It would not surprise us if Griffin turns out to be the most fearless in our crew. He moved from his isolette to an open crib first and is the most eager to start bottle feeding. He has had the most heart rate drops of the group, but usually recovers on his own and will grow out of these episodes as he matures. He is the only one with dark hair and looks the most different so far from his brothers. While we chose "Finn" as a nickname, he may turn out to be too mysterious - ha! Griffin is quite the charmer with that smile of his -one of the nurses already refers to him as her boyfriend :)
OK, am now realizing we need to get a picture of the Griffmeister with his eyes open!!
Liam, or Little Liam as we affectionately refer to him, has surprised us all. Although he was the smallest at birth and Mom's last growth ultrasound put him at a much higher weight, he is on room air and keeping up with his brothers. Liam had an IVH (grade 1 brain hemorrhage) and we hope by his next ultrasound on day 14 he will show signs that his brain has re-absorbed the blood. It should not affect his development or health moving forward. He is the most alert and engaged in our visits with those beautiful eyes of his. Liam loves to smile, on one of our first visits I held up a mirror to see his face better and he just grinned and grinned into it. I am quite certain that he will join Ethan as another comedian in our brood and they will ensure there is no shortage of laughter in our household!
I wanted to add that Liam was "Baby B" in my womb. While many prayers were said for ALL of our boys, there were extra prayers said for Liam as he was always on the smaller side....well he may be small but he sure is one tough cookie!
Beckham is a real sweetheart. He had a bit more difficulty at birth than his brothers, but is now off any breathing assistance and much more relaxed! Shortly after he was born the doctors thought he may have meningitis, so he endured a couple more procedures and tests than his brothers. Prayers worked and the cultures showed no growth of bacteria. We are proud of him for all of the accomplishments he has made in his first two weeks of life and can't wait to see more of his personality emerge! The pediatric psychologist called his sleep patterns organized, beautiful, and not something he usually sees in a preemie. I am not sure what that means for his future ;) but I am glad he is getting some good quality sleep!
These past two weeks have been a whirlwind! We have really enjoyed our visits with our little sweethearts and miss them so much when we have to leave them. Despite the exhaustion (and they are not even home yet!) we feel so blessed to have all of our boys to love, love, love, love, love! It is amazing that in the past 2 weeks we have seen little personalities develop, milestones accomplished, and now when we visit the NICU we are on the boys' schedule in that we are part of feeding, changing (diapers and clothing), taking temperatures, etc. While we wish they could be with us all the time, being part of their daily rituals makes us feel more involved. Although we have a lot of ground to cover with 4, we have had some very special one-on-one time with each. Here are some pictures from the past couple weeks and we can't help but include more details as the very proud parents we are!
AIDEN Aiden seems to be the most serious so far and the loudest :) As the nurses said, he will let you know when he wants something - well he was the first one out! While this might be true he spends a lot more time sleeping and cuddling than crying. He was the only baby I was able to see immediately after delivery. So far, Aiden looks the most like big brother Ethan and was the first to reach out his hand for Daddy while being held. On Sunday (9/20) he was moved to an open crib and is already trying to bottle feed. Here are some pictures of our our little rockstar (and no we did not position his fingers that way, what a snapshot)!
On Tuesday, September 8th, 2009 between 11:06 and 11:08 am we welcomed our four beautiful little boys into the world. Our babies no longer to be called A, B, C, and D have been named and obviously did not get the memo as they did a little switcheroo on the way out :)
(A) Aiden Joseph, weighing in at 4 lbs. 1oz. and 18 inches long (C) Beckham Lewis, weighing in at 4 lbs. 1 oz. and 17 inches long (B) Liam Jack, weighing in at 2 lbs. 9oz. and 15 inches long (D) Griffin David, weighing in at 3 lbs. 13oz. and 16 1/2 inches long
In case you're doing the math, that is 14 lbs. 8oz and 66 1/2 inches of baby! Whoa, I hadn't added that up until now!
Shortly after delivery, the symptoms of preeclampsia set in and I spent the next 36 hours trying to get back to normal so I could see my babies!!! I had taken a short trip through the NICU and a wave hello while I was very blurry eyed, one of the lovely effects of preeclampsia. While back in the High Risk Labor & Delivery room I kept telling Matt that they all looked alike! He assured me they didn't, but I was convinced ;) When the magnesium settled in I kept telling myself that I was in control and that all was just fine, but when I was taken off the awful stuff 12 hours later I realized I was definitely not myself! Thankfully and suprisingly to me one of the NICU nurses brought all the babies up 2x2 and let me give them some loving...my dear husband had decided he wouldn't hold the babies until I did. Of course I would have been completely fine if he did, but he wanted me to have that first moment after all my hard work, and that was so special to me....thank you honey!
All-in-all the day was so incredible and truly monumental for us! I had been in the hospital, away from my guys for 51 days. Having arrived home, I broke down, and hadn't realized how much I missed it. I hadn't allowed myself to process it. Each day since I have really appreciated all the little things I love about Ethan and how much joy he brings to my day. Only with strength from above was I able to get through that time. God sent spectacular nurses to care for me and wonderful doctors and truth be told I felt such strength beyond my own possession that I will never forget. 33 weeks those little guys grew and grew. Of course being my over-achieving self I first was upset that I didn't make it to 34 weeks, and then I realized I did get 3 of my boys to room air, which was my goal all along. While Liam and Beckham both had to be intubated at birth, only Beckham remained on CPAP. I think this is the beginning of a me who stops beating myself up about things I didn't do and realizes the accomplishments I have made. I owe that gift to my boys. :)
I realize there is such a long journey and story to be written ahead but we did it!! I am so proud of Ethan for all the overwhelming changes in his life he continues to be positive and so incredibly loving. On the way home from being discharged on Saturday, he was worried that my love to the boys would be all the love I had, I explained that mommies and daddies have a never-ending supply of love. He said, "mom I have that too." And he truly does.
And my husband, who God love him was thrown into a single parenthood overnight, did such an amazing job keeping things together. I think about how we usually complain if our husbands are gone from us travelling on business for a few days or a week. I was gone for over 7 weeks while he handled nearly everything on the homefront. I think we certainly have a new appreciation for what we both do to keep this family running, and I hope we never lose sight of it!
This experience in a whole has been so humbling. 1 week after birth and I still cannot wear shoes, and have edema so badly it physically hurts but I try to hold onto why I feel like this...because I gave birth to 4 boys! Everytime I look in the mirror and feel discouraged I then remember that this is all going to take time and any sacrifice I would gladly make to be the mom of my boys. And of course I appreciate Matt telling me how beautiful I am.
We have relied on people in ways we never dreamed of, and many we have just met along this journey. We have truly had to swallow our pride and accept help and thankfully it was there to be given. We have appreciated our family and friends in new ways...such as actually looking forward to my youngest sister's frequent hospital visits to tell me all about her single in the city life. :) And hearing the same voice on the phone every week, Miss Helen, to cheer me on and remind me of all I had done so far. And there are so many more things that I hope I have expressed my gratitude. What has been truly the biggest gift of all is having our "guardian angels" contact us...people we had not met before this grand event offering their help and services and easing our burdens greatly just because they want to help us...what an act of selflessness and compassion.
This post is the first in a book I am so excited to write! I know they all will not be this reflective and deep (God help me!). I look forward to all the adventures that await and invite you to join us on the ride....
That's me...one blessed mama to the 5 sweetest and most handsome BOYS (a 5-year-old and 18-month old quadruplets)..yes 5 boys 5 and under (I only get to say that for a few more months!) Wife to the man God made just for me (and me for him). God gifted us these five little men and I rely on him always through this journey. I hold hands and hearts, create home, and through His grace, my will, and my family's love, I live for and in this moment.
TAKE HEART WORDS
People are often unreasonable, illogical,
and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, People may accuse you
of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some
false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank,
people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could
destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness,
they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today,
people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have,
and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis,
it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway
- Mother Theresa
