Let's go out to dinner and see a movie (yes, Trey would be proud)

Either we're completely nuts or we're completely confident in our children, I'm not sure which one is true.  Against most people's better judgement, we took the boys (yes, all 4 of them) out to dinner and a movie.  We wanted to go see The Muppets and we figured Eli would enjoy it and the babies might watch parts of it.  We have a place called Chunky's nearby.  Chunky's allows you to eat and watch a movie at the same time.  You are set up at long tables and seated in old Lincoln Limo bucket seats.  It's a lot of fun. 

We planned on the noon show.  This way the babies would be amused by eating and hopefully kept distracted and quiet during the movie.  We packed every forseeable item we might need...
-milk cups
-placemats
-bibs
-toys
-animal crackers
-graham crackers
-cubed melon
and against my better judgement...
-binkies.

It took us awhile to get everybody situated, but we got there 40 minutes early so we had plenty of time.  The babies sat in restaraunt high chairs at the tables.

We ordered appetizers and lunch for all of us and sat and waited.  The babies did a good job and played around while we waited for the movie to start.

Then...the previews came on...
They were mesmorized...transfixed...and completely enchanted by the screen.  I was hoping it would last the whole movie, but alas, all good things must come to an end.  Sammy was the only one not enjoying his special seat so we got up and walked around and then he sat on Dave's lap.  Ben and Nate were both completely content in their chairs.

I even caught them dancing to some of the catchy tunes during the movie.  Ben seemed to like the dancing chickens the best.

I think the whole thing went pretty well and considering the babies' tickets are free until they're 4 at this theater, we may be doing this more often...

Ben's Lungs...again...

So...Mr. Benjamin is at it again.  He is back on his nebulizer between 2 and 4 times per day. 

We find it easiest to get a treatment in while he's asleep.

He has also been approved for a 2nd round of Synagis.  Synagis is a shot that he needs to get 1x/month during the winter to help prevent (hopefully) him from getting RSV.  He was the only 1 of the 3 to be approved for this shot, most likely because of his lung issues.  People without Preemies (PwoP) don't understand what a big deal it is to get approved for this shot the first time, nevermind the second time.  It is almost unheard of to be approved for it 2 years in a row.  It costs $1000 per dose.  Ben needs 5 doses (November, December, January, February, March).  There are very strict regulations as to who gets it because of the expense.  We are also very lucky because we only have to pay $40 out of pocket for each dose because our insurance picks up the rest of the tab.  Last year, we didn't have to pay for any of the boys, but because Ben weighs more than two times what he did last year, he needs a much bigger dose.

We don't know why Ben continues to have these issues with his lungs. Could it be hereditary?  Dave had asthma until he was 12.  Could it be because he decided to pop his amniotic sac and then hang out for 2+weeks with no fluid?  We'll never know.  What we do know is how lucky we are that this is the only issue we have to deal with and we thank God for our healthy boys every single day.

Before I was a MoM (part 2)

Pin It

...I would never hang this contraption across the back of my van...

I got the idea from somewhere (sorry if it's your idea and I don't remember...LMK and I'll site you!!!).  We took all the boys' links and hung them from the 2 "Oh, No" bars in the back row.  On the links we hung all our fun dangle-type toys.

The boys loved it and it kept them busy for a crazy car trip we took with tons of traffic.  We did adjust the height and specifically place toys within reach for each boy.  People who see my van in the parking lot must get a little confused though...

Note to those who want to try this at home:
We used "locking" links on the ends to keep them from opening up and pulling the whole thing down all the time.

Snow???

Every year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, we make the 1 1/2 hour trek up to my dad's cottage in Springfield, NH.  Before we left, he warned us that there was 4-6 inches of snow on the ground.  This added to our packing extravaganza because now we needed to pack snow stuff!  The boys got to try out their new snowsuits and boots and Eli and Dave got to build a snowman and try a little sledding.

Thanksgiving

We were especially excited this year because the babies could eat "real people food" and got to eat Thanksgiving dinner with the rest of us.  We set up a kids' table in Eli's playroom for the 4 boys.  They loved their turkey, squash, & green beans!  YUM!!!

Bro Hold

I caught Sammy holding Natey's hand in the backseat of the van.  I was informed that this is the "Bro Hold"...appropriate, doncha think???

Goin' Out to Eat

It's taken us awhile, but I think we've gotten the hang of going out to eat with the 4 kiddos.  This is great because I was feeling like an inmate having to eat home cookin' all the time.  Here's what we do to prep:

1.  Get to the restaraunt.  Dave goes in and scopes out our spot.  He helps set up highchairs with the host to alternate big person/baby/big person/baby, etc.

Nate & Ben

2.  He comes back out to the car and I load 2 babies into his arms.  I carry in 1 and the diaper bag. Eli gets the door.
3.  We plop the babies in their high chairs.  We put down sticky, disposable placemats (in our opinion, a MUST HAVE!!!).

Eli & Sam (yes, Eli is sometimes more difficult to photograph than the babies)

4.  We start doling out snacks for the babies or give them their milk cups.

Sammy

5.  We order food.  We try to be super fast and always request the kids' food to be out first.  Now we're only ordering 1 meal for all 3 babies because they can split.  If necessary, I feed them my sides (carrots, broccoli, potatoes, etc) to fill them up.

Natey & Ben

6.  We clean up.  This involves wiping down babies, tables, high chairs, and the floor.  We also ball up the placemats and push everything into the middle of the table.

Using this method, we've been pretty successful. Some places are better than others.  It works best to go to a place you know or a chain. This is for convenience of having 3 high chairs.  If you're adventurous, bring your own high chairs.  Snacks, bibs, milk, and placemats are always with us when we go to a restaraunt.