On the night of March 4, for the first time Tania and Rene Villanueva went to sleep with all four of their infant sons under their roof.
Three hours later and bleary-eyed they were up for a feeding shift, and regardless of the sleep deprivation, it was a moment to cherish.
Tania and Rene are the parents of quadruplets — Andrew, Julian, Samuel and Robert — who were born Dec. 31, 2020 at Doctors Medical Center in Modesto. The boys remained together in NICU until late February when Samuel was given the okay to go home. He was followed by Julian and finally Andrew and Robert.
“Having them all home is the best feeling,” said Tania.
The couple is making the adjustment of having all four sons at home with help from an army of helpers, including both their mothers, aunts, and volunteers through their church — the Hughson branch of the Church of Latter Day Saints. They come for shifts of three hours to help from the morning until early evening.
“It’s such a good feeling to have all this help,” Rene said. “Everyone has been so supportive.”
All four of the boys are doing well and growing. Robert is the smallest and has a heart murmur but doctors expect it will go away one day. Until then, his heart beats faster and he burns more calories because of it, Rene explained.
The boys are on a three-hour feeding schedule and initially the couple would set alarms to keep them on track.
“We don’t need to set the alarms anymore because Andrew lets us know that it’s feeding time,” Rene said. “He’s the boss around here.”
The Villanuevas also are adjusting to what it’s like buying for four babies. Rene said he’s getting pretty experienced at clearing off shelves.
“Sometimes I get looks, but when I tell them I have quadruplets it changes right away,” he said.
The couple’s church friends started a GoFundMe account to help the family with expenses, which has been used to buy two sets of double strollers and a few other needed items. The account can be found at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/Villanueva-QUAD-SQUAD.