A little story:
Zander, Elinor, and I are getting ready to go to the park to play with Zander's preschool classmates, a weekly event.
I gather the things we always need for an outing - hats, snacks, sunscreen - and buckle the baby into her car seat. Zander is still in his pyjamas as he refused to get dressed before breakfast and I didn't press the matter. I tell him to get changed so we can go to the playdate. He ignores me and plays with the baby.
Threats ensue and ten minutes later he has used the bathroom and is running around the house shrieking in mock fear of me, stark naked.
That's when I smell it. You know what I'm talking about. The mysterious stink. Which one is it?
Despite the fact that he just used the bathroom, there is no reason to assume Zander is innocent. We go into the bathroom but he checks out fine. I tell him to get dressed while I change his sister. I take Ellie to the changing table and as soon as I unsnap her onesie, I know this is no simple diaper change.
I will spare you all but one gorey detail: it was pooled in her belly button... and she has a very deep innie. I wipe her up and strip her down for a bath. Zander is still not dressed and showing no sign of listening to me anytime soon. I tell Zander that my patience is officially exhausted and we are not going to the playdate. He howls with despair. Ellie gets a quick bath--she is my little fishie; I think she actually likes the water!
I take the naked baby to her dresser and settle on the floor to diaper and dress her. Did I get my pants wet from her bath? Is the carpet damp? Oh no! Ellie stealth peed before I could put a diaper on her! Unlike this morning when I carefully dressed her in something cute that she had never worn before, I cannot slap the clothes on her fast enough. I am so done with the bodily fluids. We emerge from the bedroom and I tell Zander I'm going to also cancel his afternoon playdate if he doesn't get dressed. And guess what? He got dressed right quick.
Growth notes:
Zander still loves LEGOs and cars and is getting more independent and creative with the LEGOs. He's also showing interest in letters and words. He still thinks Elinor is the best and adores her.
Ellie at four months has discovered hands and might be checking out her feet now too. She loves to grab things and seems to me to be pretty well coordinated. She has rolled over (front to back) a few times but seems more interested in pivoting to get around. She recognizes her immediately family members and cannot get enough of watching Zander, her marvelous brother. She still likes to talk. In two months we've made a lot of progress in the sleep dept. She will now take naps on her own, in her bed and she will sleep all night long, usually waking me up at 4 or 5a for a feeding then going back to sleep for several more hours. Yey! She likes her paci but not as much as Zander did. She also takes comfort from holding small stuffed animals which Z never did. She is small like her brother and just started wearing 3-6 mo size clothes at 4 mo old. She is very attentive and observing. She is less patient with sitting her bouncer so meal times are becoming an interesting juggle. Everything goes in the mouth so we are wondering if it will be time for teeth or solid foods soon.
The first year is fun and exhausting but it sure does fly by.
