The Snug .... aka Snuggle

So I mentioned on here briefly that we gave Snuggle to a foster family a few weeks ago. Oh my goodness! I felt like I was giving my first born up to strangers on the street! It was not a pleasant experience, but one that had to be done. He is in great hands now with a woman who wants to put her attention into a dog, has the time to do so, and has lots of experience dealing with dogs who are re-homed. If you know me at all, you know Snuggle was truly my "first born" and that God had to majorly change my heart for me to see Snuggle was better off somewhere else. Just like the dreaded minivan in my driveway, I may not be happy about the specific item or situation in my season of life right now, but I am oh so thankful for the reason why (aka my many kids in not many years). :)

So, to go out with happy thoughts....a post on Snuggle, the Snug, Snuggy-Duggy:

Ryan bought Snuggle for me our first Christmas married.

This is right after we brought him home....so cute and tiny!

This is my sisters favorite pic of Snuggle...he looks so rabid and fierce:)

You know he was truly mine if he loved the beach and sand...he did!

Snuggle loving the beach house....and oh my, look how young we look!?

Oh yes, I was that Pet Parent...had to get him in the Christmas spirit!

Taking the boat out for a ride

He is very talented with fun tricks

And no, it wasn't always lovey lovey. He frequently managed to find a way to aggravate Ryan somehow.

Doesn't look too thrilled with his Halloween Costume

 

Anytime I worked from home, this is where you would find him. My definition of work/life balance:)

No one told him he was a dog...he thought he was a member of the family around the table too!

He was so very encouraging to others when they weren't feeling well

My Grandma LOVED snuggle! And he always seemed to know that she was extra fragile and would lay right down beside her and be calm, let her stroke his fur.

He was my bedrest buddy before the twins came...kept me lots of company!

And then came the twins...he loved them!

He let them torment him in his crate, locking him in and out, in and out

This was Snuggle's spot when it was bottle time...right in the middle

He kept the twins company by playing with them during blanket time (and yes stealing and destroying some toys)

He was Jenna's dance partner and walking instructor

He particularly loved Caden's backrubs

Jenan was better at the belly rub...

He had no idea how good he had it!

They would often come up to him and give him head hugs while he was perched on top of the couch

 

never too far away from the twins and Ryan

 

 

We miss you Snuggle, but know you are where you need to be and can get all the attention you require. It was a sweet, soft, furry, cuddly, snuggly 7 years!

 

Movie Monday:Got the giggles

I have so many PRECIOUS videos of the twins from my phone-I simply have to share with all of our family, and friends, if your interested. They show a real glimpse into life these crazy days. So I'll spread them out over a few Mondays. Enjoy!!!

The first here is the sound of my sweet boy belly laughing. I can't remember what Ryan was doing now to make him laugh this hard! And yes, this was back in the summer as you can tell from the sear-sucker flip flop dress.

Movie Monday Catch Up: Wee Bitty Wrestling

I'm catching up on Movie Mondays since I got our videos uploaded correctly now. Enjoy! I totally forgot about this video until I was converting all of them a few weeks ago. It is WAY up there in my favorites folder. This is from the summer when they were in their wrestle mania mode. On this particular day, I was able to capture Caden as the aggressor....a very rare sighting! I LOVE how you can hardly deter Jenna's focus from the TV...I've told you guys how much she LOVES watching TV so we just have to keep it off during the day. I also love how, if the roles were reversed as usual, Caden would be SCREAMING for her to leave him alone. Jenna acts like she is just humoring him by playing along. And I LOVE that my kids have each other to wrestle with :) We have already seen his skills in the basketball world, but if that falls through...then check out some of his moves - I'll have to prepare myself the next 10 years mentally if wrestling is going to be part of our everyday sporting events. (!!!)

What a weekend

Yea, we are halfway into this week yet we are still trying to recover from this past weekend. Sorry to be such a blog slacker. I have list of like 9-10 topics to blog about - it simply doesn't make it on the top of the list each day or night. Anyway I'll do my best to catch up on life up here in Ohio before the newest Little man makes his debut (which keep reading...could be earlier than any of us thought!) and hogs the blog.

Here is a glimpse in to our lately:

Last weekend (5-7th): we make our way back to Ohio from our marvelous trip in NC....always sad, but I did great this time! The next few months are filled with family visits, my favorite holidays, seeing my kids experience holidays and traditions and the birth of my little surprise miracle. Ready.Set.Go.

Monday morning: waltz into my 34 week appointment and start it off with a bang! The scale says I've gained 9 lbs in 2 weeks.....ummmm scuse me? Yes, I enjoyed my southern vacation and home cooked meals, but not 9 lbs worth...nope no way. In fact, now that I think of it, one night in NC, I told my parents my hands and feet had blown up! I even went so far as to go to the Rite Aid and check my blood pressure in the  machine thing. It all seemed ok so I went on thinking it was the lovely NC heat. Well, they check my BP and tell me to go lie down on my left side in the exam room. Apparently it was quite high. Anyway, the doctor comes in saying my other labs have come back bad too so she is sending me to get a work up of other labs to rule out PreEclampsia. WHAT? Not cool. At least those 9 lbs are mostly fluid and not extra Casey. But I leave thinking it's all ok and we will just role with these punches too. Besides...when is the last time ANYTHING with Easton was not a surprise? :)

Thursday: I send Ryan out to do some grocery shopping for our guests coming in (my sister and brother in law!!!) He comes home hours later...never made it to the grocery store. Ryan witnessed a car accident where two teenagers were hit crossing the street. He was one of the FEW (what is WRONG with people these days????) that stopped to help. The young girl he went to go help died on the scene. Understandably, he came home and had a tough time shaking the events of the evening.

Friday: Day of Doom I have dreaded since I found out I was pregnant with twins....not Easton....the twins. I always thought that with the demands of twins, I would have to giveaway my firstborn, my dog Snuggle. But my parents stepped in and did waaay too much keeping Snuggle for a YEAR at their house while we figured out life with two kids all of a sudden. Snuggle did so great with the twins I thought we had made it! Then he had a spell around Christmas where he acted out a bit into some bad marking habits. Then we moved up here to Ohio and I could barely get off the couch during my pregnancy sickness...anyway, the amount of time I could give to Snuggle went into the negatives. I forgot if I had fed him, let him out, many times I forgot I let him out and therefore didn't remember to go let him back in! He continued to be the best dog I could have asked for with the twins...they LOVED him and he let them show that love in very rough ways :) However, he got to the point that anytime I was dealing with the twins and not showing attention to him...he would go act out in aggression and pee on something. It was really like having 3 kids in diapers...pee.all.the.time!  Anyway, more on that later, but this day was the day the Foster family we found for him was ready to pick him up. I wept like I haven't done in a long time off and on all night. In fact, I think I'll move on from this topic now.

Earlier in the day, my doctor called back with my labs...across the board not good. The sum is that my kidneys aren't working properly anymore. This could be tied to my kidney infection/stone incident earlier or it couldn't. Helps alot, doesn't it :) I was 60 "points" away from being diagnosed with full blown PreEclempsia and being hospitalized. If it continued to climb, they would induce and take Easton. My orders were to take it easy for the weekend. What a great day! I cried over this too - overwhelmed with the task of taking care of my kids outside the womb while needing to rest and "take it easy" to take care of my kid still inside the womb. ugh.....all of a sudden, I'm not doing so great again up here away from countless willing friends and family.

Saturday - Monday: My sister and brother in law fly in! Divinely, they made arrangements back in the summer to come this weekend. It was perfect: they played and watched the twins so I could rest and put my swollen feet up. We had a wonderful weekend playing, giggling, eating, and being together. Caden breaks out in hives off and on all weekend - we still can't figure out what he may have come into contact with or what we have done differently around here lately. ugh.

Monday: I go in for my BP check. I have to go in twice a week now so they can keep an eye on things. Thank the LORD - it is down to an "ok" level. Still higher than it ever was with the twins (!?!) but not on-the-way-to-the-hospital high. I get to stay on the twice a week schedule for now. whew! So Aunt Robin, Uncle Brad and Ryan get an A+ in keeping Casey pregnant another week. Monday night: Jenna throws up 4 times...all over our carpet and Ryan.

Now it is Tuesday: Jenna threw up again this morning. The carpet still smells like throw up (yes, we cleaned it up last night) and I have changed 6 very disgusting runny diapers as of lunch time.

And that was our weekend. We will appreciate your prayers on any topic listed above. Aren't we nice like that? Providing multiple areas of prayer for you? giggle, giggle. :) Anyway, here are some pictures from Aunt Robin and Uncle Brad's save-the-day visit:

Watching some Thomas the Train....shirts vs skins style.

We went back to the Childrens Science museum, Cosi, where they were having a huge Lego attraction. The kids could build things with jumbo sized legos.

We went to a local farm / pumpkin patch and enjoyed some pumpkin doughnuts and apple cider. And yes, it was freezing cold!

I forgot how much I LOVE him in a hat. Adorable.

Movie Monday : Curtain Call

Jenna the ever-entertainer / instigator ....
curtain call from Casey Little on Vimeo.

How is it time for a big girl bed?

Can someone answer the question???? The time I have dreaded came up on us recently. I have handled all of the other situations that came with multiples just fine, but for some reason I was freaking out over moving the kids to toddler beds! We have been so blessed to see the rewards of hard sleep training in the first few weeks - with two babies, we were expecting alot less sleep! So when I began to think about moving them to toddler beds, I had visions of it all going down the drain: late night jumping parties, Jenna crawling out to go play with brother, Caden going into the closet to get his beloved Choo-Choo shoes, clothes thrown all around the room, and cranky, tired babies the next day from partying all night. In addition to this, the twins are great about sitting in their cribs for a while after they wake up in the mornings, they stand up and talk to each other, laugh, play, jump around etc... Now, in a toddler bed, can't they just get up whenever they want!? ahhhh

We briefly considered just buying another crib for Easton so the twins could stay in their cribs as long as they needed to - neither of my kids ever tried to climb out so they could have stayed in them MUCH longer. However, the only families that need 3 cribs in a house are those with triplets! Good gracious! Plus, we had my cousins' toddler bed so we technically had all of the bedding surfaces needed if we just switched one twin to a toddler bed. Since Caden is our resistant-to-change child, Jenna drew the short straw:) We decided to switch her when my mom was up here visiting so I would have an extra set of hands during the day if we were up all night. They just seem so small to be in a toddler bed! It can't be time! They are 22 months old. Anyway, I wont lie....I was eager to put her new little bedding set on her big girl bed...its adorable!

Before we moved her, I had an idea that calmed my fears....I would just get a bed rail, put it up on the toddler bed, then it would still be like a crib, right? It made me feel better anyway so this is what we came up with:

From Toddler Bed....

to Casey's fortress toddler bed....

Here we are getting ready for night-night in the big girl bed!

And my moms famous last words.....she thought Jenna would do great since she wasn't sick or feeling bad. haha. Jenna definitely had a harder time falling asleep that night. We had to go in there twice to calm her down, but she eventually fell asleep and stayed that way most of the night. I think we went in there twice all night. I slept the worst out of anyone in the house worried about her!

The next morning! She looks good to have a yucky, thick cold, doesn't she ? :( yes, the child woke up with a rough, rough cold the exact night we transitioned her. There was no moving the crib back in the room since Ryan had to take the door off to get the crib out (still assembled, mind you:) ).

And Caden wondering what all the fuss has been about! :)

Anyway, after about 4 days of some rough nights (I blame the cold on half of that), we got into a better routine. So good in fact, that Jenna got brave. One day, about an hour into nap time, I still heard someone singing and talking away. I walked in and found Jenna on the changing table right next to Caden's crib. She was sitting on the edge just singing away, kicking her feet like she was sitting in the park! I have no idea how she made the climb, then the jump over to the changing table without the top moving off (its not strapped down) and I have no idea how long she had been there! Caden was out like a trout asleep. This is a re-enactment of course, but look at this crazy girl!

So we rearranged the room to put a tall dresser in between their cribs. The next nap time, Jenna figured out how to stretch and open the drawers and pull out ALL of the clothes. oh my! So, some of the worries of the transition have occurred, but getting out of bed, staying up for hours, getting up at 5 am have not and I pray they stay that way! Good job, big sister! Easton thanks you for a crib to sleep in at night :)

What we're up to

There is no rhyme or reason to this post....it is basically a photo dump from my phone....but it will give you a glimpse into what the everyday has been like up here this summer. 

 

 

Jenna insisting on wearing headbands she chooses.

This is our favorite park to go to: hannah park. The kids have mastered the slides!

Running in the fields at Hannah Park



Mom's poor attempt at building a tent one day...

Our neighborhood has a park area that has a gazebo. The kids love throwing their balls around in it and going up and down the stairs.....it truly is the little things, huh?

LOVING their chairs....and yes, they know exactly which one is theirs. Panic ensues when someone ventures over to the others chair.



That is some good sleep!

The twins have recently become obsessed with broom/mops. I'll give you one guess as to what they are getting for their birthdays. :)

I had to take Jenna to a drop off daycare when Caden had his Feeding Clinic evaluation. I was SO unnerved but she did great and even finished her first craft...a green snake. She did wonderfully as I knew she would.

The twins love our digital photo frame. I turn it on and it is like a movie! They watch all the pictures pop up and point and say who is in the picture. Funny stuff!

MOM, there is just too much to carry with these braces, my shoes AND socks?

Jenna Girl looking especially grown up

This would be our three day ordeal with Jenna biting Caden. It only lasted 3 days and we haven't had a problem since...but poor buddy....he was one bruised boy!

Jenna's hair getting so long!

This is what we looked like the entire 2 weeks the Olympics was on :)

Lazy day hanging on the couch on a day mommy didn't feel too well

Jenna being very particular about her shoes these days....at least they matched on this day!

What a beauty!



She needs to be on a southern sass magazine



LOVING our pinterest activity of bathtub paint.

Drawing with Nana

Book time in our pj's and shoes.....this was a Dad-dressed day.

They decided they wanted snack by the door on this particular day....

Oh man, kids really do watch everything we do.....look at that remote form from Jenna!

If you try to eat anything yourself, prepare for two little birds to come snatch it up and not skip a beat!

And what one does, the other must! And yes, this is how I get Caden to eat sometimes....pure peer pressure.

This was my Tupperware drawers that I had organized with Pinteresting precision....it took me 20 - 30 minutes to get it all right....took the twins 20 SECONDS to clear it out.

Somehow I'm 7 months pregnant already?!?

I have to be so careful leaving the TV on during the day....this girl LOVES TV!

 

We went to a carnival at a local church and rode the train around the parking lot

That's a sweet boy right there! And it looks like there are crumbs on this bib! He must have eaten something this sitting! :) hehe

Our (unexpected) Ohio Hospital Tour

So, I mentioned that Mr. Easton took things into his own hands to get some attention around here in my last post. Thankfully I can write about it jokingly and light now; but at the time, it was a very scary few days up here.

Rewind to the first week in August....I told Ryan that I thought I was having really strong Braxton Hicks contractions! I never had them with the twins so I was just assuming this is what they must feel like. I texted a few friends who had several children (since I know they come on earlier and earlier the more children you have) to see how early they experienced them. Well, no one wrote back 25 weeks! :( I figured it was another "blame it on the twin pregnancy" moment and moved on. About a week later I  instantaneously felt horrible one day...something was way off and I was knocked to my feet. I called Ryan who came home early to help me. That night we decided (or rather, Ryan insisted :) ) I go to the Urgent Care near our house. I rolled up in the parking lot at 7:50 when they closed at 8:00 - I know they hated me walking in! I told them I felt like it could be a UTI with my symptoms but that I had never had one while pregnant and this felt different! After a some quick tests they said I had a high white blood cell count and agreed with me it was probably just a UTI. They gave me a low dose, safe-to-take-while-pregnant antibiotic and sent me on my way. I had a rough night of sweats and chills but figured it was the medicine taking care of the infection. The next day I felt better but the next day I found myself calling my OB because I was NO better and now I had a horrible, deep, pure nasty cough. It was a Friday so I didn't want the weekend to go by without knowing what my Doctor wanted. They called in a stronger antibiotic and said to call on Monday if I wasn't any better.....this medicine should knock it out in 3 days! oh haha, they would be hearing from me much sooner than Monday morning.

That Saturday, I took it easy for the most part. Ryan took over cooking and twin duty which was awesome. I started feeling strange when we went to put the twins down for bed that night and by the time I was downstairs sitting on the couch, I was OUT. People.....I mean stabbing, sharp, would NOT let up pain all along the left side of my back and stomach. I could not sit still it hurt so bad! I had many, many kidney stones in high school and college until I changed my diet so I know what they feel like, but this was so different! Anyway, I squirmed and walked and balled up in a ball and cried until about 11:30. It was then I told Ryan I had to get some help. So, what do you do when you don't know anyone well enough to come to your house at midnight to watch your twins? You drive yourself to the ER praying you don't a)pass out b) throw up or c) die (kidding but it felt like it at times). Anyway, I cried 50/50 over the pain and having to be by myself without Ryan but it is what had to be done. I'm too cheap and didn't think I was that serious to call an ambulance :)

So here comes a big ole' pregnant woman walking into the ER...I didn't even sit down....they escorted me straight to the back in front of everyone else sitting in the ER! That was nice for once! The ER had me for 5 minutes then sent me straight up to Labor and Delivery where I was hooked up to all the machines you would expect. My blood pressure was HIGH, out of control for me...Easton's heartbeat was all over the place and I still had a very high level of white blood cells in my labs. Anytime you say your having back pain and pregnant, they jump to the labor-conclusion...I didn't think I was, and told them I thought it might be my kidney, but  they had to do their due diligence and be extra cautious. After an hour of monitoring, running labs and me crying/rolling around on the gurney bed....they said they were going to admit me, give me something for the pain and have a full kidney work up done. They gave me Delaudid and oh my mercy.....better than an epidural! Within 1 minute I was relaxed, airheaded, happy and in NO pain. Too bad it put me in a deep coma or I would totally ask for it when it comes time to deliver E! :) hehe Anyway, I managed to get a text out to Ryan updating him then woke up several, several hours later in another room on the L/D floor. They were going to keep me until my "work up" was complete. Oh, and by the way, I couldn't eat or drink anything til the tests were done. TORTURE! It was afternoon before they got everything done. I think I started to cry b/c  I was so hungry at one point...that and I was so lonely! I wanted Ryan to be with me. Oh, and one more thing.....my phone died and I didn't have my charger :) So I couldn't talk or text Ryan unless I saved up my battery and made a quick text updating him. Oh...and one MORE thing....I had to take the Pilot that had the carseats in it b/c the Audi wasn't driveable...something about a fluid/coolant thing. So Ryan was stuck at home with no way to transport himself or the twins. This is Soap Opera Drama people! :)

Anyway, at some point late afternoon they come in my room and say I have a kidney stone still in my kidney, both kidneys are swollen and backed up with fluid, a UTI, a nasty respiratory infection and.....oh yes.....I'm having real contractions! I semi fall apart thinking I'm in labor, no one is up here, Ryan is not even here...the girl in the room next to me just had her baby without an epi that she wanted so she was SCREAMING, I have to stay another night, the stone is still in there, every time I cough, Easton's heartbeat goes wacky........etc. etc. :) ugh. ugh. I call Ryan and tell him someone needs to get up here (ohio). He had to go to work the next day, someone  needed to stay with the twins until this settles down. So, his mom commandeered a plane...haha kidding...but really, God provided a seat on the non-stop that is very frequently sold out so she was able to get up here by that night. Ryans coworker got a SOS call from Ryan and graciously drove to the hospital, got our car, drove it back home to Ryan and helped Ryan get the twins to the hospital to come up and see me. Bless his heart! They moved me to the high risk floor since I wasn't in "active labor." You are treated like queens up there let me tell you!

They let me eat dinner and Ryan brought the twins by....my heart and stomach were healed! Ignore, puffy, full-of-fluid Casey here...

I spent another night in the hospital because they wanted the head Urologist to decide what to do with me next and since it was the weekend...well, he wasn't in :) My contractions stayed the same and even went down during one monitoring....my cervix hadn't changed so they felt confident it was due to the stress/pain of the past few days. The next morning (7:00 am early!) the Urologist came in and explained he wasn't comfortable running the tests needed next with Easton still in there. Since the stone had stopped moving, I was more comfortable now and able to function. We agreed that if I keep having trouble and can't pass the stone, then the benefits will outweigh the risks to take the next step in putting a stint in (no please), blasting the stone or surgery. They also believed once the infection was taken care of, my kidneys would function normally again and the swelling would go down to the normal amount during pregnancy. So, as of now, I have a follow up with him once I deliver Easton to check on the kids...kidneys that is :) So that was our whirlwind tour of Riverside Hospital....needless to say, I cancelled the tour that I had scheduled for us to go on a few weeks later :)

What a scary time, but what a time we saw God's provision and protection! I didn't have anyone in the room with me, but (once I got my phone charger) I had so many of you sending prayers and encouragement to help me through. Please pray for God to DISSOLVE that stone and that it would be a thing of the past! For my kidneys to go down to normal and for Easton to continue to thrive and be delivered safe and on time.

Oh yes, and to officially end the debate....I have now gone through labor/delivery (of twins, mind you!) and had a kidney stone recent of each other to compare to. Hands down....kidney stone pain is the winner of pain. So, if you have had one....you are prepared for labor! :)