Joy, four times over
Quadruplets from Correctionville turn 2
By Judy Hayworth, Journal correspondent | Posted: Saturday, January 28, 2006
The quadruplets of Chris and April Putzier of Correctionville, Iowa, celebrate their second birthday today. From left are: Carter, Corbin, Aubrey and Ashlyn. (Photo by Judy Hayworth)
CORRECTIONVILLE, Iowa -- When the birthday cake is placed on the table today, the Correctionville quadruplets will scramble for their chairs. Ashlyn will chorus her rehearsed, "Happy two to you!"
The two sons and two daughters of Chris and April Putzier -- Aubrey, Ashlyn, Carter, and Corbin -- are celebrating their second birthday.
Since the birth of the quadruplets, the Correctionville couple has become accustomed to change. Change, as in life-changing, not just a changing of diapers. (Although they do change 28 diapers per day, or more than 10,000 in 2005 alone.)
"Life is very chaotic," says April, 30. "There is constant change going from one issue or battle, and then it's fine and then back to another battle."
One issue involves health concerns. Delivered at the Nebraska Medical Center at Omaha, after being carried 30 weeks, all four children have experienced health issues. Doctors performed surgery on Carter to correct a hole in a heart valve, common among premature infants. Sister Aubrey and brother Corbin had the same condition, but both healed without surgery. Ashlyn underwent heart surgery and experienced a liver problem caused by loss of blood at birth.
Health problems, though not as severe, continue. Hearing tests this week show deficiencies for all four, particularly the boys. Carter and Corbin also have high blood pressure. Corbin was weaned from oxygen in July 2005, though oxygen is available at home. Carter has lung problems and is under the care of a cardiologist.
"They are still trying to catch up developmentally," April explains.
Those terrible twos
Another concern surrounds interactions of the four.
"It's monkey-see, monkey-do," April says. "There are four cribs in the bedroom, and Ashlyn is climbing out of her crib, so the other three are trying to climb out as well. And the four can play so well together sometimes. But there are times when they may all be going after each other, and perhaps three will gang up on one; they're into the terrible twos. It's a battle to get them not to fight over something there's only one of."
Free time away from the foursome presents another challenge.
"For Chris and me, freedom to come and go is slim and none. It's hard to find a baby-sitter for five -- big brother Cameron is six and in kindergarten -- with four of them the same age," she says. "We've learned to sacrifice a lot, to give up and change, both of us. But, we've learned patience, not to sweat the small stuff."
Small stuff like buying milk. The quads drink a gallon each day. Or small stuff like a college fund, which Chris and April haven't yet started. Or small stuff like kindergarten in a few years. The Putziers might comprise more than 10 percent of their kindergarten class at River Valley Elementary School.
The positives easily outweigh the negatives, Mom says.
"There are so many little things," says April. "To watch them do things and watch them grow. They love to be read to, and they cuddle close to you. When Chris comes home from work (at VT Industries in nearby Holstein), they are so excited to see him, crowding around him. They know each other's names and love to look at the family photos on the living room wall, picking each other out."
They are also experimenting with words and phrases like "bye-bye" and they're starting to call one another by name.
Corbin, Ashlyn, and Aubrey have their mother's dark hair, but there the similarities end. The quads have distinct features and personalities, which emerged early on.
"Aubrey is very obsessive with things, organizing them," April says. "She will help me clean the furniture and will be the first one to pick up toys. She is like the mother hen.
"Corbin will bully and push the others around. But if he is hurt, then he's the biggest teddy bear -- mean on the outside but a teddy bear on the inside.
"Third-born Carter needs more attention than the other three and is a cuddler.
"Ashlyn is also a cuddler and wants to be the leader, the first for everything, whether it's changing diapers or taking a bath. She is the risk-taker and has no fear. She also wants to help with the boys."
Keeping the quads on a daily routine is important. They wake between 6:30 and 7 a.m. and eat breakfast. Next, they have baths and play for the morning, while April acts as referee. After lunch, the four nap for two hours. The afternoons bring play time followed by dinner and then bed-time at 7 o'clock. April manages to do most of the housework and laundry during the afternoon.
"Having a meal at night for all seven of us would be so nice, but now it's usually the kids first and then Chris and me," April says. "It would be so nice to sit and watch television for a while. Right now, caring for the quads is a lot of hard work, but it's fun.
"It's amazing to see them playing by themselves and beginning to feed themselves," adds Chris, 33. "It's just amazing to see how much they have progressed."
About those diapers
April Putzier reports her quadruplets go through 28 diapers per day, which amounts to 196 per week or 10,220 per year. That means she buys more than 851 dozen per year.
The two sons and two daughters of Chris and April Putzier -- Aubrey, Ashlyn, Carter, and Corbin -- are celebrating their second birthday.
Since the birth of the quadruplets, the Correctionville couple has become accustomed to change. Change, as in life-changing, not just a changing of diapers. (Although they do change 28 diapers per day, or more than 10,000 in 2005 alone.)
"Life is very chaotic," says April, 30. "There is constant change going from one issue or battle, and then it's fine and then back to another battle."
One issue involves health concerns. Delivered at the Nebraska Medical Center at Omaha, after being carried 30 weeks, all four children have experienced health issues. Doctors performed surgery on Carter to correct a hole in a heart valve, common among premature infants. Sister Aubrey and brother Corbin had the same condition, but both healed without surgery. Ashlyn underwent heart surgery and experienced a liver problem caused by loss of blood at birth.
Health problems, though not as severe, continue. Hearing tests this week show deficiencies for all four, particularly the boys. Carter and Corbin also have high blood pressure. Corbin was weaned from oxygen in July 2005, though oxygen is available at home. Carter has lung problems and is under the care of a cardiologist.
"They are still trying to catch up developmentally," April explains.
Those terrible twos
Another concern surrounds interactions of the four.
"It's monkey-see, monkey-do," April says. "There are four cribs in the bedroom, and Ashlyn is climbing out of her crib, so the other three are trying to climb out as well. And the four can play so well together sometimes. But there are times when they may all be going after each other, and perhaps three will gang up on one; they're into the terrible twos. It's a battle to get them not to fight over something there's only one of."
Free time away from the foursome presents another challenge.
"For Chris and me, freedom to come and go is slim and none. It's hard to find a baby-sitter for five -- big brother Cameron is six and in kindergarten -- with four of them the same age," she says. "We've learned to sacrifice a lot, to give up and change, both of us. But, we've learned patience, not to sweat the small stuff."
Small stuff like buying milk. The quads drink a gallon each day. Or small stuff like a college fund, which Chris and April haven't yet started. Or small stuff like kindergarten in a few years. The Putziers might comprise more than 10 percent of their kindergarten class at River Valley Elementary School.
The positives easily outweigh the negatives, Mom says.
"There are so many little things," says April. "To watch them do things and watch them grow. They love to be read to, and they cuddle close to you. When Chris comes home from work (at VT Industries in nearby Holstein), they are so excited to see him, crowding around him. They know each other's names and love to look at the family photos on the living room wall, picking each other out."
They are also experimenting with words and phrases like "bye-bye" and they're starting to call one another by name.
Corbin, Ashlyn, and Aubrey have their mother's dark hair, but there the similarities end. The quads have distinct features and personalities, which emerged early on.
"Aubrey is very obsessive with things, organizing them," April says. "She will help me clean the furniture and will be the first one to pick up toys. She is like the mother hen.
"Corbin will bully and push the others around. But if he is hurt, then he's the biggest teddy bear -- mean on the outside but a teddy bear on the inside.
"Third-born Carter needs more attention than the other three and is a cuddler.
"Ashlyn is also a cuddler and wants to be the leader, the first for everything, whether it's changing diapers or taking a bath. She is the risk-taker and has no fear. She also wants to help with the boys."
Keeping the quads on a daily routine is important. They wake between 6:30 and 7 a.m. and eat breakfast. Next, they have baths and play for the morning, while April acts as referee. After lunch, the four nap for two hours. The afternoons bring play time followed by dinner and then bed-time at 7 o'clock. April manages to do most of the housework and laundry during the afternoon.
"Having a meal at night for all seven of us would be so nice, but now it's usually the kids first and then Chris and me," April says. "It would be so nice to sit and watch television for a while. Right now, caring for the quads is a lot of hard work, but it's fun.
"It's amazing to see them playing by themselves and beginning to feed themselves," adds Chris, 33. "It's just amazing to see how much they have progressed."
About those diapers
April Putzier reports her quadruplets go through 28 diapers per day, which amounts to 196 per week or 10,220 per year. That means she buys more than 851 dozen per year.
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