A Day in the Life, Part II

 

Dad & Bella on Father's Day!
Dad & Bella on Father’s Day!

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
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!
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!
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!
Bella off to cause some trouble!

 

...While Kali observes from a distance.
…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!

*A group of giraffes is called a tower

Ellie is 9 months!

Elliott

Elliott 2

Nicknames: Ellie, Ellie Rose, E. Rose & Baby Girl

Birth Length: 14.9 in

Current Length: 26 in

Birth Weight: 2.41 lbs

Current Weight: 16 lbs

Favorite toy: Anything Kali is playing with.

Elliott

Favorite Past-time: Rolling from toy to toy, Swiping toys from her siblings & Snuggling with her big brother

BFF_T&E

Mastered Milestones: Rolling to and fro,

Developing Milestones: Sitting up by herself, Crawling

Personality Traits: Sweet, Observant and a bit demanding

Lily is 9 months!

Lillian

Nicknames: Lily, Lily-Bug, Love-Bug, Lilyput, LG, & Lil SmileyLily 2

Birth Length: 14.6 in

Current Length: 26.1 in

Birth Weight: 2.69 lbs

Current Weight: 15.7 lbs

Favorite toy: Her pacifier and “magic” blanket

Favorite Past-time: Playing Peek-a-boo and playing Lily-gician making her pacifier disappear

Mastered Milestones: The best fine motors skills in the bunch (watch out for her pincer grasp!), Initiates games, standing with assistance

Developing Milestones: Sitting up by herself, crawling

AngryLily

Personality Traits: Silly, Strategic, and definitely a bit Jealous

Kali is 9 months!

Kāli Mae Kali_Raspberry2

Nicknames: K-Mae, K, Monkey-Mae, Sunshine

Birth Length: 13 in

Current Length: 26.3 in

Birth Weight: 2.29 lbs

Current Weight: 17.5 lbs

Favorite toy: The Atom, Popping Giraffe

Favorite Past-time: Playing in the forest, practicing her yoga poses (happy baby) and swimming on her tummy

Kali

Mastered Milestones: Sitting up by herself, Standing with assistance, 2 bottom teeth!

Developing Milestones: Crawling

HappyBaby_Kali

Personality Traits: Sweet, Observant, Silly, Imaginative

Bella is 9 months!

Isabella

Goofy Bella

Nicknames: Bella, Bella Bean & Bells

Birth Length: 15.7 in

Current Length: 25.7 in

Birth Weight: 2.49 lbs

Current Weight: 15.7 lbs

Favorite toy: Anything that rattles

Favorite Past-time: Blowing raspberries and banging rattles together

Girl Talk with Kali
Girl Talk with Kali

Mastered Milestones: 1 lonely bottom tooth, Sitting up by herself

Developing Milestones: Crawling and Standing with limited assistance

 

Gpa&Bella2

Personality Traits: Strategic, Goofy, Aggressive
 

Theo is 9 months old!

Theodore Joseph

Tough Guy

Nicknames: Theo, Teej, Goober (because he’s sweet on the outside and a total nut on the inside)

Birth Length: 14.5 in

Current Length: 27.2 in

Birth Weight: 2.87 lbs

Current Weight: 20.5 lbs

Favorite toy: Frozen teething rings and Sophie the Giraffe

Chewing Theo

Favorite Past-time: Rolling from the couch, to the toy box, to the door, to the hardwood floor, to the…ending at mommy’s feet. Ransacking his sisters

Mastered Milestones: Sitting up by himself, rolling to and fro, standing with assistance and 2 bottom teeth!

Developing Milestones: Crawling

Personality Traits: Goofy, Loud, Rough, 110% boy

UhOhTheo

Feliz Nueve Meses

The quint’s 9-month celebration warrants yet another series to look at where each of the V5 are today! In three short months they have become not only more verbal, social and mobile, but also more strategic, witty and goofy!

Slide1

Key priorities for mom and dad are to continue to help these kiddos:

  • Learn to crawl.
  • Hold their own bottles.
  • Eat soft, solid foods.
  • Learn to communicate with simple words and sign language.

Let’s Get Moving!

There are several gross motor milestones that precede crawling that help to build the body’s strength and coordination, including:

  • Holding one’s head in line and upright when pulled to sitting (3-6 months)
  • Bears weight on hands when lying on tummy (3-6 months)
  • Ability to sit with light support (3-6 months)
  • Rolling from stomach to back and back to stomach in both directions (3-6 months)
  • Sitting independently with the ability to right one’s balance and extend arms for protection (6-9 months)
  • Able to get into a sitting position independently (6-9 months)
  • Standing when holding on (6-9 months)
  • Crawls backward (6-9 months)
  • Able to pull to a standing position (6-9 months)

No one is crawling just yet, but all of the quints are able to sit up in some capacity, crawl backwards (or scoot), stand when being held and roll. While some say that some children do not crawl, or crawl for very long, we hope that ours do because of all the benefits of crawling:

  • Develops a sense of depth perception and location along with skills on how to navigate the environment.
  • Encourages decision making, focus and attention.
  • Requires that a baby connect a series of motions and increases coordination.
  • Develops muscular strength and stretches ligaments in the wrist and hands needed for fine motor skills.

Look what I can do!

While all of the quints are between a 6-9 month year old in terms of their gross motor skills, they are championing their fine motor skills! They can reach and hold large and small objects. They are able to manipulate objects in one hand and both hands. Lily has been mastered the pincer grasp! Other’s are still working on getting their pointer finger away from their hand; but all can now extend their thumb from their fingers! This skillset is critical for not only playing with more complex toys, but eating!

We are preparing to start finger foods! The only delay is mom’s fear of the impending mess that awaits after every meal. Arts and crafts time is about to get very real as we start to experiment with:

  • Soft Bananas
  • Cooked Carrots
  • Meatballs
  • Oat-based cold cereals

Monkey See, Monkey Do

Our five little monkeys are now keen observers. Many of our friends and family have noted how the kids what their every move. They are also much more social and communicative. We catch them “chatting” not only with each other but with their toys. We are also proud that their expressive communication and cognitive skills are tracking with their age:

Kali

Expressive Communication:

  • Babbles to people with inflection and produces a variety of consonants.
  • Vocalizes loudly to get attention.

Language Comprehension:

  • Looks and focuses on people, pictures and pets.
  • Responds to simple gestures.
  • Looks for family members when named (we are still working on this one).

Cognitive Skills:

  • Works to obtain items out of reach, and able to locate a hidden object.
  • Plays 2-3 minutes with one toy.
  • Touches a toy or adult to restart an activity.

Their social skills also surpass their age. They have long been able to recognize mom and dad, as well as, who is new (or a stranger). However, now all of them either calm easy when mom or dad are out of the room, or are completely content. They also all smile at images in a mirror- needless to say- Theo and Bella love themselves some mirror-time!

We also have been working on simple sign language for about the last 3-4 months. No one is able to sign back just yet, but I do believe they are beginning to connect the signs with the objects. The signs we have started with are:

Mama
Mama

 

Dada
Dada

 

Nana/Grandma
Nana/Grandma

 

Grandpa
Grandpa

 

Milk
Milk

 

More
More

 

All Done
All Done

 

Eat 
Eat

 

I Love You
I Love You

 

We also have been using their signed letters for their names:

B for Bella
B for Bella

 

 

E for Elliott
E for Elliott

 

 

I for Isabella
I for Isabella

 

K for Kali
K for Kali

 

L for Lily
L for Lily

 

T for Theo
T for Theo

 

I am still amazed everyday at how learning can be a very independent process, and how we naturally develop all of these skills given that we have a safe, conducive environment to do so. I often feel like our little blessings teach me much more than I will ever teach them. I am so grateful for the new and maturing fruits in my life (patience, flexibility, changing priorities, appreciating each moment) that they continue to encourage with each day.

In the coming days, we hope you enjoy each quint’s individual snapshot!

*ASL images are from BabySignLanguage.com

Spring has Sprung

 

Spring has [finally] sprung here in Madison! So, what have the quints been up to while they awaited spring?

The V-5 want to thank Culvers for these stylish onesies and their support since day 1!
The V-5 want to thank Culvers for these stylish onesies and their support since day 1!

Well, they have been eating like champs and are up to 3 solid meals per day. A typical day of meals would be 2-3 T of oatmeal with yogurt and bananas for breakfast, 2-3 T of beef or chicken with squash and potatoes for lunch, and dinner rounds out the day with 2-3 T of a green veggie, vegetarian protein (chickpeas, tofu or eggs) and a healthy fat (avocado).

When the kids aren’t feasting at meals, they tend to be trying to gum each other or anything within 5 inches of their mouth, munch on their toes, or blow raspberries.

 

Theo's constantly going for those toes!
Theo’s constantly going for those toes!

 

...Or his sister's hair! Poor Kali Mae.
…Or his sister’s hair! Poor Kali Mae.

Another favorite past-time at 8 months is teething. Frank and I joke that getting teeth is a very inefficient process… 2 years of tears times five, well may be times seven. When all start moaning and groaning, hoping for those choppers, we gently ask them for results, and no more excuses. All are also working hard on learning how to crawl. They are all pros at the infamous Sphynx pose, as well as, rolling over. Theo is the closest to getting wheels. His efforts and dedication to learning to crawl are truly admirable. However, at this point he is easily frustrated and tends to opt for rolling like a log to get to and fro.

The kids are also barely big enough to fit into their dining table, which- for now- is a play place.

Smiley Ellie
Smiley Ellie
Cute Kali
Cute Kali
Lillian Grace
Lillian Grace
Goofy Bella
Goofy Bella

It is also the official meeting space for Girl’s Club Meetings…sorry no boys allowed!

Girls Club meeting

 

The V-5 have also been patiently awaiting their first adventure around the neighborhood. They took their first stroll this past weekend…and they appeared to be less than thrilled about it.

 

Theo, Kali and lil Red Riding Hood (Elliott)
Theo, Kali and lil Red Riding Hood (Elliott)

 

Lily, the garden gnome, and Bella ready for a stroll.
Lily, the garden gnome, and Bella ready for a stroll.

Despite, the lack of smiles and giggles that we anticipated, they looked pretty darn cute sporting their new spring jackets!

Lil Red RIding hood
Ellie Rose
Bella hood
Bella
Theo says hi
Mr. Theo
Lily hood
Lily
Kali hood
Kali Mae

 

 

ABC, 123 (45), Cute as Can Be!

Back_Lineup

At 7 months the kiddos are expressive, talkative and almost mobile! All of the quints have rolled from their tummies to their backs and only Theo has made it from his back to his stomach. They are all really good at what we call the “sphinx pose,” or more commonly known as the cobra pose for you yogis out there. I have my money on Lily to crawl first.

Their choppers are definitely on their way in so drooling, chewing, and whining are popular past times. Beware; if you get too close you’re bound to get “gummed.” We have employed several tactics to soothe them including:

  • Cold, wet wash clothes,
  • Frozen pacifiers,
  • Cold teething rings,
  • Baltic Amber stone necklaces, and
  • Yes, the occasional dose of Tylenol.

Nutrition is also a bit different nowadays. The quints have maxed out on their daily milk at 5-6 ounces per feeding, or 24-32 ounces per day, and are now chowing down on solids. Brunch consists of gluten-free oatmeal with banana or apples and Linner is beef or poultry in bone broth or steamed green vegetable with a side of squash or sweet potato. Kali continues to be the best guzzler, but Lily takes the cake (almost literally) when it comes to mowing through her solids, and well everyone’s leftovers, too!

It is amazing how big they are getting. I remember receiving the 6 month sleepers as gifts not believing they would ever be that big. But, now they are almost too big for those same sleepers! There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think back to those days in the NICU and thank God for how far these children have come.

T is for Theo
T is for Theo
B is for Bella
B is for Bella
L is for Lily
L is for Lily
K is for Kali
K is for Kali
E is for Ellie
E is for Ellie

They are certainly our pride and joy! We promise you that Theo and Bella are the goofiest of the bunch, but apparently not big fans of impromptu photo shoots before lunch.

Line-up

Lillian Grace is 6 Months Old

This little love bug already has a heart made of gold. She is the most sensitive of the quints, and quite empathetic. She loves to smile and hold hands with her siblings in distress. She also is very sensitive to sounds and the smallest sneeze can send her jumping. She has crystal blue eyes and a genuine smile. She’s usually sporting a bib because drinking milk (and keeping it down) is not one of her fortes. But, when it comes to chowing solid foods- she’s the best!  Ms. Lillian is now growing with the rest of her siblings and appears to have left the threats of developmental delays in the past.

Nicknames: Lil, Lily Bug

Birth Length: 14.6 in

Current Length: 22.6 in

Birth Weight: 2.69 lb

Current Weight: 11.6 lb

Favorite toy: Stuffed Eeyore

Favorite Past-time: Hanging out with Mommy and Daddy in the kitchen swing