[Annoyed that I'm not posting more updates? Make sure to follow @FargoQuads to keep up with what we're up to almost on-the-daily!]
At 4-months, going on 5 next week, these little critters have been working through the task of developing their personalities. This is all going down as we begin the joys of routine forming and sleep training -- a.k.a. school starts in the next month and I refuse to get them down with our current building-the-plane-while-it's-in-the-air method. More on our strategy in a later post.
For now, I thought I would put a spin on giving babe updates by matching each kiddo with their equivalent dog breed, according to the American Kennel Club website, to make sure I was holding myself accountable in keeping things positive, yet real in describing each member of the Fargo quad squad.
Quad A -- Virgil Erich
Activity Level: Regular Exercise [He likes to be played with throughout the day and doesn't do well with long breaks in attention.]Barking Level: Infrequent
Characteristics: Best Family Dog
Size: Medium
Trainability: Eager to Please [He has been the most consistent with sleep training...so far!]
Which matches him with a...
Characteristics that Match:
- Recognized among other terriers by their "unique head shape" -- Virgil is the one that everyone has been able to pick out of the crowd! Can you?
- "Make fine childhood playmates" -- He smiles more often than not when you are interacting with him.
- "Tend to get along with other dogs, but their hunting instincts can be aroused when cats or squirrels cross their path." -- All of these qualities seem positive, but he's still a baby! When given a reason, Virgil will cry no doubt.
Medical Update: Virgil currently is clocking in at 11 lbs. 14.5 oz, which is around the 25th percentile on the preemie charts. An ear infection is the only hiccup, so we are crossing our fingers that I don't bring home too much this Fall when school starts...students can be gross snot machines, and I've been out-of-the-game since February, so we're bound to be under-the-weather a few times when the petri dish is reintroduced.
Quad B -- Ruby Bridget
Activity Level: Calm [She will smile and talk to you when you're around, but she's also OK staring at the ceiling.]Barking Level: Infrequent
Characteristics: Best for Apartments [Homegirl must have underdeveloped vocal cords because her cry is WEAK SAUCE. Thank goodness. We lucked out with one!]
Size: Small
Trainability: Agreeable
Which matches her with a...
Tornjak Temperament: Friendly, Courageous, Intelligent
Characteristics that Match:
- "Cannot be bribed" -- Girl knows what she likes and wants, and you can't change her mind! If sucking on her shirt is what she wants to do, there's not a baby toy in existence that will change her plan!
- "Very affectionate towards the people in his immediate vicinity" -- She will cuddle up and cozy into anyone willing to hold her!
Quad C -- Jax Aaron
Activity Level: Needs Lots of Activity [He gives us the opportunity to utilize all of our baby equipment and toys since he doesn't last for very long in one location...but yet doesn't mind being by himself.]Barking Level: Medium
Characteristics: Best Breed for Kids [I feel like he's the classic "baby" and meets expectations when it comes to the basics in eating, playing, and sleeping on a normal day.]
Size: Large [Compared to the rest!]
Trainability: May Be Stubborn [He has been the straggler when it comes to sleep routine training the past few nights...]
Which matches him with a...
Temperament: Loyal, Independent, Watchful
Characteristics that Match:
- "Requires firm guidance" -- He has a way of flipping your plan into next week with one swift cry, but we've been working on not backing down! Sleep routine training has been rough on him [and us] at times.
- "...affectionate, loyal, and gentle." -- Boy is he adorable! Squishy smiles when provoked and has just started to talk.
- "...can be independent, territorial, and protective." -- He's like Ruby in the fact that he knows what he likes and he has his favorite spots and having Elsie touch him brings out a scream that can be heard throughout the land...*YIKES!*
Medical Update: Jax is clocking in at 13 lbs. 8.9 oz, which is around the 50th percentile on the preemie charts. Although he is measuring along with the averages, his size compared to the other quads is HUGE! Beyond a recent ear infection, homeboy is doing awesome! Drooling is his favorite thing to do and he is confident in his abilities to soak through a shirt in under 10-minutes, which means teething is on the horizon.
Quad D -- Kit Jessalyn
Activity Level: Energetic [If she's awake, you'd better be touching and/or interacting with her.]Barking Level: Likes to be Vocal
Characteristics: Hairless
Size: Extra Small
Trainability: May be Stubborn [Sleep training is going well for her, but it's all the other waking-hours activities that she doesn't always comply with!]
Which matches her with a...
Temperament: Fearless, Fun-Loving, Proud
Characteristics that Match:
- "are sturdy, compact dogs..." -- Even though she's miniature, peanut is nowhere near malnourished or gaunt. She just is lagging in packing on the poundage!
- "'Big dog' personality" -- Peanut can scream and cry louder than the other quads and toddler combined.
Medical Update: Kit is currently 9 lbs. 1 oz, which is around the .83 percentile on the preemie charts. That's right, peanut isn't even in the 1st percentile yet! She is eating very well, but is colicky, which may explain her inability to hold on to calories to put on weight. I guess she hasn't gotten the news that she has 4 other siblings because she insists on getting attention when she is awake and has to be put into seclusion 9-times-out-of-10 in order to fall asleep. It's the worst sometimes.
The best news though? Kit is getting tubes at the end of September! We're psyched that she may be a tish more comfortable in the near future, and I'm hoping that this eases her into a more "relaxed" lifestyle -- a.k.a. less demanding and needy.
The Toddler -- Elsie Kate
Activity Level: Energetic [Traditional toddler.]Barking Level: Likes to be Vocal
Characteristics: Smartest [Not to brag, but bug knows her way around a potty, the basic colors, 1-10, and on occasion can do a quick run through the ABC's semi-correctly.]
Size: Extra Large
Trainability: Agreeable
Which matches her with a...
Temperament: Even-Tempered, Amiable, Boisterous
Characteristics that Match:
- "built to be expert swimmers" -- Bug lives for the water!
- "...amazingly sensitive and could follow an otter's underwater scent trail over great distances." -- She recently has been using the word "gross" in daily language.
- "...size and strength enabled them to take on a sharp-toothed, razor-clawed otter that might weigh 20 pounds." -- Yep.
*plucky: spirited, brave -- Don't worry, I hadn't heard of it either!
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