Separately, I have sweet boys that play so nice! Trevor was up early today (6am!) and spent a good amount of time on his long time favorite take-apart cars.

He built Lego cars too

I had a meeting this morning with the local school district about Brendan’s preschool options. We have scheduled two evaluations, one for hearing and vision, and the other for PT/OT needs, and I had to fill out a ton of forms that allows the doctors to work with the schools to determine what course of action would be safe for Brendan. It may mean an at-home program for a while, or he might have a classroom to go to. He will be able to start as early as on his third birthday, or the first school day after. I can’t believe I was talking about school!!!

Brendan had a good day with his nurse. They went for a walk outside before it got insanely hot. They built a big geotrax layout and watched Frozen and Tangled. Trevor took a really long nap!!! I guess getting up early is the secret. I am not sure which I prefer. I think the early with the nap is my choice!

This evening we did some power cleaning.

The super crew

This is my first attempt at “Brendan Biscuits.” 😀 I brushed them with an egg wash and sprinkled coarse salt so that they would be a bit like his pretzels. These were made with beef broth and chicken bouillon granules. We will experiment with other flavors!

He loved them!! He even got mad when I threw a semi-burned one in the garbage and he got it back out.

This is what happens when both boys want to drive

Finally!! The new button arrived. Here is the new button on the left and the old button on the right. (Not really a fair size comparison because the new one is open and the old one is closed, but the new one is definitely more low profile on the outside. AND it glows in the dark!!)

These balloons are both filled with 6cc of water. You can see why the new one (left) will be more comfortable in his stomach.

Just another angle, new button on right.

The change-out went very smoothly although Brendan sure had plenty of crying to do. I was nervous!

There is a new batch of baby ducks on our bike path. They sure are bold and will come running right up to the bike tires. Of course, they quack for cheerios.

Brendan’s nurse took him on a bike ride too, but he doesn’t like the ducks. He just wants to go fast.

It was a slightly better day today. We tried to keep the fun and activity going.

Trevor continued his no-nap streak today. I hate to think he is going to give them up already. He really needs it!

These are the robots that made Brendan so excited, and why Brendan had to get a set too

And then there is the fighting…

Brendan’s attitude is getting more fierce by the hour. Today, besides pitching toys and bonking his head on the floor, he decided to pull out his trach. He has been pulling at it a lot lately, but this time he managed to pull it out. It is common for trached kids to use this as a means of trying to get their way or be in control because you have to drop everything and put it back in.

Tonight while I was recapping the day with Trevor at bedtime, he told me several times that “Brendan’s trach fell off!” It really threw him off, he wasn’t sure what to make of it!

One day at a time…

I need to start loving days like today. It was frantic, I tried not to yell all the time but was tempted. The rivalry/jealousy/fighting craziness is at an all time high. Brendan had to take a timeout in his bed today and was very mad about it. He tries to pull his trach out in order to teach us a lesson. The tantrums are getting extreme and they are not even three yet!!
Individually, the boys are so sweet and smart. Put them together alone with one Mommy to share and they are ready for battle! I just have to remember that this is normal twin stuff and I should be grateful for our health and progress.

We tried to build blocks all together, but Brendan had to be removed. Trevor made some fancy houses for his animals (with some help!)

Brendan had to have tech time while he was on his pump.

Booooring

Smashing apart houses is exhausting

We built this high rise condo for his animals

That got smashed too

Brendan enjoyed some rides in the animal bucket

Then he realized the stuffed animals were touching him

The boys wanted the tent, so we went all out with a couch fort. It, of course, turned to chaos and yelling eventually but it was worth a few moments of entertainment!

All that, and it wasn’t even 10:30am yet!! AAAARGH!

Lunch time, new apple holding trick

Brendan has this new obsession with Milkbones. Yes, the dog treat. He wants to lick one and runs to the dog cabinet to beg for them. YUCK!! We got him his pretzel rods instead, but he will drop that in a heartbeat for a dog bone.

So, Trevor and I ran to the store to pick up the few things we needed to make some homemade biscuits for Brendan. I even bought a dog bone cookie cutter. I am all about Brendan trying things, and if he likes my homemade Milkbones, we can start experimenting with baking them in different flavors. They are also good for dipping.

Trevor skipped his nap again today. It was a record high temp of 110 here today with heat advisories taking effect as early as 10am. We just didn’t get outside and even with the fort shenanigans, it wasn’t enough to make him tired. It is going to be a tough summer!