FAQ

If there’s one thing I’ve gotten used to with having Quadruplets, it’s the questions. Every time I walk out my front door I am reminded that my life is not “normal” having quadruplets and they’re not something you see every day or ever in many cases. I have learned that when estimating the time it will take at any given place I have to tack on another 20mins if I have the babies with me. Rarely do I walk 10 feet without being stopped and asked questions or asked to pose for a picture. Sure, sometimes it gets annoying, especially when I’m in a rush, but I try to think of it from their point of view. I had never seen Quads before I became pregnant with a set of my own and I know I’d be amazed at them too. It seems like many of the conversations between moms of multiples revolve around the questions and comments people have regarding our situations. I thought I’d share a few of my own experiences. Some are completely legit questions and many, you’ll see, are just plain dumb, judge for yourself…

How do you do it?
One day at a time. One hour/minute/second at a time on the bad days.

Are them all twins?
Maybe this is a southern thing? I’ve heard it numerous times. No, “them are not all twins”. With each additional baby comes a completely different term (triplets, quads, quints..etc)

How did you come up with their names?
Brody and Kylee were our “if it’s a boy/if it’s a girl” names. Once realizing there we were expecting two of each we quickly found two others. Bret came up with the name Baxlyn and I immediately shot it down and said “that’s not even a name!” He didn’t push it at all, we moved on, but I kept thinking about it. After a few weeks it grew on me so we went with it. It’s different, yes, but we love it and it fits her PERFECTLY! Korbin was originally going to be Crayton and out of the blue Bret decided he liked Korbin instead. It look a little time to convinve me we were "allowed" to spell it with a "K" if we wanted to ;) Their middle names are our parents’ middle names Brody Coleman (his dad) Baxlyn Hope (his mom) Kylee Mae (my mom) and Korbin Lee (mine and my dad’s).

Are they Natural? Did you…..?
First of all I’ll say this question doesn’t bother me, but MANY moms of multiples find this to be a very personal question and many get very offended. This is the nice way of saying “Did you use fertility drugs?” Many times they leave off the rest of their sentence and hold out the “Did youuuuuuu…..” almost begging you to cut them off with yes or no so they don’t have to ask the actual question. Many people do come out and ask if I used IVF (invitro fertilization) and no, I didn’t. When I answer no their jaw hits the floor because most people assume a pregnancy is either spontaneous (natural) or a result of IVF. There’s actually a lot that can go on in between “natural” and IVF. I took 5 little pills called clomid to help me ovulate. Fertility treatments or no fertility treatments, ultimately God has the final say in how many babies a person will have at a time.

What are they?
I am human, my husband is human therefore we produce miniature humans ;) “What are they”… as in what do you call that many babies born at one time. I find it very entertaining when people try to guess. Here are a few Bret and I have heard “Are they Fourtiples?” “Wow! Quatriplets!” “Quintiples” “I have my hands full with one, I don’t know how you manage Quatwins” “Doubletwins” and my personal favorite “Fourlets”.

Are they identical?
Blonde hair, brown hair, straight hair, curly hair, blue eyes, brown eyes, BOYS, GIRLS…. No they are not identical and they were all in separate sacs.

Did you know you were having four?
I assume people mean one of two things with this question. Either A)“Did you choose to put 4 in?” or B)“Did you know, at the time you gave birth, that four were in there?”. The answer to A: No we didn’t know or chose more than one. We walked in to our first sonogram hoping/expecting to see one heartbeat. The answer to B: Yes. We knew at our first sonogram that there were 4 (possible 5) in there. So yes, when it came time to deliver there were no surprises and no unexpected babies!

Who was born first? What did they weigh?
Birth order is Brody 3lbs, Baxlyn 2lbs10oz, Kylee 2lbs7oz & Korbin 2lbs11oz. Kylee was actually supposed to be born last but slipped down as the pressure relieved and left Korbin to be the caboose! It was weird to see her as "Baby D" in sono pics and then become "Baby C" within split second. When the docs used "Baby D" in NICU Korbin always came to mind until we got used to the switcharoo!

Having another one? Or So I guess you’re done, right?
To be honest, I (we) don’t know. I personally would have another in a heartbeat (I think!). Bret would too, if finances worked in our favor and opened the door. There are many things we think about like; If it is just one, will he or she be in the shadows of the quads their whole life and be known as “the quads’ lil’ sister”. What if it’s more than one? What if we faced the same (minor) issues as the first round and clomid, typically being the first step in fertility issues, was recommended again (no, I wouldn’t take it again). The faster they grow the more I am saddened at the idea that my baby days may be over for good. Who knows what the future holds, God’s the author and he’s been known to do some awesome and unexpected things in the past ;)

Did you deliver vaginally?
Really? I guess I get the curiosity but dude, reallllly? I get it all the time and what’s even more surprising is that most of the time it is old MEN who ask me this question. No, I didn’t. I am not a human machine gun. I had a c-section. Not only would having to push out 4 babies not be good on me, there’s a good chance it would have physically smooshed the tiny babies I had to deliver. By all means it can be done, but not in our particular situation.

Is it getting easier?
I get this question DAILY lately. I could do an entire blog post on this question alone. I’m surprised to get the question in the first place and then I’m even more surprised when they are surprised when I respond with a quick “NOOOOOO!” Although there are many things I really do enjoy about this age, I would go back to the itty bitty stages and overnight feeds in an instant. This time two years ago my house was spotless, I was able to stay ahead of laundry, dishes and all other housework. I could lay the babies down and they would STAY there, I had no reason to sweep/mop 32 times a day. I could go on and perhaps I will in an upcoming blog. Don’t get me wrong as they get older they are more fun but WAY more challenging!!!

You are Brave!
Thanks but being brave has nothing to do with it. I didn’t wake up one day, feel a little “brave” and decide to take on the challenge of having quads. God blessed me with the lil boogers and I do what I have to do on a daily basis to survive and take care of them!

I feel so sorry for you.
All the time. I get this all the time. It’s sad. As much I go on and on about how challenging it is lately, I would not change a thing and feel super blessed to have been given this opportunity.

Glad it’s you and not me!
Yup, me too!

Which one is your favorite?
Brody. Hands down, Brody has been my favorite from day one. I’m kidding, no mom could have a favorite. I do “like” one more than the others on occasion but in all fairness it changes frequently and they all even out ;)

You’re too young to have that many babies.
An old man told me this once and was dead serious. I’m sorry sir, should I sent them back until I’m old enough in your eyes?

You’re too little to have that many babies.
No I’m not and I did.

Quads would be so fun. I hope I have quads one day!
This comes from the ones who really do have a screw or two loose in the head. I get the fun part, there are fun things about it I guess. What gets me is that people “hope” to have quads. If I didn’t think you were a bit looney, I’d invite you over for a week or two to show you what it’s really like. There's so much work that outsiders don't see.

I took clomid and only got one…. Gah.
I got this particular comment back when the babies were in cranial bands. We were at their appointment and a lady was clearly disappointed when I answered the fertility question with “clomid”. She literally rolled her eyes and said those words. I was in absolute shock. Looking back I wish I would have talked to her about the many people who have lost the battle to fertility and would do anything to have a baby. The fact that she was upset she “only” got one still gets under my skin.

Looks like someone needs to lay off the fertility drugs.
Just a few weeks ago a man mumbled this under his breath while I passed by pulling the quads in the wagon, or so he thought he mumbled. I stopped dead in my tracks, looked up at him staring him in the eye and said “What?” He quickly stumbled around looking like a deer in the headlights trying to give me the “…oh well….uh…uhh… ya know uhh….it’s just that you don’t get lucky and get that many babies….right?...”. Until you have been in my situation, don’t judge. Please. You have no idea.

That had to hurt!
Nice huh? Again, mostly from elderly men.

My sister’s friend’s cousin’s dad’s step dog had twins!
If I could have a nickel for everyone who has told me about the person they know who has twins I would have at least two college tuitions completely paid for, without a doubt.

Are you sure they’re quads? “Yes.” But this one has blue eyes and this one has brown eyes….and his hair is blonde…?

This lady argued with me over whether or not they were indeed quads and knew that they couldn’t be based on their individual appearances. Fraternal multiples look no more alike than siblings born at different times. I happened to be there when they were born and I am confident they are in fact quadruplets.

I have four kids too! They were all two years apart so I KNOOOWW how it is!
I hope I don’t offend anyone when I say having 4 children all at different times is not like having quadruplets. I can’t count the number of times someone has told me “Yeah mine were all 2 years apart, believe me, I know what it’s like.” Believe me, you don’t. I admit there are some things you deal with that are harder for example I can throw mine all in a stroller when going to the store, you have two in a stroller two walking/running from you… that’s got to be hard. Please don’t tell me you know what it’s like until you have carried, delivered and are in the process of raising quads yourself.

What daycare/preschool are you with?
I’ve never worked at a daycare, but I don’t think they take their infant/toddler class on field trips….?

Those are just some of the Frequently Asked Questions we get. I hope I haven’t scared you when it comes to asking us questions but some that we get when were out and about, clearly, are a little silly! Here’s a cute video I thought I’d share…

Vote Vote Vote!

Thanks to all of you who have casted votes for the Circle of Moms top 25 Parents of Multiples! Voting continues through this weekend and ends Monday, May 30th. Looks like, knock on wood, we have landed ourselves a stop in the top 25 thanks to all of you! To cast your vote for today click here, scroll down to our picture and give us a thumbs up!
We hope you all have a great, fun, safe Memorial Day weekend! Thanks to all who have served our awesome country. We all know freedom isn't free and your dedication and sacrifice is greatly appreciated!

Just what every mom hopes to hear over their baby monitor...

Ladies & Gentleman, I give you our little sweet darlin' Baxlyn Hope...

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What's up Docs?

We've had several doctors appointments within the past month or so and I've yet to blog about any of them. Let's play catch up, shall we? Brody & Kylee had their annual follow up with the pediatric eye doctor. It was just the three of us and it was so fun! I love getting out with just one or two of them by myself, it's special bonding time as well as a feeling of independence for me not having to use a stroller. Nobody takes pictures of us, we don't get many questions, nothing. It's nice to have that feeling of being normal every once in a while.

Kylee, Dudu & Brody

I used to absolutely DREAD going to this particular doctor. They had to be seen several times within weeks of being released from NICU. I'll never ever forget those early days and having to wait in the waiting room with my 5lb preemies and being absolutely terrified of the germs surrounding us... if a fear of germs would have given me a heart attack, I would have dropped right then and there (I know you other preemie moms know what I'm talking about!). I had their seats covered with blankets and was literally afraid of them breathing the same air as the "big kids" around them for fear they could catch something. Now that they're older and my germaphobia disorder (haha) has subsided a bit I let them actually play in the waiting room with the other kids! After 2 hours of dilating and sitting and being examined they both checked out fine and don't have to be seen for another year! Here's a pic of Brody and Kylee checking out the cool tools before the doc came in.

Our next two patients were Korbin and Baxlyn. They were seen by Dr. Roberts, the developmental pediatrician, and impressed her, like always. This was the longest they had gone since being born without seeing her, 6 months. Korbin is right on track for actual age and Baxlyn was above, scoring at 30months on most areas!!! They don't have to be seen for another YEAR! Here's Baxlyn showing off her picture recognition skills...

My little man and little lady sitting on the curb checking out their stickers!
Up next was the dentist with all four. This was our first time to go into an appointment stroller free, it was challenging, but we did it! So many people are shocked I already take them to the dentist. This was their 3rd appointment actually (4th for the Korb). We were told by our docs that because they were preemies, they were at higher risk for complications and that they need to be seen at a year adjusted. We've taken them back every 6 months and they've done great every time. Kylee was a little apprehensive the second we walked in the door and said "aw done, aw done. awmost done...awwwmost" trying so hard to talk me in to believing we were indeed all done with this place! The dental hygienists always take them 2 at a time. 2 go in one room to be evaluated and cleaned while the other 2 go in another and then they all come together to see the dentist. Brody and Kylee have the hardest time relaxing to let Dr. Brister take a peek inside, Baxlyn on the other hand jumps right up there like she owns the place! He warned us (which we already knew) we for sure have braces in our future and we need to start saving now...yikes...braces X 4... what age can we put them to work?! Beseides being a little crooked and crowded, their teeth all look great. He did tell us that he has a feeling Baxlyn is missing a tooth. She's a late teether, they all are actually, so we haven't thought much about her not having all of her incisors yet. He said he could be wrong, it may show up eventually, but based on the looks of her gums he wouldn't be surprised if it's not there at all. Luckily it's a bottom tooth, so it shouldn't be too noticeable if it is missing. Time will tell! Korbin was looked at a little closer because of his incident a little while back. We hit the good side of the 50/50 chance and I am SO happy to say his tooth has survived! I've gotten used to it being out of place now and I'm just so happy it die altogether. Missing a top front tooth would have been a big deal to this momma!

Therapy wise (ECI), we've had lots of success and changes! Korbin just graduated from Speech while Brody and Kylee just said good bye to their Developmental Specialist! Thanks soo so much for all you've done Ms. Lindsey & Ms. Lauren!

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2nd Birthday Barnyard Bash!

You're probably thinking Birthday?!? Yes, their actual birthday was in February but due to cold weather and it being RSV season we decided to wait to celebrate until Spring. The party happened to fall one day after their due date (May 6th)....so technically speaking it was right on time! If you know us at all or have followed the blog for any amount of time, you most likely know we (they) LOVE animals and have spent countless days at the zoo...in the goat pen in particular ;) The babies (KYLEE) has a HUGE thing for goats! It was a no-brainer to me that this year, their first "real" party, would be a barnyard theme.

Some friends of the family own a super nice party barn and were more than willing to let us host the party there. Everything about it was perfect... the open space, wooden benches, the karaoke/bar, the decor, the stringed lights, everything was just perfect! We added a few balloons, a "Pin the tail on the Goat" game and about 35 kids (mostly 2 and under - YIKES!) and we were good to go! Amy Horton with Amy Horton Photography came out and took care of ALL the pictures allowing Bret and I to actually enjoy the party. This was HUGE and I'm so thankful Amy did this for us, seriously made things so so so much easier on me and I recommend going that route to all of you moms out there! Amy - THANK YOU! Mother nature took it easy on us as well. I was a little nervous about having a party partially outside and in an unairconditioned barn in early May and was afraid we might be baking in the Texas heat. Luckily it was warm but not hot and we had a nice breeze as well!

We had a bounce house set up outside and of course what's a barnyard party without a few animals, right?! Bret and I hired Debra from Anna Acres and her two kids to come set up a small petting zoo with 2 goats, 2 chicks, 2 chickens and 2 guinea pigs! This was by far the hit of the party, the kids LOVED it! Before the party got started we had the big garage doors closed to the barn, when we went to lift them up, it just so happened there was a goat on one side of the door and little miss goat-lover-Kylee was on the other. **Perfect Moment** That door opened, Kylee laid eyes on that goat and it was as if she saw her goat in shining armor! Anymore excited and she would have fallen over no doubt. Her beautiful big blue eyes widened, her hands were shaking with excitement and she shrieked "DOAT! DOAT DOOOAAATTT!!" Bret and I both happened to be standing there and saw it all. It was by far the best moment of the party and that moment alone made all the planning and money spent totally worth it! To see our sweet girl THAT happy was priceless! We provided snack sized baggies filled with animal cookies and strips of bread for the goats and fresh veggies for the guinea pigs so the kids could feed them as well - such a hit and great, easy entertainment! All of the kids loved the animals, but Debra thought it was hilarious that our four never ever left the tent the entire time she was there!

Once we said goodbye to the animals we all enjoyed hot dogs with all the fixings that the men had been working on. Kids were playing, babies crawling, adults visiting, music playing it was everything we hoped it would be. After lunch we gathered what kids we could to play a little game of "Pin the tail on the Goat". Of the 5 who tried to play I think two actually got the point of the game :] Maybe next year! We then opened presents. I was surprised that none of the quads understood the "open presents" concept. We had a few older kids there who were more than willing to give them a hand at unwrapping!

We saved the cake for last, knowing it would be a royal mess. Like last year I ordered each of them their own small cake as well as a BIG cake for all of the guests. Bret and I want to try to make each one of them feel special on their birthday, which is hard to do when you come into the world with 3 others. Getting them each their own cake is one way of "individualizing" them along with singing the Happy Birthday song 4 times, one entire song for each of them. Their individual cakes were simple over sized cupcakes each topped with a barnyard animal that we took off and replaced with two candles when it was time to sing. The big cake was decorated as a field with an adorable barn with the animal figurines around it; a pig in the mud, cow behind the fence etc. that read "Happy 2nd Birthday Brody, Baxlyn, Kylee & Korbin!" As our guests left we gave each family a custom made CD with the party music we had played throughout the party (Old Mcdonald, The Farmer in the Dell, Mary had a Little Lamb etc.) as a party favor and thank you. Each CD had a picture of the quads along with "Thank you for celebrating with us! -Brody, Baxlyn, Kylee & Korbin 2011".

I've added just a few pictures from the party, you can see the entire gallery at the Amy Horton Photography website. Simply click here and use the password Quads.

A huge thank you to all who attended our party and had a hand in making it so special for our family. Mom, Dad, Bill, Anita, The Millers, Amy, Bethany and Debra - a huge thank you to you for helping in the ways that you did, it wouldn't have been a success without you! I'm excited to see what we come up with next year...hee hee :]

Caged Monkey

I've heard soo many stories about toddlers and their quest to escape their cribs and have been warned that one day, chances are one, some or ALL of mine would learn to as well. I thought that maybe, just mayyybe I would get lucky and not have to deal with that part of toddlerhood...ha! A few months ago I went to peek into the girls' room during nap time and saw this...

My heart just about jumped up into my throat at the sight of my little barely 20lb baby girl straddling her crib rail and holding on for dear life. I went in, set her back down in her crib, told her "no" and left the room. Five minutes later I hear a loud THUD followed by crying. Sure enough she had done it again, but had fallen and landed on her head. The first thing that came to my mind was crib tent. I've heard some people say "When they climb out of their crib that means they NEED a toddler bed"... I totally disagree. At this point in time, for our family, toddler beds are out of the question. Luckily, my friend and fellow quad mom Casey Gerwer had a crib tent she was ready to get rid of so we made the trip that afternoon to pick it up. We were prepared to install it that night if our little monkey-girl decided to try it again. To our surprise, she didn't. Since then (December) that crib tent has been waiting patiently in the garage until we were forced to use it. Well, that day came this past Wednesday night.

It was about 7pm, the babies were in bed and Bret and I had just sat down to watch a little American Idol when we heard a little voice say "Mom.........Mom..........Mom....." (first of all MOM? where in the world did she learn to call me Mom?!). Bret and I immediately looked at each other knowing she was not in her crib and was standing very close to her almost but not quite closed door. I peeked around the corner and saw Baxlyn's little body standing at the crack of the door and her little face beaming with pride, I have to admit it was kinda cute! We went to her room, set her back in her crib, had a little talk and left. 2 minutes later...you guessed it...she was out again. Not sure how she did it, but she did indeed figure it out without hurting herself. Bret headed to the garage for the crib tent and he and Baxlyn sat in her room putting it together while Kylee watched.

Once it was ready we had to figure out a way to make the new tent seem fun and cool but not soo fun and cool that the others would want one...let me tell you that is a FINE line! I've heard parents say their kids call them "tents" "princess castles" and other cool things. Baxlyn immediately suggested it was her "tunnel". We set her in her new tunnel, gave her a few blocks and she settled right down for the night!

The next morning the boys went in to see the girls with their daily "Goo Mo-nan!" greeting...their jaws dropped at the sight of the new crib tent and Korbin yelled "Bashi Tunnel!" He thought it was the coolest thing and insisted he and Brody try it out too! For now it's the perfect fix for our little climber. I'm sure it's just a matter of time before there's another one, two, or Heaven forbid three in cages as well!

Happy Mother's Day 2011

The best name ever.... "Mommy"!

Kylee, Korbin, Mommy, Brody & Baxlyn

Mother's Day 2011

Easter 2011

I had been looking forward to Easter all week. Looking forward to the break I got having other adults around to help, being with family, and celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus! Easter morning started off like any other Sunday morning. We all got up, got dressed for Sunday church and headed out the door. By the time we got to church Korbin just wasn't himself and by the end of service he was running a fever. Boo. By the time we got to Aunt Beth & Uncle Darrell's house the poor little dude was miserable and had zero interest in his Easter basket. Brody Baxlyn & Kylee dug into their baskets that consisted of stickers, eggs and bubbles while we practically forced Korbin to sit with his for a group picture.

After lunch we took the quads outside to do another egg hunt and thankfully Korbin perked up enough to join in the fun. Below is a picture of them with their baskets full of eggs!

Love this one of Kylee reeeaaching for the egg that rolled between her legs, she got it too! While looking at all of the pics deciding which to post, Baxlyn and I came across several of these pics of Kylee and she yelled "Kylee fall dowm, UH OH! Kylee fall dowm. Kylee right deah fall dowm right deah!!" poor girl was SO concerned over her sister!

Leave it to Papa to show them how to eat that freshly melted Easter chocolate right out of the foil wrapper!

The INSTANT we came inside from hunting eggs, Brody was hit with fever and curled up under his blanket on the floor, not letting go of his Dudu. The girls got to enjoy coloring eggs with the family and Korbin eventually joined in a little. Poor Broman felt soo bad he didn't move a muscle to see what was going on :( The egg coloring consisted of 2 (at times 3) toddlers and at least 4 adults and it was all we could do to keep things under control. Leave it to Kylee to dump a cup of orange food dye then stick her hand in it!

Some parents use vinegar in the mouth as a form of punishment.... future reference this will not work for Baxlyn. The girl LOVED it. Between CHUNKING eggs into different cups with dye, she would do her best to sneak in a spoonful of the yummy stuff.... eww!

My lil' B sitting proudly with her eggs!

You can see Brody couldn't care less about the eggs, I hate that he was feeling so horrible and had to miss out on the fun.

Finally, my sweet girls and their bunny ears! I LOVE these things, so so adorable! Their "hats" as they call them, were a little bit big this year but will be the perfect fit next year, I know. A friend of ours in Kentucky makes all sorts of cute girly accessories including bows, bow boards, bunny ears, hats, headbands, purses and more! Find her facebook page and see more of her products here!

After an afternoon of high fevers and close contact with our AWESOME pediatrician (Thanks Dr. Reyes!!!!!!!!!!!) we made an appointment for Monday morning. Turns out our little boys, as well as Miss Kylee, had strep throat AGAIN. Luckily this time is passed quickly and stayed away from me! Within 24 hours they were all back to their normal little selves and enjoyed the rest of the week. Here's to hoping next year we have 4 healthy 3 year olds to celebrate Easter with!

Stay tuned! Coming up - an interesting night in Quadville as Mom & Dad are challenged by a certain little sneaky someone and a Barnyard Birthday Bash!