Quarterly Update! ha ha

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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!

Too cute for a caption!

Great news!

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

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!