Going from 3 to 4

Everyone told me that going from 3 to 4 kids was easiest for them, compared to 1-2 and 2-3.  So far 3-4 has been a bit difficult! haha.

Oliver is a really good baby and is pretty amazing at sleeping in his bassinet for most of the day - so I think that his addition is only a very small part of our difficulties at the moment - it's more the other kids that are difficult!  They're all in weird stages, and the new baby is probably throwing them a bit off kilter - hopefully they'll all adjust soon!

Anyways, the reason I bring this up is because I NEED A BREAK!  I also need clothes that fit.  I gained a lot more in this pregnancy than I did with the others.  I don't really care SO much about the extra weight except that because I had hardly gained any weight with the others, I lost it very quickly and was back into my old clothes - but this time I'm actually going to have to work to get the weight off, which is totally normal... but it means I don't fit into any of my old clothes, and my maternity clothes are all to big - so I need to go shopping!

So tonight after Conor gets home, Oliver and I are hitting up the mall.  I'll get him to sleep in the wrap and have dinner in peace... and then attempt to try on clothes and buy some stuff.

Oliver's baptism is this Sunday as well, so I either wear what I wore for Elle's baptism, because I know that will fit (stretchy skirt!) or else buy something new.  I vote new, if I can find something I like!

Elle - 4 years old

A couple of weeks ago Elle turned 4!!

Birthday cupcakes

There's a show the kids watch and there's a dancing ballerina in a music box - so for a couple months she's been asking for a music box.  I was glad she had something she really wanted because I never know what to get these kids! I took Finn shopping to see what he wanted to get her.  I told him Mommy and Daddy bought her a jewelry box because HE wanted to get her one...so he picked out some fake jewelry for her to go in the music box.

Opening the jewelry box.

"I'm the happiest little girl!!"

Her friends who came to her birthday gave her this skirt and wings!

For the last year we've had a struggle with Elle above just the normal 3 year old stuff.  She started potty training at 3, and it was going really well, until she had a no2 accident (very early on) and refused to use the toilet for that since. We kept her in diapers at nap and bedtime, so she would just hold it til then, and there was nothing we could do to convince her to go on the toilet.  There was a stage a few months ago where she wanted to go to bed with no diaper... but after a couple of days of no no2 as well - well it wasn't pretty.  So we started kind of insisting she wore diapers to bed again.

Recently, especially with the arrival of Oliver, we've been telling her when she turned 4 she wouldn't get diapers anymore.  Then miraculously a week or so before her birthday, she went on the toilet!  And she was SO SO SO proud of herself - and we said no more diapers and she was happy with that and hasn't looked back since!  So proud of her - and she's done really well at night with no diapers, only one or two wet beds a week, which is pretty good as she's only just started not having diapers at bed.

Thea - 2 years old

In May, this little beauty turned 2!

Since Oliver has arrived (well, a little before) she started entering the terrible twos! haha.  Thankfully it's pretty cute.

She's learning a lot from her big sister: changing clothes a bazillion times a day, dancing all over the house, giving people the "bad face".

She recently gave up on wearing bibs and sitting in a high chair, so keeping her at the table for meals is a bit of a trial.

Thea didn't have a teddy of her own, like Elle and Finnian did, so I took the big kids to the store and let them choose one to give to Thea for her birthday

As "terrible" as she can be at this age, she can also be terribly cute! Can't wait to see her start talking more this year!

Getting ready for Olivers arrival, she enjoyed pushing Elles teddy around in this like a baby.

Oliver - One Month Old

Mr Oliver at one month old
4.558 kgs (10 pounds!)

This little man just gets cuter and cuter!  He's a "good" little baby (but really, how can a baby be bad?!)  He eats well and sleeps pretty good at night.  I'm usually getting a couple 3 hours stretches - so from the time I go to bed until I get up in the morning, he has usually 3 feeds in the night.  He's usually pretty unsettled in the evenings - not crying or anything, but wants to be held, but doesn't really sleep soundly in our arms.  I know it's early, but I got a baby monitor and might start trying to actually put him to bed after his evening feed to see if he'll actually go to sleep out of the living room - can't hurt - the worst thing that will happen is he ends up back in the living room with us until we go to bed.

I LOVE his hair - especially after baths.  It gets curly when it's wet, and you can see a little curl there at the front!

Tummy sleeper!

During the day, he usually just conks right out on the floor or in his bassinet in the living room - on his back or his tummy, but it seems as though he prefers his tummy during the day.  At night he's happy to be swaddled and on his back, so we'll go with it!

The kids just love him.  Thea is SO demanding to see him when he first wakes up.  If I try to just pick him up and walk away she SCREAMS "BABY! BABY!" chasing me down the hall until I bed down and let her see him and give him a little cuddle.  Elle always wants to hold him and give him cuddles.  He's going to be one loved little boy!

3.5 weeks old

Well here's some bits and bobs.

Conor went back to work Thursday and Friday as he had a  talk to give Sunday morning and needed to finish preparing.  I was TERRIFIED but it went much better than I though, and each day I actually had a 30 minute period where I was able to go lay down in the spare room (Thea was napping, Oliver was asleep in the living room, and Elle & Finn were watching a show).

Today is Monday, so the start of a full week on my own.  I'm kinda glad now that I had those other two days first and then the weekend with Conor home otherwise I'd be scared today! haha

Here are some random pictures to end this little post with.

Big Yawn!

I'm at that point where I really miss having my evenings to myself... but I know it goes so quickly, so I'm trying to be greatful for this sweet little baby and enjoy the snuggles before it's gone!

I take a lot of babywearing pictures of Oliver and I - but thought I should take some non-babywearing ones!

I would bathe this kid 100 times a day just to see his curls!
He has so much more hair than the other kids did, and CURLS!  I'm praying it's actual curls - I've always wanted a curly haired kid.