4 Months Old!

 Nathan is 4 months old. Wow! 

Rice cereal and baby food are beginning soon - so, hopefully this means MORE SLEEP for Mama will follow. :)

Nathan is a sweet little guy, always very happy (except when typical baby things happen). He's quick to recover if upset. The boob cures all ailments, I tell you. He enjoys standing on his feet rather than sitting. This is something he's enjoyed doing since practically 2 weeks old, so maybe this means an early walker? He sleeps during the day very little, but very happy. So it's clear to me, he won't be a kickass sleeper like his sister. He's gonna be running around this joint sooner than later.

Emily is an AMAZING big sister. The best. This little dude is the luckiest little brother on the planet. She genuinely loves every little bit of his being. She's always talking to him, so it makes me feel he's less neglected, being he's number 2 and all. She hugs and kisses him a million times a day. And before greeting me after school or in the morning, she greets him. I see where I stand now!

Nathan's nighttime sleep has reverted a bit...we were getting 8 hours of beautiful sleep. Now we are down to 5 hours at night, then up 2-3 hours after that. It could be a variety of reasons, but I'm hoping FOOD will take care of this problem in a couple months. He's a very patient, smiley baby. His favorite part of the day is talk time with his 'sissy.' In fact, when I say the word, 'sissy', now he smiles big and wide. 

Look at my kidlets...I love them!

 

 Emily Update:

Emily started school again in January, now going 4 days a week in hopes to prep her for Kindergarten. That's right. KINDERGARTEN. I register her next month. I'm beside myself. Where has my baby gone?!? She's so confident, smart and funny. We love her to bits. She's reading 3-letter word books now and learning math. Her art skills are amazing - she can color/draw better than me! She's a whiz on the computer. She'll be more than ready for the big time.

She's still very dramatic and emotional over small things, but she's worked hard on coping with these frustrating emotions, so I think things are better than they were last year. She still loves to swim and she is now in gymnastics. T-ball and dance class may be on the agenda in the spring, per her request. She tells me she loves me every day, and it melts my heart every time. I'm gonna soak in every last minute of this 4th year with Emily. 

Pretty soon, Mama will play second fiddle to all her elementary school friends.

Her new haircut: The Bob

(Psst! We went to Maui last month and stayed at an amazing home overlooking the ocean from high above the hills, but I have yet to download photos from my camera. We shared the home with a few other people we know, including my mom. Long story short: We did nothing. We sat, slept, swam and drank and it was paradise and I want to go back. Like, tomorrow. Maybe forever. Ohhhh, Hawaii.)

The Story About a Girl Who Loved a 'Blankie.'

Almost 5 years ago, before Emily was born, a small yellow 'lovie blankie' made from cotton/rayon with a satin trim, was purchased from a fancy boutique shop somewhere in Washington. It was given to me as a baby shower gift, along with some bath items. Due to its small size, I thought it was a washcloth. I used it as one for a few times. This was until I realized, it was meant to be a baby blankie.

Shortly after Emily was born, we realized she wasn't into a pacifier, nor was she into thumb or finger sucking. So this small, soft yellow washcloth-looking thing, as well as a few other choices, was placed in her crib when she was about 6 months old. We hoped she would attach to it and find it soothing for sleep.

Months later, we noticed Emily had a fondness for this little yellow blankie. She did a little chant it - later this chant was affectionately called the 'nya nya'. Her tongue would wave and vibrate and she would make a unique sound - it was something I had never seen a baby do. It was fascinating! It was uniquely Emily. She only did this with this blankie, so there it was. At 8 months, she had a lovie. And boy, did she ever love it.

For the first 2 years, her blankie went pretty much everywhere she did - in her crib, at grandma/grammy's houses, in the car, to the doctor, in the stores. By the time she was 2 1/2, we decided blankie needed to stay in her bed. We nearly lost it a few times and that was enough for us!

Now she's almost 5. This blankie is torn to shreds...literally. 

We have called upon friends and family with great sewing skills to patch up holes here and there over the years, but now it's no use. Blankie is not salvageable at this point. 

Here it was about a year ago. One small hole.

Here it is now, a tangled mess:

Both of us know the end is near for the dear little lovie. We laid in Emily's bed the other night and I watched her pet her blankie like she's always done. There was only a teeny tiny piece of fabric left on it...the rest was just tattered yarn and holes. The satin trim remains in tact. At that moment we both got a little teary. You see, this blankie is a symbol of Emily and her babyhood. Seeing blankie so tattered and torn reminds us both that Emily is growing up, and it's time to possibly say goodbye to her sweet fabric companion. I know. Pretty sappy, right? But it's true. It's become a symbol of her and who she is. Everyone in our family knows just how special this rag of a washcloth is to her. So to see it go will be a very sad day. We will, of course, keep it. But it will have to be packed away. One day, if Emily has her own children, I will pull it out and we will all have a good laugh!

I looked at the tag to find the maker of the blankie to maybe, just maybe, get a replacement. Yes, I know she's 5 but this thing is more loved than any toy or tv show in the world and I find that incredibly cool. I found out it was made by a very posh linen company in San Francisco, Bella Notte. After failed attempts to find a replacement around here, I called the company.

I talked to a very nice woman and explained my story. She was very touched. I gave her the product number. Unfortunately, she said the fabric was discontinued right about 4 years ago, as was the blankie, so there is no hope to make or find another one.

So in the coming months, we will be putting blankie away here and there to get Emily used to life without it. But what a wonderful first 5 years of life she had with it.