Birthdays

arrive in quadruplet at the Martin home in

Fayetteville this week.

Life

for Sherry and Lee Martin changed dramatically

two years ago Oct. 16 when they became the

parents of three boys and a girl.

Delivered

at Southern Regional Hospital in Riverdale, the

quadruplets named Anna, Stephen, Nicholas and

David, arrived prematurely but healthy. Today

they are thriving toddlers who will celebrate

their second birthdays Saturday with a dozen

family and friends.

visit to the Martin household is kind of like

dropping in at a small day care center. The

garage has been renovated into a spacious play

room for the quads, which is painted in cheery

yellow and blue. Shelves and a toy chest hold an

array of books, puzzles and toys.

In

the center of the floor is Sherry, cuddling and

playing in turn with each of her energetic

toddlers. Unfazed by the occasional screams of

protest from Anna when brother David, known as

the toy thief, snatches a play thing away from

her, or the dozens of toys strewn across the

carpeted floor, Sherry sits calmly, restoring

order and delivering hugs to the neediest of the

four. "They have not learned cooperation

yet," she says laughing.

The

family's day starts around 8 a.m. when Sherry

fixes breakfast for her children, who have

graduated from bottles and Pablum to sippy cups

and cereal. Play time and Sesame Street fill the

morning hours. Nice weather finds the quads

outside on the swings and slide, their latest

favorite activity. "It's like a little

parade, a little circle going around,"

Sherry said, describing the antics of the four

taking turns on the scaled-down slide in their

fenced-in play yard.

Mondays,

David and Anna are visited by a music therapist

who works with the Babies Can't Wait Program.

The

two were born with a severe hearing loss, Sherry

explained, but are developing their speech with

the help of a cochlear implant in Anna's case,

and hearing aids for David. Speech therapy

requires a weekly trip to Riverdale.

"David

does really well. He says about 12 words,"

Sherry noted. Nicholas and Stephen are spouting

between 30 and 40 words at last count, she added.

Anna is still not speaking, but Sherry is waiting

optimistically.

One

day a week, the quads attend the mothers morning

out program at New Hope Baptist Church, and

Sherry steals a few hours to run errands, get her

hair cut or play catchup on housework.

Watching

the Martin quads interact is not unlike watching

any group of almost-twos. They wobble,

half-running, half-walking across the room,

checking in with mom occasionally, by falling

into her lap. Anna works with a four-piece puzzle

while Stephen clutches his Mickey Mouse, fondly

called Meme. "Nicky has a little teddy bear

he got for Christmas. It's kind of dilapidated,

but he won't go to bed without it," Sherry

said. David likes any toy his siblings have at

the moment.

Sherry's

best advice to any mother of multiples is simple:

"You've got to stay organized," she

said. Right from the beginning, she had a system

to feed and diaper her quartet, a storage

arrangement for clothing and place for

everything.

That

hasn't changed. Despite the scattering of toys,

neat stacks of diapers are ready for the children

when they are and Disney videos are lined up

ready for action. Sherry noted that Winnie the

Pooh is their favorite, and has a calming effect

on the toddlers when they get extra rowdy. The TV

sits on a wall-mounted stand, away from the

curious hands of the four.

Animal

crackers also provide a bit of sedation for the

children who respond accordingly to the magical

word, "cookie." While some mothers may

fear toddlers' terrible twos, in the Martins'

case, it's definitely terrific twos times four.

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