Salinas Quads Blog

Happy Valentine's Day!!

2010-02-20T06:04:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,
The Quaddies are doing great. They had a fun valentine's day at their school, exchanging valentine's with their friends. They are getting so big!!! New pics are up on picasa..

Happy 3rd Birthday Matthew, Natalia, Samuel and Sofia!

2009-08-29T05:39:00.000-07:00

Today the big kids turn 3!!

Attached is a link to album of cute picts!


Birthday Morning	Birthday Zoo

The Quads - 21 Months Old!

2008-05-17T17:33:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Matthew, Natalia, Sam, and Sofi are almost 21 months old
now, and are true toddlers. They run, climb, feed themselves, speak
mini-sentences, sing and dance. It is crazy and a ton of fun.
It is amazing to see their personalities develop. Matthew is the
ringleader and a big flirt. Sofi is full of giggles and adventure. Sam
loves read and build. And Naty is the cute, spunky little
boss who keeps us all in check.

It is so nice that spring has arrived. One of their favorite things to
do is play outside.

They also love to go to museums where they can explore.

In May, Uncle DJ came for a long visit and was lots of fun.

Before that, the babies got to see Aunt Sil and Uncle Wes and meet their
new cousin Jack!

There is always a house full of family to play with.

Easter was adorable.

Bye bye from Sof, Nat, Sam, and Matt!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!! We have a new cousin!

2007-12-25T12:54:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from the Salinas family!

Here are some pictures… lots more at http://picasaweb.google.com/dsalinasd

We hope you had a wonderful holiday!

And guess what???!??? – Dan’s sister Silvia delivered a Christmas Baby at 11:41 PM Dec 25th at the Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville, VA. Welcome Jack Raul Blemker, 8lbs! Mama and baby are doing great. Congratulations Sil and Wes!

The quaddies are very excited to have a new baby cousin! :)

Daddy and Sofi are going to meet little Jack this weekend.

Happy December!

2007-12-19T18:42:00.000-08:00

Happy December!

We hope you are having a wonderful winter so far. The babies have had a healthy, happy, and amazing couple of months, with lots of growth and excitement.

Everyone is walking, to one degree or another. Sofia was the first to take steps and loves to wobble across the room and dive into your arms. Naty followed suit almost immediately and now sprints around the house. Matthew has gone from zero to fourteen steps in the last week, which is a big feat for such a tall guy. And Sam (the first to crawl) still prefers to crawl but takes steps when he thinks you’re not looking.

We have been busy (as usual!). We drew straws, and Naty and Sam flew to Seattle with Daddy and Mommy to visit Uncle DJ and Aunt Emily, while Matt and Sof stayed home with their grandparents.

The whole family went to Virginia for Thanksgiving to see Uncle Wes and Aunty Silvy (who are 9+ months pregnant!).

We had a bon voyage party for our cousin Natalia who went back to Argentina after staying with us for six months. We miss her so much!

We had to relocate to Aunt Kelli, Uncle Geoff, and KK’s house when an ice storm caused a two day power outage.

Matthew gave us a scare. In his neverending quest to explore and climb, he cut his forehead and had to go to the emergency room for four stiches.

And we have some sad news. We had to say goodbye to our dog Morgan, who died on December 10. She lived twelve happy years and was a sweet and loving dog who we will never forget. We know she was very special to a lot of people.

Boo!

2007-10-31T17:31:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween from our ferocious jungle babies!

Love,
Matt, Naty, Sam, and Sofi

Here is a link to see more pictures from September and October, http://picasaweb.google.com/dsalinasd, featuring exciting events such as the quaddy watermelon eating contest, Aunt Silvia's baby shower at El Charro's, a trip to Nana's house, Uncle DJ's visit, and our trip to see Nemo on Ice.

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY QUADDIES!!!!

2007-08-28T17:28:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Matthew, Naty, Sam and Sofi! We love you so much!

It has been a year of miracles for the Salinas family. One year ago today, we met Matt, Nat, Sam and Sof for the first time.

Take a look at how they have grown!

Matthew Norberto, born at 2:11 p.m., from 5 lbs. 2 oz. to 21 lbs. 0 oz.

Natalia Pilar, born at 2:12 p.m., from 4 lbs. 2 oz. to 19 lbs. 4 oz.

Samuel Martin born at 2:13 p.m., from 4 lbs. 11 oz. to 22 lbs. 2 oz.

Sofia Nina, born at 2:14 p.m., from 4 lbs. 7 oz. to 21 lbs. 0 oz.

We had a Sesame Street birthday barbeque on Sunday, and it was very colorful and fun!

There was quite a mess. Matthew (Team Blue!) ate the most cake, but Sam and Naty had the messiest faces. Sofi, true to form, was the most gentle eater.

The paparazzi was enthusiastic and fun.

After the cakes, we washed up in the pool and then opened lots of presents.

Soooo big!!!

Happy Birthday Quaddies!!!! We love you so much!

August Blog -- We're getting big!

2007-08-12T07:56:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!

The quaddies are almost a year old (birthday coming on August 29!). They have grown more and more amazing each month. They are literally all over the place- crawling, standing, climbing, and barreling each other over enthusiastically.

Sam and Sofi (Team S) are roommates, as are Matt and Nat. They all sleep through the night and wake up each morning to play and ‘talk’ to each other for 20 minutes before they start calling for mom and dad. They are eating a mixture of baby food and grown up food – shredded chicken, rice, sweet potatoes, yogurt, blueberries, bananas, and Cheerios seem to be the favorite foods. They babble constantly (Dada, Mama, Baba, Lalalala A-Duh?) and can imitate a lot of sounds and gestures. Sam can say “Ah-Cheese” with great gusto, which is the sneezing sound in a Spanish song they like.

Summer has been fun. We are taking swim lessons twice a week and took a Kindermusik “Sign and Sing” class. The quads are always a big hit. We also like to fill the kiddie pool with a couple of inches of water and have play and bath time in the pool after dinner. They crawl all over and splash, and are getting good at blowing bubbles in the water.

Taking care of the babies is truly a team effort and we all love it. Dan’s cousin, Natalia, has come from Argentina to stay with us through December and the house has filled with a mixture of Spanish and English. Naty and Melissa’s cousin Danielle help tremendously with the babies. Kelli and Kaitlyn have spent a lot of time of us during summer vacation, and of course the grandparents love the babies to death.

Here are some long overdue pictures. Enjoy!!

Everyone is standing, in one form or another. Gates have become key!

Naty bug is silly and happy. She is very agile and fast; she also has a good eye for detail. The other day she picked up a blade of grass in the pool and studied it from all angles for over ten minutes. (The boys would rather just eat it). She loves to blink her eyes, wave hello, play with her turtle washcloth, and jam to music. Favorite song: Bon Jovi: You Give Love a Bad Name.

Sam is jolly, fun, and tender. He is big and strong, but also very loving. He loves to bounce on daddy’s lap, play hard, and then to cuddle and read books. His favorite book is Eric Carle “From Head to Toe.” He can pick it out of a pile and rushes over to your lap with a grin if you start reading it.

Sofi is a little angel. She giggles and cuddles all the time, and sucks her thumb when she is feeling shy or tired. She laughs whenever her brothers and sister are happy and loves to share and play. She is very deliberate and thoughtful…. she took the longest to crawl, but when she started it was in perfect form. Favorite Friends: Her sister Naty and her thumb.

Matt has been called “picaro” in Spanish. That means he is playful and mischievous. He is very charming and has a wide array of looks that he knows are adorable. He is very independent and expresses his dramatic side when you interfere with his free will. He loves to crawl fast, chase Morgan around the house, and knock over towers. Favorite song: Prince: 1999.

Mommy and Daddy love us.

Danielle and Naty are always fun.

Swimming is great!

Being a quad can be tiring. (Sam can sleep in the strangest places).

We love Kaitlyn and Aunt Kelli.

Grandparents (and Great Grandparents) are fun!

The quads make our big family even bigger. :)

P.S. --- There are lots of new pictures at http://picasaweb.google.com/dsalinasd.

May Blog - 9 months old!

2007-05-29T12:38:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Today, May 29, is the quads' nine month birthday. We can't believe how big, healthy, and fun they are. Happy Birthday babies!!

May has been an amazing month. The babies are all babbling and 'talking' to each other. Matt and Sofi (the early risers) are sharing a room now, while Naty and Sam (the party animals) are in the other. All four babies have two big bottom teeth, can sit on their own to some extent, and are in various stages of 'scooting'. Naty and Sam are almost crawling, but all of them can navigate to where they want to go by scooting, army crawling, or rolling. It's a riot to see them span out in different directions. They never stop moving, which is giving us an exciting and somewhat daunting preview of what lies ahead. :)

We have ventured out a lot more this month. We made a roadtrip to Virginia for a nine day vacation with Aunt Silvia (Dan's sister) and Uncle Wes. The babies loved it and adjusted well, sleeping through the nights and playing happily each day. Dan's Mom (Abue) returned from a trip to Argentina and was very excited to see how much the babies had grown. We also had our first backyard swim, a Mother's Day barbeque, and a three-day trip to Grammy and Grandpa's house in St. Clair. Lots of pictures below!

Our trip to Virginia was a blast!

Four highchairs, four exersaucers, four stroller seats. :)

Playtime is fun!

The weather finally turned nice in Michigan, so Sam, Nat, and Sof had a backyard pool party while Matt took a big nap.

It was exciting to see Abue after her trip to Argentina.

We love grammy and grandpa's house on the water.

Family is fun!!

Talk to you soon!!

p.s. - We have a lot more pictures on our web album. Click here http://picasaweb.google.com/dsalinasd or click the view more photos button on the left hand side to see them.

April Blog - Easter Bunnies, New Teeth, A Picnic, and More

2007-04-24T06:26:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! We hope you had a great April. The babies are changing every day. They are all close to crawling, and are babbling new sounds . They have also learned to hold their own bottles which is very cute and helpful. Sam and Naty each have two shining teeth, and are our most rambunctious babies. Sam is wild and fun, and likes to yell with joy when he plays. Naty is silly, wiggly, and full of spunk; don't ever tell her she's tiny. Matthew is flirtatious and sensitive. His first word was "ham", but he is now very into saying "da da da da da." (Dan is bribing him.) He likes to pose for audiences and the camera. Sofi is our most studious and is a sweetheart; she likes to observe people and objects very closely, and loves sitting on peoples' laps.

Here are some new pictures!

The babies were very excited about Easter eggs and toys, brought to them by the Easter Dog.

The big kids can all hold their own bottles.

Sam and Naty are proud of their beautiful teeth.

Daddy is fun.

Naty is a little goofball.

Sam is Mr. Bigshot.

Sofi is a sweetie pie.

Matt has puppydog eyes.

Hi everyone! Soon we'll be all over the room...

We had a picnic in the backyard. The boys were awake the longest and enjoyed playing and watching Daddy golf.

We think Sam and Sofi look the most alike now.

The boys like to read and hang out.

Feet are still very "in."

Having brothers and sisters is fun. :)

Talk to you soon!

March 29 - Daddy's Birthday and Quads at 7 months

2007-03-31T13:42:00.000-07:00

March 29th was Daddy's birthday and the quads' 7 month birthday so we had a little surprise party.

The babies are all eating 3 meals and bottles - cereal and fruit for breakfast, cereal and veggies for lunch, and meat and veggies for dinner. We have a massive amount of baby food!

Matt likes to dress preppy, and Naty likes to be a little snuggle bug.

Sofi likes to study and eat cookies.

Sam is almost always grinning.

The boys went for a walk and ran into our friend Nancy's four boys.

Play time is fun!

Talk to you soon!!!

March 17 Blog -- Lots of Pictures

2007-03-18T12:15:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day from Matt, Nat, Sam, and Sof!

We've had a fun and busy couple of weeks. :)

We are teaching the girls to be sports fans. Nobody tell them the Lions don't play in March.

The babies have been going on more outings, one or two at a time. Here is a picture of Naty going to the store with Mommy, and Sofi bundled up to try the jogging stroller.

Sam is very jolly and loves to play with his feet and food.

Matt likes to leave his shirt off and show off his muscles.

The babies had a fun doctor visit playing with toys in their diapers. Sam is now over 18 lbs, Matt is 17 lbs, Sofia is 15 1/2 lbs, and Naty is 14 1/2 lbs!

Mommy took Sofi and Matt to visit Grammy and Grandpa in St. Clair. Sammi the Cat was skeptical about their arrival, but all went well.

Matt and Sof had some quality time together, while Naty and Sam had fun at home.

Sofi thinks it is fun to play with Grandpa's hair.

The babies got to meet Harvey and Carole, and Pastor Lynne this month.

Sam and Naty think Kaitlyn is very cool.

Some pictures from February...

Teddy bears and bunnies showing off how cute they are...

Naty thinks it is very "in" to stick out your tongue and hold hands. The boys are afraid to lie next to her.

We had a fun bridal shower for our au pair, Camila.

The babies had to dress extra warm for their February doctor visit. :) (The boys look like twins with their hats on.)

We had some fun visitors!

The family is all pitching in to help. Danielle is now here full time. (Yay!)

Morgie is a big helper too. She can't wait until the babies are old enough to play fetch.

Sam's big-little hands are too cute to handle.

That's the scoop, talk to you soon!

Love,
Matt, Naty, Sam, and Sof

Happy Six Month Birthday!

2007-03-01T17:45:00.000-08:00

The quaddies are six months old today, and Kaitlyn made a very festive sign for them. They celebrated in their big kid seats and we sang "Happy Birthday."

Happy Birthday Matt, Nat, Sam, and Sof! We love you and are very proud!

See you soon!

Happy Valentines Day!

2007-02-14T18:17:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, we just wanted to say a quick hello and Happy Valentines Day! On this loving day, the girls were especially adorable and the boys were especially handsome (as declared by their outfits).

Sofi and Sam were valentines. Sam gave Sof a big kiss, which was a little shocking to her.

Matt and Naty were valentines too. Naty gave Matt a strong talking to and he finally held her hand.

Bye everyone -- hope you had a great day! XOXO

February 1 Update -- The Babies are Bonding!

2007-01-31T17:31:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!! This has been a great couple of weeks. The babies turned five months old on January 29 and are growing and developing faster than ever. Everyone is very happy and healthy. Here are some pictures!

The babies are really starting to bond with each other...

Not to say they don't have egocentric moments.

Sam thinks Daddy is fun to play with, but Sofi says he makes her drowsy.

Matt likes to check out the local wildlife while eating sweet potatoes.

Sofi is as cute as ever.

Naty has her good hair days...

and bad hair days.

Matt has developed a signature finger-sucking method.

Mommy and Daddy went to visit Sammi the Cat in St. Clair while the family babysat overnight.

Matt and Nat have been learning lots of new tricks in home physical therapy.

Sam is learning to read...

and is practicing his soccer skills with Sofi.

We think there is a bit of a baby conspiracy going on...

Matt has bored his audience with yet another story about how handsome he is.

Nat, Sof, and Sam think the blog is hillarious, but Matt wasn't so sure...

Naty expressed some initial concerns about the layout, but the crew said 'don't worry be happy'.

Thank you for visiting our blog. See you soon!!!

Love,
The Super-Quads

January 8 - Holiday Update!

2007-01-08T14:09:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! Sorry it has been so long, it has been very busy and fun here! We all had a great holiday. Here are some pictures to catch you up:

Sam started on rice cereal about a week before Christmas and totally loves it. He is now eating squash too. He looks like a big boy in his new high chair!

We had a retirement party for Grandpa (Deuane) right before Christmas. We all had a great time and grandpa was the star.

Matt is still a little flirt. :) And Sofi has the world's most adorable cheeks. Doesn't Naty make a cute reindeer?

Little babies by the big Christmas tree.

Mommy got a ring with the babies' birthstone and Daddy got new weights.

Christmas pictures with the Leyell/Blemker clan...

And with the Martins....

And with the big group!

Morgie had a fun holiday too. :)

The big kids went bowling, note the winners and losers. (Dorky, we know.)

Thanks for continuing to check on us. Everyone is happy and healthy, and we feel very very lucky. Talk to you soon!

P.S. We now added a email notification feature to the blog. It will email you when there is an update! Register if you'd like on the left navigation bar

December 14 Update - Sofi works from home, Santa Babies visit the Doctor, Salinas Quad University

2006-12-12T10:03:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! We've had a great couple of weeks, so there is lots to fill you in on.

First, Sofi has decided that she likes to talk on the telephone, and asked if she could help Daddy work. She handled some of Dan's conference calls yesterday, and did a great job.

DOCTOR VISIT -- Yesterday was the babies' monthly doctor appointment. The babies dressed up in Santa hats and pj's and caused a big commotion at the office. Word spread that quads were in the office and swarms of people came to see them. We felt like celebrities.

We were excited to see how much the babies weighed, since they seem to be growing so fast. Here are the stats (in birth order). The percentiles represent where the babies plot as compared to babies the same age who were born at full term (40 weeks). This is cool, because they have graduated from the preemie chart to the big kid chart, which is a good accomplishment for multiples.

Matt - 12 lb. 8.8 oz (25%); 23 3/4 in. (25%) --- 5.687 kg
Naty - 10 lb. 9.6 oz (10%); 22 5/8 in. (10%) --- 4.808 kg
Sam - 13 lb. 5 oz. (30%); 24 1/4 (30%) --- 6.046 kg
Sofi - 11 lb. 6.5 oz (15%); 22 in (5%) -- 5.173 kg

As you can see, all are growing fast but Sam is huge! Dr. Miele said that he can try a little bit of cereal because he is eating so much. (He takes 7-9 oz per feeding, as compared to 3-5 from the other babies). It will be fun to see if he likes it ... we'll post pictures of that adventure soon.

Check out bottle central below, we thought that was pretty funny.

FUN VISITORS -- This past weekend, Dan's longtime friend Graham came to visit from Kansas. He got a full dose of the quads, and participated in many feedings, changings, and a walk around the neighborhood. Kaitlyn prepared a certificate of graduation from Salinas Quads University and awarded it to him on Sunday. :) The babies loved him and we had an awesome time.

Auntie Sil is coming back to town tomorrow for an extended Christmas Holiday. She is excited to see how much the babies have grown over the last month. She is in for a big treat -- they are so interactive now. This might be the best stage yet.

And finally, we'll leave you with a couple of snuggly Santa baby pictures to get you in the holiday mood!

November 29 - Happy Birthday Babies!!!

2006-11-30T18:10:00.000-08:00

November 29th was the babies' three month birthday, so here is a picture to celebrate.

Happy birthday Matty, Naty, Sammy, and Sofi!

More pictures to come over the next couple of days...

P.S. Don't forget to put a "pin" in our guest map on the left!!

November 26 - Some more pictures from the long weekend...

2006-11-25T13:23:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of us all hanging out!

Photo guide:

The babies are the center of attention.

They aren't camera shy. :)

Sofi got to hang out with Grammy.

Morgan likes to keep an eye on the boys.

Naty had a lot of fun in her bath.

Sam says, "Hey Matt! Wake up!"

The kids love to watch football games from their playmat.

Uncle Geoff is a pro.

Talk to you soon!!

P.S. We added a link to the left navigation bar called Guest Map. Please feel free to click and add your location and name to the map! You don't need to put an email address or even your full name. Just a fun way to see everyone visiting the Quads!!

November 24 Update - Happy Thanksgiving / Fun Visits

2006-11-24T07:44:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, we hope you had a happy Thanksgiving. The babies are doing great. Auntie Sil, Uncle Wes and their dog Ruby came in from Virginia from Saturday through Thanksgiving Day. They had a great time with the babies, and Ruby had a fun time playing with our dog Morgie. Wes changed his first diapers and experienced a first class spit up from Sam, which was fun to observe. :) Sam thought it was hilarious and laughed at everyone's reaction. Silvy spent lots of quality time with the babies and was totally in love. Both chipped in for lots of late night shifts which was awesome for Dan and me. We all miss them already.

Aunt Ellen, Uncle Sonny, and Melanie also visited from New York. They helped us celebrate the babies' first Thanksgiving, along with Aunt Sharon, Kent, Taffy, Uncle Bill, Grandma and Grandpa Martin, Grandma Tere (Abue), Camila, and Tiago. Naty and Sofi wore new winter sweaters, and the boys looked spiffy in jeans, cords, and reindeer shirts. We are especially thankful this year. :)

We had fun watching the Michigan game last Saturday with the Martin crew and Danielle and Mariel who were in from out of town. We were all bummed (see the quads below!) that Michigan lost this past weekend, but it was an awesome game and Natalia made Daddy feel better about it, letting him know Michigan still might have a chance. We're watching closely to see how the final few games of the season pan out. It will feel strange to root for Notre Dame tomorrow.

Talk to you soon!

November 16 Update - Big Smiles/ Doctor Visit / Baby Revolution

2006-11-16T16:30:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! We've had a great week. The babies are now at the stage where they smile, giggle and interact with us. It is so much fun. They are showing off their beautiful smiles in their new animal towels above. (Thanks Rob and Missy!). Sofi is the elephant, Matt the giraffe, Sam the Lion, and Naty the little bug.

Their personalities are becoming very unique. Sofia thinks she can talk and regularly belts out what sounds exactly like "Hi!" in a playful voice. We predict that she'll be outgoing like her cousin Kaitlyn. ("Hi, I'm Sofi. Do you want to be my friend?") Sam, on the other hand, is full of energy and is presently focusing his efforts on learning how to crawl. He likes to lift his head straight up and push forward with his feet when he's on his belly, and it seems that he'll scoot across the floor any day. Matt is more of a ladies' man. He has a contagious and flirtatious smile with a bit of shyness to it, and gets his feelings hurt easily if you don't pay attention to him. (We think he still misses his harem of pretty nurses from the NICU.) Naty - last but not least - is a little princess and has big eyes that seem to take in everything you say. She's our smallest so we call her Little Peanut, and she melts your heart when she looks at you. They all do, actually.

Wednesday the quads had their monthly visit to the pediatrician. There was a bit of a revolution in the ranks. Sam has officially passed Matt and now holds the coveted title of Biggest Baby, weighing in at a whopping 11 lbs. 7.7 oz. He was very proud of this accomplishment, and cooed in celebration upon hearing the news. Matt (11 lb. 4 oz.) begged for a reweigh but the doctor told him it is against office policy. He's filed suit and is awaiting the outcome. Sofi and Naty are also growing at a great pace, and weighed 9 lb. 14 oz. and 9 lb. 4 oz. respectively. We were very happy to hear they are all in great health. There are no serious health issues to report, but Naty has developed a bit of acid reflux that makes it painful for her to eat. We were worried at first, but she seems to be responding well to some new medicine and has improved markedly over the last day or so. The doctor says that it is normal and she should be just fine. Check out Sam below sporting band aids from his vaccinations, and showing off what a big boy he is.

We are all very excited for the weekend. Saturday is the big Michigan vs. OSU game. The babies feel personally responsible for Michigan's spectacular season and vow to cheer them to victory. We are also expecting some important visitors this weekend. Aunt Silvia (Dan's sister) and Uncle Wes are coming to visit from Virginia. They haven't seen the babies since the week they were born in Phoenix. Although they've been following each development, they are going to be shocked to see how big and fun the babies are in person. Our cousin Danielle is also visiting, as is our friend Mariel from D.C.. We'll all be watching the big game together. Go Blue!

We can't believe how fast time is flying. It has been an amazing 11 and a half weeks of parenthood. We'll continue to keep you posted. We plan to take lots of pictures of the weekend festivities and of the babies' first Thanksgiving, so please stay tuned. GO BLUE!!!

November 2 Update - DJ and Emily's Visit and Trick or Treating

2006-11-02T10:34:00.000-08:00

November 2 was a special day because the quads finally met their Uncle DJ and Auntie Em who flew in from Seattle. Deej and Em brought some super fun gifts from their Honeymoon in Spain - a baby flamenco dress, a mini Spanish soccer uniform, two books in Spanish, and a stuffed bull called "Super Toro". Sam was excited because Uncle Deej fed him first and everyone says Sam takes after his uncle.

There was also a nice snowstorm today, and the babies were fascinated with looking out the window. We have cribs in the living room because we painted the nursery,. We may end up leaving them there for awhile because it makes it easier to care for the babies during the day. People are teasing us because the babies have completely taken over the house. :)

The quads also had a great first Halloween. They dressed up as bears and bunnies, with little pumpkin hats underneath. They trick or treated to four or five houses with Mommy, Daddy, Aunt Kelli, Abue, and cousin Kaitlyn, and got lots of attention and goodies from the neighbors. :) Wow were they cute. We got a Halloween visit from our good friends Nancy and Dan and their boys, the Incredibles and Buzz. Each of Nancy's boys has officially adopted a quad, and are very sweet to them. With all the kids in the house, Morgie was on alert for Halloween candy scraps, as you can see below.

Camila, our new au pair, has had a great couple of weeks. This was her first Halloween and she enjoyed seeing the babies dressed up.

November 1 was Daddy's first official day back to work. He was sad to go back, but happy that he is lucky enough to work out of the house where he's never too far from the little pumpkins.

Talk to you soon!

October 29 Update - Happy Two Month Birthday, Happy Halloween and Happy Birthday Abue!

2006-10-28T13:14:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone! Happy Halloween Week! :)

Today is the quads' two month birthday. We can't believe how much they've grown and developed in such a short time. We are so happy with these little ones and remind ourselves each day how lucky we are that they are all so healthy. Happy Birthday Matt, Naty, Sam, and Sofi!

It was also Dan's Mom 65th birthday last Wednesday. We had a fun birthday party with cake and Sorbet. We are so grateful for her help! The Quads and Morgan sure love their Abue!

Last week was another great week. Our new au pair, Camila, started on Monday. We are very happy to have her here - she has been an amazing help and is an incredibly nice person. We're starting to develop more of a routine, which has been nice for both the babies and us. The babies take baths every other day right around noontime. They also take longer mid-morning and mid-afternoon naps, play in between, and sleep longer at night.

The interpersonal dynamics between the babies have been fun to watch. Matt and Sam had their first little boxing match as pictured above. Matt had superior position and won hands down, which was very upsetting to Sam who spends most of most of the day practicing by flailing his arms around. The girls, on the other hand, are very peaceful and are the best of friends. They are really different, however. Natalia is very active and cries a cute little princess cry that sounds particularly girly. Sofi is our calmest baby, tends to grunt instead of cry when she is upset, and loves to curl up in a little ball (see below). We call her little Buddha.

The kids seem to really enjoy going for walks. Hopefully we can squeeze a few more in before the really cold weather sets in. Other than that, we have been hanging out getting more settled in the house. We have been watching lots of sports, and are bummed that the Tigers lost, but are still very proud of them. We are all really excited that Michigan is still undefeated... go blue!!

Finally, we are looking forward to seeing Uncle DJ and Aunt Emily, who are coming to visit from Seattle this week. We also are excited for Halloween and, weather permitting, plan to take the babies out around the cul de sac in their bear and bunny outfits. It should very cute.

Have a Happy Halloween!

Quads 10/21 Update: Weigh In, Toys, and a New Au Pair

2006-10-21T14:24:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Thanks for continuing to follow our blog. We've had a great week. This was Dan's last full week off of work, so we've been spending lots of time with the babies and at the same time trying to complete home projects (painting, setting up cribs, unpacking garage, etc.). We are all doing great.

We had a doctor appointment on Tuesday and the babies continue to grow like crazy. Matthew hit 9 lbs, while Naty is catching up to the pack at 7 lb. 6 oz. Sofi and Sam are right in between at 8 lb. 3 oz and 8 lb. 14 oz. All are healthy and happy. We are so very lucky and thankful.

We've noticed that Matt and Sam are starting to look a lot alike as they grow. It's especially noticiable when they are in hats, since their hair is the most notably different feature. See below. :)

The babies have been staying up a lot more during the days (playing and fussing), and are sleeping longer and more soundly at night. This allows Dan and I to do the night feedings by ourselves, which has been nice. The babies have grown too big to double up in the bassinets in our room at night, so we have spread them out into two double bassinets. We also set up two cribs in the nursery for the daytime. They look so tiny in them, it is totally adorable.

As you can see from the pictures, we have lots of new toys. The babies are having a ton of fun in their swings, bouncers, playmats, and strollers.

We have all been enjoying the beautiful fall weather. We took the babies on their first walk, and have also learned to do football Saturdays babystyle. Sometimes it is with a big group of family and friends, and sometimes it is quieter.

The babies (and grammy and grandpa) are super excited about the Tigers making it to the World Series. We think the babies are personally responsible for all the good sports karma around here. :) Go Blue and Go Tigers!!!

The final news is that we have hired a new au pair to help with the babies as Dan goes back to work. Her name is Camila and she is from Brazil. She loves working with babies and is up for an adventure. We're really looking forward to her starting on Monday.

Talk to you soon!!

Quads 10/13 Update: Quads Due Date, Dr. Visit and More News Coverage!!

2006-10-13T13:39:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! So sorry we haven't updated the blog in a week. We got a little buried and there isn't a ton of new news. Today was the Quad's official due date and my sister's birthday..

Happy Birthday Silvia!!

On to the update!

The quads went to see Doctor Miele last week. They were given a great bill of health. They are all growing really well. Matthew is up to 7 lb. 12 oz., which is in the top 75% for newborn boys of his age; Sammy weighed 7 lb. 5.5 oz. (65%); Sofia weighed 6 lb. 15 oz. (75% on the girl chart); and little Natalia weighed 6 lb. 5 oz. (50%). We are so very lucky that they are healthy and growing so well. We are going back in a month for their next check-up. It was also the first time we traveled with all four in the new minivan, so there was major cuteness going on.

**Salinas Quads Growth Chart**
	8/29/2006		9/20/2006		10/3/2006
	Birth Weight	Length	Weight	Length	Weight	Length
Matthew	5 lbs 2 oz (2.32kg)	18" (.45m)	6 lbs 4oz (2.83kg)	19 5/8" (.5m)	7 lbs 12 oz (3.52kg)	20 1/4" (.51m)
Natalia	4 lbs 2 oz (1.87kg)	17" (.43m)	5 lbs 4 oz (2.38kg)	18" (.45m)	6 lbs 5 oz (2.86kg)	19" (.48m)
Samuel	4 lbs 15 oz (2.24kg)	17" (.43m)	5 lbs 14 oz (2.66kg)	19 1/4" (.49m)	7 lbs 5.5 oz (3.33kg)	20 1/4" (.51m)
Sofia	4 lbs 7 oz (2.01kg)	17 1/4" (.44m)	5 lbs 9 oz (2.52kg)	18 3/4" (.48m)	6 lbs 14.8 oz (3.14kg)	19" (.48m)

Finally, the babies got to be celebrities again. Channel 7 (ABC) news came to film a story for the 5pm news last week. See pictures below! I am working on digitizing the video..Thanks everyone!!