Cheerio Confessions

1. What do you read when you are sitting on the toilet?
Whichever book I'm on in whichever series I'm stuck on and re-reading repeatedly.

2. Do you pee in the shower?
Uh...ew!

3. Do you always wash your hands after you use the toilet?
Yes, I do.

4. Do you allow someone to come into the bathroom while you are using the toilet?
Cleo is usually in there with me. Sometimes Elliott Richard or Emmett John will be in there with me, although Elliott Richard won't be permitted with me for much longer. Then Rob is in there with me when we're getting ready for bed at night. Yeah, after 3 kids you kind of lose your sense of privacy. (lol)

5. Do you clean your shower in the nude?
Nooooo...???

6. When you use the toilet at someone else's house do you go through their medicine cabinet and/or their bathroom cabinets and drawers?
No, I think about it but I'm always terrified that they will hear me opening the cabinet or drawers. So I leave them alone.

7. For the Men...Have you ever left the toilet seat up on purpose to irritate the woman in your life?
Last I checked, I was a woman so this doesn't apply to me.

8. For the Women...Have you ever fallen into the toilet because someone left the toilet seat up?
Yes, I have. The worst was when I was pregnant with Mr. Emmett John and I fell in at 3am. I was a seriously angry pregnant woman!

9. Do you courtesy flush?
Butt, of course. (lol) Ha ha ha, I made a funny.

10. Do you light a match or a candle or spray an air freshner when you are finished pooping?
Yes, I doo. (lol) That one was a total typo but still a funny one. =)

11. Have you ever fallen asleep on the toilet?
Again, I think I may have dozed off while pregnant with Mr. Emmett John.

12. What is the strangest thing you have ever flushed down the toilet?
I'd have to say tampons off the top of my head. There's just something about tampons that seems a little...odd to me. I don't know why. I know their purpose, obviously, since I use them monthly and all. They still strike me as odd and kind of freak me out. (lol)

I stole this from Jennifer over at BPD in OKC. I would say if you want to play along head over there and steal it from her but that's silly. Instead, I'll link you to the blog that she got it from Monday Mayhem. So head over there. Copy the questions. Answer them. And add yourself to Mr. Linky. =)

Enjoy! =)

3/28

(You're supposed to sing the title to the tune of "The 12 Days of Christmas".)

3 Sick Boys

Yes, you read that correctly all three of my boys are sick, again. Isn't that always how it seems to go in the Cheerio household though? I'm not sure if it's better this way or not. I guess it is. I know it would definitely be much easier without the #1 down there. But I digress.

Elliott Richard

Elliott Richard was first. For all the "gory details" see this post here. He will finish up his antibiotics tomorrow. Yippee! Because even though he's on the "bubble gum" meds that most kids love he's 3 and a terrorist and therefore he enjoys being difficult.

Things were just starting to return to "normal" (not a term that usually applies to our household). Meaning that Elliott Richard was sleeping in his bed rather than on the couch in the living room with Daddy. He was sleeping through the night again. Wasn't super whiney or clingy. He was himself again. He seems to be doing much better. Although he's developing a cough, but I'll get to that in a moment.

So things were starting to look up...and then...

Emmett John

Emmett John, never one to be out-done in anything, was next. Friday afternoon he spiked a fever. By Friday night, his fever was 102.8. By Saturday morning it was 103.2 so off to see Dr. Beth we went. No ear infection or strep. It was just a virus. She said to let it run it's coarse and by Monday the fever should be gone. If Monday morning the fever was still there or his cold symptom had returned, I was to bring him back in.

So we suffered the weekend. No one slept. Emmett John screamed a lot. I considered clawing my eyes out and super-gluing my ears shut. But decided against it in the end. We all survived (I use that term loosely).

Monday morning, always the over-achiever, Emmett John still had his fever and his cold symptoms had returned with avengance so off we went to see Dr. M. But really, let's be honest here, what's a week in the Cheerio household without a visit (or two or three - keep reading) to the pediatricians' office? He checked out our young bebe and thought for sure he had strep throat so he did the swabs - rapid and 48hr. Both ended up coming back negative.

So now he's just a super-clingy grump. He doesn't really want to eat. But he downs water and juice like they are going out of style. He's exhausted but won't sleep. Wants to snuggle but doesn't want held. My fellow mommies out there know this drill well. *sigh*

Gavin

Then of course, Gavin had to jump on the bandwagon. Although truthfully, it's not like he had much of a choice, with two sick little brothers the odds were stacked against him in a major way. So a week or so ago Gavin developed a cough. As the week went on the cough got worse. The problem that Patty brought to our attention at our appointment on Tuesday was timing. The cough started about the same time that Dr. R increased Gavin's dose of Zyprexa. Patty was worried that the Zyprexa was possibly that Gavin is over-medicated and it's causing decreased respiratory function. Of course, I mean what else would you expect from a Cheerio Child?!

So I called and made an appointment with Dr. M. The appointment was actually going to work three ways. Here's what they are and why:

a.) If Gavin is over-medicated, the dose will be changed.

b.) If Gavin is sick, hopefully it's something that will be fixed with anti-biotics.

c.) Everytime Gavin gets a tickle in his throat he proclaims that he has asthma, which he does not.

So I was hoping to find answers to all three of those when we met with Dr. M. Although truth be told, Dr. H has already told Gavin on numerous occasions that he does not have asthma. Heck, even his original pediatrician Dr. Mike told him he didn't have asthma. But he's still convinced that he does.

So we went. We saw. We talked. Some of us more than others. Dr. M asked Gavin a bunch of questions to rule out asthma, which he was able to do, again. Then as Dr. M and I were talking about the cough - when it came on, the meds he's taking etc - Gavin kept jumping in with random Aspie statements. "I like pancakes." Things that given the given the context of the conversation really didn't make much sense. Gotta love those Aspies. :)

Dr. M checked him out and let us know that:

a.) He is not over-medicated. Huge relief there.

b.) He is sick.

c.) He also does not have asthma, although I don't know that this will put an end to the debate.

Apparently, Gavin has some funky form of bronchitis. The normal anti-biotics won't work on it because of the cell walls or something. And the anti-biotic they would normally prescribe is Zythromax or something in that family but Gavin is allergic to those. Even if he weren't he can't take them because they increase the levels of the Zyprexa in his blood stream. So he's on an anti-biotic I've never heard of before, which after three boys (especially Emmett John) I didn't think that was possible. lol And I have to take him back on Monday so that Dr. M can listen to his lungs and make sure that he's improving etc.

Back to Emmett John

Now we get to go back to the pediatrician today. In the last 24hrs Emmett John has developed a rash that started on his back so I thought it was heat rash. Then it began to creep. It creeped to his sides, stomach and now it's creeping down both arms and legs. So I called and talked to Paula, one of the lovely nurses, and she talked to Dr. M. He said that he felt Emmett John should be seen because of Gavin and Elliott Richard both being sick. So at 4:15pm we will be back at the pediatrician's office. This time we get to see Dr. H though. Yippee! So we'll see what that brings us. Oy vay.

2 Ped Appointments

Yeah, it was 2 ped appts if you only counted Emmett John with Dr. M on Monday and Gavin with Dr. M yesterday. However, if you count Emmett John with Dr. Beth on Saturday and now Emmett John today. The grand total is now 4 ped appts but that doesn't work with my title at all. ;) lol

1 Fibromyalgia Flare

Yeah, that would be me. Of course, who else would it be. I love living in Ohio. Really, I do. Lately though, this weather, it's killing me. The ups and the downs - the weather is just crazy and it's downright killing me. I've been flaring off and on for nearly 2 weeks now. But that's another post entirely, believe me.

A Baby on the Way

Okay, so he's not so much "on the way" anymore because I started this post 5 days ago and let's face it, that's kind of a long time for active labor! (Ouch!) On Thursday, August 6th my cousin Sam went into labor with her second child, first boy. If you would like to see his stats and a picture of him head on over to her blog. Try and prepare yourself though ~ seriously.

Welcome to the World and to the Family, Mr. Evander Benjamin!

Granted most of this blog thus far has been dedicated to the making, the baking, the raising of Mr. Emmett John along with his brothers. However, if you are new to the Cheerios' Universe and would like a quick run down...let's see what I can do for you.

Surprise! (Coming Soon!)

The Pregnancy (Coming Soon!)

Labor & Delivery (Coming Soon!)

Home (Coming Soon!)

Hospital Stay #1 ~ August 2008 9w

Hospital Stay #2 ~ May 2009 11m

Our Support Teams

Here you will find the links to the various parts of Elliott Richard's story. Some parts are finished. Some are works in progress at the moment. Please check back frequently for the rest of the story. :)

Before

The Pregnancy

Labor & Delivery

The NICU

Home (Coming Soon!)

Aftermath (Coming Soon!)

Our Support Teams

Ah, yes, the Story of Gavin. Definitely not your "fairy tale princess" story, that's for sure. But it's part of our story and it's the beginning of his story, nonetheless. So it must be told. Besides I know you're all simply dying to know where it all began with my ex. ;)

Before (Coming Soon!)

The Pregnancy (Coming Soon!)

Labor & Delivery (Coming Soon!)

Birth to 6 months (Coming Soon!)

6 months to 1 year (Coming Soon!)

Gavin's 7 Rules

Our Support Teams

What is Autism?

What is Aspergers?

What is Bi-Polar?

What is ADHD?

What is OCD?

What is PICA?

What is Sensory Integration Disorder?

What is a Conduct Disorder?

Yesterday was my due date. I didn't even realize it until my Mom said something while we were gabbing on the phone. That's three due dates I've had come and go in life. (Four due dates if you count the miscarriage in 2005.)

I know things are figured differently for preemies (even "late term preemies" like Emmett) but I've never really understood the whole adjusted age thing. But basically that means that Emmett John is now officially full term. :)

I can't believe that yesterday was the "Goal" but he's already been here for 4 weeks. Life is just crazy sometimes.

My nearest and dearest Nikky is currently at the doctor's office. She will be 39 weeks pregnant with her first later this week. She is *very* uncomfortable and looking for an end to come soon. I know she's really anxious to meet Jr and see him. Not to mention be able to "sleep" without loads of pain. (Sssshhhh...we won't tell her about how sleep is a thing of the past once Jr is here. lol)

So if you're so inclined and you have a moment or two...please pray that Jr gets, understands and follows his eviction notice.

Elliott met Emmett for the very first time today. This is a small clip of how it went. Nothing was done to the video because I am to tired and I have both Elliott and Gavin at home now. I just wanted to show how it went. Gavin does not appear on tape. This is for a couple reasons...

1) Gavin doesn't always like being taped.
2) With all the legal "Crap" we are very careful with Gavin.
Once this is all over with (hopefully very soon) then we can just do what we want. But until then we have to be careful what we do. If you are new here and wondering what I am referring to skim through some of the older posts and you'll understand.. Those of you that know us know what we are referring to... Gavin was completely indifferent to Emmett today when they met for the first time. We kinda expected as much. But we know Gavin loves Emmett in his own way and that's good enough for us.

Until later.... Thanks You

Emmett John was born at exactly 12:30am this morning after about 10 hours of "Official" labor. Lizze pushed 12 times. Emmett was born and given right to the NICU staff for once over.. I am so pleased to announce that he is perfect. No problems at all. We were terrified as the time grew closer because of what happened with Elliott Richard.

Lizze did an amazing job and I am so grateful for all her hard work and personal sacrifice in order to bring him into this world. She is absolutely amazing and I am so proud of her. The hospital staff are second to none. I will post more later.

Thank you for yours thoughts and prayers though out this process. While we will still need your continued prayers because of the turmoil our lives are in we made it over a huge hurdle. Thank you so much for thoughts and prayers....

Love,

Rob

Well, doctor just checked me again. I'm now 5-6cm dilated. 90% effaced. Still -2 station. She placed an internal monitor........

Having baby now

Just got checked again. I'm a whopping 5cm and 80% effaced. -2 station. We want 10cm 100% and +2 station. I'm having some major itching as a natural side effect of the epidural. They've increased my pit quite a few times and my epidural once. I predicted he would be here between 9 and 12. I was wrong.

I'm off to try and sleep for a bit.

No NICU.
No NICU.
No NICU.

Doctor (not Dr. D) just came in and checked me. I'm still dilated 4cm but now I'm 80% effaced. So we are making some progress. She said she isn't worried b/c this is my pattern...stall then jump to 10cm. Other than that, nothing much has changed. Tiny is tolerating labor really well. And the general concensus is that he should be fine and we should be able to avoid the NICU.

That's my prayer request: no NICU.

I'll update or have Rob update as needed. Although *the* update make take a while. ;) lol

Epidural in.
Dilated to 4cm.
Water completely broken now.
That's about it for now.

Stupid phone cut me off in mid-email when I was still typing. Oh well, I'll fix it later.

Long story short:

My water is leaking. (it took 2 tests and an ultrasound to confirm this.)
I've been admitted.
Pitcin was started @ 230pm.
Last time I was checked (2.5 hrs ago) I was dilated to 3cm and effacing more.
I am exactly 36 wks today.

We will probably post more later on. Pray he doesn't need the NICU. Please God, don't let him need the NICU.

I'm currently admitted to the hospital! Yes, you read that correctly...I am in the hospital! :)

I was having some nasty contractions last night and this morning. Late last night I was feeling like my water may have broken but I literally didn't have *any* evidence of it breaking so I blew it off. I woke up this morning after a crappy night's sleep with some horrible cramping. I was having some contractions about 5 mins apart that were making me...let's say uncomfortable. (I'm sure Rob will feel free to correct me later. Lol) At one point Rob backed into the "man cave" to get away. Lol

We came in anyway just in case my water was leaking. Turns out that I was rig

Seriously. We do.

I don't think I'll share until he's born though.

Ha. Ha. (Remember you love me! *muah*)

What Tiny is up to this week: The countdown continues… and in fetal developments: most of the bones (soft skull aside) in their little body are now completely hardened, providing a solid structure from which they can now make their grand debut into the world. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we are structurally ready for a secure launch. In physical fitness news: their muscle tone has also improved over these past few weeks, and you’ll definitely be impressed by their steel-like Ulnar grasp (a newborn reflex that occurs if you lay your finger in their palm). And in genital development: if you’re having a girl, her labia are now fully developed. Finally, in the fluids/excretion department: the amniotic fluid-to-baby ratio has fallen over these past weeks, although they’re still swallowing fluid (building up even more meconium for that historic first poop), and some vernix caseosa. They will be more than ready to swallow and digest milk after birth. Just in case you didn’t get it quite yet: you’ve got yourself an adorable and hungry 6.5 lbs 20 inch baby—are you ready?

Now this is all assuming of course that Tiny sticks around for another 7 days. Personally, I highly doubt we'll make it to 37 weeks. And at this point, I question if we'll make it to the end of the week.

I've been having contractions 8 minutes apart all day. My mom came and picked up Gavin for a slumber party. Elliott Richard is having his first slumber party sans grandparents over at Uncle Jon and Aunt Teri's. (I'm not sure who was more excited - Elliott Richard or Aunt Teri when she picked him up.) I was having contractions 3 minutes apart for a few hours but they have moved back to 8 minutes apart. I am having some serious pressure though, which is new. I haven't had pressure like this yet. At times, the pressure is actually more painful than the contraction itself. My nurse yesterday/last night (the one who fought for my admittance) said if "anything changes, anything at all come back". I think the amount of pressure I'm having definitely qualifies as "anything changing". So if that keeps up (it's only gotten worse as the day goes on) I will probably go back in. And then I will probably be sent home, again. *sigh*

Dr. D was kind enough to call in a script for the Zofran. (Thank God!) My insurance will pay for 10 pills. We aren't sure if this is 10 pills at a time. Three days worth at a time (since it's prescribed 3 times a day). Or if it's 10 pills a month. I'm currently trying to figure this out. Anyway, they are dissolving tablets. Which is nice. However, in their attempt to make them not taste like asprin they made they berry flavored. Which is absolutely disgusting when you are already incredibly nauseous.

Okay, so one more quick post before I try and nap. (Ha! Yeah right!) Anyway, it occurred to me last night that for 4 months everyone has been praying for us. For Tiny to stay put. To this I politely and lovingly scream...

REVERSE YOUR ENGINES!!!!!!

No more praying for him to stay put!

Please!

I beg of you!

Pray for him to COME OUT!

Out I say!