{Weekend Recap} First Family Road Trip, My ER Visit & Saying Goodbye to Snowball

Doozy.

That's about the right word to reflect how I felt coming off this past weekend. A doozy! I knew it'd be a lot of work, but had no idea things would wind up the way they did. But not to get ahead of myself...

The time had come for our first family road trip. With the help of my mom and my nanny, I got about six bags worth of food, toys, clothes, diapers and supplies all neatly packed for the quad squad and ready for the husband to load into the suburban. We headed to Houston Friday after lunch to visit good friends of ours for the weekend. We hauled both twin strollers and four pack-and-plays along with us, as well as our own bags for the trip, and everything fit! We had a trailer hitch we attached to the back that held the pack-and-plays wrapped in a tarp for rain-proofing, and still had a tiny bit of room to spare inside the vehicle. Pretty damn impressive, if you ask me.

The kids did very well on the four hour drive down to H-Town. Which is exactly how long it took us, with only one bathroom break for the husband and I. The babies slept on and off, read books and played with their new Fisher Price mini doodle pads I picked up at Target specifically for the trip. They love them and now look forward to playing with them during nap time as well! I packed a lot of other little odds and ends to help our trip go smoothly and used a few organization techniques to help me be as prepared as possible for traveling with toddler quadruplets, and will be covering all that in another post!

Soon as we arrived, the babies were off and running and exploring every nook and cranny of our friend's spacious home and playing with their kids—who loved every minute with the quads! It was awesome to see them all together. For dinner, the babies actually sat at the table in big adult chairs and ate their Spring Creek barbecue like champs. Then we dressed them for bed and put them down in their pack-and-plays, which we'd padded with a foam bedding topper cut to size and a pack-and-play sheet. They cried on and off for a little while but eventually went to sleep and no one climbed out, not once! We got to enjoy a movie night with our friends and their kids before climbing into bed ourselves. I was so tired!

Saturday we hung out at the house and went for a walk around the pond across the street, where the babies learned how to feed ducks for the first time. Even if Kailey still ate nearly every piece of bread that was handed to her! Little girl acted like she was starving! Harrison got the hang of it pretty quick and was launching bread pieces into the water and all the quads imitated duck sounds and got a kick out of watching them swim around.

Lunch was at Buffalo Wild Wings and the babies enjoyed playing with the electronic games the restaurant had on hand. Our friend's kids were so sweet and helped all the quads pull up the games on their screens and showed them how to play. Then we all dug into wings and chicken strips and lots of potato wedges! A quick round of diaper changes in the back of the 'burb and the husband and I loaded up our crew then drove around for about an hour so they'd nap in the car. It worked like a charm and we didn't have to fight them to sleep in their pack-and-plays at the house, which probably wouldn't have gone very well. This way we knew they at least got a little rest in an otherwise active day!

The afternoon was spent outside in the backyard, the babies ran around all over the place, spent time in the swing, took rides in the mini coupe and chowed down on snacks. Apparently the snacking and heat didn't go well with Harrison, who stopped running long enough to walk by and puke all over the patio! We had to go inside and cool him off, but he was back at it later on and the weather had cooled off. (It was over 80 degrees that afternoon!)

Saturday evening, we dined on fajitas and all the trimmings and got to say hello to several friends of ours that came over to visit. It was nice to see everyone after leaving Houston nearly a year ago to move to Dallas! The husband and his brother, who lives in Houston, fed the babies in their strollers so I could actually sit down and eat my own dinner. A little while later, in between a cold beer or two, we gave the quads baths and got them ready for bed. They were laughing hysterically and chasing the older kids around the house when Harrison threw up part of his dinner. He just gets too excited! It was time for them to call it a night so we piled all six of them into bed with us so they would calm down and drift off to sleep, then gently put each of them in their pack-and-play for the night. The husband went back out to socialize, but I was beyond exhausted and opted to get a good night's rest.

Sunday morning was met with a big breakfast courtesy of our gracious hosts and the quads sat in adult chairs at the table again and wolfed down sausage, bacon, eggs and hot-out-of-the-oven monkey bread (a lot like cinnamon rolls!). We got everyone dressed then made about 15 passes through the house to gather up all our stuff and re-pack our 81 bags then stuff them in the car. It was time to bid our goodbyes and make a run through Sonic for an easy in-the-car lunch of grilled cheeses and French fries. (Yes, we really outdid it with the fried food this weekend!)

The drive home wasn't quite as pleasant as the one getting there. The kids napped on and off the first hour or two, but afterward they were pretty unhappy with being stuck in their car seats. Finally we turned on the DVD player, which helped, but when we stopped for a bathroom break, Harrison threw up all over himself. Third time in two days, poor boy! He is such a good kiddo though, he never gets upset about it and just held his hands out and stayed still while he waited for me to climb into the back and clean him up. I grabbed a handy pair of clean clothes and got him all changed and wiped his car seat out then refilled everyone's sippy cups of water and doled out animal cookies for snacks. Logan and Kailey took turns wailing and screaming the rest of the way home, until we hit the outskirts of Dallas and they passed out until we pulled into our driveway. Whenever I'm coming back in town, there's nothing sweeter than the sight of that Dallas skyline...

Unfortunately, I ran inside to check on my cat, Snowball, to discover she had passed away just hours ago in her bed. Our nanny had been coming by the house to feed and water all the pets and had noticed Snowball seemed a little off that same morning. Snowball must've passed not long after, and I was pretty distraught at the loss. She was 17 years old and, just like my other older cat, July, who passed away last spring, Snowball has been with me throughout every major event in my life. I got her when I was 12 and she grew up with me and made every move to every apartment and house with me, nearly died while the husband and I were living in Scotland, but my mom and step-dad helped nurse her back to health, and she lived four more wonderful years with us. She loved our current house, too. Her bed sat at the landing mid-way up the stairs, where she could watch the ongoings of the house but have her own space. She'd often sneak down to sun herself in the afternoon rays that stream through our front door and she'd begun coming into the play room frequently and enjoying lots of petting and hugs from the quads.

The husband got the kids unloaded and changed, then finished unloading the car, while I mourned Snowball's passing and moved her bed to a spot where the babies couldn't see her. (They kept saying "cat" and wanted her to come into the play room.) I take solace in the fact that Snowball was very happy those last few months of her life, and that I found her curled up in her bed as though she'd gone to sleep and just never woke up. It gives me a bit of peace about losing her. My mom and step-dad came to the house a few hours later to pick up Snowball and bury her next to July, where my step-dad also planted a second rosebush in their memory. It was such a sweet gesture and I can't thank both of them enough.

However, we would be seeing them again in the wee hours as the migraine I got from crying and being upset (likely aggravated by already being stressed out and worn down) kept escalating the rest of the evening. By 11pm, I could barely lift my head, couldn't look at any light and was getting sick over and over no matter why type of medicine I tried to take. The husband had taken a Benadryl earlier, but was fighting the grogginess to take care of me and was becoming increasingly concerned. After four hours of getting sick from the relentless pounding headache that made my skull feel like it was splitting open, he called my mom for advice and they agreed I needed a doctor. So she and my step-dad immediately came back over (it was about 1:30am) to sleep in the guest room so the husband could take me to the ER. I was sick on the way there and walked in with my hand over my eyes and my face buried in a wastebasket I was carrying in the other hand. Fortunately, no one else was there so I was seen pretty quickly and had the nicest nurses and doctor. I received a bag and a half of IV fluids—I was pretty dehydrated, which was also beginning to contribute to my sickness—and some nausea and pain meds. I didn't have my Cheap Ass Easter Bunny with me for when they had to start the IV, but I did pretty well and less than two hours later, I was sitting up and eating gold fish. I only saw the face of one nurse while there, the one that discharged me, since I couldn't even open my eyes when I arrived. It was AWFUL!

By 4am, the husband and I were back home and getting into our bed at last. My mom and step-dad graciously took the breakfast shift with the quads so we could both get some sleep and I don't think I made it out of bed until 11am. What a great support system I have! I couldn't feel more blessed with having such wonderful family in my life that is there when I need them, never complain for a second or hesitate to do whatever it takes. I think my mom was pretty concerned, as she mentioned in her own recent blog post, and she didn't leave my house until she saw me walking around and feeling better with her own two eyes! That's a mother's love, and one I now completely understand!

Now that it's Tuesday, I'm happy to say I'm feeling better and more like myself. I've had the babies all on my own today and it's been going pretty well. I think we're all happy to be back home and back into the groove of our daily routine. I'm happy with no major changes for a little while, normal is good. ;)

While I miss my Snowball every day and wince every time I see the empty spot on the stairs where she's normally sleeping, I know she's in a happy place and that she and July are reunited. It was a hard loss for myself and all my family, as she's a part of so many hearts, and it's even more difficult since for the first time in my life, I don't have a cat. I've always had cats, and for most of my life it's been those two! So it's a pretty major adjustment and one that will take some time to heal. I appreciate all the sweet comments and support and even the gorgeous flowers that my friend Lisa took the time to send, even though she's living all the way in Malaysia. I love that the card is signed, Lisa of Labuan....thank you!

So that was our weekend and I hope I have no more ER stories or throw-up tales to report for awhile! Stay tuned for some new posts this week and don't forget to shop Origami Owl jewelry, where you can get 10% off your order. Check out my current giveaway for all the details!

{Quad Squad} The One Year Birthday Party!

I spent about three, nearly four, months planning the quad's one year birthday party. Even in our cramped two bedroom box apartment, I stashed party supplies, cake mixes and decorations weeks ahead of time. It was a major event for us, marking the survival of our first year with quads, the babies' own huge milestone, my birthday—which was a few days before the party—and a chance to get out of the apartment and enjoy time with friends and family. So we loaded up our suburban (with the babies) and a small U-Haul (with our, um, haul for 2.5 days) and headed to Cedar Creek Lake!

the home owners were gracious enough to provide four high chairs.
after the cake smashing, they got hosed down and left in the sun to dry :)

It had already been a colossal week of preparations. My nanny and I had worked hard to make extra baby food, both to pack for the weekend and to be stocked up on when we returned home so I didn't have as much on my plate. (Whenever I travel, the conditions upon returning home are almost as important to me as the condition in which we depart.) I'd been hoarding party supplies in the babies' tiny closet in their room at the apartment and packed bags by category, so all the paper goods were in one bag, decorations in another, etc. It made set-up easier when we started hauling stuff out later!

the best shot i could get of all four at the party without them being held. wiggle worms!

I'd already bought all the non-perishable food items about a week before and two days prior to leaving for the lake house, I made a big trip to Sam's and Walmart for the rest. The morning of,  I went to pick up the sheet cake I'd ordered from Sam's for all our guests....only to find they had no cake and no record of an order anywhere. I was both very upset and disappointed, since we've gone through many sheet cakes from Sam's for various family events with no problems at all. They've always looked nice, tasted great and been very affordable. After giving me lip and asking repeatedly when I'd placed the order (like I was the one who lost it), the bakery lady I was dealing with finally said she'd throw something together. And throw, she did. She spelled Kailey's name wrong, put the punctuations in the wrong place and didn't do the cake decorations how I'd asked. She even argued with me about the colors! Finally I got it close enough—but it still wasn't what we'd originally ordered—and the bakery manager gave me a 50% discount with her apologies. I was livid by the time I left but decided upon arriving home that if that was the worst thing I had to deal with all weekend, I'd survive!

the "disaster" sheet cake for the birthday party

The husband and I long ago had decided we wanted to do a lake house party for the big event. First off, it just sounded fun. Secondly, we knew we wouldn't have a house ready to host a big shindig. And thirdly, not only did we end up not having a house yet, we were living in a small apartment. After tossing around a few weekend dates and various locations, we settled on a newly rented-out casa right on the shores of Cedar Creek. When we walked in, I was smitten with the wall-to-wall view of the lake right through the oversized windows. Loved it.

sunset view from inside the house

It was Friday afternoon when we arrived, so we set the babies up in their new play area and unloaded and unpacked everything. Our friends arrived soon after, which included my roommate from college, Lisa, and her husband and their baby (who is 16 days older than the quads!), the husband's brother and, later, the husband's parents. We grilled fajitas for dinner after the babies all went to bed and drank cold beers on the patio then played a rousing game of Mad Libs in the living room while I decorated—and occasionally hooked someone else into hoisting a banner or setting up a few odds and ends with me.

me with my crew!

Unfortunately, our babies didn't take to their new nighttime surroundings flawlessly, despite our best efforts. It'd be hot in the house all day because the a/c had been set high, so it had finally cooled off but teething had also recently hit a crescendo among the group and Logan wasn't having it. The others had finally fallen asleep but she kept waking up off and on, even though we'd given her Advil earlier. She spent some time in bed with us, cried in her pack-and-play some more, spent more time in bed with us and by 3am had to work it out in her pack-and-play while we held pillows over our heads and tried to rest.

our sleeping arrangements

Morning came far too soon and, of course, all the quads were sleeping peacefully as their normal breakfast time of 8am came and went! We decided we could all use a few extra minutes so none of us got out of bed until after 8:30. I had my nanny help me prepackage their frozen pureed foods into ziploc bags, labeled by day, so all I had to do was microwave it to melt, add rice or oatmeal cereal or yogurt or whatever and we were good to go. I'd also prepackaged finger food snacks for the babies, like bags of cheerios, animal crackers, graham crackers, fruit pieces, etc. Made meal times a cinch so I could concentrate on everything else!

pre-packaged pureed meals for the quads made feedings easy!

The adults ate homemade breakfast tacos then I got to work prepping food for the birthday party and making sure stuff was as ready as it could be. Those around us were so sweet to pitch in with anything and everything and our former nanny we had in Houston and her fiance showed up late morning and she was all too excited to see the now-toddler aged quad squad!

i hung several banners i'd handmade for the event

a display table with items from the quad's stay in the NICU, like preemie-sized pacifiers and onesies,
teeny tiny diapers and their decorated name tags (in the frames) that hung on their isolettes

the coffee table held scrapbook-like albums i've made
for every three months of the babies' first year of life...one left to go for the 9-12 month stage!

When the first guests began to arrive, I was still getting food and drinks ready and it was a mad dash to get the chicken and hot dogs grilled—the husband did a phenom job on those, by the way—all the fare spread on the table to serve, beer iced down, wine and soft drinks, tea and lemonade set out, bake the babies smash cakes (I totally should've started those earlier in the day but was still tired from someone who didn't want to sleep in their pack-and-play!) and greet everyone who came through the door. But a sweaty, hectic hour or so later and I sat down to eat a plate myself and chat with family and friends. It was also so awesome that so many folks brought appetizers or drinks to contribute, and we definitely had a feast!

i'd had caprese skewers on the menu from the beginning, they are simple toothpick skewers of grape tomato, mozzarella and basil drizzled with balsamic vinegar. my friend lisa sat and assembled them all. ;)

daddy and kailey

grandpa and logan

After everyone had eaten, April helped me ice the smash cakes. There were two things I forgot on this particular event: the sprinkles to decorate the top of their cakes with the numeral "1" and to empty the video camera memory card so it wasn't full. Alas, the babies had to get yellow cakes iced with plain white icing and the video stopped recording about five seconds after everyone started singing Happy Birthday. I wanted to be upset and was very frustrated with myself, but at the end of the day we got tons of photos and snippets of video and it ended up working out just fine. Some things you just have to let go, so I did. Albeit with a white-knuckled, clenched fist. ;)

We had stripped the babies down to their diapers for the cake smash, which was one of the smartest decisions I'd made all day. Trystan took to cake smashing like a fish to water. In went both fists, grabbing and squishing as much cake as she could muster. She smeared the icing on her face, her arms, her diaper, legs and even my shirt. I also had a streak of cake icing in my hair, which I'm sure is all the rage these days. Kailey was a little more timid but did get the hang of it and became a bit more ambitious with her cake smashing after Trystan reached over and took some of it. Harrison was slow to destroy his dessert but also enjoyed it once he got steam rolling. Meanwhile, Logan was very calculated about she wanted to tackle her cake and Grandma eventually gave her a spoon, which Logan stuck in the icing and then licked it off. Smart girl!

Smash Cakes! from Texas Take on Vimeo.

April and I tag-teamed baths so once the cake smashing was done, we took two babies at a time and bathed them in the tub—in what, inevitably, became sugary cake water—then dried and dressed them. They smelled like baby lotion and sweet icing. Yum.

Next were gifts, of which everyone was incredibly kind and thoughtful to even bring and the kiddos got some great stuff. We're so excited they are becoming mobile and are able to play with more toys, ride around on their little toddler rides and climb on anything they can manage a foot hold! They helped the husband and I tear the wrapping paper and eat pull tissue paper out of the gift bags. We can only imagine the excitement that will continue to mount over the next couple years as they grow older and understand gift giving, opening presents as well as birthdays and holidays!

Shortly after, we put the babies down in their pack-and-plays to cool off and rest for awhile. They all took naps (their third for the day!) and we got a chance to sit down and have a beer and chat with guests. That evening, after the babies had their dinner and were off to bed, we baked French bread pizzas in the oven and sat around a patio table outside with the remaining group playing Mad Libs, drinking and eating. It was the perfect way to unwind and enjoy our scenery!

Our getaway on Sunday was quick. We had breakfast, fed the babies breakfast, I made pink lemonade cookies for my niece's birthday party that afternoon and we loaded. And loaded. And loaded. It was no secret we took a ton of supplies with us to the lake and we knew it'd be a lot of hard work, but it definitely paid off to have everything we needed and it was nice to have the space to host family and friends for the celebration we knew we wanted. Plus, the lake views were beautiful!

We stopped by my sister's house for her daughter's birthday party on the way home and let the babies roam around and play with their multitude of toys. They had a blast, which wasn't a surprise since they inherit the majority of their toys from my sister's house once her kiddo has outgrown them! We fed them their 3:30 bottles then packed them back in the suburban and headed for the apartment. I can't quite end that we drove off into the sunset and fed the babies dinner and put them to bed without including this photo...

...because that's what it looked like when we unloaded most of the stuff we'd packed. And by most, I mean some of it went to storage that same evening and isn't even pictured. Why yes, we live in a shoe. But it's only for a few more weeks and then those one-year-old babies of mine will have a wonderful new home to roam and grow up in. One year down, many more to go—and I'm loving every second!

mom & dad with our kiddos

P.S. Upcoming posts: a new house progress report with room sneak peaks for the quads and a "12+" month update...are bottles truly over?!