Do you have any sense of how your life is different from the average parent’s because you have quadruplets?

There were so many times when the quads were babies that my husband and I would look at our friends with only one baby and envy their freedom. We couldn’t just pack up our crew and take off for dinner at a restaurant, and I couldn’t just make a simple Target run unless I had at least two babysitters or a grandparent. My husband and I have been outnumbered since the beginning, and the one beautiful thing is that we don’t know any different. We went from no kids to having quadruplets, and to us, that has become the norm. Sometimes, his parents will offer to have the kids spend the night on a Friday or Saturday evening, or my parents will take one or a couple for the afternoon after church. Then, if we only have two kids to care for, it’s easy-breezy — one kid is a total piece of cake!

Another thing that set our experience apart was the way it started. The quads were born 10 weeks premature and spent about two months in the NICU; it was weeks before they were even strong enough to manage a bottle. Our son was on a ventilator and became so ill, he nearly died when he was 10 days old. It was five more days before I even held him for the first time. Because of their delicate systems, we had to keep all four quarantined at home in a somewhat sterilised environment for months.

Do you feel like a pro now that the kids are 4 years old?

Now that the kids are getting older and more independent, we often say we feel more like we just have four kids versus quadruplets. It’s so much easier to take them places. I remember being petrified the first time I took them to the gym with me; they were just over 2, and I was scared to death one of them would get run over in the parking lot while I was trying to herd them inside. With every passing outing I managed on my own, I felt more confident and liberated about my abilities.

There are still plenty of things that make us keenly aware that we have quadruplets: school registration fees times four; buying shoes after they’ve had a growth spurt; meal times and all the plates of food; and going to the movies, because six tickets ain’t cheap!

How do you literally get around with everyone?

We have a Chevy Suburban LT. I had, and still have, no intention of ever driving a minivan. We have the carseats that convert to booster seats as the kids grow, so we didn’t have to keep buying the next thing: They fit two in the back row (a bench seat) and two in the middle seats. The storage space came in handy when we had to tote around two twin strollers, too. We had a quad stroller in the beginning, but it was heavy, huge, and attracted a LOT of attention — which you’re already doing when you’re out with four babies.

Loading four infant car seats into the car by myself was a chore. Now, I make sure to park by a sidewalk, never in the middle of a parking lot. At places like Target, I can just have them all stand in a shopping cart and push them inside. Then we switch to the biggest cart they have. Target is one place I’ve got down: We get popcorn, or pumpkin bread from Starbucks, and divvy it up. We bring sippy cups from home, and everyone picks their seat in the giant cart, which I like to compare to driving a boat. Two get my iPad and two get my phone, and they watch shows while I shop around. We go for a bathroom break as soon as we arrive, and then halfway through if it’s a big list.