2010 in statuses, part 4

I'm taking a walk down memory lane, Facebook style. You can read the entire series here.

As summer turned to fall, the kids started eating less and talking more. The level of energy required to keep up with them? Remained the same.

AUGUST
3  Losing a contact while changing a diaper, bad. Losing a contact while changing a poopy diaper, very bad. Fortunately the verrrrry tips of my hair caught the errant contact, preventing it from dying a very stinky death.

Four kids in a tub (19 months)
clockwise from bottom left: Dahlia, Isaac, Jude, and Lucia

13  Wish the kids would listen to me when I sing, "Ay, ay, ay, ay, canta y no llores! Porque cantando se alegran, cielito lindo, los corazones."

25  Just made Jessica Seinfeld's sneaky PB and banana muffins (with carrot in them) ... delicioso!! Hope the kids like them.

25  The PB and banana muffins were not a hit. BUT the kids took a solid 3-hour nap. It all evens out!

SEPTEMBER
10  Babycenter.com just sent me a newsletter. One of the topics: "Are you ready for another baby?" Um, NO.

13  For the first time, a stranger asked to take our picture while I was out with the kids (and the choo-choo). I said yes ... he seemed nice, and it's not like I could stop him! Hopefully he wasn't a sicko or anything.

Posing in Mommy's alma mater gear (20 months)
left to right: Jude, Dahlia, Lucia, and Isaac

OCTOBER
12  Three out of four kids think it's HILARIOUS when I jump. Dahlia is just giving me pity smiles. This is a workout!

13  At breakfast, Jude noticed that the trees are losing their leaves. Every time a leaf would fall, he would say, "Uh-OH!" I have a feeling I am going to be hearing a lot of "uh-ohs" over the next few days. :)

15  Now I know how my Abuelita Rojas felt when we liked something she made. The kids loved the pumpkin mini-muffins I made today, and I just wanted to keep pushing more and more on them. The only thing that stopped me was fear of the diapers that all of that pumpkin fiber might produce.

16  This morning the kids saw Ted kill a HUGE spider. As soon as he whacked it, the spider curled its legs into a ball, and Jude said, "Uh-OH!" So many reasons to uh-oh this fall.

Post-nap lineup (21 months)
left to right: Isaac, Jude, Dahlia, and Lucia

19  Choo-choo'ed the kids to the high school to watch the marching band practice this afternoon. Turns out the band (and its director) were way more interested in the kids than the kids were in the band. Oh, well ... it was a good excuse for a long walk on a gorgeous day. :)

29  Kelly Ripa is dressed like Snookie this morning. Jude keeps pointing at the TV and yelling, "Ma-MA!" Just what is he trying to tell me??

'Tis the season

October means Homecoming, and all year I've been looking forward to taking the Fab Four to their first Homecoming Fair. In fact, I was so excited that I even had a friend pick up four matching college tees (not cheap!) so that the babies would be appropriately decked out.

What was I thinking?! Not only does RSV season start this month (running through April), but also H1N1 seems to be everywhere. Both viruses could pose a life-threatening risk to my 33-weekers, who have not been vaccinated against either one. After remembering this tiny detail, we ultimately decided to stay home.

Unfortunately, this will be the story of our lives for the next several months. If you plan on visiting us during this time, we have just a few requests:

If you are sick or have been in the 5 days leading up to your scheduled visit, or if anyone in your family has been sick during that time, please postpone your visit until you are well.

If you have a baby or toddler, please do not bring them with you to visit us until RSV season is over, as the virus is common among children and spreads very easily from child to child.

If possible, please get a flu shot. We plan on getting vaccinated for the regular flu next week, and the babies will be vaccinated for H1N1 when the vaccine becomes available at our pediatrician's office.

As usual, we'll ask you to wash and sanitize your hands before touching the babies, since the virus that causes RSV can live as long as 6 hours on hands and 12 hours on objects.

Oh, and if you're wondering whether I returned the tees I bought for the kids to wear to Homecoming ... no way! Look how cute they look in them!

Jude, Lucy, Isaac, and Dahlia get their first taste of fall in matching AU tees

6 months old ... going on 7!

Yes, this update is late. And yes, it's because the Fab Four are keeping me terribly busy!

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!)

Future scholars?

My alma mater's alumni magazine has begun featuring the children of alumni in each issue, and I am thrilled to report that the Fab Four were chosen to appear in the latest one! Check out the (now outdated) photo that accompanies the article about us (click link to read):

(left to right) Isaac, Dahlia, Lucia, and Jude at 6 weeks
(wearing their favorite university gear!)

Too bad this picture doesn't qualify them for full-ride scholarships 18 years from now. I guess I need to get to work on that ...