Pardon the Interuption...

To take a break from the recap of our vacation, Miss Meredith started walking last night! She has been taking a few steps here and there without holding onto anyone or anything for a few weeks now, but last night she was racing across the living room!

We all get excited, she gets proud of herself and then we all clap. It's so funny. And no, we haven't gotten it on video yet. She may be better off than some other fourth-borns as far as pictures are concerned, but videos of her, there is very little. In our defensive, we haven't really taken much video of any of our kids. It's not something that I'm proud of because I know that it is something I will regret in the years to come. I just want to capture a little bit of their bodies, their voices, their words in each stage of their lives, and I'm sure video is the best way to do that.

Feel free to remind me to charge the camcorder and use it!

Nine Month Update

According to Dr. J, Meredith is average in her height, and a bit above average in her weight and head size. Overall, she thinks Meredith is developing fantastically, but really needs to focus on crawling. One thing I was surprised with was that her iron count was perfect. I have always heard that with each baby a nursing mom has it is harder and harder for the baby to receive the necessary iron that she needs. All three boys had issues and needed to take those awful iron drops. Thank goodness we don't need to do that with her!

Height: 27 1/2 "

Weight: 20 lbs. 2 oz.

Look who's six months old

How I missed (sharing) this milestone, I have no idea.

At her appointment she was 18.1 lbs. (half of which are in her chipmunk cheeks!); 25 inches (?), and not sure about her head, but I think it is in the 75th percentile. I have come to realize that with Lou I knew how many weeks old he was and with Meredith I have to pause to remember how many months old she is. I do realize the significance of development in weeks, but my brain has gotten foggy between numbers three and four!

Miss Meredith is smiley as ever and besides sitting up all the time (she would rather sit up than lie on her belly), she has two teeth half-way through on the bottom gum. Now that she is eating better (veggies are still her favorites), her sleeping has gotten much better, too! We're all thankful for that.

The only thing that she hasn't been developing much of is hair. Her cousin Gracie's is filling in nicely and Meredith is coming to terms with her cue-ball head. It really isn't that big of a deal except for the numerous people who seem to think she is a boy, despite the big pink blanket she's covered in. Oh well. She'll get there soon enough!

Appointment at Three Months

In this day and age of pandemic illnesses I do not understand why my baby needs to go to the doctor's office, but to have her head, length and weight measured.

We were in the waiting room for about 40 minutes before being called back to the examination room, and it was filled with kids who the nurses had put masks on (many kids decided they were too cool for that). Ugh. I honestly don't think that I get worked up over illnesses in general, but if you don't have to be exposed to that nonsense, why should you?

Here are her stats:

Weight: 13 lbs.
Height: 23 in.

Meredith is in the 75% for her head size and weight and in the 40% for height. No shots today.

In the dark about a shot

I'm not sure who does the scheduling, but apparently our doctor's office thinks it's perfectly ok to do toddler well appointments at 3:15 in the afternoon. About half of our van was asleep on the way to the office. That being said, when you wake toddlers up from their nap before it's time they're going to be cranky. It was an interesting trip.

By now you are aware of how the boys are freaked out about shots. I have decided a while back that I will not inform them of anything of the sort, because all it does is prolong the agony.

So, you can imagine Lou's shock and surprise when he learned that he was getting shots on a day that wasn't even his appointment! Poor kid.

But let me back it up. Benny and Charlie have the same birthday and this has been helpful in a number of ways, but today it was that whatever Benny did, Charlie was completely ok with also doing, because they are great examples of Monkey See, Monkey Do. Get on the scale? Great! Get measured against the wall? Fine! It helps when you give Charlie a number afterward, then a high five. He doesn't care or know what it all means, but it makes him feel good, like he just won something. (We now have an electronic thermometer that goes across the forehead and whenever it needs to be used all three need to have theirs checked and we have to see who "wins." Not sure if it's the high or low number...I have a feeling I've told this story before.)

Then they were checked out by the doctor, asked questions, then on to the tough stuff. I had all three sitting on the table and tried to keep them occupied with goofy games and then with pictures I was taking. Here are a few:

I tried to get them to do "Hear No Evil" but it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be.
Charlie: "What are we doing again?"

Ben and Lou wanted to make sure Charlie knew what he was doing.

They gave up and just started acting like monkeys.

Meredith, watching throughout the whole thing, just teaches herself to suck her thumb.

When the nurse came in they each got the flu mist up both nostrils. I've never had it done, but it looked like it wasn't much fun. Then the nurse asked if I had a game plan. Uh...no. Charlie first? He only had one shot. Char did great. Quick little cry and then was thrilled when the nice nurse said to pick out TWO stickers. Ok, that's over.

Then what do we do--Ben then Lou, or Lou then Ben? Not sure if it would have been better the other way around, but this way was not good. Louie looked on in horror as Benny got a shot in each arm. Then when we turned to him he started, in a high pitch scream, howling that he's not going to get a shot. Tears streaming down his face, I had to restrain him as the nurse poked him with the needles. After it was done he barely shed another tear and went to pick out a couple of cool jungle animal stickers.

I don't want you to think I'm not sensitive to my kids' fears and anxieties. It's one of those times where the tough love comes in to play. I want them to bravely get a shot, knowing that it will hurt for just a second and then you get cool stuff, like stickers. And besides, if Louie didn't get the shot he wouldn't be going to kindergarten. For all the bad things that happen, something good comes of it. Like an 99-cent ice cream from McDonald's on the way home. See, it was all worth it.

Oh, and their stats, if you're interested:

• Benny: 40 inches tall, 40 pounds. (A square.)
• Charlie: 29 inches tall, 31 pounds. (Not sure. Can't remember much from sophomore year geometry.)
  

Two Month Appointment

Little Mere is growing so quickly and has lost all of her itty bitty newborn baby looks. She had a great appointment and was a champ taking two shots (four condensed into two) and something she had to take orally. (Can you tell I'm the experienced, informed mom??) The boys were more upset than she was. They sat there, scared out of their minds, and I convinced them they had to be brave for their sister.

She is 12 lbs. now and 22 1/2 inches.

After her shots were administered, Benny called out, "I didn't even cry!"

One Month Appointment

Miss Meredith had a pretty good appointment, overall. She is dealing with a tear duct that doesn't want to work properly, but it sounds like with some massaging it should get better in the next 7-9 months. This is coming from an overly protective doctor, so if she's not too concerned, I'm not going to be.

So worried about her weight a few weeks back and today she had gained three pounds! She's up over ten pounds now, but still at 21 inches. The nurse said that hospitals are least concerned about babies' lengths, especially when they are slimy and squirming, so chances are she wasn't exactly 21 inches at birth. I was wondering why all my kids were pretty much the same length when they were born...

She got a shot in her thigh, but only cried for a moment. The more painful part of the visit was being there for an hour when it shouldn't have taken longer than twenty minutes because a hot-shot resident doctor was expanding Meredith's and my mind with all his big medical mumbo jumbo. Sorry. We had just come from the zoo and my little girl wanted to have lunch and relax at home, not hang out all day at the doctor's office. Thank goodness the boys weren't there! I can't imagine how long the "see what animals you can find in the border" game would have lasted.

Check Up

The doctor wanted to see how Meredith is progressing and so Kevin and I took her in for an appointment this morning. I could have figured this out on my own, but it is nice to have the doctor say it: She is doing great! The doctor was hoping she'd gain about 2 ounces and Meredith has gained 8!

She eats so well during the day and has been doing fairly well with sleeping at night. I am wondering if this is a part of her personality, or if it will change when her crazy brothers get back in town. Right now, all the focus is on her. She eats when she wants to. She sleeps, uninterrupted. The returning of her brothers might cause things to change a bit!

Wish us luck :)

Five-Year-Old Appointment

Louie had to have his check-up on a Thursday because apparently that's when hearing tests are done and when you are five you need to have your eyes and ears checked out, in addition to the normal check-up.

He didn't do too badly on his hearing test. I was concerned because during the test I saw the nurse press a button that he should have heard (although a quiet tone), but didn't. Turns out that when the doc checked him he had a bit of fluid behind his ear drum that was consistent in the tones he wasn't hearing. Fortunately, it is not infected!

Louie got a 20-20 report on his eye exam! The nurse was very impressed, saying that normally five-year-olds are still developing their eye sight and the best is normally 20-30. It's all Greek to me, but I was happy to hear it!

Other than that, things are going pretty well. Louie would probably beg to differ because he was injected with two shots. Five-year-olds usually get four, but luckily the doctor is splitting them up so he doesn't have to get them all at once. I made the mistake of informing him that when the nurse came back in the room that he'd get two shot. If you have a soon-to-be five-year-old, DO NOT say ANYTHING. Just let the nurse come in and do her job. I had a heck of a time getting Louie out from under the table, and then calmed down to get injected. He did get two stickers for the pain.

Update from the Doctor's Office

Charlie went in for his 18-month appointment and seems to be doing really well. He's in the 44th percentile for his weight and 45th percentile for his height. Not breaking any records, but average for now. He got two rough shots and shed some tears, but it must not have been too bad because as soon as he saw that stickers were being handed out he dried right up.

The doctor asked how many words Charlie was saying. I hesitated and she said, "Five?" Oh yeah, I quickly said and then she asked what they were. I had a hard time coming up with them. It's just so hard because its not like we don't understand him, or he, us. He's not screaming and pointing all the time, either. He's very expressive in his...communicating. I told the doctor the sound that he makes and she kept referring to it as his "growl." I wouldn't have thought it was a growl, but I have no idea what else to call it.

She said that it is very common for 18-month-old boys to not be saying much, but by his 2-year appointment he'll need to be up to 100 words. Uh-oh. I have a feeling we're going to be pulling a lot of all-nighters trying to accomplish that.

He's all growns up!

Last night Charlie (finally) got his first hair cut. He was mistaken for a girl twice in one week. If that's not enough motivation to get one's child's hair cut, I'm not sure what is.

Whoa! Who's that long-haired hippie fellow?

The cutting crew. Lou and Ben were ready to be Daddy's helpers.

Charlie did really well. We had a video camera set up and flipped the viewing screen around so he could see himself. He got a kick out of that and we decided we may need to do that each time we cut the boys' hair because we tend to get some tears and such by the end.

All smiles so far!

He was a tough guy, in part, because he got a tattoo before the event. The boys all got their SpongeBob tats on their arms and Charlie was pretty proud of his.

Now, that's better!

All in all, it was a successful night and now Charlie won't be mistaken for a little girl. See how happy he is? In my defense, it is a very difficult thing to see your child's baby curls cut off. See this picture? He's not a baby any more. He's grown up and ready to be a big brother. I've gotten better since Louie. When his curls were cut off I had tears streaming! (I was also pregnant with Benny.)

Sticker Day!

Well, it's not officially called "sticker day," but I wish the excitement of picking out a sticker outweighed the actual cost of the stickers.

The cost: we went to the doctor for Ben's 3-year-old checkup and not only did he have to get a shot, but both he and Lou got the flu mist up the nose. Oh the horror!

I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to do this by myself. Those boys are getting strong and with all the flailing around I don't think I'll have the ability to restrain them in future appointments.

Charlie thought it was all pretty funny.

Update: Ben is up to 37 lbs. and 38 inches.

How could I have forgotten?

I used to have a site at a place that keeps track of a baby's developments. For the life of me I can't remember what it was called, but it wouldn't let me upload many pictures so I switched to a blog. The nice thing about that other site, though, was that you could see how the baby grew and all the new things he was doing.

Charlie had his one year doctor's appointment a while back and I forgot to update you on how he's doing! So, better late than never, here are his stats:

• He weighs 22 lbs., 10 oz.
  
• He's 29 " long--in the 25%
  
• He still has a big noggin

He seems to be about the same size as Ben and Lou were at this point, but after hearing that he's in the 25 percentile for height I did notice that he doesn't own any "short pants." They all just make it look like he's going for the surfer dude look.

Pretty proud of myself

It's not saying a whole lot, but I'm pretty proud of myself that I got Lou's 4th birthday picture taken and it's not five months after his birthday! Here are some shots of the grown up boy. It was not as easy as it was two weeks ago with Charlie, but I have to admit that he was very good during the shoot.

Can you believe that it's been four years since this guy entered the world?!

I didn't go nuts and buy a bunch of pictures like I did with Charlie. It was a rough ending to a fairly good trip to the picture place. Lou and Ben were shrieking while running around being destructive, Charlie was crying, and I was having a big guilt trip because this very nice photographer seemed upset that I've never bought more than the basic pkg. from her, but I bought the whole kit and caboodle from the other. My apologies for the haphazard look of this post. I am not going to get creative with the layouts any more! (To get a better look at the pics you can click on the image.)

So dapper!

Charlie's Picture Day

We decided back when Lou was a baby that we do professional pictures every six months. Charlie's six-month birthday came and went so...it ended up happening today, inching toward eight, but still at seven months.

This is my favorite age for taking to the portrait studio. Although he's mobile, he's very happy and loves the attention. At a year...not sure what to expect. And Lou and Ben were great! They were just happy that it wasn't their turn. When did getting your picture taken turn into going to the dentist? Here are a few of the pictures our new favorite photographer, Becky at Sears, took:

Extra, Extra, Read All About It!!!

**CHARLIE STARTED CRAWLING TODAY!**

Yes, the little brother was tired of not being able to catch up with his brothers without assistance and was quoted as saying, "Man, why did I wait so long?"

The Doctor's Office

Today we headed over to Dr. Joseph's for Charlie's six-month appointment. Unbeknownst to Charlie (or to me, for that matter), he was in for three shots today. He (as opposed to his brothers) was so good the entire time we were there and then the nurse went and stuck him three times. Fortunately, he fell immediately asleep when I put him in the car seat and continues to sleep as I type this.

His big brothers started out OK, but keeping toddlers waiting in a tiny examining room is never a good idea. They were in their orangutan mood, galloping around the room making ape noises. Dr. Joseph was amused...for a minute.

Charlie is growing well. He weighs 19 lbs. 1 oz. and is 26 inches long. Apparently, he isn't as long as the other two were, but he'll catch up soon enough.

Charlie sits! (sort of)

With having three kids under four you'd think I'd remember stuff from the first two times around, but I don't. At some point they must have starting sitting up, but I'm not exactly sure when that was. I've got it written down somewhere...

So, with Charlie inching up on six months, he's getting really good at being at the seated position. He can't get there on his own, and he doesn't last too long, but here is evidence that the third Hess boy can sit on his bottom with relatively little help.
And here is part of the reason why it doesn't last long--he grabs for everything and then topples on his face!