Updates, updates! I have updates! We took the amazingly unintelligent decision to take the babies to the doctor last week…all five at the same time!! It was chaotic, stressful, crazy, but totally fun and something we’ll remember forever…though we probably won’t be pulling that stunt again any time soon! Imagine five babies and five adults in a room about the size of a master closet…for two hours, complete with two shots for each baby…aaaaggggggghhhh!!!! Imagine five little wigglers all wearing nothing but their diapers on an examination table at the same time, then imagine Ryan trying to crawl over the other four to get to who knows where while Jack keeps rolling to his tummy, steam-rolling Britton in the process! Then imagine giving them all two shots!!! At one point, they all decided it was time to eat so we had two nurses plus Dr. Ma each feeding a baby while Casey and I handled the other two…too funny! Though it was relatively normal for Casey and I, I think it was a bit stressful for the doctor and her staff. As we were leaving, she said, “I think I liked it better when you brought them three and two.” I think we’ll take that as a not-so-subtle hint as to how she would like the next visit to be structured… :)
The babies are all doing very, very well and are mostly ahead of where they should be developmentally. They are officially six months and a few days old, but their adjusted age (based on their actual due date) puts them around three months developmentally. Here are the new stats (% based on adjusted age):
- Brooklyn Faith – 24″ tall (50%), 12 pounds, 7 ounces (25%), 41 cm head circ. (50%)
- Britton Grace – 22″ tall (8%), 10 pounds, 0 ounces (3%), 41 cm head circ. (50%)
- Jack William – 24″ tall (50%), 15 pounds, 5 ounces (55%), 43-1/2 cmm head circ. (90%)
- Lila Addison – 23″ tall (25%), 11 pounds, 12 ounces (20%), 41 cm head circ. (50%)
- Ryan Elizabeth – 24″ tall (50%), 12 pounds, o ounces (25%), 39 cm head circ. (10%)
They are definitely hybrid babies – doing some of the things six monthers do (crawling, for example) and doing some of the things three monthers do (like not sleeping through the night!!!). Ryan is the most striking example of this mix as she is fully mobile now…just put a toy a few feet in front of her and watch her go! This is definitely not something most three monthers are doing by this age! Here is the link to the video of her making her way across the three activity gyms to get to some toys:
None of the babies made a peep on the drive to and from the doctor’s office so I guess they enjoyed it – it was the first time The Fab Five was all together in the car at once. And since we dropped Eliot off at school on the way, it was also the first time all eight of us together in the car. And let me tell you, we were CRAMPED!! Thank goodness none of them fussed because there would have been no getting to them!
Our next venture out as a family is on the schedule for August 16th. We are very excited for this day as it is the day we dedicate the babies to the church at Riverbend. We’ll be on stage (yes, all of us!) for both the 9:45 and 11:15 services to introduce the clan to the congregation that has been so supportive of our family since before the babies were born. What a day that will be!
I want to take a quick moment to thank Jan (one of Grandma Stevie’s good friends) for making her third trip from the Dallas area to our home for the weekend to help take care of the babies. She has been so awesome to help out and really works hard to give us a break when she comes! Because of her and Grandma Stevie taking care of the Six Pack last night, Casey and I actually got to go out on a date!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
Thank you also to all of the volunteers for their continued support and to everyone out there praying for our family! Life continues to be in a constant state of change and mostly entrenched in chaos, but you all have helped to make it a very rewarding time for our family!!
God Bless,
Ethan
