Feeling Isolated and all alone.

I've not made any effort to to hide how hard life can get here at times, usually during the all too common surgeries or when the cold or flue runs through the house a few times before it leaves. This is one of those times.

Each of the kids, as well as Meva and I have all had head and chest colds a few times recently, and poor Ryan is fighting constipation. When they're feeling better we try and get them out, like we did with the leaf photos, but those times are few and far between now that the weather is getting more of a bite. Usually we result to indoor adventures, like Triplets in Diapers riding a magic bear to Christmas!! I don't care who else it sound lame to, my kids think it is awesome, which instantly means that 's true and everyone needs to adjust their tastes!!


It only takes a few days of playing this way and then the old familiar gang of hoodlums start showing up again--Little Frankie Fever, Mikey Mucos, Hairy Headache, Cathy Cough, Tonya Tired, and Connie Cranky. They've all come to visit at the house today and Ryan got a special visit from Bobby BM and Paulie the Plug to discuss a work stoppage. As is usually the case, we called security after them; she can be very tough and extremely brutal in the way she dispenses health care.



It didn't take her long to clean house and send those little snots packing (No pun intenderd.........ok, maybe just a little but) She then ordered everyone, herself included, to start taking their meds again and to get some rest. That's always easier said than don, at least the resting part. Our kids are great medicine takers (at least for us), Getting them, especially the boys, to rest is the biggest challenge. I don't think Fudd ever wants to sleep. So here I am at 3am attending to both boys who are wide awake and screaming.

It took me the better part of almost three hours to get them calmed down with the help of their own little blankets and pillows, but after Perrin talked Ryan in to sharing a spot with the Fudd, things got better. Ryan was out first, but poor little Perrin held out indefinitely, complaining about how he hurts and can't sleep.

All this means that I may very well die tomorrow. It really sucks for us that the both of our families are out of state and unable to help out, and these are the types of impositions you only ask family. So, tomorrow I ma just die as I am already shakey and throwing up and I can feel my migraines already starting,

Double click anything you want to see bigger versions. Otherwise wish me luck getting Ryan in his bed still sleep so I can take Perrin in with me, which will be a challenge for sure..

And for give any errors or typos as I was under pain medicine and some anti-anxiety to help me sleep.

By everyone and goodnight.morning.

Hydrocephalus Walk

I guess we've had an incredibly busy few months, being that we are still posting pictures from mid September. In any case, we wanted to thank those of you who supported us in our hydrocephalus walk this year. It was a record breaking year in terms of the amount of rain we got. It was kind of ironic that the walk for the people with "water on the brain" was soaking us all with water. We laughed at the sopping wet signs we posted advertising free (bottled) water for the walkers. The few days prior to the walk the weather had been forecasting for downpours. We had no rain slickers for the kids, as we figured, if it was raining, we wouldn't be out in it with the kids at their age. So, the hunt for the raincoats in itself was something. FYI no one sells raincoats for two year olds in September. I had taken Sarah coat shopping with me in an effort to get her out of the house some. 7 stores and many a cookie bribes later, I stumbled across the pool clearance section at walmart and found buried in it 3 bug like rain coats for 5 year olds+. Bought 'em and rolled up their sleeves and it worked like a charm.

We got to the walk very early to help with the set up, and since it was a downpour we canceled almost all the activities and there was nothing to do but dance on the back deck. At first Ryan was scared by the rain, but after a few songs with mommy and some time with his daddy, he learned to love it.

The walk was held at Lake Arlington in Arlington Heights, which is about an hour North of us. The rain set a weather record that day as a full ten inches fell, not to mention the 4 inches from the previous day. In addition to making traffic a real bear and flooding many people's homes, the rain also took it's toll on Lake Arlington itself. Many of the docks and piers were washed out and flooded over and there were even parts of our trail that were completely underwater, so much that at one point we had an Otter swimming and playing alongside of us. Most of the photos we took just failed to capture the splendor if the moment. We did get one though. It's a playground that is normally about 20 feet from the water. As you can see, things were a bit different that day, remember to double click it to get its full majesty.

So we walked around the lake for our hydro walk with an impressive amount of dedicated walkers, and we remembered what it was like to be a kid playing in the rain. We had been kind of dreading the walk with the weather like it was, but it was actually a blast.

After our walk we found a big puddle away from the traffic, and we all played in it. Sarah would repeatedly bend over and dunk her head in the water and stand back up like she was in Flashdance, but because it was a mud puddle, she had mud water all over her face and it gave her a little Charlie Chaplin mustache. Unfortunately, at this point our camera gave up the good fight and we didn't get a picture of it... but we do have this for your viewing pleasure.



So, we as a family had a blast, as did most of the people braving the weather that day. As a group we raised nearly 30,000 dollars toward hydrocephalus research. Money that is very much needed. I hate to say it, but one of the families pictured in the group picture above lost their child to hydrocephalus about two weeks ago. I cannot really wrap my head around that idea, it is so heartbreaking. Hydrocephalus has a fatality rate of 10%. I like to think of that more in terms of there is a 90% chance that Perrin will be okay, and that the more verbal he becomes and can communicate how he feels, the less likely it will be an issue for him. That being said, it is a concern, and it remains a concern for the greater hydro community, not to mention those who aren't so lucky to have access to health care. Our Chicago Hydrocephalus Group is hoping to start making a difference in the lives of these kids, and our support to places such as the Holy Angels Hospice and Orphanage is just one example.

If there is anyone out there still interested in contributing, you can click on the link at the top left side of the blog under Team Fudd Fundraising. So, thank you to all of you who helped get us one step closer to a cure. I can't tell you how much it means to us.

Leaf Me Alone, I'm Playing!!

Halloween has come and gone and all that's left over are spoiled kids that are getting more candy and cookies than they ever have before. They've also now become a tad bit.....indignant at times, especially when it comes to cookies! Sarah is the worst of the three and she gets very mad when I tell her she can't have any more. I thought I could easily hold them down to 1 or 2 cookies a day, but their incessant demands got the best of me.

I didn't give in though, I just ate them myself!! Ha! ha! Triplets!! No more cookies. I just hope I don't have to eat all that Halloween candy next.

Ryan sure does love his chocolate.

We're very lucky in that the kids often sleep until 9:30-10am each morning, with the occasional 11am or 8:30 am thrown in now and again. What this does is causes them to take their naps a bit later in the day. When most kids are getting up from their naps at around 2 pm or 3 pm, our kids are going down for theirs. We've had some incredibly beautiful weather lately and unfortunately the kids have had some head & chest colds that have kept them inside.

With the temperature hovering nicely above 70 degrees today, I wanted to get them out at least once before the weather turns back to normal. So today when they got up from their nap, I immediately marched them outside to the front lawn, each with a ball, for some autumn fun. Despite what the pictures may show, these weren't taken at night, but between 4 pm and 4:45 pm today. It was definitely dusky towards the end, but our camera isn't the best at low lights, so any photos that look odd or dark have been doctored by me just a bit to tell there story today.

The kids brought their balls out to kick, but were more interested in daddy and what he was raking. Normally I use the leaf blower, but they don't like it and I wanted them to play in the leaves anyways.

As you can see, it was a big hit, especially after I made them a big pile. What would you do?

If you're Sarah, you run and jump into the pile! Perrin and her were so happy and giggling while they jumped and sat in the leaves. They especially liked it when I used the rake to cover them up with the leaves.

It was so much fun that even though they just woke up, they had to pretend to go to sleep in their new "leaf bed"

Sarah and Perrin liked it much more and tried to make "leaf angels," but I think their horns and tails got in the way.

In the end they decided it was just fun to sit in the pile buried to their chin and throw the leaves at each other.

The smiles may be a little "cheesy" but the fun is 100% genuine!

It took some time, but I even got Ryan in on the act. This is no simple feat since the kid absolutely HATES it when anything gets on him or his hand. He had a great time too.

Sarah and Perrin welcomed him with a 21 leaf salute. He even laughed at this and threw some back.

All Hail the Queen and her Crown of Leaves!!!

It started to get dark and we had to clean up our pile after it spread out. They all wanted to be like daddy and try out raking for themselves. Perrin surprisingly had the best form.

It took him awhile, but Ryan eventually got the hang of it. Too bad he wanted to rake them in the wrong direction!!

Sarah just wanted to walk around with the rake and hit the balls. I think she has a future in Lacross.

Once we had the leaves in a manageable pile, it was time to say goodbye and get back in the house to have our 2 cookie limit. I had to eat 6 of them to make them go away and have the madness stop!!

I have a couple of video clips I want to post here in the next few days, but I need to clean them up a bit. As soon as I get them finished, I'll put them up. Remeber to click on a picture if you want to see a bigger version.

Grandma & The Zoo

In the middle of October, just before the kids got head colds (which means Meva and I now have them) the week before Halloween. Since I don't feel very good right now, I'm just going to put out some pictures:


Grandma came all by herself to visit, which worried Ryan who always asks "Papa, Are you?" A lot of the time Papa means both Grandma and Grandpa, but we're trying to work in the term Nana for Grandma, But either way, Grandpa Fred was sorely missed.

Meva and Grandma took the kids to a nearby pumpkin farm for some fun autumn adventures. Apparently they all took a tiny school bus to get there.

Although there were some farm animals to see, it wasn't as exciting as playing in the pumpkins. The triplets are really into pumpkins this year, so much so that this was the only photo of Sarah we could get here with her facing the camera.

Ryan had no problem stopping and saying "Cheese" for his photo

Perrin felt the same way and gave a nice big "Cheese"

It was getting late and you can see that Perrin was ready for a nap, but Sarah and Ryan caught their second wind.

The following Tuesday Meva took a day off and we went to the zoo with the kids. It was very exciting to see the Elephants, which is one of their favorite animals. The Elephant didn't want to come close, so Daddy did his scary elephant call and got one to come as close as it was possible. There were three very excited triplets after that.

Ryan was almost as excited as Sarah was.

While Perrin liked the elephant, he was more concerned with Daddy's scary elephant call. It often makes him cry, but today he was brave and focused on the elephants.

In the childrens petting zoo Sarah loved to feed the goats leaves. She thinks leaves are soo cool. The kids were much more interested this year, but when we came it was after feeding time and all the food they eat was put away. Sarah really wasn't supposed to give them leaves.

Then they went inside and pretended to be little monkeys, fresh with tails and a tree to climb.

As with most monkey's, there was a mess that needed cleaning. Our monkeys are very well begaved and clean up after themselves...........except when they're at home of course.

The kids were tired so we headed to the van to head home. On the way we stopped and painted their faces. Sarah is showing off her inner clown.

Ryan liked his clown face since I told him he looked like a lion. He kept saying "Raaaaah"

Poor little Fudd was too tired and fell right asleep with his baby. We got snores instead of smiles.

Of course it was only a matter of minutes before Sarah joined him.

Ryan and his duck held out last and made it out of the parking lot awake,

We've come a long way in catching up here in just a few days. Of course the next two months will be insanely busy with the holiday season upon us and I am sure the kids will get sick again. Hopefully things are winding down around here and we'll all be able to return to normal---well, normal for us at least.

Remember, if you want to see a picture larger, just double click on it!!

Halloween 2008

We're finally back from a very successful candy haul. We really did not go to many houses, maybe 15 total, but the kids got more candy tonight than Meva and I have ever gotten for them before. If only the economy was doing as well as my kid's candy sugar fortunes!

The kids were very excited about getting their costumes on. They'd all worn them at least once before and tried them on in addition to that, so they were very familiar with what they were. The boys were especially excited to get dressed up and if it weren't for the promise of candy afterwards, they would have thrown a bit of a fit I'm sure.

The warmer than usual weather was nice, especially with the kids all having head colds. We once again received more looks and comments about the train than anything else. I guess I'm going to have to get used to that, I just never thought it was that uncommon.

The kids enjoyed getting in their train and being pulled to each house so that they could get out and walk to the door. I'm very proud of them for saying "Thank You" as much as they did, many times without prompting. Overall though, they were very confused about the whole "Trick or Treat" process. Ryan wouldn't open his bag for anyone unless I held both of his hands, instead he just took the candy from their hands directly and either said Thank You or just Goodbye! Sarah and Perrin just didn't seem to understand what was going on, but they knew they were getting good things to eat. Ryan kept saying "Papa," thinking he was going to see his grandpa everywhere.

Well that's enough of my yammering, here are the pics! Remember to double click on them to see a larger version with more detail.

Look in the back of the train, it's Bat Ryan! He was usually first to the door and would yell "Open" much of the time before the door was answered.

Next as our Supergirl Sarah. She's too young for a Wonder Woman Bustier, so she went with this super alternative. Along the way she tripped on some Kryptonite and cried for a bit, but otherwise she was a trooper.

Perrin was the worlds happiest superhero dressed up as the Flash. He absolutely loves this costume. I really thought he'd have a problem wearing the mask, but he loves it!

I dubbed the train The Justice League Express during our Halloween trick-or-treating. This was one of our first stops.

I would supply the muscle and pull the train while Mommie often took the kids to the door for their treats. They especially liked the fact that their bags had pumpkins on them (They can't easily say Jack-O-Lantern yet, so every gourd is a pumpkin)

Here the kids are holding up their favorite treats from the night. Ryan has a sucker, Perrin has a candybar, and Sarah has a stick and a leaf. Yeah, that's ones trouble for sure!

Here is most of their haul from Trick-Or-Treating. By the last houses they were having trouble holding their bags due to the weight of what was inside. This should hopefully last until the New Year. Too bad it's not accpetable to give out fruit any more.

One of the houses in our subdivision goes all out every year with their Halloween decorations. There is no way to possibly get everything into one picture, but the kids were excited to see all the pumpkins lit up and hanging from trees and all over the lawn. Meva and I think this will be the last year they won't be scared of the display. Next year should be pretty interesting.

Here's the middle of his front yard. If you click the photo to enlarge it, you'll see he has almost 20 small kid figures who have jack-o-lanterns for heads standing in some kind of witching circle. Behind them is a cauldren with a fog machine in it to add to the mood.

This is a shot from the house's driveway. I think you can see the cauldren here. This house has so much all over the roof, trees, and side. He even has a small museum like room in front of the house that you can look at from the inside.

One of first things they got to eat were M & M's. They kept expecting to find a different letter on the candy and they called out the color of each piece before they put it in their mouth. Meva was in charge of feeding them this while I made dinner. She said they ate about 5 little bags of them together in addition to 4 or 5 candy bars each and some other assorted stuff. They may never sleep again.

Bat Ryan enjoys his chocolate, even while hiding in the shadows.

All the kids wore a onsie under their costume even though it was warm. When we took Sarah's off, she looked like a Mexican Le Libre wrestler in her red onsie and Supergirl boots!

If Halloween is any indication of how they are so much older and aware of things, Christmas is going to be a month of fun.............and stress!!