Our first bath together

I decided to bath the babies all together in the big bathtub.  I was SO worried because I have heard so many horror stories of babies going under.  I probably waited longer than I needed to because I didn't want them to fall over.  It was tons of fun.

I put all the babies in the tub and they just sat and looked at me for about 30 seconds, then Preston started to splash.  That boy LOVES to splash and splash and splash.  Kira kept crying every time she would get splashed and no matter how hard I tried Kira and Kinsley migrated to one side of the tub and Preston to the other.

It went really well.  The whole time we only had two near drowning experiences.  The first was because Kinsley kept trying to taste the water and accidentally stuck her face all the way in.  She was a little shocked.  The other was when Kira slipped a little and water splashed over her face.  I knew she was fine, but she was sure the world was about to end.

I put in a million photos, but I just think they are so cute!

I had to change my clothes after the splash party/shower, but the bath was SO quick! Plus the kids had way more fun than they ever had in the baby bath.

Feeding the Dolphins

Today the kids and I brought in the outdoor toys, and had dinner before I was able to get the slides clean and dry.  The slides were sitting on the kitchen floor as to keep the carpet clean, and I was unable to have my chair close to the babies high chairs during dinner.  We were having chili cheese fries and the babies kept wanting fries.  I could either stand and lean over the table to reach them, or just chuck the fries and hope they landed on the high chair trays.  Jared said "Are you enjoying feeding the dolphins?" and I was.

Here are some photos of how the kitchen was set up for dinner.

This is the only place we can fit the high chairs.
I do move them every feed, but have to move them
back so we can get out the back door.

You can see the chairs on the one side and the babies on the other side.
Plus you can see the slide in the bottom corner.

Notice the clean table, thank you very much.

 I wish my high chairs were matching, but they don't really fit in the kitchen, and really we just need to upgrade to the boosters, but Linx is still using one and I don't want 4 boosters...  If anyone sees them on sale let me know.

Now here are some photos of the babes being super cute as always.

Kinsley

Kira

Preston

Kira

Crawling

It is official! Kira is our first to crawl.  She crawled at about 4 pm tonight, making us all cheer for her.  Preston crawled later this evening, but by then it was just old news.  We are still waiting on Kinsley to take her first crawls, but expect it soon.

My new Living Room

The babies have started to really move.  They don't crawl yet, but can get anywhere they want too with only minor fussing.  They scoot, roll, reach, whatever to make it to their goal.  I have found I cant keep them from under the kitchen table.  They remind me of dogs, always finding where the food is.  If I had a dog it wouldn't be a problem.  Im sure any dog would take care of the table scraps dropped by Katelyn and Linx.  But I don't have a dog.  And I cant keep the floor under the table clean, no matter how I have tried.  I cant keep the babies from choking on the nasty dry food.  THat is problem number one.  Problem number two is Lincoln.  A wonderful two year old boy, but a boy nonetheless, and a two year old to boot.  He is SO ROUGH.  He climbs on and sits on and squeezes the babies until they are crying.  He wonders why they don't laugh at him when he hits them in the tummy because he sees Katelyn tickle them and they laugh.  He pushes them over.  None of this is done out of malice, but he just wants to play with and interact with the babies.  He just doesn't know how.

I have solved my problem with what I lovingly refer to as "the BABY PIT" or "the pit" for short.

I Love these gates! They are so versatile and nice.  They keep the babies in, and Lincoln out.  There is room for the babies to play, and room for Katelyn to play with the babies and for me to lie down and let the babies climb on me while I take a quick snooze as I have found myself doing on occasion.  I know it cant last forever, already Kira is testing the perimeter looking for weakness, but for now I enjoy these carefree moments when the babies are not choking on something they have found on the floor, and they are safe from well intentioned two year olds. I also enjoy the quick snoozes I can catch when the older kids are in quiet time and the babies just want to be close.

Kinsley in her favorite bouncing toy

Kira

Kira

Preston

Kinsley

A few days ago during Lincoln's nap and Katelyn's quiet time. I was sleeping away in the baby pit in the midst of chaos when I awoke to an unfamiliar touch.  I was roused by Katelyn who had come out of quiet time to ask me a question and found me sleeping.  She quietly slipped into the baby pit and turned off some of the noisy toys, then carefully covered me up with one of the nearby baby blankets so that I could sleep.  When she pulled the blanket around me I had woken up. She is such a sweet and thoughtful girl.  We have been blessed to have her in the family.  She already is taking care of everyone.

Today after taking the above photos, Katelyn asked if she could take some.  I handed her the camera and stepped away.  She has practiced before, but these are some of the best shots I have seen from her budding photography skills.

Here is a three photo set that Katelyn captured when I had stepped away.

Kira smashes Kinsley's face into the carpet.

Kira smiles at me (off camera) while Kinsley cries

Kinsley's face is priceless here from the side of the photo.

 Here is more of Katelyn's work

Kinsley

Preston

Kinsley (you can see in the background how versatile the pit is as I have opened  a panel so i can walk through.)

Kira

The babies playing in the pit

Preston's Diagnosis

Subglottic stenosis

Thats right.  They tell me it is called congenital subglottic stenosis.  Basically what that means is that the cartilage that forms just below the vocal cords, called the cricoid cartilage, is supposed to be a round ring, for what purpose?  To hold the airway open I suppose.  Preston's coicoid cartilage is shaped more like a U allowing less air to move through his airway, and when he does try to move air (when he is sad or mad or coughing) he barks and sounds croupy. It means that when he gets sick and the airway becomes inflamed as is normal, his already narrow airway may make it difficult to breath.  The doctor classified it as somewhere between a 2 and a 3 in severity on a scale of 1 to 4, with 4 being completely closed.  We have been referred to a specialist who will determine if and when he will need surgical intervention.  I wish I had been able to get a copy of the scope photos.  They were pretty cool.  I will ask when we see the specialist.