Month: April 2012

Let’s Runabout!

Amber 13 Comments

Some of the best advice I have gotten from Dr. Tabor was to check out the blog of a former patient of his who delivered quads, Suz Steece.  Reading her blog helped me in so many ways, especially by proving to me that this CAN be done, and also a little bit about what to expect.  I mean, there is no “What to Expect When You’re Expecting Quads” book.   After reading Suz’s blog for a while, I figured out how to connect with her and a few other local quad moms via blogs, email, and even Facebook.  They have been AMAZING with advice and support.

One huge question we had for the quad moms was what type of car seats and strollers to get.  I mean is it best to use convertible car seats so they last longer?  Do you need carriers?  Should we get twin strollers? Invest in a quad stroller?  No one else knew what to tell us, but the quad moms did. Based on all the sage advice, we decided we needed Graco Snugride car seats that would accommodate preemies (the NICU nurse also told us that).  To go with the car seats, we need two twin Snap and Go strollers, which are basically frames that you snap the car seat carrier onto.  But, since I like freedom, we would need a quad stroller.  Quad strollers are a bit tricky and ultimately the moms mostly preferred a Runabout stroller because it is lightweight, easy to steer, and fits through doorways.  It is actually the same model the Gosselin’s had for their sextuplets.  Without a stroller like that we’d be confined to our house unless there was more than one adult around.  Believe it or not, the quad moms said ‘”may think you’re not brave enough to go out alone, but you will want out, and you will need a quad stroller to do it”.  This is totally true too, because I know I’d get cabin fever.  When we had a snow storm last year, I went stir crazy after about 2 days!  The problem with this particular quad stroller is that it is quite expensive.  I don’t think there’s a huge market for them so I’m sure it’s a supply and demand thing.

So, here’s the cool thing about my online connections.  Casey Gerwer, a local quad mom, sent me a message asking if we’d like to buy their Runabout for a fraction of the original price (her quads are now four and just outgrew it).  YES!!!!  Of course we wanted it!  The day after I got Casey’s message, Suz sent me a similar one since her quads are also four, but Casey beat her to the punch.  So tonight, we headed to the Gerwer’s house to pick up the Runabout and meet everyone.  Finally meeting Casey in person was fantastic!  She is so sweet and welcoming.  She shared some of her experiences and answered our questions.  Her husband had some great advice for George too, “get an egg crate mattress pad for when you crash at the hospital because the beds are awful”.  It was also nice to meet the quads.  I mean, we’ve never actually seen any before.  They were all very well behaved as they finished eating their dinner.  There was lots of chatter of course, but everyone stayed at the table and obeyed their parents.  Not to mention..they are adorable!!!!

Here is George with the Runabout.  It is a pretty cool contraption actually.  It has a cool hitch for the back of the van so it’s easy to take traveling, the seats tilt for comfort, there is a handy little sun shade, and basket for storage.  If we decide to become serious runners, we can also go up to 10 mph with it (can you imagine that???)

The quad moms warned that while this is the best stroller for quads, it will attract attention. I figure, we will attract a lot of attention anyways! We might as well be practical about it.

In addition to raising four year old quadruplets, Casey has a web-based business called Designed for Babies that makes t-shirts and other stuff for families with multiples.  They say cute things like “Be nice, I’m expecting quads” (too bad I didn’t have that one today when I was shopping in a motorized cart), “Quadruplets zone defense”, and “Got Quads?”  She was sweet and hooked us up with some of her favorite designs, including onsies for the babies.  Her line is sold at http://designedforbabies.com/home.htm

She is one amazing quad mama!

Here are the onsies from Casey for the quads. So cute!!!!

Hugs!

Amber

It’s Infertility Awareness Week (4/22-4/28)

Amber 3 Comments

This week is an important one for George and me as it is Infertility Awareness Week.  While are are currently expecting quads, we will never forget the years of pain and struggle we went through to get here.  Not to mention the fact that infertility and loss robbed us of naivety to fully enjoy the pregnancy as we still have little fears that creep upon us.  Yes, the wounds from infertility heal in time, but it is something that forever leaves small scars on those affected.  Because infertility has forced us to grow and learn about ourselves as well as strengthen our faith and I would not change our experiences.  At the same time, I would not wish them upon an enemy.    We have many friends we’ve bonded with via the ALI (Adoption/ Loss/ Infertility) community who are continuing to struggle and we owe them our continued prayer and support.

Infertility affects 1 in 8 couples, however, most people are very private about it, and sometimes even feel ashamed so you would not know they are struggling.  Please take the time to read the link below regarding infertility etiquette because chances are you know someone who is struggling and may unintentionally be causing them pain.  I can personally say that one of the most painful questions that I was asked at least once a week was, “When are you having kids?”  Yes, this is a perfectly normal question to ask, but to someone dealing with infertility it is like pouring a container of Morton’s salt into a gashing wound.  So, please o take time to think about this.

Infertility Etiquette:

http://www.resolve.org/support-and-services/for-family–friends/infertility-etiquette.html

About Infertility Awareness Week:

http://www.resolve.org/national-infertility-awareness-week/home-page.html

Also consider checking out some of the ALI blogs I follow.  The wonderful people there deserve some support!

Amber

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I never thought I would say this…

Amber 13 Comments

But, we bought a van today!  George had a 2004 Jeep Liberty and we’ve loved that thing.  It is an amazing little SUV.  We have hauled more stuff in that Jeep than anyone could imagine.  Numerous times we have made large purchases (e.g. desk, chaise lounge, antique Hunt cabinet, 15 bags of concrete, ect).  Every time we’d pull up in the Jeep who ever was loading our purchase would shake their head and say, “It won’t fit.”  We would always insist that said large item would fit, and it always did.  Just last weekend, we picked up the girls’ cribs and once again the person loading them said, “Oh these won’t fit”.  It was a tight fit, but guess what, both cribs fit!  Here’s how George looked crammed into the Jeep with two cribs in the back.

But, today we had to let go of the good ‘ole Jeep Liberty.  I always said I would never drive a van, but honestly it’s the best thing you can have for quad babies.  We bought a Volkswagon Routan and despite it being a van “mom mobile”, it is pretty cool.  It has all sorts of features I never knew existed and they are going to be great for the babies!  The doors have automatic slide, the seats heat (awesome for my achy back), there are these cool little sun shades on the passenger windows for the babies, and the seats stow and go so we can haul stuff (probably not like the Jeep, but a close second).  I think we are going to really like this van!  So who gets to drive it now???

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hugs!

Amber

Learning What Lies Ahead

Amber 8 Comments

One of the risky things about quads is that they always deliver prematurely, somewhere around 30 weeks plus or minus a few.  That means a NICU stay is inevitable.  Of course the NICU can be a scary place.  The positive side of having quads that will go to the NICU is knowing they will go there.  Many parents whose babies are in the NICU did not expect it, but we have some time to prepare for what lies ahead.  We have also learned that parents can choose what NICU their babies are admitted to.  We are fortunate that Cook Children’s Hospital is nearby and just opened a new level III NICU wing this past September.  We toured it this Saturday to learn more about it.  The NICU nurse warned us that we would have to act like “pit bulls” to insist that they go to Cook Children’s rather than our delivery hospital (as they have their own NICU), but we will do what we need to do to make that happen.  George was blunt about it and basically got the nurse to tell us it was about hospital revenue.  I don’t care about the hospital’s bottom line, this is our babies!

Cook Children’s is unique in their approach, which I appreciate.  They highly regard parent involvement and want us to be there providing care to the babies as much as we can.  In fact, the babies will be together in the quad suite and there are parent beds so we can stay too.  In other NICUs they could be in separate nurseries and would be with other infants.  If my babies are in a NICU, I want to be with them as much as I can and they will really make this possible.  We also felt better seeing how despite all the medical equipment housed there, it was not terribly clinical.  Everything is warm and personalized so we will feel comfortable.  George thought a tour wasn’t necessary since we’ll have plenty of time to get acquainted with the NICU, but he was really impressed with the facility.  We were so happy we took this tour, because the NICU is one less thing to worry over.  We know they will get the best care, which will mean the best possible outcome, and that makes me rest better!

hugs!

Amber

https://www.cookchildrens.org/SpecialtyServices/NICU/Pages/default.aspx#3

Drum Roll Please……

Amber 26 Comments

Today was a very special appointment with Dr. Tabor.  He did an examination of anatomy and gender reveal!  It is absolutely amazing what you can see on the ultrasound.  We saw the hemispheres of the brain, four chambers of the heart, stomachs with intestines, liver, lungs, rib cages, femurs, arms/ legs/ feet/ hands/ fingers/ toes, eyes, and ears for each baby.  They all were growing according to schedule, had good fluid levels, and no anatomical anomalies.   That is what every parent wants to see and hear!  I can sleep well tonight.

On to the really fun part!  Babies B and D were very easy to determine as they had their legs all over the place.  Babies A and C thought they would be modest and cross their legs, which made determining gender a little more difficult.  However, Dr. Tabor and his sonographer were not going to let these little darlings get away with that.  They prodded and poked until we determined everyone’s gender.  Here it goes…..

Baby A- GIRL, Baby B- BOY, Baby C- GIRL, and Baby D- BOY!!!!!!!!  This certainly makes our room sharing much easier, and I can’t wait to choose bedding and fun decorative touches for their nurseries.

hugs!

Amber

Tut, tut it looks like rain!

Amber 7 Comments

I have been assigned to Bonnie Brae Elementary for five years now, and I’ve come to know the staff there over the years.  I’ve always known the staff was special and sort of like an extended family, I never expected the wonderful shower they planned for the quads.  The original date was set for this past Tuesday, but the weather turned quite tumultuous that day.  Severe storms and about 13 tornadoes ravished the metroplex.  By the time school dismissed, most of the teachers only wanted to get to their families and homes, so we postponed the shower.  This was perhaps one of the worst series of storms in the area in a long time.  In fact several towns are considered “disaster areas”.  There were homes and building that were completely  flattened.  18 wheeler trucks were tossed like toys and dropped on homes.  However, despite the destruction, there were very few injuries and everyone survived.  It was quite miraculous!

Postponing the shower did not make one bit of a difference for our Bonnie Brae shower though, the staff touched me with their love and support for George, me, and the quads.  They did a lovely job decorating and making it special.   Our art teacher, Jen, custom made each of the babies a turtle picture frame and onsies labeled “Baby 1”, “Baby 2”, “Baby 3” and “Baby 4”, which hung on a clothesline.  Another teacher, Danielle, and her daughter, Abby, made an amazing diaper cake!  It was three tiers of diapers (that we will use later) adorned with spoons, bottle brushes, tiny socks, and pacifiers.  I was taken aback by all of the thoughtful gifts each person gave brought, and was amazed that even very new staff members were there too.

When I came home in the evening, George was completely amazed at what the staff of Bonnie Brae had done, and was so appreciative of their generosity.   We spent several hours going through each gift and talking about who brought it.  Then we sorted everything and stored it on the new shelves George built in the nursery closets.  A week that started out with a terrible storm ended in a beautiful shower of love!

hugs!

Amber

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Mission Organization!

Amber 13 Comments

When we bought our house six years ago, we thought we’d grow into it, but we had NO idea how much.  In six years time, we’ve done a lot of stuff collecting.  That means both spare bedrooms and their closets were filled to capacity.  That does not make for good nurseries, especially not shared nurseries.  George was willing to part with his exercise equipment and sold all of it on Craigslist, but the closets were still full of photos, gift wrap, miscellaneous junk, camping gear, and the list goes on.  We cleaned out as much as we could, but the stuff still had to go somewhere.  It migrated to our upstairs room where it sat for weeks.  While no one that visited our house saw the enormous pile, we both knew it was there and we had lots of stuff that needed a home.  It caused that annoying nagging feeling within us.  So, we went on a mission to tackle it this weekend!  Thankfully, George is a good fantastic carpenter.  He expanded the shelving in all of the closets in our house, including the pantry and laundry room.  These expansions helped us to store more stuff than before, but it would not contain everything.  We then found cabinet kits at Lowe’s for our upstairs room.  By the time we headed to bed last night, all of the stuff had found a new home (besides the nurseries) and it no longer consumed our home.  It gave us both a sense of preparedness and control over things that we can actually control, which felt great!  Now we can focus on important stuff like outfitting the nurseries!  If we only knew what colors to choose….

hugs!

Amber

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