Interview with Miranda Elslip | quadruplet mom
This interview first appeared on Your Zen Mama
Who’s in your family? Ages? Names?
Matt 33, Miranda 32, Madeline 8, Truman 6 months, Reed 6 months, Edwin 6 months, and Matthew 6 months!
First things first–you have quadruplets! What was it like the first time you were informed you had 4 little heartbeats in your belly?
I remember our doctor telling us that she had found a heartbeat and letting out a little cheer! Then she said, “I see another heartbeat” and we all let out another cheer of joy! Then she said, “I see another heartbeat” and the excitement in her voice had gone down quite a bit by this point. Finally, she said, “Wow, I see another heartbeat” and she sounded really shocked. We were scared, but over the moon to be pregnant! The ultrasound looked amazing with so many flickering little heartbeats! I remember telling my husband that it looked like a Christmas tree!
Tell us a little bit about your journey and how you’ve come to arrive here.
My husband and I had our daughter when we were in our early twenties and she came as a wonderful surprise! We were shocked when we had difficulty getting pregnant a few years later. I eventually got pregnant, but miscarried twice in one year. Then everything started going right. My husband got an amazing job that covered IVF, and we jumped on the opportunity! We decided to transfer two embryos because we had had a failed attempt with a single embryo transfer the month earlier. I had fallen pregnant, but the baby had had no heartbeat. This time we were crossing our fingers for one heartbeat. We never imagined we would get four!
How did you prepare for your 4 little ones?
We just did our best! It was definitely an overwhelming task. It was made even more difficult because we live in a tiny, 2 bedroom home. Just fitting the cribs into the house was a major challenge!
Can you describe the day to day logistics of feeding and caring for your 4 babies?
It’s an enormous amount of work, but worth every second of it! There is always something that needs to be done and I’m always behind. When the babies were first home, they needed a bottle every three hours, and went through over 200 diapers per week! I felt like a zombie and it was probably the most physically challenging moment of my life. It has become so much easier recently. The boys go over six hours without eating at night! I even had the time and energy to bake a cheesecake today!
How did you choose your kids names?
The answer to this question is a mouthful! They are all family names. Madeline is named after my great great grandmother and my mother, Truman is named after my great grandfather, Edwin and Reed are named after my husband’s grandfather, and Matthew is named after my husband!
Location?
Mount Vernon, WA
Occupation?
SAHM (stay at home mom)
What is the craziest things that someone said while you were pregnant?
Most people didn’t know we were having quads until we were almost halfway through the pregnancy. I had a lot of supportive comments from people. I did have one stranger tell me that I looked really stretched out…which I did! I also got harassed by a woman in the grocery store. She thought that I shouldn’t be riding a motorized shopping cart and said, “What’s the matter with you?” Riding those carts is something I will never miss! I accidentally ran into my daughter’s leg and now she is terrified of them in stores!
What advice would you give a mom expecting multiple babies, or any mom in general?
Everything is going to be okay. I tell myself that a lot, maybe too much, but I truly believe it!
What’s on your manifest board?
I don’t have a manifest board at the moment. It’s really hard to focus on the future with so much going on everyday, but what I want most is to savor as many moments with my kids as I can..while they still want to spend time with me!
What is your favorite book?
This is hard for me! I have always loved reading. My house growing up was walking distance from a library, and I practically lived there. My daughter loves books too, and we have a few hundred children’s books in our collection. We have been binge-reading Harry Potter all Summer long and have almost made it through the fourth book. It’s been hard to find the time, but that’s a testament to how great that series is!
How do you unwind?
My husband and I usually watch a cooking show before bed and he rubs my back (I’m so lucky). I had a bad back before the quadruplets arrived, and did yoga almost everyday. It’s been hard to find the time but I need to get back into it…for my poor aching back’s sake!
Tell us some of your most loved ways to spend the day with your clan?
We live only fifteen minutes away from the beach and we love to go searching for sea glass and agates. We have coffee cans that are filled with sea glass for the mosaic that I’ll never get around to making!
What are some silly/fun things that the kids do?
It’s hard to decide on just a few things. My daughter is constantly cracking me up. She comes up with the most creative nicknames for the boys. She calls Truman Tru-bacca (like Chewbacca), and she calls Reed Burr-eedo (like Burrito).
What is something you wish you had known before having kids?
That it isn’t scary at all. Life is totally different now, but amazing! I can hardly wait for our first Christmas as a huge family!
When you were a teenager what did you dream of? Do things look different?
Things definitely look different! I dreamed of so many different things when I was younger, and being a quadruplet mother was NOT one of them! I loved ballet, acting, singing, and playing sports, but painting was definitely my biggest passion. I still find time to paint on very rare occasions!
What are some things you really believe in?
I believe in love, and I believe that everyone deserves to be loved! I also believe in smelling as many flowers as you can.
Where do your passions lie?
I love spending time with my family and sharing each other’s passions! I also love to experiment in the kitchen and create new vegetarian recipes. Since the quads have been here, my newest passion has been taking baby photos! I hope to upgrade to a new camera soon, because mine is on it’s last legs!
How has your relationship with your other half changed since having kids? How do you stay connected?
Things have definitely changed a lot! When Matt and I first got together, I was 21 and we were living in a house full of musicians in Seattle! We had all the time in the world and absolutely no responsibilities! My life is the exact opposite of that now.
What are some of your favorite life lessons you’ve grown to love? (even if learning them at the time was hard)
That you can’t control life. I used to be a big believer in statistics, until I fell pregnant with quadruplets! I feel like anything is possible now. My husband always says that we should play the lottery because we are so lucky!
What do you wish you could’ve told yourself when you were a teenager?
That less is more when it comes to eye makeup! Also, not to worry because someday someone will cherish you.
What do you find most challenging about being somebody’s parent?
Being brave when it’s time to kill spiders! But in all seriousness, I think finding the balance between being a parent and a friend to your child is very challenging.
What do you want your kids to learn about the world?
That the world is beautifully diverse and worth experiencing!
What are 4 things you can’t live without as a parent?
There are so many things that (as a parent of quadruplets) I couldn’t live without. I don’t know how to begin narrowing it down to just four things! I guess I would have to say our passenger van because I would go nuts cooped up all of the time, a washer and dryer because I can’t imagine hand washing all of the laundry, loads of baby toys and entertainment to keep the little ones happy, and the love and support of our family and friends!
Miranda Elslip has lived most of her life in Washington state, and has been a stay at home mom for the past 8 years. She has five kids, four of whom are quadruplets! She loves going to the beach, eating amazing Indian food, cooking, painting, and spending time with her family while exploring the Pacific Northwest!
