As many of you know, we became the proud parents of four beautiful babies on February 1, 2004. This site will help us share pictures, news and the adventures of Riley, Max, Kenton and Brynn with all of our friends and family.
We'd like to thank everyone for their thoughts, prayers, gifts and kind gestures. We are truly blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives.
We will try and keep the site as up-to-date as possible, so please check back often.
-Jack and Christy
December 20, 2006
Happy Holidays and thanks for dialing in to our horse and pony show website. Normally each year I hunker down behind the flickering glow of the computer screen to carve out the latest annual Landrigan Christmas letter, but not this year. I suppose there is a bit of romance lost in selling out to a card and picture in lieu of a hand-crafted Christmas letter but chances are that you received one of those holiday greetings from us and that’s why you are sitting here reading this. Well, I’m glad you’re here, and since you’re here, I better get down to business before I lose you to one of those other “multiples” websites.
Everyone here at the Landrigan estate continues to be in good shape as we rush into the New Year. Christy started her own business out of the house this fall and she really seems to enjoy it. I suppose that after a full year of corralling four toddlers on the brink of alluring mischief, any type of normal human engagement would be welcome bait. The opportunity for Christy to start working again has also provided an opportunity for me, the father. After working a day outside of the house, I dash home and experience the bliss of herding four toddlers on the brink of certain mischief. The kids do know the difference on who’s wearing the pants in the family but rest assured that I have no problem throwing any one of our precious little buttercups in the slammer if the punishment fits the crime.
All of the kids are really starting to sprout into little people, full of charisma and imagination. Each day that passes brings new individual accomplishments only to be replaced by new and exciting challenges. Max likes his order and continues to be our most quiet child. He also seems to be the one that gets the most out of “wild time” which occurs just before bedtime. He is quite an enigma. For those that don’t know, wild time is that event that happens when you take two or more kids of the same age and inform them that they about to locked into dark and silent room for the next eight hours. It’s like having a sleep-over at your house every single night, over and over and over again…Yep. Eventually, wild time runs its course and they all wind down like a top that’s lost its spin. Speaking of beds, we transitioned the kids into their new adult-style beds and tossed out the cribs in November. Christy and I prepared for the worst but were amazed to see how well the kids latched on to their new f ound freedom. We’ve had very few incidents overall as a result of the change-over. Riley and Kenton managed to bounce out onto the hardwood a few times, but other than that, the kids have managed to stay in their beds though out the evenings. On the other hand, our day-time nap has turned into a riotous performance of complete and utter contempt. Much discussion between mother and father has been devoted to how to handle the daytime lack-o-nap, so if there are any parents out there that have success stories to share, please do so. What else is going on? Oh yes, toilet training. Not a lot of interest from the group on striving to use the toilet. It goes without saying that Christy and I have completed our quota in changing diapers and are anxious to move on to the next step. Max was able to make the connection once but we believe that was purely by accident. He informed us about his success for weeks but he’s been unable to duplicate the experience. We plan to put a full stop on the diapers before years’ end so I guess we’ll just have to pull out the mop and bucket and see what happens.
I know that Christy is going to read this journal entry and insist that I mention something more about Kenton and Riley other than that they are good at falling out of bed, so here goes. The other day Christy noticed that Kenton was walking around with small piece of wood trim and when asked where he got the trim he responded, “from cows mom.” Since then he’s got it in his head that just about everything comes from cows. I think he has even convinced that most things, including both of his sisters can be sourced from everything that is cow. I suppose in some ways he is correct so rather than burst his bubble, we will let him to continue with his Hindu beliefs. Riley spends most of her days staying close to her mother and carefully observing her siblings with a permanent frown. It’s unclear if this is a result of a toddler’s bond with her mother or fear of what her siblings may do to her. She has become close friends with her sister, which is interesting because Brynn is her polar opposite. Brynn is remarkably independent and often plays “quietly” where no one can see what she’s doing. Furthermore, Brynn is the one child that would prefer to ditch sleep as it is a complete waste of time to her. It’s not uncommon for her to get up in the middle of the night and completely change out of her jammies and into her daytime clothes, complete with matching shoes and socks. This within itself is not so strange, but the fact that she does it in complete darkness makes us wonder if she’s not nocturnal. Even though all of the kids are shooting off in separate directions, the whole thing seems to work and we continue to feel very blessed.
We have updated the site with new pictures that are current to today’s date. Click on the pictures tab if you wish to see what they are up to. This platform is pretty much one directional so if you want to drop us a line, you may do so by adding your comments to the guestbook inside the pictures area. We would enjoy hearing from you.
Jack, Christy, Brynn, Kenton, Max and Riley
July 27, 2006
What? You say that you haven’t heard from us in a while? Well, here’s the latest from the home front. Christy and the kids just returned from a three-week road trip to Texas that featured several stops to visit family along the way. The trip ended up being a highly educational experience for the kids and a lesson in perseverance for mother. Notice that I, the father, chose not to embark on the mission, not out fear of the unknown, but rather for the peace of mind in keeping my job. We have recently firmed up plans to travel to more local destinations throughout the remainder of the summer. Currently we are booked for destinations in Indiana and a variety of other hops up and down the Michigan shoreline.
I am happy to report that the state of the union is strong and healthy. The kids are quickly picking up language skills and growing fast. Like everyone’s kid, our tikes are wonderful, sweet and charming but nothing will change the fact that they are two years old. The boys have become close playmates and the girls take great pride helping their mother with small tasks around the house. Each child is moving in his or her own direction, guided largely by their own unique mix of environmental cues. Riley enjoys dressing herself in her own special way, with just about anything being acceptable so long as it includes a swimsuit on the outside of her clothes. Her preferred style of dress doesn’t really concern us unless we are heading out the door for church. Pictures of Riley and her matchless fashion choices can be found in the picture gallery section of this website. Max is 100% boy in everything he does. His goals are clearly straightforward and are either met by persistence or derailed in flaming disaster (which we refer to as his “Fits”). Max is a bright boy that takes the time to look around at his surroundings, particularly if there is an intact device in desperate need of dismantling. Kenton has been dubbed “Mr. Moo” because of his gentle and mild-mannered behavior. He is quite content when playing with others and there’s no doubt that kid loves his mommy. Like Max, Kenton is very skilled in working with his hands and seems to be a little over-obsessed with lids and containers. While other kids are walking around with Elmo dolls and ratcheting noisemakers, Kenton can be found in the corner working the flip top of an empty Miracle Whip squeeze bottle. Brynn is our athlete and linguistics specialist. She can effectively put small sentences together and has nearly mastered the wildly popular ABC song. (Did you know that the ABC song and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star have the same melody? Who knew?). Her brain seems to be always on the move and one step ahead of her instincts. This creates a wonderful awkwardness about her that’s exciting to watch and a joy to be around. Charged with so much drive and true grit, we know that one of these nights Brynn will be making her move to exit the crib. We are hoping to make it a few more months in the cribs before switching to beds. As you can imagine, four kids moving out of cribs and into beds at the same time is almost as crazy as driving four kids from Michigan to the Gulf of Mexico.
Thanks to everyone who continues to keep us in their thoughts and prayers. We’ve neglected to keep in direct contact with many of you and hopefully this irregular format helps us at least let you know what we’re up to. We encourage you view our family picture gallery by clicking here. You may also drop us a note in the guest book while you’re visiting the site, so long as the note is nice and purposeful (a non-subtle hint to my nephews in Indiana). I have no idea when I will find the time to update the site next time so I guess you’ll just have to stop back periodically.
Jack, Christy, Brynn, Kenton, Max and Riley
September 08, 2005
The Summer of 2005 has been a true time of discovery for all of us, full of wonder and fun activities that included several excursions in and out of state. Like many of you, we have had a sunnier than normal summer here in Michigan. The weather provided the perfect backdrop for backyard play a.k.a. wrestle-mania, wagon rides and travel to any one of Lake Michigan’s sandy beaches. All four of the kids are walking very well, perhaps too well, at this point. In addition to their honed motor skills, all four of the kids are beginning to murmur words. Riley is currently the most prolific speaker with a vocabulary of about ten words. My favorite of course is “daddy” which I find very sweet when spoken at low decible. It’s not unusual for the four little tykes to rush towards the door on my arrival after a long day at work. It’s a priceless moment, and a moment is about all it lasts because within seconds their little minds are off to something else and back to mommy. The doctors are very satisfied at the overall health of the children, which continues to be our on-going blessing. There is a chance that two or three of the children will develop some form of asthma but nothing serious. All-in-all, it’s been a great summer and a joyful time in our lives. We look forward to seeing many of you during the upcoming holiday season (and football season for you Hawkeye and Boilermaker fans out there).
We have posted a few new photographs of the kids in the picture section of the site, which may be accessed here or by clicking on the “View Pictures” link to the right. You may also drop us a note in the guest book if you feel so inclined.
Jack, Christy, Brynn, Kenton, Max, Riley...
and Haley
December 19, 2004
Happy Holidays from the Landrigans! We have been so blessed this past year, and can't thank everyone enough for their support, kindness, prayers and friendship. We're spreading a little Christmas cheer with a few photos which may be accessed here. We'll continue to share our adventures in parenting on this site during 2005!
Merry Christmas!
Jack, Christy, Brynn, Kenton, Max, Riley...
and Haley
November 14, 2004
It has been a busy fall in the Landrigan household. The children all seem to be growing by the day which explains why they look so different in the updated photo section of the website. All of the kids have begun to teethe and Kenton’s lower teeth have already found their way through the surface. This is a fascinating time for both Christy and I. All of the children are responding so well to their environment in their own unique way. Riley continues to be the leader and Brynn the wise and cautious observer. Kenton has a slight cognitive edge over the others and Max has become quite a little charmer. The future is so bright for these children and we continue to ask for only your thoughts and prayers as time passes. We are truly in debt to all those who have dedicated their time and talents on an on-going basis. Christy and I have been able to depend less on our volunteers for assistance and more on our volunteers for friendship. We have definitely become a community amongst ourselves and our doors will always be open them even if their name is not on the “schedule.”
Christy and the children had the opportunity to spend three straight weeks at her parents’ home near Omaha, Nebraska. I’m certain that this extended visit did not extinguish her parents’ desire as they truly exhibit a strong affinity for the children. Upon Christy’s return, we have begun cementing a solid sleep schedule for the children. We had been working on it throughout the summer with much success; however, the travel schedule and mixed environment somewhat disrupted the routine while being out west. Teething and mild cold viruses have further complicated the process. Once an all-encompassing sleep schedule is achieved, mom and dad can return to a more comfortable lifestyle and do some of those luxurious things in life, like going to the bathroom.
To our surprise (and amusement), Christy and I have stumbled upon several tools that have simplified the matter of raising four mentally-equipped youngsters. She always seems to be one step ahead of whatever situation is at hand. One my personal favorites is the Baby Einstein video series. I typically don’t endorse a product of any kind (I do that at work every day); however, these videos often bring sense to the chaos. Although we strongly believe that parental attention outweighs any video, this series of tapes has some sort of magical quality that captivates the attention of these children. Ask anyone who has witnessed Baby Einstein’s power and they’ll tell you the same thing: Serenity Now.
I suppose this will do for now. Thanks to all who continue to check back on the site. We appreciate your enthusiasm.
Please Note - New pictures are now posted. Please click on the link on the right-hand side of this page and you will be taken to the photos.
July 27, 2004
Believe it or not, Christy and I have finally found a little time to update the web site. Unfortunately, I did not find enough additional time to apologize for the long delay between updates. So… sorry about that. To state it not so mildly, the baby business has been busy. Over the past two months, our little family upstart has been working diligently towards something that resembles a routine. Here’s where we’re at: Feeding time per baby has been reduced from 45 minutes to about 10 minutes and sleep time over the course of the evening has skyrocketed to more than four hours. Yippie! And yes, we’ve even had babies sneak through the night without waking up to feed. This is very nice…but they do get feisty until that first warm delicious bottle of sweet-smellin’ formula arrives. Riley is still the lightweight champ weighing in at 10 pounds followed by her sister Brynn at 10.5 pounds. Max currently weighs 11.2 pounds and Kenton, who was the sickest at birth, now weighs 12.5 pounds. All-in-all, we could not be more pleased with the progress everyone is making. We continue to appreciate all of the kind thoughts and prayers that we have been receiving. The attention paid to our family has been truly amazing. Now that life is beginning to settle down we plan to be a little bit more proactive in getting the site updated. We have a whole slew of pictures to post in addition to the ones posted during this update. Use the "view pictures" link under the "links" header on the right-hand side of the page to check out the latest photos.
April 06, 2004
Both Christy and I would like to thank everyone for your patience during the process of updating this website. Hopefully this new format will make using this site easier for you (and for us). We hope to make periodic adjustments to the website to allow for better communication and accessibility to those that are interested. We owe a debt of gratitude to Lisa Tomlinson and Jack Baty for their tireless efforts in making this website available to all that pass through.
We have posted several new pictures on a site dedicated to showcasing photography. To access the pictures, click here.
We are excited to share the following update with you. All four babies have experienced amazing growth during that past two months. Each of the babies now weigh over five pounds and are quickly approaching five and a-half pounds – Riley may already be there. We are estimating that Max and Riley will be taking up residence at our house very, very soon. In fact, we anticipate that Max and Riley will be released on Friday, April 9! Kenton is close behind. We were just informed that he has been removed from oxygen support and is breathing on his own. Brynn, on the other hand, appears to be in no hurry. She is the last of the four to remain on oxygen and is probably at least three weeks out. I should mention that it is possible for her to come home on oxygen support, something which is becoming more common with premature babies.
Christy and I spent the night at the hospital on Saturday night (April 3) to gain a sense for what’s to come. We had all four of babies with us throughout the entire night. Did we sleep? Not so much. I’d imagine that we slept about 30 minutes give or take a second. By morning light, we seemed to develop a loose system of feeding, diaper change, and staring at each other. The current feeding schedule is set at every three hours for each baby. So, by the time we fed Max for 30 minutes, then Kenton, then Brynn, then Riley…you get the idea. Despite the vigorous schedule they all are doing very well on their feedings – Max, Kenton and Riley are each taking a full bottle almost every time (versus being tube fed). Brynn takes a full bottle about 50% of the time and is tube fed the rest. We have discovered that premature babies typically do not automatically coordinate the ‘suck-breathe-swallow’ combination when they first start taking bottles. They are slowly learning that it is vital not leave out the breathing step. We’ve learned how to watch them closely to determine if they’re coordinating and when they need a little stimulation to remind them to take a breath. Thankfully, we are moving past this stage and the coordination is greatly improving. The hospital will not send a baby home until coordination is fully achieved and the bottles are consumed at every feeding.
We continue to have testing completed--head x-rays, hearing tests, eye exams, blood tests, etc. Each test continues to come back normal. It’s an understatement to say we are blessed! I’d say it’s an out-right miracle. Each prayer that we received from you during the previous months was successfully delivered and acted upon.
That’s all for now. Hopefully the updates will run a more frequent schedule so check back often.
Jack and Christy