California McMillans

The kids seem to be adjusting well to Blake.  This morning, as he was crying, Kira said, "It's okay.  It's okay."  So far, Tyler hasn't hit Blake.  He just goes for Kira.  Tyler is finally putting some meat on his bones.  He has done well emotionally and physically but occasionally reminds us who Tyler really is with the lung-straining and ear splitting screams:  "Get me some water RIGHT NOW!"  He'll make a great boss someday.  I like this picture because it highlights his honey-colored eyes and shows the progress of his open bite:  only open 3 mm.  I don't know what Scott is chewing on but he has a normal overbite/overjet.   Kira looks just like Heidi at this age. The docta doing formula duty Tyler's tint is a bit blue and Blakey's is jaundiced.  Scott wanted to hunt for frogs in the golf course but we didn't find any.

Tyler, Kira and Blake had check-ups today so we had our first family adventure as a family with four....it went alright.  It could have been worse. Since the kids are on spring break and physicals are needed for Kindergarten and 1st grade the place was packed.  They got us in really quickly, pulling my kids away from the Little Mermaid to sit and wait and wait and wait.  If I was smart, I would have sat outside with the Little Mermaid as my babysitter, but I was just not thinking.  Blame it on sleep deprivation.  We played hide in seek with the gloves, read the pamphlet on temper tantrums for Tyler and made up other games.  An hour later, we were seen. Tyler did awesome until he was the only one that had to get three shots.  Before that he acted like a pro...I wonder why?  He is fine, except for his whole heart thing. Kira went next.  She did fine.  Doesn't like when she has to lay down but still better than Scott when it comes to doctors.  She is really petite, but I have a

 Blake with open eyes at Kaiser Sand Creek  Heidi enjoying the hospital food.  She drove herself and Blake home in the Swagger Wagon. All bundled up and sleeping soundly.  I bought some formula and bottle-fed him and that has made him satisfied.  Heidi's milk should come in tomorrow and then we won't have to do formula but we're hoping for 2-3 hours of uninterrupted sleep at a time.  Wishful thinking?

This was the first kid that Danny and I really didn't have a name picked out.  We didn't even really discuss it.  We liked the name Daxon.  I pulled up a name list at the hospital and we liked Luke, Blake and Jake.  Funny how things can change.  Scott liked Blake the best, so as I was filling out the birth certificate today, Danny said we should call him Blake since that is what Scott wanted. He said they don't have a choice in having another sibling but can at least choose the name. Tyler and Scott thought the baby should be Skyler for the past couple of months since that is both of their names combined so we let them have Skyler for the middle name. I like Skyler, but it would have been too much with a Tyler and Skyler in our family. S-K-YLER (all three of the kids names).  So that's it for the name folks.  Brought to you by our three kids.  Still getting used to a boy named Blake.  I think it is cute.  It fits in with Scott, Tyler and Kira well plus he just kind of l

So I went in for my 39 week appt on the 20th.  My parents were coming out for Kira's birthday and came out a little earlier so I didn't need to bring the three kids to the appt.  I didn't know how relaxing it could be in a doctors office without kids.  The doctor saw me and was very concerned about how small I was measuring.  I told her that I measure small with all my kids and after my first was born they stopped worrying about it.  Well, my smallness, an abnormal test result I had around week 20 that is an indicator of small babies and other things made her concerned.  So she tried getting me an ultrasound (which was only available the next day) and had me do an NST.  The NST was fine. But the doctor said I was having some contractions and my blood pressure wasn't great and the baby's heart rate would dip a little with contractions so said maybe we should just induce you if you want.  Hey, my parents were watching the kids, I haven't been feeling great the pas

It is always fun to see what your baby looks like, even though they change into this totally different being in a couple of days.  I think it is even more fun with each child to see if any of them look like each other.  Here are pictures around the same time.  (Scott's is a little older because I don't have a close up of him as a brand new newborn).  My sister's kids look like twins.  Not so much with our family, but I do think they have similarities.   TheThree Boys...Scott Tyler Blake And Kira...  From these pictures I think that Blake looks so similar to Tyler.  At the hospital I thought he looked just like Scott.  Scott and Blake love to scrunch their faces and look like these little old men. He has Danny and Scott's eyes.  All of my kid are born with the same dimpled chin, little noses.  Fun to compare.  I think we might have another little Danny on our hands. We shall see.

 The man without a name.   You'll get all the juicy details later.  I'm tired and this is the best I can do for now.

The tooth fairy visited Scott on Friday.  Then on Saturday, he lost another tooth, so on Sunday he woke up to another dollar.  But he was mad.  Heidi went to talk to him and she said he felt like the tooth fairy didn't like him because he only got a dollar.  We tried to trick him into thinking that two dollars had fallen behind the bed, but he was like, "You just gave me those two dollars.  Some of my friends got five." So that approach didn't work.  Then I tried to use some logic, since Scott responds well to that.  I said, "Some of your friends had to have their teeth removed by the dentist, and they had to get a shot.  The tooth fairy gave them a bonus.  Yours came out pretty easily, so that's why you got a dollar."  By the time church came he was mostly over the stingy tooth fairy.  At church, he and Tyler wrestled on the floor and weren't that reverent.  Scott is old enough to sit on the bench and be reverent, or at least draw quietly.  Yo

Finally, after several weeks of wiggling his lower front teeth, Scott lost a tooth on Friday.  He came to the office to get the special tooth container so he could leave it for the tooth fairy.  We spent the night in Walnut Creek since I had to work early there, and Scott visited us at about four in the morning to show us that the tooth fairy had come.  Then, the next day, he lost his other central and the tooth fairy visited him again.

UOP is on break, so I had Thursday off.  Heidi, the kids and I went in the Swagger Wagon to Sausalito to check out the Discovery Museum of Science.  We had a discount from Scott's library membership and got the family in for $11.  Normally, it's 11/person, which wasn't worth it for us. The weather was cold and Tyler wanted to stay inside and do art projects while Scott, Kira and I explored the outside exhibits.  My favorite was the willow sculpture. The redwood cutout was cool, too. Back at home, Little Miss Independent paints her nails while Tyler observes. And Scott does some laps with Bessie while I cut the grass.

Tyler is over six weeks post-op.  I think he is doing well.  He has the occasional outbursts and episodes of screaming, but those are lessening.  Lately, he has been into hugs and kisses.  He likes to wave bye-bye to me as I pedal off to work. Tyler had his first piano lesson with me.  I was impressed at his attention span and the fact that he seemed to remember the notes we went over. Last night, after work, we all rode bikes to the high school.  Scott and Tyler wanted to go on an adventure with the bikes, so we pedaled around in the dirt for a while.  Tyler was happy on insta-tandem and Scott was on his own bike.  They didn't tire of the adventures, so Heidi began towing Tyler and I drove E-maxx with Kira.  Eventually, Tyler got cold and wanted to go home but it was getting dark anyway. Is this the calm before the storm?  Maybe.  Heidi is due in about two weeks but we are anticipating the baby's arrival any day.  I was talking to the neighbors and they offered to hel

This little girl melts my heart.  She is: Independent. She goes to the bathroom by herself, attempts to wipe herself, finds me to show me her treasures, and then proceeds to empty her toilet into the big potty.  If I try to help, I get yelled at.  I am still unwilling to full on potty train her since she will have accidents when we are out.  She insists on climbing into the car by herself and buckling her carseat which doesn't help us get places on time since she can't get the buckles into the right slots half the time.   Feisty: She is determined, always full of energy and will not put up with Tyler's attitude.  She will say, "No Tyler.  Bad Tyler." when he is naugthy. Daddy's girl: She loves her dad.  Today she heard a motorcycle so went outside calling for dad.  Sadly, it wasn't him so she decided to have me call him.  She beams when she talks to him.  Danny started teaching her body parts in spanish this week so she was on the phone and pointi

A HAPPY, PERFECT, CUTE little man at his EKG this morning.  Had to record it for the record books.  We waited for a long time since they don't have appointments and Tyler was happy reading a new book from the library and Kira was happy running up and down the hall and looking out the big window. Kira loves when they put the EKG stickers on Tyler and he was all smiles and laughs.   What a great change. I am so grateful for his happy mood today and just wanted to share it with the world.  I am going to savor every minute of my happy child. Lately Tyler has been telling me orders that Dr. Cooper, his cardiologist has given him. Such as today he said, "Tyler should eat a lot of ice cream," or "Tyler can be a twin even with his special heart."