Quick Update

Well our prayers have been answered! Haiden actually has a boil, but now days they don't call it that, they still say staph infection. Now, there isn't such a huge panic in regards to the babies. Especially since it is not the MSRA. Thank Goodness! Over the weekend we kept putting the warm compresses on it, and finally Saturday night it popped. It broke my heart for Haiden because it was hurting him so bad, but after the pop so to speak, all of that area that was real hard and red, just came oozing out. I know TMI. He said it felt so much better, and I am sure he did since this infection was finally being able to escape his arm. We kept marking the area to make sure how much it was swelling and how far the red area was growing. Today it is still a little red, but it's not hard or really hot to the touch. It has continued to drain, so we are still taking all of the same precautions, but we are so glad he is feeling better. He will continue to be on the antibiotics for 7 more days. They just want to make sure no more pop up or it gets worse. Thank you to all who said a prayer for us.
Also I will be doing the Valentine Day post later, but Haiden getting better & continuing to protect everyone is more important right now.

Prayers Needed

Our oldest son Haiden was just diagnosed with a staph infection. He woke up with a red sore on his arm. It looked like a small pimple in the middle, but was red and swollen and hot to the touch. They also said he has 2 other spots on his left thigh. They are very concerned with him, plus our other fear and worry is now protecting the quads. This is the same staph infection that Cooper had in the NICU (MSRA). As you moms of multiples know it can be deadly. We are doing everything possible to stop this from spreading to the babies or anyone else in our family. Our pedi has been back and forth on the phone with us all morning coming up with the best game plan possible to protect everyone. They have put Haiden on an antibiotic and nasal cream, as well as calling it in for all of us. They are still talking with Infectious Disease Control doctors to find out if the babies are to young for this preventive nasal medicine. So please pray they quickly get answers so we can protect the rest of our family. Haiden is also scared because he heard the dr. talking about everything thing that was going to have to go into protecting the babies, and it from getting worse with him. He is such a sweet and loving boy. He is always worried about everyone else and their feelings. I told him not to worry and have faith in the lord and that we will get through this. I have been washing everything with HOT water, scrubbing with BLEACH, and spraying everything with Lysol. My husband is also worried sick because one of our friend's dad passed away with this exact infection. So please pray for Haiden, the babies, Kennedy and all of the rest of us. I know that GOD is watching over and protecting us, but you realize how quickly something that looked like a small pimple can turn into something deadly. We could really use your prays.

This is what I always say when I start feeling worried and stressed.

"This to shall pass" & "I can do all things with Christ who strengthens me"

All about Ella

Since February is a month that is all about love. I thought this would be the perfect time to blog about each person individually in our family. So I decided to start with Miss Ella Grace. She was the first born, and the gatekeeper during the 28wks and 5 day pregnancy. Little did we know she was going to be the smallest, yet the quickest to leave the NICU. You go girl. Plus she had to show her brothers who was still boss. I can remember the first time we were told I was pregnant, not even knowing at the time there were four lives growing inside me. My first thought was, I was pregnant with a girl at least one. The reason I say at least one, is because I had a gut feeling I was pregnant with more that one baby. OF, course quads never crossed my mind, but how blessed we are to have be chosen by God to be the parents of quads. Funny thing was she was the last baby we find out the gender for since she would never "show herself off" so to speak. That's the way to make your daddy proud. I remember just laying there while the technician kept trying and trying to find out her gender. Then Dr. Reiter came in to finish the ultrasound, and within one second says, baby A is a GIRL. I was so happy. One reason was because Haiden and Kennedy kept saying to us please let their be at least one boy and one girl. I was really starting to think Kennedy might not get her wish of having a baby sister, but as you know she did. It is so sweet to see those two together. Ella's face just lights up when Kennedy comes to hang out with her.

Let me back some: so we find out 1girl & 3boys. We had already had her name picked out. Actually her daddy named them all. Ella Grace, we thought was sweet, soft and an angelic name. Boy, we couldn't have picked a better name for her, because from day 1, that is exactly who she is. She never really moved much in my stomach, just enough usually to get comfy. We had a big scare with her very early on. I started bleeding pretty heavy at 12wks, I was taken straight to the ER, and had an ultrasound done, it showed Ella's placenta had a problem. Her placenta had not fully attached itself to the uterus, therefore a blood clot had formed between the wall and the placenta. Basically, two things would happen. It would dissolve, or it would completely tear off and we would lose her. Which would cause harm for the other babies, since she was at the bottom keeping everyone in. AKA:gatekeeper. Thankfully, within about 4 wks, the blood clot had dissolved, and everything progressed forward. There never was another problem with miss Ella during the pregnancy. She would always lay there and let them measure her during ultrasounds, and when I was put in the hospital for the remainder of my pregnancy she would never get off the monitors once they found her heartbeat.

Then came delivery day, she was the first out, and I kept asking is it a girl? Are you sure she's a girl, they just laughed at me in the OR. My sweet husband, looked at me and said "yes babe, she is a girl, I saw for myself". I will never forget the first time I laid eyes on her, she was so tiny, but yet so perfect. I had not been there 2 seconds before she began to cry this was so heartbreaking to hear, because she was so tiny, and it took so much out of her. I just wanted to scoop her up and hold her to make it all better, and be a real mommy to her. But I new that was not the best thing for her. The nurses had made her a hat to wear, it was white with a big yellow bow on it, bless her heart, it was as big as she was.

She was the first to do everything in the NICU, except for being held, she was second in line, she just wasn't quite ready to have her line taken out of her umbilical cord, and that was the one thing that stopped us from holding any of them. They had to have that out first and their PICC line in. However set aside from that she was the first diaper I got to change (of course it was a poopy one), first to get off her C-PAP & moved to nasal cannula, never needed surfactant for her lungs, first to be put into real clothes, first to be moved down to level 2 (which they held off from doing so it would be easier on us with them in the same place for as long as possible), first one to take a bottle, first baby that someone (Popo) got to hold other than us, first one I got to nurse, first one to be moved to open crib, first one to lose her NG (feeding tube) & nasal cannula (except for feedings), first one to go home, until Cole got word of that and decided he was going with her.

I will never forget the first time I held her, she was so small, that they had to fold 6 blankets up to put under my arm, because she practically fall through your arms. The nurse placed her in my arms, and I remember thinking, is she really in my arms? She was so light, but that thought only lasted a second, because when I looked down at this tiny little baby, my heart just melted, and I remember thinking to myself, how beautiful she looked.

Once she arrived home, still being the smallest baby of them all, she was still so quiet and laid back. She was always the last one up, and you always had to wake her. Now miss thang is the first one up. She was the hardest baby in the world to burp, and of course she had to be burped because other wise, she would projectile vomit. Even burping her sometimes didn't stop the puke from flying out of her mouth.

She still is the hardest to burp, thank goodness she burps on her own, and man when she burps it is man size burps. I have no idea where she gets that from either. And yes, she still spits up, but just very small amounts. What changed the most about her when we got her home was she is the last now to do things. Last to push up, last to roll over, last to pull up to her knees, and now to a standing position. I guess she figures, since she has all these brothers who will be raised to be gentlemen (just like their daddy & big brother), she will always be getting the "ladies first" treatment. When they are all in their seats eating solids, she just sits there quietly waiting her turn, and smiles every time she looks at someone. She has done some of the funniest things too. She learned quickly how to spit, blow raspberries, sticks out her tongue (like a lizard), burp like

a boy. My favorite things she has started doing is she GROWLS!! It is hilarious, and if you know

her daddy you would know he loves music, well she has learned to shake it. Well more like rock it, she rocks back and forth, and just smiles and growls, when the music is playing. Such a cutie.

Something very unique about her, is she was born with very blue eyes, now she has one brown eye, and her right eye is half blue & half brown. She is so sweet and such a happy baby. And just like her big sister, she has her daddy wrapped around her finger.

One thing I don't want to forget is she is no longer the smallest, she is a little chunk. She is second in line for the heavy weight division at a whopping 16lbs 9oz, however she is the shortest one.


I wanted to make sure I included a letter to each person on their individual post. I will also post a letter to each child on their birthday, but I wanted to do a quick one here .

Dear Ella Grace,

From the moment I saw the little flicker of your heart beating on that screen, I fell in love with you. I didn't know any details about you yet, but one thing your Daddy & I knew was you were perfect. When we had that scare with your placenta, you taught me to keep my faith. And almost 17 wks later a tiny little 2lbs even came into this world. I have learned so much from you in such a short time, I can only imagine what else this world holds for you, and the lessons that we will learn as we watch you grow. You have the sweetest little girl voice that melts our hearts. You were the one that kept your brothers safe in the womb, and now it is Mommy & Daddy's turn to keep you safe. I love how you look into your daddy's eye and his heart melts. I love how you smile every time I look at you, and how you give the best wide open mouth kisses. I am so grateful that God chose me & your daddy for your parents. We are so lucky and truly blessed. As your mom, I will always be here for you. I will guide & support you, and be by your side know matter what.

I love you!

Pimp My Ride (runabout)

I am so excited that we have finished decking out the runabout. I really hated that the seats were so hard, and they didn't have any cushion for their heads if they went to sleep, or any cushion really at all for that matter. So when we got our runabout (I bought a used one), I really wanted to make seat covers for it. Can I just tell you this is no easy task. So I had to call in reinforcement. Aunt Debbie & Nana, some of the sewers in the family came over one weekend and we built the pattern from scratch to make the seat covers. After 3 attempts and quite a few mess ups, we were successful. Well almost succesful, I had a couple more phone calls to some sewing girls to figure out how to make buttons holes for the straps to fit through, finally we were ready for take off on the first official seat cover. I am very proud to say that I actually cut out and sewed the 5 final seat covers. Now, it wouldn't be fair if I leave out the part where the bobbin messed up and I had to call Nana over at 10:30 PM to come help me. But after an hour of undoing the mess the bobbin left for me, I was back to sewing. Oh wait, I almost forget the part where Nana had to refill the bobbin, and then Aunt Debbie had to guide me through it the next morning to refill it AGAIN, you would think bobbin could hold more thread. But make no mistake I got these babies finished. Yes, I made 5 because I was just sure we could use an extra one. We made them super comfy, and easy to get on and off. I love the fact that all we have to do is through them into the wash, when they get dirty. At one point while I was making them, Jeremy called from work to see how things were going. He then says to me, "Babe why does that machine sounds like it is sewing so slow"? My Reply "Ah, HELLO that would be ME sewing that slow so I don't mess up"! His reply, "I knew you were a great seamstress, and these seat covers are going to be perfect! That's my man, always knows what to say, just at the right time. So here are a few pics of the seat covers, now if only I could put the babies in them, and take them for a walk, but not until this crazy weather gets warmer. Hope it will be soon.

I need BLOGGER HELP!

First, let me start off by saying, I can't not believe in less than 3 months the quads will be 1!!!!! That is where you come in. I need ideas for their birthday party. There birthday is April 2, so is kind of starting to be spring time. Also I am super cheesy, so I really want to do something really cute. Even if I have to make stuff to match, so it will be personalized with their names. Just post a comment with your ideas. If you don't have a blog, you can still leave a comment. Just click on comment, and follow the steps. I really am excited to see what you all come up with. I also want to get a jump start on this.

Now for baby info, because I know that is what you are really wanting. We had their 9 mos check up. Yes, you heard me right 9 mos old already. Everyone was doing well. There was little concern for Casen. We have noticed that his legs and arms are turning blue, but the dr. thinks it is more a positional thing. (being in one position too long) But he is going to send him to a cardiologist, just to be on the safe side, so please add an extra pray in there for him. Cole didn't gain very much weight, so we will watch that as well. Ella & Cooper were doing great. Cole & Casen have been taken off the Prevacid for reflux, and have done fine. Ella & Cooper aren't quite ready yet. All though on New Year's Eve, we rang it in with ear infections, everyone except Cooper that is. So they were put on an antibiotic for that, and thankfully it's all cleared up. Now however, I am up to my elbows in poop, yes poop. ALL of the BOYS have diarrhea. We aren't sure if it is a virus, or from the antibiotic, but oh I am praying it will stop. I feel so sorry for the them. They just lay around lifeless. I am so thankful for footed pj's, because that is what is keeping it all in. I have changed more diapers, clothes, sheets, and bathed more babies in this last 5 days, than I have since they were born. Ok, maybe not that many, but it sures seems like it. I have no idea how Ella hasn't gotten it. Dr. Binder says since she is the only girl, she must be tougher than her brothers. I just continue to pray she doesn't get it.

Cole is army crawling like a mad man. He is still the only one with teeth, two to be exact. He is still very laid back, and always smiling. He makes the funniest faces. Kind of like an old man without any teeth. I know he only has 2 teeth, but still it is so funny. He is saying "Dada"

Ella is also army crawling. She can however sit up unassisted. She is trying so hard to get up in a sitting position by herself, but she just hasn't quite figured it out yet. She is trying also to pull up to her knees. She continues to stick out her tongue, so of course we are still calling her lizard. She just smiles. Ella too is saying "Dada", she has also learned to wave bye bye.

Cooper is half army crawling, and half crawling correctly. He is now pulling up to his knees on things. He is saying "Dada", I am sure you are starting to see a trend here with the 'Dada' word. Cooper too can sit unassisted. He is just a fingertip away from getting into a sitting position by himself.

And then there's Casen. O Casen, where do I begin? He is crawling, pulling up and standing, and now trying to walk around stuff while holding on. Like the couch is one of his favorite things to pull up on, and walk down it. He isn't going very far yet, but I am sure that is only a matter of time. He sits unassisted, and can get into a sitting position by himself. He is also able to drink from a sippy cup. He says "Dada", but this morning, and I do have witnesses, he said "mama"! He is such a mama's boy. He can also wave bye bye. He is very high maintenance, he seems to think he is an only child. Poor kid when he finally realizes he is not the only child, and that he has 5 other sibilings:)

Ok get out your creative ideas for a party, and send them our way. Can't wait to see what you all come up with.

COLE, COOPER CASEN what do you see?

I see my brothers staring back at me. These lil' stinkers crack me up. Everytime, I go into their room to get them up from sleeping, this is what I see looking back at me. It cracks me up everytime. Always making me smile. Ella hasn't really done this, so that is why there isn't a picture of her. Must be a boy thing.

.

All I want for Christmas is my 2 bottom teeth

That is exactly what Cole got. His bottom teeth are in. I couldn't believe it, we all thought Cooper would be first, but Colie surprised us. One tooth came in and then 2 days later his other bottom tooth was in. So now what is he up to? Funny you should ask, biting my finger of course! Here are pictures of his teeth.