Christmas and New years have both come and gone, and 2015 is upon us. This holiday season flew by faster than in previous years, and I have closed the case on the vanishing holiday season. I have confirmed six reasons why the days seem to pass in the blink of an eye: Theo, Bella, Lily, Kali and Elliott. The sixth reason is a bit more scientific- the “Habituation Hypothesis.” This hypothesis is based on the fact that human brains use an abundance of energy everyday, and as we age the brain looks for ways to conserve energy. One way it conserves energy is by placing daily routines on auto-pilot; these may include emptying the dishwasher, driving to work, or changing diapers. This adaptation makes time seem like it is passing much more quickly since fewer unique moments are being recorded by the brain. When we are younger, everything is new; when you become a parent, everything is routine.
This realization made me want to slow down these special years by creating more unique moments, or “elevating our daily experiences.” The following are a few snapshots of cherished memories of this winter season…
Our Lead Nudest (video)-
Theo & Bella loving their new Teddy’s from Grandpa and Grandma-
Kali’s rendition of Shake it Off and the V5 showing off there physiology skills (video)-
A sneak peek on how we keep our house so clean (video)-
Kali showing off her favorite Christmas present from Uncle JD- Pandy-
A very Vanderwall Christmas morning (video)-
The V5 are 15 months old and raking in the milestones!
Halloween Video (Click to view the video)
Time certainly is flying by and their minds are growing just as fast as their bodies. Our home is full of chatter, balls, blocks, cups, and various forms of transportation. The quints love the Chicco Walker, their new stroller and their activity table , which has been re-purposed (thanks to Kali’s ingenuity) as a walker. They also enjoy exploring all of the cause-and-effect relationships in the world, such as dropping toys from high places, bopping themselves and each other on the head and of course biting. I am very glad that the biting phase, which lasted about 2 weeks, appears to be coming to an end. The kiddos looked like they were covered in hickies during the worst of it. A few of the V5 continue to be quite aggressive. The most common reason for aggressive behavior in toddlers is their inability to express: emotions, energy and the fact that they are in pain. Knowing this has helped us to handle their outbursts much easier. The best ways to respond include:
Not reacting and staying calm,
Redirecting their attention and possibly removing them from the situation, and
Being consistent.
Three- Theo, Ellie and Bella- are walking and Lily has taken a few steps.
Bella’s First Steps (Click to view the video)
Theo’s First Steps (Click to view the video)
Kali, who has the strength, balance and coordination to walk, continues to choose to crawl, but will most likely just stand and take her few steps any day now.
Kali’s characteristic head stand
The two trends that are sweeping across the V5 nation are taking your clothes off and styling your hair with the day’s fare. Bella continues to be the ringleader of the nudist colony, as well as, the monkey that starts to put food in their hair. As those with multiple children know, it is a game of monkey see, monkey do.
All of their vocabularies also continue to grow. They all can say ma-ma, da-da, ba-ba and na-na, but I’m not quite sure they know what these consonants mean, yet. They also all can recognize the words:
Hi,
Bye,
Nose,
Ear,
Mouth,
Belly,
Baby,
Ball,
Diaper,
Good Job, and
Our favorite- No.
We are also excited to share our Halloween celebration as Pacman and his 4 ghosts: Pinky, Blinky, Inky and Clyde.
The V-5 are now 1 year and 2 months and just 2 weeks away from their due date. Since their first birthday we have been witness to milestone after milestone, including first steps!
Mr. Theo can now:
Cruise along with a push-along-walker,
Stand-up by himself,
Stack cups and blocks,
Match colors,
Place rings on a pole, and
Throw a ball.
No real words yet for Theo but he can rattle off a host of consonants. He also can recognize the word ball.
Ms. Bella Jumping Bean can now:
Cruise with a push-along-walker,
Pull herself up and stand,
Remove her bib and shirt,
Throw a ball,
Dance like a queen, and
Point at things and people, especially those that she thinks should get into trouble.
Bella is great a monkey-see, monkey-do and will mimic most actions. No words yet for Bella, but she is definitely the singer in the group.
L.G. can now:
Pull herself up and stand with assistance,
Match colors,
Point at things and people,
Throw a ball, and
Make the sign for milk.
Lily also knows a host of consonants and her favorite is Da, Da, Da, Da.
K-Mae can now:
Pull herself up and walk slowly with a push-along-walker,
Collect similar objects (puppets, chewy tubes, clothes),
Stack cups, blocks and rings, and
Play peek-a-boo.
Kali loves to rattle off consonant sounds and certainly knows the word, “no.” Needless to say, she’s our little trouble-maker. For those that know the Pigeon and Duckling books…she’s our little pigeon.
Sweet Ellie Rose can now:
Stand up along and… walk!
Collect similar objects,
Point and pull things, and
Place objects into a box and remove them
Elliott is the quietest quint, but when she is excited she loves to squawk and repeat consonant sounds.
The stages of infancy fly by, often times I don’t recall specific days, but rather specific moments. It is these moments- these memories- that still give me goosebumps and have left footprints on my heart. Milestone stages at 3 months, 6 months and 12 months give me a reason to reminisce.
How do we spell love? T.I.K.L.E.
T is for Theodore
I is for Isabella
K is for Kali
L is for Lillian
E is for Elliott
Another special thank you to Hayley for the beautiful photos that she took of our children at 3 and 12 months. She is a very talented photographer. Her talent and patience are divine! Be sure to check back at her homepage for more Photos by Hayley.
The fourth born. Loud from the start, our screecher monkey. Queen of the steam roll. Expressions that make your heart smile. A face you can read like a book.
Most likely to steal your toy with no regard. Will likely stand on her head before her feet. Most likely to have her name mispronounced correct them with a smile.
The third born. Our resilient Lily bug. Simultaneously, two steps behind and two steps ahead. Campaigner for attention and knows how to work the crowd at any social event
Most likely to toss her cookies. Will likely be a scaredy cat like her Mama. Most likely to share her toys, her opinion and her heart.
We had the most memorable meeting of our lives nearly one year ago. After the miraculous delivery of our quintuplets, now fondly known as the V-5, I had to wait over 24 hours until I could meet them.
This moment has a very special place in my heart…
As we prepare to celebrate the V5’s first birthday, we will be releasing video compilations of each quint beginning with Mr. Theo! Stay tuned!
Almost seven months have passed since I last blogged about what a day in the life is like for one of the V5. As most know, life is a lot different for a 10 month old as compared to a 4 month old, especially since our 4 month olds truly resembled a 2 month old at that time. Nowadays, the kids are catching up developmentally and are currently tracking with 9-10 month old milestones. So, what keeps our rug rats busy? Let’s explore a day in the life of the V5!
As one can imagine, we continue to keep the quints on a tight schedule and they help to keep us true to our word. We start the day at 7am. This honestly is the best part of my day because I am greeted by wide-eyed grins, smiles and giggles…well not everyone is giggling. Theo is typically whining and ready for breakfast. We bring the kids downstairs, change their clothes and pop them in their table for breakfast. Breakfast consists of oatmeal, various fruits and homemade yogurt along with their bottle, which is half goats milk and half mama’s milk. After breakfast, the kiddos go back up to their cribs for their first nap. This is the only nap that they take in their cribs. Kali and Theo tend to sleep for about 45 minutes and others, like Elliott, will fall back asleep until almost 11am.
Dad’s Bumbo Bottle Holders
After they wake up from their first nap, they are downstairs for the day. They play until their next care time at 11am. Lunch is at 11am and they know it. The choir starts to sing at about 10 til’ 11, which creates a mad dash to get them changed and back in the table, while warming their bottles and making lunch. Lunch is usually a starchy vegetable or grain with protein, like turkey, beef or chicken, and a vegetable. They down their lunch and bottles and then play at the table while we clean up. They love to play with their spoons following mealtime. After lunch, it is quiet time. Some of the quints fall back asleep and others play quietly.
We Love Our Spoons!
Everyone is awake by 1pm, and it’s time to play again! We have transformed our home into a baby-safe exploration center. I let the kids roam around the kitchen, living room and dining room areas. They have a blast crawling, rolling and exploring. They typically travel with at least one toy in hand. The most popular toys right now are their egg maracas, the tower* of Sophies, stackable cups and connecting rings. They also find great enjoyment from whacking the doorstopper and kicking the walls. It is certainly free entertainment watching them learn what they can do- and cannot do- as they roam.
Playtime!
Two o’clock is snack and learning time! We gather at the table for bottles and a finger foods such as green peas, banana, avocado, or a homemade teething biscuit. After eating, the kids stay at the table a bit longer to play with their stacking cups, sippy cups and other toys.
Dinner often sneaks up on us at 5pm, when the kids starting “singing” again. We change them and place them back in the table for their last meal of the day. Dinner varies and sometimes is leftovers from lunch, but most often it is a vegetarian meal such as cheesy potatoes with broccoli or scrambled eggs with spinach, along with another bottle. After dinner they will stay up until bedtime, playing and roaming until about 7pm. Sometimes we are able to sneak in a walk around the neighborhood, too.
Bella off to cause some trouble!
…While Kali observes from a distance.
At seven, we begin cleaning them up and getting them ready for bed- PJ time! If all goes well, we usually have time for a story or two before their bedtime bottles. This bottle is a bit larger in volume and has Neosure and mama’s milk. Everyone is getting fed by 7:30pm and typically in their cribs for the night by 8pm. On a good night, all of them close their peepers and are off to dreamland until 6am when they slowly start to wake up. On a not-so-good-night, they all take turns teething and throwing the I-don’t-wanna-go-to-bed tantrum. We have been blessed though, and 5 out of the 7 nights every week are good nights.
And, that’s a wrap! Once the V5 are tucked in their beds, mom and dad prepare for the next day, making bottles, doing the wash, picking up toys, running the dishwasher and mopping the floor. It certainly is a full-time job, but I wouldn’t trade a minute for the world!
Fuel to Flourish™ 