FAQ: Part 1

You asked for it....

Here's Part 1 of the FAQs. I'm answering questions 1-5 in this post and will answer 6-10 soon to follow! I worked hard on these, quad addicts, so ENJOY and leave me a comment if you'd like to say hello.  I LOVE hearing from you!

1. What kind of camera do you use for your photography and videos?  What editing software do you like best?

My best pal, Brad, gave me a Nikon D40 DSLR for our 5th anniversary. Besides my wedding ring, it's the most cherished gift he's given me. I use a 18-55mm lens.

Most videos seen on our blog are shot with my point and shoot Casio Exilim.  It has a great video function and quality. 

I've used Picasa for all of my photo editing.  It's Free and I happen to love Free. However, I recently became the proud owner of Adobe Photoshop Elements 7, thanks to a great Costco coupon, so I'm anxious to try it on for size. 

Photography is most definitely a love of mine, and I feel privileged to share it with each of you!

2. How do you financially afford quadruplets? 

Although quadruplets may seem like an overwhelming financial burden, in reality it's quite similar to having a 4 "single" children.  For instance, even when you have children one at a time, you have the responsibility to feed, diaper, and clothe each child individually.  I like to visualize it as traditional families being on the layaway payment plan, while we're paying the cost up front. 

However, that is not to take away from how God has provided for our every need.  Initially we had no idea how we would ever be able to financially stay afloat.  No matter how many budget cuts we made, there was no way we alone could provide for the needs of an instant family of six. The first year was an awesome display of God's faithfulness and provision for our family.  From nearly a year's supply of diapers from friends and family, to clothes donated by strangers, to a check in the mailbox, to lower interest rates on our mortgage, to meeting maximum out-of-pocket deductibles....Our faith was strengthened through trusting in our Sovereign God.  

Today, we continue to  trust God with our finances.  We creatively look for ways to cut costs and make our budget.  Saving money has become a "hobby" of ours and we look forward to one day being completely debt free, if the Lord allows.

3. Do you plan on having more children? 

Inquiring minds want to know...

Although we haven't ruled it out forever.  We certainly are not "planning" on another little Murray for now. We feel incredibly blessed and content to be the parents of Henry, Isaac, Brooks, and Clark.

4. Details. Details. Details.  I hope this answers most of your questions on the pregnancy and the birth:

Pregancy Details:

Found out we were expecting "triplets" at 6 weeks gestation

Told we were expecting quads at 8 weeks

Transabdominal Cerclauge Surgery at 13 weeks

Manditory Bedrest at 22 weeks

Prescribed Procardia for pre-term contractions at 22 weeks

Voluntary Hospitalization for Monitoring of Mono-Mono Twins at 28 weeks

Delivery via Caesarian Section at 32 weeks (Average quadruplet pregnancy 28 weeks)

Delivered due to toxic levels of Preeclampsia/HELLP Syndrome

Placed on Magnesium Sulfate to prevent seizures, prevent kidney/liver failure, and to lower blood pressure

Received several units of blood via transfusion due to blood loss

Total Hospitalization: 35 LONG Days

Pumped for first 3 months of the babies lives

Baby A (1st Born)

Henry Samuel Murray

Born at 12:33pm

Birth Weight: 2lbs 12 oz.

Time in the NICU: 4 weeks

Complications: Very Few.  Considered a "Feeder and Grower", No Oxygen Needs

Baby B (2nd Born)

Brooks Layton Murray (Identical Mono-Mono Twin)

Born at 12:34pm

Birth Weight: 3lbs. 0 oz.

Time in NICU: 3 weeks

Complications: Very Few. C-PAP for 24 hours. Feeder and Grower. Came home at 3 lbs. 12 oz.

Baby C (3rd Born)

Clark Thomas Murray (Identical Mono-Mono Twin)

Born at 12:34pm

Birth Weight 3lbs. 7 oz.

Time in NICU: 5 weeks

Complications: Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Ventilation, PDA (closed with 2nd dose of Indocin),High Blood Pressure, 2 NEC scares, Clean Bill of Health at Discharge

Baby D (4th and Final)

Isaac Edward Murray

Birth Weight: 4 lbs.

Time in NICU: 3 weeks

Complications: Ventilation for 4 Days, PDA (closed with 1st dose of Indocin), C-PAP for 1 Day, Feeder and Grower

5. How did you come up with each of their names?

This is a question we are frequently asked as many can't imagine coming up with 8 NAMES, when they struggled to come up with even ONE!

Brad and I sat down one night, I believe around 18 weeks. and wrote down our short list of names we liked and then did some "research" to find other names to consider. Believe it or not we came up with 9 names in about 40 minutes! (We had Henry's middle name narrowed down to 2.) In reality, I think it was somewhat easier to come up with 4 baby's names than just one....we didn't have to completely agree on the "ultimate name" and were more willing to compromise. Plus, I was a speech therapist in the schools so I had a pretty extensive list of what our boys wouldn't be named. =)

We had 4 names picked out, but we didn't assign them to a certain baby in my belly because they moved around too much to keep track of....We didn't want them to come out with an identity crisis on top of being quadruplets! However, we somewhat had a sense of who would be named who. After the boys were born, (pretty fuzzy on these details due to "The Mag" and blood loss) Brad brought me pictures of the boys and we named them based on the pictures.

Brad and I had a few "Naming Rules". These were simply personal preferences. I am not in any way slamming your kids names if they fit into any of these criteria....=)

1. They couldn't rhyme or be "sing-song cute".
2. They needed to be non-trendy; Traditional, yet distinct.
3. They needed to be names that were complete in itself - not needing to be shortened to a nickname (This rule was obviously meant to be broken...keep reading!)
4. They (at least some of them) needed to have a family link.
5. They couldn't rhyme with "Murray"....That eliminated furry, hurry, and Suri!

Henry - A name we both agreed on and since Henry was only 2 lbs. 12 oz. "Isaac" just didn't fit him!
Meaning: Trusted

Samuel - We really liked the Biblical heritage of Samuel as well as the meaning of the name (Check out I Samuel Chapter 1)
Meaning: God heard

Brooks - A name that we threw out there and then ended up falling in love with
Meaning: Refreshed

Layton - A family name on my mom's side, but mostly chosen because we just liked it
Meaning: From the Meadow Land =)

Clark - One of our first names that made the list. We came up with Clark in the early days of marriage. It has several significant ties as well. It's Brad's Grandma's Maiden Name, and the last name of a couple who really had a positive impact on Brad's life who have passed away.
Meaning: Enlightened Spirit

Thomas- Brad's Dad's Name
Meaning: Divinely Preserved

Isaac - I used to say, "If God gives me a boy someday, I hope his name is Isaac." (I had no idea that He would give me FOUR!)
Meaning: Child of Promise, Laughter

Edward - My Dad's Name
Meaning: Guardian of Happiness

Now I couldn't imagine them any other name than Henry Samuel, Brooks Layton, Clark Thomas, or Isaac Edward!