18 months old ... we're lovin' it

The Fab Four celebrated turning one-and-a-half (!) by making their debut at Family Day, the reunion that my mom's side holds just about every summer. For most of my many (many!) relatives, this was the first time to meet the kids in person after following the blog for the last couple of years, so our arrival was greeted with big smiles and open arms—literally: While we were there, I didn't have to hold a kid unless I wanted to, which was simultaneously a very weird and a very wonderful position in which to find myself!

I wasn't sure how the Fab Four would react to such a large crowd, but they did great with all of the new faces—and they absolutely LOVED being able to run around in the park where the reunion was held. I think Dahlia actually ran nonstop, in any and all directions possible, the entire time we were there! Lucy and Jude preferred the shade (and attention) that they got in the shelter, and Isaac ended up splitting his time between fun in the sun and the shade. Keeping track of everyone was a challenge (and boy, was it HOT out there!), but we had a lot of willing helpers, which made it doable. I think it was all worth it to introduce the Fab Four to their huge family and show them how much everyone cares about them!

Family Day 2010:
Abuelito Nehiel with Isaac, Ted with Dahlia,
me with Jude, and Abuelita Joanna with Lucy

By the time we left the park, it was almost dinnertime, so we decided to stop at McDonald's and try eating out with the Fab Four for the first time ever! Once again, the kids were amazing, and all of us thoroughly enjoyed the novelties of using restaurant high chairs and eating in public. We were fortunate to have a quiet corner of the restaurant to ourselves and were interrupted only by a lovely old lady who told us that meeting our family was the highlight of her day. I told the kids that that should be our family mission: to spread joy wherever we go!

"Did somebody say quadruplets?"

Sadly, our McD's adventure came to an end after Lucy choked on a fry and threw up, but that was the only blemish on what turned out to be a pretty fun day. We drove home without incident, and the kids even went to bed an hour and a half late without melting down. It's amazing how the most mundane things can feel like huge accomplishments when you multiply them by four—thanks so much to everyone who helped make our big outing a success!

The leftovers

When you're pregnant with quadruplets, the only thing you really care about is getting those babies here safely. For me, that meant doing everything my maternal-fetal specialists recommended, including gaining a grand total of 80 pounds over the course of my 33-week-plus pregnancy. From the start, the doctors worried that my 63-inch-tall frame would not be able to accommodate the babies for as long as it needed to, but—as we all know—the Fab Four ignored conventional wisdom and made room. The five of us grew and grew and grew, and on the day I delivered, my waist measured 57 inches around:

More than ready for my C-section!

After the babies were born, my body did its best to remember what it used to look like. Indeed, on my very first day as a mother, I lost a whopping 35 pounds—fully half of which was babies! Within 5 months of the birth, I'd dropped another 35 pounds without even trying (call it the no-time-to-eat-or-sleep-because-I have-quadruplets diet). Now, 13 months after losing the first 70 pounds, I am actually back to my pre-pregnancy weight—but you certainly can't tell by looking!

On the day after I found out I was pregnant (left), and
at the same weight exactly 2 years later—pinching
and lifting my extra skin (center) and not (right)

Yep, carrying that much baby does a number on your midsection. The pregnancy twisted and rotated my pelvis (a condition that took 6 weeks of thrice-weekly chiropractor visits to fix), and my belly button is herniated. On top of that, my abdominal wall no longer connects in the center, which makes my belly protrude as if I were still pregnant. As for my skin, it looks like a big, deflated balloon—and I suppose that's exactly what it is. The stretch marks extend all the way up to my ribcage and around my sides, but they're nothing compared to the handfuls of wrinkly skin that hang from my belly.

What's really frustrating is that no amount of sit-ups can repair the damage to my muscles, and the more weight I lose, the more excess skin I have. In fact, I've been told by several doctors that, if I ever want to look "normal" again, I have only one option: a tummy tuck.

I never thought I'd consider plastic surgery, but I also never imagined that my body would be asked to do what it's done. And after nearly a year and a half of watching my post-quad body take shape, I know without a doubt that I do want to look normal again. Not just that—I want to feel like myself again.

So I've decided to take the plunge: On Wednesday morning, I am scheduled to undergo a circumferential abdominoplasty (look it up if you want to know how this is different from a regular tummy tuck). My mom is staying with us to help with the kids while I recover, Ted is taking some time off work to take care of me and help my mom, and a few friends and family members are graciously volunteering their time to fill in the gaps. If all goes well, I should be back on my feet after a week, and back in the trenches a week or two after that.

I'm a little (okay, very!) nervous about both the surgery and the recovery period, but I'm also getting more and more excited about the fact that I am so close to having something resembling my old body back again. After all, I already have four beautiful reminders of my extreme pregnancy—why hang on to the not-so-lovely leftovers?

Mi bella familia: Ted and I with
(l to r) Lucia, Isaac, Jude, and Dahlia

Bottoms up!

When life starts to get you down, just remember that it always helps to look at things from a different perspective:

Baby love

The Fab Four have been steadily increasing their vocabulary during the last couple of months: Lucy currently knows 29 words and 15 signs, Jude knows 15 words and 13 signs, and Isaac and Dahlia both know 8 words and 10 signs. Lately, it seems that every single day, at least one of the kids will learn to say a new word or make a new sign.

Out of all of those words, however, the one we hear (or see) the most is "baby." Lucy, in particular, is obsessed with babies and says the word about a million times a day. Baby, baby, baby—to her, just about anything with an anthropomorphic face, even a robot, is a baby!

Lucy's favorite babies are the ones that she and Dahlia got for their birthday and Christmas. Both girls (and sometimes even the boys) love to carry around their baby dolls and give them hugs. I often see the girls pretending to feed their dolls a bottle or give them a pacifier—it's so cute!

Lucy with her "quads" on Christmas Day (12 months old)

Here's a clip of the girls hanging out on the school bus with their baby dolls yesterday afternoon. Dahlia was not too interested in talking to me, but Lucy sure was:

Candid camera

Almost every time I try to tape the kids doing something cute, they stop as soon as they see me and/or the camera. This morning was no exception, so I decided to try something new: I improvised a "hidden" camera by perching my camera on the half-wall that separates the living room from the kitchen, hitting the record button, and then ducking behind the wall. As I'd hoped, business-as-usual resumed as soon as I disappeared!



I know the kids aren't supposed to be running on the couch, but how can I be upset with them when they're having so much fun together? Hopefully this new indoor toy (which made its debut this afternoon) will help to redirect some of those climbing compulsions:

The Fab Four check out their new schoolbus
(l to r: Dahlia, Lucy, Isaac, and Jude)

Navel-gazing

The kids are working on learning their body parts. All four of them know where their eyes and nose are, and Jude and Lucy can also point to their tummy, mouth, ears, and hair. Lucy is the only one who can show you her feet, which she loves to adorn with links.

This evening I caught the girls investigating yet another part of their anatomy—and a very cute part it is!

Wasteland no more

Until recently, our backyard was a veritable toddler wasteland, barren of toys or anything else remotely fun. Thanks to a new-to-us picnic table and climb-and-slide, though, we are now well on the way to creating a great place for the Fab Four to get some fresh air and—most importantly—burn. off. some. ENERGY!

We introduced the kids to their new toys over the long weekend. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face as Ted unceremoniously initiated Isaac on the slide, Jude refused to walk in the grass, Dahlia tried to escape, and Lucy made sure that she was a part of the action. Never a dull moment!

Our guitar hero

What could possibly be better than jamming with your great-uncle on your toy guitar?


How about having a great-uncle who will give you a real guitar of your very own!


You read that right: My Tío Ner hand-carried a little guitar all the way from Peru just for the Fab Four! Lucky for us, he's a classical guitarist who believes that it's important for young children to be able to explore an instrument—to climb on it, hit it, feel it, and pluck its strings—in order to hear the effects of their actions. The kids seem to discover something new every time they play with their guitarrita!

Ted and I are so grateful for my uncle's investment in our children's musical education. We also love it when he gives us a private concert. Here's a clip of the first time he performed for the Fab Four, just about a year ago:



My dad's side is blessed with several gifted guitarists (including my brother), so hopefully all of this early exposure will pay off. I certainly wouldn't mind having another guitar player (or four) in the family!

17 months old ... stayin' alive

Our living room has undergone a makeover during the past month. Actually, several makeovers. Not because we're redecorating, but because we're rapidly discovering that "baby-proofed" does not equal "toddler-proofed"!

Scaling fences, climbing on tables, tipping toy boxes, running on the couch—we've seen it all and more in the last few weeks. Ted has spent a lot of time moving furniture around (and around) to make the living room as safe as possible, but as soon as we think we have a foolproof plan, the kids (*cough* Jude *cough*) immediately find a way to subvert it. Just yesterday morning I about died when I turned to see Jude clinging to the top corner of the couch like a little, sideways koala!

Being naughty!!

I know, I know—everyone tells me that kids are resilient and that it's normal for them to fall (after all, that's how they learn, right?). Nevertheless, visions of horrible accidents flash before my eyes when I see my four little monkeys behaving so dangerously. I'm not a worrier by nature, but I do find myself praying that the Fab Four will make it to the 18-month mark in one piece!

An increasingly rare moment of sofa zen

The next (admittedly extreme) measure would be to completely remove the furniture from the living room (as we know other families of multiples have done). However, our house is tiny, and there's simply nowhere else to put our stuff. Oh, for a basement ...

Jammies can wait

"Onesie time" in the evening (formerly known as "naked time") is my favorite part of the day. The kids are happy because their bellies are full of dinner—and also because they love being free of those pesky clothes! I feel more relaxed, too, knowing that any remaining chores can wait until they are in bed. Our nightly pre-pajama party is a great time for chases and giggles and general silliness, which everyone knows is not as much fun when you have jammies on! Here's a small glimpse into a typical evening at our house:

Light terrors

Do you see anything scary in this picture? (And no, I'm not talking about the feeding table!)


According to Lucy, the light fixture above the table is what is absolutely terrifying. It hangs directly over her designated seat, and it's never posed a problem. Until this week.

Before I go any further, let me confess that, earlier this week, I did bump Lucy's head on the light fixture as I was putting her in her seat for breakfast. But since she didn't cry and barely seemed to even notice the collision, I just kissed her head and we proceeded with our meal. Later that day, everyone got back in the table for lunch and for a snack, and both times Lucy acted normally.

Then came dinner. As soon as I put Lucy in her seat, she FREAKED. OUT. I've never seen anything like it. She was screaming so hard that she was beet red, her teeth were gritted, her fists were clenched, and her eyes were tearing. She would not eat or drink, and nothing I did to try to soothe her had any effect.

Eventually I took her out of the table and back into the living room. She calmed down almost instantly, so after a few minutes, I put her back in the table. Immediately, she reverted to full-on panic mode. I noticed that she kept looking up at the light like she was spooked, so I turned it off, thinking that perhaps the glare or heat were bothering her. No dice.

At this point, I decided that she was just having an irrational tantrum, so I took her out of the table for good, and little Lucy did not eat dinner that night.

The next morning, I put Lucy in the table for breakfast. Immediate SCREAMING. Again, I noticed that she kept looking up at the light. In a moment of inspiration, I asked Ted to help me switch her place with Jude, who usually sits the farthest from the light fixture. Right away, Lucy stopped screaming, and we were able to eat our breakfast without further incident. I haven't put her back in her old seat since then, and she's been completely fine—at the table.

I stress "at the table" because, just before naptime today, Lucy began pointing at the living room chandelier. She does this all the time, and I always tell her what it's called—no big deal. This time, however, I thought it would be fun to lift her up so that she could get a closer look at it. BAD MOVE. Lucy instantly dissolved into terrified tears! Nothing consoled her except for taking her out of the living room (which happens to be the only baby-proofed room in the house!).

"Here I come, baby—comin' to getcha!"

It appears that dealing with this new fear of light fixtures won't be as easy as switching places at the table, after all. Anyone have any advice on how to cure this sudden chandelier phobia? I'm stumped!

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?

Our first playdate!

This morning the Fab Four finally got to play at a friends' house like normal kids do. These particular friends, however, are far from normal—Kenny, Emma, and Grace are 16-month-old triplets!

Their mother Megan and I met when we were both new residents of the high-risk L&D unit at St. V's, but our real friendship began when we reconnected at a Moms of Multiples get-together. Since that night, Megan and I have exchanged countless e-mails about schedules, sleep problems, feeding ideas, and discipline. Having a friend like her—someone who has multiples the same age as mine and knows exactly what I'm going through—has helped keep me sane, and I know that she feels the same way about me.

Me and Megan at the last MoMs get-together

Unfortunately for me, the Megans (as Ted calls her family) are moving away later this week. In light of our shared experiences, Megan and I felt that it was only right for her trio and my foursome to meet each other before the big move, so she rearranged her schedule just to make it possible for us to come over for a last-minute playdate.

I was a little apprehensive as to how the Fab Four would react to the new surroundings and the other children, but it turns out that I had no reason to worry. They got along great with the triplets—although the boys were pretty much loners and Lucy was a little shy, Dahlia got in a quite few hugs and kisses with Emma and Grace! There were lots of toys to keep everyone busy, and my kids loved running around and exploring the big basement that serves as the triplets' playroom.

Seven sets of busy hands

Due to our schedule, we could spend only a little more than an hour with the Megans. We were all having such a good time that the minutes flew by, and everyone (including the mommies) was sad when it was time to go. I really wish that we could do it again soon—keep in touch, Megan!

Triplet and quad buddies, together at last!
(left to right: Kenny, Grace, Emma, Lucy, Dahlia, Isaac, and Jude)

Chop, chop!

On Monday morning, we had a very special visitor: my wonderful hair designer Dawn. Because it's hard for me to get away long enough to go to the salon, Dawn's been coming to me periodically ever since the babies came home.

The last time she was here, I mentioned that I was wanting to cut the kids' hair soon. She told me that she'd be happy to perform the honors here at the house, and I jumped at the chance. After all, not only do the kids already know her, but they also have seen her actually cutting my hair! I figured that this familiarity (as well as the familiar surroundings) might lessen the chances of any first-haircut hysteria.

Thankfully, I was right: The kids acted like getting a haircut was no big deal, and the only (brief) tears came when Dawn tried to use the hairdryer on Dahlia. Whew!

Having a ball with spray bottle, clips, and hair clippings(clockwise from top left: Lucy, Jude, Isaac, and Dahlia)

Lucy's haircut was the simplest. Her curls already looked so cute that all Dawn had to do was snip off some fine ends, and voila:

Lucy, before and after

Jude had adorable curls in the back at one point, but as his hair grew longer, the curls had morphed into an unfortunate mullet. Dawn trimmed up the back and made Jude look like a little man:

Jude, before and after

Dahlia was also a victim of the baby mullet. Dawn cut a couple of inches off the back to give her a super-cute swing bob:

Dahlia, before and after

Isaac's transformation was the most dramatic. His mass of gorgeous blond curls had gotten out of control. I asked Dawn to tame them without obliterating them. He looks like such a big boy now:

Isaac, before and after

Later that day, the kiddos debuted their new dos in the backyard:

Strutting their stuff in their Beatles duds
(clockwise from top left: Lucy, Jude, Isaac, and Dahlia)

So my Fab Four are moptops no more—and we love it! Thanks, Dawn!

16 months old ... a day in the life

Now that we don't have daytime bottles or a morning nap to deal with, the Fab Four and I have been getting out a lot more. Which means that we're running into a lot of strangers with a lot of questions for us. The most frequent comment is, "You sure have your hands full!" (Yes, I do.) Many people want to know whether it's hard, whether I'm worn out, and whether the kids sleep all night. (Yes, yes, and yes.)

Another common question is, "How do you do it?" Well, besides a lot of prayer and a great husband, I have to say that the key is a consistent schedule. The babies came home from the NICU on a 3-hour schedule, and we've just adapted that routine as they've grown. Here is what a day with 16-month-old quadruplets looks like for me:

7am: Wake up! Anyone who wakes up before this is out of luck. Sometimes one or more kids will sleep later than 7, but we never let them sleep past 8. Everybody gets a diaper change and then plays with Ted while I unload the dishwasher, assemble and fill sippy cups, and make breakfast.

8am: Breakfast. I feed and clean up the kids while Ted gets ready for work.

8:30 to 10am: Playtime. While the kids entertain themselves, I clean up from breakfast (wipe off table and floor, rinse bibs, refill cups, load dirty dishes), prep lunch, make myself as presentable as possible, and usually change a couple of dirty diapers. Around 9, I pop in a DVD (usually Baby Einstein) to keep the masses under control.

Learning sign language in the morning

10 to 11am: WALK! By this time of the morning, all of us need a change of scenery. Doesn't matter if it's hot, cold, or raining—our mammoth stroller can handle it all! Once in a while (usually on the weekend, when Ted can come with us), we all pile in the van for a change of pace.

11:30am: Lunch. I feed and clean up the kids, and then I strip them down to their onesies. Each kid gets a diaper and wardrobe change while the others run around and have a good ole time. My back is usually killing me by this point.

Engaging in a staring contest with the neighbor's dog

12:30pm to 3pm: NAPTIME! While the kids sleep, I clean up from lunch (see breakfast cleanup routine), get lunch ready for me and Ted, eat in front of the computer, fold laundry, pick up toys, etc. People always assume that I nap while the kids sleep. This is rarely an option!

3:30pm: Snack. After the kids eat, I wipe the table and bibs, prep dinner, and then it's time to change diapers. A few times a week, friends come over during this time to entertain the kids and help me out for a few hours. This is a LIFESAVER.

Trying their first Peeps (thanks, Abuelita!)

4:30 to 5pm: Walk. The kids really enjoy leaving the house, so I try to fit in two walks a day. Sometimes this doesn't happen, in which case there is much wailing and gnashing of teeth (by both me and the kids).

5pm: Dinner. I feed and clean up the kids, and then I strip them down to their diapers. They run around like I just freed them from prison while I clean up from dinner and fill their bedtime bottles. When I'm done, it's time to put on their jammies (and usually change a couple more dirty diapers). "Naked time" is coming to end, however, as a couple of the kids have become a little too interested in messing with their diapers (!!).

6pm: Musical education hour. Ted is done working, so he breaks out the CDs and teaches the kids what good music is all about. During this time, I hang out with them, finish my chores, get a shower, chill in front of the computer, or do whatever else I need to do. If it's bath night, we skip musical education and stick the kids in the tub (we started bathing two at a time this month, but I'm still not brave enough to try all four at once).

Lucy and Dahlia's first bath together

Jude and Isaac's first bath together

7pm: Bedtime bottles. Everyone drinks their bottle while watching "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy." Everyone, that is, but Lucy, who weaned herself from the bottle this week and now drinks a bedtime sippy (big girl!). After bottles, we brush teeth and do a last round of diaper changes.

8pm: BEDTIME!! The kids are in bed, but the day isn't over yet: Gotta pick up the toys, finish any cleanup that didn't get done, fold laundry, watch "Lost" or "Survivor" (the only two shows we can't miss), pay bills, go to the grocery, etc. Oh, and figure out what to eat for dinner. Around 10, we hit the sack and pray that no one wakes up during the night ... gotta rest up to do this all over again tomorrow!