Presents, Daddy, Costumes & an Ouchie!

This post is a little bit of everything. First, presents came in the mail from Aunt Amber & family. We couldn't wait to open them. For the girls: more snap-n-style dolls and outfits! Yahooo!

For Emmet: Ernest Goes to Camp DVD & Sheep in a Jeep book & audio CD. Yahooo!

If you haven't read that book, you should. The boys bring it home from the school library about every other week. Lately, my kids have really enjoyed books on CD to listen to in the van. The boys can't wait to put this one in and listen to it.
Daddy was home before the kids went to bed (which has been unusual for October) and he turned into a trampoline for the girls! This is an action shot, so it's kind of hard to tell how much fun the girls were having.

For Halloween at school the boys wanted costumes. We found an Octopus costume in my Family Fun Magazine. Here is Ephraim:

Emmet wanted to be a tiger. And if you glance back up at the birthday pictures, you can see him wearing his costume.

We didn't go trick-or-treating. It's usually too cold and it is a lot of work to do it by myself with four kids.

If you don't like gross pictures, you might not want to scroll down. Here's a picture of Emmet's neck one week ago. Approximately 4 days after his "blister treatments". It has improved remarkably since then, but you can tell that this would be incredibly painful. He also had this under his arm and on his chest. We go back to the dermatologist the first week of December.

Molluscum

Emmet's had molluscum for a while on his neck and chest. It is a virus that causes small bumps on his skin. It is supposed to run its course and take care of itself after 6-24 months. Well, it has been about that long for Emmet and I found a dermatologist to take him to. Our appointment was on Tuesday in Urbandale and I was fully expecting it to be an initial consultation. It turned into an actual treatment appointment. They used cantherone, a blister beetle extract. It smells like fingernail polish and it is applied to each bump. This medicine will cause blisters and some irritation. I was not fully prepared for the BLISTERS AND COMPLETE PAIN that it would cause Emmet. By the time we were home from the appointment the blisters were huge (the size of grapes) and there were many of them.

To make matters worse, the medicine has to be washed off after 4 or more hours or else it will continue to cause pain. HOW DO YOU WASH MEDICINE OFF OF A PAINFUL BLISTER? And your child is screaming in pain, thrashing his arms to keep you away? Last night was rough! We did get the medicine off and I felt like it was torturing him but it had to be done. We're giving him Tylenol, Ibuprofin and Benadryl on a rotating schedule for the pain. I even slept with him last night (Tuesday night) to make sure that he was doing okay. And because I needed to show him that I loved him.

He slept okay and then Wednesday morning the blisters were down in size but his neck still looked horrible. I still called the dermatologist (after having called them already Tuesday afternoon to confirm that what Emmet was experiencing was normal) to ask if I could get a prescription pain medicine but they said he'll be fine in a couple days.

Later on Wednesday I got a call from the dermatologist himself. Maybe the secretary told him I'd called three times in less than one day . . .but who can blame me? He said that Emmet's blisters were normal, continue with the over-the-counter meds and maybe try some lidacane gel on his ouchies. That's easier said than done. Emmet may be asleep but he can feel that gel being put on and then it stings for a few minutes. There's no way I can put that on his neck that is just raw!

So, Emmet's asleep tonight and Day 2 of this nightmare for him is done. We're praying for a speedy recovery and comfort for everyone.

Birthday Party for 2 two-year olds!

Here are pictures from the girl half (or I guess 2/3rds) of the party.

We served soups and salads to our guests, along with cake and ice cream.


Eliza getting a book from the DeBruin's.

Eden's book from the DeBruin's. It is a cute book about the snail trying to hurry to get on Noah's Ark.

This is the "best" picture we got of the girls opening their gifts together. Otherwise, they were wandering around and playing with Emmet's dinosaur playset.

Slippers and clothes from the Van Wyk's.

And a book!

Clothes from the Van Zante's.

Eden's clothes from the Van Zante's.

Eden's boots from the Van Zante's.

Eliza modeling her purple boots!

It has been kind of a running coincidence in our family that the grandmothers will buy the same gifts. It proved true again this time with clothes and footwear for the girls!

Our attempt at a family picture.

The girls with their cupcakes!

Eden with Grandpa Harold.

Eliza with Grandpa Arlin.

Blowing out the candles!

Eden being silly with Emmet's hat.

Eliza loves her new Color Wonder!

In all, we had a great party. And we were glad that everyone was feeling good enough to enjoy it! We are blessed and our children are loved!

Happy 4th Birthday to Emmet!

Our precious Emmet was born on 10/18/2005. Here are a few photos from his early hours and days!

And the party today! Emmet had a cowboy/western theme. His cake was chocolate with chocolate frosting and the # 4 on it. (Please note that the frosting was chocolate and the cowboy boot did not step in anything suspicious.) Today was a joint party with the girls, but we'll post their pictures later.

Being the goofball that he is! Wearing his Sheriff hat and "protective" glasses.

Protecting us from the bad guys!

Presents!

Clothes from the Van Wyk's. And a game!

A dinosaur playset from Mommy & Daddy! This was a huge hit with all the boys.

A great book from the DeBruin's.

Hot wheels track from the Van Zante's.

Emmet had a great party and is thoroughly enjoying all his presents! Emmet is a special blessing to us.

Some of his favorites:

Drink: Gatorade

Food: Bread and butter, jam & peanut butter

Cartoon: Dinosaur Train

Stuffed Animal: Cow and Buffalo

Game: Curious George on the computer

Oh No!

Today is Saturday and it's been quite a day.
1. Ketchup Face Painting--it's the latest rage among toddlers. I am normally pretty good about keeping their chairs two feet apart for this very reason, but I guess I forgot today. Eden was the one painting Eliza.


Ephraim was home sick on Friday. We're guessing it was the flu. His symptoms were fever and cough and sluggishness. He had a pretty good Saturday and so far no one else is showing any signs of it. I was able to talk to the doctor and got a prescription for Tamiflu for the girls as a precaution. However, the rest of the family didn't qualify since the CDC has cracked down on how who qualifies for a prescription of Tamiflu. Basically, the Tamiflu would lessen the symptoms and shorten the duration of the flu if they were to get it. At least this isn't the stomach flu!

2. And then I discover this when I hear that the girls were up from their nap. NOOOOOOOO! I'm not ready for them to be out of their cribs.


I'm sure that given a little bit more time, they would have been over the side and experiencing freedom. Please God, just a few more months (12 would be good) of the crib.

Snip, Snip!

As many of you know, haircuts have been an ORDEAL at our house. The boys have never taken a good hair cut until just recently. They are famous for their thrashing, screaming, wailing, kicking, etc during every haircut episode. In fact, getting their hair cut has called for some "creative" measures on our part (most of which will remain a family secret). Because of this experience, I was dreading the day that the girls would need their hair cut. But alas, it was time. Their bangs were simply too long! So, this week, I got out the kit and grabbed the scissors.

Here is a before picture of Eden.


And an after picture. Would you believe that she was a perfect angel? Praise God! She sat there while I cut her bangs and even when the trimmings fell in her eyes, she just smiled and sat still! Wow! But, I didn't let this get to my head because I still had one more child with bangs to cut.


Eliza's before picture (and it typical fashion, she has a sour face for the before picture).

An after picture. And I couldn't believe it, she also sat perfectly still and helped wipe away the clippings. I can only hope that this continues.

Both girls: