The BABIES need YOU!

This time two years ago, Bret and I found ourselves in the most trying time imaginable. After having to deliver the babies at an early 28 weeks 5 days gestation we were struggling day in and day out with the many emotions that come along with having preemies in the NICU. Seeing our babies struggle to stay alive and not being able to do a single thing to help them was hands down the hardest thing in the world. I can't count the number of times coming and going from the NICU that I saw parents completely helpless, broken and in tears... I can't count the number of times we came in and out of those doors helpless, broken and in tears. To think about our time there and the fact that we made it out, all of us, together, gives me chills and makes me so thankful to God that we have them all here to love and raise today.

The March of Dimes is an American health charity whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality. Their prematurity campaign is already showing signs of success, including a recent 3 percent decline in the premature birth rate. With more than 1,400 babies born too soon EVERY day, much work is still to be done. This is where you come in. Bret and I, with the babies, will be walking in the March of Dimes March for Babies next month in Dallas. We are asking that you consider helping us in one or more of several ways. You are welcome to walk with us, you can give a financial gift to help the March of Dimes and it's phenomenal efforts, and/or you can pass our team page along to others so that they may have an opportunity to give as well. To learn more about the March of Dimes and their prematurity campaign, click here.

You can view our personal page, in honor of Brody Baxlyn Kylee & Korbin, and learn how to donate by clicking here. Remember ANY amount you are able to give CAN and WILL make a difference in helping fight prematurity and helping those who are born premature to have a better chance at a healthier life. Thank you for your support and feel free to leave a comment or email us at coxquads@yahoo.com with any additional questions!

And we're back!

It took long enough, but we are all well here in the Cox house and I'm hoping it stays that way! We have taken full advantage of feeling well and gotten out in this beautiful weather we've been having. The past few days have been choo choo rides, parks, sunshine, sand, and lunches on the back porch in the warm Texas breeze. Thanks to Aunt Beth & Uncle Darrell, the Quads now have an awesome sandbox giving us one more reason to go outside. I can't even describe how good it feels to get out of the house. Bret and I are trying to get our poor neglected backyard kid-friendly for the summer so currently it looks like a construction zone. We're hoping after expanding the back porch and getting the grass to feel, well...more like actual grass we will have the perfect roaming area for our crew of two year olds!

Group pictures are nearly impossible now days. I'm lucky to get them all to sit together, let alone look at the camera or even smile together. This afternoon, sweet Lil' B actually understood what I was trying to do and bless her heart, she tried to cooperate. Too bad tho, she was the only one! You can see the others had zero interest in what I was trying so desperately to do. Picture after picture I have Baxlyn sitting here with her little hands on her knees saying "teeese!" God love her!

My little sand eating princesses. It never fails, one of them takes one big spoonful of sand to the mouth everyday. Not too sure what to do with them or when it will sink in that the sand is gross to eat...

Sweet Kisses & Sand Babies!
Hope you are all headed into a beautiful spring as well!

Just when I think we're in the clear...

Mama Bear gets sick...

I woke up Monday morning with a little sore throat and by that night I felt like my throat was rotting away. Tuesday morning, the doc confirmed I had BAD strep throat - joy. After a strong shot of antibiotics, pill form of antibiotics and spending the past 48+ hours (mostly) in bed, I feel zero relief. To make matters worse, migraines keep trying to sneak in on me and it's all I can do to stop them before they get too bad. It's safe to say I have the ugliest looking tonsils in Texas and I'm nothing short of miserable. Please say a lil' prayer I get some relief soon and more importantly that the babies don't get it. A HUGE thanks to my mom, dad and sister who have been here to help with the babies allowing me to v e r y s l o w l y heal, you guys are the BEST!

A special thanks.... make that two!

First, thanks to all of you who have been sendin' prayers up for the Quads. Since my last post we had three additional ear infections but are now doing GREAT! The babies are back to all smiles and have endless energy. The weather has been beautiful here in Texas and we were finally able to go outside to enjoy it...which brings me to my next thank you. Our friends, also known as Grandma and Papa Ferguson, had the cutest playhouse collecting dust in their beautiful backyard. They decided it needed a new home and graciously gave it to us! Bret and I want to thank you, Georgia & Larry, for thinking of us. We PROMISE it will get LOTS of good use in the coming years!

The moment it hit our backyard, both Korbin & Baxlyn took off in full speed ready to explore this cool new BIG toy! It took no time at all for them to figure out how to climb up all by themselves (giving Mommy a heart attack) and zip right down the slide! It will be a while before Kylee & Brody master climbing up by themselves, but with Mommy's help they reach the top and have a blast too!

I think their faces say it all!

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

An Update from Sick Quadville...

Well... it's Friday. I am proud to say I(we) have survived one heck of a week consisting of endless medications, breathing treatments, kisses & hugs. We have had some major mood swings over the past 4 days. One minute everyone is happy and the next they're dropping like flies to the floor in complete misery. It quickly goes from a nice fun chorus of "Do The Potty Dance" to "...mama...hode you....ahhhhhhhhh......hode you!".

Korbin despite having RSV is doing ok. He's got a rough cough and a never-ending runny nose. At any given time he's got a face covered in dry, crackly snot... kinda looks like some kind of "dry and peel" facial treatment you'd see in a spa. He's been getting breathing treatments here and there to try to help with his lungs... so far not a huge improvement but not getting worse.

Kylee, mood wise, is doing WAY better than the beginning of the week. It was her and Baxlyn wanting to be held 24/7 making it impossible to do anything. I assume her infection is going away since she's not tugging at it.Tuesday morning she woke up crying and her legs were as stiff as a board. The steroid shot she got Monday to help her fever made her little thigh SO sore she couldn't stand to walk or bend her legs. Luckily though, the shot did it's job and finally kicked in after about 24 hours and the fever hasn't come back since. She and Baxlyn both have begged on numerous occasions to go "night night" throughout the week, poor girls :( Her cough has gotten more persistent but isn't sounding worse, so for now we just continue the meds and wait it out.

We were told Monday to bring Baxlyn back in on Thursday if she was still coughing, which she was(is). She was tested for both Strep and RSV. No surprise, both were positive. With hardly any appetite she's lost 1lb since her birthday (2 weeks). Good news though - her lungs sound better than they did on Monday so the breathing treatments are helping tackle the pneumonia. Her mood, unfortunately, hasn't gotten much better. She clearly doesn't feel well and spends the majority of her days hidden under her blanket on the couch or begging to be held. She doesn't seem to be getting worse so that's a plus. Brody has somehow managed to stay pretty well. He's coughing a little and has a clear runny nose but that's about it. He's full of energy and walks around like a little ray of sunshine hugging the others as if he knows they don't feel well! Not wanting to be left out, he gets in on the breathing treatments every once in a while too! We ask the others if they want to "take their 'BZZZZZZ' medicine" and while they answer "no", Brody waddles over as fast as he can, plops down in the chair and says "Bo Bo! Bo Bo!" So so cute!
So, we're all hanging in there and are hoping the next few weeks fly by so we can get back to our normal routine...ya know...church, playdates, our weekly trips to the zoo ;) Please continue to keep us all in your prayers. Thanks!

The last words a preemie mom wants to hear...

...."your baby has RSV". Welp, I just heard 'em. Our lil' Korb had a positive RSV test this afternoon at the doc's office. Like I mentioned in the last post, the boys have been coughing and this morning Korbin went down hill. He was coughing a very different cough, one that sounded a lot like Baxlyn's and the one he had in January, which is when he was diagnosed with pneumonia. I loaded Korbin and Brody (might as well kill two birds with one stone, right?) into the car thinking we would go, find Korbin has pneumonia again, get some more meds to add to my now at-home-pharmacy, and we would be on our way. Nope.

Dr. Reyes was out this afternoon so we saw Dr. Alvis and the first thing he asked me was "did they get synagis this year?" unfortunately I had to tell them that no, they didn't qualify. He listened to Korbin and said he could hear "stuff" in both lungs, especially the right. He said he wanted to do an RSV swab as well as a breathing treatment. I thought OK sure. The nurse came in, swabbed his lil nose and proceeded to check his O2 saturations. I stood, making the "quack quack" noises moms make to make their kids feel better about having their finger slightly pinched. After several tries the nurse said "hmmm....92, Mom...". It hit me by surprise, I have to admit. They always take their sats at sick visits and they are always a nice and pretty 98-100%. 92 wasn't soooo horrible, but it wasn't where it was supposed to be. Luckily after a breathing treatment his oxygen level was up to a 94/95%, much more pleasing to see by all of us. The boys and I then sat in the exam room and played while waiting on the results from the RSV test.

The door finally opened and Dr. Alvis looked me in the eye, sighed and said "It's positive". My heart SUNK. Sure I know RSV is nothing to them like it would have been last year, I know are in the clear for any life threatening outcomes, and I know everything will be ok. But RSV is the monster of monsters in the preemie world, and a part of me felt defeated the moment I heard those words. Dr. Alvis said although it was horrible news to hear, thank goodness it's this year and not last. I couldn't agree more and I thank God for that. He said it's very likely the girls have it and it's very likely Brody, although clear now, will get it. He also said they are highly contagious for two weeks and it could take 6-8 weeks for it to completely go away...ugh.

For now, we continue to give them all breathing treatments as needed, stay away from other kids, and most importantly watch their breathing patterns closely at all times. There are no meds or cures for it, we just have to ride it out and pray it doesn't get worse. Sooo once again, we ask for your prayers as we are on a new "lockdown" until they are all strong and healthy again!