us slept a wink. During their first summer we were away at the dunes every holiday weekend, and the sleep was still difficult but at least they slept through. Our daughter never had much of an issue going to sleep, but our son wanted none of it. Couple that with camping in a trailer together, it made neither of them want to go to sleep at night. It was cute watching them in their playpens and look at each other, and talk amongst themselves. We now go camping and it is a great time. We have toys for them to play in the sand with, there are all sorts of critters for them to check out, and the family experience is awesome for everyone.

Recently we found an inflatable bounce house for a good deal. I think we were more excited about this find than the kids were at the time. We rushed home to set it up and the first place it landed was in the front yard. Keep in mind when we bought this it was relatively sight unseen. Just bundled up into a Rubbermaid tote with a price tag. We rolled it out in the dark and got it all setup. The kids couldn’t believe their eyes, they had played in these before but this one was at their home. After that first night of playing with them in it, each morning brought the same question “I want to go outside, play in the bounce house,” so I would set it up for them and we would play outside for the rest of the day. One morning I went up and got my daughter ready for our day together, followed by getting my son ready. I went into his room and his usual request of playing outside was the first thing he asked me. I thought it would be fun to play a joke on him and ask, “What if it snowed last night? Do you still want to go outside?” Granted it was May so snow was out of the question (well at least in previous years). His response was, “Uh… YEAH!” Realizing that he did not quite understand my joke we got ready and headed outside. The next week my wife tells me that he keeps saying it snowed outside when they would go down the stairs. She didn’t understand where it was coming from.

One evening while sitting at home with the family our kids started talking about lady bugs in the kitchen. My wife and I both figured they were just pretending and kinda shrugged it off. This is when I learned that lady bugs come in all shapes and sizes apparently. The kids had found a spider. Not being a fan of little spiders (the big ones don’t bother me, but the little ones I believe are far more unpredictable) I decided to take care of the ladybug for them. Well I should have thought this out a little better, now no bug is safe from being squished by a shoe. We also learned that dad can’t fix everything. Worms when broken apart are not fixable no matter how many tools dad has in his garage. This should make fishing this summer interesting though.

Working outside is something the kids have done with me since they have been able to crawl. It started out as them watching me work, either in the Beep Beep Jeep or the Johnny Jump Up but now they help out and that is a lot of fun. My daughter is a bit frightful of loud machines. The vacuum cleaner was her worst enemy until she was about 18 months old. My son doesn’t mind them, so recently when I was mowing the back yard I called him to help. He came over and I told him to hold onto the bar and help. We would get to the end of the row and I would show him where to stand to be out of harm’s way. Once we were ready to begin again he would come over and help. When we were getting ready to mow one day I grabbed a shovel and started picking up landmines. My daughter asked what I was doing and I explained to her. Now she is the dog poo police. She has also learned where to find bugs in the back yard. They are underneath the weeds that dad pulls. This turned into a good deal for me. She wants bugs so she pulls weeds. The worms are a favorite, but beetles are even better in her eyes. The first time she came to me with a beetle asking what it was, I was surprised she was holding it. Not that it would hurt her but they are a creepy looking unit.

Our kids will be celebrating their 3^rd birthday September 6^th. They have taught me as many things as I have tried to teach them. We have a relationship that many fathers don’t get to experience with their children. I value this more than anything. We have a great time together, fixing things around the house, finding bugs in the backyard, learning that the air vents in the car are not a good place to put change, finding out how to get said change out of the air vents, and many more that I will not bore you with. Cherish your time with your family. In our time of running around, trying to take care of everything, make them your number one priority. These are the times that the family will all remember.

Mark C.
FHM Husband to Tiffany, Dad to Cami & Ty, 2.5 years old

{ 3 comments }

A Father’s Unique Adoption

by Full House MOM on June 14, 2011

In the fall of 2005, as the nights were getting cooler and the leaves were starting to change, I fell in love with Gary. He was tall, smart, funny, sarcastic, thoughtful, and about 30 other adjectives (all jotted down in an orange Moleskin notebook, of course) that signaled the end of my single mom day. I invited him over one evening in early October to meet four-year-old Soren. They briefly shook hands and then settled in to watch an uproariously funny (at least to a couple of boys) episode of America’s Funniest Home Videos. Little did I know, the relationship between Gary and Soren that started that night would grow and deepen just as my own relationship with Gary was growing and strengthening.

I can’t imagine a present-day Soren without six years of Gary in his life. How would his interests and skills have developed without Gary? Would Soren have developed an interest in aircraft without a stepdad who worked in aviation? Would he have learned to explain how an internal combustion engine worked before the age of five? Would he have an encyclopedic knowledge of World War II? Would he know and use the “English” words “trainers” and “windscreen” instead of “tennis shoes” and “windshield” without an English stepfather?

Gary has taught Soren about aircraft. He’s taught him to golf. He’s spent hours with him building rocket ships out of plywood and assembling model airplanes and rockets (and then loosing them on unsuspecting neighborhoods near the parks and fields where they launch and fly them). He’s taught him about inertia and the Mars Rover and material composition and model aircraft.

Sure, there have been some less than heart-warming moments. Soren still refuses to laugh at the time Gary forced our picky eater to try a tomato. Maybe with time that wound will heal. So far, it’s not even helped by the memory of when new-dad Gary let four-year-old Soren have a chocolate pudding cup for breakfast thinking it was just another yogurt.

I am thankful every day that Gary came into my life and into Soren’s. Meeting Gary makes me believe that things happen for a reason, that they happen the way they’re supposed to happen. I can’t imagine Soren being Soren without Gary in his life. And without Gary in his life, Soren also wouldn’t have his younger brother and sister. He wouldn’t have the life we’ve built together.

Today is our Warnerversary, the one-year anniversary of Gary adopting Soren. One year ago today, the man that had raised and supported and loved Soren for five years officially became his father. We celebrated last year with chocolate cake. The two of them will celebrate this year with a night of laser tag and a dinner out. I will spend some quiet time at home being grateful for things working out the way they did, being grateful for an amazing husband and father to all three of my children.

Robyn W.

Wife to Gary & Mom to Soren

{ 7 comments }

Ultrasound Oops?

by Full House MOM on June 10, 2011

Please feel free to add to the forum conversation in the comments below.

Did anyone have an ultrasound around 17 weeks and find out later that one or both babies were not the gender you were originally told?

Personally, no, but I have heard many stories of women being told a different gender when their first US was pre-20-weeks.

My friend had an US at 20 weeks and thought it was a girl until birth. They were shocked when their son was born.

Yes, I have heard this a few times. I actually know two people who had a baby a different gender than they were told to expect. I had two ultrasounds pre 20 weeks and the sonographer would not even hint or say “maybe” which gender because she said you really can not be 100% sure until 20 weeks (and even then there is a chance it could be different). We appreciated her honestly!

A friend of mine was told she was having a boy and found out towards the end of her pregnancy that it was a girl. My cousin’s wife had the opposite…she was told they were having a girl and found out towards the end of her pregnancy that it was a boy.

One of our earlier ultrasounds, probably 13 weeks, we were told one was definitely a boy and the other most likely a girl. At the 20 week ultrasound it was confirmed they were two boys. I’m a Nurse Midwife, so I knew better–as stated previously here, before 20 weeks the ultrasound is not definitive enough. And even after 20 weeks, people occasionally get a surprise.

Thanks for all the feedback! I was told we are having 2 girls but I had a really hard time trying to see the ‘girl parts’ on baby B. I thought I had seen something hanging out by the babys leg…. I will wait until my next ultrasound to feel a little more confirmed. Thanks again Ladies!

Yep, we were told 2 girls, and although it was early, the tech was really positive and said he had been wrong once in something like 17yrs (it turns out he was the supervisor also!). A month or so later, we found out they were actually b/g. Good thing no one had started buying matching pink sets!

At 14 weeks, the U/S tech said she got a very good look at one of them and since they were identical, the other baby would be the same. We had an U/S every two weeks, and I think for the next 2 months I always asked if they were still boys! The answer was always “yes”.

We went in at about 14 weeks and the tech said he could take a 98% guess…my husband said no cause he knew I would be out buying stuff the minute I knew the genders! At our 20 week, we found out we were having B/B and it was totally obvious!

I had an awesome tech at NW Perinatal (Suzanna-loved her!) who “guessed” that both of mine were girls at 13 weeks. She was right! We confirmed it at 16 weeks and every few weeks after that (I always had them double check, lol)

{ 0 comments }