quads

A Day in the Life

Amber 15 Comments

When the babies were nine weeks old, I exhausted my FMLA and returned to work two days per week.  The cost of daycare is astronomical for one baby let alone four, so that was never under consideration.  My mom has been gracious enough to come Fridays, sometimes with help from a faithful friend.  George had flexibility in his work schedule so he arranged to have every Wednesday off and sacrificed Saturdays.  His father aka Grandaddycame on Wednesdays as a helping hand.  That arrangement was working quite well, until George accepted a different position in his company.  He now works Monday through Friday, which is great for family weekends.  Not so great for childcare.  With thoughtful consideration and prayer, we approached George’s aunt, Carol for the gig.  To our surprise she accepted!  George’s father will continue to come Wednesdays to help her and spend quality time with his grand babies.  Carol came over last week for a little “on the job” training, but tomorrow is her first official day without George or I here.

I know the babies will be in loving, capable hands so that is a piece of mind.  I also know that caring for quadruplet infants is no easy task and not for the faint of heart! I made a bit of a road map for them.  I jotted down our daily schedule with a few painstaking details about the major stuff: diapering, feeding, playtime, and sleeping.  I figure I would want a road map so Carol and Grandaddy might appreciate one too.  Here it goes:

7:45 am

  • Change Diapers
  • Give the girls juice from the tiny labeled bottles in the fridge (they will take it cold.)
  • Feed
  • Dress them in day clothes (Yes, they wear clean clothes every day even if no one is visiting and we are going no where.  They sleep in their pajamas over 12 hours so they sweat and sometimes leak from their diapers.  Eww!  Also, they need to wear all of the cute clothes generously gifted to us.  Plus, they look cute in pictures!)
  • Playtime

9:30 am

  • Nap

11:00 am

  • Change Diapers
  • Feed
  • Playtime

12:30 pm

  • Nap

2:00 pm

  • Change Diapers
  • Feed
  • Playtime

3:30 pm

  • Nap

5:00 pm

  • Change Diapers
  • Feed
  • Quiet Playtime (e.g.  books, Baby Einstein DVD, rock, chatter, swings)
  • Baby Massage with lotion OR bath, then pajamas

6:30/6:45 pm

  • Power Nap

8:00

  • Change Diapers and add Diaper Booster Pads
  • Dream Feed with one tablespoon of oatmeal added to the bottle
  • Bedtime

Every time it says “nap”, imagine me morphing into a white tornado that tackles enormous loads of laundry, scads of bottles, Crock Pot cooking, blogging, and slurping a cup of cool coffee.  On occasion, I force myself to indulge in a bit of television or maybe a power nap, but that is rare.  By the end of each day we have changed 20 or more diapers, made and served 140 ounces of formula, settled babies into cribs over 20 times, and washed 130+ bottle parts.  No rest for the weary here!  Now that the babies settle in for the night after their 8:00 pm feed we find ourselves trying to wrap up WAY too many projects in addition to the existing chores.  Sometimes it’s difficult to not do things that need doing, but our bed is calling.  That’s all a day in the life of quadruplets!

hugs!

Amber

Here are some pictures of our playtime activities from today:

Sydney and Mason are doing a bit of supported tummy time with a flashy toy. They are starting to press buttons!

Sydney and Mason are doing a bit of supported tummy time with a flashy toy. They are starting to press buttons!  Mason is especially good at grabbing things and pressing buttons.

Harper and Rylin are also trying supported tummy time with a flashy button toy.

Harper and Rylin are also trying supported tummy time with a flashy button toy.

Elmo makes appearances in our den, which really entertains the babies!

Elmo makes appearances in our den and the babies just LOVE him.  He is a tad annoying, but look at the grin on their faces.  They sometimes even laugh out loud when they see Elmo.

We now put the bottles IN the bottle buddies. The babies have gotten really wiggly and the buddies help stabilize them. I had to cut the elastic for the Avent bottles.

We now put the bottles IN the bottle buddies. The babies have gotten really wiggly and the buddies help stabilize them. I had to cut the elastic for the Avent bottles, but Sydney’s Dr. Brown bottle fits well.

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Harper is apparently enamored with this barnyard toy.

Sydney is trying to get a burp out while the others are in "stations".

Sydney is trying to get a burp out while the others are in “stations”.

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Here are some of our “stations” The boys are in bouncy seats while Rylin is on a playmat and Sydney is still trying to burp. That girl has the worst time trying to burp!

Everybody loves a rattle! Harper can't wear rattles on his ankles anymore so his are wrist rattles.

Everybody loves a rattle! Harper can’t wear rattles on his ankles anymore so his are wrist rattles.

Good luck Carol and Grandaddy!

Heartwarming

Amber 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!

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

Notice how Sydney is watching the fire while eating.

Notice how Sydney is watching the fire while eating.

Here's everyone lounging in Boppy pillows.

Here’s everyone lounging in Boppy pillows.

Now everyone can see the fire!

Now everyone can see the fire!

I think Sydney enjoyed the fire more than anyone.

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

Amber 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).

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

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That is a lot of babies for Santa!

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.

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.

Everyone gathered around Santa.

Rylin and Santa

Rylin and Santa

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Mason and Santa

Mason and Santa

Sydney and Santa

Sydney and Santa

Hugs!

Amber

Table for Nine

Amber 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

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?

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.

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

Sydney was situated at my corner.

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.

Mason was Nisey’s charge for the night.

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

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

Smiley little man

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.

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?

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

hugs!

Amber

Sharing the News

Amber 9 Comments

The past few days have been incredibly exciting and busy for George and I as we transition to expectant parents to new parents of quadruplets. I was discharged from the hospital Monday and we have begun to spend increasing amounts of time with the bp babies in the NICU. I will find a spare moment very soon to document the babies’ birthday and to start bragging about them, in the meantime, enjoy the link below. It is footage from a local NBC news story!

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/health/Keller-Couple-Welcomes-Quadruplets-163467626.html

Hugs,

Amber

Ps: As always, thank you for every prayer said on our behalf. The babies are doing great, but will still need prayers. They have a lot of growing to do and developmental milestones to meet.

Pin this!

Amber 3 Comments

I am pretty behind on my blogging because frankly on my last days of going to work, I was zapped of all energy.  Last weekend my dear friend, Melissa hosted the most precious shower at her house with the help of my friends Terra and Nekedria.  It was so cute in fact, I think some of Melissa’s  ideas should be pinned on Pinterest.   They used my sea turtle story as inspiration for the theme, which was so personal and touching.    Every time I would go into a new room I would find some extra special detail in the decor.   For example, on the coffee table was a set of books wrapped in brown craft paper that displayed the names of the babies.  Behind the fireplace hung a clothesline holding  little onsies with hand painted turtles.  Baby bottles were stashed about that were filled with sea shells.  The cake even featured our blog name and a set of sweet sea turtles.  I felt so loved seeing all of the hard work they put into my shower.  Current and former colleagues were all there showing their love and support as well.  Our department secretary who retired almost two years ago even came, which was a wonderful surprise for me.  One group found a Brighton sea turtle charm bracelet that I will wear as a reminder of our journey and a symbol to show others.  I couldn’t read the cards because I knew they would start the waterworks and I wouldn’t be able to turn them off.  Below is a slide show of pictures so you can see everything for yourself. 

hugs!

Amber

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Learning What Lies Ahead

Amber 8 Comments

One of the risky things about quads is that they always deliver prematurely, somewhere around 30 weeks plus or minus a few.  That means a NICU stay is inevitable.  Of course the NICU can be a scary place.  The positive side of having quads that will go to the NICU is knowing they will go there.  Many parents whose babies are in the NICU did not expect it, but we have some time to prepare for what lies ahead.  We have also learned that parents can choose what NICU their babies are admitted to.  We are fortunate that Cook Children’s Hospital is nearby and just opened a new level III NICU wing this past September.  We toured it this Saturday to learn more about it.  The NICU nurse warned us that we would have to act like “pit bulls” to insist that they go to Cook Children’s rather than our delivery hospital (as they have their own NICU), but we will do what we need to do to make that happen.  George was blunt about it and basically got the nurse to tell us it was about hospital revenue.  I don’t care about the hospital’s bottom line, this is our babies!

Cook Children’s is unique in their approach, which I appreciate.  They highly regard parent involvement and want us to be there providing care to the babies as much as we can.  In fact, the babies will be together in the quad suite and there are parent beds so we can stay too.  In other NICUs they could be in separate nurseries and would be with other infants.  If my babies are in a NICU, I want to be with them as much as I can and they will really make this possible.  We also felt better seeing how despite all the medical equipment housed there, it was not terribly clinical.  Everything is warm and personalized so we will feel comfortable.  George thought a tour wasn’t necessary since we’ll have plenty of time to get acquainted with the NICU, but he was really impressed with the facility.  We were so happy we took this tour, because the NICU is one less thing to worry over.  We know they will get the best care, which will mean the best possible outcome, and that makes me rest better!

hugs!

Amber

https://www.cookchildrens.org/SpecialtyServices/NICU/Pages/default.aspx#3

Tut, tut it looks like rain!

Amber 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!!!!

Amber 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

A girl holds The Washington Post of Monday, Ju...

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

Amber 9 Comments
Huggies

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

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