A Stranger's Kindness

The past, oh, 48-hours have been rough for the Owens household. And I am going to guess that we are just at the tip of the iceberg. Poor Keagan contracted a virus at school and has been so very sick. I have never seen my child this type of sick before and it scares me. The night before last he was up through the night with a fever (which started on Wednesday evening) and we were alternating ibuprofen and acetaminophen. I assumed he was getting his two-year molars because he was just a little clingy but otherwise normal. So I took him to school Thursday. When I went to pick him up yesterday around 2:30 in the afternoon, his teacher was just about to take his temp and call me. I looked at my sweet boy, sitting at pint-sized snack table, eyes glassy and cheeks red. His teacher said he had had diarrhea all day. The fever was not due to teeth. Last night at home was pretty much awful. Poor Keagan couldn't stay off the potty (we are potty-training...and I was actually going to post about that....but it will wait) or keep a dry diaper on. His bottom is raw from the diarrhea and clearly painful. His fever was only mildly staying down with medicine. He wouldn't eat and anything he drank ran right through him. We changed our sheets right before bed and then during the night we had to change Keagan's bed...and he came back into bed with us but on towels. No one has slept good for two nights. The baby has been very patient, thank God, but he is still a baby and needs a lot of attention. Somehow, we made it to this morning. Luckily Josh was able to stay home with Keagan this morning so I could work just a bit, then we switched roles this afternoon so Josh could go to work. I took Finn to daycare so Josh could focus on Keagan and when I dropped him off I learned that 4 more children from Keagan's class went home yesterday evening. The events and fatigue caught up with me and I started crying while talking to the director of Keagan's school. It is just so hard to see your baby like this (and he continues to be feverish and have diarrhea...add in vomiting this afternoon). I hadn't had my coffee or any breakfast yet so I decided to go through McDonalds drive-thru. I really wanted a peppermint mocha. The lady said their machine was down...now that was nearly enough to send this momma into hysterics. I was going to nix the whole thing and drive off, but then I decided to just get a coffee and a breakfast burrito. Whatever, it was something and I needed to get to my first patient's house. When I got to Window #1 to pay, the McDonalds girl told me the lady in front of my paid for mine. I was confused and asked did I need to pay for hers? Nope. The lady got mine. Just out of kindness. I cried some more. She has no idea how her act of kindness has affected me throughout the day today. It was only $2.43 that she spent on me. She doesn't know me. And she doesn't know my "story." But I have had a couple of the toughest days on record as a mommy and, although she will never know, her simple act of kindness helped me out tremendously. I am writing this blog because I want you all to know that kind people still exist. And today, I am so incredibly thankful for this. I needed a pick-me-up, a refresher (after-all I am now solo tonight with a sick baby and a little baby), a "hug" in a sense from a stranger. I rolled down my window, waved my hand and shouted THANK YOU!! to her. She replied "You are very welcome." Then I said to myself, "thank you. you have no idea how much that meant to me." And I thanked God for her and for my children. And cried some more (fatigue is a powerful thing). Sometimes it is the simple things that a stranger does that diverts the course of your whole day, and improves it. To whoever this stranger is, Thank You. My child may still be sick and I may have a difficult night ahead once he wakes from his nap and I pick up the baby from daycare, but I have this simple act of kindness to fall back on and remind me that God is looking out for me.

All I want for Christmas...

Let the Christmas fun begin!

Four Months Old

Finley had his 4 month well-baby check up today. I say this weekly, but it really is hard for me to believe that he is already 4 months old. And Keagan is almost two-and-a-half. At 4 months old, Finn is weighing in at 16lbs 2 oz (75th percentile) and is 26 inches long (85th percentile). I have felt that this baby was huge. And in my mind he is WAY bigger than Keagan was at 4 months. But you might be surprised to learn that he really isn't. I guess in my mind Keagan is tiny because he was small at birth. I need to get this out of my head because Keagan is not tiny. And Finn is not huge, not even compared to Keagan at this age! Keagan was 14lbs 7 oz and 25.5" long. So, really not a huge difference!

 

At four months, Finley is:

• still passionate. He wants what he wants when he wants it. And when he doesn't get it (say, when he strapped in the carseat and we are driving down the road, or when I am working with Keagan on something..) he screams. I do mean all-out-blood-curdling screams. And then he loses his breath. Then tears spray from his eyes. It makes you jump-to when he starts to fuss because you know that it won't be long (read: 20 seconds) until those gentle fusses turn into run-for-the-hills screams. Not kidding.
• loving, snuggly, and flirty. Especially with his mommy. He could hold me all day long. And he loves to rub his face in me. He is a great nurser and this is my default setting when I don't know how else to soothe him. Works every time.
• finicky. In fact, his teachers have nick-named him Finicky Finley because he doesn't take a bottle well. Still. He wants mommy and mommy only (see above). I thought we were past this, but just yesterday he didn't take his bottle well, and then he didn't take one at all today. Lovely.
• still sleeping in his bassinet beside my bed. I am a sucker...but it is so darn convenient. This is going to have to change soon though because he is about to out-grow the bassinet.
• not consistent in his sleeping pattern. The past two nights he has slept completely through the night. But the week prior to that he was waking once to nurse, and just before that twice. But prior to this he was sleeping through the night. Basically I go to bed not knowing when or how often I will be woken up.

 

Finley doesn't like:

• being in his carseat. In fact he screams most of the time. Unless he is really tired, then he will sleep. But if he is awake and strapped in, better have some ear plugs.
• being left alone.
• taking his medicine/vitamins...but he is getting better with it.
• evenings. For some reason evenings are rough...they have always been but it doesn't seem to be improving. The kid could nurse straight from 6 to 10 at night if I would let him.

 

Finley likes:

• playing on his playmat, reaching for the toys. He tolerates tummy-time but doesn't love it. He can't roll just yet, but I think it will happen soon. Then we will never keep him on his tummy.
• milk. Specifically from me, and not from a bottle. Josh once explained to Finn that taking a bottle was like getting take-out: same food, different container.
• his brother. Keagan moves fast and has neat toys...and Finley likes to watch him
• diaper changes. Thankfully, he doesn't pitch a fit with diaper changes. I actually think if he could talk he would thank me after I changed his diaper.
• bath time...and he likes to kick-kick-kick and drench me and everything around me.
• having his fuzzy head rubbed. But who doesn't?

Here's my chunky Keagan when he was 4 months old...I am starting to see some resemblance (especially in the above pic of Finley)...

Triple the Fun

True Story.

This time last year three women, three friends, found out that they were expecting. As reality set in for the three women, they learned that they were all due the first week of August...in fact within two days of each other. Weeks passed, nausea improved, weight piled on...and then all three women learned they were having BOYS!

Me, Lindsy, and Abby had more in common than ever now. But as fun as it was to compare stories and share updates and doctor's appointments, we all looked forward to who would go first and how would it go. As the end neared, our text messages became more and every time I got a call from Lindsy I would answer with "Is it happening???" (which I know she didn't appreciate because I figured she would go first...but she went two weeks after me and Abby..)

During pregnancy one thing we all discussed was getting the boys together as soon as possible before they were all too big. At first, after Finn was born, I couldn't imagine how this would happen. It was overwhelming enough going to Walmart with the boys let alone a trip away from home! But then the opportunity fell into our laps...the dates lined out perfectly, and we could all three families make it happen! Lindsy booked a cabin for us in Pigeon Forge and we met there this past weekend. It was crazy wonderful fun! Six adults and seven kids aged 5 and under (three infants!) all in one cabin...scared? I will be honest...I was! But the kids were fantastic, the babies were great, and the adults even got a teensy bit of grown-up time in the hot tub after the kids went to bed. We even stayed up until midnight!! (GASP!) It was like a hot tub time machine (yes, that is a -very stupid- movie...) and we reminisced about life before kids. The best part was meeting each family's newest addition. And despite their very young age, I think the boys loved it too!!

 

Here are pics to show you what our weekend pretty much consisted of:

Keagan has a major crush on Kennedy. She, being the mature older woman, could care less about him. But he was putting the moves on her! ;)

Our non-sibling triplet boys! In left-to-right order of appearance into the world: Cayden Burns, Finley Owens (who spit up just after putting his outfit on), and Greyson Taylor.

  Poor Grey couldn't handle much more so he went to eat...Cayden and Finn hung out a little longer...

 

Fantastic view from our front porch...doesn't get much better than this!

 The kids LOVED playing on the wrap-around porch...

 The Whole Crew!

Taylor Family

Burns Family

Owens Family

The girls and their newest little loves...Abby and Cayden, me and Finn, Lindsy and Greyson

Girls, I cannot wait until next year when we do this again!!! It was a blast and it truly excites me to think of these little boys growing up together. Imagine it! Our big kids played so well together and they are all different ages...just imagine how much fun these little boys will have! We may be in for it! ;)

miniature chippendales

Yes, I am obsessed with my kids. Yes, I think they are the most beautiful babies in the world. Isn't this how every momma should be? So, yes, I take tons and tons of pictures of them. I honestly can't get enough of them! This past weekend my friend Misty took some amazing pictures of the boys in her studio. I was under the impression I was going to help her take pics of her newborn and do a few of my boys! Buuuut, she ended up taking pics of everyone else's kids instead of her own! We did get some of sweet baby Ellison, but not nearly enough in my book. (Afterall, I think its OK to take umpteen pics of your kids, then post them on a blog, and brag brag brag about how beautiful they are!) Anywho, Finn was incredibly cooperative. Keagan, on the other hand, was not. He was rowdy, and hyper, and destructive. He was TWO. But she still got some fantastic shots of him. I haven't taken any "professional" pictures of him in a while (except the ones taken at our maternity shoot and Finn's newborn shoot) because he is just too busy to sit still for pics. But Misty did a great job and I love them! Here they are!!

And now I am going to make you laugh, really hard. Ever seen that Saturday Night Live skit with Patrick Swayze and Chris Farley where they are trying out to be Chippendales? After viewing the pics above, I had a flashback to this skit. It got me tickled. Well, when I showed Josh the pics later that night he said, without my prompting, that Finn looked like Chris Farley and Keagan looked like Patrick Swayze in that same skit. Great minds think alike....!  Well here is the skit for your viewing pleasure:

Patrick Swayze & Chris Farley : Chippendales by tartenpion333



OK, back to the pictures.

Hopefully my next blog post will have some content for you and not just be amazing pictures of my adorable children ;)