On Having Three

So, it will soon be six months that we've been a family of five. In some ways it's gone fast (wow! She's 5 months old already!) In other ways, it's gone slow (How has Molly only been around for five months? She seems like she's always been here!)

(still fresh out of the oven)

(3 months later)

Molly still is full of her feminine charm and gentleness. The "easiness" we lived in fear of leaving us has not left us, but her sleep has still had a few hiccups. We changed her bed situation so that she spends part of the night sleeping out of our bedroom. I had noticed a few times I would turn over and then a few minutes later she would wake up. That happened with the boys too around the same age. So the past few nights have been much better for us now that she is not in our room all night.

Molly is pleasant as can be when she's awake but still has a relatively short expiration time: She eats, gets her diaper changed, has a little while to play and then she gets fussy for a nap again.

On days that we're home, it's a great schedule because it gives me lots of dedicated time to play with the boys, feed people, and maintain the home.

On days when we have things to do (go to Mass, run errands, visit people) it just adds a little more stress because any outing over an hour and we are blowing through Molly's naptime and she's going to get a little fussy.

The boys continue to adapt to Molly very well. Exceedingly well.

They are kind to her, careful around her, they try to be quiet(er) when she's sleeping and they just love smothering her with kisses. They tell her she's "cute" or "so pretty" and I don't think they've exhibited even a shred of jealousy towards her.

Sometimes, they do want to revert a little bit to their baby ways.

Matthew plays his "Baby Kitty" card in which he pretends he's a kitty cat, complete with a little "Mew" and pawing at you like he's a cat. It's sweet and not too overplayed so it hasn't lost its charm yet.

Even Michael, though, has adopted a little desire to be a baby. Especially around his dad, he'll do things as "Baby Michael" (complete with random wailing meant specifically to get his dad's attention to come running and attend to the baby. If he doesn't come, he'll come find you and announce "Baby Michael is crying. He needs his Daddy.")

He frequently likes to "relive" his days of infancy, "Did you wrap me up in that blanket when I was a baby? Did you sing me that song? Did you....?" It's very sweet. And as well, not so overdone as to become burndensome (well, maybe the wailing....).

I find the adjustment to be much easier than I expected. I do feel more overwhelmed at the thought of accomplishing tasks with all the kids (the park, grocery shopping, play dates with the kids) so I admit I've been much more of a homebody than I (or the boys) would like. The funny thing is, though, that we've never actually had any issues while we're out. It's not like we've had major meltdowns or any drama while we're out, I just have this fear of it or I just feel like having all the cards line up write (everyone's feeding, napping, diaper/toilet schedule) is taxing and so I just prefer to do my errands by myself at night and take it easy with the kids at home.

But once Molly has outgrown her morning nap, we should be ready to have more adventures again.

It's hard to believe that she will be eating solid foods next month! We started at 6 months with the boys and don't really want to start much earlier with Molly. Solid foods is a hassle! It takes time to prepare, it's messy, and it really stretches out meal times. From my memory, the thrill of "baby's first foods" is often tempered by them not really wanting it, being disinterested or getting fussy. So, we'll slowly ease into it with Molly and see how she does.

One thing I have really noticed about the boys is how well they play together and take care of each other when I'm tending to Molly.

They create adventures (Batman and Robin, Superman) they play at their train table, they create Messes (arg!), they play with blocks. It is so heartening to see them grow as brothers and I can't wait until Molly can enter their world of play.

We are so blessed!