This pretty princess is still our Sleeping Beauty, or Bella addormentata in Italian who is known to catch some zzz’s mid-feeding, or while snuggled up on Daddy’s shoulder. She’s also a bit of a drama queen who tends to exaggerate most activities, and has come to love blowing raspberries. She also is our most active quint and loves to run with flash-like speed. With such a love for action, she grows bored quite easily and often let’s out her characteristic Bella sigh when she has had enough. She is going to be a beautiful older sister full of energy and attitude.
Nicknames: Bella, Bella Bean, Bells, Sarge
Birth Length: 15.7 in
Current Length: 23 in
Birth Weight: 2.49 lb
Current Weight: 12.4 lb
Favorite toy: Musical Sea horse, it’s her Kryptonite
Favorite past time: Running and knocking birds in the Forest Play Mat, fondly known as “Sherwood Forest”
Mr. Theo is 110% boy! This little man is certainly the rough and tumble type equipped with all the loud and smelly bodily functions. His features strongly resemble Frank, including those beautiful blue eyes. He also is growing to be quite strong and can now hold up that 97th percentile noggin with ease. He loves to swing his arms, pound his feet and beat his chest, which can make him quite a threat if left too close to his sisters. But, he also is as sweet as pie and loves to smile, snuggle and hold hands with all of his sisters. He’s already an amazing older brother!
Nicknames: Theo, Thor “god of thunder,” Nana’s Lil Buddy
Birth Length: 14.5 in
Current Length: 24.8 in
Birth Weight: 2.87 lb
Current Weight: 16.1 lb
Favorite toy: Abigail, the rattling bird who resides in Sherwood Forest and Ziggy the Zebra
Favorite past time: Making noise! Whether it be by knocking a rattle, pounding his fists or making sounds with his sweet mouth
They’re a handful! (Left to Right: Bella, Ellie, Lily, Theo, Kali)
The Vanderwall Five are halfway to a year!
This past Monday the V5 turned 6 months old. It truly was a celebration to see how far these munchkins have come. Each month we review their milestones and continues to see these children hit their mark, despite their gestational age of 3 months. According to the CDC, a 6 month old child can:
Social/Emotional
Knows familiar faces and begins to know if someone is a stranger (Definitely true for Kali! She sounds the Stranger Danger alarm at first site)
Likes to play with others, especially parents (All of them love to play; they are social butterflies)
Responds to other people’s emotions and often seems happy (These monkeys see and do)
Likes to look at self in a mirror (Their look of amazement is priceless)
Language/Communication
Responds to sounds by making sounds (They are all progressing here, but Bella and Kali take the lead)
Strings vowels together when babbling (“ah,” “eh,” “oh”) and likes taking turns with parent while making sounds (We have some chatterboxes on our hands)
Responds to own name (We are still working on this one, but I believe Kali & Lily know their names. I also think Bella knows her name and chooses whether or not she wants to respond…little stinker)
Makes sounds to show joy and displeasure (Definitely!)
Begins to say consonant sounds (jabbering with “m,” “b”) (Another popular consonant is “g”)
Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving)
Looks around at things nearby (They are curious little ones)
Brings things to mouth (Especially their fingers and rubber ball)
Shows curiosity about things and tries to get things that are out of reach (They love to reach and swat at their mobile birds)
Begins to pass things from one hand to the other (They are paci passing pros!)
Movement/Physical Development
Rolls over in both directions (front to back, back to front) (More work to be done here, but all are getting close)
Begins to sit without support (The bumbo seats have done wonders for their cores)
When standing, supports weight on legs and might bounce (Theo and Lily are great at holding their weight)
Rocks back and forth, sometimes crawling backward before moving forward (Everyone is scooting and spinning. Watch out Manny (the cat) crawling is definitely in sight)
It’s been awhile since we checked in with each quint individually, so we thought we would launch a series beginning with Mr. Theo!
There are several signs that a child is ready to start solids:
At least 4 months old (Check!)
Significant weight gain.
The quints have definitely doubled their birth weights)
Theo is now 14½ lbs.,
Bella is 11lbs,
Lily is our little one at 10½ lbs.,
Kali is 12 lbs., and
Ellie is just shy of 12 lbs.
Able to make chewing motions and loss of “extrusion reflex.”
The extrusion reflex is when an infant uses their tongue to push solids from their mouth. An infant’s mouth develops in sync with their digestive tract. Therefore, if the little one is able to push food to the back of their mouth with their tongue and simultaneously swallow their gut is ready to accept the food.
Able to support their own heads with good neck strength.
In preparation for solid food we began feeding the kids in their bumbo seats. At first this was a disaster! The bumbo is designed to teach little ones to use their core to sit up, so you can imagine what happens when they are all tensing their abs during mealtime. Spit ups and blowouts galore! But, thank goodness this did not last long. A week’s worth of feedings and they got the hang of it.
I attribute the great gains in their neck and head strength to their time in the bumbo seats. Even big brother, Theo, with his 95th percentile noggin can hold that coconut up proudly!
Good appetite and often still hungry after their feeding.
This is definitely the case for Theo, Kali and Lily who often are quite upset to be sucking air at the end of their bottles.
Curious with what Mom and Dad are munching on.
So, needless to say after reviewing the list above, I was confident that the quints were physically ready for solids.
Which foods do you start with?
There is a bit of a debate on which food is best to start with. Currently, there is no strong evidence to support a specific sequence of introduction. Nutritionally, the best foods to start with are those that are highest in iron. This is because around 4-6 months of age a child’s iron stores are becoming depleted. This is especially true for premature infants because their time to accrue these stores was cut-short. Additionally, foods high in zinc and vitamin D are especially important because these nutrients are traditionally low in breast milk.
Traditionally, people start with iron fortified rice cereal. However, from my research this appears to be merely a generational tradition and in fact meat is a much better first food. This article from Dr. Greer, one of the quints’ physicians at the Madison NICU, offers a great explanation! Rice cereal is very easy to digest and has a very low allergy risk, but the iron from the food is not as easily absorbed and this food is high calories and low in nutrition. Plant-based iron (non-heme iron) is not used by the body as easily as that from an animal source (heme iron). Additionally, meat is a great source of zinc. I believe that chicken is a fantastic first food, followed by beef.
The quint’s sequence will be as follows, with a new food every three days:
I chose butternut squash and sweet potatoes because they are fairly high in vitamin C. The body uses vitamin C to help the absorption and use of iron. Zucchini was next as their first dark green vegetable because it is easy to digest and a low allergy risk. Their first grain will be gluten-free oatmeal because it is naturally high in iron and B-vitamins.
This delicious faire will be homemade with an awesome Baby Bullet, courtesy of a fellow quint mom. I puree the vegetables using breast milk and the meats using bone broth. Both are fantastic sources of vitamins and minerals and freeze very well! In just one hour, I had a month’s worth of food for the kiddos.
Let the games begin!
Frank and I thought we would catch this monumental meal on film. This video illustrates why it is important to feed your little one their bottle before trying solids. Can you guess which quints had eaten first?
If you guessed Theo and Lily you were right! They were cool and calm during their trial. Ellie and Bella were quite the opposite and approached meltdown mode. Kali, well, Kali enjoys mealtime in whatever order it is presented.
The other very important reason to offer solids after their milk is because breast milk should remain the primary source of nutrition for infants until at least 1 year of age, and thus you don’t want to ruin a feeding with an unfortunate food trial. I do promise you that Theo, Ellie and Bella all recovered from this feeding experience.
So, at the conclusion of food trial #1, all of the quints tolerated chicken. I would say that Lily, Ellie and Kali even liked it. I believe Bella will come around to liking it, too. As for Mr. Theo…I’m pretty sure he just wants a butter burger and some crinkle cut fries.
The Vanderwall quints have started the New Year with a celebration!
Grandpa Brett, Nana B and the V7
This past Saturday we dedicated our children to God at Blackhawk Church here in Madison. It was an amazing experience to gather with family and friends. I have to admit it was difficult to take in the service as I was surveying our children and trying to keep track on when it was our turn. But, as I sit and write this post I am reflecting on the “village” that was present to support our family in this intentional dedication, and what dedication truly means. I- again- am overwhelmed by how God’s love and provision continues to wash over are family.
On stage with Grandpa Turzy, Grandpa Brett, Nana, their Godparents (Alex & Danielle) at Blackhawk Church’s Child Dedication.
Overall, the day went very well. The kids looked adorable in their outfits, they did great in church, and we were able to celebrate this faith-filled moment alongside the people that mean the most to us: their grandpa’s, grandma (Nana), God-parents (Alex and Danielle), and very close friends.
The Whitakers and the V-7
The dedication concluded with a personal blessing for our children, read by Alex, and a prayer from the youth pastor.
Our personal blessing reads:
Dearest Theo, “God’s Gift” to us, Isabella, who we “Devote to God,” Lillian and Kali, our “Pure ones,” and Elliott, who reminds us “Jehovah is God.”
May the Lord always walk with you on your journey in life, and sprinkle you with His love and light.
May you learn to love with kindness and grace, and know within your soul: Truth, courage and faith.
You will be wrapped in the warmth of family and friends, and our love for you will never end.
Today, we present you to God, your Holy Father, and commit you to Him for His glory and no other.
We also chose a life verse for each one.
For Theo, Corinthians 16:13-14. “Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous.Be strong. And do everything with love.”
For Bella, 1 Peter 3:3-4 “Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— 4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.”
For Lily, Ephesians 2:8-10. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand,that we should walk in them.”
For Kali, Philippians 4:8-9. “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”
For Ellie, Psalm 139:13-14. “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.”
All we wanted for Christmas was a Silent Night, and we got it!
At the conclusion of the holiday season, we celebrate not only the kids sleeping through the night but the passing of a memorable year. It certainly is a time of recollection; I ask myself: where have we been and where are we going?
It is hard to believe that at this time last year we were not even pregnant. We were amidst the emotional journey of trying to conceive. After years of trying, we found out in March, 2013 that we were going to have a family all at once.
The news that we were going to have quintuplets definitely took a few weeks to digest, and even longer to wrap our minds around. As many know, the emotional journey did not stop at conception but rolled on. With discussions about multi-fetal reduction and attempting to navigate the best possible perinatal care, our pregnancy was a trying journey. In May, I said goodbye to Frank, family and friends in Madison and hello to Mesa. Arizona brought new friends and the best doctor I have ever worked with. It truly seems like just yesterday that we hopped on a plane, praying that we would not be too late to have our urgent surgery. I also cannot believe that Frank and I were apart for almost 3 ½ months. Despite the miles that separated us, our marriage grew greatly during that time.
Then during the early afternoon on August 3, a nurse came into my hospital room and shared that were going to have babies in a few hours. With a bang we had a beautiful family. Many know the trials and tribulations that followed; the life of a NICU parent.
I sit amazed. I am truly awestruck at how God’s hand has cared for us every step of the way, His provision through His strength, Spirit and people never left us and continue to be ever present.
One of the many ornaments and generous gifts that we received from from our family at the Community Christian Church (Lincolnshire, IL). Many thanks!
I look at my beautiful children, each a unique blessing, and am overwhelmed by His handiwork. The quints are now 5 months old. They are happy, healthy and developing right on schedule.
Lillian GraceKali is not so sure about this Santa character.But, Kali definitely loves her Grandpa!Theo loves his pinky hippoBella sporting her Christmas outfitBaby Ellie is pretty in pink
What else could we ask for? Where are we going?
Instead of choosing a self-improvement goal, I resolve to soul-improvement and to continue to be present with my family and to truly seek what the Lord desires for our family and I. On January 11th, we will dedicate our children to God at Blackhawk Church. I am excited to commit each one of our miracles to their heavenly Father for His will and His purpose.
I close with a prayer from Billy Graham,
“Our Father and our God, as we stand at the beginning of this new year we confess our need of Your presence and Your guidance as we face the future.
We each have our hopes and expectations for the year that is ahead of us—but You alone know what it holds for us, and only You can give us the strength and the wisdom we will need to meet its challenges. So help us to humbly put our hands into Your hand, and to trust You and to seek Your will for our lives during this coming year.
In the midst of life’s uncertainties in the days ahead, assure us of the certainty of Your unchanging love.
In the midst of life’s inevitable disappointments and heartaches, help us to turn to You for the stability and comfort we will need.
In the midst of life’s temptations and the pull of our stubborn self-will, help us not to lose our way but to have the courage to do what is right in Your sight, regardless of the cost.
And in the midst of our daily preoccupations and pursuits, open our eyes to the sorrows and injustices of our hurting world, and help us to respond with compassion and sacrifice to those who are friendless and in need. May our constant prayer be that of the ancient Psalmist: “Teach me, O Lord, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end” (Psalm 119:33).
We pray for our nation and its leaders during these difficult times, and for all those who are seeking to bring peace and justice to our dangerous and troubled world. We pray especially for Your protection on all those who serve in our armed forces, and we thank You for their commitment to defend our freedoms, even at the cost of their own lives. Be with their families also, and assure them of Your love and concern for them.
Bring our divided nation together, and give us a greater vision of what You would have us to be. Your Word reminds us that “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 33:12).
As we look back over this past year we thank You for Your goodness to us—far beyond what we have deserved. May we never presume on Your past goodness or forget all Your mercies to us, but may they instead lead us to repentance, and to a new commitment to make You the foundation and center of our lives this year.
Mr. Theodore and Mrs. Bella Clause and their cute lil’ elves want to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!
The V-7 wishes you and yours a Merry Christmas!Mr. and Mrs. Clause in the midst of a marital dispute.It looks like they made up!Ellie the elf is pooped from her long night building toys and spreading cheer!It looks like Lily is all tuckered out, too.Kali is hitting that high C in every carol she sings!
Several people inquire about what life is like for one of the Vanderwall quints. Many have come to visit and have peered into the world of the V-5. Some are surprised at their cool, calm and collected nature. Others have witnessed the choir of screeching alley cats (aka all 5 crying at once), which is enough to scare anyone into abstinence. All have to take a moment to allow reality to settle in that there truly are five.
When I was pregnant I was searching long and hard for example schedules and routines for high order multiples. I found suggestions but nothing clear and concise, so I thought I would share with the world what a day in the life of the Vanderwall quints looks like.
The life of an infant is fairly plain and simple; it consists of eating, sleeping and pooping. But, as a child ages the time allocated to these changes.
Kali Mae is ready for lunch!
When the kiddos first arrived home at 2 ½ months, or a gestational age of 40 weeks, they ate every 3 hours and slept for the majority of the 3 hours between feedings. We inherited their care time schedule from the hospital, which was 12am, 3am, 6am, 9am, 12pm, 3pm, 6pm, and 9pm.
Aunt Cindy feeding Kali
About a month ago we consolidated the evening so, there was only one evening shift: 1am, 5am, 9am, 12pm, 3pm, 6pm, 9pm.
Cousin Guy feeding EllieGrandpa George burping Ellie
More recently, we decided to challenge the quints to sleep through the night and. they did it! According to the research literature, “sleeping through the night” is 5 hours, however most, including any sleep-deprived parent or caregiver, would agree that that simply is not enough. However, it’s a start. The quints care times are now 5-6am, 9am, 12pm, 4pm, 7pm, and 10pm. It continues to amaze me at how adaptable they truly are. We are very grateful!
Those who have visited know the in’s and out’s of the quint’s cares, but I’ll give you the rundown for those of you watching from home. The sequence of care times mimics that of the hospital. We tried to maintain patterns that the kids knew.
“Cares” begin with whoever is awake, which is typically Ellie and Theo, but on some occasions everyone wakes up at the same time. Most of the time half of them wake up on the hour and then 2-3 wake up at the half hour. This works out perfectly for our feeding sequence. We start by changing their diapers and then feed them one-by-one. It will be a glorious day when they can hold their own bottles, but for right now each one takes 8-45 minutes to feed depending on how cooperative they’re feeling. That means that one “care” session can last 45 minutes to over 2 hours. When I’m running this ship solo, the average care session takes 90 minutes, but Frank and I can cut that time in half.
Lily catching some post-meal zzz’s
After everyone is fed, they lay back down for a nap, some quiet-alert time, or play-time. We try to rotate their positions from lying on their back, to tummy time, to sitting upright in the swing or bouncy seat, or to a slight incline in a boppy.
Kali & Theo relaxing
We believe its important to vary the positions and locations of the room.
In between care sessions, we spend time documenting their “I’s & O’s” or “In’s & Out’s,” making bottles, and doing the laundry. It is important for us to track their care sessions because when we go to the doctor they always ask how many “voids” and “stools” they have each day, and there’s no way I could recall that for each one without writing it down. A sample of our tracker is below:
Date:
Care Time
Feeding (mL)
Void
Spit-up
Stool
Percent of Daily Goal
Total mL
So, a day in the life of the V-5 consists of 6 feedings, 90 ounces of breast milk, about 6 scoops of Neosure, 18 teaspoons of rice cereal, at least 50 diapers, an abundance of boogers, drool, stinky butts and spit-up, and a whole lot of love!
The African proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child” is holding true for the V-5. It simply takes more than one person to not only teach a child the ways of life, but to care for their physical needs. Consider Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, if a child is unable to satisfy the lower needs, physiological & safety, then it will be that much more difficult to achieve the more advanced needs of love, belonging and esteem.
In the last few weeks, we have been blessed by our own village of family and friends who have paid the quints a visit and helped Mom and Dad not only care for the kiddos, but care for themselves, too! It has been such a blessing to have regular volunteers. Now, the majority of the quints care times have someone here to offer another hand. I must admit I do cherish my one-on-one time with the kiddos. Sometimes it is nice when we get to have cares with just them and I. Yes, it does get a little crazy at times, but I have found if I turn on oldies and sing and dance with them; they love it! A fave is “Baby, I’m Yours” by none other than Mama Cass!
Many, many thanks to our family who has made the trek up from Northern IL many times to help and visit.
Uncle JD with Ellie & Bella
Thank you to our church family who have come over at all hours of the day, including 3am, and at the drop of a hat to help us. Thank you to the Madison Area Mom’s of Multiples for yummy meals and snacks. Thank you to our new friends and co-workers who have also been there for us in the last month.
The Vanderwall home has quickly transformed into baby central with pack and plays, bouncy seats, burp cloths and pacifiers abounding. Everywhere you look you see signs of our little ones. We are also trying hard to create an environment at home that is conducive to growth and development.
Theo staking out in the Pack N Play
We hope that the V-5’s domain will:
Help them differentiate between night and day.
During the day the kiddos stay on the main level in well-lit areas. Here they are exposed to the sounds and hustle and bustle of day time. At night we keep them upstairs in their nursery where it is dark and quiet. We also are intentional about not talking or playing with them during their night-time care times. We are down to business at 12am and 3 am. This has proven to be very helpful in getting them on their care schedule.
Practice good nutrition.
All of the quints enjoy breastmilk for all their meals. However, since they were premature it is common practice to fortify their milk for additional calories, protein, vitamins and minerals (sodium, calcium, phosphorus to name a few). Their calorie goals vary quite a bit and like adults are based on their weight, ranging from 108-120 Calories per kilogram body weight. On average breastmilk has 20 calories per ounce, whereas the quints require 24 to 26 calories per ounce to grow at the desired rate. Therefore, we are adding Similac Neosure to their milk. We also are sure that they get their multivitamin (poly-vi-sol) daily.
Rare Occurrence- Ellie is quiet and alert, awaiting lunch.Mommy & Lily
Exercise their Mind.
Lots of time and attention is poured into identifying strategies to develop baby’s brains. There are an assortment of toys, books, apps, programs, etc. that promise to make your baby a genius. However, I’m a firm believer in simplicity and believes that attention, bonding and communication, or ABC’s, develop the brain just as efficiently as any of these other tools. I have actually learned that some toys touted for brain development can actually over-stimulate the child and increase the risk of ADHD/ADD.
Currently, the V-5 enjoy tracking exercises where we use a black and white images or toys and move the image from left to right. This activity strengthens communication between the left and right hemispheres of the brain, or communication across the corpus callosum. We also love to chat and sing with our little ones. An ideal time to chat is when we are changing them, because we are 12-14 inches away from their little faces and are able to maintain their attention.
Massage for Emotional Well-being.
There are many benefits of baby massage, including stress management. Massage can help to foster emotional health and promote self-soothing. Touch via gentle strokes stimulates the central nervous system to produce more serotonin, the happy hormone, and create less cortisol, a stress hormone. Typically, as a result the infants breathing and heart rate will slow and they become more relaxed. Often times, this relaxed state does not result in sleep but rather a quiet, alert state perfect for play-time, snuggle-time, or positive feeding interactions.
Massage for their Tummies.
Our quints are a gassy bunch. It is no joke that post-feeding sounds much like a barnyard. Therefore, anything we can do to ease their gas pains and help their digestion is a must. Frank loves to take them on bicycle rides all over “town,” moving their little legs in a circular fashion. They have also come to enjoy this and almost do it on their own when you lay them on their backs. Frank tends to take them to the Candy Shoppe, where Mom prefers a trip to the Puzzle Place. We also practice the “I Love You” strokes on their bellies, which can help to stimulate movement throughout the digestive tract. A fool-proof method for gas relief is to place them on their tummies with rounded shoulders and knees tucked up and to glide your hands down their back while supporting their bottoms.
Stretch their Bodies.
Since sleep is one of their favorite past times, these little ones can get awful stiff. We continue to try to prevent flattening of their heads and promote good neck mobility. Moving their limbs up and down and inward and outward can help to preven
t these little hedgehogs from staying all bound up. We also like “windshield wipers” with their bent knees to help open up their hips.
Tummy time is also a great way foster good motor development and upper body strength. It is best done when the infant is alert. Some of the quints love tummy time and others are still learning to like it. It can be quite a frustrating position for them, so we are sure to keep the sessions short and sweet.
Elliott is prepping for her calisthenics
Encourage Good Coordination.
Newborns are able to open and close their hands, but often times these movements are reflexive. During the first three months of life grasping becomes more intentional and an ideal time for developing foundational skills for hand-eye coordination. The quints are already starting to show signs of good coordination as they reach and grab items from their mobiles, as well as, objects near their face…including mommy’s hair.
Quints circled up for Yoshi Calisthenics on HalloweenNow it’s time for Follow-the-Lily.
All of these activities certainly add up for a full day, but there’s nowhere else we’d rather be!
Bump 2 Bab[y]ies 