I didn't forget...I just didn't have the energy

I even had the time to update!  I just didn't have the will power it takes to stop for however it long it takes to compose this post.  I am a bad updater. 
We are 10 months old!!!!  I cannot believe how fast time is flying.  People often respond to their age with "Already?  Oh I bet it doesn't feel like that to you...".  It does feel like yesterday we were sitting in the chairs across from a doctor while she counted the sacs.  1...2...3...JUST STOP COUNTING LADY!!!  HAHA 
On with the updates already!

Aiden
Last weighed in at 21lbs though we're sure 90% of that is in his face.

Aiden is doing so much better.  He spends less time watching everyone play around him and more time trying to steal what is in arms reach (or just out of) of him.  He is working on standing and side sitting in physical therapy right now, and was fitted Friday for a splint to help him position his thumb better.  Currently he likes to keep his thumb fisted, but that won’t do much good for when he needs to catch himself.  So we’re hoping this splint will do the trick and help the big guy out.  We tried him on level three foods, but he just isn’t ready yet.  He doesn’t like the texture and will gag it all out of his mouth.  He also isn’t ready for the yogurt melts as he tries to swallow them whole.  Fun day that was.  He really enjoys playing “where is Aiden?” and all you need is to make eye contact for one of his beautiful smiles. 

Aiden figured out he has top teeth recently and spent a few days rubbing his tongue along them.  He also learned he can make different voices, and spent a good bit of the month freaking out Momma & Daddy with his creepy deep voice.  He is also all about making the face below.  I’m not sure why, but he makes it a lot!  Whatever the reason we love it and it cracks me up every time. 

Aiden is still coughing on and off.  He had a touch of pneumonia earlier this month because his pulmicort dose wasn’t right.  Apparently if you don’t have the right dose as an asthmatic you can catch pneumonia.  Good information to know…too bad he had to get pneumonia to get the right dose.  We will be asking high risk about his coughing because at the end of the day we’re not 100% satisfied hearing what one doctor thinks about a cough that has been going on since Feb.  Yes it is frustrating to hear him cough, but it isn’t our frustrations I’m worried about.  It’s about him.  It’s about a 10 month old that thinks having coughing fits that sends him into vomit mode is a way of life.  We’re tired of hearing it’s asthma and allergies.  Because we feel like if it’s one of the two than the meds he is on should be helping, and they don’t seem to do anything for the coughing.

 

Maxwell

Last weight was 21 lbs. 

Max is either “I LOVE EVERYONE LET’S ALL LAUGH” or “YES I CAN SCREAM EVEN LOUDER WATCH…” he has two modes.  Happy or upset.  Alexis finds it fun to switch him between modes often by taking whatever toy he is playing with.  He is also stingy, and likes to have all the toys around him.  If you take one that is near him he looks up and watches you as if to say “Did I say you could play with that?” he is pretty ridiculous.  We’re trying to figure out when to give things back and when to let him scream.  I frankly don’t enjoy listening to his break the glass screaming, but I also don’t want a monster that will scream in stores and restaurants.  Call me crazy I have standards. 

Max is working on standing currently in physical therapy, and has started low crawling.  If that is what you want to call it.  He looks more like a mermaid on sand than a low crawl.  It gets him from point A to point B so I don’t laugh too much.  He loves wires like Alexis and so today I stopped saying “I need to do something with these wires” and fixed the wire situation under the beds.  The monitors had to be moved, but it’s better this way.  Max is also still rolling.  One thing I can say I heard a lot this week is “we all make mistakes”…I made the mistake of leaving Max on our bed when I went make the dog go downstairs.  I heard a loud thud and then a scream.  I will never forget the terror I felt or the shame.  I was so ashamed to have walked away from him while he was on the bed.  Knowing he rolls and knowing you never leave a baby unattended.  He went to the MUSC ER where they examined him and decided he looked good and I should watch him for 24 hours at home.  He has a bruise on his forehead, and I have learned a lesson.  Don’t be in such a hurry.  Slow down and think about what you’re doing. 

Max had a top tooth pop through recently!  He now has three teeth, and chews on everything.  Thankfully he has toys to keep in his mouth so he doesn’t start chewing on our legs.  He also enjoys bath time a lot, and tries to keep at least one toy from the tub when he goes to dry off. 

 

Alexis

Last weight…I can’t even remember.  17lbs, but has been weighed since.  I wasn’t at that appointment though.

Alexis is working on slowing down and calming down in physical therapy.  LOL.  She pulls up on everything, walks around objects assisted, and can sit herself back down from standing.  Though she does still get stuck standing every once in a while.  She is always always on the go!  Even in the tub I have to make her stop crawling because earlier she stuck her face in the water while crawling.  Not sure what she was thinking, but I do wish I knew.  She also figured out how to get in my lap without me putting her there.  She is constantly crawling over to sit in my lap.  It is cute, but can be hard when my lap is already occupied. 

Alexis can eat third foods, and the snacks for crawlers now.  She sometimes still gags on the texture, but is doing much much better.  She sits up in her crib, and even stands up in it now waiting for us to get her.  Mostly though we have to wake her because she is our best sleeper.  She uses so much energy during the day I guess she has none left to fight sleep.  She also flips over during diaper changes still, and is no longer changed up on the changing table due to the fact that she flips over and will try to stand up on it. 

Most days we’re chasing Alexis or taking whatever toy she has taken from someone else to give back.  She hardly ever cries, but when she does it is usually because she is contained and wants to be on the floor.  We are trying to figure out how to set up our living room so she is able to be on the floor in the living room safely.  Right now she is only allowed on the floor if someone is down there with her because she likes to go see the dogs or pull up on stuff she shouldn’t. 

 

Carolyn

Last weighed in at 16lbs

Carolyn is still the smallest with the most attitude.  She is working on side sitting, being on all fours, kneeling at a toy, and crawling in physical therapy.  She is doing much better with screaming at night.  She also is sleeping on her belly now, but seems to find legs out of the crib by the end of the night.  We have decided based on the way she sleeps Carolyn gets the next crib tent. 

Carolyn has been able to eat level three foods for a week before the others.  She just didn’t mind the texture like the other three did.  So by the time we get everyone eating level three she will probably be ready to eat fried chicken.  We would rather have all of them eating level three before we transition over.  She doesn’t eat the snacks yet though.  She just looks at them or plays with whatever type of snack we give her.  So we’re working on food issues still with everyone. 

She likes playing with books still, and also enjoys watching everything around her.  If someone moves while she is eating she has to see what they are doing.  She stops to watch when someone gets a new toy and reaches for it if it is near.  She won’t let you take her toy though, and is very serious when she is studying her toy.  She kicks her legs when she gets excited about something, and can often be found sticking her tongue out.  It’s cute, but at the same time trying to get a picture without her tongue sticking out is a bit tricky.  Girl is crazy!

 

So I composed this over the last two days, and it’s  been a pretty crazy two days.  Carolyn and Maxwell both have pink eye.  PINK EYE.  I went to the doctor’s office on Thursday because Max had pink eyes, but the doctor said eye drops don’t work.  SO we went home and now Carolyn has it.  Our doctor we normally see saw us today and gave us eye drops.  Smart doctor vs dumb doctor.  Maybe if we had seen smart doctor Thursday we wouldn’t have two babies with pink eye instead of just one.  Good times. 

9 Month Update

Well it has been a while…AGAIN. I can’t seem to find time to blog, and when I do have a free moment something happens. Since my last post we went in for our 9 month check up. Their weights were…

Aiden – 19 lbs 6 oz

Maxwell – 19 lbs 4 oz

Alexis – 17 lbs 3 oz

Carolyn – 15 lbs 9 oz

The doctor said we can take everyone off Neosure, but since the High Risk Clinic at MUSC has always controlled their diet we are not going to discontinue Neosure until we go in to their HRC appointment in July. Everyone is looking great, and gaining well. We aren’t supposed to go back until 12 months. A YEAR!!! Can you believe in 2.5 months they will be 1? I cannot it doesn’t seem like it has been a year already. An update on everyone…

Aiden is still improving on his sitting! He has even started turning himself while on his belly. He is taking Zyrtec for allergies, and pulmicort for his asthma. He is still coughing, but that is because he has asthma apparently. That is what Dr. Coons thinks at least. Not a lot we can do to stop the coughing. Every time we take him in for it we are told the same thing. He is gaining weight really well, and looks great so he isn’t concerned. He continues to be in a good mood even when he has coughing fits. He likes to spit a lot now. It is a little much when we feed him because you never know when he is going to spit a mouthful of food all over you. This evening it was all over my face. Nice. Not only has he learned to pffffttt all over us during meal time he also cut two top teeth. So Aiden has 4 teeth now!

Maxwell has started moving around the room in his own way. He rolls to get where he wants to be. Rolls from front to back and from back to front until he is across the room playing with whatever he can find. A lot of the time if he finds a toy that he can rub on his gums he will hold onto it until Alexis steals it from him. He still likes to hog all of the toys though…the more toys he has around him the better. He also likes to reach for whatever camera, phone or food is around him. If you have a plate of food Maxwell is always wanting to taste what you have. It doesn’t matter what it is he will taste it. So far we really haven’t found anything he doesn’t like. He especially likes Arby's sauce! He has stopped crying when you put him in the crib unless Carolyn starts really screaming then he will give a few sympathy cries, but then falls asleep. He is the happiest of the babies, but will start screaming ASAP if something happens he doesn’t like. Like Alexis stealing his toy.

Alexis, Alexis, Alexis (shaking head). What can one say about Alexis? She is crawling every where, and is in to everything. No matter if it is allowed or not. She steals toys, grabs wires, pounds on laptops, and is fast when she does it. She will pause when you call her name to tell her not to touch something, but that is all she does. Pause. Then it’s back on track. She likes to grab something and talk to it. She also likes to become so focused on whatever she wants that she takes a lot of falls. She most of the time will just sit up or get back up and keep going. She is banned from some things around the house because she likes to try and get out of stuff. She is the main reason we no longer do two babies at a time during baths. She likes to flip over and put her face under the water. Not cool. She is no longer allowed to sit in the toddler chairs because I had her strapped in, but when I went in the kitchen I heard her crying and I came back to only a foot wrapped in the harness and her on the floor. CRAZY! She twisted and turned until she had enough room to slide out. She loves to clap, and giggles a lot! She and Max gravitate more towards each other. While Carolyn and Aiden seem to enjoy playing together more.

Carolyn. The screaming terror. She is on prevacid on a trial basis to see if she is screaming at night because of reflux. She LOVES books. She will sit and look at the same book for hours at a time. Today she played with a book while everyone napped. Three hours after everyone else laid down she finally fell asleep holding the book. She doesn’t really nap unless she is in the swing. She will sleep for about 20-30 minutes before waking up crying. She played today in the crib while everyone else slept, but she did have a book in the crib with her. She is still scooting backward instead of forward, but she does well going forward with help with the physical therapist. She is chewing on her fingers more, and I have seen her more than a few times with her thumb in her mouth. So not sure if she will suck her thumb, or if she is just chewing on her thumb because she is teething. She gets very excited when we go pick her up, and her laugh when she gets really excited is still crazy.

Counting To Ten and Back To Zero

Aiden, Alexis, Maxwell & Carolyn 8.5 months

With every new stage the babies have gone through there is what I consider a learning curve. They test the waters and learn what works and what doesn't, and we learn what works and what doesn't.

Alexis is now crawling. It is a low crawl, but still she gets from point A to point B by any means necessary. Take for example the day Maxwell was playing with Mr. Crinkles. Alexis saw the toy, wanted it, and pulled herself up using Maxwell's clothes and took the toy from him. She rolls from front to back, and back to front. She pushes up on her tiptoes with her face buried in the floor trying to figure out how to crawl. She knows she can move, but she isn't really sure how to get there yet. She rolls over during feedings, diaper changes, and baths. While she learns how to get away we're learning how to keep her safe. Tonight she crawled over to one of the toddler seats they sit in to watch Baby Signing Times and tried to pull herself up. We.Are.Terrified.





Maxwell is continuing his nightly screams, and even has started screaming during the day. We're trying to figure out how to not encourage the screaming, but give him the comfort he needs. The hardest is when he cries because I leave, and it happens more and more when I drop them off for daycare. Sometimes he is just frustrated, and wants to be sitting up instead of on his tummy, but sometimes he is just frustrated because he doesn't want to be put down. Part of it is his not feeling good due to teething. We are learning to count to ten and then back down to zero when he starts screaming because it is really loud! He has started trying to get his knees up under him. I'm not sure if he is just trying to crawl or if he is learning it from Alexis. Hopefully a little bit of both. :)





Aiden has started coughing AGAIN! I'm going to take him into the doctor's and ask to see a specialist to maybe find out if anything else is going on. I don't honestly know what could be the problem. He has asthma, but when I looked I learned it really won't cause a reoccurring cough. It's hard to see him coughing and not have anyway to help him. He gets a breathing treatment before daycare and one before night. If he is having retractions then we give him a different kind of breathing treatment, but he hasn't been retracting since starting the two treatments a day. That means the two treatments a day are working! YAY! More good news is that Aiden sat unassisted for the physical therapist for 50 seconds!





Carolyn is still crying herself to sleep. We go in to check on her to make sure she doesn't need anything, but if she is just crying because she doesn't want to be in her crib we let her cry it out. Sunday it was almost an hour, Monday it was 30 minutes, and then it was 20 minutes last night. It is a long painful process especially since it is lasting longer than when she kicked the pacifier habit. She is scooting backwards, but we're hoping soon she'll realize she can go forward. She is still the smallest and still has the most attitude. :D

Waking Up Tired

Aiden has been hit the hardest since going back to daycare. He seems to get sick first, and always gets hit with the same violent cough. So after many visits to the doctor's office without any answers as far as what is causing his cough we went back Thursday. The doctor thinks he has asthma, but we will return to him in a month to do a follow up. If the medicine in his breathing treatments doesn't help him then we'll go from there. He has had so many nights where he wakes up coughing so bad we let him sleep in the swing where it is more upright and he can breathe better. We're hoping we can get our sweet little guy feeling better soon!

What is new with Aiden:
--starting to push up more on his hands than just his arms during tummy time
--babbles with a lot of dadadadadas
--is grabbing for more toys rather than just watching everyone
--trying to cut some teeth so he chews on his fingers A LOT!
--often watches the others and laughs at what they're doing

During physical therapy we're working on:
--Putting two hands on items in front of him at the same time
--Bicycle motion with his legs to break up the tightness
--Alternating arm raises also to help break up the tightness
--Leg stretches
--Turning his body
--Rolling

Aiden

Maxwell is starting to really show his temper more and more. He tends to scream when what he wants isn't done right when he wants it. He also screams if you try to do physical therapy with him when he doesn't feel he needs it. He is still his smiling giggling self most of the time, but sometimes he just gets mad!
What is new with Maxwell:
--Sits for about a minute without assistance
--Rolls
--Babbles saying a lot of dadadad and a few mamamas
--Reaches for the pups when they come near and laughs when one licks him
--jumps in the exersaucer even though it isn't meant for jumping
--loves making noises with his mouth
--slaps the top of the highchair for his next bite

What we're working on with Max:
--Grabbing for toys on the side instead of rolling over to get them
--Reaching to the side for toys while sitting
--Balance

Maxwell

Alexis is a firecracker. She never EVER sits still. She is also our most giggling baby. She enjoys being held and will grab both sides of your face and give you a huge smile. She is the only one so far that has tried to give us kisses. They are open mouthed slobbery kisses that gross you out and make you laugh at the same time.
What is new with Alexis:
--she has her first tooth!
--reaches to be picked up
--scoots around during tummy time
--takes toys away from everyone else
--is sitting a lot better unassisted
--loves the jumperoo and will jump as high as she can get it
--eating solids much better
--babbles dadadadada a lot

What we're working on with Alexis:
--sitting
--standing
--balance
--putting two hands on toys in front of her

Alexis

Carolyn is starting to laugh a lot more, but it sounds more like a scream. On a daily basis I hear Andy say "Baby girl you really need to work on your vocal skills!". She is sleeping much better at night. She sometimes laughs when the others are crying. She is eating solids much better, but still hasn't gotten down how to keep her food in her mouth. I'm not sure if she spits it out on purpose, but she tries to wear half her meal. It is amazing how her mouth holds more fruit than vegetables. :-\

What is new with Carolyn:
--laughing more
--babbling with a lot of dadadadas
--sitting unassisted for over a minute at a time
--reaches to be picked up

What we're working on with Carolyn:
--Bicycle motion with legs to break up tone (tightness)
--standing
--balance
--reaching to the side
--rolling over

Carolyn

I leave you with some random moments from tummy time....

A sleepy Maxwell.

Alexis and her "Hank" the hedgehog
.

Aiden working on sitting up.

Carolyn doesn't mind tummy time anymore. If only the other three would jump on board!

Peek A Boo

Below is a video of Alexis playing Peek A Boo with me. Our silly girl loves peek a boo, and will usually play it with blankets or burp cloths while eating.

A little of this and a little of that

I try to come up with fun posts...ok not really. I think I need to post something on the blog, but sleep calls and I always answer! I am a serious fan of sleeping.

We went up to MUSC for the NNICU and Level 2 graduates reunion Saturday to see some friendly faces. It was our second non-appointment outing, and it was a success!!!


Anytime we go out we put sunglasses on because none of them like the sun in their faces. So they are extra cool in their shades. I recently had to get new sunglasses because their heads are so big they outgrew the other ones!

Speaking of big heads...we went back to MUSC for a developmental check up at the high risk clinic. Everyone is doing well, and right on track being around 5.5-6 months developmentally. Their motor skills are around 5-6, but their fine motor skills are lagging behind at 4.5 months. So we're starting occupational therapy. The weights at that appointment are...

Aiden -- 18.14lbs
Maxwell -- 17.8 lbs
Alexis -- 15.3lbs
Carolyn 14.0lbs

Instead of being in the 90th percentile for their heads they are now in the 95th percentile. Max and Aiden went down in their calories from 24 to 20 calories. Carolyn and Alexis are both on 27 calories. Alexis went up, but Carolyn stayed the same. Also while we were there we got to see some nurses that we missed seeing Saturday. It was all in all a great appointment.

We've changed their feeding a tiny bit since the last time I posted. Now they're eating baby food at the noon feeding as well as at the 4:30 feeding. We try to get them to eat all of the veggies before moving on to the fruit, but sometimes they just aren't fans of whatever veggie we have planned. None of them really care of peas so after it is gone we'll just eliminate that out of the menu. Sometimes they tolerate them if they are warm, but usually it's the ewww face and a few gags. They are staying awake a little more after the 4:30 feeding which is good because they seem to sleep better at night after not taking a nap, but sometimes they just need a little nap. More times than not though they'd rather play than nap.

Some random photos from the weekend....

Happy Easter

For Easter we went Saturday to Middleton Place here in Charleston. It was the first time we've gone out of the house for the fun of it! Most people didn't realize we had quadruplets because we heard a lot of comments about twins. Some people found out they were quads and wanted to come and look at them. We had a lot of fun going out and watching my niece, Kylie, participate in the Easter egg hunt. While the "hunt" was kind of lame the landscape was beautiful, and we plan on making another trip when the flowers are more in bloom!

Alexis & Carolyn hanging out in their stroller.

Aiden & Maxwell keeping their cool during the Easter egg hunt.

Arriving at Middleton Place

Andy & Maxwell

A rare shot of all of us

Maxwell, Carolyn, Alexis & Aiden all together in their Easter outfits! Thanks Nana!!!

Aiden in the door jumper

Alexis spending time in the door jumper

Carolyn catching a nap before lunch.

Maxwell playing in the ocean floor gym.

Cousin Kylie & the babies.
The beautiful Kylie. We love you!