November catch up

The past few weeks have been a big mash up of fun and hard times.  I've been to my fair share of doctor appointments with Leah, Levi, and Allison- all follow up and future planning things.  Dave caught a stomach bug and was quarantined for 3 days.  He was nice enough to pass the bug along to my mom, one of Leah's therapists, and several of my regular volunteers.  Needless to say, that week was TOUGH!  I am thankful that I avoided it and the babies too.  But, now the babies are catching colds- especially little guy Levi :(  I feel so bad for them!  And I'm really hoping this doesn't turn into anything worse.

Amongst the sickness and doctor visits, Dave and I have managed to get out of the house a little bit- thanks to some fantastic friends!!  I went to the Nutcracker Market for the first time.  It was fun and overwhelming, and a little embarrassing when my friend asked every booth "Do you give a sextuplets discount?"  Although it did pay off once :)  One lady was from Wyoming and knew all about me from the news- weird!  And NO she did not give me a discount.  Dave and I have also had separate movie dates with friends- I saw Twilight and he saw James Bond.  I've never been to opening night before and the screaming girls were quite amusing!  I really appreciate everyone who helps with the babies so we can get a break here and there; it's nice to miss them sometimes :)

2 major things that have happened recently.... baby dedication and first solids!

Our church does baby dedications twice a year, it's a casual deal, but something meaningful and important to me.  As with all events, it took some special planning to have us there- like our secret hideout room, but it went smoothly.  I wanted us to go last so we wouldn't steal any attention from the other babies being dedicated.  No babies cried or vomited!  Can't say the same for the adults.  It was more of an emotional experience than we anticipated, reminded us of everything we've been through the past year.

Babies and their holders ready to be dedicated to the Lord

The 5 have officially started eating rice cereal every evening!  Ben and Caroline have taken to it (surprise, surprise) and Andrew likes it, but hasn't quite got the hang of keeping it in his mouth.  Allison does surprisingly well, but she is the messiest eater.  Levi HATES it!  His faces are hilarious.  What makes feeding time soooo much better is our new feeding table!!  I was totally and completely surprised with it this week.  Our small group and some regular volunteers pooled together to buy it for us :)  It happened to arrive while I was bringing Levi to the doctor and when I got home it was set up in the kitchen waiting for me!  We really have the best support system anyone could hope for and I'm so happy these wonderful people are in my babies' lives!

Ready to eat!

Levi says "I hate this stuff!"

A little backyard fun on a nice day :)

Andrew's song

Here's my latest songwriting creation to the tune of "Where is Thumbkin?":

My name's Andrew.  My name's Andrew.
I am loud.  I am loud.
I don't like to stand up.  I don't like to stand up.
I crouch down.  I crouch down.

I know my creativity is mind boggling!  :)

Mr. Twinkle Toes himself-Andrew!

The First Halloween

Halloween was a success!  With 2 sets of costumes, we were able to play dress up 2 days in a row!  My cousin provided us with cute little pumpkin hats and an awesome sign that says "Perkins Patch".  I plan to use this as my fall yard decor in years to come.  The day before Halloween we set everything up in the backyard for a mini photo shoot.  Unfortunately, the babies weren't quite as excited about this idea, so they're crying in most of the pictures.

Levi, Ben, Andrew

Caroline, Leah, Allison

For Halloween night the babies dressed up as animals/insects. These costumes were half hand-me-downs and half new from Gammy (my mom).  The babies weren't thrilled with being dressed up, but they did great while we trick or treated!  Our Bible study group joined us for Trick or Treating with the Perkins Pack.  It was nice having a large group so no one had to carry a baby for too long.  We walked around the block stopping at a few houses for candy.  These babies scored some major candy- which was distributed amongst the adults :)  All in all, it was a fun time!

Leah, Ben, Alli, Caroline, Levi, Andrew

Action shot of the fun

All our great baby holders

6 month check up

We had our 6 month well checks this past week.  First time taking all 6 to the doctor at once.  I had 5 helpers, so with that and a well prepared pediatrician, the visit went smoothly.  We took up 3 rooms (2 kids per room).  The nurse went one by one getting the vitals and asking developmental questions, then I "huddled" with the doctor and discussed each child and asked all my questions, then he went one by one examining them.  As soon as he finished they all got their shots.  Long process, but we were out of there in 2 hours- not too shabby.

The only kiddos who had a hard time with the shots were Allison and Leah.  Levi got a referral for a helmet.  Benjamin, Andrew, and Caroline are off the preemie high calorie formula and on regular now. Everyone except Leah got the ok to start rice cereal.  Besides that, everyone looks great and we got a big thumbs up!

I forgot to grab the after visit summaries, so these stats may need correcting after I get them in the mail...
Andrew- 16 lb 7 oz  25.5 in
Benjamin- 16 lb 10 oz  24.5 in
Caroline- 15 lb 10 oz  24.5 in
Leah- 10 lb 9 oz 22 in
Allison- 11 lb 1 oz  22.5 in
Levi- 11 lb 8 oz 22.3 in

Happy 1/2 Birthday!

My babies are 6 months old!  How did this happen??  I was once told by a fellow high order multiples mom that I just had to make it through the first year, then I'd know I could handle it.  Well, we're half way there already!  We haven't had our 6 month well checks yet, so I may update this post later with official weights and lengths and anything of interest that happens at the pediatrician's office.  But for now you just get my summary of each kiddo and their individuality.  One thing in common- blue eyes. I'm also including pictures of each kiddo at 1 month and 6 months to see how much they've changed!  Here we go...

Andrew Noah Perkins

Andrew is my beautiful boy, and he'd much rather someone hold him all the time than put weight on his legs.  That's how he's earned his latest nickname- Twinkle Toes.  Really, he looks like a male ballerina.  He is still a flirt and my future job prediction for him is an Abercrombie model or a male dancer -ha!  He's the biggest laugher.  He loves when people talk real low or make funny faces at him.  When he laughs he chuckles like a hillbilly.  He's so close to rolling over, which is actually a shocker since he and Ben are the worst at motor skills.  Andrew still has no patience and can go from 0-60 in no time.  Sometimes you can't tell if he's happy or mad, but in the mornings he is all smiles.  So far, he is the only one really showing any acknowledgement of his siblings; he looks at them often and sometimes curiously reaches out towards them.  He's in size 2 diapers and 3 mo or 3-6 mo clothing and drinks 6 oz of formula in each bottle.

Benjamin Luke Perkins

Oh Benny Boo Boo how you've grown!  He is heavy!  One of his new favorites is being lifted up high and "slammed" to the ground.  He laughs and smiles so big every time.  Unfortunately for him, his mom isn't the strongest so I can only do it a few times before I need a break- like lifting Leah or Allison.  He is by far the most "talkative".  He squeals and coos and babbles ALL THE TIME.  It's so cute and hilarious.  He is definitely the happiest, most content baby- except when you make him exercise.  He loves to sit in his Bumbo and watch TV or look out the window.  He can entertain himself as well.  Often times he is lying in his crib looking around, babbling, and leg slamming until he sees an adult enter the room, then he cries to be picked up.  This has resulted in all of us ducking around the babies rooms.  He's in size 2 diapers and 3 mo or 3-6 mo clothing and drinks 6 oz of formula in each bottle.  His predicted future job is a football stud.

Caroline Grace Perkins

Sweet Caroline- remember when you were my dainty girl?  Now you've got a belly and you are proud of it!   And the Gassy Girl nickname is still very accurate.  Her predicted future job is a Roller Derby Queen with the slogan "don't light a match around me"  Besides tooting, she loves to stick her tongue out and suck her two middle fingers.  She'll take out her pacifier so her fingers can fit.  The nice part is that she's good at soothing herself, bad part is that it could turn into a habit that's hard to break.  She's the best at propping herself up on her elbows and almost rolling.  Caroline is sticking to her 45 minute naps.  She has the biggest smile!  She's in size 2 diapers, drinks 6 oz each bottle, and wears 3 mo- 3-6mo clothing.

Leah Michelle Perkins

The cutest mean mug I've ever seen!  Especially when she makes the effort to turn her head and give me a sideways mean mug- just to make sure I know she doesn't like whatever I'm making her do.  She has the longest legs!  Her hands and feet are pretty big for her body too.  She can be easily startled and screams for everything- it's really her only cry.  That's why I predict her to be a horror film actress- she can scream!  She loves to cuddle, suck her lamb pacifier (I've named it Lamby), swing, lie on blankets, and be held in a sitting position.  She is always looking around and checking things out- especially the person holding her.  She looks like she's thinking "I don't know about you, but you are holding me and I kinda like that..."  She hardly sleeps during the day, but at night she's a great sleeper!  Of course, she's being continually fed so she doesn't get hungry.  My little Leah Peah is in size 1 diapers and just switched to 0-3 mo clothes.  Her feedings are forever changing.  I'm so glad this sweet girl is finally home!  She definitely keeps me on my toes!

Allison Kate Perkins

My little smidgen!  She's going to be my gymnast or a cheerleader.  She is the wiggliest and gets so excited.  All you have to do is look in her direction and she gets the biggest smile on her face and kicks her legs.  She loves to move!  She's happiest being held so she can see out and if you're walking around-even better.  Allison is still the pokey, finicky eater (even pushes the bottle away); but it's because she's too busy smiling at you or trying to see what's going on around her.  Or she's asleep.  She loves being on her tummy and doing assisted standing.  My dad says she has an altitude problem- she needs to be at a higher altitude, like 5 or 6ft high.  What makes me laugh every morning is when I hear Allison making her noises and cries and as soon as she sees me she starts wiggling and smiling.  I think her life motto is "who needs food or sleep when there's so much to see and do"  My mom has always told me she hopes I have a child who never sleeps so I could be tortured like I tortured her.  So, I know where the sleep fighting comes from, but the refusing to eat?  That's a mystery.  She's in mostly 0-3 mo size as of this week, still some newborn.  Size 1 diapers.  Averages 4 oz each bottle on the higher calorie formula.  

Levi Thomas Perkins

Little Guy Levi!  He sure does love that jumparoo.  He makes the best facial expressions!  He's much more smiley lately and even laughs from time to time.  One day he was hysterical over Maggie barking.  She barks all the time, so I'm not sure what was so special that day.  He'll be my professor; he studies everything and is usually fighting sleep so he doesn't miss something.  He's in size 1 diapers, 5 oz per bottle, and some newborn and some 0-3 mo clothes.  Levi is finally filling out and even has a little belly and little rolls!  His head is very odd shaped, so I'm thinking he'll need a helmet.  He loves the swing and mirrors.  His motor skills have gotten much better- he can now push up on his tummy and lift his head high.  Levi also has the most girlfriends (3) while his brothers each have 2.  

There you have it- the Perkins Pack at 6 months.  

Vegas, Dance Parties, and Schedules- Oh My!

I will be doing detailed 6 month updates on each baby, but that's another post.

Dave went off to Vegas last week for a work conference and came home with a cold :(  So far only Caroline seems to have caught anything.  He's been quarantined for the past couple of days.

While Dave was gone, my parents were here to help with the babies.  This worked out well when Leah's g button came out!  She had been screaming for about an hour when she threw up all over herself and me and the floor.  As I was putting her down to clean up, her tubing snagged on something and the whole button popped out just like that.  Of course, this happened at 10pm.  Since her button's only been in a couple of weeks and it's not fully healed, we had to go to the ER to have it put back in.  My dad and I made it there in record time and since having a g button out is a time sensitive issue, we avoided the 6 hour ER wait.  We got home at 2am.  She had her surgery follow up appointment this week and all looks good!

Exhausted after a feeding attempt with Leah

She's drinking and content!  Keep the progress coming Leah!

Leah has improved so much since being home!  This week we have progressed from the rocket ship controlled flow bottle to a normal bottle.  And she's taken a little bit of formula by mouth in addition to the breast milk.  Also, her new record is 35 cc by mouth in 15 min!!  I wouldn't believe it if I didn't see her do it.  Of course this has only happened once, but she doesn't fight eating like she used to.  She definitely has good days and bad days, but the bad days are much better than they were.  She typically screams several times as she falls asleep and when she's hooked up to the pump for bolus feeds.  She's throwing up about once a day, sometimes twice, but the volume has decreased and the projectileness too (yeah, I made that word up).  Generally, her demeanor is more pleasant (i.e. only mean mugging half the time).  Starting this week her night nurse coverage is being reduced from 5 nights to 3 nights a week.  So far it hasn't been that bad since she's been sleeping all night and I just get up to refill her pump bag.   I randomly hear from the others, but I don't remember the last time I got up to check on them.

With my parents officially gone, we're getting readjusted to caring for 6 babies and not having back up around all the time.  Some of my regulars- including Dave- were unavailable this week, but thanks to my trusty standbys we made it through!  One friend and I did the morning feeding today just the two of us- it was a little crazy, but we got the job done.  I will say 3 or more people is preferable at feeding time though :)

6 babies is absolutely harder than 5!  With Leah requiring so much one on one attention and being on her own schedule, it's more hectic around home.  Just for my personal record...  currently with the 5 babies, we feed them at 630, 1030, 230 (skip the 230am).  We "play" for 1 1/2-2 hours and then they are supposed to nap for 1 1/2-2 hours.  They go to bed at 730pm.  The napping has gotten shorter and less consistent since they started sleeping through the night, but I'm working on extending that.  Leah eats at 930, 1230, 330, 630 and is on the pump from 8pm-8am.  Generally takes 1 1/2 hours to feed her with bottle attempt and pump time combined.  She usually is upset during the pump time, so me or a volunteer attempt to console her so she doesn't work herself up so much she gags.  I don't get much time during the day to do anything besides feedings.

Just an action shot of a corner of our home 

Some fun things lately... we got to do a quick, fun photo shoot outdoors!  I don't have the pictures yet, but it involved babies, baskets, and balloons.  We traveled all together in Big Blue- girls were horrible, boys were awesome!  A care group from church came over last night and took over the evening shift so Dave and I could go out to dinner and attend our care group- they did an awesome job and it was so nice to get out of the house for a few hours!  And I was impressed I only got one phone call about Leah procedures :)  A new routine I've started that I enjoy so much- morning dance parties!!  For those of you who know me, I love to dance and back in college my roommates and I had dance parties all the time.  So, now every morning after the babies are dressed and fed, I turn on the music and dance around before their nap time.  They'll watch me act silly and I get a song in with each one- I think it double counts as exercise too.

Lastly, some reflections...  exactly a year ago I found out I was pregnant.  A week and a half later I found out I was pregnant with 6 babies.  Excitement to shock to worry to wishing some would magically disappear at each ultrasound to accepting that I would indeed have 6 babies.  So much has happened this past year it's almost overwhelming to think about it.  And 54 weeks ago if you told me this would be my life, I would've laughed and said you're crazy.  But, this is my life now and I don't regret anything.  When people ask how I do it, I say "I have good help and Jesus."  And my random reflection- which also shows how awesome and generous people are- I have literally not cooked dinner in a year!  People have been bringing us food since I got pregnant and started feeling sick.  Thank you for that blessing!!

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him and he will direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6

"I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."  Philippians 4:13

The onesies say "Heaven Sent"- so true!

The Smidge

My mom and I have started calling Allison the "smidgen" or sometimes '"the smidge".  Tonight while feeding we made up a song about her to the tune of I'm a Little Teapot.  Here it goes:

I'm a little smidgen, skinny and small
Dress me up like a little doll.
When I get excited I move about
Kick my legs and smile- no doubt.

Just wanted to document it before I forgot.