"Mom, you rock!"

That's what my first Mother's Day card said on the cover. What was written on the inside melted my heart—and is a great reminder that the sheer exhaustion, unbelievable strain, and overwhelming uncertainty of being a mother to infant quads are WORTH IT:

Mom,

Dad says that you are amazing and love us a whole lot. He thinks that you are the best mom in the world. Of course, we already knew all that! You care about every little sad noise we make and try to help us feel better. You change our dirty diapers with glee. There are many times that we feel like crying in the night, whether we have ouchy tummies or are just bored. But whatever reason we have, you run to our side and comfort us. And obviously, there was that whole time when you did everything in your power to keep us developing safely and soundly inside you—probably the most difficult thing ever. We are so very grateful to have you as a mommy! And we know that Daddy feels exactly the same as we do about all this stuff. So even though we're cranky at times, thank you so much for continuing to love us and care for us and mold us into happy, healthy, and very intelligent individuals. Happy Mother's Day!

Love,
Isaac, Lucia, Jude, Dahlia (and Dad)

I sure do love my babies—and the guy who wrote such a sweet message for them! I am a lucky girl, indeed. I know this post is more than a week late, but here's hoping you had a wonderful Mother's Day, too!

Dahlia, Jude, Lucia, and Isaac (left to right),
nearly 5 months old—and looking cuter every day!
(Beatles-themed shirts courtesy of their abuelitos)

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 Check out the (now outdated) photo that accompanies the article about us (click link to read):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 ...

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!

3 months old ... and smiling!

It may be hard to believe, but with four 3-month-olds, Ted and I have now officially changed a year's worth of diapers, fed a year's worth of bottles, and burped a year's worth of babies. We do not, however, have a year's worth of parenting under our belts, so we are muddling our way through it all like any sleep-deprived new parents and just doing the best we can.

Fortunately, though, the lack of sleep did go down a notch last week: Little Dahlia has slept until approximately 7am for the past 6 days in a row! Our brown-eyed girl is also eating as much as her big brother Isaac, and I have a feeling that it won't be long until she catches up with our current heavyweight. Here she is cracking up at her silly mommy:

Isaac is still struggling a bit with fussiness related to his acid reflux, but it's not affecting his weight at all: He was 11 lb. 14 oz. when I took him to the doctor a week ago! He slept until 6am one day last week, but usually he's clamoring for food at 4am sharp. When Isaac gets your undivided attention, he gives you a big smile, and his beautiful, blue eyes light up as he says, "Ah-woooo!"

I call Jude a "lump" because he is usually just content to slump over on your shoulder and sleep all day. When he's supposed to be sleeping, though, he's wide awake and kicking the whole time, taking in everything in the room with his big, gray eyes. Jude is still taking forever to eat, and I've given up on trying to get him to eat as much as Isaac. When he laughs, he likes to say, "Goo!"

Lucia is still the littlest one (Ted describes her as "dainty"), but I think she may be entering a growth spurt: She's now eating as much as Jude! Blue-eyed Lucy rarely cries, and she was the first to smile. I am going to have to be careful with her because I think that smile could get me to do just about anything she wants!

Lucy also got her first acting gig on Sunday, as the Baby Jesus for a Christmas DVD (another baby was also filmed, so we don't know whether Lucy's footage will be used, but she's still a star in our eyes!). Here she is smiling up into Mary's face:

This post would not be complete without a big thank you to all of the wonderful people who have helped us out over the past 3 months, and especially to those of you who answered my S.O.S. call for help last week—for the first time in a long while, we have coverage for the entire work week! This is a big deal because it means that Ted will not have to take time away from work to help me feed the babies, which in turn means that he will get done working at a decent hour (rather than as late as midnight), and he can actually do something other than work or feed babies. I am in no hurry for the kids to grow up, but I will be so glad when they can hold their own bottles!

It's like magic!

Last week, my coworker Zoe sent me a sweet message saying that she'd ordered Baby Massage For Dummies for me and the quads. We got it on Friday afternoon, and it couldn't have arrived at a better time! If your baby is constipated, you have got to get this book. Since Isaac still wasn't "moving" on Saturday morning, I looked up "constipation" in the index and proceeded to give him a little belly massage. Poor Isaac instantly relaxed, cooing and smiling while I rubbed his tummy for about 15 minutes. When I finished, he promptly fell asleep, and within an hour, he pooped! I never knew I could get so excited by a dirty diaper. I have a feeling that Isaac felt pretty good about it, too!

Lookalikes and more

As I promised to do a while back, I scanned a baby picture of me to compare it to a photo of Lucia at the same age:

Suzanna at 3 weeks

People tell me all the time that Lucia is my mini-me, but looking at these photos together, I'm not so sure anymore:

Lucia at 9.5 weeks (3 weeks adjusted)

I wish I had a 3-week photo of Ted to post for the sake of comparison, but the earliest one I have of him is his 1-year portrait. I did take pictures of the other kids when I took the one of Lucia, though, and I can't decide which one (if any) most resembles my own baby picture:

Jude at 9.5 weeks (3 weeks adjusted)

Isaac at 9.5 weeks (3 weeks adjusted)

Dahlia at 9.5 weeks (3 weeks adjusted)

In addition to posting new pics of the kids, I wanted to give everyone an update on Jude's echocardiogram: As I suspected, it showed no signs of a hole in his heart! Unfortunately, this doesn't mean that all is well with the little guy. For the past few days, both he and Isaac have been constipated, probably because of the rice cereal we'd been giving them to combat acid reflux. Since Jude no longer shows signs signs of reflux and Isaac's seems to be under control with twice-daily doses of Zantac, we've stopped the rice cereal on the boys (as well as giving them sugar water and using the infamous lubricated Q-tip method) in an effort to get things moving again. No luck yet, but I figure it's gotta come out sometime, right?

Despite the boys' troubles, the girls are still on rice cereal (and Zantac in Dahlia's case) for their acid reflux. Their systems seem to handle it just fine, and although they do eat less than the boys, they are steadily gaining weight: At the girls' 2-month appointment yesterday, Lucia weighed 8 lb. 6 oz. and Dahlia was 8 lb. 8 oz. Yes, the little runt has surpassed her sister by 2 ounces! I think that Lucia is going to have to stop looking in the mirror and get serious about eating if she is going to keep up with Dahlia.

Lucia admiring the baby in the mirror

As for me and Ted, we are exhausted but seeing a light at the end of the tunnel in the sleep-deprivation department. For the past week and a half, the babies have been sleeping at least 5 hours in a row, and on two nights, three of the four slept 7 hours! If we could just get all of them to agree to sleep that long at the same time, we'd be all set. I didn't let the lack of sleep prevent me from meeting with my Moms of Multiples group last night, though. I had such a great time talking to and laughing with them that I didn't get home until just before midnight (just in time to prevent the Civic from turning into a pumpkin!). The babies even got a play date out of it: This morning I met one of the triplet moms at a park, and we sat with the babies (making sure no one got too close to them) while her kids wore themselves out on the playground. It was exhilarating to be in the outside world and know that I can manage four babies somewhere else besides home and the pediatrician's office. I need to stop procrastinating and get around to ordering a quad stroller soon!

First trip to the park
(left to right: Lucia, Isaac, Dahlia, and Jude)

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)