motherhood – Page 5 – Fuel to Flourish™

The V5 are 15 Months

Published on November 2, 2014 by onesource4wellness3 Comments

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 — 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 adventures that lie ahead include learning:

how to climb up and down the stairs,
learning each others names,
learning hungry, full, and sleepy, and
learning how to color.

One Small Step For…

Published on September 28, 2014 by onesource4wellness1 Comment

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.

Her First Year: Lillian Grace

Published on July 30, 2014July 27, 2014 by onesource4wellness

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.

Ms. Lillian Grace

His First Year: Theodore Joseph

Published on July 28, 2014July 27, 2014 by onesource4wellness3 Comments

The first born. The big brother. The maker of trouble. Daddy’s mini-me. Mama’s big boy. Nana’s little buddy.

Most likely to steal your milk, and your leftover potatoes. Will most likely break a window, a bone, or both at the same time. Most likely to drive you crazy and melt your heart.

Mr. Theodore Joseph

A Memorable Meeting

Published on July 27, 2014July 26, 2014 by onesource4wellness1 Comment

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!

A Day in the Life, Part II

Published on June 22, 2014June 22, 2014 by onesource4wellness2 Comments

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.

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.

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.

...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

For those of you who know me…

Published on May 26, 2014 by onesource4wellness4 Comments

For those of you who know me, know I’m a bit nostalgic. I believe this appreciation for the past and joy from recollecting was instilled in me by my dad. I enjoy reminiscing about times that have gone by, sometimes to a fault, in that I miss the present or plan too much for the future. But, nevertheless, I cherish days like today- Memorial Day- for taking a time out to look back.

One year ago today, I was lying in a hotel in Mesa, AZ. I had just been discharged from the local hospital after having a surgery that saved our pregnancy. I did not know what the days ahead would bring, but knew that in a few hours I would have to drop Frank off at the airport and spend the next days alone.

For those of you who know me, being away from home is not my specialty. I have always been a homebody. I am perfectly content hanging out at home. While I appreciate others’ love for travel, I generally have little interest. So, needless to say moving to Arizona was not something I would have chosen to do.

For those of you who know me, know that I strive to walk with God. It truly has been a bumpy road, of straying here and there. But, as I reflect on this Memorial Day, I see how God’s hand was guiding our footsteps during that treacherous time. We had found out on that Monday that we were going to lose our pregnancy and the medical team shared with us that there was nothing we could do about it. The parents of other quintuplets told me differently. When I learned of the surgery that had prolonged other high order multiple pregnancies the answer was easy; I needed that surgery. I recall wrestling with this decision in my mind. I saw two choices: Stay here in WI where I was comfortable and await the impending miscarriage, or hop on a plane to AZ to see the best maternal and fetal medicine specialist in the world. After we decided to choose life, God granted me peace. My fear had passed away, and this new sense of calm and strength arose. I take no credit for this change, but was merely witness to it. 28wk_diagram1

For those of you who know me, know that I have a rich inner life. I may be an ambivert on the Meyers Briggs, but I believe I’m a true introvert. I process life on the inside and share with those I trust. So, why would a true introvert write such a telling message? It is to brag, but not on myself. It is to testify to the guiding grace of God the Father, His humble Son and His Spirit.

I feel like I blinked and a year has flown by. Every day is an opportunity of worship. I look at my children and sometimes forget in the moment where they were 10 short months ago. I see them kicking and rolling and can recall them doing that when they were all crammed in my tummy. I stand in their nursery and just watch as all of their little heads pop up like little prairie dogs from their cribs in the morning. I dreamed of moments like that. Our children are a true joy and a challenge wrapped up into one little package

So, on this day when we are beckoned to remember, I encourage you to first and foremost thank those who have served our country. Remember those who have fallen for it. But, also take a moment to remember and recall the miracles in your life. For you are loved!