keeping busy

Well I've been keeping a little more busier than normal since mom left and it's done well for me. I am going a bit crazy because I've missed Tony the last 2 times he got online so I haven't talked to him for a week now. Took Abbie to the dr today. She had a few boughts of screaming like she was in pain last night so I wanted to make sure she was good to go. She checked out beautifully. She weighed 13lbs 11oz dressed and was 24 inches long. I weigh and measure her periodically at home and those were both right on with our at home calculations. The dr said she looked great and was very responsive and alert. Almost as if she was more alert than most.
She is certainly the princess at the house and I think she already uses that to her benefit. She's still such a good little baby and I am continually amazed by her. She does have spells of being fussy, but it's usually just because she is ready for the next step in her cycle sleep/eat/poop/play repeat repeat repeat all day long. Then she sleeps all night quite consistently still. She is beginning to enjoy a little co-sleeping more especially for naps. She will occupy herself with her play mat or bouncer toys during her playtime and prefers to be laying on the floor over being held sometimes.
I didn't know what my relationship with my daughter was going to be like. I never truly expected to have a girl and then I didn't know what parenting her would be like once I knew she was a girl. I still had my doubts and even after she was born I asked if she was still a girl while she was laying on my chest after birth. I didn't know how much I needed a little princess until I got Abbie. She lights up my world every single day. I feel so blessed to have her.
I have never quite liked the little girls with the super high pitched voices. I always thought "how does a mother stand that". And other than when we're at church I think Abbie's super high pitched little jabbering is adorable. She is such a girl and has so much to say. She has a select few number of people that she lets hold her so I do sometimes wonder what I am getting myself into since Zander is also like that, but I am just so amazed by her.
I still absolutely love my boys just as much as Abbie, it's just different just like my love for each boy is different.
I'm very excited to get some more one on one time with Zander when school starts. He's such a mess and so fussy at times, but hopefully being the "big" brother in the house this school year will get him settled a bit. He's possibly got some speech delay, but I hear a new word almost everyday. He loves balls and can point out which is which of the 4 he knows. He knows enough words to get what he wants about 60% of the time, but the bigger boys still torment him until he's screaming and fighting back so having the bigger boys in school will solve that problem. If he spills something he almost always tries to clean it up and then he puts whatever he used back where he got it. Like towels/rags he gets out of the drawer himself and puts them back after he's cleaned up his mess.
Zander is starting to do better with others caring for him. He still tucks his head away when initially addressed, but will warm up to several different people at this point. He allowed a guy at church to take him to the playground with out me or a brother last week, but I think that was more his desire to go outside to play instead of going to church. He had a babysitter today for a little bit. She said it took several minutes of playing hide and seek to get him out of his bed. He is quite moody when he wakes up and that can sometimes be the worst part of his day. Parenting him pushes my buttons some days but when his little smile lights up you can see he's full of trust from his momma.
I'll have to find time to come back and post about what's going on with the older 3 cause I'm tired now, but rest assured there isn't much rest for a "single" mother of 5. :)

dressing a girl

What I have learned dressing a girl is that their clothes can last longer than boys. When she out grows a dress it becomes a shirt, when she out grows pants they become capris. You can't do that kind of dressing with a boy, when clothes are outgrown they look silly wearing them again. I wanted to do baby legs with Zavier and Zander, but couldn't get it to look quite right with their outfit, but I can with Abbie. I got a good deal on some cute baby legs so she has about 6 pairs. Right now we're in a heat wave so she's not wearing them this week, but they will last her a long long time. She is already filling out her 3 months clothes and is ready to move into her 6 month stuff. I measured her today and she weighs about 12 1/2lbs and is 24 1/4 inches long. Mom thinks she is small for 3 months, but I wanted her to be petite. I will hopefully be able to get her in for a well child check up when the big boys go back to school in the fall.

Mom has been here almost 2 weeks. It has been nice having another adult around, but my mom and sister expect entertainment when they are here so we have left the house about 10/12 days so far. Today she is at the library with the older 3 since Abbie cries when I leave her. I don't know how she's so quick to know but she is and Zander cries when he's the only one left at home so she took the older 3 and I kept the babies. I haven't gotten much accomplished since she left, but I am working on potty training Zander so I did spend about 20 minutes in the bathroom with him and then bathed him when he pooped his pants. We're still a long way from being close to potty training, but his skin is so sensitive he often ends up with a rash from foods he eats. So this time potty training is a must so that he can heal.

Well Abbie says it's time to eat and I'm going to start lunch for the big boys upon their return.