The Anatomy of a Miracle....

[Yet Another Disclaimer: Due to some medical vocabulary used in this post, I'm giving it a PG-13 rating. I want to give you a heads up this because I know many of you read this with your families.]

I was recently involved in a serious phone conversation with a sweet mommy-to-be, who I met briefly through my perinatologist, Dr. Sumners. She was 13 weeks pregnant with triplets and considering a TAC (Transabdominal Cerclauge) Surgery to prevent cervical incompetence and preterm labor. Her decision had to be made by the following day, due to the risks involved and the rapid growth of the uterus entering the 2nd trimester.

Having this discussion brought back many memories of sleepless nights, praying over this decision in our pregnancy. Unlike a transvaginal cerclauge, the TAC involves a incision similar, if not wider to a c-section, and believe it or not the uterus is removed during a portion of the surgery, so that a band can be tied around the base of the cervix! Isn't medical technology fascinating? To think that little Brooks, Clark, Isaac, and Henry were outside of my body at 13 weeks and then placed back inside of me for another almost 20 weeks is nothing less than incredible! It was one of the toughest decisions of our lives, but for us it came down to if we didn't would we look back with regret of "I could have done more" if we lost the boys before viability. God truly gave us a "peace that passes understanding" as we went from that week onward.

Is it because of the TAC that I was able to carry quadruplets to 32 weeks (the average gestation of quadruplets is 29 weeks)? We'll never know. God gets the glory for their lives and I know that He has placed doctors, technology, medicine, etc. in our path as part of His amazing plan, for which I am increasingly grateful. Every prayer was answered according to His sovereignty.

I'd like to close this post with a recording of Dr. Gentry explaining to our church congregation the seriousness of our mono-mono quadruplet pregnancy just days after my surgery. He explains it with such grace and accuracy. I encourage you to listen as it explains in great clarity questions that I often face concerning infertility, mono-monos, the TAC, and the risks of a quadruplet pregnancy. If you only listen to one portion fast forward to his prayer at the end - I think you'll be amazed at how God answered our prayers specifically.

(The following illustrations should visually complement the audio.)

Two Outer Sacs, Two Inner Sacs
(Typical Fraternal Twins; Isaac and Henry)

One Outer Sac, Two Inner Sacs
(Typical Identical Twins)

One Outer Sac, One Inner Sac
(Our Rare Mono-Mono Twins; Brooks and Clark)

(We're the only known set of quadruplets with a surviving set of mono-mono twins!)

Feeling Sentimental????

(Pictured left to right in birth order: Henry Samuel 2lbs 12 oz., Brooks Layton 3lbs, Clark Thomas 3lbs 7oz., Isaac Edward 4lbs.)

It's 1st Birthday Eve and I'm feeling a bit sentimental.....Mostly I am just stunned at goodness and grace that God has lavished on us this year. As much as I tried, I could not imagine "life with quads" while I was pregnant and never could I have comprehended the enormous amount of love I would have for my babies.

In case you're feeling the "sympathy sentimentals" here's some posts surrounding our pregnancy, birth and the preemie days...(I was able to transfer all of our postings from our old blog, http://www.triplet-update.blogspot.com/, over to this blog. Soooooo you can read our ENTIRE story here on this current site. All of the posts are located chronicologically in the pull-down "Post Archive" menu in the left hand column.)

(Click on the Link to View Post)

Triplets???

The Quad Announcement

Headed for the Hospital at Week 28

Our Last Post Before Becoming Parents to Quadruplets

Birth Day

Clark's Recovery

NICU Pictures

Homecoming Day

There's so much that I could (and probably should) post, stories I could tell, people I could thank, verses I could share, blessings upon blessings...but I think for now I'll tuck myself in bed next to my husband and sleep safe and sound in my quiet little house with four precious MIRACLES.

Keep checking back as I will be posting some of the best blog posts YET!

NICU Survival Kit Headed to The Big "D"

Well past my bedtime last night, I was putting together a NICU Survival Kit for Casey Gerwer who just delivered quadruplets yesterday at 29 weeks in Dallas, TX! You can find the stats on Reid, Cameron, Trey, and Brady on their blog. Please keep them in your prayers especially over these next few weeks as their babies transition from womb to the real world where they are expected to do all the full-term tasks (breathing, feeding, maintaining their body temp., and yes, pooping!) 11 weeks early. Congratulations, especially goes out to Casey as she fought so hard for these babies and did so well to make it to 29 weeks! Way to go quad mama, welcome to the club!

Can I tell you how much I love putting these kits together?!!! I find myself praying for the family as I pack the contents of the kit. I pray for the mom's recovery, strength for dad, the babies to be little fighters, the doctors, nurses, and respiratory therapist that are so vital to the baby's survival......and then I'm overwhelmed with gratefulness as I reflect on our NICU days and how blessed we are with 4 healthy babies!

Especially this little guy (Clark) who really made our NICU nurses work for their money

Our super-sitter (well, she's free so I guess she's not really a sitter), Tami, is on her way with some hand-made preemie blankets for the kit. So soft and sweet! Many of you have emailed about the blankets so I want to give you some "specs". Tami's are 12 x 12 (some a little bigger or more rectangle), and I could also use some 20 x 20's.

Lastly, an enormous thank you to my friend Melissa, who donated a sack full of really nice lotion from Bath and Body Works for the kits. I'm telling ya, your hands get so sore and dry from scrubbing up that lotion just melts in your hands. This will be wonderful, Melissa!

Oh yeah, one more thing...then I have to get some lunch while I have the chance! There's been a lot of chatter about Adsense lately (Suz added it to her site too). While we can't tell you how we get money from the ads due to "contractual obligation"- you can easily look this up on our friend google to find out if your curiousity is killing or check out problogger for more....or try monetizing out for yourself (you can sign up here by clicking on the link in the left column under the ads)!

.....Seacrest, OUT

PUBLISHED!

Back in June (a lifetime ago) my friend Michelle Harrod gave me this great site, Babycheapskate, and it's been saving me money ever since. It was featured in the July issue of Parents Magazine and has earned a great reputation for saving money on everything baby. Many of you will recall this site from our post in August, "God Always Provides...Sometimes through Coupons", where Brad and I (and a few comrades) were able to buy 513 jars of baby food for just over $10 (unbelievable)! Well, Angie, the Babycheapskate herself asked me to write a guest post on saving money with multiples. I was honored! Anyway, I know many of you already frequent her site, but I had to plug my little article! (You may need to scroll down, because she posts frequent updates on the best deals!)

Why St. Vincent's? (Exclusive Birth Video!)

(5 minutes after the Murray crew was born)

When St. Vincent's Hospital approached us about doing a commercial about our NICU experience, Jen and I were suprised to say the least. We quickly decided that we wanted to do the spot, despite the fact that it was going to be a really hectic day. We had, so far, avoided most media attention, and had kind of decided that we liked it that way.

So, for you local moms, here is our answer to the question, why St. Vincent's?

During our NICU stay, we watched as many babies were transported there, shortly after birth, from around the state. I remember thinking how much better off these babies would have been, had they been born there to start with.

Then, when the unthinkable happens, and your baby comes early or has unexpected complications, this wonderful NICU staff is right down the hall. You cannot tell me that a baby who needs intensive care, but has to be transported from 30 minutes or 3 hours away, has as good a chance at survival as one who can be rushed down the hall and into the NICU in 2 minutes or less from birth.

I am sure that all of our local hospitals in the area have wonderful facilities for your typical birth. And, most of the time, that is all you need. Unfortunately, many babies are born everyday who are expected to do well and thrive, yet for various reasons, need serious medical attention in order to survive. Why wouldnt you plan to have your baby at a hosptial with the highest level of NICU care availiable? This is why we decided to promote this wonderful NICU. (Ok, I will get off my soapbox now!)

As I sit here and type, Jen is working on our new project that we are anxious to annouce later this week. We are so excited to tell you about how much revenue you have all helped to generate just by coming to our blog over the past few months, and how we plan to spend it on this new, NICU related project.

Brad, Jen, Henry, Brooks, Clark, and Isaac

(PS More NICU and birth video is coming soon, stay tuned!!)

Caring is Sharing

What nice, well-mannered boys we have! Quads who play together, stay together. Alright, so I know this picture captures a brief moment in our boys lives, where there is no understanding of the "MINE" mentality. I've been "preparing" myself by reading other multiple blogs who's kids are a step above our boys to get a picture of what I have in store in the future. Here's an excerpt from fellow quad mama, Gen McNulty of her typical 5 minute "conversation" with her toddlers:

"Russ, stop biting Biddie! Libby, stop whacking Molly with that block! Molly, give that toy back to Ally! Ally, stop taking off Bubba's diaper! Ally, stop taking off your own diaper! Libby, don't bite Russ! Molly, DO NOT STICK YOUR FINGER IN HIS MOUTH IF YOU DON'T WANT HIM TO BITE YOU!!!! Libby, that's Ally's bunny, where is your monkey?! Molly, give Libby back her Monkey! Molly, give Ally back her bunny! Ally, don't bite Molly! Molly, stop biting Ally!Libby, stop biting Russ! Russ, stop biting Libby! Ally, stop climbing that gate! Bubba, get out of that basket! Libby, don't take that book from Russ, please give it back! Bubba, STOP biting Libby! Libby, don't let him bite you! Molly, use your words, you don't need to scream! Ally, get off your brother's head.. he can't breath! Bubba, on your bottom, if your going to climb onto the couch I would appreciate it if you didn't dive off head first! Ally, set a good example, on your bottom! Russ, stop biting Ally! ....etc. "

And I think I'M exhausted at the end of the day! I can't imagine the amount of energy that it's going to take for these little guys! Bring on the prayers!

Deep in the Heart of Texas

Many of you have been following my quad sister, Suzanne. They are all over the Dallas/Ft. Worth media today. She even gave me a huge shout out in the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram. Check out the link here:

http://www.star-telegram.com/news/story/216906.html

It's very fun to get mentioned, but most of all I'm just thankful to be a blessing to someone else. We've been blessed by so many, it's great to give a little back in the form of support to a fellow quad mama. Remember how I asked you to pray that the Steece babies would "thrive regardless of what typical 30 weekers are suppose to do"? God hears our prayers. Ben (similar to our Isaac), their chunk, is going home tomorrow with his brothers and sister following close behind.

I only wish that I could now go help with those middle of the night feedings, because those are killer! Makes me thankful for my full night's sleep. Keep praying for this family as they enter the enormous adventure of caring for 4 babies! I know they'll do great!

Suzanne, if you're reading I'm still rooting for you, girl! You're one amazing mama and I look forward to watching our little ones grow. Savannah, watch out you've got four older boys who think you're a beauty. They would like to have you over for chilli sometime! HAAA!

Love, Your Indiana Cheerleader

We Are Survivors : NICU Picnic

Last weekend our crew had the privilege of attending the NICU Reunion Picnic. I remember this time last year, not knowing if we would be invited to such a picnic, not knowing if we would even bring one baby home from the hospital. Only by God's grace, we brought 4 babies home. I wanted to blog right away all about the picnic, but it was too emotional, and my thoughts were all over the place. Hopefully now my thoughts are a bit more collected. We'll see.....

I remember the first time I heard about this "picnic". I was about 14 weeks pregnant and my doctor was talking about another past patient he had run into there. Then he backtracked and explained what the picnic was about, and then inserted something like, "you'll see, when you guys go next year". That was HUGE! He believed in us, against all the medical knowledge he possessed, and the fight we had ahead of us. That gave me a confidence and peace about our situation. Seeing him there on Saturday and having my 4 boys to show him was exciting, to say the least.

We were greeted by so many familiar faces and hugs from people who fought for our boys while they endured their NICU stay. It was such a joy to show the nurses and doctors our chubby, healthy, little rascals. We are so grateful for the tremendous care at St. Vincent we received and the people and abilities that God place into each of our boys' lives, when we could do NOTHING.

I think many have too quickly forgotten (including myself) how amazing these little lives truly are and how this is not the "typical" outcome, since they don't look or act much like preemies anymore (which is a great thing)! This picnic was another great reminder of God's ultimate control, His grace, and mercy in our lives. Sometimes we just want to hold on to each of them and weep over them in gratefulness. May Christ be glorified through their precious lives!

DeDe (Henry's primary nurse)

Nataline (Clark's primary nurse) Nataline: You better thank me for your fame! =) Can you tell the boys didn't get their nap?

Brad and I with our "septuplets", where are their parents, anyway? I thought we were posing with them for the picture!

When your babies are in the NICU you have to wear a hospital bracelet for each baby for security reasons. Well, I decided to take a picture of our survivor bracelets that they handed out. The "Tiny Success" onesies (pictured at the top of this post) were given to us by a triplet mom, Diana, who we barely know from Starbucks, but she's been a faithful blog subscriber for a while now. Thank you so much! We'll have to definetly get a picture in them!

Look how far we've come!

February 2. 2007

"Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O LORD, you preserve both man and beast.
How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings." Psalm 6:5-7

Quads Being Born As I Blog...

UPDATE: They are here! Please keep a prayin'! I haven't heard from the Suz herself yet, but she has a huge recovery ahead of her and challenges ahead in the NICU. Thankful that she made it to a whopping 30+ weeks! She's sacrificed so much for these pumpkins - what a mom!

I think Brad and I would be headed to Texas right now if we had a private jet! Just what she needs a bunch of company and more babies!

Some specifics that you could pray for:

• Recovery for Suzanne - for bleeding to stop and her body to adjust to all the destressing of taking 4 babies out
• Lungs - these babies are gonna have to figure out this new breathing thing and it's a lot of work
• That Ethan, Ben, Andrew, and Savannah would THRIVE regardless of what typical "30 weekers" are expected to do - that they would FLOOR the medical community!
• Strength for Joe and Suz as they face uncertainties and a entire new adventure
• NICU staff- wisdom and the BEST care possible for these tiny ones
• That God would be glorified and others would come to a relationship with Christ through their journey

Happy Birthday Steece Babies!

Andrew (born 1st at 3:47pm): 2 lbs, 8.6 ounces

Savannah (2nd at 3:48pm): 2 pounds, 14.8 ounces

Ethan (3rd 3:49pm): 2 pounds, 7 ounces

Benjamin (4th at 3:50pm): 3 pounds, 4 ounces

(My reaction moments ago....)

For those of you following my fellow quad buddy Suzanne, she is having a c-section as I blog due to premature labor. Alright,you amazing prayer warriors, get on ya'lls knees for this Texas mama! She is 30 wks 1 day. Please pray for Suzanne, Joe, and the little ones: Savannah, Ben, Andrew, and Ethan. I know many of you are "hooked" to her blog as well!
P.S. OUR little babies turn 6 months tomorrow! UNREAL!

New Murray Blog Spot

I was so tired of seeing the word "triplet" in our blog address, I decided we would start a new chapter, at a new address, when the boys all get home. Once Clark gets home, this will be the new location where you can follow our family. (Referring to our old blog www.triplet-update.blogspot.com that tells our pregnancy journey, the miracle birth of our quadruplets, and our stay in the NICU. I am so glad there was yet another blessing inside my belly, instead of "just" triplets!)

QUAD DAY - Birth Day x4

Hello everyone,

Our boys are here and doing really well. The birth went very well and Jen is recovering in our room again now. They all came out crying and breathing room air on their own.

One of the boys is now on ventilation as he was not able to continue to breath without assistance. The other three have continued to breath without a vent, but they all have a long way to go before we can breath a sigh of relief. But, God has given us five hours of life with our little boys already, and we are thankful to finally get to meet them.

Okay, here are the names and weights that you all have been waiting for in the order in which they entered the world:

Henry Samuel Murray
Born at 12:33pm
2lbs. 12oz.

Brooks Layton Murray
Born at 12:34pm
3lbs. 0oz.

Clark Thomas Murray
Born at 12:34pm
3lbs. 7oz.

Isaac Edward Murray
Born at 12:35pm
4lbs. 0oz.

Here is a picture of the boys just minutes after they were born, right before being hurried off to the NICU.

Left to right: Henry, Brooks, Clark, Isaac
(Post copied from www.triplet-update.blogspot.com)

Last Minute Request...

The doctors have determined that Jen needs to go on Magnesium Sulfate to protect her from preeclampsia side effects. Some people react more severely than others to this drug, but regardless, it is a terrible drug to be on.

Please pray that Jen would not react too severely to this drug.

See the message below if you have not heard about the c-section today yet.

We love you all,

Brad, Jen, and the Blue Crew

(Post Copied from www.triplet-update.blogspot.com)

31 Weeks = Crunch Time!

Friends and Family:

We come to you today only with a prayer request. .

Dr. Sumners says that these groups of multiples typically have larger and smaller babies. The smaller babies almost always do better at birth than the larger ones. They are not certain why this is, but it is almost always the case. There is a theory that the smaller ones have had to fight for resources for so long that they are just better fighters.

The Plan:
So, here is the plan. One week from now, Dr. Sumners will perform an amniocentesis on the two larger babies, baby A and baby B. This test will be done to determine lung maturity. He says that if babies A and B have mature lungs, then babies C and D (our identicals) are almost sure to be okay. If this is the case, he says it will be time for birth!!

If babies A and B have lungs that are too immature for safe birth, we will be forced to wait another week, and try it again.

First, praise God that we even have to go through this process! We would have never dreamed that we would need to make a decision about when to do the c-section based on these variables. It was assumed from the beginning that we would just go as far as Jen’s body would allow, then deal with extremely premature babies and pray for the best. At this point, our babies will still be preemie’s, but not the extreme preemies that we were prepared for. Praise God!! Praise God that He has provided doctors with such experience and training to help us through this process!

So, here is our MAJOR prayer request this week:

Please pray that the amniocentesis comes back positive next week. The sooner our babies are ready for birth, the sooner we can get them out of danger of a cord accident. God is in control, and I will trust His timing, but would you pray with us that His timing would be this coming week? If their lungs are mature enough to avoid respirators, there is no reason to leave them inside where they could hurt each other.

Thank you everyone, please pray hard for maturity!!

(Post Copied from www.triplet-update.blogspot.com)

28 Week Celebration!

Friends and Family,

Most of you who have been following our story know that since day one, 28 weeks has been the biggest goal for us to get to. At 28 weeks more than 90% of babies survive, and of that 90%, 95% of those babies do very well and have no long term major complications.

Today is 28 weeks, 7 months! Our doctor found no problems this morning and four healthy babies. We want to praise our God for choosing to allow our babies to live this long. We continue to hold our babies with open hands, willing to give them back to the Lord if He chooses to take them. We are certainly not out of the woods yet, but this is a major victory and we want to celebrate this great milestone.

Where now? Well, the next goal is 30 weeks. At 30 weeks, there will be a significant increase in lung development which will make thriving after birth much easier. We continue to pray for 32 weeks for the long-term goal, but ultimately want our babies to be born when our Great Physician, God almighty, chooses for them to be born.

If you are reading this post and have not signed in to the Role Call that we did last week, please go to the message below and let us know that you are checking in on us, we would love to hear from you. We have been so encouraged this week by the overwhelming response to the role call. We are amazed at how many people God has brought to us to support us at this difficult time in our lives. You all have no idea how helpful it is to know that we are not walking this road alone. It sometimes seems as though all of you are carrying this heavy burden with us, making it much easier to endure.

Also, on a sad note, our friends, Brad and Dee, whom we go to church with, have good friends who were expecting triplets at Women’s hospital where we are going tonight. We were really looking forward to meeting these folks and have been praying for them. Well, last night, she gave birth to all three of their precious babies at 22 weeks gestation, leaving no hope of survival. I don’t want to mention their names, but please be praying for this family as they grieve the loss of their children. I cannot imagine the agony of loosing your babies at this late stage, or any stage for that matter.

We love you all, thank you so much for all of your encouragement!

Brad, Jen, and the Quad Squad

(Post Copied from www.triplet-update.blogspot.com)

Nearing Our 18 Week Appointment....

Friends and Family:

Once again we near another appointment to see how our boys are doing. We praise God that He has allowed nearly two more weeks of pregnancy without contractions. He has, so far, answered "yes" to our request that Jen be contraction free. (which means not on bed rest)

Please pray for peace for us for the next couple of days. Every time we go to an appointment we are holding our breath, waiting to see those four little hearts beating. It can be agonizing the days and hours leading up to that appointment.

Anyone know where we could get a sonogram machine for $10 or so? :) It would be nice to be able to check them from home now and then. I don't know if Jen would agree to this as it is so fun to watch them, I would be watching them non-stop!

Thank you again for all of your prayers, our God is so faithful and is giving Jen and I both so much peace. Please continue to pray for the Ferrill's. (mentioned a couple weeks ago) They are doing great and nearing viability with their quintuplets.

A new story about the Ferrill's:
http://www.commercial-news.com/local/local_story_296110831.html

(Post Copied from www.triplet-update.blogspot.com)

Recovery Road....

Posted by Brad:

Jen wanted me to get on and let you all know that her recovery is coming along very well. She is so thankful for everyone's e-mail, website comments, and phone calls. She also wanted me to let you all know that she is sorry that she has not been able to get back with each person individually. She is starting to come around now, but has had a rough 10 days since the surgery.

It has been amazing to watch my wife as she perserveres what I know is more pain than she has let on. One of the things (besides her beauty) that attracted me to her to start with is her amazingly positive outlook on life. She finds the bright spots in everything, including a 10 inch incision! We are just so thankful to be getting the amazing medical care so close to home.

A friend sent us an aritcle today about a couple from Danville, Illinois that is pregnant with Quintuplets. (5) Jenny and Pete Ferrill are about 19 weeks along and have been dealing with contractions for many weeks now. She is seeing a specialist in St. Louis and will be going there soon for bedrest for the duration of the pregnancy. Her husband, Pete, will be forced to stay in Danville during this time to continue to work while she is on bedrest.

I cannot imagine being hundreds of miles away from my Jen during a time such as this. When the time comes for Jen to be on bedrest, she will be in a hospital that is literally 5-10 minutes from where I work. I will have the luxury of going to see her on lunch, and have friends who will be close enough to come visit and help also.

Our God is in control and has blessed us in our circumstances in so many ways. Would you pray with us for Jenny and Pete? We dont know them personally, but it helps to pray for others when it is so easy to become self-centered. Please continue to pray for our babies, but also pray that we are able to glorify our Savior in all we do. No matter what happens in this pregnancy, nothing is more important than our relationship with Christ. God will take care of our babies if He does not choose to give them to us, but He has given us life now, we must choose not to waste it.

We love you all and cannot thank you enough for keeping Jen and the babies in your prayers.

Brad

(Post Copied from www.triplet-update.blogspot.com)

Coasting Along....

Posted by Brad (08/28/06):

Praying friends and family:

We continue to covet your prayers as we take this journey one day at a time. I wanted to give you all an update since we switched to our new doctor who specializes in multiple births. We had our first appointment with him on Thursday of this past week. We were very pleased, not only with his personality, but more importantly with his experience with high order multiples.

We also want to praise our God for providing us with parents and friends so eager to serve our needs already! We are more appreciative than any of you will ever know. We do not deserve family and friends who show us such kindness, but God has chosen to provide them for us anyway.

Please pray:
-That God, our most qualified physician, would protect our babies from harm.

-For strength for Jen as she continues to fight exhaustion.

-That we would hold on to Jesus and trust His promises.

-That God would give us wisdom in choosing when to make changes to Jens work schedule.

Thank you all!

(Post Copied from www.triplet-update.blogspot.com)

Our journey as parents begins.....

Posted by Brad:

Hey all!

Jen and I decided that we would like to keep track of our journey as parents via this blog in order to keep parents, siblings, and friends who cannot be with us regularly updated on our little ones progress.

What you see to the right is the sonogram from the ultrasound we got on Monday, August 7th. This is the image that left me awestruck and I am sure has changed our lives forever. The large black blobs are the individual sacks that each of our babies are in. The white part inside of those sacks are our babies. This particular shot shows all three sacks, but none of them actually show all three babies. I can assure you though mom (Janet and Kathy), I saw all three of their little hearts beating, it was amazing! :)

This entire week has been very surreal. I don't think the true reality of our blessing has totally sunk in yet. Jen is currently 7 weeks pregnant and looking great. She is feeling fairly well for being pregnant with three aside from being very, very tired.

Jen will add a post later to give you her perspective on things, but I wanted to go ahead and get a posting up here to get it started. We are going to try to update this regularly, so those of you who would be willing to pray with us for 34 weeks of pregnancy with a healthy mom and babies, check back in for updates!

(Post copied from www.triplet-update.blogspot.com)