{Quad Squad} Three Months!

My entire life now operates in three hour increments. That's our strict feeding schedule we adhere to during the day—a feed starts every three hours, takes about an hour or just over to complete then you have about 1.5 hours to accomplish house cleaning, laundry, work, feeding pets, meal prep, shovel food in your mouth or snag a quick nap (granted with one eye open and an ear out for little cries!). Needless to say, I can think about something I need to do and it could take hours or even days to get around to it! Like this blog post for instance...I've been thinking about it for a week! And if I don't get on the wagon sooner, I'll be updating about their four month birthday by the time they're half a year old!

One thing I did get done was to snap some three month photos of our adorable quad squad. The husband and I teamed up one night and got it done in about 30 minutes! It was a frenzy of onesies, diapers, hair bows and falling-over babies but we did it!

Harrison, Trystan, Kailey and Logan

Kailey, Harrison, Logan and Trystan

Baby feet!

Harrison: The little champ is full of smiles these days! Just this morning, I was feeding him his bottle and he grinned from ear to ear and kept on smiling for another 30 minutes or so. We even got a quick and tiny giggle out of him and a few verbal sounds that were new. It was awesome! I've never been so entertained by a baby in my life. The husband and his mom were up for a late evening feed recently and said Harrison was whining a little bit and started making a noise that sounded like "Hiiiiii!" Needless to say, we're running around like those crazy parents trying to capture everything on camera. One kiddo does something cute and before we can get over there another one does something else and we almost risk no pictures being taken in our desperation to catch all those little moments! Now I see why most folks do it one kid at a time. *Said with sarcasm and a casually arched eyebrow.* The little big man now weighs 9lbs 4.5oz, still leading the pack in size and, now, in smiles. He can also hold his head up for around 10 seconds, occasionally turning it to look around like he's just discovered his neck can pivot. It's awesome.

Kailey: This little gal is chunking up a bit more noticeably now, she has the tiniest little fat rolls around her wrists and her teeny hands are bit more plump. And so are her cheeks, I could squeeze 'em all day! Her weight is now 9lbs and counting. She looks serious most of the time but I did get her to crack a smile on the changing table this morning. She's a beautiful baby and is going to be a gorgeous girl. We tend to always dress her in pink and call her our "little diva" since she can run the show around here some days. Kailey buddies up with Harrison a lot and they love to cuddle in the pack and play during the time and turn pinwheels in their crib together at night. Sometimes I find Harrison with his feet on Kailey's head! They aren't overly bothered by close bodily proximity, which should come as no surprise when recalling their close quarters during the pregnancy!

Trystan: The littlest of the group, she is by far not the most timid or inept. Trystan Lee has some pipes on her that could put a prize crowing rooster to shame. (Wait, what? Who has a rooster?) Anyway, there is no in between with her. She's either sleeping, perfectly content or as mad as a wet hen. (Seriously with the animal comparisons. What is this, a barn?) Her face gets all red and purple and real teeny tiny tear drops run down the side of her cheeks until she's been cuddled, fed or changed. Whatever her highness is in need of! But she's cute as a bug in a rug (last one, I swear!) and shares a few sleepy smiles, arched nemesis eyebrows and contemplative frowns on a daily basis. She is definitely the most expressive in the group. Trystan will also soon be joining the 8lb club as she currently clocks in at 7lbs 14oz.

Logan: Ah, our sweet little Logan Bear. Except not so little anymore. She's threatening to stomp all over Harrison's lead as the big baby in the group and weighs 8lbs 15.5oz.  Logan also seems to be extremely aware of her surroundings and is able to track objects with her eyes from one side of her face to the other. She hands out the occasional grin and face locks with you during feedings, staring you down while she sucks away at that milk. She's successfully finishing 4oz bottles now and I think it's about time to break out the big guns, aka 8oz bottles! Logan seems to operate at her own pace, doing whatever she feels like, and takes her feeding times very seriously. She'll also bat at things hanging down near her head and during mat time these days she gets her very own toy bar over her to bat and swing at the suspended toys and objects. She has also "cooed" on a few occasions and we feel she'll be one of the first to start babbling!

Last week, occupational therapists from Early Childhood Intervention came out to the house to evaluate the quads. They look for motor skills, cognitive and social abilities, muscle tone, feeding difficulties, etc. to determine if the babies need any sort of therapy or additional support as they mature. They like to do this very early on so if there are any issues, they can work them out as soon as possible. They measured the quads based on zero weeks, since the babies are just now full term. (They were born 10 weeks early and so are measured on an adjusted scale. For example, they're three months now, but are considered only about two weeks old adjusted age. This will likely continue until after their one to two year birthdays.) We are proud to report that none of the babies qualified for assistance or therapy and all of them measured right on par or just ahead of their age! Logan even scored 4 months for certain categories like motor skills. The husband and I were thrilled with these results! We had a feeling these babies were doing great and the therapists were able to confirm that. We push them with feedings and play time and make sure to interact with them all the time, from talking to rattles and playing with their arms and legs to moving objects around in their line of eyesight.

In other good news, the husband's mom came in town this weekend to lend an extra hand so we were able to get away for a date night! My mom and step-dad moved down last Sunday in their camper and are staying at a local RV resort (six minutes away to be exact!). We're so grateful they worked so hard to renovate their camper and haul it all the way down here to help us out while the babies are so young and such an armful of work. They are glad to a little of their own space and also be nearby and come to assist with feedings or help me out during the day while the husband's at work. Needless to say, when we have both moms here it means double the help and with my step-dad around as well, we took advantage of the moment and went to a movie and dinner. It was great! We saw Lawless and loved it and then grabbed some pasta and beers for dinner at Carino's.

Until next time, folks! :)

{Home Decor} Master Bedroom Makeover!

I thought I'd take a momentary break from the usual baby-centric posts and update y'all on a little house project I'd been dying to complete. Needless to say, with four newborn kiddos in the house, projects tend to a take really-far-in-the-back-row seat to other priorities that now form our days. Ha.

But the few moments that we get to sleep—day or night—I wanted to enjoy our time in our master bedroom and the all-brown decor wasn't quite cutting it for me anymore. I love Texas-themed stuff and I also love beachy chic stuff, but the two don't always really mesh very well so I have a hard time some times deciding what look I want to capitalize on! In this case, I also had a small budget so I chose to spend the majority of it on bedding that I found at West Elm.

Here are the before and after pictures—which are also, um, before and after I cleaned our room...

I fell in love with the navy striped duvet cover from West Elm and ordered it along with two matching pillow shams embroidered with our names, which will be arriving later since they were on backorder. I also nabbed a box spring cover on Amazon for about $35 since I no longer wanted a bedskirt, which didn't really suit the bed frame anyway.

The biggest part of the makeover was finally cleaning off and organizing the chester drawers on my side of the bed. It'd become a mess long before I'd been admitted to the hospital for two months and I'd just never got around to it. I put the extra books in a bookcase in my office, keeping only the current tomes I'm reading that happen to be 50 Shades of Grey (yes, I'm late to the game and am finally getting around to reading them!). 

A cute hanging rack from Hobby Lobby—that was 50% off for $6—made the perfect place to hang my necklaces and a leopard print tray for $12 from Stein Mart took care of rings and earrings. The crystal ring holder was a gift from my mother-in-law for Christmas years ago and the zebra-print box was as well. It contained four stemless wine glasses and I chose to use it to organize my bracelets. Perfect!

A simple coat of turquoise spray paint and some painters tape for stripes transformed the stars and letters that hung on the wall.

I kept the original window valances, which I'd covered with cheap and easy burlap fabric when we'd moved in. I removed the metal stars and the tan and orange burlap trim and replaced them with blue and white printed ribbon (a 50% off purchase from Hobby Lobby for $2 a roll) and some starfish and shells I had on hand. I secured the latter with my hot glue gun and the ribbon with heavy duty staples. Each of the three valances in our room has a different arrangement of shells and starfish.

Last, I finally hung the canvas that my good friend Lisa put together for me prior to my hospital admission when I was pregnant with the quads. It's signed by all sorts of friends, family and even nurses to encourage me to keep going during those tough weeks! I kept it in my hospital room and looked at it every day and now I see it every morning when I get up at home...and every night when I drag my butt out of bed to feed four babies at midnight, 3am, 6am, 9am. It reminds me to count my blessings and not the hours of sleep I'm missing out on. ;)

So that's it! Our one-day master bedroom makeover and I love it!

Okay, and of course I can't do a post without sneaking in a picture of the quadruplets. (Did you find the baby in one of my before pictures up above?) Here's our sweet things at home the other night, being patient while mommy dresses them up and takes yet another photo...

I'm still working on a post about our previous time spent in the NICU, the babies' three month update and pictures, a new recipe post and more so don't stay away too long! Happy weekend!

{Quad Squad} Video Update from the Parents!

It's been three months to the day since our little quadruplets were born at 29 weeks and 5 days, and it's been just over a month since we started bringing them home from the NICU. Now that all six of us have been living under the same roof for five weeks, we're happy to report that we're still in one piece and, well, I'll let the video tell you the rest... :)

{Quad Squad} Two months & counting!

So this post is a little late, since the quads are getting closer to three months old now but I just have to share a couple of their two month photos!

Kailey and Logan. So sweet!

Everyone is doing really great. We had a bit of a scare with Trystan (you can read about that here and here) but she's doing fine for now and we're keeping an eye on her sporadic reflux that causes her to choke. Ready for some individual updates? Read on!

Trystan

Trystan: Other than her choking episodes and an overnight stay in the ER, she's trucking along and gaining ground. We were a bit concerned during her first week home because she only gained about three ounces that week. (The other babies average around an ounce a day or just over.) But we've been diligent about working with her during feedings and encouraging her to finish that bottle and it seems to be paying off. Last week, she gained three ounces in four days! She now weighs 6lbs 11.5oz and averages 70-90 mls per bottle. We still refer to her as our little owl because she always has big, wide open eyes observing everything around her. She always spares a grin now and then, too, if you tickle her under her chin juuuust right. We're beginning to think she'll have auburn-colored hair as it has a pretty coppery sheen to it. And she's also got a temper if you mess with her feeding time or don't get to her dirty diaper fast enough. Girl's got some pipes!

Kailey: Our sweet little diva! Kailey has such a pretty face and the perfect little pouty lips. She sticks them out all the time when she wants to eat, needs a clean diaper, isn't happy with her current situation or simply wants to be held. She's gaining weight very well and now clocks in at 7lbs 9.5oz. Kailey's also draining her bottles dry more and more frequently, sucking down 110 mls now. She and Harrison are snuggle buds. In fact, we've identified Kailey as "The Snuggler" overall since she makes her way over next to anyone she's sharing a crib or pack-and-play with and lays her arms or legs over them. She's also the tummy time champ and wriggles her way across the mat or onto the floor quite often. Right now, Kailey's a bit of a bobble head as she whips that neck around but she's learning to hold it up a bit and can easily raise it up and switch it from side to side when laying on her stomach.

Kailey & Harrison

Harrison: Little man is still a sloppy, lazy eater but he hasn't given up his top spot and continues to lead the pack in size and weight. He topped eight pounds last week and now weighs in at 8lbs 1.5oz. Before, he literally slept ALL the time but it awake more during the day now and has the most gorgeous eyes. He is fairly content most of the time, especially if he's cuddled up on the couch with mom or dad and gets to hang out and watch TV. Harrison also has developed more and more facial expressions and is slowly becoming more interactive with is surroundings. He can hold his head up for several seconds at a time and easily rolls from side to side.

Logan

Logan: She's still our over-achiever but we may not be able to call her Peanut much longer. In fact, she tends to go by her other nickname, Loganator, most of the time. She just barrels through everything in her path! Today she graduated from Level 1 nipples on her Dr. Brown bottle to Level 2. It just wasn't flowing fast enough! Born smallest at 2lbs 6oz, she's started packing on the ounces and has surpassed Kailey and comes in second in weight at 7lbs 11.5oz. Little girl's got no neck though, and we joke she's going to be a football player! We have to keep her neck creases clean and dry and she's started getting adorable little fat rolls on her thighs. Unfortunately, Logan does deal with some reflux but she's been on Prevacid for awhile and it seems to be helping a lot. She finishes her bottles most of the time, drinking 95 mls, and appears to have less discomfort from the acid and gas. Since she's got a power neck, Logan can hold up her head up a good deal and rolls from side to side during tummy time or attempts to crawl over one of the girls. The other day we caught her head butting with Harrison. :)

So how are mom and dad doing? So glad you asked! We are hanging in there. Some days are incredibly hard and others are much more smooth and very enjoyable. But no matter how sleep deprived we are—I totally konked out while standing up the other night, woke up with a start a second later when I started swaying!—or how long we've gone without a shower, we love these babies will all our hearts. At 5am this morning, while trying to keep my eyes peeled open while feeding one of the babies and then getting projectile spit up on, I told the quads it was a good thing they were all so cute! I still can't believe that our lives now revolve around four little people, and I'm grateful for the help of family and friends. I'm pretty impressed that the husband and I have managed a little time away from the house now and then. We've enjoyed a lunch and dinner out and have seen two movies since the quads came home from the hospital three weeks ago. Each week, we try to do something whether it's a movie or a meal or a trip to the grocery store so we can reconnect and get a little breather.

And we've gotten creative with our home life, too. On days we're not as worn out (meaning we got 4 to 5 hours of sleep instead of 2!), we fire up the grill or pop open a beer. Yesterday we walked to our mailbox (community box a street over) and enjoyed the outdoor stroll together and before that we spent an hour at the neighborhood pool. It makes all the difference in recharging our batteries and helps us reconnect with each other and not burn out.

Our family friend and honorary grandma, Carol, and the husband's mom (right) hard at work!

Watch out! Quad mom is taking over the grill!

Grilled asparagus, peppers & squash with beef sausage and grilled lemon broccoli & artichoke hearts. Yum!

Two of our three dogs, Jersey & Reese.

"Play with me!"

Well, there you have it! An update on our Texas Tales. Coming next: reflections on life at the NICU.

ER Update!

Just wanted to post a quick update on Trystan. We have been discharged and are currently waiting on daddy to pick us up at the hospital! Trystan had no episodes last night but the choking caused by reflux is still a concern, so we will keep a close eye on her. May start meds if the reflux becomes more consistent. In the meantime, can't wait to get home and see my other three babies! Missed them so much!!!

Next post: overdue two month photos!