Monday, February 2, 2009

18 Months!!

Saturday the babies officially turned 18 months! Wow, I can’t believe how fast the time has gone. They are really turning into little people now and it won’t be much longer before I will have to stop calling them “babies”. They are learning new things at an amazing rate. They are anxious to be like the big kids and do everything that they can do, and they get frustrated when they can’t do everything they try to do. They are climbing on everything and figuring out new ways get into things that are off limits. They all love to sing action songs like Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes and the Wheels on the Bus. They also love Ring Around the Rosie—although they haven’t quite got the concept of holding hands in a circle. Instead, they each hold on to one of my fingers and walk around.

Their language skills are really improving. They don’t say a lot, but I can tell they understand quite a bit of what I say. Some of their favorite words are: shoes, ball, bath, and uh-oh. Kassidy’s first and favorite word is “please”. A few of the babies have also started saying “Thank you”. Kyndall can sing “ashes, ashes all fall down” and “clean-up, clean-up”. Actually, the most interesting thing to me are the words that they are NOT saying---they rarely say mom or dad and not one of the babies says “no” yet.


Rustin, Kaydence, Kyndall, Ryder and Kassidy--My attempt at getting a group shot this week. I actually wasn't planning on trying for a group shot, but when I started to take a picture of one baby on the couch, all the other babies wanted to join in! By the time I got the last one sitting on the couch, however, the first ones up were ready to take off!


Brief update on each of the babies:


Kassidy

If I had to pick one who is the “leader of the pack”, Kassidy is it. She considers herself to be the “Queen Bee”, and she lets the others know it! She is very opinionated and determined to get her way. If I try to read her a story that she doesn’t want, or give her cereal she didn’t pick, she will throw a fit. She is quite smart and has figured out which things are “hers”—jammies, bed, bib, etc. Once I accidentally put her in Kaydence’s bed and she really let me know it! Some of the other babies, like Kyndall, are a little bit afraid of her because she can be vicious when she wants something. On the other hand, she can be very sweet and thoughtful. When Ryder starts crying, she looks for his binky and tries to put it in his mouth. At bedtime, she will bring me the jammies of whatever baby I am holding. If she finds something on the floor that she knows is not supposed to be there, she will bring it to me.

Kaydence

Kaydence is my “Little Miss Sunshine”. She is very sweet and is still my most cuddly baby. She is quick to laugh and can often get the other babies to laugh with her. She is also my best eater and is usually willing to try anything I give her. She has always liked having a “clean plate”, so whatever she doesn’t eat she tries to hand off to some other baby or throw overboard.

Rustin

Rustin is also a pretty aggressive little guy—he is probably the “second in command” to Kassidy. His size makes it easier for him to get what he wants. He is my least cuddly baby, but when he does give a hug, it is a good one. As an infant, he always seemed so serious, but he has turned into quite a happy guy. He has some of the greatest facial expressions and he gets really excited about things. He is my best climber and doesn’t seem to be afraid of anything.

Kyndall

Kyndall is still my little peanut. She is sweet and easygoing, unless she feels like she has been wronged (and with four bigger siblings around, she gets picked on a lot). When she knows I am coming for her, she loves to run and hide in a small corner or space. She can be amazingly quiet and I once started to panic because I couldn’t find her—only to hear her laughing behind the rocking chair a few minutes later. As far as babies go—she is my easiest. She takes great naps and wakes up happy—she usually plays in her crib till I finally go check on her (unlike the other babies who let you know the minute they wake up!). She has the biggest vocabulary of all the babies so far.

Ryder

Ryder continues to be my high maintenance man! He is cute as can be, but he demands a lot of attention! He is also my worst sleeper and we usually have to isolate him from the rest at night so that he won’t wake them up in the middle of the night. Unfortunately he is still really attached to his pacifier, a habit I know I need to break him of, but sometimes it is the only way I can put him down and attend to the needs of the other four babies! He is a trouble magnet and is usually the first one on the scene when a door to a forbidden place (ie bathroom, pantry, my bedroom) is left open. He loves vacuums---hopefully that will last until he is actually old enough to use one!

First Day of Nursery!

Because they are now 18 months, they are allowed to go to the nursery at our church. Sunday was their first day. They loved it! I snuck inside during the middle to check on them (and snap a few pictures) and they were having so much fun that they didn’t even care that I was there. It helps that my friend, Virginia, is one of the nursery workers!

Everyone at our church has been incredibly supportive throughout this whole adventure. Several families in the ward have “adopted” a baby to help with during church. This week, when church was over, it was so sweet to see all these families lined up outside the nursery door to see how “their” baby did in nursery! Here are a few pictures from the big day!

Ryder and Rustin

Kaydence

Kyndall and Kassidy

More recent pictures:

Ryder, Rustin and Kaydence on the window ledge in the backyard. If you look close, you can see Riley looking through the window on the other side.


Kassidy


Rustin and Kyndall


The Book Club: Kyndall, Rustin, Kaydence, Kassidy and Ryder


Searching for "leftovers"--Kaydence, Ryder, Kassidy and Rustin


Ryder, Rustin, Kassidy, and Kyndall


Kaiya before church on Sunday



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24 comments:

Stephanie said...

Wow...I can't believe they are 18 months already! Hooray for nursery! I'm glad they loved it. I love it when you post the "milestones" for each baby. It is fun to read what each baby is like since I still haven't met them!

Anonymous said...

I am a lurker, but I love reading your blog! I was wondering if you were going to have them go into nursery. I know it is still RSV season, and I didn't know if you were going to let them go to nursery yet, since I know that there are sometimes sick kids in nursery. But that is great that they were able to go and have a great time! I know you had a post quite a while back about which of the babies looked like Riley and Kaiya, and in this post, I could really see a resemblance between Kaydence and Kaiya and Rustin and Riley. Just an observation of mine =]

Joni said...

Another lurker here. I have a baby the same age and I love to check up on yours! You can tell that they are so well taken care of and loved -- such happy kids. They're all looking so big and like real little people. I sure hope it's getting a bit easier, but knowing how mine is getting quite a bit more opinionated...!

Buggles said...

How can they be 18 months old already?? How?? They are so cute!


I'm curious as to what HEB donated to you... on the Jones' blog they mention they donated a load of stuff to you.

Natalie said...

Hi! My husband, George Potter, served in Thailand with your husband and saw the update on you guys on the mission webpage. A belated congrats. I think you are amazing. We have a 3 year old who was born at 24 weeks and had a whole host of NICU issues. She is doing great now but I confess she still has her pacifier. WAY too old for it but it gives us nap time and sanity, so don't sweat Ryder's pacifier knowing you have a year and a half before you are worse than us!

The Queen Vee said...

What a treat to read about the quints progress at 18 months. I have been very strongly educated in the past 18 months myself on how strong nature is in each of us. The quints personalities arrived with them at birth. In so many ways they have grown and changed but not in their temperaments. I remember helping to care for those five and even though there has been great change and growth in many ways they are still the same. I remember Kyndall waiting patiently to be fed. Kassidy demanding your attention. Sweet Kaydence a ray of sunshine and sweet snugggles. Rustin the least cuddly but such a good eater and sleeper. I loved caring for all but as a baby Ryder was a lady killer, we were all smitten with Mr High Maintenance Man.

Miss Kaiya continues to grow in beauty, I love this picture of her.

Going into the nursery is a bench mark event and I agree that I don't think you can call them babies anymore. Now it's onto the "terrible twos."

Anonymous said...

I love your photos. but i thought Kyndall was the 6th kid born because with the picture with just Kyndall in it you said something like she has 4 older brothers and sisters when she has Riley, Kiaya, Kassidy, Kaydence, and Rustin. just wanted know. cute kids. have you guys seen the TV show Jon and Kate plus 8? you should check it out it is on TLC.

Anonymous said...

Hope the next 18 months...or years get easier and easier!! They are just adorable and those pictures of Kaiya are so precious. You have such an amazing family.

-Hannah (twin cities, MN)

Carroll Family said...

They are getting SO BIG!!! It's so fun to hear about their little personalities - it's hard to tell from a picture. They are so sweet - and apparently so different!

gilloth/Edina said...

it was so interesting to "peak" into their personalities.
As they grow, it seems it's more easier to see kids' personalities - it may be so with yours as well :)
Truly they are born with the seed of their personalities, some things can change but the core remains,I think.
Huh, I have a strange feeling that Kyndall resembles Riley a bit, somehow; but maybe only for my eyes. :)

tck4texas said...

Oh Happy Day! Nursery- the quints have arrived! I can't believe 18 month has passed already. I'd love to come visit and play. Have a great weekend!

Anonymous said...

wow, the quints are starting to look soooo grown up. In those last few pics they really look like little kids, not babies anymore.

So Cute!

Full House said...

Oh Rachelle, we are heading into a whole new frontier aren't we. It's so good to see how these babies are coming along.

It's making me a little teary just thinking about it because time is flying by so quickly. The part that you said they are alomost not babies anymore. They really are just little midgets without all of the skills. I can't keep my kids off of the kitchen table and it's driving me crazy. I guess this is a bittersweet stage. "I don't know about you but these last few months have gotten harder again. Got to love these sweet angels though.

Do you ever struggle with the feeling of inadequacy? I sometimes feel like I'm not giving my kids the amount of attention that they need.

I'm so glad your my friends because I think you are awesome.

Chrisitna

Anonymous said...

Kaydence looks very grown up in JEANS! (in that first pic of the recent pics section). She's a cutie.

Kelly said...

When I was visiting your ward, I thought that one of the babies that someone was holding looked familiar. Then I realized it was a Wilkinson baby and loved how you had them all farmed out to be able to take care of your church duties. What a lucky nursery to get the quintuplets all at once! Happy One and a Half to them all! They look irresistible, as always.

Jeannie said...

Woo hooo for nursery! What a happy day @ church! 3 hours @ church from months 12-18 are always so fun that I like to think by the time 18 months come around you are really, really happy :)

Congratulations on the fun milestone, they are soooo cute, I miss them a ton!

Jennifer said...

What a great day when they can all go to nursery, and even better they loved it!! They are all so cute and the updates are great. Is is just me or does Rustin look like his big brother(Riley) or what? I love the pictures of Riley on the inside of the window. Kaiya is a beautiful little girl and Kaydence looks just like her.

Schauers Hours said...

Wow they look so big, especially Kaydence with all that hair! Time has flown double fast for me being so far from the situation!

Schauers Hours said...

Oh, and I wanted to tell you about Weston singing the Quint Olympic Theme song. Took me a while to figure out what tune he was singing, but obviously we are big fans.

amykins said...

Rachelle,
I remember when my 10 yr old son went to nursery. I finally got to listen in class and relief society again. When I served in nursery we had only one nursery.Sometimes we have 2 or 3 now until they do moonbeams(right before sunbeams sort of to prepare them}. It went through my head a few times if you had to open another nursery? Maybe the January change over created a little space in nursery. Just in time for your little guys. I love reading your blog, and the example you set. Amy

Capturing Joy with Kristen Duke said...

love this update! so fun that they are 18 months now, they are adorable and I love that book club picture. It is also fun to read about their unique traits. They will love reading this when they are older.

Crazy Granny said...

What an amazing book club.

Alisa said...

Aww Happy 18 months!

Leah said...

Hi, I read your blog often! Babies are so cute! I'm thinking Kaydence looks ALOT like Kaiya!