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Kid update

Rylee has had a fever on an off for the last three weeks. Sometimes getting over 105 degrees. We are hoping that she just has a virus, but it seems odd for a couple of reasons:
1. She had a fever for a week, was better for almost two weeks, got the fever again for several days, went almost 48 hours with no fever, and now she has a fever again (104.6 degrees this morning.)
2. She has been out in public only once in all that time. So where did she get it?
3. None of the other kids have been sick.
4. She has no other symptoms. She is much less active when her fever spikes, but other than that she seems fine.
5. We are having to alternate between Motrin and Tylenol every three hours to keep the temp below 102.

I don't think of myself as a worry wart, but we are taking her back to the doctor tomorrow. It just seems strange. The only thing that we have found on the internet that matches those symptoms (other than a virus) is a urinary infection or Periodic Fever Syndrome (or something like that.) We aren't freaking out, but are becoming concerned.

Reagan -

I think she has become very frustrated with her speech issues. We have noticed that she talks much less now than she did just a month ago.

I don't know if it is related, but she has become much more rebellious and uncooperative. One moment she will be all smiles and the next she is down right hostile. Folding her arms, chin tucked down, no eye contact, refusing to even try to speak, running away and hiding. Is this normal? Kari says that she is a Gemini with a split personality.

Also she is having a MAJOR set back in the potty training. She was doing great and having almost no accidents. Now she often doesn't even try to get to the bathroom. I am wondering if she is using that to seek attention. I think we went through 10 pairs of panties the other day. It is very frustrating.

The twins are still cutting teeth and are pretty grouchy a majority of the day. Other than that they are doing really well.

Binki Wars

Those of you with siblings can probably relate. Didn't it always seem that whatever it was that your brother or sister had, or was playing with, at any given moment was better than whatever you had? Apparently this is the way the twins feel.

I wasn't home so this is story has been reconstructed from interviews with the actual parties involved. I tried to interview the twins, but they just kept saying "That (they mean that, but it sounds like dat), daddy, kitty cat, good girl, and uh ooooh." So it is only based on interviews with Kari.

It had been a long day and Kari had finally gotten all the kids in bed. She poured herself a glass of wine and plopped down on the couch. She picked up the remote and scrolled through a list of recorded TV shows. After searching through all 104 recorded programs, that she has not had time to watch, she selected "House."

Before too long she heard noises from upstairs. She was thinking that it was Reagan. Reagan always comes downstairs, to go to the bathroom, about 30 minutes after we put her to bed. Kari sat there awhile expecting to see Reagan sneaking down the stairs at any moment. After several minutes and not seeing Rea's head bobbing down the stairs, but still hearing noises, she decided to investigate. She tip toed to the top of the stairs and paused. All the doors where closed, she waited for the next sound. She heard a bump from the twins room. She crept to the door and cracked it open. Madison was out of bed. Kari watched from the doorway, waiting to see what she was going to do. Madison walked over to Jordan's bed, lean over her sleeping sister, and yanked the binki out of Jordan's mouth. Jordan, shocked awake, began to cry. Madison removed the purple binki from herown mouth and attempted to ram it into Jordan's mouth, she then stuck the pink binki into her mouth, turned and with out another thought set off back across the room. Jordan, meanwhile, kept the new binki in her mouth and continued to cry. Madison crawled back into bed, turned her head toward the wall, drew her knees up under her, stuck her butt up in the air and suckled her pink binki contentedly.

Kari was more interested in quiet than justice and decided to console Jordan as opposed to upsetting Madison by taking away her ill gotten gains.


Insanity

They say that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Apparently I am a little thick headed or partially insane, because it seemed like a good idea to take the kids to the park by myself...again.

I got home at 6:30 this morning, after a red eye flight from Portland. I wasn't feeling too bad, so when Reagan crept out of her room I decided that I would just stay up with her. We sat on the couch and read stories for almost an hour before Rylee came down stairs and it was time to start breakfast. The twins were nice enough to snooze while Rylee helped me whip up some French toast. It was a pretty pleasant morning.

It didn't last, however. I tried to sneak off for a nap when the twins went down for theirs, but it didn't seem to last very long. I woke up to the twins screaming and they continued to be grouchy until I decided that we should all get out for a bit. Kari helped me get everyone dressed and I loaded the twins in the double stroller. Everything went well on the walk to the park. The twins were quite, sitting back and taking in the sights. Reagan pointed out every flower that lines our quite, suburban, street and Rylee tagged along engaging me in discussions ranging from BIG trees to little bugs.

When the park came into view the big girls sprinted the last hundred yards to the swings. I recall wishing that I had their energy. I unloaded the twins. Madison immediately began to cry and wrapped her arms around my knees. Jordan, on the other hand, headed straight for the swings. The swings turned out to be too hot to sit on, so I spent several minutes sitting on the swings to cool them off. It must have been funny to watch. Some man holding his kids back while he sits on each one of the swings.

After about six minutes of swinging contentedly (them swinging, not me) and sweating because the temperature was really starting to soar, Rylee got a wood chip in her shoe. Doesn't sound like a major dilemma, but it was a total catastrophe to her.
"Take your shoe off." I said, slowly. She shook her hands up and down and cried, making no attempt to remove her shoe.
"Just a minute. I will help you." I said. Trying not to sigh to loud.
I put the twins on the ground. They can't be trusted to hold on very long while unsupervised. This did not go over very well with them and they both began to cry. Madison, like a heavy weight boxer tying up his opponent, wrapped her arms around my legs again. It is a very effective move when you are seeking attention and Madison has it perfected. You have to untangle the youngster from your legs and step back quickly to avoid being snared again. Maybe I should get her into wrestling or maybe Jujitsu. Anyway, I left the twins squawking by the swing and moved over to Rylee, who was squawking by the jungle gym.
"Now, take your shoe off." I said again. This time she complied.
"Now, brush off your foot." I instructed. She did, but she brushed off her foot on the mulch, which cause more wood chips to stick to her foot. She burst into tears again.
"I can't do it." she wailed. So I brushed off her foot and replaced her shoe. She smiled, took one step, got more wood chips in her shoe and burst into tears again.
"Do you want to just take your shoes off?" I asked. Hoping.
"Noooo." She replied.
"Sigh." I brushed off the feet and put on her shoes again. Now it was all better.

I put the twins back on the swings and for another 6o seconds everyone was happy. Then Rylee came over, looked up at me and said. "I want a drink."
"Honey, there isn't anything to drink here."
"But, but, but, cause ... I'm firsty."
"Rylee, we will get you a drink when we go back to the house."
"I'm thirsty." she says with tears this time.
"Sigh...We will go home soon."
Then Madison began to cry, so I took her out of the swing, she cried even louder.
"Alright, that was quick...we are going home." I announced. I expected some form of protest from Reagan, who had been playing happily, but she bounced over and smiled.
I put Madison, still screaming, into the stroller and belted her in. Then had to sprint after Jordan who was running off at top speed. I wonder if she had a destination in mind, probably not. She submitted to being strapped in the stroller and we set off for home with Rylee and Madi on the verge of a mutual meltdown. It was at this point that I was really regretting walking with all four to the park instead of putting them in the car.

We had traveled about a block before Jordan joined the chorus of wailing. Reagan was still being a trooper, however, she insisted on either walking right in front of the stroller and stopping unexpectedly or lagging so far behind that we would have to stop and let her catch up.

"You are going too fast." Rylee informed me.
"Don't you want to get home and have a drink?" I asked.
"Too fast." She repeated. I slowed for about half a block and then picked up the pace again.
"Too fast, Dad."
"Come on Rylee, lets get home."
She just stopped and cried.
"Carry." She said.
"What?"
"Carry me."
"Sigh." She is getting pretty big to be carried very far and we still had a ways to go. I picked her up and we made it another block before Reagan started crying and wanted to be carried too. So I put Rylee down and picked up Reagan. Reagan stopped crying and Rylee started again.
It was a beautiful, cloudless, day and many people were outdoors. I noticed most were looking at us. Most were sympathetic, but amused, looks. On the last block I put Reagan down, while she is lighter than Rylee, she gets pretty heavy before too long. So we dragged down the home stretch with all four kids in tears. I had about had enough.

I wonder how long it will be before that seems like a good idea again.

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