Growing Like Weeds!

These kids are growing up WAY too fast! Today we had well child visits for Esther and Tyler. Tyler's on his FIVE YEAR checkup! wow! He's 45 inches tall and 46 pounds. That puts him still around the 90th percentile for height and the 80th for weight. He really enjoyed this visit learning more about what the doctor does and getting to see everything on a more personal level than just watching myself or his sisters. He especially liked getting his blood pressure checked. I think our Dr. play around here will be slightly more accurate after this morning's trip. Esther is growing too! She weighed in at 11 pounds 1 oz which means that in the past 7 days she's gained 17 ounces. Sheesh! I certainly did not have to defend my choice to breastfeed! She's also 22 1/2 inches long which means she's grown 3 inches from birth. No wonder she's already growing out of not just her Newborn clothes, but also her 0-3 month clothes! I'm so sad to already be packing clothes away. We got so many beautiful sleepers and outfits and already had TONS from the other two kids... she truly is only wearing things once or twice before they don't fit! I hope she slows down a little so we get a better return for our 3-6 month clothing investments. Her other big news is that last night she slept through the night! She ate at 11, going to bed around 11:45 and she slept until 6! I went to bed around 12:30 so I got more than 5 hours straight sleep which felt amazing. I was in a panic when I awoke but she was sleeping peacefully. Even with her congestion she's doing amazing. She's such a good baby and I love that I finally have a cuddly baby! She loves to be held and I love holding her. I have regular mountains of laundry and dishes that pile up but I don't care. She's awesome and I don't know what we did before she came!

Today is also a major day in family history because last night the Browns beat the Steelers. This is the first time that has happened in the lifetimes of any of our kids! Haha! It was fun to watch and I'm glad Esther's first Browns/Steelers game was a good one and one worth staying up for! I was wearing the Browns hair crunchy Jen made me so I think she must have put some magic into it! How sad it is that this is likely the highlight not only of the season but of the past (and probably future) several years. Oh well... that's sports in Cleveland! If you grow up in it like we did you know what you are getting into because you've watched your father, grandfather and great-grandfathers suffer through year after year. I think we're more well rounded people because we grow up knowing what disappointment is! ;) And if you are lucky you grow up learning how to properly vent your anger at refs, coaches, and players- all while getting in a good workout.

This week Tyler continued his therapy for his muscles and tendon. He's doing well and we're being pretty consistant working at home as well. Some days are better than others of course. We are seeing improvement and are thankful... it's going to be a matter of self dicipline for Tyler which will be a good challenge and character building for him. The therapy will help him get to where he is able to stand and walk flat footed, and then it'll be up to him to train himself to do it and make a new, better habit.

We are also still enjoying our homescooling. The kids often want me to read further than the "lesson plans" say we should so we do. It's been a great motivator for me to force me to sit down with them while Esther naps or daddy has her and read to them and talk to them. This curriculum helps us make that more of a priority which I needed.

Our crazy treadmill purchase is also being enjoyed. It's a bit boring right now because I don't have an iPod or even a working CD player but in a month it'll be in front of the TV. :) I'm cleared to excersise and my OB appointment Monday went well. I am very thankful to be so healthy and able to recover so quickly from labor. It wasn't so easy the first time around which makes me appreciate it even more.

Last weekend we had a wonderful visit from the Kelloggs. We stayed up WAY too late Friday night but having fellowship with another couple sans kids was just awesome. I loved every moment of it and wish we could do it more. I needed that so badly. It has made me more tired this week, but again, very worth it. It was also fun to see the kids get to play with Faith. They love her so much and always are talking about her, it's nice that they do actualy get along when they are together!

Christmas is coming, ready or not, so this weekend will be busy with shopping and hopefully energy will allow some cookie making. I always love weekends when we can all just be together, even if we are busy. The rest of the month will fly by so I fully intend to enjoy this weekend relaxing with the love of my life and our three beautiful babies. We chose to journey through life together 12 years ago Sunday. That was one of the best decisions I ever made!