Moving to the PICU

What a roller coaster! We should've expected it because it seems that's how things go with our kids, but Landon was doing great Wednesday, down to 1 liter of o2 but slept most of the day. Overnight Wednesday his o2 saturation kept dropping and a few times really low (40s and 50s again). Needless to say I had only gotten about 1 hr of sleep in the 2 days because of his monitor going off and needing to stimulate him. Being on the general floor, the nurses have quite a few kids so it's hard to for them to give him so much attention. He wasn't really giving much of a fight when they suctioned his nose and wasn't breathing hard enough to trigger the inhalers for breathing treatment so they consulted with PICU and ended up transferring him Thursday about 8am. His heart rate was really low and o2 sats continued to drop. They put him on Si-PAP, which is like CPAP but interactive so it responded differently depending on his breaths but also gives an extra puff of support every so often. This helped open his lungs so he'd get good breaths. Because of his poor condition when he was admitted to PICU, they wanted to get a PICC line (IV that runs through his veins so they can get more accurate heart rate readings & administer meds quickly) and were thinking he needed to be on the ventilator again if he didn't improve quickly. I think that was enough of a threat because he perked up and was more stable. :) It worried us because we kept having flashbacks to the Human Metapnemonia Virus back in January. He deteriorated so quickly and needed a lot more breathing support. After a few hours of Si-PAP he started waking up, being more alert, keeping his saturation and heart rate up so they were pleased. He was able to transfer back to nasal cannula for about 7 hours then Si-PAP again. He rotated between the two overnight too.

Landon when he first got on Si-PAP

Happy, alert, feeling better! I tried to upload a video but it's not working, but he's been hilarious!

So what in the world happened?? His blood cultures grew Strep A Bacteria. This was really concerning because though it's the same bacteria that gives you strep throat, can be fatal in at risk patients (ie Landon with his COPD and using steroids). The Strep bacteria can spread to your lungs, bloodstream and other organs. With his Chronic Lung Disease it's really easy for lung infections to spread to his bloodstream and from there it can access other parts of his body that the blood flow to. Thankfully they caught it early and started him on antibiotics and he's showing positive signs. They started his feeds last night and he did really well so today he's going to get continuous feeds at a slower rate than usual and hopefully tomorrow be back up to his regular feeding schedule tomorrow! We had a really hard time understanding this yesterday when the doctors were telling us. How in the world can strep throat land you to the ICU!?! I did a little research online and understand a lot better. We'll definitely have to keep a really close eye on Landon for awhile with his chronic illness. He's a lot more susceptible to illnesses and they'll affect him a lot worse that a healthy person.

He's in droplet precautions so we have to put on gowns, gloves and masks (Nich should've had his on!)

Since he's in the PICU and great hands, I was able to get into Ronald McDonald house again and got a great night sleep, took a shower and even checked my email! :) I can't even express how thankful we are for this place! It truly is our home away from home. After living on the general hospital floor, not having a place for my things, taking a shower in the community bathroom, eating dry microwave dinners, I really appreciate unpacking my suitcase and sleeping in a bed. When he was going through all of this on the general floor, I was so incredible exhausted. I was emotional and even cried a few times because of how exhausted and stressed I was. But a good night sleep is so helpful! I have a fresh mind to understand what's going on with Landon and his treatment course. When I checked in, the managers knew me, I went right up to a new room (our 3rd out of the possible 29), unpacked my suitcase and got my room together. I met a couple new families that are going through hard things with their babies and we quickly bonded over the stress and worry of our sick kids. We know this world all to well, and I'm so thankful for the support. It's still hard to see Landon go through this and be away from home and family, but the normalcy and support makes it easier. Praying for a healthier, less crazy new year!!

Landon's got a bug

I know many of you have been supporting us on Facebook and we appreciate more than you know! It's so great to know so many people are praying for our family!

I just wanted to recap what happened and update you all on how Landon's doing now...He's had a cold for awhile like all of us but yesterday morning he dropped his oxygen saturation to 39%, supposed to be 94-100%). He was blue/grayish and Nich called 911 to send an ambulance. He got a breathing treatment on his way to the hospital, another 2 when he got to Jackson and needed 4 liters of oxygen to maintain good sats. Jackson thought he needed higher level care so transferred him to UM. In the ambulance was able to go down to 1 liter but when we got to UM ER needed 4 again. He had another big drop to 29% in the ER which thankfully the doctor saw. He received 3 more breathing treatments which really help to open his airways and break up the gunk. The rest of the time his saturation was pretty good. But when he holds his breath (BPD spell) he can go down fast! Since he did well for a good couple hours after that he was transferred up to general care rather than the Pediatric ICU. Hooray!

Landon hanging out in the ER, feeling pretty good! He's so precious!

We finally got situated in his new room after midnight and he had a rough night with desats. The respiratory therapist (RT) was in every 2 hours for breathing treatments and nurse was in every hour to do an assessment. Between our visitors and his desats, I got about 15-20 minutes of sleep at time. Landon was pretty restless and he had a couple major drops to 40s-50s that needed stimulation to help him breathe deeper. The morning rounds didn't do so good since he had a rough night and in the morning (like every morning) needed lots of suctioning. They wanted to move him to moderate care so the nurses would have a little more time with him, but there wasn't any room so we gave it a try staying here. He's been an angel! Played for a little bit but mostly catching up on much needed sleep. We've been able to wean his oxygen down to 1.5 liters so we're on our way! Just not telling him :) He's generally on .25 liters at home, .5 with a cold. He's needed blow by oxygen (an open tube near his mouth) because while he sleeps, be breathes through his mouth and isn't getting the benefit of the nasal cannula through the nose. With this set up, his oxygen saturation has been in the high 90s! We're just not telling him! We learned from the NICU :)

Landon's friends helping hold his head and his blow by tube in the right spots! :)

He is a trooper for sure! He's had breathing treatments every 2 hours, 2 IV's placed (the first one went bad this morning), been listened to over and over and when he wakes up (truly wakes up...he's so not a morning person!!) he's smiling, looking around and playing. Thank you all for your prayers, encouragement, support and offers to help! You help us get through this each challenge before us! A friend sent me a verse that I really needed and wanted to share. "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze." Isaiah 43:2. He's been taking care of us from the beginning, we don't have to worry! Such encouragement when we feel pretty overwhelmed. God's constantly showing us, He is good and in control!

Finally...hearing test results

And unfortunately not so great...Let me preface this post with a link (click here!) that'll help explain some of the lingo & tests. Dec 23rd we took Landon for his 3rd hearing test at UM and he actually cooperated! That was the great part - they were able to do all the tests that were needed, that he didn't cooperate with in the past. :) He usually breathes too loud, is really fidgety and doesn't respond well to the behavioral response test. He fell asleep midway through the appointment, so the audiologist was able to do both the ABR (Auditory Brainstem Response) and OAE (Otoacoustic Emissions) tests. Neither are painful, but require the baby to be still, which has been the problem. These tests can give pretty concrete results so we were really glad to get them done.

Let me back up...in January, all the babies failed the BEARS test (the general newborn hearing test that all babies have before they leave the hospital), they did follow up tests before each was getting ready for discharge and decided to refer all to Audiology for further testing. Once discharged, Brennan & Brooke passed the ABR & OAE with flying colors. Brooke may have mild hearing loss, but is most likely conductive (fixable!). Landon's BEARS test just before discharge, he PASSED! This surprised everyone especially because his Grade IV brain bleed apparently bled through the auditory pathways (as well as vision). We were referred anyway and since the audiologist hadn't been able to get good results from the ABR & OAE, we've been on a hearing test roller coaster. He's such a hard baby to read too! Trying to decipher if he hears you, sees you or senses you when he reacts, sometimes we've been second guessing.

Well, the results...they were able to complete both tests and feel confident that he has moderate-severe hearing loss in both ears. What a blow...he's been doing so well and we really think he hears (maybe he's REALLY good at selective hearing already) that hearing pretty conclusive results was hard. Moderate-severe hearing loss isn't as bad as it sounds from what I've read and been told. The spectrum of hearing loss goes from Mild, Moderate, Severe, then Profound. He's between Moderate & Severe which means we'll need to speak louder and closer to him and he won't hear quieter sounds (and even Brooke & Brennan crying at night - thankfully!). He also got fitted for hearing aids. All the babies have been followed by ENT (Ear, Nose & Throat/Otolaryngology) which will see if there's any conductive hearing loss that can be fixed through medications or tubes. Before ordering Landon's hearing aids, we'll get another ENT consult and fix anything that's fixable before the strong hearing aids. Looking on the bright side, at least they come in lots of colors!

I looked at a couple website and found lists of risk factors for hearing loss...prematurity (check), ventilation (check), antibiotics that have hearing loss side effects (check), hydrocephalus (check), family history of hearing loss (check - I had 40% hearing loss and had tubes in my ears twice...sorry Landon!), many ear infections & high bilirubin (thankfully no to both), 5 out of 7.

At first we were pretty discouraged, thinking how can he really have that bad of hearing loss! He passed other tests! Landon is such a trooper though. Glasses, oxygen, feeding tube, now hearing aids, quite the list of equipment. He (and we!) have the best support that pray for and encourage us, no matter what the next steps are. He's already getting speech therapy to help work on eating (which he's doing great!), now we'll just have to add another component. God didn't bring him/us so far for us to get discouraged. It's just hard that on top of everything else to be concerned of with their development, hearing loss throws another wrench in his therapy. No matter the odds against and challenges before us, we have seen so many miracles and are so thankful for His constant hand over our family!

Christmas!!

Wow, where to start?! This Christmas was so much fun! We had a great time with family and thankfully they all came to us this year! Next year will be different, the babies will be stronger and healthier and we can do the traveling. Hailey wanted to plan everything for Santa and the reindeer and the babies, especially Brooklyn, loved opening presents!


Hailey's plate for Santa...I LOVE being Santa!! :) She even put out cucumbers and carrots for the reindeer - Nich took bites of them and I got to eat the cookies! Daycare gave her reindeer food too - oatmeal mixed with glitter! We sprinkled them in the snow around the veggies. Such a cute idea! Since there were only bites of carrots left, she determined reindeer like cucumbers better so that's what we're leaving next year :)

The tree!

Stockings - WOW, we have so many!

Christmas Eve, Grandma & Grandpa Johnson came over and brought a full Christmas dinner and presents! We had so much fun and got great gifts!


Christmas morning with just us! Each kid woke up at a different time so we were able to have Christmas morning one on one. It was great! Hailey first, then Brooke, then Brennan then Landon. Hailey was THRILLED to open her dollhouse! In fact, we didn't see much of her the rest of the day! We debated making the cool present from us or from Santa, but let Santa get the thanks for this one. :) She was so sweet and popped out of her playroom to help each baby open their presents - she's such an awesome big sis!


Later Nana, Papa & Meme came and brought even more! The kids loved it and we had a great time! Finished the night off with pizza and Hailey went back to Flint to hang out with Grandparents. Restful evening (except I got an earache) and low key day today just enjoying each other!

Christmas Pictures!

New laptop is and I'm a happy camper! :) Got our Christmas card picture together - it's incredible how much they've changed in a year!

Christmas Card 2009
The babies were 3 months old and fit in the stocking! Hailey at 3 1/2 years old

Christmas Card 2010
The babies are 15 months old and the stockings only fit on their legs! Hailey at 4 1/2 years old. Hailey and I made that snowman last weekend and she picked out the hat - we had a carrot snowman :)

God is good! Look at their growth!! More updates to come - I'm so excited to have a computer again!

Sickies

This last weekend our whole family got a big cold - no fun! It'd been going on for a week but got worse...We loaded up on Kleenex, nose suckers, Vicks plug ins & rub and had the humidifier running all night! Nich and I took the babies in to the pediatrician Monday and turns out Landon & Brooklyn have probable bronchitis (he couldn't concretely diagnose them), Brooklyn has another ear infection (number 4!), Brennan's on the edge of getting this and has possible scalp ringworm (referred to Dermatologist). VERY productive Dr appointment at least! It took almost 2 hours to get us through, but thankfully the pedi was very thorough. Antibiotics and refills for all! When we picked up the scripts at the pharmacy we actually carried out a full bag! :) The only that made me feel really bad is the Dr walked in and said "Oh! Have I met you before?" Yes it's been awhile because of having to take time off work, but I felt so bad that our primary doctor doesn't know I'm their MOM! Don't get me wrong, Nich does an incredible job with the kids but I feel bad that I can't be there for them like he can! I want to take care of them and know all about them too! Ughh...any of you doc's out there, take note! :)

*Side note, we'll have sparce blog updates for a little while, hopefully not for too long! Our laptop was on it's last leg and the screen just died. The whole computer works, you just can see it! Photo's will be added as soon as we can! They're getting big!

Prematurity Awareness Month

I know I'm at the end of this, but...November is Prematurity Awareness Month and wow has that been a huge think for our family! March of Dimes is having a special campaign honoring and remembering preemies and I'd like to encourage anyone that is able to donate!

Click here to donate in memory of Katelyn and celebration of Brennan, Landon and Brooklyn! (Search for her first and last name)

Landon's Silly Faces!

How can you not LOVE this kid!?

Here's some more...we just had so much fun! He was in a great mood this morning and I couldn't help take pictures and laugh!! :)




A video to top it all off!!!

Glasses, sippy cups - catching up!

Wow...lots of catching up!! First things first - Glasses!! We picked up the boys' glasses Thursday and now all the babies match :) Brennan and Landon are totally fine wearing them and actually seem to like it! They can actually see now! Of course, Hailey picked out the colors, if you were wondering!

Here's the crew with their new glasses! We're trying to peer pressure Brooklyn into keep hers on. She generally pulls them right off as soon as we put them on!

Brennan loves his! Doesn't he look like the kid in A Christmas Story?

Landon actually looks good in sea foam green!

Next big news - Sippy cup!! Brooklyn is actually drinking out of a sippy cup sometimes! We've been experimenting different types to see what she likes the best. It took a little bit to get used to the flow because it comes out faster than a bottle, but she put it right to her mouth as soon as we gave it to her! She's so smart and eager to learn! LOVE that!

Big girl!

Also an update on Hailey...she's doing so well in school and is an awesome big sister! She amazes us everyday with how smart and caring she is! Nich had a great idea and we made homemade personal pizzas a couple weeks ago. She made her own - ALL by herself! Spread out the sauce, pineapple, ham, pepperoni and cheese! It was sooo good and she was so proud of herself!

The next couple pictures are just having fun at home....the best! Brooklyn is our early riser, but this particular morning, she slept in and the boys crashed her crib! :) She LOVED it though!

She had just woken up and she's wondering what is going on?! Who's in my bed?!

Hailey was a rocking chair for the babies! I had to hold the baby on her back and was by myself so couldn't take a picture of it happening, but just imagine how funny! :)

Our family has been so blessed! All the kids are doing really well and making such great progress in their own way and at their own pace, but at least it's progress! Quick update on each baby:

Brennan - The major thing he's working on is his vision, sitting up and crawling. He's got the jumping and rolling down for sure, just isn't quite interested in the next steps. He had a sedated eye exam back at Beaumont last week and we learned his retinas are fully attached and there is no scarring on them! There is scarring elsewhere in his eye, but it's really important that the retina is fully intact. The doctors were really glad that he was interested in seeing and think he's making excellent progress! The other skills will come once he can get his vision on track. His eyes still constantly race, but just imagine not being able to focus on things well and trying to keep your balance. It's tough! He's such a sweet, funny and energetic baby - so much fun then he flashes that full face smile and silly giggle!

Landon - He's a little stinker...he could swallow all along! He's working on feeding by mouth to someday get rid of the Gtube! It doesn't look to be in the near future, but he's up to taking 1-2oz (out of 4) by mouth. On the right track! He also visited Pulmonary clinic and we only heard good news! We went 10 minutes without oxygen and didn't drop below 88%! His lungs also sound way better, but they're not going to do any tweaking until after RSV/winter seasons. He also saw neurosurgery and the hydrocephalus looks good and his shunt is working properly! We got the go ahead to keep him on the floor longer and he doesn't need to be on an incline! The nap nanny still works out really well so we're going to keep him in there for sleeping, but he can play! This will really help his development to practice rolling, crawling, holding his head up more often! Just like Brennan, Landon is such a sweet baby and so determined! We're so proud of him!

Brooklyn - She is so full of life! This little girl is going places...fast! She is sitting up by herself, scooting (she gets on all 4's when she looks at something then to move, she flatens right back down to her scooting position!), standing when you hold onto her! The major thing she's working on is crawling on all 4's and standing!!! She loves her big sister and likes being right in the action! Last weekend she tripled her appetite and she's eating us out of house and home! She's snacking, eating lots of baby food and doing such a great job! She's really catching up fast and setting a good example for the boys!

Happy Halloween!

We had so many parties, had to do photo collages to get them all in! :) I am constantly amazed at how old Hailey is and this Halloween was no exception! We carved our pumpkins tonight (I know a little late, but better late than never!) and Hailey had drawn the face on them, helped get the gunk out and took pictures of Nich & I carving! She's a pretty good photographer! :)

Last Sunday we took the kids to the Zoo Boo and got all dressed up! It was great! Trick or treating, costumes, storytelling, balloon animals, carnival games, Acapazoo concert! We were there for 3 hours but packed everything in!

Hailey: Ballerina/Princess/Rockstar, Brooklyn: Lady Bug, Brennan: Duck, Landon: Superman!

Girls riding on the horse - I love this picture! Brooklyn knows the secret of getting out of the stroller already and cries until she gets her way...ahhh!!


Snuggly pose getting ready for the Halloween Carnival at a local church. We went with some friends Saturday, then hit up some houses (which were sadly hard to find) for trick or treating!

Getting everyone redressed what too much work! Their costumes don't fit in car seats so we just left them without at the carnival :)
Our little indecisive one! Here's a collage of all of her costumes this year! We had the zoo boo, ADAM group's party, trick or treating at the nursing home, Halloween party at day care and Halloween carnival at the church. Of course she had to be something different each time!

Our sweetheart made trick or treat bags for Uncle Joe and Katelyn and wanted to send them off! We snuck the candy out of them so they'd actually fly! :) She dictated the note..."Dear Katelyn, Uncle (Joe), God and Mary..." She had colored a picture and we had to fold it so she wanted to make sure they knew to open it! She even wrote her own name! The green star balloon is for Uncle Joe, pink balloon for Katelyn and the gold star balloon was for God ("because he made the whole world and needs a balloon!" - Hailey). God's balloon helped give ours an extra boost to get it to heaven too! As usual...we thought we found the best place in the yard to let the balloons off, let them go and they got stuck in the tree! Nich shook the tree until it came unhooked then we were clear!

And to top it all of....Nich and the kids did the Monster Mash! http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/q4PGaQ1eKAdX7Uou Happy Halloween!!

Landon's Swallowing!!

So since the summer Landon has totally regressed eating and isn't taking anything by bottle without gagging and throwing up. We've been concerned because we know he can do it (he did for 3 months), but everything we've tried hasn't worked...switching formula, spreading out his feeds so he'd be hungry, thickening with rice cereal rather than Simply Thick. I tried to feed him a bottle about 2 weeks ago, but he aspirated and that kinda scared me away from feeding him again. We were waiting for a swallow study (done today!) to know what he can handle. Well, results say he has gotten a bit better, but not enough to switch him to regular consistency. But the BEST thing of the whole day...we learned he CAN swallow! To get him to swallow during the test, they squirted milk in his cheek. He did great! They gave us the syringe to take home to feed him and at his 9pm feed he swallowed 40cc (just over an ounce) of milk!!!! Here's a thrilling video of him swallowing! Probably not thrilling to most to watch a baby swallow for 30 seconds, but for this baby - thrilling doesn't even begin to describe how excited we were! Praise GOD for progress!!

It's my life

I know it's been so long since I've posted last, I'm feeling a bit accomplished and back on my game. We've been overwhelmed with work, appointments, sickness...just life! But I think I'm back on track! I know you are all waiting for a baby update, but trust me that takes awhile now! Plus, Nich knows a lot more if their development, weights, etc anyway, but PROMISE it will come!

I did want to share an epiphany God laid on my heart yesterday at church. I promise Pastor Phil, I was paying attention, but what really got me out of the service was the song Enough by Chris Tomlin. Lyrics go - "All of You is more than enough for all of me. For every thirst and every need, You satisfy me with Your love and all I have in You is more than enough." That is so true, but I haven't been feeling it lately...I think that's why I've been off my rocker. So I've been struggling with my life. My life as a wife, mom of a preschooler, mom of multiples, mom of special needs children, mom/sister/granddaughter of loss, mostly the last one. Nich I had this idea of a big family, (a healthy one - in the past I didn't even think I needed to clarify!) a complete one but a year later our lives have been turned upside down. I know we are so blessed with the children we have, the miracles we've witnessed and life we're living, I just long for Katelyn, Joe and healthy normally developing children. So while I was thinking of all of that, I remembered Paul praying for contentment. He knew what it was to be in need and to have plenty, but says he has learned to be content in his circumstances. He learned the secret of contentment - Jesus! (Philippians 4:11-13). That's now my prayer, for contentment. This is my life, no matter what I long for and cannot change. Once I accept my circumstances, no one or nothing can steal my peace (I did get that from the sermon!! :). Then I am not easily distracted by what might have been and solely focused on the opportunities I now have to grow and share through our circumstances. We have been connected to so many through what God has brought us through and are so thankful to share our journey! Back to the song..."You are my supply, my breath of life. Still more awesome that I know." He's the basis and the secret of my peace and contentment. Today I put a reminder to be content and be used! Thanks Paul for sharing the secret at just the right moment!

Videos of playing at home

I have been a really bad blogger. Haven't been in the mood and have been so busy to settle down to write about it. I have a lot to catch up on! I know you'll enjoy these videos in the meantime! :)



I just LOVE our family! Spent some lazy time at home this morning just playing! Hailey and Daddy showed Brennan and Brooklyn how to play patty cake!




After patty cake we all got in a line to play choo-choo! We just had such much fun today!

Katelyn's Heaven Day

Our sweet angel. Today was a hard day, to say the least. One year ago today Katelyn went to Heaven and our hearts broke. The was the worst day of our entire lives - watching our baby fight so bravely for her life, then her body giving up. The evening of the 26th Katelyn starting getting bad and unstable. We rushed down to NICU from my hospital room in the evening, at 2am, then for the last time at almost 5am. She coded, but came back twice and we were so thankful and hopeful that she would pull through. They said making it to the third day was critical and she was 7 hours short of being alive 3 whole days! We had so much hope that her body could just keep fighting until the magical 3 day mark, then she could rest from the hard fight she had. We were devastated as the nurses unplugged her from the ventilator and monitors...she was now resting from her hard fight in our arms and we knew what that meant. The nurses escorted us to nesting room 1 as we had personal, family time with her in the last few moments, pouring out our love and cherishing the time we had. Katelyn died in our arms at about 5am September 27, 2009.

Today, my angel we celebrate your Heaven Day. It's the most comforting way to remember this terrible day. Today we celebrate your life and all that you have helped teach us. You have taught us strength, will to live, the joy of love and the pain of grief. We have found strength through God to get through each day until our family is complete in Heaven with you. When I was explaining your death to Hailey, I said you beat us Home! How I long for you in my arms, playing with your brothers and sisters, having all my kids together! Not having to explain that I don't have triplets, I have quadruplets! I know in my heart you are whole and not hurting. You have been basking in God's presence for an entire year now and find peace in that.

Last night was a really hard night and about the time Katelyn starting getting worse, I was rocking Brooklyn, then a flood of emotions and memories came. I let them come, savoring the memories of my pregnancy, watching the girls bounce together, holding her. The roughness continued throughout today and I had to leave work early because all I could think about was Katelyn and wanted to be with Nich. Tonight we planned to remember Katelyn and send up balloons like we had last year. Didn't go so smoothly - we took Brennan, Landon and Brooklyn to get their blood drawn, which took longer than expected and we had to divide and conquer the blood draw. I took Landon to get Hailey from day care while Nich and his dad finished with the other two. They got home late, we had dinner, the babies were crying most of the night, Hailey wasn't listening and by the time we had finally gotten outside it was dark and kinda rainy. Not at all celebratory weather, but we released the balloons and the peace came. God is so good! In the midst of extreme heartache, He brought healing and comfort. Since Katelyn died and Brennan, Landon and Brooklyn were so critical in the hospital, God has been so faithful (well all the time, this is just when we most felt it!), easing our hearts and minds so we can focus on Him in the midst.

So here are pictures from our healing balloon release to our special angel, celebrating her Heaven day!

Papa Dan, Hailey, Mommy, Daddy, Brennan, Landon and Brooklyn wrote messages to Katelyn on the balloons

Papa Dan, Nich's dad, carrying out the balloons

Daddy bringing out the kids

The gang in our new quad stroller. It was hard for me to get a four seater, but have peace to use it without the tears of not filling it with 4 babies. It's such a blessing and so much easier!

The inevitable - balloons stuck in the tree. Last year the balloon got stuck and it was pretty traumatic for Hailey. This year was easier, but of course they got stuck.

We are still on this journey of grief, but it is getting sweeter and not as painful. Typing this was so healing! When I started, the tears were streaming, but they've dried up and I really am able to celebrate her life! God is so good! I just keep thinking of the quote, there is no footprint too small, that it cannot leave an imprint on this world. That's you Katelyn! Even though you were to tiny and your time here was so short, you have left such an imprint on our lives and we are so thankful for the time we had you!

Happy Birthday!!

Happy Birthday Brennan, Landon and Brooklyn!! What miracles you are! Their birthday was Friday and we didn't really do anything for it, other than their 1 year check up and some pictures. Oh man, never doing a yearly check up with immunizations just before their birthday party! They were grumpy!! 6 shots each and Brennan and Brooklyn have ear infections!

Group shot with our cool custom shirts! We couldn't get 1yr Birthday shirts in 6-9 months!

Brooklyn, Brennan and Landon - birth weights on front

Landon, Brennan and Brooklyn - 1yr weights on back

Brennan Nicholas - 1yr weight: 14lbs 11oz

Landon James - 1yr weight: 21lbs 2oz

Our two little sitters! :)

Brooklyn Danielle - 1yr weight: 15lbs 5oz

A couple weeks ago Hailey and I went shopping for a present for each baby. She picked them out with a particular baby in mind! We let her give her presents before we headed off to the party and she did such a great job helping them open them and showing them how to use everything!


The babies were so thankful for an AWESOME big sis this last year, they bought Hailey a Pillow Pet as thank you gift! She was so happy!

And now the festivities begin!


Birthday candles in banana baby food! Adjusted, they're only 8 months and definitley not ready for cake. We're planning on having a small due date party and letting them enjoy the cake in January!

Group shot eating their birthday lunch!

Brennan enjoying his bananas so much he took control of the bowl!

Landon spitting his out, as usual!

Brooklyn, Miss Independent feeding herself!

We had such a great day with family and friends from all over! Even their primary nurses came for the party! We want to thank EACH ONE OF YOU for all your support for these babies and our family over the last year. What a journey we've been on and we couldn't have done it alone! We are so blessed with such encouragement and these babies have an incredible family of support! God is so good! Another post to come of each of their developments at 1 year, but I have been wiped out this weekend!

You may like: Pollak Quads Birth Story, Brennan's Homecoming, Brooklyn's Homecoming and Landon's Homecoming as a refresher! I know we marveled at how far God has brought them!