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Grandparents
of Quads
By Patricia, Grandmother of:
Rachel,, Rebecca, John, and quadruplets Matthew, Mark, Luke and Leah
(published in SUPERTWINS Volume 7 #3 - March 1996)
 What
is it like to be the Grandparent of Quadruplets? It's rewarding,
exciting, marvelous and fun. But also, sometimes exhausting or frightening
(when they are sick or hurt) but - always an adventure.
Many
have asked us if it was a shock for us to have our number of grandchildren
double in just four minutes. We reply, "Not as big a life-change
as it was for our oldest granddaughter who was an only child until
she was 5 1/2 and by the time she was 8, had six siblings, five
of which were in diapers."
We
are traveling missionaries and the congregations where we minister
have a stock in "God's Quads" - Matthew, Mark, Luke and
Leah. They wait for their yearly reports and keep them continually
on their prayer list.
We're
queried about what the babies looked like initially. We're told
that their miniature size is impossible to picture. We say, "envision
a little 3 lb. frying chicken that will fit in the palm of your
hand".
In
the neo-natal unit they all appeared to be identical. We only knew
who we were rocking, because we read the name on their incubator.
Their color was bright red and they were dressed in yellow hospital
gowns and knitted caps with schocks of black hair on their little
heads.
They
were celebrities long before they arrived. We were visiting our
daughter-in-law during there confinement period in the hospital,
when it was time for an ultrasound. The word went out and soon the
room was filled with people eager to see a sight that beat any of
Hollywoods extravaganzas! We peered at the mysterious looking mass,
trying to separate one from another, while the nurses called them
by name and remarked on their progress. The joke on that floor was
to send any new nurse into Lori's room to check the monitor - she
would come flying down the hall calling for a doctor claiming that
hard labor was in progress! - Only to be told that the contraction
reading she had taken was simply normal activity for the Quads.
The
birth was attended by 38 medical personnel, plus the news media
- eventually the film was shown on national television. Most grandparents
regale you with snapshots, we carry a video tape. All of the local
anchorman complained that Leah wasn't named Johnna to carry out
the Gospel theme, except one who had read the family bio sheet and
was able to announce, "they already have a John".
Shortly
after the Quads were released to come home, their individual looks
and personalities emerged. The living room was their domain. Four
bassinets were lined up in a row - then there were three - one was
in the dining room, "Why is this guy standing in a corner already?"
we asked. "Luke is too sociable" we were told, "He
wants everyone to stay awake with him".
Curt
and Lori came up with a system whereby they could feed two babies
at a time. They were able to have everyone cleaned up, diapered
and back in bed within an hour - unless someone like us came to
help - then it took two hours!
As
they began to grown and expand their field, the boys crawled on
all floors. Leah learned to never take her eyes off of her brothers
- she maneuvered herself about on her back - pushing with her heels.
The guys would manipulate her until she was at the section of tile
by the front door - while they surrounded her on the carpet like
a pride of lions. The situation soon reversed when they became toddlers.
Then little Miss Leah could have told her brothers to sit and stay
on the tile and they would have obeyed her.
At
age two, the quartet who had always been manageable through a routine,
turned into a Chinese acrobatic team. They learned how to escape
over baby gates and out of cribs. The first one would crawl out
of his crib and run over to the next and waken him. They would proceed
to the opposite room and rouse the others - assisting them to come
over the top and down the side. Then all of them would roam the
house like a band of outlaws. Nothing was sacred or safe. Once a
system was devised to keep them contained nocturnally, it became
obvious that only half of the problem was solved. They had to be
under constant surveillance or they would help each other climb
on top of the T.V. or systematically create a hole in a hidden corner
of the baby-proof family room. First they weakened the wall by hitting
it with a Tonka Truck and then happily picked away with 40 sharp
fingernails.
The
"we can cope" parents hollered "help" via the
church bulletin. Volunteers came to play with the Quads while mom
reacquainted herself with the rest of the family. We established
the Thursday Night habit, when we have the pleasure of our grandchildren's
company while their momand dad peacefully shop and do errands. Once
or twice a year, we collaborate with the other grandparents and
divide the children between us for a weekend so Curt and Lori can
have time alone.
At
age three, pre-school happened. Their father had remarked that when
the Quads started school, it would be like a motorcycle gang had
joined up. Educators are smarter than that. They separated the kids
into morning and afternoon classes. This really interfered with
our McDonald's sessions. As an elected official, it was my duty
to cut the red ribbon and shake hands with Ronald when the first
playground was opened in our area. Privately I thought, "How
ridiculous - why have something like this attached to a fast food
place? The idea is to eat and run , not to stay and play."
When the Quadruplets arrived, we surveyed the family of nine and
announced, "You have outgrown most places, including our house."
Mickey-D's became our bonding place. We sat baking in the sun on
stone benches, watching our brood bounce in the balls and crawl
through the tubes. (We have since discovered an indoor air-conditioned
playground at a McDonalds twenty minutes from our home - talk about
a blessing!)
Viewing
the Quads at play in their own back yard is quite an adventure too.
There, one streaks past the swing set just as the teeter-totter
zooms by - collision seems imminent but is missed by a hair. Then
the swing goes up and Leah meanders slowly through causing the remark
to be made, "I bet their angels are happy when they go to bed
at night".
The
same mom who came up with the idea of 4 individual cakes for their
fourth birthday made a Solomon like decision concerning nail polish.
Leah is femininity personified, she fixes her hair with bows and
adores jewelry. A big portion of the fun at Grandma's is to have
her nails polished. The guys always envied her, be we stated firmly
that little boys never wear polish. They were oh so disappointed.
One day, their mom overheard. She said "you boys can have one
nail painted". They were so proud of their scarlet-tipped finger,
even sitting quietly until the polish dried.
Part
of the charm at our house includes a patio calling out to be decorated
with colored chalk, the promise of a bubble bath for as long as
you like, all by yourself and the opportunity to do the dishes -
no wonder they like to vacation here! That's what we told them the
first time they spend the weekend - Daddy and Mommy have to stay
home but you get to be on vacation, that erased the trembling lips.
Laughing
Luke hasn't changed. He's as sociable as he was as a baby. Discovering
new things intrigues him. Recently he told us, "At night, if
you watch real close, you'll see some bugs turn on their lights".
Matthew
is the affectionate one. He runs with hugs from wherever he is.
He also is the pot-stirrer: if everyone is sitting watching a movie,
he delights in darting past and grabbing a toy. Then he jumps into
the safety of our lap to enjoy the ensuing riot. He has unhappy
accidents too - one day the others came with him in tow. He looked
sheepish while they earnestly reported, "come quick, Matthew
broke the bathroom". We took this very seriously indeed, this
was the same guy who flushed his toothbrush down the toilet. We
found out that all that really occurred was when he changed the
toilet paper roll (an ability together with lowering the seat that
many men have yet to learn) he tore the empty roll.
Mark
is our stoic. The quiet one who grins a lot and says little. He
loves to play Nintendo and bake cookies. Recently he asked if he
could do chores for us (we love this age!) and not only did he complete
the dusting and picking up assigned to him, but we discovered him
wiping out the shower stall and that wasn't even on his list.
We
are blessed by our entire family. It is held together with prayer
- humor - wisdom and flexibility. Our son and daughter-in-law are
the most energetic and organized people in the world.
The
true test of a household is - would you want to live there? - We
say a resounding YES! With all of the confusion and commotion, to
be a little member of this family is to be loved!
Other MOST resources for grandparents of multiples:
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Updated 5/23/08
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