Always going to Friendly's........

Seems anytime we go out to eat, we somehow end up at Friendly's...........Nick loves it there! :)

Cub Scouts Trip

Nicholas and I had a nice day out----just the TWO of us----AND two busloads of other Cub Scouts and their parents~! We went to the Intrepid Museum in NYC today-it was really nice to have a day out with just my Bubba, my first born son! :) I cherish these moments we have alone together.............:) :) A big thank you to my mom/dad, sis and bil, as they took "shifts" in order to care for the little ones............ :)

Daddy.........ride..........

This has been the "norm" in the Wilke home the past few nights. Daddy is the designated "horsey" and the kids all want rides. I told Tom it reminds me of the elephant rides at the Zoo--where all the kids pile up on top.............. :)

Katie's bronchoscopy

Katie had her bronchoscopy done in the CHOP operating room today. We arrived by 730 this morning, however, the procedure wasn't done until close to 1030! Katie found a lawnmower to keep her very busy-and made sure that CHOP's floors were well cut! :) :) Of course, this pretty little girl was the talk of the floor! :) The Child Life girl was nice enough to bring an Elmo VHS tape in (OMG-I have not hit rewind on a VCR in SOOO long!) and Katie was super happy. Once they gave Katie her "giggle juice" as they call it, she was feeling GREAT. :) Doc said the procedure went very smooth, and it appears that her tracheamalacia is improving and he is certain that she will outgrow it. :) Yay for Katie girl. We have to follow up with the Airway Clinic in six months, and we can expect another bronchoscopy in a year or so from now. :)

My Karate kid.........

Isn't he the most handsome six year old??!@ :)

Nick's new hat

Ok, so this is super cute. Nicholas wanted to hang out with my father the other day. They have a great time together-they play checkers, eat lots of ice pops together in the living room (without Nanny knowing!), and even exercise together! Anyway, Poppy decided to let Nicholas have his jar full of saved change. Nick was SUPER excited. We went to TD BAnk to cash it in, and Nicholas got $70.55 back!!!!!! Poppy-----I need a change jar, too!!!!! :) So, today, my mom and dad took Nick and Katie out to the mall for their weekly excursion. Nick bought a Giants hat and had "I Love Mommy and Daddy" embroidered on the back!!!!! It is soooooooooo stinkin' cute! I love this boy! :) :) :) But, MAYBE he should have put "I Love Poppy" on it instead! :)

Smile, Lexi!

So, today was a big day for Lexi. She finally got her braces put on! She has been waiting for this day a very long time......I was trying to get some before "pics" of her before the appointment today, and boy oh boy, was I getting the 13yo 'tude.........I guess I am realizing that teenage girls do NOT like their pics taken.........but oh well, that is MY JOB, right??!!! So, as you can see from the pics, she was making it difficult for me! Anyway, she did great. No pain, no discomfort-so that is all good news. I am so excited for her! :)

Matty's bloodwork and stool testing

I finally took Matty for his bloodwork. He is having his thyroid tested along with checking for growth hormone deficiencies. The techs had to stick him THREE times to fi nd a vein, and then once they did, only got like 1/4 of the tube filled-so they are sending it anyway, so I hope it is enough for them to complete the test. My poor Matty fought the good fight, tho! Afterwards, I let him down from the chair, and he t urned around, screamed at ME, and started violently hitting ME!!!!! He was PISSED at ME! I guess b/c I was the one holding him down????!!!! Poor kid..........and poor Mommy! :)

I also handed in all of his stool testing.........one test is checking his pancreatic function and the poop had to be FROZEN!!! LOL.........hopefully we will get the results back early next week. :)

Poop Party 3/19/09

Yes, I have spared all of you the pictures, but trust me, there was a Poop Party in the Wilke Quads room today...............I walked past their room and heard them "throwing" something, I "thought" was a ball across the room..........Now, I know there are no balls in their room-so what could it be????? YES, my kids were playing "poop ball" in their bedroom!!! Emma was the pitcher! :)

Anyway, once I got in there, Austin was laying naked on the floor, sleeping soundly. Seems my girls got a hold of his dirty diaper and had some fun.......well, their kind of fun at least! :) I got them all in the shower, and Lexi started washing them for me, while I started cleaning the room. So freakin' disgusting. They fingerpainted all over their windows and sills........smeared everywhere-caked on. Their beds were disastrous-I literally took two of the beds and left them on the side of the house. I scrubbed out the carpets, walls, etc. And later in the evening, shampooed the rug really good.............Again, where is the Calgon????!!!!! L OL

Still in the same bed.........

This is from 3/18/09.......as you can see, they are still sleeping in the SAME bed........(not for long, tho---upcoming Poop horror party story to follow!) LOL..........

Lots of doctor visits........3/18/09

I was swamped today.....Katie and Matty both had Nutrition appointments in Princeton, however Katie's was at 11am, and Matty's wasn't until 3pm. Katie's appt went well.......she went from 21.8 lbs the first week of Feb. to a whopping 23.13 lbs!!!! That is a lot of weight for her to gain in this short time. Seems the thickened liquids are really working!

As for Matty, he is a different story. My poor pumpkin did NOT gain ANYTHING since 10/8/08 according to the Nutritionist's scale. Ugh. I am really bothered that something is going on with him that we are not aware of. He is not a picky eater......he eats really well, so although I do calorie boost, that is not the problem. Anyway, we are continuing to do more b/w for thyroid and growth hormone deficiencies, as well as stool testing to check malabsorption. I also scheduled a sweat test on 4/1 to check for Cystic Fibrosis.

If this wasn't enough, Matty became sick during the day! So after the other appointments, off to the pediatrician we went. Matty has a "doozy" of a right ear infection...........I swear, Calgon is definitely calling my name! :)

Do I look pretty, Mommy??

As I was trying to make grilled cheese this afternoon for lunch, I noticed that it just got a bit "too quiet" in the other room, if you know what I mean. With my kids, I always hear chaos in the other room. And then, just when it is so quiet, and I somehow get myself to believe that they are all playing "nicely" together (yeah, right!), it dawns on me that they are probably into something! And lately, that something tends to be my pocketbook! As I went in the living room, there was NOBODY to be found! I found the little culprits at the very top of the stairs near the gate, "hiding out", if you will, with the "goods" (my pocketbook!).......lo and behold, Austin was eating my lipstick (yum!), Emma was sucking on a blush brush (even yummier!), and Katie and Matty were EATING my mascara (that has to be just plain GROSS)!!!!!! I must have just caught them in time, b/c the mess could have been A LOT worse............... :)

Boys' visit to the ophthamologist.........

Matty and Austin had their follow up appointment with their pediatric ophthamologist this morning. I am pleased to report that they are doing just fine, and we do not have to return for TWO years! :) The boys did really well, even with getting two sets of eye drops! We had to wait 1/2 hour for their eyes to dilate, so we decided to take a walk. Well, silly Mama let go of their hands for ONE second and next thing I know, I am chasing TWO 2 yo boys up the stairs, around a bend, and down a long hallway. You would think all the elliptical and treadmill I am doing would have helped!!!!! LOL..........I finally did catch the rugrats, and down the elevator we went! :)

Another trip to the mall......

My sister and I took the kids to King of Prussia mall this weekend. Nicholas has been bugging the heck out of me to take him to the "real big mall"! LOL........ :) The babies LOVED the water fountains in the middle of the mall........as you can see they were amazed at the water, and even were trying to jump into the fountain! YIKES! :) That would surely be a sight........ :)

Back to the ER......

Matty has been sick for a few days now. He has been throwing up randomly, as well as having LOTS of loose and stinky poops. So, I took him to the ped yesterday, only to discover he had lost more than a pound within a few days. And on tiny Matty's frame, that is A LOT! He was down to 21 lbs or so. He was acting very lethargic. The ped sent us right to the Emergency Room of the local hospital. On the way into the hospital, Matty threw up all over himself and ME! Yuck! It seems that Matty has rotavirus, and once they gave him an IV of fluid, he perked right up, so much so that he was singing away in the room! I've been giving him tons of Pedialyte since, and he seems to be doing well. Although, I do have to mention, as the ER doc was ready to discharge us, Matty pooped all over me! Yes, I had him sitting on my lap, and he squirted ALL over my jeans! Ugh-sooooo yes, I was crapped on and puked on all in one day...........and from only ONE kid! :) As I left the ped's office on the way to the hospital, I turned to the pediatrician and laughingly asked, "We ARE going to look back on these years and laugh one day, right??????" He chuckled and said, "YES!" I hope so! :)

Results are in.......

Matty does NOT have Celiacs disease. Thank God! His biopsies came back completely normal from the test on Monday............so now I just have to get the b/w and stool tests done. :)

Daddy's big helper

Nicholas was so excited to have his own paintbrush/roller to help Daddy paint the family room. He was lucky enough to stay up late last night and help Daddy "start" the family room............I can see Nick and Daddy doing many projects together in the years to come! :)

Endocrinology appointment

So, Matty and I were off to CHOP again on Tuesday. He had a 9am Endocrinologist appointment, and b/c of Philly traffic, we left by 730am. As we were driving down there, Matty puked all over himself! Ugh-it was so disgusting. And, the bad mom I am, did NOT have a change of clothes. The car reeked of puke. I got to CHOP and went to the gift shop to see if they sold tshirts or sweatshirts or something; they didn't. So, my poor boy had to stay in his pukey clothes for the appointment. Ugh-I hate having the "stinky" kid! lol

Anyway, the appointment went well. The endocrinologist has decided to test Matty for his thyroid and for any growth hormone deficiencies he may have. We are looking into Celiacs disease as well. Hopefully, the biopsy that was done on Monday will give us further information. Interestingly, I did find out that Celiacs disease does run in my side of the family. One of the signs of this disease is eating and eating, but not gaining weight-sound familiar, huh? It seems that the way to fix this disease is to have a completely gluten-free diet. I am curious to switch Matty's diet now and see if I notice a difference at all.

First ice cream treats NOT sharing!

Since Tom was busy rearranging our house, I took the kids to the mall to get them o ur of his hair the other night. Lexi and I just walked around the mall, basically window shopped, while Nick and Daddy were home doing "man's" work, as Nicholas told me. :) I was happy to realize that Cold Stone Creamery has kids ice cream for only like $1.50 each cup! I love a cheap deal! So, for the first time out in public, each of the little ones got their "own" cup of banana flavored ice cream..........they LOVED it! But, boy oh boy, what amess they were!

Matty's Endoscopy

Matty

had his endoscopy done today at CHOP. He did well. Obviously, he screamed his little head off with the IV, but that is to be expected. He also HATED the warm packs the nurses put on his arms to get his veins to show up. It was soooo cute, though-he was super excited to be going somewhere with me alone............he brought his Elmo doll and everything-carried around with him so cute............he didn't even know what he was in for!!!! :) Anyway, the GI doctor told us that everything "looked" normal, however, they did biopsy his stomach and intestines, and part of his hiney (not sure what), and that he will call us later this week, or early next week with the results. And I better hit they hay, b/c we are off to the endocrinologist tomorrow morning at CHOP. :) I'll keep you all posted! :)

Forgot the stats! :)

So, with my previous rant, I forgot to add in the "stats" of the weight check visit. :)

In birth order, here are their weights as of 28 months:

Matthew 22.10 lbs (up ONLY 2 ounces from last month)

Emma 27.8 lbs

Katie 23.1 lb (up about 1.5 lbs since last month!)

Austin 30.4 lbs (porker!) :)

So, as you can see, there is a HUGE difference between Matty and Austin. 7-8 lbs or so. Matty is having an "upper endoscopy" at CHOP on Monday. It will be in the Operating room-he will be sedated. Apparently, they put a scope down his throat and take a look at his stomach and intestines. It is my understanding that they also biopsy his stomach/intestine and take a look at it on the "cellular" level. Apparently they can see a lot of what "may" be going on through these biopsies. So, hopefully, it will answer some questions as to his short stature and his poor weight gain. So, say a prayer that everything goes smoothly for him on Monday.
And, Tuesday, Matty has his first Endocrinology appointment. Again, hopefully, they can run tests or give me some better answers to Matty's short stature and poor weight gain. Even if we just rule things out, that will make Momma feel better! :)
The other thing I discussed with the ped was Katie's thickened feeds. I am having a semi-hard time trying to get her to take her thick liquids. I give it to her in the sippy cup, and then she throws it at ME, and gets all mad. Soooo, she then tries to "trade" with one of the other babies and get their cups. It always ends up in a fight. Ped's solution was to give ALL FOUR thickened liquids. If all four have it, she will eventually take it. He basically made the analogy that if ONE child was allergic to a dog, the dog wouldn't even be brought in the house. All four would not be able to have the dog, b/c the ONE is allergic. Same way with the thickened liquids. I guess he is right, but I am not quite sure what I want to do yet????!!!!!!

EXHAUSTION has set in.........

Can I just say that I am completely EXHAUSTED tonight??? I can barely keep my eyes open, and here I am, still typing away............

Let me briefly explain my day to all of you...........No big deal, I get up @ 620am, take a shower, get Nick off to school, come back home and my day "really starts"! :) I "release the hounds", ummm, I mean, wake the babies up around 8am. :) So, today we had to go to the pediatrician's office for weight checks for all four little ones. And since Tom had to work, this is something I had to do myself. Sooooo, I made pancakes for all four (making sure to add in all the extra butter the ped wants them to have!!!) and got all their diapers changed. After I changed all four, I attempted to dress all four. (I did lay out their clothes the night before at least!) So I change Austin, and go to start on Matty. Then Austin decides to poop. So I have to stop changing Matty, to change A's diaper again. I finally get both boys dressed, and next thing I know, the girls are naked upstairs!!!! I knew this b/c they started singing the song, "I've got a wee-wee....." and I KNOW that is not a good song when I hear that! :) So I finally get the girls dressed and then I have to find socks. Let me just say I cannot wait till the summer so I can just throw sandals on t hem with NO socks. I hate socks. :) I got them all dressed, then I had to fix the girls' hair. I got their coats on, and strapped their "leashes" on, too. Remember, this is ONLY to get out of the house---we haven't even LEFT yet!!!! :)
I decide to walk all four out to the car together, while having them leashed. Emma decided to try and pick the snow up, Austin wants to run down the street.............it was crazy. I get them to the van, and literally throw them in. I'm trying to strap them in th eir seats as quickly as possible, b/c they are already running through the van, climbing over the seats, drinking Lexi's leftover "Moolatta" from DQ yesterday...........chaos, I tell you !
So, off to the ped we go. They did very well inside, however since it was "weight checks" for all four, th ey ALL have to be undressed. You've got to be kidding me, I'm thinking to myself. So I ask if I can just take off their jackets/shoes and weigh them in their clothes. Answer: NO for Katie and Matty, but OK for Austin and Emma. (Since we're more concerned with K and M's weights.) So, back to getting them undressed, and redressed. All in the meantime, they're all climbing the chairs, trying to spill the alcohol and stuff the doc has on the table.
We see the ped, and fnally leave. Coats back on, leashes back on, and off we go. Back to the van, throwing them back in, fighting them to get in t heir seats, and finally I take a big sigh of relief when I sit in the driver seat. OMG, I think to myself-----why did I make this appointment when I am ALONE??????

Katie's GI appt

I brought the girls with me to CHOP today for Katie's GI appt. They did really well! I did not bring the stroller-I was kind of nervous about that! But I didn't lose anyone, and no one ran away from me-so it was a good day! :) It was a pretty uneventful visit. We are merely tracking her weight to make sure she stays on her own growth curve......although she isn't "on the chart" yet. :) BUT, the good news is that she gained a great amount of weight! When she was discharged from the hospital on 2/8/09, she weighed 21.8 lbs. Today, she was a whopping 22lbs and 15oz!!!! That is just about 1.5 lbs in less than a month! That is AMAZING for Katie girl. Again, the GI doc reiterated that now that Katie's lungs and body don't have to work so hard b/c of her aspiration issues, her metabolism should slow down, and she should actually be able to gain weight. She was apparently burning so much energy from protecting her lungs that she couldn't gain weight-regardless of how much she ate. So, now I am looking forward to a little "chunky monkey!" lol

Snow Day!

The kids had off from school today b/c of the winter snow storm.........we had a blast outside playing!!! (well........except for Matty!) lol