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?)

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!

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

5 FAQs....

In an effort to save myself some repetitive email and comment responses, here's a few answers to my recent Top 5 FAQs: 

1. "How in the world do you keep you house "spotless"?"

I got this one several times after posting these pictures last week and it made me laugh audibly. You've GOT to be kidding me!  Maybe I should have posted a picture like this one instead:

There is that better?  Personally, I do function better with order, structure, and cleanliness. I don't feel like organization is optional in a higher-order multiples family,  but I've learned post-quads that I HAVE to let some things go.  I still have about 1 1/2 rooms full of boxes from our move.  My list of things to clean, organize, fix, etc. is unreasonably long. However, there are some days that I feel like if my boys were changed, fed 3 meals, and asleep for the night, then MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!  My list will still be there in the morning, right?

 

2. "Did you find ever find a leak-proof sippy cup?" 

Did Ponce de Leon ever find the Fountain of Youth? =)  However, we've settled for the closest thing to leak-proof with the Playtex Sipsters after trying almost every sippy on the planet. They only leak when pounded upside down, or when thrown forcefully 3 feet onto a hard surface. Reasonable price, not too many parts to clean, durable, easy to use and if it can withstand 4 boys, that makes it a winner in my book!

 

 

3. "I'd like to email you, but I don't want to leave my email on the comment section for the entire world to see...Could you post your email?"

I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to hear from you.  Sometimes when I'm blogging I wonder who's on the other side of my computer screen, so it's always a treat to read a personal email from a "reader".   Please do not take it personally if it takes me a few days (or sometimes longer) to get back with you. I often procrastinate returning emails - working on that one! Our blog email is quatro_mama {at} yahoo {dot} com

Checking my inbox now to see if you've written!

4. Do "the twins" (Clark and Brooks) still share a crib? 

No. Sniff. Sniff. 

Around the time of our move, I decided to make the switch to one nap versus two.  Aaggh!  What a transition!  In an effort to get the boys to sleep and not party the entire nap, we reluctantly assembled the 4th and final crib that had been collecting dust in our garage for 18 months. Shortly after the nap separation, we took our trip to Michigan and used the Pea Pod Tents (each of them sleep in their own individual tent). We brought the sniffles home with us from Michigan, so they remained separated through the illness. After that, we realized that they were sleeping fine by their lonesomes. Thus, putting them back together would be only to satisfy our need for the cuteness, rather than their need for security or comfort.

So after 18 months of co-bedding, we are finally a 4 crib family. 

Here's what our temporary nursery looks like with the 4 cribs set up; It actually came out looking less crammed then I expected.

For sake of the cuteness, here's some sweet pictures we use to remind us of such precious times:

 

5. How do you get the watermark on your pictures?

I've been trying out a blogging software called Live Writer (it's free!) that allows you add watermarks to your pictures.  Yes, I know that people are smart enough to remove it if they want to steal our pictures, but it takes a little more effort than right clicking and clicking save. People can break in your house even with the door locked, but you still lock your doors, right?  It's precautionary.