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.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Catching Up

Here are some long overdue pictures from our Thanksgiving. I also included some pictures we took while trying to get a Christmas card photo. I will post the winner as soon as I get the cards out.

Rainer
VirginiaJane

Christmas P.J.s

Gray and Kirk helping us feed the babies supper at the farmhouse.

Broox taking a bath in the farmhouse sink.

Thanksgiving at my Aunt and Uncle's house on Pensacola Beach.Wes feeding Jane

Brooke holding Virginia.

The babies' first Thanksgiving dinner by the fire. They had sweet potatoes and applesauce.

Ryan, our cousin, introducing Broox to the beach for the first time.

Quads on the beach!

Having a great time with family.

Rainer meeting Baxter (Annie's dog)

Nine Months

We took this most recent picture of the quads this afternoon. Look how big they are!

Waiting for breakfast

The girls are very patient.

Can you tell we're hungry?

Playtime in the morning

Virginia

So sleepy!

Virginia is our biggest talker. We've heard her say ba-ba-ba, ma-ma-ma, and da-da-da, among the other noises that she makes. She also enjoys watching, touching, and mimicking your mouth as you talk to her. She still needs a little assistance sitting up. Although she isn't crawling yet, she uses rolling to get where she wants to go. She is starting to rock a little when she's on her stomach and we discovered last week that sometimes she dances. Sometimes when the music plays on one of her toys she starts nodding her head and bumping to the music. She is quick with a smile and a laugh. She is so much fun to watch and such a happy baby.
Jane

Posing with her sleeping buddy.

Jane also loves to smile and laugh. When she is happy or excited she squeals. Sometimes when Gray gets home from work, she shakes her head back and forth and grins so that he will notice her. She loves attention. Jane is beginning to tuck her legs underneath while on her stomach and is able to scoot backwards. She is great at moving herself around and getting to the toy that she wants. She is really interested in the other babies now and likes to touch and pat them. Jane now has two teeth on the bottom and two teeth coming in on the top.

Broox

Broox is the closest to crawling. He can push up to all fours, and loves to be on his stomach moving around the mat. He is our only pacifier lover and has to have it and his green frog in order to take a nap or go to sleep at night. Broox is a big flirt and loves people. He has learned how to give hugs and likes to cuddle. He also has two teeth on bottom and two coming in on top. He likes splashing in the bath and being tickled.

Rainer

Rainer does not enjoy crawling practice and will only spend a few minutes at a time on his stomach. He is the best at sitting independently and prefers that position to any other. He loves to squeal and let out high pitched screams when he's having a great time. He loves bouncing on your knee, swinging around on your hip, dancing with you, etc. He likes to be active. He makes one hundred silly faces, and loves a bottle. Rainer has four new teeth on top and three on bottom.

My boys

The crew playing with their cool new toy from Papa and Lizzie. They love the songs it plays.
Our play room

Rainer is a bottle holder now! Broox only needs a little assistance every now and then, and the girls will be there soon.