5 Weeks

These pictures are a week old and not that great. I will get more updated ones soon.

Today Brooke had her 1 month doctor's visit. She was 7 lbs. 5 ozs. at her last visit and today she was 10 lbs 1.5 ozs. (which means she is even fatter than in these pictures I posted) The Dr. was amazed at how much weight she had gained. She is quite the contrast to Kate. Kate gained well in the beginning when she was a baby, but she never got to be the fatty that Brooke is. She has always been my skinny little girl. It is fun to see how different the two of them are. So, Brooke is in the 75th percentile for weight and the 90th percentile for height and head circumference.

Brooke is a very good baby. Both of our other two hated car rides when they were newborns, whereas Brooke is great and falls asleep and does great. She also is not a fussy baby. She is only fussy when she needs to burp or sometimes if she is tired. She does not have those long fussy periods that some babies have. She is such a cutie and we all love her a ton.

Kate is great with Brooke and it is very manageable to hold both of them b/c Kate is so sweet and will hold still and is very gentle with the baby. Jake is a totally different story. I thought he would be better since he is older, but he is rough and will yell in Brooke's face to play with her. He is obsessed with her and loves to be around her, but he's just a wild little 3 year old boy. I think he has had a harder time adjusting than Kate. He has been a bit more antagonistic and defiant. We are having to work quite a bit more with teaching and disciplining him these days.

I am definitely trying to find a new balance with juggling life and 3 kids. I don't think the number of kids is as difficult as their ages. Having 3 little ones is quite demanding. They all want to be wherever I am, so there are no breaks unless I have another adult or a locked door to help intervene. Stan has been a great help and lets me take naps and watches the kids while I get out on occasion. I count the hours til he is home everyday.

So, that is the update. Having the 3 kids has actually been easier than I thought it would be, but it is definitely a ton of work. I hear that is gets easier over time. I hope that is true.