We Survived Denver. Woop, Woop! Part 1

Hey all,


We got back from our Denver Trip 2008 on Monday afternoon and hit the ground running. We have yet to stop and catch our breath. This post might have to be written in increments....bear with us! Let's just start from the beginning.



Thursday 9/18/08:


We had our 10 month doctor check-ups in the afternoon. They had to have their hemoglobin checked (quick toe stick for blood) and their flu shots for the year (they loudly voiced their disapprovals afterwards). Their weights and heights are as follows:


Forrest Michael (baby B) leads the horse race at a whopping 20 lbs, 13 oz (42nd percentile for 10 month olds). Also the front-runner in the height department at 28 1/2 inches (41st percentile). He has a HUGE melon that lands him in the 55th percentile. No wonder he's always falling down and hitting his head.....he's top-heavy!






Pius James (baby A) was once the brute of the litter, but has fallen to 2nd place in recent
months. He weighed in at 20 lbs, 3 oz and measured 28 1/4 inches in length. I think he is actually the same height as Forrest, but got ganked during the measuring because his feet are curved slightly inward. Nuts and bolts, nuts and bolts, Pius got screwed!




Laine Ryan (baby D) is still our scrappy lil' man. He weighed 17 lbs, 6 oz and was 26 1/2 inches long. Just barely off from making the growth chart for other babies his age. I firmly believe he burns more calories than the other 3 with his mad crawling skillz. He's got wheels. "Where's Laine?" is still the most common phrase at the Graf house.




Danna Lynn (baby C) continues to make great progress, but is still about the size of a mouse turd (maybe 2 turds). The Banana was 14 lbs, 6 oz and 24 7/8 inches long. She has officially doubled her birth length and nonupled her weight! None of the boys can say that!




We got back from from the appointment, gave the kids a bottle and put them down for a nap so Billy and I could get the last minute things together and packed. At about 6:00 p.m., we spoon fed (with the help of cousin Brenda) and loaded up. We decided it was best for everyone if we only went 1/2 way to Denver that night. We stopped about 3 1/2 hours later in Grainfield, KS at Great-Great Aunt Laverna's home. Even though she wasn't there, she let us crash and trash her house as only four 10 months can do. The babies LOVED her wide-open floor space and left evidence of our presence with smudgy little fingerprints all over her curios and glass cabinets. Forty curious fingers are hard to keep track of (well, fifty if you count Billy's)!

The very start of our trip. All smiles....for now.

Pius' favorite car game. He loves his feet. I think his body is trying to adapt to his feet being in his mouth all the time. See how his right foot turns inward? Easier to suck on toes that way!

Wow! We don't have ANY of this see-through, hard stuff at home! And all those breakable "toys" inside. Maybe if I put my mouth on it all the treasures will be in my grasp! -Pius

Nope, I think I'll try to attack the camera instead!

Forrest's favorite thing at Aunt Laverna's was the toy wagon filled with beanie babies.

They all loved the "bear in the chair".

Laine wanted to try the chair on for size.

Nope....doesn't fit this diapered booty!

That's about all I have time for right now. We'll chronicle the rest of the trip in near future posts. We have LOTS of pictures and videos. Stay tuned!

Love from Oz,
~Moni~

You're Not Gonna Believe This

But yes, I'm posting again. I guess I'm just in a "bloggy" mood, lately. I SO should be packing right now. I wanted to post a few videos and pics before we head to Denver, because I know once we get back, we'll have newer stuff and these will already be outdated! The babies seem to grow and change everyday. It's going by so quickly and I don't want to miss anything. So it seems these posts are more for my benefit than yours. I'm sure you won't complain too much ;)

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

In case you were wondering (Ashley W.) I bought the headbands on ebay. I don't remember who from. There are a million and one different people who sell them there.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Forrest doesn't believe in going around anything. Always goes the most direct route, no matter who or what is in the way.

My little senorita

Laine with a teether straight from the freezer. Ahhh, relief!

Forrest's little teefers!

The tiara says it all

Have a good night! We're off to our 10 month doctor appointment tomorrow - we'll let you know how much the little piggies weigh.

Moni

Go Ahead....Pinch Yourself

That's right, folks. Two posts in two days. Jaclyn, I guess when I send the Cakes their birthday presents, I'll be sure to send along a little humble pie that you can graciously munch on throughout the festivities. I don't know what my deal is. I guess I just got a wild hair, so here are a few more pics and videos.

These are pictures taken today while we were vegging out at home:

Danna just LOVES being the center of attention. Let me revise that. She just DEMANDS to be the center of attention.

Here, mom, let me interrupt this important Discovery Toy phone conversation with Cullen. We were just swapping secrets on things we do to drive our moms insane.

The shirt says it all, "Cutest thing ever!" We rarely get to see Laine-O's dimples, so this was a double treat for me.

Frosty still doesn't comprehend "too close". If you're on the floor, he'll be crawling up your back just as quickly as his chumpy little tree trunks for legs get him there!

Danna and Lainer admiring the newest hair pretties. Danna likes mirrors. Laine may be our metrosexual one. He is GQ, afterall.

Big Fo and Little Bitty. Try to overlook the sweet potato regurg on the carpet next to Danna. Sick!

The Pi-Man. We interrupt this normal feeding time with a quick cheesy smile. Regular programming will return shortly.

Bucko's getting attacked by the killer (maybe more like drooling) babies, Forrest and Danna!



We had beautiful, sunny, cool weather for a romp around the block and to Bucko's house in the choo-choo wagon (Sidenote: Seriously, like one of the BEST quad purchases we've ever made)

The rest of the pics are from sometime within the last month (or so):

Budda trying to feel any "teefers" on Pius. Him and Forrest would watch Papa Rog intently. I think it had something to do with popping his dentures out at them to make them giggle. Some tricks just never get old, do they dad?

Billy and I grilled pork chops one night for dinner. I told him to save the bones and I washed them off under the faucet. The kids TORE THEM UP! It was so cute watching the little Gumby's try to demolish a pork bone.


Fo-Man.....Gittin' him a lil sumpin, sumpin!


Meet Danna the Rottweiler. She has "that look" in her eyes. I'd like to see what would happen if someone tried to take this from her! It could get very, very ugly.

We had to give Laine the biggest bone. Otherwise, he'd have tried to swallow the entire thing. By the way, I found a leaf in his mouth today that he kept gagging on. I finally suck my finger in his mouth and fished it out of the back of his throat. He gagged and sputtered for a few seconds, then went on his merry way!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Daddy with his Diva Danna

Another clue that lead us to the mattress-lowering decision. Pretty sure crib mobiles shouldn't be chew toys. Oh well, Forrest was enjoying himself!

Pius taking after his mama with the dirt eating. And NO, Ryno, my dirt phase was NOT just last week. I was a toddler playing in my backyard. I go up to the house covered in mud from head/mouth to toe. Sad thing is, we hadn't had rain for a LONG time. Rumors abound regarding where the "mud" actually came from. All I have to say is, "Where was my mom?!"

Our genious, Laine, somehow managed to open a child-proof bottle of Children's Tylenol yesterday and stick the cap in his mouth. Here he is with the Infant's Tylenol Droppers. He really likes to chew on the rubber squeeze dropper.

Forrest can not be controlled.....We can only hope to contain him. He likes to look down the stairs from the stair gate I installed several weeks ago. You can call me Mrs. Bob Villa.

I think another reason I wanted to get this post out there is because Billy and I are driving the quads to Denver.....again. We're leaving at the end of the week and will be back Monday. Which reminds me (minor freak out here) I have to start packing and gathering supplies. Hopefully this trip will be better than the last one. It HAS to be! It's their 1st Broncos game at home in Invesco! Holla!

That'll be a fun post when we get back! Until then..........You best check yourself before you wreck yourself!

Love,

~Moni~

High Waters

Just a little update to let you all know we're alive and well. We've had some major flooding over the last couple of days (I know you Gulf-Coasters are rolling your eyes right now and thinking "CRY-BABY"). I'm sad to say our basement has not fared well. We've never had a leak in the past 3 years that we've been here but, unfortunately, it's all soggy now. It seems I've inherited basement bad luck from my parents. I don't even know where to begin!

On a positive note, the babies enjoyed watching all the rain come down. They've been in such good moods lately and are so fun to play with! Their curiosity and SPEED amazes me. I'm sure Forrest has sustained around 50 concussions so far, as his favorite play space is on the brick fireplace hearth, the coffee table corner, the entertainment armoire, the tile floor, the wood floor, the sliding back door, his siblings' noggins, and just about any other hard surface imaginable. We've joked about it in the past (because his crib is under the window), but I really might start making him wear a helmet before he does any real damage....to his head or the furniture.

Above: Forrest with his first "goose egg". Below: The red mark is just another head injury sustained. No big deal.

Forrest gets himself into the damndest positions! Of course we had to catch the photo op before rescuing him from Danna's rapid torpedo toes.

The Laine-Train has the need for speed, just like his Great Uncle Jim, Godfather J.D., and cousin, A.J. He's the sneaky little turd who is GONE if you look the other way for 2 seconds (remember the stairs story). I don't know how many times Billy and I have said, "Where's Laine?" I can totally picture him being the one who goes behind the barn to do ornery things when he gets a little older. His current favorite recreational activity is pulling all the candles off the bottom ledge of the hallway stand. I have since evacuated those items to higher ground.




Pius has been a bit fussier than normal. Pretty sure he's getting ready to sprout some chompers like Forrest.....or he's reverting back to his younger days. It seems that as long as I keep him high on Ibuprofen/Tylenol, he does alright. He finally started to army crawl a couple days ago. It's not very pretty, but he assures me that it's a work in progress.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Pius showing Danna his super-sexy cleavage

And Danna.....sweet Danna. She gets up on her hands and knees and does the rocking thing. She's taken a few "steps" forward but then goes back down onto her tummy. She's getting there! Normally, the Banana is a few weeks behind the boys on physical development, and crawling is no exception. It's probably because she's so darn cute and manipulative that she can get anyone to pick her up with "the look". Out of all the babies, she is probably the best eater. She can pack away 2 full Gerber containers in one feeding....PLUS some. The boys have their days, but Danna is all about consistency.

Billy continues to amaze me with his determination and utter lack of sleep. He's at WSU Monday through Friday for classes, then goes to QT for work until 10pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays. He always has the day's bottles ready in the morning before leaving and the dishes done (that's a nonstop chore). He misses the kids so much when he's gone and is always ready to play if he gets home before bedtime. He was SO ready to be a daddy when we got pregnant and has shown that he'd do anything if it means it will benefit our children and me. Like I said....he amazes me.

Billy and me towards the END of friend/Forrest's Godfather/Frank the Tank/Goertz/Brad's wedding. CONGRATS Brad and Liz!

I continue to work as a nurse in the ER two nights a week. I'm usually signed up to be "on-call" for our hospital's Transport Team on the nights I don't work. That means that if we have a patient that needs to be admitted to the hospital (from the separate, free-standing ER) for whatever reason, I'm the nurse who rides in the ambulance and takes care of them until we get them to their hospital room. I think there have been about 2 days out of 16 when I wasn't called in. We stay pretty busy. Of course, NONE of these extra shifts would be possible without all of our helpers....you know who you are and, I hope, how much we appreciate you! Thank you!

About the pictures.....thanks to an anonymous tip, the photos should be more clear from here on out. As it turns out, fingerprint smudges on the lens tends to produce crappy pictures. I'm really not that stupid, I just didn't put two and two together. And to think I was considering returning my camera. Sheesh. I definitely have my moments and Jaclyn was right about ONE thing: Stupid is as stupid does.

QUICK! Snap a photo...They're all together.

Within about 3 seconds, Forrest is upward-bound, Laine is downward-bound, Pius is fussing and Danna is pretty much in the same position (there's that consistency, again)

Another discovery! The quadsies really, really like gumming all over pretzel rods. A little messy but infinitely worth it. We snapped a few shots of them sucking on their salty morsels of goodness while at our friends' wedding (Congrats Chris and Donna!).

A famous Forrest and Mama self-portrait (the cut off head is also typical)

Danna with her Grammy Vicki

Laine-o with his Grampy Stubby

Pius with our good friend Teddy V. Pius is asking for tips on beefing up since he fell behind Forrest at the last weigh-in.

It's been awhile since I've posted any bath pics, so here are a few fun ones. I put all 4 in at once only because my sister, Rachel, was there helping me. Normally I just do 2 at a time. Those little suckers are slippery when wet!

Whew! That was a hard day of playing and bathing! Laine wants to personally thank "Hooter" and "Scooter" for providing a most wonderful place to take a nap!

Have a great, lazy, football Sunday!

~Moni~