Four with the Four

December 29, 2012Amber 10 Comments

I am “four”tunate to have not one or two, but all four of my grandparents. That means that we now have four generations on both sides of my family. After a great deal of finagling and patience we managed visits with all of them and captured some rare pictures of four generations with quadruplets. My Dad’s mom coined the names “GG” for herself (aka Great Grandmother) and “GG Paw” (aka Great Grandpa Pa). I thought that was pretty cute for them to have special great great names. My mom’s mom is sticking with her name, “Grandma” and her father remains “Grandpa”.

I think it is really incredible to have my grandmothers who are both in their eighties dote over my babies and help take care of them. I only wish George’s grandparents were here to meet the babies in person. I just know Granny is fussing over them from Heaven and wishing she could hold them. Granny really would adore our four!

I love this picture. You can see my mom kissing Sydney’s head and Sydney grasping my grandfather’s hand.

Here are four generations on my Dad’s side of the family. GG promised to locate baby pictures of Dad to compare to Harper.

Here are four generations on my Mom’s side of the family.

Dad got his tripod out so we could do a whole group picture for once. This took a lot of patience and rearranging!

Sydney is getting really good with her thumb these days.

The babies are starting to notice each other. Here Sydney and Rylin are making faces and cooing at each other. I sometimes wonder who they think they are looking at, themselves or someone else?

Harper is showing Grandpa how he can hold his head up like a big boy now.

GG spent lots of time cuddling Mason.

Hugs!

Amber

White Christmas

December 25, 2012Amber 12 Comments

While our extended family made rounds today, we declared Christmas Day pajama day at home. When the babies took their morning nap, George and I took time to make one of our old favorite breakfasts, crepes. We acquired an affection for them when we traveled to San Francisco a few years ago. Since then, we’ve developed all sorts of beloved fillings from chocolate chip marshmallow to cream cheese jalapeno. Today we chose savory cheddar, sausage, salsa crepes complimented by Eggnog flavored coffee. Of course, we didn’t have too much time to relish our breakfast before Harper began letting us know it was time for bottle #2.

Mmm, crepes!

George’s dad stopped by for a quick visit to deliver some toys to the babies. The babies are becoming increasingly curious about their surroundings and are discovering their hands so I know they’ll love the new toys. He skedaddled just as a winter storm approached. It started with a bit of sleet then a lovely white powder dusted our lawn. Who knew we would have a White Christmas after having highs in the eighties? Texas weather is really bizarre sometimes! We didn’t think the babies would enjoy romping in the snow just yet so I brought them to the window to gaze at it instead.

Harper needed a bit of help opening his gift. It will be quite different next year! I think he will LOVE tearing paper by then.

Daddy helped Rylin open her gift from Grandaddy.

Mason and I enjoying our White Christmas from the inside.

While the babies napped in the afternoon, George took the time to create some beautiful artwork for the boys’ nursery. He painted a tree mural in the girls’ room, but we had trouble finding inspiration for the boys’ artwork until a few days ago. He made custom frames from reclaimed barn wood then created brilliant, playful paintings of giraffe and elephant silhouettes. I absolutely love how George can make all sorts of creative visions become reality and that his talent makes our home unique in a sea of cookie cutter houses.

He painted for the boys on Christmas, but the quads Christmas gift is yet to come. His next project is creating a quad feeding table. You can order quad feeding tables, but 1. they are expensive 2. they are atrocious looking. Instead, we ordered red replacement seats for a ready-made quad table and George is going to custom fit them into another table with a bit more design flare. We are hoping this will all be done in time for the babies’ six month birthday when they are supposed to begin eating solid foods!

Here’s the front of our house dusted in snow!

Here is the artist at work. I thought this was the best scene. George is here painting with a view of a snow dusted lawn and our dogs snuggled on the chaise lounge.

We rounded out the evening with a Baby Einstein Santa DVD and a reading of the Night Before Christmas. I really enjoyed our pajama day Christmas at home and think it could be the beginning of a new family tradition. What Christmas traditions do you hold dearly?

hugs!

Amber

Over the River and Through the Woods

December 25, 2012Amber Leave a comment

For as long as I can recall, the holiday season (Thanksgiving and Christmas) have been reminiscent of the movie, Four Christmases. We are very fortunate to have the majority of our extended family within the metroplex, but during the holidays it can get dicey making the rounds. The radius around the metroplex can mean jaunts of several hours and over one hundred miles from one holiday hot spot to the next. One year I believe we ate FOUR Thanksgiving dinners in a single day!

Since the quads arrival, we knew the holidays would be a bit different than our usual. While the babies are growing and thriving, it can be easy to forget they are still preemies. Yes, Harper is wearing SIX month clothes now, but his lungs are still underdeveloped when compared to same age peers. This means, we are on lock down even on Christmas. Besides the fact that they are preemies, George and I have a history of getting very sick this time of year after visiting so many people in tight quarters. We’ve been to Care Now for the past four years running for everything from the flu (that’s when we started getting the shot) to bronchitis. Keeping that in mind, we knew we weren’t making rounds this year. Honestly, I haven’t the foggiest idea what we’ll do next year when we have four 17 month olds getting into everything…

For fear of becoming shut-ins, we decided it would be okay to head to my parent’s house for an intimate gathering and family traditions. My Dad also picked my grandparents up for a quick visit since Grandpa hadn’t seen the babies since they were four days old. Even planning a small family Christmas meant a lot of planning on our end. It felt as if we packed everything but the kitchen sink; we packed four pack ‘n’ plays, 20 pre-filled bottles, four sets of pajamas plus a spare, and an entire package of diapers and wipes. We started feeding babies at 8:00 am and were unloaded at Nisey and Grandpa’s house by 10:30 am! That’s including the one hour trip over the river and through the woods. Not shabby for traveling with quads in tow huh?

Everyone is happy that we finally arrived at Nisey and Grandpa’s.

It doesn’t matter where we are, there is always a feeding frenzy about every three hours. If we’re lucky there are more adults than babies so they get individual attention.

We even put Great Grandma Mc to work feeding Mason.

Harper was the first baby to open a Christmas gift. I think he could fit into the box!

Rylin went next. I just love how their gifts were bigger than them!

Aunt CiCi made each of the babies a quilt with their name embroided to match their curtains and sheets for when their cribs convert to toddler beds.

The boys’ quilts look like this. I love the quilts so much, I may need to figure out how to display them until the babies can sleep with them.

Nisey made each baby a NICU keepsake box to store all of their tiny stuff (e.g. diapers, clothes). She also managed to make ornaments with their hand and footprints while we were away one afternoon.

Aunt CiCi snuggled Sydney and Stella together.

Grandpa Mc made friends with Stella. Actually, I think she jumped into his lap.

Grandpa giving Harper some individual attention. We’ve noticed that these two have a bit of a special bond as Harper is apparently my Dad’s “mini me”.

Sydney morphed into a very fussy girl in the evening. Dad taught George how to “fly her” they way he used to do with my sister when she fussed. It is no coincidence that Sydney also looks so much like Courtney that we call her “mini Courtney”.

Courtney found these goofy elf hats for George and I to sport.

Nisey used a warm compress to help soothe a fussy Sydney.

I figured Rylin would make a cuter elf than me.

The babies enjoyed looking at a new Christmas tree.

Mason is finding dexterity in his hands and enjoys grabbing everything within reach then trying to munch it. Here he’s gotten some ribbon.

Everyone is all cozy in their pajamas for the ride back home. Notice the present aftermath behind them.

By the end of the evening, we snuggled all of the babies up in their Christmas pajamas and headed back home. We managed to get everyone in the house by 8:00 pm for their final bottle of the night and then we tucked them all safely into bed after saying our bedtime prayers. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

hugs!

Amber

Heartwarming

December 22, 2012February 10, 2013Amber 7 Comments

With four babies at home, it is easy to get wrapped up in everything that needs to be done, especially with Christmas just days away. We have diapers to change, baths to give, bottles to make, babies to feed, and clothes to wash. I find myself constantly thinking of my next move to tackle that daunting to-do list, but then realizing that I forgot to savor the moment.

Usually, during the winter, George and I enjoy sitting fireside in the evening as we unwind. We have a wood burning fireplace and just love hearing the crackle of the wood and smelling the aroma fill the air. However, we’ve been having such warm weather, we’ve been running our air conditioner more than the heater! A few days a go we finally had a nice cold snap. George seized the moment to build a nice fire just in time for the final bottle of the day. When I came into the living room with Mason, I found George and the girls gazing into the majestic fire in awe. The babies had never seen fire and were totally mesmerized by it. This was a truly heartwarming moment and the perfect time to neglect the routines and to do list. Sydney in particular enjoys looking at novel things so she was situated to see the fire during her feed. Then after all bottles were drained, I situated the babies in their Boppies and let them stay up a bit later than usual for some cozy fire gazing. It was all worth it! What warms your heart this time of year?

hugs!

Amber

Here’s the scene I saw when I entered the den. So sweet!

Notice how Sydney is watching the fire while eating.

Here’s everyone lounging in Boppy pillows.

Now everyone can see the fire!

I think Sydney enjoyed the fire more than anyone.

Even Lily snuggled up by the babies and rire.

Even Lily snuggled up by the babies and fire.

Special Helper

December 18, 2012February 10, 2013Amber 28 Comments

Since the arrival of the crew, it’s been difficult to manage everyday things that involve leaving the house. Basic home maintenance is manageable, but running around town is a feat. We never enjoyed errands before, but it was nice to go together to take care of mundane things like grocery shopping and oil changes. Now, any type of errand happens when one of us is en route from work to home in the evening. This is after one of us worked a full day outside the home while the other contended with four babies all day and witching hour is looming. Needless to say, many errands take a backseat to sanity. Yesterday some special friends, Billie and Bob volunteered to care for the crew so George and I could take care of errands together. We arranged it so we would get the babies late morning feed done, dart out, and get back for the late afternoon feed.

When Billie arrived at the door, she stood alone as she glumly stated, “I’m really sorry, Bob wasn’t able to come with me today.” I looked back at her with a tinge of dismay. I was sad to hear Bob couldn’t make it, but I felt even worse to leave Billie on her own with the quads. She is totally capable of the challenge, but I felt guilty to ask her to stay alone. I think she relished this quick tease as she brightly announced, “But I brought a special helper instead.” I thought perhaps Billie brought one of her daughters along, but there was no sign of either of them. All of the sudden, Santa popped from around the corner of the house with a big a”Ho Ho Ho” and a twinkle in his eye! I don’t think I’ve been so excited to see Santa in over two decades.

Many have asked if we’d take the babies to see Santa for their first Christmas and the answer has always been a resounding, “NO WAY!” Not that we don’t want them to see Santa because it is a very special Christmas. It’s just that it would be excruciating to wait in line with four infants. Then, we would have to attempt to shield them from the bazillion germs finding sanctuary on Santa’s crimson suit. I would undoubtedly be the insane lady who doused Santa with two cans of Lysol and slathered his arms with GermX. I am fully aware that the babies haven’t the foggiest idea who Santa is and haven’t the slightest desire to meet him just yet. However, it is their first Christmas and I thought skipping Santa was almost a travesty. However, I knew skipping our first Santa visit was all in the name of good health. At the same time a tinge of jealousy ran through me knowing how a few of our quad friends had private visits from Santa this year. Thanks to the coordinated efforts of Bob and Billie, the babies were able to meet Santa this year. I hope they look back at our special pictures in years to come in awe knowing Santa made a special visit at our house when they were so small.

A year ago I never would hava imagined we would have EIGHT stockings hanging along our mantle. We used a curtain rod and brackets to hand them instead of stocking holders. It worked great for so many stokings.

A year ago I never would have imagined we would have EIGHT stockings hanging along our mantle. We used a curtain rod and brackets to hand them instead of stocking holders. It worked great for so many stockings.

Santa sees you when your sleeping (Rylin and Harper) and he sees when your awake (Mason and Sydney).

That is a lot of babies for Santa!

Sydney kept tugging at Santa’s beard. Here she has a handful of it! When I put the girls to bed, I found wisps of Santa’s beard wrapped between their tiny fingers.

Everyone gathered around Santa.

Rylin and Santa

Mason and Santa

Sydney and Santa

Hugs!

Amber

Table for Nine

December 11, 2012February 10, 2013Amber 10 Comments

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mason was Nisey’s charge for the night.

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

Smiley little man

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

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

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

hugs!

Amber

Individuals

November 27, 2012December 28, 2012Amber 11 Comments

Most people would agree part of the fun of having a baby is being able to dress them up and tote them around in adorable attire for others to admire. Why else on earth would they make precious baby clothes with the cutest accessories? Being on lock down with quadruplets sort of puts a damper on that concept.

When we get out as a family, it is usually for a doctor’s visit or perhaps a neighborhood stroll. During these times, we garner quite a lot of attention. Four babies in TWO twin strollers aren’t terribly conspicuous when together in public. People marvel over them, but it’s not as if each baby gets admiring glances on their own merits. Honestly, it can feel like a bit of a freak show for us. And of course, there are always lots and lots of questions and comments. For the most part, onlookers are very polite and only complimentary. I beamed when one passerby said, “Oh what a blessing!” I replied, “YES- they are a blessing!” The occasional person throws out the rude question or comment. The worst was when we were on a walk and a neighbor shouted from across the street, “Are they natural?” It’s not that we mind sharing our story or keep it a secret. But come on, shouting across the street isn’t the best way to inquire. I’ve joked about making a banner to hang on our strollers that reads, “Bet ya’ got a lot of questions. Visit fourtoadore.wordpress.com for answers”. That could be a bit presumptuous for the average inquiring mind so I haven’t gotten around to that.

I picked up baby sunglasses for everyone not because they are precious, but because macular degeneration runs in my family and our peepers need protection!

I absolutely love being at home with our babies and watching them grow each day. Yet, at times I just want to get back out into the world a bit and I want my babies to see the world too. So, for the past few weeks we started a new mission, to take everyone out shopping individually. We have a system where my mom takes care of three babies while I take one on a quick errand. We time it so the baby is fed and changed, I take them out and get back before they realize it’s time to feed again. Of course, germs are still a concern even for just one baby. Thus, I take full advantage of cart sanitizing wipes and slather myself in hand sanitizer a bizillion times.

Several weeks back when we decided to to this, I chose the most alert baby after feeding. Mason was the lucky guy that round. He and I made a quick jaunt to Kid to Kid to trade outgrown clothes for bigger ones. Then, we ran into Target. Of course my alert Mason conked out during the 20 minute car ride, but at least he was angelic the whole time. Later that evening, I decided to pick up a few groceries at Kroger. The evening here is affectionately referred to as “witching hour” because one or more of the babies is extremely fussy. Most of the time, the girls are the biggest offenders. I decided to roll the dice and take Rylin. I knew it would go one of two ways 1. she would enjoy the outing and behave OR 2. she would wail as if being tortured and we’d be forced to bail on the trip. Luckily, she LOVED it! For the entire 45 minute trip, Rylin was incredibly alert and appeared to be soaking in every bit of the novel environment. I think she also enjoyed rolling along in the grocery cart. I got two out in one day, leaving Harper and Sydney.

Mason and I chose the best cart from the corral.

Rylin soaking it all in at Kroger.

She’s so bright eyed!

The next week, we had tons of outgrown diapers that needed exchanging at Target. I figured if I need to convince customer service to swap diapers for a larger size, I better take Harper since he is far bigger than my pixie, Sydney. So, Harper and I headed to Target. Like his brother, Harper passed out during the car ride and pretty much slept the whole time we were in Target. Every now and then he stirred and I thought, “Pllllllease don’t scream now….just a few more things” and fortunately he fell back to sleep. Finally, this past week it was Sydney’s turn. She and I hit Kroger on Black Friday while everyone else was in the big box stores trying to score mega deals. Sydney got many ooohs and ahhs, but I think it was partially due to her big red bow and Santa socks. She was the only baby who dared cry while out. Just when our cart was over half full, Sydney scrunched her face tightly and let out a shrill scream. I averted bailing by pushing the cart at warp speed and lulling her to sleep. Mission accomplished!

Harper was down for the count, but so cute at Target.

This is after I got her to fall asleep. Prior to this,Sydney was alert and enjoying the scenery.

Sydney rocking her big red bow in Kroger.

It’s been so much fun having individual time with the babies and hearing others admire them for who they are not because they are part of a pack. This is something I plan to keep doing as they get older so there is always individual time for them. As I am more skilled in baby toting I may venture to take two at at time! I recently saw a mom of twins leisurely rolling two store carts side by side, and thought to myself, “I can do that!” I figure if I can take two out at a time, finding a sitter may be a viable option too! I enjoyed seeing what it is like for the average new mom and being asked “normal” questions. You know, “How old is he/ she? What’s his/ her name?” That sort of thing. Now that everyone’s been out, I have to start again!

hugs!

Amber

Deck the Halls- Check!

November 20, 2012December 28, 2012Amber 4 Comments

The weather outside is delightful so a fire would be just frightful! That’s because it is a lovely sunny day with a high of 80 degrees and yes, we have a house adorned for Christmas! I am fully aware we have not yet celebrated Thanksgiving and it’s over a week until December, but Christmas decor is here. George and I were both home yesterday so I decided it was opportune time to get in the holiday spirit. Christmas decor is a lot of work and having four infants doesn’t make the task any easier so I seized the moment.

George helped me heave Steralite boxes from the attic to the den and I busily worked between feeds during naps to get everything just right. All the while, our Christmas playlist blared from the ipod, which really put us in the spirit. In approximately four weeks, that same Christmas playlist will make me want to hurl. It was quite a sight during feeding time to see Boppies full of babies surrounded by a sea of Christmas glitz, half opened Steralite boxes, and oodles of wadded paper. Too bad I didn’t have the foresight to capture that in a picture. As usual, George left me to the tree. This is because I am a bit particular (when I say particular, I mean downright OCD) about it. I absolutely must find just the right spot for each ornament. The translucent ones must catch the light so they sparkle and the colorful ones go into dull spots to brighten them up. Throughout the season, I have a habit of finding better spaces for ornaments. When it’s finally perfect, it’s time for the tree to retreat back to the attic.

Here’s my favorite collection of ornaments, four pacifiers and a sea turtle!

George helped me with our Charlie Brown kids’ tree, however. The Charlie Brown tree is a skimpy, limp four foot tree that we fill with old homeade ornaments and others from childhood. For the first time, this tree has a bit more purpose and will be even better when the babies can appreciate it. Oh how I look forward to celebrating our Christmas traditions with the foursome.

Charlie Brown Tree

This year, the babies haven’t the foggiest idea that Christmas is coming, but it’s fun to watch them marvel at their new shining surroundings. I try to make sure tummy time faces the tree so they can enjoy it. I figure this is the last year for a while that the tree resides in the den. We generally have at least one ornament fatality thanks to my klutzy hands. Imagine it with four toddlers lurking about! With all the Christmas decor scattered around, the best new decorations are of course the four little ones playing on the den floor.

Everybody’s having a bit of supported tummy time facing the tree. Poor Mason is still working on raising his head, which is why he gets OT.

Sydney stopped looking at the tree when she caught a glimpse of her own precious face in the mirror.

Rylin could be looking at the tree, or perhaps just the monkey on her bouncy seat.

I’m pretty sure Harper can see the tree here.

Mason didn’t seem to mind the new decor and just conked out!

hugs!

Amber

A Change of Plans

November 13, 2012December 28, 2012Amber 7 Comments

I have a long-standing tradition of celebrating birthdays with my college roommates, Neha and Kristen. We always start the evening with homemade cake, which is usually sort of wonky looking. We never intend for them to look bad. It’s just that something always goes awry so we end up with ugly cakes that taste downright yummy. Before we devour the cake, we take a goofy picture using a timer and tripod. Neha makes sure to find a prop for said goofy picture and there are plenty of outtakes. We’ve got scads of pictures with someone half in them or a weird facial expression. We then head out to the birthday person’s eatery of choice. Over the years we’ve gone everywhere from mundane places like TGI Friday’s to chic wine bars. I think, with age, we have gotten more sophisticated in our picks.

One year, Neha and Kristen attempted to make a rainbow cake for my birthday. It apparently got stuck in the pan, left a hole in the center, and the colors ran together. They attempted to “fix” it by filling the hole with frosting and adding red sprinkles to the top. This one “takes the cake” for ugly cakes, but is a good memory.

Here is one of our goofy pictures in our old place. The extra guy is Faisal who lived downstairs from us.

We went to the Glass Cactus, which is a local “hot spot” one year.

No surprise, this year was a bit different with the additions of the newest Shawvers. It’s not as if getting a sitter for four infants is an easy task. Plus, we are currently on modified lock down to protect the babies from cold/flu/RSV season as much as possible. This means we pretty much take them out only to visit the doctor. Really, who am I kidding??? Even if we weren’t on lock down I don’t think we’d get four babies out in public it’s too much work. We also restrict visitors to well people with current flu and Tdap vaccines, ask visitors to remove shoes and wash hands thoroughly before handling babies.

When Kristen’s birthday rolled around this month, I invited my roomies over for some take out Chinese food and baby fun. Being the awesome friends that they are, Kristen and Neha accepted this change of plans and jumped right into our normal evening routine. Once they arrived, both scrubbed up and started falling right into place with us. In the span of one evening, the four of us changed babies, fed babies, burped babies, played with babies, put babies to bed, bathed babies, changed babies, fed babies, put babies to bed, made bottles, fed babies, burped babies, and tucked babies in for the night. Whew! Oh yeah, in between baby care we managed to enjoy a nice dinner with a glass of wine. At the end of the evening, Neha looked at me wide-eyed and said, “You guys do this every night?” Yes, we do. We do all of these things all day long every day, but honestly we are accustomed to it because it is our normal and our routine. I must say, it is so much more fun with a few good friends along for the ride! I hope we didn’t scare them off….my birthday is coming up after the new year. Maybe they will come back???

This was Neha’s first time feeding a baby. She did a great job with Sydney even though Sydney can be a bit tricky at times with her leaking and gagging antics.

It’s fun when we have visitors and everyone gets a baby!

This assembly line thing works well with a four member team!

We created an assembly line. Here George is filling bottles and Neha is capping them.

This is what it looks like when there are babies and baby feeders everywhere!

These two were pretty good at feeding by the third feed of the night.

Kristen’s birthday dinner 2012. We took a goofy picture, but I can’t seem to find it. Oh bother…

Here is this year’s wonky cake. Notice where I ran out of frosting for the sides and the top is a bit uneven? I did manage a checkerboard center though.

Cheers to good friends AND sleeping babies!

hugs!

Amber

Moving on Up

November 6, 2012December 19, 2012Amber 8 Comments

Well, everyone is officially out of newborn sized clothes and diapers! In fact, Harper’s size 0-3 month clothes are already getting a bit tight. I cannot believe that the babies have all more than tripled their birth weights by 15 weeks. Perhaps they will all be double-digit weights and on the growth charts soon. Since everyone outgrew their entire wardrobe in a matter of days, we started shifting things pretty much everywhere. George came home one day last week and asked, “Why are there clothes in limbo EVERYWHERE????” It took me the better part of last week to get everything sorted out. There are now boxes to donate, boxes to share, boxes to consign, and boxes to grow into. It’s here there and everywhere! Along with getting bigger, the babies are starting to meet some early developmental milestones. They are all pretty much neck and neck, but each one has a bit of a thing they are the best at. Rylin is our toy batter, Harper is thestuff grabber, Sydney is the thing tracker, and Mason is our smiley guy. They have been doing some of these things for a while, but started getting much better the past two weeks or so. Here are some of the cool things they can do now:

smile in response to another person smiling or being tickled

Mason just loved when Kristen tickled his belly.

Smiley Guy Mason

visually track objects

Sydney is really checking our her mobile!

show interest in toys, books, and objects like the fan

grasp objects, including mom’s hair

What’s that in Harper’s hand? A rattle!

Mason not only grabbed a rattle, but brought it to his face.

lift head with good neck control

Harper is demonstrating head control and toy grabbing at once.

Sydney lifted her noggin.

bat at toys

Here, batter batter, here batter batter…

look at a person talking to them and appear to listen

G.G. is really chatting Harper up here

kick legs, which is a lot of fun with rattles attached!

Rylin is kicking like she’s got a bad case of Restless Legs Syndrome!

notice when another is crying and join in the choir (this one is a problem during sleep times so we started using a sound machine and lullaby CD to help muffle the sounds)

Not sure who started it, but both girls were M A D!

suck thumb when upset (this is mostly Sydney and sometimes Mason) I know thumb sucking isn’t necessarily considered a good thing, but for a quad to self-soothe it is great!