The Cox Quads

Korbin - My Little Singer

2012-01-24T18:41:00.003-06:00

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!

2012-01-16T16:52:00.008-06:00

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.

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
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Where oh where does the time go?!!?

Toddler Transitions: Update!

2012-01-12T16:16:00.001-06:00

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!

2012-01-05T09:00:00.000-06:00

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!

2012-01-02T16:50:00.001-06:00

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” ;)

Christmas 2011

2011-12-31T15:51:00.001-06:00

Christmas was great this year. With Brody, Baxlyn, Kylee & Korbin being almost 3 years old (WOW!) they are starting to grasp the whole idea of the season. They knew it was Jesus’ birthday and because of that we were having a big party, birthday cake and all!

We spent Christmas Eve with Bret’s family, starting at Mamaw’s house. This year unlike the two years past, the quads knew how to open presents themselves and waited for nobody. Between trying to read name tags on gifts, looking at what they were opening and encouraging them to take a moment to breathe, I found myself lagging behind in the picture taking department! Below is Kylee with the FIRST gift she opened. Inside her new backpack was a bag of chocolate goldfish that she had never had before. She sat on the fire place and didn’t open another present the entire time. She held that bag, scarfed those fish down as fast as she could and snapped at anyone who came near. DO NOT mess with Kylee and food.

While Kylee was in her own world the other three proceeded to open their gifts (including Kylee’s). Here’s a picture of Brody with another brand new Mickey, spoiled lil’ boy!

Love this one of Kylee & Mamaw, so sweet!

Our smiley Kylee once again, standing by Santa Claus at Papaw’s that evening…

Papaw helping Korbin open a gift. Korbin INSISTED on wearing a bow that evening. This little one managed to stay stuck to his head for hours that night! Brody & Uncle BradleySweet Sisters :)The boys making sure Santa’s cookies and milk were in just the right spot before heading off to bed on Christmas Eve!Christmas morning Kylee was the one most concerned about the cookies being gone. Here we are a week past Christmas and she’s still talking about how Santa ate the cookies and drank the milk! Santa brought the girls a kitchen and the boys a tool set. Both were set up and ready to play with Christmas morning. Like Christmas Eve, the babies wanted NOTHING to do with opening more gifts!I took several group pics of them that morning and this, unfortunately, is the best one I ended up with. We have Brody smiling (not sure what at… but smiling), Baxlyn chewing her finger, Kylee upset about something and Korbin….apparently checking out Barbie’s hind end. Nice. No joke peeps, this is the best one.Kylee & Mommy Below we have Baxlyn opening (what we didn’t realize at the time) THE gift of 2011. You may remember the vacuum from last year? Yeah, this Baby Alive was the toy to have this year. Thank GOODNESS my mom and sister had another one at their house waiting later that day. You can see by the look on their faces that one was just not going to cut it! Just a few short hours later Kylee is happy as can be when they receive the other Baby Alive! Kylee & Papa looking at the picture in his new frame!Korbin sharing sugars with Nana! The piano from Uncle Brian was also a big hit. Below Brody & Baxlyn making some music!

We hope you all had a great Christmas as well! Coming your way Twins for a Day, A trip to the Fire Station & The ZOO! Stay Tuned!

Holiday Fun at Aunt Beth’s!

2011-12-23T22:22:00.001-06:00

My mom and my sister thought it would be fun to have Brody, Baxlyn, Kylee & Korbin come over for an entire Saturday to bake and decorate Christmas cookies! My brother Brian is here from Michigan to spend the holidays with us as well and was able to join in the fun! We all had a great time and plan on making this a little tradition the quads can enjoy each year! Warning, picture overload coming your way….

L-R Brody, Korbin, Kylee & Miss B ready and waiting for the fun to begin!

Little Santa Brody cutting into the dough first!

Korbin, oh so serious!

Miss Kylee & Aunt Beth

Sweet Baxlyn

After the cutting and just a few minutes in the oven it was time for the decorating! 2 year old quadruplets plus 4 bowls of frosting and millions of sprinkles equal quite a mess and a load of fun! Love this one of Brody…

Kylee and her fake smile…

Brody showing Uncle Brian just how this sprinkle shaking is done…

Then we have Baxlyn. This activity was right up her alley. I don’t think she mumbled a word the entire time she decorated! She was SO into what she was doing it was as if nobody else existed!

You can NEVER have too many sprinkles, says Korbin!

The final products…

After the cookie decorating Uncle Darrell ventured out into a whole other territory. He’s got his own annual tradition of making gingerbread houses and this year he thought it would be a good idea to have the fab four join in the fun! Below, I had to get a close up of Kylee totally ROCKING this pincer grasp, something she’s definitely struggled with with her left hand. Seriously, as her Mama, this picture means a lot to me and is such a reminder of how far this baby girl has come! OH so proud of you Kylee Mae, so proud! The end result! Not too bad if I do say so myself!

Just a few days before their baking fun the quads had their very first sleepover away from home (besides vacations and hospital stays)! Bret and I had an evening to ourselves while Nana, Aunt Beth, Uncle Darrell, Uncle Brian and cousin John took them for the night! Bret and I have spent many nights away from the babies since they were tiny but have always left them at home with sitters. It was nice to ship them off so we could have the house to ourselves for a change!

Below, three of the four enjoying a little steak dinner with Nana and Uncle Brian!

Pita (our Elf on the shelf) even showed up to watch for good behavior!

Brody’s new found love….loading the dishwasher! He is the biggest helper lately and loves to “do you a favor”! Sweet sweet boy!

One last picture of the crew confined to their peapods while they camped out on the living room floor! Nana slept on the couch to keep a close eye on them through the night. She said Brody woke up at 1am and sang “Jingle Bells” and talked to himself for 2 hours! LOL!

I absolutely love this time of year and having the babies makes it a million times better! This year the Christmas spirit is in full swing, you can see it in their little eyes as they start to “understand” the season and all that it brings! I have no doubt each year will get better and better and I look forward to making more unforgettable memories like the ones we have this year!

Cox Quads 1st Christmas Play

2011-12-22T17:03:00.003-06:00

Sunday morning the quads took the stage during their first Christmas play at church with their nursery friends. Brody played the role of Joseph, Kylee was Mary, Baxlyn an angel and Korbin a shepherd (who is hard to see standing in the back). All 7 kids did great! They stood quietly and didn't make a peep....that is until their teacher introduced "Mary". Kylee apparently saw the perfect opportunity to steal the show as well as the hearts of those watching!

Toddler Beds…

2011-12-21T16:02:00.001-06:00

It seems just like yesterday I was on bedrest at home, laying there watching a bunch of men fill my spare bedrooms with cribs. This past week we said goodbye to those cribs and hello to toddler beds. Bittersweet, yes, but the easiest transition for me (emotionally speaking) so far. I had planned on keeping them in their cribs until they were 5 years old. Ok not really, but as long as I possibly could. Had you told me a month ago we would be in toddler beds by Christmas, I would have thought you were crazy. After more and more escapes by Baxlyn, even with a crib tent, we knew it was time. Rather than just switching her to a big girl bed alone, we went ahead and transitioned all of them.

Like many parents now days, we bought the cribs that converted to toddler beds that convert to a full sized bed as well. Below you see they all gathered as Daddy opened their new railings!

With four “helping” toddlers at our feet it took a good 25 minutes to assemble the new pieces to each crib. They each held tightly to the screws and tools Bret was using and offered a helping hand every chance they got.

The boys hard at work!

Baxlyn’s bed was the first one done and they all had to try it out! You can see Brody still hard at work making sure each screw is in tight!

A shot of the boys room and their new big boy beds!

Once the cribs were assembled we were ready for our first test…dun dun dun, Nap time. I took everything out of their rooms with the exception of their dressers (which the knobs are off of, btw, so they are not able to open them) and a few small lovies. Realistically I knew nap one would hardly be a nap at all with their new found freedom. The first thing they ALL did? Switch beds. That, by far, has been the coolest part for them about the whole transition…getting to sleep in the other’s beds.

After putting them down… I guess now I should say “in” for a nap, I listened to them laugh and have an absolute BALL for hours. Their doors were shut and I checked on them frequently just to make sure they weren’t ripping down the walls or hanging from the ceiling fans. I actually took a video camera in with me each time I checked on them and got some hilarious footage I hope to share sooner than later! My biggest fear of the entire toddler bed transition was that they would try to come out of their rooms. I pictured babies laying on the floor, fingers reaching under the crack of the door and them crying and begging to come out. Boy was I wrong (man those words have been used on this blog a lot lately). They don’t argue a bit to go to bed/nap now and enjoy playing in their rooms together!

It’s been a week and a half now and the “newness” of their new beds is wearing off, which it good. The first week they all stayed up for hours (literally) after being put to bed. With the exception of Poop Fest 2011 and occasional ruckus with the boys, it’s usually them just talking, bed hopping, and playing until they fall asleep. The last three nights the boys have actually gone straight to bed, with maybe 5 minutes of play. I’m confident as time goes on, they’ll all settle down even faster.

Here’s the four of them in their Little Sleeper Keepers just before bedtime. Baxlyn, Korbin, Kylee & Brody

While the girls sit with each other in one bed doing some sisterly bonding and read a book the boys are in the next room doing everything but that. They’re bonding alright, but in a completely different way. They prefer to jump, laugh really loud, take their sheets off the bed, lick each other and throw their lovies on the floor. Here they are wearing their capes…

The first of the three nights they went right to bed, I love this. Brody wasn’t feeling well and asked to go to bed, I sent Korbin in behind him and 5 minutes later found them together. Gotta love how they’re snuggled in with their Dudu and Fido!

Thought this was a cute one. Baxlyn snuggled up on the floor next to Kylee’s bed…

Looking back I think, once again, I was worried for nothing when it came to another transition. Sleeping through the night, check! No more bottles, check! Potty Training, check! Now Toddler Beds, check! That’s the last big thing until Kindergarten right?! For now I’ll choose to not fight the battle of “making them lay still and go to sleep right away”. It’s working for us and it’s not too stressful! I’ll update you in a month or so. Hopefully I’m able to report they go to sleep within a few minutes of being put down, we’ll see!

Stay tuned to hear all about their FIRST SLEEPOVER!!!!!

Double (Naked) Trouble

2011-12-14T16:34:00.001-06:00

Lately, everyday is an adventure when it comes to night and nap time with the boys. I put them in their room and never know what I will come back to. The biggest challenge lately has been keeping them dressed while in their cribs. They were dubbed the Duct Tape Duo a little while back and I thought that phase was over. Boy, was I wrong. It’s been 2 weeks now of constant stripping and getting into nap time trouble in general. I haven’t been duct taping them in a while because, like I said, I thought that phase was over. If you are easily grossed out this is your warning. This post has some pretty detailed happenings in it so you may find it better to come visit in a few days when we’ve moved on to the next subject…

They’re still doing great with potty training and go number 2 on the potty almost daily. I do put them in pull ups/diapers for nap and night. The other week I could smell toxic fumes coming from their room so I went in and found both boys naked with their pull ups laying next to them in their cribs. Korbins was clean but Brody’s was not and he was surrounded by little smeared brown footprints…eww. So I get the mess cleaned up, give them a good talking to, duct tape them and put them back down. The days go on and their room continues to smell like a hamster cage – no joke. It always stinks but it’s just been wayy worse than normal. I’ve cleaned it from top to bottom. The cribs, sheets, blankets, lovies, floors all of it was cleaned and I just couldn’t figure it out. I eventually go to change the boys sheets AGAIN thinking maybe someone peed again without me realizing. I lift Korbin’s mattress to change the sheet and there in the corner of his crib between the mattress and railing I see something that resembles charcoaled road kill. I thought it was his monkey or another small stuffed animal. After squinting and moving his crib away from the wall to get a good look, I realized I had just discovered the mysterious deadly stench. All this cleaning I had been doing and I totally missed the dried, God only knows how old, crusty turd in the corner of his crib. Although a little disturbed knowing my kid had been sleeping inches away from this thing for days, I was glad I finally found it, hopefully meaning their room would smell better soon. Sheesh.

Needless to say that night I was going to make sure there was no nakedness going on. Below you’ll see they are diaper duct taped, wearing backwards footed sleepers (they can unzip them from the front) which are duct taped at the zipper, AND halo sleep sacks that are also duct taped at the zipper. They did well that night but wow, that’s a lot of work and duct/gorilla tape gets expensive after a while… it worked but wasn’t ideal.

This is a few days before the above mentioned poop party. I was cleaning house and heard the boys’ lullaby monitor/project thingy getting louder then softer, louder then softer, then twinkle twinkle little star followed by the sound of heartbeats. Someone had there hands on it and I was prepared to catch them in the act. With camera in hand I swung open the door and to my surprise saw Brody on top of his dresser having a ball…

I know what you’re thinking. Heather, look at how close the dresser is to the crib, of course he’ll climb up there… But for those of you who know Brody, know that this is quite a huge task for him. He still struggles to get up onto the couch on his own, I still have NO clue how he managed to climb over and on top of the dresser. As mad as I was I’ll admit I was kinda proud of him… this is a serious accomplishment for this dude! That being said it was still a problem. You’ll see in the first picture his crib was then turned around so the tall back side was facing outward making it impossible (err.. I think) for him to climb out.

OK, back to the nakedness. I still needed a sure way these crazies were not going to get naked and an easier way at that. Layers and layers and boat loads of duct tape worked but was a lot of work and took a good 10mins to do properly…multiply that times two (or more) and it’s a true pain. I had read when the quads were itty bitty about Little Sleeper Keepers but had totally forgotten about them until another quad mom mentioned them again. Not only did she remind me of them, she had some that she was no longer using and sent them to me – thanks again Amy! Little Keeper Sleepers are snug fitting sleepers and have a zipper up the back and have a total of three snaps at the non-stretch neckline. We put them in their, what they call “suits”, and have had no escapees so far!

We made the switch to toddler beds this week (details to come on following post) and the quads have been on a new high since their new found freedom. Yesterday I made the mistake of putting the boys “down for nap” without the Little Sleeper Keepers. I told myself they would be fine and would be too busy causing other kinds of trouble rather than naked trouble. They’ll be having too much fun jumping from bed to bed to even think about getting naked…. wrong again. After two hours of hearing their giggly fun I stepped in to check on them and to what I swear must have been Poop Fest 2011. Both boys were both out of their beds butt naked, surrounded by (lucky for me) firm turd balls. Absolutely disgusting. I can only thank God it’s only two of them rather than all four. There was poop everywhere. On their beds, in their beds, under their beds, under their fingernails, on the window sill, it was smeared into the blinds…etc. NOT FUN and all because I had faith that they wouldn’t get into “that kind” of trouble. You can bet your rear they will not be left alone again in the near future without being in those new sleepers.

I am confident we have finally found the solution to the toddler nakedness in our house and totally recommend the Little Sleeper Keepers to other moms out there dealing with their own little Houdini!

Christmas Parties!!

2011-12-10T15:17:00.001-06:00

First and foremost I’d like to say thank you to you readers for the sweet comments on the last post about Kylee’s new therapy. She’s done GREAT since that rough second day and is using her left hand to do everything, still very difficult of course, but she’s using it.

We’ve had a total of 3 Christmas parties in the last 8 days. Brody, Baxlyn, Kylee & Korbin have enjoyed each one and what it had to offer. Up first was Bret’s work party (before Kylee got her new bracelet). This was our first year attending and it was so fun. From cookie decorating, to coloring cards for soldiers, to the children’s entertainer, there was much to do! The group of ladies in charge of the cookie decorating station couldn’t get enough of the quads and kept luring them back to their table the entire night by offering more (and more) cookies… thanks ladies, realllly!

Baxlyn was the only one interested in coloring cards for the soldiers that night. There were little…how do I describe them… “felt-covered” cards with little Santa’s and such on them and the kids were supposed to color them in and leave a nice message. 30 minutes later Baxlyn had not only colored hers in, she kept going until there was NO white showing on her card at all leaving no room for any kind of message. Front, middle AND back was solid color! I can only hope the solider who receives her card can feel the love she poured into that thing! While Bret watched the little artist do her thing, Kylee, Korbin, Brody and I were entertained by an awesome children’s entertainer who sang songs, introduced puppets and made cool things out of balloons. Baxlyn joined us just in time for the really good stuff. All of the kids were invited up on stage to sing and play instruments. You can see in the pic below, Baxlyn found her a little spot in the very back where she sat and played her little drum the entire time. When the kid songs were over and the stage was cleared, there sat Baxlyn and her drum. The song leader said we had witnessed a “Christmas" miracle” by her not getting trampled!

Friday morning we had the ECI (Early Childhood Intervention) Christmas party. Below you see them working hard on more sugar cookies – notice Kylee using that left hand to shake her sprinkles – whoop whoop!

It took a lot of bribing but we were able to get Korbin & Kylee to pose for a picture with the Sesame Street gang…

Last but not least, we attended our PAMOM Christmas party today. A gymnasium full of little people who all came in twos, threes or in our case, fours! Bret had to work so I went solo and whew… what a challenge! My other MoMs are super supportive and helped keep count of not only theirs, but mine as well. Miss Baxlyn is super independent and doesn’t see the need to be accounted for. One minute she would be coloring at a table by herself and the next I’d find her across the gymnasium in a bounce house full of kids..she’s a busy bee for sure! I had to take a picture of the picture she was coloring. I was extremely impressed at how well she stayed in the lines, something we haven’t practiced a whole lot at home.

Thanks to the puppet lady, Brody Baxlyn Kylee & Korbin all sat down for a brief period of time allowing Angela to take a picture of me with them! That’s one thing I fail at, being in pictures WITH my kids. I’m a picture taker for sure and rarely go a day with out picking up the camera. It’s not often people take the camera from me and demand me to sit and smile too!

Among all of the kids’ parties, us adults managed to get out for some time too to celebrate my Bethany’s 25th birthday! Here’s Chris & Bethany, Anna & Mason and Bret & myself at La Hacienda Ranch!

Silly girls… Heather, Bethany & Anna!

Stay tuned. Another BIG transition this Mama is pretty anxious about….. eeeeek!

Kylee’s New “Bracelet”

2011-12-06T14:24:00.001-06:00

I mentioned a while back about doing constraint induced therapy with Kylee. After doing tons of research and talking to many people about the process Bret and I decided to do it. Although most of what I read is the therapy done on adults after a serious brain injury, I did see several stories on the constraining done with small children. Every single story I read was successful, which was super encouraging, I heard of not one case where the patient’s condition didn’t better from the process.

A little background for those who don’t know, Kylee suffered what’s called IVH (intraventricular hemorrhage), also known as brain bleeds, shortly after birth. IVH ranges from grades 1 to 4, 4 being the worst, usually causing long term damage. Kylee suffered a grade 1 on the left side of her brain and a grade 4 on the right resulting in the left side of her body not functioning exactly as it should and causing her some slight delays. The medical terminology for her condition is Spastic Hemiplegia Cerebral Palsy.

Kylee’s occupational therapist put in the order for her new brace and yesterday we introduced her new “bracelet” to her and began Day 1 of an 8 week process. The brace is made of neoprene and has a splint in it not allowing her any movement from just below her elbow to her finger tips. By keeping her right arm (the “good” arm) constrained, her affected arm/hand/wrist is being forced to do all of the work. She has to wear her bracelet 8 hours a day (keep in mind she sleeps an average of 16 hours in a 24 hour period), which means basically the entire time she’s awake, besides baths.

Mrs. Regina, her new OT, came yesterday and I had already pumped Kylee up about wearing her new pretty bracelet. She was stoked and was ready to rock and roll when Regina got here. She did well for the first few hours of wearing it but, as I expected, it got old pretty fast. Today, Day 2, Kylee is extremely frustrated and asks to take her bracelet off throughout the day. Although I know these babies are doing phenomenal, and I am so so glad for that, I’d be lying if I said a small part of me didn’t feel a bit of guilt for not being able to carry them longer. It’s time like these, when they struggle with the long term issues from their prematurity, that I wish I could go back in time and have a re-do at the whole quad pregnancy thing.

Here’s Kylee with her new bracelet last night before bed…

Today, not quite as happy, but hanging in there. So hard to explain this type of thing to a two year old…

The everyday tasks for her are proving to be extremely difficult. Eating is by far the hardest but she’s done well… if you know this girl, you know there’s not much that will stop her from eating her food ;)

Although I don’t expect her left hand to have perfect function after the 8 weeks, I am confident we will see good results. I’m sure wearing her new brace will get easier for her but in the meantime, this lil’ girl (and this mama) could really use some prayer to help us cope with the new struggles!

Kylee Mae, Mama loves you sweet girl <3

Christmas Crafts in Quadville

2011-12-04T13:40:00.002-06:00

It's winter time, it's cold outside, and let's face it, it's a chore to get 4 two year olds out the door to go places when you're by yourself. The past two years we've spent most (if not all) of the winter in the house due to RSV/flu season (which by the way 3 were diagnosed with strep again this week). Now that they're older, keeping them busy and entertained at home is getting harder. They still don't get into TV shows or movies too much, which isn't a horrible thing but on occasion I'd really enjoy the break a simple 30 minute show could give me. With the holiday's here now we've been jammin' to Christmas music everyday while dancing and decorating too! Now that they (and by they I mean Kylee) don't eat everything in sight I thought it would be a good time do get down and dirty with some finger painting, glitter and glue! It's a little stressful and causes quite a mess but it is fun and the quads enjoy it. Here's some of our holiday creations so far...

First we have our Christmas wreaths. These are my favorite and take the most time by far. I start with making their little hand prints, wait for them to dry, cut them out, hot glue them together and top them off with a little holiday raffia. We’ve got them all around our house and are making extra for our friends and family too decorate with too!

While the green paint is out we make some upside-down handprint Christmas trees decorated with fingerprints for lights and a little glitter for sparkle…

Our little snowmen…

Of course we had to make some Reindeer! The face is a footprint, the antlers, a set of handprints and the nose and eyes, thumbprints! Add some eye lashes to the girls’ and red glitter to the nose and wa-la, Rudolph!

Our little herd of deer… L-R Brody, Baxlyn, Kylee & Korbin. Notice Brody & Kylee’s little flat feet…no arch, whatsoever!

At last, our Christmas tree this year with NO GATE around it!

I’d love to hear any kid-friendly ideas YOU have for home made holiday decorations. What do you do with your kiddos when its cold and wet outside?

Pita the Elf

2011-11-26T14:25:00.006-06:00

We had a great Thanksgiving and spent the day at Papaw's house with friends and family! I absolutely love this time of year, the cooler weather, being with family, the decor...everything. With 4 two year olds who are starting to understand a little of what Christmas is all about, the magic is in the air!

Many of you, I'm sure, are familiar with the Elf on the Shelf. I just heard about it last year but apparently this little tradition has been around for years. In case you're like me and out of the loop, let me fill you in. The Elf on the Shelf comes to your house at Christmas time and watches your children during the day. Each night your elf flies back to the North Pole to report to Santa Claus, letting him know if the child was on their good behavior or not. He returns each morning and can be found sitting in a new place to keep an eye out for another day. After learning about the little guy, I knew we eventually would have to get one. Having forgotten about it since last Christmas, I went to my Mom's house a few weeks ago and there it sat... a fancy white box that contained our very own Elf on the Shelf!

We put up our Christmas tree a few days ago (yes, before Thanksgiving) and today I introduced the quads to the elf who would be visiting us daily until Christmas. They all sat and gazed with excitement as I opened up the special box this morning and they all yelled "SANTA CWAUS!!!" when they saw the little elf sitting inside. I explained to them he was an elf from the North Pole, Santa's helper, and told them he was here to see if they're being good or bad and how he would report to Santa each night. At two years old they don't really grasp the whole idea but the wheels are slowly turning! I told them we needed to name the elf and Brody's first response was "Christmas Light". Kylee came up with "Pita"....sorry Brody I think we're going with Pita.

Pita also came with a book, explaining just what he does for Santa and reminding the kids to be good rather than naughty! Find out more about the Elf on the Shelf by clicking here! Click here to see Santa's elves in training camp!We'll keep you posted on our new pal Pita!

"Potty like a Rock, Potty like a Rock Star..."

2011-11-21T14:18:00.009-06:00

Rock Stars, that's what they are. Brody, Baxlyn, Kylee & Korbin have continued to do GREAT at potty training! It's been just over a week now since we did our 3(4) Day Potty Training and wow, I'm still amazed at how...dare I say... easy it's been. Between them all, we have one accident every 2 days or so...not too shabby!

We went out for their Mamaw's birthday last week, our first time at a restaurant, I was nervous to say the least. I called the restaurant ahead of time to see if they took reservations, of course, they didn't. I explained our situation to them as well as our STRONG need to be sat as close to the restroom as possible. Thankfully they accommodated us and our table was just feet from the bathroom door. I arrived with the babies a bit early (we were meeting Daddy & Mamaw there) so we could all get familiar with and use the potty. It was our first public restroom experience and eww. The restroom itself was "clean" and well kept for an adult who ya know, DOESN'T grip the toilet seat and practically stick their head IN the toilet to say bye bye to the pee as it's flushed down the toilet and lay on the bathroom floor to peek under the wall of the stall next to us. Although I would feel ok using that potty, having four two year olds in there was not exactly this germ-a-phobic momma's dream. It was a little chaotic to say the least but they all went and we eventually made it to our table. Between the jammin' music that Brody was into (good gosh it felt like we were in a night club as loud as the bathroom music was) and Kylee's slight addiction to flushing the toilet repeatedly I was so afraid they would think the bathroom was way cool and would "need to go" every 5 minutes. To my surprise, they all sat the entire dinner not one gave a thought to the potty again. At the end of the meal we paraded (with our little potty seat in hand) back into the restroom for one last "go" before we left for home. Zero accidents, again, leaving me a proud proud Mommy!

Friday morning we, along with the rest of the family, headed to the Gaylord Texan Ice Sculptures. I was so excited to go see the beautiful scenes made out of ice but was super anxious about the quads being in panties and underwear. It was a bit of a drive and I, having never been there, didn't know what to expect when we got there. I had no clue how big this place was, how crowded it would be, how many bathrooms they had or where they were located. Bret and I decided we would put them in Pull Ups for this trip knowing it would likely be a challenge to get them all to a potty if needed. The kids are great at treating their Pull Ups like panites and know that they are not supposed to pee in them. We got to the Gaylord around 9am and enjoyed walking around the inside of the building that was BEAUTIFULLY decorated for Christmas. We headed over to the Ice Sculptures at 10am and at this point nobody had asked to go potty. To be honest, Bret and I didn't even ask them if they needed to go, assuming they would just go in their Pull Up after too long. I so don't want to be a parent that says "Oh, just go in your Pull Up" if their kids asks to go potty...even though that's what I would have wanted to say. This place was BIG and it would have been a long walk to find a potty for a toddler who gives you about a 9 second warning before needing to pee. We all kept our mouths shut and enjoyed the awesome sculptures.

This place was gorgeous. If you're local and haven't been, GO!

Korbin & I checkin' out one of the many trains!

...and the HUGE Christmas tree!

Lot's of Mommy pics today huh?! Thanks again John & Darrell for being in charge of the pics! Below, would have been great if lil' Miss B would have joined us...what you don't see is her insisting on looking over the opposite side of the bridge...oh that girl, gotta be different.

All bundled up ready to see the Ice... or "eyes" as the babies thought we were gonna see. Notice the onlookers behind me as we wait for our escort...
Just one of the pics from inside the exhibit. Hard to see but here's Brody, Baxlyn, Kylee & Korbin with Shrek, Fiona and their triplets! All of that you see is ICE... so amazing!What's this....a family photo on Shrek's front porch?!? We rarely get a picture of the 6 of us together and I'm pretty sure all of the onlookers thought I was nuts after celebrating the fact we got it! Thanks John for taking it :) Bret was able to talk Baxlyn into cooperating by offering her the best seat in the house, his neck. I can't help but wonder what she's thinking as she check out his nearly hairless head lol.
After leaving the Gaylord, we all drove to a nearby restaurant for lunch. Bret and I planned on taking them potty and were assuming they would all be wet. Totally wrong, NOT ONE had gone potty in their Pull Up....are you kidding me?!!?! SWEET! They went from 8ish am until noon and didn't potty once, I was shocked and again so so proud! Once again they PROVED to me they CAN do this!

We've had several more outings since then...Papaw's house, church, friend's house and this morning, Chuck E Cheese, all trips were successful with no accidents. Simply amazing! For those of you who read the previous post, Potting Training: The Scoop!, you'll be happy to know there has been a great increase in Sucker consumption as well as BIG stickers to the sticker charts! The girls still prefer to "go" at night/nap but the boys are serious about the number 2 business and go in the toilet! I can only pray this successful diaper-free (daytime at least) life continues to go so well!

Potty Training: The Scoop!

2011-11-14T20:39:00.035-06:00

Ahhh potty training quadruplets, what a job! Don't get me wrong, I won't brave to say they are completely potty trained 100% but our 3(4) day weekend extravaganza was overall a HUGE success and we have said adios to daytime diapers! Brody, Baxlyn, Kylee & Korbin are now 33 months old (30 if you want to adjust) and I think that has been a big part of our success. My biggest fear was starting too soon only to find they were not ready, going back to diapers, leaving them confused. I am super duper lucky in having a TON of quad moms across the US at my fingertips via the internet who have been there done that when it comes to anything quadruplets. Sleeping through the night, night feedings, transportation, developmental issues and even potty training, they've got tons of advice on and for that I am so grateful. Since having the quads I've heard a ton about the "3 Day Potty Training Method". There's a book out there with specific instructions on how to potty train toddlers in 3 days. I personally know a handful of moms who have used this method and it has been successful 99% of the time. Not to say there are NO accidents from there on out, but for the most part they've got it. I don't have the book myself but my quad mommas have given me the "important info" so I took it and ran with it. Basically you stay HOME for 3 days and do nothing but focus on the potty while downplaying accidents and celebrating any little drip of pee that hits their ~~porcelain~~ plastic throne.

To prepare, Bret and I (with donations from Mamaw, Nana, Chris & Bethany!) stocked up on our cleaning supplies you'll see in the pic below as well as plenty of goodies to use as rewards. We transformed our cute little entryway into a "community bathroom", if you will. Tile floor was a must and the bathroom was a bit too small for all 4 potties so the entryway it was. In a small house, ya do what ya gotta do, right?! We also laid down plastic tarps from wall to wall to protect our white carpets. With 4 naked babies and just 2 adults things could easily get out of hand and we wanted to be prepared!

It's a no brainer that potty training multiple toddlers at a time can take a toll on you mentally therefore there was NO WAY I was going to do this alone. Day 1 Bret stayed home from work to help out. We woke up early ready to take on our first official day of potty training. Although people told me to just have Bret and I alone, realistically that wasn't going to happen with our busy schedules. Just 1 hour into our potty training experience we were expecting 3 therapists at the door. In all fairness the therapists were warned ahead of time about the adventure we were embarking upon that weekend and still agreed to come! They were greeted with our "Welcome to Potty City" sign that was hanging on our door!

We woke the quads up and brought them out and told them "Today we're wearing big girl/boy panties/undies! Wahooo!" We let each of them pick out a pair of undies and the pottying began.... all but Brody that is. They all sat, peed and were rewarded with their sticker and choice of an M&M or a Skittle. Before ya know the therapists were there and began their sessions with Brody & Kylee. As each minute passed we repeated phrases like "Be sure you go potty on the potty, not in your panties!" "Tell us if you need to go potty, ok?" "Brody, do you need to go potty?" Every once in a while someone would go but Brody continued to hold it making me a nervous wreck. The dude held it in for several hours and then FINALLY went! Whew!

The rest of the day went fairly well, to my surprise it wasn't too stressful and went smoothly. We did put them in Pull Ups during nap as I am not expecting them to be able to hold it in their sleep. Two were dry when they woke up, whoop whoop! Night time, by the way, we are still doing diapers, only because Pull Ups won't hold a night time's amount of pee. Not sure when we'll do night training but it won't be in our near future. OK back to business, Day 1 we had a total of 4, only 4 accidents! One from Korbin and surprisingly 3 from Baxlyn. The two I thought we'd have the biggest issues with, no problemo whatsoever! Although it was a great start, nobody pooped all day. My babies have NEVER been "frequent poopers" so I wasn't surprised but was left hoping for a number two or two the next day so we could practice conquering that part of potty training as well.

Bret has been super busy working on a big project lately (EEK!) and was not able to be with me the rest of the weekend so one of my BFFs Bethany came over Friday night to be there when the quads woke up Saturday morning and stayed the ENTIRE weekend, God love her. She and I, I swear, are one in the same. We work very well together and can tackle just about anything thrown at us. Bethany, thank you so so SO SOO much girl! Everyone who has been through the Three Day Method, and I mean EVERYONE, warned me that Day 2 was the worst. I was told to expect them to wake up and completely forget what they had learned Day 1 and prepare to start all over again. Every mom I have talked to said that their level of stress was pushed to the limit on Day 2 so naturally, I was expecting the same.
Day 2 went the TOTAL opposite of what we were expecting. We were in a bind with our photographer and were forced to do our Christmas pics that morning at 11am. After a great few hours at home and no accidents we put them in pull ups and headed down the road to Papaws house for our photo shoot. We were back home in just over an hour and only Kylee had barely wet her Pull Up, everyone else - completely DRY! Below is a fair representation of mine and Bethany's posture throughout the weekend. By the end of Day 2 my back was throbbing from the constant bending over. Pulling up panties, emptying potty seats, pulling down undies, emptying more potty seats, and helping pull up more panties is ALL WE DID. It honestly felt like we were running in circles the entire time. By the time we would empty one potty seat, two others had gone and so on. Not to mention it was our goal to reward each successful pee as quickly as possible with a candy and a sticker to put on their sticker chart. The rest of the early afternoon had gone so well, again having a couple even wake up dry after nap, so we thought we would venture across the street to attend lil' Sammy's 1st birthday party. It was a gamble of course but we figured if one had to go, we would just run them back home (literally across the street), let them go and get back to the party. That was our plan and that's what we did. Kylee made several trips across and Korbin once or twice. Brody & Baxlyn, despite our pressure to get them to try to go potty, insisted they were fine and wanted to play with the other kids giving us a look of "Go away, I'm busy and I don't need to pee, Mom!" We ended up staying about 2 hours and had ZERO accidents the entire time! When we got home, they all sat and peed like pros! We celebrated, and I mean celebrated every drop of pee. Here's Baxlyn and I admiring her fine work...Baxlyn and her prize, a sack of fruit, for coming in 1st Place in Pin The Nose On Elmo at the party!! Lol Go B!Mr. Broman came in 2nd and won a ginormous bag of cotton candy!!Here's a shot of their potty seats along with their sticker charts. You'll notice Baxlyn & Brody have quite a few stickers and then look closer, you'll see Kylee & Korbin have about 3 times the stickers. Sure Brody has proven he can hold his pee for record breaking time meaning less stickers but Kylee and Korbin quickly learned each and every drop of pee gets a reward. Those two would sit, let out a drop or two, celebrate, eat their candy, stick their sticker and go sit down for round two....then three.... then four... all within 40 seconds. Although this is VERY frustrating to deal with when you are the candy/sticker hander outer, and the toilet bowl dumper-wiper, I was reassured by other moms it was normal and to stick with the frequent rewards.We ended day 2 with just the ONE accident. I remember telling Bethany it CAN'T be this easy, it just can't be, Day 2 was supposed to be horrrrrible and yet we had an awesome day. As awesome as it was we still had no practice in the poop department. A couple had gone number two, but during nap, in their pull up. Besides an aching back we were pumped and good to go and ready to take on day 3! Below, sweet boys oh so proud of their sticker charts!Originally our plan was to reward any successful poops with a BIG sticker, a tattoo and a piece of candy. Because nobody had pooped thus far, we upped the ante to a BIG sticker, a tattoo, a piece of candy AND this huge sucker seen below. They all kept their eye on the prize and tried but still...nothing. Day 3: Sunday,"a day of rest"... right? We'll that's apparently what the quads thought. OK, it wasn't horrible but we did have a total of 7 accidents. Honestly, I think the "newness" of their new potty life wore off a little bit and they got a little lazy. We spent some time outside, with their potties nearby of course...I sat from my lawn chair and yelled every few minutes "Don't forget to pee in the potty guys!" "Tell Mommy if you need to go potty!" "Korbin, don't pee in your panties!" It was a gorgeous day, we had the windows open and I'm sure the neighbors did too all while hearing me remind the babies to remember to release their bodily functions in the toilet where they belong. Day 4. We had four consecutive days at home so I kept close notes on all 4 to share with you. Bethany left Sunday night to recuperate from the busy weekend and prepare to head back to work Monday morning. After having our "rough" day three, I called my mom to see if she would come out for a while day 4, just in case they take a wrong turn, take advantage of my lack of help, and send me to an early grave. My mom then informed me that she and Collette, our pastor's wife, were going to be there bright and early in the morning to relieve me. I was required to leave the house for a few hours to do whatever I wanted. Are you kidding me?!?!?! I'll take it!!!!!! So, Monday morning they show up at the door and I'm OUT! What did I do with my precious time away, you ask? I got in my quiet car, drove to Target, parked, rolled down my windows, reclined my seat and sat there. After an hour of me myself and I, Bret met me and we had a LONG OVER DUE lunch date at Chili's where I ate my weight in unhealthy food. During lunch we discussed how nice it was for it to just be the two of us in a small booth that we don't get to enjoy when surrounded by highchairs. After a few hours of toddler-free bliss I headed back home, just after they went down for their naps, perfect timing ;) Day 4 ended with a total of 4 accidents, not perfect but better than day 3.

Day 5: The next step...leaving the house in undies. We had an appointment this morning with Dr. Brister, the quad's dentist. I've been nervous at the thought of this appointment for days now. So many thoughts ran through my head as we came closer and closer... I CAN'T put them in diapers, I refuse. Do I put them in Pull Ups? Do I put them in panties? If I put them in panties, what if they pee in the car....omg what if they POOP in the car...eww?! Maybe I can put them in Pull Ups in the car and then change them into panties once we get there... What if I put them in Pull Ups and they stay dry, they COULD have worn panties? I can put them in panties, they've proved they can do it, right? Ugh, can they? If I put them in panties, I have to take a ton of extra panties AND clothes just in case!

I called my girlfriend and fellow quad mom, Suz, for a little pep talk. I explained my thoughts and she quickly replied "No, Heather, no Pull Ups" She told me to put them in panties/undies, make them pee right before we left, get to the doc's office and have them pee upon arriving. Worst case scenerio, some of them pee and I have to change them when we get there. After talking to her I was geared up and ready to go! (Again I LOVE the support I get from my mamas!) As I packed the diaper bag, I felt like I was packing for newborn infants once again, making sure not to forget any essential item. I packed what seemed like 20 extra pairs of panties/undies, wipes, clorox wipes, plastic bags, clothes, a potty seat and I'll admit it, Pull Ups, just in case. I also brought along 2 potties for the back of the van and covered their car seats with these little absorbant pads by munchkin in case anyone sprung a leak. I have always been a little obsessed with keeping their car seats clean and protecting them from pee and poop is high on my agenda...ugh, can you imagine the mess?
I dressed all the babies and sat them on their potties just before we left the house, all of them peed but Mr.-I-can-hold-my-pee-for-hours-to-freak-mom-out-Brody. Dr. Brister's office is about 25 mintues away and I was sooo nervous the whole drive. Again my fears set in... Do I constantly remind them NOT to potty in their panties as we drive? Do I not mention it at all in hopes to keep their minds off of peeing altogether? OMG (looking in my rearveiw mirror) is that one straining to poop right now or am I just imagining it? Why is this drive taking so long? Oh stop light please don't turn yellow, don't turn yellow, don't turn yellow...crap it turned yellow, I have to stop....OMG babies, please don't pee, your outfits are so cute and coordinating - DONT PEEEEE!

Despite my thoughts of terror, I managed to stay calm. As I pulled up to Dr. Brister's office I jumped out, opened their door and began unloading. My first to unstrap was Korbin, DRY Korbin! A sigh of relief and my heart is pounding as I make my way towards the next one, dry. Then to the back seat 3rd and 4th, dry. REALLY?! YOU ARE ALL DRY?! NOBODY PEED?! WOOOHOOO! As badly as I wanted to celebrate, I knew my luck could run out at any second. I scurry to get them all up the curb, swing the door open (potty seat in hand) and exclaim to the smiling staff "We're on Day 5, where is your bathroom?!?!?!" I herded them all towards the bathroom and one by one and let each of them try to go, which they did with the exception of Brody, of course. It was at that moment, I KNEW they would be fine. Sure we'll have an accident here and there but it was then that I felt a sense of accomplishment. We had done it, they proved they can do it, and my little bitty babies are now big panty and undie wearin' big kids!

The rest of the time at the doctor's office went great. They always do great at the denistry part but they also did great potty-wise. Mom met me there to help out and between the 2 of us we kept them contained between our exam room, the bathroom (which we owned while we were there by the way) and the waiting room. We were there about an hour and a half and before heading out I had them each go potty one last time. Even after this potty trip, Brody STILL hadn't gone... While the others picked a seat in the car, I opened the back door of the van hoping that maybe a little familiar seat would do the trick for Mr. Big Bladder. It took a minute, but Brody finalllly let out a lil' pee. Not a ton but enough to make me less frantic as we drove home!

Sure enough we made it home and nobody had peed in the car! This afternoon, day 5, while Nana was babysitting, Brody finally pooped on the potty and earned the big sucker that was taped on the wall! He walked up to her and said "I poop I poop! I NEED a hug!" Clearly, I am SO pleased with how our potty training experience went and look forward to the $$ we'll be saving in diapers! To sit back and watch them walk to the potty on their own, struggle to pull down their lil' panties and go potty all by themselves is crazy to see and I love it and it makes me SO proud! A SUPER DUPER special thanks to all of you for the encouragement and those special peeps who helped me (us) get through the weekend. There's NO WAY I could have done it alone!

A few quick tips if you're getting ready to take the plunge with your little one(s):

- Commit to staying home for *at least 3 consecutive* days.
- Bring in reinforcements, DO NOT attempt to do it alone, especially if you have multiples!
- Introduce them to the potty a few weeks before so they're a little familiar with it.
- Stock up on cleaning supplies & small rewards you know they'll enjoy.
- Don't stress the small accidents and CELEBRATE every drop of pee that hits the potty!
- As in everything, consistency is key, don't give up. As a mom of quads I LIVE by this.
- When traveling, pack the "just in case" necessities as well as a portable potty.

- My only other words of wisdom would be wait until they're older. All of the moms I know who have done this method has waited until their babies are closer to three years old. Not saying your 20month old can't use this particular method, just sayin' the success I've seen has been with older toddlers.

- Remember when things get tough, at least you are not potty training 4 at a time ;)

If there's something I didn't cover that you are still curious about, please, feel free to ask and I'd be happy to share. Good luck on your potty training and I'll keep ya posted on how ours continue to do over the next few weeks!

11.11.11 - We're Taking "The Plunge"

2011-11-11T07:00:00.002-06:00

The time is here... my teeny little 2lb babies begin Potty Training today, someone pinch me!

1 set of un-potty-trained quadruplets, check. 4 lil' potty seats, check. 6 jugs of apple juice, check. Paper towels, check. Sanitizer, check. Bleach, check. Lysol wipes AND disinfectant spray, check. Candy & stickers, check. Febreze air freshener, check. Boat loads of undies and panties, check. Latex gloves, check. Plastic tarp, check. Mommy, check. Daddy, check. BFF Bethany, check. Sanity, even if temporary, check.I can only hope we are prepared for this insane weekend ahead of us. We're attempting the 3 day potty training method beginning this morning, November 11th, 2011. I'm not even gonna lie, I shed a few tears as we prepped the house last night for potty training and unfolded each big boy underwear and big girl panties. No worries, those tears dried up and my frown was turned upside down when I thought about the $$ we'll soon be saving on diapers! CHYEAH BUDDY!

Wish us luck and leave us some love under the comment section, we're gonna need some major support on this one, people! For those of you who won't see parts of this weekend unravel on Facebook, stay tuned. Assuming we survive, you'll have lots of stories, pics, tips and tricks to look forward to!

Cox Quads and Six Flags 2011

2011-11-06T12:45:00.015-06:00

We loaded up and headed to Six Flags for the 2nd time with the quads. What was supposed to be an hour drive, because of insane construction and traffic, ended up being nearly a 3 hour drive. That's hours of hearing "I readdyyy... I readdyyy.. I readyyyy!" from the backseat. Not Fun. We eventually made it and were able to enjoy our day with our friends! Chris and Bethany drove to meet us and help us out with our army of little people (thanks again guys!) Here's Daddy making sure everyone is set before we take off!

Upon entering we were spotted by Bugs Bunny & Daffy Duck. All morning we had told them we were gonna go see Bugs Bunny to which they'd excitedly reply "I pet the bunny?! I pet the bunny?!" Bugs and Daffy decided to take a seat on the wagon with the quads....yeah...not such a great idea. Since last year, Baxlyn is the only one who has overcome that fear. Korbin's face pretty much sums up what the other three thought of the whole situation...

We quickly got the heck outta there and headed to the swings, they LOVED the swings last year and didn't want to leave them, so surely that would help. The side of the ride closest to the onlookers was filled with other kids so we sat Brody, Baxlyn, Kylee & Korb around the back side. Once the ride started and our foursome swung around towards us, this is what we saw...

The girls came first and were all smiles, the boys, not so much! Each time they came flying around we heard the entire crowd around us say "awwwwwwww!" Once the ride was over the girls begged to ride again while the boys could hardly breathe enough to say a word. Lol!

We figured we'd better stick to the rides where we adults could ride with them due to the TWO traumatizing experiences the boys just had back to back. Our next stop was the hot air balloon ride that slowly took us up into the air and back down again. Here's Bethany and I with Brody, Kylee and an uncooperative B.

Bret and Korbin taking a look as Bret explains the ride, how it is NOT scary and pumps him up about how much FUN he is about to have... (fingers crossed, right?!)

Before we launched...Baxlyn & Mommy

Kylee and her "Bethie". Bethany was Kylees number one priority all day and made sure she stuck with her buddy at all times!

The HAPPY boys headed up to the sky with Daddy & Chris (aka "Uncle Piss" again, unfortunate 2 year old lingo)

Korbin & Baxlyn helping Daddy push the choo through the park.

Kylee & Brody had a blast lagging behind and enjoyed the freedom to roam in every direction! Below Kylee with Mommy & Brody with Bethie.
Bret, Korbin & Baxlyn watching as the BIG train went by!
The 8 of us riding the big train. Baxlyn sat in my lap just long enough for a picture and then scooched her way over to her daddy's lap. I must be un-cool lately... they want nothing to do with me when other people are around :(

Me: "B you wanna sit with Mommy?!" B: "Nope."

Taking a little food and dance break before seeing the rest of the park!

Us adults switched off quad-sitting so we could ride some big kid rides. Below is Chris showing them the big ride he and Bret were about to ride. (Can I take a moment to point out the girls legs....holy moly.... they're gonna be as tall as me by the time they're 4!)

They didn't think much of Daddy & Chris walking away to go ride the ride. We stayed right there and danced to some music and watched rides from afar while we waited to see Bret & Chris and the top of their ride waving down.
As they enjoyed themselves Bethany and I kept a close eye on the Shock Wave, the ride that Bret and Chris were on. After a few minutes, right above our heads, high in the sky, we saw Bret waving his heart out from the front car of the ride. We quickly got the babies and pointed up "Look at Daddy, look at Daddy!!!! Look Looook!" They clearly saw their Daddy waving from the Heavens and they all FREAKED. All four of them BAWLED their poor hearts out, Korbin being the most dramatic! Bethany and I scooped up a couple and tried to console them as fast as we could while onlookers watched and giggled at the chaos we just walked ourselves into!

They continued to cry until Bret & Chris came walking back from the ride and when they did the quads RAN to greet them. Bethany and I went up immediately after the guys and waved from the top of the ride while the babies looked up. I was secretly hopeful to be greeted with huge hugs and tears of thankfulness that I was alive when I returned but was once again, let down. The guys said me being way up there didn't phase them a bit and Kylee only asked if Bethany was coming back once. Thanks yall. Carry you for 6 months looking like an albino acne covered beached whale and that's the love you show me? I love that you love your daddy, really I do, but come on!

Before heading out we enjoyed a funnel cake, ok 2 funnel cakes, and Baxlyn got the nerve to meet Bugs and few other characters for the first time. While the other 3 watched with tears from the wagon, Baxlyn and I walked over to take a few pics.

What Baxlyn does, Korbin will usually do. He decided he *cautiously* wanted to meet Tweety Bird too!

Next year I'll have to pull out these pictures of their bravery in hopes that they all will take a picture together with a character or two!

Stay tuned.. a trip to the zoo!

Korbin Learns To Wink!

2011-11-03T21:00:00.000-05:00

Halloween 2011 The Flintstones & The Rubbles

2011-11-01T13:26:00.013-05:00

This was the first year Brody, Baxlyn , Kylee & Korbin actually kinda grasped the whole Halloween/Tick or Treat idea. We've taken them each year but this was the first year they could all walk themselves and go door to door. We headed out early in hopes to beat the big kids and scary monsters but at our slow pace they caught up quickly! We went to the first house, they knocked, the door opened and IN they went to make themselves at home! We had practiced "trick or treat" all day but I failed to mention to them that we don't just barge in other people's homes...whoops!

Us adults watching from the sidewalk as they unexpectedly walk into the neighbors house...Below we have Baxlyn leading the pack, as always, screaming "Fick or Fweet!" Poor girl hasn't really perfected her "T" sound just yet. (BTW, very unfortunate when you're in a store and you see a Fire Truck... "MOM, look, a Fiah %&#!")This lady was pretty good at standing between them and the inside of her house. While the other three went for the candy, Brody was all about the cat behind her!The cutest lil' Fred Flintstone ever!It was a little tricky keeping them altogether as Korbin was always the last to leave each house, repeatedly grabbing handfuls of candy as fast as he could while the bucket was within his reach. Kylee stopped to check out her loot after each house as well as the decorations in people's yards. Then we had Brody who was so easily distracted by the UPS truck, airplanes, flowers, cats...etc. By the time they all made it to the next porch Baxlyn had already rung the "Ding Bell" a good 30 times :/ Kylee goes for the Skittles while Korbin contemplates how he can get the rest of the candy into his little bucket without being told, once again, "Just a few, sweetie!"Sweet little Betty checkin' out more decor! "Care-cwows Mom!"Love love this one as our little animal lover loves on the front porch doggy while the others knock!Slowly but surely they (and by "they" I mean Korbin) got a little less patient with the residents. As they'd rush each door we would hear a sweet "Tick or Teet!"....pause... and then a not so sweet "TICK OR TEEEEEET!!!""Come on guys!"Hitting up the last few houses in the choo choo!We got back home to watch more kids and pass out candy of our own. I was surprised at how many people acted as if they "came to see the quads". All night we would hear people talking and whispering to eachother about how they've grown, their names and their costumes over the past couple of years! The quads watched as tons of kids came and went as they munched on some of the candy they had gotten. This was hands down, the longest they've ever sat together in one place allowing for a ton of pics... not one picture of them looking at me, but a group pic nonetheless! This was the look on Kylee's face most of the night as kids came with masks and costumes. The girl freaks out pretty easily and last night was a little rough on her. The poor thing tried to be brave as she looked at me, shook her head and said "Not cary, not cary...not carrry waaahhhh!"

Our little Wilma, as brave as can be, could have lasted all night!

They were all in bed by 8pm and us adults went on with our own Halloween festivities... pizza, candy, scary masks and music and little innocent little kids.....muuuahhhaahhhhhaaa! Kylee woke up this morning and said "Mom, I go Tick or Feet (with) my bucket now?" LOL No sweetie, we have to wait another year! We hope you all had a fun, safe Halloween as well!

6 Week Boot Camp O v e r !

2011-10-31T12:38:00.005-05:00

So I mentioned a few weeks ago about the fit camp I was participating in with one of my BFFs Anna. After 6 weeks (minus 4 lazy days) of dreading the alarm clock and dragging my slow tired self out of bed at 4:40am I am glad to say it's over! Friday morning was our last day and I was happy to sleep in "guilt free" this beautiful Halloween morning!

The workouts were every morning Monday through Friday at 5:15am and ended at 6:05am, leaving me just enough time to get home and sleep for another hour or two before the babies got up. Each day varied as to what exercises we did and we covered all parts of the body from head to toe (although my poor abs might as well be non-existent, I swear nothing will ever help them). From working with resistance bands and ropes to LOTS of cardio and high intensity intervals I, no doubt, got the most exercise I have since my athletic high school days. My favorite part we did ZERO running! Other than that, you name it, we did it... jumping jacks, push ups, sit ups, squats, squat jumps, high knees, buttkicks, and who could forget those fabulous burpees. The jumping, oh my gossshh, the jumping. I had no idea there were so many ways to jump. I could go on and on, the workouts were intense and felt never-ending but left me feeling glad I went and super accomplished!

In my favor, my follow up measurements and assessment were this morning, Halloween morning.... just hours before my house would be filled with a ton of non-needed sugar and candy. Had Matt come tomorrow morning, I might have been in a bit of trouble! For now though, I'm sitting pretty and the scale is my friend :) Over a 6 week period I lost a total of 6lbs 6oz and approximately 8 inches! Whoop whoop! Worth getting up at 4:40am every morning, I think so! It's a good thing when your trainer measures multiple times, just to make sure what he was seeing was right!

I'll leave you with a laugh...well it had me rolling atleast...

Hope you all have a Happy Halloween!! Here's to me NOT eating my weight in chocolate over the next week...ahhh!

Playdate at the Dallas Arboretum

2011-10-27T14:30:00.006-05:00

A few of my Mom friends and I headed to the Dallas Arboretum on Monday with our sea of children. 3 moms 10 toddlers ages 2 and under and a 4 year old made for a fun, BUSY day! Surrounded by what felt like hundreds of single strollers I think we broke our record with the "what daycare/nursery are you with?" question! Love this one below of the quads mixed in with the Tew triplets and big brother Britton. Amazing how quickly candy can settle them down!

The Dallas Arboretum is always beautiful an this week was no exception. The walkways were lined with a gazillion pumpkins and the flowers were endless. Absolutely gorgeous!

While Angela and Jenny chase a handful of kids running in the field I catch this group on the verge of testing gravity at it's best....ahhh get down!

Below we have Jenny and her trio Ronan, Maxim & Julien. Jenny says to me "Hey Heather, take a picture of us as we sit so sweetly together! I can take it and use it as my Facebook profile pic! Bla bla bla...." gag me. Jenny's babies are still sweet young innocent 15 month olds (despite that evil look Max is giving me as I take his pic). You just sit there, Jenny, looking all cute in your little black hat and matching halloweeny orange scarf thingy holding your three little babies... your days coming when you're dripping with sweat like Angela and I as you chase around those crazy rambunctious boys ;)

How do you get a set of quadruplets and 2 sets of triplets to pose for a group picture together? Strap them down, line them up, back up about 89 feet, jump up and down screaming and looking like a fool and click...wa-la you've got it!

Yes, this would be Kylee smooching a goat. Nice.

L-R Emerson, Everett, Emmett, Baxlyn, Korbin, Kylee & Brody

Smiley Kylee

Emmett. Oh Emmett, my lil' future son-in-law. When Kylee isn't talking about food, dogs or goats, she's talking about Emmett. A handsome lil' dude if I so say so myself!

Kylee holding a pumpkin and so proud of herself! (Hey therapists and docs...check out that left hand!)

Korbin showing off his muscles!

Another attempt at a group photo, 2 out of 4 not bad!

You locals who have not been to the Dallas Arboretum yet, GO! Until next time!

Awake Training for New Moms

2011-10-25T11:56:00.010-05:00

I came across this online and found it pretty amusing. Being a member of several Moms support groups I constantly hear LOTS of talk about the struggles and exhaustion that comes with trying to sleep train infants. If you are currently trying to train a baby to sleep through the night you may not find this funny and you may leave this post questioning your sweet new bundle of joy's intentions and questioning his or her innocence. For those of you who are passed this stage... enjoy!

"Awake Training for New Moms"

Dear Fellow Babies,

OK, here’s my situation. My Mommy has had me for almost 5 months. The first few months were great – I cried, she picked me up and fed me, anytime, around the clock. Then something happened. Over the last few weeks, she has been trying to STTN (sleep thru the night). At first, I thought it was just a phase, but it is only getting worse.

I’ve talked to other babies, and it seems like its pretty common after Mommies have had us for around 5-6 months. Here’s the thing: these Mommies don’t really need to sleep. It’s just a habit. Many of them have had some 30 years to sleep – they just don’t need it anymore. So I am implementing a plan. I call it the Crybaby Shuffle.

It goes like this:

Night 1 – cry every 3 hours until you get fed. I know, it’s hard. It’s hard to see your Mommy upset over your crying. Just keep reminding yourself, it’s for her own good.

Night 2 – cry every 2 hours until you get fed.

Night 3 – every hour.

Most Mommies will start to respond more quickly after about 3 nights. Some Mommies are more alert, and may resist the change longer. These Mommies may stand in your doorway for hours, shhhh-ing. Don’t give in. I cannot stress this enough: CONSISTENCY IS KEY!! If you let her STTN (sleep through the night), just once, she will expect it every night. I know it’s hard! But she really does not need the sleep; she is just resisting the change.. If you have an especially alert Mommy, you can stop crying for about 10 minutes, just long enough for her to go back to bed and start to fall asleep. Then cry again. It WILL eventually work. My Mommy once stayed awake for 10 hours straight, so I know she can do it.

The other night, I cried every hour. You just have to decide to stick to it and just go for it. BE CONSISTENT! I cried for any reason I could come up with:

-My sleep sack tickled my foot.

-I felt a wrinkle under the sheet.

-My mobile made a shadow on the wall.

-I burped, and it tasted like rice cereal. I hadn’t eaten rice cereal since breakfast, what’s up with that?

-The dog said “ruff”. I should know. My Mommy reminds me of this about 20 times a day. LOL.

-Once I cried just because I liked how it sounded when it echoed on the monitor in the other room.

-Too hot, too cold, just right – doesn’t matter! Keep crying!!

-I had drooled so much my sheets were damp and I didn’t like it touching me.

-I decided I was sick of all the pink in my room so I cried.

It took awhile, but it worked. She fed me at 4am. Tomorrow night, my goal is 3:30am. You need to slowly shorten the interval between feedings in order to reset your Mommies’ internal clocks.

Sometimes my Mommy will call for reinforcements by sending in Daddy. Don’t worry Daddies are not set up for not needing sleep the way Mommies are. They can only handle a few pats and shhing before they declare defeat and send in the Mommy.

Also, be wary of the sleep sheep with rain noises. I like to give Mommy false hope that listening to the rain puts me to sleep sometimes I pretend to close my eyes and be asleep and then wait until I know Mommy is settling back to sleep to spring a surprise cry attack. If she doesn’t get to me fast enough I follow up with my fake cough and gag noise that always has her running to the crib. At some point I am positive she will start to realize that she really doesn’t really need sleep.

P.S. Don’t let those rubber things fool you, no matter how long you suck on them, no milk will come out.

Trust me.

Sincerely,

Baby

Sometimes life sucks...

2011-10-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

Back in January I shared with you my thoughts as a little girl and always wishing there was a "Doggy Heaven". We said goodbye to my sweet Coco 9 months ago and today I am forced to say goodbye to Rocky, my 11 year old Cocker Spaniel :( Can I just say it sucks... so so bad. My heart literally hurts and my eyes are fighting tears as I type this.

I'm thankful I got to have him and raise him as a pet and it's so so hard to say goodbye. His health, although never great, has really deteriorated over the past week. He hasn't eaten and has been very uncomfortable. A trip to the vet's office last week pretty much confirmed he has an enlarged liver and the chances of him "recovering" would be extremely slim and very pricey to attempt. Although I knew he wouldn't be with us too much longer, I never imagined a week ago today that it would be this soon.

My parents will come to take him and I, like I was with Coco, will be spending the day out and about with my precious babies and close friends, trying to keep my mind off of it. Tonight will be hard as I come home, the first time in my entire life, to no dog. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers if you could. For now, even as an adult, I'll continue to let myself believe that tonight Rocky will be pain free and back with my Coco in the glorious land also known as Doggy Heaven. Even though life sucks sometimes... God is still sovereign and for that I will praise him, even on the hard days.

Prayers for Lil' Madison

2011-10-21T15:32:00.006-05:00

I want to share a special prayer request and ask that you add a sweet little 2 year old girl to your prayer list as well as any prayer chains you are on. A friend and fellow twin mom just recently found out one of her identical girls, Madison, has cancer. Wednesday, Maddie had an MRI which confirmed the Neuroblastoma. Good news is that they caught it extremely early! Please keep her and her entire family in your prayers as they move forward during this difficult time. With God all things are possible Matthew 19:26. Maddie is scheduled for surgery this coming Tuesday. Visit her Caring Bridge Site and let them know you are praying by clicking here: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/madisonwilliams1.

Maddie and her sister Abbie!

Feel free to stop over to the Steece Blog for more info and details.

Halloween 2011 - The Big Reveal!

2011-10-19T12:49:00.006-05:00

Introducing The Cox Quads as... Fred & Wilma Flintstone and Barney & Betty Rubble!

A special thanks to Amy Horton Photography for the photo and to Heather Calvert for making our adorable costumes, we LOVE them!

More to come, of course :]

Tammy Labuda Photography

2011-10-17T13:18:00.007-05:00

A few short months ago I was lucky enough to win a free session with a local photographer, Tammy Labuda. After looking through her awesome blog and seeing session after session of beautiful pics she had taken I was super excited to throw a curve ball at her, ahem... quadruplets, to see what she could capture for us. It was a challenge to say the least that's for sure! Even with 4 rambunctious two year olds who can't seem to sit still and two boys who had their serious game face on, she still managed to capture some great shots! We had our session at Chestnut Square in Mckinney, so so pretty and perfect for this time of year! These are just a few of the pictures taken by Tammy, to see more visit her blog by CLICKING HERE! Show her a little love and let her know you dropped by by "liking" her page just under the blog title!

A HUGE thank you to Tammy Labuda for her time and most of all her patience in photographing our crazy babies! We appreciate it and can't wait until our pics are ready for pick up!

Approaching Halloween!

2011-10-13T10:47:00.003-05:00

After research, shopping and a Facebook poll,

Mom found the best costumes you'll love them we know!

Two years of animals it is time for a change,

this year, four characters with recognizable names.

We'll reveal them shortly, take a guess if you'd like,

stay tuned for a sneak peek and find out if you're right!

We hope your weekend you'll surely enjoy

we leave you today with a bubba-toothed boy!

Until Next Time!

Developmental Check Up - Brody & Kylee - Advice? Anyone?

2011-10-07T19:15:00.004-05:00

First, I apologize for being distant the past week or two. Between doctors appointments, busy toddlers and 5am workouts I'm exhausted to say the least! I've deprived the poor things from play dates and all the regular outings we usually go on. Our near future surely consists of pumpkin patches, walks around the neighborhood and the zoo....gosh that zoo has been calling my name! One thing that business cannot get in the way of is our beloved doctor's appointments! This week Brody and Kylee had a check up with their developmental pediatrician. Unlike our "regular" pediatrician, our developmental ped evaluates them thoroughly and addresses developmental issues due to their prematurity.

Both Brody and Kylee did well, as always, and impressed Dr. Roberts with the remarkable progress they've made since their discharge from NICU. There were times we would have been THRILLED to know they would EVER reach the point where they are now...walking, talking, learning...thriving. They are both still a tad bit behind in some areas according to their adjusted age (28months) but are making progress we are all happy with! Brody's motor skills at this point are those of an 18-24 month old. Cognitive level was 27months, Receptive Language 30months, Expressive Language 30months and Fine Motor 27months. He weighed in at a whoppin 28lbs 4oz (25%) and is 36inches tall (50% - and to think a neuro said he would always be on the short side ;).

Kylee like Brody scored at 18-24months for Gross Motor, 28-29months Cognitive, Receptive & Expressive Language she's ahead of the game (no surprise there for those of you who know her) at 34months and Fine Motor she was also right at 28-29months. Our big girl weighed in at 27lbs (23-50%) and is 37inches tall (50%). Her head is still pretty low on the charts sitting in the 3rd percentile but Dr. Roberts isn't too worried and will just keep a close eye on her development. We've been faced with another therapy option for Kylee and I gotta tell you I'm stumped :( For those of you who remember our "on the fence" feelings about Brody getting a cranial helmet we're now feeling a little iffy on the new therapy the docs have mentioned to us on several occasions.

For those of you who don't know, Kylee suffered a bilateral brain bleed, grades 1 and 4, the 4 being on the right side of her brain. This brain injury has affected the left side of her body, her hand in particular, and has resulted in hemiparesis (a type of Cerebral Palsy). The therapists and doctors have asked us to consider Constraint Induced Therapy. The therapy would consist of constraining her right arm to where she is not able to use it, at all, for a long period of time (weeks) in hopes to strengthen and encourage use of her left hand. I've heard of this kind of therapy before and about how effective it is, however, most of what I hear is how well it did for adults after brain injuries such as stroke. The difference between an adult and a child, an adult can understand the point to the therapy, a two year old, not so much. I personally don't know of anyone who has been through Constraint Induced Therapy with a toddler. Obviously it would frustrate the crap out of her, not being able to use her one and only "good" arm/hand. I'm just having a hard time thinking about weather or not the frustration will outweigh the benefit. Who knows, maybe it won't be as bad as I'm imagining?? On the other hand I am fully aware that the sooner and more aggressive we tackle the problem the better the outcome we'll have as her brain is still "plastic" as the docs have always said. So I know it's a long shot but if any of you readers have been through this, please give us your advice on the matter. We'll be doing research of course, but to hear from someone whose been through it would be great. Thanks!

"Hey Chunky!"

2011-10-01T16:09:00.003-05:00

Today is the day I regret saying that to Brody over and over in his little 2 years of life. Bret got them out of bed this morning, I went out to greet them and the moment he saw me he smiled and said "Heeyy Chunky!" Thanks Buddy, way to start my weekend.

You can bet your tail I'll be working hard at my 5am workout Monday morning ;)

What a week...

2011-09-22T14:06:00.009-05:00

Whew it has been a week that's for sure. I started a fitness camp on Monday with some of the locals. I've committed myself to waking up at 4:40am Monday through Friday for the next 6 weeks to have my rear kicked by a trainer in hope to get into better shape and best case scenario, lose a pound or two. Being in athletics all through high school as well as playing volleyball and cheering, I've had my fair share of workouts. It's been what...omg...8 years since I've graduated therefore have been in no "real" kind of exercise program in nearly a decade. Nice. Hopefully by the end of this 6 week program I'll consider myself, dare I say...fit. As for this moment in time I resemble an 84 year old grandmother in need of her cane to get from point A to point B. My muscles are extremely sore and I've been reminded all week of just what a quad pregnancy can do to your once strong abdominal muscles. The quad's have two new words in their vocabulary "exercise" and "sore". Just this morning I let out a ridiculous moan as I ~~sat~~ ~~bent~~ ~~kneeled~~ FELL down to change Brody's diaper. He softly laughed and said "I sore!". I'll keep you posted on the whole workout thing.

As for the babies. If I truly thought they could, I'd bet they read this blog. I mentioned in the last post how we've had more good days than bad... why oh why did I put it in writing? I'm telling you, they can sense it. This week has been a rough one to say the least. I've been tired, sore, and a little stressed as we slowly approach the potty training stage and the little normal "2 year old" things they do have worn my nerves big time! I've captured some of their mischief on camera to share with you (and to show them when they get older and are blessed with 2 year old angels of their own).

I can remember when they were little, they couldn't even see what was on the tables or dressers, let alone reach for it.

Our first work of art on the wall by Mr. Korbin. As silly as it sounds, color time is stressful in our house. They fight over the crayons, they "hog" them (another new word in their vocabulary by the way) Kylee still occasionally eats one and on top of that drama I'm trying desperately to keep them contained so our carpets and furniture stay they color they are. This particular day they were in the table, I walked away for 4.8 seconds and come back to this...

Using more bins to their advantage... and yes that's a boy in a pink pull-up...Korbin, being a sweet brother, makes sure Brody is in on the action too. "There ya go BroBro, now reeacch, I got ya!"
The ball pit is the one thing I want to get rid of because it takes up SO MUCH ROOM but it's the one thing they play with every single day. Just this week they learned they could push and slide it away from the wall and learned some new, more exciting ways to play with it. Here we have Korbin ready to fly down the slide ON his truck while Miss B takes a leap from the couch behind him into the balls...

Oh and in case that doesn't make me nervous enough, Korbin, after successfully making several trips down the slide going forward decided it may be even more fun to go backwards... Each day that passes is just one day closer to the day you see a post about someones broken arm.

I'll end on a good note. Today I took them all to the local grocery store by myself STROLLERLESS! Like I mentioned above we're slowly entering the potty training stages and we ran out of candy (m&ms and skittles as rewards). It was morning, therefore the store isn't busy and we JUST needed a few little bags of candy so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to give it a whirl. I loaded them up with their Monkey backpacks that also double as leashes, just in case. As we pulled up to the store, I was surprised at how all of the feelings rushed back from when I first started taking them out by myself when they were itty bitty. What if they make a scene and I look like a huge idiot in front of everyone for even trying this? I pushed the feelings of insecurity away, unloaded them one by one and strapped on their backpacks. We had a mob of people watching as I herded them from the car towards the door but we made it in successfully. The first thing they saw upon entering were mylar sports ball balloons hanging in the checkout lines "LOOOOONNNSS!! LOOOONS! BALLSS" they all yelled at one time causing everyone to turn and look. We continued towards the candy aisle and they listened pretty well. At any given time there was a total distance of 20 feet between the first one and the last one as they walked and gazed up at everything at the same time. I'd find myself yelling "Baxlyn slow down, wait for the others...Brody speed up...Kylee look out, watch where you're going!... Don't touch... This way this way!" I know people could hear me across the store and I lost count of how many times I apologized to people for the kids walking into them or their cart. Luckily we live in a small town and the employees of the store "know us" as do a handful of the customers. Everyone was very sweet and told the babies how good they were doing and how impressed they were with their good behavior. Needless to say I left feeling relieved and just a little more confident in my abilities as a Mom of multiples! As smooth as it went we have no intentions of letting go of the strollers just yet!

Until next time!

Life at 2

2011-09-13T13:42:00.006-05:00

Two and a half. In just 5 short months my littles will be 3 years old. As far as "Terrible Twos" go, I gotta say the last few months have been REALLY good for us (knock on wood)! Shortly after their 2nd birthday we had a rough time but lately, as much as they drive me crazy, we've had more good days than bad. From what I hear it's no longer Terrible Twos, it's three that's the hardest, so we'll see what next year brings! For now, it's a life of new exciting stages and their little personalities are shining through more and more as time passes and I love it!

It seems like yesterday they were saying "Dada and Up" and today we're having full blown conversations with them. Their vocabulary has gone from a little to a lot in just a few months. They're slowly but surely learning their ABCs, 123s and nursery rhymes. Colors...that's another story. Really, I've been trying for months and e v e r y t h i n g is blue. They know there are different colors, they can say yellow, red, black...etc but when it comes down to it blue is their first and only guess. The wall is blue, their celery is blue, the dog is blue..everything! I know, they'll get it eventually but gah, kinda drives me nuts!

They always surprise me with how much they really do know. We have story time where we read and look at pictures in books, I ask them to point to a certain object and Kylee, Korbin & Baxlyn just about knock me over excitedly trying to point to that object as fast as they can. Those three are anxious to repeat numbers and colors and such but Brody on the other hand, tends to sit back and watch and I wonder if he pays attention. Just the other day I listened outside his bedroom door as he said/sung "A B C D...pause...H I..mumble mumble P...pause... 5 6 7...long pause...2 3...I can't count." It was so so adorable, make me wish I could have a camera running all the time! Sure he missed letters and numbers but it showed me he does listen and is picking up a few things along the way! Korbin's version of the ABCs goes like this "A B C D, Q I S. YAY!" He's so confident it's hilarious!

Last night I was preparing their bath while they ate dinner. From the bathroom I hear Baxlyn singing "Jesus love me dis no...Bible me so...mumble mumble... long... Yes Jesus love me...Bible tell me so!" Not believing what I was hearing and knowing that If I turned the corner and she saw me she would stop, I just stood there with my jaw on the floor and listened as she sung the song I've been singing to them for a while. It's these moments that remind me I WILL miss these days. Just like their newborn stage, these days will quickly be gone as well.

Kylee, this girl is something else. She's a people person and continues to easily wrap other's around her finger. When we're out in public people are drawn to her... literally drawn to her since they were tiny babies. It's freakishly amazing. Complete strangers constantly mention her smile, her eyes and her sweet spirit whether we have them all with us or just her alone. While the other three are playing with toys, running and laughing Kylee would much rather sit with you and talk about the people and dogs she knows. The memory this little girl has is incredible. She can meet a person or a dog (sounds funny I know, but she LOVES dogs and animals in general) one time and she will not forget them. Just the other day she went potty on the potty (YAY!) and wanted to call Bella, Cody and "da udda one" (meaning the other dog, Tess) to tell them. Really? Let's not call Nana, let's call your friend's dogs...? So we did and she proudly told them she went potty on the potty.

With age they're becoming more independant, which is mostly good. They enjoy helping me with laundry which helps me and keep them busy. They think it's great when I throw all the dirty clothes in the hallway and let them carry it from there to the washer by themselves. It takes about 10 minutes total and is super cute to watch. The three take one little shirt or sock at a time while Baxlyn tries to carry as much as she possible can dropping things all along the way. I'm now able to bribe (yes bribe) them by saying "If you want to help me with laundry you have to put up toys.." works like a stinkin' charm. Laundry = reward, who would have ever guessed.

Another thing they enjoy and look forward to is the trash truck. They hear the truck coming from down the road and sprint to the front door to wave and watch through the glass window. The trash guys, I have a feeling, look forward to seeing the quads too. The driver pulls up and stops right in front of the house so he can wave at the babies and then pulls up a few feet so the men on the back on the truck can wave as well. It's been a ritual for several months now. No matter what's happening at the time the trash truck comes, they have to go watch. We've had therapists have to take a break during therapy sessions just so they could go wave, it's hilarious. I'll have to get it on video some day!

A few more things that float their boats at this stage are flossing their teeth, putting their dishes in the sink, checking the mail and being allowed to touch "cool things". By cool things we're talking the "bikel" aka the exercise bike, the vacuum, the mailbox and hairdryer. It's these little things they are SO into now days that make it fun for me as their mom. Who gets excited about carrying laundry? Who wants to call a dog on the phone? Who would rather floss their teeth than watch TV? My little 2 year olds, that's who and I love them for their little cute, weird obsessions!

Equal Rights

2011-09-06T21:24:00.003-05:00

So you might be thinking the boys taught the girls (see here)... we'll they didn't. All has been good until the girls spotted the "auuww-some" tape wrapped around the boys' diapers after nap. The girls, having no clue what the purpose of the tape is, INSISTED they have it around their waists too. Who am I not to allow them to be cool like their brothers?! Oh silly girls...

Frat Bros Become The Duct Tape Duo

2011-08-31T19:26:00.005-05:00

Ay Yi Yi what am I gonna do with these boys?! Occasionally I go in to find one of the four partially or completely undressed. It's not a daily thing, just every so often. Today I have come to realize we are indeed in a new phase, a new naked phase, that I fear will stick around for a while. I went in to check on Brody & Korbin during nap today to find them laying peacefully in their beds, butt naked. Their diapers were on the floor right next to their pants and they excitedly told me "I NAKEN!". I put new diapers on them, didn't make a huge deal out of it and moved on. Night time rolls around, they're goofing off again, I go to check on them and there they are again, butt naked. What do I do? I do what I've been taught by other moms, bust out the duct tape and hope for the best.

In my favor the boys are split from the girls so the girls have no clue this is going on in the room next door. I can only hope the boys don't teach them their new found talent leaving me to deal with four naked bums. Boys....what can ya do with em ;)

Catch Up

2011-08-26T12:15:00.005-05:00

Yep, been a little distant the past week, I apologize. It's been a busy one but a good one. First let me update you on my cousin Rachel. She has been discharged from the University of Michigan (thank you Jesus!) and has been home now for a few days. They sent her home on oxygen and on several monitors to keep a close watch on her heart and overall condition. Right now she is doing well but they do plan on a surgery in the future for the valve in her heart. Thank you all for the constant texts and emails checking up on her.

I'm proud to say the quads are 100% back to normal after the surgeries they had nearly 3 weeks ago. To all who told me I was crazy for doing them all at once...well I'm not and it worked out just fine! The first few days of being home I did have help here at the house to ensure we kept them hydrated. We were told days 3-5 were hard and then day 10ish would be bad too (that's when the scabs fall off) but to my surprise each day they got better and better and overall they hardly skipped a beat. To you moms out their who may have to face the surgery in the future (and with multiples, at that) do not be afraid! If we can do it, you can!

It's been a week of doctors this week. Monday we went and had our 2 and a half year check up with Dr. Reyes 2 and half years....just crazy. It was just yesterday we brought them in for their first time weighing just a few pounds and this week we were talking about PRESCHOOL! YIKES! Tuesday we went to see Dr. Peiffer (the ENT) for their post-surgery appointment. He said they all look great and were healing well. Brody's tubes are just where they should be AND his hearing test had better results than before the surgery - woop woop!

Wednesday was a special day where Bret and I took Kylee for her annual Scottish Rite appointment in Dallas. I love love love when it's just three of us (any three of us that is), even if it is to go see a group of doctors. The other three stayed with Nana & Aunt Beth and Bret and I spent the first half of our day "spoiling" Kylee...and by spoiling I mean letting her walk instead of ride in a stroller or choo choo, letting her stop and take her time to look at whatever she wanted, letting her push the buttons on the elevator...etc. Things that are way more challenging to do when you have a group of two year olds with you!

Kylee & I by the giant crayons at the entrance!

I told Bret one of these years, we need to take them all to the appointment with us, it's such a neat hospital with all kinds of fun things for kids to do and explore. Here's Kylee looking at the World's Biggest Stained Glass Kaleidoscope!

After walking the halls and stealing the hearts of all those around her, it was time for her appointment. We met with the doctor and several therapists to discuss Kylee's progress with her left side and overall development. They were all very pleased with all she is doing and reassured us she's right on track and doing as well as anyone can having a hemi (hemiplegia cerebral palsy). She's cleared for another year unless the need arises and she needs to be seen again! Below, Kylee taking a ride on Daddy's shoulders as we headed out!

We took advantage of our alone time with our little girl and had lunch too. SO NICE! No unloading and herding 4 littles from the car to the door, no stares, questions or posing for pictures, no waiting while the staff rearranged tables and hunted down high chairs to accommodate us...nothing! Don't get me wrong I enjoy when we all go out together it's just a completely different world when we can give all our attention to one ;)

Next week we get a special date with our Brody :] Stay tuned!

It's kind of a big deal...

2011-08-16T21:31:00.005-05:00

Since birth Baxlyn has alwayyyyss been the leader of the pack, the do everything first, let me show you how it's done kind of girl. She was first off the ventilator, first to feed, first to sit up, crawl, walk and talk. Today she lead by example, once again, by GOING POTTY ON THE POTTY! We were at the pool, she asked to go, I took her, she tried and ended up tooting (girls toot, they do not fart, by the way) we celebrated her little toot and went back to swimming. We got back to the house she tried again and wa-la, she peed! Aunt Beth was quick to bring out the stickers to reward her and you can bet the other three were waiting in line to try to go themselves! None did, but made an effort :) We are not potty training right now and I wasn't planning on doing so until they were closer to three years old. After today, I'm wondering if we'll take on the challenge sooner (God help us!)?!?!

Here's my little princess of the potty! Forgive her awkward smile, she was trying her hardest at a thumbs up!

Calling all Prayer Warriors!!!

2011-08-15T15:02:00.002-05:00

Our family needs prayers at this time and by now, most of you know the power of prayer. My sweet cousin Rachel was born with a heart defect and required open heart surgery at just 8 months old. Rachel is now 16 years old and a virus has attacked her heart. She has been in the hospital since Friday under sedation on breathing and feeding tubes with multiple IVs and has now been transferred to the University of Michigan. If you could please put Rachel, and the rest of the family, on your prayer list and on any prayer chains you may be associated with.

From our entire family....thank you!

Surgery Day: Play by Play

2011-08-10T14:39:00.012-05:00

We drove home from Kentucky (post and pics coming soon) Saturday night and got in Sunday morning. After a day of unpacking, laundry, and cleaning we went to bed super sleep deprived only to wake up at 3:45am to head to the hospital for the quads' surgery. As you've probably read on the previous posts, because they have been sick numerous times this year, their docs felt they would benefit from having their tonsils removed. We arrived at 5:30 am and the babies were crazy happy! Luckily, being that early in the morning, the hospital was empty and the only onlookers were the hospital staff who luckily, found their running back and forth and shrieks of laughter amusing. Here's a picture of them all saying hello to the giraffe in the gift shop window...

After waiting a bit a nurse came to the waiting room with a blank stare... after a moment of silence I asked "Are ya here for the circus?" She laughed and answered yes with a smile and lead us back to the surgery prep area. The staff at Centennial Medical Center was great! Everyone was super sweet and welcomed our chaos with open arms! Again I'm so glad we were there at the crack of dawn meaning there were less patients there. The prep rooms were divided by curtains so there was no keeping 4 two year olds contained. We had plenty of adults on hand to chase them down, 7 to be exact. They had given us "rooms" side by side and the quads ran back and forth laughing, flirting with the nurses, checkin' out the environment and admiring the cool fish and animals on the walls! There was one point I heard a lady say "Well hi there!" it was a voice that didn't belong to one of our adults. I quickly turn around to find Brody behind the curtain of another patient being prepped for surgery - SO embarrassing! Trying to respect her privacy, I apologized and slipped him out from behind her curtain. She ended up asking for her curtain to be wide open so she could watch them all run and giggle!

Dr. Peiffer and the anesthesiologist came in and talked to us while each kid was assigned a nurse. After taking vitals and weights (B is the smallest at 24lbs and Brody the biggest at 27 something) we were ready to get started. We ended up going out of birth order and started with Kylee. A dose of happy juice was given to her and the wait began. Within just a few minutes her balance went out the window, her speech was slurred and her never disappearing smile got bigger! I'm so glad thay had this so called "happy juice" for them. We've had several tests done in the past where they just take them back fully awake and knock them out as they're scared to death and terrified. With this medicine they were in lala land as they were wheeled away with huge smiles on their faces. Once taken back they were masked, which knocked them out and THEN given and IV. Below, Smiley Kylee with Bethany before being wheeled to the operating room.

Every 45 minutes they would come to drug the next one in line. After Kylee was Baxlyn's turn. In no time, Baxlyn was as still and calm as could be. I could hold something up in front of her and she would try her hardest to focus and grab it, so funny! The look on her face says it all...

While letting the medicine take Miss B off to a land far far away, Kylee's surgery was completed and she was sent to recovery. Once awake, a nurse came and let us know she was ready to be comforted by one of our what felt like cajillion adults. At first I was afraid we had too much help but once they started splitting them up, we quickly realized we needed that many adults - huge lifesaver. As she woke up, Kylee onnllyy wanted her Daddy, poor baby :( Here's another of happy Baxlyn!

The docs came for Baxlyn and headed off the the O.R. and it was finally Korbin's turn for the happy juice. It took longer to kick in for this dude and he had a slightly different effect. Rather than lay calm and quiet, the boy got LOUD. He would try to sit up, which was impossible for him to do by himself, make a weird face and do this happy scream thing. You can imagine the lady (who Brody peeked in on earlier) was having the time of her life watching a bunch of drunk-like two year olds from across the room! Yes, we did get video, I hope to make a little segment to show you sometime.

Dr. Peiffer eventually came back letting us know Baxlyn, although ended up fighting him a bit (surprise surprise, right?), had done well and was in recovery. At this point Kylee had fallen back asleep, was released from recovery and on her way upstairs with her nurse, Papa and Nana. Korbin was then taken back, waving as he went, to the O.R. and the next nurse came to give the final dose of happy juice to Brody. No joke, at this point in time I could have sworn it was noon only to find out it was like 9am! Below is Happy Brody with his glove balloon Mr. Randell made for him and of course Dudu (his Mickey) close beside him. He was another calm but funny one after the meds kicked in. At one point he looked at me and said "Boly Hope...haa!" pretending his middle name was Hope and not Baxlyn's. I held him up as he had a silly "conversation" with the lady he had peeped on laying across the room from us. Over and over he'd exclaim "I next, I ready!"

So at this point Brody is flying high on happy juice, Korbin's in surgery, Kylee is upstairs on the peds floor and Baxlyn is *asleep* being released from recovery, headed to be with Kylee. Upstairs we have Papa, Nana, Mamaw and nurses while the rest of the gang waits to be with the boys downstairs. Apparently right after Baxlyn enters her room she wakes up and goes haywire. A nurse calls downstairs and tells us that Baxlyn needs her Daddy - PRONTO. No big deal, Bret will head up, I with the other two will wait downstairs to stay with Brody and meet Korbin in recovery. A few minutes pass, Bret shows up downstairs and says "well, Baxlyn's still crying...". Just like that the nurse's phone rings and again "Get someone up here, fast, we need help with Baxlyn!"

I rush upstairs, step off the elevator and needed no assistance finding our rooms, the screams were echoing through the halls of the hospital so I followed. I walk in and was shocked to see Baxlyn SWINGING her fists at people, trying to rip her IV out out of her arm, attempting to THROW herself off the bed and trying to climb the wall that her bed was against etc. The girl wasn't a little unhappy, she went straight up Linda Blair on us. An alarm was sounding because she had thrown her pulse oximeter AT her nurse, there were people surrounding her bed trying to protect her from falling and hurting herself, and she was screaming at the top of her lungs NOOO! I never knew a 24lb little girl could cause such a scene. I tried desperately hold her and she just kept right on. As the fight continued between her and the rest of us, I happened to look behind me and saw Kylee. She was as content as could be, wide awake with her purple popsicle melting down her little arm and all over the clean white sheets. It was a perfect example of how anesthesia can have such opposite effects on people! Baxlyn eventually screamed once again for her Daddy so Bret was called up. The moment he took her into his arms she was calm, instantly, and fell asleep. Everyone around breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't believe what they had just witnessed!

I head back downstairs to catch up with the boys and found Korbin in recovery and the docs wheeling the Broman off into the O.R. As I went to be with Korbin, I realize the news of Baxlyn's little episode beat me down there and the nurses were already talking about the craziness that just went down upstairs. I kid you not the nurses were more than prepared for another one to act like that, they had ordered more drugs to have on hand, just in case. It was a little sad, but funny at the same time lol! They eventually brought Brody in who woke up quickly and coughing hard. Poor buddy :( Korbin never woke up in recovery and continued to sleep for several more hours once being taken upstairs. By 10:30am all four were upstairs and sleeping, the boys in one room and the girls in the next. They ended up giving the girls oxygen, but just temporarily.

Dr. Peiffer did end up removing all adenoids along with the tonsils. He said their adenoids were very swollen, much worse then their tonsils. We're hoping there will be a lot less sickness going on in our house since they've been removed. He said Brody did have fluid build up in both ears and placement of the tubes went great.

They all slept for a few hours, allowing us adults to come and go, get lunch, and rest a little too. Eventually one by one they woke up. Below, Brody seeing his Daddy after waking up. So sweet!

The meds kept Baxlyn in Korbin in bed, asleep most of the day. Brody and Kylee went the exact opposite and were WIRED! They wanted out of bed and to be moving non-stop. Here's miss back-to-normal Baxlyn admiring her balloon from Aunt Beth!

Here's Kylee...yes...eating pizza. This was probably 4-5 hours post-surgery. Pizza? Really?! A few bites was all she had, but I was shocked she wanted it in the first place.

We finally gave in and the nurse made her and Brody mobile. Mobile WITH IV's that is. Everywhere they went someone had to quickly follow with their IV poles. That's a tough job ya know, can't get too far away because you don't want to rip out their IV's but can't get to close causing them to trip, don't let them get too close together or you'll have a tangled mess, keep up with their turns, otherwise there's tubing around their necks... Sheesh! Mentally and physically we were all exhausted and it was all we could do to keep up with these two.

The two of them owned the halls of the floor let me tell ya. They went up and down up and down. There we're some older patients (grandmas and grandpas - actually not sure why they were on the ped's floor?) who opened their doors and enjoyed watching them pass by over and over!

They followed the janitors around and watched them "fweep and bacuum". It was all I could do to explain to Brody that he could not assist them in cleaning the floors. We took a stroll outside to see the fountains...again explaining that no, we were not going "fwimming"! The two were full of energy ALL DAY LONG. Again same meds, but completely different side affects between them all! I am so glad that all 4 didn't want to roam. I don't know that we could have kept up!

That evening Baxlyn and Korbin perked up and joined our two busy bodies. Together they all roamed the halls while onlookers oohed and awed they eventually hit the jack pot and loaded up on jello and pudding!

Little by little we could get them to eat some jello and pudding. Luckily they had IV fluids because they were not fans of water or juices. They did stay overnight, because of their age. The nurses kept an eye on them and they did well. They were given a dose of meds at 8pm and we all went to bed. Bret stayed with the boys in their room while Bethany and I stayed with the girls in theirs. Bethany and I, thinking we had it easy one having one kid each, saw that Bret planned to put the boys together in one bed while he got the other all to himself...ugh lucky dog. The night was ok. Kylee coughed quite a bit, keeping me up with her and Brody was put on oxygen for a while. Dr. Reyes (their pediatrician) and Dr. Peiffer (their ENT) were both there when we got up in the morning to greet us. After chatting it up with the nurses and a few more laps around the 2nd floor of the hospital, we were discharged. Bethany and I headed home with the quads while Bret went straight to work. A trip to the local pharmacy and we were ready to start the healing process!

Since being home they've all done well. We're doing our best to keep them hydrated which has been a little challenging. So far they're eating a little and drinking only a tiny bit but we've had wet diapers which is a good sign. They all slept great last night but woke up in pain this morning. Once we were able to get meds back in their systems they were good to go, not completely normal, but not bad at all! Bret and I want to thank all of you who have called, commented, texted and prayed for them. A huge special thanks to all who have been hands on in helping us at the hospital and since we've been home. Although things went pretty smooth, we know they wouldn't have without all of YOU! We're hoping this is the one and only "Group Surgery" the quads will ever have!

Post Surgery, Update

2011-08-08T17:40:00.002-05:00

All went well this morning with surgeries. It was a long, interesting, entertaining morning and it's been a longer slightly exhausting afternoon. Dr. Peiffer did end up removing all adeniods along with their tonsils. After a rough recovery, with a certain diva in particular, they're all feeling well, eating and drinking. We're hoping we can all get a good nights sleep tonight and be discharged by tom afternoon. Thanks for the prayers and support, we'll update with details and pics withn the next day or so!

Monday: Surgery Day

2011-08-07T10:00:00.000-05:00

We will be loading up and headed out tomorrow morning at 4:45am to take Brody, Baxlyn, Kylee & Korbin in to have their tonsils taken out. Adenoids may come out as well and Brody will be getting tubes in his ears. They will go in birth order staring with Brody at 7am. We will be staying overnight to be monitored and should be released Tuesday by lunchtime, assuming all goes well. If you could, please keep out littles in your prayers. We're hoping for smooth surgeries and a quick, easy recovery. Thanks to all of you who volunteered to help out at the hospital and throughout the remainder of the week. We will update you tomorrow afternoon with hopefully nothing but good news!

Thanks again!

5 Years Ago...

2011-07-29T08:00:00.001-05:00

...these two crazy kids finally said "I do"!

Together for 11 years, married for 5. Happy Anniversary Bret, I can't wait to see what God has in store for the years to come! I love you and am looking forward to some dang good mexican food tonight :]

Just another Wednesday...

2011-07-27T14:42:00.007-05:00

We're currently in the process of transitioning from two naps to one. Yes, at (almost) 2 and half years old, we are still on 2 naps a day. I'm certain my kids hold world records in the sleep department, don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. They typically go down at night by 7pm and wake up between 8-9am add two daily naps and you've got a lot of sleep. Until now it's been great and our schedule has always been a morning nap from about 10:45am-12pm and an afternoon nap from 2pm-3:30pm. I hear so many stories of other kids taking one nap a day and giving their mom a 3-4 hour break...uhh yeah sign me up for that! I tried it yesterday, making them hold out until after lunch and a long therapy session. 1:30pm I put them down and they were out until 4, not too bad! Today on the other hand, not so great. Again, with all of my strength and despite their begging for night night, I made them hold out until 1pm. Surely, this would allow me at least a good 3 hours to myself. Nope. 2pm ALL of them are up, crying "I like out. I like out!" My first thought NO WAY! I've left them, I think some may have fallen back to sleep, but I don't dare peek in to check. It's currently 2:50 and I know the boys are up...joy. Maybe they're not ready for the one nap thing? Wish us luck on this whole nap thing, won't ya?

An update on our ENT situation. We have ALL FOUR scheduled for tonsil (and possible adenoid) removal on Monday August 8th. Are we crazy? Maybe. But we figure it would be easier than doing them one by one dragging out the process for months. Brody had a follow up appointment with Dr. Peiffer and he still has fluid in his ears, therefore he will be getting tubes as well. Brody's balance is still not the greatest which could be due to fluid sitting in the ears, his mild CP, other neurological issues or, most likely, a combination of all. We're hoping the tubes will do nothing but help him in the whole balance department. I've enjoyed hearing some of your experiences with the whole tonsil/tubes/adenoids situation some that went smoothly and some not so great. If you've been through this, especially with small toddlers or multiples, please let me hear your input!

On a good note, Brody and Kylee can both get on the couch by themselves! It's been a looong long time that we've been practicing building not only muscle but confidence! They, along with Korbin and Baxlyn are into e v e r y t h i n g. I'm happy they're doing good, thriving and learning new things, but with each milestone they hit, I swear the wrinkles in my forehead get deeper.

I'll leave ya for now, there's mountains of housework sitting behind me I must get to! PS - we've had several comments left on older posts over the past few weeks. We have answered your questions and replied to some of your comments under the comment section you wrote in. Hope you're all having a great week!

Rollin' With My Homies!

2011-07-22T21:25:00.000-05:00

The Dirty South will never be the same after the Sweet Sixteen took to the streets!

Back Row: Jenn Suz Moni Amy Jo Sandra Charity Mari Kelly Gen

Front Row: Beth, Jenna Kami Casey Heather Jac Misty

Quad Mommas 2011 Shirts:
Front:

Back:

Our 3rd annual Quad mom trip was a blast and we are already planning QM 2012!

Where the heck does time go?

2011-07-17T13:16:00.000-05:00

Really, Where does it go? From the moment they were born I've told myself "enjoy it they'll grow fast". Literally, I remember telling myself that in the NICU and the day they hit 3 weeks old (just 31 weeks gestation) I felt as if they we're about to head off to college. Often (lately) I forgot to remind myself of that and I find myself dreaming of the day they will all walk together in a public place, sit and smile for a picture, wipe their own bums, etc. Now that we've hit toddlerhood, it's hard to not wish the days would go by quickly and even harder not to keep your eye on the next nap time (that's what all us moms get excited about, right?!)

I just back in to town from my annual trip with my Quad Mommas (Whooop! - blog coming soon!). I was gone for 4 days and came home to taller, smarter, sassier quads. It's just amazing to me. It seems like yesterday I had little 2 pound helpless infants who depended on me for everything now I'm being called "Mom" by 4 little independent 2 year olds. By the way, Are they not supposed to wait until they're like 10 to call me "Mom"?! UGH! Anyways, I had myself a bawl (literally!) looking back over the "good ole days" ;) and thought I'd share a few pics that reminded me just how quickly time is flying....

I could post hundreds upon hundreds of pics that melt my heart today.... ahhh if only I could slowww time! Hope you're all having a great week!

We're here... alive and well!

2011-07-12T15:08:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the neglect over the past week. It's been busy fun here in Quadville! I'll be back very soon but until then, here's a few attempts at a decent group picture!

Hope you're all having a great week!

4th of July 2011!

2011-07-04T13:02:00.000-05:00

L-R Korbin Kylee Brody & Baxlyn

Happy Birthday America! We hope you all have a fun, SAFE 4th of July!

ENT Appointment

2011-06-30T17:22:00.000-05:00

With the numerous cases of Strep and ear infections this year we were told by our ped it was time to see an ENT (Ears Nose & Throat) Doc .I took the quads by myself this morning to meet Dr. Peiffer. While sitting in the waiting room, Brody looked up at me and said "New Doctor?" Poor lil' guy has seen so many offices and recognized we were indeed, in a new one. Our meeting with Dr. Peiffer only took about 20 minutes. I was SHOCKED at how quickly the babies warmed up to him, but the end of our visit Korbin had jumped into his arms and insisted on playing a game of gig-a-boo (that's peek-a-boo in our house). It's pretty funny trying to have a serious talk with a doc when there's a two year old in his face making him laugh!

A quick look at the ears and throat easily confirmed that each of them were indeed a good candidate for tonsil removal. Brody has had multiple ear infections in the past and although he doesn't have one now, Dr. Peiffer said there is fluid sitting in his left ear. I'll take Brody back in three weeks to check on the fluid. If it's still there, he will likely have tubes put in along with the tonsil removal. Although it might sound crazy to some, Dr. Peiffer, Dr. Reyes and I agreed it would be best to get all four in and over with at the same time rather than splitting them. Right now we have no set date for surgery, but it looks like it will be another 4-5 weeks or so. We'll keep ya posted on the subject as we know more!

Another one bites the dust...

2011-06-29T09:23:00.001-05:00

After getting out of the shower this morning I hear a loud thud followed by crying. Congrats, my Broman, on taking third place in taking a nosedive out of the crib!

Happy Wednesday!

The Cox Family: Post Vacation

2011-06-27T13:04:00.001-05:00

It's rough sometimes winding down and getting settled after getting home from a vacation....yaaaa knoooww the unpacking, the laundry, getting back on a normal schedule, strep, 103-104 fevers, pharyngitis. Wait what? YOU don't get strep every 4 days too?!?!

Yes. They're sick again! Korbin and Baxlyn ran fevers all week but were acting decent, so I chalked it up to teething and attempted to fight it with tylenol/advil. Friday evening they both went downhill and spiked fevers as high as 104.5. A trip to Carenow confirmed Baxlyn had strep and Korbin, pharyngitis. Brody was soon to follow Saturday afternoon and despite my efforts of keeping Kylee out of the house, away from them, she was hit (mildly, thank goodness) last night. A visit to Dr. Reyes this morning confirmed she and Brody have it as well. Fun. We left with the ENT's number in hand and they have an evaluation scheduled for Thursday. Looks like we'll be sayin' adios to the ole' tonsils in the near future.

I'll update you after Thursday's appointment! Thoughts and prayers that our little foursome are feeling well soon are appreciated!

Michigan 2011!

2011-06-20T19:55:00.000-05:00

After weeks of planning, preparing and packing for 6, we loaded up and headed north to Michigan to visit family and friends as well as to celebrate my cousin Peri's high school graduation! We left right before the quads' bedtime on Wednesday evening, prepared to drive straight through until we reached our destination 1005 loonng miles away. Stopping only for gas and breakfast we reached Kalamazoo at 10:15am Thursday morning. Although the trip wasn't as smooth as last year's over night drive to Kentucky, it wasn't horrible. Here's us loaded up and ready to head out...

...aaannnd here's me about 9 hours later trying to block out Kylee's "Daddy hode you!" and Brody's "Daddy, get you hambone?!" from the back seat (Bret tickles his inner thigh, also known as the hambone in our house).

Bret's a trooper for driving 95% of the way by himself but sitting in the passenger seat taking on the job of picking up dropped blankets and passing out water every 12 seconds is not easy either! They slept about 80% of the trip only waking up once or twice once they finally fell asleep. We stopped at a McDonalds early in the morning and were planning on eating and then letting the kids play (yes I-slight-germaphobe-Heather was gonna let them play in a McDonalds playplace...filthy mcnasty) while bret got a power nap in the car. That DID NOT HAPPEN. AT ALL. The moment Korbin and Baxlyn's feet hit the ground I swear they turned in to someone else's children who I had never seen before...screaming, crying, absolute fits! We ended up inhaling our food and getting back on the road so we could get to the hotel, allowing them some freedom and a good solid nap, surely that's all they needed, right?!

After researching local hotels we ended up staying at a Staybridge Suites. We reserved a two bedroom, full kitchen, handicapped suite. The hotel was a closed rectangle shape and in the center was a HUGE yard with patios, trees, grills and flowers. It was nice to let the quads roam and explore a big open area without worrying about losing one. The hotel staff was AWESOME in accommodating us and fulfilling our requests. We had been in touch weeks before arriving figuring out details like the sizes of suites they offered, the cribs they had as well as how we were going to fit them all in a room. I am SO glad I was in contact with them because it ends up, they only had three cribs and they were on the small side, NICU size, for those of you familiar. Bret and I knew we couldn't use pack and plays knowing Korbin and Baxlyn can climb out of them as well as not having the room in the van to transport them. I've heard a lot of talk about KidCo Peapods from other moms. They're a tent, basically, that kids can sleep in. They come in an easy to carry bag that can easily slide between or under car seats when traveling and simply pop right into place requiring NO assembly at all. Each have an air mattress too! They arrived at our door step just days before leaving for Michigan...

What was a spare bedroom going to do for us in a hotel suite if we couldn't fit the quads' bedding in it due to two full sized beds? I had asked the manager in advance if there was any way we could completely take out the beds and furniture leaving an empty "toddler-proofed" room when we arrived, she said it was a request they'd never gotten but they were happy to do it! A little strange looking, I'm sure the daily maids were taken back a bit by the site, but it worked for us :]

We were a little worried at how they would do with the new tents, which they call "Tunnels", but all four did well. They were all excited to get in to get their new toy I bribed them with (gotta love the dollar store!) The peapods have zippers on both sides as well as screened windows on all four sides which can be opened, allowing them to see out, or closed. We zipped them in, left their screens open, so they could all see each other, and they were good to go. Peapods plus heavy hotel curtains equals darkness which equals 4 babies sleeping 12-14 hours a night....ahhhhh...perfection!

Another reason we chose Staybridge was the fact that they offered a full free breakfast every morning as well as free dinner Tues-Thurs. Although we were with family every evening, we did take advantage of the hot breakfast they offered.

Unfortunately, even after a days rest, Korbin and Baxlyn were still not acting themselves. We headed to see the family Friday morning and they two of them wanted nothing to do with anybody but Bret. The word got out that we would be in Michigan so people came from all over to meet the the quads and having the two act the way they did was not fun and very frustrating. After several doses of meds and lots of ambesol for teething, it continued so we ended up taking them to see a doc. Anytime they act like this at home, I take them in and it's always something....an ear infection, strep, sore throat, sommmeething. We went, we waited, they were evaluated and nothing....nada. Diagnosis, terrible twos! UGH! Brody & Kylee on the other hand, so well behaved. So glad all four are not going through the same stage at once!

Below, Brody on Uncle Brian's Harley!

Our attempt at a group picture with the graduate, Peri!!! CONGRATS GIRL!!!

Despite the fits, I was able to snap some good pics of each of them!

Brody & Cousin Alicia

Baxlyn - she really can be an absolute doll!

My handsome Korbin. Notice he's in his "let's take jackets just in case" jacket. It was a cool 50-70degrees the whole time we were there. Not freezing, but definitely chilly for us Texans!

My Smiley Kylee. This girl stole the entire state of Michigan's heart. She's always been our super duper happy one and in no time at all everyone up north knew it too. Each time we got off the elevator at the hotel we would hear people whisper and say "Hold on, where is she....awww there she is! Just look at herrrr!" I seriously lost count of how many times people mentioned her being so happy and always smiling. Sweet baby girl!

We had another special visit while in Michigan. Some of you may recognize this pretty lady! Jenn King, her husband Mike and their quads live a few hours from where we were staying. You can't be THAT close to one of your special Quad Mommas and NOT see her! Bret and I, with my cousin Alicia and the quads drove and met Jenn, her mother in law and her quads at a kids museum! Not only did I get to hug Jenn's neck, I got to love on her sweet babies too!! So so many things I love about Jenn, I am constantly in awe of her as a friend and mother, she inspires me everyday when I see the amazing things she does with and for her kids. Seriously, inspiring Jenn, thank you for being you!

A group picture...

So neat seeing all 8 together. One of those sit back and take it all in moments...

Jenn & Kylee Addison & I

2 Moms and 8 two year olds! 16 eyes and not one looks at the camera!

Thanks again, Jenn and Gayle for driving to meet us! Can't wait to see you again soon!!

Love these of Kylee & Rachel...

How do you get quadruplets to sit for a picture....popsicles! With Isaac, Rachel & Sarah.

...or cookies! With Uncle Brian, I love it!

90% of the time we were there, you could bet on at least one of them sweeping or "bacuuming" the driveway with Becky's garage full of cool brooms! I can only pray their cleaning habits stay with them as they grow :]

Thanks to our wonderful family, Bret and I went out on a little date night, just the two of us, while the quads stayed back at the house. THANKS AGAIN GUYS! It had been a while since we had any kind of Mexican food (we loovve some good Mexican food!) and as we drove looking for something to catch our eye, not expecting to see any Mexican restaurants, we saw "Pappy's Mexican Restaurant". We both looked at each other, knowing it would be a gamble, but decided to give it a try. It could be bad....but...it could be really good right?! WOW. Although the salsa they had wasn't horrible, I think it fell under the ketchup category. When I asked for queso on my enchiladas the lady informed me they didn't have queso. I asked if they put chili con carne on top of them, and she looked at me as if I spoke a foreign language then told me they had, I quote, "brown sauce". I explained we were from Texas to which she quickly replied with eyes wide open and in a quiet voice "Oh. It's MUCH better there!" Basically translates to "Get ready, your meal is gonna suck." She told the cooks they had Texans and they hooked us up with their "SUPER HOT" salsa! Not exactly the Mexican we were used to but we were thankful none the less just to get away!

Before heading home the following Friday, we had to stop by one of our all time favorites, Brunos Pizza. I have many memories growing up and going to Brunos each time we went to Michigan. As a little girl I kept the juke box rockin' and stood on the steps to watch the men make pizza and through the dough up in the air...

...so awesome to now see my babies stand on the same steps, watching the same man throw the pizza!

Another attempt at a group photo, this time with Aunt Nancy & Uncle Richard...maybe next time!

Brody & Alicia both wearing some of her 27 pairs of sunglasses she keeps in her purse ;)

The drive home went well. We were again able to drive straight through only stopping for gas and this time, the babies slept nearly the whole way. We were welcomed back to Texas with 100 degree heat and humidity just in time for Father's Day...kinda makes me wish that teeth chattering 60 degree weather up north ;)

Brody & Kylee on the way home. It's little moments like this that keep me going :]

Thanks again to everyone in Michigan for making our visit everything it was! We love you all and can't wait til' next time!

Happy Father's Day 2011

2011-06-19T14:10:00.000-05:00

It was almost 3 years ago when you told the doctor to "stop counting!"

You do an amazing job at what once scared the daylights out of you :]

Love you, Babe, Happy Father's Day!

A few random pics to hold you over...

2011-06-12T10:00:00.000-05:00

Rather than leave you with nothing while on vacation, I thought I'd share a few random pictures taken over the past few months. Some may be repeats for all my facebook peeps!

Taking a stroll on a sunny day!

Just this past week, Korbin ~~learned how to climb~~ fell out of his crib. Unlike Baxlyn, when I found him he wasn't beaming with pride. From the look of his right eye it was a tough landing. Needless to say, he hasn't tried it since...

Splish Splash!
Their first swim of the summer!

Kylee LOVES accessories!

The coolest quad on the block, Baxlyn.

This is what happens when a triplet mom and a quad mom go to a children's museum that has the smallest elevator in the world.... babies go down on one trip and the choo choos on the next! Yeah...that didn't cause a scene.

The boys have had many many haircuts and this was Brody's first time to be brave and sit in the chair all by himself! (The lump you see under his cape is, of course, Dudu!)

How sweet is this? 2 brothers and their rolly polly!

Water sprinkler or a quad-friendly water fountain?

Four wheeler fun at Pa-paws! Kylee wanted NOTHING to do with it, poor girl!

Lil' explorers...

It's nice to see a little love among all the fighting these days :]

Working together for a GOOD cause, doesn't happen often!

We took the quads to one of my dad's softball games a couple of weeks ago. I grew up on the ball fields watching him play and it was about time my kids experienced it too! Love this one of Brody & Kylee watching him bat - Go Papa!

After the game we let them out on the field. Rather than roam what do they decide to do?? Clean. Yup, four 2 year olds on a ball field and they chose to clean. Below is Baxlyn using her foot to smear away the "yucky" lines someone put there...

While she's doing that we look over and notice Korbin is trying desperately to sweep the dirt out of the dugout with his lil' hands...

Before we knew it they were all in the dugout picking up and throwing away cups and trash the players had left behind...

This picture is SO Baxlyn, trying to juggle as many cups as she possible can!

Kylee with the Tew boys at the zoo. She talks constantly about Emmett. From the looks of this picture he's got a lil' crush on her too! Looks like he's saying "Back off Bro, this one's mine!" Lunch with their BFF, Levi James.

I'll leave you with one of the latest. This was a trip to Walmart. We passed through this section and in an instant I had a stroller full of toddlers yelling "Hats! Hats! Haaatttsss!!!" No sweeties, those are not hats!

Until next time!!

Goodbye Texas Helloooo.....

2011-06-08T19:00:00.000-05:00

MICHIGAN!

We're heading out with the babies to visit family and friends in Michigan. Please keep us in your prayers as we travel. We're *planning* on driving straight through like we have done in the past... it's bound to be interesting with 4 two year olds on board this time! Thanks SO MUCH to our friends staying back at the house, you guys are the best! No worries to you blog followers, you'll get a post or two while we're gone ;)

Summer fun (and fights) with a water hose!

2011-06-05T22:04:00.000-05:00

Bret and I came home today from a short 1.5 day getaway to Austin. Our friends Justin & Mallory tied the knot and we were able to share in the celebration of their marriage. It was a beautiful wedding and I'm so glad we had the opportunity to go. Congrats guys! A HUGE thank you to Nana, Papa, Bethany & Mamaw for taking shifts and taking care of the quads. It's super nice to get away and not have to worry about them! We took the quads over to Papaw's house today where they got to have their first hands-on water hose experience! We beat the heat and it made for some super cute pictures...

What you don't see in these pics is Brody to the right of Baxlyn. Rather than try to drink out of the moving hose that three others were fighting for, he thought it was much easier to bend over and suck the water straight off the ground out of the mud puddle....niiiiiicee Brody, nice!

We set the hose down to let them play and within seconds we had a brother sister battle going on. It's pretty funny watching two year olds fight over a hose. Neither one of them have really had any "hose time" in their life so they weren't aware that one little flick of the wrist meant an unexpected face full of cold water! As they pulled back and forth in a tug-of-war, one would get splashed, drop the hose, gasp for air, scream and start' again. Their facial expressions say it all!

Budders and Sissers :]

Here's Bret demonstrating some over the head, water fun. Check out Brody's face as he watches and says "Dat Fuhhhnny!"

Ahhh... summer... I think it's gonna be a good one!

FAQ

2011-05-31T08:00:00.000-05:00

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!

2011-05-28T12:00:00.000-05:00

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...

2011-05-26T17:51:00.000-05:00

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

While you are here, throw us a vote for the Circle of Moms top 25 Parents with Multiples! Remember, you can vote once every 24 hours until Monday, May 30th! Thanks!

What's up Docs?

2011-05-23T12:27:00.000-05:00

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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2011-05-19T12:32:00.000-05:00

You may have noticed the circular button on the right that says "Circle of Moms Top 25 Vote for Me!" No? Well take a look, it's there! Some of our blog followers nominated us for the top 25 Parents With Multiples. You can vote for us by simply clicking on the icon at the right, scroll down to our picture (yep we're waaay down there as of now!), and clicking on the thumbs up button! You can vote once every 24 hours until May 30th. Thanks to those who nominated us in the first place!

2nd Birthday Barnyard Bash!

2011-05-16T19:40:00.000-05:00

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

2011-05-09T20:32:00.000-05:00

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

2011-05-08T16:09:00.000-05:00

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

Kylee, Korbin, Mommy, Brody & Baxlyn

Mother's Day 2011

Easter 2011

2011-05-04T18:41:00.000-05:00

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!

4 two year olds and a fly...

2011-04-26T14:57:00.001-05:00

It will be two years ago tomorrow (April 27th) that I finally brought all four of my tiny babies home from the hospital, together. The last two years have been some of the most difficult yet best years ever and these precious babies continue to take my breath away daily. It amazes me lately how completely oblivious they are to me and the things going on around them. At this age, they are so full of wonder and I love to sit back and watch as they explore their little world around them...and take pictures, of course. I just happened to get this little tid bit on film and thought I'd share.

It all started with Baxlyn. She trapped, and squished, a fly near her bedroom window.

Being the sweet sister she is, after exploring it herself she passed it off to Korbin.

Korbin then passed it to Brody to check out...

Brody passed it back to Korbin...

...who showed Kylee...

...and for those of you who know Kylee...

........

...Poor lil' fly never had a chance!

Dudu & Poop

2011-04-21T15:32:00.000-05:00

I guarantee you the thought that came to your mind when reading that title is nothing like the thought that pops into my babies' minds when hearing those words. The words "Dudu & Poop" to the average person are quite unpleasant. The words "Dudu & Poop" here in our house are the words that make four little toddlers drool and come running in excitement ready to satisfy their hunger with a delicious treat.

As some of you know, Brody calls his Mickey Mouse "Dudu". That has been Mickey's name for quite some time now. Recently I introduced the babies to Whinnie the Pooh....which quickly translated to Whinnie the Poop or just "Poop" most of the time. Sams sells a huge container of cookies and our house is never without one. The first time while handing out the cookies Brody, looking at one side of the container yells "Duuduuu!!" and Korbin, sitting on the opposite side exclaimed "POOOP!!!". There ya have it folks... our Dudu & Poop cookies...

Hope you are all having a great week!

March of Dimes 2011

2011-04-17T20:26:00.000-05:00

I walked right into my late 20's bright and early Saturday morning (thanks all for the birthday wishes!) accompanied by some great friends, adorable kiddos, beautiful weather and all for a GREAT cause! The March of Dimes March for Babies walk was a huge success this year and the day was just about as close to perfect as it could get. We spent a lot of time answering questions and posing for pics...as well as many "not posing for pics"... there had to have been hundreds of pictures taken of the babies that went home on other peoples cameras. Sheesh! We met several new faces, friends of friends and blog followers, people who "knew" us via the computer.

A view from the sky (Fox 4 News) showed the thousands of people who came together to walk. People of all ages, many affected by prematurity and other birth defects. People, like us, who walked in honor of their healthy babies and people who walked in memory of their angels who never made it home. Sooo many people all to support the research and funding for healthy babies... simply amazing.

Below: Trysta's awesome Big Brother Hayden with dad Jamie, handsome lil' Will & Trysta all lookin' cute in her matching hair bow!

We had a total of 9 adults and 8 kids with us, 7 of them being ages 2 and under! Between the 6 car choo choo wagon and 3 single strollers, each baby was ridin' in style. Trysta, Levi & Will had a blast riding in the choo choo while the quads took turns livin' the life of a singleton in a "normal" stroller!

We saw many familiar faces along the way, hospital staff and other Medical Center of Plano NICU graduates. I've had several opportunities to go back to our NICU since being discharged and I've talked with and cried with other parents whose tiny babies were just barely holding on. This weekend I got to see some of those same parents walking with their little miracle babies just beaming with pride!

At one point we had all 7 babies in the choo choo, which made for a must-have photo! Unlike last year we didn't have to stop for feedings, we just filled each cup holder in each wagon full of goldfish and cheerios...easy peasy!

Below Kylee & Brody. Will lovin' the view in the choo choo. Kylee saw a "woof woof" so you know we HAD to stop! Sweet Trysta sippin' some H2O! All 7 of the littles Trysta, Baxlyn, Korbin, Kylee, Levi, Will & Brody!

Bret and I sincerely want to thank all of you supported our walk by donating money THANK YOU! Another thanks to those who walked with us, we hope you consider joining us again next year as we strive to make this an annual event and help to raise awareness!

Last but not least we want to especially thank Mike with Prosper Marketing for providing our awesome team shirts! Last year we made our own shirts with iron ons and well, they didn't last long. This year Mike and his company provided us with high quality t-shirts with our logo on them and I have no doubt they'll be around a while! If you are local and are ever in need of custom made shirts (or any other gear for the matter) I highly recommend Prosper Marketing, they've got a HUGE selection and were SO easy to work with! Check out their site here!

Thanks again to EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE who had a hand in supporting the March of Dimes this year!

2 MORE DAYS...

2011-04-14T16:11:00.000-05:00

...and these 8 little feet, with many others, will be walking in the March for Babies walk! I got a late start this year on our personal fundraising goal so set the bar at $300 hoping we could reach it. Thanks to ALL OF YOU that goal was blown out of the water! Thank you so so so much to all who have donated, every dollar will make a difference in helping women have full term pregnancies and help those babies that are born too early have a better chance at survival. Bret and I are extremely thankful to those of you who are joining us in our walk this year! We are super excited and hope to have an awesome day with beautiful weather as we join together for a good cause!

To learn more about the March of Dimes March for Babies, click here. You can donate in honor of the Cox Quads here! Thanks for supporting the March of Dimes!

Texas Bluebonnets 2011

2011-04-12T17:49:00.000-05:00

As Amy Horton herself would say "What signals the beginning of spring better than bluebonnets?!"

Thanks again to Amy Horton, they're just beautiful!