...and then there were five.

I can't believe it has already been ten days since Phoenix joined our family. The time has flown by too fast (and the end of Cameron's time off from work is looming on the horizon). Can I just say that I have fallen in love? I love the way he snorts and grunts and coos and snuggles on my chest. I love his sweet chubby cheeks and the fat bracelets on his little arms. I love the way he curls his little frog legs into his body as I swaddle him. I can't believe my kids were ever this small, and I am all too aware of how quickly time will fly by and soon he'll be jumping on the couch and arguing with me about cleaning up his toys.

So far, what I have discovered about Phoenix is that he is content as long as he is being fed or held or bounced. He pretty much wants to eat every hour round the clock. When I took him to his one week check up, the doctor was amazed he hadn't lost any weight. He also loves being talked to. When you hold him up and talk to him he gets excited and starts flailing his arms and breathing really fast. It's super cute.

Sunshine is obsessed with trying to hold him and kiss him- so far she hasn't expressed any jealousy. When he cries, she'll bring me a binky or a nursing pillow or  one of her toys to try to comfort him. She's such a little mommy. She doesn't really know how to be gentle so I have to be extra vigilant. It's hard not being able to put him down in his car seat or swing anywhere since I know Sunshine will try to pick him up. I guess I'll have to carry him around in the baby carrier as long as she's around.

Apollo is such a good little helper. He loves holding Phoenix and asks me all kinds of questions about babies. He is fascinated by his umbilical stump and the fact that Phoenix was in my tummy not too long ago. He also gets really grossed out by how often Phoenix spits up. "Mom, why does he barf so much?" Whenever I nurse Phoenix, Apollo asks me which one makes chocolate milk and which on makes regular milk. I guess Cameron likes to tell tall tales when I'm not around :)

It is hard being outnumbered by children. I am scared to be alone for over eight hours with three crazy kids in my care. I guess I'll figure out how to juggle it all. If you come to my door some afternoon to find a woman covered in spit up with uncombed hair, a screaming baby, and two kids still in their jammies tearing the house apart, please don't judge me. Bring chocolate.

Also, Cameron worked his magic yet again... and built a closet insert to house all of Apollo and Phoenix's toys/clothes. It was a challenge because Apollo's closet is the only access to our attic, so he had to figure out a way to build something that would still allow us to access it. He used his creative genius to incorporate a ladder to the attic into the closet. When the shelves are removed, the supports that hold up the shelves become ladder rungs. Apollo has the smallest closet in the house, but the most stuff. Now it looks awesome and I am SO happy that I have more storage for all of the toys! I am so glad that I can put the puzzles/legos/ other choking hazards that are pain to clean up on the high shelves. I also love how handy Cameron is :) Its hot.

Before

What a mess! Looking at this gives me hives.

After:

 See the ladder?

Hooray for functional storage!

And here are some more cute pictures from the last few days for your viewing pleasure: