The Seals' Pumpkin Patch 2014

Here's a few pics of our little pumpkins. And, let me state the obvious, it is SO hard to get a toddler and 5 babies to all look and smile and keep their eyes open at the same time. We had fun taking these pictures and I hope you enjoy them.

Daddy was hard at work on the pumpkins and Brady was overseeing that everything was being done right.

Happy Fall from the Seals family!!!

Quints 7 Month Pics

I took the babies for a checkup this week and they are all growing well. They are all on the growth now...woot woot!! They are doing so good. They are grabbing for things, laughing, and rolling everywhere. We're having so much fun with them and I can't believe they're already 7.5 months old now.
Here are their latest stats:
Mia: weight- 13lb 4.5oz (1%) length- 25in (3%)
Tessa: weight- 14lb 12oz (10%) length- 26in (20%)
Brant: weight- 14lb 10oz (1%) length 26in (5%)
Gracie: weight- 14lb 12oz (10%) length 26 1/8in (25%)
Rayleigh: weight- 14lb 8oz (10%) length 25 3/4in (15%)

Germs Not Welcome!!!!!

Being a mom to 5 babies that were born prematurely has taught me a lot about germs. Like any new mom, I want to get my babies out and share them with my family, friends, and the whole world, but right now, that's not the safe thing to do. Now that we've entered into the dreaded flu & RSV season, it's more important than ever that we take every precaution to keep our babies healthy and safe. As we've already experienced, when one baby gets sick, they all tend to get sick, which makes life 100 times more difficult than it already is, so we're trying to do everything we can to avoid germs.

We have a sign on our doors stating that if you're sick in any way to please not come in our house. We love visitors and we hate that we're so cutoff to the world, our friends, and family right now, but this is the only way we know to keep our babies safe from illnesses. Here are some tips to help limit the spread of RSV (and most other illnesses as well).
*Cover coughs and sneezes
*Avoid sharing cups and eating utensils with the baby
*Wash hands well and often
*Avoid kissing baby (strangers should not kiss, hug, or touch babies without parent's approval)
*Keep baby's surroundings and belongings clean.
*During RSV season, keep baby away from crowds and especially people with cold-like symptoms

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a virus and is the most common cause of bronchiolitis and/or pneumonia in babies who are younger than 1 year of age. Premature birth and certain types of heart and lung disease put some babies at high risk for developing RSV (babies born early - at 35 weeks or earlier- are born before their lungs and immune system have had a chance to fully develop). It's important for high-risk babies to be kept away from anyone who exhibits any of these symptoms: coughing, sneezing, runny nose, and fever. Some signs and symptoms that your baby may have severe RSV disease are: coughing or wheezing that does not stop, difficulty breathing, & bluish color around the mouth or fingernails.

While I was at the doctor's office this week with Tessa, I read a sign that said, you are considered sick if you exhibit the follow symptoms: rash, sneezing, congestion, runny nose, coughing, mattered eyes, diarrhea, sore throat, fever, or vomiting. So I've decided to adopt the same rules for my house. Visitors are considered sick if they have any of those symptoms and we urge you to not come visit until you no longer have those symptoms.

There is something magical about little babies, they have a way of drawing people's attention (mine included), but now that I'm a mom to 5 little babies who are at high-risk of developing RSV, I try to stay back and just look. It's hard for me not to touch or even to hold a baby of a friend or relative, but I know how protective I am of my own and I would never want to spread my germs and make any baby sick. So I'm trying to abide by my own rules when I'm around other people's babies now and just look and not touch.

So, here's to good health!

Rayleigh - 7 months

Sweet baby Rayleigh is 7 months old. She is now that biggest baby (or she was at the last weigh-in). She weighs 14lbs 5.5oz. She's much more vocal. She coos and smiles all the time. She's a good eater, she's likes her baby food and is taking her bottle like a champ. She has gotten very rotten, she loves to be held. Her hair has gotten so long and is dark brown. Her eyes are also brown. Everyone says Rayleigh looks just like Steven. Her new nickname is Pacifier Bandit because she will steal the other babies' pacifiers, sometimes she'll steal a paci right out of one of their mouths! She always wakes up with a smile on her face. She's doing good with her therapies. She rolls over very well. She loves attention. It's easy to know when she's ready for bed because she puts her hand over her eyes. She looks so good in bright colors.

Gracie - 7 months

Sweet Gracie Lou is 7 months old! She is still our little diva, but she is oh so sweet. She has the most beautiful blue eyes and her hair is brown and straight and it sticks up everywhere. She weighs 14lbs 3.5oz. She loves her paci. She's sleeping a lot better at night. She sleeps with her hands behind her head. She knows what she wants. She can somewhat hold her bottle. She tries to do sit-ups. She likes to be held and likes playing in her bouncer. She "thinks" she's the queen of the world (or at least the Seals' house). She is very noisy and doesn't like it when you pick up someone and leave her laying on the ground. She's taking her bottle much better lately and likes eating bananas. She's very vocal. She mocks the others, if someone else cries, she will cry. She has a beautiful smile.

Showing her new skill.

This is her, 'why are you waking me up mom' look...

Brant - 7 months

Sweet Brant is 7 months old! He is all boy! He's always on the go, he's always moving. He has the biggest smile and loves to stick out his tongue. He now weighs 13lb 11.5oz. He's only bigger than Mia but I can tell he's starting to get chunkier and he's long. Brant still has a temper and has no problem screaming at you. He is very vocal. He likes to be held and talked to. He rolls all over the place, if you put him down, leave, and come back he will be somewhere else. Sometimes he want to just be left alone, so he's happy when you put him down. He loves to stick his legs straight up in the air. He's doing a lot better with his therapies and has made a lot of progress. He sleeps pretty good at night, only waking up to sleep and he's getting better about putting himself to sleep. He's hair is getting darker and he's getting more of if. He has the highest shrill..he will hurt your ears. I think he may be hitting a growth spurt because he's doing a lot of eating and sleeping lately.

Brant got to play with his friend Wrigley at Ms. Courtney's house.

Tessa - 7 Months

Sweet Tessa is 7 months old. She has the biggest and most contagious smile. She now weighs 14lb 15oz. Tessa, Gracie, and Rayleigh are all about the same size, but to me, Tessa still seems the biggest. Out of all the babies, she has the least amount of hair, but it's growing some, and it looks like it's going to be dark. She hasn't been sleeping well at night, but she also hasn't been feeling well. Hopefully, we can get her well and she'll start sleeping better. She likes to play, she's strong, and is doing very well with her therapies. She is drinking her bottle really well. She eats baby food at the table but she likes to spit it out. We've got to work with her on keeping her tongue in while eating. She likes to ride in the car as long as the car is going...she doesn't like it when you stop. She now has a button (for her g-tube) just like her sisters. She has beautiful blue eyes. Tessa definitely has some Robinson blood in her....I've had several people tell me she reminds them of my dad, uncle, and grandpa. She has a big smile, just like my Papa did, and I know if he were still alive, he's say she was the prettiest baby since she looks like him. ;)

Serious about her bunny

Holding her head up like a big girl.

Eating at Ojeda's with mom and dad after she got her button

Mia - 7 Months

Sweet little Mia is 7 months old! She's starting to get chunkier but she's still the smallest baby and she feels a lot lighter than the other babies. She smiles all the time and has a growling voice. She now weighs 13lbs 10.5oz. She loves to eat baby food (she likes applesauce, blueberry apple, and pears - she doesn't like bananas). She loves to be held. She has a pitiful cry and uses it to get her way. She has been keeping us up at night; she'll lose her paci and will cry for you to put it back in her mouth. She's turning over well and scooting everywhere (backwards), starting to reach for things, is holding her head up well. She's started to get a little sassy. She loves to cuddle. She's very opinionated and knows exactly what she wants, for example, she wants to be held a certain way, and if you don't hold her a certain way, she'll let you hear about it. When Mia's mad, she's really mad, and there's no mistaking that. Her hair has grown so much. She has brown hair and her eyes are hazel.

Sleepy girl

Eating at the table for the first time.

Not enjoying snuggle time with Brady

A girl on the go.

Ready for surgery.... she had her airway stretched

She had a few issues from surgery and needed some help breathing...but it didn't take her too long to bounce back.

Feeling better and ready to leave the hospital. I sure love snuggling with my sweet Mia.