GULP!

Ready or not, the babies are meeting milestones and will soon be home. When I arrived at the NICU today I came around the corner to see Emma sitting on the nurses lap drinking a bottle. It was her second one of the day and she finished them both. She even let me know how delicious it was by letting out a gigantic burp. That means she will be moving into an open crib and then coming home. The nurse said about two weeks. I was so excited! Then I realized I would still have 3 babies in the NICU and one baby at home. Thats when fear set in...I may have even hit panic mode. I'm sure it will all be fine, I just need to let things sink in for a day or two.

Maddox is being a stinker. He just isn't ready to remember to breathe constantly. He is getting better with it, and it is normal for his premature age. I'm beginning to think he just likes to make the nurses come over and pay attention to him. He does have three other brothers to compete with!!

Parker and Jack are pretty quiet. Parker is nosey as ever and loves to play with the nurses. Jack likes to eat and cuddle. All three boys are going to try bottles over the weekend. I hope they catch on as quickly as Emma did.

Drew is good. Recovering from double ear infection, which kept us all up a few nights in a row. We are all very tired. A full week of sleep may do the trick!! We are planning on spending the new year hanging at home as a family and thinking about the babies as they celebrate in the NICU.

We hope everyone has a safe and Happy New Year!!
Love and hugs!!

Merry fun continues!

After meeting his brothers and sister for the first time, Drew decided the fun should continue. Drew and cousing Jadelyn sang Christmas songs with the karaoke machine. Now, I must admit if it were me singing, Brian would have left me on the side of the road. Drew was just too cute for him I guess. They sang and danced for quite some time.

Spending time with the family is always fun. Brothers Shayne and David wore fabulous tacky designer sweaters. Everyone played heads or tails and wrapped gifts as a team using only one hand. Very entertaining!!

What a great holiday it's been. Hope it's been just as much fun on your end!

Hugs!!

Merry Christmas...our first family photo!!

Merry Christmas everyone!!

This holiday season has been wonderful so far. The babies are doing wonderful and we've all been healthy (knock on wood!). We were informed that the NICU would be open to siblings for the holidays...YAY! So we loaded Drew into the truck and made our way to the hospital. He was quite confused. He saw all the babies in their beds as we introduced them. We then got all four babies out and he sat with us on the couch. We said good bye and gave kisses. It was a wonderful visit. We were excited to show him his brothers and sister. It was a very short visit, but once again I was thrilled he finally got to meet the babies.

We hope Santa is good to everyone...which means, I better get to bed before he skips our house!!

Hugs and Kisses!!!

Filling the tank!

The quads doctors and nurses referred to blood tranfusions as "filling the tank" today. It took everything I had not to laugh. As funny as it sounds, it's very scary. A lot of things are beginning to work on their own normally in the babies bodies. They are miracle babies and proving to be strong and smart. They are all still stuggling a little bit with apnea (remembering to breathe) from time to time. Their bodies are not quite producing enough red blood cells to carry oxygen to important places. When their blood count is low, they tend to have more apnea; having blood transfusions help raise the blood count level and more oxygen gets where it needs to go.

Our quad squad will be a month old this week...wow how time flies! They will have their first vision test, their first set of shots, and a birthday. Drew will also have a birthday this week. Two years old! I feel like I brought him home yesterday. It's been an amazing journey as a parent, and I feel blessed to have a wonderful family.

We are ready for Santa (or Ho Ho as Drew calls him). HEHEHE. I just giggle everytime I hear him talk about Santa. Drew is going to get some neat things and Daddy can't wait. I think Daddy is more excited than Drew is. I guess it's understandable...Daddy put Drew's train table together three weeks ago! I'm very surprised Drew hasn't bothered it. It's been sitting under a bed sheet in our dinning room. I didn't get a chance to ask Santa for anything...although I think I'd like a new washer and dryer(badly needed!!) Three hours to dry clothes is getting a bit ridiculous, a gigantic house for the babies), and the trash man to come more than once this week. My house exploded in things I'm throwing out!!

I'll keep you all posted on the vision test for babies, I'm sure they'll do great.

Merry Christmas!!

It's been a busy week. We celebrated Drew's second birthday a week early with Nama and Papa. We made Elmo cupcakes...Drew loved them. We had Christmas with my parents, went to a swim birthday party, played with toys, and went to Texas Roadhouse(nummy as Drew says).

For me, it's not only been busy, but exhausting. Between spending time with the family, driving to the hospital to see the quads, house chores, and sleep...I feel like my world is spinning like crazy. This past week I did get to meet a wonderful friend. Jen-you are truly amazing and such an inspiration. Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to come to the hospital. Brian and I were excited to receive the NICU kit. For those who don't know, Jen has been making NICU Survival Kits for families who have children in the NICU. The kit includes blankets, snacks, books of all sorts(story book, charting book for babies diapers/bottles and more), and lotion. It's really a wonderful resource tool and wonderful to have Jen as a friend.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful week with Christmas approaching.
Hugs and Kisses
Sara

Check out Jen's blog to find out more about the NICU Survival kits
murraycrew.blogspot.com

Santa's little helpers!

It's been a big week for the quads. They all got to meet each other for the first time since they were born. Mommy and Daddy were thrilled to be able to hold all four at the same time. They all really seemed to like cuddling together. All four of them were also introduced to JAMMIES! Preemie clothes are still quite large on them, but they are super cute in them. Since then, Mommy has been holding two babies at once. They love to look at each other and cuddle. It's amazing to see their progress, and how fast they are meeting little milestones already.

Drew has been having a blast with Nama and Papa this week. They are here visiting and playing hard!! He's been able to take a break from school and sleep in. It's one of his favorite things to do. Just like Daddy!! Nama and Aunt Stacy are going to make ELMO cupcakes for Drew's birthday. We are going to celebrate a little bit early this year. One of his presents arrived via UPS today...we can't wait to play with it(pictures to come later).

Daddy has been busy with work. Working hard with Christmas next week. We miss him! Drew told Brian last night "I wove you Daddy". It was so adorable and sweet. Mommy is feeling pretty good. A few more tests to go through this week with the kidney and the bladder. Hoping to have good news from those tests.

Hugs to all!
Brian, Sara, Drew, Maddox, Parker, Emma, and Jack.

Santa's watching....

What was on everyone's Christmas list this year??

Drew didn't say a word to Santa, but Santa knew he wanted a train set. Drew liked Santa a lot, so much he got candy canes from him. Maddox asked to get rid of his CPAP, Parker asked to have a real bottle. Emma asked to get rid of her picc line, and Jack asked to be first in line for a change. We hope Santa can deliver, that's a long list for such a tiny house! Mommy and Daddy asked for everyone to be healthy and for the babies to come home soon!!

Drew has been relatively healthy this year, and the babies are making such great progress for how tiny they are. Everyone is off their IV's and nasal canulas. They are still on feeding tubes, but working hard on that sucking reflex. After all, bottles are probably more fun than a tube!

We hope to have their Christmas pictures soon...the nurses at the hospital like to have fun.

Love to all...and we hope to get our Christmas cards out soon!
Brian, Sara, Drew, Maddox, Parker, Emma and Jack.

Holiday cheer

Ho Ho Ho!

Drew had his first Christmas program this week. He did a wonderful job. He sang "Up on the House Top" and "Little Drummer Boy". He must have known if he did good he would get cookies afterwards. We hope to see Santa this coming week. It's turning out to be a busy one already. Drew is patiently waiting for Papa's arrival on Sunday. They have a swim date on Sunday.

The quads are doing great. Maddox, Emma, and Jack are on full feedings, with their IV's coming out today. They are off the nasal canulas and doing well breathing on their own. Parker will be on full feedings and off his canula and IV this weekend. He's just a day or two behind the others. Good news with their brain bleeds. None of them have gotten worse and are starting to be absorbed by other red blood cells. The doctor said as of now there is no tissue damage in the brain and is optimistic there will be little to none. He said the excess blood should be completely absorbed in the next two or three weeks. All the babies are doing exceptionally well for being preemies.

Mommy and Daddy are doing good. Trying to get things together and cleaned up around the house so we aren't going crazy when the babies come home. Wait....it's still going to be crazy!! We have managed to get sleep, eat, play with Drew and visit the babies. Daddy had to go back to work today, he was sad he didn't get to spend the day with the babies, but was happy to come home to Drew.

Just incase you missed it, we were on the news about a week ago. We know some of you have asked about the link. Here it is, we hope it works!!

http://http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/local/marion_county/plainfield-couple-shows-off-new-quads

Hugs and Kisses from the Scotts!!

Beautiful faces in so many places.

Today was one of the most exciting days yet. We woke up to SNOW! Yes, it can be a pain to drive around in, but when Drew saw it this morning he was so excited. We made sure we had enough time to play in it before school. He didn't even fight to leave the mittens on his hands. When we got in the car, he was sure to let us know it was cold snow!

When we arrived at the hospital this morning we found four beautiful faces staring back at us. No CPAP machine or ventilator. It was very exciting to see the babies breathing with almost no help from anything, and to see their faces, hair, and eyes. Eating is getting easier for all of them and personalities are really starting to show up. Maddox is turning out to be the rotten one(as Daddy puts it). Parker is the trouble maker. He's always making noise and not afraid to tell you about it. Emma is the laid back princess. Jack is very cuddly and loves to stretch out.

We want to say Thank You to the person who left a gift for Drew in the NICU. There was no card with it. We appreciate the thoughtfulness and Drew loved it.

Love
Brian, Sara, and Drew.
Maddox, Parker, Emma, and Jack too!!

Playtime!

We arrived at the hospital today to babies who were ready to play. Maddox, Jack, and Emma are all off their CPAP machines and on a canula (a tube of oxygen that runs under their noses). Parker is still on CPAP, but expected to be off of it by Monday. Maddox and Jack were wide awake and very photogenic. Jack and Mommy cuddled and talked for a whole hour. It was wonderful to see him so interactive after the news of the brain bleed news on Thursday.

Maddox was also quite interactive which was great considering we've missed his awake time the last few days we've been there. Emma and Parker were napping well today. Parker got upset at diaper time, but who likes a wet diaper?? Overall the babies are doing wonderful. Rumor has it that with the hemocrit levels of the boys the brain bleeds have stopped and hopefully started to heal. We won't have definite answers on that until Thrusday.

Big brother Drew is doing great. He loves having Mommy home. He likes to look at pictures of the babies. We can't wait for him to actually see them for the first time. It really is hard when he can't visit the hospital due to the H1N1 restrictions. We are getting ready to visit Santa soon. We are hoping for a good visit and no tears.

Mommy and Daddy are doing well. Mommy got some antibiotics for her kidney infection and Daddy has been able to get some rest. We've managed to keep the house clean and do a round of grocery shopping!! What a relief...we can function with lots of kiddos!!

Have a great weekend.
Love
Brian, Sara, and Drew

Hard words to hear for shinning stars.

With good news there always comes bad. The good news is that the quads were featured in the news last night. Channel 8(WISH TV) came to the hospital to see the babies. All four babies were such shinning stars. They are all still breathing at room air with the CPAP there just incase. They seem to like eating and cuddling. It's so wonderful to spend time cuddling with them. We can't wait to sit at home and cuddle with them.

The bad news is all four babies had head ultrasounds this morning. Emma's scan came back normal. Maddox and Parker came back with level 2 bleeds. The doctor's are not concerned about either of them. They are both expected to make a complete recovery with no damage. Jack showed a level 2 bleed last week. Today it showed a level 4 bleed, which is severe. It doesn't mean he will be disabled completely, but has a higher risk for delays and disabilities. He could still come out completely normal. They will scan all three boys again next week to see how they are doing and to see if they can tell if there has been any tissue damage to Jack's brain.

Please pray for the kiddos and a safe recovery for the boys.
Love to all!!
Brian, Sara, and Drew

Quads have arrived!!

Meet the latest additions to the Scott family. We welcomed Maddox Beckham, Parker Harold, Emma Jewell, and Jack Randall on Wednesday November 25, 2009. Mommy and Daddy were surprised to hear we would be delivering that day. We were scared and excited all at the same time.

Once the babies arrived they were taken to the NICU. All so far have done an amazing job. Maddox weighed in at 2lbs 14oz and 15 inches long. Parker weighed in at 2lbs 13oz and 15 inches long. Emma weighed in at 2lbs 11oz and 15 inches long. Jack weighed 3lbs and was 15 inches long. Maddox is breathing fine on a CPAP machine and about to start on breastmilk. Parker gave us a little scare when he developed an air leak(air around the heart). He was put on a jet ventilator and it resolved itself. He is making wonderful progress. Jack and Emma were both on a ventilator and are working on coming off those today. Mommy and Daddy couldn't be more proud of these babies.

Big brother Drew is doing well. He spent Thanksgiving eating lots of turkey with daddy, grandma, papa Jack and aunt corky. He will be excited once he can get his hands on the babies...he just loves them!!

We hope the babies will continue to grow by leaps and bounds everyday and pray they will be able to join us at home soon. We will keep everyone updated on their progress. Mommy looks forward to seeing Drew and spending the holidays with the family.

Love to all
Brian, Sara, Drew, Maddox, Parker, Emma, and Jack

Just breathe....

Drew made it to Elmo's World!! Grandma said at one point during the show she had to make sure Drew was still breathing. He had a wonderful time. He sang and danced and of course brought home a ballon and a light up toy. Drew also enjoyed Big Bird, Ernie, and Cookie. The rest of the crew was there, but those were some of his favorites.

Mommy is dong ok. We've had a few rough days with kidney stones and contractions. Mommy needed to make sure she was breathing as well. The babies are measuring well, and fluid levels, while not at their best are ok for having four in there. We will keep you updated on the progress of the kidney stone. As for the babies TOMORROW is the first goal for them. YAY!!! Only 35 more days to go until our next goal(33 weeks).

Daddy is doing great. He has been working with Drew on his Christmas program songs. Charge the video camera, cause Mommy can't wait to see it!! Thanksgiving lunch was served at school today, Daddy went and shared lunch with Drew. Boy was it delicious.
Gobble Gobble!!

Love
Brian, Sara, and Drew

Ready, set, GO.....

This is it....time for ELMO! Drew, Grandma, and Aunt Stacy are headed to ELMO Live this weekend in Madison, Wisconsin. If that's not a big enough event, today Drew got to come see Mommy in the hospital. It was wonderful to see the smile on his face as the boys approached me. Of course, I started crying and then jumped right into playing at the sand table in the waiting room of the buildings lobby.

Drew was sure to tell me about the boat. The boat goes in the water, and Daddy is the shark. Bathtime fun!! Drew was also able to tell me he was going to get a balloon from getting his haircut. It's amazing how fast they grow up...even in two weeks! I know in the long run, I am in the safest place I could be right now with the quads, and am greatful for the staff allowing me to see Drew. It has truly been one of the greatest days I've had in the last few weeks.

Brian is taking the evening off! With Drew going to see ELMO, Daddy and Mommy are going to have date night in the hospital. Dinner and a movie is the plan. Brian is ready to work a busy weekend at work, and gearing up for the holidays, so it's the perfect evening to spend with each other and not feel guilty about leaving Drew...he really likes giving Grandma's doggie lots of treats.

The quads looked good on the ultrasound today. All weiging between 2lbs 2oz and 2lbs 6oz. Their hearts looked good, a little concerned about fluid levels, but we are going to have that checked again on Monday. They sure do know how to throw a party in there...always seeing bodyparts flying around under Mommy's shirt.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, we know ours if off to a good start!

Hugs
The Scotts

Have you kissed anyone's boo boo today??

Being a single parent is hard. Brian and I have both been in this position off and on now over the last two years. The older your children get, the harder it is. As we all know toddlers are so unpredictable. Punishing children makes you feel guilty, having food thrown everywhere makes you angry, and when they get boo boo's you feel sad.

How do you make the boo boo's better? For some it's cookies, and for others, they need kisses. For Drew, it's BOTH! In the Scott house, keeping cookies is a challenge, maybe more so than being a single parent for a short period of time. Drew gets a lot of boo boo's, and while we tend to feel sad and run for the kisses and cookies, it is ONE OF THE MOST REWARDING FEELINGS. It shows the love we all have for each other. This is how Brian and I have survived our short bouts of single parenting...kissing each other's boo boo's to show the love!

Have you kissed anyone's boo boo today?
:)

It's a happy mess!

A happy boy in a cup of chocolate pudding tends to make us as parents feel better and smile.

That is...until the happy boy starts running around the house putting his hands on everything. The positivies...Drew ate, Drew is happy, Drew now has enough sugar and energy to sprint through the hosue to make a bigger mess!

Sara and the quads are doing remarkable on bed rest in the hospital. Things are under control and we are looking forward to making it to our first goal of 28 weeks with the pregnancy,(November 20th). Sara has had very positive reports from the Dr. everyday this week. Getting up to brush your teeth and shower can be luxuries once they are taken away.

Brian is exhausted, but doing everything in his power to keep going strong. Work is busy, as Verizon just launched a new phone. With the holidays creeping in it will keep him even more busy than he was before. It's hard to say who falls asleep first in the Scott house thses days, Drew or Brian!!

We have been very lucky and thankful for all of our friends and family who have helped with Drew on such short notice, brought food, and visited Sara and the quads in the hospital.

When things go down faster than expected and make a mess, make it a happy one! Get some chocolate pudding and dig in!

Hugs and Kisses!

Welcome to chaos!

Sorry it has been a few days since we've updated the blog. Sara went into preterm labor and was admitted to the hospital. She will stay until the babies are born. We hope that won't be for at least another 7-9 weeks. The doctors and staff were able to get things slowed and under control after a long 24 hours of contractions and pain.

She is at St Vincent Women's Hospital in Indianapolis and feeling much better today. The babies are doing great. Mommy is on total bed rest, but is very spoiled there. She has great company in the staff, room service, internet, and visitors. Drew is unable to visit due to H1N1 restrictions, but we video each other every night to say hi. Mommy misses him very much and Drew misses Mommy.

We want to say Thank you to everyone for your prayers. We couldn't be more blessed to have friends and family like you! We will keep everyone posted on the progress of babies and Mommy as well as Drew and Daddy who are living large as Bachelors at home!

Hugs and Kisses to all!!
Brian, Sara, and Drew
(Babies Maddox, Parker, Jack and Emma).

Tricks or Treats!!

Drew went out in the neighborhood for Trick or Treating this year. He dressed up as an indian....Chief Illini from the University of Illinois. We practiced saying Trick or Treat all week. He was well prepared. He rode in the wagon from house to house with his best friend Kiersten, who dressed up as Minnie Mouse. It was a great time had by all, even Mommy who rode in a wheelchair to watch her little man Trick or Treat!

Mommy and Daddy's little pumpkins are doing well. Mommy is feeling lots of activity and poking of internal body parts. Just think next year we'll have 5 little Trick or Treaters. It's going to be one big sugar high in the Scott house. We suggest not stopping by for a few days after Halloween.

We wish everyone a Happy Halloween!!

We are impressed!

Welcome to week 25 of Sara's pregnancy!! The babies are doing wonderful in there. It is such a hodge podge of body parts. But like Brian says, it's 16 limbs, 8 eyes, 4 brains, and 80 fingers/toes!! It's crazy when you think about it. Sara is doing well. Feeling tired, but good.

While we were at the hospital today for an infusion for anemia, we were allowed to tour the NICU. It was very cool. We are very confident that the babies will be well taken care of in there. We also met with one of the neonatologists. She answered all of our questions, and said she would meet with us again just before the babies were born to discuss risks for the babies. While we were in the NICU we got to see a set of twins. It was amazing at how small they were. Even for 34-35 weeks gestation. We are both excited to see the babies, but hope they stay in the oven as long as they can. Daddy is really ready...he already put the car seats in the car!!

Drew seems to be feeling better today. He has his Halloween party tomorrow at school. He will have a wonderful time. Daddy is planning on taking him trick or treating on Saturday, Mommy is excited! Need to charge the battery in the camera....Mommy is a photo freak!

XOXO
Brian, Sara, and Drew

Sometimes it just tastes better....

WHEN YOU EAT IT WITH YOUR HANDS!!
We had a wonderful dinner brought in by Teresa, the President of the Multiples group Sara is part of. Drew ate a little then decided he wanted pudding. Usually he is good with a spoon, however; tonight it was all fingers. Mommy and Daddy just had to sit and giggle. Maybe tomorrow night we will try eating with our fingers too, cause the way Drew downed the pudding, it must have tasted better!!

Under the weather and the water!

Well, we couldn't avoid cold and flu season. Drew came down with cough, sniffles, and one yukky ear infection. One trip to the doctor and to CVS for some antibiotics and we are on the road to recovery. As Drew recovers from being sick, Mommy and Daddy try to recover from sleepless evenings with him. It's amazing how you go, go, go and then crash from not sleeping.

Drew also has a new found hobby. As much as Mommy wanted to think we were past this stage, we have found he LOVES playing in the toilet! He loves to help with dishes, so he always gets a chair to stand on and he helps rinse and put dishes in the drying rack. Hoping that would take the pleasure out of playing in the toilet...man was Mommy wrong!! At least we can say he's not afraid to use it.

The quads are good, Mommy is uncomfortably hanging in there. Hemoglobin levels are low so we start infusions to raise them on Thursday morning. We go for five, one hour infusions in the next two weeks. We get to tour the NICU this week as well. It will make us feel better about having to leave them there for the first few weeks. Although, I'm sure neither of us will rest comfortably until they are all home....and in that case until they are about 25 years old!!

XOXO
Brian, Sara, and Drew

My first show and tell!

Drew had his very first show and tell yesterday at school. The color of the week was white, the letter "w", the number of the week was 10, and the shape was oval. He had to wear the color of the week and bring something to share that was white, or started with "w". Drew decided to take "B" his white bear. They have a lot in common. They have the same bedtime, share the same bed, and both like kisses and hugs.

Aunt Stacy got to pick Drew up from school and they played all night. They like to play with Tigger and run around in circles. It was the first night in about two weeks that she didn't have a "beep, beep" thrown at her. It's a good thing she's tough.

Today Grandma Susan is here to play with Drew. They too are running circles around Tigger. He seems to be a very popular and cheap toy.
Tigger- $2
Food/engery for Drew- $5
Laughing at Drew and Grandma- PRICELESS!

At least we know Grandma and Drew will both sleep good tonight!

Big brother and 24 week babies!

Drew woke up this morning and showed his big boy side! He used the big boy potty without a fit, carried his backpack and walked into school all by himself. Put his backpack and coat in his cubby and then told us goodbye! He is growing up so fast.

Mommy and Daddy had a Dr. appt this morning. All four babies are measuing in at 24 weeks of age, and weighing 1 1/2lbs each. It's amazing, each week we go back and it gets more confusing as to which body part belongs to which baby. We are so thankful for such well trained ultrasound techs. We are so thankful to have babies who are doing well.

Daddy's Little Pumpkin!

Tonight Daddy and Drew carved pumpkins. Drew was very hesitant at first, but dove right in after a few minutes. He did a very good job helping and supervising. He tried to roll one of the pumpkins like a ball. It rolls quite well! To divert his attention to something else, we practiced saying "Trick or Treat!" You can most certainly hear the "treat" part. At least we still have a week to practice it. After Daddy finished both pumpkins, we took them outside to light them up. Of course you always should do a test run. Drew was very excited to see them all lit up. Wait until he sees them on Halloween and gets a bucket full of candy!

Daddy's other little pumpkins are doing great. Mommy feels very good and relaxed. They are busy throwing a Halloween party in Mommy's belly. We have an appointment in the morning to check on them, so we will update you on their progress tomorrow.

XOXO
Brian, Sara, and Drew

Welcome!!

We started this blog to keep family and friends updated on our growning family. We are more than half way through our journey of welcoming the quads into our family.

Sara is 23 weeks, on bed rest, and hanging tough! We've started a terbutaline pump for pre-term labor, it seems to be working well. It's keeping her very comfortable. Brian and Drew keep Mommy entertained and well fed.

Drew is going to school 5 days a week. He loves it! He talks up a storm, plays hard, and is learning so much. He is excited to be a big brother...especially of four babies!

Brian is working hard, the holidays are around the corner. He's doing a great job juggling Drew, Mommy, house work, his job, and managing to fit in a couple hours of sleep. He's going to need a vacation after