The V-5 are now 1 year and 2 months and just 2 weeks away from their due date. Since their first birthday we have been witness to milestone after milestone, including first steps!
Mr. Theo can now:
Cruise along with a push-along-walker,
Stand-up by himself,
Stack cups and blocks,
Match colors,
Place rings on a pole, and
Throw a ball.
No real words yet for Theo but he can rattle off a host of consonants. He also can recognize the word ball.
Ms. Bella Jumping Bean can now:
Cruise with a push-along-walker,
Pull herself up and stand,
Remove her bib and shirt,
Throw a ball,
Dance like a queen, and
Point at things and people, especially those that she thinks should get into trouble.
Bella is great a monkey-see, monkey-do and will mimic most actions. No words yet for Bella, but she is definitely the singer in the group.
L.G. can now:
Pull herself up and stand with assistance,
Match colors,
Point at things and people,
Throw a ball, and
Make the sign for milk.
Lily also knows a host of consonants and her favorite is Da, Da, Da, Da.
K-Mae can now:
Pull herself up and walk slowly with a push-along-walker,
Collect similar objects (puppets, chewy tubes, clothes),
Stack cups, blocks and rings, and
Play peek-a-boo.
Kali loves to rattle off consonant sounds and certainly knows the word, “no.” Needless to say, she’s our little trouble-maker. For those that know the Pigeon and Duckling books…she’s our little pigeon.
Sweet Ellie Rose can now:
Stand up along and… walk!
Collect similar objects,
Point and pull things, and
Place objects into a box and remove them
Elliott is the quietest quint, but when she is excited she loves to squawk and repeat consonant sounds.
The stages of infancy fly by, often times I don’t recall specific days, but rather specific moments. It is these moments- these memories- that still give me goosebumps and have left footprints on my heart. Milestone stages at 3 months, 6 months and 12 months give me a reason to reminisce.
How do we spell love? T.I.K.L.E.
T is for Theodore
I is for Isabella
K is for Kali
L is for Lillian
E is for Elliott
Another special thank you to Hayley for the beautiful photos that she took of our children at 3 and 12 months. She is a very talented photographer. Her talent and patience are divine! Be sure to check back at her homepage for more Photos by Hayley.
The fourth born. Loud from the start, our screecher monkey. Queen of the steam roll. Expressions that make your heart smile. A face you can read like a book.
Most likely to steal your toy with no regard. Will likely stand on her head before her feet. Most likely to have her name mispronounced correct them with a smile.
The 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.
We had the most memorable meeting of our lives nearly one year ago. After the miraculous delivery of our quintuplets, now fondly known as the V-5, I had to wait over 24 hours until I could meet them.
This moment has a very special place in my heart…
As we prepare to celebrate the V5’s first birthday, we will be releasing video compilations of each quint beginning with Mr. Theo! Stay tuned!
Almost seven months have passed since I last blogged about what a day in the life is like for one of the V5. As most know, life is a lot different for a 10 month old as compared to a 4 month old, especially since our 4 month olds truly resembled a 2 month old at that time. Nowadays, the kids are catching up developmentally and are currently tracking with 9-10 month old milestones. So, what keeps our rug rats busy? Let’s explore a day in the life of the V5!
As one can imagine, we continue to keep the quints on a tight schedule and they help to keep us true to our word. We start the day at 7am. This honestly is the best part of my day because I am greeted by wide-eyed grins, smiles and giggles…well not everyone is giggling. Theo is typically whining and ready for breakfast. We bring the kids downstairs, change their clothes and pop them in their table for breakfast. Breakfast consists of oatmeal, various fruits and homemade yogurt along with their bottle, which is half goats milk and half mama’s milk. After breakfast, the kiddos go back up to their cribs for their first nap. This is the only nap that they take in their cribs. Kali and Theo tend to sleep for about 45 minutes and others, like Elliott, will fall back asleep until almost 11am.
Dad’s Bumbo Bottle Holders
After they wake up from their first nap, they are downstairs for the day. They play until their next care time at 11am. Lunch is at 11am and they know it. The choir starts to sing at about 10 til’ 11, which creates a mad dash to get them changed and back in the table, while warming their bottles and making lunch. Lunch is usually a starchy vegetable or grain with protein, like turkey, beef or chicken, and a vegetable. They down their lunch and bottles and then play at the table while we clean up. They love to play with their spoons following mealtime. After lunch, it is quiet time. Some of the quints fall back asleep and others play quietly.
We Love Our Spoons!
Everyone is awake by 1pm, and it’s time to play again! We have transformed our home into a baby-safe exploration center. I let the kids roam around the kitchen, living room and dining room areas. They have a blast crawling, rolling and exploring. They typically travel with at least one toy in hand. The most popular toys right now are their egg maracas, the tower* of Sophies, stackable cups and connecting rings. They also find great enjoyment from whacking the doorstopper and kicking the walls. It is certainly free entertainment watching them learn what they can do- and cannot do- as they roam.
Playtime!
Two o’clock is snack and learning time! We gather at the table for bottles and a finger foods such as green peas, banana, avocado, or a homemade teething biscuit. After eating, the kids stay at the table a bit longer to play with their stacking cups, sippy cups and other toys.
Dinner often sneaks up on us at 5pm, when the kids starting “singing” again. We change them and place them back in the table for their last meal of the day. Dinner varies and sometimes is leftovers from lunch, but most often it is a vegetarian meal such as cheesy potatoes with broccoli or scrambled eggs with spinach, along with another bottle. After dinner they will stay up until bedtime, playing and roaming until about 7pm. Sometimes we are able to sneak in a walk around the neighborhood, too.
Bella off to cause some trouble!
…While Kali observes from a distance.
At seven, we begin cleaning them up and getting them ready for bed- PJ time! If all goes well, we usually have time for a story or two before their bedtime bottles. This bottle is a bit larger in volume and has Neosure and mama’s milk. Everyone is getting fed by 7:30pm and typically in their cribs for the night by 8pm. On a good night, all of them close their peepers and are off to dreamland until 6am when they slowly start to wake up. On a not-so-good-night, they all take turns teething and throwing the I-don’t-wanna-go-to-bed tantrum. We have been blessed though, and 5 out of the 7 nights every week are good nights.
And, that’s a wrap! Once the V5 are tucked in their beds, mom and dad prepare for the next day, making bottles, doing the wash, picking up toys, running the dishwasher and mopping the floor. It certainly is a full-time job, but I wouldn’t trade a minute for the world!
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.
Elliott & Bella are ready to head home
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.Kali is bundled up and ready to go!
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!
Big Brother, Theo
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!
Bump 2 Bab[y]ies 