Their Names

Mary Grace 

The "Mary" tradition continues into the next generation. My mom's name is "Mary Allan" so its also a special way to honor her. Reid has always loved the name "Grace" and actually named this little girl years ago. This is the only double name we are using.

Madelyn Barrett

I grew up hearing my mom talk about her friend "Madolyn" and have always loved the name. We just changed the spelling a bit for our daughter. Reid's middle name is "Barrett" and we thought it was the perfect name to pass down to a little girl.

Olivia Bain

Reid and I just love the name "Olivia." Her middle name, "Bain," is my maiden name and it means a lot for me to get to pass that on to one of my children.

Catherine Della

"Catherine" is the name of a little girl and family friend that I used to babysit for. I've always loved the classic simplicity of the name. "Della" is a family name from Reid's dad's side of the family. We wanted something unique to go with "Catherine" and this was the perfect fit.

We decided on names while we were in Costa Rica. We had our boy name just in case, but were pretty sure we would be naming four girls. I make these kinds of decisions pretty quickly. Reid tends to take a few more minutes to commit to things. What was really hard was deciding whether to go ahead and assign names to A, B, C & D. We want to wait and meet them instead of just "assigning" a name. Our biggest reason for doing this is that its getting more and more difficult to keep up with who is who during sonograms. I'm pretty certain B and C may have been switched this week because they are positioned so close together.

So, there you have it. Their sweet little names - Mary Grace, Madelyn, Olivia and Catherine. We can't wait to meet them!!!

And Baby D is a...

GIRL!

We are so beyond thrilled to welcome a fourth little girl. Never in a million years when we were thinking about what our family would be like did we imagine FOUR little girls. But, now we can't imagine it being any other way.

Our sonograms are getting longer and more in depth. This week the sonographer started measuring the baby's by the femur, belly, and head. She also checked each baby's brain, neck, spine, kidneys, stomach and heart. Everyone looks perfect and we are SO thankful! 

All the babies are measuring into next week. Looks like my good eating in Costa Rica really paid off!

Baby A - 17 weeks 2 days, 6 oz

Baby B - 17 weeks, 6 oz

Baby C - 17 weeks 1 day, 6 oz

Baby D - 17 weeks 1 day, 6 oz

And Mom is measuring between 27-28 weeks.

My doctor said he's so pleased with how everything is going. He said to go ahead and start trying to rest as much as possible (which I already do for most of the day). I'm really hoping that the more I rest now the longer I can keep from going on hospital bed rest. He also went ahead and put an end to travel after next weekend. Its more as a precaution since things are going really well and we don't want to do anything to jeopardize that.

I haven't uploaded the pictures from today, but thought I'd share the girl outfits I purchased after the appointment. Bows! And super girlie clothes! YAY!

I promise we'll share the names very soon!

Just Because

I've been meaning to take pictures since before Christmas of the onesies I had made. Finally got around to it this afternoon. These are the first things I had monogrammed for the babies. I think they will always be my very favorite little items of clothing.

We are so excited to see the babies tomorrow and know the answer to the most pressing question in our lives right now... Who is Baby D? Can't wait to share more news with you tomorrow after our appointment!

16 Weeks

Well, we are back from our babymoon. We had a wonderful time in Costa Rica. The weather was perfect and our days were spent relaxing by the pool or on the beach. I'll share pictures from our trip after I get them uploaded.

For now I just want to say...

We have made it (give or take a little) to the half way point of this pregnancy. We're four months in and have around four months to go! There are so many people I've heard of who were already on some type of bed rest at this point. I am so thankful that everything is going so well.

I really feel so grateful that I've had such a great pregnancy so far. From the time Reid and I found out we were having quads we were warned about how difficult this pregnancy would be. Now, I understand that we still have four months left and there's plenty of time for it to get really hard. But, I think we are both just so relieved that we've been able to enjoy this journey. I am starting to feel more of the "expanding" pains that my doctor warned me about. I've had a constant aching in my ribs and a pulling feeling around my stomach for the past two weeks. I'm also waking up every two to three hours in the night. I guess I'm getting ready for all of those middle of the night feedings. :) I am so thankful to be pregnant and never want my updates to sound like I'm complaining. I just want to be honest about what it feels like to be pregnant with four babies. On a positive note, the swelling I experienced in the Costa Rican heat went away almost as soon as I stepped out into the 27 degree Dallas weather. Good riddance!

According to our weekly updates the babies started hearing last week. Reid spent the week calling the three girls by their names. I never imagined having three (and possibly four) girls but now I can't imagine it any other way. Reid is going to be the sweetest Daddy to these little girls! We can't wait for our appointment this Friday to find out who Baby D is! We have a hunch and I'm interested to see if we are right. I'll post the news sometime Friday afternoon!

And, here's the weekly belly pic. All five of us are growing at a rapid rate!

16 weeks

15 Weeks

I feel like I start off every post saying oh my gosh I can't believe this is going by so fast. I'll spare you this time. But it is going by so fast! Last week was the first full week that I actually felt pregnant - like the walk different, roll on my side to get out of bed, need to sit down to put on pants kind of pregnant. Its definitely a humbling experience.

Reid and I are loving Costa Rica. We are staying at an all inclusive. I overheard another guest saying that he was pretty sure the resort was making money off of him. I couldn't help but laugh. This resort is undoubtedly losing money on me. Between the five meals a day I consume and the gallon of bottled water, I'm getting my money's worth.

I am almost two weeks into the second trimester and I'm feeling great. Still a bit tired, but I can now make it through the day without a nap if I have to. My feet and hands have been a bit swollen the past few days. I'm hoping that is just because of the humid climate and not a trait that's here to stay.

We have been talking little girl names and I can't wait to share them with you when we find out who Baby D is next week. I absolutely love the names and can't wait to meet these babies in June!

14 weeks, 6 days 

(Reid had just said something I can't share on this blog)

        15 weeks

A, B, C & ?

Sugar and spice and everything nice... 

We are having THREE GIRLS!!! 

We know for sure that A, B, and C are little girls. Baby D wasn't as cooperative today. This baby is the biggest, has the most room, and was completely stretched out like he was sun bathing. Wouldn't spread those legs for anything. And trust me, the sonographer tried everything. She was confidant we will be able to tell when we go back in two weeks. So, more waiting and wondering. Who is Baby D? :)

The babies continue to grow so much from week to week. They looked great today and were so active! In fact, she asked me if I'd done something to make them so wild. I just followed some advice and drank a little caffeine. Amazing what caffeine will do when you never drink it! 

Now to measurements: A is measuring 13 weeks 6 days, B and C are measuring right on track at 14 weeks 4 days, and D is still the biggest at 15 weeks 1 day! And, I am measuring at 22 weeks. We are so thankful that everyone is in excellent health!

I wanted to say a huge thank you to all of our friends who have made this journey SO special for us. It is so fun to be able to celebrate such an exciting day with all of you (and we can't wait to celebrate all over again in two weeks)!!!

14 weeks (and 3 days)

I feel like I'm finally back among the living. I had my cerclage (I'll let WebMD explain that one) done as a precautionary measure this past Friday. I didn't feel well for several days and after a trip back to the doctor yesterday we figured out what was going on. It was actually nothing related to the cerclage, which went perfectly. After taking some over the counter meds I woke up today feeling like myself again. I had a sonogram yesterday and was able to see all four heartbeats and the babies moving all around. My doctor says peace of mind is worth its weight in gold. He is so right and I'm so thankful to have a doctor who is so accommodating to my every need.

Other than all of that, things have been going really well. I feel so much more at ease knowing that the cerclage is in place and will, Lord willing, keep the babies nice and cozy until around 32 weeks (I'm still really hoping for 33 weeks which is my mom's birthday). Everyday I am reminded of how little control I have over my pregnancy. And, so, I ultimately am choosing to trust that they will come in God's perfect timing.

We have our weekly appointment tomorrow and are so excited to see who will be joining our family. We are having a little "gender reveal" get together so it will probably be tomorrow night before I post the news on the blog. Here's to hoping the babies cooperate!