Deja vu

For some reason, after deleting some emails on my phone, it jumped backwards to November 2011. I found these pictures my brother Peter sent me that he took while we were all at my parents house in Missouri (for the wedding of my brother Joe). Our first three children were the age of the last three children now.

(Max age 6)

(then-Benny now-Ben age 3 1/2)

(Andrew age 10 months)

They look just like the last three -- Ben especially looks like James at the same age, and Andrew looks like Millie at the same age.

The next email down was one I had written to my friend Autumn, and it included this:

Benny's behavior is getting better, as long as I make a conscious effort to praise him constantly, and spend at least 15 minutes a day uninterrupted with just him and me. No baby, no phone, etc.  He's a sweetheart. A terror sometimes, but a sweetheart.

And Andrew is determined to nurse and sleep next to me for the rest of his life.  

Wow, that is exactly the same as James and Millie right now. 

I find that the kids who had a baby come when they were at least 3 years old, had a tougher time than the kids who had a baby come with they were 2 1/2.  So Ben and James basically have been harder at 3 than Max and Andrew were. Who knows what will happen for Millie when she hits three years old. I am told to be careful not to spoil her.