A Loma Linda Visit

I really should be in bed but I am so excited about this post. Anthony had a doctor appointment today with a plastic surgeon at Loma Linda. He has a little dermoid cyst above his right eyebrow and his opthamologist really wants it taken care of. We went in today for a consult.

I checked in and they sent me to another office to update my insurance. The lady that helped us was so friendly. She helped me over to her office, chatted, played with the kids, helped me back to plastic surgery. While we were talking I found out she used to work for Dr Jacobsen, my infertility doctor. She still does his insurance stuff for him. Anyway, she came back over and asked if she could take a picture. For some reason I don't like people taking pictures of my kids but since she worked for Jacobsen I let her. I snapped a picture at the same time.

Michael, Jakob, Jaileigh, Anthony and Annie

After a long 20 minute wait we were finally showed back to a room. Michael and Jakob were playing memory in the window sill and Anthony was playing on the ipad. 

 

You can kind of see the cyst in this picture. He does have to have the cyst removed. It has actually made a dent in the bone so the doctor advised us to remove it. Surgery is scheduled in February. It will be a quick outpatient surgery but because of his health history {being a 28 week multiple in the NICU for 2 months} the surgery will be done at Loma Linda Childrens Hospital.

Michael and Jake

Jaileigh

Annie

After the doctor appointment we went upstairs to see Dr Jacobsen and Dr Corselli in the infertility clinic. They haven't seen the quads since they were little and they were shocked to see baby Annie! Dr. Corselli and I had another conversation about how I got 4 non-identical babies from a 2 embryo transfer. She has a couple of good ideas of what may have happened.  

Dr Corselli and the gang.

We drove over to the Childrens Hospital next. I thought I would take a picture of how we travel these days. Annie is in the stroller and I have Jake push her (with my help). He is my runner so giving him an assignment keeps him in place. The other three hold hands and we all walk together.

We were going to visit the MFM (my high risk OB office) but it was lunch time and the kids were pretty tired so we went straight to the NICU. We were so lucky to see our primaries! So many of them were working. I talk to the kids about the girls who took care of them when they were born so they recognized the nurses names.

Lindy was Anthony's special nurse. He gave her the biggest hug when he saw her.

Jakob ran over to Jessica when he saw her. Those two have a special bond!

Sharon rotated with all the babies but I think Jaileigh was her favorite. She loved to dress her up! Tabitha was Michael's. I remember having to beg her to primary for me.

 Annie, Mommy, Tabitha/Jaileigh, Lindy/Michael, Anthony, Jake/Jess, Sharon

It was so fun to make the rounds today! I loved it. It brought back so many memories. I'm glad those days are in the past but what good memories I have too!

28 Months Later, Our Hats Fit Ms Toni!

Do remember this post from September 25th, 2008? Our NICU nurse brought the babies back these hats from Disneyland. The babies were 2 months old here.

Anthony, Michael, Jaileigh, and Jakob

Now 28 months later they finally fit.

Anthony, Jake, Michael, and Jaileigh

Thanks Ms Toni. We love you!

A Special Visitor

Michael scrubbing the floor for me. What a big helper!

The babies and I have had a rough couple of days. I think they are tired of me and missing their daddy. They are really pushing all my buttons. Yesterday they ganged up on me. Two of them distracted me while the other two pushed the cabinet with all the tv and internet cables away from the wall and unhooked all the wires. Here is a picture of Jake in time-out.

Today we had a special visitor- Jessica. She was one of our best NICU nurses and still is! We love her. You can see how much the babies love her.

Snack time!

We were trying to get them to sit for a picture but of course they wouldn't and then I noticed Michael didn't have pants on. Ohh well. Here's the group shot.

Anthony reading a story to Jessica

Michael wants to be part of the story time too. He is doing his fish lips.

Jessica brought books, bubbles, and bunny ears. The babies love bubbles.

Jaileigh and her bunny ears. She is posing for her picture.

"Really, mommy lets us do it allll the time!" the babies trying to sweet talk Jess. This is the cabinet that they pushed away from the wall. You can see Jake trying to do it again. Anthony is standing on a bin messing with the DVD player, Michael telling her to get down ALL of the bins so they can play with ALL the animals, and Jaileigh is checking out Jess's pedicure.

Today was Jakes naughty day. He confiscated Jessica's phone from her and dialed 911. Jessica hurried and hung up but the dispatcher called back. Within 10 minutes there was an officer at our door. The babies were at the window to welcome him. When he came to the door he said, "Well I see there are quite a few babies here." Yes, there are!

***I finally put captions to the pictures on the Strawberry Cupcake post if you would like to check back. ***

Birthday Party Part I

This has taken me so long to post and it isn't because I haven't been trying. Something is wrong with something. I can only upload 2 or 3 pictures at a time. SO, I am doing 2 posts because we have a ton of pictures. This post is the people we love and owe our first year to! Mind you this is only the people we were able to capture in photo. Those of you that we didn't catch we know who you are and thank you too!


Night NICU Nurses. Toni/Anthony, Jessica/Michael, Karen/Jaileigh, and Melissa/Jakob
Have I mentioned that the nurses would come over and help me for MONTHS after the babies were home. They were and ARE amazing!


Jessica and Anthony- too cute

Tasha and Jaileigh communicating. Tasha was another primary NICU night nurse.

Dana and her mom Dorothy. Dana, Dana, Dana, she has done too much to list. We owe her a bunch! Her mom pretty much kept everyone in stitches at the party. Look at that sassy look she is giving the camera.


Grandma and Mikey - only picture I could find of grandma. She must have been dodging the photographer. : )

Anthony and Anthony. Anthony W. was one of my students when I still taught. He came to meet his namesake.

Nurse Karen and Michael

JEsSiCA and MiChAeL- Another of our Primary NICU nurses. We LOVE Jess! She was Jakob's primary nurse the day he was born. She still comes out to visit and play with us.

Nurse Toni and Michael- I talked Toni into becoming one of our primary nurses and I am soooo glad that I did. There have been many times that I have texted her since the babies have been home with silly questions. She also was the nurse that found Mikey's PDA. He was symptom free and she heard the murmur when she was during her accessment.

My wonderful fellow quad mom, Michelle. She has been so AWESOME! She has held my hand through the whole even, pregnancy, birth, and 1st year. Couldn't have survived without her! She flew out at least 6 times to help me on weekends and when Mike was away with work. She is such a super friend. We love her!!!! I can't say enough about her.

Megha holding Anthony and Karen on the far right. These two have been at my house constantly. If I am in a bind I can text one of them and they come running. Mike and I will be forever indebted to them! We have promised them our next firstborn children. HAHA.

The girls are former students that came out to meet the babies and to help set up the party. Thank you!

Megha and her "baby"

Our roomies from the NICU- The Fiore Trips- Aiden, Audrina, and Andrew. We met the Fiore Family in the NICU and we have stayed friends. They will soon be celebrating their 1st birthday Sept 17!

Amber and Audrina, one of the triplets. Look at all her hair!

Big Mike/Daddy and little Jaileigh-bug

Nurse Tabitha holding Michael and Jakey, Nurse Lindy with Anthony and Jaileigh

Momma Fiore and her baby trips with the help of the Dunkley sisters

Kari, Cathye, and Jade. Kari and Cathye are 2 of our wonderful helpers. We wouldn't have survived the 1st year without them! Jade is Cathye's granddaughter. Cathye is the Quad Squad Lady that scheduled all the volunteers for us. She is amazing!

By the end of the afternoon the babies were beat! They lost their clothes after the cake eating. Karen ran home and got them another outfit but we didn't get any pictures after that.

Anthony and his NICU nurse, Lindy. Lindy saved this little boys life and we will be forever grateful to her. We were so blessed to have her as Anthony's primary nurse. He was so sick. She still has the touch with him.

Jaileigh and Wendy, a friend from Crestline. She traveled A LONG way to visit! Thank you!

Michael fighting the zzzzzzzzzzz's

Jakob with Nurse Tabitha. Her boyfriend is really Mikey (sssshhhhh don't tell her hubby)

After the party we thought the babies would come home and sleep. Boy were we wrong. They were so overstimulated that they couldn't settle down. Here is their 2nd birthday outfit in honor of the Cubs being in 1st place in their division (for a minute: ) )

The presents that they babies got, even though we said NO presents. These kids are pretty spoiled! The LOVED opening them. Thank you to all!