FAQs Part 2

This is Part 2/2 of FAQs that will remain posted on the menu bar, here on 4tunate. You can find Part 1 HERE.

6. What's a Day in the Life of a Mama of Quadruplets Look Like?

Contrary to popular belief I do not rise at the crack of dawn to churn butter, weave baskets, mend clothing, or cultivate the land.  In fact, this schedule looks like a breeze in comparison to the days of the 3 hour bottle feeding schedule. Currently, what works well for all of us is putting the boys down to bed rather late and in return, they sleep pretty late. Here's what a "typical" day looks like on our Hoppy Time clock:

5:30 Brad's Alarm Goes Off (Jen Ignores the Multiple Snoozes and Continues to Sleep)

6:30 Brad Heads Off to Work

7:30 Jen's Alarm Goes Off

8:00 Jen Showers, Gets Breakfast Ready, Prepares for Day

8:30/9:00 Get the Munchkins Up, Change Diapers and Clothes

9:15 Breakfast

9:45 Clean-up Breakfast

10:00 Playtime: Reading, Playing with Toys, Walks, Park, Playing in Yard

12:00 Prepare Lunch

12:15 Lunch

12:45 Clean-up Lunch

1:00 Pick-up Toys, Change Diapers, Get Ready for Nap

1:30 NAPTIME!!!!!!

4:00/4:30 Playtime

4:55 Brad Gets Home (We All Cheer Loudly)

5:00 Finish Preparing Dinner for 6

5:30 Dinner Together as a Family

6:00 Clean-up Dinner

6:15 Playtime

7:30 Bath Time

8:00 Get Ready for Bed

8:30 Lights OUT!

8:35 Pickup Around House, Laundry, Chores, Wash Sippy Cups, Fill Sippy Cups for Next Day, Veg, and Eventually Sleep

RINSE and REPEAT!!!! =)

7. How do you maintain a healthy marriage under the stress of raising four 2 year olds?

We work at it EVERYDAY!  I didn't realize how MUCH having children would challenge our relationship.  Brad and I's marriage has been tested like never before through the journey of quadparenting. We've failed in many areas and on many occasions, but we are committed to each other for LIFE!  We know that the only way our marriage will survive is if we prioritize our relationships: GOD first, each other second, and next our boys.  We use the quiet times of our day to regroup and communicate. We also allow each other breaks outside of the house, which I think has been vital! Once a month minimum date nights are another lifeline for our marriage.  We are extremely grateful for family and dear dear friends who have sacrificed their own time for the sake of our marriage!

8. What sorts of foods do the boys enjoy? 

Although I wouldn't consider myself to be a "health freak" by any stretch, I do think it's my responsibility as a mom to offer the boys nutritious options for meals. We aren't 100% Organic or even close, but as often as possible, I pick groceries that are natural sans preservatives. We also buy foods that are low in sugar. However, we do indulge in "treats" now and then, and fast food while it isn't our favorite choice, is something we resort to when we are on the road or in a bind.

Overall, I think we've struck a healthy balance for our family.

Some of our standby meals are: Quesadillas, PBJ, Eggs, Grilled Cheese, Chicken, Waffles,  Burgers, and their absolute favorite Pizza!

They aren't HUGE veggie eaters but we offer them every meal.  Their favorite veggies are sweet potatoes, carrots, hummus, and Veggie Straws. Each meal consists of protein, veggies, and fruit. The boys LOVE dairy and carbs, and almost any fruit - so those are simple to serve.

I'm ALWAYS up for suggestions in this department.  So feel free to share your favorite menus! 

9. How did you conceive quadruplets? IVF? IUI?

I've written A TON about our struggle with infertility in these posts, but for the record one more time:  Our boys were conceived without any "I's".  No IVF. No IUI.  I was taking a hormone to replace a deficiency in my body (due to PCOS) that is required for ovulation. I'm always willing to talk personally about our experiences through email and consider it a privilege to pray for the many of you who are trying to conceive.

 

10. How do you manage to keep things organized and clean in your home? 

I've gotten this question several times, and every time I look around me and chuckle out loud. Seriously. No seriously!  Don't judge a house by a picture.  These little rascals can tear up a spick and span room in an INSTANT!  We are teaching the boys to pick up their toys before nap, and at the end of the day. We do function best with ORDER, so I we do our best to maintain a orderly home, but in all honesty every week something, usually multiple things are left uncrossed on my To-Do-List. I just try to put the uncrossed items on the top of the list for the following week. It's all about perspective. Eighteen years from now I can worry about a spiffy house, for now I want to enjoy the boys while they are here, mess and all.  

 

Hope this answers some of those burning questions that you've been loosing sleep over! =)  In return for answering these FAQs, I have a few questions for YOU! How about returning the favor????? 

 

1. How did you find our blog?

2. Why do you read our blog?

3. What would you like to see more of on this blog?

Looking forward to hearing your answers to my questions!

Murray: Table for 6

 

We're eating as a family of six now, which has been an overwhelmingly pleasant transition.  Since I attempt to feed the boys what we are eating for dinner and eat at the same time they do, it made sense for us all to be around ONE table.  It's been a blessing to pray together before our meal; holding their sweet little hands and listening to them say "amen" at the end.

We are using the Fisher-Price booster seats that we had already used a few times for traveling.  Thanks to the Goerlich's for reminding us that the "booster" part of the seat makes it table height and thus allowing us to save some dough from purchasing our alternative option, restaurant style high chairs.

Being all plastic makes for easy easier clean-up!  A+, Fisher-Price!

We ordered two more chairs from our local Woodcraft Furniture, which is where we purchased the other 4 in 2003.  Good news - they still make the exact same style of chair!  They sell affordable, solid, all-wood, pieces of furniture. We order unassembled and unstained to save on the cost. Until they are shipped, we're using folding chairs. (By the way, I'm crouching, not sitting in this picture. I'm short, just not THAT short!)

The table was a scratch and dent (with MINIMAL scratches or dents) bargain from Ashley Furniture.  We figured scratch and dent was the way to go for our family, since there's a high probability for both in a family of 4 boys!

Thanks for all of your sweet, tender, comments on my feeding table post.  I'm glad I wasn't alone in my nostalgic thoughts. Can't believe y'all were tearing up  with me! I think the "next step" is going to be a great fit for our family!

Co-Bedding Quads

I remember bring the boys home and deciding to try co-bedding for both bonding and practical issues. Afterall, these boys shared a much tighter space in my tummy; they could share a crib for a while, right? It started off with Isaac and Brooks in the pack-n-play, since they were home first. Next it was Henry, Isaac, and Brooks in one crib. When Clark came home we started the 2 per crib system of Henry and Isaac in one crib and Brooks and Clark in the other. It has really worked out fabulously. I can't believe they've lasted this long. Most mothers of multiples who tried co-bedding told us that their babies only co-bedded for the first month or two before having to separate them. Our boys have exceeded our expectations.

Maybe it's just the mom in me wanting our boys to be close buddies, but I think they sleep better this way. Sure, there have been plenty of times that Brad and I have seperated the boys because someone has gotten to close, gotten kicked, pinched, spit-up on (thank goodness the days of projectile spit-up are over), but most of the time they sleep beautifully through their naps and the night. How can we complain when our babies have been sleeping over 10 hours at night for months now? I credit our schedule and our boys for their great sleeping habits, but sometimes I wonder if sleeping together helped them sleep through the night faster, since they accomplished this milestone at less than 2 month adjusted age.

I know that I'm days, weeks, surely not months away from seperating them into 4 cribs, but everytime I start thinking about how I'm going to fit 4 cribs into their room, I see their sweet sleeping little bodies and can hardly bare to think about it. Brooks and Clark almost always sleep cuddled up together. It's just a precious site. Lately, they've all been playing together in their cribs more. Almost every afternoon this week I've been able to peak around their doorway to catch them cracking each other up. Henry has been rocking back and forth on his knees, and apparently Isaac finds this hillarious. So until we HAVE to make their room into an orphanage-style nursery. I'm going to soak this up, cherish it, and take pictures to remember the sweetness of my babies sleeping together. Enjoy the pictures and video that I've captured in the last few days.

Henry and Isaac in crib #1

Clark and Brooks in Crib #2 (Can you tell they are identical?)

4 Hour Shiftaroo

Sorry for my delay in blogging, but we are trying out the 4 hour schedule with the boys, meaning we have bumped up their feeds and their "waketime" so it's 4 hours between each feeding . It's always a challenge when you switch something in quadworld, but so far it's a go. The boys are eating between 7-8 oz a feeding now! That's almost 2 cans of formula a day! I think Brad and I calculated the other day that it cost about 7 dollars each time we feed the little birds (over 30 buckaroos a day). Isn't that incredible? There's no way we could do it without all the help we've received and we are soooooooooo thankful daily for our stockpile of diapers, along with many other blessings. We can't thank you all enough, so we will continue to thank you on this blog!

We are still thrilled that we aren't taking care of a post-surgery Brooks right now. We all celebrated Friday with a walk along the canal, downtown Indy. Perfect weather - low 80's with a breeze, not your typical July Indiana weather. We discovered that the canal is a great place to take the boys, because people are on the move. Let me explain myself.......when you have quads, like it or not, you are on constant display and interview mode. It's like we wear a t-shirt saying, "Ask us anything that comes to your head, don't worry nothing is off limits". While we love sharing the boys with everyone, and love sharing the story that the Lord has given, it definately makes you chuckle at some of the reactions and questions we get. You want examples? Oh alright....

• Are those triplets? Sextuplets? Whatever they're called
• You've got 2 sets of twins?
• Are they all yours?
• I hope you're done (having kids)
• That'll teach you what to pray for
• (In an Indiana hillbilly tone) D'jew take dem shots?
• And our personal favorite that we hear AT LEAST 10 times an outing: YOU'VE GOT YOUR HANDS FULL!

A girl even ran into a sign one day because she was walking and trying to look back at our babies at the same time. Anyway, it's a hoot, but it does get difficult at times to get from point A to point B. Needless to say, the canal was a very enjoyable walk, because we only got stopped a handful of times, since people are on paddleboats, bikes, even segways. By the time they counted all the babies in the strollers, they had already passed us!

We've been blessed this summer with visits with friends. A great suprise visit was from our friends, the Mathisons who have been in East Asia for the past few years. Amy was my Bible study leader/accountability partner during college.They are dear friends to us. It was wonderful to see their growing family and squeeze them in person.

Some other extra special guests include another set of quad parents, the Benners. We first met them at our first appointment with our high risk doctor during the pregancy. I believe I was about 10 weeks pregnant, and both Brad and I were tremendously anxious about not only having quads, but the mono-mono situation for Clark and Brooks. (If you are new to this "mono" language, Brad posted a great explanation in December on our pregancy blog.) Denise and her quad squad were getting their pictures taken for a brochure for our doctor's office, since she had such an amazing pregnancy. I tease her that she's the "postermom for quads". Just to see 4 healthy babies crawling up on her lap was a realization to us that this was truly possible. God has really used them in our lives as an encouragment and a tremendous resource to bounce questions off of sometimes weekly. It was great to have them love on our babies.

Speaking of quads, please continue to pray for Suzanne. She is hours away from 28 weeks! Remarkable! She is hangin' tough and enduring her hospital stay. Let me tell you from experience hospital bedrest is extremely difficult. Hands down the hardest thing I've had to endure. Please pray for her little ones Ben, Andrew, Savannah, and Ethan to develop and enter this world safely - specifically that their little lungs would start developing, that Suzanne could have the strength and sanity to keep pressing on, for God to give her husband Joe courage, wisdom, and strength for today and days ahead, and that their story would bring glory to God.

Friends and family are so valuable to us these days. It's been a challenge to stay "connected", but please know that we love you all!

Hope you enjoy the pictures - does that bring back any memories from the ole viewmaster days? Personally, I loved The Incredible Hulk reel. What was your favorite?

Catching You Up....

Alright, so where should I start?????? Let's just start with the boys and what they've been up to.....We have a doctor's appointment today, their 4 month appointment - can you believe it? 4 shots a piece for a grand total of 16 shots and 8 bandaides. Ouch! We will be Tylenoling (yes, it's now a verb) all night. There's a specific prayer request for ya! I'll try to get on and update you on weights. We look forward to that part!

Let's see....the boys are growing and are so much fun each day. Especially now that they are all smiling up a storm, it makes you feel like, "hey, he likes me". Everytime one of them smiles it makes my day over and over. What a blessing! They are sleeping about 9 hours on average a night, with an occasional pacifer run. Whoohooo! It was hard work, but it's now paying off. We are such better parents with a good nights sleep and we are so thankful for some real shut-eye! Their day consists of feedings every 3 hours, playtime, and naptime. They enjoy their bouncy seats, boppies, and gym mostly. Here's a short run down of what they are doing individually.

Henry: Henry has been showing that he still is the oldest by rolling over, (which is quite an accomplishment for a 2 month old (adjusted age)). He loves to do his trick in his bed, while he should be sleeping! Occasionally he rolls into his big brother Isaac, which he isn't too fond of, but we are keeping them in 2 cribs for as long as possible. The crib dividers maybe just around the corner, though. Henry smiles with his whole face - too cute. He has such a sweet personality.








This Henry right after he rolled over for the first time!



Brooks: Brooks continues to be laid back and go with the flow. He likes to smile most when you're feeding him, which is very cute, but a bit frustrating when you are trying to feed 4 babies! He's been figuring out how to bat at his toys and loves to look at his brothers. He curls up with Clark in the middle of the night - so cute!





Clark on the left, Brooks on the right. Yes, we really can tell them apart! Promise!








Clark: Clark loves to kick (this started way back in wombville). He was definately my most active one in there. He loves to hang upside down by kicking backwards in his boppie. He has a wonderful grin and is quite the happy boy when you wake him up from his nap. He has rolled over once in the boppie and once in his crib - we'll see if he keeps that up! He's also quite the cuddler.

Isaac: Isaac is the talker of the bunch. He makes noise from sleeping to waking. I'm thinking he might be immitating his cousin Jonathan. He loves to smile and coo at you while you talk to him. He just loves to eat! Isaac loves to be held and loved on.

Isaac showing off his big ole cheeks and no neck!




They each have their own personality, as you can see. Hope you enjoyed my little update.

More blogging later,
Quatro Mama and the Gang!