What's Been Going On

There's been a lot going on around here -- but not a lot of blogging.

Piper, Henry, and Rosemary have adjusted well to Penelope. At first Penelope got a few kisses and a few swats, but now it's all kisses. The kids now love all things baby and Piper and Rosemary have a renewed interest in their baby dolls. The kids are also having fun with Penelope's toys -- which coincidentally used to be their toys.

We have learned that we need to put Penelope in her swing or bouncy seat in the playroom . . . when the kids are not in the playroom. They just like to help Penelope play. For instance, the other day, Penelope was in her swing in the living room (in Piper's old spot) and the kids were all around her, swinging her as high as possible in that swing, and yelling "Wheeeeeeee!!" Although I'm sure Penelope enjoyed it, we have decided to keep that to a minimum.

The weekend before last, the whole family went out to lunch. I had planned to take pictures there, but instead only took pictures of the 4 kiddos in the car:






After seeing how well the kids did eating at the table for lunch, we stopped on the way home and bought some plates, bowls, and cups for the kids. So, we are no longer using the highchair trays, but instead sitting at the table:









Oh, and here's what Penelope was doing during the kids' first meal at the table:



Then, this past weekend, Gary gave Penelope her first bottle. She did great with it (and so did Gary)! Now Gary gives Penelope a bottle every night around 8:30 p.m. or so and she usually takes around 3-4 ounces for that feeding.



The Labor Day weekend was not the best for us. I still am not supposed to pick up the kids, but Gary was under the weather and Piper, Henry, and Rosemary were sick (viral fever and sore throat, plus Piper had a mild case of pink eye). We called in my mom for backup, and she was here within a few hours and stayed until yesterday. Everyone is well now, and so things are back to normal -- whatever that happens to be for us now.

Thankfully, Penelope did not get sick (though I have no idea how). She had a pediatrician appointment this past Friday and weighed 9 pounds 5 ounces, so she is still gaining around 2 ounces a day, which is great. There have been a few nights here and there over the last week where she only got up once to eat between about 9:00 p.m. and 7:30 a.m. There have been some nights where she got up every 2 hours, too, but more often than not she's up twice to eat. Penelope has very little fussy time and is overall a very happy, and easy, baby. Here are a few cute photos of Penelope from over the long Labor Day weekend to finish off the post:







Yesterday was Piper, Henry, and Rosemary's first day of Mother's Day Out (playschool), so that will be the next blog post!