Rub-a-Dub-Dub, Five Babies in a Tub

With my mother-in-law here this week, we decided to be adventurous and give the babies their first bath in the big tub. It was quite a workout getting everyone undressed, weighed, bathed and dressed again---all while trying to prevent drowning and other life-threatening activities. The babies had a blast, and in the end, so did we!

Bath in the Big Tub...By the Numbers

1 Grandma
1 Mom
1 Big Sister
2 Cameras
1 Video Camera
1 Big Garden Tub
4 Inches of Water
2 Towels on the bottom of the tub
5 Pairs of PJ’s to take off
2 Wet Diapers
3 Poopy Diapers
1 Puddle of she-she on the carpet

(Note: she-she = what we call urine at our house)
2 Towels and
20 Sprays of Spot Shot to clean it up
1 Baby Scale
5 Cute Naked Bums
1 Bottle of Baby Wash
5 Washcloths
1000’s of Splashes

10 Ears to wash behind

5 Heads of hair to wash
9 Puddles on the floor
5 Hooded Bath Towels
5 Clean diapers
3 Matching Girls Outfits
2 Matching Boys Outfits
1 Baby Brush
100’s of Smiles
5 Clean Happy Babies!

More Fun Pictures from the Week:

Ryder, Rustin, Kassidy and Kyndall

Everybody loves laundry day at our house!

The whole crew in the morning before school:
Kassidy, Riley, Kyndall, Kaiya, Ryder, Rustin, and Kaydence

Mother's Day Dinner on the Back Porch
Kyndall, Rustin, Ryder, Kassidy, and Kaydence

Rustin, Kassidy, Kaydence, Ryder and Kyndall

Baby Council: Ryder, Kyndall, Kassidy, Rustin and Kaydence

Rub-a-Dub-Dub, Five Babies in a Tub

Frequently Asked Questions, Set 1

I get asked a lot of questions, so I thought I would dedicate this post to answering some of the most common ones. Feel free to make a comment and ask any other questions, and I will answer them in another post.

Q: How did you feel when you found out you were pregnant with quintuplets?

A: Totally shocked and very scared. After the initial shock wore off, I kind of went into denial. The doctor had said that it was very common for one or more of the fetuses to spontaneously abort during the early weeks of the pregnancy, and I kept thinking that I would go back for another ultrasound and there would no longer be five.

Q: What did it feel like to have five babies moving around during the pregnancy?

A: It was very cool to feel the different babies moving. I expected it to feel like a major cat-fight was going on in there all the time, but it really didn’t. I think that space was so limited and I was stretched so tight, that there wasn’t a lot of room for movement. I could feel the babies move individually, though. The most interesting feeling was when a couple of them would get hiccups at the same time.

Q: How much weight did you gain during the pregnancy?

A: I gained a total of 69 lbs. The doctors wanted me to aim for 75-100 lbs, so I got pretty close. My total girth was 54 inches. I am only 5 feet 2 inches tall (62 inches), so I was almost as big around as I am tall.

Q: Do the babies have middle names?

A: The boys have middle names and the girls do not. The boys are Ryder Nelson (Nelson is Jayson’s mom’s maiden name) and Rustin Curtis (Curtis is my maiden name). Wilkinson is such a long last name that we figured the girls didn’t need middle names. I don’t have a middle name (although I use my maiden name as a middle name now) and my older daughter, Kaiya, doesn’t have a middle name either.

Q: Are they all identical?

A: The fact that there are both boys and girls makes it impossible for all the babies to be identical. There are no sets of identicals in my bunch---all of them look pretty different from each other.

Q: How many babies were you trying for?

A: ONE!!! All we wanted was one healthy baby! Even using fertility drugs, the odds were high (80%) that I would have a singleton. No one in their right mind would “try” to have five! It is such a huge risk to both the mother and the babies. We were extremely blessed to have such a favorable outcome. I definitely consider it a miracle!

Q: How are your older kids, Riley and Kaiya, handling things?

A: Riley and Kaiya have been champs through the whole thing. They have been great helpers and rarely get jealous of the attention that the babies receive. They have loved seeing themselves on TV every once in a while. Occasionally they will act out, but no more than if we had had one baby instead of five.

Q: How are YOU doing?

A: Great! After the initial recovery period where I had some complications (kidneys quit working, LOTS of swelling, etc.) I have been doing really well. Thanks to the wonderful “night nanny” volunteers, most nights I get some decent sleep, which really makes all the difference.


Q: How long do you think you will need help for?

A: Good question---maybe till the babies turn 18 and go off to college??? Just kidding. I really don’t know----things have gotten a little easier now that the babies are older, can hold their heads up and can be somewhat entertained by toys. But solid foods and crawling are just around the corner and that could definitely make things harder!

Q: How do you tell the babies apart?

A: They are all different. They all look different from each other and they have their own personalities. Ryder is the most animated. He has a huge smile. He demands the most attention and would love to be held 24 hours a day. Rustin is the most mellow of the bunch. He is very easy going and can seem quite serious, but he has a great giggle. Kyndall is the smallest of the bunch and is just a very sweet little thing. She and Rustin are my “easiest” babies. She is pretty easy to please and hardly ever gets really mad. Kaydence is full of fun. She loves to smile and play. She can also be very demanding at times. Kassidy is the most interactive with the other babies so far. She occasionally wakes up from naps laughing and almost always gives a huge smile when you go in to pick her up.

My "little" sister, Tiare, who was here visiting this week.

My brother, Shane, who was also visiting. If you can't tell, one of my favorite things to do with visitors is make them take a picture holding all the babies!!

Tummy Time! Kyndall, Ryder and Kassidy


Rustin, Ryder, Kassidy, Kaydence, and Kyndall with Big sister Kaiya

Frequently Asked Questions, Set 1

33 Weeks Today!! (7 more days to go)

Today marks 33 weeks! Just 7 more days until delivery, barring any unforeseen changes in my condition. I am actually amazed that I have made it this far. At the beginning of our journey, I had hoped and aimed for 34 weeks, but based on the statistics, thought that it would be unlikely that I would actually get there. I know that I have been very blessed to have made it this far, and to have spent so little time in the hospital, compared to other multiples moms. The doctor has also said that he will not put me on the mag again to stop contractions, which is another huge blessing. Again, I am so grateful for the many prayers on our behalf, many from people we don't even know, that have gotten us to where we are today.

My days are all pretty much the same. I am so large now that the only way to get semi-comfortable is to lay on one side or the other. When I am on my left side, I watch video's (I finished Gilmore Girls and am now working on Alias) and read emails. When I am on my right side I read books (I am 300 pages into Harry Potter). Eating meals is interesting, since I can't actually sit upright anymore--there is too much in the way. I try to sit up as much as I can, then I spread a big napkin over myself to catch anything that falls on the way to my mouth. The day we had spaghetti, my mess could have competed with that of a two-year-old. I love it when visitors come because it makes the time go by faster. It has been nice having my husband here this past week. My mom also makes it out to visit me several times a week, as does my aunt Jeanie. My kids like to come and visit, but I think it is more for the snacks and lemonade that I save them than it is for me :-)

Other than visitors, my favorite part of the day is still the "hydro-therapy" bath. I used to go down to the 3rd floor for the hydro because the tub up here on the 5th floor was broken. They fixed the tub up here a few days ago, however, so now I use it. The tub on the 3rd floor is shaped kind of like a little boat. The sides have doors to make getting in easier. The tub is filled part way before getting in, then the door is put back on the the tub is filled the rest of the way. The tub on the 5th floor is a little bit different, however. The tub itself is just a big, deep, tub---no doors so it can be filled all the way before getting in. There is a chair that I sit in that raises me up and over the tub and then lowers me down into the water. The first time I used it, I had a hard time not laughing the whole time. The noise the chair makes while rising sounds like a ride a Disneyland or something. You almost think that once you get to the top, the chair is going to drop suddenly. Fortunately, it doesn't, but it feels pretty silly to be up in the air in this chair, especially considering that it's purpose is to get me into the bath---so no clothes on! But once I finally get in the bath, it feels great! I am determined to get a picture of this tub before I leave here.

I have another growth ultrasound tomorrow and am anxious to see how much the babies have grown in the past two weeks. We also get to meet with one of the Neonatologists to talk about what happens with the babies after they are born. I will post the estimated weights tomorrow.

I just got a visit from Dr. Elliott a few minutes ago and he said that they are moving up my delivery time from 10 am to 8 am. As I type this, it is about 9 am, which means that at this same time next week, I will have babies!!! Kind of exciting to think about!

33 Weeks Today!! (7 more days to go)