Quad Q&A: "Best Thing About Quads"

This is the last of our Q&As with the Quad Moms. Like Mrs. Domino said in her comment on one of the previous Quad Q&A posts, "Just knowing quad mommies survive and have enough time to answer questions online is inspiring!"

Click here if you missed the rest of our "Q&A with the Quad Moms" series or just keep scrolling down to catch up on it all.

We'll write up a thank you to everyone involved in our Quadathon next week, when I catch my breath, but for now we want to especially thank Suz, Jen, Gen and Mari for their time, humor and inspiring words.

12. What's the best thing about having quads?

• Suz Steece - jeez....do you have all day to sit and talk with me, b/c i could go on and on and on and on about this one! there is so much i could say here! number one, we are MORE than beyond blessed to just have ONE child period. we know what it is like to struggle with infertility and that aching desire to get pregnant with a healthy baby...so, what a blessing that God has entrusted us with four at one time--it is truly amazing and humbling.
  
  as my babies grow and develop, i am watching them interact more and laugh with each other--that just makes my heart melt into mush! what an incredible bond and friendship they will carry with each other for their entire lives! their best friends were formed right there with them in the womb and they have been together ever since! i cannot begin to imagine that type of bond and absolutely LOVE watching their closeness.
  
  other things i love about having quads: 4 smiling faces in the morning, 4 babies crawling all over me at once, slobbery wet kisses, 4 babies simultaneously laughing, watching my husband become this amazing father, watching joe play with the kids & making them laugh, having an instant family--"just add water"!

• Jen Murray - Knowing that I get to watch 4 MIRACLES grow up together....
  Watching them make each other laugh...
  Milestone Moments x4!....
  Seeing Brad as an AMAZING father....
  Saying Goodnight to 4 Little Sleeping Bodies....
  Watching them Be a Source of Joy for Others...
  Feeling Blessed Beyond Belief!


• Gen McNulty - Being able to sit back now, and watch them laugh and interact with each other. They really are hysterical to watch: One second they're laughing, one second they're screaming, and the next they're kissing and making up.

• Mari Goerlich - There are lots of babies to go around - no one feels left out from getting some cuddle time. And oddly enough, I think it makes you a little more relaxed as a first time parent.

...INSPIRING is right.

Quad Q&A: "Best Parenting Advice?"

Here's the second to last question we asked the quad moms. Click here if you missed the rest of our "Q&A with the Quad Moms" series or just keep scrolling down.

11. What's your best piece of parenting advice? Serious or funny. It can even be duct tape on diapers, Gen.

• Suz Steece - hee hee, nice one Gen! we will definitely be using that one of these days! duct tape is my best friend! ha
  
  LAUGH LAUGH LAUGH! i believe in any situation you can find humor. sometimes when you are at your very lowest and don't think you can go on, 1st pray, then LAUGH. find SOMETHING in the situation to laugh about. grab your camera, snap some shots--it might not be funny now, but give it an hour, day, week, month, year--and i'm sure you will be able to laugh about it eventually!
  
  

  you have to constantly make an effort to stay positive throughout everything--from the pregnancy to the NICU to the sleep-deprived nights to the temper tantrums--or you could easily lose your mind!

  make your husband a priority and really work on spending one-on-one time with him EVERY day--it can be something as little as sharing a cup of coffee before the morning feed...but you must really make the effort to keep your marriage strong. beg people to watch the kids for one hour so you can grab some food with your hubby! it is SO important!

  and last but definitely NOT least, i don't know what i would do without God or my faith, friends and family who have helped us out TREMENDOUSLY throughout this roller coaster ride called: "life with quads". Lean on those positive influences in your life and do NOT be too prideful to ask for- or accept help!

• Jen Murray - Be confident. You are the parent - you have God-given instincts - use them! Although people have great intentions when offering you their advise, you know your own baby better than anyone else in the world, so don't be afraid to be bold about what's best for him/her when it comes to sleep, food, schedules, etc.

• Gen McNulty - RELAX!!!!!!!!! CHILL OUT!!!! Don't sweat the small stuff. Being a parent is hard enough. Don't worry about the little things that you can't control. You're blessed just to be a parent - enjoy the ride.

• Mari Goerlich - Your children are teaching you more about yourself than you are teaching them - take time to reflect and learn all that you can.

One more tomorrow...

Quad Q&A: "How Many Other Blogs Do You Check?"

Sorry about the delay. Our internet was down last night, which is not fun for a baby blog addict or someone in the middle of a quadathon! Anyway, we're back with part 5 of our Q&A with the Quad Moms. Click here if you want to see the series so far, or just keep scrolling down.

9. How many other blogs do you check a day?

• Suz Steece - gotta LOVE i google subscriptions!--saves me a TON of time! 5 MUST READS (my other quad mamas) and about 10 total (if i have time).



• Jen Murray - It honestly depends on the day and who updates. I try to check on my quad-mamas daily and there are about 10-15 of them across the country that I follow. I also try to keep track of some of my faithful readers and friends and family.
  
  
• Gen McNulty - 1. Jen M. 2. Suz S. 3. Mari G.



• Mari Goerlich - We check about 4 - 5 blogs a day. I have many others that I we check in on from time to time.

10. Who does most of your blog updates - you or your husband?

• Suz - ME!



• Jen - Usually I do, but I think Brad is the better writer. I LOVE it when he posts! He was the original blogger during the pregnancy, but passed off the torch to me after the boys were born.



• Gen - In the beginning, Conor. Now, it's me. He still contributes, but it's been a great outlet for me to have. And it's our kids baby book so I didn't want to let it fall behind. I've ended up loving it.. btw!! :)



• Mari - Most of the time we post together - it's fun for us to go through pictures together or come up with funny stories about the kids together.

Our quadathon is quickly coming to an end. We'll have another Q&A tonight and one more tomorrow. Then next week, we'll go back to posting fun parenting tips, baby news and blog features and we'll continue to have more giveaways.

Quad Q&A: "Funniest Comment About Quads?"and "Funniest Mommy Brain Moment"

Here's Part 4 of our Q&A with the Quad Moms. Click here if you missed Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 or just keep scrolling down.


7. What's the funniest comment you've received about having quads?

• Suz Steece - oh man...jeeeez...there are lots! umm..."quadruplets?...oh...so that's three, right?"
  
  
• Jen Murray - We get "Do Quads Run In Your Family?" quite often, and I'm tempted to say, "Why, YES! I'm a quad, my husband is a quad, my great-great grandfather was a quad...we come from a LONG line of quads!"
  
  
• Gen McNulty - Did you do this on purpose? Wow, triplets!
  
  
• Mari Goerlich - "4 babies!? That's what happens when you take that fertilizer."

8. What's your funniest "mommy brain" moment (either while pregnant or since the babies arrived)?

• Suz - oh man, there were a LOT! we quad moms had it really bad because there were FOUR babies in there sucking the oxygen out of the blood that was going to our brains!
  
  i guess, when i was pregnant it would have to be the time i flashed an entire waiting room of people! you know how when you are pregnant, your body is completely changing constantly--well i was completely oblivious to the draft i was feeling down below.



• Jen - Probably remaking formula over and over, back in the severe sleep deprived days, because I would loose count of how many scoops I would put in each bottle. Counting to 3 has never been so difficult in my whole life!
  
  
• Gen - Oh MY GOD. If you only knew!! I literally can't remember my own name some days. let alone other important things. My husband finally got me a PDA and a laptop to help me put my brain on the computer. I've been a mess since having the kids. If I don't put it down in writing...it's gone...gone gone gone gone! I've said and done too many embarrassing things to remember.
  
  
• Mari - After the babies were born, a representative from the hospital records department came into the room to get all of the names for the babies' birth certificates. I couldn't remember the middle names we chose so I had to look on our blog. I was so embarrassed! I'll blame it on the pain meds:)

Don't miss today's giveaway for the Natural Baby Starter Kit below. Still more to come tomorrow from our interviews with the quad moms.

Quad Q&A: "Your Own Show?" and "Most Embarrassing Moment?"

Here's Part 3 of our Q&A with the Quad Moms. Click here if you missed Part 1 and Part 2.

5. A blog is one thing, but would you ever allow cameras into your house to tape you every day for a show like "Jon and Kate Plus 8"?

• Suz Steece - that's a tough one. i immediately think, NO WAY. but then i remember what kate said about how all of these wonderful moments are captured on video--video that she would not have the time or effort to put together herself! so, i dunno....it would definitely be one of those things that i would have to assess every tiny detail and pray over like crazy! ultimately, it would come down to what is best for our family.

• Jen Murray - Funny you asked, since we were just "approached" with the idea, but no, I don't think so....Our lives are already a sitcom.

• Gen McNulty - Good question. I don't know. We've been on TV a lot in our area. It's fun to have that on tape for the kids. I don't think we would ever do anything that invasive, though.

• Mari Goerlich - Cameras would be totally different. I don't have to be sure I'm out of my jammies at 2 pm in the afternoon if I'm blogging.

6. What's your most embarrassing "quad moment?"

• Suz - hmm...the first thing that comes to my mind is when i'm in the NICU, doing several camera interviews (i think i sound like a hill-billy texan...and joe likes to make fun of my twangy accent!) and i am telling one camera crew about the birth order....and i say so matter-of-factly: "drew was born first, then BEN, then ethan, and then SAVANNAH" WHICH IS TOTALLY WRONG! i didn't even catch it until that night when i was watching it on the news! i felt so stupid! i'm sure the nurses were all laughing at me....thinking: what a good mom! ha.

• Jen - PREGNANCY : There is no modesty in a multiple pregnancy experience!

• Gen - Oh, let me count the ways... It's hard to say one for sure. The first flight we took with them was pretty humbling. Nothing like the looks on the faces of people when we got on the plane with 4 screaming kids....

• Mari - A lady and her daughter sat in their car next to me at a Target parking lot watching me load babies into the car in the 100 degree Houston heat. Of course I blogged about it - you can read that one here.

Don't miss today's giveaway for shooshoos below. More from our interview with the quad moms tomorrow and the rest of the week.

Quad Q&A: "How Popular?" and "Pressure to Entertain?"

We hope you are having as much fun getting to know these four amazing quad moms as we did interviewing them and now posting their answers.

On Thursday, we asked them, "Did you know what a blog was before you found out you were pregnant?" and "When something happens in your own household, do you think, I am so blogging about this?" Click here to see what they told us.

Here are two more questions we asked the quad moms and their answers. More to come throughout the week.

3. Did you realize how popular your blog was going to be (strangers from around the world checking in on you daily) when you started it?

• Suz Steece - NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! it is a little ridiculous! but amazing at the same time. very humbling (sometimes scary).



• Jen Murray - Absolutely not and I might not have started blogging in the first place knowing what I know now! I think it's just the boys' sweet faces that draws people in - not that I'm biased or anything! It's a privilege to share our miracle story of how God has blessed our family with others across the world!



• Gen McNulty - No Idea. It's AMAZING how the web can bring us all together.



• Mari Goerlich - I thought it would just be a cool e-diary and to keep up with out-of-town family. We also hoped that maybe it would touch someone else who was going through similar things.

4. Do you ever feel "pressure" to be entertaining in your blogs since you've set such high and comedic standards for yourselves?

• Suz - YES! which is sometimes frustrating when you just don't have time! i remember traveling one weekend and not updating for almost a full week and i keep thinking to myself (while on vacation), "man, i had better blog soon or my blogger fans might be knocking on my door soon!" it is unreal!



• Jen - Yes, especially after a great post series, but the boys come up with great blogging material. They ALWAYS give me something to write about!
  
  
• Gen - No, I really don't. Sometimes our posts are funny, sometimes they are serious... but, they are always real. Our blog is just us, it's who we really are. We laugh a lot, make fun of each other a lot, and try to always share the comedy of our own lives.



• Mari - I wouldn't say we feel pressure to be entertaining but we strive for it. As much for ourselves as anyone else, I guess.

More Q&As with the Quad Moms tomorrow and throughout the week.

Also, don't miss our giveaway for the organic silk hooded sweater below. This contest ends Monday at 8am when another giveaway will begin.

Quad Q&A: "What's a Blog?" and "I'm So Blogging About This"

We hope you've enjoyed getting to know the Steeces, Murrays, McNultys and Goerlichs through our blog spotlights. Now, it's time to get to know these super moms behind the scenes. We asked them quite a few questions and they were so eager to answer them all for us. Here are the first two Q&As. We'll post the rest throughout the next week.

1. Did you know what a blog was before you found out you were pregnant?

• Suz Steece - Yes! I had been blogging for about 2 years prior to getting pregnant just to start my own online journal and keep up with friends, family, etc. (I think a total of 10 people actually read it! One and two being my mom and dad! ha)
  
  
• Jen Murray - I first learned about blogging through a friend's blog shortly after we found out we were expecting triplets (we found out they were actually quads two weeks later) and told Brad (my husband) that I thought it would be a perfect way to communicate some of our pregnancy updates and specific prayer requests to our friends and family. I had NO IDEA "back in the day" that it would be passed along and receive thousands of hits a day.
  
  
• Gen McNulty - I had NO idea. Conor had to explain it to me at least 50x's. It was this whole world i knew NOTHING about. I never imagined that I would end up being the one writing it!! And... that I would make such amazing friends through it.
  
  
• Mari Goerlich - I had never blogged before getting pregnant with quads but once I saw how easy it was and how much fun it was to keep up with other quad families, I was hooked.

2. When something happens in your own household, do you think, I am so blogging about this?

• Suz - ABSOLUTELY! It keeps everything interesting!!!
  
  
• Jen - Since I use the blog as a memory book, I try to post some of biggest moments and laughs of our lives. However, the blog is just a "snip-it" of our lives. Some things we choose to keep personal and not share with the "lurkers" of the blogosphere. Other times, I can't wait to upload specific pictures for a blog post.
  
  
• Gen - Absolutely!! Blogging can be a lot like therapy. You just barf all your thoughts online and ... few.. you feel so much better!
  
  
• Mari - That's the beauty of blogging. When I have a really crummy day I often think, "well at least it's good blogging material." And then if I blog about it, it's always good therapy too.

Stay tuned for more Q&As throughout the next week. In the meantime, check out and enter our new giveaway above for an organic silk hooded sweater from a b sea.