Lauren Loves cheerleading!!

WE have been having such a great time these past couple of weeks. They are really showing their own personalties. Gavin is so layed back and loves to play and roll around on the ground. Reese has a mind of her own. She loves to have your attention. Maggie gets her feelings hurt very easily, but is constantly smiling at you. Lauren knows what she wants and if she is not getting what she wants she will let you know. Jon and I have also noticed they are really starting to notice each other. They will smile and laugh at each other. This morning Reese was trying to hold Lauren's hand!! It was just so sweet. They just love each other so much!

Gavin loves rolling around!
Watching Baby Einstein
Reese does not love getting her picture today, she is so cute!
They are cheering on the USA during the olympics! They loveing watching it on TV.

Last week Aunt Risa came to visit and we discovered that Lauren loves cheerleading!!! Yay!!! Aunt Risa would do cheers and Lauren would laugh and at the end she would say "again!" Here is a video of it.

Celebrating 6 Years in Chicago

Wow! What a weekend Tiff and I had. I have to say I have the sweetest wife in the world. On our anniversary (7/27)Tiff suprised me with 2 Cubs tickets vs. the Pirates for this Saturday. It gets much better than this, Tiff's friend, Andrea, works for the Cubs and was able to get us on the field to watch batting practice including a few snapshots in the dugout. During the middle of the 5th inning a message popped up on the scoreboard: "Happy Anniversary - Happy 6 Years Jon & Tiffany Michaels." Talk about a dream day for me! I can't forget to say "Thanks, Andrea!"

Also, thanks to my parents, my sister Kassie, and our great friend Kori Gettle for watching the quads while we were gone. You guys helped make everything possible for us this weekend.

Okay, after the game we traveled to downtown Chicago and bought tickets for the Sunday showing of the play Wicked. We were lucky enough to get 9th row. From downtown we went to the suburbs/Oakbrook and had dinner/dessert at the Cheesecake Factory followed by some shopping. To wrap up our perfect day we went to the Westin to relax, swim, and get a good nights rest. Our rest was so good we slept in until 10 a.m. Sunday. Something neither of us have done for a very long time.

On Sunday we made our way back downtown for a little more shopping and watched the play Wicked. Very cool musical/play. One of the best we've seen! From there we traveled home to see the kids. I think they grew over night!

In the dugout at Wrigley Field

Batters circle

We made it on the scoreboard!

Tiff just looks like a Cub fan!

Hanging out

Hi!! Well it has been FOREVER since our last post! The babies are doing great! They had a couple of shots yesterday. We have decided to spread them out, so it feels like we are at the Dr. Marshall's constantly. They love going to see her and her staff!!!!

Our current weights:

Gavin = 11lbs 8.2 ounces
Reese and Maggie = 10 lbs 13.2 ounces
Lauren= 8lbs 13.2 ounces (she is getting so big:) )

The quads getting ready for bed! (this was a couple of weeks ago)

Gavin and Maggie getting ready for their bath! They love each other!!
A quick photo shoot with their new outfits from their best buddy Miss Gettel!!

Good news we are off our Monitors!!!! Yeah, we gave them back last week!!! What a relief!

We don't think Lauren is going to be a Cub's fan much to Jon's dismay!

Here we are getting ready for bath time!

Fathers Day/ Jon's Birthday

We had a great Father's day which happened to be Jon's birthday! We went to Jon's parents for a cookout. It was Lauren's first time to Grandma and Grandpas!!! She loved it!!!

Reese and Maggie relaxing on the coach

Daddy and Lauren watching the Cubs game


Gavin and Lauren holding hands, they are best friends!!!


Reese hanging out at Grandma and Grandpa's on father's day:)

On our way home from Grandma and Grandpa Michaels!

Lauren is Home!!!!

Lauren is home! She came home last Friday. We have just been a little busy so sorry for the late post. We just love having the entire family under one roof!! Yeah!!! She is doing great and loves being with her sisters and brother. Lauren, as you can tell from the pictures, came home on oxygen. She is on the lowest settings and already trying to prove that she can go without it. We're anxious for the doctor to agree. None-the-less, Lauren remains very laid back and takes everything in stride. .

We have had such tremendous support since we have been home. Our "Loving Arms" group has been coming every other night to help with the 1:30 and 5 a.m. feedings. This allows Jon and I the opportunity to get a little shut eye during the night. On the nights where it's just Jon and I we are getting more and more efficient at feeding two at a time! Thank God for Boppies.

I would say, on average, we go through about 40-45 diapers a day. One can of formula will generally last us about 3-4 days, mixing in breast milk for every other feeding. While it sounds like a lot, were really enjoying every minute of our days. Jon is now back to being at work, instead of working virtually from home. My parents, Jon's parents, and several friends have been helping out during the day/evening. There is not enough time for this blog to express what these people mean to us. We will give them the proper introduction in our blogs to come.

Leaving the NICU for good:)

Maggie, Reese, and Lauren sharing their bed together. As usual, Mild Manner Maggie has her eyes open, exploring the world without a fuss.

Our nurse Laurie checking Lauren out of the NICU

Take me home Mom!!!

At last we're back together!

So cool to finally take this picture! Long awaited!

Neat Article/Video for us to look back on

Almost forgot to mention that on Mother's Day our local paper did a nice write up/video. It will be neat for our family to look back on! We really appreciated Paul Swiech, from the Pantagraph, for doing this story. He was so patient and courteous as he discovered our life journey over the past several years.

Feel free to check it out: http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2008/05/11/news/doc4825ab0c59c2d174582064.txt

Happy Belated Mothers Day!

What a week! Last Sunday we celebrated Mothers Day with both of our parents. They were gracious enough to join us at our house since we are a little less mobile than most:) We had a nice dinner, a few gifts, and a few photo's. While it was a great day, it just wasn't complete without Lauren here. Grandma and Grandpa Samuels were able to stop by Urbana to see Lauren which made Tiff and I feel much more at ease.

Last Wednesday we took Gavin, Maggie, and Reese to Urbana to have their eye appointments. Reese had already been cleared for 6 months, but decided to come along for the ride. Gavin and Maggie both had good appointments and won't have to come back until Reese does. After the appointment we went to see Lauren for a few hours. Lauren had her eye appointment later in the day and was also cleared for 6 months. Tiff and I have to take turns to see her since one of us has to stay with the G,M,&R. They do not allow any babies to enter the NICU after they have been released. Needless to say were ready to get here home! Lauren is on the lowest settings for her nasal cannula, .05. She still needs that little flow:( If she is not off this by next week we will be bringing Lauren home on oxygen. She currently weighs 5 lbs 14 oz.

Big time Congrats to our Kassie's!! We are so proud of them!

Jon's sister Kassie just graduated from Illinois State University! She completed school in 31/2 years and already has her job lined up. What an over achiever!

Tiff's sister Kassie just received her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Washington University in St. Louis and accepted a job offer! Hard work is really paying off. Unfortunately, we were not able to attend her graduation since it was in St. Louis. We missed you this past weekend, Kass, and are so proud of you!

Maggie, Gavin, Reese, and Mommy on Mother's Day

Aunt Kassie (Wash. U grad!), MiMi Samuels, Tiff and babies on Mother's Day

Aunt Kassie + Reese, Gavin, & Maggie on I.S.U. Graduation Day


Maggie is so happy to see her Dad.....not so much!

Our first walk in the neighborhood with the babies!

Photo Shoot

We are having so much fun at home. Who needs sleep!! Brenda (Jon's mom) and I decided to have a photo shoot yesterday. We had a blast! Here are a few of the pics.

I love this one!! Gavin is thinking what is wrong with Reese and Maggie has a sweet smile on her face as she leans on her brother!!!! I love it!!! We cant wait for Lauren to join these pictures!

Reese and Maggie are best friends!

Maggie resting on the coach

Tonight loving arms is coming and Jon and I cant wait! Those special friends have been a huge help!!!! THANK YOU!!!! Thank you Amy for putting so much time and effort into organizing this, we could not do it without them!

Maggie's Home!

Hello All! Things have been so busy for us the last couple of weeks! Most importantly, we brought Maggie home on Wednesday. She is adapting so well to "home" life. She has proven, thus far, to be the mild manner of the bunch. Very patient with just about everything.

It was very difficult to leave Lauren behind on Wednesday. Since Wednesday she has made unbelievable progress. For one, they have removed her feeding tube. She is taking her bottles at every feeding. She only has a low flow cannula remaining in which she is on the lowest settings (.1). We are praying for Lauren to come home before the quads normal due date of May 13th (if not sooner:)

For now we are keeping a tight feeding schedule with Maggie, Gavin, and Reese. Every three hours (11:30, 2:30, 5:30, ....) If we didn't we'd spend our whole day feeding and changing diapers. I've noticed that our organizational skills are really shaping up:) Amazing what a few babies at once can do to you:)

We had some great help this weekend. Aunt Kassie S. and Aunt Kassie M. came by to help with the overnight feedings. We are looking forward to having family and close friends get us through the night beginning this week. We are so blessed to have the support that we do!

Hope all is well with everyone out there! We appreciate all you prayers and support. We love to read your blogs on our site! Keep them coming.

Maggie taking a mid afternoon nap.

Miss Maggie


Mom & Lauren

Mom & Gavin

Gavin (left), Maggie (bottom right), & Reese

Reese being Reese

Gavin comes home....

Everything is going well here at Camp Michaels. Reese and Gavin have been a blast! We don't get a ton of sleep at night, but really don't seem to care (we must be rookies:). We're just enjoying being parents! Tiff absolutely loves staying home with the kids!

We're starting to think that Reese goes to sleep easier when she hears her brother upset. Crazy, huh! Gavin has no problem sleeping at night and doesn't seem to get to concerned with what mood Reese is in. We're hoping Maggie will be joining us by the end of this week, then Lauren not far behind. Lauren continues to catch up to her siblings. She's taking most of her bottles and is on the lowest settings or her cannula. Absolutely amazing!

Tiff and I want to thank everyone for their continued prayers and support. We couldn't be in a better place in our life right now!

Here are some recent pics of Reese and Gavin!

Gavin says "Bye Bye NICU"

Gavin loves his blanket from the Moore's

"Dad, could you get the camera any closer"

Reese with a chuckle....or was it gas???

"Give me Five Gavin!"

"Okay, seriously Mom! You've put me in a pink boppy! Wait till Dad gets home and finds out about this!"

" Pssss....Reese.....Wake up!"

How cute are we?

And They Start to Trickle In......

Only a two week delay on the blog:) Sorry about that, but things have been really busy for Tiff and I. We've been put in a unique situation of our babies being split up!

Last Thursday was a great day for the Michaels' clan. I had dropped Tiff off at the hospital, parked the car and came upstairs to the NICU. I went straight to see Lauren in her bed and she was gone! I turned around to find she had joined her siblings. All four in one crib! What a huge blessing!

Lauren (2nd from bottom) joined her brother and sisters

4 Amigos: L-R: Maggie, Reese, Lauren, and Gavin

Lauren has been doing so well. She is off the ventilator, on a low flow cannula, and took her entire first bottle the other day. What a difference a couple of weeks can make! We were able to get a quick pic of Lauren and her siblings before we TOOK REESE HOME!

Reese saying goodbye to the NICU.

We've enjoyed every minute of Reese being home. While it's been difficult to have our babies in two locations, it's been nice to transition into parenthood with Reese being home. Even spending awake time in the wee hours of the morning has been so cool for us! We have determined that Reese will be the "squeaker" of the bunch. She's a very affectionate girl and loves arms more than her moses basket! I would be doing Reese an injustice if I didn't mention how much she loves her pacifier too.

Reese just arriving home for the first time with Mommy

Current Weights:

Lauren - 4 lbs

Maggie - 5 lbs

Gavin - 6 lbs

Reese - 4 lbs 8oz

Tomorrow (Wednesday) will be twice as nice. We are bringing Gavin home. We're halfway there:) I can't wait to see Lauren, Maggie, and Gavin. It's almost been a week since I've seen them! Here are some more pics of the kids getting their baths:

Reese (left) & Maggie (right)

Gavin in his bath