ONE

There's just no way to describe how amazed we are that our itsy-bitsy babies are a year old today! We are in full swing, too.  They've gone from immobile baby lumps to crawlers, standers, shufflers, climbers and currently they're on the brink of walking.  At any given moment I have to take a second glance to spot the baby because they go everywhere and get into everything.  The sounds they make are really interesting, too.  They are definitely getting the hang of babbling, saying da da, ma ma, ga, ga etc., but they also just holler out all sorts of sounds.  At times it honestly feels like I'm in an aviary filled with exotic birds.

They love and sometimes hate to play together.  They'll pile up and do things like push the baby gate over, take decal off Thomas the Train (and eat it), grab the diaper caddy-- this is a favorite and I no longer have a high enough place to put it out of their reach, and cruise up and down the hallway. Every now and then one poor soul will get caught underfoot as another one steps on him to get to higher ground.  This is when they don't like playing together.  One time I heard Gracie beller out displeasure and when I poked my head around the corner there was Thomas, standing on her back trying to climb onto the chair.  Around here plastic rings are prized possessions and they'll steal them from each other in a flash.  The other day Cienna noticed a sibling coming her way and in an instant she snatched her rings into a tight fist, pulled them close to her chest, and headed the other direction.

It is wonderfully crazy! Love to everyone this Christmas.  This time last year we were living off your prayers, love and support.  Not much has changed.  Thank you for every kindness.

Below are pictures taken over the last couple months of life here in Babyville.

9 Months and Busy Busy Busy

Two days ago marked 9 months (6 months adjusted) for Thomas, Cienna, William and Gracie. I'm tired and don't have much to say but don't want the moment to pass, so here are a few pictures and notes.  We're incredibly grateful they are even alive and can't believe how they have come from being born under 2lbs each to now...
Thomas 18.6 lbs (He gets to graduate to size 3 diapers!)
William 17.5 lbs
Gracie 16.6 lbs
Cieanna 13.6 lbs

I ran across this video of Thomas taking his binky while in the NICU, he was so itty bitty.  (Click here for the video). Click here for a video of Cienna "talking".  She seems to have a lot to say each day

A few notes on life:
*Still feeding 5 times a day, started them on applesauce and squash.  William goes crazy for food, he loves it!
*Thomas can push himself up into the sitting position and sits all day long shrieking at toys that are beyond his grasp. Cienna and Gracie will both sit by themselves if put in that position.
*William can maneuver his bottle into his mouth on his own
*Ben takes them all for a walk, one in a backpack, one in a front pack, and the other two in the stroller. I enjoy the silence at home.
*Friends and family continue to make a world of difference in each of our lives.

We Gotta Crawler!

Thomas crawled!  He has been working on this for a long time by rocking on his hands and knees, rolling, and in frustration, peddling in the air in hopes that would get him moving.  Well last night it all came together for him and there he went, on his hands and knees. Click here to see his second adventure. Although his first crawl was longer than this second attempt, you can at least see him in action.

PS This morning after feeding the babies I found Thomas asleep on the tile entry.  Time to get the baby gates out!

7 Months +

A friend gave me a card that reads, "If you think my hands are full, you should see my heart." This about sums it up...full on work and overflowing happiness, all at once.  It's like waking up and realizing you get to go to your dream job (for the most part!). It is so exciting to sit down and realize that about a year ago we were hoping the pregnancy would take and then when they were born so early and not one of them weighed more than two blocks of butter each, we were hoping they would live.  For me it is a total miracle to reach into the crib and cuddle a 10+ pound baby.

So far the babies are thriving in every way.  On July 16 they were 7 months old from birth (about 4 months corrected) and they demonstrate corrected age-appropriate behaviors and activities such as lifting the head, rolling over, batting at toys, holding toys, grabbing feet, babbling, etc. 

Their weights and couple of words about them:
Thomas 15.7  lb, 25 in, smiles ALL the time, laid back, content in most any situation 
William  14.4  lb, 24 in, studies everything, focused, likes to tuck his nose into blankets 
Gracie   13.7  lb, 24 in, has the biggest smile ever, "talks" all the time, loves to stand 
Cienna   10.9  lb, 23 in, constantly observes things around her, passes out grins to everyone

We no longer have a scheduled midnight feeding!  Thomas has been sleeping through the night for over two months and the other three take turns doing it it too.  Once in a while everyone stays asleep until the 5 am feeding, which sends me to their cribs to make sure they still have a pulse. If they do wake up and want to feed, I am able to breastfeed them since they are now all capable of breastfeeding. It is so nice not having to wake up and warm up a bottle.   

Here are a few random things that help the day go smoothly...

*Every Sunday morning the 40 fingers get a trim, this way I don't feel like I'm constantly needing to do it or wondering whether or not it has been done. 

*The best way to do bath time at the moment is to wait until there are 2-3 people to help so it goes quickly: someone hands me a baby, I wash him, pass him off and get the next one.  By the time I shower off, all the babies are dressed and ready for their bottle or nap. So thankful for friends & family!

*We continue to keep the changing table and baby closet in the living room (check out the picture below). This way anyone can jump in and help out if needed. (The house we moved into had a closet in the living room which was used to store canned goods.  It makes an amazing storage place for the baby clothes and blankets.) 

*Keeping a schedule has made for 4 content Little Ones.  We feed and diaper them five times a day (8:30 a.m., noon, 4:30 p.m., 8 p.m., 5 a.m.) and they are typically content in the meantime.  We have been doing this for about three months. 

Here are a few pictures from A Day in the Life of Baby Land...

4 Months Today

Time has just melted away and the days speed by in a blink, except, of course, when you're up feeding four babies at midnight. In the midst of adjusting the new normal, the last few weeks have brought all kinds of joy to our lives as we've watched Cienna, Thomas, Gracie and William grow and develop. Today they are four months old  and 44 weeks gestational age.  We've watched them one by one get completely off oxygen and all monitors, lift their heads, follow us with their eyes and, in the last couple days, grin at us.  It is unbelievably wonderful, truly a miracle.

Their current weights are
Thomas   10.2 lb
Gracie     8.8 lb
William   8.7 lb
Cienna     6.8 lb

Following a schedule has made things doable. We feed and diaper the babies six times a day, every four hours. However, in the evening we have carved out two five hour stretches by doing their cares a little earlier and waking them up a little later than the usual four hours.  Ben covers the first one til midnight then wakes me up for the next one and this way we each get a few hours of solid sleep. Once the babies are big enough we can work on getting them fully through the night.  Aside from the occasional fuss, they sleep really well at night.  Having family and friends who are willing to slip over to the house and help feed has eased the load tremendously. There is rarely a time when either one of us has had to feed all the babies alone. As far as food goes, they are now eating about 3/4 gallon of milk each day, four feedings of breast milk and two of formula.  There are four ladies who graciously contribute breast milk and together we are able to keep up so far.

We've been the recipients of some great hand-me-down baby equipment that has also eased the work load.  My sister had two swings that she said I would one day be grateful for.  Oh that day has come! When someone feels fussy and I've run out of hands, the swing will often help.  I used to work in Same Day Surgery at St. Mary and my former co-workers found two twin jogging strollers on Craigslist so now we're mobile. At the moment all four fit into one of the twin strollers.

Below are a few pictures to see the progress.  Again our hearts are full of gratitude to each of you who donate baby items, help, pray, send notes, provide milk, bring food, and send positive thoughts good wishes our way.  It makes a world of difference for us.

Oh! I found a short video of the first time Ben's parents were able to hold the babies.  Click here to view it.

Thanks Laurie's Photography for this picture and Ireland for the hats!

The boys practice head exercises.