Where did May go?

I can't believe how fast the weeks are flying by. Sarah Kate will be 4 weeks old on Monday! She has regained and surpassed her birth weight, gotten better at holding up her head and moving it around, and started to focus well on faces and toys. She has started taking an occasional bottle without any problems. Just like her brothers, she loves the animals hanging from her playmat. I believe the official smile count is Mommy: 2, Elephant: 4.

Last week she had her 3-week growth spurt, and my easy, sleepy, happy baby disappeared for a couple of days. She was up twice at night again and very unhappy during the day. But on Tuesday night, she actually slept through the night from 11pm until 7am! And during the days, she is happy once again.

Sarah Kate's big brothers are still doing wonderfully with her. Christopher loves to help by giving her a passie when she is crying, and they want to watch her on the video monitor anytime she is in her crib. If she is crying while Will is watching a video, he will ask me to "put the baby away," but otherwise they are happy to have her around. Last week, I ventured out to Sam's Club with the three kids. When we got out of the van, Christopher said, "We are bringing our baby into the store?!?" I said yes, we couldn't leave her in the car. He said, "Why didn't we leave her at home?" I guess he didn't realize she'd be going everywhere with us from now on!

Here are some photos from the last few weeks . . .

Sarah Kate (6 days old) and family--





Sarah Kate and her brothers with Aunt Amanda--




Mother's Day (almost two weeks old)--



Photos in her nursery and trying out the swing (two weeks old)--







And as your reward for making it to the end of this post, here is a video of her brothers' favorite pasttime . . . singing to their baby sister:

A few more things for the record

A few more sweet comments from Christopher that I forgot to include in the last post . . . it is quite possible that I have the most thoughtful 5-year-old boy on the planet. When I was in the hospital, I saved some cake from my lunch to share with the boys later in the afternoon. When I offered some to Christopher, he insisted that I take two bites first, because "you're the one who had the baby." Also, the day we came home from the hospital, he looked me right in the eyes and said very seriously, "Mommy, how are you feeling?" He spent that whole afternoon coming into the nursery and asking, "How is our princess doing?" He sure loves his baby sister! And if you can tell anything about what kind of husband a boy will be by how he treats his mom, I'd say he's going to be a wonderful husband some day.

Also, there's the frequently-asked question: Does Sarah Kate look like her brothers? The answer is yes, definitely, she looks just like Will did as a newborn. In fact, I have already called her Will more than once. (Yes, I call my pink-clad baby girl by her older brother's name. Please don't judge me. I haven't had more than 90 minutes of consecutive sleep in several days.) All three kids have had the same chubby cheeks and the same nose, but Will and Sarah Kate have the same mouth. When she opens her eyes (which isn't often), she looks different from them to me, but with her eyes closed, you can definitely tell she's related to her brothers. Here's the photographic evidence--what do you think?

Sarah Kate:



Will:

Introducing Sarah Katherine

Our baby sister is finally here! Sarah Kate was born on Monday, April 27 at 2:14 p.m. She was 8 pounds, 5 ounces and 20 inches long. She entered the world looking very purple and slimy, but she got adorable really quickly. This labor and delivery were such a breeze compared to the boys, and we are all doing great.

After 9 long months of waiting, Christopher and Will were thrilled to see her. I called them right after she was born so they could hear her crying (she screamed almost non-stop for the first hour of her life), and they came to the hospital to see her that evening. They gave her toys and oohed and ahhed over how adorable she is. Christopher said, "The best baby in the world has come out!"

The next day, the boys couldn't wait to come see her again at the hospital. Christopher said he planned to come visit her every day. He was excited when I told him that he wouldn't have to visit her anymore, because we were bringing her home the next day!

Now that we are home, everyone seems to be settling in well. Christopher is an extremely attentive big brother. He always wants to know where Sarah Kate is, what she is doing, and if there is anything he could possibly do to help her. He loves to go give her a passy when she is crying and can't wait for her to start taking a bottle so he can help feed her.

Will refers to Sarah Kate as "my baby." He likes to check her out briefly and then move on to playing with her toys. He loves to share things with "my baby" and offers helpful suggestions for her care. The other day when she was crying, he said, "I think she is hungry. We need to order she some food. From McDonald's. I think she would like some french fries!" Will has already asked when we are going to have another baby.

As for Sarah Kate, she is adjusting to life on the outside well. She is a great eater, and a great sleeper about half the time. (Unfortunately, it is usually the daytime half when she sleeps.) She has dark blue eyes right now, and just a little bit of light peach-fuzz hair. She has long fingers and toes. She also has an elusive dimple in her right cheek that you can only see when she makes certain faces.

Sarah Kate has already mastered one skill every newborn should have . . . knowing when your parents have just sat down to eat so you can start crying. Last night, we were getting ready to eat dinner, and it was being delayed by a litany of requests from the boys and trips to the potty with Will. Noel finally sat down with his hot food and said, "cue Sarah Kate." And immediately, she started crying. Fortunately for Noel, I had gotten a head start on eating and went to get her.

We love you, Sarah Kate! We're so glad you are finally here!