Jim Gaffigan says if you want to know what having four children is like "imagine you are drowning and someone hands you a baby." (He now has five children.) If that's true, we are just at the drowning state. No one is handing us a baby! Piece. Of. Cake. I'm joking, of course. It hasn't been that hard or that easy. DH's job amped up at the beginning of the month. So, I've had to pare down on non-essential activities, including blogging. It's surprising how the little things can take up so much time during the day. Eg. Nurse, change diapers, nurse, rock to sleep, feed the big kids, get a snack, clean a little, read a little, wash a little laundry. Repeat.
The boys have been really happy about the baby. Yesterday, Isaac gave me a hug and said, "Thank you for giving me a baby!" Totally out of the blue. I did not know what to say. Today, he brought two gladiola flowers inside, one for me, one for DH.
Angela's been a little colicky. I'm making a daily log of her activities so I have something to tell the doctor. I don't think she's fussy enough to label it "colic," but the periods of fussiness are longish and nothing helps except sleep. She appears to be in pain during these times. My guess is that they are gas pains, though she prefers her left side to her right at the fussy times. Any prayers offered for her health and development are appreciated -- and that the doctor gives me the best information at her next appointment. I've been reading what I can online. I've also been reading
this book again to see what more I can do to help her and to help me. We are looking for longer periods of this:
Of course, I went a little crazy with the shutter when I saw her; and then she did this:
I tip-toed out of the room; she fell right back asleep.
My OB thought that the fussiness might be due to my diet, although I've been keeping a good diet since I read about that online. Specifically, the foods in question were cabbage, broccoli, and garlic. I haven't been eating those. The online information is a little frustrating because it's inconclusive. One suggestion was made to me: drink Kefir and eat foods with probiotics. I am drinking Kefir, though it doesn't seem to be helping much. The boys were convinced that I was holding out on them and insisted they try Kefir this morning. This was Isaac's response:
"I don't like this!" This look is because he thinks I'm going to make him drink it since he begged me for some:
He is nothing if not dramatic:
Lucky for Isaac, his hot-sauce-loving little brother also loves Kefir. And he's also learned how to guard his food. Sad that he has to do that!
All of these things inside of his arms belong to him:
Serious eyebrows. Scary.
But he was kidding:
We go through periods of time where the boys dump their drinks on the floor just because.
Thankfully, today was not one of those days!
I love this picture, even though the lighting is off. It shows what I see every morning: the sun pouring through our breakfast nook. It's great to have sunshine in the rooms that you use regularly -- when you're in them! (Side note: the crossed legs are a sign that the boy is happy. I love seeing that!) (Side, side note: after only a day, the "sleep doctor" helped all of my children sleep better and wake up happier. I really need to modify my expectations. That's what I'm learning. Caring for three little kids takes an entire day. It's okay not to do anything else. In fact, everyone is happier when that's the "only" thing I do.)
The boys have been helping with our Angie-tasks like tummy time.
Baths are super-calming for the boys and help them sleep well.
Andre comes up to this picture every night and stares lovingly at it. (Yes, I will get a photo of the other side of the fam soon! We need to have everyone in one place!!)
He is very sweet and affectionate when he's not whining.
Isaac's very into all of the scrapes and cuts he gets. He wants to talk about them and show them off.
Some post-bath silliness:
This one is two. So, he's not perfect. I tell my kids that they won't have any friends if they whine because no one wants to listen to that. That approach is mildly effective.
And it is now time to get this sleeping angel, who has been resting for almost 4-hours and it's not night time. Generous of her to sleep through the witching hour, but I really hope she sleeps tonight!!
