Despite my long silence, a lot has happened in the past few weeks. Most importantly, we dedicated the babies on June 28, just days after they turned 6 months old. The occasion was made extra special because all four grandparents, a great-grandma, Tio Johnny and Aunt Holly, and nearly 100 of the quads' closest family and friends were able to join us to celebrate this milestone. It really was a family affair all around: My dad officiated, personalizing the ceremony by extracting meaningful qualities from each baby's name; my brother read Scripture; my dad's brother Ner (a classical guitarist) provided the music while his wife Harriet led the singing; my cousin Glenda took video; and two of my mom's sisters (Priscilla and Esther) catered the reception that followed. The babies must have known that I would need more energy than usual to get through the big day: The night before the dedication, all four of them slept until morning for the first (and, so far, only) time!
Isaac, Lucia, Jude, and Dahlia in their dedication outfits
Speaking of sleeping, the babies have gotten so good at rolling over both ways that all of them are now making a habit of sleeping on their tummies. The girls, in particular, are so skilled in the rolling department that we cannot leave them playing on a blanket anymore without coming back to find them eating carpet across the room. Here's Lucy the first time I found her flipped over in her crib—she was so proud of herself!
The babies have also started eating all kinds of fruits and veggies. Isaac is the best (and least messy) eater; Lucy has been the most difficult to feed (as usual), but she's getting the hang of it. It's so much fun to see the different reactions to new foods. They will often make a face and act like they don't like it—but as soon as they see me smiling and saying, "Yummy!" they decide it's okay after all. Here's Dahlia taking her first taste of sweet potatoes (do you think she likes them?):
Other events of note:
While my parents were here, the quads went to college for the first time! During our church's North American convention, we walked around my alma mater's campus, visited a couple of friends who work there, and got a lot of practice in dealing with curious passersby. The admissions office even announced the Fab Four's visit on its welcome board!
Hopefully the quads will return in 2027 as freshmen!
Later that week, we packed up the quads and took them to visit my Grandpa M's grave. As you may remember, he passed away just a couple of weeks before the babies were born. Although I don't believe there's anything magical or supernatural about a gravesite, I did feel like it was important to take the babies out to the cemetery, even if just for a few minutes. I really wish they'd been able to meet my grandpa and, until they're old enough to understand stories about him, this is as close as we're gonna get.
With Abuelita Joanna, at Grandma and Grandpa M's gravesite
On a final note (pun intended), Michael Jackson died just after the quads hit the 6-month mark. Okay, so he was a tad eccentric, and it's widely held that he led a questionable lifestyle—but hey, his songs are the soundtrack to a large chunk of my childhood! In the past couple of weeks, I've been playing his music for the Fab Four so that perhaps they can become fans, too. I can't think of a better way to sign off on this month's update than with Dahlia's brief tribute to the King of Pop:
(Special thanks to Glenda for her dancing assistance!)