Ride's over

Today marked the end of an era in the life of our little family: We sold our choo choo wagon! And because people around the world seem to have enjoyed the kids' first choo choo ride so much (or maybe just because we are dorks!), Ted and I decided that the most fitting farewell would be to film a little sequel:



Goodbye, dear choo choo ... you served us well!

Color me happy

One of the keys to raising multiples is organization. And one of the keys to my organization is color-coding. At first the system was meant to help different caregivers remember which pacifier or sleepsack or sippy cup (or whatever) belonged to whom. But, as the kids have grown, having an assigned color has made it easy for each of them to readily identify his or her own backpack, toothbrush, washcloth, MunchieMug, and so much more. The kids enjoy having a sense of ownership over something (a feeling that's hard to come by when you're a quadruplet!), and I love how color-coding eliminates the need to argue over whose stuff is whose: If it's [insert color], it's gotta belong to [insert kid]!

One of the downsides to the kids getting older, though, is that some things just don't come in multiple colors anymore. I was recently lamenting this fact on Facebook when a fellow quad mom gave me a great tip: Just use different colors of electrical tape to label identical items—genius!

As a direct result of that conversation, I'm now the proud owner of four rolls of plastic tape, perfect for color-coding mock Crocs (the kids all wear different shoe sizes):

And Radio Flyer tricycles (adjusted for each rider's height):

Now I don't have to sort out which pink shoes belong to which girl, or which red trike belongs to which boy. The kids just grab their colors and go. What a time saver!

Something I know I won't have to label with my fancy new tape, though, are the kids' preschool folders. This year I tipped off their new teacher to our color-coding system before school started, and she gave each kid a take-home folder in "their" color (or as close to it as possible). The kids are tickled pink—way to score bonus points, Miss M!

Table for six

Notice anything missing in this picture?

Yep, a few days ago we had our last supper at the feeding table:

And started eating together at the "big" table!

Ted and I are thrilled to have our pre-quads dining table back in place, and the kids love the new arrangement, too. Life feels just a little more normal now!

As for the feeding table, it's gone to a good home. We hope you make as many memories around that table as we did, Hamer quads!

Cribless Christmas chaos

Scratch the PeaPods idea. When we walked in the nursery today after "nap" time, we found the girls on the loose and the room in disarray:



Seconds later, we discovered that Jude had actually managed to get out, too!



So it's back to mattresses on the floor for now. It took the kids an hour to fall asleep tonight (despite having skipped their nap again today), but I just went in to check on them, and everyone had found his or her own bed except for Lucy—she was sleeping by the door, poor baby!

Desperate measures

Today, on the Fab Four's second birthday, Isaac and Dahlia decided to show us how silly we were to think that yesterday's precautions would keep them in their cribs. Just minutes after putting them into their nap, in fact, we heard Dahlia scream and Ted opened the door to find her dazedly roaming the nursery. And then, not long after he put her back in bed, we heard the doorknob rattle and were greeted at the door by Isaac!

Worried that one of the kids would fall and get seriously hurt, we opted to pause nap time so that Ted could dismantle the cribs to make room for their four mattresses on the floor:

As you can imagine, the kids were way too excited by all the new freedom to get much sleep. In the end, Jude was the only one who was able to catch any shut-eye. This made for a very, very long afternoon with the other three. And by the time dinner rolled around, Isaac was really paying for the lack of sleep:



Since my last post, several of my friends who are moms of multiples have reminded me about crib tents, and the idea is sounding better to me all the time. For the time being, we have set up the PeaPods in the nursery so that we don't have to try to get the kids to fall asleep on open mattresses (and stay there). After today's shenanigans, I just don't think that any of us are ready for toddler beds yet!

Have quads, will travel

When your brother decides to get married, you don't let a little thing like a 2,200-mile round-trip drive with 21-month-old quadruplets stop you! No, sir. In fact, the minute Johnny and Holly told us that they were planning a September wedding, Ted and I started figuring out just how we were going to pull off our first road trip as a family of six.

Now that our Texas "vacation" is behind us, everyone's been asking me whether Ted and I are still sane—and thanks to our awesome kids, the answer is YES! To be sure, there was a little of this:



But there was also quite a bit of this:



Looking back, Ted and I are convinced that preparation was the key to keeping the Fab Four (mostly) content for a total of 40 van hours. For instance, in the week leading up to the trip, Ted took the time to carefully plan a route with stops that would accommodate our eating schedule and afford the opportunity for the kids to burn off some energy (thank goodness for Chick-Fil-A playgrounds!). As for me, I took stock of our supplies and determined what we'd need to take with us (and how to pack it), what we could leave behind, and what we'd have to buy on the road (milk!).

I also researched how to keep young toddlers busy on long drives and, based on what I learned, decided to sit in the middle row for the entire trip. This made the kids happy and gave me easy access to books, toys, and snacks—and anything else the kids dropped. During their awake time (which was almost all of the time), I kept them entertained with DVDs, lots of touch-n-feel books, empty water bottles (one of their favorite "toys"), balloons (in lieu of balls), and stuffed animals (anything with a buckle or a zipper was a hit).

The kids also loved the photo albums I made with pictures of people we were going to see on the trip—these held their attention for what seemed like hours! Check out Jude's reaction to seeing a picture of Tia Glenda:



The worst part of each 2-day drive was definitely the hotel stay in the middle. By the time we ate dinner, checked in, toddler-proofed the room, unloaded what we needed from the van, set up the PeaPod tents (love those things!), and changed the kids' diapers and clothes for bed, it was MELTDOWN time. Fortunately, we were going to bed much earlier than the other guests, so hopefully not too many people were disturbed by the screams that emanated from our room!

Two things we learned for sure: (1) Keeping four toddlers happy on the road for 2 full days at a time is no easy task, but (2) it's totally doable! And the sweat and the tears (no blood, fortunately!) were definitely worth it to witness Johnny and Holly make it official.

Picture posts coming up next to show how much fun we had before heading back home ...

All aboard!

Check out our new ride:


That's right, folks—we are the proud owners of a Step 2 choo choo wagon! Ted's parents actually gave it to us for the kids' birthday, but space issues prevented us from storing it at our house (and, therefore, using it) until now. We feel very fortunate to have it, as it's currently out of production and quite the hot commodity in the world of higher-order multiples. Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa T!

First time in the Choo Choo
(clockwise from top left: Jude, Isaac, Dahlia, Lucy)

We weren't sure what the Fab Four thought of the choo choo when Ted first strapped them in, but they ended up LOVING it! I like it because it's a nice alternative to our mammoth stroller: In the choo choo, everyone can face the same way and see in all directions, two features that will come in handy on walking trails, trips to the zoo, trick-or-treating, and the like.

Of course, I had to get the kids' first choo choo ride on video:

Monkey leash FAIL

Dear people who saw our family in the church parking lot yesterday:

We know it looked bad. Four toddlers being dragged to church on leashes. Walking in circles, wrapping the leads around their necks and/or their siblings' necks, trapping their parents like mummies in a crisscross of brown stripes. Unaware of the laws of physics, trying to run and getting yanked back abruptly by the tethers, crashing to the asphalt and wondering what in the world just happened.

Thanks so much to those of you who offered to help us get the kids from point A to point B (we only declined because we need to learn how to do this on our own), as well as to those of you who so kindly held the doors open for embarrassed parents with no free hands. And thank you, thank you, thank you for not calling CPS on us. We promise to try something different next time.

Sincerely,
A traumatized mom and dad who will definitely wait until the kids are older before using the leashes again!

Before beginning our harrowing journey
(notice that Isaac is already trying to strangle himself!)

19 months old ... reining 'em in

This morning we FINALLY took the kids to church. We'd been meaning to try it ever since we dropped the morning nap, but we hadn't gotten around to it yet because, frankly, the idea was supremely intimidating. I mean, getting four toddlers ready for church—feeding them breakfast, changing their diapers, dressing them up, and preparing the diaper bag for an extended outing—while also having to get ourselves ready, all before 9am? A daunting task, to say the least.

But this morning I got the itch to try it and, since Ted didn't have any strong objections, we decided to go for it. After breakfast, we raced around to find outfits for the kids and make ourselves presentable before rushing out the door (right on time) for our first family trip to church since the babies were dedicated.

When we got there, we quickly unloaded the van and each grabbed two kids by the hand to walk inside (in the most meandering way possible, of course, as each child desired to walk in a different direction). We registered the kids in a flash ("yes, they all have the same birthday ... no, they are not two sets of twins ... yes, I do have my hands full") and dropped them off in the toddler room.

Notice that I have no pictures of the chaotic momentous occasion.

While Dahlia was thrilled to go in and make new friends, the other three cried as soon as they realized what was happening. Although I felt bad for leaving them when they were so sad, Ted and I quickly left the scene and made our way to the sanctuary. There I tried to put the kids out of my mind in order to focus on the message (which turned out to be a very interesting exegesis of a portion of Matthew 5—see, I paid attention!).

As soon as the service concluded, we booked it back to the toddler room to see how things went. I could hear Isaac crying down the hall and immediately thought the worst, but the caregivers claimed that he had been fine until just then. In fact, they assured me, all of the kids had actually had a lot of fun while we were gone. It would seem that our first church nursery experience hadn't been too bad after all!

My relief, however, was premature, as leaving proved to be even more difficult than arriving: Isaac was inconsolable, Dahlia repeatedly bolted at the slightest decrease in hand pressure, Lucy insisted on being carried, and Jude absolutely refused to walk through the double doors. Somehow, we were eventually able to get all four of them to walk back out to the van among a throng of exiting churchgoers, but it was no picnic!

To be completely honest, the whole endeavor left us sweaty and grouchy and utterly exhausted. But at least now we know that taking the kids to church on our own is not an impossible feat! We will be repeating the attempt sometime soon, but definitely not until we receive delivery of these nifty little contraptions:

The key to controlling our
four little monkeys in open spaces?

Free to a good home

Anybody need four dozen bottles?


How about close to a hundred nipples?


A ton of rings?


A whole bunch of caps?


We don't need this pile of paraphernalia anymore because the Fab Four are DONE with bedtime bottles! Which means that they are done with bottles, period! And they don't even seem to care—hallelujah! Can you tell that I never want to see another bottle again?

11 months old ... and thankful

I can hardly believe it, but the Fab Four turned 11 months old on Tuesday! Unfortunately, all four of them (and I) came down with nasty colds the next day, so we were forced to skip Thanksgiving dinner at the in-laws' yesterday and settle for eating the leftovers that they were kind enough to drop off later.

Still, it was definitely a better Thanksgiving than the one I had last year! And in spite of the snotty noses and crankiness, we have much to be thankful for: thriving babies, the loving kindness of friends and family, and God's faithful provisions at every turn. Oh, and let's not forget the smaller things, like the fact that the babies finally started sleeping allll night this month—I feel like a new woman!

If the babies could tell me what they are most thankful for, I think they'd pick the newly gated living room, which is giving them the freedom to play and explore to their little hearts' content (hmmm, maybe that's why they've been sleeping better):

The Fab Four at 11 months: Lined up at the gate to greet a visitor

Can't wait to see what life will be like with 1 year olds ... the big day is less than a month away!

Table for four

Move aside, Mission-style dining room set: You have been replaced by a glamorous quad feeding table!

One of our first times at the table (August 2009)

This wonderful piece of furniture came our way courtesy of the Murray Crew, whose four boys have graduated to using booster seats at the "real" table. Since I didn't really relish the idea of purchasing four highchairs and having to clean them up after every meal, this table is a dream come true for me! And we've been having a lot of fun in the weeks since we started using it; I think the kids are really starting to look forward to that time with me and with each other. This morning I left Isaac, Lucia, and Dahlia at the table while I changed Jude in the other room, and I could hear them "talking" to and laughing at each other in the kitchen. So cute! Here is everyone hanging out after breakfast yesterday:



Feeding four at once can get hairy since they don't yet understand the concept of taking turns, so I usually try to start out feeding two; once they're close to being finished, I add a third, and eventually a fourth. Doing it this way also lets me focus a little more on each individual, which means that I am quickly learning about all of their little "eating quirks." For example, I've discovered that Isaac likes to dance in his seat, especially when I sing "The Wheels on the Bus." Jude is usually too busy looking around to care very much about the next bite, which can make feeding him quite time-consuming, but I can't shovel the food in fast enough for Lucy, who's our little solid-food-eating machine. And although Dahlia is the most finicky, she will almost always laugh and take a bite if I do the "airplane" with her spoon.

Thanks again, Murray Crew! We cannot express how grateful we are to be on the receiving end of such a generous hand-me-down, and we're looking forward to making many more special memories at this table in the months ahead!

It's normal to us

A week ago, my cousin Glenda moved in to help take care of the babies over the summer. She's been helping us every Friday since January, so she knows a lot of the ins and outs of how we run things around here. She had yet to see me prepare formula, though, so her expression was priceless when she walked into the kitchen on her first night here and saw me mixing this:

A gallon a day keeps the doctor away!

Being first-time parents, Ted and I sometimes forget that we're "different." We just don't know any better until someone points out the freakish amount of [insert baby item here] that we own/use. More examples:

Bibs for 1 day (if it's not a messy one)

A basketful of burp cloths (enough for 2 days)

These diapers will be landfill in about 5 days

A day's worth of bottles, bottles, bottles!

You mean other people don't keep four dozen pacifiers on the coffee table?

4 months old ... yes, already!

I can't believe that it's been a month since I posted my last update. I have no excuse except that I've been too busy, enjoying my four babies as they blossom into little people with heart-stopping smiles and infectious laughs!

Isaac continues to be our big boy at 14 pounds. His new trick is to suck on his fists and then rub them all over his face, which has the unfortunate effect of making his skin break out (we call this condition "formula face"; the cure is to just wash his face more often!). Isaac also loves to smile and coo at the chandelier in our living room. His big news, though, is that he has slept through the night on 6 of the last 7 days! Ted and I are absolutely thrilled by this development; we never expected our most demanding eater to be the second one to sleep through the night. Let's hope he keeps it up!

Isaac wearing one of Lindsay's cute
"One-Two-Three-Four" bibs

Jude is about the same length as Isaac, but weighs only 12 pounds. A couple of days ago I put him on his tummy and he propped himself up on his arms for the first time—and then he surprised me by immediately rolling over onto his back! In the past week, he has also started to intentionally reach for the toys that hang from the play gym. Right now, Jude is the biggest talker of the bunch, and his face lights up when he sees Mommy or Daddy. I could gaze into his beautiful brown eyes and listen to him say "goo" and "boo" all day!

Tio Johnny and Jude make a connection during
Johnny and Holly's visit late last month

Dahlia has been sleeping through the night for over a month now and currently weighs 11 pounds. She demands the most one-on-one attention, and scrunches up her face in delight when she realizes that you are talking to her. Fortunately, entertaining her can be as easy as folding laundry in front of her—she gets a big kick out of that! Her favorite place to be is on the changing table, probably because she gets undivided attention there. She's very strong during tummy time and I wouldn't be surprised if she is the next to roll over!

Dahlia chilling in her Bumbo

Lucia remains the tiniest of the bunch at just over 10 pounds (I keep telling her that she needs to eat more if she wants to grow up and be a leggy supermodel). She is so mellow that sometimes I am afraid I don't give her enough attention! She is also very bright: A couple of weeks ago, she was the first baby to notice the others, which led to our first quad-to-quad interaction on Easter, when Jude looked right at her and said "goo" while Lucy returned his gaze and squealed with laughter. It was adorable!

Lucy sharing a quiet moment with Abuelito Nehiel
during his visit earlier this month

We are so grateful for how well the babies are doing—so far they are keeping up with their chronological age (meaning that they are acting like 4-month-olds, and not like they were due just 2.5 months ago) and are as healthy as can be. Ted and I have nothing to complain about, so we gripe about the lack of sleep. We did get some relief on Ted's birthday this week, though, when my mom (who's here for a few days) and her sister Esther took quad duty and sent us to a hotel for the night. We can't thank them enough for doing that! Although we were a little sad to leave these adorable faces for that long:

Jude, Lucia, Dahlia, and Isaac (left to right) in the hoodies
that Tio Johnny and Aunt Holly gave them

Last but not least, I'm happy to announce that our stroller arrived a couple of weeks ago! The Everest Quad Buggy (from the Adventure Buggy Company in New Zealand) is a double-decker beast that maneuvers like a dream and has removable sun and rain shields, built-in storage, and four reclining seats with sun roofs—the babies don't realize how lucky they are to have such a sweet ride. We've been out in it several times, enjoying the sunshine and the wind in our faces. We haven't gotten too much attention around the neighborhood yet, so we've been able to enjoy some very peaceful walks. Thanks for the tip on this great stroller, Jenna!

This is what quad mom independence looks like!