Daddy and his new girl

 

So there is a fourth child in the house to divide time amongst. How does that effect the other kids?

 

Isaac: Our eldest little boy is still stuttering a bit -- most likely a result of the stress that our family has been under during the last six months. However, outside of that, Isaac is a very patient big brother. He is usually very kind and loving and helpful and understanding with each of his siblings, especially his sisters. "Blue Bear" and "Small Doggie" -- his two favorite stuffed animals -- continue to be very important to him. If he gets hurt or sad, he asks for them instantly. His behavior has been overall, very good. When Isaac's behavior is bad, it is traditionally bad for an extended period of time (a whole day or a segment of the day) and then the next day, he'll be back to behaving correctly. Our biggest struggle with him continues to be his back-talking. Always something we are keeping any eye on very closely. Isaac has also enjoyed playing with his new friends in the Storey family who moved in around the corner. I really thought that losing Jackson & Max would be debilitating for Isaac, but he seems to understand that they have moved and aren't present anymore. He continues to be a homebody who enjoys activities around the house and can play by himself for extended periods of times.

 

Sidge: Our second boy has seemed to handle the changes with the least problems. We haven't noticed any major behavioral issues or any big changes in his life by adding a member to the family. We have noticed that Sidge has been more affectionate both physically and verbally in  recent months. He is always telling us (and Grama K.) that he loves us. He is giving hugs, sitting on laps, and looking for affection at all times. His biggest behavioral issue continues to be his passion -- when he gets emotional, he has difficulty calming himself down. We usually send him to his room, and he can come out whenever he is ready to be calm. This usually only takes him a few minutes. He has been playing more and more with Abigail. This usually includes him doing all the talking and Abigail simply saying things like, "Ohhhh" or "Yaaaa" or "Hmmmm". His vocabulary continues to grow, and he is always saying funny things like, "That's wonderful" or "What a great idea" or "You betcha!" He talks nearly non-stop and loves to learn new things and ask questions about everything.

 

Abigail: Our little lady has latched onto her Daddy something fierce since he joined us in America a few days before Hannah's birth. If Daddy is not there, she willingly allows me to comfort her, but if Daddy is anywhere around, she wants him over me every ... single ... time. I have to say I miss her needing me, but I am sure this is her way of handling the fact that I am often feeding a baby. She likes to hold Hannah and give her kisses and love on her, and definitely seems to like having a little sister. She has transitioned well to her big-girl-bed, and while she will sit on her potty, it appears she may dig her feet in on the potty training bit. She has just started dressing up more, especially in princess costumes. She continues to be incredibly strong-willed with a mind of her own!