The Quints are 2!!

I'm 3 weeks late writing about the quints turning two...but better late than never. I still can't believe our precious babies are already 2 years old. It doesn't seem possible. There were times when the past two year have dragged along...I thought nap time or bedtime was not going to arrive soon enough but in reality, it's gone by incredibly fast. They are our babies; we'll never welcome a new bundle of joy into our lives. We'll never bring another baby home from the hospital. We'll never cheer on another one of our babies to roll over, or sit up, or crawl, or walk, or run, or climb...the quints can do it all now so the baby stage is behind us and that makes me a little sad. Don't get me wrong, I love everything about watching them (all six of them) grow up. I love the new tricks, tiny victories, and the excitement when they have achieved something new; it just hurts my heart how fast we go through these exciting stages. So here we are, at the dawn of a new era for the quints who are officially toddlers now.

I'll start out by telling you what all five of them can do then I'll go into individual details about each of the quints.

The Fab Five:
They are all using sippy cups for drinking. They all sleep through the night, most nights (praise the Lord!!). They have all graduated from physical therapy. Everyone still gets occupational therapy. They no longer use their pacifiers during the day, they are only allowed to have them at nap time and bedtime. They are all practicing using the restroom on the potty (please don't mistake that statement for us potty training because we're not potty training yet, but we do practice every day and they actually do a pretty good job). They all still bite (it is slowing down a bit but hasn't stopped completely), they pull hair, pinch, hit, and steal toys. They all love to play outside. They all adore their big brother Brady. They are all speaking. They are all doing a great job in communicating what they want and don't want now. Everyone is using words and some are speaking in short sentences. They love to watch Bubble Guppies, Octonauts, & Curious George. They all like to dance, run, and climb on everything. They all love to unfold clothes that have just been folded (that's not my favorite activity of theirs). They all know who each other is, can say everyone's names, and know which colors (of objects) belongs to whom (because we color code everything, when possible---Mia is green, Tessa is purple, Brant is blue, Gracie is pink, and Rayleigh is yellow). They all can take their clothes and diapers off, and they love to run around naked. Every single one of them can be very stubborn at times. They've been much healthier this year than the first year.

Our NICU babies.
Mia, Tessa, Brant, Gracie, Rayleigh

Brady turned 3 & the quints turned 1

Mia Danielle (Quint A):
Miss Mia is still our smallest quint. She now weighs 20lb. She still uses her g-tube for most of her liquids but is taking more and more food by mouth. We practice with liquids everyday and she is getting better. She is scheduled to have another swallow study on May 2 so we can see if she's still aspirating when she drinks. She is the oldest, of the quints, and she loves her position. She tattles on everyone, bosses everyone around, and she's usually right in the middle of every situation. She is ridiculously funny; she is always making us laugh. She's got the funniest and cutest little smile, she has learned to say cheese and it's too cute. She's good a cuddling, I love it when I pick her up and she lays her head on my shoulder. She HATES to have her hair in a ponytail. Her hair is usually all over her head like a hot mess. She's my meat eater. Mia still gets occupational therapy (OT) and speech therapy (ST).

Tessa Suzanne (Quint B):
Miss Tessa is a sweetheart. She now weighs 21lb. She has not used her g-tube since February so we're are really excited about that! She is taking all liquids and foods by mouth. Tessa is my talkative child, the girl never shuts up! She talks, and don't even ask me what language she's speaking, all I know is most of it is not English. She uses her hands and gets very animated when she talks and if she catches you watching her she'll start laughing and talking more. She's a little ham, that's for sure. She loves to "read" books and have books read to her. Her little giggle is so cute and she has the sweetest little grin. She loves her Aunt Kayla, it's no secret Kayla's her favorite person, besides mama, of course. Tessa is pretty good about eating just about anything, she's not too picky. Tessa still gets OT & PT.

Brant Lee (Quint C):
Mr. Brant is a little charmer. He now weighs 22lb. He is so sweet. He has the most adorable grin and he winks all the time. He's a pretty good eater and isn't too picky. He is speaking 3-4 word sentences now, and is probably my best communicator. When he wakes up from a nap or in the mornings I'll hear him yelling, "mama, where are you?". He is so stinking cute. He stays aggravated with the girls, they tend to get on his last nerve, but overall, he's a very easygoing little boy. In fact, I think he may be the easiest child out of all six kids. He is the best at peeing on the potty, he usually goes every time I put him on the potty. He loves watching tv, Bubble Guppies are his favorite. He will dance when music is playing. He is still a total mama's boy. He gets OT.

Gracie Lou (Quint D):
Miss Gracie is quint D for a reason...the girl is a total Diva! She now weighs 22lbs. She is funny, silly, and comical. If Gracie ain't happy, ain't nobody happy! The girl has a set of lungs on her too! She has the highest pitched squeal I've ever heard and it hurts my ears when she is screaming. When she throws a fit, it's a big ordeal, but don't let me mislead you, she can be a total sweetheart too. She loves to make you laugh and she's got the sweetest little giggle. She has beautiful hair, it's not as curly as her sisters but it's thick and has volume. She is so cute with her hair up in pigtails. She hasn't used her g-tube since September and will be getting is out at the end of this month! She is so ready to get her tube out, she has pulled it out a time or two. She loves to jump, and she's really good at it too! She can run so fast; she's probably our fastest kid. She's a pretty good eater. She's still a daddy's girl. She gets OT.

Rayleigh Ann (Quint E):
Miss Rayleigh is my quiet child. Most of the time, she's pretty easy going. She now weighs 21lbs. She is funny, silly, and mischievous. She's very sensitive, I can just tell her not to do something or to stop doing something and she'll cry...I can't for the life of me figure out who she gets that from (lol...me). She pouts when she doesn't get her way; she has mastered the sad puppy dog look and is good at poking her bottom lip out when she's unhappy. She can be dramatic when she's upset. She likes to play by herself, but is getting better about playing with her siblings too. She is a mama's girl. She hasn't used her g-tube since February and is taking everything (liquids & solids) by mouth. She gets OT & ST.

Well, there you have it, our babies are growing up. We have a house full of toddlers and they are keeping us on our toes, all day long. I still can't believe this is our life. Most people watch quintuplets on reality tv shows, but I get to watch my quintuplets grow up every single day and let me tell you, it's an amazing experience. I stand in awe of them every single day. I am so thankful God blessed us with these five precious little people, they have brought so much love and joy to our lives.

Be blessed!
xoxo,
Michelle
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