2 months old!

Yes, believe it or not, the babies turned 2 months old yesterday! They are growing and changing so much every day, though, that it seems they've been around much longer than that. I wish I had the time to post more often, but since I don't, here are a few pics along with some quick tidbits about each baby:

Isaac doing what he does best: eating!

Isaac is a bright-eyed and alert little cuddler. However, he's been having a rough time over the past week. Not only has he developed some baby acne, but also it seems that the soy formula made his reflux and gassiness even worse (we now have him on Alimentum, a hypoallergenic formula). Despite his digestive issues, Isaac has succeeded in overtaking Jude to become our big boy: At the boys' 2-month check-up on Monday, Isaac weighed 10 lb. 3 oz.! He is definitely our most demanding eater, and I think he's probably the only thing keeping the rest of the kids from sleeping through the night at this point. He's getting better, though: Last night he (and, therefore, everyone else) went from 8pm to 3:30am between feedings!

Jude snoozing on a Boppy
(froggy cover made by his great-aunt Priscilla!)

Jude is much quieter than Isaac, taking in everything around him (especially the TV!) with his big, serious eyes. He is a very sweet, laidback little boy who only fusses when we forget to give him his gas drops on time. Jude is the same length as Isaac but weighs "only" 9 lb. 6 oz. (probably because he takes forever to eat, usually falling asleep as soon as the bottle hits his mouth and remaining dead to the world until you finally give up). Because the pediatrician detected a slight murmur in his heart on Monday, Ted is taking him to get an echocardiogram tomorrow. The doctor told us that it's more than likely not a problem, so we're just waiting to see the test results before getting worried.

Lucia living up to the claim on her sleeper: so pretty!

Lucia is our princess. She has a dimple in her cheek and loves to look at the baby in the mirror. Lucia thrives on praise and is overall a very patient and pleasant little girl, but make no mistake: She knows what she wants and how she wants it. Whenever anyone tries to force her eat more, she gags dramatically and sometimes even brings everything back up. The spitting up hasn't impacted her weight too badly, though: At her weight check last week, she weighed 7 lb. 8 oz. We're not sure why she's lagging behind her brothers, but the pediatrician isn't worried since her weight is within normal range for her adjusted age of 2 weeks.

Dahlia on her knees
(is she praying ... or begging her daddy for mercy while he burps her?)

Dahlia has been growing furiously and has almost caught up to her sister: At the girls' weight check, she weighed 7 lb. 4 oz. Dahlia is strong and very squirmy; she is happiest when we can help her sit up or stand like a big girl. She gets so frustrated with being a baby that I would not be surprised if she is the first to crawl, stand, and walk. Like her sister, she has a dimple, and her eyes are always smiling. I can't wait to see her (or any of the babies, for that matter) smile for real! I wonder if any of them will have their daddy's beautiful smile ...

Proud daddy with his brood
(left to right: Isaac, Dahlia, Lucia, and Jude)

Lack of sleep = sick mommy

Yep, I'm sick. It started with a sore throat on Monday night, and things went downhill from there (runny nose, sneezing, watery eyes, achiness, etc.). I went to the doctor yesterday hoping for some heavy-duty meds to get me well in record time but, since I don't have a fever, he just prescribed an antihistamine and told me to get plenty of rest (yeah, right!). I am really hoping I didn't contaminate the kids before realizing that this was more than just an allergy attack, especially since our insurance did not approve them for the all-important RSV shot (believe it or not, the babies would have been covered if they'd been born at 32 weeks, which means that we are basically being penalized for making it as far as I did!).

We certainly don't need another source of discomfort for the babies. In the past couple of weeks, all of them have exhibited signs of reflux to some degree, including spitting up the entire contents of their stomachs, arching their backs, gagging, and/or having difficulty sleeping. This condition is not unusual for preemies (sometimes the valve between the esophagus and the stomach doesn't close properly), but combined with their pre-existing gassiness, it's contributed to an unusual amount of fussiness. We've switched to a soy formula and placed wedges in the cribs to keep the babies' heads elevated while sleeping, but since these measures haven't completely solved the problem, we started them on Zantac tonight. Hopefully this will help them keep their food (and stomach acid) down so that they can be more comfortable.

I don't really have anything to complain about, though: The big news is that the babies have been sleeping for two 5-hour stretches at night for about a week now. Here's hoping that they make it to 6 hours in the near future!

Happy due date!

When I found out I was pregnant, I thought I might have a Valentine's baby. Little did I know then that by February 9 I'd have four nearly 7-week-old "newborns." If I had any energy, I'd write a longer post about what the past few weeks have been like. As it is, though, you'll have to settle for just a small glimpse of the joy these babies have brought to our family since their Christmas Eve arrival:

Abuelita Joanna holding the quads for the first time
(left to right: Lucia, Jude, Dahlia, and Isaac)

1-month check-up: Jude and Dahlia

On Monday, Ted and I took the "younger" kids in for round two of the quads' 1-month appointments. Once again, we were very happy with the babies' progress: Jude now weighs 7 lb. 6 oz., and Dahlia is at 6 lb. 3 oz. (way to go, little girl!). The doctor said that they are all are gaining about an ounce a day at this point, which means that Isaac and Lucia are probably neck-and-neck with their siblings in the weight department.

It's so amazing to see how quickly the quads are growing and developing. In the past week, the boys have moved on to newborn diapers, and both the boys and girls have started outgrowing their preemie clothes! They're also starting to stay awake longer, which means that we've been trying out new things like activity mats and tummy time. Some of the kids (the girls) enjoy these activities more than others (the boys):



We'll see if the boys do a little better tomorrow during the quads' television debut. That's right: Fox 59 will be here live from 7 to 9am to do a story on us! Fortunately, my cousin Tiff (who contacted the station) and my mom (who coincidentally happens to be in town) will be here to help us out. Keep your fingers crossed that everyone behaves!

1-month check-up: Isaac and Lucia

Three days after bringing the quads home, Ted and I took all four of them to the pediatrician. The visit went well, but the doctor suggested splitting them up for future visits (and we heartily agreed—carting four babies around is not easy!). So today we left Jude and Dahlia in the capable hands of friend/coworker/triplet mom Christine, and took Isaac and Lucia for their 1-month appointment.

I was very excited to see how much they weigh now, and they did not disappoint. Isaac weighed 4 lb. 15 oz. when he left the NICU less than 3 weeks ago, and today he weighed 7 lb. even. I had been a little worried that Lucia was not growing as fast as the other quads, but her growth is right on track: She weighed 4 lb. 7 oz. when she left the hospital, and she now weighs 5 lb. 11 oz. Jude and Dahlia will have their turn on Monday, and I can't wait to see how much they have grown since we brought them home!

I also asked about lengthening the time between their feedings. The pediatrician said that since all of the babies have recently been eating more, we could probably try going 3.5 hours before giving them their next bottle. She also said that we could try letting the quads sleep at night until one of them wakes up hungry, and then waking up the rest of them to feed. Previously, we had been waking them up every 3 hours, no matter what. Hopefully this means we will be getting a little more sleep. Wish us luck!

Four sweet babies (34 days old)
Clockwise from top: Dahlia, Isaac, Lucia, and Jude

Feed, burp, change, repeat

Those four words just about sum up what the last 2 weeks have been like for us. The quads are currently on a 3-hour schedule, and by the time we feed and change all of them, it's almost time for the next feeding! Needless to say, there has been little opportunity for picture-taking, let alone blog-posting. But the quads turned a month old yesterday and I know people are anxious for news, so here are a few updates:

Isaac is our champion eater and regularly downs his 3 ounces of formula in record time. We couldn't miss a feeding if we tried because he always starts making noise about a half-hour before mealtime! All those calories are paying off: Isaac is the most alert of the four and is growing like a weed. He is doing really well at holding his head up and even found his thumb a few days ago—no amount of tugging would convince him to take it out! Everyone says he looks like a "little Ted," and I agree.

Isaac snoozing in his crib (21 days old)

Lucia eats the least out of the four and has been having a little problem with reflux about once a day. We can already tell that she is very strong-willed: If she does not want to eat any more, she vigorously shakes her head until the nipple comes out of her mouth, and sometimes she even shoves away the bottle with her hand! Lucia has my Grandpa M's eyes and everyone says that she looks a lot like me; the resemblance was confirmed when I found a baby picture of myself yesterday (I will scan and post it when I get the chance, but it might be a while since we don't have a scanner at home).

Lucia lounging in a Boppy (26 days old)

Jude is just about as big as Isaac and is generally a very calm little dude. He has been struggling with gas pain for the past week, but I've been giving him simethicone drops and that seems to help. He is a very observant little boy and loves to look around. The first time I fed him in front of the television, he craned his neck to see the screen (I think he's going to be a TV junkie like his mama!). His receding hairline is starting to fill in on top, and I think he looks a lot like my brother's baby pictures.

Jude not napping in his crib (21 days old)

Dahlia is our second-best eater and her little face is really filling out—I think she might be getting bigger than Lucia! Her mouth is still so small, though, that she has to use "special" bottles with slower-flow nipples so that she doesn't dribble out half of her feeding. When Dahlia's eating, she loves to stare at you with her beautiful eyes that are ringed with dark, curly eyelashes. Although the NICU nurses claimed that she was a feisty one, Ted and I have yet to see this side of her (knock on wood).

Dahlia hanging out in her car seat (27 days old)

Hopefully I'll be able to post more often now that our help schedule is in full swing. Ted and I seriously don't know what we'd do without all the wonderful friends and family that have been pitching in with feedings, laundry, bottle washing, and housework over the past couple of weeks! And now that Ted is going back to work tomorrow, everyone's help is going to be more vital than ever, especially at night. It's a joyous yet anxious time for us, and all we can do is continue to trust in the Lord's provision in our lives. We cannot tell you how much we appreciate your continued prayers!

The surprises never end

I am grabbing a spare moment to let everyone know that the quads did not come home today. They came home YESTERDAY, exactly 1 month before their due date! I am guessing the NICU had some triplets on the way or something because it felt like they couldn't get us out of there fast enough.

Anyway, Ted and I were not able to get those last-minute preparations done like we'd hoped to do, nor were we able to enjoy one last dinner out together. However, we were able to buy the minivan, so at least we had a way to get everyone home in one trip! Since quads rarely go home all at the same time, we created quite a spectacle as we left the hospital last night, with even strangers asking if they could take our picture:

Going home!

I have to say that our first night as a family went very well, despite the fact that Ted and I only got about an hour and a half of sleep. A million thanks to my aunt Holly and cousin Tiff who came to spell us for a few hours today so that I could grab a nap and Ted could run to the grocery!

2 weeks old ... and some big news!

Ever since we found out we were having quads, the doctors and just about everyone else told us not to expect the babies to come home until somewhere around their due date (February 9). Things have been going so well, however, that Ted and I knew they would be discharged earlier than that. Even so, we were somewhat unprepared for the choice the nurse practitioner gave us today: We can bring two home on Friday and two on Saturday, or we can bring them all home together on Saturday—a full month before their due date!

After much discussion, I think we're going to choose the latter option and give ourselves another day to get ready for the quads to come home. We have a lot to do, including finally biting the bullet and acquiring a minivan! Fortunately, the babies' room has been ready and waiting for months:

The nursery

The quads will be busy in the next couple of days, too. Hearing screens, car-seat tests, hepatitis B shots, and circumcisions (for the boys, of course) are all on order. Please pray for these little ones as they are subjected to these final tests and procedures, that they may pass with flying colors. Also pray that they will continue to keep up their temps and drink all their bottles so that they do not suffer any setbacks between now and Saturday.

Although we are nervous about what the next few weeks and months hold in store, we are thrilled that our little family will be living together under one roof after just 2 short weeks. We are so thankful for all of the ways in which the Lord has blessed us both throughout this pregnancy and since the babies were born, and we have faith that He will continue to provide for all of our needs. Yay for healthy babies!

Brothers (Jude and Isaac)

Sisters (Dahlia and Lucia)

Weekend update

Time flies when you're not hospitalized: I've been home for a week now, and so much has happened! The babies continue to amaze everyone with how well they're doing, and Ted and I could not be more proud of them. Here's the very latest on the Fab Four:

Isaac was moved to a bassinet on Friday, and he is doing great at keeping his temperature up. He is bottle-feeding about half the volume of his feeds; the rest is going down his tube (he needs to work on that if he is going to come home anytime soon!). I plan to try nursing him tomorrow, so we'll see how that goes. Although he usually acts pretty sleepy for us, he was very alert (and forgiving) as I tried my hand at giving him a bath today:

Isaac getting cleaned up by Mom

Lucia was moved to a bassinet on Friday night, but she had to be put back in her isolette today after a post-bath temperature plummet. The nurse says this is normal and nothing to be worried about; they are just putting her back in the isolette to be on the safe side. Like Isaac, she is bottle-feeding about half the volume of her feeds. I tried nursing her yesterday, but she just looked up at me like, "What is this all about?" and then fell sound asleep. Here she is back in the darkness of her isolette:

Lucia snoozing in her isolette

Jude was moved to a bassinet yesterday. His temp today was on the low side of what's desirable, though, so his nurse decided to postpone his bath; we don't want him to go back into the isolette like Lucia did if we can help it! He is bottle-feeding more than half the volume of his feeds; when I tried nursing him a couple of days ago, however, he was only interested for about 5 minutes. Here is one of the few moments today in which his eyes were open:

Jude pretending to take a bottle from Dad

Dahlia is still in an isolette, but the nurse thinks she'll be able to come out in the next day or two. Although she still doesn't have much fat on her for insulation, it's clear that she won't stay skinny for long: She is bottle-feeding all her feeds (which means no more tube in her nose!), and she is putting on more weight each day than any of the others. I tried nursing her the same day I nursed Jude, and she fed for close to 20 minutes! I think our little runt looks pretty serious about showing up her big brothers and sister:

Dahlia sleeping in Mom's arms

And last but not least, behold the picture of the reunited quads that I promised to post last time. Happy New Year!

The Fab Four
(taken by the night nurses on December 30, 2008)

1 week old

It's amazing what can happen in the span of 7 days: Believe it or not, all of our little ones are off their CPAPs, no longer need phototherapy, and are feeding regularly (which means no more IVs!). The nurses put them all together last night for their first picture together, and today they gave us a print to bring home. As soon as we get it scanned, I will post it here, but I couldn't wait to share the good news!

Of course, this progress leads to the inevitable question of when the babies will be able to come home. According to the nurses, each baby first has to be weaned from his or her isolette (incubator). This is accomplished gradually, by first dressing the babies in clothes (check), then adding a blanket (check), and then turning down the temperature in their isolettes over the course of several days. Once it is determined that the babies can maintain their temperatures without help, they will be moved to open cribs (and that will be our cue that a homecoming is imminent). The babies must also be either bottle or breastfeeding at all feeds (right now they still have feeding tubes in their noses, which are used to fill their bellies when they are too tired to suck), be gaining weight, have no apnea (which none of them have, anyway), and pass a car-seat test (that is, be able to sit up in a car seat for the length of their trip home without experiencing any dips in heart or respiration rates).

Based on this info, I would bet that our boys will be the first to leave the NICU (no wimpy white boy syndrome here—I guess it pays for their mommy to be half Peruvian!), and the girls won't be far behind. Although the prospect of being in charge of these four tiny beings is admittedly scary, we are looking forward to settling into life as a family. For now, though, we must be content with precious moments like these in the NICU today:

Ted holding Isaac for the first time and Suzy holding Jude for the first time

Isaac going a little cross-eyed for the camera

Lucia being held by Dad for the first time

Jude giving a big YAWN! for the camera

Dahlia being held by Mom for the first time

First quad pics

I apologize for the long silence on my end: The last few days have been action-packed with family and NICU visits, moving up to the post-partum unit, filling out lots of paperwork, talking to nurses and doctors galore, learning to pump, etc., etc.—not to mention that I wasn't even able to access the hospital's wireless network anyway all day on Saturday, which was my last day there. Yep, I'm home!!!! I feel like a prisoner who's been freed—a very tired prisoner who hasn't walked in 3 months, is recovering from a C-section, and still has a huge uterus that makes me look heavily pregnant (hopefully the pumping will help it shrink back down to a manageable size; Ted asked me what I would say if someone asks me when I'm due, and I told him I'd just give the quads' real due date of February 9, ha!).

But enough about me—I know that what you guys are really interested in are the babies! Without further ado, here are some first pics, along with the info that everyone's been asking for:

Isaac Nehiel

Isaac was Baby B in the womb. When he was born, he weighed 4 lb. 11 oz. and was 19 inches long. His first name means "laughter" in Hebrew, and he gets his middle name (pronounced "nay-yell") from my dad. He never required extra oxygen and was the first to come off his CPAP. I got to take his temperature (under his arm, whew!), change his tiny diaper, and give him his first bottle on Friday. After that, the doctor determined that his bilirubin levels were elevated (translation: he had jaundice), so the nurse put him in a blindfold and trained the phototherapy lights on him (but I just found out that they turned them off today, yay!). We think he really looks like Ted and can't wait to get to the hospital this afternoon so that we can see his cute little face again!

Lucia Celeste

Lucia was Baby C in the womb. When she was born, she weighed 4 lb. 5 oz. and was 17 inches long. Her first name (pronounced "loo-see-ah") means "light," and her middle name means "heavenly" (yes, there's a Beatles connection here—can you guess it?). Celeste also means "light blue" in Spanish and is the color of the Uruguayan flag. She never required extra oxygen and came off the CPAP on Saturday only to be put back on after her first bath (I guess the experience got her all excited or something). I got to hold her on Christmas while she was still on her CPAP, and then she went under the phototherapy lights, so we didn't get to see her face until a couple of days ago, when we happened to visit while she was taking a break from the blindfold. She is super-cute, and so far I think she also favors Ted. Now that she's on CPAP again, though, we're not sure when we'll get a good look at her next.

Jude Wesley

Jude was Baby A in the womb. When he was born, he was our big boy at 4 lb. 15 oz., and he measured 18 inches long. His first name is a direct reference to a Beatles song, and he shares his middle name with Ted, Ted's dad, and Ted's grandpa. He never required extra oxygen and is now off his CPAP, although he is usually blindfolded due to jaundice and phototherapy. Ted got to hold him the day after Christmas, I got to give him his first bottle yesterday, and we narrowly missed being able to give him his first bath. His hair is a little darker than Isaac and Lucia's, and his face is a little wider, so maybe he looks like my side of the family? Whoever he looks like, he is an adorable, alert little guy and I think he will be a lot of fun when he gets a little stronger!

Dahlia Solis

Dahlia was Baby D in the womb (but the fact that her name also starts with a D is a coincidence). She is the runt of the litter and was responsible for the doctor deciding to go ahead and deliver the quads before we got to 34 weeks (which would have been today). When she was born, she weighed 3 lb. 9 oz. and was 17 inches long. Her first name (pronounced "dowl-ya") is the name of a flower that Mom grew in our front yard in Uruguay, and her middle name (pronounced "so-lees") is the beach in Uruguay where my family used to vacation when I was growing up. She is the only quad who's needed extra oxygen, but it's only been a small amount (regular room air is 20% oxygen, and she's been given between 28% and 40%). She hasn't yet been taken off her CPAP, but the nurse practitioner just called to say that that might happen in the next day or so. We hear that she's a feisty little girl, and we can hardly wait to see what she looks like under all those tubes and the blindfold!

Everyone is feeding regularly now and has been gaining in grams, although not enough yet to impact the pounds and ounces. The docs say that if they keep this up, they should all be able to get their IVs out soon. And do you know what that means? Quad pics where they're all together!

We are so blessed!!!!

They're here!

We are proud to announce that the Fab Four made their debut this morning in the following order:

Isaac Nehiel at 8:40am, 4 lb. 11 oz.
Lucia Celeste at 8:40am, 4 lb. 5 oz.
Jude Wesley at 8:41am, 4 lb. 15 oz.
Dahlia Solis at 8:41am, 3 lb. 9 oz.

Ted got to see the babies in the resuscitation room while they were putting me back together, and then we were able to go up and see them in the NICU after I got out of recovery. They are all on CPAP machines for the time being to help them breathe, but otherwise they are doing great (as am I). I'm pretty sure they're super-cute, but it's hard to tell under all of those tubes and wires!

Thanks so much for all of your prayers this morning, and please keep them coming, as the nurses say that it's not unusual for preemies to backslide a bit in the first couple of days. Also, please be aware that the hospital staff has advised us that visitors are not a good idea until we can be sure that everyone is stable. For now, I am trying to rest as much as possible, but I'll keep everyone posted on how we're doing and will upload pictures after I've had a chance to go through them.

What a wonderful Christmas this is turning out to be!

It's go time!

Amnio results are back, and Dr. S says there's only a 5% chance that Baby A will need ventilation once he's born. This is a good sign that the other babies' lungs are also developed enough to function properly outside of the womb. Therefore, in the interest of getting little Baby D out of there before she gets into any trouble, I will be going into surgery tomorrow morning at 8am. That's right, folks: We're having some Christmas Eve quads!

The timing certainly couldn't have worked out better, as my parents flew in yesterday to spend Christmas with me, and my brother and his girlfriend are flying in tonight. I am beyond thrilled that my whole family will be here for the big event! Please pray with us that the babies are born healthy and stable, and also that I come through this riskier-than-usual C-section with no complications so that we can all enjoy our precious time together before my family flies back to Texas at the end of the week. Tomorrow promises to be hectic, but we'll post names, weights, and all that good stuff as soon circumstances allow!

Christmas quads?

This morning, my reward for making it to 33 weeks was to finally get the babies measured again. During the ultrasound, I got some very good news: Baby A weighs 4 lb. 12 oz., Baby B weighs 4 lb. 7 oz., and Baby C weighs 4 lb. 5 oz. However, I also got some not-so-great news: Baby D hasn't grown at all in the past 3 weeks and is still weighing in at just 3 lb. 6 oz.

Yesterday Dr. S warned me that, if we learned today that any of the babies hadn't been growing properly, we might need to deliver them earlier than the original goal of 34 weeks. Since that's exactly what we found out, he did an amniocentesis on Baby A to check for lung maturity (for some reason, the largest baby usually has the least-developed lungs). We are currently awaiting the results, which should be ready later today or tomorrow. If Baby A's lungs are not sufficiently developed, we will wait a little longer to deliver. But if his lungs are mature enough, it will be go time! Stay tuned ...

There's a light at the end of the tunnel

Yesterday, when I reminded Dr. E that I was set to earn my A+ today, he replied, "You're not getting the A+! We're getting the A+! We're the ones doing all the work!" I just laughed, but really I was thinking, "Hmm, I'm pretty sure it's a lot harder to be me right now than it is to be you guys!" I then proceeded to try to pin him down on a timeline for the arrival of these quads. He told me that, although he and Dr. S had not put together a plan for me yet, he was pretty sure they wouldn't let me go past 34 weeks; he also mentioned that, after today, they wouldn't "torture" me with the mag anymore (since I am still on it, though, I assume he merely meant that I wouldn't be given any more boluses to reduce contractions).

So now we're in the final stages of the waiting game, unsure of just when in the next 2 weeks these babies will come. I am torn between wanting to make it all the way to 34 weeks for their sakes, and selfishly yearning to have my body back already. My belly is growing so fast that, every single day, I can detect a marked decline in my ability to move. I have never been allowed to leave my bed except to use the bedside commode (and every other day to shower), but even the seemingly simple acts of getting out of bed, standing up, turning around, and sitting down are laborious—and then I have to repeat the whole sequence in reverse (more than a dozen times a day, no less!). And forget about finding a comfortable position once I'm back in bed. Let's just say that, after nearly 7 weeks here, my rear end is sick and tired of sitting on this mattress!

I don't detail all of this to complain—I just want to provide a small glimpse into how increasingly difficult this pregnancy will be as its final days unfold. I sometimes I worry that I'll be completely bedridden, with a catheter and everything, before it is all over, but I just have to keep trusting in the Lord's timing for these babies. Although Ted and I can't wait to meet them, we know that their well-being is a million times more important than my comfort or our convenience. As long as the babies continue to be active, practice their breathing, grow at a similar rate to each other, and retain plenty of amniotic fluid in their sacs—and as long as my blood pressure and contractions stay under control—we shouldn't have a problem in making it all the way to December 29!