motherhood – Page 6 – Bump 2 Bab[y]ies

Dedication Celebration

Published on January 12, 2014 by onesource4wellness4 Comments

The Vanderwall quints have started the New Year with a celebration!

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. — 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 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— ⁴but 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.”

A Day in the Life

Published on December 10, 2013 by onesource4wellness3 Comments

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.

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.

About a month ago we consolidated the evening so, there was only one evening shift: 1am, 5am, 9am, 12pm, 3pm, 6pm, 9pm.

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 p;oct-meal zzz's — 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.

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!

Baby Central: The V-5’s Domain

Published on November 1, 2013November 1, 2013 by onesource4wellness3 Comments

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 is home! — 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.

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.

Ellie Lays — 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 Halloween

Yoshi egg line-up — Now 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!

Hail, Hail, The Gang’s All Here

Published on October 22, 2013 by onesource4wellness7 Comments

On Saturday, October 20, we welcomed home the last, but certainly not least, of the V-5- Lillian Grace. It was a very happy homecoming and exciting to know that we are beginning the next chapter of our family’s life together. We are truly overjoyed every time we look to our living to room to see all of the bouncy seats, previously filled with their teddy bears, now filled with our beautiful children; It is quite a surreal moment.

The picture of all 5 Quints together in the same frame! — The first picture of all 5 quints together in the same frame! From left to right: Bella, Theo, Ellie, Kali, Lily.

It has been quite the past few weeks getting everything ready around the house for all the little ones and finally transporting them home. Here’s a quick look at how it all went down:

Mommy and Daddy build the babies a beautiful new nursery. — Mommy and Daddy build the V5 a beautiful new nursery

Bella prays to Jesus, asking him to bring her and her brother and all her sisters home. — Bella prays to Jesus, asking Him to bring her, her brother, and all her sisters home very soon

v5 Diplomas — Bella’s prayers are answered and NICU diplomas for all five babies appear on the counter of the nurse’s station

Then, Kali and Ellie join him. — One by one, the quints pass their car seat test and are cleared to go home from the hospital

Now the dishwasher is full of bottles... — Now, the dishwasher at the Vanderwall residence is always filled with baby bottles…

and mommy and daddy's arms are full of babies. The end. — and mommy & daddy’s arms are always filled with babies

Indeed, getting the opportunity to be with the quints 24/7 has opened our eyes to their little quirks and deepened our understanding of their budding personalities. There were some assumptions we made about these little ones early on, which are proving to be a bit off, and some that were and still are spot on. Here’s the latest update on each of the quints, in the order they appear in the group photo above.

Isabella Marie

Our Sleeping Beauty, would much rather spend her day catching some zzzz’s than anything else. She is a tough one to arouse, which is good and bad. It’s a struggle at meal times, but a joy when everyone is wound up and she is just relaxing. But, when she does wake up and join the party she can be quite the happy little girl.

Theodore Joseph

Tutti Frutti, leads this Barnyard bunch in their animal chorus with his manly toots. Theo is definitely a little boy, but also our little cutie. He has the most precious face, and loves to lock eyes with you. He continues to be a champ when it comes to downing milk and apparently has shared this skill with his sisters because their feeding skills are getting much better.

Theo 2 — Looks like our cute Mr. Tutti has something brewing

Theo is home 3 — Theo passed out after one of his trademark high-volume feedings

Elliott Rose

Ellie has earned the nickname, “Cray Cray” for her recent frantic antics. Our experience living near Cabrini Green tells us this little one is proving to be quite the little gangster, rolling around the west-side of Madison with her hat pulled up, or down, and we swear she’s throwing signs, too. She also is learning how to play her parents and can turn on and off the tears like a light switch. She is still our little doll face, but definitely not the saving grace we thought she would be. She is our feisty little peanut.

Ellie be rollin — Ellie is dancing to the beat of her own drum

Kali Mae

Our little screecher monkey, still can hit the high “C” with the best of them. But, she has proven to be more mild mannered than we thought and is turning into a fair self soother. She still has the most definitive features with her dark, thick hair and darker complexion. She also has a smile that can melt anyone’s heart.

Kali Mae will make you an offer you can’t refuse

Lillian Grace

Our silly Lily, tends to still be our quiet observer. During her alert times of day, she will sit and just look around for hours. She also loves to be spoken to, and truly appears to be listening empathetically. I often think she will be a counselor one day due to these budding listening skills. She is also our silly one with the most adorable smile. She will smile in any circumstance, which is a wonderful reminder to smile, too.

The alert lil' Lily Bug — Our alert lil’ Lily Bug

"Tell me more," says Lily. — “Tell me more,” says Lily.

We are cherishing each and every moment with these little ones. Now that we are all home we are excited for our family time spent reading books, checking out black and white baby flash cards and laughing our way through the feeding frenzy which comes around every 2-3 hours. It’s a riot!

The Race Home

Published on October 12, 2013 by onesource4wellness2 Comments

The quints are one week from being full-term babies and the race is on! Bets have been placed by many on their healthcare team as to who will make it home first.

This past week has provided some challenges on their road home, including getting their 2-month vaccinations, which included:

The second Hepatitis B vaccine,
DTap, to protect against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (whooping cough),
Hib to protect against Haemophilus influenza type B, which can progress to meningitis, pneumonia and epiglottitis,
PCV to protect against Pneumoccocal disease, which can also lead to meningitis and pneumonia, as well as, ear infections, and
IPV to protect against polio.

The doctors warned us that the kids may not be themselves for about 24 hours after the vaccinations and they were right. The most common symptoms include:

Fever
Pain at the injection site
Poor appetite
Fatigue/Sleepiness
Increased Spells
Periodic breathing

Everyone spiked a fever and ended up sweating through their clothes. Their appetites were not the best the following day either due to them being a bit sleepier. Honestly, the best way to describe it is that all of their “issues” from a few weeks back, reared their ugly heads.

Silly Kali Mae who may be one part screecher monkey and another part parakeet.

For example, Kali who tends to “bear down,” meaning to grunt to either pass gas, poop, or protect her airway from reflux, was doing so much more often. When she bears down she often forgets to breathe… she isn’t the best multi-tasker, yet. The frequent bearing down led to poor respiration and thus desaturation (decreased oxygen in her blood) where she had to be put back on her nasal cannula to receive extra air flow. Luckily, she only had to remain on it for 24 hours. The unfortunate news is that because she had this “Spell” she got 5 days tacked on to her stay before she can be discharged. So, Ms. Kali’s discharge is now projected for October 15^th.

Lillian Grace playing peek-a-boo when she is supposed to be snoozing.

Lily and Bella are now focusing primarily on waking up and staying alert enough to eat by mouth. These two are the last with their feeding tubes. They are currently meeting 50% of their nutritional needs by mouth and need to get to 80% before they can consider sending them home.

Bella who somehow has a striking resemblance to Dwight Schrute from the Office in this photo.

So, that leaves Mr. Theo and Ms. Elliott who have been favored by Frank and I to win the race home for some time. These two, despite their bowel surgeries, will most likely be the first ones home and arriving via stork, or Honda Odyssey, this weekend!

Mr. Theo snug as a bug in his sleep sack.

In other news, Frank and I are doing well. We are so excited that our NICU journey is coming to an end, and are more than ready to start the next chapter at home! Frank is coming out of his busy season at work and is planning on taking some time off as the kids trickle home.

I am excited to have him home, so we can establish what life will look- aka a routine- as a family. I am also excited to share that I have returned to my pre-pregnancy weight. I share this for three reasons:

One, I believe it is a testament to good nutrition and regular exercise (just practicing what I preach),
Two, it is clear to me that weight truly is just a number because my body is definitely not what it was before in terms of composition therefore, operation “rebuild your temple, based on I Corinthians 6:19-20), remains in full swing, and
Three, because it has opened my eyes to a whole new population of people I want to empower for better health- Moms!

We also wanted to share with those who were praying for our insurance appeal that we had our grievance hearing. Unfortunately, the committee decided to uphold their decision to deny payment of our perinatal care in Arizona. We would appreciate continued prayer for this journey as we trudge on to the next level. It has become a moral battle of proving the value of life. We are now fighting for more than just our five miracles, and feel as though we have the opportunity to speak for parents who were encouraged to consider multi-fetal reduction and may have moved ahead with those decisions, and thus had to grieve those losses. We also will not back down because we believe in the importance of having a choice in healthcare, and speak for those who may have thought at one point they had no other choice but to give in, or to give up. Most importantly, we also speak for all of the children who did not get a chance at life. We are fired up and ready, so please pray that the committee in this next round would be more open to our appeal.

As always, we thank you for your well wishes, prayers and support. Please know you are a valued citizen of the village that is helping to raise the V-5!

The V-5 are 2 months old!

Published on October 4, 2013 by onesource4wellness5 Comments

The V-5 are 2 months old today!

At these monthly milestones, I look back and truly cannot believe all that we have experienced in the last 2 months. It seems like just yesterday that I was trying to figure out how to change the diaper of a 2lb baby in an isolette without lifting them, while being blinded by their “bili light.” Today, I can walk right up to their crib, move a few cords, and lift them up to comfort them. I am eager for the day for them to come home where we can snuggle gown, glove and cord free!

It is also amazing to watch them grow and develop. We knew at birth that they had defining characteristics, but with each day they look more and more different. We thought we would share this growth one-by-one.

Big Brother Theo

Theo keepin' it real — Theo keepin’ it real

Theo celebrated his 2-month birthday with a celebratory surgery. He had his reanastomosis today where they reconnected his ileum, or the lowest portion of his small intestine. His surgery went very well and they are planning to extubate him in the next 24 hours. He had his spontaneous bowel perforation on day 3 of life, so we were very happy to say goodbye to the smelly ostomy bags today. Now, at 6lbs and 7oz this little boy is a fantastic eater and we have no doubt that once he is recovered from his procedure he is in the running to be the first or second one home.

Big Sister Bella

Isabella has been our rock with no significant issues from day one. She has become the sleepy one of the bunch, nicknamed Sleeping Bella, aka Sleeping Beauty, and has maintained her quiet personality. She is learning how to eat by mouth and is a champ when it comes to taking a bottle. Breastfeeding is not her forte partially because she’s a biter- not fun. This little beauty is now weighing in at 5lbs and 14oz and leads the girlies in size. A few of the nurses bet that she will be the first one home.

Ms. Lillian Grace

Lily's Trademark Smirk — Lily’s Trademark Smirk

Little Lily continues to amaze us with her resiliency. We have had many scares following her grade 2 IVH with surrounding PVL, but she has showed no signs that this is hindering her development. She is one of the stronger eaters in the bunch and her growth has also been stable. She now weighs 5lbs and 13oz.

Kali-Mae

Kali's impression of Derek Zoolander — Kali’s impression of Derek Zoolander

This little monkey maintains her feisty personality. She has been struggling with GER the last several weeks, and is now on a formula for spit-ups. It was quite difficult to see this happen, since breast milk has so many benefits. But, when I see how much better she feels and looks, I know it was the right choice. We are hoping that she will quickly grow out of it and be back on mommy’s milk soon. Kali is on the smaller size, but is holding her own with the other ladies in the room at 5lbs and 12 oz.

Baby Ellie

Our little Princess Ellie also celebrated her 2-month birthday with a reanastamosis. She had her jejunum reconnected and was able to be extubated today. It was wonderful to see her breathing on her own and even smiling after they removed the tube. She truly is a tough cookie. Her tolerance for pain and her ability to self-soothe are amazing. We have no doubt that this was only a speed bump on her journey home. She is our little peanut at 5lbs and 7oz, but keeps pace with Theo in the eating department and definitely may beat the other girls home.

We are so grateful for the continued well wishes and prayers for the V-5. Hopefully, in another month we will be snapping these photos from the comfort of our own home!

Bon Voyage!

Published on August 29, 2013 by onesource4wellness5 Comments

This has been the week of travel for the Vanderwall quints. Isabella and Elliott celebrated their 3 week birthday by departing for a Madison NICU. Early Saturday morning, August 24, we packed up Bella and Ellie into a single isolette and began our transition. I joined the sisters, a nurse and a respiratory therapist for the trek on the medical transport prop plane.

It was an emotional 24 hours to say the least and got a good taste of what it may be like to go back to work and leave my little ones at home. I truly felt heartbroken to leave Lily, Kali and Theo for that day and a half. Tears flowed until we boarded the plane. I am happy to say that my heart perked right up when we landed near green grass and fresh water lakes. It also was such a blessing to see how excited Frank was to welcome our daughters home.

The girlies handled the flight and transition really well. Halfway through the flight Bella wet the bed through her diaper, living up to her latest nickname of “Bella Blowout,” and Ellie was not happy about it. For the remainder of the flight, Ellie proceeded to kick her sister to the side of the isolette. By the time we reached Wisconsin, Bella’s face was nearly plastered to the side of the chamber. Firsthand witness to sisterly love! Now settled into their new NICU home, they continue to advance in their feedings and are getting to be better breathers!

After a quick night in my own bed, I boarded a plane on Sunday morning to return to the remaining quints in Arizona. My Mama mission was and is to continue to urge the medical team towards quick, yet safe, transfers home.

Lily and Kali’s turn was early this morning. They have been ready to head home since yesterday morning but there wasn’t any room in the inn… or the new NICU.

Lily on her tummy ready to go see Daddy.

So, we packaged these little ladies up this morning and watched as the ambulance drove away.

Again, tears flowed. Although it truly is a bittersweet event and more of a “see you later” than a goodbye, I learned that a parent’s unconditional love does not make sense. There simply is no logic in my love for our children.

Lily and Kali also arrived safe and sound in Madison. They are now enjoying their new homes in a room right next door to their sisters. The nurses reported to me that the plane ride was uneventful, which is exactly what I was hoping for.

Now, all but one are only 20 minutes from their final destination- our home. Theo and I will remain in Arizona until he is also ready to get his wings. He is doing very well and has achieved 4lbs!

He and I have already logged quite a few hours of Kangaroo care, which I believe has definitely helped his breathing to get stronger. It is amazing to watch how his vitals normalize as we snuggle together. It also helps me to continue to provide “liquid gold” for all of these hungry babies… as evidenced by the overflowing freezer dedicated to the V-5’s breakfast, lunch and dinner!

So, that is the latest and greatest regarding the V-5. Prayers remain that all five and mommy and daddy will be reunited soon! Please join me in praying that we will all be back in Madison by Saturday to celebrate their 1 month birthday!

Baby Theo

Published on August 17, 2013August 17, 2013 by onesource4wellnessLeave a comment

Theo is quite possibly, in our unbiased opinion, the cutest little infant baby-boy in the history of the world. It’s amazing how at just 31 weeks of age he is already showing quite a personality. It’s also amazing how much of a prototypical boy he can be at times. Here is a snapshot of sweet little Theodore Joseph who has more than stolen mommy and daddy’s hearts. (If you click on an image, it will give you a full-screen slideshow of all the pictures).

Theo does quite the Gerber Baby impression.

He does several impressions, but Michael Jackson is his best.

Ouch. Theo. For the last time. That’s not a chicken finger.

A preview of Theo on a school-day morning 15 years from now.

He claimed this was his Scarface impression. Clearly he’s pooping.

His cool dude phase. It took a day or so, but we talked him out of a harley and a tattoo.

Another prievew of school-day mornings to come.

And getting his Sunday morning praise on.

All in all, Theo is quite a happy little guy.

Not pictured above:

In an unprecedented incident, during the night, Theo escaped out of his little bed, pulled himself across his isolette, and positioned himself right in front of one of the entry portholes. Apparently, he thinks he’s ready to go home
We were photographing Theo and he felt the session was running a bit long. We kid you not, he looked right into the camera, conjured up an epic scowl for his little face, and then flipped us the bird. The picture was too obscene for this blog, but it was all captured in high-definition. We’re quite positive it will resurface in the years to come, accompanied by much laughter.
When Dad finally decided to jump in for one of Theo’s diaper changings, Theo made sure it was an unforgettable experience – if you catch our drift, literally Welcome to fatherhood!

We hope you have enjoyed the pics and stories of our precious little Theo.

Please pray for his continued health, well being, and many smiles and blessings to come.

Stay tuned for photo galleries of all Theo’s little sisters!

The Story of Theo and the 4 Princesses

Published on June 12, 2013 by onesource4wellness11 Comments

BABY_C2

As I lay on the ultrasound table this afternoon I watched the story of Theo and the four princesses unfold.The sonographers took just over 30 minutes on each baby to specifically measure and examine:

The spine
The heart, including all 4 chambers, the aortic arch and the heart rate
The brain and specific parts including the cerebellum
Nuchal fold
Kidneys and the blood flow through the renal arteries
The umbilical cord and placenta
Fluid within each placenta
Boy and Girl parts
Head circumference
Facial features (eyes, nose, lips)
Both arms with open hands
Both legs and feet

As you can see it was truly a marathon of measurements. But, three hours later we now know that we have very healthy babies. Everyone’s organs look great at this point and have great blood flow. All of the nuchal folds were less than 6 mm, which means they are all at a very low risk for genetic disorders, including downs syndrome. Everyone has 10 fingers and 10 toes and the cutest little noses! Also, all of the babies’ measurements are within normal limits. We have two babies at the 70^th percentile, meaning they are measuring bigger than one baby would at this time. The remaining three babies are at the 30^th percentile.

We also got confirmation that we will be having four girls and one little boy. We have decided to name our little guy Theodore Joseph, or Theo for short. He may eventually come to enjoy the name TJ, too! As for our little ladies, we are still tossing names around but definitely have a few that we like.

I commend all of the sonographers for their work because we certainly have a bunch of wiggle worms. However, everyone did give us a beautiful profile shot and a quick glance at their faces.

Even little Theo decided to show us his face, which up until this point he would only reveal his boy parts.

The only baby who stayed in the same position was baby E, who is at the very top. She may be quite the diver some day because she assumed the Pike position and didn’t switch. Baby C was tucked in a little ball and was quite the rascal. The rest were rolling about the entire time. I was happy to see everyone moving and grooving. I wish I could share all of the images from today with you but unfortunately I got a faulty disc. All of the images within this post are from our 19-week ultrasound.

So, all in all we are doing very well! We are quickly approaching 22 weeks this Friday and then it’s just 3 more months to make it to our goal of 34 weeks!

Greetings from Arizona

Published on June 7, 2013 by onesource4wellness4 Comments

All is well in Arizona!

21 weeks

Today we celebrate 21 weeks, which may have not been possible without this venture to the desert.

My mom came to visit this week and it has been amazing to have her here. She has cleaned, cooked, and cleaned some more. It will be hard to say goodbye tomorrow, but I just have to remember that it’s really, see you later.

The home where I am staying is truly an oasis with a beautiful view from the patio. Since there is not much to share in terms of updates, I thought I would share the scenery.

Cactus in front of Superstition Mountain

There is a lot more wildlife than I thought there would be. The birds are constantly chirping. I am greeted each morning by a pair of lovely doves. I even found a family of quail- mommy, daddy and several babies. After meeting those little guys I was happy to see the vulture fly away. There are also the little lizards scampering to and fro and the coyote who takes his walk of shame down the road every morn. I am truly surrounded by God’s handiwork, which is yet another blessing.

We will be having our 5-hour, 2nd trimester scan next week- woo hoo! I hear it’s a marathon with snack breaks and all! So, I will definintely have more to share about the V-5 next week. Stay tuned!