Fortunate.

Week 40.5

Braelyn 32.5 lbs
Kohlden 18.4 lbs
Madelyn 17.5 lbs

This week's adventures began immediately after I had posted the previous entry last Thursday evening.  Apparently there was a huge storm brewing, and the cold front was making it's way across the panhandle.  You could see sporadic flashes of lightning, followed by distant rumblings.  Kinda when your stomach is trying to tell you it's hungry.  Anyway, it started to rain pretty hard by the time Tangie and I crawled into bed, around 1 AM Friday morning.  It had been a late night of work for both of us as the children were still in Avon Park with Lolo and Lala.

As we started drifting and settling into what we hoped would be a deep slumber, our room filled bright with a quick flash and almost immediately there was a crack and BOOM.  We felt the house tremor a bit and I turned over to Tangie and said "That was right here!"  I jumped out of bed and looked out to the backyard, relieved that our pergola and the play set was still intact, and thankful that the kids weren't there to be woken up.  The rain was pouring steadily, and I went back to my pillow before our alarm woke us up around 6.

As I drove out of the subdivision I saw 4 different news station vans outside, all with their antennas up and reporters outside.  It was still drizzling so they all had their rain gear and umbrellas out.  Curious as to what was going on, as knowing that news reporters aren't allowed into our subdivision for residents' privacy, I called the front gate to inquire what happened.  He informed me that a house had been struck by lightning around 1:30 in the morning.  I immediately called Tangie and she drove by the house, less than 2 blocks behind our house.  It was as if a bomb exploded.  She said there was debris all over the property and road, as the fire truck was still there and they were trying to salvage anything they could.  Although all the residents had safely evacuated, the house was a complete loss. Apparently lightning caused an electrical fire and the roof caught first, engulfing the second floor, which collapsed into the first floor.  Here is the link on the news story:  Westyn Bay House Fire.  Very sad, but the community has rallied together to support the family and neighbors are pitching together supplies and food for them.  We hope they can get back on their feet soon. It makes you stop and think what would be the one item you would grab if you had the chance.  Tangie's already started to videotape our house room by room.

Yes, it used to be a full two-story

Sabbath lunch we met the Johnsons for lunch at Kohinoors and caught up with them.  It had been several weeks since we had seen them so it was nice to chat without children distractions, although at times the conversation seemed to always veer towards that direction.  We always enjoy hanging out with them and look forward to their new adventures this year.

Zoe enjoyed being the only child for a whole week!

Sunday was the last day Tangie and I were able to work without the kids, as they were scheduled to be delivered home that evening.  It had been an entire week they were gone, and Lolo and Lala definitely enjoyed their time with them, so much so that we could tell how sad they already were when they arrived to drop them off!  The children definitely put on some weight, as they had eaten well in Avon Park with all the fresh fruits and vegetables.  Madelyn had pretty much gotten over her URI; Kohlden is still wheezing somewhat, so we'll continue his treatments.  We are grateful they were able to take care of them, along with my extended family.  We'll have to take them all out for a nice dinner!

So we're back to our regular schedules and daily routines.  The kids all got acclimated to daycare without any issues, and Tangie and I were able to continue focusing on work.  The twins are now becoming very interactive, with us, Braelyn, and each other.  Kohlden is just cooing away, and Madelyn is just leaving dust clouds behind her as she continues to crawl and explore.  She has gotten really good and pulling herself up onto things and hanging on.  Amazing, at just 9 months!  She may beat her older sister in how quickly she'll start walking!  Kohlden has her beat in tooth count: 2 to 0.

We also were able to get last minute things done at the other house in Apopka before the new tenants arrive next week.  We handed the keys and garage door clickers to the property management company today.  This will be a new experience for us not having to worry about it.  We hope the new tenants will be nice and responsible.  I'm sure I'll do a few drive-bys in the coming months.

We've had a few chilly days but it's supposed to warm up for an enjoyable weekend.  'Til next time...

Vacation....Not Really!

This will be a short blog entry, as the children have spent all week with Lolo and Lala in Avon Park whilst Tangie and I worked.  Hard.

But before they were sent off, here's a quick recap of the weekend:

I was off on Friday last week and so ran some errands in the morning.  I was planning on taking Braelyn out of school early so we could do something fun; I hadn't decided yet on whether it was putt putt golf or Monkey Joe's bounce activity center.  Sure enough, I jinxed myself, because Starchild called to let me know that Kohlden had a fever and needed to be picked up.

I was livid.  The kids were all fine in the morning when I had dropped them off.  So why then was my son having a fever all of a sudden?  Do they not sanitize the toys and play area to keep it clean from germs?  Are they letting other sick children or teachers in to contaminate the place?  Are the workers not doing their jobs?  What the (whoa there) was going on?!?!

Turns out Kohl was not cold sick, but was teething.  Yup, bottom gum, broke right through.  Poor guy, he was just gnawing on anything he could get his hands on.  Including Daddy's hands.  Ouch!

That evening Maddy decided she was done with crawling and needed a challenge, so she pulled herself up on the ottoman all by herself!  She will soon be cruising for sure!  Poor Kohl, he's so way behind!

That night we treated ourselves to some homemade strawberry slushies that Mommy made thanks to the new ice shaver we got from Nana for Christmas!



She was too excited to take a nap but finally fell asleep 20 minutes before we got to the farm!

After naps Sabbath afternoon we ventured out to the other side of the state in Kissimmee to visit Happy Meadows Petting Farm, to see and touch some farm animals.  Braelyn had a great time seeing the different species of domesticated animals and enjoyed feeding the goats!  It was very stinky (wonder why...) and of course, I wore the wrong type of shoe:  flip flops.  For some reason it didn't occur to me that the walkways were made of sand and there was animal feces.  Everywhere.  But that didn't stop me from catching a duck, milking a cow, and holding a baby chick, duckling, and rabbit so my children could see.  All for the sake of the kids.  We also enjoyed hay and pony rides!

These are times the Maya Wrap comes in handy!

Maddy was so curious she had to reach out and touch it!

Braelyn took a turn and milked the cow after Daddy did.  Nice creamy milk.  Warm and unsterilized!

On Sunday afternoon Lolo drove up from Avon Park to pick up the children.  We had packed the minivan full of all the supplies my parents would need to be successful in their endeavor.  We've called to check up on them everyday, just in case.  They seem to be doing fine, as they've recruited a long list of relatives for help.  Braelyn definately is enjoying the abundance of fruits that are always readily available from their garden, and the twins continue their albuterol treatments and on the road to recovery.  Nothing like fresh country air!

Speaking of country, I had forgotten that even though we live in Orlando and just 20 minutes from downtown, it's still pretty rural country, as evidenced by this road just up from our house.

I parked the van and went across the street to take this picture before the cows mooooved away.

So this week's unexpected big purchase came in the form of our sprinkler system at the old house in Apopka.  Tangie received good news that we have new tenants and that they will be moving in the first of February, so we wanted to make sure everything gets done before then.  We are going to have the areas where they replaced the dry wall painted to match the rest of the walls.  And the sprinkler system needed to be fixed as it wasn't working at all, even when you pressed start.

So I had a sprinkler company come this morning to inspect and replace any broken heads and rotors.  Well, the reason it wasn't working was because there was a power surge that fried the box, so that needed replacing.  Check.  Next they inspected the valves, which were all embedded into a root system from the nearby oak tree so they had to be replaced.  Check.  Then they went about fixing a broken pipe in the back that was affecting the water pressure.  Check.  Then they fixed/installed/replaced the remaining sprinkler heads.  Check.  Then they gave me the invoice.

I just about died.  2 guys, 3 hours, and $928 later, I drove back home hoping I had charged up the difibulator, just in case I needed it if I suffered another heart attack like I had when he handed me the invoice.  I guess on the bright side everything works and the grass will be watered.  Sheesh.

Tangie is a busy busy bee.  I haven't really seen her since Sunday morning, when I left for work.  Just glimpses here and there, with the occassional text message or phone call.  Last night I didn't even hear her come home and slip into bed, and just bumped into her on her way back out to work this morning.  I know she and her teams are tired, but they're almost done with this week.  Perhaps I'll take her to a nice quiet dinner this weekend.  Just the two of us.

Sunday the kids return, so we'll have more to report.  Until then, have a great weekend!

Goodbye Braelyn, Hello....Dora!

 

Week 38.5

Kohlden: less than the week prior - 17-3

Madelyn: even less than the week prior - 16-5

I said goodbye to my eldest daughter this past week.  Not that she was leaving, but instead decided to undergo a transformation.  This week Tangie and Braelyn had some hair makeovers while Nana was still in town.  Tangie went with her usual layered look.  Braelyn, however, said that she wanted to look like a very popular kid's TV character, and the results were uncanny:

While I thought about it some more, and realized how I was now Daddy to Dora, I put together a list of some characteristics of these two and came up with some striking similiarities:

• They are both active and energetic; love the outdoors
• They have twin siblings, and strangely enough, both with a brother and sister
• 
• They love to wear shorts
• They ask LOTS of questions:  "What was YOUR favorite part?"
• They like to use backpacks to carry all kinds of different/random stuff
• They have pets (although Dora's pet and best friend Boots can actually talk)
• They both love music and sing songs
• They can speak Spanish.  And now...
• They both have the same haircut!

This week was a chance to get back to normalcy, after the crazy Holiday Season, the visit from Papa and Nana, and all the sicknesses.  All 3 children were finally back in school for the entire week, while Tangie and I continued to dive into our busy schedules at work.  As my fiscal year comes to a close and business starts to slow down slightly if at all, Tangie is just starting her busy season .  Funny how it ended up that way, but in retrospect we needed each other's support with the kids during our individual busy seasons, so it all works out.

On Friday Papa Dave flew back to Denver so he could get back to work.  He had missed almost an entire week just trying to recoup from his ear infections while he was down here in Florida.  Well, his ears were still bothering him during the flight and weekend so another visit to the doctor revealed that his eardrums were on the verge of bursting.  Another round of antibiotics.  Hopefully he's on the mend.

That left Nana with us for the next 4 days.  She was feeling much better after her bout with the cold and took advantage of the nice weather we were having so she did some weeding/gardening outside and planted some new flowers in our pots.  Thanks Nana!  On Sunday she cut the girls' hair and on Monday treated Braelyn to get their nails and toes done.  Very cute and lots of fun.

Saturday evening I had a date with Braelyn and we went to see the movie Yogi Bear.  She enjoyed seeing the crazy antics and problematic situations only Yogi could get himself into, as she is still unable to understand plots.  It was a lot of fun and she ate all the popcorn and Daddy's Sprite.  And did you know that the voice of Boo Boo is actually Justin Timberlake?  Is there anything that man can't do?

The twins are much better now with just a few coughs here and there.  We've had a few throw up episodes after feeding but that's how they get out the gunk, at least.  Maddy is always on the prowl now, so it's all about picking things up and out of the way, as well as making sure she doesn't pull anything down on top of her.  We've had to make sure the gate of the crib is latched up at night as she can now pull herself up on things.

Kohl on the other hand is just the opposite.  He is still immobile with the occassional turnovers, twists, and belly swimming.  I know that boys develop motor skills slower than girls do but c'mon Buddy!  Your sister is leaving you in her wake!  He actually is going through a clingy phase and wants to be held all the time.  Definately a Mama's Boy.  I'm sure Tangie enjoys it though.

We had a cold front that came and left us with some numbingly cold nights, the coldest so far this season.  Luckily it took all the snow and brought it back up north and dumped it on New York and Boston.  My younger brother Mike and his wife were in Chattanooga, TN for the funeral of Gen's grandfather and they were snowed in, their flight back to LA canceled in Atlanta due to the weather and powder.  Here in the South we see white stuff falling from the sky and everyone freaks out, everything shuts down, and everyone wears their fancy brand name leather boots.  Funny.

The problem with the cold weather is the design of our house.  Our second floor temperature control pad is in the hallway that opens up to the house below.  That means warm air from the downstairs goes up and keeps that sensor from turning on.  Which means the bedrooms upstairs stay cold.  So unfortunately we have to halfway open the doors to the rooms to get warm air circulated around.  So as I opened the door to Braelyn's room one night, this is what I found, and so had to take a couple of pictures.  Amazing what dreams can make you do!



We had the other house repiped for water this week.  $3K.  Down the drain.  Literally.  Ouch.  I took some pictures of the holes they made in the drywall with my phone, but couldn't download them for some reason.  Hopefully I'll get them up and in the blog next week.

Speaking of next week, the children are going on vacation to Avon Park to spend a week with Lolo and Lala!  This is Tangie's busiest week and so needed the time to work without having to drop everything and pick up the kids when I work the evenings.  So they are going to their grandparents.  We did the same thing with just Braelyn last year.  This will be a new adventure for my parents as now their workload just tripled.  I hope they have as much fun as we do, every single day!

Have a great weekend!



Sharing is [NOT] Caring!

Week 37.5

Kohlden  18.1
Madelyn 17.0

In this case, sharing is not caring.  I'm talking about colds and sickness here. The Isidro household has not had all members 100% well since before November, and I wonder when it will ever end.  I also feel like we're living in an infirmary.  Constantly hearing sniffles and coughing, you would think that you were in one.  And with all the doctor visits and prescriptions, you'd also think we were a pharmacy.  I think I might be working in the wrong industry!  Here's the play by play:

Just before busy season started for me at work the whole family received flu shots.  This was my first flu shot in a couple of years; I normally have a good immune system, but I wasn't going to take any chances this year.  Go figure.  The week before Christmas I was hit by a bug.  I blame it on my staff and the thousands of people that came in to shop.  It wasn't so bad as I immediately took Zycam to lessen the symptoms and duration of the cold, but it still set me back a bit, including canceling a round of golf with Adam who had come down for a long weekend and had planned on playing.  After a few days of still not feeling better a visit to Solantic urgent care confirmed upper respiratory infection and was prescribed antibiotic Ciprofloaxin.  5 days & 10 pills later, and still no improvement, a second visit to Solantic gave me a different antibiotic Z-pak along with Nasonex for sinus inflammation and another prescription for cough.  I prefer going to Solantic (my apologies to friends who work for AHS and Fl Hospital here) because they never have a wait, and can get me the prescriptions filled right there and they check up on you a couple days later just to follow up and see how you're doing.  I really like that!  Anyway, Z-pak did it's thing but still not 100% because...

Christmas Eve brought us to Avon Park, and before we even left the house Braelyn started to feel a little warm.  It also didn't help that she didn't go down for a nap that day, but I had the sneaking suspicion that eventually the children would get what I had due to the fact that it's hard not to be in contact with them since they are in the needful state:  food, changing diapers, baths, putting them down for bed ~ there's always close contact.  Just can't get away from it. 
 In any case, Braelyn did have a fever that evening and Christmas, but luckily was distracted by all the activities going on around the house for the weekend festivities.  And of course Braelyn, runny nose and all, loves to give her brother and sister lot of hugs and kisses so....

Both Madelyn and Kohlden seemed fussy the Sunday after Christmas.  Both seemed a little warm too.  We wondered if it could be teething, hoping and praying they wouldn't get sick...yeah right.  On Tuesday Papa and Nana arrived from Denver to celebrate the holidays and New Year's with us.  Papa was just getting over his cold, so he still sounded stopped up and coughing.  He was on the Z-pak as well, and we thought he would be fine.  After all, there were 2 rounds of golf to be played that week!  Wednesday came and the twins continued to be fussy and warm, so Tangie took them to the doctor on Thursday, who prescribed them Albuterol though a nebulizer to clear the mucous and gunk in their lungs.  Kohlden had a little eye infection so he was given an antibiotic for that as well  (Maddy had the same thing a couple weeks ago).  But they still continued being fussy and warm...

Saturday morning Nana announced she had a sore throat and wasn't feeling well either.  Great.  They're dropping like flies!  We did manage to go to church and then came back to host lunch with the Z's, Johnsons, and Fuentes families.  It was nice to catch up and celebrate the new year with them (we missed the Grodacks but they too were having their own battles with sickness) and it was such a beautiful day the kids had a great time running and playing in the backyard.  Saturday night the grandparents opted to stay in and offered to watch the children if we wanted to go out.  So I went to Blockbuster and got us a couple of movies to watch ~ at home!

Sunday Papa and I played a round of golf with some friends.  It was a nice overcast day and we both played decent, however he kept complaining of pain in his ears and a constant ringing.  He looked tired and worn out.  After dinner at Kobe's which we all just went through the motions, Papa and Nana went to Health Central Hospital in Ocoee around midnight to figure out what was going on.  I guess they were really busy because they didn't get back home until 6:30 AM Monday morning!  Turned out he had 2 full blown ear infections.  The doctor gave him more antibiotics and told him he could not fly out back to Denver because the pressure could damage his hearing, so we had to change his flight to this Friday.  To date he is still recovering but not 100% with still muffled hearing.  Poor guy.  So much for his vacation to Florida...

Tangie took Madelyn to the doctor Tuesday morning because she had hit a temp of 103.6 the night before.  She was warm all day Tuesday-Thurs so she stayed home with Mommy while Brae and Kohl went to school.  Turned out she has a little fluid in her right lung and the start of an ear infection.  SERIOUSLY?!?!  So she's on antibiotics for that and nebulizing treatments every 4 hours to clear her lungs.  The twins keep throwing up their food after the treatments as it's their bodies' way of getting rid of the mucous.  Oh, and the reason Kohl was warm?  His first tooth broke out!  Bottom gum, so he's a little uncomfortable at the moment...

Ahh, the joys of parenthood!  But wait, it gets better!

Remember that leak at the other house?  Yeah, we have to end up getting the entire house re-piped.  So much for the holiday bonus....we're getting quotes from different plumbing companies to get the best deal and quality job.  So that will begin next week or so.  Oh, and Tangie's Infiniti had a pair of busted tubes with an oil and radiator fluid leak that had to be fixed.  Amazing how quickly $600 can disappear!

So, this is how we are starting the new year.  Very tiring and a little more dramatic than usual, but nonetheless just happy to have the love and support of family and friends to help us power through!  Thanks to Papa and Nana, even though sick, who are able to help us with the children and laundry while we continue to work.  Let's hope things settle down next week.  But then again, it wouldn't make for great story telling in this blog!

 

 

 

Have a great weekend!