sick kids

we remember the boys being babies and not being able to communicate their symptoms when they were sick. as parents we would have to know how are babies behaved well in order to identify a change in behavior that would denote an illness. yep…we had to be mind readers!!!

now that the boys communicate a lot better they are able to tell us what is bothering them. for instance…we now know that when one of them says "mama, my tummy hurts." we have about 20 seconds to get a bowl to their face or them to a toilet. believe me when i say it didn't take us long to figure that out. we also know that when they complain about their "neck" hurting they mean they have a sore throat. when they say their spit hurts their ears that means it hurts when they swallow and they possibly have an ear infection.

my husband says that i amaze him in how i take care of our boys. but to me it's like common sense. here's what i do and then you can tell me what you think.

Common Cold:

-cool mist humidifier

-baby vicks on chest and feet (not infants)

-very warm chicken soup eaten through a big straw

-gatorade or water (keep handy to keep hydrated)

-plenty of rest or quiet activities (coloring/puzzles/cards/disney movies)

-warm bath with vapor baby wash

Tummy Problems (Vomiting)

-keeping them on a covered surface

-keeping a bowl handy

-drinking small amounts of water or gatorade until they keep something down

-sugar-free popsicles

-sugar-free jello (no fruit)

-plenty of rest (disney movies)

-once vomiting stops, start with small light snacks (goldfish/crackers/soup)

-we've noticed the less mobile they are the better.

Tummy Problems (Diarrhea)

-check diaper every 15 minutes or have frequent restroom breaks

-drink plenty of liquids (water/gatorade/sugar-free popsicles/jello)

-use the B.R.A.T. diet

Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast

-the constant wiping from cleaning can lead to very bad diaper rash

-when possible don't wipe rise with soap and water in sink

trust me this is difficult to do with twins but the rash they can get from this is horrible and well worth the trouble.

-diaper rash ointments we recommend…

Aquaphor and Butt Paste

Either way just sharing some stuff that we have learned along the way.

Share your knowledge…

sneaky sleepers…

the boys just turned 3 in February and they have a new trend. usually about 2 am they come in our room quietly and camp out between us. don't get me wrong they go back to sleep, it's what happens once they are asleep that is bothering us. for whatever reason they like to snuggle…one with me and the other with my husband. problem???? they generate so much body heat it's crazy!!

like seriously i wake and my side is all sweaty, i look at him and nothing. cool as a cucumber.

i can't explain it, it's so weird. they have never slept in our bed before, even as infants they were great about sleeping in their cribs and now their toddler beds. my husband and i have talked about it and we don't mind it. everyone says, "nip it in the bud before it gets worse." but we think it's cool.

a couple of weeks ago, my husband was not feeling well (cold) and we didn't want them to be in there and we thought it was going to be a problem for them to go back to their beds but it wasn't. they were like "oh, dada is sick? poor dada!" and they went back to bed. so it's all good.

Time…

my husband and i often think about what we did with our time before we had our boys. we know that we did something we just can't think of what it was. funny huh?

well now our days our filled with snacks, educational programming and playing with every toy at once. we answer endless questions about why mommy can't pee standing up and why we can't color on the walls and furniture and why we can't just eat cookies and goldfish all day.

the crazy thing is, at the end of the day when they are both asleep and the house is quiet…we miss them. we sit and talk about all the silly things each of them did and crack up about how the other reacted to it.

one thing i hope i used to do is sleep!!