They are so little and so big. And loud. And rambunctious. And hilarious. And animated. And full of angelic mischief.
They are the Seals quintuplets of Maud, Texas, and they are 2 years old now, having just celebrated their birthday this weekend.
Older brother Brady had his birthday earlier last week when he turned 4. It's a pretty safe bet to say the Seals' household is filled with adorableness.
Even when they are eating.
"Their favorite thing to do now is throw food (and plates) on the floor," Michelle Seals, the toddlers' mother, said of the quintuplets. "They think it's funny to watch you pick it up and put it back on the table for them."
But they are feeding themselves, which is a good thing. And they've learned another new life lesson as wellundressing themselves.
"I don't know why, but they don't want to wear clothes," she said, smiling as one of the girls proceeded to release herself from the confines of her shirt while one of the nurses tried to put a onesie back on another child.
All five of them are healthy, happy and full of life. They are walking, or better yet, running, jumping and climbing. The amount of energy that comes from five 2 year olds is astounding.
Everything goes to the mouth, which is something held over from their baby days.
"Once it goes to their mouth, it's never the same," Michelle said laughing.
And they are learning to talk. Although "talk" may be stretching it a bit.
Every day and several times throughout the day, words are repeated to the youngsters to help them associate the words with their activities, their food, their toys and their clothes.
It may not always be understandable, but they are certainly making an honest effort to learn and repeat what they hear.
Having young children is exhausting, whether it's one child or five. And Michelle has learned there are some tricks of the trade, if you will, that help the household to run smoothly.
One idea is color-coded items for each child. Even though they are only 2, they already know which plate is theirs, which pacifier and which sippy cup. Plus they have learned which items belong to which sibling.
Probably the best system the Seals live by is the schedule.
The children wake between 6:30 and 7 a.m., have breakfast, play, then receive a snack at 10 a.m. Time then for more play. Lunch is served at noon, followed by more play time, a quick snack and it's time for their nap.
The 2 p.m. nap time usually lasts a couple of hours, which is really nice for mom. Then all havoc breaks loose once again until dinner is served, when they conveniently move their spirited play to the table for their daily food fight.
Bedtime is 8 p.m. and the quintuplets are mostly sleeping all night now, which is another relief for mom and dad. They are not having to worry so much about them.
"Health-wise, they're doing really good," she said. "This winter has been a lot better for us than last winter. They were sick a lot last winter."
The quintuplets are still in the precarious situation of being susceptible to germs and contagious illnesses. Their parents have had to keep them away from groups of people to prevent them from becoming ill.
"(The doctors) said it would take about two years for their immune systems to catch up," Michelle said. "We've been trying to just stay away from people. You just don't ever know you're sick sometimes."
Even though the Fab Five, as they are known locally, are only 2 years old, they are already attending regular Sunday school at the Seals' church, Maud Church of Christ.
"Their Sunday school teachers show up an hour early for their Bible class and then we leave before everybody else gets there," Michelle said. "When regular church starts, then the other kids start coming and we leave so we don't swap germs with everybody."
All this protection will ease up once the children's immune systems become stronger. It never hurts to err on the side of caution when it comes to your children's health.
Luckily, Michelle and her husband, Steven, have qualified help during the week to oversee the health of their quintuplets.
Three nurses work in shifts each day during the week and will continue until the girls no longer need their feeding tubes in place.
Although they do manage
to feed small amounts to
themselves, their nutrition is still dependent on their
medical devices.
Gracie will have her tube taken out the end of April. Rayleigh and Tessa are doing really well and are eating more on their own. Mia still uses hers, but she's getting better.
Having the nurses on hand provides great relief for the Seals, knowing they have professional help should any emergency arise. The two RNs and one LVN assist with the children's medications and are there to administer and manage the feeding-tube pump.
"Plus, they don't panic like I do," Michelle said.
Both Mekisha Johnson, LVN, and McCall Norton, RN, (or Tom, as Brady calls her) have been with the Seals since the babies were 5 months old. Michelle Harris, RN, has been with them about a month now.
It is no small miracle that all five are as healthy as they are.
Born at 29 weeks at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, the babies had their share of medical complications to overcome before they were allowed to go home.
Slowly, and individually, they were released into a home filled with love, surrounded and cared for by family and friends.
"It's so hard for me to grasp that it's been two years since the quints arrived," Michelle said. "My pregnancy, their birth, and the long NICU stay seems like forever ago now."
Aside from doctor visits and the occasional family outing, Michelle is home with her children every day. And everyone needs a break now and then.
"My stepmom comes over and lets me and Steven go and do our grocery shopping, usually on Saturday nights," Michelle said. "And I have a big family, so if there is ever something I need to do, I can call somebody.
"I can't get away a lot but I do get to get away and get a break," Michelle said. "And I think that's important. Because you can completely forget just who you were before all the fun stuff happened."
The quintuplets are now the same age Brady was when they were born. His little life took a drastic change for a 2-year-old who couldn't comprehend what was going on. But he has become a super big brother. His parents changed their home office into a private bedroom for him where he can have all his own toys.
Michelle has offered a brief description of each of the children in hopes that their personalities will show through to those who may not know them yet.
- Brady is funny, smart and full of energy. He loves trains, cars and dinosaurs. He especially loves to play with Mia. He is always on the go or wanting to go. If someone comes to visit, he wants to go with them. He knows his aunt lives a few houses away and that his Mimi lives right across the street. If he sees they are home, he's ready to go for a visit. Brant and he are becoming fast buddies. Brady attends a Christian school three hours a day, three days a week. He's made new friends and has found a part of his life that is all his own.
- Mia Danielle is bossy, feisty and spunky. She's usually in the middle of every situation. She is a very tough little girl. She hates to have her hair pulled up in a ponytail and will take it down, leaving it to stray all over head. When some older toddlers were in the jump house at the quintuplets' birthday party, she was right in the middle of them. She's not afraid to play.
- Tessa Suzanne is loud, sweet and entertaining. She loves to talk and she's very expressive when she talks. She laughs all the time. She is very funny and will keep you laughing.
- Brant Lee is silly, charming and all boy. He loves to play with balls. He likes the girls to leave him alone sometimes. And he's a mama's boy.
- Gracie Lou is a diva. She's silly and confident. She walks with a purpose. She knows what she wants and that's what she's going to get. She runs super fast and loves to jump. She is a daddy's girl.
- Rayleigh Ann is serious, quiet and independent. She can be very dramatic at times. She's very sweet. She's a mama's girl.
Two-year-olds are at a pretty unique time of life. Everything is an adventure. Everything is new. There are so many things to see, touch, taste and throw. They are becoming more independent and decidedly more vocal.
"They are a lot of fun and a lot of work and they're everywhere," Michelle said. "If we go outside and they fall and get muddy, we're constantly going through clothes and cleaning up. It wouldn't be a big deal if you had one or two.
"But with five, everything's a big deal. And this is exactly how it was meant to be."