3.31.2013

Our Big Move!

So. This weekend has been hell on wheels. I'm totally exhausted. To the point of sickness. The husband woke up with a 102.1 temp this morning and I felt like death. But let me back up and tell you the (abbreviated) tale of our big move.

All day Good Friday was spent packing, clearing out drawers and other necessities we'd need for the babies over our long weekend and preparing to leave the house for my very last time. I'll admit to being nostalgic about never going back there—it's been a great house for us and one where we made many incredible memories, the highlight being our quadruplets! But I knew we were ready to make the transition to Dallas and we are also in dire need of a bigger house, so we chugged along with the preparations.

Several close friends stopped by to hold babies or help with packing and we said some tearful farewells when the left. Leaving friends behind is hard!


The husband had to do all the heavy lifting since I'm barely two weeks out from surgery, which sucked because I know he was sooooo tired by the end of the day. He's like a machine when it comes to packing and moving—he can make anything fit in a box and he's got a system all worked out before you even know what happened. I literally don't pack anything without his approval or instruction. Mostly because he just becomes behind me and redoes it all. So really it's more of a time saver.


In the morning, it was time to feed the babies, put them in their car seats, load the last few items and hit the road. Our goal was to leave by 10am and we headed out at 10:45, so not bad in my opinion. However, I was starving so our caravan had to stop at Sonic before we even reached the highway and one hour later it was time for the next feeding for the babies. We were on the outskirts of Houston and my BFF, Lisa, happens to live in the area so we called her up and told her we'd be there in like five minutes! She and her husband, Adam, graciously helped us unload the babies and their gear and even our two cat cats in their carriers, which we stashed just inside the front door while we were inside! We spoon fed everybody in their bumbos then did bottles in their car seats, let them all roll and play around the floor for a few minutes then loaded up and headed off again.


This time we got just over two hours of drive time in, the quads were great and slept on and off, listened to their CDs I had brought or laughed at mommy being funny in the back seat.




We even passed up my mom and step-dad on the highway, hauling their RV back home! My mom took the photo below (she's quick as a whip with that camera we gave her!). You can see our suburban and U-Haul on the left and their RV on the right.


The next feeding took place at 3:30pm and we'd made it to Ennis and found a picnic table in a grassy area in between a McDonald's and a hotel. We parked the suburban and the U-Haul and the husband's mom pulled up in our Avalanche horizontally to the table, so it sort of blocked the view from all the curious onlookers rolling through Mickey D's drive-thru. It was perfect and, despite the wind, the babies downed their bottles like champs, I did speedy diaper changes on the table, then we loaded them up, took turns running inside for a bathroom break, drinks and ice cream then pulled onto the highway once more.


This time we made it all the way to our final destination, our apartment in a Dallas suburb. It felt weird to be "home." The husband and I had not been here in over a year due to my pregnancy, the quad's being born and our caring for preemies and enduring quarantine for several months. Nothing much had really sunk in about all the changes we were going through until I saw the Dallas skyline and I realized we had actually made it. For just a minute I'd thought there'd be a chorus of angels singing Hallelujah.

At this point, we were dead on our feet. My father-in-law met us with our key to the apartment and helped the husband unload everything. I ran in and sprayed the place down with Lysol and was disappointed to find it still faintly smelled of smoke. (I've got plug-ins going and Lysol sprayed every day and we'll be getting an air purifier to help.) I also hurriedly gave one of my cats a bath because she had peed all over herself during the trip home. They do not travel well.

Meanwhile, my mother-in-law helped me change the babies into nighttime diapers and pajamas and get their bottles ready. We had four pack-and-plays all set up in their room and fed them and put them to bed. After a few minutes of protests, they all went to sleep. During the course of feeding, my dad and his wife and my good friend and her boyfriend showed up to help us unpack some things and put stuff away. It was so awesome to have all that help. We could barely even lift a finger we were so tired. And starting to feel sick. Then my dad and his wife went to the grocery store to get a list of food and basic items I'd need for the next several days, since the husband has to go back to Houston tomorrow morning to finish closing on the house and also oversee the movers who are coming to pack up the rest of our stuff (most of it will be going into storage).

This morning, we had to grudgingly drag ourselves out of bed. It was awful. We realized just how hard all this had been on us and it was like we were finally feeling the full weight of everything. But four adorable little people depend on us for their livelihood and they put smiles on our faces before we even knew what was happening.

As the day went on, we slowly started feeling a little better and are both taking meds and antibiotics to help with fever and prevent any illness. My mom came over to see the babies and my step-dad brought us their full-size mattress from their guest room since our air mattress was a total failure last night. We'll borrow theirs until our mattress shows up with the movers on Wednesday (along with the quad table, baby cribs and a few other items). We laid on it a few minutes this afternoon and, compared to the air mattress, it felt like a luxurious Sleep Number bed.

Both parents sent over freshly made food and the husband's brother even stayed long enough to help make bottles for tomorrow. It's so nice to have the continued support of our family and friends—now even closer to home!

me and the big man

I did take a few minutes to snap photos of the babies in their Easter onesies and all in my suitcase, since I thought it was appropriate for surviving their first road trip. Trystan loooooved the suitcase and sat in it for over 30 minutes, happy as a lark!



lolo's sweet baby feet
How I have had time to write this blog post, the ability to recall all the craziness from the past 48 hours or the energy to type and include all these photos on poached Internet, I've no idea. Call it being a quad mom. Call it dedicated. Call it what you will. I call it bidding you good night! Zzzzzz.....

16 comments:

  1. Glad the move went well and that you arrived safely!

    -Veronika

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  2. You ARE amazing!!! But then, you already KNOW that!! Good job, Amber and Mike!!

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  3. Supermom! You and Mike did it! How blessed you are to have so much help. Happy Easter!!

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  4. I seriously don't know how you do everything you do. You truly are a Super Mom!
    Hope the next few days are a little less chaotic and that you all start feeling better soon.
    Can't wait to hear more about the apartment and the move :)

    Happy Easter to You, Mike and the Quads

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  5. I'm exhausted! There's no place like home. Looking forward to the next chapter.

    Mary from Boston

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  6. Amazing couple that's what you are! Happy Family with loads of friends to give a hand when needed. Excellent organizing! Way to go! Congratulations!!

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  7. You did it! I have said it before and will say it again you are amazing! What a great network of friends and family.
    Hope you both continue to feel better.
    Take Care and continued prayers.

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  8. So happy, you are moved!

    Wishing you a quick return to full health, too!

    "Auntie"
    (A friend of your Mom's)

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  9. Hello, I've been reading your blog for a while now, and I have to admit that I truly admire you ! :)

    I started reading your blog a couple of months, and I love to see how your babies evolve since my second born is just 6 days older than them (and it's amazing to see how much more they can do than my Ethan with its 9lbs at birth !).

    Whenever I feel overwhelmed by my kids I just think of you and how amazingly you seem to take care of your babies, and I just wanted to let you know that I think you're a great, great mom !

    Here you go, it just felt right to say something, and to stop being an anonymous and silent reader.

    Have an excellent day !

    Jessica (from Paris, France).

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    Replies
    1. Jessica, that is the nicest note! You literally made my day! Thank you so much for taking the time to write, and I'm so glad to know I've got such a lovely reader in Paris! Loved that city when my husband and I visited a few years ago!

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    2. Thanks Amber, and good luck with the whole unpacking (well, I guess!).
      Now I'll stop being a silent reader ! ; )

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  10. So glad your trip to your new town went smooth. I love the picture of the kids in the suitcase. Hope you are feeling better and settling into your new quarters. Sherri

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  11. Sorry to see y'all were sick during the move. Hope y'all are feeling better now.

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  12. HI,

    Nice to meet you. :)

    Thanks for your sharing. :)

    May I add your blog to my favourite blog list?

    Thank you :) Have a nice day! :)

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  13. Wow makes me tired just reading about it! Since its an apartment, management should take care of cleaning smoke since you have preemies and its a liability. If not having the carpets professionally cleaned and have the CEILING cleaned should take care of it. Ceilings are magnets for the smoke smell especially if its textured. Target also has some good purifiers by Holmes that are true Hepa and not too expensive considering.

    Good luck!

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  14. My mind and thoughts are with you on a daily manner. You are my hero!

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