Bright Lights and Santa Claus!

We had a dinner party on Saturday with the Danielson crew and Jill and Jeff. Lucky for us, Santa was making the rounds that night and we heard the sirens in time to go out to meet him. The kids were all excited, until Sydney saw the flashing lights and started to freak out. Needless to say, all worked out well and they got candy canes.

Sunday we were off to church and then breakfast at Cracker Barrel. Many lollipops and a long, draw out, cold breakfast later, we returned home to chill out. Later, we met Diane and the Kieras crew as well as Simone and Sue at La Salette shrine to take in the lights! It was freezing cold out, but the Christmas spirit warmed our hearts and the kids loved the lights!

Nail Polish, nail polish everywhere...and not a drop to drink...

This morning, as the spawns were watching Dora, yes again, I decided to slip upstairs to take a shower. As I approached the bottom of the stairs I was assaulted by the strong smell of nail polish!

Upon reaching the bottom step, I was vaguely aware than something was not right. There were drops of bright pink leading from the living room into the dining. My first reaction was that one of the kids had cut themselves and was lying prone in a corner of the dining room slowly bleeding to death. Alas, this was not so (I could have handled that misfortune). Instead my 2 darling daughters had painted their hands and feet a bright fuchsia and were at that moment attempting to cover the wall with what was left in the bottle.

After a short cry of an expletive I shall not repeat, I ripped away the bottle and prepared myself to view the damage. There was a trail of pink leading into the living room, where a larger smear of pink was strew across the floor. CSI would have had a field day mapping the "blood" splatter. Thinking to myself, "That's not too bad", I turned to find footprints and droplets on my new rug in the living room!

Needless to say, after 3 bottles of polish remover, the nail polish has been eradicated from the affected areas. Where is my bottle of wine?????

Absence makes the heart grow fonder...

Ok, so I am a slacker! I haven't posted anything in a long time now. Lucien is walking all over the place now. He can get up on the couch all by himself...what a BIG boy! Kateri and Sydney are in the Dora/Diego phase now. That's ALL they want to watch now. I have to give them credit...they know their animals now ("That's a Humpback Whale Mommy") and they "Reach, reach, reach" for things now. I have been very sick for about 6 weeks now. They thought I had pneumonia so I had to have a chest x-ray. I had this horrible cough that kept me (and John) awake all night. I ended up sleeping on the couch a few nights. It turns out I had a virus that was going around and it had to run it's course...it's very LONG course! So I am actually feeling better now.

We have been getting ready for Thanksgiving and we had a Halloween Party for the NE Region William's Syndrome group. I was able to get pumpkins donated from a local farm for the kids to take. We had about 50 people here on November 1st. It was GREAT! We actually ended up with quite a few older kids which was great for a bunch of us that have smaller children. Kerry and I were interviewed by the local paper and we even had a photographer out to take pictures! We had a beautiful day and made a lot of new friends.

Look out Revlon...Crayola as lipstick?

So we have discovered that crayons CAN be used as lipstick! Not only can we pull the barstools over to the counters to eat entire sticks of butter but we can also use the computer, make calls, get candy and virtually make a mess on any surface in the house!

Luc has started walking more on his own in between furniture and does well holding onto one hand. We "chase" our sisters around the garden outside and crawl all over the place now instead of crying to the nearest adult. Jill left for Australia last Sunday so we have 5 kids to contend with now...can you say Prozac and Merlot!

We do not like to wear clothes or diaper, for that matter. I can't wait for potty training!!!! We went apple picking Sunday and it was great. The kids loved picking the apples but spent more time eating them! We made apple pie and it went over well, even though I had no cinnamon and had to ground up 5 year old cinnamon sticks to make do! C'est la vie!

Well, Daddy's home. Time for "Mommy to check out", as John calls it, and relax outside for a few minutes until dinner is ready! Cheers!!

Pictures from Birthday Party

Houston...we have lift off! (or Luc walks)

Well, we had a HUGE surprise yesterday when Luc took his first steps. The first time was with Mommy and Lisa, our PT. He took 6 steps to Mommy all by himself. We waited for Daddy to come home and then he spent 20 minutes walking from Daddy to Mommy!!!!!!

We have the proof!

Happy 2nd Birthday...(mom says we may not make it to our 3rd)

We had a little party on our actual birthday with Jill and family and the Danielson's. The kids loved the cake and blowing out the candles. We can't wait for the big party!

The kids have been more than a handful. Climbing and crawling ALL over the house. I don't know how they manage to get into the places they do. We just added 2 new kittens to our brood after the loss of our beloved cat, Nefret. We named the black one Imhotep and the gray one Osiris. The are lovable and full of energy and fit in perfectly to our ever growing brood.

We have started to try potty training again. The like the idea of "sitting on the potty" but still prefer to pee and poop on the floor. Needless to say I found it more conducive to my sanity to remove the rug out of the living room for a while. It actually makes it easier to clean up...sweep and swiffer!

We got our ears pierced!

On May 25th, we got our ears pierced at the same place, Claire's in the Hampshire Mall, that Mommy and Cioci Jill had theirs done. Our cousins went first to show us that it was ok and then it was our turn. We cried a little, but then the lady gave us pops and we were fine! We love our earrings! Everyone thought we looked beautiful! Now we just have to let Mommy and Daddy clean them so they don't get infected...we're working on it!

Love, Kateri and Sydney

Memorial Day Parade

Went to the Memorial Day parade in Bellingham last week. The babies love the fire trucks and the bands. They clap for everyone. Of course we sat in front of the old town hall right where the have the ceremony so we had front row seats.

This past Sunday we went to the Hadley parade. Jordan and Mackenzie and Alexandra rode on the float with Amanda. They were so cute.

Monday we went to the parade in Franklin with Auntie Rebecca and Matthew and Ryan. The kids made a new friend who shared her cheerios with them and we saw Cioci Jill, Jordan and Mackenzie marching with the Daisies! Then we went back to the house for steak and corn-on-the-cob. Hooray for Mojitos!!!!

Luc's eye surgery

Luc had his eye surgery on May 20th at 8am. The surgery only took about an hour, but the dosed him with so much knockout medicine that he didn't wake up until 2PM!!!! We tried everything to wake him up so we could get home, and nothing worked. Finally, the nurse gave us a cold washcloth to rub on his face and he actually stirred! He then proceeded to fall back asleep! I stripped him down to his diaper, and like a bad Mommy, started rubbing his body down. He finally woke up and ate and drank. Poor Cioci Bonnie and Hadleigh were with the girls again all day, but they had fun!

Luc slept the rest of the day and then when John went up to give him Tylenol, he was really HOT! He had spiked a fever of 103 and we called the doctor and they said to take him to the ER just to be safe. I thought that the virus the girls have had for the past two weeks had finally caught up with him, but better safe than sorry. The ER was packed and John had to fight to get Luc in to see the Triage nurse and they told him to wait. TWO HOURS LATER, he was still not seen (9:30PM at this time) so I told John to come home. Luc's fever had broken (thanks to the Tylenol we gave him) and he was sleeping. We kept an eye on him through the night and he slept great, woke up and proceeded to crawl around like nothing had happened. He was eating, pooping and playing!

His eyes look good, a little red in the corners still, but he seems to be doing fine. We go back for a follow up in 6-8 weeks so we will see then if it worked!

Pierogi Fest 2008

We went to see Jimmy Stur and Eddie Forman play in West Springfield a couple weeks ago (sorry for the delay)! The babies had a great time playing with their cousins. Luc was especially taken with his cousin Kayla. He was playing with her and crawling around on the grass following her around! Of course, the girls loved the slide and couldn't get enough of it. They loved dancing to the music and playing with the other kids. Mommy even got a couple of dances in with Cioci Jill and cousin Suzanne! The only downfall was the fact that they used Mrs. T's frozen pierogis! What was up with that??????

Walk for Brady...Luc's twin

Saturday morning, we took part in the "Walk for Brady" which his Mom started last year to help raise awareness for William's Syndrome. Cioci and the girls walked with us and we had a great time. We were able to meet some more kids with WS and their families as well a Luc's twin, Truman, from New Bedford. Everyone thought it was Luc when they first saw him and I had to check to make sure a couple times who I was holding.

We took a three mile walk around the lake at DW Field Park in Brockton. It is a really pretty park and a nice walk. After, we went back to Kerry's friend's house for lunch and music and conversation. Kerry did a great job organizing the event and we can't wait to help her out next year. It was great to see some of the families we met before and to meet new friends. Luc had a great time watching the musicians and flirting with all the Moms. We look forward to walking again next year and adding more people.

Narragansett Beach

We went to Wickford Village, RI and then to Narragansett Beach last Thursday with Jill and the girls. It was a beautiful day and we walked around the village and shops in the morning. Wickford is a picturesque town south of Warwick that sits on Narragansett Bay. John Updike is from there and based his book "The Witches of Eastwick" on the town. We freaked out a shop owner with the babies all grabbing different toys at the same time.

Kateri tripped on a crack in the sidewalk and cut her knee, but of course she wanted to keep walking. We fed the swan and the ducks in the marina and then left to find somewhere to eat. We drove across the bridge towards Newport and then decided to head down towards Narragansett Beach. We ate lunch at the Coast Guard House, which had a lovely view of the Bay, but the service was so-so. The babies loved the Calamari and of course liked the chicken fingers and fries!

After lunch, we went down to the back and collected shells and Cioci Jill had Kateri digging a hole with the girls. Sydney was loving the beach until she got hit by a wave walking near the water, She wanted to be held until Jill coaxed her into digging. Needless to say, the girls were covered in mud in no time and I told Cioci it was her problem to get them cleaned up. Can someone say "Cold Water"! No one wanted to leave until after the rinsed off in the water and then they were more than willing to get in the warm car! It was a fun day and I am glad we discovered the beach. We will have to go down when it gets warmer.

Southwick Zoo and Aunt Jackie Too!

So, picture this, 11 kids, 4 adults at the zoo during school break...enough said! (Kateri, Lucien, Sydney, Mackenzie, Jordan, Elizabeth, Veronica, Olivia, Rachel, Matthew, Ericka, Aunt Jackie, Tina, Julie and me) The girls wore their monkey backpack/restraints so they were able to walk around without getting lost, although the managed to fall down quite a bit (with a little help). Luc was alert and looking around although he did manage to take a couple of naps in between. The kids were all great and we didn't lose anyone. Of course the babies loved all the monkeys, especially the new babies. Kateri and Sydney were getting knocked over by goats in the petting zoo. Sydney liked to grab their tails (wrong end kid) while Kateri was trying to pet every one she could catch. Luc was content to have Auntie Tina hold him and look around.

The zoo was packed and only one concession stand was open so we ended up going down the street to a burger stand. It actually worked out better because Julie and the kids were on their way back to Rt.146, it was less crowded and the kids were able to run around a little more freely.

We went back to the house after and put the babies to bed and were able to talk a little before Tina and kids checked into their hotel and Aunt Jackie went home. We had a great day!

New York, New York

Sorry I haven't posted for so long a time, but we have been trying to get outside to work as much as possible. This past Saturday, we went to New York with Jill's college kids. The babies did really well. Kateri and Luc took naps and Sydney was looking out the window and flirting with everyone. We lucked out because the Pope was in town. I have never seen so many priests and nuns walking around. Needless to say, we felt VERY safe! We just missed seeing the Pope because we had lunch reservations for noon and he wasn't coming through until 1pm and we didn't get out of the Mexican restaurant until after 2pm!

The food was awesome. Kateri and Luc couldn't get enough of the guacamole! I made sure I bought some at the grocery store yesterday. We walked around the city a little. It was also Earth Day so we picked up some freebies. We went to Central Park Zoo, which was kind of lame, but we saw triplet boys in a cute wagon-train. We walked around the park and watched some roller skaters dancing. The babies had their first New York hot dog which they REALLY enjoyed.

We went out to a burger joint for dinner where Luc proceeded to spill half a glass of red wine all over my shirt and pants. Thank God we were leaving by then. Sydney passed out before we were out of the city. Kateri fell asleep soon after and Luc passed out a hour before we got home! The Pope delayed us getting out of the city because they shut the bridge out of Harlem down so he could go through. We would have been home a hour earlier, but oh well! It was a great time and I would definitely do it again. The kids traveled really well. The only problem we really had was with restaurants not allowing carriages in. Next time we go, we'll wait until Luc is walking.

Mama saves the bird...and other important tasks

This morning, as I was gazing out on the yard, trying to figure out what to clean up today, I noticed something not right in the tree next to the deck. Upon further inspection, I saw that is was indeed a bird and it was...gasp...still alive! What is a Mama to do???

So, I went into the garage, got out my trusty pruning thingy-ma-jig and cut the branch down. The Grackle was caught in a string by the neck and wound around the branch. I broke the string off to get the bird unattached from the branch and was able to untie part of the string before the ungrateful creature flew off!

Talk about gratitude! I then proceeded to cut off a few branches, in my nightgown, mind you. I figured I might as well do it while I was in the mood.

I took the kids outside to play on the swing. Luc likes to go really high in the swing, Sydney, not so high and Kateri goes up AND down the slide by herself! She falls on her bum on the bottom and rubs it and says "Oh, Bum-bum. Ouch" and then climbs right back up!

The twins brought over all their dress up clothes last weekend, so the kids had fun trying on different outfits and pretending. The one I liked best was Kateri in the Tu-Tu. She can't take off her diaper and run around nude in it!!!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to everyone! We had a crazy weekend! Friday was our search for Babka bread. For some reason Stop & Shop decided not to carry it this year at any of their stores! I had to send John out Saturday AM to the Polish store to get some. But I am getting ahead of myself.

Friday was spent cooking the kielbasa and eggs. Mackenzie and Jordan decorated the Easter eggs while the babies watched. Jill made the horseradish this year (after claims she made it last year, not realizing that she was still in Africa at the time it was made). It actually came out really good, of course that is because of my expert growing and tender loving care that I extend to my garden! We had a special visit from Auntie Tina, Aunt Jackie and Elizabeth, Veronica and Olivia. The babies had so much fun playing with everyone that they didn't want to take naps. They were exhausted!

Saturday we got up early and I made homemade sauce with meatballs and sausage. We met Jill and the girls at the library and went to the Easter egg hunt. Kat and Syd were besides themselves at the sight of the Easter Bunny. They kept waving at him and laughing. Of course when we got into the library, Syd just wanted the Easter Bunny, but Jordan and Mackenzie took her to find the eggs. Jill had Luc and I had to chase Kat into the main library and bring her back to the kids room. I was helping her find eggs and then we went to see everyone else, and Syd was missing! Jill thought she was in the corner, the girls thought she was with me and I thought she was with them. After a frantic search of the area, I had a bright idea to look in the Easter Bunny room. Lo and behold, their was Syd, standing right in front of the Easter Bunny, blocking the other kids from getting their pictures. After taking a deep breath, I composed myself and gave a little nervous laugh as I scooped her up and took her out, protesting all the way!

Of course once we made it into the room to take pictures, they had no patience to stand in line to wait their turn, so it was fun trying to keep them entertained. We finally made it up to the bunny and the photographer couldn't help but start to sing the "Brady Bunch theme".

After we came home and got the basket ready to bless. Jeff and the kids came over along with Bonnie, her brother and Hadleigh. All three cars headed of to St. Stans in Woonsocket to get the food blessed. No one understood the Polish priest in our group, but it was still fun and new for the kids. We went home and ate like little pigs and then went outside to run around. After a rousing Easter egg hunt, everyone was hopped up on candy, especially the babies!

Sunday, we were up at 6am, showered, fed the kids, bathed them and were in the car at 8:15am to go to church. The church was packed and we got there just in time to score an empty pew before the church filled up. After church we went back home and got ready to eat our blessed food. We literally ate all day, smoked the Houka pipe Jill and Jeff brought back from Egypt (it is just tobacco) and relaxed. Hope everyone had a great holiday!

Cairo Express...(or Cioci went to Egypt and all I got was this lousy Tee-shirt)

Just kidding Jill!!!!!!! I have to live vicariously through you since I have no life! Where is my Mummy finger?????

Well, Jill and Jeff are back from their grand adventure in the Middle East! After a fun filled week of Hookahs and haggling, they came back with gifts galore. The babies got tee-shirts (Egyptian cotton of course) of which Kateri insisted everyone wear over their PJ's for the last 2 days! They also got silver cartouches with their names in hieroglyphics. Uncle John got a hookah (that should be interesting) and Cioci got an awesome papyrus of the Goddess Nut from the tomb of Ramses IV.

We were very happy to have everyone home safe and sound and can't wait to see all the pictures and hear the stories of their adventures. Now we have to get ready for Easter! Of course with all the excitement we missed the darn Easter Bunny at the Green Mountain Chococlate Factory this year. I don't know why I bother to write things on the calendar when I never remember to look at!!!!

Kateri is already running around the house with her pants off! We just got home from the library where we attended the "Ring-a-ding-sing-thing". Lucien was a hit with all the ladies and made a few new friends to hold him! Kateri was running around with the older kids and fighting them for instruments. Sydney was singing along to the songs and shaking her bum-bum to the music. All in all, it was a fun thing to do on a crappy day. Hopefully they will take good naps for me this afternoon. Cross your fingers!

Random Events and Petra too...

Well, Jill and Jeff should be in touring Petra in Jordan today. Petra is an ancient city that once thrived as a trading post around 300B.C. It was made famous by "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" where they found the cup of Christ in the final scenes. Yesterday she called to tell me that they had just gone swimming in the dead sea . She said you could stand up and float in the water without touching the bottom. They rubbed on mud (Jeff was reluctant at first) but found it exhilarating! They are bringing back some for us! God knows we need some revitalization around here!

We are all sick, Jordan and Mackenzie included. We just have head colds but it is miserable! Last night Luc had gas pains from the broccoli from dinner so he was freaking out. Kateri woke up all stuffy so John brought her into the shower around midnight. After that, things finally calmed down until 6:30Am, when we all woke up. The girls got ready for school, breakfast was served, and then the kids settled in to watch "It's a Big, Big World".

The Great White Hunter, a.k.a Nashoba, chased a big, bad deer into the woods this morning. Thank God we have him around here to protect us from all the warm, fuzzy creatures that roam the forest!

We are hopefully getting a new mattress delivered today that should help relieve our back troubles. We'll see...

Time to Potty Train???????

What can you do with a baby that is always getting naked???? It's time to bring out the little potty and start to pee! Kateri is in her "nude" phase of development. She is constantly taking off her clothes and diaper and running around naked. Of course, Syndey is no slouch, as she unzips her PJ's and pulls her diaper off with out taking her feet out!

Luc is crawling up a storm now and is pulling up to stand on his toys. He actually took 4 steps all by himself yesterday with his push toy down the hall! He loves to stand and we are working on getting him to balance better.

Cioci leaves for Egypt tomorrow with Jeff for a little over a week so we will have our "adoptive" daughters here as house guests. They are very excited to stay over because they get to sleep with Luc in his room.

We are all getting excited about Spring and can't wait to run around outside. We went for a short walk today with Kateri pushing Luc and Sydney holding my hand walking. They love to see the trees and hear the water dripping down the storm drains. They "tweet" when we hear the birds sing so they will be really excited when the butterflies come out!

We are very into the new books I just got on "How do Dinosaurs eat their food?" and "How do Dinosaurs go to sleep?". We love to roar and stomp our feet. Kateri and Sydney are very good at jumping and Sydney loves to shake her bum like a hula dancer to the music.

Hopefully the potty training will go well. This should be an adventure. I hope we are up to the challenge!

A busy week

On Wednesday we had a play date with our friend Brady and his Mom Kerry. It was more about evading Kateri's hitting than actually playing, but it was still fun. I made Ruebens and salad and we were able to talk over lunch until the exhaustion set in and we had crying start to invade the tranquillity!

Thursday, I had a doctor appointment to check up on Thyroid and BP, both of which are still messed up! The kids sat in their triple stroller (which just fit in the elevator) in the reception area. They were amused by the nurses and patients waiting. I tell people that they are in awe of being somewhere other than home, but they really are good wherever we go. Just as I finished my appointment, Luc started to get restless and cry, so we timed it perfectly!

After that, we met Auntie Paula and Auntie Lise at a restaurant down the street from my old workplace. Lise was on Kateri's side and Paula and I had Luc and Sydney. Syd was so cute feeding her brother and making sure he had food. Not to worry there because Luc was grabbing food off my plate and shoving it into his mouth faster than I could stop him! Kateri did a great job with her broccoli and grilled cheese, as well as driving Lise crazy by throwing her cup on the floor right after Lise picked it up for her! All in all, it was a relaxing lunch and being the only people in the dining room made it even better!

Friday, we took a bath and had our first floater courtesy of Sydney! Thank goodness I had just drained the tub so there was no water left but she still managed to squeeze a couple poop balls in her hand! After washing Sydney again and bleaching the bathtub, we settled down for a nap.

That is, Kat and Luc settled in and Syd called "Mama" until I went up to get her. She sat quietly for a little bit and then went to the bottom of the stairs and called "Kat...Kat...Kat" Upon which, after much yelling of her name, Kat woke up. I brought her downstairs and Syd just smiled and said "Kat".

After Luc woke up and we had lunch, we went with Cioci Bonnie and Hadleigh to the RSID museum in Providence. We found it after driving through the historic district by Brown University (really beautiful area with big hills). After finding a parking spot on the street, and 6 quarters in the bottom of our purses, we walked down the long, winding hill to the museum. Note I said down the long, winding hill...

The museum was really good with artwork from modern to classic to impressionist. It also had Egyptian, African and Asian artifacts. The nest part was we got there before 1:30pm and we had free admission! I had Luc in a bjorn sling and the girls in the double stroller and Hadleigh was bjorned onto Bonnie so we looked a little funny walking around. All the kids were great and just looked around. Needless to say, Luc was killing my shoulders and it was a challenge to keep him leaning back, which made it even worse.

Cioci Bonnie volunteered to push the girls up the long, winding hill. I seriously do not know how we made it up! I had to stop halfway because I was so winded (and out of shape) and I had Luc strapped to my stomach. Bonnie went all the way up with Hadleigh on her chest pushing the double stroller. She works out regularly! We were both huffing and puffing at the top. The backs of my legs are still sore today!

We had Cioci Bonnie, Uncle Scott and Hadleigh over for dinner that night and I made Salmon with Risotto and broccoli. It was my first Risotto and all I kept hearing in my head was Gordon Ramsay saying "Where is my bloody Risotto!" It came out pretty good and we ate every little bite!

Today we have snow! Tara, our OT, is coming for 11:30am to work with Luc and then I think we will take the rest of the day easy. Tomorrow, Daddy is watching the kids with Uncle Scott and Hadleigh because I am going to Cioci Bonnie's Tupperware party! It should be interesting and the Tupperware lady is a BIT$#!

Monday is Cioci Julie's birthday (Sto Lat) and Tuesday, Luc is back in the pool, and Jill and Jeff leave for Egypt Friday, so we are already off to a busy next week.

Snow Day equals...cookies!

Today during the blizzard, we decided to challenge ourselves and bake cookies. We made Cioci Bernice's Oatmeal Chocolate Chip (substituting the cholcolate chips for White chips). The babies thoroughly enjoyed licking the spoons (I figure we did it as kids and we lived). Luc was very enthusiastic with the spoon as you can see.

We all took a nap after and woke up to Daddy home early! Daddy brought sustanance in the form of wine. Tonight is a dinner of Baked Salmon, Rice with peacans and steamed brocoli! Yum-Yum!

Happy Hump Day

We spent this morning cleaning the bathrooms upstairs. Kateri and Sydney are determined to help scrub everything possible, so I let them have at it in the shower! I hope this desire to clean stays with them...

Lucien is crawling up a storm now. He makes it from the living room into the kitchen on all fours and is determined to keep up with his sisters! He made it all the way through the play tunnel yesterday and today I thought I'd get him to come through to see me, but he outsmarted me and crawled along the outside! He is already thinking like Kateri!

I had a nice conversation last night from a woman who has a 13 year old boy with WS and is doing great! She marveled at the idea of triplets but...hello...she has 9 kids of her own!!! I don't know which is harder! She said her son is doing great in the 6th grade and is in special classes but keeping up. That's what we like to hear! I think it is really going to help Luc to have sisters the same age because he will always have someone to play with and social peers to learn from.

John and I try not to worry about what the future may bring, but it gets hard, especially when you see or hear about older kids. We just need to realize that every child is different and there may be generalized issues to deal with, but they will all have their own personalities and ideas, and they are all in different situations. No one knows what the future may hold for any of our children so all we can do is prepare them to the best of our abilities and be there to support them when they fail or succeed.

On that note, I feel like Kateri is going to be the school yard bully and Sydney will be right behind her. They both know what buttons to push on each other and are very good at pissing each other off! Sydney is very into building towers with her Megablocks and Kateri will come over and smash it to pieces. It's like watching Godzilla decimate Tokyo all over again! Of course, Sydney cries and starts to rebuild and the whole process starts all over. I will be so happy when we can go run around the backyard!

Speaking of which, I saw my first Robin yesterday. I don't care what that little, fat Groundhog says. Spring is in the air...

Lucien feels the beat...

Pictures from Music Therapy

...and the band played on...

We spent a wonderful afternoon on Sunday with our friend Brady and his family. Michael, his big brother, is such a little gentleman. He was so friendly and helpful and loved playing with all the little kids! Of course, Kerry and Tom were the gracious hosts and we felt so comfortable in their home. Lucien had a great time "showering" everyone with his raspberries! He loved the music and meeting his new freinds.

It was so great to meet all the parents and hear that they are experiencing the same things with their kids as we are with Lucien. They all loved the music, but I think some of them loved to explore more than anything! Danielle, the music therapist, was so great with the kids. She has a fabulous voice and a compassion for the kids that made them feel so comfortable with her! We hope we can come to music class again! I don't know if it helped or not, but since Sunday Lucien has actually been crawling on all fours more and more!

We can rebuild him...make him stronger...

Luc had his surgery yesterday and it went great. What was even better is the fact that they let us go home and didn't make us stay overnight! Yeah!!! Of course I think it helped that our Anastesiologist was Polish and Luc was flirting with everyone! Cioci Bonnie was awesome with Sydney and Kateri. It was so nice to come home and see them playing with Hadleigh and not whacking her in the head!

Kateri is becoming very comfortable with going to the "Naughty Stair" now. She ends up there at least 2 times a day! We are currently in the hitting stage. Hit your sister, the dog, your brother, mother, father, etc...

Luc is doing great today. He is getting around the house and driving Daddy crazy! Good job!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hurray, we are 18 months old today!!!!!! We already had a big day signing our new mortgage (5.25%) and we were so good at the lawyers office. Tomorrow Luc goes in for his THIRD hernia surgery. He has to stay overnight again so John and I "Rock, Paper, Scissored" for it! He lost! Actually, he volunteered, which is really awesome because I hate staying overnight there.

I spent all day Tuesday with Luc at the hospital to go to his Pre-Op and then we had and EKG and Echo done. We met with the cardiologist and she said everything looks great! He still has a slight heart murmer but she said for a WS kid that is a 1 on a scale of 1-10! That was great news!

Hello...again...

Sorry for such a long delay fans. All is going well here. Lucien finally started to crawl the night before. He made it across the play mat on all FOURS!!!! We were so happy. I think he is finally going to transition from his catipillar-hump-hump crawl to full on crawling this week. Cross your fingers!

This past Saturday we met a some very special freinds. Kerry and her son Brady came over for a visit. Brady has WS too. He is the cutest guy! His Mom is wicked nice and so funny! As they say in the movies "This look like the start of a beautiful freindship". We are hpoing to get together this week for another play date. Of course, the girls managed to monopolize everyone's attention until they went upstairs to take their nap, and then the boys got down to exploring. Luc seemed intent on hanging out with Kerry and smiling up a storm. Brady and I had fun sitting up and playing with toys. Kerry gave us a lot of good advice, the most important being for us to accept Luc for the lover he is and be the best advocate for him to succeed in the future!

We had to go for a blood test on Monday and then went to Kohl's to look around. We are already celebrities there as the assciates all know us as the Triplets who are so well behaved. I hope they remeber them in the future when they are running around ripping the store apart.

Tuesday we went to swim class for Luc. The girls and I walked around the pool until they made everyone nervous by getting too close to the edge and falling that they went back in their stroller to hang out until the end. After, we voted at the Library and went to play in the kid's room. They had a great time with a little boy named Tristan. Kateri fell in love with a baby doll.

This morning we opened the dolls Cioci Diane gave them for their birthday! Kat and Syd carry them around and give them their bottled like pros! Luc likes to throw his doll around for the moment, so Syd has taken on the role of guardian.

I am going to try to do a clean of the house today, although they seem to be changing their nap schedule on me, so I may have a few extra hands to dust. The girls are actually pretty good. Sydney spilled milk the other day on the floor and without saying a word to her, she came into the kitchen, grabbed the dish towel and proceeded to wipe up her mess. Needless to say, I was impressed! Who says you can't teach a new toddler old tricks!

The results are in...

Just got a call from Dr. Smith, the geneticist, and Luc's test results came back positive for William's Syndrome. It's not the news we were hoping for, even though we were expecting it, but at least we know for sure.

On the other hand, we can get more help for Luc and give him a better chance at a "normal" life. He is really pulling up to stand or high kneel on furniture and toys and he takes little steps when you hold his hands, so we are making progress.

We are going to start him on Calcilo formula so he can drink something other than juice with higher calories, and trade off to have him able to eat yogurt, cheese and other dairy products, while not compromising his calcium levels.

He is actually able to play with his sisters more now and hold his own, except when Kateri uses him as her "horse" and rides on her back. Kateri is becoming a little brute. She likes to take toys away from the other two and hit people in the heads with cups. We have tried "time-outs" with her, but she will just walk away after a while. We just keep saying no and taking her toys away and hope that she gets the picture!

Sydney is just as bad because she will do things to irritate her sister and then cry when she gets payback from Kat. Nashoba has been the object of their affection as of late. He is getting pissed off at them because they blitz attack when he is eating. He's nipped a few times, and they still don't get the picture. Hopefully this stage too will pass!

Nutritionist Visit...

We saw the Nutritionist today at Children's and she said she loved the diet we have the kids on, especially the fact that we have them eating the same meal that we do! That was good to hear. We have to actually ADD calories to Luc's diet and change him to drink this special formula that has no calcium but the vitamins he needs. This way, he can have yogurt and cheese and pudding as a snack and not worry that his levels will go up.

We had the ultrasound on his kidneys and they didn't see any stones, so we are good there. All in all it was a good day. Cioci Bonnie said the girls were very good for her. I can't believe how big Hadleigh got since we last her and how great she sits up on her own! What a big girl she is becoming! She should be running around with her "siblings" this Summer for sure!

I told Bonnie that Easter should be fun this year with all the kids running around. Good thing we have a big yard for the egg hunt. Hope Uncle Scott and Daddy are ready to think on new spots to hide eggs this year (preferably spots not in Poisin Ivy).

Another day...

We had a great visit on Saturday with Auntie Paula, Uncle Joe, Anutie B and Uncle Boo! The babies had lots of fun eating Thai food and showing off for everyone. Of course Sunday was spent recovering from all the excitement!

Today we have a home inspection for our refinance of our mortgage. We are going down a whole point! That will free up more $$ for diapers!

Tomorrow, Luc and Mommy head to Boston to Children's Hospital to talk to a Nutritionist about his diet and watching his calcium intake due to the William's Syndrome. Then we have to go for an ultrasound on his kidneys to make sure he doesn't have any kidney stones from the extra calcium in his system. That should be a fun day...NOT!

We will keep everyone posted on his progress.

Kateri is running around like the little fiend that she is. Sydney of course, is right behind her, or running in front of her with Grinchy. Grinchy is Kateri's favorite friend. She has managed to eat all the fur on his neck off so he looks like a plucked chicken. I'll have to find a picture of him to show everyone.

We can't wait until Spring so we can go outside and run around. Hopefully Luc will be walking around by then, but he is doing so well crawling and pulling himself up on furniture that he may be walking sooner. Cross your fingers!

Hurray Luc!!!!!

Last night we had a huge surprise when Lucien comando-crawled over to John sitting on the couch and pulled himself up to stand. This was HUGE! He has been crawling up to his toy baskets and pulling into a high kneel this week, but now he is reaching over his head to pull himself up.

We can't wait to see what he is going to do now!

15 minutes all to myself

I guess that's what you get for bragging. They woke up 15 minutes after my last posting! Is nothing sacred anymore. After watching Yo, Gabba Gabba AGAIN, we have now moved onto making dinner. Well, almost moved on. Since waking, I have have changed each child's diaper 3-4 times. We have been afflicted with diarrhea. I don't know if it was the Pomegranite Blueberry juice or what, but the corn from last night's dinner has made a comeback!

Hopefully they will all sleep through the night. My daily sleeping pill is not drowing out Lucien's screams and I feel bad for my poor husband who has to work the next day! As it is he is at BJ's picking up another box of wipes and diapers, as well as our bi-weekly supply of apples and bannanas. Thank goodness we grow a garden in the Summer because our food bills are huge as it is. No one can believe how much these guys eat! At the rate we are going, we will be clear cutting the forest in the backyard to set up grazing land for the herd of cows we will need to keep them in meat!

The sound of silence (otherwise known as naptime)

Well it's 2:14pm and I am finally going to have lunch. A feat that I have yet to master when they are awake and I am alone. I usually get to eat half of my food and the little spawns eat the other half. I guess that's a good enough diet? I should have about another hour (ha,ha) to myself before they wake up. Just enough time to clear a path through the destruction to the recliner to catch up on "Cashmere Mafia". I know if I try to take a nap, one or more will awake. They seem to have this strange inate knowledge of when I close my eyes and then the "Momma" call starts. Take it while I can get it...

Lunch is over...

Well, we made it through lunch with no major problems. The girls are sitting in their rocking chairs eating their bread and Luc is playing with the cat's jingle ball in front of the tv. We just got done watching "Yo, Gabba, Gabba". I actually LOVE this show. The trips get really into and love the music. They have really catchy songs that when we sing them they will stop crying and start dancing. Kateri rolls her shoulders to "Dance all the Wiggles out" like she's dancing at a Rave or something. Luc will crawl up to a basket and high kneel at it and bouce to the music, so I know how to get him moving! God, I love TiVo (or the Comcast equivilent). I record them and replay them all the time! It get's me up dancing with them for a 1/2 hour, take that "Curves". Who needs a gym, right?

I have been emailing other Mom's in the area with kids who have William's Syndrome. There are quite a few of us around, which is wierd to say, a great thing. Luc actually seems to be doing ok for a kid who has this syndrome as he never had problems with eating differnt foods or any heart issues.

We have had 2 surgeries at 4 months and 6 months to fix a double inguinal hernia and recurring hernia on the left side. We have to go in February to fix yet another one on the right side this time. Oh yeah! Another day at the hospital. It wouldn't be that bad but we have the two girls to find someone to watch them and if we bring them with us, they are bored and cranky. I know the feeling all too well.

We have a meeting with the Nutritionist next week and then an ultrasound on his kidneys to see if he has kidney stones from the high calcium level. Then we go to the Cardiologist in March for and Echo on his heart and a meeting, then in for a follow-up eye exam for the stabismus and glasses, then in for a follow-up with the Geneticist and Endocronologist in May. It could be worse! I needed to write down the list of all the doctors we are working with to keep them all straight. He actually has more doctors than I do now! No wonder I'm on anxienty meds!

Just noticed the phone is in use upstairs..."Do you know where the children are?"

Kateri knows how to turn the phone on and "talk" like Mommy. She is also very good with the mouse and disconnecting the internet. Luc is mastering cable connections while Sydney handles mass demolition. I have my own little hackers in training.

Currently, they are in the processing of hiding as many MegaBlocks as they can under the couch and entertainment center. I don't know how they learned to use the zipper because I sure was not going to teach them! At least I can get them to clean up their mess...

Sorry, that was a dream I had last night. They will actually start to clean up and then proceed to dump the entire contents out again. I guess it's evolutionary progress, n'est pas????

More later...

Kateri dans la table

Worse than I thought...

Just checked the living room and they emptied out the contents of all 5 baskets of toys. Houdini, a.k.a. Kateri, keeps bringing me wet dish towels. I am afraid to look. She is tormenting our cat Nefret and practicing for Iron Man Competitions all at once. We think she is going to be a Stunt Woman or Co-Vert Ops agent when she gets older because she is really good at deception to get what she wants and has no fear of climbing up things 3 times her size.

Lucien is trapped amid a sea of toys and is valiently "hump-crawling" out of the disaster zone. He is currently without glasses because for some unfanthomable reason they are like magnets for greedy little fingers. The girls take turns ripping them off his head, in turn bending them in ways they should not be bent, and running around the house tossing them under furniture.

Sydney is quiet. Too quiet, if you know what I mean. False alarm, Elmo is on. Now they want to write on the blog. Kateri is sitting on my lap with a very stinky diaper, while Sydney is at my feet saying "Up". Crying...Bastet, other cat, scratched Sydney because she got too close. Thank God its almost naptime.

Kateri is climbing up on the dining room table and yelling "Mama...Mama...Mama". If she can get up, shouldn;t she be able to get down?????? More later...

A brand new day

Well, today started out like any other day...Lucien awoke at dawn crying. By that, I mean 4AM. John, my husband, went into the other room so Luc could take his place and we wouldn't awake the Sleeping Beauties in the other room. The girls woke up around 7am and so did Luc with a round of sobs.

We made our way down to breakfast, oatmeal and blueberry applesauce followed by a refreshing glass of chocolate soy milk! Then on to "A Big, Big World" and "Sesame Street". Off to bed my 9am and Mom goes on to clean up the aftermath of Triplet Tornado.

Our son Lucien was just recently diagnosed with William's Syndrome. A rare genetic mutation. We are still strying to process this fact but looking forward to a bright future for all of our children. Hey, God only gives you what you can handle, right?????