Duggan the Family 4tune

Quarterly Update! ha ha

2010-03-07T19:14:00.000-08:00

The girls outside for the first time with shoes on.

The girls enjoying some nice weather and getting ready for summer time!

Where have we been, you might ask? Ha Ha Well, all four girls are walking, or should I say running? I rarely see them on the floor now. Sandra is the only one that can not stand up in the middle of the floor still. So we've been a bit busier running with them. It is so much fun watching them play now!

A break down girl by girl;

Makaila has grown up so much lately. I am so proud of her. It is so hard to believe that on her birthday I was so worried about her. At that time she rarely rolled over. Now she is running and full of personality. She is so funny! She has caught up and is doing amazing! She is doing so well in PT that she will soon only have PT twice a month instead of twice a week. She has been wearing a TOT collar to help straighten her neck, something I heard about from a fellow quad mom. Between the collar and her running around she has made huge progress. She has the most teeth with 12 and her smile lights up a room!

Hannah is still the most vocal. Whether be happy or upset she'll let you know with her voice. She likes to repeat (in her own version) what I say. One of my favorites is when I say; "Hannah, Hannah, Hannah". It is so darn cute! She has the best arm! What does that mean? She throws her food and sippy cups the furthest. Most of the food on the lower three feet of our walls is from her throwing food. She actually got pasta stuck on the window the other night. And she is proud of herself for doing it.

Samantha last June was diagnosed 100% deaf in her left ear. Then after further testing was diagnosed hearing impaired in both ears. Well, she had yet another test that showed minimal low frequency loss in her left ear ranging to normal ranges. She should not have speech delays or troubles hearing. Alright long story short; she is normal. We are canceling her audiology impairment therapy. The teacher was the only person that she refused to talk to, silly girl. However we will retest in three months to confirm the new findings. On a more personal note; she is a "mini me". Anything I do she imitates me. It is very cute most of the time. However if I clean something she follows behind and rubs her toddlers hands in what I just cleaned adding cute adorable hand prints to what I just cleaned. She also is such a good helper. She hands me things; spoons off the floor that they all have thrown. She is very sweet with her sisters. One day Sandra was not feeling well and I allowed her to have her favorite stuffed frog downstairs (a rarity). Sandra had left it in the living room and Samantha picked it up and brought it to her knowing it is HERS.

Sandra was the last to walk but she didn't do it for long. She perfers to climb and run and always with a huge giggle. She is full of spirit and loves life. If she is upset she just needs her frog and her thumb while the others need more attention. So you say oh she is the easiest. Nope! She is the hardest to change a diaper, clean ears, bathe, dress, get in the feeding table, you name it! She is so darn wiggely! And you can't get mad at her because she is grinning from ear to ear while being a stinker!

One of my favorite times of day is when I hold somebody let them lean back and the oher three will run up and kiss the one I am holding. It is so precious! They giggle and giggle! They love their kisses from their sister! I think it is one of their favorite times of day also.

The last few days have been actually nice outside. We have taken them out back and let them loose. They love it! Today I was having them attempt shoes again. They are not big fans of shoes (not surprsing as I am not either). So we brought them outside to get their mind off of their horrible shoes. It worked for every one except Hannah. She hates socks and now she has socks and shoes on, not a good mix for her.

We have a big road trip coming up soon. So there has been a lot of planning and alright I'll admit it; stressing! There is so much to think about! But we will get through it and it will all be worth it. Look for lots of pics next time and find out where we ventured to.

15 1/2 months

2010-02-01T11:24:00.000-08:00

Opening presents with Daddy

Visiting with Yancy from out of town!

Little miss climbers!

Birthday cake time!

The girls turned 15 months on January 17th. They had their pediatrician appointment and they are all doing good. Their current weights and heights are:

Makaila - 20 lb 9 oz/28.75 in

Hannah - 21 lb 13 oz/29 in

Samantha - 21 lb 8 oz/29.75 in

Sandra - 18 lb 2 oz/28.75 in

Makaila's favorite thing right now is to practice walking. During the day I put her back up against a couch and she walks from the couch to me and back. She gets upset when I stop and have to attend to other business. Makaila still has physical therapy twice a week with little results. So they have ordered her a neck collar to wear during the day to hold her head in a neutral position. And then she will wear an arm brace at night to prevent her from sucking her thumb. It is going to be very noisy at night here as her thumb is her best friend.

Hannah has really picked up walking on her own. She does not stand up in the middle of the room yet. But walks most of the day. She not only graduated from OT she also graduated completely from Early Childhood Intervention.

Samantha is showing more independence lately. She cracks me up when she is walking around holding a book and pointing at it and talking. It is the cutest thing ever.

Sandra, Sandra, Sandra, will be either in time out or the ER most of her childhood. She has learned to climb and loves it. She climbs up the ottoman, stands on the rocking chair arm and "surfs" back and forth and then flies onto the chair. She also loves to climb on the oven and push buttons. If she is doing something naughty and I tell her "No No" she just giggles and continues what she knows is naughty. She is taking steps but would rather climb.

The girls have been using spoons and forks lately. Yes, it is a lot messier but they enjoy it and eat so much better. Makaila and Hannah were not fans of dinner but now that they have utensils they will eat without problems. I have tried putting bowls in front of them and they just get thrown. Right now I put food on their fork and then give it to them. They also enjoy putting their spoons into pudding and getting their own. Did I say mess!

Josh celebrated a birthday and the girls helped him open presents and eat birthday cake. The girls just love Birthdays. Josh had a buddy in town visiting so he was able to go to a basketball game with him. We have been taking the girls on errands during the weekend, which actually has been nice. It is so much easier in the minivan so I'd like to continue to take them more and more places.

2010-01-11T08:20:00.000-08:00

On December 10th, I fell down stairs. Last week I found out finally that I snapped off the bottom half of my tail bone. Luckily, my mom and Josh's mom came in for a few weeks to help out. They were here for Christmas which was a great gift. This was the first Christmas we were able to celebrate as a family. It was so fun to watch the girls opening their presents and playing with their new toys.

Samantha has been walking for a while now. Hannah is taking a couple steps and wants to chase after Samantha. All four crawl upstairs by themselves when it is nap or bed time. I just take one to the stairs and the rest will follow. It is so cute! Makaila, Hannah and Samantha each have 10 teeth while Sandra has eight. So far they eat whatever I put in front of them for the most part. They all love breakfast, lunch and both snacks. Samantha and Sandra eat the best at dinner time. Makaila and Hannah aren't huge fans of their veggies.

Makaila graduated from her cranial helmet and Sandra still is wearing hers. Hannah and Makaila are going to graduate from occupational therapy next week as they are doing great developmentally. Makaila's physical therapy for her neck has increased to twice a week and Samantha still sees an audiology impairment teacher once a week. I have had to duct tape more around the house in order to child proof. Gotta love duct tape.

Josh is starting his last semester of his MBA next week. Oh I can't wait for him to graduate. His work load with alleviate and will make more time for everyone. This semester he is taking two classes and teaching one so it should be easier than last one.

Thank you everyone with the generous gifts for Christmas! The girls are looking adorable in all the new clothes playing with all thier new toys!

I know we haven't had an update in a while. So, here are some pictures to make up for it.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Sandra Mae

2010-01-09T11:14:00.000-08:00

Where do I start with little Sandra Mae? From the moment I heard it was quads, Sandra was a concern. I was told in the beginning that we would lose her though she kept having a heart beat. Throughout the entire pregnancy she was asking for more attention by taking vacations from growing. She grabbed and touched many peoples hearts even before she was born. She is a fighter. Starting off only at 745 grams, anything under 1000 grams is considered a micro preemie, she was so small. I get choked up even now thinking about her birth. She had a long 84 days in the NICU. She struggled with Brady's (stopped breathing) which was later corrected with reflux surgery. She also struggled with anemia and premature bowels. She was the only one to pass her hearing tests in NICU. She was the first to climb out of her diaper. She was and still is feisty. The pediatrician likes to say that she did not read Baby 101. She does things at her own developmental pace. She was the first to be able to stand at furniture. She is so very strong. She hated to cuddle until her birthday and now loves to cuddle. She is so sweet! She loves animals. I often find her cuddling with the dog and petting her. She love pats us and her sisters. Her grin goes on forever and she is the most ticklish baby I have ever seen and she loves to giggle. Even though she is the only one of the four that has not caught up growth wise, she is so smart. She catches on to games and gestures quickly. She loves music and to dance. I think she has not caught up growth wise because she is a wild woman in constant motion.

Sandra you are an inspiration! You are a fighter and a true lover! It has been sure an immense joy having you in our family and we look forward to giggling, tickling and dancing with you in the years to come.

One year ago today was the first time I was able to hold all four at once, a day I will never forget. It was something I wanted to do for 84 long exhausting days. And I still love to sit on the floor and have all four girls on my lap. they have all grown so much and still find a way to make it work.

Hannah Lee

2009-12-25T07:33:00.000-08:00

Christmas has always been a special holiday for me so to have my due date on Christmas made it even more special (if that was possible). So bringing home our third baby on Christmas was such a huge blessing, which Hannah has been.

Hannah had a relatively "easy" NICU stay, if that is possible. She had no major issues! She would have come home earlier except a cold that kept her there a little longer than Samantha and Makaila. I was so happy to have Hannah home with her sisters but especially her identical, Makaila.

We knew early on (even in utero) that even though they are identicals they are very different especially their personalities. Hannah knows what she wants and gets it. Our house got much louder when she came home. And to this day if she lets loose one of the screams I look around to see if she shattered a window. Her screams, so far, have been out of joy and happiness. We can find out fast if she likes a meal as she shriels when we bring the food to the table. She is a true lover. I started to put my forehead on the girls when I kissed them so we wouldn't head but and hurt each other. She has turned that into her form of affection. She gently head butts with a huge smile. She will even chase down a cat to head butt him. She loves to cuddle. Hannah has been a protector of Makaila. If something is going on with Makaila during PT that Hannah doesn't like she lets everyone know. She has been called the "Chairmen of the Board" as she is the one to check out incoming guests and gives her approval. We think that she will be the talker of group.

Hannah, even though it is a lot louder in our house since you have been home, some of the extra noise is all of us laughing at your humor and jokes. You have been a true gift to Mommy, Daddy and your sisters. It is a joy to have you in our lives and we look forward to the years to come with y0ur affection and comical sense of humor! We love you!

GRANDmas

2009-12-24T10:09:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wondered how GRANDmas got their name? Two weeks ago I had a bad fall down the stairs. Luckily, I was coming down from carrying the last one up to nap. Once Josh speed home and called 911, I sat there and wondered what I was going to do with the girls. Fortunately, Friends Lynn, Kristen (a fellow quad mom), Jose, Michelle and their two wonderful boys came without hesitation to watch the girls while we were gone. Thank you all for your frienship and support. After explaining our situation to the ER doctor he said I needed help for two weeks.

As soon as we left the ER Josh and I were on the phone to our Mothers (mine in Washington state and Josh's in Missouri). Within 14 hours my mom was on a plane and Josh's Mom got here the following day. They put everything on hold for us (yet again). They came with their sleeved rolled up and smiles on their faces. The girls have been having a great time playing with their GRANDmas. The love is truly amazing. It kills me not to be able to help my girls but Josh and GRANDmas are who I truly appreciate while I am down. The girls are in great hands and enjoy the extra loving hands.

Here we are two weeks after the fall and the orthopedic surgeon said it would be another four weeks until I can care for the girls. I go for a bone scan on Monday as xrays and MRI's show too much swelling for a diagnosis.

My whole point here is that we know that GRAND comes from the everlasting love and that they will do anything and everything in their power to help their grand children. Being military we don't live near family and have a lot of holidays away from them. However, the girls GRANDma put their lives aside and will be here for Christmas. A true present that only can be wrapped with love.

Thank you Manana and G Ma for being GRANDmas.
And Merry Christmas Eve to each and every one of you!

Makaila

2009-12-12T07:30:00.000-08:00

Makaila came home to us on December 12th, 2008. Even though the year has literally flown by, it is difficult to recall a single memory in this house without her. She is such a blessing! Makaila has had her strugglese. She spent 56 days in the NICU, and she suffered from respiratory distress syndrome (which has left her with a mildly hoarse voice) . Once she came home she has had her bouts with reflux (which she still struggles with), and she has taken longer than her sisters to sit, roll, stand, and babble. However, she has stood strong in the face of her adversities!

Makaila gets stronger every day, and she is quickly catching up to her sisters in everything they do! Even though she was the last to crawl, she was the first to crawl upright. Maybe she is just a stickler for form. She is a slower crawler than her sisters, but she doesn't miss out on anything. In fact, yesterday she was only one step behind Hannah during their climb up the stairs for naptime. Makiala's voice has been healing and when she talks everyone (Hannah, Samantha, Sandra, Mom, Dad, and Maxine) listens intently because it is usually a profound statement or an exclamation of joy. Perhaps her most wonderful attribute is her glorious smile! It gleams from ear to ear and shows off her seven beautiful teeth (the most of all the girls)!

We love you Makaila, and Thank You for making our home so Happy!

Samantha

2009-12-10T07:42:00.000-08:00

One year ago today, Samantha came home from the hospital after 54 long days in the NICU. She has grown so much in the last year. She has had to go through alot with her arm, heart, audiology and cranial band. Through and through she has been a very happy baby. She wakes up in the morning giggeling and giggles most of the day. The smallest things make her laugh. She has an infectious laugh. I'll have to admit when I need an uplift, I ask her what is under her chin, she immidatley starts to laugh and I tell her that it is "Mommy's". She is so strong and she knows it too. She uses her strength to get things done. She is usually the one to get into things (ex. cabinets) and is so kind to share with her sisters as she hands off the collected loot. She loves affection and attention. Samantha, Mommy and Daddy are so very proud of you and look forward to the years coming with your joy and happiness as you continue to grow!

Animal Lover!

2009-11-25T15:42:00.000-08:00

Too cute for a caption!

Great news!

2009-11-15T15:13:00.000-08:00

It seems like forever since the last post because so much has gone on here. Let’s get to some great news first. Samantha had her ABR (sedated hearing test) on Wednesday. I am so proud of our children. We constantly are being told how well behaved they are. Alright to the results…she has hearing loss in her left ear but no where near the extent that we first thought. I was so excited I could have done a cart wheel in the hospital. She has pressure behind her ear drum and they want to retest in three months. Makaila, Makaila, Makaila…Since her normal CT Scan she has decided to explore! Yes, she is a crawler, she skipped army crawling and went straight to palm and knee crawling. She is more attentive and interactive with her sisters. It is so great to see. Sandra decided to not scare me any more in regards to her teeth. Coming from the dental field I am on these girls teeth like you would not believe. She skipped getting her front teeth and got her laterals. She looked like a vampire. She got one of her front teeth this week. Yeah Sandra, congrats on scaring Mommy!
Food, food, food and more food! The girls eat as if it is their last meal. It is amazing how much they eat. I am constantly either making a meal or cleaning up after a meal. I am fortunate so far, that they eat whatever I make. I hope this lasts for awhile! And no I am not buying eight gallons of milk because it is on sale, it is because that is how much we go through. Our dishwasher gets ran at least two times a day. And clothes…I did eleven loads in two days? Yes, the bigger the girls get the more chores there are! But at the same time the more fun they are! The laughs and giggles are abundant!
All this and and I am 95% finished with Christmas shopping! And Black Friday has not even come yet!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Results/Reschedule

2009-11-07T13:11:00.000-08:00

The four girls helping in the kitchen! Yeah right!

Success! Now with the cabinet empty Samantha finds a great place to hide from the others!

Samantha and Hannah reading a book!

The four girls chatting about the weird green stuff they are sitting on!

Mommy and the girls (and one boy cat) recoving from a crazy few days!

Wednesday I got a call from the prosthetics to inform me that Samantha and Makaila are progressing well. However Sandra has not grown while in helmets. She may be in hers longer than the others. I was worried since she can not wear hers right now afraid that we’d miss a growth spurt. He said that the body will use it’s energy to fight her dots and not grow right now. Once she is better, her energy will go back to growing! We are still having to keep Benadryl in her system but she is gradually looking better!

Thursday morning I brought a sleep deprived hungry Makaila to the hospital for her sedated CT Scan. While getting her out of the Yukon an ambulance was trying to pass us so I was in a hurry. I tripped holding her and fell on my rear into the street. On the way down Makaila hit her head. It could have been worse but she got a large goose egg on her forehead and I got whip lash. As soon as I got her inside I asked for ice! They informed me that they could not sedate her because of her injury. My girls have tiny veins so it took a few tries to get an IV in. The hard part was seeing her crying but she actually was being a brave girl. She was so exhausted from that she just laid on the CT Scan bed wrapped like a Mummy and strapped down.

Friday we got her results! Her scan was normal EXCEPT inflammation on her forehead! I was so excited but had to chuckle that the goose egg was mentioned in the results. She needs PT to help straighten her neck and stretch the muscles. It was the same doctor that sees Samantha for her hearing loss. Josh explained what had happened on Monday when she did not get her hearing test. The hospital wanted to reschedule for Jan/Feb. The nurse was not happy. Two hours later I got a call to schedule Samantha for Wednesday for a sedated ABR. Yeah! So excited but am shuffling to get it arranged!

Our pedi called and asked if we were staying in this weekend. I told her “Yes” and she said “Good”!

P.S. Good news! I got an early Birthday present today! Josh got me a new camera that will take great pics! I am excited! So after I read the manual on how to use it I will practice on the girls! Great pics are just around the corner!

Polka Dots

2009-11-04T20:29:00.000-08:00

Samantha and Hannah telling funny jokes!

Makaila checking out her silly sister Sandra and Samantha under the changing table!

Hannah wondering if Samantha has the best seat in the house!

Day after Halloween all wearing polka dots!

Monday Samantha had her sedated echo cardiogram, EKG, Xray and ABR (hearing test) scheduled. I was to bring in a sleep deprived one year old on an empty stomach to the hospital at 7:30 AM. No food was not an issue since she doesn't eat until 8:00. We kept her up two hours past her bedtime and woke her up at 5:00 am (3 hours early). Keeping her awake on the way to the hospital was fun! No really it was! Since I was also sleep deprived the cold weather helped. Once in the car I sang to her and played with her feet the whole time. One hand on the steering wheel and one on her feet in the back seat. After a long day, lots of confusion and dragged from one end of the hospital to the other Samantha was a patient and brave tired girl. Her ABR was not done and she passed all cardio testing. Yeah! She will have one more echo/EKG/Xray one month prior to moving and then she will be cleared from the cardiologist forever!
On Sunday, I dressed the girls in polka dots to continue with the dot theme from Halloween. I guess Sandra decided she like the polka dots because Tuesday morning she woke up screaming and covered with thousands of tiny red pin point dots throughout her entire body. I brought her to the pedi and was told that she had a reaction to her MMR shot a week and a half ago. She is uncomfortable and fussy, who would not be? She is not allowed to wear her cranial helmet until the dots are gone. Thinking that she did not have enough room for more dots she proved me wrong Wednesday morning there were dots on top of dots. She was so miserable that she did not want to eat or drink. Pedi recommended I make a Benydryl/Milk of Magnesium mixture and swab the inside of her mouth. Wouldn't you know, it worked! Remember when she had a allergic reaction to chocolate? Well it was a "Jello" brand. Sunday night I gave her Jello. We now believe that she is allergic to Gelatin. Gelatin is used in vaccines as a stabilizer. So between the Jello and MMR she got a serious rash.
Last week we started to bathe the girls in the big tub without bath seats. I was petrified! But now I just laugh (along with the girls) when they fall in. It is difficult and so much fun. The difficult part is that they are mobile and it is hard to catch one and clean them. Also, if one falls it causes a domino effect and they all fall in. I get in the tub with them and we splash each other. They stand up and crawl around. We used an oatmeal base to help Sandra's rash. But she just would not sit down. So Daddy had her lay down in it and she loved laying down in the water.
The girls are so funny! Samantha has gotten into the kitchen cabinets. She will drag out a kitchen appliance play with it and then hand it off to someone else to play with it. It is so fun to watch her empty my cabinets and share with her sisters. Hannah learned that if she hits her head on the feeding table the other three will laugh at her. Where do they come up with this stuff? Hannah has a high pitched shriek that she does that causes the others to laugh at her. So Mommy does the shriek and all four laugh and giggle. Oh the fun we have!
Baby proofing...I have been pro active in regards to baby proofing. However, we are constantly being showed ever so nicely by the girls what needs to be baby proofed. Here is a perfect example...The feeding table legs are made of metal. The girls would knock their heads into them and after a LARGE goose egg on Hannah's head I came up with the ingenious idea to cover the legs with swimming pool noodles. We put a slit in the noodles and wrapped them around the legs with lovely duct tape. So today, Makaila was in the kitchen with me and she starts to choke. I hadn't given her anything to eat so it boggled the mind. I did the quick finger swipe of her mouth and out comes some blue foam. It took me a minute to realize where it came from....she has been eating the pool noodles. So the point is; I baby proofed the table to prevent head injury but added another hazard in the quad house!
Tomorrow Makaila is scheduled for her sedated Cat Scan. Again I need to bring her hungry and sleep deprived! I am a bit worried because if she wants to sleep, she will! Due to recent concerns the pedi wants the results tomorrow. So, I am hoping that we get some answers and not have to sit on pins and needles waiting. Some good news is that she is showing signs of trying to developmentally grow. This is huge for her. She can get around a little better now. She will traditionally crawl a few steps and then sit up and repeat until she gets to where she wants to go. She is trying to stand up by pulling herself up. It takes her more attempts than the other three girls until she accomplishes tasks but in time she gets the job done. I am so proud of her!
We are having technical difficulties in regards to the camera and computer. So, not a lot of pictures lately!

Little Lady Bugs!

2009-10-31T17:56:00.000-07:00

We hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween! The girls (all five including Maxine) had a great day! They had a good time playing with their pumpkins and having treats! Yes, they did go trick-or-treating! But I do what to know who decided that Day Light Savings and Halloween be on the same night. Our original plan was to keep the girls up later to compensate for the time change. They were so tired and ready for bed the plan did not work out! So it should be an interesting morning (an hour late for them)!

Makaila checking to see if Hanna got any new teeth! No really, they are all constantly checking each other out now and touching each other. It is so cute to watch!

Maxine getting ready for Trick-or-Treating!

Makaila, Hannah, Samantha and Sandra being cute as a bug (a lady bug that is)!

Aww so sweet!

Yes, Mommy, Daddy and Maxine were part of the entourage!

Big changes all at once!

2009-10-29T12:10:00.000-07:00

Makaila cuddling with Maxine. Maxine puts up with so much from the girls but loves all the extra love and attention!

Wadding pool in the Summer, ball pit in the Winter. The girls love climbing in and out and playing. It is not uncommon for Sandra to be completely covered. If she is ever missing I know where to look first.

The last four bottles in the Duggan household!

It is getting more and more difficult to get a picture of all four. They are always on the move and want to explore! (Hannah, Makaila, Sandra and Samantha)

It took dozens of tries to get this picture (Makaila, Hannah, Samantha and Sandra)

Warning, plug your ears, we have mayhem in our house! If you were hearing excessive loud screaming lately it is coming from the Duggan girls! We are no longer heating their milk, switched to whole milk and got rid of bottles. Yes, is big changes all at once for them but I’d rather do it all at once then drag it out for weeks. We used to give them their bottle and then their meal. We switched it up on them and feed them first prior to sippy cups which made a big difference. Now, 6 days into the big change the girls are doing really good. They have excepted the milk change and are doing better and better each day with the cups. I still have to help them (esp. at the table) by holding the cup up for them. I keep a cup of water on the floor and they race to it sometimes. It is so cute!

The girls had their 12 month appointment last week. The doctor is pleased with their growth. We got the go ahead on all foods, just be careful still on the foods that can choke them. For example, I still cut up their grapes. Saturday, was the first time ever, the six (seven if you include Maxine) of us had breakfast together and ate the same foods. It was a good feeling to have our first family meal! Now, they eat mostly what Josh and I eat except on salad night. The girls know that when I am preparing their meals I will sneak them treats if they are in the kitchen with me. They also love to have food off of our plates.

The girls are so funny! They make me laugh every day! Sandra loves music and dances all the time. Even if she hears a 10 second song on a toy that she likes the beat she will start dancing and clapping her hands. Samantha is starting to trust herself and let go of furniture and stand for a couple seconds. It is so cute watching her contemplate whether to let go or not. Makaila about a week and a half ago started to be able to get to sitting position by herself. Now she maneuvers a short distance by getting up and down from a sitting position to a laying down position. Hannah is a funny girl! She has gestures, looks, noises that just get me rolling. Hannah is such a love too. One minute she is making you laugh and the next she wants hugs and kisses!

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY!

2009-10-17T22:21:00.000-07:00

Dearest Makaila, Hannah, Samantha and Sandra,

Happy Birthday to the most beautiful girls I have ever laid my eyes on. You four have come so far and have accomplished and reached milestones that far excedes Mommy and Daddy's expectations. We are so proud of you and love you more than we ever imagined possible. We can't wait to see your four happy smiley faces each morning and we sneak up into your room so we can get one more kiss or one more peak at your beautiful faces. We can't wait to see what the future brings!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Guessng Game

2009-10-15T14:30:00.001-07:00

Alright, time to play a game! You are to guess what the girls are going to be for Halloween! Hannah is wearing a hint! I will post the results on Halloween with a picture! Come on and guess by leaving a comment.

In regards to Makaila, she saw the ENT. According to x ray the size should be paltatable and he does not feel any lumps. Anyways, he did scope her in office. There is vocal cord irrtation and thickening. He said to stop reflux medicie and thinks that vocal cords will repair itself and her voice will get better in time. He does want a sedated C T Scan. It is not an emergency and they will call to schedule. With her being so young she has to be under general anesthetic. So we are still playing the waiting game.

Please Think of Makaila Tomorrow

2009-10-12T08:54:00.000-07:00

On Friday, after further review of Makaila's xrays and report they believe it is either an abscess or a tumor in her neck. She does not have any symptoms of abscess, no fever and a good appetite. So her appointment for Friday was moved up to tomorrow. Even though this is a very busy week with several appointments and a birthday (or four) this weekend, I am glad it was changed. But on the other hand, very worried. I have been having a difficult time sleeping. I keep telling myself not to worry but it is not working. So please keep Makaila in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow.

4 American Girls

2009-10-08T14:14:00.001-07:00

No this is not a late 4th of July picture. However, it is the first picture of all four sitting together. Not the first time just the first time I took a picture. The stars and stripes are because they are 4 American girls and proud of it. When we see a big sale we buy as much as we can in bigger sizes. These are from the after 4th of July sale. I can't pass up a good sale on clearance items. This last weekend I found shirts for $1.74 so I bought a bunch all the way up to size 6. It'll be awhile (several years) but I saved a ton of cash. After Valentines day I found jeans for 25 cents because they had hearts on them. For our family love and American pride is every day not just February 14th and July 4th!

Pain in my neck!

2009-10-06T12:38:00.000-07:00

Makaila has had a stiff neck and head tilt for a couple months. She had physical therapy scheduled to help with her torticollis (stiff neck). But mother instinct kicked in. I have been concerned about her neck for a while now. We were told she had torticollis and not to worry. At home, we would position her in places so she had to turn her head to the left to help stretch the tight muscles. I brought her to the pediatrician (who hadn’t diagnosed or seen her about it yet) yesterday with my concerns. Our pedi knows by now that we do not call or go in very often and for small issues. The pedi thought that it was toricollis, vision issues or neck problems. Since we have an appointment for the eye doctor in a few weeks and physical therapy lined up she wanted x rays of Makaila’s neck.

I then brought her to the imaging place for her four x rays. I felt so bad for her. She had to have her head pulled, pushed, tugged and stretched for the x rays. But she was a strong and brave little girl. I was told the doctor would call in 1 to 2 days with results. Wouldn’t you know, that 1 to 2 hours later we got a call from the pedi. Fortunatley there is nothing wrong skeletally. But there seems to be soft tissue issues. The pedi said not to do PT on her neck and she wanted a sedated Cat Scan of her neck. We were referred to ENT (the same doctor that sees Samantha for her hearing loss). I am so glad that they are able to see Makaila next Friday.

Yes, next Friday is the day before her Birthday. But wouldn’t it be a great Birthday present for her to start to get this resolved and get her out of pain.

Growing up too fast!

2009-09-25T12:54:00.000-07:00

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My babies are growing up too fast! They have sprouted in the last couple weeks. They have decided that they no longer are babies! I beg to differ! They will ALWAYS be our babies. They will NOT eat baby food any more and want to feed themselves. They will NOT wear a bib. So their diet has completely changed. For breakfast they get a grain (toast, waffle, English muffin, cheerios, Mickey Mouse shaped pancakes) fruit (banana, pear, strawberries, peach, apple sauce). For lunch a meat (ham, turkey) dairy (cheese, yogurt) grain (crackers) and sometimes a cookie, fruit (pineapple, avocado, melon, cherries, blue berries, apricot) and dinner a meat (chicken tenders, rotisserie chicken, boiled chicken, meatballs, hamburger) veggies (all) and a starch (tator tots, baked potato)and sometimes dessert (ice cream, pudding). It takes more time and thought now to prepare their meals. But they love it! They love to feed themselves! Oh and I can’t forget the occasional dog food if we forget to pick it up while they are down stairs.

Hannah, Samantha and Sandra are all getting faster and better at getting around. Samantha has turned into a climber. She has climbed in the dishwasher, refrigerator, cabinets, onto the shelf of the changing table, onto the couch (via a basket) and even on top of the dog and her sisters. Samantha and Sandra are (listen closely) taking steps while we hold their hands. Samantha has stepped around things while holding onto a toy or something also. They prefer to be upright now! Makaila, on the other hand, needs work. She just had a physical therapy eval. The good news is that she is capable but doesn’t have the will or the strength. She is much weaker in leg muscle tone and also needs stretching exercises for her neck. She needs one on one work. Very difficult considering when I sit to work with her I literally get attacked by the others. Samantha and Hannah fight over me and get jealous. However, they work as a team to accomplish something.

It is so fun to watch their personalities grow. Sandra will caress her sister if one is upset. She wants to know where we are but doesn’t mind playing by herself. She is funny and loves to laugh. She is petite in frame but is mighty STRONG! Samantha is definitely a people person. She does explore but loves to be around us. She is built strong and sturdy and isn’t afraid to use it. She loves to giggle and please us. She adores to be congratulated. Hannah; when I think of Hannah I laugh. She is very comical! She loves to make us laugh. If we find it funny she will continue it. However, do not mess with her world. She will let us know if she is upset (at the top of her lungs). Makaila is quiet, subdued and loves to just take it easy. But, she does watch every move everyone makes. She surprises us when we think she can’t do something, she all of a sudden do it. She learns a lot by watching not doing. All four love to be loved. They adore attention, kisses (and even give kisses), hugs (will reach out for hugs) and have a lot of fun with each other.

Feeling Better, Helmets and More

2009-09-12T20:36:00.000-07:00

Some additional pics that didn't fit on montage...Enjoy!

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What have we been up to? Oh so much! Makaila, Samantha and Sandra received their cranial helmets on the Thursday the 3rd. They are the smelliest things ever. The girls hated them at first and it caused for a noisy house. Heck, when isn’t our house noisy? They have adjusted well to them now though!

Two of my fears since I found out we were pregnant with four came down on us on the same day. Last Saturday we went to the store to purchase their next stage of car seats. After months and months of research we chose one that best fit us (we thought that is). They didn’t fit in our Yukon. So, we ended up purchasing a different one. And to be honest four don’t fit rear facing. So Sandra who hasn’t grown out of the infant seat will be in that until the other girls can forward face. It was a good thing that we bought them because that same day they came down with a bug. They all had to sleep (cried and tried to breath) in them for several nights. By Monday night (Labor Day) we decided to take Makaila to the ER. She received a breathing treatment and medicine. Here a week later they are much better but still have runny noses. Josh and I slept (yeah right) in the nursery while they were sick. We sucked snot more than slept. One night Makaila was so congested that she could only rest on my chest in a recliner. I am so glad they feel better now!

We started bathing them all at once in our big tub. They love it! They have so much fun splashing, kicking their feet (and each others feet) and playing with bath toys. It is hard back breaking work but pushed into a smaller amount of time, rather than bathing one at a time. So it works for us! They are getting really good at finger foods. But we I have to vacuum after each snack as they get crumbs every where. I also have to let Maxine outside when they get a snack. I tried giving them a cracker in their jumperoos and exersaucers but they actually put their hands out and feed the dog.

Samantha is starting to try to pull herself up on us and anything around. The car seats came in cool big “L” shaped boxes. The girls loved trying to climb on them and hold on to them and bounce up and down. My Mom bought them a Lady Bug tent and they love to go in and play in it. We have had to remove the glass doors from our entertainment center so we put toys in there and they pull them out and climb inside. Oh what a wonderful life we are living!

Sick, Sick, Sick, Sick

2009-09-07T07:37:00.000-07:00

Three of the girls received their cranial helmets on Thursday. And five of us are sick. We have tons of updates and pictures. When things (snot) settle down and we get some sleep we will post more. Please remember to wash and sanitize as we are in the beginning of a huge flu season.

On the move!

2009-08-30T18:54:00.000-07:00

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Boy what a difference a week makes in quadville. The girls are doing so awesome. We are so proud of them. We now have three crawlers! Samantha strickly crawls now, Sandra crawls and rolls to get places and Hannah rolls and crawls backwards. Makaila has done great this week also with rolling more and holding all bottles. Actually, I wonder what happened because we haven’t used props in awhile now. Yeah girls! We have tried them with sippy cups. Sandra did the best but just couldn’t figure out how to get the last bit. So with the new crawlers in town it takes more energy to follow or return a baby back to the flock. We were going to baby gate the kitchen when they started crawling but have decided that since we still have a pallet full of foam mats (yes, we did the math way wrong on the second order) to cover the kitchen too. Other than that, the kitchen is baby proofed.

We have been trying to get the girls to want to hand feed themselves. Samantha still loves her Cheerios but they are just too small for the other three to grab. One night we gave them biter biscuits. Yes, I said one night, and it will only be that one night. They are the messiest things, it took awhile to clean up that mess. They have eaten small pieces of bananas and avacodos. They love vanilla pudding so we decided to try chocolate/vanilla pudding. And would you believe it, we think Sandra might be allergic to chocolate. How could a daughter of mine be allergic to chocolate? Let’s put it this way, I had Josh buy ME a triple chocolate cake this week to curve a craving. Sandra got a small rash on her precious face after eating a few bites. Luckily, she did not inherit the NEED for chocolate.

Even though the girls require more attention and time right now it is so much fun! It is so awesome to see them interact with each other, the dog, cats and us. They each have their own games and personalities! They each have a certain trait to make us laugh and they do it to see us laugh! And they laugh with us! It is so darn cute! We are so blessed!

2009-08-20T18:50:00.001-07:00

Alright, alright, I know it’s been over a week since you have heard from us! Let’s get to the nitty gritty! Hmmm! Where to start? Let’s start with tooth count…teeth are coming in causing for a little bit more noise around here. Samantha has four teeth, Sandra two (working on two more) Hannah and Makaila each have one (working on another). Foods…we have been trying new foods and textures. They recently had mac and cheese, sliced cheese, pudding, jello, beef, baked potato, pasta and tomato sauce. Oh it’s been messy at times but oh so fun. They still love their fresh fruit and yogurt. Development…The girls turned 10 months on Monday! Makaila, Hannah and Samantha are sitting by themselves and can pick up toys to play with. Sandra is just too wiggly to sit still. She does do an amazing trick; she can lay on the ground and arch her back that only the top of her head and her tippy toes touch. It is so weird to see. I am so afraid that she is going to hurt her neck. They each have their own game they like to play and love to make us laugh.

Josh and I have been trying to have a date night for several months. Anytime we plan one something comes up and we have to reschedule. We had three this week. The first was on Monday. I was having a bad day and couldn’t drive so he took me to my doctors appointment. Thank you Lynn again for a last minute notice of helping Deb with the girls while I was gone. Tuesday Josh called me and said he had bad news. He was unable to go in reverse in the car. So, we had a date to the auto shop (for a new clutch and battery) and stopped for ice cream. Finally last night we had enough and wanted a real date night. We went to the Astro’s baseball game. We had a good time and it was nice to be together and not at a doctors office. Thank you G-Ma for watching the girls so we could finally get out.

Last Wednesday Deb and I brought all four girls to the prosthetics for head scans and “official” measurements. He told us that he wished they were in helmets a few months ago for best results. Oh well! Anyway, the girls of course did fabulous even though they had to wear a ridiculous sock over their head. Because we are getting three and having to pay cash they are giving us a nice discount. They will help us fight our insurance but we can’t wait since we already missed big growths. The girls will be in helmets for atleast 4 months. After that if they show sings of growth they may wear it another month. They go back Sept. 2nd for fitting and will actually start to wear them the following week.

Josh finished another semester of school, only two more to go. And as if you were curious he still has a 4.0. How he does it amazes us all. Good Job Daddy. He is VERY busy at work right now. And he starts teaching two classes on Tuesday and taking three classes himself. It is going to be a difficult semester for him so please keep him in your thoughts.

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Teeth, Ice Cream, Cheerios, Big Cups

2009-08-10T18:11:00.000-07:00

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Alright, I hate starting posts like this but we have been so busy lately. Every time I think we had a busy week the next one is crazier. First, I’ll start off with some good news. I started to see a new doctor. It took me 45 minutes to get there and over an hour to get home. However, the drive is worth it. I felt that she listened to me and was whole heartedly concerned about my situation. She said that I had brought in enough reports and results to confirm IC but she has a totally different treatment plan. She is going to be more aggressive is trying to get me out of the severe spasm that I have been in since January. Instead of shock treatments which are not proved to be effective I will be getting a “cocktail” put in my bladder weekly for 8 weeks. People get immediate results (two hours up to a week). She now has me on five different meds. To be honest, I feel less spasms in the morning now. By the afternoon I am bad again which means I need to increase my meds. It is all gradual though. The side effects are less except the dropping to my knee migraines which should lessen in two weeks. So I am hopeful and actually see a difference in my whole self.

Josh will be going out of town on Wednesday for work. And something came up at his work recently that will keep him very busy for the next several months. So it is a good thing that G Ma is actually flying in right now to help out. The girls and I have several appointments and the extra hands are needed. Whenever G Ma flies in to help I have a list a mile long of chores that need to be done while she is here. Josh has 4 projects (they are big projects) on his list (or the list I wrote for him). I am happy to say that we are getting some rain right now. Oh I hope it is enough, not too much to cause flooding but enough to get us out of this drought.

The girls are so amazing! We love them so much it is insane. They are so fun to play with and watch them learn. The other night Josh was throwing a ring and making it spin when it landed (it was a cool trick). Samantha thought she’d give it a try and now drops the ring and giggles if it rolls. Samantha and Sandra are about to get their top two teeth. If I look after nap time they may have cut them. Samantha just takes it in her stride while Sandra is a little fussier.

We have changed their dinner time to 4:45 working up to 5:00. I wanted them to be in their feeding tables while Josh and I ate dinner. So I try to have dinner ready by the time they get up and just heat it up while cleaning them up after they eat. That way they watch us eat and if there is something on our plate they can have they can try it. They recently have drank water from our glasses and have ice cream with us. We put the ice cream on a spoon and they feed themselves. Speaking of feeding themselves they now are getting Cheerios. Samantha is the best at feeding herself, she loves it! Makaila is great at picking them but instead puts her thumb in her mouth with the Cheerios in her fist. Any one have ideas on getting a infant to stop sucking her thumb I am all ears. Hannah is constantly coming up with new noises, she is so comical. Samantha and Sandra are really close to Maxine and roll/scoot over to hang out with her. They love their kisses from her and play with her.

Ten minutes after G Ma arrived she finds two teeth in Hannah. Now you don’t understand I have not found the “first” teeth. I am constantly sticking my finger in someone’s mouth to check for teeth and she is here ten minutes and finds them. So, I had a long talk with Makaila and told her to pull through for me and wouldn’t you know it; she did. Thank you Makaila! I found a tooth on her right before I put her to bed.

p.s. Sorry about all the red eyes in the video. Something you just got to deal with four blue eyed girls and a blue eyed Daddy!

Oh money tree, oh money tree!

2009-08-04T16:26:00.000-07:00

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Oh money tree, oh money tree; where are you? The girls went to the plastic surgeon today. Yes, they were supposed to go last week and after changing their schedule and loading them up the appointment it was canceled due to the doctor in emergency surgery. At first I was so mad then felt guilty since a poor family was awaiting the results of their sweet angel in surgery. Ok so back to todays appointment. Josh had a meeting to attend and was unable to be home to help. Today I conquered something that I have feared (since my medical issues) for a long time. I got all four girls fed, dressed, ready and the hard part loaded for the appointment. It is very difficult to get two of them in the third seat of our Yukon. Anyways I did it! Sandra, Makaila and Samantha need cranial helmets. Ok not a surprise to us. The surprise comes in when we find out that our insurance does not cover them. I was quoted over the phone $2800 per helmet today. We will make things work but I am going to look darn hard for that money tree. It is a good thing that I can load the girls by myself as I will be probably doing it more often now since they will be seen weekly for six weeks. I just need to find strength in order to load and unload the stroller.

Sunday, I went through the girls clothes and realized we had 82 pairs of shorts and two tee shirts. So, we took the girls to Target to buy some tee shirts. While there I noticed that Samantha had scratched her left eye. So Monday morning I had to take her to the pedi’s office to get some ointment. The scratch was small but irritated her, as she kept rubbing her eye, she poor girl. Another project I did was down load 1702 pictures to cds since my aunt and mother in law recently lost everything on their computers. I would have cried for a month if I had lost all the pictures since 10-17-18.

I am excited that tomorrow is my appointment with the new urologist. I hope that they are able to continue my bladder shocking treatment with little or no break. I am doubtful but also hope that they have more answers for me. The next couple months will be busy for us with lots of appointments. But, if it ain’t busy around here something’s wrong!

Babe, you won't believe this!

2009-08-01T07:04:00.000-07:00

"Babe, you wont believe this!" is not something you want to wake up to. The girls refrigerator/freezer died AGAIN! I am so angry. We have lost so much food in the last couple months. I buy the girls fruit in bulk and freeze. I also buy a TON of meat cook and freeze. This in the 4th time in the last few months that the frig has died. Last time the store was kind enough to give us store credit for a new one. We bought one that was twice as expensive and a different brand. Oh my! I can't believe how mad I am right now. So today, I had set a side to go through the girls clothes, an all day event, and can't. Instead, I need to go though and rearrange food. I am going to go through the inside refirg/freezer and put food that I won't need this week in a neighbors freezer and put the girls food in the inside freezer. Each time this happens the company promises to reinburse our food (once not 4 times). But I have not gotten the form to fill out. The company is not a small one either. It is a big company! I WILL NEVER BUY FROM THEM AGAIN. I WOULD ADVICE THE SAME OF YOU! DO NOT BUY FROM CONN'S APPLIANCE!

2009-07-30T13:19:00.000-07:00

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79 days until the girls first birthday. I know that seems way down the road but time flies when you are having fun. Seriously, weeks fly by when you are so darn busy. So we have started to plan for the big day. Josh and I decided not to celebrate their birthday per say. Instead, we are having an appreciation party for the family, friends and support that have helped with their first year. We know that in the future we are going to get tired of princess parties and/or character themed parties. So, we are having a Texas Luau. I am so excited that my parents and all siblings will be flying in for the luau. It has been 10 years since we were all in one place. So, it is going to be amazing. I have a sister in Alaska, a brother and sister in Oregon and my parents live in Washington state. Don’t get me wrong the girls are going to have their first birthday cake but birthday is not going to be the focus, appreciation is. Or should we call it, “Thank God we survived!”?

OK onto current info. Sandra got in her second bottom tooth not long after the first one. She now can stand (holding onto furniture) for about 30 seconds. She is so strong! One big achievement for her lately is that she has decided that she likes to cuddle. I used to say that if she were a singleton I would feel deprived of cuddle time. She is so active it was like holding (corralling) a wolverine. She now just loves to be held and cuddled. Sandra has also graduated from Occupational Therapy. However, Makaila was added to development and occupational therapy. She is so attached to her thumb that she is getting behind. She constantly has her thumb in her mouth. That is not an exaggeration either. She is so content with laying around and sucking her thumb that she doesn’t explore. I tried putting a pacifier in her month and she just stuck her thumb through it. So she was sucking her pacifier and her thumb. I’d appreciate any ideas or info!

Samantha is so close to crawling! She gets up on her knees and arms, lifts her head and moves her feet forward. She just needs to move her arms and she will be crawling. She gets frustrated and ends up rolling over. But she continues to try.

We added a third meal. They get three meals and a bedtime bottle now. Breakfast is cereal and a fruit, lunch is more fruit with/without a diary and dinner is a meat and veggies. They have decided to accept chicken. They are starting to understand puffs, and Samantha is doing the best with that.

Other than that, Josh and I have been bowling almost every day. I bolwed a 278 the other day. Alright, it was on the wii but I think it's still impressive. We took the girls to the mall on Saturday, since I had some shopping to do. I don't think I will ever get used to the public attention. At least this time there were no rude comments, they were all pleasant. However, one lady wanted to take their piture and Josh told her not to. It is just exhausting answering all the questions and comments after already being tired from loading them up and all that goes with it. But as always the girls did awesome.

3 down 205 to go

2009-07-24T15:14:00.000-07:00

Sandra got one of her teeth today! Yeah! The poor girl has been fighting getting it through. With 20 "baby" teeth and 32 adult teeth we will be getting 208 teeth. So three down and 205 to go.

Miss Sandra Please Stand Up, Please Stand Up

2009-07-22T15:53:00.000-07:00

Sandra is so strong! I know that is not a news flash considering where she started and where she is now even with hurdles. No obstacle is too large for her. She has been able to stand with our assistance for a while. But she can now stand on her own. Granted it is only for a few seconds. But she should not be able to do this. But do not tell her she can't do it because she will prove you wrong!

Props to Samantha and Sandra

2009-07-20T17:10:00.000-07:00

Friday the girls celebrated their ¾ birthday. Yes, they turned 9 months old. Boy, is time flying by. They had a great visit at the pediatricians. They all got good reports. The new weights/heights are:
Makaila – 17# 2 oz, 25 ½ in.
Hannah – 17# 6 oz, 25 ½ in.
Samantha – 18#, 26 ½ in.
Sandra – 14# 8 oz, 24 ½ in.

Makaila and Hannah are in the 25th percentile. Samantha in the 50th % and Sandra is just touching the charts. These %’s are with their actual age not their corrected age (6 ½ months old). So, what that means is that they are doing awesome. Size wise they have caught up. We are so proud of them. They got the go ahead for dairy and meats. They love yogurt and hate chicken. And for their birthday, they got to enjoy a little vanilla ice cream. So I am going to be trying different recipes. Yesterday, I boiled and cubed 12 pounds of chicken. Chicken is the main meat that we eat here. So I freeze one pound bags of chicken for later meals. It makes life so much easier. I also chopped up a few onions and put them in baggies. Whatever makes life easier!

A huge accomplishment this week is that Samantha and Sandrahave held her bottle for entire feedings. So now they are without prop. Props to them! Ha ha The other two can hold their bottles and will put back into their own mouths if they fall out but prefer the prop to do most of the work. We’ve tried sippy cups several times. But they do great holding them but just chew on the nipple. So we will continue to work with them. Sandra and Samantha are all over the place. It is amazing! Poor Maxine gets a lot of hair pulling and tail tugging. She is so patient with them though! We also no longer put them in their swings. Does any one need four swings? They take up so much room but well worth it while it lasted!

We actually have a quiet week ahead of us. So who knows what will actually happen! We got some rain last night and hope to get more this week. We are still on water rations, our lawn looks pathetic.

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2009-07-15T12:39:00.000-07:00

The girls are doing well. They are eating good and growing lots (or is it eating lots and growing good?) We have tried baby biscuits with them. They really enjoyed them. I was surprised to see that they knew what to do with them. A couple weeks ago we gave them baby puffs and they didn’t completely get the idea. I just think they were too small of a piece of food. The only thing about the baby biscuits is that Maxine thinks they are dog biscuits and thinks the girls are eating her treats. It is quite funny.

Samantha and Sandra are really getting around. They roll, scoot and do whatever it takes to go places. I am constantly rescuing them from places. Sandra gets caught under the recliner and Samantha is constantly under a baby swing. It is a good thing that Josh put down the rest of the foam mats because Samantha scooted into the hallway. Makaila and Hannah are content with where we put them. They are all interacting so much with each other. They talk to each other, hold hands, roll over each other, get feet and legs tangled up, steal toys and pacifiers and just have a great time together.

We had the baby proofer proof our house. He did the appropriate gates, door latches, security doors, electrical outlets and cabinet latches. So we are as ready as we can be for when the girls are very mobile. I think having the girls downstairs except to sleep has worked out for the best.

We took the girls to Target last week. It went well until we were mobbed by the workers and we had to make a quick escape to another part of the store. Can’t we just do our shopping and not answer a ton of questions? The girls did amazing though. I am trying to get out a couple times a week while we can, since it is not flu season. It has been extremely hot here these days so we go out early after their morning bottle and are back before their lunch.

As for an update on me, I start my bladder shock treatments tomorrow. I have found a different Urologist and hope I get better care at the new office. However they can’t see me until August 5th. My symptoms are no different with my bladder. I still have numb tingly arms and legs and blurred vision (so please excuse the errors). Each day right now I am thankful I survived until Josh gets home from work, as he went back to work this week. Josh and I are counting the days until G Ma comes back for a visit!

The girls have their 9 month birthday on Friday. Can you believe it? They are getting so big and grown up! They will be celebrating at the pediatricians. They will not be getting shots this time but will be getting complete blood work ups to make show (sure) they are doing good.

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Randon Tidbits

2009-07-05T19:55:00.001-07:00

On Friday, we took the girls to see Dr. Palmer (the best Maternal Fetal doctor ever) for my post op check. The office was excited to see the girls and we all were excited to see them. This time, I did bring my camera but they were so busy I didn't want to interrupt their office more than we already did. Today, we took the girls grocery shopping with us for the first time. It is more work with loading them and the stroller but I wanted them to get out of the house and I need the experience of dealing with the public. The girls did great, I am so proud of them.

We had a quiet 4th of July! We watched the local fireworks from our driveway with a few neighbors. The girls slept through it all! Maxine hates fireworks so we had to calm her down after. The girls wore their holiday outfits to Dr. Palmers and they messed up their dresses before I got pics. So, you will just have to believe me when I say they were stinking cute in their red, white and blue dresses!

Some new things the girls are doing: Samantha and Makaila reach up to be picked up. It is so darn cute! It is going to get hard when they all are doing it and want to be picked up at the same time. But right now it is adorable. Samantha started kissing! She smacks her lips like a kiss and imitates me when I blow her kisses. I am trying to teach her now to kiss on the cheek. She absolutely loves to be smothered with kisses on the her face. She just giggles and giggles. She is starting to really get around on the floor. She gets up on her knees and pushes her head forward. She will probably be crawling soon. She rolls around the floor the most. Hannah loves to have blankets over her face and cuddle. I do not let her go to bed with a blanket so she has learned to pull her crib bumper and pull that over her face. She is so darn silly. Sandra has been blowing raspberries all day! She does it when she is tired, happy, hungry, playing, fussy, watching tv, mad, or for no reason at all. The girls have always noticed Maxine (the dog). But now they reach out to touch her and play with her hair. Samantha even "walked" over in her Jenny Jump Up to pet her when she was eating! It is fun to watch the interactions.

Samantha is all over her crib now!

Sandra wakes up so happy and grinning from ear to ear every morning!

Makaila playing with her teddy bear in the morning!

Hannah playing Peek-a-Boo with her crib bumper!

Sandra loves to have her arm behind her head when she is not sucking her thumb!

Samantha showing off how she can hold a bottle on her own!

The girls first time grocery shopping! Thank you Aunt Debbie for the cute outfits!

2009-06-29T11:17:00.000-07:00

Hello all! Yes, we have been away from blog world lately. No, we did not go on a hiatus (like J – K + 8). But we have had a week that has been very hard emotionally on our family. I was not going to explain but this blog is a journal for our family to look back on years down the road. So here goes:
Where to begin? Alright, first Josh’s commuter car started having electrical issues (that for some reason disappeared on its own). I got the exact diagnosis that we prayed we would not get. On Tuesday I was diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis (Painful Bladder Syndrome) which is a chronic bladder condition. Basically the nerve from my brain to my bladder that tells me I have to urinate is messed up. I am in constant bladder spasm and pain. There have been no medications to relieve the spasm as of yet. The medicines I am on cause me to have drowsiness, blurred vision and upset stomach. So, it has been difficult to care for the girls. We are rearranging the house so that the girls are downstairs for the most part of the day so I don’t have to carry them up and down several times a day. Josh has taken leave for two weeks to help get the house organized and see if we need to hire in some help.
On Friday (our 4 year anniversary) I was to start bladder shock treatments weekly to see if that helped. If it did, they were going to surgically implant a stimulator. On my way to the doctor, the Yukon decided to take control of the steering and I had no control. So the police had to help me and the Yukon is now at the dealership. Josh had to come switch cars as Samantha had a ENT appointment, where we find out that she is completely deaf in her left ear and there is no fluid and no physical findings to cause it. So, we are going to have her work with occupational therapy so she doesn’t get behind on her speech.
After a long day of dealing with tow trucks and bad news we got home to find out that we are on water ration and our refrigerator is going out again. Yes, again again, it was fixed again last week. I was told we have store credit for a new one, but haven’t the time or energy to go in this 104 degree weather.
However, Samantha did give Daddy and me an anniversary present: TWO TEETH!
On Saturday Jose, Michelle and their two kids came over to help Josh rearrange the house. They moved the playroom downstairs into the the dinning room and visa versa. They also assembled the gazebo that Josh bought for our anniversary. After the hard work (in record high temps) they made a delicious dinner and we played cards. It was nice to be able to hang out and have a good time with friends. Sunday morning G Ma flew home! We sure miss her!
So it has been emotionally and physically difficult around here! But if you look at the picture montage below you will see how we pull through! Thank you Makaila, Hannah, Samantha and Sandra for the smiles you bring to us!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

2009-06-16T11:27:00.000-07:00

I know I say this a lot but this last week has been so busy for us. After having the girls in the kiddie pool and them loving it, we decided to go bigger. We bought a 20 foot above ground pool. Josh and I absolutely love being in the water and want the girls to grow up around the water. Maybe next year we can get back in our boat and wake board again. Our friends Jose and Michelle came over with their two boys and helped us set up the pool. Thank you so much guys! It was a very hot day here and it was a lot of work. So after the first night of Josh, G Ma and I trying out the pool we headed to the ER. Yup, this time Maxine our dog had a very swollen face and was in a lot of pain. The belief is that she got bit by a snake. They tested her blood and she had no venom so luckily it was a dry snake. She is on pain meds, steroids and an anti inflammatory. She seems to be afraid of the backyard now. The poor girl!

Since we had a good time in the pool we decided to let the girls go for a swim the next night. We waited for shade to hit the pool so it meant that they had to stay up a little late. It was well worth it! They all loved it! Yes it is added work and they have to have a bath/rinse down after but to see their smiles while in the pool is worth all the extra work. Thankfully G Ma is still here and helped out our first time.

The girls’ new refrigerator/freezer died again. This is where all their bottles and frozen baby food is stored. I am not happy about it. Last time it took three weeks to get the repairs done. That is three weeks of hand making each bottle for each feed. I hope we get it fixed faster this time. This Friday I am having surgery again. Apparently, a rare percentage of people that have a cerclage (the sewing of my cervix that helped me carry the girls for 30 weeks and 1 day) can have medical issues. So the hope is that if I have it removed, my bladder will be fixed. Thank you Lynn for all your help, even in a last minute notice, during all of my appointments and surgeries.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Quick update on Mommy

2009-06-10T18:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had a surgery that included a cystoscopy, bladder extension and biopsy. The extension was to hopefully stop spasms for a while. Unfortunately, the doctor was only able to put in 200 cc (a very small amount). Even under anesthetic my bladder was in spams the whole time. The doctor talked to Josh while I was still asleep and told him he was going to wait for the biopsy report before he decides what to do next. He did put me on three anti spasm medicine and finally a pain reliever. With all four meds I am still in pain and having spasms. And now I feel medicated (drunk) and have to take long naps. I am very frustrated! My high risk ob recommended botox. I asked my Urologist and he said after the results of the biopsy he could refer me to someone who does that. I am frustrated and tired of the pain and no answers. The doctor was shocked that I was still in bladder spams while under and that he couldn't fill up my bladder. I feel that he FINALLY believes me about the spasms and maybe I will get some where now. I don't think he realized the extent before these last two tests. I am so glad that Josh's mom is here! But I feel so bad having to call on her. I know she loves being here but she has family and obligations in MO. So, I want results NOW! I have to wait a week for the biopsy results. Please continue to pray for us! Thank you!

Need Prayers, Overdue Update

2009-06-07T18:32:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I know it has been awhile since you have heard from us! I first want to say that the girls are all doing amazing. Yes, G Ma is back. We did not expect her until August when Josh will be out of town for work. However, things happen and we had to call on her. I have not been feeling well for awhile now. I have been to the ER and MANY doctors appointments. Long story short something is wrong. The main issue is my bladder which has been in severe spasms for over two months now. Last week other muscles started to spasm and I feel weak. The pain and weakness got to the point where I was afraid to be home during the day with the girls. I hope to get some answers soon as I had some tests done last week. But getting results and answers are sometimes difficult. I want answers yesterday so I can plan for the future. So please pray that we get answers fast and can deal with what is ahead. If there are any HOM moms that had a similar situation after delivery I would love to hear from you!

Alright, to the girls, which I know you all want to know. They are stinking adorable. They are great medicine for me right now. They started imitating us (esp. blowing raspberries), stealing toys and pacifiers from others and make noises for a reaction from us. It is hilarious. They enjoyed the kiddie pool. Heck they all just enjoy life. We are so fortunate; they are all such happy babies.

Last weekend we got brave, real brave. We took them to the Cheesecake Factory for brunch. We got there when they opened and left before it got super busy. They did so well that we took G Ma there today. We left them in their quad stroller and they just played and had a great time. It was so nice to get out of the house and not go to a doctors appointment or the grocery store. Plus, it had been a long time since Josh and I were out at the same time, together.

Support Our Troops

2009-05-25T12:41:00.001-07:00

We hope everyone had a fun and safe Memorial Day weekend! It is one of the special holidays in our house that we celebrate! Please continue to support our troops and don't forget our fallen heroes!

Click on picture below to view picture montage!

My Montage 5/25/09

Feeding Time!

2009-05-24T15:02:00.000-07:00

Sandra doesn't take many naps, but she found mom's pillow to be quite comfortable! She also wanted to rest up for her first meal at the new feeding table.

We celebrated our Memorial Day weekend by making baby food. It took a good portion of the weekend, but I think we have enough apples, avocados, bananas, carrots, green beans, pears, squash, and zucchini to last about a month.

We felt it was time to give the feeding table a try. The girls were really good sports, and the feeding was so much fun.

Next time, I want Bananas!

MMmmmmmm Green Beans with a side of thumb!

What, no dessert?

Can I have more please?

Maxine liked the feeding table most of all. MMmmmmm green beans with a side of toes!

Sorry we haven't posted in awhile, but we have been busy with doctors, doctors, baby food, doctors, finals, and doctors.

Samantha had cardiology and eye appointments this week. Currently, her blood pressure is high due to the pinching of her Aorta, but as of now the doctor's is not concerned. Everything else with her heart is 100% better. However, she is going to be continuously watched. During her eye appointment we found out that she has a history of R.O.P. The doctor saw her cross her eyes and said that she maybe nearsighted. He said that some crossing of the eyes is normal, and she needs to be evaluated when she is one year old.

Hannah and Samantha have each discovered new sounds! Hannah's is a window-shattering shriek! The crazy thing is that it doubles as both jubilation and a warning to oncoming hunger! Samantha's new noise is more difficult to describe. It sounds similar to a playing card in a bicycle spoke. She only makes it in the morning during her diaper change, but she thoroughly enjoys making it and so doe we! It is almost as cool as watching her pick up her pacifier and put in her mouth (another new development).

All of the girls have been on the fussy side this week, but with good reason. They are beginning to teethe! We can actually feel the bump in Hannah's mouth. Poor Makaila only really gets relief when you rub her gums with a pacifier or a teething ring. For the first time in nearly two months we were awakened by a baby crying. It has only happened once so far, but we do not expect that to last for long.

Josh got an A on each of his finals and is still maintaining a 4.0 GPA in his MBA program. He says he doesn't care what grade he gets, but the girls and I know better!

Mothers Day, Dedication, Visitors and Dr apts

2009-05-14T12:03:00.000-07:00

Daddy feeding Sandra

G Ma wondering how she can sneak Hannah into her Suitcase!

Uncle Don playing with the girls!

Aunt Joyce feeding Makaila!

Uncle Don feeding Hannah!

Sandra telling G Pa and Evan stories!

Evan babysitting all five girls! What a great cousin he is!

It was so nice to have three people feeding! For once we were not out numbered!

The girls Dedication!

So much to update. Where do I begin? Josh’s Mother’s Day gift to me was to go get family photos last Friday. The pictures turned out great. So, look for them in future posts. The girls got all their money together and got me a diamond and ruby necklace. It is beautiful just like my girls. Saturday night (rather Sunday morning; 3:30 am) family arrived! G Ma, G Pa, Aunt Joyce, Uncle Don, Kenny (Josh’s brother) and Evan (our nephew) drove down from Missouri. We were so excited to have family visit. On Sunday, we had the girls dedicated at church. It was a wonderful service and the girls did great. It was so nice to have family here to see the girls and help out with the feeds. The girls absolutely loved the extra attention. Maxine (our dog) had a great time too. She had more people to play with and extra crumbs off the floor.

There have been so many doctors’ appointments lately. All four girls went to the plastic surgeon for evaluations on the shape of their heads. The doctor wants to give them a couple more months before he decides on helmets. But right now Makaila and Sandra are the ones he felt might need them. Samantha he felt should change as she grows and starts to sit up more. He does want a second opinion on her arm (the IV burn). So, she will see another surgeon for that.

Samantha and Makaila went to see the eye doctor. Long story short; Samantha is going to go to a different doctor for a second opinion. You see; we are having a problem. Our insurance sends us to a general doctor and then we have to get an out of network referral to a pediatric doctor. Same thing happened for ENT for Makaila and Samantha. Samantha has not passed her hearing test on her left ear after 5 attempts. She is scheduled for surgery (to place tubes in her ear) on Tuesday because he THOUGHT he saw fluid. But he did not have the capability to do further testing if he does not find fluid and she would have to be referred to another doctor to have another sedation. I am putting my foot down and our primary pedi agrees with me. So she is being referred to a pediatric ENT.

This coming week Samantha has a cardiology surgeon appointment, physical therapy (for neck, shoulder and arm) and another eye appointment. So I am glad that we are canceling her surgery on Tuesday. I am still having medical issues and am having a procedure done on Thursday. So many appointments! Luckily, Josh is on a three week break from his MBA program right now.

Thank you all for a wonderful visit and the extra hands with the girls! We miss you all already! Come back soon!

I'm famous!

2009-05-08T10:48:00.000-07:00

Click link below!

http://news.cnnbcvideo.com/?nid=.IO5WWEKgkEFLVeajSugjzEwODgwODk0&referred_by=15792603-2hynfvx&p=moveon

Thank you Manana!

2009-05-06T11:34:00.000-07:00

Manana (my mom) hand made these totally cool chewing cloths. The girls have started really chewing on burp cloths and Manana thought the girls needed something better. These have teething rings attached. The girls absolutely love them! Thank you Manana!

Samantha wondering how much drool she can get on this one.

Hannah (L) won't let go of hers and Makaila kept grinning from ear to ear with hers!

Makaila settles in with her new chewy and her thumb!

This is what feeding time looks like at our house! Bottle time used to be so stressful, trying to get them to drink enough to gain weight and not fall asleep. Now you just sit back (or I fold laundry) while they eat.

Aren't little girls so much fun? They love to play with their dresses. We see a lot of belly buttons when they have this kind of dress on. Thank God it is warm here in Texas! Wow I just realized everyone here had socks on - a rarity these days!

Samantha pulling Sandra closer so she can play with her.

6 month well check appointment

2009-05-02T18:34:00.000-07:00

Who needs a new ottoman when Samantha can use Hannah for a foot rest?

This picture is only because I told Hannah and Makaila that if they didn't stop crying I was going to post the picture. I hold true to my words! (Sandra, Samantha, Hannah, Makaila)

Last Friday the girls had their six month well check appointments. Their current weights are Makaila – 13 lbs 6 ounces, Hannah – 13 pounds 5 ounces, Samantha 14 pounds 1 ounce and Sandra 10 pounds 15 ounces. The doctor is pleased with their growth. Sandra is actually allowed to switch to the big girl formula this week. Lately we have been using two different formulas, three different diaper sizes and two to three different sizes in clothes (depending on brand). So it will be nice to only deal with one formula.

Poor Samantha! I feel so bad for her! She has some concerns that need to be addressed. She is going to the ophthalmologist on Monday because she is showing sings of vision issues. She strains to see up close and immediately crosses her eyes. She sees the ENT on Wednesday for her final attempt to pass her hearing test (the doctor has put in for the referral to sedate and do thorough diagnostic testing). She is going back to the plastic surgeon now for the shape of her head. The doctor usually refers preemies at nine months but her head shape is to the point of changing her facial features. She will need to be sedated and have cat scans of her head to make sure everything is ok. But, she will need to be in a helmet to reshape her head. She tends to want to look to the left and has gotten tight neck and shoulder muscles so we have added stretching to her physical therapy appointments. She has specific swings and seats to encourage her to look to the right. She is such a happy baby I hate to see her go through so much. She has been having night fears (a form of sleep walking). She will (in her sleep) just start to scream not know where she is and act confused. I have to run upstairs gently stroke her face and whisper her through it. She does it four to five times per nap. Luckily, she rarely does it during the night. Oh and her blood pressure was up so I need to call the surgeon since her aorta is being pinched with her new heart jewelry.

To save a few trips I am going to bring Makaila to the ophthalmologist to have her ROP rechecked. And will have Makaila and Sandra’s shape of heads looked at too. So, many appointments ahead of us. We are going to be running this coming week. Monday – optho, Wednesday – OT and ENT, Thursday – PT, Friday – family portraits, Saturday – family arrives, Sunday – dedication. I have a feeling that it is going to be like this for a while. Wish us luck!

We got new floor mats for the downstairs since our entire downstairs is tile. The girls love it and get to play on the floor more. I just hope the dog and cats don’t destroy it. It is actually able to be vacuumed and mopped. I bought brown so it looks nice. We also ditched our end tables and coffee table and replaced them with three leather storage ottomans. Softer for when the girls land on them when they start learning to walk and I get to store blankets and toys in them. Yeah! I love them!

So what does a quad mom do when she feels not the best? Push through it and ignore the symptoms. Until, the ER is just not close enough. Apparently you can get a bladder infection from dehydration. I get so busy I forget to drink water. Until now that is! I ignored the pain for almost two weeks and just couldn't’t take it any more last night. So, after the night bottles I went to the ER. I feel better but not healed yet!

The girls go green!

2009-04-23T06:51:00.001-07:00

Yes, I know St. Patrick's Day is over. But we decided to go green! Since we are celebrating the Earth this week we wanted to make a change. No, I am not going to go out and plant 100 trees. Yes, I have done that in the past. We are no longer going to use our recycle bin as a storage bin. I used to say I don't have time to sort and recycle. Well, I started to think about what we use that could get recycled. I guess when you start to have children you think different. And a lot different if they come four at once. We are already frugal about our electricity and water. We have eco friendly appliances and toilets. I don't mind and in fact enjoy hand me down clothes so it is time to sort the trash and recycle.

Our pastor asked for a picture for Church since they are getting dedicated on Mother's Day. I thought this would be a good one. (Makaila, Hannah, Samantha, Sandra)

Empty now, full very soon!

The girls go green! (Makaila, Hannah, Samantha, Sandra)

2009-04-17T07:44:00.001-07:00

Sandra in her Jumero!

Samantha in the Jumero!

The four girls watching TV!

Makaila enjoying her tea time!

Happy happy Hannah

Charlene (my ultra sound tech) with Samantha

Dr. Palmer feeding Sandra!

Sandra has a special place in Dr. Palmers heart! She gave her many sleepless nights.

Last Friday, we had our first big outing as a family. Yes, it was to see a doctor, but it was to visit my high risk OB that delivered the girls. It was the first time the six of us were in one vehicle. It was so great to see Dr. Palmer and Charlene holding them. I will always remember what they did for us. Dr. Palmer is an excellent doctor and one I consider a friend!

Today is a day of many emotions! Today the girls turn six months old! I can't believe we as a family have made it this far! The girls are doing so good! Better than I thought they'd be six months ago. This morning Josh took G Ma to the airport! We are all very sad to see her go(including Maxine, Angus and Moo Moo). She is so great to have around. She is not only a huge help she is also positive about everything. We will miss her dearly! This just reminds me how hard it is to live far from any family members. Josh has five more years for his current commitment and also retirement. Don't get me wrong, we love our life in the military but look forward to settling down near family in the future.

G Ma we can never show you how appreciative we are of your hard work, support and especially your love for us and our girls! We look forward to spendingMother's Day with you!

Heart Jewerly

2009-04-15T09:45:00.000-07:00

Sweet Angel Samantha right after heart surgery.

Even in the Intensive Care Unit she lights up a room with her smiles!

Still sleepy from sugery, but she would not miss an episode of Sponge Bob.

I want to start by saying that Samantha is such a good girl and doing great. We are waiting to be discharged right now. She is such a strong girl and after everything she went through she never stopped smiling.

She had the first surgery of the day which made it easy for her since she didn't realize that she was fasting. We were told MANY times that she was stingy and didn't want to give up a vein. It took them an hour to find a good one. So, she is covered from head to toe with bruises from the many failed attempts. Of all the places, it finally worked in her left thumb (how weird is that). The sad thing is that the left thumb is her favorite to suck, and she was very frustrated by the inconvenience. Apparently, she didn't want to share her arteries either. So, they had to use arteries in both groins to conduct the surgery.

During surgery they did a test to see how bad her back flow of blood was. A normal blood flow is 1:1 ratio (half to the lungs and half to the rest of the body). Her ratio was greater than 4:1. They couldn't measure it further. The device (plug) was placed in the hole. However, it is not in a "perfect" place. It is pushed up against her aorta. It is causing a 4 mm indent. The doctors decided that removing and replacing would be to high a risk of damage and decided to leave it there. They took chest x rays and it was still in the same place.

She will continue to see the cardiology surgeon (while doubling with the cardiologist) for the next six months. She will need to continue being monitored by a cardiologist for the next several years. She needs to carry a card in her wallet (Coach purse) that talks about her new heart bling bling.

Even to the naked ear we can hear a difference. She has not been panting or sweating for her bottles any more. I am so glad that her tiny (yet big in spirit) heart is better.

She is doing great and we are ready to head home to see her sisters. Thank you for every one's prayers and support. Thank you Debbie, Zenda, Martha, Diedra, Sarah, Nancy, Lynne and the rest of the crew that made this happen smoothly. We all appreciate your help!

Heart sugery today

2009-04-14T02:56:00.001-07:00

Today is Samantha's heart surgery so everyone please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. We hope to be back home tomorrow. Josh's mom will be here with the help of a few very kind people. I will update as soon as we get home. We are all doing good! I have so great pics to post when we get back.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-09T13:33:00.000-07:00

Where are my ears?

Samantha is bigger than her sisters!

Sweet Sandra!

Silly Samantha!

Cute Hannah!

Precious Makaila!

Sandra found all the eggs!

Beautiful Samantha!

Yesterday I took Makaila to the new ENT doctor. After giving the doctor the history of Makaila's voice troubles, she decided to look at her vocal cords with a camera. Originally I was told that in order to do that she would need to be sedated. When, this doctor just had me hold her for the procedure. They put a camera through her nose to her larynx. Poor Makaila! It was awful seeing her go through it. The good news is that there is no vocal cord damage. There was irritation on the larynx and the doctor saw milk also. It had been 3 1/2 hours since she ate. Apparently, her reflux is still bad. The new belief is that the reflux is causing her lack of voice. I called the pediatrician today and she is now on more medicine to help with the reflux. She will go see ENT again in three months. Thank you Debbie and Lynne for watching the other three while we were gone.

On Monday the school district came out to visit Makaila since she was diagnosed with ROP. She passed all her vision tests with flying colors. However, due to her age she needs to be reevaluated in six months. Samantha continues to have physical therapy which she hates. It is hard for me to see her so upset on those days since she is usually the happiest of the bunch. Hannah and Sandra had occupational therapy this week and are doing great.

They are all growing and developing so much, it makes us proud! They are so much more alert and playful now. Makaila and Hannah are doing the best with spoon feeding. They are now actually opening their mouths in anticipation. Sandra is starting to get the idea and Samantha would prefer to skip it and get a bottle. We introduced the jumperoos this week and they were a big hit. Samantha is atually grabbing at the toys on it.

We hope everyone has a very Happy Easter!

A week of firsts

2009-04-02T06:39:00.000-07:00

Sisters being entertained; waiting for bath time.

They really enjoy being close together.

Hannah has been less fussy lately and her smile is beautiful!

Maxine loves to lay by the girls! I am constantly trying to stop her from licking them.

Samantha and Makaila watching TV. Usually there is a row of all four watching.

Makaila and Daddy studying finance. Good job Daddy on keeping up the great grades through all this craziness!

Daddy entertaining all four while Mommy makes bottles.

Alright, I know it has been a while since the last post. But believe it or not, we have been busy. So, we have a few updates. The girls are all doing awesome. It is so fun to see them change so much and do new things. Samantha actually is starting to pick up toys to play with. Sandra will play with one if you hand it to her. It is so cute! They are starting to acknowledge each other and give each other smiles.

We have changed our schedule a bit. But, lets mention a few firsts first. The girls started eating cereal from a spoon. Maybe I should say attempt rather than eat. Another first is that they are all drinking apple juice now. So the new additions changed our schedule and make for a very busy day.

7:30 am change and feed Sandra

7:45ish change and feed Makaila, Hannah and Samantha

8:30 swing time

9:15 floor time (tummy and back time)

10:00 apple juice for all four

10:15 change and feed Sandra

10:15 morning nap for girls, chores for mom

11:15 prevacid for Makaila and Hannah

11:30 Change all four

11:45 feed all four rice cereal

12:00 all four get bottles

12:30 play time

1:00 afternoon nap

2:00 feed and change Sandra

This time of day is when I get the most done (that is if everyone co operates). I blog, finish up dishes, grab a bite to eat, go potty and get ready for the rest of the day.

3:45 change and feed all four

After this feed they are awake and ready for action for the rest of the day. It takes everyone around to entertain them. This is also when we make bottles for the next 24 hours.

6:00 apple juice for all four

6:15 feed and change Sandra

If weather permits we go for a 30 minute walk at this time. Otherwise, you might see us acting a little silly entertaining the girls.

7:00 bath time

7:30 feed and change all four then to bed

quiet time for mommy and daddy. Usually involves catching up on our favorite TV shows. Thank you DVR!

10:30 feed and change all four.

They now sleep through the night until their next feeding at 8:00 am. It is so nice to be able to go to bed and stay there until the morning. We are very fortunate!

Remember two to three times a week (usually at 10:00) we have physical therapy, occupational therapy and any other visits for the girls at the house. This week we only had one doctors visit. It is impossible to keep their necks dry! They are constantly drooling. Hannah got an infection on her neck. So, during every diaper change Makaila, Hannah and Samantha also get either an ointment or powder on their necks. Just one more thing to do. Sandra has a long skinny neck so she does not seem to have a problem. We stopped Hannahs's Reglan for reflux and she seems to be doing great. Sandra has not rolled over any more. But they are all getting better at holding their heads up.

Samantha is still scheduled for the 14th for her PDA closure. And Makaila has an appointment next week for her vocal cord damage. The last ENT wanted to have her sedated and scoped but he didn't have the capability to do it. So, we are starting over with a different doctor. G Ma is still here and helping out. We all appreciate her! The girls just love their Grandma.

Happy Birthday Baby Bear!

2009-03-25T13:08:00.000-07:00

We are glad to announce the arrival of Baron Asher born last night. He weighed 7 pounds and 15 ounces. He was 21 inches long. The girls can't wait to meet and play with baby bear. Congrats Sara and Stanford for a healthy baby boy!

We have a roller!

2009-03-24T16:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was another busy day. I had to take Sandra to her last Synagis shot. However, it was over an hour away. It is great to know that the girls are finished with their RSV shots. After dropping Sandra back off at home and feeding the girls I had to leave again with Samantha to go to her plastic surgery appointment. The good news is that she no longer has to wear her silicone sleeve. Her arm is still healing and requires weekly physical therapy and daily massage. Her arm is very sore and she gets very upset for her massages. The doctor said that she will need plastic surgery when she is one to two years old to relieve the tissue that is so tight. Another good thing is that she does not have to go back for six months.

After a tiring day and a struggle with extreme highs and lows of my blood sugars, I needed a boost. And wouldn't you know it the girls pulled me through. One of the girls rolled over. She almost even did a 360 because she had so much momentum. So you ask who was the first to roll over! Little peanut Sandra! Yeah! You go girl!

Quad stroller has arrived

2009-03-21T09:14:00.000-07:00

Our quad stroller arrived yesterday. Josh was able to assemble it quickly so that we can take the girls for their first walk together in one stroller. They sure love their new ride. Maxine, the dog, really enjoys taking the girls for walks too. When we took the girls out before we used two double strollers that were covered in blankets. People in the neighborhood would say; "Aw, how cute twins!" We would not say anything and just smile! Now, it is obvious and we get the usual comments and questions. Again, we smile and just keep walking. You know, we don't want to stop and chit chat we want to keep our heart rates up.

Sandra, always so photogenic!

Hannah ready to a ride!

Makaila enjoys the new view!

Samantha; chillin' as always!

I have been very tired and having extreme headaches lately. I have just been chalking it up to being a mother of four adorable girls. Knowing that I had gestation diabetes and hadn't checked since delivery I wanted to check my blood sugar. To my surprise, I have been having high numbers. I am continuing to check throughout the weekend and will call my doctor Monday. I know Type II diabetes was a concern my high risk OB told me about after the pregnancy, but I didn't think this would happen to me. I will update after the appointment.

Surgery is scheduled

2009-03-19T06:49:00.000-07:00

Samantha had her cardiology appointment yesterday. After waiting over two hours to be taken to a room we saw the doctor. Any one who hears her heart pipes up with a "Wow"! Not all PDA's have to be surgically repaired. But Samantha's is wide open and causing the left side of the heart to over work and start to get enlarged. She also starts to pant and sweat and requires breaks during her bottles. The doctor showed me the different devices that will be used for the surgery. There are two main devices used to close a PDA; a spring and a plug. She will have the plug placed since her opening is wide open. I am still amazed that this will be placed through a groin vein and all the way to the heart through a catheter. They will put contrast on her heart to be able to see the rest of the heart. She also has a small hole in her upper part of her heart. The doctor said that 25% of the population has it and don't even know it. So, they are not concerned about it. The surgery is scheduled for April 14th and will last about three hours. She will be in the hospital for two days. She will be in a different hospital than Sandra was in for her surgery. Hopefully we will have better care. Through all of this Samantha still lights up the room with her big smiles.

Our 4 Lucky Charms

2009-03-17T07:08:00.000-07:00

We truly believe that we are lucky with the health and happiness in our family. We hope everyone has a Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Samantha needs heart surgery!

2009-03-13T16:33:00.000-07:00

G Ma feeding Makaila! Since G Ma has been here we have been hand feeding the girls. I know the girls appreciate the extra TLC!

Hannah or is it Makaila? ha ha Really, this is Hannah!

Sandra, had a brady! Or should I say the monitor alarmed a brady. Even though it did not appear to look like a brady we had to start a new month count down.

Makaila talking to G Ma about what she wants the Easter Bunny to bring her!

This is a common occurrence after the 4 pm feed. For some reason, they are all usually fussy between the 4 pm and 8 pm feedings. Yes, I eat dinner some how this way to.

Oh wait this is after a 8 am feeding. Hum! Another fussy time. Yup, that is a lap top behind me trying to respond to e-mails and update blogs. Can you say multi task?

This is a big milestone for our blog; 100th post. Can you believe that? Anyways, Wednesday was Samantha's cardiology appointment. G Ma and Nancy watched the other three girls so that I can take Samantha. The appointment started off with vital signs then an EKG which she giggled through followed by chest X-rays that she hated. She didn't like to be stretched for them but she recovered quickly. Then we got to see the doctor. Once she heard Samantha's heart mur mur she said it was at least a Grade III and needed a echo gram TODAY! We had to wait a while but she got it done. She had to lay still on a big bed for it and she did awesome! I think she is going to be a couch potato. She literally laid there and watched Sponge Bob Square Pants. I was so proud of her though.

She then saw the doctor again. Samantha still has her PDA open and it is huge and causing a back flow of her blood. She also has a small hole in the upper part of her heart but the doctor is not concerned about that one now. Samantha needs to have heart surgery to close the PDA. They will implant a spring into her heart. The good news is that they do not have to open her chest and will do it all through the vein in her groin through a catheter. The procedure will last three hours and she will be in the hospital for two days. She has an appointment Wednesday with the surgeon to schedule the surgery. I know she is strong and will do great but knowing she has to have a general anesthetic and heart surgery just scares me. Plus, it is so close in time to Sandra's surgery I just don't want to have to see another of my children sedated again. But we will get through this as a family like we did for Sandra.

Last weekend Babies R Us had a sale on formula so we bought 90 containers. Right now, one container lasts just under two days. But only three are on this formula and we are continually increasing the amounts. We are hoping it will last a few months though. Today I ordered their quadruplet stroller. It should be here by the end of next week. I am very excited that I will be able to take them all on a walk by myself if I want while Daddy is at work. Yeah!

We are all enjoying the girls smiling and giggling. We are having fun with G Ma. It is really nice to have the extra hands around. We hope everyone is doing good.

Welcome back G Ma

2009-03-06T07:48:00.000-08:00

G Ma arrived on Wednesday! It was so nice to have her back. The girls really missed her, including Maxine the dog. For those who have noticed Sandra not wearing her apnea monitor; she actually is but just unplugged. The only time her alarms go off now is when she wiggles and the wire gets loose. She technically is being monitored until March 25th but we like to unplug the wires more often now.

Since G ma has arrived we have been hand feeding the girls most of the time. The feedings go so much faster now. When Josh is at work we prop Samantha and hand feed Hannah and Makaila. Sandra is still on an every two hour schedule during the day.

Today was such a nice day Josh, Maxine and I took the girls for their first walk around the neighborhood. They really seemed to enjoy it. However, it took more time getting them ready and in the strollers then the walk itself. It was so nice to get out and get some fresh air though. As soon as the stroller got going, Hannah fell asleep. I told Josh that I was going to take her for walks after every feed. ha ha

Food glorious food!

2009-03-01T15:31:00.000-08:00

Josh and I have had dinners delivered to us for about a month and a half now. The meals have been so delicious and well thought out. We get a variety and many courses. We have never met these people before they so graciously bring us meals. Prior to the help we would either go without or if we were lucky we'd grab and run usually a boring sandwich. The meals help us out so much. I wanted to tell all of you; "Thank you from the bottom of our hearts".

We as usual have a busy week ahead of us. On Monday we have a nutritionist coming to the house, Tuesday the occupational therapist comes to work with Hannah and Thursday is Samantha's physical therapy. But, we are all looking forward to Wednesday. We are counting the days. G Ma (Josh's mom) will be returning. YEAH! It will be nice to have the extra hands here. Hannah and Makaila have been struggling with reflux and require being held a lot more now. With the extra help, I also plan to organize and Spring clean.

The girls are a lot more alert now and curious about their surroundings. They love their mobiles. We had the kind that came with their bedding and only ran for I think 30 seconds. Our hands were getting sore winding them up so this weekend I got them mobiles that last for 20 minutes by remote control. Woo hoo! The girls are also holding their head up more and more and smiling more often. Sandra is still eating every two hours during the day. They all sleep after the midnight feeding until the 8 am. That is such a huge relief.

One of the small things that I do to help get through the difficult days is to take one of the girls and Maxine (the dog) for a walk to the mailbox daily. I rotate (in birth order) so they all get an equal time out. I am in the hunt for a quadruplet stroller. I have in narrowed down to two options. Yes, there are a few out there. It will be so nice to be able to take all four out on walks together. I plan on ordering (whichever one I decide on) one next week.

Much Needed Visitors!

2009-02-22T17:17:00.000-08:00

Daddy and his girls!

Three generations; the girls with their Daddy and Grandpa1

Samantha welcoming Sandra home!

Giggely Samantha!

Happy Hannah!

These girls sure are cute but they are a handful!

The girls love their Grandpa!

After a very difficult week, we ended it on a high note. Josh's dad and Linda flew in to visit for the weekend. The extra hands were sure appreciated and much needed since Josh and I were physically and emotionally beat. The girls really enjoyed the visit with their Grandpa. It was so cute to see them all with him. Thank you Linda and Dad for all the help!

Friday the girls had their four month immunizations and well check. As always, we had a lot of questions. We really like our pediatrician. She is caring, full of info and very patient with us. Some great news came from the appointment. Hannah NO LONGER has a heart mur mur; which means her PDA has closed up. Makaila, Hannah and Samantha are growing like weeds so much that we were able to switch their formula. They are doing so good they are even close to the four month size graph (even though they are 2 months adjusted). Unfortuately Samantha still has her heart mur mur. The doctor said she doesn't think it sounds like a PDA and has referred her to a cardiologist for a repeat echocardiogram. Sandra, is well below the growth charts (even for a two month old). It didn't help that she lost weight in the hospital. She is still on the premmie formula. Our hope is that she will start to catch up now that she can enjoys her bottles. Oh by the way, the sugery she had shrank her stomach. She now has to eat at least every two hours. So, she is on her own schedule.

Hannah and Samantha were retested for their hearing tests. Hannah passed with no problems. Samantha still did not pass her left ear and will go back in May to retest AGAIN. Makaila's voice is still concerning. She is now going to be referred to another doctor with the possibility of doing a scope on her to see what sort of damage took place. Samantha now sees a physical therapist once a week for her arm. Luckily, he comes to the house for the visits. She absolutley hates her daily deep massages. We were told if she cried during her five inute massage we were doing it right. It is just awful to have to inflict pain on her daily. It makes Josh and I want to cry when we do it.

Good News, bad news, Great News, AWESOME NEWS!

2009-02-21T12:55:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone, it has been a long time since I (Josh) have joined the Blogosphere, but I am here now to give everyone this SPECIAL update. It has been a trying week to say the least, and many of you already know much of the story. However, I am going to tell it from the beginning (so to speak). It started February 1st when Sandra began to spit up, at least some portion of, every meal. Teri and I tried everything from burping her every ounce to having her sleep in her bouncy seat to minimize her spit up. IT DID NOT WORK! We began to think that she developed an allergy to her formula, and we called her doctor for advice. She showed immediate concern, and scheduled Sandra for an appointment later that week. I was able to take Friday the 13th as a telecommute day, so Teri could get Sandra some relief. I kissed them both goodbye that morning, and I did not see them again until the following Thursday! Sandra was admitted to the hospital that day with the fear that she had malrotation of the intestines and severe acid reflux. The good news is she did not end up having malrotation of the intestines because the surgery to correct that would require her to be opened up. Unfortunately, the bad news was that her acid reflux was severe enough that they had to perform an operation to cure it. The great news is that the surgery ended up being a success, but the bad news is that Sandra's medical care was malicious (for lack of a better term). She was not tended to properly! The excellent memories we had with this hospital has been tainted forever. I don't want to go into great length will all the issues that Teri and Sandra faced during the stay, but I will list a few things that went wrong. First, the doctors were never on the same page. For instance, Sandra was due to be discharged and treated as an outpatient on Saturday; she had her surgery on Monday without being discharged. Sandra's stomach was extremely bloated, had blood in her stool, and could not keep food down by ten thirty in the morning the day after surgery, but she wasn't seen by a doctor for it until six thirty that same evening. Even then, the doctor was rude and unhelpful. Thank God, Sandra is so strong and that her mother would not and did not leave her side during her visit.

Sandra after her surgery with her little swollen belly. She is home now feisty, hungry, and lately she is has become comfortable.

Teri and Sandra back home exhausted from their week long stint at the hospital. I missed them both terribly, and I am so happy they are here to help me take care of their sisters.

So, what were the other three girls up to while up to while Teri and Sandra were at the hospital. Well, let me tell you! They were absolute angels (now that I look back)! Makaila, Hannah, and Samantha all must have gotten together and decided to go easy on me while Mommy and Sandra were in the hospital. I must tell you, that several times during the week I didn't think I was going to be able to handle it, but the girls always pulled me through. Did they fuss and cry? Oh yeah! Did they require 242 diaper changes? You bet! Did they consume 500 ounces of formula? Yes they did (well at least 450 the other 50 was on the bibs, burp cloths, and me)! However, let me tell you what else they did. Samantha always met me with a smile and a giggle. Also, we were having issues with her wanting to eat, but she started eating so much that we actually had to start feeding her five ounces a meal (up from four). As a result, she gained half a pound while Sandra was in the hospital. Makaila, helped me out by starting to drink from a medium flow nipple, and her acid reflux remained under control. Hannah was on her best behavior for me. Normally, she throws about four temper tantrums per day, but while Mom was guiding Sandra through her terrible ordeal Hannah kept her tantrums to a minimum. She must of known that Dad needed her help. Another huge help the girls provided was that while Dad was teaching his class via virtual teleconference they played nicely on their swings and bouncy seats. Thanks again to the wonderful volunteers that watched over them while my class was in session. Above all else, the girls were so helpful by going to bed every night after their midnight meal and sleeping until seven or seven thirty the next morning (a trend that they have graciously continued). Thanks again for all your help girls!

On Valentine's Day, we thought Sandra was going to be released from the hospital to be treated as an outpatient. We were shocked, but at the same time happy Mommy and Sandra would be coming home. I decided to surprise both of them by dressing the girls in their Valentine's Day Outfits.

As you can see by the picture below, we were upset when we got the news that Mommy and Sandra was not going to be coming home! As Sandra was being discharged, surgery called and informed them that not only was she staying, but she was scheduled for surgery on Monday.

It is always nice to play dress up, but we sure did miss them!

Last week was quite a test for our family! I am proud to say that we got through it the same way we started, as a FAMILY!

Fussy or not, here I come!

2009-02-09T16:07:00.000-08:00

The last week or so the girls have kept us on our toes and testing how much we can take. We now have had three of the girls turn blue on us due to choking on their vomit/reflux. No matter how many times we have had to turn someone upside down and suction them it doesn't get easier. They have all been fussier and they are getting louder by the day. It's funny, I am getting used to the constant noise now. They are all requiring more attention and wanted to be held more.

Makaila's most recent habit is to suck on anything she can reach. We once caught her sucking on Samantha's cheek. Today she found her thumb and was latched onto that for awhile. She is still the least fussiest but loves to be held. She requires the least amount of help with bottle feeding. She now weighs 9 pounds 13.5 ounces.

Hannah misses her G-Ma and wants to be held 24/7. She loves to cuddle and snuggle. She lately has been wiggling in her bed until she gets on her side and then rests comfortably. She is most definitely the loudest. She also has such a sweet personality also. She now weighs 9 pounds 5 ounces.

Samantha has starting really noticing silly things Josh and I do. She loves it when I play silly games with her. She also likes it when I shake my short hair across her forehead. I don't know if she is laughing at the new do or if it tickles her face. She is one the babies who turned blue on us. Once she recovered, her injured arm stayed bluish purple for about half an hour. She had a plastic surgeon appointment today. I asked the doctor about her circulation. He said that her superficial veins were damaged but will connect on their own as she grows. So, the circulation may not be at its best right now. He was pleased with how the arm is healing with the silicone sleeve and will continue to watch it. Her next appointment is in six weeks. She now weighs 10 pounds 4 ounces.

Sandra, where should I start with her? She is going to make my hair turn grey. She is still having brady's, even during her sleep. So, she will be attached to a monitor for quite some more time. The new medications are not helping with her spitting up. In fact, she is worse. She now even is spitting up partially digested formula 3 1/2 hours after she eats. She goes through at least three outfits a day. She has an appointment to see the doctor. `She had her first ride in the swing and she enjoyed it. She also graduated to the same type of bottle the other three girls are using. That will make bottle making easier for us. Her bottles are smaller but not by her choice. She is still by far the most wildest and spunky. I still can't believe how strong she is. She still wears preemie clothes. She now weighs 7 pounds2.5 ounces.

Sandra and Samantha cheek to cheek.

Move over Sandra, your taking up half the bed.

I just loved this outfit on Samantha. She was dressed for her plastics appointment. She is not wearing her sleeve is this picture because I was giving her a break from it. Or was it I was too busy to put it back on after the appointment?

Hannah receiving much needed kisses from Daddy!

Special Bond

2009-02-06T07:50:00.000-08:00

This picture is so precious! I hope they are this close when they get older. The bond that these four girls share is something so special. But no one will understand the bond that Makaila and Hannah share.

Lesson Learned

2009-02-04T19:44:00.000-08:00

Hannah in her banana orange sherbet outfit - orange shirt yellow pants (Daddy dressed her).

Sandra's current bed. If we put her in her crib she chokes on her vomit. So, she spends most time in a bouncy seat.

As often as I put socks on these girls they fall off. But, I don't mind I love their cute little toes. Plus, we live in TX where it is warm.

Makaila loves the swing!

Samantha is a great pillow!

Sandra and Samantha chatting away! Sandra now gets to be on tummy time since the last couple times she hasn't had a brady. She enjoys tummy time with her sisters.

How can this possibly be comfortable?

No, this is not Gymboree, it is our Adult game room turned into a baby's dream room with all the fun things to play with.

I learned a big lesson today. If you are looking for a make over or just a major change in hair style don't go to a drive through. Alright, it wasn't a drive through but it might as well have been. Here comes a true story!

Some of you already know the beginning, so bare with me. When we first found out we were pregnant we were told we were expecting twins. When we went back for a follow up ultra sound we were informed of triplets. That night I told Josh (jokingly) "If I go back and they tell me quadruplets, I am going to the nearest barber shop and getting my head shaved." I have had long hair for a quite a while now. But not thinking quadruplets were ever a possibility that was what I planned. I figured if it were true I would never have time again to do my hair. Well, here we are 3 1/2 months into raising four girls. I have not had time to do my hair. I got tired of the silly pony tails and decided to get my hair cut. My hair has not been healthy due to the pregnancy and the pony tails were not helping.

So, today I went to get my hair cut. Now, I knew I was really taking a chance going to once of these quick, no appointment necessary places. But I figured, I'd take my chances. I knew that I wanted shoulder length and a hair style that didn't require a lot of maintenance. I wanted a "wash and go" style. As I was sitting waiting for my turn I saw a picture of exactly the cut I wanted on their wall. I thought to myself, they must have people ask for that cut often and they should be able to do it easily. Boy, was I wrong! Speaking of "boy", I look like a boy! ha ha I keep telling myself that it is just hair that it'll grow back. And it better as it is no where near my shoulders. The lady cut one side too short and fixed it by cutting more off both sides. I know, I don't get it either.

The girls are doing great and don't seem to mind my new do. I took Makaila and Samantha to the doctor to day for their RSV shots. Makaila gained one pound and Samantha 1 1/4 pounds in the last month. I went to the doctor today and my biopsies were negative. I have stomach lining damage (ulcerated areas) due to the reflux during pregnancy and IBS. I was put on a new medication to help with the pain.

It was been fun to see the girls growing up lately. They are starting to hold their heads up and straight, not for long but they are doing it. If Sandra is upset and we enter the room her whole face lights up and she gets excited. I have seen Samantha smile so big it was a giggle. She enjoys Daddy playing with her button nose. Sandra has been very colic lately, spitting up after every meal and at least half of it so we started her on a new medicine today. I hope it helps. Sandra and Hannah are on two different meds that they take four times a day but 30 minutes prior to a feeding. It makes it difficult. First we have to wake up during the night earlier to give it to them. And secondly, if they are resting, we have to wake them up and then they remember they are hungry and will cry for that 30 minutes until they can eat.

We are all doing great! 54 more days of RSV lock down. Not that we will be going very many places once April 1 st comes along. But, it won't be a scare if we had to. I do know that neighborhood walks will be had and Daddy is going to take the girls running starting in April. I can't wait. Maxine has a fan club so I know the girls will get one too. Hope everyone is doing good and are healthy.

Sandra does not look good in BLUE!

2009-01-30T19:42:00.000-08:00

SHHH you have two more hours until dinner!

By the end othe waiting for dinner time, I needed a pacifier!

I'll hold yours, you hold mine!

Today Sandra gave us a huge scare. While Josh and I were down stairs chatting away we heard the monitor alarms go off. No matter what we are doing we stop and run as fast as we can to get to her. We have had false alarms but you never know unless you check on her. Luckily, we took the alarms serious, like always. Sandra was blue and choking on her vomit. She refluxed so bad, it was coming out her nose and mouth causing her to be unable to breathe. Josh starting suctioning her and I was undressing her and trying to stimulate. It was a long several minutes but she started breathing regularly again. Thank God she had her monitor on or we would never have known.

That happened around 6:00 pm. The commotion must have stirred the rest of the girls because until their next feed they were all extremely mad and kept me and Josh on our toes. Nothing worked; bouncy seat, swing, tummy time, laying on their backs holding them or even rocking them. We each had to hold two pacifiers in their mouths and wait until it was time to feed them again.

Well, today was Josh's Birthday. He wanted a double jogging stroller (they don't make a quadruplet one) and mushroom burger for dinner. With help from his mom and dad he got the stroller. I had the hamburger thawed but with the commotion going on with the girls I never got to make it. We ordered his next choice, PIZZA and Buffalo wings. We slammed it down during the 8:00 feed in between burping the girls.

On our own!

2009-01-28T13:01:00.000-08:00

Makaila resting peacefully!

Superbowl dosen't start 'til Sunday Honey!

Slumber Party!

Resting up for play time!

Sandra just loves her swimming fishies!

Hannah enjoys her bouncy seat!

Sandra props with a giraffe toy!

Samantha enjoying her dinner!

Makaila and Hannah devour their dinner!

When we found out that Debbie may have to fly home, I asked for outside help. A very sweet and generous lady became our orgainizer and help was on it's way. We had volunteers for two to three of the feedings a day. We met many ladies that were all so kind and willing to help our family. On Sunday, the day Debbie left, Hannah woke up congested. Monday, Makaila and Samantha started followed by Sandra. No not agian! It was absolute horrible for the girls and us the last time they were sick. So, I decided to buck up and go in total RSV lock down, no more volunteers or visitors until April 1st. We are still receiving dinners every other night which is a HUGE stress reliever.

I am managing so much better than I thought I would. The dishes are actually clean, laundry done and I even vacuumed the up stairs today. Granted I have to stop ten times during a chore because one of the girls is fussy but I am getting it done. However, the Christmas tree is still up. I am hoping that Josh and I can get it down this weekend. I am very busy and at times hectic but who said being a quad mom was easy. During the feeds if someone is causing more challenges than necessary (usually Samantha latley) instead of stressing about it, I pick them up and give them hugs and kisses. I also think about how fortuneate we are with our four beautiful girls. I think about the less fortuneate moms and it gets me through the rough patches.

I find myself doing something I never thought I do. I smell so many butts a day it is crazy. You see the girls get a new diaper before every feed and if they poop. Well, they all have gas, so if I smell something I check by smelling butts. If it disapates, it was gas if it lingers they need a diaper change. Another thing I find myself doing is that I can not sit in a rocking chair without rocking now. I actually try not to rock and I still do.

2009-01-24T13:36:00.000-08:00

Today, I decided to try to feed all four girls by myself at the noon feeding just to see if I can do it. To be honest, I felt that if I could do that feeding, I could do any of them. Three babies get medicine before that feed and one of them gets two meds. So, it definitely takes more time and patience. I was able to do it, and I still have all of my hair. After a while, I may have a permanent circle on my cheek from holding someones bottle with my face so I can use my hands. We did start to prop Sandra for partial of her bottles. She is doing much better at pacing herself. But I have to watch her ever so close because she did have a brady while being hand fed just yesterday.

Right after I decided to give the feed a try Debbie decided to fly home to be with her mother. So, I am glad that I am able to do it alone. I am glad that Debbie is flying home to be with Grandma but the girls will miss her. Debbie does plan to come back once things have settled down in Missouri and will return with Stan. I know that since I was able to feed that Josh will be able to also. I think he will attempt it tomorrow. We are going to have to prioritize our doctors visits for now. My goal is to have Josh and I rotate the night feedings so that the other can sleep some. He will also have to take a shift of watching them when he gets home from work so that I can do necessities like shower. ha ha Between 8 am and noon it is crazy here. The girls reflux is at it's worst and there is allot of screaming and they need constant care. It is not unusual for me to be trying to console three at once.

The girls are growing and doing great! Their new weights are:
Makaila - 8 lbs 5.5 oz
Hannah - 8 lbs 1 oz
Samantha - 9 lbs 4 oz
Sandra - 6 lbs 3 oz

If I go a little longer than normal without a post, know that we are doing good just extremely busy. Please to continue to keep Josh's grandma and family in your thoughts and prayers.

2009-01-24T07:15:00.000-08:00

Thanks to outside help, Josh's mom still being here and a fellow local busy quad mom, I was able to go for my testing yesterday. Thank you all! I survived and it went fairly easy. But, I was exhausted and nauses most of the day. I was not allowed go up and down stairs or carry a baby all day. The girls are upstairs so I had Josh assist me up and I stayed there the whole day. I wanted to be close to my babies. I wasn't able to do much with them until the 8:00 pm feedng though. I missed then so much and I was near them. The doctor told Josh that it showed acid reflux and he did two biopsies. I am confused! I have not had reflux since pregnancy. So, now my questions are; is it let over damage, where and what did he biopsy (stomach or esophagus), how long will the severe pain last and why did he put me on the same medicine that didn't work before? Monday I have to call to make a follow up appointment.

Josh took Samantha to pick up her new burn sleeve. I guess it was a lot further away then we were told and Samantha didn't like the long car ride. The sleeve did not fit and she got upset with them trying to shoove it on. So, all in all, it was two whole days wasted and an upset baby for no reason. Her next appointment with the plastic surgeon is on the 9th where I will get extra silicone and wraps and just use the interem one for the six month time frame.

2009-01-22T12:47:00.000-08:00

Josh's Grandma (Debbie's mom) is in ICU with pnemonia, a viral infection and possibly congestive heart failure on a ventilator. Her blood pressure dropped to 50/30. I was trying to get Debbie to fly home but she won't, because she knows how hectic it is, even with her here. The doctors said to contact family members that she was not doing good. Well, a couple days ago our pastor called and asked if we needed help. Not knowing, if Debbie had to fly home or not, I said yes. It is crazy the amount of people that are litterly begging to help. We will have people here for the Noon and 4 pm and sometimes 8 pm. They are starting to bring dinners for us and are going to start to help with chores around the house. Maybe even take down our Christmas tree. ha ha We are lucky to have a very sweet lady coordinate so we do not have to handle all the phone calls or scheduling. She said she has gotten about 70 e-mails and her phone hasn't stopped ringing. I am torn about it all. First, we are over whelmed by all the support and kind people willing to help. But, the reason I didn't want outside help is because of the risk of more germs being brought into the girls fragile lungs during RSV season. But, it is looking like Debbie needs to fly home and we have help lined up and going. I am getting IV sedated tomorrow and swallowing a scope with a camera. The new idea is that I have stomach ulcers. Hannah's reflux is horrible. She is on Reglan and Previcid and still in a lot of pain. She is referred to GI also. Alright, it has taken me several hours to write this, I have four fussies. Please pray for Josh's Grandma and family!

Playing Catch Up!

2009-01-20T11:29:00.000-08:00

First, let me catch you up on their last doctors visit. Remember Sandra had to go seven days without a brady in the hospital? When, now she has to have two months free of brady's on the monitor. YUK! I am already tired of the monitor. I am tired of seeing it in pictures, carrying it around, trying to stretch the cords as far as they go, hearing false alarms and just seeing her having to wear it. But I guess it is a good thing she still has it. She had a sleeping brady this morning. If she had waited 5 seconds, I would have been waking her up for a bottle. Luckily, it was a quick brady and she came back on her own. Sandra and Hannah are now both on reflux medicine. The doctor said it will not stop the reflux, it will just happen with a smile now. Apparently Sandra listened and Hannah didn't. Sandra is dealing with it much nicer. But Hannah still screams through hers. The poor girl!

The girls are all gaining good weight. I let the doctor know that we will continue to weigh at home and that it was too hard to bring them all in every two weeks. She was fine with us monitoring their weights at home. Yeah! Sandra and Hannah had their RSV shots this week. I must have tightened Sandra's car seat bed in too tight because we now can't get it out of the car. Josh and I are going to do our own car seat test on the 29th. If she passes, we will put her in a big girl car seat on the 30th to her next appointment.

I had my GI appointment yesterday since I am still having stomach pains. I will be having a EGD (scope down the throat to examine the digestive system) this Friday morning. Unfortunately, I have to be IV sedated and can't bring myself home. I am trying to find someone to come over that morning since we will miss the 8 am feeding. Wish me luck!

I feel like we are constantly playing catch up! Will I ever feel ahead of the game again? I doubt it! So, yes our Christmas tree is still up. Angus (the cat) loves it and the ornaments. And Maxine (the dog) loves to chase the cats under it. Heck, if I leave it up, it'll be one less thing to do next Christmas when the kiddos are mobile. Hum, I way to feel caught up. ha ha

S0, today G Ma and I played dress up with the girls. They had gotten some cute Christmas outfits that they had to wear. Yes, today the day that we welcome a new president, my girls are getting Christmas pictures taken. Well, we decided not to stop there. We actually got their Halloween costumes out and shoved them in. I do mean shove, they were preemie outfits. The hats all made rings around their heads. That is why all four have their pacifiers in their mouths in that picture, they weren't happy about the second round of dress up, 2 1/2 months late.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures as much as we do!

2009-01-15T15:21:00.000-08:00

Sandra and Hannah are really struggling with reflux. They have to sit up and be close to us so that we can constantly clean up spit up. So, we bring them downstairs and put them on bouncy seats in a crib. I felt bad that Samantha hadn't been down with us in a while so I brought her down for a visit.

Sandra on reflux watch!

Maxine loves her sisters. She is so gentle with them. She sometimes beats us upstairs if one is crying.

And Josh wonders why he has so much cat hair on his clothes!

Too Cute!

2009-01-13T15:06:00.000-08:00

This picture is so adorable I had to post it. Sandra has reflux so bad that she has never been able to lay flat. So, Josh came up with the idea of laying her on Samantha. It worked out great and the girls enjoyed it. Makaila and Hannah had a lot to catch up on and enjoyed each others company.

Brief Update!

2009-01-13T07:56:00.000-08:00

A week of yet more appointments. Yesterday (Monday) Samantha had a plastic surgery appointment. The doctor is pleased with how her arm is healing and wants to see her again in a month. If he is pleased at that appointment, he'll see her in six months. Today Maxine has an appointment at the vet for her yearly vaccinations. Tomorrow, we will take all four girls to the pediatrician. We are having to take two cars because Sandra's car seat bed takes up two seats. Friday, Josh has a dentist appointment and the girls have an ECI (Early Childhood Intervention) evaluation here at the house. ECI will follow the girls and help with developmental needs. Since they were 10 weeks premature barbies usually don't catch up until two years of age.

Makaila is the most laid back and fusses the least. She is growing fast and trying to catch up with Samantha. She enjoys the swing and isn't bothered when her sisters are laying on her. Hannah is the hardest to burp. She loves to be rocked by her G-Ma. She struggles with reflux and is one of the fussy ones. She hates a dirty diaper and boy does she tell you about it. Samantha is a SOLID baby. She is the longest, thickest and heaviest. She is ready for the defensive line for the 49er's. She is laid back but when she has a burp she grunts. Sandra reminds me of a glass china doll. She is so petite and looks fragile. But looks can be deceiving. She is a wild woman! She rarely stays where we lay her in her crib, she wiggles down off her positioner. She loves her bouncy seat and at 6:30 pm every night requires to be rocked by mommy.

I have been what do you call it, I forget; oh yeah sleeping in the nursery. Or should I say laying down in there. Well, last night I was beyond tired. I dreamt that I was driving and had to pull over because Sandra had a brady. Just then, I opened my eyes and saw Josh running in the room and heard the alarms. Luckily, Josh woke up and also she did come back on her own. After that I was awake! She then had a really difficult time with reflux. I hope that the doctor tomorrow has some advise for her because the medicine doesn't help as much as I want it to.

Settling in nicely!

2009-01-10T10:50:00.000-08:00

Wow! These girls continue to amaze me! I was so worried about the new schedule. It was difficult (but not impossible) with the four hour feedings with three girls. So, I was petrfied to add an additional three hour feeding for Sandra. In the hospital the nurses would feed Sandra early because she would scream so badly. But she must just actually wanted to come home with her sisters. She was still asleep when it was time for her to eat. So, we stretched it out and she put herself on a four hour schedule. It all happened so fast that I am still in shock! Thank you Sandra! She also has not had a sleeping brady since she has been home. She still does have her spit ups but we continue her on her reflux medicine three times a day. Hannah is getting better with her prop feeding each day. So far, one of us will feed Sandra (who still is fed by hand). While the other feed the other three girls by prop in their cribs. When Sandra is finished then that person will help finish with the propping. So far it is working out. Luckily, Josh's parents are here to help out where needed. Deb has been a great help around the house, feeding us and helping with the girls. We are so furtunate to have such great help. Stan leaves tomorrow and the girls will be sad to see their G-Pa go. Alright, here are a couple picture you all have been waiting for.

A true gift; holding all four at once! left to right; Sandra, Samantha, mommy, Hannah, Makaila

Sandra-AKA Peanut. She is wearing preemie shorts which are too big for her!

I love these blankets. A co worker of my sisters made these for us. Thank you!

Samantha AKA LT (little Teri)

Hannah AKA Banana because she goes bananas

Makaila AKA Messy Makaila because she wears more of her food than she eats!

Sandra is home!

2009-01-09T19:38:00.001-08:00

Sandra was on a 7 day count down to come home. She was to go 7 days without any brady's (mainly sleeping brady's). I called last night (day two) to check on her and she had had a brady. I called this morning and she failed her car seat test due to having a brady. I literally threw the phone down I was so upset. An hour later her doctor called and said she was sending Sandra home TODAY but with an apnea monitor and a special car seat where she lays down instead of sits up. This time I threw the phone in pure excitement. Josh told me not to wonder why the phone doesn't work in a couple days. ha ha She had her development test today and she passed with flying colors. She is amazing! Do not under estimate her because of her size. The therapist said she is very strong and she is. We are on a crazy schedule right now. Sandra eats every three hours while the other girls eat every four hours. So feeding schedules are: 12, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 12. We are going to try to get Sandra to a four hour feeding but we have to do it very gradually since she has reflux and full bellies can cause her bradys. Her alarm already went off today while I was feeding her. But, I knew it was coming. So, I was stimulating her before the alarm even went off. We put our futon in the nursery where I will lay down and try to rest. The apnea monitor will alarm for high and low respitory and ligh and low heart rates. If she goes 20 seconds without a breathe it will sound. So, they recommend getting her to breathe within 10 seconds of the alarm. Today I did something that I have been waiting for since May 2008. I held all four girls at once. It was truly amazing! I loved it and plan to do it more often! I promise of pictures tomorrow (that is in between feeding).

This week was very busy with doctor appointments. Makaila passed her hearing test and the doctor wants to recheck her vocal cords in six months. He said that being on the vent she could have gotten nodules. They can go away on their own. Hannah and Samantha did not pass their hearing test. They did have normal readings on their ear drums though and will be retested in six weeks. Samantha got fitted for a silicone sleeve that will take a week to make. But they did give her an interem sleeve to wear until then. The girls still have their colds but tend to be doing a little better.

2009-01-04T12:48:00.000-08:00

Adorable Makaila

This picture of Josh does have a story. We have found that you need three C's in raising multiples; communication, comprimise (with each other not with the babies) and comedy. Josh had shaved have his beard as a joke. But, after several hours he got frustrated because I didn't even notice and stuck his face in mine. So, I had to take a picture! I am not sure what is more funny; my oblivious mind or his hair style!

Three of our favorite four!

Sandra update!

2009-01-03T07:52:00.000-08:00

Sandra had a sleeping brady last night. She had two during the day; one in a bouncy seat and one while pooping but the doctor wasn't concerned about those episodes. But when she does it during sleep it causes a lot of concern. Sandra has been eating three ounces every three hours. That is more than the girls at home eat. And remember Sandra only weighs 4 pounds 14 ounces. The doctor said she is eating three times what her size baby should eat. She actually compared her to a truck driver. The new belief is that she is over eating causing reflux. Imagine how many of you felt after Thanksgiving dinner. Sandra is doing that every three hours. So, they are going to limit her (at the higher end since she loves her bottle). But she starts a seven day count down yet agian. I am so frustrated and sad. I am tired of the NICU and want my baby home. I hope and pray that this finally is the answer.

This coming week is a very busy one with lots of doctor appointments...

Monday - my ultra sound of my stomach
Tuesday - Makaila, Hannah and Samantha see the ENT for hearing test and vocal cord exam
Wednesday - Makaila and Samantha Synigis shots (to help prevent RSV; which they have)
Thursday - Samantha gets fitted for a silicone sleeve at plastic surgery for her arm

Luckily help is literally on it's way. Josh's mom and dad are on their way. Stan will stay for 9 days while his mom for at least a month. Josh goes back to work on the 15th. Our goal was to have me able to take care of all four without any help during the day by then. Kinda difficult when they aren't all home. My New Year's Resolution is to survive and do it with a smile. I am managing so far but the smile aspect will be easier when all my babies are under one roof.

My plan was to wait on pictures until Sandra was home, since the girls home are sick and I wanted pictures with all four together. But I know you all can't wait that long. So, we will work on that this weekend.

Stop the Snot

2009-01-02T07:53:00.000-08:00

I have seen enough snot this week to last a life time. Makaila, Hannah, Samantha and I all have the flu. Not a big deal for me being an adult. Except for the fact, that it is annoying and I am just plain tired from it. However, the girls are a completely different story. Remember, just taking a bottle is like running a marathon for them. Friday night I was actually scared because literally two minutes after bulb syringing their little noses they were full of snot again and struggling to breathe. I laid down at 5:30 am, when Josh took over, and was at it again at 7:30. We talked to the neonatologist about them. She said that babies are usually admitted into the hospital between days 3 and 5 of having symptoms. She also said not to lay them down and keep them elevated by putting them in a swing and increase their formula to prevent dehydration. Makaila was already a little dehydrated from losing so much secretion from her nose. Today is day 5 for Hannah, day 3 for Makaila and day 2 for Samantha. So we are not out of the woods yet. I think staying awake the other day, I got worse. So, last night after the 8:00 feeding I laid down to sleep (elevated but not in a swing). I woke up to Hannah screaming (not really unusual for her). I asked Josh if he needed help and he said no he just finished the Midnight feeding. I can't believe I slept that long (a whole 4 hours). Since the girls can't be left unattended in their swings, he gathered pillows and a blanket to lay by them. I went back to sleep and was ready again for the 4:00 am feedings. I am feeling better but Josh is exhausted.

I am sad to say that in 11 weeks of the NICU, yesterday was the first day that neither of us visited Sandra. I was heart broken and called often to check on her. The doctor said she would not hold it against us if we didn't visit, but if we did visit we need to wash our hands often. However, the three girls that are home require both mine and Josh's attention right now. Friday Sandra had n MRI of her brain. They did this because she is a micro preemie (under 1000 grams) of 785 grams birth weight. Her brain is of normal size and development. They did see some brain signals that may or may not be a reason for concern since she is developmentally the same as her sisters. It will be something that we watch (as a lot of things are with preemies). If at 6 to 9 months of age she is further behind her sisters, they will redo her MRI. I think she is begging to come home. She has not had a Brady in a while; not even an eating Brady. So, we are still on track to bring her home early next week. They are talking about adding a thickener to her food so that she will drink it slower. This is to prevent over exerting herself which could lead to a Brady.

Our friends Jonathan and Kerianne visited yesterday and brought us a much needed lunch. It was great to see them, and for them to have the opportunity to visit with the girls. We wish them all the best, but we miss them already because they have been such great friends and so helpful to our family.

Promise of pictures once Sandra is home!

Our crazy life but we love it!

2008-12-29T17:22:00.000-08:00

What was on the Duggans agenda today?

11:45 pm change 3 FULL diapers and feed 3 hungry babies
12:45 am lay down to bed
1:00 to 3:45 am check on Hannah since she is crying. all she needed was her mommy to walk around and rock her
3:45 am change diapers and feed
4:45 am lay down to bed
5:00 to 6:30 am check on Hannah; she is still fussy, she really likes mommy to walk her around
6:30 to 7:45 am finally got some sleep
7:45 am change diapers, feed babies
8:45 am Josh worked from home while Teri had tummy time, did dishes, showered and call 7 doctor offices
11:30 am change diapers, feed babies and change their clothes then get them in their car seats
12:30 pm leave for pediatrician apt
1:15 pm arrive at pediatrician
2:30 leave pediatrician office
3:00 pick up a quick bite to eat
3:30 Teri has a doctor's appointment (stomach problem; either stomach lining damage or gall bladder both caused from pregnancy) while Josh fed babies in the car
5:30 pm got babies home, changed diapers and put them to bed (can I go to bed? Nope, chores to be done!)
5:30 pm make bottles for the next 24 hours, laundry, trash night, dishes and tidy up
7:30 pm Samantha's bath time
7:45 pm change diapers and feed
8:45 Josh leaves to go visit Sandra while Teri finishes up with babies and chores
11:45 pm Josh gets home and we start all over again

So, as you can see we are constantly on the go and very busy. We take turns visiting Sandra. The girls did great at their doctors visit. Hannah got two immunizations. One was oral and the nurse said that she was the first to actually like it and ask for more. However, she didn't like her shot. Josh and I have been worried about Makaila's voice. It is very raspy, deep and sometimes soundless. Since she was on the ventilator the longest she has a greater chance of vocal cord damage. The doctor has referred her to an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor to be evaluated. We are to bring in the girls every two weeks for weight checks. Their current weights are: Makaila - 6 lbs 12 ozs, Hannah - 6 lbs 12 ozs (can you say identical?) Samantha 7 lbs 4 ozs and Sandra - 4 lbs 8 ozs. Hannah is again VERY congested and constantly needs to be bulb syringed. I actually think it is worse then before. The doctor seems to think it is from reflux. With that and a sore bottom from a diaper rash I can understand why she is fussy. She is fussy right now so I have to go check on her.

Quick Update!

2008-12-28T12:07:00.000-08:00

Most of you are probably wondering how it is having 3 babies home. It is great! I can't wait for the 4th to come home. Hannah seems to be fussier than Makaila and Samantha as we thought. She fusses for anything; diaper changes, during her bottle, after her bottle, before her bottle, bath time, tummy time alright you got the idea. She also takes more patience and energy to feed. She get 3 ounces but usually takes one ounce good and the other two are a struggle. But we learned if she tells she is finished at the end of two to make her eat the third. Otherwise, she is screaming at the top of her lungs two hours later. Luckily, she doesn't wake up Makaila and Samantha. For this reason, it takes both Josh and I to feed at all feedings. One of us props and one of us holds Hannah. Josh has a cold and is having to wear a mask. We fear the girls getting sick. Such a small thing could put them back in the hospital.

Sandra still seems to be having a sleeping brady a day. Which is better than she was having but it is the ones during sleep that concerns everyone. So, she will not be coming home in 2008. Yesterday, she through such a temper before a feeding that she scratched the whole right side of her face. Apparently, nurses are not allowed to trim their nails and don't even have nail clippers so I had to bite each one off so she doesn't do it again. Today the doctor switched her from the 24 calorie formula to the 22 calorie (the one she'll come home on). She is also allowed to eat as much as she wants. I am sure she was ecstatic to hear that! I don't think she has felt a full belly in a while.

Life is busy and a little hectic sometimes. But to be honest with you I thought it would be a lot worse. I think it is going smoothly because Josh and I are a perfect team. We communicate and include a lot of humor in the stress of it all. We can't wait to have Sandra home to go from a full house to a full home!

Welcome Home Hannah, My Due Date, Merry Chritstmas

2008-12-25T15:29:00.000-08:00

Sweet Sandra

Who does this baby look like?

Makaila, Hannah and Samantha reunite. Is Hannah telling Samantha secrets?

3 Divas and their Christmas teddy bears. Thank you Sandy and Donald!

"How the Grinch Stole Christmas was Mommy and Daddy's first date 8 years ago!

I think Makaila slept through her first Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all! Today was my official due date. And it was nice to celebrate it by bringing Hannah home. I was sad to leave little Sandra at the hospital by herself though. Once we had Hannah settled in, it was time to get them dressed in their Christmas dresses and head over to our neighbors for dinner. Let me tell you it takes more time to get 3 fed, diaper changed and dressed. I am glad they looked adorable to keep the attention off of me since I was in jeans and a t shirt and hair in a pony tail. Dinner was delicious; thank you Katherine and Steven for a wonderful Christmas dinner. The girls behaved themselves. But right after dinner, it was time to come home and feed the girls again. One of us feeds Hannah while the other prop feeds Makaila and Samantha. After 4:00 pm feedings we get bottles ready for the next day. That also takes longer now with three babies, figuring out the water powder ratio. Plus, right now Hannah uses a different bottle since she is not ready for a big girl nipple. Once we get this pattern down we'll bring Sandra home and it'll all change again. I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas as Josh and I had our best one ever with three of our girls home.

Not enough words to say thank you!

2008-12-24T19:09:00.000-08:00

Today was yet another day of up and down emotions. Where do I start? How about 4:00 am! That is what time Auntie Debbie and Daddy woke up to feed and then it was off to the airport. Auntie Debbie left this morning after being here for 5 weeks. Josh and I will never be able to repay her for what she has done for our family. Being here (away from her family); helping us means so much to us. NICU experience is very stressful and we had it 4 times stressful because we had 4 babies there. Debbie helped me out personally with her just being supportive and always someone I could share the ups and downs of the NICU because she was there to go through it with us. She also helped out around the house a lot. She never let a dirty dish sit in the sink and was on top of the laundry for us. She was always willing to help with the feedings (in the hospital and at home) because she wanted to be with the girls as much as possible. She even did the midnight feedings by herself. These girls are very fortunate to have such a great Aunt and I am so happy to call her my sister.

So, we were all sad to see Debbie leave. But while Josh was visiting Hannah and Sandra he met with their doctor. We got some of the best news ever! I am so excited and filled with emotion as I type that my eyes tear up thinking about it. Sandra will be coming home either Monday or Wednesday next week. Yup, next week! I get emotional when it comes to Sandra making big milestones because she is the one that we were told we would lose. And now they are sending her home next week.

I wanted to call someone and tell them the news as I was so excited! I called Josh's mom. After sharing the news she told me that she had a medical concern and will not be able to visit until Jan 7th. We will keep her in our prayers and hope things are ok. But this means that we are on our own until then. I know that Josh and I can do it but it will be rough. It will definitely take both of us to do all feedings since Hannah and Sandra aren't ready to be prop fed. Sandra will be coming home on an apnea monitor as she still has some episodes. The hospital has changed Hannah to 4 hour feedings but I am not sure Sandra is ready for that yet. Should be interesting! We will be taking Hannah, Makaila and Samantha to the pediatrician on Monday. The real test is when I take them to their hearing exams while Josh stays home with Sandra. Two arms and three infant car seats. hmmmm! So, if we go without a post for a few days you'll know why!

Tomorrow, I am picking up Hannah! What a great way to spend Christmas (my due date). I am so excited! The doctor and the case worker did all the paperwork today since they know I am anxious and will be there early in the morning. Speaking of Christmas, Hannah and Sandra got their picture taken with Santa yesterday. They are so cute! Speaking of cute, we are listening to our household chipmunk (Samantha has the hi cups) on the baby monitor.

Hannah and Sandra Update

2008-12-20T07:13:00.000-08:00

Several things to notice in this video...

1. Hannah and Sandra in the same crib!

2. Sandra without nasal cannula!

3. The size difference between Hannah and Sandra!

Sandra continues to amaze us with her bottle feedings. The doctor increased her to 36 ccs because she was always hungry. She still is finishing her bottles in about 5-10 minutes. That is crazy! Hannah is still doing great with her bottles and eats about 60 ccs. She still once in a while de sats during her feeds. I keep telling them to remove her pulse ox and then we won't see any de sats. I am hoping they still plan on sending her home Tuesday! We are now trying to deal with insurance and all the referrals that the kiddos need. The good thing is that their RSV shots were approved. They run $1000 and are a monthly series until April. That adds up to $24,000. Their hearing referrals had to go to another doctor, which I didn't mind. However, they denied Samantha's plastic surgery doctor because he is out of network. We have an appeal in though. Luckily, our pediatrician is on top of all of it.

So cute, had to post!

2008-12-18T16:35:00.000-08:00

Precious Sandra!

Sandra's precious feet!

Makaila and Samantha playing!

Hannah is due home Tuesday! I am so excited! I am glad she comes home before Auntie Debbie has to go home (Wednesday). Josh let the doctor know that Makaila and Samantha are on a 4 hour schedule. So, they are going to put Hannah on that schedule so it'll be easier for us once she is home. One less thing we will have to do. Every little thing can help, even the small things. Today Hannah and Sandra got their immunizations. That way they are close to being on the same schedule with Makaila and Samantha. However, they are on different schedules for their RSV shots. Tomorrow Sandra will be going to an open crib. They were going to do it today but didn't want to over stimulate her after her shots. I am so excited that she graduated from the isolette. It is so much easier to just grab them and kiss them in the open crib. One big step for a little one.

Hannah and her pacifier!

Pictures Galore and Video

2008-12-16T08:55:00.001-08:00

Daddy decides to put prop down and pick up Makaila!

Comfy snowman!

Sisterly love!

Lunch time!

Did Makaila find her thumb?

Makaila resting peacefully!

Feeding time!

I am so excited to bring Samantha home! Can you tell?

It's official Samantha's going home!

Sandra loves her pacifier and her Daddy!

Hannah is wondering where Makaila went!

Samantha and her usual hi- cups!

Samantha's first bath! Thank you Aunt Linda for my cool bathtub!

First Doctors Visit

2008-12-15T12:17:00.000-08:00

I first want to start off by letting everyone know that Makaila and Samantha are very good babies and are doing great! I truely thought that it was going to be more dificult. Granted only 2 are home so far. We have already changed their feeding schedule to every 4 hours to give us a longer break in between. This way they are more hungry and awake and will take their bottles better. They really like the new schedule.

Makaila and Samantha had their first doctor's visit today. Even though we had to wait longer then we wanted to, we liked the doctor. She seemed friendly and great with the girls. We are not going to have to boil the water for their bottles any more which will save us a bunch of time. Makaila weighed in at 6 pounds and Samantha at 6 pounds 6 ounces. Yeah! I was so proud of them on their weight gains.

Hannah is getting 6 bottles a day now and Sandra 3. They both are doing great with their bottles. Sandra's caffeine and Reglan was increased since she also has gained weight. She now weighs 3 pounds 9 ounces. Hannah is still congested and needs to be bulb syringed prior to her bottles. But if they do that she does good and doesn't need oxygen. Debbie and I visited them on Saturday and Sunday while Josh played with Makaila and Samantha. Speaking of Josh, he got A's in both of his classes this semester. Good job Josh! I don't know how you did it with how busy life has become.

Welcome Home Makaila!

2008-12-13T07:00:00.000-08:00

You wonder how we'll be able to feed all of the girls. Well, wonder no more! Josh is prop feeding Samantha and Makaila. Prop feeding is not recommended for a singleton but a necessity for multiple babies. It is a balancing act and you need to be able to multi task. Josh is great at it!

My sister watched Samantha while we went to pick up Makaila from the hospital. Makaila did not pass her left ear hearing test (the same as Samantha) but passed all her other tests. I was sad to see Hannah in the big crib all by herself. I held Makaila and Hannah together so they could say their "Goodbyes!". Hopefully Sandra will be with her soon. We are so blessed and 4tuneate to have 4 beautiful healthy girls. Boy are we lucky the two home are so well behaved and easy (so far that is). They are really settling in nicely. Today Josh is going to attemp to feed two at once so that Debbie and I can visit Hannah and Sandra and run a couple errends. Thank you Josh! The blood transfussion that Sandra got seemed to help her. She is having less Brady's again. Hannah's congestion seems to be getting better also. They are both finishing their bottles so maybe the doctor will increase the amount they are allowed to try.

Josh and I have received very nice gifts from all of you. We appreciate every oneof them! But I would like to mention one that I will treasure 4ever. My very dear friend Sandy (yes, one of Sandra's name sakes) got me a ring with the girls name engraved and each of their birth stones (yes, they all have the same one!). It is beautiful and I plan to wear it 4ever! Thank you Sandy and Donald!

Welcome Home Samantha

2008-12-11T16:02:00.000-08:00

I'm out of here!

Tummy time is so fun!

Tummy time is so exhuasting!

My sisters don't know what they are missing!

Highs and Lows of the NICU

2008-12-10T15:49:00.000-08:00

Today was probably one of the most roller coaster days in the experience of the NICU. First, I had misplaced our video camera last week and was almost in tears every time I thought about it. I had lost some many "firsts" that were video taped. I knew I had the memories that I would never forget but was sad that I would never be able to show the kids. Today I decided to recheck a restaurant that Debbie and I had eaten at last Monday (which was a very stressful day). This time the employee said that yes they did have a lost video camera. I actually had tears to hear the news. Debbie tripped over a chair she was so excited for me. Thank you again Dad for our video camera.

So, we get to the NICU very excited to get Samantha packed up to go home. I get a call from the nurse practitioner to tell me that Makaila will be going home Friday or Saturday. Now I am even more excited. Samantha is ready to go home but Josh isn't off work so we have to wait. As I was giving Sandra her bottle she had a brady and refluxed so she was unable to finish it. After that, Debbie and I decided to get a bite to eat. When we get back Sandra was having Brady's almost every 5 minutes. They did blood work, chest and abdomen x rays. Her colon was inflamed pushing on her lungs and she is anemic again. She is getting a blood transfusion and they decreased her amount of food to let her tummy settle. Now I am literally torn to pieces with all the emotions. It was time to go home with Samantha and we had to leave Sandra not feeling well. But we know we left her in good hands and will call often.

Samantha was a princess on her way home and didn't make a peep. And I think she loves her new home. She is settling in nicely. As we were making dinner I looked outside and it was snowing. Yes, I said snowing! It was yet another high of the day! The snow is sticking but probably not for long! Maxine sure looks cute with snow stuck to her fur. She is enjoying the snow. Boy, is it cold outside though!

Debbie was released from the hospital last night also for all concerned! I will post pics tomorrow of the girls! I know you all were awaiting to see if Samantha came home today so I wanted to post that at least. Josh and I will now trade off on visits to the NICU and tomorrow is his turn.

Update on the 5 girls!

2008-12-09T12:10:00.000-08:00

Alright, now that we've got your attention! We still have four girls. But, their Auntie Debbie needed to be updated too. She wanted to spend some more time with them and decided to stay in the hospital to be close to them. She was admitted on Monday after a LONG visit in ER. After many diaper changes and bottle feeds her index finger swelled up and got very painful. She is still a "medical mystery" as the docs don't know what is going on with her finger. She is waiting for yet another orthopedic consult. I hope I don't get the Bends disease as I am visiting the 1st and 8th floor. Up and down, up and down, up and down...you get the idea.

Deb is very anxious to get out of the hospital since Samantha is going home tomorrow. Yup, that's right! She passed her car seat test and her developmental tests. She did not pass her left hearing test though. Not to be alarmed though. She will be retested in 2 to 4 weeks and if she fails that one then they will do a diagnostic test. She now weighs 5 pounds 9.5 ozs. She is getting her immunizations today. The poor girl! She is allowed to have as much formula as she wants. She usually eats 55 to 60 ccs. She will continue to see see Physical Therapy about 3 times a week for her arm. And we will do silicone changes and massage therapy at home. She will also continue to see the plastic surgeon possibly weekly. We are hoping to have PT came to the house to cut down on car trips.

Makaila is anxious and not far behind Debbie and Samantha. They hope to have her home Friday or Saturday. She needs to not have De Sats during her bottles to make that happen. She is also getting between 55 and 60 ccs by bottle and had her feeding tube removed. Both Samantha and Makaila take their bottles in about 15 minutes. Which is amazing!

Hannah still has a cold and struggling with her bottles. Occupational Therapy is working with her. She still tries with 3 bottles a day. Sandra now gets two bottles a day and doing great. She had her nasal cannula removed today. She still has brady's but the doctor felt that the nasal cannula wasn't helping her not have them. But thought that maybe might causing them due to nasal congestion she gets from wearing her nasal cannula. They are still weaning her off of the isolette and she is able to continue to maintain her temperature.

Josh and I are preparing for the girls homeward bound. Saturday Debbie, Josh and I took a CPR class on infants. Normally, preemie parents stay a night at the Ronald Mc Donald house one night prior to taking their baby home. However, I guess we have proved ourselves because our doctor doesn't find it necessary for us to do that. We had to be signed off on different duties...diaper changing, bottle feeding, temperature taking. All things we have been doing since they were born. So, it was all an easy sign off.

Sorry for no pictures this update. I am at the hospital writing this. Hopefully the next picture of Samantha will be in her new home.

2008-12-06T07:00:00.000-08:00

Auntie Deb long awaited cuddle time with Sandra!

Makaila got caught sleeping!

Sandra chilling out after her calisthenics!

Hannah catching up on some z's!

Samantha's first time in a swing!

Lately we have been getting a taste of what is about to come. The girls are now on two different feeding schedules. Which means someone always needs to be changed or fed. It is crazy! Makaila and Hannah have colds and I feel so bad for them. They feel just awful. Hannah has it the worst. She can't lay on her back without having desats. She has been really struggling with her bottles but I think she just cant breath very well. Makaila seems to have figured out the whole bottle idea. She is still trying 6 a day. Yesterday she finished 5 of them. Sandra tries one bottle a day. The nurses and doctors are surprised at how well she is doing with it. Yesterday she took 20 ccs of the 28 offered. Do not under estimate the peanut. The other day she literally crawled out of her diaper and made a mess. Last out of the isolette and first to crawl. ha ha Speaking of isolette, she is being weaned off the temperature controls and we hope to have her in a crib with Samantha this coming week. After one of Samanth'a bottles she was wide a wake so she had her first ride in a swing. She actually really liked it and finally feel asleep.

Change of Scenery

2008-12-03T18:27:00.000-08:00

There hadn't been much to update until today. There were many changes all around. One of the biggest news is that they were all moved to Level 2 NICU. This is a very good thing. Makaila and Hannah are in one crib in a private room. Samantha and Sandra each have their own private room. Their rooms are all close to each other. We no longer have to leave during shift change and family can visit whenever they want. We are allowed to sleep in their rooms with them and I can pump in the rooms with them too. Another big change is that our girls are getting bigger. Makaila, Hannah and Samantha are out of preemie diapers. Samantha barely fits in preemie clothes.

Makaila - now taking 6 bottles a day and finishing them so far. She is the messiest eater in the bunch. We are going to need a lot of burp clothes for her. Her feeds have increased to 45 ccs every 3 hours. She is off of nasal cannula and breathing on her own fantastically.

Hannah - is taking 3 bottles a day at 45 ccs each. She is a little silly in the fact that she wants to sleep when we try to feed her. But as soon as we put her in her crib she is wide awake and ready to party. She is off of nasal cannula but sometimes has to wear it when she takes her bottle because she pretends to be sleepy. The other day we had Makaila, Hannah and Samantha lay next to each other and Hannah cuddled right up to Makaila. It was the sweetest thing ever. That is why I decided to keep them two together in their new apartments.

Samantha - was getting 8 bottles a day but got tired out and wasn't finishing them so she is now getting 4 a day. She is eating 47 ccs every 3 hours. Her arm is healing well and is still doing physical therapy along with massage. She now is wearing a silicone wrap to help with the scarring. She has the chubbiest cheeks and is very adorable.

Sandra - is still in her isolette but has started maintaining her own temperature and will start to wear clothes now. She is doing great on her nasal cannula except for the fact she pulls it out constantly. She is by far the feistiest and strongest. She may be small but do not doubt her. She got her first bottle today and took 7 ccs without any breathing issues. She has changed so much lately. Sometimes I look at her and she reminds me of Makaila and Hannah and other times she looks like Samantha. So, she is definitely a mixture of Josh and I.

THANKSgiving!

2008-11-29T09:07:00.000-08:00

We have so much to be thankful for. So, this was the best Thanksgiving EVER! Obviously, we are very thankful for our four beautiful daughters. We are so blessed and fortunate to have had all four healthy and adorable. We also are thankful for our family, friends and supporters (some who we never met). Thank you each and every one of you!

Makaila is still on nasal cannula but doing well. She has lately realized what to do with a bottle. She gets 3 a day now and lately has been finishing them. Hannah is off of nasal cannula. She was supposed to be on it for her bottles but the nurse forgot and she actually has been doing good without it. She is also getting 3 bottles and doing better than she used to. Samantha gets all her feedings by bottle and if she continues to do good through tonight she will have her feeding tube removed tomorrow. Her arm is still healing and she still sees Physical Therapy. The girls will start to see Occupational Therapy tomorrow to help with their bottle feedings. Sandra is back on her feeds and is handling them. She will have her IVs removed tonight. She is now on Regland 30 minutes prior to meals in hopes that her tummy won't distend again. Samantha will be coming home this week and I don't think Hannah will be far behind her.

Big step for Samantha

2008-11-26T16:49:00.000-08:00

Samantha's arm is doing so much better! So much so that she no longer needs dressing changes! Just a little A & D ointment a couple of times a day! Here you see a picture of her getting rid of her very last bandage!!!!!! Bye Bye bandage!

Sandra had a very big day as well. Her belly was distended again and taken off her feed. To be on the safe side a barium enema was ordered to check for any lower bowel obstruction. Teri went with her and she came back bragging on her because she did so well! And good news is that nothing of any concern showed up on the exam. GOOD GIRL SANDRA! Mom promised her an ice cream cone as a big girl reward but she was too tired from the days activities to take her up on that. (rain check mom).

Feeding time at the Duggan crib; I think the three girls were on a pity feeding strike because they feel sad for Sandra, they all held back on their bottle feedings today. Or maybe they are doing what we all are doing, saving our bellies for Thanks giving day! We shall see tomorrow. Mom held and fed Makaila; Dad, Samantha and I held and fed Hannah. Daddy comforted Sandra during a well deserved Kangaroo hold while awaiting her trip to radiology. She is still a peanut but growing as fast as she can and is oh so adorable. Also she is doing well on nasal cannula set on 1/2 liter.

Nanna and Grandpa's first visit!

Cuddle Time!

I think the staff at NICU will be on pins and needles tomorrow when we show up! Hospital policy allows babies to have mom and dad and four visitors at a time. OK, that is per baby! we joked with them and said we were bringing all 18 visitors tomorrow!!! :} They rolled their eyes at us!

Best news for last! Tally up the votes! One of our precious girls is set to come home next week. And although Sandra would like to express her gratitude to her fans who voted for her, it will be Samantha passing go and collecting 200 dollars on discharge day! (ya we wish) :} Teri wanted her to be discharged Sunday Nov 30th (Teri's birthday) but Dr said that is pushing it mom! We will be happy with what ever day Samantha chooses to come home!

A wonderful diaper donation from the Ladies at Peace Health! Thank you so much!

What a Week!

2008-11-23T08:47:00.000-08:00

First, we want to welcome Teri's sister Deb. She has been a big help already. Deb and Samantha had a nice little chat her first night. She will be with us until Christmas Eve, and we plan to keep her busy, busy, busy!

Teri is here with Samantha, and during this feeding Samantha was able to finish her entire meal via the bottle. The rewards for her accomplishment were monumental for the family!

We have come to realize that Hannah is by far our best sleeper. She wakes up to fuss when she wants to change positions, but other than that she is all about sleeping and growing. Makaila is upset in the picture below. We think she just needed a change of scenery. She is going to be so thrilled when she finds out that we are going to give her just that.

As you can see by theses pictures, it was time for three of the girls to move out of their incubators. Makaila (left)and Hannah (right)were reunited for the first time since birth. Makaila immediately tried to start up a conversation, but Hannah just wanted to know where the other two girls were. Then she fell back to sleep.

We were so overwhelmed having three of our girls in the same crib. What a huge step towards having them come home. They are so adorable together! They enjoy looking at each other, and they often grunt in approval. They also like to get the hiccups at the same time. As you can see, Dad is trying to comfort Samantha on the left and Makaila on the right as they go through one of their hiccup spells.

OK, all three of us feeding the girls at the same time had to be one of the funnest days of the year thus far. Makaila, Hannah, and Samantha enjoyed their first first feed together. Unfortunately, they were too tired from the move from their incubators to the crib and spending time with each other to drink very much from the bottle. I am sure we will have better luck today!

Don't worry, we have not forgotten about Sandra. I have to say that she did throw a bit of a fit when her sisters moved into the crib, and she didn't. We made sure that we spent some extra time with her, and that seemed to settle her down. When Teri held her, Sandra was able to climb all the way up to Teri's neck. She is so strong! She just needs to grow. The good news is that she has only had one Brady in the last three days, and we think the C-pap will come off again on Monday or Tuesday. She has also been tolerating her food very well. Someday soon, she will be back with her sisters where she belongs.

We will close this post with a picture of Hannah closing out her day bundled up enjoying her pacifier. She sucked on her pacifier for nearly thirty minutes. At which point, she spit in out, and fell fast asleep!

2008-11-18T16:57:00.000-08:00

Daddy and Makaila!

Samantha taking a nap!

Sandra needing some extra help again with breathing!

Hannah fast asleep!

Samantha (left) and Makaila (right) reunite!

Monday morning at around 3 am we got a call from the hospital. Sandra had 7 brady's (where she forgets to breath) and had to be put back on C Pap. She also had a distentended stomach so they stopped her feedings and put her back on IV's and antibiotics in case she had an infection. As of today they put her back on feedings and she is handeling them well. I guess she just gets a little gassy sometimes. The other 3 girls are doing good and growing. Their current weights are...

Makaila 4 lbs

Hannah 3 lbs 15 ozs

Samantha 3 lbs 15 ozs

Sandra 2 lbs 6 ozs

So Proud of My Girls

2008-11-13T17:38:00.000-08:00

Look Mom No Nasal Cannula!!!!

Makaila, what is your favorite number?

Look everyone you can finally see my face! Sandra now on nasal cannula!!!!

So, like I have mentioned before there are good days and bad days in the NICU! However, today was a fabulous day! A day filled with good news!

Makaila is still regulating her own temp and doing good. Her feedings were increased to 21 ccs and not having any more tummy problems. She took 5 ccs by a bottle today.

Hannah was taken off of nasal cannula and is doing well breathing on her own. Her feedings were increased to 31 ccs, 3 of which were by a bottle today. Furthermore, she is toady's pooping champion!

Samantha's arm continues to heal day by day, it is looking better. She drank an amazing 15 ccs (half of her intake) with her first bottle and is doing fantastic overall.

Sandra will not be going to Kindergarten with C Pap!. She had been pulling it off more and more lately so they decided to try her on nasal cannula. She is so far doing good. Today was the first time I actually go to see what she looks like. She is beautiful just like her sisters. I think she likes having her C Pap off because she was wide awake for a long time after it was taken out. She can see the world now!!!!

2008-11-11T14:22:00.000-08:00

Makaila sucking her thumb!

Sandra and her Daddy!

Samantha in her first outfit!

Hannah in her first outfit!

Makaila had an upset tummy and was taken off of foods. But she is now back on and up to 12 ccs. She was taken off of her antibiotics today too. They are talking about taking Hannah off of nasal cannula again. Sandra had a tummy ache this morning but nothing a suppository didn't help. Samantha has been able to regulate her own temperature and is doing awesome.

We have been trying to get the house organized for the girls. We bought a second refrigerator and it was delivered today. We are in the process of looking for a pediatrician.

Mommy & Daddy's Night Out

2008-11-08T11:48:00.000-08:00

All and all we had a good time at the Navy ball last night. It was nice to be able to go out since we hadn't in so long. But, to be honest I couldn't wait to leave. Just because I knew when we left we would go see the girls. We had only spent 2 hours with them in the morning and I was feeling deprived. Plus Makaila was very upset because she was hungry.

When we got to the hospital I held Makaila and Josh held Samantha. They started Makaila on her feedings but only 4 ccs. Samantha was taken off her ozygen monitor and only gets her vitals checked every 6 hours.

Poor Makaila

2008-11-07T06:42:00.000-08:00

I can never wait to go see the girls. I rush and rush and try to get to the hospital as fast as I can. I walk as fast as I can from the garage to their pod. People keep telling me how great I look. I think it is because of my long walk from the car to their room. ha ha I am always excited to walk in their room and see all 4 lined up against the wall. But there are some days that your heart just drops when you walk in. Well, yesterday was one of those days. I walked into the pod and saw 4 people huvered around Makaila's isolette. Not a good sign. I felt bad but I had to walk past the other 3 girls to get to Makaila. I got to her and one of the nurses tells me that Makaila was having a bad day and they are worried about her. Which immediatley turns my day from good to bad.

The infection that the doctor thought she was fighting she must have gotten. She was vomitting, got very pale and lethargic. And so the testing begins. They took blood work, stomach x rays and urine cultures. The x ray just showed she had a belly ache but was normal and we are waiting for the rest of the results. They stopped her feedings and changed her antibiotics. She had to get another IV because she needed a blood transfusiion. This time if only took 8 tries to get one in. It aches my heart to think what she has to go through. The good news is that by the time I left (5 1/2 hours later) she was starting to look better.

Sandra had a good day and only had one brady. Hannah was taken off of nasal cannula and doing well. And there is no change for Samantha. We did have a consult with the nurse practioner. She basically reexplained about PDA, discussed Samantha's arm injury and the goals for the girls. They are trying to keep them together as long as possible. Meaning that they won't transfer them to another room until they are all ready to go.

We are exhausted. But some how get up the next day and start the process over again. Hoping that the next time I walk into their room I hear the nurses say that they are all doing good.

Echo Results

2008-11-06T05:33:00.000-08:00

So, the doctor heard heart mur murs on Sandra, Samantha and Hannah. Therefore they had echo cardiograms. Sandra's showed to be normal but Samantha and Hannah have PDA (a common Preemie issue).

patent ductus arteriosus (PDA)

The ductus arteriosus is a blood vessel that connects a baby's aorta and pulmonary artery while the baby is in the womb. This connection allows blood to be pumped from the right side of the heart straight to the aorta without stopping at the lungs for oxygen. In the womb, only a small amount of a baby's blood needs to go to the lungs because the baby gets oxygen from the mother's bloodstream. The baby's pulmonary artery, which carries blood to the lungs, is not needed at this time.

After birth, the baby is no longer connected to the mother's bloodstream. The baby's blood must now go to his or her own lungs to get oxygen. Normally, as the baby begins to breathe on his or her own, the pulmonary artery opens to allow blood into the lungs, and the ductus arteriosus closes. Once the ductus arteriosus closes, blood leaving the right side of the heart no longer goes straight to the aorta. First, it goes through the pulmonary arteries and stops at the lungs to pick up oxygen. Then, blood carrying oxygen returns to the left side of the heart and is pumped out to the rest of the body.

If the ductus arteriosus does not close after birth as it should, it is called a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). A PDA allows blood to flow directly from the aorta into the pulmonary artery and from there to the lungs. This extra amount of blood flowing into the lungs strains the heart and increases the blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs.

They used to do heart surgery to close it but recent research shows that is not necessary. If no symptoms arise they will retest the echos prior to going home. This vessel can close on its own and that is our hope.

Other than that, the doctor decided to do a 7 day IV antibiotic for Makaila since her WBC is high. I begged to try to do oral so we can get rid of her IV, but didn't get far. Oh by the way, they had to shave her head to get the last IV in her head. And yes, we saved her hair. She gets a bottle once a day to try. She had been taking about 5 of her 27 ccs by bottle.

Hannah got her IV's removed ans is back up to full feedings. I tried her on her first bottle yesterday and she had about 5 ccs also.

No change with Samantha. But, Sandra now weighs a whole 2 lbs.

Josh and I are going to the Navy Ball tomorrow night. That's just mean, I have to dress up 3 weeks after delivery and try to look good. Wish me luck! It'll be our first (but hopefully not last) night out in a very long time. It should be fun.

Good Days and Bad Days

2008-11-04T06:56:00.000-08:00

Some days the girls are doing so good and other days we are reminded that they are preemies. The weekend nurses were actually bored in our pod because every one was doing so good. Unfortunately, yesterday all four girls required additional attention.

Makaila had been on room air and doing great until she had a rise in her temperature. They drew blood, and at first said it looked good then they decided that her CBC showed she might have an infection. The poor girls has veins like me. They tried nine times to get an IV in her and failed. I felt so bad for her. They gave her a break since she was tired and had to go back on nasal cannula. Luckily, the night shift was able to get an IV in. They started her on antibiotics for 48 hours until we get blood culture results. She is so patient and well behaved.

Hannah started spitting up her food. So the doctors decided to stop her feeds and take some X-rays. It turns out that her stomach is just a little irritated and she needs a brake from her feeds. They put her on an IV yesterday, and today they plan to restart the feeds, but space them out over a longer period of time. She was very fussy yesterday because she was getting so very hungry. I had to hold her hand and give her a pacifier to calm her down. I will tell you this, there is nothing wrong with her lungs!

Hannah started spitting up her food. So the doctors decided to stop her feeds and take some X-rays. It turns out that her stomach is just a little irritated and she needs a brake from her feeds. They put her on an IV yesterday, and today they plan to restart the feeds, but space them out over a longer period of time. She was very fussy yesterday because she was getting so very hungry. I had to hold her hand and give her a pacifier to calm her down. I will tell you this, there is nothing wrong with her lungs!

Samantha is doing very well on room air and her feeds. However, her arm is very disturbing. Much of the skin that was damaged due to the burn has peeled off, and has started to heal. To say that it is terrifying to look at would be an understatement. She uses the arm, and more importantly does not seem to favor it. She is either really tough, or not in very much pain. The plastic surgery department has consulted us twice, and they say she may need surgery when she is six months old. On the other hand, our doctor has seen worse burns heal quite nicely. No matter what happens, Samantha is in for a lengthy recovery from this wound.

Sandra is still our little peanut, but she is tolerating her 13 milliliters of food every three hours very nicely. Last night they stopped her IV, today we expect her food to be raised again. She now weighs 1lb 15 oz. With any luck, she will surpass the two pound barrier today. Unfortunately, she did have to receive her second blood transfusion, but our nurses seem to be surprised at how few she has had to receive given her size.