Wombmates Remain Cribmates

Unbelievable. Yep, it's true. The Wombmates are still Cribmates. 14 Months Old Today and Clark and Brooks are still sharing their crib. (Isaac and Henry each sleep in their own cribs.) It just gets cuter all the time. Take a look:

14 Months is the longest we've ever heard of anyone co-bedding so we'll be giving Guinness a call to see if we can get in! (Kidding) Someday when you're flipping through the pages, looking at world records for the longest eyebrow hair, the most weddings attended by a best man, most coconuts smashed in one minute, or the world's tallest parsley plant there they'll be precious as precious can be....

If not the award for world's longest co-bedders perhaps the world's sweetest?????

To see our history of co-bedding quads go here.

Visions of Sugar-Plums...

"The children were nestled all snug in their beds,While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads"

Clement Moore must have had this vision in his mind when he wrote "A Visit From St. Nicholas" or more commonly "Twas The Night Before Christmas". He's got a great middle name, he just spells it wrong -Clarke! There's some Christmas trivia for your next holiday party, courtesy of the quatro mama!

I can hardly believe these little "wombmates" are still "cribmates" at 10 1/2 months! They just love being together! People keep asking when we're going to separate them (Brooks and Clark) and I guess the answer is, "When it doesn't work anymore.". I mean, who could ask for more? - They sleep 12 hours at night, take good naps, and are just sooooo precious all curled up beside each other! After my post on co-bedding I had several comments and conversations with other moms of multiples about how they co-bedded until one day they started climbing on top of each other. Clark doesn't seem to mind....

So until it quits working, we'll savor these moments. Besides, it's one less crib sheet and mattress cover to change (one of my least favorite chores) and wash!

The Moment We've All Been Waiting For.......

Henry, you tell them....

"BABAH BAH BAH DAD DAAH DAH!"

That's right, Henry doesn't really speak English yet! Well, the news is we now have 3 cribs up in the nursery! HAHAAAA! Okay, so maybe it's not the BIG news you were anticipating, (and folks, I hope you aren't too disappointed when we reveal the real news, because you have come up with some very clever guesses) but it is BIG news in our house. We've been waiting for 8 months for this! Brad and I were able to take a field trip to BRU this weekend for a crib mattress. Then we had to play the "cram the crib" game, but I'm fairly pleased with the results. I guess I should tell you who got separated and why. Henry and Isaac are now proud owners of their very own cribs! Henry learned how to climb up and over the crib divider, thus waking his brother Isaac by plopping on top of him. Yep, it was time. Clark and Brooks continue to be cuddly and content together, so we'll refrain from cramming another crib into the room for now.

As for the teaser, I can't tell you just yet! I have to speak with some "insiders" before the secret can be revealed. Keep checking in, I've got a few more hints up my sleeve!

Babes in Dreamland

Thanks for all your comments/compliments on the co-bedding post. Many of you have told me how much you loved the picture of Brooks and Clark doing the synchronized thumb sucking. I'll answer a few FAQs that we've gotten from the recent posting....

1. Do the twins suck their thumbs often?
Yes, Clark and Brooks both suck their thumbs ALL the time. They even try to suck their thumbs and the bottle at the SAME time quite often. I know it's a terrible habit to break, but when you have 4 babies, if 2 of them learn to self-soothe by thumb sucking - yippee! Saves Brad or I a trip out of our cozy bed to find a pacifier in the dark for a crying baby in the middle of the night. We'll worry about breaking habits later, anyone know of a good orthodontist? HA!

2. Does anyone else suck their thumbs or take a pacifier?
Isaac is our only one who likes a pacifier much. He gets one when he goes to bed for the night and sometimes at church to keep his delightful squealing muffled a bit. Henry (and really all of them) suck their fingers and hands a lot, but I think that's do to all these TEETH! Clark has one through his gum and one on the way and it looks like Isaac's are just under the surface! Unreal! And in birth order, how about that? Official Tooth Count: 5

3. Do you own four cribs?
Yes, we do own 4 cribs, just have not put them up for space issues, and we have not bought the mattresses yet.

4. What are they wearing?
So glad you asked - one of my FAVORITE baby products out there. Perfect Shower Gift! They are called Sleepsacks. A bit pricey, but money well spent. These are made by Halo. They zip from top to bottom (so the zipper is at their feet instead of in their face) and are basically a wearable blanket that you don't have to worry about coming off in the middle of the night and waking them up. Also reduces the risks of SIDS. Genius!

AND......... because it just continues to be sooooooo precious. I had to post ONE more video of our sweet boys in their cribs. This one is so sweet it about brings me to tears. Makes me melt!

I will be posting some great cereal pictures soon - stay tuned, same great channel.
Until then, sweet dreams from Henry, Brooks, Clark, Isaac, Jen and Brad

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?)

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!