Fourth Time is the Charm- or Not...

Awww, look at that sweet, little toddler. Isn't she the cutest? I do think she is the cutest thing ever BUT I must tell you her looks are deceiving. She is the baby of four so you would think we have this stuff down pat. Right?

Well, little cutie pa-tootie up there seems to be here to show us that we do NOT have it all down. She is our "wild child". Now, I had friends who used to say their kids were high maintenance and I always wondered what they meant. I didn't think babies were so hard. At least my babies weren't so hard. I thought my friends were just exaggerating a bit. Now, I know they weren't. Some kids really are high maintenance and it appears that the last one we ordered up falls into that category.

Last night Louisa thought it would be fun to start climbing on things. Good-bye sitting down for me. Seems I am constantly having to get up to remove her from furniture these days. Remember her big sister Liza who didn't walk until she was 18 months? She never would have thought about climbing on furniture. Come to think of it, she still isn't a big climber.

A while back Louisa discovered how to open our cabinets- the ones where we keep food. So long to keeping food IN the cabinets. Now my counters always look messy because I have to keep things where she can't get them.

With the weather turning nice we have been going outside to play a lot. Smarty pants has discovered that our yard connects to our neighbor's yard. Obviously she likes their lawn much better since she kept running over there today. Sadly, she also pitched a fit each time I ran to bring her back into our yard. I sure will miss you, calm afternoons relaxing outside with the kids.

Smarty pants has also discovered what each door of the house sounds like. If she hears the boys' door open ( it leads to upstairs) she takes off like a flash to try to scramble up the stairs. Or, if she hears a bathroom door open, she quickly tries to find the room with that awesome bowl that holds water. Yes- she is our toilet playing baby! So, we have recently had to adopt a "close all the doors" policy. Good-bye moving freely from room to room.

Now, lest you think that we don't adore our baby Louisa, I can share some things that we just eat up about her:

She clearly, and distinctly has a name for each of us. There is nothing like a baby calling out her sweet names for you or her siblings or her dada. My favorite name that she has adopted- her name for Harrison, "No No". That just cracks me up! I must tell Harrison "no" a lot!

She is our Linus. She has a baby blanket that she cuddles up with. When she gets tired she marches into her room, sticks her chubby little arms through the spokes of the crib and hauls that blankie right out.

When you pick her up ( especially from a nap) she lays her head on your shoulder and pats your back like she is trying to make you feel better.

She laughs a great big belly laugh when you say, "Bumblebee, bumblebee....Buzz!".

So, while I should have this child rearing stuff down, I most obviously do not. But, I do at least have the foresight to know that it won't be long before I am missing her crazy toddler antics. Just as I survived those months of little to no sleep, I will survive Louisa's crazy toddler days. Now, if we can just get the house to survive.....