4 Months Old

Hailey is now 4 months old. I can hardly believe how fast the time has gone by and I have to admit, I continue to feel a little bit sad when I see her outgrowing some of her 0-3 month clothing. There's something bittersweet about knowing she's our last to wear 0-3 month clothes; our last to do nighttime feedings; and our last to cuddle at this adorable age.

There's something special about being the last child in a family. The first gets all the attention and so does the last. Tom's the last.  I've noted this recently as we have been focused on Austen and his homework and reading at night and then just making sure Hailey gets enough love, holding time and cuddling once we are all home since she's the littlest. I've noticed this over the past few weeks as Peyton begs to do her homework like Austen (even though she doesn't have any) or demand that I'm the one who needs to read her a book even though I'm in the middle of Austen's homework with him. It's made me stop and remember that there's a middle child here. Like Peyton, I'm the middle so I'm probably even more concerned that Peyton does not feel like she's the one who is left out. So she now sits next to us and does her homework, which consists of writing her first name which she just mastered this past week or playing on the iPad with an educational game and us coaching her through it.

Each of my kids has a special place in our family, Hailey just happens to be our final blessing weighing in at 12 lbs, 14 ounces and 22 1/4 inches long at 4 months old.