18 Weeks – Sweet #5!

18 weeks already, almost half way done cookin’ this lil pumpkin! It’s continued to be an easy pregnancy so far and I hope it stays that way. What little morning sickness I had at the beginning is getting better although I still depend on my zofran each night.

With the quads I didn’t really crave anything (besides ice, omg I went through a TON of ice) this baby on the other hand has been slightly different. My weakness is peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Jelly, in our house anyways, is one of those items that last and last. A jar could last us 4-6 months. Between PB&Js, toast with jelly and biscuits with butter and jelly, I’m finishing a jar every few weeks! Thanks to this little addiction I’ve already gained 10lbs. My doc said he’d like to see a total weight gain of about 20lbs by the end of the pregnancy…eeek… we’ll see how I do with that :/ Regardless of how much I gain I’m praying it all just melts away as it did post delivery with the quads – I can hope, right?! Another kick I have/had going on is salads. I’ve never been a big salad person but wow, I won’t pass one up nowadays! I especially enjoyed chowing down on Ceasar salads throughout my first trimester UNTIL a few weeks ago I learned that I shouldn’t be eating them at all. Duh me, had no idea there were raw eggs in the dressing NOR did I have any clue there were SARDINES (anchovies, whatever). Are you kidding me?! Disgusting!!

Brody, Baxlyn, Kylee & Korbin are starting to understand a little more about what’s going on, especially Kylee. We talk often about the new baby and how they are going to be big brothers and sisters. They’re starting to take closer looks at newborn babies we see out in public. Just the other day I left them with my mom and dad so I could run some preemie clothes to a local NICU. I told the quads I was headed the NICU to which Kylee replied “Dr. Leno (Leveno) take my baby brudder out you tummy?” Sweet girl not only putting together that the NICU is at the hospital but also talking about my OB and referring to the baby as her “brudder”, I love it! For those of you who missed my 13 week update, the sonographer feels pretty confident we’re having a boy. Our 20 week appointment should confirm!

I still haven’t felt anything movement wise. They say you feel kicks in your second pregnancy sooner than your first but I’m still waiting. I didn’t start feeling movement from the quads until about 20 weeks so I’m hoping it’s any day now that I get a few jabs from this little one. I lay super still each morning and night concentrating with all of my might trying to feel something, surely I’m just not trying hard enough to feel the baby move right?! Bret jokes that my uterus is so stretched out that the baby is not in the curled up fetal position but sprawled out with all the room in the world much like the little people in bubbles in the Wii game pictured below… LOL!

Here are the belly shots comparing 18 weeks with one baby…

 

…and 18 weeks with quadruplets! Bigger but much prettier than what I have going on now that’s for sure!

 

I took my first glucose test  (to check for gestational diabetes) a couple of weeks ago. Due to having PCOS my doctor has me take the dreaded test twice. One at 16 weeks and one at 28 weeks. I was a nervous wreck about getting sick but was able to stomach it and passed! Glad I get another two months off before having to do it again! Bret and I chose to do the 1st and 2nd trimester screenings and all tests came back perfect :) I also have HUGE peace of mind thank to Bret’s cousin’s wife, Jenn, who sent me her fetal doppler! With going a month between each doctors visit, Bret and I debated buying a doppler for ourselves to use at home. After being seen so often with the quads we both started feeling anxious after 2-3 weeks wondering if the baby was ok. Jenn’s doppler allows us to check in on our sweet little whenever we want!

I’m not the only one who checks in on my baby on a regular basis…

Above is Kylee checking in on her TWO babies. As a matter of fact all four of the quads check in on their 2 babies on a regular basis. That would make what… 9 babies making their way into the Cox household?! No thanks!

As always we’re all super excited and thankful for a healthy pregnancy thus far. We’ll do another baby update after our next appointment in 2 weeks!

A day at the ZOO with Daddy!

The quads have been missin’  their daddy now for a while. He’s been a busy man between working and building a house on the side and the they don’t get to see him on a daily basis. Bret took the afternoon off last Thursday and we hit the Dallas zoo. We go often with our multiples friends but rarely just the six of us. It was a nice change of pace having Bret there to pull the h e a v y choo choo and having just the 4 kids verses 15 plus kids we’re used to. I know our trips are limited this summer due to the scorching heat and growing belly so we’re trying to take advantage while we can!

The 2 adults to 4 kids ratio allowed us to allow them to have a little more freedom. They enjoyed walking more than they usually do and getting to get out of the wagon to get an up close look at the animals. Love this one of Brody and Mr. Penguin…What mom of 4 only brings 2 hats to the zoo on a hot day? This one. We had to share… L-R Korbin, Brody & Kylee        Kylee Mae Mae…with her Daddy. DEFINITELY a Daddy’s girl these days.Pictures like this still get to me. 4? Really? Quadruplets? All at one time? All mine? God is so good.  Sweet Korby Worby gettin’ more handsome by the day! Brody & Daddy :)Sweet B. This girl holds my heart these days. Can’t get enough of her! We gave the ole’ monorail a try again this trip and unlike last time they did great! A little impatient until we got going but once we started moving they enjoyed it.Priceless!  The goats, of course! It’s a good size pen that they’re in and the kids are allowed to go in and roam freely with them. This time they had the place all to themselves and as always, loved every minute of it!Our animal lover, Kylee. Getting up close & personal and feeding that 3 year old curiosity she’s got going on…Lord knows ya gotta check out both ends… hil-a-rious! Below,  Brody feeding the fish. I love getting the chance to let them truly explore and enjoy moments like these which are often limited due to being one of four. It’s hard sometimes, among the chaos, to remember to slow down and embrace the moment making an effort to soak it all up and we got so many opportunities this day!   A great part of the Zoo is their kids area. Typically this area is jam packed with kids making it impossible for me to safely keep track of my own four but this day we went in the late afternoon and had the place to ourselves. In addition to the goat pen and other animals they have a little water area giving kids the chance to cool down…Broman, my ham. This dude is all boy lately!Daddy & BrodyDaddy & Kylee

Love our family days and am so glad we get the opportunity every once in a while. Can’t wait to add our sweet number 5 to the mix!

Brody & Kylee – New Gear!

I took Brody & Kylee a few days ago to pick up their new AFOs. They’ve known for a few weeks now they were getting them and I’ve done my best to talk them up so they’d be excited. This is Kylee’s second round with braces and although she wasn’t walking last time, she did great. She’s proven time and time again a little gear every once in a while isn’t a big deal to her. Cranial helmet, splint, braces, she’s done it all pretty easily. Brody on the other hand, although broke records while rocking his cranial helmet, I was a little nervous about. When we got to the orthotics office, Kylee had her brace put on first and set a great, brave example for Brody. Once his were put on he was good to go as well! Loved them!

Unfortunately new braces equals new shoes. Fun for them but a little pricey for Mom & Dad when you are looking at multiple pairs. The braces force us to buy a size to 2 sizes bigger than what they normally wear and if you notice, Kylee only has one brace meaning we buy a pair in one size so the shoe can fit her right foot and another pair so she has a shoe to fit the left. If any of you really experienced AFO/SMO moms have any tips on the whole shoe thing, I’d be happy to hear. I was told Nordstrom’s will allow you to split two pairs to make one for cases like this and they just ship the other shoes back to be re-matched. Only issue with this is they are WAY more expensive than say Target or Payless which kind of defeats the purpose. Again, I’m all ears if you have suggestions!

Brody and Kylee were both excited to get home to show Korbin & Baxlyn their new braces. The instant we walked in the door, Korbin and Baxlyn asked where theirs were and frantically looked through the bags I brought in. Here I was afraid Brody & Kylee wouldn’t like them and all of a sudden I have two additional little people BEGGING for braces! We let Korbin & Baxlyn each try them on which they thought was pretty cool. Baxlyn is pretty much over her “need” for braces but Korbin is still pretty sad he was left out and is asking to go to the doctor so he can get some as well. Their innocence is precious. I can only hope if Brody & Kylee ever have to wear them to school in the future kids will be just as accepting.

I love their new AFOs and feel confident they will help with their tone issues. Unlike Kylee’s last pair, these have hinges (you can see around the ankles) which allows them to bend their foot when walking. The braces do keep them from being able to point their toes though, making toe walking impossible for Brody and offering a good stretch at all times. They’ve done great in them so far. They have to wear shoes with the braces at all times so that’s been a bit of an adjustment when it comes to everyday play in the house. They both are falling more often than usual but I know with a little practice they’ll get the hang of it. I’m just so so thankful they don’t mind wearing them and seem to be comfortable. They are supposed to wear them during their waking hours, getting breaks during nap and night (swimming and baths).

Kylee sporting her CUTE heart patterned brace and her new pink kicks!   Brody and his cool cameo braces!  My sweet duo who haven’t the slightest clue as to how much they’re loved. Proud doesn’t even begin to explain it.

  We’d appreciate your vote for us in the Circle of Moms Top 25 Moms of Multiples “contest”. Simply click on the pink circle icon at the top right, and give our blog a thumbs up. Votes are accepted every 24hrs for another 10 days or so.

 

A special thanks to my sweet husband for hacking into our blog to post a mothers day tribute to me! If you missed it, scroll down or click over in the archive to “Happy Mother’s Day 2012”. Love you Babe!

Thanks for your support!

Happy Mothers Day 2012

Brody, Baxlyn, Kylee, Korbin, & #5



LOVE YOU - Bret

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Some of you may remember the Circle of Moms Top 25 Moms of Multiples “contest” last year. No? Maybe this picture will freshen your memory…

How can you not bote after seeing that pic?! Our blog was nominated and, thanks to you guys, received enough votes to take a spot in the top 25. Throughout the year we were recognized multiple times which we greatly appreciate. We have been nominated again this year and although I’m a week late on getting on the ball and spreading the word, here we are.

If you are a long time follower (or a short time follower), enjoy our blog (or stop by just to be nosey..haha!) and have a few seconds to spare CLICK HERE, scroll down to “The Cox Quads” and give us a thumbs up! OR, even easier, see the lil pink button at the top right hand side of your screen, click there! You are able to vote one time each day for the next 2 weeks!

Thanks All!

Mommy’s Impromptu Birthday Party

I celebrated my (gag) 27th birthday a few weeks ago. We spent the weekend celebrating with the family and my actual birthday fell on the following Monday. When getting the babies…ahem KIDS up in the morning I said something along the lines of “Ok, you guys need to be super sweet to me today, it’s my birthday!” Baxlyn’s lil face LIT up with excitement and said “We gone have a bird-day party!!” It was adorable and I, being the Facebook addict that I am, posted her sweet comment as my status that morning. I quickly got an overwhelming amount of comments of people encouraging me to seize the day, fly by the seat of my pants and gosh darn it – throw myself a birthday party in which the 5 of us could enjoy together!

We did just that :) I gathered a few party supplies that I had around the house and a box of brownies from the pantry and the 5 of us got to work prepping for our “big party”! This was their first baking experience at home and they were super excited!

          Like any good mother, I let them lick the batter off the spoons ;)

We waited and waited until we heard the timer go off letting us know our sweet treat was ready… I sang Happy Birthday to myself while the quads blew their horns… …and they gladly blew out my candles before we enjoyed!

Thanks, my sweet babies, for helping me celebrate and keeping me young!