4 months

Once again this is a bit late. I remember to take the pictures on the actual day but somehow forget to blog about it. So here it is...Max is 4 months old!

STATS:

He weighs a little over 16 lbs. He wears 3-6 month clothing and size 2 diapers. He has blue eyes (I am guessing they will stay blue) and still has strawberry blonde hair!

MILESTONES:

He can roll from his back to his tummy super easily! He is getting more alert and aware all the time! He can sit in the bumbo now and enjoys watching us. He laughs and smiles. He has found his thumb and enjoys sucking on it while playing. He doesn't really use it to soothe or at bedtime. Well at least not yet. 

PERSONALITY:

He is still super sweet. He really loves to be held and really doesn't fuss much if he is held or getting attention. He still gets overwhelmed by the three big kids and prefers it to be quiet. He is still exclusively breastfed and loves his momma. He sleeps pretty well waking up once a night. 

UPDATE:

After another sonogram a few months ago it showed that Max's left kidney is worse than it was in utero. We were referred to a specialist after we moved. We saw him and he decided the next step was to have a renal scan done to see how his kidneys were functioning. After that scan was done (which was done at the hospital. He had to be sedated for it. It was a sad day) we had a follow up appointment with the specialist to go through the results. It turns out he has a blockage called a UPJ. He recommended a surgery fix. After seeing the results Dan and I agree. We have the surgery scheduled for August 14th. We would sure love any prayers for him and for us. It would be a lie if I said I wasn't feeling pretty overwhelmed and stressed about it. 

Here is a good article describing his condition and the surgery to fix it. 

www.urologyhealth.org/urology/index.cfm?article=43

Oh how I love my sweet boy!

Homemade Paint Project

So somebody (maybe my mom) posted this to my Facebook wall:

I have no idea where it came from but I do not want to take credit for this idea. So good job to whoever did this :)

Anyway, since we do not have any paint thanks to our move I thought it would be a good time to do this! I only had enough salt for one batch so I just split it evenly between 3 squeeze bottles. 

I decided to do primary colors so my kids could mix colors. They always ask me about colors and while I do not mind telling them what makes what, I know they will learn in a whole new way if they are able to mix the colors themselves. 

I had saved some egg cartons for this activity. 

They were all so engaged and asked for the bottles so kindly and were so willing to share. It was such a great chance to practice kindness!

Saffryn was really diligent in mixing the different colors. When she was done it looked like this:

Me: "You sure made a lot of grey!"

Saffryn super excited: "of course I did!!!"

Uh okay?!? Lol!

Pierce was cracking me up with his experience:

So instead of mixing the colors he decided to just keep adding colors. It ended up making some cool swirls! Then he decided to paint the top of the carton. I offered him some paper and he painted on that for a bit!

I was so pleased that Colt wanted to join in on the experience!

He was in the Pierce camp of not mixing it too much and just adding. He wasn't interested in painting on paper. I made the deliberate choice to let him paint on the table and explore it with his hands. He is such a curious and exploratory boy and I didn't want to put a lot of restrictions on this activity for him. I think that helped him stay engaged for much longer! He finished before everyone else and was interested in helping me clean up. 

Thanks sweet boy!

Saffryn decided she was ready to paint! She made some strawberries and cherries!

Max and Crash were relaxing in the floor next to us!

Now for my opinion on the paint (this post wasn't long enough...). 

It was super easy to make  and the kids can help which just extends the activity. It is even easier to clean up. By far the easiest paint I have ever had to clean up. It didn't stain at all. I liked that I knew what was in it so when enviably Colt tries it (and he did) there is nothing harmful in it. It is also super cheap and just used ingredients I usually have at the house. 

The texture was a bit grainy from the salt though. I'm not sure if there is a way to make it creamier. My kids didn't complain about it at all. They are excited to make it again! 

Shopping With 4

Grocery shopping with 4 is quite the adventure!

They make me smile!

Last house pics

Here is the last bit of our house that I haven't shown for those who are interested!

Our family room:

From the kitchen looking to the right is our family room. 

Here is one of my favorite things my friend in Wichita made for us! Perfect spot!

Different angles of the family room and fireplace. 

To the left of the fireplace there is a little toy area for the kids!

And that is the family room!

Across from the kitchen there is a little closet next to/under the stairs. 

It is a big space (as you can judge by seeing Crash in it) and the kids really wanted it for themselves. I agreed and turned it into their little reading nook. I will probably add to it as time goes on but for  now there are a few pillows and baskets of books! The kids really enjoy it in there!

And there you have it...our new house!!!