The Four Byrd Boys

I have been way behind in my blogging, and I apologize. I have so much that I want to write about, in all aspects of my life. But today, I’m going to do an update on ALLLLLL of the Byrd Boys! (There’s 4 of ‘em, you know.)

---AIDEN---

Aiden has been doing so well. I could not be more proud of my oldest boy.  Speech problems, behavior problems- they are all a thing of the past. Sure, the kid is 4 (going on 12) and cops a ‘tude every now and then, but that’s pretty normal for a little boy. He is so smart, and so loving. I don’t know why, but I was expecting the worst when we had both the twins back home. I wasn’t SO apprehensive when it came to Aiden, but I was worried that he may get his feelings hurt when mommy had to tend to two new babies instead of play all day with him. However, Aiden took to being a big brother better than I could have ever hoped. I mean, he knew he was Jaxon’s brother but because they’re so close in age, I don’t think he ever registered being a BIG brother. As soon as the babies were settled and he overcame being shy around them, he started to step into the role of their protector and loves on them CONSTANTLY.  I’ll walk out of the room for a second and when I come back in; he’s hugging, kissing, talking, and always trying to make them laugh. He’s so gentle with them; I’ve rarely had to correct him around them. He knows that they are little and precious and loves them so much. It just makes me so happy. He is still my sensitive boy. He is very kind hearted, silly, and...well...kinda clumsy. Haha. He is fully potty trained, with very few accidents here and there. He loves dinosaurs, robots (including transformers) and loves to dance and sing. His favorite color is RED (which he will remind you-constantly) His favorite songs are “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”, “Hey Jude”, “Let It Go” and “Robot Rock”.  His favorite foods are fruits (peaches, apples, grapes, melon, oranges), cereals, and pizza. I just asked him what he wants for his birthday and he says “Presents.” Lol. I asked him to narrow it down and he said.....”A transformer-a BIGGEST ONE!” Well...there ya go.

---JAXON---

Oh, Jaxon. My little Tasmanian devil. When we first brought the twins home, I was very pleasantly surprised. He was very careful around them. He didn’t have as much interest in them as Aiden, but still watched out for them and helped out when I asked. He always reminded me when we’d leave the house “Momma, get your babies!”. He was still attending daycare, and that place is amazing. His behavior had improved so much, days spent with him we actually enjoyable. I know that sounds horrible but while I was pregnant, Jaxon worried me. He was very, very hard to handle. He was violent, and didn’t listen and nothing was working. Right before I got admitted to the hospital, we found the new daycare and it had been absolutely wonderful. Because of the situation with the twins, and then my surgery shortly thereafter, Aiden and Jaxon could keep going to daycare with state assistance, and it continued that way until the end of July. There was a mix up with health and human services and until they corrected their error, both the older boys had to stay at home. At first, it was fine. But then I started to notice regression with Jaxon in his potty training. He was doing really well while in daycare-Potty trained through the day, and needing a pull up at night.  But after staying home for a week (even with me doing frequent “potty breaks”), he was still wetting his pants during the day and soaking through his pull up at night. His behavior also took a turn for the worst. It was not as bad as it used to be, his violent tendencies were still almost zero, but he started to blatantly act out and not listen. The absolute worst thing that came about, however, was the whining. This kid whined constantly. All day long. About EVERYTHING. It was driving me crazy. I know it was because he was bored. I couldn’t provide him the kind of physical activity he was getting at daycare. We have a park nearby, and we used it. We have a pool- and we used that as well. But, it’s extremely hard for me to handle all four of the boys by myself-so those activities usually waited until I had an extra pair of hands to help me out. Fortunately, the daycare situation got worked out and I do have a plan for when the state assistance ends. So, he’s currently going during the week and his behavior seems to be getting back on track again. Apart from behavior issues, he is incredibly intelligent. All of his teachers have pulled me aside to tell me how well he’s doing. He knows a lot of letters and words, and can count pretty high. He also can build crazy intricate things with blocks, Legos, and he even made a huge pyramid with Dixie cups. It’s so funny to see a little boy with so much energy sit down and concentrate so hard on building. He is still an energetic, adventurous little boy. He’s silly, loves to laugh, and loves to explore.  As of right now, he is still partially potty trained- mostly using the potty during the day and a pull up at night. Some accidents if I don’t remind him to go.  He loves his new yellow chair, his blankie and stuffed puppy named Bo, and like I said, he loves to build.  His favorite songs are “Wheels on the bus”, “Twinkle Twinkle”, “Jesus Loves Me”, “Helter Skelter”, “Let It Go”,  and “Atlas”. His favorite color is Green. His favorite foods are apples, strawberries, sandwiches, watermelon, cheese, and cheeseburgers. Jaxon wants “dogs” for his birthday. He’s obsessed with dogs, lately.

---GAVIN---

Gavin is my only blue eyed baby! He’s such a sweetie, and for the most part very easy going. When he wants something, though, he is much more vocal than Christian. He is pretty big, at almost 18 pounds (from his birth weight of 4lbs 15oz!), and long too! His favorite person in the world is his Daddy. He just lights up when he sees Phillip. Gavin is a better sleeper than Christian, usually falling asleep around 9 or 10pm and not waking up until 5 or 6 am. For the longest time, we had the twins on the same feeding schedule but as they’ve gotten a little older, we decided to let sleep during the night as much as they wanted, rather than wake one if the other wakes. Mommy has been terrible about putting both of these babies in the crib. Gavin prefers to be upright and on his side when he sleeps. So when I do out him in the crib, I prop him on his side the tiniest bit. That’s controversial, I know. But I assure you, he is safe. The biggest problem with the crib is that he tends to wiggle down and gets his legs stuck in the bars-causing him to cry and Mommy to have a heart attack. Now that he can move around and turn his head much better, I purchased a crib bumper. Hopefully that helps with that issue. On his tummy, Gavin is lifting his head almost completely and looking around. If I brace my hands against his feet, he pushes off of them in an attempt to wiggle. He is close to an army-style crawl, I think. He has rolled from back to tummy a few times. He is quicker to laugh than Christian, and thinks it’s HILARIOUS when Daddy claps at him. He is taking 6-7 ounces around every 4 hours during the day, and has just started rice cereal and bananas, which he loves!  Also, though some won’t believe me, he has said his first word! He says “Hey” when I ask him too. I have witnesses!!  I call Gavin “Big Boy” “Sweet Thing” and “Baby Boo” and “Pudge”

---CHRISTIAN---

Christian is my only brown eyed baby!! I never thought I’d be so excited for a child to have my eyes. But, he certainly is. In fact, out of all my kids, Christian looks the most like me as a baby. Dark hair, dark eyes, and a more olive complexion than his brothers. I joke around and tell people that Christian is my grumpy guy. He does tend to look very serious or worried a lot of the time. However, when this baby smiles, his WHOLE face changes. He has the sweetest smile. He is more needy than his brother, and though is not as loud as Gavin, he is quicker to cry or fuss.  He is almost 16 pounds (birth weight 4lbs 9oz) and only a tiny bit shorter than Gavin, though he looks and feels much smaller.  He falls asleep around the same time as Gavin, and would much rather sleep in his swing than just about anywhere else. He wakes up, on average, around twice a night, usually once around 2am, and then again at 6/7. He has less of an issue with wiggling around in his crib, but wakes up much more frequently if he’s flat on his back. On his tummy, Christian lifts his head only for a few seconds at a time. He is much more comfortable in a sitting position, than in a crawling position. HE HATES TUMMY TIME. Though Christian smiles more readily, his laughs are few and far between. But, man, are they adorable.  He, too, is taking around 6-7 ounces at a time every 3-4 hours. He was less enthusiastic about the rice cereal and bananas but seemed to enjoy them, once he actually managed to swallow some. J I call Christian “Bubba” “Boo Boo” “Sweet Thing” and “Leetle Peanut”.

Well! There’s all there is to know about the four Byrd Brothers! I hope you all are doing well and stay tuned, as I will be updating soon about my continued journey in finding God (here’s a hint, an otherworldly message from both Aiden and Jaxon- and my first time drawn to worship at the altar.), my decision to get fit (day 3, hoping to hit 2 miles walked tonight.),  and my battle with depression, self-worth, and confidence.

Have a wonderful day.