The topic of the day is... Crud In The Butter. It came to me as we were eating breakfast.
Around here, we use tubs-o-butter. There is a generation- you know who you are- that insist on "real" butter. You know, that that's the best and the only and such. The problem is, it's ROCK HARD. Who wants to scalpel out their butter shard by shard? No thankee. Give me a big ol tub of soft butter-flavored spread and I'll be happy. But I digress.
The topic at hand is crud in the butter. We are really, really bad about this. We dip the utensil in one substance, i.e. jelly, and then straight into the butter-like product. The result is jelly flecked butter. It gets worse as we get closer to the bottom of the jumbo tub. Today, as I was buttering my blueberry muffin, I found corn. CORN. Corn, butter. What could be better, you might think? And you have a point. But it's gross in conjunction with muffins.
Will I take action? Will I bring an end to the double dipping food spreading madness? Stay tuned!

In other news, there is nothing Toby can't climb. My life is over. He needs a bodyguard 24-7.
In other, other news, I like having three kids. A lot. This is going to be fun.

Butter or Spread/Margarine?
	Butter (because I am aged and old-school)
	Butter (even though I'm a whippersnapper)
	Margarine/Spread Butter Flavored Product
	Other (explained in comments)
Free polls from Pollhost.com

So, here are some pictures from the first few days. We should be taking more... but we're doing things like eating and sleeping, at least theoretically.

Today is April 12th. Your taxes are due in 5 days. UNLESS you're me and you do them the first week of February... if I ever owe, I imagine I'll be slacking just like y'all.
I've been thinking about my dad a lot lately. Probably because it's April and he died in April, and also because Toby is JUST like him. I don't know how to explain it... how a 1 year old can remind me so much of him. But he just does. All the time. It's comforting, actually.
If you didn't read the comments yesterday, you should. All kinds of announcements up in there.
And now, for some peanut butter toast.

my Mama and Brynn
Viking Granny and the little viking-let




Easter bunnies...

So last night I was thinking about my blog. About how BORING it is around here and what I could do to stir up some action. Last time, I got pregnant just to amuse you people. Well, no more. You're just gonna have to have your OWN babies from now on. I'm through. (God: MUAHA HA)
Actually, on that topic, I don't know if I am through. At least for a few years... maybe see if technology comes up with some keeping-you-pregnant pill or something. Or maybe divine healing. It says something that that's my second option, eh?

Anyhoo. I thought about maybe bringing up a hot topic, like Anna Nicole Smith's baby daddy. But, uh... I DON'T CARE. Or maybe an ethical debate... like pirating CDs. But I don't feel like fighting. So what, I ask you. What?

and now, a nap. Good day.

(and brynn is doing great, eating all the time except when she's sleeping, pretty much. And the other two are causing me much amusement with their antics, except when their antics involve feces, spaghetti sauce, and/or carpet.)

Today is my first day on my own with all 3 kids... so far so good. Richy and I constructed a "safe zone" over the weekend which gates the boys from my bedroom, the stairs and the office. So that leaves their room, their bathroom (their fave place to play, go figure), and the playroom area... R2 will stand at the gate and look at me like... "maybe you didn't know... I can't get in there." Toby plays and falls over and cries (repeat, 12 hours a day). Of course, I won't leave them in the zone forever. But when I'm nursing and such... it's nice to not have Toby diving off things onto Brynn. Yes, DIVING. He's crazy.
Anyways. The plan (my plan) was to sleep in this morning. My sons sleep late whenever I can't. But any time I make this plan, God laughs and laughs. Brynn was up all night, pretty much. So, around 5 this morning, I sneak in the boy's bedroom with a bottle, drop it in Toby's bed. I figure he'll wake up around 7, have his bottle and then back to dreamland. And if Toby's not in there shrieking, R2 normally sleeps past 9.
(from heaven: MUAHAHAHA)
Suffice it to say, never mind. Maybe I can sleep during Toby's nap. (MUAHAHAHA)

Marnin...
Brynn has a pediatrician appointment today. I am pretty curious to see if she has gained weight. She darn well should have... With her and Toby, the hospital's schedule would drive me nuts. They could only eat every 3 hours, and if they started crying before that, they got a pacifier. HOOEY. I taught them the joys of "demand feeding" as soon as I got them home. And both of them took full advantage of it.
So Brynn eats every hour and a half to two hours. Why shouldn't she? I eat whenever I want, you know?

The first day or so was hard. Toby was really jealous, and it made me so stressed and sad. I had this "what have I done?" feeling. And so I was freaking out a little... I mean, I really have TWO babies and it was hitting pretty hard. My mom said she had the same feeling every time she brought the new baby home.
But it's better... Toby seems to be adjusting fine... he tries to hit her in the head and poke her eyes and such, but it's more of a curiousity thing... what will this little doll do if I do this?
And R2 is thrilled. He is just so great. I think I could bring a hundred babies home and he'd be excited.

And Brynn... what a princess. She is settling in. Her spirit is at peace. I didn't realize how she was always a little tense until now, when she's so calm and relaxed. What a precious, precious baby.

Some pix and a doctor update later.

Stylin, her last night in the NICU

I am not loving this carseat thing...
All dressed up and good to go










wow... I think I'm in baby shock. More later.

My heart is full... I need to write some pretty soppy stuff, but I'll have to do it later... I'm off to the hospital!

I don't know when we'll get out today. I've already signed 4,324 documents. So probably only another 2000 or so to go.

YAY! Oh yay yay yayayayayayayay!

No real news today... I took the car seat up to the hospital. Before preemies can go home, they have to pass the "Carseat Challenge".... (suspenseful music).. in which they have to sit strapped into their carseats for one hour without dying. We have SO got this one in the bag.
Still right about 4 lbs 9 oz.. she'll lose a couple grams and gain them back... and so on. But nobody's worried about it.

I am excited, but not really believing we'll get out of there yet. Oh, me of little faith. Or BIG faith in the likelihood of the doctors to change something at the last minute.
Anyhoo.

My house is beautiful. You should all hire Eva's friend Bettyann to clean... she did a great job. Of course, Richy walked in and said..." Take a picture. This is how it should always look." Or something like that. I couldn't hear him over my hysterical laughter.

And then today, the Type A in mine and Leah's relationship (that is, Leah) will be throwing away all my good stuff. Otherwise known as "organizing". Is it SO bad that I still have newborn clothes in Toby's dresser? Don't answer that.

So, do you want to know??
















We're going HOME on Thursday!! WAHOOO!

I'm frustrated today. I'm tired of hospitals and medicine and alarms and wires. I'm tired of doctors and nurses (no offense to my medical pals)... I have a baby who is FINE. She is FINE and I want to bring her home.
Ugh. Near tears here. I'm just tired.

We may be getting out this week. On a monitor, of course. I just sold my soul... that is, I am allowing the staff to bottle feed her twice, overnight... it's still my milk and it's the fastest way to get her out.
They are saying that breastmilk doesn't have enough calcium and iron for preemies, so they have to add formula to my milk for those 2 bottles. I have a hard time believing that. But I will nod and smile, because once she comes home, I don't have to give her any bottles if I don't want to. And I sure as heck will not be adding formula at home. Sheesh.

Anyway. I'm mad and not very spiritual, and I probably have rebellion. But COME ON! Give me my baby already.

Disclaimer: I am so so grateful for all the medical personnel and everything they have done for Brynn. They have been a HUGE blessing. I don't mean to sound ungrateful. I'm just done, that's all.