Sunday, March 1, 2015

Together Again!

It is Sunday night as I write this two day journal entry and Louis Dean and I are home together!!!


The last two weekends he has been left unsupervised for at least PART of the time!
When I did finally get home, he had these roses waiting for me!!

 I woke up in Quadville on Saturday morning and the weather was still pretty bad. The snow had turned to freezing drizzle and the roads were still icy in places. We sat tight and waited for the temps to rise above 32 degrees. 
I encouraged Amber and Mike to take in a movie while I was still there so they prepared lunch for all of us and then high tailed it out of there!!


All that was left for me to do was read a chapter of The Little House book and all four kids were out like lights!! Their parents arrived back from the movies just as they were waking up!

Being a part of a set of quadruplets is pretty special.
They are all extra close in their relationships to each other.
They comfort each other and they enjoy each other's company in so many ways.
They know what it means to take turns, back up, wait for each other, and do most things as a group of FOUR!
Yes, they fuss and cry and whine at times. They are age appropriate in all areas.
Being 'age appropriate' also means they occasionally need some extra special 'one on one' time.
Amber and Mike do a great job in taking each child alone to run errands or have a special treat whenever possible. 
Granddad and I like to bring someone home with us to simply BE with that child and get to know them better and, most of all, make them feel SPECIAL!

Mike was my knight in shining armor yesterday afternoon and volunteered to drive me home.
This made it easier for Louis Dean who was a little gun shy after being stuck out there on those icy roads for over four hours on Friday!

I pleaded my case to take Trystan home WITH me and they graciously said yes.
This was a Win! WIN! for BOTH households!!
ONE child is a proverbial 'Piece of Cake!'
THREE children are actually MUCH easier than FOUR!!!
I know parents with twins and triplets more than have their hands full.
However, just one LESS for a little while is a good break.
I am certain parents of quintuplets and sextuplets will also agree - one less just makes it slightly easier! FOR A TIME!!! 
Amber was missing Trystan by the time we arrived at our house!!


Trystan was lapping up all of our attention!
AND Lucy's!!


She sat on Granddad's lap and watched the You Tube video of Robin Hood and Little John.


She watched it over and over, giggling all the time!
Louis Dean is learning to play it on the guitar. They will LOVE that!


She played with Lucy AND Maddie!
I guess Maddie isn't as afraid of ONE child as she is of FOUR!


Granndad made us a Saturday night supper of hamburgers and oven fries.


Delicious!

I gave Trystan a bath and then she and I settled down in my big bed to read another chapter of our book. We climbed into bed at 8:00 and were alseep by 9:00. BOTH of us!! We didn't open up the bedroom door until 8:30 this morning!


Breakfast was bacon - as requested - and I added a heart shaped fried egg and buttered toast.
Lucy got the egg. I tried.


Of course we had a cup of COFFEE together!


We enjoyed this whole day - from playtime to lunch to naps! She requested I read the book before we napped when I forgot!! She went to sleep before I finished the chapter and than I went to sleep right beside her!
We BOTH got a lot of rest!


After naps we took Trystan home to Quadville!!
The other kids were anxious to see Trystan AND Granddad since he had stayed pretty much in his room on Wednesday and Thursday when they were over here due to his asthma attack.
Amber made dinner for ALL of us and we all sat together around their dining table which easily seats EIGHT!

We are back home now and in our nightclothes ready to watch a little TV before going to bed.

Facebook

This is something I will definitely be making this week!!!
I plan to use a sheet and just sew seams to hold the four pillows.
With the fourth one flipped back to make a pillow - this will make a perfect nap mat!

I am in somewhat of a nostalgic mood this evening and am thinking back to that day in November 2011 when Amber and Mike came home from the doctor's office with their announcement.
I was just hoping and praying that the pregnancy was still in place and all was well.
We were down there in Houston at their house celebrating an early Thanksgiving together since they would be flying to Italy on a business/pleasure trip during the Thanksgiving holiday.


I was stunned when they told me MULTIPLES!!! As in FOUR!!!! I admit my very FIRST thought was for my daughter. Could she survive a QUAD pregnancy??? I was petrified. My face showed my shock and I remember Amber telling me I needed to sit across the room with THAT look!!! I recovered rather quickly. 
They went on to tell us there were FIVE sacs but one was empty and one was really TINY!
That tiny little peanut turned out to be our Logan!

Christmas Morning 2011

Now came the hard part!!!! I was sworn to secrecy until they announced it to the family on Christmas Morning. My mother is STILL mad at me for not telling her!!

It didn't end there. I could NOT tell ANYONE until they announced it themselves on Facebook which was a LONG time for me to keep this secret!!!
I was really good and honorable. It was hard.

This quad pregancy and the quadruplets came at the perfect time in our life.
Any earlier, both Louis Dean and I were dealing with health issues.
I had a knee replacement and Louis Dean suffered a heart attack.
We had recovered and even enjoyed spending the month of December 2010 in Aberdeen, Scotland with Amber and Mike when they lived there for a year.

Amber and Benjamin were born to me in my 'old age.' I was 36 when Amber was born and 39 soon to be 40 with Benjamin. I was extremely young when my first two children were born.....just barely 15 years old when I had Summer and just turned 18 when I had Jesse, Jr.

One reason Amber and Mike had been talking about having children sooner rather than later  was they wanted the babies to know all their grandparents.

It was a time when Louis Dean and I neither one worked and we had no heavy responsibilities and could actually BE there for this pregnancy. While Louis Dean worked on the campere here at home....I stayed with Amber in the hospital. She was there for 52 days hooked up to a magnesium sulphate drip that caused her to be exceeedinly sick. 


We were BOTH there for the last weeks before the four babies were born and there to help take care of them - both in the NICU and at home.
We fixed our RV up and lived in it for 7 months until Amber and Mike were able to move back here to the area. I won't kid you. This was a tough time for all of us. Sleep deprived and exhausted.
Amber's body did NOT recover well and I worried constantly about her health.
Somehow those hard times faded from our memory as we embrace all the joys God has granted us with these sweet quadruplets.

We intend to enjoy every single minute we can with them. Nobody knows the future. None of us know how long we have to be with our loved ones. They could leave us or we them in death or sickness in the blink of an eye.

When Louis Dean and I married, he said he thought God had something special for us to do together.
We found it and praise God for the priviledge of being a MeeMaw and Granddad to four babies who love us uconditionally. That's the way we love them.

If something happens to one of us - we will have no regrets about how we have spent our years together! We will soon celebrate our tenth wedding anniversay.

I do believe we HAVE made a difference!

21 comments:

Joy@aVintageGreen said...

Blessing to all of you. Hugs.
Joy

Deanie W said...

I really enjoyed your post tonight 😊
I KNOW you & LD have made a difference!
Yes God had something for the two of you to do together❤️
The roses are beautiful 🙏

Linda said...

What a fun post, Linda, you are such a busy lady. I am so glad you had some great time with the quads and that the dog and cat got attention, too. Maddie seems to be a typical cat...most cats don't mind one child, but several are hard for them to take, as cats do not like a lot of noise. Your photos are beautiful, as always. :)

Amber said...

Yall have always been a blessing to us. Of course I share many memories with you, mom, and we continue to make more together all the time. But Mike and I have such wonderful memories with both of you and look forward to the many more we will continue to make! Thank you both for being so giving of your time and support! Love you !

Pondside said...

Beautiful post, Linda - you are a blessing to Amber and Mike and the little ones, as they are to you. You and LD are amazing!

Kathy said...

I truly believe God put you and Louis Dean together in order to be a blessing to Amber, Mike and the quads. What a beautiful post. I remember praying through all those moments with you. And now you have a beautiful life with them. No one knows the future, but you are enjoying the NOW.

Ginny Hartzler said...

You are very blessed to have truly found what and where God wants you to do. And how wonderful that it is to be such a help to your family! I loved reading your story. Louis Dean is so good at playing that I can't tell if the video is HIM playing along, or the real soundtrack!! Your boot header is so good that it looks like an expensive painting by a well known artist.

NanaDiana said...

What a wonderful peek at your life with LD and those sweet babies. God has surely blessed you with a good life and you have made good choices. Those are great memories you are making for those sweet children. God bless you- xo Diana

Lori said...

Such a fun story. It is so hard to wait to "tel".

peggy said...

I always love reading your quad posts. Can you imagine them reading your stories when they have all grown up. I believe in divine guidance.

MadSnapper said...

you most definitely have made a difference in their lives and all your families lives and most of all in your own...

Arlene G said...

What a sweet post!! Grandparents are so important in a child's life.

Vee said...

Yes, I do believe you have! You folks could write a book...loved reading this review.

Susie said...

linda, You better believe you and LD have made a difference in other's lives. How could Amber have had those sweet babies or even endure without you two. You have blessed many lives plus each other's. I feel blessed to know your family. oxoxo,Susie

Debby said...

What a beautiful story. You and LD remind me of my husband and I. We would rather spend time with our grands than anything. We also spend time with kids that aren't ours.
4 is a bit scary as far as pregnancy. Our DIL 's sister has triplets. The two boys were in the same sac. It was touch and go the whole pregnancy. But she went to term and delivered three healthy babies. One had troubles with his tummy , I can't remember the name.
Your quads are just beautiful. I love how important you are in their lives. Hugs

Far Side of Fifty said...

You have made a difference, those Grands of yours are miracles:)

Aloha Acres said...

Your story brings tears to my eyes. Good tears. God is so, so good to us.

Debbie said...

I soo enjoy reading about all of this. It's my favorite kind of blog, lol. I love to hear of the day to day happenings of people I will probably never meet this side of eternity. How amazing is that when we live so far apart? I think the two of you are WONDERFUL grandparents and have no doubt the Lord has used you tremendously in their lives. And in the lives of your kids as well. You have lived out just what grandparents are all about for all of them. May you both continue to enjoy for years and years to come!

Debbie said...

I soo enjoy reading about all of this. It's my favorite kind of blog, lol. I love to hear of the day to day happenings of people I will probably never meet this side of eternity. How amazing is that when we live so far apart? I think the two of you are WONDERFUL grandparents and have no doubt the Lord has used you tremendously in their lives. And in the lives of your kids as well. You have lived out just what grandparents are all about for all of them. May you both continue to enjoy for years and years to come!

Penny said...

Heartfelt words Linda. I think you and Louis Dean are wonderful grandparents X

Kelly said...

Trystan is so adorable! I think that is such a great idea to keep one child at a time to bond well together. I would've had "that look" on my face too if my child announced that she was carrying 4 babies. I'm so glad that everything worked out so well. I know it was a very stressful time while she was dealing with a high risk pregnancy and then bringing 4 newborns home at one time. It's a good think that you all are so close and can help each other out like you do. It truly takes a village to raise a large family!