Babies are nine months old.

Nine months went by in the blink of an eye. As I look back at pictures of the babies when they were born, I’m amazed at how far we’ve come.  We decided to take a “one day at a time” approach to parenting the quints.  Our days are so consumed with schedules and routines that it’s no wonder the days turned into months so quickly.  We do our best to enjoy every moment but time is our enemy.

So much has changed over the past nine months.  Schedules changed from every three hours to only 4 feedings per day.  Luckily (for us), the babies started sleeping through the night at just 4 1/2 months, so night feedings are a thing of the past.

The babies have transitioned to solid foods and even their bottles have changed.  As much as we loved the Dr. Brown bottles, we’re happy to now have bottles with only three parts.  Everything matters when you multiply it by five.

Many things in our lives have changed for the better, but there are some things that have become a little more challenging.  For instance, they grew!  Oh boy.  Getting them in and out of our bus (I mean Van) is a task!  They currently all weigh between 16-20 pounds.  

They’ve started to fight over toys and constantly hit each other; there’s  even been a few instances of biting already (and there’s only five teeth total). Soon they’ll be mobile and the challenges will become more aparant.  Interestingly, we’re eagerly awaiting these new challenges.  Not because we’re glutten for punishment, but because it’s part of the process.  Seeing them discover new things is pure joy.

Our pastor recently said something that really struck me.  “Fear steals joy”.  It’s so true!  During the scary moments of our pregnancy, I chose to be positive.  If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy my pregnancy and what was happening around me.  I’ll chose to continue to live my life that way.  There’s so many things I could worry about…so many things to fear.  I won’t.  I’ll continue to stick with the “one day at a time” approach to life and see where it takes us.  We’ll still plan for our future but will not succumb to fear or worry.

We made it through nine months and we’re still going strong.  I’m pretty proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish so far.  People assume we have a lot of help. Unfortunately, it’s not true.  When we need it, we get it.  Otherwise, it’s mainly just the two of us managing the six pack.  My husband made the decision to retire from roofing so he’d be able to take care of the babies once I returned to work.  It’s been 3 months since I’ve been back working full time and he’s been amazing.

May God continue to bless our Marriage & Family.