Kindergarten Social!!!!

So, here we are.....almost the beginning of Kindergarten!!!!!  I can't believe it---we've made it this far!!! :)  Matthew, Emma, and Katie are attending the same private school as Nicholas.  Due to Austin's Aspergers diagnosis, I think it would be a better fit for Austin to attend the local public school that has an inclusion Kindergarten class.  An inclusion class is a class that has a regular education teacher as well as a Special Education teacher.  The ratio of those kids with issues to "typical" kids is about 1 to 5.  So, Austin will have the help of a Special Ed teacher, as well as be surrounded by "typical" kids, so he can  model their behavior. 

In any event, today we attended the Kindergarten Ice Cream Social at the private school.  All FIVE kids attended, and had so much fun---the best part???  They got seconds on ice cream! LOL  That was their favorite part!  All four little ones are very excited for the first day of kindergarten!  And I am excited at the thought of having more time to get things done around the house----but sad at the same time that my "miracle babies" are not really babies anymore :-(......

To Matty, Emma, Katie, and Austin.....My big KINDERGARTEN kids!!!!  I am SO PROUD of ALL of you!!!!  YOU all have amazed me since the moment you were born.......and now look at you guys!  Starting school......I know you will continue to amaze me with your achievements in school....YOU are all bright, caring, independent, and amazing little kids....You are all going to do GREAT things....I know it!  Mommy loves each of you sooo much...and I am so proud of you.  :)   

I wonder what you're doing right now
and if everyone is treating you kind.
I hope there is a special person,
a nice friend that you can find.

I wonder if the teacher know just
how special you are to me.
And if the brightness of your heart
is something she can see.

I wonder if you are thinking about
me and if you need a hug.
I already miss the sound of your voice
and how you give my leg a tug.

I wonder if you could possibly understand
how hard it is for me to let you grow.
On this day know that my heart breaks,
for this is the first step in letting my baby go.

Nicholas turns 10!!!!

Yes, my first baby boy turned 10 years old on August 7th.  Where has this decade gone????  We celebrated his birthday with friends and family at a local sports center---Nick chose kickball and roller skating!  He had a blast---a thank you to all of our friends and family for being so generous to him!  On his "actual" birthday, we took all the kids to Point Pleasant Boardwalk---and spent the day eating pizza, and going on rides!  What a lucky boy! 
From the day he was born, Nick has always been strong.  I remember clearly after he was born, he heard my voice, and he turned his head towards my direction.  Amazing!  And now, ten years later, he continues to be a strong little boy, among other things! :)  Nicholas LOVES sports----ALL sports!  LOL  He plays travel baseball, travel soccer, basketball, participates in karate, and Cub Scouts.  He is a pitcher, a first baseman, a point guard, a forward.....He loves all of them!  And I enjoy watching him play--such a natural. :) 

To my Nicholas, my Bubba, my Little Man......I am so proud of the little man you are becoming!  You make me laugh, you put a smile on my face, you're caring, and sensitive, and strong.  :)  I am so lucky to have been chosen to be your Mom.  Happy 10th birthday, my boy....Mommy loves you too much.  :)

Matthew Thomas Wilke

Matthew Thomas Wilke. Baby A. "Matty". 3.9lbs. 17 inches.

My Matty. The "oldest" of the crew. He was known as the "door greeter" in the NICU. He had the biggest eyes---and he would just lay there and STARE at you until you acknowledged him.

Matty has had his share of dr visits and such. At six months old, he was hospitalized for intestinal surgery. He had about 10 inches of his intestines removed due to dead tissue from NEC he developed in the NICU. He has seen the GI dr as well as been followed by a Nutritionist since birth. At one time we were concerned with his growth and Failure to Thrive, but not anymore. He is on the lower end of the growth charts now-but he's on them-and that's what counts. Since Austin is so tall, it is hard to not compare the two boys, b/c Matty is more on the petite side.
But with that being said, he is an energetic and fun loving little boy. He tends to be the "clown" of the group. He enjoys being silly and making the others laugh at his sillyness. Matty started wearing glasses this past Fall. He developed a lazy eye, that is being treated with prescription glasses. Matty loves the color red, and loves Lightening McQueen, Batman, and Spiderman. He also enjoys playing with babies with his sisters-where he is always the "Daddy".... :) Matty-Mommy loves you TOO MUCH!!!! I am so proud of you! XOXOXO

Emma Rose Wilke

Emma Rose Wilke. Baby B. 3.9lbs. 17.75 in long.

"Emma Rose-pretty as a rose" we used to whisper to her in the NICU. She would smile-as if she knew what we were saying. Emma is a spitting image of her daddy. When I look into her eyes, I see her daddy. There is definitely NO denying her! :)

Emma is such a good girl. She loves to please me. She enjoys cleaning her room "all by herself"--so that she can run and tell me she did so. She is very attached to her dad and me. She always is ready to snuggle with Mommy. Emma is so beautiful, and smart....she does really well at Memory game-she focuses on the cards so well, she is always a winner! Emma likes to shop, likes to play dress up, and loves playing with Katie. Emma is the first one to help Mommy--and she is so caring with her siblings. She is also the tattletale of the group! But I LOVE IT! Someone needs to be! :) She is the first one to tell me if someone is doing something they shouldn't be---and wants to make it clear she had NO part of it! :) Emma-Mommy loves you TOO MUCH! XOXOXO

Kaitlin Ann Wilke

Oh, my sweet Katie. Kaitlin Ann Wilke. "Surprise" Baby C. 3.8lbs and 17.5" long. What a surprise she was! Katie is the baby the doctors were unaware of until I was 29 weeks pregnant---two weeks before delivery!

Katie has come SO FAR in her short life. She amazes me EVERY day. She is smart, beautiful, caring, and definitely ornery!
"Katie girl" was hospitalized the longest of the quads. She was airlifted to Childrens Hospital in Philly when she was only 16 days old-after she stopped breathing on us in the NICU. CHOP doctors finally diagnosed her with a double arched aorta, and had that repair done to her heart a few days later. She spent 11 weeks in the hospital, in total. She was found to have swallowing problems, and had a GJ feeding tube placed in her stomach. She had a hard time being extubated after her surgery---the doctors were unsure why. It was a very scary time. I remember one doctor in particular, in those dark days that I didn't know what would happen when she could not be extubated....he pulled me aside and said, "Mrs. Wilke, she will be just fine. She's doing things at her OWN pace. When she wants to breathe on her own, she will." That dr gave me my first glimmer of hope in Katie's prognosis.
With that being said, Katie is a vibrant and energetic 5 year old! You would never know of her hospital stays the first year of her life, as well as her many helicoptor rides to CHOP, and intubations, etc. She is my fighter. She is headstrong and determined. She is a leader. All those nights in the NICU I told Katie to "fight".....well, she sure is now! lol
Katie is my twin-I love looking into her eyes--and seeing a piece of me look back....She resembles me so much when I was younger.
Katie is smart and beautiful. She can be a bit bossy. :) She can be serious and goofy all at the same time. She loves to put on "shows" for the whole family to watch-she calls herself the "Amazing Katie"--and loves to have the attention on her! She adapts to who she is playing with very easily. Katie loves animals right now. She loves playing doctor to the animals. She says she wants to be a "nurse for babies" when she is older....I sure hope her wish comes true! Katie girl--Mommy loves you TOO MUCH. XOXOXO

Austin Ryan Wilke-5 years old

Austin Ryan Wilke. Baby D. 4 lbs 18 inches long. My true "baby boy". I remember his little body having some bruising on it b/c of all the tugging and pulling it took for the dr to get him out of me. He was always the "healthiest" of the four kids.....
Austin was the first one to come home, right after Thanksgiving, about 3 weeks old. He was a good baby, always very content.

Austin has grown into an amazing and smart little boy. He "thinks" he is OLDER than the other three kids b/c he is so much taller! He is about a head taller than his quad siblings! He calls them "my kids"....lol. Austin likes to be "in charge". He likes to control the situations around him. He is very smart, and has a great vocabulary. He likes to figure things out. See how they work. Put things together. Take them back apart. He wants to figure things out on his own. He doesn't like accepting help. He likes to be very independent!

Austin was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome this past Spring. Aspergers falls within the Autism Spectrum, a very high functioning form of Autism. Austin has a great vocabulary, is very smart, however, could use some help with social skills. Since being diagnosed, I have worked hard to get Austin the services he needs. With the help of these services, Austin has made GREAT progress over the past few months-and I am very proud of him!

I am looking forward to continuing to watch him grow and explore the world around him-he is an amazing little boy! Austin-Mommy LOVES you TOO MUCH! I am so proud of you----XOXOXO

5th birthday professional pics

Again, I can't believe they are 5! I had a girlfriend of mine make these shirts for the kids...."1 of 4, 2 of 4, etc." Each kid chose their favorite shirt color---they came out super cute! Big kids!

FIVE years old?!?!

How can that even be possible???? I CANNOT believe my four "miracles" turned FIVE years old. What a journey it has been. I am amazed by my children every day....how smart they are, how beautiful they are, what great people they are becoming.
We celebrated their 5th birthday at a local gymnastics place. The kids LOVED it. I also allowed each of them to have their own "theme" cake...Matthew chose Lightening McQueen from CARS, Emma chose Tinkerbell, Katie chose Belle from Beauty and the Beast, and Austin wanted Transformers.... :) I really wanted to show them that they ARE quadruplets, but they also are INDIVIDUALS, with different interests and likes. They were thrilled to have their "own" cake with their "own" cake flavors and fillings.....
We had a great time celebrating with our friends and family. I am so fortunate to have such great people surrounding and supporting us!!!

First Day of Pre-K (9/2011)

"It was nice growing up with someone like you-someone to lean on, someone to count on.....someone to TELL on!"

Sisters and brothers.....forever...

"Sibling relationships - and 80 percent of Americans have at least one - outlast marriages, survive the death of parents, resurface after quarrels that would sink any friendship. They flourish in a thousand incarnations of closeness and distance, warmth, loyalty and distrust."
Erica E. Goode,

Girls' Christmas Dance Recital

This was a great year of DANCE in our family. This year, Lexi celebrated TEN years of dance with the studio she attends. CAN'T believe it's been TEN years since she's started. I look at her first dance pics and seriously, it seems like yesterday. AND this year, the little girls started dance class! We TRIED class LAST year, however, *I* ended up taking the class, NOT them! So this year, they went with the teachers with no problem, and enjoy it! They are in a ballet/acrobatic/tap class that meets weekly. Both really enjoy it. They had their first recital in December. Lexi did a jazz number to "Little Drummer Boy" and was REALLY good. The little girls did a "ballet" to "I'm the Greatest Star"....SUPER cute.....so glad I have it on video for years to come.... :-) SO proud of all three of my girls...

Where did 2011 go?!?

I can't believe it's been so long since I've updated this blog. I'm on Facebook too much! LOL Here are some updated pics from Christmas 2011. The kids and I are doing great...the babies turned 5 in November...Nick is 9, and Lexi will be 17 in May. Crazy how time flies. I will try and udpate here more often.....