18 Weeks

I don't have much to update about. I'm feeling good, but I'm still not sleeping well at night. I've just decided to come to terms with it. My doctor gave me a good idea of when hospital bed rest will start. I'm not nearly as worried about it now that I have a general time frame and know I'll have a private room. It makes me sad to be away from home for that long, but you do what you have to, right?
This weekend Reid and I made a quick trip to Little Rock for my first shower. The hostesses made it so special and I loved getting to see friends and family (pictures to come). My SIL, Cori, and her mom drove in from Cincinnati for the weekend to celebrate with us. It was so incredibly thoughtful of them and I loved getting to see her again before the babies arrive.
I had planned to stay in LR a few extra days and drive back to DFW by myself this week. My doctor nixed that idea for safety reasons and also put a ban on travel for the duration of the pregnancy. What is really crazy is that Reid and I might not get to go back to LR for a year. It will all depend on RSV season and how strict our pediatrician will want us to be with our preemies. I'm hoping to at least make a quick day trip by myself in early fall to see my mom. This will be the longest I've ever gone without seeing her and saying "goodbye" on Sunday was just awful. We spent some time with her on Saturday and Sunday and took some really sweet pictures.

My dad wanted her to feel my belly. Her whole demeanor changed when we put her hand on it. Such a sweet moment and I'm so thankful Reid got a few pictures.

 Sunday morning she was a little out of it but we had to get pictures with the monogrammed burp cloths I got as a shower gift. ;)

 The Grandparents: Mally and PawPaw

And nothing like a belly pic after an exhausting weekend!

17 weeks, 6 days

17 week appointment

I continue to be absolutely in awe of how good God is. We had our weekly appointment yesterday and the girls are doing great! They had their big anatomy scan and everything looked perfect! I feel so beyond blessed to have four healthy little girls!

I am measuring at 29 weeks. The doctor was SO excited (as in, high fives all around) about how well everything is going. One of my good friends said its like I was made to carry quads. I told my doctor and he said I most definitely was. ;) I am so grateful to have a body that's doing exactly what it needs to do to get our babies here safely.

Here's a little peak at the girls this week...




A waving at mom and dad.





B getting kicked in the face by C.





C kicking away at B.





D squished by her sisters.





A look at all of them together!

Never in a million years...

There are a lot of things I find myself saying and doing that make me stop and think never in a million years did I ever imagine... I never thought I'd research or even consider using bottle props. I never thought I'd have any complaints about pregnancy when actually getting pregnant seemed so out of reach. I never thought I'd call rooms in our house: nursery 1 and nursery 2. I never thought I would have a nanny, much less one that stays overnight. I never thought I'd eat with such reckless abandon. I never thought I'd be OK with only having one car for our family. And on, and on (and on) I could go.

The bottom line is this: when you're having four kids within 15 minutes of each other you do whatever you need to.

I truly believe God has a sense of humor. For fifteen months I bargained with Him, trying my best to be in control. If I can just have a baby I'll be the best mom ever, never ask for anything else, and never complain. I'm just certain He heard my cries, kindly smiled at my finite thinking, and fondly thought of all the teachable moments we would share in the years to come. I'm so glad He knows I'm a work in progress.

17 week belly pics

From the front:




And from the side:




And to compare, here's my 13 week pic (actually 12w6d)!




It's crazy how much I've changed in just a month!

17 Weeks (and 1 day)

We made it past our "half-way" point and I'm so thankful! I've set little milestones in my mind to break up the pregnancy - second trimester, 16, 20, 24, 28 and 32 weeks. Each time we pass one of those goals we have a reason to celebrate! This week I'm excited to be closer to 24 weeks which is viability and the very earliest chance the babies have to survive outside of the womb.

Reid and I spent the weekend talking about our little girls and calling them by name. Choosing and sharing the names made everything feel so much more real and exciting. I don't think either of us thought it was possible to love someone so much without even meeting them. Its such a neat glimpse of what we'll feel when we actually get to meet our girls!

I'm still feeling pretty good. I'm definitely getting fatigued more easily. Reid and I went to church Sunday, ate brunch, ran an errand and I was beyond exhausted by the time we got home. Its so frustrating because aside from tiring easily and the normal pregnancy aches and pains, I feel fine. This past week I've been trying to be off my feet more than I'm up doing things. If there was ever a time to listen to my body, I know it is now. I make a goal of getting out to run one errand a day. That, at least, helps me still feel like a normal person. 

I'm pretty sure I've been feeling the babies move a little. I don't think I'll be 100% confident of what I'm feeling until is an undeniable kick, but its neat to lay down and feel (what I think are) little flutters in my belly.

I haven't taken a picture this week so I'm posting one from last Tuesday. 

 16 weeks and 1 day

And, here are the pictures of our "big" babies from our appointment last Friday!

I'll post again Friday after our appointment!

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!