RSV Final Update

Hello all! Sorry for the long break! We've been SO busy! We have survived RSV! I hope you haven't been too worried about us in the long silence between posts. We haven't been sick this whole time! In fact, we got well enough to make a trip to Memphis for Christmas to visit my family! Yea! So pictures and stories are coming! Currently all children are healthy! Let's hope they stay that way!

RSV Update

We continue to fight the snotty-nose war here at RSV Central! Sometimes things are okay, and other times they are a nightmare! The kids are so up and down with this thing. One minute they're lying around being totally pitiful and then they just pop up and play for a little bit, then just start crying for no apparent reason and come collapse in your lap all pitiful again.

And the snot! It's really awful! We are constantly wiping noses and will likely max out the space in the nearest landfill with all our tissues. And don't forget...the bulb syringe! Boy do the kids LOVE to have their noses sucked! Seriously, you should see them start running for cover whenever they see one. We literally have to hold them down with this contorted immobilizing grip while they twist and scream and cry and break our hearts they whole time! But the nastiness we get out of their noses makes it worthwhile I guess.

I'll be glad when it's over. Sadly, Jonathan is still having bouts of pitifulness and still running a fever. Reagan and Thomas have also run a fever off and on and been periodically pitiful. Zachary is doing the best currently. It's hard to say who is the worst because they change so much from one minute to the next. If they can just not be pitiful all at the same time, we may survive this!

RSV

Yes, the dreaded Respiratory Syncytial Virus has descended upon our home, made itself comfortable, and smeared snot everywhere. As you may remember if you've been around since last year, the kids got shots last Oct through March to help protect them from this most evil of viruses. And the shots combined with the fact that we almost never left the house worked to keep us RSV-free all last winter.

But not this winter.

Alas. But I'd rather have it now than have had it then! It shouldn't be too serious now that the kids are older and usually healthy. It should just be like a really bad cold. So far it's been like this...snotty noses, really gross snotty noses, fever, snottier noses, don't feel good, pitiful, snotty noses, breathing treatments, nose-sucking, and did I mention the really nasty snotty noses?

Only Jonathan has actually been confirmed by a dr to have RSV, but I think its pretty much a given that the other three snotty-nosed children also have it. He has run a fever since Mon and yesterday was just really pitiful. Today he seems much better, so hopefully he's on his way out of it. The others are probably still on their way into it. We predict Reagan will be the next one to hit major pitiful status. I'll keep you posted as best I can. Keep us in your prayers!

Email Hoaxes

Okay, this has nothing to do with the kids, so skip it if you want to! Recently I have received several forwarded emails warning me of various threatening situations lurking out there in the world. After checking snopes.com, I discovered them all to be unsubstantiated or flat out untrue. So I want to briefly mention them here, in case you've received the same emails.

First, despite the fact that my email came with a picture of a very creepy real-life spider, neither it nor any of its relatives has ever been found lurking beneath the seat of a public restroom toilet waiting to inject unsuspecting bottoms with its deadly poison.

Second, the new presidential dollar coins, although they do not have the words "In God We Trust" printed on the front or back, they DO have this phrase printed on the edge of the coin. It was apparently relocated to make room for the names and years in office of the presidents featured on the coins. So it's still there, just in a different place.

Finally, I'm often getting emails to warn me about tricks being used by rapists and serial killers and robbers and such. Recently I've been warned not to sniff perfume samples in parking lots and to be suspicious of the nicely dressed man who offers to help change the tire on my car that is mysteriously flat when I return to it after shopping or who approaches me claiming to be returning some money I "dropped." According to snopes.com, there is no substance strong enough to knock a person out with merely one or two sniffs, there is no evidence of any actual criminal using "dropped" money as a way to lure victims, and there's only one case back in 1989 where a man let the air out of a woman's tire and then showed up to help fix it and ended up kidnapping her, etc.

HOWEVER, I think that whether or not these situations have ever brought harm to anyone, the bottom line is don't be stupid. Pay attention to your surroundings, don't talk to strangers in parking lots no matter how nice they seem to be, don't allow strangers to ride in your car no matter what good service they have done for you, and if something doesn't feel right, go back into the store and get security. Possibly, the reason there are no actual cases of people being harm ed in the above situations is because they were all smart enough to smell a rat and foil the evil plot. Hopefully we're all that smart! For more information on these and any other potential email hoaxes, check out www.snopes.com.

May you all have a very safe Christmas season!

Thanksgiving Festivities Part 2

I know, I know...it's been forever! Christmas is closing in and I'm SO busy I can't believe it, but here's a little something to hopefully entertain you.

We had company at the house the week before Thanksgiving. As you know, Uncle Clay, Aunt Carey, and Cousin Tyler came to visit. Our friends Matthew and Michele also came for a few days, along with their son Andy, who's about to turn 2, and their newborn daughter Katie. Matthew's parents also came down for a short visit. It made for a pretty full house at times, but it was worth it because it was so great to see them all!

And I'd like to say a big thank you to Julia for letting some of our guests sleep at her house. What a tremendous help that was! Thank you!

Here are just a few shots from our fun times together:

Tyler thinks his cousins have the coolest toys ever!

Thomas enjoying the slide at the park

6 adults and 7 children, we pretty much took over the playground when we arrived!

From the youngest to the oldest and everyone in between!

In case you were curious as to what it takes to get a pictures of 7 children under the age of 2!

Go Vols!

Just want to wish lots of luck to our favorite Volunteers!

Go Vols!

Beat LSU!

Go Vols!

Showing some Voluteer spirit!

Go Big Orange!

Thanksgiving Festivities Part 1

My deepest apologies for the long time between posts. We've had a lot of company and been very busy! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! We did, and I hope to get some of the highlights on here, starting with the following cute pictures.

Uncle Clay, Aunt Carey, and Cousin Tyler came to visit the week before Thanksgiving, and we had a blast spending time with them. Tyler is crawling now and pulling up every chance he gets, so he was a little more fun for his cousins this time than he has been previously. Still the kids didn't understand why they couldn't tackle him or sit on him or bonk him on the head with toys like they do to each other! It was a little overwhelming for him at times, but he enjoyed watching his cousins play and crawling after them as then ran about. It won't be long before they are all on the same level and he can really keep up with them!

One of the highlights of the trip was the talking teddy bear that Uncle Clay brought. The kids really loved it!

Giving the bear some love!

I also want to wish a belated Happy Birthday to Uncle George! I swear I didn't forget your birthday! I have just been so busy I honestly haven't had time to post until now! We can't wait to see you at Christmas!

Jonathan thinks Uncle George's stories about how mistreated he is are hilarious!

Happy Birthday Aunt Jodie!

We want to send out a great big Happy Thanksgiving Birthday to Aunt Jodie!

We wish we could be there!

We love you and we'll see you around Christmas!

I LOVE Aunt Jodie!

The Basket Wars

The kids have recently discovered the joy of climbing into laundry baskets. The problem: not enough baskets for all the kids! At least not enough sitting out where they can be easily reached by toddlers! And the battle has begun. Who will reign supreme? Who will run away crying? Who will get bonked on the head when he is dumped out of the basket by one of his own siblings? Who will get squished when someone tries to climb in on top of him? Who knows? There's so many of them! The answer is always changing!

You've been in there long enough, Reagan!

Why do you have to be so heavy, Zachary?

Believe it or not, Zachary is actually climbing out of his basket and into Thomas'!

I love how Thomas sits in the basket with his little feet sticking out!

Quite a change from just over a year ago when they fit two to a basket and no shoving!

I've always loved this picture of Reagan and Thomas!

Finally, those stupid baskets are out of my way and I can get some reading done...what do you mean the book is upside down?

Meeting Jon and Kate

This past Sat night, Jim and I were blessed to meet Jon and Kate of Discovery Health and TLC's "Jon and Kate Plus 8" tv show. In case you aren't familiar with them, here is a very brief introduction: Jon and Kate wanted children but faced infertility issues. With medical help and the will of God, they were able to bring beautiful twin girls into the world. When their daughters were about 3, they decided they would like to try for one more. They got more than they bargained for as God saw fit to bless them with sextuplets! 2+6=8 Jon and Kate plus 8! So the tv show follows their lives with 8 young children (the twins are 6 and I think the little ones recently turned 3).

Jon and Kate were in town for a 3-session speaking engagement at Farragut Fellowship. My sister had called over a month ago and told me about it, but we were also invited by Doug, one of the ministers at Farragut Fellowship and a friend and former co-worker of Jim's. We were able to go thanks to Jeanette and Wanda who generously agreed to watch the kids for us.

Jon and Kate spoke about the many ways God has worked in their lives and blessed them throughout the struggles and trials they have faced becoming a family of 10. They shared the lessons they have learned, mainly about how God is in control and we have to stop trying to take that control away from Him and trust in His will for our lives. This is a side of their lives that they don't really have an opportunity to share on their show, but it is so important to them, so they were very pleased to have the chance to travel and speak to people about God's blessings.

Jim and I both really enjoyed and benefited from what they had to say. Not only were they an encouragement to us spiritually, but we also enjoyed the personal stories they had to tell, especially when so many of them echoed our own struggles--the decision not to reduce the number of babies in the womb, struggles with understanding God's decision to give us so many babies at once, worries about the future, financial strain, etc. So many of their issues have also been our issues!

In addition to the talk they gave, there was also a question-and-answer period, followed by a meet-and-greet where we actually got to have a little chat with Jon and Kate. They were very personable and open. I felt like we could easily have talked with them all night, although I'm sure they long line of people behind us would not have appreciated it! We gave them a picture of our kids and the blog address, which they seemed genuinely interested in. So who knows, they might even leave a comment!

It was really a wonderful experience! If any of you ever have an opportunity to hear them speak, you should definitely go! They were great!

Why Didn't We Think of This Before?!?

Recently my brilliant husband figured out an affordable way to block off a play area outside so that I can actually take the kids outdoors by myself without worrying that one is going to disappear around the corner of the house while two others are falling off into the creek and the fourth one is running over to play at Carter's house! I only wish he had thought of it months ago!

It's just like that orange construction netting, only it's green

I love the patio! Go Vols!

It really is perfect, at least for now! We can go outside and run around and throw balls and ride our wheeled toys and really enjoy the sunshine and fresh air! It's great! Next Spring, we hope to put up an actual fence around the backyard, so we'll have a whole lot of space to run around in then, while still keeping the horde contained and safe from falling in the creek! Very important!

Operation Pacifier

The other morning, I was just about to crawl under a crib to search for a missing pacifier, as I inevitably must do every time the kids sleep, when I suddenly wondered...What if I don't give the boys their pacies for the morning nap? Hmmm...So I straightened back up and decided the worst that could happen was that they would scream for the entire nap and I'd have to give them back. I quickly removed all the pacies from sight and prepared to give it a go!

This wasn't totally on a whim. Jim and I had briefly discussed the fact that eventually we would need to give them up. We were starting to run low on pacies as they either disappeared into some black hole somewhere or began to tear and were thrown away. We either needed to break the pacy habit or start looking for a way to buy new ones. We used the ones they were given in the NICU and had simply come home with a bag full of them, so I didn't know where we would go to get new ones.

Anyway, the morning nap came along, and I put the kids to bed without pacifiers.

And the boys started crying because they couldn't find them.

They cried for about ten minutes and then they all went to sleep! I was amazed! It went so well I decided to keep the pacies in hiding for the afternoon nap too! That nap went much like it does every day...they chattered and squealed and cried off and on for awhile and then they went to sleep! So that night they went to bed without pacies and now it's Day 5 of sleeping without pacifiers and it seems to be going just great!

I'm truly amazed! I really expected more of a fuss, although I guess this has been like every other transition we have faced. When I decided they needed to have set naptimes, I just kept them awake until the time I had decided on and then I put them all down in their beds and they went to sleep like it was totally normal. When we started cutting out the bottles, the time of day would come when they would normally get a bottle, and I would give them a sippy cup instead, and they just accepted it. No fuss at all! What a tremendous blessing it has been to have such adaptable children!

So, please join us as we wish a fond farewell to our beloved pacifiers!

(cue sappy music)

In the middle is Reagan with her pacy, back before she decided only boys needed pacies!

Jonathan smiles fondly at his favorite companion

Jonathan, Zachary, and Thomas in their last pictures with the pacies. These pictures were actually taken the moment they each turned one year old!

In the News!

Hey, did you guys hear we are in the newspaper?

What's a newspaper?

Wow! We really are in the newspaper today! I have to say it was pretty fun to see myself and Jim and the kids in print! For all the world to see! Well, for half of Knoxville, anyway! So run out North and West and get your own copy! We're hot off the presses!


We'll be getting several copies!


Elizabeth Pooley, who wrote the article, did a great job! We bombarded her with a tremendous amount of information the day she visited us! Her hand must have hurt from all the notes she took! However, I hope I won't hurt her feelings if a make a few corrections.


First of all, although I'm sure the members of Hardin Valley Baptist Church are very lovely people who would have been delighted to help us if they had known about us, we did not receive any support from them. Which is fine! They don't know us, so there was no reason for them to help us out. We did, however, receive enormous support from the members of Hardin Valley Church of Christ. They have been just as wonderful to us as our home congregation of West End Church of Christ. In fact, they are still supplying us with diapers, a gift we are extremely grateful for! They were also involved in the provision of meals and volunteer help, in conjunction with the members of West End.


I would also like to add that my sister, Jodie Perkins of Memphis, also came to help out when the babies came home. Having just completed her first year as a mom, she was and continues to be an invaluable source of help for my new adventure as a mom. Also my dear dear friend Michelle who lives here in Knoxville. I couldn't have remained as sane as I have without her continuous presence and support. I could probably fill the entire newspaper by myself naming off all the people who helped us out, particularly during the early months when we were so overwhelmed and in need of constant encouragement and strength.


Honestly, what it all comes down to is this: we have been blessed beyond anything we could have ever imagined. Not only have we been blessed with four beautiful, healthy children, but we have also been blessed with all the support; emotional, physical, financial, mental, etc.; we needed to make it through the trials that come along with having four babies at once. God knew what we needed and He has provided it in the most amazing and unexpected ways!

Another correction, the kids weren't born at East Tennessee Children's Hospital. They were born at Ft. Sanders Regional and then quickly transported to the NICU at Children's.


Now than, there are probably other things I could change or add to the article, but they are of little consequence, so I'll stop. If I don't, the English teacher in me will come out and I will end up re-writing the entire article! Sometimes I just can't help myself!

Halloween Pajamas!

Imagine my surprise when I was going through our winter hand-me-downs and discovered 3 sets of Halloween-themed pajamas, plus an additional pair of Halloween-ish pajama bottoms! I have no idea where any of them came from, although I do know they are all hand-me-downs! Thank you whoever gave them to us! I really enjoyed putting the kids in them! They were super-cute! I hope you think so too!



*Newsflash* I think we are going to be in the paper tomorrow! I don't know this absolutely, but Liz from the Knoxville News Sentinel who interviewed us said she thought the article would come out this Wednesday. If so, it should be in the local section of the paper for those who live in either North or West Knoxville. My apologies to those of you who live South or East. Apparently we aren't considered local news in your areas of town! Be sure to check us out!

October Stats

Here is the final tally for sickness in the month of October, by far our worst month of all 16 months the kids have been around as far as sickness is concerned!

Number of days one or more children ran a fever: 13

Number of days one or more children had a runny nose: 15

Number of ear infections: 3

Number of cases of infant roseola: 1 confirmed by doctor, 1 unconfirmed

Let's hope November is better!

I spent a good deal of the month of October feeling sorry for myself because I have quadruplets and they were all sick and it just went on and on and nobody who doesn't have multiples could possibly understand, blah, blah, blah! I was quite pitiful sometimes. But I have since been reminded that even families without multiples can have to deal with sickness that just goes on and on, one thing after another for days or weeks on end. I'm sure this is not the end of this winter's ailments. I hope that in the future I can keep things more in perspective and just be glad that my kids aren't seriously ill. Seemingly endless fevers and runny noses are annoying and inconvenient and kind of messy, but they aren't frightening. They aren't scary sicknesses. Ear infections can be dealt with. Noses can wiped. I need to remember to thank God that my children haven't been sick with anything truly serious and pray that they never are!

Pumpkin Patch

A couple of weeks ago, on a rare October day when no one was sick, we took the kids to a local pumpkin patch. It was the first day the kids had been out of the house in a pretty long time, which turned out to be both good and bad. It was good because they were so excited to be out of the house that they were in a great mood the whole time we were there. But it was bad because all they really wanted to do was run around in the big empty patch of straw-covered grass and not explore the pumpkins at all. We kept having to chase them down and bring them back to where the pumpkins were! Maybe next year they'll take after their cousin Kinley and be fascinated by the pumpkins!

If someone would move all these big balls out of the way, I could run around a lot better!

But...I want to go back to that big open space! It's right there!

Hey, these balls have knobs on them, but they don't do anything!



If we move all the funny balls, can we climb on these big blocks?




Finally a shot of all four!

We bought our Halloween pumpkin there, and as a special bonus, received 4 little pumpkins for free! The nice man who gave them to us said they always give little kids a free pumpkin on their first visit to the pumpkin patch, but he never thought he'd give away four at once!

A Total Infestation

That was then...

This is now...

What a difference a year has made! The kids LOVED their costumes. The boys didn't even seem to mind the hoods and kept them on nearly all the time! I think they may have even understood that these were not regular clothes, they were special, the event was special. They didn't get it, but they knew there was something special going on!

We did take the kids out last night, although what we did was really more like trick-or-visiting. We just showed off our costumes and visited the neighbors. Carter and his family came with us. Carter was much more into the candy than my four. He really knew what he was doing! He was a dinosaur, and Josh and Cris had taught him to hold up his hands and roar. It was the most adorable thing! I tried to teach the boys to buzz, but they wouldn't do it.

Here are some random shots of our recent Halloween-inspired experiences...

As I've mentioned before, I made two of the bumblebee costumes (the ones with black hoods). They look pretty good next to the store-bought ones, huh? Yea, me!

Roarw!!!

Me and Cris with all the kids

Who needs to take the wrapper off? It's more fun to just chew through it!

Happy Halloween!