Cole Twins X Two

Prayer please!!

2009-02-09T14:23:00.002-06:00

Ok people, I need some major prayers right now. I need a show of hands who can help with prayer chains!

First: My friend Michelle and her daughter Lindsay need major prayers. Lindsay went in for surgery today at 11:30 for a shunt. It was supposed to be a 6/7 hour surgery, but at 2:22 pm I had gotten a text from her that the surgery was aborted. Something happened and they had to get her out of surgery. So that' not good!

Second: My girlfriend Molly's little girl Marin is going in for kidney surgery tomorrow (at the same hospital Michelle's Lindsay is at)

Third - For my girlfriend Jen who's little boy Jake has just been diagnosed with Chiari. He has a syrinx and a 15 mm herniation. He will most likely be having his decompression surgery before the end of the month.

Thanks for all you help!

2007-10-01T14:41:00.001-05:00

I'M BACK - did anybody miss me? Ok, we'll I missed you!!!

Last weekend was PRETTY crazy with family life, so I need to take a step back, catch my breath again (shed a few tears), pull up my BIG girl undies, and start fresh.
Everything things seems to be a bit better. I really could go on, and on, about how my family thinks I am their own personal servant, but I'd rather not.

This blog has always been my "outlet" for when things get tough, but some things you just don't really need to share with the rest world, right? You know like, husband and wife issues, kid issues, dog issues, fish issues, etc, etc, etc...are you catching my drift?

Let see, last week was a total bummer. Found out Carson and Cooper are ranking pretty high for another surgery next year to repair the repair. Does that make any sense? As you saw in a couple of posts prior, Carson and Cooper's skulls aren't closing the way they should be, and the ridges need to be smoothed down. I SERIOUSLY think they forgot to mention that to us when we first were considering surgery. "Carson and Cooper's surgeries, may require surgery. Are you cool?" AH - NO! I don't know how common this issues is of not closing correctly, but it's happening to almost everyone else's kids who had the same surgery. What's with that???

Carson had an appointment with a new "loser" of a pediatric neurosurgeon. OMG!!! It was
T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E!! Carson was needing to be seen for her rocking that she does. We are trying to pinpoint why she rocks. Is it neurological? Is it a sensory thing? Is it a comforting thing? Is it buggin' the hell out of her mother thing? We don't know. So, we saw Dr. "loser".
Carson and I were waiting ever so patiently - which is tough for a 22 month older you know, and in walks Dr. EGO! My first impression, HIGH SCHOOL PREP WHO WOULDN'T GIVE YOU THE TIME OF DAY! There was no, "Hi", I'm Dr.Loser" or "Hi Cindy, Hi Carson, nice to meet you?" Or "Hello, this must be Carson." It wasn't like that at all. I would guess he is probably Very early 30's, and thinks he is the shit of all SHIT! If you had a question about who made the BIG BUCKS in the room, you knew as soon as he walked in. No question there!
I was asking all sort of neurological questions, and he was looking at me like, you're wasting my time lady. Finally, after 10 minutes, the ego came down a bit an I was finally able to talk to him, you know, as GOD to peeon. I had mentioned that I had asked Dr. Jensen to repeat a CT for Carson -since is had been 6months since her last one. He agreed, and called for a CT (Gee, I am so glad I am on top of this CT thing. When in doubt, order a CT. Seriously, I could be the doctor.)
So, once again we will be heading down to CHW on the 10Th for another CT. Carson is just thrilled - I know it!

Then on Friday, I found out that my childhood friend's Grandfather had passed away. You know, If women had balls, I'd tell yah, God had just kicked me straight in the middle of them. If my week hadn't started off like crap, it was sure ending crappy. Kerri's grandfather was a grandfather to all of her friends. He will be missed deeply. So, we will be at the funeral this week. I am so sorry Kerri!

We did however have a terrific weekend. My wonderful friend Molly's little guy, KJ, had just turned 5 and was having his birthday bash. In btwn all of that they are trying to sell their house. We'll guess what???? I know the ending of that saga. If you need to catch up on that, go here. I guess you will just have to wait until she posts again. Or for a 100.00 I will tell you the ending. Are you a gambler? Do you REALLY want to risk it?????

until next time....

Come on over ---->

2007-08-21T14:36:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone:

If you haven't noticed I broke my blog!! See ---> No sidebar. So, I decided to start new!!!

If you would like to continue stalking me and my family, here is the link.

Hope to see you there!!!

http://coletwins.blogspot.com

I believe

2007-08-20T12:20:00.000-05:00

Today, Carson and I will be leaving once again for Children's Hospital for her surgeries tomorrow.

I know it is no where near the magnitude of last years surgery,

but it STILL scares me, they STILL have to put her under, and they will

still be surgically repairing her.
I don't know if there is ever an "easy" surgery, But I guess for us, this is it.

STILL doesn't make me feel any better.

I will report more as I know more.

This will be our life line to our friends and family.

I will update when I can.

I don't really like this video, but love the song.

Thanks

Diamond Rio I Believe

Music Video Codes By Music Jesus.com

Happy 7th Anniversary Matt!

2007-08-18T19:36:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is Sunday, which is also the 19th of August, which is also our 7 year anniversary. I am sad that I don't have any wedding pics to post, But I do have this.....

Our wedding song - If you listen to the words carefully you will hear something else strange that happened with us. Maybe it was a sign of what was to come. To me it's just plain weird.

We've been through a lot in the last 7 years. We are happy to say we are an Internet success story though! Who would have thought a boy from Indiana and a girl from Wisconsin would have made it this far. To be honest, I never told my parents the real story of how we met until the day of our "couples" shower. I was afraid my parents wouldn't approve, but that is all behind us now.

Matt - I know it hasn't been the easiest the last year and a half, we've had some heartaches, but we've replaced it with a lot of laughter. Thank you. Thank you for being by my side.

I love you!

Happy Anniversary!
Thanks for the Suburban!

Our family is now complete

2007-08-18T13:34:00.000-05:00

Ok - so we made a big purchase today and when I say big, I mean BIG.

Last week my girlfriend and and her dear husband made a purchase as well, but for a different cause. Kevin may need to take his clients out to lunch. Who wouldn't want to ride in this sweet car! I wish that car would work for our family. But no. See, their aren't to many options for a family of 6 - 4 kids in car seats, a 60 lb black lab, and a dbl stroller!!! Would we fit in kev's hot wheels? Again - HELL. NO.

I have now entered the sisterhood of mommies with Suburbans!!!
Here's some pictures of the new ride.

It's the final count down

2007-08-17T22:43:00.000-05:00

I just realized that I have not posted any THUNDER THIGH THURSDAYS in awhile. I know it's Friday, but decided to drop it in anyways.

I have finally hit 90 pounds!!!!! It's now the final count down to 100lbs!

!0 lbs in 3 weeks??? Is it doable? We'll have to see. I would like nothing more than to have lost 100 lbs in 1 yr.

Here is a before picture:

And a now picture: (ok, so my loving husband cut off the top of my head - you still get the idea - 2 legs, 1 pant leg. )
We will try for a better picture tomorrow.

At 90 lbs, I am now down 7 pant sizes, and 4 shirt sizes. YAHOO!

A day at the lake

2007-08-16T16:34:00.000-05:00

Radiothon for Children's Hospital

2007-08-13T14:44:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday, Friday, and Saturday we were involved with the Woodward Radiothon at Lambeau Field.

A couple of weeks ago I was asked to tell Carson and Cooper's story so they could tape it for the radiothon. It is gut wrenching to hear all the different parents, and kids tell their stories, but to hear your own, is a whole different ball of wax. I teared up every time they played it. In one day I heard it played 5 times. My kids thought I had lost my marbles. By the time they played it for the 3rd time, my kids would run in the opposite direction just so they would have to see my eye fill with tears.
You don't think it will ever happen to you. You always seem to think it will be someone else's kids, but this time, It WAS mine. And - you always thanked the lord that your story was never the worst. BUT - the DJ's always made you feel like you had the worst, especially because we had to go through everything twice. After our story was told, the DJ's would comment on it. "Can you imagine - just for a second - what it must have been like for Matt and Cindy to hear that both of their babies would need this horrific surgery to repair their skulls? How would you feel if your doctor told you that they would need to make an incision across their scalp, cut apart their skulls in a puzzle like fashion, and place it all back together again with plates and screws. Can you just imagine what it was like for them? This could never be done at any other hospital. Children's hospital was there for this family. The doctors were there for this family. Children's hospital saved their children's lives." It was weird to hear. But, it brought the money in and I guess that was the whole point of this radiothon. In March of this year, it was National Doctors day. They asked us to write a letter to a Doctor who has impacted our lives the most. I was torn btwn the Neonatal doc and Dr. Jensen - our Cranial Facial surgeon. So, after I thought about it a bit, I decided to write 2 letters to Dr. Jensen. I wrote the letters as if they were coming from Cooper and Carson themselves. Anyways - he and the staff liked it so much that they asked permission for it to be read on the air as well.

Friday night they held a concert for all the Children's Champions. It was so loud that we spent a good portion of it outside the stadium. At 7pm they held a little ceremony for all the CC kids. They gave each child a medal and a build a bear. It was cute. Carson was so proud of her medal and Cooper was so proud of his bear!
We met up with a friend of mine and her husband who have triplets (2 boys / 1 girl). We delivered 1 week apart from each other, the kids spent time in the NICU together, and her little girl Amelia has also gone through the cranio surgery with Dr. Jensen as well. I hate having so much in common, but it's nice to have someone who has also walked in the same shoes you have.
Here are some pictures from our fun Friday night.

Enjoy

Treat yourself today and help

2007-08-09T11:00:00.000-05:00

Today is the start of the 3 day Woodward radioathon here in our area for Children's Hospital of Wisconsin.

I went on air to tell our story to help get people to donate. It was tough, but I wanted to do everything I could to help raise money.

NOW, TODAY, it's your turn to help. Today only (8/9/07) - if you purchase a blizzard from ANY Dairy Queen in the US, they will give 100% of the blizzard proceeds to Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. Please - treat yourself today and help children like mine get the best possible care that there is.

Thank you

And the beat goes on

2007-08-03T08:43:00.000-05:00

It's been a long week around here. Matt left to go backpack with my dad and others last Friday, so I have been ALL alone with 4 kids.
That is up until last Tuesday when Molly offered to bring the kids up and stay with me for a few days. Not sure if 6 kids and 2 moms was the answer I was looking for (more like 2 moms at a day spa while the others go to drop in daycare for lets say, oh - 3 days), but we had a blast!!!

Tuesday we met up in Oshkosh to do a little shopping - you know RETAIL THERAPY!!! But we didn't get to far. We hit just a few stores before 6 kids got out of control (yes, really!)
So, after a little pizza, a whole lot of screaming and crying, we managed to get the kids to bed, somewhat, the girls anyways.
I had decided to invite a few friend over who "stalk" Molly's blog to come over and meet her. My friends Angela and Michelle, and Michelle's baby Ruby came for a little girl time. Notice I didn't say quiet girl time??? Because it was anything but!!!! 4 exhausted / excited boys refused to give up. It ended up being a long night!!!

Wednesday - Yet again, we tried to finish some shopping in Oshkosh. This time we decided to add 3 more children and 1 more mommy ( that's a total of 9 children - all under the ripe age of 5, and 3 moms. Not bad , right???). Oh the looks we got. I felt like we were a part of the BIG LOVE series on HBO. I had to laugh. We got looks, we got comments, but it didn't no stop us from achieving our goal - spend money!

Thursday - we did a little home time. We started our morning off with a little "slip and slide " action. Go here to view the action. Yes, even I had a few good slides!

After cooling off, we packed up and headed out to the EAA AirVenture Museum. KJ spun Riley and Keegan's poor little heads with all his plane knowledge. I can not believe this kid. He knows it all. WOW - I am so impressed with you KJ!!!

Our day ended with a sad goodbye to our friends. Hope to see you again soon you guys!!!

In need of some help

2007-07-25T23:19:00.000-05:00

I am giving another push for our Brigg's & Al's walk in September. I can't believe that it is almost August already. The walk is just around the corner.

At this point I am 55.00 dollars shy of what I raised last year.

I can't even begin to tell you how Matt and I feel about Children's Hospital. I went on air (taped) for the Woodward radioathon (for children's hospital) 2 weeks ago, and I had a hard time keeping my eyes dry. They kept asking me, " What would have happened if there was no NICU for you children to go to??" "Would they have survived?" "What would have happened if there were no doctors in our area who specialized in Craniosynostosis?" "How would your children be if they didn't have the surgery done???"

No, my children probably would not have survived without the NICU, and they most likely would have brain damage if no surgery could have been performed. There would have been no room for their brains to grow. It doesn't really hit you until you actually sit and think about it all.

For you that live in my area, the radioathon will be on WHBY 1150 August 9th - 11th. Our story will be put to music and played a number of times over these 2 days. It is very similar to the St. Judes radioathon - if you've ever heard it.

Most of you know that our children were asked to be in the spot light for this years walk. Their pictures and stories are in the booklet that you get with the walk info. They will also be honored at the starting line of this years walk. We will pass by hundreds of thousands of people raising money to help children like ours.

Please help other children like ours, and those who are worse off then ours. They need the best doctors and facilities that they can get.

The little guys have their 1 yr. post op appointment on the 23rd of August. We should find out then if Cooper will need a second surgery for his metopic suture.
Carson will be having 2 surgeries at once. She will be having tubes placed in her ears, and she will be having a tear duct opened. We are hoping to have this scheduled for late august early September. Carson has had some low tone hearing loss that we hope will return when the fluid is released from her ear drums. This will all be done at Children's.

Please pass this on to anyone else who you think will donate.

Please also remember, we are not just walking for Carson and Cooper this year. We are also walking in memory of my friends little girl Lydia who was still born in May.

To donate, just go to the upper right hand side of my blog where it says DONATE NOW.

Thank you.

They all go puking 1 by 1 hurrah, hurrah

2007-07-25T07:17:00.000-05:00

I think the on - call nurse said it best to me yesterday when I called to make an appointment for the doctor. "Holy Cow - I can't imagine having 2 sets of twins - WOW, you must be busy." So she continued to ask which child needed to be seen. When I told her all 4, she just about dropped the phone. She asked what the the issues was, I told her all 4 were vomiting - She said very loudly, " you have 4 children under the age of 5 and they are ALL VOMITING?" I said yes, and she says "HOLY CRAP - YOU POOR THING!"

Cooper started throwing up on Saturday. We went to Matt's company picnic and things were great. Coop didn't eat anything strange - matter of fact he ate everything that I did. Later in the day we went up to the lake, and that night the county was having it's annual fair. Matt, My dad, the 4 kids, and I went over to see what all the excitement was about. They had adult rides, kiddie ride, animals, and food galore. It was fun. We first stop at this little motorcycle ride that just went around nice and slow. Each motorcycle held 2 kids, so we put Coop and Keegan on 1, and Carson and Riley on another. It seemed they were all having a great time. Cooper even starting clapping at one point.

They were having such a good time, we left them on for 2 rides straight. After that we hit a few other little rides. Papa and the older kids took a turn and then Matt and I took a turn with the kids.

We had fun. UNTIL...... Papa, Matt, and Myself were playing skee ball and turned to see why Cooper was screaming hysterically and there it was - LUNCH! All over Cooper, the stroller and even managed to shoot some into the front seat of the stroller at Carson. It was gross. We striped the poor kid naked, put on the sweatshirt I had packed, RAN through the animal section and headed home. We had just assumed it was the rides that did his little tummy in. He seemed to be ok that night. No more vomiting, but had a 101.00 temp. Hummmm. Little did we know, the rest of the group would soon get whatever little GI bug that was going around. Carson struck in the car, while i was ordering lunch for the kids at burger king. "I'll have 2 cheeseburgers plain, a small.......Never mind I have a child throwing up in the car!!!!" She was a one time only barfer as well. Keegan struck at 10pm on Sunday night and at 2am, 7:45am and 7pm. After the doctors appointment Riley started to complain of stomach pains and sure enough, she struck at 6pm, 6:30p, and 7:30p. I was not feeling myself last night either but seemed to make it through without puking. Matt leaves for his backpacking trip on Friday with my dad, brother, and friend, and I sure hope to god he doesn't get it. If so, it should strike today.

We did it!!!

2007-07-18T21:11:00.000-05:00

We moved Carson and Cooper into big kid beds!!! It was a struggle the first night trying to keep everyone in bed, but I believe they finally got the hang of it!!! It is so sad to know that there will never been another crib up in this house. Man they grow up fast.
Here are a few pics.

Part 2 of our vacation

2007-07-15T07:08:00.000-05:00

Here we go loop dee lou

2007-07-13T08:37:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I know I have not posted since June 22, but I have an excuse. My mom and I drove all 4 kids (mind you they are all under the age of 5) to my grandmothers house in New Jersey. A total of 1100 miles. We learned that a 5 point harness carseat means only 5 hours of driving - MAX! So we did a little sightseeing, visited an old flame from high school, and played with a few cousins along our way. It was fun.

Here are a few pics. More to come tomorrow.

Will it ever stop?

2007-06-22T23:33:00.000-05:00

Will the big man upstairs EVER cut me a break??? I am thinking NOT!

As I posted before, Carson had a few doctors appointments this week. On Tuesday we met with the ENT. He tested her hearing, checked for fluid behind her ear drums, and was ever so nice to tell us she has a lower tone hearing loss AND she needs to have surgery to put tubes in her ears. Great. Oh but wait - it gets better. On Thursday we meet with the opthamologist. Carson has a clogged tear duct. Wanna take a guess at what he told me??? If you guess SURGERY - You WIN!

It has just been a nightmare for this tiny tot.

Ok, I understand that each surgery last a whole 10 minutes, but it's the fact that she has to go under for each that kills me. In between appointments and a rummage sale I did a little research and figured a few things out. Carson's Eye doc is at Children's in Milwaukee. The ENT is here in town. So, I decided to find a ENT at Children's so the 2 docs can work together during ONE surgery. Doing it this way postpones her tubes by almost 2 months, but I think it will be better that she only has to go under once instead of twice.

She is truely becoming my MILLION dollar baby.

~NICU bill for 26 days: $700,000 dollars

~MRI for Craniosynstosis: $4,000 dollars

~Surgery for Craniosynostosis w/room and board: $150,000 dollars

*Each and every day with my baby: priceless.

The View

2007-06-19T07:37:00.000-05:00

Just a few things that hang on our walls -

Matt and I had this made in Key West on our honeymoon.

Our neighbors were throwing away this old window and decided to use it for our "art work".

We got this as a wedding gift.

A picture of all four kids "piggies"

A hand painted plate from Mexico

What's on your walls?

Mumbo jumbo

2007-06-18T14:37:00.000-05:00

I know I haven't been very good at keeping up with my blog. It has just been so hard to get a few minutes to type. It's summer time and everyone wants to be on the go!!!

This week is no different. Tuesday, Carson has an appointment with the ENT - Ear, nose, and throat guys. We are trying to figure out why she has been struggling with ear infections. They will check for fluid, they will do a hearing test, and let us know if she needs tubes or not. Wednesday, Carson and Cooper have and appointment with their physical therapist who is from the county Birth to 3 program - that is at our house. Thursday morning, Carson has an appointment with the Ped. Opthamologist (sp?). He is with Children's hospital, but we got lucky and got in while he is here in our town. We believe Carson has a clogged tear duct. Not sure what they will do, but we have been told that she may need a minor surgery to fix it. Thursday afternoon I am going to try to get a rummage sale started, and Carson and Cooper have an appointment with the Early Childhood teacher who is also through Birth to 3 - at our house. Friday, I am going to continue my rummage sale and get packed for our trip on Saturday. Saturday, My mom, all 4 of my kids, and I are driving out to New Jersey to see my grandma. In between, we will be staying for few days at my MIL and we'll stop to see my cousin in PA. I think we will be gone for 10 - 12 days.

Sometime during this week I will take time to use the bathroom, take a shower, do the dishes, clean the house, feed the kids the dog and my dear husband, and if I am lucky, I will get in a few loads of laundry.

Oh yah, and today - I finally hit a loss of 80 lbs! Wahoo!

Man's best friend ~ again

2007-06-10T22:06:00.000-05:00

OK, so I know all of you are going to think I am totally whacked, but I have an announcement to make. We have an addition to our crazy family. Let me be the first to introduce to you Jake, our new 6 month old black lab.

It's kind of funny how Jake (aka CoCo) came to us. Friday there had been a bunch of rummage sale within a couple of blocks of our house so I decided to take the kids for a walk. The first sale we stopped at was just about 5 house down from ours. I had bought an almost new Britax Marathon car seat for 35.00 and JAKE! Yup, We bought Jake at a rummage sale. The family that was having the sale - their daughter and her family live in an apartment and they are going to be moving. They have 2 dogs, but could only take one to the new place so they had decided that Jake need to find a new home. He was perfect and I fell in love. He is house trained, kid trained (they have a 4 yr old boy), he came with all of his shots and was very well behaved.

When Matt came home for lunch, the kids and I walked him down so he could meet Jake (aka CoCo). 15 minutes later, Jake was on his way back to our house!

He is such a good dog - we couldn't be happier.

This past Saturday, Appleton had their annual Flag Day Parade. This parade is the longest parade in the US. The twins club that we belong to walked in it. This is our 3rd yr walking. It was a ton of fun. This year is also Appleton's 150 yr birthday and because of that, the University of Wisconsin's' marching band was asked to join the parade. If of you know anything about the UW band - you'll know that they are a fun and crazy group. After every football game they play what is called a "5Th quarter". They play a ton of fun songs that everyone gets up and dances to. Anyhow, unexpectedly, we were lined up right behind them in the parade. It was fun to listen to their " 5Th quarter" music while we walked.

Hope all of you had a great weekend.

We Three Girls

2007-05-29T14:27:00.000-05:00

I was looking through some old pictures today and I found a picture of me when I was about 4 years old. I thought it would be fun to put all three girls pictures together. I would say we are definately related!

Over 155

2007-05-28T19:14:00.000-05:00

I thought I would take a minute and and show off Molly and my accomplishments.
Together, we have lost over 155lbs!

Stressed out Crazy Fun

2007-05-28T16:35:00.000-05:00

Thursday we took a bit of a long weekend vacation to Indiana to visit our favorite family - The Rays, and to Chicago to visit Papa Cole and family. Here are some of our favorite moments.

We really had a great time. In Indiana - It's always fun when the kids out number the parents. All I can say is, "Pizza waitress lady,We are so sorry for bringing in 6 overly tired children."
It is always worth the sress, and craziness.
Thanks Rays for such a fun time.

Walking in memory of Lydia

2007-05-18T17:36:00.000-05:00

As everyone has read in my previous blog entry, our family, and the twins club family, has been saddened by the loss of a twin. Lydia Eve Zoromski was still born On May 10Th. Her twin sister Ruby is a beautiful, healthy, little girl. Ruby has also just been diagnosed with downs syndrome.
We hope to god that they never need the assistance of Children's Hospital, but if they do, we would like to help provide for Children's.

As Children's Champions, Carson and Cooper would like to walk in memory of Lydia and for Ruby who may someday need the care of doctors at Children's.

Please help donate to this cause. Families like ours, and the Zoromski, may someday need the wonderful doctors at Children's.

Please help.

Here are our stories: http://www.firstgiving.com/ColesCranioClan

Thank you.

Please say a little prayer

2007-05-17T23:06:00.000-05:00

I think today was one of the toughest days of my life as being a mother of twins. Something happened today that I hoped I would never have to do.

A few months back a proud mother expecting twins arrived at our monthly twins club meeting. I remember sitting with her at our meeting, getting to know her and learning about the beautiful girls that she would soon be delivering. Just a few days ago, that day finally arrived , but the totally unexpected happened. Her first daughter, Ruby came into the world at 4:51pm, and has been Diagnosed with having down syndrome. Her second daughter, Lydia, arrived at 4:53pm - still born.

How does this happened? Why does God do this?

Today was Lydia's visitation and service. I can't even begin to tell you how hard it was for my friend Jenni and I to see this family. No parent should ever have to go through this pain.

Please, If you have a free moment in your day, please say a prayer for this family. They are going to need every little bit they can get in the next couple of months.

Thank you.

Happy Mother's Day

2007-05-13T07:38:00.000-05:00

Happy Mother's day to all you great mothers!

Do the Draft in NYC

2007-05-10T15:28:00.000-05:00

Ok, So I mentioned that we spent some time in New Jersey with my grandma, aunt, and cousins.
Did I mention we went into NYC to see all the NFL draft stuff? It was held at Radio City Music Hall and they had tons of stuff to do within those few city blocks. We had a great time.

"Where the hell you been Papa?"

2007-05-07T05:51:00.000-05:00

Yea - I am finally back. I can't believe it has almost been a month since my last post! As my kids were taught to say by a friend of ours, "Where the hell you been papa?" If they were to be reading my blog, I am sure that is what they would say to me, not my dad.

First and foremost, I would like to to send out a big THANK YOU to all that donated to our March of dimes - Walk America. We had a blast. A bit chilly, but fun.

We also just got back from a trip out to New Jersey to see my Grandma. I'll post more about that on my next blog.

Some of you have asked about my Thunder Thigh Thursday, well - It's in a holding pattern. I have not lost anymore and have actually put on just a few, but I am trying to get my hormones back in order from my hysterectomy. Hopefully I'll be back on track in the next few weeks or so.

Dream Big

2007-04-11T16:03:00.000-05:00

I had a hard time trying to decided if I wanted to take this blog public or not. Many of you who have not followed my blog may not know that my 2nd set of twins were born prematurely. They were born 9 weeks early. My daughter Carson spent 26 days in the NICU and my son Cooper spent 40. We have been very lucky. Our only issues thus far have been; Hernia surgery for Cooper, and both kids had reconstruction of their skull for craniosynostosis (metopic and sagittal) - early fusion of their skulls, no soft spots. Compared to a lot of of babies born prematurely, we have been blessed.

We are very lucky to have a Children's Hospital and all the great equipment and technology right here in our area. I'm not sure where we would be if we didn't have it.

Cooper ~ 3 lbs 13 oz 19 in long

Carson ~ 4 lbs .4 oz 19 in. long

Our family is trying to do everything we can to give back to those who helped our children survive. Please take a moment and read the statistics.

More than 500,000 babies are born prematurely every year in the United States.

Prematurity:

~Has increased by 29 percent since 1981

~Accounts for 12 percent of all live births

~Can happen to any pregnant woman

Premature Birth Is Serious:

~Premature babies aren't just small babies; they're babies who aren't finished developing. Their lives and health may be in jeopardy.

Prematurity is:

~The leading killer of babies in their first month of life.

~A major cause of long-term health problems, including cerebral palsy, mental retardation, blindness, chronic lung problems.

~The number one obstetrical problem in the country.

Our family would like to ask all of you to help in the fight to save preemie babies.

There are 2 ways for you to help.

1) Our family is joining in on the March of dimes - Walk America May 5th.
Our Children's Hospital - NICU is forming a team with it's staff, NICU graduates, and their families.
Here is our donation sight: www.walkamerica.org/ladybug_wi

Also we have set up "bands" in honor of our graduates. Here are their websites:

Carson: www.marchofdimes.com/prematurity/b.asp?band_id=35603

Cooper: www.marchofdimes.com/prematurity/b.asp?band_id=35602

An early thank you to all those who have help. It means so much to our family and all the families with preemies.

Easter candy kids

2007-04-09T17:40:00.000-05:00

Hope you had a Happy Easter!

..and the shit NEVER Stops - Happy Easter!

2007-04-08T17:45:00.000-05:00

I sure hope everyone had a great Easter! We sure did. It was a nice, uneventful, quiet day.

It was well worth it after the week from HELL that we just had!

First - I will start with my TTT picture. Here I am (and Cooper) 77 lbs lighter. I am very surprised that I managed to lose one pound after the past week.

If you remember my last blog, I had just gotten done taking Cooper to the ER for drinking NYQUIL. Well, If that wasn't bad enough, I BELIEVE that he picked up rotavirus while we were there. Only because he got it and no one else did. So last weekend started like this;

Friday the 30Th - at about 10pm Cooper started to vomit like there was no tomorrow. It came up every 15 - 20 minutes until 2am. At that point, he dry heaved until 9am. At 3 am the diarrhea was sooooo bad I had to carry his diapers out in buckets because they were filled with pure water. He and I slept maybe 1 hour total btwn the vomiting, changing sheets, diarrhea, and changing more sheets.

At 10 am on Saturday I finally called our pediatrician to see if we could get an appointment in. We were able to get in at 10:50am.

Meanwhile, we sent the other 3 kiddos with my parents in fear that someone else would catch what he had. The Twins club had an Easter egg hunt that my parents took them to and then they were off to the lake.

At our appointment, our Doctor had a pretty good feeling that Cooper had rotavirus. He called Children's hospital and we were admitted at 1pm. Cooper was admitted for dehydration. Our doctor seemed to think that we would be in for a few hours - enough to get a few IV bags in, and then we would be home.

Well, let me tell you, my luck never runs that way. We were in Saturday - with a fever of 105, Sunday - with a fever of 105.7, Monday - finally able to get Cooper to drink some, and Tuesday - we were discharged at 7pm. When we got home Tuesday night, Coop was acting like himself again. We thought we were finally done with the worst. Wednesday - He was grey, tired, no energy, and had vomited 4 times. We couldn't get him to drink if our life depended on it. I had to decided if we should take him back to the ER to see what was wrong. I called his doctor and they felt we should give it one more night and they would make an appointment with our doc at 8:45 am. Ok - we decided to give it one more night. Meanwhile - That night I was sitting on the couch and it was getting time to put Cooper to bed. Matt started to carry him up, I got up off the couch and I felt a gush. Mind you I was just about 4 weeks post op from my hysterectomy. I went to the bathroom and found that we was bleeding terribly. I immediately called our on- call nurse and she suggested I go to the ER. Something wasn't right. So here I am on my way to ER with a very sick baby at home. If it wasn't one thing, it was another. I get to the ER, the oncall OB examines me and finds that I have an infections and that I have torn 2 stitches. She gave me the option of going home, or staying the night on the OB floor so she could monitor my bleeding. How could I stay??? I have a sick baby at home that has a doctors appointment at 8:45am. So, I opted to go home. But before they let me go home, she had to fix the problem. They packed me with a roll of gauze, and because there was so much pressure from the gauze they had to put in a catheter. Yup, the kind that attaches to your leg. I couldn't sit up there was so much crap inside of me. It was a challenge to drive myself home, I end up trying to sleep on the couch, but still I was soooo uncomfortable I didn't sleep at all. In the morning I called to reschedule Coopers appointment morning because there was no way in hell I could stand another second with the pack and catheter. I got in with my ob at 8:30am she took all the stuff out - the bleeding stopped. I was instructed to not lift anything or anyone.

After my appointment we got to Cooper's. Our ped seemed to think he was becoming dehydrated again. She gave us 2 options;

1) we could take him right to the hospital to have him admitted, or

2) we could go home, but first have some labs done to see if he is dehydrated. We went with number 2.

Have you ever had labs drawn on a child who is dehydrated? NOT FUN! It took 3 hand/foot pokes and there was nothing. they finally had to draw out of his poor head. This kid was screaming, but no tears came out.

We went home to wait for the lab results. Around 2:30 they called to tell us that he was dehydrated and that they thought we would need to go back into the hospital. We talked it over and decided he needed to go. So, I packed my bags again and we were off to the hospital for a 2ND time.

This time getting an IV started on him was HELL. It took 4 hours, 7 nurses, and 10 tries before they finally got on in. This poor boy has been traumatized! It sucked. His poor hands and feet or so bruised it's not even funny!

This stay lasted 2 days. No fevers, no more diarrhea, no vomiting.....he was finally hydrated.

7 total days in the hospital and we were supposed be in for only a few hours the first time.

Hopefully this next week will be uneventful!

So much excitment, so little time....

2007-03-30T08:54:00.000-05:00

It's been an exciting week around the Cole household.
"I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it , I'm about about to lose control and I think I like it!"
Last weekend I was asked by a friend of my who writes for Baby Talk Magazine to write a blurp in a book that they are coming out with. Yes, BTM is coming out with a book, and I am going to be in it! Well, actually my youngest set of twins will be in it. How cool is that??? The chapter that I will be in is about children with special needs. Here is what will be published:

"Our second set of twins (that's right, we have two sets of two!) were born via c-section at 31 weeks. Our daughter came home after 26 days and our son was in for 40. I must admit, they were the longest 40 days of my life.

After being home for a couple of months, we noticed that our daughter's head was growing oddly. It was off the newborn growth chart. Our Pediatrician was concerned and ordered x-rays, CT scans and an MRI. After a few days we had learned that our daughter had sagittal synostosis - early fusion of her sagittal sutures [of the skull]. My husband and I desperately tried to learn everything that we could about this defect. Everything that we read pointed to surgery as the only fix.

We were sent to Children's hospital - 2 hours from our home, to meet with a neurosurgeon and a cranial facial surgeon. We were told that they would have to open her skull up, remove and reshape the pieces, and place it all back together with plates and screws. We were scared to death.

About a month later, our pediatrician noticed that our son's head was also growing to fast. Once again our pediatrician ordered x-rays, CT scans, and an MRI. The results came back that he too had craniosynostosis. But oddly enough he had sagittal and metopic synostosis. We were told that it is pretty rare to have two sutures fused. Knowing what we did from his sister's appointments, my husband and I were devastated. My husband and I could not believe it. How could both of our babies need need the same surgeries? And how do we explain this to their 3-year-old brother and sister? Thank goodness we have family close by. Our oldest kids pretty much moved in with my parents during the surgeries.

Our daughter's surgery came first. We packed up, moved into the Ronald McDonlad house, and kept in contact with our family and friends via phone, email and the caring bridge site we had set up for her. As a mother, I've learned that the hardest thing in life to do is to hand your child over to a surgical team. I could only hope that they understood how special their patient was. As we sat in the waiting room waiting for hourly updates, all we could do was to hope and pray that everything went smoothly. I kept thinking to myself, "they are not operating on an arm or a leg, they are taking the top of my daughter's skull off to repair it". All I could do was sit and cry. After seven hours of surgery, our daughter looked wonderful. We saw her in passing to the PICU. She was so beautiful. We spent a long four days in the hospital and then we were on our way home. The second hardest thing as a parent is to help one child recover while preparing yourself for you next child's surgery. My husband and I were both physically and emotionally drained.

One month later, we once again moved into the Ronald McDonald house and tried to mentally prepare ourselves for surgery. We handed our son over with tears in our eyes, and hoped that the surgeons would do as good of a job as they did with our daughter. Seven hours later we saw him in passing and he looked wonderful. Our doctors were terrific. Four days later we were on our way home, where we had two lonely 3-year-olds.

Recovery was a battle, but both babies survived it like champs. We are still making our two-hour trips to Children's to see our doctors, but things are looking pretty good. Only time will tell how well their heads will heal and if they will need any other treatment." --Cindy, Appleton, Wisconsin

I was told that the book will either come out later this fall or early next year.

As I sat here last night trying to catch up on all the blogs I normally read, I noticed that quiet a few of them including my girlfriend Molly, have been nominated of an award. How fun is that! Congrats everyone! While you guys are getting the goods, I am being nominated for the "Bad mother of the year" award.

Our whole family is struggling with a cold, but my husband has had it the worst. He has been taking everything in sight, but nothing has been helping. He has kept a bottle of CVS brand of Nighttime cold/flu on his night stand to help him sleep at night. WELL..... I found Cooper in there Wednesday afternoon drinking the half of bottle that was left. "OH MY GOD", How did he get the top open? What's the number for poison control? How much did he really drink?? How in the HELL did he get the top open?? So much for child proof tops.
As I am frantically running around trying to figure out who to call first - Cooper is laughing hysterically. I call poison control, they tell me he has a toxic level of Tylenol and I should take him to the ER. Do I take all 4 kids? Do I call Matt? My parents??? I finally decide on my parents, they rush over and alcohol boy and I run to Children's hospital - 20 miles away. We arrive, they sat us in the waiting room and that's where we stayed for an hour and a half before we were even called in. At this point Cooper is off the walls...I'm thinking to myself, "this crap makes me fall asleep, Why is he so hyper? "Because dummy that what one of the other active ingredients does to babies". So now I have a hyper -alcoholic. Lovely. Did I mention I had a hysterectomy just 2.5 weeks ago and I am only up to lifting 12 lbs? And Cooper is....25. Right on. We finally get called in, and they tell us they will draw his blood 4 hours from the time he drank it. Well, he drank it at 4:30, so I have to sit with this crazy drunk until 8:30 before anything can happen. Once again - Right on! For having a toxic level, they sure didn't move to fast. I think they were all entertained with him to be honest. Not so funny when you own him. A few hours later, they remembered where they put us and they drew his blood, which was not so pleasant , but they got it done.
5 hours later we were cleared to leave and I figure out how he got the top opened. Put the top in your mouth, bite down and turn the bottle!

CVS- May I suggest giving your bottles to babies to try out your "child proof tops"?

Oh what to do?

2007-03-25T21:30:00.000-05:00

If you remember a couple of post back I had mentioned that I was trying to figure out what to do with my 4 yr olds next year - school wise.
We had just finished the testing for title 1 for Keegan. Well, today we received the letter that he has been excepted into the program. YEA! Except now I am not to sure what to do with Riley. Do I keep her in the same school where she is board out of her mind? Do I pay for her to go to a nice preschool? I just don't know.
How will they do without each other? I guess I am not so worried about her, but I know Keegan is going to be devastated with out her. He is the sensitive one. I think it is going to be hard.

Tonight at dinner we were discussing this topic a bit. I asked Keegan how he would feel if he went to a different school than Riley. He said no, "I want to be with Riley, I will miss her." Riley chimes in and says," Yea, He'll miss me." That goes to show me that she won't have a problem without him. LOL.
I just don't know. I thought it would be easier once I found out if he was accepted or not, but it isn't any easier. It breaks my heart knowing that they will be separated for the first time. I know in the long run it will be good for Keegan, but the transition will be hard - on all of us I'm sure.

So, until then....I will have to sit and ponder what I will do with Riley next school year.

Thunder Thigh Thursday

2007-03-22T10:59:00.000-05:00

Ok, I know I said I was going to wait a bit to post a TTT blog, but it has been so good, I couldn't pass it by. I started just a few days ago with riding a stationary bike very slowly for about 20 minutes and I have been back to the fitness center to walk slowly on the treadmill. It has obviously been a good thing - my scale was very good to me this morning. I am now down a total of 78 lbs! YAHOOOOO!

So - that's it. That's all I have to report today. We are off to the lake today for the weekend. Should be fun!

CT results

2007-03-21T15:24:00.000-05:00

Carson did very well yesterday with her CT scan. It kills me though, that they had to put an IV in and sedate her for a 45 sec. scan. She did great though. Only issue we had was that the nurses had to try twice to get the IV in. She wasn't so happy about that, but we made it through.

Results - Dr. Jensen was great. He stayed in the room the entire time she was having the CT done and he was the first person she saw when she woke up. She gave hime a great big smile. It was cute. I knew in my heart that it was either going to come back saying there was nothing wrong, or somthing seriously wrong. Dr. Jensen told me that there was nothing seriously wrong. BUT he didn't say she was absolutly fine either. So - here is sit with unknown answers. Is there something a little bit wrong??? There wasn't even an explaination for why her head is so bumpy. He does know that he doesn't like the fact that she is banging right where her plates are in her head. So - I guess I will sit and wait to see what happends in the next few months.
We are going to try to give her some Ibuprofen at night for a couple of weeks to see if that will calm her banging down. Maybe she has a headache??? I don't know.

Well, we will post again if something else comes up.
Thanks

Head Banging is for Rock Stars - Not babies.

2007-03-19T19:43:00.000-05:00

As I sit here writing this entry - I can't help to wonder what it is about babies who head bang. I know - It's never a good sign when your child head bangs, but for what reason? Head aches? Fluid on the brain?
I hope to have answers to these question for Carson tomorrow. Yes, Carson has been head banging on the end of her crib, with blocks that she plays with and even in her high chair. What could be causing this? She never head banged before the surgery and now.... all the time - especially when she is in her crib. I talked with Dr. Jensen Sunday afternoon, who spoke with Dr. Kaufman - our neurosurgeon - and they both agreed that Carson needs to have a CT scan done. Tuesday evening we will be in Milwaukee for the CT - Dr. Jensen will wait with us and hopefully give us some answers to Carson's head banging. I am a bit nervous knowing that they could find nothing - which won't help our situation, and still leave a bunch of questions, or they could find something. Which would help us understand what is going on, but could possibly lead to more surgeries. Let me tell you - You damned if you do and you are damned if you don't.
I will post results of the scan as soon as I get home.
Please keep our little girl in your prayers.

Thanks.

Project "Empty Pumpkin" is complete

2007-03-15T15:53:00.000-05:00

It's been just about a week now since project "Empty Pumpkin" has happend.

I am actually feeling pretty good. Except- someone forgot to tell me how bad the gas pains hurt after they deflate you. With having experienced both this laparoscopic surgery and a C-section; I would of asked for a section in a heart beat. If I had known how bad my back would ache, how bad my shoulders would hurt and especially how hard it would to breath the first couple of night - I would of demanded a c-section. Crazy? I know. But your pain would have been centralized at least. They tell you to get up and walk, walk, walk. Well, I have done my fair share of walking and I still have a tinge of gas left in these poor aching shoulders of mine. Hopefully by the weekend it will be gone!

Other wise I am feeling fine. I just have to keep reminding myself that I may feel good, but I am not heeled and not to go crazy with everything. I have had tons of help with the 4 kids and it has been wonderful. It has given me every second I have to get my strength and energy back. Thanks mom and dad for all your help this past week!!!!

As for the lovely side effect of Menopause, I think I started them on Tuesday. It is just like being pregnant again. I'm hot, I'm cold, I'm Hot, I'm Cold..... Nothing that has been life threatening though. So far I am handling it well and I think I will wait a few more weeks before I see what estrogen options I should play with first. If this is really it - It's not as bad as I had imagined. It's worth not ever having to worry about a period again!!

And for the weight loss - honestly I haven't though about it much lately. I am at a 70 lb loss, and that is good enough for me at this point. I can't exercise so it is pretty much useless for me to think I will still be able to lose weight. So, I will start up again when I am able to walk more then 4 laps around my house with out stopping. That would be a good start, right?

So until then, you will find me resting my sore body on either my bed or the couch.

Happy menstrating! :)

Dun dun dunnnnnnn

2007-03-08T16:33:00.000-06:00

Unexpectedly we had a pretty good trip to Milwaukee. Our appointment went as well as could be.
First, have I told you all how GREAT our Cranial Facial doc is???? He is THE BOMB and I think he has a crush on Carson! We were checking in at the front desk and he walked by and said, " There are my little Twinkies". Carson looked at him and she just screamed and started to laugh - like she remembered him or something. Then we get called into the room and the two of them start playing around together. He made the comment - "That's my favorite Carson Mary - she's my favorite patient". It was very cute.
Ok, enough soap opera - on to the appointment. Cooper passed with flying colors. Dr. Jensen was actually very impressed with the shape of Cooper's head. Carson wasn't far behind. I expressed my feeling about her lumpy and bumpy head and the only real place he had some concern was the bump at the top of the head - only because he didn't know what was causing it. The rest of her head doesn't bother him at all.
So, they will go back in August and have their CT's repeated. Hopefully we will get better answers for all the lumps and bumps then. Until then - I will quietly sit here at home worrying about why hers looks so much different than his. That's a mothers job, Right?

As for the Thunder Thigh Thursday - I hit the 71 lb goal today! After fasting and the other "crap" I've had to do, I'm sure I will hit the original goal of 75 lbs by tomorrow morning. YEA! So, we'll see.

Not sure if my husband will post a surgery update tomorrow, but he may email a few of you. Butterflies are starting to set, but I am sure things will go fine.

Thanks to all of you who have offered to help with my kids and meals. It means a lot to us.

Thanks

A possibility lingering in the air......

2007-03-07T11:13:00.000-06:00

I can not believe that Cooper and Carson have hit there 6 month post op appointment already for their heads. It is truly amazing how fast time has gone and how much these kids have grown.
Tomorrow we head to Children's hospital to meet with our cranial facial surgeon. It is going to be exciting to see what come of it. Cooper is looking better and better everyday. He has actually passed up Carson in the whole standing/creeping/walking category. Who would have thought that 2 months ago. It has been fun to watch this little 3lb 13 oz baby turn into a fun little boy.
Carson on other hand is starting to give me an ulcer I think. I worry about this girls head everyday. I believe - now remember, I am only the parent, I have no experience with this head remodeling jazz, but I believe her head is headed in the wrong direction - again.

She now has a good size "bone" bump on the top of her head. That was never there before. Should it be????

The ridge that she had on the side of her head in November has grown. It is now wider and it is also on both sides of her head, not just the right side. Should this be there?

She is also having issues with "bossing" in the back of her head. Prior to surgery, she had a bit of it in the front, but not much in the back. What is with this?????

Here are the pictures (not to gross anyone out or anything) from prior to surgery and after.

And now here are the pictures from today. "Bossing" out the back.
I know that there is a possibility that when we get to the hospital tomorrow that they may tell me that she may need to be fixed again. What happened? Why has Coops turned out so nice and round and Carson is so misshaped???? I don't know if I have it in my heart to go through this again.

I will blog again after we get home tomorrow.

Please keep them in your prayers.

Pre op Friday

2007-03-02T13:11:00.000-06:00

This morning I had my pre op appointment with my Ob/Gyn. Things went well. Once again he tried to talk me out of removing my ovaries. He feels just my uterus would be enough. I disagreed. Besides the bleeding issues - my problem is the poly cystic ovaries. So you might as well just take it all. With removing all of it, 85% of my poly cystic issues will be gone. I may not have to be on metformin which would be 4 less pills I'd have to take a day. Yippee!

We talked a bit about which hormone therapy would be best for me, but I guess it will all be trial and error once that comes to light. They though about 1 week after surgery I would start having hot flashes and night sweats. At that point we will figure out which will be best for me. I go into surgery on the 9th early in the morning and will be there over night. As Dr. Kaldas puts it, he doesn't want me to become a "human trampoline". Which is fine with me!!!!

Thunder Thigh Thursday

2007-03-01T08:04:00.000-06:00

Well, Things have not gone as planned this week - I must admit. I don't know what's going on with my body at this point. I believe it is rebelling against diet and exercise. I am have not lost any weight this week. I am thinking my muscle mass has caught up with me. I have not changed my diet - except for going out with the couples from the twins club last Thursday night. But other than that... I'm not sure. I have done MORE exercising this past week thanks to the bazillion inches of snow we got - I shoveled both of our driveways TWICE in 2 days. I just don't get it. So I am thinking trying to get to 75lbs maybe a lost cause btwn now and next Friday considering I am still at 68lbs. Oh well. However close I get will be less than I am today. We'll just go for that. I have been noticing that I still have been dropping inches around my waist. I will not mention my weight at this point in the game but I will give you an idea of where my waist started and where I am today. I started out with a 49 inch waist ( Ok, go ahead and pick up your jaw) and I am now a 35.5 inch waist. OH DR. OZ WOULD BE SO PROUD OF ME! Only 3 more inches until I am in the safe zone!

I am a bit nervous for surgery next week. Not so much for the surgery itself - but for the fact of putting weight back on. I have been researching and reading a lot of info from women who have gone through surgical menopause and most of then had mentioned some weight gain. I do not feel I have lost enough to be ok with even a 5 lb gain. I'm stressin' and maybe that's why my body has been rebelling.

On that note...I need to go shovel off the deck before our next blizzard comes tonight. They are calling for another 8 - 10 inches on top of the foot we already have. UGH! It's March - NO MORE SNOW!

Thunder Thigh Thursday and then some

2007-02-22T14:08:00.000-06:00

Well, wouldn't you know it, Thursday is here again. I can't believe we have been home 1 week already. It has been a crazy week around here. School, dr. apts, in house physical therapy, testing.....I am ready for a vacation again I think!!
The only thing that really hasn't change is my weight loss. I started back up on ww and exercising on Monday. Before I left I was down 62 lbs. I lost 1 while I was gone to make it 63 and today I am down another 5 lbs. Which brings it to 68 lbs.
I have until March 9th at 5:30 in the morning to lose another 7 lbs. CAN WE DO IT? YES WE CAN! Ok, a bit to much Bob the Builder, but oh well.

Other business around here.......Riley and Keegan had their 4 yr old check up on Tuesday and things are going well. Keegan is 36 lbs and 41 in tall, and Riley is 37 lbs and 40 in tall. Both look great!! Keegan is been having...well, since he was little some issues with worrying, afraid of failing, and he has his troubles with being obsessive. So, at our apt. we talked a bit about it. Now, how much is really 4 yr old boy stuff?...How much is fighting for attention with 3 other siblings....and how much of it is really an issue? I don't know. So, Annika suggested that maybe we see someone in Behavior health. Which really meant....Seeing a PSYCHOTHERAPIST. Let me tell you....This lady and room scared the bagibbrs out of me! She wanted to have time alone with him to get into his inner self and find out what is really bothering him. She wanted to know if he has talked about hurting other people...NO! Has he had thoughts of hurting himself.....ah NO! For all I know he would tell her that he peed his Spider man sheets two days ago and now they stink. I don't know. So...We have started a "Good Behavior" Chart. He can earn up to a nickle a day. He has 5 items that he needs to be aware of in order to receive his penny. So far so good. To he has been in the naughty spot once, so he lost that penny, but with out me telling him - he went up to his room and started to clean it, so he earned that penny back. At the end of the week if he has 30 - 35 penny's, he can have one on one time with either Daddy or I, and do an activity just with us. So, hopefully this will help. Riley also has a chart, but she has a chore chart instead and it works the same for her. We'll cross our fingers to see if this helps with his behaviors.
Today we had testing for Title one (preschool). Title one helps kids get ready for Kindergarten but they must meet a "need" requirement to enroll. Well, Today we found out that Both Riley and Keegan are smarter that a sharpened pencil. They did great. There was NO WAY Riley would need to enroll in this class, but Keegan on the other hand is being recommend for the class. Because of his obsessiveness and his worrying, they feel that this Title one class will be good for him. The nice thing is that it is at the school that they will both be going to come elementary time. The bad thing is that they will be separated the for the first time. I am not sure how they will both respond. If Keegan gets in, I do not think I will put Riley in preschool next fall. The teachers suggested any type of class with "play time". So, she and I may just take some classes instead. We'll see. We should hear back from the school district by March and then we will plan things a bit better.
So, that's my life right now in a nutshell. If anyone has any suggestions for me, please....I would love to hear them!

Updated pics

2007-02-18T19:18:00.000-06:00

Here are some updated pictures of me - 65 lbs gone! I'll be back in the swing again tomorrow after 2 weeks off.

These are the jeans I started my diet in.

Jeans that are 6 sizes smaller!

Pictures from Mexico

2007-02-16T12:46:00.000-06:00

........More pics
Keegan waiting in the taxi

Riley and the flowers

Grand Mayan Resort - My uncle got Matt and I in for a 1 night "get a way" (Time shares).
Cost to rent one week - $ 25,000

Keegan taking a little snooze

Cooper and Mommy swimming

We stopped in Chicago at Matt's dad's house before flying out the next morning.

...more pictures from Mexico

2007-02-16T09:15:00.000-06:00

Carson, Cooper, and their new friend.

Cole family in Mexico

Lil' swimmers

Riley, Donia, and Keegan walking to the "toy store".

Swimming studs

Mommy catching a few rays

Thunder Thigh Thursday - Home from Mexico

2007-02-15T15:34:00.000-06:00

Home at last - Home at last - Thank God we are home at last!

We had a great time on our trip, but it is ALWAYS nice to come home (even though there was a 87 degree temp difference - Yuck!)

As for my "Thunder Thigh Thursday" - I am down 1 pound. I was totally shocked considering I did not follow through with my plan of exercising and dieting - that all went out the window when I couldn't read the labels at Walmart! So, I enjoyed myself! 2 weeks of no worries. I figured as long as my clothes and suit fit - I was in the clear!

Here are a few pictures of our trip -

Enjoy - we sure did.

A view from the Cross in Acapulco

Family picture at the Grand Mayan resort

Oh, daddy is going to be mad that the BEARS lost!

Cooper and Mommy hangin' out at the pool!

Daddy, Riley, and Keegan going fishing at Bou Bous.

Mommy's big day fishing. No sail fish - but these were tough enough!

Thunder Thigh Tuesday

2007-01-29T13:52:00.000-06:00

I'm leaving on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again.....Ok - well, I know I will be back again actually, I'll be back again on the 15th.
So, this is where we will be. It's looking pretty nice and warm if you ask me. Especially since it is -6 below zero with the windshield here.

Ok- Now for my final weigh in - I lost 3 lbs!!! That brings me to a total of 62 lbs!

Here is my new look for Acapulco!

HA - yah right. Thought I would make you laugh a bit!

Now, I have been told by my father to " Take you your points and go to hell for 2 weeks" - and for everytime I mention points or weight I have to eat something bad for me! Yikes!

I am not sure I can do that. I still have 13 lbs to go before March 9th. So we'll see. I am hoping to sweat a bit off basting in the 90 degree sun, and I have taken my work out clothes to do a bit of walking..... I don't feel I have it in me to just blow it for 2 weeks. Now if I can only figure out the conversion from lbs to kilos I will be ok!

As for Riley - We got her MRI report back and things are ok. They were worried she might have some fluid on her spinal cord, but luckily there was none. Her cerebellum has come down a bit more, but nothing to be concerned with just yet. So, we will keep an eye on her.

Alright, we are off. I will blog again when possible!

Thunder Thigh Thursday (Wed.) and then some

2007-01-24T14:01:00.000-06:00

I thought I would start my Thunder Thigh Thursday (Wed.) blog with a picture of a little naughty girl who feels the need to hit our big screen t.v. I think she enjoyed her first trip to the naughty spot! So innocent!

Now, to my weigh in - I am down.........

I can't believe it! 59 lb! Only 41 more lbs to go to my final goal. I have decided that I would like to lose another 15 lbs before my hysterectomy in March. That means, no screwing around in Mexico. I am hoping that I will have the will power. I will have access to a work out room so hopefully that will help.

Even though I am losing weight, I am starting to feel and look like this woman. That is just not right for a 32 yr old. I guess after having 2 twins pregnancies this is what you end up looking like. Let me tell yah - it turns my husband on - NOT! Oh well, I know my insides probably look better than this and that is all that matters, right?

Well, I will do my last Thunder Thigh Thursday on Tuesday next week. That will be it until I return home on Valentines day (unless I find a way to capture a computer.)

I weighed in today because tomorrow we are leaving for Children's hospital. Riley - my 4 yr old is having a MRI of her brain and spine to see if her Chiari is getting worse. A year and 1/2 ago her cerebellum was pertruding 15mm down towards her spinal cord. It's about time we find out if it has grown downwards any more. They have to sedate her, but hopefully she will come out ok.

I will report again when I know more.

GO BEARS!

Birthdays and Winter in Wisconsin

2007-01-23T19:17:00.000-06:00

Well, it's been a busy last week or so. We finally got the snow the kids had been hoping for. Me, I don't care so much. And Riley and Keegan finally tured 4! Holy Cow 4! It just seems like yesterday I was getting ready to burst with them!
Boy, time flies when you are having fun! We are all busy with school, colds and trying to get packed for this insane trip that we are taking to Mexico. To be honest, I have no idea where to start with it all. All I know for sure is to pack swim suits and sun tan lotion. From there, I guess we'll see what pops itself into the suit case!
* Stay tuned, there should be an exciting Thunder Thigh Thursday ahead!

Thunder Thigh Thursday

2007-01-18T12:49:00.000-06:00

Good afternoon my friends. It's that time of the week again! I'm not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing. Thursday's seen to come around so quickly that I barely have any time to blog about other things, like how I have not started one bit to get organized for our trip in 1 1/2 weeks, how stressed I am getting about what preschool to put the kids in next year. I found out that Riley and Keegan are more advanced then any of the other kids and they are at the top of their class and that they seem to be getting bored. Bored Vs. $2,000 a year for preschool? Should there be any questions? You want your kids to excel, but is $2,000 a year exceptable with one income and a family of 6? I don't know.

Riley and Keegan will be 4 on Sunday. So, I am sure you will see a birthday blog next. After that...I am unsure.

Ok, So now with the weigh in. I lost 2 lbs this week which brings me to 55 pounds gone! Can I just say I am getting VERY bored myself with this diet. I know I need to keep going (because I have 45 more to go) but I am drowning here. I have been working my tail off at the fitness center and I am starting to feel like I am spinning my wheels. If anyone has any ideas to get me out of this rut, please - do share.
My dad told me my muscles are "weighing me down". Damn those muscles. Don't they know I still have a hell of a ways to go??? My work out routine is getting boring......... I have been trying to change it up but it is just to much for me right now. I am ready to throw in the towel - But I CAN'T! I have the "good" me on one shoulder, and the "bad" me on the other. It's killing me!

Oh well. It feels good to be smaller (thinner just seems like an impossible word for me - Like I will ever be THIN.)
So, I must now leave you to go eat my rabbit food. For you that are eatting snacks and treats today - eat one for me too!

Thunder Thigh Thursday and my secret to losing weight

2007-01-11T13:44:00.000-06:00

2 weeks to Mexico and I am down 53 lbs! Can I make it to 60 before I leave? Not sure but I am going to work my buns off to see. I have been working out twice a day for the last couple of days and it feels so great. It's like I am becoming an exercise freak - and I LOVE IT!
I have to hand it to my mom. She has been a trooper in the mornings. She comes over with my dad and she is the babysitter while I try to get my fat butt in shape. Thanks Mom!!!

Because my dad and I work out in the High school fitness center - I had access to a "fatty" odometer today. You know, the skin fold test thingy...
Well, West has an electric one and so there was no fat to be squeezed today, but numbers to be punched in and read. One of the Phy Ed. teachers helped me with it and it was so cool. I now have have an idea of what my BMI is. If you think I am going to list it on this blog, you have got to be out of your mind. That's for me, God, and the teacher to know. Too bad. Maybe once I get it to where it needs to be I will let you know.

I will now let you in on my weight loss secret. Here it is------------------------->
Yup...I do ballet with my kids every day. Yes, that is Keegan in the back with a "tutu" on. I'm thinking he has much better form than Riley.
And to be honest...he is better at it then she is.
Matt is so proud!
We play the video that goes along with it and we have a blast. Thanks Betsy - we love it!

Ok, so now my secret is out. Anyone else wanting to lose weight need to get this ballet program. It's great!

Oh the other hand....We are getting a bit worried about Riley and her Chiari Malformation. We have been noticing more balance issues, she has been falling a bit more, she seems a bit more fatigued, and she complained to my mom the other day - mymom was swinging her by under the arms and she said "ouch, it's hurting the bottom of my neck." Which they have done a million times and now it is starting to hurt. HUMMMMM. So, I called her Neuro and I believe we will be having another MRI for her in Milwaukee. I am just hoping to god that it is not starting to grow any more than it has. So, we'll keep our fingers crossed.

I made my appointment for my hysterectomy. It will be on March 9th. I am very excited and nervous about all of it. I do believe it will be for the better.

Ok - Until next time America......

my-calorie-counter.com The webs free Calorie Chart

I was ready for a fight - and then a miracle

2007-01-09T16:18:00.000-06:00

Ladies how many of you have male ob/gyn's? Is it just me, or do they sometimes not get it?

Now that I am all done with having "twins", I was wondering if I should switch to a female OB?

In the winter of 2004, when I was trying to get pregnant, I was referred to my doctor that I have now. He is great with helping women who can't get pregnant on their own. Especially women who have (PCOS) poly cystic ovaries. I can't tell you how great he was during my pregnancy and even when it came time to deliver my twins by c-section 9 weeks early, and even tying my tubes which he wasn't so sure was the right thing for me, but smiled and did it anyways.
He was wonderful.

When it came time for my 6 week check up, I pleaded my case about having a hysterectomy. With having PCOS, I get my period maybe twice and year, and of course, never ovulate. My ovaries are filled with cysts, there is abnormal bleeding, and a bunch of pain that comes with it all. Not mentioning the diabetic drug I needed to be on to regulate my insulin caused by the PCOS. Not a fun thing to have. He told me NO. HE thought I was to young and that the side affects from PCOS are a lot more mild then the side affects of Menopause. Who is he to tell me which is worse? How does he know? Are his ovaries filled with little cysts that keep bursting??? So, he told me NO. Ok.

Today, I had my lovely yearly exam. I was ready to put up a fight about having a total hysterectomy. As I am laying on the exam table waiting for him to finish the test, he says to me " Are you regretting the tubal I did last year?" Knowing he has no children of his own, I wanted to blurt out, " Why don't you come to my house and stay with my 4 children who are all under the age of 4, and then you tell me if I am regretting the tubal" But no, I politely said, "Nope, not one bit". He smiled and giggled. I'm sure he was thinking I was going to hate it. He tried to talk me out of it, but come on, 4 kids under the age of 4 is enough for anyone!!!

So, he starts to ask if I am having more than 4 cycles a year? I said, "no". He then tells me that I have endometriosis - which is new from last year. I said...."We need to talk..." "I have been wearing protection since August not knowing when Aunt flow is going to show up and I have been having pain!" He says to me, " Oh, That is not acceptable at all". YAH THINK!
So, I nicely started my conversation by saying, "I would like a hysterectomy please?" And wouldn't you know it.....HE AGREED!
So, here I sit waiting to schedule my appointment. I could not be happier!
Also, They now do it laparoscopiclly, not via c-section. That should make things a bit easier too. I know many of you are thinking, "She's Crazy", but until you have lived with PCOS, You have no idea......

All I can say is "Thank heavens, there is God".( and she must be female!)

I DID IT !

2007-01-07T14:06:00.000-06:00

Well, I am here to announce that I lost my first goal of 50 pounds!!!
I can not believe it. You know, last week Molly asked me if I ever though I would be able to lose this much. There is no way I thought I would be strong enough to even lose more than 20 lbs! I had tried dieting many other times (yes, with Molly), but we always stumbled and fell off after about 10 pounds. So, for me, this is a huge accomplishment!
At 50 lbs I am - 5 pant sizes smaller and 11 inches slimmer around my waist!

AMEN SISTA!

I have 2 more goals to reach, both in 25 lb increments but I don't have a time line set for that yet. We'll see how much more I can shed before our trip.

(Thanks to Matt, we have a # 50 ND jersey, and the "I'm too sexy" song!)

50 lbs lighter and in Matt's Frat sweatshirt from College! I am also PRE- Wedding weight!48 lbs lighter... Not very light...Once again....Not very light. 4 months post c-section.... That's Molly's baby Jack.
Not LIGHT at all - but 20 wks preggo with 2nd set of twins.....In KEY WEST! (It's a "virgin" don't worry) Who goes to KEY WEST in August while preggo with twins??? They can atleast say they survived Hurricane Katrina in a Hotel!
Holy Mother of God!!!!! Keegan is a bit worried that SHAMU got on the back of his tube!

No worries this summer bud!

Thunder Thigh Thursday

2007-01-04T14:47:00.000-06:00

Happy New year everyone! Hope everyone had a great New Year's weekend!
I sure did. We watched A LOT for football games and a few basketball games. Go Badgers!
And of course while you sit around an watch t.v. all day, there is a bit of un-normal eatting going on.
Yup that was me. I am sad to say...I do not have a loss to report today. Actually - I do. I gained 2 lbs over the 3 day weekend and today I am back to my 48 lbs today. So really, I lost my 2 lbs I gained. Oh well. As I sit here eatting my "rabbit" food, I understand I have only 2 lbs more to go for my 50 lb goal. The way my date (my dad) and I have been working out, it shouldn't take much longer. So, please stay tuned....I may post my 50lb weight loss before next "Thunder Thigh Thursday".
Hope everyone has a safe, healthy and happy New Year!

Thunder Thigh Thursday

2006-12-28T16:39:00.000-06:00

Ok....I am finally here to blog about THUNDER THIGH THURSDAY!
Well, I must admit that it has been a rough last couple of days due to Christmas BUT - I SUCCEEDED! No weight gain to report today! Actually, I have to report a 3 lb loss! HIP, HIP, HURRAY! So....drum roll please.... that brings me to a total of 48 lbs! And here is a picture of me now.... And me then.....YIKES....and AGAIN!

Christmas at the Cole's!

2006-12-25T21:08:00.000-06:00

Keegan, Cooper, Riley and Carson
Christmas Breakfast of Champions!!!

What did you get Keegan???
Riley got DIAMONDS from Papa!
Look Mom, I got a toothbrush!

This one is all MINE!!!

Mommy got her first "Harley Davidson" shirt

Daddy got a new "BEARS" shirt. (The BEARS still Suck daddy!) As you can see, Christmas was good to us. I hope Santa was as good to you as he was to our family. MERRY CHRISTMAS !

After 39 days..

2006-12-24T11:17:00.000-06:00

Cooper came home from the NICU. Last year - Christmas Eve day we got to bring Cooper home!! It was the best Christmas ever!!!

We hope everyone has a great holiday season!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Thunder Thigh Thursday

2006-12-21T09:14:00.000-06:00

Well, it's that time of week again. I am only down 1 lb this week, which I guess is pretty good considering what happend over the weekend. I went off my diet Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. By Monday I was up 5 lbs!!!! Holy Crap. Who knew what 3 days of eatting like cow could turn into. So, ever since Monday I have been working my butt off to get rid of those extra nasty pounds! With that said.... I am happy with my 1 lb loss this week.
I am not sure what I will do next week. I am tempted to skip the whole "Thunder Thigh Thursday" entry, but who knows, I guess I will decide Thursday after I step on the scale.

With a 1 pound loss, that brings me to a total of 45 lbs gone, and a total of 10 inches gone from my waist. (4 pant sizes, and a whole bra size!)
Here is hoping for a new wardrobe for Christmas!

We would like to wish everyone very Merry Christmas and a safe and healthy New Year!

Thunder thighs, friends, and bugs

2006-12-14T11:47:00.000-06:00

We wanted to start this blog with a little reminder to our friends that we miss them . I know this isn't the best song for our message....But it's the one the kids liked the best. So, Jacob, Tyler, and KJ......We miss you guys! (Hugs from Riley and Keegan)

Ok, I guess I should report in to my "Thunder Thigh Thursday" journal. Once again today, I am down 4lbs. Yeah! That's a total of 44 lbs! Hopefully the ball will keep on rolling! We'll see what happends over the next 2 weeks. All I can do is pray for the best.

We have officially caught the sick bug in this house! Riley and Keegan have been sick of over a week now with a cold and a nasty cough and believe it or not.....it spread to Cooper and Carson.

Tuesday night I was in the ER with Cooper. He seems to be ok, but has a NASTY cough. We sat in the ER for 3 hours for the doc to tell me he has a cold. GEEZ...I didn't even have to go to med school to figure that out!
Wed, I took Carson to the dr. She has a dbl ear infection, a rash from her toes to her head, a sore throat, a fever, and an eye infection from all the lovely boogers that keep getting smooshed in.

Today, we were back into the dr's for both little kids. Carson is eatting less and less, but seems to be perking up a bit. Cooper on the other hand is getting a bit worse. Our doc seems to think he could be getting the start of RSV - a BIG no no for preemies. Annika seemed to think though if either Carson or Cooper end up with the full blown RSV, they should be ok. They are otherwise healthy enough, and big enough and should get through it with out a problem. We will keep an eye on it and keep our fingers crossed that either one of them don't end up back at Children's. So, that is all the excitment in the Cole household.
So until next week, I will keep busy by running around the house with a can of lysol, a container of clorox wipes, and a box of tissues!
That should help the pounds fall off!

After 26 days....

2006-12-09T08:52:00.000-06:00

Carson graduated from the NICU 1 yr ago! I can't even begin to explain the emotions we felt. It was very exciting to finally bring our little girl home, but it was very sad to be seperating her from her brother. It would only be another 14 days before they would be reunited again.
Welcome home Carson! (Dec 10, 2005 - weighing 5 lbs 10 oz)

Thunder Thigh Thursday

2006-12-07T14:05:00.000-06:00

And then 40 were gone!!!!
You read correctly...... 40 lbs - poof, gone! I almost shocked myself when I got on the scale today!!!! Yippy!!! I can't believe it!! Even after the late night Diary Queen run with Molly this past Saturday night, and after the Cinder block piece of lasagna I ate...And salad with REAL ranch, and the brick of garlic bread! WOW!!! Who knew!

Ok....only 10 lbs more until I reach my Mexico goal!!! The first "pit stop" is in sight! I think I can, I think I can......

Until next week....

Happy munching!

The "New" me picture...Stolen from Molly

2006-12-06T13:26:00.000-06:00

Ok...So many have been waiting for the " 35 lbs lighter " picture. Well, I have been having issues with uploading pictures from our new camera so I decided to steal it off of Molly's blog. Thanks Moll! The whole Ray Clan came for a visit last weekend and we had a blast. Feel free to see pictures and read about it on Molly's blog.
I will update more tomorrow on "Thunder Thigh Thursday"! stolen

...here are a few of my favorite things

2006-12-03T19:18:00.000-06:00

Ok, so last week, I was tagged by Molly to tell about my my favorite things.
So, Here are a few of my favorite things......

1) I am truely in love with my Dansko professional Clogs!
These things are amazing. I could walk around the world and back - if it was possible! The only issue with these shoes is that they are a bit spendy - but worth every penny!

2) Every woman needs a great chapstick. For me - I love Burt's Bee's (Beeswax lip balm). It's the bomb baby!

3) My next favorite item seems a little weird, but I am in love with my Cordless Shark Sweeper!!
Every mom with toddlers and no dog, needs this item! I have only had it a few days and it is the best!

4) Since I have kids, I must admit - You got to have Britax Carseats!! I have 2 sets of twins and we have 4 Britax Carseats. My 1 yr olds are in the Britax Roundabouts.
We have the puma print - JUST LOVE IT!

My almost 4yr olds just got the Britax Regent. We love these too!

5) My last favorite thing are my Keen hikers! If you are looking for nice winter or hiking boots - These are it! You will love them! For some reason I am not able to upload the picture, so you will just have to take my word for it!

So, These are just a few of my favorite thing!

Happy Holidays!

Thunder Thigh Thursday

2006-11-30T14:16:00.000-06:00

Ok, as I have been reading my dear friend Molly's, and her friend Fremas blogs, I see that they are doing a Weigh in Wed. blog. Well, for me, I do not weigh in on Wed.....I weigh in on Thursdays, so I needed a good title for my weigh in story of the week. What would go with Thursday????? Since this is a weight loss story, I thought THUNDER THIGH THURSDAY sounded really nice.
I started my weight loss journey September 14, 2006. The day Cooper came home from his cranio surgery. I had put it off all summer...and by the time we had come home from our 8 day stay in Milwaukee for the kids surgeries, I have had it with my weight. Clothes always fitting snug, pants to tight around the waist, it was time to get serious. I of course, Like Molly have also had my bumps in the road. I won't lie...It's been tough. But every day I feel better and better. I have 4 children and a husband who need me - I was done being selfish!
Through today, I have lost 8.5 inches around my waist, dropped 3 pant sizes and 2 top sizes. In 2 1/2 months, I am down 35 lbs!!! I am no where near where I need to be, but It's a start. I had Keegan get on the scale with me this morning and he weighed in at 35 lbs. I HAVE LOST KEEGAN!!!! Let me tell you....to me, 35 lbs didn't seem like a big number until I saw how much Keegan weighed. Visually..... 35 lbs is a lot!
Christmas is coming and I hope I do as well through the holiday as I did Thanksgiving.
My goal before going to Mexico Jan 31st is to lose 50lbs. Hopefully I will be able to make my goal and then some before then.
Until next week - Happy munching!
Here is a picture of me 35 lbs ago. I will add a me "now" picture tomorrow.

Carson - 11.27.06

2006-11-26T20:05:00.000-06:00

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In the fast lane going 25

2006-11-23T05:35:00.000-06:00

Do you ever feel like life is just passing you by? That's how I have been feeling the last couple of weeks. So much going on, so little time. As you may know, Carson and Cooper hit a big milestone last Wed. - They turned 1!!! I was sure with everything we went through this past year, that the year would never end. But Nov. 15th came and went and my babies are now 1.

Last week we took a little trip out to New Jersey to visit my grandma, aunt, and cousins. Riley and Keegan are old pros, but it was the first flight for Carson and Cooper. I must say everyone did quite well. It was good practice for our upcoming trip to Mexico.

Tuesday, Appleton had their annual Christmas parade. Can you believe it is almost Christmas already? I just seems like we were swimming and playing at the lake, and now Christmas? Yikes......time is flying by. As I may not be ready, make not mistake about it - Riley and Keegan can't wait!!!!!! With every toy commercial that comes across the t.v, someone chimes in with," Oh I would love that for Chirstmas." Oh to be a young child again. I can remember getting the Chirstmas toy catalog and circling and writing down item numbers and pages numbers until I couldn't see straight.

On September 14th, I got back on track with my girlfriend Molly in our battle to lose weight. I am happy to announce that after 2 months and 9 days I am down 30lbs!!!! Yippy. Only 1,000 more to go! No, honestly -It hasn't been bad at all. I must admit I am very happy! My goal is to be down 50 lbs by the time we leave for Mexico. With that said, today is Thanksgiving - One of my favorite holidays. I am hoping I have enough will power to not eat my loss in turkey, cranberries, stuffing, mashed potatoes, fluffy fruit salads and of course, pie. But if I can not resist....I will die a full belly woman!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Happy 1st Birthday

2006-11-06T23:38:00.000-06:00

Happy 1st Birthday Kiddos! You have been through a lot this past year and you are truely amazing! You are our heros.

Love you,
Mom and Dad

Trick or Treat

2006-11-02T07:44:00.000-06:00

Happy Halloween....Ok a little late. Here are a few pictures of my crew......crazy as ever - But fun!

Just when you think you see a light at the end of the tunnel...

2006-10-31T06:55:00.000-06:00

....this happends - you find a bone in a place where you think it shouldn't be. I can't tell you what it is or how it happend, but I am thinking.....It's not good. I believe that her skull is shifting. The left side of her head is "normal" feeling, but the right side has this huge ridge that runs along the side of her head.
So, the first thing Monday morning I called her Cranial facial team at Children's. I talked to one of Dr. Jensen's Nurses and she wanted me to email pictures of this bone. Ok, well, to actually see this bone would mean I would have to give this poor little girl a hair cut.
not the easiest task in the world, but we got it done. I am hoping to hear something from Dr. Jensen today or Wed. Meanwhile, I will be having a nice chat with the man upstairs.

Out for a long weekend.

2006-10-27T07:48:00.000-05:00

Ok, I know I am behind on blogging, so bare with me while I play catch up.
A week and a half ago we started our trip to Indiana to see Matt's family. This time through, we decided to go a night earlier and make a stop at our friends house. My girlfriend Molly, aka LOST A SOCK, was kind enough to take our family in for the night. Molly lives in btwn our house and Matt's mom's so it makes for a nice break. We arrived at the Ray household at 11pm. I must admit, it was a nice, cozy, quiet house until my family showed up. This is a picture of what 3 crazy kids look like at 1:30 am - doesn't look like they are ready for bed to me.

It is always nice to see the Ray family. Thank you Molly, for letting us screw up your nice, cozy, quiet home.
This trip is always to short, but we try to make the best of it while we are there. Matt's mom had moved into a new (old) house and it was our first time seeing it. VERY NICE! It was expecially nice because she no longer needs to drive to work - it's across the street. Kathi works for a company that repairs big trucks - Semi's etc, so it was very exciting for the kids when she would take them over to work. Keegan had a great time. He was offered a couple of time to get a short ride in the trucks, but he wouldn't go unless Nana would go with him. Needless to say there were no semi rides this time. Maybe next time. Riley also had a great time. Down the street, a block each way from nana's house were parks, so on days they got a bit restless, Matt would take them to play on the sildes - their favorites. Keegan also had a great time on the mary- go- round. We even got a chance to go to Nana 2's house (great grandma). Thanks Nana 2 for the wonderful meal and all the goodies.
On our way home last Sunday we hurried our buns to get to Milwaukee. My parents, Mike, Sue, Devon, Matt and I all got tickets to see the Blue Man Group. So, my girlfriend Erin, who has twin boys Riley and Keegan's age, and who we also miss very much, has moved to Milwaukee. She and her wonderful husband Brian had offered to watch all 4 of my kids while we went to the show. Thanks Erin, Brian, Jacob and Tyler. You guys ROCK!

I must admit, the show was terrific. You you ever get a chance to see them, please do. It's a great time. It was a jam packed weekend, but we loved every minute of it.

Thanks everyone for such a great trip!

Only in Wisconsin can it go from Fall to Winter in 2 days flat!

2006-10-12T13:29:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I may not be the smartest cookie in the jar, but damit - I'm doing the best I can! My kids are addicted to their bikes and today they wanted to go for a bike ride. I told them not today it's to cold out. But they insisted. So, first I wanted to get everyone out for a fun picture in the leaves before they are covered with snow. Yes, I said snow. It snowed here yesterday so I know accumulation is just around the corner. So, I send all kids out with no hats, coats, or mittens for a lovely shot in the leaves. Keegan and Riley both start complaining about how cold it is outside - SHHHHHH I say, "I want to get the picture taken". As they are all shivering, I snap one picture and get everyone back inside. Still, they complain about a bike ride. So - Me, myself, and I bundle everyone up and off we go on a bike ride. Did I forget to mention that we are all sick with a nice cold????

He get's it!

2006-10-11T09:46:00.000-05:00

Today is the 11th day of preschool and I think Keegan gets it!!! We are on day two of him not crying....AT ALL when I drop him off!!!
Congrats Keegan!!!!

Big changes around here.

2006-10-09T21:20:00.000-05:00

Thanks to lost a sock, I got the itch to paint. Riley had been buggin' me to have a princess room and to have Carson move on up. Do you know how hard it is to paint with 4 children at home? Oh my...... and all the extra help I recieved???? Needless to say, a day job had turned into a week job. But, it is finally finished and Carson is all snuggle in up in the "girls" room! Riley couldn't be happier!!
Sweet dreams my Princesses! Enjoy! I love you!

P.s The Boys are enjoying their Spiderman room as well.

Granny "in training"

2006-10-02T14:55:00.000-05:00

Not sure why, but I blogged twice today. Maybe it's because I have nothing else to do??? Nope, that's not it - seen my house lately??? Because I had 2 blogs I just couldn't wait to get up!

Here is picture of the kids training our friend Miss Shelley. Her daughter Meghan is getting married next summer and we decided it's not a minute to early to start training to be a grandma. Meghan may disagree, Shelley may disagree, but not my kids! They love her. We had a girls (and tiny tots) dinner Friday night while all of our husbands were together on a guys weekend away. So, we ordered Chinese, Shelley brought dilly bars from Dairy queen and we had a blast!
After dinner Shelley stayed for our nightly routine - baths, jammies, and storytime. PLUS the occasional piggy back ride that she was handing out. By the time bed time came around, I wasn't sure who need to rest more, the kids or Shelley. (We won't mention that she had only been at our house since 5pm). It's ok Shelley. We'll get you whipped into to Granny shape by the time your fist grand child is born!
Thanks for everything Miss Shelley!

My Girls

2006-10-02T14:47:00.000-05:00

Who could ask for anything more???

Pictures of the day

2006-09-29T09:14:00.000-05:00

I've been tagged

2006-09-27T17:52:00.000-05:00

Tag - I'm it

Thanks to youngest of twelve

Three people who make me laugh:
Riley, Keegan, Carson and Cooper. Ok that's 4.

Three things I hate:
dieting, infertility, and brussle sprouts.

Three things I don't understand:
Why god gives you more than you can handle, why babies are born prematurely, and why President Bush keeps sending more and more soldiers to Iraq.

Three things I am doing right now:
Talking to my husband on the phone, listening to Cooper cry himself to sleep (bad mommy, I know) and typing.

Three things I want to do before I die:
Watch my children get married, play with my grand children, and go whale watching

Three things I am able to do:
Be a good mom, friend, and advocate for my children.

Three things I am not able to do (yet):
Buy a bigger car, buy a bigger home, and meet Molly's mom

Three things I think you should listen to:
A newborn babies first cry, children laughing, and the sounds a hurricane makes (hurricane Katrina survivor)

Three things to describe my personality:
Outgoing, fun, spontaneous

Three things I would like to learn:
How to make a picture perfect pie, scrapbooking, and photography

Three favorite foods:
Gyros, Taco salad and taco dip

Three beverages I drink regularly:
Diet Mt. Dew, Water, Orange juice

Three shows I watched as a kid:
The Bozo show, The Brady bunch, and Fat Albert.

Three people I tag...
Cherry blossom baby, Pastore Villa, and Riley's Journey with cranio.

What I live with and why I have 2 sets of twins

2006-09-27T10:03:00.000-05:00

I have polycystic ovary syndrom (PCOS)

PCOS is a health problem that can affect a woman’s menstrual cycle, fertility, hormones, insulin production, heart, blood vessels, and appearance. Women with PCOS have these characteristics:
high levels of male hormones, also called androgens
an irregular or no menstrual cycle
may or may not have many small cysts in their ovaries. Cysts are fluid-filled sacs.
PCOS is the most common hormonal reproductive problem in women of childbearing age.

An estimated five to 10 percent of women of childbearing age have PCOS.

No one knows the exact cause of PCOS. Women with PCOS frequently have a mother or sister with PCOS. But there is not yet enough evidence to say there is a genetic link to this disorder. Many women with PCOS have a weight problem. So researchers are looking at the relationship between PCOS and the body’s ability to make insulin. Insulin is a hormone that regulates the change of sugar, starches, and other food into energy for the body’s use or for storage. Since some women with PCOS make too much insulin, it’s possible that the ovaries react by making too many male hormones, called androgens. This can lead to acne, excessive hair growth, weight gain, and ovulation problems.

Why do women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) have trouble with their menstrual cycle?
The ovaries are two small organs, one on each side of a woman's uterus. A woman's ovaries have follicles, which are tiny sacs filled with liquid that hold the eggs. These sacs are also called cysts. Each month about 20 eggs start to mature, but usually only one becomes dominant. As the one egg grows, the follicle accumulates fluid in it. When that egg matures, the follicle breaks open to release the egg so it can travel through the fallopian tube for fertilization. When the single egg leaves the follicle, ovulation takes place.

In women with PCOS, the ovary doesn't make all of the hormones it needs for any of the eggs to fully mature. They may start to grow and accumulate fluid. But no one egg becomes large enough. Instead, some may remain as cysts. Since no egg matures or is released, ovulation does not occur and the hormone progesterone is not made. Without progesterone, a woman’s menstrual cycle is irregular or absent. Also, the cysts produce male hormones, which continue to prevent ovulation.

Here are some of the symptoms of PCOS:
infrequent menstrual periods, no menstrual periods, and/or irregular bleeding
infertility or inability to get pregnant because of not ovulating
increased growth of hair on the face, chest, stomach, back, thumbs, or toes
acne, oily skin, or dandruff
pelvic pain
weight gain or obesity, usually carrying extra weight around the waist
type 2 diabetes
high cholesterol
high blood pressure
male-pattern baldness or thinning hair
patches of thickened and dark brown or black skin on the neck, arms, breasts, or thighs
skin tags, or tiny excess flaps of skin in the armpits or neck area
sleep apnea―excessive snoring and breathing stops at times while asleep

Treatment:
Fertility Medications-
The main fertility problem for women with PCOS is the lack of ovulation. Even so, her husband’s sperm count should be checked and her tubes checked to make sure they are open before fertility medications are used. Clomiphene (pills) and Gonadotropins (shots) can be used to stimulate the ovary to ovulate. PCOS patients are at increased risk for multiple births when using these medications. In vitro Fertilization (IVF) is sometimes recommended to control the chance of having triplets or more. Metformin can be taken with fertility medications and helps to make PCOS women ovulate on lower doses of medication.

1 hurdle at a time

2006-09-26T20:20:00.000-05:00

Team B is now 10 .5 months and Cooper has yet to find his legs. He is doing a great job rolling, and a great job sitting, but try to get him to stand - never. This kid is killing me. Team B had their Physical therapy appoinment today (in home) and things didn't go as well as I would have hoped. Our PT is great. She's the same one we've had since Riley and Keegan we born. She did a lot of work with Riley and not so much with Keegan. Same with team B. She works a lot with Cooper, but does not need to be with Carson. Riley was measured today for the orthotics she needs. A whopping $30.00 a foot, and Lisa thinks the Keegan will also need them. Swell.
Carson got a big A+ today. Lisa was able to get her up on her knees and to start rocking back and forth. I'm not sure I am ready for a true crawler yet! And Cooper.....He got an A+ for his sitting and his rolling but a F in standing. We were told that if he does not find his legs by 11 months, he will need leg braces. These braces will force him to keep is legs straight. He will have to learn to put weight on them. So, we'll see. I'm not sure I can get him to find them in a few weeks. Maybe it will be good for him, who knows....I'm just tired of putting this kid through everything on god's green planet. I guess this is to be expected since they were preemies.
Oh well. I'm sure it won't be as bad as I seem to be making it, but come on man, I am still coming down from a very busy past 2 months.
Anyhow......thurs far they are healthy - that's all I can ask.

The beginning of a new season

2006-09-25T20:28:00.000-05:00

Maybe it's just Wisconsin, but fall is here. It did not sneak up on us this year, it down right slapped us in the face! But, we are having a blast with it. Being this is Carson and Cooper's
first fall, there are many new things to explore. Like grass for one. Now that they are sitting, they have become more interested in the long green pricky stuff. Oh, and Carson can't get enough of the leaves!!! She is too funny! She tested 4 leaves out before she figured out that leaves are not to eat.

Yesterday we made our first batch of "fall" cookies. I think the wrapper actually said "Halloween" on it but either way, Cooper loved it. He's got the "now you see it" picture and the

"now you don't and where in the hell did my cookie go?" picture.

I love this time of year. Time you can snuggle up in a nice pair of comfy jeans and a heavy sweater and head out to a Friday night high school football game, or a nice stroll with the stroller on a crisp cool afternoon. Why can't it be like this all year round?

I know I stared this blog last January to help me cope with the second set of twins early arrival, but I haven't been very good about keeping up with the first set; Riley and Keegan. Riley and Keegan started pre school this year!!! I know, Pre school!!!! What a big step. They go Mondays and Wednesdays from 8:15a - 11:45a. It's great. We'll, Riley and I think it's great. Keegan, well, if he could overcome his issues with me leaving him, I think he would like it better too. They have been in school 7 days now, and 7 days he screams his head off when I get ready to leave. Even today - I stayed to volunteer in their class room and he just about had a stroke when I left the classroom to help another little girl wash her hands. Hopefully he will adjust soon and enjoy school a lot more. This kids have never been away from our family. They have either been with Matt and I or with my parents. Am I shooting my self in the foot now???? I don't know. I am glad we are getting it out of our systems now, so by the time they reach kindergarten they will be fine. I know deep down inside that they will be fine, but it breaks my heart everytime I drop them off. There is nothing like the sound of your child begging you not to leave him. Hopefully one day this to will pass.

Hero

2006-09-24T10:58:00.000-05:00

Happy Sunday~

Go Packers!

Say cheese Dr. Jensen

2006-09-21T17:35:00.000-05:00

We love our doctor!!!! He is the bomb!

If for some reason- god forbid- your child needs a cranial facial surgeon - this is the man!

Both kids are doing great. So great that we don't have to go back for another 6 months!!!

Thank you for everything you have done for our kids! You're the best!

And then they were round

2006-09-21T07:42:00.000-05:00

A few days ago I gave up both Carson's and Cooper's caringbridge sites. I figured I didn't really want to be running all three sites all at the same time. And when would I have time to keep all three going??? Because you know with having 2 sets of twins that I have sooooo much extra free time!!! So here is a new update on both kids. Cooper is healing extremly well. He is a bit cranky, but I am not sure that it's is surgery related. I can see and feel both of his top teeth. Both teeth have popped the skin so I know that must be the issue.
Here is a picture of Cooper 2 weeks post op.
Carson is also doing extremly well. I would say 80% of her stiches are already gone. She looks great. She also is popping teeth. She has 3 on the bottom and is ready to pop a forth.
Here is a picture of Carson a little over a 1 month post op.
Tada- Our new trick!!!! They both can sit now for more then a split second - actually it's like 10 minutes or so. They love it. It's the next best to formula and the bottle.
Cooper has such a "boy" look to him now that is head is wider and Carson is still a cutie! Even more so now.
Am I a baby? Or a chipmunk packing nuts? We are off to Milwaukee today to see Dr. Jensen for Cooper's 2 week check up. We will report more later.

A lump in my throat

2006-09-19T22:10:00.000-05:00

As we get ready for bed tonight, like normal, Keegan helps me get Riley into bed. He starts her music for her. She gets tucked in and gets 5 kisses. Next, I get Keegan into his room, I tuck him in and he gets his 5 kisses.
As I return back to Riley's room to get her clothes out for school tomorrow, she sits up in bed and says, " Mommy, you are the worlds best mama." My eyes swell up, I lean over to give her a kiss and tell her I love her. She wispers quietly, "I love you mommy".
Sleep tight my princess, sleep tight.

Brigg's and Al's walk part 2

2006-09-18T19:38:00.000-05:00

Yea.. Finally, the rest of our pictures. Here is a semi group shot of the Children's Champs. Our 2 are in the stroller, and 2 to the right of them is Tom Crean - the Marquette men's basketball coach.
Keegan sporting his new MU hat.
Carson, Cooper and their new buddy Ashley. The Cranio trio.
Riley, keegan and papa out for a morning stroll.

Brigg's & Al's run/walk for Children's hospital of Wisconsin

2006-09-16T20:42:00.000-05:00

Yea - We finished! Ok, so it was only 3 miles. But it was hot, partially up hill, and we were pushing strollers. That's got to count for something right?
When Cooper and Carson's were released from the NICU we were asked by a nurse to be part of the Children's Champions program. All we needed to do was to tell our story, but our story seems to keep going and going.
So, we had been asked to do a few things lately to help raise money for Children's Hospital. A few months ago, I was asked to tell our cranio stories live on the radio for a radio - a- thon. That happend on friday. Prior to that, I thought it would be fun to participate in a walk honoring all NICU and PICU patients.
So, I set up my fundraising page, collect thoughtful donations, and today we walked our 3 miles for Children's hospital. It was great. The kids had a blast!!!! It was great to see how many people showed up. I believe they said they had just under 19,000 people for this event. WOW!
The Marquette men's and women's basketball teams came to the Children's champions breakfast area and handed out bags with goodies in them. I have a pic of Carson and Cooper sporting their new MU hats. Too funny. The really went above and beyond t make these kids feel special.

The most amazing part of the whole thing was that a friend of mine who I had been chatting with on a Cranio message board (www.cappskids.org), mind you, we have neever met, never spoke on the phone, but our 3 children all had their cranio surgeries done within months of each other (Cooper and Ashley even had the same Neurosurgeon) picked us out of a crowed of 19,000 people. I guess when you have 2 sets of twins, 2 singles and a dbl stroller, you kind of stick out. It was amazing to finally meet my "online cranio chat friend".

I have to say this will be on our "to do" list for years to come.

Ok, so blogger is being a poop tonight - I can't get the rest of my pics up. Stay tuned.....Hopefully I will be able to add them tomorrow!

Everybody Hurts

2006-09-15T15:49:00.000-05:00

Ok -I made it!!! I did my duty by going to the radio - a - thon and telling our story for Children's Hospital.
I made the mistake of listening to the show on my way up. I was a crying fool by the time I got there. I didn't know how I was going to make it through with a dry eye. Suprisingly, I didn't cry, but I sure had a lump in my throat. I don't know how those guys sit there and listen to all the stories from Children's. Not me, no way!!

I know how bad it hurts. I think it stings a bit more when you've been though it.
I know I still hurt - and I know I am not the only one. Hugs to all the families out there that have had to use Children's Hospital.

To Comment or Not to Comment - that is the Question

2006-09-14T10:45:00.000-05:00

Over the last couple of days I have been recieving emails on how to "COMMENT" on my blog.
If you scroll to the bottom of each entry, you will see a COMMENT section. It will say
" 0 comments" or how ever many comments have been left. Click it, and it will bring you to a comment page. Write your comment - be sure to leave your name and the bottom, then if you don't have a username or password, click the ANONYMOUS button. Do the word verification and then click LOGIN AND PUBLISH.

That's all there is to it!

Good luck!

A big THANK YOU!

2006-09-10T11:23:00.000-05:00

A big THANK YOU for all of you who were there by our sides during this trying time in our lives.
With out you, Matt and I would never had gotten through all of this.
Thank you for being our strength!
We love you!

Our lives

2006-09-10T10:09:00.000-05:00

Our lives at a quick snapshot~

THE RONALD McDONALD HOUSE
Our home away from home

CARSON: Crainosynostosis; Sagittal Synostosis; Cranial vault repair (CVR) - 6 hours and 15 min. Total hospital stay- 4 days. Age: 4 days shy of 9 months. Date: August 11, 2006

BEFORE
DURING
AFTER

COOPER: Craniosynostosis; Sagittal Synostosis; Metopic Synostosis - did not repair metopic area due the fact that his skull was way to thin - would have caused damage to the dura.
Cranial Vault Repair (CVR) - 6 hours. Total hospital stay - 4 days. Age: 10 days shy of 10 months. Date: September 6th, 2006

BEFORE DURING AFTER
These kids are my heroes. This past year has been a struggle for both of them and for our family. Hopefully, these kids will recover quicky and live happy healthy lives.

Thanks to all of our friends and family for all of their warm thoughts and prayers.

Back on track

2006-09-09T17:08:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone:
I know I haven't been very good at keeping up with my blog, but when life throws you some curve balls, you have to deal with it. My curve balls have been pretty tough these last few months, but I'd think my family has handled it farily well.

I had been posting all of medical stuff on Carson and Coopers website
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/coopercole
www.caringbridge.org/visit/carsoncole
but now it think it is time to get my life of blogging back on track.
Please come back in the next few days to to see my progress.

Carson update

2006-08-13T22:32:00.000-05:00

Hi all. This is Molly posting an update and some photos on behalf of Cindy.

Carson is doing okay. I guess I use that term a bit loosely to say she is doing as to be expected coming out of a surgery like this. She is still in pain but taking meds to help with it, and definitely tired of being poked and prodded in the hospital. Through the weekend she slept a good amount (though she is woken fairly often by nurses for this or that) and when she is awake she is pretty groggy. We've gotten a few smiles out of her, and I am sure she will really have something to smile about once she gets home.

Originally it was planned for Carson to go home tomorrow (Monday) but unfortunately she still is refusing to drink a bottle, so she will not be allowed to leave until she is regularly eating on her own again.

Nana, Papa, Uncle Mike and the kids all came down to the hospital today for a visit, which seemed to relax her a bit. Cooper put on a show for everyone, saying Mama and rolling over! He was the life of the party. Carson didn't seem to mind. :0)

Please keep her in your prayers, that she continues to heal and starts eating again. You can also check for updates from Cindy and Matt here.

2006-07-26T14:16:00.000-05:00

More pics.....

Kids

2006-07-25T18:26:00.000-05:00

Hi all...
I know it's been ages since I have written, but the doctor stuff has been consuming me. I promised myself I wouldn't talk about medical stuff here so it's been pretty blah.

Here are a few pics of the kids.

Enjoy~

The oldest of six....

2006-06-22T20:52:00.000-05:00

The reason we are all family. Agnes Carney. My gram. Nana2 to the kids. She just had her 87th birthday and is doing well. We travled 1000 miles to be with her and the rest of the family for a family reunion in the Poconos. It was a BLAST. A bit chilly....but fun! My gram was the only one of her 5 other sibblings to make the party. Some have passed on and some are ill, but nevertheless, they were all with us that weekend.
We fished, we swam (thank goodness of indoor pools) we caught bugs, we sat and chatted around the campfire. It was perfect. Can't wait to do it again! Enjoy the pictures.

PIG ROAST

2006-06-05T07:44:00.000-05:00

This past weekend we went to our friends for a PIG ROAST. The kids had a blast. I wasn't sure how the kids would react to seeing a "Pig on the grill", but they did great. Riley liked it so much she kept wanting them to open the top so she could see.
They have a pond in their backyard that can be fished in. Keegan liked it so much he sat on the hill to watch. At night, Papa and the kids got their fishing poles out to see what they could catch. Keegan has a Spiderman pole and Riley has a Barbie pole. I think the kids did better than most of the men. Keegan caught a "sunny" one (sunfish) and a couple of small bass, and Riley caught a couple of fish and she even caught a turtle! It was fun. Here are a couple of picture from the weekend! Enjoy.

Who could ask for more

2006-05-30T21:37:00.000-05:00

We had a beautiful Memorial Day weekend. I don't know about you, but it was sunny, high 90's, and no rain. I think it was one of the best Memorial Days we had in a long time. Here in Wisconsin you just never know if it is going to be blazzing hot...like this weekend, or if we are going to have a blizzard!
Friday we got to spend some time with Auntie Kerri, Joy, and Bella - the dog. Here are the 3 amigos having "tummy time".
After Matt got home from work on Friday we headed up to the lake, our home away from home. We met up with Riley and Keegan - they were lucky enough to go up with Nana and Papa earlier in the week.

Carson had a great weekend! She learned how to roll over from her tummy to her back!

Well, that was our weekend. A lot of sand, water, and sun!! Hopefully there will be many more great weekends to come!

Hope you all had a great weekend!

FYI

2006-05-25T19:19:00.000-05:00

Just a little FYI....
I will no longer be posting the kids updates on my blog. I have decided that I need a place for me to vent and rejoice, not keep an update on the kids.
If you are interested in keeping up with them, they each now have their own websites.

Carson's is: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/carsoncole

and Coops : http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/coopercole

Thanks for understanding.

FINALLY!!!!!

2006-05-25T15:19:00.000-05:00

Carson's surgery has finally been made.
AUGUST 11 - Matt's Birthday!
Pre -op on Aug 10th.
Just waiting for Cooper's date now.

Pictures

2006-05-25T09:05:00.000-05:00

Thought I would share some pictures~
We love tummy time!!! Did you fabreeze this carpet????
Holy Cow Carson! "Girls, If your not carefull, they will walk all over you!" Our cute house.