Blade Thomas...

Welcome to the world sweet baby. You are two days old now and I am falling more deeply in love with you as each minute passes. I could sit and stare at you all day. Your sweet lips, your little rolls and calm presence are more than I could have imagined. I look forward to loving you and getting to know you even more, seeing you bond with your big brothers and sisters and watching you adore your Daddy just like they do.

 

I thank God for you, every last ounce of you and your perfect health. Watching you lay beside me, curled up so contently and breathing beautifully on your own is all I care about at this moment. There's no doubt in my mind you were made just for me and your Daddy. Please, always know you are so loved, you are special, you are wanted, adored more than words could express and you have absolutely stolen my heart. I am so blessed to be the Mama of such a precious boy.

 

 

 

I love you, sweet baby. Love, Mommy

Introducing Blade Thomas Cox

 

Our sweet boy, Blade Thomas Cox, entered this world yesterday October 25th at 12:34pm weighing a healthy but rather large 10lbs 8oz and was 21 1/4 inches long!!

 

Mommy & Blade are doing great. We appreciate your support and prayers and look forward to sharing this new  adventure with you, our family friends and followers!

 

More updates, and pics of course, to follow!

Delivery Day!

Well, today is the day. The day we finally meet our sweet baby boy. As thankful as I am to have made it full term (39w2d to be exact) I’m assuming it’s normal to have the weee little fear until you know your baby is healthy. We would greatly appreciate your prayers for a smooth delivery and healthy, fat baby!

Eviction is scheduled for 12noon and we will likely update sometime this  afternoon!

Thanks, Bret & Heather

Because you can’t be THIS pregnant and NOT paint your belly like a pumpkin…

 

Can’t wait to meet our little pumpkin on THURSDAY!! Eeeek!

Thanks Uncle Chris!

38 Weeks–Sweet #5!

7 days from right this moment, assuming all goes as planned, this baby will be evicted and I’ll be a Mama of 5. This little (big) baby that has been growing inside of me, stretching me to the point that I think I might just rip open will finally be resting in my arms.

Today puts me at 38 weeks and 2 days…38 weeks…crazy!  Contractions started about 2 weeks ago and have slowly but surely become more frequent. Our plan is still to do a repeat cesarean on the 25th unless something happens sooner on it’s own. My doctor (love him for this), although warning me this is likely gonna be a BIG baby, has continued to keep the option open for a VBAC. Like I mentioned before, not a huge deal to me but still not completely out of the question if God has other plans!

Speaking of plans… we’re almost completely set for next week.

Almost is so NOT me.

Hospital bags are packed, the quads’ belongings are in perfect place for sitters, their bags are packed just in case, the van is packed with extras just in case, their emergency bag (along with all medical details and history, of course) is packed,  there are multiple ridiculously detailed lists on my fridge that include schedules, a list of doctors and such, everyone is on call, everything is planned and there’s back up plans in case those original plans fall through…etc. That’s me. Prepared. Here’s where the “almost” comes in. Our “Sweet #5” STILL has NO name AND his room is not painted. Our lil dude will be here within ONE week and he has NO name and his room is NOT painted. DUDE! The quads were named pretty quickly once we found out their sexes (13 weeks) and the entire  house, rooms painted and all, was ready before I was even admitted. I will say we’ve made major progress in the name department over the past week. We now have a few on the table that we’re considering which was more than we had before. Bret’s job this weekend is to paint his room and then….THEN….we will be set :)

Everyone keeps asking if Brody, Baxlyn, Kylee & Korbin are ready and excited. I’ve told them many times “next week your baby is gonna be here!!!!” but I’m still just not sure they get it. I think they get that there’s a baby in my tummy but the fact that one will be coming home with us, to stay, is another concept I think they fail to completely understand. Sure, they know what brothers and sisters are, but they’ve always been the same age. To have a sibling on a completely different level than them will be different…for them AND me! That being said I am SO excited about the transition of them all becoming “real” big brothers and sisters. I honestly don’t have a fear of any jealousy or negativity whatsoever and am confident they’ll all love the baby to pieces…except that’s a fear…they’ll love him to pieces :/ We’ve been working on being gentle with our baby dolls….we’ll see.

As we approach delivery I think my biggest “fear” although I’m not sure that’s the appropriate word is how I will handle the transition. Assuming all goes well, Bret and I will be bringing home a NEW baby. Not one that has been in the NICU being “trained” for months, not one whose personality I’ll know already, not one who is on a picture perfect feeding schedule…a new baby, a fresh slate, a little person who we will mold from the start on our very own. It may sound silly but NICU was a HUGE platform for us as parents and has been the foundation of everything we’ve ever done with our babies. This time, we’re wingin’ it! I’m sure we’ll do fine but your prayers are appreciated! The quads were excellent babies and I can only pray this one is half as easy!

Tic Toc Tic Toc Tic Toc Tic Toc…..

DIY Homemade Fabric Softener & Dryer Sheets!

I thought I’d share another Do It Yourself project I’m loving these days. A few months ago I found a recipe online and started making my own fabric softener! We do a TON of laundry around here and our endless piles are only going to grow as our family does. It kills me to spend so much money on a bottle of Downy fabric softener and I feel guilty as I fly through a bottle within just a short period of time.

This simple recipe is cheap and I have found it honestly makes no difference in the outcome of my laundry besides the fact that it’s scent is not as strong as what you get when buying store bought softener…which may not be a bad thing! After using it for several months, I had run out of the homemade fabric softener so I used some of the Downy I had left over from a while back to wash our sheets. Bret and I were both amazed when we crawled into bed that night at just how strong the scent was…almost too strong now that we were not used to it.

What you will need: 6 Cups Water, 2 Cups Hair Conditioner (I’m a sucker for the Suave Ocean Breeze Scent. You can use any brand/scent you like), 3 Cups Distilled White Vinegar, Measuring Cup, Long Spoon & 1 Empty Milk Jug (a funnel helps as well!).

Directions: In a clean milk jug, gently mix/stir together hair conditioner, water & vinegar. I’ve found using hot water helps break down the conditioner a bit better when stirring. I use the same amount of the homemade softener as I did the Downy and pour it right into the fabric softener dispenser of our HE washer. I scored the hair conditioner for under $1 (I’m sure with coupons and such you could get it even cheaper) and we all know how cheap vinegar is…not to mention it’s MANY uses and the fact that you’re just using a small portion of it with each batch you make. We’re looking at mayybe $1 for a jug of fabric softener which makes me one happy, money saving Mama!

I never have used dryer sheets. They’re so pricey and we would go through a ton way too fast. I’m a fan of the wonderful (but ridiculously smelly) Static Guard Spray on the rare occasions I have static cling. After reading online you can make you own “liquid dryer sheets” using your homemade fabric softener I thought I’d try it!

What you’ll need: A New Clean Sponge, 1 Container with Lid (that your sponge will fit in. I used an old yogurt container), Water & Homemade Fabric Softener.

Directions: Mix together one part fabric softener and three parts water. Drop in your sponge and you are good to go! Simply place your damp (not dripping) sponge into the beginning of each dryer cycle for a boost of freshness and to eliminate static cling! At the end of each cycle, your sponge goes right back into your “Liquid Dryer Sheets” container and is ready for the next use.

If you make your own fabric softener or have any tips to offer, I’d love to read about it! If you missed it, check out our Homemade Laundry Detergent & Homemade Baby Wipes/Makeup Remover Wipes!

Pumpkin Carving with Daddy!

Bret let the babies (yes, I know, I must stop calling them that someday) pick out a big pumpkin on our trip to the pumpkin patch last weekend to carve at home. This was their first carving experience so of course, we document it :)

All bundled up on a cold Saturday afternoon!

Bret cut open the top of the pumpkin and immediately Baxlyn was disgusted!

Korbin wasn’t a real fan of it’s eewy insides either but took a peek. Kylee and Brody thought the insides were Eggs and Cheese. No doubt Kylee would have taken a bite if we would have let her!

Let the gutting begin…

Brody loved every minute of it (notice B in the background keeping a close stink eye on the whole situation)!

They kind of lost interest when the actual carving began, but Daddy did a good job…

The crew with the final project! Korbin less than excited about being forced to take a picture…

Baxlyn, Kylee, Brody & Korb

Pumpkin Patch with our 4 Lil' Pumpkins!

We headed to the pumpkin patch this past weekend with our local Moms of Multiples group and had a blast! It’s not too often we get to do things (outings) together as a family so this was a special trip we had been looking forward to for some time! L-R Baxlyn (who can’t keep her fingers out of her mouth when it comes to pics) Brody, Kylee & The Korb!

Two days before our planned trip I learned the good ole’ warm state of Texas was expecting a cold front. Slightly panicked, I pulled out their (ginormous 3T) winter clothes, Nana picked up some cute jackets and we were good to go! It was a verrry cold 50something degrees out (yes, cold to us southerners) but we survived!

My sweet B checking out the Moo-Cows!

Brody happily feeding the goats (you know, our favorite) while it seems as though Kylee is being attacked by a group of them in the background!

Feeding the sheep…my lil’ animal lover!

Torb Worb in all his whiteness ;)

Baxlyn. This girl holds my heart lately <3

Daddy & his boys. We went stroller/choo choo-less. A little tough at times to keep up with them all and Daddy did some carrying but overall they did super great!

Baxlyn, Brody, Kylee & Korbin. My freakin’ world. As hard as the days are sometimes, I absolutely adore my precious foursome. Can’t wait to add sweet number 5 to the mix (2 and half weeks AHHHH!!)!

We took them through their first maze, they loved it!

“1,2,3,4…1,2,3,4…1,2,3….we’re missing one!!”

Baxlyn, our born leader, informing the others of the plan on how we were all gonna get out ;)

Sweet Kylee Mae <3

They each got to pick a pumpkin just perfect for them…

Smillllleee! Baxlyn, keep your fingers out of your mouth!

A blurry picture of about 1/2 of our multiples group that was there that day. No lack of multiples in Texas, that’s for sure!

Baxlyn had been talking and talking about wanting to ride the choo choo train the entire morning. The boys decided to join her but Kylee was a bit nervous. Here’s the trio before take off!

Chugga Chugga CHOOOOO! Bret was just super thankful they were brave enough to go on their own – check out the poor dad shoved in the little car behind them – where are his legs?!

Kylee had just as much fun watching them ride and waving as they passed while getting to spend some “her time” with Mommy & Daddy!

Next up, the hayride! The fun but long and bumpy hayride, not ideal on the bladder of an 8 month, very round pregnant lady…ekk!

Kylee & Brody looking at something in the distance with their Daddy…

Baxlyn and her “puppy” or her “mingo” (thinking that’s a play off flamingo…not real sure but they get it). Stuck together like glue, these two!

Last but not least, our little Korbin & Baxlyn sitting on their pumpkins! Korbin, slightly jipped on his pumpkin size wise, but still sports a smile nonetheless :)

Such a fun day creating more memories with our littles!

36 Weeks–Sweet #5!

Sorry for being such a blog slacker over the past week. Things got pretty rough for me. The insomnia AND restless leg syndrome kicked in BIG TIME and I was miserrrraaable. 5 nights in a row I was up until at least 2am, several nights 4am. With 4 toddlers who wake by 8am it wasn’t working for me. SUPER big thanks to my mom for coming out multiple times allowing me to catch up on sleep! My doc prescribed a little extra iron and some vitamin c and Wa-La, things are MUCH better!

We had our 36 week appointment yesterday along with what will likely be our last sonogram. The baby looked perfect! One of the first things the sonographer said was “Uhh…was he measuring big at the last ultrasound?” lol. He is now measuring in the 87th percentile and weighs approximately 6lbs 14oz – that is a HUGE baby! Granted no where near as big as the quads combined but for one baby, he’s gonna seem huge! Dr. Leveno feels confident we’re looking at an 8, close to 9lb baby if we carry a few more weeks. He gave me the option to basically “keep on keepin’ on” to see if my body progresses on it’s own, giving me a shot at a vaginal birth, but with a baby this big, I think I’ll pass ;) We did set a date for a c-section of OCTOBER 25th!! Unless something happens before then, that will likely be his birthday which will put me at a whoppin’ 39w2d!!! That’s our plan anyways, ya never know what God has up his sleeve!

Bret and I (yes yes, mostly Bret) has been working hard at getting last minute things ready around the house. The baby’s crib and dresser/changer has been set up, his bedding and clothes washed and put in their places, all we lack is paint on the wall and his suite is ready!

36 Weeks! For those of you who have asked, yes, that would be a urinal behind my guest bathroom door – no house built by Bret and his Dad would be complete without one ;)

Until next time!