We Are One!!!

The babies had a fantastic birthday party in Brewton last weekend! They were surrounded by loving friends and family, who helped us celebrate their amazing first year. Here is a picture of the table we set up while the babies took a nap.

Rainer ready for his party

Virginia in her party dress made by Granny

Trying to get a shot of the quads all dressed up. They were too interested in the guests in the other room to look up.

Virginia, Broox, Jane, and Rainer: 1 Year Old

Digging in!

The whole fam! We've all come a long way.

Opening gifts

I hoped to get a great picture of the babies on their big day. Everyone was pretty tolerable, except for Jane. She wasn't having it.

Virginia is clapping for us...her new favorite trick.

The best we could do.

Daddy and Broox practicing walking. I don't think it will be too much longer.

Happy Birthday Virginia, Broox, Rainer and Jane! We love you so much and can't imagine our lives without you. We couldn't be more excited about what your second year will bring.

Snow Fun

We had the most beautiful snow all day today. It's the most snow I've seen on the ground in Alabama in a long time. I noticed the babies watching the snow fall several times throughout the day, and when Gray got home from work we took them outside to experience it.

Broox took off crawling as soon as his legs touched the ground. He liked spreading the snow around a little before his mittens got too wet.

The girls just sat, watched the flakes fall, and took it all in.

Rainer was cold, wet and wanted to go inside.

We only stayed out long enough to snap a few pictures and let them feel the snow for a bit, but it was a lot of fun.

My Little Clown

Rainer is such a funny boy. He has always made faces that make me laugh out loud, and his newest one did not disappoint. On this day, Broox laughed at him each time he did it. You can hear him cackle in the background at the very end.

Serious About Oral Hygiene

Every night we brush the babies' teeth then we give them the toothbrushes and let them do some brushing on their own. They absolutely love it! I'm sure it has something to do with the sweet toddler toothpaste on the end of their brush. Watch how quiet, focused and happy they are in this video with their toothbrushes.

After they have brushed for a while, I take the toothbrushes back up and we start putting the quads down for the night. Watch and see their very different reaction.

I thought that maybe they were upset because they knew bedtime came after tooth brushing. I tried doing it in the morning and I got the same result. Those babies just love to brush!

Crawling Exploration

The babies spend the cold winter days in the playroom and rarely venture beyond its gates. Today they did a little exploring in the house and I thought I would post a video so you could see them crawling. Rainer was busy playing with blocks so he didn't participate, but he was having fun. I was so happy that I was actually able to get a video to upload. I have lots to post so hopefully my good luck will continue. I don't know how to edit them yet, however, so this gets a little long if you're not a grandparent.

We're Back

Daddy and babies right before bed.

Virginia at play

Pulling up on the fence is a new favorite.

The Girls

Bathtub fun! Jane, Rainer, Virginia, and Broox

This is how I always find them after naps.

It has been quite a while since my last blog, and the babies are in full swing. It has become very dificult to take a decent picture of each child and next to impossible to get all four. They are constantly moving and won't sit long enough for me to snap a photo. I tried taking them outside last week when the weather was a little nicer and after what seemed like a hundred takes, we didn't get a single winner. Here are just a few pictures, so you can get an idea of what they are looking like these days.

They are now 11 months. Jane, Broox and Virginia are still crawling and loving it. We have even seen Virginia and Broox let go and stand on their own for a couple of seconds at a time. Rainer is getting very close to crawling. He is rocking on his knees a lot and is beginning to pull himself forward a little.

The quads are getting a kick out of each other lately. I've caught them laughing and squealing at each other across the feeding table, through the playroom fence, from one crib to the other, in the bathtub, etc. I have never heard a sound more wonderful. Unfortunately, they also make each other cry from taking each others toys, pulling hair, and pushing each other down. It comes with the territory and for the most part they are all really tough and don't let it bother them too much. The other mothers of multiples assure me that they will learn to protect themselves and stay out of the way of others. For now, we are doing our best to keep them apart and kiss the bumps when they happen. Broox and Virginia are my little daredevils and will try anything, while Jane and Rainer are a little more cautious.

On the recommendation of my friend Heather (Three Lees in a Pod), we decided to try bathing all of the babies at the same time in the big tub. Thank you Heather, they love it! Gray and I were at the end of our rope with one baby at a time in the sink and it had become such a chore. Now we load all of the babies in, wash them and take turns prepping each one for bed. Virginia and Broox like to crawl around in the tub and we did have the domino effect on one occasion. Broox knocked over Rainer, then Rainer knocked over Jane and then Jane knocked over Virginia. There was a baby pile up but it didn't really phase any of them. Hopefully we will perfect it soon.

New Year Babies

Happy New Year from the Quads! The babies are 10 months old. Broox, Virginia and Jane are all crawling. The girls like to pull up to their knees and Broox is pulling up to standing on anything he can find. He even uses his brothers and sisters! Rainer still likes to sit and play, but he is also spending more and more time on his tummy. I noticed today that he was reaching for things and kicking his legs. They are into everything now and can get from one end of the room to the other in a flash. When I bring bottles in to the room, they start crawling towards me. They like piling up around a toy together and crawling over each others backs. They remind me so much of little kittens or puppies playing. I love seeing them enjoy each other. All of a sudden they can do so much themselves. As Gray put it the other night as he watched Jane rocking on her bike by herself, "This is going to be fun."

I had to include a few more that I thought were funny. Look at Jane's expression when she noticed Virginia's tiara. Broox is reaching for the tiara that Virginia stole from Jane. Rainer looks perfectly satisfied in his get-up, like he knows exactly what to do on the New Year.

Happy Babies.

Lots of teething going on.

You can see their red knees from all the crawling they are doing.

Katie and Marshall came to celebrate the New Year with us.

This is Broox in his new cranial band. He will be wearing this for the next few months in an effort to correct his plagiocephaly; a condition common in multiples. As his head grows, the band will help it become more symmetrical. He will have to wear it for 23 hours a day. It may take up to six months, but most likely it will be four or five. So far it doesn't seem to bother him at all, except when we put it on and take it off.

Broox loves to be on his bike. I think he looks like speed racer.

Broox keeps looking at himself in the mirror on the exersaucer. I think he's trying to figure out what's going on up there.