23 weeks!

Great news! Today they took off the contraction monitor since I didn't have any contractions last night! They're going to keep monitoring my vitals and giving me the Procardia, Indomethacin and Prometrium to keep contractions calm. Things went pretty good this morning! After the doctors left, the physical therapists came in to teach me exercises to keep me strong. Wednesday I have another ultrasound to take a look at the babies fluid. I'm excited to see them again! :) Also, today's nurse made me a calendar so I could keep track of my days and appointments. She has a friend who has 4 year old quads born in Grand Rapids at 26 weeks who are thriving. That's the stories I love to hear. I'm in for the long haul! Never been more excited to be in the hospital for a long time!

Everything just keeps getting better! Turns out they needed a high risk bed and I was the most stable one there! They came in and told me they were going to move me soon, 5 minutes later they came back and packed me up! Luckily Nick & Brittney were here to visit and helped. My room now has a view, dvd player and I get cell phone signal!! Hooray!



My mom came up yesterday and helped me out of bed and our belly's touched. That didn't happen on Friday so I know I'm growing everyday!

22 weeks!

Another step closer! Here I am at 22 weeks...45 lbs heavier and 42.5 inches around! I'm starting to look past due and definitely feeling like it. I'm feeling the babies pretty often in more than one place! It's just amazing that there really are 4 babies growing in there! I've been getting a little uncomfortable this past week, needing to hold my belly up when I first stand, back ache, and hard it's hard to roll over. I've felt a couple Braxton-Hicks contractions, just tightening no pain. I have an ultrasound on Thursday, which we are so excited for!! They'll measure all of the babies, check on Baby B again and my cervix and I can hopefully get reassurance that these contractions aren't doing anything. Thanks for your prayers and encouragement! :)

21 weeks

Well...another week has gone by! Here I am at 21 weeks - still going great! I've gained 39 lbs, so just a week behind schedule. Hopefully I can keep this weight gain going for awhile! At my last dr appointment they measured my cervix and it's 4.5 cm! That's a whole centimeter longer than it was last month! It generally shortens, not lengthens, so doctor said this is great! My body doesn't know there's 4 babies in there - boy will it be surprised when it figures it out! I've definitely surpassed my size when I was pregnant with Hailey. It's so neat to feel them move on all different sides too! Even though I'm really uncomfortable, I can't deny all the really cool things about this pregnancy!

20 weeks and growth spurt!

Here's my 20 week picture! Wow have I grown! So far, so good! I've gained a whopping 35lbs so far - really most of it in the last 8 weeks (since seeing the dietitian). I've got an OB appointment on Thursday, so will post another update then! Oh! Exciting news too! We've picked names!

Brennan Nicholas
Landon James
Brooklyn Danielle
Katelyn Marie

We're not sure who will be who and very well may not decide until after they're born! The boys middle names are after Nich (his middle name is James). Danielle is after Nich's Dad, Daniel. Katelyn is from my grandma's middle name, Kathleen. Marie is my mom's middle name. It's hard to pick 1 name, let alone 4, but we're real happy with them. :)

19 weeks

Time for another comparison!! Here's me 8 months pregnant with Hailey....



Now 19 weeks (almost 5 months) preggo with the Quads!



Things are still going pretty well! Had a couple small contractions this weekend, but nothing hydration and relaxation couldn't cure! :) I've gained 30 lbs so far, it's just piling up while I'm on bed rest. Some days I think "man, I should've eaten more", but when I look back at all I did eat that day, it's far more than I usually do! My feet have started swelling quite a bit more and way more easily so it's been fine with me to keep them elevated. The doctors did give me some exercises to do to keep up my circulation. I've also started creating a list:

Best and Worst of Bed Rest

Best -
Get to sleep in
Piling on the pounds
Relaxing on the couch/bed all day
Netflix
Watching the babies move all day
Having time to catch up and get organized

Worst -
Have to sleep downstairs - Nich does tuck me in at night though! :)
Messy house and can't do much about it
Daytime Television

Luckily I have the MOST AMAZING husband who is Dad, Mom, Breadwinner, Chef and Cleaner all in one! I continually thank him for yet the 30th refill of my water bottle and ice cream :).

We also had a couple great showers over the past couple days, a HUGE thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your generosity, support and constant encouragement!

Officially on bed rest...

You might get sick of my blog now!! :) Today the highlight of my day was that I clipped and painted my toenails! Not sure how much longer I'll be able to reach them - actually have to tell you I did one foot at a time with 15 minute break in between to stretch back out! I've emailed, read, watched TV, ate a lot and took a nap. I'm going to have to come up with a schedule to pass my 12 weeks of bed rest. Got a couple projects lined up. The doctor said I need to be resting with my feet up, luckily that'll help the weight pile on easier. :) The babies are supposed to be doubling and in size over the next couple weeks so I will need all the energy and comfort I can get.

On a different note, this miraculous pregnancy has really strengthened by relationship with God, daily I put my faith in Him and trust He's got these babies in His hands. On Sunday we sang a song, "from this moment on, for the rest of my days I want to offer up my life as a sacrifice of praise." That could never be more true. God has truly blessed us with 4 healthy babies and I want our life and our family to be a testament to His awesomeness! The doctors are saying this is the healthiest set of quadruplets they've seen yet, and I'm not surprised. God has a plan for these little guys and daily, no matter how exhausted and stressed we may get, I want to remember these are 4 little miracles He's entrusted us with.

When Nich gets home I'll take an 18 week picture. :)

17 week update

Still going strong! My belly grows every couple days! Sunday I hit the gain 20lb mark! I was so excited I almost called the dietitian, but I'll see her next week. I have a dr appointment this Thursday and we're planning on bed rest starting this weekend. We'll see! I'll post after the appointment to let you all know! On an exciting note, I can feel the babies quite a bit now! I can't wait until Nich can feel them!

4 months and still trucking!

I know I haven't posted too much, I have been EXHAUSTED! Growing 4 babies really takes the energy right out of you! Here's the 16 week picture...for both of us! (Hailey's babies are growing great too!) So far I've gained 18lbs! Just 2lbs shy of my goal for July. If I gain 20lbs in August we'll be in great shape! I've updated the post below for the ultrasound too - take a look at the miracles God is making!

15 weeks

Every week it just gets bigger and bigger! Sorry for not posting the last couple days, I really have fallen asleep if I lay on the couch for longer than 5 minutes! I've gained 15 lbs so far, only 30 to go! The babies are doing great - I've really been feeling them move lately too! Just before Nich took this picture, I got a big kick in the middle which can blame on Baby A or B. I love it though! Thursday is our big ultrasound day! Hopefully if everyone cooperates we can find out their genders. I think we're both just hoping they're not all boys or girls! Ultrasound is at 3pm and 2 hours so I promise to post as soon as possible!

14 weeks and POP!!

13 weeks - heading into the 2nd trimester!

Time for comparison!! This is me, 6.5 months pregnant with Hailey.



This is me 13 weeks pregnant with the quads! Everything is still going great! Have a doctor appointment this coming Thursday, and I'll post an update after that!

12 weeks and all looks great!!

Today we had our 12 week ultrasound on the high resolution machine at U of M's Perinatal Assessment Center! Everything looks great! Each baby has good heartbeats (152-168) and measured about the same. Baby D was 12 weeks 1 day, A & C were 12 weeks 2 days, and B was 12 weeks 4 days. We learned none are identical, they're all in their own sac and have their own placenta which is healthier for them. The sonographer scanned for about 45 minutes and it was absolutely amazing to watch them all moving! She could've scanned all day and we just watched them playing! Baby C was definitely the most active - jumping then sliding back down. Just about the entire time!! Enjoy the pictures! Next ultrasound is July 30 (15.5 weeks) and a 2 hour one!!

The babies were too big and too far apart for her to get all in one. A homemade collage!

Hailey and I taking our belly pictures! At one time she said she had 10 babies in her belly!

Belly's getting bigger! In maternity pants for sure, and still a little small for maternity shirts. We're making the regular ones stretch for now.

Baby A is at the bottom, going to be a little squished soon.

Baby B just chillin, like it's in a hammock. Hanging out on top of Baby A in the middle.

Baby C - the active one! This one is on my right side.

Baby D on the left side. This one was the only one backwards. Can already see their personalities starting to show! You can see it's hand up by the face and feet bones on the right side.

11 weeks

We've made it another week! So far I think I've gained 2 lbs. Here's this week's picture!

I ordered a recommended book online and it came today! When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets or Quads by Dr Barbara Luke & Tamar Eberlein. It has my expected nutrition requirements. Are you ready for this??? By 20 weeks it'd be ideal if I gained 45 lbs! That's in 9 weeks! I guess here's how I'll do it (each DAY!)...

Calories - 4,500
Protein - 225 g
Carbs - 450 g
Fat - 200 g

12 Servings of Dairy, 6 Servings of Veggies, 8 Servings of Fruit, 12 Servings of Grains/Breads, 8 Servings of Fats/Oils/Nuts, 2 Eggs, and 4 Servings of Meat/Fish/Poultry.

Though it's going to be hard, I've gotta each this much for the babies! Women who follow this have had babies 20% bigger than those that haven't and made it closer to term. So, I raise my bowl of ice cream loaded with whip cream & strawberries to you babies! I'm eating this for you!!

10 weeks

Can you believe it?! We're taking pictures every week! I've been feeling pretty good for the most part, still sick, pretty tired, heartburn and achyness though. A couple weeks to go til 2nd Trimester, hopefully I'll be feeling better then. We're 1/3 of the way! Quads are usually born around 30 weeks, putting us the middle of November.