And…It’s Valentine’s Day

February 12, 2014February 14, 2014Amber 4 Comments

This week I decided it was FINALLY time to wrap up everything remaining from Christmas. George nagged me enough about our Christmas card display, and I knew our thank you notes were far overdue. And…it is Valentine’s Day!

I am certainly no Emily Post, but I try to maintain proper etiquette, particularly regarding thank you notes. When someone takes time, effort, and money to purchase and wrap a gift, I want them to know it was appreciated. This year, I thought I’d diverge from our traditional hand written notes, and send electronic versions including pictures of the quads enjoying their gifts. I started strong. In the first few days following Christmas I busily snapped pictures and attached them to texts and emails thanking the gift givers. Then, it became overwhelming. I started losing track and getting confused so I gave up, leaving about half of our thank you notes undone.

After almost two months, it was high time I finish the thank you notes. I bailed on my original idea and insead reverted back to traditional hand written paper versions. Even though these would not come with pictures, I wanted the quads to add their mark. I wrote a quick note to each gift giver, then let the quads decorate with stickers and crayons. In the past, they typically ate both stickers and crayons so I partially expected a futile effort. However, the quads really enjoyed playing with stickers. I started by handing them stickers and pointing to the paper and telling them to “stick it”. It wasn’t long before they convinced me to let them peel the stickers off and place them independently. I really didn’t give them enough credit, and found our project to be relatively relaxing. They did, however, munch a few crayons in the process, leaving most of our crayons without tips.

Once we stuffed our mailbox with completed thank you notes, it was time to tackle the Christmas card display. At the beginning of the Christmas season, we hung a wooden “S” in the entryway with three strips of ribbon dangling from it, then used clothespins to attach cards as they arrived. Christmas cards are one of my favorite parts of that time of year. We get updates from our friends and family from near and far, and I enjoy looking back at them all season long. If it were up to me, we may leave them up until the next year.

As I took the pictures down, the quads were given the task of storing the clothespins in an empty wipes box (it’s not my permanent storage place for them, but it was a great toddler task). Then, I borrowed an idea from a fellow quad mom. I punched a hole in the corner of each card and put them on a ring, creating a flip book. Since the quads are interested in learning names and labels, we’ve been pointing out each person pictured as we name them. Perhaps at our next extended family gathering, or play date the quads will recognize everyone better. The best part is that our cards didn’t end up stuffed in a storage box indefinitely or worse, thrown away.

Now that Christmas is finalized, I suppose we shall take time to show our love for each other in honor of Valentine’s Day. George and I aren’t the biggest fans of Valentine’s Day so we are keeping it simple. I’m planning to pick up dinner after work, and perhaps a movie rental. I also made our favorite sugar cookies in heart shapes for each of my five Valentines.

What do you do with Christmas cards at the end of the season?

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Toddler Tips: #1,120 Don’t Recycle That! (Yet)

February 11, 2014Amber 4 Comments

With each passing day, I find myself trying to solve some new challenge with raising four toddlers, aka “quaddlers”. They are a cunning lot who inspires a little ingenuity on my part (and George’s) just to manage day to day life. While my ideas are born from being surrounded by four toddlers, I think many of them could be helpful to any parents of little ones so I’m sharing.

Thankfully, our city makes recycling simple. All we have to do is rinse our recyclables and toss them into a giant bin that we place curbside for weekly pick up. Consequently, our household waste is drastically reduced and we recycle the majority of what would otherwise be trash. Now that the quaddlers are fascinated with containers, I let them play with our clean recycleables before dropping them into the bin. As I cook dinner, I dole out the newest materials and the quads are easily occupied for 20-30 minutes. But, it doesn’t just occupy them and allow me to cook, they are working on fine motor skills as well. They open and close flip top and screw top containers, flip and tear magazine pages, stuff containers with smaller ones, and drum with kitchen spoons. Sydney’s occupational therapist would be proud of the page turning we get with magazines. (She told me that at 18 months they should be turning paper pages one at a time. We all know what they do to board books so I wasn’t letting them at paper paged books, but magazines meet the same end.) Once they are done playing, I scoop up everything and toss it into the recycle bin. Super easy! I am aware of the many toys circulating around Pinterest using these types of things as toys. However, the quads seem to enjoy the novelty that each day brings rather than using the same containers or materials again and again. Plus, four babies tend to wear out flimsy plastic and cardboard containers relatively quickly.

While I’m on the topic of recycling. I love re-purposing linen packaging, specifically the clear zip bags used for new sheets and comforters. They are ideal for storing toys with many parts. For example, the bag from our pillow shams now houses a few Lego sets, and our old Boppy Pillow bags are fantastic for storing our ball pit balls. All the small parts are contained, and the contents are visible so labels are unnecessary. Each time we have a new bag like this, I make a point to let George know it’s a keeper.

What is your favorite item to re-purpose?

hugs!

Amber

But That’s for GIRLS!

February 8, 2014February 10, 2014Amber 13 Comments

Although I consider myself extremely feminine, I detest gender stereotypes and promote gender equality. That being said, it wasn’t until I observed the quads playing together that I put much thought into the gender bias of toys. Both of the boys spend the majority of their time playing with the kitchen set. I’ve mentioned before, they simply love mixing up concoctions in tea cups and feeding the baby dolls. Although these may be considered “feminine” toys, I love that my boys have opportunities for this kind of play. When they are someday grown and have children, I hope they are the kinds of fathers who help prepare dinner and care for the children. George does these things without hesitation and that makes him a strong father and husband.

Shortly after Christmas, the quads became interested in pretend play, and dressing up. The boys gravitated to the white sun hats. To be fair, we don’t have any masculine dress up clothes (think fire and police hats) yet, but I plan to add a few in the near future.

Our dress up trunk is sparse and the boys also made use of the fluffy blue tutu.

On the flip side, the girls enjoy playing with race cars, trains, and tools. I hope they learn to value problem solving skills and never feel inferior to boys. The thing is, it’s easy at our house having an equal number of same age boys and girls. It’s totally coincidental that the boys have just as many “girl” toys available to them as “boy” toys, and vice versa for the girls. I would hope that if our children were all the same gender we would expose them to a variety of “boy” and “girl” toys, but it would be very easy to follow stereotypes when shopping for toys. It’s quite possible if we only had boys that our home would be void of dolls and dress up clothes, and if we only had girls there wouldn’t be a single car or building block.

What I love most about all of our toys, is that the boys and girls play together.

Several months ago, a viral video spread across YouTube. It depicted three girls constructing and setting a Rube Goldberg Machine. It was an advertisement from a new company, Goldie Blox, that seeks to encourage girls to pursue careers in science and engineering. Currently only 13% of engineers are female, and the creators of Goldie Blox feel it’s correlated to the toys girls are given. In January, Huffington Post published an article about how toy manufacturers are transforming once gender neutral toys such as Legos to feminine versions and made “girl” toys even more feminine than before (hard to believe that’s even possible). It sends an interesting message to children doesn’t it? The line is drawn in the sand: there are toys for boys and toys for girls. It saddens me to think toys could limit the aspirations and careers of my children.

All that being said, I’m not in any way suggesting that we stifle what is innate in our children. As a child, I vehemently rejected cars, sports activities, and construction materials. Instead I gravitated to dolls and similarly feminine toys. It wasn’t for my parent’s lack of trying, they certainly provided a variety of play options. I believe that as parents, it’s prudent to provide equal opportunities for our children and not to chastise them if they choose to play with something that may be geared towards the opposite gender.

Do you think toy manufacturers have drawn the gender lines too clearly?

hugs!

Amber

We’re Surviving, They’re Thriving

February 5, 2014Amber 39 Comments

When I sift through a series of foggy memories from the past year, I can vaguely recall mothers of toddler aged quadruplets saying it was much more taxing than the infant stage. New quad moms, I hate to break this to you, but this is the truth. Even though the quads are fantastic sleepers (sleeping 11-12 hours solidly most nights), George and I are far more exhausted than in the days of round the clock feedings. I believe it’s because they are incredibly curious and require far more cognitive energy from us than in the past. Many aspects of our life are “easier”. Most parents, especially parents of multiples would probably agree that it’s never “easier”, just different with each stage.

We certainly don’t miss making bottles, late night wakings, reflux, or colic. Right now, the little personalities that are unfolding are precious, and the learning that takes place on a daily basis is impressive to say the least. Right before our eyes, our babies are transforming into little people with their own thoughts and opinions, which they often assert. After everyone is snugly tucked into bed, George and I muster just enough energy to complete the most necessary of chores before we settle in for the night. We have absolutely no trouble falling asleep at night. That’s quaddlerhood!

With the help of a our dutiful friend, Terri, we took the quads for their 18 month well check on Monday. They all got a clean bill of health, which we never take for granted. Oh how far they’ve come since their NICU stint. Not surprisingly, they are all somewhat tiny, however. It may be partially due to prematurity, and partially due to the fact that they have small parents. My mom kept impeccable records in my baby book so I did a comparison. I was EXACTLY Rylin’s height and weight at 18 months! While I believe George and I are simply surviving at the moment, the quads are thankfully thriving. Sydney is the only one who still receives Early Childhood Intervention Services, but she’s made enormous gains recently and will likely be dismissed by age two if not sooner. Because the blog also serves as a baby book, I included an extensive update on what everyone is doing. Feel free to skim it, or skip it altogether and enjoy the video at the end instead.

Rylin

20 lbs, 2 oz

2′ 6.2″

size 12-18 month clothes, 4 shoes, 4 diaper

Social/ Emotional: Rylin tends to take time to “warm up” to new faces, but in time she jabbers to most anyone who will listen. She names each of her siblings, Nisey, Poppa (she got naming rights to “Grandpa” by being the first to use his name), and Aunt CiCi. She thrives on individual attention and really enjoys “conversations.”, sometimes jabbering away to her siblings. She enjoys giving hugs and kisses, especially to her siblings and sometimes the dogs.

Cognitive: Rylin names a few colors: pink, purple, green, and blue. When asked, she points to pictures in books and/ or labels them. She also labels and points to body parts including: eyes, nose, ears, head, tummy, belly button, feet, hands, eyebrows, chin and cheeks. Rylin is able to engage in pretend play; she likes wearing her dress up tutu and tending to her “babies”. She’s not much of chef, but doles out baby bottles and blankies rather well.

Fine Motor: Although she very much enjoys snacking on crayons, Rylin can scribble independently. She also turns pages of a book, opens and closes containers, and zips/ unzips. In fact, she is one reason we stopped using sleep sacks- she unzipped them.

Gross Motor: Rylin climbs up stairs with ease, and skillfully backs down them. She also climbs our toddler slide then turns around to go on her tummy, feet first. Of the four, Rylin most enjoys jumping on our mini trampoline. She also enjoys riding toys of all types.

Communication: Rylin voraciously learns new vocabulary words on a daily basis, and incorporates them into “conversations”. We keep a word list for each baby, but we’ve lost track of hers since she knows over 50 words. Since she soaks up new words easily, we have to be very careful what we say because she will imitate anything she hears, and also gets her feelings hurt if she thinks we are saying something mean about her. Not only does Rylin have many words in her vocabulary, she uses them to make requests and puts 2-3 words together such as “Oh no!” When Rylin is upset, we find that asking her to follow simple directions distracts her and makes her feel a sense of pride. She’s very good at finding and bringing things to us, which is helpful.

Harper

25 lbs.

2′ 5″

size 18 month clothes, 5 shoes, 5 diaper

Social/ Emotional: Harper tends to be most mellow around new faces and greets anyone without hesitation. Despite his reputation for being a crocodile, he’s beginning to enjoy more time sitting in our laps for snuggles. When asked, he will give hugs and kisses. He names his siblings, calling Mason, “May May” as well as himself.

Cognitive: Harper is excellent at problem solving and enjoys shape sorters and form puzzles. He’s proven himself capable of matching shapes to like colors and fitting up to eight shapes into a puzzle. Harper also loves imaginary play. He continues to love whipping up concoctions in the play kitchen and feeding baby dolls and animals alike.

Fine Motor: Harper loves to open and close anything. We often give him empty food containers before we recycle because he enjoys opening and closing so much. He’s very close to manipulating one of our baby gates so we have to keep an eye on him. Coloring is not his favorite task, but he is able to scribble. He was the first to take spoons from us to feed himself. He is becoming better at eating with utensils and gets about half of the food from a fork into his mouth.

Gross Motor: Harper was the first to climb stairs independently. We figured out he could do it when he was missing one afternoon. Someone forgot to latch the baby gate and Harper enjoyed exploring upstairs on his own. Terrified us! He was also first to master the toddler slide, and he literally goes into a trance going up and down repeatedly until we stop him. Recently, he began slowing himself down with his feet then doing a bit of a dismount. He’s also a huge fan of riding toys, particularly the bouncing zebra and motorcycle.

Communication: While Harper is typically quiet, he has 25-30 words in his vocabulary as well as many animal sounds/ signs and environmental noises. He is beginning to use his words to make requests, especially with encouragement. We often see him signing “please” as he says, “more, more, more”. He identifies several body parts including: eyes, nose, mouth, head, feet, belly button, and ears. Additionally, Harper is beginning to follow one step verbal directions (e.g. put this in the hamper). He’s so proud of himself when he’s done something requested of him.

Sydney

17 lbs, 11 oz

2′ 4″

size 9-12 month clothes, 3 shoes, 3 diaper

Social/ Emotional: Of the four, Sydney is always the first one to greet Mommy and Daddy after work. She literally sneaks into the den where she stands at the gate exclaiming, “Mommy” or “Daddy”! It melts our hearts every single time. While Sydney is our most introverted child who loves “me time”, she is beginning to play with her siblings, especially with games of chase. She is also our most compassionate with animals. She gravitates towards the dogs and is always extremely gentle with them, lightly stroking their fur. She’s also been caught curling up in Lily’s bed numerous times.

Cognitive: As of today, Sydney engages in pretend play. During specialized skills therapy, she talked on a toy phone and fed her puppy. She responds really well to music and often hums familiar tunes. She shocked me one day when she sang a few lines of the Alphabet Song since we hadn’t officially introduced it. Apparently she picked it up from one of the many toys that play the Alphabet Song. She’s also really good at matching tone and pitch she hears.

Fine Motor: As with the dogs, Syndey is delicate with books. She is the only one to be trusted with non-board books as she carefully turns pages and studies each one. Sydney can scribble with crayons, but is generally unimpressed with this activity.

Gross Motor: Sydney recently surprised me when she climbed up stairs as if she’d been doing it for years. All the while she proclaimed, “Up! Up! Up!” She was the last to walk, but is certainly working hard to catch up to her siblings. Shes most skilled at getting and out of toddler sized chairs and loves testing the limits by standing on them. Sydney often bends over and attempts somersaults. She cannot do them independently yet, but with help she squeals in delight.

Communication: Thanks to speech therapy, Sydney’s vocabulary is developing steadily. Similar to Harper, she’s often quiet and choosy about when she wants to speak. However, she has about 25-30 words in her repertoire.She also knows many environmental sounds, especially animal sounds. With prompting, she can make simple requests using baby signs including, “drink, more, please, and cereal”. I honestly believe she may have more than we know, but she often speaks in whispery tones so I don’t know that we hear her over her siblings commotion. One of her therapists is trying to help her assert herself, especially when it comes to siblings.

Mason

19 lbs, 1 oz.

2′ 4″

size 9-12 month clothes, 3 shoes, 4 diaper

Social/ Emotional: Mason is our social butterfly. He does not know a stranger (I anticipate lots of “Stranger Danger” education in his future). He continues to charm people with his huge smile and double dimples. Mason is extremely affectionate and often hugs and kisses his siblings as well as caretakers. He calls himself “May May” and names all three of his siblings as well as Nisey and Poppa. Mason initiates play with his siblings and gets a thrill out of tag.

Cognitive: Although he’s not consistent, Mason generally identifies the following colors: red, orange, green, and blue. He also labels heart and oval shapes. Like Harper, Mason really enjoys dramatic play in the kitchen and is always mixing up something. He prefers to find two toys that match so he can keep one in each hand. Recently, we’ve noticed that he manipulates the Little People toys within their scenes (e.g. putting a doll on a slide). He labels and identifies the following body parts: eyes, ears, nose, eyebrows, tummy, belly button, feet, and hands.

Fine Motor: Mason seems to be most interested in mastering fine motor skills. He brushes his teeth rather well with a side to side motion, and manages utensils well. In fact, he becomes upset if we don’t give him a utensil at meals if the food is not clearly a finger food. He scribbles with crayons, of course snacking on them too. Mason is beginning to sort shapes and complete form puzzles. Additionally, he manages zippers and is able to remove his clothing.

Gross Motor: Mason climbs upstairs and the toddler slide with ease, however he is fearful to come back down independently. He enjoys riding toys and jumping on the mini trampoline. Of the bunch, he is the only one who kicks a ball.

Communication: Mason has bout 35-40 words in his vocabulary as well as many environmental sounds and baby signs. Like Rylin, Mason desires to learn new words and picks up new ones often. He makes his needs and wants known, often saying “help” or “please”. He does a good job of generalizing new words learned from books and conversations by labeling objects in his environment.

Do you know how big you were at this age?

hugs!

Amber

Shared Journeys

January 30, 2014Amber 9 Comments

Just over a decade ago, I anxiously toured the university where I would soon begin my graduate studies. That was the day I met Melissa. I remember her enthusiastically answering trivia questions asked by our tour guide and thinking she was far more studious than I. After all, I had no knowledge of these university factoids. Once classes began, I timidly attempted to blend into the group whereas Melissa took ownership of the front row. However, it wasn’t long before a long lasting friendship would emerge. In fact, she quickly had me sitting in the front row with her (to this day, she has me sitting in the front at conferences and work meetings).

Over the years, we’ve shared the joys and struggles of life. We endured graduate coursework followed by a year long internship. We celebrated momentous occasions including weddings, buying homes, becoming puppy parents, and then starting our own families. Melissa was a loyal friend and confident during my years of struggle with infertility and supporter during my difficult pregnancy with quads. On several occasions, I’ve chatted with fellow quad moms about how going through challenges in life help you take notice of who your true friends are. Melissa is among that group of true friends.

Just before I went on bed rest, Melissa hosted a baby shower for me.

While I was on bed rest, Melissa brought me lunch several times and kept me company (I cannot express how lonely bed rest becomes). She also helped me prepare ahead by making freezer meals.

Both of us can attest to the fact that you just never know the plans that God has in store. Shortly after purging the majority of our infant gear, Melissa sent me a message inquiring about our infant car seats. Huh??? I knew she already sold her baby gear the previous spring at a consignment sale (she has two girls, ages six and two). It didn’t take me long to figure out she was expecting TWINS! Undoubtedly, raising two plus twins will be one of the most incredible blessings and challenges for Melissa and her husband. Honestly, there are not better parents for the job, and I cannot express my excitement for them. Melissa is among my go-to girls for baby and parenting related advice and always will be on that list. While she’s a seasoned mother, I am looking forward to sharing the MoM (mother of multiples) experience with her. It seems to be another experience the two of us can muddle through- good times and bad.

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of hostessing a shower for Melissa and her twin girls. Despite having now 18 month old quadruplets, I attempted to create a shower with the same attention to detail that Melissa hosted for me. Since Melissa already has two older girls, I thought a diapers and wipes shower was appropriate. I can attest to the fact that multiples go thought both of these commodities rapidly. In their first year, the quads used nearly 10,000 diapers. However, thanks to the generosity of others, we bought only a few that first year. As my gift to Melissa, I constructed a diaper cake that also served as a whimsy centerpiece. Being a novice at diaper cake building, I found a tutorial that did not involve diaper rolling. To spice it up, a bottle of champagne served as the middle of her cake. After the girls arrive (or sleep through the night), Mommy and Daddy can enjoy a celebratory toast. In addition to her cake, I created a DIY baby wipes kit so she can try her hand making baby wipes. We’ve been making our own wipes since the quads were about eight months old, and I now prefer them to commercially made versions. I sincerely believe they’ve helped prevent diaper rash. Plus, they are very inexpensive (we spend $1/ week for the quads). When I was on bed rest, and after our babies were born, I remember really enjoying freezer meals Melissa made so I also whipped up a freezer meal gift bag. One of my favorite go-to meals is crock pot chicken tacos, which I turn into chicken spaghetti on night two.

In true quad mom fashion, I began preparations several weeks in advance. It only took me at least six days to fully assemble the diaper cake, and another week to complete my table scape. I was really pleased with the outcome-

I re purposed a bland picture frame to make a decoration for the table that doubled as a gift for the nursery. It’s a bit difficult to read, but it says, “Sometimes Miracles Come in Pairs”, on the bottom corner I added the girls’ names for a personal touch. I always love gifts with by kid’s names on them.

Since the party was in the afternoon, our menu included light finger foods. I made the same pimento cheese sandwiches we had a the quad’s first birthday party. I was delighted to find a good excuse for making marshmallow pops. Thanks to melted chocolate, I made a total disaster of my kitchen, but I think they looked cute. To balance the sweet and salty flavors, I made a batch of my Great Aunt LaFay’s Oyster Crackers and edamame cranberry blend.

For a little added decor, I made a graphic listing twin trivia and put it in an ornate frame.

I wanted a little party decor in the den since that’s where the guests would congregate. My mom helped me cut scrapbook paper into triangles, and I printed black letters from a Word document that I cut out and glued to the triangles. I used a bit of soft pink tulle, tape, and clothespins to hang them. It still looked a bit plain so I added silver mesh ribbon along the top for sparkle.

When I am hostessing a party, I struggle to find the balance between social butterfly, serving others, keeping everything flowing, and taking pictures. Before the guests arrived, I snapped a few pictures of Melissa and that was it. Even though I spend the majority of my days as master juggler, I simply can’t keep up the pace at parties.

Melissa’s mom, Donna, was able to join us.

Nekedria co-hosted with me.

I am certain that if we could travel back in time ten years, Melissa and I would laugh hysterically at the thought of us having four children each. Certainly, we both wanted children, but we never could have dreamt having large families. Life is certainly a journey, which is enhanced by the people around us and I treasure Melissa’s friendship dearly.

This was our final day of internship. When I found this picture, I noticed a few interesting things. 1. Melissa & I are dressed alike in chocolate brown with khaki (I think the more time you spend with someone, the more things you do the same, and that includes dressing alike). 2. There were three specialist level interns our year (we are in the picture on the bottom with our supervisor) all three of us are now MoMs. Jenny (black shirt) has identical twin girls, I have the quads, and Melissa is now expecting twin girls.

This picture was taken on our final day of internship. When I found this picture, I noticed a few interesting things. 1. Melissa & I are dressed alike in chocolate brown with khaki (I think the more time you spend with someone, the more things you do the same, and that includes dressing alike.) 2. This picture is of the three interns and our supervisor. All three of the interns are now MoMs. Jenny (black shirt) has identical twin girls, I have the quads, and Melissa is now expecting twin girls.

Have you experienced challenges in life that helped you recognize true friendships?

Hugs!

Amber

Mama’s Coffee Break

January 23, 2014August 13, 2014Amber 17 Comments

Once the babies became mobile, I attempted “Pack ‘n’ Play” time. It is a Babywise concept that I’ve seen my cousins implement beautifully with their singletons for years. In fact, Jennifer, wrote a fantastic, easy to follow explanation of how to integrate it into a daily routine. With four babies, it became a challenge. At first, I simply added a Pack ‘n’ Play to our morning “rotation”. I put one baby in the Pack ‘n’ Play with novel toys, one in a Jumparoo, one in an Exersaucer, and the fourth enjoyed individual time with me. Every 10-15 minutes, I rotated the babies to a new station so they all got to experience each activity. It wasn’t exactly the same as I’d seen my cousins use Pack ‘n’ Play time, but it worked relatively well. That was, until the quads learned to walk. At that point, when one baby was in the Pack ‘n’ Play the others either whined to join them or the contained one wailed to escape. I then nixed the notion of Pack ‘n’ Play time. After all, the concept was to promote independent play while allowing mom a bit of time to accomplish other things. That was not happening. It became more of stress, and I hated keeping a giant Pack ‘n’ Play set up in our already cramped quarters. About a month ago, I folded up our Pack ‘n’ Play and stuffed into the boys’ closet.

Ideally, Pack ‘n’ Play time would look like this, with each of the quads taking a turn with a puzzle or other interesting toy. I don’t know why I didn’t take “honest” pictures as well. You know, the ones with three screaming babies pressing their noses to the side of the Pack ‘n’ Play or one baby tossing the toys out and wailing. I just didn’t.

As 18 months approached, so did the dreaded morning nap drop. Seriously, as our friends with same age multiples dropped this nap, I clung to it dearly. Morning nap has never been long, but it is “me time”. When the quads go down for morning nap, I make sure to take care of me. It’s when I get dressed, brush my teeth, sip my coffee, catch up on emails, and perhaps tackle a few chores. It does wonders for the rest of our day. I feel better and have far more patience than when morning nap goes awry. The time inevitably flies, but I savor every last second of it.

By 17.5 months, it was apparent that morning nap was headed out the door forever. EEEKS!!! Yet, the babies still seemed to need rest time as much as I needed the quick recharge. Someone would request it saying “night night”, and another would curl up with a blankie on the floor. Rest was still needed. However, if I allowed them to continue with a 45-60 minute morning nap, then our afternoon was horrendous. No one slept in the afternoon and everyone was cantankerous. If we totally skipped morning nap, everyone was cranky and still didn’t nap well in the afternoon (even if afternoon nap was earlier).

Clearly, it was time to evolve. Instead of going cold turkey on dropping morning nap, I instituted Quiet Time, which is my adapted version of Pack ‘n’ Play Time. Rather than darkening the nurseries for nap, I left the windows open and lamps illuminated. I also selected a novel toy (preferably a coveted one) and a few books for each crib, encouraging the quads to explore them. At first, we had Quiet Time at ten sharp when morning nap would normally occur. The quads generally played happily in their cribs for the first 10-15 minutes then drifted off to sleep. It was nice, but still often interfered with afternoon nap. Over a few weeks, I gradually moved Quiet Time back and afternoon nap a bit earlier. We are still transitioning, but instead of dropping morning nap I believe we will integrate Quiet Time into our schedule for a long time. At this point, Quiet Time is only 30 minutes long, and if they fall asleep it’s only a catnap that doesn’t impact the afternoon nap. It is refreshing for all five of us. The quads each get time with a preferred toy that cannot be snatched. Plus, I have just a few moments to enjoy a warm cup of coffee. I expect that as they get older, it will evolve to independent playtime in their rooms or another quiet place. I believe we all need a little peace in our day!

Sydney was so tired, she sprawled out on her side as she continued to play.

To spice things up, I also let the quads chose a different crib. They seem to enjoy the new scenery and crib soothers. Also, since we are in the groove of this new routine, I offer them 2-3 choices as to what toys they want in their crib. It really helps when they feel some ownership over their time.

Quiet time makes everyone happy!

Do you have time to yourself each day? If so, what do you chose to do?

hugs!

Amber

Toddler Tip #457: Shake it up, Baby

January 15, 2014Amber 14 Comments

With each passing day, I find myself trying to solve some new challenge with raising four toddlers, aka “quaddlers”. Sometimes I think we are taking the “crash course” in parenting. They are a cunning lot who inspires a little ingenuity on my part (and George’s) just to manage day to day life. While my ideas are born from being surrounded by four toddlers, I think many of them could be helpful to any parents of little ones so I’m sharing.

Not surprisingly, the quads are rapidly becoming picky, toddler eaters. For the most part they are decent eaters, but lately it’s been a challenge to convince them to eat fresh fruits and veggies. They even shake their heads and say, “no” when they don’t want to try something. Also, I often catch them putting undesirable food on the plates of their siblings as they snatch their favored morsels.

Last week, I excitedly borrowed some frugal meal tips from my friend, Becky. One of her takeaway items was –“Apple saucy Drink”, served in Toss and Take Cups. It seemed to be a great way to get them to eat fruit, while also promoting oral motor skills (something Sydney and Mason need work on). I attempted it with the quads the very next day, and they DEVOURED this drink. The only problem was ~~they~~ the boys pulverized the straws in the process. Hmmm. Maybe not a keeper yet. We shall revisit. The quads have been using silicone straw cups well for several months, but I suspected they would easily clog with applesauce so I had to think of something else.

Bananas, once the favorite fruit at our house are now a no-go. Yet, I wasn’t willing to give up on getting the quads to eat them. After all, bananas are the most inexpensive fruit and easiest to serve and keep. Using the Magic Bullet, I created a banana milkshake that went through their straws seamlessly. It was slurped down by all four in a matter of minutes. I’m not sure anyone bothered to pause for a breath. Upon finishing his drink, Mason let out a gigantic belch. This week, I also tried making shakes with frozen berries, but it didn’t go as well. I think fresh strawberries or mangoes may work so I’ll try them soon.

The Magic Bullet does a fabulous job of making banana milk shakes. Usually, I just blend banana and milk, but I've also added Carnation Instant Breakfast for extra calories on days they don't eat well.

Baby Banana Milk Shake- 1 cup whole milk + 1 banana

I’ve also added a Carnation Instant Breakfast on days when they didn’t eat well, and I wanted to add calories for the day. They really lap those chocolately banana shakes up.

You may notice we use Braum’s milk. That’s because they do not use growth hormone and sell a gallon of milk for about half the price of grocery store organic. George goes to Braum’s to buy 2-3 gallons of milk twice per week, and he’s now a “regular”. When they see him, they bag whole milk and hand him an ice cream cone!

For months, I’ve been also successfully using Becky’s idea of “Sneaky Mac ‘n’ Cheese”. It’s a huge hit at our house. After sampling part of the quad’s lunch, a friend’s daughter even requested it to be served at her house. I’m fully aware that Becky and I aren’t the first to sneak fresh produce into our children’s mouths. In fact, there are several cookbooks based upon the principle. However as quad moms, we are looking for SUPER SIMPLE. What are your favorite sneaky ways to serve fruits and veggies?

Hugs!

Amber

Becoming a PTSAHM

January 11, 2014Amber 22 Comments

Most people are baffled when they realize I am a part time working mom of quadruplets. I have absolutely no doubt that if we had only one baby (or even one baby at a time) that I would be a full time working mother, and it would be perfectly fine. For seven years, I practiced school psychology in an urban school system. Yes, the job was often taxing and usually thankless, but it was part of my identity. I always hoped to be a model of female independence for my children by continuing to practice.

Having quadruplets put a kink in the whole powerful, working mom gig. Even with a post graduate education, working in the public school system is not lucrative. At all. The cost of full time childcare would easily exceed my income, which forced us to consider the options. A few of my colleagues were able to work out part time positions so I approached my then boss about becoming part time as well. At the time, our district and my boss put the kibosh on part time employees because it’s a complex process. Yet, it was the only option for me. Either I transitioned to part time employment or I quit working to be a full time stay at home mom. When I announced our pregnancy news to my boss and proposed working part time, I recall his gobsmacked expression. He joked that I “pulled the quad card.” I guess I did. Perhaps if I was only expecting one baby my proposition would have been quickly and harshly denied. It took several months for my part time position to be approved by the district, but it was just before the quads were delivered. I am forever thankful for it.

Working in the school system affords me school holidays, including a two week winter break. I savor family time, but it is also a reminder why I am a Part Time Stay at Home Mom (PTSAHM). Raising quadruplets is an immense task and being home with them 24/7 can really get to a person. During my two week “break”, I found myself becoming increasingly impatient with both the quads and George. It seemed that they bickered almost constantly. I heard frustrated squeals because I was on the other side of the gate, someone took a toy, someone was pushed, someone had a coveted toy, there were no more snacks…you name it, there was plenty cause for turmoil. After two glorious weeks, we had enough togetherness; I was plenty ready to go back to work. If you’re not convinced that anyone would want to go to work and leave their children, take a look at this-

Breaks from work make the benefits of working part time glaringly obvious to me. I earnestly believe I am better as a wife/ mother AND as an employee from working part time. I get the best of both worlds. I have opportunities to raise my children and witness their growing up years, yet I also keep up with the professional world. Two days per week, I spend time having adult conversations, dressing in something besides yoga pants, and practicing the craft I spent years in school learning.

I also see how I need to miss both home and work so I yearn to return to each of them. When I’ve been at home for days on end, I’m ready to tackle the office. While I am away, the quads benefit too. They are with fresh faces that teach them new things and present new experiences. They learn to obey and respect adults besides their parents as well as new skill such as imitating monkeys or naming colors. Likewise, at the end of a long workday, I can’t wait to see the four little people who will greet me shreiking “Mommy”, sticky fingers, and open mouthed grins. While being a PTSAHM was probably not something I would have done on my own accord, I am so happy I became a PTSAHM.

Sometimes it feels as if our home is filled with bickering and screams, but there are also plenty of sweet, quiet moments to savor.

Watching the babies explore things for the first time is atop my list of favorite times. They received these chalkboard mats from Santa and LOVED them.

Sisters hugging, a messy boy, and a sleeping boy all made my day, and reminded me why I love my days at home.

I absolutely respect mothers who work full time as well as those who stay at home full time. No matter how you approach it, motherhood is an immensely challenging task. However, if you find yourself dissatisfied with your scene (full time working or full time home), you may want to consider the possibilities of part time employment, and you may be surprised at the outcome.

hugs!

Amber

Baby Hauling {Combi Twin Cosmo Stroller Review}

January 6, 2014January 6, 2014Amber 18 Comments

Nearly two years ago, I began reaching out to experienced mothers of multiples regarding baby gear. Among my top questions were, “What kind of stroller do we need?” and “Should we get a quad stroller? OR Two twin strollers?” The resounding answer, “You’ll need several baby haulers before it’s all said and done.”

To my surprise, they were absolutely right. First, we would need two twin stroller frames that our infant seats clipped onto, but those would only last as long as infant seats. And, if I ever wanted to go anywhere solo, a quad stroller was in the cards. The thought of choosing and buying such a variety of strollers was daunting to say the least. Shortly after the quads were born, my friend, Jenny, was kind enough to give us her old Combi Twin Cosmo stroller. Prior to receiving this stroller, I was unfamiliar with Combi and really had no idea what a gem we received. For many months, her stroller waited in attic storage while we relied upon stroller frames. When the quads celebrated their first birthday we decided they were getting too heavy for infant seats. Thus, we purchased toddler car seats, successfully rendering our stroller frames useless.

It was then I discovered the beauty of the Combi Twin Cosmo stroller. Jenny’s stroller was already about five years old and had been well-loved in its hay day, but it cleaned up beautifully. Without much effort (or a user’s manual), I unstrapped the seat covers, tossed them in our washing machine, and then let them air dry. They came out looking like new. I also wiped the rest of the stroller down with a damp cloth to rid it of attic dust. By looking at it, you’d never guess this stroller was five years old. Clearly, Combi made an exceptional product, built to withstand multiples. When an opportunity recently arose to give Combi’s newest model of Twin Cosmo in Bamboo Scribble a test run, I jumped at it. I was already smitten with our older hand me down so I knew it would not disappoint.

Rylin was refusing to nap when our Combi Cosmo Twin arrived so she helped me open it. In order to ship the stroller, the wheels and snack cups are unattached. However, it took me less than a minute to attach everything and clip Rylin into it.

Rylin was refusing to nap when our Combi Cosmo Twin arrived so she helped me open it. In order to ship the stroller, the front wheels and snack cups were unattached. However, it took me less than a minute to attach everything and clip Rylin into it.

Perhaps my favorite feature of the Combi Twin Cosmo is the ease of folding and unfolding. Seriously, this stroller takes mere seconds to both unfold and fold, and it’s never a battle. Once folded, it’s light weight for ease of transport and stores in an upright position. Even I have no trouble carrying or lifting it into the van. I always compare it’s size in storage to a bag of golf clubs. Twin strollers are double the bulk of a single, and I believe that this stroller is about as small as a full sized twin stroller could be. A stroller’s folded size is of the essence to us since we need not one, but TWO twin strollers to fit in the back of our van. The back of our van does not boast much cargo space, yet we can fit two Combo Twin Cosmos with a few other baby essentials back there.

I attempted to take a video clip of the “Three Second Fold”, but it proved more difficult to manage the timer and camera than I anticipated. Nonetheless, here’s a quick demo of how I easily fold, unfold, and carry the stroller-

At 17 months of age, the quads are extremely squirmy and tend to attempt escapes from seats. This is why I’m a huge fan of Combi’s five point, adjustable restraints. They allow us to adjust the straps for each child, making them tight enough to prevent escapees. In order to remember our seating arrangements, we use monogrammed initial buttons as place markers. Obviously, I do not have experience with this, but I suspect this stroller would work well for two children of different ages since the straps are adjustable. I’ve spotted pictures of multiples in our groups as old as about four still riding in Combi strollers. When dealing with multiples it’s commonplace to use strollers as long as your children are still within the weight limits. Otherwise, it’s exponentially more difficult to keep everyone safely together. Therefore, I presume we will be using them for quite a while.

When we are out and about, four high chairs (if any) are not always available so our strollers double as picnic hot spots. The five point straps unclip and convert to three point straps, allowing the quads to sit up better for meals. I typically toss simple finger foods into the snack holders and use sippy cup straps for drinks. Thankfully, the Combi Twin Cosmo strollers basically come apart for easy cleaning because picnics can be messy.

Unfortunately, the babies’ communication skills are rather limited at this time so they cannot share their thoughts on the stroller. However, based upon behavior while in their strollers, I believe they are rather content. They seem to enjoy the side by side layout because they can see what’s in front of them as well as their siblings. I’m certain they’d also agree that the sunshade and snack holders are handy creature comforts.

Even with a side by side layout, the Twin Cosmo fits through all standard doors. Consequently, I am now painfully aware of doorways that are not standard and ADA compliant. I actually filed a complaint at a department store that had ridiculously narrow aisles that NO wheelchair could ever navigate.

While there are nice baskets below the seats, there’s no way a bag stocked for quads would fit in them (or any other stroller basket for that matter). That’s not a problem however, we just use a large carabiner to strap our bags on the back. Voila! I was pleased to find that the new model included not only child cup/ snack holders, but also a parent cup holder. I always overlooked the fact that our old stroller didn’t have one because otherwise it was a fantastic stroller.

In addition to functionality, I appreciate that Combi’s patterns are cheery and gender neutral since we have boys and girls. Considering the age of our hand me down stroller, I’d say the pattern doesn’t give it away, it’s rather timeless as patterns go. If you’ve been following us within the past six months or so, you’ve probably spied our Combi strollers in many pictures, that’s because we take them almost everywhere. And, you may recall when we went to Legoland, our quad buddies also had Combi strollers. We got a chuckle calling that outing a “Combi Con”.

Combi strollers and other products are available for sale from Combi’s Web Store, Babies R Us, and Amazon.

Hugs!

Amber

P.S. I would like to extend an enormous thank you to Combi USA for providing a new Combi Twin Cosmo stroller for the purpose of this review. I was in no other way compensated for the writing of this review. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.

Toddler Tips #51: Stubborn Baby Shoes Solved

January 4, 2014January 13, 2014Amber 10 Comments

Before the quads could walk, I rarely bothered putting shoes on them. I figured that shoes at that age were primarily for admiration. Once they began walking, we did start going out more often, but the weather was warm then. I had no problems whatsoever putting sandals on their tiny feet.

The game changed with cooler weather and different shoes like boots and tennis shoes. My favorite baby shoes are the magenta Converse given to us by my cousin, Jennifer. However, cramming baby feet into them is an all out Olympic sport. I typically unlace them to the first row of eyes and try to cajole their feet inside. It’s absolutely frustrating. I know what you’re probably thinking…don’t put high top shoes on a baby because it’s not practical. BUT- I LOVE these shoes and I like enjoying things gifted to us. I knew there had to be a better way, and joked about getting a baby shoe horn. I didn’t expect they actually existed, but they do! Day after day, I forgot to search Amazon for one (Amazon is almost the sole provider of stuff in our house these days). There isn’t technically a “baby” shoe horn, but I did find a small one and we tried it today. It worked like a charm! It took a little convincing to get it to work, but it was a vast improvement over the other times Rylin wore these shoes. I think I’ll add “small shoe horn” to my list of baby gear suggestions.