Peter is 14 lbs and 26 inches long today... tall and skinny! He hasn't gained any weight in the past two weeks, but he is taller, so I guess he's traded some fat for bone and muscle weight. We'll keep an eye and make sure he's gaining like he should, though.

The past week I've really enjoyed spending time with Peter. I don't remember Ella at this age very well, and I think it's because the twins were still young enough that I didn't get quite as much quality time with her then. Now the twins play with Ella (and Madeleine even changes her diaper for me sometimes!), so they're a huge help. And Ryan is helping out more, too. Peter is super smiley, and I love watching how he turns his head to look at various members of the family and smile at them! He's really got stiff legs, and can "stand" if you hold his arms for balance. He loves to do it, so it's usually accompanied by big smiles. He's also drooling up a storm! Maybe a tooth is working it's way through those gums, but I see no sign of it yet.

The orange crystals in his diaper have been on and off the past week or two. It's been a tiny amount when I see it, so I haven't been worried about it. But if he doesn't start gaining more weight, I'll probably take my pediatrician's advice and take him to a nephrologist to see if there's anything else going on with his kidneys that we can address medically or with diet changes or anything. He seems to be spitting up a bit more than he used to, too, but definitely within normal range... I don't think it's reflux or anything. I'll see what the doc says at his 4 month checkup, and decide what to do then.

Tonight at dinner we put Peter in the bouncy seat on the table. He really seems to like being in the thick of things where he can interact with the family. He also grabbed very intentionally at the toys on the toy bar, and then put them in his mouth! He is definitely a more oral kid than the others have been. He sucks his thumb to go to sleep and chews on his hands a lot when he's awake (maybe because of the tooth?).

I can't believe it's been almost 4 months already. He is a sweet addition to our family. I love that kid, and it is amazing how my love for my family grows even as there are more kids to love!  

I knew it would happen soon! He rolled from his tummy to his back today, and as I predicted, he was not happy about it! He'll like it much better when he can roll the other way, too. He'll be 15 weeks old tomorrow! I think I finally got some of his giggles on video today, too. Hooray for cute baby sounds! Maybe I can make it my ring tone on my phone. 

Peter is getting cuter and cuter! His little red marks on his eyelids are fading (almost gone except when he's crying), and his skin is smoother now (less baby acne), so he's looking like a little angel. And he smiles so much! Today at church he was smiling and talking to me (thankfully, quietly enough that I didn't have to leave with him). Tonight in the bath, he giggled when I washed under his chin! I love it. I love when he looks at me with the slow blink, a lazy grin, and those "i love you, mommy!" eyes. So sweet! And everybody loves his crazy hair.

He's 14.2 lbs now and 25.5 inches long. He's starting to put some weight on his legs when I hold him up (and he usually smiles, so I think he enjoys it, or at least my reaction to it!). When he's on his tummy, he'll push up and turn his head so much that I'm thinking soon he'll roll himself over (which will probably make him very mad). He sleeps from about 7pm till 7:30 or 8am every day, nurses 5 or 6 times per day, and spits up once or twice after he eats, usually one small one during the burp, and one about an hour after.

I am so relieved - last Thursday was the first day in 2 weeks that I didn't see the orange crystals in his morning diaper, and I haven't seen them now in 4 days. Hooray! God answered our prayers and has given me peace and less fear about Peter being sick. And, of course, now there's no more symptoms to worry about.... I hope they stay gone.  

Today was a very encouraging day. First of all, Peter giggled for me! I was tickling him, and he gave his first for-sure laugh! I had heard things that sounded a little like giggles before, but wasn't sure if they were, but this was the real deal! Also, it was super cute to watch him playing with his hands. He would wiggle his fingers, or move his arm slightly, and just stare at his hand like it was the most fascinating toy ever. I love watching those discoveries.

Another encouraging point today was hearing back from a pediatrician I contacted via the internet. She had posted on a forum about a patient of hers that had the same symptoms Peter has been having (the orange crystals in the diaper, usually only the first morning diaper, the baby was sleeping 12 hrs at night, too, developing well, and showing no other signs of illness). That baby was tested for Lesch Nyhan syndrome (which is a terrible thing), but the dr. never posted the results, so I emailed her. She told me that that baby had crystals in his diaper till he was one year old, then they stopped, and today he is a healthy, very smart 3 yr old. That was SO encouraging to me -- to hear a doctor who has seen this before tell me it's likely gonna be okay. My pediatricians aren't quite sure what to make of it, and they suggested following up with a nephrologist to try to find an answer (which I may still do, but we'll see). I've been praying for peace and wisdom about how to handle this issue, and I'm so glad to have found a way to contact that doctor. The fact that she replied with reassuring news so quickly is really an answer to prayer! Now, let's just hope Peter stops showing the crystals.... praying for healing of whatever is causing them. 

We've had a difficult week. I took Peter to the doctor last week to check out a moveable lump on the back of his head and to ask about this head-nodding thing he's been doing. The doc said the lump was a reactive lymph node, most likely from a scratch on his scalp, and that it was teeny tiny and nothing to worry about. He happened to have done the head nod for her briefly, and she said because he only seems to do it while he's holding his own head up and his eyes don't look spacey or anything, it's likely just immature muscles and nothing to worry about. That eased my mind a little, but I don't like that both of those things showed up within 5 days of his vaccinations at his 2 month visit. Then this past Thursday I saw blood in his first morning diaper. It looked pretty light, a little bit orange-ish. Then his second diaper had what looked like about 2 drops of bright red blood in it, and I flipped out. Ryan came home to watch the kids so I could take Peter back to the doctor again. They bagged some urine and didn't find any blood in it, so we're assuming it's a bit of blood from his circumcision re-adhering and then pulling away a bit when I bathe him. I didn't see any blood when I did that, though I did see a red spot that could possibly have bled a little (but I'm a bit doubtful... seems unlikely that overnight or first thing in the morning it would just suddenly bleed). So I'm watching carefully and trying not to worry.

Anyway, he is about 14 lbs now, and almost 25 inches long (a little more than 24.75), alert and interacting with people and getting cuter and cuter! My favorite thing is how he always smiles at me after nursing. It totally makes my day. He's also been keeping his head up when I lay him down to sleep (on his tummy) and just looking around for a while, so I leave him. He generally lays his head down and finds his thumb to suck on his own, and that makes me happy, too. :) He has started having stiff little legs like Madeleine did, so you can stand him up for a couple of seconds. Maybe he'll be the rock of his name's meaning!  

Matthew has started to pee standing up lately, and is feeling very much like a little man! I observed a very funny interaction between he and Madeleine yesterday that could only happen between twin siblings, I think. They must've had to go to the bathroom at the same time, so when I came on the scene, Madeleine was standing up in front of the toilet, pants down, wiping her bottom while looking over her shoulder at Matthew. He was standing in front of the toilet, just next to/behind her, peeing, and smiling and looking at her for her approval! She finished wiping, threw her toilet paper into the toilet as he pulled up his pants, and said, "Good job, Matthew! Just remember, if you sit down when you go potty, you have to tap off your penis so it doesn't drip." 

Ella is such a sweet big sister. She loves Peter, and wants to hug and kiss him all the time (so do Matthew and Madeleine). Today she surprised me in the car on the way to dinner. After telling me "tired!" she started singing her name song (like she often does when she's tired). Her rendition usually goes "Ella Hope-ope, Ella Hope-ope, Ah wuv uu, yes I do" but tonight she decided to sing for Peter, who was sitting next to her. She busted out signing "Peter James, Peter James, I wuv uu, I wuv Peter, Ella Hope!" It was adorable. We got a recording of part of it with Ryan's iPhone, but by the time we were recording her, she was mixing up the words! You can listen here.

Madeleine is also being an incredibly helpful big sister... she has started changing Peter's diapers, even the poopy ones! And she actually does a good job at it! I don't let her pick him up, though, but when she can do that, too, it'll be awesome!

And of course, Matthew is a super-sweet big brother, too. He is always giving Peter TONS of kisses (I keep having to tell him NOT to kiss the baby while I'm nursing) and telling me how he loves Peter. I love my kiddos! 

I enjoyed watching Peter play with the toys on the play gym today... he actually put his arms out to try to bat at them! He definitely doesn't have much control over that yet, but he's trying. He's also able to bring his hands together, and get his hands in his mouth. Today I saw him sucking on his pointer finger! Not quite sure how he made that work, because his hand was flat on the crib mattress (so perpendicular to his face) so his finger must've been bent and/or twisted to fit in his mouth! It looked pretty funny. He's also starting to put some weight on his legs when I hold him up, and he can do an awesome mini-pushup while on his tummy. He's about 14 lbs now!

In the past couple of weeks I've heard him make sounds that are almost like laughing, and I love it! He always smiles at me after he nurses, and if I make a grouchy face and then quickly change to a smile, it always makes him smile.

The thing I'm concerned about right now is a head-nodding thing that he does, usually when I'm holding him in a sitting position. I brought him to the doctor last week to check out a lump on the back of his head, which she says is a lymph node, and ask about the head-nodding. She says it's just immature muscle systems, and as long as he's not doing it while laying down, or looking glassy-eyed when it happens, it's probably nothing to worry about. I hope she's right! 

Ella is about 28 lbs and getting more verbal and even a little bossy sometimes! She has recently started hitting and saying "bad boy!" when she's angry... I think she got that from how we talk to the dog. Oops. But on the positive side, she is super cute and loves being helpful. She will pick things up without being asked, and say "back!" and go put it back where it belongs, and she loves to help unload the dishwasher (even when we're trying to load it). She is very responsive to instruction (though sometimes a little stubborn), and seems very smart (of course I think so!).

She really enjoys going to the pool, and doesn't mind getting her face wet. I've seen her make a lot of progress already this summer, watching the older kids and trying to do what they do. She wears her floaty arms and belly flops in the baby pool (about 1 ft deep) which is cute and a little unnerving! And she loves when I take her in the big pool and she tries to jump to me (when she says it, it sounds like she's saying "dump").

For some reason, she replaces a lot of "s" sounds and "j" or "g" sounds with a "d" sound. But she's learned to correct certain words of that problem, so hopefully she'll get it sorted out soon. She can say the "L" in Ella properly, but when she says "look", it sounds like "wook". Lately she has started scribbling on paper and after each new scribble, holding the paper up proudly and saying "wook, mommy!" She is really talking well. She can even say "may I be excused, please?" ("may I be scuze peas?") She really loves music ("uk-uk") and can sing on key along with songs she knows. I'll have to get a recording of her singing her "Ella Hope" song. 

Peter went to bed last night at 7:30 after spending an extended amount of time in my lap smiling and cooing at me while Ryan wrestled with the other kiddos, and he slept till 7:30 this morning! Hooray! He's done 11 before, but this is the first full 12 hours. Tonight he was super tired and went to bed around 7:15pm, so I'm hoping this is the beginning of an earlier bedtime and later get-up time! Oh, and I re-measured him and got 24.5 inches, so I think the nurse at the pediatrician didn't straighten his leg or something.

In other news, Madeleine read The Carrot Seed all by herself last night, and it actually sounded like somebody reading a story! There were only a couple of words she needed help with, but she even figured out "sprinkled" and "afraid" on her own, and the timing of her sentences was amazing. I am so proud of my little reader!

Today the twins drawing assignment for art was "the zoo", and both of them did a wonderful job drawing animals. I'll photograph their work and put it up soon! I liked Matthew's bear in particular.