A Little Bit Of This, A Little Bit of That…

There’s a few things that I need to catch you up on….

A little bit of this….

A little bit of that.

So without further ado, here are some updates in no particular order than what my brain spits out!

1.) We had the privilege of having our NICU Survival Kits highlighted by Keeping the Kingdom First today as part of their 30 Day of Giving Challenge.  I’m so excited with each opportunity to get the word out about our kits, and the opportunities to reach other families as they experience the uncertainties of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. I hope that you are participating in the 30DayGC.  I know that it’s had an awesome impact on my daily routine, as I try to creatively find ways to give each day.  One of my favorite gifts has been spending time with some of the boys “greats” (great grandparents, aunts, and uncles). Watching your children bring joy to other people is one of the greatest blessings of parenting!

 2.) Please join me in celebrating Stellan’s successful ablation today.  After spending his 1st Birthday hospitalized and very critical, there is much hope for him tonight!  Keep praying!  God IS and WILL continue to be faithful.  No Matter What!

3.) In other NICU Survival Kit News, We received a case of “On the Night You Were Born” as a donation from Kate’s Kart.  Kates Kart is a non-profit organization that gives books to hospitalized children in honor of their daughter “Baby Kate’ who passed away at 18 months due to heart complications.  They have handed out over 10,000 books since Kate’s passing. We feel so honored to be the recipient of such an awesome donation from this wonderful organization! 

4.) I must confess that I’m 2 chapters behind in the Crazy Love Book Discussion.  (Hanging Head in Shame)  I’m hoping to catch up quickly this week, and would love to hear how this book is impacting your walk.  I know there’s been some great discussion on the Ning Site as well as great video discussions on Bloom. Let’s encourage one another to finish strong!

 

5.) Lastly, there are 2 days left to vote for your favorite 4tunate Halloween Photo! Here’s how the preliminary polls are looking.Top 5, there’s still time to rally your friends and family to VOTE!!!! 

That Is All.  Thank You Very Much.

Now, Run Along and Enjoy Your Evening! 

Ready…

Set…

Go!!!!!!!

 

Pick a Blueberry, Not Your Nose

Here's some of the "pickin's" from our Blueberry Morning with our dear friends, David and Pam (affectionately known as Grammie Pammie (GP) and Pop-Pop).

Brad, David and I picked blueberries while GP fed the boys blueberries fresh from the bush.  Henry and Brooks were picking their own by the end...I'm thinkin' they might have eaten a couple of  "greenberries" too. =)

And yes, we know ALL about blueberry diapers!

 

A great "field"trip experience for all! 

Oh and I almost forgot, thanks to many of you for sharing your great blueberry recipes!  I look forward to tasting them out! =) You can find them in the comment section of this post.

Another post from our Michigan getaway is in the works...hold tight!

Feeling Blue?

Guess what I'm up to???

 

You guessed it... 

Freezing Blueberries! 

Freshly picked, plump, juicy, fat BLUEBERRIES!

We picked them in Michigan over the weekend...after I freeze 'em I'll work on posting some pictures of our blueberry patch picking. First I think I'll pop a few more in my mouth! 

If you need a great website on how to properly freeze berries, check this one out(turns out it's SUPER EASY!)...AND if you have a recipe for blueberries that you're dying to share with us all, leave us a comment so we can all enjoy it together!  

 

200th Post

4tunate is celebrating it's 200th Post! Who would have thought this little blog of prayer requests and doctor's visit updates would turn into such an addiction? A HUGE THANK YOU to you, our faithful readers, for your encouragement, prayers, friendly advice, and laughs along the way. I've gained great friendships through blogging and it's been a great way to document our adventures in parenting multiples. Most importantly, we enjoy sharing the story of what God has done and continues to do in our lives. It's all because of His amazing grace.....

Take a look at our visitor map -Africa you need to step it up! =) You international "lurkers" thought you were secretly watching...but we've got our eye on you too! =)

Top 10 Countries in Love with the Murray Crew:
1. United States 2. Canada 3. Austrailia 4. United Kingdom 5. Sweden 6. Thailand 7. Germany 8. Spain 9. New Zealand 10. South Africa

And now for the 50 Nifty United States....

The Top 10 States in Love with the Murray Crew:
1. Indiana 2. Texas (it's a close 2nd, thanks Texans!) 3. Illinois 4. California 5. Tennessee 6. Ohio 7. New York 8. Alabama 9. Georgia 10. Michigan

I think there's a future competition/contest looming here....anyone game?

This Week on 4tunate....

I've got some nice posts up my sleeve for the week...just need to schedule in some blogging time between my soap operas, filing my cuticles, creating floral centerpieces, cooking gourmet meals, flossing, and fluffing my pillows. Oh the life of a stay-at-home quad mama! RIGHT!

Check back soon for some NICU Survival Kit Updates, Professional Pictures, Our 200th Post... and maybe even more! Intrigued?????

PS How do you like the new signature?

Is it the Stripes or Do I Really Look This Big?

(Pictured from Left to Right: Clark, Henry, Isaac, and Brooks)

Has anyone seen our four little babies? Maybe it's just the stripes making them look bigger. Perhaps if they had on vertical stripes they wouldn't look so much like little boys.

A Few Updates on the Little Munchkins....

Henry - 4 Teeth, Loves to Shout "DaDa!" at Everything, Stands for about 4-5 Seconds before Realizing that He's Standing Alone and Panics

Isaac - 2 Teeth, Suddenly is Motivated to Get Mobile, Loves To Clap when We Say "Yay", Occasionally Teases Me with a "MaMa", but Mostly Loves Yelling "BOB" (we just don't know who Bob is)

Clark - 5 Teeth (Wow), Loves to Attack Whoever is Sitting on the Floor, Plays "So Big" with Mama and Daddy (He's yet to show off for anyone else, so we end up looking like liars)

Brooks - 4 Teeth, aka Speedy because He Sprint Crawls, Super Observant (which keeps me on my toes)

For you math majors that brings our "Official Tooth Count" to 15! Now, that's a mouth full!

1 Month Down, 5 to Go for no Rotten Stinky Virus (RSV)! We get the next round of shots on Thursday.

I think does it for the scoop on the Murray Crew......Keep on sending those great Christmas Traditions (see previous post). I'm getting a great list together that I look forward to sharing.....

RSV = Rotten Stinky Virus

Well, I've shed some tears today after being DENIED our Synagis shots for RSV. For those of you unfamiliar with RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) let me do my best to explain.....
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Update: Great news!! After being denied by our secondary insurance, which we were assured was the best route to take for approval, I was informed this morning that our primary health network does not make the final decision on these matters, and it appears we may get these shots covered afterall!! It will still cost us over $2,000 for the year, but this is much better than $38,000. Please keep praying, we are not declaring victory yet, but it appears we may get these covered. Thank you for praying and for all the helpful suggestions, we love you all!!

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Like the flu or common cold, RSV is a seasonal virus. It starts NOW and continues into about April. It's common and easily spread infecting nearly all children by the age of 2.

Most kids (born at full-term) develop moderate - severe cold like symptoms, but due to preemies fragile, less developed lungs and lower immune system they are at increased risk for developing severe RSV infection leading to severe lung infection (ie: pneumonia), life-threatening breathing problems, hospitalization, etc.

Let's take a look at the risk factors.....

• Premature birth (35 wks or less) - CHECK


• Heart disease - NOPE


• Lung Issues - Clark had respiratory distress and Isaac was ventalated as well


• Being Around Other Children - It's nearly impossible to find help without kids, but we are trying


• Family History of Asthma - Don't think so...


• Exposure to tobacco smoke - NOPE


• Low Birth weight (less than 5.5 lbs) - CHECK, CHECK, CHECK, CHECK


• Multiple Births - Ah, YEAH

So obviously we meet plenty of risk factors, yet we are being denied because we don't smoke, don't take our kids to daycare, and our kids are "too healthy". I'm thrilled that they are healthy, but we'd like to think that having the Synagis shot has had something to do with that!

Synagis is the only approved medicine to protect from the severity of RSV, which is the #1 cause of hospitalization in babies under one year. However, if we paid for the shots on our own it would cost us $6400 dollars per month for a grand total of over $38,000. Yes, 38 GRAND! This just isn't possible for our income. We are still working the system to see if we can get approved, but it's not looking too promising at this time. If anyone reading has any advise, or info. we gain from similar experiences or connections, please let us know through a comment or email.

What does this mean for us if we don't get approved? More isolation - which has been a blow today, just to be honest. After months of bedrest, hospitalization, then the NICU, then staying home to protect the little guys, and staying away from church, family gatherings, holidays, etc. it's hard to think about being cooped up for the next 6-7 months. I'm more than ready to have a more "normal" life. However, I know that God is sovereign in ALL things and I can bank on that.

Would you join us in praying for a few things?

1. Ultimately, that we would be approved for the Synagis shots
   
2. For wisdom in deciding how much isolation is sufficient
   
3. Contentment in all circumstances and outcomes
   
4. That God would continue to protect our boys and that we would trust Him over and over again with their lives. They are yours, Lord

Sorry that this was not my typical light-hearted post. Just keepin' it real.....I am overwhelmingly grateful for 4 healthy boys and all that God has provided thus far. Blogging helps remind me of this much is true!

Illustations and data taken from www.synagis.com

All Aboard! Next Stop: Pediatrician's Office

Choo! Choo! Here they are (front to back) Clark, Henry, Brooks, and Isaac sporting their Colts' Blue for Blue Friday. Hopefully our Colts can "chug" on to another victory on Sunday to make us a perfect "7" (7-0).

This is our new Choo-Choo Wagon. Do you like it? It was highly recommended from other higher order multiple families. We bought it for the boys for Christmas, but decided this was an occasion to try it out. It worked great since there's 4 of them and only 2 of us, and as you can imagine undressing, weighing/measuring, holding for the examination, getting shots, etc. takes a lot of effort! They were able to sit safely in their own car while they waited their turn. The only down side is, I think the wagon draws even more attention as our boys got their pictures taken 4 times in the doctor's office! They are so stinkin' cute in it, though, I have to admit! I can't blame them.

We have nothing but good news to report from our check-up. You can refer to our 7 month weight post to see their progress. Here's the latest weights:

Henry - 18 lbs. even

Brooks - 17 lbs. 11 oz.

Clark - 19 lbs even

Isaac - 21 lbs 9 oz!!!! (20 lbs is the 1 year goal)

Unbelievable! They are all on the charts for weight and are right on track or better for developmental milestones, especially for preemies! Our doctor was encouraged and amazed. We love that!

Here's Brooks waiting for his turn (Clark in the background looking embarrassed) Just want to kiss those cheeks!

Thanks for letting us share our great news! Go Colts!

With Love,

The Blue Crew

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!

Ch-Ch-Ch Changes.....

Fast Developments: (Observations from Dad)

Jen recently blogged about how quickly our boys are developing in the area of mobility. Well, it is due time to update that progress. They continue to do new things almost daily.

Last week while I was at work, Jen called me to say that upon returning from changing a dirty diaper, she found Brooks standing at the exersaucer, STANDING!!! I said, WHAT?!? He fell and whopped his head on the floor shortly after that, but what a huge leap he has made in the past week or two. After comforting little Brooks after his spill, Jen put him back on the floor. Within a minute or two, Jen caught him doing it again on video!

Clark continues to roll around for the most part. His favorite activity lately has been rolling underneath the coffee table, then smiling, giggling, and rocking back and forth until he cracks his head on the table and cries.

Henry is a very adventurous little boy right now. He is going to be a musician, he has already learned to play the foot pedals on the piano. I am okay with him learning the pedals first, they are much quieter than the keys! Henry also learned to climb into the bottom of the exersaucer recently. Unfortunately, it is a pretty hard and slick surface, and he has ended up face planting both times he tried it which ended in tears.

Isaac has to be the happiest 8 month old alive. This kid spends much of his wake time laying on his back, screeching, screaming, and giggling. Many people who come to the house think he is upset at first and go to help him, only to find him smiling from ear to ear as he squeals for joy. He has also recently learned that we want him to smile when we get out the camera. As soon as he sees the camera in our hands, he looks up and smiles.

Our family continues to do well. God has blessed us beyond imagination, and we intend to be thankful for all we have.

Thank you all for keeping up with us, and thank you to all of you who wished my beautiful wife a Happy Birthday. We blew past the 100 comment mark, which really surprised us both! It was really fun for Jen to get on through the weekend and read all the wonderful comments, thank you so much!

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

Crawling 101

Mission: Welcome to Crawling 101. Students Clark, Henry, Isaac, and Brooks have just been accepted into this accredited and intense study program due to becoming 8 months today. We've posted video and pictures to document our "project" for the semester.

Progress Notes: The Murray's are Mobile! We've heard "wait til they're crawling" about a million times now, so I'm sure it will soon be replaced by "wait til they're walking". I'm celebrating every milestone, though. It's so excited to see how God created these little guys to learn how to move and to watch them figure things out so quickly. This is one giant leap for the Murray Quads! I had no idea they would catch up developmentally so quickly! Way to go Murray Crew!


Individual Report Cards: (I used some familiar end of the year report card comments and adapted them for Crawling School.)

Clark - Clark enjoys "rockin' and rollin'" best. Yep, that's right a rebel rocker. He gets around well, but hasn't quite figured out the one arm, one leg, next arm, next leg technique, but hey, Superman flies, he doesn't need to crawl!
Grade: "B" Clark is displaying enthusiasm and is eager to improve his crawling skills.

Henry - Henry (our fearless leader) is up on all fours performing the "rock and lunge" approach. He has not perfected the traditional crawling technique, but gets the main idea.
Grade: "B+" Henry shows great potential and works diligently towards achieving the crawling goal.

Henry demonstrating the correct crawling form

Isaac - Have you taken a look at those thighs lately, does it look like they've been crawling? Cut him some slack, people. It takes a lot of effort to lift the load. Actually, Isaac is our champion sitter. He sits up and plays for 10 minute intervals now.
Grade: "Not Applicable" Isaac is an active participant in class and is very pleasant to others. His skills will continue to develop with more exposure and practice (due to his increased weight).

Brooks - Brooks is little but mighty. He's motivated to MOVE. He gets from one side of the room to the other in minutes. I think I need to work on my sprinting to eventually keep up with this little man.
Grade: "A-" Brooks is growing in independence and confidence towards crawling.

Brooks showing off his new skills (I love how Clark just smiles and watches Brooks)

A new report card will be posted at the end of the semester......

Do You Think Anyone Will Notice Us?

I know I've kept you waiting for too long.....the surprise is:

WE OWN A QUAD RUNABOUT!

Some of you may ask, what in the world is a Runabout? To quote The Sandlot, it's the "sultan of swat, the king of crash, the colossus of clout, the colossus of clout, the Great Bambino". It's the "Babe Ruth" of all strollers!

The picture explains the set up better than words, but the main gist is Brad or I can take the boys on a walk single-handed! For the time, we are limited to our neighborhood, because the stroller is so big that it only fits in the van by removing seats. That isn't too convenient, since each seat holds a car seat in our van. The manufacturer of the Runabout sells a hitch to mount on the back of your vehicle, but we haven't decided if we will invest in one yet. For the time being, we are just grateful to be able to use the sidewalk for the first time in 7 months!

This stroller was a hand-me-down from our triplet friends, the Schelpers. It was given to them by a quad mom in Louisville. It's really in great overall shape. Some of you remember my post about Crazy Things You Ponder When You Have Supertwins and how I renamed this contraption "The Beast" and "TheRunUsOutofHouseandHome". Thanks to our friends, we didn't have to pay a dime! (New Runabout Quad Strollers cost about $1,000 + shipping!) And as far as my pre-birth attitude about how we "would not own one of these strollers"....well, let's just say that there is no hiding quadruplets. I've learned it's better to embrace the multiple products - they are designed especially for us! We are looking forward to passing it on to another multiples family when we grow out of it, as well!

Thank you Dave, Amanda, Alyssa, Drew, Jack, and Lauren!

The Schlepers and Murray's at their 1 year celebration

Daddy and his boys going for their first walk in the Runabout

Scale Tippin' at 7 Months

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I interupt this post to inform you of some eventful news live from the Murray house. Brooks Layton Murray is exhibiting 2 lower teeth! They appear to be central incisors. That brings the Murray Quad Tooth Count to 4! Henry 2, Brooks 2. Stay tuned here to 4tunate as we bring live teeth updates, as they appear. Back to our regular posting....
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We had an awesome check-up on Friday. Our boys are growing and thriving - Praise be to God! Here are the updated weights in birth order:

Henry: 16lbs. 3oz. (2 lbs. 12 oz @birth)

Brooks: 15 lbs. 14 0z. (3lbs. @birth)

Clark: 16 lbs. 11oz. (3lbs. 7 oz @birth)

Isaac: 19 lbs. 3 oz!!!!! (4lbs @birth)

29% of you guessed correctly on Isaac's weight. Congratulations, winning voters, you get the joy of changing a dirty diaper of your choice redeemable any day of the week!

Everyone is on the growth charts for weight for actual age. A huge accomplishment, because usually they are still going by the adjusted age for charting (5 months vs. 7). Isaac is in the upper 50-75% for his actual age. Henry is not our "little Henry" anymore -he's passed up Brooks! Our doctor was quite pleased with everyone's progress and isn't referring us to any therapies at this time. It was a very encouraging appointment.

Our first shot at cereal was Saturday. It was pretty much a disaster, but last night showed measurable improvement. We are anxiously awaiting our feeding table to be shipped. A group of our volunteers went together to basically cover the cost for us to purchase one and now after trying to feed them in 4 bouncy seats on the floor, we are even more excited to use it (and so are our achin' backs)! I think it will be a HUGE blessing! Thank you to all of you who went together to make it possible, it was an incredible surprise. We'll post more pictures as our adventure in solid foods continues!

Also, we would continue to ask for your prayers for our family. We know that we are well "out of the woods" by now, but raising four babies is a challenge, especially as we are trying to feed 4 babies at the same time, and as I have less help coming in. We are definitely staying positive and LOVE this adventure, just pray that we would have strength, patience, endurance, and energy to run this race and for wisdom in upcoming decisions. We are soooo grateful for each of their lives and want to raise them to our best possible ability through God's power. Often, we catch ourselves trying to do so much on our own, without depending fully on HIM! This is how you could specifically be praying for us. Thank you so much, friends!

Isaac, Brooks, Henry, and Clark after their first attempt at semi-people food.

Next up, baths for every sticky one of you!

Clark's thoughts: "What's the big deal over eating by spoon? I'm all over it!"

Bring on the Steak!

I wanted to let you know that King Henry has TWO teeth popping through his bottom gum! Tomorrow we go to our doctor's appointment for 16 shots! YIKES! Henry, Brooks, Clark, and Isaac will be weighin' in. Be sure to vote for how much you think Isaac will weigh tomorrow, just for kicks! (For all you who are competitive and technical in nature, he will be weighing in "diaper only". )

We are also gonna start the cereal tomorrow. Bring on the Captain Crunch, Wheaties, Cocoa Pebbles, Lucky Charms, Trix.....Just kidding! We are excited to start this new messy adventure. Soooooo.....what's your favorite sugary treat cereal? Mine is a toss up between Rice Crispy Treat and Reese's Puffs.

Splish Splash... Bathtime with Quadruplets

As you can see, our boys LOVE their bathtime. Brooks and Clark especially love to see how much of the bath water they can kick out of the sink and onto the floor, cabinets, countertops, window sill, and best of all Mommy or Daddy. Today held a big accomplishment for me. I bathed the boys all by myself. Usually we use the team approach one bather (usually me, Brad, or my mom) and one dresser. We hand one off, and grab the next, dunk them in, and so on....Today I was on my own and the boys were smelly so I went for it. I have to admit, I had some help from Einstein. No, not Albert, the Disney Baby Einstein. Today was the first time I'd let the boys watch. I bought 2 from ebay for 99 cents for "desperate" times. It worked like a charm. The boys were safe in their bouncies, bumbo, and exersaucer and I bathed them all one by one! The house has the sweet smell of Baby Magic! Although, I'm not proud of myself about the video time, I think that sometimes you have to do what you can to survive when you have quadruplets. Well, I'm soaked, better use this naptime to get a real shower!

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