Local set of quadruplets turns 5 months old

ATHENS, Ga. — A local family that recently welcomed a rare set of quadruplets is celebrating a milestone.

Ashton, Walker, Meyers and baby girl Bradlee officially turned 5 months old Friday.

In March, Athens mom Julianne Kirkland and dad Matt welcomed three boys and a baby girl. The four babies doubled the size of their family; the couple has two other sons, Campbell and Jack.

"And now...six kids later, our hearts are overflowing with love, and couldn't imagine life without each one of them," Julianne Kirkland wrote on her blog.

She regularly posts updates to her Facebook page about the babies.

In one post she wrote that the babies go through a can of baby formula every two days, one package of baby wipes daily, and lots of diapers -- sometimes they change as many as 52 diapers in a single day.

But despite all that, she says the babies bring her family so much joy.

“We are so blessed by all of our children, even though we get no sleep and have started to twitch!” writes Kirkland.

The babies, born at 31 weeks, spent the first few weeks of their lives getting stronger in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Georgia Regents University Hospital in Augusta.

Five months later, the babies are home and thriving, growing bigger and stronger every day.

Big brothers Campbell and Jack love to help take care of their new siblings.

“Campbell and Jack have done so well adapting to our new family dynamic and I don't want them to not be able to experience what they would have experienced if we had only had one baby,” says Kirkland.

Even at five months old, the babies have their own distinct personalities.

“Ashton aka Big Man, is our most demanding baby,” writes Kirkland. “[H]e just wants to be held...he thinks he's an only child.  He now has mastered the lower lip quiver that will break your heart!”

Baby boy Walker has a much more easy-going personality, says Kirkland.

“Walker is such a sweet baby.  I don't know how else to describe it, he is just easy to fall in love with,” says Kirkland.

Meyers seems to be the low-maintenance baby, according to mom.

“Meyers, still known as baby D, amazes me,” said Kirkland. “He only gets upset when his tummy hurts, other than that, he just likes to look around and take it all in.”

Kirkland says in a family of five sons, their only daughter is unique.

“Bradlee Ann is something else,” she writes. “I see now why God only gave us one girl!  Everything is different with a girl.”

Kirkland says she's loving every moment being a mother to her two boys and set of quadruplets.

“This is my new normal, hard, tiring, crazy, fun, joyful, loving new normal! All I can say is OH MY QUAD!”

WSBTV