FOUR Months Old

... I started this post towards the end of September and never got back to it... life sort of took over. 

I added a bit, but mostly left it the same.  It makes me really appreciate this blog because if I hadn't typed it then, I don't think I would have been able to recreate it or even remember these little things now...

 

Sleeping babies are the sweetest

Rudy's photography skills...

Our Month 4 sticker shoot:

Three kids, one good picture:  Mission impossible!

Ben's 4-month stats:
Weight:  16 lbs, 4 oz (61%)
Height:  23 3/4 in (88%)
Head:  42.8 cm (63%)

There isn't much to say about this guy except how great of a baby he is and how lucky we all are.  He still sleeps great and is adjusting just fine to the move.  He is so entertained by his brother and sister - always watching them and making sure they are within eyesight. 
 

Biggest development:  Ben rolled over!  He was so close for so long - Rudy and Avery just couldn't resist and would give him a nudge, but he finally did it on his own!   

 

This is about the time with all my other babies that I started aching for a new baby.  And I'm not going to lie, I started feeling those same pangs again.  I think I figured it out, though.  At 4-5 months, babies aren't so "baby" anymore and I start to miss it, and they also haven't reached a difficult time - they still aren't getting into things or the added step of feeding baby food hasn't come along yet either.  I think I'll fight through the urge this time around, though…as hard as that will be!

Ben may just always have to be my baby :)

My boys

Let's see…what else has been going on around these parts?

• Avery has flipped the switch on sleeping.  She used to be so easy, almost too good to be true.  She has all of a sudden decided she will not sleep in her crib.  She has been sleeping in Rudy's room at night and nap time is almost nonexistent.  She still needs a nap, but I can't get her down when it's just me and the three kids.  Rudy and Ben, understandably, won't let me disappear and lay with Avery for 20-30 minutes until she falls asleep and if Rudy and Avery are in the same room, they distract each other just enough to keep from sleeping.  I could (and maybe should) do an all out sleep training regime in this new house for her and Rudy, but right now I just don't have it in me.  
• Avery has gone potty on the "big kid" potty a few times now, all by chance.  She wants to do everything Rudy does.  Everything.  You can't ask her if she wants something or wants to do something without asking Rudy first because if Rudy's answer is different, she switches to what Rudy wants.  So her times of going potty were right before bath time when her diaper is off and she follows after Rudy and goes potty.  So basically, potty training Avery is right around the corner! 
• Avery is such a mama's girl.  I love my little girl and being with her - but some days she needs to detach and spend even 5 minutes with someone else.  I'm told she's fine if I am not around, which is great.  But right now she is sitting on my lap at the kitchen table as I type - and John is cozy on the couch willing and ready to snuggle/play with her (it's early and the other two are still sleeping!).
• Rudy and Avery test my patience on a regular basis.  Then I get a lot of "mom guilt" when I let my frustrations get the best of me at times.  I need to get back to a routine of planning out the day with activities and keeping them occupied.  Boredom seems to be the #1 culprit of fighting.  The whole sleep thing hasn't helped either (...and the flood, the move, the chaos)!
• I started back at work one day a week and as many other hours as I can manage while the rest of the house is asleep.  The shop I sell at is doing really well, so that has kept me pretty busy, too.  John is working his non-shift days at the house - he's attempting to stay at home with the kids the day I am at work and any weekend day he has off.  But that is not always possible.
• Rudy never stops talking.  He is so funny (and draining! :)).  Most meals he is the last done and will say, "Avery you eat fast!" when really he just doesn't stop talking long enough to eat a meal!  The things he comes up with are something else.  He questions everything.  But it is so interesting seeing his mind work.  He really thinks about what is said and sometimes he just can't comprehend.  So much of the world is brand new to him, and we are here to teach him about it.  He has gotten to that point that he wants to know and learn.  He'll ask "why?" 100 times, then finally, finally end the questioning with a simple, "Oh."    (and we let out a sigh of relief that the interogation is over!)
• Avery is quite chatty herself.  She mimics just about everything anyone says.  She isn't as inquisitive, but she knows her stuff - animals, colors, etc.  Its so interested to see how different the two have been at each stage of their lives.  It has brought me a lot of peace in that I can see first hand that sometimes its not all about the parenting method/lessons/etc, but the individual child.  Kids are kids, but they are also their own person!