Hello, Teeth!

At nearly five months, the kids have started teething.

Drooling, gnawing, fussiness, we've got it all. The past couple weeks have been tough at night, usually between 4pm - 8pm.

Max started the trend, followed by Olivia and August. Some days it's OK, other days it's tough.

The main thing is that they are all sleeping through the night, usually about 10-11 hours. For whatever reason, we've been really lucky with getting to sleep at night. We tried to follow the book "12 Hours in 12 Weeks", but didn't do exactly as it described. But we really worked at following their formula. In any case, we express our thankfulness every night for the hour and a half we have before bed to relax, clean the house and talk.

The kids are growing consistently, and we are very happy with their progress. Extrapolating from their appointments three weeks ago, I would Max is about 18lbs, Olivia 14 and August about 14.5 lbs. They are all remarkable in their own little ways...

Max is, of course exceptionally large but is a really sensitive baby. Any sudden noise, even from himself, puts him to a fuss. But he's also the quickest to smile usually and is a pretty good self-soother since he found his thumb. He is also the undisputed feeding champ, sometimes finishing his 8oz bottle in around 10 minutes or less.

Olivia is probably the strongest pound for pound right now. She can stand up on her own, with a little help for balance. She also always is ramrod straight whenever she is picked up or doesn't have solid footing. She also coos the most of the three right now and is developing an annoying habit of laughing while she is eating. It's actually really funny, but the less distractions during feeding, the better.

August is the most interested in the books we read to them, just going by his reactions. He always looks studious and curious; really he's been that way since he was born. He's got the most varied facial expressions and is coming into his own by downing his bottle at least as fast has his little bro. And he is the undisputed champion sleeper, going out almost immediately when he hits the crib. When he doesn't sleep at night, he is pretty quiet, being content to make a few sounds but rarely crying.

We've had several guests the past two weeks. great aunt Peggy, Molly, JD, Tori and Katie all came down from Wapello on President's Day to see the tykes. They helped feed and wear out the kids for a quality afternoon nap. Just yesterday, grandma Chris and grandpa Steve, great grandma Irene and great aunt Linda came down for a visit on the way to Josie's b-day party in Iowa City. And last weekend Lilly, John and Cheryl Newell paid a visit to see the kids and catch up. Lest we forget cousin Sam's visit when the kids were less than cooperative. Thanks for coming, everyone!

The warm weather has brought us hope in that spring is near, and with spring comes the opportunity to leave the house regularly. I wouldn't say we've had cabin fever, but a change of scenery is always welcome. Usually we are so busy that we don't have time to worry about cabin fever! But the triple threat stroller did make an appearance last week as the mercury hit the mid 50s. Walks will definitely be a part of the daily regimen when the weather warms up.

Picture mixtacular: