Meeting Stella

May 27, 2012Amber 3 Comments

One of the highlights of my week was meeting my new niece, Stella. Well, fur-niece that is. Last weekend my sister adopted the most precious Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy and brought her for a visit later in the week. It was funny, Stella is sooooo tiny, weighing in at about two pounds, but she’s probably close to the size our babies will be at birth. We held Stella up to my belly and couldn’t imagine sticking four of her in there either! There is no doubt, I am going to be roughly the size of a beluga whale by the end of this pregnancy.

Seeing my sister dote over her first baby was priceless. It reminded me of when we got Sasha and how much of a baby she was. We always tell newlyweds to get a puppy before they think about kids. If you can’t handle a puppy, a baby is probably way out of your league. Puppies are remarkably like infants (except of course you can leave them unattended for lengths of time and the don’t stay babies too long). Courtney was talking about how Stella wakes her up every few hours crying, poops all the time, and puts everything in her mouth. In fact, today, Courtney is taking Stella to the doggie ER because she may have eaten a screw! I’m hoping it’s a false alarm and the screw is just missing. Poor Stella!

hugs!

Amber

And the winner is….

May 2, 2012May 3, 2012Amber 23 Comments

When George and I decided to create the Name Game of scrambled baby name letters we had NO idea how seriously everyone would take it, how much fun it would be, or that it would even be possible to be cracked. We apparently did not give you all enough credit! The first two days after we posted it, two of my work friends, Gina and Mary, collaborated and started working to unscramble those letters. I remember that on the first day, we had a lot of meetings and I would see Gina discreetly scribbling letters on a tablet as she crossed letters out and re-wrote them. She was determined that the Name Game would not beat her! To my surprise, Gina and Mary cracked the code within a day. So, Gina and Mary are declared the winners of the Name Game!

Mary is an Occupational Therapist and Gina is a Speech Language Pathologist who work with me. Together we make a great team!

Here is some of Gina and Mary’s scratch paper. They may have cracked the code, but it was no easy feat!

We also have a few honorable mentions to announce. By the end of the week, two more of my friends, Melissa and Nekedria had it figured out as well. It turns out that Nekedria had an ulterior motive, you see she likes to give monogrammed baby gifts so knowing the name is critical for her! My parents and sister, Courtney, got it within the weekend. The funny thing is that my friends seemed to work together while my family had an “It’s every man for himself approach”. Mom would not even give Dad clues. We can be pretty competitive so I think they wanted to see who would get it first, and also having the pride in knowing they didn’t get help. So, since so many of you cracked the code, we decided we might as well release the names. Here it goes….

Baby A

Rylin Skye

Baby B

Harper Stone

Baby C

Sydney Raine

Baby D

Mason River

Here’s how we came up with the names. For first names, we essentially chose names we just like. We tried to choose names that weren’t terribly common, but also not “out there”, and names that would be cute for babies but would also become nice adult names. We also wanted each first name to be unique from the others. That meant no rhyming, same first initial, or similar ending. That got a little tricky because we’d inevitably think of two names that were similar, so one would get scrapped. And, finally, NO family names. George is a 4th so we decided long ago to end that tradition. Having multiple people with the same name together gets confusing and we’ve learned it also affects things like your credit score! Not to mention the fact that we didn’t want any family member feeling left out if their name wasn’t chosen. Within a few days, however, we had all four names chosen. I think it may have been easier choosing four than one. You see we didn’t have to come to an agreement on just one name. We both got to suggest more than one!

You will notice that the middle names have a common thread, they are all nature related. It started out that because of our journey to have children I wanted to use “Hope” and “Faith” for the girls. They just weren’t working with first names and that left the boys without similar middle names. We then decided that rather than spiritual names, we wanted to choose names close to nature and in turn close to God. Ironically, we did not directly plan this, but all four middle names can be found in the first two chapters of Genesis. My mom discovered that during one of her insomniac moments when she decided to pray. So there you have it, we hope you like the babies’ names. (Please don’t tell us if you hate them, or give us your two cents because they are chosen now! That is, unless you love them.)

hugs!

Amber

Let’s Runabout!

April 30, 2012Amber 13 Comments

Some of the best advice I have gotten from Dr. Tabor was to check out the blog of a former patient of his who delivered quads, Suz Steece. Reading her blog helped me in so many ways, especially by proving to me that this CAN be done, and also a little bit about what to expect. I mean, there is no “What to Expect When You’re Expecting Quads” book. After reading Suz’s blog for a while, I figured out how to connect with her and a few other local quad moms via blogs, email, and even Facebook. They have been AMAZING with advice and support.

One huge question we had for the quad moms was what type of car seats and strollers to get. I mean is it best to use convertible car seats so they last longer? Do you need carriers? Should we get twin strollers? Invest in a quad stroller? No one else knew what to tell us, but the quad moms did. Based on all the sage advice, we decided we needed Graco Snugride car seats that would accommodate preemies (the NICU nurse also told us that). To go with the car seats, we need two twin Snap and Go strollers, which are basically frames that you snap the car seat carrier onto. But, since I like freedom, we would need a quad stroller. Quad strollers are a bit tricky and ultimately the moms mostly preferred a Runabout stroller because it is lightweight, easy to steer, and fits through doorways. It is actually the same model the Gosselin’s had for their sextuplets. Without a stroller like that we’d be confined to our house unless there was more than one adult around. Believe it or not, the quad moms said ‘”may think you’re not brave enough to go out alone, but you will want out, and you will need a quad stroller to do it”. This is totally true too, because I know I’d get cabin fever. When we had a snow storm last year, I went stir crazy after about 2 days! The problem with this particular quad stroller is that it is quite expensive. I don’t think there’s a huge market for them so I’m sure it’s a supply and demand thing.

So, here’s the cool thing about my online connections. Casey Gerwer, a local quad mom, sent me a message asking if we’d like to buy their Runabout for a fraction of the original price (her quads are now four and just outgrew it). YES!!!! Of course we wanted it! The day after I got Casey’s message, Suz sent me a similar one since her quads are also four, but Casey beat her to the punch. So tonight, we headed to the Gerwer’s house to pick up the Runabout and meet everyone. Finally meeting Casey in person was fantastic! She is so sweet and welcoming. She shared some of her experiences and answered our questions. Her husband had some great advice for George too, “get an egg crate mattress pad for when you crash at the hospital because the beds are awful”. It was also nice to meet the quads. I mean, we’ve never actually seen any before. They were all very well behaved as they finished eating their dinner. There was lots of chatter of course, but everyone stayed at the table and obeyed their parents. Not to mention..they are adorable!!!!

Here is George with the Runabout. It is a pretty cool contraption actually. It has a cool hitch for the back of the van so it’s easy to take traveling, the seats tilt for comfort, there is a handy little sun shade, and basket for storage. If we decide to become serious runners, we can also go up to 10 mph with it (can you imagine that???)

The quad moms warned that while this is the best stroller for quads, it will attract attention. I figure, we will attract a lot of attention anyways! We might as well be practical about it.

In addition to raising four year old quadruplets, Casey has a web-based business called Designed for Babies that makes t-shirts and other stuff for families with multiples. They say cute things like “Be nice, I’m expecting quads” (too bad I didn’t have that one today when I was shopping in a motorized cart), “Quadruplets zone defense”, and “Got Quads?” She was sweet and hooked us up with some of her favorite designs, including onsies for the babies. Her line is sold at http://designedforbabies.com/home.htm

She is one amazing quad mama!

Here are the onsies from Casey for the quads. So cute!!!!

Hugs!

Amber

Tut, tut it looks like rain!

April 7, 2012Amber 7 Comments

I have been assigned to Bonnie Brae Elementary for five years now, and I’ve come to know the staff there over the years. I’ve always known the staff was special and sort of like an extended family, I never expected the wonderful shower they planned for the quads. The original date was set for this past Tuesday, but the weather turned quite tumultuous that day. Severe storms and about 13 tornadoes ravished the metroplex. By the time school dismissed, most of the teachers only wanted to get to their families and homes, so we postponed the shower. This was perhaps one of the worst series of storms in the area in a long time. In fact several towns are considered “disaster areas”. There were homes and building that were completely flattened. 18 wheeler trucks were tossed like toys and dropped on homes. However, despite the destruction, there were very few injuries and everyone survived. It was quite miraculous!

Postponing the shower did not make one bit of a difference for our Bonnie Brae shower though, the staff touched me with their love and support for George, me, and the quads. They did a lovely job decorating and making it special. Our art teacher, Jen, custom made each of the babies a turtle picture frame and onsies labeled “Baby 1”, “Baby 2”, “Baby 3” and “Baby 4”, which hung on a clothesline. Another teacher, Danielle, and her daughter, Abby, made an amazing diaper cake! It was three tiers of diapers (that we will use later) adorned with spoons, bottle brushes, tiny socks, and pacifiers. I was taken aback by all of the thoughtful gifts each person gave brought, and was amazed that even very new staff members were there too.

When I came home in the evening, George was completely amazed at what the staff of Bonnie Brae had done, and was so appreciative of their generosity. We spent several hours going through each gift and talking about who brought it. Then we sorted everything and stored it on the new shelves George built in the nursery closets. A week that started out with a terrible storm ended in a beautiful shower of love!

hugs!

Amber

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EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!!!!

March 27, 2012August 13, 2014Amber 5 Comments

While George and I have known we are expecting quads for over seven weeks, last week was the time we told all of our extended family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. It has been an amazing week sharing the news. I only wish I had a camera to capture all the facial expressions. Better yet, video footage. It would be a hysterical you tube montage! Reactions ranged from excitement, amazement, shock, and I think even some fear. My favorite reaction was when a co-worker hugged me because she could see I am expecting, but literally jumped back three feet when she heard it was four. It was almost as if having quads were contagious. One principal squealed in delight. It was priceless.

The funniest thing was what my boss did. I told him the day before we went on spring break, but waited until after spring break to tell everyone else. He asked if it was a secret and I said “no”. I was thinking he might mention it to our secretaries or other people in the administration office. However, I did not expect the “Welcome Back” email he sent to our department the Monday we returned. The memo read:

“Good Morning!

Hope everyone got in some good relaxation time last week. It’s been a busy spring break for some, however.

Amber told be Friday before the break that she is expecting and I’m sure she spent time getting ready.

Danny had a baby girl Friday. Her name is “Zoey Elizabeth.” Mom and baby are fine.

Amber is pregnant.

Claire emailed me Friday to say her doctor scheduled her delivery for today. No distress but thought it wise to do.

Amber is expecting.

So, I hope all is well with you. We’re very happy for Danny and Claire.

And I should mention Amber is expecting a fourth time, since they are quadruplets!”

When I read the memo, I literally wanted to crawl under my desk. I’m not a person who feels comfortable in the spotlight and this certainly was like putting a high-powered spotlight on me. I didn’t get much work done that day because my phone exploded with calls and texts, and my email kept pinging. Most people said when they read the memo they thought our boss had really lost it this time and forgot what he typed. Too funny! I also got quite a few office visitors that day, as my office mate kept sending people in saying I needed to meet with them. When our assistant principal came in he was panicked that something crazy happened with a student. He seemed relieved to find out it was just news that I am expecting quads (no big deal ya’ know).

It has been fun sharing this news with everyone, but I have really appreciated the warm, supportive response we have received. Everyone seems to share our joy and many people have offered to help in some way or another. I think I should start taking names of volunteers now….just in case they forget. So far I have baby rockers, feeders, launderers, cooks, and housekeepers- not bad!

One of my schools has already organized a shower as well. They are all so sweet and excited about being a school where there are quads on the way.

hugs!

Amber

Diapers, wipes, and formula, oh my!!!!

March 24, 2012Amber 9 Comments

Huggies (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Over spring break, my dear friend, Melissa insisted that I start a registry at Babies R Us (she is very worried about me going on bed rest before things like this are done). She came along with me and gave lots of great advice on what you really need. We ran out of steam to head to Target so that registry was left for another day. George decided he wanted input on the registry. So today we went to Target to get started. He was totally floored about the prices for formula and diapers. The poor guy did not have the foggiest idea about what baby stuff costs, much less for four babies. Since we found out we were expecting quads, I have been nagging him about where to cut back and such, but he hasn’t taken much stock into that….until today! After our little Target jaunt, we went to Costco to pick up a few things. Funny thing, George started really paying attention to price comparisons. For example, instead of choosing real maple syrup he decided Ms. Butterworth’s would be fine. It turned out to be a very good thing that he helped with setting up a registry! He may have never realized the cost for diapers, wipes and formula otherwise.

Fun quad fact #1

A set of quadruplets will go through approximately 40.000 diapers!!!!!

hugs!

Amber

Rewind

March 23, 2012August 13, 2014Amber 7 Comments

Okay….I am a bit behind on starting this blog since we are already almost 14 weeks along. I’m going to start out by rewinding a bit to where this all began.

January 16, 2012

The horrible, treacherous 2 week wait technically ended for me this past Sunday, but my beta (blood test done by the doctor to determine how much, if any pregnancy hormone is present) was yesterday. I did exceptionally well until about 10 days past IUI when I started to feel pregnant and my mind started going down all the rabbit trails. I held off on a home test until Sunday because I figured by then I’d get an accurate result. I debated about whether to go with the digital test (less sensitive, but easier to read) or the pink lines test (more sensitive, but dodgy to read). I was terrified to test because it would either make or break my day. I woke up early (mind you, it was still dark outside and it was Sunday) and snuck into the bathroom to test. I opted for the digital test. I figured I was or I wasn’t so pink line confusion wasn’t in the cards. To my delight I got a beautiful “pregnant” on the screen. I wanted to scream!!!! However, I didn’t want to wake George just yet. Instead, I put the stick on the counter by his sink and crept back into bed. He didn’t wake up for another hour or two. When he finally stumbled out of bed, I watched him fumble around in the bathroom and glance at the stick before heading into the water closet. After he was done in there, he came back to the sink and did a double take. He said something like, “Is this what I think it is????? I thought it was a toothbrush!” The poor guy is practically blind without his contacts so I’m sure he couldn’t read it, but had enough where-with-all to connect the dots. We kept it entirely to ourselves on Sunday and basked in it. I think a little piece of me was still worried the beta would come back negative despite the positive HPT.

Yesterday I had blood drawn in the morning and of course they didn’t call with the results until after hours (thank goodness I already did the HPT!). My poor mom on the other hand spent the day thinking it was bad news and that’s why I didn’t call. I think she panicked! When the nurse finally called, I had to get her to repeat the number twice….1212! (I wasn’t sure it was 12.12 or 1,112) OMG!!!!! For reference…..my last first beta was 119 and they want something over 50. Dr. Elkins said I got a good beta because of the black eyed peas I brought her on the day of the IUI (it was New Year’s Day). George protested it, but I knew that was good idea! Tomorrow I go back for a second beta. The RE said it probably won’t double, but should increase. We shall see.

So as this marks the end of my 2 week wait, I pray that it symbolizes the beginning of many new adventures. Before the New Year, I thought to myself, I hope this year will be the last time we go through all the milestones and holidays in a year without children so we can start celebrating firsts instead.

I don’t think I’ll be relaxed until I have a healthy baby in my arms. In the meantime I’ll remember my new mantra, “Worry does not empty tomorrow of it’s troubles. It empties today of it’s strength.”

January 18, 2012

Yesterday I went in for a second beta. It was 2779! Looks like it did double after all. I had a little panic when I read in my Mayo Clinic book that high betas can mean either multiples or a molar pregnancy (e.g. a big bunch of nothing!). I would be happy with multiples, its the bunch of nothing that is scary. Thankfully, a friend also dealing with infertility reassured me that my betas are nowhere near molar levels. Whew!!!!

It will be another week before the next beta. What I really want is to see an ultrasound though! I considered asking for an early one, but decided not to since it’s too early to see a heartbeat. That might bother me. This is like two week wait part two!!!!! Seriously, it is a FOUR week wait…..excruciating.

January 26, 2012

My third beta was 42,129!!!! The RE said that it was progressing right along.

February 2, 2012

When George and I went to the RE for my first ultrasound I felt pretty confident there was a healthy little bean (or two in there), but was still a little anxious for this first peek. Honestly, I felt confident since the first beta, but those little worries tend to creep up when I least expect them. We had absolutely no idea what surprise lie ahead. As soon as the RE began the ultrasound, I could see three prominent dark circles on the screen, but couldn’t see much else. I worried it was a lot of nothing in there. She started probing and pretty quickly found one baby with a fluttering heartbeat that we could hear! A huge sense of relief came over me. She kept probing a little more and George commented that he saw an empty sac. The RE agreed that one didn’t appear normal and was likely empty. She continued to probe and behold, she found another baby with a fluttering heartbeat we could hear. Okay, there were two viable ones. However, she wasn’t done yet, she probed more. Yep, there was a third little fluttering heartbeat. She was convinced there were triplets and a fourth grainy, empty sac. I thought so too. Yowzers, triplets! I never imagined having more than two! However, the other RE came in and wanted to check things out himself. He began to probe around and quickly found the three from before, but to our surprise, he found a FOURTH baby also with a fluttering heartbeat that we could hear. He said something about finding a little bonus. Um, did he say there were FOUR???? I don’t know what state of shock may have been on our faces, but I’m sure it was there. Both REs also seemed a little surprised and worried about finding a fourth one as well. My numbers this cycle were nearly identical to the prior cycle when there was only one. George crunched a lot of numbers and figured out that the chances of all four follicles producing a mature egg and being fertilized are about one in a million. Maybe we should buy a lotto ticket?

After getting lots of pictures of the little beans, the RE’s left me to get dressed so we could consult in the office. Once I got dressed, I think they left us to simmer in the office for about 15-20 minutes. It seemed like an eternity as our brains raced all over the map. I knew there was a procedure called “multi-fetal reduction”, which is generally recommended when there are high order multiples. The theory is that taking out one or two improves the viability of the others. When the RE returned to his office, George immediately told him that we would not consider a reduction, we were going with the four. How on earth could we consider taking one of these lives away as they were clearly meant to be? The RE talked to us about some things to expect and being referred to a high-risk OB. He also mentioned something about the body possibly “self-reducing” some of the babies. We were digesting quite a lot of information so I don’t think we asked many questions. We made another ultrasound appointment for a week later to check the progress.

When we got home, I only wished I had a ticker box to count the number of times George said “Four.” He must have said it hundreds of times within a matter of a few hours. What an adventure this will be!

For reference regarding beta numbers, check out this link at Beta Base: http://www.betabase.info/showBasicChart.php?type=Triplet