Will I ever catch up and/or keep up? Probably not. I was thinking the other day, Will, if you happen to read this when you're older, really, I do love you just as much as the others. I promise. At this point we're all just running around like we're crazy (and maybe we are, just a little bit), and then we all crash around 8:05.
A few things to check in...
Will is 4 months now. I took a picture and got his measurements at the pediatrician. Hopefully I'll get those in at some point. He is such a treat. He smiles absolutely all the time and it just makes my heart happy. He's discovered his feet and thinks they're amazing. Of course with that crazy pinky toe, we think his feet are amazing too. This week we had beautiful weather. One day we went on a walk and I kept his feet uncovered. I could just tell his feet were happy to be free! He can roll front to back, and I suspect he's rolled back to front once or twice, but I'm not certain. He prefers to sit up and see everything that's going on. He talks and sings in his sleep, which is so cute...during the day. Lots of nights he does that once or twice during the night, and it's not quite as cute then. We're all out of bedrooms, so he sleeps in his cradle in the hallway, so we can still hear the singing. Other than that, he sleeps through the night. Woohoo!
Jake continues to talk up a storm and crack us up/amaze us with what he says. Buck asked him why he picks his nose and eats his boogies. His response, "Because I choose to." When we took Will in for his well check, the pediatrician was a little surprised at how much Jake was able to string together in one sentence, and the words that he uses appropriately. He constantly wants to be in conversation, and demands attention and affirmation. When he wants to talk to someone, he either says, "talk about how my day was," meaning he wants you to ask about his day, or the one that makes me laugh, "Remember when...(i.e. we saw that fire truck)?" I affirm that yes, I do remember. "That was...(i.e. cool)." As much as I've had that conversation with my chubby blonde little boy, it makes me chuckle because I feel like I'm in Chris Farley's SNL sketch. He also reads constantly, or rather wants to be read to constantly. No one can read fast enough. He turns the page and immediately says, "TALK!" Oh, and he can spell his name. I don't remember teaching him that, so it surprised me.
Ellie learned to tie her shoes! I'm not sure she remembers because we had to switch out shoes and all we could find was Velcro, but she did really well for a while. Bella taught her. She's definitely starting to transition out of preschool phase and into elementary phase. That makes me sad. She's quite the mother to Will, and often, sadly, he's not very appreciative. In fact, there's a certain shrill scream he gets lots of times just when he sees her. I think it's from having seen her a little too closely a few too many times. She's getting a lot better and is very sweet with him, but I guess he has a good memory. She's starting to add and is very proud of herself! She's been singing a lot lately...really loudly. It makes me smile. She's really enjoying dance. The other night she cracked us up. Buck asked (long story leading up to this point), "What do you think Jesus says about the poor?" "We should throw stones at them?" She's picking things up, but maybe we need to review some specifics and details. It still gets me every time she cuts her eyes and grins with those dimply cheeks. She's something else.
Eve is still cleaning crazy. She loves it. She loves things to be organized and hates things to be messy...unless, of course, it's something she's been asked to clean or is responsible for keeping clean. That's a different story. Still, she loves cleaning and mothering, which in most cases is very helpful. When we check the kids in to the nursery at church, she insists on taking everyone to their classroom. Eve has become more and more social at school and in the neighborhood. She is constantly thinking of projects and doing them on her own (often without asking...but we're working on that). A lot of times they're super sweet and show her sensitive heart. She writes letters and notes to people to feel better, letting them know they're a good friend, or just telling them facts about something she's interested in (i.e. horses). She's also started taking baton twirling lessons and is really enjoying that. I'm amazed at what she's been able to learn in a short period of time.
John's big news is that he's tested into a "gifted" school within our district. Every 2nd grader in the county is tested, and I believe 120 students are offered a spot in the school. He was a part of the first group that was invited. We are very proud of him. The school runs from 3rd grade through 8th. It will be quite a transition. It's a good 30 minute drive without traffic, and they really push the students hard (they told us to expect much lower grades and lots of frustration), but it's a phenomenal program and he's excited. John is playing soccer now. He's on a really good team with a pretty serious coach, so this, too, is stretching him to have to work harder than he ever has before. He's really excited to be on an all boys team for the first time. Recently I gave John the freedom to ride his bike to the top of our hill alone as long as he's told me he's going. I wish I had a picture of his face. He looked so proud and nervous all at the same time. This transition into more freedom and more responsibility is hard for both of us! But that's the point of parenting, right? There are some days that I look at him and his actions and choices and he's still just a little boy. There are other times that he looks so much older, takes the initiative to lend a hand when he sees a need, and really shows some mature responsibility.
Yep. My hands are full. Full of good things. But I won't lie. Bedtime is a wonderful thing.
