Disclaimer: BABYWISE WORKED FOR THE STEECE QUADS, THERE ARE OTHER "STRATEGIES" OUT THERE AS WELL THAT ARE JUST AS GOOD. DO WHATEVER WORKS BEST FOR YOUR FAMILY. ;)
We have had some very BUSY but BLESSED holidays with friends and family. I will post a billion pics for you to see! The babies are getting soooo big! The last weigh in a few weeks ago: Ben 13#, both twins 12.4#, Sav 11# (Our Pedi said that Savannah will begin to weigh less and less than her brothers because she is a female...and you can definitely tell when you hold Savannah after holding her brothers! She is so little and petite!)
I tried to capture the quads and their individual faces...if I had to show you the face they make the most on any given day, these are those faces:
Ethan in blue, Andrew in stripes (FYI, if you ever see the twins in a picture and one of them is wearing stripes, it is Drew...just a little something I do to distinguish the two)
Savannah's "deer-in-headlights" look....all day long! With those big, beautiful, brown eyes! BTW- Ben has blue eyes, the twins have green eyes, and Sav has brown eyes...how funny is that?
and happy Ben...he is such a goober for the camera! He LOVES the flash and giggles up a storm...it is so absolutely adorable! ;)
The quads in the shirts that Uncle Dan and Dani made for them...don't ask ME about the donkeys- you can ask JOE and his group of guy friends from college..long story.
Dan and Dani with the quads...Savannah striking her "usual" pose ;)
Grandpa and Grandma Steece loving on their first grandchildren!
Never a dull moment in the Steece household...poor quad babies...they don't even know what they are in for...(or is it the other way around???)
Joe's boys in their little transformer outfits...Dad just LOVED getting these as a present! Joe got so excited when he saw that I had dressed all of them in these shirts!
Ohhhh Miss Priss...you better BELIEVE I am going to put the most GIRLY, BIGGEST, FROU-FROU BOWS on Savannah's head! LOOOOVE girly girls! I know she will more than likely end up a tomboy, so I will make her as prissy as possible while I can! ;)
My little Santa Babies...gosh...never in my wildest dreams did I EVER imagine these FOUR LITTLE PRESENTS under my tree this year! I think back to last Christmas and New Years where I LOOOONGED for a baby SO bad. I remember feeling SO down and just prayed and WISHED SO BADLY that 2007 would be the year Joe and I could welcome a child into our family...GOD IS SO GREAT! We are TRULY blessed beyond anywhere our craziest imaginations could have taken us!
The love of my life...and our four little ones...Merry Christmas!
Papa and Granna Hoag loving on their first grandchildren too!
I LOVE making everyone who comes over here take pictures holding all four! This is my brother, Collin and his wife Ashley!
Big Ben is by far, the most stubborn baby...he will CRY and CRY and CRY, but will never quit on his own. The second you walk in the room, he just looks at you and smiles. It is SO hard not to smile back at him...the little TOOT!
Our little Aggie babies did NOT bring the Ags luck during their bowl game on Saturday...but aren't they just precious? We LOVE these jerseys from our friends Trey, Pam, Adam, and Christy!! Thanks guys! We loved playing dress up!
They even had their birth orders put on the back of them! How cool is that? Andrew, Savannah, Ethan, and Benjamin
LOVE IT.
And a HUGE thanks to the Steeces for our new patio!!! Ah WOO HOO!! We are HUGE "patio people" and love being outside...we love going out to eat and sitting on the patio...so, since we can't go out to eat very much anymore, the Steeces thought they should bring the restaurant patio to us! Here is the before and after:
Very cool! Thanks so much, guys!!!...having fun with friends yesterday.
70 comments:
Awesome pictures Suz! Love the babies.
i only had one but i'll sing the praises of Babywise too. it worked for us and everyone else i know that used it. i recommend it to everyone. girl your kids get cuter every day. they don't look like newborns anymore. i can't believe how old they are. and thanks for your inspiration of the difference from last year to this year. i have an 18 month old son but we're struggling with secondary infertility (10 months and 2 months of no ovulation with clomid). so i understand how you felt (at least a little bit). although i'm praying he doesn't give us 4 at one time. hehe! glad you had a blessed year and joyous Christmas. just imagine how fun Christmas will be next year.
I just had to tell you how Baby Wise worked wonders for the sleeping of my four children. I have three boys and a girl as well they are just not quads! :) But my girl is the baby and I know all too well about the girly things. But the eat play nap cycle is brilliant and it works wonderfully. Glad you found it. I know how wonderful sleep can be and some time to yourself!! The pictures are wonderful!
Love all the new pictures...and what an awesome patio!
Love all of the new pictures of your sweet babies in their Christmas outfits and Aggie gear!
I'm a huge Babywise fan too! I have twin girls and was all about routine! They are 18 months old and still sleep at least 12 hours/night.
What sweet blessings to have your little ones here this Christmas! Have a Happy New Year!
Ashley
I used Babywise on my ONE baby too, I live by it. The next books are great too - Babywise II, Toddlerwise, Childwise - I swear that they're child instruction manuals!!
Your family is just gorgeous. Your little babies are getting cuter by the day.
How precious! It looks like you had a wonderful holiday!
My sister always tells me 'You never know what will happen next year, or even tomorrow!' and I think that is definitely applicable to you and your beautiful babies! Who would have thought this time last year you'd have four babies?? God is good and blessings on you and your family during 2008. :)
I too am a fan of the babywise book. That is what I read while I was in the hospital on bedrest. I can not believe how big they are getting. They are all so CUTE!! I love the patio. If you think Christmas was fun this year just wait until next year and the years to follow. They will be running circles around you, and it is all worth it! Thanks for sharing the new pics.
Deanna
LOVE books that help us get the babies sleeping all through the night!! We used a different book, but it was pretty much like Baby Wise. The authors are genius!!
And the kiddos are SOOO cute. It has been a while since I've seen pics of them and they have changed so much! So cute! I bet Christmas was great this year...more so than any other previous year!
That's a beautiful bunch of kids ya got there! God bless!
Wow!!! Very cute pictures!!! The babies are adorable and getting so big. You can't even tell they were premies. God Bless your family!!!
Your story is touching about Christmas a year ago and now. What a blessing! Cool patio. What a nice gift!!!!
Mommy of five
Wow!!! Very cute pictures!!! The babies are adorable and getting so big. You can't even tell they were premies. God Bless your family!!!
Your story is touching about Christmas a year ago and now. What a blessing! Cool patio. What a nice gift!!!!
Mommy of five
www.ezzo.info
Glad to hear you had a wonderful Christmas. God truly blessed you in 2007! You prayed and he delivered. I love reading your blog and your updates. You and Joe are wonderful parents and your children are so blessed to have the 2 of you! Congrats on the long nights. I have ONE 6 month old that also sleeps blissfully at night. I enjoyed your article in the Chronicle as well. Tammy Ross goes to our church and is a wonderful lady. Sorry this was such a novel.
I also wanted to let you know about my Handmade Hair Bows and Accessories for Sav! Check them out! www.ladyjanebowtique.etsy.com
Boomer Sooner! Hee Hee!
WOW...the babies are getting SO big! Thanks for sharing your pictures :)
What a great update with lots of beautiful pictures! So glad you all had a wonderful holiday, but how could you not with those 4 kiddos under your roof! So happy to hear that the babies are sleeping through the night...what a difference that makes huh?
Many blessings to you in 2008!
I forgot to comment on the patio...what a beautiful place to entertain your family and friends. How thoughtful of your family!
Oh I loved looking at all those!! Your foursome is so beautiful!!
Happy New Year! May it bring health, happiness and joy!
I'm so jealous my triplets were 14 months before they started sleeping through the night, and I still have one that likes to wake up a few nights a week!
They are so precious and you are so right God is good!
I'm reading your blog with tears in my eyes. I found your blog several months ago and have been prayerfully following your story. I too spent last Christmas longing and praying for a baby. Today my husband and I brought our perfect baby girl home. God is so good!
Suz, Great comments and pictures! I agree, the babies just don't look like preemies. You guys are doing a fabulous job. Keep up the excellent work! Great patio too. Great family!
Jamie
They are so precious! We love your story! You guys are such a great example of faith!
Thanks for the Babywise tip . . .I have a few months to get that read, and a few months to pray it works for us, too! :)
Random question . . .who did your patio, and how did they do the concrete?! We're hoping to have ours done by the time our baby comes so that we can sit outside with him and not cook! I LOVE yours! :)
Loved seeing the pics of your growing babies!!!
What fun! Gosh, you can't be having THAT much fun can you??? How much cuter can those babies be? And Suz, you've outdone yourself with organization and scheduling. I'm dumbfounded. HELP! You've done awesome. Get ready for 2008... whoohoo!
Wow - all the babies have really outgrown the "preemie" phase - they look so big, healthy, and happy. They are absolutely adorable. Have a wonderfully busy new year!
So happy to see the updated pictures. They are getting so big and holding their heads up so well!
I am a HUGE Babywise fan! I used it with both of my babies and they were both sleeping 12 hours a night by the time they were four months old. Everyone told me how "lucky" I was to have such good sleepers - but I swear it is the book! It's amazing what you can do during a day when you have had a good nights sleep!
Happy Holidays to all six of you!
I LOVE those Aggie outfits! How precious is that? Also love the new patio! You'll get tons of use out of it I'm sure. What a neat place to entertain! I'm so glad you all are doing so well. Take care and have a wonderful New Years! Love, Shauri
They are growing up soooo fast! What cuties!
And, what a beautiful patio! WOW!
Happy New Year!!!
What a great patio! I am a little jealous! Ours is in progress and just not quite as great yet! Love all the Christmas pics!
I've been following your blog and your family is just precious. I have an Andrew & Ethan too and they are identical twins!! Happy New Year to your family!!
Katie
Love the Christmas pics, Suzanne! They are just getting cuter by the minute, and you look GREAT! What a great patio! I know you will enjoy it so much. My husband and I are outside people too. We LOVE our front porch, and hung a hammock out back last summer. We have fallen asleep in that thing several times... when the weather is nice... and we don't have any kids yet. But have fun with all the babies in 2008!
Cracked UP at the Babywise disclaimer! Hey, where's my shout-out for that recommendation??? HA!!! Kidding! SOOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED for you're sleeping nights - it really changes EVERYTHING! You've turned the "corner", my friend! You're hard work is payin' ya back!=) Wishing you a Happy New Year - wonder what 2008 will be like???
Mucho Love,
Jen and The Crew
What a wonderful Christmas! Love all the pics of the little ones. My little girl was almost 2 lbs and 2 inches bigger than her brother at birth - but now at a year she is a good 4-5 lbs and 1-2 inches smaller!! Isn't it funny how different girls are than boys? She's a beauty!
I've heard good things about Babywise too and we followed the ideas from The Baby Whisperer - from what I understand - same concept, just a little more conversation in the read. It worked wonders for us too with twins! Sleeping through the night by 3 months and napping 2-3 hours 2x a day then too!
That is an AWESOME patio!!! That will be great for summer days when the kids want to play outside but you want some shade. :)
I'm glad you had a great first Christmas with the babies! You definitely are blessed.
Glad things are going well and that they are sleeping through the night!!! What a miracle/blessing.
I love the porch...that is awesome. What is the "floor" made of?
Anyway, thanks for all the updates and pics...they are adorable!
I love baby wise also. both my girls are baby wise. awesome sleepers. love your blog.
So good to see pictures of you, Joe and the babies! They are just precious and you and Joe look fabulous also! I know the New Year will be so exciting for you all! Have a happy new year and thanks again for sharing, it has been a wonderful getting to know you and your family......I feel like I know you anyway! Your friend in East Texas, Pam
I love the updated pictures and all the pics of the babies are awesome!! They have gotten so big and are great presents under the tree. God is awesome!!!
Happy New Years to your family!
I also am a HUGE fan of babywise! Glad it worked for you! You look so beautiful and even though I know you MUST be tired, you don't show it and you seem to glow with happiness! Your babies are getting so big and are cuter with every picture you post. Love the patio, by the way! Kelly Julian
Where do you get the bows?!? My second little girl doesn't have much hair...
I can't BELIEVE the babies are holding their heads up! It just seemed like yesterday when they were sooo tiny. They are all beutiful..a good mixture of you and Joe. I miss ya girl.
BTW...holy moly you look good. Nobody would have ever guessed you had QUADS. I've got to come see you soon.
Marcy
Your babies are absolutely beautiful. What a tremendous blessing God has given you. I have enjoyed reading your blog immensely. It is so wonderful to read of people giving all the glory to God for the blessings He bestows on us. GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR BEAUTIFUL FAMILY
Thank you forthe lovely pictures. It's so funny them all having different coloured eyes! Happy New Year to you all.
Lynne, UK.
I also swear by Babywise. My son was sleeping through the night at 8 weeks, which really helped since that was when I had to go back to work. I loved the pictures of all the babies, they are adorable. And the patio is very nice too. Is the "floor" of it tiled or concrete?
Your patio is amazing! You're going to enjoy that so much! Think of how fun all of your holidays will be with all those kiddos... I'm envious that you got it all over with in one pregnancy! (even though I know it was a hard, stressful one!)
Happy New Year! What a gift sleep is! Good job! It's funny how you do have to put a disclaimer on BabyWise, but it definitely worked for our quads as well. Enjoy that sweet new patio!
Chris & Mari Goerlich
They are getting so BIG! I can't believe it:) I'm so impressed that all four are sleeping through the night for you guys! I know that makes all the difference when you are able to get a good night's sleep. I also love Babywise! Your patio looks great! It looks like you guys had a great Christmas! Love ya!
May the Lord bless you and your babies this year in 2008 and for all the blissfull years to come. You have such a beautiful family and I am SOOOO happy for you and your hubby that your babies are sleeping through the night. That's HUGE! God Bless and Happy New Year from the Bates family in Florida. Rob, Kelli, Avonlea and Lincoln =)
2007 was HUGE for you! WOW! hard to believe it has just been a year! Loved Baby Wise... Didn't always stick to the plan but loved the book and the ideas behind it.
God bless you all in 2008!
LOVE the patio!
Very cute pictures!! Happy New Years!
Isn't it amazing what a difference a year makes?!?! WOW!
Such great pics and I L-O-V-E the new patio! It is gorgeous!
Glad to hear that Baby Wise worked for y'all--I have heard mixed reviews and the author is a little 'shady' personally, but I like your disclaimer. :)
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Love,
Jen (in CO)
Glad Babywise worked for you - and glad that you put in the disclaimer - I personally have issues with the author, but with 4 babies - do whatever works!!
And don't worry that the babies don't always stop crying on their own - they are still young for self-soothing. 4 months is the earliest you can really expect that to happen.
When I saw your before/after pics of your patio I actually said out-loud "OH WOW!"...that is sooooo nice!!! The kiddo's are looking adorable in their santa outfits - btw: I've got all my family and friends in Palatka, Orange Park, and St.Augustine FL hooked on your blog - they tell me everytime they see me how in love they are with your kids! :)
Kudos for Babywise. I have four kids, but not FOUR at the SAME time!!! I think that it is awesome that you have scheduled them and trust me, it will only pay off for the future for you! I love following your blog. Your babies are beautiful, and your crazy life makes my little life seem so simple. Thanks for sharing your lovely family with us out here in blog world! The Lord has blessed you and you have given Him glory in it! Keep bloggin', I love reading it!
PLEASE DON'T PROMOTE BABYWISE. Do a search online and you will find many reasons why you should not follow this book or what it teaches. Babies have become malnourished and there have been many who have even passed away because of this man's teachings. Please, please, please ... just listen to your mommy instincts and follow your children's lead.
That's great to know that all 4 of your children are sleeping through the night ... just to warn you though, it won't last so enjoy it now. hahaha. Just wait until they start teething, hitting milestones, get sick, have separation anxiety, etc. ... all of those things will impact their sleep. So enjoy the great nights now. ;)
Lovely pictures, thank you for showing them. Happy New Year to you all.
Lynne, UK
Happy New Year! The babies and your whole family are so adorable. Glad to hear they are sleeping through the night. I bet that helps make up for the busy days!
Those babies of yours are getting SO big and SO cute!! Funny that you dress drew in stripes. I only have twins but I always dress one in blue. My husband mixed it up yesterday and I was very confused all day.
And I totally agree on babywise. Worked wonders for us!!
Glad to hear all is well.
Hope you have a happy and healthy 2008!
Aw, how sweet are they?!?!?! They are getting so big, it's amazing how time flies.
Many blessings to you for a wonderful 2008!
Happy New Year--how inspiriing you all are!!! What a difference lots of prayer and positive attitudes make in life! I wish you all the very best--the pictures are absolutely adorable and Mom and Dad look so good too! Way to go on the patio!!!
Best wishes,
Megann Cain, another Birmingham, AL fan
LOVED Babywise. My son was sleeping though the night at 8 weeks and still sleeps 12-13 hours a night and is a year old. We never had problems with him waking at night during teething or milestones. Since he always gets good rest he is a happy little guy.
I enjoy reading your blog and your babies are adorable!!
(Disclaimer: This is Brad, not my sweet wife Jen)
You "Anonymous" people drive me nuts!
Have some guts and tell us who you are if you are going to criticize and leave rediculous comments. Suz, you guys are doing awesome, and babywise is an incredible system that works really well.
We have four 11 months olds with a total of over 25 teeth, have been sick multiple times, have hit lots of milestones, and have to deal with 3 brothers screaming, and they all sleep 12 hours at night and have been doing so for 6 months.
Come on, malnourished and dieing babies because you feed them and nap them on a schedule? You are nuts! :) Our boys are chubby, happy little boys.
First of all - WHAT?!
There is a big difference between NEGLECT and the teachings of Babywise. Anyone can see that by looking at my fat-n-sassy and VERY happy, giggly boys! You even put a flippin' disclaimer, Suz, and there are STILL know-it-alls who want to butt in....
But enough of that - I just had to put in my 2 cents, because I think you and Joe are doing an AWESOME job with E,A,B,& S! (Please don't let 'em get to you.)
Congrats on them all getting some REST at night! I came up with the mantra "I can handle anything during the day as long as I get 6-8 hours of solid SLEEP at night!"
I love, love the pics, especially the Aggie ones, of course. ;-) The kids all look so big and healthy. I was thinking about it - your quads are about the same age now as my boys were when we came to see you in the hospital. It doesn't seem that long ago.
BTW, I need to email you soon about some other Aggie Quads I met. Small world!! Maybe during afternoon nap... be looking for it!
I still intend on setting up one of these blog-things soon. hehehe
Blessings,
-Amber Seastrunk
Just found your blog tonight by blog hopping and wanted to say yippee for babywise! I used it on my two boys (ages 3 1/2 and 1) and it worked wonders, they were sleeping through the night early!
I like the Aggie duds, we are personally OkState Alum, but have lots of Aggie friends from Houston where we lived previously. Gig'em!
Also wanted to say you look great for having quads! I will continue to pray for you and your family!~
Kara in OK
sahm22boys.blogspot.com
We SWEAR by babywise in our house!!!!!
Love reading your blog...I check on it everyday!! Keep the pics coming!!! Ya'll are an AMAZING family! I never thought I would have my two after three miscarriages, so your four just warm my heart!! God is GOOD!
among 4 boys (the quad boys + big brother), our Anna is the most girly girl you can think of. but then I don't know how to do girly, and probably would have found it easier had she been a tomboy -- so I guess with you, wanting a princess, you'll have the tomboy ;) we'll figure it out somewhen, and eventually I'll learn braids...
I won't be annonymous, but I will say to be careful with babywise. What I understand of it, is that it can be harmful for exclusively breastfeeding babies. I only had one child at a time and breastfed on demand, but even then, our kids always ended up on a sort of schedule. The first one slept through the night by 6 weeks and the second one wasn't such a good sleeper no matter what we did. :)
I think what the people who are saying to beware are not understanding this is a different situation, these babies are not exclusively breastfed, so their appetites are more easily regulated.
Also, with 4 at once, some routine is a requirement! :)
I think the annonymous people just don't want someone to read that this worked who only has one child and is breastfeeding, then go on to follow the program word for word and end up neglecting their child as a result.
DISCLAIMER: It's been a very long time since I read babywise, so I really don't remember some of the specifics, but I did read about children suffering from failure to thrive bc their parents followed the babywise techniques VERY STRICTLY.
I love reading your blog. You have such a beautiful family! This is out of left field..but where do you get your hair cut? You always have it cut so cute!
I am seriously in awe! You are my heroes! Suz you guys really are AWESOME parents! I can Not believe you have all 4 of them sleeping through the night already! Amazing!!
I am with you-got to get that sleep and I was a firm believer in routine as well and attribute it to success with adalie sleeping well.
You look so great and of course I love love love your 4 little ones! THey are absolutely precious!!
You know, I just stumbled upon this blog looking for Crystal Light info... and I can feel your joy. God really blessed you with these precious babies. I know your household is going to be so much fun! I'm just feeling your happiness and I wish you much more. :-)
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