Cracker Candy... Sooo Good!

Some of you have asked for the recipe for the Cracker Candy that I made, so here it is!

Prep Time: 15 minutes

1 sleeve of saltine crackers

1 stick of butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 bag of milk chocolate chips

1/4 cup chopped almonds

Prep:

1. Arrange the crackers in a single layer on the backing sheet so that they are no empty spaces in between them.

arrange the crackers in a single layer on the baking sheet so that there are no empty spaces in between them. 

2.  Microwave the butter and brown sugar for about 5 min.  Carefully pour the sugar-butter mixture over the crackers on the baking sheet in an even layer.

3.  Bake the toffee crackers at 350 degrees for five minutes, until the toffee is bubbling all over. Carefully remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool for one minute.

4.  Spread the chocolate chips evenly as it melts over the crackers.  Top with chopped almonds.

5. Refrigerate the pan for about 30 minutes. Once set, break into small pieces.

christmas suprise!

For Christmas, Josh and I agreed not to exchange any gifts.  We kind of have some saving up to do... I hear diapers for 4 can really add up!  Anyway, typical Josh, still surprised me with a very thoughtful gift.  He said it wasn't for me; it was for our babies.  He gave me a charm bracelet with A, B, C, and D on it.  It has room to add other charms if I want to later, and I can change out the separators to blue or pink once we get the sexes confirmed.  I love my new bracelet, and think of the babies every time I see it.  Now, I'll have to think of something as thoughtful and surprise him with it!

From 4 Green Beans

true life

When we first learned about the quads, Josh sent a letter to TLC, MTV, and a few other networks, telling our story. We were hoping to get on TLC's a Baby Story or something like that. A week later, we were contacted by MTV True Life because they were getting ready to start filming a documentary titled, "I'm Having Multiples". How perfect, right? We both talked with the casting director and told her our story. MTV loved the idea, so they sent the casting director and camera man down to meet us and to do some initial filming. On Thursday, they came over to the house to interview us. They want to film all the major events that will be going on over the next 5 months, so they plan to temporally move to Tampa to film us and one other family. They will be a part of my baby shower, my next ultrasound, baby registry, and more! We think it's a great opportunity to have this time in our lives documented. It all depends on when the babies are born, but most likely the True Life will air in late May or in June 2009.

USF Health OBGYN

A couple weeks ago, my regular OBGYN, Dr. Sanchez at The Women’s Group, had to refer me out to a high-risk OB. I’ve started going to USF Health at Tampa General Hospital. There, they specialize in high risk pregnancies and high order multiples, so I am in good hands. I now go to the OB every 1 to 2 weeks. Every other appointment, I have an ultrasound to check for measurements, heartbeats, etc. It’s fun to get to see the babies so often. Josh and I were amazed at the 12 week ultrasound when we saw all the babies moving around! I never realized that they were moving long before I can feel them. Baby D looked like he was spinning around on his butt, and Baby A was kicking and punching. So far, the doctors have all reported that the quads are doing great. They all measure the appropriate size; have strong heartbeats, and all the tests have shown that they are developing well. That is wonderful news to get, especially after being advised of the risks a quad pregnancy can bring.

The first high risk OB that we met with, Dr. Victoria Belogolovkin, really pushed us to reduce the number of fetus’ down to 2 or even 1. She believes reduction in the fetus' may reduce the risk of miscarriage and preterm labor. Josh and I have always been totally against the idea, unless one baby was clearly not making it, or if someone’s life was in danger. Overall, we want to avoid as many invasive procedures as possible. We never planned to get pregnant with quadruplets, but God blessed us with this for a reason, so we are going to do everything in our power to make sure this is a healthy and successful pregnancy.

The next high risk OB we met with was great. Dr. Ruben Quintero is fully supportive of our plan, and he explained the things that I am at risk for in a more constructive way. At this point, everything looks positive. I am 5’7” and healthy to begin with, so that is a good starting off point for carrying quads. He advised me to be on strict bed rest at 20 weeks, and to just rest as much as possible. I’m sure the bed rest will really get to me at times, but I am sort of looking forward to it at this point. I have been so tired, that all I want to do is be in bed.

From 4 Green Beans

welcome to my quad blog!

Hi There! Since everyone is now finding out that Josh and I are expecting quads, people are curious about how things are going, so I thought I’d start this blog... 

This is my first pregnancy, and we are thrilled to be starting our family 1 year into our marriage. Josh has always said that he wants a big family, we just never imagined that it would happen all at one time!

I first confirmed my pregnancy while Josh and I were on our anniversary vacation in Antigua at a Sandals Resort. It was our last day of vacation, and I was not feeling quite normal. It was 2 weeks too early to even take a pregnancy test, but I felt like it, so I did. 2 minutes later, there was a faint line... It was POSITIVE! Looking back, that was our first clue that we may be having multiples because the HPT shouldn't have detected anything that early. My HCG levels were through the roof!

Josh and I first learned about the quads at our 6 week ultrasound. At that point, it was all so overwhelming, and we were very calm. We have nothing to compare this to so this is all we'll know. The doctor and the ultrasound tech were more freaked out and excited than we were. The tech said that she has been doing ultrasounds for the past 27 years, and has never seen quads before! It was all too much to comprehend at the time. I am now 13 weeks pregnant, so we've had some time to let it all sink in.

So far things have been going smoothly. I haven't had any morning sickness; just a few days of feeling nauseous. I have been extremely tired, all day, every day. Some days are better than others, but on my tired days I can easily sleep 18 hours. I've also had a really good appetite. All food is delicious to me, and I have got eat every 2 hours or else I get a bad headache.

This is a picture of me at 12 weeks... I am already in maternity jeans. I've gained 8 pounds so far, and 9 inches in my waist!

our story

Welcome to my life… 

Over the past three years it has been flipped upside down. I am 31 years old, and married to my hubby of three years, Josh. We have 4 beautiful angel babies, who are fondly known as our “Green Beans”. The first of my quads, Heidi, held on as long as she could and was born on January 31, 2009 after pPROMing at 17 weeks. A few weeks later, I pPROM’d with my sweet Lily. Lily, Paige, and Rylan were all born at 22 weeks on February 23, 2009. Just after being released from the hospital empty handed, I returned with a high fever and infection.  Two of the nights I spent in the hospital that week, I honestly thought I was going to die. It was the sickest and most hopeless I’ve ever been. I’m pretty sure my diagnosis was a broken heart.

Our journey to becoming parents has had its share of happiness and heartbreaks.  

 I got through every day by staying close to Josh, friends and family, blogging, and relying on God that my future will be bright. All the love and support I’ve gotten has greatly helped me manage……I am alive and well, and want to be my absolute best as a result of this.

On May 1st 2011, we welcomed our sweet baby girl, Taylor, into this world.  She is our miracle baby and brings so much joy and happiness in our lives.  She is such a gift from God.

I have come out of all of this with a better appreciation of life. I hope to make the best of this situation by helping others who will experience a similar loss.

Contact Me

You can email me at:  laurengreen07 (at) gmail (dot) com

Email Josh and I at:  the (at) greenfamily (dot) net

Our family website is:  www.greenfamily.net

Follow me on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/lo_green

 

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cream cheese and pesto bread

1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 loaf French bread, split lengthwise

1/2 cup Basil Pesto

2 tomatoes, seeded, chopped, and drained

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl combine cream cheese and garlic. Spread on cut side of bread. Spread pesto on top. Add tomatoes and Parmesan cheese.

Place on a baking sheet and bake until bread is warmed and cheese is melted, about 10 minutes. Cut into serving pieces and serve immediately.

Note: If using purchased pesto, pour off some to the oil that accumulates on the top, then stir to blend before spreading on bread.