The Little Things Thursdays: Installment #7

March 14, 2013Amber 3 Comments

Oh yes, it is Thursday again and time to recall the little things!

1. On Friday, Nisey and Terri cared for the babies as usual. However, my mom’s friend, Lilian also joined the troops. I was proud to find out that Rylin developed “stranger danger”. Apparently she sized up Lilian and pouted to the point of tears. I know it sounds nuts to want your baby to cry in the presence of a visitor, but it means she’s met a developmental milestone where she differentiates familiar and unfamiliar caregivers. I was also pleased to learn that when she realized Nisey approved of Lilian, Rylin was okay with her too. To top it off, Lilian brought the babies a huge box of Luvs! It’s amazing how just as our diaper reserves were almost depleted, she restored them a bit.

2. Mom and I had a fabulous time shopping at our local Just Between Friends consignment sale. They are held in our area twice a year and offer everything from clothes to playground equipment. The girls are outfitted up to about size 2T thanks to hand-me-downs from generous friends. The boy’s closet, on the other hand, is a bit more sparse. Mom and I headed to the sale on half price day and scored a bounty of spring and summer clothes for a fraction of the original price. I also found a few books and toys as well as two pairs of Lucky Brand flats for myself (a benefit of having miniature feet is I can wear kid’s shoes!) The girls got a few swimsuits and sunhats. I was really grateful that Mom as with me because it was relatively chaotic and the line to check out involved an hour wait! On the upside, the line wound through the goods so we stumbled across a few bargains while waiting.

Just Between Friends is a nationwide franchise so check http://www.jbfsale.com to see if you have one in your area. I’m planning to consign some of our big-ticket items at the next one!

3. I took Mason to the doctor by himself on Monday and decided it was a worthy occasion for shoes. He’s never worn shoes before since he doesn’t walk, but they are pretty cute. He was enamored with is kicks. If you look carefully you’ll notice they are sharks.

I also want to point out the fabulous seat he is using; I only wish I discovered it sooner. It is a Summer Infant Super Seat. It is similar to a Bumbo allowing a baby to sit upright on the floor before they can sit independently. However, it also converts into a booster seat that can attach to a dining chair for small infants or toddlers up to 40 lbs! The best part for us is that the activity tray is removable so they stack for storage and travel. We now have four of these seats.

The Super Seat doesn’t come in the same selection of colors as the Bumbo, but they do come in boy and girl color combinations at least.

4. My Dad brought GiGi and GG Paw up for a visit on Saturday. Sydney demonstrated a bit of stranger danger with GiGi, but soon realized she was okay and settled down. The babies enjoyed showing off some of their new tricks and snuggled with GiGi a bit.

5. This week is spring break so I’ve enjoyed having George at home with me. We took advantage of our usual babysitters Wednesday (and will again on Friday) to go out on a date and run errands sans babies. We started or morning of by getting our haircut and styled by our Mane Man, Matt. We were both in dire need of a fresh style. Afterwards we enjoyed some sushi before darting around town with our to-do list.

Zushi Sushi is one of my favorite spots because they have a huge variety of vegetarian sushi and offer soy paper rather than traditional nori. I enjoyed a Tropical Roll stuffed with asparagus, avocado, cream cheese, carrots, and sprouts topped with mango. George and I really want to expose the babies to sushi so they grow up appreciating different cultures and foods. I thought it was neat that my sushi contains three foods they already enjoy! I could almost puree the sushi I had for the babies.

What little things filled your week?

Hugs!

Amber

We Escaped!

March 12, 2013March 12, 2013Amber 18 Comments

Since the day I was put on bed rest it has been a challenge tackling not only household chores, but also running errands. On a typical day I juggle simple household chores relatively well. Think REALLY basic stuff such as laundry, paying bills, and running the Swiffer. The babies’ morning nap is when priority chores are accomplished, but I can’t exactly run to Kroger while the babies are sleeping. On the two days when I go to work, I try to run quick errands on my way home. I already feel as if we request entirely too much of our volunteers to ask them to stay any longer. However, sometimes I literally need to grab baby oatmeal for the next few days or go to the chiropractor for an adjustment. If I run an errand after work I only have about 30 minutes so that leaves a lot of errands undone. Amazon has been a great help as we order a lot of what we need these days, but some things can’t be ordered. Furthermore George and I enjoy running errands as a family. We like to share opinions with each other and of course spend time together rather than apart. As the babies are getting bigger and germs are less of a concern, we’ve devised a way to at least run some errands as a family. This of course involves a grand scheme to make it all work. We begin by plotting out what needs to be done, prioritizing errands, considering if we have errands where one of us can run in while the other circles the block, and then timing our adventure around feeds and naps.

Today we survived not one, but THREE errands! After the babies’ second feed, we furiously loaded them into the van and headed to Babies R Us. There I returned extra items and picked up a new package of bibs while George cruised the parking lot. Upon my return to the van, George informed me that I made a fatal error. I left my cell phone in the van so when he called to “Abort Mission” due to screaming babies I had no idea. Oh well, errand done!

Next, we headed to Costco to load up on produce for ourselves and baby purees. That is when the real fun began. In order to get everyone into Costco, we each wore a baby in a front facing carrier and pushed another baby in their car seat in a Coscto cart. Fellow quad mama, Krista, suggested the whole wear a baby idea to help us fly under the radar. According to Krista, if you don’t bring the Runabout people are so busy they hardly notice you are there. Well, that may work in California, but apparently nothing gets by a Texan. People would notice George and go nuts over his “twins” then see me trailing behind with “another one” and go batty over the triplets before they realized there were actually four babies. It was actually pretty funny. We just smiled and nodded a lot. People were always exceptionally nice to us and mostly just gasped in amazement. Despite the scene we must have caused, we darted through Costco, grabbed the essentials and escaped in about 40 minutes. On our way home we dropped by the pediatrician’s office to pick up a few formula samples. Albeit a brief nap, the babies slept well in the 30 minute ride back home. Even after running three errands, we managed to get home 25 minutes before the next feed. I’m really looking forward to a time when the babies can sit up in the Costco carts so we aren’t wearing anyone. Of course that will inevitably bring new challenges our way.

If you were shopping our our neighborhodd Costco today, you would have observed this scene.

If you were shopping our our neighborhood Costco today, you would have observed this scene.

Here’s the shopping aftermath! As we left, the woman at customer service inquired about the boy/ girl ratio. When we told her it was 2 boys, 2 girls she replied, “That’s perfect! I’m jealous”. I thought that was a cute, candid remark.

I put Harper in the Baby Bjorn today because I think he may be running out of opportunities. He currently weighs a whopping 18 pounds and I don’t know how much longer my back can support him!

After shopping, we loaded all babies then the groceries into the van. I always felt bad that the boys have to sit in the back, but I think they have a much better view than the girls.

The babies finished snoozing as we unloaded the van at home.

Hugs!

Amber

How to Build a Quad Feeding Table

January 28, 2013December 12, 2014Amber 20 Comments

As the babies approached their six month birthday, we knew spoon feeds were impending. It’s not that we aren’t absolutely excited to introduce new flavors and textures to the babies, but we know it’s going to bring new challenges. Over the past few months, we settled into a really nice feeding schedule with bottles at 8, 11, 2, 5, and 8. Spoon feeds will inevitably interfere with our tried and true routine (in a good way eventually). A jar of baby food won’t last one feed in this house so we will also be making our own baby foods. That means even more work preparing feeds. As it is, George spends roughly 30 minutes nightly preparing formula for the next 24 hours. On a positive note, making baby food will make us eat healthier because we will be well stocked with fresh produce.

And the biggest challenge related to spoon feeds….where and how to feed four babies! High chairs were never under consideration. Four of them would be pricey and there is NO space for them in our kitchen anyways. My original plan was to buy feeding seats to attach to our kitchen chairs. Feeding seats would be relatively inexpensive, portable, and space saving. However, our kitchen table is round and there’s no way one person could reach all the babies if feeding them alone. I am alone with the babies 3-5 days of the week so practicality is imperative. A few months ago, there was chatter among quad moms about feeding tables. A lot of them raved about them so we started browsing the options. There are companies that make commercial grade quad feeding tables. However, these tables are primarily marketed to daycare and school settings. They are very practical and durable. They are also unattractive and expensive. In order to house a quad table, we had to sacrifice our kitchen table. Keeping that in mind, we wanted something sturdy, practical, and easy to clean, but that was not an eye sore either. Thus, the idea of building a quad table was born. We ordered red replacement seats for the commercial feeding tables from Just Multiples for $30 each. Shortly after ordering our seats, I heard it through the grapevine that fellow quad mama, Traci’s father recently built a feeding table for her quads. Traci was kind enough to share their plans, which George used loosely. Also, George was able to chat with Traci’s father for a few tips.

Just Multiples sells a commercial grade table for $575

Here is a list of the materials George used with a cost breakdown:

plywood $60
two 4 x 8 beams $22
wood filler $3
stain $12
wood glue $3
four 2 packs of corner braces $16
sandpaper $6
Liquid Nails $3
four replacement toddler table seats $120
paint FREE- we already had it!
miscellaneous woodworking tools FREE- we already had them
GRAND TOTAL $230

As you can see, we saved several hundred dollars making custom table that fits our breakfast nook perfectly! Below George attached pictures with step by step explanations of how he fabricated our table.

I began by gathering my materials in order to layout my design. Two sheets of 3/4″ cabinet grade plywood and two 8X4″ beams.

Next I began to layout my design using a rough set of plans from the Dvorak’s.

Then I used a jigsaw and carved out my design. I clamped both pieces together and cut both at the same time.

I used the seats to decide where to place my holes.

After cutting both pieces I cut out special openings to allow for the seat to snap into place. (notice this is the bottom piece)

After cutting both pieces I cut out special openings to allow for the seat to snap into place; this is the bottom piece. Note: In hindsight I’d make this hole 9 1/2 ” by 9 1/2″ square because the top piece will be 8 1/2″ by 8 1/2″ square and will cover this opening.

I used wood glue to press both pieces of wood together and I allowed this to sit for two days.

I used clamps to make sure everything went together smoothly. Wood has a tendency to warp.

I used a miter saw to cut down the legs to size. All are 29″ long.

Here are the four legs cut to size. Notice how they are sanded down.

I bought a dowel rod and cut 8 individual pieces. This will be used in the next step.

I used a drill to make holes in the leg and into the underneath of the table. Notice how I wrapped tape around the drill bit to give me a guide so that I did not go through the table.

Next I used wood glue to glue in the dowel rods and then Liquid Nails to secure the legs to the table. I used weights to make sure it went down properly. I let this sit overnight to cure.

The next morning I sanded the table down for hours. I then applied the first coat of stain.

I also used these brackets to secure the legs to the table again. I wanted to make sure nothing moved.

I then brought the table into the house to see how it fit in order to make last minute changes.

Amber wanted me to match our living room rug so I painted a little design.

Amber was afraid the table would look like a “sea of brown” and wanted me to match our living room rug so I painted a little design on the top. It was a good idea. After all, there will never be place mats, center pieces, or table runners on this table! Paint was a good way to liven it up a bit.

Here is another angle after I applied a coat of polyurethane.

And here it is all done in it’s splendor. Never in a million years did I ever think I would make one of these.

This one shows all of the dimensions I used.

To make sure the table could handle the weight of four babies or toddlers, George perched on top of it.

He also sprawled across the thing like some sort of gangster! Should be good for a gang of quads.

He also sprawled across the thing like some sort of gangster, maybe the Quad Father. Should be good for a gang of quads.

Now that the table is ready to go, we just have to figure out how to pad the babies in so they can use it ASAP. We realize the seats aren’t intended for six month old preemies, they are really for toddlers. However, we figured if George was going to go through the effort of making a table, we might as well use it as long as possible. Stay tuned for spoon feed updates and pictures with messy babies!

hugs!

Amber (and George)

Update….we used old baby bath towels to pad the babies into their seats until they sat up well enough independently. They outgrew the quad table after their second birthday and we now use a family dinner table with restaurant high chairs.

Mile Marker 28

July 1, 2012December 8, 2014Amber 13 Comments

We made it to week 28!!!! This is a HUGE milestone for us as the survival rate for the babies jumps up to 95% and the risks of long term disabilities drops dramatically. Of course we don’t really want the babies coming this week, but at least they have good chances if they did. I may not love being on house arrest, but I am really fortunate to still be home at this point. I love having my fur babies at my side all day and friends dropping by at home. Though I must admit, each day is a challenge for me. The discomforts increase each day and contractions are more common these days. It pained me to do it, but I had to take Tylenol in order to rest last night. I have had intermittent rib pain on the right the entire time (now exacerbated by Mason’s cute little feet), but it started on the left last night. I finally had to cry “uncle” and just had to down some Tylenol. I did actually sleep from 3:00-6:45 because of it.

I know each day the babies simmer is better for them, but my body is starting to rebel. Each day I put my big girl pants on (figuratively and literally) to make it another day because each day is a victory. Your prayers and positive thoughts have helped us make it here so please keep it up. As I become increasingly large and uncomfortable, my patience is thinning. So, perhaps pray that I remain calm and patient.

Hugs,

Amber

Pray, Pray, Pray!

June 5, 2012December 8, 2014Amber 16 Comments

We had our weekly visit with Dr. Tabor today. That meant I fixed my hair, wore a “cute outfit”, and put on more make up than I have been. I have to admit, seeing the sunshine during the car ride was nice. Sometimes it is the simple things…

My vitals were all good and there were no signs of dilation. Also, my contractions have become fewer and further between, which is also good. George noticed that I always had contractions in the evening after taking my calcium supplement so I started taking it earlier in the day and spreading out the dosage. We mentioned this to Dr. Tabor who said we might be onto something since they use magnesium as a calcium blocker to stop premature contractions. Good observation, George!

After our last appointment, we knew we’d have to keep a close eye on tiny Sydney, but we didn’t know how much. Today she didn’t get the best report card. Her amniotic fluid levels are slightly low, which is causing some pressure on her umbilical cord and a lower heart rate than her siblings. What bothers me is that there isn’t really a treatment for this, just careful watching (and praying). I read that hydration can help so I will force some more fluids down even though I already drink a ton of water (George is excellent about keeping track of my water consumption and reprimanding me if I get behind). Extra fluids can’t hurt.

Dr. Tabor will continue to watch Sydney very closely to make sure conditions do not decline. If they do, all of the babies will have to be delivered much earlier than we would like. Of course with quads we have always known they would be premature, but ideally they would be delivered at 30-34 weeks. We are at 24 weeks now, which is the first point of viability. Babies born at 24 weeks have about a 50% chance of survival and the NICU could help their odds. While viability is a milestone, we do NOT want our babies arriving now. At 26 weeks, the survival rate jumps up to 80%, which is better but not great. However, babies born after 28 weeks have a 95% survival rate. Dr. Tabor said he would feel comfortable if we could make it to 28 weeks at least. This is all very scary still.

I am doing my best not to worry too much and remember the positives:

1. Rylin, Mason, and Harper are all doing well

2. my vitals continue to be good

3. while Sydney’s heart rate is lower than her siblings, it is still 140 bpm and that is within the normal range (the other three are at about 150 bpm)

4. Dr. Tabor said that Sydney is very active, which is a great sign

5. Dr. Tabor said he is not terribly concerned, he is just watching carefully. I know that if he were very concerned he would have admitted me today rather than making an appointment for next week. I trust him and know that he knows what is best for the babies.

Since prayer is one of the only treatments we have, please pray that Sydney’s conditions are stable and we do not need to deliver prior to 28 weeks. Also, pray that I stay calm! I do not need to work myself up about this. This may mean I will be taking LOTS more baths!

hugs,

Amber

http://www.marchofdimes.com/baby/premature_indepth.html

24 weeks, 2 days

Emotional much?

May 11, 2012December 8, 2014Amber 13 Comments

It is official, my hormones are in overdrive and I am an emotional roller coaster these days. Here’s how the past two days have gone for me:

Yesterday we had our 20 week check up and it was GREAT!!! Again, the babies are all the right size with good fluids. Of course Rylin has not yet decided to head further north, but it’s okay. I’m thinking she got a bit of the stubborn gene. My vitals were also good. I managed to hold off on another week of bed rest. I left feeling very confident.

About 9:30 last night, less than four hours from my appointment, I started having Braxton Hicks contractions. They weren’t painful, but my stomach was absolutely tightening. This of course made me feel anxious and not so great. I phoned a few friends and then decided to call the on-call doctor. She said to drink water/ lay on my left side and if the continued for 30 more minutes to head to the hospital. UGH! She also thought my anxiety might be making them worse so I opted for a warm bath. It helped, the contractions stopped and I was able to get to bed. Okay, disaster averted.

This morning started off as usual with the rush hour nightmare that is my commute, but there was also a wreck where two highways merge so it was completely gridlocked. I knew better than to get on the highway when I saw the sea of red taillights so I opted to stay on the service road and take some back roads. The only problem was I wasn’t the only one with this brilliant idea. The stop and go of the commute made me queasy so I felt rotten by the time I got into the building (I possibly had a green tinge to my face too). What should have taken about 25 minutes took well over an hour. I immediately headed to the school nurse (she was a high-risk OB nurse before coming to the school system) to ask her about how to correctly monitor contractions and what to look for. She immediately noticed I felt bad and naturally inquired. Of course, this set me off into a crying spell for no apparent reason. Sweet Nurse Patty sent me to my office with a blanket and literally made me rest on my side eating ice chips to calm me and settle my stomach. However, throughout the day when certain people would stop in or I would start talking about something (not sad), tears would start flowing for no reason. But, the good news is that I did survive the day and managed to finish a report!

This picture really doesn’t fully capture the gridlock fun I experienced, but it’s an idea. ARGH!!!!

This evening when I got home, George was very thoughtful and made Chex mix for me. That was the perfect way to wrap up an overly emotional day for me! However, as he was making the Chex mix, I decided to catch up with my emails and blog reading. Of course, someone posted a You Tube video about a man who was a disabled veteran who was told he could never walk again. As I watched videos of him learning to walk again and then practice yoga, tears streamed down my cheeks! However, as I bawled, I simultaneously laughed at myself! I knew it was silly, but could not stop either. It is like a lucid dream, so weird. I managed to get it together and enjoy watching some Big Bang Theory with George as I stuffed my face with Chex Mix.

He has the keys to my heart!

George is so smart…he suggested that I head to work extra early to beat rush hour and leave early to get home before rush hour hits again. Why didn’t I think of that??? So, here’s to a better day tomorrow perhaps with less gridlock. Just maybe…I’ll be able to control my emotions.

hugs!

Amber