The Last Son, at Age 0.25

We had our fourth and final child recently. This post is titled "The Last Son" but could've easily been titled "The Last Baby" or "Our Last Child."

A. His Schedule – He wakes up at round 7 a.m., and goes to bed for the night at about 10 p.m. Between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. he's rather fussy.

B. His Size – He's wearing size 6-9 month clothing at age 4 months.

C. His Personality – He seems good-natured and patient. He has mastered the silent smile. I joke that "he keeps a low profile," lest he get smothered by his older sister's attention.

D. His Favorite Things

• Colors: It is way too soon to tell, but he looks good in aqua.
• Shows and Movies: He loves TV, no matter what's on.
• Books: It's hard to hold him and read a book to the other kids.
• Toys and Play: He likes holding on to burp cloths and mouthing them.
• Art: It's too soon to know.
• Activities: He seems to like just about everything, especially being held and being outside. I think he likes feeing the breeze on his skin.
• Time of Day: Uncertain.
• Bedding: He has a couple of mint-colored blankets but honestly doesn't use them. He seems to "run hot" and thus he sleeps in nothing but his footie pajamas.
• Clothing: He has spent every day of his life in footie pajamas except holidays when he dressed up.
• Foods: He's never had anything but milk.
• Animals: Too soon to tell.
• Heroes/Characters: Too soon to tell.

E. Things He Does Not Like – Tummy aches.

F. What He’s Thinking About – He tends to look deep into my eyes. I don't know what he's thinking about though.

G. Surprises – It's worked out really well to have his crib in his sister's room. They keep each other amused when they're in there together.

H. Best & Worst Things –

• The best thing(s): He's a strong, healthy baby.
• The worst thing(s): That I can't spend more time with him due to work commitments.

I. Family and Friends – Who wouldn't want to hold him? He's so sweet! He hasn't seen/met much of his family yet due to Covid, unfortunately.

J. Parenting or What I’m Doing Differently – I'm planning to stop breastfeeding much sooner than I had for The Bear and Rosie. Why? It's just too much on top of everything else. I want to focus on what's most important, and that's spending time with him, not giving him 0.001% superior-to-formula milk.

Rosie, at Age 2.5

A. Her Schedule – She wakes up at about 7 a.m., takes a nap at about 1:30 p.m., and goes to bed at between 7:30 and 8:00 p.m.

B. Her Size – She's wearing size 3T clothes and size 9 shoes.

C. Her Personality – She's a very sweet, friendly, good-natured child. She loves people, especially babies. She also loves singing and has memorized so many songs!

D. Her Favorite Things

• Colors: Red, pink, and aqua.
• Shows and Movies: She likes Yo Gabba Gabba, Peppa Pig, and Mickey Mouse.
• Books: She likes Dr. Seuss.
• Toys and Play: She really likes dollhouse-style play (setting up a "house," putting "furniture" in it, and then putting "characters" in it). She also loves bath-time play, from bath bombs to playing with kitchen toys in there.
• Art: She loves drawing with markers and creating with Play Doh.
• Activities: She loves being outside. She likes the slides at the playground the best, but is also happy just walking around or playing in her "sandy box" (sandbox).
• Time of Day: Any time that she's not being put to bed.
• Bedding: She has a couple of pink fleece blankets.
• Clothing: She likes "girlie" clothing best, from dresses to items with lace, ruffles, or floral designs.
• Foods: She likes Danimals, McDonald's, Goldfish crackers ("goldie fish"), juice, and milk.
• Animals: She is far more fascinated by babies than by animals. She is even afraid of our dog and rabbit, despite that they are fat, gentle creatures.
• Heroes/Characters: She doesn't really seem to care about superheroes. I guess her favorite character might be Peppa Pig.

E. Things She Does Not Like – Bedtime.

F. What She’s Thinking About – How to reliably get Alexa to sing her songs. She can easily get Alexa to play "Baby Shark" but something like "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" is much harder.

G. Surprises – Possibly how into babies she is. I'm also surprised that she seems to know all of her ABC's, something that "The Bear" didn't learn until halfway through Kindergarten.

H. Best & Worst Things –

• The best thing(s): When she says "thank you" or cuddles.
• The worst thing(s): That she takes all of the toys out all of the time. It makes it impossible to stay on top of the mess.

I. Family and Friends – She's a bit of a social butterfly so Covid has been harder for her than my oldest child. She seems to glob on to any kids she sees.

J. Parenting or What I’m Doing Differently – She has never been at a daycare center, and honestly, I think that's a good thing. Daycare centers have a lot of noise and activity, and I think that can be overwhelming and draining for most kids. And that's before factoring in that my older kids, who both went to large centers, got sick a lot during that time.

The Bear, at 5.5 Years Old

A. His Schedule – He is a bit of a late sleeper and  night owl. He never wants to go to bed - he'd rather stay up partying. He wakes up at about 8:30 a.m. which is right when school starts! If we let him, he'll readily stay up past 10 p.m. His school day starts at 8:30 a.m. and ends at about 3:15 p.m. He has in-person school two days a week, and virtual school two and a half days a week.

B. His Size – He's wearing size 6 clothes and size 13 shoes.

C. His Personality – He craves fun, and finds it wherever he can. He's always involved in something. He's an adventurous, energetic guy who picks up on things quickly and has good comedic timing.

D. His Favorite Things

• Colors: "Rainbow" and red.
• Shows and Movies: He likes YouTube shows about video games. He also likes superhero movies, from The Hobbit to Avengers movies.
• Books: He'll listen to Dr. Seuss sometimes, and also likes nature books.
• Toys and Play: He hasn't played much with toys since he got his laptop. He plays Minecraft, Roblox, and Fortnite on his laptop. He also has some Xbox games.
• Art: He seems to really enjoy art, whether it's painting, creating things with clay, or using glitter.
• Activities: He spends a fair amount of time fighting with his older brother and finding fault with his younger sister. Aside from that, he likes to wrestle and have Nerf gun battles.
• Time of Day: Probably nighttime, especially if we have set up the fire pit.
• Bedding: He has a rainbow-colored pillow and various fleece blankets. He has the top bunk in his room.
• Clothing: He is willing to wear pretty much anything, although his favorite clothes are "his gardening pants" (cargo pants), a blue shirt with multi-colored stripes, his Ninja Turtles pajamas, and "his fancy clothes" (a Tang suit).
• Foods: He is not an adventurous eater, but his favorites are meat, raspberries, and potato chips.
• Animals: He likes animals, particularly our dog.
• Heroes: Thor is his favorite but he also really likes Hulk.

E. Things He Does Not Like – Bedtime.

F. What He’s Thinking About – Adding things to his Wish List, particularly Nerf items. He has so many toy weapons on his list!

G. Surprises – Probably how hot or cold he runs. When he's sweet, he's so sweet. But when he's mad, he's so mad.

H. Best & Worst Things –

• The best thing(s): He's still cuddly.
• The worst thing(s): He does create quite a bit of noise and messes. Luckily, he is willing to try to clean up those messes.

I. Family and Friends – It's been a year since Covid broke out. We've seen far fewer friends than usual and he's gone far fewer places than usual. I think it's been hard for him because he's a social and inquisitive guy.

J. Parenting or What I’m Doing Differently – Since Covid, we've not done any organized activities, so that is one thing that's been different.

Serious Kiddo Update, age 7

A. His Schedule – He wakes up at about 7 a.m. ready to watch YouTube videos, and goes to bed at about 9 p.m. His school day starts at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 3:30 p.m. He has in-person school two days a week, and virtual school two and a half days a week.

B. His Size – He's wearing size 7 clothes and size 1.5 shoes. His feet are unfortunately wide so he has a hard time finding comfortable shoes. He uses Crocs on most days.

C. His Personality – He's somewhat of a difficult kid to parent. He likes very few things... He doesn't like going for walks, playing soccer or other physical activities. He doesn't like most art projects. He doesn't like most foods, including all meat except bacon, all vegetables except carrots, etc.

D. His Favorite Things

• Colors: Blue.
• Shows and Movies: He likes YouTube shows about video games like Minecraft and Roblox. He also likes Japanese animated shoes like Pokemon and Guku.
• Books: Books about the Loch Ness monster and Norse mythology.
• Toys and Play: He hasn't played much with toys since he got his laptop. He plays Minecraft on both his laptop and the Xbox.
• Art: He will create with beads, but most art projects including drawing just make him frustrated.
• Activities: He is sort of a couch potato. He is willing to try to help entertain his younger siblings, a plus.
• Time of Day: He's not a night owl. I'd say his favorite time of day is probably the mornings, or any time of day when candy is involved.
• Bedding: He has a dark blue fleece blanket with stars on it that he likes. Unfortunately, his pet rabbit tends to chew holes in his stuff!
• Foods: He eats a grilled cheese sandwich on raisin bread almost every day, sometimes twice a day.
• Animals: He likes animals, particularly our pets. He used to like sharks too.
• Heroes: Perhaps Batman.

E. Things He Does Not Like – When he needs quiet time but doesn't get it.

F. What He’s Thinking About – He seems to spend a lot of time thinking about superpowers.

G. Surprises – I'm surprised that even things he used to like, he seems to no longer like. From cherry tomatoes to creating art.

H. Best & Worst Things –

• The best things(s): He still seems to care what my spouse and I think, a plus.
• The worst thing(s): When he "freaks out," like about school assignments, or us wanting to go on a family walk, or us wanting him to wear clothing that is appropriate for the cold weather, or me asking him to pick up after himself.

I. Family and Friends – It's been a year since Covid broke out. We've seen far fewer friends than usual. Honestly, I don't think he's minded. He's kind of a shy kid. Even when his brother is playing with children in our neighborhood, he usually doesn't want to join in.

J. Parenting or What I’m Doing Differently – He's my first kid so I'd say my parenting of him is sort of a mess of trial by error. I honestly don't know what to do other than to listen to him and to try to do things fairly.

2-Year-Old Rosie-Baby Update

Before I kick off this post I'd like to add a program note that we're in Covid-19 quarantine. The daycares and schools are closed. So, that situation affects some of what's below.

A. Her Schedule – Since quarantine, our daily schedule has moved back a bit. Rosie usually gets up around 7 a.m. and goes to bed around 7:30 p.m. She usually wants one nap a day.

B. Her Size – She’s wearing between a size 2T and 3T and size 6 shoes.

C. Her Personality – She is probably the sweetest of my three kids. She loves us and she lets us know. She can be very persuasive in getting what she wants, whether it's the iPad or another potato chip ("tato CHIP").

D. Her Favorite Things

• Colors: She will wear other colors but she really likes pink. She also likes when her clothes have flowers on them.
• Shows and Movies: She still watches Yo Gabba Gabba (her favorite character is Foofa, the pink one), but also now really likes Peppa Pig, and both Frozen movies (which she calls "Anna").
• Toys, Play, and Art: Since quarantine and me moving her toys and books into her room, and getting more screen time, her interest in books has seriously waned. As far as toys, she likes her Elmo doll, little things (like Shopkins), a horse figurine, and toy cars. For a while she was really into magnets but that interest has also waned. As far as art, she likes coloring, and will request "paper" and "red."
• Time of Day: Any time she's outside.
• Bedding: She still has her pink horseshoe fuzzy blankets but doesn't usually sleep under them. I guess she gets hot.
• Foods: She likes bananas, grapes, and applesauce as far as healthy foods go. As far as less than healthy choices, she likes juice, Lucky Charms marshmallow cereal, and potato chips.
• Activities: I can't think of anything she wants to do more than zone out on an iPad. That being said, she also seems to like going for walks, pushing her giant toy car, and going for rides in the motorized kids' tractor.
• Animals: She seems to like animals, though no type in particular. She's pretty gentle with our dog and cat.
• Heroes: She may be too young for this one.

E. Things She Does Not Like – She used to hate sitting in her high chair so now I just let her sit in a regular chair like the rest of us.

F. What She’s Thinking About – She seems to know a lot of words. I wonder about the impact being away from her/our friends and her daycare provider is having on her. We have been trying to potty train her but the only part of the process she'll do is to sit on the kid potty.

G. Surprises – How infectious her smiles are, and how she cracks herself up.

H. Best & Worst Things –

• The best things: When she gives me a hug. When she holds a toy up to me and says "cute!" or pushes her car and says "fun" or "like it!"
• The worst things: Her fascination/obsession with screens.

I. Family and Friends – I think she's an extrovert. During quarantine I asked her "What do you need?" expecting an answer like "Milk." Instead, she looked longingly outside at our neighbors and said "Friends."

J. Parenting or What I’m Doing Differently – We are off the charted map at this point due to the whole Covid-19 situation. Things like going to the playground or playdates aren't happening - the playgrounds are closed. Going to the pool is out of the question - our rec. centers are all closed. Sure, we walk around the neighborhood plenty, but that has gotten quite dull.

A Mini Update

Rainbow pillow (Crate & Barrel),
polka dot comforter (Target),
pink shag rug (IKEA)

Plush and comfy

Is the bedside table too big?

I moved "the Baby" into her own room. But I bought a new comforter from Target that really goes with the rainbow polka dots theme. I bought this comforter in a twin size and folded it around her toddler mattress. When she ages into a twin bed it will still fit her. I also moved a bedside table into her room from mine, which will make a cozy place to set a book and her milk sippy cup during story time.

Moving "the Baby" Into Her Own Room

Fluffy rugs that one can shake out

A spot for story time

An irregular shaped lantern

A mirror for dress up

She's not a baby. She's almost two. But that's what we call her anyway.

And when we had all three of our kids in one bedroom, she'd walk over to her older brother's bottom bunk and scratch him in the face, then laugh. So we moved the kids' toys into our living room, and converted what was their shared playroom into a little bedroom all for her. Both of her older brothers loved the idea of kicking her out of "their room."

And honestly it does make putting laundry away easier, since all of their clothes - even hers - are still in the original shared kids' bedroom and I can put away clothes long after she's gone to sleep without fear of waking her, since she's in a different room. Why not move her clothes into her new little bedroom? Besides the putting-away-laundry factor, she has a habit of "trashing her room" and by that I mean that she drags all of her clothes out of her dresser and throws them on the floor when she's mad or bored.