Mixed Feelings

So, the pacifier...what can I say? I have such mixed feelings about it. Matthew never took one, so I had formed all previous opinions from a kid who never took one. I remember being so frustrated when he was tiny and wouldn't take it. Then as he got older, I became so thankful that he didn't because I didn't have to worry about taking it away (not that we have nothing to be concerned about with him sucking his fingers...) So now there's Jacob. Jacob LOVES his pacifier. There are many times that I LOVE the pacifier too. When we're in a quiet place, like church, and he gets fussy, it's wonderful. When we're sitting in a drive thru and waiting a little too long, it's magical. When two kids are more than I can handle and Jacob won't stop crying, it's just the thing I need to survive. But at 4 am when it falls out of his mouth and wakes him up and I have to get out of bed to put it back in his mouth - not so much. He's becoming more aware of the pacifier. He's started trying to put it in his mouth himself, which he is occasionally successful. But usually, it just results in him quickly getting frustrated that he can't get it right (I think he's going to be quick to get frustrated in life - that seems to be his way so far!) He's also started pulling it out of his mouth as soon as we put it in. It seems like it's just out of curiosity and playfulness. It's not that he doesn't want it.

So the point at which we both got very frustrated was in the middle of the night on Saturday night. My mom had Matthew (his first night away from us!), so we were counting on a somewhat decent night's sleep. Well, Jacob woke up at 3:30. I went in the put the pacifier back in his mouth, which usually puts him right back to sleep. It's slightly annoying, but no big deal. I'm back in bed quickly. But not last night. He constantly pulled it out of his mouth over and over. It was always right about the time I crawled back in bed. I fought it for about 30 minutes, and then decided to let him cry. I was tired of it. David woke up at that point and took over for another 15 minutes. Then he gave up to. We decided at about 4:15 that we were going to teach Jacob a lesson and make him find another way to put himself to sleep. We figured that since Matthew wasn't home, it was a good night to do it. After 15 minutes of screaming, we ended up with David so wide awake that he got up to do his homework for his Master's class, and me rocking Jacob to sleep, undoubtedly with the pacifier in his mouth. Who taught whom the lesson???

I still don't know how I feel about the pacifier. But I think sooner rather than later, we're going to work on getting him to find another way to soothe himself. I'm tired of losing sleep over a little piece of plastic. I think in the long run, I'd rather him end up sucking a finger or thumb. As our doctor said the other day about finger/thumb sucking vs. pacifiers: "It's more convenient to not have to worry about where the pacifier is. As long as they aren't sucking fingers when their permanent teeth come in, it's not a big deal. And these days, most kids have braces anyway, so it doesn't really matter. If it lets him sleep well, then your husband will sleep well so he can work harder to earn the money to pay for the braces." (That's more or less what he said - and I have to say that I agree!)

I'm sure we'll continue to use the pacifier because it's the easy answer now...it depends on the day and my mood whether I like it or not. What's your opinion - pacifier or fingers?

You know you have a problem if...

I've decided I'm on the verge of being a blogaholic...I find myself at 3 am, caring for my baby, rocking him, feeding him, in a nice, tender moment. And what am I thinking about? I'm thinking about what I'm going to put on the blog. I'd say 80% of the time, the thoughts never make it to the blog. I usually write some nice eloquent entry in my head, and then forget it by morning. What is my problem :)

Lots of Firsts

We've had lots of firsts this week in our house. Here is the list:
1. Two weeks ago Jacob rolled over all by himself, tummy to back. He had, several times, rolled with some help. I would either prop him up just right on his arms so he could just roll, or he would use his feet to push off our legs to turn over (that was back to belly). But last week it was all by himself.
2. Last night was the first night that neither kid got us out of bed for 6 whole hours! This may be the first time since Jacob was born!
3. Jacob's first sick trip to the doctor - which resulted in Jacob's first cold, first ear infection, and first antibiotic.
4. Jacob's first cereal. I'll post pictures of that later.
5. Jacob's first time riding sitting up in the stroller, with no carseat.

4 Months

Today we had Jacob's 4 month check up. I love taking the kids to the doctor for well visits to see how they are growing!! Here's how the big guy measures up:
Weight: 15 lbs. 7 oz. (And surprisingly that's only about the 60th percentile!!)
Height/Length: 25 1/4 inches (about 60th percentile too)
Head Circumference: Just under 17 inches (about the 55th percentile)

Matthew at 4 months was 13 lbs 8 oz and 25 inches.

Recently I was looking at Jacob's thunder thighs and was curious who's thighs were bigger - Jacob's or Matthew's. They are just about the same, depending on where on Matthew's thigh you measure. Jacob's thigh is so short and fat that there aren't too many options on where to measure. It's going to be interesting to see who is going to be the "bigger" brother!!

I am so thankful for the four months we've had with Jacob. He is still such a relaxed person who has started to smile a lot. He giggles some now, especially when tickled on his ribs! We just love him so much and are thankful for what he has added to our family.

Matthew seems to be dealing with his brother very well now. He was so awesome at first, but then went through a stage of slight rebellion and jealousy. That seems to have ended now as he has accepted that this is how things are going to be now. I'm so proud of the big brother he is.

Matthew is telling me he's ready to play Veggies Tales, therefore I must go for now :)

Jacob's Girl

On Sunday we had the privilege of meeting Lillian "Lilly" Grace Koesters. Jacob has already made a move on her - this picture was not posed. It was all Jacob's doing.

I happen to agree with Jacob - Lilly is pretty perfect. She's gorgeous and we can't wait to see what kind of baby she becomes.

Here are some fun pictures from the last time we went to visit the Koesters in Louisville on New Year's Eve, before Lilly's arrival.

Top 10 Reasons

Here is my list of top ten reasons why Matthew called me into his room last night. From about 4:30 on, I think I was in his room about every 3-5 minutes. He has a nice cold, with a nasty cough, so he was having a hard time sleeping. Some of the reasons were legitimate, and others, not so much. Here are my favorite ones that fit into the "not so legitimate" category:
1. "I want stuffed animal" (from his pile of animals in his room)
2. "I hungry." (Normally I would tell him too bad, but he's sick, so I took pity on him. Plus, I was starving. So I got him a snack.)
3. Less than 5 minutes later, he calls me back. "This one's for you, Mommy," giving me a pretzel.
4. "Kiss me on my lips, Mommy."
5. "Lay with me Mommy."
6. Holding a stuffed frog that has Velcro on two of his legs, Matthew asks me, "Mommy, which side do you like? The bumpy or the soft?" (of the Velcro...)
7. "Me go potty." -about 6 times.
8. David went in to him one time and Matthew requested me instead to take him to the potty.
9. "Me need tissue" (that one was legitimate since he had snot running down his face)
10. Right after we said goodnight and left the room (less than 30 seconds after we closed the door) Matthew calls for Daddy. I went in and he said, "No, Daddy." So David went in and Matthew said, "Thank you for painting my room, for painting my walls and painting my ceiling."

Hopefully tonight we'll all get more sleep - but I doubt it. We don't really sleep in our house anymore.

Too Stinkin' Cute

I know I'm biased because I'm the mom, but check out Jacob's 3 (almost 4...) month pictures. I think the one with clouds looks like it could be a toilet paper add!! I almost behaved and got the $10 package, but then I had to slip one extra sheet in there. I couldn't decide which one I liked better (and still can't!)