After 10 weeks of strict bed rest, a 7 week NICU stay and now lock down with quadruplets, we have a full blown case of Cabin Fever.  The only antidote for Cabin Fever is of course, to leave the house.   Thus, we decided to take our very first outing with the entire family, that is excluding the doctor.   We opted to go out to dinner in honor of my mom’s birthday while taking as many precautions as possible.

With five adults, we finally outnumbered the babies so we figured it could work.   A bustling restaurant full of onlookers would be a total nightmare.  So, as our maiden voyage, we decided it best to  start with a low key pizza joint in our neighborhood called Polenzo’s. It’s within walking distance from our house so the original plan was to load the Snap ‘n’ Go strollers and just walk.  However, that was a few days ago when we were having highs in the 80’s.    When the temps fell to the 30’s we were forced to contend with the Routan instead.  You’ve gotta love Texas weather; we’ve literally run both our air conditioner and heater in the same week!

Mason dressed up for the occasion and wore his “Bro Bib” with his Little Johnnies

In order to make the whole field trip as smooth as possible, we hatched a well prepared plan.  First, we perused the menu online and made our pizza choices.  We then fed the babies so they were full and content. Next, we called Polenzo’s to place our order  and reserve a table for nine.  Polenzo’s is a mere minute from our house by car, but it takes about 10-15 minutes to load the van, leaving ample time for the pizzas to cook.

How many adults does it take to load a van with quadruplets?  Looks like four at least.

Upon our arrival, my sister took care of our order while, the rest of us nonchalantly took one baby each.  We simply sashayed into the restaurant right to our reserved table situated in the back corner. Honestly there weren’t many people there this Sunday evening and I don’t think a single patron noticed our shenanigans.  We situated the babies on the corners of the table so each one was supervised by an adult.   The babies were all very alert and seemed to contemplate their new environment.  I just love moments like that!

Rylin finally had an occasion to wear her teddy bear bottom tights with ballet slippers attached. So cute!

Our plan worked perfectly!  As soon as we were situated, the pizzas arrived at our table.  We had plenty of time to enjoy a few slices and a glass of wine before feeding time loomed again.  Harper pretty much slept and munched his thumb, Mason looked googly eyed at his surroundings, Rylin maintained her pensive look, and Sydney looked at everything with wide-eyed curiosity.   And then it happened….Sydney screamed!  I knew the chances were high that someone would be upset, it was just a matter of when and who.  After all, the dinner hour is also “witching hour”, when one or more of the babies fusses A LOT.  Thankfully, Grandpa was able to save the day by talking softly to Sydney and lulling her to sleep.  He bought us just enough time to wrap up dinner and settle the bill before an escape was mandatory.

Thankfully, Harper discovered his thumb and was calm the whole time.

Sydney was situated at my corner.  You can’t see her feet, but she is wearing shoes for the first time.

Mason was Nisey’s charge for the night.

Grandpa kept an eye on Rylin until he had to take Sydney for me.

Smiley little man

Everyone is ready to head home. Here is what it looks like to have quads sitting on a restaurant table all together.

When the last slice of pizza disappeared and all of the wine glasses were drained, we left just as nonchalantly as we entered.   The only person to chatter with us or ask any questions was actually our waitress and she was very sweet.  I think she only asked us what it is called when there are four babies at a time.   I don’t know when a full fledged family outing will reoccur, but our first table for nine was really nice.

We love that Polenzo’s is a BYOB establishment. Notice the giant bottle of Reisling?

hugs!

Amber