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

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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!

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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

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

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!

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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!

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

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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!