So, how's it going with four?

Lots of people have been asking us that question.

And my answer is usually, "Actually...it's going really well! Better than I even expected!"

And it is. Our transition from three kids to four has probably been our easiest transition so far. Just for fun, here is how I would rate each of our transitions during the past three years from easiest to hardest:

Easiest--three to four kids
Fairly easy--one to two kids
Slightly difficult--zero to one kid
Hardest (by far!!)--two to three kids

I attribute the fact that it is going so well to several things:
1. August is a pretty easy baby.
2. We've done the "newborn thing" three times already. 
3. Aaron and I are on the same page with parenting (both newborn stuff like scheduling and sleep training and discipline with our older kids).
4. We have an amazing support system around us right now...living in community is awesome.
5. God is gracious and His mercies are new every morning!

We are definitely extremely busy...with four kids three and under and classes and homework to keep up on...but it has definitely been doable. And honestly...really fun!

Can't believe we have three sons. Crazy!!

And here's just a little breakdown of some different aspects of our life right now with our newest child:

Sleeping

August is a really, really, really good sleeper. Definitely the best out of our four kids at this young age. We did some sleep scheduling with him just like we did with the other three, but he just progressed faster than our other three (as far as sleeping long stretches). He is consistently sleeping a seven hour stretch each night. We swaddle him for naps and nighttime, and he just seems to know now that when he's wrapped up all tight, it's time to sleep. 

Eating

He is also a very good eater, which might contribute some to the reason he is such a good sleeper. He eats six times a day, takes a bottle equally well from me or Aaron, and doesn't normally spit up. Our other three kids like to "help" feed him, too! :)

It has been a little challenging trying to keep the other three occupied when I am feeding August and Aaron isn't home. So...we have starting doing "center time" once in awhile while I am feeding August. I set the timer for ten minutes, and each kid plays with one of the activities at one of the "centers." When the timer goes off, they rotate. We rotate three times so that 30 minutes are covered...about the time it takes for August to eat! The kids love it, because they know that they get their toy or activity all to themselves for those ten minutes without having to worry about one of their siblings taking it from them! 

Schedule
This is August's typical schedule right now (at one month old):

Eat                    Wake                              Sleep

6:30 am             6:30-8:00                        8:00-9:40
9:40 am             9:40-11:00                      11:00-12:40
12:40 pm           12:40-2:20                       2:20-4:20
4:20 pm             4:20-6:20                        6:20-8:00
8:00 pm             just long enough to eat              
10:30 pm           just long enough to eat

Class

August goes to class with us every day! I LOVE having him with me in classes. He does so well, and it's great for our bonding, too. When he is a little older, we will probably start taking him to the nursery, but for now, it is such a blessing that they allow us to bring him to class.

Siblings

All three of our older kids love August. None of them have shown any signs of jealousy. They all still like to hold him (Ivy the most), and they always ask where he is if he is sleeping in his bed or in a different room or something. Ivy likes to talk about her "three brothers." She's very proud of the fact that God gave her three little brothers to take care of. :) 

Sometimes they are slightly rough with him...but he's so laid back, that it usually doesn't faze him! (See Abel's picture below...)

Bonding

The bonding process does take a little longer with an adopted child (in my experience). For me, it just takes awhile for me to get it into my head that this is my son! With Abel, that really came naturally (which makes sense). When he was born, I felt like I already knew him, because I had already spent nine months with him. With our adopted children, it just takes a little while for me to get to know the baby. It is such a sweet time of getting to know them, though! It's not a bad thing at all...it's just a process. I feel like I am just now really starting to get to know August. And I have reached the point where I automatically do think of him as my son. 

For Aaron, just the opposite has been true...he has bonded a little more naturally to our three adopted children. We are guessing this is because he helps so much with their feedings. Since I nursed Abel, Aaron wasn't able to help, so he naturally spent less time with Abel as a newborn than with our other three. All that to say...Aaron and August have bonded just fine. ;)

On August's end, I think the bonding is going well. He looks toward our voices if he hears them from across the room, and he will just stare into my eyes while I feed him. I try to talk to him a lot so that he gets to know my voice well.

His personality

If I had to sum up August's personality (as much as I can guess at one month old!) in three words, I would say he is sweet, content, and attention-loving. He rarely cries. When he does, he is very easily soothed simply by being held.

Thank you to so many of you who have been asking us how we are doing! We feel humbled and blessed to have so many people who care about us.

And I am definitely going to continue blogging...but it may be slightly less frequently than before. There are only so many hours in a day. :)