Results/Reschedule

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

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!

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!

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!

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

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

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

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!

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!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

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

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

Make a Smilebox slideshow

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

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.