Wedding Weekend!

Wow, what a great weekend!  We survived our first weekend getaway.  My brother, T.J., got married, and I was in the wedding.  We had enough time to make plans to take helpers with us, so on Friday afternoon, Anne and I loaded up the car and headed to Indy.  As always, we were the center of attention from the time that we popped the hatch to the back of the van.  It looked like we were moving in instead of staying two nights.  Bags of diapers, wipes, bottles, formula, cereal, boppy pillows, boppy seats, clothes, toiletries...we loaded up two carts full of things.  Luckily, we had enough family that had already arrived at the hotel to help us carry everyone in at once.
I had just enough time to get us checked in and settled in the room before I had to leave to go to the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner.  I know I say it a lot, but I don't think I could ever say it enough...I have the most wonderful friends and family ever.  Anne, Jayme and Missy took care of the kiddos all Friday evening while I followed the routine of being a part of the bridal party.  Anne said it was as if our room had a revolving door.  Everyone wanted to come and see the babies.  What wonderful friends to not only take care of all of my little ones, but also to put up with all of the visitors while I was out!
I was up and out again by 8 a.m. on Saturday morning with barely enough time to give the kiddos a kiss before I had to be down to have my hair done.  Once my hair and make-up were on, and I was dressed and ready to go, I made one last trip up to see everyone before heading to the church.  Lilya was so cute when I walked into the room.  She said, "Mommy, you look beautiful!"  It made me feel so good.
It was an extremely busy day...pictures, actual wedding (was gorgeous), pictures, more pictures, reception.  It was great to see so many people that love T.J. and Angela, and were there to celebrate their love for eachother.  The girls met us at the church with the babies and Lilya, and stayed in the nursery during the ceremony.  They brought them up for pictures, and headed back to the hotel.  For the reception, they were able to walk them over to the ball room, and take a little break themselves while family and friends took over with holding and loving on them.  Lilya was able to go and dance too!  My favorite moment was seeing my little brother, John, spin her while they were dancing together.  Since feeding time was at 10:30, we got everyone loaded back into the stroller, and Anne headed back to the hotel room with all 5 kids.  We hadn't really thought about the fact that it was 10:30 on a Saturday night, downtown Indy and Anne would be pushing a stroller with 4 babies while trying to coax Lilya to keep up.  I guess if you ever want to feel famous, all you need to do is take our quads for a walk downtown Indy on a Saturday night.  Anne said that people were snapping pictures, gathering around her, and one guy even stopped traffic so that she could cross the street!  They made it back just in time to feed again, and Lilya was so exhausted from all of the dancing that she fell sound asleep.  I'm sure Anne was thankful.  She was on her own for the night, and as always, I didn't have to worry about a thing...she took very good care of them.

Yesterday, we had to load up and head to T.J.'s to watch them open gifts.  We had to make a couple of pit stops on the way.  Lilya had to have a chicken nugget happy meal, and we had run out of formula, water, rice cereal and baby wipes (wow, I can't believe how much we use in just 2 days), so we had to stop at Target too.  The babies were great at T.J.'s, mostly sleeping the entire time we were there.  Lilya had fun playing with Judy too!

It was a weekend that I will never forget, and I am so blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life to share events like that with.  I could never express enough how grateful I am for the help that I had so that I was able to relax and enjoy the weekend!  I have to admit though, I missed feeding my little ones.  I have not minded one feeding (even at 3:00 a.m.) since we got home yesterday.  Back to reality, and I wouldn't want anything less!

Oh Yes, I Did...

Some might call me crazy, and others might...well, everyone I know just called me crazy.  Yesterday, I packed up all 5 kiddos and the big quad stroller and headed to the mall.  It was Tony's brother, Matthew's, birthday, and I had not had a chance to get him a present.  I didn't want to show up for his birthday dinner without one and had noone to watch the kids, so we experienced our first shopping trip.  We were working with a bit of a time crunch.  I left the house at 11:30 and had to be home for the 2 o'clock feeding.  I have gotten pretty quick at loading and unloading, so I thought I would have plenty of time to look for a gift.  I forgot to take into account that I wouldn't be able to walk 10 feet without being questioned about the babies.  Luckily, Lilya was an angel, and walked beside the stroller the entire time.  This meant our only interuptions were other curious shoppers.  My favorite question that I was asked yesterday was, "Oh, you didn't bring them all by yourself did you?"  It was nice to prove to myself that I could do it.  I can get out and do things that I used to do without thinking twice.  Now, I just have to make sure I schedule plenty of conversation time in.
We were able to buy a birthday present, and made it home in time to feed at 2.  We packed back up at 7 and went to dinner at Tony's mom's.  It was a long evening.  The babies were all fussy, and I was really tired from our shopping trip.   We did manage to eat dinner, sing Happy Birthday, watch the opening of gifts, and eat cake.  Fussy or not, we like a good party...especially when there is good cake involved.  We can't wait to party and celebrate my brother, T.J. and Angela's wedding this weekend!

Our First NICU Reunion Picnic

Last Saturday was the St. Vincent Women's NICU reunion picnic.  This is a yearly event that they put on so that families can reconnect with their doctors, nurses, and other families that were in the NICU.  It was wonderful!  There were so many things for kids to do; bounce houses, rock climbing, train rides, pony rides, petting zoo, carnival games.  I can just imagine what it will be like in a couple of years when the quads are able to participate in all of the fun.  This year, Lilya was able to enjoy all of the entertainment while the quads just looked cute and drew lots of attention.  It was also great to meet other families that we have been in contact with on Facebook, but had never met in person.  I really do feel a special connection to other quad families. 

When the picnic was over, we headed over to St. V's to visit our two favorite nurses since they had to work and miss the picnic.  It is so nice to stay connected to people that are so special.

Speaking of special...We would not have been able to go at all on Saturday if it weren't for our favorite helper, Anne.  Tony had to work, and ther is no way that I would have been able to go on my own, so it was Anne to the rescue AGAIN.  She has been a wonderful help, and we are so glad that she is able to share in the memories that we are making!

Load, Unload, Load, Unload...



First trip to school





 We loaded up the van last Wednesday with all 5 kids at about 11:45.  Our first stop, Suncrest.  It was a teacher work day, so I thought it would be a perfect chance to show off the little ones without too many little hands wanting to touch.  We unloaded with the help of Jayme, Missy, Amy and Lesley, and had a wonderful time visiting and bragging on what good babies they are.  Lilya entertained as always.  I'm almost embarrassed to tell the story, but I have to document it for the future.  She had been carrying around a brush I got from the hospital pretending it was a phone (it folded in half).  I put her in her Hello Kitty dress for our outing...she looks so cute in it.  Being the resourceful child that she is, since she didn't have pockets, she chose to carry her "phone" in her panties.  I was so embarrassed when she leaned back on my lap during our school visit, and I noticed it for the first time.  I'm so glad it's not a brush that I use!

3 months old already!

From there, we had to go to the doctor for a 3 month wellness check for the quads.  My plan was to ask the doctor about skipping the night time feeding, but all four babies screamed through the entire appointment, so I just wanted to get out of there.  I didn't end up asking many questions.  She decided to try some Prilosec for Jaylyn to see if it will help with her reflux. She is now20 3/4 inches and weighs 8 lbs. 6 oz.  I asked about Benjamin's breathing (he sounds very congested all of the time), and after she looked at him, she said that his tonsils are big, but he will grow into them. He is 22 1/4 and weighed 10 lbs. 15 oz.  Harrison is 21 3/4 and weighs 9 lbs. 9 oz., and Oscar was 20 1/4 and weighed 8 lbs 15 oz.  I cannot believe how much they've grown in the past three months!  Benjamin and Harrison are already on the growth chart for their actual birthdate.
After our doctor appointment, we loaded up and headed over to Blue Ridge to visit Anne and Sarah.  It was fun to share the little ones with more of my teacher friends.  I had no problems finding enough hands to feed all four little ones at once.  Lilya was thrilled to be able to explore Sarah's classroom where she will start pre-school two days a week after Labor day.  I cannot believe my little girl is old enough to go to preschool.  Where does the time go?  She is so excited.  She has played "school" at home since we started talking about it.  I am excited for her...I know that she will have a wonderful experience with Sarah.  Once the babies were fed, and I talked Lilya into leaving, Anne and I loaded everyone back up.
We unloaded and loaded one more time to visit my mom and George before we headed home and unloaded for the day.  It was 6 o'clock!  It was a long day filled with a lot of loading and unloading, but it was worth it to share my kiddos with so many special people.

Stroller=Freedom...sort of

We were so thankful when my brother told us that he was going to get us this stroller as a baby gift.  Singleton strollers are expensive, so you can imagine what it was going to cost us for one that would carry four!
Anyway, it's finally here, and put together.  We took our first ride, and the kiddos seemed to love it.  We are lucky enough to live in a small town, so we only got stopped twice to talk about the fact that we were pushing around four little ones.  The only other problem that I could foresee was the fact that it only seats 4, and we have 5 children that are under 3, but for the first outing, Lilya was visiting with friends.  Yesterday, we took our second walk, and Daddy pulled Lilya in the wagon while I pushed the stroller.  Luckily, that was good enough for her. 
It is so nice to feel like I can get out of the house with all of them.  Now, if only I could find a way to push this gigantic stroller and pull a wagon at the same time.  Then, I might be able to escape my house with all five of my kiddos!

I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends (and Family and sometimes even a stranger)

One day, when Tony and I were visiting the quads in the NICU, we had an unexpected visitor.  Pastor Lee, from the Lebanon Church of Christ came down to see us, and to welcome the quads.  Pastor Lee had been there and prayed with us the night that we were losing the twins, so it meant a lot for him to take the time out of his day to come and pray with us during such a happy time as well.  While he prayed for the health and well being of the babies, he also prayed a special prayer for Tony and I.  He asked that God give us the humility to ask for help when it is needed.  Right away, I knew that it was something that needed to be prayed over us.
I have thought long and hard about writing this entry.  I want this blog to be something that my children can look back on someday, and know what joy they brought us.  I also want them to know the reality of what our lives were like at the time.  The truth is, we did not plan on having 5 kids.  Last summer was a tough summer, as many of my friends were having babies or finding out that they were expecting again.  Tony and I had discussed having another, and lets just say, we were not on the same page.  Lilya was almost potty trained (no more diapers!) and hadn't been on formula for over a year.  Did we really want to go back to having those expenses agian.  Then, one day he said to me, "Ok, lets have one more."  I let him think on it for a couple of months before we ended up going back to the doctor, and I was sure that he was ok with adding one more.   We would have to cut out some of the fun stuff (Cubs games, concerts, eating out) again for awhile to get through another diaper/formula stage, but it would be worth it.  Then, it was a whole new ballgame when we got the news that we were adding 4.  That is 4 times EVERYTHING!  On top of that, I would need to be off work while I was pregnant in order to help ensure that I could carry them.  Tony and I have always gotten along fine financially, but we had not planned on me going without work.  Luckily, we had some money saved, and we were able to get through the financial staints from the bedrest period.  Now, it is the time that I would be going back to work.  We decided that it would be best for me to take at least this school year off.  I want more than anything to be able to stay at home with my little ones...and enjoy it.  I just saw a segment on the Today Show called The Secrets of Motherhood.  It claimed that a study showed that 42% of women would rather have money than spend more time with their kids.  I immediately felt guilty...like I belong in that 42%.  But, all I seem to think about these days is how we are going to be able to make it financially.  We have been so lucky to have so many wonderful people surrounding us and helping us out.  I don't need to be rich.  I just want to be able to support the children I have and possibly put back some money for their futures.  I wonder how many women of that 42% fit in my shoes.  We don't want money for ourselves...we just want to be able to raise our children without the stress of how we are going to pay our bills.  Unfortunately, in today's society it often means that both the husband and the wife need to work.
 I struggle with being dependent on others.  We have such wonderful friends and family.  I am so thankful that I have had the support and help with feeding so that again, I am able to enjoy the time that I spend with my children without feeling overwhelmed.  It seems like we hardly have a visitor that doesn't come with many gifts...from diapers to dinner, our friends, family and neighbors have brought us so many things.  Where would we be without so many special people in our lives?  I know that we'll get by with a little help from our friends...but that won't stop me from looking for ways to make money and help support my family from home (is it bad that I fit into that 42%).

From the Beginning (May 2011)

Sunday, May 1, 2011 9:36 PM
We're on day 5 in the hospital. Things have been really calm for the most part. I actually thought Dr. Sumners was going to send me home, but then, he said I could go ahead and tell the Alere nurses that I won't be going home. There was a little bit of relief with that since I've not been feeling the best at night. My contractions have gone from being up high, to very low with a lot of pressure. They are still spread out, so it hasn't required anything special, but I would probably freak out about them at home. I know I'm where I'm supposed to be. I have been lucky to have lots of visitors to help pass the time. I loved my flowers from Janelle, Craig, and Grant...they really brighten up my room. Missy and Jayme were wonderful to pick up Lilya and bring her down on Thursday...I loved watching her play Dr. I'm so glad I've seen her everyday since then. :) my mom and George, and T.J. and Angela all deserve credit for bringing food when they came. I was also excited to see the Perez's, and appreciated the bag of snacks and pic of Lilya. Sometimes I wonder what I did to deserve so much love. All of the visits along with the messages and phone calls are really helping to pass the time! 30 weeks tomorrow...only 3 weeks, and I'll have hit my goal. I think I can, I think I can!

Wednesday, May 4, 2011 10:07 AM
Our first week in the hospital has come and gone, and we are now on our way to 31 weeks. Things are still really calm, and today the dr ordered physical therapy and massage therapy to help get me through, what we hope to be, a couple weeks of bed rest. The nurse also got them to order wheel chair rides if I want them, so I can get put of this room for a while. I couldn't ask for a better staff to be taking care of me. :)


I've been keeping up with all that's happening around the world since I have plenty of time to watch t.v. Since I've been here, I've seen plenty of the 2nd worst tornado disaster to strike the southern U.S., watched the Royal Wedding of Prince Charles and Kate Middleton, and most recently, watched as the nation celebrated the death of the most wanted terrorist in the world, Osama Bin Laden. Sometimes it is hard to watch the news and see all of the "bad" that is out there, and then we add the weather, so rainy, cold and gloomy. The funny thing is, I know I'm about to add 4 more rays of sunlight to help brighten it up. I am getting so excited that within the next few weeks, we'll be sharing our little miracles with the rest of the world. What a blessing I know they will be!
 
Thursday, May 12, 2011 12:50 PM
We are quickly approaching the 32 nd week! I apologize for not updating this site for awhile. I've written about 4 tomes now, and somehow got kicked off each time.

I have been blessed with many visitors since last week. I am thankful for those who give up lunch breaks to stop in, as well as those who give up their entire evening to drive an hour here and back. I have felt the love of so many since I've been here.

I am so well taken care of here. I love massage days! Everyone seems right on top of my needs and are willing to listen even if I just want to tell a story about my daughter. I was so welcomed into the NICU for a tour yesterday. Nurses praised how far I've come, and made me feel even more confident that they will be well taken care of once they're here.

I have had some rough evenings lately, and I'm now in the middle of my last round of indocin. The nurses and doctors are doing there best to keep me as comfy as possible. They talk like I could be running out of room in there, but I'm going to do my best to prove them wrong. Tomorrow is a big ultrasound day! They will not only do bio-phiysical profiles, but they will also measure to see how big they're getting. I can't wait, and I hope to update with more good news soon!

Friday, May 13, 2011 4:59 PM
I love massage days! Today was even better because I got to top off an ultrasound to measure babies and do bpp's with a massage that I had to postponed from yesterday.


The ultrasound went perfect. All babies passed their BPP's breathing, fluid and movement very quickly. Then, it was time to measure. Baby A & C weighed in right on target, 3 lbs 11 oz. Baby B is about a week ahead of schedule, weighing exactly 4 lbs! Baby D is going to be our little runt, only weighing 3 lbs 3 oz. This is just a week behind schedule. I am hoping to keep them baking for at least 10 more days, but I thank God for the time He has given us. Now, it's up to the kiddos...when they say it's time, it's time. Getting very excited, anxious, nervous, and scared to meet our precious gifts!