Sunday, November 11, 2012

Amber's GOLDEN Schedule!!

Things were running like a well oiled machine here in Quadville yesterday!


Thanks to the GOLDEN schedule Amber has developed!
Nothing is 'winged' - everything is planned and I love it!!


This is posted on the fridge door when you need a quick check!

Amber and Mike are away in San Antonio for a wedding.
It's the first time they have left the quads other than when they were in the NICU.
We talked about this weekend and planned it all back in August.
Funny how that seemed so far away then......and now here it IS!!

Thanks to her GOLDEN schedule - we've totally GOT this!!


The day starts here in Quadville about 7:00 am when the babies begin to wake up.
They talk and lie quietly for a half hour to forty-five minutes at which time I start the diaper changing.
That's FOUR changes! It takes just a few minutes and the babies are all so HAPPY in the mornings!
Will they all be 'Morning People?'


I change each one and hand them off to Granddad who puts them in their boppies in the pack and plays.

After they have been fed and burped we give them 20 minutes of sitting up time before returning them to the nursery where they go two to a crib for Play/Nap Time.

That gives Louis Dean time to take a long hot soak in the tub while I do BOTTLES!!!


Lots and lots of  BOTTLES!!!
Complicated Dr Brown bottles!!
These is not the easiest job.......
Four bottles hold 110 ml for the 11 am feeding.


See how HARD it is to READ the ml marks??


One set gets an additional 30 ml since rice cereal is added to the last feeding of the day at 8 PM.
These use a Level 3 nipple which is bigger to accommodate the rice!
I can BARELY even see these numbers!!
Fortunately Amber separated them for me before they left this morning.
I'll be on my own tomorrow so I may need to double up my glasses!


I put different colored tops on these to differentiate that feed!


It's a good feeling to see the whole day's feedings all lined up - ready and waiting!

The babies are still quiet in the nursery - 
we have the monitor on as well as the camera view of the nursery on the TV.
So - FREE time???


No.....the laundry needs to be folded and a fresh washer load put in the dryer and another load put in the washer. Laundry is always in motion around here!

It's now 10:30 and time to change the babies' diapers and dress them for the day!


Aren't they cute???
Sometimes the girls are all dressed to match - sometimes they ALL are dressed to match and sometimes it is whatever you are in the mood to put on them!


The food for the day was bananas - yum YUM!!!


Granddad took Harrison and Kailey.


Logan wasn't too sure about them - but she ate her fair share!!


Trystan eats with EXPRESSION!!


We go through EIGHT bibs on this feeding!
A set for the food and a set for the bottles!


3 out of the 4 babies had poopie diapers.
We record the amount of formula, wet and/or dirty diapers, any spit ups or medications given.
It's good to have records!

Then there is a lull in the action and I make sandwiches for Louis Dean and me.
The babies are quiet so we watch a little college football, play Scrabble, write in my journal.....
While this is FREE time for US - this is when Amber would be cleaning, working, doing the umpteen chores she needs to do to keep the home humming smoothly.

Next up?


Tummy/Mat Time!!!
They are all squirming away like crazy these days!

Harrison

Harrison spent a few minutes in the Bouncer Thing - I forget what it's called.
Later in afternoon the others take a turn.

Logan

Before you know it the 2 PM feeding is upon us!!
This is just a bottle feed - easy peasy!


From 3:00 - 4:45 I rotated the babies through the swings and bouncer and various other baby equipment!
I took Logan and Trystan (one at a time) out for a walk in front of the house using the singleton stroller.
It's good to vary their experiences and positions throughout the day!
Good for the quads and good for ME! I enjoyed getting outside for a few minutes.
You forget there's a whole WORLD out there sometimes!

While I did that - Louis Dean was in the kitchen!


He fried up some of the BEST chicken fried steak I have ever tasted!
Paired with mashed potatoes and green beans - we had the makings of a FEAST!
Which we ate - right AFTER the 5:00 feeding!

Trystan

Harrison

Logan is not a 'Put me on your shoulder' baby!
LD has learned just how she likes to be held!

From 5:00 - 7:00 is a kind of quiet time as we wind down the day.
I put the TV on 'Toddler Tunes.' 
Amber has Baby Einstein DVDs but we are technology challenged in figuring out how to work their equipment!


We especially enjoyed watching Logan and Harrison in their Bumbo chairs!


Watching the babies is the best entertainment EVER!!

At 7:30 we started the bedtime routine.
Change their diapers using the overnight ones.
Put on their sleepers - I opted for zippered ones!
There's about a dozen snaps on each of the 'regular' sleepers.
That's 48  snaps to do!
That means the next morning you have 96 snaps at that first morning diaper change!
Young mothers can handle that without a thought!
These old arthritic hands of mine can NOT!
And have you tried squeezing the TUBES on the ointments?
NOT easy!!


Well, back to the routine!
Sleepers, night diapers, 8:00 feed with 2 scoops of rice cereal in each bottle.
Burps and more burps.....



Then it was Story Time!
Amber usually reads to them before bed every night - 
as I read to HER throughout her infancy and childhood!

Tonight Granddad read 'The Ghost Eye Tree' by Bill Martin, Jr.
This book is a favorite of Louis Dean as he knew the author.
Every Halloween he normally reads this to the grandchildren.

Louis Dean then sang to the babies an original song he made up on the spot!
They loved it!!

Then one by one - we tucked the babies in.
One is in a sleep sack, two are in swaddling clothes
 and one is in a sling crib with a blanket tucked in around her.

By 9:00 all four babies were sound asleep and they slept through the night!
So did Louis Dean and I!!!!

Before going to bed myself I loaded the dishwasher with a days' worth of bottles to be ready for the next day!

It's now morning and time to start the whole GOLDEN schedule all over again!
It works like a charm!
I can hear the babies stirring so I best go warm those bottles, empty the dishwasher and start the day!
We will ALL be welcoming Mike and Amber HOME this afternoon!!!!

*******Now a quick aside note!*******
The regular routine of house and home must go on.
Doctor visits, work deadlines, personal laundry, home projects, yard work, pet care, grocery shopping, meal preparations, bill paying,......the list goes on and on and on....

Amber and Mike do a great job!
It's such a BIG job to do!!
That's the reason we renovated our camper and moved it down here so we can help them.

































20 comments:

MadSnapper said...

you might want to post a WARNING may be to cute for you!on this post. you deserve some kind of award, both of you.... and it is a good thing she is organised. wow what a job a box of 4 babies is.

Deb said...

What a day! They are so cute

Auntie sezzzzzz... said...

Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow!

!!!!

Joy@aVintageGreen said...

Hi Linda - I read EVERY post you write and appreciate the sharing of such precious babies. They are growing so fast. Look at them sitting up! What a wonderful, wonderful family you have (everyone of them young, younger, older and oldest).
Joy

Blondie's Journal said...

Just reading your post wore me out! How I love having a peek at those cuties and love catching up with you!

XO,
Jane

Aloha Acres said...

What a blessing you are to your daughter. I love reading your post. It's evident she has not taken it for-granted and she's learned much from you. I commend her scheduling and organization. I love how she's on top of things.

Love your post! Thank you for letting us share in this Quad Squad journey. :)

Carole said...

Boy, talk about being organised. I am in awe of you all. And those babies are getting cuter and cuter. Once Amber is back you will need to have a bit of a laze round to recover! Good luck

Susie said...

Linda, I am ready for a nap , after reading about all that work. I know your daughter is blessed to have you and LD to help out. I remember my MIL coming over for the 1st two weeks after I had twins...she would watch them after lunch so I could rest. She was a true blessing to me. Smiles and prayers to all of you, Susie

Bernice said...

Wow Linda, Amber has orginization down to a science,because of her Golden Schedule" you and LD were able to enjoy watching those beautiful babies, with little worry, and Mommy and Daddy got some away time.
Those Dr Brown bottles are great, but a pain to assemble, and this Grandma agrees zip up pj's:)
I think the seat thingy that Harrison is in is called a saucer, it has been 2yrs since I have been around all things infant.

Nonnie said...

If I did not see these pics, I would not believe you guys are real!!! You are all golden as far as I can tell. :-) beautiful babies.

Kathy said...

Wow! I am impressed with Amber's super organizational skills. How wonderful to have a book like that to help you through the day. And you really did take us through a day with the quads. Now be sure you get your rest so you don't get sick again. How nice that LD made dinner for you. That's a treat!

Anonymous said...

I love to read your daily posts. You and LD are such wonderful grandparents and Amber is very fortunate.

Chatty Crone said...

I just loved this - made me tire though. And I do think those babies are so cute. They are eating already! So how long are you watching them for? And how does Amber do this? sandie

Tania Pelletier said...

Oh my goodness... bless you! That looks like a big job but they are SO cute!! And it's nice that they are all even tempered in the mornings! :o)

Tania

ancient one said...

Whew... I'm tired... ha ha.. but so much fun reading and looking at the pictures. My first time here.

Vickie said...

Hi there Linda! So glad to meet you, too! My goodness, you've got your hands full with those 4 little angels! I know your help is SO appreciated while those babies are babies. They are just precious, Linda! I'm looking forward to getting to know you better and see what else is going in your blog! And I'll be following you, too ~~~~ have a great week!

Vee said...

*thud* Oh my! I think you two are heroes. I truly do. How fantastic that Amber and Mike got to head off to a wedding and have some fun time away. That's good for the soul. Those grands are getting so big and looking so cute and have such fun personalities and cute expressions. Makes me want to blow them kisses.

Angie said...

It amazes me that Amber finds time to do ANYTHING!!! I promise, I have 2 little ones at home and as I type this the Health Dept. should probably shut this place down. It's a jungle here. It's so impressive to me how she keeps things running so smoothly. Looks like you and grandad have things well under control!

darlin said...

Wow, this is so overwhelming to me just reading what a day all entails, never mind being the one to do all of this each and every day. Hats off to all of you for all that you do in a day! Amber and Mike are so blessed, not only with adorable, precious, amazing children, but also to have you and LD in their lives!

May God continue to bless each and every one of you.

Carla said...

Okay I'm tired. Harrison has some of the cutest expressions and poses. ;o)