What’s the Magic?

June 24, 2014July 1, 2014Amber 15 Comments

I practice school psychology, and have for nearly a decade now. Even before I began my graduate program, I worked as both a nanny and daycare teacher. And that’s not to mention the fact that both of my parents were teachers. Based upon those experiences, I have all the knowledge and skills to mold my children into well-behaved little people. Except, I don’t always use the tools sitting in my toolbox. In the heat of the moment, when four toddlers are shrieking at the top of their lungs and I’m covered in food splatter, my skill set tends to go out the window. I’m not implying that my training hasn’t gone to good use or that I never use my toolkit. Rather, I’m admitting that I am indeed a human being and just like every other parent, teacher, and caregiver, I lose my cool sometimes. I don’t always make good use of the skills I possess because sometimes I forget.

As the quads are getting older, more independent, and smarter, it’s clear that it’s critical that I work harder on doing the exact things I recommend others do. Of course, it’s always significantly easier to give suggestions to others than yourself isn’t it? Nonetheless, I’m making an effort to take my own good advice and use it on my own children.

Years ago, I was trained in Teaching with Love and Logic: Taking Control of the Classroom. It’s a program that I frequently recommend to parents and teachers. When one of my colleagues informed me that there was a toddler version, Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood, I found it on Amazon and placed the order. As I read the book, it brought all of my training to the forefront with toddlers in mind. If you have a toddler, or toddlers, I highly recommend snagging a copy for yourself to see if you can adopt some of the concepts within it.

When I consult with parents and teachers, I find myself offering many of the same recommendations time and time again. It’s not because I’m lazy. Instead, it’s because I’ve seen particular strategies work time and time again for many different types of kids. During my days with the quads, I’ve been taking time to pause and consider what I might tell a teacher or parent in my position. The same tried and true school interventions work at home, and I’m seeing positive results. Some of my go-to suggestions include:

1. Set clear, consistent boundaries, and follow through with all consequences immediately.

After we moved into the new house, I seized the perfect opportunity to establish new house rules in order to break some bad habits. In addition to the rules, we are teaching the quads to be responsible for their actions. For instance, they often think it’s a lot of fun to toss food and utensils during mealtime. If someone drops something from the table, we say, “Ooops, all done”. Then, after everyone is finished with the meal, the offender picks up anything thrown and wipes up spills. In a nutshell, the rules are something to the effect of “If you make a mess, clean it up. If you break something, fix it. If you hurt someone, apologize…ect.”

The quads are well aware that they must sit in order to enjoy a drink. When they request a drink they now say “sit down” as they comply with our house rule.

It’s important that consequences occur immediately after an offense otherwise, they think they can get away with rule breaking anytime. I know we are making headway in this arena because when a rule is broken, I sometimes hear the renegade say, “Uh oh! Time out?” or another child will say, “Uh oh!”

It’s not unusual for our kitchen floor to look like this during or after a meal. However, I’m done cleaning up everyone’s messes.

Instead, the quads are now responsible for cleaning up their messes.

Time out is among the consquences in our house. When I first introduced time out, I set the offender in my lap as I held their arms across their chest and counted aloud. We have since progressed to nose to the wall or corner.

2. Provide sensory motor breaks throughout the day, especially between transitions.

With toddlerhood, our schedule is much more flexible than it once was. However, we still maintain quite a bit of structure in the day, which helps make things predictable and comfortable for everyone. Of the quads, Harper tends to have more energy to burn. With him, I make a point to integrate physical activity into our day, several times. Often times, he has days where he pushes the others or runs around destructively. When I notice that type of behavior, I know it’s time to either go outside, or to use some of our gross motor toys (e.g. mini trampoline, slide, riding toys).

Lawnmowing counts as a helper task and gross motor activity!

3. Allow the child to participate in “helper” activities aka chores.

Everyone likes to feel important and valued, toddlers are no different. As the quads receptive language skills have improved, they’ve been very capable of carrying out simple 1-2 step directions. With supervision, they clean up their playroom, put laundry in the hamper, throw trash away, and feed the dogs. I find that they do best when I am very specific about what needs to be done. For example, I may say, “Please put the blue plate in this basket”. If a verbal direction doesn’t work, I sometimes model what I’m asking for, or help them complete the task hand over hand. After they’ve helped complete some task, I offer ample praise, and they always beam in delight.

The quads are always proud of themselves after completing a chore.

4. Provide TONS of praise, which is specific to the behavior. (Praise should ideally occur four times more than redirection. So, if you reprimand a child, he’ll need to be praised for about four appropriate behaviors).

When the quads have done something I like, it’s important to know exactly what they did right so they do it again. For example, they are trying really hard to use their manners so if I hear someone saying “please” or “thank you”, I try to jump in immediately and tell them how well they are doing with using manners. I may say, “Wow, Mason! Great job saying thank you!” or “Oh Sydney, I love how you said please.”

5. Phrase redirection and rules in positive terms (e.g. Say, “Our feet go on the floor” instead of “No standing on chairs”.

Little kids often hear the last thing you said so if it’s in negative terms, they may misunderstand you. You don’t want a toddler thinking you told him to “Stand on the chair”! Again, with little ones or kids with developmental or language delays a verbal message can be lost. Sometimes modeling or showing pictures of what the rule is can help.

6. Empathize with an upset child and allow cool down time.

The quads are toddlers and they have tantrums A LOT. Toddler tantrums are never pretty, and they are exacerbated with multiples. Even though toddlers are not generally rational, they have feelings too. If someone is upset I try to tell them I am sorry they are feeling angry/ mad/ upset. This doesn’t mean I try to rescue them or coddle them. Most of the time, tantrums occur because they were denied their way. Giving them what they wanted (e.g. a cookie, a particular toy) to stop a tantrum will make it significantly worse. Giving in would be counterproductive because it would teach them to have tantrums to get what they want.

When someone is having a very difficult time, I offer them cool down time by taking them to a quiet place and encouraging them to take slow deep breaths. If me facilitating cool down time is unsuccessful, I typically leave them alone for a minute or two, allowing them to calm down independently. I find that placing them in their crib with a preferred toy or book can help them regain composure.

Cool down time is different than time out in that it’s not punitive, rather it allows everyone time to become calm. Sometimes cool down time is needed before a consequence can be implemented. Take the example of making a mess at the table. Sometimes being asked to clean up spurs a tantrum. I may allow time to cool down before I expect a clean up effort to occur.

7. Provide 2-3 acceptable choices.

Everyone likes to feel as if they have control and power. However, it’s not wise to let toddlers and children rule a home. Instead, it’s better to give them parameters for decision making. This can actually be very simple. For instance, at meal times, I let the quads chose between two bibs to wear and two colored plates. A choice can also be between having something or not such as “Do you want to wear socks or no socks.” This empowers little ones and helps prevent future meltdowns.

I also offer choices in the heat of a tantrum as a means to help redirect them. Let’s say Rylin had a tantrum because she wanted strawberries instead of blueberries and we have no strawberries. I may say, “Would you like blueberries or no berries?” This type of choice can help refocus her attention from the strawberries we don’t have.

The quads chose their hats for this one.

8. Use first/ then statements.

Kids often want instant gratification and become upset when something doesn’t happen immediately. With the quads, I often use first then statements to let them know the order things will happen. For example, if someone approaches me and says, “Read it” while I’m busy. I may reply, “First, I’m washing dishes then I’ll read it”. It also works to get them to comply with something undesirable. For instance, the quads resist diaper changes because they want to do something else. My response is usually something like, “First I’m going to change your diaper, then you can do your puzzle.”

Even though I’m making an effort to utilize these particular tools as well as my training and experiences, I won’t get it right every single time. There will be times I will make a mistake with the quads, and that’s okay. In those moments, it’ll be important for me to apologize to my children and explain to them that Mommy is a human too. After all, grace is a virtue I want my children to learn too.

hugs,

Amber

Note: This post is in no way sponsored by Love and Logic, but it is a parenting book I feel is beneficial and wholeheartedly recommend. Also, my tips are not a summary of Love and Logic. Instead they are based upon my professional training, continuing education, and experiences, which include Love and Logic training.

This post may contain affiliate links. For more info, please see my disclaimer page.

We have a hero, and we call him Daddy

June 15, 2014Amber 6 Comments

Dear George,

You are among the ranks of a small group of men who are better known as Quadfathers. Going from being a Dad to a pair of fur babies to four children is no easy feat. You work tirelessly to provide for our family and to make our home a perfect place to live. I doubt you remember what it feels like to savor “me time” because it’s illusive here. Toddlers are a thankless lot who demand things like, “DADDY HOLD YOU!!!” and squabble mercilessly. Undoubtedly, being a Quadfather is the most difficult challenge of your life, but also the most rewarding.

A year ago, you were a professional formula mixer, baby burper, and infant soother. With the change of seasons, you are now a hero to four little people. You are the center of their universe and are held in the highest regard. Believe me, they are watching your every move. It’s apparent when I’m frantically searching for something and Harper correctly proclaims, “It’s right here.” You may not realize it, but that’s one of your signature phrases. I’ve heard you mutter it while looking for something many times over. It’s now a common phrase for little big man too. I know you are a powerful influence when the garage door creaks open and four little people exclaim, “DADDY!!!!” as they bull rush the gates to reach you. I promise, when I arrive home from work the welcoming committee is not half as excited as when Daddy returns.

As soon as the quads 5were mobile, you had a stunning welcoming committee,

Because of you, Mason knows it’s Jesus is on the crucifix in our entry way and Rylin distinguishes between an iguana and a gecko. Since I can’t carry a tune to save my life, you are to thank for Sydney’s sweet singing. Of course you aren’t the only one with influence around our house, four little people have quite the effect on you too. I know this when I catch you singing from their itunes playlist or reciting Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. You are beginning to see the world through new lenses and it’s beautiful. Even when the days seem eternal and thankless, I hope you never forget the way you family adores you, and the many reasons why.

You model how to be a strong husband and father.

You have fun with them.

You appreciate their personalities.

You share your love of learning.

You show them how to explore.

You rock them (this is one of the most common requests for the moment).

You contribute to all of our family’s needs, great and small.

You enjoy time for rest and relaxation with our children.

Happy Father’s Day!

xoxo,

Amber

The Guest

June 4, 2014June 4, 2014Amber Leave a comment

I’m anxious to share our moving saga and updates on the new digs, but we are totally swamped with the settling process. While George and I are tackling boxes, I thought you’d enjoy my latest guest posts, both of which posted today.

On the Mothers of Supertwins blog, Stories from the Heart, I shared my tips for getting out with multiple toddlers.

Most people would expect me to use a giant diaper bag, but I prefer this Vera Bradley bag instead.

Our neighborhood Kroger has carts which seat all four babies. Scoring one of these sweet rides usually involves me stalking the cart corral, however.

I also made a second contribution to the Fort Worth Moms Blog about how we sleep trained the quadruplets.

On the Fort Worth Moms Blog, I reviewed how we sleep trained the quads as infants. I eventually would like to share how their sleep has evolved with toddlerhood. I snapped this particular picture when all four awoke from naps extremely early and were cranky.

hugs!

Amber

Hope

May 11, 2014May 11, 2014Amber 19 Comments

George supported himself in college by answering phones and taking orders for a local florist. The hours were ideal for a college student, he went in sometime after lunch and was off by six. Except for two weeks of the year: the week of Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. During those weeks, it was not unusual for him to work overtime until 11 pm later. Even though both weeks were flooded with orders, George once mentioned how Mother’s Day was far busier because everyone doesn’t have a Valentine, but everyone has a mother. It made sense to me at the time. A decade later, I see Mother’s Day through new eyes.

Just like Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day has become somewhat of a commercial holiday where people feel obligated to honor certain people in their life, and people feel entitled to recognition on these particular days. What about the other 364 days of the year? Shouldn’t we let the people we love know how much we care on a daily basis? Even though they’ve become commercial holidays, I’m not most bothered by that aspect. I’m far more concerned about the people who won’t be celebrating. To many, Valentine’s Day is only a painful reminder that they are lonely hearts. Where Mother’s Day is wrought with pain for those who grieve for their mothers or children and for those who yearn to become mothers. It’s a day they can only hope will pass with haste.

This pain is something familiar to me from the years I grasped at every shred of hope that Mother’s Day would finally hold meaning to me. In 2012, Mother’s Day was one of juxtaposed emotion for me. At that time, I was expecting the quadruplets, but everything was uncertain and I still felt pangs of grief from miscarriage. Not only was it my first Mother’s Day since miscarrying, but also my due date for that baby was on Mother’s Day. I felt empty still.

Last year when my first Mother’s Day with children came around, I raised the bar high. Too high. George didn’t roll out the red carpets and shower me in the lavish gifts I expected, which hurt my feelings. I was entitled because it was MY day! I remember lashing out at him before going to bed. Seriously where were MY gifts???

The day after Mother’s Day he presented me with a custom made cross necklace surrounded by four rubies representing the quads. It was extremely thoughtful, but I felt ashamed for expecting it. While we have not perfected it, George and I are working on appreciating each other on a daily basis and not putting stalk into material things. I had everything I could have ever wanted on that Mother’s Day and more, our four beautiful children. Just one year prior, I would have given up both arms just to have children. While my heart is full of love for them, I am also aware of the despair some will experience today, and I pray they never lose hope.

While I was undergoing fertility treatments, I attended monthly support group meetings at our clinic. There, I found a sisterhood of others experiencing the same emptiness and longing I felt. At one of the meetings, we discussed the “survivor guilt” that occurs when one transitions from infertility patient to pregnant patient. A common sentiment experienced by women experiencing infertility is one of emotional pain upon seeing expectant mothers or receiving pregnancy announcements. It could be viewed as jealousy, but that’s not exactly the emotion. I’s more of a reminder of what is missing. At that particular meeting, we discussed how it would be nice to know when another woman was part of the sisterhood, someone who also experienced the pain of infertility. Someone mentioned how it would be perfect if there were a secret signal that projected “I’m your sister, I was once in your shoes. There is hope.” After that meeting I secretly began imagining that every expectant mother was indeed part of the infertility sisterhood, and it helped that nagging feeling of pain subside. Little did I know that I would someday wear a blaring sign that I was once a member of the infertility club, and it would come in the shape of four same aged babies.

When the quads were about six months old, I began taking them for walks in the quad stroller almost every evening. It was a fantastic way of managing “witching hour” with four cranky babies. One evening as I strolled about the neighborhood I remember a red Ford Explorer passing us, and then looping back around very slowly. I was taken aback as the driver eventually pulled over, parked, and got out to approach me. There were many people outside at the time. Parents supervised their children, joggers passed, and people returned home from work. I also had wasp spray ready to attack anyone who seemed dangerous. I felt at ease even a the driver approached me. I remember him making eye contact with a look of pain and sincerity in his eyes. He told me that he would understand if I didn’t want to answer, but inquired whether we needed fertility treatments. Because I felt safe, I admitted we did. This now vulnerable man now faced me as he sighed and confessed that he and his wife were undergoing treatments. At this point, they knew the bitter feelings of repeated and failed treatments. They were quickly approaching a crossroads of deciding whether or not to continue treatments. We spent a while sharing our experiences, but before parting ways the gentleman said, seeing you and the babies restored my HOPE. Hearing that struck a chord with me because at that moment I knew that I wore the sign for other people experiencing fertility that says, “I’m your sister, I was once in your shoes. There is hope.” I’ve addressed what to say to parents of multiples and what not to say to parents of multiples, and in both articles I shared that it is impolite to inquire whether the babies are “natural” because it is such a personal question. However, when someone divulges to me that they are undergoing fertility treatment or once were, I’m usually open to sharing because I want them to feel HOPE. So if you are reading this and for whatever reason feel the pangs of grief or despair, please never lose hope. Hope really is one of the most valuable treasures we possess.

In honor of my mother and grandmothers, the quads helped me create a visual representation of HOPE, after all they are the most powerful reminder I have of hope.

These were my four favorite outtakes.

For my mother, I painted the babies’ feet and stamped them onto a Terra cotta pot in the shape of butterflies. I added a sign that reads, “Where flowers bloom so does hope.”

While George worked at the floral shop, I recieved more than my fair share of flowers. Consquently, George stopped wanting to bring home flowers when he no longer worked there. I was ecstatic when he brought these home Thursday evening. They were his way of letting me know he appreciates me, and it was perfect.

What are the symbols of hope in your life?

hugs,

Amber

P. S. Through mutual acquaintances, I learned that the driver who stopped me that day is expecting a baby boy in June!

Daddy’s Weekend

May 5, 2014May 16, 2014Amber 2 Comments

Before I headed off to Gruene to meet up my quad mama friends, George had a trial run of being in charge. It went surprisingly well, which was a good thing because it made me feel confident leaving him for a whole weekend. While I knew he could handle the fort and he told me repeatedly he could do it alone, I rallied the troops. Nisey came Thursday evening to spend the night just like she does every week. On Friday, Nisey and her sidekick, Terri, cared for the quads while George worked. Nisey and Terri sent me these precious snapshots from their day together.

I haven’t the foggiest idea how she managed it, but Nisey put Rylin’s hair in legit pigtails. I’ve since attempted to replicate this hairstyle and failed several times.

I can’t be certain what happened the rest of the time I was away, but I found miscellaneous videos and pictures waiting for me on the camera….

I can only assume there was a great toddler flick showing. Elmo, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Baby Einstein or Bubble Guppies perhaps. Nothing else could convince these three to sit perfectly still long enough for a snapshot.

Sydney typically sings all day long until someone pushes “record” on a device, in which case all singing ceases. George was able to ambush her before dinner and captured her ellusive version of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and the Alphabet Song. My favorite part is when she catches him recording and instructs him to turn it “off”. He also managed to record a few other tricks courtesy of the quads.

Friday night, Nisey helped George get the quads to bed and then he was left to his own devices on Saturday morning. Aunt CiCi and Matt came later in the afternoon as fresh troops. Again, George had assistance with bedtime, but managed the night and Sunday morning solo. Early Sunday morning I received a panicked text from George because his morning help had to cancel. He muddled just fine, but I think appreciated all the helpers I sequestered after all. By lunchtime Sunday, George had fresh help and was able to run a few errands. I believe he now understands why cherish running errands run alone and count them as “me time”. Although these pictures show kiddos donning jammies, George texted me a few of the quads in coordinated outfits throughout the weekend. I’m not posting them because they are so blurry the babies are almost unidentifiable. Apparently no one was willing to strike a pose for Daddy.

Before returning home, I wanted to offer George a small token of my gratitude. When Amber B. and I stopped at a favorite roadside stop, Buc-ee’s, I immediately cruised the candy aisle in search of George’s beloved sour belts. When I found a bag of “Sour Power Quattro” I knew it was meant to be!

While I had a spectacular time in Gruene, I was ready to return home to George and my littles. I was gone just long enough to really miss them. When I opened the door, the dogs excitedly greeted me with wagging tails and excited yelps. Rylin rushed to the gate exclaiming, “Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!”, but I’m not sure the other three noticed my return at all. Apparently Elmo was far more exciting than Mommy. I was slightly disappointed that the welcoming committee’s lackadaisical attitude, but I know George was more than ready for my return.

hugs!

Amber

Toddler Tips #701: Civilized Dining (sort of)

April 29, 2014Amber 1 Comment

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.

We are far from a perfect mealtime at our house, but we are diligently working on it. At around 15 months we began serving the babies meals on plates (we ordered the Boon Saucer Edgelesss Stayput Divider Plate, Multi
as seen on Texas Tales), and we gave them toddler utensils. At that age, they refused to let us spoon feed them, and attempted to self feed by grabbing our spoons. They didn’t yet have the dexterity to feed themselves with utensils and instead relied upon finger feeding. Dinner finally became family mealtime where all six of us ate at the quad table, which allowed us to model utensil use for the quads. It wasn’t long before they made crude attempts at spearing and scooping food. Despite their interest level and best efforts, the process was frustrating to say the least. They’d chase their food and poke, but rarely got food onto their forks. I bought metal toddler forks, but they are so dull even I struggled to stab food. Sydney’s Occupational Therapist suggested using cocktail forks instead of toddler forks. The next time I was out shopping, I scoured Home Goods and found a four pack of cocktail forks that closely matched our flatware. I couldn’t resist buying the matching cocktail spoons as well even though they probably weren’t necessary.

I scored these at TJ Maxx for $6.99. They are a close match to our flatware so I could probably use them as cocktail forks if we ever had a cocktail party.

Since these are a close match to our flatware so I could probably use them as cocktail forks if we ever had a cocktail party. If that ever happens.

I excitedly presented the new forks at our next dinner. The results were magical. With small, yet sharp utensils, the quads easily speared food AND the food stayed on their forks. They were so proud of their newly acquired skill that they beamed. We’ve been using cocktail forks for a few months now, and for the most part the quads use their forks instead of fingers. It’s still messy, but I attribute better success to our new forks. I wouldn’t recommend offering cocktail forks to very young toddlers since they are a little sharp. They are probably best for toddlers who have the concept of self feeding and won’t poke their hands or faces. I might start with spoons and when the concept is mastered, offer cocktail forks.

They are messy, but really using their new forks!

They are messy, but successfully using their new forks! In the picture, Rylin is using her right hand, but 95% of the time she uses her left and does a much better job when using the left. I wonder if she’l be a lefty.

Are you left handed or right handed?

Hugs!

Amber

Pink-Blue-Purple-Green

April 26, 2014Amber 15 Comments

At some point before the babies’ birth, they were assigned colors: pink, blue, purple, and green. As we began receiving baby gifts they were often in pink, blue, purple, green so I naturally assigned colors. It helps us keep track of what paraphernalia belongs to each little person: cups, toothbrushes, or whatever. Anything that comes in those four colors will be assigned. We’ve done so much color assigning, the babies know their own colors, and the colors of their siblings. At one point, I noticed that Mason developed an affinity for orange so I tried to assign him a new color. It did not go over well. When I gave him an orange straw cup, he handed it back to me saying, “No. No. No.” When I switched it for his green one, he grinned then gulped his milk as usual. I find myself choosing things for the babies based upon whether or not they come in the four assigned colors. Easter baskets were no different. Since the quaddlers are old enough to participle in an egg hunt, I wanted to buy them sturdy baskets that would last for a few years.

One afternoon, Nisey and I took the quads on a field trip to Hobby Lobby to choose Easter baskets. There, we found an aisle almost solely devoted to Easter baskets. I glazed over at the selection of baskets spanning from floor to ceiling. White baskets with gingham liners immediately grabbed my attention. They were adorable! Except one thing. They came in pink, purple, and blue. No green. There was no way I was buying both Mason and Harper blue baskets so I searched for more. I feasted my eyes on yet another style, oval baskets in cheery pastels. Yellow. Pink. Purple. Aqua. Arghhhh. Nisey and I talked about buying spray paint to get all four colors, and then I spotted “the ones”. Sturdy willow baskets in each of the assigned colors. Hallelujah! I snatched them up as fast as I could because they had exactly one of each color. There was no way I was letting another Hobby Lobby shopper snatch one of my baskets. Over the next few weeks, the babies took turns joining me on various shopping trips. They are at the right age where they helped select Easter basket fillings, but didn’t get too attached or remember they picked out their own gifts. The evening before Easter, I stuffed each basket and lined them up on our hearth.

Not only do I assign colors, but I also still like to put things in birth order. I suppose it helps me keep things organized, and gives me the illusion of control.

After breakfast, we opened the gate from the breakfast nook, allowing the quads to locate their own baskets. They gleefully charged to the hearth where they zeroed in on their own basket, dumping contents everywhere.

The babies knew exactly whose basket was whose. They still checked out the contents of the other baskets, however.

While three babies entertained themselves with new toys, my little Houtdini opened every last egg to release the hidden jelly beans.

While three babies entertained themselves with new toys, my little Houdini Harper opened every last egg to release the hidden jelly beans and he ate 90% of them. I put just one jelly bean in each egg, and only gave each baby five so it wasn’t too many, but still.

Following festivities at home, we headed to Nisey and Grandpa’s house for a family lunch and egg hunt. My cousins, Seth and Ryan, collaborated with the Easter Bunny to make sure the egg hung was at “beginner level”, meaning the eggs were all in plain sight. Everyone grabbed their own basket and headed out for the hoopla. Only some didn’t see reason to keep their basket, and instead darted around the yard snatching eggs. This style posed a problem after there were more than two eggs though.

This little lady was on a mission to locate every last egg, and she dutifully toted her basket everywhere.

Harper was pretty good at finding eggs. He just didn’t see any reason to bother carrying his basket.

It’s a good thing, Dad didn’t mind toting Harper’s basket..

Sydney was content finding a single egg and carrying the contents around the yard. She could not have cared less about hunting eggs.

Mason wasn’t going to let Rylin have all the eggs. He gave her a run for her money as he filled his basket too.

And….the final egg count.

Last Easter, Nisey bought each of the quads a pair of bunny ears and we attempted a family picture with them. It didn’t go as planned. We attempted the same scene this year and the quads were highly disagreeable. They insisted that Mommy and Daddy wear the ears instead. We obliged, but no one sat still for even a quick snap.

Bunny ears literally brought Sydney and Harper to tears!

We enjoyed a lovely day with our family, especially given the gorgeous weather. Despite the four ring circus, we didn’t forget the real occasion, Jesus’ Resurrection. There is no better reason to celebrate than that!

1 Peter 1:3
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead..

Happy Easter!

Amber

A Golden Hour

April 14, 2014Amber 7 Comments

Just when I thought spring was here to stay, Mother Nature threw a curve ball. Once again, the temperature dropped about 30 degrees with drizzle, successfully holding us as hostages indoors. ARGH!!! To top it off, Mason and I both have an irritating cough. Consequently, he’s extremely clingy, needy, and whiny today. If I could, I’d snuggle him up and read or watch movies all day long. Yet, the other three babies crave enrichment and attention. I’m sorry, Mason, unfortunately it’s not a snuggle all day sort of day.

A few weeks ago, I stocked up on Target One Spot items, some for the quad’s Easter baskets, and some for rainy days like today. After that particular haul, I attempted to execute a craft that I saw on Texas Tales that involved gluing pom poms onto Easter themed die cuts. Similar aged quads managed it, I expected similar results. It didn’t go as planned. At all. I dotted glue on the shapes and directed the babies to stick their pom poms. They dutifully stuck their pom poms onto the glue. It started out well. Then they proceeded to remove the pom poms and smear the glue everywhere. Or, in Harper’s case to attempts at eating the pom poms. Feeling deflated, I scooped up all components of this activity and stuffed them into our craft box for another day.

Today it was time to revisit the pom poms, but not as the original craft. Instead, I pulled out our old baby food making ice trays. I gave each of the babies a tray and a handful of pom poms, directing them to put the pom poms into the squares. For a good five to ten minutes, they stayed in their toddler chairs as they stuffed pom poms into the trays, emptied them and refilled them. I was delighted at that and really didn’t expect it to last beyond that.

This is how our activity began, at the coffee table with toddler chairs.

Look closely and you’ll see how each of the quads approached this task in their own way. Some put one pom pom in each cube while others stuffed several into the same cube.

Amazingly, these pom poms continued to entertain the quads for a full HOUR! Say what? Naturally, they didn’t sit at the table for an hour, but they found an array of ways to play with the pom poms and enjoyed every minute of it. I actually think they would have happily played longer, but nap time was fast approaching. The $2 I spent on pom poms was by far the best investment I’ve made in a while. They created a golden hour for us on an otherwise dreary day.

After they had enough table time, the quads found new ways to play with their pom poms. Harper stacked them onto a chair.

Sydney piled them on her feet and kicked in delight.

Rylin stuffed a baggie with them.

Meanwhile, Mason filled an empty wipe box.

What’s your favorite One Spot find?

hugs!

Amber

P. S. Pom poms are obviously choking hazards so this required some diligence on my part. Surprisingly, Harper only tried to consume one pom pom and no one else even considered snacking on them. A win in my book!

Snaggle Tooth

April 7, 2014Amber 6 Comments

Our pediatrician recommends seeing the dentist between 18 months and age two. I’ve been planning to take everyone for their first dental exam this summer, around their second birthday. Plans changed last week.

Monday evening as George dressed Sydney in her pajamas, he gasped as he exclaimed, “What happened to Sydney’s tooth???” My response, “I don’t know? Is something wrong?” Apparently the little monkey chipped a good portion of her front left tooth, but neither of us could recall when it happened. Sydney isn’t the most graceful child, but neither of us knew of bump that would cause a chip of this size. She was fussy that evening, but didn’t seem terribly bothered so I wasn’t panicked, but worried about it still. The next day, I made an appointment with the pediatric dentist in our neighborhood to get it examined. Nisey babysat the trio while I took Sydney to see the dentist.

Sydney rarely smiles, revealing her teeth. I snapped this on her 18 month birthday.

I tickled Sydney and got her to reveal her new and improved smile with the chip.

Sydney and I enjoyed a little individual time in the waiting room, but we weren’t there more than five minutes. Dr. Roberts welcomed us and exuded a gentle demeanor well suited for little ones. Despite Dr. Roberts’ friendly nature, Sydney does not appreciate anyone opening her mouth. She protested with gusto squealing and thrashing angrily. Nonetheless, Dr. Roberts got a good look at her teeth. Thankfully, there was no nerve damage. Sydney got a clean report plus a Cinderella toothbrush (coveted by Rylin) and pink dinosaur. She will, however be a snaggle tooth until she loses that tooth and gets a permanent one in it’s place. She’s just as adorable as before the chip so I don’t foresee any problems for Sydney.

Noticing a bit of tooth shifting, Dr. Roberts inquired whether Sydney was thumb or pacifier sucker. I admitted that Sydney still used her Wubbanub to help calm her sensory system. I was prepared to use the justification our occupational therapist gave me, but it wasn’t necessary. Without hesitation, Dr. Roberts warmly replied, “Let her have it!” In fact, she said it’s preferable to allow a pacifier because parents can control their use. Sydney may be Wubbanub dependent, but she’s only allowed to have it in bed, for sleeping or sensory breaks. Her thumb goes with her everywhere, and I’m confident she’d pick up a serious thumb sucking habit if we took her Wubbanub now.

Sydney fell in love with her Wubbanub in the NICU, and continued to love it after she came home.

At 20 months, Sydney is still smitten with her Wubbanub. She now has a nice collection of hand me downs from her siblings who are no longer interested.

Needing to go to the dentist for an “emergency” situation wasn’t ideal, but I enjoyed spending time with only Sydney. Individual time is rare and always treasured. After our visit, Sydney and I enjoyed a bit of retail therapy at Target. I scored several items from the One Spot for the quad’s Easter baskets and a few household essentials.

Sydney had fun trying this magenta feather boa on, and she wasn’t upset when we put it back on the rack. I would have loved to buy it for her, but this dress up accessory was $20! I think not.

We captured a “selfie” before heading back home.

Have you ever experienced a dental “emergency”?

Hugs!

Amber

Pink Cake

March 26, 2014April 5, 2014Amber 6 Comments

The quads are beginning to make requests, some quite specific. All. The. Time. While I love how their language is progressing, it also brings new challenges. Often times, denials result in full throttle toddler tantrums with someone kicking and screaming for what seems like eternity. Of course when one child is having tantrum, there are often bystanders who chime in. Other times, there is no tantrum, but persistent requests that cannot be met. I do relish when the request or the timing is humorous or downright adorable.

At 5:45 am, I heard Mason softly requested, “Drink, please.” I wasn’t too keen on being up at 5:45 am, but I obliged this polite request. Clearly, the kid knew he was parched and wanted his needs known. When I presented him the desired drink, he replied, “Have it”, as he nodded in agreement. Thankfully, he went right back to bed after hydrating.

After being in bed two hours, Sydney woke up saying , “Outside. Outside. Outside.” as she gleefully jumped in her crib. Not the best time of day for playtime. This time, we gently told her it was “night, night” and she settled. Tantrum averted.

Harper’s new request, “Boogas”. No, he doesn’t want boogers, he wants me to use his saline and nasal aspirator to remove his boogers, and he knows exactly what to do.

Harper insists on doing the saline on his own.

My favorite request to date, however, was Rylin’s for “Pink cake”. A family friend gave her a Strawberry Shortcake magazine filled with pages of pink cakes adorned in strawberries and frosting. This led Rylin to begin the request for “pink cake.” Not white cake or yellow cake, this was for pink cake only. She persisted for two days straight, and thankfully accepted many denials. Finally, on day two, George caved and made his princess a pink cake from scratch. This may be my favorite request to date because it was seriously tasty cake. I’m secretly hoping she’ll request it again, I’d love another slice.