Korbin - My Little Singer

It never ceases to amaze me at how fast they grow and how quickly they learn. If you’ve been following for a while you know I try to document everything. From their first try at baby food to their first pony tail to their first snow experience I TRY to document it all so I can remember these moments when they were little. That being said, I still find myself wondering when in the world did they start talking? When did they start to really understand what I’m saying? It seems in a blink of an eye so much has changed and despite my many efforts, sometimes I think I’ve failed to take it all in, seize the moment and embrace where they are at any given point in time. When they were younger I had the time to take videos, edit them together creating memorable keepsakes to watch over and over. As they grow older (and louder and faster and bigger..etc) it’s hard to find the time to do such things.

I somehow managed to get sweet Korbin singing this evening. The stars aligned just right and not only was he willing to sing (with bribery of candy, of course) but the other 3 were quiet enough for me to actually HEAR him! Here’s my lil dude singing “Jesus Loves Me” & “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”…

Memory Lane: Laughter!

I can't believe these chunky sweet giggly babies will be 3 years old in just a few weeks! This is one of the sweetest memories I have of them. So so so blessed and so thankful to have been given this opportunity.

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Where oh where does the time go?!!?

Toddler Transitions: Update!

We’ve made two major transitions over the past 2 months; Potty Training and Toddler Beds. I thought I’d fill you in on how they’re going and how the quads are adjusting.

We went with the 3 day method on potty training and had great results. Here we are 2 months out and they are still doing great! They regressed a little the first few days we went to toddler beds but quickly picked back up what they had learned. We’re still doing diapers at night and pull ups during “nap time” (and I use that term loosely. ugh.) but strictly big girl panties and big boy undies during the waking hours and all outings. I actually can’t remember the last pee accident anyone has had (it’s been a few weeks-knock on wood). They still prefer to poop in their diaper at night/nap and have only gone on the potty a few times each. We’ll tackle night training soon enough, for now, I know they’re not ready. I will say, unlike most moms say, my BOYS have been easier overall than my girls throughout the whole process. We still don’t dare leave the house without a potty or two and make frequent breaks when out and about but it’s working! I no longer fear them not being able to hold it until we reach our destination, they’ve just continued to amaze me!

Toddler Beds. Toddler beds have by far been the hardest transition yet since bringing these 4 crazies home. We made the switch just days before Christmas and Ay Yi Yi! My other mom friends have always been super jealous of me and my “perfect little sleepers”. I’ve grown used to babies sleeping a good 12-15 hours at night, every night, and the thought of my kids waking up by 7am on a daily basis is unfathomable.  I hear parents talk about their littles being up at 6am ready to start their day and think I could never do it…everrr. If there’s one thing that’s gotten me through this journey of having quadruplets, it’s SLEEP. I’m lucky, I understand. Well, breathe a sigh of relief other moms, and silently laugh to yourself  as I tell you my perfect little sleepers are disappearing before my eyes.  Our 6:30pm bedtime has been more like 7:30 now days and our 9am wakings have been moved to 8am. We’re still not set on a specific schedule and may never be again. As a mom of preemies, and multiple preemies at that, our world has always revolved around a set schedule and it’s hard for me to let go and go with the flow as they get older.

Of course as they get older they need less sleep, that’s a given. I was just hoping a little older like the day before kindergarten ;) The toddler beds have given them a new found freedom that they enjoy far too much to sleep. I don’t mind the “stay up and play a while”  or “play until you crash” ideas but DUDE, mine don’t crash. It takes (especially the boys) hours. Talking turns into laughing, laughing turns into rough housing, rough housing turns into crying and before you know it it’s 11pm and I’ve got 2 year olds with more energy than I’ve had in the past 5 years combined. It’s gotten to the point where I’ve turned the boys beds back around, against the wall, so they’re basically in a crib again. After a few days we turned them back and the chaos continues. I cannot get them to stay in their beds for anything and I don’t have enough spare rooms to separate them (yet..heehee) which I think could do the trick.

Some people have mentioned that it may be time for them to give up naps altogether. I tried it and it was no bueno. I don’t mind if they stay in their rooms and jack around the entire time, not napping at all, IF their attitudes were fine the rest of the day. When I tried that method with the boys, pulling them out of their room after a few hours with no sleep, they went DOWN HILL by5pm. They were a mess and clearly couldn’t take an entire day with no down time. When they did hit their beds that night, they were out cold in a matter of minutes. 

One of the sweet moments…

One of the not so sweet moments… had a little talk with Korbin about “fairness” this particular night…

I assume they tried to barricade me out of their room on this night by placing every object they could get to in front of their bedroom door. I went to check on them and their silence and could barely push my way through!

   

The good part to all of this nap/night time chaos is that they are bonding. I mentioned that Korbin and Baxlyn are super close and this new craziness is bring the boys a little closer together as well as the girls.  For now it’s a transition we’ll continue to work on.

I guess they can’t all go so smoothly, ehh?! 

First trip to the FIRE STATION!

 

Our weather here in the Lone Star State has been pretty good lately despite it being winter. If you know anything about Texas, you know the weather here can change in an instant. I’ve been trying to get Brody, Baxlyn, Kylee & Korbin out during these nice days while I can. Last week Bethany and I decided to take them to the fire station for the first time!

When we arrived, the firemen were outside washing the fire truck. The truck was running therefore very loud and the quads were a little stand-off-ish and hesitated to go up to it. Once reassuring them it was OK, leader of the pack (aka Baxlyn) let the fire fighter lift her up into the truck. It was all smiles from there on out and one by one the others followed her lead…

      They all stood inside looking around and were overall pretty quiet. They play with trucks and cars at home but don’t have any “fire” trucks so, although they had heard of them this was really their first experience.Sweet Kylee Mae – still being an absolute Rock Star with her constraint therapy!   Here’s the fab four checking out the ambulance…

Brody, Korbin & Kylee have all experienced the ambulance and what it has to offer first hand at some point in their little lives so this was a first for Miss B – I’m hoping she never has to ride in one other than for fun. Ugh still gives me chills just thinking about those scary early blue-turning days :(

The fire fighters were SO nice to us while we were there and let us check out the entire place. We got to see their whole set up and hear about what a typical day is like in the fire fighting/paramedic world! I think the coolest part to the quads was getting to see their “bedrooms” which were a small rooms with bare mattresses in them. Seeing their Christmas tree was a big hit too :)  While there, out of nowhere sirens started blaring and codes were being called over speakers. My first reaction was to ask if we were in the way and needed to leave. The fireman giving us the tour assured us we were good and asked us to step back. Just like that, the doors of several bedrooms opened and out came more firefighters who had been sleeping just seconds prior. It was, no joke, like a 25 second long period from the time we heard the sirens to the time we watched them speed out of the garage. I was super impressed and once again thankful to see prompt response! 

I look forward to visiting more often as the quads get older and can appreciate the whole experience a little more!

L-R Korbin, Baxlyn, Kylee & Brody

Twins For A Day!

    My dear friend Bethany called me last weekend and asked if she could take Brody & Kylee off my hands for a day.  A few months ago she took Korbin & Baxlyn (shame on me for not blogging about it) and now it was time for the other two to have their turn! The difference from going from 4 to 2 kids is huge and I don’t realize how hard my daily life is until it’s altered and is made easier. Don’t get me wrong, I’d NEVER trade having qauds for “easier” but I do enjoy the break it offers every once in a while! Not only do I believe it’s good for me, but I think they all benefit from it as well. Very rarely are the quads split from each other and very rarely do they have an adult’s attention split in just two ways. Being able to split and spoil them is something I think all multiples need!I loaded up and met Bethany that morning to gladly give her two of my kiddos ;) Brody and Kylee were THRILLED that they got to go with her and Korbin and Baxlyn not so thrilled. Bethany drove away and Baxlyn cried “My Ky Ky, my Ky Ky!!!” I honestly didn’t think it would phase her or Korbin at all. Lately it seems like all they need is each other to survive! Below, Brody and Kylee gladly say goodbye!

Bethany took Brody & Kylee to see “Uncle Chris” at work! Here they are at the grocery store! I can just about bet this was one of the coolest parts of their entire day…being able to sit in a shopping cart (and one with cool car seats at that)! They go grocery shopping pretty often but are always confined to the choo choo wagon or runabout stroller. Anytime they get a chance to sit in a single stroller or a grocery cart they are on cloud 9!   I took my duo back home to spend the day. Really exciting, right? Actually, it was.  Korbin and Baxlyn play SO SO well together so I knew they would enjoy it just being them for the day. Brody & Kylee’s personalities are quite different than Korbin & Baxlyn’s. Brody & Kylee have a much stronger need to be talked to, played with and constantly entertained where Korbin and Baxlyn can easily play together for hours not needing much additional attention. This boy/girl boy/girl split works out great for us!  My day was easy breezy and I got a ton done around the house. It’s seriously amazing what I could get done with just those two!

Being a mom of multiples I’ve been asked since they were born if any of them have special bonds. I never considered any of them having unique bonds until lately. Korbin and Baxlyn have always been dubbed as “Korbin & Baxlyn” just like “Brody & Kylee” are typically paired together because of the fact that they’ve always been side by side developmentally, since birth really.  Korbin & B started eating at the same time during NICU, they came off the vent together, came home together, crawled together, walked together…etc. Kylee & Brody’s timelines are very similar as well. Lately the bond between Korbin & Baxlyn has grown into more than just similarities because of developmental milestones and such. They play their own little games and are easily swept off into their own little world on a daily basis. They’re able to play together in ways that they can’t with the others, if that makes sense….? What Brody would think was being mean, Korbin takes as a joke and plays back kinda thing. Whatever it is, it’s amazing to me as their mother to sit back and watch as it develops right before my eyes. Here's Korbin & Miss B playing in their new kitchen they got from Santa!

One big difference between these two and Brody & Kylee is that they’re getting to where they can sit and enjoy a movie (well a good chunk of it at least). They sat and enjoyed a nice peaceful mac-n-cheese lunch together while watching Dumbo for the first time (by the way, it had been years since I’d seen it and OMG, so sad!) Although separated and having a good time they CONSTANTLY talked about Brody & Kylee. Every once in a while they would tell me “BroBro & Kyky with Bethie?!” just to make sure. I heard them several times while in their room singing songs and exchanging Brody and Kylee’s names in random places… so sweet!

   After lunch, BATH TIME! Again, doesn’t seem like anything special but remember they usually all bathe together. To go from 4 toddlers in a tub to just two is a huge change!

It was all I could do to drag their little wrinkled bodies out of the bath, they could have stayed there for hours no doubt. They continued to play side by side throughout the afternoon…peace and quiet this mama enjoyed for sure! Love this shot below of Korbin making sure his hair was good and dried with the Dora hairdryer and brush lol!  I know there are a lot of moms of multiples out there who have (an understandable) fear of splitting up their multiples, if that’s you, I encourage you to do it! You don’t have to send one or some off to grandma’s for the entire night or anything, just start small and separate them for just a few hours. You may be surprised at how much fun they (and YOU) have!

Thanks again, Bethany, for giving me a MUCH needed break. I look forward to more days with “just twins” ;)